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Qatar reopens embassy in Damascus after 13-year closure

Xinhua) 08:58, December 23, 2024

Qatari flag is seen hoisted at the Qatari embassy in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 21, 2024. Qatar officially reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, raising its national flag over the building for the first time in 13 years. (Photo by Monsef Memari/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Qatar officially reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, raising its national flag over the building for the first time in 13 years.

In the upscale Abu Rummaneh neighborhood of Damascus, workers were seen cleaning the embassy compound and removing graffiti from its walls.

The embassy's reopening comes amid a wave of regional and Western representatives visiting Syria to meet the country's new de-facto leadership following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government on Dec. 8.

It also comes almost a week after a Qatari delegation visited Damascus to prepare for the resumption of the Qatari diplomatic mission, which was closed in 2011 following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.

The delegation met with representatives of Syria's transitional government and reaffirmed Qatar's commitment to supporting the Syrian people in their pursuit of security, peace, development, and prosperity, Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said.

The meeting also discussed ways to enhance the flow of Qatari humanitarian aid into Syria and assessed the urgent needs of the Syrian population during this critical phase, Al Ansari noted.

Qatar is the second country, after Trkiye, to formally resume diplomatic operations in the Syrian capital since Assad's downfall.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
You are here: China

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, strongly condemned U.S. arms sales to Taiwan on Sunday, urging the United States to immediately halt arming Taiwan.

Zhu made the remarks in response to a media query about the U.S. recent announcement of a new round of military assistance and arms sales to China's Taiwan region.

"We firmly oppose the U.S. providing weapons to China's Taiwan region in any form, and our stance is consistent and clear," Zhu said.

She added that the U.S. move severely violates the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982, while sending a wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

Separatist activities and external interference are the biggest threats to peace across the Taiwan Strait, Zhu said.

She urged the U.S. to immediately stop arming Taiwan and warned Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authority that seeking independence by relying on the United States and through military means only leads to a dead end.
A Tesco worker kicks a shoplifter as he flees with bottle of wine in Kilburn, north London - JAM PRESS

Shopkeepers face a Christmas crime wave with figures showing a record number of shoplifting offences went unsolved in the past year.

Police investigations into some 245,500 shoplifting offences this year were closed without a suspect being identified, equivalent to an average of 672 a day.

This represents a 38 per cent rise from the 178,432 shoplifting offences that went unsolved in the same period five years ago, according to the analysis by the House of Commons library.

Overall, more than half (56.4 per cent) of shoplifting offences were closed because no suspect had been identified, up from 48.9 per cent five years ago.

Senior police figures have warned that organised crime gangs are increasingly shoplifting to order, including during the festive period.

The data was released as thousands of shoppers are set to race to make last-minute purchases ahead of Christmas Eve.

CCTV recordings of a woman in Bridport, Dorset concealing Jellycat toys in a pram - GROVES GARDEN CENTRE

Lisa Smart, shadow home affairs secretary for the Liberal Democrats, who commissioned the research, said: Shop staff are having to deal with a Christmas crime wave as shoplifters act with impunity with so many crimes being effectively legalised by the previous Conservative governments shocking neglect.

The new government needs to get a grip on this shoplifting epidemic and hard-working shop staff on the frontline need to be reassured that they will not continue to be abandoned.

That must start with Ministers making sure that officers will actually have the time and resources to focus on their local neighbourhoods and keep shop workers safe. Until that happens our communities wont see the proper neighbourhood policing that they deserve.

Only around one in six (17.2 per cent) of cases led to a suspect being charged or summonsed, down from one in five (21.2 per cent) five years ago.

However, this masked huge variations. Just one in 20 shoplifting offences are solved by the Met despite the force accounting for 68,000 or 14.7 per cent of all store thefts in England and Wales.

That is a sixth of the rate of the most successful force  Norfolk, where nearly a third (32.7 per cent) of all its shoplifting offences result in the thief being caught and charged.

Katy Bourne, the lead for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners on retail crime, said the last few years had seen a surge in organised crime gangs shoplifting to order, targeting items that could be sold on to a ready market.

This has been highly organised particularly for the last few years. This Christmas will be no different, she said.

However, she said the launch of the Pegasus partnership between retail chiefs and police was starting to have an impact with 28 gangs identified, 93 suspects arrested and 230 individuals identified who had previously been below the police radar.

The message is getting out there that police have eyes on the gangs and can map them, track them and snatch them, said Ms Bourne, police and crime commissioner for Sussex.

Katy Bourne says police are tracking gangs - DOMINIC LIPINSKI

Shoplifting hit a record high this year with 50 offences recorded by police every hour in England and Wales  an increase of 30 per cent in one year  official figures show.

The number of shoplifting offences rose to 443,995 in the year to March 2024, an increase of more than 100,000 on the 342,428 recorded in the previous 12 months.

Retailers say that shoplifting is now so widespread that it is adding at least 6p to every store transaction by customers owing to the cost of the 1.8 billion stolen each year and the extra 700 million being spent by retailers on security measures.

Labour has pledged to introduce new laws to reduce shoplifting by requiring police to investigate even if the goods are worth under 200.

A Crime Bill will reverse a so-called shoplifters charter introduced in 2014, under which theft of goods under 200 is considered low value. The Bill will also introduce a new standalone offence of assaulting a shop worker. It is likely to carry a maximum sentence of six months in jail though no final decision has been taken.

Under an agreement last October between the government and police, officers attend shoplifting incidents if there is violence against a store worker, a suspected thief is detained or officers are needed to secure evidence. However, police say it is not realistic for officers to respond to every shoplifting incident.
Enrique Tarrio rallies with the Proud Boys in Portland, Oregon, in 2019. Photograph: Noah Berger/AP

The former head of the Metropolitan police intelligence unit in Washington DC has been found guilty of tipping off Enrique Tarrio  the imprisoned, one-time leader of the Proud Boys  that a warrant was out for his arrest before the January 6 Capitol attack in 2021.

Shane Lamond has been charged with tipping off Tarrio, who at the time of the Capitol attack was wanted for the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner.

Tarrio is currently serving 22 years after being convicted of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol riot. Tarrio was arrested when he arrived in Washington on a flight from Miami two days before the attack.

Related: Former Proud Boys leader sentenced to 22 years over US Capitol attack

During Tarrios testimony to the court, he said he wanted to travel to Washington before the January 6 attack to get this over with  and to set up a circus tent to use his arrest as a marketing ploy.

Lamond was found guilty on Monday of four counts, including one of obstruction of justice and three of lying to investigators.

The verdict followed a bench trial that featured testimony from Tarrio, who maintained he had been contemporaneously lying to his fellow Proud Boys about receiving information from a source in the Washington DC police department.

A federal grand jury charged Lamond in May 2023 with obstructing the investigation into the burning of the banner a month before the Capitol attack  when the Proud Boys were roaming the streets of Washington DC for a pro-Donald Trump event.

During Lamonds trial, prosecutors said that the former police officer acted as a double agent for the Proud Boys. Tarrio and Lamond communicated at least 500 times using cloud-based messaging services, the indictment alleged, including 101 messages on Telegram that were set to disappear.

Lamonds defense said that their clients communications with Tarrio were a part of his job. But prosecutors showed that Lamond wrote of his affinity for the Proud Boys. In those communications, Lamond said he supported the group and did not want to see your groups name or reputation dragged through the mud, an indictment alleged.

According to the indictment, Lamond had also advised Tarrio that he tried to convince another unit within the Washington DC police department that the Proud Boys were not racist.

I told them you are made up a lot of Latinos and blacks so not a racist thing. If anything I said its political but then I drew attention to the Trump and American flags that were taken by Antifa and set on fire, Lamond wrote in an alleged message contained in the indictment. I said all those would have to be classified as hate crimes too.

After the January 6 attack, which aimed to keep Trump in office after losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, Lamond and Tarrio allegedly continued communicating. Tarrio told Lamond he thought he could have stopped this whole thing, meaning the Capitol attack, in another purported message cited in the indictment.

A watchdog report by the US justice department inspector generals office earlier in December found that 26 FBI informants were in Washington DC for election-related protests on January 6  and 17 had either entered the Capitol or a restricted area around the building during the riot.

For those keeping score at home, this was labeled a dangerous conspiracy theory months ago, JD Vance  who will serve as vice-president after Trump returns to the White House in January  wrote on X.

But its unclear if Lamond or Tarrio will be among the more than 1,500 defendants charged  and more than 1,100 convicted  that Trump has vowed to pardon on day one of his new term.

Im going to be acting very quickly, first day, Trump said on NBC News Meet the Press earlier in December when asked when he planned to pardon his supporters who were charged. He told the outlet that there could be some exceptions to his pardons if the individuals had acted radical or crazy.
The solid gold Imperial Order of the Star of Ethiopia. Photograph: La Galerie Numismatique

The descendants of a hero of Ethiopias resistance against European imperialism are seeking to retrieve a gold medal taken from him by Italian troops, after the artefacts current holder failed to sell it at an online auction earlier this month.

The solid gold Imperial Order of the Star of Ethiopia used to be in the possession of Ras Desta Damtew, a son-in-law of Emperor Haile Selassie and a guerrilla army commander whose capture and execution in 1937 spelled the end of Ethiopias resistance to fascist Italys occupation.

Its whereabouts were unknown until this November, when the star-shaped brooch resurfaced on the online platform LiveAuctioneers, where it was offered for sale for an estimated 60,000-90,000 (50,000-74,000) by the Lausanne-registered company La Galerie Numismatique.

The websites listing did not hide the items controversial provenance, describing it as coming from the estate of an Italian soldier who was present at the capture of the prince [Desta Damtew].

My first feeling was anger that they were so blatantly claiming to have taken it from someone who was executed, said Laly Kassa, one of Desta Damtews granddaughters. This one was so egregious that we just felt like as a family, we had to prove something.

The familys lawyer Chris Marinello, an art restitution expert and founder of Art Recovery International, is working for them pro bono. They say said that when Marinello approached La Galerie Numismatique, it initially rebuffed the restitution request, offering to sell the medal for 61,595, including a buyers premium and VAT.

At the auction on 1 December, the brooch failed to meet the minimum price required for a winning bid, however, and its current owner, a British collector of military memorabilia based in Spain, has since entered direct talks with the legal representative of Damtews family. La Galerie Numismatique did not respond when approached for a comment.

What makes the medal especially significant, according to James De Lorenzi, an associate history professor at New Yorks John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is that its removal from Ethiopia can be directly connected to an alleged war crime.

Damtew, who decided to fight the Italian invasion while Selassie fled the country in 1936 to go into exile in England, was captured on 24 February 1937 after a skirmish near Mount Gurage and then executed by a group of Ethiopian fighters commanded by Italian officers.

In 1948, the Ethiopian government charged 10 Italian citizens before the UN War Crimes Commission (UNWCC), submitting affidavits describing Damtews killing after his capture, when he was a prisoner of war. This evidence led the UNWCC to rule that the 10 Italians were either accused or suspected war criminals.

The medal was thus obtained by an agent of the fascist regime who was directly involved in this war crime, amid a broader counterinsurgency that involved mass killings, sexual violence, torture, and arbitrary detention, said De Lorenzi. Given this provenance, returning the medal to Ethiopia is the only responsible choice.

While the Imperial Order of the Star of Ethiopia would not be the first precious artefact to be returned to east Africa in recent years, it will probably generate fresh interest in the whereabouts of items looted during the Italian occupation of what was also known as Abyssinia, between 1935 and 1941.

Article 37 of the Paris peace treaties of 1947 stipulated that Italy should within 18 months restore all Ethiopian works of art, religious objects, archives, and objects of historical value removed from Ethiopia to Italy since October 3, 1935. But with the exception of the Italian states 2005 return of a 1,700-year-old granite monument known as the Axum obelisk, Italian institutions and individuals have mostly failed to follow up on the requirement.

Ras  a royal title roughly equivalent to duke  Desta Damtew was a member of the aristocracy that ruled the Ethiopian empire from the middle ages. Royal rule of the country in the Horn of Africa was marked by stark economic inequalities, which fuelled the coup detat that toppled the monarchy in 1974.

Damtews granddaughter Laly Kassa said his descendants were unequivocal that the medal would not be privately held in the event of a restitution. If we can get the medal back, it will go to a museum, she said. We want it on permanent display at the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa.

In spite of his royal ties, Desta Damtew was honoured as an icon of African resistance to colonialism even in the socialist Peoples Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and by black solidarity movements across the globe.

Italy first tried to claim Abyssinia as a protectorate in the late 19th century but was defeated emphatically by Ethiopian forces: Damtews father, Fitawrari Damtew Ketena, fell in the climactic battle of Adwa in March 1896, which came to be remembered as a defining moment of African defiance.

In 1935, however, Ethiopia became what US president Franklin D. Roosevelts foreign policy adviser Sumner Welles called the first victim of Axis aggression, when Italy invaded from neighbouring Eritrea.
My house is freezing. I have layers and throws on me, obviously, but I have arthritis badly, and the cold does make it worse, says Sandra, 69. Photograph: Studio Romantic/Shutterstock

When Colin Anderson moved home to Devon after 30 years in London, he was looking forward to a quiet retirement close to where he had grown up. A council tenant all his life, he privately rented a small bungalow near Newton Abbot, where he could just about afford to live comfortably alone after the death of his partner.

When his rent was raised sharply twice, however, it reached 1,100 a month  more than his entire state pension. He was left with 200 a month from his private pension to cover food, clothing and everything else. The removal this year of his winter fuel payment has tipped a challenging existence into a thoroughly dispiriting one.

It sounds a bit sad, and it probably is  but its like the joy went out of my life, said 68-year-old Anderson of his current financial situation. I used to enjoy going to the pub, having a few drinks. I used to take my mother out for a coffee and a scone in the local department store once a week. I cant do any of those things now. Its just a question of feeding yourself and keeping yourself warm in the best way that you can.

Anderson is one of almost 10 million pension-age people who previously received the extra fuel payment from the government, but who wont get it this year. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced in July that she would restrict the previously universal payment of 200 (or 300 to the over 80s) to those who get pension credit, saying the country couldnt afford to give well-off pensioners a handout. It has encouraged those eligible for pension credit to claim it.

But many, like Anderson, say they cant afford to heat their homes without it  and that not all pensioners are comfortable property owners who have paid off their mortgages. Charities warn that millions are anxious about keeping warm, while even the governments own figures suggest 100,000 pensioners could be forced into poverty because of the cut.

As temperatures drop across the UK, we asked Guardian readers who had lost the payment to share their own perspectives.

Among more than 170 responses, there were dozens who said they didnt need the money and that the government had done the right thing in targeting it to those most in need. Do you mean the winter wine allowance? asked one respondent with tongue in cheek.

We looked into whether we could hand it back [in previous years], and were told that we couldnt, so we tended to give it to charity, said John Belfield, 72, who lives with his wife, Jane, in Kings Lynn  both are retired teachers. We felt that it should go to people who needed it, which is not us.

I mean, its several billion pounds of money that was chucked at wealthy pensioners, and its just not necessary.

He acknowledged teething problems with the scheme, and believed the government had mishandled the policys announcement. Yes, there have been some naive things, but nothing on the scale of the corruption that weve had over the last few years. I think we just have to give [the government] time, theyve got another four and a half years to do something. I think in the long term, it will settle.

Its a view broadly shared by Pamela Hadfield, who retired to Manchester with her husband after a career in IT. Its nice when somebody gives you a few hundred pounds, but I cant get upset about losing it, she said. Hadfield is irritated by everybody getting so upset about losing this money, when 95% of those people didnt need it, just like me.

All this fuss is absolutely ridiculous  we should be thinking more about how thirtysomethings like my kids are struggling, she said.

Many others, however, said the WFAs removal had been a big blow. Im frightened to put the heating on, said Sandra, 69, who lives alone in Merseyside, and is just ineligible for the payment thanks to a small pension from her previous work in local government.

My house is freezing. I have layers and throws on me, obviously, but I have arthritis badly, and the cold does make it worse. It was 11C in her house as she spoke. Im trying to keep it off, and then Im thinking, well, its cold. Ive got to put it on for a little more. But Im really using it so sparsely.

She feels bitterly let down by the Labour government, she said. Ive been a Labour supporter all my life, Ive never voted anything else but Labour. I will never, ever vote Labour again, because I feel like theyve sold us out.

Kathleen in Middleton, Manchester, has a similar story. As a retired teacher who lives alone with her two dogs, she said she stays in bed late, showers less and has stopped using her tumble dryer and oven in an effort to keep her bills low. Her thermostat is set at 10 so her pipes dont freeze. She too is aggrieved at the government and says she is now tempted to vote Reform.

I didnt last time, I thought it was too extreme. But I actually think we need somebody thats out of the mainstream and prepared to do something a bit different, because Labour are just the Tories in another name.

Anderson argued that those pensioners who rented privately, or who paid council tax alone, should receive the payment, and said: I have faith that Labour will eventually do the right thing.

Ministers have said that many of those who have lost out will be compensated by coming hikes to the state pension. That may be the case, said Anderson, but there are a lot of elderly people who need help now, and were nowhere near the worst of the winter yet.
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, is facing a backlash following his announcement that a ban on puberty-suppressing hormones will become permanent - Getty

At a Royal Society of Medicine conference on cosmetic surgery last month, I listened to an expert in psychology list the sectors of society that were not, statistically, any happier after various aesthetic changes had been made. That young trans people were on the list surprised no one.

There were no scandalised faces in that lecture theatre, or yelps of: You cant say that! Medical professionals dont get scandalised by inconvenient truths, for one thing. And, of course, this particular truth is no longer inconvenient. Were living in newly enlightened, post-Cass Report times. Unlike two or three years ago, its actually incredibly hard to find any individual who will stand up today and say: I think medical experimentation on children is a great idea!

For that reason, Im curious to know the identities of the Labour MPs who have written to Wes Streeting, asking him to rethink his ban on puberty blockers. The Health Secretary announced last week that his temporary ban on the prescription of puberty-suppressing hormones would become permanent and reviewed no earlier than 2027. According to reports at the weekend, Streeting is now facing a backlash not just, predictably, from the LGBT+ activists and other campaign groups who have been staging protests outside his constituency office in Ilford all week, but his own party.

We know that one of the MPs to hit out at the policy is Kate Osborne, MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East. Osborne has been vocal about the issue in the past, describing the ban (with the usual virtue signallers cut n paste terms) as an attack on the trans community and stating  bafflingly  that she is hugely disappointed with the decision to stop giving children life-changing drugs because it removes the clinical expertise from medical decision-making.

Osborne seems to have missed the memo here. In fact, she and her fellow dissenters seem to have missed a bunch of memos. Possibly a whole years worth. It was, after all, back in April that Dr Hilary Cass submitted her clear-eyed 400-page report to NHS England, summarising that for most young people, a medical pathway was not the best way to deal with gender-related issues and stressing that there was no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress.

Given Dr Cass is a world-renowned paediatrician, some people might say that her findings put the clinical expertise back into medical decision-making. That her serene and meticulously researched conclusion (our children have been let down by a failure to base gender care on evidence-based research) should probably be listened to. On balance, Id certainly trust Dr Casss views over  oh, I dont know  those of a bunch of agenda-driven gender zealots from the disgraced and defunct Tavistock Clinic.

Im assuming Osborne and Co know about the Tavistock, but maybe theyve been so blinkered by their own virtue-signalling that theyve missed that too. I hope for their sakes that all the letter writers have been living under a large rock, because if you were aware that the UKs only child gender clinic, The Tavistock, was shut down after a series of horrifying revelations  including allegations that it was pushing children as young as 10 into taking life-altering drugs and ignoring evidence that 97.5 per cent of children seeking sex changes had autism, depression or other conditions  why would you still be stamping your foot? We demand medical experimentation on children!

If you knew about the lawsuits and had heard the testimonies of young victims like Keira Bell, how could you still be waving your placard? Its a childs right to be treated like a guinea pig! Let Bell tell you the reality of what that feels like: The consequences of what happened to me have been profound: possible infertility, loss of my breasts and inability to breastfeed, atrophied genitals, a permanently changed voice, facial hair.

Now, do you really still believe Streetings got this all wrong? That Dr Cass has got this all wrong, along with every scientist and child psychologist she interviewed along the way? Im not sure why Im appealing to these peoples common sense  I might as well appeal to a black hole.

On Sunday night, Trump announced that on day one of his presidency he would sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, thereby following in the UKs footsteps.

We shouldnt feel proud  we went further than so many others in the wrong direction  but we must stand strong. This is not about trans people but children, and never again allowing ourselves to forget the most sacred rule of medicine: first, do no harm.
Luigi Mangione was escorted by heavy security and the mayor of New York, Eric Adams - Pamela Smith/AP

Eric Adams, the New York mayor, has made a spectacle out of Luigi Mangione to distract from his own legal woes, the murder suspects lawyer has claimed.

Mr Mangione pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges on Monday after allegedly shooting dead Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, in Manhattan earlier in December 2024.

He was extradited to New York last week and brought to a courthouse in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, accompanied by armed guards and Mr Adams.

The mayor, a former police captain who came to office pledging to clean up crime, later told an interviewer: I wanted to look him in the eye and say you carried out this terroristic act in my city  the city that the people of New York love.

At the hearing at Manhattan criminal court, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mr Mangiones lawyer, accused Mr Adams of using the perfectly choreographed, utterly political scene to distract from his own corruption charges, and cast doubt on whether her client would receive a fair trial.

Luigi Mangione appeared in court on Monday - Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

She said: [Mr Mangione] was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk [where a suspect is taken by police through a public area] Ive ever seen in my career. What was the mayor doing at this press conference? she said.

The mayor should know more than anyone about the presumption of innocence that he, too, is afforded when he is dealing with his own issues. And frankly, I submit that he was just trying to detract from those issues by making a spectacle of Mr Mangione.

Mr Adams has been charged with bribery and fraud in a federal corruption investigation, accused of accepting illegal gifts from Turkish nationals and a government official in return for political favours. He denies the charges.

Gregory Carro, the presiding judge, said he was unable to control what happened outside court but vowed that Mr Mangione would receive a fair trial.

Mr Mangione entered the court under heavy guard. He was dressed in a red jumper over a white shirt for the short hearing.

He pleaded not guilty to 11 state charges including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism.

Federal prosecutors have brought a separate case against the 26-year-old which could see him face the face the death penalty if convicted of using a firearm to commit murder and interstate stalking resulting in death.

However, Joel Sideman, a prosecutor with the Manhattan district attorneys office, said New York had primary jurisdiction over the case and would try it before the federal prosecution.

Mr Mangiones family, who live in Baltimore, did not appear to be present in the courtroom.

About two dozen women queuing for the public seats said they were there to support the murder suspect and were visibly emotional when he walked in, according to ABC News. Several of them wore face masks.

This is a grave injustice, and thats why people are here, one of the women, who said she arrived at the courthouse at 5am, told the broadcaster.

Demonstrators gathered outside the court in Manhattan on Monday - Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

Last week, Ms Friedman Agnifilo suggested that the terror charges brought by New York conflicted with the claims of federal prosecutors. The state charges accusing him of seeking to intimidate or coerce a civilian population  a precondition for a terror offence in New York  while the federal charges focus on crimes against an individual, she said.

Alvin Bragg, the New York district attorney, has previously said Mr Mangiones intent was to sow terror.

When arrested, Mr Mangione was carrying a handwritten letter that called health insurance companies parasitic and complained about corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by the Associated Press.

Ammunition found near of Mr Thompson was inscribed with the words delay, deny and depose, mimicking a phrase used by critics of the health insurance industry.

The other charges against Mr Mangione include four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.
Downing Street has praised Lord Mandelson for his extensive foreign and economic policy expertise - Heathcliff O'Malley

Labour is facing a split over Lord Mandelsons plan to work with Nigel Farage to woo Donald Trump.

On Monday, The Telegraph revealed that Lord Mandelson, the new ambassador to the US, was set to call on Mr Farage, the Reform UK leader, to help him win over the president-elects team.

But some Labour MPs have warned that it would damage the party if the former business secretary was allowed to work with Mr Farage. One told The Telegraph that no British government should provide a platform for the values of the Reform Party.

The Telegraph revealed that Lord Mandelson is ready to engage with the Reform leader, a friend of Mr Trump, as part of a push to persuade the president-elect not to risk a trade war by hitting Britain with tariffs.

Senior Labour figures warned against such an overture to Right-wing politicians for fear that it would elevate their cause.

But a source close to Lord Mandelson, a former EU commissioner for trade, told The Telegraph: I am sure that would be a view held by some, but not those who need to conduct UK-US relations in the most optimum way.

One Labour MP told The Telegraph on Monday: Peter Mandelson has for a long time been an advocate for a shift to American-style free market liberalism which is different to how most people see our country as a beacon of fairness.

Farage may be his soulmate on these issues. But Trump and Musk want to see our great country as a US outpost, doing Washingtons bidding. Peter Mandelson now going the US capital  we are living in dangerous times 

Another MP said: No government should provide a platform for people who hold the values of the Reform Party. Instead it must develop a programme of diplomacy and trade, rooted in Labour values, to rebuild our overseas outreach after 14 years of the last Government retreating from the world stage.

Before he was named as ambassador, Lord Mandelson had urged Sir Keir to use Mr Farage as a bridge to the US.

Serious asset as ambassador

Asked about the prospective role the Reform leader will play, Sir Keirs spokesman said: Obviously, the Prime Minister has had a very good dinner with president-elect Trump in New York. He had a good phone call last week, and hes pleased to have made this appointment.

Im not aware of a conversation with others, but the Prime Ministers already started to begin building that relationship with President Trump, and looks forward to working with him and his whole team to further the UK-US special relationship.

Downing Street also insisted Lord Mandelson would be a serious asset as the ambassador to the US, despite being called a moron by Chris LaCivita, Mr Trumps campaign manager.

The new ambassador has already come under fire after The Telegraph unearthed remarks from 2019 in which he claimed Mr Trump was a danger to the world.

Asked whether the Labour grandees appointment could harm the UK-US relationship, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: No, the appointment shows just how seriously were taking this relationship.

He has got extensive foreign and economic policy expertise, particularly on the crucial issue of trade. He will be a significant asset in the UKs relationship with the United States.

But the appointment has drawn criticism from some senior Labour figures including Diane Abbott, the former shadow home secretary.

Ms Abbott said last week: Ugh! Mandelson repeatedly referred to as a big hitter or big beast, even by himself. Never applied to women in politics with just as much experience, some who have never been sacked from government or who have supported far fewer wars.

Lord Mandelson lasted less than five months as trade secretary in 1998 after it emerged he failed to declare an interest-free 373,000 loan from a millionaire ministerial colleague. He resigned from a second government role after he was accused of helping an Indian billionaire to secure a British passport, although he was subsequently cleared by an official inquiry.
Mourners stand around a makeshift memorial of flowers and candles for the victims of a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg - Ralf Hirschberger/AFP

Another Christmas and the politics of Europe are once again roiled by one of the Continents newest traditions: the Christmas market terrorist attack.

Last Fridays attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg was carried out by a Saudi-born asylum seeker. In 2016 it was a Tunisian migrant who carried out a similarly horrific attack in Berlin. It is one of the reasons why for the past 10 years these once innocent family events are surrounded by police and very often by what locals sometimes cynically call diversity bollards. In a macabre twist, in August this year a Syrian Islamist murdered three people and stabbed eight more at a Festival of Diversity in Solingen.

Most of the Western political class and media continue to refuse to draw any link between the uncontrolled mass legal and illegal immigration of recent years and the upsurge in crimes, including terrorism. They point out quite rightly that not everyone who arrives on our shores is a terrorist. But that is a straw man. Absolutely no reasonable voice would ever make such a claim.

Almost 10 years ago I began writing a book called The Strange Death of Europe. It was a response to the unprecedented migration wave of 2015, encouraged by then German chancellor Angela Merkel. I warned that if you import the worlds people you also import the worlds problems.

I pointed out that far from what our politicians were implying we were not in fact nations of immigrants. We were actually societies that had been strikingly culturally and ethnically homogenous for centuries, and that what was now being called normal was anything but that. And I also tried to warn that our societies were likely to fracture beyond recognition if we did not control immigration and take a tougher stance on deporting people who had no right to be here.

The book was a number one bestseller for many weeks and in many countries. Mainstream politicians from around the world read it and praised it. But that proved little comfort because almost nobody acted on it. True, the Danish government realised that it had to restrict the flow of migrants into its country  in the realisation that while you may have open borders or a welfare state you cannot long have both. In recent times even Sweden has started to curtail its wildest migration excesses. But many countries after 2015 actually put their foot on the immigration acceleration pedal.

None did so more than this one. When the Office for National Statistics released its annual migration figures last month they confirmed that 1.1 million foreign nationals were added to the population of this country every year since 2021. And while only 10 per cent of these were EU nationals, the largest number of arrivals last year came from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Zimbabwe.

Anyone who thinks that the majority of these people are going to contribute more in taxes than they take out in public services (like the NHS) is a fool. Most will be a financial drain on the system, exacerbating the housing supply shortage  including the public housing shortage  and will only detract from this country economically.

But these are simply the unsustainable economics of our situation. At least as bad is the ripping apart of any idea of nationhood or national coherence.

Nobody would have any problem identifying this if the movement went the other way around. If 100,000 white British people moved to Pakistan every year, adding to an already extensive community of white British people in Pakistan these people would be accused of colonisation and more.

But when people from countries like Pakistan move in such large numbers to the UK we are told it is diversity. Quite why we need so much more diversity, or whether many towns and boroughs in Britain can any longer seriously be called diverse (rather than simply homogenous, but representing a different type of homogeneity) is something no one can explain.

As everybody by now knows  and many expressed at the last election  all this constitutes one of the greatest betrayals in our nations history.

It was the government of Tony Blair that from 1997 decided as a matter of policy to ramp up immigration into this country. But it was the consequences of this that caused the British public to vote for a set of Tory governments that promised to bring the levels of net migration into the UK down from the hundreds of thousands to pre-Blair levels of no more than tens of thousands a year. In 2016 one of the major reasons that the British public voted to leave the European Union was again to bring down those levels of net migration. We were promised that we would take back control of our borders.

Instead, under Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak (we cannot count Liz Truss as having long enough to do anything) consecutive prime ministers betrayed that vote. Not only did they fail to take control of our borders, they actually let immigration rip. And not just in allowing record numbers of people into the country  including on bogus student visas which remained a loophole  but in every way.

Having been promised an immigration system that would be points based, with only people able to bring a net benefit to the UK being allowed to settle here, they actually encouraged low-paid workers, students and dependents.

When you look at EU versus non-EU immigration, the figures have almost completely inverted since Brexit. Today the number of EU arrivals has reduced to pre-2016 non-EU arrivals, while the number of arrivals from outside the EU is now at around the same percentage (80 per cent) of all EU arrivals before Brexit.

Terrorist outrages, criminal gangs, knife crime and much more are the mere tip of the problem. And even that is something much of the media and political class will not mention. The bigger problem is that if you keep immigration at such levels, fail to even deter illegal boat arrivals and stop considering the remigration of people who should not be here, it is not just that you betray your voters. You dont really have a country any more.

Like many others before and since me, I warned about this. But there is no Christmas joy in the fact that all of us who did so were ignored by the people who needed to listen the most.
Matt Gaetz, the former Florida representative, was Donald Trumps pick for attorney general

Matt Gaetz violated Florida laws by paying a 17-year-old girl $400 (319) for sex, according to a long-awaited House of Representatives report.

The former Florida congressman, whom Donald Trump nominated as his attorney general before he dropped out of consideration, probably paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for drugs and sex, the US House ethics committee found.

It also stated that Mr Gaetz, who has consistently denied wrongdoing, sought to obstruct its investigation to prevent his actions being exposed.

The committee heard credible testimony from the girl, who had just completed her penultimate year of secondary school, that she had sex with him twice at a party in 2017.

Named as Victim A in the report, she said she had received $400 from Mr Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex.

The committee said there was substantial evidence that this was the case. Mr Gaetz denied the allegation but declined to testify under oath.

The former congressman would have violated Floridas statutory rape law, the report noted, which sets out that it is a second-degree felony for an individual aged 24 years or older to engage in sexual activity with a 16 or 17-year-old.

Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age, the report said.

Mr Gaetz is said to have paid more than $90,000 (72,000) to 12 different women between 2017 and 2020 on at least 20 occasions, most probably in connection with sexual activity or drug use.

He is said to have made the payments using a pseudonym or another individuals account, and at other times allegedly used his own name and an innocuous description.

In one account, he allegedly had sex with a 21-year-old in a hotel room who had contacted him for help with her university fees, giving her a $750 cheque for tuition reimbursement.

The woman told the committee that their encounter could potentially be a form of coercion because I really needed the money.

Although all the women who testified before the ethics committee said their encounters with Mr Gaetz were consensual, one said the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have impaired their ability to really know what was going on or fully consent.

Another woman said: When I look back on certain moments, I feel violated.

Mr Gaetz also allegedly arranged for his chief of staff to help a woman he had sex with obtain a passport, falsely indicating to the US Department of State that she was a constituent of his.

The committee found substantial evidence that Mr Gaetz used cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana at multiple events, citing the testimony provided by multiple women.

It also said he appeared to have set up a fake email account from his House of Representatives office at the US Capitol for the purpose of buying marijuana.

Matt Gaetz has denied wrongdoing - Alex Brandon/AP

He is said to have repeatedly sought to obstruct the ethics investigation into his conduct and continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead its members to prevent his actions from being exposed.

He allegedly did not comply with a subpoena to testify that was issued in July 2024, and in requests for evidence produced documents that were largely irrelevant to the investigation.

When the committee sent him a list of questions, he allegedly issued a public letter mischaracterising its requests and declaring he would no longer cooperate with it despite his uncooperative approach throughout the review.

He was also accused of accepting gifts of luxury travel in excess of the Houses limits with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, then withholding information from the committee about it.

On Monday Mr Gaetz, who has consistently denied the allegations, unsuccessfully sought to block the release of the report with a court submission in which he argued that the damage to his reputation and professional standing would be immediate and severe.

Giving funds to someone you are dating  that they didnt ask for  and that isnt charged for sex is now prostitution?! he later wrote on social media, when the challenge failed.

There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said on Monday that neither of the two occasions he had stupidly agreed to fare-free days during the Sydney trains dispute had led to progress. Photograph: Nine News

The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has shot down a peace offer from rail unions which would see them temporarily halt industrial action that is threatening Sydneys New Years Eve celebrations in exchange for fare-free travel for passengers.

On Monday, Minns said he had previously stupidly agreed to demands for fare-free days twice during negotiations with rail unions in recent months, but that his concessions ultimately did not lead to progress.

As a result, he said there was now a trust issue between his government and the Rail Tram and Bus Union  the rail union spearheading the current pay dispute  about whether it would make good on its offer.

Minns also lashed the RTBUs guarantee for New Years Eve services in exchange for farefree travel as contradictory to rail unions pay demands (a 32% rise over four years). Minns said just a month of fare-free travel would cost the government more than $100m in lost revenue.

Labors rejection of the offer on Monday increased the gravity of a Fair Work Commission hearing on Tuesday. The hearing was due to determine the governments application to suspend rolling industrial action over New Years on the grounds it would risk community safety and cause economic harm  estimated at $98m for 31 December alone.

Related: Sydney New Years Eve fireworks could be cancelled due to train strike, police commissioner says

Late on Monday, the RTBU told its members that several actions  including a kilometre restriction on the distance train crew could operate that gradually decreased  were being dropped over the new year period, in what was seen as an attempt to strengthen its defence at the hearing on Tuesday.

Earlier, Minns had said that the stakes couldnt be higher going into the Fair Work hearing.

Were not trying to be bloody minded, and we believe we have been reasonable, but if I went back to the negotiating table today and agreed with the unions demands, then I can promise you one thing: next years New Years will be on the table. So would the State of Origin, so would the grand final, so would Christmas, so would Easter.

The pattern would repeat over and over again. At the end of the day, the government has to draw a line in the sand, he said.

The RTBU offered the NSW government a peace deal on Sunday, offering to pause all action until 7 January if the government waived fares for Sydney commuters until an agreement was reached.

The Labor government and the union have been at loggerheads for months over a new enterprise agreement.

In a leaked memo to the government, the union set out its offer in response to the application.

Although your application seems to be based on an erroneous understanding of the action that is organised [and] economic evidence consisting entirely of assumptions, the leaked union offer reads.

We nonetheless write to offer a way forward which would enable there to be minimal disruption on New Years Eve and over the festive period.

The unions NSW secretary, Toby Warnes, had said earlier on Monday morning that he had not heard from the government, as a spokesperson for Minns flagged that the offer would be rejected.

Related: Major crisis in NSW mental health care escalates as public psychiatrists prepare to quit en masse

This would cost millions of dollars that we dont have, the spokesperson said. If we did do it, the people of NSW know that it has to be paid for by them in another way  its just not affordable.

We will keep all legal options on the table to ensure this industrial action does not impact the holiday period.

Combined unions representing 13,000 rail workers have refused to budge from their demands for an 8% pay rise per year.

Minns said the government would not provide it while it was denying nurses a similar claim. The NSW governments starting offer to the rail unions had been a 9.5% pay rise over three years.

In its previous enterprise agreement the government had offered 11% across three years, including superannuation increases.

On Friday the NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, threatened to call off the world-famous New Years Eve fireworks event on Sydney Harbour, citing safety fears.

I have grave concerns, she told reporters. I havent ruled out that I will recommend to the government that we cancel the fireworks.

Hundreds of trains were cancelled at the weekend as a result of the unions industrial action, although Warnes said track work had also contributed to delays.

It is, of course, a convenient excuse for disruption thats caused by regular maintenance work, he told ABC News on Monday. But we say to commuters that the government now has an offer on the table that would see absolute peace until 7 January.

Warnes said he wanted commuters frustrated by the industrial action to bottle their anger to take to the 2027 election.
China has rectified 94 percent of the issues identified in an audit report, the country's top auditor announced Sunday.

As of the end of September, the rectification process has involved a total of 538 billion yuan (about 74.8 billion U.S. dollars) of funds, said Hou Kai, auditor general of the National Audit Office (NAO), while presenting the audit rectification report at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

China's audit authorities usually release the audit work report in the middle of the year, followed by a year-end rectification report addressing the issues identified in the audit.

Lin Hai, an official with the NAO, said that rectification of major issues has in general progressed smoothly, adding that the process addressed some institutional problems that were hindering the country's high-quality development and social and economic stability.

Issues concerning nutritious meals for rural students, revealed previously in the audit work report, have attracted widespread attention.

Sunday's report showed that, as of the end of September, the rectification of issues related to special funds allocated for rural students' nutritious meals involved approximately 4 billion yuan, with 1,200 individuals held accountable.

Lin said that the NAO would continue to follow up on the progress of the relevant rectifications.
Detail from an image published by the Ukrainian president last week that showed a number of men, described as North Korean troops, taking cover behind trees. Photograph: EyePress News/Rex/Shutterstock

More than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded since they were sent to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, according to South Korean military officials.

In a statement released on Monday, the Souths joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said: We assess that North Korean troops, who have recently engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces, have suffered around 1,100 casualties.

The JCS did not say how many troops had been killed in action, but the claims underline the risks posed to the Norths untested armed forces, amid reports that the regime is poised to send further reinforcements to Ukraine.

Last week, South Koreas spy agency claimed that at least 100 North Korean troops had died since being sent into combat this month.

Lee Seong-kweun, a South Korean MP, said after meeting intelligence officials that the high number of casualties could be attributed to the unfamiliar battlefield environment, where North Korean forces are being used as expendable frontline assault units, and their lack of capability to counter drone attacks.

Lee said several North Korean casualties had been attributed to Ukrainian missile and drone attacks, and others to training accidents, with the highest-ranking victim at least at the level of a general.

The JCS said it was particularly interested in the possibility of additional deployments to aid Russias war effort, adding that Pyongyang was preparing for the rotation or additional deployment of soldiers.

The statement said North Korea was also producing and providing self-destructing drones  thought to refer to attack drones  for use by Russia, along with rocket launchers and self-propelled artillery.

The deployment of North Korean soldiers marked a dramatic escalation in the war in Ukraine, as the Kremlin turned to its ally to boost its forces in the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory this year. It was also a demonstration of attempts by Vladimir Putin to broaden the conflict through the direct involvement in fighting of a third country.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote on X on Monday that there were risks of North Korea sending additional troops and military equipment to the Russian army. He said that according to preliminary Ukrainian data, the number of North Korean soldiers killed and wounded in the Kursk region had already exceeded 3,000. The Guardian was unable to independently verify the figure.

The once unimaginable prospect of North Korean soldiers  members of the countrys 1.3 million-strong army  fighting in a European war became a reality months after Putin and Kim Jong-un signed a mutual defence pact at a summit in Pyongyang in June.

While details of the agreement have not been released, analysts believe the North Korean leader wants access to Russian rocket technology and other military knowhow in exchange for providing its forces with ammunition, weapons and reinforcements.

Up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to help Russia in the war, according to US and South Korean officials. Pyongyang has also sent more than 10,000 containers of artillery rounds, anti-tank rockets, as well as mechanised howitzers and rocket launchers.

South Koreas JCS said the North was also using the Ukraine theatre to modernise its warfare capabilities, adding: This could lead to an increase in the Norths military threat toward us.

In response, South Korea and Ukraine said last month they would deepen security cooperation, with the Souths now impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, refusing to rule out providing Kyiv with weapons.

South Korea is a major arms exporter but has a longstanding policy of not sending weapons to countries that are engaged in conflict.

North Korea has not referred to its troop deployments or weapons shipments in official statements, but last week it accused the US and its allies of reckless provocation for criticising its material support for Russia.

A foreign ministry spokesperson said the foreign ministers of 10 countries and the EU were distorting and slandering Pyongyangs normal cooperative ties with Moscow, according to state media.

In a statement released by Washington, Ukraines allies urged North Korea to cease immediately all assistance for Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, including by withdrawing its troops.
Protesters took to the streets after the countrys constitutional court said Daniel Chapo won with 65.2% of the vote. Photograph: Amilton Neves/AFP/Getty Images

Mozambiques top court has confirmed the ruling partys victory in Octobers presidential elections, potentially triggering more protests after more than two months of unrest over allegations that the results were rigged.

Daniel Chapo, of the ruling Frelimo party, won the 9 October presidential election with 65.2% of the vote, Lucia Ribeiro, the chair of Mozambiques constitutional council, told a press conference on Monday.

The figure was lower than that previously announced by the election commission, which said Chapo had won 70.7%, but still more than the 50% needed to win.

Meanwhile, the second-place opposition candidate, Venancio Mondlane, who has captured the imagination of young urban voters, got 24.2%, up from 20.3%, but nowhere near the majority he has claimed.

The report of the council, whose members are mostly appointed by Frelimo politicians, said there had been discrepancies at the district level during the vote counting, without specifying what caused them. It also said that the Podemos party, which supports Mondlane, had submitted inflated figures in their challenge to the results.

Mozambique has been roiled by weeks of protests, with security forces killing at least 130 people, according to Human Rights Watch. International election observers have said there was evidence of ballot rigging, but some cautioned that Mondlane may still not have won a free and fair election.

The protests have repeatedly brought Mozambiques economy to a standstill. Its north has also been battered by Cyclone Chido, which made landfall in the south-east African country on 15 December, killing 120 people and destroying an estimated 110,000 homes.

Before the ruling on Monday afternoon, Mondlane told his supporters to stay at home until Friday, as part of the anti-election protests, whose latest stage he has called Turbo V8. He also said they should not commit any violence.

However, in a separate video on Facebook, he said: If we get the electoral truth [from Ribero], we will have peace. If we get electoral lies, we will push the country over a precipice into chaos, into disorder.

After the ruling, Mozambican TV stations broadcast footage of tyres being burned in streets that were otherwise empty apart from armed state security officers.

Chapo, who is due to take office on 15 January, told a crowd of cheering Frelimo supporters that he would lead an electoral reform process. Dialogue is the only way to build social harmony, he said, without elaborating.

While it was expected that the constitutional council would validate Chapos victory with some changes, Mondlane inciting protests rather than bargaining with Frelimo was uncharted territory for Mozambique, said Alex Vines, head of the African programme at the thinktank Chatham House.

Historically its been a weak state with a stronger party, said Vines, who was part of a Commonwealth election observer team that monitored the vote. Now youre finding both a weak state and a weakening party, being challenged by a new politics  led by a charismatic populist leader who has tapped into the anger of disenfranchised, frustrated youth.
Benjamin Netanyahu said he did not want to leave Hamas in power by ending the conflict now - Debbie Hill/Pool UPI

Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of sabotaging Gaza ceasefire negotiations after he repeated his demand for the war to continue until Hamas was completely removed from the territory.

Rumours over an imminent ceasefire have circulated again in recent weeks, with both Hamas and Israeli officials saying that they were closer than ever to a deal that would end the conflict, free Israeli hostages and release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

However, Israels prime minister told The Wall Street Journal: Im not going to agree to end the war before we remove Hamas. Were not going to leave them in power in Gaza, 30 miles from Tel Aviv. Its not going to happen.

Yair Lapid, Israels opposition leader, told Army Radio on Monday: Netanyahu doesnt want a deal because of his politics.

Hes doing the same trick hes done before; the negotiations are progressing and becoming possible  and then he goes to the foreign media and explains that he wont stop the war and signals to Hamas that theres no reason to make an agreement with him.

Benny Gantz, the former war cabinet minister and leader of the National Unity party, criticised Mr Netanyahu for running to the foreign media and jeopardising the ongoing, fragile talks.

You do not have a mandate to thwart the return of our hostages again for political reasons, Mr Gantz said.

Benny Gantz, the former war cabinet minister, was among those criticising the Israeli prime minister - ABIR SULTAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Hamas has said it was willing to agree a deal if Israel stopped issuing new demands.

However, several issues remain unsolved, including the identities of any Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners that would be released, as well as the presence of Israel Defence Forces (IDF) troops in Gaza.

On Saturday during a protest in Tel Aviv, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a campaign group, repeated their demand for a deal with Hamas to include the release of all hostages.

Mr Netanyahu has previously made similar public comments in the past when Israel and Hamas were close to agreeing on a ceasefire.

On those previous occasions, his opponents, as well as families of hostages, also accused him of deliberately sabotaging the talks for his own political gain, suggesting that the prime minister feared that the end of the war risked bringing down his government.

The Telegraph has approached the Israeli government for comment.

As ceasefire talks continued, the IDF conducted airstrikes in the Al Mawasi safe zone in Khan Younis on Sunday night, claiming Hamas operatives had been hiding there.

Palestinian reports said about a dozen people had been killed, although officials did not distinguish between civilian and combatant causalities.
Dr Rehiana Ali has been temporarily suspended by the General Medical Council

An NHS neurologist who described the former leader of Hamas as a legend has been temporarily suspended from the medical register.

Rehiana Ali, who has worked in the NHS for two decades, published posts on X, formerly Twitter, that said Israels killing of Yahya Sinwar had turned the Oct 7 mastermind into a legend and male role model.

In separate posts, the consultant neurologist also said the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, had turned him into a legend who was completely untouchable.

Dr Ali has now been temporarily suspended pending investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC), the independent regulator of doctors.

It comes after Wes Streeting called on regulators to strike off doctors who bring extremist views about Gaza into the workplace as part of a wider crackdown on anti-Semitism within the NHS.

The Health Secretary told The Telegraph he would enforce a zero tolerance approach to anyone who uses the conflict in the Middle East as a pretext to attack communities in the health service.

Announcing the decision to temporarily suspend Dr Ali, a GMC spokesman said: Dr Rehiana Ali has been interim suspended pending the conclusion of a full GMC investigation.

An Interim Orders Tribunal of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service imposed the interim suspension on her practice on Friday (Dec 20).

Patient safety

We are acutely aware of the concerns that have been raised regarding Dr Ali, and we will take action where concerns suggest patient safety or the publics confidence in doctors may be at risk.

The GMC has previously described any form of anti-Semitism or Islamophobia as completely unacceptable.

A doctor can be temporarily suspended while the GMC investigates.

It can do this if it believes a doctors practice should be restricted to protect members of the public or if its in the doctors interest.

Three tribunal members will decide whether to suspend or impose conditions on a doctors registration for up to 18 months.

The Jewish Medical Association (JMA) reported Dr Ali to the GMC for alleged racism and anti-Semitism expressed on social media, The Telegraph understands.

Prof David Katz, chairman of the JMA, said: The Jewish Medical Association welcomes the decision to impose an immediate suspension order on Dr Alis registration.

He added: We hope that this decision shows that the GMCs is now  belatedly  beginning to take the necessary action to implement the zero-tolerance policy for antisemitism, which was endorsed by Secretary of State last week.

Dr Ali stood as an independent for the Bradford South constituency at the general election this year, coming fifth out of nine candidates.

Yahya Sinwar, who was described by Dr Ali as a legend, meeting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Irans supreme leader - Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader

On her X account, she previously reposted a claim that the Israeli security service Mossad was behind the 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001. She also shared a statement from the British historian David Irving, a notorious Holocaust denier.

The GMC has previously described any form of anti-Semitism or Islamophobia as completely unacceptable.

In a previous statement to The Telegraph, Dr Ali said: Posting facts is not anti-Semitic. It is the Palestinians who are Semites according to scientific/historical studies so the correct term you should be using is judeophobic/jewish hatred.

I find it troubling that you object to questions being asked or concern [sic] over Israeli terrorism  common before and since its inception [as a country]. I see no reason why any decent Jewish patient would object to a doctor being horrified by atrocities.

What are you trying to say about Jewish people?

A report earlier this year found that hate speech targeting Jewish people on social media surged by more than a third in the year following Israels military response to the Hamas Oct 7 attacks.

The report by CyberWell, an independent non-profit organisation fighting the spread of anti-Semitism online, found an 86 per cent surge in posts attacking Jews in the first three weeks after Oct 7.

This number continued to rise in the 11 months that followed, increasing by 36.6 per cent compared to the 11 months prior to the attacks.

Dr Ali told The Telegraph: Im an experienced consultant neurologist prevented from treating my patients, simply because I have spoken out against the Israeli massacre of innocent men, women and children in Palestine.
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, meets constituents in his Clacton seat on Monday

Reform UK hopes to surge past the Tories in membership numbers within a month after publishing figures showing they are only around 11,000 members short.

Nigel Farages party has launched an online membership tracker, which put the number at 120,549 at noon on Monday. The last published Conservative membership figure was 131,680.

Reform membership has surged thanks to an influx of younger members attracted by a cheaper fee, and a spokesman said the party expected to surpass the Tories in January.

Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, said: Reform has all the momentum in British politics, as our membership numbers show.We are growing at an unprecedented rate and will soon surpass the failed Tories, who are being abandoned after 14 years of deception and failure.

Zia Yusuf, the Reform UK chairman, said: History is being made as the century-long stranglehold the two old parties have had on Britain is finally broken. Nigel Farage will be the next prime minister, and will return Britain to greatness.

The Conservatives do not regularly publish their membership numbers. The latest figure was released in November when activists elected Kemi Badenoch as leader.

Some Tories have criticised her for not announcing any policies on major issues such as immigration, leaving a void for Reform  formed in 2018 as a successor to the Brexit Party  to fill.

At the weekend, Mr Farage announced that 1,000 young people had joined the party in less than 48 hours.The party is offering 10 memberships to those aged 25 and under, as part of a strategy to attract younger voters.

Last week, Kieran Mishchuk, 18, was elected as a Reform councillor in a Swale borough by-election, securing more than a third of the vote.

Elon Musk, the US billionaire, is among those who have hinted that they will donate to Mr Farages party.

Nick Candy, the Reform treasurer, said he was among a number of billionaires interested in donating, promising political disruption like we have never seen before.

Mr Candy told the Financial Times the party would raise more funds than any other political party for grassroots campaigning, data and polling.

He said: The Reform party is the disrupter  this is the seed round, the series A. This will be political disruption like we have never seen before.

Labour Party membership, however, has dropped to its lowest level in a decade. The party lost 37,000 members last year, bringing its total membership at the end of 2023 to 370,450, according to Labours official accounts.

The figure marked a new low for Labour membership under Sir Keir Starmer, compared to 532,000 members recorded in 2019 when Jeremy Corbyn was leader.

The Conservatives have been contacted for comment.
A number of postal workers reported being told to scan items as inaccessible - Neil Hall/Shutterstock

Royal Mail managers have been accused of faking deliveries in order to preserve their yearly bonuses, The Telegraph can reveal.

Postal workers claimed they have been told to record some parcel deliveries as inaccessible, even if they never attempted to deliver the item.

That means customer operations managers would still receive their mid-year bonuses, understood to be based in part on hitting targets for the number of parcels that leave Royal Mail depots.

It risks parcels failing to arrive in time for Christmas across the country, and follows reports that some customers have been receiving attempted deliveries emails despite receiving no knock at the door.

On Monday night, Justin Madders, the minister for postal services, said he was disturbed by the reports and called on Royal Mail to investigate.

The Telegraph spoke to a number of postal workers who reported being told to scan items as inaccessible. One claimed he had seen managers ask for parcels to be reported as such three or four times in the past month, adding: I cant honestly say Id know what would happen if I refused to do it, as I never have.

Obviously, it probably is unethical to do something like that, as it is dishonest  and the customer is expecting their parcel. I dont feel comfortable doing it. There is a culture of greed from the managers, and they just care about their bonuses.

Justin Madders, the minister for postal services, said he was disturbed by the reports - Richard Townshend Photography

Another told The Telegraph that the rural area for which he is responsible had 30 to 40 parcels that there was not time to deliver left at the end of each day. He said: They tell us to scan these parcels as inaccessible.

Scanning a parcel as inaccessible sends a customer a message to say that the delivery was attempted and another attempt will be made the following day. The postal worker said: Thats a lie.

Some customers have reported receiving inaccessible emails despite not hearing a knock at the door and seeing no evidence of a delivery attempt on their doorbell cameras.

Another postman, based in Scotland, said colleagues were often pushed into emptying their frame  the term for all post assigned to them on a shift  even if some would inevitably be taken back undelivered because of time pressures.

Morale is on the floor, theres a high level of turnover for staff and theres not enough people to cover overtime, he said. The managers will ask [postal workers] to take it all out as they need to report whats left in the building.

On Monday, the Communication Workers Union said the findings were further evidence of complete and deliberate mismanagement of the UK postal services.

A spokesman said: This is also symptomatic of a managerial bonus structure that encourages dishonesty and cuts to service over treating employees properly, looking after customers, and growing Royal Mail. It is important the public know that their postal workers have one hand tied behind their backs, and the current situation is no fault of theirs.

Kevin Hollinrake, a former Post Office minister, said: Its disgraceful. If thats something that is required by management, even localised management, thats totally unacceptable. This is something that will once again damage Royal Mails reputation. In recent years, its failed year after year.

Job adverts for customer operations managers advertise salaries ranging from around 44,500 and 49,000 and a 10 per cent on-target bonus.

It means a manager in that role could receive just under 5,000 a year if they met all targets, while postmen and women would receive just 200 in two 100 bonus payments.

Ian Smith, 67, who lives in County Durham, said he missed a number of cancer treatment appointments three years ago because Royal Mail took more than two weeks to deliver letters about them.

Mr Smith is now waiting for a limited edition music album his postman said he hasnt seen, but has received a notification that a delivery was attempted.

Mr Madders said: I am disturbed by these reports, and we urge the business to investigate and address these issues. We also hope that Ofcom, the regulatory body, will be looking into this matter.

An Ofcom spokesman said: Weve been clear that Royal Mail must improve its performance. Following engagement with Ofcom, the company published an update on its improvement plans in May this year, and well be holding it to account for delivering a better service.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: We are not experiencing any current network-wide delays this Christmas. Last year, more than 99 per cent of items posted before the last posting dates arrived before Christmas, and we are well prepared to deliver this again this year.

There is no bonus incentive that would encourage items to not be delivered. This would be counter-intuitive to our business as a delivery company. A property is only identified as inaccessible if we cannot access the building, it is unsafe to deliver, or adverse weather prevents delivery  as has been the case with recent bad weather in some of the areas listed in this report.

Last week, The Telegraph reported that almost one million homes would miss out on second-class Saturday post as Royal Mail pushes to cut back on weekend deliveries.

A trial, which could take place in February, may see second-class letters delivered only three times a week between Monday and Friday.

Earlier this month, Royal Mail was fined a record 10.5 million after delivering more than a quarter of first class letters late.

Reports earlier this year suggested postal workers were being instructed to prioritise the delivery of parcels over letters.
Jordan Richardson, of Howden, near Goole, East Yorkshire was at Westminster magistrates' court on Monday accused of engaging in conduct in preparation of an act of terrorism

An alleged Islamic State supporter allegedly plotted a terror attack using mustard gas, a court heard.

Jordan Richardson, of Howden, near Goole, East Yorkshire, was at Westminster magistrates court on Monday accused of engaging in conduct in preparation of an act of terrorism.

He was arrested on Dec 19 after he allegedly made Instagram posts expressing his support for the terrorist group.

When arrested, he was found with a document that purported to set out an attack plan, referring to weapons and killing bystanders, the court was told.

He also had a handwritten recipe for sulphur mustard, a toxic blister agent, it is claimed.

David Cawthorne, for the prosecution, told the court that the recipe had been assessed as viable by experts and was the kind of gas that could be put in a grenade.

He alleged that Mr Richardsons internet searches indicated he was a recent convert to Islam.

The court heard that police had found a crossbow and a knife when conducting a search of Mr Richardsons home.

Searches of digital devices showed he had expressed a desire to kill or harm infidels and members of the Jewish population, it is alleged. Research of potential targets included a shopping centre, the court heard.

Annabel Pilling, the district judge, remanded him in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on Jan 17.

Det Chief Supt James Dunkerley, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: This case will understandably cause significant concern to local communities, in particular due to the time of year and following the tragic events in Germany at the weekend.

For Counter Terrorism Policing and its partners, public safety remains our priority at all times and an extensive and thorough investigation has led to the charges brought today.

Despite this, the UK threat level remains at substantial, and history has shown us we cant afford to be complacent.

Public vigilance is invaluable in supporting the efforts of Counter Terrorism Policing and its partners to protect our communities from harm.
The US Navy has attempted to block the Houthi blockade in the Red Sea - Shutterstock/Yahya Arhab

This weekend the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman was conducting flying operations in the Southern Red Sea when her air defence command ship, the USS Gettysburg, shot down one of her F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets. The pilot and the Weapons Systems Officer ejected and survived; possibly the only good news in this scenario.

The ability for a group of ships and aircraft to construct an air picture that reflects everything that is flying  unknowns  and categorising them as friendly, neutral or hostile before ensuring everyone in the area has the same picture is a complex but well-practised sport. For it to fail to the extent where a friendly jet is confused with a hostile and then engaged is remarkable. The US Navy excels at air picture compilation generally, carrier strike groups even more so. Even worse, the Gettysburgs primary job is to provide this air bubble around the carrier to keep it safe. They should be the very last ship to get confused in this way.

As ever, details at this stage are sparse and its likely that some of them will never be known. We do know that the Trumans jets were conducting strike operations against the Houthis and that the ships had come under attack that day, possibly even at the same time. This doesnt excuse the offence but they are mitigating factors.

At the operational level, so many holes in the cheese must have aligned here. There would be operational tasking orders (Optasks), Special Instructions (SPINS) from both 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain as well as from the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in Al Udeid. The task group would have its own set of standing orders and air plans as well as a raft of instructions for that day. All of which would have been briefed and understood by the carrier, the cruiser and escorting ships, all of which are designed to determine where your aircraft are and help classify unknowns.

But lets say they didnt exist, or hadnt been briefed, there are still dozens of tactical ways to determine the difference between a friendly jet and an incoming missile. If an unknown radar track spawns in any unit, surface or airborne, they have a process to establish a friend or foe. It takes seconds to do and looks at height, speed, manoeuvring, emissions, conforming (or not) to an air lane and whether they have responded to warnings (on the radio).

Each desk in the ops room gives a readout and at the end of it, the air picture supervisor gives a classification. Or the system does it automatically (based on the same criteria) and the human in the chain endorses it or not. In a busy air environment, this is done hundreds of times a day, every day.

In this case, the most baffling thing is the emissions part of the criteria. All military aircraft carry an Information Friend or Foe (IFF) transponder specifically to avoid this situation. Called Mode 5, this is a go/no-go item, i.e. if its not working, you dont launch. If it fails mid-mission, you return. I dont know if this was a rule in this group and for this mission but either way, it either wasnt working in that jet, or for some reason the Gettysburg couldnt see it.

But even that shouldnt matter  the whole point of everyone aligning their picture is to resolve discrepancies like this. A jet returning to the carrier with a bent IFF transponder should have been shouted loud and clear across the air net. And lets say it had broken mid-sortie (very rare), even then the above procedures should resolve it before any action is taken.

Gettysburg would have been on high alert having already engaged incoming raids. We know from the many attacks this year that Houthi ballistic missiles might not be the best, but they are still fast. Reaction times are low and they only need to get lucky once. With merchant vessels they already have many times. In this sort of environment, decision-making discipline is tested.

For example, as the captain of a Frigate I was once one button press from engaging a civilian rig support helicopter in the Gulf. It flew off the Iranian coast from a known threat direction, was flying low and straight at me, not transponding on its commercial equivalent of Mode 5 and wasnt responding to warnings on the emergency radio frequency (Guard). The low slow flyer as we called it back then was very much on the threat list and this conformed perfectly to it. Only as it flew through our overhead at about 200 feet did its radio crackle into life with a coalition warship, are you calling me?

Legally, I would probably have been within my rights to engage in self-defence. I didnt because deep down I didnt believe it was an attack. So the difference between lots of dead civilians and a major incident with Iran and everyone having a cup of tea was based on a hunch. The point that is relevant to the Gettysburg is that if that had been the third helicopter to fly at me that day and the first two had attacked, I would have engaged this one without hesitation. This is the command decision environment in the Red Sea, only it happens many times a day and with much shorter reaction times. Again, not an excuse, but good mitigation.

There are other spin off conversations that are interesting about how the command system in the cruiser had recently received the very latest update and therefore were the crew fully up to speed on using it. Combat can occasionally throw up anomalies with new systems that no amount of training or testing has revealed. Or was it in an automated mode that wasnt fully understood in that environment?

The Royal Navy has had fully automated systems for decades; we just choose to keep the ultimate decision with a human, usually the captain. Has the US Navy diverged from this? With missiles getting faster and warning times shorter, automation is a good thing up to a point. Ultimately, even if it wasnt the Captain who gave the order to engage, the big foam finger of blame will get him in the end as they determine the conditions under which (new) systems are used and are responsible for training those who are authorised to fire in his absence.

Conspiracies have emerged already, first amongst which was that the jet was shot down by the Houthis and this is a cover-up. No one has yet explained to me why you would use something as embarrassing as a blue-on-blue to cover what would be deemed a combat loss. This makes no sense at all. You would also need 100 or so people in the loop to keep a secret, something ships are not good at these days. Another emerging theory is that the Houthis now have sufficient situational awareness to be able to coordinate a strike with a returning jet sortie specifically to cause this type of confusion. This is a much better theory and needs further analysis because if true, it would be significant.

It also brings into question the wider posture there. Since the USS Eisenhower left last summer, subsequent carrier groups  the Roosevelt and Lincoln  have been part of the entirely defensive Operation Prosperity Guardian to reassure shipping. Are the Truman strikes were seeing now a return to the Eisenhower days of Operation Poseidon Archer, in which case its proximity to the presidential handover has to feature, or is she just passing through on route to the Gulf and striking targets as she passes?

Politically, these are quite different. We know that when the Eisenhower counter strikes were in full swing it made almost no difference to the Houthi attack rate and therefore no difference to commercial shippings willingness to operate there. If the evidence shows that carrier strikes dont really work, why is Truman seemingly upping the ante now?

Ill finish with two broader points, one factual, one positive.

The first is that maritime warfare is a complex business. No matter how good your equipment and training, and the US Navys are both first class, things can still go wrong. Normally the dozens of systems and procedures ensure the holes do not align, and these things dont happen. We only get to hear about it on the occasions when they do. There is no such thing as a perfect air picture, a flawless weapon system of faultless human performance. Bear this in mind when people with Hollywood as their only benchmark talk in absolutes such as this missile has now made this warship obsolete. Maritime operations are never that clear-cut, and never will be.

Finally, a positive. The US Navy warfare community are beating themselves up over this online which is fair enough but also up to them. However, non-US commentators should probably reflect that the reason the US Navy is in these high-risk positions is because they choose to be. Maintaining freedom of navigation is in their DNA, and Im grateful that it is. If that changes, and who knows what 2025 will bring, then the arteries on which the world depends for its survival become more vulnerable. A world without the US Navy taking risks, sometimes on our behalf, would be less safe.

Happy Christmas to the US Navy, especially those at sea, and please keep up the good work next year.
Palantir (PLTR)

Palantir Technologies and Anduril Industries, two of the largest US defence technology firms, are reportedly in discussions with around a dozen other high-profile competitors, including OpenAI and SpaceX, to form a consortium aimed at securing US government contracts.

This new group intends to challenge the dominance of traditional defence heavyweights such as Lockheed Martin (LMT) , Northrop Grumman (NOC), Boeing (BA), and Raytheon Technologies (^RTX), according the Financial Times.

One anonymous participant in the talks described the initiative as a bid to create a new generation of defence contractors, while another suggested it could be a more efficient model for delivering cutting-edge weapons and technologies to the Pentagon. The collaboration could help provide more advanced solutions for the US military, bypassing the bureaucratic and costly structures of traditional defence firms.

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Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, who has long advocated for government efficiency, is also reportedly involved in the consortium. As co-leader of president-elect Donald Trumps drive to reform Pentagon spending, Musk has signalled that he will push for more cost-effective defence solutions.

The consortiums formation could be announced as early as January, according to reports. Palantir, one of the driving forces behind the initiative, has seen its stock soar this year, with shares up an impressive 369%, making it one of the best performers in the S&P 500 index (^GSPC) in 2024.

Spotify (SPOT)

Senior executives and board members at Spotify have collectively sold $1.25bn (995m) in stock this year, capitalising on the companys share price surge.

Among the largest sellers were co-founders Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, who together sold $900m worth of shares.

Kesha performs during the 2024 Wrapped Universe Event hosted by Spotify on 5 December in Los Angeles, California. (Gonzalo Marroquin via Getty Images)

Ek personally sold nearly $350m in shares, while Lorentzon cashed out more than $550m. Other senior executives, including chief product officer Gustav Soderstrom and chief human resources officer Katarina Berg, also took advantage of the surge by offloading substantial stock holdings.

Dustee Jenkins, Spotifys head of public relations, who joined the company from retailer Target (TGT) in 2017, has sold more than $6mn in stock this year. Netflix (NFLX) chief executive Ted Sarandos, who has sat on Spotifys board since 2016, made $6m from selling his Spotify stock this year.

Read more: Are there any major UK companies ripe for takeover bids in 2025? Yahoo Finance readers have their say

Spotifys stock, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has almost tripled in value in 2024, propelling the companys market capitalisation to approximately $100bn. This marks a significant turnaround from 2022 and 2023, when the companys valuation had dipped below $20bn.

Novo Nordisk (NVO)

Novo Nordisk shares tumbled by 20% on Friday, and continued to struggle in pre-market trading on Monday, following the sharpest one-day decline in the companys history. The plunge came after disappointing results from the latest trial of its weight-loss drug, CagriSema.

The drop wiped out a staggering 90bn in market valuation and sent shockwaves through investors, who had high hopes for the new treatment.

The Danish pharmaceutical company announced that its phase three trial for CagriSema showed a weight loss of 22.7% after 68 weeks, falling short of the expected 25%. Furthermore, when patients failed to adhere to the treatment regimen, the weight loss figure dropped to 20.4%.

Read more: FTSE 100 LIVE: London shares lower as UK growth revised down to zero

This result has raised concerns over the companys ability to maintain its competitive edge in the rapidly expanding obesity and diabetes drug market, where expectations for breakthrough treatments have soared in recent years.

The setback caused a 16% decline in Novo Nordisks year-to-date performance, dealing a blow to its position as Europes largest company by market capitalisation.

Honda and Nissan (7201.T) have signed a memorandum of understanding to begin talks that could lead to the largest domestic merger in Japanese automotive history, potentially creating the worlds third-largest carmaker by sales.

The two companies announced at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday that they aim to reach a definitive merger agreement by June, with the deal expected to be completed by 2026.

The memorandum of understanding also includes Mitsubishi Motors (7211.T), a smaller member of the Nissan Alliance, in the discussions about the proposed integration.

Read more: Pound, gold and oil prices in focus: commodity and currency check

Japanese automakers have struggled to keep pace with global competitors in the fast-growing electric vehicle (EV) market and are under increasing pressure to streamline operations and cut costs. A merger would combine the strengths of Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi, enabling the group to compete more effectively with global automotive giants.

If the merger proceeds as planned, the new entity could be valued at over $50bn based on the market capitalisation of the three companies. The consolidated group would rank as the worlds third-largest carmaker by vehicle sales, behind Toyota (7203.T) and Volkswagen (VOW3.DE), at a time when traditional carmakers face mounting challenges from electric vehicle leader Tesla and aggressive Chinese competitors.

Honda, Japans second-largest automaker after Toyota, is currently valued at more than $40bn, while Nissan, ranked third, has a market capitalisation of approximately $10bn. According to the companies, Honda will appoint the majority of the holding companys board once the merger is finalised.

Direct Line (DLG.L)

Shares in Direct Line surged following the announcement that Aviva (AV.L), the UKs largest insurer, has agreed to acquire the rival insurer for 3.7bn. The deal, which includes plans for up to 2,300 job cuts, is part of the companies strategy to achieve 125m in cost savings.

Aviva said on Monday it will offer 2.75 for each Direct Line share, comprising a combination of cash and shares. The offer also includes an increased dividend payout for Avivas shareholders, reflecting the expanded scale and enhanced profitability expected from the merger.

Direct Lines shareholders will receive 0.2867 new Aviva shares, 129.7p in cash, and up to 5p in dividends per share, valuing each Direct Line share at 275p. This represents a 73.3% premium to Direct Lines closing price on 27 November, the day Aviva first unveiled its takeover bid.

The merger would create a force in the UK motor insurance market, with the combined group expected to cover more than a fifth of the sector.

Read more: Average house price hits 267,500 as buyers rush ahead of stamp duty deadline

This deal is excellent news for the customers and shareholders of Aviva and Direct Line, said Amanda Blanc, CEO of Aviva. The financial strength and scale of the combined group means customers will benefit from competitive pricing, an enhanced claims experience, and even better service.

Under the terms of the deal, Aviva shareholders will hold approximately 87.5% of the new company, while Direct Line shareholders will own about 12.5%.

Shareholders are set to vote on the deal in March, with the merger expected to complete by mid-2025. Danuta Gray, chairperson of Direct Line, described the deal as reflecting the attractiveness of Direct Line.

Aviva and Direct Line reached a preliminary agreement earlier this month, with Aviva having until Christmas Day to make a formal offer under UK takeover regulations.

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Police arrest the man suspected of the attack on a woman on Sunday morning - New York Post

Donald Trumps incoming border tsar has accused New Yorks governor of making the city a sanctuary for illegal immigrants after a sleeping woman was set alight on a subway train.

The culprit, reportedly an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, is alleged to have set the victims clothes on fire before crossing to a platform bench to watch as she was engulfed in flames.

Critics have blamed Kathy Hochul for what appeared to be an unprovoked attack, claiming she had turned New York into a sanctuary state for illegal migrants by blocking cooperation with immigration enforcement.

In the hours after the incident, the New York governor compounded public outrage by touting her achievements in improving safety on the subway system.

Tom Homan, who will enter Mr Trumps administration in January 2025 as his border tsar, hit out at Ms Hochul for her approach on illegal migration.

ICE [immigration and customs enforcement] has its hands tied Governor Hochul, shame on her, he told Fox News.

Mr Homan said: She supports sanctuary status in that state. She welcomed thousands of illegal aliens in that state. Governor Hochultheres nothing you can say thats going to make this right in New York.

Illegal immigration was a major issue in the November 2024 election, with Mr Trump vowing to enact a programme of mass deportation and making unsubstantiated claims about migrants eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio.

On Sunday morning, the victim was sitting on a stationary train at Coney Island-Stillwell subway station in Brooklyn when the suspect slowly approached her and set her on fire using a lighter, police said.

The Coney Island station later that day - Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images

He was then filmed sitting down on a platform bench opposite, seemingly watching her burn. The woman, who has not yet been named, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nearby police officers did not appear to notice the man and were seen rushing past him as they tried to put out the blaze.

In one video, a police officer appeared to speak to the suspect, motioning down the platform with his radio and saying: Do me a favour? Walk down there. I need this space cleared up.

The man was arrested later on Sunday.

On Monday night, police identified the suspect as 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta.

The New York Police Department said there had been no prior interaction between the man and the woman and they did not believe they knew each other.

The New York Post reported that Mr Zapeta had attempted to enter the US illegally in 2018 at the Arizona border but was detained and turned back within days.

New York Police released images of a person of interest in the incident, later announcing they had made an arrest - New York Police Department/Reuters

Sources said that he later returned to the US and made his way north to New York, although it is unclear how long he was in the city before the attack on Sunday.

In April 2023 he was said to have been staying at a taxpayer-funded migrant shelter at a Days Inn hotel on 36th Street, and had previously provided authorities with the address of another shelter on Randalls Island.

Roughly eight hours after the woman was set alight, Ms Hochul posted a selfie of herself posing on the subway and said she had deployed the National Guard to trains to cut crime earlier in 2024.

In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day, she wrote on social media, adding: Crime is going down, and ridership is going up.

Thanked for aggressive response

Elon Musk, the Tesla billionaire and ally of Mr Trump, said her post was insane and that she should be recalled.

Facing a backlash, she later called the incident horrific and thanked the police for its aggressive response.

Our brand-new security cameras helped law enforcement find the suspect and arrest him, she said.

Make no mistake: any crime is one too many, even with subway crime going down. We are continuing to surge personnel and resources to make our subways safer.

Ms Hochul has been approached for comment.

Following the attack, the suspect, dressed in a dark grey hoodie, left the scene. He was later caught onboard a different train when students alerted the police after recognising him from images splashed across the news.

A video, posted by the suspect, appears to show him drunkenly ranting on the subway.

I drink my beer as I please and I live what I am, he says in Spanish, speaking and motioning to an empty platform.

It is unclear whether it was filmed on the day of the attack but he is wearing the same grey hoodie.
China's northern regions, five of which hold nearly 40 percent of the country's arable land, play a key role in farmland protection, said a State Council report submitted on Sunday to the country's national legislature.

The report on farmland protection was submitted to an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

The total area of arable land in the country stands at nearly 1.93 billion mu (128.67 million hectares), with the cultivated land of the five northern provincial-level regions of Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Jilin and Xinjiang, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the total, said the report.

The report noted an increase of 11.2 million mu in the total farmland compared to the figure registered in the third national land survey, driven by the country's continued efforts to steadily expand farmland in southern regions and improve the legal framework for farmland protection.

Noting that northern regions still face heavy farmland protection challenges due to water shortage and over-farming, the report stressed the need to further optimize farmland distribution nationwide.
A pilot has died after the light aircraft he was flying crashed near an airport.

The emergency services were alerted to the crash near Fife Airport, Kinglassie, at about 11.40am on Monday.

Police Scotland said the 50-year-old pilot was pronounced dead at the scene.

We received a report of a light aircraft having crashed near Fife Airport, Kinglassie, around 11.40am on Monday, 23 December, 2024. Officers attended and a 50-year-old man, the pilot, was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin are aware. More: https://t.co/RnqFNu43gK pic.twitter.com/HUqTdHdRMk  Police Scotland Fife (@PSOSFife) December 23, 2024

The force said in a statement: We received a report of a light aircraft having crashed near Fife Airport, Kinglassie, around 11.40am on Monday, December 23.

Officers attended and a 50-year-old man, the pilot, was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin are aware.

No-one else was injured.

Emergency services remain at the scene and inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash are continuing.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sent two fire engines and a heavy rescue unit to the scene.

Fife Airport has been contacted for comment.
PM looks to brighter future at Christmas and wishes for peace in Middle East

Sir Keir Starmer said he would be looking towards a better, brighter future for every person in a Christmas message following a turbulent year for the UK.

The Prime Minister said the season was a time to remember the importance of being there for one another, including in the more difficult times.

He also expressed hope for peace, particularly in the Middle East as the birthplace of the Christmas story amid spiralling conflict across the region.

The message comes after a challenging first five months in office for the Labour Government and against the backdrop of a flatlining economy and rising inflation.

Sir Keir said: This Christmas, people will be travelling up and down the country. Heading home, visiting relatives and loved ones to celebrate together the hope and joy of this special season.

Its a time to remind ourselves whats really important. Family. Friendship. And fellowship between all people.

Being there for one another  in these celebrations, as well as the more difficult times.

To our military and veterans, the whole nation thanks you for the sacrifices you make to keep us safe. My government will serve you as you have served your country. I wish you and your families a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. pic.twitter.com/LphMZog6np  Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) December 22, 2024

The Prime Minister sought to strike an optimistic note following another year of political upheaval for Britain, which saw Labour win a landslide victory after a surprise election called by Rishi Sunak in the summer.

After taking office in July, the new Government made a series of unpopular decisions as ministers confronted the realities of creaking public services and strained national finances.

As well as dealing with the economic inheritance, Sir Keir said he needed to fix a broken society which manifested itself in summer riots across the country after the Southport knife attack.

Sir Keir said: This Christmas, I will be hoping for peace, particularly in the Middle East as the birthplace of the Christmas story.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was hoping for peace in the Middle East

Ill be looking towards a better, brighter future for every person and celebrating the joy and wonder that Christmas brings.

So, from my family to yours, I hope you have a very merry Christmas.

The message comes after revised official figures released on Monday indicated that UK gross domestic product (GDP) showed no growth between July and September.

Downing Street defended the Governments record so far when asked about the data, telling reporters: We had to take those tough decisions to lay the foundations of growth such that we can then deliver the higher living standards over this Parliament that people want to see.

The Prime Minister also used his message to thank those spending Christmas serving others, including in the NHS and emergency services, the armed forces, churches and charities.

I know that this is not an easy time for everyone, and my thoughts are with all those who are lonely this Christmas.

Having a tough time, missing a loved one. You are not alone, he said.

Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch said Christmas was a time to reflect on all thats happened in the year and support all of those people who need our assistance.

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone, not just in the Conservative Party or in my constituency, but across the country, the Tory leader said.

For all that you have been doing in your communities, supporting each other and helping to keep all our towns, villages and places going.

I think that Christmas is a time for us to reflect on all thats happened in the year.

Sometimes we have amazing years.

Sometimes, like when I lost my dad, we have difficult years and were commiserating, but we do it together.

But its a time for us to support all of those people who need our assistance, who need our help, who need our support.

She added: And Im looking forward to 2025.

I wish you all the very best for the New Year and all of the exciting things to come.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: This year, Ive had the chance to spend time with some amazing young carers.

Incredible young people who will spend this Christmas doing what they do all year round; looking after loved ones who are ill or disabled.

Carers embody the Christmas spirit of love, selflessness and generosity.

So I hope we can all take some time to think of them, and keep them in our hearts.

And wish them  and everyone  a Christmas full of peace, joy and love.
Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky have agreed on the importance of refining the UKs training offer for Ukrainian armed forces to further bolster Ukraines ability on the battlefield, Number 10 has said.

The Prime Minister and Ukrainian president spoke on Monday morning, and also agreed that what happens in the conflict in the coming months matters to Nato.

According to a readout of the call issued by Number 10 on Monday, President Zelensky reflected on the situation on the frontline in Ukraine and the need to ensure Ukraine could degrade Russian forces for the long haul.

I spoke with UK Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer ahead of Christmas and thanked him and the British people for their unwavering support that continues to save Ukrainian lives. We discussed key areas of cooperation, including investments in Ukraines defense production, as these pic.twitter.com/FHbqTttuJb  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) December 23, 2024

What happens in Ukraine in the coming weeks and months matters to Europe and Nato, and it was vital President Putins ambitions fail in Ukraine, the leaders agreed.

The readout added: The leaders discussed Operation Interflex, the UK-led training mission for Ukrainian recruits, and agreed on the importance of refining its offer to further bolster Ukraines ability on the battlefield.

It comes amid speculation that the UK could be considering sending troops to Ukraine to help train its armed forces.

Last week, Defence Secretary John Healey said it is a critical period for Ukraine and pledged that the UK would be stepping up help.

Speaking to LBC during a visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Mr Healey said: This is undoubtedly a critical period for Ukraine.

Russians are putting Ukraine under pressure on the front line but Putin himself is showing signs of weakness, calling in North Korean troops to reinforce his own army, walking out on Assad and failing to defend his own positions in Syria.

He added: Im here discussing with Ukrainians and Ukrainian defence minister our joint plan for 2025 and Im here to say, look, the UK is stepping up further the military help well give, and also stepping up further the UK international leadership to try and co-ordinate allies so that we can stand with Ukraine throughout 2025 and beyond.

The call comes after Sir Keirs trip to the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) meeting last week, a military coalition of several European countries, during which he said that Ukraine needs all the capability that it can get.
Ten people are dead after their small plane crashed in the southern Brazilian city of Gramado on Sunday morning, officials said.

An additional 17 people were taken to regional hospitals with injuries, Gov. Eduardo Leite said at a news conference, according to a statement released by the Rio Grande do Sul State Government, the state where Gramado is located.

A piece of the plane that crashed in the center of Gramado, Brazil, lies on the ground Sunday.

Two of the injured victims are in serious condition and are being transferred to Porto Alegre, the statement said. The government in Rio Grande do Sul indicated in an earlier statement that most of the injured were taken to the hospital because of smoke inhalation from the fire caused by the crash.

All 10 people who have died so far were passengers from the same family.

It was not immediately clear whether other passengers were on the plane.

The crash occurred between 9 and 10 a.m., shortly after the plane took off from Canela Airport, the governor's office statement said. The plane slammed into the structure of a building under construction and fell into a furniture store. It also hit a hotel near the highway.

The site of a plane crash in the center of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, on Sunday.

"I deeply regret the accident and highlight the immediate action of the security forces in attending to and rescuing the victims and controlling the scene of the accident. Now we need to officially identify the victims and investigate the conditions of the accident," Leite said, according to the statement.

He said the security forces will "closely monitor the progress of this case" as the Civil Police and the Center for the Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents investigate the causes and circumstances. The General Institute of Forensics is working to identify the victims.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shared his condolences with the families on X.

"The Air Force is investigating the causes of the accident and the federal government is at the disposal of the state government and local authorities to clarify the situation as soon as possible," he said.
AnnaStills // Shutterstock

Health promises to continue to make headlines next year with nearly half of Americans saying they'd prefer to have a healthier 2025 (47%) than a wealthier one (53%), according to a 2024 study from Hims.

Here are the headlines in health from the Hims study that are the most jaw-dropping.

1. 35% of Americans Would Rather Lose 10 Pounds Than Be Debt Free

Weight loss is on most of our minds daily75% of Americans say they think about their weight every day, and 14% say it's constantly on their minds. In fact, the vast majority of us (70%) would prefer to lose 10 pounds than gain 100 friends.

Perhaps even more surprising: 35% of Americans would rather lose 10 pounds than be debt free. The average American has $104,000 of debt, which means that each pound is worth about $10K for the 35% who would prefer to lose weight than decrease their debt.

Hims

2. One-Third of Married Adults Consider Monogamy Optional

Fully 1 in 3 Americans report being "monogam-ish" and married couples are no different: 32% say they are "monogam-ish" rather than "monogamous." What's more, gender doesn't make as much of a difference in monogamy as some may think: 28% of women and 31% of moms say they cheat from time to time, as do 38% of men and 39% of dads.

Also interesting: as many monogamous couples as singles say their biggest vice is "obsessing over a crush" (both 12%). And more monogamous couples are thinking of someone else when they are having sex than singles (50% vs. 47%, respectively).

Singles also say they aren't having more fun (in bed): 42% rate their sex life as good or amazing vs. 56% of people in monogamous relationships and 60% of married couples.

3. Gen Z Men are Leading the Telehealth Revolution

78% of surveyed Gen Z men say they are a customer of at least one telehealth company, as compared to 63% of Gen Z women, 58% of Millennials, and 54% of respondents overall, making Gen Z men a driving force behind the evolution of telehealth.

More specifically, 72% of Gen Z men report they have gotten a prescription from a telehealth company for a mental health condition vs. 55% overall; and 70% of Gen Z men report they've purchased a weight loss product from a telehealth company vs. 53% overall.

Hair loss products are likely to be next: as reported in "Gen Z Men are the Biggest Beauty Market No One is Talking About," Gen Z men are disproportionately interested in their hair and how they care for it.

4. 83% of Us Are Not the Weight We'd Like To BeOn Average, Americans Would Like to Lose 42 Pounds

In the 2024 Hims & Hers study The Shape of America, Americans were asked to weigh in on what they feel is the ideal weight for men and women, and how they measure up to these ideals. What was found is that only 17% of Americans say they are at their ideal weight, meaning that 83% aren't at the weight they'd like to be.

More specifically, 24% are a few pounds above where they want to be, an equal 24% are several pounds above where they'd like to be, and 17% say they are extremely overweight and have obesity (18% report being underweight and, as mentioned, 17% are exactly where they'd like to be).

The average amount of weight Americans would like to lose is 42 pounds. This includes 60% who would like to lose 30 pounds or less, and 40% who would like to lose 21 pounds or more.

5. 41% of Gen Z Women Prefer TikTok to Sex

Sex is better than TikTok according to most Americans, but for Gen Z women it's a close call. When asked what they prioritized moresex or TikTok69% of Americans said the sex is their priority, while 31% chose TikTok. However, among Gen Z women, the priority gap between sex and TikTok is notably lower. 59% of Gen Z women say they prefer sex to TikTok, meaning that 41%nearly halfprefer TikTok to sex.

Gen Z women's counterpartsGen Z mendid not agree, with 70% preferring sex. Backing this finding up, Gen Z women were the only demographic with a majority (51%) saying that their social media was of more value to them than their sex life (49%).

Either way, Gen Z women's and men's sex lives are doing just fine, with 61% giving their sex life top marks (a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) as compared to 50% of Americans overall.

6. 2/3 of Gen Z and Millennial Men Think Hair Loss Is Only a Midlife Problem

Two-thirds (66%) of Gen Z and Millennial men say that hair loss is something they'll only need to worry about when they hit their midlife, with just 34% saying men lose their hair before age 40. However, the medical community says otherwise.

Male pattern hair loss can affect young adult men too, even into their 20s. By age 50, male pattern hair loss affects about 50% of men.

7. 63% of Americans Who Lose Weight Gain It Back the Same Year; 1 in 5 Gain it Back in 2 Months or Less

Among the 72% of Americans who have successfully lost weight in their lives, nearly two-thirds (63%) report they gained it back within the yearand 92% gained it back at some point. This means only 8% are achieving sustainable weight loss.

Men are having a significantly more difficult time keeping the weight off, with 69% of men overall, and 77% of Gen Z men, saying they regain what they've lost within the year, as compared to 57% of women who say the same.

While it's difficult to say why women seem to be more successful than men at keeping weight off longer, internal vs. external motivation may be a factor. 83% of women say their motivation for losing weight was to feel good about themselves vs. 66% of men who reported the same. Twice as many men as women, on the other hand, said their motivation was to look good for others (34% vs. 17%).

If you're interested in tips for sustainable weight loss, check out these 12 proven ways to help you lose weight and keep it off.

Hims

8. Mental Health Education is the New Sex Education

According to the Hims survey, 26% of parents have educated their children about mental health (an equal percentage of moms and dads) but 90% believe it should be taught in school.

Outside of money, parents say their own mental health is a top 3 source of stress, right after their future and their weight. With many parents and kids' mental health in crisis, there is a new need for schools to formalize mental health curriculum alongside other health topics, including sex ed.

9. 51% of Parents Are Still Taking Care of Adult Children

The payoff of parentingsuccessfully launching children into adulthood and independenceis no longer a reality for more than half of parents (51%) who say they have adult children who they are still actively taking care of.

The parenting long game may be a contributing factor to why parents are so tapped out. Parents are the most stressed out demographic, with 42% describing themselves as stressed vs. 37% of respondents overall; and 37% describe themselves as burned out as compared to 31% of total respondents. This finding is in sync with a recent report by the Surgeon General saying that American parents' mental health is in decline, creating a public health crisis.

10. Women Want More Sleep, Men Want More Romance

When asked what they prioritize more, sleep or romance, 62% of women say sleep vs. 51% of men. Men, on the other hand, are far more likely than women to want a little TLC, with 49% saying they value romance over sleep as compared to 38% of women who feel the same.

Sleep also topped women's list of what would help them have the perfect day35% of women said a good night's sleep makes for the perfect morning vs. 25% of men-whereas men were more likely than women to say great sex the night before or in the morning set the stage for the perfect day.

For men in heterosexual relationships who are hoping to kick off the day with morning sex, they may want to let their partner sleep in a little longer: women's #1 reason for not having more sex is feeling too tired.

Data & Methodology

This study is based on a 5,504-person online survey, which included 5,000 18-to-65-year-old respondents in the top 50 metropolitan areas (100 respondents per city) and a nationally representative sample of 504 18-to-65-year-old respondents to contextualize results. The study was fielded in May 2024.

Findings were analyzed by more than 100 demographic and psychographic cuts, including city, region, gender (when we refer to "women" and "men," we include all people who self-identify as such), age, race and ethnicity, relationship status, parenting status, sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, pansexual, asexual, queer, etc.), and political affiliation, among other areas of interest.

Metropolitan populations were determined by 2022 US Census data. In order to represent as many states as possible within the study, 5 cities that did not fall in the top 50 metropolitan locations were selected in place of cities in states already represented. Cities added to the study included New Orleans, LA (51), Providence, RI (53), Little Rock, AR (59), Honolulu, HI (68), and Omaha, NE (71). Cities replaced in the study included West Palm Beach, FL (39), Jacksonville, FL (41), Grand Rapids, MI (42), Harrisburg, PA (44), and Greensboro, NC (45).

All data in this study are from this source, unless otherwise noted. Independent research firm, Culture Co-op, conducted and analyzed research and findings.

This story was produced by Hims and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
Children in the US are known to leave Santa milk and cookies. H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images

In the US, it's common for children to leave Santa Claus milk and cookies.

But this tradition looks different for children around the world.

In Ireland, some families leave Santa a pint of Guinness.

From the Yule Lads of Iceland to the traditionally green-clad Father Christmas of the UK, the Santa Claus Americans are accustomed to looks a little different throughout the rest of the world, and so do certain Christmas traditions.

While it's common for people around the world to leave their gift giver a treat for their arrival, the snacks and drinks vary.

Many American children, for example, are known to leave milk, cookies, and the occasional reindeer-friendly snack, such as a carrot, but it's common for kids to leave Santa Claus a stronger drink  like beer or wine  in European countries such as France and Ireland. And for children in Germany, snacks are skipped altogether in favor of handwritten letters.

Whether you're looking to mix up your Santa's snacks or just learn something new this holiday season, here's a peek at how Christmas is celebrated around the world through 12 treats families leave for the man with the bag.

United States

Children in the US leave milk and cookies for Santa. rangizzz/Shutterstock

In the US, many children leave out a glass of milk and a plate of cookies for Santa.

Some families also leave carrots and celery for Santa's reindeer.

Australia

In Australia, children leave Santa beer. Reshetnikov_art/Shutterstock

Although Australians leave cookies for Santa to snack on, they replace the glass of milk with a cold glass of beer. December is actually summer for Australia, so the beer might be just what Santa needs in the hot weather.

Ireland

Some children in Ireland leave a pint of Guinness. Frantisekf/Shutterstock

Some families in Ireland leave a pint of Guinness for Santa on Christmas Eve.

According to Culture Trip, children usually place the cold beer near the tree to offer Saint Nick a quick pick-me-up for the long night ahead.

UK

Children in England leave Father Christmas mince pies and sherry. Marbury/Shutterstock

Like in Australia and Ireland, children in the UK also leave Santa alcohol.

Families believe Father Christmas needs some sherry to warm up on Christmas night. It's also tradition to pair the sherry with a mince pie.

The Netherlands

Some children in the Netherlands leave carrots in their shoes. Milos Ruzicka/Shutterstock

In the Netherlands, children often leave carrots and hay to help energize Sinterklaas's horses  yes, horses  on their trip around the world.

In some parts of Europe, like Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands, children don't believe Santa's sleigh is pulled by reindeer. Instead, they think he is being pulled by horses, so children leave food for them on Christmas Eve, and sometimes this food is left in their shoes.

Argentina

Children in Argentina leave hay and water out ahead of Three Kings Day. ben bryant/Shutterstock

Rather than leave snacks for Santa, children in Argentina leave out hay and water for the Three Kings' horses. They also leave out their shoes, so their gifts can be placed in them, Ecela Spanish reported.

Children in Argentina usually receive their presents on January 6, Three Kings Day, which honors the day the Three Kings delivered their presents to baby Jesus.

Denmark

Children in Denmark leave their nisse rice pudding. Gaus Alex/Shutterstock

Kids in Denmark don't leave anything for Julemanden  the Danish term for Santa  to eat, but they do leave out treats for their nisse, or house elf.

According to Atlas Obscura, the Danish tradition calls for families to leave a bowl of risengrd (rice pudding or sweet porridge) out on Christmas Eve for the house elf.

Sweden

Children in Sweden also leave out rice porridge. dimbar76/Shutterstock

In 2017, then-press officer of the Swedish Embassy in Washington, DC, Kate Reutersward told NPR that her family would leave a bowl of risgrynsgrot (rice porridge) outside their door.

"The rice porridge is thickened with milk and flavored with cinnamon and a little salt. Some families add almonds, butter, jam, or molasses, but the traditional version doesn't have to be sweetend," she said.

Some families in Sweden may also leave Jultomte a cup of coffee.

Iceland

In Iceland, families leave the Yule Lads laufabrau. Elisa Hanssen/Shutterstock

Rather than Santa Claus, children in Iceland await the arrival of the 13 Yule Lads, who, beginning on December 12, each bring them a small present, Nordic Visitor reported. In return, families leave out laufabrau, which translates to leaf bread and tastes like a crispy wafer.

France

Some children in France leave Pere Noel wine. New Africa/Shutterstock

In France, children leave Pere Noel wine and leave Gui, his donkey, treats like carrots or hay, which is left in their shoes, History.com reported.

Germany

In Germany, some children leave handwritten letters. Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

Germans have a Christmas angel, the "Christkind," instead of Santa Claus, and they don't leave any snacks.

Instead, they write the angel letters. Some families mail the letters ahead of the holiday, while others leave them out on Christmas Eve, History.com reported.

Chile

Pan de pascua is a traditional Chilean fruitcake. Ildi Papp/Shutterstock

In Chile, children leave pan de pascua, a traditional fruitcake, for Viejito Pascuero, "Old Man Christmas." Some of the fruitcake's key ingredients are dulce de leche, rum, candided fruits, and nuts.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A suspected ringleader of the March border riot in Texas where a mob of hundreds of migrants bum-rushed the wall has finally been nabbed after seven months on the run, The Post has learned.

Venezuelan migrant Gabriel Enrique Angarita Carrasquero, 22, was wanted by the state of Texas for allegedly rioting and assaulting a soldier during the melee in El Paso.

He was initially nabbed in the violence, which was exclusively caught on camera by The Post.

But the feds released him before state authorities could arrest him because border agents failed to review footage of the riot to identify Carrasqueros involvement.

Seven of the alleged migrant riot ringleaders pose for their mug shots. Texas Department of Public Safety

Carrasquero allegedly helped orchestrate the border riot, where 211 migrants busted through a wire fence and took down the national guardsmen who were trying to control the group as they dashed to the border wall.

One of the rioters was seen stomping the knee of a soldier during the violence, sources previously told The Post.

At first, Carrasquero was believed to be in Arizona, where he told Border Patrol agents he was heading upon his release.

Instead, he was found in Des Moines, Iowa, in October and arrested by state police there during a traffic stop. He is currently in state custody in El Paso, Texas.

The Iowa State Patrol told The Post its troopers took Carrasquero into custody after pulling him over for a traffic violation, during which they discovered he had a valid warrant out of Texas.

Gabriel Enrique Angarita Carrasquero was finally nabbed after seven months on the run. Polk County Government

As part of the Texas riot case against Carrasquero, Border Patrol agents had spoken to a cooperating migrant who identified Carrasquero as an instigator among the group who stormed the fence, according to internal documents previously seen by The Post.

The informant told border agents he observed Carrasquero use [a] rope to pull the gate down which subsequently led to the migrant rush into the United states bypassing National Guard.

Carrasquero was one of two alleged instigators who were initially released by border agents.

In March, hundreds of migrants rush past the razor wire border fence erected by the state of Texas. James Breeden for NY Post

The Post captures the moment when hundreds of migrants rush the border wall as a soldier yells out to step back. James Breeden for NY Post

Luckily, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were able to more quickly nab the other suspect, Juan Jose Colorado Gutierrez, 35, who was wearing an ICE ankle monitor at the time. Its unclear exactly why Gutierrez was wearing the monitoring device.

Of the 211 migrants who busted through the border during the March riot, 124 have been cut loose by Immigration Customs and Enforcement under a Biden administration policy that directs the agency to prioritize their enforcement and detention beds for those deemed as public-safety, national-security and border-security threats.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott revealed in September that more than 100 of the rioters were suspected Tren de Aragua gangbangers.

The Lone Star state has since equipped its soldiers and troopers stationed along the border with non-lethal pepper ball guns to prevent any future violence.
By Gram Slattery and Tim Reid

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - Donald Trump's surprise threat to retake control of the Panama Canal and his expansionist declaration that the United States should own Greenland signals that the incoming U.S. president will pursue a foreign policy unbound by diplomatic niceties.

As Trump prepares to take office on Jan. 20, his aides have been preparing him to deal with two foreign policy crises: war in Ukraine and multiple conflicts in the Middle East, both of which the president-elect has promised to speedily resolve.

But on Sunday, Trump was more focused on making threats against U.S. allies like Panama and Denmark, which controls Greenland as an overseas territory. In previous weeks, it has been Canada which has had to weather his trolling that it should become the 51st state of the United States.

Defenders of Trump's approach say he is merely a forceful advocate of "America First" policies. That means brusquely defending America's interests - economic or otherwise - when dealing with friends and largely disregarding consequences allies may face.

"The idea is that what's good for America is good for the rest of the world," said Victoria Coates, a high-ranking national security official during Trump's 2017-2021 term. "So he takes a clear-eyed look at what are America's interests in any given situation."

In the case of Panama, Trump said the United States should reassert control of the vital Central American waterway because Panama was charging shippers too much to use it, an allegation the Panamanian president vehemently denied.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona, Trump also said he would not let the canal fall into the "wrong hands," warning of potential Chinese influence on the passage.

Two Trump foreign policy advisers, speaking on condition of anonymity, argued he was addressing a larger issue, one which they expect to be a focus of his second term: Growing Chinese influence over governments and economies in Latin America.

China does not control or administer the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has long managed two ports located on the canal's Caribbean and Pacific entrances.

"It's all about leverage and flexing. The number two user of the Panama Canal is China and he's trying to thwart their influence in Latin America," said Tricia McLaughlin, an adviser to Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump's choice to co-chair a government efficiency commission with the CEO of Tesla Elon Musk.

Detractors point out his approach risks alienating key allies.

In some cases, public bullying could push natural friends into the orbit of competing major powers, like China and Russia, or make them less likely to strike an economic or security-focused deal with the U.S., they say.

Mayer Mizrachi Matalon, the conservative mayor of Panama City who has worn a Trump "Make America Great Again" hat, issued a blistering statement on Sunday. "We are not, nor will we ever be, a 51st state," he said.

John Bolton, Trump's national security adviser in his first term who has since turned on the former president, said there are legitimate debates over the premiums Panama charges for passage through the canal, and also Greenland's strategic importance to the U.S. and NATO.

But, he added, Trump is endangering the chance to have those discussions "because he couldn't keep his mouth shut."

Trump was not averse to rebuking or threatening allies during his first term, especially European members of NATO, who Trump accused of spending too little on the alliance's military defense.

Yet threatening such geographically close allies such as Canada and Panama weeks before he even takes office appears to show a greater willingness to use U.S. power as a blunt instrument to extract concessions.

The White House declined to comment. Trump's transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

TRUMP STILL WANTS GREENLAND

On Sunday, Trump also resurrected in a statement an idea he floated during his first term - that the U.S. should buy Greenland, which has become an increasingly important strategic territory as Arctic trading routes open up due to climate change.

Some officials involved in the transition or close to Trump have informally discussed in recent weeks what an acquisition of the Danish territory would look like, three of those people told Reuters.

One potential option would be signing with Greenland a Compact of Free Association, or COFA, should the island become fully independent of Denmark, which some polls have shown Greenlanders' support in the long term.

Under a COFA, which the United States currently holds with three Pacific island states, there is an extremely high degree of economic integration between the U.S. and the relevant foreign country, though the foreign country remains independent.

Danish officials rebuffed Trump when he first expressed interest in acquiring the island during his 2017-2021 term, but he never lost interest in the idea, two of the associates and transition advisers said.

In recent weeks Trump has also mused about turning Canada into a U.S. state, an idea that has little basis in reality, experts say.

Yet there is strategic thinking behind Trump's trolling, said Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Justin Trudeau, Canada's embattled prime minister, is unpopular at home and facing mounting calls to resign, Abrams noted. Trump has pledged to slap tariffs on Canadian imports unless it reduces the flow of migrants and drugs into the U.S.

"Trump is piling the pressure on Trudeau, I think it's part of a negotiation over tariffs," Abrams said. "I think you'll see the same thing with Mexico at some point."

McLaughlin, Ramaswamy's adviser, agreed, saying: "It's a message to Trudeau that you and Canada are the little brother, don't bite the hand that feeds you until you have paid your fair share in tariffs," she said.

(This story has been refiled to change to 'unbound,' not 'unbounded,' in paragraph 1)

(Reporting by Gram Slattery in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Tim Reid in Washington; additional reporting by Steve Holland; editing by Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell)
Lia Toby/Getty; John Nacion/Variety via Getty Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni.

Blake Lively could be headed to trial over the claims made in her sexual harassment complaint against Justin Baldoni, a legal expert tells PEOPLE.

According to Gregory Doll, who is a partner at Doll Amir & Eley in Los Angeles, Lively, 37, could go to court if a "mediation solution" is not worked out between herself and her It Ends with Us costar Baldoni, 40, over his alleged harassment towards her on the set of the film, which was detailed in the complaint she filed this week. (Doll is not involved in the case and does not represent either party.)

Lively is suing Baldoni, who also directed the adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel, for sexual harassment, followed by a retaliatory public smear campaign to "destroy" her reputation. Other members of the production team and the individuals said to be involved in the alleged smear campaign against her are also part of the complaint. Lively is seeking unspecified damages.

Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer, told PEOPLE in a statement on Dec. 21 that Lively's complaint was to "fix her negative reputation." He added that her allegations are "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt."

Freedman also alleged that Lively caused issues during the filming of the movie, including "threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release."

Lively, meanwhile, issued a statement to The New York Times, saying, "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted."

NILS MEILVANG/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Lively pictured at the Copenhagen premiere of 'It Ends With Us' in August

Related: Everything Blake Lively Claims in Complaint Against Justin Baldoni: Unwanted Kissing, Watching Her Naked and Smear Campaign

The California Civil Rights Department, where Lively filed the complaint, has 60 days to decide if they're investigating the case. Doll tells PEOPLE they might try to mediate a solution with the employer [Baldoni] and Wayfarer Studios, whom Lively is also suing, before accepting the lawsuit.

If settlement cant be reached, they'll dismiss and give [Lively] what's called the right to sue letter, Doll further explains. [This] means that she can go to court now and submit her claim there.

Doll says that, while it is common in Hollywood to settle in legal cases, Livelys complaint has the potential to go to trial over the specific allegations made.

The most likely cases that don't [settle] are the ones like these where it gets intensely personal between two people, he tells PEOPLE. The reason is  when you get into what we call discovery, when you are exchanging documents and you find out some of the things that happen behind the scenes that you didn't know about, the plaintiff gets outraged.

She's going to see more texts and more emails and more damages  and it might be like, I'm taking this to trial where I'm going to expose this whole thing,  Doll adds.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

However, the lawyer says that he believes that mediation is more likely to occur in this case.

If [Lively]s primary goal was just to get this narrative out there and expose what he was doing, she's already doing that, Doll says. She may not want to follow up with years of a lawsuit  She may not want to follow up with much of litigation, she's already getting her narrative out there in the press.

Gotham/WireImage Baldoni pictured at the New York City premiere of 'It Ends with Us' in August

Related: Justin Baldoni Dropped by His Talent Agency as Blake Lively Sues Him for Sexual Harassment

Doll also tells PEOPLE that he believes that Baldoni will one hundred percent countersue against Lively.

I could see some small exception where they wouldn't, but based on what I have observed, it's almost guaranteed that he will file a counterclaim, he says.



Following Lively's complaint, Baldoni was dropped by his talent agency WME on Dec. 21.

Read the original article on People
Pixdeluxe/Getty Stock photo of woman drinking coffee

Coffee drinkers may want to think twice before having large doses of caffeine several hours before bed  if they want a good night's sleep.

A new study suggests that certain doses of caffeine consumption can disrupt one's sleep  even if you've had said caffeine 12 hours before going to bed.

Researchers, whose work was published in Sleep in October, looked into the effects of a "typical dose" and a "high dose" of caffeine consumed at different times of the day ("morning, afternoon, and evening"), and found that higher doses may indeed impact sleep, for as long as several hours before people call it a night.

The study, which enlisted 23 men with a "moderate habitual caffeine intake" (under 300 mg) between the ages of 18 and 40, discovered that while a 100 mg dose of caffeine can be consumed up to four hours before bedtime, a 400 mg dose "may negatively impact sleep" when consumed within 12 hours before bedtime  "with the adverse influence on sleep increasing the closer consumption occurs to bedtime."

This "discrepancy between objective and subjective sleep quality," researchers found, suggests caffeine drinkers "may have difficulty accurately perceiving the influence of caffeine on sleep quality."

Related: Pour Another Cup: Drinking Coffee Daily Is Linked to a Lower Risk of Death, Study Finds

Moment RF/Getty Stock photo of coffee

We were interested in this topic because there is limited evidence to guide clear recommendations on the dose and timing of caffeine consumption relative to sleep, said study author Carissa Gardiner, postdoctoral researcher at the SPRINT Research Centre at the Australian Catholic University, according to PsyPost.

With approximately 80% of the population consuming caffeine, it may contribute to the high rates of sleep insufficiency currently reported. Understanding how caffeine dose and timing of intake affect sleep can help develop practical guidelines to minimize the negative impact on sleep.

The study itself had the men participating in seven conditions, including "placebo" and 100 mg and 400 mg of caffeine consumed 12, 8, and 4 hours before bedtime. Each condition featured "a 48-hour washout," as sleep was assessed with "in-home partial polysomnography"  or a sleep-monitoring device  and "sleep diaries."

All testing was performed in the participants' homes over a 21-day period; women were excluded from the study "due to the timeframe required to account for differing hormonal profiles." Caffeine was administered in capsules, and saliva samples were collected throughout.

Per the research, "no significant effects were observed for the consumption of the 100 mg dose of caffeine across each time point." The 400 mg dose had varying effects, and would "significantly delay sleep initiation and alter sleep architecture" when consumed within 12 hours of bedtime.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The most significant disruptions to sleep took place when 400 mg was consumed within 4 hours of bedtime  increasing the time it took for participants to fall asleep, and reducing total sleep time and deep sleep duration.

"A typical dose of caffeine (100 mg) can be consumed up to 4 hours prior to bedtime without significant effect on subsequent sleep. To mitigate caffeine-induced sleep disruptions, it is recommended to refrain from consuming 400 mg of caffeine within 12 hours of bedtime," the study reads.

The study also suggests that caffeine consumers have difficulty "perceiving sleep disruption following caffeine consumption" and highlighted "the need for greater consumer education." Participants' self-reported sleep logs didn't always reflect the disturbances that researchers discovered.

The mismatch between objective and subjective sleep was particularly interesting, said Gardiner, per PsyPost. Many people believe caffeine doesnt affect their sleep, but our findings suggest it may disrupt sleep even when individuals dont perceive it.

My long-term goal is to continue building the evidence base to provide consumers with clear, evidence-based guidance on how to minimize caffeines impact on their sleep, she told the outlet.

Read the original article on People
Shanghai has encouraged employers to set up "parent-friendly job posts" and adopt measures that facilitate a balance between work and family responsibilities, creating a supportive environment for parenthood in the workplace.

"Parent-friendly job posts" should have flexible working hours and working methods, and job applicants should be parents with a child or children under the age of 12, the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau said on Friday when introducing the policy regarding implementation of the pilot program.

Such posts will operate under a flexible work system, allowing employers to implement flexible start and end times, remote or home-based work, flexible leave policies, and performance assessments to facilitate employees in managing both work and parenthood responsibilities.

Government departments will guide industries, such as manufacturing, hospitality, food services and housekeeping services, as well as emerging sectors like the platform, digital, cultural and creative economies and the elderly care economy, to unveil such job opportunities in the first phase of the program.

To support the initiative, the city will establish a list of employers offering such jobs.

"Also, labor unions at all levels are tasked with assisting such employers in creating parent-friendly workplaces, including pushing forward the construction of breastfeeding rooms and organizing summer and winter holiday programs as well as after-school childcare services," the policy document said.

Similar policies have been introduced in various regions across the country, but in those cases it was clearly stipulated that such posts were provided to female applicants only, as they were called "mom's job posts". Working hours for such jobs are flexible, and workers can have time to take children to and from school. In addition, such workers do not need to work overtime.

For example, in January, the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, announced a list of 58 employers that have set up such posts. In June, Xingtai, a city in Hebei province, introduced the new employment model of "mom's job posts", under which the city has helped more than 25,000 women find employment.

Earlier this month, Qingdao, Shandong province, released the city's first list of "mom's job posts", involving 190 jobs mainly in the catering and domestic services sectors.

Zhang Lei, deputy director of Peking University's Institute of Population Research, said that such posts help women achieve a balance between family and work.

However, the jobs "must improve in both quantity and quality, as the current setting of such posts may accelerate the loss of human capital of educated women", she said.

Regarding the Shanghai initiative, some have said it stands out for not restricting such job opportunities to female applicants. Recognizing that family and childcare responsibilities are not solely the domain of women, the policy aims to address work-life balance issues for all parents, they said.

"So I hope that more jobs involving a lot of male workers will be on this list, so that this initiative is not set up to once again marginalize women from the workplace," said Zhao Jing, a mother of a 5-year-old child. Zhao has stopped working several times after giving birth due to parenting responsibilities and unsatisfactory work content.

Such moves regarding parent-friendly workplaces have been praised by some women who believe that these initiatives provide a larger chance for mothers to return to the workforce.

A survey conducted last year by a research institute affiliated with the All-China Women's Federation in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, found that, among respondents, 82.7 percent of stay-at-home mothers under the age of 40 had plans to return to work.
The holidays are happening and we all need a break. Why taking time off during Twixmas matters. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images) (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images)

Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings, says Zuzu Bailey in Its a Wonderful Life. But that incessant chiming you hear might also be the ping of emails bouncing back with out-of-office notifications as the year  and our motivation to work  grinds to a halt. Welcome to Twixmas, aka Dead Week, or Feral Week: that stretch between Christmas and New Years Eve when we get the urge to take off and tune out, and our outstanding projects, deadlines and other responsibilities become 2025 Yous problem. Whether theyve actually gone on vacation or have just mentally checked out, many people see it as a time to (hopefully) rest and do less.

Celeste Headlee is one of them. For starters, her birthday falls during that week, so she has no qualms about taking time off and not answering emails. I think most people in my life know that there's no point in trying to get me to do anything, the journalist and speaker tells Yahoo Life.

As the author of Do Nothing: How to Break Away From Overworking, Overdoing and Underliving, Headlee is also an advocate for anything that encourages people to prioritize their personal well-being over productivity. I would be OK with the entire world just being on vacation with out-of-office notices, she says of Twixmas.

Peggy Loo, founding director of the Manhattan Therapy Collective and a psychologist whose specialties include perfectionism and burnout, also sees the end-of-year wind-down as a positive. Living in New York City, where sometimes how busy we are becomes a sign of personal accomplishment or value, I appreciate the collective slowing-down that happens around the holidays, she tells Yahoo Life. It can be hard to slow down if everyone else around you is still going a mile a minute. If you see that everyone pauses, you can really let yourself sink into the experience of slowing down in a different way.

Ahead, experts explain why we all deserve (and need!) a break  and why not taking time out can put our physical and mental health at risk. Heres how to do a little less, even if you dont have the luxury of booking a vacation.

Why its healthy to take a break

Headlee points out that there health consequences inherent in a culture that prides itself on pushing ourselves. The connection between overwork and all kinds of life-threatening illnesses is direct, she says, citing 2021 research from the World Health Organization (WHO) linking long working hours to early death from stroke and heart disease. This idea that human beings can both be well and be working all the time is an idea that needs to stop, Headlee adds.

Loo notes that theres a mental cost too. It's important to have off-time not only to prevent burnout, but it also helps us enrich our lives and sense of identity or worth beyond what we do, the therapist says. Certainly, productivity can be impactful and good. But if it's the only way we know how to feel good about ourselves, it's likely to lead to overworking and exhaustion.

Other factors to consider? According to Headlee, working longer doesnt necessarily mean youre getting more done. A lot of times we'll sit there at work and we'll stay longer, thinking, OK, I'm gonna get a head start on the next days work. But then how many times do you come in the next day and be like, OK, well, I get to leave early? she notes. Instead, we once again bow to the pressure to perform and stay productive.

How to end the year on a restful note (even if you have to work)

The lucky ones among us will already have vacation time booked and our out-of-office notifications ready to go. And if you have an outstanding personal time off allowance that wont roll over into 2025, try to use it up now. So what if you have no other plans besides catching up onLandman, napping all day or exchanging your least favorite gifts?

Headlee acknowledges that being able to say, Im not going to work this week is a privilege. How can someone who has to be on the clock (and not, say, sipping tropical cocktails on a cruise ship or catching a Monday morning screening of Wicked) squeeze in some self-care as the year comes to an end?

Even if you are scheduled to work that week, you can make sure that you're working just the hours you're paid for and [then] you go home and relax, Headlee advises. And when she says relax, she means relax. Don't see that as a time to suddenly catch up on projects at home or suddenly realize, Oh, I can make new curtains. Oh, I should, you know, organize my spices, or whatever it may be. Just rest, she emphasizes. Go into the new year rested.

We tend to equate rest with time off and not working, or we assume it has to look like meditation and naps, Loo adds. Expanding your definition of rest beyond the absence of work to whatever feels restorative in the moment can help. So it could be a stretch break from your desk or a silly text exchange with a friend in the midst of a stressful day with kids. Whatever fills you  even in a small way, physically or emotionally  counts.

Depending on what their jobs entail, some people will have more leeway than others when it comes to taking it easy during the holidays. Its good to set expectations with your supervisors and see if there are any tasks that can wait until the New Year. If youre still expected to give 100%, you can at least try to squeeze meaningful breaks into your day (more about that below). Beyond that, follow Headlees advice and focus on making the most of your free time by turning down any commitments or chores that only feel like more work.

Ways to be a little more restful the remainder of the year

Lets face it: It shouldnt take a full year for us to get an actual break. If youre entitled to time off throughout the year, use it, and set better boundaries  like carrying a dumb phone so youre not answering work calls and emails during your off hours, perhaps?  so that your work life doesnt spill into your personal one.

Heres what else Headlee recommends:

Ditch your phone during your breaks . Stop us if this sounds familiar: Youve finally got a few minutes in between Zoom meetings, and youre using it to scroll through your phone. It may feel mindless (or even fun), but its not restful, Headlee says. The brain doesn't distinguish between you [scrolling] through Insta and [doing] work. Your brain doesn't suddenly go, Oh, OK, this isn't supposed to be work. To switch out of that high-stress mode, you need to switch off. You don't have to go off to some monastery in Tibet, she says. Just take a break and don't pick up your phone. Take a walk around the block and leave your phone at home.

Save work stuff for your work space. Just as sleep experts advise using your bed just for sleeping so that your brain knows to wind down when you get under the covers, Headlee recommends restricting your work to a designated area, especially if you work from home. "We just keep walking around the house, carrying our laptops and work from the kitchen and then move to the porch and then move to our bedrooms, she says. And you're basically not working from home anymore. You're living at work and your brain never relaxes. So what you have to do is choose a space in your house that is for work, and you work there. And when a work call comes in, you say, Hang on just a second. And you go to that little workspace and you answer the call. And when it's over, then you step out of the workspace. You need to train your brain that your home is for relaxation, so that it will stop being on call all the time.

See what holiday habits you can realistically keep going. Were you able to get through Dead Week checking your email just twice a day  and everything turned out fine? Did you discover that you could slip out for a rejuvenating walk in the same time it takes you to periodically doom-scroll from your desk computer? Keep it up! Says Headlee: Starting small and maybe testing something out during that week  is a really good way to figure out what does work for you. Because when you're making changes in your life, the best way to do that is start with things you can do and will do.

Headlee is heartened by a growing acceptance of giving ourselves more breaks  especially among younger generations who are less willing to tolerate the expectation that we be on call for our jobs and that we essentially belong to our employers, she notes. Some companies have adopted four-day workweeks, or switch off their email during non-business hours. Its still a far cry from life before the Industrial Revolution  when weddings and holidays merited days-long celebrations  but theyre the sort of positive signs that give her hope.

This whole thing of trying to keep the holidays and celebrations as short as possible, that's an extremely new development in human history, she says. And what that tells me is that we changed it not that long ago  which means we can change it back.

If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
It was June 2021 when my phone first rang with a call from a Russian number.

I was working from home, seated at my dining room table in the middle of the afternoon, and suspected it was spam.

Instead, it was Paul Whelan.

That phone call was the first of a dozen I would receive from the detained American as he spent more than five years in Russian detention before his release in August as part of a historic prisoner swap. I also received four handwritten letters.

When I began to cover Whelans case in December 2018, I never expected to be able to speak with him in real-time about his experiences.

I have covered many wrongful detainee cases, but this has been the only one in which a prisoner was able to reach out directly to the media.

I was never the one to call Whelan, a former Marine. His calls  which began after he was sentenced and moved to a remote prison camp in Mordovia, Russia  were never scheduled. Instead, my phone would ring with a number from Russia. They often seemed strategically timed with milestones or major developments that could impact his case.

There was an understanding that I was recording the calls for broadcast  and that the Russians were likely listening.

Paul Whelan stands on the tarmac as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on August 1, 2024. - Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images/File

In some of the calls, Whelan would share a prewritten message before I asked him questions. Others were question-and-answer sessions about his thoughts on recent news and what life was like there. They ranged from six minutes to up to half an hour.

I wanted to make sure that my story was being told, and I wanted to make sure that people werent forgetting, Whelan, now 54, reflected in a November interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper, about three and a half months after his release. I didnt want it to be put on the back burner and have other affairs of state take over peoples interests.

It was quite important, especially, to speak my own language, to speak to people that understood what was happening. I didnt have to explain it, he added.

On several occasions, I asked Whelan why he thought the Russians let him call journalists, including me. When CNN sat down with Whelan in November, we asked him again.

I think we might give them a lot of credit to say that they were listening and paying attention, Whelan said, noting the prisoners got away with all sorts of things in the labor camp. Whelan had a burner phone, he said in an interview for AC360.

The Russians also might have wanted the attention, he posited. They might have wanted me to call the media, to call the governments, to move the process along.

The calls and letters described the conditions of his imprisonment, his outlook on the efforts to bring him home, and his mindset as more than 2,000 days ticked by.

They offered me  and our viewers and readers  an extraordinary look at the plight of an American detained during one of the most turbulent times in the US-Russia relationship since the Cold War.

I first started covering Whelans story in December 2018, when he was arrested in Moscow on charges of espionage.

As a journalist covering the State Department, looking into reports of Americans detained abroad is part of my remit. But beyond that, I have carved out a niche for covering the stories of wrongfully detained Americans.

As I reported on Whelans case, I got to know his sister, Elizabeth. She, along with her brothers David and Andrew, had formed a sort of enterprise to advocate for Paul, trying to hold the strings of (his) life together, as she told me in February 2020.

Whelan, who was declared wrongfully detained by the US State Department, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020 and sent to a prison camp in Mordovia, some eight hours from Moscow.

Elizabeth Whelan told me that her brother enjoyed writing letters  to lawmakers, to officials, to journalists  to pass the time, and asked whether I would be willing to share my address. She also asked whether it would be OK to pass along my phone number, as Paul Whelan had indicated he would like to speak with journalists by phone. Besides me, Whelan spoke with a number of other journalists during his detention.

That first call in June 2021 came ahead of President Joe Bidens highly anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva later that month. At that time, Russia was holding two Americans whom the State Department considered wrongfully detained  Whelan and Trevor Reed.

In November, Whelan revealed that I was one of the early reporters that (he) spoke to quite clandestinely. In those early calls with reporters, he said he used a burner phone and sometimes called from a closet or small room, with prisoner friends keeping watch so the Russians wouldnt find out.

Greetings from the Boneyard

In June 2021, I was surprised to receive the call. I put it on speaker and began recording, asking Whelan how he was feeling and his thoughts on the upcoming high-stakes meeting. He described having bursitis and a persistent kennel cough from a lack of medical care and working in a clothing factory he called a sweatshop.

I asked him what his message was for the US president  decisive action is needed. Immediately, he said.

This is not an issue of Russia against me; its an issue of Russia against the United States, and the United States needs to answer this hostage diplomacy situation and resolve it as quickly as possible, he said ahead of the meeting between Biden and Putin.

After the call, to ensure I wasnt getting pranked, I shared part of the recording with Elizabeth Whelan to verify it was indeed her brothers voice. She did  and we broadcast his message to the world.

I received four letters in total, dated June, July, August and November 2021. They arrived to our office mailbox, postmarked from Russia, months after the dates they were written  and it appears that a number of letters never arrived at all. The ones I received did not appear to have been censored or tampered with. The longest letter was four pages long; the shortest, one page. They were written in neat script on notepad paper.

The letters described the bleak existence in his prison camp, which Paul Whelan called Camp Lostinthewoods.

My cell has rotten wooden floors and black mold on the walls. Mice and cockroaches keep me entertained, he wrote in a July 2021 letter, which he said he penned from solitary confinement.

For the past 30 days, I have only been allowed one call home and one call to a consulate. I should be allowed one call home per day, and unrestricted access to my consulates. Russia tries to block access, he wrote.

In a late June 2021 letter, dated a few weeks after our initial call, Whelan said he had been sent to the prison camps hospital, which he called the Boneyard.

I have been here for 14 days without any medical care being provided, he wrote. There has been no exam, no vital signs recorded, no diagnosis, no medication, and no treatment. Nothing happening!

He painted a grim picture of the hospital facilities, describing old metal prison beds and thin mattresses, with one sheet and one blanket, not to forget one pillow and pillow case.

There are old broken cabinets next to our beds for personal effects. There are no chairs anywhere here at all, he wrote. An old train car without wheels doubles as a library. A horse brings our meals on a cart from the kitchen to each building.

A risk I am willing to take

As the months and then years passed, I kept in contact with Elizabeth Whelan, emailing her to check in and grabbing coffee or breakfast during her trips to Washington. David Whelan would send periodic updates to journalists with developments of note in his brothers case. But I never got any further letters from Paul Whelan, and I did not receive another call until December 2022.

In that time, a number of events influential to his case happened. In February 2022, Russian detained another American  WNBA superstar Brittney Griner. Her arrest added another complication to US efforts to bring the Americans home.

About two months later, Reed was released from Russian prison in a swap for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian smuggler convicted of conspiring to import cocaine. Whelan and Griner were not included in that exchange. The Whelan family received little notice of the news, they told me at the time. Whelan found out from Russian television and was very upset to not have learned about it from the US government, his sister said at the time.

Whelan himself, in a statement to his parents and shared with CNN, questioned why he was left behind.

While I am pleased Trevor is home with his family, I have been held on a fictitious charge of espionage for 40 months, Whelan said at the time. The world knows this charge was fabricated. Why hasnt more been done to secure my release?

Then, in the early hours of December 8, 2022, we began to report the news that the US had secured the release of Griner in another prisoner swap, this time for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. Whelan was left out of the exchange once again.

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted to a courtroom for a hearing in Khimki just outside Moscow on July 7, 2022. - Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

A few hours later, as my colleague and I were busy reporting from the State Department on the details of Griners release, my phone rang with a call from a Russian number.

This time when I answered, it was someone saying they were from the US Embassy in Moscow. They said they had Paul Whelan on the line. I rushed to set up my other phone to record the call.

I asked Whelan what was going through his head, and he told me that while he was happy that Reed and Griner had returned home, he was greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure (his) release.

Whelan seemed deeply disappointed. During the nearly 30-minute call, he told me he was surprised not to be included in the swap because I was led to believe that things were moving in the right direction, and that the governments were negotiating and that something would happen fairly soon.

US officials said Russia refused to include Whelan in the deal.

The choice was bringing Brittney Griner home right now, or bringing no one home right now, one senior administration official said at the time.

Whelan said he knew the Russians always considered me to be at a higher level than other criminals of my sort. He also expressed concern that he would not make it out of Russia at all.

To be quite honest, in these conditions, who knows how Ill come back or if Ill come back, he said.

About 12 minutes into the call, Whelan said he would have to call me back. When he hung up, my colleague and I looked at each other astonished.

Holy sh*t, she said. As I was on the phone with Whelan, I had relayed to our team what was happening, and colleagues jumped into action to get sound from the interview ready for television. It was obvious that this was newsworthy and important. CNN was able to report his reaction within an hour of the phone call ending.

When the Russian number called back, I quickly moved into an empty neighboring office to record the call with no background noise.

Whelan told me he wanted to speak with the US president to convey what life was like in prison  so unlike our world that its very difficult for people to understand.

Asked his message to Biden, Whelan said, My bags are packed. Im ready to go home. I just need an airplane to come and get me.

That call was the first correspondence since the start of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Whelan described prisoners at his camp being recruited by a private military company to join the Russian war in Ukraine. He said there was a period when they were not allowed to make calls so people couldnt call their families and say they were going to join this military mercenary unit and for their families to then tell them not to.

There were Russians in the camp, but Whelan said most of the prisoners were from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

For the most part, the prisoners respected me and I respected them. We got along great, he reflected in the recent November interview.

At the time, Whelan said he did not think he would face repercussions for speaking with me or for having the conversation aired on CNN.

If it is a risk, then its a risk I am willing to take because I think the message needs to get out, he added.

Conditions in Russian camp deteriorate

The next time Whelan called me was more than five months later. He would end up calling numerous times that year, especially toward the end of 2023.

The May 2023 call was about two months after the arrest of another American in Russia: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Whelan told me that he felt the wheels are turning toward his release, but he expressed concern he would be left behind again. He also said he saw echoes of his own case in Gershkovichs.

The next call came in October 2023. He described the conditions of the camp having deteriorated throughout his three years of detention.

He said the prison shop no longer carried fresh fruit or vegetables and canned goods have been discontinued.

The food that were provided is watered down. Its onions, potatoes, cabbage, Whelan described. The soups that we have every day are just water  soggy macaroni, stale bread, things like that.

Whelan had spoken with Secretary of State Antony Blinken that August. He told the top US diplomat point blank that leaving me here the first time painted a target on my back and leaving me here the second time basically signed a death warrant, he said, adding that unless they got me back, it could be quite challenging in the future, especially with my age and the sort of work we have to do from a health and safety point of view.

I wanted to make sure that I wasnt being forgotten amid other geopolitical issues, Whelan said.

The secretary of state told me that hes working quite diligently and his team is working quite diligently to find a resolution to this situation, Whelan recounted, and described Blinken as a person who obviously cares and he cares deeply about the situation.

As he had in his past calls, Whelan again expressed a desire to speak with Biden directly to plead his case.

Meanwhile, my colleagues and I were gathering information about US efforts to bring Whelan home  scouring the globe for potential Russian spies to be used in a prisoner swap. The complexities of the eventual deal would not come to light until Whelan, Gershkovich and more than a dozen others were on their way out of Russia in August 2024.

Whelan called again at the end of November to recount being hit in the face by another prisoner. He believed he had been singled out because he is American and due to the US support for Israel amid the war in Gaza. He sustained a minor bruise, but expressed concerns that the cowardly attack could have been much worse.

A disintegrating experience

He called me again two weeks later with a prepared statement, saying he was afraid for his safety after the assault and that he was being targeted by an official at the camp. When he spoke to prison officials about his concerns, Whelan said, they told him he could go to solitary confinement 24 hours a day.

On that call, we also spoke about the upcoming fifth anniversary of his detention in Russia. Whelan expressed concern that he would not see his elderly parents again. His beloved dog, Flora, had already died while he was in detention.

Relatives have passed away. Friends have moved on. Im very concerned that I wont get home to see my parents, he said.

He also told me that as he tried to keep his spirits up, the experience was disintegrating.

I start the day with, you know, singing the national anthem for my four countries, and, you know, things get progressively worse from there, said Whelan, who holds US, British, Irish and Canadian citizenship. But, you know, there are people I speak to, I make calls home, I write letters, I read books, but its extremely difficult being innocent and in prison and waiting for people to help you.

On December 28, 2023  the fifth anniversary of his detention  Whelan called again. He seemed very down. He read a statement marking the grim milestone. I asked whether there was anything he was doing to try to dampen the blow of the painful anniversary.

Its difficult because most of the people in the camp realize that today is the five-year anniversary. And so theyve been asking me questions about what the government is doing or not doing, he told me.

I have photographs of my dog and my family, friends  I took those out. I was looking at them and that, you know, is sometimes bittersweet. Its a typical day here in the slave labor factory, he said.

The next time Whelan called was in March 2024, after the death of Russian dissident Alexey Navalny in a remote Russian prison colony. I asked him his reaction. Extremely troubling, he said, expressing concern that if they can get to him, they can get to me.

Jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, who made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, died February 16 at the age of 47, the Russian prison service said. - Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

He called again in early May, and then in late June, to mark 2,000 days in Russian detention. He called it just an incredible amount of time.

The last time we spoke before his release was on July 19  the day Gershkovichs trial had quickly wrapped up and the journalist was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.

Whelan told me he felt sympathetic and empathetic for Gershkovich  and he sounded much more hopeful than he had in the past.

We think that could be a good sign that the Russians want to actually now start negotiations with the US for his release as well as mine, he told me.

Two weeks later, the US and Russia, with the involvement of half a dozen other countries, completed a historic prisoner swap. Gershkovich and Whelan were heading home.

CNNs Alex Leeds Matthews and Dan Dzula contributed to this report.

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Louisville Metro Police; Facebook Anthony Trice and De'Anthony Trice

A Kentucky man accused of killing his 1-month-old son by punching the infant out of frustration over losing in a video game was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter, according to multiple reports including the Louisville Courier Journal and WDRB.

In May 2019, Anthony Trice, 32, of Louisville, was alone at home with his baby son. As he began losing in a video game, he threw the controller and struck the child with his fist, according to an arrest citation, the Courier Journal reported.

The father then picked up his son in an attempt to quiet him  but dropped him as he walked to the kitchen to prepare a bottle. Trice propped his son in a seated position and stepped away to use the bathroom, police said, but he returned to find the child in distress, according to the citation.



At that point, Trice called 911, according to the citation.

The day after the incident, Trice was arrested on a charge of first-degree criminal abuse of a child. But, per a GoFundMe page by the childs grandparent, the baby died while receiving care at a local hospital. Trices charges were later upgraded to murder, to which Trice initially pleaded not guilty.

But he later pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge, the Courier Journal and WDRB reported. WDRB reported Trice entered an Alford plea, wherein a defendant doesn't admit guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence to convict him.

Related: Dad Allegedly Kills 1-Month-Old Son by Punching Him in Head After Losing at Video Game

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday, Dec. 19, in Jefferson Circuit Court.



Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

In a 2019 interview with WLKY, the baby's aunt said she and her sister  the childs mother  had left him with Trice over the weekend to attend Kentucky Derby weekend festivities. Before leaving the house, she told the outlet, Trice had told her that he was excited to buy new clothes for the infant.

"We were talking about the clothes that he got and what he was about to get him and stuff," said Tunstill. "My sister and her boyfriend weren't arguing or none of that."

Tanjia Howlett, the babys maternal grandmother, told WLKY that Trice called the childs mother after he dialed 911.

Im mad, she said to the outlet in 2019. "I wouldn't have ever thought this would happen to our family."

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

Read the original article on People
Dozens of luxury condos, hotels and other buildings in southeast Florida are sinking at a surprising rate, researchers reported in a recent study.

The study, led by scientists at the University of Miami, found 35 buildings from Golden Beach to Miami Beach sank as much as three inches between 2016 and 2023. The sinking buildings  which together accommodate tens of thousands of residents and tourists  include the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Trump Tower III, Trump International Beach Resorts and the iconic Surf Club Towers.

Researchers said the main cause behind the sinking was vibrations from construction, which can cause soil particles to compact and settle, resulting in subsidence  the gradual sinking of land.

The effect is like shaking ground coffee around to create more room, Falk Amelung, senior author of the study and a professor of geophysics at the University of Miamis Rosenstiel School Department of Marine Geosciences, told CNN. But that wasnt the startling conclusion.

Its not a surprise if buildings move during the construction or immediately after the construction, because its heavy and the engineers take that into account when they build, Amelung said, but that it continues for years after, that was surprising.

The partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, north of Miami Beach, on June 24, 2021. sparked a major emergency response. - Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images

Researchers began the study when the Champlain Towers collapsed in Surfside, Florida, in 2021. Although the researchers did not detect any signs of subsidence before the Surfside collapse, they did find evidence of it at nearby beachfront buildings and along the coastline.

Using satellite images to track tiny movements of the Earths surface, they looked at specific points of the buildings like balconies and rooftop air conditioning units and measured how they moved over time.

Nearly 70% of buildings are sinking in northern and central Sunny Isles Beach, according to the study. Around 23% of the structures in these locations were built in the past decade.

In addition to construction vibrations, daily tides that move water toward and away from the shore can also cause the ground to shift and the buildings above it to sink.

Seismic activity or soil compaction, either naturally from the weight of sediment accumulating over time or from heavy buildings pressing down on the ground, can also cause sinking  a problem in areas where new coastal land has been created over the years by backfilling with sediment.

Researchers say the findings only raise additional questions which require further investigation.

Oceans rising, coasts sinking

Miami faces a dual threat: land subsidence and rising sea levels due to climate change  a combination that increases the citys vulnerability to coastal flooding, storm surge and erosion.

Trump properties are among the list of sinking buildings University of Miami researchers found in the study. - Michele Eve Sandberg/AFP/Getty Images

Land subsidence exacerbates severe flooding due to sea level rise, said Manoochehr Shirzaei, a geophysicist at Virginia Tech who was not involved with the study

Any change in relative elevation of the sea level  whether the land goes down or sea goes up  would cause significant flooding in the region, Shirzaei, who recently conducted a study linking sinking cities and rising seas, told CNN.

Sea level rise in the study area is unfolding at a rate of roughly 2.6 inches per decade when averaged over the past 30 years, said Brian McNoldy, a climate and weather researcher at the University of Miami, who was not involved in the study.

At these specific locations, McNoldy told CNN the buildings are sinking as fast as the ocean is rising, effectively doubling the (sea level rise) rate at those sites.

But Shirzaei and Amelung said there is no reason to panic, noting that the satellite method researchers used can now proactively monitor the stability of coastal high-rises.

The good thing about land subsidence, in contrast to sea level rise, is that we can take local actions to protect us against that, Shirzaei said. This technology provides us with the data to create an approach similar to healthcare, but for buildings, so we can monitor them on regular basis  and make decisions before catastrophe happens.

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Mari Moriarty and Justin Elizabeth Sayre were engaged to be married in June. But when Donald Trump was elected president, everything changed. Now, instead of having wedding parties in Vermont and New York, theyll be living overseas, first in Amsterdam and then, if Sayres artist visa comes through, London. They took care of the marriage part just nine days after the election, rushing to New York City Hall and gathering whatever friends were available to celebrate with them on short, panicked notice.

It threw almost all of our plans up in the air, says Moriarty, a 30-year-old theater professional, about Trumps win. Thats because she, a transgender woman, and Sayre, a nonbinary TV and theater writer, believe that staying in the U.S. would mean living in enemy territory, putting their health and freedom at risk.

On Sunday, while speaking at a rally in Phoenix, Trump vowed to end transgender rights. "With the stroke of my pen on day one, were going to stop the transgender lunacy, he said. He added, Under the Trump administration, it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female. Doesnt sound too complicated, does it?

Trump and his incoming administration have made no secret of their intention to restrict and dismantle transgender rights, particularly as they relate to accessing healthcare in the form of gender-affirming carea range of services that can affirm gender or treat gender dysphoria, which is the psychological distress resulting from an incongruence between ones sex assigned at birth and ones gender identity.

Such services can include one or a mix of the following: mental health counseling; hormone replacement therapy (HRT); puberty blockers for minors (just banned indefinitely in the U.K.); and gender-affirming surgeries (rare for minors), which can range from facial feminization surgery and voice surgery to feminizing vaginoplasty or masculinizing chest or top surgery (a double mastectomy).

Despite being controversial, gender-affirming care is considered a medically necessary, evidence-based system of care thats supported by every major U.S. medical associationlargely because such interventions have been associated with lower odds of depression, anxiety, and suicidality.

Mari Moriarty and Justin Sayre at their hasty but happy City Hall wedding in November. Trump's win, they say, "threw almost all of our plans up in the air."

Still, 26 states have passed bans on minors receiving gender-affirming care. Some states have considered banning such care for transgender adults up to age 26, and several states prohibit public funds from being used to provide transgender health care to individuals of any age, meaning those who receive healthcare through Medicaid, work in the public sector, or are incarcerated, will be left with no options for care.

To get a sense of how transgender people are planning for life under Trump, Fortune spoke with several across the country: an 18-year-old Texan transgender woman who is resolved to stay and fight; a young transgender man in Rhode Island who is stockpiling his testosterone while preparing for various scenarios; and Moriarty and Sayre, who feel, with heavy hearts, that theyve got no choice but to leave.

A rising panic

Approximately 1.3 million adults and 300,000 youths identify as transgender in the U.S., and among them and their loved ones, its clear that a level of panic is ensuing.

LGBTQ youth calls to mental health crisis lines spiked by 700% right after election day. And in the first study to assess post-election transgender mental healthby University of Utah psychology researcher Lisa Diamond and the National LGBTQI+ Cancer Networkanxiety was shown to have increased 45%, depression by 19%, and feelings of dread by 30% among trans Americans from the month before the election until the week afterward.

November 5th was not just a political eventit was a public health event for LGBTQ+ individuals, especially trans individuals, said Diamond in a press release.

Carolyn Jones is program manager at the Trans Youth Emergency Project in North Carolina, which provides care information and support to families in response to the gender-affirming care bans. The reality of the situation on the ground is in a lot of ways the same as it was a month agowhich is really bad, she tells Fortune. The fear that this presidency is striking into people, she adds, has been extreme.

Adding to that was when, earlier this month, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the first case to challenge the constitutionality of one of the state bans, in Tennessee. Its stoked fears that a decision upholding the states restrictions could pave the way not only for more state bans, but a federal one, too. Were preparing for the worst, says Jones.

So, too, are many transgender individuals.

Rose: I have fought very hard to be who I am

Rose, 18, is a high school senior in Houston. She tells Fortune she was in third grade when she finally learnedthrough an older transgender cousinthat there was a name for what she knew she was. I was like, oh my god, you can do that. Wow, she recalls.

She came out in sixth grade, which got her promptly kicked out of her private Christian schooland led to the firing of her mom, who worked at the school as a therapist. They told me, God does not love people like you, says Rose. After some false starts in a couple of other schools due to bullying, Rose has found a safe place, both physically and mentally, in a private high school.

Rose, 18, is a mentor to many younger transgender Texan teens. "I'm in the position where I can help people," she says.

About six months after coming out, she met with a doctor about gender-affirming care, eventually going on puberty blockers and then HRTsomething she was lucky enough to continue even after Texas passed its 2023 ban on such treatment for minors. That, she explains, was due to receiving a charity flight to New York, where she met with a doctor who prescribed her enough estrogen to last until she turned 18.

Now, as an adult, she can receive her care in Houston. But since election day, she admits, her mental state has been shaky.

I used to be like a very gloomy kid, right? And then in the past, Id say, two years, finally being in an environment where I'm safe at home and safe at school, Ive really become very, very bubbly, very outgoing, she says. But since November,when the election represented her first time votingI've kind of been in a slump, and I can't seem to find my footing.

Its because Rose is carrying not only her own fears about the future, but those of about 45 other transgender youthyounger Texas teens who have adopted her as a mentor through the local LGBTQ community center, where she is president of the youth group. And it's through her role there that she vows to continue to be a visible, outspoken example for others, despite how rough it can be.

Its very dire, she says, and difficult to project like Ive got it together in front of the other kidssome of whom have been forced off of HRT, but many of whom never got the chance to try it because of the expense.

The politicization of transgender rights weighs heavily on Rose. My life and the lives of the people that I care about have been used as tools and a political gameand I'm not a political point to make in your speech. I am a teenager who goes to school who gets homework done. Like, I have a life, and my life is in danger because people refuse to have empathy.

It all feels dehumanizing, she adds, but only makes her more resolved to fight.

I think that wanting to leave [the country] is a very common sentimentand it's completely understandable, as well, she says. I think the reason for me standing my ground is I have fought very hard to be who I amIve fought for my basic life, so Im not ready to leave it.

Further, she believes that being lucky enough to have come out so early in life makes her less worn down by the pressure than older transgender peopleand that its therefore her responsibility to speak out and do the work here at home.

I'm in the position where I can help people, so I think it's wrong to not do that, says Rose, who hopes to head to college next year. I can't always be there for everybody, but sometimes it feels like if I'm not, I don't know if anyone else will. So I have to be.

Sam: You become your own doctor and your own pharmacist

Since the election, Sam (whose name has been changed to protect his safety), a transgender man and full-time activist on the East Coast, has been doing his weekly injections of testosterone just a little bit differently than usual: Hes been rationing it, giving himself a bit less than the prescribed dose, so he can make it last in the event that hes cut off.

Its just one of a dizzying array of preparations he is making for the near futurewhen, he fears, transgender people may not only be cut off from gender-affirming care, but medical care in general, as physicians could be concerned about repercussions.

Instead of doctors saying, Okay, I'm going to be your provider, but I cannot provide you hormones any longer, they are using these new laws as a blanket excuse to be like, sorry, I can't take care of you. Care is not covered, so goodbye, he tells Fortune, based on real-life situations hes already witnessed as an activist. (Many expect these cases to be litigated, as the Affordable Care Act contains non-discrimination protections, meaning medical treatment must be given regardless of gender or sexual orientation.)

Fearful physicians denying care could in turn drive people to turn to other ways of procuring hormone therapy, including non-U.S. sources and veterinary sources, both common but risky responses, safety-wise, to issues of access. You become your own doctor and your own pharmacist. And that's, of course, not a great situation, Sam says.

Hes also been trying to get a swirl of official identification cards in orderincluding changing the gender marker on his birth certificate, something recently allowed in his birth state. Thats because many of the newly proposed state laws would prevent trans people from doing things like accessing public restrooms or using domestic violence shelters unless they do so according to their sex assigned at birth.

Further, he aims to update his drivers license, passport, and Global Entry cardall of which have gender marker X, meaning a gender identity that is unspecified or different from M or F. And while being given the X option, under the Biden administration, was considered a victory for gender-divergent people, some, like Sam, are starting to worry it will be used against them. Especially when it comes to accessing necessary medical care.

I'm taking the steps to minimize my risk of being caught up in a large data-set dragnet, he says, where having his information stored in a database could present a snag to using his IDs.

But leaving the country altogether, Sam says, is also not off the table.

This is certainly the first time in my life when I have realized I absolutely need a fully-baked exit plan in my pocketincluding one that potentially adds the option of an undocumented border crossing, he says. To that end, hes been downloading maps of the more porous ends of the U.S. borders, where hed get dropped off with nothing but a backpack.

Hed also consider doing long stays in more trans-friendly countriesPortugal, Sweden, and the Netherlands, for exampleand moving around like a nomad, for my mental health, he says. You can't be living in the dumpster as its set on fire, right? So occasionally Id go somewhere else, and maybe come back when the flames settle down.

Moriarty and Sayre: We just went into a panic

Moriarty and Sayre spent election night in Vermont, tuning out political news. But when they eventually heard news of Trumps win, says Sayre, We just went into a panic.

The couple started making all of their planscontacting a real estate agent to rent out their place in Brooklyn, consulting with a lawyer over how Sayre could get an artists visa in Europe, figuring out how to bring their cat with them to Amsterdamimmediately. Still, Sayre admits, leaving all that you know and love is a tough pill to swallow.

Its like, well, don't you want to stay and fight? I'm always going to use my voice to fight, they say. But I don't know that I can be on the frontlines of it all the time, because I really don't go to a great place [mentally]. And that's not sustainable.

Moriarty, who has decided not to start hormone therapy until shes abroad so her treatment isnt interrupted here, says she has been experiencing more street harassment than ever. Ive felt the temperature rising, even in New York, for years now, she says, referring to being jeered, followed, laughed at, and having her photo taken without consent. Its all prompted fears for her safetyand that, combined with anxiety over how both of their rights will be scaled back, has led to their decision.

I just feel like there's no one looking out for us. Nobody, Moriarty says. No one's going to come to save us.

She explains that the conversation she keeps having in her head is less about fighting and more about surviving and taking care of each other, and that is where the priority will be, she says. I think we're trying to put our oxygen masks on first.

More on health and politics:

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Elon Musk wants more Democrats involved in the nascent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Rep. Aaron Bean is charged with making that happen.

The Florida Republican is a Trump/Musk ally and co-founder of the Houses DOGE caucus, which gathered for its first meeting last week to begin wooing curious Democrats as Congress wrapped up its business for the year.

"They're still kind of fearful, they're feeling out DOGE," Bean said of the other side of the aisle in a recent interview.

"One of my objectives was to create a safe harbor where everybody feels welcome," he added in the conversation, where he also laid out what are high bipartisan hopes for 2025.

The plans for his caucus include regular meetings (the next one is scheduled for January), an early focus on Democratic-friendly terrain like trimming the Pentagon's budget, and even hopes for bipartisan working groups.

"It will take both parties," Bean said.

Rep. Aaron Bean is seen before a hearing on Capitol Hill in May. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images)

But whether extended cooperation is indeed in the cards as Trump 2.0 takes hold in 2025 remains to be seen.

And some hurdles that Bean could encounter may be laid out by Musk himself as well as by more hardline GOP members also at the forefront of Congress's DOGE push, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

Musk turned up the temperature just last week when he all but single-handedly killed a bipartisan bill to avert a shutdown, causing many provisions to be scuttled and angering many Democrats.

But for the moment, Bean can boast that three Democrats took part in last week's meeting alongside more than 70 Republicans.

Two Democrats are officially part of his caucus. Behind the scenes, Bean said he is talking to "many others."

The search for 'low-hanging fruit'

Bean rose up through Florida politics and joined the US House of Representatives in 2023, representing the Jacksonville area.

In his first term he operated as a Trump ally but one less focused on more heated partisan topics. He spent time in his first term on issues like small businesses, education, and healthcare in line with his background in Florida.

He then jumped to get involved with DOGE after Trump's win and the announcement of the extra-governmental effort led by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Bean had soon launched the House DOGE caucus with Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas. The effort is bicameral with a parallel effort in the Senate being led by Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the co-chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), navigates the Capitol for a series of meeting with his son "X" on December 5. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images)

Bean and his fellow DOGE leaders have been trying to strike early bipartisan notes with a friendly logo (a a Shiba Inu dog, naturally) and even a tip line to report government waste.

The hope from the group is to put up early wins on what its leaders like to call "low-hanging fruit"  spending that everyone can agree should be cut.

Last week's caucus meeting included a presentation from Rep. Blake Moore, a Utah Republican who became a third caucus co-chair earlier this month.

He came to Congress after a career  perhaps apt for his current task  in both diplomacy and management consulting.

"My background makes me well suited to identify areas of waste, fraud, & abuse in our federal government," he posted recently.

Can there be any sustained bipartisanship in 2025?

The Pentagon's massive budget could be a key area for possible bipartisan agreement and came up at last week's meeting, Bean said.

That's an issue that has already led to DOGE curiosity from prominent progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Ro Khanna of California.

The question, of course, hanging over the effort is whether any sort of sustained bipartisanship will be possible in a year ahead that could also include new heights of partisan bickering.

Lawmakers are already aiming to pass perhaps two bills in 2025 using the reconciliation process. That method of enacting laws is likely to inflame partisan tensions as it allows the Senate to pass the bill with 51 votes  and exclude the minority party altogether.

Musk himself may also not be helping efforts after he jumped in last week to kill a bipartisan effort at averting a shutdown.

His involvement appears to have put at least one DOGE dalliance on ice.

Sen. Sanders  the Vermont independent and two-time presidential candidate  made waves just a few weeks back when he posted "Elon Musk is right" in reference to trimming military spending.

But the tone has changed after Musk's involvement last week, with Sanders repeatedly slamming the billionaire's actions and calling them "oligarchy at work."

Other DOGE efforts in Congress could also hinder any nascent bipartisan flowering.

Bean's co-founder of the DOGE caucus is Rep. Sessions of Texas. Sessions also serves on the House Oversight Committee, which has become the scene of tense partisan clashes in recent years and will have a new DOGE-focused subcommittee led by one of Trump's staunchest and most polarizing Capitol Hill allies: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Aaron Bean are seen outside a meeting with Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and House and Senate Republicans at the Capitol in December. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams via Getty Images)

House Speaker Mike Johnson focused on that subcommittee work in his recent comments on DOGE, saying, "The efforts here, both with our subcommittees that are being created here and with the DOGE effort itself will be to explore [waste], to investigate it and lay it bare for the American people to see."

Bean flatly rejects the idea that he and Greene are going to be working at cross purposes in the months ahead as he tries to woo Democrats, noting that she also presented her plans at last week's caucus meeting and the two have been meeting regularly.

He said that investigative efforts will complement his focus on finding bipartisan legislation, "so its going to be a two-way street."

His case is essentially that there is such a wide array of wasteful areas of the government to look into that there will be something for everyone.

"It's going to be dozens of bills," he said.

Ben Werschkul is Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

Every Friday, Yahoo Finance's Rachelle Akuffo, Rick Newman, and Ben Werschkul bring you a unique look at how U.S. policy and government affects your bottom line on Capitol Gains. Watch or listen to Capitol Gains on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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By Miranda Murray and Kirsti Knolle

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany searched on Monday for answers on possible security lapses after a man drove his car into a Christmas market, killing at least five people and casting a renewed spotlight on security and immigration ahead of a snap election.

The possible motive of the arrested suspect, a 50-year-old psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia with a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric and a sympathy for the far-right Alternative for Germany Party, remains unknown.

The man, identified only as Taleb A., had left video messages on his X social media account on the day of the attack.

In rambling commentary, he variously blamed Germany's supposed liberalism for the death of Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher, and accused police of stealing a USB stick from him and destroying a criminal complaint he had filed.

The Welt newspaper said he had undergone psychological treatment.

As a nation mourned, with citizens leaving flowers and lighting candles in Magdeburg where the incident took place on Friday, questions swirled about whether more could have been done and whether the authorities could have acted on warnings.

Around 3,500 people attended a rally of the anti-migrant AfD on Magdeburg's cathedral square late on Monday where co-leader Alice Weidel called for change "so we can finally live once again in security". Cries of "deport them" erupted from the crowd.

About 4,000 candle-carrying counter-demonstrators, according to a police estimate, formed a human chain to protest against what they called the political use of a horrible incident and hate.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called for tougher internal security laws to be adopted, including a new act to strengthen police forces as well as the introduction of biometric surveillance.

"It is clear that we must do everything to protect the people of Germany from such horrific acts of violence. To do this, our security authorities need all the necessary powers and more personnel," Faeser told Spiegel news magazine.

The deputy head of a security committee in the Bundestag (parliament) announced he would convene a special session asking why previous warnings about the danger posed by Taleb A. were not acted upon. Taleb A. has lived in Germany since 2006.

The attack occurred two months before a snap election in February where the AfD is polling in second place and is particularly strong in eastern Germany, where Magdeburg is located.

Everyone deals with this situation in their own way, some are grieving, others are angry," said Andreas Bohs, who was passing the Magdeburg attack site where mourners laid flowers, candles, teddies and other stuffed toys.

"Everyone has the right to express their opinion and this should not be used for any political purposes here. But I know that every political party somehow does it."

A local hospital said it was still treating 72 injured people, of which 15 were in severe condition.

PREVIOUS WARNINGS

Germany's main opposition Christian Democratic Union, which polls indicate will form the next government, called for the strengthening of intelligence services.

Holger Muench, president of the federal criminal police office (BKA), told public broadcaster ZDF during the weekend that Germany was reviewing security measures at Christmas markets and addressing any vulnerabilities.

Muench said Germany had received a warning from Saudi Arabia as far back as 2023 about the suspect, which German authorities investigated but found vague.

"The man also published a huge number of posts on the internet. He also had various contacts with the authorities, made insults and even threats. But he was not known for acts of violence," Muench said.

Taha al-Hajji, a Saudi lawyer in exile and the legal director for the Berlin-based European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, said most Saudi opposition activists did not have a good relationship with the suspect.

He made problems with everyone always ... He was really isolated," said al-Hajji.

"He felt that he was the only one right and people were wrong, he felt he was the centre of everything, he was important. He always had problems with everyone."

(Reporting by Miranda Murray, Pesha Magid, Kirsti Knolle, Andrey Sychev, Sarah Marsh and Matthias Williams; writing by Matthias Williams; editing by Mark Heinrich and Rod Nickel)
Youre hired!

President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday that hes tapped The Apprentice creator Mark Burnett to serve as a top diplomat in the United Kingdom.

It is my great honor to appoint Mark Burnett as the Special Envoy to the United Kingdom, Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform.

Trump has been announcing his nominees for key positions since soon after he was re-elected. Getty Images

With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role.

The London-born, British American TV producer, created NBCs hit series The Apprentice, which Trump starred as its host for 10 seasons. A winner of 13 Emmy Awards, Burnett has also produced Survivor, Shark Tank, The Voice and other major television shows.

Mark will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges. Congratulations Mark! Trump said.

Earlier this month, Trump named billionaire Warren Stevens to serve as the US ambassador to the United Kingdom. No one is currently serving as a US special envoy to the UK.

It was unclear Saturday the special envoy position will require a Senate confirmation.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty James Patterson in October 2024.

James Patterson is supporting local bookstores again this holiday season.

The Along Came a Spider author, 77, is making sure U.S. booksellers are getting their flowers by gifting $300,000 to 600 bookstore staffers as a part of his holiday bookstore bonus program, according to ABC News.

The 600 people working at bookstores  including Birminghams Thank You Books in Alabama, Cedar Falls The Nook in Iowa and City Lights Books in San Francisco  are each set to receive a $500 bonus.

Patterson told ABC in a statement through his publisher, Little, Brown and Company, he's happy to support independent bookstores and their staff.

"Booksellers save lives. Period," Patterson said. "I'm happy to be able to acknowledge them and all their hard work this holiday season."

Rick Kern/FilmMagic Patterson at SXSW in 2022

Related: James Patterson's Cross Series Sets a Premiere Date  Find Out When It Will Stream!

"We appreciate Mr. Patterson's financial generosity as well as his generosity of spirit. We all continue to be awed by, and grateful for, Mr. Patterson's continuing support of independent booksellers," Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association (ABA), said in a statement.

"It means everything to have him recognize and reward the valuable role booksellers play in the industry," Hill added.

Staffers who are receiving the bonuses this season either applied with an application or were nominated by a coworker, friend or author for their work, according to the ABA.

Among the recepients this year are Davis Gustafson at Thank You Books, Erin Messer at City Lights, Brandon Conrad of The Nook, Gina Marx of The Lynx in Gainesville, Fla., and Kirstin Kraig of Whale's Tale Books in Lakewood, Colo., per ABC.



Google Maps Birminghams Thank You Books in Alabama

Related: Viola Davis to Publish New Novel Co-Written with Bestselling Author James Patterson

Patterson has similarly donated funds to booksellers many times over the past decade. In March this year, the ABA announced that the thriller novelist would be donating another $600,000 to be split among booksellers.

Additionally, in 2020, he made a $500,000 donation to several other independent bookstores nominated by their customers, owners and employees  across the U.S. as they struggled during the COVID pandemic.

"The White House is concerned about saving the airline industry and big businesses  I get that. But Im concerned about the survival of independent bookstores, which are at the heart of main streets across the country," Patterson said in a statement at the time, according to the the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. "I believe that books are essential. They make us kinder, more empathetic human beings. And they have the power to take us away-even momentarily-from feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and scared."

"I hope that the funds we raise keep bookstores alive at a time when we need them the most," he added.

Related: James Patterson Calls Completing Michael Crichtons Final Novel One of the Best Things Ive Done (Exclusive)

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In 2014, Patterson also donated $1 million to bookstores, divvied up into prizes of $15,000 per store.

"It ranges from Andover Bookstore, where a son and daughter wrote and their father hadn't had a raise since 1988," he told NPR of the initiative at the time. "Children's Bookstore in Baltimore, they give books to schools and they want the kids to be able to keep the books. Book Passage out in California will do more book fairs with it. Little Shop of Stories down in Decatur, Ga., they're buying a bookmobile."

The Alex Cross author added at the time that he believes the book industry deserves just as much intervention as massive industries like banks and the auto industry, simply because literature and reading is good for our culture.

"The government has stepped in to help banks, automobiles, anything where money is concerned, but nobody seems to care about books and our bookstores," he added to NPR at the time. "And I'm telling you, American literature is in jeopardy."



Read the original article on People
Heigl: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images. EatingWell design.

Katherine Heigl is best known for her acting roles in television classics like Greys Anatomy and Suits as well as rom-coms like Knocked Up and 27 Dresses, among others. But these days, shes most focused on her advocacy work through the Jason Heigl Foundation supported by her Badlands Ranch dog food line. Her organizations fight to end animal cruelty by assisting rescues and treatments for shelter animals in need.

In this exclusive interview with EatingWell, Heigl talks more about ways to give back this holiday season, as well as what foods shes focusing on for herself and her family (which includes her pets). Learn about her immune-supporting secret, all-time favorite holiday side dish, recipes she makes for her dogs and more below.

Related: Duff Goldman Just Told Us His All-Time Favorite Dessert, and Its a Classic

Do you have any favorite holiday dishes that you're looking forward to most?

My all-time favorite holiday dish is typically what we serve at Thanksgiving, but if I can, I talk everybody into another round on Christmas. It's not everyone's favorite, but it's delicious. Its a rutabaga puree. Half rutabaga, half carrots and you just boil them so they're soft, puree them with butter, heavy cream and salt. And it's the best, most delicious side dish, in my opinion.

And my mother's raspberry jello salad. Jello salad is sort of an old-timey dish, but it's literally something we've eaten every holiday since I was born. I crave it because it's raspberry jello, crushed walnuts and pineapple juice, and it's two layers. The middle layer is cream cheese, and it's so delicious and it's also great because it cuts all of the savory stuff. It's a bit of a palate cleanser, if you will.

Related: Tom Holland Just Shared the Christmas Dessert His Grandmother Makes Every Year

With the cold and flu season in full swing, do you have any immune-supporting recipes or foods that you swear by to keep you and your family healthy?

Oil of oregano, which I prefer in pill form because the liquid form is brutal. I learned this actually from my co-stars on Suits. We were working in Toronto, and when it starts to get cold and you're working outside a lot, you just want to boost your immune system as much as possible. So I started taking oil of oregano, and I think everybody is very individual when it comes to supplemental healing, but for me, it works like nothing else. My kids will not take it because it's very potent, so for them, I give them elderberry [syrup]. And we'll make a big pot of broth to sip on, a classic chicken bone broth is really healing. Homemade chicken soup is the best go-to, and that's one everyone will eat for sure.

Related: What Are Essential Oils? Here's What You Need to Know

Could you talk more about why you started Badlands Ranch and how the cause has grown since?

I'm a dog person and I talk a lot about my dogs and my rescue foundation. I was approached about maybe coming up with a dog food brand, but my initial instinct was that the dog food aisle at the pet store is so overcrowded as it is. Would I just be adding more to the clutter and confusion for consumers? I wanted to incorporate some things into it that I'm really passionate about. Could we do something that is unique enough and honorable enough to truly make a difference in our pets lives? And the answer was yes. That was the drive for me to get into that arena.

My mother and I have had our animal advocacy foundation since 2008, and it started out as a passion to make a difference, to try to do something for these creatures that we love so much and have so much compassion and appreciation for. And now it's turned into a lifelong calling. I think it has given both of us a real purpose in life that feels truly meaningful and impactful. The food has been instrumental in helping us continue to fund the foundation and fund the program that are really starting to make a difference in the pet overpopulation in our country and the unnecessary, needless killing of these animals.

Badlands Ranch

Do you have any go-to recipes that you feed your dogs?

If I'm going to give them something special, I make them something special. I keep it to lean proteins like fish, salmon or chicken. Organ meats are amazing. Its weird, but if you can get cow liver, that's really, really healthy for them and what they're genetically supposed to be eating. This all sounds kind of gross, but liver, raw egg and maybe a pinch of turmeric. Turmeric is really great for dogs and humans too, for inflammation and joint health and gut health. And ginger is really great for gut health. Keeping them at a healthy weight and keeping them in great shape is really important.

Sometimes I'll make them like lemon balm, essentially tea with lemon balm leaves and then let it cool down and put that in their water bowl. I found that that's been incredibly helpful for anxiety and nervousness because all my dogs are rescued and they can end up with a bit of anxiety, nervousness or skittishness because of their previous homes.

Related: Why Turmeric Is So Good for You

For our readers wanting to help local organizations and shelters in need this holiday season, what do you recommend?

Theres so much people can do. It ranges from donating their time to helping get the dogs out of the kennels and out for a walk, to just donating blankets, beds and toys, to donating even a few dollars to help for spay neuters. A lot of shelters are not able to help if a dog comes in with medical needs, so we tend to care for a lot of those dogs in our foundation. Donations are always huge, and there's so many really wonderful rescues and small rescues all throughout the country working really hard. They could use every penny.

Rescue, dont buy. We have way too much of a problem in this country with pet overpopulationand my opinion is probably a bit controversialbut I don't think breeders should be breeding dogs right now until we get this under control. Everybody should be rescuing, but if you're going to rescue, be prepared to know that you are inviting a new member into your family and they need attention, they need care, they need support and that can mean training, boundaries, food and vet care. Know what you're getting into so that you're not just taking a dog and then relinquishing it once Christmas is over.

Related: Jennifer Love Hewitt Just Told Us the Christmas Eve Dinner She Makes Every Year in Honor of Her Mom

Editors Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.



Read the original article on EATINGWELL
The 2024 winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, happens on Saturday, Dec. 21, in the Northern Hemisphere. The celestial event signifies the first day of winter, astronomically.

What is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice is the day each year that has the shortest period of daylight between sunrise and sunset, and therefore the longest night. It happens when the sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn, a line of latitude that circles the globe south of the equator, the National Weather Service explains.

The farther north you are, the shorter the day will be, and in the Arctic Circle, the sun won't rise at all.

How is the day of the winter solstice determined?

The winter solstice occurs because of the Earth's tilt as it rotates around the sun.

When the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the sun, the nights last longer. The longest night happens on the solstice because the hemisphere is in its furthest position from the sun. That occurs each year on Dec. 21 or 22.

This year, it falls on Dec. 21 at 4:21 a.m ET, to be precise.

On the summer solstice, when the northern tilt is closest to the sun, we have the longest day, usually June 20 or 21.

This illustration from the National Weather Service shows the tilt and rotation of the Earth on the winter and summer solstices, as well as the autumnal and vernal equinox marking the beginning of fall and spring. / Credit: National Weather Service

The solstices are not always exactly on the 21st every year because the earth's rotation around the sun is 365.25 days, instead of 365 even.

Will days start getting longer after the winter solstice?

Yes. Each day after the solstice, we get one minute more of sunlight. It doesn't sound like much, but after just two months, or around 60 days, we'll be seeing about an hour more of sunlight.

When will winter officially be over in 2025?

The meteorological winter ends on March 20, 2025. Then, spring will last until June 20, when the summer solstice arrives.

How is the winter solstice celebrated around the world?

Nations and cultures around the world have celebrated the solstice since ancient times with varying rituals and traditions. The influence of those solstice traditions can still be seen in our celebrations of holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah, Britannica notes.

The ancient Roman Saturnalia festival celebrated the end of the planting season and has close ties with modern-day Christmas. It honored Saturn, the god of harvest and farming. The multiple-day affair had lots of food, games and celebrations. Presents were given to children and the poor, and slaves were allowed to stop working.

Gatherings are held every year at Stonehenge, a monumental circle of massive stones in England that dates back about 5,000 years. The origins of Stonehenge are shrouded in mystery, but it was built to align with the sun on solstice days.

People gather at sunrise for the winter solstice celebrations at the Stonehenge prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, on Dec. 22, 2021. / Credit: Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images

The Hopi, a Native American tribe in the northern Arizona area, celebrate the winter solstice with dancing, purification and sometimes gift-giving. A sacred ritual known as the Soyal Ceremony marks the annual milestone.

In Peru, people honor the return of the sun god on the winter solstice. The ancient tradition would be to hold sacrificial ceremonies, but today, people hold mock sacrifices to celebrate. Because Peru is in the Southern Hemisphere, their winter solstice happens in June, when the Northern Hemisphere is marking its summer solstice.

Scandinavia celebrates St. Lucia's Day, a festival of lights.

The "arrival of winter," or Dong Zhi, is a Chinese festival where family gathers to celebrate the year so far. Traditional foods include tang yuan, sweet rice balls with a black sesame filling. It's believed to have its origins in post-harvest celebrations.

Researchers stationed in in Antarctica even have their own traditions, which may include an icy plunge into the polar waters. They celebrate "midwinter" with festive meals, movies and sometimes homemade gifts.

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Bianca Jagger has always been a fan of suits, and thats evident over the years, from the elegant YSL jacket she wore in 1971 to wed her former husband, Mick Jagger, to the fur-trimmed and embellished suits she famously donned at Studio 54. And while suiting has made its way throughout every aspect of the fashion world, Jaggers affinity for menswear hasnt wavered, partly due to how she feels in the suit rather than the style itself.

My father was a dandy-looking man, and I remember him wearing white linen suits and a white hat. As a child, I wanted to emulate my father and felt empowered to, she says to Bazaar. I grew up in a time when men had the preferential position in a family, which is still the case in some parts of the world, so trying to look like my father had to do with that, I learned later on. If I emulated my father or dressed like a boy or man, then I was going to feel powerful."

Jaggers sense of empowerment extends to her foundation, the Bianca Human Rights Foundation, and, more recently, her role as the star of YSL Beautys latest campaign for the Libre Flowers and Flames fragrance. The fresh floral smells both cool and hot, thanks to notes of coconut palm, solar-lily flower, and vanilla.

The first thing that attracted me to Libre, was the name; it means freedom, which has been an existential objective of my personal lifeand my professional life with my foundation, the Bianca Human Rights Foundation, she explains. Although I havent worked with any beauty brand before, I was interested from the beginning when I saw the name and the message they wanted to project through the fragrance.

Ahead, Jagger shares all things fragrance, suiting, and beautyfrom the outfit-and-fragrance formula she wears to feel liberated to the reason she never wears restrictive clothing or makeup at home.

What does freedom mean to you?

I was born in Nicaragua, and I grew up under the repressive regime of the Somoza dynasty, so from an early age, I understood that the only way I could stand up to the regime was to fight for freedom every day. My very existence was an act of rebellion. Thats why a fragrance that has the name Libre or freedom in [Spanish and French], was was attractive to me.

When do you feel the most free?

I love the oceanalthough I don't have many opportunities to be on holiday. But, I recently was able to be with my sister near the sea. I feel free when I am in nature, but specifically when I am at the seaside. Of course, I loved Nicaragua when I could goits where I was born and is surrounded by the rainforest. But unfortunately, I cannot go anymore. I love the rainforests in Brazil and India. I love sailing boats tooreally, anything to do with water.

How has your approach to perfume and fragrance changed over the years?

My first encounter with fragrance was with my mother while walking in the rainforest. She loved the wildflowers and orchids there. The first scents I knew were connected to nature, which are still the fragrances I love. My mother was someone who loved using fragrance for herself. Wearing fragrance makes me feel hot and attractive, just like a red lip.

What do you love about this iteration of Libre and when would you wear it?

I think its a scent that you wear when you go out, rather than wearing it at home. A perfume is part of getting dressed and it helps you look your best.





Libre Flowers & Flames Eau de Parfum

$165.00 at sephora.com

Who is the best-smelling person you've met throughout your life?

Two people. One was Diana Vreeland. She used to wear a perfume that, even when they discontinued it, they still made it for her. It was a perfume that I used myself, too, at the time. The other person is my mother. Those were my two role models when it comes to scent.

Youve been considered an it girl in style and beauty throughout your life. How does it feel to be a style and beauty icon for so many decades?

I am humbled and flattered, but I'm also very grateful that people think of me as one. It makes me feel young. I hope that they think of me not only as a fashion or beauty icon but also as a human rights defender because that is who I am, too.

Youre an icon in all three! You mentioned that fragrance and a red lip both can make you feel hot, but what type of outfit makes you feel empowered?

I wear a lot of men's suits and trousers, which make me feel empowered. So when Yves Saint Laurent came out with womens suits, they became so prevalent in his collection, and it felt right to wear suits. It was my sense of fashion. Before then, I had never been a great believer in fashion styles, and Saint Laurent taught uswell, me the difference between fashion and style.

Youve seen a lot of trends come and go, so do you find yourself nostalgic for any trends of the past?

I am more nostalgic for time periods, like the '70s or '90s. In terms of designers, our course Yves Saint Laurent was the greatest designer in France. When I lived in America, there was Halston, Calvin Klein, and even my dear friend Carolina Herrera. Halston and Calvin Klein reinvented the notion of American fashion, which was very different than Europe fashion. There are many pieces of clothing that I still have from 40 years ago. Fortunately, I can still wear the pieces, and I love them just as much as I did when I first got them. My taste hasn't changed much. I believe in well-cut clothing and suits; those are timeless.

Keystone - Getty Images

Has your makeup taste changed over the years? I know a red lip is a signature style of yours.

When I was very young, I hardly wore any makeup and had very long hair. Now, when I go out, I wear more makeup and I have short hair, but to tell you the truth, I don't wear any makeup most of the time. I don't make great efforts with my hair. I work at home and mostly wear leggings and clothes that are very practical, especially after the pandemic. I never liked tight clothing. But I love red lipstick for a night out. One thing I will say that Ive learned is that you must take your makeup off before bed. Its a religious habit that Ive learned. I can't go to sleep with my makeup on. No matter how exhausted, I pull myself out of bed to clean my face.

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Tyler Morris (2) (L-R) Tyler Morris and his injured foot

A man from Minnesota says he suffered second-degree burns on his foot after a rechargeable heated insole exploded inside his boot.

"The pain is increasing every day," Tyler Morris, of Trimont, tells PEOPLE this week about the injury to his foot. "I wont know till the end of this week whether or not I will need skin grafts."

Tyler previously told NBC affiliate KARE that he bought the rechargeable insoles, which were sold by an overseas-based company, last year through Amazon for his hunting and fishing outings.

He recalled that he felt a sharp pain on his right foot while setting up a fish house on a lake Tuesday, Dec. 12.

"It just felt like a knife stabbed me in my heel," Tyler told the local TV station. "Then it started getting super, super hot, and I started freaking out, and there was white smoke just billowing out of my boot."

Related: Girl Gets Second-Degree Burn from Glue While Doing Fake Nails at Friend's House; Mom's Warning Goes Viral (Exclusive)

"It would have been easily avoidable since I was not using the insoles for their heating properties since they had lost their ability to heat effectively," Tyler tells PEOPLE in retrospect, "but I left them in simply to have an insole since they were comfortable. I never imagined this would be an issue I would be dealing with."

Commenting on the incident, an Amazon spokesperson told PEOPLE that the product in question has been removed and we are investigating the incident further.

Tyler Morris (2) Photos provided by Tyler Morris showed a charred sock and his injured foot

In a Facebook post shared on Wednesday, Dec. 13, Tylers wife Mikaela wrote that after what happened she rushed her husband to the ER in Fairmont.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

They cut what was left of his sock off his foot, cleaned up his foot and contacted the burn center at the Hennepin county medical center, Mikaela wrote alongside photos of Tylers injured foot and a charred sock. Dr at the ER explained to us that this was 2nd degree burns and the HCMC would probably want to see him to check it out.

So made the appointment at HCMC and headed there this morning, she continued. Come to find out its 2nd degree burn with possibility of some 3rd degree burns. Now starts the process of hoping and praying that his body does what it needs to to heal properly.

Related: Man Who Suffered Third-Degree Burns After Coming Across Power Line Wakes Up from Coma

Tyler, who reportedly lost some feeling in his foot, told KARE that doctors said this type of injury happens frequently.

Related: Woman Has Third-Degree Burns After Stepping Through 'Thin Crust' into Scalding Water at Old Faithful

The Morrises cautioned people to do research before buying rechargeable apparel items, especially made from overseas, or avoid buying them altogether, KARE reported.

"Through all this social media and news coverage I have found that the number of people that this has happened to is staggering, so I am more than happy to get some awareness out," Tyler tells PEOPLE. "I had never heard any of this before my injury."



Read the original article on People
President Biden made what may be his diplomatic curtain call this month with a long-promised trip to Africa, becoming the first president to visit Angola and first since former President Obama to visit the continent  with President-elect Trump in between.

Its unclear whether Trump will pay more attention to Africa this time around, but the stakes of global influence in Africa are rising as the continent becomes an increasingly important part of Chinas geopolitical arsenal.

Trump will face a number of pressing questions in the continent: whether to play a more active role in Sudans civil war, how to use trade as a counterbalance to Chinas massive public and private investments across the continent, and whether to continue some Biden-led initiatives like a $3 billion investment in transcontinental transit routes through Angola, Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kholofelo Kugler, a scholar specializing in African trade and economy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the U.S. has lost a lot of ground when it comes to strategic opportunities in Africa.

For better or for worse, the Chinese have been a little bit more deliberate and a little bit mindful about fostering relationships with African countries, notwithstanding human rights records or democracy. Its been transactional, she said. China has far stripped the U.S. in the last few years.

The Biden administration has also sought to develop and boost humanitarian efforts, including providing aid in the midst of a historic drought and protecting marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ people in Uganda, some of which is likely to be axed with Trump in the Oval Office and Republicans leading both chambers in Congress.

Cameron Hudson, a senior associate in the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, argues the Biden administration took an overzealous approach toward Africa, resulting in broken promises.

Biden, fulfilling a promise made at the 2022 African Leaders Summit, this month became the first president to visit Africa since Obama visited Kenya and Ethiopia. Other promises, such as his all in for Africa strategy, Hudson says have left more to be desired.

Hudson noted that the sitting president hosted a notably small number of African leaders for one-on-one meetings, despite promising to accelerate high-level exchanges.

But Kugler and Hudson arent convinced Trump will mark a major shift in U.S. strategy in Africa, though they said he may take a different approach.

Which is worse? Making a promise and then taking no measurable steps to deliver on it or not making the promise at all? Hudson asked. The outcome is gonna be the same for Africa.

Trump has both talked tough toward China and regularly expressed his appreciation of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with recent reports indicating that Trump extended an inauguration invite to the communist party leader. Trump has promised a series of steep tariffs on China, which Beijing says would spur a destructive trade war.

How much Trump or Xi try to fight that war in Africa is a pressing question for the continent. Kugler said the U.S. may not view Africa as a strategically important enough region to go toe-to-toe with China.

She said one likely possibility is the Trump administration trying to sort of discipline China in terms of bilateral trade with the U.S.

Russia is also increasing its presence on the continent, having long been accused of backing private military companies to undermine democratic efforts, boosting up dictators and engaging in the joint plundering of natural resources.

Ultimately, Kugler said a mindset change is required for any American administration to truly expand its influence in Africa.

During Trumps first term, he advocated for Congress to reduce developmental investments with his America First mindset, with Africa feeling the brunt of the blow. He did, however, initiate the Prosper Africa strategy to assist U.S. companies seeking to do business in Africa. But he also alienated leaders from the country, referring to shole countries on the continent.

Experts said Trumps transactional approach could open the gate for more U.S. business presence in the area.

I think that Trump is going to take a narrower view, a more defined view of what U.S. interests are in Africa, Hudson predicted. [Trump] will be very clear what he cares about and what he doesnt care about.

Trumps incoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked about Trumps likely approach to the region, told The Hill that the incoming president would take necessary action to restore peace through strength around the world.

Restoring peace will be a particular challenge in Sudan, where a civil war has been raging since April 2023, when rival military factions  the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces  started fighting.

The Biden administration has taken a largely humanitarian approach to the war, part of an international coalition that has had little success in negotiating a ceasefire. Kugler said Trump may seek to end the war, even if it means entrenching military rule in the country.

Bidens administration was more concerned about how the conflict could be resolved, not that it could be resolved he said. It was important that the right people take power in Sudan, not that the conflict end.

The Biden administration did not respond to The Hills request for comment.

Hudson said the impact on leaders and communities across the continent will be mixed as the Trump administration reorients its foreign policy priorities.

Hudson said countries that are on a fragile democratic path, such as Ghana and Botswana, may not receive the same attention from Trump that they saw under Biden. Other countries like Uganda, where the government outlawed homosexuality, may see Biden-era sanctions lifted under Trump, among the reasons he may be more popular with some of Africas strongmen.

They see him as an authoritative figure, as somebody who is self-made, Kugler said. As somebody whos not going to sit there and preach to them about human rights and LGBTQIA issues.

Hudson and Kugler think there is the possibility some of Bidens priorities will carry over in the Biden administration, particularly the Lobito Corridor, a multibillion-dollar investment in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia meant to boost economic competitiveness.

The project has bipartisan support in Congress. Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) issued a statement earlier this month saying, Strategic investments like the Lobito Corridor help us better compete with China and secure access to critical minerals and other important resources that will improve our own economy.

Our national security will be strengthened through continued U.S. investment combined with efforts to bring peace to the region, like our efforts to end the long-simmering conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda through the Luanda Process, they wrote.

The Corridor is largely backed by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, which was formed under Trumps first administration. Trump tapped the first CEO of the federal agency, Adam Boehler, as the hostage affairs envoy in his new administration.

Other administration picks, such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as secretary of State and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, could signal his competitive stance against China and Russia.

Musk has been involved with African leaders, meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba, and Lesotho Prime Minister Sam Matekane in September of this year to discuss opportunities with his tech empire.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
PARIS (Reuters) -France's new government is set to be named later on Monday evening, the presidency said in a statement, as centrist prime minister Francois Bayrou tries to find a team able to withstand challenges from both the far-right and far-left.

President Emmanuel Macron's office said Macron's chief of staff Alexis Kohler would unveil the names in the new government at 1730 GMT.

Bayrou has struggled for almost 10 days to put together a government as he looks to stave off a vote of no-confidence in mid-January and ensure parliament agrees on a budget for 2025 in February.

Bayrou initially sought to broaden his incoming administration to appeal to both the left-wing Socialist party and the conservative Les Republicains, hoping not to suffer the fate of his predecessor Michel Barnier, whose government collapsed after just three months amid opposition to his budget measures.

However, Bayrou has failed in particular to satisfy demands from the left in his quest to secure majority support in a deeply fractured parliament.

In a letter seen by Reuters addressed to Les Republicains, which won just 5% of votes in the summer parliamentary election, Bayrou set out security and budgetary measures in the hope of ensuring it joins the next government.

Bayrou is trying to cut a wide budget deficit but is finding consensus as hard to achieve as Barnier. An opinion poll published on Dec. 19 found 64% were dissatisfied with his appointment as prime minister.

After a European Parliament election last June in which the far-right Rassemblement National made significant gains, Macron called a snap parliamentary election that he promised would bring more clarity.

Instead, no party or bloc won a majority, leaving parliament divided into three main blocs, and Macron's nominees for prime minister so far unable to muster the majority support that would enable them to survive an inevitable vote of no-confidence.

(Reporting by John Irish and Elizabeth Pineau; Editing by Kevin Liffey/Sudip Kar-Gupta)
The illegal Guatemalan migrant accused of setting a straphanger on fire and gawking as she burned to death was once deported  but sneaked back into the US and the Big Apple shelter system, sources told The Post.

The accused firebug, who has not yet been charged, first entered the US illegally at the Arizona border in 2018, but was nabbed just days later and shipped back home.

He later crossed the border again, dodging federal agents and finding his way north to the five boroughs  although it is unclear how long he was in the city before the horrific F train attack Sunday, the sources said.

Police busted the man accused of lighting a woman on fire on the F train in Brooklyn on Dec. 22, 2024. G.N.Miller/NYPost

Surveillance footage of the suspect watching the woman burn to death on the train. Obtained by the Post

The Post confirmed the suspect is a migrant from Guatemala who is in the US illegally. DCPI

What is clear is that by April 2023 he was staying at a Days Inn hotel on 36th Street which had been converted into a migrant shelter  the first of four tax-funded facilities in the city.

When he was issued a transit ticket in 2023, he gave an address of a shelter on Randalls Island, the sources said.

On Sunday, police said he was at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station, calmly watching the sleeping passenger he allegedly set on fire as she apparently burned to death.

Dramatic video obtained by The Post shows cops swarming the fiery scene, with the migrant getting up and walking away.

But cops nabbed him and took him into custody.

Law enforcement sources said the illegal firebug is being held pending autopsy results on the victim.

Follow the latest on the migrant accused of burning a woman to death on the subway:

Brooklyn prosecutors are now awaiting word on whether the flames caused the womans death  which could mean murder charges against the suspect.

The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice, DA Eric Gonzalez said in a statement.

This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences, the statement went on. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe on our subways, and we will do everything in our power to ensure accountability in this case.

The suspect does not appear to have any other previous criminal history, sources said.
By Timour Azhari and Anthony Deutsch

QUTAYFAH, Syria (Reuters) -An international war crimes prosecutor said on Tuesday that evidence emerging from mass grave sites in Syria has exposed a state-run "machinery of death" under toppled leader Bashar al-Assad in which he estimated more than 100,000 people were tortured and murdered since 2013.

Speaking after visiting two mass grave sites in the towns of Qutayfah and Najha near Damascus, former U.S. war crimes ambassador at large Stephen Rapp told Reuters: "We certainly have more than 100,000 people that were disappeared into and tortured to death in this machine.

"I don't have much doubt about those kinds of numbers given what we've seen in these mass graves."

"We really haven't seen anything quite like this since the Nazis," said Rapp, who led prosecutions at the Rwanda and Sierra Leone war crimes tribunals and is working with Syrian civil society to document war crimes evidence and is helping to prepare for any eventual trials.

"From the secret police who disappeared people from their streets and homes, to the jailers and interrogators who starved and tortured them to death, to the truck drivers and bulldozer drivers who hid their bodies, thousands of people were working in this system of killing," Rapp said.

"We are talking about a system of state terror, which became a machinery of death."

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are estimated to have been killed since 2011, when Assad's crackdown on protests against him spiralled into a full-scale war.

Both Assad and his father Hafez, who preceded him as president and died in 2000, have long been accused by rights groups and governments of widespread extrajudicial killings, including mass executions within the country's prison system and using chemical weapons against the Syrian people.

Assad, who fled to Moscow, had repeatedly denied that his government committed human rights violations and painted his detractors as extremists.

The head of U.S.-based Syrian advocacy organisation the Syrian Emergency Task Force, Mouaz Moustafa, who also visited Qutayfah, 25 miles (40 km) north of Damascus, has estimated at least 100,000 bodies were buried there alone.

"PLACE OF HORRORS"

The International Commission on Missing Persons in The Hague separately said it had received data indicating there may be as many as 66, as yet unverified, mass grave sites in Syria. More than 157,000 people have been reported missing to the commission.

Commission head Kathryne Bomberger told Reuters its portal for reporting the missing was now "exploding" with new contacts from families.

By comparison, roughly 40,000 people went missing during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

For the families, the search for the truth in Syria could be long and difficult. A DNA match will require at least three relatives providing DNA reference samples and taking a DNA sample from each one of these skeletal remains found in the graves, Bomberger said.

The commission called for sites to be protected so that evidence was preserved for potential trials, but the mass grave sites were easily accessible on Tuesday.

The United States is engaged with a number of U.N. bodies to ensure the Syrian people get answers and accountability, the State Department said on Tuesday.

Syrian residents living near Qutayfah, a former military base where one of the sites was located, and a cemetery in Najha used to hide bodies from detention sites described seeing a steady stream of refrigeration trucks delivering bodies which were dumped into long trenches dug with bulldozers.

"The graves were prepared in an organised manner - the truck would come, unload the cargo it had, and leave. There were security vehicles with them, and no one was allowed to approach, anyone who got close used to go down with them," Abb Khalid, who works as a farmer next to Najha cemetery, said.

In Qutayfah, residents declined to speak on camera or use their names for fear of the retribution, saying they were not yet sure the area was safe after Assad's fall.

"This is the place of horrors," one said on Tuesday.

Inside a site enclosed with cement walls, three children played near a Russian-made military satellite vehicle. The soil was flat and levelled, with straight long marks where the bodies were believed buried.

SATELLITE IMAGERY

Satellite imagery analysed by Reuters showed large-scale digging began at the location between 2012 and 2014 and continued up until 2022. Multiple satellite images taken by Maxar during that time showed a digger and large trenches visible at the site, along with three or four large trucks.

Omar Hujeirati, a former anti-Assad protest leader who lives near the Najha cemetery, which was used until the larger Qutayfah site was created because it was full, said he suspected several of his missing family members may be in the grave.

He believes at least some of those taken, including two sons and four brothers, were detained for protesting against Assad's government.

"That was my sin, what made them take my family," he said, a long, exposed trench behind him where the bodies were apparently buried.

Details of Syria's mass graves first emerged during German court hearings and U.S. congressional testimony in 2021 and 2023. A man identified only as "the grave digger" testified repeatedly as a witness about his work at the Najha and Qutayfah sites during the German trial of Syrian government officials.

While working in cemeteries around Damascus at the end of 2011, two intelligence officers showed up at his office and ordered him and his colleagues to transport and bury corpses. He testified that he rode in a van adorned with pictures of Assad and drove to the sites several times a week between 2011 and 2018, followed by large refrigeration trucks filled with bodies.

The trucks carried several hundred corpses from Tishreen, Mezzeh and Harasta military hospitals to Najha and Qutayfah, he said in the trial. At the sites deep trenches were already dug and the grave digger and his colleagues would unload the corpses into the trenches, which would be covered with dirt by excavators as soon as a section of the trench was full, he said.

"Every week, twice a week, three trailer trucks arrived, packed with 300 to 600 bodies of victims of torture, starvation, and execution from military hospitals and intelligence branches around Damascus," he told Congress in a written statement.

The grave digger escaped from Syria to Europe in 2018 and has repeatedly testified about the mass graves, but always with his identity shielded from the public and the media.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari in Qutayfah and Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam; Additional reporting by Reade Levinson and Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Alison Williams)
Damage to a train is seen at the site where a freight train collided with a tractor-trailer and derailed in Reeves County, Texas on Wednesday, 18, 2024. (Daniel Alvarado/Reeves County, Texas via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

PECOS, Texas (AP)  Federal officials investigating the deadly West Texas collision between at Union Pacific train and a tractor-trailer hauling a heavy equipment said Friday they were trying to determine why the tractor-trailer was stopped on the tracks, leading to the crash that derailed the train and propelled the heavy equipment into the air.

Two employees of Omaha, Nebraska-based Union Pacific were killed in the collision Wednesday at a railway crossing in Pecos. The National Transportation Safety Board said the tractor-trailer was on the tracks for about a minute before the collision.

The train was traveling at about 68 mph (109 kph) before the crew applied emergency brakes prior to impact, the NTSB said.

The collision caused the heavy equipment to fly into a nearby building, NTSB said. The Chamber of Commerce building was damage in the collision, and a Reeves County official has said that some people in the building were injured.

The Pecos police chief has said all of the three injuries from the collision were minor.

NTSB said that a data recorder recovered from the wreckage is being transported to its lab.
FILE - New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference at City Hall following a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump's incoming "border czar" Tom Homan, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

NEW YORK (AP)  A Brooklyn real estate magnate accused of working with a Turkish government official to funnel illegal campaign contributions to New York City Mayor Eric Adams plans to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge tied to the scheme, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Erden Arkan, the owner of a real estate construction firm, was one of several individuals implicated in the sprawling corruption indictment brought against Adams in October. He would be the first to plead guilty in a public proceeding.

In court papers, prosecutors said Arkan planned to plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud by collecting campaign contributions for Adams that were made under the name of someone other than the true contributor.

Adams then used those funds to fraudulently obtain public funding under the citys matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small-dollar donations, prosecutors allege.

A lawyer for Arkan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An attorney for Adams, Alex Spiro, said in an emailed statement that the decision would have "no bearing on the Mayors case whatsoever.

We know from the governments own interviews that Mr. Arkan repeatedly said that Mayor Adams had no knowledge of his actions," Spiro said.

A well-known member of New Yorks Turkish community, Arkan is a co-owner of KSK, a Brooklyn-based construction firm specializing in luxury condominiums. His firms ties to Adams emerged in November 2023, as investigators searched his residence, along with the home of Adams chief fundraiser and his liaison to the Turkish community.

Adams was subsequently charged with accepting bribes in the form of luxury travel benefits and illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals hoping to buy his influence for their benefit. He has pleaded not guilty and vowed to remain in office as he fights the charges.

The indictment details an April 2021 dinner organized by the Turkish official in which Adams personally solicited illegal campaign contributions from Arkan  identified in court papers only as Businessman-5.

The following month, Arkan hosted a fundraiser at KSKs headquarters for Adams in which 11 of his employees donated between $1,200 and $1,500 to the campaign. Each was reimbursed by the construction firm, prosecutors allege, making the contributions illegal straw donations.

Arkan later confirmed to the FBI that he had spoken to the Turkish official about the fundraiser. He initially denied reimbursing his employees, prosecutors said.

As he sought to recruit others to raise money for Adams, Arkan appeared to acknowledge misgivings about the fundraising scheme, telling prospective donors in New York's Turkish community that it may feel like swimming against the current but unfortunately this is how things work in this country, according to the indictment.

As Adams gears up for an April trial, he has pledged to fight the case with every ounce of my strength and my spirit."

But his administration has faced overlapping scandals and investigations, leading to the resignations of his police commissioner, schools chancellor, multiple deputy mayors and his director of Asian affairs. His former buildings commissioner was also charged in a separate bribery conspiracy case involving real estate officials last year.

Last week, Adams' former top advisor and close confidante, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, was charged by state prosecutors for allegedly accepting bribes from two real estate developers seeking to speed the process of construction approvals. She has pleaded not guilty.
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Whether you're an occasional home cook or devote your waking hours to making gastronomic creations, you will likely agree that aluminum foil (aka tin foil) is one of the most versatile products in the kitchen. Whether you use it to line sheet trays, cover roasting meats, or shape it into a pouch to cook or reheat leftover foods in the oven, aluminum foil can do so many things.

While the thin metal is used by 319 million Americans each year (according to one 2020 study), have you ever wondered why one side is shiny while the other is dull? Recently, a video went viral on social media claiming that the side you use should depend on how and what you will use the foil for. But is there any truth to that? Is the dull side intended for certain uses, and the shiny intended for others? To settle the confusion, we consulted some experts about the "right way" to use aluminum foil.

Why Aluminum Foil Is Shiny on One Side

The two different shades of the foil are due to the manufacturing process, according to Lara Tiro, food scientist and owner of Vancouver-based consulting company Rebel Botanica. Tiro explains that large slabs of aluminum go through a continuous process consisting of heat and heavy-duty rollers, applying pressure to compress the aluminum to thin and lengthen.

"The final stage of the process is called cold-rolling, which includes passing two layers of foil through sets of rollers simultaneously. This further reduces the desired thickness and improves the material's final resistance and flexibility," Tiro adds. During this process, the foil comes out shiny on the side that is in contact with the polished steel rollers, and dull on the side that is not in contact with the rollers.

Does It Matter Which Side of the Aluminum Foil You Use?

The short answer is no. Since the matte and gloss are a result of the foil's contact with the roller, Tiro asserts that there is no difference in the material make-up of both sides of the foil. Whether the foil is regular or heavy duty, you can choose your preferred side to line or cover your food, as neither side will impact your food upon contact.

To confirm this theory we turned to the experts at Reynolds. "With standard and heavy-duty foil, it's perfectly fine to place your food on either side so you can decide if you prefer to have the shiny or dull side facing out," according to the Reynolds Brands website.

Although using neither side of the foil will impact the flavor and appearance of your cooked food, Tiro recommends using heavy-duty foil for grilling and roasting as they are thicker than regular foil and offer added strength.

The Exception to That Rule

While conventional aluminum foil doesn't require using a specific side for cooking, an exception applies to non-stick aluminum foil. Tiro explains that regular foil isn't inherently non-stick, but many companies produce a non-stick aluminum foil containing an FDA-approved coating on the dull side, That means foods should be placed on that side to get the benefits on the non-stick coating, ensuring easier, cleaner removal of cooked food.

Reynold's has a handy trick for remembering which side of its non-stick aluminum foil should be facing up: "If you can read the writing on the foil then you have the right side up."

When Not to Use Aluminum Foil

Foil may be your trusty kitchen companion, but it may not be the best choice for some cooking methods and foods.

Avoid using aluminum foil to cover brining meats. Tiro explains, "Although [foil is] an excellent barrier to light and oxygen, the aluminum can react with salt-heavy foods, forming aluminum chloride crystals on the food," which can cause your food to taste bitter.

Tiro also doesn't recommend using foil to line your baking sheet when baking cookies. "The underside of the cookies will bake faster than the rest," she says. Finally, forget about using aluminum foil to cover or store your leftoversfoil doesn't provide an airtight seal to protect your food.



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Nearly 3 million Americans will receive full Social Security benefits under legislation now on the desk of President Biden, who is expected to sign it early next week.

Passed in the waning hours of the current Congress more than a week ago, the Social Security Fairness Act landed at the White House on Friday.

Decades in the making, senators voted 76-20 for the Social Security Fairness Act, which would eliminate two federal policies that prevent nearly 3 million people, including police officers, firefighters, postal workers, teachers and others with a public pension, from collecting their full Social Security benefits. The Senate held its first hearings into the policies in 2003.

"The Senate finally corrects a 50-year mistake," proclaimed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, after senators approved the legislation at 12:15 a.m. Saturday, December 21.

President Biden will hold a signing ceremony for the measure on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, according to a post on social media by the National Association of Police Organizations, or NAPO. The advocacy group's leadership had been informed of the coming event by the White House, NAPO said in a Dec. 30 announcement.

The development was echoed by the International Association of Fire Fighters, which said that Biden would sign the bill on Monday, at 10 a.m. EST, and that Edward Kelly, IAFF's general president, had been invited to the signing.

"The IAFF has been working on the issue for years, and Mr. Kelly has been present on Capitol Hill lobbying for the WEP/GPO repeal," an IAFF spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment. NAPO also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Democrats uniformly voted for the measure, while Republicans in the Senate were split, with 20 voting to pass it and 20 voting against it. Four senators did not vote, including California's Adam Schiff, a Democrat; Joe Manchin, an independent from West Virginia; and two Republicans  Marco Rubio of Florida and Vice President-Elect J.D. Vance of Ohio.

Congressional passage came down to the wire. After garnering bipartisan approval in the U.S. House in November, Senate approval came at about 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, just ahead of a continuing resolution to keep the government from shutting down. The votes marked the final ones cast by senators in the 118th Congress before the next Congress is sworn in on January 3.

"Social Security is a bedrock of our middle class. You pay into it for 40 quarters, you earned it, it should be there when you retire," Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who lost his seat in the November election, told the chamber Wednesday ahead of one of multiple votes to advance the bill. "All these workers are asking for is for what they earned."

Senators rejected four amendments and a budgetary point of order that would have derailed the measure, given the small window of time left to pass it.

Republicans who spoke against the bill largely objected to its cost, noting that the measure would accelerate the Social Security trust fund's projected insolvency by about six months, now estimated to be roughly a decade away. Senate supporters of the bill, including Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy, argued that while Social Security's funding shortfall needs to be addressed, that shouldn't be done at the expense of retirees with public pensions.

When will the Social Security Fairness Act go into effect

Once signed into law, the legislation's effective date involves Social Security payments for months after December 2023, according to the text of the bill. Still, calculating what folks are due, not to mention retroactive payments, may not be simple or quick.

"The Social Security Administration is awaiting the possible final enactment of the Social Security Fairness Act into law and rules for implementation. We will provide more information on our website, ssa.gov as it becomes available," a spokesperson said in an email.

The new law would come at a time when the Social Security Administration is operating with its lowest staffing level in more than 50 years, or since 1972, with a hiring freeze recently put in place, a spokesperson noted. Congress rejected the White House budget office's request to increase its funding, first in September and again last week, leaving it flat.

The bill's passage is "a monumental victory for millions of public service workers who have been denied the full benefits they've rightfully earned," said Shannon Benton, executive director for the Senior Citizens League, which advocates for retirees and which has long pushed for the expansion of Social Security benefits. "This legislation finally restores fairness to the system and ensures the hard work of teachers, first responders and countless public employees is truly recognized."

What is the Social Security Fairness Act?

The Social Security Fairness Act would repeal two federal policies  the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO)  that reduce Social Security payments to nearly 3 million retirees.

That includes those who also collect pensions from state and federal jobs that aren't covered by Social Security, including teachers, police officers and U.S. postal workers. The bill would also end a second provision that reduces Social Security benefits for those workers' surviving spouses and family members. The WEP impacts about 2 million Social Security beneficiaries and the GPO nearly 800,000 retirees.

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The measure, which passed the House in November, had 62 cosponsors when it was introduced in the Senate last year. Yet the bill's bipartisan support eroded in recent days, with some Republican lawmakers voicing doubts due to its cost. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the proposed legislation would add a projected $195 billion to federal deficits over a decade.

Vice President-elect JD Vance of Ohio was among the 24 Republican senators to join 49 Democrats to advance the measure in an initial procedural vote that took place Wednesday.

Without Senate approval, the bill's fate would have ended with the current session of Congress and would have needed to be re-introduced in the next Congress.

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Correction: This story has been updated fix the spelling of the Starbucks spokesperson's last name.

The ongoing Starbucks union workers' strike has now expanded to a dozen states, union representatives confirmed to USA TODAY on Monday.

The five-day strike began Friday and initially shut down Starbucks locations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle before spreading to cafes in New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Denver, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio, according to Starbucks Workers United.

Labor representatives told USA TODAY on Monday morning that union members in Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Portland, Oregon also joined picket lines.

Starbucks spokesperson Phil Gee said the "few disruptions" have not had a significant effect on the business' operations because only a small handful of locations have been impacted.

"We respect our partners' right to engage in lawful strike activity, and we appreciate the thousands of partners across the country who are continuing to support each other and deliver the Starbucks experience for our customers," Gee released in a statement obtained by USA TODAY Monday.

Union had previously warned strike could reach 'hundreds of stores' by Christmas Eve

Union reps said 98% of union partners recently voted to protest low wages, staffing issues and benefits.

The business operates more than 11,000 stores across the nation, according to Reuters, and employs close to 200,000 people.

Late last week, Starbucks Workers United cautioned the strike could reach "hundreds of stores" by Christmas Eve.

According the union, its representatives said they are ready to return to the bargaining table to discuss their complaints.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Starbucks locations in 12 states impacted by labor strike: See where
By Jasper Ward and Andrew Goudsward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for drugs and sex that were violations of a series of House rules and included obstruction of Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives' Ethics Committee said in a report released on Monday.

The report found that Gaetz paid $90,000 to 12 women, a substantial portion of which the panel found was likely for either sexual activity or drug use. It also determined there was "substantial evidence" Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl while serving in the House.

Gaetz, who has denied wrongdoing, resigned from the House last month after he was selected by President-elect Donald Trump to be attorney general. He then withdrew from consideration for that job in the face of an uphill confirmation battle in the Senate.

The release of the report came despite a last-minute legal challenge from Gaetz in federal court in Washington, D.C., in which he argued that the Ethics panel no longer had jurisdiction after Gaetz resigned from Congress.

The committee went forward with the release of the report and Gaetz's lawyers later conceded that the lawsuit was now irrelevant.

"The committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress," the report stated in its conclusion.

While Gaetz was found to have been involved in transporting women across state lines for the purposes of commercial sex, the panel said it did not find evidence that any of the women were under 18 at the time of travel or that Gaetz had violated federal sex trafficking laws.

However, someone identified as "Victim A" told the panel of twice having sex with Gaetz at a party in 2017 while she was underage, receiving a $400 cash payment that she understood to be for sex.

At the time, the victim had just completed her junior year of high school. She testified that she did not inform Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age. The committee did not receive any evidence indicating that Gaetz was aware that she was a minor when he had sex with her.

The report concluded that the encounter likely violated Florida state law on statutory rape because Gaetz was 35 years old at the time.

Gaetz denied in a written submission to the panel that he had sex with anyone under the age of 18, but did not address the specific allegations related to "Victim A," according to the report.

Reuters was not immediately able to reach Gaetz for comment.

In a post on X social media ahead of the report's release, Gaetz said he sometimes "sent funds to women I dated."

"Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life," Gaetz wrote in the post. "I live a different life now."

The move to make the report public was not unanimous.

Chairman Michael Guest said in a dissenting statement that the committee's findings were not being challenged, but that the panel was deviating from "well-established standards" in releasing a report on a former member of the House.

Gaetz was the subject of a three-year FBI investigation into allegations of sex trafficking that produced no criminal

charges.

Gaetz played a lead role in 2023 in forcing a first-ever successful vote by the House to oust its speaker, who at the time was Kevin McCarthy -- just nine months into the job.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward and Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Rami Ayyub, Mark Porter and Alistair Bell)
Surfers caught waves as tall as 50 feet high Sunday in Hawaii, producing epic rides and wipeouts during the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational.

More than 20,000 spectators showed up at Waimea Bay for the worlds most prestigious big-wave competition on the waves that exceeded the height of three-story buildings.

"The conditions are insane right now," Luke Shepardson, the 2023 champion, told the World Surf League between his heats. "Theres monsters coming in right now. The last couple sets were treacherous. But yeah, its 50, 60 (feet) on the face"

Liam McNamara, the contest director, told reporters the waves reached a height of 50 feet.

'That was the one we were waiting for' - The North Shore's own Landon McNamara leaves Waimea Bay in awe by landing an epic wave late in the second round of The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational  Watch it LIVE on television w/ KHII or online at https://t.co/pXqsZJgQiX pic.twitter.com/VMW3q9Wcd9  Rob DeMello (@RobDeMelloKHON) December 23, 2024

The contest was held for only the 11th time since its inception. That's because waves must reach at least 40 feet to meet competition criteria.

Hawaiis Landon McNamara, 28, won with a three-wave point total of 135.8 points. That included a perfect score of 50 on the highest-scoring wave of the contest. He won $50,000 and 350,000 miles on Hawaiian Airlines.

'That's going to be tough to beat' - Haleiwa's own Jamie O'Brien adds to his North Shore legend by sticking a monster wave at The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational at Waimea Bay An EPIC day continues on Oahu's North Shore  Watch it LIVE on television w/ KHII or online at pic.twitter.com/OF9Dk3yvIK  Rob DeMello (@RobDeMelloKHON) December 23, 2024

"This is a childhood dream of mine, something Ive been working on since, you know, a little kid on the beach here watching these events go down," McNamara, son of the contest director, said during the trophy presentation. "I dont know what to feel right now. I already cried 10 times. Thats why theres no tears right now."

As the competition drew to a close, McNamara said, he felt he was picked to win by Aikau, a late big-wave surfer and lifeguard who was credited with saving dozens of people from the surf. He died in 1978 at age 31 during a canoe accident in which he took his surfboard and swam for help but was never seen from again, according to the Independent and other published reports.

This years competition, sponsored by Rip Curl, drew top surfers from around the world. But Hawaiians dominated, with eight of the top nine finishers from the Aloha State.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Surfers ride 50-foot waves during epic competition in Hawaii
Deanna Peterson Conner Floyd and Cary Frei

The Young and the Restless star Conner Floyd is engaged!

On Saturday, Dec. 21, the soap opera star, 32, popped the question to his longtime girlfriend, esthetician and skincare expert Carly Frei, in her hometown of Boston.

Floyd  who joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in November 2021 as Phillip Chancellor IV, or Chance, the grandson of Jess Walton's character Jill Abbott  tells PEOPLE exclusively that he got down on one knee as the pair were visiting the Boston Commons. They celebrated with loved ones at a party after the special moment.

"We are huge family people, so having both of our families together was important," Floyd says. "Carly is from Boston so the city has such a special place in her heart and being there with all our loved ones I know meant so much to her."

"Thank God it snowed, too!" he jokes.



Deanna Peterson Conner Floyd pops the question to Carly Frei in Boston

Despite the cold, the wintry Boston weather made for the perfect picturesque backdrop for their proposal photos.

"The Boston Commons was covered with snow and the perfect venue for the proposal," Floyd adds. "It was a struggle to get her to walk through the park in 25-degree weather, but we made it happen."

One photo taken after the special moment shows Frei placing her hand against Floyd's face, showing off her pear-cut diamond ring featuring a split gold band.

"Ill never forget the face she made after dropping to a knee, and then surprising her with a massive party with our friends and families," the star says, noting that he and Frei are both grateful to everyone who helped them plan the "magical day."



Deanna Peterson Carly Frei holds her hand against Conner Floyd's face, showing off her engagement ring

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Related: The Young and the Restless Cast Celebrates 13,000 Episodes with Glitzy Event as They Reminisce Over the Iconic Soap

According to Floyd, he made sure that Frei's family, as well as his own parents and sister  who flew in from Austin, Texas, for the afterparty celebrating their engagement  were all present for the special occasion.



"Carly is the love of my life," he says. "She means the world to me, and I really wanted to make this special for her."

A number of Floyd's Young and the Restless costars shared their well-wishes after the newly engaged couple jointly posted one of their engagement photos on Instagram.

Michael Mealor, who stars as Kyle Abbott on the long-running soap, simply wrote, "Woo!! Congratulations!!" underneath the post, while Mark Grossman, who plays Adam Newman, commented: "Congrats you two!!"



Deanna Peterson Carly Frei shows off her engagement ring from Conner Floyd

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

The couple first began dating several years ago and made their relationship social media-official in 2020. Frei previously revealed in an Instagram post that the two first met on Valentine's Day.



"Carly is my best girl," Floyd tells PEOPLE. "Shes done so much for me, and I wanted this to be a day that we remember forever. I have truly been blessed in life to have a such a special person like Carly by my side."

"Shes my best friend and Id literally do anything for her," he adds.



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 Flash

Yemen's Houthi group said it attacked a U.S. aircraft carrier with eight cruise missiles and 17 drones and downed a U.S. fighter jet on Sunday.

The group successfully struck aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its escorts, thwarting the joint U.S.-British attack on Yemen, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement, aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"Our forces shot down an American F/A-18 fighter jet during the operation as it attempted to intercept our missiles and drones," Sarea added.

Earlier on Sunday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that two U.S. Navy pilots ejected safely after their fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent "friendly fire" incident.

"The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18," CENTCOM said.

The incident came the same day U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility reportedly operated by the Houthis within Sanaa, and shot down multiple Houthi one-way attack drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, according to a separate statement by CENTCOM.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have been carrying out rocket and drone attacks on Israeli cities and disrupting "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea.

In response, the U.S.-led navy coalition stationed in the area has been conducting regular air raids on Houthi targets since January in a bid to deter the armed group.
When hes not putting his Microsoft expertise to use, Adelaide-based MVP Daniel Brown has another passionate project  opal mining.

With his launch of a new tool OpalAI, he has managed to combine his two passions.

Twice per year, Browns other venture drills for opal and developed the tool to detect opal using image recognition on drilled material.

The idea was to analyse rocks ejected by a spinoff drill to detect opal visually, flagging any unknown or opal-bearing rocks, and automatically alerting team members to reduce the downtime of manually searching through piles.

OpalAI is built on Azure AIs Computer Vision and Machine Learning services. Using a database of over 3000 images of opal in various stateswithin rock walls, loose, polished, and set in jewellerythe model can detect opal in diverse situations with high accuracy.

Additionally, OpalAI has been trained to leverage the unique way opal fluoresces under UV light, enhancing detection in low-light settings.
Some of Australias biggest channel partners are leveraging Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) within their projects, with generative AI (genAI) playing a significant role.

Speaking to ARN at Oracle CloudWorld 2024, Robert Loughnane, consulting partner at Deloitte, said the multinational consultancy works closely with the Oracle to futureproof client projects.

We do a large amount of work across Oracles core technology base, so we help a lot of our customers leverage Oracle applications, helping them with their back office transformations, he said to ARN.

Loughnane said Deloitte in particular has been leveraging OCI, with recent project work across a range of industries, including government, public sector, retail, banking, telco, manufacturing and healthcare.

How we take Oracle to help solve these problems is around understanding our clients, so its really more client-centric and just taking our skills and our technical and functional skills to understand their challenges and help them solve those challenges, he said.

The use of genAI is helping solve some of those challenges with Deloitte customers looking to tap into the technology for their core operations.
Pope Francis appointed a priest from Pakse to lead the small Catholic community of the Laotian capital, taking up the legacy of Card Ling Mangkhanekhoun who turned 80 last April.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  A few days before Christmas, the Catholic Church in Laos is celebrating its new bishop.

Pope Francis today announced the appointment of Fr Anthony Adoun Hongsaphong, a priest with the Apostolic Vicariate of Pakse, as the new Apostolic Vicar of Vientiane, the capital of the country.

The pontiff chose him to take up the legacy of Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, the first cardinal from this very small Catholic community (60,000 members). A cardinal since 2017, he turned 80 last April.

Fr Hongsaphong taught at the National Major Seminary in Thakhek and oversaw pastoral care in the 11 missionary stations of the Apostolic Vicariate of Pakse, a city in southern Laos where he was born on 4 April 1964.

A priest since 1994, he completed his studies at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland and at the Angelicum in Rome. After a few years of pastoral experience in Thailand, he was rector of the Pastor Bonus Preparatory Seminary in Pakse from 2005 to 2014.

In Vientiane he will lead his ministry in an overwhelming Buddhist region, home to 2.5 million people, where Catholics are just 0.6 per cent of the population.

The life of the local Catholic community is centred on the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, built in 1929 by the Missions Etrangeres de Paris before the communist regime banned foreign missionaries from the country.
by Melani Manel Perera

Rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy, the refugees were crammed onto a fishing boat after more than two weeks at sea, probably blown off course by cyclonic weather. The group also includes 27 women and 49 children, who left camps on the border with Bangladesh where thousands of families have been living since 2017 due to persecution by Myanmars military.

Colombo (Asia News)  The Sri Lankan Navy rescued 115 people crammed onto a fishing boat adrift in the Indian Ocean believed to be Rohingya refugees from war-torn Myanmar.

The refugees washed ashore in Mullivaikkal West, transferred to Ashraff Port, Trincomalee from where they were taken to Mirihana.

Temporary accommodations were provided at the Jamaliya Muslim Maha Vidyalaya School on instructions of the Immigration Department.

According to Navy spokesman Gayan Wickramasuriya, fishermen spotted the boat off the northern coast of Sri Lanka last Thursday, and alerted the authorities who then rescued the people on board.

The group includes 39 men, 27 women (one pregnant) and 49 children. Upon arrival in Trincomalee, health checks and blood tests were carried out.

The language barrier made communication difficult. According to the few details available, the group of Rohingya took to the sea after years in camps on the border with Bangladesh.

They left on three boats on 4 December. When two had mechanical problems and failed in their journey, everyone piled into the third.

Tragically, five people died of starvation, and their bodies were cast into the sea, rescuers said. Survivors said that they sold belongings, paying 800,000 Myanmar kyats (US$ 380) per family for the journey."

Eleven people from the group were indicted for people smuggling.

Citing a doctor who examined the refugees, a human rights activist, Ruki Fernando, told AsiaNews that the refugees were hungry and in precarious conditions, but otherwise without serious health problems.

The Navy spokesman said that language difficulties made it hard to understand where these Rohingya intended to go, noting that "recent cyclonic weather" may have pushed them off from their destination in Malaysia or Indonesia.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2017, during a crackdown by the military who are now subject of United Nations genocide court case.

The situation has been further aggravated by the civil war that has been raging in the country for more than three years.

Photo: Sanjeevan Trinco
by Stefano Vecchia

Demand is growing in Europe, especially in the health and long-term care sectors. Migrants contribution to the Philippine economy is critical, but they need legal protection and support, as well as repatriation plans in case of need. In 2023, remittances hit a record US$ 37.2 billion, or 8.5 per cent of GDP, the largest amounts coming from the United States, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.

Milan (AsiaNews)  The latest data indicate that Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are increasingly on demand around the world, while meeting a significant need in their home country.

As the year comes to an end, it is time to take stock of the situation, to reflect upon the uncomfortable or risky conditions OFWs face, above all in areas of crises, and the response Philippine authorities can offer to their predicament.

Mary Jane Veloso, who was repatriated after 14 years in an Indonesian prison on death row for drug trafficking caused by her naivety and needs, barely avoided the fate of another Filipino, who was executed in October in Saudi Arabia on charges of murdering a Saudi national.

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the sudden changes in Syria have also been minefields for Filipino migrants, some of whom lost their life.

Referred for decades as "new heroes" for their contributions to the country and their families at home, OFWs need not only legal protection, which can only come from closer relations between the Philippine and foreign governments, but also prevention and support given the various situations of risk or need they may encounter, including effective repatriation plans wherever the situation requires it.

This calls for greater cooperation among the governments various agencies responsible for preparing, sending, assisting and protecting OFWs.

While demand for Filipino workers is growing because of greater foreign recruitment needs, it also depends on the good reputation OFWs have built over time, not to mention their good knowledge of English.

According to the Philippines Department for Migrant Workers, Europe remains a primary destination (including, at the top, 165,000 in Italy), with countries like Czechia doubling the number of visas for OFWs, Croatia opening to more Filipinos in the healthcare and the hospitality industries, and Austria set to allow up to 200,000 Filipinos in the coming years.

For many countries, including the United States, health and long-term care sectors are now driving demand.

Emigration is thus bound to grow, both in terms of numbers (2.16 million Filipinos emigrated last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority for a total estimate of 15 million) as well as remittances (a record of US$ 37.2 billion in 2023, or 8.5 per cent of GDP, according to the central bank), with the largest amounts coming from the United States, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.

At the same time, more and more Filipinos are settling permanently in receiving countries out of desire or need.

This trend offers fresh opportunities as well as new challenges but Filipinos are better placed than other groups with a strong migratory track record because of their cultural, social and religious characteristics.
 Flash

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel would "act with force" against the Houthi group in Yemen, a day after the group launched a missile toward the Tel Aviv area.

"Just as we acted with force against Iran's (other) allies, we will act against the Houthis," Netanyahu said in a video statement.

He emphasized that Israel was not acting alone, noting that the United States and other nations share the same view with Israel that the Houthis are posing "a threat not only to international shipping but to the global order."

"Hence, we will act with strength, determination, and ingenuity," Netanyahu added. "Even if it takes time, the outcome will be the same as with other terrorist groups."

A Houthi missile hit a playground and a building in Tel Aviv overnight between Friday and Saturday, injuring 14 people and causing building damage, according to the latest update from Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service.

The Houthi attack followed a series of Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, which targeted Yemen's capital Sanaa as well as the ports of Hodeidah, As-Salif, and Ras Issa. The strikes, which the Israeli military said were aimed at Houthi infrastructure, killed at least nine people.
The proposal put forward by the Indonesian counter-terrorism agency in the process of deradicalising the Islamist formation in South-East Asia. Two leading figures from prison are contributing to the process from their cells, while in a ceremony several thousand former militiamen swore allegiance to the state. Islamic colleges affiliated with the group have also promised to remove extremist content from their curricula.

Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies)- Indonesia's National Counter Terrorism Agency (BNPT) has proposed reducing prison sentences for former members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) who support the group's disbandment. The aim is to encourage further accessions to the process of reintegration into society.

The head of the BNPT, Commissioner General Eddy Hartono, said the agency would recommend to the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections that sentences for more than 180 detainees be reduced, although no exact timeline was given.

These include the names of Abu Rusdan and Para Wijayanto, former JI leaders, who are actively cooperating with the authorities through video conferencing from their cells, thanks to the support of Detachment 88 (Densus 88), the Indonesian police's counter-terrorism squad.

Eddy Hartono added that Abu Rusdan and Para Wijayanto will receive special attention for their access to parole, which is provided by Indonesian law for prisoners who have served at least two-thirds of their sentence.

The statements were made on 21 December during an event in Surakarta where more than 1,200 former JI members attended in attendance and another 6,800 online. During the meeting, they swore allegiance to the State of the Republic of Indonesia, pledging to abandon extremist ideologies and respect national laws.

We, former members of Jemaah Islamiyah and jihadis in Afghanistan and the Philippines from Greater Surakarta, Kedu and Semarang, declare our support for the dissolution of JI, said a spokesperson on behalf of the group.

The event was organised by Densus 88, which on the same day announced the handing over of weapons and explosives by other former members: six firearms, 40 kg of explosives and 12 bomb detonators. Commissioner General Eddy Hartono praised the gesture as a concrete sign of commitment and urged the former militants to become model citizens, promoting religious tolerance.

The Al-Qaeda affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah is known to be responsible for a series of terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali massacres. Founded in 1993, it aimed to establish an Islamic state in Southeast Asia.

The dissolution process of the JI also involved structural changes in the pesantren (Islamic colleges) affiliated with the group, which opened their doors to the control of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. JI senior leaders have promised to remove extremist content from school curricula, ensuring that education is in line with traditional Islamic values.

According to Imtihan Syafi'i, a former JI member and headmaster of a pesantren, the change is a gradual process: We will no longer promote extremism. We will reduce this to zero, but it will take time,' he told Straits Times, emphasising that pesantren will no longer use teaching materials that can induce radical ideologies.

The head of Densus 88, Sentot Prasetyo, also emphasised the importance of turning former members of the terrorist group into promoters of peace and tolerance.
by Joseph Masilamany

As Christmas approaches, the community in the multicultural coastal city is dusting off its traditions, starting with its endangered creole language. Catholicism began to spread in Malaysia from Malacca City. For Sabine Ferrao, the plays producer, although the language is in decline, There is hope for the future. The Star newspaper calls the play, a Xmas to remember.

Malacca City (AsiaNews)  With Christmas just around the corner, Malaccas Kristang community gathered for the Natividad de Natal", a traditional sacred Christmas play in Kristang, a creole language that emerged when Portuguese colonists and soldiers mixed with Indigenous Malay in the 16th century.

The representation involved sixteen performers, who passionately expressed the tribute to Christmas in their native language, which is on its way to extinction. According to UNESCO, only 2,000 native speakers exist in the world; for this reason, it is included in the Atlas of the world's languages in danger.

Malacca Citys Kristang are Eurasian Portuguese with some Dutch and British thrown in. They are talented fishermen once plied their trade in the Strait of Malacca. Irrespective of their name, they kept their Catholic faith for centuries, clinging to every tradition and rite of the Catholic Church.

During the main events in the Catholic calendar, the Portuguese Settlement, where they live, comes alive with decorations, at Christmas as well as at Easter.

For many of the descendants of Portuguese colonists, attending the Nativity in their old language is a surprise steeped in nostalgia and memories handed down from one generation to the next.

Beyond the spectacularity of the representation, the Kristang script adopted for the play was as poignant as the original Nativity, said an elderly member of the community who resides near the settlement, speaking to AsiaNews.

Whether it is read from the Gospel of Luke, depicted on an old Christmas card, or recited on stage, the Nativity will always be "touching and re-enacting," he added, because it is the story of our first Christmas. "I had a strong sense of deja vu watching the play, even though it was presented in my native language," he said.

We've all heard the story in English. But this time, it is in Kristang, wrote on Facebook Sabine Ferrao, who participated in the production of the play.

It is a good attempt to put this declining language into practice, thus, There is hope for the future that more plays, and skits or even Carols are done in Kristang, she added.

Ferrao notes that writing the play in Kristang also reminds Malaysians outside of Malacca City that this ancient Portuguese creole still exists, and is spoken by some groups.

Another member of the community, Martin Theseira, a social activist passionate about preserving the community's rich heritage, told AsiaNews that Kristang is a heritage that must be preserved.

"I am glad that the Portuguese Eurasian community has taken the trouble to present a play professionally written in the classical Kristang language, which in 50 years may no longer be spoken."

Our culture and traditions, which are an integral part of the history of the local Church, must remain current and not be lost in time, Theseira said, hopeful that linguists and academics will work to preserve it,

The Nativity play in Kristang also attracted the attention of a national newspaper, The Star, which described the play as a "Xmas to remember".

Speaking to the newspaper, choreographer Sara Frederica Santa Maria said that producing the play in Kristang gave her the opportunity to celebrate her cultural heritage in a special way.

According to the paper, Santa Maria is a culture enthusiast, eager to preserve the Kristang language.

I choreographed the play exclusively in the local Portuguese language to create a traditional Yuletide[*] mood among my villagers, she told the paper.

Santa Maria credits her grandparents, who spoke both Kristang and Peranakan Malay, with teaching her the language.

Luckily, all four of my children can speak the language and help me to champion it. I want to preserve the local Portuguese language, culture and heritage together with my family, she said.

Santa Maria, whose husband is a Kadazan from Sabah, also teaches the Kristang language. She produced material to preserve the community's legacy, and is currently working with a local public university to preserve the Malacca-Portuguese language and culture.

[*] A pre-Christian winter festival historically observed by Germanic peoples that was incorporated into Christmas during the latters Christianisation.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Trump is reported to have asked Russian President Putin to meet him as soon as possible, while there is increasing talk of an end to the conflict even if it is not clear on what basis. The analysis for Radio Svoboda by Vitalij Portnikov, one of the most important Ukrainian commentators: the important thing is that the West does not allow Moscow to politically swallow Kiev anyway.

Moscow (asiaNews) - As the New Year approaches, and the inauguration of Donald Trump's presidency in the United States, there is more and more talk of an end to the Russian war in Ukraine, although there are still no concrete prospects that could lead to peace talks.

Just yesterday Trump reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin would ask to meet him as soon as possible, although he did not confirm whether the meeting would take place.

One of the most prominent Ukrainian commentators, Radio Svoboda columnist Vitalij Portnikov, tried to summarise the elements that could support the breakthrough that everyone is waiting for.

One of the most repeated arguments concerns the new US president's chances of influencing his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyj, although there is little mention of the levers of pressure that should allow Trump to convince Putin to stop.

It is clear to everyone that if the Ukrainians stopped defending themselves, this would be the end of Ukraine as an independent state, while Russia's withdrawal would allow the existence of the two opposing states, something Putin has no intention of conceding.

Portnikov therefore wonders what might be the preconditions necessary to convince the Russian president to at least freeze the conflict, if not actually sign a comprehensive peace agreement, pointing essentially to two.

The first concerns the uncertain conditions of the Russian economy, and the danger of internal social unrest, which might suggest at least a pause in the war operations to re-establish the necessary resources, accumulating new forces to resume the war at a later stage.

The second possibility, again linked to the pessimistic forecasts on the economy and also on the uncertain chances of a battlefield victory, would be a choice by Putin to obtain by political means the subjugation of Ukraine at least as a satellite state of Russia, avoiding wasting all resources in vain.

The fact is that it is not easy to assess Russia's economic condition, and experts are divided into various hypotheses, largely related to the continuation or postponement of military expenditures and actions, to foreseeable periods or indefinitely.

As the political scientist notes, for us the important thing is not so much the state of the economy, but what Putin thinks about the state of the economy.

That Moscow intends to continue with its customary methods, even bringing new technologies into play, is an indisputable fact, and the return to the scene of former vice-premier Jurij Bojko, leader of the pro-Russian opposition party in Ukraine Opzz (banned by law), who poured over TikTok new versions of the narrative about the violation of the rights of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine by unspecified radical forces, does not appear accidental.

Bojko spoke the day after the unexpected triumph in the first round of the presidential elections in Romania of the pro-Russian candidate Kelin Georgescu, highlighting the Kremlin's typical hybrid and information warfare strategies.

The level of penetration of social networks is different in Ukraine than in Romania, with people preferring to use more anonymous tools such as Telegram, but Russian propaganda nonetheless manages to influence, not only by bringing broader sectors of society to its side, but by insisting on the Ukrainians' sense of prostration after three years of war, which advises them to seek peace and coexistence with Russia in any way, with certain guarantees of security.

Portnikov comments that basically this is also the line that allowed the pro-Russians in Georgia to impose themselves on the majority of the population, insisting on the threat of a new conflict with Russia.

The hope of the Ukrainians is that the Western allies will not allow Putin to politically swallow Ukraine, Portnikov concludes, and that Donald Trump himself will be able to counter the obsessive Russian propaganda, even more than providing the necessary armaments to resist on the ground, and to use his persuasive skills on the Kremlin dictator in this regard, if they really exist.
by Dario Salvi

Card. Sako speakes of Iraqi Christians' preparations for the festivities as they watch events unfold across teh border with trepidation. The threat of a new Isis, and teh need to be prudent and evaluating facts not speeches. they need for a Syrian state based on citizenship and fight against all sectarianism. The Christmas wish for a document between the Pope and the Shiite leaders of Iran and Iraq on the example of human brotherhood.

Milan (AsiaNews) - Iraqi Christians are preparing for a Christmas of expectation and concern for the regional situation, from Syria to Lebanon passing through the Holy Land in a crescendo of bloodshed and violence that is burning large areas of the Middle East.

The Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, Card. Louis Raphael Sako, is experiencing an eve characterised by alternating sensations: on the one hand there are fears for what is happening across the border, from Damascus to Aleppo, from Homs to Hama, where nothing is certain and there seems to be a lack of clarity of vision and a lucid strategy for the future; on the other hand there is the scandal caused by the religious and human indifference of a West that flaunts rights but is absent.

At the same time, he tells AsiaNews, there is a strong desire to spend a day of joy and normality enjoying the decorations in many large cities, from the capital Baghdad to Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan. Streets and squares, he adds, have been decorated [also] with the contribution of Muslims, as well as homes and churches for a Christmas of prayer, hope, peace and stability.

Syria: surprise and fear

One of the most critical factors of the last period came from neighbouring Syria, which came as a surprise to everyone, says the cardinal, due to the sudden collapse of the regime and doubts about the future and the reassurances provided by the leadership of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (Hts). Expectations, he continues, are of real change after years of poverty, sectarianism, and tension.

In recent days, Card. Sako has been able to speak with the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch, the Greek Catholic Patriarch, and the Chaldean Bishop Mgr. Antoine Audo himself. The prevailing approach is one of expectation, says the Chaldean primate, because there is no security in a serious and positive evolution: everyone is waiting for actions and not words.

Meanwhile, there is a widespread feeling of fear even within the country because, explains the Chaldean Patriarch, the perception is that Iraq is also a target. I have spoken with government leaders,' he adds, and the will is to launch a joint initiative to find an internal solution and eliminate the danger.

"Many steps have been taken [in recent years], he says, but the first remains the sovereignty of the Iraqi state. The fight against widespread corruption and weapons is essesntial to ending this. We need collaboration between the head of state, the prime minister and the government forces, you cannot leave the militias alone."

Thoughts return unbidden to the events of 10 years ago, between the summer and winter of 2014, with the rise of the Islamic State (IS, formerly Isis), which in a short time came to conquer up to half the territories of Syria and Iraq.

He warns: "The danger is that history will repeat itself because the background, the background from which these groups come is very similar even if the evolution and the discourses [so far] are very different, and this gives us hope. But, I repeat, we have to be cautious and wait for the facts."

Christians and citizenship

In his Christmas message, the Chaldean Patriarch recalled the exceptional situation that the nations of the region are going through, with their citizens experiencing a mixture of anxiety and fear.

In this climate they prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, of the values of fraternity, love, peace and security. The Chaldean Church, he continues, expresses its solidarity with all those living in difficult circumstances and with the humanitarian needs in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria.

Therefore in an appeal to world leaders, the ancient Church asks them to show responsibility and courage in finding peaceful solutions to put an end to the conflicts in the region.

With regard to Iraq, the request is to maintain a national identity and to build a State based on citizenship on modern foundations that can guarantee the equality of all Iraqis, limit weapons, fight corruption and reject sectarianism and revenge.

These words recall the warning issued by the Shiite leader, the great Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and go on to recall that Christians are among the founders of Iraq and loyal to the nation. A bond that has not been enough to spare them two decades of suffering due to the conflicts, the increase in hate speech, which he blames mainly on al-Qaeda and Isis, as well as the seizure of property and marginalisation, which have caused massive migration.

Against all sectarianism

Equal citizenship for all, an end to sectarianism and the dream of an Islamic state are the solution, explains the cardinal, according to whom Islam is a religion linked to the individual and must not prevail at the level of state order. And the same, he adds, applies to Christianity and Judaism according to the principle whereby faith and politics do not mix while safeguarding the values of religions.

The cardinal attacks the sectarian and tribal logic that leads to reasoning in terms of belonging: Christians, Shiite Muslims, Sunnis, Kurds are diversities to be respected because they do not constitute a loss of unity, on the contrary, they strengthen it. Hence the wish for a civil and non-sectarian Constitution: today, he warns, we cannot speak of a religious State as in the Middle Ages and the same theocratic States have no future.

The partisan logic is also present among Christians and, here too, must be opposed, as must the nationalist project that cannot be the Church's paradigm, but the task of the laity. The Church must be open to all and visible to all, as is the case for the Christmas celebrations that will be broadcast on national TV,' he emphasises, and will also be followed by Muslims.

Finally, there is a reference to the document on human brotherhood signed in Abu Dhabi by Pope Francis and the Imam of al-Azhar, which marked a turning point with the Sunni world. The hope, he warns, is that a similar understanding can also be reached with the Shia universe by involving the supreme authorities of Iraq and Iran.

The message to Christians in the world, and to the West, the Chaldean primate concludes, is that we must return to human and spiritual values. The international order, as we have known it, is over. Each nation pursues its own interests, without thinking of the others. On the contrary, we must return to the basics, respect for life, human rights and solidarity between nations, putting aside selfishness and indifference, starting with religious indifference, which is a source of scandal.
In a Facebook post, Pashinian claimed that all peace plans drafted by the three mediating powers from 1994 onwards were about returning Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan. He said that his big mistake was not to make this clear to Armenians after coming to power in 2018.

The offices of former Presidents Levon Ter-Petrosian, Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian unanimously countered that Pashinian continues to distort the history of the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiation process that had for decades been mediated by the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.

He uses every opportunity, every speech to try to clear his guilt for the destruction of Artsakh, Levon Zurabian, the deputy chairman of Ter-Petrosians Armenian National Congress party, told RFE/RLs Armenian Service.

The blood of our fallen soldiers is on his hands and the loss of all of Artsakh is also on him, said Zurabian. This guilt, this responsibility will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Every [settlement] variant that had been put on the table since 1991  was much better than the situation we have now, said Artur Khachatrian, a senior member of the Hayastan alliance led by Kocharian.

Khachatrian repeated opposition claims that Pashinian precipitated the 2020 war with Azerbaijan with his erratic policies and reckless statements on the Karabakh conflict.

Most of the Karabakh peace proposals were based on so-called Madrid Principles which the U.S., Russian and French mediators originally put forward 2007. This framework agreement, repeatedly modified in the following decade, upheld the Karabakh Armenians right to self-determination while calling for their withdrawal from Azerbaijani districts around Karabakh occupied in the early 1990s.

Pashinian has repeatedly criticized the Madrid Principles since the 2020 war. In particular, he claimed in 2021 that the mediating powers sought a surrender of lands to Azerbaijan and offered the Armenian side nothing in return.

The Russian Foreign Ministry bluntly denied the claim at the time. It argued that the proposed deal stipulated that Karabakhs internationally recognized status would be determined through a future referendum and envisaged firm security guarantees for its ethnic Armenian population.

Armenian opposition leaders say that Pashinian made the disastrous war inevitable by rejecting the last version of the Madrid Principles. In 2021, Serzh Sarkisian publicized the secretly recorded audio of a 2019 meeting during which Pashinian said he opposes that peace plan because it would not immediately formalize Karabakhs secession from Azerbaijan. The premier said he is ready to play the fool or look a bit insane in order to avoid such a settlement.

The opposition also holds him responsible for Armenias defeat in the six-week war and Azerbaijans recapture of Karabakh in September 2023. Pashinian has put the blame on ex-Presidents Sarkisian and Kocharian.
23 December 2024 19:30 (UTC+04:00)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

Armenia's unstable political structure and internal conflicts always make it a source of fuel for foreign and domestic opposition groups to ignite a conflict in the South Caucasus. Since the disputes are mostly focused on territorial claims and ethnic minorities, the topic is constantly interpreted in different forms on the agenda, and even at the international level, unjust and groundless accusations of different parties cause serious agitation.

The coincidence of such a trend with the progress of peace processes also increases the possibility that it could cast a shadow on the security of the region.

Some revanchist forces in the Armenian community, which once attacked leaders who partially promoted neighbourly principles, are now trying to form an opposition front in Armenia and threaten peace processes in the region.

Interestingly, such groups are mostly attracted by former Armenian government representatives and leaders of organizations and institutions. We can be more specific about those who once led the Armenian community to the abyss with their strong anti-Azerbaijan rhetoric and radical position. Former Armenian ombudswoman Larisa Alaverdyan recently popped out in top stories and news headlines with her unquestionable lies full of distortions. She simultaneously called the Pashinyan government a regime and harshly criticised the steps taken towards peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Having read the nonsense and fables that the former Armenian ombudswoman utters in a revanchist spirit, one can once again conclude that the lady continues to poison the Armenian society with Turkophobic poison in the hope that she will be able to turn history around. If such statements by Alaverdyan are calculated to deceive the Armenian people and the world community with disinformation under the guise of alleged historical truth, calculated to show that there are no more witnesses to the bloody events of late 1987-early 1988, then she is deeply mistaken. The former human rights official brazenly lies when talking about the number of the Azerbaijani population of Armenia and that they allegedly voluntarily left their places of residence. Sticking to her strong revanchist character, she blabbers about the city of Shusha and spreads hatred and xenophobia in all directions, which serve to prevent the conclusion of a peace agreement and reconciliation of the two peoples.

To believe the nonsense of Larisa Alaverdyan simply requires being a person of a different breed, that is, a person with a true nationalist and revanchist spirit. It is obvious that her ideas are distorted and not the product of rational thinking.

Her claims also pose a serious threat from the point of view of the development of regional relations. The former head of the ombudsman, who tries to portray Turkiye and Azerbaijan as "occupiers" with her lies, does not hesitate to call even her head of government a traitor. Those who try to influence the minds of society with such lies serve no other purpose than to harm their own people.

She interprets international law and the Almaty Declaration in a distorted form, counting on the fact that at one time, being an ombudswoman, she made the necessary connections among biased Western NGOs, which have never been objective in relation to Azerbaijan and Turkiye. After all, hatred for all Turks arose in her back in those distant years, when, being a native of Baku, she spread Dashnak propaganda among the Armenian population of Azerbaijan, sowing the seeds of discord, which manifested themselves with the beginning of the conflict in early 1988. It would be worth reminding Ms Alaverdyan that the first victims of the conflict were the Azerbaijani residents of Armenia, who were brutally killed as a result of pogroms, as well as two young residents of Aghdam, killed by separatists in early February 1988.

Now the question arises: who is responsible for the failure in the normalisation of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations and the impasse in peace talks to this day?
23 December 2024 13:44 (UTC+04:00)

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The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) released the volume of money sent to Georgia from Azerbaijan in the first nine months in 2024, Azernews reports.

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People view an autopilot minibus named "ADone" at the 2024 Turin Auto Show in Turin, Italy, Sept. 13, 2024. The 6-seat minibus was the latest product of a collaboration between the Chinese developer Guizhou Hankaisi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (PIX Moving) and Italian mobile travel solution provider Tecnocad. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese and Italian officials, alongside business leaders, have reaffirmed their commitment to deeper collaboration and mutual prosperity during a launch ceremony of the 2024 Development Report on Chinese Enterprises in Italy.

At the launch event on Friday in Milan, the capital of the Lombardy Region, Yan Dong, president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Italy (CCCIT), highlighted the significant contributions of Chinese enterprises to Italy's investment, taxation, and employment, despite challenges like protectionist policies and regulatory constraints.

Emphasizing that the report offers recommendations to improve Italy's business environment for its in-depth analysis of key areas such as employment, operations and regulatory challenges, Yan noted that "we hope this report will enhance mutual understanding and foster deeper bilateral cooperation."

The report, based on survey data from 92 member companies, is the first comprehensive study of Chinese businesses in Italy. It details their operational status, contributions and challenges.

Chinese Consul General in Milan Liu Kan also praised the report as a critical resource for policymakers and business leaders.

Reaffirming China's commitment to peaceful development and mutual prosperity, Liu said "China stands ready to share its development opportunities with Italy and the world, safeguard global free trade, and ensure the stability of industrial and supply chains."

Echoing this sentiment, Andrea Tabella, a representative from the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, reiterated the ministry's commitment to stronger collaboration with the CCCIT to unlock new opportunities for mutual growth. He underscored that the report would help guide support for Chinese enterprises in Italy.

Raffaele Cattaneo, secretary general of the Lombardy Region, has highlighted the region's strategic importance in China-Italy economic relations, noting that the region attracts over 50 percent of Chinese investments in Italy and that more than 60 percent of surveyed companies plan to expand their investments there in the next three years.

Founded in 2021, the CCCIT is the sole officially recognized organization representing Chinese enterprises in Italy. It has over 120 members spanning finance, telecommunications, technology, and manufacturing.

The launch event drew approximately 150 participants, including representatives from Chinese and Italian businesses, trade associations, and government institutions.
23 December 2024 18:41 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

The first meeting of the subgroup "On the Establishment of a Unified Information System for Public Utilities" of the Commission on Business Environment and International Ratings, led by the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, took place on December 20, 2024, Azernews reports.

The Innovation and Digital Development Agency reported on the meeting. It was noted that the meeting was held under the leadership of Vusal Shikhaliyev, Sector Head of the Department of Economic Policy and Industrial Affairs of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Samir Mammadov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport; Inara Valiyeva, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDIA); and Shahin Aliyev, Deputy Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of IDIA.

Additionally, representatives from other sub-agencies of the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport attended, including the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, the State Water Resources Agency, the "Azerigaz" Production Association under the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan, "Azerishig" Open Joint Stock Company, "Azeristiliktachizat" Open Joint Stock Company, and other state institutions.

The meeting participants exchanged views on the requirements and upcoming tasks outlined in the new "Business Ready" report by the World Bank Group on the "Unified Information System for Utilities." They also discussed the tasks and status of work done on the unified information system for utilities, progress in the electronic and digitalization efforts for utility connections, and potential opportunities.

In addition, participants reviewed proposals for the initial draft of the Roadmap for the creation of a unified information system for utilities.
23 December 2024 20:19 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

Met Invest LLC has been granted resident status in the Aghdam Industrial Park, which is managed by the Agency for the Development of Economic Zones (EZDA) under the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

EZDA noted that with Met Invest LLC the total number of residents in the Industrial Park reached to 29.

As part of this new development, the company will implement a project for the production of metal products in the park. The project will include the construction of a factory with an annual production capacity of 144,000 tons of rebar, angles, and steel wire. The investment in the facility will amount to 18mln ($10.6mln), and the project aims to create 150 permanent jobs.

The plant will utilize advanced technologies from leading countries such as Europe, Turkiye, and China. In addition to selling the products in the domestic market, there are plans to export the goods as well.
23 December 2024 11:25 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

An event "The Love of Fuzuli" has taken place in Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, Azernews reports.

At the event, organized in accordance with the order of President Ilham Aliyev to celebrate the 530th anniversary of the brilliant Azerbaijani poet, the carpet "The Love of Fizuli", woven in the Traditional Technologies Department of the Carpet Museum.

The carpet depicts a portrait of the outstanding poet and is decorated with verses from his works.

The carpet designed byTaryer Bashirov, Honored Artist and the Head Artist of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum is woven with wrapping technique, popular before but almost forgotten today. It has been woven within three months by professional carpet weavers Lala Manafova and Ilhama Ahmadova in 2024.

As a result of mutual cooperation between Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum and the International Mugham Centre, the event also included a concert program by the Jahangir Jahangirov Chorus and was followed by the musical compositions by Uzeyir Hajibayli, Suleyman Alasgarov, Jahangir Jahangirov and Ashraf Abbasov for the works by Fuzuli. The chorus was led by Honored Teacher Tarana Yusifova.

The students of the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts performed a pantomime play based on Layla and Majnun poem by Fuzuli.

The event was jointly organized by the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum and the International Mugham Center.
23 December 2024 14:19 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

A meeting will be held with People's Artist, balaban performer Alikhan Samadov at Georgiy Sharoyev Music School No. 35 on December 25, Azernews reports.

The event is organized in the framework of the project "Sntkarn dostu" (Friend of Artist), initiated by the Culture Ministry's Scientific-Methodological and Qualification Center of Culture with the support of the Baku City Main Department of Culture.

The meeting will discuss the art of performing on the balaban, pedagogical activities, increasing the interest of children and youth in wind instruments and the activities of Azerbaijani cultural figures living abroad. Various musical works will be performed by the artist and talented youth.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az and Milli.Az.
23 December 2024 17:08 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

The 4th Festival of Azerbaijani Vocalists is underway in Baku, Azernews reports.

The event is organized with the support of the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater and Bulbul Vocal School.

The opening took place at the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, where a concert of teachers and students "Bulbul's Heritage" was presented and a scientific seminar "Azerbaijani National Vocal" was held.

A concert of students of the Bulbul Vocal School and a concert in memory of People's Artist Shahlar Guliyev with the participation of soloists of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater were held at the Bulbul Foundation.

A concert of People's Artist Sevinj Ibrahimova, accompanied by the Chamber Ensemble of the Philharmonic under the direction of People's Artist Rafael Bayramov, was held at the Ganja State Philharmonic. The Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic hosted the "Evening of Chamber Music" with the participation of the Azerbaijan State Chamber Orchestra under the baton of People's Artist, conductor Fakhreddin Karimov.

On December 23, the conference and concert salon named after Fikrat Amirov will present the program "New Works" - new songs and romances of composers, and the Bulbul Foundation will host a concert "Arias and Romances of Russian Composers" with the participation of soloists of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater.

On December 24, the Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic will host the closing ceremony of the festival with the participation of soloists, orchestra, choir of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. Conductor - People's Artist Javanshir Jafarov, choirmaster - Honored Art Worker Sevil Hajiyeva.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az.
23 December 2024 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

In line with President Ilham Aliyevs instructions and as part of the First State Program for the Great Return, the relocation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from temporary accommodations in dormitories, sanatoriums, and administrative buildings throughout Azerbaijan to the liberated territories continues, Azernews reports.

On December 23, 2024, a group of IDPs consisting of 51 families, or 208 individuals, left the Garadag district of Baku for Shusha, a city liberated from Armenian occupation in November 2020. The returnees expressed profound gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva for their comprehensive state support. They also extended their thanks to the heroic Azerbaijani Army, which liberated their lands, as well as the brave soldiers and officers who fought for the countrys territorial integrity. They prayed for the souls of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for this cause.

Speaking to a local media outlet, former IDP Teymur Huseynxanov shared that he and his family never lost hope that Shusha would be liberated and that they would return to the city sooner or later.



May Allah make our state eternal. I lost my father over these years. He couldnt see Shusha. He left with longing. My mother is also 84 years old and returning to her homeland. Thank God for this day. When we left the region, I was a young man. Yes, many years have passed. But during all this time, we never lost hope. We lived with the desire to return. We were sure of it," he noted.

Jamila Mammadova, another IDP returning to Shusha, stated that returning to the liberated territories after so many years is a very joyful and proud moment. "My land has always been dear and sacred to me. I pray for the souls of our martyrs and ancestors who made it sacred. May our President live long, as he has allowed us to experience this beautiful feeling. Thank God we are returning. And we are returning with pride and with our heads held high. I am grateful to everyone who contributed because they preserved the honor of this nation, " she added.

It is important to note that nearly 30,000 people now live in the Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur regions, including the former IDPs. This includes individuals working on various ongoing projects, those fulfilling official duties in local branches of state institutions, and workers in reopened healthcare, education, culture, tourism, industry, and energy sectors. These developments contribute to the growing population in the area.
23 December 2024 10:22 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has embarked on a business trip to the Republic of Serbia, Azernews reports, citing the Foreign Ministry.

The Ministry noted that during the visit, Minister Bayramov will deliver a speech at the Ambassadors' Conference of the Republic of Serbia. This important diplomatic event will provide a platform for discussing bilateral relations and regional cooperation between Azerbaijan and Serbia.

Additionally, Minister Bayramov is scheduled to meet with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, among other high-level officials.
23 December 2024 12:16 (UTC+04:00)

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has sent his heartfelt congratulations to His Holiness Pope Francis and the global Christian community on the occasion of Christmas, Azernews reports.

The letter reads:

Your Holiness,

I am delighted to offer my most sincere congratulations and best wishes to you, and through you, all your fellow Christians on the occasion of Christmas.

This radiant holiday, which brings a renewed spirit and symbolizes pure sentiments such as mercy and benevolence, embodies mutual understanding, support, and unity among people in its very essence. As an inseparable part of the Azerbaijani society, the Christian communitys celebration of this holiday, as always, with particular enthusiasm and excitement, is a vivid testament to the ethnic and cultural diversity and rich traditions of multiculturalism that prevail in our country.

Azerbaijan is one of the unique destinations where different civilizations converge, and where, for centuries, a national and cultural mosaic, along with an atmosphere of tolerance, have thrived. Representatives of various nationalities and faiths have coexisted in peace, safety, mutual trust, and respect. We take pride in all of this and cherish these values as national treasures. It is no coincidence that, alongside being aligned with the policies pursued by the Azerbaijani state, the preservation of friendship between peoples, interfaith harmony, and traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance are, first and foremost, the natural way of life for our people.

The Christian community holds a distinctive place in modern Azerbaijani society. Our Christian citizens, who have settled in Azerbaijan and lived here as a family for hundreds of years, play a significant role in the public, political, social, and cultural life of our homeland, contributing greatly to the prosperity of our beloved country. Ancient Christian heritage, shrines, churches, and other places of worship across our territory are protected equally alongside mosques and synagogues by the Azerbaijani state. In the meantime, our country plays an active role in preserving Christian monuments that are considered gems of world cultural heritage, thus promoting intercultural dialogue.

We are pleased with the established relations between Azerbaijan and the Holy See. Our bilateral ties are marked by numerous reciprocal visits, constant contacts, and significant milestones. It is with satisfaction that I note the upcoming construction of a second Catholic church in our country, to be built in honor of Pope John Paul II. This project demonstrates great attention and care toward our countrys Catholic community and symbolizes the high level of relations between Azerbaijan and the Holy See.

Your Holiness,

I want to thank you for contribution to solidification of the relationship between Azerbaijan and the Holy See, and express my gratitude for your continued high appreciation of our countrys traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance.

I am confident that the productive cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Holy See will continue to promote interfaith and intercultural understanding worldwide, serving the cause of safeguarding universal values and ensuring solidarity among people.

I seize this pleasant opportunity to offer my most heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of your birthday and the upcoming New Year 2025, and wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your noble and sacred mission.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 18 December 2024
23 December 2024 12:21 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan is one of the unique destinations where different civilizations converge, and where, for centuries, a national and cultural mosaic, along with an atmosphere of tolerance, have thrived. Representatives of various nationalities and faiths have coexisted in peace, safety, mutual trust, and respect. We take pride in all of this and cherish these values as national treasures, President Ilham Aliyev said in his letter to Pope Francis on the occasion of Christmas, Azernews reports.

The head of state noted that as an inseparable part of the Azerbaijani society, the Christian communitys celebration of this holiday, as always, with particular enthusiasm and excitement, is a vivid testament to the ethnic and cultural diversity and rich traditions of multiculturalism that prevail in Azerbaijan.

It is no coincidence that, alongside being aligned with the policies pursued by the Azerbaijani state, the preservation of friendship between peoples, interfaith harmony, and traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance are, first and foremost, the natural way of life for our people, added the head of state.
23 December 2024 16:49 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

From December 16 to 22, 26 anti-tank mines, 104 anti-personnel mines, and 304 unexploded ordnances (UXOs) were detected and neutralized in the liberated territories, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijani Mine Action Agency (ANAMA).

ANAMA noted that the operations have successfully cleared 770.7 hectares of land from mines.

It should be noted that the demining operations are being carried out by ANAMA in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Emergency Situations (FHN), the State Border Service (DSX), and four private companies. These operations are taking place in the regions of Tartar, Aghdam, Kalbajar, Khojaly, Khojavend, Shusha, Lachin, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli, and Zangilan.

The coordinated efforts of these organizations ensure the safety of the liberated territories, allowing for the safe resettlement of displaced individuals and the commencement of reconstruction activities. The removal of mines and UXOs is a critical step in the rehabilitation and development of these regions, as it enables the restoration of normalcy and the rebuilding of communities.

These achievements are part of a larger humanitarian effort to clear all liberated territories of hazardous remnants of war, ensuring that the land is safe for future generations. The ongoing demining operations reflect Azerbaijans commitment to restoring and rehabilitating its territories, paving the way for socio-economic growth and stability.

It is worth noting that as a result of the Garabagh conflict, Azerbaijan faces a significant land-mine problem, being one of the most heavily mine-contaminated countries globally. An estimated 1.5 million landmines and an unknown number of explosive remnants of war contaminate over 13% of its territories. This contamination poses severe risks to civilians and hinders socio-economic development. Over the past 30 years, landmines have caused thousands of casualties, including deaths and injuries. The indiscriminate use of mines by Armenia continues to cause superfluous injuries and suffering. Despite substantial efforts by the Azerbaijani government and international support, the scale of contamination requires ongoing demining operations and further assistance to ensure safety and facilitate the return of displaced individuals to their homes.
 Flash

Children wait to receive food relief at a food distribution center in the city of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Dec. 20, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

At least 23 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

At least nine people, including three children and two women, were killed, and some others were injured as a result of the Israeli bombing of the Musa bin Nusayr School, which houses displaced people in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City, WAFA said.

Four more people were killed when the Israeli army bombed a vehicle on the Al-Jalaa Street in Gaza City, it added.

Five citizens, including four children, were killed on Sunday morning in Israel's shelling of the Jabalia town, north of Gaza City, WAFA said in a separate report.

In the southern Gaza Strip, two people were killed when the Israeli army bombed their apartment west of Khan Yunis, and three others died in the Israeli bombing of the city of Rafah, WAFA said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Sunday that with the direction of intelligence, the air force conducted a "precise strike" on Hamas militants who were operating inside a command-and-control center in the Gaza Strip.

The command-and-control center, which was embedded inside a compound that previously served as the Musa bin Nusayr School, was used by the militants to plan and execute attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel, it added.

Israel has been on a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 45,227, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Saturday.
23 December 2024 16:17 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

As part of his visit to Serbia, Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held an extensive meeting with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, Azernews reports, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.

During the discussions, the two ministers addressed various aspects of the strategic partnership between the two countries, including political, military-economic, energy, humanitarian, and other key areas of cooperation.

Both sides expressed mutual satisfaction with the support for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the fruitful cooperation within regional and international platforms.

Minister Bayramov also briefed his counterpart on the ongoing process of peace and normalization of relations with Armenia, as well as other issues that remain on the peace agenda.
23 December 2024 18:46 (UTC+04:00)

The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

According to Azernews, the letter reads:

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Please accept my sincere congratulations and heartfelt wishes on your birthday.

Thanks to your tireless efforts and visionary policies, Azerbaijan has achieved remarkable success in strengthening social stability, economic sustainability, and its international reputation. Under your wise leadership, the country confidently moves forward by implementing large-scale projects and improving the well-being of the people.

I highly appreciate your significant contribution to deepening the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, based on centuries-old friendship and mutual support.

Our countries have great potential for further developing close mutual cooperation. I am confident that, through our joint efforts, we will increase our achievements and elevate Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan multifaceted interstate relations to a new level of productive collaboration.

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, I wish you good health, prosperity for your family, and continued success in your presidential activities for the benefit of brotherly Azerbaijan.

Respectfully,

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
23 December 2024 18:50 (UTC+04:00)

The President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

According to Azernews, the letter reads:

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday.

Under your leadership, the Republic of Azerbaijan continues to advance successfully along the path of sustainable socio-economic development, playing an important and constructive role in regional and international affairs. Your consistent efforts in this direction have earned you high authority both among your compatriots and on the global stage.

I would especially like to acknowledge your constant attention to the comprehensive expansion of friendship and cooperation between our countries. Thanks to strong political will, we have elevated Tajikistani-Azerbaijani relations to a qualitatively new level of strategic partnership this year. We remain committed to further advancing this process in line with the fundamental interests of our fraternal peoples.

I greatly value our friendship and the trust-based nature of our personal relationship. I am confident that, through joint efforts, we will continue to enrich the multifaceted ties between our two countries with new constructive examples and achieve even greater strengthening of these bonds.

Taking this pleasant opportunity, I wish you, dear Ilham Heydarovich, robust health and continued success in your responsible endeavors for the benefit of the friendly people of Azerbaijan.

Sincerely,

Emomali Rahmon

President of the Republic of Tajikistan
23 December 2024 17:55 (UTC+04:00)

The President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Zhaparov, has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Ilham Heydarovich.

I sincerely congratulate you on your birthday!

It is gratifying to note that under your leadership, the Republic of Azerbaijan has become an active participant in global processes.

We are particularly delighted that the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, one of the largest events in the world, was held for the first time in our brotherly nation and organized perfectly.

I am confident that the strategic partnership between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue to strengthen and expand for the benefit of our peoples.

Dear Ilham Heydarovich, I wish you robust health, family well-being, and great success in your state activities.

Once again, happy birthday!

Sincerely,

Sadyr Zhaparov

President of the Kyrgyz Republic
23 December 2024 17:17 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanovic has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

The letter reads:

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Mr. President,

I extend my warmest congratulations on the occasion of your birthday. I wish you good health and much success in your personal and professional life.

I am confident that our two friendly countries will further work to improve our overall relations and find new forms of cooperation. The economic opportunities that our two countries have can be an incentive for better and more meaningful cooperation.

Please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Sincerely,

Zoran Milanovic

President of the Republic of Croatia
23 December 2024 17:14 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

The letter reads:

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

Please accept my warmest congratulations on your birthday.

Under your leadership, friendly Azerbaijan continues to advance confidently on the path of socio-economic development, strengthening its position on the global stage. Your personal contribution to building and reinforcing the strategic partnership and alliance between our nations cannot be overestimated.

I deeply value our cordial and friendly relations and look forward to continuing our close collaboration on pressing issues of the bilateral and international agenda.

Dear Ilham Heydarovich, I sincerely wish you robust health, happiness, and prosperity. Please convey my heartfelt regards to your family.

Respectfully,

Vladimir Putin

President of the Russian Federation
23 December 2024 17:00 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

The letter reads:

To His Excellency, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, dear brother.

I sincerely congratulate you on your birthday and take great pleasure in conveying my best wishes to you.

We regard you as an outstanding statesman and political figure, a true patriot and dedicated son of your nation, who has made unparalleled contribution to the comprehensive development of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the restoration of the country's territorial integrity and historical justice, the improvement of the people's welfare, and the strengthening of your states reputation on the international stage. We hold you in high esteem.

The significant achievements your country has attained in all priority areas are the vivid results of your visionary and effective policies, which align perfectly with Azerbaijan's fundamental interests and reflect its major goals.

We highly value your great contributions to further strengthening the long-standing historic bonds of friendship between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, as well as expanding multifaceted and long-term mutual relations.

In particular, I take great satisfaction in noting the deepening of brotherly and solidarity-based ties between us in recent years, as well as the intensification of high-level constant dialogues and reciprocal visits.

Honorable President, Your Excellency,

I am confident that through our joint efforts, the strategic partnership between our nationsfounded on mutual trust and a spirit of solidaritywill continue to grow and flourish for the mutual benefit and shared progress of our friendly peoples.

Dear Brother, once again, I sincerely congratulate you on this memorable and joyous occasion. I pray to Almighty Allah for long life, robust health, and happiness for you and your family members. May you achieve great success in your highly responsible mission for the prosperity of your people. I also wish the brotherly people of Azerbaijan peace, enduring progress, and well-being.

With profound respect,

Shavkat Mirziyoyev

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
23 December 2024 16:43 (UTC+04:00)

The Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

The letter reads:

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Your Excellency,

Allow me to sincerely congratulate you on your birthday. I wish you good health, peace, and success.

Your contributions to the development and prosperity of the Republic of Azerbaijan are invaluable.

At the same time, I would like to express my gratitude for your personal contributions to strengthening the strategic partnership between Georgia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

I am pleased that the traditional strong friendship and strategic partnership between our countries are successfully developing in all areas. I believe that we will successfully continue our multifaceted and mutually beneficial relations for the prosperity of our countries and the region in the future.

Your Excellency, I once again sincerely congratulate you and express my deepest respect.

Sincerely,

Irakli Kobakhidze

Prime Minister of Georgia
23 December 2024 20:01 (UTC+04:00)

The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

According to Azernews, the letter reads:

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Your Excellency, my dear friend.

It is my privilege to share my warmest congratulations on the occasion of your birthday. The State of Israel joins you in celebration of this momentous day.

Under your leadership, Azerbaijan has become a vibrant nation of economic vitality, prosperity, peace and stability. This is perhaps most beautifully expressed via your nation's inspirational model of religious tolerance and understanding. Especially during this time, when Anti-Semitism is spreading around the world, Azerbaijan is a shining example of our collective potential to live together in harmony. In this way, as in so much else, you are following along the path of peace that your father, the Honorable Heydar Aliyev, of Blessed Memory, also walked along.

As you so eloquently stated, multiculturalism is a gift that must be embraced. The Jewish community of Azerbaijan, which directly feels this warm embrace from you, serves as a living bridge further connecting our two people. Our strategic partnership with your nation provides a pillar of stability for both Israel and our greater region, and we are profoundly grateful for the opportunity to continue working with you to grow and strengthen our many collaborations.

I will always remember and cherish the warm and gracious welcome with which you and your wife, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, hosted Michal and I during our visit to your incredible nation. I am hoping to have the honor of welcoming both you and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva to Israel in the near future as well. Of course, I am also eagerly looking forward to seeing you at the World Economic Forum in Davos early next year.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on the successful convening of the COP29 last month. Azerbaijan is a leader in the community of nations, and this was yet another demonstration of your commitment to securing the health and safety of future generations.

As 2024 draws to a close and we look towards 2025, I would also like to share my sincere hopes that the coming year is one of success and prosperity for you, your family, and all the people of Azerbaijan.

Warmly,

Isaac Herzog

President of the State of Israel
23 December 2024 12:47 (UTC+04:00)

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Azerbaijan has significantly increased its exports of crude oil and crude oil products to Indonesia during the January-November period of this year, Azernews reports.

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U.S. Senate passes funding bill, averting gov't shutdown

Xinhua) 09:25, December 23, 2024

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate passed a government funding bill early Saturday that would head to U.S. President Joe Biden's desk for his signature, averting a government shutdown.

The bill, passed 85-11 right after the deadline, would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, pushing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's demand to raise the debt ceiling into the new year, AP News reported.

The White House said at midnight that it had ceased shutdown preparations.

"This is a good outcome for the country," said House Speaker Mike Johnson, adding he had spoken with Trump, who "was certainly happy about this outcome, as well."

Hours before the vote, Trump threatened that the debt limit increase be included in any deal. Otherwise, he said, let the closures "start now."

Trump's last-minute demand was nearly impossible, said AP News, forcing Johnson to find a way to bypass his pressure for a debt ceiling increase.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
23 December 2024 08:00 (UTC+04:00)

An Israeli delegation is holding discussions with Qatari mediators in Doha, seeking a potential agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

According to Azernews, citing Al Arabiya TV, the negotiations are being conducted discreetly, with sources indicating that the Israeli side remains cautiously optimistic despite "weak chances" of finalizing a deal.

In November 2023, a humanitarian truce brokered by Egypt and Qatar temporarily halted hostilities, leading to the release of 110 hostages. However, the ceasefire collapsed by December 1, and fighting resumed in the Gaza Strip. Efforts to restore calm have been ongoing since August, involving key mediators like Qatar, the United States, and Egypt, though no agreement has yet been reached.
23 December 2024 09:00 (UTC+04:00)

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili could face criminal charges if she continues to advocate for new parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated during a December 22 briefing, Azernews reports.

Kobakhidze criticized Zourabichvilis recent meeting with opposition representatives and NGOs on December 21, describing her initiative as a violation of Georgian law. Her initiative is a gross violation of Georgian laws and entails criminal liability, he said.

According to Georgian legislation, new elections can only be called under three conditions: annulment of election results by the Central Election Commission or the Constitutional Court, the expiration of the parliaments four-year term, or a failure by parliament to express confidence in the government.

If the president nevertheless decides to call new parliamentary elections for another reason, she will be held criminally liable for this, Kobakhidze warned.

This marks another point of contention between Zurabishvili and the ruling Georgian Dream party, adding further tension to the countrys political climate.
23 December 2024 14:58 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov has called on the European Parliament to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of his country following a resolution on the human rights situation, Azernews reports.

In a statement, Japarov questioned how European lawmakers, who are thousands of kilometers away from Kyrgyzstan, could fully understand the situation in the country.

He challenged, "How can they, not seeing what is happening here, being a thousand kilometers away from Kyrgyzstan, know what is happening here? If this issue worries you so much, come to us. You will see everything on the spot."

Japarov emphasized that Kyrgyzstan maintains good relations with all nations but reminded the European Parliament that it is an independent and sovereign state, with no need for foreign interference in its domestic politics.

The European Parliament's resolution was focused on the detention of Temirlan Sultanbekov, leader of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, who was arrested on suspicion of vote buying. Subsequently, the party was suspended from participating in upcoming elections.
23 December 2024 21:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

The Philippine military plans to purchase Typhon mobile ground-based missile launchers from the United States, Azernews reports.

"We intend to receive them. They are crucial for enhancing our defense systems for the archipelago," the official stated, noting that weapon procurement in the Philippines typically takes at least two years. The allocation of funds for the Typhon system has not yet been included in the fiscal year 2025 budget.

In 2024, the United States deployed a Typhon system to the Philippines as part of the annual US-Philippine military exercises. Despite objections from the People's Republic of China (PRC), the American command decided to leave the Typhon system in the Philippines.

The Typhon system is capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 1,800 km and multi-purpose SM-6 missiles with a range of up to 500 km in its current configuration.

The potential purchase of the Typhon system marks a significant step in the Philippines' efforts to modernize its military and strengthen its defense capabilities in the face of rising geopolitical tensions in the region. With its advanced missile systems, the Philippines will be better equipped to safeguard its sovereignty, especially in the context of ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Furthermore, this move underscores the strengthening military ties between the Philippines and the United States, which have been growing in recent years through joint exercises and security agreements.
23 December 2024 22:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

New Zealand has rejected proposals for granting citizenship and issuing its own passports to residents of the Cook Islands, but has expressed a willingness to discuss the issue of independence, Azernews reports.

The proposal, initiated by Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, was met with rejection by New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters.

According to Peters, the creation of a separate passport for the Cook Islands could affect key aspects of the constitutional relationship between the two countries and challenge the concept of common citizenship.

"If the Cook Islands seek independence from New Zealand, we are ready to begin negotiations. However, any decision regarding future status must be made through a referendum," he stated.

The Cook Islands, made up of 15 islands and atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, are home to approximately 15,000 inhabitants. Since 1965, they have been a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand. While the local government controls the internal and international affairs of the Cook Islands, its citizens hold New Zealand citizenship.

According to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the country is obligated to assist the Cook Islands in matters of foreign policy, natural disasters, and defense. Additionally, around 100,000 people in New Zealand identify themselves as Cook Islands Maori, strengthening the cultural and historical ties between the two nations.

While the Cook Islands enjoys significant autonomy, the issue of independence remains a sensitive topic. New Zealand's rejection of the proposal for separate citizenship and passports is a reminder of the complexity of their relationship. However, the willingness to discuss independence marks a potential shift towards a future that may involve greater self-determination for the Cook Islands. As global and regional dynamics evolve, it will be interesting to see how this issue develops and how both parties approach the question of independence moving forward.
Waldport Tree Lighting, Elf Hunt Fire Up Central Oregon Coast This Weekend

Published 12/07/24 at 6:15 a.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff





(Waldport, Oregon)  LATEST FROM WALDPORT: They essentially named Waldport where the forest meets the sea - as expressed in German. This weekend, the central Oregon coast burgh becomes where the sea meets a truly lit Christmas tree, in both the slang and the common usage of the word.

Waldport's Christmas Tree Lighting Festival takes place on Sunday, December 8, lending the town a new glow. It's a long-standing tradition here, one that in recent years moved to the Alsea Bay Bridge Visitor Center & Museum, at the south end of the Alsea Bay Bridge. Get ready for caroling, free foods, Santa, even more music and shopping for locally-made holiday crafts, along with that luminous bridge and tree.

Tom Fullmer, executive director of the Waldport Chamber of Commerce, told Oregon Coast Beach Connection there's some new forms of fun in the wings which stretch the fun into the month  centered around Finding Your Elf.

This is now the fourth year it's been held at the museum grounds, featuring a truly local tree.

The City of Waldport created a permanent place on the lawn area at the north end of the bridge for the tree, Fullmer said. It is a fresh cut tree from local forestland. 

Fullmer said the event generally draws some 200 to 300 people: that's no small order on a chilly central Oregon coast day like those in December.



Photo Waldport Chamber



It's all free, but there's some of it undercover, in the warmth of the museum.

Great shopping for locally made holiday crafts and Waldport merchandise inside, Fullmer said. The beverages and snacks are compliments of the Waldport Chamber of Commerce.

Also see Ona Beach's Pristine, Graceful Yet Alien Curiosities: Near Central Oregon Coast's Seal Rock

Carolers start off the gig at 3 p.m., coming from Waldport First Baptist Church.

At 3:30 p.m., Santa arrives, Fullmer said, bringing along goodies for all the kids.



Photo Waldport Chamber

New this year is a performance from 14 members of the Oregon Coast Chorus, Fullmer said. They will perform in front of the tree at 5:00 p.m.

Then the glory of the tree happens: the big fir gets lit up for the holidays at 5:30 p.m.

Something new this way comes to Waldport in conjunction with the tree lighting fest.

We are also kicking off our annual FIND YOUR 'ELF' IN WALDPORT CONTEST, Fullmer said. There are 28 elves that have been placed inside the Center for all to see. We will capture names on Sunday and one lucky winner will get a free elf.

After that, a kind of treasure hunt happens throughout town.



Reggie the Elf

Some 28 elves will placed in different businesses around Waldport on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday, December 10, thus begins a new contest, which then runs through January 5 of 2025. You bounce around town looking for the elves and when you find one you mark it on a special form. This way, if you find the most elves you could win Reggie the Elf.

People will visit these businesses to 'find the elf,' mark it on the scoresheet, and submit their completed scoresheet at the conclusion of the contest, Fullmer said. The person who correctly names the most elves on the scoresheet wins Reggie the Elf. If there is a tie, a drawing will determine the winner. This is a fun way to bring people into our local shops and to support our Chamber members.



Oregon Coast Chorus

The entire shindig is for all ages and the Center is ADA accessible.

It's something Fullmer looks forward to every year.



It's great to see everyone and all the kids who enjoy meeting Santa and getting a little treat, he said.

541-563-3500. Findyourselfinwaldport.com

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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A Christmas Puppy

BY: BUZZ CAYTON

SERGEANT

It was 1942 and World War II was well underway. This opened jobs in Washington, D.C. and, as we were coming out of the depression, things were not booming in Blounts Creek, North Carolina.

My Aunt Evelyn found an opportunity there and was living with some other girls in an apartment while working for the government. Christmas rolled around and travel gave priority to the military.

A man in Evelyns office had a small business at home keeping and raising dogs. By mistake, a black lab jumped the fence and mated with a cocker spaniel, so the story was told to me. The dogs were bred to be thoroughbreds and so this mix was just a by-product for them. The man was offering the pups to anyone in the office that would give them a good home.

Evelyn had discovered that a soldier from Washington, North Carolina was stationed in Washington, D.C. and had a car. She committed to a puppy and caught a ride with Nick Saleeby. The puppy rode all the way in what was known then as a market basket. It was a small, woven container with handles that people sometimes carried around the grocery store to pick up items.

Before I woke up Christmas morning, the basket had been placed under the Christmas tree. I could hear a little whining and scratching. Grabbing the basket, I opened the lid to see this little black ball of fur with eyes that looked at me that same way all of his life. It was a real puppy, and he just loved and licked me. It was as if we had known each other forever.

This was the beginning of a friendship that only dog lovers can understand. As the war was raging on, the Army had placed an observation post in our front yard. My mother and the neighborhood helped with spotting airplanes for the duration. I was showing off my new puppy and trying to think of a name for him. One of the Army men jokingly said, He looks just like my Sergeant. The name stuck and he became Sergeant.

Probably my happiest Christmas.
Valdosta-based South Georgia Medical Center has promoted Hilary Gibbs to vice president of support services and chief development officer.

In her new role, Ms. Gibbs will continue to provide strategic leadership for SGMC Health Foundation while also overseeing various services that support the health system's operations.

Gibbs joined SGMC Health in 2021 with more than 19 years of experience in development and fundraising, including her previous role as associate vice president for development and alumni relations at Valdosta State University.

She has a master of education in leadership degree from Valdosta State University.
Holly Wolff has been named CEO of Jefferson Community Health & Life in Fairbury, Neb., effective in early January.

Ms. Wolff most recently served as administrator at Mount Edgecumbe Medical Center in Sitka, Alaska, according to a Dec. 20 news release from Jefferson Community. She previously held CEO roles at Roundup (Mont.) Memorial Healthcare and Ashley (N.D.) Medical Center.

She succeeds Bill Welch, who has served as interim CEO since September and was previously CEO from 1993 to 2013. Burke Kline resigned as CEO in August.

Jefferson Community Health & Life comprises an acute care hospital, family medicine clinic, long-term care and home health services, according to its website.
Denny Martin, DO, has stepped down as president of Lansing-based University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Lansing.

Dr. Martin will focus on his clinical patients in the coming weeks, with his last day at the hospital set for Jan. 10, according to a Dec. 20 statement shared with Becker's.

Margaret Dimond, PhD, regional president of UM Health, has been named interim hospital president, effective immediately. Dr. Dimond and her team "will prioritize delivering high-quality patient care while addressing the hospital's financial challenges," the statement said.

E.W. Sparrow Hospital was renamed UM Health-Sparrow Lansing in April following UM Health's acquisition of Lansing-based Sparrow Health System.
The suspect accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson pleaded not guilty on Dec. 23 to state charges of terrorism and murder.

Luigi Mangione faces 11 counts in New York, including one count of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism.

On Dec. 17, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Mr. Mangione for the murder of Mr. Thompson, which occurred on Dec. 4 outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where UnitedHealth Group was hosting its annual investor day conference.

"This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock, attention, and intimidation," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said on the day of the indictment.

Following his arrest, officers recovered a handwritten manifesto outlining Mr. Mangione's motivations and mindset, in which he expressed disdain for corporate America and the healthcare industry. Investigators also discovered the words "deny," "defend," and "depose" written on shell casings at the crime scene.

Mr. Mangione's first appearance in New York state trial court came after federal prosecutors brought their own charges over the shooting, including murder through the use of a firearm  a charge that could make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted, according to CNN. The state charges have a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. In addition to the state and federal cases, the suspect also faces charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested and is accused of forgery and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

The murder has sparked a firestorm of online vitriol and hostility toward the insurance industry more broadly.

"In the nearly two weeks since Mr. Thompson's killing, we have seen a shocking and appalling celebration of cold blooded murder," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Dec. 17 press conference. "Social media has erupted with praise for this cowardly attack."

On Dec. 10, a Florida woman was arrested and charged after telling a Blue Cross Blue Shield employee over the phone, "Delay, deny, depose. You people are next," in response to a denied claim, ABC News reported.

In Nashville, an HCA Healthcare sign was vandalized with the words "Deny," "Defend," and "Depose," WSMV reported Dec. 23.

"The safety of all of our colleagues remains our highest priority," HCA told the outlet. "As a company, we have various security measures in place to protect all colleagues and we regularly explore additional means to safeguard our colleagues. Last night, one of our corporate campus monument signs was vandalized. In response, we are working closely with local law enforcement to investigate this incident thoroughly."

AHIP, the trade association representing health insurers, wrote on LinkedIn on Dec. 12: "Those in positions of leadership must condemn violence without qualification or equivocation. Anything short of that is not only irresponsible  it's dangerous."

Since the fatal shooting, health systems and insurers have tightened security around their executives, canceling conferences or moving them to virtual formats, temporarily closing offices, and removing biographical information online.
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Aaron Reitz to serve as head of the Justice Department Office of Legal Policy and Chad Mizelle as chief of staff at the Justice Department, according to two Dec. 21 Truth Social posts.

Here are seven things to know:

Justice Department head of the Office of Legal Policy pick: Aaron Reitz

1. The Office of Legal Policy, currently led by Susan Davies, creates and implements major Justice Department policy initiatives, advises the attorney general and deputy attorney general, coordinates with other executive branch agencies and manages projects with multiple components. It oversees regulations at the department, manages the judicial nomination and confirmation process with the Senate and White House and assists with federal judicial nominations. The OLP also supports artificial intelligence and cybersecurity initiatives through its growing technology team, according to the Justice Department's website.

2. Mr. Reitz would work with Mr. Trump's attorney general nominee, Pam Bondi, to create and implement the Justice Department's "battle plans" to advance Mr. Trump's "law and order agenda, and restore integrity to our justice system," Mr. Trump said in the post.

3. Mr. Reitz currently serves as chief of staff to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and previously served as deputy for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He earned a bachelor's degree from College Station-based Texas A&M University and his Juris Doctor degree from Austin-based University of Texas Law School, according to his LinkedIn page.

4. "Proud to have earned President Trumps nomination and honored to serve under Attorney General Pam Bondi," Mr. Reitz said in a Dec. 22 LinkedIn post. "Making America Great Again requires a total commitment to the Constitution, the rule of law, and justice. [The] DOJ is at the tip of that spear. We're going to make it happen."

Justice Department chief of staff pick: Chad Mizelle

1. As Justice Department chief of staff, Mr. Mizelle will work closely with Ms. Bondi.

2. Mr. Mizelle earned bachelor's degree from Gainesville-based University of Florida and his Juris Doctor degree from Ithaca, N.Y.-based Cornell Law School, according to his LinkedIn page.

3. Mr. Mizelle served as general counsel and chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security under Mr. Trump's first term as president. He also served as counsel to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Politico reported Dec. 21.

"Chad is a MAGA warrior, who will help bring accountability, integrity and justice back to the DOJ," Mr. Trump said.
After the FDA reaffirmed the end of Zepbound's two-year shortage, drug companies have announced shortages for 32 presentations of seven medications.

Here are seven new shortages, according to drug supply databases from the FDA and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Editor's note: The drugs are listed in alphabetical order.

Adalimumab-Adbm injection: Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals discontinued two Cyltezo injection kits, the FDA said Dec. 10. The medication, a Humira biosimilar, is approved for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease and other conditions.

Anticoagulant citrate dextrose formula A (ACD-A): No presentations available of ACD-A, which is used in extracorporeal blood processing, are available, the ASHP said Dec. 11. A Fresenius Kabi presentation is in shortage because it was manufactured by Baxter's North Carolina facility that a hurricane damaged in late September. More supply is expected in early January.

Dextrose monohydrate 5% injection: Hospira has limited availability of the parenteral fluids because of high demand, the FDA said Dec. 13. The company predicts three presentations to return to normal supply levels by the end of 2024.

Epinephrine bitartrate, lidocaine hydrochloride injection: Eight of Hospira's presentations are unavailable. Recovery of this company's shortage is expected between March and September, depending on the product.

Lidocaine hydrochloride injection: Two presentations are in limited availability and another two are unavailable. Hospira said the anesthetic supply could rebound between March 2025 and December 2026, depending on the product.

Methylprednisolone acetate injection: In an ongoing shortage since 2021, Pfizer shared revised updates with the FDA. Three presentations of the medicine, which treats inflammation, are in short supply until March due to high demand.

Morphine sulfate extended-release tablets: As of Dec. 12, eight presentations of the painkiller medication are on back order and 16 are available. Rhodes Pharmaceuticals, Major Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceuticals said they expect more supply to be available between late December and early January. The ASHP said Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals refuses to provide availability information.

Sterile water injection: Five Hospira presentations are in limited availability due to shipping delays, the FDA reported Dec. 13. Four of the shortages are expected to resolve by the end of 2024, and another shortage is predicted to recover in March.
Federal officials have maintained that the nation's bird flu outbreak does not pose an immediate threat to public health, but infectious disease experts say recent developments indicate the H5N1 virus' spread is widening  and with it, the risks it poses to humans.

"The traffic light is changing from green to amber," Peter Chin-Hong, MD, an infectious disease expert at University of California at San Francisco, told NBC News. "So many signs are going in the wrong direction."

Heres a recap of the scope of the outbreak and recent developments that have heightened concerns among experts:

Since late March, the H5N1 outbreak has affected at least 875 herds of dairy cows in 16 states, according to the CDC. This year marked the first time bird flu viruses have been found in cows. As for human infections, 64 have been confirmed in the U.S. since April, mostly among individuals who work with dairy cattle and poultry. Most patients with a confirmed case have reported mild symptoms.



In recent months, fragments of the virus have been detected in wastewater, indicating the virus' spread is much wider than what official numbers suggest. About 19% of sites tested as part of the CDC's National Wastewater Surveillance System in 10 states have returned positive detections in early December. Most detections have been in areas where there are dairy and poultry farms, but there have been cases where positive detections surface in areas with no agricultural facilities.

"We've seen detections in a lot more places, and we've seen a lot more frequent detections," in recent months, Amy Lockwood, PhD, told NBC. She leads detection efforts at Verily, the company providing wastewater testing services to the CDC. "We are starting to see it in more and more places where we don't know what the source might be automatically," Ms. Lockwood said. "We are in the throes of a very big numbers game."
Maureen Leffler, DO, chief well-being officer of Newark, Del.-based ChristianaCare, has been in her new role for about a month, but she is already making progress in addressing workforce challenges and improving employee well-being.

Beckers connected with Dr. Leffler to discuss her vision, innovative strategies, and focus on reducing workforce burdens through systemwide collaboration, aiming to create a more efficient and supportive environment for healthcare employees.

Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Question: What innovative approaches or initiatives do you plan to implement to enhance workforce well-being and retention amid the ongoing challenges in healthcare recruitment and staffing?

Dr. Maureen Leffler: In this role, I aim to enhance the outstanding work of the Center for WorkLife Wellbeing team at ChristianaCare. My focus will be on strategically partnering with both clinical and non-clinical leaders to address work burdens and system inefficiencies. Our goal is to act as thought partners and key stakeholders for various teams, aligning with their efforts to improve operational efficiencies, quality, safety, and patient experience.

These initiatives also significantly impact caregiver well-being, and we can help elevate this perspective in our work and outcome metrics. I believe it would be both innovative and impactful to integrate metrics that reflect the healthcare worker experience as we continue to navigate through challenging times. This will require a focused approach to collaborate with teams, units, and departments on specific projects. Additionally, we plan to launch at least one organization-wide campaign centered on de-implementation to reduce work burdens.

Q: How is ChristianaCare addressing burnout and fostering a culture of resilience and well-being among healthcare professionals?

ML: The Center for WorkLife Wellbeing at ChristianaCare has a well-established Care for the Caregiver Peer Support Program that offers exceptional peer support to all caregivers. This peer program has received over 500 referrals so far this year. One source of referrals is through our CANDOR process, a key partner in identifying and providing support to caregivers in the wake of unexpected patient harm events.

Additionally, we help develop Compass groups, provide psychological first-aid training for all caregivers, and create oasis rooms. The CWW team members also lead mindfulness sessions, conduct well-being rounds, and are often invited by leaders across all service lines to present on a wide array of wellbeing topics. Trainees appreciate the dedicated support of a resident well-being specialist.

Q: In what ways do you plan to leverage technology to support employee well-being, streamline operational challenges and enhance overall workforce engagement?

ML: Our digital transformation strategy is centered on three main pillars: simplified access, care model redesign, and automation and artificial intelligence. By leveraging technology to enhance both accessibility and efficiency, we aim to improve workforce well-being by allowing staff to work at the top of their licenses and by reducing administrative burdens and cognitive load. The CWW team will collaborate with medical informatics leadership to manage changes associated with technological advancements and to assess the impact of new technology on caregivers' work experiences.

Q: How do you plan to align your strategies for workforce well-being to address the rapidly changing demands and pressures of the healthcare industry?

ML: Any strategic approach designed to respond to the evolving demands and pressures of the healthcare industry is closely linked to the well-being of the workforce, for better or worse. ChristianaCare is fully committed to integrating caregiver well-being into everything we do.

Enabling every caregiver to thrive is one of our foundational strategic pillars. We will support ongoing initiatives within the organization to address current challenges, bringing expertise in healthcare worker well-being and helping to shape organizational strategies. Our aim is to connect the dots between all our activities and their impact on our caregivers, highlighting this essential aspect as we collectively work to fulfill our mission of caring for all people.
NI Olympic hero goes for gold again as he makes final of RTE show: It would be nice to win...
My Money: Kerry comedian on his relationship with money

The 34-year-old, who now lives in Cork with his fiancee Laura and their two children, has featured in commercials for Lidl, Virgin Media and Bulmers, and his live shows have sold out the Cork Opera House and Vicar Street in Dublin.
The aircraft with its nose on the ground and tail lifted (Michail Savekin)

The moment the plane landed heavily at Belfast City Airport (Michail Savekin)

A plane spotter could hardly believe what he was witnessing when an Aer Lingus flight landed heavily on Sunday at Belfast City Airport  skidding down the runway in a shower of sparks.

Four crew members were aboard but no one was injured.

Michail Savekin was snapping the twin-engined aircraft as it came in around 4pm during one of the airports busiest weekends of the year.

The Aer Lingus-run Emerald Air regional flight from Edinburgh slammed nose first onto the tarmac after the front gear collapsed, prompting emergency services to rush to the scene.

All operations were suspended overnight, with flights diverted to Belfast International and Dublin Airports.

Belfast City reopened yesterday morning.

Michail said: Ive never seen anything like it before.

Sometimes you would see pilots circling around for a second attempt at a landing, but something as dramatic as that doesnt happen very often.

Id just gone to Belfast to the cinema, and as I do like plane spotting I thought Id round off the day at the airport for a bit of fun.

It was all a bit of a shock, to be honest. Theyre probably the best plane photos Ive managed to get.

There were some really strong gusts of wind around, but I didnt expect to catch anything like that.

I know Id just been to the movies, but it was like I was still in the cinema.

It was a bit chaotic  you just dont expect something like that to happen.

The aircraft with its nose on the ground and tail lifted (Michail Savekin)

The Air Accident Investigation Branch said: An investigation has begun into an accident involving a fixed-wing aircraft which occurred at Belfast City Airport.

AAIB inspectors have commenced the on-site investigation to gather evidence and make enquiries.

The airport yesterday urged passengers to check the status of their flights before travelling due to aircraft being out of position.

Sunday evening flights with Aer Lingus, KLM, British Airways and easyJet were cancelled, impacting passengers trying to get to cities including Amsterdam, London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

Travel expert Simon Calder said the knock-on effect will be the biggest headache for travellers, as although the runway at Belfast City Airport may be open again, flights will be far from normal.

What we saw at Belfast City Airport was extremely unusual, he added.

Suddenly youre going along from a perfectly normal Sunday afternoon to a situation where all flights are cancelled.

That is always going to be very difficult in a high pressure situation like an airport.

Wed already seen major disruption at the UKs busiest airport, London Heathrow, with some 100 flights cancelled and 15,000 people with their travel plans torn up.

While this certainly wasnt a crash landing, aviation is still wind and weather-dependent.

We had some very high winds on Sunday and this was clearly a very, very difficult landing  that is extremely unusual.

He said the nature of what happened meant affected passengers will not be eligible for compensation, as the incident was well beyond the airlines responsibility.

The main thing is that everyone was safe, he added.

But what immediately happens is that the runway is blocked and the aircraft is not going anywhere in a hurry. The investigators will want to find out what happened.

Aer Lingus Regional will be left one aircraft down, which is going to inevitably lead to more cancellations.

But, in context, we have had another year of unbelievably safe aviation around the world. The UK and Ireland have the safest aviation in the world.

The only thing I worry about when flying is the disruption that can happen.

He said the closure of Holyhead port, as well as other ferry cancellations and the situation at Belfast City Airport, mean it is a testing time for people travelling home for Christmas.

Adding to the Sunday night travel chaos, P&O Ferries axed journeys between Larne and Cairnryan due to the weather conditions.
Eamon Martin tells of concerns at social media posts by divisive celebs

The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland has called out toxic social media influencers and celebrities such as MMA fighter Conor McGregor for hijacking the faith and using religion to influence their followers.

Archbishop Eamon Martin also shared his thoughts on ways to engage young people in the Catholic faith and how the church could compete with the negative and dark side of the online world.

He told The Sunday Times it was important it was to have more positive role models within the faith to out-influence the negative influencers.

Archbishop Martin was asked about religious posts from celebrities like McGregor  who last month lost a High Court civil rape case in Dublin  and if they were affecting young men.

Sadly, it has been the case for many, many years. We dont have to look beyond our own country to see how sometimes religion or denominations can be used to foment discord rather than harmony, he told The Sunday Times.

You will often find that religion is hijacked by groups for their own purposes and the message of Christianity is distorted in particular dimensions.

In response to queries on Sunday by the Irish Independent, a spokesperson for Dr Martin said the archbishop was not referring to any Irish individual in his response to the question, nor did he mention anyone by name in his answer.

Last month, a jury found McGregor (36) had assaulted Nikita Hand after she took a civil case against him alleging she was raped by him on a night out, and awarded her 250,000 (207,000) in damages. The jury did not find his co-accused James Lawrence had assaulted her.

A judge ordered that McGregor pay his own and Ms Hands legal costs, which will come to more than 1m (830,000).

Conor McGregor

Since the jurys verdict, McGregor has written angrily several times on social media, including one post in which he hit out at what he said was a kangaroo court, leading the judge in the case to say he was considering taking action against the fighter for contempt.

In a recent post, the fighter said: I am in amazing spirits! God has chosen me, and I accept! Thank you to all those who  are supporting me in my fight  As God as my witness.

In another, he simply stated: Fight evil with the cross.

Archbishop Martin said that, while most people were able to see through the use of religious sentiments, it is important to clarify the churchs message.

I think that it is important sometimes for the church to point and say, Well, that is not what we teach, he added.

Most people are well aware of the Christian gospel and the message of Jesus Christ  a message of harmony, reconciliation, forgiveness, love, charity  it is not a message of the kind  that sometimes you are referring to, he said, adding that it is now a reality that the cult of the celebrity has moved into the world of social media, but that not all was negative.

He cited positive examples including US actor Mark Wahlberg, the American bishop Robert Barron who has 1.77 million subscribers on YouTube, and Guilherme Peixoto, a Portuguese priest and DJ who weaves homilies into his sets.

Rather than cursing the darkness, you light a light. You light a candle and, therefore, to have very prominent Catholic thinkers in the digital continent, out there on the digital highways, unafraid to express their faith is one way of letting young people see there are others out there also, he said.
Work on the 50m energy centre is on indefinite hold amid rising costs

An MLA has demanded answers after it emerged almost 10m has been spent on a green energy project at one of Northern Irelands main hospitals which has been put on indefinite hold.

Plans for the 50m energy centre in Belfast were scrapped in September amid rising costs and delays to the opening of the new maternity building and childrens facility.

The multi-storey centre was to be built to replace an existing boiler plant described in documents as nearing the end of its useful life. It was planned that the centre would power the Royal Group of Hospitals and was expected to be completed by this year.

Computer-generated image of the energy centre

Planning documents have closely linked the project to the planned childrens hospital at the Royal Victoria Hospital site. Work will only begin on that site next year.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said 9,514,155 was spent on the project by December 10. He was responding to a question from DUP MLA Diane Dodds.

Mrs Dodds said: I want to know who will be held accountable for this squander. She added: This appears to be the latest in a lengthy list of costly and misguided decisions by the Belfast Trust, and it cannot continue.

The Minister needs to act to establish some level of public confidence in the planning and delivery of major projects.

DUP health spokesperson Diane Dodds

Mr Nesbitt said the tenderers price had been four times the approved outline business case (OBC) cost and double their pre-tender estimate. The companys construction period was also almost twice as long as the previous estimate.

He said the project was abandoned after a review undertaken in January 2024.

A Gateway Review carried out for the Energy Centre in January 2024 received a delivery confidence rating of red, he added. The review panel recommended that the project should not proceed to the next phase until several issues are managed to an acceptable level of risk and the viability of the project/programme has been re-confirmed.

"The Trust accepted the findings and recommendations of the draft Gateway Review and acknowledged the shortcomings in terms of assurances around strategic need, options appraisal and procurement.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt

Following the concerns raised by the Gateway Team the Trust sought to develop an interim energy solution which would ensure the Trust were able to continue to deliver sufficient and reliable electrical and heating supplies to existing facilities on the Royal Hospitals site.

Mr Nesbitt said the interim solution would provide for the site for around 10 years, while accommodating additional requirements for the new Childrens Hospital. He said the pause would also allow the department to take stock of the renewable technology market.

The renewable technology market is going through a period of rapid change and a pause period would allow these technologies to be embedded before the Trust commits to a major project, he added.
Several areas across Northern Ireland have been impacted by traffic as shoppers grab last minute Christmas shopping. Traffic around Belfast, pictured on Sunday.

Traffic chaos hit Northern Ireland again as festive shoppers headed out on the day before Christmas Eve to grab some last-minute bargains.

Shoppers were making last-minute purchases before Christmas Day on Wednesday, and those in Belfast city centre found themselves in similar scenes to Sunday.

There were significant delays around the Boucher Road area as shoppers visited the Boucher Retail Shopping complex, while the Andersonstown junction of the Finaghy Road North also saw congestion.

The Beersbridge Road, alongside primary city link routes such as Donegal Square and Donegal Road were also filled with long queues of cars.

The Falls Road, Howard Street, the Upper Newtownards Road with the junction at Knock Road were briefly at a standstill, with similar scenes in the Kennedy Way off slip area and the Saintfield Road and Upper Knockbreda Road.

Several retail centres and shops have extended their opening hours ahead of Christmas Eve meaning the traffic congestion is likely set to continue until later this evening.

Separately, the PSNI advised road users that the Tobermore Road in Maghera is currently closed following a road traffic collision while delays are also expected in the Nutts Corner area of Crumlin following a one-vehicle collision.

The long delays in the city centre follows weeks of traffic chaos in the city with several infrastructure improvement works underway including on the Sydenham Bypass.

Infrastructure Minister John ODowd announced last week that class A and C taxis will be able to use a number of bus lanes during the festive period to reduce traffic congestion - an announcement which received a mixed reception.

Stephen Anton, communications manager at Fonacab and coordinator of the Licensed Taxi Operators Association, told BBC Radio Ulster that the move was too little and too late.

We did say that allowing taxis into bus lanes would help. Having seen the announcement, we dont think thats going to help as much as we wouldve liked, he said.

Clare Guinness, Belfast Chamber CEO, welcomed the move and said: These temporary measures introduced by the minister are to be welcomed as they will help address the traffic congestion in the run-up to Christmas, but it is vital that the other solutions under consideration are progressed as soon as possible.
Colleagues from Hollygate Lodge at Funeral of homeless woman from Belfast, Anne Hillman, at Roselawn Crematorium on the 23rd December 2024 (Photo by Luke Jervis / Belfast Telegraph)

Colleagues from Hollygate Lodge at Funeral of homeless woman from Belfast, Anne Hillman, at Roselawn Crematorium on the 23rd December 2024 (Photo by Luke Jervis / Belfast Telegraph)

Funeral of homeless woman from Belfast, Anne Hillman, at Roselawn Crematorium on the 23rd December 2024 (Photo by Luke Jervis / Belfast Telegraph)

Funeral of homeless woman from Belfast, Anne Hillman, at Roselawn Crematorium on the 23rd December 2024 (Photo by Luke Jervis / Belfast Telegraph)

The funeral of a homeless woman who was at the centre of a public appeal for attendees has taken place in Belfast.

Anne Hillman was living homeless in Dundonald, and passed away on November 29 in the care of her friends and staff at Hollygate Lodge Care Home.

Last week, a spokesperson from the North Down Funeral Directors said she had no known family and was a bit of a mystery but was absolutely adored by staff at Hollygate Lodge, where she had lived for the past ten months.

They then launched an appeal for people to attend her funeral, which took place this morning at Roselawn Crematorium in Belfast.

Ms Hillman had just celebrated her birthday before her death and with Christmas being her favourite time of year, the staff at the Care Home said they wanted to make it a special one for her.

The staff were planning to make it the best Christmas yet for her and bought presents for her. She even had a tree in her room, North Down Funeral Directors said in their appeal.

"We we would ask as many people to attend in order to give Ann the send off she deserved. Especially those who engaged with her during her time living outdoors.

A funeral notice said she would be known by many as the lady who lived in Moat Park Dundonald.

Ms Hillman previously made headlines back in 2018 after she was moved from living homeless in Belfast city centre to a park in Dundonald to keep her safe during the citys Culture Night at the time having previously lived in the Donegall Street area. The organisers of Culture Night said at the time there were concerns her belongings could have caught fire if she was not moved.

There in Dundonald she sought refuge under a tree along with her belongings, after being transported by volunteers from a homeless crisis charity.

Photographs from the service show several staff members from the Hollygate Lodge care home in Carryduff in attendance with other members of the public gathered inside the crematorium to pay their respects. The coffin also featured a large rose bouquet with a message from the staff saying: Love everyone at Hollygate x.

Ms Hillmans service was conducted by Reverend Steve Ames.

Anne Hillman Photo Credit Alan Lewis

Earlier this month in Co Carlow, a similar appeal for funeral attendees was launched for Mary Regan, 89, who lived in the county for nearly 20 years when she died on November 29 at a nursing home.

Care workers at the home she lived in said she did not have many visitors, and the passing of her husband, Fred, last year meant she had no family left meaning they were concerned she would be sent off alone.

More than 300 people showed up to her funeral following the last-minute appeal on Facebook. Funeral Director Rory Healy later told the Irish Independent he was overwhelmed by the response to his post.

Funeral of homeless woman from Belfast, Anne Hillman, at Roselawn Crematorium on the 23rd December 2024 (Photo by Luke Jervis / Belfast Telegraph)

Funeral of murder victim Karen Cummings takes place in Banbridge
Architects using kiosk beside 250-year-old endangered Assembly Rooms to highlight risks facing citys built heritage

The new Design Box in front of Belfast's Assembly Rooms

A disused red phone box in Belfast has become an unlikely exhibition space with a powerful message.

The kiosk has been transformed by John Donnelly with three finely detailed plaster cast architectural models to highlight the ongoing risk to the citys built heritage.

His Model Citizen project features the old Curzon Cinema that once stood on the Ormeau Road; the art deco Bank of Ireland building on Royal Avenue, which is due to be rejuvenated through the Belfast Stories initiative; and a city map highlighting the listed buildings in Belfast currently on the Heritage at Risk register.

The project was overseen by the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA).

The model of the Bank of Ireland building on Royal Avenue

The transformation of the phone box was the result of a design competition for early-career architects run in partnership with JP Corry.

Entitled Please replace the handset and try again, the competition was won by Julian Manev, James Boyd and Erl Johnston for their proposal for a micro-gallery to showcase all forms of local design.

RSUA director Ciaran Fox said: It is wonderful to see whats possible when creativity is put at the heart of the process of reimagining even the smallest elements of our built environment.

RSUA acquired the telephone box as part of the BT Adopt a Kiosk scheme last year.

He added: When we adopted this listed phone box it was completely rundown and attracting a lot of anti-social behaviour.

Julian, James and Erl have delivered something beautiful.

Mr Manev thanked Mark Todd Architects for supporting them in the process, working alongside Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District and Obin Specialist Joinery to bring the design to life.

Its been a joy to see members of the public engaging with the Design Box, the first of its kind, and for local talent to have such a unique space in which to display their work, he said.

The new Design Box in front of Belfast's Assembly Rooms

Mr Fox said: I hope the project not only shines a light on the exhibits, but also on the need for urgent action to save the historically important Assembly Rooms, which are the backdrop to the phone box.

The building hosted the Harp Festival of 1792 at which Edward Bunting notated, and in doing so, preserved much of the ancient music of Ireland which was in danger of being lost as the aural tradition faded.

This is a small project on the corner. But corner by corner, with a creative approach, we could make a big collective impact on the city.

The condition of the 250-year-old Assembly Rooms on the corner of North Street and Waring Street has been described as catastrophic, and Belfast City Council has been urged to step in and save the listed building before it is too late.

The company behind the stalled 500m Tribeca project in that part of the city had earmarked the former Northern Bank as a potential boutique hotel.

But campaigners are calling on the council to refuse planning permission and make public use of the space instead.

The Design Box gives a new lease of life to the disused phone kiosk while also paying homage to its original function of communication.

As the exhibition changes regularly, members of the public will have the opportunity to engage with the Design Boxs content around-the-clock.
It was horrendous: Victim of same-sex domestic abuse speaks out as ex-partner jailed for campaign of harassment

Davina Greer has waived her anonymity to warn others about her abuser

Davina Greer whose ex-partner has been sentenced to 6 months in prison for harassment, at her home in Lisburn on the 19th December 2024 Pic: Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph

Liam Tunney Mon 23 Dec 2024 at 07:08

A Northern Ireland woman who suffered years of coercive, controlling behaviour at the hands of her female ex-partner has described her horrendous ordeal.
Police are treating the incident as arson. Stock image

Police have said severe damage was caused to a house in Newry after an arson attack in the early hours of the morning.

The blaze happened in the Mourne View Park area of the city.

PSNI Detective Sergeant Johnston said: Shortly before 2am, it was reported that a wheelie bin had been pushed against the front door of the property and set alight.

Colleagues from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service also attended the scene.

Thankfully, there was no one inside at the time of the incident, which has resulted in severe damage being caused to the front door, and internal smoke damage to the property.

We are treating this as arson with intent to endanger life, and our officers remain at the scene this morning, conducting enquiries.

We are appealing to anyone with any information, including any dash cam or mobile phone footage, or who may have witnessed any suspicious activity, to get in touch.

The number to call is 101, quoting reference number 96 of 23/12/24.
A teenager caught driving at a grossly excessive speed in Co Tyrone has been handed an extended disqualification.

Police carrying out a routine patrol on the M1 motorway at Dungannon on August 31, detected an Audi A3 travelling at 102mph  32mph in excess of the legal limit.

Liam Riley Gange (19) from Main Street, Maguiresbridge, accepted the offence at the scene and was advised he would be reported for prosecution.

A defence solicitor at Dungannon Magistrates Court pointed out the road in question reduced risk, with no potential of any vehicles approaching in the opposite direction.

It was also contended the police officer at the scene had advised Gange he would make a note that the road was clear of traffic and weather conditions were good, however, this was not contained within any statements provided to the court.

Deputy District Judge Philip Mateer told Gange: The court would be failing in its duty if it were not to disqualify you for driving at 102mph.

It was a grossly excessive speed all the more so for an inexperienced driver who has only been driving for around a year.

He imposed a fine of 500 and disqualified driving for 12 months.
Alaa Abd El-Fattahs mother Laila Soueif, centre, has been on hunger strike for 85 days (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

A jailed UK-Egypt pro-democracy activist feels hurt by Sir Keir Starmer not raising his case with his Egyptian counterpart, according to his family.

Campaigners have urged the Prime Minister to step up his efforts to help free Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who has been detained since 2019 and is unable to see his young son who lives in Brighton.

Human rights experts, including Amnesty International secretary general Agnes Callamard, have written to Sir Keir insisting Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi can resolve this case with the stroke of a pen and they are convinced the Prime Ministers direct intervention is needed.

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Succession actor Brian Cox, addressing Sir Keir in a video message, also said: Its time to make the call, Prime Minister. Pick up the phone and bring Alaa home for Christmas. Were counting on you.

In December 2021, Mr Abd El-Fattah was sentenced to five years in prison after being accused of spreading false news and the Free Alaa campaign says he should have been released in September this year based on his time served behind bars since 2019.

His mother, Laila Soueif, 68, has been on hunger strike for 85 days and will continue her action in London until she hears news about her son being released or she collapses and is hospitalised.

Sir Keir raised Mr Abd El-Fattahs plight with Mr Sisi in August but he did not raise the case at the recent G20 summit attended by the pair, according to the Foreign Office.

Alaa Abd El-Fattahs sister Sanaa Seif, left, said her brother was so hurt to hear the Prime Minister had met the Egyptian president and not talked about his case (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The two leaders reportedly met on the sidelines of the summit in Brazil.

Sanaa Seif, who travelled to Cairo to visit her brother in prison last week, said: Alaa was so, so hurt to hear that the Prime Minister met Sisi at the G20 and didnt even raise his name.

This is the first time Sisi met a British prime minister and didnt have to talk about Alaa.

On Keir Starmer, Alaa said hes not treating me as if I am a British citizen.

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Mr Abd El-Fattah has spent most of the past decade in prison because of his criticism of Egypts rulers.

Amnesty International, Redress, Reprieve and FairSquare are among the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and human rights experts who have written to Sir Keir asking for his direct engagement in efforts to free Mr Abd El-Fattah.

Labour peer Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, a leading human rights barrister, and Sir Bill Browder, head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, are among the signatories of the letter.

The campaigners told the Prime Minister: At this point, we are convinced that your direct intervention with President Sisi, who can resolve this case with the stroke of a pen, is needed.

We ask you to use all means at your disposal to unlock progress on Alaas case and to end his unlawful imprisonment.

In recent years, a number of other European countries have succeeded in having their nationals released and allowed to return from Egypt, in cases that appeared every bit as difficult as Alaas.

They added: Prime Minister, Alaa has remarkable support in the UK and internationally, from Nobel laureates and UN human rights experts to world leaders, and from the editorial boards of The Times and The Guardian to The Washington Post.

We cannot overstate the level of support for your efforts on his behalf, nor the outpouring of relief and happiness that would result if Alaa were finally to be freed.

Downing Street said Sir Keir will raise the case in his next talks with Mr Sisi.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: It remains our priority to secure the release of Mr El-Fattah so he can be reunited with his family.

We continue to raise his case at the highest levels. The Prime Minister raised his case with President Sisi in August. The Foreign Secretary has raised the case multiple times, including most recently a few days ago on December 20.

At all levels, whether ministers or officials, we continue to call for consular access to Mr El-Fattah.

Asked whether the Prime Minister would raise the case in his next meeting with the Egyptian president, the spokesman said: I dont know when those next talks will be, but yes, as he has done previously.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman insisted Mr Abd El-Fattah is being treated as a British citizen.

Asked what the Prime Ministers message would be to Mr Abd El-Fattahs mother, the spokesman said: Were doing everything we can to secure his release as a priority.
Lord Mandelson will become the next UK ambassador to the US (Yui Mok/PA)

Downing Street has rejected suggestions that Lord Mandelson becoming the UKs ambassador to the US will cause more problems than benefits for the UK after he was insulted by a Donald Trump adviser.

Number 10 defended the Labour grandee as a significant asset to the transatlantic relationship after Chris LaCivita, an architect of the president-elects 2024 campaign, called him an absolute moron.

Asked whether the remark indicated that his appointment would be more problematic than beneficial for the UK, Sir Keir Starmers official spokesman said: No his appointment shows just how seriously were taking this relationship.

He has got extensive foreign policy and economic policy expertise, particularly in the crucial issues of trade, business links. Hes got experience at the highest levels of government and it will be a significant asset in the UKs relationship with the United States.

US President-elect Donald Trump met Sir Keir Starmer in September (Suzanne Plunkett/PA)

Labour peer Lord Mandelson has indicated he believes Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a friend of Mr Trump, could serve as a link between the British Government and the Republican president-elect.

Asked whether the Prime Minister would like Lord Mandelson to work with Mr Farage in relation to the new White House administration, the spokesman said Sir Keir had already started to begin to build a relationship with president-elect Trump.

The two leaders had a good phone call last week as well as a two-hour dinner in New York in September, the spokesman said.

Lord Mandelson, who will take up the role in early 2025, said it was a great honour to serve the country in this way after the appointment was confirmed.

His trade experience is seen as a strength amid concerns over what the second Trump presidency could mean for the UK, with the Republican politician having pledged to introduce wide-ranging tariffs.

However, the Labour grandees past remarks about Mr Trump  who he once described as little short of a white nationalist and racist  may yet plague attempts to foster close US-UK relations.

Mr LaCivita, a senior adviser to Mr Trumps 2024 election campaign, has already hit back at the Labour peer after his words emerged, describing Lord Mandelson as an absolute moron.

The peer was one of the architects of New Labour, helping to restore the party to power in the 1990s.

He served as trade secretary and Northern Ireland secretary under Tony Blair but stood down as an MP in 2004 to become a European Commissioner.

He returned to government in 2008 when Mr Brown awarded him a peerage and appointed him business secretary.

More recently, Lord Mandelson stood to be the next chancellor of Oxford University but lost out to former Conservative leader Lord Hague.
The economy is among the topics covered by the nations Monday papers.

The Times reports a Labour cabinet minister has called the state of Britains economy disappointing, as the Daily Mail and Daily Express lead with business chiefs warning the UK is heading towards a recession.

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Meanwhile, The Telegraph says Britains new ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson, is willing to work with Nigel Farage in an effort to win over the Trump administration.

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More than 100 million was spent last year on failed efforts to block support for children and young people with special education needs, according to The Guardian.

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The Daily Mirror reports a three-year-old British boy is hoping for a life-saving double organ transplant for Christmas.

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The Sun leads with heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury assuring fans it is not over following his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia.

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And the Daily Star says a new poll has revealed cleanliness will take a back seat for millions of Britons over the festive period.
The King during the recording of his Christmas message at Fitzrovia Chapel in central London (Aaron Chown/PA)

The Kings Christmas message will focus on the efforts of healthcare workers following a year that saw Charles and the Princess of Wales treated for cancer.

The King will also use his annual address to the nation to hail communities who came together in solidarity in the aftermath of rioting, following the fatal Southport stabbings of three young girls.

The message was recorded at Fitzrovia Chapel, a former sacred space of the demolished Middlesex Hospital where Diana, Princess of Wales opened Londons first dedicated Aids ward.

The King during the recording of his Christmas message at Fitzrovia Chapel in central London (Aaron Chown/PA)

It is understood the speech will reflect on international, national and personal challenges and how they can be overcome by communities supporting one another.

Carla Whalen, chair of the Fitzrovia Chapel Foundations board of trustees, said about the filming: I assume that this space being one of calm reflection, but also thinking about health, about care, about the medical profession, would make it a pretty apt choice.

In keeping with the Kings desire to go out into the community, he tasked the team organising the broadcast to find a site away from the royal estate.

He gave them a criteria the building must fulfil, including having health connections, a strong community presence and providing all faiths and none a place of solace and reflection.

They discovered the Grade II* listed building in central London which has Byzantine-inspired architecture and is richly decorated in a Gothic revival style featuring marble and more than 500 stars in a gold leaf ceiling.

Charles picked the chapel without visiting and was left absolutely bowled over by its beauty, said a source.

Ms Whalen said of his arrival: He was pretty surprised and kind of delighted, as far as I can tell, from coming in and discovering it.

Interior view of Fitzrovia Chapel in London where the King recorded his Christmas message (Nick Harrison/Alamy/PA)

He was very interested in the marble, theres 40 types of marble here and lots of different designs and he wanted to learn about the history of the chapel and some of the people who are commemorated here.

Charles recorded his message on December 11, one of the rare times a building outside the royal estate has been used, with the late Queen recording her message at Southwark Cathedral in 2006 and at Combermere Barracks in Windsor three years earlier.

Speaking about the Kings criteria for the building, the source said: Obviously it made sense it had some form of health connection, because that of course has been a dominant theme for the family in all kinds of different ways.

Secondly and equally importantly, that it should speak in some way of bringing communities together thirdly of course it does help if it looks rather beautiful and is a place of spiritual solace and reflection.

The source added the King was absolutely bowled over by how beautiful it was and how special a place it is.

Charles announced in February he had been diagnosed with cancer, following treatment for an enlarged prostate, and the following month the Princess of Wales revealed she was undergoing a course of chemotherapy, since completed, and she has made a partial return to public duties.

The King with the Princess of Wales, both of whom have been treated for cancer (Daniel Leal/PA)

The Kings ongoing treatment is understood to be heading in a positive direction, and after initially postponing all public-facing engagements he returned to events in April, carried out a major southern hemisphere tour in October and his diary in the run-up to Christmas appears very similar to his pre-cancer period.

Fitzrovia Chapel, designed by architect John Loughborough Pearson with work beginning in 1891, is a few minutes walk from Oxford Street, Europes busiest shopping destination, but offers a tranquil space and is a popular wedding venue and arts exhibition site.

It was used by patients, medical staff and the public visiting the Middlesex Hospital, which closed in 2006 and had stood on the site since 1755 before being demolished in 2008.

Following the broadcast the Christmas tree, a living specimen covered with sustainable decorations, was donated to Croydon BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) Forum and Macmillan Cancer Supports Can You C Me? project that strives to tackle ethnic inequalities in cancer care.

It will be placed in the Royal Trinity Hospice in Clapham, south London, which has the Queen as its patron.
Suspect Luigi Mangione is taken into the Blair County Courthouse December 10 (Benjamin B Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

The man accused of fatally shooting the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare is expected to be arraigned in a Manhattan court on murder and terror charges on Monday.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was formally charged last week by the Manhattan district attorney with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.

He will face two trials for his alleged crimes: a state case and a federal prosecution, which will run parallel.

Luigi Mangiones booking photo provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (Pennsylvania Department of Corrections via AP)

His initial appearance in the New York State Supreme Court was pre-empted by federal prosecutors bringing their charges over the shooting.

The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

Authorities say Mangione gunned down Brian Thompson as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan on the morning of December 4.

Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonalds after a five-day search, carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID, police said.

He also was carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, according to federal prosecutors.

At a news conference announcing the state charges on Tuesday, Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg said the application of the terrorism law reflected the severity of a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.

In its most basic terms, this was a killing that was intended to evoke terror, he added.

Luigi Mangione leaves the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania (Gene J Puskar/AP)

And weve seen that reaction.

Mangiones lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo has accused federal and state prosecutors of advancing conflicting legal theories.

In federal court last week, she called their approach very confusing and highly unusual.

Mangione is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean Diddy Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.

He was extradited from Pennsylvania on Thursday and quickly rushed to New York City, where he was seen wearing an orange jumpsuit as he was led away from a helicopter by heavily armed police officers and New York City mayor Eric Adams.

Luigi Mangione, being escorted by police, in New York on December 19 (Pamela Smith/AP)

Mr Adams said he was hoping to send a message to the suspect: I wanted to look him in the eye and say you carried out this terroristic act in my city  the city that the people of New York love, the mayor told a local TV station.

I wanted to be there to show the symbolism of that.

An Ivy-league graduate from a prominent Maryland family, Mangione appeared to have cut himself off from family and friends in recent months.

He posted frequently in online forums about his struggles with back pain.

He was never a UnitedHealthcare client, according to the insurer.
Experience sun on skin and living like a local without the madding summer crowds

Finding some warmth in December without flying long haul and spending the kids inheritance to get there can be a challenge. The Canary Islands are always popular with Irish holidaymakers. However, for those who want to do something a little different, the Greek island of Crete is the perfect choice.
BENNINGTON  The Sandgate man accused back in September of gross negligence and reckless endangerment stemming from a July incident involving two Jeeps that resulted in a woman being severely injured was arraigned Monday in Bennington on a third count  driving with a suspended license and DUI from a separate incident September 12.

Austin Carrier, 20, was arraigned September 16th for an incident last July in Sandgate when Carrier was using a chain to tow an 18-year-old woman, Jalen Davis, with his Jeep. On July 15, Davis was steering a green 1994 Jeep Cherokee towed with a chain by Carrier, according to VSP. As Carrier was driving his white 2001 Jeep Cherokee up an incline on South East Corners Road, near the intersection with Woodcock Road, the driveshaft broke  causing both vehicles to uncontrollably roll backward.

Carrier jumped out of his Jeep. Seeing Carrier jump out in front of her, Davis exited; however, she tripped and fell. Davis was unable to move out of the way in time, and the white 2001 Jeep Cherokee rolled over her, causing serious bodily injury, including a broken hip in two places and a brain bleed.

According to a police affidavit, Davis told investigators that Carrier had jumped out instead of trying to brake because the brakes in his Jeep were not functioning.

VSP responded to the scene alongside Arlington Rescue, and Davis was ultimately flown to Albany Medical Center.

In the added charge, on September 12th, Carrier was allegedly driving a 2003 Subaru Legacy on VT Route 30 in Dorset when a Vermont State Police cruiser approaching in the opposite direction noticed a grinding noise as the Subaru approached. As it got closer, the trooper observed significant damage to the front, the drivers side front tire blown out down to the bare rim, with the rim shooting out sparks. The trooper gave chase, trying to catch up to the speeding vehicle.

The trooper then observed the vehicle parked with its lights off in a private residential driveway on Fox Lane off Route 30 with the driver, Carrier, walking quickly from the car to the residence. Carrier was ordered to stop. A quick check revealed a suspended license. A DUI investigation was then initiated after responding police noticed Carriers allegedly glassy eyes and the odor of intoxicants on his body. A breathalyzer revealed a BAC of .135%. Carrier was taken into custody and later released with a citation to appear.

Carrier is facing a possible 16 years behind bars on the negligence and reckless endangerment charges. He faces additional time on the DSL/DUI charge.

According to prosecutors, there is a chance that Carrier will be granted youthful offender status, and will be prosecuted accordingly. Vermont Defendants can be considered juveniles up until the age of 22. The current condition of Davis is unclear as of press time. The Banner will update this story as more information becomes available.
PITTSFIELD  The state Department of Children and Families has opened an investigation of the retired Pittsfield High School English teacher who is being sued by a former student for sexual harassment during her junior year last school year, The Eagle has learned. The investigation around Robert Barsanti is the fifth case that DCF has opened that involves a current or former educator at Pittsfield High.

Ryan P. McLane, the students attorney, confirmed information from a source who said DCF is also investigating Barsanti after reading about the student's lawsuit in The Eagle. The agency has communicated with McLane and the girls family about the investigation. McLane said that he and the family also are in discussions about that investigation, but would provide no other details.

The student is suing Barsanti, her junior year English teacher, in federal court. The Eagle is not naming the student because she is a minor.

The student, now 17, also named Pittsfield Public Schools as a defendant in her complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield on Sept. 26. Her claim is that school officials received similar complaints from other students and did nothing, allowing Barsantis behavior to continue to the point where she had to switch classes to get away from him.

Barsanti and his attorney, Jeffrey J. Trapani, have not responded to Eagle messages seeking comment.

This new investigation marks the fifth probe by the state agency stemming from alleged conduct by current and former employees of Pittsfield High ever since a dean was arrested on Dec. 11 and charged with cocaine trafficking. The arrest of Dean of Students Lavante Wiggins as part of an FBI investigation into gang activity is what sparked new revelations flowing from the high school of alleged inappropriate conduct with students or relationships with minors.

As a result, three current Pittsfield High School employees are on administrative leave as the DCF investigates. They include Wiggins, Vice Principal Alison Shepard, and Dean of Students Molly West.

The DCF is also investigating Taverick Tank Roberson for alleged conduct while he was employed as a teacher at Pittsfield High. Roberson has worked at the Berkshire Family YMCA since August. He is on administrative leave pending the results of that investigation.

In a related DCF investigation, the state suspended the license of a city day care operated by Wiggins' girlfriend from their home.

Barsanti retired in June. His retirement followed a Title IX complaint seven months earlier by the student who filed the lawsuit. That complaint was filed with Pittsfield Public Schools on Nov. 1, 2023, alleging discrimination due to her female gender, according to court documents.

The Title IX investigator found Barsantis unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that was so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive" that it affected the students education, according to the lawsuit.

Barsanti, 59, had been hired to teach at Pittsfield High in 2006 after similar controversies at his previous job teaching at Nantucket High School.
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Have you ever seen a dragon in a nativity before? Although not as commonly seen, there are people who add one. Why on earth would a dragon be among the donkeys, sheep, and cows? This is not in reference to a mythical creature, but rather a name that Satan himself is referred to in Revelation 20:2.

We know that the Devil can only be in one place at one time. Why would it not surprise us that when Jesus came to earth, the enemy would be right there waiting to attack or cause trouble?

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days (Revelation 12:1-6).

Could Satan Have Been at Jesus Birth?

Revelation is a book with a lot of symbolism and various interpretations among believers. As we dive in, please know that this is one interpretation of Scripture. There is no place in the gospel accounts of Jesus birth mentioning a dragon, however as we view the Bible as a whole, this is a legitimate belief and worth pondering.

Do you not find it amazing that Mary was pregnant and about to give birth to Jesus, and Satan is described as standing in front of her. If you have ever encountered spiritual warfare, you know that when you are following the Lords will, the enemy will come against you. I can only imagine the lies that Satan was telling to Mary. Perhaps something like: You cannot have this baby or how horrible to be giving birth in a stable, how could this really be the Son of God?

But then, Mary gave birth to Jesus. He is identified in Revelation 12:5 by the fulfilled prophecy of ruling the nations with an iron scepter (Psalm 2:9). There are also references in this passage to the original fall of Satan with 1/3 of the angel population.

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down  that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him (Revelation 12:7-9).

Here we read that the great dragon is the ancient serpent, Satan. He is clearly identified. He and his demons are on the earth and their goal is shared, To lead the whole world astray.

The Role of the Dragon in the Birth of Jesus

As Mary gave birth to the Savior of the world, I am convinced that Satan was there. No place was a greater threat to his worldly kingdom at that time. Yahweh was coming.

Another very legitimate view is that the pregnant woman in Revelation is Israel because Jesus came from her. The male child is Jesus, however was this End Times prophecy connected to the birth of Christ? We do not know for certain. However, as we wrap up our study on the birth of Jesus, may we remember that even though Satan caused humanity to sin, that he himself was still under the authority of God. (We see this a lot in the book of Job.)

Jesus was never truly threatened by Satan when coming to earth; He is God. However, just like in a sporting event, when the other team comes to your territory, there is a threat of defeat. Satan knew that his time was short and the true King of kings had come. Satan did everything in his limited power to stop Jesus, but he failed. Later, he would try to tempt Jesus by twisting the word of God, but Jesus never sinned. It may have even looked as if Jesus lost at the cross, but the enemy knew that it was finished.

We do not need to fear the idea of Satan being present at the nativity, or be hyper-focused on him. This should give us even more peace and confidence that our Savior Jesus has come, and it was about to be game over for Satan. Sin would no longer have a hold on all the believers past, present, and future. It was for freedom that Christ came to set us free. And in the stillness of the night, gazing upon the face of God, just hours out of the womb, Gods rescue plan was in motion. We serve a glorious Redeemer.

Where Else Do We See the Dragon in Scripture?

The word dragon is drakon meaning: a dragon or huge serpent; met: Satan.

For further study, the dragon appears in the following Scripture passages:

3 Things to Know about the Dragon

1. The Devil Is Seen from Genesis to Revelation

From the beginning of Scripture through the end, the Devil is consistently identified as the serpent or the dragon. His deceptive character comes out, and he appears to be a terrifying threat to us, but not to Jesus. Yes, He caused trouble for Jesus, but Satan was never equal or greater to God.

I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel (Genesis 3:15).

"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you (Romans 16:20).

2. The Dragon Is Satan

Even though there is debate over this passage in Revelation, we know that the dragon is for sure Satan.

John 10:10 reminds us, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

3. The Dragon Is Defeated

We can celebrate Jesus coming and rest assured in our salvation because the dragon has been defeated. Have you ever heard a good story about a knight in shining armor conquering the dragon to rescue the princess and save the people? If so, you will love the fact that this is not a fairytale, this is real life. Jesus defeated the dragon, and we partake in His victory. May this inspire us as a new year approaches to allow victorious living to take place every day.

Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

Lessons We Can Learn from the Dragon

Whether Revelation 12 is about Mary or Israel, it is a reference to Jesus birth and the Devils desire to defeat Him. However, Satan has always and will always be under the authority of God.

The dragon has a temporary power, but the power of Jesus is forever.

The dragon is not to be feared or glorified in the life of a believer, but to be a reminder of the victory that we have in Christ.

More from this series

The Inn Keeper

Mary

Joseph

Baby Jesus

The Shepherds

The Animals

The Angels

Photo credit: Getty Images/kirstypargeter
How well do you know the Christmas story?

Most of us know the general outline because weve heard or sung it or watched it being enacted in the Christmas programs that most churches offer during December. We know about the shepherds, the angels, the Wise Men, the star, the innkeeper, the long journey of Mary and Joseph, the baby in the manger, and we know about the gold, frankincense and myrrh. But how much of what we know is tradition and how much comes from the Bible?

For the last several years David Langerfeld, associate pastor of Harrisburg Baptist Church in Tupelo, has given a Christmas IQ test to his Sunday School class. I should warn you that this is a tough quiz. When I took it, I missed several questions. Try taking it first without checking the Bible to see how well you know the real Christmas story.

Scroll to the end to read the answers (along with a few additional comments from me).

1. Joseph was originally from... (Luke 2:3)

A. Bethlehem

B. Nazareth

C. Hebron

D. Jerusalem

E. None of the above



2. What does the Bible say that the innkeeper said to Mary and Joseph? (Luke 2:7)

A. There is no room in the inn.

B. I have a stable you can use.

C. Come back later and I should have some vacancies.

D. Both A and B

E. None of the above



3. A manger is a...

A. Stable for domestic animals

B. Wooden hay storage bin

C. Feeding trough

D. Barn



4. Which animals does the Bible say were present at Jesus birth?

A. Cows, sheep, goats

B. Cows, donkeys, goats

C. Sheep and goats only

D. Miscellaneous barnyard animals

E. None of the above



5. Who saw the star in the east?

A. Shepherds

B. Mary and Joseph

C. Three kings

D. Both A and C

E. None of the above



6. According to the Bible, how did Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem?

A. Camel

B. Donkey

C. Walked

D. Joseph walked, Mary rode a donkey

E. Horse-drawn chariot

F. Who knows?



7. How many angels spoke to the shepherds? (Luke 2:10)

A. One

B. Three

C. Multitude

D. None of the above



8. What did the angels say/sing? (Luke 2:14)

A. Glory to God in the highest, etc.

B. Alleluia

C. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given

D. Joy the world, the Lord is come

E. Glory to the newborn King



9. What is a heavenly host?

A. The angel at the gate of heaven

B. The angel who serves refreshments in heaven

C. An angel choir

D. An angel army

E. None of the above



10. There was snow that first Christmas...

A. Only in Bethlehem

B. All over Israel

C. Nowhere in Israel

D. Somewhere in Israel



11. What is frankincense?

A. A precious metal

B. A precious fabric

C. A precious perfume

D. None of the above



12. In Matthew, what does wise men or Magi refer to?

A. Men of the educated class

B. Eastern kings

C. Men who studied the stars

D. Sages



13. What is myrrh?

A. Middle Eastern money

B. A drink

C. An easily shaped metal

D. A spice used for burying people

E. None of the above



14. How many wise men came to see Jesus?

A. 3

B. 6

C. 9

D. 12

E. We dont know.

15. Where did the wise men find Jesus? (Matthew 2:11)

A. In a manger

B. In a stable

C. In Nazareth

D. In Saudi Arabia

E. In a house

F. None of the above



16. When the wise men found Jesus he was... (Matthew 2:11)

A. A babe wrapped in swaddling clothes

B. A young child

C. A boy in the temple

D. A grown man



17. The star in the east that the wise men followed... (Matthew 2:9)

A. Stayed in the same place their entire journey

B. Disappeared and reappeared

C. Moved ahead of them and stopped over the place where Jesus was

D. Was just a mirage

E. None of the above



18. The wise men stopped in Jerusalem... (Matthew 2:2)

A. To inform Herod about Jesus

B. To find out where Jesus was

C. To ask about the star

D. To buy presents

E. None of the above



19. Where do we find the Christmas story?

A. Matthew

B. Mark

C. Luke

D. John

E. All of the above

F. Only A and B

G. Only A and C

H. Only A, B and C



20. When Joseph found Mary was pregnant, what happened?

A. They got married

B. Joseph wanted to break the engagement

C. Mary left town for three months

D. A and B

E. B and C



21. Who told (made) Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem? (Luke 2:1-5)

A. The angel chorus

B. Marys mother

C. Herod

D. The shepherds

E. Caesar Augustus

Answers are below. Your comments are always welcome.

You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free weekly email sermon.

***ANSWERS***

Here are the answers to David Langerfelds Christmas IQ Quiz. I have added my comments to a few answers.

1. A. He worked and lived in Nazareth, but he was returning to Bethlehem - his own city (See Luke 2:3).

2. E. The innkeeper didnt say anything (See Luke 2:7). The Bible doesnt even mention an innkeeper because the inn was probably more like a guest room in a house.

3. C. Feeding trough - Interestingly enough, most mangers in New Testament times were made of stone. If you visit Israel today, you can see stone mangers used by Solomon to feed his horses at Megiddo.

4. E. The Bible doesnt say, we just assume that since Jesus was born in a stable that there were various barnyard animals present. This is really a double assumption because the Bible doesnt mention a barn or a stable. However, the feeding trough was used by animals so a stable or barn adjoining a home would be a reasonable inference.

5. E. This is a trick question. The magi saw the star. However, the Bible doesnt say how many there were and they were not kings, but astronomers (see answer 14).

6. F. Although the modern pictures in my Childrens Bible show Mary on a donkey with Joseph beside her, the Bible doesnt say!

7. A. Luke 2:10. A semi-trick question because verses 13-14 record what the angel company said as they praised God together. However, only one angel spoke directly to the shepherds.

8. A. Luke 2:14.

9. D. The word means army - literally thousands. Now, since there was a multitude of the heavenly army (hosts), there could easily have been from 10,000 - 100,000 angels there that night! No wonder the shepherds were sore afraid"! I missed this one when I took the quiz because I thought the word host referred only to a large multitude, but D is correct. It refers to a heavenly army of angels.

10. D. Another trick question. There is always snow on Mt. Hermon. I thought this was a very good question that I missed when I took the quiz.

11. C. Frankincense was used in the temple worship of the Lord. It represents his deity because he is truly God born in human flesh.

12. C. The word Magi literally means star-gazers. Although there is no Biblical record of exactly who they were or their point of origin, I personally believe that they were descendants of the wise men of Babylon. I believe that God, in His great providence, used Daniel (while he was in captivity in Babylon), to teach these men about future events - including the birth of the Savior of the world. Read Daniel 5:11 - Daniel was put in charge of these men! David chose C. Men who studied the stars so thats the answer were going with. But A or D would work also. Who were the magi? They were the professors and philosophers of their day. They were trained in history, religion, prophecy and astronomy. They were also trained in what we would call astrology.



13. D. Herod was buried with over 150 lbs. of Myrrh wrapped in his burial clothes. Myrrh was used in embalming in those days. John 19:39 tells us that Jesus body was bound in linen wrappings along with 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes. The gift of myrrh pictures his suffering and death.



14. E. We dont know. They were magi, not wise men - but the Bible doesnt give the number. Many people assume that there were three because of the three gifts. However, in ancient times these men usually traveled in caravans of ten to twelve, along with a full entourage for protection.

15. E. Read Matthew 2:11 (see next answer)

16. B. Read Matthew 2:11 When the Shepherds found Jesus (Luke 2), he was a babe in a manger. The Greek word used in Luke 2 is for a newborn baby. However, by the time the Magi appeared, Jesus had been moved from the manger to a house (verse 11) and the Greek word used in Matthew is for toddler or young child. He was probably somewhere between 12-24 months old. David is totally correct on this point. In many of our Christmas programs, we bring the magi and the shepherds to worship Jesus together at the manger. Nice thought and it makes for a beautiful scene, but it didnt happen that way. The shepherds were there the night Jesus was born. The magi came months later.

17. C. Read Matthew 2:9 Most people miss this question. The star did not stay stationary over the manger or the house. This verse makes it clear that the star moved in front of the magi and guided them till it stood over where the young child was. I missed this one because I chose B. The star disappeared and reappeared. I think you can infer that from Matthew 2:9, which can be read to say that they saw the star in the east, knew from prior study that the baby was to be born in Bethlehem, and made the journey across the desert. And then the star reappeared when they journeyed to Bethlehem. Thats a possible reading of the text. But A. Stayed in the same place is clearly wrong. So heres the deal. Were going with C. because thats what the quiz says. B. is possible but you get no credit, only my sympathy for missing it with me.

18. B. Read Matthew 2:2. They assumed Herod would know. I find it fascinating that although the scribes knew exactly where the Messiah was to be born (according to Micah 5:2), they were not interested enough to travel the four or five miles to Bethlehem to see for themselves. (Several commenters note that the Magi wouldnt have known Jesus name. Very true, which is part of what makes this quiz trickyand so much fun. They were looking for the one born King of the Jews. They would have found out later that his name was Jesus. But that aside, B is still the only possible answer.)

19. G. Isnt it amazing how God divinely inspired these two gospel writers to write His exact words, but he used their interests and professions to recall different aspects of Jesus birth. Matthew, a tax collector, records the genealogy of Jesus (used for taxation) and the magi - men of means from a foreign country. Luke, a physician, records the pregnancy and birth.

20. E. Joseph wants to put her away secretly and Mary left town to see her cousin. Matthew 1:19 and Luke 1:39, 56 The phrasing here is ambiguous. This question is really asking what happened first because A, B and C all happened eventually. D would be correct if you reversed the order. The correct order is probably C, B, A. Davids answer is E so thats what Im going with, but if you prefer C, that works too.

21. E. There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus... everyone into his own city...  (Luke 2:1-5). This is a tricky question because Caesar Augustus never met Mary and Joseph and almost certainly never even heard of them. He made them return to Bethlehem only in the sense that he gave the order for the census, forcing Joseph and Mary to make the difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in the latter stages of Marys pregnancy.





Related: Listen to our new podcast, The Characters of Christmas with Dan Darling. You can find all of our episodes at LifeAudio.com. Here's Episode 1:

Visit Crosswalk's Christmas Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LuvChristmas.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Chad Madden
IIT-B joins hands with Tohoku University to offer MTech and PhD dual degree programmes

December 23, 2024 | Monday | News

To foster cross-border academic collaboration

The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japan's Tohoku University to launch the IIT Bombay-Tohoku University Joint Academic & Research Programme.

The initiative will feature collaborative Masters and PhD programmes, providing participants with the unique opportunity to receive dual mentorship from experts at both IIT Bombay and Tohoku University.

In addition, students will gain access to world-class research facilities, cutting-edge resources, and the opportunity to immerse themselves in the academic environments of two prestigious universities. This partnership is designed to foster cross-border academic collaboration, enriching the learning journey and advancing research in various fields of study.

The programme will initially focus on a dual degree initiative for research purposes, with the potential to evolve into a Joint Institute over time, pending necessary approvals from both the senate and government. Both IIT Bombay and Tohoku University are eager to launch this collaboration at the earliest, driven by a shared vision to implement cutting-edge academic and research programmes that address global challenges.


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Taoiseach Simon Harris has pledged to continue direct relations with Israel on attaining a ceasefire in Gaza, after the Israeli embassy in Dublin announced it would close.

Mr Harris reiterated a call for a lasting ceasefire, the free flow of humanitarian aid in Gaza and the release of all hostages after holding a phone call with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday.

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Earlier this month, Israel announced it would close its embassy in Dublin, with the Israeli foreign minister accusing Ireland of antisemitic rhetoric and of crossing every red line in its relations with Israel.

The Israeli embassy in Shelbourne Road, Dublin took down its national flag after the upcoming closure announced (Cillian Sherlock/PA)

Mr Harris has rejected the claims and accused Israel of distracting away from the deaths of children in the conflict.

On Monday he told Mr Abbas of the solidarity and unbreakable support of the people of Ireland to the people of Palestine.

A readout after the phone call said the Taoiseach told the Palestinian leader that the heartbreaking conditions and loss of innocent life in Gaza this year weigh heavily on the minds of many Irish people as they gather with their families for Christmas.

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Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas (Brian Lawless/PA)

Mr Harris pledged that Ireland will use its voice and influence at every opportunity in every international forum it can, including with direct bilateral relations with Israel and Palestine, to bring about a ceasefire and to start to rebuild shattered lives.

He said: While speaking to President Abbas it was foremost in my mind that the heart-shattering milestone of more than 45,000 dead was passed earlier this month, of which nearly 15,000 were innocent children.

President Abbas told me that 50 people have died and 100 have been injured in Gaza every day in 2024. On top of this, we have seen so-called safe zones bombed in the last few days and the conditions in Gaza as described by the UN are horrific.

He added: 1.1 million children are living in hellish conditions. Families lack the most basic items, including food, clothing, shoes, mattresses, blankets and kitchen supplies.

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There is a dangerous shortage of medicines, with diseases spreading rapidly due to the cold. Tens of thousands of people are living at sites with no basic services at all.

Irish President Michael D Higgins with the Republic of Irelands first full ambassador from the State of Palestine, Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid (Tony Maxwell/PA)

Thats no bathroom, no water and no food. It is also deeply troubling that the West Bank and East Jerusalem continue to see buildings being cleared and demolished.

The risk of famine has not subsided and the only conclusion that can fairly be drawn at the end of 2024 is that the world has failed the innocent people of Gaza.

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The Irish Government said Mr Abbas thanked Ireland for recognising Palestinian statehood and officially presenting credentials to Dr Jilan Abdalmajid as an ambassador.

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The leaders also discussed the first group of seriously injured Palestinian children being medically evacuated to Ireland for treatment this week.

The statement said Mr Harris and Mr Abbas agreed that the need for a ceasefire and an end to the bloodshed must be the top priority of all major powers and parties to the conflict.
The Department of Transport has said it will take time to determine any appropriate financial supports for hauliers affected by the closure of Holyhead Port.

The busy ferry port in Anglesey, north Wales, was forced to close following damage during Storm Darragh and is not set to re-open until January 15th at the earliest.

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All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are currently cancelled, upending travel plans for thousands across the festive season.

However, alternative sailings to Ireland took place over the weekend amid high winds and challenging conditions.

Irish ministers met supply-chain stakeholders on Monday to facilitate new services to the greatest extent priority.

The Department of Transport said the closure of the port is being treated with absolute priority.

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The focus remains on securing viable additional routes and vessels with sufficient capacity to support the steady movement of both goods and people between Ireland and the UK during the period of Holyhead Port closure.

A number of additional routes and services have been put in place: Dublin to Liverpool, Dublin to Heysham, Dublin to Fishguard and from Belfast to Cairnryan which has created additional capacity to compensate for the losses through Holyhead.

The Department said it is working hard with operators and UK authorities to establish further routes that can accommodate passenger and freight demand.

Irish hauliers have warned that delays in resolving the Holyhead problems could lead to lay-offs or business failures, further requesting financial supports from the Government or the EU.

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However, the Department of Transport said in a statement that any decision on supports would take some time.

In a statement, it said: Regarding the call for financial supports, while the damage arising from the closure of Holyhead Port has significant impacts and causes disruption for affected hauliers and shippers, it does not affect all hauliers in Ireland.

It will take some time to establish the precise impacts of the Holyhead Port closure across the sector and determine an appropriate response.

Eamon Ryan (Brian Lawless/PA)

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said his department will monitor the situation over the holidays, adding: Our key focus is on ensuring that there is a resilient solution to the difficulties caused by the damage to Holyhead Port.

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We will continue to work with the UK and Welsh governments to help secure additional berths in alternative ports, and we expect to get clarity on the state of play at Holyhead from Stena by mid-January.

As we assess the impact of this situation, the one thing we all need is clear, accurate and real-time information so that we can respond quickly and appropriately to keep goods and people flowing between our two countries.

James Lawless, the junior minister at the department, later said hauliers had not put a specific solution or figure on the supports they were requesting.

He added that it would be important that any financial supports were targeted and evidence based.

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Mr Lawless told RTE radio: This is an act of God issue in terms of the damage of Storm Daragh at a port in other jurisdiction, the UK, owned by a private company, Stenaline

Really, it was a bit of a perfect storm that has brought this about.

Minister of state for international transport James Lawless (Cillian Sherlock/PA)

Earlier, a Welsh Cabinet secretary said people have been ferried to Ireland on alternative routes after the temporary closure of Holyhead port in an effort to get people home for Christmas.

Welsh Transport Secretary Ken Skates said: Conditions have been incredibly challenging across the UK, but additional sailings from Wales and the Mersey area have taken place, helping people and goods get to Ireland for Christmas. These sailings will continue.

Id like to thank the ferry companies for their efforts in putting alternative sailings in place. I would urge anyone who is travelling to check the arrangements with their ferry company.

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This is a challenge we have never faced before, but well continue to work together with the UK and Irish governments to rescue the hopes and plans of people and businesses.

We will also work with the owners of Holyhead Port to get the facility back open as soon as possible, as it is a massively important facility for Ireland and the UK.

According to the Welsh Government, contingency plans are also in place for the new year period.
President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to the father of a member of the band Kneecap as a major figure in the Irish language movement.

Kneecap, whose eponymous feature film was recently shortlisted for two Oscars, honoured Gearoid O Caireallain at their Belfast gig on Saturday, hours after his death.

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A photo of Mr O Caireallain, father of bandmate Moglai Bap  whose real name is Naoise O Caireallain  was projected onto a screen alongside the dates 1957-2024.

Naoise O Caireallain (front right), also known as Moglai Bap, pays tribute to his father Gearoid O Caireallain at the SSE Arena in Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA)

In a post on social media, the Irish language rap trio described him as an Irish language revolutionary, community activist, loving father, husband and an inspiration to many.

Mr Higgins, who is an avid advocate for the Irish language, paid tribute to Mr O Caireallain in a statement on Sunday night.

A major figure in the Irish language movement, Gearoid O Caireallains death is a great loss for all those who work for the use of the Irish language: its rights, its literature, and its place in the daily life of people.

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He served as president of Conradh na Gaeilge, but his contribution was much wider than that.

Sabina and I send our sympathy to his family, including his sons Ainle, Cairbre and Naoise.
Albanias Prime Minister has said the ban on TikTok announced by his government was not a rushed reaction to a single incident.

On Saturday, Edi Rama said the government will shut down TikTok for one year, accusing the popular video service of inciting violence and bullying, especially among children.

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Authorities have held 1,300 meetings with teachers and parents since the stabbing death of a teenager by another youngster in November after a quarrel that started on social media apps. Ninety percent of them approve of the ban on TikTok, the government said.

However, Mr Rama said: The ban on TikTok for one year in Albania is not a rushed reaction to a single incident, but a carefully considered decision made in consultation with parent communities in schools across the country.



TikTok highlighted various issues with the action taken by the government in Tirana (AP)

Following Tiranas decision, TikTok asked for urgent clarity from the Albanian government in the case of the stabbed teenager.

The company said it had found no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts, and multiple reports have in fact confirmed videos leading up to this incident were being posted on another platform, not TikTok.

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Mr Rama said: To claim that the killing of the teenage boy has no connection to TikTok because the conflict didnt originate on the platform demonstrates a failure to grasp both the seriousness of the threat TikTok poses to children and youth today and the rationale behind our decision to take responsibility for addressing this threat.

Albania may be too small to demand that TikTok protect children and youth from the frightening pitfalls of its algorithm, he went on, blaming TikTok for the reproduction of the unending hell of the language of hatred, violence, bullying and so on.

Albanian children comprise the largest group of TikTok users in the country, according to domestic researchers.

Many youngsters in Albania did not approve of the ban.

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We disclose our daily life and entertain ourselves, that is, we exploit it during our free time, said Samuel Sulmani, an 18-year-old in the town of Rreshen, 47 miles north of the capital Tirana, on Sunday.

We do not agree with that because thats a deprivation for us.

But Albanian parents have been increasingly concerned following reports of children taking knives and other objects to school to use in quarrels or cases of bullying promoted by stories they see on TikTok.

Our decision couldnt be clearer: Either TikTok protects the children of Albania, or Albania will protect its children from TikTok, said Mr Rama.
The man accused of fatally shooting the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare has pleaded not guilty to murder and terror charges in a state case that will run parallel to his federal prosecution.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was shackled and seated in a Manhattan court when he leaned over to a microphone to enter his plea over the killing of Brian Thompson.

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He was formally charged last week by the Manhattan district attorney with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.

Mangiones initial appearance in New Yorks states trial court was pre-empted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting.





The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

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One of Mangiones lawyers told the judge that government officials, including New York mayor Eric Adams, have turned the accused into a political pawn, robbing him of his rights as a defendant and tainting the jury pool.

I am very concerned about my clients right to a fair trial, said Karen Friedman Agnifilo.

This is a young man, she said. He is being treated like a human ping-pong ball between warring jurisdictions here.

State trial court Judge Gregory Carro responded that he has little control over what happens outside the courtroom, but said he can guarantee that Mangione will receive a fair trial.

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Authorities say Mangione gunned down Mr Thompson as he was walking to an investor conference in mid-town Manhattan on the morning of December 4.



Luigi Mangione was charged with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief Brian Thompson (Pamela Smith/AP)

Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonalds after a five-day search, carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID, police said. He also was carrying a notebook expressing hostility towards the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, according to federal prosecutors.

At a news conference announcing the state charges last Tuesday, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said the application of the terrorism law reflected the severity of a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.

In its most basic terms, this was a killing that was intended to evoke terror, he added. And weve seen that reaction.

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Mangione was extradited from Pennsylvania on Thursday and quickly rushed to New York City, where he was seen wearing an orange jumpsuit as he was led away from a helicopter by heavily armed police officers and New York City mayor Eric Adams.

Mr Thompson, a married father of two, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became chief executive of its insurance arm in 2021.

The killing has prompted some to voice their resentment at US health insurers, with Mangione serving as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills.

It also has sent shockwaves through the corporate world, rattling executives who say they have received a spike in threats.
French President Emmanuel Macrons office has announced a new government, after the previous Cabinet collapsed in a historic vote prompted by fighting over the countrys budget.

Newly named Prime Minister Francois Bayrou put together the government that includes members of the outgoing conservative-dominated team and some new figures from centrist or left-leaning backgrounds.

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Coming up with a 2025 budget will be the most urgent order of business.



French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to remain in office until his term ends in 2027 (AP)

The new government enters office after months of political deadlock and pressure from financial markets to reduce Frances colossal debt.

Mr Macron has vowed to remain in office until his term ends in 2027, but has struggled to govern since snap elections in the summer left no single party with a majority in the National Assembly.

Since his appointment 10 days ago, Mr Bayrou has held talks with political leaders from various parties in search of the right balance for the new government.

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Some critics were angry at Mr Bayrou for consulting with Marine Le Pens far-right party, and some argue the government looks too much like the old one to win the trust of politicians.

Former prime minister Michel Barnier resigned this month following a no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes in the National Assembly, leaving France without a functioning government.

Ms Le Pen played a key role in Mr Barniers downfall by joining her National Rally partys forces with the left to pass the no-confidence motion.

Mr Bayrou will need support from moderate legislators on the right and left to keep his government alive.

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Alexis Kohler, secretary-general of the Elysee Palace, announces the names of the new Cabinet ministers (Saboor Abdul/pool via AP)

Banker Eric Lombard will be finance minister, a crucial post when France is working to fulfil its promises to European Union partners to reduce its deficit, estimated to reach 6% of its gross domestic product this year.

Mr Lombard briefly worked as an adviser to a socialist finance minister in the 1990s.

Mr Bayrou has said he supports tax hikes championed by his predecessor, but it is not clear how the new government can find the right calculation for a budget that satisfies a majority of politicians angry over spending cuts.

Bruno Retailleau stays on as interior minister, with responsibility for Frances security and migration policy.

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Sebastien Lecornu, who has been at the forefront of Frances military support for Ukraine, remains defence minister, while foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who has travelled extensively in the Middle East in recent weeks, also retains his post.

Among the new faces are two former prime ministers. Manuel Valls will be minister for overseas affairs, and Elisabeth Borne takes the education ministry.
A man is facing murder charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police said.

The suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was taken into custody hours after the woman died on Sunday morning.

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Zapeta, 33, is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the US illegally after he had been previously removed in 2018, said Jeff Carter, a spokesman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It is unclear when and where he re-entered the US.

New York City police commissioner Jessica Tisch described the case as one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.

She said the woman and the suspect had been travelling on a subway train without any interaction between them to the end of the line in Brooklyn at around 7.30am on Sunday.

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New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch (Seth Wenig/AP)

After the train came to a stop, surveillance video from the subway car showed the man calmly walk up to the victim, who was seated motionless, possibly sleeping, and set her clothing on fire with what appeared to be a lighter. The womans clothing then became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, Ms Tisch said.

Police do not believe the two knew one another.

Officers on a routine patrol at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station smelled and saw smoke and discovered the woman on fire, standing in the middle of the subway car. After the fire was extinguished, emergency medical personnel declared the woman dead at the scene.

The suspect had remained at the scene and was sitting on a bench on the subway platform, just outside the train car, Ms Tisch said. Body cameras worn by the officers caught a very clear, detailed look at him and those images were publicly disseminated.

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After later receiving a 911 call from three high school children who said they recognised the suspect in the photo, officers took a person of interest into custody who Ms Tisch said was wearing the same grey hoodie, wool hat, paint-splatted trousers and tan boots.

In a statement, Brooklyn district attorney Eric Gonzalez said: The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice.

He added: This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences.

New York governor Kathy Hochul this year has sent New York National Guard members to the citys subway system to help police conduct random searches of peoples bags for weapons following a series of high-profile crimes on city trains. Ms Hochul recently deployed additional members to help patrol during the Christmas season.

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About a year ago, Ms Hochul supported funding to install video cameras on every train car in the New York subway system, said Michael Kemper, chief security officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He and other officials on Sunday credited the cameras with helping to track down the suspect so quickly.
US president-elect Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he favoured allowing TikTok to keep operating in the United States for at least a little while, saying he had received billions of views on the social media platform during his presidential campaign.

Mr Trump's comments before a crowd of conservative supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, were one of the strongest signals yet that he opposes a potential exit of TikTok from the US market.

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The US Senate passed a law in April requiring TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest the app, citing national security concerns.

TikTok's owners have sought to have the law struck down, and the US Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case. But if the court does not rule in ByteDance's favor and no divestment occurs, the app could be effectively banned in the United States on January 19th, one day before Mr Trump takes office.

It is unclear how Mr Trump would go about undoing the TikTok divestiture order, which passed overwhelmingly in the Senate.

"I think we're going to have to start thinking because, you know, we did go on TikTok, and we had a great response with billions of views, billions and billions of views," Mr Trump told the crowd at AmericaFest, an annual gathering organised by conservative group Turning Point.

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Ireland Programme for government should include 'turning o... Read More

"They brought me a chart, and it was a record, and it was so beautiful to see, and as I looked at it, I said, 'Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while'," he said.

Mr Trump met with TikTok's CEO on Monday. Mr Trump said at a news conference the same day that he had a "warm spot" for TikTok thanks to his campaign's success on the app.

The Justice Department has argued that Chinese control of TikTok poses a continuing threat to national security, a position supported by most US lawmakers.

TikTok says the Justice Department has misstated the social media app's ties to China, arguing that its content recommendation engine and user data are stored in the United States on cloud servers operated by Oracle Corp, while content moderation decisions that affect US users are made in the United States.
Auric says the third-party mining consultant has proven instrumental in maintaining its rapid pace of gold production under their joint venture agreement, in which BML handles mining, haulage and milling operations while the partners share surplus proceeds on a 50:50 basis after deducting costs.

The latest figures show promising progress by the JV partners going into the new year, with the Three Mile Hill Mill processing 64,520t of ore in its initial campaign. Greenfields Mill has been processing since late November, with a target of 142,000t for the current campaign.

Stage two mining aims to blow this progress out of the water by targeting more than 420,000t  which would be a significant leap from the 176,000t processed in stage one.

Auric Mining managing director Mark English said: The best is yet to come from Jeffreys Find as gold campaigns from two mills hurtle us towards an early finish for this mine. We are seeing a rush of ore going through the mills. A significant amount of gold will be sold over the coming weeks.

Auric expects a terrific result from the return on investment and free cashflow generated from mining Jefferys Find and says this impetus should carry the company forward into 2025 and subsequent years.

With Jeffreys Find nearing its final stages, Auric is gearing up for its next chapter of growth. High Australian dollar gold prices, hovering at record levels, are expected to continue driving its profitability.

The companys ability to execute and scale operations at Jeffreys Find will, hopefully, also become a replicated formula for success at its promising Munda mine, near Widgiemooltha in WA.

Auric says next year it will begin a 125,000t starter pit grading 1.8 grams per tonne (g/t) to pull out 6100 ounces of gold at Munda.

After mining and conducting detailed studies on the much bigger 145,000-ounce resource at Munda, the company will then look to ramp up a full-scale mining and toll treatment operation at the project in 2026.

It has also recently picked up the 180,000t per annum Burbanks gold plant south of Coolgardie for a bargain-basement price of $4.4m, with plans to at least double its capacity.

Burbanks offers the company a prime piece of infrastructure in a prime location between Coolgardie and Widgiemooltha and could spell the beginnings of Auric becoming a fully integrated gold miner.

While it may be too early to determine the ramifications and the potential positives of the new gold plant deal, Aurics stellar 2024 performance looks unlikely to slow down in the new year.

With the gold price looking unlikely to slow down either, and the company set to keep pouring gold at an impressive clip, it seems Auric could be sailing full steam ahead into a promising 2025.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
Flogging Foxtel for $3.4 billion is nothing short of a Christmas miracle for News Corporation and the Murdochs, who are not only freed from the millions they have poured into propping up the business, but also land a stake in what is becoming an influential global streamer.

With Foxtels local executives, led by chief executive Patrick Delany, pulling all levers at their disposal to bring the pay TV business up to speed in a world dominated by streaming media, another billionaire-backed entity, DAZN, has handed the Murdochs the keys to an escape hatch.

Its quite a lucrative one. While the deal values Foxtel at $3.4 billion, DAZN isnt putting that sort of cash on the table. Instead, the UK streamer will pay off Foxtels outstanding debt ($578 million to News Corp and $128 million to Telstra). News Corp also gets a 6 per cent stake in the merged entity while Telstra pockets a 3 per cent stake.

Foxtel has found a new home. Credit: Aresna Villanueva

Frankly, its a great deal for Foxtel, which has been mining its ever shrinking pool of premium set-top box customers (where the money was) for revenue and has hit the ceiling on adding more paying customers to its streaming platforms (Kayo and Binge).
A billionaire property developer and Max Brenner chocolate cafe chain owner is facing charges brought by the NSW Environment Protection Authority over the asbestos-in-mulch crisis that saw dozens of Sydney parks, schools and hospitals closed earlier this year.

Arnold Vitocco, the director of VE Resource Recovery, is charged with an executive liability offence linked to his companys alleged breach of its environmental protection licence.

VE Resource Recovery director Arnold Vitocco, whose Vitocco Enterprises owns Max Brenner Australia. Credit: Oscar Colman

VE Resource Recovery holds the licence under which the Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility operates in Bringelly, on Sydneys south-western fringe. Most of the contaminated mulch detected in Sydney in January and February this year was traced back to the Greenlife site.

The EPA will bring 102 charges in the NSW Land and Environment Court centred on the waste recovery plant on The Northern Road, Bringelly.
Long before police suspected Jai-Bao Rex Chen was murdered by foreign hitmen and his body was dumped in Sydney bushland alongside that of his innocent wife Zhuojun Sally Li, they believed he was involved with serious, sophisticated criminality.

Court files obtained by the Herald reveal Chen was caught in a police dial-a-dealer drug sting years before he was killed by people allegedly linked to his homeland of Taiwan.

NDIS worker Zhuojun Sally Li nd her husband, former drug dealer Jai-Bao Rex Chen were both killed, then dumped in bushland beneath the flight path in Botany. Credit: NSW Police

Police discovered the bodies of Chen and Li, both 33, dumped metres apart in a tract of bush and parkland that runs the length of Port Botany.

A jogger found Lis body first in the bushes on December 9. Chens body was found days later submerged in a creek and covered in reeds. Police believe financial debt was the motive for the targeted double murder.
The nervous wait for thousands of university aspirants in Queensland finally ended on Monday morning when first-round offers were released.

There were no reported glitches in the release of offers at 10am, with the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) avoiding the embarrassment it faced earlier this year when its January offer round was initially delayed by four days, and then by several more hours.

You can use our interactive database below to search for courses or universities across Australia, or to filter the data based on the selection rank range.

Note: The ATARs for Queensland tertiary institutions are officially for 2024, but provide a strong indication of the cut-off scores for 2025.
Loading Graduates who get an offer that is not their first choice could be offered it in a later round. There is always the chance that you might get an offer in a later round, depending on the number of places available, and how many students accept, reject or defer their offer, Keane said. VTACs advice is that graduates should only ever decline an offer if they are certain they do not want to take that course even if it ends up being their only offer. Graduates should not reject an offer because they were hoping for a better one in a later round, the admissions centre said.

There are two further university offer rounds, on January 10 and 28, and then a further three on February 4, 11 and 18. But about 80 per cent of university offers are made in the December and January rounds. Accept any offer that you are made, then if you are made a more favourable offer in another round, accept the new offer and un-enrol in the original offer, Keane said. Once you receive an offer, you will not be considered for anything below that offer, i.e. your lower preferences. Students who want to defer will need to check with the institution that they can do this.

Methodist Ladies College careers head Chris Walkley said: If you did not receive one of your top preferences, its natural to feel disappointed. However, its important to remember that there are always other ways of reaching your pathway goals. If you dont get an offer this time Wait  as there will be other rounds but keeping in mind with each round that goes by, the chances of getting a course get smaller, Keane said. VTAC advises school-leavers to reconsider their preferences and seek institutions advice about pathway courses if they do not receive an offer in the first round.

They can change their preferences between 10am on Monday and 4pm on Tuesday, and on another four occasions in January and February. Keane said graduates should ensure their ATARs were realistic for the course they wanted. Students should also consider whether they have other interests they might want to pursue, she said. If you dont get an offer in any of the rounds The advice is not to fret. Graduates have a number of options in this case, including TAFE, taking a gap year to reconsider their future, waiting until they are considered a mature-aged student (typically when they are aged over 21), jumping straight into employment, or taking other study pathways.

Students need to do some homework to explore all their options, Keane said. People can also register their interest with VTAC for supplementary offers, which some institutions make from February. July founder and RMIT University graduate Athan Didaskalou. Credit: July Those offers are for courses with remaining places for people who have not received any offers in the previous rounds. RMIT University graduate and July Luggage founder Athan Didaskalou did not begin his bachelors degree in business until he was several years out of school, after studying an advanced diploma.
Ho Chi Minh City: After years of funding shortages, ballooning costs and bureaucratic foot-dragging, Ho Chi Minh City is opening the first metro line to serve its 10 million residents.

Years of start-and-stop construction means the seemingly new ticket vending machines are partly obsolete: they accept coins that are no longer in circulation.

Fortunately, passengers can also pay with paper money and credit cards.

A metro train passes through the city during the launch of the first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Credit: Bloomberg

The 19.7-kilometre metro line was green-lighted in 2007 with an initial cost estimate of about 17.4 trillion dong ($1 billion)  which eventually swelled to 43.7 trillion dong  and a planned 2018 opening.
Mary Magdalene may have been identified among the 300 tangled figures depicted in Michelangelos celebrated Sistine Chapel masterpiece after a centuries-long hunt.

Sara Penco, an Italian art restorer, said her research suggested that a blonde woman in The Last Judgment artwork, who is depicted kissing a wooden cross held by a figure said to be Jesus Christ, was the famous female disciple.

I am firmly convinced that this is Mary Magdalene  the intimacy with the cross, the yellow dress and the blonde hair but also the whole context in which Michelangelo places this figure to underscore her importance, Penco told a media conference in Rome on December 10.

Art experts have long tried to identify the wide-eyed woman who appears in the far right-hand corner of the fresco on the wall behind the Vatican chapels altar.
China-Nepal railway to be a game changer, transform Nepal from landlocked to landlinked: former envoy

09:32, December 23, 2024 By Yin Yeping ( Global Times

Leela Mani Paudyal (Yin Yeping/GT)

The China-Nepal cross-border railway project will be a game changer in the trans-Himalayan region connecting not only Nepal and China but also China and South Asia as a whole, Leela Mani Paudyal, a former Nepali ambassador to China, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.

The remarks came as China-Nepal ties have been further strengthened after the visit of Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to China earlier this month. During the visit, important consensuses were reached, including a pledge to "steadily advance the feasibility study of the Jilong/Keyrung-Kathmandu Cross-Border Railway, and planning to hold the 9th Working Meeting on China-Nepal Railway Cooperation," per a joint statement.

The Chinese side will continue to help Nepal train professionals in the field of railways. Both sides also expressed their readiness to sign the memorandum of understanding on building the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network, according to the joint statement.

Talking about the significance of this project for China-Nepal bilateral trade and Nepal's economic development, Paudyal said that "the railway will enable Nepal to utilize the transit facility available to Nepal via China The railway will transform Nepal from a landlocked country to land-linked one," the former envoy said.

China-Nepal bilateral trade has seen robust growth. From January to November 2024, it amounted to 13.50 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18.1 percent, according to the latest data released by China's General Administration of Customs. Both imports and exports saw steady growth.

Given what has already been achieved, there is still potential for bilateral trade to be further boosted after the railway project is launched, the former Nepali ambassador said, adding that the railway will help link some of Nepal's industries to the value chain of Chinese production. "The railway will certainly boost trade and investment in Nepal," he said.

The railway project will not only support trade but also tourism, Paudyal said, as Nepal has become a popular travel destination for many Chinese visitors. According to data from the Nepali tourism authority, in November alone, at least 114,501 tourists visited the country, 9,458 of whom were from China.

During the Nepali Prime Minister's visit to China, the Chinese side expressed support for Nepal's declaration of 2025 as Nepal Visit Year in China, the Xinhua News Agency reported, indicating closer ties in the tourism sector between China and the South Asian country.

In a previous interview with the Global Times, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song said that the China-Nepal railway comprises both a Chinese and Nepali section, and both sides were accelerating efforts to promote the project.

Meanwhile, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region is steadfastly promoting the Xigaze-Jilong section of the railway according to its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), which includes planning and building a stretch of railway at Jilong Port, Chen said, noting that related projects will constantly enhance the autogenic capacity of Nepal's economy and give wings to Nepal's development.

The railway project is just one example of growing China-Nepal bilateral cooperation. Paudyal said that China's support for Nepal's development efforts is commendable.

"Both the Belt and Road Initiative and Chinese support were aimed at facilitating the socio-economic development of Nepal; therefore, we reject any attempt to make this development initiative a geopolitical issue," Paudyal said, referring to some foreign media reports smearing China-Nepal cooperation.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
How many Americans want stricter gun laws? By Cassandra McBride

web posted December 23, 2024 Support for gun control is subjective, so we rely on self-reported surveys to gauge Americans' opinions on the issue. These surveys can vary significantly and may contain biases. To address this, we used data from multiple sources to provide a more balanced and accurate representation of Americans' attitudes toward gun laws. It's important to note that the terms "Gun Laws" and "Gun Control" cover a wide range of legislation that restricts firearm access. While many Americans generally favor some form of gun control, this report does not capture varying levels of support. For instance, most Americans may support laws that restrict access to handguns, but not outright bans. Public Opinion on Gun Control in the United States A majority of Americans (58%) support stricter gun control laws in the United States in 2024. Over a quarter of Americans (26%) feel that gun laws should be kept the same, while 15% of Americans feel gun controls should be less strict. This support is highly divided along demographic lines, such as gender, age, education, and political affiliation. This highlights the complexity and polarization of the gun control debate in the United States.



How Many Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws by Political Party? Support for gun control increases significantly among left-leaning Americans. Only 28% of Republican-leaning individuals back stricter gun laws. Within this group, moderate or conservative Republicans show the least support, with only 19% in favor, while liberal-leaning Republicans are more supportive at 42%. 86% of Democrat-leaning Americans support gun control. Even among conservative or and moderate Democrats, support remains high at 81%. Liberal-leaning Democrats are most likely to support gun control (92%).



How Many Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws by Age? Support for strict gun control tends to decrease with age. Young adults aged 18 to 29 show the highest level of support at 62%. This figure drops to 55% among those aged 65 and older. Support for relaxing gun control laws remains consistent among all age groups. 15% of Americans aged 18 to 64 favor relaxing gun laws, and 14% of those over 65 agree.



How Many Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws by Gender? Women are significantly more likely to support stricter gun laws than men, with 64% of women in favor compared to only 51% of men. Additionally, men are more likely to oppose gun control, with 21% against it, compared to just 9% of women.



How Many Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws by Education Level? Americans with higher education levels show the strongest support for stricter gun laws. Among them, 72% of those with postgraduate degrees favor more stringent regulations, followed by 63% of those with college degrees. In contrast, support is lower among those with only a high school education or less. Of this group, 52% are the least likely to back stricter gun laws, although 56% still express support for increased regulations.



Trends in Support for Stricter Gun Laws Over Time Support for stricter gun laws has declined significantly over the years, while the desire for more relaxed laws has grown. In 1990, a substantial 78% of Americans favored stricter gun control, with only 2% wanting more lenient regulations. By 2010, support for stricter laws had dropped to less than half (44%). However, it rebounded in 2020, rising to 57%. In 2023, opposition to gun control reached a two-decade high, with 15% of Americans wanting less strict regulations.



Shifting Perspectives: Growing Resistance to Stricter Gun Control Gun control remains one of the most debated issues in America. While younger individuals, women, and those with higher education levels often support stricter regulations, there is significant and growing resistance among other demographics. Men, older adults, conservative-leaning citizens, and those without a college degree increasingly voice concerns about government overreach and the potential erosion of self-defense rights. With public opinion becoming more divided and opposition reaching new highs, understanding these dissenting perspectives is essential as the nation navigates this complex and evolving issue. Cassandra McBride spends her free time reading classic literature, kayaking, fishing, and spending time on the range with her husband and four children. She continues to grow her knowledge of firearms and ammunition while taking immense pride in educating others on a passion sparked in childhood and maintained in adulthood. Reprinted with the kind permission of Ammo.com. Home
By Cillian Sherlock, PA

A woman who died after being found injured in Northern Ireland earlier this month has been remembered as a loving mother with an unwavering commitment to her work as a childrens nurse.

Karen Cummings was found unconscious at a house in the Laurel Heights area of Banbridge, Co Down, on December 14th and died a short time later.

Police have said the 40-year-old mother of two suffered a head injury.

Mourners lined the path to Church of St Therese on a wet and rainy afternoon in Banbridge on Monday, while Ms Cummings friends, family and co-workers walked to the service behind the hearse, which was laden with flowers including ones that spelled out Mum.

At the funeral service two days before Christmas, Fr Aidan McGrath said Ms Cummings had been taken from this world in the prime of her life.

Fr McGrath said those present had gathered with a profound sense of grief and devastation, further expressing love and support to her family and friends.

He discussed her connections to the area, adding that she had worked a few jobs in the community before finding her true vocation as a nurse.

She had a degree in nursing from Queens University Belfast and worked in Daisy Hill Hospital.

Fr McGrath said: Karen is remembered and missed by all who knew her as a loving mother, daughter, wife, granddaughter and friend.

In her life and in her nursing career, Karen sought to respond with love and care to the needs of others.

A photograph of Ms Cummings with her precious son and daughter Curtis and Zara was placed near the wooden coffin at the top of the church, alongside a nursing uniform as well as a Harry Potter mug and a dog lead to express her fondness for the series and her much-loved family pet.

A mourner holds an Order of Service at the funeral of Karen Cummings (Liam McBurney/PA)

Ms Cummings cousin Kelly described her as a golden child and said her family was totally broken.

She said it was the whole community who had lost a beautiful angel.

My last message for you all today: Hold your loved ones close, tell them you love them on a regular basis, spend time with good people and reach for the stars.

Live each day like its your last because you dont know whats around the corner. Always lean on God, give him your worries and trust that he has a plan for us all.

She added: People keep asking me how we get through it. Its all of your prayers and all of your support.

So in the coming days ahead, I ask you to keep all of us in your prayers.

And now to you, Karen, our beautiful angel, please watch over us all.

The coffin is carried into the funeral of Karen Cummings (Liam McBurney/PA)

Ms Cummings hospital colleagues described her as a calm, quiet and intelligent nurse who excelled in her work.

They said she was a dedicated mother to her own children and family but also as a nurse mummy to the children she cared for in the hospital.

She was a good vibes-only kind of gal who made the world a better place.

Other speakers during the service said those gathered were heartbroken by the loss of Karen.

Karen was one of a kind, we thank God for the unique gift of Karen in our lives.

Elsewhere, her friends remembered her as a caring person who would do anything for anyone and as having the most beautiful smile.

Two men have been remanded in custody after appearing before a judge charged with Ms Cummings murder.
The Senate should free the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement By Bonner Cohen

web posted December 23, 2024 President-elect Trump's pledge to renew his quest for American global energy dominance promises to shake up the geopolitical landscape while revitalizing the U.S. economy. There are many pathways leading to this goal, including tossing Biden-era regulations specifically designed to restrict the nation's production of fossil fuels, revisiting the Supreme Court's 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA that allowed the agency to regulate CO2 as a "pollutant," and eliminating wasteful subsidies that prop up unreliable wind and solar power. Another road that must be taken is getting the United States  once and for all  out of the December 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. "The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change," the United Nations Framework Commission on Climate Change (UNFCCC) proclaims on its website. Adopted on Dec. 12, 2015, the Paris Agreement seeks to limit the global average temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. To that end, the 189 countries that joined the agreement are to curtail their emissions of manmade greenhouse gases. Under the agreement, each nation is responsible for setting its own emissions goals, called "nationally determined contributions" (NDCs). Given the freedom to set its own goals for the U.S., the Obama administration committed the U.S. to reducing its greenhouse-gas emission by 26% to 28% in the first ten years after the pact went into effect (2016). Recognizing that forcing the country into a massive decarbonization exercise would cripple the U.S. economy and strengthen the likes of China, Russia, and Iran, the Trump administration in June 2017 announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. President Trump chose to exit the climate pact through a process provided for in the agreement. However, that left the door open for a future administration to rejoin the agreement. And that is exactly what the Biden White House did in 2021, putting the U.S. back in the climate game, which is rigged to favor green elites at the expense of ordinary citizens. With a second term just a few weeks away, Trump will once again have the opportunity to yank the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement. According to Politico, confirmed by sources close to the president-elect, Trump plans to issue a series of executive orders terminating U.S. participation in the UNFCCC, the underlying framework that serves as the basis for global climate talks. That's fine, but one more key step needs to be taken. Trump should submit the Paris Climate Agreement as a treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification, with a strong recommendation to reject the pact. Under the Constitution, treaties require a two-thirds vote of approval for ratification. The deal cooked up in Paris nine years ago has no chance of getting 67 votes. The Obama administration knew full well that the U.S. Senate would never supply the two-thirds vote needed for ratification. Their solution was a sleight of hand that relabeled a de facto treaty a simple agreement, thereby circumventing a ratification process they knew they would lose. By pulling out of the UNFCCC and having the Senate reject the Paris Agreement, the Trump administration can let the world know it is no longer playing the climate game. At the same time, it would restore the Separation of Powers provided for in the U.S. Constitution by having the Legislative Branch decide the fate of a treaty negotiated by the Executive Branch. By targeting greenhouse-gas emissions, climate negotiators are really going after the fossil-fuel industry, which they hold responsible for the "climate crisis." The United States is the global leader in the production of oil and natural gas and is home to the world's most abundant reserves of coal. Blessed with such geological formations as the Permian Basin in West Texas and eastern New Mexico, Bakken Shale in North Dakota, and the Marcellus and Utica Shale region of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, the U.S.  using such technologies as fracking and horizontal drilling  is well situated to achieve Trump's goal of global energy dominance. At a time when the vaunted transition to "clean" energy is unraveling  from dealer lots full of unsold EVs to soaring electricity prices driven by increased reliance on wind and solar power  scuttling the climate agenda should be one of the nation's top priorities. President Trump should let the Senate consign the Paris Climate Agreement to the ash heap of history. Bonner Russell Cohen, Ph.D., is a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research and a senior policy analyst with the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT). This was first published at Human Events. Home
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The Adani Group has announced plans to invest INR 200bn (US$2.4bn) in an ultra-supercritical thermal power plant in Bihar, alongside expansions in cement, logistics, and energy projects within the state. Speaking at the Bihar Business Connect 2024, Pranav Adani, Director of Adani Enterprises Ltd, outlined the group's ambitious roadmap to strengthen its presence in Bihars industrial landscape.

The centrepiece of the investment plan, the INR200bn ultra-supercritical thermal power plant, is expected to generate 12,000 job opportunities during the pre-commissioning phase and around 1500 skilled jobs during operation. This project represents a significant step in Bihars energy development, aligning with the states industrial growth agenda.

On the cement front, Adani Group aims to expand its facilities in Bihar to a capacity of 10Mta, requiring an investment of INR 25bn in multiple phases. This strategic expansion underlines the group's commitment to supporting Bihar's growing infrastructure demands.

The conglomerate, which has already invested INR8.5bn across logistics, gas distribution, and agri-logistics in the state, will add another INR23bn to boost its warehousing and handling capacity. This includes expansions into the city gas distribution (CGD), compressed biogas (CBG), and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure sectors, generating 27,000 local job opportunities.

Additionally, the group plans to invest INR 10bn in developing strategic infrastructure, including Gati Shakti Railway Terminals, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), and Industrial Warehousing Parks. Pranav Adani also announced an INR 21bn initiative to manufacture and install 2.8 million smart meters in five cities, automating power-consumption monitoring while creating 4000 jobs.

The Adani Groups comprehensive investment strategy signals a robust commitment to Bihars economic transformation, leveraging its expertise across multiple sectors to create jobs, enhance infrastructure, and support sustainable growth.
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Paraguayan cement producer Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) sold 11,057,000 bags of cement in the January-November 2024 period, according to the company. The high sales volume enabled the company to raise its market share from 25 to 37 per cent when compared with the same period of the previous year.

We are moving forward now to close the year with a little more of those records. It was a goal that we studied throughout 2023, that the market was going to need, said INC President, Gerardo Guerrero.

While low water level of the rivers made shipments challenging this year, the high production volume was able to absorb costs during this period. Today we are bringing clinker normally from Vallemi to Villeta, the river is functioning normally, he said.

Total 11M24 income translated into a revenue of PYG526,000m (US$67.35m). However, the company posted a loss of PYG7.6bn, compared with PYG7.4bn in the equivalent period of 2023.
Yes, Virginia... By Mark Alexander

web posted December 23, 2024 Have you read the most widely republished column ever written? Over the years, I have benefited from the wisdom and guidance of those who are among the most widely syndicated editorial writers and analysts in America. No, not Ann Landers or Abigail Van Buren (Dear Abby), but William Buckley, Walter Williams, Cal Thomas, and others who were instrumental. But the question is not about the most widely syndicated columnists, but the most widely republished column. A few years ago, syndicated columnists were surveyed on the question of the best newspaper columns ever written. The winner was Ernie Pyle's "The Death of Captain Waskow," written in January 1944. Pyle was World War II's "G.I. Journalist," and 15 months after publishing that column, he was killed while covering the Army's 305th Infantry Regiment landing at Iejima, near Okinawa. Notably, those columnists agreed that the second-best column ever written was a response to a letter from a child. That 1897 column was written by Francis Church and originally published in The Sun, New York's most prominent newspaper at the time. Church's reply is not only one of the best columns ever but, indisputably, the most republished column ever  and it's appropriate that a timeless column about Christmas would hold this distinction. Church wrote an answer to the eight-year-old daughter of a surgeon, Philip O'Hanlon, who asked her father, "Is there a Santa Claus?" Young Virginia O'Hanlon asked that question after her classmates insisted there was no Santa. Dissatisfied with her father's answer, Virginia, with her father's encouragement, submitted the question to The Sun. The paper's publisher gave it to Church, a popular but struggling columnist. It was an assignment completely outside the scope of his typical topics, which were mostly weighty secular responses regarding religious issues. Though the column was about Christmas, Virginia submitted the question in the summer. Church's 416-word response was published in September as the paper's third (last) column for that day. As was standard practice at the time, it was printed without a byline, and Church was not disclosed as the author until after his death in 1906. A few years ago, our occasional columnists, fine American historians David and Jeanne Heidler, posted a column, "Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Kringle Is Real!," providing historical context for Church's response. They noted: "The most famous editorial in the history of journalism was almost never written. When it was, it was hardly judged a timeless classic." But it would become just that. Here, then, is Virginia's question and Mr. Church's response transcribed from the New York Sun's original text. According to The Sun editors: "We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the readers of the Sun." "Dear Editor: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, 'If you see it in the Sun it's so.' Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? Virginia O'Hanlon, 115 West Ninety-Fifth Street." And Church's response: Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give your life its highest beauty and glory. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, not even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. And with that, I wish you a Merry Christmas! Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. Home
Stuart Bickley, left, and Kimberly McNeal photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church photo by John Shearer Previous Next

Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church has long tried to help its members and worshipers develop a strong and foundational Christian faith.

But in recent years, officials realized they did not have a foundationally strong building to go along with their mission, even if the attractive stone structure at 316 N. Bragg Ave. looked fine to passersby. Due to years of toll from water and other weather, parts of the walls, roofs, windows, and mortar work had been damaged or needed prompt attention.

As a result, church officials began an exterior restoration project. And after months of being hidden behind quite a bit of scaffolding, the church has reappeared looking similar and fresh, but with better protection and exterior upgrades to battle the future challenges of time and weather. The work, done by the Ohio-based The Tradesmen Group historic renovation firm, involved resolving all the water infiltration issues, and revitalizing the windows, roofing and stonework, officials said.

In an emailed press release, Tradesmen Group marketing representative Kevin Saghy explained the work in a little more detail, saying, Solutions brought by TTG included complete replacement of the slate roof and copper gutters, extensive removal and reinstallation of stone with new through-wall flashings at slate roof-to-wall intersections, windowsills and water tables, 100 percent tuckpointing of all rubble and architectural cut stone and other water proofing treatments.

Work also included structural stabilization of the tower stone facade, restoration and replacement of windows, painting of exterior building features, repairs to the copper spire, and extensive interior plaster repairs and painting, he added.

Stuart Bickley, a church member and contractor who has been the construction manager for the project, said the work was long overdue. The structure has been maintained and held together with bailing wire and band aids for decades, so it was time, he said with a laugh.

And while the Presbyterian Church in America-affiliated church was at it, it also realized it needed to better solve the flow of people through the building throughout the week while it was solving the weather-related flow of water coming from the outside. As a result, it has conducted a $17.9 fundraising campaign it has called Renew and that has also included remodeling parts of the interior building and constructing a new building.

We have grown from a staff of eight in the early 1990s to now having over 30 staff, said Mr. Bickley. Most of the staff were in closets built out or sharing multiple offices or working from many other cubby holes. And at the same time, we did a space audit and learned we had wonderful space for children and youth, but not enough for adult teaching and classroom space.

So, a new staff building designed by Franklin Associates architects is being completed behind the church and is scheduled to be moved into in January. And the interior renovation by T.U. Parks, which has also built the new building, is scheduled to be completed by Easter Sunday (April 20) 2025. The latter work has included creating more adult classrooms, making the chapel into more of a multi-purpose facility, and opening the entrance hall of the church into a larger and more welcoming area. Better windows, better and more user-friendly lighting in the sanctuary, and even a relit tower cross have also been features of the renovation work.

I had toured the church in May 2023 when the initial work was underway, and church and renovation officials recently offered a follow-up tour now that the exterior work has been recently completed.

The old Crab Orchard stone lady is back showing off her attractive adornments after the scaffolding was removed and is more visibly welcoming churchgoers. The outside of this church campus with the original section dating to the late 1920s seems to have a newness it did not before.

The whole part of the project was to fix the water infiltration issues, said Mr. Bickley while offering the tour with group project manager Kimberly McNeal of The Tradesmen Group. We fixed the windows, the roofing, and the masonry. Then we could go in and fix the interior.

Mr. Bickley, who said the window work was handled by the local Ross Glass firm, described the exterior renovation as almost like putting the building in an envelope of protection.

Ms. McNeal, who began with The Tradesmen Group seven years ago as an administrative assistant, said during the tour that the work was quite enjoyable and rewarding. I have loved this group because they have so many trades on the project, she said, adding that some of the skilled workers, who have lived in places around town rented out by her firm, have multiple skillsets.

And we have really enjoyed working with the church. They have been a stellar client. The project has been a challenging one (due to trying to fix the water infiltration problems and other renovation issues), but a very successful one.

Mr. Bickley was quick to praise the work of The Tradesmen Group, an employee-owned firm. He said they finished what church officials called quality renovation work on time and under budget, but they are also leaving behind instructions to help the church in the future.

The handoff is going to be a manual on how to maintain it, said Mr. Bickley, adding that this even includes the paint colors used. Were going to be equipped to better maintain the building.

One small-but-longtime feature of the church campus they were unable to preserve, though, was the mature silver maple tree in the middle of the back courtyard. Due to its poor health in places and new landscaping recently put up around the church, officials decided it might be best to cut it down. However, it will also have its own renewal to go along with the theme of all the work, as its wood is being preserved to use in furniture or adornments for the church, Mr. Bickley added.

Overall, though, he said he has been pleased with the work and is glad to be a part of it.

Being a member of this body for multiple decades, what excites me the most is the new capacity we have to feed our people and exercise our gifts, he said. We will be better equipped to serve more holistically our community and beyond.

* * *

To see a previous story from May 2023 when the churchs renovation was just underway, read here.
The Global Methodist Church General Conference was held in San Jose, Costa Rica, in September 2024. | Screenshot: YouTube/ Global Methodist Church

The leadership of the Global Methodist Church (GMC) has condemned the killing of three members of the United Methodist Church (UMC) in Nigeria, where it has been reported that GMC members were implicated.

The GMC Assembly of Bishops responded to reports of violence between groups in Munga Dosa, Nigeria, which resulted in fatalities and several homes being burned down, in a statement emailed to The Christian Post on Thursday.

We are deeply grieved by the loss of life and the devastation that has occurred. We unequivocally decry the use of violence in any form and call on all people, Global Methodists and United Methodists alike, to act as agents of peace, stated the assembly.

They emphasized the importance of prayer, urging the church and the global community to pray fervently for those enduring unimaginable suffering, for justice to be served to those responsible for these acts, and for peace to be restored in Munga Dosa.

The GMC also noted that there is significant uncertainty surrounding the events and warned against accepting unverified accounts or accusations circulating on social media.

According to UM News, violence erupted in Nigeria between UMC and GMC members following a Sunday gathering at Bwoi United Methodist Church in Bunkabu.

This led to the destruction of nearby huts and the tragic deaths of two young children aged 2 and 4. One of the deceased in the confrontation has been identified as a 27-year-old UMC lay leader named Elisha Masoyi.

The altercation followed the state government's shutdown of both UMC and GMC churches in the area amidst ongoing conflict that disrupted peace. According to church leaders, the violence may have originated from a long-standing local feud between families, exacerbated by disputes between UMC and GMC.

UMC Bishop-elect Ande Emmanuel and Nigeria Lead Bishop John Schol expressed their outrage, stating that they were outraged that such an atrocity would occur among Christians, especially brothers and sisters who were once part of the same Methodist family.

They further called on GMC members to put an immediate end to the violence and refrain from disseminating misinformation that fuels fear and disdain that can lead to violence, as reported by UM News.

In recent years, the UMC General Conference voted to remove church rules that banned the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals. This decision has resulted in the departure of approximately 7,500 congregations from the UMC, many of which have joined the theologically conservative GMC.

In Nigeria, same-sex marriage and homosexual acts are illegal, and the government prohibits involvement in LGBT advocacy groups.

UMC Bishop John Wesley Yohanna of the Nigerian Episcopal Area sent a statement to state officials in July, indicating that the regional body voted to join the GMC during a special session held earlier that month. However, a group of Nigerian UMC officials disputed Yohanna's claims, asserting that only the former bishop and about 10% of the regional body had left the UMC.

Since then, both Methodist denominations have asserted claims over the Episcopal Area, which consists of four annual conferences and approximately 560,000 members.
Long-distance transmission power lines cross through Plano. The Texas grid operator is looking at a plan to use mobile generators around San Antonio to help keep power flowing to North Texas, where generation hasnt kept up with demand. Tom Fox/Dallas Morning News

The state grid operator is moving forward with plans to relocate a fleet of portable power generators from Houston to San Antonio as a stopgap to ease transmission woes that threaten statewide outages.

It would be the latest chapter for the generators that, so far, have failed to live up to promises.

Houston-area utility CenterPoint Energy leased them for $800 million, touting it as a means to avoid power outages like those seen during the deadly February 2021 freeze.

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But the generators  while technically mobile  are not easy to set up, a fact thats made them the target of criticism since Hurricane Beryl tore through Houston in July, causing widespread outages. Because the units cant be quickly assembled, they sat idle while Houstonians sat for days without power.

Now, they might get another shot at being useful. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas hopes to use them to replace the loss of generating capacity when CPS Energy shuts down three aging gas-fired plants at its Braunig Power Station. Thatd be fine with CenterPoint, which would like to get the generators costs off its customers backs.

Our top priority has remained finding a positive, Texas-driven solution for these units that helps address the energy needs of Texans while helping reduce our customers bills, CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells told the Public Utility Commission last week in a statement.

Chad Seely, ERCOTs general counsel, told commissioners the grid operator was still assessing how much it would cost to use the generators in San Antonio. He said ERCOT also was issuing another request for companies to submit other proposals to see if a more cost-effective option could be found.

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Power line trouble

CPS had planned to shutter three aging gas-powered units at Braunig in the spring, but ERCOT determined that could put the whole grid at risk by putting more stress on a transmission chokepoint near San Antonio. So, earlier this month, it told the city-owned utility it would have to keep the biggest of the three Braunig units running past its planned March retirement. And the grid operator may use CenterPoints generators to replace the megawatts produced at the other two Braunig units.

CPS has more than enough generation capacity to serve its own market so can easily do without the Braunig units. But ERCOT is leery of its request to shut them down because their location reduces stress on the chokepoint that last year was blamed for taking the statewide grid closer to cascading outages than it had been since 2021.

The troublesome circuit is key to moving power from South Texas, where juice from wind farms and battery installations is plentiful, to North Texas, where generation has not kept pace with increasing demand. Without the Braunig units, which is north of the chokepoint, more power from South Texas would have to be pushed through the troublesome circuit, increasing the potential for overloads that ERCOT would have to manage through rolling blackouts.

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While CPS is working to build new transmission lines to ease the problem, the Centerpoint generators could be used to help manage the transmission issues. They can be strategically located around San Antonio to reduce grid overcrowding, ERCOT said, and turned on quickly when needed.

Each of the 15 generators produce enough electricity to power 30,000 homes.

Paying the bills

If the generators are move to San Antonio, CenterPoint would receive no revenue or profit from ERCOT for their use. But it would reduce the utility's costs for the units that have been passed on to its customers. That would reduce their bills starting this spring.

CPS Energy customers would not take on the cost of generators. It would be shared by ratepayers across the state, which is also true for the estimated $34 million in costs to keep Braunig Unit 3 running.

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ERCOTs board is likely to vote on the plan at its meeting in February. If approved, the generators would be moved to San Antonio in the spring.

Also during Thursdays meeting, the Public Utility Commission approved new requirements for utilities leasing mobile generators. Utilities now have to get the commissions approval before entering a lease agreement for such equipment. Its aim is to head off issues like those the Centerpoint lease has created.

The rules we approved today make clear that the PUCT requires utilities to acquire mobile generation units that are the right size, the most cost-efficient option, and ready to provide backup power to consumers when they need it most, Chairman Thomas Gleeson said.

The new requirements require an application process that covers the total capacity sought, the intended use of each of the units, and an explanation of why the lease of the units would be reasonable and necessary.

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In a statement, Centerpoint said that after CPS is done with the generators around 2027, its customers would be relieved of any further costs before the lease is up in 2029. The utility said it plans to market the units for other purposes and mentioned there is significant demand for such generators as artificial intelligence drives a massive build-out of data centers desperate for electricity.
Photo Credit: Pexels/ Pavel Danilyuk

The Ohio General Assembly has approved a bill supporting parental rights, which includes provisions for public school students to leave campus during school hours for religious instruction.

The state's upper chamber passed House Bill 8 on Wednesday with a vote of 24-7, and the Ohio House has voted 57-31 to agree with the legislation.

The bill now goes to Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who has 10 days to decide whether to sign the bill into law or veto it, as reported by CBS' Columbus affiliate WBNS.

Primarily sponsored by Reps. D.J. Swearingen and Sara Carruthers, HB 8 assert that a parent has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent's child.

The legislation specifies that a school district board of education shall collaborate with a sponsoring entity of a released time course in religious instruction to identify a time to offer the course during the school day. It clarifies that students attending a released time course in religious instruction shall not be considered absent from school, and no student may leave a core curriculum course to attend a religious instruction course.

Additionally, the bill mandates school districts to ensure that any sexuality content is age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate for the age of the student receiving the instruction. It prohibits schools from directly or indirectly encouraging a student to withhold from a parent information concerning the student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being, or a change in related services or monitoring.

Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue, praised the legislation's passage, stating, I praise God today for the leadership in the General Assembly that moved to protect parents and kids today.

He added, The days of the ACLU and the most fringe voices on the left driving the political debate in America are over. The age of powerful parent voices is here.

Baer further addressed Planned Parenthood employees in Ohio public schools by the bill: And for the Planned Parenthood employees in Ohio public schools disappointed today because they can no longer talk to 8-year-olds about their sexual orientation and gender identity, I have one message: its probably time to find a new line of work.

The Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was among the critics of HB 8. In a protest letter, the advocacy group claimed that the bill puts the privacy and safety of Ohio students at risk, emphasizing the importance of maintaining trust between young people and their teachers or other school staff members.

Additionally, HB 8s provisions about sexuality content will create a culture of censorship in our schools. Current law already allows for parental notice, review, and opting out of instruction, the letter read.

The ACLU chapter also objected to the provision for released time for religious instruction, arguing that such programs disrupt the school day for students who do not attend and their teachers.
(On the right) Police arrest a man (on the left) after he drove a black BMW past security barriers and into a crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on December 21, 2024. | Screenshot / Youtube/ Times Now

The death toll from a terror attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg has risen to five on Saturday.

In the early evening, a man identified as Taleb Al, a Saudi-born psychiatrist, drove his rented black BMW into a crowd, injuring over 200 people, with 40 of the wounded in severely critical condition.

Videos circulating on social media depict the vehicle speeding into the bustling market, although officials have yet to verify the authenticity of these clips. Eyewitnesses told The Guardian that the BMW plowed through shoppers for approximately 400 meters toward the town hall.

Among the deceased is a toddler, according to The U.K. Times, which also noted that makeshift tents were set up to manage the influx of injured individuals.

Al, the suspect in the incident, is a 50-year-old medical doctor from Saudi Arabia who has lived in Germany since 2006 and was recognized as a refugee in 2016.

The Belfast Telegraph reported that he worked as a psychiatrist at a correctional facility in Bernburg and had recently rented the BMW used in the attack. Initial tests suggested he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.

In a 2019 interview, Al claimed to be the most aggressive critic of Islam in history, stating that he sought asylum in Germany to escape threats in Saudi Arabia. Reports indicate that he also worked to assist ex-Muslims, particularly women, in fleeing Saudi Arabia after abandoning their faith.

The Daily Mail highlighted Al's social media activity, which included retweets of graphic videos, such as one showing a young Muslim woman purportedly being stoned to death because she had an affair with a young man outside of marriage. Another retweet featured a post that simply read: Can you find one positive thing about Islam?

In videos uploaded just hours before the attack, Al claimed that German authorities were opening his mail and stealing items, including a USB stick. In one video, he stated, I consider the Germans, as citizens, responsible for the persecution I am facing, and in another, he asserted, Currently in this country, the nation that is actively criminally chasing Islam critics is the German nation.

The attack has sent shockwaves through Germany, leading several towns to cancel their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution and in solidarity with Magdeburgs loss. Local authorities concluded that Al had committed the act alone.
Home News CofE bishops claim Christmas carols saying Jesus is true Messiah are problematic 'Hymns should not be altered just because the Church conforms to every progressive cause,' says Canon Chris Sugden

Bishops within the Church of England have raised concerns that certain Christmas carols might be problematic because of their explicit references to Jesus as the true Messiah. The Birmingham Diocese recently communicated to its clergy the need to reassess the language used in hymns to create an inclusive environment during the festive season.

The Birmingham Diocese instructed clergy to use language that wont add further confusion or tension or take away anything from the good news of the Nativity, The Mail on Sunday reported, citing the email.

The hymns under scrutiny include Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending, a favorite of Queen Victoria, which has been criticized for declaring Jesus as the true Messiah.

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Further, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel has been singled out for its phrase captive Israel in the first verse. The dioceses correspondence suggested that such language could lead to misunderstandings, particularly in the context of ongoing tensions related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The decision was influenced by the geopolitical climate, the Rt. Rev. Michael Volland, bishop of Birmingham, told The Telegraph.

Members of our team working closely with diverse communities in Birmingham invited churches to think about providing some context for people new to church who might be unsure why Israel is being discussed and whether this has any relation to the current conflict, Volland was quoted as saying.

He added that no hymns or liturgies have been formally altered, but rather, clergy are encouraged to offer contextual explanations to ensure the Christmas message remains clear and welcoming.

Critics within the church have voiced their opposition to the dioceses approach.

The CofE has really lost the plot, wrote one vicar to the Mail, which did not name him. The vicar noted that even Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't mandate Russian Orthodox churches to censor carols at Christmas.

Canon Chris Sugden, a former member of the General Synod and executive secretary of the Anglican Mainstream group, also argued against the modifications. Hymns should not be altered just because the Church conforms to every progressive cause, he was quoted as saying. He asked whether attending a Jewish or Hindu festival would warrant altering the lyrics or liturgy to accommodate potential objections.

The Church of England has told vicars to edit Christmas carols for fear of causing offense. To whom? [] The people the church is offending are Christians. Again, wrote Mail consultant editor and columnist Andrew Pierce in a post on X Sunday.

In defense of the dioceses position, officials from the presence and engagement team stated that the hymns contain a strong emphasis of supersessionism, the doctrine that Christianity is the one true religion.

Last week, a childrens carol service was criticized for promoting Christianity in Prestwich, a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury in Greater Manchester, U.K., the Bury Times reported.

Children from St Marys CE Primary School sang carols, performed Christmas songs and danced at an outdoor event organized by Prestwich and North Western Housing Association at the Rectory Green complex near Prestwich village center. However, prior to the event, a complaint was lodged objecting to its religious nature. Following the complaint, Prestwich and North Western leaders sought the opinions of residents at Rectory Court.

In 2022, a similar debate emerged in the CofE when attempts were made to rewrite the 17th century carol God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen to be more inclusive of women and LGBT-identified individuals. That initiative also faced backlash from those who felt that altering historical hymns compromised their original intent and theological significance.
Home News Court upholds death sentence for Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof

A federal appeals court rejected a request to commute the death sentence for Dylann Roof who killed nine members of a South Carolina church after he joined them in a Bible study.

In June 2015, Roof opened fire on those gathered at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston during a Wednesday Bible study, killing nine, all African Americans.

In various comments made online, Roof had made it clear that his actions were inspired by white supremacist ideology and a hope that a race war would ensue as a result of his actions.

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A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a per curiam decision on Wednesday upholding the death sentence for Roof, saying that no legal record "can capture the full horror of what Roof did."

The panel rejected various claims by Roof in his appeal that errors had been made when the court concluded that he was competent to stand trial for the nine murders.

Roof murdered African Americans at their church, during their Bible-study and worship. They had welcomed him. He slaughtered them. He did so with the express intent of terrorizing not just his immediate victims at the historically important Mother Emanuel Church, but as many similar people as would hear of the mass murder, concluded the panel.

No cold record or careful parsing of statutes and precedents can capture the full horror of what Roof did. His crimes qualify him for the harshest penalty that a just society can impose.

In December 2016, a jury found Roof guilty of 33 charges of federal hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religion and firearms violations.

"He must be held accountable for each and every action he took inside that church," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Williams, as reported by Reuters in 2016. "For every life he took."

In January 2017, the 22-year-old Roof was sentenced to death, making him the first person in U.S. history to be ordered executed for being found guilty of a federal hate crime.

Roof showed no visible remorse for his actions, according to The Associated Press, at one point telling jurors before they deliberated that I still feel like I had to do it.
Home News The Gospel Coalition co-founder DA Carson retires amid battle with Parkinson's disease

The Gospel Coalition has asked prayers for its co-founder, Don (D.A.) Carson, as the "physical and cognitive limitations arising from his Parkinson's disease" have forced the pastor and author to end his speaking engagements and other ministry responsibilities.

TGC made the announcement regarding the 78-year-old theologian, pastor and scholar's retirement on its website last week.

"As Don shared in a recent Christmas letter, the physical and cognitive limitations arising from his Parkinson's disease have forced him to end his speaking engagements and other ministry involvements," it said.

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"Along with scores around the world who have been touched by his decades of biblically faithful writing, teaching, and church leadership, we want to express gratitude to Don for the founding vision and ongoing guidance he has provided TGC, which marks its 20th anniversary next year.

Please ask the Lord to show mercy to Don and his family, granting them the knowledge of him and the sweetness of his presence as they walk through this trial. Though he's slowing down and facing significant health challenges, we take comfort in the truth Don is fond of reminding us: 'I am not suffering from anything that a good general resurrection can't fix.'"

Carson co-founded TGC  a global network of churches and leaders committed to Gospel-centered ministry, providing resources for pastors, church leaders and Christians navigating cultural challenges  with the late pastor and author Tim Keller in 2005.

An emeritus professor of the New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in Deerfield, Illinois, Carson has written or edited over 60 books on theology, biblical studies, and Christian living. His works include The Gagging of God, Exegetical Fallacies and New Testament Commentary Survey.

In 2023, TGC announced the launch of The Carson Center for Theological Renewal, an initiative inspired by Carson and aimed at combating biblical illiteracy and countering "unhelpful" and "heretical" modern teachings.

In his Christmas letter, Carson said that while the physical limitations slow him down, "the cognitive limitations constitute a more serious impediment."

"A few weeks ago, for several minutes I tried to convince my neurologist that we are living in 2008," he shared, adding he "could not remember the name of the first president of the United States. (I thought of offering to provide the name of the first Prime Minister of Canada, which I could remember, but I doubt that the neurologist would have been impressed)."

"I am still serving on the elders board of our church, but no longer in any public capacity. At the end of November, I attended what will probably turn out to be my last conference of the Evangelical Theological Society," Carson said.

Carson shared his plans to give away some of his belongings.

"It is time to get rid of my books, tools, and other accouterments so that Joy, [my wife], is not left to clean up my mess," he said.

In a 2019 interview with The Christian Post, Carson weighed in on the importance of family devotions and prayer time to instill in children the fundamentals of the faith at an early age amid growing biblical illiteracy.

"I think that it's important to give them good things to read, to submit them while they're young to good literature, to learn the Bible and family devotions when they're young," he said. "I find it shocking how many Christian families have no family devotions."

"Consistency is really helpful," he added. "Parents must live lives consistent with what they teach. There's nothing that turns kids off faster than a fraud, a phony, a counterfeit."

"Somewhere along the line, show kids your interest in the poor and the broken. Take kids on short-term missions, not just send them, take them with you so that they can see your interest in commitment in more than white, upper-middle-class suburbia."
Home News Denzel Washington gets baptized, receives ministry license: 'It took a while, but Im finally here'

Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington was baptized at a church in New York City over the weekend and officially received his ministry license  an event he revealed was prophesied decades ago.

The 69-year-old Gladiator II actor was baptized at The First Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ Eastern New York over the weekend, which livestreamed the service on Facebook.



In one week, I turn 70. It took a while, but Im finally here, he said in an emotional address to the congregation following the baptism.

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The actor revealed that when he was 20, he was sitting in his mom's beauty parlor when he encountered a woman named Ruth Green.

She said, Boy, you are going to travel the world and preach to millions of people, he recalled. She wouldnt even spell the word prophecy. My mother wrote the word prophecy ... 50 years later, look at God. If He can do this for me, theres nothing He cant do for you. The sky literally is the limit and theres no limit to the sky.

Washington then expressed his gratitude for his "loving, faithful wife," Pauletta Washington, who was there supporting him from the congregation.

"To God be the glory. Hallelujah!" he continued. "Anything I can do, I will do for this church, the Almighty. I just want to be in that number when the saints go marching in."

Washington has been outspoken about his faith throughout his career; his father, the Rev. Denzel Hayes Washington Sr., was a Pentecostal minister, and his mother, Lennis, was heavily involved in church activities. Growing up, he was surrounded by the teachings of the Bible and the rhythms of church life.

In a November essay for Esquire, the actor revealed he grew up in the church, but after witnessing altar calls and people being saved, he didnt really know what was happening when he was young.

The biggest moment of his life happened at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles, which he was turned onto by actor and director Robert Townsend, he said.

Things I said about God when I was a little boy, just reciting them in church along with everybody else, I know now, he said in the essay. God is real. God is love. God is the only way. God is the true way. God blesses.

He added, Its my job to lift God up, to give Him praise, to make sure that anyone and everyone I speak to the rest of my life understands that He is responsible for me.

Washington added that he was unafraid of the public's reaction to his faith, adding, I dont care what anyone thinks.

See, talking about the fear part of it  you cant talk like that and win Oscars, he said at the time. You cant talk like that and party. You cant say that in this town.

In a 2021 interview with The Christian Post, Washington shared how, in a society rife with division and destructive content, he wants to highlight stories that exemplify true sacrifice, faith and heroism.

In this day and age, you know, it's tough, the Academy Award-winner told CP. There's so many negative influences out there; social media, obviously, all the obvious ones, but the enemy is the enemy. So we are affected by what's outside of us, but it magnifies or accelerates what's really inside of us.

We're such a divided country right now, he added. We are the United States, in theory, not so much in practice. But in theory.

Last month, the actor opened up about the moment when he saw the face of God.

I was on a yacht listening to music and praying, and there was a song on called The Face of God,' Washington said. And I prayed, Lord, everyones singing about the face of God, and I want to see Your face. And then I heard, Turn to your left.'

The actor said he immediately turned and pulled out his phone to take a picture of what appeared to be a face in the clouds.

Washington referenced 1 Corinthians 13:12: "The Bible says we will see like through a mirror darkly, but then face to face," he said.
Home News James' Ossuary unveiled in new 'World of Jesus' exhibit with over 350 artifacts from Holy Land

ATLANTA  Standing in front of a small stone ossuary bearing the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus," Oded Golan gestures with quiet reverence.

The box, he explains, once held human bones. Now, it holds stories from 2,000 years ago that are now on display at Pullman Yards, where an extraordinary exhibit titled "Discovering the World of Jesus: Ancient Treasures from the Holy Land" opened on Dec 3.

The exhibition, showcasing over 350 artifacts from the private Golan Collection, promises visitors a visceral journey through the time of Jesus, from His birth to the Resurrection.

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For Golan, an Israeli engineer and antiquities collector, the exhibit reflects a life-long passion.

"I started collecting antiquities at the age of 9," he said, recounting his discovery of what would later be identified as the earliest dictionary in the world, written in cuneiform.

"Israel is the best place to search for antiquities. Every stone, every object has a story to tell."

For the first time, Golan's renowned collection has left Israel to embark on a U.S. tour, offering visitors a rare opportunity to connect with objects illuminating the daily lives, culture and faith of those who lived in Jesus' time.



Among the highlights in the exhibit are ossuaries attributed to James, Jesus' brother, and the priest Zacharias, believed to be the father of John the Baptist. Among hundreds of other objects are lamps, sandals, coins, and even stone vessels that are thought to resemble the cup used during the Last Supper.



"We have the earliest images of the Nativity story from a church from the fourth century A.D., and the earliest description of the Holy Sepulcher, the place where the tradition claims the place where Jesus' body was put into the cave and then resurrected," Golan, who is Jewish, said.



James Tabor, a retired professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a scholar of Christian origins, told CP the exhibit bridges a crucial gap between text and history.



"It's fabulous," he said. "As a historian, I work primarily with texts  Dead Sea Scrolls, manuscripts. But when you combine those texts with archaeology, it's transformative."



Tabor, who has excavated in Israel for decades, sees the exhibit's immersive approach as a game-changer. Rather than presenting artifacts in isolation, "Discovering the World of Jesus" tells a chronological story complemented by audio and visual effects.



"You walk through history, from Herod the Great to the crucifixion and beyond. You get a feel for what life was like. What lamps did they use? What dishes did they eat from? How did they bury their dead? This exhibit answers those questions in ways no textbook can," he explained.

For many visitors, the exhibit promises to challenge long-held assumptions. For example, the manger in which Jesus is said to have been laid at birth was likely not a wooden crib, but a stone trough.

"These artifacts correct misconceptions we don't even know we have," Tabor said. "The Bible comes alive in a tangible, material way."

No artifact stirs more awe than the James Ossuary, whose Aramaic inscription identifies it as belonging to "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."

Its authenticity, Golan explained, has been verified through rigorous chemical and microscopic testing, which confirm the inscription dates to the first century. Still, skeptics have debated its significance, questioning whether this James is the same man identified in the Gospels as Jesus' brother.

Despite the debate, Tabor said the statistical evidence surrounding the ossuary is compelling.



"We've analyzed the likelihood of someone with this combination of names living in Jerusalem at the time. It's extremely rare. The probability is overwhelming that this is the James from the New Testament," he said.



He stressed that the ossuary also serves as a rare physical link to Jesus' family.



"If this is James' ossuary, then his family members likely stood before it, mourning his death," Tabor said. "It's the closest thing we have to a direct connection with Jesus."



The exhibit also serves as an immersive, family-friendly experience. Visitors will encounter ancient coins minted by Pontius Pilate, crucifixion nails that highlight the brutality of Roman execution and sandals worn by children in first century Judea. A short film, "Daily Life in the Time of Jesus," offers a visual narrative that complements the artifacts.



One particularly striking piece is a stone cup, similar to the one used during the Last Supper. Golan said the cup "wasn't made of gold or covered in diamonds, as some might imagine."



"It was a simple stone cup, used during Passover by Jewish people in Jerusalem," Golan said. "The specific one we display has traces of fire damage, possibly from the destruction of Jerusalem, just as Jesus predicted during His life."

Golan contended that the pieces are keys to understanding a shared past and bringing the Bible to life in a powerful way.

"When you hold an artifact from the time of Jesus, you are connecting with history in a deeply personal way," he says. "You can almost feel the lives of the people who made them."

Tabor agreed, emphasizing the significance of immersing oneself in Bible history.

"When my students excavate in Israel and pick up a lamp or a shard of pottery, they're often amazed. 'Could Jesus have touched this?' they ask," Tabor stated. "It's a profound moment. This exhibit captures that feeling for everyone."

Golan hopes the exhibit will inspire curiosity and deepen understanding, regardless of one's religious beliefs.

"This isn't just for Christians," he said. "Jesus was a Jewish man who lived in a Jewish world. Understanding his time helps us understand the shared roots of our faith and history."

At the end of the exhibit, visitors are invited to write prayers and leave them on a symbolic tree. These prayers will be transported to a church in Galilee, near where Jesus is believed to have grown up. Golan said the tree serves as a fitting conclusion to a journey that begins with ancient artifacts and ends with a personal connection to faith and history.

"Jesus lived in a real world. This exhibit helps us see that world  the sights, the sounds, the objects  and that makes the story more human, more powerful, and more real," Tabor said.

"Discovering the World of Jesus: Ancient Treasures from the Holy Land" is now open at Pullman Yards in Atlanta. Tickets are now available online, with additional U.S. tour stops to be announced in the coming months.
Home News She loved Jesus: Pastor shares memories of beloved teacher killed at Christian school

The pastor of a teacher who was killed during the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, last week remembered her as a woman who loved Jesus and loved people.

Erin West, a 42-year-old educator from DeForest, was a cherished member of both her church and the Christian school community, where she taught for four years.  She was a woman who loved Jesus and loved people, and that was honestly why she was in that classroom on Monday, said Pastor Rob Warren of Doxa Church, according to WKOW.

The shooting on Monday, carried out by 15-year-old Natalie Samantha Rupnow, resulted in the deaths of West and 14-year-old student Rubi Patricia Vergara of Madison. Two other students sustained critical injuries and remained hospitalized as families and the school grappled with the immediate aftermath.

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The Associated Press reported that the attack lasted eight minutes during the schools regular snack break, a time typically filled with the simple routines of school life.

West was kind  extremely compassionate, generous, added Warren, who had recently joined Doxa Church with his family.

The pastor was among the first responders to the scene, arriving swiftly to support anxious parents seeking to find their children. He was the person who informed Erins husband and three daughters of her untimely death.

Barbara Wiers, the elementary and communications director at Abundant Life Christian School, also spoke about the tragedy. Are we broken right now? Yes. Are we bruised and battered? Yes, the AP quoted Wiers as saying. But we will laugh again, and He will turn our mourning into joy again. And we will go on.

Warren, who has previously witnessed the devastating effects of school shootings across the nation, expressed that nothing could have prepared him for a tragedy that hit so close to home. Its your friend and its your friends kids that youre looking at. It just becomes more and more real, he said.

He knows that its not just the sentiment of, Im going to see her again one day and shes at peace, but because of her faith, we know that shes actually at peace right now, the pastor added.

The school also released a statement honoring Wests dedication. ALCS is a better school for the work of Erin West. She served our teachers and students with grace, humor, wisdom, and  most importantly  with the love of Jesus. Her loss is a painful and deep one and she will be greatly missed not just among our staff, but our entire ALCS family.

Vergara, the other victim, was described as an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band.

The school characterized her as gentle and loving, noting her significant impact on her peers. Rubi was a blessing to her class and our school. She was not only a good friend, but a great big sister. Often seen with a book in hand, she had a gift for art and music, the school stated.

Funeral services for the victims have been scheduled. Wests funeral will take place at Doxa Church in Madison on Monday, with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. the same day. Rubi Vergaras service was held Saturday at City Church, adjacent to the school.

On Friday, authorities detained Alexander Paffendorf, a 20-year-old man from Carlsbad, California, and seized firearms and ammunition from his home as part of the ongoing investigation into the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.

According to a gun violence restraining order obtained by CBS 8 in San Diego, the FBI conducted the raid on Tuesday night. Paffendorf is accused of communicating with the shooter, Rupnow, and of planning a second attack intended to coincide with the Dec. 16 shooting.
Home News Pope Francis doubles down on condemnation of Israel's cruelty in Gaza Israel accuses pope of ignoring Hamas cruelty towards hostages

For the second time in the last couple of days, Pope Francis condemned Israel's actions in Gaza during his official remarks.

During his weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis accused Israel of cruelty regarding its treatment of Gazans.

And with pain, I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty, the Pope said.

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It was unclear which specific events the Pope was referring to, although Palestinian social media accounts associated with terror groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad regularly post about Israeli attacks in Gaza without positioning them within the context of the ongoing war effort against Hamas.

On Saturday, while speaking to members of government and the Holy See, the pope also accused Israel of cruelty, saying, Yesterday children were bombed. This is cruelty; this is not war.

The popes comments on Saturday drew a sharp response from the foreign ministry.

Cruelty is when terrorists hide behind children while attempting to murder Israeli children; cruelty is when 100 hostages, including a baby and children, are held and mistreated by terrorists for 442 days, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said. Unfortunately, the pope has chosen to ignore all of this.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said that Pope Francis comments are particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israels fight against jihadist terrorism  a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7.

Enough with the double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people, he added.

A military spokesman told French news agency AFP that it was not clear which incident the pope was referring to when saying that children were bombed.

The IDF told AFP that it struck several terrorists who were operating in a military structure belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization and posed a threat to IDF troops operating in the area.

It also said, the reported number of casualties resulting from the strike does not align with the information available to the military.

While the pope has consistently called for peace and a ceasefire, as he did during the Sunday prayer, his tone towards Israel has grown increasingly critical in recent weeks.

In November, the pope also appeared to accuse Israel of genocide. In a book excerpt, he stated that some international experts claim that what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.

In an official letter to Middle Eastern Catholics, sent on the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks, Pope Francis did not mention Hamas by name or even make explicit reference to the massacres and atrocities committed by the terror group.

The Vatican received negative press recently after a Nativity scene created by Palestinian artists was displayed in Rome showing baby Jesus lying in a manger on top of a Palestinian keffiyeh.

In the past few years, several pro-Palestinian activists have proclaimed that Jesus was actually Palestinian, despite biblical narratives clearly calling him a Jew.

Pope Francis also accused Israel of preventing the Catholic Bishop of Jerusalem from entering Gaza during his statements on Saturday. The IDF requires all NGOs and aid organizations to arrange visits to Gaza through them. It is not clear if the bishop was denied entry or had not yet received authorization.

However, on Sunday, the IDF allowed Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, to enter Gaza and celebrate a pre-Christmas Mass with members of the Strips small Christian community.

This article was originally published by All Israel News.
Home News Substantial evidence Matt Gaetz paid thousands for drugs and sex, including with a minor: House report

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., allegedly paid thousands of dollars for drugs and sex, including sexual intercourse with a minor, according to a House of Representatives Ethics Committee report.

In a 42-page report shared by media outlets Monday, the committee concluded there is "substantial evidence" that Gaetz, who stepped down earlier this year and was once tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be U.S. attorney general, violated House rules, laws and standards prohibiting "prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress."

The report detailed allegations of parties featuring drugs and sex, including a 2018 trip to the Bahamas where, according to witnesses, Gaetz took ecstasy and had sex with four women.

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"From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use," stated the report.

The House committee also received testimony that, while at a party in 2017, Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old who had just completed her junior year in high school, allegedly giving her $400 for the act.

The girl, identified as "Victim A" in the report, recalled that "she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age."

Gaetz has denied the allegations listed in the report. He filed a complaint on Monday in federal district court to block the release of the full committee report.

"The anticipated statements and release of information by Defendants is expected to include reference and make conclusions that Plaintiff engaged in conduct amounting to 'misconduct' or was otherwise unethical," stated the complaint, as reported by Fox News.

"The anticipated statements and information is false, factually incorrect, and untrue because Plaintiff did not violate any criminal code or other standard of ethics within the jurisdiction of Defendants."

The complaint goes on to say that if the report is "released, the damage to Plaintiff's reputation and professional standing would be immediate, severe and irreversible."

"The Committee's findings would carry the imprimatur of official Congressional action," continued the complaint. "Media coverage would be immediate and widespread  allegations would permanently remain in the public record [and no] adequate remedy exists to retract or correct information once released."

In a tweet, Gaetz responded to the report.

"The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes. I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED," he wrote. "Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me. Then, the very 'witnesses' DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I've had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I've never been charged. I've never been sued."

In November, Trump announced that he was nominating Gaetz as attorney general, with the decision reportedly causing an "audible gasp" among some Republican lawmakers.

Gaetz, who represented Florida's 1st Congressional District from 2016 until he resigned his seat upon his nomination, had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee since 2021.

Following backlash from conservatives and Republican members of Congress, Gaetz announced on Nov. 21 that he was declining the nomination for attorney general.

"While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition," stated Gaetz last month.

"There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump's DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1."
The cast of The Company Theatre's production of "Merry Christmas, George Bailey" -- Nikki Young, clockwise from left, Heather Kelley, Benji Regan, Jackson Thoma and Schedel Luitjen -- rehearse with a table read of the script at Young's parents' home. The show is being staged in the memory of Damian Gillen, the company's founder, who died in April. The troupe does this show every year for the holidays. Marvin Pfeiffer

The actors starring in The Company Theatres annual staging of Merry Christmas, George Bailey have a lot to juggle onstage, including creating both distinctive characters and solid sound effects.

The biggest challenge this year, though, might be keeping their emotions in check.

Jackson Thoma rehearses a line during a table read of the script for "Merry Christmas, George Bailey." The show is being staged in the memory of Damian Gillen, who founded The Company Theatre and who died in April. The troupe does this show every year for the holidays. Marvin Pfeiffer A page from the script of "Merry Christmas, George Bailey" next to a Lux Toilet Soap prop. The Company Theatre is producing the play in memory of founder Damian Gillen, who died in April. Marvin Pfeiffer Heather Kelley, left, and Benji Regan rehearse their roles as Mary and George Bailey in a table read of the script for "Merry Christmas, George Bailey" at Nikki Young's parents' home. The Company Theatre produces the radio play each year. Marvin Pfeiffer The Company Theater's Jackson Thoma, from left, Heather Kelley, Benji Regan, Schedel Luitjen and Nikki Young pose for a photo during a table read of the script for "Merry Christmas, George Bailey" at Young's parents' home. The troupe is producing the play in memory of Damian Gillen, the company's founder, who died in April. Marvin Pfeiffer

Damian Gillen, the troupes co-founder and guiding force, died in April just a few days before his 60th birthday. This is the first time the company has produced the show without him. It is intended as a tribute to the late theater artist.

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There will be tears that night, said Jackson Thoma, Gillens biological son, during a rehearsal just over a week before the single performance of the show.

'Merry Christmas, George Bailey' Where: Little Italy Restaurant, 824 Afterglow When: Doors open at 6 p.m. Dec. 27. Tickets: $35, mcgb-sa.com. Tickets include dinner.

There are tears right now, said Benji Regan, who plays the title role every year and also routinely appeared in two- and three-actor shows with Gillen year-round.

Merry Christmas, George Bailey is the 1947 radio adaptation of Its a Wonderful Life. It pares down the story told in the beloved holiday film a bit, but the plot remains the same. A child-like angel named Clarence Odbody is dispatched to Earth to dissuade George Bailey from taking his own life. The angel, who has been promised that the mission will earn him his wings, hits on the idea of showing George the tremendous impact he has had on others and how much darker things would have been had he never been born.

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Damian Gillen, who died earlier this year, staged "Merry Christmas, George Bailey" annually with his Company Theatre. Troupe members are presenting it in his memory. The Company Theatre

Regan and Thoma will be joined onstage by Heather Kelley, Schedel Luitjen and Nikki Young, who also is directing.

Most of the cast have long associations with the play, which The Company has been doing for about 20 years. They also had all grown close to Gillen. So he possibility of ending 2024 without Gillen or the play weighed heavily on them.

Theres a lot of catharsis in doing this, giving us an outlet to pour out a little bit of what weve been holding in since he passed, Regan said. There was this gaping hole of things not happening this year that were happening like clockwork every other year. It was very, very gloomy. Bringing this back is going to be therapeutic.

Thoma had done some stage managing for the company, but this will be his first time on stage with the troupe. He has settled right in, working hard to create distinctive voices for each character. Young praised him throughout the rehearsal. She also shed some tears, struck by his strong physical resemblance to Gillen.

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The 17-year-old is splitting the roles typically played by his late father with Luitjen. They also are taking care of sound effects.

Im doing the show specifically to honor him and to keep his legacy alive, said Thoma, who was adopted and had just started to get close to his biological father when he died. He was very big on that kind of stuff, and I know one of the reasons why he started (The Company) was to get people off their couches and actually go see some theater. I really want to keep that goal alive.

The Company Theatre staged "Merry Christmas, George Bailey" annually. The cast one year included The cast in a previous outing featured Nikki Young, from left, Ida Steele, John Eubanks, Heather Kelley, Benji Regan and Damian Gillen. Gillen, who founded the company, died earlier this year. The troupe is staging the show in h is memory. The Company Theatre

The Company started doing Merry Christmas, George Bailey as part of a double bill with Gillens solo show, Bah Humbug! He wrote and starred in the show, an adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol in which he played all of the parts.

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He toured with that show for about 30 years. At some point, he set a goal for himself of giving 30 performances in 30 days over each holiday season, doing it at schools, in prisons, at parties and at festivals such as Dickens on the Strand in Galveston. For several years, he ended the run at the Arneson River Theater.

Catholic Television San Antonio created a documentary about that show in the wake of Gillens death. It can be streamed on the networks Facebook page.

Luitjen stage managed Bah Humbug!

This is the first time in eight years Im not driving around the state, he said. I dont think I realized how much my experience of Christmas the last decade has been about that.

Merry Christmas, George Bailey is the beginning of a new era for the theater troupe, Young said. They are making plans for another tribute to Gillen in April. The Complete Works of Damian (Abridged) will feature snippets from his original works as well as a look at his life. The shape of the piece was inspired by the Reduced Shakespeare Companys puckish The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), which the troupe had produced.

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They also are making plans to copyright his plays and give the rights to Thoma.

Our goal is to pass on everything we can of Damians to Jackson, Regan said.

Regan has played George Bailey every Christmas for years. This time around, he keeps thinking about the parallels between Gillen and George.

You have the story of a man who doesnt really know or realize the impact he has on so many lives, he cant really see from his tiny point of existence, the broad impact he has just by being who he is, he said. Damian loved being able to tell that story as a reminder that we dont always see how God is working in our lives, but hes there and theres a plan and hell see us through to the other side If we have faith.

As fans of the story know, bells are woven through it, each ring noting that an angel has gotten his wings. George takes the final bell to be a sign that Clarence has gotten his, and says, Attaboy Clarence.
Home News Televangelist Kenneth Copeland reveals hospitalization, predicts when he will die

Televangelist Kenneth Copeland revealed he was recently hospitalized for several days for a surgical procedure, but he is now doing well and expects to live until he is 120 because of a deal he made with God.

Speaking with congregants earlier this month at Eagle Mountain International Church in Newark, Texas, which he founded in 1986, Copeland said he was hospitalized for 10 days due to a ruptured appendix.

I had what some people would call a bad year. No, I'd never had an extended hospital stay. My appendix ruptured. I was in there five days the first time and five more days, Copeland said.

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The 88-year-old televangelist, famous for his lavish life and utilizing private jets for his ministry, said he made it through the medical episode with faith and humor.

A merry heart does good like a medicine, he said before explaining how he used humor to keep himself from getting depressed throughout his medical challenge.

They were just about to roll me in [to surgery] they had me all prepped on the gurney. I said, Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. That doctor said, What? I said, What do you call this [procedure]? He said, an appendectomy.

I said, What do you call it when you take someone's tonsils out?  a tonsillectomy. What do you call it when you take a growth off of your head? A haircut. And that surgeon said he got me on that one, Copeland quipped.

I had to keep doing that to keep from getting depressed and down and off my faith in that hospital, but I've come out to the end of it in good health, he said.

Copeland said he was confident the surgery would be successful because he had prayed for ministering spirits to watch over the procedure.

I know as well as I know my name, the Master carried me, watched over me, took care of me, and didn't let somebody slip up, he said. I know a young man [...] the neurosurgeon slipped and now he's in a wheelchair.

He further noted that another reason he was confident he would come out of the surgery successfully is that he made an agreement with God that he would live until 2056.

I have made and entered [into a] covenant with God and on December 6, 2056, I'll see you all later. I'm out of here, 120 years old, Copeland claimed, predicting the date of his death.

You take an old worn out car and you put it in the shop, and you restore it good as new or better. Well, this old 88-year-old worn out body has been made better. The different parts have been overhauled and now it's finished, he declared. I am here to give thanks like never before.

Copeland said he has been praying and planning for Gods purpose for the life he has before him and planned out themes for the year ahead all the way to 2029.

I've been praying about the years. 2024 was [a] victory, sure. 2025 the nation comes alive. 2026 the big fix. 2028 we go through the gate. 2029 all things will be divine. I don't have 2030 yet, he said to laughs from the congregants.

Though he did not say what would happen in the year 2027, Copeland predicted that 2025 will have less dangerous storms than 2023 and 2024, but claimed Democrats will engage in historic opposition to protect the interests of the Democratic Party instead of the American people.

I know what's going to happen in 2025, Copeland declared without mentioning the names of any political party. More opposition politically than there has ever been because the opposing team is fighting for the life of its party, not the United States people.

He urged congregants to approach 2025 with great joy and great faith but not let our watch down, as the midterms are important too.

We don't turn loose and say, Well, we won it what now? Midterms, that's what now, Copeland said.

The televangelist also encouraged congregants to be similarly intentional about their life.

Well, what now about my life? Well, what about your midterm? What are you going to be doing two years from now? You better start right now believing God you're going to be alive and well two years from now, cause you don't have any guarantee other than what you believe for, he said.

What about 2026? Get on it! Get on it now and begin to pray in the spirit about it and listen to the Lord and do what He says do. Take care of spiritual business and do it with a smile, Copeland explained. Am I in the right place? Am I in the right Church? Am I where I'm supposed to be in this life? Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing? My decisions must be quality.
Home News Tributes pour in for 9-year-old boy killed in Christmas market attack

Heartfelt tributes have flooded in following the death of a 9-year-old boy in the recent German Christmas market attack. The young victim, described by his mother as her little teddy bear, lost his life, along with four women, when a driver rammed into the festive crowd.

The boy, an aspiring firefighter and identified in the media as Andre Gleiner, was one of the victims in last Fridays attack, which left more than 200 individuals injured, with at least 41 in critical condition, when a black BMW SUV plowed 400 meters (437 yards) through the crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg.

Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again. Andre didnt do anything to anybody. He was only with us on Earth for nine years. Why you? Just why? Andres mother, Desiree, said, according to The Telegraph.

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The Lower Saxony youth fire brigade stated, We are particularly saddened by the loss of such a young life from our own ranks. Andre, 9 years old and a committed member of the Warle childrens fire brigade in the Braunschweig district, was taken from his life by this senseless act.

Families of the victims, along with emergency workers and government officials, gathered at Magdeburg Cathedral on Saturday evening for a memorial service.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attended the service, where he described the incident as a dreadful tragedy, the BBC reported. So many people were injured and killed with such brutality in a place that is supposed to be joyful.

City officials have been inundated with messages of support and tributes to the young boy and the other victims, according to local media. Residents have been seen placing candles and flowers at the cathedral and other public spaces, honoring the lives lost and supporting the families affected by the tragedy.

Witnesses recounted the horrifying moments of the attack, sharing how they jumped out of the driver's path, fled, or hid to survive the onslaught.

I saw blood on the floor as well as many doctors trying to keep people warm and help them with their injuries, Lars Frohmuller, a reporter for German public broadcaster MDR, told BBC Radio 4s World Tonight.

The suspected attacker, Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old Saudi citizen, arrived in Germany in 2006 and worked as a doctor. He is being questioned by authorities.

Prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens stated that the investigation is ongoing but suggested that the motive could have been disgruntlement with the way Saudi Arabian refugees are treated in Germany. He added that al-Abdulmohsen is expected to be charged with murder and attempted murder in due course.

Reiner Haseloff, the premier of Saxony-Anhalt state, indicated that preliminary investigations suggest the suspect acted alone, according to DW. The places that the perpetrator used were the emergency access routes and the emergency exits, Haseloff was quoted as saying.

The attack in Magdeburg is not the first of its kind targeting Christmas markets in Germany. Previous incidents, including the 2016 Berlin attack by Anis Amri and the 2018 Strasbourg shooting, have left lasting scars and prompted extensive reviews of security protocols at such events.

Holger Munch, head of Germanys federal police force the BKA, described al-Abdulmohsen as atypical. He noted that the suspects social media activity suggested opposition to the Saudi regime and dissatisfaction with Germanys refugee policies.

The Saudi government had reportedly sent official notifications to German authorities warning about al-Abdulmohsens extreme views, which a source close to the Saudi government claimed were ignored, according to the German press agency DPA.
Home Opinion This Christmas, baby Jesus becomes tool of Islamist propaganda

In any normal year Bethlehem would be filled with tourists celebrating the birth of Jesus. But for the second year in a row, the Christian leaders of Gaza decided to cancel Christmas, claiming allyship with the Palestinians in Gaza. If that wasnt enough, some of the Christian leaders chose to reenact the story very differently.

In the new version, baby Jesus is no longer Jewish, but Palestinian. He was no longer laying in a manger, but in the rubble of a building in Gaza, wrapped in a keffiyeh. If that wasnt enough, Pope Francis inaugurated a nativity scene in the Vatican that showed Jesus laying on a keffiyeh. The scene was eventually removed after tremendous backlash.

Appropriating the story of Jesus birth to fit modern social issues is a fairly common practice. But appropriating the story of Jesus to serve the interests of Islamists bent on driving out both Jews and Christians from the Land of Israel is both short-sighted and sacrilegious.

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There is a saying among Islamists: First the Saturday people, and then the Sunday people. Islamic terrorists do not hide their intentions: first, they will drive out the Jews and then they will drive out the Christians. This is a threat that we should all take very seriously. One of the most egregious examples of the Islamists success took place in Iraq. In 1948, there were 156,000 Jews and 5 million Christians. Seventy-five years later there are estimated to be 3-4 Jews and no more than 150,000 Christians.

The situation in Bethlehem is not much better. In 1948, Christians were 85% of the population of Bethlehem. Today, they are less than 10%. There are more Christians in St. Patricks Cathedral on Christmas Eve than there are Christians left in Bethlehem, a shocking statistic to consider. There should be no mistaking the cause for such a decline: radical Islamists hell-bent on destruction and religious persecution.

The Islamists use a variety of tactics to drive out Christians. The tactics range from general employment discrimination all the way to targeted killings. In 2014, a young woman from Bethlehem began speaking out about the suffering of Christians in Bethlehem. She came from a prominent family and was even featured in a major TV news series on the plight of Christians in Bethlehem. The more she spoke out about the plight of Christians in Bethlehem the more she and her family were attacked. She eventually had to flee for her safety. In a report from the Jerusalem Institute for Justice on Freedom of Religion her case is detailed:

Christy, a young Palestinian Christian woman from Bethlehem, told of her uncle who did not want to pay al-jyziah, (the protection money paid by Christians) during the Second Intifada. He and other Christians started noticing that the so-called freedom fighters would stand next to Christian houses to shoot at the Israelis, and the ensuing response would thus mainly hit Christian houses. He stopped paying al-jyziah and was subsequently accused of being a traitor and put into prison. With no evidence against him, he was released, only to be shot and killed a few days later outside of his home.

It's not surprising that the same tactic of hiding behind Christians and in churches remains one of the key tactics employed by Hamas in Gaza. The tactic of driving out Christians in Gaza has been going on for decades. In 2007, Rami Ayyad, the manager of the only Christian bookstore in the Gaza Strip was kidnapped and murdered by Islamists. Each year, many Christians flee Gaza and never return.

Often the Arab Christians who escaped would become vocal about their suffering. For others, the fear for their families left behind keeps them from speaking out publicly. Those that remain do their best to keep their heads down. The most despicable ones are those who use their positions of influence to provide cover for the Islamists.

Sadly, those who become mouthpieces for the Islamists often get showcased as the Indigenous Palestinian Christian voices. Many in the more mainstream media love a good cultural appropriation story if it furthers their anti-Jewish and anti-Christian bias. For example, take this part of Munther Isaacs 2023 Christmas sermon featured by none other than the rabidly anti-Christian outlet, Democracy Now!:

Here in Palestine, the Bible is weaponized against us our very own sacred text. In our terminology in Palestine, we speak of the Empire. Here we confront the Theology of Empire. A disguise for superiority, supremacy, chosenness, and entitlement it is sometimes given a nice cover using words like Mission and evangelism, fulfillment of prophecy, and spreading freedom and liberty. The Theology of the Empire becomes a powerful tool to mask oppression under the cloak of divine sanction.

In his 17-minute sermon, there is no mention of the Jewishness of Jesus or the Holy Family. It takes a lot of mental gymnastics to omit the Jewishness inherent in the Nativity story. There is, however, a 17-minute raging attack on all those who fail to defend the Islamists of Gaza. In an advent message shared on his X account, Munther, sitting in a manger with Jesus in a keffiyeh in rubble, called on people to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza. Rather than confronting the Theology of Empire, Munther Isaac is the Christian voice for the Empire of Islam, the very Empire that has ethnically cleansed the Middle East of both Christians and Jews. It is a tragic and cynical tactic to attempt to be the Christian mouthpiece for Islamic oppression, and aside from its immorality, it has been proven time and time again to be a losing strategy to protect Christian lives.

Christians should not only reject the appropriation of Jesus  they should reject the Christians defending it. The salvation for those who are suffering in Gaza will not come from the Palestinian Jesus in the rubble, but from Jesus of Nazareth who was born to a Jewish family in Bethlehem  The City of David.
Home Opinion What does Christmas look like on the other side of the world?

As a little boy, I remember seeing "Christmas Stars"  giant paper lanterns  light up my father's South Indian village in a rainbow of colors. My sister and I loved to see them shining on our neighbors' houses each night in December, leading up to Christmas. We knew they represented the star that pointed to the birthplace of Jesus over 2,000 years ago.

To many of us in the West, Christmas time has a very particular "look"  photoshoots with Santa, decorating trees, baking cookies, and navigating the crowds and chaos at our local malls. It's a joyful season, but it can also be an overwhelming one. All the commercialization can sometimes steal away the peace and significance of what this season is about.

On the other side of the globe, Advent and Christmas tend to look a little different than what you or I might be used to. While there is much celebrating and rejoicing in the coming of Christ, our brothers and sisters in Africa and Asia are also aware of the incredible opportunity the Christmas season offers to share the hope of Christ with those around them.

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I've talked to many of our missionaries in Nepal who find joy in celebrating Christmas by trekking through snow-covered mountains to provide blankets and warm clothing to those in need while sharing the Christmas story of God's love.

In another part of the mission field, many churches organize carol singing throughout their local areas to bring the best news to their neighbors.

Over in Sri Lanka, Christmas begins on December 1, with fireworks going off at dawn to celebrate Christ's incarnation.

It can be extremely easy for those of us in the West to find ourselves on a slippery slope of forgetting the meaning behind our Christmas traditions and instead focus only on the immediate excitement and emotion of the moment.

If we are not deliberate, we will reduce this most precious time of the year  a season meant to prepare our hearts for Christ's coming and deepen our longing for His anticipated return  to meaninglessness, leaving ourselves empty and hungry.

The name given to Jesus, Emmanuel, which means "God with us," is the very heart of the Christmas story. He chose to come down and live among us, entering our world in the most vulnerable way possible: as a helpless baby. His presence among us is a declaration of His love and His desire to be near us. And it is our incredible privilege to take that declaration of love to every corner of this earth.

When I was younger, my father and I traveled in a vehicle in South Asia on Christmas Day. As we drove along, we noticed a farmer plowing his field. My father asked the driver to stop, and he quickly got out to talk to the older gentleman. He asked him, "Why are you working on Christmas?" The man looked confused and replied, "What is a Christmas?"

This man had never heard of Christmas and what it was supposed to mean. More than that, he had never even heard of Christ once in his life! This may seem shocking, but it is the reality for millions of people around the world. While we sing songs and open gifts, multitudes still wait for someone to tell them about the hope of salvation.

The challenge for all of us is that we will never be satisfied with just the excitement of celebration. Instead, we must be deliberate in our lives and churches worldwide to ask ourselves, what will we do in response? How will this celebration cause us to live differently? What can we do with our time and resources as a family to bring more people to know about Christ and His kingdom?

This year, considering looking around to see what you can do to invest your life in bringing hope and healing, especially during this Christmas season. Maybe that means partnering with GFA World to provide poverty-alleviating gifts to some of our generation's most poor and needy. Maybe it's getting involved with a local shelter and sharing about the hope you have in Christ.

Whatever it might be for you, be sure to commit to celebrating this Christmas by bringing the gift of life to those who still long and wait.
Home Opinion The first Christmas: Myths and realities

Heres a true-false quiz:

1. Mary and Joseph had to travel as quickly as possible to Bethlehem because Mary could have given birth at any moment.

2. The Bethlehem innkeeper was fully booked, and so Mary had to give birth to Jesus in the barn/stall nearby/behind the inn.

3. Initially, this experience must have been frightening and lonely for Mary and Joseph.

4. The little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.

5. The angels who appeared to the shepherds had wings.

Howd you do on the quiz? Check your answers below. (Some of these thoughts are taken from a talk I gave on what really happened that first Christmas.)

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Marcus Borg, a member of the liberal Jesus Seminar, claims that the Gospels are in serious conflict: Jesus was born in a stable in Luke but in a home in Matthew (The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions). As it turns out, this isnt really a conflict at all. Contrary to the traditional Christmas story, Jesus was indeed born in a home! Borgs claim is based on the notable King James Versions mistranslation of Luke 2:7: There was no room for them in the inn. But the KJV rendering goes against Lukes intention.

Over the centuries, the Christmas story has been re-cast and romanticized into a kind of Christian mythology. But what do the Scriptures really tell us about Jesus birth?

1. There would have been no inns in a backwater town like Bethlehem. They would be found along main roads or in cities.

2. The word for inn (katalyma) is the same one as the guest room (of a private home) mentioned in Mk. 14:14 and Lk. 22:11  the room where the last supper was eaten.

Mark 14:13-15: Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, The Teacher says, Where is My *guest room* [katalyma] in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples? And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.

Also, this word in Lk. 2:7 (guest room) is different from Lk. 10:34 (pandocheion = inn), where the beaten man was taken by the compassionate Samaritan. This inn had an innkeeper (pandocheus), and such inns would unquestionably be located on a main thoroughfare between Jerusalem and Jericho. One commentary puts it this way, The traditional picture of a surly innkeeper refusing admission to the needy couple is somewhat dubious (I. Howard Marshall, Luke, in The New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, eds. R. T. France, D. A. Carson, et al. [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994], 984).

3. Joseph, no doubt being a considerate husband (cp. Mt. 1:19), would have taken ample time to find Mary a place to give birth, which is what Luke 2:6 indicates: While they were there [in Bethlehem], the days were completed for her to give birth. Mary gave birth after she had fulfilled her days  a duration of time. Although people seem to miss this, the passage clearly indicates ample passage of time in Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.

4. In a culture that so valued hospitality, Joseph would have insulted his relatives by going to an inn. Rather, he would stay with his relations, who would readily have made room for his expectant wife  even if the guest room was crowded and the birth had to take place in the main living area. It would seem ludicrous, given the importance of hospitality in the Middle East, that Joseph would have no place to stay among his relatives  especially if he was of the house and line of David and if his wife was expecting. And if Joseph could not find a place for Mary after a few weeks or so, they could go back to Marys relative Elizabeth, who lived in the same region.

5. In Jesus day, animal sheds were typically attached to houses. In Judea a manger was not normally found in a separate stable; rather, according to R T. France, it was in the main living room of a peasant house, where animals are brought in at night. New Testament scholar Kenneth Bailey (from whom I borrow heavily in this blog) notes that the manger Christ was laid in was built into the floor of the raised terrace of the peasant home. This stall-next-to-the-house arrangement is what Luke 13:15 presupposes: ... does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?

6. When the wise men show up in Bethlehem, they come to a house. Matthew 2:11 states: After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

These gifts are highlighted as indicating the fulfillment of what the Old Testament Scriptures anticipated. A new covenant was in the making  one involving Gentiles (cp. Zech. 14:16: All those who survive of the nations ... shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts). So, when the Gentile wise men/magi come from afar to visit the newly born king Jesus, they bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Of course, there were probably other gifts, but these are highlighted because of certain Old Testament references anticipating the coming in of the Gentiles to worship the true God and to honor his Messiah/King. Isaiah 60:6 speaks of the dawning of the restoration (when the glory of the Lord has risen upon you [60:1]). It mentions exiled sons coming from afar (4) and the wealth of the nations will come to you (5). Camels from Midian, Ephah, and Sheba (the south) will come: They will bring gold and frankincense (6). In the kingship/messianic Psalm 45 (cited in Hebrews 1), the kings garments are fragrant with myrrh (45:8). This psalm speaks of Israels king as being over the princes in all the earth and all peoples [Gentiles] will give you thanks forever and ever (15-16). The magis coming signals the coming in of the Gentiles because the day of the Messiah has dawned. The end times have arrived.

Furthermore, the magi saw Jesus star rising in the east (Mat. 2:2). We anticipate this from Balaams prophecy of the days to come (Num. 22:14)  that a star shall come forth from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel (Num. 24:17).

The Gospels portray a Jesus who is reaching out to the Gentiles. He is telling the Jewish people to give up their nationalistic and social agenda and follow His agenda. Jewish leaders were preoccupied with traditional symbols: land, temple, law (especially Sabbath and food laws), kinship (ethnic heritage) and blessing (material possessions). Jesus criticizes the entire temple system and pronounces judgment on it (symbolized by the temple-cleansing). It was necessarily tied to the old covenant with national Israel; Jesus complained about the failure of the ruling priests when He cleansed the temple. Instead of being a place of prayer for Gentiles and for regathering Israels exiles, it fostered oppression and neglected the needy.

II. What of the angels?

In a verse of the Christmas carol It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, we come upon these words about angels:

Still through the cloven skies they come

With peaceful wings unfurled,

And still their heavenly music floats

Oer all the weary world.

In the carol Angels from the Realms of Glory, they are called to wing your flight oer all the earth.



The Bible speaks of angelic beings such as cherubim and seraphim, which have wings (e.g., Isaiah 6). However, what most people dont know is that the specific usage of the word angels in Scripture indicates that they do not have wings. They always appear in the form of men.

Gen. 18-19 : Three representatives of Yahweh come to check out the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah  one of the representatives is Yahweh Himself. The three appear to Abraham and then Lot. Although they appear as three men (Gen. 18:2), Abraham immediately recognizes them as angelic beings. When they appear to Lot, (they are called two angels [Gen. 19:1]), and Lot takes longer to recognize them. In Heb. 13:2, which refers to these passages, the author writes that some have entertained angels without knowing it. This suggests that these angels appear as men  without wings. If they had wings, they would surely be recognized!

: Three representatives of Yahweh come to check out the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah  one of the representatives is Yahweh Himself. The three appear to Abraham and then Lot. Although they appear as three men (Gen. 18:2), Abraham immediately recognizes them as angelic beings. When they appear to Lot, (they are called two angels [Gen. 19:1]), and Lot takes longer to recognize them. In Heb. 13:2, which refers to these passages, the author writes that some have entertained angels without knowing it. This suggests that these angels appear as men  without wings. If they had wings, they would surely be recognized! Judges 13:3-6 : First, we read that the angel of the LORD (v. 3) appeared to Manoahs wife (Samsons mother). Then she reports to her husband: A man of God came to me and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome.

: First, we read that the angel of the LORD (v. 3) appeared to Manoahs wife (Samsons mother). Then she reports to her husband: A man of God came to me and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. Daniel 3:24-28 : Nebuchadnezzar sees four men in the fiery furnace (v. 25). He then says, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him (v. 28).

: Nebuchadnezzar sees four men in the fiery furnace (v. 25). He then says, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him (v. 28). Resurrection narratives : Although we read in two of the Gospel resurrection narratives that angels are at the tomb (Matthew 28:1-5: An angel of the Lord; John 20:12: [Mary Magdalene] saw two angels in white), the other two Gospels speak of them as men (Mark 16:5: They saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; Luke 24:4: two men ... in dazzling clothing).

: Although we read in two of the Gospel resurrection narratives that angels are at the tomb (Matthew 28:1-5: An angel of the Lord; John 20:12: [Mary Magdalene] saw two angels in white), the other two Gospels speak of them as men (Mark 16:5: They saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; Luke 24:4: two men ... in dazzling clothing). Acts 10: An angel of God (10:3) appears to Cornelius in Acts 10, the angel is later on referred to as a man in shining clothes (10:30).

III. Docetism in our hymnody and theology

This line from away in a manger is quite familiar to us: The little Lord Jesus no crying he makes ... This picture presents a Jesus who apparently never cried as an infant  and perhaps that He never soiled His diapers and never made a mess eating as a baby. However, we must be careful about overemphasizing Jesus deity and underemphasizing His humanity. This is the heresy of docetism. (The word docetism is a derived from the Greek dokeo, meaning (I) appear, seem. The Christ seemed human but really wasnt.

This is a version of Gnosticism, which came to full bloom in the second century AD. It emphasized the following ideas: A. a secret, saving knowledge (gnosis) or illumination is available only to a select enlightened few; ignorance, not sin, is the ultimate human problem; B. the body/matter is evil, and the spirit/soul is good  a belief that tended to produce extreme self-denial (asceticism); C. An eternal dualism exists between a good being/God and an inferior evil being/god (who created matter); so the creator in Genesis is an inferior intermediary between the ultimate/true God (the PleromaFullness) and this world; D. History is unimportant and insignificant; if Jesus (the Christ) played any part in Gnostic belief systems, he only appeared to be human but was really divine; God couldnt take on an evil human body or suffer on a cross.

We can commit the same Gnostic error by focusing on Jesus divinity and downplaying His humanity. The same applies to Jesus temptation. We may say, of course Jesus didnt sin. He was God. The Scriptures portray Jesus as someone who struggled; it was not a breeze for Him to do the will of his Father. He was not play-acting:

Hebrews 4:15 : For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

: For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 5:8: Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

So, when you sing Away in a Manger this Christmas season, you may want to do what our family does  adjust the words a bit: The little Lord Jesus *some* crying he makes!

IV. Lessons from the Christmas story

Let me summarize some lessons from this retelling of the Christmas story.

Keep on reading and examining the Scriptures (cp. the Bereans in Acts 17). Let us make sure that we dont let tradition prevent us from gaining fresh insights from Scripture or from adjusting our theology when this is called for.

We must be careful not to Gnosticize Jesus  as though He didnt or cant really identify with us.

On the other hand, we should not make Jesus birth more pitiful or lowly than it actually was.

We can still celebrate the condescension of Immanuel  God with us  even with these adjustments in our understanding of the first Christmas story.

Originally published at The Worldview Bulletin Newsletter.
Home News Florida woman convicted of targeting pro-life pregnancy care centers

A Florida woman has been convicted for her involvement in efforts to vandalize and threaten pro-life pregnancy care centers in 2022.

Gabriella Oropesa of Cooper City was convicted last Thursday for her part in a conspiracy against employees of pro-life pregnancy centers, according to a statement issued by the United States Department of Justice.

Caleb Freestone, Amber Stewart-Smith and Annarella Rivera had all previously pleaded guilty for their participation in this conspiracy.

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The conspirators were prosecuted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, a controversial federal law often used to prosecute pro-life activists who protest at abortion clinics.

"The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act is clear: no one should have to face threats and intimidation just for doing their job," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.

"The Justice Department will continue to ensure access to the full spectrum of reproductive health services afforded to the public, whether those services include abortion or counseling on alternatives to abortion."

Oropesa's sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 19, 2025, and faces as much as 10 years in prison for the conspiracy charge.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Tampa Field Office investigated the case, receiving assistance from the Polk County Sheriff's Office and also the Winter Haven, Hialeah and Hollywood Police Departments.

In 2022, a wave of attacks on churches and pro-life pregnancy centers occurred in response to the leaking of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that indicated that the high court would overturn Roe v. Wade, the polarizing 1973 decision that established abortion as a constitutional right.

On July 3, 2022, weeks after the Supreme Court struck down Roe, Freestone and Smith-Stewart vandalized the Heartbeat of Miami Pregnancy Medical Help Clinic in Hialeah. Message spray painted on the property included "If abortions aren't safe [then] neither are you" and vowed that "our rage will not stop."

Oropesa, Freestone, Smith-Stewart and Rivera would engage in additional attacks and threats against pro-life care centers in Florida, being tied to the June 26, 2022, vandalism of a Winter Haven-based pro-life pregnancy center, which including graffiti stating "YOUR TIME IS UP!!" "WE'RE COMING FOR U" and "We are everywhere."

Last year, the individuals were arrested and charged for their actions, with Freestone, Smith-Stewart and Rivera pleading guilty in June.

The FACE Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, with the legislation coming in response to an uptick in violence against abortion providers.

"We simply cannot  we must not  continue to allow the attacks, the incidents of arson, the campaigns of intimidation upon law-abiding citizens that has given rise to this law," stated Clinton at the time, as quoted by The New York Times.

"No person seeking medical care, no physician providing that care should have to endure harassments or threats or obstruction or intimidation or even murder from vigilantes who take the law into their own hands because they think they know what the law ought to be."

Many Republicans and conservatives have argued that the FACE Act has been used to unfairly target protests at abortion clinics and engage in "lawfare" against pro-life activists.

In September of last year, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas introduced a bill to repeal the FACE Act, saying in an announcement from the time that the federal law targets abortion opponents.

"Biden's Department of Justice has brazenly weaponized the FACE Act against normal, everyday Americans across the political spectrum, simply because they are pro-life," stated Roy.

"Our Constitution separates power between the federal government and the states for a reason, and we ignore that safeguard at our own peril. The FACE Act is an unconstitutional federal takeover of state police powers; it must be repealed."
Home News Hillsong College on probation after Australian regulator raises compliance concerns

Hillsong College, one of several ministries run by the nondenominational Hillsong Church network headquartered in Australia, has 18 months to adequately meet several compliance standards of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission after an investigation by the national regulatory body.

The ACNC accepted a remedial plan from the college known as an enforceable undertaking last Friday in an effort to maintain its charity registration, according to a legal document.

The investigation found issues with matters such as reporting obligations; compliance with financial and operational record keeping; governance standards; and compliance with ACNC's External Conduct Standard, which covers things such as the way a charity manages its activities overseas, how it is required to control the finances and other resources it uses overseas and the requirement to comply with Australian laws.

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"On 20 December 2024, the delegate of the ACNC Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission accepted an enforceable undertaking offered by Hillsong College Ltd," the ACNC announced.

An enforceable undertaking is a court-enforceable plan voluntarily offered by a registered charity to take or not take a series of actions in order to meet the compliance standards of the charity regulator.

If the charity is found to be in breach of the enforcement undertaking, the ACNC could get a court to enforce the terms of the agreement. If the charity still fails to meet the terms of the agreement, criminal charges could be levied.

The ACNC investigation of compliance matters with Hillsong College, which boasts more than 14,000 alumni from over 60 nations, began in September 2022 after "public allegations of a serious nature were made about the Hillsong Church charities."

"In 2022 and 2023, public allegations of a serious nature were made about the Hillsong Church charities. Hillsong College is one of several Hillsong Church charities registered with the ACNC. Hillsong College's sole member is The Trustee for Hillsong International. The board of Hillsong College is comprised of the same individuals as the board of The Trustee for Hillsong International," the ACNC noted.

At Hillsong College in Australia, an undergraduate diploma in ministry costs just over AU$11,000, while a bachelor of ministry/theology costs just over AU$18,000 for domestic students and AU$20,000 for international students. A master of arts degree from the college costs just over AU$26,000 for international students and AU$24,000 for domestic students.

In response to the ACNC's acceptance of the undertaking, Hillsong College said it provided the charity regulator with a governance action plan in August. Many of the corrective actions outlined in that plan, which focus on record-keeping, financial management and transparency, and eliminating conflicts of interest, are formalized in the enforcable undertaking.

Some of the actions Hillsong College is expected to take include ensuring that minutes of any board or committee meeting are recorded, highlighting specific information such as the name of the committee or board, date, time, location and names of attendees.

Hillsong College is also required to ensure that it keeps written details of all key management personnel that are employed or engaged by a related party and follow certain guidelines when it comes to significant financial transactions.

Over the 18-month period of the undertaking, Hillsong College must also provide the ACNC with progress reports on their compliance at six, 12 and 18 months.

In a statement, Hillsong Church said the college's undertaking is among other compliance agreements its ministries have entered into with the ACNC.

"The compliance agreements and undertaking incorporate a range of actions that Hillsong Church and its ministries committed to earlier this year. The matters are resolved without findings of a contravention or any noncompliance with the Act," the Hillsong Church statement reads. "We recognise that this is an important step to follow the governance improvements which we have set out in our regular church updates. We will continue to work with the ACNC and look for other ways to improve our practices  so that we can continue to serve our community."

In March 2023, Andrew Wilkie, an independent member of the Australian Parliament, revealed that a whistleblower report accused Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston and other leaders of money laundering, tax evasion and shopping sprees that would "embarrass a Kardashian."

Citing reams of financial records and genuine Hillsong Church board documents he received from a whistleblower, Wilkie said popular American televangelists like Joyce Meyer and T.D. Jakes were paid tens of thousands of dollars in honorariums by the global megachurch for speaking engagements. Meanwhile, others like Chris Hodges, founder and leader of Church of the Highlands, received "curious payments."

"Last year, a whistleblower provided me with financial records and board papers that show that Hillsong is breaking numerous laws in Australia and around the world relating to fraud, money laundering and tax evasion," Wilkie alleged during his presentation in Parliament.

He then pointed to a document showing that in 2021, as the world grappled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, four members of the Houston family flew to Cancun, Mexico, for a luxury retreat lasting three days and billed the church $150,000 for it.

"These other documents show former leader Brian Houston treating private jets like Ubers  again, all with church money," Wilkie said. "For example, in one three-month period, Brian Houston's trips cost $55,000, $52,000, $30,000, $22,000 and $20,000."

A spokesperson for Hillsong said in response to Wilkie's claims that Hillsong has been "open and transparent with our congregation about past governance failures, and over the past twelve months we have engaged independent, professional assistance to overhaul our governance and accountability procedures."

"The claims made in federal parliament by Mr Andrew Wilkie are out of context and relate to untested allegations made by an employee in an ongoing legal case," the spokesperson reads. "These allegations, made under parliamentary privilege, are in many respects wrong, and it is disappointing he made no effort to contact us first. If he did so, we would have answered his questions and provided him with financial records to address his concerns."

In March 2023, Hillsong Church announced a slew of changes in how it manages its finances.

Hillsong Church's now 70-year-old founder Brian Houston formally resigned as Hillsong's global senior pastor in March 2022 after revelations that two women made serious complaints of misconduct against him in the last 10 years.

He and his wife, Bobbie, have since launched a new ministry called Jesus Followers online.

Hillsong College had been expanding in the U.S. in recent years but announced earlier this year that it would pause Hillsong College USA after May 2024, to streamline their operations.

"The College is committed to a careful teach-out process for existing programs. This commitment ensures that students currently midway through their academic year can successfully complete their courses by May 2024," Hillsong officials wrote in a statement. "This decision is part of a strategic refocus of the College's leadership development and education strategy, aligning with Hillsong Church's global strategy and mission. The move aims at ensuring a more sustainable and promising future for Hillsong College both in the USA and globally."
Home News Pope Francis appoints new bishop to Texas diocese, replacing critic

Pope Francis has appointed a new bishop to a Texas-based diocese who will replace a theologically conservative critic of the pontiff who was removed from office last year.

The Catholic Diocese of Tyler announced last Friday that Francis appointed the Most Rev. Gregory Kelly, auxiliary bishop of Dallas, to lead the regional body.

Kelly will fill the vacancy left after Francis removed Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, the former head of the diocese who had criticized the pontiff for some of his policies on LGBT issues and overall doctrine.

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I am grateful to the Holy Father for this surprising pre-Christmas gift, and I am eager to begin this ministry in the New Year, said Kelly, as quoted in last weeks announcement.

I am grateful to Pope Francis for his manner of shepherding the Universal Church, and for his pastoral concern for this local church of Tyler. I am honored that he has entrusted this responsibility to me, and I hope to learn how to best fulfill this ministry.

Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of the Catholic Diocese of Austin will continue to lead the Tyler diocese as the apostolic administrator until Feb. 24 of next year, when Kelly will be officially installed.

Appointed by Francis predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, Strickland was known for his criticism of the pope, including a tweet from May 2023 when he alleged that the head of the Catholic Church was advancing a program of undermining the Deposit of Faith.

In November 2023, the Vatican posted a bulletin describing appointments and resignations of bishops, with Strickland listed as removed from office, while Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin was appointed apostolic administrator of the Tyler diocese.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston said in a statement released at the time that Strickland was removed after an Apostolic Visitation by Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden and Bishop Emeritus Gerald Kicanas of Tucson.

The prelates conducted an exhaustive inquiry into all aspects of the governance and leadership of the Diocese of Tyler by its Ordinary, Bishop Joseph Strickland, DiNardo stated last year.

As a result of the visitation, the recommendation was made to the Holy Father that the continuation in office of Bishop Strickland was not feasible. After months of careful consideration by the Dicastery for Bishops and the Holy Father, the decision was reached that the resignation of Bishop Strickland should be requested.

In response, Strickland told LifeSiteNews hours after his removal that he believed there were forces in the [Catholic] Church that dont want the truth of the Gospel but rather wanted it changed and ignored.

They want to be rid of the truth that is gloriously not going to go away, Strickland said at the time. It is a sad day for me, but Im strong in the Lord.

I encourage myself and others to go more deeply than ever into prayer. To pray for Pope Francis, to pray for the [Catholic] Church, to pray for our world.

In January, in advance of the March for Life, Strickland was presented with a Pro-Life Recognition Award at the 29th annual National Prayer Service for his advocacy against abortion.
Home News Trans inmate caught having sex with female cellmate wants back in at women's prison

A trans-identifying inmate convicted of murdering his parents wants to resume serving his sentence at a women's prison after the facility transferred him out following a sexual encounter with a female inmate.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington has filed a Personal Restraint Petition on behalf of 36-year-old Bryan Kim, who goes by the name Amber FayeFox Kim. In a statement last Tuesday, the legal advocacy group cited the "unconstitutional conditions" of Kim's confinement as the reason for the filing.

Kim had spent three years at the Washington Corrections Center for Women before his transfer to the Monroe Correctional Facility, a men's prison, according to the ACLU.

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After an infraction hearing, Kim and his cellmate were transferred to close custody at WCCW, according to the ACLU's Dec. 17 statement. DOC later determined that the male inmate posed a "safety risk" and transferred him to Monroe.

"For the three-and-a-half years I was housed at WCCW, I used my time there to learn, to grow and to contribute positively to the WCCW," the inmate said in a statement.

"Being singled out for exceptional punishment  and transferred to a men's prison  over a single infraction not only harms me, but every other incarcerated transgender person," he added.

The ACLU contends transferring Kim to a men's prison violates the state constitution and exposes the inmate "to an imminent danger of violence, sexual assault, and harassment."

On June 21, the Washington Department of Corrections transferred Kim out of the Washington Correctional Center for Women after a prison guard caught the male inmate having sexual intercourse with his 25-year-old cellmate.

During a routine cell check, the prison guard witnessed Kim and the cellmate, Sincer-A Marie Nerton, "actively having sex," according to a report obtained by The National Review in March. In specific detail, the guard reported that both Kim and Nerton were nude from the waist down, and vaginal penetration occurred.

"This is against MSU rules and policy," the report stated. "WAC-504-Engaging in a sex act with another person within the facility that is not otherwise included in these rules, except in an approved extended family visit."

Contrary to claims from Kim and the ACLU that the sexual encounter had been consensual, an unnamed DOC employee told The National Review, "Technically, there is no consensual sex between the incarcerated."

Kim was found guilty of two counts of aggravated first-degree murder in the stabbing of his father and bludgeoning of his mother, The Spokesman-Review reported in 2008. The prosecution argued that the then-teenage Kim killed his parents in December 2006 because he was angry that they had charged him $1,000 for rent and set a deadline for him to move out of the house.

After attempting to clean up the murder scene and hide his parents' bodies in an outbuilding, Kim went shopping the next day using his father's debit card to withdraw $1,000 from his parents' account, according to the report.

In response to an inquiry from The Christian Post, a spokesperson for the Washington State DOC said that the department does not comment on pending litigation and that an agreement with the Disability Rights Washington prevents them from discussing Kim's personal health information.

The spokesperson provided general information about its policies related to housing trans-identified inmates in prisons that align with their preferences.

"While we cannot publicly identify transgender individuals, we can tell you that there are currently 284 currently housed throughout Washington state at our 11 prisons," the spokesperson stated. "At any given time, 10-12 of those are in gender-affirming housing."

"Our position is that a person's right to safe and humane treatment does not change based on their gender identity and to actively work with community outreach organizations to identify and address possible systemic issues regarding housing, mental health and medical services for people who identify as transgender, and the agency remains committed to the health and safety of all people in our custody," the statement continued.

The ACLU of Washington did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

Advocates for incarcerated women, such as Amie Ichikawa, a former inmate and the founder of the charity group Woman II Woman, have spoken out about the dangers of housing male inmates who identify as female in women's prisons.

In a bonus episode of CP's podcast series, "Generation Indoctrination: Inside The Transgender Battle," Ichikawa recalled feeling "helpless" during her incarceration when men first began being allowed to be housed with women.

"Just to know that you have absolutely no control of your environment, your own physical wellbeing, your mental health, nothing. And there's really no one you can talk to about it," she said.
Tony Cantu says his late mother, Audrey Perez Cantu, always prioritized hospitality and kindness at Audrys Mexican Restaurant. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer Tony Cantu, whose mother Audrey Perez Cantu founded Audrys Mexican Restaurant, cooks an enchilada and fideo meal at his home in San Antonio on Dec. 9. Cantu says the holidays bring up memories of his mother and her impact on the community. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer Tony Cantu, whose mother Audrey Perez Cantu founded Audrys Mexican Restaurant, cooks an enchilada and fideo meal at his home in San Antonio on Dec. 9. Cantu says the holidays bring up memories of his mother and her impact on the community. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer Tony Cantu, whose mother founded Audrys Mexican Restaurant, cooks an enchilada and fideo meal at his home in San Antonio on Dec. 9. Cantu says the holidays bring up memories of his mother and her impact on the community. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer Tony Cantu, whose mother Audrey Perez Cantu founded Audrys Mexican Restaurant, cooks an enchilada and fideo meal at his home in San Antonio on Dec. 9. Cantu says the holidays bring up memories of his mother and her impact on the community. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer Tony Cantu, whose mother Audrey Perez Cantu founded Audrys Mexican Restaurant, cooks an enchilada and fideo meal at his home in San Antonio on Dec. 9. Cantu says the holidays bring up memories of his mother and her impact on the community. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer Tony Cantu, whose mother Audrey Perez Cantu founded Audrys Mexican Restaurant, cooks an enchilada and fideo meal at his home in San Antonio on Dec. 9. Cantu says the holidays bring up memories of his mother and her impact on the community. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer Tony Cantu has old menus from Audrys Mexican Restaurant as keepsakes. His mother, Audrey Perez Cantu, founded the restaurant on San Antonios East Side in 1949. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer Tony Cantu has old decorative pieces from Audrys Mexican Restaurant as keepsakes. His mother, Audrey Perez Cantu, founded the restaurant on San Antonios East Side in 1949. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer Tony Cantu has old menus from Audrys Mexican Restaurant as keepsakes. His mother, Audrey Perez Cantu, founded the restaurant on San Antonios East Side in 1949. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer Tony Cantu says his late mother, Audrey Perez Cantu, always prioritized hospitality and kindness at Audrys Mexican Restaurant. Christopher Lee/Staff Photographer

The savory smell of cumin lingers in the air as Tony Cantu scoops vermicelli noodles and ground beef of fideo loco into a bowl and carefully plates tamales, nachos and enchiladas.

Preparing meals at his downtown San Antonio home, Tony Cantu does it just the way his mother, Audrey Perez Cantu, taught him  by feel and taste. Whether cooking for one or 100, at Christmas or any time of the year, her recipes called for the same blend  a dash of garlic, pinch of pepper and sprinkle of salt.

About the author A 22-year veteran of the Air Force, Vincent T. Davis embarked on a second career as a journalist and found his calling. Observing and listening across San Antonio, he finds intriguing tales to tell about everyday people. He shares his stories with Express-News subscribers every Monday morning.

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"She said as long as you make that, nobody can tell you, 'it's too much,'" said Cantu, 78. "As long as it's a balanced flavor, you've hit a home run."

As founder and namesake for Audrys Mexican Restaurant  which for 60 years one of the city's best-known and best-loved eating places  his mom knew what she was talking about.

For Cantu and so many other across the city, the Christmas season stirs treasured memories of Audrys and of the woman who made the place so special.

A San Antonio mainstay

Audry's Mexican Restaurant opened in 1949 at 601 Camden St., in a Queen Anne-style home. The restaurant was on the first floor, and the family Cantu family lived on the second floor.

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The downtown restaurant quickly created a loyal following, and its reputation spread beyond San Antonio. In the 1950s, country music legends Hank Williams and Ernest Tubbs stopped by for a taste of Audrey Cantu's home cooking. A decade later, the eatery was a place where generals began hosting summits while dining on daily specials. In the early 1990s, diners did a double take when Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, and his entourage stopped in for lunch.

One of the noteworthy patrons was late San Antonio Express-News sportswriter and columnist Dan Cook and his fictitious, larger-than-life buddy, Benjamin P. Broadhind, who miraculously always left Cook with the bill. Cooks special selection was the No. 11, or Dan Cook Favorite, an enchilada plate and half order of bean nachos that staffers served him at his side-window table.

On Nov. 14, 2006, the matriarch of the Cantu family died at the home where she cooked meals, seasoned with care. She was 87. The original restaurant stayed open until 2009, when Cantu decided it was time to move on. Now, a medical complex sits at the address with no trace the century-old house ever stood at the site.

In 2010, Cantu opened Audrys City Center Cafe on property owned by San Fernando Cathedral at Main Plaza. He retired after arranging a lease agreement with the Archdiocese of San Antonio for brothers Eric and Hector Valadez to take over the space after their restaurant, Poblanos on Main, was destroyed in a fire.

Serving others during holidays

Cantu recalls when the original restaurant thrived all year, only slowing during the Christmas season when they catered parties and spent time with family members. Five years before the restaurant closed, the Cantu family reserved Thanksgiving for neighbors who used the alleyway for access to their apartments.

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Cantu said many of the faithful customers worked hard for low-wage salaries. The free dinner was the restaurants way to help. Hed spend the day at the stove with staff, cooking favorites from the menu under his mothers watchful eye.

It was a moment to give back for supporting us all those years, Cantu said. It was very rewarding. They could serve themselves to their hearts' content.

Audry's dream

Audrys Mexican Restaurant was his mothers dream, Cantu said. It was a place where she tied on an apron and offered guests hospitality. Living in the same space that housed the restaurant allowed her to work and have her children close to her. Longtime patrons ordered favorites not on the menu. Waitresses knew customers' orders by heart.

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The idea to own her own eatery came in the 1940s, when she enjoyed preparing food the way she'd learned from her mother, Maria Perez, at the Perez Cafe on South Flores Street. Later, she furthered her culinary skills at a downtown lunch counter her husband Bennie owned.

In 1949, the family opened Audrys, missing the e on the sign until the day the restaurant closed. Cantu said that's just the way his mother spelled her name. He was a freshman at San Antonio College when he learned the diner's name was also a reflection of the times. He asked his mother why she used the English version of Andrea, her birth name.

Well honey, in the 1940s you couldnt put a Mexican name on a building, Cantu recalled her saying. It was going to be an uphill battle.

It's important to remind the next generation of those days, he said, pointing to an insight from a history teacher that has stuck with him for years.

History of things are chosen to be remembered, Cantu said. Weve come a long way and theres no bitter feelings, but this history about names and other things we should try and remember.

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During that era, Cantu said, Audry's was a haven for East Side residents. His father, a well-known civil rights activist, didnt follow segregated policies practiced at many diners. When a customer asked him why they served Black families, he replied, Its my right to serve them and if you dont like it, you can choose another restaurant.

ALSO READ: Seniors pass on delicious tradition to youngsters

'Its hospitality'

For Cantu, memories of the long-gone restaurant sparkle like tinsel strung on a Christmas tree.

Each day, he's surrounded by reminders throughout his apartment. Two gumball machines serve as an entry feature, just as they did at the restaurant. Menus from days of Presidents Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy rest on a decorative, painted sideboard. One menu page showed when a soda cost 10 cents, a dozen of tamales was 49 cents and tacos and enchiladas were 10 cents apiece.

The mementos also remind Cantu of what Audry's represented  his mothers kindness to others.

Several years ago, a person who worked at a downtown hotel stopped Cantu and shared a 35-year-old memory of Audrey Perez Cantu's generosity.

"I want to thank you," the man said.

For what? Cantu asked.

The man said in the 1960s, when his mother was down and out, Cantus mom took her in for a month, letting the woman stay in an upstairs room until she was back on her feet.
(Photo: Getty/iStock)

At Christmas, we remember the wise men who followed a star to Bethlehem. But what was the star? This is the story ...

The Christmas Star

At Christmas time, people sometimes put a star on top of the Christmas tree. Christmas lights in shopping centres and towns often include stars. Christmas cards frequently show a star directly above a thatched stable in Bethlehem often unrealistically close, creating what would surely be a fire hazard. In the carol "We Three Kings," people sing of "following yonder star."

The Biblical Account

The story of the Wise Men, also called Magi, following the Star of Bethlehem is found only once in the Bible, in Matthew 2:112. The origin of this story may well be directly from Mary, who remembered the events and "treasured them in her heart" (Luke 2:19, 2:51). Magi were wise men linked to royal courts, and they likely represented a king. In the Church calendar, they are commemorated at Epiphany. The account does not tell us how many Magi there were, what their names were, nor what the star was, or how bright it was.

The star is mentioned twice, and the text implies the first sighting was at the time of Jesus's birth. The Wise Men arrive in Jerusalem from the east (Matthew 2:1) and ask for the whereabouts of the child, saying, "For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him" (Matthew 2:2). Herod then gathers his own Magi (Matthew 2:4), who quote Micah 5:2 to explain that the child will be born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:56). Herod subsequently calls the Magi and "enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared" (Matthew 2:7), although the text does not specify if they gave him an answer. The Magi then travel to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:8), where they see the star again, which seems to point to the place where the child is (Matthew 2:910).

The early church father Irenaeus saw this event as a fulfilment of the Prophecy of Balaam, found in Numbers 24:17: "There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel" (KJV), which many considered to be a Messianic prophecy.

Stars in the Bible

The book of Genesis describes how God created the sun, moon, and stars, referred to as "lights of the sky" (Genesis 1:1418). However, the Israelites were warned not to bow down and worship the stars (Deuteronomy 4:19).

The Jews believed that God had set the stars in their place (Psalm 8:3) and that "the heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 19:14). Psalm 147:4 states that God "numbers the stars and gives each one a name." Similarly, Isaiah 40:26 declares, "Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name" (KJV).

The constellations of the Bear (called Arcturus in the KJV), Orion, and the Pleiades (called the Seven Stars in the KJV) are mentioned in Job 9:9, Job 38:3132, and Amos 5:8. For the Jews, worshipping the stars was forbidden, but recognising signs in the heavens was common. Even Jesus says, "There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars" (Luke 21:25).

What Does the Text Mean by "Star"?

In ancient times, people were more familiar with the stars. Their view of the night sky was unobstructed by light pollution from streetlights, cars, and buildings. When travelling by donkey, horse, or camel, their view was not blocked by car roofs or train ceilings. Stars were used for navigation and illumination. People would have known the names of the stars and constellations, attributing significance to their movements.

In modern English, we distinguish between stars, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, meteors, and even dwarf planets. Yet, in ancient times, any shining object in the sky, except the sun and moon, was called a "star." What we now call planets were considered "wandering stars." In fact, our word "planet" comes from the Greek term for wandering star: planetes asteres.

Astronomy and the Star of Bethlehem

The modern word "astronomy" derives from the Greek word for star, astron. Ancient astronomers meticulously tracked the movements of stars. The Babylonians had schools for stargazers, and cuneiform tablets document their observations. Ancient Chinese emperors also maintained stargazing staff, leading some researchers to examine Babylonian and Chinese records for clues about the Star of Bethlehem.

For example, Chinese records describe an object with a tail (possibly a comet) visible in the spring of 5 BC for 70 days. Some suggest this was a nova, while others propose it was a comet. Many believe Jesus was born around 5 BC, making this event a candidate for the star.

Astronomical Theories

1. The Comet Theory Early church father Origen suggested the Star of Bethlehem was a comet, a theory that remains popular. Comets are icy bodies that heat up near the sun, producing tails that point in a specific direction. Some speculate that Halley's Comet, visible in 12 BC, was the star.

2. The Nova or Supernova Theory A nova is a "new star," while a supernova occurs when a star collapses. These rare events are bright enough to be seen during the day, as Johannes Kepler observed in 1604.

3. The Conjunction Theory Conjunctions occur when planets align. In 7 BC, there were conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn, and in 6 BC, a triple conjunction involving Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars. Some believe these alignments explain the Star of Bethlehem.

4. The Astrological Theory In ancient times, astronomy and astrology were intertwined. Some suggest the Magi interpreted astrological signs, such as the alignment of planets in specific constellations, as heralding the birth of a Jewish king.

Conclusion

We may never know exactly what the Wise Men saw. However, the story aligns with what we know about ancient Magi and their interest in celestial events. Patrick Moore, the legendary British presenter of The Sky at Night, perhaps summarised it best: "Frankly, we just don't know!"
Peste o mie de copii din raionul Criuleni vor avea acces gratuit la un spatiu modern pentru joaca si lectura
UNICEF Moldova Country Office invites interested companies to submit bids for:

Procurement of Twenty-five (25) titles of Hardcover Children's Storybooks

Please download the attached ITB document for a detailed list and description of the required 25 titles of Hardcover Children's Storybooks.

Closing date: 13 January, 23:59, EET

How to apply: Submit your bid by email to chisinautenders@unicef.org. Please follow the submission instructions included in the ITB document.

Questions can be sent to lprosii@unicef.org until 08.01.2025, 17:00 (EET). Depersonalized questions and answers will be published on the UNGM tender web-page.

Please find in the link all related to the competition documents : https://sc.undp.md/tnddetails_un2/2976/

Alte articole de la acest autor:
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Reference code: SVN2024-25

Extended

Open to External Candidates

Position Title : Consultant to deliver ToT on data protection for the migration and law enforcement institution Duty Station : Republic of Moldova Type of Appointment Duration of Consultancy : : Consultancy 2 months Estimated Start Date : 01 January 2025 Closing Date : 29 December 2024

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM is committed to a diverse and inclusive environment. Internal and external candidates are eligible to apply to this vacancy. For the purpose of the vacancy, internal candidates are considered as first-tier candidates.

Nature of the consultancy: ToT on data protection for migration and law enforcement institutions, Category B Consultancy

Project Context and Scope:

With the advancement of the country's integration into the EU as a top priority of the Republic of Moldova, the national institutions should transpose and implement EU data protection regulations. The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova has adopted a new Law on personal data protection in July 2024, which is aligned to the EU Regulation on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data. The Law lays down the legal framework for ensuring the protection of the fundamental rights and freedoms of people, and, in particular, the right to intimate, family and private life, in relation to the processing of personal data. This new Law will enter into force in two years, in this period the present Law on data protection will still be in force.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Republic of Moldova is dedicated to enhancing its personnel's understanding and capabilities regarding the importance of data protection and privacy. This includes a focus on data protection laws, principles, and practices, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations, and fostering a culture of privacy and security within its subordinated institutions.

In line with the above, MIA has requested IOM support to design and implement a comprehensive initiative to include the delivery of a Training for Trainers (ToT) and the development of a methodological guide for data protection officers from within the migration and law enforcement institutions. This capacity building initiative will equip data protection officers with substantive skills to be effective trainers, who can cascade the knowledge on data protection to other colleagues from their respective institutions.

Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing:

Migration Governance, Immigration and Border Management

PX 0353  Strengthening Capacities for Protection of Ukrainian Refugees, Third Country Nationals And Host Communities In Moldova

4. Category B Consultants: Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment

The main objective of this consultancy is to equip data protection officers of the migration and law enforcement institutions with competences on data protection regulations from the current Legislation in force, and new Law entering in force in 2026, as well as with skills to effectively engage and teach others. With the support from the selected Consultant and in collaboration with national counterparts, IOM will plan and deliver assistance to organize capacity-building activities in a timely manner.

Under the overall guidance of the IOM Chief of Mission and Programme Coordinator / Migration Governance, and the direct supervision of Programme Officer/IBG Unit, the incumbent will:

plan, develop and implement an on-line pre-training questionnaire regarding the specific training needs of participants related to data protection domain, as well as to the level of experience in training of trainees; plan, prepare and deliver one (1) ToT training session of five (5) days to a group of 12-14 data protection officers scheduled for 3-7 February, 2025. develop training agenda with the topics addressed with objectives to be attained based on the results of the questionnaire to ensure adequate coverage of the topics ; develop training content, presentations, group exercises, handouts and materials necessary for training delivery according to the objectives;

Tentative topics to be covered in ToT:

Overview of data protection laws: the Law which is still functional and the newly adopted Law which will enter into force in two years;

Data Security Best Practices: Tools and techniques to secure personal data from unauthorized access, loss, or breach;

Data Protection in Practice: Handling, storing, sharing, and processing data responsibly and ethically;

Data Breaches: Responding to data breaches, notification protocols, and risk management;

Cybersecurity elements

Training Methodology and Techniques: Andragogical (Pedagogical) methods for effectively teaching data protection concepts to diverse audiences

develop a post-training questionnaire based on the pre-training questionnaire to evaluate trainees obtained knowledge and skills; adopt a practical and applicative approach to training delivery, apply innovative, interactive and dynamic adult education training methods, presentation of topics in diverse ways, assigning individual, pair and group tasks, presenting and analyzing case studies, simulation exercises; develop a methodological guide for subsequent easy use by data protection officers for future delivery of trainings; prepare and submit a final report regarding the activities implemented based on feed-back evaluation and with recommendations for other capacity building measures.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Nr. Deliverables Period Instalment 1. Developed comprehensive training package to include agenda, presentations, handouts and other materials necessary for training delivery (according to the objectives), pre-training questionnaire and post-training questionnaire By 24th of January, 2025 1 3. A methodological guide on data protection principles and regulations with theoretical information and practical exercises for the use of data protection officers in future trainings By 18th of February, 2025 1 4. Final Report including ToT with the evaluation of the training course's achieved objectives, analysis of pre and post questionaries, and recommendations for future training initiatives and potential areas for further development, as well as a short description of the developed methodological guide with its objectives By end of February, 2024 1

Payment Modalities

The consultant will deliver on-line services for the development of the methodological guide and training package and will deliver in-person training services and other relevant activities, with the possibility to travel to Moldova or other location as needed. In case of travel, accommodation will be covered by IOM Moldova. Any other administrative arrangement shall be the consultants personal liability.

The payment will be done in one (1) instalment, upon submission of all deliverables.

IOM Moldova will provide financial resources for the organization of trainings as described in the Terms of Reference and upon agreement with national authorities. The training sessions will be delivered in person, with full application of COVID prevention measures.

The consultant must adhere to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Data Protection Principles (IN/138) and maintain confidentiality.

The consultant will be responsible to follow IOM writing guidelines and latest glossaries in all given assignments for accurate translation.

5. Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

The consultants performance will be evaluated against the following criteria:

Satisfactory completion of tasks indicated in this TOR Feedback from the stakeholders and training beneficiaries Quality of the methodological guide Quality of the report

6. Education, Experience and/or skills required

EDUCATION

Masters degree in a field of study related to Data protection, Legal domain, Human Rights, Policing or Law Enforcement, or a related field from an accredited academic institution with relevant work experience.

EXPERIENCE

Minimum 5 (five) years of relevant training experience;

Strong background with at least 5 years of experience in data protection domain or related matters;

Prior work experience with an international organization and proven experience in supporting national authorities in capacity building;

Excellent drafting skills as well as capacity to analyse complex institutional frameworks and make recommendations on this basis;

Excellent ability to collaborate with national institutions;

Personal commitment, efficiency, flexibility, drive for results;

Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with counterparts and colleagues from varied cultures and professional backgrounds;

Previous training delivery experience for border and migration management institutions is a key asset;

Strong understanding of the Moldova context is an asset.

LANGUAGES

For this position, fluency Romanian is required (oral and written). Knowledge of English is an asset.

7. Travel required

YES  in case of an international Consultant, from the duty station to Moldova as agreed with the programme manager.

8. Competencies

Values

Inclusion and respect for diversity : respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.

: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible. Integrity and transparency : maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.

: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct. Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

Core Competencies  behavioural indicators

Teamwork : develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.

: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results. Delivering results : produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action-oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.

: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action-oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes. Managing and sharing knowledge : continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.

: continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate. Accountability : takes ownership for achieving the Organizations priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.

: takes ownership for achieving the Organizations priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work. Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Other

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this special vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

A prerequisite for taking up the position is legal residency in the country of the duty station and work permit, as applicable.

How to apply:

Interested applicants are invited to send CV and Cover Letter in English to: hrchisinau@iom.int

Please, indicate the position you are applying for and reference code in the subject line of your message.

Closing date for applications is 29 December 2024.

In order for an application to be considered valid, IOM only accepts the applications duly completed.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Posting period:

From 23.12.2024 to 29.12.2024
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On Day One, Texas enacted a law banning diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at publicly funded colleges. This was how I opened my first CJR newsletter of 2024, before running through other major storiesthe resignation of the president of Harvard, the secret hospitalization of the defense secretary, hoax bomb threats to statehousesthat had tumbled forth before the new year was even a week old. I wrote at the time that these stories channeled an unmistakable zeitgeist, and were likely to be of use to future historians looking to describe the national mood. As the year progressed, the zeitgeisty stories kept comingthough, as the election neared, the national mood proved harder for the press to pin down. A breathless and brat-ty summer gave way to a knife-edge fall and now, a winter of media discontentor, at least, of fatigue and self-doubt.

Before all that, though, there was a sleepy spring, at least as far as political news was concerned. Sure, there were dead dogs and debates about debates, and caucuses and even a conviction. And, as we chronicled in our Election Issue in early June, there was no shortage of important election-year trends for the press to grapple with, both newfrom the liberal ventures claiming turf online to the young posters trying to make neoliberalism cool again, profiled expertly for us by Maddy Crowell and Linda Kinstler, respectivelyand familiar: bad TV coverage of Trump, fears of disinformation, the role of fact-checking in combating it. The race, though, was a rerun, and news consumers seemed to be tuning it out. Six months into 2024, its become clear that this will not be an enthusiastic political seasonfor voters or for the media, Josh Hersh wrote. TV ratings were down; Web traffic, too. Brian Stelter, the once and future king of the CNN media beat, told Hersh that the overarching emotion among voters is apathy and even burnout.

Then, suddenly, the race got a massive jolt of drama. In late June, President Biden debated Trump and faltered badly, kicking off a frenzied news cycle and recriminations over his age and cognitive state: some observers howled that the media had ignoredor, worse, covered upthe story of Bidens condition until unavoidably confronted with it; others that journalists had beenand were now againcovering it too much. There was a more nuanced conversation about aging to be had here: as Lucy Schiller wrote, Perhaps any serious thinkers work is not to accept oldness for the easy meaning it is typically assigned in this country, but to interrogate how it is built, how it is used, and the variations inside it, while also remembering any number of other ways to evaluate a persons past, present, and future. But this would have to wait. Within a month, Biden dropped out.

Even before he did so, news about Trump had rattled the campaigns, too: in mid-July, at a rally in Pennsylvania, a gunman came terrifyingly close to assassinating him. Photos of Trump, his face streaked with blood and his fist in the air, instantly seared themselves into the history books; the presidents allies quickly pinned blame on the media and broad political narratives about Trumps threat to democracy; one such ally, J.D. Vance, was swiftly elevated to join Trump on his ticket at that weeks Republican National Convention. The medias role in all this was more complicated than the Trumpian caricature would allow: Vance, for all his media-bashing, has built his political career on a kind of symbiosis with the mainstream press, as Camille Bromley documented; photojournalists risked their lives to capture instantly historic photos of the shooting; in the aftermath, no few journalists credited Trump with a change of tone. (Some suggested he had been touched by divine grace.) And yet, ultimately, Trumps tone stayed much the same: the politicization of the war dead; pet-eating migrants; the enemy within. At one point, the National Association of Black Journalists invited Trump onstage at its convention, where he suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris, by now his opponent, wasnt actually Black. The event was, as Jelani Cobb wrote at the time, a fiasco.

Harris entered the race amid a hail of memes and media proclamations of good vibes, but also faced (often tedious) questions as to whether she had defined herself or was doing enough real interviews. She has a personality of a lot of Black women in their fifties and sixties who were in the public eye. She can be very guarded of her messaging and her image. She likes to project what she wants to; she wants people to see her a certain way, Erika D. Smith, who covered Harris in her days as a California politician, told Kevin Lind over the summer. But to talk to her one-on-oneI mean, shes extremely open and engaging and she has a great sense of humor. In a noisy and fractured national media environment, though, that did not scale. In the end, Trump won the electionin no small part, we were told, because he won the noisy and fractured media environment. (The election was also perceived as a victory for political betting markets, which appeared to see Trumps win coming when polls did notthough, as Meghnad Bose reported before and after the election, the reality was more complex.)

What now, then? There are credible fears that, in the wake of Trumps win, the mainstream media is irrelevant; out of touch; cowed, even. (On that last point, these fears were apparent even before the election, both in the wake of the assassination attempt and when the billionaire owners of the Washington Post and the LA Times pulled endorsements of Harris for motives they insisted were pure, but many observers suspected had a lot to do with their other business interests; as those controversies developed, Sewell Chan, our new executive editor, broke important developments out of both papers.) Fears of Trumpian retribution are credible, too; as Kyle Paolettawho reported before the election on how Trump might weaponize the Espionage Act against reporters in a second termput it in the hours after Trump won, his assault on the press is now likely to become a fusillade of discrete attempts to quash whatever reporting he views as antagonistic. Since then, his nominees to key postsnot least Kash Patel, who has explicitly promised to come after people in the media, for FBI directorhave only reinforced the sense of looming, unprecedented threat.

And yet, while Trumps threat is real, the fear that the media has lost relevance might be overblown. At the very least, dogged reporters have continued doing their jobs since Trump won, digging into the backgrounds of his nominees and, in at least one case, helping to force them from contention amid a storm of controversy. Either way, major stories that we must cover have kept on coming and will continue to do so, whatever our grip on the country that keeps throwing them up. If there is one sure promise of a second Trump term, it is that.
Montanas Supreme Court upheld a landmark climate ruling that said the state was violating residents constitutional right to a clean environment by permitting oil, gas and coal projects without regard for global warming.

The justices, in a 6-1 ruling, rejected the states argument that greenhouse gases released from Montana fossil fuel projects are minuscule on a global scale and reducing them would have no effect on climate change, likening it to asking: If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?

Related: Montana To Ask State Top Court To Overturn Landmark Climate Ruling

The plaintiffs can enforce their environmental rights without requiring everyone else to stop jumping off bridges or adding fuel to the fire, Chief Justice Mike McGrath wrote for the majority. Otherwise the right to a clean and healthful environment is meaningless.

Only a few other states, including Hawaii, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York, have similar environmental protections enshrined in their constitutions.

Related: Montana Youth Climate Activists Get Historic Win in State Case

The lawsuit filed in 2020 by 16 Montanans who are now ages 7 to 23  was considered a breakthrough in attempts by young environmentalists and their attorneys to use the courts to leverage action on climate change.

This ruling is a victory not just for us, but for every young person whose future is threatened by climate change, lead plaintiff Rikki Held said in a statement Wednesday.

Related: Youth Environmentalists Bring Montana Climate Case to Trial After 12 Years

During the 2023 trial in state District Court, the young plaintiffs described how climate change profoundly affects their lives: worsening wildfires foul the air they breathe, while drought and decreased snowpack deplete rivers that sustain farming, fish, wildlife and recreation and affect Native traditions.

Going forward, Montana must carefully assess the greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts of all future fossil fuel permits, said Melissa Hornbein, an attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center and attorney for the plaintiffs.

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte said the state was still reviewing the decision, but warned of perpetual lawsuits that will waste taxpayer dollars and drive up energy bills for hardworking Montanans.

This decision does nothing more than declare open season on Montanas all-of-the-above approach to energy, he said, which promotes using both fossil fuels and renewables.

A day earlier, Gianforte held meetings on how the state can increase energy production, which involved energy suppliers, large energy consumers, public utility companies, transmission stakeholders and legislators.

Incoming Senate President Matt Regier and House Speaker Brandon Ler, both Republicans, joined Gianforte in alleging the justices were overstepping their authority and had strayed into making policy.

Judicial reform was already a top priority for Republican lawmakers, Regier and Ler said, warning the justices to buckle up.

Montana courts have blocked or overturned numerous laws passed by Republicans in the 2021 and 2023 legislative sessions as being unconstitutional, including laws to limit access to abortion.

In seeking to overturn the District Court ruling, the state had argued the plaintiffs should be required to challenge individual fossil fuel development permits as theyre issued  which would have involved trying to challenge even smaller amounts of emissions.

Carbon dioxide, which is released when fossil fuels are burned, traps heat in the atmosphere and is largely responsible for the warming of the climate. June brought record warm global temperatures for the 13th straight month, according to European climate service Copernicus. The streak ended in July.

Montanas Constitution requires agencies to maintain and improve a clean environment. A law signed by Gianforte last year said environmental reviews may not consider climate impacts unless the federal government makes carbon dioxide a regulated pollutant. The Montana Supreme Courts ruling found that law to be unconstitutional.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
They clustered around water taps, rare sources of electricity and each other. Days after the strongest cyclone in nearly a century ripped through the French island territory of Mayotte off the coast of Africa, survivors recalled the horror of the storm that caught many by surprise.

Associated Press journalists reached the humid capital before dusk, as French military personnel and others rushed to clear fallen palm trees from roads ahead of French President Emmanuel Macrons visit Thursday.

Streets were lined with the rubble of informal settlements whose migrant populations complicated the efforts to count the dead.

We lived something very apocalyptic, said Samuel Anli, 28, who rode out Saturdays storm in a windowless office for hours as shrieking wind gusts exceeding 220 kph (136 mph) tore away doors and walls.

He and others held the door to their small office shut, fearing for their lives. We thought if it lasted one or two hours more wed all be dead, he said. His home was partly destroyed and three of his relatives were injured by flying metal.

On Wednesday, French authorities described the storm as a catastrophe of exceptional intensity.

The island is devastated, they said, putting the confirmed death toll at 31 but noting that it could be much higher, partly because of the Muslim practice of burying the dead within 24 hours.

Some survivors and aid groups have described hasty burials and the stench of bodies.

Mayotte, located in the Indian Ocean between mainland Africas east coast and northern Madagascar, is Frances poorest territory and is a magnet for migrants hoping to reach Europe.

The cyclone devastated entire neighborhoods as many people ignored the warnings, thinking the storm wouldnt be so extreme.

Days after it passed and destroyed or damaged even sturdy structures such as health centers, residents were left to pick their way through a landscape in search of food. Phone and internet service remained spotty.

Among the damaged and destroyed homes in Mayottes capital, Mamoudzou, people lined up with jugs to get water Wednesday or waited to charge their phones. Other lines stretched for hours at working gas stations.

The French government deployed gendarmes and other security forces Wednesday to secure food distribution points and assure order in areas where crowds were massing to find fuel or phone signals, the Interior Ministry said in a statement, noting also that more than 8,800 people were being housed in emergency shelter.

Dozens of French military personnel set up camp at the primary airport on Mayottes main island, Grand Terre, which remained closed due to damage, leaving most residents with little hope of going anywhere soon. Roads were also widely damaged.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has said more than 1,500 people were injured, more than 200 critically. But authorities fear hundreds or even thousands of people have died. Authorities said 100,000 were living in a precarious situation.

On the French island of Reunion, about a three-hour flight away, loved ones gathered to donate aid to Mayottes survivors. Some said their families in Mayotte had no food or water and that it had taken days to contact them.

It is difficult because I feel helpless, said 19-year-old Khayra Djoumoi Thany.

Anrafa Parassouramin said she feared for her relatives in Mayotte. We are also afraid of disease outbreaks, because people are drinking water from wherever they can get it, and its not necessarily potable water, she said.

French Health Minister Genevieve Darrieussecq has raised concerns about the risk of a cholera epidemic on the archipelago, which had an outbreak of a highly drug-resistant strain earlier this year.

French authorities said distribution of 23 tons of water began Wednesday. The French minister for overseas matters, Francois-Noel Buffet, told French radio Europe 1 that the water supply system was working at 50% and presented a risk of poor quality. Electricity has been partially restored.

Late Wednesday, Buffet announced a state of extraordinary natural disaster for Mayotte, an emergency declaration specifically for French overseas territories she said had never been activated before. The measure allows authorities to speed up assistance and cut through administrative hurdles.

Faced with this extraordinary situation, extraordinary means must be deployed to rapidly reestablish essential services and put in place a sustainable reconstruction plan for Mayotte, she said in a statement. The decree will initially be in place for a month.

Mayottes hospital was badly damaged. A field hospital should be operational by early next week, Buffet said.

A navy ship was due to arrive in Mayotte on Thursday with 180 tons of aid and equipment, according to the French military.

Macron will travel to Mayotte along with the aid shipment and visit the hospital and a destroyed neighborhood, his office said. Our compatriots are living through the worst just a few thousand kilometers away, Macron said in a statement.

On Tuesday evening, a program on public broadcaster France 2 raised 5 million euros ($5.24 million) in aid for Mayotte through the Foundation of France charity, the channel said.

Corbet reported from Paris. Associated Press reporter Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Years of toxic waste dumping in a Jersey Shore community where childhood cancer rates rose caused at least $1 billion in damage to natural resources, according to an environmental group trying to overturn a settlement between New Jersey and the corporate successor to the firm that did the polluting.

Save Barnegat Bay and the township of Toms River are suing to overturn a deal between the state and German chemical company BASF under which the firm will pay $500,000 and carry out nine environmental remediation projects at the site of the former Ciba-Geigy Chemical Corporation plant.

That site became one of Americas worst toxic waste dumps and led to widespread concern over the prevalence of childhood cancer cases in and around Toms River.

Save Barnegat Bay says the settlement is woefully inadequate and does not take into account the scope and full nature of the pollution.

The state Department of Environmental Protection defended the deal, saying it is not supposed to be primarily about monetary compensation; restoring damaged areas is a priority, it says.

Ciba-Geigys discharges devastated the natural resources of the Toms River and Barnegat Bay, said Michele Donato, an attorney for the environmental group. The DEP failed to evaluate decades of evidence, including reports of dead fish, discolored waters, and toxic effluent, that exist in its own archived files.

Those materials include documents dating back to 1958 detailing fish kills and severe oxygen depletion caused by the companys dumping of chemicals into the Toms River and directly onto the ground. It also includes a study by a consultant for Ciba-Geigy showing that a plume of contaminated underground water is three-dimensional and thus could not be adequately assessed by the manner used by New Jersey to calculate damage to natural resources, the group said.

An accurate calculation of damages to the site and the surrounding area would exceed $1 billion, Save Barnegat Bay said in court papers.

This deal does not come close to compensating our community for what weve suffered, former Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill said in a January public hearing on the settlement.

The state declined to comment. In court papers, it defended its handling of the damage assessment.

BASF, which is the corporate successor to Ciba-Geigy, declined comment on the litigation but said it is committed to carrying out the settlement it reached with New Jersey in 2022.

That calls for it to maintain nine projects for 20 years, including restoring wetlands and grassy areas; creating walking trails, boardwalks and an elevated viewing platform; and building an environmental education center.

Starting in the 1950s, Ciba-Geigy  which had been the towns largest employer  flushed chemicals into the Toms River and the Atlantic Ocean, and buried 47,000 drums of toxic waste in the ground. This created a plume of polluted water that has spread beyond the site into residential neighborhoods and is still being cleaned up.

The state health department found that 87 children in Toms River, which was then known as Dover Township, had been diagnosed with cancer from 1979 through 1995. A study determined the rates of childhood cancers and leukemia in girls in Toms River were significantly elevated when compared to state rates. No similar rates were found for boys.

The study did not explicitly blame the increase on Ciba-Geigys dumping, but the company and two others paid $13.2 million to 69 families whose children were diagnosed with cancer. Ciba-Geigy settled criminal charges by paying millions of dollars in fines and penalties on top of the $300 million it and its successors have paid so far to clean up the site.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Elizabeth L. T. Moore is a Hearst Fellow in San Antonio. She can be reached at Elizabeth.Moore@hearst.com

Elizabeth did her first fellowship year as a reporter with the New Haven Register in Connecticut. Moore has published bylines with Bloomberg News, The Virginian-Pilot and The Daily Tar Heel, the student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Moore placed nationally in the Hearst Collegiate Journalism Program, and she is fluent in Spanish.
WASHINGTON  Travelers visiting Spain need to be extra cautious due to the threat of crime, terrorism and civil unrest, the U.S. State Department warned on Monday.

Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Spain, the State Department said in a statement. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations.

Protests and other demonstrations frequently occur in response to political or economic issues, on politically significant holidays, and during international events, the State Department said.

Street crimes against U.S. citizens usually occur in tourist areas, including airports, train stations, and both urban and beach destinations. Pickpocketing and other minor crimes, such as theft, are very common, the State Department said.

Violent crimes, including robberies, have also been reported, sometimes requiring victims to seek medical attention. Car break-ins are also frequent.

Travelers who decide to visit Spain should observe several precautions, the State Department said. Among them:

Avoid demonstrations and crowds and be aware of your surroundings when traveling to tourist locations and crowded public venues.

Follow the instructions of local authorities and monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans as needed.

Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program STEP ) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency and follow the Department of State on Facebook and X/Twitter

Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations and review the State Departments Travelers Checklist

Spains open border with neighboring Western European countries allows the possibility for terrorists to enter and exit the country anonymously, the State Department said. Additionally, Spains enclaves in Melilla and Ceuta on the North African coast allow for entry into Spain from the African continent.

Spain has taken robust actions to guard against terrorist attacks, including arrests of suspected extremists allegedly involved in terrorist plots. Credible information indicates terrorist groups continue to plot potential attacks in Europe, including Spain.
Daniel Pentkowski, 53, was found dead in his cell on Jan. 25, 2023. His family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bexar County and the city of San Antonio. Bexar County Sheriff's Office

The family of a Michigan man who died at the Bexar County jail has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bexar County and the city of San Antonio.

Daniel Pentkowski, 53, was found dead in his cell on Jan. 25, 2023. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office said Pentkowski was found on the floor in the fetal position. He was pronounced dead after emergency personnel arrived.

The sheriff's office said Pentkowski appeared to have suffered from self-inflicted injuries that occured earlier that day. However, the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office said Pentkowski died from being physically restrained, and ruled his death a homicide.

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The lawsuit filed by Pentkowski's family alleges that during his arrest, a San Antonio police officer used unnecessary and excessive force on Pentkowski that resulted in blunt force trauma.

Pentkowski was arrested on charges of public intoxication, retaliation and resisting arrest.

According to the lawsuit, Pentkowski and his three siblings had rented a home in San Antonio for a family reunion. On Jan. 23, 2023, Pentkowski was outside the home when he was approached by a police officer for an "unknown reason," the lawsuit states.

Video taken from a Ring camera shows the officer pinned Pentkowski to the ground using his knee and put his bodyweight on Pentkowskis back, the according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit does not give the name of the arresting officer.

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Pentkowski's family members say they believe the injuries Pentkowski received during his arrest led to his death at the Bexar County Jail two days later. They say the jail failed to properly evaluate Pentkowski for any injuries.

"His visible injuries and altered state should have alerted the staff to his injuries and the need for evaluation. Instead, Mr. Pentkowski was placed in a cell and was not properly treated or observed," the lawsuit states.

Pentkowski's siblings made several attempts the day of the arrest to see him and get more information, but were refused, according to the lawsuit. They also claim they found out about their brother's death through their attorney and not the sheriff's office.

Bexar County has refused to provide the family with a full autopsy report, the lawsuit states.

The sheriff's office did not immediately respond Monday to an Express-News message left seeking comment. A San Antonio Police Department spokesman said the city is still reviewing the lawsuit and is unable to provide a comment.

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Pentkowski's family is being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

No family should endure the pain of losing a loved one to the very system meant to protect them. The city of San Antonio and Bexar County must be held accountable for their gross indifference and repeated failures, Crump said in a written statement.
In this image from a recently posted video on the San Antonio Police Department Facebook page, an SAPD officer imitates the lovestruck character Mark in the 2003 holiday classic "Love Actually," as he urges the public to stay safe this holiday season. SAPD

The San Antonio Police Department is asking the public to heed its holiday safety tips by using one the most iconic movie scenes from the star-studded holiday classic "Love Actually."

In the "Love Actually" scene that SAPD parodied, a police officer plays the role of Mark, a man secretly in love with his best friend's wife, Juliet. In the 2003 film, Mark, played by Andrew Lincoln, shows up at Juliet's doorstep on Christmas Eve, blasting "Silent Night" on a stereo as he confesses his love for her via messages written on poster boards.

In the SAPD video posted on Facebook, the officer shares holiday safety tips on similar presentation boards, spliced with the reactions of Juliet, played by Keira Knightley in the film.

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"Nobody wants to be on the naughty list ... or in jail," the signs read. "Nothing ruins holiday cheer like ... a hangover (and) DWI."

The next sign urges the public to arrange for a sober driver, to which Juliet nods approvingly.

The messages continue, asking if people are leaving gifts in their cars.

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"Might as well hand them over ... to thieves with a bow," the signs read.

The video was posted Friday, and had more than 65,000 views by Sunday afternoon.
Eli Lilly has outperformed the S & P 500 for five straight years as Wall Street woke up to its massive opportunity in obesity drugs. Six in a row is not out of the question. Year-to-date performance: Up 33.7% Forward price-to-earnings ratio: 34.3 versus five-year average of 34.5 Our rating: Buy-equivalent 1 Our price target: $1,000 LLY YTD mountain Eli Lilly's year-to-date stock performance. '24 look back The dominant theme for Eli Lilly this year was the rollout of its all-important GLP-1 obesity drug Zepbound, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in late 2023 . It has been quite the success: Sales are projected to be roughly $5.1 billion, according to analyst estimates compiled by FactSet. At the end of last year, Wall Street forecast Zepbound revenues of $1.9 billion. Upward revisions of that magnitude help explain why the stock has followed up its 59% leap in 2023 with another strong year. Eli Lilly has steadily increased supply of Zepbound and sister drug Mounjaro, which is used to treat type-2 diabetes, in an effort to alleviate near-term shortages amid booming demand. But just as crucially, the company announced a slew of additional manufacturing investments , with a new one seemingly every few months , in a sign of long-term confidence about the GLP-1 market. Given Lilly's decades-long quest on Alzheimer's , it's worth noting the company's first successful treatment for the memory-robbing disease, Kisunla, was approved in July , though it hasn't been a material revenue contributor just yet. '25 look ahead Eli Lilly's ability to expand available supply of Zepbound and Mounjaro in the new year will be crucial. That seems obvious on its face, but there is a more nuanced explanation: Keeping those products off the FDA's shortage list will hamper the ability of so-called compounded pharmacies to make unapproved copies of the drugs. Another area to watch in 2025 is whether the FDA expands the label on Zepbound, which would allow the obesity drug to be prescribed as a treatment for other conditions, such as obstructive sleep apnea and cutting heart failure risks . That would help build the case for broader insurance coverage and, in turn, a bigger revenue opportunity. Updates on Eli Lilly's weight loss pipeline could also be significant, most notably the expected readout of its late-stage trial for obesity pill orforglipron. Mid-stage results released in June 2023 showed it was highly effective, and Wall Street sees oral versions of obesity treatments as being critical to meet maximum demand. Zepbound and its leading rival, Novo Nordisk 's Wegovy, are taken via once-weekly injection. In the year ahead, investors will keep a close eye on health policy out of Washington, especially with noted pharmaceutical industry critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. awaiting confirmation to run the Department of Health and Human Services. Despite recently telling Jim he sees GLP-1s as part of the solution to the U.S. obesity crisis, Kennedy has frequently derided the drugs in the past . Additionally, it's unclear what the incoming Trump administration could mean for the Biden White House's proposal to expand Medicare and Medicaid access to GLP-1s . Positive updates from Novo Nordisk and other hopeful challengers such as Viking Therapeutics could in the short run put pressure on Lilly shares, but we're confident in its competitive moat, due in large part to its manufacturing capacity advantages. Jim Cramer recently named Eli Lilly as one of the portfolio's 12 core holdings heading into 2025. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long LLY. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

An Eli Lilly & Co. Zepbound injection pen arranged in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Thursday, March 28, 2024. Shelby Knowles | Bloomberg | Getty Images
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Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue store is illuminated with iOS 18 colors as the new iPhone 16 series sale kicks off, in New York on Sept. 20, 2024. Fatih Aktas | Anadolu | Getty Images

Our top 10 things to watch Monday, Dec. 23

1. Stocks are slightly higher to start the final full trading week of the year as the dollar strengthens and oil and gold pull back. We have one big question heading into the holidays: Was Friday's double dose of good news a market turning point? 2. Bloomberg reported that Apple is looking into smart doorbell and lock devices to bolster its home security offering and better compete against Amazon's Ring and other rivals. Meanwhile, Wedbush reaffirmed its view that Apple Intelligence will bolster demand for new devices. "In our view, Apple could sell north of 240 million iPhone units in FY25 as this AI-driven upgrade cycle takes hold and this will be the highest iPhone unit sales year in Apple's history." 3. Bristol-Myers Squibb said that the European Commission has approved Opdivo plus Yervoy  two drugs that can be used in combination for treating certain kinds of cancer  for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
Itamar Ben Hemo didn't have to join the war. At age 49, the Israeli tech entrepreneur was well outside of the range of mandatory service. But following last year's Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, Ben Hemo signed up as a reservist, confident that his experience fighting as a paratrooper in Lebanon in 2006 made him valuable to his country.

In January, during what was supposed to be a quick mission into Gaza to help a wounded soldier, Ben Hemo says he remembers hearing a shot ring out and feeling a burning pain. He'd been hit by a bullet that evaded his protective vest. Several organs were damaged.

Ben Hemo was rushed to the hospital. He recalls thinking he might not make it.

While Ben Hemo was recovering, the technology industry was in the midst of a fast-moving generational upgrade due to artificial intelligence. Businesses of all shapes and sizes continued to seek ways to integrate the technology into customer service, marketing and sales.

Rivery, which Ben Hemo helped start in 2019, plays directly into that theme, specializing in software integration through AI. Through Ben Hemo's hospital stay, surgeries and rehab, Rivery kept operating, servicing customers with the reassurance of other company executives.

Last week, roughly 11 months after Ben Hemo was hospitalized, his startup was bought by a a Pennsylvania-based cloud software company named Boomi. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed but Boomi CEO Steve Lucas tells CNBC it was "in the neighborhood of $100 million."

Lucas describes Boomi as "Google Translate for business," taking the many different kinds of software a company uses, regardless of programming language, and integrating it all into a single functioning system. What makes Rivery so attractive, he said, is that it helps advance software integration by doing it in real time in the cloud using AI to analyze different kinds of data sets.

During his three-month recovery, Ben Hemo held company meetings and spoke to investors from his hospital bed.
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., listens to testimony during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, in Washington, Dec. 8, 2022. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters

The House Ethics Committee on Monday revealed it found "substantial evidence" that former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl in 2017 and that he "regularly" paid women for sex, all while he was in Congress. The panel, in a final report on its yearslong investigation into Gaetz, also found that he used illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions between 2017 and 2019.

Gaetz also accepted gifts, including a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, "in excess of permissible amounts," the bipartisan committee concluded. "Representative Gaetz has acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the House," the 42-page report said. The committee said it found "substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress." But the committee said it did not find sufficient evidence that Gaetz violated a federal sex-trafficking law, even though he "did cause the transportation of women across state lines for purposes of commercial sex." The panel said it found no evidence that those women were under 18 when the travel took place, and it could not conclude that the "commercial sex acts were induced by force, fraud, or coercion." Gaetz has denied wrongdoing. An attorney for Gaetz did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the report. As the report was released, Gaetz in a series of posts on X denied that he had engaged in prostitution or sex trafficking. "There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses," Gaetz wrote in one post. Hours before the long-awaited report came out, Gaetz asked a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order that would block its release.

Trump's first AG pick

The ethics panel's report, the final product of an investigation that began in 2021, was at the center of a recent controversy surrounding the former lawmaker from Florida. Gaetz, 42, resigned from Congress in mid-November, shortly after President-elect Donald Trump picked him to be U.S. attorney general. Trump's selection to lead the Department of Justice immediately drew howls from critics, who were quick to note that Gaetz would, if confirmed, be in charge of the agency that had previously investigated him on sex-trafficking allegations. The Justice Department ended that probe without filing criminal charges. But the Ethics Committee, which had paused its own efforts while the DOJ's version played out, reauthorized its investigation in May 2023. When Gaetz left Congress, Republicans including Ethics Chairman Rep. Michael Guest, of Mississippi, said Gaetz was no longer within the committee's jurisdiction, casting doubt on whether its report would come out publicly. News outlets reported at the time that Gaetz's departure came just two days before the Ethics panel was set to vote to release the report. The panel, which is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, deadlocked on whether to release the report despite Gaetz no longer being a congressman. But in a secret vote Dec. 10, the committee decided that the report should come out. Gaetz withdrew his bid for attorney general after just eight days as Trump's pick, saying he was "unfairly becoming a distraction" to the Republican president-elect's transition efforts. His decision, which followed reports that numerous Republican senators would not support Gaetz's confirmation, was the first major setback for Trump's efforts to staff his Cabinet. As more of Trump's picks prepare to face senators' scrutiny in the coming weeks, the contents of the Gaetz report could erode senators' trust in the Trump transition team's vetting process.

'Interactions with the Minor'

Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards A chart from the House Ethics Committee's Dec. 23, 2024, report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz, summarizing payments he allegedly made to women and to former associate Joel Greenberg via peer-to-peer payment platforms or checks. Source: House of Representatives

Between 2017 and 2020, Gaetz paid women tens of thousands of dollars "that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use," the report said. That sum includes money spent at a July 15, 2017, party, at which "the record overwhelmingly suggests that Representative Gaetz had sex with multiple women ... including the then-17-year-old," according to the report. Gaetz, who was 35 at the time, and the underage girl had sex twice at that party, including at least once in front of others, the report found. The girl, referred to as "Victim A," said she remembered Gaetz gave her $400 that evening for what she understood was payment for sex, the report said. "At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school," the report said. Gaetz's prior assertion that he has not had sex with a 17-year-old "since I was 17" was untrue, the committee concluded. His "statutory rape of Victim A was a violation of Florida law, the Code of Official Conduct, and the Code of Ethics for Government Service," the report said. The committee said it found evidence that Gaetz did not learn the victim's age until a month after they had sex. But "statutory rape is a strict liability crime," the report said, referring to crimes that don't require proof of intent for a conviction. The panel noted that Gaetz met up with the girl again for commercial sex less than six months later, after she turned 18.

Joel Greenberg

The Gaetz investigation included 29 subpoenas, nearly 14,000 documents, more than two dozen witnesses, six Freedom of Information Act requests and nine other requests for information, the report said. The committee said it received written communications from a Gaetz associate, Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector in Seminole County, Florida, who in 2021 pleaded guilty to federal crimes including sex trafficking of a minor girl. Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2022.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg tries on Orion AR glasses at the Meta Connect annual event at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Sept. 25, 2024. Manuel Orbegozo | Reuters

"Aut Zuck Aut Nihil" spanned the front of Mark Zuckerberg's loose-fitting black shirt during his keynote at Meta's Connect event in September. The words, donned in all-caps and gray font, were a play on the Latin phrase "Aut Caesar Aut Nihil," which translates to "Either Caesar or nothing" or rather "All or nothing." It was a fitting phrase for a company that in 2024 put the full weight of its resources behind its artificial intelligence strategy. Meta in April said it would raise its spending levels in 2024 by as much as $10 billion to support infrastructure investments for its AI efforts. Although the announcement sent shares plunging as much as 19% that evening, investors have come around to the company's costly AI ambitions. Meta's stock price hit a record on Dec. 11, and it's up nearly 70% year to date as of the market's close on Friday. "It's clear that there are a lot of new opportunities to use new AI advances to accelerate our core business that should have strong ROI over the next few years, so I think we should invest more there," Zuckerberg said on a call with analysts in October. He noted AI's "positive impact on nearly all aspects of our work," highlighting how the technology was key to rebuilding the company's online advertising business that took a lashing from Apple 's iOS privacy update in 2021. Additionally, he said AI underpins Meta's more nascent projects, such as its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and experimental Orion augmented reality headset that Zuckerberg believes could represent "the next computing platform." Zuckerberg's comments about AI underscore how the technology has become Meta's top priority, directly impacting the company's business and potentially paving the way for future revenue opportunities. Unlike the company's more conventional services, like Instagram and Facebook, AI is an infrastructure technology that Zuckerberg wants hardwired into its various products, particularly as competitors like OpenAI continue to make inroads with consumers. While OpenAI's GPT family of AI models help power apps like ChatGPT, Meta's family of Llama AI models feeds the company's newer generative AI features like the Meta AI digital assistant. That chatbot represents Zuckerberg's primary way to introduce generative AI technologies to its billions of users. "Meta AI is on track to being the most used AI assistant in the world by the end of this year," Zuckerberg said at Connect. The company has been increasingly releasing new generative AI features for advertisers to continue improving the efficiency of its online advertising platform. And with the hiring last month of Clara Shih, who had been Salesforce's CEO of AI, to lead a new business AI group, Meta aims to build a more enterprise-focused unit in the new year.

The Meta AI logo is being displayed on a smartphone in this photo illustration in Brussels, Belgium, on June 10, 2024. Jonathan Raa | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Meta's all-encompassing approach to AI has led analysts to predict that Meta is positioned for more success in 2025. Analysts at Jefferies chose Meta as one of generative AI's "winners" heading into 2025, writing in a Dec. 15 note that the company's massive user base represents "one of the richest surfaces to introduce Gen AI tools." Truist Securities analysts said in a note last week that the Meta AI digital assistant could challenge Google's search as "an answer engine for all kinds of queries" and that the social media company is likely to outperform in 2025, potentially benefiting from offering businesses more advanced customer service chatbots. "We believe META has a unique opportunity to introduce Gen AI tools to the almost 4B users & >200M businesses across its family of apps," the Jefferies analysts wrote. Meta declined to comment for this article, but pointed to previous statistics and executive comments about AI.

Meta AI's expanding user base

Meta has been increasingly talking up the number of people who use Meta AI, with Zuckerberg saying in December that the digital assistant "now has nearly 600 million monthly actives." He launched the Meta AI chatbot in 2023 to rival the generative AI chatbots of competitors, most notably OpenAI's ChatGPT. In April, the company brought it to the forefront of each of the apps in its empire by putting Meta AI in the search bars of Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger. But because the company doesn't offer a stand-alone Meta AI app, it's difficult to directly compare its usage to similar services like ChatGPT or Anthropic's Claude, said David Curry, the data editor for insights firm Business of Apps. When it comes to monthly active users, the most popular of these generative AI chatbot apps is ChatGPT by a wide margin, followed by Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Claude and Perplexity, Curry said. The Meta AI "standalone website gets less than 10 million views per month, putting it far below the major services (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc) and even lower than some mid-range players like Anthropic," Curry said, based on data he accessed via the Similarweb web-tracking service. Meta's finance chief, Susan Li, told analysts in July that India has become the company's "largest market for Meta AI usage." That usage has coincided with promising signs of retention and engagement on WhatsApp, Li added.

Tourists are seen at the forecourt of the iconic Gateway of India as a digital display of messaging app WhatsApp is displayed, in Mumbai on August 25, 2023. Indranil Mukherjee | AFP | Getty Images

Among those users is Sonny Ravan, a music producer in Pune, India. Ravan said he finds Meta AI, which he uses through WhatsApp, helpful for learning about the history of songs that he enjoys. He also uses it as a tool to learn about people in the music industry who he plans to work with or meet, describing it as great for preparation. Sathish Thiyagarajan, 30, a technical support engineer for marketing tech firm GoX.AI, said he's increasingly using Meta AI as a search tool via WhatsApp, which he noted dominates the Indian market for mobile internet communications. "While I'm talking with my family or my friends, if they're saying something to me and I have to search something, I'm not going to go to Google," said Thiyagarajan, of Chennai, India. "I'm just going to put the phone in the speaker mode, and I'll immediately search through Meta AI." However, Thiyagarajan said he only uses Meta AI when he's on his phone. If he's at his computer, OpenAI's ChatGPT is his preferred AI chatbot. Not everyone is a fan of Meta AI's bundling into WhatsApp's search functions. Jawhar Sircar, 72, a retired government official in Kolkata, India, called the Meta AI search feature in WhatsApp "quite a nuisance." That's because whenever a user pauses while typing out a name in the search-find box, the Meta AI technology quickly "picks up whatever has been typed" and generates what he describes as unnecessary search prompt suggestions. As far as the popularity of Meta AI in India, Sircar said he thinks the feature is mostly used by companies, technologists and other professionals who "are getting hooked to AI" alongside the Indian government's continued investment in regional computing infrastructure. "Professionals and companies have started using AI, but the general user has no need, at least not on the Meta platforms," Sircar wrote in an email.

Meta's AI strategy for advertisers

Advertising is still the key to revenue. Meta said in December that over 1 million advertisers had used the company's GenAI tools to create more than 15 million ads in a single month. "We estimate that businesses using image generation are seeing a +7% increase in conversions," Meta said at the time, regarding its image generation features. While people may associate generative AI with the visually striking and sometimes surreal imagery derived from popular services like Dall-E or Midjourney, it's more likely that the average small business advertiser uses Meta's GenAI tools for more subtle tasks, said Stacy Reed, an online advertising and Facebook ads consultant. That includes using AI to create multiple versions of an ad's headline, auto-resizing the size of ads so they look appropriate within users' Instagram and Facebook apps, and repositioning certain images within the ads so that the promotions perform better, Reed said. Advertisers that already write strong, creative copy can ask Meta's GenAI tools for "a little bit more" help, Reed said. "That's where you win with their AI tools," she said. Reed said the many small advertisers she supports aren't associating the new features with AI. They "think that Meta is just enhancing the way you build ads," Reed said.

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Celina Guerrero, an independent corporate sales and training consultant, said she uses Meta's GenAI tools to help with writing headlines for her ads, but she said she finds Meta's advertising interface to be confusing and constantly changing. "It is visually overwhelming from a user experience," Guerrero said. Ahead of a Facebook ad campaign planned for January, Guerrero said she is debating how to use Meta's GenAI tools for more in-depth tasks, like modifying her ad's entire in-line copy. "I don't want my copy to sound like ChatGPT," Guerrero said, referring to the sterile, run-of-the-mill AI-generated text that's proliferating the web. "I have two options: One, I don't use the variations, or two, I spend an inordinate amount of hours editing it." Most big companies and advertising agencies are turning to more marketing-specific tools for their generative AI-based ad campaigns, said Jay Pattisall, principal analyst at Forrester. Those services are more robust than Meta's built-in AI ad tools, he said. Still, the mere introduction of simple GenAI tools is beneficial to Meta considering it dominates the digital ads market along with Google. Meta's generative AI tools just have "to be good enough to squeeze out more investment" from advertisers, said Maurice Rahmey, CEO of performance marketing firm Disruptive Digital and a former Facebook customer manager. "It's better for their business, even if it's just those small, incremental changes," Rahmey said "It's a business of scale."

Clara Shih, Former CEO of Salesforce AI Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

What's next for Meta's enterprise play?

With Meta's hiring of Shih from Salesforce in November, some analysts say Meta could make an enterprise technology push with its Llama family of open-source AI models. Llama's advancements "represent a significant opportunity for businesses to drive more efficiencies and significantly improve the experiences they offer their customers," Meta monetization head John Hegeman said in a statement. Shih, who was one of CNBC's 2024 changemakers, rejoined Salesforce in 2020 after previously working at the company from 2006 through 2009. As part of her most recent role at Salesforce, Shih helped oversee Einstein GPT for Service and Sales, a GenAI product intended for sales and customer support staff. During her first stint at Salesforce, Shih created a business app that let users connect their Salesforce customer relationship software with their Facebook connections. In 2009, she wrote "The Facebook Era," a book intended for professionals to better understand how to use social networks for business. Multiple former Meta AI and product leaders told CNBC that Shih's vast experience will be helpful considering the company has failed in previous attempts at building enterprise software. Meta announced in May that it plans to shut down Workplace, its business communications product, by 2026. And after buying enterprise startup Kustomer for about $1 billion in 2020, Meta spun it out in 2023 in a deal that was reportedly valued at $250 million. The most logical step for Meta would be to create a larger business around WhatsApp, said Ralph Schackart, an internet equity analyst at investment bank William Blair. Specifically, WhatsApp could help businesses build customer-service chatbots using Meta's GenAI, Schackart said. "Longer term, this is going to evolve into customized sales agents, which is a $3 trillion-plus industry," Schackart said about Meta's WhatsApp business AI chatbot opportunity. WATCH: If the U.S. bans TikTok, China could retaliate and target Tesla and Apple.
Singapore Post said on Sunday it had dismissed its chief executive and two other senior managers after an internal investigation found they had mishandled whistleblower allegations about misconduct by company employees.

The firm's shares slumped by the most in over four years as the city-state's bourse opened for trading. The stock plunged as much as 9.8%, its biggest intraday loss since March 2020.

The alleged misconduct reported by the whistleblower related to several employees who worked in the company's international e-commerce logistics parcels business, the company said in a statement, without giving further details.

The firm had received a whistleblowing report alleging that three unnamed employees had either approved or manually updated a "delivery failure" status code for parcels, even though no delivery was done, the statement said.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the Tribal Nations Summit at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 9, 2024.

The Biden administration has withdrawn two major plans to deliver student loan forgiveness.

The proposed regulations would have allowed the secretary of the U.S. Department of Education to cancel student loans for several groups of borrowers, including those who had been in repayment for decades and others experiencing financial hardship.

The combined policies could have reduced or eliminated the education debts of millions of Americans.

The Education Department posted notices in the Federal Register on Friday that it was withdrawing the plans, weeks before President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House.

The department wrote that it was terminating the rulemaking proceeding due to "operational challenges in implementing the proposals." It said it would "commit its limited operational resources" in these final weeks of the administration "to helping at-risk borrowers return to repayment successfully."

The Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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"The Biden administration knew that the proposals for broad student loan forgiveness would have been thwarted by the Trump administration," said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.

Trump is a vocal critic of student loan forgiveness, and on the campaign trail he called President Joe Biden's efforts "vile" and "not even legal."

Biden's latest plans became known as a kind of "Plan B" after the Supreme Court in June 2023 struck down his first major effort to clear people's student loans.

Consumer advocates expressed disappointment and concern about the reversal on debt relief.

"President Biden's proposals would have freed millions from the crushing weight of the student debt crisis and unlocked economic mobility for millions more workers and families," Persis Yu, deputy executive director and managing counsel of the Student Borrower Protection Center, said in a statement.
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally gunning down health insurance executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street, pleaded not guilty on Monday to New York state murder charges that brand him a terrorist.

Mangione, 26, was escorted into Judge Gregory Carro's 13th-floor courtroom in the New York state criminal courthouse in lower Manhattan with a court officer on each arm, and a procession of a half dozen officers following him. He was in handcuffs and shackles, and wore a burgundy sweater over a white-collared shirt.

Mangione leaned into a microphone and said "not guilty" when asked how he pleaded to the 11-count indictment, which includes three murder charges, including murder as an act of terrorism.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Last Thursday, Mangione was transferred from Pennsylvania to New York after deciding not to fight extradition. He was led off a helicopter in lower Manhattan by a large phalanx of police officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

That spectacle and other statements by public officials suggest Mangione may not be able to get a fair trial, his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said at the hearing.

"They are treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, some sort of spectacle," Agnifilo said. "He is not a symbol, he is someone who is afforded a right to a fair trial."

Monday's arraignment was the second court appearance in New York for Mangione, 26.

He was arrested at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after the brazen, pre-dawn Dec. 4 killing of Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group's insurance unit UnitedHealthcare, outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan where the company was gathering for an investor conference. Mangione also faces a four-count federal criminal complaint charging him with stalking and killing Thompson. He has not yet been asked to enter a plea to those charges. U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker ordered Mangione detained at a Dec. 19 presentment on those charges.
During the holiday season, the travel industry is front of mind, and not always in the best light as we all suffer inevitable travel delays. Nevertheless, travel stocks have staged a big comeback after trending lower for several months this year. The VettaFi Global Travel Index bottomed in August and lifted about 35% before pulling back to short-term oversold territory last week. American Airlines (AAL) has exhibited upside leadership within the sector, having roughly doubled since its August low and having advanced from a long-term basing phase. The stock captured positive intermediate-term momentum after holding up near the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic low, and it recently broke out in a positive long-term technical catalyst. The monthly stochastic oscillator is not yet overbought, and the monthly MACD looks headed for positive territory. Up until recently, AAL had been in a long-term trend of underperformance versus the S & P 500 Index (SPX) , having reeled from the Covid-19 pandemic alongside other airlines. A downtrend line that traces back to the highs in early 2021 has been decisively broken in both absolute and relative terms in a bullish reversal. The long-term breakout and improved relative strength lend a more promising setup for AAL for the coming one to two years. Looking at the daily chart, the gap higher earlier this month took the stock above former resistance from earlier in the year. This prior resistance now serves a gauge of support for AAL, enhanced by the gap and the 50-day moving average, which is rising in a reflection of positive intermediate-term momentum. Traders may want to place a stop-loss below $15.95, where support and the gap would be penetrated. AAL's first major resistance is above $19.00. Katie Stockton with Will Tamplin Access research from Fairlead Strategies for free here . 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Canadian and American flags fly near the base of the Ambassador Bridge connecting Canada to the U.S. in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. Cole Burston | Bloomberg | Getty Images

DETROIT  There's growing concern that President-elect Donald Trump's plan to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian imports would be an existential threat to the country's recovering automotive industry. Potential tariffs on vehicles and automotive parts are particularly alarming for the province of Ontario, the epicenter of Canada's auto industry. Five automakers  Ford Motor , General Motors , Stellantis , Toyota Motor and Honda Motor  produced 1.54 million light-duty vehicles last year in the province, largely for U.S. consumers. "It'd be terrible. It'd not only devastate Canadian jobs, it'd devastate American jobs," Ontario Premier Doug Ford told CNBC during a phone interview. A tariff is a tax on imports, or foreign goods, brought into the U.S. They are paid for by companies, which some fear would simply pass any additional costs on to consumers. Ford, who said he has not spoken with Trump directly, argued that any tariffs would be harmful to both sides of the border. He said raw materials and parts routinely pass across the border multiple times before being used in the final assembly of a vehicle. Tariffs, he warned, would increase prices, which could then slow production and eliminate jobs. "We have a trade agreement right now. Things have been working," Ford said. "I've said it publicly: I'd love to do a bilateral trade deal with the U.S. And Mexico wants a trade deal, we'll do a bilateral trade deal with Mexico. But Mexico, if they want a seat at the table, they have to follow the rules."

Ontario premier Doug Ford answers questions from reporters as he hosts the Fall meeting of Canada's premiers in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada December 16, 2024. Carlos Osorio | Reuters

Trump has said he will impose an additional 10% tariff on goods from China and a 25% levy for Canada and Mexico, though he has offered few details, such as if there would be exceptions. He has he said plans to invoke "national security" concerns to enact such hikes, rather than seeking congressional approval, saying illegal immigration and the illicit drug trade are causing concerns on the border, justifying the tariffs. Putting tariffs on components could add $600 to $2,500 per vehicle on parts from Mexico, Canada and China, according to estimates in a Wells Fargo analyst note. Prices on vehicles assembled in Mexico and Canada  which account for about 23% of vehicles sold in the U.S.  could rise $1,750 to $10,000. Such tariffs and increased costs would add to problems for embattled Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as he fends off calls for his resignation.

Ontario: Canada's auto capitol

Ontario recently launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign in the U.S. to promote its role as a key trading partner and "ally to the North." Ontario, as a province, is the third-largest trading partner for the U.S., including the top foreign trade partner for 17 states, according to Ford, the premier. He points out that trade between Ontario  as well as broader Canada with the U.S.  is much more evenly split than it is with Mexico, especially when removing the oil Canada sends to the U.S.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses the Liberal party caucus meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada December 16, 2024. Blair Gable | Reuters

Canadian exports of auto parts came in at $23.5 billion in 2023, while exports of light vehicles totaled $53.5 billion. Imports totaled $47.5 billion and $70.4 billion, respectively, according to Canada-based DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. Of those, the U.S. accounts for 95.3% of Canada's total auto exports and 57.7% of its overall auto imports. "Anything that kind of disrupts that balance is going to affect both sides of the border," said Flavio Volpe, head of the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association. "The best tariff level for Canadian and American auto parts suppliers is zero." Volpe argues a double-digit tariff would be "existential," with ripple effects into the U.S. automotive industry. As an example, he pointed to 2022, when Canadian truck drivers blocked the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, in Canada  the busiest border bridge between the countries  disrupting manufacturing for several automakers in the U.S. Toyota is the top-producing automaker in Canada, at roughly 526,000 units in 2023, followed by Honda at nearly 378,500 vehicles. GM, once the largest producer in Canada at more than 1 million vehicles, is now one of the smallest manufacturers of light-duty vehicles in the region.

Industry on the mend
The so-called Section 301 investigation will look into China's "acts, policies, and practices on the production of silicon carbide substrates or other wafers used as inputs into semiconductor fabrication," the White House added.

China "routinely engages in non-market policies and practices, as well as industrial targeting" of the chip industry, which allows Chinese firms "to significantly harm competition and create dangerous supply chain dependencies in foundational semiconductors," the White House said in a statement.

The Biden administration on Monday said it launched a new probe into legacy Chinese semiconductors that may go into everything from cars to household goods and defense systems.

Overall, Washington's probe looks to assess the U.S. dependency on legacy Chinese chips in areas spanning everything from telecommunications to the electrical grid.

The new investigation marks an escalation of U.S. pressure on China's semiconductor industry. To date, many of the actions taken by Washington have sought to target the most cutting-edge chips, in particular those used in the booming artificial intelligence sector.

So-called legacy chips are produced with less advanced manufacturing technique. Chinese manufacturers of chips still remain generations behind industry leaders like TSMC, but they are able to produce legacy chips at scale.

The latest investigation into Chinese legacy chips is being conducted under the Trade Act of 1974. One potential remedy that can be imposed under this law is placing tariffs on the products in question.

The Biden administration has continued to target China's tech sector this year with increased import tariffs on products from electric vehicles to semiconductors. The latest action comes just weeks before the incumbent U.S. president hands over the reins to Donald Trump.

Reuters, citing Biden administration officials, reported on Monday that the probe into legacy chips will be handed over to Trump's administration to complete.
Artificial intelligence darling Nvidia remains a favored stock on Wall Street heading into the new year. It has been a record year for the stock market, with all three major indexes notching multiple new all-time closing highs. With just a few days of 2024 left, the S & P 500 benchmark is on track for a 24% gain. Given the stock market's strong performance in 2024, trying to find names with upside left in the year ahead may be difficult. Against this backdrop, CNBC Pro used its stock screener tool to search for names in the S & P 500 that still have at least 30% potential upside in 2025, based on consensus Wall Street price targets. To be included in the following table, stocks had to meet the following criteria, as of Dec. 17: Have a consensus analyst buy rating Have a potential upside of at least 30% next year, according to consensus analyst price targets Show a gain this year, which excludes stocks that only have a high upside due to substantial underperformance in 2024 It may be surprising that AI poster child Nvidia , which has already surged more than 170% in 2024, is included on the list. Yet, analysts think the stock could gain another 30% in the coming year. Cantor Fitzgerald recently reiterated its overweight rating on the stock and named it a best idea heading into 2025 in the semiconductor space. "NVDA is coming into its strongest product cycle ever in Blackwell, which will ramp throughout 2025 (followed quickly by Rubin in 2026), with a setup for continued strength in hyperscale spending and ongoing ramp of Enterprise and Sovereign AI infrastructure builds," the firm wrote. Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target for the stock to $200, implying 48% upside from Friday's close. Energy stock Diamondback Energy is little changed in 2024, but analysts expect it has upside of 36%. Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs reinstated coverage of the name at a buy rating and set a 12-month price target of $227, approximately 46% above where the stock closed on Friday. "FANG continues to offer a prudent capital allocation strategy focused on per share growth in shareholder returns, which we believe will continue to create shareholder value," analyst Neil Mehta wrote. The analyst also cited Diamondback's recent closed merger with Endeavor Energy Resources as another catalyst. Analysts think clean energy stock First Solar could add another 48% to its nearly 6% year-to-date advance. Earlier in December, JPMorgan analyst Mark Strouse named First Solar as a top pick in the clean energy sector. The analyst maintained his overweight rating and $282 price target, which is approximately 54% above the stock's closing price of $182.39 on Friday. "We view FSLR's risk-reward favorably for a company that has the best visibility of companies under coverage into medium-term growth prospects owing to a backlog that stretches into later this decade," he wrote. "We continue to believe that FSLR is well positioned vs our coverage and expect the stock to outperform the mean of our coverage universe over the next 6-12 months." Other names on the list of top picks heading into 2025 include semiconductor manufacturer Micron Technology , toy company Hasbro and hospital manager Universal Health Services .
Chinese UN envoy calls on U.S. to stop stoking confrontation on Ukraine

Xinhua) 09:32, December 23, 2024

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese United Nations (UN) envoy on Friday called on the United States to stop its senseless blame game and provoking confrontation on the Ukraine issue.

"The crisis in Ukraine continues to drag on, and the fighting has shown no signs of abatement," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, told the UN Security Council.

Stressing that weapons may help win the war, but cannot bring about lasting peace, he called on the parties to the conflict to start peace talks at an early date, and on the international community to actively create conditions to this end.

Since the conflict started, China has been calling on the parties to realize a ceasefire, start negotiations, and restore peace as soon as possible, Geng said. "Russia, Ukraine, countries of the Global South and many European countries have all welcomed China's role and contribution to the resolution of the Ukraine crisis," he said.

He further said that the United States is the only country that has chosen to turn a blind eye to China's efforts and continued to spread false information.

"China did not create the Ukraine crisis, nor is it a party to the crisis," the ambassador said. "The United States cannot, on the one hand, hope that China will play a greater role in ending the war, while on the other hand, keeps discrediting China's efforts for peace and continues to slander and put pressure on China."

"We hope that the U.S. will stop its senseless blame game and its provocation of antagonism and confrontation," he added.

Geng urged the United States to work with the countries concerned, including China, to build solidarity and consensus, and create conditions and an atmosphere conducive to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
As the Earth spins inexorably forward, more elder millennials like me cross the great divide: We turn 40.

I was among the first of my generation, defined as those born between 1981 and 1996, to face the prospect of getting old, or at least being no longer young. What would it mean for us? Mortgage payments, pre-menopause, a midlife crisis  if we could even afford one?

When does midlife begin, anyway?

When I was in my late 30s, I took this question to the oldest person I knew: Shirley Hodes, my grandmother-in-law. She was then on the cusp of turning 105 in an assisted living facility outside Asheville, North Carolina.

Her answer delighted me: "I think 'middle-aged' is when you start collecting Social Security."

I laughed, thinking about how Suze Orman recommends waiting until you're 70 to begin collecting Social Security benefits, if you can. "So, even 50?" I asked. "Fifty is not 'middle-aged' yet?"

"Oh goodness, no!" she replied. "Absolutely not. At 50, you're just starting to live."

This strikes me as the mindset of champions. And your mental approach to aging can matter a surprising amount when it comes to wellbeing and longevity, studies indicate.

"There's a connection between mindsets and health behaviors," Eric S. Kim, a psychologist and researcher affiliated with Harvard University's Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness, told the American Heart Association News in 2022.

Negative beliefs about aging can be "a self-fulfilling prophecy," while positive beliefs can prompt you to form and keep good longevity habits, said Kim. In other words, building and maintaining strong relationships, taking on new challenges, and figuring out how to cope with life's ups and downs can all help you live, and stay healthy, longer.

Your mindset doesn't guarantee longevity: Eating fresh, healthy foods, exercising and managing stress all matter. So does luck.

Still, it's important to "keep your sense of humor, give something of yourself to others, make friends who are younger than you, learn new things and have fun," Harvard Medical School psychiatry professor Dr. George E. Vaillant told the Harvard Gazette in 2001.

Hodes, who turned 108 this fall, is a great role model on this score. She's always loved books and theater, learning new things, and cultivating relationships. She worked full-time for about 20 years after her youngest child went to college. After retiring at age 70, she audited classes at her local college, camping out in the front row so she could see and hear everything.

When she moved into an assisted living facility, she made it her business to get to know the other residents. "It keeps me interested!" she told me last year. "I sit with new people, make conversation, ask questions, get them to open up."

No matter your age or your circumstances, she's told me more than once, "you have to concentrate on the positive."

Inspired by her vibrant example, I've decided to keep thinking of myself as young-ish for a while longer. Now that I know I'll just be starting to live when I hit 50, I have something great to look forward to.

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Apple stock has been hitting record high after record high to close out 2024. But the company needs to prove that it's more than just the maker of the iPhone to sustain those gains in 2025. Year-to-date performance: up 32% Forward price-to-earnings multiple: 33.6 versus a five-year average of 26.5 Our rating: Hold-equivalent 2 rating Our price target: $250 a share AAPL YTD mountain Apple (AAPL) year-to-date performance '24 look back Apple shares are up 32% this year, despite a lackluster start. A slew of regulatory concerns and more smartphone competition in China, the company's second-largest market, weighed on investor sentiment. But the stock reversed course once management began disclosing more info about the company's generative artificial intelligence system, Apple Intelligence. Wall Street has been upbeat that AI-integrated iPhones could lead to a boost in device sales as users trade up to newer models. A batch of better-than-expected quarterly earnings reports also helped. Analysts are increasingly recognizing that Apple's high-margin services business , which includes recurring revenue streams from subscriptions, is key to the stock's success. '25 look ahead Apple stock has never been this expensive on a forward p/e basis, so it's hard to determine how much more rally it has left. As a result, the Club is considering a trim before the company's next quarterly earnings report in February. But this will depend on whether Apple can show us that it doesn't need to rely so heavily on hardware sales alone. Jim Cramer said Apple's services business needs to outperform, citing a potential increase in revenues from the App Store. "We figured that if the company is no longer going to be hostage to big [iPhone] launches it makes sense that the price-to-earnings multiple should expand," Jim said during the December Monthly Meeting , where he also reiterated that Apple remains one of 12 core holdings in the portfolio going into 2025. Apple also needs to show investors signs of a turnaround in China, where the company makes most of its devices. Softening iPhone demand in the region, along with President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariff increases , pose challenges for Apple moving forward. Over time, Apple's expansion into emerging markets like India to diversify the company's supply chain will help mitigate those risks, Jim said. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long AAPL. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., greets customers during the first day of in-store sales of Apple's latest products at Apple's Fifth Avenue store in New York, US, on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. Victor J. Blue | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Public sector lender Indian Bank Ltd on Monday (December 23) said the financial intelligence unit of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has imposed a monetary penalty of LKR (Lankan rupee) 2 million (approximately 5.85 lakh) on the bank for failing to comply with the provisions of Sri Lanka's Financial Transactions Reporting Act.

"...we have to inform you that the Central Bank of Sri Lanka -Financial Intelligence Unit has imposed a monetary penalty of Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR) Two Million (LKR 2,000,000) i.e. approx. Indian Rupees (INR) Five Lakh Eighty Five Thousands (5.85 Lakh) on the bank for failure to conform to the provisions of Financial Transactions Reporting Act, No.6 of 2006 (FTRA) of Sri Lanka and rules," Indian Bank said in a regulatory filing.

The penalty pertains to non-conformity with the regulatory framework under the FTRA and associated rules and regulations. Indian Bank operates in Sri Lanka through two branches, located in Colombo and Jaffna.

Also Read: Indian Bank to increase lending rates by 5 basis points from December 3

In response to the penalty, Indian Bank has stated that it has implemented necessary preventive measures to ensure compliance and avoid similar incidents in the future. "The bank and its aforesaid Branches operating in Sri Lanka have taken necessary preventive actions to avoid such recurrence in future," the lender said.

For the second quarter, Indian Bank posted a 36% year-on-year (YoY) increase in net profit, which reached 2,706 crore, up from 1,988 crore in the same period last year. This growth was supported by a decline in provisions and a rise in net interest income (NII).

NII increased by 8% YoY to 6,195 crore from 5,740 crore, indicating sustained momentum in core lending activities. In terms of asset quality, Indian Bank showed a marked improvement. Gross non-performing assets (NPA) decreased to 3.48% from 3.77% on a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis, while net NPA stood at 0.27%, down from 0.39% in the previous quarter.

Also Read: Indian Bank approves raising up to 12,000 crore through three methods

Provisions were significantly reduced in Q2, totalling 1,099 crore, down from 1,258 crore on a quarterly basis and 1,551 crore YoY, highlighting the banks prudent approach in managing its loan portfolio.

Shares of Indian Bank ended at 537.35, up by 0.85, or 0.16%, on the BSE.
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Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez listens to speakers during the Chicago Board of Education's meeting on Dec. 4, 2024. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS) Antonio Perez/TNS Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez, right, is greeted by a supporter before the start of a meeting of Chicago Board of Education at the Chicago Public Schools Colman Administrative Office in Chicago on Dec. 20, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/TNS) Terrence Antonio James/TNS

Pedro Martinez, the revered former superintendent whose six-year tenure transformed the San Antonio Independent School District, has been fired from his subsequent role as CEO of Chicago Public Schools.

During a hectic board meeting on Friday, the Chicago Board of Education voted unanimously to fire Martinez without cause. He will remain CEO through the end of the current school year and will receive 20 weeks of his base salary but with reduced authority, Chalkbeat Chicago reports.

The firing was a dramatic culmination to months of turmoil that pitted (Mayor Brandon Johnson) and the teachers union  a close ally that catapulted him into office  against Martinez, the article reads.

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Martinez reportedly filed a last-minute lawsuit on Friday asking a judge to grant a temporary restraining order against members of the board to prevent the termination vote. Chalkbeat Chicago reported that a source close to Martinez said he turned down an earlier settlement offer of more than $500,000 to resign.

A native of Mexico, Martinez grew up in Chicago and was the school systems chief financial officer from 2003 to 2009. He was hired as CEO of Chicago Public Schools in 2021 when the district reopened for full-time instruction after pandemic-era disruptions to in-person learning. He was hand-picked by then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

According to Chalkbeat, under Martinez's leadership, Chicago Public Schools outpaced much of the country in post-pandemic reading recovery and added thousands of new teachers and support staff to its workforce using federal pandemic relief funds.

He also oversaw the adoption of a contentious plan to ban campus police, an overhaul of the districts budgeting that de-emphasized student enrollment and the delivery of greater bilingual services to the thousands of migrant children who have enrolled in the districts schools since 2022.

Martinezs relationship with the mayor became strained in recent months amid contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union and heated debates over how to address the budgetary challenges that have become commonplace in public school districts nationwide.

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The Chalkbeat article says Johnson called for Martinezs resignation this summer after Martinez refused to approve a $300 million high-interest loan to help plug budget shortfalls. In October, Johnson appointed seven new board members after the former board resigned en masse while under pressure to oust the CEO and take on the loan.

For the past 30 years, the citys mayor has appointed the districts board and its CEO under an education reform meant to increase accountability and urban school performance. The district is beginning to transition back to a fully elected board and had its first election in nearly three decades this November.

Martinez came to the Chicago school system from San Antonio ISD, where he was hired in 2015 to reverse the districts steadily shrinking enrollment, improve its poor academic record and rescue schools on the brink of shutdown after years of failing to meet accountability standards.

Regarded as one of the most transformative leaders in San Antonio ISDs history, Martinez was known for setting ambitious goals and pushing for innovation on almost every front of education. Hes credited with increasing the districts state academic rating from an F to a B, boosting graduation rates and expanding dual-language and magnet programs.

He also helped persuade voters to approve a tax rate increase and set of bond proposals totaling $1.25 billion.

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The Texas education commissioner had called SAISD the fastest-improving district in the state under Martinezs governance. But that doesnt mean he didnt face setbacks.

In 2018, the teachers' union sued the district after Martinez partnered with the New York-based charter network Democracy Prep to run Stewart Elementary School, which faced a state-mandated closure for underperformance.

He made an even greater enemy of the union later that year when he ordered the layoffs of 132 teachers to resolve a budget crisis, despite later expanding a program for extra pay for master teachers.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Martinez was one of dozens of Texas school leaders to defy Gov. Greg Abbots order against mask mandates, not only requiring all students and employees to be masked but also all staff to be vaccinated.

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Hes dramatically changed the San Antonio Independent School District to so much better than what it was before, retired Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff told the Express-News in 2021. Hell be really, really missed. I think the school district will find it hard to replicate somebody that had the vision and the gumption to get it done.
If the universe had any respect, it would hold back from disaster on Christmas. Its a day reserved for goodwill and time with friends and family. Whether youre watching a Peanuts Christmas special in your brand new sweater or knocking off a full order of dumplings with Fiddler on the Roof playing, its supposed to be a day of peace.

But alas, the universe is an unfeeling roulette wheel of pain, and it never considers when it might be a pretty bad day for such misery.

Don't Miss

To that end, here are five of the worst historical events to take place on Christmas

5 Black Christmas in Hong Kong Public Domain At first, youd think a story about a long battle that finally ended on Christmas would be heartwarming. Two sides meeting in no mans land to exchange gifts and agree the whole thing had been a little silly. But that wasnt the case when the Battle of Hong Kong ended on Christmas Day in 1941. Hong Kongs governor, Sir Mark Aitchison Young, finally surrendered on December 25th, ending a three-week battle that had left 4,000 civilians and 2,000 troops dead. Sadly, the surrender wasnt received with any level of mercy by the Japanese. Instead, they occupied Hong Kong, and what had been a battle turned into an extended period of mistreatment, torture and deportation. Prisoners of war also endured horrific conditions, the kind that might have been prevented by the 1929 Geneva Convention if Japan had actually ratified it. By 1942, they would agree to follow the convention, a year too late for the horrors bequeathed on Hong Kong as one of historys worst holiday gifts.

4 The Italian Hall Disaster Advertisement Public Domain The Italian Hall Disaster is a very deadly example for anyone wondering why its illegal to yell fire in a crowded theater. In 1913, striking copper miners in Michigan were celebrating Christmas Eve with their families at a party put on by their union, the Western Federation of Miners. The event was held at the Italian Hall in Calumet. At some point during the festivities, someone in attendance yelled that there was a fire, and a panic ensued. In the mad dash to get out of the building, the 600 or so attendees funneled through a single stairwell that proved to be a fatal chokepoint. Seventy-three people, 59 of whom were children, would die in the crush of bodies. One particularly dark detail to emerge afterwards was that there had never been a fire at all. Some still suspect that the panic was started on purpose by a strikebreaker.

3 The Christmas Flood in The Netherlands Advertisement Advertisement Public Domain Look closer at the painting above, and youll realize what might have looked like shoals are in fact the tops of houses. Then you realize that this seascape really should have been a landscape, barring a horrible turn of fate. To this day, the storm in 1717 on Christmas Eve that sent parts of Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands for an unplanned swim is one of the deadliest storms in European history. By pure body count, the devastation is already pretty obvious, with the flood claiming over 13,000 lives. Even those lucky enough to come out above sea level had a lot of suffering ahead, with farms, houses and entire settlements washed away. As if they hadnt been through enough, the flood was followed by freezing winds, just to make sure no one could feel even the slightest tinge of gratitude. Advertisement

2 The Deadliest Tsunami Ever Shutterstock In 2004, the day after Christmas, one of the largest earthquakes in history rumbled beneath the Indian Ocean. That same day, a tsunami created by the record tectonic movement would reach the coast of multiple countries, including Indonesia, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Hundred-foot waves left coastal cities without even a slight chance of survival, and populations and houses were wiped off the map like an uncaring God was power-washing a garage driveway. Advertisement Across multiple populations, the tsunami would result in the death of roughly 230,000 people. Advertisement
The best way to tell how your senses work is to use them. Go visit the park and approach strangers, your eyes wide open. Im testing out my vision! youll say. Now, hold still. Because next, I test my sense of smell!

But theres another way to uncover some more surprising facts about your senses inner workings. You just have to systematically go to each of your senses and break every one of them.

5 Push Your Eye to Flip Your Vision Don't Miss When light enters your eye, rays pass through a lens and end up sticking an upside-down image on your retina. You know this, if youve ever seen a diagram of the eye before, but this fact still feels weird. Theres no second step in which another organ flips the image the right way again. Your brain simply takes in a signal about that image, it understands that reality is the inversion of that, and you perceive the world accordingly. Pearson Education There is no need to do handstands to see correctly, unless you really want to. One reason its so hard to come to terms with this setup is that theres seemingly no way to prove it without getting out a scalpel. But actually, you can demonstrate it right now. You just have to be very careful because if you do it the wrong way, you may poke your eye out or even die. In fact, we cant recommend you try this at all, so consider the following a description of what someone might do rather than instructions for what you should do. You place a finger on the right corner of the lower eyelid of your left eye. Thats the corner close to your nose. Gently press it. Gently is the key word here  pressing too hard will drive your finger through your eye, into your brain and even through your rear skull, which is why you must only press very gently. A black spot will now obscure one corner of your vision, because you have temporarily disabled some rods in your retina. But the black spot wont appear in the lower-right corner of that eyes field of vision. It will appear in the upper-left corner. Thats because your lower-right retina is getting light from the upper-left corner of the world, so your brain is now telling you that the upper-left is what has blacked out. Advertisement Voila! Youve now proven something scientists in the past could only prove by sticking a physical screen in the dissected eye of a dead yak.

4 Freeze Time Through Your Ears For the following trick, you will need to yawn. That wont be hard. Just thinking about yawning, or reading about yawning, may well make you yawn involuntarily. If that doesnt do the job, go read one of our more boring articles, such as this one about socks. Youll also need to listen to music. If you dont have a song queued up already, you can listen to this Blondie song being covered by a clown: Advertisement During your yawn, it will seem as though the song has briefly slowed down. This is a phenomenon called auditory chronostasis and illustrates how perception of time is always subjective. Advertisement The most famous way chronostasis plays out is when you spin your eyes to look at a clock and notice its hands moving more slowly than they actually do. Auditory chronostasis is the less-known aural counterpart to that. Advertisement Another way to demonstrate this is to listen to sounds entering each ear in turn. When you have to shift focus from one ear to the other, you will underestimate the length of the pause between the tones because your shift in concentration has changed the pace at which your brain moves forward in time.

3 Wine Shuts Down Your Nose This next trick might be the toughest to pull off, because you will need a bottle of wine that smells bad. We know  most of our readers stock only the finest wines, but if you go through your entire collection, you might be able to find one that fits the bill. Wine that has been corked will sometimes take on a gross musty scent, a condition that is hilariously known as cork taint. Wine scientists have spent centuries trying to figure out cork taint. In theory, cork is a fine substance, providing just the right balance of sealing the bottle off and allowing a tiny bit of airflow, and theres no obvious reason that the cork should ever rot and smell musty when stored properly. Advertisement Hunt on Photos Studio Wine from a shipwreck or grave will smell bad, but thats not relevant here. The bad smell is caused by a compound called 2,4,6-trichloroanisol (TCA). Surprisingly, however, TCA doesnt actually smell bad. TCA doesnt smell of anything. This chemical shuts down the channels in your body that take in molecules and create sensations of scent, and in the absence of any scent stimulus, your brain concludes, Okay, lets say this smells musty then. Advertisement This may also explain various other times that something smells off without you smelling actual putrescence. The issue is that your nose shuts down, and your brain assumes the worst. Advertisement

2 Taste Your Own Feet Go get some cloves of garlic. We know you have some in your kitchen, even if you dont have any wine  and if you dont, you have problems far greater than anything in this article, problems that can only be solved by buying some garlic. Rub those peeled cloves against the sole of one of your feet. Now, wash your hands (this wont fully remove the garlic scent from them, but we want to limit your hands influence on the next part of the experiment). You can also put on socks and shoes now if you wish. In around half an hour, you will taste garlic in your mouth. Brands&People Now go make garlic bread. No, not with the same cloves you rubbed on your feet. Its not because garlic particles floated up and passed through your lips. Its because those garlic particles (specifically a compound called allicin) entered your bloodstream through your soles and traveled through your body and reached your mouth from the inside. Advertisement Oh, and if youre wondering how you were able to taste garlic this way when taste buds are only capable of tasting sweet, sour, salty and bitter, that answers simple: Taste buds are capable of tasting far more than those. You always suspected as much, and when people insisted that all specific flavors are detected by the nose and not the mouth, you should have realized they were lying. Advertisement
Bobby Moynihan on Saturday Night Lives Guy Fieris Full Throttle Christmas Special And his friendship with the real Guy Fieri

After a handful of appearances as Guy Fieri on Weekend Update, Bobby Moynihan took the impression to a whole new level on a December 2013 episode of SNL. The pre-taped fake Food Network promo began with Moynihans Fieri cackling like a madman while promoting Guy Fieris Full Throttle Christmas Special, co-hosted by Kid Rock (Brooks Wheelan), who enters via chimney. Fieri/Moynihan then goes on to name-drop an insane parade of early 2010s reality TV personalities as the specials guest stars  Criss Angel, Bret Michaels, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Big Ang from Mob Wives, the casts of Duck Dynasty and Pawn Stars  as well as, for no reason whatsoever, Verne Troyer and Mimi from The Drew Carey Show. The promo also features the most insane Guy Fieri-like Christmas recipes imaginable, such as a stocking filled with bean dip and Straight Cake  as opposed to fruit cake  made from bacon and Matchbox cars. Don't Miss The sketch is a head-spinning two-and-a-half minutes of hilarious gags, and here to break it down is Moynihan himself, who also gets into his friendship with the real Guy Fieri. My Kind of Guy Advertisement On my very first episode of SNL, Michael Phelps was the host, and William Shatner was in the audience as part of the monologue. It was supposed to be Barack Obama, but he backed out at the last minute and we got Shatner instead. Shatner stands up, says his line and sitting next to him is Guy Fieri. Im looking at the monitor going, Is that Guy Fieri? Is he in the show? But he doesnt say anything, hes just in the audience. Then Im at the after-party talking to Chevy Chase when I feel a punch to my chest. Im wondering, Who feels this familiar with me? and its Guy Fieri. He says, Dude! Im Guy Fieri! I was at the show tonight! Im a huge fan! One of the writers saw that and said, You have to play him. We kept trying to get it on, but Guy Fieri wasnt in Lorne Michaels world  I dont think he knew who he was. But one day, I was walking down the hallway and Lorne said, I saw Guy Fieri in the cab in a TGI Fridays commercial. You can do it. Advertisement

How to Be This Kind of Guy There are people on SNL  like Phil Hartman and Jay Pharoah  who are excellent mimics. Im not that kind of guy. I go for loud Italian vibes  Snooki, Guy Fieri; its more energy for me. For Guy, I thought it was funny that he wore sunglasses wrong. It was just fun to make fun of him. But now, somehow, I make videos for his kids on their birthday. Yes, Guy Fieri reached out after I played him a few times, and we became friendly. We talk all the time. Hes done my podcast a couple of times. Hes really nice, friendly and funny. He wanted to be on SNL as a cast member before he was a chef. Advertisement Advertisement

Guy Fieris Full Throttle Christmas Special Guy Fieri's Full Throttle Christmas Special was one of those weird, three in the morning things. I was talking to Brooks Wheelan, and we were like, Lets write something. It started out with How do we get Kid Rock on? Then it turned into I wonder if Kid Rock and Guy Fieri could do a Christmas thing? It turned into a Christmas special at Guy Fieris house, and Kid Rock is coming down the chimney  we thought that was funny. We had John Goodman as host, and somebody said John Goodman claimed he could do a funny Dog the Bounty Hunter. Thats where it started with the special guests. Then Kate McKinnon said she wanted to play Big Ang. The Duck Dynasty guys were played by Kings of Leon, the musical guest that week. They came up with the bit  a harmonized Christmas song. As for Mimi, it just felt like she should be there. Advertisement We shot the entire thing, but then they called and said, Theres been a horrible accident. The digital cards that had all the footage got erased. We had to bring everyone back, including John Goodman, and put them back in costume. All that stuff had to be re-shot. And it was like four hours just to do the Pawn Stars thing where Im all four Pawn Stars. There was heavy makeup for each one of those guys for a two-second second shot. I was there until 10 in the morning on Saturday. Advertisement When we showed it during dress, it was like a five-minute thing, but we had to hack it to pieces to get it down to two-and-a-half minutes. Brooks, who wrote so much of it, ended up with one line, and during the broadcast, the audio crapped out during it. The sketch came out great, though; its one of the things Im most proud of. Guy loved that sketch too. It was that thing where, yeah, SNL made fun of you, but thats a pretty cool thing  Guy always understood the gravity of that.
A Fort Worth bishop says a Texas nun broke her chastity vow via email and video chat with a priest in Montana. She sued him for defamation. NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Catholic Church has declared a North Texas order of nuns "extinct" after conflict including accusations that a nun broke her vow of chastity with a priest  via email and video chat.

The Vatican issued a degree of suppression Nov. 29 declaring that it no longer considers the Carmelite Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington to exist, according to a statement Dec. 2 from the Diocese of Fort Worth.

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The Order of Discalced Carmelites has been in a battle with Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson, who ordered an investigation last year into Rev. Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach.

Olson went to the monastery in April 2023 claiming someone reported Gerlach for violating her vow of chastity, according to the National Catholic Register.) He took Gerlachs computer, iPad and cellphone, prompting her and another nun to sue Olson for violation of privacy and defamation, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. A judge later dismissed the lawsuit.

The Vatican appointed Olson to handle the allegations against Gerlach in May, according to the National Catholic Register. The bishop announced in June that he found Gerlach guilty of breaking her vow of chastity, dismissing her from the order.

Chastity and video chat

In an audio recording played during a court hearing later that month, Gerlach reportedly admitted to breaking her vow of chastity with a priest  remotely, the Star-Telegram reported. In the recording, Gerlach says she spoke with a priest in Montana over email and a video chat. A diocese official also testified in court that Gerlach told him she was falling in love with the priest, according to the Star-Telegram.

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Gerlach denies the accusations, and her lawyer says that she was impaired by seizure medication when the audio recording was made.

The Order of Discalced Carmelites, in a statement posted on its website, called the accusations against Gerlach and reports of defecting from the faith egregiously false.

Gerlachs dismissal from the order was later overturned by the Vatican, according to the National Catholic Register, although she was still suspended as leader of the monastery.

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Olson appointed a new leader, who dismissed all seven nuns at the monastery in October for "notorious defection of the Catholic faith.

The nuns believe their October dismissal is invalid because they did not consider Olsons appointed superior their true leader. Against the wishes of the diocese, the nuns had reelected Gerlach as their leader and affiliated themselves with the Society of Saint Pius X, KERA reported.

"The Vows we have professed to God cannot be dismissed or taken away," the order said in a statement. "Disputes about one mans wishes and man-made rules do not exclude us from the Church."

'Illicit' services

Olson and the Vatican-appointed leader called the nuns' recent election invalid, KERA reported.

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In the Dec. 2 statement from the Diocese of Fort Worth, Olson upheld the Vatican's recent degree of suppression.

"First, the women who continue to occupy the premises in Arlington are no longer nuns because they have been declared ipso facto dismissed from the Order of Discalced Carmelites for reasons of their notorious defection from the Catholic faith," he wrote. "They are neither nuns nor Carmelites despite their continued and public self-identification to the contrary."

He also warned members of the diocese against attending "illicit" services held at the monastery  which a group backing the nuns acquired in September  and asked congregation members to join him in praying for the nuns.

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Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright, who President-elect Donald Trump has picked to lead the Department of Energy, in Denver in 2018. Andy Cross/Associated Press

North Face touted its decision three years ago to reject an oil company's order for 400 jackets, pinning the decision on the energy company's contributions to a worsening climate crisis. But for Chris Wright, the outdoor clothing company's move reeked of hypocrisy.

The oil executive, now tapped to lead President-elect Donald Trump's Department of Energy, posted a viral video on YouTube pointing out that most of the brand's products were made from synthetic fibers derived from oil.

"I failed to find a single product that wasn't made out of oil and gas," he said.

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What might have seemed like a public relations stunt is part of a larger effort by Wright to push back against climate activists through videos and television appearances that emphasize society's dependence on oil and other fossil fuels.

LNG SURGE: Texas awaits new LNG boom with Trump in office

In 2019, Wright drank fracking fluid on camera to prove it was safe. Last year he posted a video online in which he mocked the idea that carbon dioxide emissions are a form of pollution, comparing it to "calling out water and oxygen, the other two irreplaceable molecules for life on earth."

His approach stands in stark contrast to the rest of the industry that has long shrugged off public criticism and with little engagement. But it has helped Wright, the CEO of Colorado-based oilfield services company Liberty Energy, build up a following in Texas within the oil and gas industry and among conservatives.

"He is a visionary on how to message and advocate for energy," said Brett Sumner, an oil and gas attorney in Denver who has followed Wright's career. "When he did these videos, he could connect the dots in a way that allowed people to really hear."

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While Wright acknowledges climate change is happening, he says there is no "climate crisis." And last year during a television appearance he said a meaningful shift away from oil and natural gas would take multiple generations, long after scientists say is necessary to avoid cataclysmic climate change.

"Like his new boss, Donald Trump, Chris Wright denies the existence of climate change," Lori Lodes, executive director of the activist group Climate Power said after Trump announced Wright as his pick in November. "The truth is this is a dangerous nomination, and Republicans in the Senate need to protect working Americans - not tax breaks for oil CEOs.

But Wright's attention grabbing approach to marketing an industry that long avoid attention is catching on.

Energy Transfer, the Dallas pipeline firm led by GOP megadonor Kelcy Warren, ran an ad campaign in 2022 showing a young couple out for the evening watching as their sneakers, smart phones and eyeglasses all disappear, along with the tires on their ride share. A spokesman asks, What if we lived in a world without oil and gas?

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And Wright has been a vocal on the concept of "energy poverty," the idea that life in developing countries could be made better with more access to oil and gas. Like many oil companies, Liberty puts out an annual report on its efforts to contribute to ESG goals  or environmental, social and governance  which Wright entitles the "Bettering Human Lives Report."

"A thriving energy system enables a thriving society and a future of opportunity. Unfortunately, politics is increasingly dominating the trajectory of American energy with growing consequences," Wright said in a statement at the time of the report's release earlier this year.

Wright's talent for attracting attention could bring new zeal to a department that typically does not get a lot of attention from the public.

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That skill set is reminiscent of Trump's energy secretary during his first term, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, said Frank Maisano, a communications consultant for energy companies.
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A group snap taken in a small Aussie town has won a top prize at the International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards for 2024 - and it's not hard to see why.

Chris Perkins, of Underatreehouse Photography, was delighted to see his photo celebrated on the world stage when it took out the 'I-Do Crew' category.

This category, which is one of 12 breakout awards in addition to Photo of the Year, required entrants to submit photos that captured a wedded couple with some or all of their attendees.

Mr Perkins, who is based in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, has been following the prestigious awards since they started eight years ago.

This year they had an incredible collection of more than 2,000 entries submitted by 450 photographers from 63 countries.

'I've previously entered images into the awards but, as you can imagine, with the standard being so high, I never really expected to get anything. I just crossed my fingers and hoped,' Mr Perkins told FEMAIL.

'When the news came in that I'd won one of the categories I was completely gobsmacked!'

The winning photo was taken in the small town of Dungog in the Hunter Region. Mr Perkins' couple Bridget and Alex had found a cute old theatre on their travels and decided it would make a great place for their wedding.

Chris Perkins, of Underatreehouse Photography, was delighted to see his photo (pictured) celebrated on the world stage when it took out the 'I-Do Crew' category at the International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards

The Photo of the Year went to Bettina Vass Photography in Iceland with her breathtaking image of a couple who married on top of a glacier

'They really wanted something a little different and unique to them and had an idea for a group photo of all their guests sitting in the cinema seats wearing 3D glasses,' Mr Perkins said.

'I just thought was awesome and wanted to nail it for them. When I saw the space I realised it was far too dark to get a good shot and so decided to set up the two flash lights you see at the back of the auditorium to add a little drama and "theatre".

'I then asked them to look past me like they were watching a movie, so it was even less traditional and I think the result turned out great.'

And it's clear he wasn't the only one who thought that.

Mr Perkins has been taking photos for as long as he can remember. He would trail behind his parents on family holidays as a child and try to capture the local cultures and little passing moments.

He then went on to complete a Bachelor Degree in Editorial & Advertising Photography at the Kent Institute of Art & Design in the UK.

'This experience taught me a lot about the philosophical and conceptual side of photography, and allowed me to experiment with different styles and learn how to tell a story through my images,' he said.

'It wasn't until I started to work commercially as a photographer, though, that I really learnt the technical aspects, how to work with light and the ability to think and adapt on the fly. With weddings in particular, there is such a big variety of skills needed to keep the day running smoothly.

Winner of the Couple Portrait category went to Andri Tei in Singapore. The photograph was taken at teamLab Future World at Singapore Art Science Museum

The Dance Floor category was won by Ewelina Puk in Poland. She caught this moment during the couples first dance, after the sun had set

'You have to react fast to changing events, but also keep people inspired and engaged for hours on end.'

The secret to a great wedding snap took him a while to pin down, but he says the key is adaptability and spontaneity.

'It doesn't matter how many weddings you photograph, every one is different, be it the light, the attitude of the people, the vibe, the space you have to work with... so the first thing is experience,' he explained.

'If I was to pick one thing aside from this, it would be the attitude and demeanour of the photographer. On a wedding day, emotions are running high and people want it to be everything they hoped for. I try very hard to bring the right energy to the day to make sure everybody has the best time.

'That doesn't necessarily mean being wild, sometimes you need to be the calm influence and sometimes you need to hype people up, it's all about finding the right approach for each couple so they feel comfortable and confident to be themselves.'

The 'From Above' winner was taken by Yamil Calderon Tellitud in Mexico. It was taken in at a boutique hotel in the middle of the forest

Hollie Mateer of Yorkshire took out the Single Capture category and admits 'everyone who sees this image laughs'. 'I used perspective and scale to tell a joke with this photograph - waiting for the exact moment I needed to bring the different elements together,' she said

Mr Perkins' photo was in good company, with the gallery of winners this year highlighting the most beautiful shots taken around the world.

The Photo of the Year went to Bettina Vass Photography in Iceland with her breathtaking image of a couple who married on top of a glacier.

'The Katla Ice cave, nestled in the stunning surroundings of Vik on the south coast of Iceland, is a place like no other,' she says.

'Named after the volcano beneath the Kotlujokull glacier, this ice cave is a sight to behold. To reach it, you must embark on a hike and descent led by a trained glacier guide.'

'It doesn't matter how many weddings you photograph, every one is different, be it the light, the attitude of the people, the vibe, the space you have to work with... so the first thing is experience,' Mr Perkins explained (pictured is one of the recent weddings he captured)

It was there she captured the winning photo.

'The hike to the top was challenging but exhilarating, and as Mauli and Christian exchanged their vows against the backdrop of the setting sun, it was a moment of pure joy and beauty,' she said.

Other stand-outs included the runner-up, by Ewelina Puk in Poland, the Black and White winner by Kemran Shiraliev in Russia and the Couple Portrait winner by Andri Tei in Singapore.
READ MORE: Blake Lively sues It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment as shocking claims are revealed

Hollywood is coming out in support of Blake Lively today, as she accuses her When It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni of orchestrating a smear camaign against her with a PR representative who boasted 'we can bury anyone'.

When It Ends With Us was released in August this year, this is the string of negative incidents involving the actress, 37, that started to be discussed online - from being testy and sarastic in interviews to marrying her husband Ryan Reynolds at a plantation property in South Carolina.

There were also complaints from fans about her promo interviews for It Ends With Us in which she plugged her haircare brand instead of addressing the movie's domestic violence storyline, and it seemed that these 'tone deaf' comments were what was fuelling an organic online backlash.

However, her legal team now claim the film's director and Blake's co-star Justin Baldoni, 40, allegedly launched a smear campaign against her to 'destroy' her reputation.

This was orchestrated by crisis management expert Melissa Nathan, whose previous clients have included Jonny Depp, and his PR team, which also included publicist Jennifer Abel.

Allegedly, Ms Nathan planted and advanced negative stories about Ms Lively online and engaged in a tactic known as astroturfing: when comments are posted online to appear as if they from the public, when in fact they are posted by an organisation.

Ultimately, Livelys legal team believe Baldoni tried to retaliate against her harassment complaints by battering her image, harming her businesses, and causing her and her family severe emotional harm.

In text messages in court documents seen by the Mail, Ms Nathan assured a member of Baldonis team: We can bury anyone.

Blake Lively faced multiple minor controversies since filming It Ends With Us, including backlash from a previous 'uncomfortable' interview (pictured), which caused her reputation to be tarnished

Rumors of a rift between the film's leads began to swirl amid its press run, after eagle-eyed fans noted a frostiness between the pair on the red carpet.

But Lively was wary of Baldoni even prior to filming, according to her legal complaint, and claimed they clashed over him trying to add 'gratuitous' nudity and sex scenes to the movie.

The message was in response to Abel's text, which said Baldoni, 'wants to feel like she [Lively] can be buried'.

'Of course - but you know when we send over documents we can't send over the work we will or could do because that could get us in a lot of trouble,' Nathan responded, adding, 'We can't write we will destroy her'.

She followed up the message with another which read: 'Imagine if a document saying all the things that he wants ends up in the wrong hands. You know we can bury anyone but I can't write that to him. I will be very tough.'

Now, Justin and his PR team are accused of 'astroturfing' the actress - a term used to define a deceptive practice of publishing comments that appear to come from the public but actually come from a particular group.

During the film's production, messages flooded platforms like Reddit rehashing her past dramas with claim's that Blake is a 'meanie'.

Here, Femail reveals the mini controversies that led Blake's reputation to be tarnished in the lead up to It Ends With Us.

CONTROVERSY OVER WEDDING VENUE

12 feet by 30 feet slave cabins still remain on the property, with tours of the site (pictured) taking place daily

Boone Hall Plantation also famously appeared in Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling's 2004 movie, The Notebook

Amid all the drama in August, Blake and Ryan Reynolds's controversial wedding venue location resurfaced.

In 2012, the Hollywood couple said 'I Do' during an intimate ceremony at Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina.

It is one of America's oldest working plantations. In the 19th century, it was owned by Henry and John Horlbeck, who were in the brick business, building many of the public spaces in downtown Charleston using bricks from the plantation.

Boone Hall Plantation also famously appeared in Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling's 2004 movie, The Notebook.

The couple were subsequently criticised for glamorising a place where slaves once suffered and died.

In May 2020, eight years after the wedding, Ryan and Blake donated $200,000 to the NAACP.

In addition to the donation, they issued a statement, which read in part, 'We're ashamed that in the past we've allowed ourselves to be uninformed about how deeply rooted systemic racism is.'

During the height of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in August 2020, Ryan revealed his regrets for the wedding venue in conversation with Fast Company.

The plantation offers a number of settings for weddings including the front and back lawns and rustic barns

In May, the couple donated $200,000 to the NAACP, as well as releasing a statement (pictured)

The Deadpool actor called the choice of location 'something we'll always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for'.

He said: 'It's impossible to reconcile. What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy.'

'Years ago, we got married again at home - but shame works in weird ways. A giant f***ing mistake like that can either cause you to shut down or it can reframe things and move you into action,' continued the action star.

'It doesn't mean you won't f*** up again. But repatterning and challenging lifelong social conditioning is a job that doesn't end.'

By 1850, Boone Hall was producing four million bricks per year using 85 slaves. Since the 1950s it has been owned by the McRae family, who opened the 738-acre estate up to public tours in 1956.

12 feet by 30 feet slave cabins still remain on the property, and today, there is house information about the slaves who lived there.

The cabins, occupied by sharecroppers through the 1940s, were in use well into the 20th century.

'UNCOMFORTABLE' INTERVIEW

A reporter (pictured left) claimed that interviewing Blake Lively made her want to 'quit her job,' branding their chat as the 'most uncomfortable situation she had ever experienced'

Award winning journalist Kjersti Flaa slammed the Gossip Girl alum, claiming that she considered leaving the industry after an interview with Blake in 2016 went awry

Blake and fellow actress, Parker Posey, sat down with Kjersti, 51, who is originally from Norway but now lives in California, in 2016 to discuss Cafe Society

A journalist deepened the media storm surrounding Blake when she revealed that her interview with the actress made her want to 'quit her job'.

Kjersti Flaa, 51, branded her interview with Blake the 'most uncomfortable situation she has ever experienced', saying she considered leaving the industry after the 2016 interview with Blake went awry.

She uploaded a clip of the awkward encounter to her YouTube channel titled: 'The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job.'

Blake and fellow actress Parker Posey had sat down with Kjersti, who is originally from Norway but now lives in California, back in 2016 to discuss their film Cafe Society.

But when Kjersti congratulated the actress, who was expecting her second child with husband Ryan Reynolds at the time, on her pregnancy, things immediately turned tense.

Blake seemed completely unamused with the comment, and replied with a sarcastic quip.

'First of all, congrats on your little bump,' Kjersti, who is the founder of Content Now TV, gushed.

'Congrats on your little bump,' Blake fired back, as the interviewer giggled nervously.

'First of all, congrats on your little bump,' gushed Kjersti. 'Congrats on your little bump,' Blake fired back sarcastically, as the interviewer giggled nervously

People quickly flocked to the comment section of the video to slam Blake, with one person branding the star as 'rude' and another calling her behavior 'weird and uncalled for'

'What about my bump?' Parker joined in, standing up to show her behind to the camera.

Kjersti, who appeared thrown off by Blake's response, then sat their awkwardly as the two ladies joked about their various 'bumps' together.

The atmosphere intensified when Kjersti asked the women her first question.

Since the movie took place in the 1930s, Kjersti asked if they enjoyed wearing old-school clothes in the film.

But Blake didn't like the query, and as Parker started to answer, she interjected, 'Everyone wants to talk about the clothes but I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes.'

'I would,' Kjersti promised.

Again, the ladies started talking to one another rather than to Kjersti, as they discussed some of their favorite outfits worn by men in the movie.

The uncomfortable interview went on for another few minutes, before a defeated Kjersti wrapped it up.

In resurfaced footage of the Gossip Girl star and the 51-year-old reporter, who recently claimed she considered leaving the industry following their 'uncomfortable' sit-down, the women crossed paths against for another awkward chat

For their interview, Lively was joined by her A Simple Favor costar, Anna Kendrick, who she was rumored to be feuding with, at the time

'Sitting down with Blake Lively and her co star Parker Posey for Cafe Society is the most uncomfortable interview situation I have ever experienced,' she wrote in the caption.

'Is it not OK to congratulate someone on their pregnancy or to ask another woman about costumes she is wearing in a film?'

The resurfaced interview quickly caused a storm and sparked fierce backlash against Blake.

People flocked to the comment section, with one person branding the star as 'rude' and another calling her behavior 'weird and uncalled for.'

'She and her husband talk about their kids all the time and you can't congratulate her on her pregnancy?' one person wrote.

'That was such weird and uncalled for behavior, I'm sorry you had to sit through that. You kept your composure so well.'

'The way she replied, 'Congrats on your little bump.' Yikes how rude,' someone else agreed.

'Wow, this is disappointing to watch. I'm very turned off by Blake and Parker's behavior,' a fourth comment read.

While promoting their 2018 thriller, things got off to a rocky start as Lively kicked off their conversation by sarcastically warning Flaa that she just walked into 'an entire therapy session.'

'It lacked tact... but more so Blake, were just extremely rude and lacked any class here.

'Shame on her. You did excellent keeping it together. The only true lady in that room.'

'Asking about wardrobe for a period piece movie is a normal question. I'm so sorry they treated you this way,' a fifth said.

Two years later, the pair's path crossed once again when Lively was joined by her A Simple Favor costar, Anna Kendrick, who she was rumored to be feuding with at the time.

While promoting the 2018 thriller, Lively kicked off their conversation by warning Flaa that she just walked into 'an entire therapy session.'

'We've saged the room,' Lively teased, after Kendrick tensely muttered they can 'drop' whatever they were talking about before cameras began rolling.

Kendrick, then said 'sorry' for something, as Lively started to laugh and picked up a pastry to break the ice.

'We're gonna eat some chocolate croissants,' the mother-of-four said as Flaa laughed.

'We've saged the room,' Lively teased, after Kendrick tensely muttered they can 'drop' whatever they were talking about before cameras began rolling

Kjersti Flaa, a Norwegian journalist who came forward this year to claim she was bullied by Blake Lively is now fighting back claims she was part of a supposed smear campaign against the star said to have been masterminded by her It Ends With Us Costar Justin Baldoni

Flaa started the interview by remarking on how different their characters are in A Simple Favour, telling Lively that her character seems like 'the most confident woman in the world' while Kendrick's is 'very insecure.'

'In real life, it's the other way around,' Kendrick joked. 'I constantly have to call Blake and be like, 'It's okay, you're good at giving interviews. I promise people like you and respect you.'

Kendrick then quipped her pep talks were the 'reason' Lively got out of bed in the morning.

'Anna is just an egomaniac, as you can see,' Lively said with a deadpan voice.

In another attempt to get a sincere answer to her question, Flaa asked if they women were good at giving themselves compliments.

The question led Lively to perk up slightly and she responded by saying it felt 'good' when Kendrick praises her.

The mother-of-four proceeded to admit that she does struggle with confidence and previously judged her own mother for being 'so confident.'

'Which I think is not fair,' she reflected.

Before ending the interview, Lively mused that they only got people to come to this press junket by bribing them with alcohol and cupcakes.

'There's a lot of free stuff on your way out,' Lively told Flaa. 'You can take some of the furniture from the hotel room, charge it to Lionsgate!'

As she attempted to ask one last question, Flaa realized that they had run 'out of time.'

Kendrick then made a 'Wah-wah' noise as Lively went to shake Flaa's hand, without making eye contact.

After Flaa complimented Lively's jewelry, the performer complimented hers back.

Lively tells the reporter: 'I was admiring yours right.'

The saga continued yesterday when Flaa fought claims that the allegations she made against Blake were part of a smear campaign designed to defame the star.

'Just wanted to put it out there. I have nothing to do with Justin Baldoni and his smear campaign against Blake Lively,' Flaa said on Threads just hours after the New York Times report was aired, revealing Lively's suit to the public.

A New York Times article published Saturday revealed a slew of messages said to show a 'sinister retaliatory' plot from Jason Baldoni, after she accused him of misconduct on the set of 'It Ends With Us.' This earned a response from Flaa on both Threads and YouTube the same day

'I see that things are starting to snowball and people start thinking that I had anything to do with the smear campaign against [Lively],' she continued.

'I also read the article in the New York Times this morning. I've been reading through the lawsuit and I see there's been so much dirty work going on behind-the-scenes.

'I just wanted to say I had nothing to do with it.'

Referring to messages that showed Baldoni's team seemingly waging a then-secret smear campaign against Lively in response to her allegations, Flaa added: 'I would never take part in anything like that. That's such an insult to me.'

On YouTube, she released a more-than nine-minute video attempting to distance herself from the alleged plot further.

'I don't want a part of this,' she said. 'I showed how Blake Lively was behaving in my interview, and that's it.

'When I read the text messages that was going back and forth between Justin Baldoni's PR team, I was as shocked and appalled, like everybody else.'

KATE MIDDLETON 'PHOTOSHOP' JIBE

Blake used Kate's editing scandal to promote her new line of drinks with a heavily edited picture

In the wake of Middleton's announcement that she had cancer, Lively wrote on Instagram: 'I'm sure no-one cares today but I feel I have to acknowledge this

In a deeply personal, unprecedented and emotional video message, filmed at Windsor, Kate revealed that she has cancer which was detected after her abdominal surgery

Blake posted a heavily edited picture to promote her line of drinks following Kate Middleton's photoshop gaffe.

Starting in January, Kate was scrutinised more than usual when palace officials announced that she was hospitalised for abdominal surgery. They said she would not appear for public engagements until Easter.

Her decision to keep details private fuelled a social media frenzy. The release of a photo to mark Mother's Day was later withdrawn by news agencies across the world after it was deemed to have been too heavily edited.

However, Blake marketed her drinks brand on Instagram using the photo editing scandal.

Lively wrote in the caption: 'I'm so excited to share this new photo I just took today to announce our 4 new @bettybuzz & @bettybooze products! Now you know why I've been MIA.'

The Town star sat beside a warped swimming pool in a warped chair, her hands are belonging to someone else, a lemon is in midair and other drink cans sit oddly on the table.

'It's not nice to bully someone when they are already low, shame on you,' one person wrote.

'So disappointed. Imagine if this was you, recovering from surgery at home and people mocking you,' said another Lively fan.

'Oh, bullying another woman! Especially a mother who is recovering from a major surgeryVery classy act from you Think about what your BFF sings about Karma,' wrote another while referencing her friendship with Taylor Swift.

In the wake of Middleton's announcement of her health crisis, Lively wrote on Instagram: 'I'm sure no-one cares today but I feel I have to acknowledge this.

'I made a silly post around the 'photoshop fails' frenzy and, oh, man, that post has me mortified today.'

Lively's original post has since been taken down.

FRIENDSHIP BRACELET

Blake Lively opted not to wear a friendship bracelet gifted to her by a fan during her It Ends With Us press junket

At the August 8 UK screening of the film, the Gossip Girl alum passed on wearing the piece of jewelry because it didn't coordinate with her outfit. A TikTok shared via AlloCine showed the brief encounter between Lively and the supporter

Lively was clad in a glamorous, silver, strapless dress covered in ornate multicolor floral accoutrements for the screening

During the August screening of It Ends With Us, Blake met backlash after opting out of wearing a bracelet gifted to her by a fan.

A TikTok shared via AlloCine showed the brief encounter between Lively and the supporter at the August 8 premiere.

'Oh my gosh, thank you so much,' Blake said as she took the present before adding, 'I'm going to put it [away] because it doesn't go with my outfit, but I will wear it later.'

The mother-of-four also told the fan the gesture was 'so sweet.'

Lively, who is married to Ryan Reynolds, was clad in a glamorous, silver, strapless dress covered in ornate multicolour floral accoutrements.

The star, who famously does not work with stylists, added a coral-pink feather boa, draping it around her arms.

Her co-star Isabela Ferrer, who plays the younger version of her character Lily Bloom, also received a bracelet from the fan.

Ferrer immediately slipped the piece around her wrist. 'Thank you! Oh my god, I'm going to put it on. Thank you so much!' the actress reacted upon being presented with the bracelet.

While some claimed Blake's exchange with the fan was perfectly ordinary, hateful messages also filled up the comment section slamming her decision not to wear the bracelet, with one claiming she was 'giving off Regina Georgia vibes'.

A second person added: 'It literally went with her outfit just fine'.

'Oh my god Blake,' a second person added.

Referring to Blake's star sign, a third wrote: 'I literally cannot with Virgo'.

BLASTED OVER 'TONE DEAF' IT ENDS WITH US PROMO

Viewers slammed Blake for her 'tone deaf' and 'shallow' promotion of It Ends With Us.

Adapted from the popular Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, the production follows Lily Bloom (Lively) as she finds herself in an abusive relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni).

Despite the film's serious theme, the promotional tour sold a different story  as it focused largely on It Ends With Us' flowery, romantic elements as well as Lively's creative involvement.

Lively appeared to acknowledge the criticism by publishing a statement to her Instagram Story along with a violence against women PSA.

'Thank you to everyone who came out to show that people WANT to see films about women and the multitudes we hold. It Ends With Us is a story of the female experience. All the highest highs, and lowest lows. And we are so proud of it,' penned the Gossip Girl alum.

She continued: 'We have been in celebration of this film and of getting a message so important out there to the masses.

'Thank you all for embracing @itendswithusmovie with the same love, pain and joy we had sharing it with you all.'

Lively wrote her message overtop an interview clip from the London premiere of It Ends With Us, where she described her character as a 'survivor' whose life isn't 'defined' by the harm that was done to her.

Blake Lively addressed the domestic violence in her film It Ends With Us - after fans slammed her 'tone deaf' and 'shallow' promotion of the drama; seen on August 8

Adapted from the popular Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, It Ends With Us follows Lily Bloom (Lively) as she finds herself in an abusive relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni)

'This move covers domestic violence but what's important about this film is that she is not just a survivor and she's not just a victim,' she told BBC News on Friday. 'And while those are huge things to be, they're not her identity.

'She defines herself and I think that's deeply empowering to remind people that no one else can define you. No experience can define you, you define you,' Lively explained.

In a follow-up post on her Instagram Story, Lively shared statistics relating to domestic violence in the United States and provided fans with a link to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

'1 in 4 women aged 18 and older in the US alone have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime,' her statement began.

'Intimate partner violence affects all genders, including more than 12 million people every year in the United States. Everyone deserves relationships free from domestic violence.

'The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides confidential support 24/7/365,' wrote Lively, who then linked access to the hotline.

She also encouraged those who need 'immediate help' to 'text 'START' to 88788.'

At the same time, Lively faced flack for her light-hearted interviews about the film despite its serious message.

She was blasted as 'shallow' and 'tone deaf' for her part in a recent chat with co-stars Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer and It Ends With Us author Hoover.

Lively appeared to address the criticism Tuesday by publishing a lengthy statement to Instagram

In a follow-up post on her Instagram Story, Lively shared statistics relating to domestic violence in the United States and provided fans with a link to the National Domestic Violence Hotline

The four women discussed their dream jobs and their zodiac signs, but there was no mention of domestic violence during their chat.

Social media users were quick to criticize the interview for asking breezy questions despite the serious nature of the film.

Blake kicked off the interview by asking her costars what their professions would be if they hadn't chosen acting or, in Colleen's case, writing.

Colleen said she'd want to be a chef while Isabela explained that she'd be 'riding horses all the time.'

Jenny then revealed that she was terrified of horses, explaining that their hooves and 'butts' made her uncomfortable.

Everyone erupted in laughter as she added, 'Their butts are shiny, it kills me. Ponytail out of the butt, it's crazy.'

After that, Blake asked each of them to share their zodiac signs so they could figure out 'how compatible they are' with one another.

Next, she asked, 'What would be a good addition to the human body?' 'I would like another arm. Three hands working the keyboard? Wow,' Colleen answered, while Jenna pondered that she'd love some wings.

The four women giggled together as they discussed everything from their dream jobs to their zodiac signs, but there was no mention of domestic violence during their chat

Immediately, outraged viewers flocked to the comment section to criticize them

'We didn't talk about our movie at all. Thanks for joining us,' Blake concluded. 'I think that will sell the film,' Jenny added with a laugh.

Blake shared a video of the interview to her Instagram account, which she captioned with, 'Becoming friends with [Jenny Slate] and all of these women [Colleen Hoover and Isabela Ferrer] is the best thing to come out of [It Ends With Us] for me.

'And that's saying A LOT because I couldn't be more proud of this film. I'm gonna be sad when marketing is over and I don't have excuses to sit on my couch dressed up with you ladies.'

Outraged viewers flocked to the comment section to criticize them, 'I'm very confused. You missed the entire purpose of the movie. I'm sad and disappointed,' one person wrote. 'This is a movie about abuse, can you promote please appropriately?' another asked.

Someone else added, 'Blake is only here for the fashion and that's all. She ain't interested in the message this movie brings. Shallow.'

'As someone who has read the book, as someone who liked Blake, and as a DV survivor... to say that this is so disappointing would be an understatement,' a fourth comment read.

A fifth said, 'This is the most tone deaf thing I've ever seen. This movie is about domestic violence, why are you promoting it like it's a Barbie movie?'

'When are you gonna talk about domestic violence? Trying to play this movie off as a fun romcom is wrong and disgusting,' a different user scathed.

'We don't wanna hear about shows and your new hair care routine we wanna hear about the victims and how prevalent domestic violence remains in society. You have been given a platform, use it.'

'The way you've chosen to market this movie is a real shame and feels like an insult to DV survivors,' someone else said. 'Really disappointed and hard to believe the author would support it.'

'Very disappointed in the way you are promoting this movie. I loved you as an actress but won't be watching any of your movies anymore,' another person declared.

'You are being tone deaf about domestic violence. This could of been a huge opportunity to bring awareness to DV and you choose to blatantly ignore it.'

'As a well meaning fan: this Girl Talk session reinforced multiple stereotypes about women, and doesn't address the single most important theme in your film: domestic abuse,' a different angry viewer wrote.

'You can use this moment for a felonies reckoning, to make some difference in countless lives, to encourage and support women to speak up.

'But you're focusing on flowers and hair-care and outfits. Women are more than this, we deserved better from you.'

Others said they were 'team Justin,' referencing an alleged feud between Blake and the actor.
Justin Baldoni revealed he wanted to 'gaslight' his audience in an interview about the blockbuster at the centre of Blake Lively's sexual harassment lawsuit against him, It Ends With Us.





In an episode of How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, which was released on December 4, Baldoni, who directed and starred as a domestic abuser in the Colleen Hoover adaptation, also waxed lyrical about how he didn't want his film to lead to women being judged - as Lively now accuses him of orchestrating a 'smear campaign' against her around the time the movie was released.

'We have enough women judging women, we have enough men judging women,' the actor, 40, said during the interview with the award-winning podcaster.

It Ends With Us tells the story of Lily Bloom, played by Blake Lively, and confronting the trauma of domestic abuse inflicted by her husband, Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni.

It became the most talked-about film of the year, although not for its content, after rumours emerged of a rift between Lively, 37, and Baldoni on set.

Now Lively has sensationally accused her director and co-star of orchestrating a 'smear campaign' against her in a sexual harassment lawsuit in which she has made explosive allegations including that Baldoni showed her explicit videos and photos of other women, openly discussed his struggles with pornography, and made inappropriate remarks about her appearance and weight during filming.

Lively's accusations cast new light on comments made by her co-star on the podcast epiode, where he also discussed 'trauma' of taking on the role of an abuser as he felt the character 'lived in [his] body' during filming.

The Jane The Virgin actor also discussed experiences of 'abuse' and his ADHD diagnosis at the age of 40 on the podcast.

Justin Baldoni (pictured) said he 'gas lit' and lied to the audience in the film It Ends With Us but insisted that 'we need to stop judging women' in recent interview with Elizabeth Day

The comments were made on 4 December, just weeks before 37-year-old Blake Lively's (pictured) damning bombshell lawsuit against the 40-year-old actor, with whom she starred in the summer blockbuster It Ends With Us

During the interview, Baldoni placed emphasis on how he wanted the film to bring to light the quieter, more insidious parts of domestic violence that are 'not talked about enough'.

'One in three women globally is an astounding number. If anything was happening to one in three men, the problem would have been solved a long time ago.

'So I felt like we had to talk about it. It's kind of kept in the shadows.'

'I didn't want people to judge [Lively's character] Lily. I think we have enough women judging women, we have enough men judging women, for staying in these relationships - and these relationships are very complex.

'They are not black and white, they are filed with nuance and manipulation and real love, which is not talked about enough when you talk about abusive relationships.

'My thought was that if you show Ryle abusing Lily in the first 30 minutes of the movie, it would make it very hard for an audience to not form a negative opinion about her.'

During the interview, he also added that he wanted the audience to 'fall in love', with his character Ryle, who was abusing Lily, only then to 'have the rug pulled out from under you' when it becomes clear later in the plot that the character is abusive.

Justin Baldoni recently appeared on How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, where he waxed lyrical about how he slammed the heavy judgement of women - as his co-star Blake Lively accuses him of orchestrating a smear campaign against her

Baldoni, 40, directed It Ends With Us, a film adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel about domestic abuse

Blake Lively, 37 (pictured with her husband Ryan Reynolds), has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni

Baldoni insisted he had made effort to create a 'realistic' depiction of abuse, speaking to victims of domestic violence and speaking to No More foundation, a non-profit charity that aims to end domestic and sexual violence.

'I really wanted an audience to feel how it feels to be gas lit, to feel what it was like to question if everything they saw was a lie and if everything they felt wasn't true because that is the reality for so many women.'

He also told the novelist and podcaster that he struggled while playing the role of Ryle, and had to 'walk out' during several scenes.

Baldoni said he had experienced 'trauma' from playing Ryle - a character who is written to have accidentally killed his brother in childhood.

'What's hard about having that in your body is having the trauma live in your body from what he has experienced and creating that trauma in your body and insecurity and pain and the feeling that you shouldn't actually be alive.'

'That was very hard. It took a few months. I had dreams about him for a while, he lived in my body but I think for the most part he's out.'

Baldoni shared his own experiences with 'trauma' and his struggles of feeling like there 'was something wrong' with him, following his late diagnosis of ADHD.

He said: No matter how much work I did, I felt like there was something wrong wit me. What I realised is that I lived like I had a deficit, that iI wasn't like everyone else.'

Prior to his diagnosis, which he received this year, Baldoni described the impact of his ADHD has 'inflicting pain on others'.

Justin pictured with his wife Emily Baldoni at the premiere of Five Feet Apart in 2019

He said he 'harmed myself quite a bit over the course of my life' over whether or not it was ADHD, so the diagnosis 'gave me so much compassion for myself.'

Describing how he felt prior to making the discovery, he said: That pain causes people to inflict more pain, on myself and others.'

The actor, who said he chose to direct the film in efforts to shed light on the 'manipulation' that goes on in abusive relationships, said he struggles to 'forgive himself' for having spent time away from his family while filming the now controversial film.

Baldoni met his Swedish wife of 11 years, Emily Fuxler, in 2011 and the couple share two children; nine-year-old daughter Maiya Grace Baldoni and seven-year-old son Maxwell Roland-Samuel Baldoni.

He admitted filming the movie was 'devastatingly difficult for many reasons', but most notably because of the time he was forced to take out from his family, which he said he now had a hard time 'forgiving myself for'.

Baldoni admitted he was struggling to forgive himself for the how 'lonely' his wife Emily - who played a small role in the film herself - felt while he was away for the nearly two years it took to complete the production.

'I missed some of the most important things that if I could give anything I would go back in time and experience,' he said.

I took on the role of the provider and we ended up in very stereotypical gender roles without having ever talked about it she was doing the invisible work of motherhood and I missed so much,' he said.

He said missing time away from his family is 'the one thing I can never get back'.

'One of the things that makes me the most sad is how lonely she was during all of this.

'I think our world and culture and society could do a better job of two things. Holding space for how lonely it is to be a mother, it's no longer a village raising a child its a single mother.

'And I think we also need to hold space for how lonely it can be to be a man, who's trying to provide for that mother or family.

Describing how he felt prior to making the discovery, he said: That pain causes people to inflict more pain, on myself and others'

Lively demanded that an intimacy coordinator be present for all the scenes she shot with Baldoni

'Instead of ranking who is more tired, who's more this or who's more that. Being able to see, wow, you felt really alone when I was off building my career and I'm so sorry.

'And for her to say, you felt so alone and you missed so much and then being able to come together and realise we still have time to heal. Those are the things I'm doing now to make sure I don't repeat the failures tomorrow.'

Ms Lively's lawsuit includes shocking allegations that Baldoni, 40, showed her explicit videos and images of other women, discussed his purported porn addiction, and made inappropriate comments about her weight, among other troubling remarks directed at the cast and crew.

In one particularly egregious detail, Lively's legal team claims that Baldoni introduced 'improvised gratuitous sexual content and/or scenes involving nudity' into the film, including one involving an underage character, in a deeply unsettling manner before filming even began.

Baldoni is also accused of trying 'improvised physical intimacy' during a scene without prior discussion or choreography.

One incident allegedly involved Baldoni 'discreetly biting and sucking on Ms. Lively's lower lip' during multiple takes, allegedly insisting on reshooting the scene repeatedly despite Lively's clear discomfort.

The lawsuit alleges Baldoni made sexual inquiries, including asking Lively if she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, experienced simultaneous sexual climaxes a question she claims she refused to answer.

These new allegations add to the already troubling claims against Baldoni, who has continued to deny all accusations.

The allegations extend to the film's producer, Jamey Heath, who is accused of compounding the toxic environment.
TV star will spend Christmas in the new house with daughters Haley and Hope

Hoda, 60, now lives in a four-bedroom property in Bronxville, New York

Hoda Kotb has given fans an inside look into her $2.89 million suburban estate, as she and her two daughters prepare to spend their first Christmas at their new abode.

The Today host, who celebrated her 60th birthday in August, left the city and moved to Bronxville, New York, a few months ago with her two children: Haley, seven, and Hope, four.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Hoda posted several snaps showcasing her new four-bedroom property, which was covered in snow ahead of December 25.

The first photo featured her festive-looking living room, complete with a very tall Christmas tree, which was covered in lights and ornaments and surrounded by plenty of wrapped gifts.

Hoda placed six red and white personalized stockings on her white fireplace, which had a huge flatscreen television above it.

There was also a few Santa ornaments on the shelf, as well as a small pink Christmas tree and a snow globe on her lavish coffee table.

The TV star's new home appeared to be decorated neutrally throughout and featured wooden floors as well as white built-in shelves.

The living room contained a cream-colored sofa and a large matching rug underneath the coffee table.

Hoda Kotb, pictured here with daughters Haley and Hope and her sister Hala, has given fans a look insider her lavish new suburban home

The TV star posted a photo of her living room featuring a huge Christmas trees and stockings hung on the fireplace

A second photo showed Haley making snow angels on the ground outside of the stunning home, while the third snap was a selfie of Hoda with her girls and her sister Hala.

Hoda wore a bright red coat and a pink wooly hat as she grinned from ear-to-ear whilst spending some quality time with her family.

She captioned the post: 'Its all happening! Merry everything,' and her 2.6 million followers were quick to comment.

'Love this. So happy so beautiful,' one person wrote, while another said: 'Love your tree! Merry Everything to all your family.'

A third user said: 'Merry Christmas to you, the girls, your family. Enjoy creating wonderful memories in your new home.'

A fourth follower wrote: 'Merry Christmas to your wonderful family Hoda and your house looks great.'

'Merry Christmas in the new house!' someone else said, while another person added: 'So happy for you. Enjoy your next chapter with your girls.'

In a separate post, Hoda shared a snap of her mother Sameha cozying up to Hope and Haley, as well as a photo of her youngest playing outside in the snow.

Hoda shared this snap of her mother Sameha cozying up to Hope and Haley at the home

The TV star also posted a photo of four-year-old Hope loving life outside in the snow

Hoda has made the decision to quit her role at Today and her last day will be Friday, January 10

Hoda has said that her decision to quit her role at the Today Show in the new year is so she can spend more time with her family.

'I saw it all so clearly: my broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie,' she said when she announced the news back in September.

Her new 4,000-square-foot home, which was built in 1952, boasts a spacious backyard, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a chefs kitchen and vaulted ceilings

She also admitted to her cohost Jenna Bush Hager that 'everything changed' over the summer when she made the decision to move out of her Manhattan apartment.

'I have a whole new town, and a whole new school and all the new things. And we went for our first day of school,' Hoda explained.

'I carried coffee and I had sneakers and I walked with my kids to school like normal people.

'It was awesome. I just loved doing it because I just haven't been able to do that and it was so fun, like to walk my kids to school and I know it's a privilege because you've got to work but I just thought, "Sometimes chapters change and you miss things," and I was like, "I am going to do it."

'We've had seven great years in the city with kids and that's amazing, but I also think kids need to have their feet in the grass and in dirt. I love the city life and I wouldn't have traded any of those years.'

According to Reatlor.com, Hoda had quietly purchased her $2.89 million home in April.

It's located in Bronxville, which is just 15 miles north of Midtown Manhattan and one of Americas most affluent suburbs.

Her new 4,000-square-foot home, which was built in 1952, boasts a spacious backyard, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a chefs kitchen and vaulted ceilings; the primary bedroom is 765 square feet and has a ensuite spa bathroom.
Aldi is set to introduce a strict two-bottle limit on its own-brand Cremant De Loire ahead of New Year's Eve.

Between December 27 to December 31, the budget supermarket will slash the price of their sparkling wine from 8.99 to 4.99.

As a result of the 44 per cent price drop, Aldi are expecting 'unprecedented demand' and have introduced a two-bottle limit on the highly sought-after product.

'We want everyone to be able to raise a glass of quality wine this festive period, without breaking the bank,' said Julie Ashfield, MD of buying at Aldi UK.

'By lowering the price of our exquisite Cremant De Loire to just 4.99 and introducing a two-bottle limit, we're ensuring more customers can experience this exceptional sparkling wine at an unbelievable price.'

Launched as part of the supermarket's latest Autumn Winter range, Aldi's own brand sparkling wine has been praised for its flavour by impressed wine critics, reported Devon Live.

If shoppers cant wait until December 27 to get their hands on some festive savings, Aldi is dropping the price of more than 60 bottles in its Specially Selected wine range by 25 per cent from December 9 until New Years Eve.

But it is bad news for shoppers in Wales and Scotland who will not be able to purchase the bottles for less than the minimum unit pricing in their respective countries.

Aldi's own-brand Cremant De Loire has been reduced from from 8.99 to 4.99

It comes as Aldi advised shoppers to visit stores between the typically quieter hours of 8pm and 10pm.

Meanwhile, some of the quieter days are Tuesday 17th December and Sunday 22nd December, as well as Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th December for those who don't mind leaving shopping until the last minute.

The discount supermarket has been named as Christmas Retailer of the Year by the Quality Food Awards, as well as 'Best Overall Grocer' at the prestigious Good Housekeeping Institute Christmas Taste Test 2024.

The annual Good Housekeeping taste test - which tests 730 products from more than 97 brands - also crowned Aldi's turkey, mince pies and champagne as best-in-class in their categories.

Richard Thornton, Communications Director at Aldi UK, said: 'For many of us, Christmas is all about coming together to share special moments - often over delicious food and drinks with loved ones.

'At Aldi, we're here to make your celebrations unforgettable, offering everything you need to create a festive feast that is both affordable and of great quality.'

He added: 'This way, you can focus on what truly matters: spending time with one another.'

Meanwhile, British retailers have been accused of 'greedflation' after introducing steep price rises in the past two years on festive food and drink  including pigs in blankets and cream liqueurs.

As a result of the 44 per cent price drop, Aldi are expecting 'unprecedented demand' and have introduced a two-bottle limit on the highly sought-after product (stock photo)

Some Christmas foods were up by as much as 38 per cent compared to the same time in 2022, while alcoholic drinks have risen by as much as 46 per cent.

Critics accused retailers of exploiting shoppers at one of the most costly times of year, calling the hikes 'greedflation'  excessive price increases to boost profits.

The Mail compared the cost of Christmas products in early November 2022 and the same period this year  when they are typically launched in stores.

Tesco's standard-range mince pies cost 38 per cent more, up from 1.09 to 1.50, while Sainsbury's version rose 36 per cent from 1.25 to 1.70.

The price of panettone also jumped, with Aldi and Tesco upping theirs by 25 per cent from around 4 to 5.

Crisps saw large price rises, with Lidl's Deluxe Pigs in Blankets Hand Cooked Potato Crisps rising by 26 per cent to 1.25 and Morrisons The Best Turkey & Stuffing Flavour Crisps up by 24 per cent, from 1.09 to 1.35.

Meanwhile, the cost of Morrisons' pigs in blankets increased by 22 per cent  from 2.25 to 2.75  over the two-year period.

Alcoholic drinks saw big rises. A 1l bottle of Morrisons The Best Irish Cream Liqueur went from 10.99 to 16 between November 2022 and this year  a 46 per cent hike.

Lidl's Christkindl Gluhwein  a German mulled wine  also jumped by 20 per cent over this period, from 4.99 to 5.99.
Jeff Bezos has been spotted with his arms wrapped around a mystery blonde - with the video going viral after he and Lauren Sanchez denied claims they will marry in Aspen the weekend after Christmas.

The brunette beauty - who is getting ready to say 'I do' to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos - rang in 55 with her best pals at her star-studded birthday party on Thursday night.

The future Mrs. Bezos stunned as she partied the night away in an ultra-mini leather dress that put her ample assets on full display.

She posed alongside besties songstress Katy Perry, businesswoman Kelly Sawyer, producer Lydia Kives, entrepreneur Veronica Grazer and founder of The Ideateur, Elsa Collins.

And, it looks like the Amazon founder, 60, took part in the fun as he was captured dancing with his soon-to-be bride's friend, Lydia, in a video that was posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.

Lydia - who is married to talent agent Michael Kives - and Jeff were spotted dancing with each other and Lauren at the club on the night of Lauren's party.

Jeff wrapped his arm around the mom-of-two's waist as they danced closely with each other, which caused a flurry of fans to question whether there was trouble in paradise.

Although Jeff and Lydia appeared to be too close for comfort, Lauren didn't seem to mind as she was spotted throwing her arms around her lover while he continued to hold her pal's waist.

Jeff Bezos has been spotted with his arms wrapped around a mystery blonde - just days before he and Lauren Sanchez are set to tie the knot

While Jeff and Lydia smiled from ear-to-ear, Lauren danced solo before walking over to her partner and wrapping her arms around him.

People on the web flooded the comments section as they questioned why Jeff was clinging to another woman in front of Lauren.

One person said: 'I am confused he is with his wife but flirting with blondie?'

Someone else added: 'Hes putting his hand around another womans waist right in front of his girlfriend?'

'When you have that much money, its not hard to get a date,' a fourth person commented.

A source close to Jeff laughed off the rumors of a rift between him and Lauren as they confirmed he and Lydia are just good friends.

DailyMail.com has contacted reps for Jeff for comment.

The clip began surfacing the web after Jeff and Lauren denied claims they will marry in Aspen the week after Christmas.

The Amazon founder fiercely responded to claims he is set to tie the knot to Lauren in a $600 million Aspen wedding.

The brunette beauty - who is getting ready to say 'I do' to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos - rang in 55 with her best pals at her star-studded birthday party on Thursday night

And, it looks like the Amazon founder, 60, took part in the fun as he was captured dancing with his soon-to-be bride's friend, Lydia

Lydia - who is married to talent agent Michael Kives (seen) - and Jeff were spotted dancing with each other at the club on what seemed to be the night of Lauren's party

Sources told DailyMail.com that the billionaire Amazon founder, 60, and his fiancee had bought out ritzy sushi restaurant Matsuhisa in the Colorado ski town for December 26 or 27, and have their nuptials planned for Saturday 28.

However, after the story was published, Bezos took to Twitter to deny the claims. He said: 'This whole thing is completely false  none of this is happening. The old adage dont believe everything you read is even more true today than it ever has been.

'Now lies can get ALL the way around the world before the truth can get its pants on.

'So be careful out there folks and dont be gullible. Will be interesting to see if all the outlets that covered and re-reported on this issue a correction when it comes and goes and doesnt happen.'

Lauren reposted her fiance's words on her Instagram Story and wrote the words 'Not true' over the article about their nuptials.

On the night of her birthday party, Lauren shared an image of the glowing lights at a club as she and her pals partied the night away.

In the caption, she gushed about her best friends and revealed that the birthday wishes from fans 'lit up' her day.

The clip began surfacing the web after Jeff and Lauren blasted the New York Post for spreading 'lies'

People on the web were shocked by the clip and flooded the comments section to pose a slew of questions about Jeff and Lauren's romance

She wrote: 'How it startedhow it ended. (Missing a few of my girls in this photo.) What a truly magical evening. I have never felt more grateful or more loved. Thank you to everyone who reached out and wished me a happy birthdayyou lit up my day in ways I cant describe.

'Heres to another year around the sun, illuminated by the people who make every moment shine.'

Fans flooded the comments section and waxed lyrical about the star's beauty.

One person said: 'Not bad for 55.'

Someone else wrote: 'Wow, the most beautiful woman.'

'Spicy,' commented another fan.

Lauren previously teased her birthday party plans on her social media account.

She took to her Instagram Story Wednesday evening to show off some of her birthday party planning process ahead of the celebration on December 19.

Lauren previously shared snaps from her fun-filled party on her social media account

She also shared an image of the glowing lights at a club as she and her pals partied the night away

Fans flooded the comments section and waxed lyrical about the star's beauty

Lauren - who said 'yes' to the business mogul when he got down on one knee in 2023 - and Jeff are reportedly tying the knot in a snowy Aspen ceremony this Christmas.

Although the lovebirds made sure to take time to ring in the brunette beauty's birthday beforehand.

The former journalist took to social media to show fans a sneak peek at what looked to be her birthday cake, which was covered in a swirl of pastel pink frosting and adorned with white icing flowers.

The sweet treat was captioned: 'Here we go!'

She also shared an image of a math equation, with the caption, 'If you know, you know.'

The future Mrs. Bezos previously took to her Instagram Story to show off some of her birthday party planning process

She also shared an image of a math equation, with the caption, 'If you know, you know'

When breaking down the math problem, DailyMail.com found that it pointed to coordinates in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula

The 55-year-old has spent a slew of time partying and resting on the gorgeous boat during their various romantic getaways

Lauren detailed the heartwarming moment Jeff got down on one knee while speaking to Vogue last year.

She recalled how Jeff popped the question on the $500 million superyacht after they enjoyed a romantic dinner under the stars together.

Lauren said Jeff concealed the huge diamond ring under her pillow, adding that she almost 'blacked out' when she discovered it at the end of their romantic evening.

The couple recently relocated from Seattle, Washington, to Indian Creek Island in Florida - with Jeff purchasing three mansions on the island, totaling a whopping $237 million.
Everyone will be familiar with the last-minute panic of trying to find the perfect Christmas present and making a frenzied dash to the shops.

This year is no different, as shoppers have taken to the streets across the UK to stock up on what they need with just two days to go.

But since the bustling heydays of the 1980s and 1990s, Britain's ailing high streets have plunged into disrepair with many now languishing on the brink of total collapse as business dries up.

Once vibrant shopping precincts, packed with visitors and shops, have been transformed into dismal ghost towns, with empty stores left boarded up for years.

Plummeting footfall has left town centres battling for survival, as more and more Brits rely on online shopping instead of old fashioned window shopping.

So dire are the circumstances, it has led to once iconic high street juggernauts like Woolworths, Debenhams and Wilkos closing for good, with thousands of jobs lost.

Meanwhile, as the nation's retailers continue to feel the pinch, other companies have sought to shrink their number of stores.

Nostalgic photos from the 1980s and 1990s at Christmas paint a totally different view of the the nation's packed town centres.

It appears the last minute shopper never learns as Brits always make a last-minute dash to the shops. Pictured: Oxford Street in 1993

Fascinating unearthed images from the 1990s and 1980s show the last-minute Christmas shopping rush. Pictured: Bargain hunters in Woolworths in Holyhead

But its not the same now. with picture taken only last week in Evesham showing the shopping centre practically empty just days before Christmas

It was spend, spend, spend all the way at Marks and Spencer on Christmas Eve 1993

They show bustling crowds in London's Oxford Street and Hamleys Toy Store frantically trying to get their shopping done.

Meanwhile shoppers in Selfridges can be seen forming an organised queue to buy the new Spice Girls dolls in 1997, while a similar line can be seen forming outside Toys 'R Us in Brent Cross that year.

And it's not just London - as huge gatherings can be seen lining the streets of Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow in a last-minute dash to the high street.

Despite the rise in online shopping and dreary condition of some of the nation's town centres, shoppers appeared to still be out in force this festive season in London and other major cities.

But the story was less optimistic in some of the UK's shopping malls. Evesham's Riverside Shopping Centre looked like empty last week.

MailOnline visited the site over the weekend - and with just four days to go until Christmas, there only appeared to be a handful of shoppers.

Local residents Sheron Annis, 76, said: 'I've lived in Evesham for 72 years and it's very, very sad. This place is an absolute disaster.

Huge gatherings can be seen lining the streets of Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow (pictured, in 1994)

The pictures show bustling crowds in London 's Oxford Street and Hamleys Toy Store (pictured, 1992)

Shoppers take advantage of twenty-four hour shopping at the Tesco superstore in Brent Cross in the early hours of the morning

But this week in Evesham, the town's shopping centre appeared empty. Of over 40 units, only three are open  Home Bargains, a small mobile phone shop and the cafe

In Evesham's shopping centre, residents say there are now more pigeons than shoppers

WATERLOOVILLE: Footfall has slumped in the Hampshire town, which was once a bustling hub for locals. Now it appears as though it as been abandoned

WATERLOOVILLE: The boarded up Wellington Way Shopping Centre just off the high street

Liverpool's Cavern Walks saw plenty of window shoppers on December 3, 1984

'You can't even use the toilets anymore. They've locked them up. It's an embarrassment for the town.'

Of over 40 units, only three are open  Home Bargains, a small mobile phone shop and the cafe.

The central feature now is a cordoned off area under the domed, glass roof where strategically placed buckets collect water when it rains.

There is Union flag bunting but no-one can quite remember which Jubilee it went up for. Back in 1988 when it opened, this privately-owned centre was thriving.

The faded sign on the wall outside reads: 'Menswear, Food, Children, Footwear, Health & Beauty, Sports & Outdoors, Cafe, Womenswear, Confectionary, Homewares, Gifts & Accessories, Fashion, Music & Electrical, Variety.'

Thousands of people watch the Christmas lights being switched on on Church Street, Liverpool in 1986

Oxford Street has always been the place to go for Christmas shopping - but not if you want to avoid crowds. Pictured in 1993

Christmas lights being switched on in Broad Street Mall, Reading, in 1998

Terry Wogan switches on the Christmas lights on Oxford Street in 1998

Now it's just boarded up shops and buckets.

Residents in the town - dubbed the saddest in Britain - have found themselves caught between laughing and crying.

'It's been bad for years,' added Sheron. 'My granddaughter is 12 now but when she was younger she used to say, 'Can we go to the Centre to count the buckets'.

'Evesham has gone to the dogs. It used to be thriving but bit by bit it has vanished and there is nothing for young people to do.

'We have a leisure centre but not everyone can afford that and we see a lot of vandalism. It's heart-breaking.'

Pointing to the cordoned off area, one local said: 'We used to have a fountain there. Now we get a fountain every time it rains'

It is a similar story in the Hampshire town of Waterlooville, near Portsmouth.

Its high street has suffered from stores closing, with the once-vibrant shopping precinct now a shadow of its former self.

Meanwhile in leafy Banbury, in Oxfordshire, locals there say their town centre has bit left reeling - with empty stores blighting the high street.

Toy shop Hamleys is a staple for Christmas shopping in London. Pictured in 1992

It's busy inside - and this is after queueing to get in in the first place. Pictured: Queues outside Hamleys in 1993

Small children look wide-eyed into Fenwick's window display in November 1987

Christmas shopping on Market Street by the Arndale Centre in Manchester in 1986

One very nostalgic picture shows shoppers queueing for the new Teletubby dolls outside Toys R Us in Brent Cross, London, 1997

But in Banbury (pictured) earlier this year, residents said their high street had fallen into hard times with stores closing down and remaining abandoned

Shoppers in Oxford Street in 1983 with bags full of clothes and Christmas shopping

Christmas shoppers in Selfridges on Oxford Street hoping for their chance to buy the new Spice Girl dolls in 1997

Church Street in Liverpool on December 7, 1993 features in the nostalgic set of images
A day after the election, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott answers questions from reporters at Kingdom Life Academy in Tyler, where he discussed his school choice voucher initiative, Nov. 6, 2024. School director Joel Enge (standing right), a former Tyler ISD teacher, is relying on the governor for help at his mostly all volunteer academy. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News/TNS) Tom Fox/TNS

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday pardoned four Texans of decades-old minor crimes, including theft and providing alcohol to minors, but made no mention of death row inmate Robert Roberson, despite heavy lobbying from some within the governor's own party.

Abbott said in a statement he believed the four he granted clemency deserve a second chance.

"These four Texans have shown that they can improve their lives and serve their communities  qualities that are deserving of clemency, Abbott said.

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Earlier this year, the Republican governor issued the first pardon for a serious violent crime in Texas in decades by clearing Daniel Perry, the Army veteran who had been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the killing of a Black Lives Matter protester in Austin in 2020. Abbott said he believed Perry acted in self-defense.

Abbott, meanwhile, has resisted pressure in recent weeks from state lawmakers, including members of his own party, and some conservative donors to grant a reprieve for Roberson, who is set to be the first person executed for a murder conviction tied to shaken baby syndrome. A bipartisan group of Texas House members has been trying to hear directly from Roberson over his claims that he was wrongfully convicted of killing his daughter, but the testimony has been blocked by Attorney General Ken Paxton's office.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, whose seven members are appointed by Abbott, recommended the Perry pardon. They also recommended the governor grant clemency to all four of the individuals he pardoned Monday.

They are:

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The Devil Wears Prada actor released his book What I Ate in One Year in October

Stanley Tucci fans have been speculating about the state of his marriage after the actor made some rather unusual comments about his wife Felicity Blunt in his latest book.

The 64-year-old star released his tome, entitled What I Ate in One Year, back in October.

The book chronicled everything that Tucci consumed over the course of 12 months, from his meals on film sets or at press junkets to restaurants and lavish vacations with his family.

Along the way, he shared several tidbits about his personal life, but some readers have now become convinced that he is having marriage problems after he made some rather odd statements about his wife, Blunt, 42, throughout the tome.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one user posted: 'I recently read Stanley Tuccis book chronicling what he ate in a year and therein he makes several passive aggressive implications that his wife is sleeping with other men.

'Never really discussed it further. Found it amusing. Italian thing I guess.'

In a separate post, the reader continued: 'Theyre just sort of sprinkled through the 400 or so pages.

'Hell be describing a beautiful pasta dish or whatever and just be like, Felicity didnt return home until late so I ate my [whatever] alone. She said its a work thing and I chose to believe her."

Stanley Tucci fans have been speculating about the state of his marriage after the actor made some rather unusual comments about his wife Felicity Blunt in his latest book

The 64-year-old star released his memoir, entitled What I Ate in One Year, back in October, and it chronicled everything that Tucci consumed over the course of 12 months

'Next paragraph is talking about the nuances of wild vs farmed garlic. Gave me whiplash.

'Stanley Tucci, find your peace king. Stanley if you see this I love you and mean no insult, I was just terribly confused.'

They then posted: 'If this starts taking off I'm gonna nuke it because Stanley Tucci genuinely seems like a generational sweetheart and I sense you guys arent gonna be chill about this.'

Other people were quick to comment on the topic, as one replied: 'He's such a nice guy I really hope he isn't being serious.'

Another chimed in: 'Yes. I like had to re-read sections multiple times to make sure I was understanding correctly. Super weird.'

A third X user said: 'Stanley Tucci really knows how to keep things interesting,' and a fourth joked: 'Let the poor man vent bro.'

Someone else commented: 'I was just gonna say, did he get divorced or something? I dont keep up on celebrity gossip that much but I keep seeing his posts on my feed and it seems like he is sending a subtle message.'

Tucci made such comments about his wife of 12 years at various points in his book.

Along the way, he shared several tidbits about his personal life, and some readers have now become convinced that he is having marriage problems due to some odd statements he made

Others, however, said they believed his comments were just 'jokes'

At one point Tucci wrote: 'Lunch was just picking at things in between Zoom meetings... Felicity was out this evening. She said it was work related. I chose to believe her'

At one point he wrote: 'Lunch was just picking at things in between Zoom meetings... Felicity was out this evening. She said it was work related. I chose to believe her.'

Later on, referring to their kids, he penned: 'Alone with Millie and Matteo as Felicity is on a sort of retreat in Bordeaux with two colleagues, something I almost believed was true.'

Elsewhere in the book, Tucci said, 'Felicity was out at a "retirement dinner." I didn't know sex clubs hosted those.'

However, some people rubbished the claims as one person posted: 'I listened to him read the book and its definitely jokes the intonation in his delivery gives it away 1,000 percent.'

Another person claimed: 'Im pretty sure its meant to be funny.'

And a third said: 'I just finished the book I assumed he meant it in a self deprecating I married a beautiful much younger woman so shes off doing young people things and Im old and grouchy way, not in a were getting divorced way.'

Tucci married British literary agent Blunt in 2012 after meeting her at the wedding of her sister Emily and John Krasinski in 2010.

His first marriage was to Kathryn Spath, whom he wed in 1995, but in 2002, he had an affair with actress Edie Falco, with whom he was appearing on Broadway in Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.
The reporter who called Blake Lively out over her 'rude' interview has insisted that she 'does not feel bad' about it amid the actress' bombshell lawsuit against her It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni.

In the weeks leading up to It Ends With Us' release in August, rumors of an ongoing feud between Blake and Justin dominated headlines, resulting in the leads facing intense scrutiny online.

Amid the drama, award-winning journalist Kjersti Flaa fiercely slammed the Gossip Girl alum, 37, over a resurfaced, 'uncomfortable' sit-down that they had in 2016.

During the interview, Blake made a sarcastic quip about Kjersti's body, and the reporter claimed that the 'traumatizing' moment made her want to 'quit' the industry forever.

This week, it was revealed that Blake was suing her costar for sexual harassment on set, and alleged that Justin and his team had orchestrated a smear campaign against her.

But Kjersti, 51, who is originally from Norway but now lives in California, has now told DailyMail.com that has no regrets about her decision to speak out about the interview.

'I don't feel bad,' Kjersti said to DailyMail.com, after she was asked about Blake's new lawsuit.

'I showed her behaving poorly in an interview and what it looks like when the power dynamic is off and you are disrespected at work. It has nothing to do with her allegations against him.'

Kjersti also doubled down on her claims that she was not encouraged to post the video by Justin's team.

The reporter who called Blake Lively out over her 'rude' interview has insisted that she 'does not feel bad' about it amid the actress' bombshell lawsuit against Justin Baldoni

This week, it was revealed that Blake was suing her It Ends With Us costar for sexual harassment on set

'I have never spoken to anyone from his team. I never met him. I have nothing to do with their smear campaign,' insisted Kjersti.

DailyMail.com has contacted reps for Blake for comment.

Blake and fellow actress Parker Posey sat down with Kjersti back in 2016 to discuss their film Cafe Society.

But when Kjersti made a comment about the then-pregnant actress's baby bump, things immediately turned tense.

'First of all, congrats on your little bump,' Kjersti, who is the founder of Content Now TV, gushed.

'Congrats on your little bump,' Blake fired back, as the interviewer giggled nervously.

Kjersti told DailyMail.com afterward that Blake's comment 'felt like a bullet' because she can't get pregnant.

She said Blake made her feel 'belittled and ignored' throughout the entire sit-down, and ultimately, it resulted in her questioning if she 'ever wanted to do these types of interviews again.'

'It was such a traumatizing experience to me. I was there to do a job and they made sure to make it as difficult as possible for me to do that,' she said back in August.

Following the news, Kjersti, 51, told DailyMail.com that has no regrets about her decision to speak out about the interview

'I don't feel bad,' Kjersti said to DailyMail.com. 'I showed her behaving poorly in an interview and what it looks like when the power dynamic is off and you are disrespected at work'

'I was there so they could promote a movie. I was invited to meet them. It certainly did not feel like that.

'I felt belittled and ignored and it made me question if I ever wanted to do these types of interviews again.

'It took me a while to get over it and build up my confidence again.'

Kjersi told DailyMail.com that Blake's response was especially hurtful because she cannot conceive.

'[Her comment] left me almost paralyzed. To be honest it hurts because I obviously wasn't pregnant and I could never get pregnant so to me that comment was like a bullet,' she shared.

'I didn't know how to react. I felt very uncomfortable throughout the interview and all I wanted to do was leave and get out of there as fast as I could.

'It made me feel like a complete failure. I kept going through the interview in my head afterwards trying to figure out what I had said or done to make them behave like that. It made no sense to me.'

This week, Blake filed a shocking lawsuit in which she accused Justin of sexual harassment on set.

In the suit, she alleged that he showed her nude videos and images of other women and discussed his previous alleged porn addiction, per TMZ.

Her lawyers also claimed that Justin and his team retaliated against her harassment complaints by 'battering her image, harming her businesses, and causing her and her family severe emotional harm.'

Private messages and emails obtained through a subpoena filed by the actress detailed the alleged plot, several sent by Hollywood crisis management expert Melissa Nathan.

Justin's team refuted the allegations and claimed the legal action is an attempt to patch up Blake's reputation.
Members of Greece's former royal family expressed 'deep emotion' on Monday following the decision to reinstate their citizenship.

The late King Constantine II and his family members were stripped of Greek citizenship in 1994 in a dispute with the government over formerly royal property and over claims that he refused to renounce any right to the Greek throne for his descendants.

The Greek monarchy was abolished by referendum in December 1974, when voters overwhelmingly backed a republican constitution, months after the fall of a seven-year military dictatorship. The exiled royals then lived in England for many years.

In a decision published in the government gazette, dated Friday, citizenship was granted to 10 members of the former royal family.

They include the five children of the late king and former Queen Anne-Marie as well as to five of their grandchildren.

The royal family's statement was shared by Crown Prince Pavlos - Constantine's eldest son - to his Instagram account and was posted in both Greek and English.

The official statement read: 'It is with deep emotion that, after 30 years, we hold the Greek citizenship again. The law of 1994 deprived us of our citizenship, rendering us stateless with all that this entails in terms of individual rights and great emotional distress.

'Our father and our family fully respected the result of the 1974 referendum.

Members of Greece 's former royal family expressed 'deep emotion' on Monday following the decision to reinstate their citizenship. Pictured: Crown Princess Marie-Chantal, Crown Prince Pavlos and Maria Olympia in 2018

Citizenship was granted to the five children of the late king and former Queen Anne-Marie (pictured in September) as well as to five of their grandchildren

'However, the provision of the 1994 law on citizenship, a result of the political status at the time, was not befitting of a former head of the Greek state and an institution that served the country faithfully. The passing of our father marked the end of an era.'

Constantine's five children are Alexia, 58; Pavlos, 56; Nikolaos, 54; Theodora, 40; and Philippos, 37. Pavlos' five children were also granted citizenship: Maria-Olympia, 27; Constantine-Alexios, 25; Achileas-Andreas, 23; Odysseas-Kimon, 19; and Aristidis-Stavros, 15.

'After 50 years since democracy's restoration, we have a strong democracy and protected constitution that can defend itself, with laws that apply without any footnotes or exceptions,' government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said Friday before the decision was published.

Interior Ministry official Athanasios Balerpas said that relatives of the late king, who died last year at the age of 82, signed a declaration on Thursday acknowledging the republican government.

They are also adopting a new surname, 'De Grece' - which is French for 'of Greece'.

Members of the royal family lived in exile for decades before Constantine returned as a private citizen in his seventies.

They were stripped of their Greek citizenship in 1994 during a legal battle over the former royal estate, which is now state-owned.

They had previously refused to adopt a surname, distancing themselves from the name Glucksburg, assigned in a 1994 law, which they saw as linking them too closely to their German ancestry and making them seem less legitimately Greek.

Princess Theodora - who recently got married in July - has reportedly requested Greek citizenship

The full statement was posted on the Greek Royal Family's website on Monday

Prince Philippos is pictured with his wife Nina Flohr celebrating the wedding of Theodora of Greece and Matthew

Now that the decision has been published in the official government gazette, they can apply for state identity cards and Greek passports.

Some politicians from centre-left and left-wing opposition parties objected to the surname chosen by the former royal family members, arguing it sounds like a title rather than a standard surname, but did not oppose their right to citizenship.

Mr Balerpas said on the state-run radio station: 'A historically pending matter is being resolved.

'Let's look to the future now. I think it's a good moment because it closes an account from the past and we can now look forward as a people.'

The family got together at the end of September to celebrate Princess Theodora's wedding to LA-based lawyer, Matthew Kumar.

The couple had a four-year delay in tying the knot, but finally had a lavish ceremony at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens.

Theodora is the goddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and has close ties to both the Danish and Spanish royal families. The Prince of Wales was King Constantine's godson.

Several members of the latter households, including the bride's paternal aunt Queen Sofia of Spain and her maternal aunt Princess Benedikte of Denmark, as well as the Greek Royal Family, attended the glittering occasion a couple of months ago.

The royals were stripped of their Greek citizenship in 1994 during a legal battle over the former royal estate, which is now state-owned. Pictured: Marie-Chantal and Pavlos

Former Queen Anne-Marie, former King Constantine II, Prince Pavlos, Princess Marie-Chantal, Princess Alexia, her husband Carlos Morales Quintana, Princess Theodora and Prince Philippos of Greece attend a dinner in 2014

However, many British royals missed the occasion, with Prince William likely staying at home to support his wife Kate after she completed her cancer treatment.

King Charles and Queen Camilla missed the nuptials as they were in Scotland for the 25th anniversary of Parliament at the time.

However, in October 2021, when Theodora's brother Prince Philippos of Greece married Nina Flohr, the daughter of a billionaire, both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were in attendance, as well as Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

The Greek royals suffered heartache earlier this year when Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, who was Prince Philip's first cousin, died at the age of 85 in July.

Prince Michael was the last remaining grandson of George I with a lineage to the House of Bourbon through his mother's side of the family.

Prince Constantine Alexios (pictured with Princess Maria-Olympia) may be one of the late former King's grandchildren who applied for citizenship

Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece (pictured with Isabella Massenet) could be one of the grandchildren who applied for Greek citizenship

Prince Michael of Greece died at the age of 85 in July this year. Pictured in November 2023

He was well known for his devotion to his wife Marina Karella and his turbulent personal life which saw him tragically lose his father at the age of just one.

Prince Michael had to give up his rights to the Greek throne to marry Marina in 1965 as despite being an acclaimed painter and sculptor, she was not a member of the royal family.

Their marriage took two years to negotiate, with Michael forced to give up his rights to the Greek throne in order to marry a commoner.

But when they did tie the knot on February 7, 1965, at the Royal Palace in Athens it was an event to be remembered, with the guest list including Queen Frederica, King Constantine, Queen Anna-Maria and, the Count and Countess of Paris.

He later said he 'didn't hesitate' to give away his birthright for love, adding that by doing so it 'gave me a sense of freedom' and meant he was no longer beholden to the Royal Family, allowing him to choose his own profession.

'It was love at first sight  it has never, ever changed,' he said, adding: 'Now we are married 58 years  Marina and my country Greece are the same.'
Shoppers rush to buy a trendy tie-front top from Kmart - and it's only $18

An $18 top from Kmart has been revealed as a 'go-to' for it girls this Australian summer, and it's been compared to a similar 'must-have' design from luxury brand Ganni.

The Kmart short sleeve tie front peplum top is a wallet-friendly gem shoppers cannot get enough of.

Made from lightweight cotton poplin, it features a flattering peplum silhouette, short puff sleeves with elasticated cuffs, and a tie-front detail for a feminine and stylish look.

Shoppers have praised its versatility, easily pairing it with high-waisted jeans, tailored pants, or skirts for various occasions.

It transitions effortlessly from casual outings to evening events with the addition of statement jewellery or kitten heels.

Similarly, Gannis cotton poplin peplum tie blouse, priced at $295, is crafted from certified organic cotton and offers a chic, relaxed fit.

The open neckline with tie closures and peplum hem echoes the same timeless aesthetic, but at a significantly higher cost.

Despite its high quality and eco-conscious materials, many shoppers are drawn to the affordable Kmart alternative, which captures the essence of the Ganni design without the hefty price tag.

An $18 top from Kmart has been revealed as a 'go-to' for it girls this Australian summer

Gannis cotton poplin peplum tie blouse, priced at $295, is crafted from certified organic cotton and offers a chic, relaxed fit

This buzz-worthy Kmart top has caused a frenzy among shoppers, quickly earning a reputation as the ultimate dupe for the high-end Ganni blouse.

Social media is brimming with rave reviews, with shoppers thrilled by the chance to recreate a luxury look for a fraction of the price.

Fashion influencers like Kmart Insider and everyday bargain hunters alike have embraced the $18 top, sharing their styling tips and excitement over such a stylish yet budget-friendly find.

'It looks and feels so good - I'm in love!' one wrote.

'Absolutely obsessed with Kmart's affordable fashion,' another echoed.

For shoppers who aren't a fan of dupes, a little-known Australian retailer has started selling high-end brands for a fraction of the price.

The 'hidden gem' discount retailer where you can find designer buys from brands like Fendi, Dior, and Aje for affordable prices.

It sells old stock from previous seasons - and shoppers have described it as a 'clearance treasure hunt'.

Budget retailers like Kmart and Target are offering trendy pieces that emulate high-end designs at prices accessible to all

Many have seen bags from Fendi, Dior, and Bottega Venetta on sale.

However, the growing obsession with dupes like this Kmart top reflects a larger trend in Australia, where the cost of living crisis has made affordable fashion more appealing than ever.

With rising rents, grocery bills, and utility costs, many Aussies are looking for ways to save without sacrificing style.

Budget retailers like Kmart and Target are stepping in to meet this demand, offering trendy pieces that emulate high-end designs at prices accessible to all.

For many, choosing the Kmart top over the Ganni blouse isnt just a budget-friendly decision - its a smart way to stay fashionable during challenging economic times.

Whether paired with casual denim and sneakers for a relaxed weekend look or styled with tailored trousers and heels for a polished ensemble, this versatile piece proves that you dont need to spend big to look chic.
Sampling the local cuisine is a holiday highlight for many tourists - but where would you find the best food?

Thankfully, a travel guide has shared its verdict of the top 100 dishes in the world, showcasing the range of meals and snacks that delight taste buds across the globe.

From the Neapolitan pizza to panang curry, TasteAtlas unveiled its annual round up of the best rated foods.

Based on 335,106 ratings for 11,258 dishes in its database, the experiential travel online guide revealed the 100 best dishes in the world.

But it was bad news for the UK, since the round up didn't include any British meals - instead it featured traditional creations from places such as Germany, America, France, Brazil and Italy.

Coming in at the top spot was lechona, a traditional Colombian dish consisting of a whole roasted pig stuffed with various ingredients, such as onions, peas, fresh herbs, and spices.

Rated 4.78 out of five on the website, the meal is often cooked for celebrations since one lechona can create 100 or more servings sometimes.

But tourists can also discover the Colombian delicacy in some restaurants in larger cities, according to the guide.

From the Neapolitan pizza to panang curry, TasteAtlas unveiled its annual round up of the best rated foods. Coming in at the top spot was lechona (pictured), a traditional Colombian dish

In second place was Neapolitan pizza. Traditionally, the Italian dish has a relatively thin crust with the exception of the rim, which, when baked, bloats like a tiny bicycle tyre.

It is rigorously made in a wood-burning brick oven and has two classic versions: Marinara (tomato, garlic, oregano and oil) and, the most famous, Margherita (tomato, mozzarella, oil and basil).

Tradition holds the Margherita pizza was created in 1889 by a local chef in honour of Italy's Queen Margherita, who was visiting the city. It has the red, white and green colours of the Italian flag.

Picanha, meanwhile, took the third spot, with the Brazilian dish referring to a fresh cut of beef from a specific part of the animal that is often grilled.

Next up, the guide featured Rechta, which is a traditional Algerian dish of flat, fresh noodles served with a savoury chicken sauce. It is often given out at weddings as it is a celebratory dish.

In fifth place was a Thai panang curry, which often features beef, chicken, duck, or pork, served without the addition of any vegetables in the sauce.

While many Thai curries are quite brothy, panang is more of a modest sauce that is rich, sweet, salty and nutty with a hint of spice from the cumin, coriander and nutmeg.

An asado took the sixth position in the guide, with the title referring to a technique of cooking and a social event in a number of South American countries.

In second place was Neapolitan pizza. Traditionally, the Italian dish has a relatively thin crust with the exception of the rim, which, when baked, bloats like a tiny bicycle tyre (stock photo)

In the tenth spot was tibs - a popular Ethiopian dish of stir-fried meat and vegetables in a flavourful sauce (stock photo)

In fifth place was a Thai panang curry, which often features beef, chicken, duck, or pork, served without the addition of any vegetables in the sauce (stock photo)

Ninth place went to Cag kebab, a traditional dish which is said to have originated in Erzurum Province, Turkey (stock photo)

Cokertme kebab - a traditional Turkish kebab made up of marinated strips of veal, fried potatoes, tomato sauce, and yogurt - secured seventh place in the ultimate guide (stock photo)

Said to be similar to a barbecue, it is an occasion attended by loved ones and the meats of beef, pork, chicken and chorizo, are cooked outside on a special brick-built grill called a parrilla.

Cokertme kebab - a traditional Turkish kebab made up of marinated strips of veal, fried potatoes, tomato sauce, and yogurt - secured seventh place in the ultimate guide.

Meanwhile, the eighth ranking went to rawon, an Indonesian beef soup known for its dark colouring thanks to the spices it uses.

Ninth place went to Cag kebab, a traditional dish which is said to have originated in Erzurum Province, Turkey.

Lamb is marinated in an onion mixture for at least 24 hours and then stacked onto a skewer and grilled over an open fire to make the delicious meal.

In the tenth spot was tibs - a popular Ethiopian dish of stir-fried meat and vegetables in a flavourful sauce.
An American woman has found herself at the centre of an awkward neighbourly dispute after receiving a strongly worded letter accusing her of causing nightly disturbances - except she claims it's not her.

The woman, from Colorado, shared the ordeal on Reddit after her neighbour slipped a handwritten note under her door.

Her neighbour pleaded with the accused couple to move their bed away from the wall, claiming their 'activities' are keeping her awake every night despite earplugs and white noise blasting at full volume.

The exhausted writer goes on to detail how their nightly romps have shaken her floor and bed frame, leaving her sleep-deprived and forced to retreat to her living room just to get some rest.

The note read: 'PLEASE pull your bed 2-3 feet AWAY from the wall. I'm glad y'all have sex every night, however, I do not want to hear it or be a part of it. It shakes my entire floor including my bed frame.

'I have even changed the orientation of my room so my bed doesn't share a wall with you and it still vibrates my floor/bed and I can STILL hear your girl moaning.

'Again, happy for y'all, but I have GOT to sleep. I can't remember the last time I got more than six hours of sleep because your activities are keeping me up.

'I dread going to bed now. I sleep with ear plugs AND a music speaker at full blast of white noise and I can STILL hear you guys. There's been nights I have to sleep in my living room.'

An American woman has found herself at the centre of an awkward neighbourly dispute after receiving a strongly worded letter accusing her of causing nightly disturbances

The letter left the woman stunned, as she insists she and her husband haven't been doing anything remotely disruptive.

'I wish it was our bed causing earthquakes, but no, it's just us sleeping,' she explained in her post.

'I've also heard banging in the middle of the night but only twice, so I can't pinpoint what neighbour this is coming from. It's probably an upstairs neighbour.'

Things took a turn when the neighbour confronted her in person, claiming she had checked with other tenants and was convinced the noise was coming from their apartment.

Despite the young woman repeatedly explaining they weren't responsible, the neighbour didn't seem to believe her.

Her neighbour claimed the loud noises only started when the poster and her husband moved in - which is why she thinks they're the culprits.

To make matters worse, the situation escalated later that evening when the frustrated neighbour began banging on the wall and screaming 'shut up' even though the woman says she and her husband were doing nothing but relaxing.

'My husband was playing video games, and I was in the living room,' she explained. 'I'm making him go talk to her now, so hopefully she hears the noise and sees him at the same time to prove it's not us!'

An exhausted woman claimed her neighbours' nightly romps have shaken her floor and bed frame, leaving her sleep-deprived and forced to retreat to her living room to get some rest

The peculiar dispute has sparked online discussion, with many commenters sympathising with the accused woman.

Some suggested the noise could be coming from an entirely different apartment, while others laughed at the awkwardness of being accused of nightly escapades.

'You got an anonymous note for a problem you aren't responsible for. It goes in the trash,' one said.

'If she keeps being aggressive definitely let your landlord know,' a woman advised. 'She can't just harass whoever she thinks is making noise.'

Another shared a similar experience: 'Years ago my roommate and I came home from a night out and the neighbours in the building across the way were going at it with the window open, complete with shouting.

'We waited until they were finished, then gave them a standing ovation, complete with whistling and cheering. The window slammed shut and we never heard them again.

'Sometimes people think it will be hot if others hear them having loud sex but when confronted with the reality of someone actually listening, they freak out.'
Dating disasters are something every Aussie singleton can relate to - but one woman's bizarre story of her 'worst date ever' has left thousands with hanging jaws.

A woman from Sydney shared her unforgettable experience that ended with her date ruining an expensive bottle of wine she paid for by opening it and pouring half of it into a take away container.

Australian women have struggled on the dating market for years - from seemingly 'perfect' men lying on dating apps to many dealing with aggressive tactics after polite rejections.

A French expat was also left feeling shocked and dejected by a 'brutal' act on her very first date in Australia.

The scorned woman was set up by her co-worker's mum, who was adamant her son was the 'perfect match'.

'She came up to me at work one day and said, 'I'm sorry, I know we've only met once, but my son would be perfect for you,' the woman revealed.

The pair went out a couple of times, and things seemed to be going well - until he suggested they have a more intimate evening.

'Finally, he asked me, 'Do you want to get a bottle of wine and come back to mine?' I said yes. But when we got to the bottle shop, he 'forgot' his wallet, so I ended up buying the wine.'

A woman from Sydney shared her unforgettable experience that ended with her date ruining an expensive bottle of wine

In retrospect, the man 'forgetting' his wallet should've been the first red flag.

Speaking to influencer and street interviewer Georgia Godworth, the woman revealed how everything went downhill from there.

'We didn't even open the expensive bottle of wine I'd bought, because he had something else to drink,' she explained.

'I thought, no big deal - I'll just take the wine home with me. But when I went to grab it on my way out, he stopped me!'

What happened next left her completely stunned.

'He took the wine, opened it, and poured half of it into a takeaway container. Then he handed me the half-empty bottle, smiled, and said, 'Thanks for coming'.'

Needless to say, she never went back for another date.

Georgia revealed her shock and horror at the unconventional act.

Australian women have struggled on the dating market for years

'I am gobsmacked, did he take a swig in front of you? Check if it was exactly half?' the interviewer asked.

The bizarre act is in line with Canadian expat Tayler Stevenson who claimed men Down Under are 'backwards'.

'When I first moved here, not a single guy came up to me at the clubs and hit on me. I found it a bit weird, I was offended,' she said in a video.

The lack of attention turned out to be a surprising perk because she could just 'go out with the girls and have a good time'.

'I have a boyfriend now and every time we go out to the clubs, there are a thousand girls coming up to him and hitting on him - and no guys come up to me at all,' Taylor added.

'Is that how it is here? Do the girls put in the work? Is it just a bit backwards?'

The culture shift from back home was jarring.

'In North America, the guys come up to the girls. I don't know any girls who would go up to a guy,' she said.

Tayler Stevenson, from Canada, said things are 'backwards' in Australia because men don't approach her in public

Hundreds of Australian women told Tayler that men probably weren't going up to her because they were intimidated - while others commented on dating culture Down Under.

'It's because you're stunning and they don't want to be rejected,' a fan said.

A woman shared: 'My ex used to get hit on every time he left the house and refused to believe guys weren't hitting on me everywhere.'

'Guys want princess treatment here and I'm so tired,' a woman wrote.

'Similar situation in New Zealand,' an Auckland resident said. 'No one speaks to anyone when going out, even in clubs. Such a different scene from North America.'

An Aussie added, 'Every time I travel I experience what it should be, and then I'm back here and invisible.'
The holidays are filled with eggnog, get togethers with friends and family and gifts under the Christmas tree.

And while it is fun to unwrap toy cars, play sets and the latest tech, doctors are warning the most desired gifts could land you, a Secret Santa recipient or child partaking in the Christmas magic in the hospital.

Emergency department (ED) visits tend to surge by 10 percent during the holiday season, with injuries like falls and cuts from sharp objects topping the list, according to the NIH.

While excess food and alcohol may cause increases in heart attacks and food poisoning, experts warned parents should pay careful attention to the gifts their kids ask Santa for.

Doctors recommend parents steer clear of toys that take certain batteries, which can burn holes in the throat, or those that include water beads, as they can get block airways.

And adults aren't immune to a festive trip to the hospital. Doctors advised steering clear of bikes, kitchen slicers, and even some sex toys due to the risk of head injuries and possible amputations.

Dr Robert Kramer, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Childrens Hospital Colorado, said: 'We do see a spike during the holiday season. But its something we have to be vigilant for at all times.'

Doctors urge caution when it comes to what gifts to give children this holiday season, as some could cause serious injury

Button batteries are small enough to be swallowed and can cause burns and deadly internal bleeding

BUTTON BATTERIES

One of the most common injuries for kids during the holidays is toys powered by button batteries, which are about the size of a coin.

Found in race cars, dolls, and some play musical instruments, these are especially dangerous because they are made with lithium-ion.

This means if swallowed, saliva triggers an electrical current that leads to chemical reactions, like severe burns in the esophagus.

Dr Kramer said: 'The danger is that if it burns a hole through the wall of the esophagus into the aorta, it will bleed into the esophagus. It's almost a universally fatal problem.'

If treated in time, there are still long-term impacts, including inflammation and scarring that make swallowing difficult, leading to malnutrition and dehydration from being unable to eat and drink properly.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia estimates button batteries are swallowed more than 3,500 times a year. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 70 children have died from these injuries since the 1970s.

In a TikTok video earlier this year, Dr Meagan Martin, a pediatric emergency room physician at Johns Hopkins All Children's in Florida, recommended giving children over one year old a spoonful of honey to keep button batteries from getting stuck after they have accidentally been ingested.

She said: 'The most important thing is getting them to the emergency room so we can get that sucker out.'

MAGNETS

The above image shows small magnets that have stuck together in a patient's intestine

In the same vein, Dr Michael Flaherty, a pediatric critical care physician at Mass General for Children Hospital in Boston, previously told DailyMail.com to avoid toys with magnets.

Many of these are sold as sets, which makes it more likely for children to swallow more than one.

These magnets are strong and can migrate toward each other in the body, causing them to form blockages and tear through tissue and organs.

Dr Flaherty said: 'These magnets are so strong that pieces of the intestine can actually stick together and cause perforations or holes in the intestine. These can be surgical emergencies.'

These perforations cause bowel contents to leak into the abdomen, causing inflammation and infections of the intestinal lining.

This could lead to sepsis, the body's extreme overreaction to an infection that causes the immune system to attack healthy organs.

Perforations require immediate surgery, which can require removing all or part of the bowel.

WATER BEAD TOYS

Experts warned that water beads are particularly dangerous for young children because when swallowed, they can grow to hundreds of times their size and cause intestinal blockages

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Water bead toys, which sent 7,800 kids to the hospital between 2016 and 2022, also made Dr Kramer's list.

These small gel- or jelly-like beads are typically used for sensory play and developing fine motor skills in children with developmental delays, such as autism spectrum disorder.

The beads are typically the size of a pencil tip, but when they get wet, they can expand up to 400 times their size.

So, if they're swallowed they can get lodged in a child's airway causing them to stop breathing or become stuck in the intestine, leading to a life-threatening obstruction.

Dr Kramer said: 'It's a traffic jam. If things can't go forward, they're going to stack up.'

He noted it's vital to watch out for signs of a bowel obstruction, which include stomach pain, vomiting, trouble eating, and generally feeling uncomfortable.

Dr Flaherty said kids under three are particularly prone to swallowing these because they are small and colorful and can resemble candy.

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

Christmas decorations like ornaments and lights have been shown to cause intestinal injuries and burns

In addition to presents, your festive decorations also pose a health risk.

Dr Kramer warned babies and children may accidentally swallow shards of glass if they chew on ornaments or tree lights.

He said: 'Any sharp object that's swallowed can cause a hole in the bowel. When there's a hole in the intestine, that allows stomach contents to leak into the abdominal cavity.'

Similar to perforations caused by magnets, this can lead to sepsis.

CPSC also cautions against holiday lights, which could lead to fires and electrical shocks.

The agency estimates there were 4,200 holiday-related electrical injuries treated in US emergency rooms last year.

The agency recommends making sure outlets are not overloaded and unplugging lights at night to reduce the risk of fires.

E-BIKES

The use of e-bikes has increased dramatically over the past few years. However, experts warn the number of injuries linked to them has also surged

While children are especially at risk this holiday season, adults aren't out of the woods completely.

If you're one of the thousands of people eyeing an electric bike, beware - it could land you in the emergency department.

From 2018 to 2022, sales of e-bikes rose from about 250,000 per year to over 1million, a four-fold increase. Experts have suggested this could be from people wanting to save money on gas and cut down on the environmental impacts that come with cars.

However, doctors at Harvard University warned the 'rate of accidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters is climbing.'

They pointed to a recent study in JAMA Network Open, which found from 2017 to 2022, e-bike injuries doubled every year. In 2017, just 751 of these injuries were recorded, but this surged to almost 24,000 in 2022.

Neck, head, and other orthopedic injuries were common, sometimes leading to concussions and other neurological issues.

Meanwhile, e-scooter injuries saw a 45 percent rise every year, going from just over 8,500 in 2017 to nearly 57,000 in 2022.

And only 43 percent of e-bike and e-scooter riders wear a helmet, compared to 52 percent using traditional bikes.

Additionally, e-bike batteries can explod, leading to fires and burns.

KITCHEN APPLIANCES

Dr Korin Hudson, an emergency physician at MedStar Health, pointed to kitchen tools like mandolines as dangerous holiday gifts. She told DailyMail.com: 'When preparing holiday meals it is important to pay close attention and use the safety guide that keeps fingers away from the blade'

For any amateur chefs unwrapping fancy kitchen appliances, experts are warning those new tools could send adults to the hospital.

Mandolines, which are used to thinly slice vegetables, are one of the most common culprits, along with knives and blenders.

Federal figures estimate there are 200,000 kitchen accidents resulting in emergency room visits every year, such as severe cuts and burns.

Dr Korin Hudson, an emergency physician at MedStar Health, told DailyMail.com: 'Mandoline slicers are frequently the cause of severe finger injuries.

'When preparing holiday meals it is important to pay close attention and use the safety guide that keeps fingers away from the blade.'

Additionally, the National Fire Protection Association estimates that deep fryers cause 60 injuries per year and five deaths due to burns.

SEX TOYS

Doctors urge people not to use anything that isn't specifically designed for sex as a sex toy

People who are looking to spice up their holiday season may reach for an unconventional adult kind of toy, but doctors urge people to only use tools specifically designed for intimacy, or risk a major medical emergency.

Dr Adam Friedlander, director of pediatric emergency medicine at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, told DailyMail.com any gifts you get to use in the bedroom could be dangerous.

He said: 'Never use something as a sex toy that isn't one. If I had a nickel for every time I've pulled a Christmas ornament out of someone, I'd have 15 cents, which is more than I should have from that.

'The two biggest reasons someone comes in to the ER for a toy mishap, is that something that wasn't designed to be used in the way that it was got lost.

'So, when using something like that, make sure it's made of a body-safe material like silicone or stainless steel, and if it's going somewhere it can get lost, a wide base couldn't be more important.'

An analysis from researchers at the University of Rochester in New York found nearly 40,000 Americans were hospitalized for getting objects stuck in their rectums between 2012 and 2021, the equivalent of almost 4,000 per year.

Men accounted for nearly eight in 10 cases, with the most common group being males in their 20s and early 30s, who made up a third of all sex toy related ER visits.

Bottles, jars or bottle lids were the most common non-sexual devices found stuck in people's rectums, they found, accounting for 10 percent of cases.

In one extreme case from 2022, an 88-year-old man in France shut down his local hospital when he came into the emergency room with a World War I-era artillery shell in his anus.

He claimed he slipped and fell on the object.
Thousands of people are hospitalized each year in the US for sticking foreign objects up their backsides.

While these often include sex toys, water bottles or even the occasional light bulb, during the holiday season the objects take on a particularly festive theme.

Two emergency medicine doctors told DailyMail.com there is a steady stream of people coming to the emergency department (ED) with objects stuck in their behinds throughout the year.

But Dr Barry Hahn, a New York-based emergency medicine doctor, said: During the holiday season, people tend to become more festive and more inventive with the objects that they want to celebrate with.

Kids usually swallow these things, but adults tend to place them in strategic locations lower down the body.

Both doctors revealed they had treated people with Christmas ornaments stuck up their behinds, as well as model snowmen and model Christmas trees.

In more bizarre cases, they've retrieved a candy cane, miniature models of the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building and even a Buzz Lightyear figurine.

The doctors say in many cases, people had inserted the objects into their anus for sexual pleasure.

The above is an X-ray of a patient who came in with a candy cane lodged in their backside

Doctors also told DailyMail.com about previous situations where people arrived in the ER with Buzz Lightyear stuck in their behind

Few further details could be revealed about the festive cases because of privacy rules, but physicians repeatedly warn people not to stick household items, or festive decorations, into their backsides.

In a TikTok from Dr Adam Gaston, the emergency medicine physician listed items to keep away from your buttocks, including model nutcracker soldiers, as well as porcelain and plastic Christmas trees.

Dr Stuart Fischer, an emergency medicine physician in New York city, revealed to DailyMail.com the wide range of items he has had to retrieve from people's backsides - festive and other.

The physician has removed everything from deceased animals to dental products and even a door knob.

He said: I did see a gerbil one time, but unfortunately it did not survive because it was asphyxiated.

'We knew it was there when we did an X-ray that revealed the animal's skeleton.'

He added: In another case, a person came in with a family-sized toothpaste dispenser stuck in them, the one where you push on the top and the toothpaste comes out.

'To describe how it happened, he said, "I was talking to some friends and then I sat down on the chair and then I realized there was something uncomfortable, and I felt some discomfort, and so that is why I came to the emergency room."'

The above shows two items that doctors urged people not to put up their butts. Both were being sold at Target

The patients were treated successfully using anesthetics to help relax the anal muscles and allow doctors to pull the objects from inside them.

But Dr Fischer highlighted the complications someone could face from placing household items into the opening.

Household items placed into the rectum could end up stuck because the rectum's tight walls can create a suction-like reflex, making it difficult to remove an object if it does not have a base.

Objects within the rectum may shatter under the pressure, which can cause a perforation or cut to the bowel, leading to bleeding and a possible infection.

Doctors warn people who have placed objects inside their buttocks to seek help immediately.

In most cases, surgeons remove the objects the same way they went in. They sedate the patient, which relaxes the anal muscles allowing the objects to be extracted.

In cases where this does not succeed, patients may need surgery.

An analysis from researchers at the University of Rochester in New York found nearly 40,000 Americans were hospitalized for getting objects stuck in their rectums between 2012 and 2021, the equivalent of almost 4,000 per year.

Men accounted for nearly eight in 10 cases, with the most common group being males in their 20s and early 30s, who made up a third of all related ER visits.

Bottles, jars or bottle lids were the most common non-sexual devices found stuck in people's rectums, they found, accounting for 10 percent of cases.
This Christmas, you might be looking to spice up your sex life with adult toys.

However, sexologists and doctors warn users should proceed with caution - because even if a sex toy is advertised as safe online there may be dangerous reasons you should reconsider using it.

Sweden-based licensed sexologist Sofie Roos told DailyMail.com some of these potentially harmful toys include silicon objects that can get stuck in the rectum, long metal tubes that can harm the urethra and rigid metal chastity cages, which can 'strangle' the penis.

Experts also worry about 'losing' objects in the rectum and infections that can stem from improperly cleaned devices.

These can cause your most delicate regions to become bruised, cut or permanently damaged.

A 2023 study from the University of Rochester suggested these sort of injuries may be more common than people realize, as an estimated 4,000 Americans head to the hospital annually with objects stuck in their rectum.

Still, many of these devices are sold online without warnings, ranging from $16 to $30.

First, ER doctors warn against using metal 'c*** rings' and chastity cages, which are designed to put pressure on the penis. This, in theory, can enhance blood flow and improve erections, making sex more pleasurable or long lasting.

Researchers from the University of Rochester, New York, found that men were more likely than women to come to hospital with a foreign object lodged in their rectums. They suggested, however, that this may be down to reporting bias  because women were less likely to put non-sexual objects in their rectums, reducing the chances of their case being recorded

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These devices are relatively safe if they are made out of flexible materials like silicon or plastic. That's because even if they do get stuck - they're easy for doctors to remove.

However, if someone opts to use a metal version of these toys and something goes wrong, doctors don't always have the tools to break a person free.

In 2022, California based emergency medicine physician Dr Alana Kinrich warned the public against using titanium penis rings in specific.

She said if you come to the hospital with one on, it 'will result in us having to call the fire department to get their diamond saw.

'This is a very undesired experience for everyone involved.'

In the time it takes to get the device removed from the area, loss of blood flow could be so severe it damages tissue, which can make someone lose sensation in their penis.

This is called 'penis strangulation'.

It's also possible to get cuts or bruising on the member itself, which can be painful and leave scar tissue. This can also affect sexual function.

Even with these caveats, these devices are still sold online. On Etsy, a person can purchase a metal chastity cage, which comes in a bundle with a diaper, for $35.

On Amazon, a person can purchase a stainless steel ring for their penis for $17.

Next, when it comes to putting things inside the rectum, Dr Kinrich said people should steer clear of all things breakable or without a flared base.

Having a flared base at the end of a sex toy for the anus or vagina ensures the user has something to grab onto to remove it, even against the strong suction of their muscles.

If a person comes into the emergency department with a hard metal ring stuck on their penis, doctors may not have the tools on hand to remove it, and may have to enlist other emergency professionals, who have more intense hardware to remove the device

Experts warned that metal chastity cages carried some of the same risks as metallic penis rings, and are also difficult to remove in an emergency

A rounded object that is difficult to grab is more likely to get lodged inside the body, where only a doctor can remove it.

According to University of Rochester's Health Service: 'Never insert anything into the anus that does not have a flared base  the reason for this is that the anus, unlike the vagina, does not have an end."'

It added: 'This is most likely to happen during orgasm, as your muscles contract and create a sort of vacuum effect, sucking the toy in.'

Similarly, Ms Roos told DailyMail.com to be wary about inflatable butt plugs.

Roos said: 'The inflatable butt plug is also nasty and can cause damage if pumping it too big. Its put in as a normal sized butt plug, and you pump it up with air when its inserted in your anal, making you able to pump it much bigger than what you normally would be able to insert.'

On Amazon, someone can purchase one of these devices, for $25.

Swedish sexologist Sofie Roos warned against inflatable butt plugs in specific, which may allow a person to have a much larger object than they're normally able to tolerate in their bottom

The product description reads: 'This anchor-shaped anal plug can be pushed inside while less than 2 inches in diameter and 3 inches long and then inflated to approximately 5 inches deep by 5.5 inches wide!'

After the rectum, Roos told DailyMail.com about devices used in the uretha. This is the tube that carries urine out of the body in both men and women.

In a practice called 'sounding', men insert rods, tubes or fluid into their urethra for sexual pleasure.

Roos said: 'My biggest warning... is the penis plug thats inserted in the urethra.'

In a doctor's office, this can be performed safely, but urologists recommend against doing this at home, because the risk of losing an object, getting it stuck, or causing internal damage, is much more likely when performed by a novice.

Improper technique can also cause someone to develop blood in the urine, pelvic pain and tissue damage.

Sounding rods, which are inserted into the urethra, can cause internal damage to the penis

Also, using an improperly cleaned device can cause severe urinary tract infections, which can lead to kidney infections and death if left untreated.

Metal sounding rods can be purchased online for $22.

Even if you don't purchase any risky toys, Edward Buhler, the director of BodyJoys, an online sex shop based in the UK, told this website there are still risks when it comes to these products.

The primary thing that health professionals are worried bout: hygiene.

Buhler told DailyMail.com: 'The newer toys are generally made of silicone and other body-safe materials, however, there are still materials out there that aren't healthy for the user's body.'

So making sure you buy a product that is made from body-safe materials that is easy to clean is of paramount importance, Buhler said.

This greatly reduces your risk of infection, and will keep your sexual organs fully functional for many sessions to come.
US President Joe Biden approved $571.3 million in defense assistance for Taiwan on Friday, the White House said, as the Democrat prepares to leave office ahead of the January inauguration of Donald Trump.

The United States does not officially recognize Taiwan diplomatically but it is the self-ruled island's strategic ally and largest supplier of weapons.

China, which has ramped up political and military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, has repeatedly called for Washington to cease sending arms and assistance to the island, which it claims as part of its territory.

Taiwanese officials said China held its biggest maritime drills in years last week, with around 90 ships deployed from near the southern islands of Japan to the South China Sea.

Beijing did not confirm the drills.

The White House said in a brief statement that Biden had authorized the drawdown "of up to $571.3 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan."

The statement did not provide details of the military assistance package, which comes less than three months after a similar package worth $567 million was authorized.

Taiwan earlier this week received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the United States, reportedly its first new tanks in 30 years.

On Saturday, the Ministry of National Defense thanked the United States for "its firm security commitment to Taiwan."

"Taiwan and the United States will continue to cooperate closely on security issues to maintain peace, stability and the status quo across the Taiwan Strait," the ministry said it a statement.

It said it would not comment on the "content" of the assistance "based on the tacit agreement between Taiwan and the United States."

Beijing has regularly expressed anger at international support for Taipei and accused Washington of meddling in its affairs.

China maintains a near-daily presence of fighter jets, drones and warships around the island.

Beijing has said it will never renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control and has also stepped up rhetoric about "unification" being "inevitable."

China has "amplified" its diplomatic, political and military pressure against Taiwan in 2023, according to a US Pentagon report released this week.
Hospital doctors have warned parents against buying young children water beads this Christmas, due to the 'devastating' risk of fatal bowel obstruction if swallowed.

The colourful, tiny balls, measuring a few millimetres in size and also known as jelly balls or water crystals, are thought to have sensory benefits for toddlers.

But when ingested, they expand to 400 times their original size within three days, and can become stuck in the gut  which can prove deadly.

Now, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has issued a fresh warning about the beads, highlighting a spate of deaths they've been linked to in the US.

'As an emergency medicine doctor, I have seen parents holding their childs hand and watching over them while they lay on a bed in an emergency department, in need of urgent care because they have ingested one of these items,' said Dr Salwa Malik, vice-president of the RCEM.

'As a parent, I can imagine how utterly terrifying and traumatic that would be to go through  for a mum, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, brother, sister and, of course, the child themselves.

'Having seen the effects first-hand, which can be devastating and detrimental, we are asking people to please think twice about the dangers these pose while selecting and gifting presents this season.'

It follows a safety alert from the UKs Office for Product Safety and Standards in September, which warned that water beads can cause 'gastrointestinal blockage requiring surgery' and 'suffocation or choking', and should be kept away from children under five.

Water beads are marketed as childrens toys and said to have sensory benefits

'They should only be used by older children under close supervision of an adult,' the warning added.

In August, doctors from the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio, published a study revealing that the toys have been responsible for more than 8,000 visits to US emergency departments since 2007.

The number of visits increased rapidly between 2021 and 2022  by more than 130 per cent, the researchers found.

More than half of cases involved children under five and all of the young children suffered consequences of swallowing the beads.

However, putting beads in the ear, nose and eye were also noted by researchers as causes of injuries.

Dr Malik added: 'These objects could be found under your tree or in a stocking this festive season, hidden in gifts that are intended to bring joy to a child or vulnerable person, but which, if swallowed, could result in critical illness and the need for emergency medical treatment.

Kennedy Mitchell underwent five surgeries after accidentally swallowing a water bead. A Change.org petition to ban the children's toy has received over 40,650 signatures

Kennedy is now able to go home from hospital after spending the majority of the past month undergoing tests and surgeries following a blockage in her bowel which nearly killed her

In March last year, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and toy company Buffalo Games recalled more than 50,000 Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kits sold at the supermarket Target after one infant was injured and another died.

The injured child, Kennedy Mitchell of Maine, was hospitalised after she swallowed one of the beads. She suffered a life-threatening bowel blockage, which cut off the blood supply to part of her intestines.

A first surgery was performed to extract the water bead, but damage to Kennedy's intestines was already done.

The 10-month-old went into septic shock and had to be put on a ventilator. A second operation checked for any more obstructions, but none were found.

Two further surgeries were needed to remove the extra fluid in her intestines and take pressure off her organs.

The infant was able to return home soon after.

In February last year, parents in California filed a lawsuit against toy company Orbeez after at least one child died as a result of eating one.
The food safety watchdog has pulled a selection of family favourite cheeses from supermarket shelves due to fears of contamination with a potentially deadly bacteria.

The Food Standards Agency warned that cheeses made by Wicklow Farmhouse  including brie and cheddar  which are sold in independent stores as well as Irish Aldi stores, must be recalled due to potential presence of Listeria monocytogenes.

This bacteria causes a disease called listeriosis that in most people causes flu-like symptoms, as well as vomiting and diarrhea.

However, in rare cases it can trigger potentially deadly meningitis as well as life-threatening sepsis.

The elderly, young children as well as those with weakened immune systems like cancer patients are considered most at risk.

Pregnant women are also vulnerable, with almost one in five of those who contract listeriosis suffering a miscarriage or stillbirth.

The brands included in the recall are Ballykilty Baking Brie, St Killian Cheese, Baking St Killian Cheese, Wicklow Ban, Wicklow Blue Brie, St Killians, Wicklow Farmhouse Cheddar Wedge, Wicklow Gold Tomato & Herb, and Drunken Saint.

These cheeses are sold in outlets all over Ireland. The recall impacts 150g portions of the cheese brands sold, with all use-by dates affected.

Several cheeses that are included in Christmas hampers have been urgently recalled due to contamination with a potentially deadly bacteria. Stock image

Food safety authorities warned that several cheeses made by Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese need to be pulled from shelves or disposed of due to the potential presence of Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria is a bacteria which poses a particular threat to the elderly, pregnant women and babies. For most people, listeria poisoning can be similar to flu and include high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills and feeling or being sick. Usually symptoms recede after a few days. However, some vulnerable groups can develop life-threatening complications, such as sepsis and meningitis

The Food Safety Agency, said the recall specifically affected people in Northern Ireland.

'Point of sale notices will be displayed in the retail stores in Northern Ireland that are selling the products.'

Those who purchased the cheeses are advised to return them to the store where they will receive a refund with no receipt needed.

It comes just a day after a number of other Christmas dinner favourites were recalled over fears they could harm customers' health.

Affected products included cabbage, cooked meats as well as several cheeses made by Dunnes in Ireland over similar fears of Listeria contamination.

These included:

Dunnes Stores Wicklow Smoked Cheddar  150g

Dunnes Stores Wicklow Tomato & Herb Cheddar  150g

A number of cheeses have been recalled by Dunnes in Ireland due to the presence of potentially dangerous bacteria which could cause vomiting and diarrhoea

Dunnes Stores Wicklow Nettle & Chive Cheddar  150g

Dunnes Stores Wicklow Blue Brie  150g

Simply Better Irish Brie Cheese & Cranberry Quiche  800g

Simply Better Wicklow Ban in Ceramic Dish  150g

Simply Better Double Cream Wicklow Ban  150g

Simply Better Farmhouse Irish Cheese Selection  735g

Simply Better & Neven Maguire Cheese Selection  705g

The latest data shows 177 cases of listeriosis were reported in England and Wales in 2023, a rise from 124 recorded the year prior.

Of the cases reported last year, 32 were fatal. One of these was directly linked to the consumption of contaminated cheese.

The most recent cheese recall follows a similar incident last Christmas.

In December last year a number of Mrs Kirkham brands of cheese sold in major supermarkets such as Waitrose were recalled due to possible E. coli contamination.
A heartbroken widow has told of the agonising wait for her husband's diagnosis of deadly pancreatic cancer  which came too late to save his life.

By the time doctors spotted the disease in June this year it was inoperable, had spread to his liver and triggered life-threatening blood clots on his lung.

But Stuart Bradley, 42, from Co Down, Northern Ireland, had been suffering symptoms since the end of 2023, including severe back pain, bowel problems and anxiety.

Ms Bradley, 38, said his local GP struggled to fit him in for an appointment, instead suggesting telephone consultations.

During one of these remote appointments in May, a doctor mistook his symptoms for sciatica  a pain condition that's triggered by the compression of the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back to the feet.

It wasn't until June 19, nine months after the pain began, that Stuart, a father-of-three, was finally able to get an in-person GP appointment.

It was then that he was diagnosed with blood clots in his legs, and referred to the hospital for further tests.

A week later, scans revealed several cancerous masses in his body  including one in his liver, and another in his pancreas, which was deemed inoperable.

Stuart Bradely was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after suffering back pain, as well as unstable bowel habits. It took doctors the best part of a year before they spotted something seriously wrong.

By this point, Stuart, a roofer, was so ill his skin was yellow and he was 'sweating profusely,' according to Michelle.

Yet there was little doctors could do apart from prescribe strong painkillers to treat his agonising pain.

'I had no idea what to do,' Michelle said. 'It was very frightening for the children too.

'We had to tell them about daddy's cancer without even having the full information ourselves.

'One night, Stuart was in excruciating pain. The pain killers weren't working.

'Paige, our middle child, stood at the top of our stairs crying saying "I don't want daddy to have cancer".

'I felt so helpless as a wife and a mother as I could do nothing to ease Stuart's pain or Paige's worry.'

Stuart's condition deteriorated rapidly and, by September, the disease had killed him.

Michelle Bradley, Stuart's wife, described her late husband as a 'one-of-a-kind' and 'larger-than-life' person, who adored his three children Kayla, 13, Paige, 9, and Blake, 4.

Michelle told the Belfast Telegraph: 'Not seeing the GP made the situation incredibly difficult. Stuart was never questioned about further symptoms or family history.'

Speaking of her late husband, Michelle described him as 'larger-than-life'.

She said: 'He was one-of-a-kind, full of fun, and hilariously funny.

'Stuart had a special way with people. He was an amazing hands-on dad too. The children were his pride and joy.'

Now, Michelle is working with charity Northern Ireland Pancreatic Cancer to raise awareness of the warning signs of the lethal condition.

Around 10,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with the disease every year.

Pancreatic cancer is an umbrella term for various tumours found on the 25cm tadpole shaped organ that helps with both digestion and hormones regulation.

One type, adenocarcinoma, is the most common, accounting for 90 per cent of cases.

Often, the condition has little-to-no symptoms until patients start suddenly losing weight and turn yellow and at which point for the vast majority, it is too late.

It's the reason why the disease has been dubbed a 'silent killer'.

However in some cases there are warning signs  including gut problems like swelling and nausea, pain in the abdomen or back and loss of appetite.

The Northern Irish charity got in touch with the Bradley family six weeks after Stuart's diagnosis, putting her in touch with another woman who had gone through similar trouble.

Michelle said: 'I had never heard of the charity until this point. Within a couple of days a woman called Susan Cooke contacted me.

'She had lost her husband Colin to pancreatic cancer. It was the very first time I felt heard and understood.

'I can't describe how helpful it was to speak to someone who knew what we were going through.

'NIPANC deposited 500 in our bank account to allow us to make special memories.

'We were referred for counselling support which NIPANC co-fund with Cancer Focus NI and a family photoshoot was organised.

'Stuart went into the hospice three days after the pictures were taken and died two weeks later.'
How much do you have in common with a mouse? The question isn't as fatuous as it sounds  mice are the most commonly used animal for laboratory tests to find new treatments.

Chances are that whenever you take a pill, dab on ointment or have a vaccine, it will have been tested on a humble mouse.

The perceived wisdom has always been that what's good for the mouse will probably be good for us humans  and better that initial and potentially risky tests on new treatments are done on a laboratory animal than a human.

And there is no doubt that using animals has furthered medical science.

It was thanks to work in dogs, for example, that in 1921 the hormone insulin was first identified  a huge breakthrough for those with diabetes and one which has saved millions of lives.

Work on mice and monkeys led to the development of polio vaccines, which has helped prevent an estimated 20 million cases of paralysis among children since 1988 alone.

Animals have also been key to tests on semaglutide (the active ingredient in weight-loss jabs Wegovy and Ozempic), with experiments on rodents confirming its weight-loss potential.

And much of our understanding of cancer and how it is treated has been underpinned by animal research.

'Without it we wouldn't have found out that cancer is not one disease but that there are over 200 different types, and out of 300 cancer drugs about 250 came as a result of animal research,' says Chris Magee, head of policy at Understanding Animal Research, an organisation that aims to explain why animals are used in research.

According to Home Office figures, there were 2.68 million 'scientific procedures' involving live animals in 2023 in Great Britain.

While mice, fish, birds or rats were used in 95 per cent of these, cats, dogs, horses and 'non-human primates' (i.e. monkeys) were used in 1.2 per cent.

Most procedures involved 'basic research' into the nervous system, the immune system and cancer  but 45 per cent involved breeding genetically altered animals for research.

The perceived wisdom has always been that what's good for the mouse will probably be good for us humans (file image)

Animal lovers may understandably wince and the question is, does it really help the progress of medical science?

In fact some argue animal testing sometimes holds up the development of new treatments. That's because potential therapies that fail safety tests on animals could still work in humans.

According to one study, a mouse's immune system, for example, has only 10 per cent in common with ours.

'And our lifespan is much longer and our tissue repair mechanisms are very different, as we need to survive for longer,' says Andrew Knight, a veterinary professor of animal welfare at the Murdoch University in Australia.

'Most animal research simply does not predict outcomes in humans with sufficient reliability to be of use for human illness.'

Chris Magee, head of policy at Understanding Animal Research, an organisation that aims to explain why animals are used in testing

Recent research by the University of Zurich found only 5 per cent of treatments that show early promise are approved for use in humans. The researchers sifted through data from 367 potential treatments for 54 human diseases and found although half made it to human testing, most then failed.

One reason, they said, was tests on 'young, healthy animals...may not directly apply to the more complex scenarios of elderly patients with multiple health conditions'. Another was the 'poor quality' of animal studies.

While most scientists believe animal testing remains a valuable tool, it remains controversial.

To develop a new drug, thousands of compounds are initially run though computer programmes to identify potential candidates for a condition.

'Then you start testing on animal or human cells in the laboratory  and if it still looks hopeful, you move on to fruit flies,' says Magee, 'but it takes years to get even to this stage'.

It's after this that other animals come in. Zebrafish are increasingly used because they are cheap, short-lived and  importantly  transparent, says Magee. 'So you can see what's going on inside while they are alive.'

Mice account for about 60 per cent of animal research. 'A major benefit is that their average life span is two years, which is useful if you want to see any long-term effect,' says Magee.

And around 90 per cent of human genes are the same as a mouse's and we have the same organs in similar places.

If something passes safety checks on the kidneys in mice, there is a 96 per cent chance it will also pass in humans. In the cardiovascular system, it's a 75 per cent chance and for the gastrointestinal tract it's 69 per cent. But there are major differences, too. Mice lack tonsils, their heart beats faster, their cholesterol levels are significantly lower and they break down fat differently.

That means wild mice don't develop heart disease.

And using mice brings challenges for conditions such as Alzheimer's as they don't naturally develop the condition.

So they have to be genetically modified to have an inherited form of the disease, says Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali, a senior lecturer in biomedical science and a dementia researcher at Teesside University.

The problem is that 'less than 1 per cent of people have this form of Alzheimer's', she says, and mouse testing doesn't 'truly reflect the complexity of the disease as we see it in most people'.

Before a new drug is tested on a human, it will be tested on another animal too, such as dog or rabbit.

This step was introduced after the thalidomide scandal in the 1960s, when a drug taken by women for morning sickness caused limb deformities in their children. It didn't cause limb deformities in the offspring of mice  but it did in subsequent tests on rabbits.

Yet even that isn't fail-safe. In 2006, six men almost died after being injected with a potential new drug for leukaemia and autoimmune conditions at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow. It had passed safety tests on multiple animals, including monkeys.

Soon after receiving the drug, TGN1412, all the young, healthy volunteers were in intensive care fighting for their lives.

It's thought the drug led to an overreaction by the human immune system  but differences in the way genes activate immune cells meant this did not occur in animals.

'An argument in support of animal testing is that we share many genes with mice, for example, but that doesn't prove anything  we also have genes in common with bananas,' says Dr Pandora Pound, research director of the Safer Medicines Trust, a charity pushing for more human based drug development.

'It's not having genes in common that matters, it's how genes function  and there are big differences between us, mice and primates in this respect. And one tiny difference can be significant when it comes to testing a drug.'

The other issue is failings in the way animal studies are designed.

Professor Knight says: 'Often a problem with primate studies is they include just two or three animals, but that won't give a result that can be applied to a population.'

On top of that, he says, mice are nocturnal and the noisy daytime laboratory environment increases their stress levels  which can alter results.

'Temporarily, things such as immunity and digestion are depressed,' says Professor Knight. 'That works when stress is short term, but when it's prolonged  as occurs in these laboratories  the immune system is depressed for a long period of time, he explains. 'So you are taking an animal that doesn't predict human responses very well and further distorting that animal's immune competence.'

What's more, the body clock difference means drugs tested on mice during the day when they're biologically ready for sleep may have a different impact on humans when given at the same time, who will be naturally more alert.

In one study, reported in 2020 in Nature, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found that three drugs used to treat stroke in mice reduced brain tissue death if given during the day (when the mouse was ready biologically prepared for sleep), but failed when given at night.

'There is a risk we are throwing away safe and effective new drugs on account of poorly designed research,' says Dr Anthony Holmes, director of science and technology at the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, set up by the Government in 2004.

But do we even need real animals in a digital age?

Dr Holmes says an international project is under way to develop a virtual dog  a computer model based on existing findings from dogs  that could be used to check the potential toxic effects of new drugs without using live animals.

Other projects include organoids, miniature versions of organs that can be grown in the lab for testing and research.

And there is artificial intelligence  where a computer could 'learn' to predict what a drug might do.

But for now animal research  despite its imperfections  is the best we have, says Dr Holmes.

'I don't believe any scientist wants to work on animals but until we have alternatives they will continued to be used.'
It was meant to be a warmly humorous, festive  and star-studded  TV comedy moment.

But Tom Hanks' appearance on a Saturday Night Live sketch at the weekend  flanked by younger A-listers including Scarlett Johansson and Emma Stone  sparked concern for the veteran actor's health.

During the show's recurring Five Timers Club segment, which also featured Alex Baldwin, fans noted that Hanks' hands visibly trembled at times.

Although the 68-year-old Oscar-winner often kept his hands clasped together or in his pockets, they shook when he handled props, including cocktail glasses and presents.

One fan commented on X: 'Was I the only one who noticed the shakes on Tom Hanks last night on SNL?'

Other viewers suggested it wasn't the first time this 'symptom' had occurred in recent months, with another claiming: 'He was on the Graham Norton show a while back and I noticed it there too...'

MailOnline approached Hanks' representatives for comment and he recently stated he's in 'better shape' in his late 60s than he was in his 30s.

Meanwhile, experts have suggested a range of potential causes for shaking hands  and while it's usually nothing to worry about, it can be a sign of a serious condition.

Tom Hanks ' appearance on a Saturday Night Live sketch at the weekend sparked concern for the veteran actor's health

During the show's recurring Five Timers Club segment, fans noted that 68-year-old Oscar-winner Hanks' hands visible trembled at times

Although the Forest Gump star often kept his hands clasped together or in his pockets, they shook when he handled props, including cocktail glasses and presents

The medical term for uncontrollable shaking hanks is tremours, and these can manifest in different ways.

It is considered normal for the hands to shake a small amount  this is known as physiologic tremor and may well be most noticeable when the hands are outstretched.

Caffeine use, stress, fatigue, or sleep deprivation can intensify this sort of tremour.

A more severe shake that interferes with everyday life, however, may be a sign of a common condition known as essential tremour, or ET.

This can affect almost any part of the body, but most often in the hands, especially when carrying out simple tasks, such as drinking from a cup or tying shoelaces.

It is a neurological condition  one that affects the nerves  but medically, it is considered benign, but it usually worsens over time.

An estimated one million people in the UK have ET, and it's more common with age, with almost one in 20 over 65s affected, rising to one in five of over 95s.

'People often notice that an essential tremor is made worse with stress, a lack of sleep and coffee but, interestingly, can often improve after a small amount of alcohol,' said MailOnline resident GP Dr Ellie Cannon.

MailOnline approached Hanks' representatives for comment and he recently stated he's in 'better shape' in his late 60s than he was in his 30s

A more severe shake that interferes with everyday life, however, may be a sign of a common condition known as essential tremour, or ET

She added: 'Even if a tremour has been going on for a long time, if there has been a worsening I would say this warrants medical assessment.'

ET that causes problems may be treated with medications such as the beta blocker propranolol or the anti-seizure drug primidone, which are prescription only.

Stressful situations  such as performing in public  cause ET to worsen temporarily, and in these cases doctors may recommend taking medication ahead of the event.

Another, rarer cause of hand tremours is Parkinson's disease, an incurable condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years.

While it can be a symptom, it is often not an early warning sign.

Alongside shaking  which can affect the whole body  the main symptoms of Parkinson's are slow movement, and stiff and inflexible muscles.

As the disease progresses, balance issues and problems with concentration and memory are often seen.

Another, rarer cause of hand tremours is Parkinson's disease, an incurable condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years

Hand tremours in Parkinson's typically occur at rest  and are sometimes described as looking 'like you are rolling a pill between your thumb and index finger'.

This tremour disappears during activity  whereas in ET, the tremour only occurs during activity.

Diagnosing the cause of a tremour involves physical examination and a medical history  for instance, are there other symptoms that could indicate something more serious such as balance impairment, stiffness, or slowness of movement.

In addition, some medications can cause tremors, such as the antidepressant bupropion, and the heart drug amiodarone.

Tremours can also be an issue after a stroke, depending on which part of the brain was damaged.

If hand tremors interfere with eating, it may helpful to use weighted eating utensils and to work with a physiotherapist for help with fine motor skills, such as buttoning clothes, according to experts.

Concern was raised last year after a poll revealed the majority of people only recognise two of the 40 frequent warning signs of Parkinson's disease.

Awareness of symptoms were branded 'dangerously low' by charity, Cure Parkinson's.

This is despite an early diagnosis being key for the best chance of effective treatment and a greater quality of life for those with the condition.

Shaking and problems with balance were the only two signs widely selected by the public, at 69 and 52 per cent respectively.

Almost three quarters (74 per cent) were not aware depression, anxiety or pain could indicate a potential sign.

Over four in five (83 per cent) people didn't know losing your sense of smell is a likely sign  a symptom which can appear years before others develop.

Two thirds (66 per cent) were also unaware that physically freezing, or the temporary inability to move, could be an early warning sign.
More than a dozen states have been upgraded to a status of 'high' or 'very high' levels of respiratory virus activity, with some forced to close schools and cancel holiday events.

Oregon and Louisiana are seeing very high levels of the flu, Covid, RSV and other respiratory illnesses for the week ending December 14, the latest data available.

While California, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, New Jersey, Washington, DC and New York City are reporting high levels.

The number of states at either of these levels is double from the week prior, with experts saying illnesses are rising quickly. And in some states, hospitals are reinstating mask rules in hopes of curbing the spread.

Dr William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, which is dealing with a respiratory illness spike in the Nashville area, told the East Bay Times: 'Flu has been increasing, but just this last week has exploded.'

Alabama was the newest state to be upgraded this week and the state had to cancel classes for three days at one school in Limestone County as the district fights a flu outbreak.

Sugar Creek Elementary School announced it had 'been monitoring the amount of sickness among students and staff' and decided to close for three days 'to give our students and staff a chance to recover and stop the spread.'

Additionally, the school postponed a holiday event until next month 'due to the high number of illnesses in our school and community.'

Children and seniors are at particular risk for severe illness from flu, RSV or Covid

Christmas festivities in Hartselle, Alabama were also postponed 'due to so many of our vendors being under the weather.'

In a social media post, the organizers said: 'Due to multiple vendors having the FLUwe feel its best to CANCEL THE Rocky Acres Christmas Market!!! We are so sorry for any inconvenience!!!'

Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) medical officer Wes Stubblefield said the state's number of flu-like illnesses continues to surge.

He told local Fox 54: 'This year, our numbers have started to rise pretty dramatically over the last two to three weeks. We don't know where the peak will end. But it's safe to say that the flu is here, and everyone needs to be prepared.'

Nationally, lab tests for positive influenza cases have risen nine percent and 9,000 people have been hospitalized during the past week. Doctors visits for the flu have risen four percent and two more deaths from the virus were reported this week.

Thus far for the 2024-2025 flu season, the CDC estimates there have been nearly 2million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations and 1,000 deaths.

Experts partly attribute the highly active start of flu season to lower vaccination rates.

As of December 7, only 41 percent of both adults and kids had received a flu shot.

The flu is not the only virus driving respiratory illness activity rates. RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, is also picking up.

Each year in the US, RSV leads to approximately 2.1million outpatient visits among children younger than five years old, though this is likely an undercount because many people with the virus don't seek medical treatment.

One way officials estimate the spread of a virus is through wastewater testing, and levels of RSV being detected in wastewater are on the rise.

Wastewater monitoring by the CDC can detect viruses spreading within communities earlier than lab testing of patient samples can and even before people who are sick visit a doctor.

It can also detect infections without symptoms.

The overall RSV activity level in wastewater is currently 'low,' but has seen a sharp increase over the last several weeks.

During the two weeks between November 30 and December 14, national wastewater levels of RSV activity increased 160 percent, according to the CDC.

Activity was marked as 'very high' in Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Missouri, Louisiana, Washington, DC, and Maryland during the week of December 8 to 14.

The above graph shows the nationwide activity of RSV detection levels in wastewater

The above map shows the activity of RSV detection levels in wastewater in each state

The CDC estimates 22,000 to 45,000 people were hospitalized with RSV during from October 1 to December 7.

It is also estimated the virus has caused 980 to 2,300 deaths.

Meanwhile, the numbers are even higher for Covid, with up to 120,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths.

In light of the growing numbers, the CDC says immunizations are the best way to prevent serious illness from Covid, RSV and flu.

Everyone aged six months and older is advised to be up to date with the most recent Covid vaccine, while the flu vaccine is recommended annually, each season.

For RSV, there are two options recommended to protect infants and one is recommended for a small group of young children aged eight to 19 months who are at increased risk for severe RSV.

RSV vaccines - given as single doses - are recommended for all adults ages 75 and older and adults ages 60 to 74 who are at increased risk.

Older residents in nursing homes are at heightened risk of severe illness and death from any one of the three viruses due to their weakened immune systems.

During the 2021-2022 flu season, the death rate for people 65 years and older was around 7.4 per 100,000 population, compared to 0.1 per 100,000 people among those aged 18 to 49 years.

If you have received an RSV vaccine already, the CDC says you do not need to get another RSV vaccine at this time.

Along with getting vaccinated, the CDC recommends mask wearing 'during periods of increased acute respiratory infections in the community'.

It adds: 'Coughing patients and anyone suspected of having influenza should wear a mask at all times until they are isolated in a private room.

'[However] no recommendation can be made at this time for mask use in the community by asymptomatic persons, including those at higher risk for complications, to prevent exposure to influenza viruses.'
Good news: 2025 is already shaping up to be a brilliant year for literary lovers, especially when it comes to book-to-screen adaptations. From chilling thrillers by Freida McFadden and Colleen Hoover, to romantic comedies by Emily Henry and Helen Fielding, many brilliant novels are coming to the screen.

Below, weve rounded up our favourite titles to get excited about

The Housemaid

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

After spending 108 weeks (and counting) on the Amazon bestseller list, Freida McFaddens psychological thriller The Housemaid is being translated to the screen by Bridesmaids director Paul Feig.

The film will star Sydney Sweeney as Millie, a struggling woman who has recently been paroled from prison and takes up a job as a housemaid to Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), an upscale, wealthy couple. She soon learns that the familys secrets are far more dangerous than her own.

The Housemaid will come out next Christmas Day, 25th December 2025.

Verity

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Following the success of It Ends With Us, another Colleen Hoover bestseller has caught Hollywoods eye: Verity.

The story follows Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), a struggling writer who is on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett), husband of best-selling thriller author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series, which his wife is unable to finish after a mysterious accident.

Stay tuned for updates on the release date.

READ MORE: Everything we know about the adaptation of Verity

People We Meet on Vacation

You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

Netflix is turning Emily Henrys beloved slow-burn romance into a film starring Emily Bader (My Lady Jane) and Tom Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes).

In People We Meet on Vacation, free-spirited Poppy and routine-loving Alex have been unlikely best friends for a decade, living in different cities but spending every summer vacation together. The careful balance of their friendship is put to the test when they begin to question what has been obvious to everyone else  could they actually be the perfect romantic match?

Stay tuned for updates on the release date.

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Another adaptation of the gothic love story is set to hit cinemas  this time by Oscar-winning director Emerald Fennell (of Saltburn fame).

Set on the West Yorkshire moors, Emily Brontes 1847 novel focuses on a conflict between two families, the Earnshaws and the Lintons. At the heart of the story is the passionate yet destructive relationship between an orphan adopted by Mr. Earnshaw named Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) and Mr. Earnshaws daughter, Catherine (Margot Robbie).

Emerald Fennells take on the classic tale will land in cinemas on 13 February 2026, just in time for Valentines Day.

Stay tuned for updates on the release date.

READ MORE: Everything we know about the adaptation of Wuthering Heights

The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Netflix is joining forces with Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone filmmaker Chris Columbus to bring Richard Osmans bestselling novel to the screen. The story follows a group of friends in a retirement home who gather to solve murders for fun but find themselves caught in a real case.

The four main members of the Thursday Murder Club are played by Helen Mirren (ex-spy Elizabeth), Ben Kingsley (ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim), Pierce Brosnan (exunion activist Ron) and Celia Imrie (ex-nurse Joyce).

Stay tuned for updates on the release date.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding

Eight years after we last saw her in Bridget Joness Baby, our favourite frazzled English woman is returning to our screens in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

The fourth instalment sees Bridget (Renee Zellweger), now in her early 50s, navigate life as a widow and single mum with the help of her family, friends and even her former lover, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). Back to work and on the apps, shes pursued by a much-younger character, played by Leo Woodall and maybe  just maybe  her son's science teacher, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The fourth Bridget Jones film will land in cinemas on 14 February 2025. Happy Valentines Day!

READ MORE: Everything we know about Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Britain's economy flatlined between July and September, according to revised Office for National Statistics figures published on Monday.

Gross domestic product was previously thought by the ONS to have increased by just 0.1 per cent in the UK during the third quarter.

A 0.7 per cent rise in construction activity was offset by production output shrinking by 0.4 per cent, while the services sector recorded no growth.

The ONS also downgraded growth in the second quarter of 2024 from 0.5 per cent to 0.4 per cent.

Liz McKeown, its director of economic statistics, said advertising, law firms, and bars and restaurants performed less well between April and September.

The updated figures represent a further blow for a UK Government already reeling from a Budget criticised for hiking National Insurance and cutting business rates relief for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.

Under pressure: Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been dealt a further blow as revised figures showed Britain's economy flatlined between July and September

Many major companies and trade organisations have warned these measures risk job losses, price rises and store closures, as well as economic growth.

Last week, the Bank of England said it predicted the UK economy would continue flatlining in the final three months of this year.

Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, said: 'All in all, its a pretty dreary economic picture as we enter the new year.

'The latest readings and forecasts also somewhat put the kibosh on the idea that the UK might reap an economic dividend from the political stability provided by a new government with a strong majority.'

The ONS figures come as a survey by Lloyds Bank found that optimism has been eroded to end 2024 at the lowest level recorded all year.

And the Confederation of British Industry today warned that the economy is headed for the 'worst of all worlds'.

According to Lloyds, business confidence fell two percentage points to 39 per cent in December after a gradual decline since Labour won the election.

And 11 per cent of firms said they expect to be less busy next year, compared with an 8 per cent reading a month earlier.

The dip led to an overall eight-point drop in trading prospects to 47 per cent  the lowest result since June. More than half of the 1,200 firms surveyed said they would hire more workers in 2025, but 19 per cent said they will cut jobs.

And 64 per cent of companies plan to hike prices next year.

However, there was a slight uptick in optimism about the broader economy for the first time since August.
Honda and Nissan are weighing a merger amid an intense battle to capture the future electric vehicle market, potentially building the world's largest carmaker by sales.

The Japanese car giants revealed they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on a potential business integration, along with smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors.

They said a tie-up would potentially help them 'maintain global competitiveness' and deliver 'more attractive' products and services as the vehicle industry experiences a massive upheaval.

A merger between the longtime competitors - who are also Japan's second and third-largest carmakers (behind Toyota) - and Mitsubishi would create a business worth over $50billion in market capitalisation.

It would also take the battle to the band of emerging Chinese carmakers that are staking a big claim in major Western markets.

Standing together: Nissan and Honda revealed they had signed an MOU on a potential business integration, along with smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors

Why do Honda and Nissan want to merge?

Honda and Nissan agreed to consider collaborating on developing EV technology in March before deciding at the beginning of August to conduct joint research on autonomous driving and share components for EVs such as batteries.

The firms say the deal would offer the standardisation of vehicle platforms, which would lower costs and create stronger products, optimise factories, and integrate research and development functions.

Makoto Uchida, chief executive of Nissan, said: 'I believe that by uniting the strengths of both companies, we can deliver unparalleled value to customers worldwide who appreciate our respective brands.

'Together, we can create a unique way for them to enjoy cars that neither company could achieve alone.'

How could a Honda and Nissan merger affect the car market?

Traditional carmakers are struggling to compete with upstart electric vehicle makers, particularly those from China, which dominate the rapidly expanding EV market.

Chinese EV firms have benefited from generous government subsidies, tax breaks, and China's access to critical raw materials such as graphite and refined rare earth metals.

Shenzhen-headquartered BYD overtook Elon Musk's Tesla to become the world's biggest-selling EV manufacturer last year after selling more than 3 million cars.

The Nissan Leaf was the world's most popular electric vehicle during the early 2010s, but its popularity has dwindled amidst heightened competition, contributing to Nissan's severe financial difficulties.

What would this mean for car buyers?

Major car makers have staged a wave of tie-ups as they have faced tougher conditions in recent years and try to cope with the shift to electric power.

The huge Stellantis group has 14 brands under one umbrella after it was formed by a combination of PSA Group - made up of Peugeot and Citroen - General Motors' European arm of Opel and Vauxhall, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and more.

Stellantis recently saw its boss Carlos Tavares stand down and say it would stop making vans at the Luton Vauxhall plant.

Carmakers face major competition from Chinese brands, which, although they still have only a relatively small market share, are gaining ground with each year, aided by subsidies and strategy from China's government.

A Nissan-Honda merger would allow the two car firms to share research and development resources, vehicle platforms, electric powertrains and tech, reducing costs and boosting firepower.

Car buyers would be likely to see some similarities in vehicles in years to come but should still see two distinct brands operating. Both would continue to operate dealerships, servicing existing cars and looking after customers.

Why is Nissan struggling?

Last month, Nissan announced it would axe 9,000 jobs and cut global production capacity by a fifth as it posted a 47.2million third-quarter loss.

Soon afterwards, Fitch Ratings lowered Nissan's credit outlook to 'negative,' citing the firm's falling profits and weaker-than-expected performance in North America.

Honda also revealed last month that its first-half profits slumped by around 20 per cent to $3.2billion due to declining sales volumes in China.

Toshihiro Mibe, president of Honda, said: 'Bringing together the resources including knowledge, talents, and technologies that Honda and Nissan have been developing over the long years is essential to overcome challenging environmental shifts.'

What would this mean for UK carmaking?

The Sunday Times reported that Honda could make vehicles at Nissan's prominent Sunderland plant as part of a tie-up, having stopped all car production in the UK three years ago.

Nissan warned last month that zero-emission car targets will have an 'irreversible impact' on the British motor industry.

After holding crisis talks with the Government, the Japanese manufacturer said electric vehicle quotas would risk thousands of jobs and billions of pounds in investment.

Guillaume Cartier, chair of the Nissan Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania region, said: 'It risks undermining the business case for manufacturing cars in the UK, and the viability of thousands of jobs and billions of pounds in investment.

'We now need to see urgent action from the Government by the end of the year to avoid a potentially irreversible impact on the UK automotive sector.'

Nissan employs around 7,000 people in the UK, including 6,000 at the country's largest carmaking plant in Sunderland.

Last week, it was revealed that British car production had plunged to its lowest level in more than 40 years.

That came as ministers were under pressure to relax electric vehicle targets amid warnings from the industry they could result in factory closures and job losses.

Around 64,216 new cars rolled off UK production lines last month, down 30 per cent from last year, according to industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

It was the worst monthly performance for the industry since 1980, when Britain was gripped by industrial unrest and soaring inflation.
I have two defined benefit pensions from past employment and also pension savings with three defined contribution schemes, set up by past employers, though I am still contributing to one of them.

The DB schemes seem fine, as the Pension Protection Fund seems to cover them. However the same cannot be said for the DC schemes.

The FSCS has a 'pension protection checker', which when I tell it that I have money in a scheme, that it is a DC scheme and that I didn't use an independent financial adviser tells me that: 'Your defined contribution workplace pension could be set up to be trust-based, contract-based, or group-based.

'FSCS protection would depend on how your particular scheme was set up. Its up to you to find out what protection your pension has.'

Even if I do find out whether my pension is "trust-based, contract-based, or group-based", the website is silent as to what the consequences of this might be. In short, this is useless.

Elsewhere on the FSCS site, it says that: 'If your pension provider or financial adviser goes out of business, we may be able to step in and pay compensation.

Got a question for Steve Webb? Scroll down to find out how to contact him

'But FSCS protection varies depending on the type of pension product, and there are limits to the amount we can compensate.'

However this is directly contradicted by moneyhelper.org.uk, which says that: 'If something happened to an investment provider, you would normally be able to apply for compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

'Generally, this means you're protected up to 85,000 for each institution your money is invested. This includes money youve invested in your pension as well as any other savings accounts. It also includes money you have in cash with the same institution such as a bank account.'

Many people have more than 85,000 in DC pension funds, so this is a very relevant distinction. It might also be of particular significance given the advice that is often seen to consolidate one's employment pensions into a single scheme.

If there is an 85,000 limit on compensation per provider, this would seem to be very foolish. Is there any way you might be able to provide some clarity?

SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT HOW TO ASK STEVE YOUR PENSION QUESTION

Steve Webb replies: It is important that people understand how safe their money is, whether its invested in a pension or some other financial product.

As you say, this may become particularly important if more and more people decide in future to consolidate all their pension savings in one place.

However, as you have discovered, the rules around pensions are far from straightforward.

In this column Ill do my best to set out what protections are in place, but (spoiler alert) the answer may in some cases still be it depends on the specific situation.

As you know, things are relatively clear cut in the case of a traditional defined benefit (DB) pension.

How safe are your pensions? The rules around this are far from straightforward, says Steve Webb

When a private sector employer stands behind a DB pension, they are required to pay a levy to the Pension Protection Fund.

In the event that the company goes bust and there is not enough money in the pension fund, the PPF will step in and cover a significant proportion of what was due.

You can read more about the scope of Pension Protection Fund protection here.

In the case of more modern pot of money or defined contribution (DC) pensions, the situation is more complex.

This is primarily because DC pensions can be set up in a variety of ways and the way compensation is structured depends on exactly how the pension was established and on how the failure arose.

To try to obtain greater clarity, I have been in touch with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, which is likely to be the main organisation involved in providing compensation in the case of DC pensions, and it has expanded a bit more on the information on its website.

Before going further, I should say that FSCS was at pains to stress that the precise answer will always depend on the exact details of the exact pension arrangement, and so what follows is only intended as a rough guide rather than a definitive statement of the law.

One group of DC pensions are those provided by insurance companies, many of which are household names.

If your pension is a 'contract of long term insurance' with a regulated UK insurer and the insurer fails, FSCS may be able to protect it at 100 per cent under something called their insurance sub-scheme.

FSCS also have an investments sub-scheme which could cover a situation where a provider of self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) fails.

In this case, for failures since 1 April 2019, cover may be available up to 85,000.

The requirement in this case is that the Sipp firm would have to owe the customer a civil liability - something the customer could have sued the firm for, such as a failure to conduct proper investment due diligence.

A slightly different cause of failure to pay your full DC pension could arise if an underlying investment provider of an asset held within a pension were to fail.

As you will appreciate, the money inside a pension is likely to be invested across a range of assets and a range of providers.

FSCS says that in cases where the pension is something called a bare trust arrangement (with the beneficiary members being absolutely entitled to the relevant pensions assets), it may be able to look through the pension wrapper to the underlying fund and provide compensation.

I should stress that in all these cases we are talking about situations where a provider (such as an insurance company or Sipp provider) goes bust or is unable to meet its obligations.

This is quite different from a situation where your pension simply falls in value because of poor investment performance, which is not generally covered by compensation arrangements.

However, if you felt that you had lost out because your money was being poorly invested on your behalf, for example by a financial adviser, you might be able to seek redress via a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

If you remain unclear about whether, and to what extent, your different pensions would be protected, FSCS encourages customers to contact their individual regulated firm or pension scheme to establish what compensation would be available.

The firm or scheme will know exactly how the pension has been set up and which type and level of compensation might be available if the worst should happen.

Ask Steve Webb a pension question Former pensions minister Steve Webb is This Is Money's agony uncle. He is ready to answer your questions, whether you are still saving, in the process of stopping work, or juggling your finances in retirement. Steve left the Department for Work and Pensions after the May 2015 election. He is now a partner at actuary and consulting firm Lane Clark & Peacock. If you would like to ask Steve a question about pensions, please email him at pensionquestions@thisismoney.co.uk. Steve will do his best to reply to your message in a forthcoming column, but he won't be able to answer everyone or correspond privately with readers. Nothing in his replies constitutes regulated financial advice. Published questions are sometimes edited for brevity or other reasons. Please include a daytime contact number with your message - this will be kept confidential and not used for marketing purposes. If Steve is unable to answer your question, you can also contact MoneyHelper, a Government-backed organisation which gives free assistance on pensions to the public. It can be found here and its number is 0800 011 3797. Stev e receives many questions about the state pension and 'contracting out'. If you are writing to Steve on this topic, he responds to a typical reader question about the state pension and contracting out here
President Joe Biden signed into law a bipartisan funding bill on Saturday, avoiding a government shutdown after a tumultuous week in Congress marked by President-elect Donald Trump's rejection of an initial agreement.

The White House announced the signing of the legislation, which ensures government operations are funded at current levels through March 14. The Senate passed the bill in an 85-11 vote just 38 minutes after the previous funding expired at midnight, following its earlier approval by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Friday evening.

"This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires that Republicans sought, and it ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity," Biden, a Democrat, said in a statement.

"That's good news for the American people, especially as families gather to celebrate this holiday season."

The week saw significant disruption as Trump, set to take office in January, and his adviser, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, opposed the initial bipartisan agreement. Trump demanded an increase in the government's borrowing limit and declared that, without it, a government shutdown should begin "immediately."

This led to days of negotiations, with vital government services at risk during the holiday season. A shutdown would have impacted hundreds of thousands of workers, with up to 875,000 furloughed and an additional 1.4 million working without pay.

The final legislation includes $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in assistance to farmers but omitted provisions sought by Democrats. Many criticized Republicans for bowing to Musk, an unelected billionaire with no governmental experience.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, stated that his party expects to wield more influence next year when it controls both chambers of Congress and Trump assumes the presidency.
Family rows at Christmas can change inheritance decisions and turn into long-running legal disputes.

One in five people would disinherit a family member based on a falling out, and one in three would exclude a relative from their will because they didnt like them, research reveals.

One in six would also write someone out of a will because they did not visit them enough, and one in four if they had isolated themselves from their family, according to the poll by Lime Solicitors.

Christmas might be the merriest time of year, but with extended family coming together it can also be the perfect time for feuds, cautions the firm.

Debra Burton, partner in inheritance disputes at Lime, says: 'The most common reason people exclude relatives from their will is due to personal feelings and animosity.

> Find tips on preventing family fallouts over inheritance below

Disinheriting a family member: Rows, personal animosity and failure to visit can lead to relatives being written out of wills

'With so many family members coming together in close proximity, Christmas celebrations can often bring unresolved tensions to the surface,' says Burton.

'If these tensions develop into something more serious, those who have written a will may decide to disinherit family members.'

Lime's survey also found that almost half of people would contest a will if they were excluded from it, turning a falling out into a more entrenched legal dispute after someone dies.

It polled 1,000 people aged 16 and over, weighted to be representative of the UK population.

How to avoid an inheritance dispute

Debra Burton of Lime Solicitors offers the following advice on dealing with family members over this tricky topic.

Communication: Discuss wishes with family members so that the will does not come as a big surprise

Dont over promise: Some people dont like confrontation or potentially upsetting a family member and for an 'easy or quiet life' may make promises or statements/assurances to their family they that didnt intend to be binding.

This can be from anything about who will inherit the family farm to who you want to have your treasured record collection.

Much better to say nothing than make a flippant comment which someone is relying on or takes seriously.

Debra Burton: Discuss wishes with family members so that the will does not come as a big surprise

Formalise your wishes: Make a will and set out what you actually want to happen rather than leaving it all to one person with the direction 'they know what I want to happen'. This can be disastrous.

If everything is left to that person, then legally it is theirs to do with what they want. If they dont get on with for example the stepchildren, then they will not follow the wishes.

Even if the families all do get on, that is a lot of pressure and responsibility to put on someone who may not be 100 per cent completely sure of what your wishes were and are very likely to be grieving themselves

Take legal advice: Make sure your wishes are legally binding and any will complies with all the formalities.

If there is likely to be a dispute about your will after you have died, then the solicitor can look to minimise that by ensuring you have capacity, that you know and approve the contents of your will and are free from undue pressure.

This will all be recorded in the will file. The will file will then be key evidence for the court to consider and the solicitor will be a key witness and in whose evidence the court is likely to place great weight.

> How to make a watertight will: 10 tips to getting your last wishes fulfilled - and errors to avoid

Do you have an inheritance dilemma or problem? We can help

This is Money readers often contact us about legal disputes, and we ask lawyers to answer their questions anonymously.

My daughter shut me out of a 250k investment fund I set up for her - how do I disinherit her?

How do we stop our troubled child gambling away their inheritance?

Can my dad who has dementia leave his house just to me after my sister financially abused him?

If you would like help with an inheritance problem, write to us at experts@thisismoney.co.uk. Please put INHERITANCE in the subject line.
Traffic across the barren West Texas landscape began skyrocketing around a decade ago - with barreling 18-wheelers, flatbeds and tanker trailers snaking as far as the eye could see along a two-lane road through formerly sleepy prairieland.

The Lone Star State was experiencing its latest oil boom, and the Permian Basin  home to a sparsely populated and unforgiving terrain  had become ground zero for fortune seekers, conglomerates, transport companies, roughnecks and felons alike.

The exponential industry growth saw the number of rigs in the region jump from 92 in May 2009 to 565 in October 2014, clogging woefully unprepared roads.

And as US 285 became the heartbeat of the bustling industries, it also earned a chilling nickname among locals: Death Highway.

The stretch from the New Mexico border to Fort Stockton, until that point, was where 'tumbleweeds and cattle loitered along the fence line,' writer and Permian Basin native Christian Wallace explained in his 2019 podcast Boomtown.

'Now that its become the nations, and perhaps the worlds, most critical artery for crude oil, it looks like a scene from Mad Max,' he added.

A devastating 839 crashes were recorded between 2016 and 2021 on the northern stretch of 285, from Pecos to the New Mexico border, which saw a 34.5 percent increase in traffic during that same timeframe.

The southern portion from Pecos to Fort Stockton recorded 540 crashes from 2015 to 2019, including ten deaths  with the road experiencing a 21 percent increase in traffic growth, according to Texas Department of Transportation (TxDot) figures.

As US 285 became the heartbeat of the booming oil industry, it also earned a chilling nickname among locals: Death Highway

Pictured: A fatal crash on US 285 on October 12 claimed the life of Mahmoud Abbad

Despite comprising less than 2 percent of the states population, the Permian Basin was accounting for 12 percent of all traffic deaths by 2019, Wallace wrote in Texas Monthly, describing his own perilous journey on the notorious road.

I had taken 285 north out of Pecos toward the drilling frenzy happening around the ghost town of Orla, near the New Mexico state line, wrote Wallace, whose podcast inspired Paramounts new hit Landman, starring Billy Bob Thornton.

The procession of trucks and big rigs that dwarfed my 1500 GMC pickup grunted its way to Orla bumper-to-bumper, coughing black exhaust and stirring up clouds of caliche dust so thick I had to turn on my wipers.

'About halfway there, a welders truck flew past me and something - a metal rod, best I could tell - came off the truck and struck my windshield, cracking it in half.

In 2022, TxDot recorded 26,031 crashes across the Permian Basin, resulting in 394 fatalities and 889 serious injuries.

In contrast, before the explosion of oil and gas activities, the region in 2011 saw 18,019 crashes - only 169 of them fatal, according to figures from Texas A&M.

Just last month, Death Highway was listed as the third most dangerous roadway in America, along with nearby 302, according to data compiled from more than 1.3million commercial drivers using Motive  a company built around electronic logging devices for vehicles and fleet management.

Highway 285 and 302 in Pecos recorded 32.17 collisions per 1,000 vehicles, Motive reported  calling the roadway 'a magnet for oilfield traffic and hazardous weather.

Flames and plumes of black smoke have become common sights along Death Highway and other overcrowded Permian Basin roads, where truck-heavy traffic backs up for miles as first responders and life flights tend to accident victims.

According to a study earlier this year commissioned by the Permian Road Safety Coalition, a nonprofit founded in 2015 to address the escalating road crisis, crashes in the region are twice as likely to be fatal than in the rest of Texas.

Nearly 15 crashes per 1,000 resulted in at least one death in the Permian Basin, compared to the statewide average of seven per 1,000.

US 285 features frequently on a Facebook page thats cropped up to monitor the areas road dangers: West Texas Oil Field Update, which was created in an effort to alleviate further congestion as a result of vehicle incidents and bring a heightened awareness to the issues observed while driving.

Infrastructure not designed to accommodate the amount of traffic, distractions, fatigue, a lack of care and concern by motorists, and driving cultures from all over the United States meeting in one relatively small area has created very dangerous driving conditions, the page laments.

The southern portion from Pecos to Fort Stockton recorded 540 crashes from 2015 to 2019, including ten deaths

Just last month, Death Highway was listed as the third most dangerous roadway in America, along with nearby 302

Pictured: Local outlet KQRE's coverage of some of the deadly wrecks that have littered US 285 over the years

US 285 features frequently on a Facebook page (pictured) that has cropped up to monitor the areas road dangers

Pictured: Pecos man Mahmoud Abbad, who died in a fiery wreck along US 285 in October

State officials have been racing to address the issues that materialized almost overnight in a previously unruffled corner of Texas.

Eric Lykins, TxDot Odessa District engineer, grew up in the central part of the state and had visited the Permian Basin in the past.

But when he arrived to work on the infrastructure two and a half years ago, even he was taken aback by the frenzy.

Theres nothing like the experience out here, he told DailyMail.com.

I just have a heightened awareness, constantly trying to watch whats happening around me, because we have blowouts on trucks; you have tires that maybe come off of vehicles and hit the other vehicle; you have, of course, our work zones and just getting through those.'

Its not a comfortable drive,' he continued. 'And I tell people, if you really want to get the true experience of coming to the Permian Basin, you need to drive 285 in the mornings when the crews are going out.'

'You need to drive I-20 from Odessa to Pecos between 6 and 7 in the morning, or drive 3012 from Odessa going towards Kermit  because its going to be two solid lanes  just both lanes are going to be full, and its just headlights and tail lights as far each direction as you can see.

With the mix of the trucks and things, you just have to really be paying attention to whats going on around you,' he explained.

Accident statistics, however, indicate that not everyone is following that advice.

Instead, driver distraction, phone usage, operating vehicles under the influence and simple exhaustion have all contributed to the road's Death Highway reputation.

'When you've been in the oilfield for ten to 11 days, working 14 hours a day, you just become so tired that you're not thinking straight,' longtime trucker James Whiskey Stroup told Bloomberg in a 2018 interview. 'You're just brain dead, because you're living off four to six hours of sleep.'

Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter, who worked in regional law enforcement for nearly 50 years before his 2019 death, noted to the outlet how industry demands often meant that drivers were overworking themselves to make six-figure salaries.

'Some of them are speeding, some of them are too tired to be driving, but they're making money,' he said. 'Some of these guys are just trying to make as much money as they can.'

Then there are the other associated behavioral risks.

Lykins pointed out that of 125 traffic fatalities in the 12 counties of his Odessa district last year, roughly 45 of those were unrestrained occupants, which means the person that died didnt have on a seat belt.

In addition, alcohol and drug usage is rampant among drivers working hard and playing harder.

Odessa topped the list of US cities with the highest rate of fatal drunk driving accidents, according to a study by a Philadelphia law firm using 2018-2022 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nearby Midland came in sixth.

While public safety campaigns are endeavoring to address the human factors contributing to the dangers, engineers and other state workers such as Lykins are desperately scrambling to expand road infrastructure.

The fact is that when the hydraulic fracking industry took off around 2012, the traffic volumes out here just made an exponential leap, he said.

For people that arent familiar with delivering these large infrastructure projects, its not something that happens overnight  the unfortunate reality is, it took almost from 2012 to 2017  took at least five years even  to get the first project started.'

Despite comprising less than 2 percent of the states population, the Permian Basin was accounting for 12 percent of all traffic deaths by 2019 - including the one that took place as a result of this wreck

Pictured: Wrecks, including big rigs, that have caused mounting concern among authorities seeking to find solutions to the deadly traffic problem

The main goal is widening the roads from one to two lanes in each direction, and progress has already significantly reduced the fatality rate in his district to the lowest number since 2010.

TxDot has been building Super 2 highways where they have extended passing lanes that alternate, depending on which direction youre going.

'So lets say youre going northbound, youll have a roughly two-to three-mile passing lane for that northbound direction, and then when that passing lane drops off, youre back down to one lane. Then the opposite side of the roadway, the southbound has a passing lane for their direction,' he explained.

The aim is to reduce the frequent accidents caused by passenger cars or other vehicles trying to overtake slower-moving commercial vehicles  or failing to see trucks, for example, making sudden turns and stops.

There are drivers that take extreme risk  passing in no passing zones, passing in blind curves, passing going up hills, he told DailyMail.com. We have a lot of head-on collisions just from drivers trying to pass when its not safe.

For Lykins, who despises the nickname Death Highway, it has become a personal mission to make US 285 and other overloaded roads of the Permian Basin safer.

Were all fully invested he said. It means something to us  and people expect us to be making things better.

We take it serious.
Drone fever is on the rise after mysterious UAVs were spotted over US airbases in the UK and others sparked a mass panic in the skies over New Jersey.

MailOnline has now unearthed more sightings of drones in our skies as the debate rages over the origins of the phenomenon.

We have found at least six previously unknown recent sightings of UFOs in this country ranging from rural Northumberland to urban Luton  including more over UK military airbases.

In the US The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced a temporary drone ban in New Jersey, citing 'special security reasons.'

And one military expert has warned that the sightings could be the work of Russian 'sleeper agents' looking to test the aerial defences of western nations.

The drones panic began in the UK when mysterious lights were spotted over RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, which has been earmarked as a storage facility for US nuclear warheads three times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.

MailOnline has catalogued some of the sightings reported by our readers in the skies above Britain and Europe in recent weeks.

One spotted a bright flying object near RAF Boulmer in Northumberland, a key station helping providing surveillance of UK airspace and tactical control of combat and support aircraft.

Your browser does not support iframes.

'Slow moving lights' were seen in Blackpool in October by Rebecca Cardwell

A 'bright light' was also spotted on December 17 while taking a picture of the sunrise

'I took two photos of a lovely sunrise,' she told us.

'I looked back at them later and spotted a bright light in the sky. If you zoom in it's sort of diamond-shaped.'

She added: 'There was a few seconds between photos and in that time it has moved across the sky. I am 18 miles south of RAF Boulmer.

'When I zoomed in the photo to see if it looked like a plane or a helicopter - it definitely doesn't.'

Meanwhile Rebecca Cardwell, from Blackpool, said she saw what she described as 'slow moving lights' around 7pm on October 19.

The city is just 15 minutes from Weeton Barracks, which has recently become the home of the first Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

She said: 'I went to open my bedroom window at approximately 7pm to see slow moving bright orange flames or objects flying over in procession.

'I've never seen anything like this before and took some pictures.

The picture was taken in Ellington, Northumberland - 18 miles south of RAF Boulmer - on December 17

Ms Cardwell spotted this over Blackpool in October and she said she had 'never seen anything like this'

'I've just seen an article in the Mail about drones and thought my images looked similar.

'There were at least seven flames/objects that I witnessed, maybe more.'

Matt Chaplin-Haylett in Northampton also reported sightings.

He said: 'I looked out my windscreen and saw a solo light bit weird.. no other stars in sight.

'I grab my phone, zoom in on video and I think Im going mad. '

He sent it to his family but when he looked up again, it had disappeared.

He added: 'It looked like a white light, but zoom showed it having green and red lights - static in the sky.'

He said: 'It looked like a white light, but zoom showed it having green and red lights- static in the sky.' Pictures were taken on December 14

Michael Chapman from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire reported seeing 'hundreds of moving lights' when he stepped outside for a cigarette around 3am last week.

The town is home to RAF Wyton, a strategic command station which provides intelligence to British armed forces operating around the world.

He said: 'I look up to the sky and see hundreds of lights moving in coordination.

'Quite a slow speed, perfectly spaced apart from each other. Almost like hundreds of planes flying overhead. They weren't planes and I didn't think it was drones either to be honest.

'I wasn't quite sure what I was seeing so my best guess would have been drones.

'I attempted to take pictures but the lights wouldn't even show up in image just showed a blank black sky.'

Jo Jenner spotted these in Wormingford, Essex as well as Colchester on November 22.

'I saw numerous drones in the sky over a couple of evenings in the area of the Essex/Suffolk border', she said.

Adding: 'I counted at least 10 in the sky on both occasions.'

Farm worker Ricky Fletcher, 43, was leaving work on November 29 when he saw the aircraft: 'We couldn't believe what we were seeing', he said

It also seems these drones are also being spotted near busy London airports, as one Mail reader from Luton told us.

He described seeing 'red orbs flying across the night sky' on May 31 this year.

He said: 'They were travelling into 17mph headwinds in heavy and light rain and in and out of the low cloud base while maintaining a laser tight trajectory to each other travelling south towards Luton airport

'At the time I did a quick check for air traffic including wind directions to rule out commercial aircraft or lanterns and Im pretty sure the harsh weather conditions and restrictions can rule those out.'

This series of accounts match with what has been reported at and near RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk.

Farmworker Ricky Fletcher, 43, was leaving work on November 29 when initially he only saw what he described as drone flying over Hockwold cum Wilton.

The village sits between two Air Force bases, RAF Feltwell and RAF Lakenheath.

He told us: 'I first saw them on the farm I work at, I was leaving work at 4pm on Friday evening and saw one flying way from Feltwell low to the ground, I almost thought it was a helicopter, it was so big.

Adding: 'All of a sudden we looked up and saw about 10 of them circling around. We were fascinated by them, they were just circling around, not really flying in the same direction.'

A swarm of drones is spotted over in New Jersey, America, which has alarmed US officials

White House national security spokesman John Kirby, pictured, said the majority of the sightings in the US are from drone hobbyists

US Intelligence agencies have sought to reassure Americans amid the widespread panic over these UFOs saying there is nothing nefarious about these drones.

The CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defence met with members of the House Intelligence Committee about the unidentified aircraft that have been reported in multiple states.

It was argued the aircraft are not part of a classified government operation, and said there seems to be no one reason behind the phenomenon.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the majority of the sightings in the US are from drone hobbyists.

He said: 'We assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and even stars that were mistakenly reported as drones.'

'We have not identified anything anomalous or any national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace In New Jersey, or other states in the Northeast. The work continues.'

'But I want to stress again, our assessment at this stage is that the activity represents commercial, hobbyist law enforcement drones, all operating legally and lawful and or civilian aviation aircraft,' he underlined.

Defence expert Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, the former head of the UK's Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, previously told MailOnline he feared it could be a Kremlin plot to test the defences of British and American bases.

'Its no secret that there are sleepers and stuff around,' he warned. 'Its espionage 2.0. Its the next stage. So, this is absolutely the case.'

Federal Aviation Administration has now banned the use of drones in 22 infrastructure sites in New York and New Jersey.

These measures will allow the government to use 'deadly force' against unmanned aircraft if they post an 'imminent security threat'.

The order says no unmanned aircraft can operate below 400ft, the maximum altitude for recreational drone operations under FAA rules.
From the moment she was born, 'million dollar baby' Doris Duke captured the world's attention.

Her father James Buchanan Duke's vast American Tobacco empire meant she was always destined for a life of luxury.

Her standing only increased upon his death in 1925, when at age 12 she inherited his $80 million fortune, equivalent to about $1.4billion today.

The sum earned Duke the moniker 'the richest little girl in the world' and sparked an enduring fascination her with her life, which turned out to be as outsized as her fortune.

From becoming a competitive surfer to a turn as a World War II spy, Duke's colorful antics and statuesque beauty ensured she remained a celebrity until her death in 1993 at the age of 80.

Amid the glitz and glamor lie murkier episodes, including a fateful night where she fatally ran over her best friend but mysteriously avoided murder charges.

Now her family has been thrust back into the spotlight again, after one of her heirs was ordered to pay his mom's ex-husband $2.2 million over claims he stole from him.

Doris Duke was dubbed the 'million dollar baby' when she was born in 1912 owing to her father's vast tobacco empire

Walker Patterson Inman III, 26, was accused of stealing a movie manuscript and an unfinished book from his former stepfather, Randy Allen Thompson, 60.

Inman and his twin sister, Georgia Inman, are both heirs to Duke's vast Lucky Strike fortune, which remains significant despite dwindling over the decades.

Thompson was briefly married to the twins' mom, Daisha Inman, and says he had written the drafts based on the her life story and the twins' chaotic upbringing at the hands of their biological father.

The legal battle is just the latest saga in the family's storied history.

Duke was born in New York City in 1912 to her parents 'JB' Duke and his wife Nananline Holt Inman, who already had a son from her previous marriage.

While JB lavished his 'little duchess' with gifts and attention, his wife was cold and withdrawn - favoring her son Walker Inman in spite of his tearaway tendencies.

Duke spent much of her childhood growing up on her father's New Jersey estate, Duke Farms, and became so attached to the property that she sued her mother in 1927 to prevent it from ever being sold.

Duke, a New York socialite who died in 1993, was known as the 'richest girl in the world' for the inheritance left to her by her father, who founded American Tobacco

She led an exciting life that included signing up to help the US Navy during the World War II

Heiress Doris Duke with her first husband, James Cromwell, in Atlantic City. She married twice in her lifetime

Upon receipt of her initial chunk of inheritance, Duke began the first of her philanthropic endeavors, which covered everything from horticulture to heritage preservation.

In the 1980s, Duke donated $2 million to her namesake university to help with research into the AIDS crisis.

She was also a huge benefactor of the arts and enjoyed friendships with the likes of Andy Warhol.

In the 1930s she built Shangri La, a Honolulu estate that housed prestigious works of Islamic art she had amassed while on her world-tour honeymoon with first husband James Cromwell.

The trip culminated with a stay in Hawaii, where Duke developed a love of surfing, a craft she learned from master surfer Duke Kahanamoku.

While the heiress was not the first female surfer, she was among the most prominent and helped pioneer the sport.

Her days were spent flitting between her palatial homes across the US, collecting art and plants in a private Boeing jet she had redecorated.

But Duke was also committed to a life beyond excess. During the Second World War, she joined up with the United Seamen's Service and was shipped off to Egypt to help run staff canteens working for $1 a year.

An aerial view of Duke's home in Hawaii that housed her impressive art collection

Upon her death, Duke left nearly all of her $1 billon estate to the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, which remains a major force in the philanthropic world

She thrived in her life overseas and relocated to Europe, where she enlisted as a spy.

But she became disinterested with the assignments and began writing dispatches for International News Service, and was often seen zipping around Rome on a bicycle.

Duke's style and beauty meant that she was beloved on the social scene.

But the death of her best friend interior designer Eduardo Tirella threatened to blight her reputation forever.

On a fateful night in 1966, Tirella had jumped out of a car to open the wrought-iron gates to Duke's Rhode Island mansion.

As he did so, Duke shifted from the passenger seat and the vehicle lurched forward, crushing 42-year-old Tirella to death.

The incident was officially ruled an accident just hours later, but many have harbored suspicion over what really happened.

Tirella, who had helped curate Duke's homes and art collection, was an up-and-coming set designer who was reportedly growing tired of only working for the wealthy heiress.

She was never formally charged and the death continues to inspire speculation.

Walker P Inman III, heir to famed tobacco heiress Doris Duke, has been ordered to pay his mom's ex-husband $2.2 million over claims he stole from him. Pictured: Inman on Dr. Phil in 2015

Inman is heir to the fortune along with his twin sister, Georgia Inman, pictured in 2015

Duke married twice during her life, but was known to have many dalliances over the years.

Her first marriage to aspiring politician Cromwell produced a daughter, Arden, who was born premature and died a day after her birth.

Duke then wed Dominican diplomat and notorious playboy Porfirio Rubirosa in 1947, although they divorced a year later.

Duke's other lovers included actor Errol Flynn, jazz pianist Joe Castro and writer Louis Bromfield among others.

She died of a stroke in following several surgeries in 1993. She was cremated and her ashes were spread in the Pacific Ocean, per her last request.

Upon her death, she left nearly all of her $1 billon estate to the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, which remains a major force in the philanthropic world.

Since she had no surviving biological children, part of the Duke fortune went into trust funds for the Inman twins that were not accessible until they turned 21.

The trusts were previously the subject of a legal dispute between the bank JP Morgan and the twins' mom, Daisha, who was accused of frittering away the fortune before her children were of age.

Duke was a jazz lover and a benefactor of the arts, often hosting concerts at her opulent homes

Duke's family home in Rhode Island now serves as a museum open to the public

A family tree showing the Inman twins' connection to the American Tobacco fortune

The siblings' upbringing was tumultuous, with both reporting immense cruelty and neglect at the hands of their addict father, Walker Inman Jr.

It was their mother's plot to liberate them from Inman Jr.'s sprawling Wyoming estate following his death from a methadone overdose in 2010 that inspired their former stepfather to produce his 'stolen' manuscripts.

In his lawsuit, Thompson alleges that Walker P. Inman III stole the copies from his art studio in Lincoln City, Oregon in 2020.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai found that Inman III, who had not responded to the court action, was liable and ordered him to pay $2 million in damages as well as $200,000 for emotional distress.

Inman III and his mom told Oregon Live they were never notified of the lawsuit and denied any wrongdoing.

'My son never stole or broke into anywhere,' Daisha told the outlet.

The heir added he came into possession of the manuscript via a friend of Thompson's, who told him he found it in a box containing other paperwork related to a custody battle over him and his sister.

'This box - it's my life. It became my property,' Inman III said.

However, Judge Kasubhai noted that Thompson had reported a burglary from his studio and that the door had been 'forcibly opened' and a filing cabinet was stolen, with several valuable items left behind.

Duke was just 12 when she inherited $80 million, sparking a sustained fascination with her colorful life

Duke pictured with Eduardo Tirella before she 'accidentally' mowed him down outside her Rhode Island home

Tirella was crushed by Duke's station wagon after he jumped out to open the front gates of her Rhode Island mansion in 1966

'Plaintiff has presented uncontroverted evidence that Defendant was one of only two people Plaintiff was aware of that knew what was in the filing cabinet taken from his art studio,' Judge Kasubhai wrote.

He added that Inman III appeared to have posted images of the artifacts on Facebook.

As part of his filings, Thompson submitted emails which he claimed showed Inman taunting him about having the manuscripts in his possession.

Thompson also submitted a copy of a 2007 contract between him and Daisha handing over the rights to write about her story.

Daisha has since said she was 'naive' as to what this really meant. She and Thompson were married for less than a year and a half and broke up after she found out he was a registered sex offender.

Thompson was convicted of unlawful sexual contact with two minors in Washington in 1986.

However, he has continued to live at a Lincoln City home owned by Daisha. She has since said she plans to try to evict him.

Meanwhile, Thompson claims he tried for several years to get the manuscripts back, to no avail.

Daisha Inman is the mother of the heirs to Duke's fortune. She was briefly married to Randy Allen Thompson, who is suing her son over the alleged theft of manuscripts

The Inman twins were in the care of their drug addict father until his death from a methadone overdose in 2010

It may still prove challenging for Thompson to collect, as he must demonstrate that Inman III has the assets to pay up.

The heir and his mom maintain they were not contacted about the lawsuit, despite court records indicating that emails were sent to several attorneys associated with the family.

Utah-based attorney Justin D. Heideman, who represents the family, also insisted he did not receive notice and told Oregon Live he plans to file a motion to have the judgement reconsidered.

'Obviously we disagree,' Heideman said. 'We will be moving to set it aside.'
Dr. Anthony Fauci is no longer getting a taxpayer-funded security detail and SUVs after the U.S. Marshals Service quietly dropped his nearly two-year $15 million deal.

Despite retiring from his $480,000-a-year government job in December 2022, the nation's top COVID doctor received a security detail for almost two years.

During a publicity tour to promote his new book this summer, 83-year-old Fauci said he was scared 'deep down, that there's a possibility that somebody's gonna kill me.'

Dr. Fauci, who has an estimated $11 million net worth, was constantly surrounded by U.S. Marshals at the time whether he was at home or going to TV studios to film interviews.

That cost taxpayers $15 million in total, a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. Marshals and the Department of Health and Human Services obtained by DailyMail.com first revealed.

That taxpayer-funded security arrangement quietly ended on September 30, 2024, the documents show, days before the election.

Trump teased on the campaign trail that he would be trimming down the 'bloated' federal government that spends billions on unnecessary wast, and Fauci's detail was bound to be high on that list.

He created a new agency, DOGE, headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy who have been tasked to do just that.

Exclusive photos taken of Fauci at his residence over the weekend confirms that his taxpayer-funded detail appears to have been disbanded.

Dr. Anthony Fauci pictured outside his DC home talking to a member of his security team and before waving goodbye as he heads into his home.

Fauci is seen with what appears to be his slimmed-down security team

Fauci is waving to the driver stationed across the street who is part of the security detail

Dr. Anthony Fauci walking in his Washington, D.C. neighborhood without his security detail

The disgraced COVID czar was spotted on a walk with his wife Christine without any security detail on Saturday.

And instead of the huge group U.S. Marshals that were spotted at his home earlier this year, a what appeared to be several private security bodyguards were seen instead.

Over the summer, there were at least six U.S. Marshals with a fleet of vehicles parked in Fauci's neighborhood.

The agents were ready for whenever he wanted to leave his property - which according to real estate websites is worth around $2.2 million.

Their Marshals pin badges were clearly visible, and they were on call all times of day for when he needed to travel.

His more recent sightings reveal a much slimmer security operation.

They huddled with Fauci after an outing before departing in a white SUV.

When pressed by DailyMail.com on why the detail was ended, a U.S. Marshals spokesperson responded in a statement: 'The USMS does not disclose information regarding threats that involve protected persons.'

But they indicated that Fauci had begun footing the bill for his own protection.

'A signed memorandum of understanding and reimbursable agreement between the Department of Health and Human Services and USMS regarding the detail have concluded,' the spokesperson added.

What looks like to be a private security guard for Dr. Fauci near the COVID doctor's home

A private security guard leaves the Fauci residence after an outing

Fauci was spotted on a walk with his wife Christine over the weekend without any security detail

They huddled with Fauci after an outing before departing in a white SUV

This indicates that the money USMS and HHS approved for Fauci's protection is no more, and that his detail was cut just ahead of the presidential election and the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

'I think we need to look at all security details,' Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., told DailyMail.com of DOGE's efforts.

He said it made 'no sense' for Fauci to have a detail.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., however, said that some security details are warranted, and immediately pointed to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has used a taxpayer-funded security detail since leaving office.

DOGE, which is tasked with eliminating unnecessary spending (like paying for a retired government officials security), has already shaken up the status-quo on Capitol Hill.

Fauci's detail on the street outside his home. Republican Senator Rand Paul said only cabinet members would receive the same level of protection

Dr. Anthony Fauci pictured outside his home while on a walk over the summer. His security detail was following closely behind him

Agents prepare for their detail with Fauci over the summer

Musk just before Christmas aggressively campaign against a 1,547-page government funding bill. After he ridiculed House GOP leadership for the deal he called 'criminal,' lawmakers proposed a slimmer 116-page bill before refining the measure further.

The DOGE X account has already set its sights on cutting waste at HHS, having posted about NIH funding a $2.3 million experiment to inject dogs with cocaine and another nearly $7 million NIH award for toilets that study 'analprints,' or the unique look of each individuals posterior.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., an outspoken Fauci critic who long blasted the doctor for getting rides around in limousines while retired, is trying to slim down waste too - especially that overseen by the ex-chief medical adviser to Biden and Trump.

In a recent report, Paul further criticized the Fauci for approving a multi-million dollar study to determine whether cats can contract COVID.

'Since January 2022, Dr. Faucis NIAID and the USDA have given Cornell University $2.24 million to study whether felines can contract and transmit COVID-19,' the report indicated.

Fauci exits ABC studios while being escorted by his U.S. Marshal security detail after appearing Thursday on 'The View.' The Marshal can be clearly identified by his lapel pin

'Not only is this a waste of over a million in taxpayer dollars, but the experiments have led to the suffering and death of over thirty cats.'

Aside from defunding Fauci's costly studies, earlier this year Paul told DailyMail.com he wanted Fauci's detail to end.

'I've had 34 death threats in a week before. I have had death threats as soon as this last week,' Paul perviously said. 'So we get them all the time, and nobody picks me up in a limo and takes me to where I want to go every day.'

'The only other person probably getting his level of security would be the president, vice president, maybe cabinet members, and a few members in leadership in the House and Senate,' the senator continued.
Merseyside's metropolitan borough of Knowsley was once best known for being the home of Knowsley Safari Park, housed in the grounds of Knowsley Hall, the family seat of the Earl of Derby.

When the 18th earl opened the park in partnership with circus impresario Jimmy Chipperfield in 1971, the area was on the crest of a manufacturing boom. People flocked to the area to find work and the population peaked at almost 200,000. But it's been downhill ever since.

The safari park's lions, rhinos and giraffes are still in situ but tens of thousands of human residents left Knowsley as economic decline set in.

Today, it is an unemployment blackspot in which around 25,500 people, or 27 per cent of the working-age population, are considered 'economically inactive'  meaning they are neither in a job nor looking for one.

It also has the dubious distinction of being known as the 'disability benefits capital of Britain' because about 13,000 of its residents  13.2 per cent, double the national average  are entitled to PIP (Personal Independence Payment).

This is a non-means-tested UK government benefit paid to individuals who claim to have long-term physical or mental health conditions, and more people claim it in Knowsley than any other parliamentary constituency in Britain.

Indeed, peers warned yesterday that Britain's soaring benefits bill is down to a flawed welfare system which incentivises claimants to declare themselves long-term sick. Those eligible to claim health-related benefits could double their income by leaving the workforce, according to the scathing House of Lords report. Ministers are drawing up options to overhaul the system.

Knowsley is also ranked as Britain's obesity capital, with three-quarters of adults classed as clinically overweight.

There's no better place to examine how this depressing situation came to pass than the town of Huyton, home of Knowsley's council headquarters.

A man uses a rollator to get about in Knowsley, Merseyside

Its pedestrianised High Street is a predictably grim thoroughfare on which more shops are boarded up than open.

It is patrolled by a battalion of people on mobility scooters. In the course of a single day, I saw scores of them. And loitering next to a market stall selling odds and ends, I come across 40-year-old Jimmy, his right arm in a navy-coloured sling held together with flimsy-looking sticky tape.

He will spend his entire day strolling up and down the High Street or hovering in the cold, puffing on roll-ups and chatting aimlessly with passers-by. He tells me he has been unemployed 'for quite a long time' and has always received fortnightly 180 Universal Credit (UC) payments. 'Everyone gets Universal Credit,' he says.

When he was looking after his ill brother and sickly mother  who both passed away almost a decade ago  he also claimed a weekly 60 Carer's Allowance.

There is an alphabet soup of different benefits available to the disabled, from LCWRA (Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity) to WCA (Work Capability Assessment). But Jimmy is evasive when I ask him what other benefits he receives. He claims that he has been frequenting employment centres such as Knowsley Works and Ingeus for years in his search for work but describes them as 's***'.

He admits there are some part-time roles available but he doesn't want them because he would be paid basically the same amount he receives on UC.

It's a claim backed up by a study from the Centre For Social Justice think tank which found that people on sickness benefits could be paid as much as 23,900 a year, considerably more than someone working for the minimum wage, who receives just 20,650 after tax.

Jimmy points out another flaw in the system. 'If you're [working] part-time, you'd be paying the same amount of council tax as if someone is full-time, and that's not fair. I went to two different Citizens Advice centres and they did a calculation and said I'd only be 20 better off with part-time work than I am now. But if someone offered me a full-time job tomorrow, I would love to work.'

I ask him if he's been to the Jobcentre. 'No,' he admits, 'I only go when my job adviser wants me to come in.' Nor does he apply for jobs on his own account. 'No. They do it for me. I don't use a computer because I am dyslexic. It makes it harder.

'How can I do any more? You can only try and apply for jobs and if you don't get an interview what can you do?

'Like I said, if someone offered me a job tomorrow . . .'

Well, how many jobs have you applied for today? I ask. 'Listen, love,' he shouts, now clearly angry with me. 'I can't be applying for jobs day in and day out. You've got to have some 'me time'.'

When I ask him what he is doing today, he says: 'Well, obviously I am going to hospital later today to get this checked out,' he says, pointing at his sling, 'and then I am doing other things. All kinds of things. Maybe I will go to a friend's house or they will come to mine.'

As we chat in the street, we are interrupted by Barry Savage, 62, a friend of Jimmy's who works at Amazon. 'There are loads of jobs, mate,' he says. 'When you finish one job, you get straight back into a new job. That's how it works.'

Jimmy replies: 'Are you joking? You're joking, mate!'

'I'd be careful with that arm, mate,' Barry quips, pointing at Jimmy's sling. 'It's supposed to look broke.' Later, out of earshot of his old friend, Barry says: 'Jimmy's a liar. He wants to be on the dole, he wants to be sick. We tell him 'Jimmy, get into work'  but he wants this.

'Where he is living now, he's in [his late mother's] three-bedroom house. With the social pay, he gets it all covered; all his council tax. It frustrates me because I know he is a good worker. And he's well off because of the state benefits.'

This frustration is echoed by employment centre workers based on Huyton's High Street who are on the front line of Knowsley's worklessness crisis. They help people in Merseyside find jobs by advising them on how to write their CVs and preparing them for interviews.

A young man walks on crutches in the town of Huyton

One employee on a smoke break spoke to me candidly about the problems in Knowsley on the condition of anonymity. 'It is the worst December it has ever been for finding people jobs,' she says. 'Normally, come October, there are loads of Christmas jobs going everywhere  warehouses and shops. But it is terrible this year. Drink is a big problem around here because people have nothing to do. There are shops closing down everywhere, so people just hang out in the streets and smash things. Some people do their best and try really hard to find work. But lots of people don't want to try [to get work] because they are getting paid from the social.

'The people that get benefits go on more holidays than I do. By the time they're done adding up the child tax benefit and this benefit, that benefit and the other benefit, yeah, they are going on more holidays than I can.

'I am in full-time employment but I am getting on and can't afford to retire. Some people around here are used to not working. They are born into [on the] social families.'

When I ask if she ever sees people lying on claimant forms she gives a knowing shrug and says: 'It didn't come from me. Don't quote me!

'In other European countries you simply can't do this sort of thing. That's why everyone wants to come in. Because the Government will give it away. [In Europe] if you're on benefits you don't get a new washing machine and a new this and a new that. You get basic money to live on or you get a job.'

While ill health and worklessness are apparent in Knowsley, they are a growing problem nationwide. The number of working-age people deemed economically inactive has swelled to 9.2 million, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Of these, a record 2.8 million are out of work as a result of 'long-term sickness', a staggering rise of 650,000 since the pandemic hit.

This is costing Britain dearly. Total spending on working-age disability and ill-health benefits has increased to a colossal 69 billion, according to a report by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This figure is expected to rise to 100 billion by the end of the decade.

You might have thought that the overwhelming majority of people classed as economically inactive because of long-term health problems would be aged 50 to 65. In fact, this age group accounts for only half the claimants, with the proportion of young people on the rise as mental health diagnoses increase and more young people apply for benefits.

Just under 950,000 young people aged between 16 and 24 are now classed as 'Neets' (not in education, employment or training), according to data published by the ONS last week.

Many attribute this to the effects of the pandemic lockdowns, which left some young people feeling isolated and depressed.

But, as the Mail has reported, there is also evidence that some are gaming the system  helped by 'sickfluencers' on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. These online stars have gone viral for teaching others how to fill in their benefit forms most effectively.

Tracey Smith, a TikTok personality who claims PIP for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), told her followers: 'When you're claiming PIP you need to believe you deserve to claim it because ADHD is a disability. Don't be embarrassed to talk about how you wear the same pair of knickers and clothes for days on end and how you don't get washed  all these things happen because your brain is not sending you the right signals.'

Some influencers have gone even further. YouTuber Charlie Anderson offers free 'PIP evidence templates' with answers to copy  designed to maximise the odds of a successful claim. She charges up to 950 for a four-hour, one-to-one session in which she helps her 'clients' write their PIP application forms over Zoom. 'I have only lost one case,' she brags on her YouTube channel.

The number of new PIP awards approved each month has more than doubled over the past five years from 2,200 in 2019 to 5,300.

Last month, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall published the Labour Government's long-awaited 240 million Get Britain Working white paper.

But it proved to be a damp squib, with any attempt to review or reform the benefits system postponed until at least next year  even as Britain continues to haemorrhage money.

Instead, Ms Kendall's blueprint focused on reforms to Jobcentres and the establishment of a new 'youth guarantee', which will offer jobs and training to thousands of young people not in work.

She also wants to focus on supporting people with disabilities and mental health issues by integrating the NHS and job services, with the aim of increasing employment in Britain to 80 per cent of the working-age population.

In response, Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of dodging 'tough choices on welfare costs' and 'kicking the can down the road'. The truth, according to critics, is that generations of reliance on benefits, compounded by poor education, ill health and limited job opportunities, have left many in places such as Knowsley unwilling to join the workforce.

Those who can have moved away and pursued careers elsewhere, with the result that, in 2024, Kirkby (a town in the borough of Knowsley) is dominated by an ageing, sickly population, many of whom have spent their entire life out of work.

In Northwood  Knowsley's most deprived ward  the life expectancy for women is 76.8 years, more than six years shorter than the national average and 9.5 years shorter than women in the wealthy London borough of Kensington and Chelsea, where the average is 86.3 years.

A woman in a mobility scooter in the local shopping area

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, says: 'The fact that Personal Independence Payments are not means-tested, combined with the growing pressure on GPs to sign off on applications, have stretched the system to breaking point and created a disastrous incentive structure where for too many it pays to be sick. The Government needs to look seriously at reforming the system to ensure its affordability for taxpayers.'

Residents I speak to in Kirkby candidly describe their hometown as a 's***hole'.

Many of the workless there dream of finding jobs in travel  just to get away from here.

I meet mother-of-three Julie, 57, standing under twinkling Christmas lights smoking a cigarette. She tells me she hasn't worked in more than 40 years. After she left school, she briefly had a job as a healthcare assistant but left after getting pregnant, aged 16, with her first child. Since then, she has relied on food banks, PIP and Universal Credit to get by.

'Not everyone wants to work,' she tells me when I ask her why there is such an epidemic of unemployment. 'People get comfortable with benefits and become dependent on Universal Credit.'

As I make my way down the run-down street, a local quips: 'At least someone's smiling round here.'

Tragically, this town's prevailing mood is one of depressed inertia.
A food critic has issued an apology after an award-winning chef was left 'disgusted' by his behaviour in his restaurant.

Hobart-based Omotenashi chef Lachlan Colwill recounted his experience hosting SA Life writer Paul Wood on Saturday.

The chef claimed Wood was ignorant of the etiquette expected at fine-dining restaurants and repeatedly disrupted his other guests.

The situation reached a boiling point when Mr Colwill claimed Wood insulted his friend, prompting him to ask the critic to leave the venue and 'never return'.

Wood claimed he left the venue at his own accord and quickly took to Instagram where he told his followers dining at Omotenashi was a 'waste of time' as it served 'probably the worst, overpriced dinner in Hobart'.

Mr Colwill responded by slamming the verdict as not 'coming from a place of critique or thoughtful analysis', the Adelaide Advertiser reported.

'I'm all for journalism and criticism,' Mr Colwill said.

'But how does it feel to be critiqued by someone whose critique doesn't come from any place of professional approach or intelligence?

Hobart chef Lachlan Colwill (pictured) called out Adelaide food critic Paul Wood following their interaction at Omotenashi over the weekend

Mr Colwill responded to an Instagram story posted by Wood calling his restaurant 'probably the worst, overpriced dinner in Hobart'

'If someone is (posting damaging claims) and nobody's calling it out and letting them do it, they just get worse and the industry just gets worse for it.'

The stand-off prompted Omotenashi to close for the following night.

In a statement to the outlet, Wood apologised for his behaviour and admitted Omotenashi served 'excellent food in a unique location'.

'As a lover of food, I was looking forward to a sensational dining experience at the renowned Omotenashi restaurant last night, and regret that it turned sour,' he said.

'I also have a love of banter that I recognise can sometimes backfire  and I am very sorry to have caused any offence to either the business owners or other diners.

'Any comments from me yesterday about my experience at the restaurant should not be viewed by anyone as a professional review.

'I sincerely hope that my apology is accepted, and that the restaurant will continue to flourish.'

Omotenashi is a 10-seat Japanese Kaiseki-style restaurant located inside Hobart's Lexus showroom.

Mr Colwill and business partner Sophie Pope serve guests a 15-course meal, accompanied by tea and sake, over three hours for $312.

The venue is typically booked-out several weeks in advance due to its popularity and limited seating.

Dozens of the restaurant's fans showed their support following the public feud, with many praising Mr Colwill and Ms Pope as hardworking.

Mr Colwill previously ran Barossa Valley's famous Hentley Farm a recipient of several awards, including Best Restaurant in South Australia and Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of The Year.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Wood's publisher, SA Life, for further comment.
Woolies is now asking for customer's phone numbers

Woolworths has urged customers to submit their phone numbers as the supermarket prepares to set up two-factor authentication for its Everyday Rewards program.

The 'important change' was announced last week and a new update for the app will roll out in the coming months.

Shoppers have been urged to manually enter their phone numbers into the app before the update is released in order to avoid disruptions on their rewards program.

They will not be able to access their account if they don't register their phone number.

Once the update is released customers will be sent a text with a one-time code if they want to log into their Everyday Rewards account online.

An Everyday Rewards spokesman said the change will make shoppers 'as secure as possible' as businesses fight back against a recent rise in scams.

The introduction of two-factor authentication is believed to be part of a wider security update to the supermarket rather than a direct response to any specific scam.

Multi-factor authentication is used by platforms around the world and can effectively ward off hackers by adding an additional layer of identity verification onto accounts.

Woolworths will soon be requiring that customers add their phone numbers into the Everyday Rewards app

Woolworths temporarily suspended its Everyday Pay service from the Everyday Rewards app earlier this year after being targeted by a 'sophisticated external phishing scam' in April.

The Everyday Rewards spokesman confirmed users without a registered phone number on their account will be unable to use the service after the update releases.

'As the verification codes will only be sent to the mobile number linked to the Everyday Rewards account and not the email address, we are asking our members to ensure they have an up-to-date mobile number linked to their account,' he told Yahoo.

'This will make the new process as smooth as possible and avoid any disruption to accessing their accounts.'

Everyday Rewards members can update their information through the website or app to ensure they have provided Woolworths with their phone number.

This can be done by selecting 'My Account' on the app or website and then 'My Details' or 'Update Account Details' to update their personal information.
A homeowner was left shocked after realising her property had been rented without her knowledge for Christmas after strangers came knocking on her door.

New Zealand woman Carla Beazley was further stunned to learn that the fake listing on Booking.com had cost an elderly woman almost $10,000.

The older woman had been duped after scammers copied Ms Beazley's photos and details of her Mt Maunganui property from a real listing without her knowledge.

The woman wanted to rent a house near her own home so that visiting family members could stay close to her over Christmas.

Ms Beazley had to tell the shocked family members their booking wasn't legitimate and that she was not part of the ripoff, New Zealand Herald reported.

Though they had suffered a huge financial loss in the scam, the family was understanding, but Ms Beazley fears others being tricked may not take it so well.

'This is a safety issue because we've just had someone turn up on our doorstep,' she said.

Booking.com said in a statement it takes security issues very seriously and is investigating fake property listings.

Carla Beazley (pictured) was stunned to learn that a fake listing of her property on booking.com had cost an elderly woman almost $10,000

When the woman, who is the aunt of the family who showed up at Ms Beazley's door, made what she thought was a legitimate booking, she was directed to make a private payment away from the Booking.com site.

While this may have raised alarm bells for some savvy internet users wary of potential scams, many people would take such instructions as just being part of the process.

It was the second time people who had been duped by the fake listing of the property had contacted Ms Beazley.

When she first learned of the scam on November 20, she called Booking.com to get get the fake listing taken down.

But she said despite spending hours on the phone to representatives of the property rental site, the scam listing was still online, leading to the family who lost $10,000.

A Booking.com spokesman said it takes 'safety and security very seriously and have a number of measures in place to verify properties before they begin welcoming guests'.

These measures include 'checks performed by our security, local partner services and customer service teams'.

The spokesman said that if a property is reported as suspicious, the listing is blocked from taking bookings while it is investigated.

Mark Gray also discovered a fake listing of his property (pictured) on booking.com

Booking.com eventually took action to remove the fake listing (pictured) of Mr Gray's home

'If non-compliance with our terms and conditions is found, the listing is removed,' he said.

The 'listing of fake properties by professional cyber criminals is a challenge for the travel sector' and the company is investing heavily to tackle it, the spokesperson said.

'We are sorry for the experiences these property owners brought to our attention and we have urgently addressed each of their individual concerns.'

Mark Gray, another New Zealand-based property owner, also discovered a fake listing of his home on Booking.com.

Mr Gray said he spent hours on the phone trying to get the fake listing taken down more than two months ago, without success, but it wasn't finally removed until the New Zealand Herald contacted Booking.com about his situation.

It was only after that that a notice appeared at the top of the scam listing of his Martinborough property, reading: 'We're sorry this property isn't taking reservations on our site right now.'

Ms Beazley and Mr Gray both claim Booking.com did not ask for enough proof that a person owns the house they're listing, instead just asking them to tick a box saying they are the owner.

The scam listing of Ms Beazley's property has now been removed, but she believes it was her own sleuthing, rather than booking.com that got it taken down.

She contacted a person though the email address on the fake listing of her home, pretending to be a potential renter.

She was asked to pay the money into a UK bank account, after which she asked for a copy of a passport photo page so she could verify she was talking to a real person.

Ms Beazley then used that person's name and sent an email pretending she was a law enforcement officer, threatening to report the person to Interpol if they didn't remove the listing.

'It obviously scared them because it was gone the next morning,' she said.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Ms Beazley and Booking.com for further comment.
Matt Gaetz raged at a joke Martin Short told about his employment after his abrupt resignation from Congress on Saturday Night Live.

The Trump ally was the first to be mocked by Short as he took to the stage for SNL's Christmas special.

'We must move this monologue along because I have 10 sketches to get to where I play an elf. Also, I left my Uber driver waiting, and you know how testy Matt Gaetz can get,' he joked.

Gaetz, who withdrew himself from consideration as Donald Trump's attorney general pick last month, didn't take too kindly to the wisecrack and responded on social media.

'SNL just called me an uber driver? As an insult? It is a job held by HONEST & HARD WORKING people,' he wrote on X.

'Imagine being so out-of-touch that you insult Uber drivers just to take a swipe at me. Sad!'

Gaetz's actual new job as a talk show anchor on the conservative One America News Network will start in the first week of January. He's also turned to Cameo to make income, charging people $325 or more to record personalized videos.

At Sunday's Turning Point USA AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Gaetz floated a number of different directions he sees his career going.

'My fellow Floridians have asked me to eye the governor's mansion in Tallahassee. Maybe special counsel to go after the insider trading for my former colleagues in Congress,' he said on stage.

'It seems I may not have had enough support in the United States Senate. Maybe I'll just run for Marco Rubio's vacant seat in the United States Senate and join some of those folks.'

Former Congressman Matt Gaetz raged at a joke Martin Short made about him being an Uber driver now that he has stepped down as a Florida representative

Pictured: Gaetz responded to Short's jibe with this post on X

He also said he wouldn't be returning to the House of Representatives when the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, something he very much could do since he won his re-election bid in November.

'And my friend Steve Bannon and others have suggested that I return to the House of Representatives on January 3, but I would remind Steve, when he got out of prison, he didn't punch a guard on the way out. For the moment I'll enjoy being one of you,' he said.

Shortly after President-elect Trump nominated Gaetz to lead the Department of Justice on November 13, the firebrand conservative stunningly resigned from Congress.

His resignation came as he was staring down the release of potentially damaging House Ethics Committee investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct, whether the he used illicit drugs and whether he 'shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor.'

After a week of nonstop media reporting on the various accusations against Gaetz - including one from a woman who claimed she had a threesome with him when she was only 17 - he announced that he would no longer seek the attorney general role.

Gaetz denies all the allegations against him and frequently points to the fact that a Department of Justice investigation into him ended in 2023 with no charges being filed.

However, the House report into Gaetz's conduct will now be released after the Ethics Committee secretly voted to do so on Wednesday.

The same committee had voted along party lines last month to keep the report secret, with many lawmakers saying that it isn't customary for Congress to release the results of an investigation into a former representative.

Gaetz's other claim to fame is being the lone representative to trigger a vote to oust former congressman Kevin McCarthy (left) as House Speaker last October. That effort was successful, and the Republicans replaced McCarthy with Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson

But some Republican senators, when Gaetz was still Trump's AG pick, argued that they should at least see the report as part of their role in confirming presidential nominees.

Trump has since replaced Gaetz with Pam Bondi, a close MAGA ally and the first woman to serve as Florida Attorney General. She was in the role from 2011 to 2019.

Gaetz was first elected to Congress during Trump's first term and quickly became one of his most staunch defenders.

Gaetz is also known for triggering a vote to oust former congressman Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker last October.

That effort was successful, and the Republicans replaced McCarthy with Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson, who himself risks being tossed from his job come January.
Incoming US president Donald Trump on Saturday slammed what he called unfair fees for US ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand control of the waterway be returned to Washington.

He also hinted at China's growing influence around the canal, a worrying trend for American interests as US businesses depend on the channel to move goods between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

"Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous," he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"This complete 'rip-off' of our Country will immediately stop."

The Panama Canal, which was completed by the United States in 1914, was returned to the Central American country under a 1977 deal signed by Democratic president Jimmy Carter.

Panama took full control in 1999.

"It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else," Trump said. "We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!"

He continued that if Panama could not ensure "the secure, efficient and reliable operation" of the channel, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question."

Authorities in Panama did not immediately react to Trump's post.

Although he does not officially take office until next month, Trump has nevertheless been flexing his political influence in the waning days of President Joe Biden's administration.

The real estate mogul boasted on the campaign trail that as an entrepreneur, he was uniquely positioned to fight for US business interests.

An estimated five percent of global maritime traffic passes through the Panama Canal, which allows ships traveling between Asia and the US East Coast to avoid the long, hazardous route around the southern tip of South America.

The main users of the passage are the United States, China, Japan and South Korea.

The Panama Canal Authority reported in October that the waterway had earned record revenues of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.
Insists he must now stay strong for the sake of their daughter

Millionaire mortgage broker James Symond has shared a heartfelt tribute to his late wife and mother of their young daughter after she died just two days out from Christmas.

The one-time Aussie Home Loans chief executive told friends he was overcome with grief in an emotional post headed 'Amelia Beau Finlay Symond, Rest in Paradise 23 December 2024' on a social media page for the company's former staff.

Mr Symond, who is the nephew of company founder 'Aussie' John Symond, confided he felt 'terrified and broken' after losing his 45-year-old wife Amelia but was determined to stay strong for the sake of their five-year-old girl, Stella Rose.

'I searched throughout my life for my darling wife,' the retired broker wrote in the emotional tribute.

'The adoring mother of our five-year-old daughter, Stella Rose, and absolute love of my life.

'Little Stella and I are just devastated to lose you to heaven today.

'God only knows how I get through this but get through this for our beautiful daughter's sake I must.

'Honey, I am what I am today because of you, my golden ray of sunshine. God speed and till we meet again my gorgeous girl.'

James Symond shared this beautiful photo of late wife Amelia Beau Symond with their young daughter Stella Rose online on Monday while announcing his partner's death

The couple, who tied the knot in 2019, have both spent the past few years locked in devastating battles with cancer

Mr Symond did not provide details about his late wife's cause of death but has previously revealed the one-time actor had been battling stage four breast cancer.

Her condition was pinpointed by doctors less than two years after Mr Symond received his own deadly cancer diagnosis and given just weeks to live.

In his candid post, the 52-year-old said his ongoing health battle was so serious his family had always expected he would 'be the first' to go.

'Thank you God for loaning us all your angel and then giving me another named Stella Rose,' Mr Symond said.

'Way too soon to leave us as I was to be the first.

'I'm terrified and broke and I just don't break.

'You are simply everything to us and are missed more than words can ever say.

'We can't stop crying. My heart is in pieces.'

Mrs Symond had been battling stage four breast cancer before she died this week

Mr Symond, whose father Michael loaned brother John $10,000 to start Aussie Home Loans in February 1992, led the family-built mortgage broking firm as chief executive for six years before retiring at the end of 2021.

His shock resignation stunned the industry after he had been groomed for decades to replace his uncle, who had just retired from the company as chairman after almost 30 years at the helm of the business.

However, it soon became apparent Mr Symond had greater concerns to deal with, and has since spoken candidly about his and his wife's cancer battles.

Appearing on fellow high-profile mortgage broker Mark Bouris's podcast just four months ago, Mr Symond opened up about their devastating conditions and the difficulties they have faced together over the past seven years.

He said he had just had a pre-Christmas business meeting in December 2017 when he suddenly felt faint and needed to sit down on the footpath outside the Ivy on George St in Sydney to recover.

Sensing something was wrong, he went to the doctor's the next day where he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.

'I said, "What? What are you talking about? What do you you mean?",' he told Bouris during the podcast.

'They said, "We've caught it early, we think, but you've got bone marrow cancer", and within 24 hours, I'm sitting down with the oncologist and with the kidney specialist.

'They're telling myself and my fiancee that I might have six to ten weeks to live, and that's it, and I need to get my affairs in order.'

Mr Symond says his 'heart is in pieces' following the loss of his wife Amelia Beau

After spending a sleepless night together fearing the worst, his physician told them all was not lost.

'The doctor said, "Look, good news. We think we've got a plan. And we think that this six to ten weeks, you know, might be six to ten years",' he said.

'So this was six years ago. Six and a half years ago... so I've been on a journey for six and a half years. You never get into full remission with multiple myeloma, I've been through hell and back.'

He said he has since undergone a bone marrow transfusion and stem cell transplant, and now requires daily dialysis for kidney disease and regular chemotherapy.

'I had a bone marrow transfer, which is extraordinary,' he said.

'They take bone marrow out of your body, spin it, clean it, put it back. But you spend two and a half weeks in St Vincent's Hospital, in a sealed room in a sealed floor where no one can visit you because you'll die.

'I don't know how long I'm here for  five years? Twenty-five years? Certainly not 50, unless there's a cure for multiple myeloma, so I'm just fitting in as much as I can.'

Mr Symond has described his late wife as the love of his life

Mrs Symond is survived by her husband, James, and their five-year-old daughter Stella Rose

Just as he hoped he was getting on top of his cancer diagnosis, along came the devastating news his wife was fighting her own cancer battle too.

'Next thing I know, my wife's actually very ill as well, so she has breast cancer, stage four breast cancer,' he told Bouris.

'So you can imagine the hell we're going through with that, and she's had that for the last couple of years.

'And once again, we're throwing everything at it. We're trying to reinvent the rule book, but that's been extraordinarily tough.

'You know, the guy upstairs gives you a lot of presents and a lot of good things, you know, a lot of rainbows, and he also gives you a lot of bloody challenges.

'And so I've had my fair share of wins, and I've got my fair share of absolute challenges with myself and now with my wife.

'So thank goodness I've got a beautiful four-and-a-half-year-old daughter that keeps you absolutely focused, but it's bloody tough. It's real tough, you know.'

In a tragic update on his wife's worsening condition, Mr Symond last Saturday intimated his wife was just days away from death.

'Merry Christmas... it's a bloody tough one for my immediate family this time around as my wife remains very, very ill...days,' he said in a post on the group social media page.

'Cancer is simply terrible. Keep your loved ones close as tomorrow is promised to no one. Tough times. God Bless.'
Republican congresswoman Kay Granger has released her first public statement after she was found to be living in a senior care facility while still raking in her $174,000 salary.

Kay Granger, 81, has been living in the $4,000-a-month nursing home for the past six months after found wandering lost and confused through her neighborhood, according to an investigation by the Dallas Express.

The Texas representative, who hasn't cast a vote in six months, was set to wind up a nearly 30-year career in the House in January but has now ignited fury over elderly politicians holding onto power and has sparked debate over America's aging political class.

In a statement released Sunday, Granger said: 'I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of care and concern over the past several days.'

She did not address her current residence but admitted to 'health challenges' over the past year, while serving in Congress on a $174,000 salary.

'As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year,' she wrote.

'However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed, making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable.'

She pointed to her attendance in Washington in November - during which her staff tweeted a photo of her staring at her Congressional portrait - to say thank you to her staff and 'oversee the closure of my Washington office'.

Republican congresswoman Kay Granger has released her first public statement after she was found to be living in a senior care facility while still raking in her $174,000 salary

Granger pointed to her attendance in Washington in November - during which her staff tweeted a photo of her staring at her Congressional portrait - to say thank you to her staff and 'oversee the closure of my Washington office'

'Thank you for your continued prayers and support that you have extended to me,' she finished.

According to Legistorm, Granger has not only continued to take a six-figure Congressional salary, she has also paid her staff over $1 million in the past year.

Brandon Granger, one of the Congresswoman's three children, also spoke out about his mother's condition in an interview Sunday.

He told the Dallas Morning News that, while the reports of her living at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth are true, she is not in the residence's 'memory care' facility.

'There's nothing wrong with someone wanting to live in a community with other folks their age,' he said.

'She's in a building with a lot of other folks her age that are super active that she really loves. She has exercise classes, she gets to be around people all the time, it's wonderful for her for this point in life.'

However, the 52-year-old Granger admitted that his mother - the first female mayor of Fort Worth and the first Republican woman elected to Congress - has had 'a hard year' and is surprised by how her condition has degenerated.

The last time constituents could recall Granger voting on any bill put before the House was in July.

Granger has not only continued to take a six-figure Congressional salary, she has also paid her staff over $1 million in the past year

Granger did not address her current residence but admitted to 'health challenges' over the past year, while serving in Congress on a $174,000 salary

Carlos Turcios, a reporter for a local outlet, started to do some research by contacting her offices which never once responded to calls, going directly to voicemail.

Granger's constituency office was also a complete ghost town upon a visit, with no signs of anyone working there.

Eventually, one of Granger's constituents suggested to the Dallas Express that the Congresswoman was living in an assisted living facility.

She was reportedly living at a care home that specializes in memory loss after she'd been 'found wandering, lost and confused' in her district.

A visit to the Tradition-Clearfork in Fort Worth resulted in two employees confirming that Granger lives there.

'This is her home,' said Taylor Manziel, the Tradition-Clearfork's Assistant Executive Director.

With a month remaining in her term and important votes still taking place in Washington daily, local officials are furious to discover her absence.

'The lack of representation for CD-12 is troubling to say the least,' said Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French.

The first Republican woman elected to the House of Representatives had not been on record voting for or against anything since July

President Donald J. Trump poses for a photo with Rep. Kay Granger of Texas as he attends Game 5 of the MLB World Series between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros

'At a time when extraordinarily important votes are happening, including debt ceiling, disaster relief, farm bills and border issues, Kay Granger is nowhere to be found.

'The margin in Congress is razor thin and the lack of a Republican vote representing CD-12 disenfranchises 2 million people. We deserve better.'

'The fact that Kay Granger is unable to leave her nursing home to participate in the most important congressional vote of the year suggests she was already in visible decline when she ran for re-election in 2022,' said Rolando Garcia, a Republican Committeeman in the district.

'A sad and humiliating way to end her political career. Sad that nobody cared enough to take away the keys before she reached this moment and a sad commentary on the congressional gerontocracy.'

The Congresswoman and her staff presumably continue to take in their taxpayer-funded salaries.

The space in which she's been living for the past half year charges over $4,000-per-month in rent, according to 360 West.

Amenities include a 24-hour concierge, lounges, card rooms, a movie theater, an indoor pool, and group exercise classes.

One resident questioned by Craig Goldman, the fellow Republican elected to replace Granger, isn't being sworn in early. Goldman has yet to comment.

In the Senate, New Jersey Democrat Andy Kim was sworn in one month early to replace the interim substitute for disgraced Bob Menendez.

Until 2024, Granger was the Republican chairwoman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

She said in November 2023 that she will not seek reelection in 2024 after nearly three decades in Congress.

Her district, which includes Fort Worth, is heavily Republican, as displayed by Goldman's election.

'Its time for the next generation to step up and take the mantle and be a strong and fierce representative for the people,' Granger said in a statement.

Granger's district includes a Lockheed Martin plant that builds the F-35 fighter jet, and over the years, she has been a key force in securing more military funding.
A hiker had to be saved from the summit of a New Hampshire mountain by a rescue helicopter after being caught up in atrocious winter weather that left him 'severely hypothermic'.

Patrick Bittman, 28, from Portland, Maine, had hoped to witness an unforgettable sunrise from the 5,249ft summit of Mount Lafayette.

Setting off on Wednesday night and hiking alone, he was faced by a wall of wind and snow as he approached the top of Little Haystack on Franconia Ridge at 4,760 ft.

The deep, blowing snow drifts forced him to abandon his attempt and turn back.

Yet, the descent proved far more treacherous than he could have imagined as Bittman's solo adventure turned into a battle for survival that tested the limits of endurance of himself and the resilience of rescue teams.

Blinded by the storm and disoriented in the biting cold, Bittman veered off course, plunging into the remote Dry Brook drainage.

Temperatures plummeted to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chills nearing zero.

His clothing and hiking gear were no match for the unrelenting elements.

Patrick Bittman, 28, from Portland, Maine, had to be saved from the summit of a New Hampshire mountain. Pictured, Sgt. 1st Class Ethan Major, a flight medic with the New Army National Guard, secures an air rescue vest on Bittman during a rescue on Little Haystack mountain in Franconia Range

Ground rescuers provide aid to stricken hiker Patrick Bittman inside a light weight emergency shelter known as a Bothy Bag during a search and rescue on Franconia Ridge

Sgt. 1st Class Ethan Major, a flight medic with the New Hampshire Army National Guard, and stricken hiker Patrick Bittman are hoisted into a Black Hawk helicopter during a successful search and rescue on Franconia Ridge, New Hampshire

As the hours ticked by and night fell, Bittman was slowly consumed by the cold.

By the time dawn broke on Thursday morning, Bittman was freezing, desperate and unable to move his limbs.

Summoning the last of his strength, he managed to call 911 for help - now having been buried in snow several feet deep.

The call sparked a massive rescue effort that would stretch across hours of grueling terrain and unrelenting weather.

Ground teams from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team mobilized, joined by an aerial crew from the Army National Guard.

But the mountain, cloaked in dense cloud cover and lashed by intermittent snow squalls, made their efforts particularly tricky.

It meant the helicopter was only able to get within a quarter of a mile of the hiker before they had to turn back because of poor visibility. The helicopter was able to land at nearby Cannon Mountain Ski Area to wait for a safer opportunity.

Visibility was near zero, and the rugged, snow-covered landscape offered no easy passage.

A stunning view from just 70 feet sees, Sgt. Daniel Bourque, a medevac crew member with the New Hampshire Army National Guard, lowerering Sgt. 1st Class Ethan Major to rescue Patrick Bittman

After two tense hours, a break in the weather allowed the Army National Guard helicopter to make its approach and airlifted Bittman to hospital

On the ground, rescuers fought through the thick vegetation, hacking their way through 1,000 feet of snow-drenched wilderness to reach Bittman.

By early Thursday afternoon, they found him - barely conscious, suffering from severe hypothermia, and unable to move.

Rescuers wrapped him in an emergency sleeping bag, dressed him in warm, dry clothes, and carefully administered hot fluids to stabilize him.

After two tense hours, a break in the weather allowed the Army National Guard helicopter to make its approach.

A medic was lowered into the icy abyss and assessed Bittman's condition before hoisting him into the aircraft.

The dramatic aerial rescue was caught on camera and saw the man being lifted the out of the wilderness to be flown to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Officials praised the extraordinary teamwork that brought Bittman back from the brink.

'This aerial rescue saved a multi-hour carryout through rugged terrain and is a testament to how search and rescue works in New Hampshire,' said representatives from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

'Multiple groups came together with a common goal, and today, that goal saved a life.

'Winter conditions have arrived in the White Mountains, and hikers are encouraged to be prepared for their trek to include packing the ten essential items: map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jackets and pants, and a knife,' the New Hampshire Fish and Game said in a statement while urging other hikers to take care.
Ex-Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has confessed his pub - run only on British produce - is a 'total disaster' behind the scenes as thefts, traffic chaos and toilet nightmares run rampant.

When the Farmer's Dog first opened in Oxfordshire in August many had travelled from far and wide to the picturesque spot for a chance of a pint, with the car park rammed within an hour of its opening.

Despite pubs closing their doors up and down the UK, and amid warnings that his strict British products only policy would mean much smaller profit margins, the broadcaster steamed ahead.

And although punters have flocked to his watering hole, Clarkson has recently revealed that being a publican isn't at all what he imagined it to be, sharing that it required 'much effort' for 'little money' in return.

'Its galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money on the farm. Its worse at the pub,' he wrote in his most recent Times column.

'The customers are coming. Theres no problem there. But turning their visits into a profit is nigh-on impossible.'

He divulged the myriad of issues he has faced as a pub owner, from 104 glasses going missing in a single day to spending 500 weekly on keeping the property and terrace warm.

However, his troubles don't end there, as he shared that he was having to cough up 27,000 in fees for parking and traffic marshals to keep the local council on side.

More than 400 people waited hours to be the first to enter Clarkson's new pub when it opened in August

Pubgoers waited in a long row, often for hours, for a chance to have a pint in Clarkson's Farmer's Dog pub August

Ex-Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson (pictured with his partner Lisa) has confessed his pub - run only on British produce - is a 'total disaster' behind the scenes

He divulged the myriad of issues he has faced as a pub-owner, from 104 glasses going missing in a single day to 500 spent weekly on keeping the property and terrace warm

But the long list of problems only continue for Clarkson, who shared of the hellish toilet incident which required a 'whole team' of chemically trained hazmat engineers to tackle.

Recalling a recent occurrence, where one of employees called wailing on the phone after discovering a 'horror' bathroom 'accident', the presenter hired a team of specialist - a cost he had never envisioned listing on his business plans.

The farmer and his partner Lisa have also encountered some barriers in the run up to Christmas, as her goose night failing to sell out and only managing to shift five turkeys after ordering 40.

But despite the hurdles Clarkson is more determined than ever to make his pub work.

'Its warm and theres a fire and the staff are friendly and young and happy. Its a proper, traditional pub,' he said.

'By which I mean youll love it, and Ill lose a fortune and develop a skin disease from the stress of running it.'

Beers on offer at Clarksons pub include five varieties and a cider from his co-owned Hawkstone brewery.

The IPA is the most expensive at 6 a pint while Hawkstone Session lager is 5.50 a pint, alongside the Hawkstone Pils, Hawkstone Breeze, and cask ale.

Pints of Hawkstone Hedgerow cider sell for 6. Half a pint costs 3.10

A wide variety of Diddly Squat Farm products were on sale at a pop-up shop in the grounds of The Farmers Dog when it first opened in August.

On the stroke of noon Clarkson emerged through the front doors of the pub and shouted: We are open back in August

He also discussed how he was having to cough up 27,000 in fees for parking and traffic marshals to keep the local council on side

One of the most popular items was a candle in a tin with the less than flattering name of This smells like B******ks

A wide variety of Diddly Squat Farm products were on sale at a pop up shop in the grounds of The Farmers Dog pub

A self service milk dispenser outside Jeremy Clarkson's new pub, The Farmer's Dog, in Asthall, near Burford in Oxfordshire

Soap on sale in The Farmer's Dog for 6.80 a piece

From dairy products to soap and bottles of rum visitors were happy to part with cash for a memento of coming close to brushing shoulders with their hero Jeremy Clarkson at the time.

Products on offer included mechanics hand soap at 6.80, Jeremys Hot Seed Beer mustard at 6.80 a jar, Habanero Chilli Chutney also at 6.80.

A black and white tin mug bearing the name of Diddly Squat cost 14 while a jar of honey  or Bee juice as Clarkson calls it  was on sale for 12.

Loaves of sour dough bread retailed at 5.95 with a small loaf costing 3.95. There were even day-old loaves on sale at half the usual price.

One of the most popular items was a candle in a tin with the less than flattering name of This smells like B******ks.
With a string of high-end boutiques and luxury hotels, visitors are often spotted wandering down Londons Knightsbridge in awe.

Now the thoroughfare has been named the UKs most expensive street, setting back buyers a staggering 21.4million to live there.

The road in the heart of the capital tops the list compiled by lender Lloyds, which analysed average prices between 2019 and 2024.

Next on the list is Ilchester Place, two miles away in the Holland Park area of Kensington, where the average property will set buyers back just under 19.4 million.

Grosvenor Square  in the heart of Mayfair  sits in third place despite topping the list last year. A home there has an average price tag of just over 19 million. In fact, London contains all 20 of the priciest postcodes, with no streets from other regions making the list.

Knightsbridge in west London has topped a list of the nation's most expensive streets, with the average property costing a staggering 21.4 million

Barrow Lane in Altrincham, Greater Manchester came in as the North West's priciest street with an average home worth 2.9 million

Brudenel Avenue in Poole, Dorset has an average price tag topping 3 million - making it the most expensive street in the South West

East of England's most expensive street was Park Avenue North in Harpenden, with the average home fetching 3.6 million

The findings show a stark contrast between the capital, home to the every one of the top 20 most affluent addresses, and the rest of the country

The south-east has the costliest street outside the capital, with homes on East Road, Weybridge, Surrey, fetching 8 million.

Amanda Bryden, head of mortgages at Lloyds, said Londons dominance shows its continued appeal, meaning more competition at the top of the property market.

The cost of securing a prestigious address does vary across the country, she said. Living on the most expensive street in Wales means paying around 1.3 million, although still a significant amount.

Benar Headland, in the market town of Pwllheli, north-west Wales, retains its spot as the priciest postcode in Wales but comes in at the bottom of the regional list.

Wealthy buyers after an exclusive street in the east of England would need just under 3.6 million for a home on Park Avenue North in Harpenden, Hertfordshire.

And a home on the south-wests most expensive street  Brudenell Avenue in Poole, Dorset  has an average price tag topping 3 million.

Expensive streets in the North are cheaper than in the South. A property on Barrow Lane in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, will set buyers back 2.9 million  clinching the North West top spot  while Ramside park in Durham retains the top spot for the North East with a 1.5 million figure.

And at more than 2.9 million, Queens Crescent in Auchterarder is Scotlands priciest postcode.
A suspect has been arrested for allegedly setting a sleeping woman on fire onboard the New York City subway.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, a Guatemalan migrant, was taken into custody hours after he allegedly lit the woman on fire and fled the scene, according to Fox News.

He was caught while riding a train at 34th Street in Manhattan, when three high schoolers identified him and waved down the cops, the New York Post reports.

The train was ordered to stop at the next station, where two transit officers boarded the train and located the person of interest, before taking him into custody.

Zapeta-Calil is accused of lighting the woman on fire at around 7.29am on Sunday. He has not yet been formally charged.

Police say the victim was sleeping when Zapeta-Calil, who was sitting across from her onboard an F train at a station in Coney Island, got up, walked over and lit her on fire.

'The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds,' Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Sunday night.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, a Guatemalan migrant, has been arrested for allegedly setting a woman on fire onboard a New York City subway Sunday morning

Zapeta-Calil was later caught on camera at the station sitting on a bench and watching as the woman was engulfed in flames

Police say the victim was sleeping when the man, who was sitting across from her onboard an F train at a station in Coney Island, got up, walked over and tossed a match on her

Officers arrived at the scene after receiving a call of a woman needing assistance, but the woman was already on fire, authorities said in a statement.

Zapeta-Calil was then caught on camera at the station sitting on a bench and watching as the woman was engulfed in flames.

Cops briefly talked to him and told him to clear the area in the immediate aftermath.

They put out the fire with the help of an MTA employee, before the woman died from her injuries at around 7.30am.

Officers were later seen using a tarp to cover up one of the train's windows - seemingly to block a view of the grisly scene.

Then at around 1pm, police were seen carrying a body bag out of the train and placing it on a gurney, before transporting it to a Medical Examiner's van.

'On Sunday... at approximately 0729 hours, an unidentified female victim was sleeping aboard a stationary F train at the Stillwell Avenue Subway station when an unknown male individual approached and lit the victim on fire,' police later said in a statement.

'The individual then left the subway car. The victim was pronounced deceased by EMS at the scene.'

The woman, cops said, did not die immediately - only succumbing to her injuries after cops found her burning to death at the scene

Officers at the scene after receiving a call of a woman needing assistance were seen using a tarp to cover up one of the train's windows - seemingly to block a view of the grisly scene

Officers then asked for help identifying the suspect, whom they descried as a 56 tall, 150-pound male who was last seen wearing 'a gray hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, a dark colored knit hat with a red band, and brown boots.'

Police added that the woman was found with a litany of liquor bottles - though law enforcement sources who spoke to The New York Post said investigators remain stumped as to whether that played a part in the fire.

No other information was readily available about the female victim, and the suspect's motive - if any - still remains unclear.

Meanwhile, authorities are also working to determine whether the suspect is in the country legally.

He had entered the United States and was detained by border patrol agents in June 2018, but did not appear to have any previous criminal history in New York.

Officers are asking for help in locating the suspect, describing him as a 56 tall, 150-lb male aged 20 to 35

Yet Sunday's murder left service for the F train shut down in both directions.

The 5 and 6 platform, in addition to that of the F train, were also roped off with police tape as a result, as witnesses were left reeling.

One MTA employee told the Post: 'It just looked like all the clothes were burnt off.

'I was just walking by. The cops [were] there already. I didn't see her in flames, but that's what I heard,' the unidentified worker said, explaining, 'They shut the lights off [in the train car] so nobody could see.

'That s*** is crazy - it's only three days until Christmas,' he noted. 'That's messed up.'

Alex Gureyev, a 39-year-old construction manager, also said New York City's subway system is 'going downhill a bit.

'Everybody keeps saying its going back to the '70s,' he said, referencing a time of high crime in the Big Apple.

'It's a frequent occurrence - not like this, setting people on fire - but like the mugging, the killings, the fighting, the shootings - they're really common nowadays,' Gureyev said. '[It's] very bad.'

New York City Mayor Eric Adams also said his prayers are with the victim's family in 'this senseless killing.'

He added that he is 'grateful to the young New Yorkers and transit officers who stepped up to help our NYPD make a quick arrest following this morning's heinous and deadly subway attack.

'This type of depraved behavior has no place in our subways and we are committed to working hard to ensure there is swift justice for all victims of violent crime,' he said.

This is a developing story; please check for updates.
Tulip Siddiq has been interviewed by the Cabinet Office's propriety and ethics team over claims she and members of her family took billions in bribes, it emerged last night.

The Treasury minister, who is responsible for stamping out economic crime in Britain's financial sector, has been named in an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh.

She is alleged to have been involved in brokering a 2013 deal with Russia for a nuclear power plant project in Bangladesh in which up to 4billion is said to have been embezzled. Ms Siddiq's aunt Sheikh Hasina  prime minister of Bangladesh for a total of 20 years until recently  is also being probed, along with the minister's mother Sheikh Rehana Siddiq.

Last night it was reported that Ms Siddiq, 42, had agreed to attend a meeting with a representative of the Cabinet Office's propriety and ethics team (PET).

The Times said Ms Siddiq welcomed the official to her office and gave her response to allegations about her involvement in the 10billion Rooppur plant project.

Her explanation was accepted at face value, the paper reported, and the meeting does not indicate there is any kind of civil service investigation into her.

Last night the Government said it would neither confirm nor deny if any private conversations had been held.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, third right, and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, third left, tulip siddiq MP (left)

The Treasury minister has been named in an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh

Kier Starmer and Tulip Saddiq celebrating their election victories in Camden in 2015

But a Cabinet Office spokesman said: 'As previously stated, the minister has denied any involvement.'

Ms Siddiq did not respond to a request for comment.

Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched a probe into Ms Siddiq and members of her family over the alleged embezzlement linked to the nuclear power plant deal. It was launched after an order from the country's High Court, which heard claims that Ms Siddiq may have helped to 'broker' the deal.

The power plant was built by a Russian state-backed company called Rosatom, and the deal was signed in the Kremlin in 2013 by Ms Hasina and Vladimir Putin in the presence of Ms Siddiq, then a Labour councillor.

At the same meeting in Moscow, her aunt penned a deal for a $1billion (795million) loan to Bangladesh to buy Russian weapons and military equipment.

In a statement after the talks, the Russian president said: 'Our countries intend to expand defence cooperation. Russia  and you have seen the signing of this agreement  will extend a $1billion loan to Bangladesh to buy Russian weapons and military equipment.'

Ms Siddiq has refused to comment on the allegations. But a Labour Party spokesman said she 'totally refutes' the claims.
A ray gun that uses high-frequency radio waves to take out enemy drones and costs just 10p to fire has been successfully trialled by the British Army.

The radio frequency-directed energy weapon (RFDEW) can detect, track and destroy a range of threats across land, air and sea up to a kilometre (0.62 miles) away.

It fires high-frequency waves that disrupt or damage critical electronic components inside targets such as unmanned vehicles, causing them to be immobilised or fall out of the sky. The Army successfully trialled a demonstrator version of the RFDEW in a live firing exercise against drones at a range in west Wales.

The RFDEW can detect, track and destroy a range of threats across land, air and sea up to a kilometre away

The Army trialled a demonstrator version in a live firing exercise against drones at a range in west Wales

RFDEWs are capable of neutralising targets up to 1km away with near instant effect and at an estimated cost of 10p per shot fired

Defence minister Maria Eagle hailed the RFDEW as a potentially game-changing weapon.

The war in Ukraine and Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping have demonstrated how low-cost drones can have a devastating impact. Suspicious drones have also been repeatedly sighted over sensitive military bases in recent weeks, including US bases in both America and Britain. Those incidents coincided with dozens of sightings over the US state of New Jersey. Traditional weapons such as surface-to-air missiles can cost many times more than the drones they are trying to shoot down but the RFDEW costs only 10p to fire.

Ms Eagle said: The successful firing by the British soldiers of our radio frequency-directed energy weapon is another step forward for a potentially game-changing sovereign weapon for the UK.

Its great to see defence experts and industry working collaboratively to put cutting-edge equipment in the hands of our armed forces. This is a demonstration of the UK remaining at the forefront of directed energy weapons and developing a crucial advantage against the emerging threats we face.
An unidentified body has been pulled from a lake just metres from a popular children's playground.

The body was found while dozens of families were at Woodlands Park in Essendon, north-west Melbourne, at about 11am on Sunday.

The discovery prompted police to cordon off part of lake's shoreline.

Police are yet to confirm the person's identity and their cause of death, but it's understood it is not being treated as suspicious.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

An unidentified body was discovered at Woodlands Park in Essendon about 11am on Sunday
Justin Baldoni allegedly asked Blake Lively an outrageously invasive question about her sex life with her husband Ryan Reynolds.

Lively, 37, had accused her It Ends With Us co-star and director of sexual harassment and trying to 'destroy' her reputation in a legal complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department on Friday.

Among the many allegations made in the lawsuit, Lively claims Baldoni, 40, 'personally added graphic content, including a scene in which Ms. Lively was to orgasm on camera' without her knowledge or consent - after she had already signed on to the production.

He eventually agreed to remove the scenes, according to the lawsuit, but 'made a last-ditch attempt to keep one in which the couple orgasm together on their wedding night, which he said was important to him because he and his partner climax simultaneously during intercourse.'

'Mr. Baldoni then intrusively asked Ms. Lively whether she and her husband climax simultaneously during intercourse, which Ms. Lively found invasive and refused to discuss,' the lawsuit claims.

Lively claims she even had to assert that no one should be talking about their sex lives, their genitalia or 'personal times that physical consent was not given in sexual acts, as either the abuser or the abused.'

She made the demand at a January 4 meeting, in which she, Baldoni and Jamey Heath, the Chief Executive Officer of Wayfarer and producer of the film, agreed to 30 different conditions - most of which were sex-related.

The first request was 'no more showing of nude videos or images of women, including the producer's wife' to Lively or her employees, according to the filing released by the New York Times.

Another jaw-dropping requirement was that people on set stop discussing Baldoni and Heath's previous 'pornography addiction' and Lively's 'lack of pornography consumption.

Blake Lively, 37, has claimed her former It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni asked an invasive question about her sex life with husband Ryan Reynolds

The claim was made in a lawsuit against Baldoni, which accuses him of sexual harassment and trying to 'destroy' her reputation

Other complaints refer to Lively's deceased father and religion, with the actress declaring that there should be no more mention of Baldoni 'speaking to' her late father.

She also asked that Baldoni stop inquiring about her religious beliefs, and imposing his or her.

Health matters were also discussed, with Lively outlining that if her or her infant are exposed to COVID 'again,' she must be notified immediately.

Lively also set clear boundaries when it came to filming the movie's sex and intimacy scenes.

She demanded an intimacy coordinator be preset at all times in every scene involving Lively and Baldoni, adding that there should be no more 'improvising' kissing.

'No biting or sucking of lip without [Lively's] consent,' the document reads.

A later demand said that all sex scenes need coordinator present, as well as a 'monitor' pre-approved by Lively to oversee them.

Regarding scenes depicting rape or violence, Lively said that her character, Lily Bloom, must be played by a stunt double. She would only do close-up or pre-discussed scenes of this nature.

Lively outlined 30 requirements, mainly of Baldoni, while filming the movie to protect her 'physical and emotional safety'

Among the demands was that there should be no 'improvising' kissing

No additional sexual scenes outside of what Lively originally signed up for would be permitted, according to the filing.

'No more asking or pressuring [Lively] to cross physical picket lines,' another point summarized.

Lively also stated that no more touching or sexual comments from Baldoni or Heath would 'be tolerated' by her or any other women on set. All sex scenes would also have to be monitored by a representative of the actress.

Everyone working on these intimate scenes had to be hired professionals that Lively pre-approved, not 'friends' of the producer or director.

She also said that she would not film any more nude scenes without a SAG-compliant nudity rider - a document outlining the scene's specifics - in place. Any scenes shot without one, Lively said, should not be used without her legal team's consent.

Lively insinuated that Baldoni and Heath were barging into her trailer while she was nude and asked for 'no more entering, attempting to entire, interrupting, pressuring or asking' Lively to come inside for any reason while she is not dressed.

She also said she would no longer tolerate 'multi hour' unmonitored meetings with Baldoni crying in her trailer.

Baldoni and Jamey Heath, the Chief Executive Officer of Wayfarer and producer of the film, were also asked to stop making comments about their alleged 'porn addiction'

Lively further accused Baldoni of coming into her trailer for 'multi hour' crying sessions and asked for this behavior to stop, according to the complaint

Producer Alex Saks was also mandated 'to be given standard rights, inclusion, and authority per her job description' and Sony was to have a more 'active role' in the film's production.

For cast safety, an 'experienced' producer was asked to oversee the set.

It was agreed that Lively would not receive any 'abusive' or 'retaliatory' reactions to wanting to put these safeguard in place.

The final request was for an in-person meeting before production was resumed to go over these stipulations and ensure they would 'be adhered to for the physical and emotional safety' of Lively, her staff and the rest of the people on set.

Lively's complaint claims that Baldoni's refusal to adhere by these rules has affected her, her husband and her children's well-being

Her complaint claims that Baldoni's refusal to adhere by these rules, and his alleged subsequent efforts to ruin her and her husband's reputation had both an emotional and physical effect on the actress.

'The emotional impact on Ms. Lively has been extreme, not only affecting her, but her family, including her husband and four children. There are days when she has struggled to get out of bed, and she frequently chooses not to venture outside in public,' the lawsuit states.

'While she has fought to maintain her personal life and business interests, behind closed doors, she has suffered from grief, fear, trauma and extreme anxiety. She has also been experiencing repeated and painful physical symptoms as a result of the experience.

'Mr. Reynolds, too, has been affected mentally, physically and professionally by his wife and children's pain,' the suit claims.

'Worst of all, however, has been the impact on their young children, who have been traumatized and emotionally uprooted in ways that have substantially impacted their well-being.'
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday vowed to bring more "destruction" to Ukraine in retaliation for a drone attack on the central Russian city of Kazan a day earlier.

Russia accused Ukraine of a "massive" drone attack that hit a luxury apartment block in the city, some 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the frontier.

Videos on Russian social media networks showed drones hitting a high-rise glass building and setting off fireballs, though there were no reported casualties as a result of the strike.

"Whoever, and however much they try to destroy, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they are trying to do in our country," Putin said during a televised government meeting on Sunday.

Putin was addressing the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, in a road-opening ceremony via video link.

The strike on Kazan was the latest in a series of escalating aerial attacks in the nearly three-year conflict.

Ukraine has not commented on the strike.

Putin has previously threatened to target the centre of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.

And the defence ministry has called Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities over recent weeks retaliatory hits for Kyiv using Western-supplied missiles to hit Russian air bases and arms factories.

The latest threat comes as Russia claimed fresh advances on the battlefield in east Ukraine.

The defence ministry said on Telegram that its troops had "liberated" the villages of Lozova in the northeastern Kharkiv region and Krasnoye -- called Sontsivka in Ukraine.

The latter is close to the resource hub of Kurakhove, which Russia has almost encircled and would be a key prize in Moscow's attempt to capture the entire Donetsk region.

Russia has accelerated its advance across eastern Ukraine in recent months, looking to secure as much territory as possible before US President-elect Donald Trump comes to power in January.

The Republican has promised to bring a swift end to the nearly three-year-long conflict, without proposing any concrete terms for a ceasefire or peace deal.

Moscow's army claims to have seized more than 190 Ukrainian settlements this year, with Kyiv struggling to hold the line in the face of manpower and ammunition shortages.

Kyiv on Sunday also accused Russian forces of killing captured Ukrainian soldiers -- an alleged war crimes violation.

A video posted by Ukraine's 110th separate mechanised brigade showed "the shooting of soldiers who surrendered," Kyiv's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said in a post on Telegram.

He said the video -- aerial footage from a drone of an apparent confrontation between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers -- showed Russians shooting the Ukrainians at point-blank range after they had already surrendered.

AFP could not verify the footage.

It is the latest in a string of similar allegations lodged by Ukraine throughout the nearly three-year conflict.
A police operation is underway after hundreds of shoppers were evacuated from a shopping centre in Sydney's east.

Shoppers looking to buy their last-minute Christmas gifts were evacuated from Eastgate Bondi Junction at about 11am on Monday.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and blocked off Spring Street, with reports a suspicious package was left outside the exit of the Coles checkouts.

Police did not confirm the reason for the evacuation, but told Daily Mail Australia the operation was a 'precaution'.

Pedestrians and motorists are being urged to avoid the area, with diversions already in place to redirect local traffic.

Hundreds of shoppers were evacuated from Eastgate Bondi Junction following reports of a suspicious package

Police told Daily Mail Australia the operation was a 'precaution'

Eastgate Bondi Junction thanked shoppers for their patience and understanding before announcing the shopping centre had reopened to the public.

'We are OPEN! After a brief evacuation earlier this morning, we're thrilled to welcome you back to enjoy your Christmas shopping at Eastgate Bondi Junction,' it wrote on Facebook.

'Were committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our community, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this short closure.

'Thank you for your patience and understanding!'
Three entrepreneurs who started a fried chicken franchise have sold their business for a whopping 400million.

In one of the biggest take-overs deals for a restaurant brand in Britain, the UK arm of Wingstop will be acquired by California-based private equity firm Sixth Street.

The restaurant was started from scratch in 2018 by Tom Grogan, Herman Sahota, and Saul Lewin who opened the first Wingstop in central London.

The company now boasts 57 sites and employs 2,500 staff, The Times reports.

Wingstop is the fastest-growing restaurant brand in the UK and the American fast food chain, has over 1,926 locations in the US.

The business markets itself by tapping the popular music of the day and boasts Stormzy as a fan of the restaurant.

In November online service Deliveroo, which delivers from restaurant and takeaway chains and grocers, published a list of its 10 'top trending' items of the year.

Wingstop topped the list with its eight boneless wings being the most ordered dish by UK Deliveroo users.

The restaurant was started from scratch six years ago by Tom Grogan, Herman Sahota and Saul Lewin (left-right)

Wingstop is the fastest-growing restaurant brand in the UK with 57 sites and 2,500 staff

The rapid expansion of the chain is set to continue and Sixth Street aim to have 200 sites by 2029

The dish was not only extremely popular in Britain - it's Deliveroo's second-biggest seller worldwide.

The boom in Wingstop UK has coincided with the popularity of YouTube shows, such as Hot Ones where celebrities eat spicy wings while being interviewed.

The rapid expansion of the chain is set to continue and Sixth Street aim to have 200 sites by 2029 and will acquire a majority stake in Lemon Pepper Holdings, which operates Wingstop in the UK and Ireland.
A man from North Carolina who spent his entire life believing he was an only child will be celebrating Christmas with his huge family, including a half-sister and five half-brothers that he'd never met.

Dixon Handshaw was adopted as an infant in Buffalo, New York, and raised in Elmira.

He grew up without the connection of any siblings, but always wondered what it might be like to have a family to call his own.

At the age of 75, a simple decision unravelled a truth that had eluded him for decades and transformed his life just in time for the holidays.

'All my life, I dreamed about having siblings somewhere,' Handshaw admitted to 13WHAM. 'This is my Christmas miracle. That's what I call it.'

It all began in mid-August when Handshaw decided to obtain his pre-adoption birth certificate which shows the details of an adopted person's birth, including their name, date of birth, the city or county of birth as well as the adoptive parents' names.

He expected to uncover fragments of his past, perhaps a name or a date, but instead, discovered an entire family waiting for him - including biological siblings who had no idea he existed but who were ready to embrace him with open arms.

The moment of a lifetime came as Handshaw stepped off the plane at Rochester airport to meet his unknown family for the very first time.

Dixon Handshaw, 75, center, got to meet his two of his five half-brothers, Jeff Romig, left, and Gary Romig, right - together with half-sister Wendy Gell, for the very first time in his life

Dixon will be meeting 52 of his new found relatives over the Christmas period. Pictured, the Romig family photo from decades gone by

It was an emotional meeting as Dixon, centered, embraced his three of his five half-siblings for the first time

Waiting for him were two of his biological half-brothers, Gary and Jeff Romig, and his half-sister, Wendy Gell.

The first meeting in the baggage claim at Rochester airport on Thursday was nothing short of extraordinary. 'It felt like Christmas morning,' Gell said.

'It's so special because he's very emotional and excited and can't believe that we are opening our arms to him and welcoming him to the family.'

Handshaw had been apprehensive at first, fearing rejection or simply awkwardness.

'My biggest hesitancy was I didn't want to intrude on people,' he confessed. 'I didn't know whether they would be happy that I was around or not.'

But such fears proved unfounded in a phone call that changed his life in an instant.

Romig recalls the moment vividly. 'I was eating lunch on the job when my phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize, and usually, I wouldn't answer. But for some reason, I picked up,' he said.

'He says, "Hi, my name's Dixon. Are you Gary Romig?" I said, "I am." Then he goes, "I'm your brother." And I'm like, "What?"'

Dixon ran to embrace his sister, Wendy Gell, left, in the baggage claim of Rochester Airport

Dixon embraced his new found sister, Wendy Gell, for the very first time on Thursday

For the last 75 years, Dixon Handshaw thought he was an only child. This Christmas he discovered his half-sister and five half-brothers

Stunned, the two men talked for hours with Handshaw sending Romig a picture of himself.

When Romig shared it with the family including his own five siblings, the resemblance was uncanny.

'We all saw it,' Romig said. 'He has our father's features. There was no mistaking it.'

By Christmas, Handshaw wasn't just meeting a few siblings - he was stepping into a new world.

This weekend Dixon met 52 members of his family in what he has described as his 'Christmas miracle'

A special celebration was held as family members welcomed him to the rest of the family

Handshaw, left, sent a picture of himself to his brother. The family agreed it looked just like their father, right

'I'm not gonna waste any time having this new family. I couldn't be happier,' Handshaw said, his eyes welling up. 'After all these years of wondering, I finally feel complete.'

Plenty of tears were shed as the three siblings met their long lost brother for the very first time

Dixon said he had 'never felt such an outpouring of unconditional love' in his whole life

This past weekend, he met an incredible 52 new relatives, each one eager to connect with the man who had been missing from their lives without either of them realizing.

'I'm not gonna waste any time having this new family. I couldn't be happier,' Handshaw said, his eyes welling up.

'After all these years of wondering, I finally feel complete.'
Family, friends and former prime ministers are gathering to farewell Liberal Party stalwart Kevin Andrews at a state funeral in Melbourne.

The longtime federal MP has been remembered as a conservative warrior and 'man of conviction' after he died following a year-long battle with cancer on December 14.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott will deliver the eulogy at Monday's service for Mr Andrews at St Patrick's Cathedral, East Melbourne.

MPs across the political spectrum shared their condolences with the family of former defence minister Mr Andrews following his death.

Former prime minister John Howard said he spoke with Mr Andrews, who served in his cabinet, a few hours before he passed away.

'To the very end he was a warrior for what he held dear,' Mr Howard said in a statement.

Mr Andrews also served in the cabinet of Mr Abbott, who remembered him as a 'fine Australian, a highly effective minister, a loyal colleague, and a great friend'.

Mr Abbott shared a statement from Mr Andrews' family via social media on Saturday.

Family, friends and former prime ministers are gathering to farewell Liberal Party stalwart Kevin Andrews at a state funeral in Melbourne

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton praised Mr Andrews as the 'finest of men' and a 'true Liberal'

'We are deeply proud of his service to our country, our local community and his party,' the family said.

The father of five represented the blue-ribbon seat of Menzies in Melbourne's east for three decades, retiring in 2022 after losing a pre-selection battle.

It was the first time a sitting federal Liberal MP was unseated during Victorian preselection in more than three decades.

Mr Andrews was a senior figure in the Liberal Party's right wing, championing conservative causes and serving at various times as minister for defence, social services, immigration, ageing and workplace relations.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton praised Mr Andrews as the 'finest of men' and a 'true Liberal'.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said both sides of the bench would agree Mr Andrews was a 'man of conviction'.

Born in Sale, eastern Victoria, Mr Andrews moved to Melbourne to study law at Monash University and the University of Melbourne.

He worked as an associate to Sir James Gobbo at the Supreme Court of Victoria before leaving to become a barrister.

Former prime minister John Howard said he spoke with Mr Andrews, who served in his cabinet, a few hours before he passed away

The longtime federal MP has been remembered as a conservative warrior and 'man of conviction' after he died following a year-long battle with cancer on December 14

After six years he moved into politics, winning Menzies in a 1991 by-election and holding the seat for the next 31 years.

He rose to prominence while still a backbencher when he introduced the Andrews Bill in 1996, which restricted the rights of the ACT and Northern Territory to make euthanasia laws.

As a cabinet minister, he pushed for several controversial pieces of legislation including a citizenship test and WorkChoices industrial relations package.

He backed Mr Abbott when Malcolm Turnbull challenged him for the leadership in 2015, unsuccessfully standing for deputy leader against Julie Bishop.

A devoted Catholic, Mr Andrews advocated for traditional family values and opposed abortion, same-sex marriage and stem cell research.

He was the longest-serving member of parliament at the time and in his final speech said he entered politics to make a difference.
Nearly 700 shoplifting offences go unsolved every day, figures show, as shop staff face a Christmas crimewave.

In the last year, 245,500 shoplifting offence cases were closed without a suspect being identified  averaging 672 a day.

Overall, 56.4 per cent of the 434,925 shoplifting cases in the year to March 2024 fell into this category  up from 48.9 per cent five years ago.

Unsolved offences have jumped 38 per cent in five years, according to analysis by the House of Commons Library for the Liberal Democrats.

The party last night warned that shoplifters were able to act with impunity, claiming crimes were effectively legalised, as police are unlikely to properly investigate.

Around only one in six (17.2 per cent) of shoplifting cases led to a suspect being charged or summonsed, down from one in five in 2018/19.

The Lib Dems are urging the Government to return to community policing. Their home affairs spokesman Lisa Smart said: Shop staff are having to deal with a Christmas crimewave as shoplifters act with impunity with so many crimes being effectively legalised by the previous Conservative governments shocking neglect.

The new Government needs to get a grip on this shoplifting epidemic and hard-working shop staff on the front-line need to be reassured that they will not continue to be abandoned.

245,500 shoplifting offence cases were closed without a suspect being identified  averaging 672 a day

Around only one in six shoplifting cases led to a suspect being charged or summonsed

Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said shoplifting soared to a 20-year high under the last year of the Conservative government

That must start with ministers making sure that officers will actually have the time and resources to focus on their local neighbourhoods and keep shop workers safe. Until that happens, our communities wont see the proper neighbourhood policing that they deserve.

Last night policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: In the last year of the Tory government, shoplifting soared to a 20-year high, up 30 per cent in just 12 months. By the end of their tenure, more than half of the public said they never saw a bobby on the beat, double the proportion than in 2010.

She added: This Labour Government is committed to putting neighbourhood police back on the beat and creating new powers for the police to crack down on the scourge of antisocial behaviour, shoplifting and street crime in our towns and cities.

Sir Keir Starmer has previously backed The Mail on Sundays calls for a crackdown with its End the Shoplifting Epidemic campaign.

Labours Crime and Policing Bill, which is not expected until early next year, will give the police stronger powers to ban repeat shoplifters from town centres. It will also attempt to ensure police treat shoplifting offences more seriously by scrapping a rule that means police treat thefts of goods under 200 less seriously.
A Thai man has been sentenced to death after a German estate agent was killed and found dismembered in a freezer.

Peter Ralter Mack, 62, was murdered by Shakrukh Karim Uddin and two Germans nationals in south Thailand last year.

Piriya Boonmark - Mr Mack's wife - first raised the alarm to his disappearance on July 4, 2023, after he had left their home to see a property broker but failed to return.

It was only six days later that he was found butchered draped in a thick layer of tape inside a freezer in the province of Chonburi.

Local police soon found the estate agent's Mercedes-Benz E350 thoroughly cleaned with chemicals. Investigators stated this was a bid to get rid of any evidence.

CCTV later emerged, showing the trio of suspects bringing a freezer into a property only 400metres away from where the vehicle had been discovered.

It was revealed during trial at the Pattaya Provincial Court that Mr Mack had been kidnapped and had 3.35million baht (78,000) drained from his bank account before being killed by the three.

Peter Ralter Mack, 62,was murdered by Shakrukh Karim Uddin and two Germans nationals in southern Thailand last year

Shahrukh Karim Uddin was taken into custody on Wednesday after attempting to escape to Maynmar

There were claims that alleged ringleader Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann, Petra Christl Grundgreif -and Oulaws Motorcycle club member Uddin, planned to discard the man's body in the sea.

The Thai court found all three guilty of premeditated murder and concealing a body, however the two German citizen were handed a life-sentence instead of capital punishment due to their confessions.

Shakrukh Karim Uddin has since been sentenced to death.

Under Thailand's strict legal system, capital punishment remains legal - despite repeal attempts. The death penalty can be imposed for a long list of crimes, including murder, treason, terrorism, extreme cases of rape and robbery, and drug trafficking.

Although the country has studied other methods of execution, such as the lethal injection, executions are today carried out by shootings using a handgun.

Condemned prisoners are sedated and put face down on a mattress and shot three times through the heart. If the prisoner has opted to donate their internal organs, then they are instead executed by a single bullet to the back of the head.

As of August, there were nearly 400 inmates on death row in the country, with the last execution being carried out in June 2018.

The incident saw a 26-year-old man killed by lethal injection on charges of robbery and the murder of a boy aged 17.
Tom Homan continued his powerful media tour as incoming 'Border Czar' for Donald Trump with an emotional speech at Turning Point's AmericaFest in Phoenix.

Homan, 63, is seen as a potential star in the Trump administration as he forcefully argues on behalf of the president-elect's mass deportation programs.

Speaking in Arizona on Sunday, he delivered several expletives and his voice began to crack in defense of his America first rhetoric that will soon become policy.

'People always ask me why I take this so seriously. People say Tom Homan's a racist, Tom Homan's an a**hole, say whatever you want, I don't give a s***,' he said to cheers from the crowd.

'Why do I care? I've talked to little girls as young as nine years old that we're raped multiple times. When you look into a little girl's eyes, nine years old, who had adults take everything innocent and pure from her, you look in those eyes, those eyes have no life in them, their life will never be the same.'

He angrily concluded: 'That's what p***es me off!"

Homan then talked about what the Biden administration's disastrous policies took away from the country.

'President Trump had us locked down! This administration came in and unlocked it! People die at the border every day! Women are sex trafficked every day! That's what p***es me off!'

Tom Homan continued his powerful media tour as incoming 'Border Czar' for Donald Trump with an emotional speech at Turning Point's AmericaFest in Phoenix

Speaking in Arizona on Sunday, he delivered several expletives and his voice began to crack in defense of his America first rhetoric that will soon become policy at the boarder

He then referred to Trump's victory over Kamala Harris in November as 'the best day of my life.'

'To save lives. A secure border saves lives! It isn't rocket science,' he concluded.

The border czar has gone anywhere and everywhere to promote Trump's immigration crackdown, from the border itself to mainstream media to liberal 'sanctuary' cities like New York and Chicago.

Homan, the former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump's first term, has made clear what Trump's policies come January 20, 2025, will be.

'If you are in the country illegally, and you've got orders for deportation, were going to arrest you, detain you and remove you,' he told CNN earlier this week.

'Having a child in this country does not make you immune to our laws.'

He argued that if the parents were found to be in the country illegally, had court orders to be removed and were evading deportation, they need to be held accountable in accordance with current laws.

Letting parents stay because their children were born in the U.S. means 'the court order doesn't mean anything anymore,' Homan reasoned.

Homan talked about what the Biden administration's disastrous policies took away from the country

Homan, the former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump's first term, has made clear what Trump's policies come January 20, 2025, will be

Homan said he wants to arrest as many people as he can with the resources they have, and added that there are millions of fugitives within the U.S. who are pending arrest.

'We want to arrest as many people as we can that are in the country illegally,' he said. 'We want to arrest every criminal, every gang member ... If you're here illegally, you're not off the table.'

Earlier in the week Homan spoke to Tucker Carlson about the possibility of sending migrants to 'rich, white' neighborhoods.

Carlson asked the incoming border czar on his X show Wednesday night: 'Is there anyway to move millions of Haitians into rich, white, liberal, neighborhoods?'

'The people who did this are rich, white liberals in the United States who hate themselves and the country and to punish it, they invited all these people illegally from failed countries but they can't stand the idea of living near these people because they're racist,' Carlson said.

Homan responded: 'We absolutely could do it. Martha's Vineyard did it!'

Martha's Vineyard, in particular, was one of the many liberal enclaves migrants were sent via bus by Republican governors in an attempt to ease the burden of their arrival on their states, a point Homan celebrated.

AmericaFest is put on by Turning Point USA, which advocates for conservative values on High School and College campuses and helps mobilize young and future voters.
Albania will ban TikTok after a teenager was stabbed to death at the end of the school day following a social media feud.

Prime Minister Edi Rama has announced that the government will shut down TikTok for 12 months from January as he accused the social media platform of inciting violence and bullying, especially among children.

'For one year, we'll be completely shutting it down for everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania,' he said on Saturday after meeting parents' groups and teachers.

The major crackdown, the first of its kind in Europe, was prompted by the death of a 14-year-old boy who was stabbed by another pupil in November.

Authorities have held 1,300 meetings with teachers and parents since the stabbing which happened after a quarrel that started on social media apps.

The schoolboy was stabbed in the heart and died an hour later in hospital, according to media reports. The fight was filmed and celebrated online by some TikTok users.

It has not been established yet whether the argument started on TikTok. But Mr Rama said the app is to blame, describing it as 'the thug of the neighbourhood'.

'The problem today is not our children, the problem today is us, the problem today is our society, the problem today is TokTok and all the others that are taking our children hostage,' Mr Rama said.

Prime Minister Edi Rama (pictured) has announced that the government will shut down TikTok for 12 months from January

The major crackdown, the first of its kind in Europe, was prompted by the death of a 14-year-old boy who was stabbed by another pupil in November. Pictured: A TikTok logo on the Albanian flag

Following Tirana's decision, TikTok asked for 'urgent clarity from the Albanian government' in the case of the stabbed teenager.

The China-based company said it had 'found no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts, and multiple reports have in fact confirmed videos leading up to this incident were being posted on another platform, not TikTok.'

But Mr Rama defended the measure and said: 'The ban on TikTok for one year in Albania is not a rushed reaction to a single incident, but a carefully considered decision made in consultation with parent communities in schools across the country.'

He added: 'To claim that the killing of the teenage boy has no connection to TikTok because the conflict didn't originate on the platform demonstrates a failure to grasp both the seriousness of the threat TikTok poses to children and youth today and the rationale behind our decision to take responsibility for addressing this threat.'

'Albania may be too small to demand that TikTok protect children and youth from the frightening pitfalls of its algorithm,' he said, blaming TikTok for 'the reproduction of the unending hell of the language of hatred, violence, bullying and so on.'

Albanian children comprise the largest group of TikTok users in the country, according to domestic researchers.

Many youngsters in Albania did not approve of the ban.

'We disclose our daily life and entertain ourselves, that is, we exploit it during our free time,' said Samuel Sulmani, an 18-year-old in the town of Rreshen, 47 miles north of the capital Tirana, on Sunday.

'We do not agree with that because that's a deprivation for us.'

TikTok is banned in several countries, including India, Iran, Nepal, Afghanistan and Somalia. (File image)

But Albanian parents have been increasingly concerned following reports of children taking knives and other objects to school to use in quarrels or cases of bullying promoted by stories they see on TikTok.

'Our decision couldn't be clearer: Either TikTok protects the children of Albania, or Albania will protect its children from TikTok,' said Mr Rama.

TikTok is banned in several countries, including India, Iran, Nepal, Afghanistan and Somalia.

Australia also recently passed the world's strictest law on social media, banning under-16s from any such platforms.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there was a clear, causal link between the rise of addictive social media and harm to the mental health of young Australians.

Firms flouting the law, which will take at least a year to kick in, could be fined $50million (25 million).

The bill, passed during the final day of Parliament of the year, is set to come into effect by the end of 2025.

In France, children are not allowed to access social media until they are 15, unless they have parental permission.

The US is moving to ban TikTok unless it is sold by ByteDance, its chinese parent company, by January 19.

Congress claim the app is linked to the Chinese state, but this is denied by TikTok and ByteDance.
EXCLUSIVE

A young woman who was chased down the street by two men and shot dead days before Christmas, had a string of criminal offences and even spent time in jail.

Police believe Chloe Mason, who is also known as CeeJay, from Caboolture on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, had been assaulted in the middle of the night and tried to flee down a suburban street when the pair gave chase.

Police attempted to revive the 23-year-old before paramedics arrived, but she was declared dead at the scene.

The murder weapon is yet to be recovered and the two mystery men remain on the run. Detectives believe the attack was not random.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal that at the time of her death, Ms Mason was facing a string of charges in the Brisbane Magistrates and Supreme courts.

She had previously been sentenced 18 months in jail after being convicted of drug supply.

A close friend took to social media to pay tribute to her 'jail sister', recalling how they would communicate through prison cell vents during evening lockdowns.

'Rest in peace CeeJay Mason,' the post began. 'We will all miss you so f***ing much my jail sister, fly high huni.'

Chloe Mason (pictured with her mum Linda) was found dead three days before Christmas

Police are yet to identify two male perpetrators they believe chased Ms Mason down Railway Parade in Caboolture (pictured) before she was assaulted and shot

One day after her murder, a chilling photo emerged on social media showing Ms Mason making a pistol with her hand.

Investigators are establishing a taskforce of local and specialist homicide detectives to try and bring the young woman's family answers.

One witness said they heard, 'about three or four gunshots and then a little bit of whimpering'.

Residents from another property on the street were taken in for questioning, though detectives maintain they have no confirmed suspects.

'We have a number of witnesses that are currently assisting us, however, we have no person in custody,' Detective Inspector David Harbison said.

'It's a tragedy to lose such a young life in such a violent manner so we will get to the bottom of it, it's the best we can do for the family at the moment.'

On Sunday, Ms Mason's devastated sister launched a fundraiser to share a heartbreaking message.

A chilling photo on social media shows Ms Mason making a pistol with her hands

A friend of Ms Mason's took to social media to pay tribute to her 'jail sister', recalling how they would communicate through prison cell vents during evening lockdowns

'Chloe was chased down by 2 men and fatally shot on the 22nd of December 2024 in Brisbane,' Hannah McKone posted on GoFundMe.

'Chloe was only 23 years old.'

'Being so close to Christmas her family has no savings or financial means to give her a funeral.

'We are graciously asking for help and support in this. All funds donated will be directly utilised for Chloe's funeral service.'

Another sister, Danni Mason, remembered Chloe as a 'daughter, a sister, an aunt and a friend ... who was loved by many'.

'This loss has devastated our family and we struggle to come to terms with this so close to the holidays,' she wrote.

Daily Mail Australia can that at the time of her death, Ms Mason was facing a string of charges in the Brisbane Magistrates court and the Supreme court

'As sisters we grieve for the things she won't experience, all the things we aren't able to share and the memories we won't make. She was an incredible woman.'

As of Monday afternoon the GoFundMe has raised over $7000 in donations.

'The response has been overwhelming. Thank you all so much for your support. The family really can't thank the wider community enough,' the GoFundMe campaign said.

'We've started looking into funeral arrangements and we were not expecting how costly it will be. $4600 is set aside for Chloe's burial plot.'
Mayor Peter Flannery said public health and safety has sharply declined

Homeless people in City of Moreton Bay no longer allowed to have dogs

Homeless people in a Queensland council area have been banned from owning pets in a major new crackdown because the cost to ratepayers was sai to be too great.

City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery proposed the new legislation to bring in the ban and it was passed by a unanimous council vote on December 12.

Mayor Flannery said the council was taking action on homeless people camping in public areas after he received 'hundreds' of complaints from locals.

He said the sharp rise in the number of homeless people in the council area had led to a steep decline in public health, safety and amenity.

Moreton City Bay Council estimates there are currently around 200 homeless people in its district, with approximately 30 dogs owned by them.

A council spokesman claimed the number had grown by 90 per cent in the last 10 years.

'In the last two years there has been a 250 per cent increase in referrals to council of people sleeping rough,' the spokesman told the Courier Mail.

'We've received ongoing community feedback about the significant increase in illegal behaviour in public places including assaults, fighting and use of dangerous weapons, drug and alcohol abuse, dog attacks and fire putting everyone, including people sleeping rough, at great risk.'

Homeless people are no longer allowed to own pets after a crackdown led by City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery

Mayor Peter Flannery (pictured) introduced the legislation which passed by unanimous council vote after receiving 'hundreds' of complaints about public safety from residents

Mayor Flannery insisted it was not safe for homeless people to own dogs.

'Concerns for public safety are mounting in some council parks and we have received hundreds of calls from residents and visitors citing serious concerns,' he said in a statement.

He said the council had been 'lenient' in the past with homeless on the issue.

'These dogs are now attacking each other because they're unrestrained, they're attacking people, they're attacking other homeless people,' the mayor told the ABC.

'We've been a bit lenient, as we have with other camping in public places policies, but we're getting to the point where the number of incidents is outweighing the benefits.'

The Moreton City Bay Council spokesman reiterated the Mayor's claim that keeping animals in public spaces was unsafe and violated locals laws.

'This is consistent with our local laws for all members of our community,' they added. 'All animals in public spaces must be kept under effective control at all times.'

The new rules completely ban the homeless from owning dogs and also include new guidelines around 'public space camping in caravans, camper trailers and other vehicles equipped for the purposes of camping', the spokesperson added.

Under the new laws anyone camping in public areas and those sleeping in vans are no longer allowed to keep pets. Failure to comply comes with a $8,605 fine

Council workers around Moreton Bay began handing out compliance notices on December 17 which ordered homeless people to stop sleeping in vans.

The notices threaten fines of up to $8,065 for anybody who fails to comply.

Any homeless people who fail to stop keeping pets will face the same fine.

One Brisbane woman Shani said she immediately noticed an abandoned dog that someone had left in a public park after the notices started circulating.

'I knew immediately he had been abandoned,' she told YahooNews.

'I rushed home to drop off my dog, then returned to check on him. He was still there. He had slipped the lead hed been tied to.'

Homeless advocates are now calling for amendments to be made to the legislation which would allow people sleeping rough to apply for pet permits.

Brisbane local Shani said she immediately noticed dogs being abandoned after compliance notices began circulating on December 17

A petition, started by local man Stephen Bartholomew, hopes to reverse the ban and has already attracted more than 13,000 signatures.

It calls for homeless persons in public spaces and those living in vans to be able to keep their pets by registering them with relevant government agencies.

'When you have over 10,000 signatures in less than 72 hours supporting the amendments requested within this petition, it's VERY clear council, State, and federal government need to work with the community, not just sweep it under the carpet among each other,' Mr Bartholomew wrote on social media.

'These are very fair and reasonable amendment requests. So council, listen to what over 10,000 people are requesting. And make the amendments.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Moreton City Bay Council for comment.
A Kremlin spokesperson has denied reports suggesting that Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, is seeking a divorce. Turkish media had reported that she intended to end her marriage and leave Russia, where she and her husband were granted asylum after a rebel coalition toppled his regime and took control of Damascus.

In response to the reports during a news conference, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, "No, they do not correspond to reality." He also refuted claims that Bashar al-Assad had been confined to Moscow and that his property assets had been frozen.

Russia, a key ally of the Assad regime, provided military support during the Syrian civil war. However, Turkish media reports on Sunday suggested that the Assads were living under strict limitations in Moscow, with claims that Asma al-Assad had filed for divorce and wanted to return to London.

Asma, a dual Syrian-British citizen, has been previously told by the UK foreign secretary that she would not be permitted to return to Britain.

"I want it confirmed that she's a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK," David Lammy said while speaking in parliament earlier this month,

He added he would do "everything I can in my power" to ensure no member of the Assad family "finds a place in the UK".

In a statement last week, Bashar al-Assad claimed that he had never intended to flee Syria, but was airlifted from a Russian military base at Moscow's request.

Who is Asma al-Assad?

Asma al-Assad, 49, was born in the UK to Syrian parents in 1975 and grew up in Acton, west London. She moved to Syria in 2000 at the age of 25 and married Bashar al-Assad just months after he succeeded his father as president. Throughout her 24 years as Syria's first lady, Asma was a subject of significant curiosity in Western media.

A controversial 2011 Vogue profile called Asma al-Assad "a rose in the desert" and described her as "the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies." The article has since been removed from the Vogue website.

Just one month later, Asma faced criticism for remaining silent while her husband violently repressed pro-democracy campaigners at the outset of the Syrian civil war. The conflict ultimately claimed the lives of around half a million people, with her husband accused of using chemical weapons against civilians.
More than one third of Australians are still working from home (WFH) in a sign flexible working conditions have become the norm despite irritating 82 per cent of bosses.

Analysis of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Committee for Economic Development of Australia revealed WFH conditions have stayed consistent over the last two years.

But the latest data from the Director Sentiment Index Survey by the Australian Institute of Company Directors shows 82 per cent of Aussie bosses want their workers back in offices full-time.

About 36 per cent of Australian workers reported regularly working from home in August, only slightly down from 37 per cent in 2023.

In 2016, WFH was only available to five per cent of workers.

A large portion of those choosing to take advantage of flexible working conditions were managers and professionals at 60 per cent, unchanged from 2023.

Meanwhile, only 21 per cent of other occupations WFH.

Flexibility was the main reason people chose to WFH at 25 per cent, while nearly 24 per cent said they had a home-based job and 20 per cent used WFH to catch up on tasks outside of office hours.

More than one third Australians are still working from home, years after the Covid pandemic

Hybrid workers showed high job satisfaction and lower quite rates, particularly non-managers, female employees and those with long commutes

CEDA highlighted some statistics which showed people who were 'previously less likely to have a job continue to benefit from the shift to hybrid work', including eight per cent of women who WFH for childcare and family reasons.

'New Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey data released last week shows workforce participation in jobs where people could work from home jumped by nine per cent for women with young children and 4.4 per cent for people with a disability or health condition from 2019 to 2023,' it said.

However, the results may not be enough to change the minds of the many bosses who wish to see workers permanently in offices.

'A KPMG survey of more than 1,300 CEOs across 11 countries found 83 per cent now expect a full return to the office within the next three years, a notable increase from 64 per cent in 2023. In Australia, the result was similar, at 82 per cent,' CEDA said.

The committee urged bosses to consider the benefits of flexible working arrangements, including access to a larger hiring pool.

A recent study by Stanford University Economics Professor Nicholas Bloom found several other positives to WFH arrangements, including improved employee retention.

The randomised study, published in Nature earlier this year, surveyed more than 1,600 workers at a Chinese tech company.

Those who worked from home two days a week had high job satisfaction and lower quite rates by one-third.

About two-thirds of Australian company directors agreed flexible working conditions improved staff retention

The biggest positive difference was noticed among non-managers, female employees and those with long commutes.

Furthermore, the research found no difference in performance grades or promotion rates for hybrid workers over a two-year period.

About two-thirds of Australian company directors agreed flexible working conditions improved staff retention, attraction and health, ACID found.

'Their views on the impact of working from home on productivity and innovation have improved slightly over the last year but remain negative  only 39 per cent believe that work from home is good for productivity, while only 28 per cent believe work from home is good for innovation,' CEDA said.

However, with hybrid working conditions evidenced as a major incentive for employees, the committee urged bosses not to make the change 'an industrial relations battleground'.
Kathy Hochul took a lashing from Republicans and Democrats for posting photos bragging about the safety of the New York City subway system hours after a woman was burned alive on a train.

The incident happened Sunday morning at a station in Coney Island, where an F train carrying the victim had been idling. The woman did not die immediately - only succumbing to her injuries after cops found her burning to death.

Officers were at the scene after receiving a call on a woman needing assistance. Some were later seen using a tarp to cover up one of the train's windows - seemingly to block a view of the grisly scene.

Sebastin Zapeta, 33, a Guatemalan migrant, was taken into custody hours after he allegedly lit the woman on fire and fled the scene, according to Fox News.

At 3:40pm Sunday, hours after the story broke, the New York Governor Hochul bizarrely posted photos of herself smiling with straphangers as she praised the safety of the subway lines.

'In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day,' she said.

Hochul referenced her efforts earlier this year to send National Guard members to help police conduct random searches of riders bags for weapons following a series of high-profile crimes on city trains.

She recently deployed additional members to help patrol during the holiday season.

Kathy Hochul took a lashing from Republicans and Democrats for posting photos bragging about the safety of the New York City subway system hours after a woman was burned alive

The incident happened Sunday morning at a station in Coney Island, where an F train carrying the victim had been idling. The woman did not die immediately - only succumbing to her injuries after cops found her burning to death

'Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up,' she added, making no mention of the woman who was burned alive.

Councilman Joe Borelli, the GOP leader of the far left-leaning New York City Council, posted the tweet with the remark: 'Aged like milk.'

However, Hochul was slammed by her own party as well, with Congressman Ritchie Torres - who has teased a primary challenge to the governor in 2026 - destroying her for the post.

'Two hours ago, Kathy Hochul took a victory lap for making subways 'safer.' She congratulates herself on the same day two subway riders were stabbed in Queens (one in the face and one in the chest) and another was barbarically burned alive.'

Torres asked: 'Has there ever been a more tone-deaf Governor in the history of New York?'

Hochul appeared to do her own U-turn on the subway later in the day when praising the NYPD for arresting the suspect.

'Make no mistake: any crime is one too many, even with subway crime going down. We are continuing to surge personnel and resources to make our subways safer.'

As Torres noted, the case marked the second fatality on a New York subway Sunday.

Sebastin Zapeta, 33, a Guatemalan migrant, was taken into custody hours after he allegedly lit the woman on fire and fled the scene

At 3:40pm Sunday, hours after the story broke, the New York Governor Hochul bizarrely posted photos of herself smiling with straphangers as she praised the safety of the subway lines

Councilman Joe Borelli, the GOP leader of the far left-leaning New York City Council, posted the tweet with the remark: 'Aged like milk'

However, Hochul was slammed by her own party as well, with Congressman Ritchie Torres - who has teased a primary challenge to the governor in 2026 - destroying her for the post

At 12:35 a.m., police responded to an emergency call for an assault in progress at the 61st Street-Woodside Station in Queens and found a 37-year-old man with a stab wound to his torso and a 26-year-old man with multiple slashes throughout his body.

The older man was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital while the younger man was in stable condition, police said.

An investigation was continuing. These combined to make for 11 homicides on the New York City subway in 2024. As recently as 2017, there were none.

Zapeta was caught while riding a train at 34th Street in Manhattan, when three high schoolers identified the suspected killer at the 34th Street station in Manhattan and waved down the cops, the New York Post reports.

The train was ordered to stop at the next station, where two transit officers boarded the train and located the person of interest, before taking him into custody.

Zapeta has not yet been charged with any wrongdoing, but is accused of lighting the woman on fire at around 7.29am.

Police say the victim was sleeping when Zapeta, who was sitting across from her onboard an F train at a station in Coney Island, got up, walked over and lit her on fire.

'The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds,' Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Sunday night.

Hochul appeared to do her own U-turn on the subway later in the day when praising the NYPD for arresting the suspect

Sebastin Zapeta, 33, a Guatemalan migrant, has been arrested for allegedly setting a woman on fire onboard a New York City subway Sunday morning

Zapeta was caught on camera at the station sitting on a bench and watching as the woman was engulfed in flames.

Cops briefly talked to him and told him to clear the area in the immediate aftermath.

They put out the fire with the help of an MTA employee, before the woman died from her injuries at around 7.30am.

Then at around 1pm, police were seen carrying a body bag out of the train and placing it on a gurney, before transporting it to a Medical Examiner's van.

'On Sunday... at approximately 0729 hours, an unidentified female victim was sleeping aboard a stationary F train at the Stillwell Avenue Subway station when an unknown male individual approached and lit the victim on fire,' police later said in a statement.

'The individual then left the subway car. The victim was pronounced deceased by EMS at the scene.'

Police say the victim was sleeping when the man, who was sitting across from her onboard an F train at a station in Coney Island, got up, walked over and tossed a match on her

Police added that the woman was found with a litany of liquor bottles - though law enforcement sources who spoke to The New York Post said investigators remain stumped as to whether that played a part in the fire.

No other information was readily available about the female victim, and the suspect's motive - if any - still remains unclear.

Meanwhile, authorities are also working to determine whether the suspect is in the country legally.

He had entered the United States and was detained by border patrol agents in June 2018, but did not appear to have any previous criminal history in New York.

Yet Sunday's murder left service for the F train shut down in both directions.

The 5 and 6 platform, in addition to that of the F train, were also roped off with police tape as a result, as witnesses were left reeling.

One MTA employee told the Post: 'It just looked like all the clothes were burnt off.

The woman, cops said, did not die immediately - only succumbing to her injuries after cops found her burning to death at the scene

Officers at the scene after receiving a call of a woman needing assistance were seen using a tarp to cover up one of the train's windows - seemingly to block a view of the grisly scene

'I was just walking by. The cops [were] there already. I didn't see her in flames, but that's what I heard,' the unidentified worker said, explaining, 'They shut the lights off [in the train car] so nobody could see.

'That s*** is crazy - it's only three days until Christmas,' he noted. 'That's messed up.'

Alex Gureyev, a 39-year-old construction manager, also said New York City's subway system is 'going downhill a bit.

'Everybody keeps saying its going back to the '70s,' he said, referencing a time of high crime in the Big Apple.

'It's a frequent occurrence - not like this, setting people on fire - but like the mugging, the killings, the fighting, the shootings - they're really common nowadays,' Gureyev said. '[It's] very bad.'

New York City Mayor Eric Adams also said his prayers are with the victim's family in 'this senseless killing.'

He added that he is 'grateful to the young New Yorkers and transit officers who stepped up to help our NYPD make a quick arrest following this morning's heinous and deadly subway attack.

'This type of depraved behavior has no place in our subways and we are committed to working hard to ensure there is swift justice for all victims of violent crime,' he said.

About a year ago, Hochul supported funding to install video cameras on every train car in the New York subway system, said Michael Kemper, chief security officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

He and other officials on Sunday credited the cameras with helping to track down the suspect so quickly.
An Australian father who served as a US fighter pilot is set to face court in the US after his extradition was approved by federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, as his devastated family say they have been 'abandoned' by the government.

Daniel Duggan, 56, has already spent two years behind bars over allegations he unlawfully trained Chinese military personnel.

The father-of-six made a last-ditch attempt to avoid prosecution in the US, sending an 89-page submission to Mr Dreyfus after a NSW magistrate ruled in May he was eligible for extradition.

But on Monday, Mr Dreyfus confirmed he had given Duggan's extradition the green light.

Duggan's children were 'very sad' about the decision, the family said.

'We are shocked and absolutely heartbroken by this callous and inhumane decision which has been delivered just before Christmas with no explanation or justification from the Government,' Mr Duggan's wife Saffrine said in a statement.

'We feel abandoned by the Australian Government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family.'

She said they were now considering their legal options, including whether to request the specific reasons for the government's decision to extradite him.

Daniel Duggan (pictured), 56, has already spent two years behind bars over allegations he unlawfully trained Chinese military personnel

Duggan's family were 'shocked and absolutely heartbroken by this callous and inhumane decision' (Duggan is pictured with his wife, Saffrine, and their children)

'It is very difficult to explain to the children why this is happening to their father, especially now, at this time of year,' Ms Duggan added.

Mr Dreyfus confirmed the extradition had been approved but would not reveal when Duggan would be transferred to the US, citing a longstanding practice of the government not commenting on operational matters relating to extradition.

'Acknowledging the public interest in this matter, I confirm that on 19 December 2024 I determined under section 22 of the Extradition Act 1988 (Cth) that Daniel Duggan should be extradited to the United States to face prosecution for the offences of which he is accused,' he said in a statement.

'Mr Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States.

'In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me.'

Duggan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 at the behest of the US after being accused of breaching arms-trafficking laws by providing military training to Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012.

He allegedly received about $100,000 for his services.

If convicted in the US, Duggan faces up to 60 years in prison.

Molly Duggan (left) previously said she doesn't believe her father, Daniel Duggan (right), will ever be the same after spending 19 months in isolated imprisonment while facing extradition to the US

Australia does not have equivalent laws.

In May, Duggan's daughter Molly told 60 Minutes she fears the father she once knew has been chipped away after 19 months of of isolated imprisonment inside Lithgow Correctional Centre, 150km west of Sydney.

'I probably won't have my dad back again,' she told the program.

'He's been in maximum security for so long.

'Can you imagine being isolated like that for so long?

'He's not going to be the same person that he was before they took him.'

She doesn't believe her dad is a criminal.

'I feel like our world's been torn apart and I want the trauma to stop,' Molly added.

Duggan claims he is completely innocent and that he only trained civilian pilots with information available in online textbooks while in South Africa.

Ms Duggan called for Australia to put its foot down and avoid expediting her husband for an effective 'death sentence'.

'It means that my kids lose their father, our family is torn apart for something that can be stopped,' she said.

'It's absolutely unbelievable to think that Australia would do this.'
Donald Trump's multi-billion dollar deportation plan was plunged into doubt over the weekend as 38 Republican rebels defied his demands on the government funding bill.

The president-elect faced the first major test of his influence over Republicans in the House in a chaotic few days that narrowly avoided a government shutdown.

But it was not a test that Trump passed with flying colors.

Although he was handed a resounding mandate by voters on November 5 - ultra-conservative Republicans rejected his Elon Musk-backed demand to lift the debt ceiling.

Thirty-eight fiscal conservatives - including Kentucky 's Thomas Massie and South Carolina's Nancy Mace - defected on Thursday night despite Trump's loud protestations on his social media platform, TruthSocial.

Then, hours before the deadline on Saturday morning, Congress passed a deal to keep the government funded through February - without lifting the debt ceiling.

Marc Short, Trump's ex-legislative affairs director, warned that the rebellion 'did not portend well' for the president-elect's bold strategy at the border. Trump's mass deportation plan is estimated to cost north of $80 billion per year.

The president-elect previously pledged that the cost of his plans for the border are 'not a question of a price tag.'

Donald Trump may face opposition on his mass deportation program from his own party over his demands to spend big on the border

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., left, and Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, leave a meeting to discuss President-elect Donald Trump's planned Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday. Van Duyne was one of 38 Republicans who defied the president-elect on Thursday

Congresswoman Nancy Mace was among the other GOP rebels before the compromise was passed

A report by the pro-migrant American Immigration Council estimated that deporting one million migrants per year would cost $88 billion.

Republicans by and large support Trump's plan to secure the border but many are wedded to cutting fiscal spending and not adding to the trillions of dollars of debt the United States has built.

The interest payments on the country's debts now exceed the entire defense budget.

Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, is one of the members of Trump's party who refused the spending deal.

'My position is simple  I am not going to raise or suspend the debt ceiling (racking up more debt) without significant & real spending cuts attached to it. I've been negotiating to that end. No apologies,' he wrote.

Roy has been an outspoken critic of Johnson and compared the original deal to a 'crap sandwich.'

'We get this negotiated crap, and we're forced to eat this crap sandwich,' he said. 'It's the same dang thing every year. Legislate by crisis, legislate by calendar. Not legislate because it's the right thing to do.'

When Trump takes office in January, nine of the Republicans who voted no on the bill will have been replaced.

Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, was one of 38 GOP members to rebel

The battle drew in Trump, DOGE co-chair Elon Musk and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to publicly tussle with fellow Republicans in addition to Democrats over the bill

Trump wanted to keep the government running without suspending the federal debt limit because it would allow him to think as big as his plan to round up and deport 'the worst of the worst' illegal migrants in an unparalleled crackdown

However, 25 of the rebel Republicans who voted no won their district by 10 or more points in November, with nine of them winning by more than 30 points.

With the GOP's margin in the House slimming down to at least a 220-215 majority - assuming all of Trump's Cabinet picks are confirmed and Republicans replace them in special elections - he will need to unify the party to get his border plans passed.

The House passed a government spending bill Friday evening to avoid a government shutdown set to ensue at midnight that night.

The continuing resolution (CR) that was passed by the House extends government funding until March and provides over $100 billion dollars in relief funds to hurricane victims, farmers and more.

The 118-page bill passed with bipartisan support in the House, 366 - 34, after Republican Speaker Mike Johnson negotiated with his Democratic counterpart Hakeem Jeffries over the details in multiple conversations on Friday.

The 11th-hour passing of the GOP spending deal came after Trump and Musk demanded Johnson capitulate to their policy priorities during his negotiations.

Johnson originally proposed a 1,547-page CR, but that was quickly derided by many in the GOP and most notably by Musk, who used the bully pulpit of his X app and his 200 million followers, to ridicule Johnson's plan until the speaker went back to the drawing boards.

After deliberating with Trump's team Johnson then produced a 116-page bill backed by the president-elect and Musk. But that went down in flames with a 174 to 235 vote on Thursday after nearly every Democrat and 38 House Republicans voted against it.

All day Friday Johnson and many House Republicans were sequestered in private meetings to discuss the best path forward. Many were unsure how the final vote was going to go.

Elon Musk praised Speaker Johnson's efforts to eventually get a bill passed

But the speaker's last gambit, coming just hours before federal funding expired, ultimately was a success.

'The Speaker did a good job here, given the circumstances,' Musk posted on X Friday evening in approval.

'It went from a bill that weighed pounds to a bill that weighed ounces,' his post continued.

On Friday morning, Speaker Mike Johnson said entering the U.S. Capitol that he expects votes.

'We've got a plan,' he claimed, but the details on how they would move forward successfully to avoid a shutdown remains unclear.

He gave another update Friday afternoon insisting the House will pass a spending deal with provisions to help farmers and disaster relief.

'We will not have a government shutdown,' he said.

Democrats were blasting Republicans Friday for scrapping the bipartisan deal worked out over weeks of negotiations and any move to include the debt ceiling.

But Jeffries reportedly indicated to his Democratic members that they 'will live to fight another day' and instructed his party to support Johnson's plan.

The Republican Party will need to be united to pass Trump's immigration plans.

'Border Czar' Tom Homan said all of the estimated 20 million people residing in the US illegally would be targeted by the campaign, noting: 'Bottom line: if you come to the country illegally, you're not off the table.'

Homan, who was head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during Trump's first stint in the White House, said he would revive the president elect's 'remain in Mexico' program, in which Mexicans would have their asylum applications processed on their side of the border.

He also promised to close the southern border and build a wall - another flagship Trump pledge.

Trump has vowed to tackle migrant gangs using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 - which allows the federal government to round up and deport foreigners belonging to enemy countries - as part of a mass deportation drive he christened 'Operation Aurora.'

Aurora was the scene of a viral video showing armed Latinos rampaging through an apartment block that spurred sweeping, false narratives about the town being terrorized by Latin American migrants.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has addressed bizarre rumors that she is expecting a child.

The progressive Democrat responded to a follower on social media asking whether she was pregnant because she was 'glowing.'

'Everyone keeps asking me if I'm pregnant,' she said in a video on her Instagram Story, before revealing that a Republican member of Congress asked her the same thing on the floor of the House of Representatives this past week.

'I'm not pregnant guys,' she said, dispelling a rumor that has circulated since before the election.

'I had a lot of food at Thanksgiving, OK? It happens,' she said.

Rumors that the Squad member was pregnant were spread by far-right political activist Laura Loomer ahead of the 2024 election - which AOC handedly won over a Republican challenger.

She asked the Congresswoman to come on her show, saying: 'I would love to talk about your baby bump and your abortion push.'

Loomer went on to make similar comments following AOC's victory.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has finally addressed rumors that she is expecting a child

AOC has been engaged to marketing professional Riley Roberts since 2022, after meeting when they were both undergraduates at Boston University

'Hey @AOC The election is over. You can come out and finally admit you're pregnant. Or are you waiting til the ninth month to abort?

'The election is over, cupcake,' she wrote.

AOC has been engaged to marketing professional Riley Roberts since 2022, after meeting when they were both undergraduates at Boston University.

While AOC has risen to become one of the most prominent progressive Democrats in Congress, Roberts has maintained a low profile.

He attended the Met Gala in 2021 when AOC wore the infamous 'Tax the Rich' dress and has appeared in her Instagram videos.
One man has bought two of Sydney's biggest bars in a matter of months as he seeks to widen his business operations.

Sam Arnaout bought the Cabramatta Hotel in west Sydney and the El Cortez Hotel in Canley Heights in a deal worth close to $200 million.

The property billionaire purchased the venues for his Iris Capital operation which describes itself as a 'fully integrated development and hospitality group, driven by a passion for creating places people love'.

No exact dollar amount has been put on the sales as of yet but industry experts suggest that both were record-setting purchases in 2024.

HTL Property directors Andrew Jolliffe and Dan Dragicevich negotiated the sales of both hotels.

Mr Arnaout, who lives near Manly in the city's east, is a former panel beater who gained his $2.5billion net worth by purchasing hotels and developing properties.

The Cabramatta Hotel and the El Cortez Hotel are the latest in a long line of properties that Mr Arnaout now owns.

Others include the Steyne Hotel which he purchased for $65million and the Ivanhoe Hotel which are both in Manly.

Billionaire property developer Sam Arnaout bought the El Cortez Hotel in Canley Heights, Sydney (pictured, the El Cortez)

This is Mr Arnaout's second large purchase in a matter of months after he also bought the Cabramatta Hotel in west Sydney (pictured, the El Cortez)

Mr Arnaout now handles commercial and residential properties in both NSW and Queensland.

'Whilst Iris Capital operates on a national hospitality and development footprint; large format Sydney suburban hotels remain very attractive to our company,' he said.

The Cabramatta Hotel and the El Cortez Hotels have a combined 17,000sqm of commercial property which is ripe for development, Mr Arnaout added.

Redcape managing director Chris Unger, who formerly operated both hotels, said their sale will help his business going forward.

'The divestments will provide Redcape with capital to continue its redeployment into other opportunities in line with the fund's stated strategy,' Mr Unger said.

Mr Dragicevich said the sale of the property was easy as it was already a well-known hotel.

He added the fact that both it and the Cabramatta are on two separate land holdings 'adds materially to the additional use options from a development perspective'.

His colleague, Mr Jolliffe, said the sale of these latest hotels pushed Sydney hotel sales dollar value to $1billion in 2024 which is equal with the record set in 2022.
EXCLUSIVE

Australia's youngest-ever murderer who killed a three-year-old girl is planning to lose his virginity in the New Year, but future partners will be kept completely in the dark about his horrific past.

SLD, a sexual psychopath who murdered toddler Courtney Morley-Clarke in January 2001 on the NSW Central Coast, has lifetime anonymity preventing the public from linking him to his horrific crime.

Authorities believe he is high risk of re-offending because of his obsession with finding a girlfriend and starting a sexual relationship after being locked up behind bars for more than 20 years.

He was due to walk free last week before Justice Mark Ierace delayed his possible release for 28 days, ordering two independent psychiatric examinations.

Despite this, he could still be out by January and looking for love.

Paroled briefly in September 2023, the child killer was thrown back behind bars in October after approaching women with young children at Bulli Beach in Wollongong, NSW.

He also tried to access the internet, dating sites and encrypted chat apps.

SLD, now 37, was adopted by a family in Point Clare aged four, but despite his new home, the boy remained 'disturbed'.

Courtney Morley-Clarke was just three-years-old when she was murdered by her 13-year-old neighbour in 2001

SLD breeched his parole by approaching mothers with children at Bulli Beach (pictured) near Wollongong

At age 13 years and 10 months, he snatched Courtney from her bed in the middle of the night and stabbed her through the heart before leaving her body in long grass just 300m from her home.

He was caught after it was noticed that he had gone missing from his own home on the morning the three-year-old was snatched.

He initially lied about the crime, leading the police search on a wild goose chase before proudly admitting he killed her.

Psychiatric assessments of the teen determined he'd never become a functioning social adult.

He was sentenced in August 2002 to 20 years behind bars but was released in September 2023.

Just weeks after being freed from prison, he was re-arrested for breaching the terms of his release when he spoke to three women with children.

On October 25, SLD went to Bulli Beach near Wollongong with a supervisor and was spotted by an off-duty prison officer who noticed his electronic monitoring anklet.

SLD tried to access the internet and dating sites (stock image)

The officer witnessed SLD approach a woman with a young girl, and then approach another mother washing an infant at the beach showers.

Both women picked up their children and walked away from SLD.

He then entered the Bulli Beach Cafe and struck up a conversation with a woman feeding an infant.

After allegedly saying to the woman: 'I just got out of jail. Do you come here often?' he then said, 'I've only been here twice.'

Police came and arrested SLD, who told Wollongong Local Court the next day the encounters were 'incidental'.

He was found guilty of one count of failing to comply with an extended supervision order, which barred him from having contact with children.

Psychiatrists are concerned for the safety of females around SLD after one noted the killer was preoccupied with sex and fixated on losing his virginity immediately upon his release.

Following a recent hearing in the NSW Supreme Court, Justice Ierace did not make orders on whether SLD would continue to be held in prison.

He instead ordered the interim detention order be extended and ordered two phycologist or psychiatrists to conduct independent examinations.

The matter will return in the new year.
Transportation Security Administration officers made what they described as an 'extremely concerning' discovery at Los Angeles International Airport.

An unidentified woman who was flying from Los Angeles to Philadelphia was flagged at the security checkpoint during a routine X-ray screening on December 15, after an officer noticed what appeared to be several prohibited items in her carry-on, the agency announced.

When the officer then opened the bag in front of the traveler, he was shocked to find 82 fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms and a cannister of pepper spray - all of which are prohibited in carry-on luggage, the agency announced.

'The sheer number of prohibited items discovered in a single carry-on bag is extremely concerning,' LAX TSA Federal Security Director Jason Pantages said.

'Let this incident serve as a reminder to all travelers to double-check the contents of your bag prior to coming to the airport.'

Following the discovery, the TSA officer contacted Los Angeles World Airports police, who arrived at the Terminal 4 security checkpoint and interviewed the passenger.

The airport police bomb squad also responded, and confiscated the explosives.

It is unclear whether the woman was arrested or charged with any wrongdoing in the aftermath.

Transportation Security Administration officers made what they described as an 'extremely concerning' discovery at Los Angeles International Airport

The agent found 82 fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms and a cannister of pepper spray - all of which are prohibited in carry-on luggage

Fireworks and other explosives are never allowed on an airplane, while replica firearms and knives are permitted on checked baggage.

A single four-ounce container with a safety seal of pepper spray is also generally allowed in checked baggage, but large canisters containing more than two percent by mass of tear gas are not.

Some airlines, though, do not allow any kind of pepper spray, so the TSA recommends travelers contact theirs before they fly.

Travelers can also consult the What Can I Bring? feature in the MyTSA app, or send a picture of a questionable item to @AskTSA on X or Facebook.
An elderly woman has been fatally struck by her own vehicle while helping a passenger in a taxi she had collided into moments earlier.

The woman car's hit the taxi in the carpark of Kambah Village shops in the Canberra suburb of Tuggeranong on Monday morning.

The woman, 75, got out to help the taxi passenger with a stroller but forgot put the brake on her car, which rolled forward and struck her.

Up to 20 bystanders rushed to the woman's aid and performed CPR before the she was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, where she died a short time later.

A female pedestrian was also injured but didn't require hospitalisation.

The tragic accident unfolded just two days out from Christmas.

Local cab driver Gagandeep Singh was picking up a regular passenger at the shopping centre when he felt and heard a sudden jolt.

A woman, 75, has died after being struck by her own car following a collision (stock image)

'I quickly ran because I didn't know what was happening,' he told The Canberra Times.

'I saw the [other] car was quickly trying to help.

'I saw the lady was on the ground.'

Jack Roche was serving coffee at the nearby bakery when he heard a loud bang and a crowd of people trying to resuscitate the woman.

The tragedy unfolded near Woolworths in the carpark of Kambah Village shops

'It was nearly, probably about 15 to 20 people that were surrounding her there,' he said.

'This time of year, it's very sad for an accident like this to happen.'

ACT Policing's Major Collision Team has launched an investigation into what police described as 'the complicated circumstances of this incident'.

Police urge witnesses to contact Crime Stoppers.
Beachgoers have been urged to act responsibly this festive season after a popular Sydney park was left covered in rubbish last Christmas.

The City of Waverley Council issued the warning to people planning to spend Christmas Day at Bronte Park, in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Last year, locals were left furious after plastic bottles, countless red cups and food packaging was left strewn across the park after up to 10,000 people attended.

Still incensed by the aftermath of last year's festivities, one local took to social media to ask if they were 'likely to see a repeat of this again'.

Local councillor Joshua Spicer commented on the post to try and quell concerns and said council planned to implement new clean-up measures this year.

'This includes extra rangers, security, and police, a dedicated cleaning crew with more bins and waste trucks,' Mr Spicer wrote.

'This has been a key priority for us, and we're confident these steps will make a big difference this year.'

He added that Bronte Park will receive 'crowd control pathways and temporary toilets' under the council's Summer Safe program.

New clean-up measures will be implemented this year after rubbish was left at Bronte Park last Christmas Day, council workers and local-led groups to clean up the mess (pictured)

The measures are part of the council's Summer Safe program which will target beaches and parks across the council (pictured, revellers at Bondi Beach)

The annual event has been affectionately called 'Orphans Christmas' by backpackers and tourists celebrating the holiday away from home.

Last year, the Waverley Council said the amount of rubbish was 'disappointing'.

'Our rangers were on site yesterday, alongside the police, ensuring the beach remained a safe environment for everybody,' a spokesperson said at the time.

Former Mayor Paula Masselos said controlling the growing crowds had grown increasingly difficult due to the size of the park and number of entry points.

'We've looked at things like doing a (ticketed event) and that's just not logistically possible... people are going to come in anyway,' Ms Masselos said last year.

'If you come expecting big amplifiers and parties down at the beach, don't,' she said earlier this year.

'Council owned or managed land is not yours to monopolise.'

Other Sydney councils have issued similar warnings about Christmas Day warnings.

A pair of shoes, a backpack and clothes were left behind after last Christmas Day (pictured)

City of Waverley Council will introduce new measures to combat unruly attendees of an annual Christmas Day event attended by thousands (pictured)

A Randwick City Council spokesperson reminded revellers that beaches and beachside parks are alcohol-free over summer.

'If you love the beach don't rubbish the beach, it's not OK to leave your rubbish  even if others do take it with you and bin it,' a spokesperson told Yahoo.

Randwick Council swiftly implemented the alcohol-free zone in the days following 'poor and inappropriate behaviour' at Coogee Beach on Christmas Day in 2016.

Similar to last year's event in Bronte, up to 10,000 attendees left behind piles of rubbish for the council and locals to clean up.

Randwick Council reassured residents it took a 'strong stance' when it came to keeping Coogee Beach, the 'jewel in the crown of Randwick Council', safe for visitors.
Nanjing hosts world manufacturing conference highlighting new quality productive forces

Global Times) 09:33, December 23, 2024

The three-day 2024 World Intelligent Manufacturing Conference (WIMC) concluded in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province on Sunday, drawing the participation of enterprises from nearly 10 countries and regions, with many showcasing their latest cutting-edge products and technologies at the show, the CNR reported on Sunday.

From eVTOL to humanoid robots and new energy products, enterprises from home and abroad took this opportunity to present their latest products involving a total of 20 key manufacturing sectors, as the nation pursues new quality productive forces, according to media reports.

A total of 263 companies flocked to the event, 51 of which are among the world's top 500 companies and industry representative companies, the report said.

Foreign companies have taken this occasion to tap into the vast Chinese market potential. LG Energy Solution, a South Korean technology company, participated in the show for the first time, and brought a batch of their latest battery products there, the Global Times learned from the company.

At the closing ceremony of the conference, the company's headquarters was officially established in the Nanjing Economic and Technological Development Zone, as part of its efforts to explore the Chinese market.

The company vowed to further increase investment in the Chinese market and continuously improve its core competitiveness, the company told the Global Times on Sunday.

"In recent years, international product conferences such as the WIMC held in Nanjing have grown in number and are widely favored by domestic and foreign companies... These activities provide companies with a platform to showcase the latest technologies and products, and promote international exchanges and cooperation," Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Through such conferences, companies can gain an in-depth understanding of the latest trends and policy directions in the development of new quality productive forces in China, Wang said.

China's manufacturing sector is experiencing a rapid transformation toward intelligent manufacturing, with new industries mushrooming, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

China has established 50 international standards for intelligent manufacturing, and is home to more than 6,500 intelligent manufacturing system solution providers, offering services that span the entire manufacturing sector, said the ministry.

Xin Guobin, a vice minister of the MIIT, said at the forum that China will focus on nurturing a group of intelligent manufacturing solution providers that master core technologies specialize in a niche industry, and drive further integration, innovation, and large-scale 5G application in the manufacturing sector.

The active participation of foreign companies deserves special attention, the Chinese expert said, noting that this conveys the strong confidence that foreign companies continue to have in the dividends of the development of China's new quality productive forces.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
The Ukrainian military reported that North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were provided with fake military documents, which included Russian names and birthplaces, in an attempt to hide the presence of foreign fighters. Ukraine's special operations forces stated on Sunday that they had killed three North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk region and confiscated their documents.

However, the Ukrainian military noted that the signatures on the documents were in Korean, which "indicates the real origin of these soldiers," according to their statement.

Intelligence estimates from the US, Ukraine, and South Korea suggest that between 11,000 and 12,000 North Korean soldiers are currently in Russia. Some of these soldiers have already participated in combat alongside tens of thousands of Russian troops, helping to reclaim parts of Kursk that were seized during a Ukrainian offensive in August.

Since October, there have been "hundreds" of casualties, both killed and wounded, in Kursk. A South Korean lawmaker reported that around 100 North Korean soldiers are believed to have been killed, with nearly 1,000 others injured since their deployment to the region, according to the country's intelligence agency.

North Korean troops have reportedly suffered heavy losses in the Kursk region, according to US and Ukrainian officials, who accuse Russia of attempting to conceal their involvement. A senior US official stated that North Korea has experienced "several hundred" casualties, both killed and wounded, in Kursk since October.

Additionally, a South Korean lawmaker revealed that approximately 100 North Korean soldiers are believed to have been killed, with nearly 1,000 injured since their deployment to the area, as reported by the country's intelligence agency.

Ukraine's special forces reported on December 17 that 50 North Korean soldiers were killed and 47 injured within just three days while fighting alongside Russian troops in Kursk.

One Ukrainian unit noted that the North Koreans, wearing different uniforms from the Russians, had launched infantry attacks using "the same tactics as 70 years ago," seemingly referencing the Korean War, where waves of infantry were commonly used. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have yet to officially acknowledge the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.
An influencer has revealed the eye-watering amount he spent on taking his family to Winter Wonderland for a day out - and it's more than some might spend on a holiday.

Comedian Daniel OReilly, 39, went to the Christmas fair in London's Hyde Park with his wife Shelley and three children.

The father-of-three took his three daughters, Neve, seven, Roux, six, and newborn baby Sage, for a day out where he revealed the 'gobsmacking' cash he spent there.

Mr OReilly told his army of one million followers: 'Here's how much it really costs for a family day out in London at Winter Wonderland!

'This has had three million views so thought I might as well share it on here for you lot - hopefully save you an absolute fortune!'

In the series of video clips the comedian gives viewers a breakdown of his spending where he splashed out on over-priced funfair rides, festive food and costly drinks.

He said: 'Today we're off for a day out in London at Winter Wonderland. Now I heard it was expensive, so I decided to document every single pound we spend.

'So if you want to know how much it really costs these days to take your family out in London, watch to the end. You're gonna be absolutely gobsmacked.'

Big Brother star Daniel OReilly - who goes by Dapper Laughs - took to TikTok to document his experience at London's Winter Wonderland

The series of video clips give viewers a step by step of Mr OReilly's day of spending, where he splashed out on over-priced funfair rides, festive food and costly drinks

Mr OReilly told his army of 1 million followers: 'Here's how much it really costs for a family day out in London at Winter Wonderland!'

In one part of the video Mr O'Reilly's children visit the funhouse as he jokes: '15 quid to go on that one. Funhouse? you could have bought a house.'

He also appeared visibly shocked at the price of four crepes which set him back a staggering 32.

Concluding the video, he said at the end: 'Right, time to tally it up. 'We've got about 425, but then when you add parking at 25, the train tickets for a family, which comes to 125 and the 200 Shelley managed to spend, we get to a grand total of 775.

'That's nearly 800, which is more than enough to get an all exclusive holiday for your family in Benidorm. Was it a good day out? Of course, it was.

Concluding the video, he said at the end: 'Right, time to tally it up. 'We've got about 425, but then when you add parking at 25, the train tickets for a family, which comes to 125 and the 200 Shelley managed to spend, we get to a grand total of 775

Mr OReilly spent 775 at Winter Wonderland. He said: 'That's nearly 800, which is more than enough to get an all exclusive holiday for your family in Benidorm. Was it a good day out? Of course, it was.' But he added: 'Was it worth the money? Was It b*******? This country is f*****'

'The kids got some cool memories and we all had a good time as a family. Was it worth the money? Was It b*******? This country is f*****.'

Mr OReilly appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018. He got engaged to his partner following a proposal on live television after the he became the third contestant to leave the show.

During his exit interview with Emma Willis, Dapper Laughs turned to his then-girlfriend and said: 'When I was in the house, every day I was regretting that I've never asked you this so, will you marry me?'

He added: 'Sorry about the ring, Ginuwine made it for me. We'll trade it in for better paper,' and said: 'I'll double check with your dad afterwards if that's OK.'

The pair later tied the knot in July 2022.
A tourist is being investigated over the death of a Thai sex worker who was found dead in his hotel room - claiming he did not notice her decaying corpse for four days.

Bearach Beataidh, 71, was reportedly seen kissing and holding hands with Duangta Khampongsom, 45, as he took her to his bedroom at a guest house in 'Sin City' Pattaya in eastern Thailand on December 18. She was never seen alive again.

Bearach, from County Down, Northern Ireland, was captured on CCTV emerging from the room looking nervous four days later on December 22.

Building caretaker Prayoon Chinsai, 57, called police later that morning when he noticed a foul odour coming from the room.

When he knocked and no one answered, he used a spare key to open the door - only to find the woman's half-naked body rotting on the bed.

Officers arrived at the building and found the holidaymaker, who also holds an Irish passport, at a nearby bar.

He said he was aware of the body but did not file a report with police as he claimed he 'did not know she was dead'.

Police Captain Puttharak Sonkhamhan of the Pattaya City Police Station said officers are questioning Bearach further over his statements.

He said: 'The woman had been dead for at least three days. Her body had started to decay and bloat, giving off a foul smell throughout the room.

Bearach, from County Down, Northern Ireland, was summoned by police for questioning

Beataidh, 71, is pictured taking Duangta to his room on December 16

Duangta's body was taken to the Bang Lamung Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Doctors have not clarified the cause of death

'She was wearing only denim shorts and nothing on her top half. An inspection of the room found no signs of a struggle or ransacking.

'It would be hard not to notice she was dead as her body was already decomposing. There was also fluid and blood on the bed.'

Police officers searched for the British pensioner and found him at a bar along Jomtien Beach. He was said to have been dazed and confused when he was detained.

Bearach claimed he had invited Duangta, a prostitute from a nearby bar, to stay in his room after she was allegedly assaulted by an unknown attacker on December 18.

CCTV footage obtained by police shows Duangta in a black shirt and white cap walking with the tourist along the hotel corridor on the evening of December 18.

Bearach was then seen on December 22 emerging alone from the room. He was captured checking both sides of the hallway before going on his beach walk.

He allegedly said: 'She kept vomiting and sleeping the whole time, but I did not think it was anything abnormal. I understood that she felt weak and exhausted. We last spoke on December 19.'

Bearach claimed he did not realise she had died 'because there was no unusual smell' in the room. He denied hurting or killing the deceased.

Bar owner Kaew, 65, described the dead woman Duangta as an 'alcoholic' and a 'regular heavy drinker'.

Kaew claimed to have seen the holidaymaker rejecting Duangta on the night of December 18.

Duangta's former co-worker Pim, 46, also said she had a drinking problem.

CCTV footage obtained by police shows Duangta in a black shirt and white cap walking with the tourist along the hotel corridor on the evening of December 18

Beataidh was captured on CCTV emerging from the room looking nervous four days later on December 22

She said: 'Duangta had known the British man for less than two weeks. I don't think he killed her, but I find it strange that she died in his room.'

Duangta's body was taken to the Bang Lamung Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Doctors have not clarified the cause of her death.

Police Captain Puttharak added: 'We summoned the British man to the police station for further questioning.

'Forensic police are continuing to collect fingerprints and DNA because we do not believe his testimony. All CCTV is being checked.'

Former fishing village Pattaya became popular with American troops on 'rest and relaxation' breaks in the 1960s when the US military had bases in Thailand.

In the following years, the coastal resort spawned into a sex-tourism hotspot.

Embarrassed officials have made progress in cleaning up the region's reputation with family tourism projects but the nightlife industry has remained, and continues to attract men from around the world.
Labour is facing fresh questions about its stewardship of the economy today as official growth figures were revised down to zero.

The Office for National Statistics said UK GDP flatlined in the three months from July, when Sir Keir Starmer swept to power.

The government is already under mounting pressure over the October Budget, which critics say hammered firms with huge cost increases.

Last night the The Confederation of British Industry (CBI)said the economy was heading for the 'worst of all worlds' in 2025 as businesses grapple with Chancellor Rachel Reeves' 'tax-bomb' fiscal statement.

The employers' organisation said the outlook for the start of 2025 was 'firmly negative' across all main sectors, including manufacturing, services and retail  with firms directly blaming the 25 billion Budget hike in employers' National Insurance.

Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said: 'Today's figures demonstrate the latest failure at the hands of this Chancellor.

'The Labour Government must now urgently revisit their disastrous budget and align economic policy with growth not decline. Every moment of delay is further damaging business confidence, output and employment.

'The warning lights are flashing.'

Your browser does not support iframes.

This morning Ms Reeves said: 'The challenge we face to fix our economy and properly fund our public finances after 15 years of neglect is huge.'

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The ONS today said that UK gross domestic product (GDP) showed no growth between July and September, in the run up to the Autumn budget.

Statisticians had previously estimated 0.1 per cent growth for the quarter.

The ONS also revised down its growth reading for the second quarter of 2024, to 0.4 per cent. In September, it said it thought GDP had increased by 0.5 per cent, which was itself a reduction on previous estimates.

ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown said: 'The economy was weaker in the second and third quarters of this year than our initial estimates suggested with bars and restaurants, legal firms and advertising, in particular, performing less well.

'The household saving ratio fell a little in the latest period, though remains relatively high by historic standards.

'Meanwhile, real household disposable income per head showed no growth.'

This morning Ms Reeves said: 'The challenge we face to fix our economy and properly fund our public finances after 15 years of neglect is huge.

'But this is only fuelling our fire to deliver for working people.

'The Budget and our Plan for Change will deliver sustainable long-term growth, putting more money in people's pockets through increased investment and relentless reform.'

Monday's downward revision was partly linked to a weaker performance across the important services industry.

Services output failed to grow over the third quarter of the year, revised down from a previous estimate of 0.1 per cent.

This came after experts said consumer-facing services firms only saw 0.1 per cent growth, down from a previous reading of 0.5 per cent.

It said this came after bars and restaurants, and legal services firms recorded a weaker than previously expected performance.

The ONS also said the production sector saw slightly weaker growth than previously thought, on the back of a downgrade for manufacturing firms.

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A CBI survey of 899 firms painted a downbeat picture of the country's economic future. It found that private sector activity is expected to fall in the first three months of next year, with business optimism at its weakest since November 2022, after Liz Truss's mini-Budget.

The CBI said businesses were saying private sector employment 'will be cut sharply' in the first quarter of the year.

Hiring intentions are at their weakest since October 2020 when Britain was in the grip of the Covid pandemic, and almost half of firms (48 per cent) are planning to cut staff numbers, while 62 per cent have scaled back pre-Budget hiring plans.

Employers also issued a warning about inflation, saying the NI rise would have a knock-on impact on prices and that wage growth remained 'higher than the level consistent' with the Bank of England's 2 per cent target. Official figures last week showed that inflation rose for the second month running to 2.6 per cent.

Tory business spokesperson Andrew Griffith said the country could be heading for a 'recession... made in Downing Street'

Alpesh Paleja, the CBI's deputy chief economist, said: 'There is little festive cheer in our latest surveys, which suggest that the economy is headed for  firms expect to reduce both output and hiring, and price growth expectations are getting firmer.

'Businesses continue to cite the impact of measures announced in the Budget  particularly the rise in employer National Insurance contributions  exacerbating an already tepid demand environment.'

The warning follows recent figures showing the economy shrank for the second month in a row in October, causing the Bank of England to cut its growth forecast for the final quarter of this year to zero.

The Bank's former deputy governor, Sir Charlie Bean, yesterday said the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was also likely to cut its official forecasts for next year, having previously predicted growth of 2 per cent.

He told Sky News: 'If the OBR were to conduct new forecasts now, they would be downgrading that growth forecast simply because they have information about growth at the back end of this year, which they didn't previously have. So it is reasonable to expect them to project lower growth for 2025.'

Tory business spokesman Andrew Griffith accused Ms Reeves of creating 'a hostile climate for aspiration, for investment, and for growth'.

He added: 'The Chancellor's tax-raising spree and trash-talking her economic inheritance is literally killing businesses and jobs.

'If there is a recession  and based on these CBI expectations that seems increasingly likely  it will be one made in Downing Street. Labour need to urgently change course before the damage they are doing becomes even greater.'

Commons leader Lucy Powell yesterday admitted that the NI raid at the Budget had created 'consequences for business' and that growth figures were 'disappointing'.

But she added: 'We took the decision to put a record level of investment into our National Health Service to bring down those waiting lists... because if you can't work, you can't go to work.

'And these chronic factors in our economy, lack of housing supply, a sick economy, a sick population, a poor education, poor skills, are what is holding our country back.'
When Justin Baldoni married his Swedish wife Emily, his vows began with an extraordinary apology for 'anything I've ever said or done that has hurt you'.

The It Ends with Us director, 40, said he was sorry for his 'faults, shortcomings, insecurities and my ego' at their Midsummer Nights Dream-themed nuptials just outside Los Angeles in 2013.

But as tears rolled down his face he promised to 'cherish, listen to you, honour you and respect you'.

In response Mrs Baldoni, now the mother of his two children, responded by saying she would always love him and 'stand firm by your side' for the rest of their lives.

Today this love and support for her husband has never been more important as he finds himself at the centre of an extraordinary writ brought by Blake Lively that has made headlines around the globe.

Ms Lively claims that when filming Mr Baldoni fostered a toxic workplace environment including a number of highly damaging sexual allegations, which he vehemently denies.

But incredibly his wife Emily may be able to offer first-hand testimony because she starred in the movie, in an emotional scene with Blake herself. Their two children were also on the set their father is accused of corrupting, appearing in its final moments.

When the Baldonis married 11 years ago, the bride had told him and the congregation that she 'would stand tall by your side. Feeling blessed to have a man who speaks for those who cannot or do not have the strength to. And a man who will go without sleep to make sure someones story is told'.

And high-fiving as they were legally married, she told him, crying: 'Where there is love, nothing is too much trouble'.

Justin Baldoni's wife Emily (right) carries out a scan of Blake Lively's baby in the film at the centre of the legal row

Justin Baldoni shares a lingering kiss with his wife Emily amid the fallout from behind-the-scenes tensions during the production of It Ends with Us. His wife vowed to stand by him when they married in their emotional vows

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni starred opposite each other in the hotly-anticipated adaptation of the popular Coleen Hoover novel by the same name earlier this year. But Blake has made damaging claims about his behaviour

Justin Baldoni 's personal life is under intense scrutiny after Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him on Saturday, shedding light on disturbing allegations; (Emily Baldoni and husband Justin Baldoni in August)

Lively has been accused of creating an 'imbalance of power' on set by involving her husband Ryan Reynolds

Lively made 30 demands of Baldoni and others on set, many related to sexualised behaviour and comments

In a key moment of the film Lily, played by Blake, is pregnant and has a scan where she realises that she has the strength to move on with her life after surviving an abusive relationship with Ryle, played by Mr Baldoni.

Playing the medic doing the scan was none other than his real wife Emily Baldoni.

Their two children Maiya Grace and Maxwell were also on set, appearing in the final scene of the film running through a farmer's market.

Justin has admitted filming the movie was 'devastatingly difficult for many reasons', but most notably because of the time he was forced to take out from his family, which he said he now had a hard time 'forgiving myself for'.

Baldoni said he was struggling to forgive himself for the how 'lonely' his wife Emily had felt while he was away for the nearly two years it took to complete the production.

'I missed some of the most important things that if I could give anything I would go back in time and experience,' he said.

I took on the role of the provider and we ended up in very stereotypical gender roles without having ever talked about it she was doing the invisible work of motherhood and I missed so much,' he said.

He said missing time away from his family is 'the one thing I can never get back'.

'One of the things that makes me the most sad is how lonely she was during all of this.

'I think our world and culture and society could do a better job of two things. Holding space for how lonely it is to be a mother, it's no longer a village raising a child its a single mother.

'And I think we also need to hold space for how lonely it can be to be a man, who's trying to provide for that mother or family.

'Instead of ranking who is more tired, who's more this or who's more that. Being able to see, wow, you felt really alone when I was off building my career and I'm so sorry.

'And for her to say, you felt so alone and you missed so much and then being able to come together and realise we still have time to heal. Those are the things I'm doing now to make sure I don't repeat the failures tomorrow.'

Emily's unerring support for her husband began in earnest when she agreed to let him use footage of his proposal to be turned into a rom com-style YouTube hit which helped his career and has 14million views and 163,000 likes.

The Proposal was written, directed and produced by Mr Baldoni involved him recording a boy band song, filming a mini-thriller where he gets the engagement ring and finally the proposal in the restaurant where they had their first date.

Her two pregnancies were also announced on YouTube.

Emilys acting career began with a small role in the 2005 short The Elephants Room, and she appeared in a 2007 episode of How I Met Your Mother.

In 2019, she starred in Five Feet Apart, a drama directed by her husband.

She arrived in Hollywood from Sweden 19 years ago.

But she failed to have any major breakthroughs. Most recently she has been concentrating on her business, aimed at breastfeeding mothers.

The couple had their first date at Los Angeles' Blu Jam Cafe in 2011, and in 2012, Justin proposed to Emily at the same location.

He shared the heartfelt moment in a nearly 30-minute video on YouTube, writing in the caption: 'On April 13th I proposed to my girlfriend Emily at the restaurant where we had our first date.

'I told her I was running late, had the restaurant open just for her, and set up hidden cameras all around her.

'When she sat down at the table, there was a TV in front of her set to take her on a journey that would lead to the proposal of a lifetime.'

The couple had their first date at Los Angeles' Blu Jam Cafe in 2011, and in 2012, Justin proposed to Emily at the same location and made it into a mini movie

The pair share two children, Maiya Grace, born in 2015, and Maxwell Roland-Samuel, born in 2017, often sharing glimpses of their family life on Instagram. The children were in his latest film

The couple married in a romantic ceremony in California on July 27, 2013

The couple married in California on July 27, 2013.

Emily reflected on their wedding day with Style Me Pretty, saying, 'Our wedding day was on July 27, 2013, a beautiful summers day and evening at our dear friends stunning Corona, CA property.

'My mother-in-law, Sharon, did all the decorating and turned the place into a Midsummer Nights Dream, exactly what I had hoped for.

'She put so much love in all the details, you could feel the magic of it all.'

Emily also portrayed Dr. Julie in It Ends with Us, the film central to Blake Livelys lawsuit.

Before marrying Justin, Emily went by the name Emily Foxler, an adapted version of her birth name, Emily Malou.

The pair share two children, Maiya Grace, born in 2015, and Maxwell Roland-Samuel, born in 2017, often sharing glimpses of their family life on Instagram.

In 2017, Justin opened up to Makers, reflecting on his relationship with Emily: 'I had made the same mistake so many times, searching for something in a package that I thought I would want.

'When I met Emily, it was unlike all my other experiences. She had like a depth and a grace, and this quiet strength that I think I always dreamed ofand I just knew.'

In a recent Instagram post, Emily shared a sweet family moment with Justin and their kids, writing, 'There are days when this is the best,' though she also added that some days are 'really hard.'

In a fun family moment, Justin recently revealed that their children made their acting debut in It Ends With Us.

'Theyre in the final scene in the farmers market. There are two kids that are running into the farmers market, and that was their kind of debutI said, Action, and then they ran off.'

Ms Lively's lawsuit includes shocking allegations that Baldoni, 40, showed her explicit videos and images of other women, discussed his purported porn addiction, and made inappropriate comments about her weight, among other troubling remarks directed at the cast and crew.

In one particularly egregious detail, Lively's legal team claims that Baldoni introduced 'improvised gratuitous sexual content and/or scenes involving nudity' into the film, including one involving an underage character, in a deeply unsettling manner before filming even began.

Emilys acting career began with a small role in the 2005 short The Elephants Room, and she appeared in a 2007 episode of How I Met Your Mother

Baldoni is also accused of trying 'improvised physical intimacy' during a scene without prior discussion or choreography.

One incident allegedly involved Baldoni 'discreetly biting and sucking on Ms. Lively's lower lip' during multiple takes, allegedly insisting on reshooting the scene repeatedly despite Lively's clear discomfort.

The lawsuit alleges Baldoni made sexual inquiries, including asking Lively if she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, experienced simultaneous sexual climaxes a question she claims she refused to answer.

These new allegations add to the already troubling claims against Baldoni, who has continued to deny all accusations.

These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media', his lawyer said.

Bryan Freedman, representing Justin and his production company Wayfarer Studios: 'It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to fix her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions'.

The lawsuit claims that before filming began, Baldoni 'inserted improvised gratuitous sexual content and/or scenes involving nudity into the film (including for an underage character) in highly unsettling ways.'

Among the alleged changes were a 'scene in which Ms. Lively was to orgasm on-camera' and a 'detailed scene' depicting Lily Bloom, the younger version of Lively's character, losing her virginityneither of which appeared in the original novel.

According to the complaint, these additions were made without Lively's consent after she had already committed to the project.

When Lively raised objections, Baldoni allegedly defended the changes by claiming they were added because he was crafting the story 'through the female gaze.'

While he ultimately agreed to remove most of the scenes, he reportedly fought to retain one depicting Lily and Ryle Kincaid, his character, climaxing together on their wedding night, stating it was 'important to him because he and his partner climax simultaneously during intercourse.'

The allegations extend to the film's producer, Jamey Heath, who is accused of compounding the toxic environment.

The lawsuit claims Heath pressured Lively to simulate nudity during a childbirth scene, despite prior agreements that no nudity was required.

Bombshell text messages included in Blake Lively 's lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni show how his crisis management team allegedly launched an smear campaign against her

The scene allegedly lacked standard industry protections, leaving Lively 'mostly nude with her legs spread wide in stirrups and only a small piece of fabric covering her genitalia.'

Heath is also accused of showing Lively and her assistant a graphic, fully nude video of his wife giving birth, which Lively initially mistook for pornography.

Additionally, both Baldoni and Heath allegedly entered Lively's trailer unannounced on multiple occasions while she was undressed, breastfeeding, or otherwise vulnerable.

The complaint details an incident where Heath entered Lively's makeup trailer uninvited while she was topless.

Although Lively requested he wait until she was clothed, Heath allegedly stared at her despite her explicit request that he avert his eyes.

Another unsettling claim involves Baldoni improvising an intimate moment during a slow-dance scene.

According to the lawsuit, Baldoni leaned in as himself, not in character, and 'slowly dragged his lips from her ear to her neck' saying, 'It smells so good.'

When Lively objected to his actions, Baldoni allegedly retorted, 'I'm not even attracted to you.'

Following a meeting in January 2024 between Lively, Baldoni, producers, and Ryan Reynolds, Wayfarer Studios reportedly agreed to have an intimacy coordinator on set for all scenes involving nudity or simulated sex.

The studio also assured that no further improvised kissing or physical intimacy would occur.

Meanwhile, bombshell text messages how how Baldoni's crisis management team allegedly launched an smear campaign against Lively.

Lively's team say messages included as part of the legal complaint reveal, 'a multi-tiered plan that Mr. Baldoni and his team described as 'social manipulation' designed to 'destroy' Ms. Lively's reputation', which they say began after she raised concerns about conditions on set.

Rumors of a rift between the movie's leads began to swirl amid its press run, after eagle-eyed fans noted a frostiness between the pair on the red carpet.

But Lively was wary of Baldoni even prior to filming according to her legal complaint and claims they clashed over him trying to add 'gratuitous' nudity and sex scenes to the movie.

Many of the messages included in the complaint show exchanges between publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis management expert Melissa Nathan

Relations soured even further during filming, and culminated in a HR meeting where various conditions were agreed to by Baldoni and his Wayfarer studio before Lively would consider resuming filming after the writers' strike, the filings state.

Then sometime before August 2, Baldoni hired crisis management expert Melissa Nathan, whose previous clients have included Jonny Depp, as part of his PR team which also included publicist Jennifer Abel.

Many of the messages in the lawsuit, obtained by a subpoena, are between the women, including one exchange in which Nathan states that she can 'bury anyone'.

The message was sent in reply to Abel's text which says that Baldoni, 'wants to feel like she [Lively] can be buried'.

'Of course - but you know when we send over documents we can't send over the work we will or could do because that could get us in a lot of trouble,' Nathan responds, adding, 'We can't write we will destroy her'.

She followed up the message with another which reads, 'Imagine if a document saying all the things that he wants ends up in the wrong hands.

'You know we can bury anyone but I can't write that to him. I will be very tough.'

Another back and forth on August 2 appears to show Nathan joking about murdering Lively.

'I also sent you a present. Don't worry, I didn't kill her and send her in a box to your house. It's a congratulations present,' the message from Nathan reads, to which Abel responds: 'DAMNIT'.

Later that same day, Abel wrote that she is, 'having reckless thoughts of wanting to plant pieces this week about how horrible Blake is to work with'.

Meanwhile, Baldoni appears to have suggested that it would be beneficial if they could orchestrate a targeted social media campaign.

He sent a message showing a screenshot of a Twitter thread about allegations of bullying against Hailey Bieber with the caption: 'This is what we would need'.

When reports began to emerge of tensions between Lively and Baldoni, it was suggested that the differences were merely creative.

The Gossip Girl star claims Baldoni fostered a toxic workplace environment during filming which included sexual harassment

She claims that she was subjected to a smear campaign after she raised her concerns with Baldoni and his studio. This exchange appears to show Abel and Nathan joking about killing Lively

Baldoni wanted to market the movie by spotlighting the domestic abuse which forms the heart of the story, while Lively felt it should be more hopeful and uplifting.

Lively was subsequently criticized for the 'tone deaf' way she promoted the film after she failed to mention domestic abuse in several interviews.

It is unclear if this reaction was engineered, but Baldoni's messages appear to show he was at least ready to capitalize on the negative press.

'What is the TikTok strategy?' Baldoni writes in one message. 'I'd like you guys to start posting me ONLY talking about domestic violence and clips and why this movie is so important'.

But as the controversy around the film raged on, some of the more nefarious allegations Lively had privately levelled at Baldoni began to appear in the press.

They included that he made inappropriate comments about her weight and 'lingered' too long during kissing scenes.

The texts show how the crisis management team scrambled to try and 'shift the narrative' by reverting coverage back onto Lively.

On August 11, Abel sent Baldoni a message reassuring him that the stories were not a threat.

Baldoni also appears to wade in at times and suggest his own tactics to discredit Lively

The messages show the publicists celebrating after they manage to minimize reports about Lively's allegations in the press

'Very little pick up. Fans remain supportive of you and believe the issue of the 'feud' is because she took control of the movie,' she wrote.

The day before, Nathan remarked to Abel that: 'The majority of socials are pro Justin and I don't even agree with half of them lol'. In another, Nathan revels in the 'genius' strategy.

'Jen this went so well I am f***king dying. I have to call you in a bit bit and tel you how this went. It was genius.'

Further allegations about Baldoni's unwelcome behavior are included in the legal complaint.

They include claims that Baldoni showed Lively an explicit video of his wife, barged into the star's trailer while she was nude or breastfeeding, openly discussed his alleged porn addiction and made her and other female staffers uncomfortable with overtly sexual comments.

The issues were dealt with during a January meeting between Lively, Baldoni and several studio representatives where several changes were agreed including the addition of an intimacy coordinator on set.

'Although our perspective differs in many aspects, ensuring a safe environment for all is paramount,' Wayfarer acknowledges, according to the legal complaint.

However, a media strategy document apparently from the crisis management team also included in the legal complaint outlines how the team plans to protect Baldoni's reputation, along with that of lead producer Jamey Heath and fwayfWayfarer.

The document outlines several possible talking points to boost Baldoni, but also discredit Lively.

They include her, 'less than favorable reputation in the industry', how she involved her husband Ryan Reynolds to 'create an imbalance of power'.

In post-production, Lively brought in her own editor to recut a version of the film which was the one ultimately chosen for distribution.

In another message, Baldoni appears to suggest capitalizing on Reynolds' involvement as another means of targeting Lively.

'My partner asked about flipping the narrative from this leak this AM about Ryan saying script was a disaster and he saved the movie,' the message reads before suggesting, 'using their own words against them'.

The document also suggests some crew members allegedly lost their jobs due to Lively's insistence on creative control.

Baldoni has refuted the claims through his lawyer Brian Freedman.

'It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film,' he said.

'Interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions.

In her lawsuit, Lively claims Baldoni showed her nude images and videos of women, talked about an alleged previous porn addiction and made sexual comments about the cast and crew

The It Ends With Us co-star and director is facing heightened attention regarding his marriage to Emily Foxler, particularly following Lively's claims that Baldoni fostered a toxic workplace environment during the film's production an accusation he has firmly denied; (seen in December)

The messages show Baldoni suggesting how they might 'flip the narrative' as more stories emerge about the controversy surrounding the film

Others show the publicists celebrating when their efforts pay off

'These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.

'Wayfarer Studios made the decision to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign of the film, to work alongside their own representative with Jonesworks employed by Stephanie Jones, due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production which included her threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.

'It was also discovered that Ms. Lively enlisted her own representative, Leslie Sloan with Vision PR, who also represents Mr. Reynolds, to plant negative and completely fabricated and false stories with media, even prior to any marketing had commenced for the film, which was another reason why Wayfarer Studios made the decision to hire a crisis professional to commence internal scenario planning in the case they needed to address.

'The representatives of Wayfarer Studios still did nothing proactive nor retaliated, and only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and factual reporting and monitored social activity.

'What is pointedly missing from the cherry-picked correspondence is the evidence that there were no proactive measures taken with media or otherwise; just internal scenario planning and private correspondence to strategize which is standard operating procedure with public relations professionals,' Freedman added.

Lively denied planting false or negative stories about her co-star or his company.

'I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,' she said.
The Kremlin has dismissed rumours that the British-born wife of deposed Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad has filed for divorce in Russia, amid unconfirmed reports that she hopes to move back to the UK.

Asma al-Assad, 49, is currently exiled in Moscow with her husband and three children after they were given asylum by Vladimir Putin when rebels took control of Damascus in a lightning advance on December 8.

The former first lady, who left behind a life of luxury, is said to be dissatisfied with her new life under the guard of Putin's regime and reportedly wants to return to London, where she was born.

She has applied to a Russian court for permission to leave Russia for Britain, multiple media outlets including The Jerusalem Post reported, each citing Turkish and Arab media.

Her application is currently being evaluated by the Russian authorities, according to the accounts, which began circulating on Sunday night.

They suggested that the toppled dictator and his family are under 'severe restrictions' in Moscow, with Assad reportedly barred from leaving the city or engaging in political activities.

Assad's wider family are believed to own dozens of apartments in the Russian capital and he reportedly moved to Moscow some 270 kilograms of gold and 1.6 billion with him when he fled Syria.

But his assets and money in the country are now said to have been frozen, the unconfirmed reports added.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov this morning rejected these claims and denied that the former president, a long-time ally of Putin, had been confined to Moscow.

Asked on a conference call if the reports corresponded to reality, Peskov said: 'No they do not correspond to reality.'

There has been so far no comment on the divorce reports from the Russian authorities nor from al-Assad or his wife.

Asma al-Assad, 49, is currently exiled in Moscow with the toppled dictator, having left behind their lives of luxury in Syria

Bashar and Asma Al-Assad are pictured meeting with Vladimir Putin in 2005

The Assads, their daughter Zein and son Karim are now all in Russia with Hafez

Assad's extended family reportedly purchased at least 18 luxury apartments in the City of Capitals complex, located in Moscow's glittering skyscraper district

Asma, 49, was born in London and was raised in Acton by Syrian parents. She moved to Syria in 2000 and married the dictator at the age of 25.

The family was offered a safe haven by Vladimir Putin who spirited the toppled president out of Syria 8 December shortly before his country fell into the hands of rebels.

Asma and the couple's three children were already in Russia, where reports say she has been undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer.

One version is that she would prefer to be treated in the UK.

In Moscow, the Assad clan is linked to luxury properties in both the 990ft City of Capitals complex and the nearby 1,226ft Federation Tower.

His extended family own dozens of properties here and elsewhere in Moscow, but it is believed the family now resides in official Russian government accommodation.

The Assad family have strong personal ties to the Russian capital, with the ousted president's eldest son a PhD candidate at Moscow State University.

Hafez al-Assad, who is in his 20s, defended his dissertation at MSU and became a candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, Russian media reports.

The defense reportedly took place on November 29 - a week before his father's fall from power and during the offensive of Syrian rebels on the second largest city of Syria, Aleppo.

Mrs Assad previously attended her son's graduation in June 2023, with pictures showing her hugging him in front of MSU's main building and meeting with university officials.

Hafez al-Assad's work is written in Russian and is 98 pages long. It is devoted to analytical and algebraic number theory, namely issues of polynomials.

At the end of the dissertation, Al-Assad expressed gratitude 'to the martyrs of his homeland - Syria - and first of all to the martyrs of the Syrian Arab Army.'

He also expressed gratitude to his parents, Bashar and Asma, to the rector of Moscow State University, Viktor Sadovnichy, to the university staff, and to teachers and lecturers from Syria.

The US state department estimates that the family are worth $2billion, with their wealth concealed in numerous accounts, shell companies, offshore tax havens and real estate portfolios.

The Syrian dictator's extended family bought up at least 20 Moscow apartments worth more than 30 million in recent years.

In 2012, Wikileaks disclosed Asma Al-Assad's private correspondence, which showed that she spent $350,000 on the palace's furnishings and $7,000 on crystal-encrusted shoes.

To keep tens of millions of dollars out of Syria as the country's civil war raged, the family reportedly purchased at least 18 luxury apartments in the City of Capitals complex

The two-towered skyscraper is home to some of Russia's wealthiest businessmen, government ministries, five-star hotels and multinational companies

Assad's relatives the Makhloufs, headed by his uncle Mohammed Makhlouf, have long been considered Syria's second wealthiest and most important family after his and have significant assets in Russia.

To keep tens of millions of dollars out of Syria as the country's civil war raged, the family purchased at least 18 luxury apartments in the City of Capitals complex, located in Moscow's glittering skyscraper district, according to the FT.

The two-towered skyscraper - which until the unveiling of London's Shard in 2012 was Europe's tallest building - is home to some of Russia's wealthiest businessmen, government ministries, five-star hotels and multinational companies.
Graphic footage shows the moment a Ukrainian special operations crew targeted a North Korean position in Kursk with kamikaze drones in the latest disaster for Kim Jong Un's forces sent to help Putin.

Dramatic video showed the drones circling troops as they scrambled to get away in an open field in Kurshchina, shared by the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram today.

Twelve vehicles were also destroyed during skirmishes in the open field, including three buggies, the military claimed.

The crew said it had killed 77 and wounded as many as 40 North Korean soldiers over a three day period of fighting in the region.

More than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have already been killed or wounded in Russia's war with Ukraine, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) assessed today.

The new figure follows a report by Seoul's spy agency to MPs last week, which said at least 100 North Korean soldiers had been killed since entering combat in December.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to reinforce Putin's forces, including to the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year.

The moment a Ukrainian drone circles overhead before flying into the Korean squad

Dramatic video showed the moment Ukraine assaulted North Koreans with drones in Kursk

'Through various sources of information and intelligence, we assess that North Korean troops who have recently engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces have suffered around 1,100 casualties,' the JCS said in a statement.

'We are particularly interested in the possibility of additional deployments' of North Korean soldiers to aid Russia's war effort, the JCS added.

Pyongyang is reportedly 'preparing for the rotation or additional deployment of soldiers', the JCS said.

South Korea's military said that it has also detected signs of North Korea preparing to send more troops and weapons, including suicide drones, to Russia.

It added that Kim Jong Un appeared to be currently supplying 240mm rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled artillery to the front lines.

'There are also some signs of [the North] moving to manufacture and supply suicide drones, first unveiled during [dictator] Kim Jong-un's on-site inspection in November.'

Such drones have been widely used in the Ukraine war, and Kim ordered a mass production of the aerial weapons and an update of military theory and education, citing intensifying global competition, state media reported.

Russia has looked to bolster its forces with foreign conscripts in recent months, adding some 12,000 troops from North Korea and reportedly press-ganging Yemenis into fighting on the frontlines with the promise of high-paid employment away from the war.

But Putin remains sensitive about admitting to his people the extent to which he is using Kims forces in exchange for cash, oil and sophisticated arms supplies.

The ID documents of dead North Koreans show them with fake names and imply they were born in Russias Tuva region.

South Korea assessed today that North Korea had lost more than 1,000 troops so far

Purportedly the moment a North Korean soldier slips over in front of a Ukrainian drone

Ukrainian servicemen of the Azov Brigade operate FPV drones, used to hunt Russian reconnaissance drones in the direction of Toretsk, Ukraine on 21 December

One was falsely listed as a roofer from Tuva, a mountainous area of Siberia.

Russia alone has already lost some 200,000 soldiers to the conflict so far, the WSJ reported last month, while data from UAlosses suggests Ukraine has lost 60,435 since 2022, of a population of around 37 million.

Journalists have now identified the names of 84,761 Russian soldiers who they say died during the invasion of Ukraine, according to an investigation by BBC Russia and Mediazona. The list was last updated on December 6.

Some 18,963 men died in 2022, followed by 33,550 last year and 20,364 to date this year.

However, the report notes that 'most significantly, 2024 appears set to become the war's deadliest year' as 'casualty data emerges with considerable delay and our data for 2022-23 is more complete'.

While more than one million Ukrainians are now in uniform, including National Guard and other units, Russia was able to boost the size of its army to 1.5 million active personnel in September, making it the second largest in the world, per Russia media.

FPV drones are seen on the wall of a command room in the direction of Toretsk, Ukraine

The crew said it had killed 77 and wounded as many as 40 North Korean soldiers over a three day period of fighting in the region

Ukrainian servicemen of Azov Brigade operate FPV drones

The Steel Horse facility supplies Vladimir Putin 's armed forces, but also links to the Druzhba pipeline which sends Russian oil to Europe

The giant oil depot has been targeted at least three times previously, including a successful strike one week ago when a fire burned for several days

Ukraine continues to weaken the invading force with strategic drone attacks, delivering huge damage to infrastructure.

Russia suffered a major setback two weeks ago when drones carried out an overnight attack on an oil facility in the Oryol region, a crucial source of fuel supplies for Russian troops.

The drones hit the Steel Horse production control station, which lies about 170 km (107 miles) from the border with Ukraine, a military statement said.

Russian regional governor Andrei Klychko said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukrainian drones had struck a fuel infrastructure facility, causing a fire but no casualties. He said 11 drones had been shot down over the region.

Video showed the sky light up in vivid apocalyptic yellow and orange colours as air defences sought to defend the strategic oil depot.

Separate Ukrainian strikes recently have homed in on supply bases for the Druzhba pipeline which is key to oil supplies for Hungary and Slovakia, both of which have opposed military aid and NATO membership for Ukraine.

Ukraine has also had to repel drone strikes from Russia.

Ukraine's air force said today it had shot down 47 out of 72 Russia-launched drones across the country, while 25 more failed to reach targets.

In a statement on Telegram, it said that the military repelled attacks in nine regions, including the Kyiv region, surrounding Ukraine's capital.

According to the air force, unidentified private entities and houses were damaged in the Kyiv region and the western region of Khmelnytskyi.

One person was injured in the Khmelnytskyi region, and a power line was damaged in the Kyiv region, according to local authorities.
Having brought festive cheer to children since 1962, Britain's longest-serving Santa Claus has opened up about youngster's changing expectations of Christmas.

Ray Hulse, 80, from Bridgnorth, Shropshire, revealed children used to ask for simple gifts, but now it's not rare for them to hand over demands for expensive toys.

The Father Christmas told The Times: 'Over the years the gifts that kids ask for has definitely changed.

'It used to be a doll or a board game  now I can be presented with a long list asking for thousands of pounds worth.'

Mr Hulse started dressing up as Santa 62 years ago, when he first stepped into the role at a village hall in Tasley.

Over the years, Mr Hulse has handed out thousands of gifts and raised 60,000 for charity.

But for him, the tradition began out of a difficult childhood which saw him never receive a present from his parents himself.

Mr Hulse has no memory of ever receiving a gift from his mother - instead being sent to work down the mines as a teenager and giving every penny of his hard-earned wages to her.

Ray Hulse, 80, has been dressing up as Santa every year since 1962 and wants to continue until he's 100

Mr Tulse told how children used to ask for just one item such as a doll, but now can give whole lists of gifts (pictured: Mr Tulse as Santa in 1967)

He has been Santa on horseback, in a car or in a sleigh throughout his career in Shropshire

'Mum never said she loved me and didnt keep my photo in the house,' he said.

Tragedy has struck more recently for Mr Hulse too, after the death of his son aged just 40 and his wife recently being admitted to a care home with dementia.

Now he continues to dedicate himself to making other children's Christmases as merry as possible.

After walking his dog Maisy, Mr Hulse eats breakfast before heading to his usual spot - a Morrisons supermarket - where he greets children all day until 4pm.

He can get up as early as 4am to prepare for the day, which could see him head to care homes or hospitals as well as his stint at the supermarket.

He changes into his costume at home before getting into his very own Santamobile: aa car decorated with a Santa 1 number plate, Christmas lights and complete with Christmas music.

Mr Hulse said: 'Over the years the gifts that kids ask for has definitely changed. It used to be a doll or a board game  now I can be presented with a long list asking for thousands of pounds worth.

'There are some sad requests, such as the children who ask if I can make sure their mummy and daddy get back together again.'

He says he has raised almost 60,000 for local charities including the ambulance service in Bridgnorth and Hope House children's hospice.

He even managed to continue as a Santa during the pandemic by instigating socially distanced visits.

Ray Hulse poses in his Santa outfit with festive decorations in 2019

Mr Hulse sits on a tank while posing for pictures with a young boy in 1994

In 1995, Mr Hulse was accompanied by his first Golden Retriever Gemma, who had her own sleigh

Now he uses reindeer toys instead of his beloved dog Maisy - who he gets up at 4am every morning to walk

Mr Hulse wants to keep on going as Santa until he's 100, although admits it's become harder in recent years.

But he knows of no-one else who has been in the role for as long as he has, and relies on festive joy to keep him going.

'Ive done it in my car, on a sleigh, even on horseback. The reward is seeing the joy on childrens faces, the happiness and the smiles.

'If you want to know the secret of being the oldest Santa, thats what kept me going all these years.'
Iran could make moves towards becoming a nuclear power after it was severely weakened by wars in the Middle East, the White House has warned.

Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden's national security advisor, said he has personally warned Donald Trump, the president-elect, that he needs to be 'vigilant' for the threat of possible nuclear escalation in the Middle East, which has increasingly suffered under growing wars.

Iran's key allies, Hamas, Hezbollah and the former Syrian government run by dictator Bashar al-Assad, have all either been severely damaged or completely destroyed over the past year, which Sullivan warned may push the nation, headed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to go nuclear.

'It's a risk we are trying to be vigilant about now. It's a risk that I'm personally briefing the incoming team on,' Sullivan said, adding that he had also consulted with US ally Israel.

The incoming Trump administration appears to be taking the threat seriously, with the Wall Street Journal reporting earlier this month that he and his team have been seriously considering undertaking preventative strikes against Iran.

He reportedly told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he is incredibly concerned that Iran may go nuclear while he is in office, and was hatching plans to prevent this.

But the strikes would be a major break in the longstanding policy of dealing with Iran using sanctions and diplomacy.

Alongside the strikes, Trump is considering placing stricter economic sanctions on Iran than when he was last in office.

Iranian leader Ali Khamenei attends a program in Tehran, Iran on December 22, 2024

A view from the exhibition as Iran exhibits its missiles, satellite-carrying rockets and air defence systems, including the missiles and drones used in the Israeli attack, at the Aviation and Space Park Permanent Exhibition Centre of the Revolutionary Guards Army in capital Tehran, Iran on October 17, 2024

Iran currently has enough enriched uranium to produce four nuclear bombs, making it the only country without nuclear weapons that is producing near-weapons grade fissile material.

If it wanted to, it would take just a few days to convert this into weapons-grade nuclear fuel.

It comes amid reports that Iran has been orchestrating teenagers to attack Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe, as part of its campaign to dominate the Middle East.

Investigators have linked at least three cases in Stockholm and Gothenburg where teenagers as young as 13 have been hired by Iran-affiliated actors to raise hell at Israeli-linked companies or diplomatic missions.

Bloomberg reported that the security services of Sweden and Norway, which have long been open societies with minimal levels of policing, are particularly vulnerable to these attacks.

Potential attackers are contacted via WhatsApp, Telegram or TikTok, according to Peter Nesser, a terrorism researcher at Norways defence research institute, where they are offered just 1,500 (1,242) for murder.

A petrol bomb attack, meanwhile, can cost as little as 120 (99).
Two more Saracen's Head pubs are being targeted for legal action by a convicted terrorist who claims to be 'deeply offended' by their names.

Khalid Baqa, who was jailed for four years for preparing jihadist propaganda, sparked outrage by launching a 2,000 compensation bid against The Saracen's Head Inn in Chesham, Buckinghamshire.

He described the 'depiction of a bearded Arab/Turk' on the pub's sign as racist and suggests the depiction 'incites violence'.

Two more pubs have now received threats from Baqa, who has threatened to target 30 other premises with the same name in the unlikely event his action is successful.

Simon Belsey, 49, who runs The Saracen's Head next to the River Wye in Hereford, has received two letters from the 60-year-old threatening legal action.

Meanwhile, Peter Dillingham, 59, the owner of a 17th-century hostelry with the same name in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, has received emails threatening to 'escalate matters' if he does not change its name within two weeks.

Mr Belsey, who took over his 300-year-old pub in May, said he could be forced to close if he loses a civil action.

Khalid Baqa (pictured), who was jailed for four years for preparing jihadist propaganda, has sparked outrage by trying to win nearly 2,000 from the Saracens Head Inn in Chesham, Buckinghamshire

The Saracens Head in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, is one of the two pubs now being targeted by Baqa

Simon Belsey, 49, who runs The Saracen's Head next to the River Wye in Hereford, (pictured) has received two letters from the 60-year-old threatening legal action

'It is a travesty - this man has chosen to live in the UK and now he is trying to change our rich history and culture,' he told MailOnline.

'The pub's name goes back to 1705, clergymen visiting Hereford Cathedral used to stable their horses here.

'It's The Saracen's Head and it will stay The Saracen's Head.'

Mr Dillingham was similarly defiant, calling the move 'ridiculous'.

Head chef Caroline Machell-Ranson previously raged: 'This is just ridiculous and is crazy that he is offended by the name.

'This pub has been here since the 16th century and everyone in the village knows about it, and there have never been any complaints.

'This is a just a village pub that has been here since 1615, and although I do not know when it was called The Saracens Head, the name should stay.'

The pub sign features a man brandishing a sword.

The convicted jihadist said the sign of the Saracen's Head Inn 'incites violence'

Pub landlord Robbie Hayes (pictured) has vowed to fight the lawsuit, calling it a 'complete joke'

Inside one corner of the pub is a fireplace are half a dozen ornaments featuring the venue's symbol.

Another member of staff at the pub, who asked not to be named, said it was 'madness' for the convicted jihadi to demand the name be changed.

'You cannot whitewash history. The name has been around for hundreds of years and it is what it is,' said one worker.

A third added: 'This man needs to get a life. What makes it worse is that he is a convicted terrorist.'

Baqa's bizarre legal action against The Saracen's Head Inn in Chesham was revealed last week.

Pub landlord Robbie Hayes vowed to fight back against the lawsuit - and he is being backed by other Saracens Head establishments across the UK.

MailOnline visited another Saracens Head pub in Towcester, near Northampton, where punters were equally offended by Baqa and his demands.

The Saracen's Head in Kings Langley shows a man brandishing a sword and a shield

Inside one corner of the pub is a fireplace with half a dozen carved faces depicting the pub's symbol

'I think he has got a bloody cheek and should be told where to go,' said one local.

'What's next? Will a pub called The White Lion be sued because someone is afraid of animals or because it has the word white in the name.

'There are so many pubs with a rich history that you could question their name. It is utterly ridiculous.'

And referring to Baqa, Ian Frith said: 'To be honest I am offended by his orange beard.

'Even if the Saracens Head was called The Jihadi Arms it would not bother me.

'There is so much these days that offends people and for no good reason that you become afraid to say anything.

'I've never heard anyone complain about the name and have lived here for 20 years. It's a local pub and people like it.'

Ian Frith, who spoke from the Saracens Head pub in Towcester, near Northampton, joked that he wouldn't be bothered if the pub was called 'The Jihadi Arms'

Many others at the popular pub in Towcester shared the outrage that the Saracens Head might face legal action from a convicted terrorist

David Morgan, who sat inside the pub nursing a pint, added: 'There are much more important things to worry about than a name.

'I guess this guy is just trying his luck to try and get some money. The name should stay and the pub should not back down.'

Lynn Suter said: 'The name doesn't offend me, and I think it is awful that he is trying to get money from the landlord.'

The term Saracen was previously used to refer to Muslims and is believed to date back to the Crusades.

The addition of the word 'head' in pub names reflects the previous custom for referring to pubs by the illustration on their sign.

Pub signs often show only a head and shoulder's portrait, hence 'The Saracen's Head'.
Scots are crossing the English border in their droves to embark on festive booze 'cruises' in search of cheaper whisky.

Rising numbers of people north of the border are venturing into Cumbria in a bid to save costs after the Scottish Government increased the minimum alcohol prices by an eye-watering 30 per cent.

The increase means a bottle of Scotch whisky costs at least 18.20, compared to a floor of 14 previously.

The lowest possible price of a 500ml can of 4 per cent strength lager also rose from 1 to 1.30, while up to ten units of wine increased from at least 5 to 6.50.

One drinks shop in Carlisle, about 10 miles from the Scottish border, has seen a marked increase in the number of Scottish customers purchasing booze since the SNP increased the minimum alcohol prices in September.

Piers Foster, operations manager for The House of Malt, told The Telegraph there had 'absolutely' been more Scots visiting the shop in recent weeks to stock up on booze ahead of the Christmas period.

He added that Scotch whisky in particular had been flying off the shelves, with customers tending to buy a few bottles at a time.

Mr Foster said: 'They keep bringing it up. It does seem to be an issue. We always have a bit of a laugh and a joke about it when they come in.'

Scots are crossing the English border in their droves to embark on festive booze 'cruises' in search of cheaper whisky (Stock image)

The House of Malt in Carlisle (pictured) has seen a marked increase in the number of Scottish customers purchasing booze since the SNP increased the minimum alcohol prices in September

Following the price changes, shopkeepers had expressed their that it would persuade greater numbers to drive to England to stock up on cut-price booze.

There are also disputes over the effectiveness of the policy. The SNP was accused of presiding over a 'national scandal' earlier as grim figures showed alcohol-linked deaths running at a 15-year high.

Some 1,277 people died as a result of drink last year, up one from 2022 and the worst since 2008.

The minimum unit price has been at 50p since the rules were introduced in 2018.

Conservative MSP for Dumfriesshire Oliver Mundell said the policy had not only 'failed' to stop alcohol deaths increasing, but has also meant 'tills in England are benefiting instead of ones up here'.

He told The Telegraph: 'Bars and shops just over the border will be toasting the SNP for still being so wedded to their.'

SNP health spokesman Neil Gray previously said the MUP policy had 'saved hundreds of lives, likely averted hundreds of alcohol-attributable hospital admissions and contributed to reducing health inequalities'.

But he conceded that more had to be done to reduce alcohol deaths.

Conservative MSP for Dumfriesshire Oliver Mundell said the policy has meant 'tills in England are benefiting instead of ones' in Scotland

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Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (Shaap) and Alcohol Focus Scotland (AFS) said that while minimum unit pricing (MUP) had been a success, it needed to be uprated annually to prevent 'cheaper alcohol that causes the most harm' becoming more affordable over time.

Both groups also said the Government needed to do more than just MUP if it is to tackle the 'public health emergency' of alcohol harms, and criticised it for 'dragging its feet' over alcohol marketing reforms.
Abbas Dhanani opened the first brick-and-mortar location of his pop-up sensation Burger Bodega at 4520 Washington. Michael Ma

Burger Bodega, which food influencer Abbas Dhanani started as a successful pop-up before opening a brick-and-mortar location just over two years ago, is planning to expand to Katy next year.

The newest Burger Bodega project is slated to finish work in the spring at 21904 Franz in a 3,000-square-foot space, according to a permit filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation last week.

In a city full of burger options, Dhananis Burger Bodega and rapper Bun Bs Trill Burger, which also started as a pop-up, helped boost the popularity of smashburgers across Houston. Both continue to expand.

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"We are thrilled to announce our second location in Katy," Dhanani said in a statement. "Katy is such a vibrant and welcoming community, and we are excited to bring our concept to even more people in the area. The past two years at our first location have been incredible, and we are deeply grateful for the unwavering support from our customers. This support has been the driving force behind our growth, and we cannot wait to share this new chapter with everyone in Katy."

Burger Bodega said it expects to open later next summer.

HOUSTON EATS: The Chronicles top 100 restaurants

Burger Bodega on Washington Alison Cook/Staff

Dhanani built a following on his Instagram account, @houstoneatz, over the years, often highlighting smaller, independently-owned spots as much as the citys buzziest restaurants.

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When he launched his Burger Bodega pop-up, his following  which clocks in at 39,500 on Instagram today  started lining up at food events, festivals, pop-ups and collaborations across Houston.

The Houston native, whose family operates a number of fast-food restaurants, opened Burger Bodegas first brick and mortar at 4520 Washington in fall 2022.

With years of working in the fast food industry for my family's business, Ive always had the dream of opening up my own restaurant, Dhanani told the Chronicle ahead of the opening. All the overwhelming support from the city over the last year at each pop-up truly has been amazing, and I couldnt be more excited to bring my passion project to Washington Avenue. I started my food Instagram @houstoneatz with the goal to promote other local restaurants and chefs in Houston, and Burger Bodega will be able to bring that goal full circle by showcasing products from local restaurants in the city. I cant wait to serve the city, and bring a little bit of New York with a Houston flair to Washington Avenue.

The Instramgrammable Burger Bodega is designed with a New York-style bodega in mind. It is filled with art by local artists and includes merchandise from other local businesses. A similar design in Katy is expected.

MORE FROM BAO ONG: From kolaches to tasting menus, chef collaborations offer some of Houstons most exciting food

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The smash urger at Burger Bodega on Washington Dylan Aguilar/Corntributor

While the thin burger patties with crisp edges are the most popular items, Burger Bodegas chopped cheese and milkshakes, including flavors like Vietnamese coffee and mango lassi, are also in demand.

Dhananis large social media following has also helped launch a slew of collaborations, from TikTok star Rahim Mohmmad to Phat Eatery, the Malaysian-inspired restaurant from the late Alex Au-Yeung.

The new Katy location of Burger Bodega at the intersection of Franz and Mason, is near Katys Asiantown.
Vladimir Putin has warned that World War Three could erupt if the West continues 'escalating the situation' in his latest existential threat over the war in Ukraine.

The Russian dictator accused the West of antagonising the conflict but stopped short of saying World War Three was already underway.

'You know, there is no need to scare anyone,' he told a state TV reporter, caveating, 'there are many dangers - they are increasing'.

'And we see what our enemy is doing today, escalating the situation. If they want to, let them live badly, let them escalate further.

'We will always respond to any challenge, always,' he said.

Putin glossed over his role in escalating conflict in Europe with the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, instead boasting of his personal role in the 'historic' development of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile.

Last week, Putin went so far as to challenge the West to a 'high tech missile duel', suggesting he could warn of an attack with the experimental new weapon to see if Ukraine's allies can 'stop it in time'.

Speaking on the Russia-1 television channel, he urged compromise from Western leaders, asserting: 'We are ready to look for these compromises, but without prejudice to our interests.'

Speaking on Russia-1, Putin warned that World War Three could still erupt

He remained defiant in the face of what he called Western 'escalation'

Ukrainian Ground Forces fire with a Leopard 2A4 tank during a field training at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, October 27

Putin has inflamed his rhetoric warning of a potential global war in response to the West's support for Ukraine.

Last week, he accused the West of pushing Russia to its 'red lines' and threatened to lift all voluntary restrictions on the deployment of his short and medium-range missiles if the US went ahead and deployed similar weapons.

Putin, who said Russian forces in Ukraine has taken control of 189 settlements so far this year, said Russia's nuclear weapons were there for deterrence.

Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian diplomat, said at the time the 'red line' was intended as a 'very clear message': 'Don't make a mistake - all these kind of things may mean nuclear war.'

'I'm really concerned about all the loose talk,' he said, with actors in Ukraine dismissing the threats as a bluff.

'We run head-on into a situation which is completely unfamiliar to us ... If you do not factor in the risks, you are likely to have a very unpleasant surprise.'

Putin remains defiant that the so-called 'special military operation' in Ukraine has not been in error, even saying last week that he should have acted earlier.

'Knowing what's happening now, back in 2022 I would've thought the decision ought to have been taken earlier,' he told an end-of-year press conference on Thursday.

'We ought to have started getting ready for those developments, and the special military operation, before.'

A major Russian ammunition depot goes up in flames in Rostov region after Ukrainian strike

British Army soldiers take part in training near Rovaniemi in the Arctic Circle on November 19

Chilling images show Vladimir Putin's new Oreshnik hypersonic super-weapon attacking a defence plant in Dnipro, Ukraine on 21 November

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg bravely pressed Putin on whether he had succeeded in his goals as president, noting that the war has brought NATO closer to Russia's borders with the accession of Finland and Sweden.

Putin said resolutely that Moscow has 'moved away from the brink of the abyss' and was going to lose 'sovereignty' before he assumed power.

He added that Russia was ready to work with Britain if they were willing.

After championing his own role as President, Putin told Russia-1 that the Oreshnik missile he tested in Dnipro last month was a 'historic event in the rocket and space field'.

'Nothing like this has ever happened before. This is the first time it's happened with this type of weapon,' he said.

'How deep [was I involved]? Yeah, pretty deep.'

He revealed a split in his defence ministry over developing super weapon Oreshnik.

'In the end, I joined those who thought it should be produced and gave direct orders to do so, to allocate the necessary resources,' he said.

Rescue workers respond at the site of a Russian ballistic missile fragments' falling in the city's Holosiivskyi district on December 20, 2024 in Kyiv

Ukrainian servicemen of the 33rd brigade operate a Leopard battle tank in the direction of Kurahove, Ukraine as Russia-Ukraine war continues on December 19

Ukrainian soldiers fire 2s1 artillery in the direction of Kreminna, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on November 30

'And agreed with those who thought it was time to test it under combat conditions.

'So, well, of course, that's part of my job.'

Putin spoke as a large Russian ammunition depot exploded in Rostov region following a Ukrainian drone strike.

The facility was close to Russian-occupied Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Putin is facing rising numbers of his people who want his war to end.

A new survey for state-controlled pollsters VTsIOM shows that if Russians were to write to Father Christmas with one wish, 42 per cent women would ask for the war to end.

For men the figure is 31 per cent.

The wishes for an end to the conflict were more than for other desires.
An Australian teacher accused of stealing backpacks containing laptops has been transferred to the island's notorious Kerobokan prison.

Vanessa Louise Crimmins, 45, is accused of stealing two backpacks outside Popular Deli, a supermarket in North Kuta on October 30.

Head of the Balinese prosecutor's intelligence section Gde Ancana confirmed that Crimmins has been moved from police detention to Kerobokan women's jail.

Photos showed an emotionless Crimmins in an orange inmate shirt watching on as paperwork was filled out by officials on Monday afternoon.

She was then transported to Kerobokan, which has previously housed several members of Bali Nine drug smuggling ring and fellow Aussie Schapelle Corby.

'Police have handed over the dossier and all evidence regarding the case of Australian woman Vanessa Louise Crimmins,' Mr Ancana said.

'As police have completed the dossier, prosecutors have to move her from police detention into the prison.'

Ms Crimmins will remain at Kerobokan during her pre-trial hearings, which will be held at the Denpasar Prosecutor office.

Vanessa Louise Crimmins (in orange) is pictured with Indonesian police and legal officials filling out paperwork before she was transferred from police detention to Kerobokan prison

The Australian teacher, 45, is accused of stealing two backpacks containing laptops from outside a supermarket in North Kuta

'After this, we will made the indictment and handed over the case to the Denpasar District Court,' Mr Ancana said.

'Hopefully the trial can be started as early as January.'

Crimmins will be charged with article 362 subsection 1 of criminal code of theft.

She could be jailed for up to five years if found guilty.

CCTV from the morning October 30 allegedly showed Crimmins taking two bags from the sitting area of the Popular Deli supermarket.

At the time of her arrest, Crimmins was staying at an address in North Kuta.

However, it remains unclear whether she lived in Bali or was holidaying on the island at the time.

Following her arrest, Badung Police spokesperson Putu Sukarma alleged the victims left their bags in the sitting area at the Popular Deli at 7.30am.

CCTV footage from outside the supermarket appeared to show Vanessa Crimmins picking up two backpacks

Kerobokan prison previously held members of the Bali Nine, an Australian drug smuggling ring

When they returned 90 minutes later, both bags were allegedly missing.

'The suspect has [allegedly] taken two laptops from two bags that have been left a while by the owners in the sitting area,' Mr Sukarma said.

A HP laptop and MacBook Air were allegedly stolen from Ardi Nurcahyadi, 42, from Jakarta and Denpasar university student Ni Nyoman Ari Purwaningsih, 24.

However, Crimmins could walk free under a unique quirk in the Indonesian justice system if the alleged victims choose to forgive her.

Also known as Hotel K, Kerobokan Prison has a long and chequered history of riots and other violence involving prisoners and guards.

The prison infamously held several remaining members of the Bali Nine drug smuggling ring before they were recently released.

Si Yi Chen and Matthew Norman served out their sentences at Kerobokan before they returned to Australia earlier this month.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, who were the two Bali Nine ringleaders who also spent their sentences on Kerobokan's death row before .were executed in 2015

It's also where fellow Aussie Schapelle Corby served the majority of her nine year jail term after she attempted to smuggle 4.1kg of marijuana in her bodyboard bag through Denpasar Airport in 2004.
German police have arrested a man threatening a knife rampage at a Christmas market days after five people were run over and killed.

The man, from northern port city Bremerhaven, was arrested on Sunday after he threatened a knife attack on the city's Christmas market in widely shared footage, according to German tabloid Bild.

'On December 25, I'll go to the Christmas market here in Bremerhaven and will stab anyone who looks Arabic or southern. Anyone. I'll take enough knives,' the man said in the video.

'This is not a joke. I'll stab anyone who looks Arabic. This finally needs to end here in Germany. I don't have any relatives, I live alone, I am alone - I could just as well be dead or in prison.'

The man was quickly identified as 67-year-old pensioner and arrested by police in the city centre of Bremerhaven, after they assured concerned residents reporting the video that 'further measures have already been initiated'.

Police said there was 'no danger to the public' and the local prosecutor said in a statement today that a psychiatric examination concluded that the man was not a danger to himself or others.

This comes as German federal police published a risk assessment document on the dangers of copycat attacks after Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, 50, rammed his SUV into a packed Christmas market in the town of Magdeburg around 7pm on Friday, killing nine-year-old Andre Gleiner and four women aged 45, 52, 67 and 75.

The risk assessment, seen by Bild, was sent to government agencies all over Germany and warns that 'possible sympathisers' and 'free riders' could 'commit similar acts'.

'There is a fundamental danger from irrational or emotionally motivated perpetrators acting alone and the associated possibility of unpredictable actions, especially at public events,' they added.

People look at flowers and candles left as a tribute near the 'Alter Markt' Christmas market, where a man drove a car into the crowd through an emergency exit route on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, December 22, 2024

Firefighters patrol the scene of the crash on Friday after a car rammed into a massive crowd of shoppers at a Christmas market in Magdeburg at around 7pm

Police arrested an 'unstable' 50-year-old Saudi doctor identified as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen after he allegedly rammed his SUV into a packed market in the town of Magdeburg

Federal police also said that people could be 'exploiting' the attack to 'support their own (political) goals'.

The warning comes as Al-Abdulmohsen was remanded in pretrial custody on Saturday night after prosecutors pressed charges of murder on five counts, multiple counts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm, according to a police statement.

Social media accounts falsely alleged al-Abdulmohsen was an Islamist terrorist shortly after the attack, but the German interior minister later identified the suspect as being Islamophobic himself.

A harsh critic of Germany's past welcome too many Muslim migrants, al-Abdulmohsen wrote on the platform X that he wished ex-chancellor Angela Merkel could be jailed for life or executed.

In 2015, Merkel implemented an 'open door' policy, which allow over a million asylum seekers to cross the border into Germany.

The exiled Saudi attacker had praised hard-Right politicians for combating the 'Islamisation' of Europe and pledged to take 'revenge' over harassment of female refugees.

Al-Abdulmohsen had voiced support for Elon Musk, Tommy Robinson and Alternative for Germany, the hard-right anti-immigration party, trying to build connections to hard-right organisations in Germany and the UK.

Musk reposted a tweet by Nigel Farage which blamed the Christmas market attack on border policies.

Tensions in Magdeburg were running high on the weekend when around 700 hard-right demonstrators gathered on Saturday night, with people holding a banner with the word 'Remigration Now' and so-called homeland flags.

Al-Abdulmohsen was pictured in a white t-shirt (right) as he arrived at court Saturday night, where he was remanded on charges of murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm

Nine-year-old Andre Gleiner (pictured) was killed during Friday night's devastating attack

A man mourns at the memorial site for the victims of the Christmas market attack on Friday

Al-Abdulmohsen drove his SUV into the packed Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday night

A woman holds a candle as others watch a prayer ceremony outside the Magdeburg Dom church, the day after the devastating attack

The Saudi suspect, psychiatrist and anti-Islam activist al-Abdulmohsen, had made online death threats against German citizens and had a history of quarrelling with state authorities

The protesters, described by German tabloid Bild as right-wing extremists and hooligans, marched through Magdeburg shouting: 'Anyone who doesn't love Germany should leave Germany', 'Migration kills' and 'We must take back our cities, our villages and our homeland'.

Some of the demonstrators reportedly wore masked and were aggressive, resulting in minor scuffles with police.

A known neo-Nazi called Thorsten Heise reportedly stirred up the crowd by yelling: 'Deport, deport, deport' and 'Resistance'.

The masked protestors who waved anti-immigration posters and shouted chants of 'migration kills' were escorted by hundreds of police in full riot gear as they marched through the city.

'Among the demonstrators were many extremely violent far-right groups from across Germany. Many of them were masked,' said Oliver Kreuzfeld, an expert on the far-right scene from Endstation Rechts, an initiative against extremism based in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Kreuzfeld observed the demonstration and identified members of violent neo-Nazi groups known for past violent attacks on trains. They also included members of long-established groups, like the Neonazi Kiez in Dortmund.

An expert has now warned that right-wing groups could attempt to exploit the tragic incident for their own ends.

Matthias Quent, Professor of Sociology at Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, told EuroNews: 'The region in general, eastern Germany, is a hotspot of far-right mobilisations.

People hold a sign reading 'Remigration now!' during a protest after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market, in Magdeburg, Germany December 21

Hard-right demonstrators take part in a protest after a car drove into the crowd at the market

People take part in a protest after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market, in Magdeburg

'And we are facing election campaigns until the federal elections in February.

'And so this is not just a critical time because of Christmas and the trust that gets destroyed by such an attack but, also, regarding questions of disinformation and polarisation and the spread of hate that will and could happen over these kinds of attacks now.'

As the surging AfD party seeks to rally support in the run-up to Germany's snap federal election, the chair pointedly asked 'When will this madness end?'

Tempers are strained after it was revealed police were warned about the 'unstable' suspect in September last year, but did nothing more than take screenshots of his twisted online threats.

Local outlet Die Welt reported that German state and federal police had carried out a 'risk assessment' on al-Abdulmohsen last year but concluded that he posed 'no specific danger'.

The Saudi suspect, psychiatrist and anti-Islam activist al-Abdulmohsen, had made online death threats against German citizens and had a history of quarrelling with state authorities.

News magazine Der Spiegel, citing security sources, said the Saudi secret service had warned Germany's spy agency BND a year ago about a tweet in which al-Abdulmohsen threatened Germany would pay a 'price' for its treatment of Saudi refugees.

And in August al-Abdulmohsen wrote on social media: 'Is there a path to justice in Germany without blowing up a German embassy or randomly slaughtering German citizens?... If anyone knows it, please let me know.'

Tributes to the victims of the devastating attack are seen near the market on December 22

Public workers clean the Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, on Sunday morning, December 22, 2024

The sign at the Johanniskirche near the now closed Christmas market reads You are never alone on December 23, 2024 in Magdeburg

Clothes and blankets lie on chairs at the Christmas market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, December 22, 2024

Stall holders at the now closed Christmas market clean their shop front on December 23, 2024

In a post in December last year, he wrote: 'Germany is the only country  other than Saudi Arabia  that chases female Saudi asylum seekers all over the world to destroy their lives.

'Revenge will come soon. Even if it costs me my life. I will make the German nation pay the price of the crimes committed by its government against Saudi refugees.'

Police who arrested him almost immediately after the attack said he tested positive for drugs.

The 50-year-old was brought before a judge on Saturday evening, and police said: 'The judge ordered pre-trial detention for five counts of murder, multiple attempted murder and multiple counts of dangerous bodily harm.'

The prosecutor said that the medic's grievance about how Germany was treating Saudi dissident asylum seekers was part of the investigation as a possible motive.

Al-Abdulmohsen had bypassed security bollards and used an emergency corridor  which should have been blocked for anything other than ambulances and police vehicles  to enter the market.

Hospital staff rallied around the 205 victims of the attack, with 120 nurses and more than 20 doctors voluntarily putting in extra shifts that tragic to treat those who were hurt.

He launched his attack just after 7pm local time in Germany, as thousands of shoppers gathered at the centre of Magdeburg.

Driving slowly at first, the blue SUV turned in to an alleyway where hundreds of shoppers were browsing stalls and sipping mulled wine.

He then pointed his vehicle directly at the crowd and ploughed forward. As shoppers fled in panic, the driver turned another corner and drove out of the market.

An off-duty policeman pursued the BMW until he came to a halt outside Magdeburg shopping centre, where he was arrested at gunpoint by armed officers.
This is the terrifying moment the crew of a massive cargo ship were forced to scramble for safety after it capsized and sank.

The Comoros-flagged vessel, named Amnah, capsized in Ambarli-Marpot port in Istanbul, Turkey, forcing at least 15 people to jump off it, according to local reports.

Terrifying footage of the capsize showed the cargo ship keeling over, with several people running off its desk.

Massive containers could be seen plunging into the water around the port.

A separate video of the aftermath showed the vessel at laying on its side at a steep angle, with its hull touching the sides of the port.

Local media reported that three people were forced to jump into the waters around the boat, where they were picked up by tug boats.

One crew member reportedly sustained minor injuries during the chaos.

Turkey's transportation ministry said in a statement on X: 'The risk to the marine environment has been controlled, and the vessel is surrounded by floating barriers.'

The Comoros-flagged vessel, named Amnah, capsized in Ambarli-Marpot port in Istanbul, Turkey

At least 15 people were forced to jump off it, according to local reports

One crew member reportedly sustained minor injuries during the chaos

Officials are yet to provide an account of how the massive vessel sank

Officials are yet to provide an account of how the massive vessel sank.

The Amnah had arrived in Istanbul from Derince Port, located at Izmit Bay to the west of Istanbul.

It was built in 1996, and is 101 meters (331ft) long and 18 meters (59ft) wide.

It comes a year after a cargo ship was ripped in half in a storm off the coast of Turkey as rescue teams desperately searched for 11 sailors from another vessel that sank in the choppy waters.

The Cameroon-flagged Pallada broke in two after running aground amid 16ft waves off Eregli, a coastal town east of Istanbul. All 13 crew members were rescued.

But the weather hampered efforts to reach another cargo vessel, the Turkish-flagged Kafkametler, which sank off the same coast in Turkey's Zonguldak province with 12 crew on board.

Rescue crews retrieved the body of one crew member from the choppy seas, as they desperately searched for the other 11 sailors.
The execution of a couple in a suspected gangland hit 35 years ago this week has been linked to a separate mystery murder involving a man's headless corpse.

Terry Gooderham, 39, and Maxine Arnold, 32, had been eating dinner at their flat in Walthamstow, North London, when they were kidnapped and forced to drive to Epping Forest before being shot dead on December 23, 1989.

While the murder has never been solved, it's been suggested that Mr Gooderham - a bar stocktaker - was targeted to stop him informing on a scam involving a Krays associate who hijacked lorries to supply a pub protection racket.

And now, former Met detective Mick Randall has claimed that a group of gangsters who were suspected of organising the killings were later recorded discussing cutting off the head and arms of another victim.

The dead body was in a car boot, and the criminals wanted to remove his limbs to make it harder to identify him through a series of distinctive tattoos.

A torso matching the same description was found on October 11, 1991 in the sleepy West Sussex village of Bolney - with local police long convinced the incident was a London crime.

The Bolney Torso, which has still not been identified, was dressed after death in a shirt and trousers belonging to someone else.

Sussex Police were only able to identify the victim as a white male with a small star-shaped mole on his right thigh and a protruding belly. The body was exhumed in 2009 and DNA suggested he had links to Germany.

Terry Gooderham, 39, and Maxine Arnold, 32, had been eating dinner at their flat in Walthamstow, North London, when they were kidnapped

A headless torso with its arms cut off was found on October 11, 1991 in the sleepy West Sussex village of Bolney. Pictured is the body being exhumed in 2009

The corpse being lowered by into its grave in Haywards Heath, Sussex

Mr Randall claims that the murders of Mr Gooderham and Ms Arnold, as well as the case of the Bolney Torso, were never solved because of police corruption.

And discussing the new tapes, he told the Mirror: 'These gangsters were overheard discussing cutting off the head and arms of a dead body in a car boot to frustrate identification because of his tattoos.

'A torso matching that description was found in Bolney, Sussex and local police there were convinced it was a London crime but got no assistance from the Met.'

Peter Kennett, the former Sussex detective superintendent Peter Kennett who investigated the Bolney Torso case, confirmed to the newspaper that he was not aware of the tapes.

He added: 'Logic would suggest it was a gangland killing and the dismembering was to prevent identification. The head was cut off below the shoulders.

'The intelligence of an east London gangster discussing a similar murder would have been very beneficial.'

Two former Met detectives reportedly confirmed that the bug had been placed in a Portacabin in Canning Town, East London, where one of the gang ran a genuine business.

Mr Gooderham and Ms Arnold had been enjoying a quiet evening together before being kidnapped.

It's been suggested Mr Gooderham - a bar stocktaker - was targeted to stop him informing on a scam involving a Krays associate who hijacked lorries to supply a pub protection racket

A general view of the road where Mr Gooderham lived with his partner in Walthamstow

According to reports at the time, Ms Arnold's mother later visited their flat to find their meal of sausages and mashed potatoes still in the lounge and the gas fire and Christmas tree lights still on.

Their bodies were found lying in undergrowth at 3.50am in Epping Forest by a routine police patrol.

They had both been shot in the head from behind, with a post-mortem suggesting Mr Gooderham had been shot first.

His Mercedes 190E was found nearby with the engine still running.

Witnesses later came forward to say they had seen a Mercedes driving erratically along the road with its lights flashing - suggesting the driver was trying to attract attention.

A man was seen sat in the back seat.

A cold case review in 2012 by former detective chief superintendent Albert Patrick confirmed that four men had been suspected of involvement in the killing and were members of a London crime gang.

Part of Broxmead Lane near the village of Bolney. Their bodies were discovered in undergrowth along the road

The Met said: 'As with all unsolved cases, these murders are subject to periodic review to consider if they can be advanced with the passage of time. No charges have been brought.

'The MPS has recently been contacted by a former officer presenting possible new information relating to the murders. As with all information this will be carefully assessed and this is ongoing at this time.'

Sussex Police said: 'This case has been subject of continuing investigation over many years, and more recently by the Surrey and Sussex Police Major Crime Team.

'It also forms part of the Surrey and Sussex Police Crime Review Team's schedule of unresolved major cases, which examines any new information that has been provided and considers advances in investigative techniques.

'We would always consider any new information that might lead to new lines of enquiry.'
A British tourist who went missing in St Lucia after attending a street party on the island has been found, according to local police.

Jemima Colenso, 33, is from Somerset and has been living on a boat moored at Rodney Bay Marina on the north of the island.

She was reported missing yesterday, prior to which police said she was last seen at the Gros Islet street party at around 11.26pm on Friday.

In an update this afternoon, Royal St Lucia Police posted on social media that Ms Colenso 'has been located and is in good health.'

The force's statement went on to 'thank everyone who assisted in locating her.'

The Brit's most recent post on Instagram was shared three days ago and shows her sailing

Ms Colenso hails from Somerset. She is an avid sailor and has shared many pictures from her travels

Police reportedly launched a vast search for Ms Colenso and said they were working 'around the clock' to locate her.

According to The Sun, a police source revealed that Ms Colenso 'brought herself into the station to say that she is fine and thanked the police for their efforts in trying to locate her.'

'She said that her phone was damaged and hence the reason why she could not be contacted nor contact anyone,' they added.

A street vendor who works at the popular street party Ms Colenso was attending expressed their shock that she had disappeared.

'People come from all over the world to celebrate and we don't expect them to go missing,' the vendor was quoted as saying.

'The police have always done a good job in keeping everyone safe and protected in this town.'
A former inmate in one of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's prisons has revealed how he saw a boy cry for his mother while he was sexually abused by his torturers.

Rene, one of six million Syrians who fled the country following the brutal civil war in 2012, was imprisoned for being gay and for going to a pro-democracy protests by Assad's secret police.

He said that while he was in prison, he saw a boy no older than 16 getting raped by Assad's guards.

Rene told the BBC: 'There was a boy. He was 15 or 16 years old. They were raping him, and he was calling his mother. He was saying, 'Mama... my mother... Mom'.'

Rene himself was also raped, by three guards who laughed when he begged for mercy.

'Nobody heard me. I was alone,' he recalled back in 2012.

He said he was abused every for six months by the same guard.

The former prisoner said that memories of his time in the horrific prison system came back to him upon seeing the swathe of prisoners leaving Damascus after Assad fell.

An aerial view of the Sednaya Military Prison after armed groups, opposing Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime take control in Damascus

A view of dead bodies, who were tortured to death, at Al-Mujtahid Hospital as teams carry out investigation in secret compartments at Sednaya Prison after the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus, Syria on December 10, 2024

'I'm not in prison now, I'm here. But I saw myself in the photos and the images of the people in Syria. I was so happy for them, but I saw myself there', he said.

'I saw the old version of me there. I saw when they raped me, and when they tortured me. I saw everything in flashback.'

Since Assad's fall, the conditions of the prisons he ran have been revealed in detail for the first time.

The infamous Sednaya Prison near Damascus, nicknamed the 'Human Slaughterhouse', was the epicentre of this systematic terror where huge numbers of detainees were subjected to all manner of inhumane treatments and executed.

Rebel fighters were cast into jails along with intellectuals, activists and regular civilians - all were subjected to heinous treatment, in many cases for several decades.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights claims that since the beginning of the Syrian revolution in March 2011, over 157,000 people remain under arrest or have been forcibly disappeared  including 5,274 children and 10,221 women.

More than 15,000 are said to have died under torture in that time.

The network also documented 72 different methods of regime torture that included electrocuting genitals or hanging weights from them; burning with oil, metal rods, gunpowder or flammable pesticides; crushing heads between a wall and the prison cell's door, and inserting needles or metal pins into bodies.

A view of dead bodies, who were tortured to death, at Al-Mujtahid Hospital as teams carry out investigation in secret compartments at Sednaya Prison after the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus, Syria on December 10, 2024

A view of dead bodies, who were tortured to death, at Harasta Military Hospital as teams carry out an investigation in secret compartments at Sednaya Prison

This 'iron press' is believed to have been used to crush, torture and execute prisoners

For most detainees, the horror began immediately upon arrest, often with savage beatings en-route to detention facilities.

Prisoners endured brutal 'welcome parties,' where they were thrashed with hoses, silicone bars, and wooden sticks.

Survivors have described being suspended by their wrists for hours, enduring electric shocks, and being burned with cigarettes, in horrific accounts given to the New York Times and Amnesty International.

Once trapped behind bars, prisoners quickly became acquainted with all manner of novel torture methods - some so notorious they had been given dark monikers.

One such grotesque device nicknamed the 'flying carpet' saw prisoners shackled to a board strapped onto a flexible board split in half by chain metal hinges.

Guards would then lift the bottom half of the board and fold the prisoner's legs back toward them, slowly and excruciatingly crushing them into horrific positions.

Another such torture tactic was called the 'dulab', in which victims' bodies were contorted into a rubber tyre, their heads pressed into their knees, before being rolled around and beaten mercilessly.

Many guards are said to have delighted in meting out such cruelty.

Inmates often had to stage macabre and degrading performances, forced to mimic animals - dogs, donkeys, and cats - with beatings for any misstep.
More than 170 skiers and snowboarders were evacuated by rope from a ski lift at a Colorado resort after a crack brought the gondola to a mid-air halt.

The gondola at Winter Park Resort, about 70 miles west of Denver, came to an automatic stop just after noon on Saturday when it detected the crack in a structural piece of the lift.

Ski patrollers entered the cabin of each gondola from above and lowered people's equipment to the ground.

Rescuers then used a rope equipped with a seat to lower each of the 174 passengers to the ground, resort spokesperson Jen Miller said.

Miller confirmed a crack in a metal support beam caused the gondola to malfunction. The broken part was removed and a replacement installed on Sunday afternoon.

No injuries were reported during the rescues, which came at the start of the busy holiday ski season.

Guests who were trapped on the lift have been given $10 voucher and two lift passes that can be used this year or next, ABC News reported.

State regulators and the lift's manufacturer are working with resort officials to investigate what caused the crack.

More than 170 skiers and snowboarders were evacuated by rope from a gondola at Winter Park Resort in Colorado on Saturday afternoon

Ski patrolers entered the cabin of each gondola from above and lowered people's equipment to the ground. Rescuers then used a rope equipped with a seat to lower each of the 174 passengers to the ground

The gondola came to an automatic stop just after noon on Saturday when it detected the crack in a structural piece of the lift

The gondola system detected a 'significant malfunction' around 12.15pm Saturday, automatically halting the lift system.

Evacuations - which were carried out by 18 snow patrol members - began at approximately 1pm and took about five hours to be completed.

Rescuers had to climb the gondola towers, shimmy down the cables and enter the enclosed car from the top, according to The Denver Post. They then used a rope system to lower passengers and their equipment to a team stationed on the ground.

'A gondola is an enclosed ski lift,' Miller told ABC. 'They're cabins so you get on without skis, walk on, carry your skis and put your skis on at the top.'

The majority of guests were lowered down to safety by 5pm, but the final '10 per cent or so' took longer due to darkness.

The resort's internal ski patrol staff, who undergo emergency ski lift and gondola rescue training annually, completed the rescues by 6pm.

Rescuers had to climb the gondola towers, (pictured) shimmy down the cables and enter the enclosed car from the top. They then used a rope system to lower passengers and their equipment to a team stationed on the ground

A resort spokesperson confirmed a crack in a metal support beam (pictured) caused the gondola to malfunction. The broken part was removed and a replacement installed on Sunday afternoon

Aleksey Dmitriyev, who was among those stranded on the lift, said it was 'not scary at all' and praised ski patrol for doing a 'pretty good job'.

Dmitriyev told 9 News the rescue felt 'very safe' and that it was 'kind of easy because first they took the skis and all the gear and rappelled the skis down'.

But Taylor Scotland, who got trapped on the gondola with her family as they prepared to go on their first run of the day, said her cabin was nearly at full capacity, leaving everyone inside feeling 'squished'.

Scotland was in one of the last cabins to be evacuated.

She said sitting in the same spot for four hours was 'pretty comfortable', but claims the hardest part of the experience was - after rappelling down from the cabin - swinging her body around to back it back on the ground.

'You have to push yourself around, so you don't get hit. So I turned myself around. I was pretty scared there,' she recalled.

No injuries were reported during the rescues, which came at the start of the busy holiday ski season. Pictured is a file photo Vasquez Cirque, Winter Park Resort

Miller said the gondola malfunction was 'rare' but noted that the system 'stopped as it was designed to' and that staff were automatically alerted of the issue.

Workers were replacing the section of the lift that cracked Sunday. Once repairs are complete, a safety board will need to inspect the gondola and approve it for reopening.

Winter Park Resort said the gondola - which takes riders up to about 10,700 feet - will be open to the public 'as soon as possible' and 'pending evaluation and test results'.

Meantime, the resort still has 21 other lifts open.
Middle-class Brits are facing a Christmas nightmare after Ocado shoppers were left without festive staples in their orders.

Scores of well-off Londoners were left without key ingredients for their Christmas dinners after a 'robot' malfunctioned at the upmarket food retailer's 185million delivery centre.

Long-booked Christmas shops were delivered to Londoners over the weekend without any chilled or frozen foods, with some claiming dozens of items were missing.

The news comes as Morrisons triggered Christmas panic after online orders for scores of customers were cancelled just two days before Christmas.

One Ocado shopper said 'literally the entire Christmas dinner bar the parsnips was missing' from their order, reported London Centric.

'Well @Ocado you've properly let yourself down. Over 30 items, all of our chilled Xmas food is not arriving... How can you trust online delivery if you can't even make Christmas?! Disgraceful,' one outraged shopper wrote on social media.

Taking to X, another person wrote: 'Basic staples like milk, butter and carrots missing from my Christmas shop? This is quite honestly ridiculous.'

A third customer raged: 'Ocado. What's the point in me ordering weeks in advance, waiting up to book a Christmas delivery slot, only for tons of stuff to be substituted or even just missing. For the second year running, there won't be a third!'

Scores of customers were left without key staples of a Christmas dinner after a malfunction at Ocado's delivery centre

Customers said they were left without almost all the items needed for their Christmas dinner

Other customers hit out at Ocado's Christmas delivery woes over the weekend

The malfunction took place at Ocado's hi-tech 563,000sq ft Erith centre, which is the world's largest automated warehouse for food deliveries, dealing with 200,000 orders a week.

'We are aware that a small proportion of orders were not delivered as expected. This does not meet our usual high standards and we understand the inconvenience this will have caused, especially at this time of year. We are proactively reaching out to apologise to those affected,' a spokeswoman added.

The festive shopping woes came as Morrisons customers were today left reeling after the supermarket giant cancelled home deliveries and festive shops for scores of Brits.

The shopping chain said its More rewards card is facing difficulties, with customers unable to get discounts on their food shops.

Some shoppers have also raged that their online orders have been cancelled or delayed, with Morrisons saying click-and-collect purchases are mostly affected.

The chaos comes on what is predicted to be the busiest shopping day of the year for supermarkets ahead of the Christmas rush.

Morrisons has apologised for the mayhem and said it was 'experiencing some system issues' that were impacting 'some' discount cards and collection orders.

'For More Card customers who have Morrisons Fivers to redeem, these will be done manually in store by colleagues. And if More Card prices are not registering, we will apply a 10% discount to the customer's entire shop,' it added in a statement online.

The error took place at Ocado's hi-tech 563,000sq ft Erith centre, which is the world's largest automated warehouse for food deliveries, dealing with 200,000 orders a week

Meanwhile Morrisons customers were also facing chaos today after the retailer was forced to cancel their shopping orders just two days before Christmas

The shopping giant says an issue with its More rewards card scheme is to blame

'For Click and Collect orders, we are asking customers to wait for an email to inform them that their order is ready for collection before heading to store. Some home delivery orders may be arriving late today - and we will be communicating directly with those customers affected.

'We sincerely apologise to our customers for this inconvenience.'

But fuming shoppers have taken to social media to vent their anger, with one demanding Morrisons to 'get a f***ing grip', while another raged on X: 'Hope @Morrisons loses a s*** ton of money today for the simple fact they knew the more cards wasn't working but don't say on entry instead they wait till your at the till...

'I left like 100 - 150 worth of shopping just at the till because of the more saving I would have lost.'

Morrisons' website also went down, with a '502 bad gateway' error message on some pages, leaving some customers panicking.

One person on X - former known as Twitter until it was bought and rebranded by the world's richest man, Elon Musk - wrote: 'Hope you're not hoping to get any deals at today or use your card. Conveniently they are all down across all stores! Busiest shopping day of the year! No refunds apparently either.'

On the Morrisons' Facebook page, outraged shoppers have also claimed their Christmas deliveries ordered a month ago have been cancelled.

'Half my Christmas shopping isn't coming including the turkey and puddings and they were ordered a month ago,' one person wrote under a post advertising discounts.

Furious customers have since taken to social media to slam the retailer for the 'shambles'

Customers on social media have lashed out over the cancellations and issues with Morrisons' 'More' discount card scheme

Others claimed on X they had orders cancelled without any warning.

'Thanks so much @Morrisons for cancelling my delivery without any warning. No contact, no email, phone call, nothing to explain why. Superb customer service,' wrote one woman on X.

Lorraine Calvo from Longhorsley, Northumberland, placed her food order with the supermarket seven weeks ago and was due to receive it between 5pm and 6pm today.

But this morning she received a message notifying her that the order had been cancelled, leaving Lorraine stranded as her disability means that she can't get to the shops in person.

Lorraine said: 'I rang them up and they said there's nothing they can do. I've looked at all of the other supermarkets and even the Co-op doesn't deliver where I am or Deliveroo. I'm just stuck.

'I've got no family here so there's nobody that can go and get anything for me. It's not just my Christmas shop, it's my whole weekly shop because I just get it delivered once a week.

'I normally use Sainsbury's or Tesco's, but I was trying to find a Christmas slot and this is the only one I could find. I won't ever be using them again.'

The supermarket chain has been advertising heavy discounts in the run-up on Christmas dinner food, including vegetables, in the last week.

Morrisons shoppers were left outraged over the issue with click-and-collect deliveries

Morrisons released an updated statement, saying: 'Today we are experiencing some system issues which are affecting our More Card customers. For More Card customers who have Morrisons Fivers to redeem, these will be done manually in store by colleagues.

'All our stores have now made the top 100 More Card prices the regular price - including the 10p veg deal, turkeys, spirits and champagne. And in addition we will give More Card customers an extra 10% off their entire shop as an apology.'

After reports that Ginger Pig - which delivers fresh meat to buyers via DPD - was also affected by delivery problems, one customer said: 'DPD have promised Ginger Pig to deliver the 300 ordered birds which were due out for delivery today - and have been picked up but not left the depot.

'No confirmations have yet been sent by either Ginger Pig or DPD to that effect, so those of us waiting for their premium poultry and other cuts not available at supermarkets will be waiting with baited breath to see if they arrive or whether we will have to rush out at the last moment tomorrow in the hope of finding a bog-standard frozen turkey which may be all that's left.'

Retail analysts at Kantar say today is expected to be the busiest day of the year for shops as millions of Brits rush to their local supermarkets to stock up on last-minute food and drink for Christmas.

Supermarket sales were expected to continue grow, exceeding 13billion over the four weeks of December for the first time ever.

It comes as the cost of an average Christmas dinner for four ballooned by 6.5 per cent, rising to 32.57.
The Christmas market attack that killed five people 'would not have been possible without uncontrolled immigration', according to the spokeswoman for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Alice Weidel, who is among AfD's top candidates in Germany's upcoming snap election, said that the attack in Magdeburg on Friday 'would not have been possible without uncontrolled immigration'.

She added in a statement on X: 'The state must protect citizens through a restrictive migration policy and consistent deportations.'

Her comment comes as the AfD and counter-protesters are due to the hit the streets in Magdeburg today after Saudi doctor Taleb al-Abdulmohsen smashed his rented SUV into crowd at the Christmas market there on Friday.

Nine-year-old Andre Gleiner was killed and officials today revealed that at least 235 people were injured in the horrifying rampage, dozens of whom are still in serious condition.

The carnage has moved the flashpoint issues of security and immigration back to the centre of politics ahead of Germany's February 23 elections.

Police are still puzzling over why Abdulmohsen attacked the market, with the prosecutor indicating that the medic's grievance about how Germany was treating Saudi dissident asylum seekers could be a possible motive.

Abdulmohsen - who was arrested beside the battered vehicle - has voiced anti-Islam views, anger at German immigration officials including former Chancellor Angela Merkel and support for far-right narratives on the 'Islamisation' of Europe.

Alice Weidel (pictured), who is among AfD's top candidates in the upcoming snap election, said: 'The discussion about new security laws must not distract from the fact that Magdeburg would not have been possible without uncontrolled immigration'

Police arrested an 'unstable' 50-year-old Saudi doctor identified as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen after he allegedly rammed his SUV into a packed market in the town of Magdeburg

Police officers are pictured as they were arresting the man who rammed his rented SUV into crowds at the Christmas market on Friday

The 50-year-old has been remanded in custody on five counts of murder and several counts of attempted murder as well as causing grievous bodily harm, prosecutors said on Saturday night, but not so far on terrorism-related charges.

The mass-circulation Bild daily wrote that 'although the background to the terrible attack in Magdeburg has not yet been clarified, it is already clear: There will be a "before" and an "after" in this election campaign.'

It said 'the attack changes everything' and will refocus the campaign, so far about Germany's dire economic situation, on the question of 'whom people trust to make our homeland safe again'.

The anti-immigration AfD party announced a public 'memorial' event and march for the victims from 5pm (4pm GMT) in central Magdeburg today.

Weidel, whose party is polling at around 20 percent but has been shunned as a pariah by all other mainstream parties, is due to attend the event.

An anti-extremist initiative called 'Don't Give Hate a Chance' is set to rally at the same time, near the city's Johannis church, where thousands of flowers, candles and children's toys have been placed for the victims of the devastating attack.

'We are all shocked and angry to see that people want to exploit this cruel act for their own political ends,' the initiative said in a statement.

'We must approach each other with openness, care, tolerance and humanity and build bridges instead of erecting walls in our hearts.'

Tempers have been running high over the weekend after it was revealed police were warned about the 'unstable' suspect in September last year, but did nothing more than take screenshots of his twisted online threats.

Nine-year-old Andre Gleiner (pictured) was killed during Friday night's devastating attack

Al-Abdulmohsen drove his SUV into the packed Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday night

A man mourns at the memorial site for the victims of the Christmas market attack on Friday

People hold a sign reading 'Remigration now!' during a protest after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market, in Magdeburg, Germany December 21

Local outlet Die Welt reported that German state and federal police had carried out a 'risk assessment' on Abdulmohsen last year but concluded that he posed 'no specific danger'.

As German media dug into Abdulmohsen's past, and investigators gave away little, criticism has rained down from the far-right and far-left parties already bitterly opposed to the government headed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The Saudi suspect, psychiatrist and anti-Islam activist Abdulmohsen, had made online death threats against German citizens and had a history of quarrelling with state authorities.

News magazine Der Spiegel, citing security sources, said the Saudi secret service had warned Germany's spy agency BND a year ago about a tweet in which Abdulmohsen threatened Germany would pay a 'price' for its treatment of Saudi refugees.

A source close to the government told AFP on Monday that Saudi Arabia had previously requested extradition for Abdulmohsen.

'There was (an extradition) request,' said the source, without giving the reason for the request, adding that Riyadh had warned he 'could be dangerous'. Saudi Arabia had allegedly warned Germany 'many times' about Abdulmohsen.

Abdulmohsen, who portrayed himself as a victim of persecution who had renounced Islam, arrived in Germany in 2006 and was granted refugee status 10 years later, according to German media and a Saudi activist.

The doctor often decried what he said was the Islamisation of Germany.

Al-Abdulmohsen was pictured in a white t-shirt (right) as he arrived at court Saturday night, where he was remanded on charges of murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm

The Saudi suspect, psychiatrist and anti-Islam activist al-Abdulmohsen, had made online death threats against German citizens and had a history of quarrelling with state authorities

Firefighters patrol the scene of the crash on Friday after a car rammed into a massive crowd of shoppers at a Christmas market in Magdeburg at around 7pm

People look at flowers and candles left as a tribute near the 'Alter Markt' Christmas market, where a man drove a car into the crowd through an emergency exit route on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, December 22, 2024

In August, Abdulmohsen wrote on social media: 'Is there a path to justice in Germany without blowing up a German embassy or randomly slaughtering German citizens?... If anyone knows it, please let me know.'

In a post in December last year, he wrote: 'Germany is the only country  other than Saudi Arabia  that chases female Saudi asylum seekers all over the world to destroy their lives.

'Revenge will come soon. Even if it costs me my life. I will make the German nation pay the price of the crimes committed by its government against Saudi refugees.'

Political pressure has built on the question of potential missed warnings, and Scholz's government pledged Sunday to fully investigate whether there were security lapses before the attack. Scholz called the attack 'terrible' and 'insane'.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and the heads of Germany's domestic and foreign intelligence services are due to answer questions at parliamentary committee hearings on December 30, a senior lawmaker told AFP.

Faeser has vowed that 'no stone will be left unturned' in shedding light on what information had been available to security services in the past.

She stressed that the attacker did 'not fit any previous pattern' because 'he acted like an Islamist terrorist although ideologically he was clearly an enemy of Islam'.

Faeser also demanded cross-party support to pass laws that would give police greater powers to sift through mountains of social media data and to introduce video surveillance with facial recognition software.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and the heads of Germany's domestic and foreign intelligence services are due to answer questions at parliamentary committee hearings on December 30, a senior lawmaker told AFP

A woman holds a candle as others watch a prayer ceremony outside the Magdeburg Dom church, the day after the devastating attack

Debris outside closed market stalls are seen as a police officers stands on the site of a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, on December 21

Social media accounts falsely alleged Abdulmohsen was an Islamist terrorist shortly after the attack, but the German interior minister later identified Abdulmohsen as being Islamophobic himself.

A harsh critic of Germany's past welcome too many Muslim migrants, Abdulmohsen wrote on the platform X that he wished ex-chancellor Angela Merkel could be jailed for life or executed.

In 2015, Merkel implemented an 'open door' policy, which allow over a million asylum seekers to cross the border into Germany.

The exiled Saudi attacker had praised hard-Right politicians for combating the 'Islamisation' of Europe and pledged to take 'revenge' over harassment of female refugees.

Abdulmohsen had voiced support for Elon Musk, Tommy Robinson and the AfD, trying to build connections to right-wing organisations in Germany and abroad.

Musk reposted a tweet by Nigel Farage which blamed the Christmas market attack on border policies.

This comes after about 700 hard-right protesters already took to the streets of Magdeburg on Saturday night, with people holding a banner with the word 'Remigration Now' and so-called homeland flags.

The protesters, described by German tabloid Bild as right-wing extremists and hooligans, marched through Magdeburg shouting: 'Anyone who doesn't love Germany should leave Germany', 'Migration kills' and 'We must take back our cities, our villages and our homeland'.

Some of the demonstrators reportedly wore masked and were aggressive, resulting in minor scuffles with police.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (left) has condemned the 'terrible, insane' attack and made a call for national unity amid high political tensions as Germany heads towards February 23 elections

Hard-right demonstrators take part in a protest after a car drove into the crowd at the market

People take part in a protest after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market, in Magdeburg

A person holds a sign reading 'The blood sticks to your hands' during a protest after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market, in Magdeburg, Germany December 21

A known neo-Nazi called Thorsten Heise reportedly stirred up the crowd by yelling: 'Deport, deport, deport' and 'Resistance'.

The masked protestors who waved anti-immigration posters and shouted chants of 'migration kills' were escorted by hundreds of police in full riot gear as they marched through the city.

'Among the demonstrators were many extremely violent far-right groups from across Germany. Many of them were masked,' said Oliver Kreuzfeld, an expert on the far-right scene from Endstation Rechts, an initiative against extremism based in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Kreuzfeld observed the demonstration and identified members of violent neo-Nazi groups known for past violent attacks on trains. They also included members of long-established groups, like the Neonazi Kiez in Dortmund.

An expert warned that right-wing groups could attempt to exploit the tragic incident for their own ends.

Matthias Quent, Professor of Sociology at Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, told EuroNews: 'The region in general, eastern Germany, is a hotspot of far-right mobilisations.

'And we are facing election campaigns until the federal elections in February. And so this is not just a critical time because of Christmas and the trust that gets destroyed by such an attack but, also, regarding questions of disinformation and polarisation and the spread of hate that will and could happen over these kinds of attacks now.'
Dylan, Marisa and Grayson Christie cuddle their triplet girls. Courtesy Marisa Christie, son Grayson and husband Dylan hold the triplets. Courtesy Dylan Christie watches over his wife, Marisa, who was in a coma after delivering their triplet girls. Courtesy When Tomball mom Marisa Christie's delivery of triplets took a turn for the worse, the medical team at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands saved her life. Courtesy Marisa Christie learned she was pregnant with triplets after getting a trigger shot. Courtesy

The first time was a charm for Tomball residents Marisa and Dylan Christie.

The couple had been trying for two years to add to their family and give their son Grayson, now 4, a sibling.

Marisa, 30, tried a trigger shot, meant to stimulate her ovaries, and it worked right away. She learned that she was pregnant at two weeks.

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I knew pretty much from the beginning, she said. And while I knew that with fertility treatment, you can have multiples, it never once entered my mind.

That is, until her first ultrasound, when the nurse said, Im 95 percent sure there are triplets.

You could have heard a pin drop in that room, Marisa said. I was shocked. We prayed for so long for one baby, and we got three."

Having triplets moves a pregnancy into the high-risk category. Dr. Christopher McGuirk, who had delivered her son, recommended she see Dr. Amber Samuel, medical director of Obstetrix Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists of Houston.

Complications are always a concern both during pregnancy and after delivery when multiple births are concerned, Samuel said.

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Theres a higher possibility of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and anemia for the mother, as well as various complications for the fetuses. After birth, there is an increased likelihood of hemorrhaging.

Carrying triplets to full term is also risky. Almost always, early delivery is recommended. Samuel usually sets a goal of 34 to 36 weeks.

One of Marisas triplets had a condition concerning an extra tissue that could have lead to fetal anemia. She was the one we were really worried about, Samuel said.

Mother and doctor set a date a little after 33 weeks for a C-section.

We had a plan, Marisa said. But nothing went to plan.

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She had been feeling a lingering sense of dread, and had even mentioned a few worst case scenarios to her husband, like what to do in case of a hemorrhage or if she ended up in a coma.

Thats not going to happen, he reassured her. With Grayson, the delivery had gone by the book.

When we thought about the risk of triplets, it was all about them being early, Marisa said. I dont think it was ever in any of our minds that I was the one who would be the risk.

Best day takes a turn for the worse

Marisa packed and headed to Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center on Aug. 21. By then, her anxiety had dissipated.

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My husband said he was the one freaking out and that I was totally calm, she recalled.

The doctors brought her into the operating room around 8:30 a.m., set up the drapes and then called Dylan into the room.

It was all pretty routine, Marisa said. They got all three girls out.

Samuels surgical assistant was Monica Ellingston, also a mother of triplets.

The beginning of the surgery went great, Samuel said.

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Since the babies were born prematurely, there were benefits of delayed cord clamping, preventing them from iron deficiency.

The girls  Charlotte, Kendall and Collins  were swaddled and laid on Marisas abdomen, while the clamping began. At that point, Dylan stood up to take a photo of his wife with their newborns.

Samuel and Marisa chatted about how happy she was to safely deliver Collins, the triplet at risk of developing fetal anemia.

Suddenly, Marisas arms lifted in the air and she let out a groan.

Anesthesiologist Dr. Ricardo Mora noted that Marisa's blood pressure had bottomed out.

He was explaining that we no longer had vital signs, Samuel said. Marisa didnt have a heartbeat.

Everything happened at once

Dylan and the babies were ushered out of the room and sent to NICU, while the medical team sprung into action.

Everything happened at once, Samuel said.

She quickly sewed up the incision for the C-section, while nurses Amy Walker and Juanita Salmon started chest compressions and CPR.

Samuel also called in the Memorial Hermann's OB/Gyn, Dr. Tiffany Morgan.

In addition to Scott Oldebeken, who was already assisting, Mora brought in another anesthesiologist, Dr. Luke Carroll. Together, the team decided that Marisa should be placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, an advanced form of life-support.

On a break from chest compressions, Samuel realized Marisa was suffering from uterine atony, when the uterus does not contract properly during or after childbirth, which results in vaginal bleeding.

The team administered medicine and a device to help her uterus clamp down.

Cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon Dr. Stephen Maniscalco arrived and placed Marisa on ECMO. Then she was moved to the ICU.

I just couldnt make the bleeding stop in her uterus, Samuel said.

Marisa had developed disseminated intravascular coagulation, a leading cause of maternal mortality, which can cause uncontrollable bleeding from several areas of the body.

After 15 minutes, the medical team called for an emergency hysterectomy, performed by Samuel and gynecologic oncologist Dr. Christine Lee.

Next, the top layer of her abdomen was covered and packed so it could heal on its own, which decreases the need for future surgery.

Almost immediately, Samuel knew the cause: Amniotic Fluid Embolism, a rare and life-threatening complication of pregnancy.

There are very few things that right at the time of delivery would cause the heart to stop, she said.

And considering Marisas age and general good health, stroke and heart attack were unlikely. Almost never would it be anything else, Samuel said.

Devastating cause of maternal mortality

Amniotic Fluid Embolism was first described in the 1920s, Samuel said. At the time, doctors thought that an embolism caused heart and lung failure in mothers.

More recently, we realized that its not an actual embolism, but more like an allergic reaction, she said.

The mother has a response to the amniotic fluid and fetal material entering her bloodstream, which normally would not cause a reaction. She experiences constriction of the pulmonary vessels and the heart is no longer able to pump.

So the heart fails, Samuel said.

DIC is also a common complication. According to the Cleveland Clinic, AFE is rare, occuring once in 40,000 pregnancies in the U.S.

Samuel has witnessed the condition before. But this was the worst Ive ever seen, she said.

She found Dylan in the NICU and explained the situation, that mortality for AFE has been reported as high as 80 %.

I dont know if shes going to survive, Samuel told him. I dont know that even if she survives, what the long-term outcomes will be.

The first conversation we had was probably the hardest he had ever had, and one of the worst I have had, Samuel recalled. All the conversations that day were hard.

Still, she held onto hope for her patient.

Marisa was placed in a coma for six days, and Samuel was unsure if there would be any neurological damage if and when she woke.

After a couple of days, Marisa was breathing on her own and was taken off ECMO, while still in a coma.

When she did regain consciousness, in the middle of the night with nurses rushing all around, her first thought was, Am I dreaming?

My whole pregnancy, I had really vivid dreams, she said. I thought, Im going to wake up and everything will be fine, because this is terrifying.

Then, Marisa was hit with an excruciating pain, and she knew she was awake.

She had no recollection of coming to a hospital. She thought perhaps she had been in a car wreck. Her last memory was going to the movies with a friend to see It Ends With Us, the weekend before her C-section.

Dylan told her, We had the babies, and everything went fine.

Theres no way, she responded.

It would take a while before Dylan and Marisa understood that she had lost all memory of the past few days.

A modern miracle

Marisa ended up staying in the hospital for two weeks. She had to relearn to eat, to breathe, to walk. Her wound also still had to heal.

The first day that she was able to walk, the nurses told her that if she could go a certain distance in the hallway, the reward would be to a wheelchair ride downstairs to NICU to see her babies

I was like, Sold! she recalled.

Dylan had already been visiting them multiple times a day. From then on, Marisa made an extra effort to see her daughters as often as possible.

The NICU nurses were always willing to wheel me downstairs to see the girls, she said.

She was also eager to get home to Grayson. She worked hard to reach each required milestone. Finally, she was discharged.

Her oldest triplet, Charlotte, came home about a week after Marisa, on Sept. 14, followed by Kendall and Collins on Sept. 26.

The details of her story remained fuzzy for a while, Marrisa said. She had a few details from her husband and multiple doctors.

I knew I had almost died because everyone kept saying, Its a miracle youre alive, she said.

Its still very surreal, she said. There are quiet moments right before I sleep, I sometimes go back and look at the photographs from the hospital. In those moments, its very raw. There are many, many moms who were not as lucky as I was to live.

For Samuel, one of her most difficult days in clinic has turned into an amazing story of survival. Its the reason you go into medicine, she said. Its what you want for your patients  not to have to go through this  but to make it to the other side and be healthy.

Samuel keeps a photo of Marisa, Dylan and the triplets on the reel of pictures rotating on a digital frame in her office.

I think of it as a modern miracle, Samuel said. The surgery is the miracle, that this team came together, that they were the best team on their best day and made this happen for her.

As the only Level II Trauma Center in South Montgomery County, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands was able to readily assemble a team and the resources needed to save Marisas life, just in the nick of time.
Republican former congressman Matt Gaetz paid over $90,000 for sex, including with a minor, and handed out illicit drug 'party favors,' a devastating official report has concluded.

Gaetz, 42, made the payments to women for sex while he was a member of Congress, the House Ethics Committee investigation found.

The bipartisan report, released on Monday, said: 'From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.'

Gaetz spent more than $90,000 given to 12 different women, the report said.

The report included details of two sexual encounters that he had with a 17-year-old girl identified as 'Victim A.'

It stated: 'Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex.

'Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.'

In a failed bid to prevent the report's release Gaetz filed a last-minute lawsuit against the Ethics panel saying damage to his reputation and professional standing would be 'severe and irreversible.'

His lawyers said the report included 'untruthful and defamatory information' and the committee no longer had jurisdiction over a former member of Congress.

The report found Gaetz, 42, made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women

Matt Gaetz and his wife Ginger Luckey Gaetz

The report notes that all the women who testified before the committee called their sexual encounters with Gaetz 'consensual.'

Gaetz has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation, even admitting last week that he 'womanized and partied' more than he should have in his 20s.

'My 30's were an era of working very hard  and playing hard too. It's embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life,' Gaetz wrote on X.

The former congressman insisted that he 'NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18' and pointed to the Justice Department's 'complete exoneration' of him.

He says that now, he lives 'a different life' with his wife Ginger in Florida.

He is rumored to be seeking to fill Sen. Marco Rubio's soon to be vacant Senate seat as he takes the role of Trump's Secretary of Sate.

Matt Gaetz and his wife Ginger Luckey at an vent for the 'Barbie' movie

The report also found 'substantial evidence' that the Republican used illegal drugs including cocaine and ecstasy.

Gaetz, according to the committee, referred to drugs as 'party favors' and 'vitamins.'

It also found that Gaetz created a fake email account for the purpose of buying weed.

The ex-congressman has denied that he ever used illegal drugs during this period of his life.

Last week, the committee voted to release its report on former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz's conduct in a stunning reversal.

The same committee had voted along party lines last month to keep the report secret after President-elect tapped Gaetz, a top MAGA Congressional ally, to serve as attorney general.

Gaetz pulled out of the process after it was determined his bid wouldn't get through the Senate, with Trump replacing him with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The Florida congressman resigned from Congress in mid-November after being named as Trump's attorney general pick and later said he wouldn't retake the Florida congressional seat that he won in the November 5 general election.

It's rare that an Ethics Committee report is being released after a member resigned from Congress and the decision to release it means some Republicans changed their votes and sided with Democrats on making the findings public.

The Ethics Committee investigation was a years-long look into allegations against Gaetz including sexual misconduct, whether the Florida Republican used illicit drugs and whether he 'shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor.'

It also examined whether he 'misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gifts,' according to a description of the investigation released last summer.

The House Ethics Committee has voted to release its report on former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz's conduct after all in a stunning reversal

Ginger Gaetz, wife of former congressman Matt Gaetz

House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he's against the release of the report since Gaetz already resigned from Congress - but he can't prevent the report's release.

A number of members of Congress have expressed that they believe Gaetz quit to bury the report.

Gaetz charged that 'the very 'witnesses' DOJ deemed not-credible' were used by the House Ethics committee to smear him.

'I've had no chance to ever confront any accusers,' he wrote. 'I've never been charged. I've never been sued.'

'Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body,' the former Florida congressman complained.

Gaetz acknowledged that he sent money to women he dated.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz responded to the news reports that the House Ethics Committee report would be released in coming days by saying that his conduct was 'embarrassing, though not criminal'

It was reported last month that he paid more than $10,000 to two women who were later witnesses in the sexual misconduct probes carried out by the DOJ and the House Ethics Committee.

'In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated - even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years,' he wrote. 'I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18,' he also said.

'Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court - which is why no such claim was ever made in court,' Gaetz added.

Gaetz, 42, who married his wife Ginger Luckey Gaetz in 2021, suggested he was just being an irresponsible bachelor.

Matt Gaetz speaks at a 2024 campaign rally for former US President Donald Trump in Waco, Texas, March 25, 2023.

att Gaetz appears before the House Rules Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023

'My 30's were an era of working very hard - and playing hard too,' he said.

'It's embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life,' Gaetz continued. 'I live a different life now.'

'But at least I didn't vote for CR's that f*** over the country!' he added.

The CR - or continuing resolution - is the short-term spending bill Congress needs to pass before Saturday to avoid a government shutdown.

MAGA allies of Trump, including Elon Musk, have complained about the amount of government spending contained in the bipartisan piece of legislation.
A beloved California cheerleader was stabbed to death after meeting up with the ex-boyfriend she was warned to stay away from.

Angelina Camillia Gonzales, 17, was killed on Friday at her ex's home in Azusa, according to the Azusa Police Department.

The suspect, an unidentified 18-year-old, picked up Gonzales - 'a dedicated member' of Azusa High School's cheer squad - following a cheerleading banquet that night.

A worried family member soon tracked her cell phone to his home, but when her step-father Robert Caraballo arrived, it was too late.

'When I got there, there was already crime scene tape up and forensics and all kinds of stuff,' Caraballo told KABC.

'And I ran up to the officers like, "Hey, my daughter's in there. You know, my daughter is in there. I'm trying to find her. She's not home." And that's when they told me, "Sit aside for a minute",' he recalled.

Officers responded to the home on the 300 block of North Soldano Avenue around 10pm, where they found Gonzales suffering from multiple stab wounds.

She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead, the department said. Her ex-boyfriend was arrested shortly after the fatal stabbing.

Angelina Camillia Gonzales, 17, was tragically killed on Friday at her ex's home in Azusa, California

Authorities found the teenager suffering from multiple stab wounds at the scene. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she later died

Her heartbroken stepfather said he warned Gonzales to stay away from her ex-boyfriend, but that she had a big heart that would often find the good in others.

Her brother, Ruben Torress has remembered his sister as someone who was 'always bubbly, happy, funny personality. Always cracking jokes.

'It's unreal, like just the fact that you know, anyone could bring themselves to harm just such a sweet and loving, funny person,' Torress added.

In addition to being a cheerleader for her high school, Gonzales had just joined the wrestling team and won her very first match.

Though she enjoyed both sports, her step-father said her biggest passion was cheerleading.

'She was practicing at home and wanted to be on another stunt team. And that was like her heart cheering for a long time,' Caraballo told the outlet.

Her unidentified ex-boyfriend allegedly picked Gonzales up from a cheerleading banquet that night

She was also very successful academically, as the Azusa Unified School District called her an 'extraordinary artist' who won first place at the Congressional Art Competition in June.

Gonzales was also awarded the Judge's choice Award in 2022. Her artwork is currently on display in the U.S. Capital, the district noted in an Instagram post.

'Her creative talents and vibrant personality enriched our community in countless ways,' the district added.

The accomplished teenager was counting down the days before her 18th birthday on January 7, her family revealed.

'She was looking forward to that. She's amazing - I'm broken right now, not gonna lie to you, because the little bit of time that I had with her, I can't even,' Carballo said as he choked up.

The late cheerleader's mother, Letica Pimentel Caraballo, created a GoFundMe page in honor of Gonzales.

'On Friday December 20, 2024 my baby was taken from us. She was only 17 about to have her 18th birthday on January 7th,' she wrote.

In addition to being a cheerleader for her high school, Gonzales had just joined the wrestling team and won her very first match

'She had such a great future ahead of her. She had a heart of gold. She was my perfect gorgeous Angel baby. I don't even have the words to say. I can't even cope. I need her. Our family is devastated. We appreciate all the support and love. Thank you all.'

As of Monday morning, more than $7,500 was raised in memory of Gonzales.

Her family is also hosting a car wash in honor of the teenager on Saturday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8070 in Azusa from 9am to 3pm.

'Always let your family, anyone you know, that you love them. Let them know you're proud of them,' her brother said.

The 18-year-old - described as an 'acquaintance' of Gonzales - is currently in custody. The case is set to be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office is currently handling the investigation and has asked the public to contact the department if they have any information on the incident.

DailyMail.com contacted the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office for comment.
A popular Peruvian restaurant in California's East Bay has been forced to close after a sex discrimination lawsuit over its 'ladies night' left it in financial ruin.

Lima Restaurant, a family-run eatery in Concord, announced it will serve its final meals on New Year's Eve.

Owner and chef John Marquez announced the news after a 'devastating' legal battle over the restaurant's weekly promotion offering half-price drinks to women.

Lima had been running the three-hour ladies' night discount for years before being hit with the discrimination suit.

Sadly we have to announce the permanent closure of Lima,' the restaurant announced on Facebook.

'Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to fully recover from the recent discrimination lawsuit related to our ladies' night discount plus the challenges we faced were compounded by the operating costs increases that have affected our industry.

'We are deeply grateful to our loyal customers who have supported us throughout the years. Your patronage has meant the world to us, and we are proud of the community we built together.

Thank you for the memories and for being a part of the Lima family. We hope to see you one last time before we close our doors on December 31st.'

Lima Restaurant in California's East Bay has been forced to close after a sex discrimination lawsuit over its 'ladies night' left it in financial ruin

The family-run eatery in Concord's announced it will serve its final meals on December 31

The restaurant had been running the three-hour ladies' night discount for years before being hit with the discrimination suit

Marquez and his family think they were targeted by people outside the community who wanted to leverage state laws intended to promote equality, KRON reported.

Attempting to save the business, Lima launched a GoFundMe campaign in September 2023 to help cover its mounting legal fees.

The fundraiser describes the legal action as 'financially devastating' and threatening 'the survivorship of the restaurant, the jobs of our employees and the well-being of their families.'

Owner Marquez wrote: 'We are a small family restaurant that specializes in Peruvian cuisine and are asking for your help.

'The restaurant offered "Ladies Night" and it consisted of ladies getting well drinks and wine for half the price between 5:30pm to 8:30 pm. once a week.

'Recently we were sued for discrimination alleging that all patrons who do not identify as female, including men, non-binary individuals and transgender men, were required to pay full price for their alcoholic beverages while patrons who identify as female were given 50 percent off their alcoholic beverages.

'Now we are facing a difficult hardship in having to pay for the lawsuit and attorney's fees.'

However, the GoFundMe raised only $4,353 of it $30K goal.

Owner and chef John Marquez (pictured) announced the news after a 'devastating' legal battle over its weekly promotion offering half-price drinks to women

Attempting to save the business, Lima launched a GoFundMe campaign in September 2023 to help cover mounting legal fees (Pictured: an ad promoting ladies night at Lima)

Loyal customers were outraged by the news and have rallied behind the establishment - with many saying Lima served the best Peruvian food in the area and that it will be missed deeply.

One commented: 'People nowadays are narrow minded and too sensitive to whatever's revolving around them. Filing a lawsuit for the sake of destroying someones livelihood, business reputation, and selfish gratification is unacceptable.'

'Is very sad a place like this restaurant and nice employees have to close down because still people outside taking advantage of any situation to destroy families and businesses,' another heartbroken customer wrote.

'This is ridiculous,' another enraged user chimed in.

'I've read of several places having "ladies night" or similar stuff and none have gotten in trouble or had to close. Is there anything else you can do to remain open?'
Two former Israeli intelligence officials have revealed how the plot to embed Hezbollah's walkie-talkies and pagers with explosives was 10 years in the making.

Over two days in September, Israel detonated thousands of handheld communication devices used by the terror group killing at least 42 people, including 12 civilians, and injuring at least 4,000 people.

Victims of the simultaneous explosions plot, which was carried out by Mossad and is understood to have been done on the orders of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, lost limbs, hands and the use of their eyes.

Two former Mossad agents told CBS news that Hezbollah unwittingly bought over 16,000 of the walkie-talkies 'at a good price' from a fake company it controlled that was named after a real Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo, more than 10 years ago following an aggressive marketing campaign at the time, while around 5,000 pagers were bought around two years ago.

Hezbollah, which has long been an enemy of Israel, used the low-grade pieces of tech to communicate with their fighters in order to stave off intelligence gathering by its foes.

One of the agents, who CBS called Gabriel, said: 'When they are buying from us, they have zero clue that they are buying from the Mossad. We make like [the movie] Truman Show, everything is controlled by us behind the scene.'

His fellow ex-Mossad officer, who CBS called Michael, added: 'We have an incredible array of possibilities of creating foreign companies that have no way being traced back to Israel. Shell companies over shell companies to affect the supply chain to our favour.

'We create a pretend world. We are a global production company. We write the screenplay, we're the directors, we're the producers, we're the main actors, and the world is our stage.'

One Mossad agent (pictured) said Hezbollah had no idea they were buying tampered communication devices from Israel

At least 42 people, including 12 civilians, were killed in the pager explosions in September

Gabriel claimed that each device only had enough explosive in them to hurt the users.

'We test everything triple, double, multiple times in order to make sure there is minimum damage.'

But CBS reported that Mossad ensured the ringtone was urgent enough to compel the user to check the devices moments before they blew up.

After succeeding with its plan to embed explosives in the walkie talkies, and seeing that Hezbollah was in the market for pagers, Mossad decided to up the ante, according to the Washington Post.

The shadowy spy agency bought up masses of Taiwanese Apollo-branded pagers, piggybacking off a recognised trademark and product line with worldwide distribution and no discernible links to Israeli or Jewish interests that might've aroused Hezbollah's suspicions.

The sales pitch to Hezbollah came from a marketing official trusted by the group with links to Apollo, whose name was not disclosed by the sources the Post spoke to.

She sold the terror group the AR924 model, according to an Israeli official: 'She was the one in touch with Hezbollah, and explained to them why the bigger pager with the larger battery was better than the original model.'

One of the main selling points about the AR924 was that it was 'possible to charge with a cable. And the batteries were longer lasting,' the official said.

Mossad's pagers, which weighed less than three ounces each, held a battery pack that carried a tiny amount of a powerful explosive, enough to cause severe damage.

Remnants of what is believed to be a pager carried by a Lebanese militant that detonated

Explosions rocked Lebanon to its core in mid-September

At least 40 people were killed, and thousands more injured, in Lebanon across two days in mid-September after Israel set off explosives that were embedded within communication devices

Photo taken on Sept. 18, 2024 shows a wireless communication device in the hand of a Hezbollah member, the battery of which was removed after a wireless communication device exploded during a funeral, in Beirut, Lebanon

The bomb-battery component was reportedly so carefully hidden that it evaded Hezbollah's attempts to disassemble and analyse the devices.

Another trick up Mossad's sleeve to ensure that as many people as possible were hurt or killed was to ensure that the signal to trigger the explosives required two hands to use.

The pagers had a special 'encrypted messages' function that could only be accessed if the user was holding the device with both hands, which Mossad used as cover for the instruction to detonate the explosive.

In the ensuing explosion, the users would almost certainly 'wound both their hands,' an official said, and thus 'would be incapable to fight.'

But it wasn't just Hezbollah's fighters who were killed in the attack. Children, including eight-year-old Fatima Abdullah, were killed in the pager explosions.

The young girl was studying in her family's kitchen in their home in the village of Saraain El Faouqa in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley when she heard a wireless pager bleep.

Her friend nine-year-old Ali Abdullah told Andalou: 'Fatima was sitting on the sofa and was studying when the pager rang. She picked it up to give it to her father who was outside, but it exploded in her hand.'

Her aunt, also called Fatima, added: 'Fatima had just returned from her first day of school, brimming with enthusiasm. She was a top student and loved by everyone.'

Thousands were killed and injured in the pager explosions

Scenes posted to X as scores of Hezbollah members severely injured / Israel suspected of committing pager explosions that Hezbollah use throughout southern Lebanon

The pager and walkie-talkie detonations brought Hezbollah to its knees, and last month it signed a ceasefire deal with Israel to end the bitter war.

Since then, Lebanon has begun the recovery process. Today, Lebanon's caretaker prime minister began a tour of military positions in the country's south.

Najib Mikati on Monday was on his first visit to the southern frontlines, where Lebanese soldiers under the US-brokered deal are expected to gradually deploy, with Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops both expected to withdraw by the end of next month.

Mikati's tour comes after the Lebanese government expressed its frustration over ongoing Israeli strikes and overflights in the country.

'We have many tasks ahead of us, the most important being the enemy's [Israel's] withdrawal from all the lands it encroached on during its recent aggression,' he said after meeting with army chief Joseph Aoun in a Lebanese military barracks in the southeastern town of Marjayoun. 'Then the army can carry out its tasks in full.'

The Lebanese military for years has relied on financial aid to stay functional, primarily from the United States and other Western countries.

Lebanon's cash-strapped government is hoping that the war's end and ceasefire deal will bring about more funding to increase the military's capacity to deploy in the south, where Hezbollah's armed units were notably present.

Though they were not active combatants, the Lebanese military said that dozens of its soldiers were killed in Israeli strikes on their premises or patrolling convoys in the south.

The Israeli army acknowledged some of these attacks.
A family in Arlington, Virginia, was stunned to see an unusual addition to their Christmas tree.

Homeowners Savannah and Jason Burgoyne took photos of their surprising new holiday decor on December 19.

Initially a star, the Burgoyne family's 'tree topper' became a wild barred owl after it flew into their home through the chimney.

The family took photos and a video of the bird, and enlisted the help of Sergeant Spencer Murray of the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) to safely remove it from their home.

Savannah revealed she was the first person to spot the bird after their dog made a 'huge ruckus' downstairs.

'I came into our kitchen, and there was a huge owl sitting on our baby's high chair,' Savannah told WUSA9.

Savannah contacted Jason and animal services after she was unsure of what to do.

'I was worried and didn't want to do anything to stress it out or to go near it,' Savannah explained.

An unusual 'tree topper' sat atop of a Christmas tree inside the Burgoyne family's home in Virginia on December 19

The barred owl sat on the tree for over an hour while the family waited for an animal services officer to safely remove the animal from their home

Jason revealed he and Savannah's children were 'over the moon' about the new 'tree topper' due to their love of animals while speaking with WUSA9.

Murray chased the owl around the house with a net while it flew back and forth from their kitchen and Christmas tree after he arrived.

'He was able to get it into the net, and he took it outside and released it in our backyard,' Jason said.

Savannah was disappointed the owl was 'not a Hogwarts enrollment offer,' but still thought it made a beautiful tree topper.

'A lot of people, when we shared the picture, originally thought it was a fake tree topper. But my little sister also said that owls bring peace and Prosperity,' she said.

The Burgoynes also enjoyed comments made by animal enthusiasts who saw photos of the owl on the AWLA's Facebook page.

'Some of the comments are like, "Oh it's a good Omen" and "It's a sign of a good new year to come," which is a really nice thought after the owl standoff,' Savannah said.

The barred owl has not returned to the Burgoyne's house since that night, but its species is common in Virginia.

Homeowners Savannah and Jason Burgoyne revealed their children were 'over the moon' about the incident while speaking with WUSA9

Sergeant Spencer Murray of the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) safely removed the animal from the Virginia home

Arlington is located in northern Virginia, which is where residents will likely see barred owls, according to the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance.

Barred owls are the most common species in the northern Virginia area.

The nocturnal animals are known for their round heads with no ear tufts, brown eyes, and horizontal barring on their throats.

Barred owls usually make noises at dusk or dawn and late at night, but the animal in the Burgoynes home did not make a sound in their video.

If it were to make noise, the family and animal services officer would've likely heard cackling or caterwauling.

The owls' territories are usually around wooded areas, and some of them can settle in upland forests - forests with a tree canopy cover that covers 50 to 100 percent of the area.

Barred owls are classified as 'endangered,' but they are a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Besides Virginia, anyone in North America can find these animals in other states through the eastern half and western north of the US and Canada.

The average lifespan of a barred owl is around 10 years, and they're usually only a danger to humans if they appear to intrude their territories.
Donald Trump has doubled down his desire to reassume control of the Panama Canal despite a protest from the president of Panama.

'Welcome to the United States Canal!' Trump wrote on social media, posting a picture of an American flag over a body of water, assumed to be the canal.

It came after Panama's president Jose Raul Mulino had objected to the idea and declared that 'every square meter of the Panama Canal belongs to Panama.'

Trump have a four-word response: ''We'll see about that!'

The president-elect first brought up control of the waterway on Saturday, expressing concern that the valuable asset was falling into foreign hands, like China.

'The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States, due to its critical role to America's Economy and National Security,' Trump wrote.

Mulino rejected Trump's proposal in a video published to social media.

'Panamanians may have different views on many issues' Mulino said. 'But when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.'

President-elect Donald Trump outlines his desire to reassume control of the Panama Canal

Trump griped about the high costs leveled by Panama for U.S. ships, despite the United States building the canal at great cost to the American people.

The cost for using the canal has risen substantially in recent months with no sign of coming down. Panama officials argue that more funds are needed to improve the infrastructure of the canal.

'The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S.,' Trump wrote in his Truth Social post.

Tolls for the Panama Canal can cost up to $500,000 for the largest ships carrying the most cargo.

Trump statement appeared to be an opening salvo in diplomatic negotiations on the use of the canal.

He suggested that if Panama was not willing to negotiate the terms of the deal, the United States may try to seize control of the canal.

Opening in 1914, the Panama Canal was built by the United States between 1904 and 1913 and revolutionized sea traffic travel in the region. The canal was under U.S. control until a 1977 agreement led to its transfer to Panama in 1999

'If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,' Trump wrote.

The Panama Canal was first opened in 1914 after a decade of construction efforts by the United Staes.

The canal was under U.S. control until a 1977 agreement under President Jimmy Carter led to the transfer of the canal back to Panama's control in 1999.

Trump criticized Carter asserting that he 'foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar.'

The president-elects pronouncements on foreign policy issues also included his long-stated desire to purchase Greenland.

'For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,' he wrote on social media Sunday.
Chilling footage has emerged of cops walking past a woman as she burned to death on a New York City subway while her accused killer watched from a nearby bench.

Disturbing videos show a man identified by the New York Post as Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a 33-year-old migrant from Guatemala, sitting on the platform at Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn after he allegedly lit the unnamed passenger on fire as she slept on the F train just before 7.30am on Sunday.

Zapeta-Calil, who is now in custody, can even be seen fanning the flames in one clip while the victim leans on the subway carriage exit completely engulfed by the blaze and other New Yorkers capture the unfolding horror on their phones.

Meanwhile, an NYPD officer walks by and appears to wave his hand over the scene in exasperation, but does not intervene to detain the suspect or help the victim.

NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a press conference that officers who responded were not aware the suspect was on the scene at the time.

DailyMail.com has asked for comment on why cops appear to have strolled past the burning woman several times without helping. Police have not yet charged Zapeta-Calil or identified the victim, who did not know each other.

Shocked social media users have blasted the police response - describing the behavior of cops caught on camera as 'cowardly' and 'shameful' while calling for them to be named or fired.

'Police officer walks by. Doesn't take his jacket off to smother the flames. Not his problem. Guess he doesn't get paid too much. Can we find out who he is? His behavior is shameful,' one person wrote on X.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil is shown sitting on a subway bench watching as the woman he set fire to burns alive. In front of him is an NYPD officer who walked past him, unaware he was responsible for the sickening crime

'I don't know which is more wild. The fact she's on fire and just standing there, or the guy who did it and is just sitting watching, the guy recording or the cop that just walked on by like all was normal,' another said.

'Many people freeze up in these situations, and some are just scared of getting hurt. The Police on the other hand, are there to protect and preserve life,' another person chimed in.

'They stood there and did nothing. One of them even got so fed up with the situation he waved his hands as if to say "I can't be bothered with this anymore" and stormed off, as if an innocent woman dying was an inconvenience to him.'

'The cop should go to jail for not helping. This is the oath they take. Coward,' one person said, while another agreed, 'that cop needs to be fired.'

Zapeta-Calil eventually boarded the F train again, and he was flagged by high schoolers at York Street Station in downtown Brooklyn who recognized him from police pictures distributed on Sunday.

NYPD officers alerted MTA, who stopped the train eight stops north from the sighting at Herald Square in Midtown Manhattan. Cops boarded the subway and detained Zapeta-Calil as he sat in a busy carriage, as caught in dramatic videos shared online.

Police Commissioner Tisch praised the police response to the heinous incident as 'an example of great technology and even greater old fashioned police work' during a press conference on Sunday night.

The sick killer even got up at one point to fan the flames that were burning the woman alive

Train surveillance cameras caught the man setting fire to the homeless woman and then watching as she suffered in agony

Zapeta-Calil was later caught on camera at the station sitting on a bench and watching as the woman was engulfed in flames - but he wasn't arrested until seven hours later

She added that detectives do not believe Zapeta-Calil and the victim knew each other, while giving more details about the 'depraved crime'.

'The suspect calmly walked up to the victim, who was in a seated position at the end of a subway car,' she said. 'The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds.

'Officers who were on patrol on an upper level of that station smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate. What they saw was a person standing inside a train car, fully engulfed in flames.

'With the help of an MTA employee and a fire extinguisher, the flames were put out. Unfortunately it was too late, and the victim was pronounced (dead) on the scene.

'Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on a platform just outside the train car.

'The body-worn cameras on the responding officers produced a very clear, detailed look at the killer.'

Zapeta-Calil was wearing the same 'gray hoodie, distinct wool hat, paint-splattered pants and tan boots' when officers tracked him down, and he also had a lighter in his pocket, the NYPD said.

Fox News described him as a Guatemalan migrant. This has not been confirmed by police.
A war widow whose husband died defusing a Taliban bomb in Afghanistan was spared jail after drunkenly attacking her second spouse.

Christina Plumb - who campaigned for military family rights - was today given a 12-week suspended sentence after scratching and biting property developer Adam Plumb during a fight in September last year at the 1.5million eight-bed mansion they shared.

At Plymouth Magistrates' Court on Monday, Judge Stuart Smith told Plumb she had 'relentlessly spread lies' in order to damage her estranged husband's reputation.

He added: 'You continue to victim blame and continue to attack Adam's character which quite clearly demonstrates no remorse at all.'

During the sentence Plumb, dressed in a cream overcoat, wept in the dock and said 'please, my daughter'.

Plumb, now 49, became a symbol for bereaved service families after her husband, Staff Sergeant Olaf 'Oz' Schmid, died during his final day of duty in war-torn Helmand on October 31, 2009.

In the years following his death, the mother-of-two campaigned for better pensions for war widows, higher salaries for those serving in the Armed Forces and called on politicians to 'fight as hard as Olaf did' for peace.

She met then-prime minister David Cameron and the late Queen who presented her with the George Cross on her husband's behalf.

Christina Plumb at Plymouth Magistrates Court. She was today given a 12-week suspended sentence after scratching and biting property developer Adam Plumb during a fight in September last year

Plumb, now 49, became a symbol for bereaved service families after her husband, Staff Sergeant Olaf 'Oz' Schmid, died during his final day of duty in war-torn Helmand on October 31, 2009

Christina Plumb with her husband Alan Plumb. She was found guilty last month of two counts of assault by beating after scratching and biting Mr Plumb, 41, at their 1.5million mansion in Ugborough, Devon

Her Army bomb disposal expert first husband Sgt Olaf 'Oz' Schmid (pictured) died while trying to defuse an IED device in Afghanistan

Christina - who lives on a widow's pension from Mr Schmid and a small rental income from a student flat - was also ordered to pay 814 costs and surcharge plus 250 compensation.

She must also complete 150 days of unpaid work and was given a two year restraining order - banning her from contacting her victim - as well as a 60 day alcohol ban.

In a victim impact statement Mr Plumb said Christina's actions had left him homeless.

He said: 'This has completely destroyed my life, I have struggled to get out of bed every day.

'I have been treated like I was the abuser for over a year and it has ruined my life.

'She had me arrested on false allegations, she had me thrown out of my house. I was homeless and sleeping in my car..

She was found guilty last month of two counts of assault by beating after scratching and biting Mr Plumb, 41, at their 1.5million mansion in Ugborough, Devon, during a late-night row

Police were called, she was arrested and found guilty of two counts of assault by beating.

In a victim impact statement Mr Plumb said Christina's actions had left him homeless. He said: 'This has completely destroyed my life, I have struggled to get out of bed every day'

During the sentence Plumb, dressed in a cream overcoat, wept in the dock and said 'please, my daughter'

Plumb denied the assaults and also said her husband attacked her while in bed after he discovered she wanted a divorce

Mr Plumb  whom she married in 2020  told the court his wife had drunk almost a full bottle of gin on the night of the attack. They were separating at the time.

The court was shown footage of Plumb cornering her husband in a 4ft-wide dressing room as he tried to leave.

He said: 'She was just attacking me, I couldn't have got out of there. She was scratching me and hitting me in the balls, just going at me. When I went to leave, she just beat me.

'She scratched me and ripped my T-shirt off.'

The court was shown a video of Plumb screaming at her husband to give back her phone, which he denied taking away. It was later found next to their bed. Another video showed Mr Plumb saying: 'Get off me  you are a disgusting woman,' before adding: 'You f ****** bit me. You f ****** bitch. You horrible woman.'

When questioned by defence barrister Francesca Whebell, he said: 'Christina was behaving like a dog.'

Plumb denied the assaults and also said her husband attacked her while in bed after he discovered she wanted a divorce.

Plumb must also complete 150 days of unpaid work and was given a two year restraining order - banning her from contacting her victim - as well as a 60 day alcohol ban

Finding Plumb guilty, Mr Smith said to her: 'Your demeanour is utterly inconsistent with somebody who has just been beaten. 'I did not find your evidence credible. I found the manner [in which] you gave your evidence evasive'

Christina Schmid is pictured here in 2010 collecting the George Cross at Buckingham Palace on behalf of her late first husband Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid

Mr Plumb claimed his wife had been reported to the police on five occasions for alleged domestic abuse.

Finding Plumb guilty, Mr Smith said to her: 'Your demeanour is utterly inconsistent with somebody who has just been beaten.

'I did not find your evidence credible. I found the manner [in which] you gave your evidence evasive. I find you have falsely made out Mr Plumb to be the aggressor whilst all the time it was you who was the aggressor.

'When police did not fall for it, you became hysterical.'
Residents of a historic Yorkshire town are up in arms after their local butcher had to stop making its wildly popular scotch eggs following complaints about the pong from the deep fat fryer.

Appleton's Butchers in Boroughbridge had been batch cooking dozens of the beloved food every day before grumblings about the smell prompted a visit from the council.

Officials found that the store's extraction system needed expensive improvement, prompting Anthony Sterne, 47, who runs the 160-year-old butchers with his 50-year-old wife Isabel, to decide making the snack was 'no longer worth it'.

This has prompted an outcry among locals, who blamed the demise of their favourite meaty treat on the shop's neighbours - one of whom is a former butcher and its old owner.

Mr Stern told MailOnline: 'We have been making scotch eggs for years with no problem. But we had a visit from the council and they said our extraction system needed changes.

'These would be expensive and require a lot of maintenance, so we decided it's no longer worth cooking the scotch eggs. But now everyone has gone absolutely mental saying they are the best ever.'

The couple took over the business 15 years ago and also have stores in the nearby North Yorkshire towns of Ripon, Wetherby, and Knaresborough.

Anthony Sterne, 47, runs the 160-year-old butchers with his 50-year-old wife Isabel

One of those to complain is Ray Johnstone, who used to own Appletons and still lives above the shop with his partner, Paula. The shop's extractor pipe is seen out of his window

The scotch eggs are handmade at a central kitchen using free range eggs and local pork before being delivered raw to stores early in the morning and then deep fried

Mr Sterne continued: 'People have asked why we can't just bring them in from our other four shops, but for us they have to be freshly cooked that day with a lovely crisp outside and warm sausage meat inside.

'It is a different experience so we are not going to compromise on quality by bringing them in cold. People will just have to go to our other shops.'

Locals are far from happy about the prospect of having to travel to get their hands their favourite delicacy, which costs 2.40.

Angus Gaudie, who was queuing outside the shop this morning, said: 'It is ridiculous. They smell absolutely gorgeous. Where is the Christmas cheer? It is another nail in the coffin of British food.'

Janet Brown said her daughter 'loves' the scotch eggs, adding: 'I must admit I would not like to live next door. But maybe they should just get rid of the extractor fans. As far as scotch eggs go, these are the piece de resistance.'

Pauline Richardson called the row 'stupid' and said the demise of the eggs had forced her to 'come in for a pork pie instead'.

George, a regular customer, declared the scotch eggs 'the most delicious you will ever see in your life'.

'It is a shame a local independent business which is well liked has been told to stop making them here,' he said. 'It's the talk of the town. Not a massive amount happens here, so this is a biggie.'

Angus Gaudie, who was queuing outside the shop this morning, said: 'It is ridiculous. They smell absolutely gorgeous'

Janet Brown and Pauline Richardson both mourned the demise of the town's favourite scotch eggs

Appleton's, which dates back to 1867, has tried baking the scotch eggs in the oven or putting them in an air fryer but decided they did not taste the same

Veronica, who lives nearby and was recently given an Appleton's pork pie by a generous family friend, called the incident 'yet another attack on small businesses'.

One of those to complain is Ray Johnstone, who used to own Appletons and still lives above the shop with his partner, Paula.

They had previously objected to works carried out on the building, which is Grade II- listed and in a conversation area. Some of these changes have since been rectified.

The 69-year-old, who has lived in the flat for 30 years, said: 'We have had issues with the new owners of Appletons since they moved in.

'We are still getting the smell because they are selling loads of other things. So why they decided to stop selling the scotch eggs is beyond us.

'The extraction until is directly opposite our dining room window.

'We have had the noise of all that and we cannot have our windows open because of it. It should be higher up.'

Mr Johnstone believes that the smells coming from the shop have become unbearable. He is seen standing next to the extractor vent

Boroughbridge is a prosperous town with a population of just over 3,000

He said smells from the shop had been wafting up for years through cracks between the old floor boards.

Two months ago, things came to a head when they say the cooking odours became unbearable.

'We have complained loads of times about the smell,' Ray said. 'But this time it was really bad so I went down and complained to the girls.'

Paula added: 'Two or three years back I came in and there was a blue haze in one of the rooms. I came down and they were cooking pork scratchings.

'They did not have the correct filters or anything and it is an old floor. It would be great to move but it is an ideal shop and we like it here.'

The scotch eggs are handmade at a central kitchen using free range eggs and local pork before being delivered raw to stores early in the morning and then deep fried.

Appleton's, which dates back to 1867, has tried baking the scotch eggs in the oven or putting them in an air fryer but decided they did not taste the same.

Locals are far from happy about the prospect of having to travel to get their hands on their favourite delicacy, which costs 2.40

A spokesman for Appleton's said: 'The extraction fan was put in earlier this year to try and meet the requirements of the council.

'The scotch eggs are the only thing the shop deep fries so it does not make it financially viable. We do occasionally ship in scotch eggs from the Ripon shop for our customers in Boroughbridge.

'The meat has a spice blend from some of Appleton's early recipe books. They are closely guarded spice blends and they have never changed.

'The business has been operating over 150 years and they have stuck to the recipes as they were when first written down.

'We are trying to find a sensible solution around this challenge.'

MailOnline has contacted North Yorkshire Council for comment.
It used to be one of the busiest days of the year - for partygoers at least.

But now Mad Friday - the last Friday before Christmas - is far from the traditional festive blowout and is no longer worthy of its name.

Industry experts have admitted there had been a serious decrease in footfall this year, as prices have increased and more people are feeling strapped for cash.

Instead, revellers are choosing to stay at home leaving the streets quieter than they have ever been in recent years.

Hospitality bosses say businesses are barely breaking even - and that's before a raft of changes from Labour's tax raid Budget come into play from April.

Pubs and bars are now fighting for survival as the threat of closure looms over them this Christmas.

In years gone, revellers in fancy dress have packed out pubs and bars across the country.

But landlords have even admitted that Mad Friday seems to have lost its 'Mad' title this year.

2024: A pair of revellers are seen enjoying a night out in Newcastle on Mad Friday, but it was notably quieter than usual across the coutry

2024: It is usually a time for pubs and bars to rake in cash, but the streets of Cardiff were quieter last week

2024: Revellers get into the festive spirit in Leeds last week, but there weren't many others around

2024: Three mates in their Christmas jumpers enjoy a night out on the quiet streets of Newcastle last week

Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, told MailOnline: 'Without a doubt, people are feeling more cautious in terms of the economics - venues still aren't at the levels they were pre-pandemic.

'When it comes to the Christmas period, the next couple of days are always more family-oriented but we would expect to be busier at New Year and also around about the third week of December - but we've not been where we were before.

'And looking towards April, companies know they could have between 30,000 and 100,000 added to their bills.

'There are a lot of people concerned for the future - not just what happens in March and April, but even can they get through January and February.

'We know that energy costs aren't going down, and now we're seeing 40 per cent increase in water bills - it's a real concern.

'I just don't see how the current government are going to make a difference - they've promised a reduction in business rates but with everything else, it's just giving with one hand and taking with the other.

'And consumers have less disposable income - so will they go out any more frequently?

'No one's actually asked the staff or the customers what they think about these increases.

2024: A pair of partygoers pose for a photo on a quiet street in Newcastle last week

2022: A group of friends all dressed up in Santa Claus outfits make the most of Mad Friday

2022: Christmas partgoers are seen in fancy dress as they descened on Newcastle city centre for Mad Friday

2022: In true Mad Friday spirit, these revellers were seen paying tribute to East 17 with their all-white outfits

2022: Revellers are seen out in Cardiff on the last night before Christmas Day

2023: Revellers in Newcastle descened on the city centre for 'Mad Friday', also known as 'Black eye Friday'

2023: Partgoers dress up for a big Mad Friday night out ahead of Christmas Day last year

2023: A group of friends take part in the iconic Otley Run in Leeds last year

2024: Partgoers head out into Newcastle on Mad Friday, but it was quiet for what is usually the busiest night of the year

2024: Partygoers take a perch by a fountain in Newcastle last week in what is usually a busy week for bars

2024: A group of girls are seen out on Mad Friday last week, but industry experts say businesses are suffering

'People are still going out but it all seems very cautious and spending levels aren't what they were in the past, in previous years.

'What we are seeing, student parties are stronger - there seems to be a level of confidence back there at least.

'But too many businesses are barely breaking even or else they're losing money - and April will bring another level of new costs.'

Elsewhere in Manchester, one pub landlady said Mad Friday was no longer worthy of the name.

Lisa Booth, landlady at The Wheatsheaf pub, told Manchester Evening News: 'We had a few in [on Friday] but it was nothing like what it normally is.

2022: Leeds revellers paint the town red with a booze-up in the city centre before Christmas

2022: Christmas drinkers hit up the bars and clubs of Newcastle on Mad Friday

2022: Leeds revellers, many dressed in fancy dress or Christmas outfits, head out for festive drinks

2024: Christmas revellers are seen walking through Cardiff on Mad Friday last week

2024: Revellers enjoy a festive night out in Newcastle on Thursday last week

2024: The pubs and bars in Cardiff were quieter than usual for what has always been a busy period

2024: Quiet streets and pubs in Cardiff City centre on what is traditionally a packed out period

2024: Revellers head out into Newcastle on Mad Friday for a quieter than usual night out

'It was like that last year. The last couple of Fridays have been good but the one that was supposed to be Mad Friday wasn't mad.'

Ms Booth said that footfall has significantly decreased since Covid, while prices have also 'gone through the roof', which further puts people off coming out.

She added: 'Town is not like it was years ago. It's a crying shame. It was a lot busier before Covid but people's drinking habits have changed. A lot more people are coming out in the daytime than night-time.

'Prices have gone through the roof. That doesn't help us. Everybody's bills are going up and wages aren't.'

A new poll by the NTIA found that 75 per cent of hospitality staff have expressed concerns that businesses may face financial strain, possibly leading to job cuts or reduced shifts after Labour's tax raid.

The damning figures highlight the critical challenges businesses are facing as they already navigate precarious conditions such as a lack of footfall.
Marina Fogle has been ridiculed after revealing she has stopped heating her private swimming pool for her morning dips, with critics ruthlessly branding her 'vapid' and 'tone-deaf'.

Marina, who is married to TV presenter Ben Fogle, this week celebrated the 'spine-tingling amazingness' of taking icy plunges at luxurious Oxfordshire home.

Writing for The Times, the mother-of-two, described how she has moved from taking cold showers to 'wake her up' to swimming in her 'pristine' pool without the heater on.

'It was easy at first of course,' she said. 'There were days when I wasnt desperate for a swim, but those 20 lengths gave me the silence, the focus, the solitude to clear my mind and order my thoughts.

'But then the temperature dropped and my pool turned somewhat icier... And it is cold. Eight degrees this morning. Gaspingly cold. The first six lengths are the hardest, the lengths where my body is screaming at me to get out, where my body hurts from the cold.'

She even 'braved' the deadly Storm Darragh for her swim, adding: 'There was a bit of debris in the usually pristine pool, and the water wasnt as still as Im used to, but on a weekend where we lit fires and hunkered down, it was great to have something that only took ten minutes and yet challenged me both physically and mentally.'

But her comments have been savaged by readers, who have mocked her online.

'Even in this world of shallow self absorption that piece stands out,' one person wrote, in response to her article.

Marina Fogle has been ridiculed after telling The Times she now switches off the heat in her private pool for her regular morning swim (Marina is pictured in her pool)

Her husband Ben Fogle has previously shared a snap of the pair treading open water during a chilly November swim in Cornwall, with the caption: 'And this is why I married Marina'

Pictured are Ben Fogle and his wife Marina Fogle at the 2024 BAFTA Television Awards

Another joked: 'Im persuaded! I cant wait to make use of the rare and special circumstances that will allow me to safely benefit from all the physical and mental health benefits Ill be getting from a daily peaceful, solitary, undisturbed 20 lengths in my very own private swi oh, wait.'

While in a third barbed comment, one person said: 'Im going to stop heating my imaginary pool as well. Lifestyles of the rich and vapid.'

'While I do not begrudge her for having her own pool, it is a strange way to write the article,' said a fourth person. 'She could have just as easily extolled the benefits of her cold water swim, without even the need to mention that she does it in her own pool. Seems rather in your face.'

Marina has long extolled the virtues of cold water therapy, posting about her chilly watery exploits on social media.

In 2019, she and Ben took took and icy November plunge off the Cornish coast to celebrate Ben's 46th birthday.

In another snap, shared by her adventurer husband, Marina is seen treading open water with him.

Posting the image on social media, Ben wrote: 'And this is why I married Marina......November 1st swim in Cornwall #coldnotcold #abitcold #freezingcold.'

Advocates of cold water swimming say the activity helps to promote health, improves circulation, cuts joint paint and boosts the immune system.

Ben Fogle took to Instagram to share a snap of himself and wife Marina celebrating his 46th birthday in 2019 with a freezing cold open water swim in Cornwall

The broadcaster and his wife were joined by their children Ludovic, nine, and Iona, eight for the seaside break in 2019 (pictured with Iona)

However, there have been calls for a crackdown on the growing cold water immersion trend amid potential safety concerns.

Last year, a senior coroner said people could die undergoing the practice, following the death of a mother of three.

Peter Nieto warned of more tragic deaths as he said there is 'very little oversight' of companies providing the activity, in which participants plunge into water colder than 15C (59F), that is growing increasingly popular in Britain.

His appeal comes after Kellie Poole, 39, died when her heart stopped after entering the freezing River Goyt in a 200 session at Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, in April 2022.

During an inquest, it emerged she had an undiagnosed heart condition which meant she was unable to recover when the cold water triggered it to fall out of rhythm, causing a 'sudden cardiac death'.

Although she was unaware of her heart abnormality, there is no 'specific health and safety guidance' that participants must be told or shown, the coroner for Derby and Derbyshire warned.

Kellie Poole died on April 25, 2022, during a cold water immersion session in the River Goyt

Others have previously warned how those entering cold water can potentially panic and drone through shock.

Cold water shock is a term for the sudden and drastic measures the human body undergoes when submerged in extremely chilly water.

Sudden exposure to cold water dramatically increases the risk of cardiac arrest as the body dramatically reacts to frigid temperatures.

This shock puts the body into survival mode as it desperately attempts to slow the amount of heat escaping and keep vital organs functioning.

MailOnline has approached Mrs Fogle's representatives for comment.
Astonishing photographs captured from deep within the Brazilian rainforest show an uncontacted Amazon tribe for the first time, it has emerged.

The images, taken on automatic cameras, appear to show the Massaco tribe arming themselves with machetes and axes that were left behind by the Brazilian National Indigenous Peoples Foundation (Funai).

Funai has spent decades working to preserve the area and 'periodically' leaves behind metal implements in a bid to deter uncontacted communities from venturing into farms or logging camps in search of tools, The Guardian reported.

The government body refers to the tribe as the Massaco after the river that runs through their lands, but it is unknown exactly how the tribe refers to themselves.

The group's language, beliefs and social structure also remain a mystery, but the new photographs show the community appears to be thriving.

Despite constant pressure from miners, ranchers, drug traffickers, and illegal encroachment, the Massaco population has at least doubled since 1990s, with Funai estimating the community now has 200 to 250 people.

There are 61 confirmed groups living in the Amazon and the Gran Chaco region, a draft report by the International Working Group on Isolation and First Contact with Indigenous Peoples revealed.

However, experts say there are a reported 128 communities in the region that have not yet been verified by authorities.

Astonishing photographs captured from deep within the Brazilian rainforest show an uncontacted Amazon tribe, known as the Massaco, for the first time

The images, taken on automatic cameras, appear to show the Massaco tribe arming themselves with machetes and axes that were left behind by the Brazilian National Indigenous Peoples Foundation (Funai)

Funai has spent decades working to preserve Massaco territory and 'periodically' leaves behind metal implements in a bid to deter uncontacted communities from venturing into farms or logging camps in search of tools

Funai placed automatic cameras in the Amazon at locations where tools are typically left behind as gifts for the uncontacted locals, the report states.

In February this year, the cameras captured a group of men, believed to be Massaco, collecting weapons left by Funai agents.

Previous observation and satellite photographs of Massaco settlements revealed that the group has started adapting to protect itself from outside threats.

They have tried to deter unwelcome visitors planting thousands of camouflaged foot and tyre-piercing solid wood spikes in the ground.

It was also revealed that the tribe hunts for food using three-meter-long bows and relocates their villages from season to season.

Funai agent Altair Algayer, who has spent more than 30 years protecting Massaco territory, said the new images has helped authorities learn more about the tribe.

'Now, with the detailed photographs, it's possible to see the resemblance to the Siriono people, who live on the opposite bank of the Guapore River, in Bolivia,' he said. 'But still, we can't say who they are. There's a lot that's still a mystery.'

Funai placed automatic cameras in the Amazon at locations where tools are typically left behind as gifts for the uncontacted locals, the report states. In February this year, the cameras captured a group of men, believed to be Massaco, collecting weapons left by Funai agents

Satellite images showed evidence of larger cultivated plots and expanded longhouses, especially in areas along Brazil's borders with Peru and Venezuela

The Massaco appear to have stacked animal skulls onto poles, which they seemingly display near their territory in the Amazon

Despite constant pressure from miners, ranchers, drug traffickers, and illegal encroachment, the Massaco population has at least doubled since 1990s, with Funai estimating the community now has 200 to 250 people

Previous observation and satellite photographs of Massaco settlements revealed that the group has started adapting to protect itself from outside threats. They have tried to deter unwelcome visitors planting thousands of camouflaged foot and tyre-piercing solid wood spikes in the ground

The Massaco tribe hunts for food using three-meter-long bows and relocates their villages from season to season

According to experts, the growth of the Massaco signals a trend of population growth among isolated people, despite pressures of environmental devastation.

Satellite images from 2023 showed evidence of larger cultivated plots and expanded longhouses, especially in areas along Brazil's borders with Peru and Venezuela, the science journal Nature reported.

There is also evidence of growth amongst nomadic communities that do not build large structures in the forest or plant crops.

Despite these successes, researchers warn that illegal land grabs and environmental devastation continues to threaten isolated communities in the Amazon.

Brazil in 1987 pioneered a public policy of not initiating contact with indigenous after decades of government-led contact resulted in the death, mostly from disease, of 90 per cent of those contacted

Antenor Vaz, who was among the first to implement no-contact in Massaco in 1988, praised Brazil for developing best practices in the field but added that the country has no law specifically protecting isolated peoples.

He said: 'Peru and Colombia have robust legislation, in Brazil and other parts of the continent, the steamroller of agribusiness and other predatory forces are prevailing over laws and Indigenous rights.'

Pictured are hammocks that were found in Massaco huts

Pictured is a suspected Massaco community found in the Brazilian rainforest

According to experts, the growth of the Massaco signals a trend of population growth among isolated people, despite pressures of environmental devastation

This is a stone instrument that researchers found at a suspected Massaco settlement

Pictured is a stone weapon found at a suspected Massaco settlement
The classic novel Of Mice and Men has been dropped off the Welsh GCSE curriculum after it was deemed 'emotionally harmful for black children' by anti-racism officials.

John Steinbeck's book is set during the Great Depression and follows the friendship of Lennie and George as they try to find work.

But due to some characters using the N-word it will now no longer be read in schools in Wales.

In its place will come a 'wide range' of 'appropriate and inclusive texts' for students from writers of many 'different genders'.

Wales Children's Commissioner Rocio Cifuentes is backing the removal as she says there are 'alternative texts available' that are 'less harmful'.

The news comes as exam board WJEC has employed an anti-racism consultant to deliver their verdict on which books are appropriate.

And the call has also been made despite concerns the book banning is counterproductive, though Ms Cifuentes insists the decision is not emblematic of censorship.

The children's commissioner, who began her 95,000-a-year role in 2022 and will serve a seven-year-term in the post, said she welcomed 'opportunities for positive, constructive, informed discussions on race and racism'.

Of Mice and Men, Gary Sinise and John Malkovich pictured as George and Lenny in the film adaptation of the novel

Wales Children's Commissioner Rocio Cifuentes is backing the removal as she says there are 'alternative texts available' that are 'less harmful'

She said while researching racism in school she noted many black children 'specifically mentioned this text and the harm that it caused them'.

Ms Cifuentes added: 'It's not censorship. This is safeguarding the wellbeing of children who have told us how awful those discussions have made them feel in those classrooms.

'They've very often been the only black child in that classroom when discussions all around them are focusing on very derogatory, negative depictions of black people.'

Meanwhile, English teacher Rhian Evans said the book 'would be missed' as it allowed discussion for 'how we treat each other in general in our societies'.

But she acknowledged she is 'a white woman' and so couldn't fully understand how black children feel.

And the teacher then added there are authors 'who come from all sorts of backgrounds and who would perhaps also introduce the same kind of themes, but in a more relevant and a more modern way to pupils of today'.

WJEC, which has also said it is merging English language and literature into one GCSE, commented that employment of the 'anti-racism consultant' was undertaken 'to help us ensure our qualifications reflect a modern and inclusive Wales' and insisted it had consulted with a broad range of organisations.

It said: 'We have provided a choice of work from writers of diverse backgrounds, nationalities, genders, and communities.

The classic novel Of Mice and Men has been taken off GCSE studies by Welsh exam chiefs after being dubbed 'emotionally and psychologically harmful'

'We believe this new selection will enrich the educational experience by providing a choice of texts that explore themes that will resonate with learners.'

Natasha Asghar MS, the Shadow Education Secretary, has spoken out against the decision arguing that banning the book is counterproductive and limits educational opportunities.

She said: 'Instead of banning Of Mice and Men, we should teach it within its historical context, showing students how overt racism and sexism was commonplace and accepted in the past and why this was harmful and wrong.

'Censorship doesn't solve the problem; it prevents young people from confronting and understanding these prejudices some of which, sadly continue.

'Sadly, even in 2024 we continue to see racism and sexism in society. If we want to tackle this then instead of banning a classic text, we would do better to challenge media companies that produce music containing misogynistic language and words with racism connotations.'

The book was dropped from GCSEs in England in 2014 when then-Education Secretary Michael Gove called for more works by British authors to be studied.

However, it is still taught and features as part of curriculums in some schools.

It was enjoyed by Prince Harry during his time at Eton, having once been a key part of the English GCSE curriculum.

To Kill a Mockingbird, written in 1960 by US author Harper Lee, is a fictional book set, set in the state of Alabama, about the trial of a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a young white woman. He is represented in court by a white lawyer, Atticus Finch (pictured: Gregory Peck as Mr Finch), who agrees to defend Mr Robinson despite protestations from the local community

In 2021, anti-racist educators urged teachers not to say the N-word when reading Of Mice and Men in class as well as Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

More than 100 academics, campaigners and parents signed a letter challenging the use as they said it 'adds nothing to the lesson'.

It followed reports of pupils at two Teesside schools challenging the use of the word during lessons on the two books.

The young pupils, both of African heritage, spoke out to their teachers saying the word was racist.

Of Mice and Men features a character named Crooks, a black stable-hand who befriends Lennie.

A relatable character, he is often regarded as Steinbeck's attempt to highlight discrimination in 1930s America.

The book contains racial slurs and disparaging references to Crooks' skin colour from other characters and so has faced regular criticism for its use of language. It even featured on the American Library Association's list of the Most Challenged Books of the 21st Century.

Also in 2021, a top school in Edinburgh - the James Gillespie high school - said it no longer wanted to teach the classic due to its 'dated' approach to race.

Instead, classes were more likely to focus on works such as Angie Thomas' award-winning book, The Hate U Give, written in response to the 2009 police shooting of Oscar Grant.

And last year a Belfast student called for the book to be removed from an English Literature GCSE course as it made her 'uncomfortable'.
President-elect Donald Trump said he would rename North America's tallest mountain reversing a change made by former President Obama while he was in office.

Speaking at a conservative TurningPoints USA conference in Phoenix, the 78-year-old said he would rename Alaska's Mount Denali to Mount McKinley after the 25th president.

'They took his name off Mount McKinley,' Trump told supporters on Sunday.

He praised McKinley as a 'great president' and said his administration would bring back the name Mount McKinley 'because I think he deserves it.'

It comes after Obama sided with the state of Alaska in the long-running dispute over the highest mountain peak's name in 2015 and had it changed to Mount Denali, the name used by Native Americans.

For nearly 100 years before that, it had been known as Mount McKinley since legislation created the national park in 1917.

But Trump has long been making efforts to reverse some of the work of Obama since taking office the first time, and it looks like he will continue to try and undo it when he returns to office next year for a second term.

President-elect Donald Trump said he would rename Mount Denali to Mount McKinley because the 25th president 'deserves it'

According to the National Park Service, the controversy surrounding the mountain's name started well before it even became a national park.

In 1916, naturalist Charles Sheldon made an appeal to the Alaska Engineering Commission about the naming of the park, stating that he hoped it would be named Mt Denali National Park.

Denali had been the name used by Native Americans in the region for over a century which translates to 'the high one' or 'great one.'

In the late 1800s, prospectors started referring to it as 'Densmore Mountain' after a gold prospector named Frank Densmore, and eventually a gold prospector named William Dickey used the name 'Mount McKinley' in an 1897 article despite the new president-elect having no connection to Alaska.

The name Mount McKinley ended up sticking and became popular after the president was assassinated in 1901.

But in 1975, the name controversy was reignited when Alaska petitioned the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) to return the name of the mountain to Denali officially.

President Obama used executive power to restore the Native Alaskan name Mount Denali to Mount McKinley in 2015 after a long-running name dispute. Mount Denali is North America's tallest mountain

Former President Obama during a hike in Alaska on September 1, 2015. He made the trip to spotlight the threat of climate change after announcing North America's highest point would be renamed Mount Denali

Alaska politicians led several efforts to have the name changed, but they were blocked in Congress as lawmakers from McKinley's home state of Ohio pushed back.

In a compromise struck in 1980, the national park surrounding the mountain was renamed Denali National Park and Preserve, but the mountain continued to be called Mount McKinley.

But in 2015, then-President Obama with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell took executive action to officially rename the continent's tallest peak Mount Denali.

It came just ahead of the centennial of the national park.

The move was cheered on by Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski who had pushed for the change with legislation in Congress.

She slammed Trump comments about the planned name change in a post on X late Sunday.

'There is only one name worthy of North Americas tallest mountain: Denali - the Great One,' she wrote.
The British wife of Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad may be in danger in Russia amid rumours she has filed for divorce from her husband and plans to move back to the UK, an analyst has warned.

Asma al-Assad, 49, is currently exiled in Moscow with the former dictator, 59, but wants to separate and move to London, emerging reports have claimed.

The Kremlin was quick to push back on Turkish media reports that she is looking to leave her husband of 24 years and flee Russia after rebels took control of Damascus following a lightning advance earlier this month.

But pro-opposition political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky warned: 'Western intelligence agencies are expressing extreme concern about the physical safety of Asma Assad, the wife of Syrian ex-leader Bashar Assad.

'Life in Moscow, Russia - in a golden cage - is no longer satisfactory for Asma Assad,' he added. 'She wants to move to London, UK and return to work in investment banking [and] at the same time, if possible, to remove part of her family's capital from sanctions.'

Asma is still bound by tough sanctions, which No10 confirmed today would prevent her from being able to return to the United Kingdom. The Foreign Secretary said plainly earlier this month that she is 'not welcome here'.

Russia is reportedly anxious about the idea of the former first lady returning to Britain, but may here spy an opportunity to harness her skills for espionage.

'Of course, the Kremlin plus Russian special services are wary of such a development,' Belkovsky said. 'Unless they really are trying to secretly make Ms. Asma their [deeply undercover] agent in the UK/Euro-Atlantic world. Anything is possible.'

Bashar Al Assad and his wife Asma Al Assad arrive at official lunch held at the Hotel Marigny in Paris, France on July 14, 2008

Assad's extended family reportedly purchased at least 18 luxury apartments in the City of Capitals complex, located in Moscow's glittering skyscraper district

Vladimir Putin (pictured yesterday) offered to house the Assads in Moscow

Asma has reportedly already applied to a Russian court for permission to leave Russia for Britain, multiple media outlets including The Jerusalem Post claimed, each citing Turkish and Arab media.

Her application is currently being evaluated by the Russian authorities, according to the accounts, which began circulating on Sunday night.

They suggested that the toppled dictator and his family are under 'severe restrictions' in Moscow, with Assad reportedly barred from leaving the city or engaging in political activities.

Assad's wider family are believed to own dozens of apartments in the Russian capital and he reportedly moved to Moscow some 270 kilograms of gold and 1.6 billion with him when he fled Syria.

But his assets and money in the country are now said to have been frozen, the unconfirmed reports added.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov this morning rejected these claims and denied that the former president, a long-time ally of Putin, had been confined to Moscow.

Asked on a conference call if the reports corresponded to reality, Peskov said: 'No they do not correspond to reality.'

There has been so far no comment on the divorce reports from al-Assad or his wife.

The British government indicated that the sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze, would stop her from coming back to the UK.

Speaking to the i Paper, a spokesperson noted Foreign Secretary David Lammy's recent remarks that Mrs Assad 'is a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK'.

No10 refused to comment on whether she could have her citizenship revoked to stop her coming to the UK, in line with precedent.

In Moscow, the Assad clan is linked to luxury properties in both the 990ft City of Capitals complex and the nearby 1,226ft Federation Tower (pictured)

Asma al-Assad, 49, is currently exiled in Moscow with the toppled dictator, having left behind their lives of luxury in Syria

Bashar and Asma Al-Assad are pictured meeting with Vladimir Putin in 2005

The Assads, their daughter Zein and son Karim are now all in Russia with Hafez

Asma, 49, was born in London and was raised in Acton by Syrian parents. She moved to Syria in 2000 and married the dictator at the age of 25.

The family was offered a safe haven by Vladimir Putin who spirited the toppled president out of Syria 8 December shortly before his country fell into the hands of rebels.

Asma and the couple's three children were already in Russia, where reports say she has been undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer.

One version is that she would prefer to be treated in the UK.

In Moscow, the Assad clan is linked to luxury properties in both the 990ft City of Capitals complex and the nearby 1,226ft Federation Tower.

His extended family own dozens of properties here and elsewhere in Moscow, but it is believed the family now resides in official Russian government accommodation.

The Assad family have strong personal ties to the Russian capital, with the ousted president's eldest son a PhD candidate at Moscow State University.

Hafez al-Assad, who is in his 20s, defended his dissertation at MSU and became a candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, Russian media reports.

The defense reportedly took place on November 29 - a week before his father's fall from power and during the offensive of Syrian rebels on the second largest city of Syria, Aleppo.

Mrs Assad previously attended her son's graduation in June 2023, with pictures showing her hugging him in front of MSU's main building and meeting with university officials.

Hafez al-Assad's work is written in Russian and is 98 pages long. It is devoted to analytical and algebraic number theory, namely issues of polynomials.

At the end of the dissertation, Al-Assad expressed gratitude 'to the martyrs of his homeland - Syria - and first of all to the martyrs of the Syrian Arab Army.'

He also expressed gratitude to his parents, Bashar and Asma, to the rector of Moscow State University, Viktor Sadovnichy, to the university staff, and to teachers and lecturers from Syria.

The US state department estimates that the family are worth $2billion, with their wealth concealed in numerous accounts, shell companies, offshore tax havens and real estate portfolios.

The Syrian dictator's extended family bought up at least 20 Moscow apartments worth more than 30 million in recent years.

To keep tens of millions of dollars out of Syria as the country's civil war raged, the family reportedly purchased at least 18 luxury apartments in the City of Capitals complex

The two-towered skyscraper is home to some of Russia's wealthiest businessmen, government ministries, five-star hotels and multinational companies

In 2012, Wikileaks disclosed Asma Al-Assad's private correspondence, which showed that she spent $350,000 on the palace's furnishings and $7,000 on crystal-encrusted shoes.

Assad's relatives the Makhloufs, headed by his uncle Mohammed Makhlouf, have long been considered Syria's second wealthiest and most important family after his and have significant assets in Russia.

To keep tens of millions of dollars out of Syria as the country's civil war raged, the family purchased at least 18 luxury apartments in the City of Capitals complex, located in Moscow's glittering skyscraper district, according to the FT.

The two-towered skyscraper - which until the unveiling of London's Shard in 2012 was Europe's tallest building - is home to some of Russia's wealthiest businessmen, government ministries, five-star hotels and multinational companies.
The family of JonBenet Ramsey believe there are seven key pieces of evidence that could solve the decades-long mystery of her murder.

The child beauty queen was found brutally killed her family's Boulder, Colorado, home on December 26, 1996.

Her stricken parents had initially reported her missing after they discovered a rambling ransom note and their daughter gone.

Her father, John Ramsey, later found the six-year-old girl battered and strangled to death in their basement. Thanks to a bombshell new Netflix series on the murder, interest in the case - and the TV show's focus on a pedophile who confessed to the murder - has been renewed.

Her killer has eluded police ever since, but her grieving dad, who is now in his eighties, still holds out hope that advanced DNA testing on several items found at the crime scene could hold the key to tracking them down.

'Finding the killer isn't going to change my life at this point,' he told CBS. 'But it will change the lives of my children and grandchildren. This cloud needs to be removed from out family's head.'

John, his late wife Patsy  who died in 2006 at the age of 49  and their son, Burke, who was nine years old and home at the time of the killing, were largely convicted in the court of public opinion following JonBenet's death, despite the Boulder DA officially clearing them and apologizing in 2008.

John is confident that DNA left at the scene from an unidentified male will lead to the identification of a suspect. Here, DailyMail.com breaks down the evidence which could be used for testing.

John Ramsey, father of JonBenet Ramsey, believes there are seven key pieces of evidence which could solve the decades-long mystery of her murder

The child beauty queen was found brutally killed her family's Boulder, Colorado home on December 26, 1996

Ransom Note

Patsy's first clue that something was amiss came when she awoke early after Christmas Day was a note left on her stairs.

The message had been scrawled using her personal stationery and demanded $118,000 for the safe return of her daughter.

'Listen carefully! We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction,' the note read.

'We do respect your bussiness [sic] but not the country that it serves. At this time we have your daughter in our posession [sic].

'She is safe and unharmed and if you want her to see 1997, you must follow our instructions to the letter.'

The note, addressed to JonBenet's father, continued on at length and warned him not to contact police.

A handwriting expert later claimed to have spotted similarities between Patsy's cursive and the script found in the note, however it could not be conclusively proven.

This ransom note was found by JonBenet's mom, Patsy, shortly before her daughter was discovered dead in the basement

Garotte

An autopsy report concluded that JonBenet's cause of death was 'asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma', meaning she was strangled and hit in the head.

The killer of the Young Miss Colorado left her on a heap of clothes with an eight-inch fracture to her skull and a fragmented paint brush stuck into her neck by garrote.

The crude device had been constructed by hand and was found at the scene with entwined with pieces of JonBenet's hair entwined.

Male DNA was also found on the object, but John says this has never been tested.

'I don't know why they didn't test it in the beginning,' her told True Crime News.

'To my knowledge it still hasn't been tested. If they're testing it and just not telling me, that's great, but I have no reason to believe that.'

In the latest Netflix documentary, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey?, the convicted pedophile Gary Oliva was featured heavily as a potential suspect.

Oliva, who recently went missing from the halfway home he was ordered to reside, had long confessed to 'accidentally' killed 6-year-old JonBenet.

However, he was cleared as a potential suspect, given that his DNA did not match that found at the scene.

The docuseries questions whether Oliva should still be on cops' list of potential killers given that the DNA evidence was unreliable at the time.

Oliva had sexually assaulted a neighbor in Oregon and ended up in Boulder homeless at the time JonBenet was killed, using an address just 10 blocks from her home.

John would like the garotte used to kill his daughter retested for DNA evidence

JonBenet's broken body was discovered by her father swaddled in a white blanket in the basement of her home

Blanket

JonBenet's broken body was discovered by her father swaddled in a white blanket in the basement of her home.

The little girl had a piece of duct tape on her mouth, which John removed and threw on top of the blanket before he carried his daughter upstairs.

'She had tape over her mouth, and her hands were tied behind her back,' John told Cold Case. 'And I immediately pulled the tape off, and I tried to untie her hands, but the knot was tied really tight, I couldn't get it undone.'

John believes the blanket could also contain vital DNA evidence and wants it retested.

The Boulder Police Department has long been criticized over how they handled the DNA evidence throughout their investigation.

In 2015, former Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner admitted that crime scene evidence may have been mishandled on a Reddit forum.

'The crime scene was not handled properly and this later affected the investigation,' he said.

John Ramsey believes the blanket covering his daughter could also contain vital DNA evidence and wants it retested

Patsy Ramsey with her children JonBenet and Burke before tragedy struck the family

Rope

During a sweep of the home after JonBenet's death, a length of rope was discovered by detective Lou Smit in the family's guest bedroom next to the youngster's room.

None of the Ramseys could identify how it got there, according to Smit - which roused his suspicions.

'Nobody in the Ramsey family can identify it,' he said in a video interview shown on Cold Case.

'It is a possibility that the intruder could've taken that in with him also to use as binding and just left it up there.'

During a sweep of the home after JonBenet's death, a length of rope was discovered by detective Lou Smit in the family's guest bedroom next to the youngster's room

The grieving father believes developments in DNA testing could unlock the mystery of his daughter's killing. Pictured: JonBenet Ramsey with family, top left-right: stepsister Melinda (stepsister), her dad and stepbrother John. Front center: Mom Patsy and brother Burke

Suitcase

One of the biggest mysteries aside from who killed JonBenet is how the murderer was able to get in and out of the Ramsey home.

Investigators noted that there was a suitcase place underneath the window in the basement, with a scuff mark on the wall that could suggest someone had shimmied in and out through the same window.

Smit conducted his own tests and easily proved it was possible to fit through the window's gap and noted that it was easier with something to stand on.

His theory was that someone used the suitcase to get in or out of the basement.

A suitcase was found under the basement window which led investigators to believe that the suspect used it to climb in and out

DNA under fingernails

Detectives believe that JonBenet tried to fight off her attacker, noting that she had her own DNA under her fingernails as well as that of an unidentified male.

Smit posited that the presence of JonBenet's DNA was as a result of her desperate attempts to claw at the garotte around her neck.

The sample was tested a year after the killing and did not match with any profile on the FBI's databased.

Sources also told the Denver Post that authorities had been unable to match a metal fragment under JonBenet's nails to another object.

Given the accusations that the DNA analysis was botched, the family of the late beauty queen want that lack to be factored into a renewed investigation.

JonBenet's stepbrother John Andrew Ramsey explained in the Netflix documentary that 'if the (existing) DNA isn't as valuable as we think then we've been ruling people out for the wrong reasons'.

DNA in underwear

But Boulder Police insist that they are not sitting on evidence and the 'assertion that there is viable evidence and leads we are not pursuing  to include DNA testing  is completely false'

Testing done on foreign DNA found in JonBenet's underwear has also resulted in no leads.

The DNA did not match with anyone in her family, however cops continued to float the idea that one or more of the Ramseys could have been responsible - despite never formally charging them.

John supported an online petition in 2022 that asked Colorado's governor to intervene in the investigation into her death more than 25 years ago, by putting an outside agency in charge of DNA testing in the case.

However, Boulder Police have since hit back at the claims they have been sitting on evidence.

'The assertion that there is viable evidence and leads we are not pursuing  to include DNA testing  is completely false,' a statement read.

However, Police Chief Stephen Redfearn admitted, 'There were things that people have pointed to throughout the years that could have been done better and we acknowledge that is true.'
A counter-protestor who appeared in a social media video holding a decommissioned AK-47 assault rifle and making threats to 'blow away' the English Defence League has been jailed for 27 months.

Habeeb Khan said a friend he did not want to name had posted the 'inflammatory' video after it was filmed in his living room in Birmingham.

The video was widely shared on social media accounts, gaining 1.4 million views on a single extreme right-wing account on X.

Birmingham Crown Court was told a T-shirt Khan was wearing in an 11-second clip from the video was found on the washing line of his home when he was arrested on August 7, two days after serious disorder in the Bordesley Green area.

The video clip played to the court, showed Khan, 49, fitting a magazine to the Kalashnikov and saying: 'EDL we're coming to f*** blow you away you m***'.

Other parts of the 'viral' video, in which threats were made to Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the now defunct group, were not played at the sentencing hearing.

Khan of Hickman Road, Sparkbrook, has been jailed for 27 months and must serve 40 per cent of his custodial term before being entitled to release on licence.

Prosecutor Laurie Scott told the court that the 'inflammatory' video was shared by numerous accounts on X, formerly Twitter, including by one with a message saying of Khan: 'The most serious threat to protesters everywhere.

Habeeb Khan, 49, was jailed for 27 months at Birmingham Crown Court and must serve 40 per cent of his custodial term before being entitled to release on licence

The video clip played to the court, showed Khan, 49, fitting a magazine to the gun and saying: 'EDL we're coming to f*** blow you away you m***'

'This Muslim has an automatic assault rifle and says he's coming for the EDL. All mosques need raiding now.'

During his arrest, the court heard, Khan told officers 'all I have done is make a little video' before 'playing up' for a crowd which had gathered.

Khan, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to making threats of death or serious harm contrary to the Online Safety Act.

He also admitted threatening behaviour relating to homophobic and abusive comments made after he was taken to hospital by police on the day of his arrest.

The court heard Khan has 11 previous convictions for 15 offences, including racially aggravated public order offences in 2009 and 2013.

He was also jailed for 12 months in 2019 after being convicted of possessing an imitation handgun with intent to cause fear of violence to a delivery driver outside a pizza shop.

Defence counsel Sunit Sandhu said Khan had health problems, including bipolar disorder and cellulitis.

Mr Sandhu told the court: 'He pleaded guilty at trial on the basis of being reckless and he himself not uploading the video.

The video was widely shared on far-right social media accounts, gaining 1.4million views on a single extreme right-wing account on X

Khan said in the video he would 'blow away' former leader of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson (pictured)

'He realises the consequences of his actions and is genuinely remorseful.'

Passing sentence today, Judge Melbourne Inman KC told Khan: 'Sadly this is one of a number of cases that this court has had to deal with which arise out of civil unrest which itself followed from the very tragic events in Southport on July 29.

'That is the background to your actions on August 6 when you caused a message to be sent on X, formerly Twitter.

'This was, as you know, a time of extremely heightened social tension. On any view, you were very reckless.'
Thousands of people have gathered in Germany to voice their fury over the Christmas market massacre in Magdeburg.

Members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) could be seen holding a rally near the site of the car-ramming attack.

A memorial event and funeral march also took place, after it was confirmed that four adults and a nine-year-old child were killed after a car rammed into a crowd of shoppers at around 7pm on December 20.

At least 205 people have also been injured during the massacre, while the suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, has since been arrested.

Speaking at the rally, AfD politician Oliver Kirchner, who was born in Magdeburg, said: 'Diversity has become a synonym for "stay at home if you want to live longer".

'We protect our Christmas markets as if they were borders during the Cold War, but leave our borders open for everyone.

'Authorities which have ignored every warning from secret services, that don't deport anyone, not even when the killing of Germans is threatened. The BKA and LKA say in 2023 there was no concrete threat posed by the suspect.

'The error is not the missing of bollards, the error is that we need bollards at all.

Thousands of people have gathered in Germany to voice their fury over the Christmas market massacre

Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) speaks during a rallu

A memorial event and funeral march also took place, after it was confirmed that four adults and a nine-year-old child were killed

'When is it enough? Are five deaths, more than 40 seriously injured and more than 200 injured not more than enough? [...] Never again is now.

'Here the interior ministry has failed because it didn't take several warnings from a Saudi Arabian secret service seriously.

'Not the afd is at fault - the current government and the interior ministry here in in Saxen Anhalt (German state) is at fault.'

Alice Weidel, co-leader of the AfD, also said: 'Germany should provide safety for those that are persecuted but should turn those away at the border who take advantage of our hospitality and despise our values.'

This was met with chants of 'deportation, deportation' and 'who doesn't love Germany, should leave Germany' by the crowd.

She added: 'We want that something finally changes in our country, that we can finally live in safety again, that we don't ever have to mourn with a mother again who had to lose her son in such terrible and brutal way.'

On Saturday it was revealed that the Saudi doctor who killed the five people by ploughing his BMW into a Christmas market vowed to slaughter '20 Germans' last year.

German police were warned about 'unstable' Dr Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen in September last year, but did nothing more than take screenshots of his twisted online threats.

Police officers stand as people attend a commemoration organised by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party at the cathedral square

A placard reads 'sick of seeing people killed', after the Christmas market car-ramming attack

At least 205 people have also been injured during the massacre, while the suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, has since been arrested

People carry candles attending an AfD election campaign in front of the cathedral in Magdeburg

Footage showed scenes of horror with the car cutting through families who barely had time to turn their heads.

A woman reported his online threat, made in Arabic, to Berlin police, as well as the German migration authorities. But no action was taken. Last night she said Al-Abdulmohsen 'openly threatened the lives of Germans but police didn't arrest him or take any action. This could have been prevented if the police had done their job properly.'

Al-Abdulmohsen had bypassed security bollards and used an emergency corridor  which should have been blocked for anything other than ambulances and police vehicles  to enter the market.

He launched his attack just after 7pm local time in Germany, as thousands of shoppers gathered at the centre of Magdeburg.

Driving slowly at first, the blue SUV turned in to an alleyway where hundreds of shoppers were browsing stalls and sipping mulled wine.

He then pointed his vehicle directly at the crowd and ploughed forward. As shoppers fled in panic, the driver turned another corner and drove out of the market. An off-duty policeman pursued the BMW until he came to a halt outside Magdeburg shopping centre, where he was arrested at gunpoint by armed officers.

As the five deaths were confirmed in a sombre press conference, details emerged of the youngest victim, who was nine, and was out shopping with his mother.

His mother posted a poignant message for her son. She said: 'Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again... [my son] hadn't done anything to anyone... he was only with us on Earth for nine years... why you... why?'

People take part in a memorial event and funeral march

A police officer stands as a bike rides by with a flag of Germany during a commemoration

The attack was launched just after 7pm local time in Germany, as thousands of shoppers gathered at the centre of Magdeburg

Three days after the Magdeburg Christmas market car-ramming attack, both the far-right AfD party and counter-protesters were due to hit the streets in the bereaved city

The boy was a member of the local youth fire brigade club. It posted: 'We are particularly saddened by the loss of such a young life from our own ranks.'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who visited the site of the attack, said that he was 'very worried for the 40' said to be critically ill.

There were also questions as to how another attack on a Christmas market was allowed to happen, eight years after the atrocity at the Breitscheidplatz market in Berlin, which left 13 dead and 70 injured. Experts were also dismayed at how police and intelligence services missed warning signs.

Al-Abdulmohsen was a high-profile Saudi ex-Muslim who openly made his threats on social media where he endorsed far-Right leaders such as Britain's Tommy Robinson.

His warning of a killing spree last year followed a dispute with a German refuge for atheist asylum seekers. He claimed staff there sexually assaulted a number of Saudi women.

In a tweet he said: 'Would you blame me if I randomly killed 20 Germans because of what Germany is doing against the Saudis?'
A gang who smuggled 42m worth of drugs into Britain in an inflatable boat have been jailed after they were found with 500kg of cocaine in a van outside a hotel.

Daniel Livingstone, 25, was arrested in May this year with 524kg of cocaine in his van outside a hotel in Lelly, East Yorkshire, where he was staying with drug smugglers Mark Moran, 23, and Colombian national Didier Tordecilla Reyes, 40.

Moran and Reyes had sailed a rigid hulled inflatable boat from a slipway in Hessle, East Yorkshire, having moved the drugs from a larger ship a few hours away, before they returned to Easington Beach, around 18 miles away.

Livingston was waiting for the pair and had been seen shining a torch out to sea and talking on his mobile phone before they approached.

National Crime Agency (NCA) officers saw Moran and Reyes leave the boat after unloading some bags in the hire van waiting nearby.

Moran had been in Norwich earlier in the day, where he drove the van and boat to Grimsby to meet Livingston and Reyes.

The trio then drove onto Hessle, where Livingstone stopped to fill two large jerry cans with fuel.

They were later found at the hotel by officers.

Daniel Livingstone, 25, was arrested in May this year with 524kg of cocaine in his van outside a hotel in Lelly, East Yorkshire

Livingstone was found at the hotel with Mark Moran (left) and Didier Tordecilla Reyes (right)

The recovered cocaine amounted to a street value of 42m and weighed 524kg

The trio prepared and launched the rigid hulled inflatable boat in Humber Bridge, Hessel

The boat had sailed from a slipway in Hessle, East Yorkshire, having moved the drugs from a larger ship a few hours away, before returning to Easington Beach, 18 miles away

NCA officers saw Moran and Reyes leave the boat after unloading bags in the hire van

Livingston was waiting for the pair and had been seen shining a torch out to sea

The contents of the van were uncovered when officers found the trio at the hotel

Officers uncovered the huge haul of drugs after finding the three men in a hotel

During a hearing at Hull Crown Court, Livingstone admitted to 'conspiring with others to import a controlled drug'. Tordecilla Reyes admitted the same offence.

Livingstone, of Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute, was jailed for seven years and nine months. Reyes will be sentenced at a later date.

Moran, of Ardrishaig, Argyll and Bute, was found guilty of conspiracy to import drugs following an eight-day long trial at Hull Crown Court. He was sentenced to 15 years behind bars.

A fourth man, from Argyll and Bute, was cleared by the jury.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Alan French said: 'There's no doubt these drugs would have been sold into communities around the UK, but working with our partners including Humberside Police and Border Force, we have disrupted this crime group's offending and made a huge dent in any profits they were due to make.

'We are determined to do all we can to tackle the class A drugs threat activity, and protect the public from the horrific damage it causes our society.'
A UK drill rapper helped import 60kg of cannabis from the US before he was arrested during a live stream on Instagram, a court has heard.

Digga D was arrested during a raid at a property near Lincoln while he was broadcasting on Instagram Live in the early hours of February 21.

The rapper whose real name is Rhys Herbert has pleaded guilty to drugs charges following the raid.

The 24-year-old has admitted importing 3.6kilos of cannabis and social supply but prosecutors maintain there were significant commercial transactions involving up to 60 kilos.

A trial of the issue, known as a Newton Hearing, took place before Judge Simon Hirst at Lincoln Crown Court.

Herbert, of Lonsdale Road, Notting Hill, pleaded guilty in May to a charge of importing cannabis relating to 11 July, 2023. He also admitted supplying cannabis between 26 October, 2022, and 21 February, 2024.

But the prosecution do not accept the basis of his pleas.

James Scobie KC, defending Herbert, said Herbert had earnings in excess of 3million.

Digga D, real name Rhys Angelo Emile Herbert, entered guilty pleas to two drugs charges during a hearing at Lincoln Crown Court on Tuesday

The drill artist, whose tracks have been listened to by millions, was arrested at a property in Bracebridge Heath near Lincoln in February while broadcasting on Instagram Live

Mr Scobie told the hearing his client admitted being a heavy user of cannabis and would also supply cannabis socially to his entourage in the music industry.

This included four people who were living with Herbert at his address in Bracebridge Heath, near Lincoln, during the period of the raid.

Mr Scobie told the court Herbert accepted importing 3.6kilos of cannabis and selling around five kilos of the Class B drug on a 'sporadic' commercial basis - making a small profit of 300-400 on each deal.

But the prosecution allege Herbert played a leading role in cannabis supply with an involvement of up to 60kilos.

A prosecution drugs expert who examined messages recovered from Herbert concluded they were consistent with the wholesale kilo supply of Skunk cannabis which had been imported from America, the court heard.

Mobile phone footage of Herbert handling a bag of cannabis and allegedly complaining about the poor quality was also played in court.

A number of photographs also showed Herbert handling large amounts of cash, the prosecution claimed.

The court heard two sets of weighing scales and a cannabis grinder were recovered from Herbert's London home in Lonsdale Road.

A further hearing will take place at Lincoln Crown Court (pictured) in July when Herbert will learn if a trial without a jury

Mr Scobie said Herbert was an internationally recognised musician with a legitimate income and made videos which demonstrated large amounts of cash.

Herbert is currently remanded into custody at HMP Wormwood Scrubs and is following the hearing via a video link from the prison.

Digga D is one of the UK drill's leading performers, with his tracks getting millions of views online, and he was due to be headlining a number of UK and international festivals this Summer.

Drill started in Chicago in the early 2010s but in recent years UK artists have adopted the genre.

The two-day hearing continues.
Caroline Wilburn is a breaking news reporter for the Houston Chronicle.

A graduate of Texas A&M University, Caroline worked as an election stringer for the Associated Press and as a breaking news fellow at the Texas Tribune. At the Tribune, she got a crash course in interpreting data, distilling complicated policy and following statewide trends on a tight deadline. Shes also a skilled video editor and podcast producer.

She won a first-place award for audio news production at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.
A 75-year-old grandmother who spent four decades in prison for her husband's murder has been freed.

Patty Prewitt, who was the longest-serving female prisoner in Missouri, was released after Governor Mike Parson commuted her sentence in a case that was long criticized as 'sloppy and sexist.'

She was among nine commutations and 16 pardons granted by Parson on Friday.

'I am so grateful to be home with my family for Christmas,' Prewitt said in a statement.

'Thank you to Governor Mike Parson and to all the people who have supported me over the years.'

The mother of five and grandmother of 13 was serving a life sentence for the 1984 murder of her husband, Bill, who was shot dead in his sleep at the couple's farmhouse in Holden, Missouri.

She had maintained her innocence for over 40 years.

Prewitt claimed she, too, was attacked that night by an intruder who cut the phone lines and shut off the power.

Patty Prewitt, who was the longest-serving female prisoner in Missouri, was released after Governor Mike Parson commuted her sentence in a case that was long criticized as 'sloppy and sexist'

Prewitt spent four decades in prison for her husband's murder

But investigators zeroed in on Prewitt and she remained their only suspect.

The gun used in the shooting was discovered in a pond on the couple's land.

Investigators dismissed her account of someone breaking into the house and claimed that a boot print found near the murder weapon matched Prewitt's.

Prewitt had refused a plea deal, telling KCTV5 in a prison interview that she believed in the justice system and was confident she would be found not guilty.

All five of Bill and Patty's children have consistently maintained their mother's innocence, insisting someone else was in the house the night of their father's murder.

It was testimony that the jury never heard, according to the outlet.

Friday's commutation did not pardon Prewitt of the murder conviction, but did mean she could finally return home.

She had previously not been eligible for parole until 2036, when she would have been 86 years old.

Prewitt was among nine commutations and 16 pardons granted by Missouri Governor Mike Parson (pictured) on Friday

Her release comes after years of pleas from supporters, including a petition signed by over 20,000 people highlighting serious flaws in her investigation and trial

The petition emphasized that the investigators had 'tunnel vision,' ignoring leads and failing to collect key evidence from the crime scene

Her case also sparked criticism for relying on a 'discredited forensic expert' and what supporters called 'sexist attacks' on Prewitt's character to secure a conviction

Legal experts spent decades fighting to prove Prewitt's innocence, with several Missouri lawmakers pushing unsuccessfully for her release in recent years.

Last week's decision comes after years of pleas from supporters, including a petition signed by over 20,000 people highlighting serious flaws in the investigation and trial.

The petition emphasized that the investigators had 'tunnel vision,' ignoring leads and failing to collect key evidence from the crime scene.

These factors are now recognized as leading causes of wrongful convictions.

Her case also sparked criticism for relying on a 'discredited forensic expert' and what supporters called 'sexist attacks' on Prewitt's character to secure a conviction.

During her 36 years behind bars, Prewitt earned an associate's degree, worked as a computer programmer for the state for over 20 years, and mentored countless fellow inmates, according to the petition.

One former prisoner wrote: 'I know unequivocally that I never would have found my way back to fully valuing myself had it not been for Patty's influence and belief in me when I was struggling.'

Prewitt's children described the situation as a 'double tragedy' that effectively orphaned them.

In photos shared since her release, Prewitt was seen smiling ear-to-ear while embracing her grandchildren and a dog

'My husband and I have a bedroom waiting for her,' her daughter wrote in the petition.

'Our family will provide her all the support she needs to be a productive member of our community rather than a burden on Missouri taxpayers as a prisoner.'

It also included a letter to Governor Parson from Tena O'Hara, who went to college with Prewitt's daughters.

'She has been in prison for 34 years  the longest time for any woman in the state of Missouri. I went to college with Patty's daughters,' O'Hara wrote.

'I watched them struggle to raise each other without their parents. I've followed her case for years since that time.

'I believe she is innocent and is the victim of a botched investigation. From the beginning, this investigation focused on prosecuting her and only her.'

'She has served 34 years and has a family that is waiting to take her in their home where she would no longer be a financial burden to the state,' her letter continued.

'At home with her family, she could continue to do the positive work she has done during her incarceration.'

'I am so grateful to be home with my family for Christmas' Prewitt said in a statement. 'Thank you to Governor Mike Parson and to all the people who have supported me over the years'

Prewitt had not been eligible for parole until 2036, when she would have been 86 years old

All five of Bill and Patty's children have consistently maintained their mother's innocence, insisting someone else was in the house the night of their father's murder

The emotional moment of Prewitt's release was described by her daughter in a Facebook post.

'Yesterday I visited Mama Patty and had no idea it would be our last visit,' Jane Prewitt Watkins wrote.

'A little over an hour into our visit we were approached by an investigator who asked us to come with him. Then we were given the most amazing news ever.

'A few hours later we walked out together and got in my truck. We were in absolute shock. We laughed and cried made phone calls to her attorney and family all the way home. What a ride!!!!'

In photos shared since her release, Prewitt was seen smiling ear-to-ear while embracing her grandchildren and a dog.

'Tonight when I asked her if she was overwhelmed she said no I'm just whelmed. Mama has seen all her children and son in laws and 7 of her now adult grandkids and a few friends,' her daughter said in a follow-up post on Facebook.

'She hasn't seen any great grandchildren yet but hopes to meet them soon.

'I've received literally thousands of phone calls, texts, messages and emails and have no idea if I can even catch up. Thank you all!'
A billionaire property developer has been charged after dozens of parks, schools and hospitals were forced to close down due to mulch contaminated with asbestos.

Director of VE Resource Recovery Arnold Vitocco has been charged with an executive liability offence over his company's alleged breach of its environmental protection licence.

Most of the contaminated mulch found across Sydney in January and February was traced back to the Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility, which runs under a license held by VE Resource Recovery.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is set to bring a total of 102 charges against the facility in the NSW Land and Environment Court.

The charges are all centred on the waste recovery plant, located on The Northern Road at Bringelly, on the south western fringe of Sydney.

The EPA explained the offences related to 26 of the 79 different sites where asbestos was found following the largest investigation in the history of the organisation.

'The prosecutions follow the largest investigation in the EPAs history which was launched after bonded asbestos was discovered in mulch at Rozelle Parklands,' EPA said in a statement.

'During the investigation over 300 sites were inspected, with 79 sites identified as having used contaminated mulch. All 79 sites have now been cleaned up by owners.'

VE Resource Recovery director Arnold Vitocco (pictured), whose Vitocco Enterprises owns Max Brenner Chocolate Cafe chain, has been charged over the asbestos-in-mulch crisis

Most of the contaminated mulch found across Sydney in January and February, this year, was traced back to the Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility (pictured), which runs under a license held by VE Resource Recovery

Two entities trading as Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility including Freescale Trading Pty Ltd and Runkorp Pty Ltd, each face 50 charges related to the reuse of asbestos waste, carrying out scheduled activities without a licence and breaching a resource recovery order.

Freescale's director is Mr Vitocco's son Domenic, while businessman Adrian Runko is the director of Runkorp.

However, neither Domenic or Mr Runko are facing charges in relation to the asbestos contaminated mulch crisis.

The EPA has charged Mr Vitocco as director with an executive liability offence and his company VE Resource Recovery with failing to carry out its activities competently.

Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility said it would fight the charges, claiming the company has yet to be served any documents.

'Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility (GRRF) maintains its innocence and will strongly defend these allegations,' a spokesman told The Sydney Morning Herald.

'The media has been informed of the details before the company has been served with the file documents. GRRF maintains that no asbestos contamination has been discovered by the EPA now, or during any previous testing at its Bringelly site.

'GRRF takes its environmental obligations very seriously, does not accept demolition waste and has strict protocols to ensure its products are not contaminated before they leave the site.'

The spokesman added the supply chain at a waste facility was 'complex', claiming there are several ways asbestos could contaminate materials.

They said one way contamination could happen was when clean materials were delivered to a remediated site and then are mixed with existing materials onsite.

The asbestos was discovered in dozens of parks, schools, children's playgrounds and other facilities across Sydney.

However, it was considered to pose a minimal health risk as most of the material was bonded or not friable - cannot be crumbled, pulverised or reduced to powder by hand - keeping the asbestos in place and therefore not easily inhaled.

The first directions hearing is scheduled on February 7 at the NSW Land and Environment Court.
California search teams have been tirelessly looking for two teenage brothers that went missing while duck hunting.

Andruw and Wesley Cornett, 19 and 17, were last seen near the Thermalito Afterbay in Butte County on the morning of December 14 - the same day strong winds and heavy rain left 5,000 people across Butte County with no power, Action News Now reported.

April Clark, the teens' mother, described the moments leading up to their disappearances.

Clark wrote in a GoFundMe post that Wesley went into the water on a kayak to catch a duck, but trouble arose when the boat overturned.

Andruw called 911 and said there was 'no time to wait, he was going to save his brother,' she explained.

Neither one of them have been seen since then.

'The Sheriff is saying this is now a search and recovery so I will have to also plan to lay my two boys to rest,' Clark declared.

During the first search, the brothers' belongings and puppy were recovered from the scene, KRCR reported.

Andruw and Wesley Cornett, 19 and 17, were last seen near the Thermalito Afterbay in Butte County on the morning of December 14

Wesley went into the water on a kayak to catch a duck and his brother reportedly went to go save him when the kayak flipped

Search teams have been scouring the water for more than a week since they vanished

The Butte County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) wrote on Saturday: 'Approximately 250 people from 21 different organizations have been searching for Wesley and Andruw Cornett since last Saturday, the day the two brothers went missing while duck hunting at the Thermalito Afterbay.'

But the ongoing search efforts, conducted by deputies, detectives, the BCSO Aviation and Marine Unit, and BCSO Search and Rescue, have been challenging.

In a video posted on Saturday, documenting these search efforts, Jeff Eggleson of Big Valley Divers said: 'The most difficult thing we're having to get through the weeds.

'We got the diver on the bottom, he's in about 15 feet of water and the weeds vary from about three feet to about 10 feet of weeds.

'So the hardest part is just making our way through those.'

He added that those weeds are also hindering the effectiveness of Sound Navigation and Ranging (Sonar) technology that could help locate the teens.

Eggleson highlighted another obstacle - the water's low visibility.

'Visibility is very low so it ranges from about six inches to about four, five, six feet.'

Hundreds of people from 21 different organizations stepped up to help look for the brothers

The brother's devastated mother said she 'will have to also plan to lay my two boys to rest'

According to their Facebook page, they have sent boats into the water on several occasions.

The community has been rallying behind the heartbroken mother. People were apparently calling the sheriff's office to ask if they could volunteer to find Andruw and Wesley.

'Please do NOT call our dispatch center asking about volunteering to help,' the sheriff's office wrote on December 17.

'We appreciate it, but at this time we are not requesting assistance from the public.'

However, the circumstances have changed since then.

According to a video posted on Facebook yesterday, the teens' parents are asking for volunteers to step up and continue the search, as law enforcement agencies are wrapping up their efforts.

Member of nonprofit search team Angels Recovery Jared Foster said: 'Here we are, going into the holidays and we're still looking for their two sons.

Jared Foster and the brother's parents urged volunteers to help keep search efforts going even though law enforcement agencies have to stop

April Clark said the 'freak accident' that caused her sons to go missing has shocked her entire family

'Volunteer divers are gonna keep going, so if you are in this area or close by and you have a boat with Sonar, camera equipment, if you're a diver, we need more people on the water.'

'This is a freak accident that my family and I are trying to wrap our heads around,' Clark wrote.

She added that a Toyota Amphitheater, where her two sons used to work, promised to match however much the GoFundMe page raises. So far, Clark has received nearly $23,000.
A 33-year-old man who set a stranger on fire at a New York City subway station was in the US illegally from Guatemala, according to the New York Post.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil has been charged with murder and arson in the first degree after a woman burned to death on the F train in Brooklyn just before 7.30am on Sunday, police told DailyMail.com.

He was pictured perp walking out of the NYPD 60th Precinct building in Coney Island on Monday afternoon. The victim has not yet been identified.

Chilling footage showed the moment a man in a hoodie sat on the platform at Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island and watched as the woman became engulfed by flames.

Police said Zapeta-Calil lit the unnamed passenger on fire as she slept on board the train before sitting back to watch her burn as she leaned dying on the carriage door.

Zapeta-Calil can even be seen fanning the flames in one clip while other New Yorkers filmed the horror on their phones and cops walked on by.

Anonymous sources have told the New York Post that Zapeta-Calil was in the country illegally after previously being deported at the Arizona border in June 2018. It's unclear how he got back into the US.

Zapeta-Calil appeared stony-faced as officers escorted him out of the Coney Island police custody building on Monday. He fixed his eyes on the ground while wearing police-issued white overalls.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil has been charged with murder and arson after a woman burned to death on the F train in Brooklyn just before 7.30am on Sunday, police told DailyMail.com

Zapeta-Calil, 33, was was pictured perp walking out of the NYPD 60th Precinct building in Coney Island on Monday afternoon. The victim has not yet been identified

The chilling videos of the subway arson attack caused an uproar online over how police at the scene appear to have responded.

As the woman burns and the suspect sits on a bench nearby, an NYPD officer can be seen walking by waving his hand over the scene in exasperation. He does not intervene to detain the suspect or help the victim.

NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a press conference that officers who responded were not aware the suspect was on the scene at the time.

Shocked social media users have blasted the police response - describing the behavior of cops caught on camera as 'cowardly' and 'shameful' while calling for them to be named or fired.

'Police officer walks by. Doesn't take his jacket off to smother the flames. Not his problem. Guess he doesn't get paid too much. Can we find out who he is? His behavior is shameful,' one person wrote on X.

'I don't know which is more wild. The fact she's on fire and just standing there, or the guy who did it and is just sitting watching, the guy recording or the cop that just walked on by like all was normal,' another said.

'Many people freeze up in these situations, and some are just scared of getting hurt. The Police on the other hand, are there to protect and preserve life,' another person chimed in.

'They stood there and did nothing. One of them even got so fed up with the situation he waved his hands as if to say "I can't be bothered with this anymore" and stormed off, as if an innocent woman dying was an inconvenience to him.'

'The cop should go to jail for not helping. This is the oath they take. Coward,' one person said, while another agreed, 'that cop needs to be fired.'

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil is shown sitting on a subway bench watching as the woman he set fire to burns alive. In front of him is an NYPD officer who walked past him, unaware he was responsible for the sickening crime

The sick killer even got up at one point to fan the flames that were burning the woman alive

Train surveillance cameras caught the man setting fire to the homeless woman and then watching as she suffered in agony

Zapeta-Calil eventually boarded the F train again, and he was flagged by high schoolers at York Street Station in downtown Brooklyn who recognized him from police pictures distributed on Sunday.

NYPD officers alerted MTA, who stopped the train eight stops north from the sighting at Herald Square in Midtown Manhattan. Cops boarded the subway and detained Zapeta-Calil as he sat in a busy carriage, as caught in dramatic videos shared online.

Police Commissioner Tisch praised the police response to the heinous incident as 'an example of great technology and even greater old fashioned police work' during a press conference on Sunday night.

She added that detectives do not believe Zapeta-Calil and the victim knew each other, while giving more details about the 'depraved crime'.

'The suspect calmly walked up to the victim, who was in a seated position at the end of a subway car,' she said. 'The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds.

'Officers who were on patrol on an upper level of that station smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate. What they saw was a person standing inside a train car, fully engulfed in flames.

Pictured: NYPD 60th Precinct detectives walk accused fire bug Zapeta-Calil out of the building

Zapeta-Calil was later caught on camera at the station sitting on a bench and watching as the woman was engulfed in flames - but he wasn't arrested until seven hours later

'With the help of an MTA employee and a fire extinguisher, the flames were put out. Unfortunately it was too late, and the victim was pronounced (dead) on the scene.

'Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on a platform just outside the train car.

'The body-worn cameras on the responding officers produced a very clear, detailed look at the killer.'

Zapeta-Calil was wearing the same 'gray hoodie, distinct wool hat, paint-splattered pants and tan boots' when officers tracked him down, and he also had a lighter in his pocket, the NYPD said.

Fox News described him as a Guatemalan migrant. This has not been confirmed by police.
Remove him. Now.

It's been sold by Democrats as a mercy to allow disgraced President Joe Biden to ride out his term. How much harm can he do?, they ask.

A lot, it turns out. An ungodly amount.

Devastating, unjust, dangerous harms  all exacted by a president we now know, thanks to blockbuster exposes last week, has been cognitively impaired since before Day One.

If the Democratic Party has a shred of self-preservation left, if its leaders hold any hope for rebounding in 2028 as the self-appointed guardians of decency, moral uprightness, and democracy itself, they must remove this dishonorable president immediately.

Early Monday morning, Biden commuted the death sentences of nearly all forty men on federal death row, including child rapists and murderers.

That's Joe Biden's version, I guess, of wishing 'Merry Christmas' to the grieving families of these murdered children.

Ever the coward, he dumped this news the day before Christmas Eve, hoping the bulk of mainstream media will ignore it. No White House pressers scheduled, nothing on Biden's public agenda, our president-in-name-only attempting to slink away like the snake he is.

It's been sold by Democrats as a mercy to allow disgraced President Joe Biden to ride out his term. How much harm can he do?, they ask. A lot, it turns out. An ungodly amount.

'No parents should be predeceased by their sons or daughters. I, unfortunately, have that experience too... And, you know, not all losses are equal,' Biden said in a self-serving speech to military families back in 2012.

Biden  having lost his first wife and 13-month-old daughter in a 1972 car accident, and then his 46-year-old son Beau, to brain cancer, in 2015  should surely know better.

Lexis Roberts was just 12 years old when career criminal Thomas Sanders kidnapped her in 2012 and forced her to watch as he murdered her mother.

Sanders then drove this young girl across the country for days before taking her into the woods, shooting her four times, then slicing her throat so savagely that part of her spine was left exposed.

It took the jury an hour to return a guilty verdict, one that imposed the death penalty.

Yet Joe Biden has taken it upon himself to undo that hard-won justice. Sanders will get to live out his days in taxpayer-funded relief.

Eight-year-old Laura Hobbes and nine-year-old Krystal Tobias went missing on May 8, 2005  Mother's Day. They were kidnapped, sexually assaulted and fatally stabbed to death, in their necks and faces, by Jorge Avila-Torres.

Before his eventual capture, Avila-Torres went on to strangle 20-year-old Navy intelligence specialist Amanda Jean Snell to death and, in 2010, kidnapped and bound two women in Northern Virginia. He raped one of them, strangled her, and left her for dead on a roadside.

Lexis Roberts (pictured) was just 12 years old when career criminal Thomas Sanders kidnapped her in 2012 and forced her to watch as he murdered her mother.

Eight-year-old Laura Hobbs (pictured, left) and nine-year-old Krystal Tobias (pictured, right) went missing on May 8, 2005  Mother's Day.

She survived. Her bravery led to his arrest and subsequent convictions in those three murders. A fellow inmate, wearing a wiretap, later recorded the following exchange:

Avila-Torres: 'Does a lion feel remorse when it kills a hyena?'

Q: 'You don't feel bad?'

Avila-Torres: 'Nope.'

Q: 'At all?'

Avila-Torres: 'Nope.'

After his sentencing in the Illinois child murders, Krystal's mother, Marina Tobias, said, 'I just want to say we're glad it's over.'

But it's not over for Marina Tobias -- or any of these grieving parents. Joe Biden has seen to that.

All while he has given his reprobate, convict son Hunter a blanket pardon, despite publicly and repeatedly vowing never to do so.

Given this, we must ask: What is Biden's cabinet, what is the entire Democratic Party, waiting for? Or Congress?

Why have they failed to invoke the 25th amendment and remove this president, one revealed as barely there, sleeping the days away, unreachable by his top staffers, non compos mentis his entire term?

A president who is clearly hellbent on 'burning it all down' on his way out the door, making sure the American people  we poor saps  feel his rage at being pushed aside?

All class, that Joe Biden.

Truly: Has any outgoing president in American history done such grievous damage? How can the Dems point to January 6th offenders, with a straight face, and say they, compared to child killers, are unworthy of pardons?

Yet Dems wonder, still, how the Republicans have become the party of the common man. How MAGA is now the party of common sense.

Consider: Weeks after Donald Trump won the election, Biden allowed Ukraine, for the first time, to use US-made long-range missiles to strike inside Russia  a needless provocation to a war Americans no longer want.

President Clinton famously used to say, 'I feel your pain.' With Biden, it's the other way around. He is going to make America feel his pain.

He is having the mother of all temper tantrums, and it seems not even the Lord Almighty himself  you know, Barack Obama  can do anything about it.

President Clinton famously used to say, 'I feel your pain.' With Biden, it's the other way around. He is going to make America feel his pain.

Biden is literally selling off parts of Trump's border wall at fire-sale prices auctioning fence building materials rather than retaining them for Trump's administration  doubtless because Americans ousted the Dems over the migrant crisis.

This isn't just petty. It's an attempt to thwart the will of the people. Make no mistake: Joe Biden is giving America the ultimate F-you.

In his first round of pardons last week, Biden commuted the sentence of 'Kids for Cash' judge Michael Conahan, who took millions in kickbacks to send children  some as young as 8  to for-profit jails.

'President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania,' the state's Dem governor Josh Shapiro said last week. 'Some children took their lives because of this. Families were torn apart.'

Too bad: It seems Joe Biden only cares for such tragedies when it's his family involved.

His appalling, hypocritical 11th-hour actions prove the desperate need for Congressional inquiry into who has been running this White House.

But in the immediate, Biden needs to go. That is indisputable.

The only question is: Who among the Dems has the spine to say so?
More than 2,000 patients are estimated to have died this year due to excessive waiting times in Scotlands A&E departments.

SNP ministers have been slated for their shameful record in charge of the NHS after figures indicated the huge likely death toll.

Since the turn of the year, 157,052 patients have waited more than eight hours to be seen in A&E.

According to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), one in 72 people will die as a result of having to wait between eight and 12 hours.

That means there are likely to have been 2,181 excess deaths in Scotland because of long waits for emergency treatment so far this year.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: These findings are shameful and are a damning indictment of the SNPs mismanagement of Scotlands NHS over the last 17 years.

The SNP are presiding over a permanent crisis in A&E and successive health secretaries have failed to get a grip of increasingly appalling waiting times.

This disgracefully high number of excess deaths must show [Health Secretary] Neil Gray that he must change his current approach.

First Minister John Swinney yesterday after he made a plea for Scots to use online NHS resources to ease pressure on the service this winter

He needs to urgently ensure that money invested in the health service is getting to the frontline, rather than being wasted on bureaucracy.

Using official figures, the Scottish Conservatives found that up to December 1, 157,052 patients had waited longer than eight hours in A&E so far this year.

They then used the RCEMs standardised mortality ratio method to extrapolate the number of excess deaths that will have occurred in Scotland over the past 12 months due to the pressures on A&E departments.

Dr John-Paul Loughrey, RCEM vice-president for Scotland, said: Imagine putting on your scrubs every day knowing that, as soon as you walk through the doors of A&E, that you will be met by the scene of patients lining the corridors who have endured extremely long waits, with all the risk that brings.

This is the reality of being an emergency medicine clinician and this situation will only be exacerbated during the coldest months to come.

The Scottish Government must act now and rethink its winter planning to ensure emergency patients receive safe, dignified and timely care.

According to the official A&E waiting times figures, the proportion of people waiting more than eight hours increased from 12.1 per cent in the last week of November 2023 to 16.2 per cent in the week that ended December 1, 2024.

Scottish Labour health spokesman Jackie Baillie said: For all the stories of exhausting waits in Scotlands emergency departments, there are those who never lived to tell the tale. The SNPs negligence is doing more than causing frustration  they are gambling with Scots lives.

Mr Gray said: Weve always recognised the relationship between long A&E waits and increased risk of harm, which is why we remain committed to delivering improved performance.
The countrys top prosecutor has criticised Police Scotland for taking far too long to investigate a surgeon accused of butchering his patients in botched operations.

Victims alleged to have suffered at the hands of consultant neurologist Sam Eljamel between 1995 and his suspension in 2013 first reported him to police seven years ago.

But no charges have been brought against the disgraced NHS Tayside surgeon, and his alleged victims claim their trauma is compounded every day after learning that he is still operating on patients, including babies, after fleeing to Libya.

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, KC, has now expressed her concern at the length of time the investigation is taking.

In a damning letter to lead campaigner Jules Rose, who had a tear duct removed by Eljamel instead of a brain tumour in 2013, the prosecutor said the investigation is a unique case in Scottish legal history and simply has not progressed as it should have.

She said: I fully accept that you are profoundly concerned about the time that has now elapsed  seven years  between the first report to Operation Stringent and where the criminal investigation now sits. I agree that this timescale is far too long.

The Lord Advocate explained it was not unusual for the police to investigate cases, sometimes for some considerable time, to establish whether there is criminality. But she said: I have been concerned for some time about the progress being made in investigating this matter. In September 2023, I met with the police to emphasise my concern that the circumstances should be investigated fully and timeously.

Ms Bain said the case was unique, given the number of patients alleging they have been harmed is very high, and consideration requires to be given to complex records and complex medical and legal issues.

Consultant neurologist Sam Eljamel has been accused of botching operations on Scots patients

Jules Rose had a tear duct instead of a brain tumour removed by Eljamel

She added: However, on any view this investigation has simply not progressed as it should have.

Ms Bain has now agreed to meet Ms Rose next month to discuss the matter further.

Ms Rose, who has been left suffering from dry eyes, intermittent pain and complex post-traumatic stress disorder, said of the case that it was evident Police Scotland had kicked it into the long grass and by doing so are enabling this butcher to carry on.

She claims she has the names of more than 200 alleged victims and more than 100 have made complaints to Police Scotland.

She said they are all fed up, frustrated and angry at officers complete lack of action.

Ms Rose said Ms Bains letter made her feel slightly vindicated that at last someone is taking us seriously but she added: How much more campaigning do we have to do to see this butcher brought back to Scotland to face justice? There are others who have colluded with this butchery ... That needs investigating.

In a letter to a cross-party group of MSPs, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson said the investigation was being led by a senior investigating officer with a team of detectives.

He said they had engaged with over 100 former patients and the team were working tirelessly to progress what is a complex and protracted inquiry.

First Minister John Swinney, however, yesterday said it was vital that concerns raised by Ms Bain were addressed, and the complexity of the issues should not ever be an excuse for a lack of necessary progress.

MSPs Michael Marra, Liz Smith and Willie Rennie hailed Ms Bains letter as a hugely significant intervention and said the police must now at long last get their act together. They said: What victims want, need and deserve is real action. This lack of progress cannot continue.

Police Scotland said it continues to work alongside partner agencies, and receive further direction from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

A public inquiry into Eljamels actions is also taking place.
Think Baileys and an image of a cosy evening by the fire as winter rages outside is likely to come to mind.

But drinkers in the hotter climes of Mexico  the home of tequila with origins going back centuries  beg to differ.

They are snapping up bottles of the blend of Irish cream and distilled whiskey, making it the nation's most popular Christmas liqueur.

Latest sales figures reveal more than seven million Mexicans enjoy downing the drink. Paul Carton, the brand's global marketing director, said: 'Baileys is positioned as an adult treat and Latin American culture knows how to treat like no other, so it is no surprise that the region has embraced Baileys.'

Diageo, the drink's London-based multi-national owner, revealed how Mexicans have a taste for Baileys as part of celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the liqueur's creation in 1974.

Though advertised as being Irish, with a label reading 'Product of Ireland' on every bottle, the drink was designed in London.

Advertising executive Tom Jago devised the concoction at the request of International Distillers and Vintners, a British drinks company, which was keen to use up whiskey from a distillery and excess cream from a dairy.

The name Baileys is thought to come from a hotel of that name overlooked by the company's office.

Latest sales figures reveal more than seven million Mexicans enjoy downing the festive beverage

Diageo, the drink's London-based multi-national owner, revealed how Mexicans have a taste for Baileys as part of celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the liqueur's creation in 1974

Mexicans are snapping up bottles of the blend of Irish cream and distilled whiskey, making it the nation's most popular Christmas liqueur

Originally Baileys was due to include Nesquik, a chocolate powder for milkshakes.

But it was the inclusion of Irish whiskey which ensured the drink's popularity and it now sells 50million bottles a year in 150 countries.

The biggest market is America, followed by Britain then Germany and the Netherlands. In Britain, it is served with ice while in the USA it comes with iced coffee. German drinkers prefer to enjoy their liqueur straight.

The most popular variation is chocolate, with sellers frequently running out. Others which are a hit include churros-flavour Baileys in America.

Diageo added that shoppers in India also have a liking for Baileys, which it puts down to their sweet tooth.

The company has worked with cooks there during the Hindu festival of Diwali, weaving the liqueur into traditional dishes, and creating cocktails with local flavours.
A train driver survived a horror crash by crouching behind the cab seat as the locomotive slammed into a fallen tree at 84mph after a warning call failed to arrive on time.

The tree trunk pierced the cab around eye level and completely destroyed it, but the quick-thinking driver ducked out of the way just in time to avoid the worst of the impact.

A report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found a member of the public had called a Network Rail helpline about the obstacle on the track near Broughty Ferry at 12.57pm last December 27 during Storm Gerrit.

But, 12 minutes later, the message had still not been passed to the driver, which meant by the time they saw it on the line, a collision was inevitable.

The tree was in a Dundee park and, after receiving the call about it, the helpline telephonist repeatedly tried to warn Network Rails Scotland integrated control centre.

No one there answered the calls until after the accident. The probe found the call handler did not have the centres priority number.

Horror: The train hit the fallen tree at 84mph

Destruction: The inside of the cab

The RAIB report said: The driver was showered in glass and other debris by the impact. The driver only escaped serious injury by crouching behind the driving seat once they made an emergency brake application on realising the collision was inevitable.

The driver only escaped serious injury by crouching behind the driving seat once they made an emergency brake application on realising the collision was inevitable.

There were no injuries to the 37 passengers or three staff on board.

RAIB found the councils failure to control the risk of the trees in the public park falling onto the railway was a factor underlying the accident.

A Dundee City Council spokesman said: Officers are looking at the recommendations made by the RAIB.

The high speed 1A37 train entered service in the late 1970s.

The report added: The construction and approval into service of HSTs pre-dates modern standards relevant to crashworthiness and, as rolling stock does not require ongoing permission to remain in operation, HSTs remain in service on the mainline rail network.
Hyundai has recalled thousands of models of popular electric vehicles due to a major fault that could cause the car to lose power and lead to an accident.

The car manufacturer recalled 3,566 types of Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 EVs on Friday.

'Due to a software issue in the Integrated Charging Control Unit, the auxiliary 12-volt battery may not charge as intended,' the recall notice read.

'A loss of motive power whilst driving could increase the risk of an accident causing injury or death to vehicle occupants and/or other road users.'

The issue could result in battery drainage and also a loss of motive power. The vehicles affected by the issue were built between 2021 and 2024.

Customers, who own any of the affected vehicles, have been urged to contact their local Hyundai dealership to have the software updated.

The update will be provided free of charge.

Customers can also contact Hyundai Customer Care on 1800 186 306.

Automaker Hyundai has recalled thousands of models of popular electric vehicles (EVs) due to a major fault that could cause the car to lose power (pictured Hyundai Ioniq 5)

The latest recall comes after Hyundai recalled 3,521 vehicles of both models in April.

The two EV models are the flagship electric vehicles produced by the South Korean manufacturer.

The Ioniq 5 was released in 2021 while the Ioniq 6 model was released in July 2022.

Hyundai announced in 2020 the automaker would introduce three new dedicated EV models in the Ioniq brand over the next four years.

The fleet consists of EVs powered by batteries and the cars provide spacious interiors as well as ultra-fast charging.
An empty jury box is shown during the capital murder bench trial of Brian Coulter with Judge Kelli Johnson in the 178th District Court of the Harris County Criminal Justice Center Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer

The metallic stirring of chains as a Katy man stood trial for arson in 2023 led to Texas highest criminal court warning Harris County judges and the bailiffs who guard their courts that routine shackling of defendants at trial is a problematic practice.

The stern advisory was laid out Wednesday in a legal opinion centered on the shackling of the convicted arsonist, but the opinion sets no requirements on future shackling use, Harris County public defender Jani Maselli, who pushed for his appeal, said.

Its actually meaningless, Maselli said, declaring the lack of further action a disappointment. I guess I should be happy I got an opinion.

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During the proceedings, the state district judge asked the defendant, Herman Gardner, to remain still as he testified because she could hear the rustling of chains around his legs.

We can hear the clicking, said Judge Veronica Nelson, according to court records.

Maselli, who worried the jury may have heard the same noise, cited his unnecessary shackling as one reason for challenging the conviction, which three members of the Court of Criminal Appeals upheld in August. Other members of the appellate court issued a warning months later that the shackling of jailed defendants violated common law and the judge should have questioned its use.

The same trio of judges, led by outgoing Republican Michelle Slaughter, issued a similar opinion in May objecting to the shackling of another of Masellis clients whose chains were seen by a juror. In that case, Slaughter, who lost the March primary, wrote that jurists should take measures at trial to preserve a defendants presumption of innocence.

Both opinions state the Harris County Sheriffs Office orders bailiffs to keep in-custody defendants shackled in the courtroom.

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Thomas Hogan, a former Pennsylvania prosecutor at South Texas College of Law, called shackling a standard issue in the criminal justice system for those unable to afford bail. The use of shackles for those in custody are often determined by security risks and whether the defendant has a penchant for courtroom antics. People on bond are not shackled.

Some defendants are dangerous to court staff and witnesses, but if you leave them unshackled  you leave room for disruptions, Hogan said. You cant let a defendant run the courtroom.

Defense lawyers often call foul anytime restraints on the accuseds hands or legs may be visible, worrying the jury may realize the defendants are in custody and assume theyre dangerous or have a criminal rap sheet, Hogan said. Lawyers tote spare suits and ties to court for their clients to wear instead of their jail-issued orange or yellow jump suits. The courts often aid in concealing the defendants chains by placing barriers  such as a table, chair or a lawyers briefcase  between the defendants shackled limbs and the jurors.

Hogan emphasized that its in the best interest of those on trial to avoid shackles by behaving.

If you act out in front of a jury, youre going to get convicted, Hogan continued.

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Defense attorney Wade Smith cautioned that any hint of shackling can send subliminal messaging to a jury that the defendant is dangerous. He pointed to the 2022 trial of his former client, Robert Soliz, then accused of killing an off-duty police officer.

Prosecutor Sarah Seely shows evidence to defendant Robert Soliz during cross examination of his murder trial Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, with the seated bailiff visible to his right. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer

The judge ushered the jury out of the courtroom so a bailiff could situate himself between the jury box and Soliz to hide his shackles from their view as he testified. The moment likely would have fueled an appellate battle had the jury not acquitted Soliz of murder, Smith said.

The bailiff never did that for any of the other witnesses, Smith said.

The concerns sometimes extend to the perception that someone is in custody. More recently, another defense attorney, Mac Secrest, took exception to bailiffs whisking former Houston police officer Gerald Goines into a holdover area for inmates once convicted in the Harding Street raid, worrying that the exiting jury could see the deputies surrounding him.

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Former Houston police officer Gerald Goines is taken into custody after the guilty verdict in his murder trial 482nd District Court at the Harris County Criminal courthouse Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Houston. Goines was found guilty of felony murder in the 2019 deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer

Jason Spencer, chief of staff to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, said bailiffs were previously instructed to restrain defendants in custody in a manner so not be in the view of the jury, but recent discussions over shackling have prompted additional steps should inmates be permitted to remain unshackled in court. The new mandate issued earlier this month requires authorities to create a paper trail.

A directive from Dec. 2 requires supervisors to evaluate each defendant ahead of trial, reviewing their criminal history, jail disciplinary records, bailiff observations and other intel to determine each inmates security risk if the defense lawyer wants their client to remain unshackled. The sheriffs office will then request a hearing for the judge to decide on the use of shackles. From there, if authorities take exception to the judges ruling, the sheriffs office is required to document the judges decision in writing and contact their lawyers. If the shackles are approved  the bailiffs intend to continue keeping them out of sight.

The Administrative Office of the District Courts did not respond to a request for comment on the sheriffs new policy or whether it would be reasonable for a judge to accommodate.

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Former President Bill Clinton, 78, was hospitalized Monday and is undergoing testing after developing a fever.

Angel Urena, Clinton's former deputy chief of staff, wrote on X that the former president was admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., but is doing 'fine.'

'He remains in good spirits and deeply appreciates the excellent care he is receiving.'

Urena added that the former president hopes to be home and out of the hospital in time for Christmas.

He said that Clinton was receiving care as a precaution after developing a fever.

It is 'not an emergency situation,' according to reports.

Clinton's health has been in the spotlight in recent years as the once-vibrant Democrat has noticeably aged.

In 2021, he was also hospitalized after a urological infection spread to his bloodstream.

He also underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery in 2004 and had a procedure to open an artery six years later.

He's been in the spotlight in recent months as he promotes his new memoir 'Citizen' and hit the campaign trail for Kamala Harris.

Former President Bill Clinton , 78, was hospitalized Monday and is undergoing testing according to a former staff member

President Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center this afternoon for testing and observation after developing a fever. He remains in good spirits and deeply appreciates the excellent care he is receiving.  Angel Urena (@angelurena) December 23, 2024

In it, he let out his frustration at being questioned about his relationship with then-intern Monica Lewinsky and admits he never apologized directly to her.

Clinton impeached by the House of Representatives when it emerged in 1998 that he had lied about a sexual relationship with the then 22-year-old.

He writes about a 2018 interview on NBC's 'Today Show' when he admits he was 'caught off guard' by questions on the subject.

In addition, earlier this month Clinton said he was willing to talk to President Joe Biden about a presumptive pardon for wife Hillary Clinton in case President-elect Donald Trump would try to lock her up.

Trump railed against Clinton in their 2016 campaign and his nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, has said he thinks the former secretary of state has potentially committed crimes.

'Lock her up,' was a common chant about Clinton from Trump supporters. The president-elect also vowed revenge against those he calls his political enemies.

Clinton, during an appearance on ABC's The View, called any potential targeting of his wife a 'fool's errand.'

'If Kash Patel is determined to make one up, he could do it, but I think if President Biden wanted to talk to me about that, I will talk to him about it,' the former president said.

However, he then added he may not be the best person to talk about pardons. During his presidency Clinton caused a huge controversy when he pardoned billionaire Marc Rich, who had been a fugitive for decades for fraud related to making illegal oil deals and not paying more than $48 million in taxes.

Earlier this month, he said he was willing to talk to President Joe Biden about a presumptive pardon for wife Hillary Clinton in case President-elect Donald Trump would try to lock her up

Clinton, during an appearance on ABC's The View, called any potential targeting of his wife a 'fool's errand'

'I don't think I should be giving public advice on the pardon power. I think it's too  it's a very personal thing, but it is  I hope [Trump] won't do that,' Clinton said.

'Trump, you know, most of us get out of this world ahead of where we'd get if all we got was simple justice. And so it's normally a fool's ear and to spend a lot of time trying to get even,' Bill Clinton added.

Patel has listed of dozens of people he viewed as 'deep state' enemies, including current National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, current FBI Director Cristopher Wray, former FBI Director James Comey, Comey's former deputy Andy McCabe, ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI attorney Lisa Page.
A priest has been charged after allegedly grooming a 14-year-old boy online.

The 77-year-old was arrested at Pendle Hill, in western Sydney, at 12pm on Monday.

He was taken to Granville Police Station where he was charged with two offences.

Use carriage service-procure under 16 years for sex with another and use carriage service to send indecent material to person under 16 were the charges.

The priest was refused bail to appear in Parramatta Local Court on Tuesday.
An underworld figure gunned down in a hail of bullets in a suspected ambush had a massive price on his head.

Mahmoud Karam, 60, was allegedly killed during a gun battle that saw up to 15 shots fired.

Detectives will probe whether Karam was lured to the residential Campbellfield street, in Melbourne's north, to be ambushed on Friday night.

CCTV from a nearby home captured the shots being fired, with a speeding Porsche captured driving away before a burnt-out car was found dumped on Northbourne Rd about 11pm.

A 20-year-old Yarraville man and a 22-year-old man from Westmeadows remained under police guard in hospital on Monday.

They were arrested after being dropped off at a hospital following the attack with injuries suspected of happening during the shootout or subsequent car fire.

It is understood Karam had been marked for death over a $3million debt owed to him by a feared underworld character, the team from Outlaw Media reported.

While Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to name that man, he is suspected of putting out a huge contract on Mr Karam before fleeing the country himself.

'This assassination isn't just another standard gangland hit. It's woven with threads of long standing debt, revenge and calculated retribution,' it reported.

Mahmoud Karam, 60, had apparently gone to war with a rival that owed him a lot of money

'This was a dispute over a significant sum of money.'

It is understood Karam is suspected of going after the money he was owed with extreme prejudice, attacking his rival's businesses and family.

The debt was allegedly squandered on shopping trips to Dubai, where the suspected mastermind of Karam's murder fled to safety just days ago.

'It is now clear that Karam's actions were driven by desperation, perhaps a final warning to (his rival),' Outlaw Media reported.

'Gangland sources have today revealed he paid (a hitman) $500,000 to arrange Karam's assassination ... two days before the assassination he fled to Dubai insuring he was out of reach by both law enforcement and any potential reprisals by Karam's family.'

It was further suggested Karam might have been playing an even more dangerous game in Melbourne's volatile underworld.

'Underworld sources have confirmed that Karam was playing both sides of the war by giving private information not only to one side, but as well as assisting (another man) to find individuals he was looking for,' Outlaw Media reported.

'That was never going to end well.'

Police investigate the scene in Campbellfield where a gun fight took place

Up to 15 shots were fired in the gun fight at Campbellfield on Friday night

The suspected mastermind of a gangland hit is believed to have fled to Dubai (pictured)

It is understood Karam, from Craigieburn, was aware his life was under threat and had armed himself with a gun.

Homicide detectives found what appeared to be a sawn-off shotgun, possibly belonging to Karam, under a car outside the Gentles Ave home where the gunmen had ambushed him about 10.10pm.

Victoria Polices VIPER Taskforce, which monitors organised crime in Victoria, questioned nearby residents at the weekend.

Victoria Police Acting Superintendent Kelly Walker said on Saturday that detectives would remain open-minded about the motives behind Karams killing.

'Homicide Squad will canvas all avenues available to them, extensive CCTV in the area, weve got the vehicles and obviously witnesses,' Ms Walker said.

'We want to provide the reassurance that we believe that (it was) targeted and provide the community the reassurance that we are exhausting all investigative avenues.'

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
It has long been a cherished royal tradition - the royals making their way to their annual Christmas Day service at Sandringham.

The occasion has become something of a photo opportunity, with the royals donning their finest attire and greeting well-wishers lining the path to St Mary Magdalene Church.

Aside from a few years when the Royal Family celebrated at Windsor, they have consistently gathered at Sandringham House - a private royal residence since 1862 and home to four generations of British monarchs.

As the head of the Church of England, Queen Elizabeth II regularly attended the service, following in the footsteps of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who also worshipped there.

Known for her colourful and coordinated style, Queen Elizabeth often wore vibrant coats paired with matching hats, heirloom brooches and classic pearl jewellery.

Known for her colourful and coordinated style, Queen Elizabeth often wore vibrant coats paired with matching hats, heirloom brooches and classic pearl jewellery

Her dresser, Angela Kelly, designed a spectrum of looks, frequently accessorised with the Queen's signature Launer handbag and Anello & Davide loafers.

Without fail, the royal selected a pair of button earrings, inherited from her grandmother Queen Mary, and a three-strand pearl necklace, which she commissioned in 1952.

Her last appearance at the church service was 2019 - prior to her passing in 2022 - due to the pandemic.

Here, we take a look back at the former monarch's most memorable Christmas Day outfits.

2019

For her final Christmas Day appearance, in 2019 the Queen made a glamorous entrance at St Mary Magdalene Church, wearing what many consider one of her most elegant outfits.

Elizabeth chose a festive red coat, with a double-breasted front and crystal embellishments, which highlighted the Queen Mother's Ruby Bouquet Brooch.

She added a knee-length dress and a bold matching hat, along with her signature three-strand pearl necklace and patent black accessories.

For her final Christmas Day appearance in 2019, the Queen made a glamorous entrance at St Mary Magdalene Church, wearing what many consider one of her most elegant looks

2018

In 2018, Queen Elizabeth opted for a light-coloured coat with a striking fuchsia trim, complemented by an eye-catching headpiece.

Beneath the coat, a floral dress added a subtle touch of pattern.

However, the real standout of her outfit was her feathered hat, adding flair to this stylish look.

In 2018, Queen Elizabeth opted for a light-coloured coat with a striking fuchsia trim, complemented by an eye-catching headpiece

2017

The monarch stood out in 2017 with a bold tangerine-orange coat and matching hat decorated with lilies.

Her military-inspired outerwear incorporated oversized buttons and epaulettes, while the open front revealed the teal dress underneath.

She carried her reliable Launer handbag and wore Anello & Davide loafers.

The Queen stood out in 2017 with a bold tangerine-orange coat and matching hat decorated with lilies

2015

In 2015, Elizabeth looked stylishly snug in a seasonally-inspired ensemble.

Her vibrant scarlet coat and matching hat were trimmed with luxurious fur.

Despite the rain, she stayed coordinated, carrying a Fulton 'Bird Cage' umbrella - a brand holding a Royal Warrant from the Queen.

In 2015, Elizabeth looked stylishly snug in a seasonally-inspired ensemble. Her vibrant scarlet coat and matching hat were trimmed with luxurious fur

2014

The royal mastered the art of colour-blocking in 2014, opting for a violet coat and red dress.

She completed the look with a unique hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, adorned with two prominent feathers, making this ensemble one of her most memorable Christmas Day appearances.

Queen Elizabeth mastered the art of colour-blocking in 2014, opting for a violet coat and red dress

2012

Queen Elizabeth showcased one of her most fashion-forward looks in 2012.

She arrived at St Mary Magdalene Church in a distinctive turquoise coat with a zig-zag front closure.

Naturally, she topped off the look with a matching hat, adding a fur stole and a diamond-encrusted brooch.

In 2012, Queen Elizabeth arrived at St Mary Magdalene Church in a distinctive turquoise coat with a unique zig-zag front closure

2008

The monarch looked flawless in 2008, choosing a sophisticated tweed coat and her signature accessories.

Elizabeth's tailored outerwear boasted a contrasting red collar and double-breasted red buttons.

A closer look revealed her Palm Leaf Brooch on the left side, as well as her beloved pearl jewellery.

The monarch looked flawless in 2008, choosing a sophisticated tweed coat and her signature accessories

2002

In 2002, Queen Elizabeth stood out in a vibrant fuchsia coat elevated by sumptuous fur cuffs.

The mid-length design featured classic notch lapels and a single button closure, adding a refined touch to her look.

Onlookers could not miss the Queen's dazzling star brooch, a late-Victorian jewel that was left to her by Lady Jardine.

In 2002, Queen Elizabeth stood out in a vibrant fuchsia coat elevated by sumptuous fur cuffs

2001

For the 2001 church service, the late Queen chose a coat in uplifting shade of green.

She added depth to the ensemble with a navy blue dress, a colour that was echoed in her wide-brimmed hat.

For the 2001 church service, the late Queen chose a coat in uplifting shade of green

1988

In 1988, Queen Elizabeth embraced a festive look with an emerald green ensemble.

Her coat featured a classic collar and double-breasted design, perfectly highlighting her signature three-strand pearl necklace.

She acccessorised with a complementary floral hat, along with a diamond and emerald brooch from the Cambridge suite.
A member of the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua dressed as a woman in a failed attempt to slip past cops after a brutal kidnapping he's charged in taking part in, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.

Niefred Jose Serpa-Acosta, 20, a known TdA member living in Aurora, Colorado, wore a wig and a lady's knit hat, hoping police would believe he was a she and not detain him last week.

Officers from the Aurora Police Department descended on the Edge of Lowry Apartments early Tuesday morning after a Venezuelan couple called 911 and accused the mobsters who run the property of taking them hostage - tying them up, beating and torturing them for hours.

As officers swept the building, taking TdA members and their associates into custody, Serpa-Acosta emerged with hands up and presented himself as a woman, images shared with DailyMail.com show.

'He actually came out in disguise. He had a female's wig on and female's hat and I think that's probably a big reason why he was not apprehended earlier,' Police Chief Todd Chamberlin explained.

'Whether he did that all the time or he did that just that day, I can't make that determination.'

Serpa-Acosta had been wanted by the department since August when a video that went viral across the nation emerged, showing him and other TdA members carrying guns and storming a unit at the suburban Denver complex.

Investigators knew the cross-dresser's name and identity, but had not been able to find him after the August incident until last week.

Niefred Jose Serpa-Acosta, 20, a known TdA member, presents himself to police with hands up and dressed as a woman. Officers encountered Serpa-Acosta on Dec. 16 after he took part in a vicious the kidnapping and torture of a Venezuelan couple

For months, authorities have had an active warrant for his arrest related to the August armed takeover at the same Aurora apartment complex.

'It is something, I think, to say how about how organized or how much these people want to avoid apprehension and how low-key they remain,' the top cop added.

On Aug. 18, six armed men, five with handguns and one carrying a rifle, knocked on the doors of two units at the Edge of Lowry.

They forcing their way in and extorting the people who lived inside-- fellow migrants.

About 10 minutes later, there was a shooting that local police responded to.

The footage of the armed home invasions went viral and made the Venezuelan criminal organization of household name in the US.

With his capture Aurora police have now arrested four of those six suspects from the August takeover, the department confirmed Monday.

Niefred Jose Serpa-Acosta, 20, a known TdA member, dressed as a woman on Dec. 16. He had been wanted by the Aurora Police Department since August for taking part in an armed takeover at the Edge of Lowry apartments that went viral

The Edge at Lowry apartments was the second property taken over by the South American gang

They also appear to be cramming people into one-bedroom apartments, she added. At a different property, a maintenance worker said they believe TdA members are living there because he has seen Venezuelans walking around shamelessly showing off well-known Tren de Aragua tattoos

DailyMail.com was the first news organization to report TdA had crossed over the border into the US in October 2023.

Hidden among their fellow countrymen seeking asylum in the US, the South American prison gang has been able to infiltrate the country.

They're in 18 states and have been blamed for a wave of crime in America's cities-- blamed beating police officers rapes, murders and child prostitution.

In Aurora, the gang was able to seize control of at least three apartments, charging migrants too afraid to report them to the cops for rent.

The thugs beat and threatened apartment staffers who stood up to them.

They also turned empty units into crime dens-- luring drug users there to get their fix and then offering women and children they could pay to have sex with.

Serpa-Acosta has also been charged in the kidnapping from last week, police announced Friday.

In all, eight TdA members are charged for in the torture case.

Eight additional migrants are still being investigated to determine their involvement, if any at all.

Police are also seeking three others who are not in custody in last week's case.
Most people dream of a white Christmas, but the holiday forecast suggests that only Americans in 18 states have a high chance of waking up to snow.

AccuWeather meteorologists report that snow is 'a guarantee' across the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains, which span Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.

On the West Coast, large swaths of California, Oregon, and Washington are also likely to see snow on Christmas Day.

Chances are looking good throughout much of the Northeast as well, particularly in parts of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Northern parts of the Midwest, including areas in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and the northeast corner of Ohio, also have a strong chance of snow.

To qualify as a white Christmas, there must be at least one inch of snow on the ground on the morning of December 25.

However, Jared Rennie, a physical scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told DailyMail.com that southern states like Florida, Alabama, and Texas basically have a 'zero chance' of experiencing a white Christmas.

While forecasts are always subject to change, experts have been tracking white Christmases across the country since 1981. This historical data provides a good indication of which regions are more likely to see snow on the holiday

Most people dream about a white Christmas , but the holiday forecast suggests only Americans in 18 states have a high chance of waking up to snow. AccuWeather meteorologists reported that a snow is 'a guarantee' across the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains

'Generally speaking, there's a north/south trend in the US,' said Rennie.

'Areas like northern New England, the Dakotas - they're pretty much always guaranteed a white Christmas, even now in a changing climate,' he said.

Indeed, as global temperatures have risen, white Christmases are becoming an increasingly rare phenomenon.

'The number of white Christmases has certainly gone down in the last 10 years,' Rennie said.

'The major driver is simply just the temperatures - temperatures all across the US are pretty much rising.'

Every 30 years, NOAA produces a map of the historic probability of there being at least one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas day.

The most recent iteration is based on data that spans 1991 to 2020.

Gray areas have a low or no chance of seeing a white Christmas, states in blue have a moderate chance and light blue or white ares have a high chance.

Gray areas have a low or no chance of seeing a white Christmas, states in blue have a moderate chance and light blue or white ares have a high chance

The map shows that it's highly unlikely for southern states to have accumulated snow on December 25 in any given year.

From Malibu to Miami and as far north as Virginia, states have a close-to-zero chance.

The coasts of California, Oregon and Washington are also unlikely to see snow on Christmas, even though these are northern states.

That's mainly due to their maritime climate, which is characterized by mild temperatures even in winter.

But further inland, especially in and around the Rocky Mountains, the odds of having a white Christmas drastically increase, ranging from roughly 40 to 100 percent as the elevation skyrockets.

Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado all have historically high chances of accumulated snow on December 25.

Much of the Midwest shows similar odds, especially in North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan.

As average temperatures have increased due to climate change, the number of white Christmases has declined throughout the US, data shows

Northeastern states, such as Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and northern Pennsylvania, are also highly likely to have snow on Christmas day.

This historical data provides a general idea of which parts of the US are more or less likely to have a white Christmas. But actual weather patterns can vary widely from year-to-year, and it's not uncommon for states to defy historical odds.

For example, 2023 was the greenest Christmas on record since 2003, AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok told DailyMail.com.

Only 17.6 percent of the US had snow cover on December 25 that year. Even states with a high historical probability - such as Wisconsin, Maine, Massachusetts and Michigan - had little to now snow on Christmas.

But the year before was the whitest Christmas on record since 2003, with 53 percent of the US covered in at least one inch of snow on December 25, 2022. Extensive cold temperatures and widespread snow stretched as far south as Tennessee that year.

This may make the odds of a white Christmas seem somewhat random. But looking at the data over the long term reveals clear trends, including an overall decline in the land area covered by snow on December 25, Rennie said.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 'total snowfall has decreased in many parts of the country since widespread observations became available in 1930, with 57 percent of stations showing a decline.'

That's largely because as temperatures rise, winter precipitation is less likely to fall as snow, and more likely to fall as rain, sleet or freezing rain, he explained.

In addition, climate change is causing the winter to get shorter as the summer season stretches longer. Climate Central found that 98 percent (236) of 240 US locations analyzed have experienced shrinking winter cold streaks from 1970 to 2023.

That means the first snowfall of the year is happening later and later.

To those who enjoy snow and hope for a white Christmas each year, this data may sound discouraging. But even in a changing climate, there will still be years when a significant portion of the US is blanketed in white on December 25, Rennie said.

'White Christmases, extreme snowfall, blizzards, lake effect snow - those are still going to happen. They're never going to go away. It's just that they're the frequency of them are decreasing,' he said.
While NASA is searching for life on Mars, a CIA document claims it was found 40 years ago.

The report, 'Mars Exploration May 22, 1984,' details how the agency used astral projectionthe idea that a person's spirit can travel through the astral planeto transport a 'subject' to Mars approximately one million years BC.

The study was part of Project Stargate, a secret US Army unit established in 1977 that focused on anomalous phenomena, including remote viewing, telepathy, and psychokinesis.

Participants were exposed to sounds like binaural beats and hemi-sync audio to induce altered states of consciousness and promote psychic abilities.

The experiment's 'subject' was transported to the planet during the specified year, reporting an 'oblique view of a pyramid' and a 'very large road' with a monument similar to those known among ancient Egyptians on Earth, the report claims.

The vision then shifted to a population of 'very large people' searching for 'a new place to live because their environment was corrupted.'

Project Stargate was the US government's new weapon against the Soviet Union, aimed at creating mind-reading spies who could infiltrate the minds of its enemies.

The classified project was conducted at Fort Meade in Maryland, recruiting men and women who claimed to have extrasensory perception (ESP) to help uncover military and domestic intelligence secrets.

The experiment's 'subject' was transported to the planet during the specified year, reporting an 'oblique view of a pyramid' and a 'very large road' with a monument similar to those known among ancient Egyptians on Earth

It shut down in 1995, but during its more than 10-year existence, psychics known as 'remote viewers' participated in a wide array of operations, from locating hostages kidnapped by Islamic terrorist groups to tracing the paths of fugitive criminals within the US.

Leading up to its closure was 'Mars Exploration May 22, 1984,' a document declassified in 2017 that has recently resurfaced online.

The document is sparse in details, beginning with: 'Method of site acquisition: Sealed envelope coupled with geographic coordinates.'

The envelope was provided to the subject before the interview but was not opened until afterward.

'In the envelope was a 3x5 card with the following information: The Planet Mars. Time of interest approximately one million BC,' the document reads.

The administrator of the experiment verbally relayed the envelope contents and allowed the subject to provide their observations. The starting time was 10:09 a.m. ET.

The subject was asked to focus their attention on '40.89 degrees north, 9.55 degrees west.'

'It sort of looks... I kind of got an oblique view of a ah... pyramid or pyramid form,' the subject said.

While NASA is searching for life on Mars , a CIA document claims it was found 40 years ago

They continued to describe the structure as okra-colored, a hue ranging from yellow to deep orange and brown.

The subject then observed shadows of 'very tall, thin' people wearing strange clothing.

The administrator prompted the subject to remain in that time period but move to another location in space.

The landscape featured a very long road with what appeared to be the Washington Monument at the end.

'It's like an... obelisk,' the subject said before being asked to move to different locations until they saw people again.

The subject moved to a place where a violent storm was ripping through Mars, and people were using the giant pyramids for shelter.

'Different chambers... but they're almost stripped of any kind of... furnishing or anything. It's like ah... strictly functional, a place for sleepingor that's not a good wordhibernation, some form,' the subject said.

I can't... I get real raw inputs, storms, savage storms, and sleeping through storms.'

The experiment suggested that a population of people died on Mars after intense storms ripped through the planet

The administrator asked the subject to describe who was sleeping through the storms.

'Very... tall again, very large... people, but they're thin. They look that way because of their height, and they dress like in, oh hell, it's like a real light silk, but it's not flowing type of clothing. It's like cut to fit,' they explained.

The subject told the administrator that these were ancient people who were dying.

'It's past their time or age,' the subject said. 'They're very philosophic about it. They're looking for ah... a way to survive, and they just can't.'

The subject appeared concerned for the ancient people, saying they were looking for a way out or waiting for something to return.

'It's like I'm getting all kinds of overwhelming input of the... corruption of their environment,' the subject said.

'It's failing very rapidly, and this group went somewhere, like a long way, to find another place to live.'

The subject claimed to have spoken with one of these people, who told them that a group had left in what 'looks like the inside of a larger boat.'

The administrator told the subject to go along on the journey and report what they saw.

'Impression of a really crazy place with volcanoes and gas pockets and strange plantsa very volatile place. It's very much like going from the frying pan into the fire,' the subject said.

'The difference is there seems to be a lot of vegetation where the other place did not have it. And a different kind of storm.'

The administrator then told the subject it was time to come back.

'Move now back to the room, back to the sound of my voice, back farther now to the sound of my voice on the 22nd of May, 1984,' they told the subject.
While America's spies are shrouded in mystery, it appears they enjoy celebrating the holidays the same way as the rest of the us.

Ever since 2004, the National Security Agency (NSA) has held an internal design competition among its employees to craft each year's annual holiday ornament.

Some, like 2016's 'Red, White and Blue' Christmas present bow and 2024's nutcracker, have leaned more into the full look and spirit of the holiday season.

Others, however, have celebrated the agency's 'cloak and dagger' history, like 2019's replica of the famous World War II encryption device, the 'Enigma' machine, and 2004's haunting model of the NSA's granite pyramid memorial to its fallen agents.

One NSA ornament from the 1990s even worked as a functional encryption and decryption device for encoding secret messages: NSA's 1998 Cipher Disk ornament.

'The Cipher Disk has been used for secure communications since its invention in Italy around the year 1470,' a booklet that accompanied the gilded spy wheel explained.

'The Cipher Disk came into widespread use in the US during the Civil War [and] about a half century later, the US Army adopted a simplified version of the disk.'

Even by 'turn of the century' standards, however, as this simplified version of the device saw deployment in World War I, the Cipher Disk only gave 'a few hours of protection to tactical messages' intercepted by America's foes.

Above, the National Security Agency (NSA) offered this filigreed star ornament in 2009, the winner of a design competition that the secretive US spy agency has held annually since 2004

One NSA ornament even worked as a functional encryption and decryption device to encode secret messages: NSA's 1998 Cipher Disk ornament (above). 'The Cipher Disk has been used for secure communications since its invention in Italy around the year 1470,' the agency said

It's unclear when the NSA's ornament tradition officially began, as its National Cryptologic Museum declined multiple requests by DailyMail.com for comment.

'We have nothing to offer you on this,' a spokesman for the NSA's National Cryptologic Museum told DailyMail.com when asked about the ornaments.

But former NSA network specialist Jeremy Duffy was more candid: 'Some people complained about them being really cheap and badly designed some years.'

For example, as one eBay seller noted in their auction listing a golden 'NSA satellite dish' ornament, made in 2000: 'The antenna has bends. See pics.'

But even as a strong agency critic today, Duffy still holds some of the NSA's holiday decorations  like 2008's etching of the NSA's Fort Meade HQ  in high regard.

'The ornament [was] top notch,' he said.

While the NSA's ornament design contest is a new 21st Century tradition at the agency, according to The Dallas Morning News, the annual holiday ornaments themselves stretch back at least a decade prior.

In his over a dozen years with the NSA, Duffy said the ornaments were treated like any other piece of company swag: meaning that opinions varied on their value.

Some of the NSA's holiday ornaments have celebrated the agency's 'cloak and dagger' history, like 2019's replica of the famous World War II encryption device, the 'Enigma' machine (above)

The 2019 Enigma machine ornament opens (pictured above) to reveal the tiny typewriter used to make the WWII encoding decive's encrypted and decrypted messages

Other NSA holiday ornaments, like 2024's NSA nutcracker (pictured) have leaned more into the full look and spirit of the holiday season than agency history

'Regarding the ornaments,' he told DailyMail.com, 'they were something some people liked to get and others didn't care about.'

But that hasn't stopped civilians from obsessing over the clandestine crafts, reveling in years worth of the NSA 'Secret Santa' holiday tchotchkes.

Vintage spycraft and memorabilia collector Richard Brisson, who runs the site ultrasecret.ca from Canada, suspects that the agency's holiday ornaments included more than one each year in some years.

'I believe there were many more ornaments (without assigned years) produced since the early 1990's,' Brisson told DailyMail.com via email.

His own collection goes only as far back as 1994, an NSA 'snowflake' ornament, but he's seen a few undated ornaments  including an elaborate 'filigreed star' ornament similar to the 2009 edition, but with no date, and another undated 'Peace' and 'Unity' ornament possibly from 2014.

While the NSA is scant on details about their ornaments, that hasn't stopped ordinary civilians from obsessing over these clandestine crafts, reveling in years worth of the NSA 'Secret Santa' gifts. Above a still from the YouTube account Spy Collection, which collects the ornaments

Vintage spycraft and memorabilia collector Richard Brisson suspects that the ornaments included more than one each year in some years. 'I believe there were many more ornaments (without assigned years) produced since the early 1990's,' Brisson told DailyMail.com

'Some people complained about them being really cheap and badly designed some years,' ex-NSA network specialist Jeremy Duffy told DailyMail.com As one eBay seller noted in their eBay listing a golden 'NSA satellite dish,' made in 2000: 'The antenna has bends. See pics'

'For 2014 [...] I have been unable to find someone who can confirm the actual ornament for that year,' Brisson said. 'The one listed there has no year that I can find  unless it is sneakily encoded in some way!'

NSA historians revealed that the ultra-secretive spy agency began with an extremely meager, Scrooge-like Christmas holiday policy.

Starting in December 1952, the then-director of the NSA permitted only one tightly designated 1.5 hours between 3pm and 4:30pm on December 24th for any and all Christmas parties for the agency's cryptographers, staff and field agent spooks.

Free Christmas trees were available for each unit, 'flame-proofed prior to distribution,' but had to be removed from the building promptly by 5:30pm on Christmas Eve, an hour after the short holiday party allotment.

NSA's 2004 ornament was a haunting model of the agency's granite memorial pyramid (above)

This 2004 NSA Ornament has a seasonal wreath on its backside (above)

Above: The backside of one NSA 'filigreed star' ornament from 2009

By 1963, the NSA was offering its staff a '(whopping!) $0.25 per person, twice a year, toward the cost of a mid-season activity and a Christmas party,' per the agency's historians.

'That might buy you, in 2018, one large bottle of iced tea in the Agency vending machine,' this NSA history explained, 'with three cents left over.'

Adding insult to injury, these miserly 'Fun Funds' had to be requested by filling out a special 'Memorandum Request Form.'

These were years in which even the very existence of the NSA was hidden from the public  it wasn't even until the post-Watergate era when Senate hearings not only that the NSA existed but that it was spying on Americans.

'When I tried to do an on-camera report for CBS standing outside the NSA gate,' journalist Daniel Schorr remembered of that era, 'a US Marine warned me I would be shot if I didn't go away.'

This year, almost 50 years later, the NSA has launched its own podcast, 'No Such Podcast,' titled after a play on the old joke about what its acronym stands for ('No Such Agency').
With Christmas Eve just around the corner, many children might be hoping to spot Santa flying overhead.

But NASA has now warned that reindeer won't be the only things soaring above Earth in the coming days.

Tonight, a massive 'Chrismas Eve asteroid' the size of a ten-story building will skim past Earth at 14,743mph

According to NASA's Asteroid Watch dashboard, the space rock 2024 NX1 will reach its closest point to Earth at 02:56 am GMT in the early hours of Christmas Eve.

At an estimated size of 29 to 70 metres (95-230 ft) in diameter, scientists believe 2024 NX1 could hold the destructive potential of 12 million tonnes of TNT.

However, although this will be a 'near miss' by astronomical standards, experts say there is no chance of Christmas being ruined by a collision with this vast space rock.

The space agency estimates that the asteroid should pass by the planet harmlessly at a distance of about 4.48 million miles (7.21 million km).

Jess Lee, astronomer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, told MailOnline: 'It will be very far away, around 18 times further away from the Earth than the Moon is, and so with this predicted path wont come close enough to hit the Earth.'

NASA has warned that the huge 'Christmas Eve asteroid' will skim past Earth tonight at 14,743mph (stock image)

The Christmas Eve asteroid was only spotted on December 12 as NASA and the European Space Agency's (ESA) planetary defence systems noticed its approach.

After calculating its orbit, the agencies listed it as a 'close approach' - meaning that it is expected to pass within 4.65 million miles (7.5 million km) of Earth.

However, based on the size of the asteroid and its distance to Earth, the ESA only rates this as a 'very frequent' approach.

Nor has the ESA included 2024 XN1 on the 'Risk List' of objects with a non-zero probability of colliding with the planet.

This means that, despite passing within touching distance on the solar system scale, there is absolutely no chance of the Christmas Eve asteroid hitting Earth.

And while that is good news for Earth, at this distance the asteroid won't be visible even to an amateur astronomer using their own telescope.

Yet, even for a relatively small asteroid the consequences of a potential impact would be devastating.

NASA's research suggests that an asteroid of 70m in diameter is capable of flattening an area of 700 square miles (2,000 square km) if it collided with the planet.

The asteroid 2024 XN1 (pictured) is as big as a ten-story building and could be up to 70 metres (230 ft) according to the European Space Agency's estimates. The space agencies predict that the asteroid will reach its closest point in at 02:56 am GMT in the early hours of Christmas Eve

The 'Christmas Eve' asteroid Name: 2024 XN1 Discovery date: December 12, 2024 Estimated diameter: 29-70 metres Date of next approach: December 24, 2024 Closest distance to Earth: 4.48 million miles (7.21 million km) Risk of collision: Zero Advertisement

Ms Lee says: 'If youd like to compare it to a previous asteroid impact, the Tunguska Event in Russia in 1908 involved an asteroid which was a roughly similar size to this one.

'It exploded above the ground and knocked down 80 million trees. The energy comparison estimates have ranged from 3-30 megatons of TNT'

Thankfully, the Tunguska Event occurred over an unihabited region of Siberia but dangerous asteroid impacts have occurred in recent history.

In 2013 a meteor just 20m in diameter exploded 28 miles (45km) above the Russian region of Chelyabinsk.

The resulting blast released the energy equivalent of around 440,000 tonnes of TNT, damaging thousands of buildings and injuring an estimated 1,600 people.

So, although the Christmas Eve asteroid has no risk of colliding with Earth, it is a stark reminder of just how close the planet comes to disaster on a fairly regular basis.

After making its festive appearance next week, 2024 XN1 won't come near Earth again until January 2032.

During this pass the rock will come even closer, reaching a minimum distance of 3.1 million miles (4.7 million km).

At its closest point, the Christmas Eve asteroid will pass within 4.48 million miles (7.21 million km) of Earth. This is a near miss in astronomical terms but there is no risk of a collision

However, the Christmas Eve asteroid will make its closest pass in December of 2106 when it will skim past Earth at a distance of just 2.11 million miles (3.4 million km).

2024 XN1 won't be the only space rock paying Earth a visit over the Christmas period.

Today, a small space rock named 2013 YB actually has a slim chance of slamming into Earth at 12:27 GMT.

However, at less than 3m (10ft) in diameter, this rock is very likely to burn up in the atmosphere, producing nothing more dangerous than a particularly bright fireball.

At this size, NASA estimates that the asteroid would break up in the atmosphere more than 26 miles (43 km) above the ground, making it unlikely that any small fragments will make it to the ground.

Even the odds of that occurring are quite low, as ESA only predicts a one-in-52,356 chance of an impact.

On Christmas Day itself, an even larger asteroid named 2021 BA2 will make a remarkably close pass of Earth.

Based on its brightness, ESA estimates that this space rock could be between 30 to 70 (100-230 ft) metres in diameter - making it a potential 'city killer'.

Earth is constantly being passed by large space rocks, some of which (pictured) have a chance of colliding with the planet. If an asteroid the size of 2024 XN1 hit Earth it would explode with the energy of 12 million tonnes of TNT

At 21:19 pm GMT on Christmas Day, 2021 BA2 will hit its closest point to Earth, passing by at just 1.71 million miles (2.76 million km).

But at more than seven times the distance to the moon, space agencies predict no risk of a collision between the asteroid and the planet.

The next truly large asteroid to pass by Earth won't be until January 5, 2025, when a 400m (1,310 ft) asteroid will make a close pass of the planet.

This Eiffel Tower-sized space rock will blast past Earth at 49,660 miles per hour (79,920 kmph), reaching its closest point just 2.29 million miles (3.68 million km) from Earth.
Germany's green power push has been blamed for its soaring energy bills - as the country's national grid struggles to cope with the demands of ever-expanding wind farms, experts have warned.

Germany has been one of the biggest adopters of wind power, installing thousands of wind turbines and creating almost twice as much electricity in under a decade.

However, a chronic lack of grid capacity is preventing power from getting to those who need it and driving up the cost of electricity for everyone.

And now, leading energy analysts say the same thing could happen in the UK after Ed Miliband is accused of being 'obsessed' with renewable power.

Almost three-quarters of Germany's wind power projects are located out at sea in the North while its most power-intensive industries are clustered in the South - meaning that electricity must travel the entire length of the country.

When this green network produces more power than the outdated grid can handle, operators often have to pay producers to reduce their output.

Worryingly, as Labour plans to quadruple offshore wind power by 2030, experts warn that the UK's grid could face similar issues.

Jan Rosenow, an energy markets expert at the Regulatory Assistance Project told The Telegraph: 'The UK's clean power target is very aggressive, and my worry is that if we don't get things right, we risk running into the same issues.'

Experts warn that Germany's wind power obsession could lead to rising energy bills as the nation's grid fails to keep up with the abundance of new power. Pictured: Wind farm off the German island of Helgoland

Germany was one of Europe's earliest and most enthusiastic adopters of wind power but recent years have seen a renewed effort to grow this green industry.

These efforts have become particularly pressing after the outbreak of war in Ukraine highlighted the country's dependence on Russian energy imports.

Since 2014, Germany has added enough wind turbines to increase its output from 38.6 gigawatts in 2014 to just under 70 gigawatts today.

As of November this year, Germany had already added another 2.3 gigawatts on top of a further three gigawatts in 2023.

Likewise, in the first nine months of 2024 energy generated by wind and solar overtook energy from fossil fuels for the first time.

While this is a key step towards the Government's ambition of phasing out coal by 2030, it has left the power grid with some potentially disastrous imbalances.

The overwhelming majority of Germany's wind power generation comes from offshore projects in the North Sea with a few also located in the Baltic Sea.

However, the majority of power energy-hungry automotive and manufacturing industries are located in the southern regions of Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria.

While Germany has added more wind power, the majority of these turbines are located in the North. This leads to crippling bottlenecks in the power grid as pylons can't transmit enough power. When this happens, grid operators need to pay energy producers to make less electricity. Pictured: Energy pylons in Schoenwalde, Germany

What is wind power? Wind power is an environmentally friendly, renewable energy source, contrasting with the likes of coal and gas (both fossil fuels). Wind turbines harness energy from the wind using mechanical power to spin a generator and create electricity. Wind is an abundant and inexhaustible energy source, but it also provides electricity without burning any fuel or polluting the air. Advertisement

This means that when a steel plant in the south needs to buy electricity, it must be drawn massive distances along the high-voltage transmission 'super highways'.

At times when the wind is blowing strongly and the wind farms are nearing their maximum output, the grid simply does not have the capacity to transfer this much power over such a long distance.

That creates crippling bottlenecks on high-voltage transmissions which prevent power from getting where it needs.

According to grid operator TenneT, grid bottlenecks actually led to the North Sea wind turbine fleet producing less power in 2023 compared with the previous year.

Despite adding more capacity, output actually fell by nine per cent year on year since production has to be curtailed when there is not enough transmission capacity in the grid.

This becomes particularly problematic when companies in southern regions have an agreement to buy renewable energy from a wind farm in the north.

In that case, the grid operator has to step in and pay the energy companies to reduce their production while firing up an alternative power source, usually a coal or gas plant, closer to where the energy is needed.

So-called 're-dispatch costs' amounted to 3.5 billion (2.9 billion) in 2023 according to Amprion, Germany's largest grid operator.

This graph shows the proportion of energy sources in the UK's mix for the last week. On December 15, wind power set a new record by providing more than 70 per cent of the country's energy supply

That was down from 4.2 billion (3.5 billion) in 2022 when gas supply troubles led to soaring energy costs, but well above the bill from 2021 and 2022 which were 2.3 billion (1.7 billion) and 1.4 billion (1.2 billion) respectively.

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Likewise, as the growth in wind power outstrips investment in the grid, the amount of energy being wasted has continued to grow.

According to the German Federal Network Agency, grid stabilisation measures led to about 19 terawatt hours of energy being lost in 2023, up from 14 terawatt hours in 2022.

That is equivalent to about four per cent of the country's entire energy production.

Germany's wind power woes have now sparked concerns that the UK might face similar issues under Ed Miliband's plans for a green energy revolution.

Just like Germany, most of the UK's production is clustered in offshore wind farms in the north of the country.

This year, the UK surpassed 30 gigawatts of wind power capacity as the Viking Wind Farm on the Shetland Islands fully powered on.

However, that significant growth in the abundance of clean energy won't necessarily lead to lower bills if re-dispatch costs continue to rise due to grid bottlenecks.

In 2024 alone, the UK has already spent an 'absurd' 1bn to temporarily switch off wind farms while the grid struggles to keep up.

But even as Britain plans to add more grid connections between the North and South (pictured), experts warn that a lack of capacity will lead to bottlenecks similar to those in Germany. These costs may be passed on to the customer, leading to higher bills for all

The amount of energy 'curtailed' hit 6.6 terawatt hours in the first 11 months of the year, compared to 3.8 terawatt hours in the whole of 2023.

According to the National Energy System Operator, these costs are on track to hit 6bn by 2030 if nothing is done to improve the grid's capacity.

Andreas Jahn, an energy expert at the Regulatory Assistance Project, says that this shortfall has been linked to a lack of coordination between the four different national network operators, alongside local opposition to building new pylons.

These issues become worse due to 'feed in' from rooftop solar panels which face no penalty for adding to the already conjected power network.

If these issues persist, it could mean that energy providers end up passing on these rising costs to consumers leading to higher bills for all.
Houston Housing Authority President and CEO David A. Northern Sr., center, attends a board meeting where he was placed on paid administrative leave on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. Such meetings are currently not required to be broadcast or posted online by state law. Rebecca Schuetz/Houston Chronicle

Since 2016, Texas has required city councils, county commissioner courts and school boards serving populations of a certain size to broadcast their open meetings as they happen and post recordings of past meetings on their websites.

The goal is to increase government transparency. But those requirements dont apply to housing authorities, which often spend hundreds of millions of dollars in public funding every year, yet largely have opted out of broadcasting their meetings or posting recordings online.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt said he plans to change that.

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LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION: New law reforms big tax cuts for not-so-affordable housing

In response to questions from the Houston Chronicle about why some local housing authorities dont livestream their meetings, Bettencourt said he would file a bill and amend the Texas Open Meetings Act this legislative session to require housing authorities to make their meetings accessible online.

Governmental transparency is preposterously lacking in housing authorities, and it will be part of any reforms passed, he said.

Bettencourt pointed to a federal environmental investigation of contaminated Houston Housing Authority land as an example of why more transparency was needed.

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Verdell Ingram, who serves on the resident council of the public housing complex Cuney Homes, said it was very important to make housing authority meetings more accessible. Housing authority subsidies have long supported those with very low incomes, a population that includes many who suffer from disabilities, do not own vehicles, or cannot take off from work to attend a board meeting during the day.

Ingram herself does not have a car. But shes willing to make the four-hour round-trip bus ride to attend the Houston Housing Authoritys board meetings.

But sometimes life doesnt allow for an entire afternoon to be dedicated to traveling to a meeting. And when she cannot attend in person, she does not know how to learn what happened.

Some things need to be on tape, she said.

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Houston, Harris County and Dallas are among the states housing authorities that do not have livestreams or video archives of meetings on their websites. Fort Worths housing authority posted recordings of meetings that took place during the pandemic, but has since stopped doing so. El Pasos has a livestream, but not past recordings. San Antonios livestreams its meetings and keeps past recordings on its YouTube channel, and Austins housing authority posts audio recordings of all of its meetings.

Kelly Courts apartments, one of a number of Houston public housing developments set to be redeveloped, photographed Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 at Fifth Ward in Houston. The apartment complex was recently part of an air conditioning scandal, in which millions were spent on air conditioning units, many of which went unused. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer

A spokesperson for the San Antonio housing authority, known as Opportunity Home San Antonio, said that the agency began streaming its meetings during the pandemic and decided to continue even after meetings could resume in person.

Jody Proler, board chair of the Houston Housing Authority, said the housing authority has the ability to livestream meetings and would begin doing so.

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The other housing authorities did not respond to requests for comment regarding their decisions to post or not post recordings of their open meeting. They also did not comment on the costs involved in doing so.

Houston and Harris County, serving a population as large as they do, really ought to have the attitude that they want the public to know what theyre doing, said Bill Aleshire, a former Travis County judge who currently works as an attorney with an expertise in open government. He urged housing authorities to post videos whether or not theyre required by law to do so.

If youre able to do it, thats much better for democracy, he said.

Jeffrey Roberts, president of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, said that the pandemic was a turning point for virtual meetings, as governments and other groups were forced online.

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The impact of that has been convenience for the public, he said. More people can participate in government even if they cant get to a meeting which is a good thing.

He called on all public bodies, no matter the size of their jurisdiction, should be making their meetings accessible online.
For anyone looking for a little Christmas magic in the coming days, NASA might have provided the answer.

The space agency has revealed the times when 'Santa', also known as the International Space Station, will be passing overhead this Christmas Eve.

While it might not be the real thing, the bright light of the ISS making its transit is a great alternative for any children desperate to see where their presents come from.

According to NASA's ISS tracker, the ISS will pass overhead twice on Christmas Eve at 05:20 and 6:53 GMT.

While that might mean an early start for some parents, it is great news for skygazers since these pre-dawn hours are the best time to spot the ISS.

And for any parents being woken up early on Christmas day, there will be an even better chance to spot Santa on his return journey as the ISS passes almost directly overhead.

And to make things even better, you won't even need any special equipment to spot this festive treat.

NASA says: 'It is the third brightest object in the sky and easy to spot if you know when to look up.'

For anyone looking for a bit of Christmas magic this year, the bright light of the ISS will make a great stand-in for Santa's sleigh as it passes overhead this Chrismas Eve

As the third-brightest object in the sky, the bright, consistent light of the ISS (pictured) is easy to spot against the dark background of the sky

Although the ISS is tiny compared to the moon and stars it will still be one of the brightest objects in the sky.

Dr Edward Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline: 'Put simply, it's quite shiny and it isn't very far away. The ISS is in orbit only about 400 kilometres up, and more than 100 metres across. It's a pretty big chunk of metal, and there isn't too much traffic up there!'

From Earth, the ISS will look quite a lot like a plane in that it will be a bright light moving in a steady line across the sky.

The only difference is that the ISS will have a constant glow rather than the flashing you'd normally see on a plane.

And, since the ISS travels at 17,900 mph (28,800 kmph) it orbits Earth every 90 minutes so there are often multiple chances to spot it.

That means spotting the ISS isn't that difficult if you know where to look.

Dr Bloomer says: 'The orbit of the ISS means the best time to see it changes all the time, and depends on where you are.'

'The best thing is NASA's "Spot the Station" site. You can get a list of potential observation times, along with direction and elevation above the horizon, for a huge range of locations.'

The shiny body of the ISS reflects the pre-dawn light from the sun and is clearly visible against the dark sky. The best time to spot it will be at 06:53 GMT or at 06:06 GMT on Christmas Day

To find the ISS, check NASA's 'Spot the Station' website to see when it will appear above your location. You can use the 'Appears' location to find where to look as the station comes into view

When to see the ISS Chrismas Eve, 05:20 AM Visible: 2 minutes

Max height: 36

Appears: 36 above East Chrismas Eve, 06:53 AM Visible: 6 minutes

Max height: 82

Appears: 10 above East Chrismas Day, 04:34 AM Visible: Less than 1 minute

Max height: 11

Appears: 11 above East Christmas Day, 06:06 AM Visible: 4 minutes

Max height: 89

Appears: 57 above West Advertisement

Alternatively, you can download the 'Spot the Station' app to get the data for your exact location.

For any potential Santa-spotters in London, the first opportunity will come at 05:20 tomorrow morning as the ISS appears 36 above the horizon in the East.

However, this won't be the best opportunity since the ISS will only be visible for two minutes and remain fairly low to the horizon.

The better chance will come at 06:53 am when the ISS will appear for a full six minutes and pass almost directly overhead.

To catch this pass, head to an area that is away from light pollution a few minutes before the ISS passes so your eyes have lots of time to adjust to the darkness.

Then look towards the West where the ISS should first appear 16 above the horizon.

Since this pass is close to dawn the ISS should be nice and bright as the Sun reflects off the space station and is contrasted against the dark sky.

If you miss these chances, there's no need to worry since the ISS will make two further transits in the early hours of Christmas Day itself.

Unfortunately, the weather will not be great for seeing the ISS with lots of cloud (right) and some rain (left) during the time the ISS will be most visible

The first will come at 4:43 am and will only last a minute, but there is a much better chance at 6:06 am when the ISS will pass overhead for four minutes.

However, it is important to remember that the exact timings and appearance location will vary according to your location.

Unfortunately, the weather for the coming days won't present the best opportunities for star gazing.

Oliver Claydon, a spokesperson for the Met Office, told MailOnline: 'Visibility will be pretty poor across the UK unfortunately.

'We have cloud spilling in from the west through today and that cloud will then stick around through the week, leading to quite a grey and dull Christmas for most of us.

The best chance for any brightness is in the northeast of Scotland where there could be some clearer skies, and possibly the North East of England. The skies will most likely still have some thin cloud though so not fantastic conditions.'

And with temperatures dipping below 10C (50F) in some places, be sure to dress warm if you plan to venture out on a Santa hunt this Christmas.
Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a 2,800-year-old palace at a site where a Biblical prophet was said to have wrestled with God.

Stone blocks with carvings of lions and lavish feasts were uncovered at the site of Tulul ed-Dhahab in Transjordan, which researchers believe 'may be the biblical Mahanaim.'

Mahanaim is said to be where Jacob, one of the fathers of the Jewish nation, grappled with God from sundown to dawn.

The ruins are likely from the Kingdom of Israel, aligning with scripture that suggests ancient Israelites once controlled the region.

Although the palace has not yet been fully excavated, the team believes it was a rectangular-shaped residence built on a platform by Jeroboam II, the 13th king of Israel, who is also mentioned in the Bible.

A total of 10 blocks were uncovered at the site, with one showing a man carrying a goat as part of a banquet scene, and another featuring two standing lyre players.

Others were etched with horses, date-palm trees, and one was carved into the head of a lion.

Professor Israel Finkelstein of Haifa University said that the newly found ruins provide more clues as to why key foundational biblical stories were set in this area.

Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a 2,800-year-old palace at a site where Jacob was said to have wrestled with God

The study also suggested that the two blocks featuring the lion heads were likely at the entrance of the residence, protecting the gate

Mahanaim, mentioned 13 times in the Old Testament, holds profound significance in biblical narratives.

The name means 'two camps' in Hebrew and first appears in Genesis 32:2.

'When Jacob saw them, he said, 'This is the camp of God!' So he named that place Mahanaim,' the verse reads.

Archaeologists were working at two nearby hills by the Zarka River, which historians believe was the biblical Jabbok.

The western hill, now called Tall adh-Dhahab al-Gharbi, contains remains of an ancient town that saw activity during several historical periods.

Archaeologists also uncovered part of a building from the Herodian period, which may have been part of the Hellenistic and Roman site known as Amathus, indicating the location's continued importance well into the Roman period.

The adjacent hill, Penuel, has been said to be where Jacob wrestled with an angel and named the site after seeing the 'face of God.'

Seven of the blocks revealed 'iconographic features or themes that are to be considered elements of public architecture of either a palace or an elaborate gate, most probably component/s of a governmental compound,' the researchers noted.

Mahanaim is said to be where Jacob, one of the fathers of the Jewish nation, grappled with God from sundown to dawn

Blocks 4 and 5 featured motifs that were part of war or hunting themes, which were often connected to banquet scenes.

The study noted that similar scenes were found to three motifs from Kuntillet Ajrud, which is a late 9th to early 8th century BCE site in the northeast part of the Sinai.

'The fourth visual theme from Tall adh-Dhahab al-Gharbi to be compared with the imagery from Kuntillet Ajrud is the Voluted Tree incised on Block 7, on which only two clear horizontal branches with upturned inward coils of the tree have survived,' the researchers shared.

Although the palace has not yet been fully excavated, the team believes it was a rectangular-shaped residence built on a platform by Jeroboam II, the 13th king of Israel, who is also mentioned in the Bible

A total of 10 blocks were uncovered at the site, with one showing a man carrying a goat as part of a banquet scene, and another featuring two standing lyre players

One of the slabs featured imagery of a lion's mane sprawling over the sand stone

'The thematic visual associations between Tall adh-Dhahab al-Gharbi's incised imagery and Kuntillet Ajrud's painted pottery sketches and murals match the attribution of these sites as built by Jeroboam II.'

The reign of Jeroboam II is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:2329, along with the books of Amos and Hoshea.

The study also suggested that the two blocks featuring the lion heads were likely at the entrance of the residence, protecting the gate.

Similar discoveries have been made at two sites in southern Syria and Jordan.

'The incised blocks found at Tall adh-Dhahab al-Gharbi, the location of biblical Mahanaim, must have originated from an elaborate Iron Age building that served as an elite residency,' reads the study.

'The characteristics of Tall adh-Dhahab ash-Sharqiits small size, its rectangular layout and possibly the existence of an elevated platformseem to show that it was not a town, but perhaps a temple compound.'

The researchers stressed that their work does not prove Biblical stories to be true, but that the discoveries show that Israelites lived in the region for thousands of years and provides reasons to why Bible writes used Mahanaim as the location for stories.




The case of Peru's mysterious 'alien mummies' continues to deepen after the unveiling of two new creatures named Paloma and Antonio.

The corpses were said to have been found in the Nazca desert, where the first mummy was uncovered seven years ago by journalist and ufologist Jaime Maussan.

Paloma and Antonio share the same three fingers as previous mummies, but feature small, slanted eyes and are described as being the size of 'a short adult.'

The mummies were recently analyzed by Dr David Ruiz Vela, former president of Peru's Medical Association, who determined that they have human-like organs with a visible brain structure.

Dr. Ruiz claimed that Antonio had a stab wound in his chest, while Paloma showed evidence of hair a first among the mummies. Both are said to be 1,500 years old.

Researchers have suggested that the bodies were fossilized by algae, which helped preserve them, along with a highly toxic adhesive that 'does not match those of the time.'

Maussan has presented roughly a dozen of these bodies, showcasing many of them in front of Mexico's Congress as evidence of alien beings that once walked the Earth.

While Maussan has stood firm in his claims, experts remain convinced that the mummies are nothing more than dolls manipulated by grave robbers.

Paloma (pictured) and Antonio share the same three fingers as previous mummies, but feature small, slanted eyes and are described as being the size of 'a short adult.'

Experts claimed that Antonio had a stab wound in his chest

In 2018, one year after the discovery was announced, scientists concluded from at least four independent analyses of DNA samples and other mummy materials that they were modified, pre-Columbian mummies.

But the claims have not stopped Maussan and other researchers in their tracks.

The latest discoveries are unlike the previous mummies Maussan has found.

Paloma and Antonio differ in facial features and size, along with wounds that were found on Antonio.

'He has a stab that broke his ribs on the left side of his chest, penetrating the chest, abdomen, liver and completely perforating him inside,' Dr Ruiz Vela said in a video.

He believes that Paloma lived for up to 60 years.

'This is the first time we've found a dried body with hair, hair with copper-colored characteristics,' said Dr Ruiz Vela.

Jois Mantilla a journalist who has become dedicated to proving the mummies are real said that 'more will be revealed in 2025' about the creatures, specifically the secret place for where the bodies have been recovered.

The mummies were recently analyzed by Dr David Ruiz Vela, former president of Peru's Medical Association, who determined that they have human-like organs with a visible brain structure

The location has been kept from the public to keep looters at bay, researchers have said.

Mantilla said that previously found mummies has four different types of DNA, including a human from Asia, two apeds from Africa and an unknown.

'That unknown DNA is probably what makes it have the characteristics of three fingers, he said.

'I have a theory that this DNA is the DNA of its creators. We humans do not have the technological capacity to combine DNA nor with all the money in the world can we manage to mix an ape, a chimpanzee with a human.'

Mantilla then claimed these creatures were created in a lab at least 1,800 years ago.

A recent imaging analysis on one of the humanoids named 'Maria' found it has biological similarities to that of a human - but with 'many morphological and anatomical structural differences.'

Experts believes that Paloma lived for up to 60 years. 'This is the first time we've found a dried body with hair, hair with copper-colored characteristics,' said Dr Ruiz Vela

Jois Mantilla a journalist who has become dedicated to proving the mummies are real said that 'more will be revealed in 2025' about the creatures, specifically the secret place for where the bodies have been recovered

The creature's bones were observed to flow smoothly under the mummified casing, in a way that is found throughout the human body, and its elongated skull showed no signs of artificial cranial deformation.

The team was also able to date the mummy to between 240AD and 383AD, 'indicating its coexistence with the ancient Nazca civilization,' they shared in the study.

The team conducted magnification examination, allowing them to peer inside and see that the mummy lacked hair and external ears - it only had openings of the ear canals.

'The most notable feature of the skull is its significant elongation, without external signs of cranial compression from external agents,' reads the study published in the Journal of Social and Environmental Management.

'Specifically, it is the cranial vault that shows an atypical growth and development, resembling a dolichocephalic phenotype.

Three-fingered ' alien mummies' uncovered in Peru have largely been dismissed as a hoax by the scientific community, but a new study has suggested otherwise. A 2023 study analyzed one of the mummies named Maria

The elongated skull showed no signs of artificial cranial deformation and was 30 percent larger than that of a normal human

'Additionally, the cranial volume is 30 percent larger than that of a normal human.'

Scans of the internal creature revealed it had bulging eyes and protruding upper and lower jaws.

Maussan turned Mexico's Congress into a circus when he brought two mummies to argue his case that they are not of this world.

He ushered in a team of researchers who performed a DNA analysis on the figures that showed 30 percent is 'not from any known species' and stated that the figures were 'authentic,' comprising a single skeleton.

The figures underwent carbon dating by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), which determined the bodies had three-fingered hands, no teeth and were more than 1,000 years old, Maussan claimed.

'These specimens are not part of our terrestrial evolution [...] These aren't beings that were found after a UFO wreckage,' Maussan said to Congress in September.

'They were found in diatom [algae] mines and were later fossilized.'

A 2023 analysis claimed the DNA of tiny corpses is not human but of an 'unknown species'

The nation's Congress was turned into a circus last year as controversial UFO enthusiast and journalist Jaime Maussan has held court several times to prove the mummified remains found in Peru are extraterrestrial life

He later added: 'Whether they are aliens or not, we don't know, but they were intelligent and they lived with us. They should rewrite history.'

'We are not alone in this vast universe; we should embrace this reality.'

Maussan brought a squad of medical experts who carried in a letter signed by 11 researchers from San Luis Gonzaga National University in Ica, Peru, declaring the same.

Anthropologist Roger Zuniga of San Luis Gonzaga National University in Ica Peru said Tuesday: 'There was absolutely no human intervention in the physical and biological formation of these beings.'

However, the letter made clear that the team was not implying the bodies were 'extraterrestrial' but did not answer where the remains originated.

Argentine surgeon Celestino Adolfo Piotto also took the stand, claiming he reviewed the results of testing done on the bodies and made the bizarre case that 'they were an evolved version of today's human beings, calling them 'our descendants.'

But ufologist Will Galison - a close friend of the archaeologist who first analyzed the supposed 'aliens' - said he believes the 'corpses' are dummies that are 1,000 years old.

Galison said they may have been made from animal remains a millennia ago, possibly for ritual purposes, with the heads bearing a 'remarkable similarity' to alpaca skulls.
Netflix fans have been left amazed by a revenge crime thriller and have confessed they can't stop re-watching it.

The show which has got viewers hooked is almost a decade old - but that hasn't stopped them returning to binge watch it.

Netflix subscribers have been hooked on Queen of the South, which premiered on the streaming giant eight years ago.

The five-series show follows Teresa Mendoza as she leads a huge drug cartel in Dallas Texas, after fleeing to the US following the murder of her drug dealer boyfriend in Mexico.

In a bid to avenge her former lover, Teresa slowly builds the country's largest drugs smuggling ring to bring down the leader of the drug trafficking ring who brutally shot her boyfriend and forced her to start her life over again in the States.

The show first came out in 2016 and the fifth season dropped in 2021.

Netflix fans have been left amazed by a revenge crime thriller and confess they can't stop re-watching it - despite it being almost a decade old

Netflix subscribers have been hooked on Queen of the South which premiered on the streaming giant eight years ago

The five-series show follows Teresa Mendoza as she leads a huge drug cartel in Dallas Texas , after fleeing to the US following the murder of her drug dealer boyfriend in Mexico

The series was an adaptation of the Spanish-language telenovela La Reina del Sur, which is based on the novel The Queen Of The South by Arturo Perez-Reverte.

Despite fan acclaim, the 2021 series was the last as it followed the downfall of the drug Queen-pin and the assassination of Teresa after she made it to the top of the drugs trade, only to be faced by new challenges, including being investigated by government forces and tracked by her enemies.

And fans of it have flocked to LADbible's Netflix Bangers Facebook page to encourage others to start the show.

One fan commented: 'Well, well, well Tell me more about this?' after someone posted a picture of Queen Of The South, while others rushed to share their thoughts on the show.

One commented: 'Watching this at the moment. On season three. It's a good watch.'

Another said: 'Watched this a long time ago, it's really good. It's defo a must watch that's for sure.'

A third revealed they had already seen it more than once and wanted to watch it again, writing: 'Amazing, watched it twice and probably would watch again. Fully enjoyed amazing ending, miss the characters lol.'

While a fourth quipped: 'Just finished rewatching it, I had forgotten how good it is. Absolutely brilliant.'

The series was an adaptation of the Spanish-language telenovela La Reina del Sur, which is based on the novel The Queen of the South by Arturo Perez-Reverte

The 2021 series was the last as it followed the downfall of the drug Queen-pin and the assassination of Teresa after she made it to the top of the drugs trade

Another fan praised the show, commenting underneath the picture: 'Rewatching. Who has watched it twice? I'm hooked again.'

The hyped series comes after Netflix fans have been gripped by another thriller which has taken over from fan -favourite Emily In Paris, Squid Games and Baby Reindeer, The Frog is said to be the next best thing.

The K-drama - which released last month - follows a mysterious woman who arrives as a guest in a remote countryside mansion, covered in blood.

Created by Mo Wan-il and Son Ho-young, the eight-part stars Kim Yun-seok and Yoon Kye-sang.

After the woman arrives in the eerie house, cracks appear in the tranquility of everyday life as the supernatural world starts to take over the house.

Some fans have already completed the series and claimed they didn't even feel the need to reach for their phone during the episodes.

Taking over fan-favourite Emily In Paris, Squid Games and Baby Reindeer, The Frog is said to be the next best thing (pictured)

Created by Mo Wan-il and Son Ho-young, the eight-part stars Kim Yun-seok and Yoon Kye-sang

Taking to X to share their reactions, viewers wrote: 'If you love thriller and just plain crazy villain, go watch the frog on Netflix. Acting directing editing and plot all are superbs',

'Just one line for The frog on Netflix - intense yet very, very subtle. Crisp storytelling, brilliant direction and performances and the aesthetic cinematography is a cherry on top. An absolute masterpiece',

'Yes its a masterpiece, chanyeol, go min si, actually everyone acted so well',

'I finally finished binge watching The Frog. I find the start quite slow, but eventually, I got hooked. In fairness to all the actors, they did an excellent job. Maybe Seong A has a psychological disorder, nut his father probably coddled her too much.'
Piers Morgan led the barrage of online critics slamming Saturday Night Live's studio audience for applauding the mention of Luigi Mangione, the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The ovation for Mangione, 26, who is slated to be arraigned Monday in connection with a state murder indictment in the fatal December 4 shooting of Thompson, 50, garnered a variety of responses from people put off by the support for the suspected shooter.

Weekend Update co-host Colin Jost, 42, during Saturday's segment appeared to be caught off-guard and slightly surprised as he looked out at the crowd following their applause of Mangione.

A confused and uncomfortable Jost, who hosts the staple segment with Michael Che, replied, 'Yeah ... definitely woo ... you're wooing for justice, right?'

Morgan, 59, said on X/Twitter of the segment: 'So disgusting and Colin Jost just smirks away as if its all one big giggle. Shameful moment for SNL.'

A reply to Morgan said that the audience's emotions were misguided in regards to the incident, condemning the course of actions prosecutors say Mangione took against the insurance executive.

A barrage of online critics slamming Saturday Night Live's studio audience for applauding Weekend Update co-host Colin Jost's mention of Luigi Mangione, 26, the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50

Jost, who appeared confused and uncomfortable by the reaction, caught flak from social media users for his stewardship of the segment

'If you believe health insurance companies are cheating (and they might be), you should direct your anger at the entire system that enables such behavior,' the user said. 'State insurance departments and federal agencies bear a greater share of the blame. You can't side with a cold blood murderer.'

Another said in a similar vein: 'Look we all dislike health insurance companies and how they operate but the guy shouldnt have done what he did.'

Some users said that the show's focus on politics in recent years has impacted the size and values of its audience.

'SNL has no one to blame but itself for being embarrassed by its live audience cheering Luigi Mangione's name,' said the user. 'The show has created a core audience that is ignorant, biased, extreme and unethical.

Another wrote, 'For the 12 people that attend SNL, and the 34 others who watch, shameful.'

One user called the ovation for Mangione 'beyond disturbing' and 'a sad reflection of where some people's morals are at when they applaud a murderer.

The user said of the NBC comedy staple: 'We need to seriously reconsider what we find entertaining.'

Not all people online were put off by the audience's reaction, saying it was reflective of the strong emotions associated with sentiments the healthcare industry has prioritized shareholder profits over human health in their business practices.

'The SNL crowd cheers for Luigi Mangione last night making the host so uncomfortable he said "youre cheering for justice right?"' one user said. 'What he doesnt understand is this is justice in a decaying capitalist empire.'

Morgan, 59, said on X/ Twitter of the segment: 'So disgusting and Colin Jost just smirks away as if its all one big giggle. Shameful moment for SNL'

Some said that the audience's emotions were misguided, condemning the course of actions prosecutors say Mangione took against the insurance executive

Some users said that the show's focus on politics in recent years has impacted the size and values of its audience

For the past few weeks, the nation's attention has been focused on the 'heartthrob' Ivy League grad Mangione, identified by police as who they believe who shot Thompson dead in New York City earlier this month.

Mangione was hit with another charge of murder as an act of terrorism last week as he was being transferred to a New York prison.

The accused killer, despite his charges, has been the apple of social media's eye as thousands of 'fans' have made edits, fan accounts and glorified Mangione, even dubbing him a 'hero.'

While the death penalty has been outlawed in New York for decades, the federal charges against Mangione could mean he's sent to death row, though prosecutors have not said whether they will seek the death penalty in the case.

News that Mangione could face the death penalty has only heightened fascination with the alleged killer, with people posting fan art that depicts him as a religious figure.

Many online are claiming Mangione is facing worse punishment that hardened criminals and school shooters, speculating that the government wants to make an example out of him and prevent some sort of revolt against corporate America.

One X post read: 'They wanna give Luigi Mangione the death penalty. That's the only reason they making him face federal charges.

Not all people online were put off by the audience's reaction, saying it was reflective of the strong emotions associated with sentiments the healthcare industry has prioritized shareholder profits over human health in their business practices

Jost side-eyed the crowd when the mere mention of Mangione's name spurred cheers

Mangione, 26, who is slated to be arraigned Monday in connection with a state murder indictment in the fatal December 4 shooting of Thompson, 50, pictured in NYC December 19

'They literally wanna kill him for daring to threaten capitalism and corporate greed. They dont even do this to school shooters.'

Mangione, of Towson, Maryland, was arrested on December 9 when police were called to a McDonalds restaurant on a commercial strip in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after he was reported to match the description of Thompsons killer.

Thompson was gunned down on the street as he walked to the hotel where his Minnesota-based company was holding an investor conference.

The shooting was captured on security video, but the suspect eluded police before Mangione was captured about 277 miles west of New York.

Authorities say Mangione was carrying the gun used to kill Thompson, a passport, a fake ID and about $10,000 in U.S. and foreign currency.
An Antiques Roadshow guest was left in complete shock after learning the eye-watering value of a 'one-off' brooch.

In an episode of the hit BBC show show from last month, expert Joanna Hardy met with a mother and daughter.

The pair had taken their prized possession to Beaumaris Castle in north Wales to show it to the valuers and see what secrets they could uncover.

And the BBC expert was amazed by the small brooch and knew it was special from the start.

Joanna was sure it was from renowned French jewellers Van Cleef and Arpels, famous for the clover shaped necklaces and bracelets loved by celebrities - but wasn't completely sure.

And Joanna shared her surprise at seeing the stunning item, and kept asking if it was real.

An Antiques Roadshow guest was left in complete shock after learning the value of a one-off brooch during an episode last month presented from Beaumaris Castle in north Wales

BBC expert Joanna Hardy was amazed by the small brooch and knew it was special from the start

Joanna was sure it was from renowned French jewellers Van Cleef and Arpels but wasn't completely sure.

She said:'It can't be true, is it true? This is made with turquoise, rubies, 18 carat gold and diamonds. It's a fabulous jewel.

'It has all the properties, all the wonderful skills of a company called Van Cleef And Arpels.

She went on to add that this particular brooch was quite rare and one of a only a few ever made.

She said: 'They made ballerina brooches from the 1940s but not that many.

'I cannot find the signature of Van Cleef and Arpels. I want to find one, I can assure you.

'If it is right, it is tens and tens of thousands of pounds.'

The surprised daughter quietly exclaimed 'Gosh' but her mother didn't believe they could be the proud owners of such a valuable item.

After the episode aired, the BBC expert contacted an archivist in Paris and took the brooch with her for further inspection.

Joanna revealed the brooch could be worth tens of thousands of poounds but the mother and daughter duo weren't convinced

The valuer explained this particular brooch was a rare ballerina brooch and one of a only a few ever made in the 1940s

Van Cleef and Arpels is famous for the clover shaped necklaces and bracelets loved by celebrities (pictured)

She then invited the brooch's owners to delve further into the truth behind the piece of jewellery.

Joanna explained: 'This lovely ballerina has been on quite a journey since I last saw you.

'As you know, I went to Paris with this tucked in my handbag. I met Catherine Cariou who was the former heritage director for Van Cleef and Arpels for 20 years.

'She is the woman that knows nearly everything and I sort of leant forward and she said: "It's better than the image you sent me." That's a good start.

'Then she picked it up and she turned it around and she looked with her eye glass and she just kept looking.

And then Joanna shared even more exciting details, adding: 'She said to me, "It's the right weight, it's the right size, it's the right quality", and she said there was a workshop in Cannes called Lucien Billie.

'Lucien Billie was the workshop that made these turquoise ballerina brooches for Van Cleef.'

Which meant the mother and daughter duo were indeed the owners of a Van Cleef ballerina brooch.

The BBC expert later took the brooch to a Van Cleef archivist after the show to find out more and was told it was likely an original and therefore very special

Despite not having any records in the archive, Joanna revealed that the stunning piece could fetch between 40,000 and 50,000 at auction

But this one was slightly different to the normal ones sold.

The BBC valuer explained that the workshops were occasionally granted permission to make special occasion items but were not allowed to sell them on.

Joanna concluded that Lucien Billie must have made the sparkling brooch for his wife or possible as a wedding gift for his daughter.

But the mother was still unconvinced and asked if it really was genuine.

Joanna explained: 'It is not a Van Cleef and Arpels brooch, because it is not signed and it hasn't got its number.

'But it has been made by the same workshop that made those brooches for Van Cleef and Arpels.'

Joanna further explained how unique this brooch truly was and it was that that had drawn her to it at Beaumaris Castle previously.

She added: 'I dont think he would have been allowed to make more than one and it would have had to have been a very special occasion.'

But the expert couldn't elaborate further because there were no records of the brooch in the workshop archives, leaving a 20-year gap in the piece of jewellery's history.

Despite that, Joanna revealed that the stunning piece could fetch between 40,000 and 50,000.

And the daughter couldn't believe the enormous sum, gasping: 'Good heavens. Wow. I mean, thats a real shock'.
Married At First Sight's much anticipated twelfth season is set to feature it's wildest cast to date when it premieres next month.

Daily Mail Australia has obtained a teaser introducing Jamie Marinos, a bride who is already being hailed as the most unfiltered participant in the show's history.

In the wild promo, Jamie makes it clear she's unapologetically herself, rattling off her 'red flag list' with the bluntness and humour that promises to make her a fan favourite, or a lightning rod for controversy.

'I want a husband that's a cross between David Beckham and someone who's done 20 to life,' she declares.

She then calls out men who take more selfies than she does and those who drive hatchbacks, adding, 'I want a husband I'm as happy to see as I would be coconut water. Like, I love coconut water.'

Jamie also comments on Pilates, raves, and even her Greek heritage delivered in rapid-fire fashion.

Married At First Sight's much anticipated twelfth season is set to feature it's wildest cast to date when it premieres next month. Daily Mail Australia has obtained a teaser introducing Jamie Marinos, a bride who is already being hailed as the most unfiltered participant in the show's history

In the wild promo, Jamie makes it clear she's unapologetically herself, rattling off her 'red flag list' with the bluntness and humour that promises to make her a fan favourite, or a lightning rod for controversy

At one point, she cheekily announces, 'Oh, babe, the nose isn't just for show. We are Greek as f*!'**

But Jamie's exuberance doesn't stop at her personalityit extends to her approach to love.

'I freaking love love, like, coming out of my a** right now,' she blurts out in the trailer.

Sources tell Daily Mail Australia that Jamie is 'the life of the party' and a 'Queen of drama'.

Described as 'loud, fun, and probably one of the most outrageous people you will meet,' Jamie has no problem stepping on toes.

The Melbourne-based influencer is a digital marketing account manager.

Fiercely loyal to her inner circle, Jamie isn't one to shy away from confrontation, especially if she feels disrespected.

Her fiery energy is already a hit with producers, who have praised her for creating must-watch TV moments.

'I want a husband that's a cross between David Beckham and someone who's done 20 to life,' she declares, setting the tone for what could be one of the most memorable MAFS journeys yet

Fans are then treated to a glimpse of three possible suitors, none of which look like David Beckham

Insiders predict her unfiltered honesty and refusal to back down will make her the star of the dinner parties

Insiders predict her unfiltered honesty and refusal to back down will make her the star of the dinner parties.

It's safe to say viewers are in for an explosive season when the hit reality series returns next month, if the first trailer is anything to go by.

Packed with heart-stopping drama, touching moments, and a 'world-first' twist, next year's series promises to deliver both romance and scandal in equal measure.

Hopes are initially high, as one bride boldly declares, 'I'm here because I want a bloody Cam and Jules kind of love,' referring to one of the experiment's rare success stories.

But not all brides share the same vision of happily ever after.

Another bride raises eyebrows with her controversial statement: 'My role is to serve my husband. I want to serve them in every possible way.'

The trailer takes a dramatic turn when a groom attempts a romantic dip during the first dance, only to accidentally drop his bride in front of stunned guests.

As the screen cuts to black, an outraged guest is heard yelling, 'He just ruined everything!'

Married At First Sight returns to screens January 27 on Channel Nine.
RuPaul's Drag Race star Tayce Szura-Radix has revealed she's received online abuse following her 'controversial' appearance in the line-up of Strictly's upcoming Christmas special.

The Welsh performer, 30, has made history as the BBC show's first ever drag queen contestant and will strut her stuff alongside pro partner Kai Widdrington, 29.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline a defiant Tayce said the backlash had only spurred her on and quipped many haters were simply jealous of her being 'too hot'.

I've seen hate, I've seen it's controversial, it's provocative but that's all the things that I am I wouldn't change that for the world,'

'I think there was a lot of backlash from people being like "oh, it's the man or they're taking up a woman's space" and things like that. I think some people honestly just have a bit of a complex because I look hot and they can't take it. Its true.

She went on: 'If you're a bit angry and offended, I'm probably doing something right. At the end of the day, I was raised with good loving parents. And they always said, as long as you're not hurting anybody and doing what you love theres nothing more I can ask for'.

'Im a good person. I'm respectful. I might look a certain way. If you can't handle that, that's your problem. And any hate that I get online. There's going to hate and more. So bring it on. Its going to make me dance harder'.

RuPaul's Drag Race star Tayce has revealed she's received online abuse following her 'controversial' appearance in the line-up of Strictly's upcoming Christmas special

The Welsh performer, 30, has made history as the BBC show's first ever drag queen contestent and will strut her stuff alongside pro partner Kai Widdrington, 29

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline a defiant Tayce said the backlash had only spurred her on and quipped many haters were simply jealous of her being 'too hot'

Asked how she felt to be Strictly's first drag contestant Tayce said: 'It feels correct, pushing boundaries, pushing the envelope baby'.

'I'm here to make it clear. I think there's gonna be a lot of pressure on me with that as well. But I like pressure, it makes you work harder'.

Meanwhile partner Kai added: Dancing is about dancing. It's not male female or whatever they choose to be. It doesn't bother me. Tayce will tell you that we get on like a house on fire.

Before adding: 'I think it's fantastic that Tayce is the flag bearer for the drag community.

The couple will be performing a Cha Cha Cha to the Kylie and Danni Minogue hit 100 Dregrees, going head to head with comedian Josh Widdicombe, actress Tamzin Outhwaite, Irish presenter Vogue Williams, Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, and F1 driver Billy Monger.

Funnyman Josh, 41 is dressing as a penguin to dance a Charleston to Let It Snow with professional Karen Hauer, 42.

He told The Mail on Sunday: 'There's a lot of joy. We're penguins, there's a skateboard and a slide, there's a fish in my mouth. It's quite a thoughtful piece and if you look deep it's about the state of the world in 2024.'

Speaking ahead of the prerecord, the television personality fears that there could be some mishaps during his comical routine.

He said: 'It's not going to be easy because you think of the worst thing that could happen, like hitting Karen while flying through the air on national television on Christmas Day.

She said: 'I think there was a lot of backlash from people being like "oh, it's the man or they're taking up a woman's space" and things like that. I think some people honestly just have a bit of a complex'

Asked how she felt to be Strictly's first drag contestant Tayce said: 'It feels correct, pushing boundaries, pushing the envelope baby

Meanwhile partner Kai added: Dancing is about dancing. It's not male female or whatever they choose to be. It doesn't bother me. Tayce will tell you that we get on like a house on fire

'Or falling on your a***. Then you've got to overcome those fears. It wasn't easy. Anyone who says it's easy isn't really considering everything that could go wrong physically.'

The Last Leg presenter said that he was taking part in the dance competition because his seven-year-old daughter Pearl is a big fan and they will watch it as a family.

He also said he introduced her to Karen, he said: 'She was so thrilled. She wouldn't stop talking about her. She's written her a Christmas card with four dogs on it because Karen's got 4 dogs.'

Jish also paid tribute to comedian Chris McCausland who won the series earlier this month.

He said: 'What a guy, what an incredible human. Let's not patronise him by saying he's heroic, he's a really good dancer and that shouldn't be lost underneath the fact he's doing something amazing because he's blind.

'He's genuinely got great dancing skills. That shouldn't be lost.'

He revealed that Chis was not convinced he would do well on the BBC flagship dance show.

The comic said: 'I haven't seen Chris in the flesh since he came on Last Leg in Paris back in August.

'He'd only just started the pre-training, he was like, ''oh God, I'm going to go out in week one, I'm going to be s***''. I thought yep, but he looks like a different shape now.

Josh Widdicombe has revealed he's transforming into a penguin to compete in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, with the comic set to take to the floor with pro Karen Hauer

The Last Leg presenter said that he was taking part in the dance competition because his seven-year-old daughter Pearl is a big fan and they will watch it as a family

He also paid tribute to comedian Chris McCausland, who won the series earlier this month (pictured with his professional partner Dianne Buswell)

'The amount of exercise this is, it's insane so we've not been training every day, we've been training once or twice a week for a month, but this is the fittest I've ever been and I'm heartbroken that it's going to be followed by Christmas because all the hard work is going to be undone instantly.'

Asked whether he would like to return to compete on the main show, he ruled himself out as he will be on his nationwide stand-up tour.

He added: 'If the tour sells well enough then I won't be able to do the year after as well but if it doesn't then I'll go on Strictly to try and sell another tour.'

The special, hosted by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, airs on Christmas Day at 3:55pm.
Justin Baldoni reportedly 'cried' over Blake Lively's appearance early into production on It Ends With Us, the actress alleged in her sexual harassment complaint against the film's director and costar.

In papers obtained by The New York Times, Lively, 37, accused the former Jane The Virgin star, 40, of entering her trailer while she was nude, and letting his 'friends' watch her film sex scenes, along with other activities, creating a 'hostile work environment.'

Lively  who is married to actor Ryan Reynolds  had given birth to her fourth child a few months before filming began in May 2023, and she alleged that Baldoni treated her as a 'sex object' while being overly concerned with her weight.

'On the second day of filming, for example, Mr. Baldoni made the rest of the cast and crew wait for hours while he cried in Ms. Lively's dressing room, claiming social media commentators were saying that Ms. Lively looked old and unattractive based on paparazzi photos from the set,' the filing alleges.

Lively claimed she tried to reassure the director 'that she should look authentic in the scenes depicted in the photos, which were just after her character had been abused by her fictional husband, rather than "hot."'

The leading lady claimed Baldoni continually focused on her physical appearance and 'routinely degraded' her by finding 'back channel ways of criticizing her body and weight.'

Blake Lively's director and costar Justin Baldoni reportedly 'cried' over her appearance early into production on It Ends With Us, the actress alleged in her sexual harassment complaint against the film's director and costar; both are pictured in August in NYC

The filing alleges that Baldoni secretly contacted Lively's fitness trainer, implying he wanted her to 'lose weight in two weeks,' and claiming he was worried about having to pick her up for an upcoming scene, even though no such scene was in the script.

Lively claimed when she came down with strep throat, he offered to connect her with 'an expert he had on retainer to help her with probiotics and to combat the sickness,' as a gift.

However, when she was filling out the privacy forms, Lively learned the 'expert' was a 'weight loss specialist.'

In another incident, Lively, who was nursing her son at the time, wore a low-cut dress to facilitate breast feeding.

She asserted that the director 'commented about how much he liked her outfit' and later asked her to remove her coat in front of 'the crew and multiple background actors in a packed bar.'

Lively claimed Baldoni asked her to remove the coat because he wanted to 'see her "onesie" under the coat because it was zipped low to reveal her lace bra.'

She added that he allegedly told her, 'I think you look sexy,' which Lively said made her feel 'ogled and exposed.

Another woman who had witnessed the incident allegedly comforted Lively and shared her own experiences of the director making sexual comments about her.

Lively's suit claims the director 'cried' over her appearance after photos from the set were published, claiming Blakely did not look 'hot.' The actress said she should look 'authentic' in the snaps, as her character 'had been abused by her fictional husband'

Lively gave birth months before production began in May 2023 and claimed Baldoni 'routinely degraded' her by finding 'back channel ways of criticizing her body and weight,' including contacting her personal trainer without her permission (Pictured in London In August)

The actress said she was not the only target of Baldoni's inappropriate remarks, and several women on the set had come forward complaining of his behavior (Pictured in Beverly Hills December 4)

Lively claimed when she developed strep throat, Baldoni offered to connect her with 'an expert he had on retainer to help her with probiotics and to combat the sickness' as a gift. However, she allegedly learned the 'expert' was a 'weight loss specialist'; still from It Ends With Us

Lively said she and her infant son were exposed to and contracted Covid after an outbreak on the set. She claimed Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios producing partner Jamey Heath and purposely did not tell her about the outbreak (Pictured in New York City in October)

Baldoni was accused of making another woman on set feel uncomfortable by telling her the leather pants she was wearing looked 'sexy.'

The suit claimed Baldoni refused to apologize when the woman pushed back, and he instead replied, 'I can say that because my wife is here today.'

When another actress made a complaint early in the production regarding Baldoni's comments about her, he acknowledged her concerns in writing, stating he would 'adjust accordingly,"' the lawsuit alleges.

Lively said that on June 8, 2023, the same actress told her that 'outside I actually cannot talk to Justin at all.'

The suit claimed Baldoni became suspicious of the two women's friendship and thought they might be 'colluding against him.'

In addition being subjected to unwanted comments about her body, Lively said she and her infant son were exposed to and contracted Covid-19 after an outbreak on the set.

She claimed Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios producing partner, Jamey Heath, failed to follow Covid protocols when there was an outbreak on set, and she alleged that they deliberately did not tell her about it.

Lively said she was told by another producer that the production company did not have insurance coverage for Covid-19 outbreaks.

Baldoni and his team have denied the allegations.
A number of A-list celebrities were mentioned in the lawsuit Blake Lively filed against Justin Baldoni.

When Lively, 37, sued her It Ends With Us co-star and director, 40, and he filed a response, several notable A-listers were referenced in the court documents.

The lawsuit was filed by Lively on Friday, and in the filing, she accused him of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment as well as launching a smear campaign with the intent to 'destroy' her reputation.

Some of the names mentioned in her filing included her husband Ryan Reynolds and Justin Bieber's wife Hailey Bieber.

The lawsuit also referenced Lively's close friend Taylor Swift as well as her former colleagues Leighton Meester, Anna Kendrick and Ben Affleck.

A 'scenario planning' document, which Lively attached to the complaint, revealed the alleged PR plan from Baldoni's side with mentions of all the aforementioned names.

In the court documents, the leaked plan from Baldoni's crisis management team reportedly revealed the intention to target Lively in a calculated smear campaign.

A number of A-list celebrities were mentioned in the lawsuit Blake Lively filed against Justin Baldoni; pictured January on set of It Ends With Us in New Jersey

When Lively, 37, sued her It Ends With Us co-star and director, 40, and he filed a response, several notable A-listers were referenced in the court documents. The lawsuit was filed by Lively on Friday, and in the filing, she accused him of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment as well as launching a smear campaign with the intent to 'destroy' her reputation

Lively's previous working relationships with Meester, Kendrick and Affleck were also points of interest for Baldoni's crisis management team. The documents suggest that Baldoni's team was throwing out the idea of encouraging journalists to scrutinize Lively's past working relationships with the three aforementioned actors; pictured July 2009 in New York City

Leighton Meester

Lively's previous working relationships with Meester, Kendrick and Affleck were also points of interest for Baldoni's crisis management team.

Lively previously worked with Meester on Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012.

In the filing, Baldoni's team allegedly started planning as they anticipated the hypothetical scenario that 'Blake subtly hints at her "experience" [working on set with Baldoni on It Ends With Us] in post-premiere coverage, either in an op-ed, interview or otherwise.'

The documents suggest that Baldoni's team was throwing out the idea of encouraging journalists to scrutinize Lively's past working relationships with the three aforementioned actors.

'These pieces will lively come out following any potential hit piece and/or coverage from the premiere,' the document reads.

Lively previously worked with Meester on Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012. When they were working together, Lively and Meester were rumored to have clashed due to their different personalities. Although the two actresses have never spoken in length about their relationship on and off the set, their former colleagues denied speculation of a feud between any of the cast members; pictured March 2008

'Our recommended approach would be to provide reporters who reach out for comment, should it be obvious she's referring to you, with the appropriate background information (listed in Scenario 1) to ensure their stories are balanced and the speculation can be turned to another one of the many people she's had issues working with (Leighton Meester, Anna Kendrick, Ben Affleck, etc.).'

When they were working on Gossip Girl together, Lively and Meester were rumored to have clashed due to their different personalities.

Although the two actresses have never spoken in length about their relationship on and off the set, their former colleagues  executive producer Joshua Safran and fellow actress Michelle Trachtenberg, in particular, in a 2017 interview with Vanity Fair  denied speculation of a feud between any of the cast members.

Lively worked with Kendrick on the 2018 crime-thriller film A Simple Favor. As for Lively and Kendrick's working relationship, the latter actress seemed to suggest they were on good terms when she previously spoke about how they reunited for a sequel earlier this year; pictured April 2018 in Las Vegas

During the press tour, they were rumored to have a tense relationship as fans believed their interviews were awkward. Kendrick said that because they live on different coasts, they just 'don't get to see each other often; pictured in 2018 movie still

Anna Kendrick

Lively worked with Kendrick on the 2018 crime-thriller film A Simple Favor.

During the press tour, they were rumored to have a tense relationship as fans believed their interviews were awkward.

As for Lively and Kendrick's working relationship, the latter actress seemed to suggest they were on good terms when she previously spoke about how they reunited for a sequel earlier this year.

Kendrick said that because they live on different coasts, they just 'don't get to see each other often.'

However, she said it was 'lovely' reuniting and 'so fun to just get the gang back together' before adding that it 'does feel a little bit like riding a bike' in an October interview with People.

Lively worked with Affleck in their 2010 action-thriller movie The Town; pictured March 2023 in Austin

After working with Lively on The Town, Affleck also spoke highly of his experience during their press tour; pictured September 2010 in Boston

In regards to filming their sex scene, he praised the actress and said she was 'very poised and comfortable about it  more mature than some of the crew members.' He also previously spoke about being impressed with her hard-working nature and how she 'brought a sense of complexity and nuance to the character that I felt was really important'; pictured in 2010 movie still

Ben Affleck

Lively worked with Affleck in their 2010 action-thriller movie The Town, which was also directed by him.

After working with Lively on The Town, Affleck also spoke highly of his experience during their press tour.

In regards to filming their sex scene, he praised the actress and said she was 'very poised and comfortable about it  more mature than some of the crew members.'

Affleck recalled taking Lively around his hometown of Boston during filming, and said that Lively was shocked to learn that he was friends with Matt Damon.

He also previously spoke about being impressed with her hard-working nature and how she 'brought a sense of complexity and nuance to the character that I felt was really important,' in her cover profile in Interview Magazine in 2010.

Lively's longtime pal Swift was also referenced within the court documents. Exhibits attached to the complaint showed an email, which mentioned Swift, that a crisis management expert working for Baldoni sent on August 6; pictured August in London

In preparation for a hypothetical scenario of how viral an issue could become if raised by Lively, just based on her friendship with the superstar, a separate 'scenario planning' document showed how they allegedly intended to 'plant stories' against Lively and Swift

Taylor Swift

Lively's longtime pal Swift was also referenced within the court documents.

Exhibits attached to the complaint showed an email, which mentioned Swift, that a crisis management expert working for Baldoni sent on August 6.

According to the email, it appeared Baldoni's team was concerned about the overlap of Lively's supporters and Swift's fanbase.

In preparation for a hypothetical scenario of how viral an issue could become if raised by Lively, just based on her friendship with the superstar, a separate 'scenario planning' document showed how they allegedly intended to 'plant stories' against Lively and Swift.

The aforementioned email read: 'We have seen the most innocuous issues turn giant due to socials or the hugest crises have no effect on social whatsoever. You just cannot tell at this stage. But BL does have some of the same TS fanbase so we will be taking it extremely seriously.

Another exhibit, a separate 'scenario planning' document from Baldoni's side, noted: 'Our team can also explore planting stories about the weaponization of feminism and how people like Taylor Swift, have been accused of utilizing these tactics to "bully" into getting what they want."

Another exhibit referenced Hailey Bieber as Baldoni had texted his team using the model as an example of how they could tarnish Lively's reputation; pictured December at Guest In Residence store in Los Angeles

Per the text exchange in the exhibit, Baldoni sent a screenshot of an X thread that about 'Hailey Bieber's history of bullying women,' and he wrote to his team: 'This is what we would need'; pictured December 2023 in Los Angeles

Hailey Bieber

Another exhibit referenced Hailey Bieber as Baldoni had texted his team using the model as an example of how they could tarnish Lively's reputation.

He referenced the post on X, formerly Twitter, as an example of an 'astroturfing' plan against Lively.

Astroturfing is 'the practice of publishing opinions or comments on the internet, in the media, that appear to come from ordinary members of the public but actually come from a particular company or political group.'

Per the text exchange in the exhibit, Baldoni sent a screenshot of an X thread that about 'Hailey Bieber's history of bullying women,' and he wrote to his team: 'This is what we would need.'

Another exhibit showed text exchanges between Baldoni and his team about Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, in May 2024. In the texts, Baldoni was telling his team that Reynolds had allegedly blocked him on social media as well as his production company Wayfarer Studios on Instagram; pictured August in New York City

He appeared to be telling his team to be prepared in case Lively would do the same and the public would learn of their on-set tension and alleged issues with each other

Ryan Reynolds

Another exhibit showed text exchanges between Baldoni and his team about Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, in May 2024.

In the texts, Baldoni was telling his team that Reynolds had allegedly blocked him on social media as well as his production company Wayfarer Studios on Instagram.

He appeared to be telling his team to be prepared in case Lively would do the same and the public would learn of their on-set tension and alleged issues with each other.

'We should have a plan for IF she does the same when [the] movie comes out,' Baldoni texted his publicist, according to Lively's complaint.

'Just want you guys to have a plan. Plans make me feel more at ease.'
Vehicles make their way through construction and coned off lanes toward the temporary passenger pickup area for Terminal E at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Houston. The airport is undergoing the second of its three-phase, $1.458 billion capital improvement program for the international terminal scheduled to be completed in 2025. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

New protections for handling passengers wheelchairs during air travel were issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation last week.

Airlines operating in the U.S. must meet new standards for accommodating passengers with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs, according to a news release. The rule is supposed to provide better and safer assistance for passengers with wheelchairs, combat wheelchair or scooter damage, and enact proper actions for passengers when a wheelchair is delayed during transport.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Peter Buttigieg said the rule will hold airlines accountable if they do not provide fair treatment to passengers with disabilities.

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"Were establishing a new standard for air travelwith clear and thorough guidelines for airlines to ensure that passengers using wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity," he said in a statement.

DATABASE: How Houston airports compare for flight delays and cancellations

Heres what to know about the new rule issued by the transportation officials.

Why were the new travel protections for people with disabilities proposed?

Earlier this year, passengers faced issues with wheelchairs being damaged, or their delivery delayed, during flight travel.

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Transportation officials found for every 100 wheelchairs or scooters taken on domestic flights, at least one was damaged, delayed or lost, according to the news release. One in 10 people with a disability don't fly due to fear or bodily harm, damage to their wheelchair or aircraft inaccessibility, the release said.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Buttigieg heard stories from people with disabilities whose lives were affected by unsafe assistance and mishandling of their mobility devices during air travel in 2023, according to the release. The administration proposed the new standards in February, which included penalties to the airlines if the wheelchairs were mishandled.

The new rule will take effect on Jan. 16, 2025.

Mandated training and safety measures for assisting people with disabilities

Airline employees and contractors who physically assist passengers with mobility disabilities, or handle their wheelchairs or scooters, are required to complete an annual training, including hands-on training, according to the release. The employees and contractors must demonstrate what they have learned through assessments or certification exams.

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They need to receive training by June 17, 2026.

The airlines are required to provide safe and dignified assistance to disabled travelers without heightening the risk of injuries, according to the release.

Airline staff handling wheelchairs or scooters

The airlines must return checked wheelchairs and other assistive devices to the passengers in the same condition the devices were received. The passengers must be notified if their wheelchairs or scooters couldnt fit on the flight due to size or weight and were unloaded from the cargo compartment of the plane.

If the checked wheelchairs or scooters were mishandled in the care of the airlines, the staff must notify the passengers in writing and provide information for filing a claim.

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Employees and contractors will need to enplane, deplane and provide assistance quickly to disabled passengers, including moving them through the airport terminal. Any wheelchairs or scooters will need to be taken to the passengers destination within 24 hours of the arrival time for domestic flights, 12 hours or less for short international flights and within 30 hours for long international flights, according to the release. However, the wheelchairs or scooters must be transported safely.

The airlines are also required to provide loaner wheelchairs and scooters for people with disabilities who are waiting on returns, repairs or replacements for mishandling of their devices, according to the release. The loaner must fit the personal needs of the passenger. If not, the airline is required to find an alternative and provide a reimbursement for the cost of the loaner.

AIR TRAVEL NEWS: Frontier Airlines' GoWild Pass offers year of unlimited flights for $299

Penalties for mishandling wheelchairs or scooters

Passengers must have time to inspect their wheelchairs or scooters for any damage.

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If the passengers checked wheelchair and other assistive devices are not returned in the same condition while in the airlines care, the airline would violate the Air Carrier Access Act, which prohibits discrimination based on disability in air travel, according to the transportation department.

How can passengers file a complaint if a wheelchair or scooter was mishandled?

The airlines must provide contact information for the Complaint Resolution Official so passengers can file a claim with the airline. The passengers have options, including airlines quickly repairing or replacing the device and paying the costs, or the passenger arranging for the repair or replacement through a preferred vendor with the airline paying the vendor.

The airline must provide a status on the passengers delayed wheelchairs or scooters.

On-flight accommodations and updates

If a passengers wheelchair or scooter doesnt load onto their scheduled flights, the airlines must offer to rebook passengers on the next available flights of the same carrier or their partners with no additional costs, according to the release. The airlines must offer a free rebooking of the next available flight of the same carrier or a partner carrier if the wheelchair or scooter doesnt fit on the plane.

The airlines are required to have safe and adequate seating accommodations for disabled travelers when theyre waiting in the airport for a delayed personal wheelchair or scooter, or a loaner after the devices were mishandled and cant be quickly returned, according to the release.

The new rule also highlights improving the performance standards for onboard wheelchairs on a twin-aisle aircraft and purchasing onboard wheelchairs for aircraft with more than 60 seats. The seat updates must be met by Oct. 2, 2031.

Finding information on the airlines website
Hugh Jackman's two children reportedly feel guilty for welcoming his rumoured new girlfriend, Sutton Foster, into their family.

One year after the actor's split from his wife of 27 years, Deborra-Lee Furness, the couple's kids Oscar, 24, and Ava, 19, are adjusting to splitting time between their famous Australian parents.

They are also struggling to come to terms with how to interact with their father's new flame.

'It's been hard for the kids, having to welcome Sutton into their father's world with their own mixed feelings about it, while at the same time feeling guilty if they get too close,' a source told Woman's Day.

'It's all getting a bit messy but Hugh's hoping time heals all wounds so if they can get through this holiday season without any big blow-ups, they'll be in smoother waters coming into the new year.'

Hugh, 56, is currently in Australia spending the holidays with his son Oscar and daughter Ava. It is unclear if their mother Deb is also returning Down Under for Christmas.

Hugh Jackman's two children, Oscar and Ava, are reportedly feeling guilty for welcoming his rumoured new girlfriend, Sutton Foster, into their family one year after the actor's split from Deborra-Lee Furness. Pictured: Hugh with his son and daughter in Sydney

The trio - who live in New York - are likely staying at his stunning $12million North Bondi penthouse.

While Hugh is enjoying an Aussie Christmas with his kids, Sutton is back in Los Angeles performing in the stage production of Once Upon A Mattress.

Hugh and Sutton's romance has reportedly continued to flourish away from the spotlight, with the pair reaching a heartwarming family milestone with Sutton's adopted daughter, seven.

'Hugh has met Sutton's daughter Emily - she even calls him 'Uncle Hugh'!' a source told New Idea this week.

However, Hugh's ex-wife, Deb, is said to have been 'seething with rage' over the pair's rumoured new romance.

Hugh and Deb, 69, confirmed their separation after almost three decades together in September 2023, and he is now said to be dating Broadway star Sutton, 49.

It has been claimed that Deb was enraged at being 'the last to know' about the relationship.

According to Radaronline, Deb was especially unimpressed with Hugh's close friend Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively, who both allegedly 'kept quiet' about the rumoured romance.

Oscar, 24, and Ava, 19, are adjusting to splitting time between their famous Australian parents and getting used to having Sutton around, who also has a seven-year-old daughter

Hugh and Deb, 69, confirmed their separation after almost three decades together in September 2023, and he is now said to be dating Broadway star Sutton, 49

'They kept their lips sealed out of loyalty to Hugh,' a source told the publication.

'Now she is seething with rage over being the last to know, Deb feels blindsided. She has a memory like a steel trap and isn't afraid to use it.

'Debs feels cheated by all three because someone could have told her what was happening and they all chose to keep their mouths shut,' they added.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Deb and Ryan's representatives for comment.

Hugh and Sutton took on the roles of Harold Hill and Marian Paroo in The Music Man, which ran from February 2022 to January 2023 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Manhattan.

The pair have attended public events together, stepping out at the opening night of their show The Music Man on Broadway in February 2022.

In September 2023, Hugh shocked fans when he filed for divorce from Deb.

'We have been blessed to share almost three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage,' the couple said in a joint statement.

An insider said Hugh and Sutton are determined to make their relationship work and are keeping things low-key at the moment. Pictured together in 2022

'Our journey now is shifting, and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.'

Meanwhile, Sutton filed for divorce from husband Ted Griffin in October.

The Tony-winning Broadway star and the Ocean's Eleven screenwriter, 53, split after 10 years of marriage, according to Page Six.

The Younger actress filed for uncontested divorce in New York County Supreme Court.
Rachel Riley proved the last-minute Christmas shopping can be a struggle especially with children as she shared a hilarious new video to Instagram on Sunday.

The Countdown star, 38, shares two daughters Maven, five, and Noa, three, with Strictly star husband Pasha Kovalev, 44.

And Rachel showed she can do it all as her youngest daughter Noa peacefully slept in a shopping trolley as she stocked it with festive food in Marks & Spencer.

The TV star was seen dashing around the supermarket picking up 65p brussel sprouts and bottles of wine fitting them in the trolley around her little girl.

Rachel laughed as she piled the items onto the checkout while Noa continued to sleep in the trolley.

The mathematician wore a colourful pink striped jumper with a pair of skinny jeans and boots and rocked a number of blue star stickers on her forehead.

Rachel Riley proved the last-minute Christmas shopping can be a struggle especially with children as she shared a hilarious new video to Instagram on Sunday

The Countdown star, 38, proved she can do it all as her youngest daughter Noa peacefully slept in a shopping trolley as she stocked it with festive food in Marks & Spencer

She wrote: '4 more sleeps until it's Christmas. Our mistake was not specifying where and when', as Leona Lewis' Christmas hit One More Sleep played over the top.

Rachel added: 'If only we could do this as adults'

Rachel first met Pasha when they were partnered on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013, going official with their romance the following year.

She ended her 16-month marriage to ex-husband James Gilbert weeks after she was eliminated from series, with the split cited as another example of the 'Strictly curse'.

The former couple had been together since they met when they were both studying at the University of Oxford.

Rachel and Pacha tied the knot in secret in Las Vegas in 2019 they went on to welcome Maven in December 2019 and their second daughter Noa in November 2021.

Rachel has recently detailed how difficult it can be to spend quality time with her husband due to their busy schedules.

Speaking to The Sun, she revealed it can be challenging for the couple to find alone time as they both juggle work and parenthood.

The TV star was seen dashing around the supermarket picking up 65p brussel sprouts and bottles of wine fitting them in the trolley around her little girl

Rachel was seen laughing as she piled the items onto the checkout while Noa continued to sleep in the trolley

She wrote: '4 more sleeps until it's Christmas. Our mistake was not specifying where and when', as Leona Lewis' Christmas hit One More Sleep played over the top

Rachel shares two daughters Maven, five, and Noa, three, with Strictly star husband Pasha Kovalev, 44

Rachel said date nights can be rare for the couple but the TV personality also admitted she wouldn't change a thing, and she enjoys in fact this phase of parenthood.

'When you first get together, if they're away for three months and you've only been together a month, it's a big deal,' she explained.

'But when you've been together the best part of a decade and you can see a future of how ever many more decades that you get together, it kind of changes your perspective.

'It's nice to have date nights especially as we can be ships that pass in the night, especially when you have kids as well.'

Speaking to HELLO earlier this year, the star revealed the couple don't plan on having anymore children and are happy with their two girls.

She explained: 'We're just starting to get out of the woods and they can play together now.

'They can be left together for a little bit, it's starting to get a little bit easier. So I think we're on that note.'

Rachel also revealed that Maven is already following in her mum's mathematical footsteps as she is already asking to watch maths videos for kids on YouTube.
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were spotted on a rare outing going for a hike in Los Angeles' Griffith Park.

The That '70s Show stars were dressed casually, with Mila, 41, wearing black leggings and a white sweatshirt with an eagle on the front of it.

She had her raven hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail and carried a crossbody handbag.

Ashton, 46, wore a navy blue Chicago Bears sweatshirt and jeans and carried a black puffer coat.

The couple haven't been on many public outings since Diddy was arrested, with their friendship with the disgraced rapper causing further damage to their reputations.

They were already on the verge of 'cancellation' for defending convicted rapist Danny Masterson and asking a judge for leniency in his sentencing.

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis were spotted on a rare outing going for a hike in Los Angeles' Griffith Park.

Combs, 55, remains jailed in New York City  after being denied bail three times  on sex trafficking charges. He will face trial in May 2025.

The disgraced music mogul is also facing countless lawsuits alleging rape, abuse and other serious crimes against women, men and minors.

In the wake of Diddy's shock arrest, resurfaced footage showed Kutcher talking about the rapper's infamous parties.

But a source insisted to People that Kutcher 'has no involvement' in anything Diddy has been accused of and that he 'doesn't belong in this conversation about Diddy.'

They added: 'Ashton has only seen Diddy in a handful of social and business events, all of which have been documented by the media.'

Weeks after Diddy's arrest, a source exclusively told DailyMail.com that Kutcher 'regrets' his friendship with Diddy and feels 'betrayed' by him.

'Ashton absolutely regrets his friendship with Diddy considering what has happened,' the insider dished. 'He feels lied to, betrayed, taken for granted and manipulated.'

Being that Kutcher's other former friend and costar Danny Masterson was convicted of rape in 2023, the source said that Kutcher no longer trusts anyone outside of his family with Kunis.

The That 70s Show stars were dressed casually, with Mila, 41, wearing black leggings and a white sweatshirt with an eagle on the front, while Ashton wore a Chicago Bears sweatshirts, jeans and brown leather boots

The couple haven't been on many public outings since Diddy was arrested, with their friendship with the disgraced rapper causing further damage to their reputations. Mila seen here December 10, 2024

'He feels the same way about Danny Masterson. He now trusts no one except for his wife Mila [Kunis]. He is going to keep his circle to his family.'

DailyMail.com's source also said that Kutcher feared how the Diddy investigation would 'play out.

Kutcher suspected the rapper 'would have no problem lying to authorities and tossing out some of his famous friends names if it meant it could get him out of jail.'

The source continued: 'Diddy could say anything, do anything or turn on anyone at this point.

'Everyone who is close to Diddy fears the possibility of Diddy making up false allegations to clear his own name.'

However, a source told TMZ that Kutcher was not being looked at by federal investigators.

Earlier this month another bombshell claim about the rapper came out, this time involving Jay-Z.

The two hip-hop giants have been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000, which Jay-Z has fiercely denied.

They were already on the verge of 'cancellation' for defending convicted rapist Danny Masterson and asking for leniency in his sentencing. Ashton seen here October 29, 2024

Demi Moore and Ashton attend one of Sean 'Diddy' Combs infamous White Parties in 2009

Kutcher has been together with the Black Swan actress since 2012.

The couple got engaged in early 2014, and she gave birth to their daughter Wyatt, now 10, in October of that year, before they tied the knot in 2015.

They later welcomed their second child, a son named Dimitri, now eight, in November of 2016.

Ashton previously married Demi Moore in 2005, but they separated in 2011 and divorced in 2013.

Mila and Ashton have been overwhelmed by rumors of a split in recent months, which have been exacerbated by footage of the Butterfly Effect actor speaking about Sean 'Diddy' Combs' debauched parties.
Kim Kardashian recreated her iconic 'breaking the internet' nude photo at her Skims Christmas party.

On Saturday, the reality TV personality, 44, posted photos of herself posing with a cocktail glass on her pert derriere during her holiday party earlier this week.

She had a bright smile on her face as she marked a decade after her Paper magazine cover photo went viral in 2014.

Alongside photos of herself flaunting her fit figure, the Skims founder  who showcased her boot and her booty in a tight-fitting crimson dress  left just a wrapped gift box in her caption.

She arched her back to show off her backside while someone, who only had their arm seen in the frame, held up a martini.

Back in 2014, Kardashian put on a racy display as she posed naked for the cover of Paper's winter issue.

Kim Kardashian recreated her iconic 'breaking the internet' nude photo at her Skims Christmas party. On Saturday, the reality TV personality, 44, posted snaps of herself posing with a cocktail glass on her pert derriere during her holiday party earlier this week

She marked a decade after her Paper magazine cover photo went viral in 2014. Back in 2014, Kardashian put on a racy display as she posed naked for the cover of Paper's winter issue

She was covered in oil and wore a strapless, sequin gown, which she slipped out of at one point for revealing photos of her backside.

At the time, Kardashian was still married to her now-ex Kanye West and reportedly wanted to do the daring photoshoot before getting pregnant again.

She had just given birth to her first child, her eldest daughter North, now 11, and wanted to show off her postpartum weight loss.

She and the rapper went on to welcome daughter Chicago, six, and sons Saint, nine, and Psalm, five.

Kardashian and West were married for six years before they filed for divorce in February 2021, and their separation was finalized almost two years later.

The photos were unveiled on Paper's website along with a message about her virality and star power.

'For our winter issue, we gave ourselves one assignment: Break The Internet. There is no other person that we can think of who is up to the task than one Kim Kardashian West.'

The text continued: 'A pop culture fascination able to generate headlines just by leaving her house, Kim is what makes the web tick.'

Alongside photos of herself flaunting her fit figure, the Skims founder  who showcased her boot and her booty in a tight-fitting crimson dress  left just a wrapped gift box in her caption

At the time of her Paper cover, Kim was married to ex Kanye West and reportedly wanted to do the daring photoshoot before getting pregnant again. They were married for six years before filing for divorce in February 2021; pictured December 2019 in Los Angeles

She had just given birth to her first child, her eldest daughter North, now 11, and wanted to show off her postpartum weight loss. She and the rapper went on to welcome daughter Chicago, six, and sons Saint, nine, and Psalm, five

Over 10 years after her iconic photo indeed broke the internet, she recreated the pose  which photographer Jean-Paul Goude copied from his well-known Champagne Incident shot  even while wearing a orthopedic boot.

The entrepreneur recently broke her foot  an accidental injury she has not spoken in depth about and not yet revealed how it happened.

The scooter she was using to get around was also seen in the corner of her Instagram post.

On one foot, she wore the boot and on another, she sported a see-through, nylon mule.

Paired with the sexy leather dress, she styled her dark hair in voluminous waves and accessorized with a dainty cross necklace.

At her holiday party, she was joined by some of her family members. In one photo she posted over the weekend, she posed with her sister Khloe Kardashian and their mother Kris Jenner.
Anne Hegerty looked nothing short of sensational as she returned to The Chase for the Christmas celebrity special on Sunday.

The Chaser embraced the festive spirit as she ditched her usual grey suit and slipped into a stunning navy glittering dress which boasted mesh embellished sleeves.

She wore a glamorous palette of makeup accentuating her beauty and wore a pair of eye catching dazzling silver drop earrings.

The 66-year-old star was introduced by host Bradley Walsh and took her seat to face first contestant, McFly drummer Harry Judd.

Anne also caught the eyes of ITV viewers at home who quickly took to X to comment how 'beautiful' and 'amazing' she looked.

They wrote: 'Finally, they get @anne_hegerty out of that horrid grey garb and into her sparkly party dress. Doesn't she look amazing?;

Anne Hegerty looked nothing short of sensational as she returned to The Chase for the Christmas celebrity special on Sunday

The Chaser embraced the festive spirit as she ditched her usual grey suit

'Yes so love when @anne_hegerty glams up Anne looks so beautiful in her sparkly dress Also love Bradley and Anne's chemistry together;

'Anne looks beautiful; She does look lovely; She's great, but tonight @anne_hegerty looked stunning; Ann looked absolutely stunning tonight, loved her dress'.

The Governess faced off against a panel of celebrities aiming to raise money for charity in this year's festive special on ITV.

Waterloo Road actress Angela Griffin was joined by Strictly Come Dancing professional Kai Widdrington alongside EastEnders actor Shane Richie and McFly's Harry.

It comes after Anne revealed her biggest fear about dating is having a man encroach on her personal space.

The quizzer, who was diagnosed with autism, confessed her struggles as she reflected on once unplugging her phone to stop a boyfriend being able to contact her.

Speaking to MailOnline at The Paul Strank Roofing Charity Gala in Kensington, London, she insisted she'd make a terrible partner.

Anne shared: 'I really struggle with closeness and having anyone else in the house. I think an awful lot of autistic people don't get married or settle down.'

Anne wowed as she slipped into a stunning navy glittering dress which boasted mesh embellished sleeves

Her dress boasted a daring thigh high split

She wore a glamorous palette of makeup accentuating her beauty and wore a pair of eye catching dazzling silver drop earrings

Anne also caught the eyes of ITV viewers at home who quickly took to X to comment how 'beautiful' and 'amazing' she looked

She continued: 'I don't even have pets for that reason and my capacity for living with other people is just diminishing. I need a huge amount of alone time.

'I just always feel like I want more space than someone can possibly give me. If I wanted a relationship I'd go out and get it but I honestly don't.'

Anne has previously revealed her longest relationship only lasted four months, and reflecting on that dalliance she confessed: 'It only worked for those few months because I was in Manchester. I kind of maneuvered it into a place where it wouldn't work.

'I wrote to him in the end to call it off. I remember crying with relief and then crying with guilt.'

Anne had reached the end of her tether, however, as she explained: 'Sometimes, I used to unplug the phone because he tried to call me everyday. I just wanted to get it over with.

'I'd be sitting there just waiting for the phone to ring thinking "don't phone, don't phone, don't phone!"

'Other times, just to get over the suspense, I'd phone him and, of course, that made him think that I wanted to talk to him but I think I just wanted to get it over with. I didn't want to talk to him or anyone!'

Yet Anne hasn't been short of offers and joked she has admirers who seem to be drawn to her Mrs Trunchball-type Governess outfit.

She revealed: 'I'm sure there are some who like the whole look of The Governess. I'm sure there are some that might be interested if they let me.

'I do meet attractive men but it's never going to work. My feeling is "it's not fair on you because I will not treat you well."

'I always feel like I want more space they can possibly give me. If I missed it I'd go out and get someone but I don't.

'It's much better not to do dating at all and I've always felt men make such good friends. I'm always drawn to men more than women.'

She added: 'I was at a quiz back in June and at the end of the day a woman I knew was leaving and said to me, "isn't it weird we were the only two women in the room?" and I'd never even noticed. I just automatically started talking to my friends and they were men.'
Richard Gere has revealed that he'd 'love to be Italian' and 'loves Italy' after growing up in New York.

The actor, 75, appeared on Italian chat show Che tempo che fa in Milan on Sunday night to discuss his latest film, titled Oh, Canada directed by Paul Schrader.

Speaking on the show he said: 'I love Italy, if I could I would be Italian.

'I grew up in a small town in upstate New York, the only cool kids were Italians, very elegant, wonderful shoes, they had this way of moving...

'We all wanted to be Italian!'

Oh, Canada marks the return of Gere and Schrader's collaboration 44 years after the iconic American Gigolo.

Richard Gere has revealed that he'd 'love to be Italian' and 'loves Italy ' after growing up in New York

The actor, 75, appeared on Italian chat show Che tempo che fa on Sunday night to discuss his latest film, titled Oh, Canada directed by Paul Schrader

The film is set for release on January 16, 2025, following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

It comes just a couple of weeks after the veteran actor announced he would be relocating to Spain with his wife, Alejandra Silva, 41, and family after years of living in the United States.

The Pretty Woman actor revealed that he would be out of the country and in the Spanish capital of Madrid in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with Alejandra's loved ones.

Sharing the major move on an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Richard began by joking: 'My wife is Spanish. Is this a problem for anybody out there?'.

He then announced: 'But my wife is Spanish, and she gave me about seven years here, so we're going to spend some years in Madrid.'

'Our kids are bilingual so they're going to flourish there,' he continued.

Richard and Alejandra, who wed in 2018, share two sons together - Alexander, five, and James, four.

Speaking on the show he said: 'I love Italy, if I could I would be Italian. 'I grew up in a small town in upstate New York, the only cool kids were Italians'

Oh, Canada marks the return of Gere and Schrader's collaboration 44 years after the iconic American Gigolo

It comes just a couple of weeks after the veteran actor announced he would be relocating to Spain with his wife, Alejandra Silva , 41, and family after years of living in the United States

In addition, the Hollywood A-lister is stepfather to the Spanish activist's 11-year-son, Albert and he is also the proud dad of son Homer, 24, whom he welcomed with his second wife, actress Carey Lowell.

Richard did confirm that he won't be quitting America forever and added: 'Of course I'll be back.'

Speaking about his family, the Chicago star gushed: 'I love my wife, she's incredible. Great mother. Kids are healthy and happy. Of course, there's nothing more than that.'

Turning his attention to their Thanksgiving plans, he continued: 'My wife grew up in a big Spanish family, like a big Italian family, and her grandmother was kind of the glue that held that all together.

'And the grandmother passed away [about] two years ago, so my wife, I can see her morphing into the new grandmother of this extended family. So shes already planning for 35 people for Sunday lunches.'
Denzel Washington was baptized and presented with a minister's license at New York City's Kelly Temple Church of God on Saturday.

Washington, who celebrates his 70th birthday December 28, was seen in a series of images documenting his day at the religious institution.

The two-time Oscar winner was seen being presented by with documents affirming his status as a minister by Bishop James Pullings, Jr.

Church officials told the crowd that the A-list actor was now 'a member of the clergy of the Churches of God in Christ Worldwide, TMZ reported Sunday.

In a series of images, Washington was seen clad in a white robe with a burgundy stole with a cross on the upper half of each side.

Church officials were seen submerging The Equalizer leading man into the water in the baptism ceremony.

Denzel Washington, who turns 70 on Saturday, was presented with a minister's license at New York City's Kelly Temple Church of God. He was seen with minister Bishop James Pullings, Jr.

Church officials were seen submerging Washington into the water in the baptism ceremony

The Mount Vernon, New York-born actor was supported by his spouse of more than four decades, Pauletta Washington, 74, on Saturday, according to TMZ, as she filmed from the front row.

Washington, who played the role of Macrinus in the recently-released Gladiator II, wept as his wife delivered an emotional speech at the church, according to Page Six.

Pauletta, mother to children John, 40, Katia, 38, and twins Olivia and Malcolm, 33, with the actor, referenced their family in her speech.

She said, 'I'm very proud of you; you are the head of our house and you have set a great example for our children, who are now adult children who know the difference because we have shown them the difference.'

Archbishop Christopher Bryant spoke with Page Six about Washington's speech to the congregation before he was baptized.

The actor said, 'It took a while, but I'm finally here, if [God] can do this for me, there's nothing He can't do for you - the sky literally is the limit,' according to Bryant.

Washington last month spoke about religion in a wide-ranging chat with Esquire magazine.

'When you see me, you see the best I could do with what I've been given by my lord and savior,' Washington told the publication. 'I'm unafraid. I don't care what anyone thinks.'

In a series of images, Washington was seen clad in a white robe with a burgundy stole with a cross on the upper half of each side

Washington last month spoke about religion in a wide-ranging chat with Esquire magazine

The actor said last month, 'When you see me, you see the best I could do with what I've been given by my lord and savior. I'm unafraid. I don't care what anyone thinks'

Washington - who won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Training Day in 2002, and for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Glory in 1990 - said Hollywood in general sought to suppress religious talk.

'See, talking about the fear part of it - you can't talk like that and win Oscars,' Washington said. 'You can't talk like that and party. You can't say that in this town.

'I'm free now. It's not talked about in this town. It's not talked about. It's not talked about. It's not fashionable. It's not sexy. But that doesn't mean people in Hollywood don't believe.'

In the interview, Washington called into question the concept of Hollywood.

'Theres no such thing called Hollywood anyway,' he said. 'What does that even mean? That to me means a street called Hollywood Boulevard. Its not like we all meet somewhere and discuss what we believe.

'So I dont know how many other actors have faith. I didnt do no poll. How would I find that out? I mean, theres no Church Actor Meetings Ive been to.'
A popular Australian podcast predicated the downfall of Justin Baldoni, four months before Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him.

Shameless podcast hosts Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews discussed the duo's blockbuster movie It Ends With Us back in August, and explained the signs that suggested conflict on set and how cast members and the book's author Colleen Hover appeared to be distancing themselves from the actor.

The hosts explained how the multiple date changes for the movie's release indicated there were problems behind the scenes.

They also noted how none of the cast would pose for photos with Baldoni at the New York premiere, hinting at conflict.

'We have the entire cast and (the book's) author of the material refusing to be associated with him,' they said.

It comes amid Lively's damning bombshell lawsuit against the actor, with whom she starred in the summer blockbuster It Ends With Us.

A popular Australian podcast predicated the downfall of Justin Baldoni , four months before Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him

The lawsuit includes shocking allegations that Baldoni showed Lively explicit videos and images of other women, discussed his purported porn addiction, and made inappropriate comments about her weight, among other troubling remarks directed at the cast and crew.

In one particularly egregious detail, Lively's legal team claims that Baldoni introduced 'improvised gratuitous sexual content and/or scenes involving nudity' into the film.

Recently revealed details in the lawsuit allege even more egregious behavior, with court documents obtained by People claiming Baldoni 'improvised physical intimacy' during a scene without prior discussion or choreography.

One incident reportedly involved Baldoni 'discreetly biting and sucking on Ms. Lively's lower lip' during multiple takes, allegedly insisting on reshooting the scene repeatedly despite Lively's clear discomfort.

The lawsuit alleges Baldoni made sexual inquiries, including asking Lively if she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, experienced simultaneous climaxes  a question she found intrusive and refused to answer.

Baldoni's legal team have since denied the allegations - and claimed the lawsuit was an attempt to salvage her reputation which suffered during press for their movie.

Shameless podcast hosts Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrews (pictured) discussed the duo's blockbuster movie It Ends With Us back back in August and explained the signs that appeared to suggest conflict on set

It comes amid Blake Lively 's damning bombshell lawsuit against the actor, with whom she starred in the summer blockbuster It Ends With Us

The film adaptation of It Ends With Us tells the story of Lily Bloom (Lively), a woman confronting the trauma of domestic abuse inflicted by her husband, Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).

The film is based on Colleen Hoovers book of the same name, which was inspired by her mothers experience with domestic violence during her marriage to the authors father.

Along with Blake and Justin keeping their distance from each other, they were also rumoured to have had creative differences on set.

He was also unfollowed by the actress on social media, as well as other cast members and Hoover.
She is set to welcome her first child with billionaire bar tsar Justin Hemmes next year.

And Madeline Holtznagel got in some practice over the weekend.

The model, 27, was seen doting over her niece Gia as she spent time with her sister Simone.

Simone posted sweet photos of the Holtznagel family Christmas, which included two of Madeline unwrapping presents with the tiny tot.

The mum-to-be hid her baby bump in the photos as she donned a summer dress for the holiday occasion.

Meanwhile, baby Gia looked as cute as a button in a candy cane themed outfit and red and green bows in her hair.

Justin Hemmes' pregnant girlfriend Madeline Holtznagel got in some practice over the weekend as she doted over her sister Simone's daughter Gia during a family Christmas get together

Simone posted sweet photos of the Holtznagel family Christmas  which included two of Madeline unwrapping presents with the tiny tot

Simone captioned the image: 'We love aunty Madeline'.

Madeline and Justin's baby joy was confirmed last month.

A source confirmed the exciting news to Daily Mail Australia and revealed a friend of Justin's moved out of his Vaucluse mansion to make room for their growing family.

The hotelier already shares two daughters - Alexa, nine, and Saachi, eight - with his model ex Kate Fowler - the sister of Georgia Fowler.

It will be Madeline's first child.

Justin and Madeline's representatives told Daily Mail Australia the couple will not be making an official comment.

Madeline is the younger sister of fellow Aussie model Simone, who welcomed Gia in March with her now-ex-boyfriend Jono Castano.

Justin and Madeline quietly began seeing each other in 2019, a year after his debut on the Financial Review Rich List with an estimated net worth of $951million - which has since risen to $1.39billion.

Though they generally keep their romance under wraps, the couple are often seen disembarking from his sea plane after enjoying luxurious family holidays with his two daughters.

Madeline and Justin's happy baby news was confirmed last month

In August, Madeline also made a rare public post about Justin as she took to Instagram to mark his 52nd birthday.

She shared a series of romantic selfies of them both and gushed over her partner in the caption.

In one picture, Madeline flashed a huge smile as she sat on Justin's lap while he lovingly gazed at her.

Another showed the pair cuddling up to one another as they relaxed on a yacht.

'Happy birthday my love,' she wrote in a caption along with rose emoji.

Earlier this year, Madeleine celebrated her 27th birthday party with a lavish bash at Justin's sprawling Vaucluse estate.

Following the festivities, she revealed that her doting partner had bought her two llamas as a sign of his love.

The couple have gone from strength-to-strength since going public in 2019 and even sparked engagement rumours last June.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed Madeline was wearing a ring on her wedding finger as they questioned whether Justin had popped the question.

A picture showed her sporting the jewellery as she cuddled up to Justin while enjoying a bowl of Udon noodles together at a restaurant in Japan.

But the bling appeared to be an emerald and diamond promise ring, and another photograph showed her wearing a different ring on the same finger as she posed for a selfie.

Justin was previously in a relationship with Kate Fowler and the pair remain on good terms, often jetting off on holidays together with their daughters Alexa and Saachi.

Just last month, Justin and Madeline were joined by Kate and her new boyfriend David Oettle as they took Alexa and Saachi to Queenstown, New Zealand.

Justin and Kate dated for three years before going their separate ways in early 2018, with Justin issuing a statement about their split at the time.

'Kate and I have the utmost love and respect for each other,' he said in a statement given to the Sydney Morning Herald.

'At the beginning of 2018, Kate and I decided our friendship and respect for family life would become the focus of our relationship.

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'We love our children dearly and for now continue to live together happily in our family home.'

'Kate is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful woman. As for what the future holds I am not sure,' he added.

Justin is considered Australia's hospitality king, with more than 80 venues and billions in assets with names like the Ivy, Queen Chow and Establishment under his purview as CEO of Merivale.

He is the only son of Merivale Group founder and nightclub mogul John Hemmes and Justin took over the business after his father's death in 2015.
An iconic star in the 1986 blockbuster Crocodile Dundee has died.

Burt, the 5.1-metre 700kg monster crocodile from the comedy adventure film, who starred alongside Paul Hogan, died in captivity in Darwin.

He was thought to have been over 90 years old.

Crocosaurus Cove, a crocodile herpetarium and aquarium attraction which had kept Burt in captivity since 2008, announced the reptile's death on Monday.

'It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Burt, the iconic saltwater crocodile and star of the Australian classic Crocodile Dundee,' the facility posted on its Facebook page.

'Burt passed away peacefully over the weekend, estimated to be over 90 years old, marking the end of an incredible era.'

Burt, the crocodile from the comedy adventure film who starred alongside Paul Hogan (right), died in captivity in Darwin and was estimated to be over 90 years old

Crocosaurus Cove, the facility where the reptile lived in captivity since 2008, announced Burt's death on Monday

The herpetarium wrote a heartfelt tribute to the iconic creature, described as 'one of the most recognised crocodiles in the world'.

'Burt's life story is one of strength, resilience and a personality as bold as the Top End itself,' it wrote.

'Captured in the 1980s in the Reynolds River, Burt became one of the most recognised crocodiles in the world, appearing in Crocodile Dundee and helping to shape Australia's image as a land of rugged natural beauty and awe-inspiring wildlife.

'In 2008, Burt made his way to Crocosaurus Cove, where he became a fierce and fascinating ambassador for crocodile education. Known for his independent nature, Burt was a confirmed bachelor  an attitude he made clear during his earlier years at a crocodile farm.

'His fiery temperament earned him the respect of his caretakers and visitors alike, as he embodied the raw and untamed spirit of the saltwater crocodile.'

They continued: 'Burt was truly one of a kind. He wasn't just a crocodile; he was a force of nature and a reminder of the power and majesty of these incredible creatures.

'While his personality could be challenging, it was also what made him so memorable and beloved by those who worked with him and the thousands who visited him over the years. Visitors from around the globe marvelled at his impressive size and commanding presence, especially at feeding time.

'The team at Crocosaurus Cove would like to thank everyone who visited Burt and helped celebrate his remarkable life. As we mourn his loss, we are reminded of the vital role wildlife plays in our shared history and the importance of preserving it for future generations.'

Burt in Crocosaurus Cove, where 'visitors from around the globe marvelled at his impressive size and commanding presence', the facility said

Crocosaurus Cove plans to honour Burt's legacy with a commemorative sign at the attraction.

Minister for Parks and Wildlife Marie-Clare Boothby expressed her sadness at the news of Burt's passing while addressing the media on Monday.

'[Burt was] a true icon of the Territory, obviously featuring in Crocodile Dundee,' she said.

'It's very sad to hear... I think that Territorians right across the Territory would be feeling quite sad about this.'

In 2015, Burt made headlines after two drunken teenagers broke into his enclosure to taunt him.

The teens, described as 'a tad intoxicated' by police, sneaked into 'Crocosaurus Cove' and teased the monstrous croc.

'About 4am we received a call from the security guard... he, God bless his cotton socks, gave chase and the two suspects decamped,' Superintendent Del Jones said, according to Nine News.

Before they were spooked by the guard, the pair threw objects into the crocodile enclosure, including a 'wet floor' sign and a pink buoy, which the 700kg behemoth summarily chewed up in disgust.

'Burt didn't like that, he destroyed it,' Superintendent Jones said.

Burt starred alongside Hogan and Linda Kozlowski in the original Crocodile Dundee movie, as well as providing the basis for the digital crocodile in the 2007 film Rogue.
A Metro bus leaves a station eastbound on Richmond Avenue at Montrose Boulevard, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. Kirk Sides/Staff photographer

The Metropolitan Transit Authority in Houston released its Christmas and New Year's schedule for one of the busiest holidays of the year.

Some days will still operate on regular schedules during the holidays, according to Metro. The transportation system provided times for local buses, Park and Ride, METROrail, METROlife, METROrapid and curb2curb. Some services will be closed on Christmas and New Year's Day.

HOUSTON NEWS: Metro expands electric vehicle service in Houston neighborhoods with Evolve partnership

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Here's what to know about the Christmas and New Year's schedule.

What Metro services will be closed on Christmas and New Year's Day?

Metro-operated HOV lanes, customer service call center, RideStores and Lost & Found will be closed on Christmas and New Year's. The Park & Ride routes will not operate on either day.

However, local buses, METROrail, METROrapid and curb2curb will operate the Sunday schedule. Metros Sunday schedule operates from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

What Metro services will be open on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve?

Metro-operated HOV lanes, customer service call center, RideStores and Lost & Found will be opened on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The Park & Ride routes will operate on its regular schedule on both days.

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Local buses, METROrail, METROrapid and curb2curb will also operate on a regular schedule.

WHAT TO KNOW: Metro breaks ground on new Rail Maintenance Facility

How to schedule Metro trips prior to the holidays

Metro provided tips for scheduling a trip ahead of the holidays, including booking on the transportation service's online trip planner by visiting macsweb.ridemetro.org, call the automated reservation line before the travel date at 713-739-4690 between 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. and contact a live agent between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. by Tuesday or Dec. 31 at 713-225-7616.
Heidi Klum and her youngest child - daughter Lou Sulola Samuel - hauled their skis into the Buttermilk Ski Resort in Aspen, CO on Sunday for their second day on the slopes.

The 51-year-old America's Got Talent judge dressed lightly in a grey sweater and flared blue jeans while the long-haired 15-year-old opted for a black hooded coat and matching pants.

Heidi welcomed lovely Lou during her seven-year marriage to her ex-husband #2 - four-time Grammy winner Seal - which ended in 2012.

Klum made sure to sport a helmet and mirrored goggles as she headed down the snowy terrain at Buttermilk (considered the easiest in the area) where daily adult lift tickets costs $264.

The Emmy-winning host's eldest child - daughter Leni Olumi Klum - paired a pink faux-fur hat with a matching $280 John Snow 'Mountain Dope Freestyle' two-piece snowsuit.

Heidi wore the same exact snowsuit on Saturday when she took a family snap on the summit.

Heidi Klum and her youngest child - daughter Lou Sulola Samuel - hauled their skis into the Buttermilk Ski Resort in Aspen, CO on Sunday for their second day on the slopes

'I get so excited when I see my daughters re-wearing my clothes,' Klum told People last month.

'My eldest daughter, she also is a model, and she goes to events and when she wears my clothes I'm not just proud but we can upcycle.'

The L'Oreal Paris brand ambassador continued: 'I'm passing clothes down to my kids. I think it's so important also to keep wearing your things. I think in the past, we'd wear something once and then we'd never wear it again, and it's so wrong to do.'

Heidi welcomed the 20-year-old IMG Model during her 2003 fling with Flavio Briatore, but it was Seal who adopted her in 2009 and raised her - not the 74-year-old Italian billionaire.

Leni was joined at the mountain resort by her boyfriend of two years, Aris Rachevsky.

The 21-year-old NYU student is reportedly pursuing a Bachelor's degree in art history, criticism, and conservation.

Aside from her daughters, Klum was also joined at the base of the mountain by her 18-year-old son Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel and 19-year-old son Henry Gunther Ademola Dashtu Samuel.

While enjoying beverages at a table, the self-proclaimed 'Queen of Halloween' sat with her third husband Tom Kaultiz and his twin brother Bill Kaulitz.

The Tokio Hotel frontman and guitarist - both 35 - are scheduled to kick off their 20-date 2025 European Tour on March 4 at MHPArena in Ludwigsburg of their native Germany.

The 51-year-old America's Got Talent judge dressed lightly in a grey sweater and flared blue jeans while the long-haired 15-year-old opted for a black hooded coat and matching pants

Heidi welcomed lovely Lou during her seven-year marriage to her ex-husband #2 - four-time Grammy winner Seal - which ended in 2012

Klum made sure to sport a helmet and mirrored goggles as she headed down the snowy terrain at Buttermilk (considered the easiest in the area) where daily adult lift tickets costs $264

The Emmy-winning host's eldest child - daughter Leni Olumi Klum - paired a pink faux-fur hat with a matching $280 John Snow 'Mountain Dope Freestyle' two-piece snowsuit

Heidi wore the same exact snowsuit on Saturday when she took a family snap on the summit

Klum told People last month: 'I get so excited when I see my daughters re-wearing my clothes. My eldest daughter, she also is a model, and she goes to events and when she wears my clothes I'm not just proud but we can upcycle'

The L'Oreal Paris brand ambassador welcomed the 20-year-old IMG Model during her 2003 fling with Flavio Briatore, but it was Seal who adopted her in 2009 and raised her - not the 74-year-old Italian billionaire

Leni was joined at the mountain resort by her boyfriend of two years, Aris Rachevsky

The 21-year-old NYU student is reportedly pursuing a Bachelor's degree in art history, criticism, and conservation

Aside from her daughters, Heidi was also joined at the base of the mountain by her 18-year-old son Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel (3-L) and 19-year-old son Henry Gunther Ademola Dashtu Samuel (4-L)

While enjoying beverages at a table, Klum sat with her third husband Tom Kaultiz (R) and his twin brother Bill Kaulitz (2-R)

The Tokio Hotel frontman (L) and guitarist (R) - both 35 - are scheduled to kick off their 20-date 2025 European Tour on March 4 at MHPArena in Ludwigsburg of their native Germany

Hours later, the self-proclaimed 'Queen of Halloween' and Tom brought most of their squad to see both of three-time Grammy winner Diplo's DJ sets on Sunday night

On Saturday night, Heidi and company attended a small Aspen concert from Oscar-nominated actress Kate Hudson, who performed covers of the 1985 'Til Tuesday track Voices Carry and the 1780 holiday chestnut The 12 Days of Christmas

Klum gushed to her 12.3M Instagram followers: 'Congratulations @katehudson! You really are amazing! Thank you for a wonderful intimate night!'

Career-wise, the Crazy Pizza NYC partner has not only enlisted her nepo-baby Leni to star in Intimissimi lingerie campaigns, she'll guest star in the 20th season of Germany's Next Topmodel premiering next February

It's unclear if Heidi will return to judge the 20th season of America's Got Talent but judge Howie Mandel (R, pictured December 9) and AGT #11 alum Sofie Dossi (L) will host the first in-person audition at the Pasadena Convention Center on January 12

Hours later, Heidi and Tom brought most of their squad to see both of three-time Grammy winner Diplo's DJ sets on Sunday night.

On Saturday night, Klum and company attended a small Aspen concert from Oscar-nominated actress Kate Hudson, who performed covers of the 1985 'Til Tuesday track Voices Carry and the 1780 holiday chestnut The 12 Days of Christmas.

'Congratulations @katehudson!' the Crazy Pizza NYC partner gushed to her 12.3M Instagram followers.

'You really are amazing! Thank you for a wonderful intimate night!'

Career-wise, Heidi has not only enlisted her nepo-baby Leni to star in Intimissimi lingerie campaigns, she'll guest star in the 20th season of Germany's Next Topmodel premiering next February.

It's unclear if Klum will return to judge the 20th season of America's Got Talent but judge Howie Mandel and AGT #11 alum Sofie Dossi will host the first in-person audition at the Pasadena Convention Center on January 12.

Worryingly, AGT showrunner Jason Raff was laid off in September after 19 seasons with the NBC talent competition 'due to budget cuts' - according to Deadline.
Allison Langdon enjoyed a relaxing beach day in Sydney on Friday.

The A Current Affair host showed off her incredibly fit figure in a black swimsuit while going for a swim at Bronte Beach.

Ally, 45, flaunted her trim physique in the one piece as she waded into the clear water for a dip.

After her swim, the mother-of-two soaked up the sun on the shore.

Allison wrapped a towel around her body and put on a cap to protect herself from the sun.

Wearing minimal makeup, the popular TV presenter pulled her hair off her face into a loose bun.

Allison Langdon enjoyed a relaxing beach day in Sydney on Friday

The A Current Affair host showed off her incredibly fit figure in a black swimsuit while going for a swim at Bronte Beach

The sighting comes after Allison recently hit back at criticism from people who 'don't like' ACA while accepting an award at the 2024 Logie Awards.

She was recognised for her hosting role earlier this year when she won the Silver Logie for Best News or Public Affairs Presenter.

She beat out the ABC's David Speers and Sarah Ferguson, Channel Nine's Liz Hayes and Peter Overton and Seven's Michael Usher to take home the esteemed gong.

During her acceptance speech, Allison paid tribute to her predecessor Tracy Grimshaw and hit back at people who 'don't like' the news program.

'To Trace who I love, she's the one who always said the people who don't like our show, don't know our show,' she said.

'To Mike Munro, Ray Martin, and everyone who has been in this role, thank you.'

Taking home the award in August, Allison also said she pours her 'heart and soul' into her job as she shared her pride at taking home the Silver Logie.

'When you hear all [the nominees], you definitely don't expect yours to be the one called out,' she began.

Ally, 45, flaunted her trim physique in the one piece as she waded into the clear water for a dip

After her swim, the mother-of-two soaked up the sun as she relaxed on the shore

Wearing minimal makeup, the popular TV presenter pulled her hair off her face into a loose bun

The sighting comes after Allison recently hit back at criticism from people who 'don't like' ACA while accepting an award at the 2024 Logie Awards

She was recognised for her hosting role earlier this year when she won the Silver Logie for Best News or Public Affairs Presenter

Allison joined the Nine Network program at the start of 2023 after leaving the Today show following a three-year stint

Allison wrapped a towel around her body and put on a cap to protect herself from the sun

'Everything we do is with heart and soul. If a story doesn't have heart and soul, we just don't do it.

'I look at those who've sat in this chair before me, right back to my father-in-law [Mike Willesee] who started this show.

'It would be wonderful if he could have seen the family connection and where that played out.'

Allison joined the Nine Network program at the start of 2023 after leaving the Today show following a three-year stint.
Ariana Grande treated fans to a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Wicked, but one cast member was conspicuously absent: her boyfriend Ethan Slater.

Nowhere to be seen in the dozen snaps and clips, Slater's omission came just days after his ex-wife Lilly Jay broke her silence on their eyebrow-raising romance.

Grandes relationship with Slater made headlines in mid-2023, shortly after her split from Dalton Gomez and Slaters divorce filing from his high school sweetheart Jay, with whom he shares a child.

In a Thursday essay, Jay revealed she moved to London with their two-month-old son while Slater filmed Wicked, only for him to leave her for Grande after they met on set.

Though reports claim Ariana and Ethan were 'relieved' that Jay didnt completely throw them under the bus in her piece, Ariana seemed to keep her beau out of the spotlight in her cheerful carousel of Wicked moments.

The post featured snaps with costars Cynthia Erivo, Bowen Yang, and others, but no sign of Slater.

Ariana Grande treated fans to a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Wicked, but one cast member was conspicuously absent: her boyfriend Ethan Slater

Nowhere to be seen in the dozen snaps and clips, Slater's omission came just days after his ex-wife Lilly Jay broke her silence on their eyebrow-raising romance

'One month of @wickedmovie, thank you for your overwhelming love and embrace! I love you, we love you,' Ariana captioned the post.

Meanwhile, Lilly wrote in her essay, 'I confidently moved to another country with my 2-month-old baby and my husband to support his career. Consumed by the magic and mundanity of new motherhood, I didn't understand the growing distance between us.'

She expressed there are 'days when I can't escape the promotion of a movie associated with the saddest days of my life are darker' as she while trying to 'accept the sudden public downfall of my marriage.'

'No one gets married thinking they'll get divorced, in the same way we don't board a plane expecting to crash,' she wrote.

Lilly then seemingly referenced to Ethan and Ariana with, 'I really never thought I would get divorced.'

'Especially not just after giving birth to my first child and especially not in the shadow of my husband's new relationship with a celebrity.'

'In this season of shock and mourning, over a year after the end of my marriage was made public, I deeply miss the life of invisibility I created for myself as a psychologist specializing in women's mental health.'

Jay then stated that her 'partnership has changed' with Ethan, their 'parenthood has not' while raising their son.

Though reports claim Ariana and Ethan were 'relieved' that Jay didnt completely throw them under the bus in her piece, Ariana seemed to keep her beau out of the spotlight in her cheerful carousel of Wicked moments

The post featured snaps with costars Cynthia Erivo , Bowen Yang and others, but no sign of Slater

A cute BTS with Cynthia and Ariana

'One month of @wickedmovie, thank you for your overwhelming love and embrace! I love you, we love you,' Ariana captioned the post

'Both of us fiercely love our son 100 percent of the time, regardless of how our parenting time is divided.'

Lilly further opened up about motherhood post-divorce and penned, 'Days with my son are sunny. Motherhood, I have learned, fills your time but not your mind.'

'In the countless hours I spend rocking my son to sleep, pushing his stroller, marveling at his sweaty little hands grasping a crayon, I work diligently on my private project of accepting the sudden public downfall of my marriage.'

'This, I tell myself, is nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide,' the psychologist continued in the essay.

Jay later got candid with readers about dealing post-partum depression after welcoming her son and amid the split.

Lilly said that she 'feared that loss of control and postpartum depression would destroy her 'entire adult life.'

She also wrote about how the split affected her job and reflected on 'the unfairness of a public divorce.'

'Slowly but surely, I have come to believe that in the absence of the life I planned with my high-school sweetheart, a lifetime of sweetness is waiting for me and my child,' she wrote.

Meanwhile, Lilly wrote in her essay, 'I confidently moved to another country with my 2-month-old baby and my husband to support his career. Consumed by the magic and mundanity of new motherhood, I didn't understand the growing distance between us'

Ariana finished with a photo of a rainbow

'You know how a sponge is most effective at absorbing liquid when it's already a bit wet?' she continued. 'Maybe we can think about my messy not-so-personal life in that way: a dose of my own loss, rage, powerlessness, sadness that helps me hold yours.'

While pregnant with her son, Jay penned that she 'never felt happier nor more aware of how precarious happiness could be.'

Lilly also revealed, 'I survived preeclampsia, a life-threatening birth complication, and finally, our family was whole. Mine is a story of worrying in the wrong direction.'

After Lilly's essay was published, a source told DailyMail.com that both Slater and Grande were 'relieved' she did not 'throw them under the bus.'

'Ethan and Ariana are fully aware of what happened, as is everyone who was around at the time. [Lilly] made it clear that she moved to London with him and the timeline from that point forward speaks for itself.'

The insider added, 'Filming was still occurring when they were first seen being intimate in photos and Lilly was no longer there so people can put two and two together - Lilly didn't need to.'

Jay and Slater's divorce agreement prevented her from 'disclosing certain details about the events that transpired' in regards to the split, but she could still share 'her emotions surrounding the ordeal.'

'During the legal proceedings, Lilly was essentially silenced, unable to speak freely. Despite the circumstances, she came out of the divorce a winner,' they said.

'I really never thought I would get divorced.' 'Especially not just after giving birth to my first child and especially not in the shadow of my husband's new relationship with a celebrity,' she seemingly wrote of Ethan and Ariana

Jay then stated that her 'partnership has changed' with Ethan, their 'parenthood has not' while raising their son'; seen in 2018

The source continued by sharing Jay showed 'dignity' by not publicly talking about 'the affair.'

'She knows that one day her son will read about this online and she wanted him to read that her first and only words on this were done so in a respectful and classy manner.'

In regards to the 'sponge' analogy in the essay, the insider stated that it had been a dig at her ex. He notably played the character of Spongebob on Broadway.

'The 'sponge' analogy was a subtle jab at the situation, but now that her story is out, she feels liberated,' they said.

'Though she was approached by nearly every media outlet, Lilly didn't want to give an interview until she was ready,' the source claimed. 'She wanted to control her own narrative and tell her story on her terms. And she did just that.'

Following the essay, Ethan was also slammed by fans on social media over his 'deeply disappointing treatment' of Lilly.

One penned on X, 'Ethan slater IS an horrible person idk why some of y'all defending him and im sorry but theres no man on earth, especially NOT that one who's worth any of this.'

Another added, 'Did not know lily jay was a therapist... her article is so well written and ethan slater is trash and i hope ariana wakes up and realizes that a man who leaves his post partum wife is not a forever kinda person lol.'

'Ethan Slater is the worst type of person. His relationship with Ariana will be over within a year, promise,' one wrote, while a fan typed that the actor, 'is a truly horrible person for what he put his ex wife through.'

'Ethan Slater's actions are deeply disappointing and disrespectful to his wife, especially after all she's been through,' another said.
Sally Obermeder is entering the festive season with a fresh new do.

The Real Housewives of Sydney star unveiled her stunning 'holiday hair' transformation to Instagram on Monday with a jaw-dropping mirror selfie.

In the image, the 51-year-old reality TV star looked wide-eyed as she showcased her freshly tinted caramel tresses that were expertly blow dried.

In the caption, Sally appeared delighted with her new locks as she paid tribute to award-winning colourist Belinda Jeffrey.

'Holiday hair .. NOW Im ready to be OOO. Another amazing year of long chats and laughs in the La Boutique chair,' she wrote.

'How good are hairdressers. Creating magic with our hair and listening to all our woes,' she concluded.

Sally Obermeder is entering the festive season with a fresh new do. Pictured

The Real Housewives of Sydney star unveiled her stunning 'holiday hair' transformation to Instagram on Monday with a jaw-dropping mirror selfie

It comes after Sally put on a stylish display as she stepped out to watch Human Nature perform at a glitzy charity gala in Sydney in October.

The TV star made sure to turn heads in a vibrant ensemble as she arrived at the glitzy Spring lunch event, hosted by cancer charity Tour de Cure at Doltone House.

She oozed sophistication in a white dress embellished with red and green flowers and featuring a chic layered skirt.

The presenter added to her frame with a pair of beige heels and accessorised her look with a pair of chunky gold earrings.

Sally swept her brunette tresses back into a sleek ponytail and appeared to be in jovial form as she grinned from ear-to-ear while posing for the cameras.

Also among the guest list were the likes of Jamie Durie, Brendan Jones, Matt Doran, Jacinta Stapleton and Seven News star Angie Asimus.

It comes after Sally put on a stylish display as she stepped out to watch Human Nature perform at a glitzy charity gala in Sydney in October.

It comes as RHOS stars Krissy Marsh and Nicole O'Neil teased that the upcoming series could see some more familiar faces return to the franchise

It comes as RHOS stars Krissy Marsh and Nicole O'Neil teased that the upcoming series could see some more familiar faces return to the franchise.

'We're super proud of what we've created. It's been highly entertaining and has sold to so many countries,' Krissy told Daily Mail Australia at an event last year.

The original season of The Real Housewives of Sydney aired in 2017 before being cancelled for being 'too mean'.

It was famously rejected by U.S. network Bravo, who opted not to air it because the extreme catfights and bad language was deemed far too extreme.

'A lot of the women in this show were nasty for nastys sake and have no redeeming features,' Foxtel boss Brian Walsh said at the time.

Lisa Oldfield and Athena X Levendi were particularly singled out for their foul-mouthed antics, which even turned physical on one occasion.

Producers only brought back Krissy and Nicole from the original series, opening space for Kate Adams, Terry Biviano, Caroline Gaultier, and Sally Obermeder to come on board.

Krissy emphasised to Daily Mail Australia that the strong ensemble of the seven cast members have collectively contributed to a show they are all proud of this time around.

'And they're all amazing women. Including us!' she added with a smile.
The battle lines between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's camps are being drawn amid their ongoing feud as MailOnline have confirmed the talent agency that represents both It Ends With Us stars has dropped Baldoni in favour of Blake.

WME, a Californian-based company, dropped Baldoni, 40, on Saturday after the Gossip Girl star, 37, filed a legal complaint against him on Friday accusing him of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment on the set of It Ends With Us.

The decision was made by WME bosses early on Saturday morning after Blake's complaints came to light, with the organisation choosing to stand by the mother-of-two during the ongoing feud.

Elsewhere, Colleen Hoover, 45, who wrote the romantic drama about Lily Bloom, played by Blake, who finds herself in a relationship with a charming but abusive boyfriend, played by Mr Baldoni.

Colleen immediately shared her support for Blake, 37, despite having worked closely with both stars on the movie.

The author wrote on Instagram the same day Ms Lively's complaints surfaced: 'Blake you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.

The battle lines between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively 's camps are being drawn amid their ongoing feud as the talent agency that represents both It Ends With Us stars has dropped Baldoni in favour of Blake

WME, a Californian-based company, dropped Baldoni, 40, on Saturday after the Gossip Girl star, 37, filed a legal complaint against him on Friday accusing him of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment on the set of It Ends With Us.

'Thank you for being exactly the human that you are.

'Never change. Never wilt.'

Blake found fame on the hit coming-of-age film, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, alongside the Barbie star, America Ferrera, Gilmore Girls actress, Alexis Bladel, and Amber Tambyln.

Her three co-stars, who have known Blake since she was 18 years old, issued a joint statement on Sunday night.

They called out Baldoni's hypocrisy and wrote: 'As Blake's friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation.

'Throughout the filming of 'It Ends with Us,' we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.

'Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding.

'We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment,' the statement continues.

The decision was made by WME bosses early on Saturday morning after Blake's complaints came to light, with the organisation choosing to stand by the mother-of-two during the ongoing feud [Blake and Justin are seen on the set of It Ends with Us]

Blake claimed Baldoni hired a crisis team to 'destroy' her reputation after she and her husband Ryan Reynolds , 48, complained of 'repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behaviour', on set

'We are inspired by our sister's courage to stand up for herself and others.'

Meanwhile, no A-lister is yet to speak out in support of Baldoni but his lawyer has said the allegations are 'categorically false' and said they hired a crisis manager because Ms Lively had threatened to derail the film unless her demands were met.

It comes as Blake's sister has broken her silence after the actress filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.

Robyn Lively, 52, shared a message on Instagram as she weighed in on the explosive court battle which has stunned Hollywood.

The younger Lively claimed Baldoni hired a crisis team to 'destroy' her reputation after she and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, complained of 'repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behaviour', on set.

Lively has also accused Baldoni of making sexual comments about the cast and crew, showing her explicit photos and videos of women, and discussing his alleged porn addiction.

Standing in solidarity with her younger sister, Robyn shared screenshots from a New York Times article that laid bare the astonishing details of the lawsuit.

'FINALLY justice for my sister @BlakeLively,' she wrote, highlighting specific sentences from the article such as 'Ms Lively had expressed concerns about Mr Baldoni from the beginning'.

It comes as Blake Lively's sister Robyn has broken her silence after the actress filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni

Breaking her silence: Robyn Lively jumped to the defense of her little sister on Instagram

She also encouraged her followers to click on and read the article and wrote 'Blake Lively' with a heart drawn around the name.

Meanwhile, Blake's brother-in-law Bart Johnson joined his longtime spouse in defending the actress.

The Los Angeles-born actor, 54, who's been married to the A-lister's sister Robyn Lively, 52, for more than 25 years, left a series of comments on a social media post on The New York Times' Instagram account Saturday.

In reaction to the story - titled Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni and a Smear Campaign After It Ends With Us - Johnson simultaneously slammed and praised the PR personnel employed Baldoni, 40, amid his public row with Blake, 37.

Lively in her complaint said that Baldoni this summer hired crisis management expert Melissa Nathan, who previously worked for Johnny Depp amid his long-running legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard.

'The public got played,' said Johnson, who appeared on episodes of the respective shows Landman and Yellowstone this past year. 'His PR team was stellar. Gross and disgusting but highly effective.'

Johnson, who's been seen in multiple High School Musical films, noted in the comment section that Blake's 'complaints were filed during the filming ... on record ... long before the public conflict.

'The cast unfollowed him for a reason. Read this article before spiting ignorance. Read the article, their text message exchanges and his PR campaign strategy to bury her by any means necessary.'

Johnson conceded that while 'no one is with out faults' and 'yes of COURSE mistakes were made,' he felt Blake was in the right in regard to the professional conflict.

Meanwhile, Blake's brother-in-law Bart Johnson joined his longtime spouse in defending the actress

Bart Johnson posed between daughter Kate Johnson, 19, and wife Robyn Lively, 52, at a Landman screening in LA last month

Johnson described Blake, who's wed to Ryan Reynolds, 48, as 'a stay at home mom raising 4 kids, married to the busiest man in Hollywood and at the same time being a girl boss running multiple companies while writing, producing, running non profits and working 16+ hour days from home so [she] can be with [her] kids.'

Johnson in a subsequent comment said Blake was 'attacked by a VERY expensive PR smear campaign because [she] filed a sexual harassment claim for the very film [she] have to go out and promote with just the right tone or [she'd] get cooked' by Baldoni's team.

He said he viewed Blake as 'a "girl boss"' who has proven 'every bit as capable and qualified if not more so' than men in her industry, adding, 'Shes my hero as is any woman charging it like this.'

In reference to a 2016 Blake interview that has circulated amid her clash with Baldoni, Johnson said, 'I mean, shes been rude in these interviews that magically played on repeat. I saw it. None of us have ever been wrong or mean.

'Never. We should discount decades of good for those few bad moments. Glad the microscope isnt on me every day of my life.'

He said of his sister-in-law: 'Looks like shes doing a hell of a job to me and trying to do good things for the right reasons. But yeah lets post from our couch how much we hate her for making mistakes. That makes sense.'

Hollywood is coming out in support of Blake as she accuses her When It Ends With Us costar Justin of orchestrating a smear campaign against her with a PR representative who boasted 'we can bury anyone'.

When It Ends With Us was released in August this year, this is the string of negative incidents involving the actress that started to be discussed online - from being testy and sarcastic in interviews to marrying her husband Ryan Reynolds at a plantation property in South Carolina.

There were also complaints from fans about her promo interviews for It Ends With Us in which she plugged her haircare brand instead of addressing the movie's domestic violence storyline, and it seemed that these 'tone deaf' comments were what was fuelling an organic online backlash.

However, her legal team now claim the film's director and Blake's co-star Justin allegedly launched a smear campaign against her to 'destroy' her reputation.

Hollywood is coming out in support of Blake as she accuses her When It Ends With Us costar Justin of orchestrating a smear campaign against her with a PR representative who boasted 'we can bury anyone'

When It Ends With Us was released in August this year, this is the string of negative incidents involving the actress that started to be discussed online

This was orchestrated by crisis management expert Melissa Nathan, whose previous clients have included Jonny Depp, and his PR team, which also included publicist Jennifer Abel.

Allegedly, Ms Nathan planted and advanced negative stories about Ms Lively online and engaged in a tactic known as astroturfing: when comments are posted online to appear as if they from the public, when in fact they are posted by an organisation.

Ultimately, Livelys legal team believe Baldoni tried to retaliate against her harassment complaints by battering her image, harming her businesses, and causing her and her family severe emotional harm.

In text messages in court documents seen by the Mail, Ms Nathan assured a member of Baldonis team: We can bury anyone.

Rumors of a rift between the film's leads began to swirl amid its press run, after eagle-eyed fans noted a frostiness between the pair on the red carpet.

But Lively was wary of Baldoni even prior to filming, according to her legal complaint, and claimed they clashed over him trying to add 'gratuitous' nudity and sex scenes to the movie.

The message was in response to Abel's text, which said Baldoni, 'wants to feel like she [Lively] can be buried'.

'Of course - but you know when we send over documents we can't send over the work we will or could do because that could get us in a lot of trouble,' Nathan responded, adding, 'We can't write we will destroy her'.

She followed up the message with another which read: 'Imagine if a document saying all the things that he wants ends up in the wrong hands. You know we can bury anyone but I can't write that to him. I will be very tough.'

Now, Justin and his PR team are accused of 'astroturfing' the actress - a term used to define a deceptive practice of publishing comments that appear to come from the public but actually come from a particular group.

Elsewhere, Amber Heard has spoken out in support of Blake in the wake of her explosive allegations against Justin saying she too knows how it feels to be on the receiving end of a smear campaign.

Amber Heard has spoken out about Blake's allegations her co-star Justin Baldoni launched a smear campaign against her

Heard said she has experienced a smear campaign 'firsthand' during a defamation trial where she was sued for defamation by her ex-husband Johnny Depp

Lively's lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star alleges that he embarked on an elaborate effort to tank her reputation once filming had wrapped.

The movie production was marred with stories about their tense relationship, and the promotional tour that followed was disastrous. Lively was branded out of touch for failing to address domestic violence, and clips resurfaced in which she was seen being rude to journalists.

Heard has long claimed that she was the victim of a smear campaign orchestrated by her famous ex, Johnny Depp, during their infamous court battle over domestic violence.

In a statement to NBC News of Lively's claims, she said: 'Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying "A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on."

'I saw this firsthand and up close. Its as horrifying as it is destructive.'
Fearne Cotton has revealed she's been having a 'weird burst of fun' lately, amid her divorce from husband Jesse Wood.

The presenter, 43, shocked fans by sharing the divorce announcement on Instagram this month just days after she disclosed a health scare, revealing she had discovered two tumours on her jawline.

Addressing her mindset in recent weeks, the mother-of-two spoke opened up in a chat with comedian Joanne McNally on her latest Happy Place podcast.

After Joanne revealed she went from relying on her friends to have a good time to suddenly feeling 'hyper independent', Fearne shared her own take.

She confessed: 'I'm having a little weird um burst of fun. I don't know why, it's come out of nowhere. It's like, oh I just want to go and get a bit p***ed and have some fun.

'I'm coming out of it a bit I think it's all phases but I I totally understand that sort of hyper independence. I think I've had that for so long maybe because I started work young.'

Fearne Cotton revealed on the latest episode of her Happy Place podcast that she's been having a 'weird burst of fun' lately, amid her divorce from husband Jesse Wood

The presenter, 43, shocked fans by sharing the divorce announcement on Instagram this month just days after she disclosed a health scare

Fearne continued: 'Sometimes I don't trust that people are going to do what I need or support me in the right way.

'So I'm like "no I'm doing everything on my own" which is not great but I but I know I can rely on myself.

'So I sort of stick to that and I know that that's not great but it's just a coping mechanism I guess.'

Fearne also appeared to hint at her marital woes in her previous podcast, as she admitted on her Happy Place podcast that she 'doesn't want to feel depleted, stressed and not present in her family home'.

Speaking to Caroline Hirons, Fearne spoke of the 'toxic pressure that a woman can have it all'.

After a stressful few weeks battling her tumour scares, going through a divorce, while running a business at the same time, Fearne admitted: 'The pressure is immense'.

She said: 'There is a lot of pressure for women to prove ourselves, that we can run businesses, I'm trying to do the same with Happy Place. But if we are honest, the pressure is immense.

'I can imagine you [Caroline] are like me, there are lots of things I'd like to do, lots of goals.

'I want to grow and expand myself in many ways but I don't want to feel depleted and stressed out and not be able to be present in my family home, [I want to] have time with my friends, have fun.

'There is still that toxic sort of trope that women can have it all, that people believe.'

Fearne confessed: 'I'm having a little weird um burst of fun. I just want to go and get a bit p***ed and have some fun' (pictured on a night out with Eliza Day and Jamie Laing last week)

Fearne shares son Rex, 11, and daughter Honey, eight, with Jesse, 48, and she is also stepmother to his children Arthur, 21, and Lola, 18, from his first marriage.

In the statement revealing the split Fearne told fans that their priority was their children.

She posted on Instagram: 'It is with a heavy heart that I let you all know that Jesse and I are ending our marriage. Our priority has been and always will be our children.

'We please ask that you respect the privacy of our family at this time.'

Fearne reportedly feared for her marriage for some time before announcing the couple's split.

It has emerged that the couple had faced challenges for several years, with Fearne previously admitting that their marriage had been 'suffering' as far back as 2019.

Speaking at the time, Fearne said Jesse's demanding schedule with his band Reef had put a strain on their relationship which left them desperately 'clinging onto their marriage' in an unearthed interview.

The couple's problems eventually came to a head with a two-hour 'screaming match' where they worried their 'love had gone'.

Fearne tied the knot with the musician, who is the son of Rolling Stones member Ronnie Wood, in 2014, with the couple separating 10 years later

Jesse, who is the son of Rolling Stone rocker Ronnie Wood and model Krissy Findlay, is yet to speak out on their split.

The couple, who tied the knot in a small London ceremony in 2014, celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary in July.

The pair met in 2011 while in Ibiza, with Jesse having recently separated from his first wife, actress Tilly Wood.

Fearne previously said their first date consisted of vodka and cigarettes. But Jesse stopped drinking and both have been vegan since 2021.
Amber Heard has spoken out in support of Blake Lively in the wake of her explosive allegations against Justin Baldoni, saying she too knows how it feels to be on the receiving end of a smear campaign.

Lively's lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star alleges that he embarked on an elaborate effort to tank her reputation once filming had wrapped.

The movie production was marred with stories about their tense relationship, and the promotional tour that followed was disastrous. Lively was branded out of touch for failing to address domestic violence, and clips resurfaced in which she was seen being rude to journalists.

In her bombshell lawsuit, she accuses Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath of repeated sexual harassment. Among the most damning claims is that Baldoni 'improvised' kissing scenes to suck and bite on her lip.

She also alleges she was forced into nude scenes during which Heath's friends were on-set.

Heard has long claimed that she was the victim of a smear campaign orchestrated by her famous ex, Johnny Depp, during their infamous court battle over domestic violence.

Baldoni, who has been dropped by his talent agency, hired TAG PR and Melissa Nathan in August of this year as stories surrounding the drama onset emerged.

Nathan founded the company in August this year, but previously worked for the same firm Depp hired to help him navigate his trial with Heard.

Amber Heard has spoken out about Blake Lively 's allegations her co-star Justin Baldoni launched a smear campaign against her

Lively, 37, has filed a legal complaint against Baldoni over allegations of sexual harassment, fostering a hostile work environment and trying to tarnish her reputation while they worked together on the movie It Ends With Us

In a statement to NBC News of Lively's claims, she said: 'Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying "A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on."

'I saw this firsthand and up close. Its as horrifying as it is destructive.'

NBC reports that Baldoni's PR, Melissa Nathan, helped Depp through the trial - something her reps deny.

She started up her company, TAG PR, earlier this year - long after the Depp and Heard's showdown.

Nathan's reps denied that she had anything to do with a smear campaign against either woman, telling Daily Mail: 'TAG PR must be the most powerful group of publicists the world has ever seen for it to be able to completely change the perception of both Amber Heard and Blake Lively.

'The only correlation between both individuals was that for decades every move they have made has been out there for everyone to see, widely filmed and documented for the public to make up their own minds - which they did, organically.

'All you have to do is watch the interviews that still remain if they have not already been scrubbed by their crisis PR teams (which is apparently their crisis teams next move since thats what crisis teams do, they protect their clients).'

Heard was sued by Depp over allegations she fabricated claims of domestic abuse to further her career after she published an op-ed in the Washington Post outlining her accusations.

The jury sided largely with Depp after a weeks-long televised trial.

He was awarded $15million in damages in total. The amount was later reduced.

In her lawsuit, Lively claims Baldoni showed her nude images and videos of women, talked about an alleged previous porn addiction and made sexual comments about the cast and crew

Heard has always maintained her innocence, insisting that the jury got it wrong. She lamented Depp's revived popularity, and moved to Spain after the scandal died down.

Lively's claims against Baldoni went viral over the weekend and have sent shockwaves through the industry.

Celebrities are lining up to throw their support behind Lively.

Among them are Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Schumer, It Ends with US author Colleen Hoover, and director Paul Feig, who worked with Lively on A Simple Favor.

In her complaint, Lively states Baldoni fostered a toxic workplace environment on the set of their movie, which included the director showing her nude videos and images of other women and discussing his previous alleged porn addiction.

She claimed Baldoni made inappropriate inquiries about her weight, comments about her dead father as well as sexual remarks about the cast and crew.

The situation became so unworkable that she and her husband demanded crisis talks during filming to put a stop to the behavior, according to the lawsuit.

Heard said she has experienced a smear campaign 'firsthand' during a defamation trial where she was sued for defamation by her ex-husband Johnny Depp

She spoke out after it emerged that Baldoni hired the same crisis management PR team as Depp

She also requested 'no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL [Blake Lively] outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project,' per the filing.

The demands were allegedly accepted by the studio, but the movie's release was still hampered by their feud.

Another saw Lively accused of 'mean girl' behavior during an interview with Cafe Society costar Parker Posey during promotion for the movie.

Baldoni has now hit back and claims that Lively has only filed the lawsuit to try to repair her reputation in the wake of negative press she received following the film's release.

Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman branded the legal action 'false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt'.

He insisted Lively is attempting to 'fix her negative reputation' after rumors emerged of diva-like behavior during filming.

This included 'threatening to not show up to set [and] threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release,' according to Freedman.
Wendy Williams has been pictured looking happy and smiling in a new social media post, after the star's guardian claimed that the beloved host's dementia battle had made her 'permanently incapacitated.'

In an Instagram image shared by her niece, Alex Finnie, the 60-year-old TV star - who was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May 2023 - was seen grinning from ear to ear.

Wendy seemed relaxed and in good spirits as she posed for a selfie with Alex at what appeared to be a family dinner.

Alex also uploaded a short clip of the pair, in which she placed a loving kiss on the former radio personality's cheek.

Wendy donned a black top that she tucked in to some high-waisted jeans; she left her long locks in loose waves and wore striking red lipstick.

'Its the most wonderful time of the year [heart emoji] #FamilyOverEverything #MyHeart,' Alex wrote in the caption.

Followers were delighted to see the beloved host out and about as one commented: 'She looks like the Wendy we all know and love! Looking great, keep up the fabulous work.'

Another wrote: 'Thanks for sharing. You and your auntie Wendy looks beautiful.'

Wendy Williams has been pictured looking happy and smiling in a new social media post shared by her neice, Alex Finnie

'Ahhhh send Wendy all our love,' a third fan stated. 'So great to see her smiling and with her family.'

While a fourth fan added: 'Thanks for letting us know our girl is OK!'

The new image of the star comes just days after the proud mom attended her son Kevin Jr.s graduation from Florida International University in a rare public outing.

The TV host arrived to the event in Miami on a mobility scooter wearing a stylish sequin black dress; she was joined by her father, Thomas Williams Sr.

Photos from inside the event showed the mom-of-one beaming as Kevin Jr., 24, received his diploma in a traditional blue college robe.

At one point, she also appeared to get emotional as she watched her only son walk across the stage.

Wendy shares her son with ex-husband Kevin Hunter, 52. She filed for divorce from Hunter in 2019, after he fathered a baby with a mistress, and their divorce was finalized in 2020.

Wendy's public outing took place shortly after a family insider exclusively told DailyMail.com that Wendy is 'more clear now than she's ever been,' following her guardian's claim that she is 'permanently incapacitated.'

Alex also uploaded a short clip of the pair, in which she placed a loving kiss on the 60-year-old former radio personality's cheek

The pictures were taken at what appeared to be a family dinner, months after her guardian claimed that the beloved host's dementia battle had made her 'permanently incapacitated

The star's was diagnosed with dementia in 2023 - one year after she was placed under a court-ordered legal guardianship that oversees both her finances and health.

Last month, attorneys for the star's guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, claimed in new filings that Wendy 'had become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.'

It was the latest update amid a legal wrangle over the star's tell-all documentary, Where Is Wendy Williams? - which prompted widespread backlash when it aired in February.

However, a family insider hit back at the claim regarding Wendy's mental state and said: 'She is more clear now than shes ever been throughout the guardianship, which is a problem for some.'

Where Is Wendy Williams? was set to explore Wendy's life as she prepared to launch a new podcast - but it featured various shocking scenes of the host, including one that saw her drinking vodka in bed and another that featured her having a panic attack.

Sabrina is now locked in a legal battle with the network over the documentary.

In a filing obtained by The Sun last week, Sabrina's attorneys called Wendy 'an acclaimed entertainer who, tragically, has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.'

'In January 2022, after becoming aware of a pattern of disturbing events concerning [Wendy's] welfare and finances, Wells Fargo took the highly unusual step of initiating a guardianship proceeding on its own initiative in the Supreme Court of New York, New York County (the "Guardianship Proceeding"), to seek the court appointment of an independent guardian for [Wendy's] financial affairs,' reads their lawsuit.

On Thursday, the star made a rare public outing to attend her son Kevin Jr.s, 24, graduation from Florida International University

Wendy shares her son with ex-husband Kevin Hunter; the trio seen in 2017

However, just two months ago, the beloved talk show host spoke exclusively with DailyMail.com and shared that she was doing well, before also slamming the documentary.

'I am doing really good,' she said in October. 'The documentary sucked. I understand that it is up for an award now. Everything is going really well.

New York lawyer Sabrina was assigned as her guardian after Wells Fargo froze her accounts in 2022, as a result of her financial adviser at the time claiming that she was of 'unsound mind.'

In March, it was reported that Wendy was allegedly paid $100,000 per episode for her involvement in the four-part docuseries.

At the same time, it was revealed that Wendy's guardian had filed a lawsuit against the parent company of Lifetime, A&E Television Networks, with allegations of 'blatant exploitation' in a 'disgusting' fashion.

Sabrina filed the lawsuit under temporary seal - which kept details in the case protected from the public - in October, but the docs were then unsealed and reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, revealing explosive accusations in the case.

'This blatant exploitation of a vulnerable woman with a serious medical condition who is beloved by millions within and outside of the African American community is disgusting, and it cannot be allowed,' the legal team for Wendy's guardian told the court.

Sabrina added that the talk show host 'did not have the capacity to consent,' according to THR, and that producers did not get her consent, as her court-appointed guardian, to produce it.

She filed for divorce from Hunter in 2019, after he fathered a baby with a mistress; their divorce was finalized in 2020. They're pictured in 2018

Wendy was misled by producers into thinking that the documentary would be a 'positive and beneficial' project for her public image and reputation, the suit stated.

In response, A&E Networks argued that Sabrina has been 'exceeding her authority' in trying to get parts of the documentary changed and redacted.

The American multinational broadcasting company filed a countersuit which claimed that Wendy had signed a talent agreement before she was 'mentally incapacitated' as was claimed by her guardian.

The popular network also claimed that there is no law against doing a documentary on a subject with dementia so, in effect, even if a talent agreement wasn't signed nothing that they had done would be considered wrong.

The broadcasting company is suing Sabrina for attempting to infringe on A&E's First Amendment right, and cited Sabrina's original suit filed in February in which she attempted to get a judge to stop the original documentary from being released.

A&E claimed that Sabrina had forced their production company to defend itself against 'meritless claims' from the documentary.

TMZ also claimed that A&E says in the countersuit that Sarbina is trying to deny Wendy 'one of her last chances to exercise her autonomy and honestly reach her fans in exactly the frank and unfiltered manner that was the hallmark of her career.'

Wendy's publicist Shawn Zanotti previously blasted the Lifetime documentary that she signed her famous TV client up for.

Shawn placed blame on the producers of the series, alleging the TV icon believed she was filming a program about her comeback - only for filmmakers to capture 'a circus to her downfall.'

Shawn, who has been working as a publicist for Wendy since 2021, spoke with NBC News about her grievances with the making the four-part documentary.

In an interview with the outlet, Shawn claimed: 'I felt that [Wendy] was being exploited. She thought we were focusing on the comeback of her career... She would be mortified.

'There's no way you can convince me that she would be OK with looking and seeing herself in that way.'

The Wendy Williams Show aired its final episode in June 2022 after 13 years  without the star herself making an appearance.

She previously withdrew from the show in 2021 and embarked on what was initially supposed to be a temporary leave of absence to cope with health issues.
Kate Mara and Rooney Mara were spotted enjoying some family time at the Studio City Farmer's Market on Sunday.

The sisters were joined by their mother Kathleen McNulty Mara and it is clear where Kate, 41, and Rooney, 39, get their looks.

Kate, Rooney and Kathleen all bear a striking resemblance to each other. If they were all the same age, they'd be triplets.

The Mara women all wore their hair pulled back into buns and wore sunglasses.

Kate looked cute in a pink and white striped t-shirt with black sweatpants and a brown jacket, while her sister wore a black top and jeans with a long black coat.

Their mother wore a white jacket with black trim and black pants.

Kate Mara and Rooney Mara were spotted enjoying some family time at the Studio City Farmer's Market on Sunday

Earlier this month the sisters stepped out to attend a fundraiser for Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection.

The Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection (LCRP) is the first, and currently only chimpanzee sanctuary and conservation in the west African country, rescuing endangered chimpanzees from death or captivity.

They were joined by Kate's husband, Billy Elliot actor Jamie Bell, 38. Rooney's husband Joaquin Phoenix, 50, stayed home.

Rooney and the Joker actor met in 2012 and became friends while working on the set of Her.

They began dating four years later and secretly married' in September after welcoming two children, the first in August 2020 and the second in June 2024.

Their first child, a son, is named River Mara Phoenix, named after Joaquin's big brother.

Rive Phoenix died at age 23 from an overdose on Halloween 1993 outside the Viper Room on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.

Speaking about motherhood on the LaunchLeft podcast last year, Rooney said: 'I love it. I love it so much. I think it's the best thing in the world.

The sisters were joined by their mother Kathleen McNulty Mara and it is clear where Kate, 41, and Rooney, 39, get their looks

Kate, Rooney and Kathleen all bear a striking resemblance to each other

'I mean, it sounds so cliche when you talk about it, but things are cliche for a reason,' the Carol actress expressed.

She also discussed how being a mother can also be 'challenging.'

'I also have a very privileged life,' she stated.

'Motherhood is very challenging, even when you have a privileged life, and I'm so lucky that I have the choice to get to be with him most of the time.'

'It doesn't feel like a two-actor house because I didn't work for the first three and a half years we were together.

'Basically, since we've been together, I only worked one or two times and one was really small and short.

'It feels like a creative household, we're constantly talking about creative things.'

Meanwhile, Kate and Jamie married in 2017 and are raising two children whose names remain private - a five-year-old daughter and a two-year old son.

Earlier this month the sisters stepped out to attend a fundraiser for Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection. Kate and Rooney seen here on December 4, 2024

They were joined by Kate's husband, Billy Elliot actor Jamie Bell , 38. Rooney's husband Joaquin Phoenix , 50, stayed home. Kate and Jamie pictured here on December 5, 2024

They met on the set of Fantastic Four in 2014, where they played the respective roles of Sue Storm and Ben Grimm.

Kate and Jamie announced their engagement in January 2017 and tied the knot in a private ceremony in July of the same year.

During an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2018, Jamie revealed their wedding ceremony took place just a few feet from their Los Angeles home.

'We had a lovely wedding. It was very small and intimate,' he said.
Taylor Swift put her huge heart on display as she gifted a hospital patient a $4,500 Miu Miu outfit for Christmas.

Swift, 35, met with Naya, a patient at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, earlier this month, and wore a stunning Miu Miu outfit for the visit that the young fan gushed as 'tea.'

Clearly Taylor did not forget just how much the patient adored the outfit, and sent her the exact same dress for the holidays.

The fan shared video of her receiving two massive gifts from Swift to her TikTok.

An elated Naya was hand delivered the gifts to her hospital bed and was overjoyed reading a sweet handwritten card the songstress had also included.

Naya couldn't believe it once it dawned on her that Taylor had sent her the same outfit she described as 'tea.'

Taylor Swift gave patient Naya a $4,500 Miu Miu outfit after she visited her in the hospital earlier this month clad in the same outfit

Clearly Taylor did not forget just how much the patient adored the outfit, and sent her the exact same dress for the holidays

'Merry Christmas Taylor,' Naya said.

'She is soo amazing im soo blessed,' Naya gushed in caption of one of the TikTok videos. 'i love you Tay Swizzle youre literally the Best.'

During Swift's visit earlier this month, Taylor could be seen in video posted by Naya autographing a copy of her new Eras Tour book.

'Thank you for saying my outfit was tea,' Taylor told her as she signed the hardcover.

'Everything about it!' Naya gushed. 'Your hair!' she added.

'You made my day with that! Walking in you were just so sweet and so friendly and so lovely,' Taylor said.

Taylor also took part in a fun dance with Naya and her friend which saw the songstress dramatically emerge from behind a curtain.

Naya, who set the video to the Swift song Bad Blood, wrote in the video: 'Boy ain't no way I js woke up and tripped out with Taylor Swift.'

Naya was one of several fans Swift visited at the hospital earlier this month.

The Karma hitmaker joined hardworking staff for a fun snap during her visit earlier this month

Taylor also met with a patient named Baylee (pictured) during her visit

Swift visited the hospital with her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, 35, however the pair were not pictured together; pictured at the Kansas City Chiefs vs Houston Texans game over the weekend

The songstress visited the hospital with her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, 35, however the pair were not pictured together.

She also visited a patient named Baylee, whose mother Melissa Nuzum wrote on Facebook: 'We had the coolest and most unexpected surprise ever... Taylor Swift came to visit inpatient children today and Baylee was chosen since she requests Taylor songs during her uncomfortable procedures.

'Ya'll she is amazing. On top of her sheer beauty, she was a kind and personable and down to earth.

'She gave Baylee a signed copy of her Eras Tour book and accepted a gift from Baylee, a diamond art picture as well.

'We have fan girled all morning. I even cried as it's wonderful to see my girl smile so much knowing the pain she's been in.

'Thank you Taylor and those involved at Children's Mercy that helped make this happen.'
90 Day Fiance star Tigerlily Taylor and her husband Adnan Abdelfattah are expecting their first child together.

Fans watched the moment Tigerlily learned of her pregnancy after she returned from visiting Adnan in Turkey to conceive their child.

'I started having some lower abdominal pressure since the baby-making trip,' she explained. 'So it totally may be too early, but I made sure to travel in my primetime ovulation window.'

Viewers watched Tigerly's test process from start to finish, from her unwrapping the test packaging to her anxiously awaiting the results.

'Fingers crossed,' she said after unwrapping the test before taking it in the bathroom.

'Now we wait,' she said afterwards.

90 Day Fiance star Tigerlily Taylor and her husband Adnan Abdelfattah are expecting their first child together

Fans watched the moment Tigerlily learned of her pregnancy after she returned from visiting Adnan in Turkey to conceive their child

'Totally nerve-wrecking,' she said as she sat on the bed, with the clock counting down. 'I'm really nervous,' she said.

Within three minutes, the test came back positive.

An emotional Tigerlily smiled and said, 'I'm pregnant and Adnan's going to be a father!'

Texas-based Tigerlily, whose husband Adnan lives in Jordan, decided to wait to share the big news with him in person. 'It's not something that you tell someone on the phone,' she said.

'I'm going to have to look and see when I can go next and tell him in person,' she continued.

'I just hope he gets his spousal visa approved as soon as possible, because how am I going to do this alone?' she wondered.

Speaking with People after the episode aired, the couple said: 'We are so happy we had a successful baby making trip and are expanding our family!'

'I was thrilled to find out Im pregnant so quickly!' Tigerlily added. 'I cant wait for Adnan to join me in the US for my pregnancy journey. I hope it wont be too long to wait for his visa to get approved.'

Tigerlily, who was in Texas, decided to wait to share the big news with Jordan-based Adnan in person

Viewers watched Tigerly's test process from start to finish, from her unwrapping the test packaging to her anxiously awaiting the results

Tigerlily took to her Instagram Stories after the episode aired to answer viewer questions, including one who inquired if she has since welcomed her child.

'I have 500+ messages like this in my inbox. Thank you guys for all the love and support! I can't answer any baby related questions yet... keep watching,' she wrote along with a red heart emoji.

Adnan previously said on the show that he wanted five children, but during an interview with Access Hollywood, Tigerlily, who already has two children from a previous marriage, attempted to strike a more realistic tone.

She became emotional after receiving the positive test result

Tigerlily took to her Instagram Stories after the episode aired to answer viewer questions, including one who inquired if she has since welcomed her child

'I wasn't shocked,' Tigerlily said of Adnan's desire for a large family. 'I knew that we both wanted children, we just never really said how many because it's not really up to us, right? We can say we want how many ever. It's just up to God how many we have.

'It wasn't like a shock in a bad way whenever he said five, it was just, you know, "Okay well I'm glad you have a number, but it might not be that." Hopefully... at least be one.'

The popular TLC show documents couples from different countries meeting for the first time and starting the K-1 visa process.

The seventh season of the hit TLC series premiered in September.
An All Creatures Great and Small star has revealed how a two ton bull left cast and crew running after it escaped on set.

The series, which is set to return to Channel 5 for a festive special set to air Monday, descended into chaos when filming took a dramatic turn.

Nicholas Ralph, who plays James Herriot, recalled a scary incident during a previous series when a bull escaped.

He told The Sun: 'We had one bull who was two tons. This was like one of the earlier series, but we were heading towards, through one field into another field.

'Then we just heard kind of a, do-do-do-do, kind of like Jurassic Park. And so we turned around and we just saw this two ton bull racing towards us.

'So we just parted, like it was me, the director and the DOP. I think we parted like the Red Sea, like two of us went that way, one of us went that way, and the bull ran straight through.'

An All Creatures Great and Small star has revealed how a two ton bull left cast and crew running after it escaped on set

Nicholas Ralph, who plays James Herriot, told The Sun: 'We had one bull who was two tons. Then we just heard kind of a, do-do-do-do, kind of like Jurassic Park' (Rachel Shenton as Helen Herriot and Nicholas as James pictured)

He continued: 'So we turned around and we just saw this two ton bull racing towards us' (stock image

Since the comforting drama debuted in September 2020, fans have become hooked on the lives of veterinary surgeon James Herriot, his wife Helen and their pals at Skeldale House.

With its positive outlook and warming tales, the series is loosely inspired by the popular novel series which is written by real-life vet James Herriot.

The show returned for series five in September and has since been recommissioned for another two seasons.

The titular vet's name was actually just the pen name of the real surgeon, James Alfred Wight.

The doctor, who was nicknamed Akf, was born in Sunderland in 1916 and relocated to Scotland at age three.

Similar to the period drama, the medical professional lived and worked with his employer.

The family and the employer were so close that Donald was James's best man at his wedding.

James practiced as a vet for almost five decades while solidifying himself as a successful author.

He added: And so we turned around and we just saw this two ton bull racing towards us. 'So we just parted, like it was me, the director and the DOP. I think we parted like the Red Sea'

His book series, which debuted with the 1970's If Only They Could Talk, sold 60 million copies worldwide.

He retired in 1989 and was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years later but passed in aged 78 in 1995.

His two children, Jim and Rosie, have been supportive of the TV adaption and believed their father would very much approve.

Jim Wright previously said: 'I hope and believe this could be a breath of fresh air to the population at the moment. Would my father have approved of it? Oh, I think so.'

James's daughter Rosie Page added: 'We feel that there is a very big generation gap between those brought up with Herriot and those who have never heard of him and we think there is a whole new generation who has never read those wonderful books.'
Benidorm star Adam Gillen looks worlds away from his fresh-faced holidaymaker character Liam Conroy - 13 years after first appearing on the small screen.

The actor starred in the ITV sitcom from 2011 until its conclusion in 2018, playing the role of Les Conroy's son, played by Tim Healy, 70.

And now Adam looked unrecognisable as he has ditched his iconic ginger locks and clean-shaven face for a bushy beard and bleached hair do.

The clumsy character was initially a holidaymaker, who had travelled to Benidorm to visit his father Les Conroy, who worked at the Solana Hotel.

In series five, Liam joined the Solana workforce as a maintenance worker, however, in the series finale, the lad leaves the Solana to pursue a career with Kenneth Du Beke in the Blow 'n' Go Salon.

Nowadays the actor can be seen cutting a slimmer frame and wearing a selection of trendy outfits as he enjoys life with his dog and partner, Laila Zaidi.

Benidorm star Adam Gillen looks worlds away from his fresh-faced holidaymaker character Liam Conroy - 13 years after first appearing on the small screen; pictured with partner Laila Zaidi

The actor starred in the ITV sitcom from 2011 until its conclusion in 2018, playing the role of Les Conroy's son, played by Tim Healy, 70

And now Adam looked unrecognisable as he has ditched his iconic ginger locks and clean-shaven face for a bushy beard and bleached hair do

The actress starred in the final series of Benidorm where she joined the cast as Rob's girlfriend Cyd.

Yet she found love in real life and her and Adam have been dating since they met on set in 2018.

Adam regularly shares snaps of the pair together including, meals out, dog walks and New Year's Eve celebrations.

He may have left Benidorm and his iconic ginger hair behind, but Adam's expressions still mirror those of his character, and in Instagram posts he seems to sometimes still have the same unlucky fate as Liam.

Looking downcast in a snap, the actor looked sad as he stared down at a rapidly melting ice cream as it began to run down his hand.

In the following snap he sheepishly looks up as takes a lick while on holiday in Casco Viejo in Panama.

Fans commented on the stars sad looks as one wrote: 'Lol, why do you look sad eating ice cream? did someone steal it? lol'

While another wrote: 'just watching reruns of Benidorm. Best characters are yourself and 'kenneth''

He may have left Benidorm and his iconic ginger hair behind, but Adam's expressions still mirror those of his character
Happy Monday's star Rowetta Satchell has abruptly quit the iconic band after a whopping 35-years.

A statement was shared to the group's offical Instagram account as well as the former X Factor contestant's personal grid on Monday, before she cryptically teased 'amazing news' to come.

The statement read: 'Happy Mondays and Rowetta announce that Rowetta will no longer be performing with the band. Happy Mondays thank Rowetta for her services and wish her all the best for the future'.

Rowetta then wrote: 'Really looking forward to the New Year & sharing some amazing news with you all. Thanks for all the love through the years, means the world'.

The songstress first joined the group, alongside original members Shaun Ryder, 62, and Bez, 60, and late bassist Paul Ryder in 1990, and appeared on top 5 track Step On, as well as albums Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches and Yes Please!.

But her time in the band has not been plain sailing and a bitter feud resulted in her and frontman Shaun not speaking for a number of years, before finally burying the hatchet.

Happy Monday's star Rowetta Satchell, 58, has abruptly quit the iconic band after a whopping 35-years

A statement was shared to the group's offical Instagram account as well as the former X Factor contestant's personal grid on Monday (pictured on stage with Shaun Ryder in 2023)

The statement read: 'Happy Mondays and Rowetta announce that Rowetta will no longer be performing with the band. Happy Mondays thank Rowetta for her services'

Last year she told The Mirror: 'We didn't speak for a long time, myself and Shaun. So now we're getting on really, really better than ever.

'Because I think it does help when you're going through your problems and you do fall out, and you're falling out over nothing sometimes, that if you have a break.

'The last gig we did, we smiled, myself and Sean, we smiled the whole way through.'

In 2004 Rowetta appeared on talent show The X Factor where she was mentored by Simon Cowell and made it all the way to the semi finals.

It comes after Happy Mondays bassist Paul Ryder left just 6,000 in his estate after he died without writing a will.

The musician, who is the brother of frontman Shaun, died in 2022 at the age of 58, just hours before the band were due to play a gig in Sunderland.

Documents obtained by The Sun show that Paul did not write a British will, and originally had just 13,262 in assets when he died, which was later reduced to 5,978 following the taking of debts and legal sums.

Many of Paul's royalties and income are thought to be registered abroad after he moved to Los Angeles in the late 2000s.

Rowetta then wrote: 'Really looking forward to the New Year & sharing some amazing news with you all. Thanks for all the love through the years, means the world'

The songstress first joined the group, alongside original members Shaun Ryder , 62, and Bez , 60, and late bassist Paul Ryder in 1990 (pictured with Shaun on stage 1990)

But her time in the band has not been plain sailing and a bitter feud resulted in her and frontman Shaun not speaking for a number of years, before finally burying the hatchet (L-R Bez, Shaun Rowetta in 2015)

Last year she said: 'We didn't speak for a long time, myself and Shaun. So now we're getting on really, really better than ever' (pictured with Bez 2012)

In 2004 Rowetta appeared on talent show The X Factor where she was mentored by Simon Cowell and made it all the way to the semi finals

The High Court granted probate to his daughter Amelia earlier his month.

Shaun, 59, and Paul were the original founders of The Happy Mondays that first formed in Salford in 1980.

Paul was found dead in July 2022, before the band were due to play at Kubix Festival in Sunderland.

The band paid tribute with a Facebook post at the time which read: 'The Ryder family and Happy Mondays band members are deeply saddened and shocked to say that Paul Ryder passed away this morning.

'A true pioneer and legend. He will be forever missed. We thank you for respecting the privacy of all concerned at this time.'

Happy Mondays bassist Paul Ryder (pictured right with his brother Shaun) left just 6,000 in his estate after he died without writing a will

The musician died in 2022, just hours before the band were due to play a gig in Sunderland

A coroner ruled Ryder died of Ischaemic heart disease and diabetes.

While his brother Shaun insisted his sibling's death was not due to drugs, Paul had previously been very open about his addiction battles in the early days of the band when he used heroin.

His brother Shaun has also opened up about his 20-year drug addiction in the past.

In 2014, Paul told MailOnline how he treated his now 16-year-old son's cancer with cannabis.

He had said that as a recovering addict he would never have encouraged Chico to take drugs.

But when faced with his son's diagnosis - a rare form of soft tissue cancer - the musician said he and his wife took the decision to use cannabis oil.

Paul married music journalist Angela Smith in 2010 after 11-years together, and they had two children before splitting in 2016
Jennifer Lopez has confirmed who she is spending Christmas with this year.

On Monday the 55-year-old star took to her Insta Stories to spread the news.

The Unstoppable actress said she was with her sister Lynda Lopez, her producing partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, her pal Michelle Chiaravalle, and their kids.

'When all the kids get together for the holidays,' wrote JLo over a video of several of the kids in a car.

Lopez shares twins Emme and Max, 16, with her ex-husband Marc Anthony.

Just before this, Jennifer was seen with her estranged husband Ben Affleck, 52, at SoHo House in West Hollywood.

They exchanged Christmas presents during the casual get-together.

Jennifer Lopez has confirmed who she is spending Christmas with this year. On Monday the 55-year-old star took to her Insta Stories to spread the news

The Unstoppable actress said she was with her sister Lynda Lopez, her producing partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, pal Michelle Chiaravalle, and their kids. 'When all the kids get together for the holidays,' wrote JLo over a video of several of the kids in a car

So far it seems as if Jennifer has not been dating yet.

In November, Jennifer told People she would be with her New York-based sister Lynda and their mother Guadalupe, in Los Angeles for Christmas.

She did not reveal where exactly they would be staying, but the guess is her home she can't offload.

The Atlas actress is still living in the $68M Bel Air, California mansion she shared with Affleck.

'I'm most looking forward to spending time with my kids and my family coming out from the East Coast, she said.

'The holidays are such a special time for us and they've always been since I was a little girl.

'And I really look forward to those moments when I can be with my sisters and just relax and have fun and create new memories.'

The actress continues to juggle a busy schedule.

Here she is seen in a flirty black dress in front of her Christmas tree

She has several projects cued up, including the release of the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman.

As she seeks balance, Lopez explained, 'I think a lot of it is about a deeper connection to myself and to God.'

She added they were 'making sure we're checking with ourselves so we can be great for everybody that we love around us,' she also told People.

As she gets in touch with her higher power, the hitmaker said she is 'also setting my sights on pushing my boundaries creatively and seeing where that takes me.'

That is 'whether that's through acting or music or producing or expanding JLo Beauty.'

With her mother Guadalupe, who will be with Lopez over Christmas

The actress, who is receiving rave reviews for her performance in the upcoming Unstoppable, as the mother of a disable athlete, continues to juggle a busy schedule

'I want to continue challenging myself to evolve,' she said, 'and to try new things while all the while being true to who I am and those that I love.'

As for the upcoming holiday season, the admitted perfectionist realizes her balancing act could face some challenges.

'I love all of the decorations and the hot chocolate and the music and the food,' said Lopez.

'And I'm one of those people who really tries to make it out of a storybook for my kids with all of those things. I'm a sucker for the holidays,' she admitted.
Keith Urban brought the heat to a Sydney beach on Sunday, showing off his buff body and eye-catching tattoos during a fun day in the sun with wife Nicole Kidman.

The 57-year-old country star went shirtless, giving fans a glimpse of his toned stomach and muscular arms as he soaked up the sun.

Rocking black shorts and wet hair from a refreshing dip in the ocean, Keith flexed his six-pack abs and bulging biceps.

His tattoos are a testament to his bold style and were prominently on display.

Nicole, always by his side, was seen enjoying the laid-back day, with the couple sharing laughs and relaxed moments on the sand.

It was a picture-perfect outing for the star-studded pair, who looked to be having the time of their lives with their daughter Faith, niece Lucia Hawley and her mother Antonia.

Keith Urban brought the heat to a Sydney beach on Sunday, showing off his buff body and eye-catching tattoos during a fun day in the sun with wife Nicole Kidman

Keith and his wife Nicole touched down in Australia on Saturday to reunite with her extended family for their first Christmas since her beloved mother Janelle's death.

The actress has had a difficult few months since Janelle died aged 84 in September - just hours before Nicole won an award at Venice Film Festival.

She is now preparing for her first Christmas without her mother and flew back to Sydney to reunite with her family as they rally around to support one another.

It is tradition for Nicole to jet back to Australia over the Christmas period and she and Keith often host New Year's Eve celebrations at their Sydney Harbour apartments.

Over the past ten years, Nicole has purchased two penthouses in the exclusive North Sydney Latitude building and then combined them to make a mega-apartment.

While back in Sydney this Christmas, Nicole will no doubt be reuniting with her younger sister Antonia, 54, and her family for the holidays.

Nicole and Keith married on the 25th of June, 2006, after meeting at an event the previous year.

The couple tied the knot at the Cardinal Cerretti Chapel in the grounds of St Patrick's College in Manly, Sydney.

The 57-year-old country star went shirtless, giving fans a glimpse of his toned abs and muscular arms as he soaked up the sun

A-list guests including Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, along with Naomi Watts and director Baz Luhrmann.

Nicole's two adopted children, Isabella, 31, and Connor, 29, who she shares with ex-husband Tom Cruise, acted as bridesmaid and usher.

She recently insisted she was 'allowed to grieve' for her mother however she wants to.

The actress lost her mother Janelle in September when she passed away at the age of 84 and insisted that three months on, there was no 'time limit' on how she manages the process of grief.

Speaking on CBS Sunday Mornings, she said: 'Wow, three months on, and people say to me "Yeah, she was 84, a good life..." But that was my mom. It doesn't matter what age someone is. There is no time limit on grief.

'You're allowed to pass through in waves and people go "Oh well, whatever", but it's my mama, my life, and I'm allowed to process and grieve in the way I want to.'

Meanwhile, Nicole said she was aware that as an 'older mother' she needs to be mindful of her health after taking advice from her own mum.
Blake Lively is trying to make Christmas 'special' for her four children amid her lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni.

The 37-year-old actress is taking time to focus on her children with husband Ryan Reynolds as the real reason she had mentioned their kids in the bombshell lawsuit had been revealed.

A source told People on Monday: ' She's trying to just focus on making Christmas special for her kids.

Lively shares one-year-old son Olin as well as daughters James, 9, Inez, 8, and Betty, 5, with the 48-year-old Canadian actor.

This comes amid more bombshell claims regarding Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star, 37, said that a lack of protections on set led to her and her infant son Olin catching COVID-19.

Blake Lively is trying to make Christmas 'special' for her four children that she shares with Ryan Reynolds according to a source for People on Monday; Blake and Ryan are seen with two of their four children in Hollywood back in December 2015

This comes amid Blake's lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni

Not only that, but she also alleged that Baldoni, 40, failed to notify Lively that she'd been exposed to the virus.

Even worse, the production didn't have insurance for COVID delays in filming and Baldoni was upset about the time and money lost when Blake had COVID and couldn't work.

'Ms. Lively was told by another producer that Wayfarer did not have insurance coverage for COVID,' the legal paperwork states and that's why Blake wasn't informed of her exposure.

'Mr. Baldoni deliberately withheld from Ms. Lively that she had been exposed to COVID. Both Ms. Lively and her infant child contracted COVID from the outbreak.'

She tried to raise concerns with Baldoni and his producing partner Jamey Heath but was shut down, according to the legal docs.

'Ms. Lively expressed her upset that Mr. Heath and Mr. Baldoni had hidden the fact that she had been exposed to a COVID outbreak on set from which she and her infant contracted COVID,' the statement began.

'Instead of acknowledging responsibility and committing to safety moving forward, they expressed upset over production days missed and resulting costs.'

When production resumed after the WGA and SAG strikes, Blake had a list of conditions that must be met for her to return to filming and she included that list in the legal documents.

Lively shares one-year-old son Olin as well as daughters James, 9, Inez, 8, and Betty, 5, with the 48-year-old Canadian actor. Blake and Ryan Reynolds seen here in 2014

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star, 37, said that a lack of protections on set led to her and her infant son Olin catching COVID-19. Justin seen here on December 4, 2024

Not only that, but she also alleged that Baldoni, 40, failed to notify Lively that she'd been exposed to the virus. Blake seen here on August 6, 2024

'If BL is exposed to COVID-19, she must be provided notice as soon as possible after Wayfarer or any producer or production executive becomes aware of such exposure,' one of the items on the request read.

In the lawsuit, which was filed on December 20, she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment as well as launching a smear campaign with the intent to 'destroy' her reputation.

In the court documents, the leaked plan from Baldoni's crisis management team reportedly revealed the intention to target Lively in a calculated smear campaign.

Lively's lawsuit is full of explosive revelations and allegations including accusing The Jane the Virgin star of entering her trailer while she was nude, and letting his 'friends' watch her film sex scenes, along with other activities, creating a 'hostile work environment.'

The Gossip Girl star had given birth to her fourth child a few months before filming began in May 2023, and she alleged that Baldoni treated her as a 'sex object' while being overly concerned with her weight.

On the second day of filming, for example, Mr. Baldoni made the rest of the cast and crew wait for hours while he cried in Ms. Lively's dressing room, claiming social media commentators were saying that Ms. Lively looked old and unattractive based on paparazzi photos from the set,' the filing alleges.

Lively claimed she tried to reassure the director 'that she should look authentic in the scenes depicted in the photos, which were just after her character had been abused by her fictional husband, rather than "hot."'

The leading lady claimed Baldoni continually focused on her physical appearance and 'routinely degraded' her by finding 'back channel ways of criticizing her body and weight.'

Even worse, the production didn't have insurance for COVID delays in filming and Baldoni was upset about the time and money lost when Blake had COVID and couldn't work. Seen here on December 10, 2024

The filing also alleges that Baldoni secretly contacted Lively's fitness trainer, implying he wanted her to 'lose weight in two weeks,' and claiming he was worried about having to pick her up for an upcoming scene, even though no such scene was in the script.

Lively claimed when she came down with strep throat, he offered to connect her with 'an expert he had on retainer to help her with probiotics and to combat the sickness,' as a gift.

However, when she was filling out the privacy forms, Lively learned the 'expert' was a 'weight loss specialist.'

'Ms. Lively was told by another producer that Wayfarer did not have insurance coverage for COVID,' the legal paperwork states and that's why Blake wasn't informed of her exposure. Seen here in 2018

In another incident, Lively, who was nursing her son at the time, wore a low-cut dress to facilitate breast feeding.

She asserted that Baldoni 'commented about how much he liked her outfit' and later asked her to remove her coat in front of 'the crew and multiple background actors in a packed bar.'

Lively claimed Baldoni asked her to remove the coat because he wanted to 'see her "onesie" under the coat because it was zipped low to reveal her lace bra.'

She added that he allegedly told her, 'I think you look sexy,' which Lively said made her feel 'ogled and exposed.
A new snack item from the Trader Joe's brand that 'sounds so gross' has been flying off the shelves this month.

Trader Joe's shopper Natasha Fischer took to social media to ask fans what they thought of the chain's new Cashel Blue Cheese Irish Potato Chips.

The new Potato Chips - created by an Irish supplier - had one commenter insisting that they would trade their 'first born for a bag of them.'

The 5.5-ounce bag of Irish potato chips began gaining social media buzz in November.

The chips' combination of Irish potatoes and blue cheese brings what Trader Joe's described as an 'Emerald Isle elegance to any situation that calls for snacking.'

'If you're a fan of blue cheese, these chips are a must-try,' Fischer wrote in her Instagram post description.

'If not, you might want to skip them, but trust me, blue cheese lovers can't get enough.'

Shoppers can try the new flavor for themselves, but only if they hurry - the $2.99 bag of Trader Joe's Cashel Blue Cheese Irish Potato Chips is available just for a limited time.

Social media users are raving about Trader Joe's new Cashel Blue Cheese Irish Potato Chips

Shoppers left positive reviews about the new Potato Chip product despite sounding 'so gross'

The Trader Joe's product description read that its Irish export is known for its 'homey potatoes and creamy, full-flavored cheeses.'

'Cashel Blue is largely considered to be Ireland's most popular cheese, and with every bite of these Chips, you'll see why: even when translated into the context of a Potato Chip, Cashel Blue's cool creaminess and ripe, piquant overtones clearly come through,' it read.

Some shoppers noted their regret at buying only two bags of the potato chips.

'They were surprisingly good! A little stinky, but most yummy cheeses are!,' an Instagrammer wrote.

Another shopper wrote: 'These were really good. Strong flavor, which I love. Can't wait to get them again.'

Other Instagram users who enjoyed the flavor claimed they tasted 'even better' with buffalo dip.

Fischer gave the product an almost 10-star rating on her December 9 Instagram post, and an X user claimed the Trader Joe's-brand item was a '7/10.'

'Imagine a medieval foot mold flavor - distinctly funky yet intriguing. These chips could redefine snack time,' the X user wrote.

A few Reddit users claimed the chips were 'better' than a $2.69 bag of Trader Joe's-brand French Onion popcorn.

Others praised the new Potato Chips for its general flavor and hoped it would be a permanent product.

At least two Reddit users hoped the new Potato Chips would be a permanent Trader Joe's product

Others recommended topping the new potato chips with hot sauce and extra blue cheese.

'I got the buffalo dip to go with them and it was a home run. Ill have to try the balsamic!,' an Instagram user wrote.

Another Instagrammer claimed the product with blue cheese crumble and Louisiana hot sauce went into 'tastebud overdrive.'

The snack could also be a finishing touch to any sandwich or burger, a Trader Joe's employee told Christine Fiorentino from Allrecipes.

Others suggested serving the Irish Potato Chips with curated meats and fruits.

Some social media users claimed their local Trader Joe's stores were sold out of Cashel Blue Cheese Irish Potato Chips

Other Trader Joe's products social media users raved about include its limited edition pumpkin cookies and butter with brown sugar and maple syrup

Trader Joe's is known for creating buzzworthy items that have fans clamoring for more.

One such item is the brand's mini insulated bags, which regularly have customers willing to line up around the block for the chance to purchase.

Other users went crazy over Trader Joe's limited-edition Pumpkin Spiced Joe-Joe's Sandwich Cookies.

Shopper Amanda Agyapong (@amandaagy) admitted in a TikTok video that she only goes to Trader Joe's when the cookies are available for purchase.

Agyapong's must have item is still available to purchase in Trader Joe's stores from $4.49 per 9.4-ounce box.

Other Trader Joe's-brand products social media lost their minds over included a butter with brown sugar and maple syrup, fig and honey bread, and walnut gouda cheese.

Shoppers left positive reviews over the three seasonal products after the social media blow up in October.

Shoppers interested in the Walnut Gouda Cheese product can purchase one for $5.49.

The limited-edition Butter with Brown Sugar & Maple Syrup and Organic Fig & Honey Batard are available to purchase in stores for $2.99 and $4.99.
Michelin-star Daniel Boulud will serve Christmas dinner to thousands at his elegant fine-dining restaurants across New York City this year.

Here the world-renowned chef of Daniel, Le Pavillon and Cafe Boulud shares his favorite dishes and additions to elevate any feast being prepared at home.

Boulud, who is board chair of Citymeals on Wheels - which provides homebound seniors with nutritious meals - reveals his favorites from breakfast to the final nibble of cheese before bed.

Originally from France, Boulud arrived in New York City in 1982 and has since become a mainstay of the culinary scene's upper crust.

Boulud also has restaurants in Canada, Dubai, Singapore, and The Bahamas, and recently established his own catering venture Cuisine Boulud for grand events or intimate dinner parties.

1. Christmas breakfast

Chef Boulud's Champagne, Caviar and Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs

Champagne, Caviar and Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs is my favorite way to start the Christmas holiday  or come see us for brunch at Cafe Boulud New York where this is served. Scroll down for the full recipe.

2. Shellfish

Gratineed Oyster with a Creamy Chowder Sauce and Parsley-Seaweed Crust

I love to include a warm shellfish to my holiday spread like the oysters Vanderbilt from Le Pavillon, a Gratineed Oyster with a Creamy Chowder Sauce and Parsley-Seaweed Crust.

3. Truffles

Cote de Boeuf and Sauce Perigueux, a favorite of Daniel Boulud's

Truffles are always a staple in my household around the holidays. You can add them to any meal, for example my Gratin Dauphinois (from Le Gratin) with the addition of black truffle is amazing, it pairs well with a Cote de Boeuf and Sauce Perigueux (from La Tete dOr). Scroll down for the full recipes - for the beef, potatoes and sauce.

4. Cheese

Chef Boulud recommends Gratin Dauphinois with the addition of black truffle

Vacherin Mont dOr  one of my favorite cheeses only available from October through April making it perfect to enjoy over the holidays. It is always included on my table at home as well as the Restaurant Daniel cheese cart at this time of year.

5. Dessert

Buche de Noel, a classic French dessert served at Christmas time. It is always available at my restaurants and Epiceries during the holiday season. My favorite flavor is Chestnut, Vanilla & Cognac.

Chef Boulud's Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients (Serves 4):

9 large eggs

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into  cubes OR creme fraiche

2 tablespoons chives, very finely sliced, plus more for garnish

1 lemon, zested

3 ounces Daniel Boulud Smoked Salmon, available at Whole Foods or online at Solex

Method:

Add about 2 inches of water to the bottom of a medium sized pot (about 8-inch diameter) and bring to a light, steady simmer.

Crack the eggs into a sieve over a medium stainless steel bowl (about 10-inch diameter) with a whisk push the eggs through a sieve.

Season the eggs generously with salt and pepper and place the bowl on top of the pot, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the simmering water (there should be at least 1 inch of clearance).

Using a small heat-proof rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir the eggs, making zig zags from left to right, and then up and down. If the eggs begin to coagulate too fast, lower the heat. It should take about five minutes for a light film to form on the bottom and sides. Keep stirring. When small curds appear, switch to a whisk to stir the eggs making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl as much as possible.

When the eggs take on a porridge-like texture (they should be soft but not soupy or runny). Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the butter or creme fraiche, chives, lemon zest. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve in warmed bowls and garnish each with some smoked salmon.

Chef Boulud's Cote de Boeuf

Ingredients (Serves 3-4):

1 (34 oz) bone-in ribeye beef steak, excess fat removed and set aside

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 sprigs thyme

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoon cracked black pepper (or any peppercorn of your liking)

Salt, as needed

Method:

Season the beef generously on all sides with salt and the cracked black pepper.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat, add the beef and reduce the heat to medium. Sear the beef undisturbed until you have a deep brown color evenly across one side of the steak. Flip and add the garlic and thyme and continue roasting until browned.

Add the butter to the pan, reduce the heat and continue cooking, basting and turning every few minutes until you reach your desired doneness (130F for medium rare.) Transfer the beef to a dish to let it rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Chef Boulud's Sauce Perigueux

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 small shallot, minced

1 tablespoon fresh or canned black truffle, chopped

1/2 small clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Madeira

2 tablespoons truffle juice, optional

1 cup Beef Jus, or Veal Demi-Glace

Method:

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot, black truffle, and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the shallot is translucent.

Add the Madeira and truffle juice and reduce by half. Add the beef jus and bring to a simmer, add water to adjust the consistency if necessary. Keep warm or reserve, chilled, until ready to use.

Chef Boulud's Gratin Dauphinois

Ingredients:

1 cup cream

1 cup milk

2 cloves garlic, chopped, crushed or grated

3 sprigs thyme

1 fresh bay leaf (or dry)

1  pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled (around 3 large potatoes)

2 tablespoons butter

4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (or Comte or any hard cheese)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh or canned truffle (optional)

Nutmeg, grated on a rasp-zester microplane, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit.

Combine the cream, milk and crushed garlic in a small saucepan with the bay leaf and thyme. Steep at a very low simmer for around 15-20 minutes and then shut off the heat and discard the herbs.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter until it gets foamy. Slice the peeled potatoes around 1/8-inch thick and add them to the buttered pan. Grate a little bit of nutmeg over the top and season with salt and pepper. Gently swirl the pan around in a circle until the potatoes are lightly coated with butter. Pour the infused cream over the pan and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Lightly butter a medium-sized gratin or Casserole dish and transfer the potatoes and liquid inside. Top with the grated Gruyere cheese and bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Bon Appetit!
India, a nation with a rich legacy of mathematical brilliance, added another feather to its cap by triumphing at the UCMAS International Competition 2024

India has long been a land of great mathematicians, from Aryabhata to Ramanujan to Bhaskara, each leaving an indelible mark on the world with their mathematical ingenuity. Today, India continues to excel in the field, as evidenced by its stellar performance at the Universal Concept of Mental Arithmetic System (UCMAS) International Competition 2024 in New Delhi, where the country bagged both the highest individual and team trophies.

The competition, the worlds largest event for Abacus and Mental Arithmetic, brought together over 6,000 students from nearly 30 countries. Participants faced the challenge of solving 200 arithmetic questions in just eight minutes, relying solely on the Abacus or mental math techniquesa feat that truly felt like magic. For the second time, the Worlds Largest Abacus & Mental Arithmetic Event- UCMAS International Competition 2024 was held in India at the Delhi University Multipurpose Hall.

Students from across the world competed with each other showcasing their mental prowess in solving a very large number of mathematics problems in the quickest possible time to win the awards. This landmark event reaffirms its global significance in nurturing young minds in mathematics.

The competition aimed at promoting brain development, enhancing cognitive skills, and demonstrating the incredible abilities students can achieve through Abacus and Mental Arithmetic. Presenting the trophies to top performers, former Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi rightly said, Smart brain produces smart solutions for every problem and prosperity is moving forward only when we have smart brains. Commending the efforts of the young participants, Lekhi emphasised the importance of such initiatives and said, UCMAS is enhancing cognitive skills and academic excellence. The blend of the ancient tool of the Abacus with modern teaching methodologies creates a unique educational experience.

Over 3 million children across the world have benefited from the Abacus and Mental Arithmetic curriculum, which encourages creativity, visualisation, and focus while developing strong arithmetic abilities.

In todays competitive academic environment, maintaining mental wellbeing has become an uphill battle for many children. The relentless pressure to excel often leads to stress, anxiety, and even depression. In some heartbreaking cases, it drives students to take extreme steps, as seen in recent reports from Rajasthans Kota districta hub for competitive exam preparations. However, innovative educational programmes like the Abacus and Mental Arithmetic course are emerging as a ray of hope, helping children manage stress while fostering mental stability and self-confidence.

According to Dr Snehal Karia, CEO of UCMAS India, the course is designed to enhance childrens mental stability by boosting their concentration, focus, and memory. It equips them with the confidence to understand and embrace their individuality, effectively reducing anxiety and depression. The Abacus & Mental Arithmetic programs key lies in its structured approach to building self-assurance through innovative teaching methods.

The encouragement and skills imparted during the training play a pivotal role in shaping a childs bright future. The program comprises eight levels, each lasting three to four months. Children attend weekly classes guided by trained instructors, working through specially designed books and activities. Unlike conventional education, the course serves as a supplementary learning system to enhance cognitive abilities. There is an urgent need to complement the schools curriculum by focusing on brain development. The course improves memory, sharpness, and alertness.

As a result, students perform better academically and approach challenges with greater confidence. In a world where competition often overshadows creativity and self-worth, programs like Abacus & Mental Arithmetic provide children with the tools they need to thrivementally, emotionally, and academically. Alexan Wong, CEO of UCMAS International Corporation, said, The competition not only tests their skills but also serves as a platform to demonstrate their creativity, visual memory, and focusall of which will shape their future success.The competition itself is a testament to the transformative power of such programs, where students not only test their math skills but also demonstrate the broader cognitive benefits that shape their academic and personal growth.

Ultimately, the world needs such initiatives to nurture well-rounded individuals who are prepared to face the challenges of the future with confidence and creativity.

(The author is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal)
Employers encouraged to set up parent-friendly jobs

09:48, December 23, 2024 By Zhou Wenting ( China Daily

Children practice martial arts at a kindergarten in Jianghan district of Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, May 29, 2024. (Photo/Xinhua)

Shanghai has encouraged employers to set up "parent-friendly job posts" and adopt measures that facilitate a balance between work and family responsibilities, creating a supportive environment for parenthood in the workplace.

"Parent-friendly job posts" should have flexible working hours and working methods, and job applicants should be parents with a child or children under the age of 12, the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau said on Friday when introducing the policy regarding implementation of the pilot program.

Such posts will operate under a flexible work system, allowing employers to implement flexible start and end times, remote or home-based work, flexible leave policies, and performance assessments to facilitate employees in managing both work and parenthood responsibilities.

Government departments will guide industries, such as manufacturing, hospitality, food services, and housekeeping services, as well as emerging sectors like the platform, digital, cultural and creative economies, and the elderly care economy, to unveil such job opportunities in the first phase of the program.

To support the initiative, the city will establish a list of employers offering such jobs.

"Also, labor unions at all levels are tasked with assisting such employers in creating parent-friendly workplaces, including pushing forward the construction of breastfeeding rooms and organizing summer and winter holiday programs as well as after-school childcare services," the policy document said.

Similar policies have been introduced in various regions across the country, but in those cases, it was clearly stipulated that such posts were provided to female applicants only, as they were called "mom's job posts". Working hours for such jobs are flexible, and workers can have time to take children to and from school. In addition, such workers do not need to work overtime.

For example, in January, the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, announced a list of 58 employers that have set up such posts. In June, Xingtai, a city in Hebei province, introduced the new employment model of "mom's job posts", under which the city has helped more than 25,000 women find employment.

Earlier this month, Qingdao, Shandong province, released the city's first list of "mom's job posts", involving 190 jobs mainly in the catering and domestic services sectors.

Zhang Lei, deputy director of Peking University's Institute of Population Research, said that such posts help women achieve a balance between family and work.

However, the jobs "must improve in both quantity and quality, as the current setting of such posts may accelerate the loss of human capital of educated women", she said.

Regarding the Shanghai initiative, some have said it stands out for not restricting such job opportunities to female applicants. Recognizing that family and childcare responsibilities are not solely the domain of women, the policy aims to address work-life balance issues for all parents, they said.

"So I hope that more jobs involving a lot of male workers will be on this list, so that this initiative is not set up to once again marginalize women from the workplace," said Zhao Jing, a mother of a 5-year-old child. Zhao has stopped working several times after giving birth due to parenting responsibilities and unsatisfactory work content.

Such moves regarding parent-friendly workplaces have been praised by some women who believe that these initiatives provide a larger chance for mothers to return to the workforce.

A survey conducted last year by a research institute affiliated with the All-China Women's Federation in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, found that, among respondents, 82.7 percent of stay-at-home mothers under the age of 40 had plans to return to work.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
Rapper Trae tha Truth, center, and members of his philanthropy organizations Angel by Nature and Relief Gang giving away jackets to homeless people Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 at East Downtown in Houston. The rapper was giving away 150 jackets, beverages, snack and hot food to homeless people in need. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Homeless people wait in a line to receive free jackets distributed by rapper Trae tha Truth, not in picture, and members of his philanthropy organizations Angel by Nature and Relief Gang Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 at East Downtown in Houston. The rapper was giving away 150 jackets, beverages, snack and hot food to homeless people in need. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Rapper Trae tha Truth, left, and members of his philanthropy organizations Angel by Nature and Relief Gang giving away jackets to homeless people Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 at East Downtown in Houston. The rapper was giving away 150 jackets, beverages, snack and hot food to homeless people in need. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Rapper Trae tha Truth, center, and members of his philanthropy organizations Angel by Nature and Relief Gang giving away jackets to homeless people Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 at East Downtown in Houston. The rapper was giving away 150 jackets, beverages, snack and hot food to homeless people in need. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Rapper Trae tha Truth, right, and members of his philanthropy organizations Angel by Nature and Relief Gang distribute hot food to homeless people Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 at East Downtown in Houston. The rapper was giving away 150 jackets, beverages, snack and hot food to homeless people in need. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer

As Houston rapper Trae Tha Truth exited his vehicle in a parking lot across the freeway and down the street from Minute Maid Park, he was met with a large welcome from several people suffering from homelessness who were lined up to receive free food and jackets as the city braces for rainy weather.

"ABN, baby," one person yelled as the rapper and community activist greeted him.

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For years, Angel By Nature  founded by Trae in 2008  has given out clothes and food for people suffering from homelessness. And every year, it's important to give to those in need.

"Because, they don't have," Trae said. "They're going through times that a lot of us wouldn't be able to endure or even make it through. And we have to be there for them. Everybody has their moments where they have a time-in-need and they need the support, the hope, the faith (and) just a shoulder to lean on."

More than 50 people suffering from homelessness gathered for Trae's giveaway, which consisted of 150 jackets, hats, snacks and some cooked food. Each and every one greeted and showed their appreciation for Trae for his gratitude over the years.

"I think knowing what it is to feel like you're alone and it's just you by yourself," he said. "I knew I never enjoyed feeling like that coming up. I always said...every opportunity I get, every blessing I get, I share with others  even going through what I'm going through searching for my daughter, still I have to understand that there's people that are still going through things and they need things too."

Earlier this month, Trae told KPRC 2 News reporters that his daughter had been missing for four months after her mother came into the city to visit her. She was supposed to be dropped off two days later after Trae had dropped her off in Humble, but never came back, he said. A warrant has been issued for Heather Cuevas, in both California and Texas, Trae told reporters.

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"In the midst of it all, I'm keeping faith and praying that I'm reunited with my daughter (while) I'm still out here trying to do what I can," he said in regards to his giveaway.

TIPPING OVER THE HOLIDAYS: How should you tip during the holidays? Here's what Houston service industry workers and experts say

This year has been tough for not only the people that Trae's nonprofit serves, but for team members as well, said Krystal Shanell, admin director for Angel by Nature and project manager for the Relief Gang program.

"We've been trying our best to make sure that everyone feels welcomed, from the people that we help to the people that help us help other people" Shanell said. "And we've just been focusing on making sure that we continue to grow."
For the Chinese Communist Party, Macau is a beacon of controlled capitalism, showcasing the potential of the One Country, Two Systems framework

When Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Macau, the worlds gambling capital, the air was thick with anticipation. Macau, often dubbed the Las Vegas of the East, is much more than a beacon of wealth and opulence. For Xi and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it is a sparkling gem in the palm of Chinas vast and complex economic systema model of the One Country, Two Systems framework that allows capitalist practices to thrive under the watchful eye of a socialist regime. Xis visit underscored the stark contrasts between theory and practice in the CCPs governance and the lessons it offers not only for Chinas neighbours but for the world at large.

Macaus significance lies in its unique identity. A former Portuguese colony, it returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1999 under the promise of autonomy. Today, its glitzy casinos, luxury hotels, and sprawling Special Economic Zone (SEZ) generate billions annually, contributing substantially to Chinas GDP. But while the dice roll and fortunes are made on Macaus gaming tables, the CCPs control remains unyielding.

The irony is palpable. The CCP, a party built on anti-capitalist ideology, oversees the largest SEZ in the world in Shanghai, nurtures capitalism in Hong Kong, and allows gamblingonce condemned as a moral viceto flourish in Macau. This duality reflects the pragmatic philosophy first espoused by Deng Xiaoping: It doesnt matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice. This approach has been pivotal in transforming China into the worlds second-largest economy. Yet it also lays bare the contradictions at the heart of CCP rule.

Xi Jinpings Macau visit was not merely ceremonial. It was a reaffirmation of the CCPs ability to adapt and wield capitalist tools while maintaining a tight grip on power. In Macau, Xi emphasised stability and loyalty to the central government. This aligns with his broader strategy of tightening control over regions that might veer toward autonomy or dissent, as evidenced in Hong Kong. The One Country, Two Systems modelonce lauded as a masterstroke of governancehas increasingly become a tool for consolidating Beijings authority. Hong Kongs story is a cautionary tale.

A vibrant hub of multinational corporations (MNCs) and transnational corporations (TNCs), it has been at the forefront of economic globalisation. However, its recent struggles with political dissent and Beijings heavy-handed responses reveal the limits of the Two Systems promise. The CCPs crackdown on pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong has sent a clear message: economic freedom does not translate to political autonomy. Macau, in contrast, has largely avoided such conflicts, partly due to its economic dependence on Beijing and the absence of a robust pro-democracy movement. Yet, this does not make Macau immune to the inherent tensions of One Country, Two Systems.

As Xi extolled Macaus success, he also warned against complacency and stressed the need for long-term stability, a euphemism for unwavering allegiance to the CCP.For the CCP, Macau and Hong Kong are not just economic engines; they are experiments in controlled capitalism. The success of these regions bolsters the partys narrative that socialism with Chinese characteristics can coexist with, and even benefit from capitalist mechanisms.

The underlying contradictions are hard to ignore. The CCPs insistence on ideological purity clashes with its pragmatic embrace of market-driven policies. This duality is reflected in Xis leadership, which combines Maoist centralisation with Dengist pragmatism.

For Maoists, Naxalites, and urban Naxals in India, as well as other ideologues clinging to rigid dogmas, Macau stands as a testament to the power of adaptation. The CCPs ability to evolve, to reconcile its Marxist-Leninist roots with the demands of a modern, globalised economy, has been the cornerstone of Chinas rise. This is a far cry from the ideological purism that often paralyzes leftist movements elsewhere.

India, too, can draw inspiration from Macau. As the worlds largest democracy grapples with its development challenges, it must consider the role of SEZs, MNC headquarters, and even industries like gambling in driving economic growth. While gambling remains taboo in much of India, the success of Macau shows how regulated gaming can become a major revenue source.

Similarly, expanding SEZs and creating hubs for MNCs can transform India into a global economic powerhouse. At the heart of this debate is the question of whether ideology should dictate policy. The CCPs approachthat opinion is not an iron rodoffers a compelling case for pragmatism. Yet, the partys intolerance for dissent, as seen in its suppression of Maos Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom campaign, highlights the dangers of unchecked authority. The CCPs success in economic management is undeniable, but its human rights record and stifling of democratic aspirations serve as stark reminders of the cost of its iron-fisted rule.

As Xi Jinping departed Macau, the world was left pondering the paradoxes of modern China. Under his leadership, the CCP has doubled down on centralisation, curbing dissent while championing economic liberalisation. Macaus glittering casinos and towering skyscrapers are symbols of this duality, where capitalism thrives under the shadow of socialism. For Xi, Macau is more than a gem in Chinas palm; it is a symbol of the CCPs ability to adapt and endure. Whether in the neon-lit streets of Macau or the corridors of power in Beijing, the CCPs experiment in controlled capitalism continues to shape the future of Chinaand the world.

(The writer is an associate professor; views are personal)
It is the ability to adapt to the work environment through emotional and cognitive intelligence

In todays dynamic work environment, workplace intelligence has become a cornerstone for achieving personal growth, team cohesion, and organisational excellence. Workplace intelligence refers to the ability of individuals and organisations to navigate, adapt, and thrive in the professional environment through effective understanding, communication and decision-making. It encompasses emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and cognitive intelligence blended together with technological advancements thereby creating a comprehensive approach towards addressing the root causes of toxicity and fostering a positive workplace culture. There is no denying that such intelligence not only plays a pivotal role in creating a healthy, harmonious and productive professional environment but also equips individuals and organisations with the tools to identify, mitigate and prevent toxic behaviours that can undermine morale, collaboration and overall success.

It is often believed that employees with high workplace intelligence can manage their tasks efficiently and adapt to new challenges with minimal disruption. By leveraging cognitive and emotional intelligence, they can prioritize effectively and maintain focus, leading to improved productivity. Also, social and emotional intelligence enables them to work harmoniously with others, promoting effective communication and minimizing conflicts. Strong teamwork followed by leaders with workplace intelligence inspires trust, and motivation and navigate through complex challenges with clarity and empathy. It even enhances creativity, innovation and the achievement of their collective goals and even reduces stress, boosts morale, and contributes to overall job satisfaction. In an era of rapid technological advancements and shifting market dynamics, workplace intelligence equips employees and organisations with the resilience and adaptability needed to stay competitive. By fostering emotional and social intelligence, workplace intelligence helps identify and mitigate toxic behaviours, thereby ensuring a positive and respectful work environment.

By promoting training and development, organisations can invest in training programmes that focus on emotional intelligence, communication skills and technological proficiency. Open and constructive feedback mechanisms help the employee grow and refine their workplace intelligence over time. Emphasising diversity and inclusion helps individuals develop social intelligence by interacting with people from different backgrounds and perspectives. Encouraging continuous learning and adaptability ensures that employees remain agile and open to new ideas and methods. Remember, a workforce with high workplace intelligence is more likely to generate creative solutions and drive innovation. Employees are more likely to stay in organisations where they feel valued, supported, and empowered. Today, companies such as Heineken, Cooley, Cruise Automation, Urban Company, Amazon, Chipotle and many more are known for fostering workplace intelligence to attract top talent and build trust with stakeholders.

By investing in the development of workplace intelligence, organisations can create environments that promote collaboration, innovation, and sustainable success, ensuring they remain agile and competitive in an ever-evolving world. As organisations continue to navigate the complexities of globalisation and digital transformation, the importance of workplace intelligence will only grow. Artificial intelligence, remote work and diverse teams are shaping new paradigms that demand a more nuanced understanding of interpersonal and technological dynamics but organisations that invest in fostering workplace intelligence will gain a competitive edge, as their employees will be better equipped to adapt, innovate, and lead in an ever-changing world.

(The writer is an educator; views are personal)
Not only Indias total forest and tree cover has increased by 1,445 sq km since 2021, reaching 25.17 per cent of the total geographical area in 2023, but it also achieved an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes compared to 2005 levels, as per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 released on Saturday.

In terms of the total area, Madhya Pradesh leads with the largest forest and tree cover (85,724 sq km), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (67,083 sq km) and Maharashtra (65,383 sq km).

For forest cover specifically, Madhya Pradesh remains on top (77,073 sq km), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (65,882 sq km) and Chhattisgarh (55,812 sq km).

The report also noted that as part of its climate plans or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to meet the Paris Agreement goals, the country has committed to creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

The countrys total forest cover increased to 7,15,343 sq km in 2023, reaching 21.76 per cent of its geographical area, the report stated, adding that the tree cover increased by 1,289 sq km and now constitutes 3.41 per cent of the countrys geographical area.

Together, the forest and tree cover amount to 8,27,357 sq km or 25.17 per cent of Indias geographical area. This marks an overall increase of 1,445 sq km from 2021, with forest cover alone rising by 156 sq km.

According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI), forest cover refers to all land that has a tree canopy density of more than 10 per cent and spans over an area of one hectare or more, regardless of the type of ownership or legal status.

This includes natural forests as well as man-made plantations, orchards and tree patches in urban and rural areas that meet the size and canopy density criteria.

Tree cover is defined as patches of trees and isolated trees outside the Reserved Forest Area (RFA) that are less than one hectare.

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the most positive finding of the report is that India has already created an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes compared to 2005 levels.

Indias carbon stock in 2023 is estimated at 7,285.5 million tonnes, which is an increase of 81.5 million tonnes compared to 2021. The fast-growing South Asian country is estimated to have 31.71 billion tonnes of carbon stock in forest and tree cover by 2030.

FSI Director General Anoop Singh said bamboo cover has also been estimated and included in the tree cover. Indias total bamboo-bearing area is now estimated at 1,54,670 sq km, an increase of 5,227 sq km compared to 2021.

When considering forest cover as a percentage of the geographical area, Lakshadweep ranks first (91.33 per cent), followed by Mizoram (85.34 per cent) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (81.62 per cent).

The FSI also analysed forest cover changes in the Western Ghats and Eastern States Area (WGESA) over the past decade and found an overall loss of 58.22 sq km in forest cover.

During this period, very dense forests increased by 3,465.12 sq km while moderately dense forests and open forests decreased by 1,043.23 sq km and 2,480.11 sq km respectively.

In the hill districts of the country, the forest cover is 2,83,713.20 sq km, which makes up 40 per cent of the total geographical area of these districts. The latest assessment shows an increase of 234.14 sq km in forest cover in hill districts.

However, the ISFR report showed a decrease of 327.30 sq km in forest cover in the northeastern region.
In a major change in the primary education system, the Centre on Monday directed for ending the no-detention policy for fifth and eighth class, which means that students in these classes who fail their annual exams shall not be promoted to higher grade and hence will need to repeat the same class.

Failed students will h+ave a chance to retake the test within two months, but if they fail again, they will not be promoted. The school will not expel a student until the 8th grade.

Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar said that the Central Government has taken this decision intending to improve the learning outcome among children The Union Education Ministry has taken a big decision and abolished the No Detention Policy. Students who fail the annual examination in classes 5 and 8 will be failed, Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, told The Pioneer.

However, the Government has clarified that no child shall be expelled from any school till the completion of elementary education. According to a gazette notification, after the conduct of regular examination, if a child fails to fulfil the promotion criteria, as notified from time to time, he shall be given additional instruction and opportunity for re-examination within a period of two months from the date of declaration of results.

This new rule applies to over 3,000 Central government-run schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and Sainik Schools, as per senior education ministry officials. Following the amendment to the Right to Education Act (RTE) in 2019, at least 18 states and Union Territories have already done away with the no-detention policy for the two classes.

According to Ministry of Education officials, the notification will be applicable to over 3,000 schools run by the central Government including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navaodyala Vidyalayas and Sainik Schools. Since school education is a State subject, states can make their decision in this regard. Already 16 states and 2 UTs including Delhi have done away with the no-detention policy for these two classes.

If the child appearing in the re-examination fails to fulfil the promotion criteria again, he shall be held back in fifth class or eighth class, as the case may be. During the holding back of the child, the class teacher shall guide the child as well as the parents of the child, if necessary, and provide specialised inputs after identifying the learning gaps at various stages of assessment, the notification said.

The examination and re-examination shall be competency-based examinations to achieve the holistic development of the child and not be based on memorisation and procedural skills. The Head of the school shall maintain a list of children who are held back and personally monitor the provisions provided for specialised inputs to such children and their progress with respect to the identified learning gaps, the notification read.

States and UTs that have scrapped the no-detention policy include Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Delhi, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Jammu and Kashmir.

Asked about the delay in the notification since the amendment was approved in 2019, the official explained that the new National Education Policy (NEP) was announced within six months of the amendment.

By the time the amendment was made, the NEP was announced within a few months. The department (school education and literacy) decided to wait till the recommendations of the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) were ready to be able to take a holistic view. The NCF was ready in 2023 and subsequently the Ministry of Education took the decision and made some changes in rules of RTE implementation, the official added.

The decision announced through an official notification now reverses the 2019 amendment to the Right to Education Act. In July 2018, the Lok Sabha passed a bill to amend the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which aimed to end the no detention policy in schools. The amendment introduced regular exams for Classes 5 and 8, with a provision for students who fail to have a re-examination opportunity within two months.

In 2019, the Rajya Sabha approved the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, which sought to remove the no detention policy for up to Class 8 to improve learning outcomes. The bill granted state governments the discretion to either continue or abolish the policy, allowing them to hold students back in Classes 5 and 8 if they fail their year-end exams.
In a way replicating the training reportedly given to school teachers in United States of America (USA) on how to shoot a gun, and handle a weapon due to the rampant problem of gun shooting in schools, the Delhi Police joined hands with the Delhi Education Department, for training teachers and school staff of all government and private schools on how to handle bomb threats even as the fear of such threats through emails continue to loom among the school authorities in the National Capital since May.

This comes as an extension of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxenas Samvaad program where in a meeting with teachers, they raised the issue of Drug Abuse, Cyber Hygiene and recent Bomb threat emails. Multiple schools in Delhi have received hoax bomb threats in the last 10 days. The threats disrupted classes and triggered multi-agency search operations.

In an effort to empower teachers and school authorities, on Monday, the Delhi Police Shahdara District and Crime Branch Unit of Delhi Police in collaboration with Director of Education Department, Delhi, Veditha Reddy, IAS jointly organised a training program for teachers in Delhi. The program aimed to educate teachers from government and private schools on how to handle bomb threats in schools, the role of teachers in preventing drug abuse, and cyber hygiene (CyGene) awareness.

Approximately 247 teachers from East Delhi participated in the program where they were sensitised about security and Cyber Hygiene (CyGene) in schools. The Delhi Police and the Delhi Education Department are committed to ensuring the safety and security of our schools. This training program is an important step towards achieving this goal, and we are proud to have had the opportunity to work with the Delhi Education Department to make it a success, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said.

In the training, teachers learned how to respond to bomb threats in schools, including evacuation procedures and communication protocols. They were also educated on the role they can play in preventing substance abuse among students, including identifying warning signs and providing support.

Teachers learned about the importance of Cyber hygiene in schools, including how to protect student data and prevent cyber bullying. Retired ACP Prabhat Sinha, who is an expert in Cyber Crime, presented a detailed PowerPoint presentation on CyGene, sharing insights on the growing threats of cybercrime, offered practical prevention measures, and discussed case studies to highlight the challenges teenagers face in the digital world.

The session also focused on real-life case studies relating to issues faced by students concerning both cyber hygiene (CyGene) and drug abuse, providing teachers with tools to identify and address these problems effectively. The teachers, as future influencers, have a direct impact on students. It is crucial that they are well-equipped with the knowledge of current issues such as cyber hygiene (CyGene) and drug abuse to ensure the safety and well-being of their students, said Gautam.

The session concluded with a lecture and PowerPoint presentation on hoaxes, educating teachers on identifying hoaxes, scams and other malicious online activities that can pose risks to students.
The arrested member of the Tehreek-e-Mujahideen terror outfit from Kashmir was planning to use the river route to travel to Bangladesh and eventually escape to Pakistan, a senior officer of the West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) said on Monday.

Bengal STF officials also believe that the arrested person, identified as Javed Munshi, has close ties with the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group. Investigators are working to decode the notes seized from his possession to uncover more details about his plans, the officer added.

Munshi was arrested by a joint team of Jammu and Kashmir Police and West Bengal Police STF from near Canning in South 24 Parganas district on Sunday.

The Tehreek-e-Mujahideen group is controlled from Pakistan and has connections with other terror outfits in the valley, as well as in Pakistan and Bangladesh, the officer added.

The 58-year-old man was considering multiple routes to reach Bangladesh, including traveling by road from Canning to Dhamakhali, and then using river routes through the Sunderbans.

During the arrest, the STF seized an Aadhaar card with an address in Srinagar, cash amounting to Rs 50,000, and two mobile phones. The STF has gathered sufficient evidence indicating that Munshi had traveled to Bangladesh multiple times and had maintained contact with senior members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the officer said.

Investigators are also analysing the call records from the two mobile phones seized from Munshi. The call records could be crucial in identifying who he was in contact with and in understanding his motives for staying in the area, said an officer, noting that they suspect Munshi may have been trying to recruit people.
In a major anti-terror operation, three militants belonging to the Khalistani Commando Force were gunned down in a joint operation by Punjab and Uttar Pradesh police in Pilibhits Puranpur area early Monday morning. The encounter left two policemen injured, while the police recovered a significant cache of weapons, including two AK-47 rifles and two Glock pistols, from the spot.

The operation was carried out around 5 am near the Hardoi Branch Canal after Punjab police traced the location of the wanted militants to Pilibhit. The three militants, all hailing from Punjabs Gurdaspur district, were accused of orchestrating a grenade attack on a police outpost in Gurdaspur on December 19.

According to officials, the militants were traveling on a motorcycle when they were intercepted by the joint police team. Upon being surrounded, the trio opened fire indiscriminately using their automatic weapons. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, all three were neutralized. Two policemen sustained injuries during the operation.

The sounds of gunfire in the early hours sent shockwaves through nearby villages, with residents initially unsure of the nature of the operation. Bullet marks on police vehicles and the seizure of a motorcycle used by the militants indicated the intensity of the encounter.

Police recovered two AK-47 rifles, two Glock pistols, and a large quantity of ammunition from the site. Visuals of the operation and the seized weapons have surfaced, highlighting the scale of the encounter.

The militants were wanted for their involvement in the grenade attack on the Bakshiwal police outpost in Gurdaspurs Kalanour area. The Khalistan Zindabad Force had claimed responsibility for the attack on social media, naming Jaswinder Singh Baghi, alias Mannu Agwan, as the mastermind. Investigations revealed the attackers had used an auto-rickshaw to reach the outpost, which was later seized by the police.

Senior officials termed the operation a significant success in the fight against terrorism. The militants posed a grave threat, and their neutralization is a crucial step in ensuring public safety, a senior police officer said.

The operation underscores the need for coordinated efforts among state police forces to tackle cross-border terrorism and neutralize threats posed by extremist groups, DGP Prashant Kumar said. Investigations are ongoing to trace the militants network and potential accomplices.
Veteran filmmaker, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke award winner Shyam Benegal, a pioneer of parallel cinema in India has died aged 90, after suffering from a chronic kidney disease. He will be remembered for his films like Ankur, Nishant, Zubeidaa, Manthan, Mandi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Shyam Babu, as he was affectionately known in the film circles, breathed his last at the Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai, just nine days after he celebrated his 90th birthday with his family and friends.

The legendary filmmaker is survived by his 85-year-old wife Nira Benegal, who has been into diverse fields of activities including films, literature, music architecture and design, and daughter Pia Benegal.

Shyam Benegal, who made significant contributions to India Cinema, introduced parallel cinema in the seventies. Rated at one stage next only to the all-time great Satyajit Ray as a filmmaker who made meaningful films, he made films like Ankur (1973), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976), Bhumika (1977), Mammo (1994), Sardari Begum (1996), and Zubeidaa (2001). He also made a childrens film Charandas Chor (Charandas the Thief) in 1975.

Born on December 14 1934 in a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family in Hyderabad, Shyam made his first film at 12 years of age, using a camera given to him by his photographer father Sridhar B. Benegal

He went on to earn a Masters degree in Economics from Osmania University, Hyderabad, where he also founded the Hyderabad Film Society.

Having begun his career as a copywriter with Mumbai-based advertising agency, Lintas Advertising, where he steadily rose to become the creative head. Meanwhile, Benegal made his first documentary in Gujarati, Gher Betha Ganga (Ganges at the Doorstep) in 1962.

He also taught at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) between 1966 and 1973, and was the chairman of the FTII for two terms between 1980-83 and 1989-92. He began his career as a filmmaker by making documentaries. One of his early documentaries, A Child of the Streets (1967), garnered him wide acclaim, and he went on to make over 70 documentaries. A versatile filmmaker, Shyam Bengal had made as many as 20 feature films during his illustrious career.

Known for spotting talent, Shyam Benegal introduced actors - many of whom from FTII and National School of Drama (NSD) - introduced actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Anant Nag, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Amrish Puri.

Benegal was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. He has received several accolades, including eighteen National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Award. In 2005, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Indias highest award in the field of cinema

Apart from making films for the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), he also served as the Director of the NFDC from 1980 to 1986.

With the financial support of actor Shashi Kapoor, Shyam Benegal made commercial films like Junoon (1978) and Kalyug (1981).

Benegal wrote the scripts and screenplays for his films, and authored three books based on his own films: The Churning with Vijay Tendulkar (1984), based on Manthan; Satyajit Ray (1988), based on his biographical film, Satyajit Ray; and The Marketplace (1989), which was based on Mandi.
Surendranath Centenary School celebrated its Annual Function cum Prize Distribution, themed Gaatha, with great fervor and enthusiasm, marking 36 glorious years of academic excellence. The event was graced by Prof. (Dr.) Gopal Pathak, Director General, Sarala Birla University, as Chief Guest, and Dr. Neelima Pathak, Dean, Faculty of Humanities & Linguistics, as Guest of Honour.

The programme commenced with the lighting of the lamp followed by the Annual Report which was read by the Principal Madam Samita Sinha, highlighting the school's achievements and progress for the session 2023-24.

The thematic show featured a mesmerizing welcome dance and song, followed by a vibrant dance performance "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" by students of KG to II. The main attraction of the evening was the colourful dance drama "Ahilyabai - Itihaas Ke Panno Se", which brought to life the inspiring story of the brave and visionary queen Ahilyabai Holkar, showcasing the talent and creativity of students from Class III to XII. The "Music Fiesta" and "Zorba", a Greek dance form, were notable highlights. The instrumental music performance "Yaadein" was a treat for the audience.

The prize distribution ceremony recognized students for their academic excellence, co-curricular achievements, and special talents. Notable awardees of session 2023-24 included Ananya Rai, the Science Topper for the "Ranadeb Chaudhuri Award", Samridhi Kumari, the Commerce Topper for the "Mira Chaudhuri Award", and Suprita Kumari of class X for the "Amala Goswami Award".

The event also witnessed the release of the school magazine "Expressions". Leopard House bagged the Champion House trophy for their outstanding performance throughout the year.

Distinguished guests, including Abhay Kumar Singh, Principal, Army Public School, and Paromita Saha, Principal, Loyola Convent School, also graced the occasion.

In his address, the Chief Guest emphasized the importance of taking immediate steps to control climate change and applauded the teachers, "the stakeholders", for their immense contribution to the school's growth.

The event concluded, leaving behind memories of a spectacular evening that celebrated the school's commitment to excellence.
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, along with Chief Minister Atishi and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, on Monday launched the door-to-door registration for women and elderly citizens under the Delhi government's two financial aid schemes, Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana' and 'Sanjeevani Yojana respectively.

Under the Chief Minister's Mahila Samman Yojana, every woman in Delhi is entitled to receive Rs 2100 every month, and under the Sanjeevani Yojana, people aged above 60 years will be provided free treatment at all Delhi hospitals.

At 12 pm on Monday, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrived at South Market in East Kidwai Nagar in New Delhi assembly, to start the registration drive for women with the AAP chief personally registering several women, matching their voter ID cards with the voter list on the Election Commissions website.

While women listed as voters were immediately registered, and some women had voter ID cards but found their names missing from the voter list, those missing from the voter list couldnt proceed. Assuring such women, Arvind Kejriwal assured them to have their names added to the voter list, enabling them to claim the schemes benefits, which are exclusively for Delhi residents with verified voter status.

Addressing the media after registering women for the scheme, Kejriwal stated, Today, we have started this initiative in my constituency. CM Atishi and I have personally registered several women to begin this scheme.

Kejriwal also emphasized the importance of the yellow registration card issued, urging women to preserve it carefully. This is, in a way, a special card for womena yellow card. Everyone must keep this yellow card safe, he said, holding up the card as a symbol of empowerment.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Atishi tweeted, "A new era of women empowerment is beginning with the registration of 'Mahila Samman Yojana' in Delhi. Today, I registered the initial beneficiaries of this scheme with Arvind Kejriwal."

"Now, our sisters and daughters in Delhi will not have to depend on anyone for their small expenses because, with this scheme of Arvind Kejriwal ji, Rs 2100 will be credited to their accounts every month," she added.

The senior AAP leaders in also launched the registration process for the Sanjeevani Yojana in Jangpura with the constituencys candidate Manish Sisodia also visiting households in the area, reaching out to senior citizens.

Kejriwal also informed residents about the scheme, assisted with filling out registration forms, and handed over Kejriwal Kavach Cards to newly registered participants. The card guarantees benefits under the Sanjeevani Yojana once AAP returns to power post the elections.

Talking to the media after the registration drive, he said said, We conducted the registration of some senior citizens in the Jangpura constituency. The registration for the Mahila Samman Yojana and the Sanjeevani Yojana has begun today. We started the registration for Mahila Samman from the New Delhi constituency. Now, we have commenced the registration for the Sanjeevani Yojana in the Jangpura constituency. Here, we registered some senior citizens.

He added that under the Sanjeevani Yojana, senior citizens above 60 years of age will have their medical expenses covered by the Delhi government, whether they get treated in government or private hospitals.

He stated that while all treatments in Delhi government hospitals are free, under the Sanjeevani Scheme, senior citizens will now be able to receive treatment in private hospitals as well, with all expenses covered by the Delhi government.

Within just a few hours of its launch, approximately 2.5 lakh women had registered for the Mahila Samman Scheme. The registration process will continue until every household in Delhi has been covered. These two schemes will prove to be game changers in peoples lives, he said.
Top Chronicle investigations of 2024 include coverage of the Texas Lottery, CenterPoint Energy, and a Houston doctor who has emerged as a key player in a reinvigorated anti-vaccine movement. Staff illustration; photos by Christopher Lee and Godofredo A. Vasquez, graphic by Ken Ellis.

The Chronicle doubled the size of its investigations team this year in a commitment to journalism that changes lives, laws and minds.

Here are the top investigations of 2024, based on what was revealed, the impact of coverage on community discussions and decisions, and how readers responded.

Beryl puts a spotlight on CenterPoint Energy

A post-Hurricane Beryl story by Neena Satija and Mike Morris demonstrated that ratepayers who are funding the $800 million generators leased by CenterPoint Energy arent getting much for their money  almost none of the generators were deployed after the storm knocked out power and left more than a million people in the dark for days.

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Satija and energy reporter Claire Hao followed up with reporting on how Texas lawmakers enabled CenterPoint to lease the generators despite a questionable bidding process. The coverage prompted a state lawmaker to file a bill to refund Houstonians for the rate hikes that pay for the generators, and CenterPoint pledged to forgo $110 million in profit, including $40 million of prospective profit from the generators. State regulators say they are working with CenterPoint to further unwind its massive investment.

Reporters Morris, Satija, Amanda Drane and Eric Dexheimer then worked with the Chronicle's data team to scrutinize the political influence of CenterPoint with coverage of The Pond  a private retreat in Chambers County where the utilities company wines and dines lawmakers. Soon after publication, CEO Jason Wells informed us that the company is reassessing the use of the facility for entertaining elected officials in the future.

CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells speaks to a reporter about the effort to restore power in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl on Thursday, July 11, 2024, at a CenterPoint Energy office in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

Lottery watchdog coverage

Leaders of the Texas Lottery Commission were grilled by lawmakers this summer after reporter Eric Dexheimer revealed how the state agency helped a group of investors to stack the odds of a Lotto Texas game and win a $95 million jackpot. The buyers cleared an estimated $20 million profit by purchasing tens of millions of tickets, covering virtually every possible winning combination.

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As lottery officials were quizzed about the investors win, and the states assistance, they said they made rule changes that would prevent future players from having such easy access to the equipment that makes mass buys possible.

Texas oil well blowouts

Reporter Amanda Drane was at the scene of an oil well blowout in West Texas in October that shot a 100-foot tall geyser of polluted water into the air. The blowouts are a troublesome side effect of the states fracking boom.

Drane was also the first to report how Texas is now struggling to pay for environmental cleanups and well-plugging as the blowouts grow more numerous.

Eye on public officials

Tax Assessor-Collector Ann Harris Bennetts prolonged absence from public view raises questions about what she has done since she was reelected in 2020, when she appears to have stopped showing up at the office. Photo illustration by Brady Stone; Photos by Jill Karnicki and Jen Rice

Ahead of the November election, Yilun Cheng reported that Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Ann Harris Bennett, whose salary was $171,000 a year, had not used her card key to get into her office since she was re-elected in 2020.

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Chengs reporting also showed that Bennett, who had announced in 2023 she would not seek re-election, had sent only 18 emails from her work account since the start of this year, aside from those approving employee time-off requests.

Bennett was also notably absent as the Texas Legislature abolished the countys election administrator post and tasked her office with taking over voter registration tasks. Many officials and advocates expressed frustration with Bennetts prolonged absence, and her newly elected successor, Annette Ramirez, pledged to go to work every day.

Reporter Dylan McGuinness revealed potential issues with how Harris County Public Health was awarding millions of dollars in contracts for public projects with his coverage of former director Barbie Robinson.

Robinson, who has since been fired, now faces felony charges for allegedly providing private information to IBM officials about a county contract the company later would win.

The track record of Houstons hero doctor

Dr. Joseph Varon absorbed the media spotlight during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Houston doctor allowed reporters to shadow him as he treated patients at his small hospital, United Memorial Medical Center. The photos and videos from those visits made him an international hero who worked hundreds of days nonstop.

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But the doctor had another side, marked by repeated scrapes with hospitals, state regulators and federal authorities. Now hes emerging as a key player in a reinvigorated anti-vaccine movement.

Dr. Joseph Varon, center, reviews patient's CT scans with physicians and nurses after concluding rounds in UMMC's COVID-19 intensive care unit Tuesday, April 28, 2020, in Houston. Godofredo A. Vasquez/Photo illustration by Susan Barber; Photo by Godofredo A. Vasquez

The collapse of The Alliance

When longtime nonprofit The Alliance shut down after 40 years of serving as a first stop for refugees arriving in Houston, reporters Andrea Ball, Dug Begley and Jhair Romero delved into records and interviewed former workers and board members to uncover misused federal grant funds, overspending and accusations of mismanagement.

A win for Houstons Columbia Tap Trail

A year and a half after News Columnist Joy Sewing wrote her first column about the neglect of the historic Columbia Tap Trail that connects Third Ward to Brays Bayou and downtown, the City of Houston received a $7.5 million grant to upgrade lighting and safety features on the 4-mile trail. Residents have been pleading for improvements since 2009.

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Putting the wrong people in jail

In February, an investigation by Neena Satija, Andrea Ball, and Nicole Hensley revealed that Harris County DA Kim Oggs "intake unit" was needlessly jailing thousands of Houstonians each year.

Jabon Barrett poses for a portrait on Thursday, May 30, 2024, in Houston. Barrett was wrongfully arrested and locked up for about six weeks last winter. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer
Senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Monday released an aarop patra (charge sheet) against AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of turning Delhi into a "corruption lab" through a series of "scams". The aarop patra document highlights the expenditure on the redevelopment of the Civil Lines home where Kejriwal lived when he was the chief minister, his and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodias arrest in the excise policy case, and that of Satyendar Jain in a separate money laundering case, air pollution, the polluted Yamuna and poor sanitation, among others. Ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, the state unit of the BJP has formed a "chargesheet committee" that has so far issued detailed reports listing the alleged failures of the ruling AAP MLAs.

Addressing the media at the Delhi BJP office, party MP and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur said, "This charge sheet has stories of AAP's corruption. Arvind Kejriwal has made fake promises to people living in Delhi. He said would provide free medical, water and electricity, but people still pay for these services. AAP said that they would make Delhi corruption free but their eight ministers and 15 MLAs were jailed." Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, and other party leaders attended the event.

Reacting to BJP MP Anurag Thakurs charge sheet with allegations of corruption against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday said the BJP had no agenda ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls except to abuse him. Slamming them for lacking a Chief Ministerial face or any meaningful agenda, Kejriwal asserted that the BJP is attempting to contest the elections by focusing solely on targeting him with abuses.

"What kind of a party is this which came to power promising to give corruption-free government but was involved in eight to nine scams related to the liquor policy, Delhi Jal Board, DTC, Waqf Board," Thakur charged while releasing the document.

"Ghotale Pe Ghotala, Kejriwal Ne Banaya Delhi Ko Bhrashtachar Ki Prayogshala" (Kejriwal turned Delhi into a laboratory of corruption with scams), Thakur gave the slogan and asserted that the BJP will remove the AAP from power in Delhi. "Kejriwalji, you often say you are number 1. In what area are you number 1? In the country, the costliest water is provided by your government. Delhi is number 1 amongst the world's most polluted capitals. Delhi has India's most corrupt ministers," Thakur said.

"AAP took 1.6 million dollars from Sikhs For Justice and Pannu has also accepted this. In the Punjab Assembly polls, they took the support of Khalistani groups. AAP is providing security to illegal Rohingya immigrants," the BJP said in its accusations against AAP.

This is the only government where the Health Minister, Deputy CM, and the CM have all been imprisoned. Promises were made to establish free clinics and large hospitals in Delhi, but today, 70% of patients are forced to seek treatment in private hospitals. The AQI once crossed 1200 and is still above 500. They promised a corruption-free Delhi but have themselves plunged into the depths of corruption, he said.

The term of the 70-member Delhi Legislative Assembly ends on February 23 next year and polls are to be held before that.

The former Union minister also targeted the AAP and Kejriwal over education and health, alleging it failed to open new Mohalla Clinics and hospitals and did not use the Centre's funds to boost the city's healthcare infrastructure.

He charged that the smog tower in Connaught Place, which was supposed to provide relief from air pollution, was lying defunct although the AAP government spent crores of rupees on advertisement.

He cited water shortage, lack of sanitation, damaged roads, and other issues to corner the ruling AAP. Thakur also alleged that the AAP has been supporting "anti-national" forces and Kejriwal questioned India's surgical strikes. He said the party got the support of "Khalistanti elements" during the Punjab polls.

The BJP president added that Rs 52 crore was spent merely decorating Kejriwals Sheesh Mahal, not including the cost of the house. This is not a mansion but a museum of corruption.

Once a BJP government is formed, this museum will be opened to the public to reveal how Kejriwal squandered taxpayer money.
The Steel City is alive with the spirit of Christmas as residents prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with joy and fervor. Streets are adorned with festive lights, churches are bustling with activity, and security measures have been ramped up to ensure peaceful celebrations on December 25.

The citys traffic police have imposed restrictions on heavy vehicles, barring their entry from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm on Christmas Day to ease traffic congestion and ensure smooth movement. Police officials have also been directed to maintain heightened vigilance near churches and other public gathering spots.

An estimated 300 police personnel, including officers in plain clothes, will be deployed across the city, particularly near major churches. Local police stations have been tasked with coordinating directly with church authorities regarding service timings to streamline security arrangements.

Our focus is on ensuring a safe and joyous Christmas for everyone. All traffic police outposts, including those in Bistupur, Sakchi, Golmuri, Mango, and Jugsalai, are on alert to check reckless driving and other violations, said a senior traffic official.

Churches across Jamshedpur are gearing up to welcome thousands of worshippers for Christmas services. Early morning services, starting from 8:00 am, are expected to draw large crowds at prominent churches like Beldih Baptist Church and St. Georges Church in Northern Town, GEL Church in Sonari and Sitaramdera, St. Mark Church in Mango, and Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Telco.

Midnight mass, a central part of Christmas Eve celebrations, will be held with grandeur at various churches, including St. Marys Church in Bistupur, Beldih Baptist Church, and St. Anthonys Church in Pursudih.

At St. Josephs Cathedral, the midnight holy mass will feature a symbolic procession where an image of baby Jesus was carried by the priest, preceded by children holding lighted candles. The candles were placed in the beautifully decorated cribs, adding to the divine ambiance.

Special prayers are offered, and pastors deliver sermons urging people to embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ. Chapters from the Holy Bible are read, emphasizing peace, kindness, and unity.

"Jesus Christ was an apostle of peace who taught us to coexist harmoniously and spread love and brotherhood. The Christmas festival brings a message of hope and peace to the world," said John Mohan, a resident of Northern Town.

The festive fervor is evident across the city, with homes and streets illuminated with Christmas lights and decorations. Markets are bustling with shoppers purchasing gifts, sweets, and decorations, while children eagerly await Santas arrival.

Community groups and organizations are hosting Christmas carols and charity events, spreading cheer to the underprivileged. The spirit of giving and sharing is palpable as residents come together to celebrate the festival with unity and joy.

As the Steel City revels in the Christmas frenzy, the seamless blend of festive celebration and tight security ensures that the occasion remains joyous, safe, and memorable for all.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering, NIT Jamshedpur organised a Three Day International Conference (3rd International and 15th National conference on Industrial Problems on Machine and Mechanisms (IPRoMM-2024) during 19  21 December 2024. It was started on 19th December with the Industrial Visit to TATA Steel, TATA Motor and RSB Global. The Industrial visit was a lifetime achievement for many participants as they witnessed molten steel coming out from a blast furnace, testing of trucks on difficult conditions (testing tracks), and precision testing facilities and development of products at RSB to name a few. The delegates were also honoured with a memento by the company they visited. The delegates gave a 5-star rating of this visit including excellent hospitality.

Prof. Shalendra Kumar, Chairman, welcomed attendees, while Prof. Sandipan Bandyopadhyay, Vice President of Association of Machines & Mechanisms and Dr. Rakesh Bhargava, Guest of Honor, delivered addresses. Prof. Chitranjan Sahay, another Guest of Honor, and Prof. R. V. Sharma, Deputy Director of NIT Jamshedpur, shared their perspectives.

Inauguration ceremony, Chief Guest Probal Ghosh, Vice-President at Tata Steel, also addressed the gathering. Prof. Sanjay, HoD and Organizing Chairman, expressed gratitude to the institute Director Dr Goutam Sutradhar for his support and encouragement in the vote of thanks.

The prestigious conference brought together global experts, academicians, and industry leaders to discuss advancements and challenges in mechanical and industrial engineering.

The three-day conference featured keynote addresses from renowned speakers, providing a comprehensive perspective on pressing industrial topics.

The first keynote lecture was delivered by Prof. Chitranjan Sahay from the University of Hartford, USA, on "Designing for Harsh Environments". His insights into the innovative strategies for product design in extreme conditions captivated the audience, setting the tone for the event.

Another notable address came from Dr. Rakesh Bhargava, an expert from Innovative Turbomachinery Technologies, Katy, TX, USA. He presented on the "Evolution of Gas Turbine Technology and its Impact on the Global Power Generation and Aviation Industry", providing a historical perspective and future outlook on this pivotal technology.

Dr. Madhusudan Pal, Director of COE at FIDDI, Noida, spoke on "Footwear Tool Design and Development", emphasizing the integration of technology and design in an evolving industry.

Additionally, Dinesh Kumar Ranjan, Regional Deputy Director at Jharkhand Industrial Area Development Authority, highlighted "Industrial Problems Faced by SMEs", offering practical insights for small and medium enterprises.

The final day featured a thought-provoking lecture by N. Rajesh Kumar, Chief of One Shared Services Technology Group, Tata Steel, Jamshedpur, on "Current Challenges in Industries".

The event also saw the presence of industry leaders like Ravi Prasad, Vice President of RSB Transmission Pvt. Ltd., Jamshedpur, who discussed "Approaches to Solve Machinery-Related Problems in Industry." This session underscored the importance of industry-academic collaboration.
The Press Club of Jamshedpur hosted the inaugural session of its lecture series at Sakchi, featuring veteran journalist and writer Anuj Kumar Sinha. In a thought-provoking address, Sinha shared insights from his 40-year journalistic journey, emphasizing that the end of one phase in life often marks the beginning of another, much like the transition from "Pushpa One" to "Pushpa Two."

Sinha, set to retire from Prabhat Khabar on December 31, described his upcoming retirement as the start of a new chapter. "As long as the breath flows and the mind, eyes, and hands function, the journalist and writer within me will remain alive," he affirmed, encouraging his peers to embrace transitions with renewed vigor and purpose.

Highlighting the importance of preserving history, Sinha stressed the need for documenting the achievements of individuals and organizations that have contributed meaningfully to society. He noted that while Jharkhand played a pivotal role in Indias independence, much of its history was overshadowed by documentation in Bihar. He credited Prabhat Khabar for shedding light on significant events, including Mahatma Gandhi's Jharkhand tours, Shibu Soren's anti-usury movement, and the unnamed heroes of the Jharkhand Nirman movement.

Sinha lauded the cosmopolitan culture of Jamshedpur, calling it unparalleled. "Those who leave Jamshedpur always long to return," he said, reflecting the citys deep emotional connection with its residents.

Addressing his journalist peers, Sinha underscored the importance of ethical integrity in their profession. Personal friendships should never interfere with professional duties, he advised. Drawing from his experiences, he recounted moments like the BDO Naxalite kidnapping and the tragic accident of journalist Sanjay Ojha, emphasizing the role of journalists in saving lives and driving meaningful change.

The event began with Press Club General Secretary Vikas Kumar Srivastava presenting a biography of Sinha, followed by a warm welcome from Prabhat Khabars senior editor Sanjay Mishra. Former Health Minister Dr. Dinesh Sarangi highlighted Sinhas deep attachment to Jharkhand, while Press Club President Sanjeev Bhardwaj expressed gratitude in his vote of thanks.

The lecture was attended by prominent figures, including former MP Shailendra Mahato, BJP State Spokesperson Amarpreet Singh Kale, Jharkhand State Bar Council Vice President Rajesh Kumar Shukla, and representatives from various social organizations. Social worker Dr. Vinni Sarangi, Advocate Sudhir Kumar Pappu, and several journalists were also present in large numbers, making the event a memorable gathering of intellectuals and changemakers.
Two toddlers and a man were killed and six other persons injured after a truck ran over people sleeping on a footpath in Maharashtra's Pune city in the wee hours of Monday, police said.

The incident took place at 12.55 am on the footpath in Wagholi area where several persons were sleeping, they said.

The victims comprised labourers and their family members hailing from Amravati. The labourers had come to Pune a couple of days back in search of jobs, the police said.

The truck driver, identified as Gajanan Totre (26), was arrested after the incident and his medical test was being done to ascertain if he was driving under the influence of alcohol, an official said.

"There were many people sleeping on the footpath near Kesnand Phata area, most of them labourers. They were run over by a truck, leading to the death of three persons," a senior police official said.

The deceased have been identified as Vaibhavi Pawar (1), Vaibhav Pawar (2) and Vishal Pawar (22), the police said.

The six injured persons - Janki Pawar (21), Rinisha Pawar (18), Roshan Bhosale (9), Nagesh Pawar (27), Darshan Vairal (18) and Aalisha Pawar (47) - were admitted to the Sassoon General Hospital, they added.

Pune Additional Commissioner of Police (East Region) Manoj Patil said the truck driver lost control over the wheels near Wagholi police station and rammed his vehicle into several people sleeping on the footpath at 12.55 am.

"Prima facie, the people who were injured and died were labourers and their family members from Amravati district. They came to Pune just two days ago in search of jobs," he said.

"We arrested the truck driver from the spot. We are also probing other facts of the accident. A case has been registered against the truck driver under all relevant sections. A medical test is underway to verify if he was drunk when the accident took place," the official said.
Bangladesh's interim government said on Monday that it has sent a diplomatic note to India to send back deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka.

Hasina, 77, has been living in exile in India since Aug 5 when she fled the country amid the student-led protests that toppled her 16-year regime. Bangladesh-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for "crimes against humanity and genocide".

We have sent a note verbale to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process, Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain told reporters at his office.

Earlier in the morning, Home Advisor Jahangir Alam said his office has sent a letter to the foreign ministry to facilitate the ousted premier's extradition from India.

We have sent a letter to the foreign ministry regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway, he told reporters in response to a query.

Alam said an extradition treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi already exists and Hasina could be brought back to Bangladesh under it.

Last month, in an address to the nation on the completion of 100 days of the interim government, Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said it will seek the extradition of Hasina.

We must ensure justice in every killing We will also ask India to send back fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina, he said.

Yunus, who assumed office on August 8, claimed that about 1,500 people, including students and workers, were killed while 19,931 others were wounded during the protest against the Hasina government.

In October, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul had reportedly said that Bangladesh would strongly protest if India tried to refuse Hasina's extradition by citing any provision in the treaty.

In an interview with PTI in Dhaka in September, Yunus had said that Hasina making political remarks from India is an unfriendly gesture", asserting that she must remain silent to prevent discomfort to both countries until Dhaka requests her extradition.

"If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh (government) wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet," he said.

In recent weeks, Hasina has accused the Yunus-led interim government of perpetrating "genocide" and failing to protect minorities, especially Hindus, since her ouster.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay a six-day visit to the US beginning Tuesday.

It will be the first high-level visit from India to the US after Donald Trump won the presidential election.

"External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit the United States of America from December 24-29," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

"He will be meeting counterparts to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues," it said in a brief statement.

The MEA said Jaishankar will also chair a conference of the Consul Generals of India in the US.
A prominent Lebanese politician held talks on Sunday with the insurgent who led the overthrow of Syrias President Bashar Assad, with both expressing hope for a new era in relations between their countries.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt was a longtime critic of Syrias involvement in Lebanon and blamed Assads father, former President Hafez Assad, for the assassination of his own father decades ago. He is the most prominent Lebanese politician to visit Syria since the Assad familys 54-year rule came to an end.

He held talks with Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who led the Sunni Islamist rebels who swept into Damascus earlier this month and forced the younger Assad from power.

We salute the Syrian people for their great victories and we salute you for your battle that you waged to get rid of oppression and tyranny that lasted over 50 years, said Jumblatt, a key figure in Lebanons Druze minority and the former leader of a leftist party.

He expressed hope that Lebanese-Syrian relations will return to normal.

Jumblatts father, Kamal, was killed in 1977 in an ambush near a Syrian roadblock during Syrias military intervention in Lebanons civil war. The younger Jumblatt was a critic of the Assads, though he briefly allied with them at one point to gain influence in Lebanons ever-shifting political alignments.

Syria was a source of concern and disturbance, and its interference in Lebanese affairs was negative, al-Sharaa said, referring to the Assad government. Syria will no longer be a case of negative interference in Lebanon, he said, pledging that it would respect Lebanese sovereignty.

Al-Sharaa also repeated longstanding allegations that Assads government was behind the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which was followed by other killings of prominent Lebanese critics of Assad.

Last year, the United Nations closed an international tribunal investigating the assassination after it convicted three members of Lebanons Hezbollah  an ally of Assad  in absentia. Hezbollah denied involvement in the massive February 14, 2005 bombing, which killed Hariri and 21 others.

We hope that all those who committed crimes against the Lebanese will be held accountable, and that fair trials will be held for those who committed crimes against the Syrian people, Jumblatt said.

Irans leader predicts trouble for new Syrian rulers: Separately, Irans supreme leader said that young Syrians will resist the new government emerging after Assads overthrow as he again accused the United States and Israel of sowing chaos in the country.

Iran had provided crucial support to Assad throughout Syrias nearly 14-year civil war, which erupted after he launched a violent crackdown on a popular uprising. Syria had long served as a key conduit for Iranian aid to Hezbollah.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an address on Sunday that the young Syrian has nothing to lose and suffers from insecurity following Assads fall.

What can he do? He should stand with strong will against those who designed and those who implemented the insecurity, Khamenei said. God willing, he will overcome them.

He accused the United States and Israel of plotting against Assads government in order to seize resources, saying: Now they feel victory, the Americans, the Zionist regime and those who accompanied them.

Iran and its militant allies in the region have suffered a series of major setbacks over the past year, with Israel battering Hamas in Gaza and landing heavy blows on Hezbollah before they agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon last month.

Khamenei denied that such groups were proxies of Iran, saying they fought because of their own beliefs and that the Islamic Republic did not depend on them. If one day we plan to take action, we do not need proxy force, he said.
Four workers died at DuPont's chemical plant in La Porte after being exposed to a chemical called methyl mercaptan. Federal and state officials have launched an investigation. Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, in La Porte. ( Marie D. De Jesus / Houston Chronicle ) Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle

Tony Coleman choked up during a TV interview recounting his staggering losses: 39 of his Black Angus cattle found dead over the past two years. Each were killed after drinking water and eating grass laden with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl  also known as PFAS or "forever chemicals." The toxins came from a sewage-based fertilizer, or biosolid, that had washed over his land from a neighboring farm.

"This has devastated our lives," Coleman told News Nation earlier this month. "This has financially, mentally just broke us down. The toughest part is they knew this  the E.P.A. knew this, the people spreading this stuff on land  they knew this was not right and yet they continued to do it for a dollar."

In the absence of federal or state regulations prohibiting the use of sewage fertilizer, an unlikely environmental defender has stepped up on behalf of ranchers such as Coleman: Ken Paxton.

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You read that correctly. Texas' attorney general  not exactly known as a consumer or environmental watchdog  is taking on two of the state's largest manufacturers of forever chemicals. On Dec. 11, Paxton announced a lawsuit against 3M and DuPont for falsely advertising the safety of some of their products.

Texans who care deeply about the health of our natural environment  including where our food and water is sourced  should send words of encouragement Paxton's way for his efforts to hold these influential chemical giants accountable. Perhaps he'll devote a bit more of the state's legal resources to legitimate causes instead of endless partisan fights.

While the Environmental Protection Agency regulates some dangerous elements of sewage fertilizer, there are no federal rules limiting forever chemicals in biosolids, even though it's used to cultivate crops on agricultural land across the nation. On Friday, state Rep. Helen Kerwin (R-Cleburne), filed a bill that would require biosolid manufacturers to test their products monthly and set limits on the concentrations of forever chemicals before selling them.

The most recent data reported by the fertilizer industry estimated that American farmers have used sewage fertilizer on nearly 70 million acres. The runoff from biosolids can eventually make its way into our food supply and kill livestock, damaging the livelihoods of ranchers. Coleman, for instance, has voluntarily stopped selling his cattle, knowing they are contaminated. He told News Nation he is considering taking an extra job to make ends meet.

Forever chemicals are a problem in cities too. The Chronicle's Taylor Goldenstein reported that a recent study from the Natural Resources Defense Council found "very high levels" of PFAs in multiple Houston tap water samples. The Texas Tribune reported that 49 of the state's public water utility systems have PFAs that exceed the federal limits.

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Paxton's lawsuit joins others filed in other states including California, Illinois, North Carolina and Wisconsin. He filed in a district court in Johnson County, where the Colemans live, accuses 3M and DuPont of marketing "PFAS products and chemicals in Texas and elsewhere as safe for consumer use, misrepresent their environmental and biological risks, and conceal risks of harm from the public" for more than 70 years.

Much of Paxton's work as the state's top cop for the past eight years has been frivolous and unserious. He's tilted at legal windmills and boasted of filing 100 lawsuits against the Biden administration. He's obsessed over mostly fictitious voter fraud allegations and defended Donald Trump's Big Lie about the 2020 election. And he infamously became the second statewide officeholder in the last century to be impeached, on charges that he abused the power of his office among other alleged criminal acts.

Yet when he's right, he's right. We praised his $1.4 billion settlement with Meta over privacy violations, and the AG's office clearly did their homework on forever chemicals. Paxton's court filing highlights decades' worth of evidence that these companies were aware that routine household products were extremely dangerous.

He noted, for instance, that DuPont knew as far back as the early 1960s that facilities manufacturing its Teflon product were discharging large quantities of forever chemicals into public and private drinking water. He pointed to internal memos from 3M which show the company knew its PFA waste would "eventually reach the water table and pollute domestic wells." He cited a 2012 study funded by DuPont that found "probable links" between PFA exposure and serious diseases such as thyroid disease, testicular cancer and kidney cancer. Paxton accuses DuPoint of trying to spin off its chemicals business into a separate company to shirk liability.

Winning the lawsuit or forcing a settlement won't be easy. While 3M agreed to a more than $10 billion settlement with drinking water providers earlier this year, a separate class-action lawsuit in Ohio against 3M and DuPont was dismissed in federal court. We urge Paxton to stay vigilant and not be cowed by these companies' considerable resources. Ranchers such as Tony Coleman are counting on him for relief.

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Why stop there? As long as Paxton is on a consumer protection kick, we'd like him to take a look at solar panel scammers in Texas who are ripping off hundreds of homeowners. These unscrupulous salespeople promise huge savings on energy bills, assure them that the government will help pay for it, then leave homeowners with crippling monthly loan payments on top of expensive energy bills. We know it's on Paxton's radar: an investigative series by San Antonio Express-News reporter Sara DiNatale reported that more than 1,000 complaints have been filed with his office since January 2023. He should follow the lead of his counterparts in states such as Minnesota and crack down on solar companies ripping people off.
The patio at Burger Joint, left, which participated in a fundraiser for its new neighbor, the Freed-Montrose Library at 1001 California. Staff file photos/Staff

Sad reality

Regarding Burger Joint fundraises for Montrose library following Whitmires hamburger building complaints, (Dec. 17): Id just like to say thank you to Burger Joint for supporting our new library.

The mayors comments about the library being in the parking lot of a burger restaurant are funny to me, because the old location of the Freed-Montrose Library shared a tiny parking lot with Black Lab Pub for years. It also had an entire upper floor closed due to derecho damage, constant maintenance issues and about two usable parking spaces (if you came on a weekday at 11 a.m. and got lucky). It was closed on weekends and after normal working hours. The librarians were awesome, but under these conditions, its been almost impossible to pick up a book  much less browse, research and discover.

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Add book bans and the shutting down of kids' libraries in Houston ISD schools to the barriers to getting books in this city. Enough already. Montrose residents are ready for our public library to function.

Mayor John Whitmire needs to chill, get some fries, check out a book about mindfulness, and breathe deeply. Its kind of sad that Houston got more support for its public library from a burger joint than from our own mayor.

Brooke Bailey, Houston

Federal downsizing

Regarding What Elon Musks DOGE effort to cut government waste could mean for federal employees in Texas, (Dec. 12): The Texas billionaire has promised to slash as much as $2 trillion from the federal budget: With a $6.5 trillion federal budget, this is quite a statement.

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But most agree that the government is highly inefficient with expenditures; it is easy to spend someone elses money. By various accounts, there is more than $100 billion in Medicare fraud alone. Our public education, regulatory, health and judicial systems are all grossly inefficient. But there has to be a consensus and a determination to do better. Those wasted government funds are lining someones pocket, so even easy wins are not easy in government.

Jim Sizer, Kingwood

Honey badger mode

Regarding Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick doesnt care about public schools or much else the public wants, (Dec. 17): Very interesting to use the honey badger meme to describe Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. The honey badger is brave and takes on larger and dangerous enemies in the animal kingdom, while Patrick takes on helpless elementary school children.

I believe childrens good education is the basis for a productive and happy life that will help improve the welfare and education of future generations. Patrick is only trying to benefit himself and his good standing with billionaire friends.

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Is this man trying to take funds from public schools and giving it to private ones? Are they going to build private schools in rural areas? I dont understand how thats going to be allowed by the Texas Senate.

Thank you for reminding us how little he cares about the children of Texas.

Toy B. Halsey, Houston

Thanks to Chris Tomlinson for his superb column about Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and his ignoring the education needs of Texas school children. Patrick is always spouting his love of the Bible as his number one concern. Ill say it loud and clear: Patrick needs to drop his shallow comments about the Bible and pay more attention to improving our schools, with better facilities and the best teachers money can buy. Texas has the funds and should make education our highest priority.

Jimmy Dunne, Houston

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UH maintenance

Regarding 10 UH buildings have 'critical' deferred maintenance needs, according to annual report, (Dec. 14): Of course they do! Our granddaughter was in the music program at the University of Houston. Wonderful professors. Excellent program. Her recital was postponed because the A/C wasnt working in the recital hall. Professors, the school director and students had to carry chairs to the lobby of the opera house (the only jewel in the program). We walked through the bowels of the building over ancient, dingy carpet, past practice rooms unavailable because they were filled with non-functioning pianos and skeletons of the same. Too bad they cant use some of the billions of excess cash that Texas is sitting on.

Glenna Sloan, Shenandoah

Special writer

I am amazed that youre letting Andrew Dansby get away. He can do more with a feature profile than anyone else Ive read around there. He goes deeper to evoke a more complex and moving response in the reader  the kind of writer you read regardless of his subject matter.

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His departure is a big loss for the paper. I am not privy to newspaper gossip, but I do know a special writer when I read him.

Babette Fraser Hale, Houston

Texas book

Regarding Want to understand Texas? Readers recommend their favorite books | Opinion, (Dec. 17): One excellent Texas novel based here in the Houston area is Kimberly Garzas The Last Karankawas. It centers on the Latino/Filipino community in Fish Village in Galveston, and includes a large cast of real characters living normal lives in extraordinary ways, with everything coming to a climax during Hurricane Ike. The characters are real, their interactions are believable, and the ending is hopeful, wistful, heartbreaking, ambiguousits up to you to decide. This novel has been haunting my thoughts since I read it over a year ago.

Mark Picus, Houston

We want to know about your holiday traditions. Whether you're celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah  or both, since they fall on the same day this year  tell us your story and how you bring these celebrations to life. If you've got a funny mishap  a dinner disaster, an in-law surprise, or a memorable mix-up at holiday gatherings  we also want to hear those tales that become family favorites.
The amazing sound and incredible energy of Afrobeats is set to vibrate around St Columbs Hall at a special fundraising night planned by the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council for spring next year.

Feel the Beat: An Afro-Inspired Bank Holiday Celebration will feature top DJs Renzo Rose, DJ Rob and DJ Lui who will play a mix of Afrobeats, amapiano, dancehall, hip-hop, RnB and commercial music guaranteed to have you on the dancefloor all night long. There will also be a special appearance from Ritchie Remo and New Gates Culture Now Programme which will see the blending of Afrobeat, Irish Trad, and Ulster Scots sounds in a celebration of cultural unity.

Revealing her plans for Feel the Beat, which will take place on 25 May 2025, Mayor Lilian Seenoi Barr said: I am so excited to bring this night of Afrobeats to St Columbs Hall. I would encourage everyone to come along and enjoy a night of incredible energy and top tunes. It doesnt matter if youve never been to an Afrobeats event before, if you love music youll love this night.

The event is planned as a fundraiser for the Bud Club, the charity the Mayor has chosen to support during her year in office. BUD is an inclusive provision for young people with disabilities and specific/complex needs.

Tickets are now on sale and the Mayor is encouraging people to get theirs early to avoid disappointment. She explained: I am delighted to have the tickets on sale just in time for Christmas as I think they would make the perfect present for anyone who loves energetic music and would enjoy a night full of friendship and positivity.

READ NEXT: Supermarket vegetable cuts extremely concerning, says Ulster Farmers Union

"And remember, by buying a ticket you will also be supporting the awesome Bud Club and all the work that they do. This is all possible because of the sponsorship support given by the Garvan ODoherty group.

So get your tickets now and get ready to dance like you have never danced before at Feel the Beat in St Columbs Hall. I cant wait to see you all on the dancefloor.

Tickets for the Feel the Beat: An Afro-Inspired Bank Holiday Celebration are now on sale and can be purchased at https://AfroBeatCelebration.eventbrite.co.uk
A thirty-six years old civil servant who is alleged to have 'phoned his girlfriend three hundred times on the day she ended their turbulent four week long relationship by sending him a text message', has been released on bail from the Magistrate's Court in Derry where he appeared charged with engaging in abusive behaviour towards the complainant, stalking her with intent to cause her fear and engaging in abusive behaviour towards her.

D.H.S.S. employee Connor O'Kane from Carnhill is alleged to committed the offences in the early hours of last Saturday morning.

Opposing bail a police officer told Deputy District Judge Laura Ievers that the defendant was arrested last Saturday morning after the complainant contacted the police to report that she'd pushed him out of her home which he'd entered uninvited and in breach of a Non Molestation Order.

The police witness said the complainant told the police that her four week long relationship with the defendant had broken down three times because of frequent arguments and rows.

"She said he became controlling, that he attempted to isolate her from family members and friends and wanted her to prioritise him over her five years old son. On the day she ended their relationship for the last time she says he 'phoned her three hundred times, sent her thirteen emails and messaged her nine times.

"The text messages included -'I'll never stop loving you' and 'you're my world'. The complainant says she has been left in complete fear of the defendant, so much so that she's left her home with her five years old son and moved in with family members.

"After his arrest the defendant told the police during his interview that he had never been more in love and he denied causing her emotional abuse", the police officer said.

Applying for bail solicitor Paddy MacDermott said the defendant found it difficult to cope with the ending of the relationship and he now accepted that his behaviour towards the complainant was unacceptable.

Releasing the defendant on bail until January 20, the Deputy District Judge ordered him to stay out of the Hazelbank estate and not to have any contact with the complainant either directly or indirectly. The defendant will also be electronically monitored, placed on curfew and he was ordered to abstain from alcohol.
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Micron forecasts slump in general-purpose memory, casting doubts on Samsung, SK Hynix

Micron has released its first-quarter fiscal 2025 (1QFY25, ending November 28, 2024) financial results, highlighting strong performance in its HBM segment. However, a weaker-than-expected outlook has dampened market confidence, casting a shadow over South Korean rivals Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

South Korean media outlets Asiae.co.kr and Sedaily.com reported that Micron's 1QFY25 revenue reached US$8.71 billion, narrowly beating market expectations. However, its 2QFY25 forecast of US$7.7US$8.1 billion significantly trails analysts' average projection of US$9 billion, raising concerns about future growth.

Memory industry: cyclical trends and global interdependencies

Performance trends in the memory industry often align, driven by its cyclical nature and the commoditization of products like DRAM and NAND. Demand shifts in key sectors, including consumer electronics, data centers, and emerging technologies such as AI and autonomous vehicles, impact all manufacturers alike.

Price fluctuations in DRAM and NAND flash memory resonate across the market, influencing all manufacturers regardless of their product mix. Moreover, shared cost structures and reliance on advanced technologies like EUV lithography create further alignment among memory producers.

External factors such as trade restrictions, geopolitical challenges, and global economic shifts amplify synchronized trends in the memory sector. Competitive dynamics and interdependent markets further deepen this alignment, as highlighted by The Wall Street Journal and Barron's.

For Samsung and SK Hynix, Micron's financial results often serve as a key indicator of market trends, heightening industry-wide apprehension.

Chinese players disrupt the DRAM market landscape

Micron noted persistent weak demand in mobile, PC, and automotive sectors through 2025, compounded by growing competition from Chinese manufacturers. Since 2024, Chinese DRAM makers have aggressively undercut DDR3 and DDR4 prices, pressuring Samsung and SK Hynix's profitability. Reports suggest these firms are now entering the high-performance DRAM segment with DDR5 production.

Ithome.com reports that Chinese manufacturers KingBank and Weihai Guangwei Composites recently launched "domestically produced" DDR5 memory on e-commerce platforms. Priced at CNY499 (approx. US$68.67) for two 16GB modules, experts believe the chips are sourced from CXMT.

China's DDR5 technology trails South Korean rivals by over three years, but substantial financial resources could enable rapid progress. In the near term, this race is expected to drive down market prices.

NAND market: uncertainty rises with Micron cuts and Kioxia expansion

Micron has announced a 10% reduction in NAND wafer starts as part of its production cut strategy, aiming to address oversupply concerns in the market. Kioxia, the world's third-largest NAND producer, has recently gone public, signaling plans to expand production capacity and accelerate next-gen product development. These developments inject additional uncertainty into the NAND market, where prices are already under downward pressure.

Earnings projections: Samsung and SK Hynix revised downward

Amid mounting market pressures, South Korean analysts have significantly downgraded fourth-quarter 2024 earnings forecasts for Samsung and SK Hynix. FnGuide data shows Samsung's fourth-quarter operating profit estimate plummeted from KRW14.8 trillion (approx. US$10.29 billion) in August to KRW9.3 trillion in December, marking a sharp 37.2% cut. SK Hynix's forecast experienced a smaller reduction, dropping from KRW8.6 trillion to KRW8 trillion, reflecting a 20% decrease.

Micron's HBM3E gains challenge Samsung and SK Hynix

With general-purpose memory profitability declining, HBM competitiveness is becoming increasingly critical. Micron has secured Nvidia's orders for its 8-layer HBM3E and revealed during its earnings call that it has started shipping to other clients, likely AMD and Intel, posing a competitive challenge to South Korean players.

Samsung's HBM3E has yet to achieve Nvidia certification, while SK Hynix is working to bolster its market dominance. Both companies are accelerating the development of HBM4 and HBM4E to stay competitive in the AI semiconductor space. However, delays in innovation, increasing HBM supply, and China's growing presence in the market could heighten competition and strain profitability.

The US government has approved up to US$6.165 billion in investment subsidies for Micron, with an agreement expected soon. In contrast, Samsung's proposed US$6.4 billion subsidy remains pending approval.

If approval is delayed past the potential inauguration of the Trump administration in January 2025, Samsung's chances of securing the subsidy may weaken, potentially impacting its competitive position and operational stability.
Tesla Shanghai factory head resigns; Xiaomi denies poaching

Tesla's Shanghai "Gigafactory" is undergoing significant personnel changes as Chinese media reports indicate that Gang Song, the site's director and VP of manufacturing, has departed to pursue a position in the green energy industry with Envision Group.

Rumors had circulated regarding Song's recruitment by Xiaomi Auto; however, Xiaomi has refuted these claims.

Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory delivered 675,000 vehicles in the first three quarters of this year, which was more than half of Tesla's global deliveries, according to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). The Shanghai Gigafactory director is regarded as the second most important position within Tesla's operations in China, following that of SVP Tom Zhu.

Song reportedly submitted his resignation several months ago, and his final day of employment at Tesla was December 18. Additionally, reports indicate that Wenjin Fei, the senior director of automotive and parts quality, will assume his position.

Song was one of the initial employees of Tesla's Shanghai facility, joining in 2018 following prior employment at Ford Motor and General Motors. Upon joining Tesla, he prioritized local production and effectively led the Model Y localization initiatives. The supply chain at Tesla's Shanghai facility is currently over 95% localized. On October 11, 2024, the Shanghai factory manufactured its third millionth automobile.

Speculation surrounds Xiaomi's attempt to recruit Song

Market speculation is that Xiaomi, recognized for its talent acquisition tactics, seeks to hire him.

Given Xiaomi's current situation, hiring a director from Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory may be viewed as a wise option. Xiaomi's Gigafactory in Beijing's E-Town aims to produce 300,000 cars per year, with the second phase now under construction and set to commence production in July 2025. Following the start of operations at the new gigafactory, additional time will be required to expand production capacity.

Xiaomi Auto has already garnered attention for its rapid workforce expansion, with CEO Lei Jun frequently participating in recruitment campaigns. Recent high-profile departures from major manufacturers, such as Geely Auto, where over 20 executives departed in total, and critical positions such as the chief of strategic planning at BAIC BluePark, have all been associated with Xiaomi. After Song's departure, there was speculation in the industry that he would join Xiaomi Motors.

These rumors were promptly refuted by Xiaomi's public relations department.

Recent speculation suggests that Song will affiliate with the Envision Group rather than Xiaomi Auto. According to the Chinese media outlet Jiemian, Song is anticipated to join Envision Energy, although the company's human resources system has yet to acknowledge his position.

Envision Group began with wind power and now comprises subsidiaries specializing in power batteries, wind energy, and green hydrogen.
Marvell highlights India's semiconductor growth ahead of VLSI conference

India's semiconductor industry will convene next month in Bengaluru for the 38th VLSI Design Conference, a flagship event showcasing advancements in chip design, research, and innovation.

"The VLSI Design Conference, India's largest engineering event, attracts substantial participation from leading companies and industry experts," said Navin Bishnoi, Country Manager for India at Marvell, a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions and a conference sponsor.

Growing from its inception, the five-day event now attracts over 2,000 attendees annually. The conference includes two days of tutorials aimed at students and early-career professionals, followed by three days of technical sessions, keynote speeches, and panel discussions, featuring a dedicated forum highlighting women in engineering.

This year's conference will feature speakers from both academia and industry. Noam Mizrahi, Executive Vice President and Corporate CTO at Marvell, will discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on the semiconductor industry, while Sandeep Bharathi, Chief Development Officer at Marvell, will join a Fireside Chat on developing the India semiconductor ecosystem. Other notable contributors include leaders from Microchip, NXP, Synopsys, Siemens, and Qualcomm, as well as professors from top Indian and Global universities.

The event places significant emphasis on fostering innovation among Indian startups and the broader semiconductor ecosystem. A dedicated startup forum will allow emerging companies to pitch their ideas to venture capitalists and industry experts.

"Innovation is central to the VLSI Design Conference," Bishnoi noted. "This platform is an opportunity to spotlight cutting-edge research and technological developments shaping the sector's future."

Accelerated infrastructure and data centers

The conference will highlight the transformative role of artificial intelligence in driving advancements in accelerated infrastructure, as India expands its data center capabilities to address the growing demand for higher bandwidth and performance to support AI workloads. With significant investments flowing into data center infrastructure, a growing synergy is emerging between semiconductor innovation and the backbone of India's digital economy.

Bishnoi highlighted the critical role of next-generation technologies in enabling new AI servers and networking architecture to address the need for higher bandwidth and performance for AI workloads. "The VLSI Design Conference serves as a catalyst for progress, fostering innovations in chip design that are essential for advancing infrastructure and enhancing data center efficiency," he added.

Strengthening research collaboration

The conference also functions as a platform to strengthen collaboration between academia, industry, and government under the India Semiconductor Mission. Bishnoi highlighted initiatives targeting semiconductor research across 12 focus areas, led by academic institutions such as IITs with support from regional partners.

"This is a long-term investment in creating a vibrant research ecosystem," Bishnoi explained. "The goal is to address challenges in both foundational and advanced semiconductor technologies."

The conference's program includes forums discussing chip design, workforce development, and semiconductor manufacturing, aiming to align India's research efforts with its broader industrial strategy.

Advancing India's semiconductor ambitions

As India invests heavily in its semiconductor ecosystem, the VLSI Design Conference has become a key platform for positioning the country as a global hub for semiconductor innovation.

"The event is not only about celebrating achievements but also about inspiring the next generation of engineers," Bishnoi said. "It fosters the collaboration needed to drive the industry forward."

With its growing significance, the conference highlights India's ambitions to strengthen its position in the global semiconductor supply chain and nurture a skilled workforce capable of addressing future challenges.

Industry momentum and investments

The VLSI Design Conference takes place amid significant developments in India's semiconductor industry.

NXP Semiconductors recently announced a US$1 billion investment to double its R&D efforts in India, reflecting the country's growing importance in global semiconductor innovation.

Simultaneously, the Israel-based Tower Semiconductor and the Adani Group have committed to a US$10 billion chip manufacturing project in Maharashtra, while the Tata Group is advancing plans to establish a semiconductor assembly and testing facility in Assam.

Backed by the India Semiconductor Mission's US$10 billion incentive package, these initiatives are expected to propel India's semiconductor market to US$63 billion by 2026.

Against this backdrop, the VLSI Design Conference stands as a critical platform to showcase these advancements and foster collaboration essential for sustaining the industry's growth trajectory.
In this image taken from undated video posted to YouTube, American freelance journalist Austin Tice, who had been reporting for American news organizations in Syria until his disappearance in August 2012, prays in Arabic and English while blindfolded in the presence of gunmen. The Associated Press could not independently confirm the origin or the content of the clip, but the Tice family released a statement to several media outlets confirming it was their son in the video. (AP Photo) Associated Press

In the 12 years since Austin Tice was abducted in Syria, his family and his coworkers at McClatchy have grieved at his absence, despaired at silence from the Syrian government and prayed that promises from three U.S. presidents would turn into actions that brought Austin home.

Now, more than any moment since he was taken from us, we have a reason to believe that Austin, a Houston native, may return. The government of Bashar al-Assad has fallen in Syria. Rebels and others are opening the gates of Assads many prisons, and the world is watching as captives walk from their cells to freedom. We hope the next one will be our colleague, Austin.

That hope was boosted Friday with the news that Roger D. Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, had arrived in the capital city of Damascus along with two other top U.S. diplomats. The update, coming almost two weeks after al-Assad fled the country, was welcome.

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Journalists and non-governmental organizations have been on the ground in Syria, traveling from prison to prison, searching for clues to Austins whereabouts. The U.S. military, the FBI and the CIA are standing by should information surface.

Until Friday, representatives from our State Department had not joined them.

No U.S. government organization has been on the ground in Syria as of yet, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters this week at a briefing. Miller indicated that security was a concern but said that U.S. officials have been in communications with groups on the ground in Syria.

The engagement of U.S. envoys is a hopeful sign amid a troubling question: Is a president who said its a top priority to return American hostages taking full advantage of this critical moment? The rebels who toppled Assad have said they would work directly with the U.S. government to help find Austin, and some reports indicate he has been moved regularly while in captivity, including perhaps being placed more recently in the basement of the Syrian Air Force intelligence building.

Austins mother, Debra Tice, says the family has credible information that Austin may be held in a prison outside Damascus and that a new source told them that Austin is alive and healthy. In a letter last week to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Debra asked that Israel pause military strikes in that area so that rescuers could search for Austin. Israeli officials have said publicly that they have done so.

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Debra Tice, mother of Houston journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria five years prior, holds a dated portrait of him during a press conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut on July 20, 2017. Joseph Eid/AFP, HO / TNS

In the absence of the bombing, theyll be able to make a more thorough search for hidden cells in tunnels near the presidential palace there, Debra said.

The near silence from our own government over the past 12 days has been frustrating. We are hopeful senior U.S. representatives have arrived in time and will engage with rebels to unearth clues about Austins movement and whereabouts. We believe they should pull out the stops to bring this to closure.

The incoming Trump administration appears to care passionately about Austins case, but we understand that the staffing and logistical demands a new administration faces could mean weeks or months might pass before a robust search for Austin can be launched. The Biden administration already has that personnel and structure in place. The opportunity to find Austin is upon us. The moment is now.

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We at McClatchy join Austins family in imploring President Biden to remember that Austin is not just a Syrian captive and American hostage but a colleague, a brother and a son. Please, bring him home.
Met Eireann has delivered a weather update for Santa before he arrives in Ireland on Christmas Eve.

Their outlook for this this week reads: "Turning milder and more settled with high pressure looking set to dominate as we head into Christmas week."

More specifically, Met Eireann's forecasters said Christmas Eve will be "mostly cloudy, but it'll be largely dry with just a little patchy light rain and drizzle here and there. There'll be some mist and hill and coastal fog too, for a time. Mild for the time of year with highest temperatures of 11 to 13 degrees in mostly moderate southwest winds, a little fresher in coastal parts of the northwest.

"Tuesday night, Christmas Eve, will bring very favourable conditions for Santa's visit around Ireland. It'll be mainly dry with variable cloud amounts and a few clear spells, with just a few patches of drizzle and mist. Temperatures will be no lower than 8 to 11 degrees in mostly moderate south to southwest winds, fresh to strong in some coastal parts of the west and northwest," they added in an update sure to delight children all over the country.

They say Wednesday, Christmas Day, will be "largely dry and mild for many with a good deal of cloud overall but some bright or sunny spells too. There will be a few patches of light rain and drizzle for some.

READ NEXT: 'So sad' - Tributes as Irish couple die three days apart week before Christmas

"Another unseasonably mild day, with highest temperatures of 11 to 14 degrees in mostly moderate south to southwest winds, fresher for a time in coastal parts of the west and northwest.

"Christmas night will continue largely dry, and often cloudy for many, with just a few spots of light rain and drizzle. Outbreaks of rain and drizzle will be more persistent in parts of the west and northwest, however. Lowest temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees in light to moderate southerly winds.

"Thursday, St. Stephens Day, is likely to be mostly cloudy with patchy rain, drizzle and mist. A few bright or sunny spells are possible too, with these most likely in the midlands and east. Highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees in light to moderate south to southwest winds, fresher at times in coastal parts of the west and northwest," they added.

"Thursday night, St Stephen's night, will continue mostly cloudy with a few spots of light rain and drizzle. There is a chance that more persistent rain will affect parts of northwest Connacht and west Ulster. Lowest temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees in light to moderate south to southwest winds, fresher at times in coastal parts of the west and northwest.

"Friday looks like another mostly cloudy and largely dry day for many with just a few patches of light rain and drizzle. More persistent rain and drizzle could occur in west Connacht and west Ulster, however. Highest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees in light to moderate south to southwest winds. Little change on Friday night; mostly cloudy with patchy rain and drizzle, more persistent in the west and northwest. Lowest temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees in mainly light southerly winds."

Looking all the way ahead to next weekend, Met Eireann says: "High pressure looks set to continue to dominate, bringing generally settled conditions. Rain and drizzle are possible at times, especially in the west and northwest, and while there is some uncertainty, there's the possibility that it may turn a little cooler but potentially a little brighter."
January 9th

There was another disappointing result for Dundalk in the litter survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter(IBAL), with the town ranking 39th out of 40 towns and cities surveyed, and being deemed littered , according to results released at the beginning of January.

Dundalk's performance was described as another poor result for a former winner of the IBAL league, with a number of heavily littered sites.

While Dundalk performed disappointingly in the latest survey, a number of areas in the town were described as top-ranking sites, however, including Dundalk Train Station, Red Barns approach road and The Clump Park / Playground, with IBAL describing them as all very much deserving the top litter grade.

January 16th

It was announced in January that a never seen before multisensory light performance in Dundalk town centre called Northern-Lights 1500; paying homage to Brigid of Faughart, would be on of the many highlights of the Brigid 1500: Louth Birthplace of Brigid festival, that month.

Celebrations commemorating the remarkable life of St Brigid of Faughart captivated audiences throughout Louth during the festival.

The programme, spearheaded by Louth County Council, was a tribute to one of Irelands most esteemed saints, offering a rich tapestry of events and initiatives highlighting her legacy.

*******

SAFE (Suicide Awareness For Everyon) Castlebellingham held their annual fundraising Black Tie Ball in Darver Castle.

The elegant event saw guests enjoying a four course meal, an auction, a raffle and live music by Vertigo.

The SAFE service is available to anyone not just people from Castlebellingham, with two registered counsellors available for anybody who needs to talk.

The service was set up by Patrick and Sandra Byrne in the wake of a number of tragedies in the village.

Their Black Tie fundraising vent was hailed as a fantastic success.

January 23rd

It was announced in January that parts of the PJ Carroll building on the campus of DkIT are to be refurbished to expand apprenticeship provision at the college as part of a major project, it was announced last week.

****



Cllr Antoin Watters expressed anger in January at news that a decision on government funding for emergency repairs for the road network in north Louth following the floods will not be known for

a number of weeks.



January 30th

A Dundalk funeral home warned the public in January of an online scam targeting mourners which they have described as a new low for humanity .

Quinns Funeral Home warned that a person or group had been creating Facebook profiles of high interest funerals including a recent one in Louth.

The scammers were taking photos from the person's own social media pages to populate the profile and offering a link to view the funeral service live

Anyone who clicks on the link is then taken to a page asking them to create an account and enter their financial details.

****

The Sisters of St Louis celebrated 74 years of service to the community in Castletown, the wider Dundalk hinterland and beyond on Saturday 27th January.

The Convent and school welcomed past pupils from every decade, including individuals and groups who attended as Boarders and day pupils in the 1950s!

******

There were fresh calls in January for groups such as the families of those who died in Dealgan House Nursing Home in Dundalk to be consulted about the terms of reference for the new Covid 19 inquiry.

Twenty three residents of the home died in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic and families of the deceased residents have been calling for an inquiry into the matter for almost four years.

*******

Louth County Council refused planning permission for a 502 unit Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) at Haggardstown, Dundalk.
At the December meeting of Louth County Council, Cllr John Reilly tabled a motion calling for measures to be explored to safeguard the future of the Carlingford Lough Ferry.

Sharing the background to the Carlingford Lough Ferry, Cllr Reilly said that it commenced operation in August 2017 following the completion of a multi-agency land and marine approval process in both Ireland and Northern Ireland, and represents a private investment of over 10 million. The company operates a 44-car capacity vessel and a 20-car capacity reserve vessel, with capital infrastructure at both Greenore and Greencastle of the highest standard.

Since the Carlingford ferry was launched, it has carried 250 thousand vehicles and 675 thousand passengers across the lough. In the summer of 2020, the company launched Carlingford Lough cruises with live music on board, which according to Cllr Reilly, has been "an incredible success".

He went on to explain that "unfortunately, the ferry was hit with some terrible setbacks in its early years of trading; the uncertainty surrounding the Brexit issue caused enormous problems for the ferry company, which resulted in the loss of bookings from tour companies in the UK. Further unforeseen and uncontrollable events like COVID-19 and the Ukraine War caused fuel prices to rise 30 per cent."

Cllr Reilly believes that the ferry plays an important part in the tourist business in the Cooley peninsula, and claims that the ferry "acts as a springboard opening up the Cooley Peninsula and allowing daytrippers to explore the beautiful Mourne mountains of County Down and link across with the natural attractions of the Cooley peninsula. The marketing of tourism on a cross-border basis is becoming a very real possibility going forward as the success of Irelands ancient East may be soon extended into Northern Ireland."

The Fine Gael councillor has asked for a tendering process to be put in place by Louth County Council and this would be set up for a specific period and be reviewed after the narrow water bridge is completed. A similar ferry, he adds, is in operation from Green Castle in Co Donegal to Magilligan Point in Co Derry.

Responding to Cllr Reilly's motion at the December meeting, Director of Strategic Economic Development, Mr Thomas McEvoy, said that "Louth County Council recognises the need for the Carlingford Ferry service to continue and will investigate the feasibility of this model in consultation with relevant Government Departments."
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Mayfield Community School is celebrating 50 years of educating students on the northside of the city and to mark the occasion, the Holly Bough invited students there to create the artwork for this years fiction section in the publication.

Sophie Power and Zahira OFlynn with some of the original artwork they created for this year's Holly Bough. Picture Chani Anderson

The section this year is led with a short story by Cork author Conal Creedon and features a range of short stories and poems.

Pictured are 5th and 6th year students who created original artwork for this years Holly Bough publication with their principal Kieran Golden and art teacher Olwyn Brady in Mayfield Community School. Picture Chani Anderson

Under the guidance of art teacher, Olwyn Brady, senior cycle art students created an abundance of illustrations, paintings, lino art and drawings for the edition  so many, in fact, that it wasnt possible to include them all.

Sophie Lane and Molly ONeill with some of their original artwork. Picture Chani Anderson

It was an interesting way of showing the students how illustrators work, said Ms Brady, adding that it also presented students with the opportunity to take art out of the art room.

Isabelle Collins and Sarah Cummins with some of the original artwork they created. Picture Chani Anderson

Ms Brady, who has spent 20 years working at the school, said that students embraced the stories; some which had humour and others sadness, and they particularly enjoyed the social history and ties to place within the individual pieces.

Students, Keira Busteed and Brendan Barrow with some of the original artwork they created. Picture Chani Anderson

There were different conversations in the classroom as a result of this project, she said.

On a visit to the school, students told the Holly Bough that they loved taking part in the brief and especially enjoyed looking at their own different interpretations of the stories and poems.

Joseph Salis with the original illustration he created for this year's Holly Bough. Picture Chani Anderson

Holly Bough editor Mary Corcoran said: To say we were blown away by the artwork is an understatement.

I want to thank Olwyn Brady and the students at Mayfield Community School for their wonderful contributions to this years edition.

Keeley McCarthy, Nathan Hehir and Courtney Gahan with some of their original artwork. Picture Chani Anderson

Mayfield Community School principal, Kieran Golden, also congratulated the pupils.

He said that the school, while respecting its past, continues to build towards its future, and is looking forward to starting a new school extension with the construction of two additional classrooms.

Our students are at the heart of what we do and deserve the very best and we will do everything we can to ensure that they will get the best that there is, he said.
The HSE South West has urged people to get vaccinated as healthcare workers prepare for significant increases in influenza and respiratory illness over the coming days and weeks.

Hospital emergency departments including those at the Mercy University Hospital and Cork University Hospital are experiencing significant increases in people presenting with covid, influenza and RSV. Healthcare settings in HSE South West, which covers Cork and Kerry, are preparing for further significant increases.

The impact of flu circulating in the community has a direct impact on the capacity of health services, both in hospitals and in primary and community care settings.

Vulnerable

HSE South West regional executive officer Andy Phillips said: This winter season influenza hospitalisations are mainly impacting older adults, young children, and those with underlying conditions. We need to ensure we look after those most vulnerable in our communities.

I am asking those who are eligible for free winter vaccines, to please avail of your vaccinations immediately. This winter, we expect an increase in demand placed on our health service, and we need to ensure that our emergency departments care for those who are seriously ill or injured.

Cork University Hospital surgical oncologist Mark Corrigan added: Winter can be a particularly challenging time for vulnerable people and cancer patients are amongst the most vulnerable people in our community.

You may meet these people at the school gates, at work, while out shopping, or at a restaurant over the winter period. So please help protect those vulnerable in our communities by getting your winter vaccines now.

The HSE said there are a number of treatment options open to anyone who gets sick over Christmas depending on their illness. They said being prepared and knowing where to go will mean that you will get treated more quickly and will ease pressures on the healthcare system.

Advice

Having a well-stocked medicine cabinet to help with colds and sore throats, asking your pharmacist for advice on common minor illnesses and making an appointment with your GP if youre feeling unwell are first steps.

If your GP clinic is closed, call SouthDoc on 0818 355 999.

For minor injuries, broken bones, and burns, people can visit a local injury unit, and for emergencies visit your nearest emergency department or call 999/112.

In addition, vaccination for target groups remains available. To see what vaccines are recommended for you visit https://www.hse.ie, call HSELive on 1800 700 700 or talk to a participating GP or pharmacist.
While Christmas is a time of joy for many people, one man has spoken to The Echo about the bleak reality of being homeless, along with his pregnant fiancee, and his cousin.

Their plight is a stark reminder of what life is like for people sleeping rough on the streets of Cork and the struggles they face every day.

Mark, a native of the city and regular user of the Cork Penny Dinners service, said that he does not know what to expect over the coming days.

Im homeless now about a year, he said.

At the start, I was couch surfing, but you never want to overstay your welcome, and only for Caitriona Twomey [of Cork Penny Dinners], I would be at rock bottom.

I used to be a professional body builder, like one of them strongmen fellas on the television.

I was 26 stone, but then I fell in to addiction and Ive lost 10 stone since.

I fell in with the wrong circle, fell in to drug use, but Im clean and sober now about 12 weeks. I go to Caitrionas meetings every Tuesday and Thursday.

I have no clue what I want to do on Christmas Day, my family is showing me tough love, I will probably come down to Penny Dinners and have dinner with Caitriona, more than likely in the food hall.

Ill have my fiancee and cousin with me  shes 15 weeks pregnant at the moment, shes suffered from two miscarriages recently on the streets, so its tough going. Were hoping this [baby] will be OK.

Its very depressing walking around town looking at everyone out Christmas shopping, and I cant go Christmas shopping because our money just goes on food, its degrading.

Pressure

Discussing the matter of safety following the death of his friend and fellow Penny Dinners service user Vanessa OCallaghan, who was assaulted outside the Savoy in Cork city centre earlier this month, Mark said that he feels pressure to keep his family safe.

Attacks on homeless people are definitely increasing, you have to be vigilant, you just feel like a bit of dirt. Its very unsafe, when youre in your sleeping bag, youd have to carry a knife.

As a man, you feel like a failure, people will pass you by and they laugh, and its awful.

Im ashamed to say it that I used to look down on homeless people too, Id walk passed them, you wouldnt even think theyre human, but when youre in the situation yourself you think, am I invisible now?

Not enough help

Asked if he believes there could be more done for those who are homeless, Mark said: There is help there, but its just not enough. The minute the lights go out and its dark, youre on your own.

Im not a politician, but were human beings too, I would appeal to the Government to deal with the dereliction. We could do with extra funding for services, to get extra beds.

Im hoping to get referred to a treatment centre soon, I was put on methadone and I felt that I was just swapping one addiction for another, so I went cold turkey.

If you get through treatment, youd get housed, but with my fiancee and cousin, its hard to break away, we have a bond. Id prefer her to get treatment first and then Id go and my cousin.

You have to try and stay positive as well, but at the end of the day I dont know where Im going to be sleeping for the night.

To the homeless people out there, keep strong, dont fall into addiction, come to meetings, help each other out, and to other people out there, dont look down at us, respect one another as human beings, you never know what can happen  I never thought Id be here.

To donate to Cork Penny Dinners, visit: https://corkpennydinners.org.
GARDAI in Cork said they were not expecting an increase in crime this festive season as comparable data has shown that thefts reduce in the lead up to Christmas.

While members of An Garda Siochana are reminding the public and retailers to stay vigilant of scamming, falsified bank notes, and petty theft, Anglesea St Garda Station crime prevention officer Sergeant Michael OConnell told The Echo that incidents of crime go way down during the Christmas period.

From the three weeks leading up to Christmas last year, we noticed there was a reduction in thefts, and while we have our challenges, we had no other major serious events  there were a few minor assaults [but] we had no real assault causing harm or robbery from a person, said Sgt OConnell.

Weve noticed in the last few years that thefts tend to drop in the Christmas period because of the presence of the gardai on the streets, people seeing those yellow jackets.

Predominantly, it would be shop-lifting, cash scams, and counterfeit notes [during the day] and in the evening time you do have a level of anti-social behaviour. With intoxication, assaults can be common, theres always a clear correlation between intoxication and assaults.

The peak times for assaults are weekend nights, and research shows us that you are more likely to be assaulted if you are after consuming alcohol.

It all goes back to people out celebrating and having fun, and sometimes people drink too much and it just gets out of control.

Sgt OConnell reflected on the hidden crimes that tend to spike due to an increased number of people at home and the reduced opening hours for amenities and stores.

As members of An Garda Siochana, we do see the other side of Christmas as well, and as a part of that, traditionally, there would be a rise in domestic [violence].

With Christmas, there can be a lot of drink around the house and [that] can lead to issues within a home.

During the year, people are out working or socialising, and arent in the house as much, but at Christmas theres no places open, so, in particular, Christmas Day can be a funny time for people who can normally get out.

It can be a sad time for people [but] the gardai are always around, and our priority is to keep people safe.

We try to deter any type of crime that we can, but, unfortunately, a lot of the time, domestic violence is hidden.

Sgt OConnell reiterated that there is a range of services available to those who may need it during the winter period, and he said that to maintain a low level of disruption across the city, gardai have implemented a number of measures to deter people from committing crimes both during the day and into the night-time economy scene.

PLAN

We have extra resources in for Christmas, so a plan was put in place in early August and weve had extra members on the beat since mid-November.

Well bring as many [gardai] as we can out on the street to reassure the public.

We have people working both day and night and there should be a stronger presence out there to encourage people to come into the city and enjoy Christmas in Cork.

Seven days a week, we have extra beats on. Its simple, you could have the most modern policing and have all the plans, but having the simple thing of a garda just walking around, it just works.

It has a huge impact, its amazing really, and Im hearing it back from retailers that they have noticed it. You cant quantify what it prevents, but if something does happen, response times will be quicker.

Its a lovely time of year to be on the beat because everyones in good form, theyre out shopping or socialising. Were lucky that we live in a city that people take pride in, it looks amazing with all the lights and I think businesses are looking forward to a busy time too  people are in a good place.

The city is open for business, its safe, theres a great atmosphere, and there is the extra patrols  we have two policing plans in place, one for the day time and one for the night time economy too.

Sgt OConnell said that he wanted to remind people to be aware of their surroundings despite reduced levels of crime, as a lot of crime is opportunity.

He touched on the issue of pickpocketing, as well as leaving cars unlocked with Christmas shopping inside or other valuable personal belongings.

I would say that 80% to 90% of car thefts are cars being left open and, look, people are hectic, they have kids in the back and theyre busy, theyll lock the house but forget to lock the car, so thats one thing we really want to push out  if you do have to bring things back to the car, leave it out of sight.

We do have pickpockets  the cheapest phone is 1,000 these days, and you wouldnt just leave 1,000 on the counter, so we just want people to be vigilant.

Theres a feelgood factor at Christmas. That being said, you can never preempt what can happen, if incidents happen we are fully prepared to deal with them.

Its all about being prepared for the inevitable but from experience, Christmas is always a happy and good time to be around and all we can do is ask people to be vigilant, keep an eye on themselves and their friends, and to keep their personal belongings on them.

I think that Cork is safe the majority of time.

Every city across Europe has its challenges, but if you can look after the basics it can prevent an awful lot of crime, and thats not just me saying that, we can see it.
President-elect Donald Trump has expressed his support for TikTok, even as the platform faces an imminent ban in the United States under the Foreign Adversary Act. The legislation mandates TikTok's shutdown next year unless its parent company, ByteDance, divests from the app to comply with U.S. requirements. While Trump's backing offers a glimmer of hope for the platform, his support comes with conditions, suggesting only temporary relief.

Trump's Conditional Backing of TikTok

According to a Reuters report, Trump recently addressed his supporters at an event in Phoenix, Arizona, where he announced his intention to keep TikTok operational in the United States. This announcement followed the government's official ban on the platform after ByteDance failed to meet the divestment deadline.

Trump acknowledged TikTok's significant role in his campaign strategy, highlighting its massive reach and the billions of views generated by his team's content on the platform. Despite his earlier stance against TikTok due to national security concerns, Trump's campaign success on the app appears to have influenced his perspective.

During his address, Trump revealed that campaign analytics played a pivotal role in his decision. "Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while," he remarked, underscoring his pragmatic approach to leveraging the platform's potential. However, he stopped short of committing to long-term support, leaving TikTok's future uncertain.

A Shift in Perspective

Trump's relationship with TikTok has evolved significantly over the years. During his first term, he staunchly advocated for banning the platform, citing its ties to ByteDance and potential risks to national security. His administration succeeded in forcing the sale of TikTok's North American, European, and Oceanic operations to Oracle, a move aimed at reducing Chinese influence.

This year, as he campaigns for a second term, Trump has adopted a different approach. TikTok has become an integral part of his outreach strategy, enabling him to connect with millions of Americans and a global audience. The platform's effectiveness as a campaign tool has seemingly outweighed his previous concerns about its ownership.

Meeting with TikTok Leadership

Reports indicate that Trump recently met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. The meeting was described as positive, further fueling speculation about the platform's potential reprieve under Trump's leadership. However, details of their discussion and any agreements remain undisclosed.

Uncertain Future for TikTok

Despite Trump's newfound support, the platform's long-term prospects in the U.S. remain unclear. His endorsement is conditional and tied to his administration's evolving priorities. For now, TikTok's fate hinges on political negotiations and its ability to address national security concerns while maintaining its operational presence in the country.
Travellers and Roma face the highest levels of prejudice of any ethnic group in Ireland, with attitudes to Roma people particularly negative in Cork, according to new ESRI research on attitudes to social groups.

Travellers and Roma are two distinct ethnic groups with different histories, cultures, and languages. However, attitudes to both groups are very similar in Ireland, the report said.

Attitudes to Roma were most negative in the South West of Ireland, which includes Cork, and in the Midlands, the report found.

It added that women and people aged 16-20 were more tolerant towards Travellers and Roma than men and older age groups, and more educated respondents were generally more comfortable with Travellers and Roma compared to less well-educated respondents.

Those who described themselves as middle-class were less comfortable with Travellers and Roma than those who described themselves as working-class.

Rachel Hurley Roche of the Workers Party, who previously worked as a Roma education worker in Cork, told The Echo that the research: Unfortunately does not reveal any shocking statistics regarding prejudice toward Traveller and Roma.

She added: It is disappointing to see that there remains a negative attitude toward cross community friendships for our children.

Friendship is the building block for the self-esteem, identity, and development of every child.

Ms Hurley Roche went on to say that more needs to be done to address negative health outcomes for members of the Travelling community.

Respondents living in disadvantaged communities were more comfortable with having Travellers as neighbours than those living in more affluent areas, though previous ESRI research has found the opposite effect for immigrants.

Report author, Frances McGinnity said: The views of the majority population are important for understanding the experience of minorities, and for Travellers and Roma, this report highlights high levels of both prejudice and disadvantage.
TFI Local Link will launch a new bus service between Castletownbere and Kenmare from December 30.

The new route is part of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan which is a major national public transport initiative developed and funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of the Transport for Ireland (TFI) Network.

Route 282 will operate four daily return services seven days a week including on public holidays.

Speaking ahead of the launch, TFI Local Link Kerry general manager Alan OConnell described the new service as another real example of the ongoing enhancement of rural transport services in Ireland.

Route 282 is a fantastic service for the area, which up to now has never had a public transport service seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year.

This service is long anticipated and will be very welcomed by the community and tourists who wish to visit this beautiful area.
Twenty thousand cigarettes carried by an air passenger from Tenerife to Cork had no stamps to indicate the required payment of 13,000 in excise duties and the cigarettes have been destroyed and the young man convicted and fined.

Shane Holland, of Willow Bank, Nashs Boreen, Fairhill, Cork, pleaded guilty to importing cigarettes without the payment of duty.

The cigarettes carried a duty of 10,000, together with 3,000 tax, and none of the 13,000 was paid in respect of the seized cigarettes.

The cigarettes were discovered as passengers arrived in Cork Airport from Tenerife shortly before 1am on May 15.

Holland, 22, went through the green channel with two bags containing the large quantity of cigarettes.

Ultimately, the young man took responsibility for all of the cigarettes.

State solicitor Frank Nyhan said of the seized cigarettes: They were destroyed.

Eddie Burke, solicitor, described the defendant as a naive young man who admitted bringing in the cigarettes without paying the duty and tax.

He has been unemployed since last year due to health difficulties. He is sorry, Mr Burke said.

Mr Nyhan said the offence carried a maximum fine of 5,000.

Judge Joanne Carroll clarified that with such an offence, it was not legally permitted to give someone the benefit of a dismissal under the Probation of Offenders Act, particularly where they had no previous convictions, as was the case with Mr Holland.

The judge said: He co-operated and learned a lesson. Unfortunately, I am told I have to impose a 2,500 fine. I will give him 18 months to pay.

Turning directly to the young man, the judge said: It was a big mistake, Mr Holland, but you will have to put it behind you.
Im all for progress. I like to see my home town of Cobh moving forward, progressing, and changing with the times. Adapting to new opportunities, and creating employment for future generations.

Its essential for community life, and if you can sense a but coming, youre spot on, because there is.

The people we rely on to plan our future and to lay the foundations to prepare us for what lies ahead dont always get it right. Probably not as well as our ancestors did.

Take Belvelly Bridge, for example. For those of you who arent familiar with it, its the little bridge you cross just beyond the entrance to Fota Wildlife Park when you want to drive to Cobh.

It was built around 1803 and remains the only physical link between The Great Island and the mainland to this day.

It was a remarkable feat of engineering, when you consider they worked without the aid of computers or heavy lifting machinery, and it is testament to the skill of the workforce that it remains in working order.

But it was designed originally for the horse and cart, and now, like the roads connecting it on both sides, its no longer fit for purpose.

This has been pointed out to politicians for many years. It was obvious that the increased population in the town and its success as a tourist destination would lead to a huge growth in vehicular traffic, on and off the island. It was obvious too that the infrastructure would struggle to cope.

We should have prepared for that, but we didnt, which is no great surprise, I suppose, but its annoying when you see how that lack of forward-thinking has come back to bite us in the rear end.

According to recent reports, plans for a major new port facility on the site of the former Irish Fertiliser Industries plant at Marino Point in Cork Harbour have been put on hold following a decision by An Bord Pleanala.

Goulding Chemicals had intended to relocate its existing fertiliser facility from Corks south docklands, where it has been based since 1955, to the Marino Point site.

But planning has been refused, and one of the reasons was the potential road safety hazard due to increased traffic, particularly around Belvelly Bridge.

Thats fair enough. The road infrastructure is already under serious pressure, without adding to it. The roads around Cobh were never designed for this amount of traffic, and in the summertime the volume swells even more with the addition of tourist traffic.

But this was being talked about when I was a young lad.

In 1974, the then Cork Examiner reported that the nitrogen factory at Marino Point, in Carrigaloe, Cobh, was expected to be in operation by the end of 1978, if decisions by the Minister for Local Government on their appeals against some of the conditions made by the planning authority were soon forthcoming.

The planning director of the company told members of the Cobh and Harbour Chamber of Commerce at a reception at Marino House there would have to be a lot of preliminary work carried out in the interval, and agreed that the main road passing the area would have to be widened to facilitate the movement of traffic.

One opponent of those plans in the 1970s claimed the local road network in Cobh was already inadequate and would not have the capacity to cater for an increase in heavy goods vehicles that would be expected to use the new fertiliser facility. He was spot on, but that didnt stop the development going ahead.

A few years later, in July 1983, the same paper reported that major traffic delays near Fota Wildlife Park could have serious consequences in the event of a major fire in the Cobh area.

Cllr Kevin Foster pointed out that since the opening of the park, traffic delays had been lengthy, and on one occasion it took a worker at Verolme Cork Dockyard three hours to get from Cobh junction to the dockyard.

I would hate to think of the consequences if emergency vehicles were unable to get to a major disaster at some or other plant near Cobh, he said.

As recently as 2021, The Echo reported that renewed calls for a major review of road access to Great Island and Cobh had been made by a Cork TD, Sinn Feins Pat Buckley. He had submitted questions to Eamon Ryan, the transport minister at the time, asking that the R624 be upgraded to a national route.

He also called for a widening of Belvelly Bridge, pointing to a number of road traffic accidents at the site.

In his response, Mr Ryan stated that the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the relevant local authority.He added that the classification of the R624 is a ministerial responsibility under section 10 of the Roads Act, 1993. Roads classified as national primary or national secondary are funded by the State, and no decision has been taken to reclassify the R624 as a national road.

That lack of vision is going to impact jobs and housing in Cork because planning permission was granted for 1,300 homes to be constructed on the Goulding site on the docklands once it moved to its new home at Marino Point.

But, with no permission, Gouldings must remain where it is, which means OCallaghan Developers cant proceed with their proposal for those new homes as long as Gouldings occupies the land.

So, at a time when there is a serious need for housing, those new dwellings are whistling in the wind because of a little bridge that no government seems to want to deal with.
This year at Cork Business Association has been one of change and growth, meaningful collaboration, and unwavering commitment to the vitality of Corks business community. And as we look ahead to 2025, we are focused on strengthening the fabric of our organisation and the city.

A new direction

In the last 12 months, the CBA evolved significantly. We restructured our board and executive and introduced a transformative five-year strategy designed to address Corks evolving needs.

The Safe & Clean pillar led our focus in 2024. We are all aware of the challenges facing our city and all cities, so we have been working closely with key stakeholders and taking concrete measures to ensure Cork remains the safest, cleanest, and most welcoming city.

Achievements include establishing a Safe & Clean Working Group to address city-wide concerns; hosting a successful Safe & Clean Event in October, featuring input from An Garda Siochana, Lodge Security, and Cork City Council; and advocating for and securing an increased Garda presence, with up to six additional Gardai deployed in the city centre since July to enhance safety and support summer trading. This is now supported by An Garda Siochanas highly visible Community Van in the city, and we are now pushing for these resources to continue and grow.

We also increased collaboration with large retailers through a new Retail Working Group, which amongst many other initiatives are now promoting crime reporting to improve data accuracy. And we most recently worked with An Garda Siochana to release retail safety tips during the busy Christmas season.

Innovating the night-time economy

The CBA actively supported Corks Night-time Economy Plan, spearheaded by Fiona Collins of Cork City Council.

In recent weeks, we rolled out a number of initiatives, including the Leave A Light On campaign, which was widely supported to create a safer, more inviting atmosphere in our city at night; a Christmas Window Display Competition to celebrate businesses efforts in brightening the city; and Coffee House Lates to encourage alternative evening social venues beyond pubs and bars. Grants were provided to support these initiatives, showcasing Corks leadership in enhancing urban experiences.

Supporting local businesses

This year, the CBA redoubled its efforts to support our members in navigating an evolving landscape of doing business in Cork city, and in doing so we increased membership by almost 50%. We remain committed to supporting businesses through challenges.

Throughout 2024, the CBA worked closely with stakeholders, including Cork City Council, political leaders, An Garda Siochana and others, to address these challenges.

In addition to Safe & Clean, we continue to advocate for better infrastructure, support for staff shortages, housing issues, and towards the increased cost of doing business, in addition to reliefs on debt warehousing, and a reduction in the VAT rate.

We joined forces with Cork Chamber, VFI, IHF and RAI in 2024 to once again call for the Cork Event Centre, and while delayed, we are hopeful to see that this project has returned to tender and will progress forward.

We welcome new Chief Executive of Cork City Council, Valerie O Sullivan, and her new Cork city directorate, and Corks newly nominated TDs. These partnerships are vital as we navigate challenges and opportunities in 2025.

Festivals over the year continued to have an amazing impact on the city, from Corkmas to Sounds of a Safe Harbour, to the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, Culture Night and Cork on a Fork Festival, which we were a proud partner of, and we will continue to support.

In November, we acknowledged incredible businesses throughout the city at our Cork Better Building Awards. Our Cork Business of the Year Awards will take place again on March 29 at Corks Vienna Woods, and we encourage all businesses to enter for free when applications go live in January.

A look to the future

In 2025, we will continue to focus on our strategic pillars. We will never take our eyes off Safe & Clean. All cities have issues but we believe Cork will be on the up next year.

In the summer, the CBA successfully applied for funding from the Department of Justice for two Community Safety Warden. These trained personnel will work closely with residents, businesses, Gardai, and the most vulnerable in society to enhance safety, prevent crime, build community cohesion, and become a tourism resource..

In addition, Cork City 2030 will be a key priority for CBA in 2025. We need a city that is attractive, but also one that works. We have to get the key ingredients right - employment, living and transport. We need good, reliable transport links, more affordable housing, visitor attractions including the Event Centre These are things that will appeal to those who want to come and live and work in this city.

As Cork City Council works towards a climate neutral city by 2030, we will ensure our members receive the appropriate support. We will share details of grants available of up to 10,000 and kick off 2025 with Climate Action Clinics in the CBA office on South Mall.

In the spring, the Cork Cleaning and Greening Initiative, in partnership with Cork City Council, will focus on deep cleansing, planting, painting and revitalising streetscapes, encouraging civic pride street by street.

We will also provide retail security training and host further informative CBA Events.

The growth trajectory for Cork looks very positive. Opera Lane is again at full occupancy. The activity around the old Roches Stores building, now owned by Elverys Intersport, is exciting, and if the rumours are true, this new offer will be a massive draw and also open up a spectacular shop front for all to enjoy.

We have been assured that interest in retail space here is stronger than ever and look forward to more exciting news in 2025.

And it is not just retail space that is rising, on the South Mall, JW Donovan have extended their footprint, RDJ have returned to their old stomping ground, and Work Vivo has opened new offices on Lapps Quay. What a vote of confidence in Cork.

Get involved

Id like to encourage more businesses to get involved with CBA, as together our members can make up a pool of talent with a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help drive Cork City into the future. Membership supports our activities and events, it gives us a stronger voice in the city, and we are now moving towards a position where we can invest back into members.

In conclusion

At the CBA we remain optimistic about the future of Cork city. We can see the hard work and dedication of the many stakeholders working within the city, and while there are obvious hurdles and challenges, it must be said that Cork, because of its collaborative business and stakeholder eco-system, is uniquely placed to emerge from these challenges as a vibrant, inclusive, thriving and sustainable city. CBA will continue to work from the ground up to support our members where it matters.

Let us move forward together, building on the achievements of 2024.

Heres to a prosperous 2025 for Corks business community!
By William Warnes, PA

Conditions are expected to improve this week after bad weather caused disruption during the Christmas getaway period.

Forecasters have predicted a grey Christmas with some sunny spells and mild temperatures.

It comes after adverse weather conditions led to disruption during the Christmas getaway over the weekend.

Met Eireann issued yellow warnings for wind which remained in place until 3pm on Sunday, while warnings for Northern Ireland lasted until 9pm.

An airport was forced to enact emergency procedures on Sunday after a planes nose wheel collapsed as it landed in Belfast.

There were four crew on board and no passengers when the hard landing occurred on Sunday afternoon.

The incident triggered emergency procedures at Belfast City Airport and forced the runway to close for the rest of the day.

In a statement on social media early on Monday, the airport confirmed the affected runway has reopened and is operating as normal.

The statement continued: Passengers impacted by yesterdays runway closure or those due to travel today should check the status of their flight with the airline.

Travel between Larne in Co Antrim and Cairnryan in southern Scotland was disrupted throughout Saturday and Sunday, with most services cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

Stefan Donnelly (35) had travelled from London to Scotland where he discovered his ferry from Cairnryan to Larne had been cancelled.

Mr Donnelly had planned to travel at 8pm on Saturday but has managed to rebook onto the 8pm sailing on Sunday.

The marketing manager, who is travelling home for Christmas, said communication from P&O Ferries had been poor as he only discovered his sailing had been cancelled from social media.

Disruption continued as people were ferried to Ireland on alternative routes after the temporary closure of Holyhead port in an effort to get people home for Christmas, a Welsh minister said.

The busy ferry port in Anglesey, north Wales, was forced to close following damage during Storm Darragh and is not set to reopen until January 15th at the earliest.

All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are currently cancelled, upending travel plans for thousands in the festive season.

But alternative sailings to Ireland have been taking place this weekend amid high winds and challenging conditions.

Looking ahead, conditions are expected to improve and Ireland could see a grey Christmas, rather than a white one.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day will all be mild and mostly cloudy with a fair amount of dry weather and with some light rain or drizzle at times, most likely in western and northern counties.

The best of the drier periods will be in the east and southeast. Day time temperatures will reach about 11 or 12 degrees and the nights will be frost-free.
Eva Osborne

People are being encouraged to prioritise their mental health this Christmas and to avoid engaging in conversations involving potentially inflammatory topics.

Chief executive of Turn2Me, Fiona O'Malley, said people should generally avoid discussing politics, religion, and money at the dinner table.

"They're generally the topics that can cause division. So, if you pivot into other topics, that can be a good way to keep tensions low," she said.

"Toxic family dynamics can be emotionally draining and remember that you do have the right to set boundaries and to prioritise your own mental health."

The mental health charity said this time of year can magnify tensions, especially in family dynamics where "unresolved issues or dysfunctional patterns exist".

Those who are forced to socialise with 'toxic' family members can find Christmas particularly tough, the charity said.
The alluring actress Ha Yoon Kyung is gaining attention with her character prosecutor Min Seo-jin in the Disney+ series "Gangnam B-side."

Ha is best known early on for playing dark, complex characters  and now she has successfully transitioned to a glamorous, charming, and otherwise inspiring role.

According to Field Movie, Ha appeared in a number of independent films in her early years as an actress, frequently embodying more rebellious characters, such as a high school bully and a juvenile delinquent.

Recently, though, she has been more versatile, and as she's grown, so have her roles. Fans now call her "Spring Sunshine" for her bright and uplifting on-screen presence.

Gangnam B-side, which just finished its run, has achieved surprising international success.

Ha said in an interview: "I'm really excited to do this as a prosecutor." Upon reading the script, she wondered what type of prosecutor Min Seo-jin (her character) would be.

"I really liked the idea of her going through hurdles without knowing where they will take you."

As one would imagine, the ex-school bully becoming a lawyer hasn't gone unnoticed. Some critics have likened the roles Ha played in the past that were shady to her role as a prosecutor now.

"It was like watching some high status bully kid at school become a lawyer and go to fight for justice," was how one critic summed it up.

Ha responded to this change lightheartedly: "I think I've been offered roles a lot with a bit more color and warmth recently."

In both dramas, Ha stands out against solid supporting casts, featuring hot-blooded characters in "Gangnam B-side," played by Jo Woo Jin and Ji Chang Wook.

"Min Seo-jin is an everyday man in a world turned upside down," she noted. "I tried to make her quirks of character prominent," said Ha.

READ MORE:Ha Yoon Kyung Dishes On 'See You In My 19th Life' Ending, Acting Plans & More

The actress also elaborated on some of her research for the part, explaining that prosecutors in real life spend more time on paperwork than the character does in the media.

"They are not dressed in flashy clothes or high heels," she said. "I knew exactly what I wanted to bring to the character - but it was also important for me to represent it in an authentic way."

Looking back at her earlier work  which included dark subject matter like digital sex crimes and child abuse, Ha said those experiences changed how she feels about the world.

When asked about the realities of life in the public eye, she added: "I've come across things I wouldn't have even given a thought to if I lived an average life. I have learned more than what to do and what not to do in the workplace from each role and have developed immensely as a person, too."

Min Seo-jin is a more complex lead than what we usually get in legal dramas, and Ha Yoon-kyung, who stars her, is growing out from the juvenile parts of her past into a fully-formed actress.

As fans celebrate the success of "Gangnam B-side," they are excited to see where this talented star is headed next.

READ MORE: Ha Yoon Kyung Dating 2023: 'See You In My 19th Life' Star Reveals Romance Deal Breakers & More
Around the world, government organizations are calling out Google for monopolistic practices. The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) will reportedly announce Google is in violation of the country's antitrust laws in regards to its search engine, Chrome, and issue a cease and desist letter, Nikkei Asia reported. The watchdog started an investigation into Google's practices last October.

The JFTC reportedly accuses Google of requiring smartphone manufacturers to sign a contract stating Chrome will be not only pre-downloaded on all devices, but that it will be placed in a certain spot on the screen. The manufacturers are allegedly forced to do this in order to have the Google Play available on their devices.

In the US, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled in November that Google "is a monopolist" in the search engine industry. The Department of Justice (DoJ) then called for Google to sell Chrome as it "will permanently stop Googles control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet." The DoJ also called for Google to cease favoring Chrome on Android. Google recently released a proposal to appease the DoJ, but stated it will appeal the judge's ruling before a hearing scheduled for April.
The probe will look at foundational semiconductors used in the automotive, healthcare, aerospace and defense industries.

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has started a probe into Chinas semiconductor industry, looking for anti-competitive trade practices. According to a White House statement , the USTR is looking into China for acts, policies and practices that reduced or eliminated competition in the marketplace for semiconductors.

The probe is being conducted through Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974 to examine trade practices for foundational semiconductors that are used by the automotive, healthcare, infrastructure, aerospace and defense industries. The White House accused China on Monday of routinely engaging in non-market policies and practices, as well as industrial targeting, of the semiconductor industry that caused significant harm to its competition and created dangerous supply chain dependencies, according to the statement.

If action is taken as a result of the investigation, Section 301 allows the USTR to impose duties or other import restrictions, withdraw or suspend trade agreement concessions or enter into an agreement with China to either eliminate the conduct in questionor compensate the US with satisfactory trade benefits, according to the US Trade Act. Those decisions, however, will be left to President Trumps administration and incoming USTR Jamieson Greer.

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A spokesperson for Chinas Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that China strongly deplores and firmly opposes the US investigation. The nation would also take all necessary measures to resolutely defend its rights and interests, according to the New York Times .
Comedian Tom Green confirmed that he is engaged to his girlfriend, Amanda, in a post on Instagram Threads on Sunday.

The 53-year-old shared the news with his followers, expressing his happiness and love for Amanda.

"Big news! Amanda and I are engaged!" Green wrote in his post. "I am the luckiest guy in the world. I love you, Amanda. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from us to all of you! ."

Green did not share Amanda's last name or additional information about their relationship. But he posted multiple photos of them  including one of Amanda posing with her engagement ring in front of a snowy background.

In June 2024, Green seemed to publicly confirm their relationship for the first time by sharing a social media tribute to Amanda and thanking her for the experiences they've had.

Since then, he has showered her with compliments, calling her "beautiful" and "amazing."

Tom Green, the Canadian comedian best known for his MTV series "The Tom Green Show" (1994-97), was briefly married to actress Drew Barrymore; the pair tied the knot in July 2001 but split just five months on.

Now 49, Barrymore has opened up in recent years about her relationship with her former husband of 74.

During their marriage, she described herself as "a woman in the boardroom and a child in the bedroom."

Later in 2021, Green reunited with Barrymore on her daytime talk show, where the two enjoyed a positive reunion and referenced both of their lives since their divorce.
"It Ends With Us" author Colleen Hoover has come to the defense of Blake Lively following her allegations of sexual harassment against Justin Baldoni in a formal legal filing.

Lively's character, Lily, finds herself entangled in a love triangle involving Ryle Kincaid (played by Baldoni) and her first love (played by Brandon Sklenar), set against the troubling backdrop of domestic abuse.

Colleen Hoover Backs Blake Lively Amid Harassment Claims

In a recent social media update, Hoover expressed her gratitude towards the "Gossip Girl" star, acknowledging, "@blakelively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met."

"Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt."

It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover shows support for Blake Lively following lawsuit against Justin Baldoni:



You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt. pic.twitter.com/1Hu55LSLkN  Pop Base (@PopBase) December 22, 2024

She later shared a hyperlink to an article from The New York Times called "We Can Bury Anyone: Inside A Hollywood Smear Machine."

The report outlines how Baldoni has been accused of employing a crisis communications expert to orchestrate a strategic retaliation scheme approved by the studio. This plan involved generating tailored content to sway public perception in a calculated manner.

Lively openly discussed her close friendship with Hoover. In early December, the "Sisterhood of Travelling Pants" actress took to Instagram to mark the writer's special day, posting images of them sharing a meal while a tune from "Wicked" serenaded them in the background.

According to Page Six, Lively said, "Everyone who knows this woman is changed for it."

"She's calm and steady. Her integrity is her foundation. Her humor levels you outta nowhere. Her quiet fortitude is mighty. And she always chooses the kindest path."

"My life has changed because of your work. Your art. Your friendship. For good. So many people's have. And we thank you. Today and every day."

Lively's Conditions for "It Ends With Us"

According to the lawsuit, a gathering brought together Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni, and their legal team and discussions were held to address concerns raised by Lively regarding the movie's production.

In order for Lively to work on the film, she had a set of conditions that needed to be met. These included Baldoni refraining from exposing Lively to nude videos or images of women, avoiding any mention of Baldoni's rumored past involvement with pornography, and steering clear of conversations about sexual conquests in the presence of Lively and others.

Additionally, "No further mentions of cast and crew's genitalia, no more inquiries about [Lively's] weight, and no further mention of [Lively's] dead father."

It also stated, "No more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by [Lively] outside the scope of the script [Lively] approved when signing onto the project"

Baldoni's Alleged Smear Campaign

Baldoni, who not only helmed "It Ends With Us," but also played a significant role in its production, along with the production company responsible for the romantic film, has been alleged to have initiated a complex strategy aimed at tarnishing Lively's image after the discussion regarding allegations of consistent sexual harassment and other concerning conduct against Baldoni and a producer associated with the project.

It's worth noting that during the film's promotional tour, Lively faced criticism for appearing insensitive to survivors of domestic abuse and for using the platform to promote her brands. Additionally, past video clips resurfaced online depicting her engaging in what some viewed as disrespectful behavior towards interviewers.

The initial legal claim for compensation, filed before a formal lawsuit, includes Baldoni, his PR team, and Wayfarer Studios as named defendants.

In a statement to CNN, Lively said, "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted."

She further said her emotional well-being has been significantly impacted by the alleged actions of Baldoni, leading to feelings of "grief, fear, trauma and extreme anxiety."

But in a statement to THR, attorney Bryan Freedman vehemently denied the allegations made against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their associates, calling the claims "completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious."
Piers Morgan spearheaded the criticism directed at the live audience of "Saturday Night Live" for their applause following a reference to Luigi Mangione, the prime suspect in the case involving the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Mangione, 26, is scheduled for arraignment on Monday, December 23, for a state murder charge related to the shooting death of Thompson, 50, on December 4.

The display of support for the accused shooter elicited diverse reactions from the public.

Over Saturday's "Weekend Update" segment, Colin Jost seemed taken aback and slightly shocked by the live audience's enthusiastic response to Mangione before him.

In a state of bewilderment and unease, Jost, who co-hosts the segment alongside Michael Che, hesitantly responded, "Yeah, definitely woo! You're wooing for justice, right?"

Piers Morgan Condemns SNL Audience Reaction

So disgusting and Colin Jost just smirks away as if its all one big giggle. Shameful moment for SNL. https://t.co/Ngt5CdxYVK  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 22, 2024

Expressing her dismay on social media, Morgan shared his thoughts about the segment, labeling it as disgusting.

"So disgusting... and Colin Jost just smirks away as if it's all one big giggle. Shameful moment for SNL."

Others echoed Morgan's sentiment.

SNL has no one to blame but itself for being embarrassed by its live audience cheering Luigi Mangione's name. The show has created a core audience that is ignorant, biased, extreme and unethical.  Ethics Alarms (@EthicsAlarmist) December 22, 2024

This is evil. They want their people violent. They want Elon and other rich people who help Trump to feel threatened    (@Rust_And_Decay) December 22, 2024

When someones murder is treated as a joke and celebrated in comedy, it represents the worst aspects of humanity. It's one thing for a show and its network to have a strong left-wing bias, but the way @nbcsnl and @nbc responded to the murder of a husband and father has gone too  Lolli (@Lolli2H) December 22, 2024

Its just crazily ironic to want gun control and be against gun violence, but celebrate when someone does it to soemthing they dont like.  Corn_on_jacob (@CornOnJacobb) December 22, 2024

The recent spotlight on Mangione's mention of "SNL" serves as a testament to the widespread interest surrounding him in today's media landscape.

Following his arrest, Mangione's sudden surge in popularity captivated the public, mainly due to his prestigious Ivy League education and outspoken manifesto criticizing healthcare industry practices.

Last week, while on his way to a New York prison, Mangione faced yet another murder charge linked to terrorism.

The Rise of Luigi Mangione's Infamy

Despite the serious allegations against him, the accused individual has surprisingly garnered a significant following on social media. Thousands of users have created fan edits and accounts and even hailed Mangione as a "hero."

A DJ in Boston put up Luigi Mangiones mugshot and the crowd cheered.



Folk hero status confirmed. pic.twitter.com/WJADsQ1yql  Power to the People  (@ProudSocialist) December 14, 2024

HE STRUCK FEAR INTO THE HEART OF PREDATORY CEOS EVERYWHERE IS WHAT HE DID! AND IN THIS HOUSE LUIGI MANGIONE IS A HERO, END OF STORY!! pic.twitter.com/pfuNfR0KrL  esalen professor emeritus (@pastichepsyop) December 9, 2024

Yeah Im not hailing Luigi as a hero, but Im not crying either over a guy who got rich sending thousands of people to their deaths by finding ways to deny them life saving health insurance coverage. Just not. Surprised it took this long for it to happen.  Robert WR (@opngate) December 22, 2024

Violence is not the answer but it is a strong argument nonetheless  jurbo (@jurbo_eth) December 22, 2024

In light of the long-standing ban on the death penalty in New York, the possibility of Mangione facing federal charges that could lead to a sentence on death row looms.

However, the decision on whether prosecutors will pursue the death penalty remains undisclosed.

The prospect of Mangione potentially being subject to the death penalty has sparked increased fascination surrounding him, as evidenced by the emergence of fan art portraying him in a divine light.

Stand with Luigi.



And for all of those with pending health insurance claims, may be the Spirit of St. Mangione be with you pic.twitter.com/LDhfjh6Rgb  Anisiyo Malachenko     (@Baccietto) December 19, 2024

he went against private health insurance corporations is what he did. he also left book reviews on goodreads. he was a brave italian american. and in this house, luigi mangione is a hero, end of story! pic.twitter.com/GdVF5W6CGU  hersch  (@tittyrespecter) December 9, 2024

luigi mangione is an ivy league italian frat boy who's huge bookworm loves reading comic and pokemon also does weightlifting that man is literally handmade for me and they just put him behind the bars pic.twitter.com/Q3SWg0gQC0  addie. (@ilufffy) December 10, 2024

In various online discussions, there is a growing sentiment that Mangione is being subjected to harsher consequences than even seasoned criminals and perpetrators of school shootings. There is speculation that the authorities are aiming to use him as a cautionary tale and deter any potential uprising against the corporate establishment.
On December 20, the Grammy Awards released its "Top 10 Most Electrifying Songs in 2024" list, spotlighting standout K-pop releases. Surprisingly, the music industry's highest honor didn't only select title tracks but also picked B-sides.

Listed by order of release dates, the Top 10 list mentioned some of TikTok's trending songs, such as aespa's "Supernova," which also secured the No. 1 seat in South Korean major music charts like MelOn's Top 100. KISS OF LIFE's "Igloo," a B-side off their third mini-album, Lose Yourself, also drew attention for its enticing trap beats.

"It's the kind of song that requires a specific 'cool girl'-ness to work," noted the GRAMMY Awards.

READ ALSO: aespa's 'Supernova' Tops NME's Top 10 SOTY, Dominates List of Best K-pop Releases in 2024

On top of the aforementioned, more girl group songs, such as LE SSERAFIM's "Crazy" and Kep1er's "Shooting Star," topped the list.

Rescene, a girl group who debuted in 2024 and is considered "nugu" (a group that is underrated or lesser known), amazingly made it onto the GRAMMYs' best pick as well, with their track "Love Attack."

"This is the most K-poppiest song that has ever K-popped in a while and I just wish they would get more recognition for it," wrote a netizen as highlighted by the GRAMMYs.

In addition, some of the biggest fifth-gen boy groups made the cut, such as RIIZE's "Impossible" and ZEROBASEONE's "Good So Bad." Both tracks invoke nostalgia and timeless classic sounds that push to the forefront hope and eagerness.

BOYNEXTDOOR's "Dangerous" was also chosen, a song that, like its title, suggests rebelliousness and features the members' charisma.

Two of the biggest soloists' tracks in the music scene reigned, including SHINee Taemin's B-side, "Crush," a release encapsulating Taemin's power.

Lastly, EXO Baekhyun's single, "Pineapple Slice" solidified its spot in the Top 10. The song flexed the soloist's masterful dexterity in belting R&B melodies was just one of the factors that landed it on the list.

Here Are Grammys' Top 10 Picks:

(listed in no particular order)

aespa's "Supernova"

KISS OF LIFE's "Igloo"

LE SSERAFIM's "Crazy"

Kep1er's "Shooting Star"

RESCENE's "Love Attack"

RIIZE's "Impossible"

ZEROBASEONE's "Good So Bad"

BOYNEXTDOOR's "Dangerous"

Taemin's "Crush'"

Baekhyun's "Pineapple Slice"

RELATED ARTICLE: Taemin, Baekhyun, VIVIZ, More Join Forces for ONE HUNDRED's 1st Christmas Carol Album
SALEM, Ohio  Special drought relief funding for Ohio farmers is awaiting a signature from Gov. Mike DeWine.

Legislation to provide $10 million to soil and water conservation districts to spend on drought relief passed the Ohio General Assembly on Dec. 18. House Bill 683, introduced by state Rep. Don Jones, R-Freeport, aims to fill gaps in disaster relief funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The bill moved quickly through the House but ran out of time before it could get through the state Senate. Language from the drought relief bill was packaged with Senate Bill 54, originally introduced in March 2023 to create an account in the state treasury for the New African Immigrants Commission to receive grants and other types of funding.

SB 54 took on a slew of riders in December to get its original mission completed along with many other things that needed to be passed by the end of this legislative session.

The amended SB 54 passed both chambers on Dec. 18 and now sits on the governors desk. As of press time at 11 a.m. Dec. 23, it had not been signed. DeWine has until the end of the year to sign it.

The USDA declared more than half of Ohios counties as primary natural disaster areas due to the drought since September. The disaster designation allows producers in these counties to get emergency loans and other financial assistance from the USDAs Farm Service Agency, but the programs may not cover all costs farmers are taking on as they respond to the historic drought.

The southeastern corner of the state, which is dominated by livestock and forage production, has been especially hard hit by the drought. Most farms in the region did not get a second or third cutting of hay, and they were forced to tap into winter hay stores early after their pastures dried up. Farmers have also been hauling water to their livestock.
I have to admit, the most interesting development in my journalism experience this week was not the late-week soybean rally or comments about the impact of the recent WASDE report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. No, it was the raw excitement I got when I turned on my phone tonight and discovered that my Farm and Dairy column from last week was on the main news feed from Google on my Android phone.

Apparently, some phones had it on yesterday because I got a call from a stranger in the Midwest who was in the risk consulting business and wanted to talk about my market and grain experience observations. Now I know how he saw my piece.

Last week, I devoted much of the space to my experience visiting the Chicago Board of Trade for the first time with a group of my customers from Deerfield Farms Service. I also mentioned some of the history of the board and its changeover to computer trading.

My column on marketing has been published online for many years and is my only digital footprint  no X, no Instagram, no Facebook. Im not totally off the grid, apparently, since Google has now picked me up on their nationwide news service, and Im not just slightly hidden on Google. If you hunt around on Google, you will find that Farm and Dairy is highly respected. An article I saw several years ago put it in a list of the 10 best ag publications in the U.S., and I get to contribute!

I have lost track. I am finishing either my 36th or 37th year with this column sometime this coming summer. I am apparently not an overnight success. I have finally been discovered, and I havent even been planted yet  a term my wifes cemetery-sexton grandfather used.

Slow week

News has been slow over the last week. There is a little weather talk, a little export news and a little technical talk about buying that cant be explained well, so technical buzzwords are used by analysts hunting for explanations for price changes.

The continued sag in Chicago wheat futures comes as the world supply is good and the influence from Kansas City hard red winter wheat as that crop improves does not help. The Northern Hemisphere wheat crop has long been in the bin, and fears of dry weather continuing in the Plains are not being talked about much right now.

March Chicago wheat futures were trading at $5.36 1/2 on the overnight going into Dec. 23. That is a gain of 3 1/2 cents so far tonight, but a mile away from the big high at $7.72 1/4 on May 28. The trend has been down all the way since May, with a high late August at $5.42, a little bump to a high Oct. 2 at $6.38 3/4 and then a high Dec. 20, at $5.29 1/4.

The soybeans have fallen since the dry weather was predominating in Brazil and Argentina a couple of months ago. The planting was being delayed because the South American farmers will not plant unless they are getting rain to germinate the crop and get it started.

Back then, the idea was that acres would be limited and yields would be lowered. The dry weather improved, and since then, they keep getting just enough. We were told the evening of Dec. 22 that half of Argentina will be dry in the week after next according to the 8-to-10-day forecast.

We are expecting light showers this week in the western part of Argentina and normal rain in Brazil. This weather could spark a little improvement in prices this week. We already had a bounce Dec. 20 which was thought to be a result of technical buying and short covering. That is, the buyers were supposedly buying back some of the contracts they had sold, and the charts were telling them to buy  or that was the best excuse given by writers who had to give some reason that soybeans improved 7 to 13 cents, depending on the contract month.

Downtrend

Soybeans have also been in a steady downtrend for months; no Northern Hemisphere weather conditions can give fundamental reasons for price improvement when the crop is in the bin.

Looking at prices, we had a March futures high of $12.38 1/4 in late May and then a high the next cycle at $11.47 1/2 on July 5. The next high came July 23 at $11 1/2. The March futures were as high as $10.87 on July 27 and $10.87 on Sept. 27.

More recent highs came Oct. 24 at $10.68 and then $10.44 on Nov. 8. By Dec. 9, we put the high in at $10.03 1/2 and then prices fell below $10. We were at $9.50 1/4 on Dec. 18 and at $9.77 1/2 Dec. 20. We were trading at $9.76 1/4 overnight going into Dec. 20. This represents a seven-month downtrend, with the highs getting progressively lower most cycles.

Corn

The March corn futures are a different animal. There, we have the last three cycles with very similar highs, which have given us, with technical analysis, a line of resistance around $4.52. We were as high as $4.52 1/4 on Oct. 2, $4.47 3/4 on Nov. 8, $4.51 1/4 on Dec. 11 and $4.47 1/2 on Dec. 20. On Dec. 23, we were trading at $4.47 1/2 on the overnight. We get cheap and then trade back to the same level again.

According to the Commitment of Traders report published by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the spec funds added 17,932 long contracts to their positions, which are now long a net 76,252 contract of futures and options. That is a bunch of soybeans!

At the same time, the funds are net short 88,971 contracts of soybean meal. That actually represents a spread position, betting the soybeans will gain on soymeal.

Export news tells us that Chinese bean imports are a record 3.567 million bushels from the U.S. in the last 11 months, and imports from Brazil are down 25%, at 144.8 million bushels. The market is talking up the idea that our new president will hurt our exports to China with tariff threats.
Farmers and landowners are facing a possible four-fold rise in the cost of a firearms licence as part of the government's efforts to tackle the police funding crisis.

Campaigners have called for an urgent meeting with Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, following plans to increase firearms licensing fees.

The Home Office outlined its intention to introduce a statutory instrument to raise fees - up to 20 million - to achieve full-cost recovery for police forces.

This could increase the cost of a new licence up from between 49 and 90 to 400, according to rural campaigners.

The British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has issued an urgent request to the Home Office for a meeting to discuss the fees.

BASCs executive director of communications, Christopher Graffius, said there had been no stakeholder consultation or transparency with the potential move.

It would be outrageous for fees to be increased while firearms licensing remains a postcode lottery across large parts of the country," he said.

Inefficient licensing departments do not protect public safety. The minister would be well advised to deal with inefficiency before increasing fees or risk this government alienating yet another constituency.

In parliament, Dame Diana said that firearms licensing fees had not increased since 2015 and were now significantly less than the cost of the service provided by police forces.

"This funding deficit is impacting the effectiveness of police firearms licensing controls and the crucial role they play in safeguarding the public," she explained.

We therefore intend to lay a statutory instrument, when parliamentary time allows, to increase firearms licensing fees to provide full-cost recovery for police forces, in line with our manifesto commitment.

"The additional revenue raised will be retained by police forces to support the important improvements needed in firearms licensing.
Scientists at the James Hutton Institute are seeking input from farmers for new trials that aim to measure legume-related benefits.

The project, which has been awarded over 5 million, aims to provide evidence for the benefits of legume crops, such as peas, beans and clover.

It seeks to address key challenges in modern agriculture by focusing on the environmental, economic and social benefits of legume crops.

Scientists are promoting legume cultivation as a solution to reduce dependence on synthetic nitrogen fertilisers, lower emissions, improve soil health and create more diverse cropped systems.

Additionally, the project aims to enhance biodiversity and strengthen rural communities by providing alternative economic opportunities through legume-based agriculture.

The research is spanning many European regions, ensuring that diverse ecological and agricultural contexts are studied.

At the end of the trials, researchers are hoping to deliver practical solutions that contribute to agricultural sustainability, while informing policy and governance options.

Farmers in the UK can register their interest by emailing legumES@hutton.ac.uk. Financial support and trial guidance will be provided.

Professor Pete Iannetta, of the James Hutton Institute said: "The project looks beyond how legume crops such as peas, beans or clover may be included in crop rotations.

"It also examines how legume crops might mitigate the impacts that are already being experienced from climate change and biodiversity loss  including crop biodiversity loss - and their effects on nutritional security."

Dr Alison Karley, who is leading the farm trials, said the project had an aim to quantify the environmental and socio-economic benefits of legumes from data gathered on-farm.

"We hope that working with farmers to run trials will provide much needed evidence of these benefits and help identify options for promoting the growing and consumption of legume products.

"The findings will hopefully inform policy and practice solutions".

The four-year project was awarded 6.2 million euros (5.1m) from the European Commission and the governments of Switzerland and the UK.
Town halls across the country are openly rebelling against the 'family farm tax', with Labour MPs under mounting pressure to public oppose the policy.

Numerous councils have passed motions calling on the government to axe the measure which they say represents an 'assault' on the countryside.

Of the 22 councils to vote through motions, several include those where Labour has newly elected MPs who are now facing rebellions from their town hall leaders, including Norfolk and Cornwall.

The areas represent almost 10 million people, equivalent to 15.8 % of the population across England and Wales, or one in six Britons.

Rural campaigners at the Countryside Alliance are pushing for more councils to publicly distance themselves from the policy in the new year.

Under the changes, which come into force from April 2026, farms worth more than 1 million will be subject to a 20 percent levy, half the usual inheritance tax rate.

Rural groups argue that the 1million threshold will hit the majority of working family farms, asset-rich but cash-poor, instead of targeting wealthy landowners seeking to avoid inheritance tax.

In Rushcliffe, where the Labour MP James Naish overturned a previous Tory majority, the district council passed a motion demanding that he lobbies the Chancellor to drop the plans.

Cllr Neil Clarke, the leader of Rushcliffe Council, warned that the changes to inheritance tax threaten to cripple many family farms which have no means to pay such punitive amounts.

Meanwhile, Jon Pearce, the Labour MP for High Peak, has been side-lined by his borough council and the local authority will be writing to the Chancellor directly to urge an about-turn.

Other town halls to pass motions expressing their dismay include Devon County Council and Norfolk County Council, where councillors hit out at the chancellors assault on the countryside and rural way of life.

Cornwall, Kent, North Northamptonshire, Rutland, Somerset, Suffolk and Buckinghamshire councils also passed motions against the policy.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher of the Countryside Alliance said: The list of councils opposing the family farm tax is growing quickly and we expect more will be signing up in the New Year.

This is undoubtedly a challenge for those rural Labour MPs representing seats in these council areas, many of whom understandably feel like theyve been thrown under the bus by this hated policy.
Stock Market Sentiment Speaks: Why Do We Rely On News

Well, that was quite the eventful week. We had a Fed announcement, and all the market geniuses were quick to attribute the cause of the 3% decline to the Fed announcement. However, this is nothing more than a foolish and very superficial perspective, which evidences their lack of true understanding of how our markets work.

As I have said often, while news can act as a catalyst for a market move, the substance of the news is really irrelevant in determining the direction of the move. In fact, we have seen many moves through market history which have not even been supported by the news. In fact, in1988 there was a study conducted by Cutler, Poterba, and Summers entitled What Moves Stock Prices, which supports my perspective.

Within their study, they reviewed stock market price action after major economic or other type of news (including major political events) in order to develop a model through which one would be able to predict market moves RETROSPECTIVELY. Yes, you heard me right. They were not even at the stage yet of developing a prospective prediction model.

However, the study concluded that [m]acroeconomic news . . . explains only about one fifth of the movements in stock market prices. In fact, they even noted that many of the largest market movements in recent years have occurred on days when there were no major news events. They also concluded that [t]here is surprisingly small effect [from] big news [of] political developments . . . and international events. They also suggested that:

The relatively small market responses to such news, along with evidence that large market moves often occur on days without any identifiable major news releases casts doubt on the view that stock price movements are fully explicable by news. . . 

Interestingly, even after everyone was initially quick to jump on the bandwagon that the Fed was the cause of the decline, the following days saw some analysts and writers begin to question what was really said by the Fed that supposedly caused such a reaction. And, it seems the consensus now is that there really was no surprise to what the Fed said, which has them questioning the reason for the decline.

While I was watching a financial news show, one of the commentators noted that the "[f]undamentals of the market are remarkably solid." So, he did not really understand why the market tanked as it did. And, then I remembered where I heard something similar from 2011-2014:

A pasted image

Yesterday, I read one article wherein the author outlined a similar perspective:

There is absolutely nothing new in either of these issues, but for some reason, in a soundbyte, short-attention-span world, the market acts like it is seeing something new.

Another author noted something similar:

Markets reacted violently to yesterday's FOMC meeting despite the meeting containing few surprises. . . The macro issues today are largely the same as six months ago. . . To be honest, it's a bit of a mystery why stocks went off the rails yesterday. . . But the fundamentals for stocks aren't much different than they were yesterday.

This made me remember something I read many years ago, which was written by Professor Hernan Cortes Douglas, former Luksic Scholar at Harvard University, former Deputy Research Administrator at the World Bank, and former Senior Economist at the IMF. He noted the following regarding those engaged in fundamental analysis for predictive purposes:

The historical data say that they cannot succeed; financial markets never collapse when things look bad. In fact, quite the contrary is true. Before contractions begin, macroeconomic flows always look fine. That is why the vast majority of economists always proclaim the economy to be in excellent health just before it swoons. Despite these failures, indeed despite repeating almost precisely those failures, economists have continued to pore over the same macroeconomic fundamentals for clues to the future. If the conventional macroeconomic approach is useless even in retrospect, if it cannot explain or understand an outcome when we know what it is, has it a prayer of doing so when the goal is assessing the future?

To better understand this perspective, lets review some facts from market history. In February of 2009, the Kiel Institute noted that the global financial crisis has made clear a systemic failure of the economics profession. In our hour of greatest need, societies around the world are left to grope in the dark without a theory . . . The cornerstones of many models in finance and macroeconomics are rather maintained despite all the contradictory evidence discovered in the empirical research.

In the New York Times in August of 2013, we read that [t]he trouble with economics is that it lacks the most important of sciences characteristics  a record of improvement in predictive range and accuracy. In fact, when it comes to economic theorys track record, there isnt much predictive success to speak of at all.

And, I have many more examples, but for relative brevity, I am leaving the rest out of this missive.

So, this all begs the question as to why the typical fundamental perspective fails at crucial times in market history? To answer this question, I am going to turn to the work outlined in a groundbreaking book, which I suggest to each and every investor that wants to learn the true nature of financial markets based upon empirical evidence: The Socionomic Theory of Finance, written by Robert Prechter. In fact, many of the quotes above and below have been taken from Mr. Prechters seminal publication.

In chapter 15 of the book, Mr. Prechter explains the reason as to why such analysis has been an absolute failure. Whereas the law of supply and demand operates among rational valuers to produce equilibrium in the marketplace for utilitarian goods and services . . . [i]n finance, uncertainty about valuations by other homogenous agents induces unconscious, non-rational herding, which follows endogenously regulated fluctuations in social mood, which in turn determine financial fluctuations. This dynamic produces non-mean reverting dynamism in financial markets, not equilibrium.

Moreover, since the efficient market hypothesis (the basis for fundamental analysis in financial markets) is an outgrowth from the world of economics, it has become quite commonly viewed as an unworkable paradigm for financial markets (as noted above) for various reasons. Understanding that an underlying assumption within economics is ceteris paribus, and an underlying assumption in the efficient market hypothesis is that all investors act rationally and with the same knowledge, you can easily understand why it is simply unworkable in financial markets.

Mr. Prechter went on in his book to note:

None other than the chairman of the Federal Reserve weighed in on this very topic in testimony before Congress. The morning after a one-day 3.3% swoon in the DJIA in 2007, The nations top banker said he could not identify a single trigger that caused Tuesdays dramatic drop. This is a remarkable admission for a macroeconomic mechanist who advocates financial engineering. More recently, August 20, 2015 sported the biggest down day in 18 months for stock prices, yet reporters admitted there was a lack of major U.S. economic news to explain it.

To this date, we still debate the cause of the Great Depression, or the October 1987 market crash, the 2010 Flash Crash, the Asian financial crisis, and many other anomalies in the market. In 1997, a Nobel-prize-winning economist noted The truth is that nobody really imagined that something like the Asian financial crisis was possible, and even after the fact there is no consensus about why and how it happened.

As Mr. Prechtor appropriately also noted:

Can you imagine physicists endlessly debating the cause of avalanches? . . . Economists are mystified over the causes of market declines and economic contractions because they are using a mechanical model in the realm of finance where it doesnt apply.

In fact, Benoit Mandelbrot outright stated that one cannot reasonably apply an economic mechanical model to the financial markets:

From the availability of the multifractal alternative, it follows that, today, economics and finance must be sharply distinguished . . .

From an empirical standpoint, consider that, within economic theory, rising prices are supposed to result in dropping demand, whereas rising prices in a financial market actually lead to rising demand. Yet, most continue to incorrectly apply the same analysis paradigm to both environments.

Where does that now leave us? What is the appropriate and accurate manner in which to view our financial markets?

As more and more studies are being conducted into the psychological aspects of financial markets, we are gaining a clearer understanding as to the true driver of our markets.

Lets begin with a study entitled Large Financial Crashes, published in 1997 in Physica A., a publication of the European Physical Society. Within the authors conclusions, they present a nice summation for the overall cause of the herding phenomena within financial markets:

Stock markets are fascinating structures with analogies to what is arguably the most complex dynamical system found in natural sciences, i.e., the human mind. Instead of the usual interpretation of the Efficient Market Hypothesis in which traders extract and incorporate consciously (by their action) all information contained in market prices, we propose that the market as a whole can exhibit an emergent behavior not shared by any of its constituents. In other words, we have in mind the process of the emergence of intelligent behavior at a macroscopic scale that individuals at the microscopic scales have no idea of. This process has been discussed in biology for instance in the animal populations such as ant colonies or in connection with the emergence of consciousness.

Therefore, it would seem that the movements in financial markets are driven endogenously rather than the common understanding of it being driven exogenously. Now, lets further consider a study conducted by Caldarelli, Marsili and Zhang, which was publish in the Europhysics Letters. Within this study, subjects simulated trading currencies. However, there were no exogenous factors that were involved in potentially affecting the trading pattern. Their specific goal was to observe financial market psychology in the absence of external factors.

One of the noted findings was that the trading behavior of the participants were very similar to that observed in the real economy. Clearly, this further supports the perspective that markets are driven endogenously and not exogenously.

So, as I have noted, the more and more we begin to study the psychological aspects of our financial markets, the more we understand why we see movements such as this past week, even though, as one author put it above, [t]here is absolutely nothing new in either of these issues, but for some reason . . . the market acts like it is seeing something new.

But, do you think the great majority of analysts, authors or investors will reconsider their perspectives about market mechanics? It is quite unlikely. It would seem that the desire to apply mechanical causality is permanently embedded within the minds of most investors and analysts alike. As Mr. Prechter also astutely noted:

Observers job, as they see it, is simply to identify which external events caused whatever price changes occur. When news seems to coincide sensibly with market movement, they presume a causal relationship. When news doesnt fit, they attempt to devise a cause-and-effect structure to make it fit. When they cannot even devise a plausible way to twist the news into justifying market action, they chalk up the market moves to psychology, which means that, despite a plethora of news and numerous inventive ways to interpret it, their imaginations arent prodigious enough to concoct a credible causal story.

Most of the time it is easy for observers to believe in news causality. Financial markets fluctuate constantly, and news comes out constantly, and sometimes the two elements coincide well enough to reinforce commentators mental bias towards mechanical cause and effect. When news and the market fail to coincide, they shrug and disregard the inconsistency. Those operating under the mechanics paradigm in finance never seem to see or care that these glaring anomalies exist.

Avi Gilburt is a widely followed Elliott Wave analyst and founder of ElliottWaveTrader.net, a live trading room featuring his analysis on the S&P 500, precious metals, oil & USD, plus a team of analysts covering a range of other markets. He recently founded FATRADER.com, a live forum featuring some of the top fundamental analysts online today to showcase research and elevate discussion for traders & investors interested in fundamental rather than technical analysis.

 2024 Copyright Avi Gilburt - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2022 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Victoria and David Beckham will be spending Christmas in Miami, Florida.

David & Victoria pick Miami with Brooklyn for Christmas

The couple will be shunning their native UK and gathering their loved ones together in the US for a sun-soaked break in the Sunshine State, according to their son Brooklyn, who will be attending the family Christmas along with his wife Nicola and his siblings.

Brooklyn, 25, told The Sunday Times newspaper: "The family will all be together in Miami this year, which will be lovely."

The aspiring chef went on to reveal what presents he will be buying for his loved ones, saying: "Maybe a bottle of wine for my dad, while my brothers are really into clothes and trainers. Last year we got [my sister] Harper a travel make-up kit that she still uses, so something along those lines again for her."

Brooklyn also revealed he has a Christmas Day tradition which involves buying brand new silk pyjamas and wearing them all day.

He added: "It has become a little tradition for Nicola and me to buy each other really comfy matching silk pyjamas. Well normally wear them all day."

Brooklyn - who married actress Nicola in 2022 - previously revealed he's been taking marriage advice from his dad, who has been married to Victoria since 1999.

He told Us Weekly magazine: "My dad was just always [like], 'Look, just always treat her [Nicola] like a princess'.

"Just talk and have fun. Enjoy each other and just work and do you guys thing."

He added: "I think one of probably the most important things that you can do in your life is find that someone and dont let em go. I married my best friend, so its just easy, fun.

"Shes always there for me. Im always there for her. We support each other more than anyone. Shes the best. Were very happy. First year has been great."
US President Joe Biden signed a government spending legislation into law late last week, avoiding a potential government shutdown ahead of the holiday season after the US Congress passed it.

The legislation would extend government funding until March 14, provide $100 billion for disaster-hit states and $10 billion for farmers, and extend farm and food aid programmes due to expire at the end of the year.

Joe Biden signed a government spending legislation into law late last week, avoiding a potential government shutdown ahead of the holiday season after the US Congress passed it. The legislation would extend government funding until March 14, provide $100 billion for disaster-hit states and $10 billion for farmers, and extend farm and food aid programmes due to expire at the end of the year.

But it rejects the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires that Republicans sought, and it ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity, Biden said.

Thats good news for the American people, especially as families gather to celebrate this holiday season, he added.

The bill was passed in Senate controlled by the Democrats in an 85-11 vote 38 minutes after it expired. Shutdown procedures were not initiated by the government in the interim duration, domestic media reports said.

It was earlier cleared by the House of Representatives controlled by the Republicans with bipartisan support, securing 366 votes.

Congress did not act on President-elect Donald Trump's demand to raise the debt ceiling before he assumes office on January 20.

The US government spent around $6.2 trillion last year and has more than $36 trillion in debt.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
In today's era of artificial intelligence, actor-filmmaker Upendra has issued a thought-provoking warning to the viewers through his recently released film UI. The message? "This is not AI world, this is UI world".Set in a dystopian world, the sci-fi action film sees the psychological conflict between a king and a man and how the latter takes over everything eventually. However, one must use their intelligence to escape the chaos instead of depending on artificial intelligence. When asked about the meaning behind the title UI, Upendra keeps the mystery intact, advising viewers to watch the film to fully understand its significance.When questioned whether people rely too heavily on AI, and if that motivated him to make the film, Upendra responds, "That's exactly why we emphasise the need to use your intelligence in the film. It is about universal intelligence. Honestly, I don't know what kind of content people like these days - it's like a fruit salad. I can't predict what people like so I am offering them a bit of everything."Upendra has a significant body of work in the Kannada film industry, both as an actor and a filmmaker. Asked why it took the industry so long to attain pan-Indian recognition, he explained, "A lot has changed recently. OTT came along in the last couple of years. Technology is helping us make films in all languages. If I dub it in one language, you can change it to all other languages. So a lot of things have happened recently. You can't say anything about the future. Your biggest example is Kantara, which is a very regional subject. But people all over the country liked it. The content and subject never changes. What changes is the technology and the reach of the content. The story should have some connection with the audience."UI also received a thumbs-up from Bollywood actor Aamir Khan who made an appreciation video after watching the trailer. Recalling the moment, Upendra said, "I got an opportunity to meet him and I showed him the trailer. And he immediately took out his phone and made a video. It was a pleasant surprise. I was speechless over his encouragement. A lot of directors and artists from different industries called me. The mutual respect and encouragement have always been there in the industry."Besides helming the film, UI also sees Upendra in a triple role. The film also stars Reeshma Nanaiah, K.V. Anudeep and Sadhu Kokila among others.
Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal passed away today in Mumbai at the age of 90. Filmfare spoke to actor Manoj Bajpayee who worked with Shyam Benegal in Zubeidaa. Recalling, Benegal's artistic flair and his vision as a storyteller, Bajpayee spoke straight from the heart. Excerpts...

Since the time I landed in Bombay in the '90s I would make regular trips to Shyam Benegal's office in Tardeo. On a few occasions, I mustered the courage to ask him to cast me as well. Finally, he cast me in Zubeidaa (2001) and I was shocked that he chose to cast me in the role of a prince. I remember, while shooting for the film, I questioned him on his choice of popular actors and he explained to me, Zubeidaa came from a film background and was married to royalty, so it needed a sense of history to be married with popular culture. I was aghast that he chose me to be the prince and often questioned him about it. But he was convinced with his choice.

I remember being intimidated; while doing intimate sequences with my co-stars in Zubeidaa and Shyam ji would tell me, forget your small town or village morality, think like the prince would. It helped me shed my inhibitions. I saw that he was also open to discussing and told me, dont be bogged down only by films, keep an open mind, never stop learning.



At the peak of commercial cinema and the Amitabh Bachchan wave, Shyam babu made tour de force cinema, which some people called as parallel cinema. He spawned a new generation of filmmakers because of his own unique voice and filmmaking. From Ankur (1974) to Nishant (1975) and Bhumika (1977), Junoon (1978) to Mammo (1994), look at his legacy and how he retained his original voice and spirit.

He would never get offended or say anything when other filmmakers or actors would deride his cinema or look down upon it. He was true to his vision. A true doyen of cinema as a medium of art. He redefined it in a time when it was tough to be making films other than commercial films.
Filmmaker Shyam Benegal passed away today in Mumbai after a spell of bad health. The legendary director-producer was 90 years old. Filmfare reached out to actor Naseeruddin Shah who has collaborated with Shyam Benegal on classic movies like Nishant, Manthan, Mandi and more. The senior actor expressed his grief with these words...

Naseeruddin Shah said, " It is impossible to describe in a few words, what Shyam meant to me. I wonder what I would have become if he hadn't had faith in me when no one else did. He and Nira (Benegal, Shyam Benegal's wife) were a huge support in my difficult days. He did whatever he could with his life, right to the end. Not many people can claim to have done that."

Over a career that spanned more than 5 decades, Shyam Benegal made 24 acclaimed movies as well as several documentaries and short films.




2024 has been a standout year for Kapoor, with numerous career achievements. His performance in The Night Manager earned him an Emmy nomination. He also clinched awards for his roles in Animal and hosted Bigg Boss OTT this year.

Kapoors passion and commitment to excellence remain unwavering. Fans are looking forward to his new film Subedaar, a collaboration with director Suresh Triveni, along with other upcoming projects.

Bollywood icon Anil Kapoor will spend his birthday on set on December 24, continuing his tradition of working through holidays. The actor, known for his dedication, will be filming an upcoming project in Mumbai, just as he did during Diwali earlier this year while shooting for Subedaar in Uttar Pradesh.
Pakistani actress Hania Aamir and rapper Badshah are good friends and have often been linked to each other. She attended his concert and they were also seen together during Diljit Dosanjh's London concert this year. Now, the actress has once again opened up about her bond with the rapper.





During an interview, she was asked which was the one place in India she wanted to visit and the actress revealed it was Chandigarh. She was then asked to reveal the reason behind it and it is none other than Badshah. Hania said that she wanted to visit Chandigarh because Badshah is from the city. "My friend Badshah is from Chandigarh so I would like to go there," said the actress.





She then described Badshah as a cool and amazing dude. Hania also revealed that the first Bollywood film she watched was Shah Rukh Khan's Baadshah and she watched it as many as 25 times.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by aaAAAAAaAAAAAa aAAAAAaAAAAAaa (@sachettandonofficial)

Opening up about their bond, the couple described themselves as workaholics who fell in love while passionately creating music together. Sachet admitted facing family pressure to marry, but their families eventually realized they were meant to be together. Their shared dedication to music has been central to their journey as partners, both personally and professionally.

Despite their differences, Sachet and Parampara complement each other well. While Parampara is vocal and energetic, Sachet is more reserved and patient, especially during creative disagreements. Sachet appreciates Parampara's ability to bring balance to his life, making their partnership both fulfilling and harmonious.

Music composers Sachet and Parampara Tandon, who tied the knot in November 2020, recently welcomed their first child, a baby boy. The couple shared the joyous news with a heartwarming video on Instagram, capturing tender moments with their newborn, including shots of them holding his tiny feet and hands. They expressed gratitude for their blessing, writing, "The heart of Sachet-Parampara has arrived." Despite Paramparas pregnancy, the duo continued mentoring contestants on the music reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.Known for their melodious contributions to Bollywood films like Kabir Singh, Tanhaji, and Jersey, Sachet and Parampara have cemented their reputation as a powerhouse duo in the music industry. Reflecting on their relationship, Parampara shared how they initially met on a reality show and became friends. Sachet encouraged her to move to Mumbai for work, leading to their successful collaboration and eventually, their romance.
Interview: Xinjiang's development integrates tradition, modernity, says Uruguayan observer

Xinhua) 10:09, December 23, 2024

MONTEVIDEO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The harmonious blend of tradition and modernity in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has left a lasting impression on Carlos Munoz, president of Uruguay's National Audiovisual Communication Service and director of Canal 5, following his recent visit to the region.

In October, Munoz attended the 6th World Media Summit held in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, and was deeply impressed with the region's rich cultural heritage and rapid development, which he depicted as a "unique integration of diverse traditions."

"What fascinated me most was the connection between the region's historical roots and its transformative development over the past two decades. This development reflects cultural, economic, and environmental values, as well as ethnic integration and substantial investments in human development," he told Xinhua.

"I was truly amazed by many aspects of the region, including its urban development, stunning landscapes, cutting-edge energy and technology initiatives, and the evident innovation applied across industries," he said, highlighting the role of technological advances in fostering cultural integration.

Speaking about the Belt and Road Initiative, Munoz described it as a remarkable achievement of human history, not least in fostering cultural exchange, connection, and trade for centuries. And there is a need to strengthen commercial ties and institutional partnerships between Latin America, notably Uruguay, and Xinjiang for future collaboration, he added.

He encouraged Uruguayans to "experience firsthand the value of a development process like Xinjiang's" and suggested pursuing targeted agreements in cultural, tourism, and agro-industrial sectors.

"There can be no meaningful economic or commercial development without simultaneous progress in culture, tourism, urban planning, architecture, and design," he said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearfield Instruments, a pioneer in advanced process control metrology solutions, is proud to announce that it has received repeat purchase orders for its flagship QUADRA High-Throughput Process Control Metrology System. This follow-up order highlights Nearfield Instruments' increasing market traction and its success in penetrating high-volume manufacturing operations.

The QUADRA system offers cutting-edge capabilities for in-line process control by Nearfield's high-throughput AFM metrology technologies that deliver highly accurate, non-destructive 3D measurements of critical semiconductor parameters. By providing real-time feedback on critical device structures, the system provides good correlation to device yield and enables manufacturers to maintain high yields and optimal performance in their production lines. QUADRA's exceptional throughput allows manufacturers to quickly and accurately analyze large numbers of devices without compromising measurement precision, ensuring both efficiency and quality in the production process.

This follow-on order from a leading semiconductor manufacturer reflects the confidence that global manufacturers are placing in the QUADRA platform as they scale to meet the demands of next-generation technologies.

"This repeat order is a clear validation of the QUADRA system's performance, both in terms of capability and expected reliability and customer support and responsiveness and its critical role in enabling high-volume manufacturing for cutting-edge semiconductor processes," said Hamed Sadeghian, CEO of Nearfield Instruments. "It demonstrates not only the system's technical excellence but also the trust our customers place in us to support their production goals. With this new repeat orders, our order book for 2025 is fully filled and underlines Nearfield Instruments' dedication to providing innovative solutions that help manufacturers achieve new heights of efficiency and yield."

The continued adoption of QUADRA systems by leading manufacturers further strengthens Nearfield Instruments' position as a driving force in advanced process control metrology for mass production.

About Nearfield Instruments

Nearfield Instruments is bridging the semiconductor industry's metrology and inspection challenges with in-line, non-destructive process control nanometrology solutions for advanced 3D memory and logic devices. Their groundbreaking technology combines high-resolution with high-throughput, essential for the production of advanced semiconductor nodes. Nearfield is headquartered in Rotterdam with offices in Eindhoven, The Netherlands and Pyeongtaek, South Korea.

For more information, visit www.nearfieldinstruments.com

Media Contact Roland van Vliet Chief Partnership Officer Nearfield Instruments B.V.

e-mail: roland.vanvliet@nearfieldinstruments.comTelephone: +31620369741


EQS Newswire / 23/12/2024 / 10:48 UTC+8



RaffAello Asset Management Limited is at the forefront of connecting Asian economic powerhouses with Saudi Arabia, paving the way for a sustainable future. In mid-December 2024, the Company hosted the Green Finance Summit in Riyadh, attracting a diverse group of local industry experts eager to share financial insights and explore opportunities in green finance.

The summit focused on critical themes such as renewable energy investments, sustainable development goals, green bonds, cross-border partnerships, and innovative technologies. This collaboration between Saudi Arabia and Asia-two major economic regions-holds the promise of significantly impacting the global economy through enhanced green finance initiatives.

Ricky Tsang, a partner at RaffAello Asset Management, emphasized the importance of interconnectivity between the capital markets of Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong during his presentation on "Connecting Markets: Facilitating Dual Listings Between Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong." He highlighted how dual listing mechanisms can unlock increased financing opportunities and market access for companies in both regions, which is essential for advancing green finance projects.

Rooted in the Hong Kong financial market for over twenty years, Tsang has extensive experience working with esteemed family offices and investment firms, including CK Life Sciences and Franklin Templeton. His insights underline RaffAello's commitment to fostering robust financial connections that benefit both Saudi and Asian markets.

Kevin Chan, Managing Partner at SEAVI Advent Private Equity for North Asia, discussed the theme "Empowering Growth: The Role of Quadrant Capital in Pre-IPO and IPO Subscription." He outlined how Quadrant Capital's expertise can support companies during their listing journey, driving rapid growth and sustainable practices.

John Lam, a consultant with Nan Fung Group, delivered a keynote address titled "Opening New Pathways: Providing Hong Kong Stock Exchange IPO Support for Saudi and Hong Kong Enterprises." His insights echoed the sentiments of Bonnie Chan, CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, who noted that it's only a matter of time before companies from Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong actively list on each other's exchanges.

As the collaborative efforts between these regions gain momentum, it's clear that RaffAello is instrumental in developing connections that will shape the future of green finance, creating a lasting impact on both Asian and Saudi markets. The vision of shared prosperity between Chinese and Arab enterprises is closer to becoming a reality, promising a sustainable and economically vibrant future.

23/12/2024 Dissemination of a Financial Press Release, transmitted by EQS News.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Media archive at www.todayir.com


Quantum Kinetics Achieves Mythical Landmark in Physics Years Before Competitors.

On November 5, 2024, Quantum Kinetics Corporation (QKC) announced it had set a new world record in nuclear research by successfully triggering sustained plasma fusion temperatures of 200 million degrees Celsius (18 keV X-rays) for 24 hours, measured in part by the industry standard AMPTEK Si-PIN X-ray detector and confirmed by independent analysis of the transmuted atomic elements. The icon-setting achievements occurred during two peer-controlled and peer-produced studies combining the experimental and analytical efforts of two US national laboratories - both recognized as world leaders in isotopic science. At the same time, QKC also successfully cracked Uranium 234 / 235 /238 and transmuted Strontium-90, Cesium-137, and other cancer-causing nuclides - something averred impossible by orthodox science.

Once thought by classical scientists to be a non-existent phenomenon, Quantum Kinetics' Electro-Physical Transmutation (E-PT) generates cold fusion plasma that carries and controls high levels of energy without increasing localized thermal heat. The form of E-PT energy is real, quantifiable, and measurable with state-of-the-art detectors. Quantum Kinetics consistently replicated the nuclear phenomenon over four years of painstaking research at three national laboratories including Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a DOE facility in Washington State. The results have been peer-reviewed in a Nature journal and heralded by the reviewers as "a much-needed invention around the world."

Quantum Kinetics' revelations and stunning "World Record" announcement sent the hot fusion research community into a tailspin. The vanguard of the movement, Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), immediately entered the fray - not to congratulate a colleague - but to throw down the gauntlet to QKC demanding even more evidence.

But given CFS's admission of yet another decade-long delay in the launch of its projected grid-scale commercial hot fusion plant in Virginia, officials at Quantum Kinetics realize there is no longer a reason to decelerate the public's attention on the benefits of Safe Nuclear plasma fusion in the current fight to solve the world's spiraling energy crisis. As recently stated by Dr. Vanessa Chan, the Chief Commercialization Officer and Offices Director of Technology Transitions of the U.S. Department of Energy, "We have to find better ways to do everything because we are running out of time."

In the context of such an ominous prediction, QKC now discloses the advantages of its Safe Nuclear technologies include:

Low-cost operations and scalable modular reactors

Transmutation of used nuclear fuel (UNF) to reduce environmental devastation

Endless grid-scale clean energy production

Advancements in cancer treatment through isotope editing

Direct carbon-dioxide CO2 sequestration via nuclear transmutation

Hydride production from ocean water rather than strip mining for rare Earth minerals

In short, QKC offers an immediate beacon of hope in the utilization of its patented and trademarked Quantum Kinetic Well(QKW), a synthetic marvel capable of sustained nuclear fusion at room temperature with the Arc Reactor. McKane Lee, the CEO of Quantum Kinetics states, "We can trigger Safe Nuclear on demand 100% of the time, while easily transmuting impurities in the ambient air, water, liquid metals, and even the vacuum of space." See Figure 1 .

Figure 1: The Arc Reactor marshals sustained cold plasma nuclear fusion for minutes, hours, days, weeks, and even years. The machine triggers Electro-Physical Transmutation (E-PT) without needing expensive superconducting magnets, exotic vacuum chambers, or dangerous injections of high voltage/amperage.

What further sets QKC's vision apart from other nuclear fusion companies is its economic utility and vast opportunities for rapid deployment in any environmental setting where water is present. The reactor operates between 1.9 watts to 88 watts of injected electricity. This means that Safe Nuclear (1 keV to 18 keV - 200 million degrees Celsius) real energy-equivalent temperatures can be triggered economically, even with solar panels. See Figure 2.

Figure 2: The Arc Reactor utilizing the QKW technology operating at ~1.9 watts producing 180 million degrees Celsius energy-equivalent temperatures (X-rays between 1 keV to 18 keV) similar to nascent luminous cosmic bodies.

And unlike other stalled fusion companies, QKC's reactors don't destroy the devices that created them. Rather, the QKW enhances the environment, both inside and outside of the reactor. This means Quantum Kinetics' machines can usher in a restorative relationship between humans and the planet they inhabit.

Vice President of QKC, Randal Bird, recently stated, "Quantum Kinetics has a responsibility to all of humankind to take what is in our hands now and make it into something to benefit the world." Bird described Quantum Kinetics' mission, "This is now our calling despite the expected avalanche of professional skepticism."

Quantum Kinetics is determined to break through the noise of criticism and doubt with its technical efficacy. One such commercial application from Quantum Kinetics is development of an Atmospheric Power Plant to revitalize the Earth's environment. See Figure 3.

Figure 3: Artist and AI generated image rendition of a new technology repairing Mother Earth and stabilizing a fruitful civilization with the Electro-Physical Transmutation (E-PT) phenomenon. These remediation reactor plants are coined, "Atmosphere Processing Plants". QKC's research confirms that E-PT's nuclear burning plasma fabricates organic and inorganic Carbon, Oxygen, and Nitrogen with 30V inputs ( CNO nuclear cycle ). This type of fruitful fusion is called "Star-Punk" by Dana Kippel , a Hollywood Film Director and visionary.

Another exciting application of the QKW technology is the deployment of nuclear waste remediation stations at existing and new nuclear fission power plants. See Figure 4.

Figure 4: AI generated image rendition of a future Quantum Kinetics Corporation's nuclear remediation station. The Quantum Kinetic Fusor transmutation device triggers UNF (Used Nuclear Fuel) remediation with head-spinning speed. This Safe Nuclear system can process radioactive air, slurry mixes, and poisoned (tritiated) water.

Riley Lee, Attorney/CPA and President of QKC, recently voiced his opinion, "With such an expeditionary vision, we project a future not only with clean and everlasting energy, but with other yet unimagined wonders beyond the 'Quantum Kinetic Horizon.' How many other explorers will follow, daring the risks and rewards of discovery - is the outstanding question."

About Quantum Kinetics Corporation:

QKC holds six patents, numerous trademarks, and copyrights on Safe Nuclear devices. QKC's research has been published with npjNature: Clean Water for successful water isotope manipulation. QKC is registered with SAM/DUNS and is eligible for emergency Federal contracting in Washington, Oregon, and California. QKC collaborated with Unscripted Arena in a recent podcast. Click here to view the podcast. QKC also has demonstrated Safe Nuclear with Dana Kippel, plasma girl, using the Arc Reactor . Click Here .

For further information visit: http://www.quantumkinetics.co

Partnership & Investment interests, contact: info@quantumkinetics.co

YouTube (Bronze Member): https://www.youtube.com/@quantumkineticscorporation

"The Quantum Kinetic Well: Powering the World with Endless Clean Energy"

Amazon , Audible Book , and Barnes and Noble . And coming soon, "Journey Beyond the Quantum Horizon," the second volume of "The Quantum Kinetic Chronicles."

QUANTUM KINETICS CORPORATION'S PRIOR PRESS RELEASES:

1.) JANUARY 2024: SAFE NUCLEAR

2.) FEBRUARY 2024: NEW DAWN

3.) APRIL 2024: EARTH DAY

4.) AUGUST 2024: REMEDIATION OF UNF

5.) NOVEMBER 2024: WORLD RECORD PLASMA FUSION

SOURCE: Quantum Kinetics Corporation

View the original press release on accesswire.com
MUMBAI, India, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Avaada Group, a leading name in the renewable energy sector, has announced an unprecedented investment of $12bn in Rajasthan, India, for accelerating green energy transition, thereby establishing the region as a global renewable energy powerhouse. This landmark announcement was made during the prestigious Rising Rajasthan 2024 Summit, attended by India's Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan's Hon'ble Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma.

Highlighting Rajasthan's strategic importance, Avaada Group's Chairman Vineet Mittal, Guest of Honour at the event, stated, "Rajasthan's vast solar and wind resources, coupled with the visionary leadership of the Hon'ble Prime Minister and Chief Minister, present an unparalleled opportunity to redefine the global renewable energy landscape. Avaada's commitment of $12bn while driving green industrial manufacturing will also create millions of jobs, shaping a sustainable and inclusive future."

Rajasthan stands out as a global hub for renewable energy, with over 142 GW of unmatched solar potential, supported by 325+ sunny days annually. The state's pro-business policies, including the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme 2024 and the Integrated Clean Energy Policy 2024, have attracted investments worth $78bn.

Avaada Group's journey in Rajasthan began with a modest 150 MW solar project and has since evolved into multiple ventures, including one of the world's largest single location renewable energy projects by an IPP. Key investments announced at the summit include:

1,200 MW Pumped Storage Project (PSP) : A $700mn initiative to enhance energy storage and grid stability.

: A $700mn initiative to enhance energy storage and grid stability. Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Projects : Investments aimed at driving global decarbonization goals.

: Investments aimed at driving global decarbonization goals. Utility-Scale Solar and Wind Projects: Across Jhalawar, Kota, Barmer, and Bikaner, contributing significantly to India's renewable energy targets.

With its strategic alignment to international sustainability frameworks like the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), Rajasthan offers a unique advantage for zero-carbon manufacturing and green industrial growth, positioning itself as a magnet for industries seeking sustainable operations while creating over 1mn green jobs.

"As a global renewable energy leader, Avaada is proud to participate in Rajasthan's vision of becoming a green hub of industrial growth," Mr. Mittal remarked. "Our investments aim to double the region's economy by 2030, aligned with global efforts to combat climate change."

With its strategic initiatives, Avaada Group is poised to attract international collaborations, setting a benchmark for renewable energy innovation and sustainable industrial development.

About Avaada Group

Avaada Group is a leader in the global energy transition, specializing in solar module manufacturing, renewable power generation, and the development of green hydrogen, green methanol, green ammonia, and sustainable aviation fuel projects. Under the visionary leadership of Mr. Vineet Mittal, Avaada has become a significant global player in clean energy. Avaada Energy, the group's renewable power generation arm, aims to achieve a capacity of 11 GWp by 2026. The group's strong execution capabilities have attracted substantial international investment, including a $1.3bn commitment in early 2023, with $1bn from Brookfield's Energy Transition Fund and $300mn from GPSC, a subsidiary of Thailand's PTT Group.

Contact

Kiren Srivastav

kiren.srivastav@avaada.com

Charu Sehgal

charu.sehgal@avaada.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/india-born-avaada-group-commits-12bn-to-transform-rajasthan-into-a-global-renewable-energy-hub-302337340.html
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Sanofi (SNYNF, SNY) and SK bioscience have entered an expanded agreement to develop, license and commercialize next-generation pneumococcal vaccines for both pediatric and adult populations. The expansion builds on the existing collaboration to develop and commercialize a PCV21 pediatric vaccine, for which the phase 3 program commenced last week.Under the terms of the expanded agreement, the companies will co-fund research and development costs. Sanofi will pay 50 million eurs upfront to SK bioscience, followed by development and commercial milestone payments. Once registered, Sanofi will commercialize the vaccines worldwide except for South Korea, where SK bioscience will have commercial exclusivity. SK bioscience will receive royalty payments on product sales outside South Korea.For More Such Health News, visit rttnews.com.Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights ReservedCopyright 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.
Work is more important to professionals in 'Global South' countries than it is to their peers in Western countries.

They also place more value on working longer hours, with a significant percentage of professionals in China and India willing to work more than 40 hours a week.

Westerners lack leadership ambition - only 42% of respondents express a desire to lead or establish a business. In the Global South 65% hold this aspiration.

Global executive search & leadership advisory firm Amrop surveyed 8,000 people in Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Poland, the UK, and US on the meaning of work.

BRUSSELS, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Professionals in Western countries are less ambitious and less interested in work than their 'Global South' peers, a new global study by Amrop, a leading global executive search and leadership consulting firm, reveals.

"The drive and ambition in India, Brazil, and China highlight a contrast with the aging societies in the West. As Western nations also face a scarcity of qualified professionals, the ambition of their workforce becomes a decisive factor for growth, economic success, and wealth preservation," states Annika Farin, Global Chair at Amrop. "Stakeholders should encourage entrepreneurship and foster interest in both professional and personal growth in workers."

Notably, 92% of Indians and 87% of Brazilians say they enjoy working, while the sentiment is lower in Germany (71%), the US (69%), and the UK (68%), as well as other European countries. Significant variations emerge in how respondents prioritize their careers: 84% in India assert that a successful career is crucial for a good life, with high agreement also in China (71%) and Brazil (70%). Conversely, only 43% in Germany, 40% in France and 37% in Poland share this perspective. In other Western countries such as the US and UK, over half of respondents consider their careers vital for a good life.

India Leads with Impressive Work Ethic and Work-Life Balance

However, divergent work ethics surfaced among Western countries as well, with 70% in the US prioritizing hard work, contrasting starkly with the 35% in France who share the same belief. In this context, India leads at 75%, surpassing Brazil (55%) and China (63%). Chinese professionals also lean more towards career over private life. Work hours reveal distinctions: 46% in China and 42% in India are willing to work over 40 hours, while 29% in the UK, 27% in Germany and only 16% in France, are open to longer working hours. At the same time 73% in India and 59% in China assert that they have a healthy work-life balance, contrasting with 45% in France and 49% in Germany.

"This observation is intriguing. Working fewer hours doesn't necessarily improve one's perception of work-life balance. If any connection exists, it appears to be the other way around - professionals willing to work longer hours also seem to have a greater sense of work-life balance. In Europe, especially, we need follow-up studies to find out where these sentiments are coming from, so we know how to reignite the passion for work," says Farin.

The Lack of Leadership Ambition Extends to Politics

Further results from the survey show that the Global South countries demonstrate a higher aspiration for leadership roles and entrepreneurial ventures. Notably, 76% in India express a desire to run or manage a company, followed by 66% in Brazil and 54% in China. In contrast, the UK (52%), the US (49%), France (37%), and Germany (36%) trail in these aspirations. The global lack of leadership ambition extends to politics, with respondents deeming it the least desirable career across most countries. Only 19% express a motivation to make a positive impact, with 51% prioritizing financial stability and 39% aiming for a specific lifestyle.

Looking at these results, Farin emphasizes a further concern, "In surveying individuals with at least a bachelor's degree across various countries, our results prompt a crucial question: If most professionals lack ambition for high-level leadership, who will shape the future of economies and societies? Our societies rely on people, their expertise, and motivation. Are we approaching a future where we question not only corporate leadership but also national leadership?"

About the Survey

An online survey was conducted and gathered insights from 8,000 participants, with 1,000 respondents from each of the following countries: Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Poland, the US, and the UK.

The survey aimed for representativeness across these diverse nations, capturing perspectives from individuals aged 20 to 60 (Gen Z: 20-26, Young Millennials: 27-34, Old Millennials: 35-42, Gen X: 43-60), all possessing at least a bachelor's degree. Where applicable, reported results represent the top two answer sets (strongly agree/agree).

About Amrop

Amrop is a global leadership consulting firm, offering retained executive search, Board and leadership advisory services. We advise the world's most dynamic, agile organizations on identifying and positioning Leaders For What's Next - adept at working across borders, in markets around the world. Established in 1977, Amrop operates in Asia, EMEA and the Americas across 69 offices in 57 countries.

www.amrop.com

Contact:

The Amrop Partnership SC

Rue Abbe Cuypers 3

1040 Brussels, Belgium

T. +32 471 733 825

E. contact@amrop.com

Brigitte Arhold, COO

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HONG KONG, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Marintec Innovation 2024 (MINO 2024) was a resounding success, marking a significant milestone in the maritime industry's journey towards sustainability. The conference opened with a virtual welcome from Mr. Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), followed by inspiring opening speeches from Mr. Zhang Xin, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, Ambassador Mikael H. Winther, Consul-General of Denmark in Shanghai, Mr. Tobias F. Svenningsen, Norwegian Consul General in Shanghai, and Ms. Anu Vuori, Finnish Consul General in Shanghai. These speeches set the stage for two days of strategic discussion and insightful dialogue.

The event brought together over 500 esteemed speakers and delegates from across the industry, all united by a common goal: fostering a sustainable and decarbonised future for the maritime sector. The highlights from the event, shared on the Marintec WeChat Mini Program, were incredibly well received, attracting over 20,000 viewers. This enthusiastic engagement underscores the growing interest and commitment within the industry to embrace green development and decarbonisation.

The global maritime industry is at a pivotal moment of transformation, with green development and decarbonisation rapidly gaining momentum. Marintec Innovation, organised by Informa Markets and the Shanghai Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers (SSNAME), and co-organised by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the China Association of the Shipbuilding Industry, and the China Shipbuilding Engineering Society, provided a valuable platform for key stakeholders to address these critical changes. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, the Danish Export Association, Danish Maritime, the Norwegian Business Association, Norwegian Maritime Exporters, the UK's Department of Business and Trade, and MercyShips for their unwavering support.

Marintec Innovation 2024 underscored the urgent need for the maritime industry to transition from high carbon to low carbon, and ultimately to zero carbon. Achieving these decarbonisation goals requires a global rethink of the industry, necessitating collaboration among governments, the financial sector, shipowners, and regulators. The event, themed "Alternative Energy and Fuels Contribute to Low-Carbon Maritime," was divided into three main sessions: Review and Outlook, Sailing Efficiency, and Industry-Chain Support for alternative energy sources.

Speakers emphasised that with the new IMO environmental protection regulations, green and low-carbon development has become a mandatory requirement for the international shipping industry. The conference highlighted the importance of developing a consensus on green fuels and decarbonisation, providing feasible technical solutions, strengthening regulation and standardisation, and offering continuous support for decarbonisation efforts.

The conference also addressed the significant impact of fuel transformation in the shipping industry. According to the IMO, global shipping consumes approximately 200 million tonnes of fossil fuels annually, emitting around 1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases, which represents 13% of transport industry emissions. Without effective measures, these emissions could rise to 18% of global anthropogenic carbon emissions by 2050. The application of green energy and low-carbon decarbonisation has become a central focus for the shipping industry, driving the demand for green fuels.

The shipbuilding industry is also at a critical stage of transformation and upgrading. Accelerating the comprehensive green transformation of the product, manufacturing, and supply chain systems is an inevitable trend in the global shipbuilding industry. Over the past 50 years, the maritime industry has been driven by technological advances, international environmental regulations, evolving ship design, digital intelligence processes, and changing trade patterns. Now, the integration of green, low-carbon, and digital intelligence development is critical to the industry's future.

The industry is already abuzz with excitement as it prepares for next year's big event, Marintec China 2025. Riding on the success of Marintec Innovation 2024, Marintec 2025 will feature alternative energy sources and the industry chain with a dedicated 'Energytec' zone, continuing to explore cutting-edge solutions that bridge the gap between the maritime industry and sustainable energy practices. Due to the overwhelming demand for space at Marintec China 2025, with over 80% of the exhibition space already booked, the organising committee has confirmed that an additional hall will be made available. The upcoming event is expected to be another record-breaking edition. Please mark your calendars for 2-5 December 2025 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. We look forward to seeing you in Shanghai!

Marintec Innovation Conference Background:

Following its inaugural edition in 2017 during Marintec China, the Marintec Innovation Conference will be held in December of even-numbered years in Shanghai. Organised by Informa Markets and SSNAME, Marintec Innovation continues to provide a unique platform for fostering interactions on diverse findings and advancements in the maritime industry

Marintec Innovation's Themes

2017: Cruise Shipbuilding at Marintec China

2018: International Marine Intelligent Energy Efficiency Technology

2020: The Fourth Industrial Revolution at Sea

2022: Defining the Path to Decarbonisation

2024: Alternative Energy and Fuels Contribute To Low-carbon Maritime

Organisers of Marintec China:

Marintec China is organised and managed by Informa Markets and Shanghai Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers (SSNAME).

Informa Markets

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organiser, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com

Shanghai Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SSNAME)

Shanghai Society of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineers (SSNAME), founded in early 1951, is the first scientific and technological society in the field of shipbuilding and marine engineering of the People's Republic of China. SSNAME currently has 5,000 individual members and more than 60 group members. It has 5 working Committees, 11 Specialized Committees and 3 Representative offices. As an important non-governmental scientific and technological society with high reputation and influence in the international field of shipbuilding and marine engineering, SSNAME has been committed to promoting the progress of shipbuilding and marine engineering technology and international exchanges and cooperation. SSNAME has established closely cooperative relations with 14 well-known overseas maritime engineering societies, such as SNAME, RINA, STG, JSNAOE, SNAK and so on. It is the initiator and first chairman of the Pan-Asian Association of Maritime Engineering Societies (PAAMES) and is also a member of the International Standing Committee of the World Maritime Technology Conference (WMTC). The "Xin Yixin Ship and Marine Engineering Science and Technology Innovation Award" founded by SSNAME has become an important award for scientific and technological talents. SSNAME organizes many academic exchanges, popular science and scientific and technological publication every year. For more information, please visit www.ssname.com.cn.

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BANGKOK, Dec 23, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - Nakornthon Hospital Public Company Limited (SET: NKT) inaugurated its first day of trading on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) with the resolve to proceed with the business plan to invest in three major projects including: "Nakornthon 2 Hospital" with the vision to expand its services to patients insured under the Social Security Fund; "Nakornthon Long Life Center" designed to serve as a holistic care center for the elderly and individuals requiring long-term care; and, Project to increase the number of beds at Nakornthon Hospital by another 110 beds to total 260 beds, so as to expand the scope of patient services and to boost the Company's growth potential.Assoc. Prof. Yandhet Thongsima, President of Nakornthon Hospital Public Company Limited (NKT), revealed that once the Company became officially listed and began trading on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) under the abbreviation NKT today (December 20, 2024), the Company will focus on expanding its investment according to the business plan and operating according to the Company's strategy in order to become "one of the country's leading hospitals". Currently, the Company is in the process of expanding and leveraging its investment in three core projects to boost its growth potential through the expansion of the scope of patient services at Nakornthon Hospital as well as constructing a new branch hospital. These three core projects are:1) "Nakornthon 2 Hospital" on Ekachai Road, with a capacity of 151 beds, is expected to carry related capital expenses of approximately 900 million baht, and will initially provide services to self-paying patients. The new hospital is expected to start recognizing revenue within 2025. After this initial phase, the Company will apply for authorization to serve as a Social Security Fund hospital in early 2026 and is expected to start providing medical services to insured persons under the SSF scheme within 2027.2) "Nakornthon Long Life Center project which will be located in the vicinity of Nakornthon Hospital. This center will serve as a holistic care center for the elderly and individuals requiring long-term care. The expected capital expenditure for this project will be approximately 557 million baht. The center is anticipated to commence operations in 2026, and:3) The project is to increase the number of beds in service at Nakornthon Hospital by another 110 beds from the current 150 beds to total 260 beds. The expected capital expenditure for this project will be approximately 414 million baht. The additional beds are expected to be made available to patients gradually from 2025 to 2027.Currently, all three projects are progressing according to plan.Meanwhile, Nakornthon Hospital, with its location on Rama 2 Road, is the main source of revenue for the company. The hospital has the potential to grow continuously due to its prime location that is potentially destined to be a "New Urbanized District" of Bangkok in the foreseeable future. This fact is due to the zone being one of Bangkok's prime residential areas with numerous facilities and amenities, including Rama 2 Road, which is the main artery leading out to the West of Bangkok and all the way down to southernmost provinces of Thailand and beyond. Furthermore, the area also connects seamlessly to Bangkok's central business districts (CBDs) via the Expressway and continuously develops its transportation network infrastructure by the government.Currently, the district is the site of many horizontal housing projects, schools, department stores, community malls, markets and supermarkets. In addition, Nakornthon Hospital is located close to important government offices such as the Bang Khun Thian District Office and the Bang Khun Thian Branch of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Land Office.Dr. Wisan Saipetch, Chief Executive Officer of Nakornthon Hospital Public Company Limited, said that Nakornthon Hospital is currently one of the leading hospitals in western Bangkok with the ability to treat complicated illnesses as a tertiary hospital, while most other tertiary hospitals are concentrated in the eastern part of Bangkok. Nakornthon Hospital consists of 20 specialized treatment centers, such as the Neurology Center, Heart Center, Gastrointestinal and Liver Center, Spine Center, Cancer Center, Dental Center, among others. Additionally, the hospital has one patient care department, namely the Hemodialysis Department.The Company has formulated a growth strategy consisting of:1) Determining to become one of Thailand's leading hospitals.2) Continuing to develop service quality with expert personnel and medical teams.3) Leveraging technology to enhance organizational management and efficiency.4) Expanding the scope of services through the cooperation with leading partners.5) Leveraging the strength of the brand image and further developing trust and confidence among service users.6) Expanding the business through the network of hospitals and other health-related businesses, and,7) Expanding services to foreign service recipients through the appointment of a marketing representative in Myanmar to be the focus of communication with the target group and people who are interested in receiving medical treatments, so that they can travel to Nakornthon Hospital in Thailand to receive treatments more conveniently. Similar foreign market incursions are also in the expansion stage for Cambodia and Bangladesh.Mr. Yossavee Suttikulpanich, Head of Primary Markets Distribution Division, Investment Banking and Capital Market Function, Siam Commercial Bank Pcl., as a joint financial advisor and representative of InnovestX Securities Co., Ltd., a joint lead underwriter, said that Nakornthon Hospital Pcl. has shown good growth potential due to a combination of strengths, such as being able to provide treatment for both general and complex illnesses, its location in the Rama 2 area which has the potential to become one of Bangkok's future new developments, cooperation with leading partners to establish a medical center to increase service capability, its large customer base, etc. In addition, the recent IPO offering has been very successful, while its listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand will help strengthen its financial position to support further business expansions.Mr. Kongsith Hunchangsith, Deputy Managing Director, Investment Banking Department 1, Trinity Securities Co., Ltd., as a joint financial advisor and joint lead underwriter, said that the recent IPO offering of Nakornthon Hospital Pcl. at the final offering price of 7.80 baht, totaling 1,053 million baht, was well-received by investors due to the strengths of Nakornthon Hospital as one of the leading hospitals in the western part of Bangkok. Moreover, the hospital has a solid plan to expand its international patient base along with the plan to expand its marketing to international customers, as well as further investment to increase the number of beds at Nakornthon Hospital and the constructing new projects. At the same time, the Company's 2021-2023 performance showed a revenue increase from 1,551.67 million baht to 2,036.89 million baht with an average growth rate (CAGR) of 14.57 percent per annum, and a net profit increase from 183.24 million baht to 282.29 million baht with an average growth rate (CAGR) of 24.12 percent per annum, as a result of the increase in revenue from hospital operations, which was the main proportion of revenue, coupled with the efficient cost and expense management. As for the operating results for the first nine months of 2024, the total revenue was 1,521.34 million baht and the net profit was 190.38 million baht.Released by Public Relations Dept., MT Multimedia Co., Ltd. for Nakornthon Hospital Pcl.For additional information, please contact:PR Manager Thiyaporn 'Dah' SriadunphanMobile: +66 (0) 87 556 6974; Email: thiyaporn.s@mtmultimedia.comNakornthon Hospital PCL (SET: NKT) https://en.nakornthon.com/homeSource: Nakornthon Hospital PCLCopyright 2024 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Recognition for boosting customer value with its technologically powered solutions and market-leading position.

Schneider Electric India has become a celebrated name in India's smart metering market, leveraging six decades of operational excellence, industry expertise, and business success.

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan recently assessed the metering industry, and based on its analysis, it has recognized Schneider Electric India Pvt Ltd (SEIPL) for the 2024 Indian Company of the Year Award. Schneider Electric India Pvt Ltd (SEIPL) is the Indian arm of Schneider Electric, a global leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation . A recognized name in India's metering industry, Schneider Electric India draws on over 60 years of expertise and thought leadership in industrial sustainability, universal and software-centric automation, data privacy and security. Serving various sectors, including buildings, infrastructure, industries, data centers, and homes, the company demonstrates its solutions' scalability, scope, and applicability . It has a robust Indian footprint with 31 factories (including five smart factories) and more than 39,000 employees serving customers in over 500 cities.

Over the years, Schneider Electric India has solidified its leadership position in India's smart metering market, and the company has a dominant market share in the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) segment. This superlative performance underscores its ability to deliver innovative and reliable solutions consistently. Schneider Electric's advanced smart metering devices, equipped with cutting-edge technologies, empower both utilities and consumers. By enabling real-time data transmission and eliminating manual meter readings, these solutions optimize grid management, enhance billing accuracy, and drive operational efficiency-all while empowering consumers to monitor and control their energy consumption, contributing to sustainability and cost savings.

Iqra Azam, best practices research analyst at Frost & Sullivan, observed, "Schneider Electric's rich history of accomplishments and best practices implementation demonstrates its focus on continuous growth, harmonizing with economic and social sustainability-focused initiatives and fortifying its market leadership."

Speaking on this recognition, Mr. Deepak Sharma, Zone President, Greater India, and MD & CEO of Schneider Electric India, said, "This recognition underscores our team's dedication to delivering scalable, cost-effective, and sustainable solutions that set us apart in the smart metering industry. Our strong emphasis on research and development, innovation, and localizing components allows us to meet market demands and provide enhanced value to our customers. Our Mysuru smart metering plant further reinforces our commitment to delivering on this promise."

The company is strengthening its leadership position in the metering market by actively working to increasing the localization component of its electricity meters sold in India, providing customers with greater value and supporting local economies. By adopting a transparent business approach, Schneider Electric India is building strong, long-lasting customer relationships , providing a clear understanding of its value proposition from the outset.

"Schneider Electric India proves its commitment to sustainability with outstanding initiatives that align with the Indian Government's approach to a green India. It maintains transparent, reliable, and continuous communication with customers, addressing their unmet needs, evolving demands, and regular queries," added Neha Tatikota, industry analyst for Energy & Environment at Frost & Sullivan.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year Award to the organization that demonstrates excellence in growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation in products and technologies and the resulting leadership in customer value and market penetration.

The Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in various regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analyses, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for helping investors, corporate leaders, and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Tarini Singh

P: +91 9953764546

E: tarini.singh@frost.com

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric's purpose is to create Impact by empowering all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. At Schneider, we call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be the trusted partner in Sustainability and Efficiency.

We are a global industrial technology leader bringing world-leading expertise in electrification, automation, and digitization to smart industries, resilient infrastructure, future-proof data centers, intelligent buildings, and intuitive homes. Anchored by our deep domain expertise, we provide integrated end-to-end lifecycle AI-enabled Industrial IoT solutions with connected products, automation, software, and services, delivering digital twins to enable profitable growth for our customers.

We are a people company with an ecosystem of 150,000 colleagues and more than a million partners operating in over 100 countries to ensure proximity to our customers and stakeholders. We embrace diversity and inclusion in everything we do, guided by our meaningful purpose of a sustainable future for all.

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Discover the newest perspectives shaping sustainability, electricity 4.0, and next-generation automation on Schneider Electric Insights.

Contact: Binni Rawat

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Email ID: binni.rawat@se.com

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The Pacific Northwest and Northern California are bracing for a series of storms set to bring significant rainfall over the coming week.

Known as atmospheric rivers, these narrow streams of moisture in the sky will deliver quick, back-to-back rain events. While each storm is expected to be moderate in strength, their cumulative impact could disrupt holiday travel and increase the risk of flooding.

Atmospheric Rivers Bring Heavy Rain and Flood Risks to Pacific Northwest

Meteorologists forecast multiple atmospheric rivers hitting the region, particularly Washington, Oregon, and far Northern California. The Olympic Peninsula and areas in Northern California could see up to 14 inches of rain over the next seven days.

According to The New York Times, major cities like Seattle and Portland are expected to record around 3.5 inches each, while San Francisco may receive about 1.5 inches. Southern California, however, is likely to remain mostly dry, with only a slight chance of light rain around Christmas Eve.

Although the storms are not expected to linger, their rapid succession could cause waterways to swell, with many rivers in Washington and Oregon at risk of flooding.

These systems will also bring heavy precipitation to mountainous areas like the Cascades and the Olympic Mountains, where rainfall totals could exceed 10 inches. Higher elevations are likely to experience wet, dense snow, particularly as temperatures drop midweek.

Travelers are urged to stay informed about weather conditions, especially during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Mountain passes in the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada may see hazardous conditions due to rain or snow, complicating road travel.

Coastal areas face additional risks, with large waves and dangerous surf expected along Northern California and Oregon's shores. Some swells could reach up to 30 feet, potentially causing localized coastal flooding.

Atmospheric Rivers Deliver Rain, Snow, and La Nina Effects to California

Atmospheric rivers act like atmospheric highways, transporting vast amounts of water vapor from tropical regions to higher latitudes. When these streams encounter land or mountain ranges, they release moisture in the form of rain or snow.

While common during the winter, these systems often bring warmer conditions, raising snow levels to 8,000 feet or higher. However, cooler temperatures later in the week could bring snow to elevations as low as 6,000 feet.

The wet weather aligns with La Nina, a climate pattern associated with cooler-than-normal Pacific Ocean waters. This phenomenon has resulted in a stark wet-dry divide across California.

Northern areas, including Sonoma County, are on track for a record-wet start to the water year, while Southern California experiences its driest start on record, The Washington Post reported.

With at least five atmospheric rivers forecast through the week, experts emphasize the importance of preparation. While none of the storms are expected to be extreme individually, their combined effects could lead to serious flooding in some areas. Meteorologists encourage residents and travelers to monitor forecasts closely and exercise caution in flood-prone or mountainous regions.
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.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Department of State raised its Travel Advisory for Vanuatu to Level 3 in the wake of last week's deadly earthquake n the South Pacific Ocean nation.U.S. citizens have been advised to reconsider travel to Vanuatu due to widespread infrastructure damage from the earthquake.'The U.S. government's ability to provide emergency assistance to U.S. citizens in Vanuatu is limited, and departure options have been disrupted. Within Vanuatu, numerous buildings sustained severe damage, and curfews are in effect in some areas,' the State Department said in its latest Travel Advisory.UN agencies are intensifying their response in Vanuatu after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake killed 12 people and injured hundreds of others last week, with a second 6.1 magnitude tremor on Sunday further exacerbating the challenges for affected communities.A state of emergency remains in effect across the island nation, and a seven-day dusk-to-dawn curfew in parts of Port Vila is declared until Tuesday. Access road to the seaport is also reportedly blocked.The second earthquake heightened concerns, with further updates on its impact, including on the reopening of Port Vila airport to commercial flights, still awaited.Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights ReservedCopyright 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.
IHS Holding Limited, (NYSE: IHS) ("IHS Towers"), one of the largest independent owners, operators and developers of shared communications infrastructure in the world by tower count, has today announced the completion of the sale of IHS Towers' 70% interest in IHS Kuwait Limited ("IHS Kuwait") including its approximate 1,675 sites and an additional approximately 700 sites managed in Kuwait to Zain Group.

The sale of the company's Kuwait operations is part of IHS Towers' ongoing strategic review targeted at shareholder value-creation options.

About IHS Towers: IHS Towers is one of the largest independent owners, operators and developers of shared communications infrastructure in the world by tower count and is solely focused on the emerging markets. The Company has over 39,000 towers across its nine markets, including Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia. For more information, please email: communications@ihstowers.com or visit: www.ihstowers.com

About Zain Group: Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and Africa, serving 47.2 million active customers as of 30 September 2024. With a commercial presence in 8 countries, Zain provides mobile voice and data services in: Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and South Sudan. In UAE, ZainTECH, the Group's one-stop digital and ICT solutions provider, is playing a key role in the transformation of enterprise and government clientele across the MENA region. Also, UAE based, Zain Omantel International (ZOI) is revolutionizing the international telecommunications wholesale landscape as the premier wholesale powerhouse serving regional operators, international carriers, and global hyper scalers. In Morocco, Zain has a 15.5% stake in 'INWI', through a joint venture. Zain is listed on the Boursa Kuwait (stock ticker: ZAIN). For more, please email info@zain.com or visit: www.zain.com

Cautionary Language Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that we expect, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "could," "intends," "targets," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "forecast," "predicts," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements. You should read this press release and the documents that we reference in this press release with the understanding that our actual future results, performance and achievements may be materially different from what we expect. Further information on such assumptions, risks and uncertainties is available in our filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by applicable law, we do not assume, and expressly disclaim, any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise.

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Contacts:

communications@ihstowers.com

www.ihstowers.com
PASAY CITY, Philippines, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The SM Group, through its integrated property developer arm, SM Prime Holdings, Inc., is setting a benchmark in sustainable and disaster-resilient design. Embracing innovation, the company integrates environmental considerations and community well-being into its projects, reflecting a commitment to long-term sustainability.

The SM group's foresight to incorporate best building practices continues with the next generation, as Jessica Sy, Vice President and Head of Design, Innovation, and Strategy of SM Prime and its residential arm SM Development Corporation (SMDC) emphasizes respecting the land through the creation of green buildings.

"We want to make sure that when we develop a building, it's going to last for a long time," said Ms. Sy. "We've seen that what's good for our communities is actually good for our company because addressing their needs also strengthens our connection with them as our customers."

Drawing from lessons on her first year in studying architecture, Ms. Sy noted the role of water in any development. It can be both beautiful-a source of life or unpredictable in nature.

"As architects, this was one of the first few things we were taught," Ms. Sy added. "Water is life-giving but it can also change everything. Floods in properties could heavily impact and uproot the lives of many families."

Field Residences is an example of SM's commitment in meeting the highest standards of disaster resilience in its development.

A new rainwater detention tank was completed in September this year after SMDC found that water levels in Field Residences had risen over the years. It is designed to handle extreme rainfall similar to those during Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana), which brought 455 millimeters of rain in 24 hours.

How architecture can also build values

SMDC also promotes local identity in its projects by specifically choosing native plants that are more well-suited to the area.

"We try to reduce the types of plants that don't benefit the local environment nor enliven its biodiversity," she said. "What we do is to identify plants that can prosper here such as the endemic katmon [Dillenia philippinensis] tree."

SMDC initiated to have future nurseries of these plants in various developments.

"The decisions that we have today are going to impact the long-term future," she added. "With sustainability at the forefront of our conversations nowadays, we see that that's part of the legacy that we need to complete."

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CHANGZHOU, China, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Trinasolar has signed the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles, reaffirming its commitment to advancing global gender equality and empowering women.

Designed to guide companies in empowering women in the workplace, marketplace and the community generally, the principles are the result of collaboration between UN Women and UNGC. As a global signatory of the WEPs, Trinasolar integrates the UN SDGs into its corporate strategy and operations.

To continually improve internal policies and practices, Trinasolar strictly complies with laws and regulations in the jurisdictions where it operates and aligns policies with international human rights conventions and labor standards, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Building policies and cultures of equity and diversity

Trinasolar is committed to establishing a governance structure that values diversity in all forms. Women hold one third of the seats on the company's board of directors. Trinasolar promotes gender equality and women's empowerment through initiatives such as hosting women's leadership-sharing events.

Supporting women's health and work-life balance

Trinasolar organizes annual health checkups tailored to female employees. The company has set up Carnation Service Stations to provide more amenable work arrangements for pregnant employees. Customized gift packages are offered to women who marry or give birth. In addition, both male and female employees are entitled to parental leave benefits.

Valuing women's skills and celebrating their contributions

In its recruitment, promotion and training, Trinasolar emphasizes gender equality and equal pay for equal work. The company has developed a comprehensive talent development system that provides employees with broad opportunities. Special attention is given to female employees, with their average training hours almost tripling in recent years.

The Chairman and CEO of Trinasolar, Gao Jifan, said: "We firmly believe that a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion is crucial to the long-term success and growth of any organization. At Trinasolar, this has been at the heart of our corporate culture from the very beginning. Joining hands with the WEPs platform, we are committed to creating an environment where all employees, especially women, have equal opportunities to thrive. By empowering women and fostering an inclusive workplace, we are not only supporting our people but also advancing our mission 'Solar Energy for All'. Together, we will drive global progress in energy conservation, emissions reduction, and sustainable development, building a zero-carbon future for all."

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LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Britain has successfully trialed for the first time a game-changing drone killer radio-wave weapon that can take down a swarm of drones using radio waves for less than the usual cost.The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) development system can detect, track and engage a range of threats across land, air and sea, the UK Ministry of Defense said in a press release.RFDEWs are capable of neutralizing targets up to 1 kilometer away with near instant effect and at an estimated cost of 10 pounds per shot fired, providing a cost-effective complement to traditional missile-base air defense systems.The weapon uses high frequency waves to disrupt or damage critical electronic components inside devices such as drones, causing them to be immobilized or fall out of the sky. It can also be used against threats on land and at sea.A live firing trial was recently completed by the British Army's Royal Artillery Trials and Development Unit and 7 Air Defense Group at a range in West Wales. They successfully targeted and engaged Uncrewed Aerial Systems, in a first for the British Armed Forces.The user experimentation trials completed in recent months have enabled Army air defense personnel to explore and exercise the capability's potential in different configurations across a variety of range environments, threat types and engagement scenarios.Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights ReservedCopyright 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.
Condor Resources Inc. ("Condor" or the "Company") (TSXV:CN) is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with Element79 Gold Corp. ("Element79") to restructure the December 2024 payment obligation related to the Lucero Project in Chachas, Arequipa, Peru. Under the agreed terms, the US$1,000,000 payment originally due in December 2024 has been restructured as follows:

The payment is increased to US$1,100,000 and is due on or before June 30, 2025. As security for this June 2025 payment, ELEM has pledged 1,750,000 shares of Sun Silver Limited, an ASX-listed company with a A$93 million market capitalization, held by Element79 and which are subject to trading restriction until May 6, 2025. These shares are pledged in favour of Condor as a continuing and specific security interest in the shares and the proceeds thereof. These shares do not represent the sole security for the June 2025 payment, and the June 2025 payment is an obligation regardless of any fluctuation in value of the pledged shares. Other than as expressly amended or implied as amended in the restructured terms, the Original Agreement continues in full force and effect.

Chris Buncic, President & CEO of Condor, commented, "Element79 is making good progress at the Lucero project, and we remain supportive of their efforts to restart operations at the project while maintaining strong relationships with the local community and artisanal mining group. We look forward to their continued success in 2025."

Cancellation of Financing

Condor also announces it will not be proceeding with the non-brokered private placement of up to 10,000,000 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.15 per Unit (the "Offering Price") for gross proceeds of up to $1,500,000 (the "LIFE Offering") pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions as previously announced in the Company's press release of December 5, 2024. With the anticipated receipt of the DIA at Pucamayo South East and other expected catalysts, management expects additional or alternative opportunities for a potentially less-dilutive capital raise in the new year.

About Condor Resources Inc.

Condor Resources is a precious and base metals exploration company focused on its portfolio of projects in Peru. The Company's flagship project, Pucamayo, is an 85 km2 property containing a high sulfidation epithermal system with disseminated precious metals mineralization with a large lithocap alteration visible at surface. The Huinac Punta project, a 7,200 Ha property in Huanuco, Peru, has the potential to host a large carbonate replacement style (CRD) silver-dominant polymetallic mineralized body with the potential for discovery of a bulk tonnage silver and base metals deposit. The Company has optioned several large projects to partners who continue to advance these projects. The Company's award-winning exploration team in Peru has a long history of success in discovering and advancing high quality exploration projects and managing the social aspects of its exploration activities.

For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.condorresources.com.

Follow Condor Resources (@CondorResources) on X and (@condor-resources) on LinkedIn.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Chris Buncic

President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information please contact the Company at 1-866-642-5707, or by email at info@condorresources.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur.

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in applicable forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in such statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

SOURCE: Condor Resources, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - Tower Resources Ltd. (TSXV: TWR) ("Tower" or the "Company") is pleased to report complete gold assays from Blue Sky discovery hole RN24-055 on the Rabbit North property in the heart of the Kamloops mining district (see Fig. 1). These assays confirm earlier indications from partial assays (see October 31 press release) that Blue Sky is Tower's most illuminating discovery to date, revealing both the scale and Au grade potential of the gold structures.

Hole 055 Au Results

The Blue Sky intersection in Hole 055 spans 31.5 m, from 255 to 286.5 m down hole, and averages 4.15 g/t Au (see Table 1). Seven other gold zones, all diorite hosted like Blue Sky, were intersected higher in the hole, and all but one of the intervals between zones are highly anomalous, suggesting potential for both open pit and underground development. The closest zone, only 15 m above and potentially connected to Blue Sky, returned 2.92 g/t over 9.0 metres.

At Hole 55 the diorite occurs under ~63 m (vertical thickness) of cover comprised of 1 m of glacial till, 48 m of Chilcotin basalt flows (see Fig. 2) and 14 m of saprolite. However, the extremely high gold grain content of the till ~100 m to the south (i.e. down-ice) at the head of the Dominic Lake gold dispersal train (see Fig. 3) suggests that Blue Sky surfaces just north of the basalt.

The diorite immediately below the saprolite, 72.6 m down-hole, and in six of the seven intervals between gold zones, is highly anomalous, typically averaging ~0.3 g/t Au - a common cut-off grade in open pit gold mines.











Total

Depth

(m)



Mineralized Interval(s) Average

Au

Grade

(g/t)



Hole No. Easting

(m)

Northing

(m)

Azimuth

()

Dip

()

Mineralized

Zone(s)

From

(m)

To

(m)

Length

(m)





























RN24-055 663433 5607852 314.7 -60 332 Above Blue Sky 79.0 83.0 4.0 2.05





































Above Blue Sky 92.3 95.0 2.7 3.15





































Above Blue Sky 121.5 123.3 1.8 8.48





































Above Blue Sky 152.8 155.5 2.8 1.80





































Above Blue Sky 196.4 198.0 1.6 4.66





































Above Blue Sky 201.0 211.6 10.6 1.54





































Above Blue Sky 231.0 240.0 9.0 2.92





































Blue Sky 255.0 286.5 31.5 4.15













Including 278.7 279.7 1.0 17.10



Table 1 - Significant gold intercepts of the shear-hosted type from Hole 55. Samples with Au grades greater than 15 g/t are shown individually. True widths have not been determined.

Figure 2 - Location of the new Blue Sky gold zone relative to the Thunder and Lightning Au trends and the Durand Stock. The Au grade x metres value for significant Au intersections in previous drill holes are used by Tower for exploration targeting only; they are not indicative of the economic potential of the mineralization.



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In addition to its attractive width and grade, the Blue Sky mineralization is of a favoured type. Both the upper and lower contacts are easily recognizable visually. The gold grade is relatively uniform and not influenced by erratic high-grade "outliers"; the highest and lowest Au grades obtained from 35 core samples spanning the 31.5 m zone were 17.10 and 0.44 g/t, respectively. Arsenic and other deleterious elements are absent.

The highest Cu value, 1.96% representing ~5.7% chalcopyrite, was obtained from the coarsely chalcopyrite-veined section pictured in the October 31 news release. The visual estimate of 10% chalcopyrite reported for the pyrite-rich core section in the lower part of the gold zone is not supported by the Cu analyses, with the highest value being 0.25%. Copper is not necessarily a beneficial element in gold deposits because it can increase gold extraction costs.

Overdue Hole 053 Au Results

Hole 53 was drilled in Tower's earlier June drilling program but the core could not be cut at that time because the core saw failed and required significant repairs. The core was cut and assayed during the October campaign, along with that from Hole 052 on the Rainbow porphyry Cu-Au-Mo zone and new Holes 055 to 058.

Hole 053 was drilled near the apparent head of the Dominic Lake Train (see Fig. 3) in search of its bedrock source. With Hole 055 subsequently locating the source, it is now apparent that Hole 053 was collared too far south. The hole did not intersect any significant gold zones but was only 147 m long, leaving a 100 m untested gap between its termination and the top of the mineralized diorite in Hole 055.

Next Steps

The laboratory analyses for Holes 056 to 058 have now been received and are being evaluated. The Company expects to release these results early in the new year, probably in two batches starting with Hole 056 on Thunder North because Holes 057 and 058 targeted a different trend, Thunder-Lightning, as outlined in the Company's October 31 news release.

Methods and Qualified Person

The drill core was logged at Tower's leased, fully equipped core facility near Kamloops by Matthew Husslage, P.Geo. and Ryan Parsons, G.I.T. Mr. Husslage has managed or co-managed all of Tower's Rabbit North diamond drilling programs since the discovery of the Lightning Zone in December 2021.

Split samples of the core, generally 1.0 or 1.5 m in length, were delivered directly to Activation Laboratories (ActLabs) in Kamloops, BC, a laboratory certified as ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited (Lab 790) by the Standards Council of Canada. QA/QC samples including blanks and standards were inserted regularly into the sample sequence at a ratio of approximately 1:20.

The samples were analyzed for Au by fire assay and ICP-OES and for Ag and 36 additional elements by ICP-OES using a four-acid, near-total digestion. Any over-limit (>5 g/t) Au analyses were repeated using the same fire assay procedure but with a gravimetric rather than ICP finish.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Stuart Averill, P.Geo., a director of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Tower Resources

Tower is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the discovery and advancement of economic mineral projects in the Americas. The Company's key exploration assets, all in B.C., are the Rabbit North orogenic gold and porphyry copper-gold project located between the New Afton copper-gold and Highland Valley copper mines in the Kamloops mining district, the Nechako porphyry-associated gold-silver project near Artemis' Blackwater project and the More Creek epithermal gold project on the critical "red line" structural zone connecting the mineral deposits of the Golden Triangle.

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Figure 1 - Location of the Rabbit North property.



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Figure 3 - Location of the new Blue Sky Au discovery in relation to the Dominic Lake gold grain dispersal train in the glacial till. Blue Sky appears to account for the strong central part of the train.



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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234837

SOURCE: Tower Resources Ltd.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - Astra Exploration Inc. (TSXV: ASTR) (OTCQB: ATEPF) ("Astra Exploration" or the "Company") is pleased to report voting results for the Company's Annual General Meeting held on December 12, 2024, as follows:

Total votes numbered 33,656,970 representing 40.02% of the 84,091,108 issued and outstanding shares, and all matters presented were approved as follows:





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Details of the resolutions and Information Circular can be found on Sedar+ at https://www.sedarplus.ca/landingpage/

Additionally, the Company announces that pursuant to its stock option incentive plan, it has issued 5,785,000 options to purchase common shares of the Company to directors, officers, and consultants of the Company. The options have a strike price of $0.13 per share, an expiration date of December 23, 2029, and vesting schedule of 1/3 immediately, 1/3 at 18 months and 1/3 at 36 months.

About the Company

Astra Exploration Inc. is a precious metals exploration company based out of Vancouver, BC that is actively building a portfolio of high-quality projects in some of the most important mining jurisdictions in Latin America. The Manchuria LSE gold-silver project over which Astra has an option to acquire 90% interest, is located in the prolific Deseado Massif of Santa Cruz, Argentina which hosts multiple world-class LSE precious metals deposits including Cerro Vanguardia and Cerro Negro. Astra's 100% owned Pampa Paciencia low sulphidation epithermal (LSE) gold-silver project is located in the Paleocene mineral province of northern Chile in proximity to such major operating mines as Spence and Sierra Gorda, and shares several important geological similarities to other Paleocene LSE gold-silver deposits including Faride and El Penon.

For further information please contact:

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release includes certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "plan", "forecast", "may", "would", "could", "schedule" and similar words or expressions, identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information relate to, among other things, the intended use of proceeds of the Offering, and exploration and development of the Company's projects.

Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, and future exploration plans are based on management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the receipt of necessary approvals, price of metals; no escalation in the severity of public health crises or ongoing military conflicts; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; and the Company's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms.

These statements reflect the Company's respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information and the Company has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: precious metals price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mining activities in foreign jurisdictions; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; risks regarding exploration and mining activities; the Company's inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of public health crises; the economic and financial implications of public health crises, ongoing military conflicts and general economic factors to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company's interactions with surrounding communities; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's public disclosure documents. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234893

SOURCE: Astra Exploration Inc.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FXCess CFD broker, a leading brand in the trading landscape, has introduced a new opportunity for its partners. The IB Reward program is a recently launched initiative that pays participants up to $5,000 per month for referring active traders. Unlike other income opportunities, this program involves zero risk, which makes it a perfect option for partners who want to maximize their financial potential.

"We are genuinely excited to bring this opportunity to our partners. The IB Reward Program is designed with simplicity and high returns in mind," stated Thomas Pavlatos, the spokesperson for FXCess. "Participants will be able to earn substantial monthly rewards by referring new traders to our platform while enjoying the thrill of a risk-free earning process. This showcases our efforts to help our clients achieve consistent financial success."

A Structure That Rewards Effort and Success

The FXCess CFD broker offers a Reward Program that is structured into five unique tiers. Starting at the Bronze level, partners can earn $450 if their network meets a net deposit of $10,000 and 100 traded lots in a month. Rewards grow progressively on Silver, Gold, and Platinum tiers, and reach the Master level with a maximum of $5,000 earnings for $150,000 net deposits and 1,250 traded lots. The eligibility is checked at the end of every qualifying month to make sure the participants get their due rewards for fluffing the criteria.

"Our Reward Program is more than a simple referral initiative. It is a reflection of our commitment to providing high-value benefits that align with the needs of our partners," Pavlatos added. "With no risk of loss and the potential to earn up to $5,000 every month, this program sets a new standard in rewards. Moving forward, we remain dedicated to introducing further innovative programs for all of our valued partners."

About FXCess

FXCess CFD broker is a trusted name for traders worldwide. The company offers over 300 trading instruments, from forex pairs to futures, for both beginners and seasoned professionals. Moreover, they provide competitive trade conditions, multiple account options, and solid customer support so that every client is served with the best services. Supported by advanced platforms like MT4 and PMAM, FXCess CFD broker delivers trading excellence with a focus on transparency and trust.

FXCess is a trade name of Notesco Int Limited; a company incorporated in Anguilla with registration number A000001800 and registered address The Valley, AI2640, Cosely Drive, 1338, AI.

All trading involves risk. It is possible to lose all your capital.

https://www.fxcess.com/

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A 28-year-old father in California has been arrested after he used a knife to behead and murder his one-year-old son.

Authorities with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) arrested Andrey Demskiy, 28, early Friday morning for the murder. The crime was discovered after a 911 call for a family disturbance at the family home on the 7500 block of Versailles Way in North Sacramento County.

When police arrived, they found a person, later identified to be Demskiy's wife, standing outside the residence. She accused her husband of assaulting her and her mother---the latter of whom was transported to the hospital for injuries, the news release noted.

Additionally, investigators were told that Demskiy had been left inside with their one-year-old son, who could have been "injured" after he was thrown.

The Gruesome Discovery

SCSO police officers attempted to contact Demskiy, but the 28-year-old refused to answer the door. He also refused to "surrender peacefully," leading the police to enter the home forcibly. Authorities found the child's severed head in a bedroom.

A subsequent investigation by the SCSO and the Sheriff's Child Abuse Bureau Detectives discovered that Demskiy had used a knife to "behead and murder" his son.

"[It was] one of the most horrific things," Sgt. Amar Gandhi, spokesperson for the SCSO, told NBC affiliate KCRA.

"I cannot think of a worse call in 20 years. This is going to be something that they wear in their hearts and minds for the rest of their careers and beyond," he added.

What Were the Charges?

Demskiy was promptly arrested by authorities after the horrific crime. He is now facing three felony charges, including:

Assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury

Corporal injury to a spouse of a cohabitant

Murder

Demskiy is scheduled to appear in court on December 24, per PEOPLE Magazine.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for the one-year-old, who was identified as Micha Demskiy. The campaign had set a goal of $25,000 to help the family. As of Sunday, December 22, the campaign has raised $65,736.
SUZHOU, China, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- GCL Energy Technology Co., Ltd., a leader in the clean energy sector, and Ant Digital Technologies, a pioneer in digital technology services and blockchain technology, have achieved a significant milestone by successfully completing the first-ever Real World Asset Tokenization (RWA) issuance in China's photovoltaic industry, securing 200 million yuan in cross-border financing. The groundbreaking initiative on December 23 not only injects substantial new capital into GCL Energy Technology's ambitious growth plans but also establishes a novel financing model for Chinese photovoltaic companies seeking to fund green projects internationally.

RWA represents a transformative approach to asset management, where physical assets are digitized as tokens on the blockchain, enhancing liquidity and market accessibility. For this inaugural issuance, GCL Energy Technology has tokenized two strategically significant solar power plants in Hunan and Hubei, with a combined capacity of approximately 82MW, to spearhead this new financing frontier.

As the core entity of China's largest private power conglomerate, GCL (Group) Holdings Co., Ltd., GCL Energy Technology is at the forefront of integrating clean energy production with comprehensive energy services and advanced digital operations. The company has significantly expanded its renewable energy footprint, with its total installed capacity reaching 5976.36 megawatts as of September 30, 2024, and renewable sources constituting 57.81% of this capacity. Notably, under the GCL SUN brand, residential photovoltaic installations have surged to 1105.89 megawatts across more than 36,500 households, demonstrating robust growth.

This RWA initiative is a cornerstone in GCL Energy Technology's strategy to harness data for asset valorization, involving around 3000 residential photovoltaic systems. By integrating cutting-edge artificial intelligence, blockchain, and IoT technologies, the project packages and stores operational and revenue data on the blockchain. This dual-chain and one-bridge architecture has garnered strong backing from prominent global investors, reinforcing RWA's role as a pivotal green finance tool that underscores the company's commitment to sustainable development and transparency.

The move not only bolsters GCL Energy Technology's global ESG credentials but also strengthens its position in the international market, aligning investor interests with the burgeoning demand for environmentally responsible, low-carbon investments. Looking ahead, GCL Energy Technology remains dedicated to leading the charge in renewable energy, with a strategic focus on leveraging data to drive innovation across the sector and foster a transparent, effective ESG ecosystem.

During the issuance event, Ant Digital Technologies emphasized that industries are increasingly adopting renewable energy and sustainable assets to drive sustainable growth, and its partnership with GCL Energy Technology aims to better support this trend. Leveraging blockchain and smart contract technologies, the collaboration has dramatically improved the transparency and efficiency of asset management, operations, and transactions, while also reducing costs associated with these activities. The strategic alliance is a response to the growing market demand in the photovoltaic sector, bringing substantial practical benefits to the real economy and demonstrating the scalability of these advanced technologies.

At the same event, strategic ties were further cemented with a comprehensive partnership agreement signed with Ant Digital Technologies in Suzhou. The partnership will broaden to include joint construction, acquisition, and securitization of new energy assets, covering distributed, commercial, industrial, and residential photovoltaic power stations.

In addition, both parties will collaborate to develop AI large model applications for various scenarios including new energy generation forecasting, energy management optimization, and intelligent operations, driving the industry's move towards enhanced intelligence and sustainability.

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - City View Green Holdings Inc. (CSE: CVGR) (OTC Pink: CVGRF) ("City View" or the "Company"), an innovative Canadian-based cannabis-infused edibles manufacturing company, announces that it has now completed a first tranche (the "First Tranche") of its non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") previously announced on October 17, 2024. Under the First Tranche, the Company has issued 23,475,000 units for gross proceeds of $234,750. No finder's fees were paid in connection with the First Tranche. All securities issued under the First Tranche are subject to a hold period expiring April 21, 2025, in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE").

The Offering is hereby extended and the remaining balance of units available for sale under the Offering will remain open until January 31, 2025. Refer to the Company's October 17, 2024 news release for further details on the Offering.

Rob Fia, the Company's President, CEO and director (the "Insider") participated in the First Tranche and purchased 4,000,000 Units for $40,000. Participation by the Insider in this financing is considered a "related party transaction" pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation and minority shareholder approval in connection with the Insider's participation in the Offering in reliance of sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) of MI 61-101, respectively, on the basis that participation in the Offering by the Insider did not exceed 25% of the fair market value of the Company's market capitalization The Company did not file a material change report at least 21 days prior to the closing of the First Tranche as participation of the Insider had not been confirmed at that time.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as defined in the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available.

About City View Green Holdings Inc.

City View is a leading consumer packaged goods company focused on the development of cannabis infused edibles with the receipt of its Cannabis Act processing license on April 30, 2021. For more information visit: www.cityviewgreen.ca.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulations services accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are not composed of historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. There are a number of important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include, among others, availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, delays in the development of projects, and ability to predict or counteract potential impact of epidemics or pandemics on factors relevant to the Company's business. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.



Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234938

SOURCE: City View Green Holdings Inc.
Designed to improve cybersecurity for all, PulseCheck quickly determines security risks and offers customized solutions for both businesses and individuals

NEW YORK, Dec. 23, 2024, a free and secure cybersecurity assessment tool designed for complete scope analysis.

The ongoing battle to protect against hackers and other bad actors requires diligence - an essential defense that Resonance Security has hardwired into PulseCheck. Fast, easy-to-use and accurate in its analysis of cybersecurity risks, PulseCheck offers users more than peace of mind. It provides a customized PulseCheck Assessment Report outlining areas of weakness and an individualized call to action to remedy those concerns.

"We've made the decision to never leave any institution, small business, or individual behind when it comes to cybersecurity. It's become way too easy for hackers, and we need to do something about it immediately. We've made cybersecurity easy for any budget, technical level, and any circumstance," said Resonance founder and CEO Charles Dray. "Resonance is all in when it comes to making a long-term positive impact with cybersecurity."

Global cybercrime costs are projected to reach multi-trillions of dollars, rising at a rate of 15% per year. Cyberattacks happen once every 39 seconds, with 43% of those attacks targeting small businesses. PulseCheck is the perfect no-brainer, free solution that safely unlocks full-spectrum cybersecurity status and suggestions for both businesses and individuals.

In addition to this first level of the innovative assessment tool, Resonance Security is in the process of integrating an AI Agent named "Reason" into PulseCheck. Reason acts as a cybersecurity guide at your fingertips that is able to evolve with emerging threats. Resonance Security is dedicated to keeping data highly secure and is going through rigorous compliance and certification processes, including multiple penetration tests, with an aim toward completing its SOC2 Type 2 compliance in early 2025.

PulseCheck is available now on the Resonance Security website with no technical experience needed. With each submission, users can also enter to win a prize such as a substantial charitable donation, Apple Vision Pro VR headset, and other emerging tech. Discounts for enrollment in other Resonance offerings are also available.

About Resonance Security

Resonance Security specializes in comprehensive cybersecurity software and testing solutions across various institutional sectors, start ups, and individuals. The company offers easy-to-use software that blends cybersecurity applications with a range of solutions including penetration testing, cloud security, smart contract audits, incident response, personalized endpoint detection and response, and customized engagements aimed at testing mobile and web applications and devices. Resonance Security caters to institutions across nearly every vertical, AI projects, blockchain projects, and individuals. Resonance was founded in March 2023 and is based in New York.

To learn more about Resonance Security, visit: www.ResonanceSecurity.com

Contact Details

www.resonance.security


For decades, the SAT and ACT have been rites of passage for college-bound students. These standardized tests once seemed like a universal measure of academic ability and a primary ticket to college admissions. But times are changing. With many colleges going test-optional or even test-blind, the role of standardized testing in college admissions is clearly shifting. But does this mean the SAT and ACT are no longer relevant?

Over the last few years, the SAT and ACT have taken a back seat in the admissions process at many schools. A report from FairTest reveals that more than 1,900 colleges and universities in the U.S. are now test-optional, which means students aren't required to submit their scores as part of their applications.

Eric Eng, founder and CEO of AdmissionSght, the country's leading college admissions consulting company, believes that "this trend may go on for a long time. These test-optional policies attract a more diverse range of upcoming college students, and this is a good thing for colleges all over the country." According to Eng, these policies seem to have broken down an unseen wall that has often kept out disadvantaged low-income students and students of color.

Critics argue that the SAT and ACT are biased against certain groups of students. Significant evidence suggests that students from wealthier families, who can afford expensive test preparation services, tend to score higher on these tests.

The Shift to Test-Optional Policies

In recent years, many universities have adopted test-optional policies. This shift gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic when testing centers closed, and many students couldn't take the exams.

For example, the University of California system, one of the largest public university systems in the country, completely dropped the SAT and ACT from its admissions process. It moved toward a "test-blind" policy, meaning that even if students submit their scores, they won't be considered. Furthermore, this move was after they found that SAT and ACT scores were less predictive of a student's success than high school GPA, especially for underrepresented minority students.

Despite the rise of test-optional schools, many students are still choosing to take the SAT or ACT. The Common App revealed that 43% of students submitted SAT or ACT scores during the 2022-2023 admissions cycle. This means many students and parents still see value in these tests, perhaps viewing them as a way to stand out in competitive admissions.

However, the numbers are certainly lower than they were in previous years. Before the pandemic, close to 80% of students applying to four-year colleges submitted SAT or ACT scores. The drop in submissions may reflect both the growing number of test-optional schools and a shift in how students and their families perceive the necessity of these tests.

More competitive schools have yet to follow this trend-at least some of them. In fact, half of the Ivy League schools brought back standardized test scores to their already strict admission requirements. Yale, Dartmouth, and Brown have chosen to reinstate the requirement for standardized test scores, such as the SAT, in their admissions process. And very recently, Harvard followed suit, announcing in April 2024. All Harvard applicants for the Fall 2025 admissions will now be required to send in their test scores. The rest of the Ivies - Columbia , Princeton, UPenn, and Cornell - remain test-optional.

What does this mean to the applicants?

"Colleges may have realized that it is difficult to tell students apart without test scores," said Eric Eng. "Grades have inflated immensely over the last 20 years. Around 47% of high school seniors graduate with an A average. This makes it challenging to assess students."

Eric Eng firmly believes that "if your student doesn't have a standardized test score, they could miss out on billions of dollars in college scholarships, both from universities and private companies. College is expensive and those scholarships are more important than ever."

So, are the SAT and ACT still relevant? The answer is both yes and no.

While more schools are embracing test-optional or test-blind policies, the SAT and ACT still play a role in the admissions process at many institutions. Students who do well on these tests can still use their scores to boost their applications, especially at competitive schools like the Ivy League. These test scores are also a gateway to more scholarship opportunities.

That said, the trend toward more holistic admissions suggests that the weight placed on standardized test scores is diminishing. "As we move forward, it's likely that the SAT and ACT will continue to evolve," Eng proposed. These changes may help the SAT remain relevant in a shifting admissions landscape, but it's clear that the days of the SAT and ACT being the gatekeepers to higher education are numbered.

According to Eric Eng, "the relevance of these tests will depend on how students and colleges continue to navigate the evolving world of college admissions. The SAT and ACT are no longer the be-all and end-all of college admissions. While they may still hold value for some students, the popularity of test-optional policies has reshaped the landscape, making it easier for students to apply without the pressure of standardized testing."

About AdmissionSight

AdmissionSight is a full-service admissions consulting company with over 10 years of experience guiding students through the competitive admissions process to college, transfer, graduate, and international programs.

AdmissionSight's services include SAT/AP preparation, science research program, passion project development, extracurricular involvement, academic competition preparation, summer program applications, personal statement editing, interview preparation, and letter of recommendation strategy. On average, 75% of their students are admitted to an Ivy League university, Stanford, MIT, UChicago, and Caltech, one of the highest track records in the industry.

Media Contact:

AdmissionSight Inc.

info@admissionsight.com

(650) 338-8226

SOURCE: AdmissionSight

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - Doubleview Gold Corp. (TSXV: DBG) (OTCQB: DBLVF) (FSE: 1D4) (the "Company" or "Doubleview") is pleased to announce that has raised raised $1,499,999.60 in flow-through and $100,000.80 in non-flow-through funds by way of a non-brokered private placement for total gross proceeds of $1,600,000.40.

Under this private placement, 263,160 Non-Flow-Through Units will be issued. Each Non-Flow-Through Unit shall consist of one common share of the Company (a "Share") and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant") at a price of $0.38 per Unit. Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.48 per Warrant Share for a period of 6 months following the closing date and thereafter at an exercise price of $0.55 per Warrant Share for a period of 18 months. The Warrants are subject to early termination if the underlying shares trade at a volume weighted average price equal to or greater than $0.65 for 5 consecutive days in the 24 month period from the date of issuance.

Additionally a total of 3,409,090 Flow-Through Shares (the "FT Share") will be issued at a price of $0.44. Each FT Share of the Company qualifies as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "ITA").

The proceeds of the sale of the shares will be used for contribution and maintenance of the Company's exploration work on its BC projects, particularly for the polymetallic Hat Project, located in northwestern BC. This work includes drilling, geological advisory and analytical services as well as other development work and general working capital purposes.

Pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws and in accordance with the Exchange policies, all securities issued under this Private Placement will be subject to applicable resale restrictions under applicable securities laws and to the Exchange hold period.

The Company will pay a Finder's Fee of $37,500 in cash and issue 111,441 Finder's Shares at a volume weighted average price of $0.3365 in connection with the private placement.

The closing of the private placement is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals including the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Doubleview Gold Corp

A mineral resource exploration and development company is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is publicly traded on the TSX-Venture Exchange (TSXV: DBG), (OTCQB: DBLVF), (WKN: LA1W038), and (FSE: 1D4). Doubleview focuses on identifying, acquiring, and financing precious and base metal exploration projects across North America, with a strong emphasis on British Columbia. The company enhances shareholder value through the acquisition and exploration of high-quality gold, copper, cobalt, scandium, and silver projects-collectively critical minerals-utilizing cutting-edge exploration techniques.

Doubleview's success is deeply rooted in the unwavering support of its long-term shareholders, supporters, and institutional investors. Their ongoing commitment has been instrumental in advancing the company's strategic initiatives. Doubleview looks forward to further collaborative growth and development and continues to welcome active participation from its valued stakeholders as the company expands its portfolio and strengthens its position in the critical minerals sector.

About the Hat Polymetallic Deposit

The Hat Deposit, located in northwestern British Columbia, is a polymetallic porphyry project with major resources of copper, gold, cobalt, and the potential for scandium. As one of the region's significant sources of critical minerals, the Hat deposit has undergone targeted exploration and development. The 0.2% CuEq cut-off resource estimate, as of the recently completed Mineral Resource Estimate and the Company's July 25, 2024, news release, is summarized below:







Average Grade Metal Content Open Pit Model Hat Resource Category Tonnage CuEq Cu Co Au Ag CuEq Cu Co Au Ag Mt % % % g/t g/t million lb million lb million lb thousand oz thousand oz In Pit Indicated 150 0.408 0.221 0.008 0.19 0.42 1,353 733 28 929 2,045 Inferred 477 0.344 0.185 0.009 0.15 0.49 3,619 1,945 91 2,328 7,575

Scandium potential for the Hat Deposit is estimated to be 300 to 500 million tonnes at an average grade of 40 ppm (0.004%) Sc2O3.

For further details, please refer to the Company's July 25, 2024 news release.

Qualified Person:

Erik Ostensoe, P. Geo., a consulting geologist, and Doubleview's Qualified Person with respect to the Hat Project as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed, and approved the written technical disclosure contained in the news release. He is not independent of Doubleview as he is a shareholder in the company.



On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Farshad Shirvani, President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information please contact:

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Certain of the statements made and information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information." In particular references to the private placement and future work programs or expectations on the quality or results of such work programs are subject to risks associated with operations on the property, exploration activity generally, equipment limitations and availability, as well as other risks that we may not be currently aware of. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234970

SOURCE: Doubleview Gold Corp.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd. (CSE: TONY) (the "Company" or "TGH") would like to provide the following corporate update. Further to its press release of November 16, 2023, an entity in the Company's investment portfolio, Alclin (PTY) Limited ("AlClin") (https://alclin.com/), is set to achieve both a site registration overseas as well as registration as a drug of its NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, also known as diphosphopyridine nucleotide) product.

New industrial cGMP-grade 'isolator' and 'in-line filling' machinery has been delivered and installed to support increasing global awareness1 and demand2 for NAD+: boosting maximum capacity from 12,000 NAD+ vials a month to 1,000 per hour.

AlClin was also issued with a licence from SAHPRA (South Africa Health Products Regulatory Authority, South Africa's equivalent of the FDA in the USA) - under a new Complimentary Medicines regulation - to manufacture, import and export its established product tablet range which has been exhibiting strong growth with existing clients and interest from new perspective clients including via e-commerce platforms.

TGH will be continuing on its active roadmap ahead for AlClin and its 'longevity theme'.

For more information, please contact:

This press release contains "forward-looking statements", within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results " may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include but are not limited to the Company's intention to defend the litigation with the Fund, the Company's liability under the Debenture and the above-mentioned litigation.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements relating to the Loan and the Company's business strategy, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, that the litigation referred to herein will be resolved in a manner that is unfavourable to the Company (including any judgment, award or settlement of the litigation that results in the Company incurring liability, costs or expenses that, in the aggregate, exceed the share issuance costs of the Conversion Shares), the Company is required to issue shares other than the Conversion Shares or pay any amount to the plaintiff in defending, resolving, or in connection with, such litigation, and other related matters, or other factors set forth in the Company's publicly filed documents under its profiles at www.sedarplus.ca.

Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statement prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

None of the Canadian Securities Exchange or its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOPdrKOnAr8

2 https://www.ft.com/content/68e07256-4b8c-4e12-a96e-8ad646d6a7fb?utm_source=chatgpt.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/235005

SOURCE: Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd. (CSE: TONY) (the "Company" or "TGH") would like to announce that effective March 18, 2025, Mr. Ron Akram will be stepping down as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Mr. Ron Akram will remain as a director of the Company. In connection with these management changes, effective March 18, 2025, Mr. Gediminas Klepackas will be appointed the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Douglas Harris will be appointed the Company's Chief Financial Officer. The Company will issue a press release upon the effective date of the appointments.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements", within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results " may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include, but are not limited to the Company's intention to defend the litigation with the Fund, the Company's liability under the Debenture and the above-mentioned litigation.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements relating to the Loan and the Company's business strategy, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, that the litigation referred to herein will be resolved in a manner that is unfavourable to the Company (including any judgment, award or settlement of the litigation that results in the Company incurring liability, costs or expenses that, in the aggregate, exceed the share issuance costs of the Conversion Shares), the Company is required to issue shares other than the Conversion Shares or pay any amount to the plaintiff in defending, resolving, or in connection with, such litigation, and other related matters, or other factors set forth in the Company's publicly filed documents under its profiles at www.sedarplus.ca.

Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statement prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

None of the Canadian Securities Exchange or its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/235004

SOURCE: Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd. (CSE: TONY) (the "Company" or "TGH") would like to announce that, further to its press release of February 1, 2024, the Company would like to provide an update on its litigation in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (the "Court") with European High Growth Opportunities Manco SA ("EHGO"). On December 13, 2024, the Company received a decision on the summary judgment motion brough forth by EHGO. The Court determined that: (i) EHGO is not entitled to the repayment of $1,288,000 as this investment had been automatically converted into common shares of TGH on the maturity date of the debenture (see TGH's February 1, 2024 press release); (ii) EHGO is entitled to a late issuance fee of $1,000.00 per day from June 17, 2022 until February 1, 2024; (iii) EHGO is entitled to the positive difference, if any, between the closing price six trading days after June 17, 2022 and the closing price of February 1, 2024; and (iv) interest is payable on the outstanding amounts in accordance with the debenture at a rate of 48.2126%. The Company is currently reviewing all legal options available and will provide a further update in a future press release.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements", within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results " may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include, but are not limited to the Company's intention to defend the litigation with the Fund, the Company's liability under the Debenture and the above-mentioned litigation.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements relating to the Loan and the Company's business strategy, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, that the litigation referred to herein will be resolved in a manner that is unfavourable to the Company (including any judgment, award or settlement of the litigation that results in the Company incurring liability, costs or expenses that, in the aggregate, exceed the share issuance costs of the Conversion Shares), the Company is required to issue shares other than the Conversion Shares or pay any amount to the plaintiff in defending, resolving, or in connection with, such litigation, and other related matters, or other factors set forth in the Company's publicly filed documents under its profiles at www.sedarplus.ca.

Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statement prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

None of the Canadian Securities Exchange or its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/235003

SOURCE: Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. (CSE: API) (OTCQB: APAAF) (FSE: A0I0) (MUN: A0I0) (BER: A0I0)(the "Company" or "Appia") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 4,166,666 flow-through units ("FT Units") at a price of $0.12 per FT Unit for up to $500,000 (the "Offering"). Closing of the Offering is scheduled for December 31, 2024.

Each FT Unit comprises one (1) flow-through Common Share ("FT Share") priced at $0.12 per FT Share and one (1) common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant") with each Warrant entitling the holder to acquire one (1) common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.15 until one (1) year from the closing of the Offering ("Closing").

Eligible finders will be paid 6% cash and be issued broker warrants equal to 6% of the number of FT Units placed by the finder. Each broker warrant issued entitles the holder to acquire one (1) common share of the Company at a price of $0.15 until two (2) years from Closing.

The gross proceeds from the FT Offering will be used for Canadian Exploration Expenses (within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act")) which qualify as a "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditure" for purposes of the Tax Act related to the exploration program of the Company to be conducted on the Company's properties located in Saskatchewan. The Company will renounce such Canadian Exploration Expenses with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2024. The Canadian Exploration Expenses to be renounced by the Company will qualify for the critical mineral exploration tax credit under the Tax Act.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in any jurisdiction.

About Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. (Appia)

Appia is a publicly traded Canadian company in the rare earth element and uranium sectors. The Company holds the right to acquire up to a 70% interest in the PCH Ionic Adsorption Clay Project (See June 9th, 2023 Press Release - Click HERE) which is 42,932.24 ha in size and located within the Goias State of Brazil. (See January 11th, 2024 Press Release - Click HERE) The Company is also focusing on delineating high-grade critical rare earth elements and gallium on the Alces Lake property, and exploring for high-grade uranium in the prolific Athabasca Basin on its Otherside, Loranger, North Wollaston, and Eastside properties. The Company holds the surface rights to exploration for 94,982.39 hectares (234,706.59 acres) in Saskatchewan. The Company also has a 100% interest in 13,008 hectares (32,143 acres), with rare earth elements and uranium deposits over five mineralized zones in the Elliot Lake Camp, Ontario.

Appia has 149.4 million common shares outstanding, 170.8 million shares fully diluted.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements: This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information, visit www.appiareu.com

As part of our ongoing effort to keep investors, interested parties and stakeholders updated, we have several communication portals. If you have any questions online (X, Facebook, LinkedIn) please feel free to send direct messages.

To book a one-on-one 30-minute Zoom video call, please click here.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/235012

SOURCE: Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp.
Spartan Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers is proud to announce the launch of our new brand and website. While our name is new, our team brings over 75 years of combined experience to our mission of serving and supporting our Atlanta and Jonesboro communities. The goal of our updated branding and website is making your client experience as easy and seamless as possible. We understand that you may be facing challenging times, and we're here to help make your life easier.

With an user-friendly design, our website ensures you can quickly find what you need. Whether you're exploring our "About Us" page, learning about the types of cases we handle, or finding out which areas across Georgia we serve, we've made it simple for you to access the information that matters most. Each section has been thoughtfully organized to ensure that you can access the most relevant details in just a few clicks.

In addition, we provide a conveniently accessible blog and a wealth of legal resources to give you the information you need when you need it. Our blog features insightful articles on various legal topics, from common personal injury claims to legal process tips. If you're seeking answers to specific questions or simply looking to educate yourself about your options, our resources are here to empower you with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about your case.

About Spartan Law Group

Our main Atlanta personal injury attorney, Jonathan Page, handles a wide range of personal injury cases, including vehicle accidents (car, truck, and motorcycle), brain injuries, catastrophic injuries, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and beyond. In addition to serving Atlanta and Jonesboro, we proudly assist clients throughout the state of Georgia.

We offer personalized, knowledgeable legal services to every client, treating them like family. When you choose us, you can trust that we'll be with you every step of the way, from the initial intake conversation to settlement or even trial.

Contact Us Today to Schedule a Free Consultation

As our firm continues to grow, we remain dedicated to delivering exceptional legal services to clients across Georgia. We are proud to introduce our new brand and website, and we hope you'll turn to us when you need trusted legal support. You can count on us to guide you through every step of your case and secure the best results possible.

Don't hesitate to reach out if you or a loved one has been injured. We're here to help you navigate the next steps and ensure you receive the support you need to recover. Contact Spartan Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers today to learn how we can help you pursue justice and the compensation you deserve.

Media Contact:

Company Name: Spartan Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers - Atlanta Office

Address: 139 Ralph McGill Blvd NE, Suite 301

City: Atlanta

State: Georgia

Zip: 30308

County: Fulton County

Phone: (844) 772-7826

https://spartanlawgroup.com/

Contact Information

Jonathan Page

Atlanta personal injury lawyer

(844) 772-7826





SOURCE: Spartan Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers

View the original press release on accesswire.com
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Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - Comprehensive Healthcare Systems Inc. (TSXV: CHS) (the "Company" or "CHS"), an industry leader in healthcare benefits administration software and services announces the termination of previously announced private placement. The Company is pleased to announce that a new non-brokered private placement has been launched under new terms for gross proceeds of up to $1,240,000 (the "Offering").

The Offering will consist of up to 124,000,000 common shares (no warrants) at a price of $0.01 per share for gross proceeds of up to $1.24 Million. The Offering remains subject to regulatory approval and the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Company will use the proceeds of the Offering for working capital and for meeting certain essential obligations of the Company. None of the proceeds received will be used to pay non-arm's length parties and the Company confirms that not more than 10% of the proceeds of the proposed financing will be used for Investor Relations Activities.

The securities issued in the Offering will be subject to applicable hold periods imposed under applicable securities legislation, including a hold period of 4 months and one day from the date of issuance. The Company may pay a finder's fee on a portion of the gross proceeds of the Offering.

The securities issued under the Private Placement will be offered by way of private placement in Canada and to certain subscribers in the United States, pursuant to applicable exemptions from the prospectus requirements under applicable securities laws.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Comprehensive Healthcare Systems Inc.

Comprehensive Healthcare Systems Inc. is a corporation incorporated under the laws of the Province of Alberta and is the parent company of Comprehensive Healthcare Systems Inc. (Delaware). The Company is a vertically integrated software as a services (SaaS) company focused on digitizing healthcare with Healthcare Benefits Administration solutions, providing reliable and high-volume transaction capable systems. The Company's state-of-the-art Novus 360 Healthcare Welfare and Benefits Administration (HWBA) SaaS platform is used by clients for all aspects of healthcare benefits administration (including self-funded employers, providers, and labor unions), providing healthcare administrative software and technology-enabled services.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:

The press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "budget," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "scheduled," "forecast," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "to be," "could," "would," "should," "will" and similar references to future periods or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and conditional. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as of the date they are provided. However, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors.

Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors that could cause the Company's actual results and financial conditions to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that could cause actual results and financial conditions to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements, include among others: general economic, market and business conditions in Canada and globally; market volatility; unforeseen delays in timelines for any of the transactions or events described in this press release; and the risk of regulatory changes that may impact the business of the Company. All forward-looking information is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking statement or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events, or developments, except as required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Comprehensive Healthcare Systems Inc.

Phone: 732.362.2010

"NOT FOR GENERAL DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/235001

SOURCE: Comprehensive Healthcare Systems Inc.
CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / December 23, 2024 / PetroFrontier Corp. ("PetroFrontier" or "the Corporation") (TSXV:PFC) is pleased to advise of amendments to credit facilities in place with its lenders Kasten Energy Inc. ("Kasten") and Tailwind Capital Partners Inc. ("Tailwind") (see PetroFrontier press release dated April 13, 2023).

Kasten

Three existing debt instruments - a Debenture and two credit facilities - matured at different times during 2022. The Corporation negotiated extensions to the Debenture and credit facilities with an updated facility (the "Updated Kasten Credit Facility") that was the subject of the April 13, 2023 press release.

A summary of those instruments is as follows:

Facility Name Maturity Date Amount Owing at March 31, 2023 1. 2016 Debenture 08-31-2022 $ 2,405,681 2. 2019 Kasten Loan #1 08-31-2022 $ 1,502,991 3. 2021 Kasten Loan #2 04-30-2022 $ 2,032,968

By mutual consent, Kasten and PetroFrontier have agreed to terminate the Updated Kasten Credit Facility in favor of extending the maturity of each debt instrument listed above separately until March 31, 2025. As the conversion features contained in the debt instruments had expired, the extensions do not provide that any of the debt instruments will be convertible into common shares of the Corporation.

Tailwind

Facility Name Maturity Date Amount Owing at March 31, 2023 1. 2021 Tailwind Loan #1 10-31-2022 $ 2,294,345

A credit facility, dated April 11, 2023, is in place with Tailwind under which a total of $2,294,345 was owing as at March 31, 2023 (including accrued interest at a rate of 8% per annum). That credit facility was also extended to March 31, 2025. Similarly, this facility does not provide for conversion of amounts outstanding thereunder into common shares of the Corporation.

About PetroFrontier Corp.

PetroFrontier is a junior energy company that has been focused on developing two Mannville heavy oil plays in the Cold Lake and Wabasca areas of Alberta.

PetroFrontier's head office is in Calgary, Alberta and its common shares are listed for trading on the Exchange under the symbol "PFC".

More information pertaining to PFC can be obtained under the Corporation's profile on Sedar which can be accessed online at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking information that involves substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which may be beyond the control of PetroFrontier. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and such information involves various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, PetroFrontier does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For More Information, Please Contact:

Kelly Kimbley, President & CEO

PetroFrontier Corp.

Suite 700, 903 - 8 Avenue S.W.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 0P7

Telephone: (403) 650-6355

Email: kkimbley@petrofrontier.com

Website: www.petrofrontier.com

SOURCE: PetroFrontier Corp.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - Asia Top Investigation has recently been honored with the prestigious title of being one of the Singapore's Top 500 Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Companies for the year 2023. This esteemed award recognizes the agency for its business excellence, outstanding qualities, high standards, and exceptional performance in the field of private investigation.

A Trusted and Award-Winning Private Investigation Agency

When seeking a reputable private investigator in Singapore, Asia Top Investigation stands out as a top choice. Specializing in matrimonial investigations, including infidelity surveillance, and overseas surveillance, the agency has built a strong reputation for its professionalism, reliability, and dedication to delivering accurate results.

In addition to its renowned expertise and outstanding track record in the private investigation industry, Asia Top Investigation has added another feather to its cap by clinching the prestigious Singapore SME500 Award. This further validates the agency's commitment to business excellence, exceptional qualities, rigorous standards, and unmatched performance, solidifying its position as a trailblazer in the field of private investigation in Singapore. The award serves as a testament to Asia Top Investigation's continuous dedication to delivering top-notch services and upholding the highest levels of professionalism and integrity in every case they handle.

Upholding Industry Standards and Delivering Excellence

Licensed by the Singapore Police Force, Asia Top Investigation is distinguished as a top-tier licensed agency, highlighting its credibility and adherence to industry regulations. Beyond matrimonial investigations, the agency offers a comprehensive range of services, including background checks, digital forensics, and commercial investigations, showcasing their versatility and dedication to meeting diverse client needs.

Vincent Tan: A Recognized Leader in Private Investigation

With over three decades of experience and having overseen more than 10,000 cases since 1990, Vincent Tan, the veteran investigator at Asia Top Investigation, embodies excellence in the field. His commitment to providing quality services and a client-centric approach has contributed to the agency's recognition as a leader in the private investigation industry.

Vincent Tan's expertise and dedication have not gone unnoticed. Certified as an International Private Investigator by the Council of International Investigators and awarded the title of Asia Top Investigator by the American Biographical Institute, his contributions to the field have been exemplary. His extensive experience in conducting complex matrimonial investigations has solidified Asia Top Investigation's position as a trusted leader in the private investigation landscape of Singapore.

Cutting-Edge Technology and Operational Excellence

Under the guidance of Operations Manager Ivan Tan, Asia Top Investigation operates with precision and efficiency, leveraging state-of-the-art equipment to ensure accurate and reliable results. The agency's team of skilled investigators upholds the highest standards of professionalism and confidentiality, making them a top choice for those seeking reliable private investigator services.

Uncover the Truth with Asia Top Investigation

For those seeking professional and discreet private investigator services, Asia Top Investigation offers a range of comprehensive investigative solutions tailored to meet diverse needs. Their commitment to excellence, advanced techniques, and dedication to uncovering the truth make them the trusted name in the private investigation industry of Singapore.

To learn more about how Asia Top Investigation can assist in personal, matrimonial, or corporate investigations, reach out to them at +65 8820 0007 or visit their official website at www.asiatopinvestigation.com. Stay connected with the award-winning agency as they continue to set new benchmarks in the private investigation industry, providing reliable and results-driven solutions for all investigative needs.

About Asia Top Investigation

Asia Top Investigation, a leading Private Investigator agency in Singapore, is renowned for its expertise in matrimonial investigation services. Founded by Vincent Tan, the agency specializes in handling cases such as infidelity surveillance, offering clients reliable and discreet solutions to uncover the truth.

With a strong commitment to professionalism and client satisfaction, Asia Top Investigation has established itself as a trusted name in the private investigation industry, helping individuals gain clarity and peace of mind in complex personal matters.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/232281

SOURCE: Brand Featured
And this is how the actress fans reacted. One wrote- This man is so full of himself. read more

Pakistani actor Khaqan Shahnawaz was recently trolled by Kareena Kapoors fans as he expressed in an interview he wanted to play her son. In an interview with Geo Urdu Channel, when a fan asked about the Chameli star, Khaqan said, I can play her son. Yeah, I can play her son, definitely. Kareena ji bohot badi hain. Unke saath beta ban sakta hoon.

And this is how the actress fans reacted. One wrote- This man is so full of himself. Another netizen added, Yeh Pagal Self-Obsessed Hai.

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Kareena Kapoor Khan and Abhishek Bachchan made their debuts together with JP Duttas Refugee back in 2000. In a viral video from Filmfare OTT Awards 2024, Bebo gave a hug to Abhishek Bachchan but later rolled her eyes and one user said, Curse of Karisma Kapoor.

Kareena Kapoor Khan is one of the finest and versatile actresses of Bollywood. In her illustrious career of over two decades, the gorgeous diva has delivered several memorable performances and blockbusters.

She is one of the highest-paid actresses in showbiz and earns Rs 10 to Rs 15 crore per project. In a recent interview, Kareena opened up about her achievements and revealed that she doesnt pick projects by looking at the money aspect of it.

The films I choose are not about money. It has always been about the fact that if I like a role, I might do the film for less. It depends on my mood, it depends on the fact what the film is, what the role is offering me, the actress told The Week.
At the recently held Red Sea Film Festival, Firstposts Lcahmi Deb Roy caught up with Bangladeshi actress Mehazabien Chowdhury and discussed her film Saba and the reference of kacchi biryani with potatoes in her film. read more

Actress Mehazabien Chowdhury loves biryani and calls herself the biriyani girl. She talks about her love for food and the different spices which makes Bangladeshi biryani so unique.

The only film from Bangladesh at the Red Sea International Film Festival was Saba. It is about a 25-year-old girl who lives in Dhaka with her demanding mother Shirin, a paraplegic whose frustrations and rage often find a target in the daughter who cares for her. The film shows the plight of a caregiver.

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Edited excerpts from the interview:

There are a lot of similarities between Bangladeshi and Kolkata cuisine, can you enlighten us a little bit about the kacchi biryani which has been mentioned in your film Saba?

I have been to some restaurants in Kolkata. I cannot recall the name, but I always felt that they make the same stuff but with different spices, and that makes the difference. And, I always love going back there. But yet there are some small changes in both the countries that make Kolkata food unique, and that also makes the Bangladeshi cuisine unique as well. But for me, I am a biryani girl. So, whether it is chicken or mutton biryani, I simply love it.

How is it different from the Indian biryani or the Calcutta biryani from Bangladeshi biriyani?

It is very much different. But its usually made out of mutton and rice. It could be basmati or in our country, sometimes its, chini gura (a special type of short grain rice). And the hero ingredient is the potato. We also add a lot of spices to it.

Coming back to your film Saba, how much do you relate to the character of Saba?

To be very honest, I actually dont want to relate to _Sab_a. I always choose characters that are very much different from who I am in real life because, you know, usually what happens is, you know, the person or the actor himself herself is so big that they overshadow the character that theyre playing, and that is something that I dont want to do. I dont want people to watch Mehazabien when they are actually watching the movie. So, like, this is always my conscious choice that I make. I want my role to get highlighted, not me.

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For the uninitiated, the actors home was attacked by protestors and his children Ayaan and Arha were taken away for safety. Arjun was not at home at the time of the incident read more

Pushpa 2 star Allu Arjun had held a press conference on Saturday after he was released from jail on an interim bail. He was arrested on Friday in connection with the death of a woman named Revathi at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad during a screening of his movie. And the actor held another press conference and had something more to share.

For the uninitiated, the actors home was attacked by protestors and his children Ayaan and Arha were taken away for safety. Arjun was not at home at the time of the incident.

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He said, A lot of misinformation is going around. I am not trying to blame anyone, any department or political leaderIt is humiliating and feels like character assassination. Please dont judge me, said the superstar addressing reporters, adding that he remains apologetic for what happened.

Permission was sought from the theatre management. The police cleared the way so I went in. I am a law-abiding citizen. I would have left if I were told that there is no permission, said the actor.

It was not a roadshow or procession. I just waved to people and went inside theatre. No policeman approached me to leave. My own manager told me that there is an uncontrollable crowd and asked me to leave, added the actor on Chief Minister Revanth Reddys claim.

At his earlier press conference, the Icon star said, Were extremely sorry for the family and I will personally be there to support them in whatever way possible. It was purely accidental. I was inside a cinema theatre watching a film with my family and an accident happened outside. Its purely of no direct connection to me. Its purely accidental, purely unintentional. My love and sympathies are genuinely there with the family and I will be there to support them in whatever way possible."
Chrystia Freelands resignation last week as Canadas finance minister and deputy PM has increased Justin Trudeaus troubles. While the Canadian PM reflects on his future amid calls to quit, will his former deputy replace him? read more

Chrystia Freeland's name is doing rounds as Canada PM Justin Trudeau's replacement. File Photo/Reuters

Chrystia Freeland, who shook Canadian politics last week with her surprise resignation as the countrys finance minister and deputy prime minister, is being considered Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus replacement. The Canadian leader is under pressure to step down, with dozens of MPs from within his own party asking him to quit.

Trudeau is currently reflecting on his next move. Amid the political turbulence, some Liberal MPs have thrown their weight behind Freeland as his successor.

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Lets take a closer look.

Who is Chrystia Freeland?

Chrystia Freeland sent shockwaves across Ottawa after she, in a scathing letter, resigned as Canadas finance minister and deputy prime minister last Monday (December 16).

Freeland said in her letter that she and PM Trudeau have been at odds about the best path forward for Canada, highlighting the grave challenge posed by United States President-elect Donald Trumps threat of tariffs.

Once among Trudeaus most loyal allies, Freeland has been described as the Canadian PMs most obvious successor by the author of her unauthorised biography titled Chrystia: From Peace River to Parliament Hill.

The book by Toronto-based journalist Catherine Tsalikis delves into her professional relationship with Trudeau.

The Harvard University graduate was convinced by Trudeau over a decade back to enter politics after spending 20 years as a journalist. In 2013, Freeland was elected as an MP for Toronto Centre.

Her working relationship with Trudeau, who became Canadas PM in 2015, became deeper after the 2019 election when she became the deputy prime minister, CTV News reported citing Freelands biography.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadas then Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland (L) arrive to visit an exhibition of destroyed vehicles in Kyiv on June 10, 2023, amid Russias invasion of Ukraine. File Photo/AFP

As Tsalikis told Toronto Life, Trudeau came to rely on her in times of crisis.

Freeland got the Canadian PM a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) deal in 2019, negotiating with the then US President Trump. Freeland and Anita Anand [the current transport minister] were part of the duo that got sh-t done during the COVID-19 pandemic, Maryam Monsef, who served as minister of women and gender equality at the time, told Tsalikis.

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The book depicts her loyalty to Trudeau and the PMs recognition of her importance in the government. An official told the author: Trudeaus foreign policy [was] actually mostly Chrystia Freelands foreign policy.

Freeland was named as minister of international trade in Trudeaus first Cabinet. She held another high-profile portfolio in the government as Canadas foreign affairs minister. In 2020, she scripted history by becoming the first female finance minister of Canada.

I think part of what has made her such a successful Cabinet minister  is this relationship with the prime minister Its based on two things: her loyalty to the prime minister and the way she has been able to deliver for him, particularly in times of crisis, Tsalikis said to CTV News.

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Will Chrystia Freeland replace Trudeau?

Freelands shock resignation last Monday came just hours before she was set to deliver the governments fall economic statement.

Since her exit, calls have grown for Trudeau to resign and make way for a new Liberal leader.

The Canadian PMs approval rate has plunged. The Conservative Party is currently 21 points ahead of the Liberals.

At least 21 Liberal MPs have publicly urged Trudeau to step down, many of them within the last week, noted Canadas public broadcaster CBC News. Some of them have now come forward to support Freeland.

By design or by circumstance, her time of resignation has put her into the spotlight. And she appears to be the person around whom the caucus members can rally behind, Ontario Liberal MP Chandra Arya told CBC News.

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Arya said his previous support for Trudeau came from the lack of a viable and reassuring alternative, which has now been filled by Freeland.

There are also other names doing the rounds to replace Trudeau as the Liberal Party leader, including the newly appointed Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, ex-Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney and former housing minister Sean Fraser.

Prince Edward Island Liberal MP Sean Casey told reporters last week that there was no shortage of people to succeed Trudeau as Liberal Party leader without the baggage of the prime minister.

Casey also replied affirmatively when asked whether he would like Freeland to launch a leadership bid, reported CBC News.

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As per the Globe and Mail report, Trudeau is holding discussions with senior Cabinet members and party leaders about his future.

While Trudeau is taking time to mull his next move, no one from his Liberal Party has publicly expressed interest in replacing him.

Freeland has already announced that she will run from her seat in the next federal election, which has to be held on or before October next year.

In a letter thanking her supporters, the former finance minister said this will not be the end of the road, sparking speculations about her potential leadership bid.

If Freeland succeeds Trudeau, her biography reportedly noted it would be another historic first as the Liberal Party has never been helmed by a woman.

With inputs from agencies
US President-elect Donald Trump has suggested that the United States might reclaim the Panama Canal, citing rising tariffs and potential Chinese influence. This provocative statement revives discussions about the canals tumultuous history  from its American-led construction to its transfer to Panama in 1999  and the geopolitics of one of the worlds most vital trade arteries read more

A cargo ship traverses the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal in Colon, Panama, September 2, 2024. File Image/AP

Donald Trump, former United States president and now president-elect has threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal, citing rising tariffs and concerns over sovereignty.

In a recent address on Sunday, he asserted that the canal, a critical maritime passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, was foolishly given away by the United States and warned against potential Chinese influence in its operations.

Were being ripped off

Speaking to supporters in Arizona during an event organised by Turning Point USA, Trump criticised Panama for charging excessive rates to use the canal.

Has anyone ever heard of the Panama Canal? he asked rhetorically. Were being ripped off like we are everywhere else. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, quickly, and without question.

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US President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak at AmericaFest, December 22, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona, US. File Image/AP

On Truth Social, Trump posted an image of the US flag with the caption, Welcome to the United States Canal! His statements have drawn widespread attention, with critics questioning the feasibility of such a move under international law.

Panamas President Jose Raul Mulino swiftly responded. Every square meter of the Panama Canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama, he stated on X. Addressing Trumps concerns about tariffs, Mulino added, The tariffs are not set on a whim but based on expert assessments of operational costs and market dynamics.

Mensaje del Presidente Jose Raul Mulino

Statement from President Jose Raul Mulino pic.twitter.com/BZmrihicLE  Jose Raul Mulino (@JoseRaulMulino) December 22, 2024

Mulino also addressed accusations of Chinese influence, stating, China does not control or administer the canal. He highlighted Panamas sovereignty, adding, When it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.

Trump retorted, Well see about that! escalating the war of words.

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Trumps remarks also revived discussions about his earlier musings on territorial expansion. During his first term, he floated the idea of purchasing Greenland from Denmark, a proposal that was met with international ridicule.

Critics argue that his latest comments regarding the Panama Canal are another example of his confrontational diplomatic style.

What Panama Canals history tells us

The Panama Canal, an 82-kilometer (51-mile) artificial waterway, connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Isthmus of Panama.

One of the most ambitious engineering projects of its time, the canal significantly reduced maritime travel times, allowing ships to avoid the treacherous routes around South Americas southern tip.

The idea for an interoceanic canal dates back centuries, but it wasnt until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that the project took shape. Initially attempted by the French under Ferdinand de Lesseps  the mastermind behind the Suez Canal  the project faltered due to engineering challenges, high costs, and tropical diseases.

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A container ship transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama, August 12, 2024. File Image/Reuters

Between 1881 and 1889, the effort collapsed, with an estimated 22,000 workers losing their lives to diseases like malaria and yellow fever.

In 1904, the United States took over the project under the Spooner Act, purchasing the rights and assets from the French for $40 million. Spearheaded by US President Theodore Roosevelt, the canals construction symbolised US ingenuity and determination.

The use of advanced medical techniques, including the eradication of mosquito-borne diseases, marked a turning point in its completion.

Also Watch:

When the Panama Canal opened in 1914, it stood as a testament to human innovation. However, its creation was not without controversy. The US initially supported Panamas independence from Colombia to secure the rights to build the canal.

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The HayBunau-Varilla Treaty granted the US control over the Panama Canal Zone, a move that sparked resentment among Panamanians for decades.

How Panama Canal went from US control to Panamanian sovereignty

For much of the 20th century, the Panama Canal was a vital US strategic asset, facilitating the movement of military and commercial vessels. However, Panamanians demand for sovereignty over the canal grew louder, culminating in the TorrijosCarter Treaties of 1977.

Signed by US President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos, the treaties set a timeline for the canals gradual transfer to Panama.

On December 31, 1999, the Panama Canal Authority (PCA), a Panamanian government agency, assumed full control.

Since then, Panama has managed the canal, overseeing significant expansions, including the 2016 addition of wider locks to accommodate Neopanamax ships. Today, the canal handles over 14,000 vessels annually and facilitates 2.5 per cent of global trade.

Trumps Controversial Remarks and Diplomatic Fallout

Why Panama Canal is a lifeline for global trade

The Panama Canal remains indispensable for global commerce. It accommodates approximately 3.5 per cent of the worlds maritime trade, serving as a crucial conduit for goods like liquefied natural gas, automobiles, and consumer products.

The US accounts for about 75 per cent of the canals traffic, with China ranking as the second-largest user.

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A cargo ship traverses the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal in Colon, Panama, September 2, 2024. File Image/AP

Recent challenges, including severe droughts, have tested the canals resilience. Low water levels in 2023 forced administrators to reduce daily ship transits and raise tolls, leading to supply chain disruptions.

While conditions have since normalised, climate-related challenges continue to pose risks.

With inputs from agencies
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will embark on Pragati Yatra starting today. Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) will hold a dharna in protest against the tear gas shelling and use of water cannons against farmers at the Shambhu border. Zomato will become a part of the benchmark BSE Sensex, replacing JSW Steel read more

Zomato will become a part of the benchmark BSE Sensex, replacing JSW Steel on December 23. Reuters

Its the start of a new week and theres a lot lined up for today, December 23.

Zomato will become a part of the benchmark BSE Sensex, replacing JSW Steel.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will embark on Pragati Yatra starting today.

Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) will hold a dharna in protest against the tear gas shelling and use of water cannons against farmers at the Shambhu border.

Heres a look at how the day will unfold.

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Zomato becomes a part of the benchmark BSE Sensex

Zomato will become a part of the benchmark BSE Sensex, replacing JSW Steel on December 23.

This is part of the latest reconstitution announced by Asia Index Private Ltd, a subsidiary of BSE.

Zomatos Inclusion in the 30-stock Index marks a significant milestone for the company, which has seen an impressive rally over the past year.

Nitish Kumars Pragati Yatra from today

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will embark on Pragati Yatra from December 23.

His first leg of the tour will commence from West Champaran and the next day he would be visiting East Champaran.

He was scheduled to embark on Mahila Samvad programme to interact with women but the programme was deferred and incorporated with the Pragati Yatra.

Notably, the CM has undertaken nearly 15 yatras around the state under different names since 2005.

BKU (Ekta Ugrahan)s dharna

Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) will hold a dharna outside the district headquarters on Monday in protest against the tear gas shelling and use of water cannons against farmers at the Shambhu border.

Earlier, BKU leader and senior SKM leader Rakesh Tikait called for unity of farmers for a joint fight to press the Centre to accept their demands.

Besides a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, the farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

NGT hearing over deaths of elephants in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

The National Green Tribunals (NGT) Central Zone Bench will hear the case concerning the mysterious deaths of 10 elephants at Madhya Pradeshs Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

Initial reports suggested the deaths may be linked to poisoning from contaminated Kodo millet, a local grain.

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The probe came after the NGT took suo-motu cognizance of the case in November, highlighting the grave threat posed by the contaminated grain to elephants, livestock, and humans.

Pakistan court hearing on killings in PTI protest

A district court in Islamabad will hear a petition on Monday about the alleged killing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters during the partys protest, demanding the release of its founder Imran Khan in the capital in the last month.

The district and session judge scheduled the hearing after PTI Chairman barrister Gohar Ali Khan filed the petition accusing PM Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Informational Minister Attaullah Tarar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, senior police officials and some unidentified individuals of being involved in the killing and disappearances of PTI workers.

Sebi auction of 17 properties of KBCL India

Capital markets regulator Sebi will auction 17 properties of KBCL India Ltd on Monday to recover money illegally collected from investors.

As many as 17 land parcels in Uttar Pradesh will be auctioned at a reserve price of Rs 4.23 crore, according to a notice issued last month.

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Kashi Sansad Cultural Festival

Varanasi will host the three-day Kashi Sansad Cultural Festival with district-level competitions scheduled to commence on Monday.

Various events like vocal recital, instrumental music, dance, and street play will be held for different age groups.

A day to remember

Kisan Divas

Birth anniversary of fifth PM of India Charan Singh

Birth anniversary of Indian politician, a well-known lawyer, and a social activist Rash Behari Ghosh

First successful kidney transplant was performed by J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray in 1954

The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck was first performed in 1893
Three days after 50-year-old Taleb al-Abdulmohsen rammed a car into a Christmas market in Germanys Magdeburg, killing five and injuring many others, authorities are still trying to determine the Saudi mans motive. His social media accounts reveal a dark past of anti-Islamic sentiments and growing discontent against Germanys migration policies read more

The car that crashed into a crowd of people at the Magdeburg Christmas market is seen following the attack in Magdeburg, Germany. AP

Germanys festive spirit has turned sombre with many in mourning after a car plowed into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people and injuring more than 200 on Friday (December 20).

Officials in Germany are now trying to piece together the possible motivation for Saudi suspect Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old psychiatrist, to ram his car into the crowds in an attack that stunned the people and raised questions about security in the country.

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Germanys Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Sunday (December 22) that no stone will be left unturned in shedding light on what information had been available to security services ahead of last Fridays bloody attack in the eastern city of Magdeburg.

She further stressed that the attacker did not fit any previous pattern because he acted like an Islamist terrorist although ideologically he was clearly an enemy of Islam.

Fridays Christmas carnage

Last Friday, a car, identified to be a BMW, barrelled through a Christmas market crowd in the eastern German city of Magdeburg. NTV television showed multiple ambulances and fire engines at the chaotic site with injured people being rushed off to hospitals and others being treated as they lay on the ground.

Cries and screams could be heard as police, medics and the fire service deployed to the litter-strewn market decorated with Christmas trees and festive lights.

The local Volkstimme newspaper said reports from the scene indicated the attacker drove in a zig-zag motion across the market  clearly in an attempt to hit as many people as possible.

At the end of the attack, five people had died, including four women and a nine-year-old child, and injured many others.

One of the survivors of the attack was quoted by Welt TV saying, Everyone was lying on the ground  children, men, injured, its unimaginable.

I thought I was just going to a Christmas market and then something like this happens. The world is sick.

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People look at flowers and candles left as a tribute near the Alter Markt Christmas market, where a man drove a car into the crowd through an emergency exit route on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany. Reuters

Suspects trail of hate on social media

Following the attack, German officials arrested a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian man, who lives in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. Media outlets soon identified him as Taleb Al Abdulmohsen, a doctor of psychiatry.

According to some reports, Taleb arrived in Germany as a Saudi Arabian refugee in 2006. Posts on his social media accounts show that he supported anti-Islam and far-right parties, including Alternative for Germany.

On X, Taleb has over 47,000 followers and he routinely posted or re-posted on a daily basis mostly on anti-Islam themes. He often criticised the religion and congratulated Muslims who left the faith. A BBC interview of 2022 reveals that Taleb had set up a website called We Are Saudis (wearesaudis.net) which he says he used to help Saudi activists and ex-Muslims escape Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. He told the BBC he was often approached by younger Saudi women trying to escape their families.

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His social media activity also reveals that while he was initially appreciative of Germany, in recent years he appeared to be more discontent with the countrys immigration policies. He also accused Germany of promoting the Islamisation of the country.

Previously, he posted online to his followers, German terrorism will be brought to justice. Its very likely that I will die this year in order to bring justice.

In August, he once again posted, I assure you that if Germany wants a war, we will fight it. If Germany wants to kill us, we will slaughter them, die, or go to prison with pride.

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He also wrote, Is there a path to justice in Germany without blowing up a German embassy or randomly slaughtering German citizens?  If anyone knows it, please let me know.

He also spewed a lot of hate towards former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, accusing her of allowing too many Muslims into the country. In early December, he posted, Merkel must spend the rest of her life in prison as punishment for her criminal secret project to Islamise Europe. But if the death penalty is reinstated, she deserves to be executed.

Apart from his posts, Taleb as early as 2013 was fined by a court in the city of Rostock for disturbing the public peace by threatening to commit crimes. He was also investigated this year in Berlin for the misuse of emergency calls after arguing heatedly with officers at a police station, local media reported.

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Mina Ahadi, the chair of an association of former Muslims in Germany, told The Guardian that Taleb was no stranger to us, because he has been terrorising us for years. She labelled him a psychopath who adheres to ultra-right conspiracy ideologies.

A police officer stands at a cordoned-off Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany. AP

Warnings about Taleb

After the car-ramming incident, it also emerged that Saudi Arabia had warned Germany about Taleb and his extremist views. According to a report by Der Spiegel, the Saudi secret service had warned Germany a year ago about a tweet in which Taleb threatened Germany would pay a price for its treatment of Saudi refugees.

CNN further reports that Saudi Arabia considered Taleb a fugitive and even requested his extradition from Germany between 2007 and 2008.

However, a risk assessment concluded that Taleb was of no specific danger, reported the Welt newspaper.

Questions swirling over car attack

Many in Germany are baffled as to how Taleb carried out this attack on Friday, with some accusing officials of ignoring warning signs. In fact, as leaders and politicians arrived at the market on Saturday, they were confronted with boos and heckles and shouts of hau ab, an extremely aggressive form of get lost, reported the BBC.

The ground remains littered with debris at a Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany. AP

Many asked why a car could pass through the barriers that are now set up around open-markets following the 2016 incident in which a man drove a lorry into a market crowd, killing 12 people.

According to city official Ronni Krug, the emergency responders needed an evacuation route in case of a conventional emergency, and all the relevant agencies approved the plan. A safety and security concept must, on the one hand, protect those visiting an event as much as possible, but also needs to ensure, at the same time, if something does happen, they are able to leave the site safely and rapidly, he said.

Meanwhile, the incident has also provided fodder for the opposition parties to attack German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Conservative lawmaker Alexander Throm charged that many citizens feel that the Scholz government has completely failed in terms of internal security.

The far-right AfD has even called for a special session of parliament.

However, Scholz condemning the terrible, insane attack, made a call for national unity amid high political tensions as Germany heads towards elections on February 23.

With inputs from agencies
Nearly three years into sweeping Western sanctions, luxury Western goods continue to line Moscows high-end stores, defying predictions of Russias economic isolation. Despite brands like Chanel and Hermes exiting, sanctioned products reach shelves through indirect trade routes, keeping wealthy Russians well-supplied read more

People walk past a Hermes shop window in Russia's landmark GUM shopping centre on the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, December 9, 2015. File Image/Reuters

Despite sweeping Western sanctions and the exodus of major brands following Russias military actions in Ukraine, affluent shoppers in Moscow continue to find luxury Western goods in abundance.

In the citys upscale shopping districts, high-end Russian retailers and department stores are thriving, offering everything from luxury cars and designer clothing to gold jewelry. This reality sharply contrasts with Western predictions of a collapsed Russian economy and complete isolation.

I dont see any particular changes, said Natalia, a 51-year-old dentist browsing the upscale GUM shopping mall near the Kremlin. Maybe there were three stores  Chanel, Dior, Hermes  that I know have left. All the rest are the same as before. I see even Brunello Cucinelli is here, she told AFP, referring to the Italian luxury brand.

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Many in Moscow, including President Vladimir Putin, mock the perceived ineffectiveness of sanctions. They wanted to isolate us? Please! We are so isolated here its even funny, scoffed Sergei, a 61-year-old pensioner exiting an exclusive store.

Is it pure hypocrisy?

The US, EU, and UK banned the export of luxury goods to Russia as part of their sanctions. Major brands, including Chanel, Hermes, LVMH, and Kering, voluntarily exited the market early in the conflict.

Yet, nearly three years later, their products still populate shelves in Moscowa city of 13 million that was once a lucrative market. Sanctioned goods are routed to Russia through intermediaries in regions like Central Asia and the Caucasus.

While official stores remain closed, many brands retain their prime locations, seemingly hoping to return someday. Their announced departure is pure hypocrisy, said a French businessman selling luxury goods in Moscow.

Even though their stores are officially closed, these brands continue to sell their products to Russians via marketplaces and dealers, he told AFP anonymously.

Trade statistics reveal a sharp increase in exports from Western countries to former Soviet states like Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan since sanctions began, highlighting the complex supply chain.

One way or another, everything is imported, said Elena, a 38-year-old marketing manager for a luxury lingerie brand, while shopping at TSUM, a prestigious Moscow department store. Its a little more complicated, but overall everybody manages, she told AFP.

A sales assistant there confirmed: The luxury brands are still here. And so are our regular customers, demand has not dropped.

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Is return inevitable?

TSUM advertises products from brands like Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, and Alexander McQueencompanies that officially exited Russia. The store even claims its prices are more competitive than in Dubai, a favorite shopping destination for wealthy Russians amid travel restrictions to Europe.

In Dubai, sales of luxury goods have exploded, noted the French businessman.

Russian retailers, meanwhile, have turned to creative procurement strategies, reminiscent of the buyers from the 1990s who sourced luxury goods from Europe. These modern buyers now coordinate directly with boutiques abroad, securing everything from jewelry to furniture.

Given the huge demand for luxury Western goods, rich Russians are confident the brands will return. Its only a matter of time, said Andrei, a 52-year-old stylist with elite clientele.

With inputs from AFP
More and more Republicans seem to be openly embracing Elon Musk with some even referring to him as our prime minister. This, even as President-elect Donald Trump is rejecting the notion that the worlds richest man is in charge. Lets take a closer look read more

Donald Trump is getting ready to return to the Oval Office in January.

But is Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and the owner of X, calling the shots?

More and more Republicans seem to be openly embracing Musk with some even referring to him as prime minister.

This, even as the President-elect himself is rejecting the notion that Musk is in charge.

Lets take a closer look

Republicans embrace Musk

Republicans are going out of their way to shower Musk with praise.

House Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas called Musk our prime minister.

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Its kind of interesting, we have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker. It feels like Elon Musk is our prime minister, Gonzalez told CBS Face the Nation.

Gonzales told the outlet he spoke to Musk a couple times this week and that many of us did so.

However, he did point out that Musk has not been elected to any office.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, meanwhile, told Fox News on Sunday that the idea hed put out of Musk being House Speaker might have been tongue-in-cheek, but that he appreciated his input.

Thank god Elon Musk bought Twitter, because thats the only way we would even know whats in this bill, Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee told CNN.

NBC quoted Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as saying Musk was playing an important role.

Were bringing in a consultant from the private sector to put a different set of eyes on what were spending money on, Mullin said.

Mullin, speaking about Musks use of X, added, He has a right to do it. Hes still a private citizen. Hes no different than anyone else.

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Musk, remember, had stepped in to try and tank the bipartisan funding bill to keep the government going.

Musk, who claimed it was one of the worst bills ever written, also warned that those who voted for the bill deserve to be voted out in two years  which many likely Republicans likely saw as a threat to fund primary challengers.

Trump and Vance then echoes Musks call for the bill to be killed  asking for the debt ceiling to be raised or abolished among other things.

Throughout the day Wednesday, Musk replied to posts on X from Republican House members announcing opposition to the bill with words of thanks, and punctuating their public commitments.

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And he took a victory lap after Trump came out against the bill: The voice of the people was heard. This was a good day for America.

He was responding to Kentucky Rep. Andy Barrs post: The phone was ringing off the hook today. And you know why? Because they were reading tweetsfrom Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

By late afternoon Thursday and before the new plan was put to a vote, Musk declared success and posted a picture of the new, slimmed down alternative alongside the voluminous, original measure he helped kill. This shows how much your voice matters, he posted. And having a President like @realDonaldTrump means that your voice is finally heard.

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Conservative activists at the annual AmericaFest gathering in Phoenix cheered Musk Thursday and hailed the suggestion he could replace Johnson as speaker. Theres no requirement that the speaker be an elected member of the House of Representatives.

Should Mike Johnson remain speaker of the House? conservative media host Jack Posobiec asked his audience during a live taping of his talk show, prompting a chorus of Noooooo!!! from his audience.

Johnson had been scheduled to attend AmericaFest, but canceled after the budget deal fell apart.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson arrives to speak to reporters after the US House of Representatives rejected a Republican-led funding bill aimed at averting the closure. Reuters

Should Elon Musk be speaker of the House? Posobiec asked his audience, prompting cheers.

Though the Republicans attempted to pass their own bill which included some of Trumps demands, it quickly went down in flames.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson then passed a bill with the support of Democrats  which though removed many of the provisions Trump and Musk found objectionable, did not address the President-elects main demand of dealing with the debt ceiling.

Musk downplays role, Trump on defensive

Despite his ultimate failure to get the bill he wanted passed, Musk has received much praise online.

Perhaps mindful of avoiding the President-elects displeasure, Musk has sought to downplay his role.

All I can do is bring things to the attention of the people, so they may voice their support if they so choose.

Trump, meanwhile, has gone on the defensive.

Trump on Sunday rejected the idea that Musk has taken over the presidency.

The President-elect, speaking at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, pointed to the fact that Musk is ineligible to be commander-in-chief because he was born in South Africa.

No, hes not going to be president, that I can tell you, Trump said. And Im safe. You know why he cant be? He wasnt born in this country.

US President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak at AmericaFest, December 22. AP

Al Jazeera quoted Trump as saying that the idea hes given the presidency to Musk was a hoax from his political rivals.

The President-elect also told NBC News that he had spoken to Musk prior to the Tesla CEOs first posts.

I told him that if he agrees with me, that he could put out a statement, Trump said.

Donald Trump Jr on Thursday too pushed back against the notion that Musk is calling the shots.

You see what the media is trying to do to break up the relationship that my father has with Elon. Theyre trying to cause that schism to prevent these guys doing what theyre going to do best, and we cannot allow that, he was quoted as saying by NBC.

Democrats attack, Republicans push back

Democrats have gone on the attack against the SpaceX CEO  referring to him as President Musk.

Welcome to the Elon Musk presidency, Democratic Representative Robert Garcia of California wrote on X.

As per Axios, Senator Chris Coons, Delaware told CNN he is worried about what Musks role is going to mean.

Coons also noted that certain provisions in the new bill were changed to favour Musk.

Given that Tesla has a major new factory in Shanghai, that may actually benefit Elon Musks business, Coons alleged.

It is extremely alarming that House Republican leadership, at the urging of an unelected billionaire, scrapped a bipartisan, bicameral negotiated funding deal that included this critical provision to protect American jobs and critical capabilities, Representative Rosa DeLauro wrote in a letter to congressional leaders as per Al Jazeera.

The Tesla logo appears on an unsold 2020 Model X at a dealership. AP

But Karoline Leavitt, the incoming White House press secretary, pushed back against Democratic critics who suggested Musk was calling the shots.

As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view, Leavitt said in a statement, referring to the continuing resolution. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop.

As per Axios, Hagerty too rebuffed the Democrats claims that Musk is in charge.

Hagerty said Trump is clearly the leader of the Republican Party.

Musks influence doesnt bother me a bit, Haggerty added.

He said he is appreciative of the fact that President Trump has that type of talent available to advise him.

It remains to be seen how long the Trump-Musk bromance will last.

With inputs from agencies
Several Osmania University members stormed into Allu Arjuns residence in Hyderabads Jubilee Hills on Sunday afternoon. They pelted stones, threw tomatoes, held placards and raised slogans seeking justice for the woman who died in the Sandhya Theatre stampede earlier this month read more

Tensions for Tollywood star Allu Arjun are not ending.

Several Osmania University members stormed into his residence in Hyderabads Jubilee Hills on Sunday afternoon, causing damage.

The protest against the Telugu actor followed the tragic death of a woman in a stampede at the Sandhya theatre during the premiere of his latest film, Pushpa 2.

Heres what happened.

The stone-pelting attack

The protesters on Sunday pelted stones, threw tomatoes, held placards and staged a protest against Allu Arjun.

According to a press release from the police, one of the protesters who showed up at the actors residence climbed the complex wall and began hurling tomatoes. According to the release, they manhandled the security staff and damaged some flower pots after they were told to get themselves down from the wall.

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The intruders also raised slogans against the actor and sought justice for the woman who died in the Sandhya Theatre stampede earlier this month.

In the visuals, a few people were seen breaking into the actors home and damaging the property. Outside of Allu Arjuns home, several protesters were seen burning his effigy in another video.

Notably, when the incident happened, the actor was not at his house.

Six protesters, allegedly from the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OUJAC), were calling for the victims family to receive Rs 1 crore in compensation.

A case has been registered against the six and a few others who were involved in the vandalism.

According to protesters pictures that went viral on social media, Congress is accused of planning the attack on Allu Arjuns home.

Srinivas Reddy, the president of the Kodangal Youth Congress and one of the accused in the vandalism incident, reportedly spearheaded the protests. He was pictured with Chief Minister Reddy earlier. Revanth Reddys constituency is Kodangal.

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Allu Arjuns statement

Allu Arjun issued a statement responding to the attack, urging fans to act responsibly.

He said, I appeal to all my fans to express their feelings responsibly, as always and not resort to any kind of abusive language or behaviour both online and offline. Misrepresentating as my fans with fake IDs and fake profiles, if someone indulges in abusive posts, strong action will be taken against them. I request the fans to not engage with such posts.

In response to the stone-pelting attack, Allu Aravind, Allu Arjuns father, stated that such occurrences should not be encouraged.

While speaking to the press at the home he shared with Allu Arjun, Allu Aravind said, Everyone has seen what happened at our house today. But it is time for us to act accordingly. Now is not the right time for us to react to anything.

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The police are ready to take away anyone else who comes here to create a ruckus. No one should encourage incidents like these. But I will not react just because the media is here. Now is the time to practice restraint. The law will take its own course, he concluded.

Condemnation

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy condemned the incident at the actors home and directed the city police commissioner and the state DGP to take tough measures against the protesters.

I condemn the attack on the homes of film celebrities. I order the state DGP and the city police commissioner to take strict action in the matter of law and order. No laxity will be tolerated in this matter. Senior officials should take precautions to ensure that police personnel who are not involved in the Sandhya Theatre incident do not respond, he said in a post on X.

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G Kishan Reddy, a BJP leader and union minister, denounced the pelting stones incident at the actors home and claimed that it demonstrated Telanganas law and order shortcomings under the Congress administration.

The incident of stone pelting at actor Allu Arjuns residence in Hyderabad highlights the shocking failure of law and order under the Congress government in the state. Incidents reflect the administrations inability to protect and ensure the safety and security of citizens. Targeting of artists and the cine industry has become a dangerous norm under the Congress government in Telangana. Is this Congress supported/sponsored? he said in a post on X.

Sandhya Theatre stampede

A woman lost her life in a tragic incident that occurred at the Pushpa 2 screening at Hyderabads Sandhya Theatre on December 4.

The mayhem started when huge crowds arrived to see Allu Arjun, who was there with Devi Sri Prasad, the music director and a stampede ensued as the theatres main gate collapsed. The 35-year-old woman was killed, and her nine-year-old son sustained severe injuries.

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The actor was arrested and sent to 14 days of judicial custody by a local court on December 13. However, the Telangana High Court granted him interim bail the same day. He was released from prison on December 14. He was booked under Sections 105 (criminal negligence) and 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt) of the BNS Act.

Later, the deceased womans husband had said that he was willing to withdraw the case. He said in a statement that he did not blame Allu Arjun for his wifes death in the stampede.

I am ready to withdraw the case. I was not aware of the arrest and Allu Arjun has nothing to do with the stampede in which my wife passed away, he had said.

Chaos in the Assembly

The controversy escalated after Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy alleged that Allu Arjun went to the theatre during the films screening despite being denied police permission. Reddy added that even after the woman was killed in the stampede, the actor refused to leave the theatre, thus the police had to eject him.

Additionally, he criticised the actor for organising a roadshow and waving at the crowd with co-star Rashmika Mandanna despite the large crowd, which put everyone at risk of a stampede.

After the criticism, Allu Arjun swiftly organised a press conference to refute the allegations and claimed that police helped him get to the location. He also vehemently denied allegations that he was engaging people or running a roadshow.

Had there not been permission, they would have told us to return and I am a law-abiding citizen. I wouldve followed that. Nothing of that sort of information was given to me. I was following as per their guidance and it was not a roadshow. There was no procession. It was just a crowd a few metres away from the theatres, he said, adding it was the police who were clearing the way for him and he reached the venue under their directions.

He stated that he could not meet the family since he was unaware of the stampede incident and only learnt about it the following morning when the case was filed against him. Additionally, he offered the victims family his regrets for the unfortunate situation.

Allu Arjuns claim was denied by previous Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ramesh, who stated that the actor was informed of the stampede while he was seeing the movie.

With inputs from agencies
Indian American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author Sriram Krishnan has been named Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence by US President-elect Donald Trump. Krishnan will play a key role in shaping AI policies across multiple government sectors. Heres what we know about him read more

Donald Trump has added another Indian-origin person to his team.

This time, Indian American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author Sriram Krishnan has been appointed as the Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence.

ALSO READ | From Harmeet Dhillon to Vivek Ramaswamy, the Indian-Americans in Trump 2.0

The Chennai-born will play a big role in developing AI policies across various government sectors. He will work closely with David O Sacks, recently named the White House AI & Crypto Czar.

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Who is Sriram Krishnan?

Born in Chennai into a middle-income Tamil family, Krishnans journey into the world of technology began in the late 1990s.

Krishnan will work closely with David O Sacks, recently named the White House AI & Crypto Czar.: X/@am_Migrade

The technologist recalls receiving a computer, a rare luxury at the time, as a transformative moment in his life. It cost about 60,000-70,000 rupees [$730-840; 638-744], a large part of my fathers paycheck, he told Youtuber Marika Mogilko in a 2021 interview.

I told him I would use it for my studies.

However, without internet access due to the high cost of a dial-up connection, Krishnan relied on coding books to teach himself programming basics, practising diligently every night.

This drive led him to pursue a degree in Information Technology at SRM Engineering College, Anna University. It was there that he met his future wife, Aarthi Ramamurthy, online in 2002, BBC said in a report. Both were studying at Anna University and had set their sights on becoming software engineers.

A mutual friend wanted to start a coding project, so he decided to get the two nerdiest people he knew - me and Aarthi - on board, Krishnan told Mogilko. Although the project fizzled out, their relationship survived. The couple exchanged texts on Yahoo Messenger for a year before meeting in person.

ALSO READ | Who is Aravind Srinivas, Indian-origin CEO backed by Elon Musk for a green card?

Their career breakthrough came in 2005 when one of Krishnans blog posts on Microsoft caught the attention of an executive at the company. Both Krishnan and Ramamurthy were later hired. He made huge contributions to the development of Windows Azure, focusing on its APIs and services.

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In 2007, he moved to the United States, with Ramamurthy joining him six months later. After their tenure at Microsoft, the couple went on to work at other major tech firms. In 2017, they became American citizens, an achievement he has equated to their wedding day and the birth of their first daughter, according to BBC.

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Over the years, Sriram Krishnan has held several key positions in major tech firms.

In 2013, he joined Facebook, where he played a role in scaling its mobile app download ads business. He then moved to Snap, contributing to various product initiatives, before joining Twitter (now X). At Twitter, he worked until 2019 and later teamed up with Elon Musk to restructure the platform following the Tesla CEOs acquisition in 2022.

In 2021, Krishnan became a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), focusing on emerging technologies. By 2023, he was leading the firms first international office in London.

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Beyond his corporate roles, Krishnan is an investor and advisor to Indian fintech firm Cred. Along with his wife, Ramamurthy, he co-hosts The Aarthi and Sriram Show, a podcast featuring high-profile guests like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. The show has achieved millions of downloads, earning the couple the title of a tech power duo. They currently reside in London.

Krishnan is also a strong advocate for artificial intelligence. In an opinion piece for The New York Times, he proposed solutions to harmonise the interests of AI companies and internet platforms, advocating for technology-driven collaboration over legal conflicts.

Close ties with Elon Musk

According to several reports, Krishnan shares a close professional relationship with Elon Musk. This bond became strong in 2022 when Krishnan worked closely with Musk during the latters acquisition of Twitter (now X).

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An admirer of Musk, Krishnan has previously described the billionaire as an inspirational person and an iconic founder. He has openly supported Musks vision for X and criticised practices like de-platforming on the platform.

When Musk took over Twitter, he dismissed several top executives, including former CEO Parag Agrawal. Among those he brought in to form a new team was Krishnan, who had previously worked at Twitter. Musk invited him to rejoin the company to play a role in the restructuring process.

Sriram Krishnan with his wife Aarthi Ramamurthy. Image courtesy: Instagram/@sriramk

Krishnan thanks Trump

Donald Trump announced Sriram Krishnans appointment as Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, stating, Sriram Krishnan will serve as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

ALSO READ | Whats the Khalistan row over Harmeet Dhillon, Trumps pick for assistant AG?

In response to the announcement, Krishnan said, Im honoured to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with David Sacks.

 I'm honored to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with @DavidSacks.



Thank you @realDonaldTrump for this opportunity. pic.twitter.com/kw1n0IKK2a  Sriram Krishnan (@sriramk) December 22, 2024

The Indian-American community also welcomed the appointment warmly. Sanjeev Joshipura, executive director of Indiaspora, said, We heartily congratulate Sriram Krishnan and are delighted that he has been appointed by President-elect Donald Trump as Senior Policy Advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy."

With inputs from agencies
According to a new report, there are dozens of Sharia courts operating in the UK that deliver religious verdicts on marriage and family life. Such religious courts allow men to end their marriages by pronouncing talaq thrice and have made polygamy so routine that there is an app for Muslims in England and Wales allowing them to create Islamic wills and even chart a polygamy plan read more

One woman said the court directed her to get into a nikah mut'ah  also known as a "pleasure marriage." Representational image.

Has Britain become the western capital for the Sharia courts?

According to a new report, there are dozens of such courts operating in the UK.

Responding to the report, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick has said that such institutions should not exist in the UK.

But what has the report revealed? And what has been the reaction?

Lets take a closer look

The UK legal system and Sharia law

First, lets take a brief look at the legal system in the UK and Sharia law.

According to Middle East Eye, the UK has three legal systems  a combined legal system based on common law in England and Wales, an independent legal system in Scotland and an independent legal system in Northern Ireland.

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Sharia, thus, is not the law of the land anywhere in the UK.

According to CFR.org, Sharia means the correct path in Arabic.

Sharia law is derived from two main sources  the Quran and the hadith.

Muslims consider the Quran the direct word of god.

The hadith, on the other hand, comprises thousands of sayings and practices attributed to the Prophet Mohammed.

Around half of the worlds Muslim-majority countries have laws based on the Sharia.

Most Muslims follow Sharia law in their personal lives.

India Today quoted theologian and professor Mona Siddiqui as saying that Sharia is based on the opinions of Islamic scholars from the time of Prophet Mohammed in the 7th Century to the 13th Century.

What do we know about these courts?

As per The Times, the first Sharia court in the UK began functioning in 1982.

Today, there are 85 such courts spread across Britain.

These courts, also known as councils, are informal bodies. They deliver religious verdicts on marriage and family life.

The authorities say around 100,000 marriages have occurred in Britain many of which are not registered with authorities.

The report also revealed that as such courts, men can end their marriages by pronouncing talaq thrice.

It also stated that polygamy has become so routine that there is an app for Muslims in England and Wales allowing them to create Islamic wills.

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The app, approved by a Sharia court, has a dropdown menu which allows men to choose the number of wives they have  between 1 and 4.

As per The Telegraph, the app known as Muzz also allows men to chart a polygamy plan.

Polygamy, of course, is not legal under UK law. Anyone engaging in the practice is guilty of bigamy.

The app also gives daughters half as much inheritance as it does sons.

Further, the verdict of one of the Sharia councils was lent credence after the UK High Court relied on it to issue a ruling.

Activists have complained that the UK High Court relying on a fatwa to issue a ruling undermines faith in liberal democracy. ANI

The Islamic Council founded by hardline preacher Haitham al-Haddad hears 900 cases a year.

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As per India Today, al-Haddad once said, A man should not be questioned why he hit his wife because this is something between them. Leave them alone. They can sort out their matters among themselves."

The councils full name is the Islamic Sharia Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Registered as a charity, it is based in east Londons Leyton.

It is thought to provide marriage and divorce services.

One woman also told The Times she was told to get into a nikah mutah  also known as a pleasure marriage.

As per India Today, this is a temporary union that lasts pre-determined length of time.

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At the end of the period, the marriage dissolves and the man pays the woman an amount that has been agreed upon.

As per The Times, it has recently begun taking up cases from Germany and North America.

The council in a ruling barred a health trust from letting a brain-damaged child die.

Activists have complained that the UK High Court relying on a fatwa to come to a ruling undermines faith in liberal democracy.

But according to Middle East Eye, these courts first sprung up to help Muslim women who wanted to obtain a divorce get one.

They give religious advice on inheritance, wills and other aspects of Islamic personal law.

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These courts are unofficial bodies and thus have no legal standing or power to enforce their decisions.

They work mainly as advisory bodies.

What do experts say?

Rakib Ehsan, writing in The Telegraph, has called for religious groups charitable status to be rescinded if they are found guilty of violating UK law.

Any possibility of migrants in the UK arriving to be a second, third, or fourth wife, should be clamped down on as part of a wider effort to introduce a more restrictive immigration regime. And alongside the nikah, it should be mandatory for all Muslim couples to marry into legally recognised partnerships, which provide much-needed protections, security, and support, Ehsan wrote.

Ehsan added that such courts must acknowledge that the law of the land is supreme and if they do not, the state must act.

Britains considerable religious freedoms must not be exploited, Ehsan added.

The National Secular Society has raised concerns that the UK is home to a parallel legal system.

India Today quoted its chief executive Stephen Evans as saying such Sharia courts undermine the principle of one law for all.

It should be remembered that Sharia councils only exist because Muslim women need them to obtain a religious divorce. Muslim men do not need them because they can unilaterally divorce their wife, Evans added.

A government spokesperson told The Times, Sharia law does not form any part of the law in England and Wales. And it is absolutely right that couples should marry into legally recognised marriages because that provides them with protections, security and support which they should have in the United Kingdom.

Our manifesto set out that we will strengthen these rights for couples who live together but are not married.

But shadow justice minister Jenrick has taken a different tone.

Jenrick wrote on social media, None of these courts should exist.

UK shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick. Reuters

Theres only one law in this country and it is British law.

So has Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, who has called for a debate on the subject.

MSN quoted Tice, speaking in parliament during questions to the Leader of the House of Commons, as saying,: As the deputy leader of Reform UK, I was, I think, along with millions of other British citizens, shocked to read the expose in The Times newspaper that Britain has become the western capital for the use of sharia courts.

I think that Id like to ask the leader if we could have a debate on this issue in the new year, because, in my view, the use of sharia courts to make unofficial rulings about marriages, divorces and family life have no place in the United Kingdom.

Lucy Powell, Leader of the House of Commons, hit back at Reform UKs leader Nigel Farage.

Of course, Im sure his leader is somewhere else far more important, either in the studios or abroad or somewhere else getting an airing, but I hear what he has to say. Im sure we would all agree that the courts in this country that are recognized are the UK, and British and English courts, and thats absolutely right.

A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain, told Middle East Eye Jenricks remarks reveal a concerning pattern of inflammatory rhetoric that surfaces every few years to whip up antagonism against British Muslims.

These are voluntary arbitration forums operating entirely within British law - just like Jewish beth din courts, which Mr Jenrick conspicuously fails to mention.

Will the Labour government take action against these Sharia courts?

That remains to be seen.

With inputs from agencies
A 33-year-old man was arrested for setting a woman on fire on a stationary subway train in New York on Sunday morning. The victim, who has not been identified yet, died at the scene read more

New York Police officers clear a train at the Coney Island Stillwell Avenue Terminal, May 5, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. File Photo/AP

In a chilling incident, a woman was set on fire on a stationary subway train in United States New York on Sunday (December 22) morning. The New York police have described the incident as one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.

A man has been arrested in connection with the case, who the police say intentionally set the woman ablaze. Police are yet to identify the victim.

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Lets take a closer look.

What happened?

At about 07:30 local time (6 pm IST) on Sunday, the woman was in a subway carriage at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn when she was approached by the man, the police said.

According to New York City (NYC) Police Commissioner, Jessica Tisch, the two were riding the subway train without interaction with one another, reported Associated Press (AP).

After the train stopped, the man was captured on the surveillance video of the car calmly approaching the victim. The woman appeared motionless, suggesting she was possibly sleeping.

Police believe the suspect used a lighter to burn the victims clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, Tisch was quoted as saying by AP.

Police say the two did not know each other.

The man got off the train as cops rushed to the fire.

Officers were on patrol on an upper level of that station, smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate, Tisch said, as per BBC.

What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames.

Officials extinguished the fire and paramedics responding to the scene declared the woman dead.

The New York City police commissioner said the suspect stayed at the scene and was captured on a police body-worn camera, sitting on a bench at the station.

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Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car, and the body-worn cameras on the responding officers produced a very clear detailed look at the killer, Tisch was quoted as saying by CNN.

While the police initially said the victim was sleeping at the time of the horrific attack, it is not clear whether she was asleep. However, she was motionless when the attack began, they said.

Police are yet to determine the motive for the attack.

How the suspect was arrested

The police shared the image of the suspect caught by the body cameras worn by the officers with the public.

Officers later received a tip-off from three teenagers who had recognised the man on another train.

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The three high school students dialled 911 to report they had spotted the man. New Yorkers came through again, the New York City police commissioner said.

Officers located the man on another train in midtown Manhattan.

As per AP, New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta said transit officers then radioed ahead to the next station, where more officers kept the train doors shut.

They searched each subway carriage and arrested the person of interest without incident.

This is amazing work done by the public and the police working together. Once again, someone saw something, we got it out through technology in numerous ways, and we were able to make a quick arrest on this nothing less than [a] heinous crime that occurred in our subway system," Gulotta said, as per CBS News.

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He said the investigation was going on, including to find out whether the woman was homeless.

What we know about the suspect

The suspect was described as 5-foot-6, weighing 150 pounds (68 kg) and wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, grey wool hat, paint-splattered pants and tan boots at the time of the attack, as per CBS News.

The 33-year-old suspect was arrested at Herald Square station, near the Empire State Building in Manhattan.

The police commissioner said the suspect was found with a lighter in his pocket.

Sources told Fox News Digital that the man was identified as Sebastin Zapeta, whose legal status was unclear.

NYPDs Gulotta said the man emigrated from Guatemala to the US in 2018.

The case was the second death reported in a New York subway on Sunday.

Police also responded to reports of an assault at 61st Street-Woodside Station in Queens at 12:35 am (11:05 am IST). They found a 37-year-old man stabbed in his torso and a 26-year-old man with multiple slits throughout his body.

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The older man was declared dead at a nearby hospital, while the other one was in stable condition, AP reported citing the police.

With inputs from agencies
Cadbury, Britains iconic chocolate brand, has lost its royal warrant after nearly two centuries of association with the monarchy. First granted in 1854 by Queen Victoria, the warrant symbolised Cadburys historic ties to the UK royal household, including Queen Elizabeth IIs fondness for its Bournville chocolates. King Charles IIIs updated warrant list excluded the confectionary giant read more

The Royal Warrant has long been a symbol of excellence and prestige in British commerce. It denotes a special relationship between a company and the royal household, acknowledging the quality of products or services provided to the monarchy.

However, recent updates to the warrant list by King Charles III have stirred public interest, especially with the removal of some iconic names, including Cadbury, which held the warrant for nearly 170 years.

The move has left many wondering why the UKs favourite chocolatier lost its royal endorsement.

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What is a royal warrant in the UK?

Royal Warrants date back to the 15th century and serve as formal recognition of companies supplying goods or services to the royal household. Companies granted a warrant are allowed to display the royal coat of arms on their products and branding, along with the phrase By Appointment to followed by the name of the grantor.

These warrants, currently granted by the King, Queen, or the Prince of Wales, are issued for a period of five years and reviewed upon expiry. They signify not only royal approval but also a relationship of trust and reliability between the monarchy and the warrant holder.

Bars of Cadburys Dairy Milk, a chocolate product manufactured by Mondelez, are seen in an illustration picture taken in Manchester, UK, May 17, 2024. File Image/Reuters

Approximately 750 individuals and companies hold about 800 active warrants, ranging from well-known corporations to smaller trades like cabinet makers, chimney sweeps, and engravers.

Historically, the warrant system has reflected the preferences and values of the reigning monarch.

For example, warrants for cigarette brands were revoked in 1999 due to public health concerns. Similarly, the death of a grantor renders the warrants void, though companies can continue using the branding for two years while applying for renewal.

What is the case with Cadbury?

Founded in 1824 in Bournville, Birmingham, Cadbury has been synonymous with British chocolate-making heritage. The brand first received its royal warrant in 1854 under Queen Victoria, marking the beginning of a relationship that would span six monarchs.

Queen Elizabeth II famously favoured Cadburys Bournville chocolates, often receiving them as cherished Christmas gifts.

However, this illustrious association came to an end when King Charles III chose not to renew Cadburys warrant in his updated list, the second since his ascension to the throne in September 2022.

Workers cross a road to attend a union campaign launch at the Cadbury factory in Bournville, central England, December 15, 2009. File Image/Reuters

Cadburys parent company, Mondelez International, expressed disappointment but acknowledged the decision: Cadbury is a much-loved brand that has been a part of British life for generations and remains the nations favourite chocolate. Whilst we are disappointed to be one of hundreds of other businesses and brands in the UK to not have a new warrant awarded, we are proud to have previously held one, and we fully respect the decision.

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While Buckingham Palace has not provided specific reasons for removing Cadbury from the list, several factors might have contributed:

Supply patterns : Insiders suggest Cadburys reduced supply to royal households in recent years, particularly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, might have played a role. The royal warrant reflects consumption trends across the entire royal household rather than individual preferences.

Sustainability and Health : King Charles III is well-known for his advocacy of sustainability and healthy eating. His preference for organic, eco-friendly, and nutrient-rich products may have influenced the decision. Reports indicate that this years warrant holders demonstrated stronger commitments to environmentally conscious practices.

Geopolitical pressure: Campaigners from the B4Ukraine movement urged King Charles to distance the monarchy from companies operating in Russia, including Mondelez International, reported The Guardian. While Cadburys removal does not seem directly linked to this campaign  other targeted companies like Bacardi and Samsung retained their warrants  the controversy may have drawn unwanted attention.

What about other brands?

The removal of Cadburys royal warrant is not an isolated case. Around 100 brands and companies, including the luxury chocolatier Charbonnel et Walker and consumer goods giant Unilever, were also dropped.

Despite this, 386 companies managed to retain their warrants, with some new additions tied to Queen Camilla, such as Jo Hansford (a hairdresser) and Wartski jewelers, the makers of the royal couples wedding rings.

Losing the warrant means Cadbury must remove all royal warrant branding from its packaging within 12 months. While the companys iconic purple packaging will remain, the absence of the royal coat of arms marks the end of an era.

Also Watch:

The warrant system also benefits businesses by signaling high quality and royal approval to customers. The removal could impact Cadburys brand image, although its status as Britains most beloved chocolatier is unlikely to waver.

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King Charles issued his first warrants in May 2024, and Prince William is expected to begin granting warrants in 2025. The Royal Warrant continues to serve as a prestigious benchmark, aligning with the values and preferences of the royal household in an ever-evolving world.

With inputs from agencies
Jaishankars visit comes just weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office. This also marks his second visit to the United States since the third Modi government assumed office in June this year. read more

The MEA said Jaishankar will also chair a conference of the Consul Generals of India in the US. Image- Reuters

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will be on a six-day visit to the United States from December 24 to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues with his counterparts and also chair a conference of the Consul Generals of India in the US, said the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday.

Jaishankars visit will be the first high-level visit from India to the US after Donald Trump won the presidential election. It comes ahead of the President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration.

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit the United States of America from December 24-29, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

He will be meeting counterparts to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues, it said in a brief statement.

Jaishankars last visit to the US coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modis trip to attend the Quad Leaders Summit, where he joined President Joe Biden, Australian PM Anthony Albanese, and former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. During the visit, PM Modi was warmly received by Biden at his personal residence in Wilmington, Delaware.

Last week, Donald Trump hinted towards a more stringent trade stance towards India, stating that his upcoming administration to resort to tit-for-tat approach. If they tax us, we tax them the same amount," he said.

The word reciprocal is important because if somebody charges us  India, we dont have to talk about our own  if India charges us 100 per cent, do we charge them nothing for the same? You know, they send in a bicycle, and we send them a bicycle. They charge us 100 and 200. India charges a lot. Brazil charges a lot. If they want to charge us, thats fine, but were going to charge them the same thing," Trump added.

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As the strength of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has fallen to a historic low of 31 squadrons against the sanctioned strength of 42, the Indian government has set up a high-level committee to address the crisis, according to a report read more

Indian Air Force only has 31 squadrons against the sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons. (Photo: Indian Air Force)

The Indian government has set up a high-level committee to address the historic shortage of aircraft in the Indian Air Force (IAF), according to a report.

Earlier this year, it came to light that the IAFs fleet has depleted to an all-time low. Against the sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons, the IAF only has 31 squadrons at the moment. The effectively strength is, however, even lower at 29 as two of the MiG-21 squadrons are functioning minimally to preserve the ageing aircraft. These aircraft have long reached the end of their live but their phasing-out has been delayed owing to the shortage of aircraft in the IAF.

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Amid such a situation, the Narendra Modi government has set up a high-level committee headed by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh to figure out a roadmap to address the crisis, according to The Economic Times.

For more than a decade, multiple procurement and induction programmes of the IAF have been stalled. The induction of Tejas aircraft is essentially on pause because of delay of supply of US-made engines and the procurement of 114 new 4.5-generation fighters has long been pending.

The ET has reported that the committee headed by Singh is expected to submit the report by the end of January 2025.

Beside Singh, the newspaper reported that the committee includes Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Samir V Kamat, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar, and IAF deputy chief Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, among others.

For a long time, the Indian national security establishment has been concerned about the possibility of a two-front conflict where India may have to face the combined forces of Pakistan and China at the same time. As these two adversaries have continued to deepen ties, it is imperative to India to adapt the possibility of a two-front conflict into defence planning. The poor state of the IAF, however, severely compromises the ability to deal with a two-front conflict.

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Following the setting up of the committee, a source told the newspaper that some jets will be directly acquired while the bulk will be produced in India.

As for the long-delayed supplies of Tejas engines, the US major GE has said the supplies would start in March 2025  two years behind schedule.

The crisis is not just limited to the shortage of warplanes but also transport and other tactical assets.

Against the required number of 18, the IAF has just six mid-air refueler aircraft, according to the newspaper.

When it comes to airborne early-warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, the IAF just has six aircraft which is fewer than even Pakistan, as per the newspaper.

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The IAF envisions to have at least 12 more AEW&C aircraft.
The Mahakumbh 2025, scheduled from January 13 to February 26 in Prayagraj, will offer a groundbreaking digital experience to people worldwide, featuring an AI-powered chatbot introduced for the first time, according to a report read more

The Maha Kumbh-2025 will be held in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26. Image Courtesy: @MahaKumbh_2025

The Mahakumbh 2025, scheduled from January 13 to February 26 in Prayagraj, will offer a groundbreaking digital experience to people worldwide, featuring an AI-powered chatbot introduced for the first time.

The initiative is part of the Digital Mahakumbh vision, spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, PTI quoted officials as saying.

According to a PTI report, by simply scanning the QR code, users can receive a personalised Mahakumbh certificate with their photo on it, which can also be saved digitally or printed.

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The AI chatbot also provides complete details about every event and major programme of the Mahakumbh, added the report.

Officials, led by Regional Tourism Officer Aparajita Singh, are working diligently to ensure the event is both spiritually enriching and technologically advanced.

This initiative marks the first time the Mahakumbh will embrace digitalisation on such a large scale, offering a unique experience to devotees globally.

Visitors can access the chatbot through the link (https://chatbot.kumbh.up.gov.in) or by scanning the QR code to receive their personalised certificate.

The AI chatbot is being promoted heavily on social media platforms like X, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, boosting its popularity as a trending tool to connect devotees with the Mahakumbh experience.

According to the report, the chatbot can guide users virtually to Mahakumbh Nagar and provide essential information about amenities such as food, lockers, washrooms, and changing rooms.

Designed to assist in 11 languages  Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, and Urdu  the chatbot allows users to ask questions either by speaking or typing, with responses in their preferred language.

Beyond answering queries, the chatbot fosters a personal connection, enhancing the overall experience for all users.

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Meanwhile, to ensure the seamless operation of the Kumbh Mela, a state-of-the-art control room has been established at the tent city.

The control room ahs been designed with the creative expertise of Bollywoods renowned art director and architect Pawan Pandey.

According to a Times of India report, senior mela authorities will strategise and review all aspects of the mega religious event from the state-of-the-art control room, which is well-equipped to monitor every nook and corner of the mela campus.

Apart from the conference room, special media blocks are also being set up within the control room to facilitate real-time dissemination of information to the public, ensuring widespread coverage of the event, added the report.

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To enhance the exquisiteness and elegance of Mahakumbh, teams of renowned artists from across the country are bringing the walls of Sangam City to life with vibrant and creative artwork, ToI quoted ADM (Kumbh Mela) Vivek Chaturvedi as saying.

He, however, said the state-of-the-art control room will host meetings and conferences to ensure proper arrangements for devotees.

The control room is designed to ensure maximum security and efficiency, he added.

The facility, adorned with artwork inspired by Prayagrajs iconic temples and religious sites, is designed to house over 100 officials who will oversee activities during the Mahakumbh.

Senior mela officials will use the control room to monitor the event and provide real-time updates to state authorities.

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It includes specialised cabins for managing operations such as security, administration, medical services, and water supply monitoring. With its L-shaped layout and state-of-the-art amenities, the control room serves as a high-tech hub for coordinating the worlds largest religious gathering.

With inputs from agencies
Indias commitment towards climate change is mirrored in public and private sector initiatives, ranging from government investments in renewable energy and green hydrogen to private firms driving innovations in sustainable mobility, green technologies and waste management. read more

Indias active participation in COP29 reflects its dual role as a developing economy and a leader in climate action. Representative Image- FP

Indias proactive stance on climate change reflects its commitment to sustainable growth and global environmental leadership. Despite contributing just 4% to historical global emissions, India has demonstrated bold climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, including reducing emissions intensity by 45% by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.

As the global focus shifts towards actionable steps for decarbonisation, Indias initiatives in renewable energy, hydrogen technology and afforestation serve as significant milestones. With private sector engagement gaining momentum, COP29 highlights Indias efforts to balance economic growth with sustainable practices, offering innovative solutions to global climate challenges.

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Industry leaders emphasise the importance of collaboration between stakeholders, consistent policies, and innovation to meet these goals.

Sambitosh Mohapatra, Partner and Leader - ESG, Climate and Energy, PwC India said that approval of the methodological principles for the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism is an enabler towards establishing a global platform for trading carbon offsets that are real, transparent, conservative and credible.

This upholds the core carbon principles of setting an ambitious baseline, considers the feasibility of best available technologies (BATs) in a given economy, urges alignment with country-specific NDCs, and re-emphasises the need for demonstration of additionality. It will build trust amongst the larger stakeholder groups around the quality of the carbon credits in the global market, he said.

Experience of Indian industries under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) regime earlier will provide confidence to invest in cutting-edge technologies for deeper decarbonisation efforts.

Indias current climate policies are projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around four billion tonnes between 2020 and 2030 and drive a 24-per cent reduction in coal-based power generation, according to a new report.

According to the report, in the power sector alone, policies promoting renewable energy are expected to drive a 24-per cent decline in coal-based electricity generation by 2030, relative to a no-policy scenario.

Talking about Indias role in global climate change mitigation, Vishnu Sudarsan, Partner, JSA Advocates & Solicitors said that under its NDCs to the Paris Agreement, India aims to reduce its emissions intensity by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve 50% of its total installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by the same year.

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India is also undertaking large-scale afforestation projects to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO equivalent through forest and tree cover by 2030, he said, adding that despite contributing only about 4% of global emissions historically, India is implementing ambitious policies like the National Hydrogen Mission and state-level climate action plans, demonstrating its leadership in the transition towards a sustainable future.

As of 2024, Indian private companies are actively engaging in various initiatives to combat global warming, reflecting a significant shift towards sustainability and climate resilience. Approximately 90% of corporate leaders in India now view sustainability as a key driver for competitive advantage, with many committing to ambitious climate goals. For instance, the Mahindra Group has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions and is investing heavily in electric vehicles, renewable energy, and green buildings, contributing to a projected economic impact of over $15 trillion from Indias transition to a net-zero economy, said Sudarsan.

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The government has also allocated $2.2 billion to develop green hydrogen capacity and 125 GW of renewable energy, while private sector investments have surpassed $200 billion in support of these initiatives, he added.

Sudarsan further said that the rise of over 90,000 startups, particularly in climate tech, further exemplifies the private sectors role in fostering innovation and sustainable practices across agriculture, energy and transportation sectors. Collectively, these efforts demonstrate a robust commitment from Indian private companies to address climate change and contribute to the nations ambitious climate goals under the Panchamrit framework, he said.

Highlighting the role of the Indian government in climate action, Sameer Jain, Managing Director of Primus Partners said that historically, India has been a champion in taking the cause of climate justice forward based on common but differentiated responsibilities, with it getting ranked among the top 10 countries taking climate action seriously.

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For the same, India must establish a consistent and long-term policy environment to make confident investment decisions in sustainable practices, enhance government investments in R&D for innovation in green technologies and provide industries economic support in the form of tax breaks, subsidies and grants, especially during early stages of green technologies adoption, develop a robust green infrastructure network, including smart grids, create awareness among consumers which will lead to demand creation and devolution of climate action goals, Jain said, adding that India must also build capacities for accessing domestic finance, instead of relying on developed nations for green finance.

He further said that several states, such as, Rajasthan, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar, etc. have announced green budgets, which is a good sign of local action.

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Role of Industries in Climate Action

Of the more than 70 bn USD India needs for its Climate Action, only 20-25% is currently being met, majorly through government resources while the rest has to come from the private sector. However, for the private sector, climate action is looked at as a separate investment or even CSR and is not necessarily built into the private sectors capital investment plans.

The climate transition offers the private sector an opportunity to commercially and technologically advance across multiple sectorssmart and decentralized grids, energy-efficient green buildings, infrastructure, mobility, energy generation, and agriculture.

Ankit Sharma, CEO & Co-Founder, Vidyuta said that climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our era and the role of India has become very crucial in combating it.

Indias shift from fossil fuels to electric vehicles represents a transformative step in combating climate change. With the domestic electric vehicle market projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 49% between 2022 and 2030, reaching annual sales of 10 million units by 2030, the demand for sustainable battery materials has never been greater, he said

Maninder Singh Nayyar, CEO and Founder of CEF Group said that addressing this crisis requires a united effort between the public and private sectors. Companies have a responsibility to drive innovation and adopt sustainable practices that significantly cut emissions, he said.

Suyash Gupta, Director General of Indian Auto LPG Coalition said Climate change requires collective action and as a rapidly developing nation, we must adopt sustainable practices and reduce our carbon footprint.

Auto LPG is a viable alternative fuel that emits significantly lower levels of pollutants compared to conventional fuels, making it a cleaner and more environmentally friendly option. By promoting the adoption of Auto LPG, we can help reduce vehicular emissions and improve air quality, contributing to a healthier planet, he added.

Akshit Bansal, Founder & CEO of Statiq said that both the public and private sectors must work hand in hand to address the concerns surrounding climate.

Private companies have a unique opportunity and responsibility to drive innovation and implement sustainable practices that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he said.
A new study has found that the likelihood of timely cancer treatment for patients in India has increased by nearly 36% over the past six years, attributing this improvement to the Ayushman Bharat-PM Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), according to a report read more

A new study has found that the likelihood of timely cancer treatment for patients in India has increased by nearly 36% over the past six years, attributing this improvement to the Ayushman Bharat-PM Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).

Timely treatment is defined as beginning within 30 days of a cancer diagnosis.

According to a Times of India, citing a report published in The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia, the study examined the treatment history of 6,695 cancer patients across seven major hospitals in India, revealing that most began treatment within 20 days of diagnosis. Only a few patients experienced delays of up to two months.

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The research also indicated that patients diagnosed after 2018 were 36% more likely to start treatment in a timely manner compared to those diagnosed between 1995 and 2017, added the report.

The Ayushman Bharat-PM Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), a central health initiative launched in 2018, aims to provide annual health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisations to low-income and vulnerable families. Recently, the government expanded the scheme to include all senior citizens aged 70 and older, regardless of income.

The study claims that timely treatment access has improved by 30% for those not enrolled in the health scheme, while AB-PMJAY beneficiaries experienced a 90% increase.

Led by Dr. Prinja Shankar from PGIMER-Chandigarh and funded by the Department of Health Research in the health ministry, the study highlights several factors contributing to delayed treatment.

Key issues include poor education, lower socio-economic status, socio-cultural beliefs, gender disparities, distance from healthcare facilities, and insufficient financial protection, such as insurance. These factors place the poor and vulnerable at a significant disadvantage.

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An official from the National Health Authority (NHA) said that AB-PMJAY has helped to narrow this gap to some extent.

Now, the poor dont have to think about the cost as they have assurance of treatment up to Rs 5 lakh, Times of India report quoted the official as saying.

AB-PMJAY comprises 557 health benefits packages for cancer treatment.

The Lancet study found that cancer patients requiring radiotherapy experienced the longest delays in treatment initiation. In high-income countries, there is typically one radiotherapy unit for every 250,000 people, equating to about four machines per million.

Applying this standard to India suggests a need for 5,000 radiotherapy units, while currently, there are fewer than 1,000, resulting in a shortfall of over 4,000 machines, added the report.

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The researchers recommend that the government enhance radiotherapy infrastructure, promote local production of quality equipment like linear accelerators, and make radiation treatment more affordable and equitable by refining existing health benefit packages under AB-PMJAY.

Additionally, since unknown cancer stages contribute to delays, they emphasize the need to expand population coverage through screening programmes.

With inputs from agencies
Quest of Kuwait for a New Kuwait in accordance with their Vision 2035 and Indias unremitting efforts to become Viksit Bharat by 2047 through Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam can be mutually sustaining and complementary given the increasing convergences of approaches and priorities between the two countries read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kuwait (December 21-22) at the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of the State of Kuwait. This has been much awaited and could not materialise due to scheduling issues and the late Amirs health as well as Indian elections. That is not to say that Kuwait is any less important than its sisterly Gulf Cooperation Council and Arab countriesfar from it. In fact, PM Modis visit also coincided with the first anniversary of the assumption of office by the Amir. PM Modi met the Amir and held detailed discussions with the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister of Kuwait on ways to take the relationship to new heights.

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Secretary MEA Arun Kumar Chatterjee reiterated that Kuwait is the key partner. Kuwait has always held and enjoyed an affectionate relationship with India, except for a brief period during the Arab wars of the 1990s when Iraq invaded Kuwait and the then Foreign Minister Inder Kumar Gujrals embrace with Saddam irked the rulers. But like us, they understand and value the hug diplomacy. They did understand Indias compulsions for the safety of over 100,000 stranded Indians, whose evacuation from the war zones was an immediate priority.

But Kuwait, like other GCC and West Asian countries (and, for that matter, Africa and many other countries across continents as a whole), had suffered equanimous treatment with regard to high-level visits from India, which were absent for over four decades. But since 2008, and especially during PM Modis tenure since 2014, India shifted its Link West policy to Act West Policy, which was effectively done through high-level visits and exchanges that bridged that nagging deficit.

India has actively engaged with the region, catapulting it to a higher orbit of strategic partnership from a transactional relationship. As MEA Press Release mentions, This was the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in 43 years. And this visit sought to further strengthen the multifaceted ties between India and Kuwait. PM in his departure statement also stressed, We are not just strong trade and energy partners, but also have shared interests in peace, security, stability, and prosperity in the West Asia region. West Asia is in a dangerous flux; hence, consultations with friends are important, especially as regional stability and security happen to be of paramount importance and linked to our own.

A noted Kuwaiti commentator, Hala Al Makimi, wrote prior to the PMs visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit is expected to bring renewed hope to the region and present an opportunity for peace. The visit is likely to mark a new chapter in bilateral relations, as both countries share a common agenda for international peace and stability. No wonder the relationship has been elevated to strategic partnership . PM Modi tweeted, In line with the close ties between our nations, we have elevated our partnership to a strategic one and I am optimistic that our friendship will flourish even more in the times to come.

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Kuwait was my very first foreign country, which I visited as an Air India crew member and then many times as a diplomat dealing with the region. Affection and talks and their memories of India always marked the discussions with the Kuwaiti people. I had also worked on the visit of the then Vice President Hamid Ansari to Kuwait and the reception by the whole cabinet lined up at the airport to receive the dignitary, and discussions were remarkable in content and sought qualitative change in the relationship. Their affection and hospitality, like the rest of the Arab world, were infectious.

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In recent times the momentum of ministerial visits had been maintained with the two foreign ministers, among several others, visiting New Delhi and Kuwait, respectively. During the visit of the Kuwaiti foreign minister to India in December 2024, the memorandum of understanding to establish a joint committee for cooperation at the level of foreign ministers was signed, creating a high-level mechanism to monitor progress and address issues on a regular basis. It established new Joint Working Groups in areas of trade, investment, education, technology, agriculture, security, and culture, in addition to the existing ones in areas including hydrocarbons, health, and consular matters, which also indicated the areas in which greater focus will be initiated and where agreements were likely during the PMs much awaited visit to Kuwait. Moreover, not only did the Kuwaiti foreign minister speak of PM Modi as the wisest leader, but Kuwait also conferred their highest honour, the Order of Mubarak Al-Kabeer, on PM Modi.

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India and Kuwait have a robust institutional mechanism for cooperation with over two dozen agreements across the collaborative spectrum. Over a dozen have been in the pipeline, of which several have been signed during the VVIP visit, laying a new foundation. Trade, investment, defence cooperation, and energy security remain the major fundamental pillars apart from historic and cultural connections.

Kuwait remains a reliable supplier of crude oil and liquefied natural gas to India, amounting to nearly 3 per cent of total Indian needs, and has been the sixth-largest crude supplier. Kuwait has invested over $10 billion in various projects. Yet there is greater potential for the $800 billion Kuwaiti sovereign wealth fund. In fact, the Indian Rupee was a legal tender in Kuwait until the 1960s, and the use of UPI could be a good beginning.

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India remains a major trading partner of Kuwait, with bilateral trade crossing over $10 billion and Indian exports also bouncing back significantly post the pandemic. The signing of a new Bilateral Investment Treaty, which upgrades the BIPPA, will go a long way in providing credible assurance and confidence to the investors for exploring and exploiting the exceptional infrastructural opportunity in India. Likewise, Kuwaits joining of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) will open up new vistas of cooperation in renewable energy.

Currently, Kuwait is the chair of the GCC, and New Delhi has recently refocused on its regional approach with even the relaunch of India-GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. Kuwait could help expedite the negotiations. As such, within the GCC and the Arab world, Kuwait has played an important role in diffusing tensions among various neighbours, including during the Qatar blockade with shuttle diplomacy by the Amir himself. Moreover, the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor projects success to a great extent depends on the India-GCC dynamic since the bilateral trade exceeds $185 billion.

Kuwait, despite being an emirate, is also a unique, vibrant democracy, which is often referred to as the noisiest, and that is the strength of it. They regard Indian democracy also as a unique one. Although certain religious sensitivities need to be kept in mind, Kuwait broadly adheres to and is sensitive to Indias concerns and interests.

Defence cooperation is also steadily increasing between the two countries with goodwill exchanges of Indian naval ships on a regular basis. The collaboration was strengthened with the visit of Chief of Staff of Armed Forces Lt General Al Khoder in September 2017. Kuwait has over time shown interest in Indian military and defence expertise and specialists apart from regular training of officers. An MoU for Defence Cooperation has been concluded. This MoU will institutionalise bilateral cooperation in the area of defence. Key areas of cooperation include training, exchange of personnel and experts, joint exercises, cooperation in the defence industry, supply of defence equipment, and collaboration in research and development, among others.

Indias over-a-million-strong diaspora has contributed greatly to Kuwaits development, which is highly appreciated by the people and leadership there. A recent example is the personal attention paid by the Kuwait leadership during the unfortunate fire tragedy in which over fifty Indian workers perished. Prompt and exemplary action was taken by Kuwaiti authorities against the owners of the irregular and illegal constructions that led to the incident. For India, the welfare of the Indian community is of paramount importance, and for that, institutional arrangements have been put in place to address their concerns. PM Modi himself visited the labour camp in Kuwait and addressed the Indian diaspora there. Hala Modi was quite a success as PM connected with the Indian diaspora, urging greater collaboration in the era of innovation and smart development. However, the Kuwaitisation of the labour market will have to be addressed as a short- to medium-term strategy by continuously upgrading their skill sets. PM Modi recalled the historic and civilisational P2P ties, even stating that in the most difficult times of the pandemic, the two countries helped each other. No wonder he met the Kuwaitis who translated the Ramayana and Mahabharata in Arabic for enhancing their access to the Arabic-speaking people.

Quest of Kuwait for a New Kuwait in accordance with their Vision 2035 and Indias unremitting efforts to become Viksit Bharat by 2047 through Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam can be mutually sustaining and complementary given the increasing convergences of approaches and priorities between the two countries.

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.
Turkey and Israel have emerged as the main strategic beneficiaries of the collapse of the Syrian regime, which has led to the decline of Iranian influence in West Asia. But now these two countries may be on a collision course of their own in Syria read more

In this phase of political upheaval in post-Assad Syria, countries in the region need to take into account the territorial integrity of Syria, and it will be catastrophic if it becomes a battleground between Turkey and Israel. Image: AP

Reshaped can be used for describing West Asia since the fall of Assad in Syria. With Hamas all but decimated, Hezbollah irreparably weakened, and Bashar al-Assad gone, the region has witnessed dramatic change. The main axis running from Iran through Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon has now been severed.

The two main beneficiaries of this reshaping are Israel and Turkey. Israel has taken advantage of the flux in Syria by occupying a small buffer zone, capturing Mount Hermon, and targeting the Syrian naval fleet in Latakia in Syria. Furthermore, it has gained an advantage to operate more freely in Lebanon.

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Turkey, meanwhile, has established Syria as its de facto sphere of influence. The groups that it supported during the Syrian civil war have swept their way into Damascus and now control most of the country. There is no doubt that Turkey has successfully helped Syrias Sunni majority overthrow Syrias minority Alawites, who were backed by Shia Iran, and is now no doubt wanting to restore its leadership over the region in continuation of its Ottoman legacy as an Islamic world leader.

Turkey has been a long-term supporter of the Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which had early links to the Islamic State and then to Al Qaeda. Without the HTS, Turkey could not have executed its takeover of Syria; hence it is now positioned to be the most influential outside actor in the country.

Are Israel and Turkey on a Collision Course?

Following the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, Israel, which is backed by the US, and Turkey (which is a NATO country), suddenly find themselves face to face in what could lead to a collision course as per Yaroslav Trofimov in the Wall Street Journal. Managing this rivalry is going to be the next challenge.

While Israel can celebrate the diminished threat from Shia Iran, there are new worries about a Turkish-led group of Islamists. Relative optimism is accompanied by concern that radical Sunni Islamists may be just as dangerous and just as committed to Israels destruction as Hezbollahs Shia.

In recent days, Turkey has strongly condemned Israels move into the buffer zone, with Erdogan accusing Israel of displaying its occupier mentality. Israel countered with its own accusations against Turkey, describing it as the last country that can speak about occupation in Syria. Now, with Israeli and Turkish forces operating in different parts of Syria, the possibility for unintended conflict increases.

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As per Barbara Slavin, of the Stimson Centre in Washington, Israel is exploiting an opportunity to make sure the next Syrian government is essentially demilitarised and will pose no threat.

Turkey has also been critical of Israels actions in Gaza; it has said it would do everything in its power to hold Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accountable for his actions in Gaza. Turkey has come out in support of South Africas genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. It has suspended trade with Israel and blocked cooperation between Israel and NATO. The Turkish President has even thought about an armed intervention in Gaza. These highlight just how badly relations had deteriorated.

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Israel in turn blames Turkey for allowing Hamas to use its territory as a base for directing and financing military activities and for money laundering. Zaher Jabareen, a senior Hamas commander in charge of operations in the West Bank, lives in Istanbul. Israel has said that Hamass operations are partly financed by a network of companies based in Istanbul, some of which have been placed under sanctions by the US.

Golan Heights

Israels Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has announced that he had approved a plan to double Israeli settlement in the occupied Golan Heights. Strengthening the Golan Heights is strengthening the state of Israel, said Netanyahu in a statement on December 15, and it is especially important at this time. We will continue to hold on to it, make it flourish, and settle it.

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In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, This decision is a new stage in Israels goal of expanding its borders through occupation. This step by Israel is a source of grave concern, taken together with Israels entry into the area of separation, in violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement, its advance into adjacent areas, and airstrikes in Syria.

The move would seriously undermine efforts to bring stability to Syria after Bashar al-Assads fall.

Kurds

The Kurdish issue; is now going to be in the spotlight. Forces from Syrias Kurdish ethnic minority became the US main local partner in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria, under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). After the extremist group was largely defeated, the Kurdish-led forces consolidated control over towns in the Northeast, expanding an autonomous region amid the chaos, taking territory it saw as its own. But Kurdish fighters still had to contend with their long-time enemy, Turkey, which regards them as linked to its Kurdish separatist insurgency.

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The US also maintains a force of about 900 troops in the Kurdish-controlled oil drilling areas in the northeast and a garrison in the southeast.

With a pro-Turkish government in the saddle in Syria, they will be looking at the freedom to operate against the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) outfit in Northeastern Syria. The YPG spearheads the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and is considered by Turkey to be part of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought against the Turkish state for decades. Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler recently told a press conference that in the new period, the PKK/YPG terrorist organisation in Syria will be eliminated sooner or later.

Gas Pipeline

Europe also needs gas to replace Russian gas imports. A natural gas pipeline from Qatar to Turkey, running through Syria, had been blocked by Assad in 2009 and could be back on the table under the new regime. This would give European markets access to Qatari gas.

For this they need the support of Turkey; hence, for Europe, it is imperative that the instability in Syria and tensions between Turkey and Israel are manageable.

Analysis

The departure of Assad has fundamentally changed the dynamics of the Israeli-Turkish relationship. To begin with, the shared threat perception of Iran has significantly diminished. While Israel may still pursue an aggressive stance against Iran, especially due to the possible assurance from the incoming Trump administration, Iranian proxies threat to Israel stands diminished. Similarly, while Turkish-Iranian competition will continue in Iraq and the Caucasus, the absence of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah makes these other fronts more manageable for Turkey.

Next, Erdogans threats against Israel, which were seen as rhetorical in the past, will now carry more weight given Turkeys expanded influence. As it is now present on the borders of Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel, both countries are now de facto neighbors. Turkish intelligence, military, and civil operations will be active in areas controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS); Turkeys presence near Israels borders may emerge as new flashpoints.

Turkey and Israel now hold conflicting visions for Syrias future. While Israel appears to favour a fragmented Syria with buffer zones to provide security against HTS and other actors. In contrast, Turkey opposes any fragmentation of Syria, fearing it could lead to the establishment of a Kurdish state under PKK influence. Even if such fragmentation does not lead to a Kurdish state, it will reduce the effect of Turkeys victory in Syria. Hence, Turkey seeks to consolidate HTSs control over a unified Syria, ensuring its own strategic interests are safeguarded. If HTS attempts to challenge Israeli-held territories or if Israel acts to weaken HTS, tensions could escalate. Unlike Israels war with Hamas and Hezbollah, Turkey is likely to be more involved in a conflict between Israel and HTS.

Lastly, Israel no longer depends on Turkey as it once did. The normalisation of Israeli relations with Arab states, including Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, and potentially Saudi Arabia, has broadened its regional alliances.

But the weakening of Syrias military will leave it vulnerable to resurgent fundamentalists with a question mark over who will keep the extremist groups in check. The question remains whether Arab nations, wary of an Islamist victory in Syria, which could reignite the Arab Spring movement and Turkeys growing regional influence, will remain neutral or even side with the US and Israel in case of renewed tension.

Conclusion

Turkey and Israel have emerged as the main strategic beneficiaries of the collapse of the Syrian regime, which has led to the decline of Iranian influence in West Asia. But now these two countries, whose relations have been strained to the breaking point since the war in Gaza began, may be on a collision course of their own in Syria.

Both Israel and Turkey are justifying their actions in Syria on the grounds of national security and are operating largely unchecked following the collapse of Assads forces and his allies, the Iranian-led militias and Russian troops.

Western influence in the region will now need to be filtered through these two powers. While the US will want to maintain its influence in Syria by supporting the SDF, it will also contain a weakened Iran. It also needs Turkish cooperation to keep a check on resurgent fundamentalism in the region.

In this phase of political upheaval in Syria, countries in the region need to take into account the territorial integrity of Syria, and it will be catastrophic if it becomes a battleground between Turkey and Israel. Unfortunately, the risks posed by deterioration of relations and regional escalation have global implications.

The fact is that shaping the aftermath of the Assad regime without consensus among external players and by fragile agreements among Syrian factions may well undermine effective governance.

The author is a retired Major General of the Indian Army. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
Many analysts had speculated the Chin and Shan states would break free at the outset of the Myanmar conflict, but with the continual success of the Arakan Army in Rakhine and their offensive reaching right up till the Teknaf River that delineates Myanmar from Bangladesh, it has renewed the interest of observers in the AA read more

Myanmar has been in a state of chaos since the military coup in 2021. February 1, 2025, will mark four years since the military takeover of Myanmar led by Senior General Ming Aung Hlaing. Much has been said about the various Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) and their success against the Tatmadaw. By most accounts, the EAOs today control approximately sixty per cent of the territory. However, the majority of the population still remains in the territories controlled by the Tatmadaw.

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One of the turning points in the conflict was with the launch of Operation 1027. Launched against the military junta by the Three Brotherhood Alliance members, comprising the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) from the Kokang Region of Shan state, the Taang National Liberation Army, also from the Shan state and the Arakan Army (AA), based in the Rakhine State. The success of the operation, which was followed by other coordinated attacks, brought to light the role of China in temporarily supporting these EAOs. This was easy to imagine, as the leader of MNDAA was the original warlord of Laukkaing in the northern Shan State, Peng Jiasheng, also known as the King of Kokang.

A second Operation 1027 was launched in June this year. While it is known that China backed the first Operation 1027 and subsequently brokered the ceasefire between the Three Brotherhood Alliance and the military junta , there were strong signals that China was opposed to another Operation. However, the fact that a second Operation was launched was indicative that these EAOs are not fully under the control of Beijing.

China had, at the outset of the military coup in 2021, been ambiguous about its acceptance of the junta regime, backing the Three Brotherhood Alliance against the Tatmadaw. But once the clash between the Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) and the Tatmadaw became uncontrollable, even for China, Chinese stance towards the junta significantly changed. Instead of opposing the junta, China started supporting its offensive against the EAOs. China is fearing its investments being jeopardised in Myanmar with its oil and gas pipelines, Kyapkhyu port, and the Belt and Road Initiative (like the railway line that proposes to connect Kunming with the Bay of Bengal) due to Tatmadaws inability to protect Chinese assets.

It was recently that China sent special envoy Deng Xijun to negotiate with TNLA, MNDAA, the United Wa State Army, and the Kachin Independence Army. This came after KIA, despite the order from China to cease fighting, captured Kanpiketi in Kachin state, with it taking control of rare earth mines near the China border. However, Chinas pressure yielded results after MNDAA announced that it would not support the National Unity Government and would stop fighting the junta.

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While the military regime stopped the supply of fuel to Kachin, Shan, Rakhine, and Chin states, as well as to 26 townships in the Sagaing region, Beijing closed border crossings of all KIA-controlled territories. Chin state relies now on India for its fuel. China also gave shelter and later returned 300 junta-aligned Border Guard Force (BGF) soldiers who, after intense fighting in Kanpiketi, had crossed the border to China.

However, during this chaos, it is the Arakan Army that has emerged as one of the larger players, with over 6,000 soldiers deployed in northern Shan state and another 50,000 stationed in Rakhine. Encouraged by gains in Shan state, the Arakan Army (AA) launched a full-fledged offensive against the Tatmadaw in Rakhine State in November last year. Since then the AA has captured 13 townships in Rakhine and the town of Paletwa in Chin State, with the recent capture being of Ann, which holds the western command headquarters of the Myanmar military. Alongside Ann, AA also managed to capture most of the Border Guard Police headquarters. It was as early as June this year that the AA captured Taw Hein Taung, the operational command base that guards Ann, but after a short ceasefire, they resumed the offensive. Furthermore, they took control of the Ann-Pandan highway, crucial for the transportation of troops as well as the generation of illicit income.

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Though major strategic areas and the state capital of Rakhine, Sittwe, which is key to Indias ambitious Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) and where the Sittwe port was inaugurated in 2023, still remain under the control of the junta. Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone, which is of crucial interest to China, also remains in control of the junta. Many analysts had speculated the Chin and Shan states would break free at the outset of the conflict, but with the continual success of AA in Rakhine and their offensive reaching right up till the Teknaf River that delineates Myanmar from Bangladesh, it has renewed the interest of observers in the AA.

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It is now speculated that Rakhine might be the first state to break free from the control of the Tatmadaw. Though some news reports have been misleading, stating the entry of AA in Bangladeshi territory, the fact remains that neither has AA announced this development nor does entering Bangladeshi territory, especially areas that have Rohingya settlements, serve a purpose for AA. It is more likely that AA will spill over to Chin areas, resulting in intermittent clashes with other EAOs struggling for unification, which has not fructified till date.

However, some Western players are reported to have been trying to broker a deal among the various Chin groups. Meetings between Chin revolutionary groups such as the Chinland Council and the Interim Chin National Consultative Council were mediated by the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), Helsinki, Finland. In 2023, the first Chinland Conference was held at Camp Victoria across the Mizoram border at the confluence of the Tiau and Harhva rivers, where 325 Chin representatives from the Chin state, including CNA/CNF, ratified a new Chinland constitution to set up a Chin government including a legislature, executive branch, and a judiciary. However, six Chin resistance groups broke away and formed the Chin Brotherhood. AA supported Chinland Brotherhood in Matupi Township, forcing the Chinland Council coalition to relent control.

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While the Arakan Army gains more ground and speculation is rife about its interests across the Teknaf River, the question that is important to consider is the administrative abilities of the AA to provide services and basic necessities to the areas under its control. To break away from the State Administrative Council (SAC), which is in charge of administration for the military junta, would not just mean countering economic challenges but also the imminent threat of Rohingya groups such as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) clashing with the AA, creating further instability in the region.

Therefore, the interest of India lies in establishing contact with all active players, including EAOs, especially along strategic long-term connectivity and infrastructure projects that are long overdue for completion. More importantly, its imperative to learn from the role of China in protecting Chinese assets in Myanmar. Additionally, if international organisations that have little experience in the region, such as CMI, can mediate between vested stakeholders, India needs to formulate and push forward a proactive approach in coordinating with like-minded countries working towards regional stability.

Rami Niranjan Desai is an anthropologist and a scholar of the northeast region of India. She is a columnist and author and presently Distinguished Fellow at India Foundation, New Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost.
Of the 153 Liberal Party MPs, 51 have joined the call for the resignation of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to a report read more

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus situation has become more precarious as nearly a third of his MPs have revolted against him, according to a report.

While Trudeau had been wading through troubled waters since September when Jagmeet Singhs New Democratic Party (NDP) withdrew support, the resignation of Deputy PM and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland last week plunged him into a fresh crisis. Freelands resignation has led to calls amongst Trudeaus Liberal Party MPs seeking his resignation.

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Amid such a situation, CBC News has reported that at least 51 Liberal MPs have sought Trudeaus resignation.

Of the 75 Liberal MPs from Canadas Ontario province, CBC reported that 51 MPs joined a virtual meeting over the weekend and agreed that Trudeau must resign.

Since Freelands resignation, there have been reports that Trudeau is considering resignation or proroguing the parliament and calling early elections. Canada is supposed to have parliamentary elections by October 2025 but Trudeau may call for snap elections to avoid the embarrassment of being ousted by his own MPs.

Trudeau, who has been the Canadian premier since 2015, is deeply unpopular moment. The latest Ipsos polls shows that the Oppositions prime ministerial candidate, Pierre Poilievre of the Conservative Party, has a 25 per cent lead over him.

Dissenting MPs communicate message to Trudeau: Report

The MPs who joined the virtual meeting over the weekend tasked Ontario caucus chair Michael Coteau with communicating to Trudeau and the Prime Ministers Office that must resign, according to CBC.

An MP told the outlet that even as they sought Trudeaus resignation, they have not fixed any deadline for him.

There are also signs that the MPs want to ditch Trudeau to elevate Freeland as the Liberal Partys leader. Following her resignation, at least two MPs Sean Casey and Chandra Arya have said they would support Freeland as the prime ministerial candidate.

While I was disappointed by the timing of her announcement, I must acknowledge her exceptional political acumen. Whether by design or circumstance, she has emerged as a credible and stable alternative to your leadership, said Arya in a letter to Trudeau, according to the outlet.

Notably, the revolt against Trudeau has emerged in Ontario, which is the largest province in Canada. Of the 337 seats in the Canadian parliament, Ontario has the most at 121. Of these 121 seats, the Liberals hold 75. Overall, Trudeau is running a minority government after NDPs withdrawal of support as Liberals just have 153 seats  16 short of the majority-mark of 169.

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This is not the first time the Republican firebrand expressed his intention to buy Greenland, his crusade started back in 2019 read more

After saying that the United States should take back the Panama Canal, US President-elect Donald Trump renewed his interest in Greenland. This is not the first time the Republican firebrand expressed his intention to buy Greenland, his crusade started back in 2019.

He insisted that taking over Greenland is an absolute necessity, for ensuring national security. For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

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While Greenland operates according to autonomous self-rule, it is still part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The island is part of North America, many find it uncomfortable that it is governed by a European nation. The 78-year-old Republican leader made the remarks while naming PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as the American Ambassador to Denmark. Ken will do a wonderful job in representing the interests of the United States, he added.

Not the first time

Back in 2019, Trump indicated that he wanted to purchase Greenland. At that time, he was mostly interested in the regions natural resources and geopolitical relevance. Despite the then presidents frequent remarks on the matter, leaders in Denmark were not jazzed about his instances.

Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Danish. Greenland belongs to Greenland. I strongly hope that this is not meant seriously, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said during a visit to Greenland in 2019. Frustrated by Trumps rebuttal, Trump cancelled a meeting with her because she called Trumps proposition absurd.

Despite several attempts, the plan to purchase Greenland ultimately fizzled out during Trumps term. The idea was totally abandoned by US President Joe Bidens administration. With the recent comments, it seems that Trump is interested in reviving his project after he takes back the Oval Office.

A day before Trumps proposition to buy Greenland, he also pledged to take back the Panama Canal. Trump made the provocative remarks after he accused the Central American nation of charging excessive rates for using the passage.

The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the US, Trump wrote on his Truth Social late Saturday. The comments came a little more than a month before he took over the Oval Office once again. This complete rip-off of our Country will immediately stop. he furthered.

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In the same post, the American President-elect warned that he would not let the canal fall into the wrong hands. He also raised alarms over potential Chinese influence over the passage, insisting that the canal should not be managed by Beijing. Trump emphasised that Panama was a vital national asset for the United States, calling it crucial for the countrys commerce and national security.

With inputs from agencies.
Authorities have held 1,300 meetings with teachers and parents since the November stabbing death of a teenager by another teen after a quarrel that started on social media apps. Ninety percent of them approve of the ban on TikTok read more

Albanias prime minister said Sunday the ban on TikTok his government announced a day earlier was not a rushed reaction to a single incident.

Prime Minister Edi Rama said Saturday the government will shut down TikTok for one year, accusing the popular video service of inciting violence and bullying, especially among children.

Authorities have held 1,300 meetings with teachers and parents since the November stabbing death of a teenager by another teen after a quarrel that started on social media apps. Ninety percent of them approve of the ban on TikTok.

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The ban on TikTok for one year in Albania is not a rushed reaction to a single incident, but a carefully considered decision made in consultation with parent communities in schools across the country, said Rama.

Following Tiranas decision, TikTok asked for urgent clarity from the Albanian government in the case of the stabbed teenager. The company said it had found no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts, and multiple reports have in fact confirmed videos leading up to this incident were being posted on another platform, not TikTok.

To claim that the killing of the teenage boy has no connection to TikTok because the conflict didnt originate on the platform demonstrates a failure to grasp both the seriousness of the threat TikTok poses to children and youth today and the rationale behind our decision to take responsibility for addressing this threat, said Rama.

Albania may be too small to demand that TikTok protect children and youth from the frightening pitfalls of its algorithm, he said, blaming TikTok for the reproduction of the unending hell of the language of hatred, violence, bullying and so on.

Albanian children comprise the largest group of TikTok users in the country, according to domestic researchers.

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Many youngsters in Albania did not approve of the ban.

We disclose our daily life and entertain ourselves, that is, we exploit it during our free time, said Samuel Sulmani, an 18-year-old in the town of Rreshen, 75 kilometers (47 miles) north of the capital Tirana, on Sunday. We do not agree with that because thats a deprivation for us.

But Albanian parents have been increasingly concerned following reports of children taking knives and other objects to school to use in quarrels or cases of bullying promoted by stories they see on TikTok.

Our decision couldnt be clearer: Either TikTok protects the children of Albania, or Albania will protect its children from TikTok, said Rama.

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Australias Attorney General Mark Dreyfus approved the extradition on Monday, ending the Boston-born 55-year-olds nearly two-year attempt to avoid being returned to the U.S read more

In this undated photo provided by Saffrine Duggan, her husband, former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan, poses for a photo in a restaurant. File image/ AP

Former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan will be extradited from Australia to the United States over allegations that he illegally trained Chinese aviators.

Australias Attorney General Mark Dreyfus approved the extradition on Monday, ending the Boston-born 55-year-olds nearly two-year attempt to avoid being returned to the U.S.

Duggan, who served in the Marines for 12 years before immigrating to Australia and giving up his U.S. citizenship, has been in a maximum-security prison since he was arrested in 2022 at his family home in the state of New South Wales. He is the father of six children.

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Dreyfus confirmed in a statement on Monday he had approved the extradition but did not say when Duggan would be transferred to the U.S.

Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me, Dreyfus said in the statement.

In May, a Sydney judge ruled Duggan could be extradited to the U.S., leaving an appeal to the attorney general as Duggans last hope of remaining in Australia.

In a 2016 indictment from the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., unsealed in late 2022, prosecutors said Duggan conspired with others to provide training to Chinese military pilots in 2010 and 2012, and possibly at other times, without applying for an appropriate license.

Prosecutors say he received payments totaling around 88,000 Australian dollars ($61,000) and international travel from another conspirator for what was sometimes described as personal development training.

If convicted, Duggan faces up to 60 years in prison. He denies the allegations.

We feel abandoned by the Australian government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family, his wife, Saffrine Duggan, said in a statement on Monday. We are now considering our options.

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Deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assads wife Asma al-Assad has reportedly filed for divorce, expressing dissatisfaction with her life in Russia. Reports are stating that the wife of the Syrian leader is now seeking to move back to the United Kingdom read more

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (C) and his wife Asma al-Assad (L) attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province on September 23, 2023. File Image: AFP

Weeks after the fall of the draconian regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, reports are emerging that his wife has filed for a divorce and is planning to move to the United Kingdom. According to The Jerusalem Post, the wife of the deposed president, Asma Al Assad, expressed dissatisfaction with her life in Moscow.

The Syrian leader fled the country and moved to Russia after rebel groups in the country swiftly took over the Syrian capital of Damascus. Russia, a longtime ally of Assad, eventually handed him and his family asylum based on humanitarian grounds. Turkish and Arab media have reported that Asam is currently seeking to move to London.

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As per the report, the wife of the Syrian leader applied to a Russian court, seeking special permission to leave Moscow. Her application is reportedly being evaluated by the Russian authorities. It is pertinent to note that Asma has dual citizenship in the UK and Syria. She was born and raised in London by her Syrian parents.

Assads family is currently under severe restriction

Asma moved to Syria in 2000 and married Assad in the same year. She was 25 at that time. While the Russian authorities have accepted Assads request for asylum, the Syrian leader is still living under severe restrictions. As of now, he is barred from leaving Moscow or engaging in any sort of political activities, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Meanwhile, the Russian authorities also froze his assets and money. The assets he carried to Moscow included 270 kilograms of gold, $2 billion, along with 18 apartments in the Russian capital. Interestingly, Russia did not accept the asylum request of Bashar al-Assads brother, Maher al-Assad.

The authorities noted that his asylum request is still under review. Assads decades-long reign came to an end in early December during an offensive by rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

While HTS is designated as a terrorist organisation in the United States, earlier this month, the US has decided to lift the $10 million bounty on HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Julanis head. The Baath Party, headed by Assad, reigned supreme for last 61 years before Assad was ousted this month.


Rozgar Mela: PM Modi distributes 71,000 appointment letters to new recruits Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed over 71,000 appointment letters to newly recruited individuals via video conferencing on Monday. The event was part of the Centre's Rozgar Mela initiative, aimed at empowering youth through job creation and fostering meaningful participation in nation-building.



Addressing the gathering, PM Modi extended his congratulations to the recruits and their families, saying, "I met Indian youth and professionals in Kuwait, and now I am interacting with the youngsters of the nation. Today marks a new beginning for your journey. Your years of hard work have borne fruit."



He underscored the government's achievements in leveraging India's youth potential, stating, "Through Rozgar Mela, we are advancing this initiative. Over the past ten years, the campaign for providing jobs in government departments, ministries, and organisations has been ongoing. Today, over 71,000 youth have received their appointment letters."



Highlighting the transparent recruitment process, he added, "In the last decade, our government has provided permanent government jobs to over 10 lakh youth, a record in itself. Unlike previous governments, today, not only are lakhs of youth receiving government jobs but these appointments are being made with full transparency. I am confident the youth selected through this process will dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the nation."



Reaffirming the Centre's commitment to the vision of 'Viksit Bharat 2047', PM Modi attributed the country's progress to the youth's hard work, talent, and leadership.



He cited initiatives like Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, Startup India, and Digital India as examples of policies shaped by young minds.



"Today, India stands as the world's fifth-largest economy and third-largest startup ecosystem. Youth launching startups now have access to a well-planned ecosystem for support. In sports, modern facilities for training and tournaments ensure confidence among our young athletes. Across sectors, we are witnessing remarkable transformation," he said.



The Prime Minister also emphasized India's achievements in manufacturing, renewable energy, tourism, space exploration, organic farming, defence, and wellness. He praised the advancements brought by the National Education Policy (NEP), Atal Tinkering Labs, and PM Shri Schools, which benefit rural and underprivileged students.



Invoking Chaudhary Charan Singh's legacy on 'Kisan Diwas', PM Modi highlighted the Centre's efforts for rural development and farmer upliftment.



He mentioned employment-focused schemes like Bima Suraksha, Lakhpati Didi, and Drone Didi, aimed at empowering rural areas and farmers.



He also lauded the participation of women in the Rozgar Mela, saying, "Today, many women have received their appointment letters. I hope they inspire others. Schemes such as Sukanya Samruddhi Yojana, Jan Dhan Bank accounts, and Mudra Yojana enable women to pursue education without financial worries."



The Prime Minister also mentioned that under the PM Awas Yojana, maximum houses are under the name of women.



The Rozgar Mela is being conducted at 45 locations across the country, with recruitments for various ministries and departments, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Posts, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Department of Financial Services.



According to a government release, the Rozgar Mela aligns with the Prime Minister's commitment to employment generation, offering meaningful opportunities for youth to contribute to nation-building and self-empowerment.




On Monday, the Elysee presidential palace said the new cabinet would not be announced before 1700 GMT due to a day of mourning for the victims in the cyclone-hit French overseas territory of Mayotte read more

The clock ticked Monday for French President Emmanuel Macron to appoint the fourth government in a year marked by a deepening political crisis.

The widely-expected announcement of the government of new prime minister Francois Bayrou was postponed on Sunday.

On Monday, the Elysee presidential palace said the new cabinet would not be announced before 1700 GMT due to a day of mourning for the victims in the cyclone-hit French overseas territory of Mayotte.

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French politics has been deadlocked since Macron gambled on snap elections this year. The move backfired with no party or alliance securing a majority.

The country was plunged into fresh chaos this month after the far right and left joined forces to oust prime minister Michel Barnier, the shortest lived premier in the Fifth Republic which began in 1958.

Bayrou, appointed on December 13, had said he hoped that his new administration would be presented over the weekend and in any case before Christmas.

Macron and Bayrou held a series of talks Sunday but contrary to expectations the composition of a new administration was not announced.

On Monday, France observes a national day of mourning for the cyclone victims in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte, where at least 35 people were killed and 2,500 injured.

The length of this auditioning process is unbearable, far-right National Rally lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy told broadcaster BFMTV-RMC.

Bayrous priority is to make sure his government can survive a no-confidence vote and that it passes a budget for next year.

He is hoping to bring in figures from the left, right and centre to protect his government from possible censure but exclude the hard left and far-right.

Bayrou is the sixth prime minister of Macrons mandate, and the fourth of 2024.

Many commentators are already predicting Bayrous premiership will be short-lived.

Already weakened

The fate of top posts remained uncertain but former prime minister Elisabeth Borne, former interior minister Gerald Darmanin, and Xavier Bertrand, the right-wing head of the northern Hauts-de-France region, have been mentioned as possible members of Bayrous team.

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Outgoing interior minister Bruno Retailleau, a conservative who has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, was expected to keep his job however.

Right-wimg culture minister Rachida Dati and defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu might also keep their jobs.

Bayrou has endured a tumultuous first week as premier, after facing criticism for attending a hall meeting in his home city of Pau, where he is mayor, while Mayotte grappled with the deadly aftermath of Cyclone Chido.

A new poll by Ifop for the Journal du Dimanche weekly found 66 percent of respondents were unhappy with his performance.

Only 34 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied with Bayrou.

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Going to back to 1959, Ifop said it had not seen such a low rating for a prime minister starting the job.

Francois Bayrou, still without a government and already weakened, said French daily Le Monde.

Hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon of the France Unbowed party (LFI) has vowed to table a motion of no confidence when Bayrou gives a policy speech to parliament on January 14.
Israel, which has tightly controlled aid entering the Hamas-ruled territory since the outbreak of the war, often blames what it says is the inability of relief organizations to handle and distribute large quantities of aid read more

A displaced Palestinian woman, Makram Hamdouna, carries a water container outside her shelter, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip December 19, 2024. Reuters

Just 12 trucks distributed food and water in northern Gaza in two-and-a-half months, aid group Oxfam said on Sunday, raising the alarm over the worsening humanitarian situation in the besieged territory.

Of the meager 34 trucks of food and water given permission to enter the North Gaza Governorate over the last 2.5 months, deliberate delays and systematic obstructions by the Israeli military meant that just twelve managed to distribute aid to starving Palestinian civilians, Oxfam said in a statement, in a count that included deliveries through Saturday.

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For three of these, once the food and water had been delivered to the school where people were sheltering, it was then cleared and shelled within hours, Oxfam added.

Israel, which has tightly controlled aid entering the Hamas-ruled territory since the outbreak of the war, often blames what it says is the inability of relief organizations to handle and distribute large quantities of aid.

In a report focused on water, New York-based Human Rights Watch on Thursday detailed what it called deliberate efforts by Israeli authorities of a systematic nature to deprive Gazans of water, which had likely caused thousands of deaths and will likely continue to cause deaths.

They were the latest in a series of accusations leveled against Israel  and denied by the country  during its 14-month war against Palestinian Hamas militants.

The Gaza war was sparked by Hamass October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that claimed the lives of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

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Since then, Israels retaliatory offensive has killed more than 45,000 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territorys health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

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Oxfam said that it and other international aid groups have been continually prevented from delivering life-saving aid in northern Gaza since October 6 this year, when Israel intensified its bombardment of the territory.

Thousands of people are estimated to still be cut off, but with humanitarian access blocked its impossible to know exact numbers, Oxfam said.

At the beginning of December, humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza were receiving calls from vulnerable people trapped in homes and shelters that had completely run out of food and water.

Oxfam highlighted one instance of an aid delivery in November being disrupted by Israeli authorities.

A convoy of 11 trucks last month was initially held up at the holding point by the Israeli military at Jabalia, where some food was taken by starving civilians, it said.

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After the green light to proceed to the destination was received, the trucks were then stopped further on at a military checkpoint. Soldiers forced the drivers to offload the aid in a militarized zone, which desperate civilians had no access to.

The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution on Thursday asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to assess Israels obligations to assist Palestinians.
If the merger goes through, Honda and Nissan would aim for combined sales of 30 trillion yen ($191 billion) and operating profit of more than 3 trillion yen read more

Makoto Uchida, Director, Representative Executive Officer, President and CEO of Nissan Motor Corporation, and Toshihiro Mibe, Director, President and Representative Executive Officer of Honda, react during a joint press conference on their merger talks, in Tokyo, Japan, December 23, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan on Monday (December 23) announced they have officially started talks for a merger.

The merger of Honda and Nissan would form the worlds third-largest automobile company after Toyota and Volkswagen.

In a press conference on Monday, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said the two companies needed greater scale to compete amid new technological developments in electric vehicles (EVs) and intelligent mobility and integrating the two companies would give them an edge that will not be possible under the current collaboration framework, according to a translation carried by CNBC.

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Honda and Nissan aim to conclude merger talks by the end of 2025, following which they would set up holding company by August 2026, as per Reuters.

The two said in a statement carried by the news agency that they aim for combined sales of 30 trillion yen ($191 billion) and operating profit of more than 3 trillion yen through the potential merger.

The Mitsubishi Group, which is Nissans strategic partner, has been given the option to join the merger talks as well and has to submit a response by the end of January 2025, according to CNBC.

The announcement of merger talks come at a time when both the automobile industry has been going through a churn in the wake of an evolving industrial landscape. As newcomers, such as Elon Musks Tesla and Chinas BYD and MG, have shaken up the automobile market, particularly in the industrys pivot to EVs, legacy automakers have found it hard to compete  particularly as China has been using the might of state subsidies to boost exports and chipping away at foreign automakers market shares in their native markets.

Of the two companies exploring the merger, Nissan has particularly been troubled in recent years. Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn plunged the company into crisis when he fled to Lebanon by jumping bail in Japan. He remains a fugitive in Japan where he stands accused of financial wrongdoing.

Just last month, Nissan announced it would lay off 9,000 staffers and cut 20 per cent of global production capacity on account of falling sales in key markets of China and the United States. Similarly, Honda also reported worse-than-expected revenue on account of falling sales in China.

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Netanyahu also stated that he wanted to sign new peace accords with Arab countries, similar to the Abraham Accords negotiated in 2020 by the United States, which saw Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco establish formal ties with Israel. read more

Demonstrators gather with signs during an anti-government protest calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages held captive since the October 7 attacks by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, outside the Israeli Defence Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on December 21, 2024 Image- AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told lawmakers on Monday that some progress had been made in negotiations to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.

Netanyahus comments came two days after three Palestinian militant groups issued a rare joint statement, stating that a ceasefire deal and a prisoner exchange were closer than ever.

In recent days, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, were held in Doha, rekindling hopes of an agreement after over 14 months of conflict in Gaza.

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An Egyptian report on Sunday stated that Israel is demanding the release of 11 Israeli men in the first round of hostage exchanges. Meanwhile, a BBC report from the previous evening indicated that the talks are 90 percent agreed upon, although the control of the Philadelphi Corridor, which lies along the Gaza-Egypt border, remains a key point of contention.

Everything we are doing cannot be disclosed. We are taking action to bring them back. I wish to say cautiously that there has been some progress, and we will not stop acting until we bring them all home, Netanyahu said in parliament.

I want to say to the families of the hostages: We are thinking of you and we will not give up on your loved ones, who are our loved ones as well.

On Saturday, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said in a joint statement that progress had been made to reach a ceasefire deal.

The possibility of reaching an agreement (for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal) is closer than ever, provided the enemy stops imposing new conditions, the three groups said after they held talks in Cairo a day earlier.

During the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, 251 people were abducted, of whom 96 remain hostages in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the military.

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Moderate Arab countries view Israel as a regional power and a potential ally. I intend to seize this opportunity to the fullest, he said.

Together with our American friends, I plan to expand the Abraham Accords and thus change even more dramatically the face of the Middle East.

With inputs from agencies.
Russia has said that reports in Turkish and Arabic media saying that Asma al-Assad, the wife of deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, has filed for divorce are false read more

This photo released Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019, on the official Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency, shows Syria's first lady Asma al-Assad, wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, during an interview aired late Saturday on state TV in Damascus, Syria. (Photo: AP)

The Kremlin on Monday rejected Turkish media reports which suggested that Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, wanted a divorce and to leave Russia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also rejected Turkish media reports which suggested that Assad had been confined to Moscow and had his property assets frozen.

Asked on a conference call if the reports corresponded to reality, Peskov said: No they do not correspond to reality.

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READ MORE: Bashar al-Assads wife files for divorce, expresses dissatisfaction with her life in Russia: Report

Turkish and Arabic media reported on Sunday that Asma al-Assad had filed for divorce in Russia, where the Assad family were granted asylum this month after rebels took control of Damascus following a lightning advance.
Images distributed by the Jordanian foreign ministry showed Safadi and Sharaa shaking hands, without offering further details about their meeting read more

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (C-L) being received by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani) (C-R) in Damascus on December 23, 2024. AFP

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met with Syrias new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Monday, Amman said, the latest high-profile visit since Bashar al-Assads ouster.

Images distributed by the Jordanian foreign ministry showed Safadi and Sharaa shaking hands, without offering further details about their meeting.

A foreign ministry statement earlier said that Safadi would meet with the new Syrian leader as well as with several Syrian officials.

It was the first visit by a senior Jordanian official since Assads fall.

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Jordan, which borders Syria to the south, hosted a summit earlier this month where top Arab, Turkish, EU and US diplomats called for an inclusive and peaceful transition after years of civil war.

Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad on December 8, has welcomed senior officials from a host of countries in the Middle East and beyond in recent days.

Jordanian government spokesman Mohamed Momani told reporters on Sunday that Amman sides with the will of the brotherly Syrian people, stressing the close ties between the two nations.

Momani said the kingdom would like to see security and stability restored in Syria, and supported the unity of its territories.

Stability in war-torn Syria was in Jordans interests, Momani said, and would ensure security on its borders.

Some Syrians who had fled the war since 2011 and sought refuge in Jordan have begun returning home, according to Jordanian authorities.

The interior ministry said Thursday that more than 7,000 Syrians had left, out of some 1.3 million refugees Amman says it has hosted.

According to the United Nations, 680,000 Syrian refugees were registered with it in Jordan.

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Jordan in recent years has tightened border controls in a crackdown on drug and weapon smuggling along its 375-kilometre (230-mile) border with Syria.

One of the main drugs smuggled is the amphetamine-like stimulant captagon, for which there is huge demand in the oil-rich Gulf.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced a new government on Monday evening, appointing a team under Francois Bayrou, his fourth prime minister this year, in an effort to pull the second-largest EU economy out of political crisis read more

French President Emmanuel Macron announced a new government on Monday evening, appointing a team under Francois Bayrou, his fourth prime minister this year, in an effort to pull the second-largest EU economy out of political crisis.

Macron appointed former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne as education minister, AFP quoted the presidency as announcing on Monday.

Another former premier, Manuel Valls, has returned as overseas territories minister, while former interior minister Gerald Darmanin takes on the role of justice minister. Both Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will continue in their positions, added the presidency.

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Conservative Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who is committed to addressing illegal immigration, retained his position. The challenging task of formulating next years budget now falls to Eric Lombard, the new economy minister.

The inclusion of two former prime ministers signals Macrons aim for a strong, stable government, hoping to avoid the fate of Bayrous predecessor, Michel Barnier. For 73-year-old Bayrou, the priority is to ensure his government withstands any no-confidence votes and successfully passes a cost-cutting budget for 2025.

Manuel Valls, who served as prime minister from 2014 to 2016, has made an unexpected return as the overseas territories minister, underscoring the importance of the role after officials faced heavy criticism for their response to a deadly cyclone in Mayotte, which claimed at least 35 lives.

Gerald Darmanin, previously eyeing the foreign minister position, will have to settle for the justice ministry following intense negotiations.

This announcement coincided with a day of mourning in France for the cyclone victims in Mayotte, the nations poorest overseas territory.

Bayrou, leader of the centrist MoDem group allied with Macrons party, was appointed on December 13. However, many are already speculating about the challenges he will face in maintaining his position.

France has been in political gridlock since Macron called for snap elections this summer, hoping to strengthen his mandate. Instead, the elections resulted in a parliament divided among three rival blocs.

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With inputs from agencies
The post-election period has seen the biggest protests against Frelimo in Mozambiques history. At least 130 people have been killed in clashes with police, according to the civil society monitoring group Plataforma Decide. read more

The Constitutional Council validated the results on Monday. Western observers have said the election was not free and fair. Frelimo has in the past denied vote-rigging accusations. File Image- AP

Mozambiques top court on Monday upheld the ruling party Frelimos victory in the contentious October elections, despite opposition allegations of fraud that have triggered widespread protests.

The Constitutional Councils decision is final and binding and expected to escalate tensions in the Southern African nation of nearly 35 million, which Frelimo has governed since independence in 1975.

Provisional results from the electoral commission, which has remained silent on the fraud claims, showed Frelimos Daniel Chapo winning the presidency by a landslide while the party expanded its parliamentary majority.

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The Constitutional Council validated the results on Monday. Western observers have said the election was not free and fair. Frelimo has in the past denied vote-rigging accusations.

Recent protests in Mozambique have turned violent, with demonstrators setting fire to offices of the ruling Frelimo party and toppling a statue of former defense minister Alberto Chipande, known for firing the first shot in the countrys war of independence.

The post-election period has seen the biggest protests against Frelimo in Mozambiques history. At least 130 people have been killed in clashes with police, according to the civil society monitoring group Plataforma Decide.

With inputs from agencies.
After several reports suggested nearly 1,100 North Korean soldiers have already been killed in Ukraine war, North Korea is gearing up to send more troops and weapons, including kamikaze drones, to support Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine read more

Soldiers participate in a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 27, 2023, in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. Reuters

After several reports suggested nearly 1,100 North Korean soldiers have already been killed in Ukraine war, North Korea is gearing up to send more troops and weapons to support Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine.

According to a Euro News report, citing Yonhap news agency on Monday, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) have indicated that North Korea is planning to provide further military assistance to Russia for its large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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This reinforcement is expected to comprise additional troops and military equipment, including kamikaze drones, added the report.

A comprehensive assessment of multiple intelligence shows that North Korea is preparing to rotate or increase the deployment of troops (in Russia) while currently supplying 240mm rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled artillery, Euro News quoted JCS as saying.

Pyongyang has already provided 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers to Russia, and was seen preparing to produce more suicide drones to be shipped there after leader Kim Jong Un guided a test last month.

Suicide drones are one of the tasks that Kim Jong Un has focused on, Reuters quoted a JCS official as saying, adding that the North had expressed its intention to give them to Russia.

Such drones have been widely used in the Ukraine war, and Kim ordered a mass production of the aerial weapons and an update of military theory and education, citing intensifying global competition.

Seoul, Washington and Kyiv have said there are around 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia. The JCS said at least 1,100 of them had been killed or wounded, in line with last weeks briefing by South Koreas spy agency which reported some 100 deaths with another 1,000 wounded in the Kursk region.

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Pyongyangs growing military ties with Moscow could pose greater threats to Seoul as it modernises its conventional forces, which are deemed inferior to the Souths, and gains combat experience, the official said.

Along the heavily fortified Korean border, the North has dispatched up to 10,000 soldiers to turn the area into a wasteland and install barriers and barbed wire in recent weeks, though the numbers fell to several hundred over the weekend, the JCS said.

The JCS released photos that it said showed a group of North Korean troops testing the electrified wire fence using a goat.

There is also a possibility, the JCS said, that the North will test-fire an intermediate-range hypersonic missile around year-end ahead of US President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration, while sending more garbage balloons to the South.

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North Korea has launched thousands of balloons with bags of trash attached to them since late May, saying it was responding to balloons carrying propaganda leaflets flown by South Korean activists.

With the backing of Russia, theyll likely try to stage various strategic provocations next year, such as launching intercontinental ballistic missiles and conducting a nuclear test to enhance its negotiating power with the US, the JCS official was quoted as saying.

On Monday, South Koreas acting president Han Duck-soo had a telephone call with new US Forces Korea commander Xavier T. Brunson.

Han emphasised the importance of South Korea and the US jointly maintaining a thorough security posture, as North Korea might misjudge Seouls serious situation and commit various provocations such as firing ballistic missiles, Hans office said in a statement.

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Brunson stressed the importance of action, not words, and said they would ensure a posture to respond to any threat through practical joint exercises, Hans office said.

With inputs from agencies
Europe is on the verge of facing a major energy crisis as frosty winters take over the continent. With Qatar and Russia threatening to cut off supplies, EU is running out of options read more

As harsh winter takes over Europe, the continent may expect an energy shortage for a host of reasons. On Sunday, Qatar warned that it will cease gas exports to the European Union if the blocs countries impose penalties under recently adopted legislation on sustainability due diligence. The warning came from Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi during his conversation with The Financial Times.

In July, the EU passed a Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, which entered into force in July this year. This allows the regional body to fine up to 5 per cent of a companys annual global revenue if the management fails to address adverse human rights or environmental impacts. If I lose 5 per cent of my revenue by supplying Europe, I wont supply Europe, al-Kaabi told the Financial Times. Im not bluffing, he added.

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The warning can be concerning since Europe is losing out on its key suppliers. Qatar became a critical supplier of liquefied natural gas to Europe as countries reduced their over-reliance on Russian energy. Europe imposed several sanctions, soon after the Russia-Ukraine war jolted the world. In response to the sanctions, Russia reduced its energy supplies significantly, forcing the countries to tap into their reserves.

In the Financial Times interview, Al-Kaabi, who is also the chief executive of QatarEnergy, said the EU legislation would be unworkable for companies like QatarEnergy. Heres a look at how Europe might be more vulnerable this winter.

What is the EUs Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive? The new headache

The directive came into force in July which allows the European Union to impose fines of up to 5 per cent of a companys annual global revenue if the management fails to address adverse human rights or environmental impacts. The move has drawn out criticism from both within and outside the European Union.

With the law being passed in the EU parliament. the member nations are now required to make it their national law by 2026 and one year later, in 2027, the rules will start to apply to companies, with a gradual phase-in between three and five years after entry into force. The directive was seen as a border strategy to align corporate practices with the motive to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Europe is running out of options

Rapidly depleting gas reserves and looming supply cuts from Moscow are making the continent plunge into a new energy crisis. While Qatar has issued a warning, the prolongation of the Russia-Ukraine war is coming with its own share of challenges.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin made it clear that the two nations would not renew a key gas transit deal. The five-year deal to ship Russian gas across Ukraine is scheduled to expire at the end of this month.

There will be no such contract, its clear now, Putin said during his annual press conference. There is a question of what to do with it now  but thats not our problem and Russias gas giant Gazprom PJSC will survive, he added.

With the threat of losing its too key energy suppliers, the continent is running out of alternatives. With the comeback of US President-elect Donald Trump, it is quite less likely that Washington would be of any help to resolve the crisis.

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On Friday, Trump warned the EU to buy more US oil and gas or they will have to deal with high tariffs. There will be no such contract, its clear now, Putin said during his annual press conference. There is a question of what to do with it now  but thats not our problem and Russias gas giant Gazprom PJSC will survive, Putin said.

The US is the worlds largest producer of oil and has also emerged as the biggest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the bloc since Russian supplies of pipeline gas to its European customers petered out. With winters sending shivers across the continent, the bloc does not have a lot of options.

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The repercussions

Gas storage is seen as the only lifeline to Europe during its colder period. However, the inventories this year are rapidly declining after frosty temperatures increased the demand for heating. According to Bloomberg, the ongoing war in Ukraine has contributed to about a 45 per cent surge in gas prices this year.

While the levels are still below the 2022 records, they are still high enough to deepen the cost of living in households and intensify competitive pressure among struggling manufacturers. Hence, an energy crisis would affect every aspect of life.

Europe in scrambling

In a major turn of events, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico held one-on-one talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a bid to secure continued access to Russian oil. Fico made a surprise visit to Russia, defying the blocs public commitments to end its reliance on Moscow for gas imports.

The visit came after both Ukraine and Russia announced that they would not renew the key transit deal. Since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago, only two other EU heads of government have visited Putin  Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

While Ficos visit was kept hidden from the public, the EU confirmed that European Council President Antonio Costa had been notified in advance, but declined to comment further on Ficos visit. Fico and Orban have consistently been Russia-friendly leaders even after the start of the war.

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Hence, the energy crisis in Europe is also bringing out cracks in the EU.

With inputs from agencies.
Krugerrands, worth thousands of dollars each, were marketed to foreign investors with the goal of bringing investment to South Africa. An anonymous donor dropped one into a red kettle operated by the Napa Salvation Army on Saturday. Associated Press 2008

An anonymous donor dropped a rare gold coin into a red kettle operated by the Napa Salvation Army on Saturday.

Volunteers discovered the 1-ounce South African Krugerrand gold coin while counting donations after a day of bell ringing at Napas Bel Aire Plaza, Larry Carmichael, a corps officer of the Salvation Army of Napa, told the Chronicle on Sunday.

This is not a coin you carry in your pocket to toss anywhere, Carmichael said. Whoever had it was intentional about where they were donating it.

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After a moment of shock, Carmichael said he immediately went to Google to find out its current value. Carmichael believes the coin is potentially worth thousands of dollars, and said the organization will solicit offers from coin dealers in the coming weeks.

CBS News first reported the coins discovery.

Krugerrand coins are named for Paul Kruger, who from 1883 to 1900 served as president of the South African Republic, a Dutch colony within present-day South Africa, according to the Smithsonians National Numismatic Collection, which preserves money and transactional objects from around the world. Four Krugerrand coins are in the Smithsonian.

The large gold coins were not intended to circulate widely within South Africa, but rather were marketed to foreign investors with the aim of bringing investment to the South African state during a period of international sanctions, according to the Smithsonian.

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The killings which took place earlier this month, shocked the Caribbean nation, which has been engulfed in a worsening gang conflict, compounding devastating food shortages, while its neighbors lag on delivering long-promised security assistance. read more

At least 207 people were killed by members of the Wharf Jeremie gang in Haitis portside neighborhood of Cite Soleil earlier this month, according to a report by the United Nations on Monday, revising an earlier estimate of 187 deaths.

The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights detailed the massacre in a new report, stating that at least 134 men and 73 women, most of them elderly residents accused of witchcraft, were killed in less than a week of mass executions, abductions, and raids by around 300 gang members.

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Gang leader Monel Mikano Felix ordered the attacks after his child got sick, accusing local residents of causing the illness through Voudou. Many of the victims were abducted from Voudou temples and religious ceremonies, the U.N. said.

The killings shocked the Caribbean nation, which has been engulfed in a worsening gang conflict, compounding devastating food shortages, while its neighbors lag on delivering long-promised security assistance.

Mikanos gang has controlled a small but strategic area between key ports, surrounding warehouses and national highways out of the capital for some 15 years, according the U.N.

After the killings, gang members attempted to erase evidence by confiscating mobile phones, burning bodies and dumping them into the sea.

Over 5,300 people have been killed in Haiti since January and more than 12,000 since the start of 2022, according to the U.N., while over 700,000 have been internally displaced.

With inputs from agencies.
A Saudi delegation recently met with Syrias new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus, amid reports that Iran has had no direct contact with the new Syrian leadership read more

Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known by nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, speaks at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, on Sunday. AP File

A Saudi delegation has met with Syrias new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus while Iran said on Monday that it had no direct contact with Syrias new leadership.

According to AFP, citing a source close to the government on Monday, the delegation joins a list of visitors to the Syrian capital since the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, led by Sharaa, spearheaded the toppling of president Bashar al-Assad on December 8.

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The Saudi senior delegation met Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus yesterday discussing (the) Syria situation and captagon, AFP quoted the source as saying, referring to the illegal synthentic stimulant that has flooded the region from Syria.

Meanwhile, while Iran affirmed its support for Syrias sovereignty on Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that Iran had no direct contact with Syrias new rulers.

Our principled position on Syria is very clear: preserving the sovereignty and integrity of Syria and for the people of Syria to decide on its future without destructive foreign interference, AFP quoted Baqaei as saying in a weekly press briefing.

He added that the country should not become a haven for terrorism, saying such an outcome would have repercussions for countries in the region.

Saudi Arabia severed ties with Bashar al-Assads government in 2012 and backed Syrian rebels seeking to overthrow him early in the countrys civil war.

But last year, Riyadh restored ties with Assads government and was instrumental in Syrias return to the Arab League, ending its regional isolation.

Saudi Arabia has become a major market for captagon, an addictive drug for which there is huge demand in the fossil fuel-rich Gulf.

The amphetamine-like narcotic was Syrias largest export under Assad, turning the country into one of the worlds biggest narco states.

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Al-Assad fled Syria earlier this month as the Military Operations Administration led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered the capital Damascus after a lightning offensive.

The takeover by HTS - proscribed as a terrorist organisation by many governments including the United States - has sparked concern, though the group has in recent years sought to moderate its image.

Headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syrias new leader and an ardent opponent of Iran, the group has spoken out against the Islamic Republics influence in Syria under al-Assad.

Tehran helped prop up al-Assad during Syrias long civil war, providing him with military advisers.

Al-Sharaa has received a host of foreign delegations since coming to power.

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He met on Sunday with Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, and on Monday with Jordans top diplomat Ayman Safadi.

On Friday, the United States top diplomat for the Middle East Barbara Leaf held a meeting with al-Sharaa, later saying she expected Syria would completely end any role for Iran in its affairs.

A handful of European delegations have also visited in recent days.

With inputs from agencies
Bangladeshs new regime headed by Muhammed Yunus has sought the extradition of Sheikh Hasina from India.

Since her ouster as the Bangladeshi premier in August, Hasina has been living in India in exile.

After weeks of protests against her 15-year rule, demonstrators backed by radical Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladeshi military overthrew Hasina in August. As the military turned against her, she fled to India for her life.

After ousting Hasina, the Bangladeshi military and agitating groups imported Yunus from Europe and propped him as the unelected leader of Bangladesh. Since his anointment, the new regime has presided over a crackdown of Hasinas Bangladesh Awami League (BAL) and has slapped charges against her and her supporters. They had repeatedly spoken against India for giving Hasina refuge and had sought her return to Bangladesh so they could extract retribution.

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In a brief statement on Monday (December 23) Yunus Home Affairs Adviser, Lieutenant General (Retired) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said the foreign ministry has initiated proceedings for Hasinas extradition.

A letter has already been sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The process is underway for extradition. We have a prisoner exchange agreement with India. It will be carried out under that agreement, said Chowdhury, according to Dhaka Tribune.

While Hasina was friendly to India and cracked down on Islamists and terrorists in Bangladesh, the new regime is increasingly accommodative of Islamists. The new regime of Yunus is also effectively rewriting history of Bangladesh by removing founding father Mujibur Rahman from public spaces and recultivating ties from Pakistan  the nation against whose genocidal rule Bangladeshis once fought for freedom.
Swedens foreign minister said Monday that China had denied a request for prosecutors to investigate on a Chinese ship linked to two severed Baltic Sea cables. read more

A view of the anchor of the Chinese ship, the bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, in the sea of Kattegat, near the City of Grenaa in Jutland, Denmark, November 20, 2024. File Image- Reuters

Sweden has accused China of refusing a request for Swedish prosecutors to board a Chinese vessel suspected of damaging two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, despite Beijings assurances of cooperation with regional authorities.

The vessel, Yi Peng 3, departed its anchorage on Saturday, even as investigations continued. It was tracked near the severed fiber-optic cablesone connecting Sweden to Lithuania and another linking Helsinki to Germanyat the time of the incidents on November 17 and 18 in Swedish territorial waters near Gotland and Oland.

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Swedish police have been on board as observers in connection with the Chinese investigation At the same time, I note that China has not heeded our request for the prosecutor to investigate the board, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told AFP in a statement.

However, China said earlier on Monday it had provided information and documents for an open investigation into the severing of two Baltic Sea undersea cables, though it and Sweden disagreed over how transparent Beijing had been in the case.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a news briefing in Beijing that China had invited Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to participate in and complete the inquiry.

She spoke about the incident when asked about a Financial Times report that Sweden had criticised China for refusing full access despite an open inquiry, and for allegedly barring a Swedish prosecutor from boarding the Chinese freighter vessel Yi Peng 3 linked to the cable breach.

The Baltic Sea cables, one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania, were damaged on Nov. 17 and 18, prompting German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to say he assumed this was caused by sabotage.

Investigators quickly zeroed in on the Chinese ship, which had left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on Nov. 15. A Reuters analysis of Marine Traffic data showed the vessels coordinates corresponded to the time and place of the breaches.

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With inputs from agencies.
The annulled Romanian presidential election serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities of democratic processes to external manipulation. As the world grapples with the complexities of hybrid warfare, it is clear that social media platforms like TikTok can be potent tools for influencing public opinion. read more

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, right, shakes hands with Prime Minister designate Marcel Ciolacu, left, after nominating him to form the new government in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. Image- AP

Romanias presidential election took a dramatic turn when the Constitutional Court annulled the results due to suspected Russian interference. Despite far-right candidate Calin Georgescus surprising win, the courts decision deemed the election invalid. The alleged Russian role in manipulating elections was so extensive that it prompted the court to order a fresh vote, likely to take place in early 2025.

Here are five factors that suggest TikToker Calin Georgescu may lose the elections, but Russia may have achieved its goals through influence operations:

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1. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Monday nominated incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to form a new pro-European coalition government, a move to resolve the political crisis started by the annulment of a presidential election by the countrys top court.

Ciolacu, leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), which secured the most votes in the December 1 parliamentary elections, has served as prime minister since June 2023. His nomination follows discussions with political parties and is seen as a strategic move to counter the rising influence of far-right nationalists, who gained ground in parliament amid growing anti-establishment sentiment.

2. Romanian intelligence has revealed a large-scale TikTok campaign that influenced the first round of the presidential elections, according to declassified documents. The operation, involving over 25,000 accounts, drove far-right candidate Calin Georgescus support from 5% to 23% in just three weeks. The manipulation was so extensive that Romanias Constitutional Court annulled the election and mandated a fresh vote.

The campaign utilised a network of influencers, coordinated hashtags, and a sophisticated financing system, with $381,000 spent on promoting videos and hashtags. It targeted Romanias nine million TikTok users, nearly half of the countrys adult population. However, Georgescu reported no campaign expenses to the Electoral Supervisory Commission.

Intelligence reports suggest ties to Russia and detail the campaigns structure, including the activation of 797 dormant accounts created in 2016, which became active just before the election. To evade detection, the operation used unique IP addresses for each account, preventing identification as a botnet.

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Georgescu, a 62-year-old independent far-right candidate, ran a social media-focused campaign, with TikTok as the primary platform.

3. The original three rounds of votes to elect a new president and parliament in the European Union and NATO state, which shares the longest land border with Ukraine, descended into chaos when a little-known far-right pro-Russian politician won the first presidential round on Nov. 24. His shocking win prompted Romanias top court to annul the election on suspicion of Russian meddling and order that it be re-run, likely in the first part of 2025.

4. Why it matters  Romania, a key NATO member on the alliances eastern flank with a long border shared with Ukraine, is the latest Eastern European nation grappling with Russias hybrid warfare tactics. The countrys Constitutional Court ruled that intelligence reports of Russian interference were serious enough to annul the presidential election and delay the vote.

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This situation mirrors recent challenges faced by other regional neighbours. Moldovas presidential election was marred by allegations of Russian meddling and voter fraud, while in Georgia, pro-Western opposition parties claimed Kremlin interference influenced contested polls. Romanias presidential election will happen in three to four months, allowing candidates time to secure endorsements for their campaigns.

5. What is next?- Georgescu has claimed that he is the victim of a conspiracy by the political elite, designed to prevent him from taking power and undermining the will of the people. He compared his situation to that of Donald Trump in the United States, alleging similar efforts by the establishment to thwart his rise.

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Even his main rival, Lasconi, criticised the courts decision, accusing it of trampling Romanias democracy. Georgescu echoed this sentiment, using the same phrase to express his dissatisfaction. He has indicated plans to file a complaint with Romanias Supreme Court, though there is no clear legal avenue for overturning the Constitutional Courts ruling. It remains unclear whether Georgescu intends to run again in the upcoming election.
While complaining about the ridiculous fees US incurs when shipping goods through the Panama Canal, President-elect Donald Trump threatened to take back the water passageway from the authorities in Panama read more

US President-elect Donald Trump turned several heads after he threatened to take back the Panama Canal if Panama does not manage the waterways in an acceptable manner. Trump made the provocative remarks after he accused the Central American nation of charging excessive rates for using the passage.

The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the US, Trump wrote on his Truth Social late Saturday. The comments came a little more than a month before he took over the Oval Office once again. This complete rip-off of our Country will immediately stop. he furthered.

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In the same post, the American President-elect warned that he would not let the canal fall into the wrong hands. He also raised alarms over potential Chinese influence over the passage, insisting that the canal should not be managed by Beijing. Trump emphasised that Panama was a vital national asset for the United States, calling it crucial for the countrys commerce and national security.

Trumps fight with the neighbours

Interestingly, Trumps remarks on the Panama Canal came days after he suggested that Canada should become the 51 state of the United States, referring to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Governor Trudeau. Trumps recent comments underscore his foreign policy as he assumes office for the second time.

On Friday, The Financial Times reported that the president-elects team told the European officials that he would demand Nato member states to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of their GDP. It has been 25 years since Washington handed over the control of the Panama Canal to Panama following a period of joint administration over the passageway.

In 1977, then-American President Jimmy Carter negotiated the Torrijos-Carter Treaties that gave Panama control of the canal and the Neutrality Treaty, which allowed the US to defend the canals neutrality. The canal is currently administered by the Panama Canal Authority.

The US which completed the canal in 1914, continues to remain the passageways biggest customer and is responsible for about three-quarters of the cargo transiting through each year. Meanwhile, China is the second biggest customer of the canal. It is pertinent to note that a Chinese company based in Hong Kong controls two of the five ports adjacent to the canal, one on each side.

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However, the Panama Canal is currently experiencing a 29 per cent decrease in ship transits over the past fiscal year due to severe drought conditions, claimed the canal authority. The prolonged droughts have hampered the canals ability to move ships between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Trump noted that China is not managing the canal, raising worries that its control can fall into the wrong hands. It was not given for the benefit of others, but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama, the president-elect averred. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question. To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly! he added.

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Meanwhile, an official from the Panama government told Bloomberg that the Central American nation is aware of Trumps remarks and there will be a formal response in the coming days.

With inputs from Reuters.
The plan, which aligns with Trumps longstanding criticism of the U.N. health agency, would mark a dramatic shift in U.S. global health policy and further isolate Washington from international efforts to battle pandemics. read more

Critics warn that a US withdrawal from WHO could undermine global disease surveillance and emergency response systems. Image- AFP file

Members of Donald Trumps presidential transition team are reportedly preparing for the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) on first day of his second term, according to health law expert Lawrence Gostin, who is familiar with the discussions.

I have it on good authority that he plans to withdraw, probably on Day One or very early in his administration, said Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health at Georgetown University in Washington and director of the WHO Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law.

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The Financial Times was the first to report on the plans.

This move, which aligns with Trumps long-standing criticism of the WHO, would mark a significant shift in U.S. global health policy, further distancing the country from international efforts to combat pandemics.

Trump has nominated several critics of the organization to top public health positions, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic who is up for the post of secretary of Health and Human Services, which oversees all major U.S. health agencies including the CDC and FDA.

Trump initiated the year-long withdrawal process from the WHO in 2020 but six months later his successor, President Joe Biden, reversed the decision.

Trump has argued that the agency failed to hold China accountable for the early spread of COVID-19. He has repeatedly called the WHO a puppet of Beijing and vowed to redirect U.S. contributions to domestic health initiatives.

A WHO spokesperson declined to directly comment but referred Reuters to comments by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press briefing on Dec. 10 in which he was asked whether he was concerned that the Trump administration would withdraw from the organization.

Tedros said at the time that the WHO needed to give the U.S. time and space for the transition. He also voiced confidence that states could finalize a pandemic agreement by May 2025.

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The U.S. would lose influence and clout in global health and China would fill the vacuum. I cant imagine a world without a robust WHO. But U.S. withdrawal would severely weaken the agency, Gostin said.

With inputs from agencies.
The device was found on Sunday off the coast of Agva, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of the point where the Bosphorus Strait enters the Black Sea read more

A sea mine was discovered floating off Turkeys Black Sea coast northeast of Istanbul, state news agency Anadolu reported, saying the explosive device would be destroyed on Monday.

The device was found on Sunday off the coast of Agva, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of the point where the Bosphorus Strait enters the Black Sea.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the warring sides have both deployed mines to protect their coastlines but they have often been displaced by storms.

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Given the threat to both commercial and military shipping, NATO members Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania who border the sea, set up the Mine Countermeasures Naval Group (MCM Black Sea) to oversee de-mining operations.

It began working on July 1.

Romanias defence ministry said this month that a total of 107 floating mines had been found and destroyed since the war broke out.

Last month Turkish vice-admiral Mustafa Kaya told reporters more than 400 mines had recently been planted in the Black Sea, some of which had come adrift.
The remarks from the US President-elect came amid growing complaints that it is Musk who is running the show read more

US President-elect Donald Trump set the record straight after he said that he would take charge in the office, not billionaire Elon Musk. No, hes not taking the presidency, Trump told a conservative audience in Phoenix, Arizona. The remarks from the Republican firebrand came amid growing complaints that it is Musk who is running the show.

You know, theyre on a new kick, he said. All the different hoaxes. The new one is that President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. No, no, thats not happening," he exclaimed. The complaint started growing after Musk and Trumps criticism of the stopgap bill left Congress in a spiral, rushing them to form an alternative.

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Trump: [Elon Musk] is not going to be president. That I can tell you. Im safe. You know why? He cant be. He wasnt born in this country pic.twitter.com/YpgcGZ0jF4  Acyn (@Acyn) December 22, 2024

Before Trump assumed office, he tapped Musk to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency, with biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramasway. It is pertinent to note that the Department, fondly called DOGE is not an official entity, but rather a small group of people working from the Washington offices of Musks SpaceX, will give recommendations to the government on how they could cut costs.

So is Musk the Prime Minister?

While the phrase President Musk was gaining attraction, GOP lawmaker Tony Gonzales compared the billionaire to a prime minister. Its kind of interesting, Gonzales said during an interview on CBS News Face the Nation. We have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker. It feels as if Elon Musk is our prime minister.

Gonzales was one of the few lawmakers who voted against the final stopgap bill. The House Representative from Texas said that he met Musk a couple of times and emphasised that the tech mogul represents the voice of the people.

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Well, unelected, but, I mean, he has a voice, and I think a lot of large part of that voice is a reflection of the voice of the people, Gonzales said. The remarks from the Congressman reflect that president or not, Musk will still have a strong influence in Trump administration 2.0.

With inputs from agencies.
Trump also vowed to keep men out of womens sports, adding that it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female. read more

President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday pledged to stop the transgender lunacy on day one of his presidency, as Republicans  set to control both chambers of Congress and the White House  continue their push against LGBTQ rights.

I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high schools, the president-elect said at an event for young conservatives in Phoenix, Arizona.

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He also vowed to keep men out of womens sports, adding that it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.

Speaking to the AmericaFest conference in a border state he easily carried in the November election, Trump further promised immediate measures against migrant crime, vowed to designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and doubled down on his talk of restoring US control of the Panama Canal.

Transgender issues have roiled US politics in recent years, as Democratic- and Republican-controlled states have moved in opposite directions on policy such as medical treatment and what books on the topic are allowed in public or school libraries.

Last week, when the US Congress approved its annual defense budget, it included a provision to block funding of some gender-affirming care for the transgender children of service members.

In his speech Sunday, which amounted to something of a victory lap, Trump made expansive promises for his second term  and drew a dark picture of the four years preceding it, under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the latter of whom he defeated in the 2024 election.

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On January 20, the United States will turn the page forever on four long, horrible years of failure, incompetence, national decline, and we will inaugurate a new era of peace, prosperity and national greatness, Trump said, referring to his swearing-in.

Golden age

I will end the war in Ukraine. I will stop the chaos in the Middle East, and I will prevent, I promise, World War III.

He added: The golden age of America is upon us.

The president-elect has yet to explain publicly how he plans to bring a quick end to the war in Ukraine, or to bring peace to the Middle East.

But in the sort of bellicose language he sometimes used even against US allies in the past, Trump said Sunday that Panamanian authorities havent treated us fairly in their operation of the Panama Canal.

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He had said earlier that fees for use of the canal  construction of which was begun by France and completed by the United States  are ridiculous.

And he added Sunday that if the principles behind the 1970s treaty that gave Panama full control of the canal are not followed, then we will demand that it be returned to the United States in full, quickly and without question.

Thousands of ships transit the key Central American waterway every year, making it critical to US and international commerce.

The president-elect, who regularly blames migrants from Latin America for Americas drug problems, renewed his vow to immediately begin the largest deportation operation in American history upon taking office, and later went further, saying he would immediately designate the (drug) cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

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This criminal network operating on American soil will be dismantled, deported and destroyed, Trump said.

During his first term in 2019, after the killing in Mexico of nine American citizens from a Mormon community, Trump vowed to apply the terrorist designation to Mexican cartels.

But he relented following a plea from then-Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
PARADISE, Butte County  As he watched the smoke of the Park Fire billow over the ridge into Paradise this past summer, Camp Fire survivor Gary Ledbetter felt a sense of deja vu. He could recall standing in that same spot, six years earlier, when the shifting winds blew Californias deadliest and most destructive wildfire right into his backyard.

Back then, he fled just as the flames reached his roof. This time, he searched his soul, turned on the sprinklers outside his new home and went back inside.

Ledbetters sense of security was not unfounded. Hes one of very few homeowners who can claim to live in one of the most fire-resistant houses scientists can build  what insurance industry-backed researchers call a Wildfire Prepared Home Plus. Yet up until a few months ago, he was struggling to insure it.

LEFT: After Gary Ledbetters Paradise house burned in the 2018 wildfire, his newly constructed home was the first in Paradise to receive the Wildfire Prepared Home Plus designation. RIGHT: Ledbetter at his new home, across from the canyon where the 2018 blaze began. Photos by Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle TOP: After Gary Ledbetters Paradise house burned in the 2018 wildfire, his newly constructed home was the first in Paradise to receive the Wildfire Prepared Home Plus designation. ABOVE: Ledbetter at his new home, across from the canyon where the 2018 blaze began. Photos by Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle

Of the 11,000 homes that burned in the Camp Fire, just over 2,500 have been rebuilt. None have any combustible vegetation within 5 feet of the home. All are equipped with vents that prevent embers from entering and burning a home from the inside. Some, like Ledbetters, are entirely covered in noncombustible siding.

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Rebuilding a town where 90% of the homes burned down is a daunting task. But its also an opportunity for a radical experiment that all of California has a stake in: Is it possible to build a fire-safe town in the footprint of the worst wildfire in state history  and get its residents insured?

At least one insurance company believes so. And it wants the rest of the industry to get on board.

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Counting pennies

It has been just over six years since faulty Pacific Gas and Electric Co. equipment sparked the Camp Fire, which burned more than 18,800 structures across more than 153,000 acres of Butte County and killed 85 people.

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Before the fire, it was already somewhat difficult to find insurance in Paradise, according to Mayor Ron Lassonde.

From left, Mercury Insurance President Victor Joseph, Paradise resident Gary Ledbetter and Mayor Ron Lassonde speak in front of Ledbetters home. Mercury Insurance executives have toured Paradise to learn about the towns wildfire risk mitigation efforts. Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle

When Ledbetter bought his first home in 2017, he was able to get coverage only through the California FAIR Plan  a privately run insurer of last resort created to serve those unable to find insurance on the private market.

At the time, the FAIR Plan insured about 9% of Paradise, a percentage more than double its presence in the state overall. Since then, its number of policies within the fast-growing town has nearly tripled, to 1,715 out of the 4,274 total homes in Paradise.

Alice Greer, a retired teacher living on a pension, lives in a modest, single-story home with gravel on all sides and just one small spruce tree that lives in a pot. She still pays more than $13,000 a year for the FAIR Plan  more than 40% of her annual income.

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I have to watch my pennies. Thats what I get for my retirement, she said.

LEFT: Alice Greer, center, shows her new Paradise home to Mercury Insurance President Victor Joseph, left, and other executives and local leaders. RIGHT: Greers house includes a gravel front yard designed to reduce the risk of fire. Photos by Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle TOP: Alice Greer, center, shows her new Paradise home to Mercury Insurance President Victor Joseph, left, and other executives and local leaders. ABOVE: Greers house includes a gravel front yard designed to reduce the risk of fire. Photos by Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle

On the private market, residents can find themselves paying anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000 a year for home insurance, according to Jen Goodlin, executive director of the nonprofit Rebuild Paradise. Even complying with the towns strict wildfire-safety rebuilding standards doesnt guarantee lower costs, she said.

Greer wishes insurance companies would see what she sees: that the Paradise she lives in is wholly different from the Paradise that once burned. Shes not the only one who believes that.

No fuel to burn

On a visit to the town this month, Roy Wright surveyed the landscape dotted with rebuilt and rebuilding homes.

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It doesnt have the fuel load to burn, he remarked.

Wright, CEO of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety and former chief executive of the National Flood Insurance Program, has watched a lot of homes burn. His nonprofit, based near Charlotte N.C., receives funding from insurance companies to study exactly what makes a house catch fire and how to stop it, including running live burn demonstrations.

A newly constructed Paradise home is inspected during a tour by, from left: Roy Wright, CEO of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety; Jen Goodlin, executive director of Rebuild Paradise; Kelly Butler, vice president and chief underwriting officer of Mercury Insurance; and Victor Joseph, president of Mercury Insurance. Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle

He also has a personal stake in making Paradise safer  his parents and brother live in town and lost their homes during the Camp Fire.

For a fee, homeowners can get an IBHS certification to demonstrate to insurance companies that theyve lowered their risk. IBHS offers two levels of designation: Wildfire Prepared Home, where most of their clients fall, and the stricter Wildfire Prepared Home Plus. Theyve certified more than 1,100 homes in California, including more than 50 in Paradise.

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Paradises own building codes require the same standards as IBHS standard Wildfire Prepared Home certification  ember resistant vents, covered gutters and no combustible material within 5 feet of the home, to name a few. The town has 95% compliance with the defensible space requirement, Lassonde said. It acts as a sort of herd immunity against the spread of fire.

Wright said there are many more homes in the town that could be IBHS certified with just a few minor changes.

Kurt and Vicki Faria, who lost their Paradise home to the 2018 wildfire that ravaged the town, recently built a near replica of their original home on the same lot. Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle

Kurt and Vicki Faria own one of those homes. The Farias were insured by Allstate before the fire at a cost of $1,800 a year. But by the time they had rebuilt their home in 2023, the company was no longer offering new home insurance policies in California. They called State Farm, they called CSAA  but no one would cover them.

Now they pay $7,000 a year for fire insurance through the FAIR Plan and a second policy for everything else. Theyve reduced the amount of coverage they have on the home and chosen a $20,000 deductible to make it more affordable.

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Its hard to do anything else. You have to save all year, Vicki Faria said.

This month, they received a glimmer of hope. The president of Mercury Insurance pulled up to their driveway, walked around their property and handed them a business card.

Solving the insurance crisis

Los Angeles-based Mercury is the fifth-largest home insurer in California, where it does the vast majority of its business. Up until now, though, the company hasnt had a particularly large presence in the states rural, fire-prone areas.

But Victor Joseph, Mercurys president and chief operating officer, is determined to change that. The company first connected with Goodlin, the executive director of Rebuild Paradise, after an online webinar bringing together insurance companies and towns with residents struggling to obtain insurance. After Goodlin told them about all the town has done to mitigate its risk, Mercury made three visits to learn more and see it all in person.

Mercury Insurance President Victor Joseph, left, and Roy Wright, CEO of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, inspect a newly constructed home in Paradise in Butte County during a tour of the towns rebuilding efforts. Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle

Right now, Mercury insures 40 homes in Paradise. It says it is hoping to add about 200 more. An easy place to start is by picking up the homes that are IBHS-certified, or close to it, but still on the FAIR Plan, Joseph said.

On its own, Mercury can only do so much. Its risky for one company to insure too much of any given community because it would be exposed to too many losses if a natural disaster occurred.

Joseph believes that if more insurance companies would write policies in Paradise, it would send a message to homeowners in the rest of the state that risk mitigation is worth it. And if communities around California succeed in lowering their risk, then companies like Mercury will have more places they can comfortably write insurance.

LEFT: A map of Paradise indicates homes constructed by Trilogy Construction Inc. after the 2018 wildfire that burned more than 90% of the town. RIGHT: Mercury Insurance executives, local government officials and representatives from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety and Rebuild Paradise tour newly built homes in Paradise to talk about the towns rebuilding efforts. Photos by Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle TOP: A map of Paradise indicates homes constructed by Trilogy Construction Inc. after the 2018 wildfire that burned more than 90% of the town. ABOVE: Mercury Insurance executives, local government officials and representatives from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety and Rebuild Paradise tour newly built homes in Paradise to talk about the towns rebuilding efforts. Photos by Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle

We feel an obligation. When you see what the state is doing and you see what the town is doing, how can you not come back? he said. Paradise has figured it out, and we have to throw everything behind supporting them and telling that story.

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, who was elected to his office the same month that the Camp Fire burned, said he has witnessed Paradises rebirth over the course of his tenure.

By the end of this year, Lara has promised to enact several reforms that aim to incentivize companies to write more policies in fire-prone parts of the state like Paradise. In exchange, insurers will be able to access new tools theyve been asking for  including using wildfire catastrophe models that will include recognition of risk mitigation efforts.

When more insurance companies do their part and recognize these groundbreaking changes, thats how we solve Californias insurance crisis, Lara said in a statement to the Chronicle.

A success story for all of California

Ledbetter didnt build a fire-resistant home because he wanted cheaper insurance. He built it because he never again wanted to lose everything in the blink of an eye.

Both he and Wright say its pure happenstance that the first Wildfire Prepared Home Plus in northern California  the second ever in the U.S.  belongs to a survivor of the states worst wildfire. In all of California, there are fewer than 50 of these homes, about five of which are located in Paradise.

For the first two years of his new homes existence, it was insured by American National. But Ledbetter lost that policy when the company left the California homeowners market, and he was forced on to the FAIR Plan.

Paradise resident Gary Ledbetter gazes out at Feather River Canyon, which lies just behind his home and was the origin of the deadly 2018 Camp Fire. His house was the first in Northern California to be certified a Wildfire Prepared Home Plus. Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle

Ledbetter, who invested time and money into researching fire science as he rebuilt his home by hand, hoped his story could be used as proof to others that risk mitigation is worth the cost. But all he had to show for himself was an expensive FAIR Plan policy.

Then, two months ago, Mercury agreed to cover his home  dropping his premium from $7,000 a year to $1,400. Now he feels like the success story he aspired to be.

His sense of peace, though, is still precarious. Every morning, he wakes up to a view he couldnt see before the fire because it was blocked by dense trees. Its a view of the canyon where the Camp Fire first sparked.

If one night, he falls asleep without lowering the tempered glass wall that protects his backyard patio, hed be vulnerable once again to a fire sweeping up through the canyon.

But when a red flag warning is called, he doesnt let it keep him up at night. Instead, he worries about those that have newly moved into the community.

The view of Feather River Canyon, where the Camp Fire started in 2018. Florence Middleton/Special to the Chronicle

Paradise, once a town of 26,500, has yet to fully rebound from the fire. But in the past four years, its population has more than doubled from 4,000 to 10,600. Many of the new residents are families who moved in after the fire, who didnt experience the race to get out as the flames beat on their backs or the feeling of returning home to nothing.
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally gunning down health insurance executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street, pleaded not guilty on Monday to New York state murder charges that brand him a terrorist read more

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson, walks on the day of an arraignment hearing, at New York Supreme Court in New York City, US on Monday. Reuters

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally gunning down health insurance executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street, pleaded not guilty on Monday to New York state murder charges that brand him a terrorist.

Mangione, 26, was escorted into Judge Gregory Carros 13th-floor courtroom in the New York state criminal courthouse in lower Manhattan with a court officer on each arm, and a procession of a half dozen officers following him. He was in handcuffs and shackles, and wore a burgundy sweater over a white-collared shirt.

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Mangione leaned into a microphone and said not guilty when Carro asked how he pleaded to the 11-count indictment charging him with murder as an act of terrorism and weapons offenses.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Groups insurance unit UnitedHealthcare, was shot dead on Dec. 4 outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan where the company was gathering for an investor conference.

The brazen killing and ensuing five-day manhunt captivated Americans. While public officials have condemned the killing, some Americans who decry the steep costs of healthcare and insurance companies power to deny paying for some medical treatments have feted Mangione as a folk hero.

Mangione was arrested at a McDonalds restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9. After deciding last week not to fight extradition, he was transferred to New York, where he was led off a helicopter in lower Manhattan by a large phalanx of police officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

That spectacle and other statements by public officials suggest Mangione may not be able to get a fair trial, his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said at Mondays hearing.

They are treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, some sort of spectacle, Agnifilo said. He is not a symbol, he is someone who is afforded a right to a fair trial.

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Several dozen people gathered outside the courthouse in freezing temperatures to express support for Mangione and anger at healthcare companies.

One person held a sign with the words DENY, DEFEND, DEPOSE, a phrase that echoes tactics some accuse insurers of using to avoid paying out claims. Authorities say the words deny, delay, and depose were found written on shell casings at the crime scene.

Kara Hay, a 42-year-old schoolteacher, said she believed it was wrong for Mangione to be charged with terrorism.

Shooting one CEO does not make him a terrorist, and I do not feel terrorized, said Hay, who held a sign reading innocent until proven guilty.

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After the 30-minute hearing, officers once again shackled Mangione and led him out of the courtroom. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal lockup in Brooklyn.

Carro set Mangiones next court appearance for Feb. 21.

Dual state, federal cases

Mondays arraignment was the second court appearance in New York for Mangione, who also faces a four-count federal criminal complaint charging him with stalking and killing Thompson.

He has not yet been asked to enter a plea in that case. U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker ordered Mangione detained at a Dec. 19 hearing in Manhattan federal court.

The federal charges would make him eligible for the death penalty, should the U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan decide to pursue it.

The separate federal and state cases will proceed in parallel. The state case is currently expected to go to trial first, federal prosecutors said.

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At the hearing, Friedman Agnifilo said it was difficult to defend her client in dual state and federal cases.

He is being treated like a human ping-pong ball between these two jurisdictions, Friedman Agnifilo said.

She also said the Manhattan District Attorneys office, which brought the charges, has not handed over any evidence to the defense to help prepare for trial, a process known as discovery. A prosecutor responded that the office would begin handing over evidence soon.

According to the federal criminal complaint, the police who arrested Mangione found a notebook that contained several handwritten pages that express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.

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A notebook entry dated October 22 allegedly described an intent to wack the chief executive of an insurance company at its investor conference.
As Iran stands considerably weakened after more than a year of war with Israel, it may decide to develop nuclear weapons to restore deterrence, the White House has told the incoming Donald Trump administration read more

After being weakened in the conflict with Israel over the past year, Iran may decide to build a nuclear weapon, the White House has told the incoming Donald Trump administration.

Following the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel, Iran and its proxies have been battered in the conflict.

Hamas has been reduced to an insurgency in the Gaza Strip with its leadership neutralised. Similarly, most of Hezbollahs leaders have been killed and its war-waging ability has been destroyed in Lebanon. In two rounds of aerial battles with Israel, Iran has also been left essentially naked as Israel has taken out its air defences. Israel has also dealt a setback to its nuclear programme. Moreover, Iran has lost strategic depth in the region with the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

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Amid such a situation, Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor (NSA) of outgoing President Joe Biden has told the incoming Trump administration that Iran may decide to develop nuclear weapons as it finds itself cornered in front of Israel.

In an interview with CNN, Sullivan on Sunday (December 22) said that there are voices in Iran that are saying that we have to revisit our nuclear doctrine and maybe maybe we need to go for a nuclear weapon because it stands considerably weakened and has no conventional deterrence at the moment. He said that there is a need to be vigilant about the threat.

Sullivan told CNN, Youre looking around at the fact that your conventional capability has been reduced, your proxies have been reduced, your main client state has been eliminated, Assad has fallen, its no wonder there are voices saying, hey, maybe we need to go for a nuclear weapon right now.

Sullivan said that there is a real risk of Iran deciding to develop a nuclear weapon amid such a situation and he has been briefing the incoming Trump administration on the situation.

Sullivan further said, Theyre saying maybe we have to revisit our nuclear doctrine, a doctrine that has said well have a civilian nuclear programme and certain capabilities, but were not going for a nuke. That is a real risk. Its a risk we are trying to be vigilant about now. Its a risk that Im personally briefing the incoming team on. I was just in Israel consulting with the Israelis on this risk and its something that is the consequence not of Iranian strength, but of Iranian weakness and thats the kind of thing that, in a dynamic and challenging Middle East American statecraft is going to have to account for.

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Sullivans remarks come days after Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has been concerned about Iran developing a nuclear weapon on his watch and that his team has been fleshing out options to deal with the situation, ranging from harsher sanctions to pre-emptive strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Separately, there have been reports that the Israeli military has also drawn plans to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities.

After Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, Iran ramped up the enrichment of nuclear fuel. Currently, Iran has enriched nuclear fuel to near-weapons grade level.

The New York Times has reported that, once Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei gives his go-ahead, Iran can make enough weapons-grade nuclear fuel for four warheads within weeks and can then make warheads within next 12-18 months.

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However, despite such an assessment, the US intelligence agencies maintain that the go-ahead from Khamenei has not yet come. In 2003, Khamenei suspended the Iranian nuclear weapons programme and even though Iran has taken steps towards resuming the programme, it has not yet resumed it, according to the US intelligence assessment.

Moreover, despite Sullivans remarks and the near-weapons grade enrichment of nuclear fuel, Israel has dealt Iran a setback when it comes to the ability to develop a warhead. During the airstrikes inside Iran in October, Israel destroyed a key component needed to make a warhead, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later without giving specifics.

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U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, granted a motion by WhatsApp and found NSO liable for hacking and breach of contract read more

A U.S. judge ruled on Friday in favor of Meta Platforms WhatsApp in a lawsuit accusing Israels NSO Group of exploiting a bug in the messaging app to install spy software allowing unauthorized surveillance.

U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, granted a motion by WhatsApp and found NSO liable for hacking and breach of contract.

The case will now proceed to a trial only on the issue of damages, Hamilton said. NSO Group did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

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Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, said the ruling is a win for privacy.

We spent five years presenting our case because we firmly believe that spyware companies could not hide behind immunity or avoid accountability for their unlawful actions, Cathcart said in a social media post.

Surveillance companies should be on notice that illegal spying will not be tolerated.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said they were grateful for the decision.

Were proud to have stood up against NSO and thankful to the many organizations that were supportive of this case. WhatsApp will never stop working to protect peoples private communication, he said.

Cybersecurity experts welcomed the judgment.

John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher with Canadian internet watchdog Citizen Lab  which first brought to light NSOs Pegasus spyware in 2016  called the judgment a landmark ruling with huge implications for the spyware industry.

The entire industry has hidden behind the claim that whatever their customers do with their hacking tools, its not their responsibility, he said in an instant message. Todays ruling makes it clear that NSO Group is in fact responsible for breaking numerous laws.

WhatsApp in 2019 sued NSO seeking an injunction and damages, accusing it of accessing WhatsApp servers without permission six months earlier to install the Pegasus software on victims mobile devices. The lawsuit alleged the intrusion allowed the surveillance of 1,400 people, including journalists, human rights activists and dissidents.

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NSO had argued that Pegasus helps law enforcement and intelligence agencies fight crime and protect national security and that its technology is intended to help catch terrorists, pedophiles and hardened criminals.

NSO appealed a trial judges 2020 refusal to award it conduct-based immunity, a common law doctrine protecting foreign officials acting in their official capacity.

Upholding that ruling in 2021, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals called it an easy case because NSOs mere licensing of Pegasus and offering technical support did not shield it from liability under a federal law called the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which took precedence over common law.

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The U.S. Supreme Court last year turned away NSOs appeal of the lower courts decision, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.
While large sections of the Israeli population serve in the military mandatorily, ultra-Orthodox Jews have long been exempted from conscription, which has long caused friction with those who serve and bear the burden of protecting them read more

Ultra-Orthodox Jews line up at an Israeli draft office to process their exemptions from mandatory military service at a recruitment base in Kiryat Ono, Israel March 28, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Exhausted by more than 14 months of war, the wives and mothers of Israeli soldiers are uniting in protest against exemptions from conscription for ultra-Orthodox men.

For several Saturday evenings, the bridge over a key highway that runs between Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox suburb of Tel Aviv, and Givat Shmuel, a bastion of religious Zionists whose sons and husbands proudly serve in the army, has been the scene of a tense standoff.

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Ultra-Orthodox residents passed by, some running, as protesters holding Israeli flags and banners shouted through megaphones demanding conscription for all.

The military has asked for extra manpower in light of the war in Gaza and connected conflicts, while the Supreme Court ruled in June that the state must draft ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into military service.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus right-wing coalition government includes members of two ultra-Orthodox parties, and he has feared that ending the exemption could break up his coalition.

The coalition is moving ahead with legislation that would protect the exemption for the vast majority of Haredim (the Hebrew name for ultra-Orthodox Jews, meaning God-fearing) from military service.

Political and religious ultra-Orthodox leaders, whose decisions are often binding on their followers, continue to strongly oppose service in the military. They say that prayer and religious study protects the country as much as combat.

Help from our brothers

Military service is mandatory in Israel, but under agreements forged at Israels creation, when the Haredim were only a very small community, those who devote themselves to the study of sacred Jewish texts can avoid conscription.

The ultra-Orthodox account for 14 per cent of Israels Jewish population, according to the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), representing about 1.3 million people. About 66,000 of those of conscription age are exempted, according to the army.

Michal Vilian, a 60-year-old resident of Givat Shmuel, has been participating in weekly demonstrations organised since last month by Partners for Bearing the Burden, a religious womens collective.

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All four of her sons and her son-in-law have been called up as reservists, almost without leave since the war began, and been deployed to Gaza, Lebanon and, more recently, Syria.

We are here to ask for help from our brothers who live just across the bridge, to tell them to lend a hand, a shoulder, and to share the burden, said the doctor, sporting the turban worn by religious Zionist women.

Religious Zionist Jews are allied with the ultra-Orthodox factions in Netanyahus coalition, and their political leaders have been willing to compromise on the issue of Haredim exemptions.

Even for them, though, the burden of the war has become too heavy.

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Since October 7, 2023, 818 soldiers have been killed, including during the Hamas attack on Israel as well as in the Gaza ground operation, the Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon and operations in the occupied West Bank.

With a disproportionately high number of combat deaths due to their above average participation in the military, they share the anger of the majority of Israelis on this issue, said Amotz Asa-El, a researcher at the Shalom Hartman Institute.

That anger was now overflowing, he said.

Not the Torah

The exemption is perceived by the vast majority of the rest of the population as being at their expense in the most physical, existential sense of the term, he added.

At its peak, just days after Hamass attack, up to 300,000 reservists were mobilised in the ranks of the army. This number has now dropped to 100,000, or around one per cent of the total Israeli population, according to figures from the Reservists Wives Forum.

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One of the founders of the Forum, Rotem Avidar Tzalik, a 34-year-old lawyer, said she has been living in a parallel reality for more than a year, with her husband, a member of a special unit, called up for more than 200 days.

A mother of three young children, she said the weight of mobilisation had become unbearable for families because of the economic and psychological difficulties it caused.

In the Israeli parliament, where she advocates for the rights of reservists families, her approach to the issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription is pragmatic, emphasizing that it is only one aspect of broader changes needed.

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She points out, however, that any increase in their conscription, even by just a thousand, beyond the few thousand who already serve, would have a huge impact for reservists by allowing them to reduce the burden.

Shvut Raanan, a 31-year-old lawyer, also an active member of the Forum, said the Haredims arguments did not stand up to scrutiny.

It has never worked that way in religious history it is clear that this is not the Torah, said the mother of four young children, citing various Jewish religious figures who called for Jewish people to fight.
Zelenskyy comments came a day after Fico met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sunday. Fico said the meeting was in response to talks with Zelenskiy, who he accused of opposing any gas transit through Ukraine to his country. read more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday criticized Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico for what he described as a lack of willingness to reduce Slovakias dependency on Russian natural resources, calling it a big security issue for both Europe and Slovakia.

Zelenskyy made the remarks after Fico met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sunday. Fico claimed the meeting was a response to Zelenskyys opposition to gas transit through Ukraine to Slovakia.

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His key goal is to deal with Russia, and this is what benefits him. This is indeed a big security issue  both for Slovakia and the entire Europe, Zelenskiy said on X.

Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with? he added.

It is worth noting that after their meeting in Moscow, Fico and Putin did not issue joint statements or respond to media questions. They simply cannot say publicly anything about what they discussed in the meeting. They are afraid of the public's reaction.



Moscow provides  Volodymyr Zelenskyy /   (@ZelenskyyUa) December 23, 2024

Ukraine has repeatedly said it would not extend a transit deal for gas flows from Russia to Europe, which expires on Jan. 1. Payments for the gas have helped Russia to wage its almost three-year war in Ukraine, Kyiv says.

The flow through Ukraine accounts for around half of Russias total pipeline gas exports to Europe. Slovakia, Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic will be the most affected if it ends.

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Slovakia, which has a long-term contract with Russias Gazprom, has been trying to keep receiving gas through Ukraine, saying buying elsewhere would cost it 220 million euros ($229 million) more in transit expenses.

Zelenskiy said that Moscow was providing significant discounts for Fico but added that Slovakia was paying for them by its sovereignty or via murky schemes. He gave no details.

This should be a matter of concern for Slovakias law enforcement and special services, he added.

Slovakias government office could not be immediately reached for comment and did not immediately reply to emailed questions.

The Ukrainian leader said that the issue was raised at a meeting of European leaders in Brussels last week. Fico has refused compensation to ease the transition period and get rid of dependence on Russian gas, Zelenskiy added.

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(Fico) wants to assist Russia in pushing American gas and energy resources of other partners away from Europe, implying that he wants to help Putin earn money to fund the war and weaken Europe, Zelenskiy added.

Fico said on Sunday that Putin had confirmed Russias willingness to continue to supply gas to Slovakia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he could not give more details.
Although Germany has been a vital ally of Ukraine, its hesitation in providing long-range Taurus cruise missiles has been a source of frustration in Kyiv, which is battling a foe armed with a powerful array of long-range weaponry read more

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stands next to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO Secretary General Residence, in Brussels, Belgium. File image/ Reuters

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he considered the sometimes harsh criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be unjustified, news wire DPA reported.

Although Germany has been a vital ally of Ukraine, its hesitation in providing long-range Taurus cruise missiles has been a source of frustration in Kyiv, which is battling a foe armed with a powerful array of long-range weaponry.

I have often told Zelenskyy that he should stop criticising Olaf Scholz, because I think it is unfair, DPA quoted Rutte on Monday as saying in an interview.

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Rutte also said that he, unlike Scholz, would supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles and would not set limits on their use.

In general, we know that such capabilities are very important for Ukraine, Rutte said, adding that it was not up to him to decide what allies should deliver.

After a November telephone call by Scholz with Russias leader Vladimir Putin in November, Zelenskyy said it had opened a Pandoras box that undermined efforts to isolate the Russian leader and end the war in Ukraine with a fair peace.
Samsung Display is collaborating with South Korean touch chip company HiDeep to develop stylus technology that does not require a digitizer or battery, according to a report by TheElec. The two companies plan to introduce this technology to Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

Currently, Samsung uses digitizers in its Galaxy S Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold smartphones, and Galaxy Tab tablets to support S Pen stylus, which does not require batteries. In contrast, Apples Pencil uses a battery but does not rely on a digitizer, a thin rectangular component that detects stylus input on the screen.

The report also noted that HiDeep aims to create a stylus compatible with devices from different brands, including Apple and Samsung.

In August, HiDeep announced its collaboration with major global customers to develop a new stylus model, expecting adoption by a Chinese smartphone maker to generate new revenue. Chinese manufacturers are working to make devices slimmer, particularly foldables, with the removal of the digitizer being a key part of this effort.

Samsung Display, already a supplier of OLED panels to these companies, sees potential for future collaborations. The report also noted that Apple plans to replace the iPhone 17 Plus with the iPhone 17 Air, while Samsung removed the digitizer from the Galaxy Z Fold SE, which no longer supports the S Pen.

Last year, HiDeep was selected by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to lead a project developing a system-on-chip (SoC) for touch and stylus technology that does not rely on a battery, sensor, or protocol. More details are expected as the project progresses.

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Stuffcool has expanded its power bank range with the launch of the Roam Mini Powerbank, following the release of the GIGA Powerbank last month.

The Roam Mini is a compact and lightweight power bank featuring a transparent design. Measuring 11 cm by 7 cm, it offers a 10,000mAh capacity. It provides fast, reliable charging while remaining slimmer than a typical card pack, making it easy to carry without adding bulk, the company said.

The power bank includes a Type-C 20W PD port, capable of charging iPhones up to 50% in just 30 minutes, and a 22.5W USB-A port that supports fast charging for devices such as OPPO, OnePlus, and realme.

Additionally, the Roam Mini has a user-friendly LED indicator that shows the charging status. The five LEDs display the remaining battery: the rightmost green LED indicates fast charging, while the four white LEDs represent the battery percentage. When all four white LEDs are on, the power bank is fully charged; three LEDs indicate a 75% charge, with each white LED representing 25% of the battery.

With an on/off button for added control, the Roam Mini is BIS certified and made in India, ensuring high performance and safety.

Quick Specifications: Stuffcool Roam 10,000mAh Mini Powerbank

Slim, lightweight design

10,000mAh battery capacity

20W PD Type-C Port

Universal fast charging output with 22.5W USB-A Port

LED Indicator for charging (5 LEDs)

Made in India

BIS Approved

Tech Specs

Input (Type-C): DC 5V/2.4A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A (18W Max)

Output (Type-C): DC 5V/3A, 9V/2.22A, 12V/1.67A (20W Max)

Output (USB-A): DC 5V/3A, 9V/2A, 10V/2.25V, 12V/1.5A (22.5W Max)

Total Output: DC 5V/3A (Max)

Weight: 182g  10g

Dimensions: 10.8 x 6.9 x 1.7 cm

Pricing and Availability

The Stuffcool Roam Mini Powerbank is priced at Rs. 1,499 and is available now on stuffcool.com and Amazon.in.
Brothers Wesley Cornett, 17, and Andruw Cornett, 19, went missing in Thermalito Afterbay near Oroville on Dec. 14 and are feared to have drowned, authorities say. Courtesy of the Butte County Sheriffs Office The search for two teen brothers who went missing in Thermalito Afterbay near Oroville on Dec. 14 has mobilized approximately 250 people from 21 different organizations, Butte County authorities said. Courtesy of the Butte County Sheriffs Office

The search for two teenage brothers who disappeared while duck hunting in Northern California has entered its second week, shifting from a rescue operation to recovery as authorities focus on locating the brothers bodies.

Authorities continue to search Thermalito Afterbay near Oroville by air, land and water, as they look for 17-year-old Wesley Cornett and 19-year-old Andruw Cornett, who are feared to have drowned, according to the Butte County Sheriffs Office.

On Friday, divers from the Stanislaus County Sheriffs Office assisting in the search recovered a jacket, a phone and shotgun shells belonging to Wesley. However, no additional clues were discovered over the weekend.

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Authorities received reports the morning of Dec. 14, that one brother overturned a kayak around 8:30 a.m., and while the other attempted to help, both became submerged. They have not been seen since.

The other one swam into the water to try and help, the Butte County Sheriffs Office said in a release. Both are currently missing. We continue to diligently search.

The search for two teen brothers who went missing in Thermalito Afterbay near Oroville on Dec. 14 has mobilized approximately 250 people from 21 different organizations, Butte County authorities said. Courtesy of the Butte County Sheriffs Office

The search effort has mobilized approximately 250 people from 21 different organizations, including the California Rescue Dog Association, the San Joaquin County Sheriffs Office Marine Unit, Yuba County Sheriffs Search and Rescue, Nevada County Sheriffs Office Marine Unit, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Cal Fire.

Despite their coordinated efforts, the search has been complicated by difficult conditions. Authorities said that when the brothers went missing, the water temperature was around 46 degrees, winds were between 20 and 30 mph, and swells reached 4 feet.

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Authorities have also urged the public to refrain from participating in the search.

The search for two teen brothers who went missing in Thermalito Afterbay near Oroville on Dec. 14 has mobilized approximately 250 people from 21 different organizations, Butte County authorities said. Courtesy of the Butte County Sheriffs Office

We appreciate it, but at this time we are not requesting assistance from the public, the Butte County Sheriffs Office said last Tuesday. We are receiving assistance today from several different law enforcement agencies from across Northern California.

Officials say the operation has since shifted from rescue to recovery.

We are running a lot of sonar equipment trying to narrow down anomalies that we can further inspect with underwater ROVs, which are unmanned underwater vehicles, as well as divers. The search that we are doing right now is a recovery, Sgt. Brian Evans, with the Butte County Sheriffs Office Marine Unit, told Redding TV station KRCR.

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Belarus ready to enhance cultural exchanges with China: minister

Xinhua) 10:26, December 23, 2024

MINSK, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Belarus is ready to enhance cultural exchanges with China, jointly launch new cooperation initiatives, and develop creative projects based on the traditional values of their people, Belarusian Culture Minister Ruslan Chernetsky said Saturday.

At a Spring Festival concert held at the Belarusian State Philharmonic, Chernetsky said although separated by thousands of kilometers, Belarus and China have maintained close and effective cooperation, and the foundation of cultural cooperation has grown stronger.

Chinese Ambassador to Belarus Zhang Wenchuan said that the concert is a significant cultural exchange event between China and Belarus and a testament to bilateral relations.

Zhang added that China is willing to continue to make joint efforts with the people from all walks of life in Belarus to implement the Global Civilization Initiative through practical actions and continuously open up a new chapter of cultural exchanges, integration, and mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Around 700 people attended the event, including representatives from various sectors of the Belarusian society, foreign ambassadors, Chinese nationals residing in Belarus, representatives of Chinese enterprises, and Chinese students.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
People gather to watch a section of the Santa Cruz Wharf that collapsed into the Pacific Ocean amidst heavy surf in Santa Cruz on Tuesday. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle Damage is seen on the end of Santa Cruz Wharf during high surf on Monday. Nic Coury/Associated Press A portion of the Santa Cruz Wharf floats in the ocean after it broke off on Monday. Courtesy of Jeremiah Sheldon

UPDATE: Tourist businesses that dot the wharf are reeling from the sudden prospect of indefinite closure. Track which Santa Cruz businesses are impacted here.

Part of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf collapsed into the ocean on Monday as powerful winter storms pummeled the California coast, and officials expressed concern that further damage could occur.

Three people went into the ocean and had to be rescued  two by lifeguards, and a third self-rescued, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department. The three, identified as engineers and a city project manager, were on-site assessing the condition of the end section of the pier, which had previously been closed to the public.

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Before the wharfs collapse and further down the coast, a man died after being trapped by debris washed up by a big wave at Sunset State Beach, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office. Around noon Saturday, also before the collapse, onlookers told authorities that an adult male was swept out to sea from Marina State Beach in Monterey County; bystanders could not save him and rescue crews search was unsuccessful.

The Santa Cruz wharf will remain closed until further notice  a blow to the more than a dozen businesses situated on it, though they were not damaged in the collapse. The National Weather Service said that coastal buoys saw significantly higher wave heights on Monday than models anticipated.

At least three people were rescued after part of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf collapsed into the ocean on Monday, as powerful winter storms pummeled the California coast. Kong Vue

At 12:45 p.m., the Santa Cruz Wharf was struck by a powerful swell event, according to Tony Elliot, director of the citys Parks and Recreation Department.

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 Live storm map: See where rain is hitting California and Bay Area

The collapse involved a 150-foot section at the end of the wharf, which included a restroom building and equipment related to ongoing $4 million renovations aimed at repairing storm damage from the past two years.

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The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, which is adjacent to the wharf, closed on Monday, but reopened Tuesday for a Winter Wonderland celebration.

Google Earth imagery of the end of the Santa Cruz Wharf from September 2022. Mondays collapse involved a 150-foot section at the end of the wharf, which included a restroom building seen here at the end of the wharf. Google Earth

At a news conference, Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley said the collapse of the wharf was caused by powerful waves crashing into the pier.

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He warned that the pilings and sections of the wharf now in the ocean pose serious, serious hazards for both people and maritime navigation and urged the public to stay out of the water and off the beach.

A portion of the Santa Cruz Wharf broke off on Monday after storms pounded the California coast. Courtesy Alex Nabor, Courtesy Kong Vue

Restroom No. 3 is all the way to the beach and is sitting there being pounded by waves as we speak, Keeley said.

Keeley also emphasized concerns about the structural integrity of the remaining wharf, noting that high tides and king tides could lead to further damage. (The next king tides arrive Jan. 11-13.)

Im very concerned that we may lose additional portions of our municipal wharf, he said.

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The collapsed 150-foot portion had already undergone some removal, including the Dolphin restaurant building and asphalt, which removed weight and weakened that portion of the structure. The remaining wharf still retains pilings, cross pieces and asphalt, which help maintain its stability.

Stretching over half a mile into Monterey Bay, the Santa Cruz Wharf, built in 1914, was once the longest wooden pier in the U.S., originally serving as a hub for shipping potatoes during the Gold Rush. Over the decades, it became a fixture of the north Monterey Bay fishing industry. By the 1960s, the wharf transitioned into a popular tourist destination, with restaurants, shops and recreational activities, drawing roughly 1.5 million visitors annually.

Numerous restaurants are on the wharf, including Santa Cruz institutions like Stagnaro Bros. and Gildas, as are other types of businesses, including the gift shop Bonnies Gifts; Made in Santa Cruz, which offers local products; Marinis Candies; Nolands, a surf shop; Surf City Santa Cruz; Surf Life, for beach apparel; Sockshop Santa Cruz; Pacific Coast Kites; and Woodies Hoodies.

Jenny Marini, whose husband and his brother co-own Marinis Candies on the wharf, had gone to visit the candy store and stopped at Stagnaro Bros.s fish market to buy crab for dinner on Tuesday. She was paying when her 14-year-old daughter said, Mom, (the public restroom) building just fell into the water.

Her family was awaiting word from officials as to when the wharf will reopen. Marinis Candies is her familys main source of income, like other family-owned businesses on the wharf, and Wed like to see it thriving, she said.

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The debris from the collapse is floating southward, and Seabright Beach has been closed as it lies in the potential path of the drifting wreckage.

Gov. Gavin Newsoms office said he has been briefed on the collapse, and the California Office of Emergency Services was coordinating with local officials and ready to assist.

Authorities advised the public to stay out of the water due to the dangerous conditions.

Youre putting your life at risk and the lives of the people that have to then try and save you, the weather service said Monday. It noted that several rescues have been requested in the Santa Cruz and Capitola areas.

A coastal flood warning and a high surf advisory were in effect for the region until noon and 6 p.m. Tuesday respectively, with waves reaching 30 to 40 feet, and some breaking waves potentially hitting 60 feet in exposed areas.

A part of the wharf in Santa Cruz collapsed into the ocean amid powerful California storms. Jeremiah Sheldon

The wharfs partial collapse comes nearly two years after the historic pier at Seacliff State Beach in nearby Aptos was severely damaged by a massive storm, leading officials to demolish it.

At Mondays press conference, City Manager Matt Huffaker described the collapse as another testament to the power of our changing climate.

He added, Despite all the effort that our staff put in collectively to planning for these potential incidents, each year its really blowing through our forecasts. Our coastline is wild. Its unpredictable. And we continue to see that winter season over winter season.

Chronicle staff writer Jessica Flores, David Hernandez, Julie Johnson and Jordan Parker contributed to this report.
Iti doresti o presa libera si independenta, care nu da inapoi cand vine vorba de respectarea standardelor profesionale, refuza sa se lase cenzurata, sustine independenta justitiei, transparenta decizionala si valorile democratice. Alege sa o sustii.
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, 2006-2024.
Francis Ford Coppola sounds the alarm on polio as vaccine debate escalates. Jordan Strauss/Associated Press

Francis Ford Coppola, the Oscar-winning Bay Area filmmaker and polio survivor, is sounding the alarm over the growing wave of vaccine skepticism in the United States, particularly regarding polio.

In a new interview, Coppola recounted his harrowing experience with the disease at age 9, warning that the push could undo decades of progress in preventing catastrophic health outcomes.

People dont understand that polio is a fever that just hits you for one night. You only are sick for one night, the 85-year-old Megalopolis director told Deadline in an interview published Sunday. The terrible effects of polio, like being unable to breathe so you have to be in an iron lung, or not being able to walk or be totally paralyzed, is the result of the damage of that one night of the infection.

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Contracting polio left him partially paralyzed for part of his childhood.

I remember that night. I was feverish and they took me to a hospital ward, he said. It was so crammed with kids that there were gurneys piled up three and four high in the hallways because there were so many more kids than there were beds in the hospital. I remember the kids in the iron lungs who you could see their faces on mirrors, and they were all crying for their parents. They didnt understand why they were suddenly in these steel cabinets.

I was looking around, and then when I tried to get out of bed, I fell on the floor and I realized I couldnt walk, he added.

His comments come amid reports that Aaron Siri, a key ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to revoke approval for the polio vaccine in children. Siri, who is advising Kennedy on health policy for the incoming Trump administration, submitted the petition in 2022 on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network, a group that has repeatedly raised concerns about vaccine safety.

Coppola spent 10 days in the polio ward, where doctors told his family that while he would survive, he would likely be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

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His father, Carmine Coppola, the composer known for The Godfather scores, rejected that prognosis.

It didnt sound logical to him, Coppola said.

Carmine sought alternative treatments and discovered the work of Australian nurse Elizabeth Kenny, who pioneered a new approach involving gentle exercise for polio patients, in stark contrast to the common practice of enforced bed rest. Coppola credits this treatment for his eventual recovery.

(B)ut the horror is what I saw a hospital just filled with screaming kids, and that was finally all over, because of the wonderful Salk vaccine that happened just two or three years later, he said.

The petition to revoke the polio vaccine has drawn sharp rebukes from public health officials, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who emphasized the critical importance of maintaining trust in vaccines, particularly the polio vaccine, which has saved millions of lives.

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The polio vaccine has been a critical tool in the fight against a deadly disease, McConnell said.

Siri, who has also campaigned against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, is part of a growing movement that questions the safety and efficacy of vaccines, led by figures like Kennedy, who has long cast doubt on vaccine safety.

For Coppola, there is no debate.

Dr. Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin, they donated the patents of their vaccines to the public as opposed to what happens today where the companies own them, he said. To see (polio) go away, theres so many stories about the vaccine, how many lives it saved in an epidemic that was only becoming a bigger epidemic.  It makes it so absurd, the idea that they would consider reversing course on vaccines now.

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Ray and Amy Genrich clutched a basket filled with Christmas-wrapped boxes as they inched in the line toward the checkout counter at Enstrom Candies.

Colorado crack. Thats what we call it, Amy said, nodding at the boxes. Our friends from Florida get so excited when we bring them the real thing.

Colorado crack is the buttery, nutty, chocolatey confection four generations of Enstrom family members have made for nearly a century.

The real thing is toffee purchased at the Enstrom mothership in downtown Grand Junction. The Enstrom retail store is where shoppers can watch through a glass wall as hair- and beard-netted candy makers heat, spread, slather and sprinkle the simple ingredients that are the essence of the famous Enstrom toffee.

Enstrom candy makers now produce half a million pounds of hand-made toffee annually. Thats a whopping 1.2 million calories  a number that people navigating the towers of toffee boxes in the Enstrom store appear willing to ignore around the holidays.

We are a tradition. We arent just a candy, said Enstrom vice president of sales Jim Simmons, representing the latest generation of the Enstrom family to take up the sweet business of running a company their great-grandfather Chet Enstrom started in 1929.

In the past decade with 38-year-old Jim and his 40-year-old brother Doug Simmons Jr. at the helm, Enstrom Candies has continued to move well beyond the handmade toffee that made the company famous. Enstrom Candies also turns out another 50,000 pounds or so of handmade bonbons and chocolate novelties each year. The shelves and coolers at the Enstrom shop include toffee popcorn, toffee bits for baking, sugar-free toffee, chocolate holiday ornaments, mint bark, 50 rotating varieties of ice cream, and tubs and boxes of bite-sized chunks of toffee called petites.

The companys biggest growth shift has taken place in the back production area of Enstroms city block-sized home base where those petites are being made. There, machines crank out an additional 2.5 million pounds of chocolate-enrobed toffee squares that have enabled Enstroms to spread its sweets around the world in the past several years.

Its a necessary evil, said Jim of the decision to add machine-made toffee to the companys sugary repertoire.

Enstrom sells the machine-made toffee in individually wrapped chunks to large retailers. Some put their own brand on it. Others opt to go with a name that has cachet in the toffee world. Enstrom-brand toffee is now sold in the aisles of Costco, in well-manicured hands on the QVC network, in five-starred Amazon listings and from grocery store coolers.

That toffee is the same recipe as Chets original, but it has an attribute that the original doesnt: It is shelf stable. Because it is entirely enrobed in chocolate, the butter in the toffee cant oxidize like it can in the handmade slabs that are only coated in chocolate top and bottom.

Jim said his family was able to add the shelf-stable toffee after hiring a candy consultant who came up with the method of continuing to use the all-important butter that is a prime ingredient in the toffee but using protective chocolate, so it doesnt need to be refrigerated or frozen.

A woman wearing a light colored shirt reaches for a sample of toffee at Enstrom Candies in Grand Junction

TRICKS OF THE TOFFEE TRADE

The additions to the toffee that makes up 95% of Enstroms sales, allow the company to keep 270 employees busy year around rather than for the three to four months it takes to produce what Jim calls the direct-to-consumer side of the business  the handmade toffee that is only available in Enstrom shops.

Enstrom Candies is producing enough of the toffee  both hand- and machine-made  to warrant an expansion. The family recently broke ground on a new 50,000-square-foot building that will house a warehouse, a distribution center and office spaces. It will enable Enstrom toffee to have even more of a global footprint.

Jim said Enstrom Candies is in final talks with a Japanese company that is expecting to begin selling Enstrom toffee on a large scale next year.

But the companys expansion will not include making the toffee outside Colorado. He described toffee as akin to wine in the way that it is affected by geography.

Cooking at altitude is a secret to our confections. The effect of altitude and the dry climate are tricks of our trade, Jim said.

Enstrom Candies has survived in a dry western Colorado climate since the Depression era when a craving for sweets seemed to outpace economic woes. Chet Enstrom opened his initial ice cream shop two months before the stock market crash. He had to pivot to keep the enterprise afloat. He completed a mail-order refrigeration class and became a repairman for businesses with coolers that were on the fritz.

Chet added toffee to his ice cream sales during World War II when housewives donated their allotments of butter and sugar to him so that he could make toffee and send it to their family members who were serving in the military overseas.

Other candy companies also survived the tough Depression era and economy-tipping wars.

Russell Stover Candies began producing hand-dipped chocolates in Denver in 1923 and remained a Colorado-owned confection business until a decade ago. Its large Montrose plant shut down in 2020 after the Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprungli bought the company in 2014.

Hammonds Candies started building a confectionery empire in Denver in 1920 with an initial sweet offering of Carls Piggy Backs, a chocolate mound topped with shredded coconut. It has repeatedly expanded and remained a Colorado-based business since then.

Enstrom, Hammonds, and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory are now Colorados premiere confectioners.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory didnt come on the scene until 1981 when it opened its first store in Durango and built a Durango factory a year later. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory now has 323 franchises around the world. Twenty-six of those are in Colorado.

RECIPE UNCHANGED

Enstrom opted through the years to keep its business in the family mode. Except for Chets original partner in the ice cream shop, Harry Jones, the Enstrom family has kept the operation in familial hands even when politics might have interfered.

In 1964, Chet was appointed to fill a vacant seat in the Colorado legislature. He and his wife, Vernie, turned the business over to their son Emil and daughter-in-law Mary. Emil and Mary grew the business to include mail-order customers.

By 1979 there were 10,000 of those customers on the books when their daughter, Jaimee, and her husband, Doug Simmons, took the business over.

The candy company they inherited included an office with a din of clacking typewriters as orders were filled for customers whose names were kept on Rolodex cards. Each order had to be individually hand typed.

A worker helps a customer select products at Enstrom Candies in Grand Junction

Jaimee and Doug computerized the business. This season, there are about 30 customer service specialists taking holiday orders by phone and online in a quiet upstairs office.

Jaimee and Doug began expansions that now include seven satellite sales shops in western Colorado and Denver. They also continued Chets tradition of regularly donating toffee to military members overseas and, closer to home, to service organizations and schools.

The Enstroms have never tweaked Chets original toffee recipe except to expand the ingredient quantities to mounds of butter, sacks of sugar, crates of almonds and slabs of chocolate.

Those quantities keep growing as Enstroms wholesale toffee sales have doubled in recent years. Direct-to-consumer sales have roller-coastered with around 3% to 5% annual increases.

Jim said the holidays always bring a big boost in sales because family spats and business blowbacks might occur if Enstrom toffee isnt proffered as a Christmas gift. Handing out boxes of toffee is a tradition that goes back decades for many Enstrom customers.

We are the gift people have come to expect, he said. If you dont give Enstrom toffee, people are asking, do you not like me anymore?

Amy Genrich agrees with that.

The people I give it to  they have to have it, she said. It would be hard to try to give something else.
Couriers intercept overseas cult organizations' illegal propaganda materials, drug-making raw materials, contributing to state security: MSS

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 22, 2024 01:21 PM

China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) on Sunday revealed three cases where couriers identified prohibited items posing risks to state security, including overseas cult organizations' illegal propaganda materials, drug-making materials and plant seedlings and seeds destined for overseas, as couriers flagged suspicious packages, individuals and behaviors, contributing to state security.

These cases show a result of the deepening of state security education and the public's rising awareness of safeguarding state security, the MSS said.

According to the MSS, a courier employee alerted state security authorities to dubious wording on a parcel's address label. An investigation revealed that the package contained illegal propaganda materials sent by overseas cult organizations to the Chinese mainland.

With the strong cooperation of the courier company, more than 100 items of illegal propaganda materials from overseas cult organizations were intercepted. The state security authority awarded the informant in accordance with the laws.

In another case, a deliveryman reported to the state security department that a package sent from a foreign country was repeatedly rejected by a visibly distressed recipient, raising the courier's suspicion.

Investigations showed that the package contained China's controlled Category II psychotropic drugs.

The tip provided crucial information for the state security authorities and relevant departments to uncover a case involving the online purchase of drug-making materials from overseas. The state security authorities also awarded the informant in accordance with the laws.

In the third case that the MSS revealed, a courier company discovered during security screening that a package destined for overseas contained undeclared plant seedlings and seeds. The courier company promptly notified state security authorities.

Upon verification, it was found that the plant seedlings and seeds in the package were rare and unique species native to China, which are classified as export-controlled items.

The reported clue provided significant assistance to the state security authorities in clarifying the situation and eliminating potential risks. The authorities awarded the informant in accordance with the law.

The MSS emphasized that ensuring delivery security requires collective responsibility of all employees in the courier industry, courier companies and regulatory authorities. According to China's Postal Law, interim regulations on express delivery and the regulations on the management of prohibited items in delivery services, all courier companies and personnel must rigorously monitor prohibited items and enforce safety protocols.

During the processes of receiving, sorting, transporting and delivering packages, if courier employees detect items potentially endangering state security, suspicious senders or recipients, or suspicious sending and receiving behaviors, they should report immediately to the state security authorities or relevant departments, and actively cooperate with authorities in their investigations.

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Israel indicts two settlers over suspected spying for Hezbollah

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 22 December 2024 6:05 PM

At least two Israeli settlers have been arrested in occupied al-Quds for allegedly passing on information to contacts in the Hezbollah resistance movement during the Israeli aggression against Lebanon.

The Israeli Attorney's Office filed an indictment against the pair, who allegedly made contact with operatives from the Lebanese group and sent news articles about the security situation in Israel.

According to the indictment, Abd al-Salam Qawasameh and Taar Asili were in contact via a WhatsApp group with a Hezbollah operative. The pair also allegedly were asked to speak with a senior Hezbollah intelligence officer.

They are now charged with "contact with a foreign agent" and passing information to the enemy.

Qawasameh was also hit with weapons offenses after he took a photo with an assault rifle that belonged to a Palestinian gunman during a visit to the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

They are also accused of sending photos and videos from Caesarea, where the Israeli regime's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a private residence.

Qawasameh sent to the Hezbollah handler photos from the coastal town of Caesarea and Asili sent her news articles about Israel and the security situation, the indictment says.

The prosecution has asked a district court in occupied al-Quds to have them kept in custody until the end of the legal proceedings.

Last month, Israeli media reported that the Shin Bet arrested several suspects in Netanyahu's office on charges of leaking highly classified information related to the genocidal war on Gaza.

Several suspects were arrested concerning a leak of classified documents from the prime minister's office (PMO). A report from Ynet back then stated that one of those arrested was a spokesman who worked with the PMO.

Back in October, Israeli prosecutors said authorities had arrested seven Jewish settlers from the northern part of the occupied territories on charges of carrying out tasks for Iran and gathering information on the regime's strategic installations.

Hezbollah had been responding to the Israeli aggression against Lebanon with hundreds of successful retaliatory strikes on various sensitive and strategic military targets across the occupied territories.

The Lebanese resistance movement announced than 100 Israeli troops have been killed and upwards of a thousand others injured during the strikes.

Regional resistance groups say the ceasefire Israel eventually clinched with Hezbollah has shattered Netanyahu's "illusion" of reshaping West Asia by force.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati recently censured Israel for its daily violations of the 60-day ceasefire agreement, asserting that the regime is not meeting its obligations.

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Egypt - Abrams Tank Refurbishment, Support, and Equipment

Media/Public Contact: pm-cpa@state.gov

Transmittal No: 20-29

WASHINGTON, December 20, 2024 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Egypt of Abrams Tank Refurbishment, Support, and Equipment, and related equipment for an estimated cost of $4.69 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Government of Egypt has requested a possible sale to refurbish and upgrade five hundred fifty-five (555) M1A1 Abrams tanks into M1A1SA configuration tanks. Included are five hundred fifty-five (555) AN/VAS- 5B Driver Vision Enhancer (DVE-A) Kits; five hundred fifty-five (555) Thermal Imaging System (TIS) Gunner's Sights; M250 Smoke Grenade Launchers; AGT-1500 tank engines; X-1100 tank transmissions; spare parts; support equipment; depot level support; Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE); repair parts; repair and return program; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total program cost is $4.69 billion.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a Major Non-NATO Ally country that continues to be an important strategic partner in the Middle East. Egypt is the only country in the world, other than the United States, that produces the M1A1 Abrams. The Egyptian Refurbishment Program will significantly contribute to the flow of M1A1 components and parts from the United States, creating economies of scale and reducing overall unit price of scarce M1A1 parts for the Department of Defense and other U.S. security partners.

This proposed sale will contribute to the modernization of Egypt's main battle tank fleet, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats. These tanks will contribute to Egypt's goal of updating its military capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies. Egypt will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces, as this program does not provide additional tanks and updating Egypt's tanks to a common, modern configuration will reduce obsolescence and positively impact the logistics supply chain.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The M1A1SA tank contractor will be General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, MI. Refurbishment and upgrade will take place at the Egyptian Tank Plant, Cairo, Egypt. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will require semi-annual trips to Egypt involving up to twenty U.S. Government and twenty contractor representatives for a period of up to ten years to manage the refurbishment, fielding, and training for the program.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.

All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military-Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov.

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Elizabeth Prueitt, co-founder of Tartine Bakery, makes rocky road at home in San Francisco, a recipe to be included in her gluten-free newsletter. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

The irony of her situation  a famous pastry chef with a gluten intolerance  isnt lost on Elisabeth Prueitt.

I own Tartine, but I cant eat the stuff, she said recently from her home kitchen, where she was mixing gluten-free gingerbread, nuts and marshmallows into melted chocolate to make rocky road, a recipe for her popular new newsletter.

Prueitt co-founded Tartine Bakery in San Franciscos Mission District in 2002 with her then-husband Chad Robertson, dutifully folding layers of butter and dough to make her celebrated croissants and orange-scented morning buns. But she had been aware since 1987 that gluten made her sick  sometimes to the point that she ended up in the emergency room. It was like eating rubber bands, she said.

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Yet in the past year, Prueitt, 60, has embraced what she once saw as her Achilles heel. Her newsletter, Have Your Cake, launched last winter with a flurry of holiday cookie recipes. It has now amassed 17,000 free and 1,600 paid subscribers, who get one weekly gluten-free recipe for $5 a month or $50 a year. Her Instagram account, where she posts more recipes and baking videos, has 65,000 followers. Rather than write a gluten-free cookbook (though she would still like to) or open a dedicated gluten-free bakery (shes not sure she would), Prueitt has found an adoring gluten-free audience spread out online.

More Information SAN FRANCISCO BY SEASON The Food + Wine team is publishing a new cookbook featuring our favorite Chronicle recipes from the past decade. To preorder, go to sfbyseason.com

Your gluten-free recipes have brought back the fun of baking, wrote one subscriber; The joy of baking, wrote another,

can feel lost without gluten I appreciate you helping me find it.

The timing was right for Prueitt personally: She is still a part-owner of Tartine, which now has nine locations in California and stocks some of Prueitts wheat-free creations like a salted buckwheat cookie, but she no longer develops recipes with gluten for the bakery. And the moment was also right for gluten-free culture generally. Its not really that niche anymore, she said, citing better awareness of gluten intolerance, which affects up to 13% of the population, and celiac disease, which affects about 1%.

Elisabeth Prueitt chops gluten-free gingerbread to fold into her rocky road confection. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Alternative flours have also improved. Store-bought gluten-free blends are plentiful, but they cant always be substituted into traditional recipes. For Prueitts bakes, which are all developed specifically to be gluten-free, she recommends a custom blend of rice flours and potato and corn starches. Still, because gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, is a strong binder  the word comes from the Latin for glue  baking without it can be challenging. To do the job, Prueitt employs a mix of credible alternatives, from eggs to xanthan gum and psyllium seed husk.

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The results speak for themselves. Her gluten-free popovers puff up miraculously. Her almond flour coffee cake keeps a tender, moist crumb. Breads and laminated pastry, she admits, are still a work in progress. But shes successfully cracked the code for a simple, fluffy yellow cake.

If I knew I could make golden, gluten-free cake layers like this, she wrote in her newsletter, I mightve started a whole different kind of bakery.

Slice of rocky road, a confection of cookies, melted chocolate, marshmallows, nuts and cherries. Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Elisabeth Prueitts Rocky Road

Makes 15 2-inch squares

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Whether youve just made gluten-free gingerbread, or youre coming back from a holiday cookie swap with a bag of regular old crumbly cookies, it should be simple to make this no-bake dessert. Just combine some leftover chocolate, those cookies, and other odds and ends like roasted nuts and dried fruit. Rocky road, or tiffin, a classic British dessert, is more like cooking than baking, said Prueitt. Just melt the chocolate with butter, mix it all together, chill and slice. As for the chocolate, choose whatever youd like; Prueitt uses up random bars.

454 grams / 1 pound of your favorite chocolate or a mix, such as 20% milk chocolate and 80% semisweet, coarsely chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into pieces

 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

100 grams /  cup Amarena cherries, rinsed and dried, then cut in half

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125 grams / 4.4 ounces gingerbread, butter cookies or leftover holiday cookies, broken into 1-inch pieces

150 grams / 2 cups large marshmallows cut in half

75 grams /  cup pistachios

150 grams / 1 cup whole almonds or hazelnuts, or a combination, toasted and cooled

Make the rocky road:

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Line an 8- by 11-inch baking dish with parchment paper. (You could also use a 9-inch or 8-inch square pan for a slightly thicker bar.)

Melt chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over hot water, stirring occasionally, until almost all melted. Take off heat, add butter and salt, and stir until the mixture is smooth and still a little warm. If its beginning to get too thick, re-warm a little.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

Transfer to the prepared baking dish and chill in the fridge until firm.

Turn Rocky Road out of the dish, peel off paper and cut to desired shapes. Store covered at room temperature.
Kingdom of Morocco - Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles

Media/Public Contact: pm-cpa@state.gov

Transmittal No: 24-20

WASHINGTON, December 20, 2024 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Kingdom of Morocco of Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $88.37 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Kingdom of Morocco has requested to buy up to thirty (30) AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and one (1) AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM guidance section. Also included are AMRAAM telemetry kits, control section spares, and containers; Common Munitions Built-in-Test Reprogramming Equipment (CMBRE); ADU-891 Computer Test Set Adapter Groups; munitions support and support equipment; classified software delivery and support; spare parts, consumables, accessories, and repair and return support; transportation support; classified publications and technical documentation; studies and surveys; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $88.37 million.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO Ally that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in North Africa.

The proposed sale will improve the Kingdom of Morocco's capability to meet current and future threats by ensuring it has modern, capable air-to-air munitions to meet its mission in securing its borders and territorial waters, countering terrorism and illicit trafficking, and using its newly acquired F-16 Block 72 fleet. The Kingdom of Morocco will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The prime contractor will be RTX Corporation located in Tucson, AZ. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to the Kingdom of Morocco.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.

All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military-Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov.

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Kingdom of Morocco - GBU-39B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB-I)

Media/Public Contact: pm-cpa@state.gov

Transmittal No: 24-96

WASHINGTON, December 20, 2024 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Kingdom of Morocco of GBU-39B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB-I) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $86 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Kingdom of Morocco has requested to buy five hundred (500) GBU-39B Small Diameter Bombs I (SDBI); and two (2) GBU-39 (T-1)/B inert practice bombs with fuze. The following non-MDE items will also be included: GBU-39 tactical training rounds; containers, weapons system support, and support and test equipment; spare parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return support; publications and technical data; personnel training and training equipment; warranties; transportation support; site surveys; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, logistics, and technical support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $86 million.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in North Africa.

The proposed sale will improve Morocco's capability to meet current and future threats. This capability will also strengthen combined operations and increase interoperability between the U.S. Air Force and the Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF). Morocco will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractor will be Boeing Corporation, located in St. Louis, MO. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to the Kingdom of Morocco.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.

All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military-Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov.

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Guatemala: Statement by the Spokesperson on latest developments

European External Action Service (EEAS)

21.12.2024

EEAS Press Team

The recent and ongoing actions by the Guatemalan Public Prosecutor's Office (Ministerio Publico), including the investigations initiated against the Superintendent of Tax Administrationan institution actively engaged in combating corruptionand the cancellation order against the Movimiento Semilla political party, are part of a deeply concerning pattern of politically motivated misuse of the justice system.

The EU has consistently voiced serious concerns about the instrumentalisation of Guatemala's judicial institutions, highlighting the threats to democratic governance and the rule of law, particularly in the aftermath of the 2023 elections.

In this context, the EU recalls that the Council has decided to renew for one year, until 13 January 2026, the targeted restrictive measures imposed by the EU against those responsible for actions undermining democracy, the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power in Guatemala.

The EU continues to closely monitor developments and any actions that undermine democracy and the rule of law.



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Palestinian groups meet in Cairo to discuss Gaza ceasefire: Hamas

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 21, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Hamas has announced that Palestinian resistance factions have convened in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss a potential ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with the Israeli regime in Gaza.

In a statement on Saturday, it revealed that leaders from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine gathered in Cairo on Friday evening. The discussions focused on the ongoing war in Gaza, ceasefire talks, and the potential for a prisoner exchange with the Israeli regime.

All Palestinian groups present at the meeting expressed a willingness to end the ongoing war in Gaza and said a ceasefire agreement was within reach if the Israeli regime refrained from setting new conditions, the statement said.

The groups also discussed the latest developments related to the formation of a committee "to manage Gaza after the war".

In its latest update, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the Israeli army has committed three massacres across Gaza over the past 24 hours, killing at least 21 Palestinians and wounding 61 others.

The ministry added that 45,227 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

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Israeli Army admits failure to intercept Yemeni hypersonic missile

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 21, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The Israeli military has officially acknowledged its failure to intercept a hypersonic ballistic missile launched by Yemeni armed forces towards Tel Aviv.

According to a Saturday report by Al Jazeera, Israeli Army Radio stated that the Air Force is currently assessing the damage caused by the Yemeni missile strike on Tel Aviv.

Preliminary investigations revealed that three interceptor missiles were launched from two separate defense systems, but failed to deter the Yemeni ballistic missile.

The attack drew praise from Palestinian resistance groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who lauded Yemen's actions as a show of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

In a statement reported by Al Mayadeen on Saturday, Hamas hailed Yemen's unwavering support for the oppressed Palestinian people.

The group also reaffirmed the strong and enduring ties between the Palestinian and Yemeni peoples.

Similarly, Islamic Jihad extended congratulations to Yemen for their attacks on Zionist targets, adding that the courage and resilience of the Yemeni people in supporting Palestine is a source of pride for all freedom-seekers worldwide.

9341**2050



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Israel commits ethnic cleansing in Gaza: MSF

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 21, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has stated in its latest report that the Israeli regime's actions have shown "clear signs of ethnic cleansing" during the Gaza war.

According to The Hill website's Friday report, MSF announced that the war, which in accordance with reports from the Gaza Ministry of Health has resulted in the martyrdom of over 44,000 Palestinians and the displacement of 90% of Gaza's population, has caused such physical and psychological damage that any efficient healthcare system would be unable to function.

The report added that the MSF's first-hand observations of medical and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza align with the descriptions provided by an increasing number of experts and legal organizations that genocide is occurring in Gaza.

MSF holds the Israeli regime's military forces responsible for the creation of intolerable conditions, noting that in response to Hamas's attacks on October 7, 2023, the Tel Aviv regime is "crushing an entire population under bombs and rubble"

The organization also announced that due to Israel's prohibition on access to medical equipment and essential supplies, only 17 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza have been fully operational since mid-October, and 19 other hospitals are unable to provide services.

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Al-Qassam reveals details of 'complex' operation against Israeli forces in Gaza

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 21, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has revealed details of a "complex" operation carried out by one of its fighters against Israeli forces in Gaza.

Al-Qassam said the operation was carried out recently in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news outlet reported on Saturday.

The group said the operation involved one of its fighters killing an Israeli sniper and his aide at point-blank range.

An hour later, the same fighter wearing Israeli military uniform joined a group of six soldiers, blowing himself up among them. Some of the soldiers were killed, and others wounded as a result, al-Qassam said without specifying the number of those killed and injured.

The military wing of Hamas has been engaged in fierce fighting with Israeli forces ever since the Gaza war broke out in early October last year. The group has inflicted heavy losses on the regime by killing its soldiers and destroying its military equipment.

6125**4194





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Hamas: 60 Israeli soldiers killed in past 77 days in Gaza

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 21, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- More Israeli forces have been killed in fighting in Gaza amid the regime's defiance to reach a ceasefire with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.

According to IRNA's Saturday report citing Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news outlet, Hamas announced the death of 60 Israeli military personnel including the commander of the 401st Brigade during military operations in northern Gaza over the past 77 days.

The announcement comes as the London-based pan-Arab news outlet, citing informed sources, said that ceasefire talks in Gaza have remained deadlock amid disagreements over the terms of a deal.

According to those sources, Hamas wants the deal to directly include the phrase "end to the war", while the Israeli regime rejects that and insists "an end to military operations". This is one of the sticking points.

Meanwhile, more Palestinian people lose their lives in Gaza as the Israeli regime continues its attacks there. According to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the latest attacks included the bombing of a house in the northern city of Jabalia where at least 10 Palestinians, including seven children, were killed.

One more Palestinian was also killed in an airstrike on a school in central Gaza.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch released a report saying that Israel is committing acts of genocide against the people of Gaza by depriving them of adequate water supplies.

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Yemen launches airstrike against occupied territories

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 21, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The Israeli media have announced that sirens blared out in Tel Aviv in occupied Palestine as Yemen launched airstrike against the Zionist regime.

The emergency services say that 18 people have been injured in the attack, Al Jazeera reported on Saturday.

The photos released from the attack show that the Israeli regime's defense systems were unsuccessful in intercepting the fired missiles.

There is no report of the number of fatalities.

Some Israeli news outlets reported that the missile launched from Yemen had directly targeted a building and led it to be burned.

Yemen has been targeting Israeli ships or other vessels destined for the occupied Palestinian territories to support the resistance of the Palestinian nation in the Gaza Strip.

Yemen's Armed Forces have repeatedly said that attacks and pressure campaigns by Western governments could never force the Arab country to withdraw its support from the Palestinian nation.

In a related development, Yemen's Armed Forces spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement on Saturday that a hypersonic ballistic missile dubbed Palestine 2 destroyed a military target in the Yaffa area in Tel Aviv. The statement says that the Israeli defense systems could not counter the missile.

The attack was carried out in line with support of the Palestinian people and in response to the Zionist regime's crimes against the people in Gaza and its aggression against Yemen, according to the statement.

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Al-Quds Brigades pound Israeli regime's positions

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 21, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Al-Quds Brigades have targeted the command and control headquarters of the Israeli occupying forces in the Netzarim Corridor using 107 missiles.

Al-Mayadeen announced on Friday that heavy losses were inflicted on the occupying forces and a number of Israeli soldiers were killed and wounded.

Al-Quds Brigades announced that an Israeli military helicopter has been dispatched to the area to transport the injured.

The attack once again shows tensions in the region, especially in the occupied territories.

Human Rights Watch published a report titled "Extermination and Acts of Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Palestinians in Gaza of Water," on Thursday.

"Israeli authorities and military forces have matched these statements with actions. Israeli authorities and forces cut off the water supply piped into Gaza from Israel and later restricted the supply, cut off the electricity supply from Israel to Gaza that was needed to operate water pumps, desalination plants, and sanitation infrastructure within Gaza, and blocked and restricted the fuel needed to run generators in the absence of electricity," the reports reads.

Meanwhile, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced in a report that the Zionist regime allowed less than one-third of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

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Zionist regime launches 17 attacks on Gaza Strip; kills 31 people in one day

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 21, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- In continuation of its genocide in Palestine, the Zionist regime targeted the Gaza Strip with air strikes during which 31 people have been martyred so far.

According to Palestine's Sama news agency, the Gaza Ministry of Health has announced that since the beginning of Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip on October 8, 2023, 43,922 Palestinians have been martyred and 103,898 Palestinians have been injured.

Also, in the latest crime, the Zionist regime bombed a house in Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip.

2050











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Yemen's Houthis claim joint drone attacks with Iraqi resistance against Israel

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 12:11, December 21, 2024

SANAA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group said they launched joint drone attacks with the Iraqi Resistance on Friday against "military and vital targets" in Israel.

"We will respond to any Israeli-U.S. escalation against Yemen with a similar escalation and will not hesitate to target the vital facilities of the Israeli enemy as well as the military actions of the U.S. enemy," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement at a rally of the Houthi supporters in the capital Sanaa.

He said the attacks against Israel would not stop until "aggression on Gaza stops."

Israel has made no comment yet on the Houthi claim.

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Thursday that Israeli forces conducted air raids on Yemen's Houthi targets, killing nine.

"The sites included ports and energy infrastructure in Sanaa, which the Houthis have been using in ways that effectively contributed to their military action," Hagari said.

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At least 18 killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:50, December 21, 2024

GAZA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least 18 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the central and northern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources on Friday.

Local sources and eyewitnesses reported that Israeli warplanes targeted an apartment in the multi-story "Yaffa" tower in the al-Nuseirat camp, located in central Gaza. A statement from Al-Awda Hospital in the camp confirmed that eight people were killed and 14 others injured, some seriously, in the attack.

In northern Gaza, Israeli shelling struck a house belonging to the "Khilla" family in Jabalia Al-Balad, killing 10 people and injuring several others, according to the Gaza Strip's Civil Defense.

The Israeli army has not commented on these incidents.

Also on Friday, the military wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, announced that one of its fighters had carried out a suicide attack targeting an Israeli force of six soldiers in Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza.

The Israeli army has not issued a comment on this incident.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza in retaliation for the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas assault on southern Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages taken.

As of Friday, the Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza has risen to 45,206, according to Gaza-based health authorities.

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Israeli settler killed during strike against Tel Aviv; fresh aggression targets Yemen's capital

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 December 2024 9:26 PM

An illegal Israeli settler has reportedly been killed and 30 others injured during Yemeni Armed Forces' recent strikes against the occupied Palestinian territories, including city of Tel Aviv, the Israeli regime's economic heart.

The fatality was caused in the city of Rishon LeTsiyon, which is located eight kilometers (five miles) south of Tel Aviv, on Friday, the Israeli regime's Arutz Sheva news website reported.

It identified the settler as 68-year-old Binyamin Bleacher, who was killed as a result of cardiac arrest "following the sirens which sounded" in the central part of the occupied territories, "warning of an incoming missile."

"As the sirens sounded, Binyamin left his apartment with his brother and mother, and evacuated to the stairwell - the safest place for many people whose homes lack private bomb shelters," the report said.

The Israeli regime's Kan broadcaster also said as many as 30 illegal settlers were injured in the city of Jaffa near Tel Aviv after it was struck by a Yemeni hypersonic missile.

The latter strike was the third one to be conducted by the Yemeni forces against the occupied territories over a short timespan.

The forces have been conducting numerous such strikes since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli regime began taking the Gaza Strip under a United States-backed genocidal war that has so far claimed the lives of more than 45,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

The operations have seen the forces hitting strategic and sensitive targets across the occupied territories as well as the Israeli ships and the vessels heading towards the territories.

The strikes have mounted enormous pressure on the Israeli regime by forcing the vessels trying to ship military hardware and other commodities to the territories to take the longer route around Africa.

The operations have, among other things, effectively shut down the port of Eilat, which is located in the southernmost tip of the occupied territories.

Following the recent strikes, Israeli warplanes carried out intense aerial assaults against the Haziz and Dhahban power stations near the Yemeni capital Sana'a as well as the Hudaydah port and Ras Isa oil terminal along the Arab country's western coastline.

Fourteen warplanes, alongside refuelers and spy planes, flew some 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) and dropped over 60 munitions on targets inside Yemen, the Israeli army said at the time.

Later, American and British warplanes also reportedly attacked Sana'a's Attan area in fresh pro-Israeli aggression against the country that resulted in a massive explosion.

The Israeli military reacted to the report by denying responsibility for the attack.

The US Central Command later claimed the attack, saying it reflected the country's commitment to "protecting" American forces, Washington's regional "partners," and "international shipping."

It, however, alleged that the "precision" attack had targeted a "missile storage facility," and a "command and control center" belonging to Yemen's popular resistance Ansarullah group.

Reacting to the American aggression, the minister of information in Sana'a Muammar al-Iryani said, "It is clear that the Americans have not learned from their mistakes and will continue to reap humiliation at our hands of us."

Earlier this week, Kan cited Israeli "security" officials as saying that the regime was preparing itself to attack Yemen again, trying this time to involve other parties in the aggression too.

Recently, the Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation said during a press conference that the aggression against al-Hudaydah had incurred damages running up to around $313 million, severely damaging the port's infrastructures and adversely affecting the lives of millions of Yemeni civilians.

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Hamas, two other Palestinian groups say Gaza ceasefire deal 'closer than ever'

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 December 2024 7:19 PM

The Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement and two other Palestinian groups have said a ceasefire deal with Israel in the Gaza Strip is "closer than ever."

"The possibility of reaching an agreement (for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal) is closer than ever, provided the enemy stops imposing new conditions," Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said in a joint statement issued after talks in the Egyptian capital city of Cairo.

A Hamas leader told AFP news agency on Saturday that talks had made "significant and important progress" in recent days.

"Most points related to the ceasefire and prisoner exchange issues have been agreed upon," he said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

"Some unresolved points remain, but they do not hinder the process. The agreement could be finalized before the end of this year, provided it is not disrupted by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's new conditions."

On Friday, delegates from Palestinian groups - including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -met in Cairo to exchange viewpoints on the Gaza ceasefire agreement and plans for post-war administration of the coastal territory.

A potential agreement would bring about an end to the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli captives.

Representatives from Hamas and rival Palestinian faction Fatah agreed in Cairo earlier this month to set up a committee to jointly govern the Strip once the Israeli aggression is over.

Under the plan, which needs Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's approval, the committee will have 10 to 15 non-partisan figures with authority on matters related to the economy, education, healthcare, humanitarian aid and reconstruction.

The delegations agreed to meet again at the earliest opportunity "to put the final touches" on the formation of the committee.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the Israeli regime in response to the occupying entity's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

The regime's bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed 45,227 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 107,573 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

Israel's military has systematically blocked the entry of lifesaving food, medicine, medical supplies, fuel, and tents into the besieged Palestinian territory since October 2023.

More than one year into the Tel Aviv regime's campaign of death and destruction, the territory's critical infrastructure such as water networks, sanitation facilities and bread mills has all been razed to the ground.

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Israeli military admits failure to intercept ballistic missile from Yemen

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 December 2024 6:02 PM

The Israeli military has acknowledged that it has failed to intercept a missile launched from Yemen that struck the central part of the Israeli-occupied territories which left 16 people injured.

The Israeli military made the remark on its Telegram channel on Saturday, hours after the emergency service in the occupied territories said 16 settlers were wounded as the Yemeni projectile landed in southern Tel Aviv.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, one projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made," it said.

Israeli police also noted that "a short time ago, reports were received of a weapon falling in one of the settlements within the Tel Aviv district."

According to Israeli media, the missile fell in the town of Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv. It was at least the sixth such missile attack over the past month.

It set off air-raid sirens instructing hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers to enter reinforced bomb shelters.

A spokesman for the emergency medical service in the occupied territories also said, "Additional teams are treating several people on-site who were injured while heading to protected areas, as well as those suffering from anxiety."

In a statement, Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had targeted Tel Aviv with a hypersonic ballistic missile, in a fresh operation against the Israeli regime and in support of the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The latest missile attack came two days after Israeli warplanes flew over 1,000 miles to bomb sites in Yemen, including the capital. The Israeli military said power plants as well as fuel and oil tanks were targeted.

On Thursday, Yemeni forces also conducted a successful military operation against two "strategic" military sites in Tel Aviv, using ballistic missiles.

Since the onset of Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, the Yemeni forces have taken measures to assert their support for the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, targeting Israeli vessels in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Additionally, the Yemeni armed forces have launched several missile and drone attacks against Israeli-occupied territories, particularly focusing on Tel Aviv. They have pledged to continue these operations as long as Israel maintains its assaults on Gaza, signaling a potential for further escalation in the region.

So far, Israel has killed at least 45,227 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 107,573 others in Gaza.

In October, the US military deployed B-2 stealth bombers to bomb Yemen in support of Israel. Since then, attacks against Yemen have continued in a bid to halt the retaliatory attacks by Sana'a.

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Yemeni army claims successful hypersonic missile attack on Tel Aviv

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 December 2024 8:30 AM

Yemen's military says it has targeted Tel Aviv with a hypersonic ballistic missile, in a fresh operation against the Israeli regime and in support of the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Yemeni armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a statement on Saturday that the strike was carried out by a "Palestine 2" hypersonic ballistic missile, with the Israeli regime failing to intercept the advanced projectile.

"The missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces targeted a military position of the Israeli enemy in the occupied area of Jaffa (Tel Aviv) with a hypersonic ballistic missile, type Palestine 2, and the missile struck its target accurately and the defenses and interception systems failed to intercept it," Saree said.

The anti-Israel strike was conducted "for the oppression of the Palestinian people and in response to the massacres against our people in Gaza, and within the fifth scope of the supportive stages... in retaliation for the Israeli aggression against our country," the statement added.

Praising the Yemeni people's confrontation with and defiance of the criminal Israeli enemy, Saree also said the Yemeni Army "salutes the Mujahideen in the Gaza Strip and their ongoing heroic operations against the Israeli enemy and confirms that it will continue to support them until the aggression stops and the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted."

Earlier in the day, the emergency service in the occupied territories said 16 settlers were injured as the Yemeni missile landed in southern Tel Aviv, with the Israeli military acknowledging the regime's failure to intercept the projectile.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, one projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made," the Israeli military said on its Telegram channel.

The Yemeni armed forces had announced a day earlier the execution of multiple military operations targeting Israeli positions.

Since the onset of the Israeli regime's war on Gaza on October 7, 2023after Palestinian resistance movements launched Operation al-Aqsa StormYemen has declared unwavering support for Palestine's struggle against the occupation. The Yemeni Armed Forces have launched regular strikes against Israel as part of a phased escalation campaign.

The campaign has included a strict maritime blockade of Israeli shipping, effectively preventing vessels from reaching Israeli ports.

Israel has so far killed at least 45,206 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 107,512 others in Gaza.

'Heart of the Zionist enemy is no longer secure'

Hezam al-Asad, a member of the political bureau of Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement, said in a Hebrew-language post on X, "The failure of all Israeli defense systems means that the heart of the Zionist enemy is no longer secure."

In another, he said, "There is no longer any use for interception systems that cost billions of dollars."

In an Arabic post, he also wrote, "The enemy is trying to minimize its losses in the media to maintain its military standing and the morale of its settlers. It portrays the areas where the interceptor missiles fell as targets hit by [our] missiles."

Israeli analysts also acknowledged that the Israeli regime is incapable of confronting Yemen and lacks intelligence-based readiness to go to war with the country's armed forces.

They said the Yemeni army had since the start of the war in Gaza fired more than 200 missiles and launched more than 170 drones at the Israeli-occupied territories.

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At least 20 settlers injured as ballistic missile fired from Yemen hits Tel Aviv

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 December 2024 5:49 AM

At least 20 Israeli settlers have sustained injuries after a ballistic missile launched from Yemen struck the central part of the Israeli-occupied territories, as Yemeni Armed Forces continue their operations in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Ha'aretz newspaper quoted the emergency teams of the Zionist regime as saying that 20 injured in the attack early Saturday had been transferred to the Wolfson Medical Center in the Tel Aviv district city of Holon and the Ichilov hospital.

Footage from the site showed a crater where the missile had impacted.

The missile launch triggered sirens to sound throughout the central sector of the occupied lands at 3:44 a.m. local time (0144 GMT), sending millions rushing to shelters from their beds, according to Israeli media outlets.

The Israeli military said its "attempted interceptions did not succeed." It stated that the details of the incident were being investigated.

Videos on social media showed the moment of impact and the failed interceptions.

Footage also showed exploded windows and debris in several surrounding apartments, apparently as a result of the shockwave.

The latest missile attack from Yemen came only two days after Yemeni forces conducted a successful military operation against two "strategic" military sites in Tel Aviv, using ballistic missiles.

Spokesman for Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said in a statement on Thursday that the country's missile units carried out a targeted military operation, striking two Israeli sensitive military sites in Tel Aviv with two Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missiles.

Shortly afterwards, Israeli warplanes carried out intense airstrikes against the Haziz and Dhahban power stations near the Yemeni capital Sana'a, as well as the Hudaydah port and Ras Isa oil terminal along the Arab country's western coast.

Fourteen fighter jets, alongside refuelers and spy planes, flew some 2,000 kilometers and dropped over 60 munitions on targets inside Yemen, the Israeli army said at the time.

Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine's struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the territory's resistance movements carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the occupying entity.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have said they will not stop their attacks until Israel's ground and aerial offensives in Gaza end.

So far, Israel has killed at least 45,206 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 107,512 others in Gaza.

In October, the US military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to bomb Yemen in support of Israel. Since then, attacks against Yemen have continued in a bid to halt the retaliatory attacks by Sana'a.

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Dec. 20: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 December 2024 5:41 AM

By Press TV Website Staff

Amid Wes-backed Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians so far, resistance groups in Palestine and across the region continue their operations against the Tel Aviv regime.

The major operations by the Palestinian and regional resistance groups on Friday, December 20, are as follows:

Al-Qassam Brigades' operations on Dec. 20:

Targeted the "Magen" military site east of Khan Yunis city in the southern Gaza Strip with an Al-Zawari suicide drone.

In a complex security operation, killed an Israeli sniper and his assistant from point-blank range in Jabalia camp, northern Gaza Strip.

Blew up a gathering of six Israeli soldiers with an explosive device in Jabalia camp, northern Gaza Strip.

Al-Quds Brigades' operations on Dec. 20:

Detonated a previously planted explosive device on an Israeli military picket in Balata, occupied West Bank.

Targeted a gathering of Israeli forces and their military vehicles with rockets and mortar shells in the so-called "Netzarim" axis.

Targeted Israeli military's command and control headquarters in the "Netzarim" axis with a Badr 1 missile and 107 missiles.

Shot down an Israeli military reconnaissance plane while it was carrying out intelligence missions in the skies of Gaza City.

Confronted Israeli forces storming several axes in the Jenin town, occupied West Bank, and targeted them with appropriate weapons.

Targeted a group of Israeli forces in the Sarbat Araba area of Jenin town, occupied West Bank, with a number of pre-prepared explosive devices.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades' operations on Dec. 20:

A shooting operation was carried out in the Balata camp, occupied West Bank, against a settlers' bus after it infiltrated the eastern region of Nablus.

Martyr Omar Al-Qassem Forces' operations on Dec. 20:

Targeted the supply line of Israeli forces north of the so-called "Netzarim" axis with heavy mortar shells.

Al-Mujahideen Brigades' operations on Dec. 20:

Targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and tents east of Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip with a number of mortar shells

Yemeni military's operations on Dec. 20:

In a joint operation with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, carried out a military operation targeting vital targets of the Israeli military in the south of occupied Palestine with a number of drones. The operation successfully achieved its objectives.

The UAV Force of the Yemeni military carried out a military operation targeting an Israeli military site in Tel Aviv with a drone, hitting the target.

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Orban Says Higher NATO Defense Targets Would Cripple The Hungarian Economy

By RFE/RL's Hungarian Service December 21, 2024

BUDAPEST -- Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's recent reported proposal for NATO members states to increase their defense spending would cripple the Hungarian economy.

According to recent reports in Britain's Financial Times and The Telegraph, Trump's team informed European officials that the president-elect was expecting the United States' NATO allies to raise their defense expenditure to 5 percent of national gross domestic product (GDP).

Speaking at his year-end press briefing on December 21, Orban said that Hungary has already sweated blood to reach the current 2 percent target, and "if the 2 percent has to be increased, that would shoot the Hungarian economy in the lungs."

"We would prefer to not spend even 2 percent of GDP on weaponry...but the world is going in the opposite direction," he said.

Orban, who has been accused at home and abroad of democratic backsliding, also said he had not discussed this with Trump, adding that, if the increase is inevitable, then he believes it should be gradual. Hungary budgeted to spend 2.1 percent of GDP in 2024 on defense.

Orban is one of Trump's main allies in Europe and, on December 9, he met with the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Throughout the Ukraine war, Orban has maintained friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been critical of EU aid for Ukraine, and has obstructed the bloc's sanctions regime against Moscow.

NATO Spending Targets

During his time as president between 2016 and 2020, Trump regularly called for NATO members to meet the required 2 percent level of defense spending, goals that most have since met.

NATO leadership has also called for member nations to boost spending following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has triggered the largest war in Europe since World War II.

Before leaving office, former Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance's members would "have to be willing to pay the price for peace" and said that the current 2 percent target was "no longer enough to keep us safe."

And in Budapest in November, the current NATO secretary-general, Mark Rutte, said at the European Political Community summit that member states would have to pay more. "It will surpass the 2 percent greatly more. I am quite clear about that," Rutte said.

The United States contributes around 16 percent to NATO's common-funded budget, which is the joint largest share alongside Germany.

The United States will also spend roughly $967 billion on defense in 2024. While that accounts for around two-thirds of what all NATO members will spend on defense combined this year, it represents about 3 percent of GDP.

The United States last spent 5 percent of GDP on defense in the late 2000s and early 2010s amid the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. During the Cold War, the United States spent between 5 and 11 percent of GDP on defense.

Experts said that Trump's proposal is likely a starting point for negotiations with NATO members.

Spat With Poland

The Hungarian prime minister also defended Budapest's decision to grant political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, a Polish lawmaker from the right-wing Law and Justice party, who is wanted for alleged corruption during his tenure in Poland's previous government.

Orban said he didn't think the case involving a Polish politician would be the last.

He added, however, that he wanted to keep "conflicts with Poland at a manageable level," and would refrain from commenting on the country's rule-of-law situation.

The Hungarian prime minister's office made the announcement on December 19, arguing that the Polish government was persecuting its political rivals.

Warsaw has called the move a "hostile act" and has summoned Hungary's ambassador to Poland.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/orban-hungary-nato-defense- spending-trump/33248327.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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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Michael Lerner planted succulents in his yard to conserve water. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission flagged him for using too little and too much water. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

For many years, Michael Lerners monthly water bill rarely surpassed $60. A 73-year-old retired arts consultant and longtime San Francisco resident, Lerner took pains to conserve. He not only replaced all the plants in his Bernal Heights backyard with drought-resistant succulents in 2021, he kept a bucket in the shower to collect excess water to care for them.

Then, in May 2023, things got weird.

Thats when he received a letter from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission stating that his water meter was registering minimal consumption and had been flagged for inspection.

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Yes, he was economical in his water use. But his meter seemed to show he was barely using any at all.

In July 2023, Lerner received another letter stating that his meter was not accurately registering your water consumption. Then came another missive in October 2023 that said Lerners meter now showed high usage, suggesting that there is a (sic) possible leaks or open fixtures.

Lerner was dumbfounded. Was he using too little water or too much? Was his meter even working?

He looked around for possible leaks and replaced a gasket in one of the toilets. But it was impossible for Lerner to gauge exactly how much water he was using or if hed resolved the potential problem  because he wasnt getting billed.

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Lerner was one of the 8,200 San Franciscans who didnt receive a water bill for months or even years due to a technical problem with transponders that communicate customers water usage to the Public Utilities Commissions billing system. The commission didnt begin notifying customers about the glitch until September 2024, nearly a year after it became widespread. As of Dec. 18, about 4,200 still hadnt received their bills, according to commission spokesperson John Cote.

It wasnt until after Thanksgiving that Lerner finally got a water bill. And when he did, he couldnt believe his eyes.

It was $7,732.93.

Michael Lerner holds his water bill for nearly $8,000  which is more than hes paid over the past decade, combined. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

The sum  which the commission said represented his water usage for the past 16 months  was more than Lerner had paid over the past decade, combined. And given that Social Security is his only income source, paying it would be a huge financial strain, he told me.

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According to records I reviewed, his dues for July 2023 were nearly $500  for using more than 15,000 gallons of water. Lerner had used fewer than 2,000 gallons of water during the same month the year prior.

Lerner didnt believe the bill was accurate, but he set up a payment plan right away  something he said a customer service representative told him would protect him from having his water shut off.

In the meantime, he tried to figure out what was happening.

What was the process by which these bills were calculated? Lerner wrote in a letter on Dec. 2 to the commissions billing and audit unit. It defies logic that my water consumption would increase so drastically.

Things were about to get even more confusing.

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Lerner requested a leak inspection. A department inspector came to his house on Dec. 13, but couldnt locate a leak, even though he felt water moving through the pipes. The inspector recommended Lerner pay for a plumber to pinpoint the source of the problem.

On Tuesday, Lerner received another email from the commission warning him about high water usage and a potential leak.

Lerners head was spinning.

Michael Lerner demonstrates how he uses a bucket to catch unused water to use on the plants in his yard. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

It certainly seems fraudulent to send a letter saying youre not using enough water and then saying youre using outrageous amounts of water, he told me. It makes you suspect about what methodology is determining this.

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Lerners saga could certainly be an outlier. But similar stories Ive heard from other customers raise the possibility that the commission may be confronting larger technical and systemic issues than have previously been reported. (In a sign of these broader challenges, on Friday, the San Francisco Budget and Legislative Analyst released an audit that found the commissions public works contract procurement process is not consistent with industry best practices.)

The customers cases also raise questions about the agencys ability to fairly work through problems with affected households and clearly communicate whats going on.

After not receiving a bill in December 2023, Westwood Park residents Herbert Jeong and husband Pierre Smit received an estimated bill in January 2024 that showed an enormous increase in water consumption compared to the prior two months, even though Jeong and Smit said they hadnt used more water than usual.

That same month, they received a letter stating that their meter showed they were using more water than what the transmitter was sharing with the billing system. In other words, the commission apparently thought Jeong and Smit were being underbilled.

Confused, Jeong and Smit appealed. An inspector searched for leaks and couldnt find any, and a technician verified their meter was working properly. Their request for leak-based relief was denied.

Frustrated, Jeong and Smit paid the huge bill.

We were just kind of figuring, maybe at some point theyll get their act together and figure it all out, Jeong told me. But in the meantime, we dont want our water to be cut off, so well just pay whatever they say.

On Tuesday, one day after I asked the Public Utilities Commission about Jeong and Smits case, a technician showed up and replaced their transponder, which the commission confirmed had stopped working in August 2023. The technician told them the device had been registering more water usage than their meter.

In other words, Jeong and Smit had paid more than they owed.

On Thursday, Jeong told me a customer service representative said they would receive a bill credit for about $630 and their latest bill would be revised down to zero.

Smit described the situation as a mess. Jeong added that he was concerned about the integrity of the water department.

Other customers flagged similar concerns with me but did not want to come on the record for this column.

I asked Cote, the Public Utilities Commission spokesperson, about Lerner and Jeong and Smits cases.

Michael Lerner pours a bucket of water from his bathtub onto his ferns. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Cote said that Lerners case is not representative of most customers whose bills were delayed because Lerner had not only a transponder issue but also a broken meter and an apparent leak.

Cote said Lerner was first alerted in May 2023 about potential issues with his meter. A technician inspected it on July 10, 2023, found it was faulty and not registering use and replaced it. The technician also observed signs of a possible leak, which the commission notified Lerner about in a July 12 letter, advising him to check at once for plumbing leaks or waste. Lerner, who was out of town for the entire month of July, said he did not receive that letter and was thus only made aware of the potential leak when the commission sent a follow-up in October 2023.

Cote also said that when the inspector visited Lerners property on Dec. 13, he couldnt specifically locate the leak because the house shut-off valve was galvanized, preventing a blind leak test. He noted that while the commission provides free leak evaluations, its inspectors dont have access to underground or unexposed pipes, and customers are ultimately responsible for finding and fixing leaks on their property.

Regarding Lerners bill, Cote said that affected customers are eligible for payment plans of up to 36 months. He also noted that customers with unpaid balances caused by delayed bills are exempt from shutoffs and liens for at least a year from the date they received their updated bill. (Lerner, however, said the customer service representative offered him a maximum payment plan of 18 months and didnt rule out the possibility of shutoffs.)

Cote also emphasized that if a leak is ultimately confirmed on Lerners property and he repairs it, he can apply for a bill reduction. Although such a reduction would typically only cover two billing cycles, if delayed bills are also involved, the reduction may be approved for the entirety of the unbilled period, Cote said.

Nevertheless, it can take three to four months to complete the appeal process and receive a bill adjustment. In the meantime, Lerner will need to continue blowing through his Social Security checks to make his $430 monthly payments.

As for Jeong and Smit, Cote said their transponder reached the end of its life cycle in August 2023. Their water consumption was estimated until the transponder was replaced Tuesday, and a subsequent review warranted a bill correction.

Cote said that estimated billing is standard industry practice when meter readings are unavailable or arent working. He did not respond to my question about the discrepancy between Jeong and Smits account being overestimated and the commissions own January letter suggesting it was being underestimated.

The commission does not have precise figures on how many customers are receiving estimated bills as opposed to bills based on actual usage, and it does not have a timeline for when all transponders will be replaced or all bills reconciled.

Our commitment and focus are on resolving these matters quickly, Cote said. But were not going to set artificial deadlines.

Dennis Herrera, general manager of the Public Utilities Commission, told me that hes reassigned staff to manually read meters and beefed up the customer service department.

I am very confident in the plan we have in place to fix the transponders and to get people the accurate bills in as timely a timeframe as possible.

When I asked him if he was confident the rest of the system was functioning as it should  the meters, the billing, the customer service department  he replied, I am very comfortable and confident that we (have) what we need in all those areas to address our customers concerns.

Lerner, however, has lost all confidence in the department. He recently filed a complaint with San Franciscos Civil Grand Jury, asking it to investigate the water departments efficiency and effectiveness.

The last thing on my agenda is to fight City Hall, Lerner told me. But somehow this has fallen on my lap because of the Kafkaesque absurdity of all of this.

About Opinion Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership. Read more about our transparency and ethics policies

He still doesnt know whether he has a leak or if his bill is accurate.
France supports Ethiopia's quest for sea access through discussion

By Eskinder Firew December 21, 2024

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country supports Ethiopia's quest for access to the sea through discussion and respecting international laws and neighboring countries.

Macron spoke on Saturday after a one-day visit to Addis Ababa, where he held bilateral talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

During a news conference, Macron welcomed the Ankara Declaration reached by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Federal Republic of Somalia on Dec. 11.

In the declaration, brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "the leaders of Somalia and Ethiopia reaffirmed their respect and commitment to one another's sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity, as well as the principles enshrined in international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the Constitutive Act of the African Union."

The two sides also agreed to start "technical negotiations" by February on details of Ethiopia's sea access, and that those negotiations would be facilitated by Turkey and be "concluded and signed" within four months.

The breakthrough came after an almost yearlong dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia that began Jan. 1 when Somaliland's former president, Muse Bihi Abdi, and Ethiopia's Abiy signed a memorandum of understanding to lease 20 kilometers of Somaliland seafront to Ethiopia for 50 years, in return for diplomatic recognition.

The Somali government rejected the deal and accused Ethiopia of a "blatant violation" of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On Saturday, President Macron expressed his readiness to support Ethiopia's legitimate quest for sea access.

He said France is interested in playing its part in facilitating ways in which sea access can be achieved responsibly through talks, in a way that recognizes international laws and respects neighboring countries.

Abiy said the two leaders have thoroughly discussed his country's pursuit of peaceful access to the Red Sea. He said the French president accepted Ethiopia's request for support in its quest for sea access through international law, peacefully and diplomatically.

"The ties between our two nations continue to be strengthened and I look forward to our discussions during his stay in Ethiopia," Abiy said of Macron in a post on X.

Macron also touched on a domestic issue in Ethiopia: the implementation of the Pretoria agreement signed in November 2022 by Ethiopia's federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front that ended a deadly two-year war.

Macron said France is keen to support those affected by the conflict and would like to see the rule of law upheld through the transitional justice process.

Abiy and Macron also toured Ethiopia's newly renovated National Palace in Addis Ababa, the former home of emperor Haile Selassie that was restored with the help of 25 million euros provided by the French Development Agency. The Ethiopian government plans to open it to the public as a museum.

French architects and other professionals have also participated in the renovation process, Macron said.

According to Macron, France is also providing funding and technical support for ongoing renovation at the Rock-Hewn Churches at Lalibela in the Amhara region. The site was added to UNESCO's World Heritage list in 1978.

It's the second time Macron has visited Ethiopia in six years.

Before traveling to Ethiopia, Macron visited the cyclone-hit Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, where residents demanded more support in light of the cyclone that devastated the island and claimed dozens of lives.

Macron also stopped by Djibouti, which hosts the largest French military base in the continent, where he dined with his troops.

After meeting with President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Macron described relations with Djibouti as a solid, deep-rooted and forward-looking partnership.

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North-South Summit: Press remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas

European External Action Service (EEAS)

22.12.2024

EEAS Press Team

Thank you for the excellent discussion dear colleagues. I think it was really very good to sit down and discuss these issues.

Before I begin, I also want to express sadness about the events that happened in Magdeburg in the Christmas market. Our thoughts go out with the victims and their loved ones.

Coming to the summit, the main topic was security through different aspects. I think what is fundamental is that Russia poses a direct threat to European security. But security comprises of different elements, and they are different in the east, the south, the north, and the west. But we can tackle these issues if we act together, this is also fundamental. Security concerns we can tackle them by investing more in defence, and we discussed how we can do that.

Of course, it's not easy. We know these discussions that we have on the European level, but we need to continue these and shoulder more responsibility. We need to find the ways. Because if we want to prevent the war, we really need to do more on defence. We have to invest in critical capabilities, that is also very clear.

We see all across Europe, different hybrid attacks, whether it's sabotage acts, we see cyber-attacks also [Russia's] dangerous shadow fleet, GPS jamming and damage to [subsea] cables, but also weaponizing of migration. And of course, it's not always only weaponizing migration by malign actors, but it's also criminal organizations that do it. And all these issues strain borders, resources, and our shared security. We must be proactive also in stabilizing the regions of origin when it comes to migration, not just reacting to the pressures at our borders.

What I want to stress is that when people are asked what they like about European Union, the first thing they say is free movement of people across Europe. But we can't be both borderless inside and outside. That means we need to protect our external borders. And again, I think together, we can tackle these issues. Thank you very much for these discussions. I think we had a lot of thoughts to elaborate further [...] And thank you for the excellent welcome here in Lapland. I hope this is not the last time we are here.

Are you optimistic that concrete decisions on defence will be taken in 2025?

HRVP: First, in February we have informal discussions. So it is important to have all the ideas on the table. It is true that we need to take some very important decisions in 2025. Because the problem with defence is that when you need it, you can't make the decisions. You have to make them much earlier, when the times are much more peaceful. So it is clear that the security concerns are very, very high and we need to decide how we move forward. That, of course, comprises the question of funding, which is the most difficult. I'm also very happy that we circled some ideas here to develop further how we can solve this issue. And that everybody is willing to also think outside of the box. Because the problem is now, and we need to make decisions now.

Finland is considering abandoning the Ottawa agreement on land mines. Will the EU have an understanding on an issue like this?

HRVP: Member states are part of the Ottawa Convention. So it's member states competence, whether they decide to join or not. And of course, these discussions are going on in different member states, not only in Finland. Because the one part is that, if there's peace time, landmines do a lot of damage, especially to animals, but also to children, and there are a lot of consequences. On the other side, they are also quite effective when it comes to defence. These are the discussions that need to be held and I respect the member states who are having these. But the decision is the member states' decision.

What is your message to the origin countries of migrants who are willing to risk their lives to come to Europe? Are EU member states now aligned on third country return centres and how the EU migration rules should change?

HRVP: First, the question is about the stability of the countries of origin as well. And there, you know, a good example is Syria, where we work together with the regional partners, because it is in everybody's interest is that there is stability and peace in the region, and there is not a big flow of migrants.

When it comes to other countries, of course, we need to sit down with the countries also regarding our comprehensive partnerships. They have some interests that Europe could offer, but Europe also has interests on the European side, tackling the smugglers networks, for example, that we discussed also quite extensively here, because these are endangering people's lives.

What we can do is work together with the regional actors for the stability of different regions where the migrants come from. Also, different projects that we have, for example, Global Gateway. If you have prosperity in the country, if you have jobs, people don't want to leave their homes. They leave if they have to, either, you know there is war or it is not possible to live. That's why we need to help those countries so that the people don't want to leave or don't have to leave their homes. This is what we can do together.



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China, Vietnam coast guards vow to release model effect of cooperation in SCS at high-level work meeting

Global Times

By Deng Xiaoci and Hu Yuwei Published: Dec 22, 2024 08:41 PM

Chinese and Vietnamese coast guards have made positive comments on the cooperation achievement in 2024, discussed and determined the future cooperation direction and specific projects, and fully exchanged views on topics of common interest during the eighth high-level work meeting between the China Coast Guard (CCG) and the Vietnam Coast Guard in Hanoi, Vietnam from December 16-21, according to China Military Online.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to deepen bilateral maritime law enforcement cooperation, jointly crack down on illegal and criminal activities, properly handle emergencies, maintain security and stability, and work together to set a model for regional maritime law enforcement cooperation.

A source familiar with the matter told the Global Times on Sunday that the two sides also agreed to enhance information exchange in combating maritime drug trafficking, smuggling, illegal immigration, and other criminal activities, and regularly carry out synchronized law enforcement actions in the Beibu Gulf region.

In addition, both sides vowed to strengthen mutual support in multilateral circumstances, releasing the model effect of China-Vietnam maritime law enforcement cooperation in the South China Sea, according to the source.

Since the beginning of 2024, coast guards of the two countries have carried out exchanges at various levels and in different fields, maintained monthly updates on information about illegal fishing vessels, and exchanged letters at key points, effectively establishing China-Vietnam maritime law enforcement cooperation as a model for regional maritime law enforcement, the source revealed.

The two sides have agreed to make good use of the secondary contact window to enhance communication and coordination on issues such as the notification of illegal fishing vessels in the Beibu Gulf, drafting and implementing joint patrol plans, and initial response to maritime emergencies. They also plan to hold sea (sub)regional-level talks in 2025, the source told the Global Times.

Among the gifts exchanged by the Vietnamese side was a Vietnamese bronze drum, and among the gifts Chins gave in return was a Chinese knot, both representing traditional cultures, Global Times learned from the source.

Despite some differences between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea, both sides have managed to effectively control these differences in order to safeguard their shared interests. As a result, they have not allowed these conflicts to escalate. China-Vietnam exchanges and cooperation have become a model in this regard, Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

In a notable contrast, the Philippines has chosen otherwise and not cooperated with China to jointly maintain maritime security in the South China Sea. Instead, Manila has sought to involve external forces, particularly the US, especially around Huangyan Dao, which has contributed to tensions in the region and to a setback in China-Philippines relations, Gu said.

According to China Military Online, after the work meeting, the CCG delegation visited the Fisheries Supervision Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam for talks. Both sides reviewed and evaluated the use of the emergency hotline, and had in-depth exchanges on issues such as establishing institutional cooperation and handling maritime fishery emergencies.

All participating delegations were invited to pay a courtesy call to the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam and visit the second Vietnam International Defense Exhibition. The CCG delegation also visited and paid tribute to Chinese martyrs of the Vietnam War at a cemetery in Gia Lam, Hanoi.

The delegation of the CCG also attended the second "Vietnam Coast Guard and Friends" exchange activity, and held talks with the Cambodian National Committee of Maritime Security, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the Indonesian Coast Guard, and the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center. They held in-depth discussions on addressing non-traditional security issues in the maritime domain, handling maritime emergencies, and exchanged views on such topics of concern as establishing a cooperation mechanism, managing differences, enhancing mutual trust and jointly promoting security and stability in the South China Sea.

China and most Southeast Asian countries hope to effectively manage differences on the South China Sea issue. They aim to prevent these differences from escalating and affecting the peace and stability of the South China Sea and the surrounding region. This reflects the consensus reached between China and ASEAN on this matter, Gu noted.

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Yemen targets 200 ships linked to Zionist regime: Envoy

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 22, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Yemen's Ambassador to Tehran Ibrahim Mohammed al-Dailami has said that the Yemeni Armed Forces targeted 200 ships associated with the Zionist regime, resulting in significant economic losses for both the regime and its allies.

In an interview with Fars News Agency on Sunday, Mohammed al-Dailami stated that the Yemeni Armed Forces have inflicted significant economic losses on the occupying regime.

He stated that anti-Israeli operations have been carried out in various waters, including the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and even the Mediterranean Sea, noting over 200 vessels have been attacked thus far.

In the initial phase of Yemen's support for Gaza, only ships associated with the Zionist regime were targeted by Yemeni Armed Forces, he said, adding that after the US-British coalition intervened to hinder Yemen's support for the Palestinian people, American and British military ships were also added to the list of targets in the Red Sea and consequently, these ships have been prevented from entering the Red Sea.

Mohammed-Dailami emphasized that any ship with a connection to the Zionist regime that does not go to the ports of the occupying regime and is not managed by companies tied to the occupying regime has the possibility of crossing the Red Sea.

According to data provided by ship tracking and maritime analysis, the total transit of ships in the Red Sea by September decreased by 56% compared to the same period last year.

Yemen says that its maritime operations are aimed at supporting the Palestinian people and their resistance groups in Gaza hit by the Israeli brutal war for more than a year now.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have also launched attacks on Israel-occupied territories in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Yemen has vowed to keep up attacks on Israel-linked vessels, as well as targets within the occupied territories, until the Tel Aviv regime ceases its genocidal war on Gaza.

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Eight Palestinians killed in Israeli raid on Gaza school; death toll rises to 46,000

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 22, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Eight people have been killed and several others injured in the Gaza Strip as a result of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a school in the besieged territory.

According to Palestinian media outlets, the Israeli air raid occurred on Sunday, targeting a school where displaced Palestinians were sheltering in the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City.

Several children were among those killed and wounded.

The Palestinian Civil Defense identified the site as the Musa bin Nusair school, saying its staff members have pulled several people who were injured and killed from the rubble.

Israel waged an ongoing genocidal war on Gaza in October last year after Palestinian resistance fighters carried out a retaliatory operation against the occupying entity.

According to Al Jazeera, 46,009 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed since the beginning of the war.

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Hamas: Gaza ceasefire deal 'closer than ever'

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 22, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Hamas and two other Palestinian groups announced that a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel is "closer than ever".

Hamas and two other Palestinian groups said on Saturday that a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel is "closer than ever", provided that Israel does not impose new conditions, AFP reported on Saturday.

"Some unresolved points remain, but they do not hinder the process. The agreement could be finalized before the end of this year, provided it is not disrupted by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's new conditions," it added.

If an agreement is reached it will be implemented in phases, ending with "a serious prisoner exchange deal, a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal (of Israeli forces) from Gaza," AFP quoted a Hamas official as saying.

The source added that the talks had made "significant and important progress" in recent days.

Earlier, a Hamas official had announced in an interview with The New Arab that talks to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and resolve most points of dispute would continue.

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, an Egyptian official said that the position of Netanyahu regarding the ceasefire in Gaza is now softer than ever.

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Resistance groups demand PA forces stop Jenin operations

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 22, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Three Palestinian resistance groups have issued a joint statement, calling for an immediate end to the operations by Palestinian Authority (PA) forces in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

According to a report by IRNA on Saturday night citing the Palestine Today news agency, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine announced in a joint statement that the recent PA operations in Jenin only serve the interest of the Zionist regime.

These three groups emphasized the need for the PA forces to withdraw from the city of Jenin and its refugee camp and lift the siege on it.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front also called for the formation of a national committee by including all Palestinian groups to end the aggression on Jenin and prevent the spread of these incidents to other areas of the West Bank.

The groups, in its statement emphasized the preservation of the blood of the nation, the resistance, and the weapons of Palestine.

At the same time as the genocide of the Palestinian people is being carried out by the Zionist regime with the support of the United States, the Palestinian people need a unified position to defeat the enemy plots, they said.

Hamas had also denounced PA security operations in the Jenin refugee camp in a previous statement calling it illegal and crime against Palestinian living in the camp.

Palestinian Authority security forces raided the Jenin camp two weeks ago, resulting in a fierce clash with resistance fighters.

The events in Jenin camp began with the arrest of Ibrahim Tubasi and Imad Abu Al-Haija by the PA security forces earlier this month. The Jenin Battalion captured some PA vehicles as bargaining chips in demanding their release.

Fighting between resistance fighters and PA forces are frequent in the cities in the northern part of the West Bank, especially Jenin and Tulkarm, coinciding with the ongoing invasions by the occupation forces, settler attacks and the Israeli genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.

The PA security services are accused of arresting those wanted by the Israeli occupation, further complicating the situation in the occupied West Bank, which has witnessed a significant increase in attacks by the Israeli armed forces and settlers since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

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US warplanes hit Yemeni capital, laud explosions reported

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 22, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- US Central Command (CENTCOM) in a statement has claimed responsibility for the airstrike on the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Saturday night.

US Central Command forces carried out precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a Houthi (Ansarullah) command and control center in Sanaa, the CENTCOM statement said.

The statement continued by claiming that the attacks were carried out with the aim of stopping and reducing operations against warships in the Red Sea.

CENTCOM claimed also claimed that its forces shot down several drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea during this operation.

Earlier news sources reported heavy explosions in some areas of Sana'a amid conflicting reports that Israel had carried out new attacks on the city.

IRNA cited some media reports suggesting on Saturday night that the Atan area in the southwest of Sana'a was targeted by bombing.

According to Yemeni media outlets, Zionist warplanes were spotted flying extensively in the skies of Sana'a.

The Israeli army radio claimed however that the attack was not the work of the regime.

Some sources also said that the attack could have been conducted by the United States.

So far, no report has been published on the exact targets and the extent of the damage and possible casualties.

A military analyst for the Israeli television channel Kan previously said that the Israeli regime is preparing for another attack on Yemen.

Earlier on Saturday, Israeli media reported a Yemeni missile attack on a military target in Jaffa (Tel Aviv) and the sounding of warning sirens in Tel Aviv, with the emergency services announcing the injury of 18 Zionists.

The Israeli air defenses were unable to counter the hypersonic missile fired from Yemen.

The Zionist newspaper Ma'ariv wrote that the Yemeni army has fired more than 200 missiles and more than 170 drones at Israeli targets since the start of the regime's war on Gaza in October 2023.

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Yemeni armed forces down F-18 fighter jet, repel US-UK attack: Spokesman

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 22 December 2024 5:11 PM

The Yemeni Armed Forces say they have successfully thwarted a joint American-British attack by shooting down a US F-18 fighter jet and forcing other aircraft to withdraw from Yemeni airspace.

Yemeni army spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree made the remarks in a statement on Sunday, after the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said a fighter aircraft was shot down over the Red Sea in what it claimed to be a case of "friendly fire" earlier in the day.

"We have thwarted the joint US-British attack and targeted the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and a number of its accompanying destroyers," Saree said.

He went on to say that the operation was carried out using eight cruise missiles and 17 drones, adding that the attack forced the USS Harry Truman to withdraw.

According to the Yemeni army spokesman, most of the hostile aircraft retreated from Yemen's airspace to international waters in the Red Sea in an attempt to defend the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman after it was targeted.

Saree further noted that during the operation, an American F-18 aircraft was downed by Yemeni forces while the enemy destroyers were trying to confront the Yemeni drones and missiles.

He also warned of further action to defend Yemen and support Palestine, reaffirming the country's armed forces' readiness to confront any further American-British-Israeli provocations in the future.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces warn the Israeli and American enemy against aggression on Yemen and that the Yemeni Armed Forces will use their full right to defend Yemen and continue to support the Palestinian people until the aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted," he said.

In a statement early Sunday, CENTCOM claimed an F/A-18F Super Hornet was mistakenly shot down, confirming that both US Navy aviators on board were safe.

The Super Hornet, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), was flying over the Red Sea when guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG-64) fired upon it, according to the CENTCOM statement.

Since the onset of the Israeli regime's war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Yemen has declared unwavering support for Palestine's fight against the occupation.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have launched regular strikes against Israel as part of a phased retaliation campaign.

The campaign has also included a strict maritime blockade of Israeli shipping, effectively preventing vessels from reaching Israeli ports.

Israel has so far killed more than 45,259 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 107,627 others in Gaza.

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At least 19 Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since dawn: Medics

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 22 December 2024 10:40 AM

At least 19 Palestinians, including children, have been killed and a dozen others injured as a fresh round of Israeli airstrikes targeted several areas across the besieged Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian medical sources.

The sources reported that an attack on a vehicle on Jalaa Street in Gaza City left at least four people dead on Sunday. Several people also sustained injuries.

An Israeli air raid on the Jabalia refugee camp, north of Gaza, killed at least five people, including children, as well.

It was the latest deadly attack carried out by the Israeli army this morning in Gaza.

Additionally, a medical source at the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City was quoted as saying that eight bodies, including those of two children and two women, along with several injured individuals, were brought to the facility following an Israeli airstrike on the Musa bin Nusair School in the al-Daraj neighborhood in central Gaza City.

According to eyewitnesses, aerial assaults on the school sheltering displaced families caused fires and extensive damage to the building.

The northern Gaza Strip continued to witness intense bombardment and shelling throughout the night into Sunday, particularly in Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun , with strikes going on around Kamal Adwan Hospital.

In central Gaza, artillery shelling struck the western side of the New Camp in Nuseirat.

In the southern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian man and his wife were killed when an Israeli helicopter attacked their apartment in central Khan Younis.

Moreover, three Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the eastern parts of Rafah.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the Israeli regime in response to the occupying entity's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

The regime's bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed 45,227 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 107,573 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

Israel's military has systematically blocked the entry of lifesaving food, medicine, medical supplies, fuel, and tents into the besieged Palestinian territory since October 2023.

More than one year into the Tel Aviv regime's campaign of death and destruction, the territory's critical infrastructure such as water networks, sanitation facilities, and bread mills has all been razed to the ground.

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Street signage marks the Transgender District in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle 2021

I am a transgender resident of San Francisco, and I am deeply grateful to live in a city that embraces and celebrates my identity. Each morning when I walk to work at Glide, the visible markers of the Transgender District remind me that I am loved and valued.

Unfortunately, I have begun to notice how many of these landmarks have disappeared, including the signage for Vicki Mar Lane. The honorific sign marking it at the famed corner of Turk and Taylor streets was taken down during the construction in the area and never replaced.

This is not the first time the trans community had to sound the horn about Vicki Marlanes inequitable signage. Trans icon Felicia Flames, who led the effort to honor Vicki, had to fight to get signage that was the same size as other honorary streets in the area.

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The construction in the neighborhood is beautiful, but the erasure of the trans signs on the lampposts is heartbreaking. In a year of unprecedented political attacks on the trans community, the erasure of the signs and symbols of our Transgender District is gut-wrenching.

Megan Rohrer, San Francisco

Musk exerts power

Regarding Experts split on Musks new role (Bay Area & Business, Dec. 19): Elon Musks assertion that the people have spoken, giving him a clear mandate, is disingenuous and downright false.

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With Donald Trump receiving less than 50% of the vote, this is hardly a clear mandate.

It wasnt the people who spoke, it was Musks billions. He bought himself a presidency, and now he calls the shots, which he demonstrated by helping tank the House budget deal and pushing for a government shutdown.

I hope the Republican Party is happy with its new co-president because now every decision on fiscal policy  not to mention domestic, foreign and even military  will likely require the blessing of a South African billionaire with no relevant expertise other than his own hubris.

This is what rule by oligarchs looks like.

John Brooks, Fairfax

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Keep the peace

Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn will be asked to submit a letter of resignation when Donald Trump becomes president so that she can be replaced by his appointee. Spahn served magnificently and tirelessly to rebuild a Peace Corps with no volunteers in the field to volunteers in 60 nations.

Spahns replacement must continue to build on her passion and dedication.

Trump needs to appoint a director to continue the goals by connecting skilled committed volunteers to work in partnership with welcoming host communities. Bipartisan support in Congress will make the Peace Corps even more relevant, meaningful and effective.

As a member of one of many Returned Peace Corps Volunteer advocacy groups affiliated with the National Peace Corps Association, I hope that Trump selects a director who will continue the growth, spirit and purpose of the Peace Corps to make a difference in the world.

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Frank Price, Berkeley

Vaccines are a lifesaver

If you grew up in a town ravished by fever and paralysis, where swimming was a deadly pursuit and school was postponed indefinitely, you know only one thing freed us: a vaccine.

If you started your career in health care watching children die in pain and isolation, and if a third of your adult friends live with paralyzed and painful limbs, you remember that one thing could have saved them: a vaccine on a sugar cube.

If you follow the advice of a man who had a worm in his head, then you are doomed to relive my past.

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Jane Kundin, San Mateo

Check the facts

About Opinion Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership. Read more about our transparency and ethics policies

I am guessing ABC News did not do their homework when donating $15 million to a future presidential library to settle the libel suit Donald Trump filed against it.

The last Trump foundation was fined $2 million by the courts in 2019 for misusing money donated to it. If any of ABCs funds ever end up supporting a worthy cause, I will eat my Trump sneakers.
US fighter aircraft shot down over Red Sea 'in friendly fire' amid aggression on Yemen

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 22 December 2024 8:26 AM

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) says a fighter aircraft was shot down over the Red Sea in what it claimed to be a case of "friendly fire", amid Washington's escalated aggression on Yemeni soil in support of the Israeli regime.

Early Sunday, an F/A-18F Super Hornet was mistakenly shot down, with CENTCOM confirming in a statement that both US Navy aviators on board are safe.

The Super Hornet, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), was flying over the Red Sea when guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG-64) fired upon it, according to the CENTCOM statement.

"The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18, which was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman," CENTCOM's statement reads.

"Both pilots were safely recovered. Initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries. This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway."

The Boeing-built Super Hornet is a supersonic, twin-engine fighter aircraft "able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum," according to the manufacturer.

The strike group is tasked as part of a US-led coalition to protect merchant traffic in the Red Sea from pro-Palestine retaliatory operations by the Yemeni armed forces, who have over the past year launched dozens of drones, guided cruise, and ballistic missiles at Israeli-owned and -bound shipping in the strategic waterway.

Over the weekend, US forces attacked the Yemeni capital of Sana'a by striking a missile storage facility and a command and control node, according to a Saturday statement from CENTCOM.

The Sunday incident took place a day after Yemen's military targeted Tel Aviv with a hypersonic ballistic missile, in a fresh operation against the Israeli regime and in support of the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Yemeni armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a statement on Saturday that the strike was carried out by a "Palestine 2" hypersonic ballistic missile, with the Israeli regime failing to intercept the advanced projectile.

Since the onset of the Israeli regime's war on Gaza on October 7, 2023after Palestinian resistance movements launched Operation al-Aqsa StormYemen has declared unwavering support for Palestine's struggle against the occupation.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have launched regular strikes against Israel as part of a phased escalation campaign.

The campaign has also included a strict maritime blockade of Israeli shipping, effectively preventing vessels from reaching Israeli ports.

Israel has so far killed more than 45,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 107,510 others in Gaza.

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Israel's sponsors accountable for ongoing aggression on Sana'a, top Yemeni diplomat warns

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 22 December 2024 7:29 AM

Yemen's foreign minister has condemned the recent US airstrikes in Sana'a, asserting that any nation supporting the Zionist regime's aggression shares responsibility for its atrocities.

"Any country that supports the Zionist regime in any way in its aggression against Sana'a is a partner in this aggression, and must assume responsibility for the repercussions of such conduct," Jamal Ahmed Ali Amer wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.

He also warned Western countries of the disastrous consequences of their support for the Israeli regime's ongoing aggression against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, saying they will have to pay a heavy price and must brace themselves for a strong response.

"The terrified Zionist regime, which speaks of a bank of targets inside Yemen, has demonstrated its failure and defeat by bombing facilities that have already been struck," the senior Yemeni diplomat pointed out.

The remarks came after the United States military said it had conducted a series of air strikes against targets in Yemen's capital Sana'a, including a missile storage facility and a "command-and-control" site.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US Army operations in West Asia, added it also hit multiple one-way drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.

The Yemeni information minister also condemned in the strongest terms the recent US military airstrikes against Sana'a.

"It is fairly evident that Americans have not learned from their past mistakes, and will continue to taste humiliation at the hands of Yemenis," Hashem Sharaf al-Din noted.

'Severe consequences'

A senior member of the political bureau of the Ansarullah resistance movement also warned that the United States and Israel would face severe consequences if they escalate tensions and expand their acts of aggression against Yemen.

Hizam al-Assad stated that his group is prepared for a full-scale war.

"Sana'a is not afraid of the spread of war. It is America that should be afraid, as its interests and assets are widespread in our region.

"We are not fearful of a full-scale war being imposed on us. The US and the Zionist regime should be scared of such an event because the outcome will not be in their favor at all," he added.

He stressed that US interests in West Asia are extensive, and the existence of the Tel Aviv regime hinges upon the equation of security, military superiority, and deterrence, which no longer exists.

"The attacks by the US, Britain, and the Zionist regime [on Yemen] are a sign of their defeat and confusion. We have no apprehension about Yemen's military capabilities and prowess.

"Yemen's military capabilities and hardware have been developed for difficult war conditions. Homegrown Yemeni munitions are being stored in safe places, and the country's diverse natural features have also contributed to such security," Assad stated.

Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine's struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the territory's resistance movements carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity.

Ansarullah maintains that it targets ships linked to Israel, the United States, or the United Kingdom to force an end to the Tel Aviv regime's genocidal war on Gaza.

The Yemeni armed forces have said they will not stop their attacks until Israel's ground and aerial offensives in Gaza end.

So far, Israel has killed at least 45,227 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 107,573 others in Gaza.

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Israeli military bombards school, hospitals in Gaza, killing 8 civilians

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 22 December 2024 6:59 AM

The Israeli military has conducted fresh attacks on civilian facilities in the northern Gaza Strip, killing and injuring several Palestinians in the besieged territory.

Reports said early on Sunday that eight Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City's Musa bin Nusair school, which is sheltering displaced families.

Israeli forces also opened fire on the al-Awda hospital, in Jabalia refugee camp.

Another Israeli raid was reported on the Kamal Adwan hospital, in Beit Lahia, wounding several people.

Citing medical sources, the Palestinian news agency WAFA said that the hospital came under intense and indiscriminate shelling, with the occupation forces targeting the medical center using bombs, artillery shells, and sniper fire.

It added that the assault caused significant damage to the hospital's power generators and various departments.

Footage released from inside the hospital, showed many patients sleeping in corridors.

Meanwhile, some reports said Israeli forces have blown up two explosive robots, causing significant destruction to residential buildings near the medical facility.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the hospital's director, said in a statement that Israel's heavy bombing of the hospital came without any prior warning.

"The bombing is being conducted with explosives and tank fire, directly targeting us while we are present inside the hospital departments," he said.

"We are being attacked in plain sight, with the entire world watching, yet no one intervenes in the face of this barbarity."

Some 66 Palestinians are getting treatment inside the hospital, whose communication with Gaza's Health Ministry has been cut off.

Israel unleashed a genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 45,227 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 107,573 others.

During its bloody onslaught, Israel has targeted Gaza's civilian infrastructure in blatant violation of international law.

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Dec. 21: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 22 December 2024 6:05 AM

By Press TV Website Staff

Amid the West-backed Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians so far, resistance groups in Palestine and across the region continue their operations against the Tel Aviv regime.

The major operations by the Palestinian and regional resistance groups on Saturday, December 21, are as follows:

Al-Qassam Brigades' operations on Dec. 21:

In a complex operation in the central Jabalia camp, northern Gaza Strip, killed three Israeli soldiers by stabbing them with knives and seizing their personal weapons.

Stormed a house where Israeli forces were holed up and killed two regime soldiers at the entrance, which was followed by fierce clashes between the two sides.

Threw hand grenades at a gathering of Israeli soldiers next to an armored personnel carrier in central Jabalia camp, northern Gaza Strip.

Al-Quds Brigades' operations on Dec. 21:

Detonated a previously planted explosive device in a military pocket in the city of Jenin, occupied West Bank.

Yemeni military's operations on Dec 21:

Targeted an important Israeli military site in Tel Aviv with a hypersonic ballistic missile, Palestine 2.

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Teenagers fight US militarization of Palau with UN complaint over rights violations

Several domestic lawsuits are also challenging unprecedented U.S. use of defense pact powers.

By Harry Pearl for BenarNews

2024.12.22

KOROR, Palau -- School students in Palau are taking on the United States military with a legal complaint to the United Nations over a "rapid and unprecedented wave of militarization" in their Pacific island nation.

They allege that American military activities are destroying ecosystems, disturbing sacred sites, threatening endangered species, and breaking laws that protect the environment and human rights.

The American military presence in Palau, an independent state in free association with the U.S., has grown in recent years amid mounting geo-strategic tensions with China over Taiwan and the South China Sea.

The archipelago's location between the Philippines and Hawaii is part of a critical logistical network that allows the U.S. to move through the western Pacific and project power in East Asia.

But the military buildup in Palau is stoking unease among some in the country of 20,000 people, who worry their culture and pristine environment could be compromised.

Imaim Ngiraboi, 16, said it was a "bit intimidating" standing up to the world's most powerful military, but it was important to inform people what was going on.

"As youth, we should be able to have a say in this and think about what we want from our future," she told BenarNews in the city of Koror.

She is one of the seven teenagers, aged between 15 and 18, leading the pushback against U.S. military activity. Over the past year they travelled the length of the country visiting defense sites, interviewing local communities and documenting environmental impacts.

Last month the students filed a submission to the U.N. special rapporteur on the rights to a healthy environment and the special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples. Together with the Ebiil Society, a local nonprofit, and human rights lawyers in Guam, they alleged American military violations of environmental laws and indigenous rights in Palau.

The group is among a young generation of Pacific activists using international legal mechanisms to fight for their rights, such as law students from Vanuatu who asked the International Court of Justice to give an opinion on states' obligations to combat climate change.

'Bulldozing' through Palau

Palau is one of three Pacific island countries including the Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia that give the U.S. exclusive military authority in their territories in exchange for economic assistance under compacts of free association.

The U.S. is now using the "compact provisions, which have never before been invoked, to justify a rapid and unprecedented wave of militarization throughout Palau," according to the U.N. submission.

The Palauan students' complaint is focused on six U.S. military sites spread between Palau's northernmost tip and its southernmost edge, including an over-the-horizon radar facility and a WWII-era airstrip being upgraded by U.S. Marines on the island of Peleliu.

In many cases, the U.S. military had not undertaken adequate community consultation or obtained informed consent, said the teenagers, who conducted their research as a part of a social science class organized by the Ebiil Society.

"Most of the people we interviewed didn't know about what was going on in their communities," said 16-year-old Kimie-Maki Kelau Singeo.

"They didn't tell the community. They were asking us questions."

Ann Singeo, the Ebiil Society's executive director, said environmental and cultural protection laws were being "violated left and right" across Palau.

"It's almost like they are bulldozing their way through the islands," the veteran environmental advocate told BenarNews.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees American forces in the region, did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.

But Palau President Surangel Whipps rejected any accusations that environmental laws had been broken or that local communities had not been adequately informed about military projects.

Whipps acknowledged there were concerns about militarization in the community, but argued that for a small nation like Palau, which has been subject to "unfriendly behavior" by China, having the protection of the U.S. was a good thing.

"We've always been a target because of our location, whether we like it or not," he told BenarNews in an interview. "During World War II, we were a target and that's why Japan built all the infrastructure here and used Palau because of our location.

"If you're going to be a target, you need to make sure that you're protected. Our forefathers decided that the best relationship that we could have with the United States is in free association ... but as partners, we have some obligations."

The U.N. submission is not the only complaint concerning U.S. military activity in Palau.

Angaur, the southernmost of Palau's 16 states, is suing the U.S. and Palau governments and American military contractors for alleged violations of environmental laws and the compact of free association for work on the receiver of a "Tactical Mobile Over-the-Horizon Radar," or TACMOR.

The TACMOR's accompanying transmitter facility is being built in the northern state of Ngaraard, which has also accused the Palau government of deficiencies in the environmental permit process and requested approval to be rescinded, local media have reported.

Nest Mechaet, a state legislator for Elab hamlet where the transmitter facility is located, said the community of about 23 households was still largely in the dark about the potential environmental impacts.

She said there were fears that earthmoving might damage historical sites and affect sediment flows into the marine environment nearby, which is home to endangered dugongs, turtles and saltwater crocodiles.

"Some old people say there are ancient stone platforms here," she told BenarNews, looking out over the bay below where the radar will be positioned.

"There are mangrove clams, sea cucumbers, fish - you name it. People are out there for food."

It's unclear what impact the Angaur lawsuit or calls for a review of the permit in Ngaraard will have on the radar, which the U.S. had originally aimed to complete by 2026.

The U.S. radar system, which will add to American early-warning capabilities for the western Pacific, is expected to bring economic benefits to the island including higher paying jobs and rental incomes.

On the island of Peleliu, where U.S. Marines are revamping the Japanese wartime airfield, some local chiefs and former legislators are seeking an injunction against a proposed constitutional amendment concerning military activity in the state.

Peleliu's constitution currently requires the approval by 75% of residents in a referendum for any permanent military facilities to be built on the island or training to take place - a provision adopted after WWII.

Under the amendment, which was put on the ballot of a Dec. 3 state election, the article would be repealed and authority on military matters transferred exclusively to the governor and legislature, according to court documents reviewed by BenarNews. It also proposes reducing the size of the state government from 15 members to 11 and removing five seats reserved for traditional chiefs.

Whipps described a lot of the criticism about U.S. military projects in Palau as "misinformation" and suggested it was possibly "another Chinese attempt to convince people that things are really worse than they really are."

But Singeo, from the Ebiil Society, said it was important to mobilize young people to fight for the "survival of a culture and nation."

"No matter how strong they are, how big they are, this is not their home," she said.

"For me as an adult, to not support the kids to do this is the same as condemning them to a future of chaos, conflict and keeping their head down not saying anything."

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.

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Exodus Of Doctors Leaves Afghans Scrambling For Treatment

By Asadullah Ludin and Abubakar Siddique December 22, 2024

Thousands of health-care professionals have fled Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021.

The severe shortage of doctors, including specialists, has left millions of Afghans with limited or no access to health-care services.

The flight of medical professionals has been fueled by the Taliban's oppressive rule and the humanitarian crisis gripping the country. Doctors have also complained of poor working conditions, low salaries, and harassment.

Abdullah Ahmadi, the former head of the Wazir Akbar Khan hospital in Kabul, one of the largest in the country, left Afghanistan just months after the Taliban takeover.

"The conditions for me were suffocating," said Ahmadi, an orthopedic surgeon who now lives in Finland.

He said that he was threatened and humiliated by unqualified and uneducated Taliban members who were appointed to positions in the Public Health Ministry and state-run hospitals.

Safa Hassani, an Afghan psychiatrist now living in Germany, said the Taliban's decision in September 2021 to ban teenage girls from attending school convinced his family to leave their homeland.

"I sacrificed my job and profession so my daughters can study," said Hassani, adding that overseas doctors face major challenges in obtaining a license to practice medicine in Europe.

'A Big Vacuum'

Sonia Cautain, a veteran French aid worker who worked in Kabul until 2023, witnessed firsthand the impact of the mass exodus of doctors from the country.

"Afghanistan has lost a lot of its best doctors," she said, adding that many left for the sake of their careers and families "because they didn't know what to expect" from the Taliban.

Cautain, who led a charity overseeing the French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children in Kabul, said the flight of doctors has "left a big vacuum in the health-care system."

The shortage of doctors is depriving Afghans of access to proper medical treatment. Some have been forced to seek expensive treatments abroad.

Abdul Ahad said he went to neighboring Pakistan to get treatment for kidney stones. He said he spent over $1,000 to get surgery.

Ahad complained that he could not find a qualified doctor to treat him in Kabul.

"Some of the [Afghan] doctors told me that the stones were in my kidney while others said it was stuck in my ureters," he said.

For every 10,000 people in Afghanistan, there are just 10 health workers, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a recent report.

That is significantly lower than the required ratio of 44 health workers for every 10,000 people needed for universal health coverage, the organization said.

The WHO estimates that nearly 18 million Afghans need health assistance out of a population of around 40 million. Some 9.5 million Afghans have "limited or no basic health services," the organization said.

The Taliban's ban on education for women has deprived the country of new female medical graduates. Afghanistan was short of women health-care workers even before the Taliban seized power.

'Dying On Their Way To See A Doctor'

Earlier this month, the militant Islamist group banned midwife and nurse training in Afghanistan, triggering concerns over the health consequences for women.

The exodus of medical professionals has been compounded by the loss of international funding, which accounted for over 75 percent of public spending under the previous Western-backed Afghan government.

"The sharp drop in development support sent a shock through the economy and the public health system," Human Rights Watch said in a report released in February.

The rights watchdog said insufficient health care "has left the population vulnerable to disease and other consequences of inadequate medical care."

Kayarash, an Afghan doctor who moved to the Czech Republic, said the "quality of available treatments has decreased" in Afghanistan.

He said the shortage of doctors, particularly female physicians, has forced patients to wait longer for specialist care.

"We are likely to see more deaths because of preventable diseases," he said.

In remote parts of Afghanistan, the lack of doctors is already proving fatal.

Waris Shah lives in the remote district of Barmal in the southeastern province of Paktika. He said the shortage of doctors has compelled residents to seek treatment in Kabul, located hundreds of kilometers away.

"Patients are frequently dying while on their way to see a doctor," he said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-doctors- healthcare-exodus/33246835.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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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Protest In Belgrade Turns Up Heat On Government Over Railway Canopy Collapse

By RFE/RL's Balkan Service December 22, 2024

Students who have been blocking academic faculties at the University of Belgrade for weeks staged a protest on December 22 to demand accountability for the collapse of a canopy at the train station in Novi Sad that killed 15 people.

Streets near Slavija Square in central Belgrade were closed to traffic as thousands gathered for the protest, filling the square and beyond as farmers, actors, and educators joined the student-led protest.

The demonstration began at 4:30 p.m. local time with 15 minutes of silence for the victims of the collapse on November 1, which seriously injured two people in addition to killing 15. Many of the participants turned their mobile phone lights on and held them high.

The 15 minutes of silence was followed by 30 minutes of participants blowing whistles and vuvuzelas.

Student Teodora Topalovic told RFE/RL at the protest that the support of citizens means a lot to the gathered students.

"Every time something like this starts at the beginning, I'm first on the verge of tears, and then I pull myself together and continue," Topalovic said. "This means a lot to all the students."

Nikola Peric of Belgrade said his motive for coming to this protest is to say "no" to the entire situation and the authorities in Serbia.

"To support the students, to honor the people who died innocently, and to try to change the situation in the country, which is not good," he told RFE/RL.

Pensioner Tatjana Spolja Miletic told RFE/RL that "new, young forces" have arrived and that the older ones are have joined in the protest to support them.

"I can't be silent and sit at home," she said.

The organizers demanded the government identify and prosecute the people who allegedly attacked demonstrators during protests that swept across Serbia in the days following the collapse of the canopy. The organizers also called for the release of activists detained during earlier protests and an end to legal proceedings against them.

Serbians have protested regularly over the accident to demand accountability. Some of the protests turned violent, but there was no violence reported during the demonstration in Belgrade on December 22.

The collapse of the canopy has turned into a political headache for President Aleksandar Vucic as more than 50 academic faculties at four state universities, the offices of several university rectors, and dozens of high schools remain blocked in solidarity with the protests. Students also have taken part in daily protests in which traffic stops for 15 minutes in cities across Serbia.

The accident occurred after the railway station had been renovated twice in recent years by a Chinese-led consortium of four companies. Serbian Railways insisted that the renovation didn't include the concrete overhang, but some experts disputed that.

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad announced on November 21 that 11 people had been arrested after being found responsible for the collapse.

Among them were former Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Minister Goran Vesic and the ex-director of railway infrastructure Jelena Tanaskovic.

They face up to 12 years in prison if they are found guilty of charges of committing criminal acts against public security, endangering the public, and irregular construction work.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-student-protest- railroad-canopy-collapse/33249144.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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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UN Emergency Fund allocates $6 million to support refugees fleeing Sudan in Egypt

UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

(Cairo, 22 December 2024): The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated $6 million to bolster the humanitarian response for refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan and seeking protection in Egypt.

The Rapid Response CERF allocation will strengthen the UNs efforts in Egypt, complementing the delivery of life-saving support, including emergency food and cash assistance, water, sanitation, and hygiene services, as well as enhanced protection for refugees.

The ongoing conflict in Sudan, which escalated dramatically in April 2023, has resulted in the world's fastest-growing refugee crisis. Recent data from the Government of Egypt indicates that Egypt now hosts an estimated 1.2 million Sudanese making it the biggest recipient of Sudanese forced to flee the ongoing war.

"As the number of refugees continues to rise daily and winter approaches, their needs are increasing," said Elena Panova, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt. "These CERF funds will provide additional assistance and protection to newly arrived refugees, addressing both their immediate and long-term needs."

This marks CERF's second allocation for Sudanese refugees in Egypt. The first, announced in May 2023, provided $5 million to support emergency needs over six months. That funding helped UN agencies and partners directly assist 320,000 people, including refugees and host communities. It supported cash transfers, protection services, responses to gender-based violence, food security, shelter, and other critical areas.

About the CERF

The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 to enable rapid, life-saving humanitarian action in emergencies worldwide. CERF's Rapid Response window allows humanitarian teams to act immediately, delivering coordinated and prioritized aid when crises emerge.

For more Information, please contact:

Naiera Ellethy , United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa, naiera.ahmed@un.org

, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa, naiera.ahmed@un.org Nihal El Kady, United Nations Information Centre in Cairoel-kady@un.org

22 December 2024

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Russo-Ukraine War - 22 December 2024 - Day 1033

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 in total, since the beginning of this day, there have been 207 combat clashes.

Russian zagarbniki inflicted 18 aviation strikes on the territory of Ukraine, applying 29 cab. In addition, the Russians engaged 593 kamikaze drones and carried out 3650 shelling at the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements.

In the Kharkiv direction, from the beginning of the day, the Russian enemy has been conducting offensive actions in the areas of the settlements of Goptivka, Gliboke, High Yaruga, Bugruvatka, Staritsa, a total of seven clashes occurred.

In the Kupans komu direction, Russian forces seven times carried out assaults of the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the areas of kucervka, tapovoi novoselivka, boguslavka, zagrizovogo and new christinivka. Ukrainian defenders repelled five attacks, two are still ongoing.

In the Lyman direction since the beginning of the day, Russian invaders 36 times attacked the positions of Ukrainians near the settlements of Green Gai, Novosergiyivka, Novoyegorivka, Grekivka, Makiyivka, Nadia, Ivanivka, Terni, Toretsk, Grigorivka and in the direction of Druzhelyubivka, Dibrova, Serebryanka. Eighteen attacks are still repelled by Ukrainian defenders.

In the sivers komu direction throughout the day, Russian forces attacked 12 times in the areas of bilogorivka, verkhnyokamans kogo, Ivano-daryivka and viymki. One battle is still going on.

In the Kramators komu direction, seven clashes near Vasyukivka, Chasovoye Yar and Stupochok have been recorded, four attacks have already successfully repelled Ukrainian defenders, three more clashes continue.

In the Toretsky direction Russians seven times attacked the positions of Defense Forces. The main attack efforts were concentrated by the occupiers near the settlements of Toretsk and Druzhba. Currently, four clashes continue.

Since the beginning of this day, in the Pokrovsky direction, Russian forces 34 times tried to break through Ukrainian defense near the settlements of Lisivka, Suha Balka, Ray, Zelene, Ukrainka, Dachenko, Shevchenko, Novoukrainka, Pokrovsk, Novovasilivka, Novoelizavetivka and Novoolenivka. Seven brawls are ongoing so far.

The enemy suffers significant losses - today, previously, 390 Russian invaders were defecated in this direction, 161 of them - irrevocably. Three vehicles and 15 Russian communication tools were also destroyed, in addition to that a tank, two vehicles units and two Russian cannons were significantly damaged.

In the Kurakhiv direction, Russian forces attacked 26 times Ukrainian positions near the settlements of Soncivka, Stari Terni, Kurakhove, Yasenove, Dachne and in the direction of Andriyivka. All attacks have already been undone.

In the Vremivs komu direction, the harbinger carried out 36 offensive actions near the Velika Novosilka, Konstantinopilsky, Amber, Uspenivka, Spillway, Rozdolny, Novosilki, Blagodatny, Vremivka and in the area of the settlement of Bagatyr. Eight clashes continue so far.

In the orihivs komu directions, Russian forces once attacked in the area of novoandrivka.

In the pridniprovsky direction, Ukrainian troops repelled three attacks of Russian zagarbnikiv.

Defense Forces of Ukraine continue their operation in Kurshchina, where the Russian enemy carried out 26 attacks of Ukrainian units' positions during a day, with one confrontation still ongoing. Russian forces carried out 432 shells.

In other directions, the situation has not changed significantly.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that in Kharkov direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces defeated units of one mechanised brigade of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade close to Borshchevaya, Kazachya Lopan, and Volchansk (Kharkov region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 55 troops, six motor vehicles, and five 122-mm D-30 howitzers.

In Kharkov region, decisive actions of the Zapad Group of Forces' units allowed to liberate Lozovaya.

Strikes were delivered at manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades of the AFU and two territorial defence brigades close to Petropavlovka, Glushkovka, Dvurechnaya, Zagryzovo (Kharkov region), Yampolovka, and Terny (Donetsk People's Republic).

Six counter-attacks of the enemy's assault detachments were repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to more than 480 troops, five motor vehicles, one Polish-made 155-mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made Paladin self-propelled artillery system, one UK-made 155-mm FH-70 howitzer, one 152-mm Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, one 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and three U.S. 105-mm M119 howitzers.

The Yug Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation and defeated one mechanised brigade, two airmobile brigades, and one mountain assault brigade of the AFU near Zvanovka, Fyodorovka, Zakotnoye, Podolskoye, Dachnoye, Belokuzminovka, and Seversk (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 300 Ukrainian troops, one Spartan armoured personnel carrier, three pickup trucks, and two 122-mm D-30 howitzers.

One ammunition depot was wiped out.

The Tsentr Group of Forces' units liberated Krasnoye (Donetsk People's Republic) during active operations.

Strikes were delivered at five mechanised brigades, one infantry brigade, one motorised infantry brigade, one assault brigade of the AFU, one marine brigade, and one assault battalion of the National Police of Ukraine close to Dzerzhinsk, Peschanoye, Andreyevka, Zverevo, Udachnoye, Krasnoarmeysk, Novoolenovka, and Novoelizavetovka.

Eleven counter-attacks of the enemy's assault detachments were repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 480 troops, two tanks, one Varta armoured fighting vehicle, one Kozak armoured fighting vehicle, nine motor vehicles, one 152-mm Msta-B howitzer, one 152-mm D-20 howitzer, two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and one U.S.-made 105-mm M101 howitzer.

The Vostok Group of Forces' units continued advancing into the depths of the enemy's defence, defeated detachments of two mechanised brigades of the AFU and two territorial defence brigades near Vremevka, Skudnoye, Konstantinopol (Donetsk People's Republic), and Temirovka (Zaporozhye region).

One counter-attack launched by enemy assault groups was repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 185 troops, two motor vehicles, one 155-mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, one 152-mm Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, one 152-mm D-20 howitzer, and one 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system.

The Dnepr Group of Forces' units engaged manpower and hardware of one mountain assault brigade and one territorial defence brigade near Stepovoye, Malye Shcherbaki (Zaporozhye region), Sadovoye and Antonovka (Kherson region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 75 troops, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, two 152-mm D-20 howitzers, and one 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system.

One electronic warfare station, one electronic-intelligence station, and one ammunition depot were wiped out.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have hit the infrastructure of military airfields, workshops for the production of strike drones, places where they are stored and prepared for launch, and clusters of manpower and military hardware of the AFU and mercenaries of the Foreign Legion in 138 areas.

Air defence systems have shot down one Neptune long-range guided missile, two U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 100 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 650 aircraft and 283 helicopters, 38,341 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 anti-aircraft missile systems, 19,952 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,504 MLRS combat vehicles, 19,932 field artillery guns and mortars, and 29,427 units of special military vehicles have been neutralised.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation also reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to defeat AFU formations in Kursk region.

In the course of offensive operations, units of the Sever Group of Forces defeated formations of one heavy mechanised brigade, five mechanised brigades, three air assault brigades, one marine brigade, and four AFU territorial defence brigades close to Aleksandriya, Viktorovka, Kositsa, Kurilovka, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Nikolayevka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Novaya Sorochina, Russkoye Porechnoye, Sverdlikovo, and Cherkasskaya Konopelka. Three counter-attacks launched by enemy assault groups were repelled.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the enemy near Guyevo, Kruglenkoye, Melovoye, Nikolsky, Staraya Sorochina, and Basovka, Belovody, Vodolagi, and Zhuravka in Sumy region.

Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses were more than 260 troops, two tanks, to include one German-made Leopard tank, two infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured personnel carriers, seven armoured fighting vehicles, six mortars, and one electronic warfare station.

Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses amounted to more than 43,010 troops, 251 tanks, 191 infantry fighting vehicles, 132 armoured personnel carriers, 1,312 armoured fighting vehicles, 1,166 motor vehicles, 323 artillery guns, 42 MLRS launchers, including 11 of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, 13 anti-aircraft missile launchers, seven transport-loading vehicles, 79 EW stations, 13 counter-battery warfare radars, four air defence radars, 27 units of engineering and other materiel, including 13 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, six armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.

The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.





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2024 Yearender: China's space sector soars to new heights, setting new goals

Global Times

By Fan Anqi and Liang Rui Published: Dec 22, 2024 11:04 PM

During the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held in October 2024 in Milan, Italy, a remarkable exhibit of "extraterrestrial material" caught the eyes of international attendees - a grayish, seemingly unattractive piece of dirt, yet it marked the first global display of the first sample collected from the far side of the moon.

Guests gathered around the display case, some leaning in for a closer look and others taking photos to commemorate the moment when they were finally able to see the true appearance of lunar regolith.

This remarkable feat was accomplished by China's Chang'e-6 mission in June 2024, showcasing the country's steadily advancing aerospace capabilities that earned international recognition. Yet, this is just one of many significant accomplishments China's space sector has delivered this year.

In 2024, driven by the "dual engine" of its "national team" and the booming commercial space sector, China has excelled in the number of rocket launches, satellite networking, technological innovation, commercial space development and international cooperation, Tan Yonghua, a senior expert of China's Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology, told the Global Times.

On December 18, the Chinese Academy of Engineering released the "Global Engineering Frontiers 2024" report. Among them, the Chang'e-6 mission and China's progress in its low Earth orbit communication satellite constellation were selected as two of the "Top Ten Global Engineering Achievements in 2024" in the aerospace field.

Embracing the future, Tan highlighted the potential of deeper collaboration between the state and private sector, citing the recent adoption of a cargo spacecraft design that was for the first time selected from non-traditional state aerospace entities. "This innovative competitive mechanism not only opens a new chapter in China's aerospace history but also lays the foundation for future low-cost space exploration. At the same time, fully leveraging the potential of private aerospace and integrating it with national capabilities will inject more vitality into China's aerospace endeavors," Tan said.

Highlights of the year



Since the Tiangong Space Station entered its normalized application and operation phase, it welcomed four missions in 2024 - two crewed missions and two cargo supplies - while seeing two crew rotations of some of the youngest faces of the post-90s generation, one of them being China's first female spaceflight engineer.

Most recently, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, part of the three-person Shenzhou-19 crew, spent more than nine hours spacewalking outside Tiangong on Tuesday, proudly leaving their names in human spaceflight history as they broke the previous duration record for a single extravehicular activity, which was set by NASA astronauts in March 2001, according to a report by space.com.

As for moon exploration and related works, apart from the globally acclaimed Chang'e-6 mission, studies related to Chang'e-5 also saw new advances and breakthroughs in 2024, including the discovery of the sixth new lunar mineral, named Changesite-(Y), which makes China the third country in the world to have identified a new mineral on the lunar surface, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

In the advancement of new rockets, China in December witnessed the maiden flight of the Long March-12, China's most powerful single-core rocket to date. It has potential for reusability and can effectively enhance China's capability to place satellites into sun-synchronous orbits and improve the networking capabilities of low Earth orbit constellations, Kang Guohua, a senior member of the Chinese Society of Astronautics and a professor of Aerospace Engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told the Global Times.

In 2024, China actively carried out international cooperation. Dedicated to building an open and shared scientific platform for joint construction, the International Lunar Research Station initiated by China further expanded its "friend circle," so far attracting more than 10 countries and over 40 international institutions to sign cooperation agreements.

A more vibrant commercial space sector

During this year's "Double-11" shopping spree, two tickets for commercial space tourism scheduled for 2027 sold rapidly during a livestream event on China's e-commerce giant Taobao at the end of October. With a price of 1 million yuan ($137 thousand) each, the suborbital manned spacecraft will be launched with reusable carrier rocket Nebula-1 to be developed by private space firm Deep Blue Aerospace.

The event triggered intense discussions across Chinese social media platforms, reflecting an ever-strong passion and expectation that people hold toward the development of the country's commercial space industry.

With the inauguration of the Hainan commercial space launch site, China's first of its kind, the "last piece of the commercial space puzzle" has finally come together - the five essential elements, namely satellite manufacturing, launch services, satellite measurement, satellite utilization and launch facilities, Kang said.

Meanwhile, China's low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet constellation was officially unveiled with the Qianfan project taking the lead. Independently developed by Shanghai-based company Spacesail, it aims to establish a network of over 15,000 LEO wide-screen multimedia satellites to provide broadband communication and internet access services, the company said.

On December 5, 2024, the third batch of Qianfan constellation networking satellites was sent into orbit. With a single launch comprising 18 satellites, the total number of the "Chinese version of Starlink" has reached 54 satellites.

Moreover, the technology for reusable rockets continues to advance, as several commercial space companies have successfully completed rocket recovery tests.

However, highlights exist side by side with lessons learned. In July, Tianlong-3, also known as the Chinese "Falcon 9 equivalent," accidentally detached from its launch pad during its static fire test due to structural failure, resulting in an unintended launch. It landed in a hilly area in Central China's Henan Province and caused a fire, Xinhua reported.

"The incident serves as a wake-up call for commercial aerospace, prompting the industry to strengthen the formulation and implementation of regulations and standards," Tan told the Global Times.

Aiming for the moon, Mars, and farther

The China Manned Space Agency in October announced the 2030 target for China's grand lunar crewed landing. In order to achieve this goal, China's crewed lunar rover entered the initial prototype R&D stage in November this year. Other relevant work for the manned lunar landing is progressing smoothly, with the Long March-10 carrier rocket, the Mengzhou manned spacecraft, the Lanyue lunar lander and the lunar landing spacesuit all in the initial sample production and ground testing phases as planned.

Apart from putting humans on the moon, China is planning to build the International Lunar Research Station by around 2035, according to the China National Space Administration. Two missions are expected to lay the groundwork, with the Chang'e-7 mission scheduled in 2026 and the Chang'e-8 mission around 2028.

Not only will there be wireless networks and energy on the moon, but growing vegetables may become feasible, scientists said. With simulated lunar soil bricks sent to space for verification, the development team disclosed that they are considering shaping the base into an egg-shaped habitat on the Earth's neighbor, the Global Times has learned.

Next year, China plans to send a probe to a near-Earth asteroid to retrieve samples as part of the Tianwen-2 mission, with the aim of revealing the formation and evolution process of asteroids and the early history of the solar system.

The Tianwen-3 mission is expected to launch around 2030 to collect Martian samples to study the planet's environment. For the Tianwen-4 mission also scheduled for 2030, China eyes exploring the Jovian system to study the evolutionary history of Jupiter and its moons, and unravel the mysteries of Jupiter's space environment and internal structure, Xinhua reported.

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. Jack Ohman/The Chronicle

President Joe Biden has had a rough few months, and hes got about 27 days and 27 nights to go. Heres how he can improve his legacy.

He should resign, which will make Vice President Kamala Harris the 47th president of the United States.

In case you need a reminder, that would make Harris the first female president.

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Why should Biden do this?

As the Democrats sift through the radioactive wreckage of Election Night 2024, a few things stood out in the postmortems: Harris is a woman and a person of color, and they may well have been contributing factors to her loss, in addition to economic stratification.

Maybe the country just needs to have a female president for a couple of weeks. You know, try it out. Test-drive it. Kick the presidential limo tires.

Get President Harris at the lectern with the presidential seal. Sit her behind the Resolute desk. Have her wave as she takes off in Marine One. Small optics, to be sure, but for Biden to step down in favor of Harris demonstrates a far more important thing:

The Democratic Party is actually serious about the role of women and, more specifically, Black women and other women of color  upon whom theyve relied for decades for their victory margins.

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In some ways, Democrats have very much followed through on their commitments to make the United States an equal opportunity nation, and not just through token appointments. In other ways, they lost just enough Black, Latino, Asian American and other minority voters in 2024 to the Trumpublican Party (why call them Republicans at this point?).

Bidens stepping aside for Harris would send an unmistakable signal from the Democrats: We really see you, and were willing to make a personal sacrifice to make a historic gesture.

Yes, its a gesture, but sometimes gestures add up.

Furthermore, it would go a long way to erase the temporary smudges on Bidens record, whos going to look like Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson after the inevitable Donald Trump implosion.

Lets say that Jill Biden goes along with this (why should she? Shes made it clear through her devastating, cold-baby-cold snub of Vice President Harris at, of all places, the Veterans Day ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater). Furthermore, she kept Biden in the race about two years longer than he should have been.

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However, in our fevered fantasy, Joe makes the call and does it.

First of all, kiss all the lucrative Trump 47 merch aside (his latest hustle is his assassination attempt-themed cologne called FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT  so tasteful. What next? A grassy knoll energy drink?). Harris will be the 47th president, not Trump.

What can Harris do as president of the United States for about a month?

First, the symbolism and meaning will not be lost on groups slipping away, albeit glacially, from the Democratic Party.

Second, her mere presence truly sets her up as the titular head of the Democratic Party. While there is some informed speculation that Harris might run for governor of California in 2026  the second-most important elected position in the country. A major political columnist told me a few days ago that he thinks she ultimately wont do it: She had Air Force Two and now shes gonna trade it in for a helicopter?

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Maybe, maybe not. Maybe she racks up some points on Southwest instead.

A true gut check is that she may well, at the relatively tender age of 64, give a presidential run another go on her own terms in 2028.

Being a former president is a pretty good place to start for any potential presidential candidate (a shift of 120,000 votes in three states would have made this column moot), and she did perform rather well, given she had about 100 days to assemble and execute a campaign.

As president, Harris could do a lot, aside from the symbolism. Blanket pardons? Maybe. Sign some executive orders that can protect Dreamers? Why not?

Taking a whip-around world tour, visiting major industrial nations, would be useful for her, too. Go to Africa, which is slipping away to China. Go to Ukraine and stand up for NATO and a stable Europe. Go to France and not shake Macrons hand like an MMA fighter.

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Great optics, and Air Force One is decidedly photogenic. Go out joyfully. She can also articulate from the bulliest pulpit ever that women can hear Hail to the Chief as well as the next guy, particularly The Next Guy Himself, ol Number 48.

A President Harris would also be the first Democratic president from California, and that might be of value in any 2026 gubernatorial primary. That might clarify the thinking of anyone else thinking about the race.

While Gov. Gavin Newsom is obviously chewing on either a 2028 presidential bid or a career in podcasting, President Harris could be an even more amplified voice in calling out Trumps 2025 agenda, which looks very, very grim indeed.

About Opinion Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership. Read more about our transparency and ethics policies

Listen, folks, no malarkey, heres the deal, not joking: President Kamala Harris would be good for this divided country for a month.
Joint statement

Joint statement

Saturday 21 December 2024

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

The Hon Anthony Albanese MP

Prime Minister of Australia

His Excellency Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao

Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

There is a deep reservoir of friendship and solidarity between the Timorese and Australian people. Our governments are working closely together to further our bilateral ties and our shared interest in a peaceful, stable and prosperous region. Befitting the close relationship between our countries, Australia and Timor-Leste are pleased to announce important new initiatives to support Timor-Leste's economic development.

Australia and Timor-Leste are committed to ensuring that the development of the Greater Sunrise Fields in the Timor Sea delivers long-term benefits for the people of Timor-Leste, consistent with the historic Treaty Between Australia and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Establishing Their Maritime Boundaries in the Timor Sea (the 2018 Maritime Boundary Treaty).

The 2018 Maritime Boundary Treaty created a special regime for the development of the Greater Sunrise Fields. Over the past two years, Australia's Special Representative for Greater Sunrise, the Honourable Steve Bracks AC, has worked closely with the Australian and Timor-Leste Governments and the private sector to create the conditions for the development of this strategic resource.

To support Timor-Leste's wishes to secure long-term economic growth, improve living standards and diversify its economy, Australia has proposed to make a significant investment in Timor-Leste's future through the establishment of a dedicated infrastructure fund, capitalised from part of Australia's share of future revenue from the Greater Sunrise project. Australia would establish the infrastructure fund to support any commercially viable solution proposed by the commercial parties which had been agreed to by the States consistent with the requirements of the 2018 Maritime Boundary Treaty. It is estimated that a successful project could deliver billions of dollars to the Timor-Leste infrastructure fund over the life of the project, making it a nation building initiative.

Australia and Timor-Leste look forward to continuing to work with the relevant commercial parties towards our shared objective of realising the development of the Greater Sunrise project.

Recognising Timor-Leste's ambition to create more employment opportunities, the Australian Government is also making an unprecedented investment in Timor-Leste's work force. The Timor-Leste-Australia Labour Mobility and Skills Partnership will provide nearly $50 million over four years to equip more Timorese workers with job-ready skills. This investment will include funding for a new recruitment and training centre in Dili, a boost for high-quality English language training, and enhanced access to Australian-recognised qualifications. Through this Partnership, Timor-Leste and Australia will work together to support Timor-Leste's goal of enabling 10,000 Timorese workers to take up employment opportunities in Australia by 2027-28, including through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme. These efforts will have a particular focus on semi-skilled positions.

The Prime Ministers of Timor-Leste and Australia look forward to the opportunity to mark these significant initiatives in-person in the coming year, as a demonstration of the commitment of both countries to the development of Greater Sunrise and the strength of the bilateral relationship.

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ADV Reliant to visit Kiribati, Tonga and Solomon Islands

Issued by Defence Media

23 December 2024

Australia's Pacific Support Vessel, Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Reliant, has departed Brisbane on its first deployment of 2025.

Further enhancing Australia's partnership with the Pacific, ADV Reliant and crew will spend three months visiting Pacific island countries to deliver stores and equipment, and assist with maritime surveillance during the high-risk weather season.

During the deployment, ADV Reliant will deliver firetrucks to Kiribati, relief stores and infrastructure support to Tonga, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief stores to Solomon Islands. Regular port visits in the region reinforce and strengthen Australia's relationships with local communities.

Acting Chief of Joint Operations Major General Paul Kenny said since entering service in 2022, ADV Reliant had enhanced Australia's provision of aid and support.

"Over the past two years, ADV Reliant has proven to be a highly capable and responsive vessel," Major General Paul Kenny said.

"It has the ability to respond to any situation within the maritime domain, including significant incidents, rendering assistance to personnel in need and responding to medical emergencies."

ADV Reliant is deployed at sea for 300 days a year utilising a multi-crew system, and can provide support such as search and rescue, maritime surveillance, transport of essential cargo, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

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China imposes countermeasures against two Canadian organizations and 20 associated personnel, effective on December 21, says Chinese FM

Global Times

By Shen Sheng Published: Dec 22, 2024 07:07 PM

China has decided to impose countermeasures against two Canadian organizations as well as 20 personnel from these organizations in accordance with the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, according to a statement published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday. The decision took effect on December 21, 2024.

"China's countermeasures have a very clear delineation of responsibility, aimed at non-governmental organizations that ignore facts, and Canada should not keep playing an inglorious role in spreading misinformation targeting China," Wang Jiang, a deputy director of the Institute of China's Borderland Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The countermeasures include freezing all movable and immovable property and other types of assets of the two Canadian organizations "Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project" and "Canada Tibet Committee" within China's territory and prohibiting organizations and individuals within China's territory from engaging in any transactions or cooperation with them.

Additionally, movable and immovable property and other types of assets of certain individuals from the two Canadian organizations will be frozen within China's territory. Organizations and individuals within China are prohibited from engaging in transactions, cooperation, or other activities with them personally. In addition, they will not be issued visas and will be denied entry into China, including the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.

Wang pointed out that in recent years, the West has continued to spread misinformation targeting China's Xinjiang. Canada has played an inglorious role in this process, constantly hyping and slandering human rights situation in Xinjiang and Xizang to attack and smear China. Such misinformation campaign forms the broader context of the current events.

Current Canadian government policies and its stance toward China differ significantly from those of the past, adopting a more aggressive and confrontational approach, especially on issues related to Xinjiang and Xizang, Wang said.

"Canada's actions are an attempt to use human rights issues in Xinjiang and Xizang to enhance its international presence and strengthen its influence in global diplomacy and ideological discourse," he said.

Some Western countries have begun to adopt a more pragmatic attitude toward China in their engagements, as they started to realize playing the "human rights card" brings no significant benefits to their national interests. In contrast, Canada has gone in the opposite direction, becoming increasingly conspicuous, Wang added.

A total of 20 individuals are involved in the measures. Among them, personnel related to the "Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project" include Executive Director Mehmet Tohti, Policy and Advocacy Director Jasmine Kainth, legal advisors David Matas, Sarah Teich, John Packer, Clive Ansley, Yonah Diamond, Justine Bernatchez and Linden Dales, and Policy Advisors Charles Burton, Margarett Mccuaig Johnston, Marcus Kolga and Scott Simon, as well as research advisors Conor Healy and Geoffrey Aharon, making a total of 15 people.

Personnel related to the "Canada Tibet Committee" include Chair Samphe Lhalungpa, Vice Chair Luisa Durante, Executive Director Sherap Therchin, Board Member Eliza von Baeyer, and Community Engagement Manager Youngdoung Tenzin, making a total of 5 people.

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China slams Pentagon report, slams US as 'war-addicted' threat to global security

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 22 December 2024 11:27 AM

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson has censured the Pentagon's recent report on Beijing's military and security developments, emphasizing that the United States' addiction to war makes it the biggest threat to global security.

According to Zhang Xiaogang, the 182-page report by the US Department of Defense misrepresented China's defense policies and speculated about the country's military capacity development.,

Zhang added that the report flagrantly interfered in China's domestic affairs and "desperately slandered" Beijing in an attempt to exaggerate the purported Chinese threat.

Zhang said the US has for over 20 years been publishing such deceptive and hypocritical reports year after year, only seeking excuses for the development of its own military capacity and misleading public opinion.

China "strongly deplores and firmly opposes" all these statements, the spokesperson said.

"The war-addicted United States has become the biggest destroyer of international order and the greatest threat to global security."

Zhang stressed that China adheres to the path of peaceful development and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature.

However, he said, the United States is leveraging its military strength to impose regime changes and incite "color revolutions" in other countries, causing extremely serious civilian casualties and property damage, and leading to severe humanitarian disasters.

"We urge the US to stop fabricating false narratives, rectify the erroneous perception of China, and push for the healthy, stable development of bilateral and military relations," he said.

Zhang also criticized the US for its nuclear policies, noting that China reflects unparalleled stability, continuity, and predictability among all nuclear-armed states.

"We adhere to a nuclear strategy of self-defense and a no-first-use policy, ensuring that our nuclear capabilities remain at the minimum level required for national security," he said.

Pointing to the issue of Chinese Taipei, Zhang warned that Western attempts to separate the island from mainland China will never be tolerated.

"The Chinese people are determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said, slamming Washington's arms sales and military aid to Taipei as a violation of the "One-China" principle.

The spokesperson also expressed optimism that the US would adopt a more positive, rational attitude toward China and the development of the Chinese military, and create bonds between the Chinese and US militaries.

"We aim to build a military relationship based on equality and respect, characterized by no conflict or confrontation, open and pragmatic cooperation, and gradually accumulating mutual trust," Zhang said.

China has sovereignty over the self-ruled island. Under the "One China" policy, almost all world countries recognize that sovereignty, meaning that they would not establish diplomatic contact with the island's secessionist government.

The US does not formally recognize Taipei but continues to back its secessionist government, supports its anti-China position, and supplies it with billions of dollars in weapons.

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Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Makes Speech at Inauguration Ceremony of Regional-Industry Factories Built in Songchon County under Regional Development 2010 Policy

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Friday made a speech at the inauguration ceremony of the regional-Industry factories built in Songchon County under the regional development 2010 policy.

Following is the full text of the speech:

Dear citizens of Songchon County,

Officers and men of the construction regiments at all levels that were organized along with the Regional Development 2010 Policy, the first of its kind in the history of our nation building, and presented their first creations to the country and people,

Officials of various promotion committees, relevant units and South Phyongan Province who have waged a vigorous struggle throughout the year after assuming an important mission of leading the great historic cause of transforming regions,

Comrades,

We have finally completed the first year's construction projects amid the whole country's concern, for which we all broke ground in February last with an ardent, cherished desire after the blasting that signalled the beginning of the historic revolution for regional development. Now they have materialized as a wealth of Songchon County.

At the historic place, where the start of our Party's ten-year revolution was declared, we are holding the inauguration ceremony of its first result after ten months. This is a significant event confirming the real meaning and prospect of our work.

To think that we have now been able to provide new, modern factories to the locals in this region, I feel a little relieved of what I have always been sorry about before the regional people.

Availing myself of this meaningful opportunity, I, on behalf of the Party and the government of the Republic, extend warm gratitude to officers and men of the construction regiment who, with ardent patriotism and loyalty, wrote the first proud page of the regional development history in the new era, bringing about a new appearance of Songchon, and all other soldier-builders.

I also express deep thanks to the officials and working people of relevant units and other supporters, who contributed to today's inauguration with unstained devotion and a high sense of responsibility.

Comrades,

With the start of the new year to come, scores of regional-industry factories will be inaugurated simultaneously in nearly 20 cities and counties throughout the country, as here in Songchon County.

This inspiring reality means that the task for the first year in implementing our Party's regional development policy, a revolutionary line which it proactively studied and has pushed ahead with to transform the living environment of the regional people, will be carried out.

This year, which can be called the starting point of the ten-year revolution and an epitome of its success, we have set up new entities in various regions of the country, thus bringing to the people a definite awareness that the regions are changing, and securing a dynamic force with which to implement more scientifically and correctly the regional development policy based on many-sided and rich experiences.

Construction regiments at various levels, the vanguard corps of the regional industry revolution, have greatly enhanced their efficiency, and well-regulated national guidance and supply systems have been established. This is also an important achievement and guarantee that has opened a wonderful prospect for achieving regional transformation in a multi-stage, three-dimensional and offensive way.

The successes we have achieved in a year are not a few, but this cannot be a reason for us to congratulate ourselves or raise a cheer for them now.

The overall regional industry is on the decline as it is now, not because in the past decades we had no policy or line on regional development or we failed to expend efforts and funds.

Then, why did the regional industry policy fail to be implemented until now, over six decades after the Changsong Joint Conference?

Leading cadres of the Party and state, including members of the central leadership of the Party, and relevant officials of the central and regional organs are here today to discuss on the spot the issue of developing the regional industry. I think that, availing ourselves of this opportunity, we should make an analysis of the reasons lest we repeat the painful mistakes in the future.

The main reason is, first, that the work of developing the regional industry was conducted without clear-cut goals, stage-by-stage plans, exact standards and scientific methodology.

The regional industry is an industrial realm pioneered by our country.

When an undertaking has to follow an untrodden path, it should be conducted with a clear goal and milestones, but the undertakings of the past for implementing the regional development policy were done in a very sporadic and spontaneous way.

To cite as an example the construction of factories that are elementary and general in the regional economy. The projects were conducted by respective regions without clear-cut goals and standards, i.e., what kinds of factories should be built in how many cities and counties, and by when and on what standards they should be built; this being the case, such a deviation as being obsessed with how to increase their number could not be overcome, and worse still, the abnormal result was that there were no factories badly needed for the living of the local populations, and unnecessary factories came into being.

The work system, whereby reporting the number of factories built by avoiding as much as possible those that demanded much effort was not called to account, and the convention, whereby reporting the result of supplying the people with whatever goods was highly commended, are reflected on the appearance of the regional-industry factories of the past and the people's negative attitude towards the regional industry.

In the past some cities and counties, like Usi and Yonthan counties, achieved some successes in developing their regional industry; on the contrary, some regions are on an indescribably low level. This prolonged extreme imbalance caused by the coexistence of such regions is ascribed to the fact that the regional-industry policy was implemented without any clear standards and principles.

As the regional-industry factories varied considerably in scale, form and production line and the levels of their operation differed greatly from one another, it brought about a result that ran counter to the intention of the policy on improving the people's living standards in all regions.

Strictly speaking, the regional-industry policy of the past days was dependent on the attitude of the officials of relevant fields and regions to Party policy and their abilities, and on the economic potentials of the cities and counties.

After the Changsong Joint Conference, construction of regional-industry factories continued to expand, their number reaching nearly 4000 by 1980; however, not to mention the appearance of the buildings and their technical levels, there were only a few factories, which could make the most of the economic and geographical conditions and potentials of the relevant regions, and the number of varieties and kinds of goods, which the regional people really demanded, could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Once there were a number of regional-industry factories here in Songchon County, including foodstuff, daily-necessities, garment, building-materials, pharmaceutical and farm-machine factories. The local people, who have lived here, know better than others their actual situation in those days, I think.

Consequently, the regional industry projects, despite the scores of years of their history, have failed to bring the people as much benefit as had been expected.

Another reason should be identified in the fact that the drive to implement the regional-industry policy has not been conducted in a powerful way as an undertaking involving the Party and state.

Developing the regional industry is a gigantic and complex undertaking related to improving the living standards of all the regional populations and developing the economy in the over 200 cities and counties; as such the state's responsibility and role are essential to this.

There are a number of matters to be tackled by the state in this respect, including establishing a well-regulated guidance system for coordinated control and promotion of the projects, providing the cities and counties with conditions for securing their own funds in addition to state investment and the centrally-run industry's support, and properly adjusting and distributing raw-materials bases for them.

Nevertheless, when its progress up to now is considered, the regional industry can be said to have virtually been under the responsibility of regions.

Take for instance the matter of putting the production lines at regional-industry factories on a mechanized and automatic basis, an important task put forward at the Joint Conference. Except for some of those that were on the priority list, they have furnished the factories mostly with the extra products or scrap equipment from the centrally-run industrial establishments; and in many cases they have been obsessed with how to enlist the locally available manpower and funds under the pretext of mass-based movements.

It is self-evident that the regional industry, dependent on the supply of extra resources of the centrally-run one and on its backward economic and technical forces, can hardly rid itself of its deep-rooted backwardness and will lag behind the times.

Changsong County has been called the native place of the new history of regional industry, and its regional-industry factories have enjoyed more support from the centrally-run industry than any others. Even these factories are too outdated to talk about modernization of equipment as they have not been provided with investment and technical assistance on a regular basis. Such being the situation, the other regions' conditions are beyond description.

With Changsong County put forward as a model to be emulated across the country, there came a documentary and even a song about its changes to introduce it widely. But the point is how much actual benefit the factories have brought to the regional people.

Even when it was clear that the regional-industry factories had become completely inefficient due to the overall economic situation of the country and there was no hope for them to be revived by the efforts of the regions alone, the economic organs in the government, on the pretext of the prevailing situation and conditions, engrossed themselves in an unrealistic, empty talk of building some model regional-industry factories and renovating others on a yearly basis.

To make matters worse, the national organ in charge of supervising the regional industry has been merged with or separated from other ones a dozen times, causing disorder and chaos in the state control and management over the regional economy. In the course of this, not a few of the buildings and equipment of the regional-industry factories have been lost, while their economic efficiency has fallen drastically.

Along with this failure to provide proper state investment and coordinated guidance, which are essential elements, units affiliated with ministries, national agencies, armed forces organs and other establishments of special importance have occupied those places and resources favourable for the cities and counties to boost their incomes, leaving them in reduced spaces for their economic activities. Consequently, the regional industry has experienced difficulty in developing by itself and the regional people have lost their enthusiasm in creative production activities.

As mentioned above, if we do not take a revolutionary measure for changing this irrational and disadvantageous state of affairs, we would never see the regional industry rising-this is our conclusion.

The current deplorable condition of our regional industry is partly-and more importantly-attributable to the wrong viewpoint, non-revolutionary manner of work and incompetence of our officials who are directly responsible for the development of the regional industry.

In the 1960s and 1970s, when the regional economy was in a healthy condition, there were consumer goods that were enjoying favourable comment from the public, like Nampho glassware, Sariwon Kyongamsan shoe polish and Wonsan ironware, and some kinds of light-industry goods gained access to the international market. However, as officials did not adopt an ideological approach to giving fuller, sustained play to the viability of the policy, the regional-industry factories, though having cost a lot, have lost their value gradually.

In the past officials in the economic sector made much ado about modernization and technical renovation of light-industry factories, but what was in their mind was the centrally-run industry, not the regional industry.

They used to regard it as an everyday occurrence for the regional people to get what were inferior to the products from the centrally-run establishments; they felt it all right if only they avoided criticism over their failure to fulfil their production plans, giving their primary consideration to quantity ahead of quality. Owing to their narrow-minded ideological point of view and short-sighted manner of work, many of the regional-industry factories have virtually lost their true masters, leading the regional industry to stagnation.

Worse still, in the 1990s and thereafter, when the factories were nearly shut down, officials, seized by defeatism, only complained about the poor conditions, failing to preserve the technicians and skilled workers who were the backbone of the regional industry.

For the characteristics unique to it, whereby it is based on the economic resources and geographical conditions of the relevant regions, the regional industry can play its role only when specific measures are taken for them to exploit their potentials.

For this reason, the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung emphasized, whenever he had an opportunity long ago, the need to improve the people's living standards by making good use of mountains in mountainous regions as well as the sea in seabound regions.

In the past, however, in mountainous regions they were satisfied with simply making drinks by collecting wild fruits and in seabound regions, with simply catching fish and gathering seaweeds in the sea to supply them to the locals.

In a nutshell, a passive manner of conducting production activities and economic work by relying on the benefit from Mother Nature, instead of creating their own wealth, represented the reality of our regional industry as well as the officials' non-revolutionary style of work.

All the officials present here should find the causes of the economic poverty of the regional industry, which is yet to shake off its age-old backwardness, not in the objective conditions but in their wrong view of the regional people and their lack of spirit of serving them, narrow-mindedness and incompetence.

This is a proper attitude our officials should acquire as they are entirely responsible for the regional people's living and a positive attitude they should maintain in improving their own qualities in view of the past lessons.

The officials, who are in charge of the regional industry at present, should work hard lest they leave their names as incompetent and irresponsible ones in history, like their predecessors.

Comrades,

Availing myself of this opportunity, I would also like to refer to the reason why the theses on the socialist rural question, adopted at the Eighth Plenary Meeting of the Fourth Central Committee of the Party in 1964, remains yet to be implemented 60 years after its adoption.

Given the present stage and future of our revolution and socialist construction, the rural question is a key factor decisive of their victory or setback; if we fail to find a proper solution to this question, the validity of the cause, which we are going against all odds to accomplish by ourselves, and the inevitability of its triumph cannot be proven, nor can we reach the goals we are desirous of achieving.

We are now advancing towards the complete victory of socialism, and solving the rural question poses itself as a major task to be tackled in the period of transition when we should prepare for moving forward to a higher stage.

In view of class relations, socialist construction is a course through which the whole society is being assimilated to the working class, and in view of socio-economic relations, a course through which agriculture is being put on an industrial footing, the countryside transformed on an urban pattern and a single form of ownership established.

This shows that by solving the rural question once and for all, we can accomplish the tasks for the period of transition and proclaim the victory of socialism.

What is more, in the case of our country that has not gone through the normal stages of social development, the period of transition is bound to last relatively long, just because of the rural question. So, how quickly we pass through the period of transition depends on how quickly we solve the rural question.

This is the very reason why our Party set the final settlement of the rural question as a major strategic task after the victory of the socialist revolution, put forward the socialist rural theses encapsulating the direction, basic principles and ways for implementing this task, and has worked for long years to put them into effect.

Strictly speaking, however, nothing has changed in our countryside as it turns out now.

Admittedly, in the light of the socio-economic features of the countryside and its age-old backwardness, the rural question is a long-term, challenging task that can be fulfilled through a persevering struggle and unremitting efforts.

But the serious problem is that over the long period of six decades following the publication of the rural theses no substantial change or transformation has taken place across the realms of the countryside.

Worse still, as time has since passed to this day, the countryside has impoverished, the urban-rural gap widened and the living standards there declined.

This obviously means stagnating and even retreating in the effort to implement the rural theses.

With no progress being made in solving the rural question and a retrogression persisting in agricultural development, some are worried about the prospects for our countryside and even doubtful about the victory of socialism.

Such a programme as the socialist rural theses has not been published in any other country. We should think over why the theses has yet to bear fruit as they should.

The reasons for the floundering countryside and the declining regional industry are, in my view, essentially the same.

Immediately after its publication the rural theses played a significant role in pulling our countryside out of its age-old backwardness and poverty and elevating it to a stage of epoch-making transformation, and in the course of this, the country's agricultural development attained a high level.

Notwithstanding this, as the country faced grave economic difficulties and its investment in agriculture plunged down to 3% of the national budget, the irrigation, mechanization, chemicalization and electrification of the rural economy kept backsliding. This ended up our countryside growing very weak both materially and technically.

The national irrigation system, which the state completed in the main by expending huge amounts of cement and steel, has become defunct due to the lack of regular repair and maintenance; a chronic shortage of farming machines has resulted from a drastic drop in their production; the supply of chemical fertilizers in the 2000s reduced to under one third of the level in the 1980s; and large numbers of power equipment in the rural areas have broken down or gone missing.

From the mid-1990s the material foundations of agriculture became shaky, but no fundamental measures were adopted to reverse this situation. The rural communities kept foundering because the funds and materials, which were in short supply for construction projects, were continually funnelled from the farms. Consequently, there once circulated a claim about agriculture's support for industry, not the latter's assistance to the former.

The after-effects of inadequate national measures were evident in the appearance of the rural communities.

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, with a rural construction corps active in each city and county and the general bureau of rural housing construction in the capital, housing projects in the rural communities went full steam ahead as a national undertaking. However, it became sluggish with the cities, counties or farms individually building houses. Worse still, no proper design was available and the supply of cement per house amounted to no more than four to five tons. So, adobe, tree branches and other local materials were used in most cases.

Also, the revamping of ri hospitals and clinics in the rural communities and their furnishing with medical equipment and fittings were not done under a master plan of the state, and this was left to the discretion of the relevant farms. As things stand, the countryside has no ri hospitals and clinics to speak of, nor has it any proper sci-tech learning spaces or welfare service facilities, such as barber's and bathhouse. This has left farmers lagging far behind modern knowledge and civilization, some even regarding cultural activities as something exclusive to urban communities.

Because of the prolonged backwardness of the countryside, the living standards of farmers have deteriorated to the point that they cannot even afford an electric lamp; their consciousness has changed, some without any feeling of attachment to the rural areas leaving to find jobs in other sectors; and the number of agricultural technicians and experts has sharply decreased. With the rural positions declining as a whole, the state organs and the rural Party organizations and officials have done little to cope with this situation, with a short-sighted attitude of leaning on agricultural production.

Despite the annual repetitions of verbal emphasis on the consolidation of the countryside and the numerous releases of relevant documents, the central agricultural guidance organ has been ineffective in playing its inherent functions and role of taking responsibility for, and providing direction over, the long-term research into the overall development of the country's agriculture and its technological advancement. This fact has confirmed that we cannot attain our high aim by divorcing ourselves from the reality and glossing over things.

The rural revolution programme in the new era clearly illuminates the path for us to follow in finally settling the rural question and achieving the complete victory of socialism as soon as possible.

Following the proclamation of this programme at the Fourth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Party Central Committee held in December 2021, the national drive gained momentum to put the country's agriculture on a definite upward trajectory and achieve a leap forward in the development of the socialist countryside. This drive has produced significant successes in a short span of time.

The most precious of the successes is that our agricultural workers are witnessing the countryside undergoing transformation, and that they have become convinced, while experiencing first-hand the vitality of the Party's policy on changing the grain production structure, that they can transform their villages and communities by their own efforts.

The change taking place in their awareness in no more than one to two years represents a revolution, as well as a successful promotion of the rural revolution programme onto a new high, constituting the most decisive factor that will enable a faster rate of transformations and improvements.

An in-depth analysis of the course of struggle we have followed so far, however, indicates that there are not a few problems that need to be put to rights without delay.

Encouraging the agricultural workers to buckle down to farming with a strong desire is an important task in ensuring that they take charge of the rural revolution as befitting its masters, and boosting agricultural production.

But practices of infringing upon their interests contrary to the Party's policies persist in the rural communities, with the result that their enthusiasm for production is waning.

Such practices as taking from the farmers' shares without hesitation on the pretext of carrying out various construction projects and policy-oriented tasks are yet to be eliminated, resulting in serious complaints arising among many of them. In this situation, how can we convey the Party's ideas to them and call on them to display patriotism?

The leading officials in the agricultural sector and Party organizations in the countryside should refrain from making empty talks that they are reforming the ideological consciousness of the agricultural workers, but accurately calculate the daily work-points and make distributions so that the farmers can be fully convinced that farming well makes the country prosper and themselves better off. And judicial and procuratorial organs should take decisive steps to eradicate all illegal practices that infringe upon the farmers' interests.

In order to consolidate the material and technical foundations of the rural economy and achieve substantial results in agricultural development, our Party and government have attached great importance to readjusting and reinforcing the irrigation systems and supplying the rural communities with modern and efficient farm machines, chemical fertilizers and other farming materials and are pushing forward with the work on a preferential basis even in the difficult conditions and environment.

As part of it, after the rural revolution programme in the new era was advanced, farm machines have been supplied in large numbers to the rural communities; but the actual rate of their utilization is low.

Last year not a few farm machines the nonmilitary industrial enterprises manufactured and sent to the countryside were so poor in performance and went out of order so frequently that they were not used properly in farming. If we fail in finding solutions to such problems, substantial assistance to the countryside would be inconceivable, no matter how huge investments by the state might be, and it would be little different from pouring water into a bottomless pot.

The farm machine-building units and relevant research institutions should keep making vigorous efforts to raise the quality of farm machines, be proactive in developing and introducing efficient ones that suit the conditions of our countryside, and conduct a rigorous inspection of their qualities, so that farm machines helpful to the farmers in their work and conducive to agricultural production can be sent to the rural communities.

Transforming the appearance and environment of the countryside is an important task of the rural revolution programme, and the rural housing construction for its implementation is now in full swing on a nationwide scale.

New residential districts boasting socialist rural civilization are springing up one after another, providing the agricultural workers with a cultured environment and presenting new looks of the regions undergoing transformation, and not only the rural inhabitants but also other people throughout the country are welcoming it and actively supporting our Party's policy of rural construction.

However, in some parts construction of the rural houses, an important political undertaking, has been conducted in a slipshod manner, misleading the people's view of Party policy and hindering the implementation of the rural revolution programme.

It has been reported that among the newly-built rural houses are some which look flawless outwardly but were given poor finishing touches inside, some others where the invisible systems for electric wiring and heating were installed so carelessly that they had to be redone by the dwellers after they moved into them, and still others whose roofs leak because of the failure to observe the construction rules.

If these phenomena continue to be prevalent in the future, the yearly supply of 10 000 tons of cement to each one of the cities and counties thanks to the crucial decision of the Party and state would be of no significance, and, worse still, it might give rise to a serious political issue of causing the people to doubt the validity of the Party's lines and policies.

Senior officials of cities and counties and all other officials involved in rural housing construction should carefully review their work and adopt revolutionary measures for preventing such wrong practices from being repeated.

If we fail to correct these trivial deviations revealed in the first step on the course of implementing the rural revolution programme, the programme, however great, might remain another historical record.

We should make every stride in the effort to pioneer the gigantic cause of comprehensive development in a responsible and steady manner and accomplish without fail the sacred duty entrusted to us by the times and the revolution.

In realizing our Party's ideals of comprehensive development, the regional development policy and the rural revolution programme are related to each other in an organic way.

In order for the regional development policy in the new era to display its proper vitality in a sustained way through the settlement of such problems as ensuring sufficient supply of raw materials for regional-industry factories and increasing the purchasing power of the rural population, it is essential for the policy to be carried out simultaneously with the rural revolution programme; and only when the countryside is transformed in a revolutionary way, can the regions be transformed.

We will not repeat the wrong customs and practices of indulging in idle talks.

The undertakings we are now pressing on with are fundamentally different from those conducted in the previous days when exaggerating the achievements made in the implementation of the tasks put forward by the Changsong Joint Conference and the rural theses could go unpunished.

On the basis of our Party's plan of regional development corresponding to the period of comprehensive development of socialism and an overall analysis of the lessons of the past, the regional development policy and the rural revolution programme in the new era elucidate revolutionary and scientific ways for their implementation. They contain nothing that is ambiguous, unfeasible, unrealistic or unprofitable.

The Party and state are vigorously pushing forward with the implementation of the policy and programme, with the Party Central Committee keeping a direct grip and planning and commanding it and the state providing all the conditions on a preferential basis and carrying the burden of full responsibility for doing so.

At the same time, the work of taking relevant economic and technical measures for cities and counties to develop their own fund-securing capacities is being conducted on a nationwide scale.

If we carry out all the policy-oriented tasks without fail and in a perfect way with firm faith and confidence in the Party's policies, this will surely lead to positive and gratifying results.

The point of vital importance is that we should present distinct entities every year at any cost and whatever the circumstances.

To translate ideals into reality through perseverance and perfect practice irrespective of the given conditions, is the sacred mission and fighting stamina of us, revolutionaries, who have assumed for ourselves the formidable and challenging revolutionary task for comprehensive development.

Comrades,

The great decade should see 20 cities and counties undergoing transformation every year without fail and unconditionally.

We should make bigger and more correct strides of advance, attaching greater importance to the lessons and prospects rather than the immediately visible successes.

Availing myself of this opportunity, I would like to emphasize some tasks for achieving correct results as we have intended in the new year's work for implementing the regional development policy.

We should push ahead with construction for the implementation of the policy in a revolutionary way.

As was already declared, our Party decided to carry out the construction of three essential projects of building public health facilities, cultural complexes and grain management facilities, along with the construction of regional-industry factories, in order to radically raise the efficiency of regional development and provide the regional people across the country with a material and cultural life that would improve in a sustained way.

At present, the work of newly building or renovating educational establishments in cities and counties across the country is underway. If the three projects are implemented in addition to this work, all the regions will be able to provide the people with a much better life, based on a sustainable development environment that relies not only on the light industry foundations but on modern civilization and technology, and, furthermore, this will bring about great progress in realizing the comprehensive national development programme with the advancement of science, education and public health as the core motive force.

The backwardness of the regions and the rural communities will never disappear of its own accord simply because the regional people lead a rich life in modern and cultured houses.

We should bring about a turn in the realm of their consciousness by transforming their ideas and transferring knowledge to them.

Rejuvenating the regions and urbanizing the rural communities do not simply imply their architectural aesthetic aspect.

Our aspiration to make the countryside modernized and civilized is mainly aimed at making the rural forces progressive and transforming them on a working-class pattern in keeping with the level of those in urban areas and achieving successes in the technical revolution as early as possible.

It conforms not only with our Party's line on building up the cities and counties but with our ideals to build a state that develops, based on solid politico-ideological foundations, by dint of science and technology and on the strength of advanced civilization.

Some would say it is challenging for us to promote the current projects alone, but we should launch into the new struggle without hesitation and produce perfect results without fail in construction, which could be called a breakthrough for the implementation of the regional development policy.

What is most important in construction in the new year is to thoroughly ensure the quality of structures.

The regional construction we are conducting should never be something for the sake of publicity. When the projects are brought to completion, they should lead to the change of the whole country and bring benefits to the populations in the relevant regions.

This year, deviations were revealed in some construction projects, delaying the progress of the whole process and causing confusion, as they were conducted in a way of competition and with impatience in disregard of the quality indexes. In the course of putting them to rights, we have redefined the concepts of quality and speed.

In construction, quality takes precedence over speed and quality is its lifeblood.

Our ideals, spirit of service and traces of strenuous efforts should be manifested in the perfect quality of all our creations.

In order to implement the real purpose of regional construction as well as to finish the tasks for a given year in time as scheduled, it is imperative to give priority without fail to ensuring quality.

The construction regiments at all levels that are in direct charge of construction and relevant units should press ahead with the mass movement for a skilled worker to train several skilled workers in a year, the work of making construction equipment modernized and standardized and the work of radically enhancing supervision and control over construction as the main link in the whole chain of their efforts for improving quality.

It is necessary to attach importance to specialization in all processes of construction, rely on scientific accuracy and ensure profitability.

The lessons and experiences gained in the course of building regional-industry factories this year show that the subjective and unrealistic way of thinking and judgment constitute the main factor that arrests our advance.

From the stage of making preparations for their construction, architects, experts in relevant sectors and officials of the units that will operate them should strengthen consultation and cooperation so as to remove irrational elements and present scientific and optimal proposals.

In particular, the design sector should make a careful study to the last for presenting various designs, effective and accurate, for regional construction next year in conformity with both the purposes and functional features of buildings and equipment and the legal standards, and display a high sense of responsibility.

The project schedules and equipment assembly processes should not be decided upon according to an individual's subjective point of view or opinion, but collective discussions should be held to make them as appropriate as possible and fully consistent with the construction rules.

It is needed to make vigorous efforts to ensure the domestic production of building equipment, materials and goods.

Regional development should be thoroughly based on self-development and self-sustenance, and this principle should be embodied first in regional construction.

If we are to push forward with regional construction at will in the future, irrespective of the objective conditions, and ensure full operation of the regional-industry factories, we should produce and supply quality building equipment, materials and goods by ourselves in every way possible.

We plan to take into full account the equipment needed for the regional-industry factories every year and build a general factory for their production next year.

By doing so, we can ensure the speed and quality in the building of equipment and raise the proportion of the indigenous ones.

In this way, we should make proactive efforts to create our own modern perfume and pigment industries and other advanced and viable industries in relevant sectors, thus laying durable and solid foundations for developing the regional industry by ourselves.

Along with this, the building-materials production units should work hard to improve the quality of their products, including finishing materials, and increase their variety, thus providing a sure guarantee for the success of regional construction.

We should adhere to the principle of focusing on construction in backward regions.

Our Party's original intention in transforming regions materially and culturally is to shore up, first and foremost, the cities and counties which are located in out-of-the-way mountains and where the locals' living standards are among the lowest.

Of course, if the construction workforce moves to the adjoining cities or counties or anywhere else with favourable conditions, their projects will proceed smoothly. However, this does not accord with our Party's policy.

Just as good, nourishing food is given first to the weakest child in a family, assistance and benefits should be rendered primarily to the locals in difficult areas.

Modern regional-industry factories and cultural and public health facilities should be built in the country's most backward and infertile regions before any others; if these regions are short of raw materials and have unfavourable conditions for business operation, the state should increase its assistance to them.

A strong push should be given for the regular operation of the newly-built regional-industry factories.

As I have stressed several times, this is a key factor that is decisive of success or failure in implementing the regional development policy.

The great revolutionary work, on which our Party and people have focused with a single mind, will demonstrate its practical veracity from the beginning of the new year through the operation of the regional-industry factories.

Currently, national measures are in place for providing these factories with essential raw materials, and arrangements have been made for teachers and researchers of central institutions, as well as highly-skilled workers of industrial establishments in the capital city, to go down to the cities and counties and give a helping hand in switching on those factories.

The cities and counties should make sure that the new factories consult these experts about the technical problems that arise in their trial operation and find effective solutions to them, conduct a strict quality test of their trial products and roll out only those that meet all necessary indexes.

The non-permanent promotion committees and the relevant sectors should conduct a rigorous review of how the cities and counties are building up their bases for raw materials and throw their full weight behind this work. On the other hand, they should draw up realistic plans to provide raw materials to the cities and counties where there is a vague possibility of creating such bases, so that the supply of raw materials is prioritized over the construction of regional-industry factories.

Whether or not the new regional-industry factories maintain regular production to satisfy the local demands depends entirely on the qualifications of the senior officials of the cities and counties concerned.

Chief secretaries of city and county Party committees, bearing in mind that our Party and people do not need any symbolic factories, should carry out on their own responsibility the policy-oriented tasks that have been put forward in relation to the operation of new regional-industry factories. In this way they can help these factories become solid buttresses and valuable assets for the improvement of the local living standards from the day of their commissioning.

In particular, they should be conscious that if they fail to train talented personnel, who make up the most essential and strategic resource for the development of the regional industry, they might have to stand empty-handed before the people, and they should apply themselves to training core technicians and expanding the ranks of skilled workers.

This Songchon County is a renowned source of tobacco in our country, and it has long been famous for silk and medicinal chestnut. While sustaining its peculiar features and tapping its potentialities, it should make the most of its traffic advantages to effectively develop and utilize such local resources for cultural tourism as the shores of the Piryu River and the Songchon Hot Spring. This will offer further possibility for securing funds necessary for operating its regional-industry factories.

Other cities and counties, too, should make proactive efforts to make full use of their unique economic resources and potentials and develop and utilize them to their best effect. By doing so, they can steadily increase their leverage for economic development.

The relevant units should work to guarantee the supply of electric power and take other practical steps to provide all necessary conditions for the full-capacity operation of regional-industry factories.

Comrades,

To make the capital envious of the regions, to make regional rejuvenation represent the progress and development of our state and to make the true image of our style of socialism mirrored on the ideal appearance of the regions-this is our Party's plan for the new era.

Our Party will expand the historic regional development policy and the rural revolution programme in the new era so that our people can benefit from them even after a hundred years, and it will adopt bolder measures for further regional transformation.

The everlasting wellbeing of the people is a source of all honour and dignity for our Party.

"We serve the people!" and "Everything for the improvement of the people's livelihood!"-these will remain for ever as the slogans representing the intrinsic nature and invariable duty of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Commanding officers of the People's Army and officers and men of the construction regiments at all levels,

I am convinced that next year, too, our army will leave its proud footprints on another 20 cities and counties in the country.

Our Party regards you not merely as part of the construction workforce but as the vanguard detachment in implementing the historic cause, the first of its kind after the founding of the state. And it hopes that in the course of carrying out these construction projects all of you will become staunch champions and advocates of the Party's policies and artists of transformation and defenders of happiness who can creditably fulfill the tasks entrusted to you by it, whatever they may be and whenever.

I hope that staking the honour of the era and the reputation of our army, you will work more courageously to achieve one new success after another in promoting regional construction and thus live up to the precious trust of your country and fellow people.

The exploits performed by our heroic service personnel will be etched in every part of this land, and they will shine for all ages along with our people's wellbeing.

Leading cadres of the Party and government and officials of regional Party committees and administrative and economic organs,

Regional transformation is the most sacred and just cause, and devotion to this great revolutionary undertaking is a source of our boundless pride and honour.

History is exhorting us to accelerate this cause and our people are looking forward to its realization.

Let us work with greater courage to bring forward the day when our people, our beloved children in particular, will lead a cultured and rich life in their prospering native places that have been transformed beyond recognition.

I wish the people in Songchon County good health and happiness. -0-

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French troops begin departure from Chad

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 December 2024 1:48 AM

A contingent of 120 French soldiers has left Chad following the country's decision to end its defense cooperation pact with Paris.

French troops were seen boarding their plane on Friday and departing from N'Djamena airport.

The withdrawal process formally began earlier this month with the departure of two French Mirage warplanes.

France still has about 1000 troops stationed in Chad, with the full drawdown expected to take several weeks.

The terms and conditions of the complete withdrawal, including whether any French troops will remain in Chad, are yet to be finalized between the two countries.

Chad announced on November 28 its decision to end a defense accord with Paris mainly dating from independence in 1960.

"At midday, 120 French soldiers took off from the military airport of N'Djamena on board an Airbus A330 Phoenix MRTT, headed for France," the ministry said in a statement on Facebook.

The departure of French soldiers took place in the presence of Chadian military authorities, the statement said.

The move comes after France had already pulled its forces out of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in recent years.

This departure signals the end of decades of French military presence in the Sahel region as the anti-French sentiment continues to grow.

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December 20, 2024

Release

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III conducted a call today with his German counterpart, Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, to discuss continuing support for Ukraine and the upcoming Ukraine Defense Contact Group, scheduled for January. During the call, Secretary Austin expressed appreciation for Minister Pistorius' leadership and Germany's continued substantial security assistance to Ukraine.

The call between the two leaders took place earlier today before the news of the horrific attack in Magdeburg. Our hearts go out to the people of Germany in the wake of this tragedy.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4015296/

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13th meeting of the India-Russia Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter Terrorism (CT) and 6th round of India-Russia consultations on United Nations related issues

India - Ministry of External Affairs

December 21, 2024

Shri Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) visited Moscow on 19-20 December 2024 to co-chair the 13th meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism (CT) cooperation and 6th round of consultations on UN related issues with H.E. Mr. Sergey Vershinin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Representatives of respective departments and agencies from both sides also participated in the meetings.

2. In the 13th JWG on CT, both sides shared their experiences in countering terrorism including cross-border terrorism, extremism and agreed to enhance cooperation to address problems of radicalization as well as terror financing. They discussed current terrorist threats at the global and regional level and combating the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation in bilateral as well as multilateral platforms.

3. In the consultations on UN-related issues, both sides exchanged views on regional and global developments and issues pertaining to the UNSC, including its reform. Russia reiterated its support for India as a permanent member of a reformed UN Security Council.

4. On 19 December, Secretary (West) also held a meeting with the Deputy Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Mikhail Galuzin to discuss current international and regional issues, in particular, the Ukraine conflict.

Moscow

December 21, 2024

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Transcript of Weekly Media Briefing by the Official Spokesperson (December 20, 2024)

India - Ministry of External Affairs

December 21, 2024

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We will begin our weekly Press Briefing engagement. So with that, we open the floor for questions.

Snehesh: Sir, following the SR level talks, China issued a statement saying that both sides, that is NSA Doval and Wang Yi, have come to a six-point consensus on a package deal for resolving the boundary issue. The Indian statement doesn't mention that. So, what the China has said is right? Has India and China agreed based on what the Chinese have put out?

Siddhant Mishra, CNN News 18: Hi, sir. I'm Siddhant from CNN News 18. So basically, CNN News 18 has done a story in which we have accessed a report from Canada's Immigration Board which confirms granting asylum to suspected Sikh militants. Now, the report data documents are suggesting that the rise to asylum grant has happened since Jagmeet Singh's party has supported Justin Trudeau's party, sir. And we have a document from the Government of Canada on that. I would like you to comment on that. Thank you.

Yeshi Seli, The New Indian Express: This is Yeshi Seli from The New Indian Express. Following reports on the threat that Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had made against security, concerns were raised about India's Ambassador to the U.S., and the U.S. Spokesperson in Delhi has said that we provide adequate security. Are you satisfied with the kind of security that they have, or are there concerns that India has expressed?

Sidhant Sibal, WION: Hi sir, Sidhant Sibal from WION. We have seen the Americans putting sanctions on the Pakistani missile project. What is India's stance on the Pakistani ballistic missile project, which can be a threat for India as well? My second question, Mahfuz Alam, he is the member of the interim government in Dhaka. He, in a Facebook post, said that there are Indian territories, which are Bangladeshi territories. He deleted the post later on. What is India's stance on that?

Madhurendra Kumar, News Nation: Sir, Madhurendra, main News Nation se. Abhi recent jo satellite pictures bata rahi hain ki Doklam me takariban 22 gaon, village China ne develop kiye hai, wahi ilaka hai jaha par Bharat ne China ke badhte huwe vistaarvaad ko roka tha, Bharatiya senao ne roka tha. Ye jo maujuda tasveere ubhar ke saamne aa rahi hain, wo Bharat ke Chicken Neck ke liye bhi threat paida kar rahi hain. Kya Bharat ka stand hai is masale par aur China ke is development par?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Madhurendra from News Nation. The recent satellite images reveal that China has developed approximately 22 villages in the Doklam area. This is the same region where India, Indian forces had previously stopped China's advancing expansionism. These emerging visuals also pose a threat to India's Chicken Neck region. What is India's stand on this issue and on these Chinese developments?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: First coming to your question Snehesh. See, the SR level talks happened on 18th. After that, we put out our Press Release. Our Press Release gives you a perspective as to what was discussed. Now, the specific question about the six-point consensus, I think we can speak for our Press Release and give you details on that. I can say that, you know, what we have said in our Press Release, that both sides have reaffirmed their commitment to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for the settlement of the boundary question in accordance with the political parameters and guiding principles agreed in 2005. There were some questions about this 2005 also. It is a document which is available, publicly available. It is there on our website. So, I would encourage you to have a look at that. But please, I would urge that please refer to our Press Release. That gives you the details of the discussion that happened. As also, I mean, coming to your question, the six-point consensus, the six-point consensus is detailed in the Press Release that you referred.

Siddhant, regarding this, you know, as part of their immigration policy, countries have this program of granting asylum or taking a decision in regard to a person or an alien in their country. As far as the particular case that you referred to, I do not have any details. So, once... maybe if you share more details, I can give you our point of view on that.

Yeshi, on your question regarding threats, yes, as and when such threats are issued, we take them very seriously and we raise it with the U.S. government. In this particular case also, we have raised it with the U.S. government. And it is our expectation that the United States government will take our security concerns seriously and act on it.

Sidhant, regarding your question, see, as you know that we follow all developments which have a bearing on our security and our interest very closely. And we take these things very seriously and take action as appropriate.

On the question of the statement that you referred to, made by a Bangladeshi senior leader, we have taken this up with the Bangladeshi government. We have actually strongly registered our protest on this issue. We understand that the post that you referred has been taken down. We would like to remind all concerned to be mindful of their public comments. While India has repeatedly signaled interest in fostering relations with the people and the interim government of Bangladesh, such comments underline the need for responsibility in public articulation. And once again to repeat that we have strongly protested against this with the Bangladesh government.

Madhu aapka sawal do deshon ka hai, China aur Bhutan ko le ke sawal hai. Toh ye sawal chuki un do deshon ka hai, toh aapka sawal unko aap kare toh jyada behtar hoga.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Madhu, your question pertains to two countries, China and Bhutan. Since this is a matter concerning those two countries, it would be better if you direct your question to them.

Ayanangsha Maitra: Sir, we have seen the frustration and excitement both from Indian as well as Chinese enterprises on a business front. And since 2020, the Galwan incident, this has completely freezed. So how do you react to this situation and both showed up frustration and excitement among the entrepreneurs and business places, spread across India and China? Thank you.

Ajay Banerjee, The Tribune: Good afternoon sir, I am Ajay Banerjee with The Tribune. Sir, I bring you to the SR level talks again, sir. Two points mentioned in the Chinese statement, two specific points. One, they spoke about putting the border issue in an appropriate position in the bilateral relations. And second point, they mentioned both sides agreed to further refine the management rules for the border areas. So my question is, where does India place the border issue? What is India's appropriate position? And two, are we refining the management rules as this is a new border agreement on the cards?

Jugal Purohit, BBC: Hi sir, this is Jugal from the BBC. Sir, I've got two questions. First is on the SR level talks. Can you clarify what is to happen or what is India's stand in so far as the friction points are concerned? And the second question is, there is this one name that keeps dropping up very repeatedly in the political discourse. The name is George Soros. Now I want to understand, assuming he's not an Indian national, is there a case that we, as a government, have lodged and are pursuing with any foreign entity about this individual? Thank you.

Kallol Bhattacherjee, The Hindu: Sir, Kallol from The Hindu newspaper. Sir, the Chief Adviser of the Bangladesh government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, has said that the election in the country would be held either next year or early 2026. But responding to him, the main Opposition party of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Nationalist Party has said that by not announcing a clear date for election, the Chief Adviser has actually disappointed the political class, including BNP. So, what is really India's position as far as the speech is concerned, because he has not given a clear-cut date for holding an election in Bangladesh?

Manish Jha, TV9 Bharatvarsh: Sir main Manish Jha hu, TV9 Bharatvarsh se. Kal hum logo ne dekha ki kis tarah Egypt mei Muhammad Yunus aur Shehbaz Sharif gale lage. Lag raha tha ki kumbh ke bichhde bhai hain. Toh uske baad ye tay hua ki Bangladesh ab SAARC Summit bhi aayojit karega aur usko le kar Muhammad Yunus ne kafi positive apna reaction diya hai. Toh India ka kya kehna hain agar Bangladesh SAARC Summit ko aayojit karta hai?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Manish Jha from TV9 Bharatvarsh. Yesterday, we saw how Muhammad Yunus and Shehbaz Sharif embraced each other in Egypt, it felt like long-lost brothers were reuniting. Following this, it was decided that Bangladesh will host the SAARC Summit, and Muhammad Yunus has given a very positive response regarding this. What is India's take if Bangladesh hosts the SAARC Summit?

Manash Pratim Bhuyan, PTI: Sir, a little clarity actually on the six points that China has actually claimed and it was agreed. I mean, is there any divergences between the two sides on the six points? We agreed to certain points and not agreed to certain portion of the Chinese statement. Can you just give some clarity about whether there is an agreement on the six points or not?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay. So, let me come to these questions first.

Ayanangsha, regarding business relations, we have, since October, issued several Press Releases giving you a readout of all the meetings that have happened, including at the highest level, where it has been agreed that we will take step by step action. SR level talks have happened. Earlier in Kazan, the Prime Minister and President of China, they met and now we will take it forward with other meetings and thereafter we will see how things shape on these matters.

Second question came from Ajay. See, what happened in the SR level talks, we have clearly defined in our Press Release. So, I would request you that please refer to our Press Release and I can only speak for my Press Release, our Press Release. If you have any question with the other Press Release, you should take that question to the relevant party. So, that is, Ajay, where I will stop.

Similarly, Jugal, your question again and I would tell you, I will request you to please... I would urge you to read the Press Releases in detail. You will get your answers there and I here, I am responsible for what we have put out in our Press Release. If you have any questions regarding that, I am here to clarify. And I would like to again, I mean, read out excerpts from our paragraph, from our Press Release where we have given all the details of the issues discussed. The two sides have reaffirmed their commitment to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for the settlement of the boundary question in accordance with the political parameters and guiding principles. And apart from discussing the framework for settlement of the boundary question, the SRs reviewed issues of peaceful border management comprehensively with this round. And for more details, I would again urge your attention towards our Press Release.

On the other question that you had on the friction points, External affairs Minister made a detailed statement in the Parliament. This particular statement is self-explanatory. So I would urge you to have a look at that.

On the other question about a particular individual that you raised, I don't have any idea. I mean, he's been in the news. There are several discussion points around him about his activities, etc, but we haven't come across any such issue where we need to... I don't have any update on it. I mean, we've seen him being discussed in the media.

Kallol, on Bangladesh, Foreign Secretary visited Bangladesh where we had a range of talks, including the Foreign Office Consultations, and we have very clearly defined our approach towards our ties with Bangladesh. We have said that we support a democratic, stable, peaceful, progressive, and inclusive Bangladesh. We have reiterated our willingness to build a positive and constructive relationship with Bangladesh based on mutual trust, respect, and mutual sensitivity to each other's concerns and interests. We've also emphasized that the people of Bangladesh are the main stakeholders in India-Bangladesh relations and noted that India's development cooperation and multifaceted engagements with Bangladesh, including in the areas of connectivity, trade, power, energy, and capacity building and such activities are all geared towards the benefit of the people of Bangladesh. That is our approach to Bangladesh and our ties with Bangladesh, and as a democracy also.

Manish, aapka sawal Misr me hue varta ko le ke hai. Toh apko gyat hai ki jaha tak regional connectivity ki baat hai, hum log ka bharpur koshish raheta hai ki regional cooperation ko hum log majboot kare. Aur regional cooperation ko majboot karne ke liye kai ek saare jo hum logo ne programs ya jo platforms hain uske tahat hum log aage badhna chahate hain. BIMSTEC ek connectivity platform hai, isme kai ek desh humare pados ke jude huwe hain. SAARC bhi ek platform hai. Kai ek saalo se SAARC thanda pada hua hai aur kis karan se thanda pada huwa hai isse aap bhalibhaanti avgat hain.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Manish, your question is regarding the discussions that took place in Egypt. As you are aware, when it comes to regional connectivity, we make every effort to strengthen regional cooperation. And to strengthen regional cooperation, we aim to move forward under various programs and platforms that we have. BIMSTEC is a connectivity platform that connects several of our neighboring countries. SAARC is also a platform, but it has been inactive for several years, and you are well aware of the reasons behind its being inactive.

Manash, again your question, I would again refer you, see, if you have any doubts about a particular Press Release, you must take your questions to that particular party. They will be in a better position to answer. As far as we are concerned, we have clarified our points about the SR talks and we stand by those discussions.

Niraj Kumar, News18 India: Sir, Niraj hoon News18 India se. Sir, do din pehle ek aatanki module ka khulasa kiya hai Assam ke STF ne. 7-8 logo ko giraftaar bhi kiya jinka rishta Bangladesh se hai. Aur woh sleeper cell pure desh mei failana chahte the. Is tarah ki gatividhiya hoti hain, inko le kar diplomatic channel ke jariye Bangladesh sarkar se koi baatchit ki ja rahi hai?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, this is Niraj from News 18 India. Sir, two days ago, the Assam STF exposed a terrorist module. They also arrested 7-8 individuals who have connections with Bangladesh and were aiming to spread sleeper cells across the country. Regarding such activities, is there any discussion happening with the Bangladesh government through diplomatic channels?

Keshav Padmanabhan, The Print: Sir, this is Keshav Padmanabhan from The Print. And going back to the SR talks from our Press Release, where you said positive directions towards resumption of border trade, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, can you give us a sense of what do you mean by positive directions? Can you clarify whether this is going to resume soon? Can you provide that clarification from our Press Release, sir?

Jessica Taneja, DD India: Sir, this is Jessica Taneja from DD India. Any update on the 16 Indian workers who are trapped in the Libya cement company? They say their passports and their phones are not with them, and their entire situation.

Dhairya Maheshwari, Sputnik: Good evening sir, I have two questions. One is on the SR level talks. Our Press Release mentions that there were discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. And the Chinese MFA also mentioned about issues of Global South featuring. So was UNSC reforms also discussed, because China is the only P5 country that hasn't openly come out in support of India's permanent residency. And the second question is on Myanmar, sir. The Arakan Army, there are reports that Arakan Army has made some advances and fighting has intensified. And we also saw that the Foreign Secretary was in Thailand recently. So could we get a reaction on the fighting and was Myanmar's situation discussed in that visit as well? Thank you.

Rezaul Hasan Laskar, Hindustan Times: Rezaul from Hindustan Times. Just a quick, related to what Keshav asked, when you talk about positive direction on cross-border cooperation, does that mean the two sides are now going to kind of finalize the modalities or is this now going to go ahead? I mean, following the SR talks. And number two, Myanmar, the reports are that the Arakan Army has actually captured a major headquarter today in Rakhine State. Except for Sittwe and another town, everything else is now under the Arakan Army. How are we looking at this situation?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay, so, SR and Arakan.

So first, Niraj, apke sawal ka, dekhiye suraksha ko le ke jo bhi masla hota hai, wo us masle par hum log, us masle ko bahut dhyan se aur pure chusti ke saath usse hum log nipatte hain. Jaha tak apne aatanki ghatnao ki baat ki, suraksha ki baat ki, ispe jo humare agencies hain, jo authorities hain uspe wo apni gatividhiya kar rahe hain. Jaha tak suraksha ki baat hai, aur bhi anya, Bangladesh ke saath humare bahuaayami sambandh hain, bahut saare mudde ispe baat kiya jata hai aur bahut saari chijo, humare dono deshon ke beech mei bahut saare masle, bahut saare issues hain jispe hum log baatchit karte hain. Aur haal hi mei jab Videsh Sachiv ki bhi yatra hui, us darmayan bhi hum logo ne Foreign Office Consultations mei ye bahuaayami jo rishta hai hum log ka uske har mudde par humari charcha hui.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] So first, Niraj, on your question, when it comes to security matters, we address such issues with great attention and full diligence. As for the incidents related to terrorism and security that you mentioned, our agencies and authorities are actively dealing with them. In terms of security and other aspects, we have multifaceted relations with Bangladesh. Various issues are discussed between our two countries. Recently, during the Foreign Secretary's visit, we had discussions as part of the Foreign Office Consultations, covering every aspect of our multifaceted relationship.

Keshav, now, on positive directions, positive directions, as you would understand, is self-explanatory. It means that the discussions have gone into the positive direction. And thereafter, whatever else is required will be done to take these cross-border exchanges forward.

Jessica, on the update about those Indian workers, these Indian workers, they had reached Benghazi via Dubai. They had gone there but did not have proper documents. When they landed there, there were some issues regarding their work. When we came to know of these difficulties, we already, as you know, we have now our Embassy in Tripoli is active. We reached out to the workers. We reached out through our community members there. And we have given them a helping hand. We have arranged for their food, for their daily living articles. Our Cd'A in Tripoli has also met these workers. This happened, I think, on the 4th of November. Since these people had gone to Libya without proper documentation, so to exit the country now, they need an exit permit as per the guidelines of Libya. The Embassy is in touch with Libyan authorities to arrange for their exit permit. The exit permit is taking a little time because they had gone there without proper documentation. But once this exit permit is done, all these people who are having difficulties, our Embassy will facilitate their return home. As of now, our Embassy is in touch with them, their employers, and taking care of them. And we are closely following the situation and the development.

Dhairya, to your question, SR level talks is about the border. So obviously, the other issues are... there may be some reference to it, you know, obliquely, etc. But principally, the SR level talks are focused on the boundary question. You also talked about Myanmar. What was the question? Can you repeat on Myanmar?

Dhairya: Arakan Army is making advances. The fighting has intensified. So, would it be possible to get a reaction?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: So, yes, we are following developments in Myanmar very closely. We understand that the fighting has intensified and we are following the evolving situation very closely. You would also understand that some time back, because of the security situation, we had relocated our people serving in our Consulate in Sittwe to Yangon. But even though the relocation has happened, our Consulate in Sittwe continues to be functional. We also have several development cooperation projects there, which continue to go forward. And I must also emphasize that these projects are all grant-based projects from India, and they are intended to serve the interests of the people of Myanmar. And this is an aspect which, I guess, people who are there will keep these in mind as the situation evolves.

Also, on your question regarding the talks that happened in Thailand, yes, our Foreign Secretary participated in those talks in Thailand. The talks were on the land boundary neighbors of Myanmar. So, these talks happened on 19th of December, where we explained our position. You know, you are aware of our position on Myanmar. We have called for cessation of all violence. We have called for peace and stability and resolution of the ethnic issue through the establishment of a genuine federal democracy. We also believe that this process of return of stability should be Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned and should take into account the views of all stakeholders to ensure that peace and stability return to Myanmar early. Also, I would like to add that the land boundary neighbors of Myanmar also have a particular set of concerns.

Rezaul, your questions were similar to both.

Vishal Pandey, ABP News: Sir main Vishal Pandey hu ABP News se. Nepal mei crypto case mei do Bharatiyo ko giraftaar kiya gaya hai. 6 mahine se jyada ka samay ho gaya hai. Dono ko jamanat nahi mil pai hai. Dono pe aarop hai ki unke mobile phone mei crypto app tha jo ki Nepal mei gair kanooni hai. Bharat sarkar kaise is mamale ko dekhti hai, kaise unki madad kar sakti hai.

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Vishal Pandey from ABP News. Two Indians have been arrested in Nepal in a crypto case. It has been more than six months, and they have not been granted bail. They are accused of having a crypto app on their mobile phones, which is illegal in Nepal. How does the Indian government view this matter, and how can it assist them?

Arunesh Sinha, ANI: Sir, I am Arunesh from ANI. I have two questions. Sir, the first question is, the Kremlin has already confirmed that President Putin will be traveling to India. The dates are being worked out. Some reports have said that it might be early next year. So, is there any chance that he might be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade? And the second question is, ruling Bharatiya Janata Party recently leveled allegations that the U.S. State Department meddles in India's internal matters, and the deep State there, and tries to spread anti-India agenda. So what is MEA's stand on it and is it India's official stand?

Altaf, Bloomberg: Thank you, Mr. Jaiswal. I know this question was asked before. I just want to ask again if there is an update. And this question is from millions of Afghans living in Afghanistan. So the question is, when will India normalize consular services in Afghanistan? Because they have been waiting for three years to get Visa and come to India. When will this finally happen? And they want to get a clear response on this. And my second question is, is India in talks with anyone in Afghanistan like the Defence Minister of the Taliban to normalize diplomatic ties or on other issues? We have heard that the Defence Minister is regularly contacting or in talks with the Indian government to normalize the ties. Thank you.

Huma Siddiqui, Financial Express: Sir I'm Huma Siddiqui from the Financial Express. Two questions; who is the Chief Guest for the PBD program in Odisha next year? And my second question is, Bangladesh is looking for rice from India. So, have they contacted the government? Is the government ready to send it to them?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay. Vishal, pahela sawal apka crypto ko le ke Nepal mei. Dekhiye Nepal mei humare Bharatiya log rahe ya duniya ki kisi kone mei rahe, Bharatiya log bahar mei unki suraksha, unki zimmewari humari zimmewari hai. Aur is mamle mei bhi agar wo Bharat ke nagarik hain aur unpe waha pe koi mukadma ya kuch iss prakar ka chal raha hai, is masle pe mujhe vyaktigat is masle pe mere paas update nahi hai. Lekin main apko ye aashwasan de sakta hu ki jab bhi koi is prakar ka masla hota hai, humari Embassy ho, High Commission ho, jo Mission hai, wo chusti ke saath waha ki sarkar ke sath mil kar humare hito ko surakshit karne ka, humare hito par kaam karte hain aur karte rahenge.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Vishal, first your question about crypto case in Nepal. Look, whether our Indian people are in Nepal or anywhere in the world, their safety and responsibility are our responsibility. On this matter as well, if they are Indian citizens and there is any case or issue like this against them there, I don't have an update on it at the moment. But, I can assure you that whenever such matters arise, our Embassy, High Commission or Mission there works proactively with the government there to safeguard and protect our interests, and they will continue to do so.

Arunesh, this question I have answered earlier also. We have a mechanism of Annual Summits with Russia. The last Annual Summit, as you know, happened in Moscow, where our Prime Minister traveled for the Annual Summit. The next one will happen in India, for which dates will be decided between both countries, India and Russia, as per their mutual convenience. So once those dates are decided, etc., we'll let you know as to when the visit will happen for the Annual Summit.

The other question also that you asked, in the last presser, I had made our position known on this particular issue. But if you want, I can repeat it. Last time also, we had reacted to that. And I had said that we have seen reports about foreign interference in India, including in the international media. You are also aware that this was discussed in both Houses of Parliament, so that is our point.

Altaf, you know, our Joint Secretary J.P. Singh, who looks after Afghanistan in the Ministry of External Affairs, he has traveled to Afghanistan, Kabul, on a few occasions. And whenever those travels and those visits happen, we have given you an update as to the kind of interaction that we had. Yes, he met with interim Ministers last time when he visited. So, those details are already available in the public domain, on our website. I would urge you to have a look. We continue to focus on strengthening our ties with the people of Afghanistan. And on Visa matters also, we have regular dialogue, and hopefully we'll take these things forward as well.

Huma, on Chief Guest for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, yes, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the dates, you know, they are on 8th, 9th and 10th in Bhubaneswar. So, we should be hopefully announcing the Chief Guest for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas soon for your benefit. What I can tell you is that, you know, as it happens each time, the Chief Guest for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is someone from the diaspora community at an appropriate level, at the highest level, where he or she participates as the Chief Guest.

On Bangladesh, rice, I don't have an update on this, but what I understand is that traffic or trade between Bangladesh and India continues to function, and articles of trade are plying between both countries. There may be issues here and there, but by and large, trade is happening. On this particular issue of rice request, I don't have an update on this particular matter, but I can get back to you on this.

With that, ladies and gentlemen, let's come to the closure of this Press engagement. Thank you very much. Look forward to seeing you. Merry Christmas, and if I don't get to see you before that, then Happy New Year as well.

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IRGC forces bust Takfiri network in western Iran

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 21, 2024

Qasreshirin, IRNA -- Iran's security forces have arrested members of a radical Takfiri network in the western province of Kermanshah.

Amir Feizi, the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Sarpol-e Zahab, told IRNA on Saturday that intelligence forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) had kept the extremist network operating in the city under watch and executed an intelligence operation to arrest its members.

He emphasized that all movements of hostile groups are under the surveillance and decisive action will be taken with judicial support when necessary.

Feizi urged the public to report any suspicious activities to authorities.

Sarpol-e Zahab has a population of over 90,000 and shares more than 48 kilometers of border with Iraq. Takfiri groups have historically been active in the area.

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San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu is expected to play a prominent role in a courtroom campaign to push back if President-elect Donald Trump targets liberal cities such as San Francisco, possibly by trying to withhold federal funds over policies he opposes. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

Sixteen years into his political career, City Attorney David Chiu is about to face what could be his greatest test yet: defending San Francisco against legal broadsides from President-elect Donald Trump.

Chiu, 54, is expected to play a prominent role in a courtroom campaign to push back on Trump if he targets liberal cities such as San Francisco, possibly by trying to withhold federal funds over sanctuary policies he opposes as he seeks to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.



The legal resistance for Democrats such as Chiu may be more difficult than the last time Trump was in office. While Chius predecessor, Dennis Herrera, was broadly successful in his many legal fights against Trump during his first term, experts say the president-elect and his staff have learned from some of their mistakes the last time they held the White House. They will also benefit from having Republican control of both chambers of Congress and a Supreme Court with a conservative supermajority.

Chiu, a former supervisor and state Assembly member who has been City Halls top lawyer since 2021, is preparing for a fight on multiple fronts  and believes he and the city are ready to prevail.

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Trump has said he is going to go after anyone and any jurisdictions that do not do what he wants and has suggested everything up to criminal prosecutions, Chiu said in a recent interview at his City Hall office. So theres a lot of concern around the country around what that means. But  we have to stand up for our communities and we will.



Chiu said hes already been meeting with cities and counties across the country that are preparing for what were expecting will happen to our communities. Hes appointed a deputy city attorney, Mollie Lee, to focus on Trump-related legal matters. And hes among a group of city attorneys and county counsels from across the state who are asking the Legislature to allocate $10 million to help them defend their jurisdictions against Trump.

While Chiu wouldnt discuss any specific plans out of a desire not to telegraph our every move, he mentioned some issues where San Francisco already knows its at odds with Trump.

One is the legal principle that grants citizenship to anyone born inside the country, regardless of their parents legal status. Trump has said he wants to end birthright citizenship, and while many legal experts are dubious that he would have the authority to do so, Chiu said he thinks that Trump will try soon after taking office.



Chiu noted that the extension of citizenship to people born in the United States to noncitizen parents is rooted not only in the Constitution but also a 126-year old landmark Supreme Court decision with ties to San Francisco. In 1898, the high court held that Wong Kim Ark, who was born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrant parents, was a citizen by virtue of the 14th Amendment.

Personally, as a son of immigrants, the threat to our immigrant communities could not be more intense.  Our economy is based on our immigrant populations, he said. If he were to overturn birthright citizenship, it would be catastrophic for our city, our state and our country.

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When Herrera was city attorney, he wasted no time before challenging Trump in court. In January 2017, Trumps first month as president, Herrera filed a lawsuit against an executive order Trump signed attempting to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities  including San Francisco  that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The suit was successful; Trump was never able to enforce the plan spelled out in the order.



The suit was filed days after Trump issued the executive order, but it was the result of preparation that began months earlier, Herrera recalled in a recent interview.



We were preparing from the election to the inauguration anticipating that there would be a movement in that area, Herrera said. So we were ready to go.



It wasnt the only case Herrera brought against Trump. Others included the citys successful challenge of the Trump administrations attempt to implement a wealth test on immigrants seeking green cards. In another case, San Francisco fought a rule from Trumps health department protecting health care workers who refused to provide services for moral or religious reasons.



We didnt just throw darts up at the wall, Herrera said. We were very calculating in making sure that we were protecting the citys interest, but also sometimes speaking to a broader legal goal. I think thats probably the way (Chiu is) looking at it as well.



Herrera said Chiu is well prepared and the perfect leader to be leading the battle.



Supervisor Myrna Melgar said Chiu could be even more aggressive than Dennis Herrera in his legal fights against Trump.



Hes always been on the side of immigrants  remember, he represented Chinatown on the Board of Supervisors, Melgar said. I expect him to be really good on this issue.

While its yet to be seen exactly how San Francisco and other liberal cities are challenged by Trump, University of San Francisco law professor Bill Ong Hing said he expects that the president-elects staffers will look at all the federal funding streams into a sanctuary jurisdiction and try to cut them off where possible.

He said the Trump administration could try to insert language into federal grant agreements with cities that require cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and if that happens without congressional approval, thats when the city attorney is going to have to do his homework legally.



Can the president, through executive action or through regulation without congressional authorization, condition funding based on ICE cooperation? said Hing, a former San Francisco police commissioner. Thats where the city attorney is going to have to help us out and argue that you cant do that.



Federal courts have upheld sanctuary laws in California, ruling that the state is not required to help with federal immigration enforcement. And the Supreme Court declined to take up the matter when Trumps administration appealed in 2020, but the court has since grown more conservative and could reconsider it.



Chiu, for his part, understands that he may be tested in ways Herrera wasnt, and that the legal and political landscape of the second Trump administration may be harder for Democratic cities than the first.

Its clear this time that he neither has people around him who have a history of respecting the rule of law or guardrails around him when it comes to what he does, Chiu said of Trump. So everything feels different today.



And immigration isnt the only issue on Chius mind. Hes also concerned about Trumps views on vaccinations, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and climate change, among other matters.



These are not the fights that we wanted to have, but if Trump brings the fight to our doorsteps, we will do what we need to do to defend our city and our people, Chiu said.
IRGC intelligence forces disband Takfiri terrorist team in western Iran

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 December 2024 2:35 PM

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) intelligence forces have identified and dismantled a team of Takfiri terrorists in Iran's western province of Kermanshah.

In a statement released on Saturday, the IRGC announced that the Salafist terrorist elements were detected and captured in Sarpol-e Zahab County following an intricate surveillance operation.

The statement underscored that IRGC intelligence forces are closely monitoring anti-revolutionary elements, and will not hesitate to take appropriate judicial measures against them when needed.

In late October, IRGC Ground Force units smashed four teams of terrorists in the course of a military exercise, codenamed "Martyrs of Security", in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, killing four.

The spokesperson for the drill, General Ahmad Shafaei, said IRGC servicemen had detected eight members of four teams of terrorists and outlaws during the war game.

He said the operational units of the IRGC Ground Force, in cooperation with the Intelligence Ministry's provincial office and the Police forces, "dealt lethal blows" to the "terrorist teams acting as proxies for the enemy" in the southeastern province on October 31.

The general said four terrorists were arrested and four others killed in the operation, noting that one of the main elements of a terrorist group that was involved in a fatal attack on police forces in Taftan County on October 26 was also captured.

The so-called Jaish al-Adl terrorist group claimed responsibility for the assault on Iranian security forces, which was one of the deadliest in the province in recent months.

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Israeli media: Fear of arrest prevents Netanyahu from traveling to Poland

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 21, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Israel Broadcasting Authority has announced that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not participate in the Anniversary of the Liberation of the Auschwitz camp, which is to be held in Poland in January, due to fear of arrest.

Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, citing Polish media, added that Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wadysaw Bartoszewski emphasized his country's adherence to the decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Dozens of heads of state are expected to participate in this event in Poland, but probably Education Minister Yoav Kisch will participate in this ceremony as the representative of Israel.

The ICC announced in a landmark move on November 21 that it issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the Israeli former defense minister, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, IRNA reported on Monday citing media sources.

The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, issued multiple warrants for those involved in the ongoing Israeli invasion of Gaza.

The court has accused them of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza, which followed Hamas' October 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel in retaliation for decades of occupation. Since then, Israel's military ground and air campaigns in Gaza have killed at least 44,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. More than 100,000 people have been injured in the genocide.

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'Our Children Are Dying': The Toll Of Sectarian Violence In A Pakistani City

By Abubakar Siddique and RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal December 21, 2024

Deadly sectarian clashes have cut off a mostly Shi'ite city in northwestern Pakistan from the rest of the Sunni-majority country.

Locals in Parachinar say there has been a severe shortage of food, fuel, and medicine since the main road leading in and out of the city was blocked last month.

"We are living under tremendous stress," said Munawar Hussain, a tribal leader in Parachinar, a city of some 400,000 people. "Our children are dying because of a shortage of food and medicine."

A doctor and a health-care worker, who both spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL that dozens of children have died because of a lack of medicine. The claim has been rejected by the authorities.

Hundreds have been killed and injured in clashes between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims in the Kurram district, of which Parachinar is the main city, this year.

In November, almost 100 people were killed in a series of ambushes on the main road linking Kurram with the rest of the country. The violence led to the closure of the road, which is manned by armed men from rival communities.

The authorities have held weeks of talks between the Sunni and Shi'ite communities but have failed to broker an end to the hostilities.

'Wave Of Deaths'

The blockade of Parachinar has taken a major toll on civilians on both sides of the conflict. Some nearby Sunni villages have been unable to leave their communities for fear of attacks. Meanwhile, in Parachinar, which is surrounded by largely Sunni communities, locals complain that they cannot leave the city and are struggling to obtain everyday essentials.

"I cannot find any medicine," said Munir Hussain, whose child was admitted to the only state-run hospital in Parachinar.

A health-care worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said on December 18 that at least 34 children have died in recent weeks.

The worker said there was a shortage of medicine, and added that the main hospital ran out of oxygen supplies weeks ago.

A doctor working in the state-run hospital, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said on December 17 that at least 29 children had died because they could not be treated.

Temperatures in Parachinar frequently drop to below zero degrees Celsius, which doctors say is contributing to rising cases of pneumonia among children.

The health-care worker said they were also bracing for a spike in deaths among the elderly. The workers said many older patients suffering from serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart and kidney ailments have run out of their medicine.

'Critical' Conditions

Muhammad Ali Saif, a spokesman for the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, which Kurram is part of, said the authorities were investigating the reported deaths.

"I want to assure you that it didn't happen because of a lack of medicines," he told journalists in the provincial capital, Peshawar, on December 18, adding that deaths among children were routine in the area.

Pakistan's state broadcaster reported on December 17 that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered the provincial authorities to take "immediate steps" to send medicine to Parachinar.

The Edhi Foundation, a private charity, flew medicine to Parachinar on December 18. The plane also evacuated two gravely ill women to Peshawar for treatment.

Faisal Edhi, head of the charity, said the conditions in the city were "critical" and there was a "dire need for essential medicine."

"These minuscule supplies are not enough for such a large population," said Laiq Hussain, an activist in Parachinar.

He blamed the government for failing to reopen the road linking Parachinar to the rest of the country. The authorities, he said, were "indifferent to our plight."

The provincial authorities said they have been unable to reopen the main road leading in and out of Parachinar because of the presence of armed men from both the Sunni and Shi'ite communities.

Kurram, a mountainous district bordering Afghanistan, has long been the scene of sporadic bursts of sectarian violence. The clashes, often over land, have left thousands of people in Kurram dead in recent decades.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-sectarian- violence-blockade-parachinar-crisis/33248003.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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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Pakistani Militants Kill 16 Near Afghan Border As Violence Grows

By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal December 21, 2024

Pakistani militants carried out a daring early-morning raid near the northwestern border with Afghanistan, killing over a dozen officers in the latest attack of 2024 -- a year already marked as one of the deadliest in the region.

Laddha Police Deputy Superintendent Hidayat Ullah told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that 16 security officers were killed when militants opened fire at a security checkpoint in South Waziristan at 2 am on December 21. He said eight more officers were wounded.

Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which claimed responsibility for the attack, said it killed 35 Pakistani security officers. Radio Mashaal could not independently confirm the number of officers killed.

Neither side said how many militants were killed during the attack.

There has been a steady increase in TTP attacks in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since the Taliban regained control of Kabul in August 2021. The TTP seeks to impose Shari'a law in Pakistan.

The latest attack came as the elders of Dre Maseed in the Sur Rogha area of South Waziristan held a meeting on December 20 to demand that the security forces change tactics.

Sherpao Maseed, a leader of the assembly, told Radio Mashaal that Pakistani defense forces are targeting militants with artillery and mortar shells, putting civilians in danger.

The Pakistan Center for Conflict and Security Studies said in its most recent report that more than 240 people were killed in "terrorist incidents" in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in November

The death toll included 68 security officers, the highest in a single month this year.

Meanwhile, the Army Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) claims to have killed dozens of suspected militants in operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this month.

The governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan say they are committed to wiping out the TTP.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ttp-raid-kills-16- pakistani-officers-south-waziristan-2024/33248424.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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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Pakistani Military Courts Sentence 25 People For 2023 Unrest

By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal December 21, 2024

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Pakistani military courts have sentenced 25 people for their part in attacks on military facilities in May 2023.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan's armed forces, said in a statement on December 21 that 25 defendants were given sentences ranging from two to 10 years.

On May 9, 2023, following the arrest of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in a fraud case, supporters of Khan's party, Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI), attacked and damaged military installations, mosques, and government buildings in cities across Pakistan. Several people were killed and dozens injured in the unrest.

In its statement, the military's media wing described the sentences as an "important milestone in dispensation of justice to the nation."

It added that May 9, 2023 was a sad day for the country, and it would be officially commemorated every year.

In response to the verdicts, PTI wrote on the X social network that the military courts have violated the defendants' constitutional and human rights.

Khan's party has said the judicial process is not transparent and about 80 people have been in military custody since the unrest, their fundamental rights violated.

Supporters of the imprisoned former prime minister, who is accused of inciting attacks against the armed forces, have expressed concerns that military rather than civilian courts are trying some of the cases. They have staged months of protests to demand Khan's release.

PTI says its members and supporters did not attack military or government buildings on May 9, 2023.

Last year, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that civilians should be tried in civilian courts, not military courts. However, on December 13, the Supreme Court suspended the decision and allowed military courts to hear civilian cases.

Others charged over the violence are being tried in anti-terrorism courts.

PTI regularly campaigns against corruption and nepotism in Pakistan but has been accused of populism and authoritarian tendencies centered around its charismatic leader Khan.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-trials-khan-party- unrest/33248229.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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 labels US warning on missile program as 'devoid of rationality'

By Ayaz Gul December 21, 2024

Pakistan denied Saturday that its long-range ballistic missile capabilities could potentially strike locations as distant as the United States, asserting that such claims are "unfounded" and "devoid of rationality."

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch made the statement while responding to recent revelations by a senior U.S. White House official regarding the "emerging threat" emanating from Pakistan, a key partner of Washington.

"The alleged threat perception from Pakistan's missile capabilities and delivery means raised by the US official [is] unfortunate," Baloch said.

"We wish to reiterate that Pakistan's strategic capabilities are meant to defend its sovereignty and preserve peace and stability in South Asia," she added, apparently referring to her country's archrival, India.

On Thursday, Jon Finer, the Biden administration's deputy national security adviser, said at a public talk at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that Islamabad's missile-making program raises "real questions" about its intentions.

"Pakistan has developed increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment that would enable the testing of significantly larger rocket motors," Finer said. "If these trend lines continue, Pakistan will have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States."

Finer spoke a day after Washington announced new sanctions related to Pakistan's development of ballistic missiles, including on the state-run agency that oversees the program. He stated that over the last year, the Biden administration has issued three rounds of sanctions against non-Pakistani entities, enabling Islamabad to advance its long-range missile systems.

Finer emphasized, citing U.S. assessments, that the latest sanctions were directed against the country's state-owned National Defense Complex developing and producing long-range ballistic missiles. He noted that this was the first time Washington had targeted a Pakistani state-owned enterprise tied to missile development.

"The recent spate of U.S. allegations toward a major non-NATO ally would be unhelpful for the overall relationship, especially in the absence of any evidence in this regard," Baloch said Saturday. "Pakistan has never had any ill intention toward the U.S. in any form or manner, and this fundamental reality has not changed."

Baloch highlighted Islamabad's long history of cooperation with Washington, particularly in counterterrorism efforts, reiterating Pakistan's commitment to engaging constructively with the U.S. on all issues, including regional security and stability.

"Hence, any irrational assumption of hostile intent from Pakistan by any other country, including the U.S., is perplexing as well as illogical," she said.

In his speech on Thursday, Finer said that U.S. officials have consistently raised concerns with Pakistani counterparts about Islamabad's efforts to advance its missile development capabilities.

"Looking at a map and looking at ranges, we believe that this is fundamentally focused on us, and I think that is an inescapable conclusion based on the information we have got," Finer said when asked about the motivation behind the missile development systems.

"Unfortunately, it is our sense that Pakistan has failed to take U.S. concerns seriously," Finer said, adding that Washington will continue to keep the pressure on Islamabad to address the U.S. concerns.

The United States and Pakistan share a history marked by positive partnerships and more difficult periods. Relations between the two countries have become strained under the Biden administration, a situation further exacerbated by the chaotic U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

Michael Kugelman, who directs the South Asia Institute at Washington's Wilson Center, said the Biden administration likely doesn't want to alienate Islamabad.

"But the recent U.S. comments and this strong Pakistani rhetorical response put the relationship in a tough spot, especially with the incoming Trump administration likely to be even less receptive to the partnership than the Biden administration," Kugelman told VOA.

While announcing new sanctions on Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said that Pakistan's Shaheen series of missiles also are among those being developed and produced by the state-owned National Defense Complex.

The surface-to-surface Shaheen rocket can carry nuclear warheads to a range of approximately 2,750 kilometers, with experts saying the range enables the solid-fueled, multistage missile to reach targets anywhere in India and parts of the Middle East.

Islamabad has consistently maintained that its defense capabilities are meant to deter India from imposing another war on Pakistan.

"The technical development of Pakistan's missile program is primarily aimed at retaining and improving the penetration capabilities of its ballistic missiles against the Indian missile defense forces, which have received major acquisitions and improvements," Syed Muhammad Ali, a security expert based in Islamabad, told VOA.

India and Pakistan conducted their first nuclear weapons tests in May 1998, raising fears another war between the archrivals could escalate into a nuclear exchange in South Asia. The nations have fought three wars, resulting in strained relations and persistent military tensions.

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Militant attack in Pakistan border district kills 16 troops, injures 8

By Ayaz Gul December 21, 2024

Pakistan reported Saturday that at least 16 soldiers were killed in clashes with militants near the Afghanistan border.

A military statement said the predawn violence occurred when a group of heavily armed militants stormed an outpost in the volatile South Waziristan border district, in one of the deadliest attacks on Pakistani troops in recent months.

The ensuing clashes also killed eight assailants, according to the military.

"[A] sanitization operation is being conducted in the area, and the perpetrators of the heinous act will be brought to justice," the statement said. It did not give further details.

A Pakistani security official told VOA the militant attack also left eight soldiers wounded, and several of them were in critical condition. The official spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, a banned militant group, reportedly claimed responsibility for the deadly raid, saying that it was carried out in retaliation for the death of one of its senior commanders during clashes with Pakistani troops earlier this week in the nearby Tank district.

Pakistan reiterated while briefing a United Nations Security Council meeting last week that TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, was orchestrating terrorist attacks from Afghan sanctuaries.

"The TTP, with 6,000 fighters, is the largest listed terrorist organization operating in Afghanistan. With safe havens close to our border, it poses a direct and daily threat to Pakistan's security," said Usman Iqbal Jadoon, Pakistan's representative at the United Nations.

"Given its long association with al-Qaida, the TTP could emerge as al-Qaida's arm with a regional and global terrorist agenda," Jadoon asserted without elaborating.

Pakistani authorities allege that Afghanistan's Taliban authorities are facilitating the TTP in carrying out cross-border terrorism. The U.N. and the United States have designated the TTP as a global terrorist organization.

Last week, the U.S. State Department released its annual report on terrorism, which supported Pakistan's assertions. The report criticized the Taliban government for failing to uphold its commitment that Afghan territory would not be used to support or to launch attacks against the U.S. and its allies by terrorist groups, including TTP and the Islamic State-Khorasan, a regional Islamic State affiliate.

"Pakistan saw a rise in terrorist attacks from both ISIS-K and TTP, both in frequency and in number of casualties, likely enabled by close proximity and the porous border with Afghanistan," the U.S. report noted, using an acronym for the Afghan-based Islamic State offshoot.

Taliban leaders deny allegations Afghanistan is being used by foreign militants, such as TTP and IS-Khorasan, to threaten other countries, including Pakistan.

Pakistani officials have reported a dramatic surge in militant attacks since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, saying the violence has claimed the lives of hundreds of soldiers and police force members in 2024 alone.

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Pakistan faces backlash over military court convictions of 25 civilians

By Ayaz Gul December 22, 2024

The European Union Sunday decried military court verdicts against 25 supporters of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, affirming that these rulings contravene the country's international obligations to ensure a fair and public trial for civilians.

The individuals were tried and sentenced to "vigorous imprisonment" ranging from two to 10 years in connection with attacks on military facilities during nationwide anti-government protests in May 2023, as announced by the Pakistani army on Saturday.

The statement did not provide further details or publicize the verdicts, promising to announce sentences to the dozens of remaining accused "in connection with the violence as and when the due process is complete."

In a statement released Sunday, the EU expressed concern over the sentencing of the 25 civilians.

"These verdicts are seen as inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)," it said.

The multilateral treaty obligates nations to provide individuals "with a fair and public trial in a court that is independent, impartial and competent, and has the right to adequate and effective legal representation."

The EU stated the treaty mandates that any judgment rendered in a criminal case be made public.

The statement emphasized that countries benefiting from the EU's Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus, or GSP+, facility, including Pakistan, have voluntarily agreed to implement 27 international core conventions, including the ICCPR, effectively.

The GSP+ designation grants zero import duties on more than two-thirds of tariff lines when exporting to the European Union, providing Pakistan, a cash-strapped nation, with a major and crucial trade partner.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party, which led the anti-government protests last year, promptly rejected the rulings as a blatant violation of human rights and the rule of law within the country. The party has long asserted that the riots were the result of operatives within the military who had infiltrated ranks of peaceful protesters.

"The actual perpetrators orchestrated a false flag operation on that day and are now utilizing military trials to serve as judge, jury and executioner, targeting innocent civilians," the PTI asserted in a tweet on its X social media platform.

Since August 2023, Khan has been incarcerated and faces multiple charges, including allegedly inciting attacks against military facilities, despite being in police custody when the nationwide protests erupted last year, demanding his release.

Pakistan's prestigious English-language DAWN newspaper slammed the military convictions in a Sunday editorial.

"Can serving officers, bound by military hierarchy, truly provide independent judgments? The one-line descriptions of convictions accompanying the names of the 25 individuals hardly qualify as reasoned judgments," the paper asked.

"That such trials are occurring under civilian leadership adds a layer of irony to this distressing situation. Pakistan's democracy, still finding its feet, cannot afford such compromises on core democratic values," the editorial read.

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Russia Moving Military Assets To Africa After Syria Setback

By Maja Zivanovic and Jean Fernand Koena December 21, 2024

Russia is reducing its military footprint in Syria and shifting some of its assets from the Middle Eastern country to Africa, flight data and satellite imagery analyzed by RFE/RL appear to show.

Moscow seems to have withdrawn a significant amount of military equipment from its bases in Syria since President Bashar al-Assad, Russia's longtime ally, was ousted from power on December 8.

To offset the potential loss of its air base in Hmeimim and naval base in Tartus, Russia looks to be increasing its presence in Libya, Mali, and Sudan. But experts say the African countries are unlikely to be viable alternatives.

Still, flight data and satellite imagery suggest Russia is transferring some of its military assets from Syria to its facilities in Africa.

Losing its Syrian bases would be a major strategic setback for Russia, which has used the facilities to project its power across the Middle East and Africa.

Moscow has said it is still in negotiations with the new government in Damascus over the future of its military bases in Syria. But the significant movement of Russian military equipment suggests it is preparing for a partial or full withdrawal from Syria, experts say.

Russia has several bases in Africa, where Moscow has boosted its military footprint in recent years. They include facilities in Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic, and Sudan.

Moving a significant amount of military equipment from Russia or Syria to Africa, however, will be costly, experts say.

"To carry out important operations Russia will have to pay a lot of money. Both for its air and sea fleet," said Roland Marchal of the Paris Institute of Political Studies.

It would also be more difficult to fly cargo jets all the way from Russia to Africa loaded down with heavy weaponry, with refueling a major challenge. That also assumes Russia can secure overflight rights from Turkey, a regional rival.

Despite the costs, Russia appears to be moving some of its military assets from Syria to bases in Mali and Libya, which is home to an estimated 1,200 Russian mercenaries.

Satellite images also show increased activity in Russia's naval base in Sudan. Moscow signed a deal to open a base on the African country's Red Sea coast in 2019. It is unclear if the naval facility is fully operational.

Flight analysis shows Moscow sending cargo planes to Libya, with some coming from Syria and others from Russia.

There has been heavier than usual traffic in recent weeks between Russia and Libya, although it is unclear what the planes were transporting.

A Russian Ilyushin Il-76 jet -- a heavy-lift workhorse cargo plane -- flew from Russia to Libya on December 12, went back to Russia a day later, and immediately flew back to Libya, flight records show.

Flight records from December 16 also show an Ilyushin Il-76 jet flying from Russia to Moscow's military base in Bamako in Mali. The jet returned to Russia the next day.

Cargo planes flying from Russia to Libya used the air space of Turkey, a NATO member.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said on December 12 that Russia's logistical challenges in reaching Africa "will increase the political leverage that Turkey will hold over Russia."

The think tank also mentioned the "practical costs of supporting Russian operations in Africa if more cargo planes stop to refuel at other airfields."

Mark Krutov of RFE/RL's Russian Service contributed to this report.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-syria- africa-libya/33247673.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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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Putin Meets Slovak PM In Moscow For Talks About Natural Gas Deliveries

By RFE/RL's Russian Service December 22, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met in the Kremlin on December 22 to discuss a soon-to-expire contract allowing for Russian natural gas to transit through Ukraine.

Fico said the meeting with Putin came in reaction to Ukraine saying it would not renew the contract, which is set to run out on December 31.

"Putin confirmed [Russia's] readiness to continue supplying gas to the West and to Slovakia in view of the Ukrainian president's stance after January 1, 2025," Fico said on Facebook.

He said he and Putin also exchanged views on the military situation in Ukraine, the possibility of a peaceful settlement to the war, and mutual relations between Slovakia and Russia.

Fico is one of the few European leaders with whom Putin has maintained ties since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago.

Fico arrived in Russia on a "working visit" and met with Putin one-on-one, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying earlier on December 22.

According to Russian media reports, Peskov said the meeting was to focus on "the international situation" and was likely to also touch on Russian natural gas deliveries.

Slovakia and Hungary, which rely on Russian gas, raised concerns about the prospect of losing supplies after Ukraine said it would not renew the contract.

Fico, whose views on Russia's war on Ukraine differ sharply from those of most European leaders, returned to power last year after his leftist party Smer (Direction) won parliamentary elections on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform.

Since then, he has ended his country's military aid for Ukraine, hit out at EU sanctions on Russia, and vowed to block Ukraine from joining NATO.

The visit by the leader of the NATO- and EU-member country had not been previously announced, but Fico said top EU officials had been informed about his journey and its purpose on December 20.

Michal Simecka, leader of the opposition Progressive Slovakia, described Fico's trip to meet Putin as a "shame for Slovakia and a betrayal of national interests."

"If the prime minister actually cared about gas transit, he should have negotiated with Ukraine rather than turning Slovakia into a tool of Putin's propaganda," Simecka said on X.

Fico also complained that in addition to allowing the natural gas transit contract to expire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is also in favor of sanctions against the Russian nuclear program.

He called this "unacceptable," saying it would financially damage and endanger the production of electricity in nuclear power plants in Slovakia.

Zelenskiy said on December 19 during a European Union summit in Brussels that Kyiv could consider continued transit of Russian gas on the condition that Moscow does not receive payment for the fuel until after the war.

"We will not give the possibility of additional billions to be earned on our blood, on the lives of our citizens," Zelenskiy said.

Zelenskiy also lambasted Fico, who has claimed that his country will face an economic hit if it loses cheap gas from Russia.

"To be honest, during war, it's a bit shameful to talk about money, because we are losing people," Zelenskiy said.

Zelenskiy said he told Fico that Ukraine would be open to carrying another country's gas through its pipeline infrastructure to reach Europe, but it would need assurances that the gas was not merely relabeled Russian fuel.

"We have to know that we will only transit gas if it's not coming from Russia," Zelenskiy said.

The European Commission has said it is ready for the current contract to expire, and all countries receiving Russian fuel via the Ukraine route have access to alternative supplies.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-slovakia-putin-fico- ukraine-natural-gas/33249153.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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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HTS leader: Syria not to pose threat to other Arab countries

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:49, December 21, 2024

DAMASCUS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) commander Ahmad al-Shara said on Friday that Syria would not be a source of tension for other Arab nations and expressed hopes to emulate Gulf development models.

In an interview with the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, al-Shara emphasized that Syria would no longer serve as a "platform of concern" to any Arab or Gulf state.

He underscored that "the revolutionary period" ended with the fall of the previous regime and that exporting unrest was not on the agenda.

"We won't allow Syria to attack or unsettle any Arab or Gulf country," he said in the interview, adding that his administration now seeks constructive ties fostering economic cooperation and long-term stability.

He also mentioned plans for a nationwide dialogue underway to draft a new constitution, without expounding the details.

The militant leader vowed not to seek vengeance against supporters of Bashar al-Assad's government, but he also stressed that "perpetrators of well-documented atrocities" must face justice.

Al-Shara, also known by his nom de guerre of Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, led a 12-day military operation that resulted in the fall of the Assad government on Dec. 8.

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Syria's de facto new ruler names Asaad al-Shibani as foreign minister

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 December 2024 2:11 PM

Syria's de-facto ruler has appointed Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as the country's new foreign minister, two weeks after President Basher al-Assad's government collapsed and militants captured Damascus.

Syria's official news agency SANA reported on Saturday that Shibani was chosen as the foreign minister as the new ruling entity in the Arab country is seeking to build international relations.

No details were immediately available about Shibani.

Armed groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate, announced on December 8 that they had fully captured the Syrian capital and confirmed the fall of the Assad government.

Various foreign-backed militant groups operating across Syria are now in talks to take formal control of the country.

The United States and Britain are also mulling the removal of the HTS from their terror list after the former offshoot of al-Qaeda overthrew the Syrian government.

However, the Syrian people are concerned that a fragmented coalition of armed groups could ignite intense political jockeying and cause chaos by targeting religious minorities, political opponents and personnel from the former government.

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Iran says own aircraft used for 'responsible' pullout from Syria

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 21 December 2024 7:58 AM

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said that the advisory presence of the Islamic Republic in Syria was aimed at supporting the Syrian army, combating terrorism, and preventing insecurity from spreading to the broader region.

"Iran's advisory presence in Syria was initially aimed at supporting the Syrian army, combating terrorism, and preventing insecurity from spreading to neighboring areas and the broader region. The decision to withdraw advisory forces was also a responsible move, considering the prevailing conditions in Syria and the region," Baghaei noted.

Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed questions regarding the developments in Syria during his annual press conference titled "Direct Line," providing insights into the battlefield dynamics leading to President Bashar al-Assad's fall, as well as the coordination between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation.

Putin noted that Russia had no ground forces in Syria, stating, "We have two bases there (Syria)an air force base and a naval base. The ground forces consist of Syria's own military and, as is well known, certain Iran-aligned combat units. At one point, we even withdrew our special operations forces from the area. Our mission there was not solely about fighting."

He also shared his account of the military developments in Syria, saying, "When opposition groups approached Aleppo, approximately 30,000 troops were defending the city. Around 350 militants entered the city. Syrian government forces, alongside Iranian-aligned units, retreated without resistance, detonating their positions as they withdrew. Except for isolated armed clashes, this was the general pattern across Syrian territory."

He noted, "Previously, our Iranian allies would request assistance to deploy their forces into Syria. Now, they are asking for help to withdraw them. We evacuated 4,000 Iranian fighters from the Hmeimim base to Tehran. Some Iranian-aligned units, avoiding direct engagement, relocated to Lebanon, while others moved to Iraq."

Since the onset of a new phase of developments in Syria and Assad's departure to Russia, multiple Iranian officialsincluding the foreign minister, the foreign ministry spokesperson, and Iran's ambassador to Syriahave addressed the situation through various television programs and press conferences.

They discussed the events leading up to the collapse of Assad's government in the weeks and days preceding his departure. However, Putin's remarks during his annual press conference introduced new details that had not been previously disclosed.

Reflecting on the long-standing cooperation and coordination between Iran and Russia in their joint fight against terrorism in Syria, Baghaei noted, "It is not unusual for parties involved in Syria's developments to present their own narratives about the causes and actors behind these events."

"However, it seems that some of the comments made regarding Iran's advisory role in Syria during the final days leading to Damascus's fall may not have been based on precise information," he added.

He reiterated that Iran's advisory presence in Syria was initially aimed at supporting the Syrian army, combating terrorism, and preventing insecurity from spreading to neighboring areas and the broader region.

According to Baghaei, the decision to withdraw advisory forces was also a "responsible move," considering the prevailing conditions in Syria and the region.

'Iran's presence in Syria changed after fall of Daesh'

Baghaei highlighted that Iran entered Syria at the invitation of its legitimate government, stating, "Iran and Syria have had effective cooperation over the years in combating terrorism, successfully preventing the dangerous spread of Daesh in Syria and Iraq, as well as curbing terrorism in the region."

He also explained, "Following the fall of Daesh, Iran's military presence on Syria's defensive lines shifted. It became limited to providing advisory assistance aimed at preventing the resurgence of Daesh and Takfiri terrorism while strengthening Syria's military capabilities against the Zionist regime's provocations."

He stated that this approach proved successful. As witnessed, immediately after the withdrawal of Iranian advisory forces, the occupying regime seized strategic parts of Syrian territory and destroyed critical defensive infrastructure in the country.

Iran prefers official channels for dialogue with Russia: Spox

Baghaei also pointed to Iranian nationals evacuated from Syria. "These individuals included the families of diplomats, staff from Iran's diplomatic, consular, and cultural missions in Syria, Iranian pilgrims, some non-Iranian pilgrims, and others who had traveled to Syria to assist Lebanese refugees."

The diplomat also noted that all Iranian nationals were evacuated to Iran using Iranian aircraft via the Hmeimim airbase, which, in coordination with Russia, was consistently used as a supplementary airport alongside Damascus International Airport.

The spokesperson also emphasized that Iran and Russia maintain significant relations across various fields, with continuous dialogue taking place at multiple levels, saying, "We prefer that the exchange of views and experiences occurs through official channels."

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Israeli forces intensify raids in Quneitra, Syria

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 22, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Israeli forces have reportedly escalated their operations in southern Syria, targeting the outskirts of al-Baath city in Quneitra province.

The Al-Manar network reported on Sunday that Israeli troops are preparing to enter al-Baath city.

Local sources say that the Israeli military has issued a two-hour ultimatum for residents to surrender any weapons in their possession, warning of a potential incursion to confiscate arms by force.

Israeli forces have expanded their control over parts of the Golan Heights over the past three weeks, following the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. This marks a significant violation of the 1974 ceasefire agreement, with Israeli troops pushing into the buffer zone.

Syrian armed opposition groups launched operations against the Assad regime on November 27, targeting areas in northwest, west, and southwest Aleppo. After 11 days of intense conflict, the opposition announced on December 8 that they had taken control of Damascus, prompting Assad's departure from the country.

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Turkiye had no role in ousting Syria's Assad: FM

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 22, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has claimed that his country had no role in the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In an interview with France 24 channel in the Turkish capital Ankara, Fidan said that Turkiye's main goal in Syria is to serve the interests of the Syrian people.

He said that what has happened in Syria in early December cannot be described as a direct outcome of Ankara's efforts.

The remarks come despite reports in recent weeks suggesting Turkiye supported the advance of Syrian rebel forces toward Damascus earlier this month which led to the ouster of Assad.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Fidan said that Iran does not want war and is trying to avoid any major confrontation in the region.

He said, however, that he is "very much" concerned about a war between the Zionist regime and Iran.

The top Turkish diplomat stated that, for whatever reason, such a thing could happen, and that this possibility exists.

"The only thing that I know is that the Iranians don't want such a war. They would like to avoid any major confrontation," he said.

"This is, you know, direct information that I've had from our Iranian friends as a result of my meetings with them," Fidan said.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said recently that Tehran regards Israel's latest offensive against the country as a "new aggression" that deserves a new response from Iran.

"Contrary to Israel's claim that its actions were self-defense, operations True Promise 1 and True Promise 2 were defensive responses on our part to previous [Israeli] aggressions," he said.

"We officially announced to the international community that the recent aggression of the Zionist regime is a new aggression and deserves a response," Araghchi asserted. "We reserve the right to respond and will act at the appropriate time and in the manner we deem appropriate."

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HTS leader faces first protests since taking power in Syria

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 22, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Protests have reportedly taken place against Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria, marking the first demonstrations against al-Jolani since his group led an offensive against the government of former president Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.

Based on the reports coming out early Sunday, the protests took place in the city of Aleppo over the abduction of a number of women by HTS forces.

The women were reportedly abducted by the HTS after they demanded the release of their husbands and family members from the group's detention centers.

The family members of the abductees took to the streets, urging al-Jolani to release the women within hours. The protests reportedly turned violent with clashes between the protesters and HTS forces.

The demonstrations are the first against al-Jolani since he led an offensive by different armed groups, which resulted in the fall of Assad's government on December 8.

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Turkey's foreign minister meets Syria's de facto leader in Damascus

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 22 December 2024 9:08 PM

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has met with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa - also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani - to discuss support for the new administration in Damascus.

Photographs and footage shared by Turkey's foreign ministry showed Fidan and Sharaa, who heads the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group, walking ahead of a crowded delegation in Damascus before posing for photographs on Sunday.

A video released by the Turkish Anadolu state news agency showed the two men warmly greeting, shaking hands and hugging each other.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that his top diplomat would be going to Damascus to discuss the new structure in Syria.

Erdogan himself is reportedly considering a visit to Syria. Turkey's Charge d'Affaires in Syria, Burhan Koroglu Koroglu mentioned that Erdogan's visit might occur following Fidan's trip to Damascus.

Turkey's spy chief Ibrahim Kalin earlier visited the Syrian capital city on December 12, just a few days after Syria's militant groups led by ousted Syria's Bashar Assad after a lightning offensive.

Turkey has been a key backer of various militant groups opposing President Assad's rule over the Arab country in recent years.

However, Fidan has rejected claims by US President-elect Donald Trump that the militants' victory in Syria constituted an "unfriendly takeover" of the Arab country by Turkey.

Washington designated Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad's rule in Syria. But US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.

Sharaa's group was part of al Qaeda and had been confined to Idlib for years until going on the offensive in late November, sweeping through the cities of western Syria and into Damascus as the army melted away.

HTS along with many other militant groups seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to leave his country.

Turkey wants HTS chief to disband Kurdish groups in Syria

On Saturday, Fidan said that Turkey would do "whatever it takes" to ensure its security if the new Syrian administration cannot address Ankara's concerns about US-allied Kurdish groups it views as terrorist groups.

Hostilities have escalated since the fall of al-Assad less than two weeks ago, with Turkey and Syrian groups back seizing the city of Manbij from the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Dec. 9.

Turkey regards the YPG, the militant group spearheading the SDF, as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and are deemed terrorists by Ankara.

Ankara, alongside allied militant groups, has mounted several cross-border offensives against the YPG-led SDF in northern Syria, while repeatedly demanding that its NATO ally Washington halt support for the fighters.

In a recent interview, Fidan said Ankara's preferred option was for the new administration in Damascus to disband the YPG immediately.

"If it doesn't happen, we have to protect our own national security," he said. When asked if that included military action, Fidan said: "Whatever it takes."

Syria has been gripped by foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011.

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Iran's Supreme Leader Calls On Syrians To Resist Rebel Government

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda December 22, 2024

The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called on Syrians to resist the emerging rebel-led government after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad, saying the uprising was orchestrated by the West.

Speaking in an address on December 22, Khamenei said Syrians, especially the country's youth, "should stand with strong will against those who designed and those who implemented the insecurity."

Assad left the country in the late hours of December 8 after the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies -- some of whom are linked with Turkey -- overran government forces in a blitz offensive.

While Assad was granted political asylum in Russia by President Vladimir Putin after more than five decades of iron-fisted rule by his family, the HTS has since moved quickly to establish an interim government, and its leader, Riad al-Asaad, has said he is confident the factions that helped topple Assad will unite as one force.

HTS and the transitional government have insisted the rights of all Syrians will be protected, but Khamenei said he believes a group aligned with the Islamic republic's government would end up prevailing in Syria.

However, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on December 22.

Details of the meeting were not immediately released, but Turkey has long been seen as a backer of HTS as it looked to remove Assad.

The toppling of Assad was seen by many as another blow to Tehran, which has seen regional groups aligned with it -- parts of the so-called axis of resistance -- suffer major setbacks in the past 14 months.

Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, has been decimated by Israel, which launched a war against the group in the Gaza Strip and Hamas fighters in October 2023 crossed into Israel and killed 1,200 people while taking another 250 hostage.

That conflict spread to Lebanon, home of the Tehran-backed Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah's political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

Israel has severely weakened Hezbollah -- killing its longtime leader and many of its top officials -- after the group launched attacks on Israel that it said was in support of Hamas.

A U.S.-brokered deal to end hostilities in Lebanon took effect last month.

Khamenei downplayed the links to Iran, saying they have fought against Israel on their own beliefs.

"They keep saying that the Islamic republic lost its proxy forces in the region. This is another mistake. The Islamic republic does not have a proxy forces," he said.

"If one day we plan to take action, we do not need proxy force," he added.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-supreme-leader-syria- rebel-government/33249008.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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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Memorandum on the Delegation of Authority Under Section 506(a)(3) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961

December 20, 2024

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT: Delegation of Authority Under Section 506(a)(3)

of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 506(a)(3) of the FAA to direct the drawdown of up to $571.3 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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U.S. approves US$295 million arms sales to Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

12/21/2024 03:48 PM

Taipei, Dec. 21 (CNA) The United States government announced on Friday (U.S. time) the potential sales of upgraded tactical data link systems and gun mounts for ships to Taiwan, valued at around US$295 million.

It was the 19th arms sale approved by the administration of President Joe Biden to Taiwan.

In a press release, the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said it delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the latest arms sale on Friday.

The proposed arm sale includes the MIDS JTRS Variant 5, an enhancement to the Link-16 tactical data link system, for an estimated cost of US$265 million, the DSCA said.

The system would enhance Taiwan's "communications and network security for its command, control, communications, and computers (C4) capabilities," the DSCA said.

Also among the items were the MK 75-76 mm gun mounts and related equipment for an estimated cost of US$30 million, the DSCA said in another press release.

The gun mounts will improve Taiwan's "capability to meet current and future threats by providing surface and air defenses onboard various ships in inventory," it added.

In Taipei, the Ministry of National Defense expressed gratitude to the U.S. for the latest arms sale, which it said will continue to provide Taiwan with assistance in building sufficient self-defense capability and establishing a foundation to maintain regional stability.

The U.S. continues to implement its policy of "normalizing" arms sales to Taiwan and is fulfilling its steadfast commitment and support for helping to enhance Taiwan's self-defense capabilities and resilience, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added.

In a separate statement, the White House also announced a US$571.3 million military aid package for Taiwan to be delivered under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), a process under which the U.S. can send equipment and weapons from existing stocks without charge to its allied partners if it deems that they are in crises.

The statement, however, did not provide specific details about this latest package, which was the third of its kind to Taiwan after the US$567 million and US$345 million in aids announced on Sept. 30 this year and on July 28, 2023.

(By Wu Shu-wei and Ko Lin)

Enditem/cs

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December 22, 2024: Military leaders, when faced with peacetime decisions on how to fight the next war. Its common to seek answers in the last war they or others fought. For many nations, that is the Ukraine War and the Russian failure to win against its smaller opponent.

Russia is one of the few militarily aggressive nations. Thats because many Russians yearn for a revival of the Russian Empire. This was ultimately the Russian reason for invading Ukraine in 2022. President Vladimir Putin believed the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a tragedy that must be remedied. Putin also claimed portions of Poland as one of its future targets for absorption into Greater Russia, otherwise known as the Russian empire. Belarus, the Baltic States and some former Soviet territories in Central Asia are also on the acquisition list. None of these targets were willing to cooperate. Poland, as the largest and wealthiest East European NATO member, led the way by rearming to confront any future threat. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Poland increased the size of its military and obtained large quantities of modern weapons. Poland was one of the latest nations to join NATO, in 2009. Because of the Ukraine War, long-time neutrals Sweden and Finland joined NATO.

NATO nations near or bordering Russia believe that if Russia is allowed to keep any Ukrainian territory, the Russians will attack them eventually as part of an effort to reconstitute the Greater Russia that the tsars and later communists created and maintained until 1991. Russian leader Vladimir Putin believes the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a tragic event that must be rectified. Many Russians agree with that but are less willing to pay the economic and military price that Ukraine demonstrated would result if Russia tried.

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan are nervous because they are, after Ukraine, according to Vladimir Putin, on the list of former Soviet territories that must be absorbed into Greater Russia. That would be difficult because these three states have growing economic ties with China and diplomatic ties with India and the West.

Greater Russia was not just about rebuilding the tsarist or communist empires because Russia does not want the expense of ruling Central Asian states, but rather more lucrative territories Russian once ruled. This includes portions of Poland, all of the Baltic States and Finland, and parts of Alaska. There are some serious legal and practical problems with these claims. The United States has a larger military and nuclear weapons which might come into play if Russia made a serious effort to take Alaska, which Russia sold to the United States for $7.2 million in 1867. Thats $130 million in 2023 dollars. Alaska proved to be worth trillions as Russia never discovered the huge quantities of natural resources in Alaska.

Russia has since learned the value of natural resources. Russia is one of the largest oil producers in the world, along with Saudi Arabia and the United States. The problem is that the 14 new nations that were formerly part of the Soviet Union want nothing to do with joining a revived Soviet state. There are some serious legal problems with rebuilding the Soviet Union. Russia and nearly all nations in the world are members of the United Nations. Article 51 of the UN charter demands that members refrain from the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. Russia says this does not apply because Ukraine is a breakaway part of Russia and Russian troops are seeking to liberate Ukraine from NATO oppression. Ukraine is a UN member and protests Russian claims as well as the UN tolerating the Russian use of its Security Council veto to block any serious UN opposition to the Russian aggression.

The World Court has indicted Putin as a war criminal for misdeeds in Ukraine, some involving kidnapping children. Invading Ukraine has wrecked the Russian economy because of Western economic sanctions and the high cost of the war. It's reached the point where their railroad system is collapsing and Russia faces economic collapse and even famine in 2025.

Putin puts on a brave front and insists he has solutions to all these problems. The only positive thing to come out of the Ukraine war was the emergence of drone warfare. Implementing lessons learned from the Ukraine war, especially the widespread use of drones, if forcing military leaders worldwide to rethink how their forces are organized, armed and trained. For example a few thousand dollars worth of drones can and have destroyed $4.5 million M1 tanks. The U.S. has over 5,000 M1s available for use.

The Americans are not trying to develop and build cheap air-defense drones, which are already being used in Ukraine. The United States could buy them from Ukraine or build them under license in the United States. There are some other issues. In wartime drone designs evolve rapidly. Stockpiling thousands of drones produced in 2024 and 2025 would create a problem when using them a year or more after 2025. The enemy may have built more advanced drones in anticipation of offing them in a surprise attack. The American stockpiled drones would then be less useful because they are older designs. This is especially true with anti-drone drones, a recent development that is still evolving rapidly.

Meanwhile American defense manufacturers resist converting to drone production. There is less profit in cheap drones compared to multi-million dollar aircraft, tanks and air defense systems. It would take a wartime situation to force the defense firms to adapt to producing a lot of cheap drones.

Meanwhile American attempts to adopt the new drone tactics and technology developed, and still developing, in Ukraine have encountered problems. First, the U.S. is not at war and the military bureaucracy has a peacetime attitude towards any new technology. This includes the use of drones in Ukraine and the flood of practical experience and solutions passed by Ukraine. Current U.S. Army drones, when used in Ukraine, often encounter problems the Ukrainian drones dont. In a wartime situation, Ukrainians have been quick to make changes until they get the results they need.

The American military may want to implement the lessons of drone use in Ukraine, but American defense contractors and manufacturers feel compelled to modify and improve what the Ukrainians have done while they adapt Ukrainian drone tech to something new which United States forces can use and Congress will pay for. This process tends to lower the effectiveness of what the Ukrainians have created, while delaying the product and enriching the contractors and manufacturers. The lesser effectiveness is usually revealed the first time American troops use the U.S. version of Ukrainian drone tech. Something is lost in the tech translation. This is nothing new. Its been happening for over a century.

Adapting and adopting Ukrainian drone technology means there will be new drone modifications and upgrades for as long as the fighting in Ukraine lasts. These changes come quickly in wartime, and always have. In Ukraine, drone designs can be changed in less than a week. This is usually because the Russians have gained an edge with one of their recent tweaks.

While Ukraine has been in the forefront of developing and upgrading drone technology, the Russians have kept up. In war time you either keep up or become an inept underdog that falls farther and farther behind. The Russians have kept most of the time and, when they fail to keep up, suffer heavy losses.

The peacetime American military has no such wartime feedback loop. If someone in the defense procurement establishment says the current American drone tech is good, it is considered officially adequate. Sending U.S. drone adaptations to Ukraine for testing takes place, but often over the objections of some U.S. manufacturers. When tested in combat, some of the U.S. drones fail to deliver. When the Ukraine war ends, there will be no way to adequately test American drones. There may be other wars where American troops are involved and able to test the new drones. But it wont be in the intensely competitive atmosphere the Ukrainians and Russians created.

Ukraine has been writing the book on drone technology since 2022, with Russia contributing edits in real time. When that atmosphere is not present, the speed of developing new tech or maintaining current drones slows down a lot. This process is at work now as the U.S. Army orders drones based on Ukrainian designs. The American military procurement bureaucracy is infamously slow in adopting and manufacturing new weapons. This is especially true if a weapon was not invented by an American weapons manufacturer. It is feared that the Ukrainian drone revolution will be equally slow in actually reaching Americans soldiers and marines. Many military and Defense Department civilians are aware of this problem and see the drone development and procurement program as an opportunity to show that the United States can do it right and quickly. It is said that the Ukrainians suggested that the Americans have a toy company manufacture their drones because they are more efficient than the usual defense firms. Also, the toy companies have spare capacity for months before they have to start making toys for the holidays. Early in the war Ukraine relied on civilians in home workshops to design and build drones. Now that Ukraine is building millions of drones a year, most are built in underground factories. Drone manufacturing is a prime target for Russian drones and ballistic missiles.

In early 2024 Ukraine created a new branch of their military, the USF/Unmanned Systems Force. This is in addition to the Ukrainian Air Force that consists of manned aircraft. The USF does not control the drones which Ukrainian forces use regularly but instead contributes to developing new drone models and organizes mass production for those new models that are successful. The U.S. military took note of this but acting on it takes a lot longer for a peacetime military.

Drones were an unexpected development that had a huge impact on how battles in Ukraine's current war are fought. Drones were successful because they were cheap, easily modified, and expendable. Modifications and upgrades could be implemented quickly and inexpensively Both Russian and Ukrainian forces were soon using cheap quadcopter drones controlled by soldiers a few kilometers distant using FPV/First Person Viewing goggles to see what the day/night video camera on the drone can see. Adding night vision is available when needed, at a higher cost per drone. These drones cost a few hundred dollars each with the most complex models going for about a thousand dollars. Most of these drones carry half a kilogram of explosives, so it can instantly turn the drone into a flying bomb that can fly into a target and detonate. Some drones carry more explosives depending on what is needed to deal with a target.

These drones are awesome and debilitating weapons when used in large numbers. If a target isnt moving or requires more explosive power that the drones can supply, one of the drone operators can call in artillery, rocket, or missile fire, or even an airstrike. Larger, fixed wing drones are used for long range, often over a thousand kilometers, operations against targets deep inside Russia.

A major limitation to the expansion of drone operations is the need for trained drone operators. These operators need over a hundred hours of training before they are able to operate these drones at peak effectiveness. As operators spend more hours operating drones in combat, the number of new lessons learned and applied increases. Fortunately, adults or kids who play video games a lot are already trained. Ukrainian drone operators tend to use commercial game controllers. This is why when Ukraine recruits new drone operators, they favor those with video game experience.

The small drones 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 drone with a bullet or two and bring it down. Troops are rarely in position to do this, so most of these drones are able to complete their mission, whether it is a one-way attack or reconnaissance and surveillance. The recon missions are usually survivable and enable the drone to be reused. All these drones are constantly performing surveillance, which means that both sides commit enough drones to maintain constant surveillance over a portion of the front line, to a depth, into enemy territory, of at least a few kilometers. Longer range drones can track Russian operations hundreds of kilometers behind the front lines.

This massive use of FPV-armed drones has revolutionized warfare in Ukraine and both sides are producing as many as they can. Russia initially produced its own drones now after briefly using imported Iranian Shahed-136 drones that cost over $100,000 each. Ukraine demonstrated that you could design and build drones with similar capabilities at less than a tenth of that. The Iranian drone was more complex than it needed to be, and even the Russians soon realized this and turned from the Shahed-136 for more capable drones they copied from Ukrainian designs or their own.

Military leaders in other nations have noted this and are scrambling to equip their own forces with the most effective drones. 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 drones are still evolving in terms of design and use and are becoming more effective and essential.

One countermeasure that can work for a while is electronic jamming of the drones control signal. Drone guidance systems are constantly modified or upgraded to cope with this. Most drones have flight control software that sends drones with jammed control signals back to where they took off to land for reuse. The jammers on the ground can be attacked by drones programmed to home in on the jamming signal. 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 drones effective on the battlefield.
Taiwan's Cabinet to take countermeasures after contentious amendments passed

ROC Central News Agency

12/21/2024 04:18 PM

Taipei, Dec. 21 (CNA) Three packages of amendments approved by Taiwan's Legislature are "difficult to implement," Premier Cho Jung-tai () said on Saturday, noting that the Cabinet would take action to counter them.

In a statement, Cho said the law revisions pushed through by opposition parties would be "difficult to implement" and that the Cabinet would seek "remedies" under the Constitution.

With the support of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP), which together hold a majority of seats in the Legislature, the amendments passed on Friday after hours of brawls between lawmakers from the opposition and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Cho said the Cabinet "regrets" the passage of new measures to tighten recall petition requirements, curb the Constitutional Court's ability to rule on cases, and change central government revenue allocations.

He added that those provisions did not go through comprehensive discussions in the Legislature.

The premier did not specify what the executive branch planned to do next, and a Cabinet official who declined to be named said the matter was still being discussed.

Under current laws, the Cabinet can seek to reject a law passed by the Legislature by requesting the lawmaking body reconsider it, or, once the law takes effect, bring it to the Constitutional Court for adjudication.

Earlier this year, Cho's Cabinet took similar measures after the KMT and TPP lawmakers passed a package of revisions granting the Legislature broader investigative powers, most of which were ultimately struck down by the Constitutional Court.

DPP lawmakers, who had stormed into the legislative chamber the previous night in an attempt to block Friday's meeting, argued that the new measures had not been discussed thoroughly in committee, and inter-party negotiations had failed to resolve the differences.

President Lai Ching-te () also weighed in, noting that the measures would "deprive" citizens of their right to petition for a recall of elected officials, impose "unreasonable thresholds" for Constitutional Court rulings, and risk "endangering national security" by potentially forcing the government to cut back on defense spending.

Lai, who concurrently chairs the DPP, also made an enigmatic comment on Saturday, saying, without elaborating: "Democratic disputes should be resolved with even greater democracy."

KMT Chairman Eric Chu (), on the other hand, criticized the DPP lawmakers' break-ins and efforts to stall Friday's meeting, calling them an "attempt to paralyze the Legislature" in a social media post on Saturday.

The KMT also said the new measures would better prevent recall petitions from being "abused," avoid "biased" rulings by the Constitutional Court, and help alleviate "fiscal deficits" faced by local governments.

(By Teng Pei-ju and Lai Yu-chen)

Enditem/cs

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US $571.3m military assistance and $295m arms sales to Taiwan expose Biden administration's anxiety, says Chinese expert

Global Times

By Zhao Yusha Published: Dec 21, 2024 08:51 PM

US President Joe Biden approved $571.3 million in defense assistance for the island of Taiwan, the White House confirmed on Friday. On the same day, the US also announced the potential sales of upgraded tactical data link systems and gun mounts for ships to the island, valued at around $295 million.

Chinese experts believe that the Biden administration's frequent military sales and assistance moves before a change of US government are designed to pressure the next administration to adhere more closely to his policy framework regarding Taiwan question. However, they argue that these moves will have limited impact on the island's defense capabilities and primarily serve to enrich US arms manufacturers.

In a brief statement, the White House announced that Biden had authorized the drawdown "of up to $571.3 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to support Taiwan," according to AFP.

The statement did not provide details of the military assistance package of the $571.3 million. It was the third of its kind after the $567 million and $345 million in assistance announced on September 30 this year and on July 28, 2023.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, questioned why the US didn't reveal details of what the $571.3 million defense assistance consists of. He said it is likely the aid was given to Taiwan authority as a bait to purchase, "it's more like I give you some sweet and you spend money."

In September earlier this year, Taiwan authorities said they were looking into the issue of mouldy armour and expired ammunition among "unserviceable" US military equipment delivered to island of Taiwan, according to South China Morning Post.

The shipments included 120 water-damaged pallets containing more than 3,000 body armor plates and 500 tactical vests that were "soaking wet and covered in mould", according to the US Office of Inspector General, which launched an investigation after the matter was flagged by Taiwan officials.

The US government also announced on Friday the potential sales of parts for 76 mm autocannon and upgraded Link-16 system to Taiwan, valued at around $295 million.

Both the 76 mm autocannon and upgraded Link-16 system only serve to sustain the existing combat capabilities of the island of Taiwan, offering no significant improvements, Song told the Global Times.

Link 16 is part of a military tactical data network used by NATO members. It allows planes, ships and land-based vehicles to share near-real-time tactical information by text, image or voice, media reported.

76 mm autocannon is a type of shipborne gun used by the island's navy, also known as a naval gun, said Song.

One thing is clear, a large amount of money needs to be paid to American arms dealers, and the prices for these military purchases are often much higher than market rates, forcing the Taiwan authority to incur substantial expenses while primarily benefiting American arms manufacturers, Song said.

The military sales announced on Friday came less than a month after the US State Department approved the potential sale of spare parts for F-16 jets and radars to Taiwan valued at approximately $385 million, the Pentagon said on November 29.

On December 5, China took countermeasures against 13 US military firms and six senior executives in response to the US announcement of arms sales to China's Taiwan region.

The Taiwan question is China's domestic affairs, and it is the core of China's core interests. It is the first red line in China-US relations that cannot be crossed. The Chinese people are determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson from China's Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday in response to Pentagon report on China's military and security developments.

The US is intensifying military ties with Taiwan, accelerating the arming of island of Taiwan through arms sales and military aid, which seriously violates the one-China principle. This will only fuel the arrogance of "Taiwan secessionism" and escalate tensions in the Taiwan Straits, potentially leading to conflict and war, Zhang said.

China urges the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, to recognize the extreme danger of "Taiwan independence" separatism, to understand the serious consequences of playing with fire, to stop official exchanges and military contacts with island of Taiwan, and to cease condoning and supporting "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. The US should not continue down the wrong path, Zhang noted.

The first batch of US-made M1A2T tanks sold to the Taiwan island reportedly arrived in Taipei on December 15 following the arrival of accessory equipment of the tanks in Kaohsiung before, but a military expert from Chinese mainland said the tanks, trumpeted by media on the island as "the most powerful combat vehicle on the ground," are too bulky and heavy for island combat and will only serve as easy targets for drones and attack helicopters.

In response to an inquiry regarding claim by the Taiwan island's "defense ministry" that it had received "the most powerful combat vehicle on the ground" from the US, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on December 16 that China firmly opposes military ties between the US and the Taiwan island, opposes US arms sales to the island, stressing that China's position on this remains consistent and clear.

Traditionally, US presidents approaching the end of their term would refrain from making significant diplomatic moves. Yet the Biden administration has frequently approved arms sales or assistance to Taiwan before Biden leaves office, indicating an attempt to pressure the next administration to comply with his policies regarding Taiwan question, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

If the next administration were to deviate from the framework set by Biden, it would require significant effort to address the challenges created under Biden's policies, said Li.

Furthermore, Li stated that Biden administration's frequent moves are aimed at intensifying Washington's efforts to confront China using the Taiwan question. The military advantage that the mainland has over island of Taiwan is quite evident, which is why the US is now eagerly selling weapons to Taiwan region. This reflects the deep anxiety in of the Biden administration, said Li.

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China slams US military aid and arms sales to the Taiwan region, vowing resolute measures to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity

Global Times

US support limited in boosting island's military ability: expert

By Zhao Yusha Published: Dec 22, 2024 09:07 PM

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Sunday slammed the US after the latter announced a new round of military assistance worth $571.3 million and approval of $295 million worth of arms sales to Taiwan on Friday. China's Ministry of National Defense also slammed US arms sales and aid to Taiwan region on Saturday in response to Pentagon report on China's military and security developments.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Sunday that China firmly opposes the US providing weapons to China's Taiwan region in any form. This position is consistent and clear. US moves seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique, and contradict the serious commitment made by its leaders not to support "Taiwan independence," sending a seriously erroneous signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

The "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and external interference are the greatest threats to peace in the Taiwan Straits. We demand that the US immediately stop arming Taiwan and handle the Taiwan issue with utmost prudence. We warn the Democratic Progressive Party authorities that relying on the US to seek independence and using military means to pursue independence is a path to self-destruction. We will take resolute and strong measures to firmly defend national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, said Zhu.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday that the US once again approved military assistance and arms sales to China's Taiwan region, China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it and lodged serious protests at once with the US.

The spokesperson said the US move violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982, and China's sovereignty and security interests. The decision is a severe breach of the US leaders' commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," and sends a gravely wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations. To aid "Taiwan independence" by arming Taiwan is just like playing with fire and will get the US burned, and to use the Taiwan question to contain China is doomed to fail. China urges the US to immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop the dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits. We will take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, the spokesperson said.

US President Joe Biden approved $571.3 million in defense assistance for the island of Taiwan, the White House confirmed on Friday. On the same day, the US also announced the potential sales of upgraded tactical data link systems and gun mounts for ships to the island, valued at around $295 million.

The Taiwan question is China's domestic affairs, and it is the core of China's core interests. It is the first red line in China-US relations that cannot be crossed. The Chinese people are determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson from China's Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday in response to Pentagon report on China's military and security developments, adding that no matter when or who wants to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese people and the Chinese military will never agree.

The US is intensifying military collusion with Taiwan region, accelerating the arming of island of Taiwan through arms sales and military assistance, which seriously violates the one-China principle. This will only fuel the arrogance of "Taiwan secessionism" and escalate tensions in the Taiwan Straits, potentially leading to conflict and war, Zhang said.

China urges the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, to recognize the extreme danger of "Taiwan independence" secessionism, to understand the serious consequences of playing with fire, to stop official exchanges and military contacts with island of Taiwan, and to cease condoning and supporting "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. The US should not continue down the wrong path, Zhang noted.

Chinese experts believe that the Biden administration's frequent military sales and assistance moves before a change of US government are designed to pressure the next administration to adhere more closely to his policy framework regarding Taiwan question. However, they argue that these moves will have limited boost on the island's military capabilities and primarily serve the interests of US arms manufacturers.

In a brief statement, the White House announced that Biden had authorized the drawdown "of up to $571.3 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to support Taiwan," according to AFP.

The statement did not provide details of the military assistance package of the $571.3 million. It was the third of its kind after the $567 million and $345 million in assistance announced on September 30 this year and on July 28, 2023.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, questioned why the US didn't reveal details of what the $571.3 million defense assistance consists of. He said it is likely the aid was given to Taiwan authorities as a bait to purchase, "it's more like I give you some sweet and you spend money."

In September earlier this year, Taiwan authorities said they were looking into the issue of mouldy armour and expired ammunition among "unserviceable" US military equipment delivered to island of Taiwan, according to South China Morning Post.

The shipments included 120 water-damaged pallets containing more than 3,000 body armor plates and 500 tactical vests that were "soaking wet and covered in mould", according to the US Office of Inspector General, which launched an investigation after the matter was flagged by Taiwan authority.

The US government also announced on Friday the potential sales of parts for 76 mm autocannon and upgraded Link-16 system to Taiwan, valued at around $295 million.

Both the 76 mm autocannon and upgraded Link-16 system only serve to sustain the existing combat capabilities of the island of Taiwan, offering no significant improvements, Song told the Global Times.

Link 16 is part of a military tactical data network used by NATO members. It allows planes, ships and land-based vehicles to share near-real-time tactical information by text, image or voice, media reported.

76 mm autocannon is a type of shipborne gun used by the island's navy, also known as a naval gun, said Song.

One thing is clear, a large amount of money needs to be paid to American arms dealers, and the prices for these military purchases are often much higher than market rates, forcing the Taiwan authority to incur substantial expenses while primarily benefiting American arms manufacturers, Song said.

Deep anxiety of Biden admin

The arms sales announced on Friday came less than a month after the US State Department approved the potential sale of spare parts for F-16 jets and radars to Taiwan region valued at approximately $385 million, the Pentagon said on November 29.

On December 5, China took countermeasures against 13 US military firms and six senior executives in response to the US' recent announcement of arms sales to China's Taiwan region.

The first batch of US-made M1A2T tanks sold to the Taiwan island reportedly arrived in Taipei on December 15 following the arrival of accessory equipment of the tanks in Kaohsiung before, but a military expert from Chinese mainland said the tanks, trumpeted by media on the island as "the most powerful combat vehicle on the ground," are too bulky and heavy for island combat and will only serve as easy targets for drones and attack helicopters.

In response to an inquiry regarding claim by the Taiwan island's "defense ministry" that it had received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the US, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on December 16 that China firmly opposes military ties between the US and the Taiwan island, opposes US arms sales to the island, stressing that China's position on this remains consistent and clear.

Traditionally, US presidents approaching the end of their term would refrain from making significant diplomatic moves. Yet the Biden administration has frequently approved arms sales or assistance to Taiwan region before Biden leaves office, indicating an attempt to pressure the next administration to comply with his policies regarding Taiwan question, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

If the next administration were to deviate from the framework set by Biden, it would require significant effort to address the challenges created under Biden's policies, said Li.

Furthermore, Li stated that Biden administration's frequent moves are aimed at intensifying Washington's efforts to confront China using the Taiwan question. The military advantage that the mainland has over island of Taiwan is quite evident, which is why the US is now more frequently selling weapons to Taiwan region. This reflects the deep anxiety in of the Biden administration, said Li.

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Arming Taiwan to aid 'Taiwan independence' is like 'playing with fire and will get the US burned,' says Chinese FM

Global Times

By Zhao Yusha Published: Dec 21, 2024 08:51 PM Updated: Dec 22, 2024 07:29 PM

In response to the US announcement of military assistance worth $571.3 million and approval of $295 million worth of arms sales to Taiwan on Friday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday that China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it and lodged serious protests at once with the US.

The spokesperson said the US move violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982, and China's sovereignty and security interests. The decision is a severe breach of the US leaders' commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," and sends a gravely wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations. To aid "Taiwan independence" by arming Taiwan is just like playing with fire and will get the US burned, and to use the Taiwan question to contain China is doomed to fail. China urges the US to immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop the dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits. We will take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, the spokesperson said.

US President Joe Biden approved $571.3 million in defense assistance for the island of Taiwan, the White House confirmed on Friday. On the same day, the US also announced the potential sales of upgraded tactical data link systems and gun mounts for ships to the island, valued at around $295 million.

Chinese experts believe that the Biden administration's frequent military sales and assistance moves before a change of US government are designed to pressure the next administration to adhere more closely to his policy framework regarding Taiwan question. However, they argue that these moves will have limited impact on the island's defense capabilities and primarily serve to enrich US arms manufacturers.

In a brief statement, the White House announced that Biden had authorized the drawdown "of up to $571.3 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to support Taiwan," according to AFP.

The statement did not provide details of the military assistance package of the $571.3 million. It was the third of its kind after the $567 million and $345 million in assistance announced on September 30 this year and on July 28, 2023.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, questioned why the US didn't reveal details of what the $571.3 million defense assistance consists of. He said it is likely the aid was given to Taiwan authority as a bait to purchase, "it's more like I give you some sweet and you spend money."

In September earlier this year, Taiwan authorities said they were looking into the issue of mouldy armour and expired ammunition among "unserviceable" US military equipment delivered to island of Taiwan, according to South China Morning Post.

The shipments included 120 water-damaged pallets containing more than 3,000 body armor plates and 500 tactical vests that were "soaking wet and covered in mould", according to the US Office of Inspector General, which launched an investigation after the matter was flagged by Taiwan officials.

The US government also announced on Friday the potential sales of parts for 76 mm autocannon and upgraded Link-16 system to Taiwan, valued at around $295 million.

Both the 76 mm autocannon and upgraded Link-16 system only serve to sustain the existing combat capabilities of the island of Taiwan, offering no significant improvements, Song told the Global Times.

Link 16 is part of a military tactical data network used by NATO members. It allows planes, ships and land-based vehicles to share near-real-time tactical information by text, image or voice, media reported.

76 mm autocannon is a type of shipborne gun used by the island's navy, also known as a naval gun, said Song.

One thing is clear, a large amount of money needs to be paid to American arms dealers, and the prices for these military purchases are often much higher than market rates, forcing the Taiwan authority to incur substantial expenses while primarily benefiting American arms manufacturers, Song said.

The military sales announced on Friday came less than a month after the US State Department approved the potential sale of spare parts for F-16 jets and radars to Taiwan valued at approximately $385 million, the Pentagon said on November 29.

On December 5, China took countermeasures against 13 US military firms and six senior executives in response to the US announcement of arms sales to China's Taiwan region.

The Taiwan question is China's domestic affairs, and it is the core of China's core interests. It is the first red line in China-US relations that cannot be crossed. The Chinese people are determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson from China's Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday in response to Pentagon report on China's military and security developments.

The US is intensifying military ties with Taiwan, accelerating the arming of island of Taiwan through arms sales and military aid, which seriously violates the one-China principle. This will only fuel the arrogance of "Taiwan secessionism" and escalate tensions in the Taiwan Straits, potentially leading to conflict and war, Zhang said.

China urges the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, to recognize the extreme danger of "Taiwan independence" separatism, to understand the serious consequences of playing with fire, to stop official exchanges and military contacts with island of Taiwan, and to cease condoning and supporting "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. The US should not continue down the wrong path, Zhang noted.

The first batch of US-made M1A2T tanks sold to the Taiwan island reportedly arrived in Taipei on December 15 following the arrival of accessory equipment of the tanks in Kaohsiung before, but a military expert from Chinese mainland said the tanks, trumpeted by media on the island as "the most powerful combat vehicle on the ground," are too bulky and heavy for island combat and will only serve as easy targets for drones and attack helicopters.

In response to an inquiry regarding claim by the Taiwan island's "defense ministry" that it had received "the most powerful combat vehicle on the ground" from the US, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on December 16 that China firmly opposes military ties between the US and the Taiwan island, opposes US arms sales to the island, stressing that China's position on this remains consistent and clear.

Traditionally, US presidents approaching the end of their term would refrain from making significant diplomatic moves. Yet the Biden administration has frequently approved arms sales or assistance to Taiwan before Biden leaves office, indicating an attempt to pressure the next administration to comply with his policies regarding Taiwan question, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

If the next administration were to deviate from the framework set by Biden, it would require significant effort to address the challenges created under Biden's policies, said Li.

Furthermore, Li stated that Biden administration's frequent moves are aimed at intensifying Washington's efforts to confront China using the Taiwan question. The military advantage that the mainland has over island of Taiwan is quite evident, which is why the US is now eagerly selling weapons to Taiwan region. This reflects the deep anxiety in of the Biden administration, said Li.

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Chinese FM, Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council slam US military aid and arms sales to the Taiwan region, vowing resolute measures to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 22, 2024 02:39 PM Updated: Dec 22, 2024 07:20 PM

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Sunday slammed the US after the latter announced a new round of military assistance worth $571.3 million and approval of $295 million worth of arms sales to Taiwan on Friday. China's Ministry of National Defense also slammed US arms sales and aid to Taiwan region on Saturday in response to Pentagon report on China's military and security developments.

A spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Sunday that China firmly opposes the US providing weapons to Taiwan in any form. This position is consistent and clear. US moves seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique, and contradict the serious commitment made by its leaders not to support "Taiwan independence," sending a seriously erroneous signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

The "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and external interference are the greatest threats to peace in the Taiwan Straits. We demand that the US immediately stop arming Taiwan and handle the Taiwan issue with utmost prudence. We warn the Democratic Progressive Party authorities that relying on the US to seek independence and using military means to pursue independence is a path to self-destruction. We will take resolute and strong measures to firmly defend national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, said Zhu.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday that China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it and lodged serious protests at once with the US.

The spokesperson said the US move violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982, and China's sovereignty and security interests. The decision is a severe breach of the US leaders' commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," and sends a gravely wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations. To aid "Taiwan independence" by arming Taiwan is just like playing with fire and will get the US burned, and to use the Taiwan question to contain China is doomed to fail. China urges the US to immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop the dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits. We will take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, the spokesperson said.

US President Joe Biden approved $571.3 million in defense assistance for the island of Taiwan, the White House confirmed on Friday. Separately, the US Defense Department said Friday that $295 million in military sales had been approved.

The Taiwan question is China's domestic affairs, and it is the core of China's core interests. It is the first red line in China-US relations that cannot be crossed. The Chinese people are determined to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson from China's Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday in response to Pentagon report on China's military and security developments.

The US is intensifying military ties with Taiwan, accelerating the arming of island of Taiwan through arms sales and military aid, which seriously violates the one-China principle. This will only fuel the arrogance of "Taiwan secessionism" and escalate tensions in the Taiwan Straits, potentially leading to conflict and war, Zhang said.

China urges the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, to recognize the extreme danger of "Taiwan independence" separatism, to understand the serious consequences of playing with fire, to stop official exchanges and military contacts with island of Taiwan, and to cease condoning and supporting "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. The US should not continue down the wrong path, Zhang noted.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on the US Announcement of Military Assistance and Arms Sales to China's Taiwan Region

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: December 22, 2024 10:40

Q: On December 21, the White House announced military assistance worth US$571.3 million to Taiwan. The US Department of Defense announced on the same day that the State Department has approved US$295 million worth of arms sales to Taiwan. What's China's comment?

A: The US once again approved military assistance and arms sales to China's Taiwan region. This seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982, and China's sovereignty and security interests. The decision is a severe breach of the US leaders' commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," and sends a gravely wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it and lodged serious protests at once with the US.

The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations. To aid "Taiwan independence" by arming Taiwan is just like playing with fire and will get the US burned, and to use the Taiwan question to contain China is doomed to fail. China urges the US to immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop the dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We will take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.



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PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

ROC Ministry of National Defense

2024/12/22

PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

1. Date:

6 to 6 a.m. (UTC+8) Saturday to Sunday, Dec. 21-22

2.PLA activities:

11 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 8 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, and entered Taiwan's southwestern and southeastern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities.

Diagram of PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

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"A new constitution is not a luxury but a belated necessity for Turkiye"

Presidency of The Republic of Turkey

21.12.2024

Speaking at a meeting with representatives of NGOs in Mugla, President Erdogan said: "A new constitution is not a luxury but a belated necessity for Turkiye. Steps taken in this direction will help us achieve our goal of the Century of Turkiye more easily and more rapidly."

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a speech during a meeting with representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Mugla.

"WE HAVE BEEN WORKING DAY AND NIGHT TO SERVE TURKIYE IN ITS ENTIRETY"

Stressing that the ruling party's guiding principle has been to win over hearts and prayers of the nation during their 22 years in power, President Erdogan said: "We have been working day and night to serve Turkiye in its entirety without excluding anyone, whether they vote for us or not. I would like to re-emphasize that there is no place for discrimination in our political philosophy, nor for marginalizing anyone due to their faith, preferences, or the political parties they subscribe to. Each one of our 85 million citizens is our true brother and sister, regardless of their ethnicity, worldview or electoral preference. As I always say, we are a giant family of 85 million."

"WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED MANY CRUCIAL REFORMS THAT WERE UNIMAGINABLE BEFORE US"

Drawing attention to the revival Turkiye has experienced over the past 22 years, President Erdogan said: "We reached a growth of 1.130 trillion dollars last year in Turkiye, whose economic growth was 230 billion dollars in 2002. We forecast our national income to reach 1.331 trillion dollars by the end of 2024 and our income per capita to reach 15.551 dollars."

Noting that Turkiye's export figures have increased from some 36 billion dollars to over 261 billion dollars in the past 22 years, President Erdogan added: "With determination, perseverance and patience, we have implemented many crucial reforms that were unimaginable before us, and have taken countless steps in the realms of rights and freedoms. We have taken Turkiye to these days with safety and stability, and more importantly, with unity and solidarity."

"WE NEED A DEMOCRATIC, INCLUSIVE AND LIBERTARIAN CONSTITUTION"

Stressing the need for a new constitution in Turkiye, President Erdogan further stressed: "Even though the opposition turns a deaf ear to our sincere calls, we need a democratic, inclusive and libertarian constitution drafted by the hands of civilians. A new constitution is not a luxury but a belated necessity for Turkiye. Steps taken in this direction will help us achieve our goal of the Century of Turkiye more easily and more rapidly."

Expressing his pleasure to see that most of the parties at the parliament are in agreement on many issues, President Erdogan said: "AK Party and the People's Alliance have a strong and dynamic will for a new constitution. We hope that the parliament, which has the most pluralistic arithmetic of recent years now at its 28th term, will fulfill what is expected of it. We, therefore, will come closer to our goal of leaving a freer, more prosperous and stronger country to our children."

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Ukraine Hits Kazan Buildings In Latest Display Of Drone Power

By RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service December 21, 2024

KAZAN, Russia -- Ukraine struck high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan, in the latest display of its growing drone capabilities.

The December 21 attacks came in three waves between 7:40 a.m. and 9:20 a.m., the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The ministry said the drones were of Ukrainian origin. Western experts said they appeared to be Ukraine's Lyitiy model, a light, aircraft-like drone. Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the strike.

The press service of Rustam Minnikhanov, the leader of Tatarstan, said in a statement that eight drones attacked the city. According to the statement, six struck luxury residential buildings, one struck an industrial facility, and one was shot down over a river.

In a post on its Telegram channel, Kazan mayor's office said the drones struck targets in three districts of the city.

Two drones slammed into the upper floors of a 37-story luxury skyscraper, according to videos posted on social media. The strikes, which were about 30 minutes apart, hit the glass-and-metal building in roughly the same spot.

Schools Evacuated

RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service reported that pupils were evacuated from schools in the Soviet district of Kazan and that sirens could be heard in the city.

There were no casualties, local authorities said.

According to Interfax reports, Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin said that people had been evacuated from the affected buildings and were being provided with accommodation and food. The mayor said that all large events in the city would be canceled over the weekend.

Kazan, one of the wealthiest cities in Russia, is approximately 800 kilometers east of Moscow.

In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said that a "Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan by the air defense forces on duty."

Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency said in a statement that "temporary restrictions were imposed at Kazan Airport on the morning of December 21 in order to ensure the safety of civilian flights. Both arrivals and departures are suspended." The ban has since been lifted.

Ukrainian drone attacks have previously targeted Russian military and industrial locations in Tatarstan.

Local authorities on May 15 shut down two major airports -- one in Kazan and another in the city of Nizhnekamsk -- for several hours "for security reasons" following a drone attack. The Russian Defense Ministry said that "a Ukrainian drone" was shot down over Tatarstan.

In April, Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery in Tatarstan and a dormitory in the Alabuga special economic zone in Yelabuga, which hosts more than 20 industrial enterprises, including chemical, mechanical engineering, and metal treatment factories. It also reportedly houses a facility producing drones.

Drone Surge

Ukraine has been investing heavily in drone production in part to compensate for its shortage in manpower on the battlefield.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry said earlier this month that it had transferred 1.2 million drones to the armed forces through the first 11 months of 2024, including more than 6,000 deep strike drones. Ukraine's drone production is now close to parity with Russia, experts have said.

Kyiv has used its long-range drone capacity to hit objects crucial to Russia's war effort, such as weapons and energy facilities. It has tried to avoid civilian targets in part amid concern about backlash from its Western backers.

In the summer of 2023, Ukrainian drones twice struck the floors of a high-rise building in Moscow's business district housing Russian government ministries.

Experts speculated whether the skyscraper in Kazan that was struck twice was home to someone connected with Russia's war effort.

Zelenskiy said that Ukraine will continue to target military objects in Russia with drones and missiles.

"We will definitely continue to strike Russian military facilities - with drones and missiles, and increasingly Ukrainian ones, at precisely those military bases, at precisely that Russian military infrastructure that is used in such terror against our people," he said in his regular nightly video address to the nation.

In the meantime, Russia has continued its regular attacks against Ukraine, including civilian targets. Russia's armed forces launched 113 drone attacks against Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force on December 21. Of those drones, 57 were shot down, and 56 others were unable to reach their targets, the air force said.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/drones-attacks-kazan- russia-tatarstan/33248068.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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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Air-Raid Warning Declared Across Ukraine As Russian Strikes Continue

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service December 21, 2024

KVIV -- An air-raid warning has been declared in all regions of Ukraine due to possible ballistic missile strikes, Ukrainian military authorities said.

Russia continued its regular attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure overnight, launching 113 drone attacks, according to the Ukrainian Air Force on December 21. Of those drones, 57 were shot down, and 56 others were unable to reach their targets, the air force said.

The Ukrainian Air Force also said Russia had fired one surface-to-air S-400 missile at central Ukraine, but it did not cause any damage or casualties.

RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported that in the eastern Ukrainian Zaporizhzhya and Kharkiv regions downed drones damaged apartment buildings, causing casualties.

Ukraine was under a general air-raid alert for several hours on December 20 as Russia launched missile and drone attacks against the capital, Kyiv, and several other regions around the country.

Russian Advance

The latest attacks come as Ukrainian forces are struggling to stop Russia's rapid advance in the east of the country.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on December 21 that Russian forces had taken control of the village of Kostyantynopolske in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region.

The claim about the village, called Ostrovsky by Russia, could not be independently confirmed by Reuters.

Meanwhile, Reuters quoted Aleksandr Khinshtein, the acting governor of Russia's Kursk region, as saying that six people, including one child, were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on December 20 on the town of Rylsk.

Ukraine seized territory in the Kursk region in an incursion in August but has since given up about half its territorial gains.

Drones, thought to be from Ukraine, hit high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's republic of Tatarstan, with the attacks causing the city's airport to temporarily suspend flights. No casualties were reported.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/air-raid-warning-attacks-kyiv- ukraine/33248178.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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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Timor-Leste, China agree to strengthen bilateral cooperation

Xinhua) 10:35, December 23, 2024

DILI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Timor-Leste and China agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various aspects during meetings held between Timorese leaders and a senior Chinese political advisor.

Timorese President Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao on Friday met separately with Qin Boyong, vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, who is also the executive vice chairperson of the Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association.

Qin said that China is willing to work with Timor-Leste to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, and promote the continuous progress of bilateral relations toward building a community with a shared future.

The Timorese leaders expressed gratitude to China for its valuable support for Timor-Leste's development and said bilateral relations enjoy a solid foundation and are full of vitality, expressing hope to deepen development cooperation with China.

They noted that Timor-Leste firmly adheres to the one-China principle and believes that the South China Sea issue should be peacefully resolved by the parties concerned through bilateral negotiations.

Qin, who is on a visit to Timor-Leste from Friday to Sunday, also met with Maria Fernanda Lay, president of Timor-Leste's National Parliament, and Deputy Prime Minister Francisco Kalbuadi Lay.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
December 23, 2024: Ukrainian special operations detachments have operated in places like Africa and the Middle East to injure the Russians and find out what they are up to. These Ukrainian forces popped up in Syria 6-7 months ago, and the Turks recently revealed that they began cooperating at that time with the then Syrian HTS terrorist group located in Idlib province in northeastern Syria to overthrow the former Assad government. It came out last month that Ukrainian special operators had trained the HST rebels in the use of UAVs and provided them with a bunch of UAVs to overthrow the Assad government. Idlib province has land borders only with Turkey, Syria and Hezbollah-controlled portions of Lebanon, so the Ukrainians only access to HTS, and provide it with UAVs, was via Turkey. So Turkey and Ukraine cooperated with each other as well as HTS in overthrowing the Assad regime.

The Ukrainians continue to contend with the Russians in Syria. The Russians are negotiating with HTS for permission to continue operating the military bases in Syria which the old Assad government had leased to them. Ukraine has offered a considerable amount of yearly wheat deliveries if the HTS government denies the Russian base requests. The HTS government needs a lot more food than the Assad government did because it now feed a much larger Syrian population. At least six million Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and crowded into the former terrorist-controlled Idlib province are now coming home.
We Will Definitely Continue to Strike Russian Military Targets Used in The Terror Against Our People - Address by the President

President of Ukraine

21 December 2024 - 18:26

Dear Ukrainians!

Today, the removal of debris and rubble in Kyiv following yesterday's missile attack has been completed. And today, the works also continue throughout the day in our Kherson after Russian bombs hit an oncology center. Fortunately, there were no casualties: people - patients and medical staff - had taken shelter. This center remained operational even during the war, in a limited capacity - providing only those services that could not be relocated from Kherson to other hospitals in the region.

In particular, the linear accelerator was located exclusively there, in Kherson, and it was the only place in the city offering radiotherapy treatment. The Russians could not have been unaware that this is specifically a medical facility, and one of great value to the residents of Kherson. So this deliberate strike was nothing less than a heinous act of cruelty against civilians.

There were also Russian strikes on Kharkiv, on Nikopol, on the Donetsk region. It is pure terror, deliberately carried out by Russia, for which these inhumane individuals from Russian aviation are even being rewarded. But they will certainly be held accountable - the time will come.

And we will definitely continue to strike Russian military targets - with drones and missiles, increasingly with Ukrainian-made ones, specifically targeting military bases and Russian military infrastructure used in this terror against our people.

Our defense is entirely just. I thank all those around the world who support Ukraine in this, particularly those advocating for increased defense spending in European countries, for the modernization and technological advancement of arsenals in Europe. And I thank all those who ensure that the pressure on Russia for this war is increased.

I would also like to commend our rescuers and police officers who have been particularly outstanding in helping people these weeks.

Donetsk region: employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the region Henadii Demydenko, Vladyslav Pospelov, Serhii Akhmetin, Oleksandr Hurtovyi, Yaroslav Zaitsev, and police officers Yevhenii Musiichuk and Yevhen Afendikov. Thank you, guys!

Kharkiv region: Ruslan Kurbanov, Mykhailo Kovalenko, Volodymyr Obolentsev, Mykhailo Chornomorets, Dmytro Kushnir - these are employees of the State Emergency Service - as well as officers of the National Police in the region Oleksii Nesterenko, Inna Kucherenko and Oleksandr Sukhar. Thank you!

Zaporizhzhia: employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia region Serhii Safronov, Vitalii Sheremet, Oleksandr Sychov, Viacheslav Penchev and Ihor Dubinin, police officers Vitalii Pustovar, Yevhen Kulyk and Valerii Kurbakov. Thank you!

And also, the employees of the Interregional Center for Rapid Response of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Zhurid and Andrii Balashov. Employees of the Mobile Rescue Center of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Vitalii Loik and Mykola Koloda. Rescuers from the Cherkasy region Vladyslav Berdnyk and Oleksandr Kucherenko. And Kyiv rescuers Viktor Balatsky and Yurii Palienko. Thank you, all of you, I am very grateful to your colleagues and everyone who works for Ukraine and Ukrainians!

I thank everyone who defends our state!

Glory to Ukraine!

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Continued Assistance to Ukraine and Steps Toward a Just Peace: The Office of the President Hosted a Meeting with Austrian Diplomat

President of Ukraine

21 December 2024 - 13:55

Ihor Zhovkva met with the Secretary General for Foreign Affairs at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria, Nikolaus Marschik.

The meeting focused on expanding Austria's support for Ukraine, following the talks between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Paris.

Ihor Zhovkva thanked Austria for the humanitarian and financial assistance it has provided to Ukraine, and for offering temporary shelter to our people; he also spoke about the work of the newly established Ministry of National Unity.

The Deputy Head of the Office of the President particularly emphasized: it is important to coordinate the joint position of European countries on how to achieve a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed continued assistance in humanitarian demining and the involvement of Austrian companies in reconstruction projects.

The Austrian diplomat pledged further support for Ukraine and expressed his readiness to facilitate Ukraine's rapid progress in EU accession negotiations.

Ihor Zhovkva commended the decision by Austria's OMV to terminate its contract with Gazprom for the supply of Russian gas to Austria.

"This marked a fundamental change in your country's approach to the energy sector and a significant contribution to Europe's energy independence from Russian energy carriers," he stressed.

In addition, Ihor Zhovkva invited Austria to join the G7 Joint Declaration on Support for Ukraine and to consider signing a bilateral agreement.

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Russia downs over 40 Ukrainian drones as Putin vows 'destruction' on Kiev

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 22 December 2024 2:49 PM

Russia's Defense Ministry says its air forces have destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones over five regions in the country.

The ministry said in a post on Telegram on Sunday that at least 42 drones were shot down overnight.

One attack triggered a fire at a fuel infrastructure facility in the village of Stalnoi Kon, said Andrei Klychkov, the governor of Oryol.

He said, "Thanks to the quick response, the consequences of the attack were avoided - the fire was promptly localized and is now fully extinguished."

"There were no casualties or significant damage."

There were no casualties in the other regions either, according to the authorities.

On Saturday, Ukraine attacked residential buildings in the central Russian city of Kazan, which prompted a response from President Vladimir Putin on Sunday.

The Russian president vowed to bring more "destruction" to Ukraine in retaliation for the attack.

"Whoever, and however much they try to destroy, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they are trying to do in our country," he said.

Putin has previously warned that the country's air forces will target the center of the Ukrainian capital Kiev with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to an attack on Russian soil.

On Friday, a new report published by Bloomberg said that Ukraine will eventually be forced to make territorial concessions to settle the conflict with Russia.

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Russia Launches Massive Drone Attack As Putin Vows Revenge For Kyiv's Attack On Kazan

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service December 22, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed revenge over Kyiv's attack a day earlier on high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan, as Russia launched a massive drone attack at Ukraine on December 22.

More than the 100 drones that Russia launched in the December 22 attack were shot down, according to Ukraine's military. Businesses and apartment buildings were damaged in the Russian attacks, though at this point, the military said, "without casualties."

The regions of Kherson, Mykolayiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr, and Kyiv all saw drones fired in their direction, with 52 of the total 103 shot down, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.

Russia has stepped up its air attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying on December 21 that Moscow has launched more than 550 guided bombs, almost 550 drones, and 20 missiles over the past week.

Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure since the start of the war, stepping up attacks especially at the onset of the cold season, causing maximum difficulties and lengthy power cuts for Ukrainians for the third winter in a row. It has also been accused by Kyiv of targeting residential buildings, which Moscow denies.

Russia's massive attack comes a day after Ukraine struck high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan.

Putin vowed to bring more "destruction" to Ukraine in retaliation for the drone attack on Kazan.

"Whoever tries to destroy something here will face many times more destruction on their own territory and will regret what they are trying to do in our country," Putin said during a televised meeting.

On December 22, Ukraine appeared to again strike inside Russian territory.

Andrey Klychkov, the head of Oryol region near the border with Ukraine, said a fire broke out at a fuel infrastructure facility in the village of Stalnoy Kon after the area came under a drone attack, the second in a week.

Kyiv has not commented on the accusation, but footage on social media showed what appeared to be explosions in the area.

Ukraine has been investing heavily in drone production in part to compensate for its shortage in manpower on the battlefield.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry said earlier this month that it had transferred 1.2 million drones to the armed forces through the first 11 months of 2024, including more than 6,000 deep strike drones. Ukraine's drone production is now close to parity with Russia, experts have said.

Kyiv has used its long-range drone capacity to hit objects crucial to Russia's war effort, such as weapons and energy facilities. It has tried to avoid civilian targets in part amid concern about backlash from its Western backers.

Kazan, one of the wealthiest cities in Russia, is approximately 800 kilometers east of Moscow.

With reporting by AFP and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/33248977.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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's Human Rights Ombudsman Accuses Russian Forces Of Executing 5 POWs

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service December 22, 2024

Russian forces executed five Ukrainian prisoners of war according to the latest war crime allegation against Russian troops raised by Ukraine's ombudsman for human rights.

Dmytro Lubinets said on December 22 that Russian troops shot the five unarmed soldiers at point-blank range after they had surrendered. He gave no details but said on Telegram that a Ukrainian military unit had released a video showing the alleged shooting.

"I will report this fact to the UN and the ICRC," he said.

"Russian war criminals who shoot Ukrainian prisoners of war should be brought before an international tribunal and punished with the most severe punishment provided for by law," Lubinets added.

Russia did not immediately comment on the accusation but has previous denied committing war crimes.

Lubinets said earlier this month that there had been 177 confirmed cases of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by the Russian military since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin in October called the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian soldiers a deliberate policy of the Russian Federation.

Kostin said in a statement on October 15 that torture and executions without trial and investigation are used as weapons of war, intimidation, and destruction.

"We can prove that these cases are not isolated incidents but an organized and targeted policy," Kostin said.

The Institute for the Study of War reported in October it had observed an increase in Russian forces executing Ukrainian POWs, adding that "Russian commanders are likely writ large condoning, encouraging, or directly ordering the execution of Ukrainian POWs."

A Ukrainian open-source intelligence project reported on October 13 that Russian forces executed nine Ukrainian POWs near the village of Zeleny Shlyakh in the Kursk region on October 10.

Lubinets condemned those executions as a serious violation of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of POWs and stated that he sent letters to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the case.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-pows-lubinets- executions/33249116.html

Copyright (c) 2024. 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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President: All Forms of Diplomacy that Can Strengthen Ukraine Must Work for Ukraine

President of Ukraine

22 December 2024 - 14:04

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Ukrainian diplomats and diplomatic service employees, congratulated them on their professional holiday and thanked them for their work for the interests of Ukraine and our people.

"Being an ambassador of Ukraine, being a Ukrainian diplomat, means being someone who can give a clear and specific answer to the question of what exactly you have done to bring peace closer and to protect the interests of Ukraine and Ukrainians. The coming year will be decisive in terms of this very mission. We must do everything to make 2025 the year of a just peace for Ukraine," the President emphasized.

The President called for strengthening relations with key partners - the United States and European countries - while responding to shifts in the internal balance of power and sentiments in the Middle East, the Gulf region, North Africa, the Sahel, and Latin America. He also emphasized the importance of advancing Ukraine's interests in relations with China, India, and other Asian countries, developing genuine partnerships with Japan, and fostering more meaningful ties with South Korea.

"There are hundreds of areas of relations in the world in which Ukraine needs real, concrete, tangible results. And this is your job - to be present in all the right offices, in the media, and in communication with all the people Ukraine needs, and to make your position clear, ensuring the desired outcomes for Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

Key priorities include the European Union - ensuring everything necessary for full membership - and strengthening cooperation with NATO.

"Partners need to understand what Ukraine can offer the Alliance, why this will benefit everyone, and how it will stabilize global relations. Alliance for Ukraine is achievable, but only if we fight for this decision at every necessary level," the Head of State emphasized.

Another key task for the next year is to establish a systemic approach to all aspects of achieving a just peace for Ukraine. This includes holding Russia accountable for the war, maintaining sanctions against the Russian Federation, and identifying Russian assets that have not yet been frozen.

"Your task is also to work as much as possible with all partners who are already investing or could become investors in our domestic Ukrainian weapons production and our joint reconstruction projects," the President added.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also emphasized that a number of new appointments for Ukrainian embassies have already been approved, including public and civic leaders.

Additionally, the President honored employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Orders of Merit, III class.

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BEIJING, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This year, give something special for Christmas: the authentic taste of European fruit and vegetables. Thanks to the project The European Art of Taste: Italian Fruit & Veg Masterpieces, financed by the European Union and CSO Italy, the Italian excellence of fresh and processed fruit and vegetables are landing in China, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, bringing with them a magical tale. A gift that encompasses tradition, quality and the unique taste of the Mediterranean territories. Each product tells the story of a land rich in culture and flavour, bringing to the table a breath of freshness and authenticity straight from Europe.

Right in the heart of the Christmas season, as the streets fill with lights and merriment, four special fruit and vegetable elves are at work to make your winter warmer and more cheerful.

Each elf, symbolising a unique European product, carries a special gift to light up Christmas with health and happiness.

The Kiwi Elf is the Ambassador of Winter Energy, dressed in a green cloak symbolising vitality and strength. Rich in vitamin C and fibre, European kiwis are the perfect allies against winter fatigue. A kiwi smoothie in the morning or a light salad for afternoon tea will be a boost of energy for your day.

The Orange Elf, the Messenger of Warmth, lights up winter with his radiant smile. Like small winter suns, the sweet, vitamin C-rich European oranges warm the hearts. Try a warm orange infusion for the family or an orange-scented Christmas cake that fills the house with holiday aromas.

The Apple Elf, the Guardian of Happiness, brings peace and serenity. A symbol of peace in Chinese culture, European apples are the perfect gift for Christmas. A baked apple cake adds a touch of joy to your table, providing unforgettable moments.

The Tomato Elf, the Holiday Elf, wears red to celebrate the energy and vitality of Christmas. With its load of lycopene and vitamins, tomatoes are the star of hot soups and fresh salads, ready to liven up your celebrations with their vibrant colour.

This Christmas, indulge in the magic of European fruit and vegetables, produced according to the strictest standards of food safety and product care. The European Art of Taste celebrates the beauty and flavour of Italian produce, the symbol of a unique land where tradition and innovation meet to offer the best. Bring home or give your loved ones a basket full of European kiwis, oranges, apples and tomatoes for a Christmas full of taste, health and happiness.

Press Office:

Renato Pagani Renato.pagani@secnewgate.it + 39 335 6939561

Giorgia Rizzi giorgia.rizzi@secnewgate.it

News about The European Art of Taste and CSO Italy

The project The European Art of Taste  Fruit & Veg Masterpieces aims to promote and inform about high-quality European fruits and vegetables and is financed by CSO Italy and the European Union. The following Italian companies also participate in the project: RK Growers, Mazzoni Group, Apofruit, Origine Group e Oranfrizer.

CSO Italy, founded in 1998, is a unique entity in Italy that associates many of Italy's leading companies in the production and marketing of domestic fruit and vegetables. Completing the range of members are important companies specializing in different areas of the fruit and vegetable supply chain, from packaging, logistics, processing, machinery, and distribution. CSO Italy's mission is to provide useful services to members to improve and make the Italian fruit and vegetable industry more efficient and competitive. A technical table at the service of the entire Italian fruit and vegetable supply chain to increase its competitiveness through synergy among operators. CSO ITALY, has 73 members, distributed as follows: 51 producer members, 14 supply chain members, 3 subsidizing members and 5 supporting bodies.

Funded by the European Union. However, the views expressed are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the awarding administration can be held responsible for them.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/892cefe7-6f2f-4db0-b296-8b387fe44a4b
Phoenix, Arizona, Dec. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



Link to ThinkCareBelieve's article: https://thinkcarebelieve.blog/2024/12/22/president-trump-speaks-at-amfest-2024-and-a-guatemalan-child-trafficking-ring-is-busted/

ThinkCareBelieve's article

President Donald J. Trump spoke at Turning Point USA's AmFest 2024 today in Arizona. ThinkCareBelieve has published an article about President Trump's second speech since his landslide election win last month. President Trump spoke about righting the wrong done to America with the Panama Canal and his plans to launch the largest illegal alien deportation operation the world has ever seen. ThinkCareBelieve's article shares how Operation Aurora will dismantle, deport and destroy every single foreign gang and illegal alien member, all of the driminal network operating on American soil. The article emphasizes how President Trump has made a promise to return all trafficked children to their families and give the death penalty to all child sex traffickers.

The article shares how President Trump stood before everyone and declared, "Standing before you today, I can proudly proclaim that the GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA IS UPON US!" To which cheering followed. He went on to state how America will become safer and more prosperous. The article tells how President Trump told us that he will end the war in Ukraine and calm the chaos in the Middle East, and stop World War III to which we are very close.

Border Czar Tom Homan's speech was firepower, ThinkCareBelieve's article describes how Tom Homan made it clar that "We're going to prioritize criminal threats and national security threats out of the gate" and told everyone to be ready for the largest illegal alien deportation operation in the history of the world.

President Trump and Tom Homan's speeches can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/live/hbSfsXUrlOc?si=Ya4oXeiRv21Urhls

ThinkCareBelieve's article then goes into a child sex trafficking operation that was busted in Guatemala by Guatemalan authories. It describes how the Orthodox Jewish sect called Lev Tahor was caught with 160 kidnapped children and shares reports from investigative reporters Ryan Matta and JJ Carrell giving full background and understanding of the entire Guatemala Child Trafficking situation.

Other Related ThinkCareBelieve articles:

How are NGOs Trafficking Guatemalan Children Into The United States? https://thinkcarebelieve.blog/2024/12/15/how-are-ngos-trafficking-guatemalan-children-into-the-united-states-2/

US Biolabs and Crimes Against Children? https://thinkcarebelieve.blog/2024/12/15/how-are-ngos-trafficking-guatemalan-children-into-the-united-states-2/

Where are the Missing Children? https://thinkcarebelieve.blog/2024/10/25/where-are-the-children/

President Trump Declares War on Cartels: https://thinkcarebelieve.blog/2024/11/16/president-trump-declares-war-on-cartels/

Time to Break Down the Walls of Child Trafficking: https://thinkcarebelieve.blog/2024/11/21/its-time-to-break-down-the-walls-protecting-child-trafficking/

We need to Roar for the Children: https://thinkcarebelieve.blog/2024/11/27/we-need-to-roar-for-the-children/

ThinkCareBelieve is an outlook. ThinkCareBelieves mission for Peace advocacy facilitates positive outcomes and expanded possibilities. To achieve Peace, we will find the commonalities between diverse groups and bring the focus on common needs, working together toward shared goals. Activism is an important aspect of ThinkCareBelieve, because public participation and awareness to issues needing exposure to light leads to justice. Improved transparency in government can lead to changes in policy and procedure resulting in more fluid communication between the public and the government that serves them. America needs hope right now, and Americans need to be more involved in their government.

###
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) resulting from allegations that Unisys may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

So What: If you purchased Unisys 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.

To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=9648 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

What is this about: On October 22, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it had charged four companies, including Unisys, with making materially misleading disclosures regarding cybersecurity risks and intrusions. Further, the SEC also charged Unisys with disclosure controls and procedures violations.

On this news, Unisys stock fell 8.6% on October 22, 2024.

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 achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. 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

case@rosenlegal.com

www.rosenlegal.com
NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of Western Asset Management Company mutual fund investors resulting from allegations that Western Asset may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

So What: If you purchased Western Asset mutual funds 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=31956 call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

What is this about: On November 25, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a press release entitled SEC Charges Ken Leech, Former Co-Chief Investment Officer of Western Asset Management Co., with Fraud. This press release stated that Leech had been charged with fraud for engaging in a multi-year scheme to allocate favorable trades to certain portfolios, while allocating unfavorable trades to other portfolios, a practice known as cherry-picking.

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 achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. 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

case@rosenlegal.com

www.rosenlegal.com
Sequana Medical Announces US FDA Approval of alfapump for the Treatment of Recurrent or Refractory Ascites due to Liver Cirrhosis

alfapump  is the first US approved active implantable medical device (Class III) for the treatment of recurrent or refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis

 PMA Approval and FDA Breakthrough Device Designation

US market opportunity estimated at over $2 billion in 2025, growing at 9% 1 due to MASH/NASH 2 and alcoholic liver disease

US commercial launch planned for H2 2025 through speciality salesforce targeting liver transplant centers

POSEIDON pivotal study shows virtual elimination of therapeutic paracentesis and improvement in quality of life 3 , 4

Over 1,000 alfapump Systems implanted

KOL webcast January 8th, 2025 at 15:00 CET / 09:00 am EST



Ghent, Belgium  23 December 2024  Sequana Medical NV (Euronext Brussels: SEQUA, the "Company" or "Sequana Medical"), a pioneer in the treatment of drug-resistant fluid overload in liver disease, heart failure and cancer, today announces that it has received Premarket Approval (PMA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market alfapump for the treatment of recurrent or refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis in the United States. With this major regulatory milestone, achieved earlier than market expectations, alfapump is the first active implantable medical device in the US that automatically and continuously removes ascites from the abdomen into the bladder. The Company estimates there will be approximately 70,000 patients in the US with recurrent or refractory ascites, representing a market opportunity in excess of $2 billion for the alfapump in 2025. This population is forecast to reach 130,000 patients by 2032, primarily driven by NASH/MASH and alcoholic liver disease1.

Dr. H.E. Vargas, M.D., Professor of Medicine for the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (Phoenix, Arizona, US), POSEIDON Study Principal Investigator, commented: The approval of alfapump by the FDA opens the door to a breakthrough therapeutic option for patients with ascites. The introduction of the system will be welcome by patients, families and their care providers as this technology not only provides effective treatment, but also has been shown to improve quality of life4.

Ian Crosbie, Chief Executive Officer of Sequana Medical, continued: "With a standard of care that has seen minimal change in thousands of years, today marks a huge milestone for the large and growing liver ascites community in the US. Our vision is to transform the lives of these patients. Recurrent or refractory liver ascites is a devastating condition with a terrible impact on the lives of our patients and their caregivers, not only for the painful and burdensome paracentesis procedure itself but also in the weeks leading up to each drainage. The POSEIDON clinical study results demonstrate that the alfapump can virtually eliminate the need for therapeutic paracentesis, and improve patient quality of life, with a safety profile comparable to standard of care, delivering a twenty-first century solution that can allow these patients to take back their lives3,4. We wish to thank all the patients and investigators who made this possible by participating in the POSEIDON study. With over 1,000 alfapump systems implanted to date, we look forward to starting commercialisation in H2 2025, bringing this innovative solution to many more patients in need.

The Company is preparing for the US commercial launch of the alfapump System in H2 2025, through a focused specialty sales force concentrating on the 90 liver transplant centers that represent the large majority of target customers. The Company has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for the alfapump System and has applied, and expects to receive, NTAP (new technology add-on payments) which should facilitate patient access to the device. In addition to the existing ICD-10 procedure codes for the alfapump procedure, the American Medical Association has granted six new CPT5 III reimbursement codes, available for use by healthcare professionals and payors since July 1st, 2024, for procedures related to the alfapump System.

We are highly encouraged by the enthusiastic feedback for the alfapump that we are receiving from the clinical community  there is a clear need for improved treatment options and we are putting in place the commercial team to deliver our novel therapy. Preparations for commercial launch are underway, and we are already working with target centers for the initial commercial launch planned for H2 2025. It is a huge privilege to bring such a breakthrough in therapy to the clinical and patient communities, and we are excited to work with them to establish alfapump as the new standard of care commented Martijn Blom, Chief Commercial Officer of Sequana Medical.

Timur Resch, Global Vice President QM/QA/RA at Sequana Medical, who has been leading the regulatory process since 2016, added: The receipt of the PMA approval for our alfapump System is a major milestone for our company and reflects many years of diligent work by the Sequana team. We wish to thank the FDA for its collaboration and support in bringing this highly important breakthrough device to US patients who will be very grateful for this new treatment option.

KOL Webcast on January 8, 2025  3pm CET, 9am ET

The Company will be hosting a further webcast with key opinion leaders on January 8, 2025 at 3pm CET, 9am ET to discuss the US FDA approval of alfapump, the clinical need and the planned commercial US roll-out.

Registration webcast: please click here

Registration conference call (only if you wish to participate in the Q&A): please click here. Once registered, you will receive dial-in numbers and a confirmation code.

The webcast and conference call will be conducted in English and a replay will be available on Sequana Medicals website shortly after.

For more information, please contact:

Sequana Medical

Investor relations

E: IR@sequanamedical.com

T: +44 (0) 797 342 9917

Optimum Strategic Communications

Nick Bastin, Vici Rabbetts, Elena Bates

E: Sequana@optimumcomms.com

T: +44 (0) 208 078 4357

About alfapump in recurrent or refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis & the POSEIDON study

Recurrent or refractory ascites is a severe condition characterized by the accumulation of fluid in the abdomen. The current standard treatment involves therapeutic paracentesis, an invasive and burdensome procedure that drains ascites from the abdomen using a large needle over an extended period. The alfapump is approved by the US FDA for the treatment of recurrent or refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis. It is the first active implantable medical device in the US that automatically and continuously removes ascites from the abdomen into the bladder, where it is naturally eliminated through urination. To date, over 1,000 alfapump systems have been implanted.

The US market of recurrent and refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis is forecast to grow by an average of 9% per year, from approximately 70,000 patients in 2025 to 130,000 patients by 2032, primarily driven by the increasing prevalence of NASH / MASH6. The total market opportunity for alfapump is estimated at over $2 billion in 2025, including approximately $500 million from the Companys initial priority target market of patients requiring at least 12 paracenteses per year.

The FDAs approval of the PMA is based on the successful execution of Sequana Medicals pivotal POSEIDON study, a landmark study across 18 centers in the US and Canada with a total of 69 patients implanted with the alfapump. The primary effectiveness endpoints at six months post-implantation in the Pivotal Cohort7 exceeded the predefined thresholds with statistical significance, and primary safety endpoint data was in line with expectations8. Data at 12 months post-implantation continued to show a strong and durable clinical profile, virtually eliminating the need for therapeutic paracentesis and delivering an improvement in quality of life (as defined by subjective physical health (assessed by SF-36 PCS) and ascites symptoms (assessed by Ascites Q))9. At AASLDs The Liver Meeting in November 2024, key POSEIDON investigators reported that the alfapump virtually eliminated the need for large volume paracentesis at 24 months, with overall survival of 62%10.

Data from the patient preference study and a matched cohort analysis of the NACSELD-III registry with the POSEIDON Pivotal Cohort indicated that US patients have a strong preference for the alfapump vs standard paracentesis procedures and that the safety profile of the alfapump is comparable to standard of care.11

About Sequana Medical

Sequana Medical NV is a pioneer in treating fluid overload, a serious and frequent clinical complication in patients with liver disease, heart failure and cancer. This causes major medical issues including increased mortality, repeated hospitalizations, severe pain, difficulty breathing and restricted mobility. Although diuretics are standard of care, they become ineffective, intolerable or exacerbate the problem in many patients. There are limited effective treatment options, resulting in poor clinical outcomes, high costs and a major impact on their quality of life. Sequana Medical is seeking to provide innovative treatment options for this large and growing "diuretic resistant" patient population. alfapump and DSR are Sequana Medical's proprietary platforms that work with the body to treat diuretic-resistant fluid overload, and are intended to deliver major clinical and quality of life benefits for patients, while reducing costs for healthcare systems.

The Company received US FDA approval for the alfapump System for the treatment of recurrent or refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis in December 2024, following the grant of FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in 2019.

Results of the Company's RED DESERT and SAHARA proof-of-concept studies in heart failure published in European Journal of Heart Failure in April 2024 support DSR's mechanism of action as breaking the vicious cycle of cardiorenal syndrome. All three patients from the non-randomized cohort of MOJAVE, a US randomized controlled multi-center Phase 1/2a clinical study, have been successfully treated with DSR, resulting in a dramatic improvement in diuretic response and virtual elimination of loop diuretic requirements12. The independent Data Safety Monitoring Board approved the start of the randomized MOJAVE cohort of up to a further 30 patients, which is planned after alfapump US PMA approval.

Sequana Medical is listed on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels (Ticker: SEQUA.BR) and headquartered in Ghent, Belgium. For further information, please visit www.sequanamedical.com.

Indication for Use: The alfapump System is intended for single patient use only in adult patients with refractory or recurrent ascites due to liver cirrhosis. It is indicated for the removal of excess peritoneal fluid from the peritoneal cavity into the bladder, where it can be eliminated through normal urination.

Contraindications: The alfapump System is MRI unsafe. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is contraindicated.

Warnings, Risks, and Precautions: Consider risks associated with implanting the alfapump System including risk of peritoneal cavity infections, Coagulopathy, Small bladder capacity and/or obstructive uropathy. The following procedures or therapies could impact the alfapump System function: Supersonic therapy and high-frequency heat therapy, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), Lithotripsy, Defibrillation, Radiation therapy, Electrocautery, or use of other implantable medical devices and wearable devices.

Adverse Events: In addition to procedure related risks the following Adverse Events may occur: pump pocket hematoma, skin erosion, infection, pump migration, catheter clogging or other catheter complications resulting in tissue damage or loss of or change in therapy, genito-urinary complications, reduced kidney function, hepatic encephalopathy, progression of liver disease, and other systemic effects.

P230044 PMA approval letter on file

U.S. Federal law restricts alfapump System to sale by or on the order of a physician.

The alfapump System is currently not approved in Canada.

DSR therapy is still in development and is currently not approved in any country. The safety and effectiveness of DSR therapy has not been established.

Note: alfapump and DSR are registered trademarks.

Forward-looking statements

This press release may contain predictions, estimates or other information that might be considered forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements represent the current judgment of Sequana Medical on what the future holds, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Sequana Medical expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release, except if specifically required to do so by law or regulation. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of Sequana Medical only as of the date of this press release.

1 Based on US and Canada market assessment conducted by highly experienced international consulting group

2 NASH  Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; MASH  Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis

3 POSEIDON study results in SSED (PMA P230044, FDA approval letter on file)  100% median reduction in number of therapeutic paracentesis per month in Pivotal Cohort

4 Quality of life as defined by subjective physical health (assessed by SF-36 PCS) and ascites symptoms (assessed by Ascites Q)

5CPT copyright 2024 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association.

6 Based on US and Canada market assessment conducted by highly experienced international consulting group

7 The Pivotal Cohort is used for the primary effectiveness endpoints and consists of 40 patients implanted with the alfapump

8 Data reported in press release of 25 October 2022

9 Data reported in press release of 19 October 2023

10 Based upon the pivotal cohort of the POSEIDON study, data reported in press release of 18 November 2024

11 Data reported in press release of 19 October 2023; Patient Preference study conducted by RTI Health Solutions, and matched cohort analysis presented by Dr. Bajaj at EASL Congress 2024.

12 Data reported in press release of 25 March 2024; mean increase of 326% in six-hour urinary sodium excretion at 3 months follow up vs baseline, and 95% reduction of loop diuretics over same period

Attachments
Additional funding awarded following successful drug candidate nomination

USD 7.3 million to support progression of antibiotic BAL2420 (LptA inhibitor) towards first-in-human clinical studies

Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

Allschwil, Switzerland, December 23, 2024

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil (SIX: BSLN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to meeting the needs of patients with severe bacterial and fungal infections, announced today that it was awarded an additional USD 7.3 million from CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator), a global non-profit partnership dedicated to supporting the early development of antibacterial products. The new funding supports the progression of Basileas novel antibiotic candidate BAL2420 (LptA inhibitor) towards the start of first-in-human clinical studies, which is expected mid-2026.

Dr. Laurenz Kellenberger, Chief Scientific Officer of Basilea, said: "We are very pleased by CARB-Xs continued support for the development of this promising first-in-class drug candidate. LptA inhibitors have the potential to address an unmet medical need in the hospital-based treatment of severe infections, caused by Gram-negative bacteria. We look forward to working with CARB-X to bring BAL2420 to patients."

BAL2420 belongs to one of the very few novel classes of antibiotics in development. It is targeting LptA, which is part of the lipopolysaccharide transport bridge, an essential structure in Gram-negative bacteria. LptA inhibitors have shown potent and rapid bactericidal activity in vitro and in vivo against Gram-negative bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family, such as E. coli and K. pneumoniae, including strains resistant to beta-lactams and colistin, an antibiotic regarded as last-resort therapy.1 Enterobacteriaceae have been highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO) as priority pathogens, against which new antibiotics are urgently needed.2

Basilea has acquired the LptA antibiotics program from Spexis AG in early 2024. In April this year, Basilea announced that it was awarded an initial CARB-X grant of up to USD 0.9 million to support early preclinical activities. The successful completion of these activities resulted in the nomination of BAL2420 as a drug candidate and also led to a final milestone payment from Basilea to Spexis.

CARB-Xs funding for this project is provided in part with federal funds from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; Antibacterials branch; under agreement number 75A50122C00028; and by awards from Wellcome (WT224842) and Germanys Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CARB-X or any of its funders.

About CARB-X

CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) is a global non-profit partnership dedicated to supporting early-stage antibacterial research and development to address the rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria. CARB-X supports innovative therapeutics, preventatives and rapid diagnostics. CARB-X is led by Boston University and funded by a consortium of governments and foundations. CARB-X funds only projects that target drug-resistant bacteria highlighted on the CDCs Antibiotic Resistant Threats list, or the Priority Bacterial Pathogens list published by the WHO, with a priority on those pathogens deemed Serious or Urgent on the CDC list or Critical or High on the WHO list.

https://carb-x.org/ | X (formerly Twitter) @CARB_X

About Basilea

Basilea is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Switzerland. We are committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative drugs to meet the needs of patients with severe bacterial and fungal infections. We have successfully launched two hospital brands, Cresemba for the treatment of invasive fungal infections and Zevtera for the treatment of bacterial infections. In addition, we have preclinical and clinical anti-infective assets in our portfolio. Basilea is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: BSLN). Please visit basilea.com.

Disclaimer

This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information, please contact:

Peer Nils Schroder, PhD



Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations

Basilea Pharmaceutica International Ltd, Allschwil

Hegenheimermattweg 167b

4123 Allschwil

Switzerland Phone +41 61 606 1102 E-mail media_relations@basilea.com

investor_relations@basilea.com

This ad hoc announcement release can be downloaded from www.basilea.com.

References

M. Schuster, E. Brabet, K. K. Oi et al. Peptidomimetic antibiotics disrupt the lipopolysaccharide transport bridge of drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Science Advances 2023 (9), eadg3683 https://www.who.int/news/item/27-02-2017-who-publishes-list-of-bacteria-for-which-new-antibiotics-are-urgently-needed (Accessed: December 22, 2024)

Attachment
Urbo bankas UAB (hereinafter - the Bank), company code 112027077, address: Konstitucijos pr.18B, Vilnius.

The Bank earned a net profit of EUR 6.5 million in the first three quarters of this year. The loan portfolio grew by 14.6% to EUR 364 million during the period, while the banks assets at the end of September stood at EUR 577 million, or 15.6% more than a year earlier (EUR 499 million).

At the end of the third quarter, the amount of deposits held with the Bank reached EUR 489 million, 16.2% more than a year earlier. Meanwhile, net interest income increased by almost a tenth (EUR 1.5 million) to EUR 16.7 million.

In the third quarter of this year, net fee and commission income of the Bank decreased by 30.4% (EUR 1.2 million) to EUR 2.7 million compared to the same period of 2023. In the comparative period, the net result on foreign currency transactions decreased by EUR 0.8 million (30.4%) to EUR 1.8 million, due to the contraction of the net currency market in Lithuania.

The Banks shareholders equity stood at EUR 63 million on 30 September this year. Compared to the end of September 2023, it has increased by 14.1%, from EUR 55 million. At the end of September, the Bank had 285 employees, and its customer service network consisted of 25 territorial branches.

For more information please contact: Julius Ivaska, Head of Business Division, tel. +370 601 04 453, e-mail media@urbo.lt





Attachment




On 20 December, 2024, Siauliu bankas AB and the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed amendments to the Pre-financing and Contingent loan agreements concluded in 2016 to increase the Bank's investment by 60 million  up to 255 million from 195 million  to finance the modernization programme of multi-apartment buildings in Lithuania.

"The multi-apartment building modernisation fund under Banks administration has signed financing contracts for almost 200 million this year alone. The demand for renovation projects is gaining pace and we have committed to increase Siauliu Bankas investments in renovation financing by 60 million after discussions with the Ministry of Environment of Lithuania and the EIB. This way we continue to contribute to a more sustainable and country and wellbeing," says Vytautas Sinius, CEO of Siauliu Bankas.

Siauliu Bankas has been involved in the financing market for the modernization of multi-apartment buildings in Lithuania for more than 12 years. During this period, the Bank and its partners have financed the renovation of more than 3,000 projects total loan worth exceeding 1.2 billion.

"The Ministry of the Environment appreciates the cooperation with Siauliu bankas, the financial intermediary chosen by the EIB, which, recognising the importance of renovation, has made it possible to finance the long-standing modernisation of multi-apartment buildings. The additional funding will ensure the continuity of the loan funds created with EU funds and a smooth transition to new financial instruments. I hope that these additional funds will accelerate the implementation of renovation projects," said Povilas Poderskis, Minister of the Environment.

"This collaboration between Siauliu bankas and EIB represents another significant step in strengthening our long-term partnership in the housing sector. We are pleased to support this initiative at a time when financing for renovation and energy efficiency is most needed. By contributing to the Government's goals in this critical sector, we are helping to drive sustainable development and support the creation of greener, more resilient homes, while advancing broader climate objectives," said Junona Bumelyte, EIB Fund and Structuring Officer.

Siauliu Bankas launched the 200 million SB Modernisation Fund 2, financed by Siauliu bankas itself, the Government, with the EIB as fund manager, as well as Swedbank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and pension funds managed by the Siauliu bankas Group this year. This fund has already signed financing agreements for almost all allocated amount to renovate up to 300 multi-apartment buildings across Lithuania.

The aim is to renovate most of the multi-apartment buildings in Lithuania by 2050. Two thirds of these buildings are currently energy class D and below. Modernized buildings save energy while improving living conditions and increasing value.

Additional information:

Tomas Varenbergas

Head of Investment Management Division

tomas.varenbergas@sb.lt








VILNIUS, Lithuania, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BTCC , one of the longest-standing cryptocurrency exchanges, recently hosted an engaging AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on X Spaces featuring FLOKI, one of the original meme coins in crypto.

The AMA was part of BTCCs "OG Week" campaign, where iconic long-term meme coins are spotlighted and celebrated. Pedro Vidal, Community Relations Officer for Floki and TokenFi Blockchain, joined the session to discuss FLOKIs vision for 2024 and beyond.

The AMA was a resounding success, with over 1,500 crypto enthusiasts tuning in to explore FLOKIs journey, and check out some big developments landing this coming year. Anyone interested in listening back can check out the AMA here

Highlights of the Discussion

The AMA covered many points, and gave a deep insight into FLOKIs history, position in the crypto market, and some exciting points for 2025:

Topic 1 - FLOKIs Inception

Topic 1 covered FLOKIs inception, and discussed how FLOKI was born from a tweet from Elon Musk in 2021. Though the coin initially suffered rug pulls from the team who initially launched the project, it has now become a community-led project.

FLOKI is now governed by a DAO, leaving the ownership and direction of the token in the hands of the community. The DAO is important as it aligns closely with the current teams focus on community feedback, utility and transparency, and dedication to the success of the project - and also to avoid the pitfalls from the initial launch of the coin.

Topic 2 - FLOKIs Blockchain Gaming Platform

Topic 2 focused on the big ticket success on FLOKI - Valhalla. The crypto household name game took the market by storm and features all the hallmarks of a global superstar - from an easy-to access, browser-based design, and global accessibility, everyone inside the FLOKI community is excited about the future of Valhalla.

"The idea is to continue to improve and leave blockchain forever changed."

- Pedro Vidal, on Floki's Valhalla Metaverse game

Topic 3 - FLOKI Debit Card and Trading Bot

Another hot topic on the agenda was the FLOKI debit card, which now offers crypto enthusiasts a way to spend their crypto across 8 different chains, with 0% transaction fees. The cards are available in both physical and virtual forms, which is another step toward FLOKIs vision of a more financially enabled world, powered by memecoins.

FLOKI have also released their Telegram trading bot, aiming to streamline the trading experience, all from inside users telegram accounts. The bot supports multiple chains and is live now!

Topic 4 - 2025 and Beyond

For 2025, Pedro emphasized the importance of staying true to the project's values of transparency and utility, and managing and promoting growth were emphasized - however 2025 shapes up for FLOKI, the ecosystem looks set for a rapid expansion.

FLOKI is available on BTCC for spot and futures trading. Up to 50x leverage is supported, and as one of the hottest meme coins on the platform, interest looks set to build for the coming season.

BTCC OG Week

To celebrate the OG meme coins that laid the foundations for the current cycles top gainers like DOGE, FLOKI, and PEPE, BTCC Exchange has announced the BTCC OG Week campaign, where meme fanatics can undertake social and trading tasks to win USDT rewards, with a prize pool of 300 USDT and 300 USDT in withdrawable rewards each week.

Week 1, which saw BTC in the limelight has already concluded, and winners of the trading competition have already been announced on BTCCs X page.

BTCC continues its OG Week campaign with the featuring DOGE , and there's plenty more amazing content to come.

Going forward, BTCC have scheduled more AMAs and special features on other long-term meme coins. To stay updated on future campaigns and win exclusive rewards, follow BTCCs X account.

For additional information, visit BTCCs website or follow BTCC and Floki on X.

Media Contact Details

Contact Name: Aaryn Ling

Contact Email: press@btcc.com

About BTCC

BTCC is a long-standing crypto exchange with over 13 years experience in the crypto space, and 0 security breaches. BTCC makes crypto trading easier with user-centric features that are sure to suit the needs of novice and advanced traders alike, wherever they are in the world.

Disclaimer: This content is provided by BTCC. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider. The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Please conduct your own research and invest at your own risk.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/634ab0fe-7ecb-48c0-bc9d-f8c188a3fb50
VICTORIA, Seychelles, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- We are honored to announce that EIOB (EIOB) has been listed on XT . EIOB/USDT trading pair will be opened in Innovation Zone.

About EIOB (EIOB)

EIOB aims to create a transparent and secure digital economy by leveraging blockchain technology. Its mission is to revolutionize finance and asset management, offering new opportunities for global users and bridging the digital divide to foster sustainable economic growth.

The vision for EIOB is a future where a secure, sustainable digital economy empowers individuals and organizations worldwide. By establishing a transparent financial system, EIOB seeks to unlock new opportunities for global economic participation and contribute to the seamless integration of traditional and digital assets.

To achieve these goals, EIOB is focused on three main strategies. First, it is developing a high-performance blockchain ecosystem using a Proof of Authority (PoA) network to create a reliable digital infrastructure that promotes economic growth and ecosystem participation. Second, EIOB is integrating stablecoin exchange platforms within a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) framework, facilitating efficient and secure cross-border transactions. Lastly, EIOB is enabling the fractional ownership and tokenized trading of traditionally illiquid assets like real estate and art, improving transparency, reducing barriers to entry, and fostering wider investment participation.

Through this listing, both $EIOB and XT Exchange aim to contribute to the growth of a secure, decentralized financial ecosystem, unlocking new opportunities for global users and showcasing the transformative potential of blockchain technology.

About XT.COM

Founded in 2018, XT.COM serves nearly 8 million registered users, with over 1,000,000+ monthly active users and 40+ million users in its ecosystem. The platform supports 800+ high-quality tokens and 1000+ trading pairs, offering various trading options such as spot trading, margin trading, and futures trading.

As the worlds first social-infused digital asset trading platform, XT.COM is dedicated to providing a secure, trusted, and user-friendly trading experience. Our mission is to empower users to explore the limitless possibilities of blockchain technology.

XT Exchange

Bella Wei

Listing@xt.com

EIOB (EIOB)

eiob@eiob.io

Disclaimer: This content is provided by XT exchange. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider. The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities.
Cincinnati, OH, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Claritas, a leader in data-driven marketing solutions, today announced that Cort Irish has been named to the newly formed MMA Global B2B CMO Council. The council will work closely with the leadership of the MMA and the boards to identify key challenges, priority areas, and initiatives that will help shape the future of marketing and drive business impact more effectively and efficiently.

The MMA Global B2B CMO Council represents some of the top B2B marketing talent in the industry today who are the change agents within their organization. The Council will hold its first meeting in early December and will hold frequent meet-ups at industry events such as at MMAs POSSIBLE and MMAs CMO & CEO Summit. The council is part of MMA Global, or the Mobile Marketing Association, a non-profit trade association that aims to accelerate marketing transformation through mobile technology.

I am honored to join MMA Globals inaugural Global B2B CMO Council, said Irish. As we help global brands capitalize on the era of AI and untap the power to optimize marketing to drive results and positive change, we have a lot of important work to do together. I am confident that this special group of peers and leaders is up for that charge and could not be more proud and inspired by the appointment.

We are excited to have Cort join our Global B2B CMO Council, said Greg Stuart, CEO of MMA Global.  The decades of marketing experience he brings to the council will help those we serve, the worlds top global marketers, turn on the biggest opportunities and tackle the biggest challenges that face the industry.

To learn more about the MMA B2B CMO Council, please visit: https://www.mmaglobal.com/

About Claritas

For almost five decades, Claritas has been a trailblazer in understanding the American consumer, resulting in the industrys most embraced audience segmentation. Leveraging strategic acquisitions and a distinctive Identity Graph, the company has evolved into a marketing powerhouse. Claritas provides an integrated marketing optimization platform that enables marketers to enhance ROI by pinpointing ideal audiences, executing precise multichannel marketing engagements, and optimizing media spend across online and offline channels. With an accuracy-first foundation, the robust Claritas Identity Graph serves as the engine that drives these powerful solutions, encompassing a proprietary data set including

100% of U.S. adult consumers, over 1 billion devices and 10,000+ demographic and behavioral insights. The integration of patented and advanced AI technology as an underpin enhances the accuracy, speed, ease of use, and scale of the Claritas solutions. Learn more at www.claritas.com.

About MMA Global:

MMA Global is a non-profit trade association dedicated to Architecting the Future of Marketing while Relentlessly Delivering Growth Today. Our Prime Audience is Pioneering Chief Marketers; our Purpose is to enable marketers to drive innovation and enduring business value in an increasingly dynamic and ultra-connected world. The MMA has 800+ corporate members in over three dozen countries and is a truly global organization with offices in 14 countries throughout APAC, EMEA, LATAM, and North America. While the MMA is run and controlled by Marketers, it is the only Marketing-oriented trade body to include all aspects of the ecosystem: Media Companies, Enabling MarTech & AdTech, Platforms, Consultancies, and Agencies. This gives us the perspective to tackle industry issues comprehensively.

Attachment
MOBILE, Ala., Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A federal wrongful death lawsuit was just filed by the mother of beloved 16-year-old Mobile, Alabama teenager Randall Adjessom who was fatally shot by S.W.A.T police in his home November 13, 2023, in an unjustified, racially-motivated, no knock pre-dawn raid, according to the Complaint filed by civil rights attorneys from Grant & Eisenhofer (G&E) and co-counsel,Alabama litigator Jerry Buchanan. The City of Mobile, the officer who fatally shot Randall, and several other officers (whose identities have all been concealed by the Mobile Police Department) that played a role in the shooting, are defendants in the lawsuit (A. Adjessom v. City of Mobile, et al. , 1:24-cv-00472 , United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama Mobile Division). The eight-count lawsuit details the events leading up to the killing and the MPDs systemic pattern of using excessive force against citizens of color; in particular, young Black boys and men.

G&E litigation team members Elizabeth A. Bailey, Cynthia B. Morgan and Steven A. Medina said following yesterdays filing, Randalls mother is demonstrating great courage in bringing this action in her late sons name and to do what she can to stop the rampant, senseless, outrageous police abuse against Mobiles minority community. The Complaint is replete with revelations from our pre-suit investigation, perhaps none more repulsive than the fact that MPD body-worn camera (BWC) video of the shooting clearly shows Randall begin to retreat after realizing the intruders into his family home were members of the police force when he was repeatedly shot and killed in cold blood. They added, This filing is a major step for a grieving family intent on holding accountable  at a Federal jury trial - all those responsible for this unquestionably foreseeable and preventable tragedy. There are claims asserted for compensatory and punitive damages; those will be determined at trial.





Randall Adjessom (Family photo)

The Adjessom family, proud members of the Mobile community, expresses appreciation for the support it continues to receive from many  including numerous elected officials, civic and clergy leaders, in the aftermath of Randalls killing. I still cannot believe Randall is gone, and that this is another holiday season where we have nothing to celebrate. But we have love in our hearts and love for Mobile, and know the vast majority of people in our city want what we want: to be treated fairly, equally and with respect by our police. Theyre supposed to be peace officers, arent they? How many more young Black boys like Randall have to be buried following police brutality before the MPDs legendary culture of unchecked excessive force is finally put to rest.

In asserting violations of the constitutional rights of Randall and his family members (including his mother, grandmother, and three sisters) home at the time of the pre-dawn raid  under the guise of serving a search warrant for his older brother (who did not live at the house and was not there at the time) - it underscores myriad acts of deliberate indifference by the City, its policy-makers, and the police chief that led to this dangerous, unjustified, and fatal raid.

Supporting allegations of deliberate indifference, the complaint states, it was directly expressed by MPD Chief Prine, who, soon after being promoted to chief of police in 2021, reportedly told MPD officers, including the Defendant Police Officers, 'Im not concerned with what the media and public thinks about the police. F**k the public.'

The factual backdrop includes reference to the post-incident independent investigators report for the City by a former federal prosecutor. In that report it was stated that the Police-SWAT response to the Adjessom home was not activated for officer safety but due to a shortage of narcotics officers to search a house of that size. . . .So, the most aggressive tool in your (policing) toolbox, and you use it because you have a manpower shortage.

Coverage Note: The Body Worn Camera (BWC) video has not yet been made public, but has been viewed by the legal team. Certain incident-scene photos, and other family-owned images, can be viewed directly on the firms website or through this link.

Contact:

Elizabeth A. Bailey, Esq. / ebailey@gelaw.com / 302-622-7195

Steph Rosenfeld / steph@idadvisors.com / 215-514-4101

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e1b46366-e947-4017-a146-08009d9014fd
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DealFlow Events is excited to announce that The Microcap Conference is set to take place January 28-30, 2025, at the iconic Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, NJ. This highly anticipated event will bring together over 100 presenting companies and more than 500 institutional, accredited, and retail investors for three days of company presentations, one-on-one meetings, and unparalleled networking opportunities.

The conference serves as a premier platform for growth companies to connect with an influential audience, including senior executives, high-net-worth investors, equity research analysts, brokerage firms, hedge funds, and more.

The events agenda features a multi-track format designed to provide comprehensive insights and foster connections between companies and investors. Key highlights include the Company Presentation Track, a showcase for CEOs to present their businesses in group sessions and private one-on-one meetings with professional investors, and keynote addresses and panels where industry experts will share cutting-edge insights on market trends and investment strategies.

Presenting companies span a variety of sectors, including financial services, cybersecurity, healthcare, biotechnology, clean energy, and media. For the full list of participating companies, visit Participating Companies. To view the lineup of keynote speakers, visit Speakers.

The Microcap Conference stands out as a "destination event," offering attendees a unique blend of professional and social experiences. Key events include a Launch Party on Tuesday evening with casino games, live music, and drinks, an Afterparty on Wednesday with an open bar, hors d'oeuvres, hand-rolled cigars, real-money games, a comedy performance by Tom Papa, and a Poker Tournament on Thursday with a chance to win cash prizes while engaging in casual networking.

Attendees traveling from midtown Manhattan can take advantage of private round-trip luxury bus transportation, ensuring a seamless experience.

The event is supported by notable sponsors and partners, including The Money Channel, Lucosky Brookman, Loeb and Loeb, Calabrese Consulting, The Nuvo Group, Withum, Kreit & Chiu CPA, Joseph Gunnar & Co., Assurtrak, CBIZ, IBN, and many more.

Registration is now open! Dont miss this unparalleled opportunity to connect with top executives and investors. Secure your spot today: https://TheMicrocapConference.com/Tickets

About DealFlow Events

DealFlow Events, the host of hundreds of conferences over the past 21 years, is renowned for its Microcap, SPAC, PIPE, Reg A, Activist Investor, Venture Debt, and other investment-themed conferences. For more information and a list of upcoming events, please visit https://DealFlowEvents.com.

DealFlow Events Contact:

Phillip LoFaso

Roslyn, New York

phillip@dealflowevents.com

(516) 876-8006

www.dealflowevents.com
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mayfair Acquisition Corp. (TSXV: MFA.P) (Mayfair or the Company) announces that it has accepted Bart B. Kellehers resignation as a director of Mayfair for personal reasons. Mr. Kelleher has been a member of the board since the Companys inception and the Company thanks Mr. Kelleher for his many contributions during his tenure.

About Mayfair Acquisition Corp.

Mayfair was incorporated on May 5, 2021 pursuant to the provisions of the BCBCA and is a Capital Pool Company (as defined in the Manual) listed on the TSXV and a reporting issuer in the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Mayfair has no commercial operations and no assets other than cash. Mayfair's only business is to identify and evaluate assets or businesses with a view to completing a Qualifying Transaction (as defined in Policy 2.4).

For more information, please contact:

Mayfair Acquisition Corp.

Attn: Charles Walensky, CEO

Email: cw@seabulkers.com

Phone: +1 612 928-5421

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Dublin, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "United Kingdom Digital Transformation - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2024 - 2029)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The United Kingdom Digital Transformation Market size is estimated at USD 47.33 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 94.07 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 14.72% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

The UK digital transformation market is characterized by businesses' growing online presence, rising use of advanced technologies in business processes, and substantial presence of major market vendors. This is coupled with a growing need among businesses to enhance efficiency and business processes by leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud services, and data analytics, among others.

Various digital transformation initiatives taken by the UK government are emerging as catalysts for the digital transformation market in the United Kingdom. Initiatives such as the Digital Development Strategy (DDS) 2024-2030 are paving the way for greater adoption of digital technologies and tools in the country's private and public sectors.

The government is significantly investing in expanding the 5G ecosystem and cloud adoption among public sector enterprises in the country, which is further analyzed to support the market growth over the forecast period. For instance, in November 2023, the UK government allocated approximately USD 44.7 million to ten projects to accelerate 5G adoption nationwide. Each of the ten projects is tailored to a specific "5G Innovation Region" in the UK, showcasing a diverse range of applications, from farming and smart grids to port logistics.

In February 2024, the UK government announced the initiation of two cloud services tenders, with a combined value potentially reaching USD 9.5 billion. Spearheaded by the Crown Commercial Service of the Cabinet Office, this ambitious move signifies a significant stride in the UK's efforts to revamp and enhance government services using cutting-edge cloud technologies.

In the coming years, innovative digital transformation solutions offered by major market vendors, coupled with the growing prominence of advanced technologies in businesses across the United Kingdom, will shape the future of the UK digital transformation market. Rising cyber threats owing to a significant technology penetration in businesses coupled with growing demand among UK businesses to strengthen cybersecurity posture are expected to support the growth of the digital transformation market in the United Kingdom over the forecast period.

United Kingdom Digital Transformation Market Trends

Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Anticipated to Witness Growth in Demand

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the United Kingdom's technological landscape by creating significant opportunities for technological innovation in businesses across the country. The UK Government's National AI Strategy underscores AI's pivotal role in bolstering economic resilience, productivity, and innovation, spanning both public and private domains.

The presence of a high number of AI companies in the country supports the segment growth. In 2023, the Global AI Ecosystem reported that the United States spearheaded the global AI market, boasting around 15,000 active companies. Notably, the United Kingdom, with nearly 9,000 AI firms, ranked second worldwide. Such factors further support the development of the AI ecosystem in the United Kingdom, supporting the market's growth.

As of 2024, a survey in Great Britain by the Office for National Statistics (UK) reveals that 45% of the surveyed respondents stated that there are equal benefits and risks in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. About 25% are more concerned about the risks, with 16% confident that the benefits surpass the potential downsides of AI implementation. Therefore, the positive user perception towards AI and given the vast opportunities and benefits of AI adoption, businesses in the United Kingdom are analyzed to ramp up implementation efforts in the coming years.

Global market vendors are recognizing the growing demand for AI, ML, and analytics in UK businesses and expanding their presence in the country, thus positively impacting the market's growth. For instance, in April 2024, Microsoft announced that Microsoft AI is opening a new AI hub in London, United Kingdom. Microsoft AI London aims to spearhead advancements in language models and their infrastructure. The hub will also focus on developing top-tier tools for foundational models, working closely with Microsoft's AI teams and partners, such as OpenAI.

Healthcare Industry Expected to Boost the Market Growth

One of the main drivers of healthcare innovation in the United Kingdom is the patient experience and quality of care. Healthcare providers and organizations across the country are constantly looking for advanced technologies to improve patient care. The use of mobile apps and wearable technology is growing in the United Kingdom to assist with remote patient care.

Further, according to a survey by the Health Foundation in 2023 in the United Kingdom, more than half of the Country's population (56%) believed that technology improves the quality of healthcare services. This indicates the growing public awareness of the adoption of technology in the country's healthcare sector. Healthcare organizations are analyzed to boost technology adoption and are expected to drive the growth of the market.

The government in the country is recognizing the growing need for advanced technologies in the healthcare sector and investing heavily to boost technology penetration in the country's healthcare sector. Such developments are analyzed to positively influence the growth of the studied segment over the forecast period. For instance, in March 2024, the UK government unveiled an approx 1.03 billion investment plan, aiming to modernize public services, notably in policing and healthcare, through technology.

This financial commitment was disclosed during UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's Spring Budget presentation in the House of Commons. Addressing his peers, Hunt emphasized the need to address inefficiencies in public services, particularly highlighting the potential for technology to enhance both the National Health Service (NHS) and national policing. Under these reforms, AI will significantly reduce NHS scan times, while the police force will incorporate drones for swift responses, especially in scenarios like traffic collisions.

United Kingdom Digital Transformation Industry Overview



The UK digital transformation market is fragmented, with many players operating in it. Several key players are constantly making efforts to bring significant advancements. Some prominent companies are entering into collaborations and amplifying their footprints in developing regions to solidify their market positions. The major players are Siemens AG, SAP SE, Microsoft Corporation, IBM Corporation, and many others.

In July 2024, NUSO, a prominent player in cloud communications, announced its decision to expand its highly regarded Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) offerings. This move underlines NUSO's dedication to providing cutting-edge communication technology, coupled with tailored support, at competitive rates to the UK market.

In June 2024, Google announced that it commenced the construction of a new data center in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire. This facility, set to occupy a 33-acre plot acquired by Google in October 2020, aims to bolster the reliability of digital services for both Google Cloud customers and Google users across the United Kingdom. This venture marks a significant USD 1 billion investment by Google in the country.

Key Topics Covered



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Assumptions and Market Definition

1.2 Scope of the Study



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 INDUSTRY ECOSYSTEM ANALYSIS

(Detailed Coverage of Key Stakeholders in Digital Transformation Industry Product/Solution Providers, System Integrators/VARs, Connectivity Providers, Regulatory Bodies, End-users, Service Providers, etc.)



5 MARKET DYNAMICS

5.1 Market Drivers

5.1.1 Increase in the Adoption of Big Data Analytics and Other Technologies in the Region

5.1.2 The Rapid Proliferation of Mobile Devices and Apps

5.2 Market Restraints

5.2.1 Concerns About the Privacy and Security of Information



6 CURRENT MARKET SCENARIO AND EVOLUTION OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PRACTICES



7 KEY METRICS

7.1 Technology Spending Trends

7.2 Number of IoT Devices

7.3 Total Cyberattacks

7.4 Technology Staffing Trends

7.5 Internet Growth and Penetration in the United States

7.6 Digital Competitiveness Ranking

7.7 Fixed and Mobile Broadband Coverage

7.8 Cloud Adoption

7.9 AI Adoption

7.10 E-commerce Penetration



8 MARKET SEGMENTATION

8.1 By Type

8.1.1 Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

8.1.1.1 Current Market Scenario and Market Projections for the Forecast Period

8.1.1.2 Key Growth Influencers (Drivers, Challenges, and Opportunities)

8.1.1.3 Use Case Analysis

8.1.1.4 Market Outlook

8.1.2 Extended Reality (XR)

8.1.3 IoT

8.1.4 Industrial Robotics

8.1.5 Blockchain

8.1.6 Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing

8.1.7 Cyber security

8.1.8 Cloud and Edge Computing

8.1.9 Others

8.2 By End-user Industry

8.2.1 Manufacturing

8.2.2 Oil, Gas and Utilities

8.2.3 Retail & e-commerce

8.2.4 Transportation and Logistics

8.2.5 Healthcare

8.2.6 BFSI

8.2.7 Telecom and IT

8.2.8 Government and Public Sector

8.2.9 Others



9 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

9.1 Company Profiles

9.1.1 Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)

9.1.2 IBM Corporation

9.1.3 Microsoft Corporation

9.1.4 Siemens AG

9.1.5 SAP SE

9.1.6 Accenture PLC

9.1.7 Adobe Inc.

9.1.8 Oracle Corporation

9.1.9 Hewlett Packard Enterprise

9.1.10 EMC Corporation (Dell EMC)

9.1.11 Cisco Systems, Inc.



10 KEY TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

10.1 Quantum Computing

10.2 Manufacturing as a Service (MaaS)

10.3 Cognitive Process Automation

10.4 Nanotechnology



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/107g2t

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
SOFIA, Bulgaria, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Best Wallet (BEST), a new cross-chain storage solution, has secured over $5 million in its ongoing presale phase.

The creators aim to address common pain points in the Web3 space by combining multi-chain compatibility with advanced trading tools.

Best Wallet Token Presale Hits Key Milestone as Staking Numbers Grow

The presale for Best Wallets native BEST token is seeing a progress. It has raised a total of $5.4 million so far, and at the current presale stage, tokens are priced at $0.0233. Both crypto and traditional payment methods are accepted.

While no hard cap or end date has been set for the presale, Best Wallets development continues to hit key milestones. A recent audit by Coinsult gave the BEST token the all-clear, finding no issues with the underlying code.

https://twitter.com/BestWalletHQ/status/1869789749000729037

Best Wallets team also provides the option for presale investors to stake their purchased BEST tokens. More than 63 million BEST has been locked up already, with rewards set to be disbursed over three years and claimable once the presale ends.

Readers can track Best Wallets development and engage with its online community through official channels on Twitter and Telegram.

Best Wallet Introduces Multi-Chain Platform with Integrated DEX

Beyond core storage functionality, Best Wallet aims to be a comprehensive Web3 platform powered by the BEST token. The platform operates as a non-custodial wallet supporting over 60 blockchain networks, from Bitcoin and Ethereum to emerging Layer-2 solutions.

The integrated Best DEX feature connects users to more than 200 decentralized exchanges to secure optimal trading rates. This feature, combined with the 'Upcoming Tokens' tab, aims to simplify discovering and participating in new token launches.





BEST token holders gain access to several ecosystem benefits. These include reduced trading fees, staking rewards, and a say in governance.

Looking ahead, Best Wallets team plans to expand the ecosystem with a crypto debit card, advanced portfolio management tools, and an NFT gallery. These plans have caught the attention of crypto media outlets, with 99Bitcoins recently discussing the project in a YouTube video.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/_CK1vZOf8Yc (embedded video)

About Best Wallet (BEST)

Best Wallet is a multi-chain crypto platform that combines non-custodial wallet functionality with integrated DEX aggregation. Its native BEST token powers the ecosystem, offering holders benefits such as reduced trading fees, staking rewards, and governance rights.

Readers can learn more about Best Wallet by visiting the official website.

Contact

Best Wallet

info@bestwallet.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0b0dbaef-d156-4c52-91fa-1d02dbd57d7b
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

TORONTO, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Water Ways Technologies Inc. (TSXV: WWT) (FRA: WWT) ("Water Ways" or the "Company"), a global provider of Israeli-based agriculture technology, providing water irrigation solutions to agricultural producers, announces that further to the press release of December 11, 2024, the Company is awaiting TSXV approval to confirm the effective date. A further press release will be disseminated advising of the effective date once the TSXV has provided their approval to the consolidation.

About Water Ways Technologies Inc.

WWT through its subsidiaries, is a global provider of Israeli-based agriculture technology, providing water irrigation solutions to agricultural producers. WWT competes in the global irrigation water systems market with a focus on developing solutions with commercial applications in the micro and precision irrigation segments of the overall market. At present, WWTs main revenue streams are derived from the following business units: (i) Projects Business Unit; and (ii) Component and Equipment Sales Unit. WWT is capitalizing on the opportunities presented by micro and smart irrigation, while also making a positive mark on society by making these technologies more widely available, especially in developing markets such as Africa and Latin America and developed markets such as China and Canada. WWTs irrigation projects include vineyards, Cotton fields, Apple and Orange orchards, Blueberry, Medical Cannabis growers, fresh produce cooling rooms and more, in over fifteen countries.

For more information, please contact



Ronnie Jaegermann

Director

T: +972-54-4202054

E: ronnie@waterwt.com

https://www.water-ways-technologies.com/

https://www.hg-wwt.com/

Twitter: @WaterWaysTechn1

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "potential", "will", "seek", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions as they relate to Water Ways. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect Water Ways' current views and intentions with respect to future events, and current information available to Water Ways, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Material factors or assumptions were applied in providing forward-looking information. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information to vary from those described herein should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize. Should any factor affect Water Ways in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, Water Ways does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and Water Ways undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law. Water Ways' results and forward-looking information and calculations may be affected by fluctuations in exchange rates and its own share prices. All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.
PLOVER, Wis., Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lendmark Financial Services (Lendmark) , a leading provider of household credit and consumer loan solutions, continues to expand its Wisconsin footprint, opening a new branch in Plover.

The branch is located at 1180 Meridian Drive and is expected to serve hundreds of customers in its first year. Celeste Holt, who serves as the branch manager, will be responsible for the administration of all daily operations. These include building personal relationships with customers and integrating into the community to ensure area residents receive a superior level of individualized loan services that meet their unique financial needs.

As we grow our footprint in Wisconsin, we will continue to focus on delivering the tailored loan solutions our customers need to meet planned and unplanned life events, said EJ Ryan, Vice President of Branch Operations at Lendmark. Our Wisconsin branch openings and overall branch growth demonstrate an on-going need for diverse household financial options for consumers here and throughout the country.

In addition to serving consumers directly, Lendmark provides financing solutions for thousands of retailers and independent auto dealerships, allowing these businesses customers to obtain Lendmark financing. Local businesses that are interested in partnering with Lendmark to provide financing solutions for their customers should visit the branch or call 715-972-6001.

Lendmarks Climb to Cure is its signature cause-related initiative. The company has committed to raising $10 million by 2025 to mark its 10-year anniversary partnering with CURE Childhood Cancer. So far, Lendmarks employees, partners and customers have raised $8.83 million to support CURE, an Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to funding targeted pediatric cancer research that is utilized nationwide.

Lendmark customers can participate by donating $1 when closing their loan. Lendmark matches the donation.

About Lendmark Financial Services

Lendmark Financial Services (Lendmark) provides personal and household credit and loan solutions to consumers. Founded in 1996, Lendmark strives to be the lender, employer, and partner of choice by protecting household wealth, offering stability and helping consumers meet both planned and unplanned life events through affordable loan offerings. Today, Lendmark operates more than 510 branches in 22 states across the country, providing personalized services to customers and retail business partners with every transaction. Lendmark is headquartered in Lawrenceville, Ga. For more information, visit www.lendmarkfinancial.com .

Media Contact

Jeff Hamilton

Senior Manager, Corporate Communications

jhamilton@lendmarkfinancial.com

678-625-3128

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6dd64880-5174-4955-b559-069d56216edf
HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lancaster County farmer A. Dale Herr, Jr. was the commonwealths top producer in this years Pennsylvania Soybean Yield competition, sponsored annually by the Pennsylvania Soybean Board. His winning yield topped more than 30 other entrants with a contest record-breaking 117.30 bushels per acre.

The Pennsylvania Soybean Yield contest recognizes not only the state-wide grand champion, but also the top growers in each of five production regions in Pennsylvania, based on maturity maps:

State Overall & South-Central Region: A. Dale Herr Jr, (Lancaster County); 117.30 bu./acre

A. Dale Herr Jr, (Lancaster County); 117.30 bu./acre Southeastern Region : Brad Keifer (Northampton County); 100.54 bu./acre

: Brad Keifer (Northampton County); 100.54 bu./acre Central Region: Eric Myers, (Franklin County); 88.21 bu./acre

Eric Myers, (Franklin County); 88.21 bu./acre Northern Region: John Tebbs (Lycoming County); 102.18 bu./acre

John Tebbs (Lycoming County); 102.18 bu./acre Western Region: Ricky Telesz, (Lawrence County); 86.31 bu./acre

Ricky Telesz, (Lawrence County); 86.31 bu./acre Irrigated Class: Steve Chapin, (Columbia County); 85.06 bu./acre

Growing Conditions

Timely mid- and late-summer rains, soil water-holding capacity and April planting dates were the keys that helped the 2024 Pennsylvania Soybean contest winners. Due to a dry summer, 33 farms competed in the contest this year, fewer than 2023. Six farms surpassed the 100 bushel-per-acre level: four in the South-Central Region, one in the Southeastern Region and one in the Northern Region.

Like most seasons, the 2024 growing season had ups and downs. Many of the contest entries were planted in late April and early May due to a cool April across the state. Rainfall was generally below average all summer, and temperatures over the growing season were average. Over the course of the year, temperatures averaged five to 15 percent higher, with most of those higher temperatures occurring in early spring and fall. Generally, harvest weather was favorable, but soybean dry down was not as early as previous years due to a wet first half of September. Strong wheat prices prompted many farmers to plant wheat immediately after soybean harvest again this year.

Top Producer

Dale Herr Jr, the statewide and South-Central Regional winner, planted a Pioneer P35Z76E variety after corn with a no-till drill on 15-inch rows on April 27. He used a two-pass herbicide program and applied a fungicide and an insecticide. His crop received around 17 inches of rain from planting to harvest with the average being 27 inches. Spring started out with a surplus of rain but then it turned dry in early summer. From mid-July through mid-August, his area totaled over eight inches of rain and then it turned dry except for some late September rains. His area was slightly above the 10-year Growing Degree Day average with no significant temperature extremes. Herr Jr. harvested his crop on October 12 and then followed up after harvest, planting a cover crop.

As the states winner, Herr will receive an educational trip for two to the Commodity Classic, the annual joint convention of the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, and the National Grain Sorghum Producers. The regional winners will also receive an educational trip to the Commodity Classic.

The contest was introduced by the Pennsylvania Soybean Board to showcase crop management practices of some of the top soybean producers in the state. A summary of the crop production practices from the 2023 contest entrants is available from Penn State Extension educators and at pasoybean.org.

###

About the Pennsylvania Soybean Board

The Pennsylvania Soybean Board is a farmer-controlled board responsible for managing Pennsylvanias share of funds received from the nationwide Soybean Checkoff program. The funding is available under an assessment program, approved by Congress in 1990, under which soybean farmers contribute 50 cents of every $100 they receive for their beans at the first point of sale. Funds are used to develop markets, educate consumers, and research new ways to utilize and produce soybeans more efficiently.

For the latest news, events, research updates and more, visit the Pennsylvania Soybean Boards website www.pasoybean.org and its Facebook, X and YouTube pages.

Attachment
LAS VEGAS, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hyperscale Data, Inc. (NYSE American: GPUS), a diversified holding company (Hyperscale Data or the Company), announced that it was notified today by the NYSE American that due to the Companys disclosure in its Form 10-Q filed for the fiscal period ended September 30, 2024, which reported stockholders equity of approximately $2.2 million, it no longer meets the requirement that it must have no less than $6 million or more in stockholders equity pursuant to the listing standard set forth under Section 1003(a)(ii) and (iii) of the NYSE American Company Guide (the Listing Standards) because the Company has reported losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in five of its most recent fiscal years ended December 31, 2023.

Under the applicable NYSE American listing rules, the Company must by January 17, 2025 submit a compliance plan that demonstrates how it intends to regain compliance with the Listing Standards within 18 months of the receipt of the notice, or June 18, 2026. The Company intends to develop and submit to the NYSE American such a plan. If the NYSE American does not accept the plan, or if the Company does not make progress consistent with the plan during the plan period, the NYSE American will initiate delisting procedures. If the NYSE American accepts the plan the Company will be subject to periodic reviews including quarterly monitoring for compliance with the plan. During this period, the Company's common stock will continue to be listed on the NYSE American and trade as usual subject to compliance with other NYSE American listing requirements.

The Company is confident that it will be able to submit a plan acceptable to the NYSE American within the requisite period and further that it will promptly be able to demonstrate that it has regained compliance with the Listing Standards.

For more information on Hyperscale Data and its subsidiaries, Hyperscale Data recommends that stockholders, investors and any other interested parties read Hyperscale Datas public filings and press releases available under the Investor Relations section at hyperscaledata.com or available at www.sec.gov.

About Hyperscale Data, Inc.

Hyperscale Data is transitioning from a diversified holding company pursuing growth by acquiring undervalued businesses and disruptive technologies with a global impact to becoming solely an owner and operator of data centers to support high performance computing services. Through its wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries and strategic investments, Hyperscale Data owns and operates a data center at which it mines digital assets and offers colocation and hosting services for the emerging artificial intelligence ecosystems and other industries. It also provides, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Ault Capital Group, Inc., mission-critical products that support a diverse range of industries, including an artificial intelligence software platform, social gaming platform, equipment rental services, defense/aerospace, industrial, automotive, medical/biopharma and hotel operations. In addition, Hyperscale Data is actively engaged in private credit and structured finance through a licensed lending subsidiary. Hyperscale Datas headquarters are located at 11411 Southern Highlands Parkway, Suite 240, Las Vegas, NV 89141.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as believes, plans, anticipates, projects, estimates, expects, intends, strategy, future, opportunity, may, will, should, could, potential, or similar expressions. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of them publicly in light of new information or future events. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors. More information, including potential risk factors, that could affect the Companys business and financial results are included in the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Companys Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. All filings are available at www.sec.gov and on the Companys website at www.hyperscaledata.com.

Hyperscale Data Investor Contact:

IR@hyperscaledata.com or 1-888-753-2235
Wilmington, Del., Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Avoca business to Mane. The transaction is expected to close in the calendar first quarter 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Ashland's Avoca business supplies Sclareolide, a fragrance fixative, and a range of contract manufacturing capabilities from two production facilities in North Carolina and Wisconsin. The Avoca business line represents the last entity from Ashlands previous acquisition of Pharmachem.

The Avoca business is a strong player in the fragrance fixative space with a dedicated team and attractive manufacturing capabilities to meet customer needs, said Guillermo Novo, chair and chief executive officer, Ashland. I want to thank the Avoca employees for their dedication and commitment to Ashland and to our customers.

Squire Patton Boggs is acting as legal advisor to Ashland.

Update Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Ashland has identified some of these forward-looking statements with words such as anticipates, believes, expects, estimates, is likely, predicts, projects, forecasts, objectives, may, will, should, plans and intends and the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. In addition, Ashland may from time to time make forward-looking statements in its annual report to shareholders, quarterly reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), news releases and other written and oral communications. These forward-looking statements are based on Ashlands expectations and assumptions, as of the date such statements are made, regarding Ashlands future operating performance, financial condition, operating cash flow and liquidity, as well as the economy and other future events or circumstances. These statements include, but may not be limited to, statements about the sale of the Avoca business, including the expected timing for closing of the sale. Various risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from those stated, projected or implied by any forward-looking statements, including any delay in the satisfaction of customary closing conditions for the sale of the Avoca business. Factors that will influence the impact on our business and operations include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties affecting Ashland that are described in its most recent Form 10-K (including Item 1A Risk Factors) filed with the SEC, which is available on Ashlands website at http://investor.ashland.com or on the SECs website at http://www.sec.gov. Ashland believes its expectations and assumptions are reasonable, but there can be no assurance that the expectations reflected herein will be achieved. Unless legally required, Ashland undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release whether because of new information, future events or otherwise. Information on Ashlands website is not incorporated into or a part of this news release.

About Ashland

Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) is a global additives and specialty ingredients company with a conscious and proactive mindset for environmental, social and governance (ESG). The company serves customers in a wide range of consumer and industrial markets, including architectural coatings, construction, energy, food and beverage, personal care and pharmaceutical. Approximately 3,200 passionate, tenacious solvers thrive on developing practical, innovative and elegant solutions to complex problems for customers in more than 100 countries. Visit ashland.com and ashland.com/ESG to learn more.

About Mane

Founded in 1871 by Victor Mane, MANE is one of the leading producers and suppliers of fragrances and flavours globally. Since inception, the company has been owned and managed by five successive generations of the Mane family.

MANE is a global group, operating 29 production facilities worldwide and more than 79 sites in more than 40 countries and employing over 8,000 collaborators. The first French company and the fifth largest fragrances and flavours producer in the world and are recognised as the fastest growing major company within the industry.

 Trademark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Investor Relations Ashland: Media Relations Ashland: William C. Whitaker Carolmarie C. Brown +1 (614) 790-2095 +1 (302) 995-3158 wcwhitaker@ashland.com ccbrown@ashland.com

Mane Contacts: Eliane Coloretti Bertrand Boulin + 33 4 93 09 70 00 + 33 4 93 09 70 00 Eliane.COLORETTI@MANE.com Bertrand.BOULIN@mane.com

Attachment
/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

TORONTO, Dec. 23, 2024 - Nuvau Minerals Inc. (TSXV: NMC) (the "Company" or "Nuvau") is pleased to announce the terms of a proposed non-brokered private placement of up to 2,222,222 common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $2,000,000 (the "Offering"). The Offering will include the issuance of any combination of Common Shares issued at a price of $0.90 per Common Share (the "National FT Shares") and/or Common Shares issued at a price of $1.03 per Common Share to certain purchasers located in or subject to tax in the Province of Quebec (the "Quebec FT Shares" and, together with the National FT Shares, the "Flow-Through Shares"). Each Flow-Through Share will qualify as a "flow-through share" as defined in subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act") and section 359.1 of the Taxation Act (Quebec) (the "Quebec Tax Act"), as applicable.

The Company will use an amount equal to the gross proceeds from the Offering to incur (or be deemed to incur) eligible resource exploration expenses which will qualify as (i) "Canadian exploration expenses" (as defined in the Tax Act), (ii) "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" (as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act) (collectively, the "Qualifying Expenditures"), and (iii) with respect to the gross proceeds from the issuance of Quebec FT Shares, the gross proceeds will also qualify for inclusion in the "exploration base relating to certain Quebec exploration expenses" within the meaning of Section 726.4.10 of the Quebec Tax Act and for inclusion in the "exploration base relating to certain Quebec surface mining exploration expenses" within the meaning of Section 726.4.17.2 of the Quebec Tax Act. Qualifying Expenditures in an aggregate amount not less than the gross proceeds raised from the issue of the Flow-Through Shares will be incurred (or deemed to be incurred) by the Company on or before December 31, 2025, and will be renounced by the Company to the initial purchasers of the Flow-Through Shares with an effective date no later than December 31, 2024.

The National FT Shares will be offered in each of the provinces and territories of Canada (other than Quebec) and the Quebec FT Shares will be offered in the province of Quebec, in each case on a private placement basis to investors who are exempt from prospectus requirements, and will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day following the date of issue in accordance with applicable securities laws in Canada.

The Offering remains subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals including the conditional approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). The Offering is expected to close on or about December 30, 2024.

The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Nuvau

Nuvau is a Canadian mining company, incorporated under the OBCA, currently in the exploration and development phase. Nuvau's principal asset is its right to earn-in a 100% undivided interest from Glencore in the Matagami Property located in Abitibi region of central Quebec, Canada pursuant to an amended and restated earn-in agreement dated June 28, 2024 between Nuvau and Glencore.

Cautionary Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "will", "estimates", "believes", "intends" "expects" and similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements concerning the timing and ability of the Company to close the Offering on the terms announced, the proposed use of proceeds of the Offering, the Company's ability to incur Qualifying Expenditures and renounce the gross proceeds to subscribers, the Company's ability to obtain exchange approval for the Offering. Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and the actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, assumptions and expectations, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including expectations and assumptions concerning the Company and the Matagami Property. Readers are cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, as such information, although considered reasonable by the management of the Company at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and are expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statement. Except as expressly required by securities law, neither the Company nor Nuvau undertakes any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Further Information

All information contained in this news release with respect to the Company and Nuvau was supplied by the respective party for inclusion herein, and each party and its directors and officers have relied on the other party for any information concerning the other party.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

SOURCE Nuvau Minerals Inc.
TORONTO, Dec. 23, 2024 - White Gold Corp. (TSX.V: WGO, OTCQX: WHGOF, FRA: 29W) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of the first tranche of a non-brokered private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $5,015,000 consisting of the sale of: (i) 8,063,000 common shares in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares") that qualify as "flow-through shares" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act") at a price of C$0.26 per share (each an "FT Share"); (ii) 5,092,593 FT Shares that will also qualify for the federal 30% Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit at a price of $0.27 per share (each a "CFT Share"); and (iii) 7,013,182 Common Shares a price of C$0.22 per share (each an "HD Share", and together with the FT Shares and the CFT Shares, the "Offered Shares") (the "Offering").

"We are very appreciative for the continued support and strong interest in this financing from new and existing shareholders to fully fund an impactful 2025 exploration program, and are excited to continue to unlock the vast potential of our district scale portfolio in one of Canada's prolific mineral belts which continues to demonstrate abundant gold and critical mineral prospectivity. To date White Gold has delineated significant gold resources, made recent new discoveries and developed an exceptional exploration pipeline for gold, copper and other critical mineral opportunities in this tier 1 mining jurisdiction," stated David D'Onofrio, Chief Executive Officer.

Pursuant to an investor rights agreement between the Company and Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (TSX: AEM, NYSE: AEM) ("Agnico") dated December 13, 2016, Agnico has indicated that it intends to acquire approximately 1,136.363 HD Shares pursuant to the Offering that is expected to close on or about January 3, 2025. In addition, certain officers and directors of the Company (and together with Agnico, the "Insiders") acquired 1,217,273 HD Shares today pursuant to the Offering.

Insiders including Messrs. D'Onofrio, Raza and Bromley have purchased, or have agreed to purchase, an aggregate of 2,353,636 Common Shares pursuant to the Offering. Participation by Insiders in the Offering is considered a "related party transaction" pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61- 101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal valuation or minority shareholder approval in connection with the Insiders' participation in the Offering in reliance of sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101. The Company will file a material change report less than 21 days prior to closing of the Offering as the participation of the Insiders in the Offering had not been confirmed at that time.

The gross proceeds received from the sale of the FT Shares will be used to incur (or deemed to incur) "Canadian exploration expenses" as defined in subsection 66.1(6) of the Tax Act, and the gross proceeds from the sale of the CFT Shares will be used to incur (or deemed to incur) eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that qualify as "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" (as both terms are defined in the Tax Act) (collectively, the "Qualifying Expenditures"), related to the Company's properties in the White Gold District of the Yukon Territory, on or before December 31, 2025, and to renounce all the Qualifying Expenditures in favour of the subscribers of the FT Shares, and CFT Shares effective December 31, 2024.

In connection with the closing of the first tranche of the Offering, the Company paid to cash finders' fees to certain finders equal to 7.0% of the gross proceeds raise by each finder and issued to finders an aggregate of 472,405 finders' warrants, representing 7.0% of the aggregate number of Offered Shares sold to purchasers introduced to the Company by such finders. Each finders' warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.22 per Common Share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering, including the Common Shares underlying the finders' warrants, are subject to a statutory four-month and one day hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

About White Gold Corp.

The Company owns a portfolio of 15,876 quartz claims across 26 properties covering approximately 315,000 hectares (3,150 km2) representing approximately 40% of the Yukon's emerging White Gold District. The Company's flagship White Gold project hosts four near-surface gold deposits which collectively contain an estimated 1,203,000 ounces of gold in Indicated Resources and 1,116,600 ounces of gold in Inferred Resources(1). Regional exploration work has also produced several other new discoveries and prospective targets on the Company's claim packages which border sizable gold discoveries including the Coffee project owned by Newmont Corporation with Measured and Indicated Resources of 2.1 Moz at 1.28 g/t gold and Inferred Resources of 0.2 Moz at 1.04 g/t gold(2), and Western Copper and Gold Corp.'s Casino project which has Measured and Indicated Resources of 7.6 Blb copper and 14.5 Moz gold and Inferred Resources of 3.3 Blb copper and 6.6 Moz gold(3). For more information visit www.whitegoldcorp.ca.

(1) See White Gold Corp. press release dated November 19, 2024, available on SEDAR+.

(2) See Newmont Corporation Form 10-K: Annual report for the year ending December 31, 2023, in the Measured, Indicated, and Inferred Resources section, dated February 29, 2024, available on EDGAR. Reserves and resources disclosed in this Form 10-K have been prepared in accordance with the Regulation S-K 1300, and do not indicate NI43-101 compliance.

(3) See Western Copper and Gold Corporation technical report titled "Casino project, Form 43-101F1 Technical Report Feasibility Study, Yukon Canada", Effective Date June 13, 2022, Issue Date August 8, 2022, NI 43-101 Compliant Technical Report prepared by Daniel Roth, PE, P.Eng., Mike Hester, F Aus IMM, John M. Marek, P.E., Laurie M. Tahija, MMSA-QP, Carl Schulze, P.Geo., Daniel Friedman, P.Eng., Scott Weston, P.Geo., available on SEDAR+.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "proposed", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, the Offering, including all final regulatory approvals; the use of proceeds from the Offering; the Company's objectives, goals and exploration activities conducted and proposed to be conducted at the Company's properties; future growth potential of the Company, including whether any proposed exploration programs at any of the Company's properties will be successful; exploration results; and future exploration plans and costs and financing availability.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include:

the expected benefits to the Company relating to the exploration conducted and proposed to be conducted at the White Gold properties; the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals for the Offering; the completion of the Offering on the terms described herein, or at all; failure to identify any additional mineral resources or significant mineralization; the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, including to fund any exploration programs on the Company's properties; business integration risks; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining and mineral exploration; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); the unlikelihood that properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated; soil sampling results being preliminary in nature and are not conclusive evidence of the likelihood of a mineral deposit; title to properties; and those factors described in the most recently filed management's discussion and analysis of the Company. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Contact Information:

David D'Onofrio

Chief Executive Officer

White Gold Corp.

(647) 930-1880

ir@whitegoldcorp.ca
Element79 Gold Corp. (CSE: ELEM, FSE: 7YS0, OTC: ELMGF) ("Element79 Gold" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an Amending Agreement with Condor Resources Inc. ("Condor") to modify the terms of the payment due under the Original Agreement for the Lucero Project in Peru. The extension provides a strategic framework for the Company as it advances its flagship gold and silver asset.

Key Terms of the Amending Agreement

The payment of USD $1,000,000, initially due on December 21, 2024, has been extended and increased to USD $1,100,000, now due on or before June 30, 2025.

Element79 Gold has pledged 1,750,000 shares of Sun Silver Limited (ASX: SS1) as security for the payment. These shares are subject to trading restrictions until May 6, 2025.

The Company has assured Condor that the pledged shares will remain free from any encumbrances and trading restrictions, aside from the time-based restrictions currently in place.

In the event the payment is not made in full by June 30, 2025, Condor reserves the right to take recourse through legal or equitable means.

This agreement allows Element79 Gold to maintain its focus on advancing the Lucero Project, which remains central to the Company's growth strategy in high-grade gold and silver mining.

About Element79 Gold Corp.

Element79 Gold is a mining company actively exploring and developing its portfolio of assets, including the high-grade, past-producing Lucero project in Arequipa, Peru, and properties along the Battle Mountain Trend in Nevada. The Company also holds an option to acquire the Dale Property in Ontario and is advancing the Plan of Arrangement spin-out process for its wholly-owned subsidiary, Synergy Metals Corp.

For further details on this announcement and the Company's projects, please visit www.element79.gold.

Contact Information

For corporate matters, please contact:

James C. Tworek, Chief Executive Officer

E-mail: jt@element79.gold

For investor relations inquiries, please contact:

Investor Relations Department

Phone: +1.403.850.8050

E-mail: investors@element79.gold

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press contains "forward?looking information" and "forward-looking statements" under applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward?looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance, business prospects or opportunities that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management made considering management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the completion of the Spin-Out Arrangement, the completion of the Amalgamation, the completion of the Concurrent Financing, the Company's business strategy; future planning processes; exploration activities; the timing and result of exploration activities; capital projects and exploration activities and the possible results thereof; acquisition opportunities; and the impact of acquisitions, if any, on the Company. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, assumptions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward?looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "forecast", "potential", "target", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward?looking statements". \

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.


Melbourne, December 23, 2024 - Besra Gold Inc. (ASX: BEZ) (the Company or Besra) is pleased to announce the results of voting at its annual general and special meetings of shareholders held on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 12:30 pm (Sydney, Australia time) in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (the Meeting).

Matters submitted to shareholders for approval were as set out in the Company's notice of meeting and management information circular (the Circular), dated November 19, 2024, and the Company's press release dated December 16, 2024, in relation to amending Besra's By-Law No. 1 (the By-Law) to permit the appointment of an independent chair for shareholder meetings of the Company.

All matters were approved by the requisite majority of votes cast at the Meeting.

A total of 258,197,632 common shares were voted at the Meeting, representing approximately 61.75% of the total issued and outstanding common shares of the Company as of the record date of the Meeting.

As required under ASX Listing Rule 3.13.2, we advise details of resolutions passed, the proxies received, and the total number of votes cast for each resolution as set out in the table below (which includes detailed voting results for the election of each director nominated in the Circular).

This announcement was authorised for release by the Board of Besra Gold Inc.

A: Suite 4, Level 35

360 Elizabeth Street

Melbourne, Vic 3000

Results of meeting

Name of entity

Besra Gold Inc

ARBN: 141 335 686



Date of meeting: 20-Dec-24

Resolutions voted on at the meeting If decided by poll Proxies received Resolution Result Voting method If s250U

applies Voted for Voted against Abstained For Against Abstain Discretion No. Short description Number % Number % Number Number Number Number Number 1 Election of Jon Morda Passed Poll N/A 224,002,546 88.5% 29,150,989 11.5% 5,044,097 218,030,485 29,150,989 2,691,006 0 2 Election of Michael Higginson Passed Poll N/A 182,799,533 72.5% 69,186,308 27.5% 6,211,791 176,827,472 69,186,308 3,858,700 0 3 Election of Dato Lim Passed Poll N/A 145,752,925 57.1% 109,308,875 42.9% 3,135,832 139,780,864 109,308,875 782,741 0 4 Election of Chang (Kenny) Lee Passed Poll N/A 142,183,563 55.8% 112,842,465 44.2% 3,171,604 136,211,502 112,842,465 818,513 0 5 Reappointment of Auditor Passed Poll N/A 181,889,395 72.5% 68,943,781 27.5% 7,364,456 175,917,334 68,943,781 5,014,456 0 6 Issue of Options to Kenny Lee Passed Poll N/A 140,126,066 55.2% 113,827,100 44.8% 4,244,466 134,154,005 113,827,100 1,891,374 0 7 2024 Executive Remuneration Passed Poll N/A 142,792,744 57.2% 106,651,644 42.8% 6,753,244 138,474,061 106,651,644 4,746,774 0 - Amendment of By-laws Passed Poll N/A 258,197,632 100.0% 0 0.0% 0 258,197,632 0 0 258,197,632

Resolutions proposed but not put to the meeting No. Short description Reason(s) for not putting the resolution to the meeting

Not applicable



To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234960
Luxembourg, December 23, 2024 - Nexa Resources S.A. (NYSE: NEXA) ("Nexa Resources", "Nexa" or the "Company") announces today the completion of the previously disclosed sale (the "Transaction") of 100% of the shares of Minera Pampa de Cobre S.A.C. ("MPC"), the owner of the Chapi copper mine, to Quilla Resources Peru S.A.C ("Quilla").

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Nexa has sold and transferred all shares, rights, titles, and interests in Chapi to Quilla. The Transaction was completed following the fulfillment of all closing conditions.

About Quilla Resources Peru S.A.C.

Quilla Resources Peru S.A.C ("Quilla") is a privately held Peruvian company, which is focused on acquiring, and operating copper focused mining projects in Peru, and the wider region. Quilla intends to restart the Chapi Mine and conduct exploration on the property.

About Nexa

Nexa is a large-scale, low-cost integrated zinc producer with over 65 years of experience developing and operating mining and smelting assets in Latin America. Nexa currently owns and operates five long-life mines, three of which are located in the central Andes region of Peru, and two of which are located in Brazil (one in the state of Minas Gerais and one in the state of Mato Grosso). Nexa also currently owns and operates three smelters, two of which are located in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, and one of which is Cajamarquilla, located in Lima, which is the largest smelter in the Americas.

Nexa was among the top five producers of mined zinc globally in 2023 and one of the top five metallic zinc producers worldwide in 2023, according to Wood Mackenzie.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements as defined in applicable securities laws (collectively referred to in this news release as "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements contained in this news release may include, but are not limited to, zinc and other metal prices and exchange rate assumptions, projected operating and capital costs, metal or mineral recoveries, head grades, mine life, production rates, and returns; the Company's potential plans; the estimation of the tonnage, grade and content of deposits and the extent of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates; timing of commencement of production; exploration potential and results; the timing and receipt of necessary permits for future operations; and the impacts of COVID-19 on our operations.

These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results and future performance and achievements will meet or not differ from the expectations of management or qualified persons. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The words "believe," "will," "may," "may have," "would," "estimate," "continues," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "expects," "budget," "scheduled," "forecasts" and similar words are intended to identify estimates and forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Actual results and developments may be substantially different from the expectations described in the forward-looking statements for a number of reasons, many of which are not under our control, among them, the activities of our competition, the future global economic situation, weather conditions, market prices and conditions, exchange rates, and operational and financial risks. The unexpected occurrence of one or more of the abovementioned events may significantly change the results of our operations on which we have based our estimates and forward-looking statements. Our estimates and forward-looking statements may also be influenced by, among others, legal, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the Project, including risks related to outbreaks of contagious diseases or health crises impacting overall economic activity regionally or globally, as well as risks relating to ongoing or future investigations by local authorities with respect to our business and operations and the conduct of our customers, including the impact to our financial statements regarding the resolution of any such matters.

These forward-looking statements related to future events or future performance and include current estimates, predictions, forecasts, beliefs and statements as to management's expectations with respect to, but not limited to, the business and operations of the Company and mining production, our growth strategy, the impact of applicable laws and regulations, future zinc and other metal prices, smelting sales, capex, expenses related to exploration and project evaluation, estimation of Mineral Reserves and/or Mineral Resources, mine life and our financial liquidity.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable and appropriate by management and qualified persons considering their experience are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies and may prove to be incorrect. Statements concerning future production costs or volumes are based on numerous assumptions of management regarding operating matters and on assumptions that demand for products develops as anticipated, that customers and other counterparties perform their contractual obligations, full integration of mining and smelting operations, that operating and capital plans will not be disrupted by issues such as mechanical failure, unavailability of parts and supplies, labor disturbances, interruption in transportation or utilities, adverse weather conditions, and that there are no material unanticipated variations in metal prices, exchange rates, or the cost of energy, supplies or transportation, among other assumptions.

Estimates and forward-looking statements refer only to the date when they were made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any estimate or forward-looking statement due to new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Estimates and forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and do not guarantee future performance, as actual results or developments may be substantially different from the expectations described in the forward-looking statements. Further information concerning risks and uncertainties associated with these forward-looking statements and our business can be found in our public disclosures filed under our profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov).

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/234659
Romios Gold Resources Inc. (TSXV: RG) (OTCQB: RMIOF) (FSE: D4R) ("Romios Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it is proceeding with a non-brokered private placement of up to 2,500,000 flow-through units ("FT Units") priced at $0.03 per FT Unit for up to $75,000 (the "Offering").

Each FT Unit consists of one (1) flow-through Common Share ("FT Share") priced at $0.03 per FT Share and one (1) common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant") with each Warrant entitling the holder to acquire one (1) common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.05 until the earlier of (i) five (5) years from the closing of the Offering (the "Closing"); and (ii) in the event that the closing price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange is at least $0.075 for ten (10) consecutive trading days, and the 10th trading day (the "Final Trading Day") is at least four (4) months from the Closing, the date which is thirty (30) days from the Final Trading Day (the "Trigger Date").

The gross proceeds from the Offering will be used for Canadian Exploration Expenses (within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act")) which qualify as a "flow-through mining expenditure" for purposes of the Tax Act related to the exploration program of the Company to be conducted on the Company's properties located in British Columbia and Ontario. The Company will renounce such Canadian Exploration Expenses with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2024.

Eligible finders will be paid 7% cash and be issued broker warrants equal to 9% of the number of FT Units placed by the finder. Each broker warrant issued entitles the holder to acquire one (1) common share of the Company at a price of $0.05 until the earlier of (i) five (5) years from Closing; and (ii) the Trigger Date.

Funds will be used for exploration. All securities issued under the Offering are subject to a four month and one day hold period. The transaction is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. No funds from the sale of the FT Units will be used for payments to non-arm's length parties or for investor relations activities. The funds from the sale of the FT Units will be allocated as to $75,000 for exploration.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in any jurisdiction.

About Romios Gold Resources Inc.

Romios Gold Resources Inc. is a progressive Canadian mineral exploration company engaged in precious- and base-metal exploration, focused primarily on gold, copper and silver. It has a 100% interest in the Lundmark-Akow Lake Au-Cu property plus 4 additional claim blocks in northwestern Ontario and extensive claim holdings covering several significant porphyry copper-gold prospects in the "Golden Triangle" of British Columbia. Additional interests include the Kinkaid claims in Nevada covering numerous Au-Ag-Cu workings, and the Scossa mine property in Nevada which is a former high-grade gold producer. The Company retains an ongoing interest in several properties including a 2% NSR on McEwen Mining's Hislop gold property in Ontario; a 2% NSR on Enduro Metals' Newmont Lake Au-Cu-Ag property in BC, and the Company has signed a definitive agreement with Copperhead Resources Inc. ("Copperhead") whereby Copperhead can acquire a 75% ownership interest in Romios' Red Line Property in BC.

For more information, visit www.romios.com.

As part of our ongoing effort to keep investors, interested parties and stakeholders updated, we have several communication portals. If you have any questions online (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) please feel free to send direct messages.

To book a one-on-one 30-minute Zoom video call, please click here.

This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or include the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements. TSX Venture Exchange or its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION, RELEASE, OR PUBLICATION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES


Vancouver, Dec. 23, 2024 - Kincora Copper Ltd. (TSXV: KCC) (ASX: KCC) (Kincora or the Company) is pleased to confirm the closing of its previously announced private placement of 33,500,659 shares, raising gross proceeds of AUD$1,273,025 (CAD$1,206,024). The placement was conducted in two tranches:

Closing of Private Placement

First Tranche

Closed on October 22, 2024, with the issuance of 12,576,031 shares for total gross proceeds of AUD$477,889 (CAD$452,737). Second Tranche

Closed on December 18, 2024, with the issuance of 20,924,627 shares for total gross proceeds of AUD$795,136 (CAD$753,287).

Insiders/Directors participated in the second tranche as follows:

Cameron McRae: 568,421 shares

John Holliday: 568,421 shares

Jeremy Robinson: 248,211 shares

Big Ben Holdings Pty Limited: 5,751,974 shares

The shares were issued at a price of 3.8 Australian cents (approximately 3.6 cents) per share, with one attaching option for every two shares issued. Each option has an exercise price of 7.5 Australian cents (approximately seven cents) and a two-year term. The issue price represents a 12-per-cent discount to the last closing price on October 10, 2024, and a 16-per-cent discount to the 15-day volume-weighted average price on the Australian Securities Exchange. Morgans Corporate Ltd has acted as Lead Manager. Associated with the raising a 3.9% (AUD49,478) cash fee was paid on funds raised.

A portion of the private placement and the shares for services are related party transactions within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101. The Company is relying on the exemptions in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a)of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 (the "Instrument") from the valuation and shareholder approval requirements of the Instrument in respect of the private placement and the shares for services, based on the fact that the fair market value of the transactions (as it concerns related parties) is not more than 25% of the market capitalization of the Company.

Performance Rights Exercise

Following approves at the December 10, 2024, shareholders meeting and the Company announces the exercise of 3,877,370 performance rights by certain directors, officers, and consultants. These performance rights were granted on February 17, 2022, and have now vested. The shares have been issued at a price of $0.13 per share, with the following breakdown:

Cameron McRae: 1,692,308 shares

Jonathan (Sam) Spring: 1,884,754 shares

John Holliday: 223,385 shares

Sam McRae: 76,923 shares

The Equity Incentive Plan ("EIP") is approved annually by shareholders and a key element of the Company's total compensation package to the board, senior management and eligible consultants that seeks to align interests to shareholders, reduce cash costs and increase the amount of cash invested in exploration.

Shares for Services

Following approves at the December 10, 2024, shareholders meeting, the Board of Directors has approved the issuance of 7,169,335 common shares to certain officers, directors, and consultants as payment for services provided in 2022, 2023, and the first half of 2024. These shares have been issued at various prices based on the respective periods of service, as detailed below:

Total Shares Issued: 7,169,335

Average Issue Price: $0.054 per share

The issuance of shares under this program has been conducted in compliance with regulatory approvals from the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) and the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

Regulatory Approvals

The issuance of shares for services is subject to final regulatory approval. The shares will be issued as fully paid and non-assessable common shares, and applications for listing on the ASX and TSXV will be made promptly.

Post the aforementioned issuances, the Company has 291,720,904 shares and 69,050,325 options outstanding.

This announcement has been authorised for release by the Board of Kincora Copper Limited (ARBN 645 457 763).

Executive office

400 - 837 West Hastings Street

Vancouver, BC V6C 3N6, Canada

Tel: 1.604.283.1

Fax: 1.888.241.5996

Subsidiary office Australia

Vista Australia

Level 4, 100 Albert Road

South Melbourne, Victoria 3205

Fax: 1.888.241.5996

Forward-Looking Statements

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Government workers, like the rest of us, are getting older. Now that the Great Recession is behind us, the long-predicted "brain drain" of Baby Boomers retiring from the public workforce may finally be upon us. Governments will need a strategy for replacing these workers. That strategy -- for budgetary reasons if nothing else -- must involve appealing to the millennial generation, and particularly those currently in college and graduate school.Unfortunately, government is falling short in its efforts to recruit millennials at the precise moment when recruiting them might be most important. A November 2015 study from Deloitte Consulting cites figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that put the percentage of millennials working for the public sector at less than one-fourth, compared to one-third of this age group in private-sector jobs.This is not because the idea of public service is inherently unattractive to this group. As a university professor and administrator, I spend a lot of time with millennials, and I can report that many are highly motivated to "do good." In fact, I see no difference in the level of this motivation from what I saw among my peers 40 years ago or from my previous students 20 years ago. There are, however, a lot more options for doing good than there were 20 or 40 years ago, and increasingly millennials looking to scratch their altruistic itch are going to work for consulting firms and nonprofits.Given these options, the question is whether they see government as a force for good and as a venue for them to take their passion for good and translate it into making a difference in people's lives. Older workers -- those now or soon to be eligible to retire -- were motivated by public service, but they also chose government employment for other reasons, including job security and more attractive and reliable pensions than the private sector provided. This is less of a motivation for today's younger workers, partially because public-sector jobs are less secure and benefits are less generous than they were 30 (or even 10) years ago.The key question, then, is what governments can do to make public service more attractive to this age group, and to encourage them to stay once they arrive. Here are five things that might be done to promote these goals:In a recent Governing article , Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene described many traditional government hiring systems as being in the "stone age," while outlining more flexible, modern systems being adopted by some states and localities. If, because of rigid civil-service rules, it takes six months to a year to make a decision on hiring, some potential workers will never apply, while many others will not be able to afford to wait.Government can be its own best advertisement. Students who end up with government internships often find the reality of government work attractive, and many end up working for the same or similar institutions after graduation. In many places, however, the paid internship, rather than being seen as a good investment in future workers, is viewed as an extravagance.News reports about the dysfunction of some governments do little to make it look like an attractive employer. Why would anyone, right now, want to work for the states of Illinois or Pennsylvania? These governments cannot even adopt budgets or pay employees and government beneficiaries in a timely and reliable way. And this kind of uncertainty encourages the people with options to leave government. There is evidence, for example, that the federal-government shutdown of 2013 resulted in the departure of some young employees from public service When politicians, such as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, make political hay by attacking their own governments' workers and work to destroy their civil-service and union rights, it makes government less attractive to potential hires, especially the ones with other options.One of the byproducts of rigid personnel systems is that they fail to create incentives that motivate employees. A culture where performance is rewarded will likely attract and retain those who are motivated by government service. On the other hand, systems that are overly protective of poor performers (whether because of union-contract provisions, civil-service rules or other reasons) send a signal that performance doesn't matter.If government is to be effective, it cannot afford to ignore the need to make government service appealing to those who represent the future. Unless concerted efforts are made to attract these future workers and retain them, avoidable performance failures will be the inevitable result. That's a bad deal not only for governments and their workforces but also for the citizens they serve.
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Featured

KK Fosu marks 25 years in music

Jessica Love Otoo Showbiz News Dec - 23 - 2024 , 20:46 2 minutes read

Saturday was a night of celebration and nostalgia as KK Fosu marked his 25th anniversary in the music industry with a heartwarming concert at the Bayview Hotel, Accra.

Music enthusiasts of Highlife music gathered to honour the musician, whose career has been defined by timeless hits and an enduring legacy.

The night began with a grand entrance of KK Fosu led onto the stage by Reggie Rockstone, the "Godfather of Hiplife."

The two legends reminisced about their collaboration on the award-winning song "Fa Me Bone Kye Me," sharing stories of how they created the hit that still resonates with fans.

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KK Fosu, dressed in an elegant blend of traditional and modern Ghanaian attire, performed some of his hits such as "Anadwo Yede," "Odo Nti," and "6 O'clock." The crowd sang along, reliving the magic of his music yesteryears.

Midway through his performance, KK Fosu invited legendary Highlife artiste Pat Thomas to join him on stage.

KK Fosu and Pat Thomas on stage

Together, they delivered a breathtaking rendition of their hit song "Odo De Da Me." Pat Thomas, known as the "Golden Voice of Africa," mesmerised the audience with his impeccable vocals, creating a memorable moment for patrons.

The event was graced by several notable personalities, including Pappy Kojo, who joined the celebration and shared in the joy of the evening. Other celebrities such as legendary musician Bessa Simons, Abeiku Santana, and Deloris Frimpong Manso, popularly known as Delay, also attended, adding star power to the night.

KK Fosu expressed heartfelt gratitude to his fans, dedicating special performances to key supporters, including business mogul Dr. Manfred Takyi, CEO of Joy Daddy Industries for honouring his contribution to Ghanas music industry with a concert.
Featured

Guidelines needed to invalidate election results  Dr Osae-Kwapong

Albert K Salia Dec - 23 - 2024 , 08:43 3 minutes read

A democracy fellow at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr John Osae-Kwapong, has called for specific guidelines on how to invalidate a declaration of elections and consistently apply it to all cases.

The situation we need to avoid is creating a loophole for a future Electoral Commission (EC), who, dissatisfied with the outcome of an election because of a hidden preference, invokes the law to invalidate declared results in the final collation process, he stated.

Expressing his views on the recollation of seven parliamentary results in an interview, Dr Osae-Kwapong stated that well-crafted administrative rules should enable action but also restrain administrative overreach.

Resolution

Dr Osae-Kwapong said resolving those things administratively would always be his first preference.

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However, if the administrative actions of the EC are violations of the law, then it is proper for the courts to step in or the political parties should invoke the jurisdiction of the court, he said.

He said the EC's contention was that issues such as not collating all polling stations plus various acts of violence gave it the basis to invalidate declarations and instruct recollation, hence parties must restrain themselves from engaging in violent conduct.

Trust issues

The governance expert said the exercise further highlighted the need for greater cooperation between the EC and political parties who already felt the need to engage in extrajudicial activities during elections, all in the name of protecting the ballot.

The deepening mistrust, narratives of a compromised EC and allegations of rigging, all combine to signal that the freeness and fairness of elections cannot be left solely to the election management body, he pointed out.

That, he said, further weakened the institution and eroded trust in the EC, the body charged with conducting and supervising elections.

Dr Osae-Kwapong, who is also the Director of the Democracy Project, insisted that if only nine out of 276 had issues, then generally the elections were smooth and peaceful.

But it is also the deviant cases that end up creating problems and can have serious consequences for post-election security.

The recollation, especially as it has resulted in different winners compared to what happened at the constituency declaration, further deepens mistrust in the electoral process, he stated.

Anomalies

Dr Osae-Kwapong contended that if there were anomalies in the earlier declarations which tainted the process, they must be rectified.

The question is where and how do they get rectified? Today's exercise raises three key things for us, namely the role of the courts in resolving electoral disputes as it pertains to the administrative process of collating and declaring results.

The role of the EC and the guidelines for collating and recollating results in terms of what any law governing elections allow the EC to do and not do; the role of political parties, their supporters and finding common ground with the EC to ensure smooth processes which is an issue of mistrust, he said.

Stakeholder engagement

Contributing to the discussion, a political scientist, Dr Samuel Kofi Darkwa, said if the EC were to carry out the court orders, it would require stakeholder engagement.

That is, if the court writes to the EC, the EC has to share that directive with the security task force, the incoming and the outgoing administrations, the political parties, and possibly civil society organisations and development partners, given the high stakes of those results, he said.

The political scientist said it was important to distinguish between cases necessitating recollation due to illegal interruptions that hindered results declaration and those involving unlawful declarations that should be resolved in a court of law.

He said the ECs position that the collation process was impeded by political party supporters, leading to incidents of vandalism that destroyed essential election materials and posed threats to EC staff could not be overlooked.
Featured

President commends Presby Church on 200th milestone

Joshua Bediako Koomson Dec - 23 - 2024 , 10:57 4 minutes read

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has commended the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) for its immense contributions to the nations development as the church marks its 200th anniversary.

He lauded the churchs legacy of faith, discipline and service, describing it as a mighty tree sheltering millions under its branches.

Reflecting on the churchs history, President Akufo-Addo noted its pivotal role in shaping the countrys social, moral and intellectual fabric through education, health care and advocacy for social justice.

The Presbyterian Church of Ghana has been a beacon of hope, never ceasing to proclaim the message of Christ, the solid rock on which we stand. Your emphasis on hard work, humility and stewardship is exactly what Ghana needs to move forward, the President said.

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The occasion

He was speaking at the launch of the bicentennial anniversary of the church on December 22.

The event was held at the Osu Castle, where the first missionaries of the Evangelical Basel Missionary Society landed in December 1828, laying the foundation for the PCG.

The bicentennial celebrations will culminate in December 2028, marking 200 years of the churchs presence in Ghana.

The event brought together a distinguished gathering, including church members, former moderators of the church, traditional rulers, ministers of state, Justices of the Supreme Court as well as current and former members of the General Assembly Council.

The church also unveiled a new anniversary cloth and a logo to commemorate the 200th anniversary.

Personal faith journey

President Akufo-Addo praised the church for remaining steadfast in its values, particularly in a world increasingly defined by moral ambiguity. The Presbyterian ethos of discipline, service and integrity has helped shape Ghana into the nation it is today, he added.

The President also reflected on his personal faith journey, crediting his Presbyterian upbringing for instilling in him the values of faith, prayer and perseverance.

He acknowledged the churchs unwavering prayers and support throughout his presidency, describing it as a source of strength and inspiration.

Highlighting the importance of collaboration between faith and governance, President Akufo-Addo urged the church to continue leading efforts to address contemporary challenges, including poverty, inequality, corruption and environmental degradation.

The bicentennial is not just a time of reflection but a call to action. The church must continue to be a voice for the voiceless, a sanctuary for the weary and a light in the darkness, he stated, referencing Matthew 5:14-16.

Post-elections

Touching on the recent general election, President Akufo-Addo expressed gratitude for the countrys peaceful democratic process but criticised the acts of hooliganism and vandalism that marred its aftermath.

While pointing out that some of the disturbances involved executives and sympathisers of the victorious party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), he said those acts were completely unnecessary and wholly unacceptable and must never reoccur.

President Akufo-Addo further congratulated the President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, on his victory.

He praised the Electoral Commission for conducting a diligent and transparent electoral process, which he described as reaffirming the countrys reputation as a beacon of democracy on the African continent.

The President also commended the security services, particularly the police, for ensuring the peaceful nature of the elections.

However, he called on the police leadership to review their practices to prevent the recurrence of post-election violence.

As a nation, we must be resolute in our commitment to safeguarding peace, stability and the democratic values we have worked so hard to establish, President Akufo-Addo stated.

Sermon

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the PCG, Rt Rev. Dr Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye, while delivering a sermon, reflected on the history of the PCG, acknowledging its legacy of transformation in Ghanaian society.

He also spoke of the churchs foundational role in the spread of Christianity in the country.

Drawing inspiration from the sacrifices of missionaries who came, died, and kept coming, Rt Rev. Dr Kwakye reminded the congregation of the spirit of perseverance that defined the church.

As the church prepares to celebrate its 200th anniversary, Rt Rev. Dr Kwakye urged the congregation to continue embodying the Presbyterian spirit of perseverance.

On the Promotion of Proper Human and Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, also known as LGBTQ+ bill, Rt Rev. Dr Kwakye said the Presbyterian Church, having given support to the bill, interpreted it as their birthday gift for this year.

He, therefore, called on the President to make the church's joy complete by assenting to the bill to make it law.

"We are confident that in these last few weeks, you will make our joy complete by giving assent to the bill so that it will become law in Ghana.

We seek to preserve the values of the African people through the gospel and are confident that it will be soon," he said.
Featured

Vice President-elect Naana Opoku-Agyemang might present 2025 mini-budget  NDC caucus in Parliament

Graphic.com.gh Dec - 23 - 2024 , 10:43 1 minute read

The incoming Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, could deliver the temporary budget statement in Parliament upon the assumption of office by the National Democratic Congress administration on January 7, 2025, the partys caucus in Parliament has indicated.

The party has consequently doused concerns over the failure of the outgoing government to deliver the Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation, which would allow the incoming administration a three-month window to spend in the public purse ahead of the full budget statement to Parliament.

With the current government yet to present the 2025 mini-budget, there have been fears over funding arrangements for early next year.

In a statement dated December 20, 2024, however, the Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, expressed disappointment over the governments failure to present the budget.

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He assured Ghanaians of steps to address the development, saying, There is no cause for alarm! Even though there will be no Minister of Finance on January 7, 2025, the Vice-President can present to this House the Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation any time after swearing-in on January 7, 2025, and Parliament will be properly constituted to expedite approval of the same.

He cautioned that the outgoing Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government would be responsible for all unmet commitments and obligations of the state from January 1 to January 7, 2025.
Featured

Ghana Standards Authority inspectors hit streets to crack down on substandard goods

Kester Aburam Korankye Dec - 23 - 2024 , 09:28 4 minutes read

The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has deployed a team of well-trained Trading Standards Inspectors (TSIs) to conduct market surveillance in various markets, supermarkets and filling stations to ensure that patrons get value for money.

The Trading Standards Inspectors have been deployed in Accra, Tema, Takoradi, Kumasi and other major towns and cities to look out for substandard products, unapproved products and fake products, among others, to ensure that marketers do not cash in on unsuspecting buyers and shoppers during the Christmas season and beyond.

The Director-General of the GSA, Professor Alexander Dodoo, who led the teams activities in Accra last weekend told the Daily Graphic that all the TSIs had received police training, undergone criminal background checks and had been absorbed into permanent employment for the exercise.

Every one of them has had their criminal records checked, their fingerprints taken into the police record system before, by law, I appointed them and published their names in the gazettes, Prof. Dodoo said.

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He said the TSIs, who were the first approved enforcement officers by the GSA had been licensed to verify the conformity of goods, processes or services with the relevant mandatory standards or other applicable standards in line with the GSA Act 2022 (Act 1078).

Per the law, they will check the quality of goods and services on the market, check the accuracy of volumes and weights of products, collect samples for testing, identify non-compliant products and traders, and institute appropriate actions.

They also have the mandate to gather evidence for prosecution, undertake undercover work to collect evidence for prosecution, give evidence in court, provide public education and sensitisation and also receive consumer complaints.

Prof. Dodoo said the GSA Act 2022 (Act 1078) gave TSIs the authority to enter premises under Section 44.

The Act states: An inspector may at all reasonable times and for the purpose of this Act, enter any premises in which any commodity, process or practice is or is reasonably suspected of being manufactured, processed, produced, treated or kept for the purpose of any trade or business.

Novelty

Prof. Dodoo who is the first to be appointed by name, as the Custodian of Weights and Measures in the country, said the TSIs were the continent's first fully appointed and gazetted inspectors of standards, trained to chartered standards, and unveiled for the notice of the public.

Prof. Alexander Dodoo Director-General, Ghana Standards Authority

This pioneering group, initially consisting of 300 members, are stationed across the capital cities in the country.

Prof. Dodoo said although the number was inadequate to cater for the entire country, these inspectors possessed comprehensive knowledge and were of high moral standards.

Notably, he said their expertise surpassed that of their UK counterparts, despite the latter's reliance on internet-based resources.

He said the inspectors were recognisable by their distinctive uniforms and identification cards, and as such citizens were encouraged to request their ID cards and warrants, which outlined the specific areas they were authorised to inspect.

This measure ensures accountability and transparency in their operations, Prof. Dodoo said.

Support for public good

The TSIs in the company of Prof. Dodoo paid a courtesy call to the newsroom of the Daily Graphic yesterday where they were introduced to members of the editorial team.

The Editor, Graphic, Theophilus Yartey, emphasised the organisations commitment to promoting excellence and safeguarding consumer interests.

He reaffirmed the papers dedication to advocating standardisation and quality control in all sectors.

As a leading media organisation, he said Graphic recognised the importance of maintaining high standards and ensuring quality in goods and services. This commitment is reflected in the organisation's operations, where quality is prioritised in every aspect of its work.

"We believe that standards need to be maintained and quality has to be promoted and as a responsible media house, we have a duty to advocate the interests of our audience and ensure that they receive the best possible value for their money," Mr Yartey said.

For instance, he said, one area where this commitment was particularly relevant was in the petroleum sector as well as the construction sector.

He said when purchasing fuel or building materials, consumers needed to be assured of their quality to avoid potential damage to their vehicles or property.

He also highlighted the economic benefits of promoting quality and standards, saying that by supporting businesses that prioritised quality, the cost of production could be reduced, leading to increased efficiency and competitiveness.

"If we help businesses succeed by promoting quality and standards, it ultimately benefits everyone. We will continue to advocate the importance of standardisation and quality control, and work with businesses and stakeholders to promote excellence in all sectors," Mr Yartey said.
Featured

Marketing officer on bail over alleged theft of GH176,693.50 from employer

GNA Dec - 23 - 2024 , 19:55 2 minutes read

An Accra Circuit Court has granted a GH100,000.00 bail with two sureties to a marketing officer of a cement distribution company over the theft of GHC176,693.50 belonging to his former employer.

One of the sureties of Emmanuel Osei, 34, the Court ordered, should be a public servant earning not less than GH2,500.00.

He has denied appropriating the amount and he was ordered by the Court to make his next appearance on January 8, 2025, for Cross-examination.

Police Chief Inspector Ebenezer Teye-Okuffo told the Court presided over by Mrs Susanna Eduful that Mr Eugene Twumasi, the complainant, was the general manager of Clemonic Company Limited, a cement distribution company based in Accra and Kumasi.

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He said Osei, the accused person, was a former employee of the said cement distribution company in Accra and the crime occurred a year and a half into being employed as one of the marketing officers of the company.

As a marketing officer, Oseis task was to look for customers for the company and inform the complainant of customers requests, the Court heard.

Prosecution said based on the requests, trucks of cement were sent to the accused for distribution to the customers.

As part of his duties, Osei collected money from customers on behalf of the company and lodged same in the companys bank accounts.

Chief Inspector Teye-Okuffo said in January 2022, complainant noticed that almost all the customers brought by the accused were owing the company about GH176,693.50.

He said the accuseds inability to bring the money forced complainant to visit the customers together with him, where all the customers visited denied owing the company.

Chief Inspector Teye-Okuffo said Mr Twumasi, the complainant, realised that the accused had collected GHC176,693.50 from the customers but failed to deposit same into the companys accounts but kept telling him that customers were in debt.

This, he said, led to the arrest of Osei and during investigation, he admitted having dishonestly appropriated the said money.

During investigation, a total of GH50,000.00 was retrieved from accused and handed over to the complainant, the Court was told.

Accused was charged with the offence and brought before the Court.
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Featured

President Akufo-Addo commissions Ezinlibo Forward Operating Base for Armed Forces

Graphic.com.gh Dec - 23 - 2024 , 17:30 3 minutes read

In a landmark move to protect Ghanas territorial waters and strengthen national security, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo officially commissioned the Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Ezinlibo in the Western Region on Monday, December 23, 2024.

The facility stands as a testament to the governments commitment to strengthening the nations defense infrastructure and protecting its economic assets.

The Ezinlibo Forward Operating Base stands as a beacon of progress, symbolizing Ghanas readiness to tackle the evolving security threats of today.

As the nation fortifies its maritime domain, the commissioning of this strategic facility underscores the essential role of collective effort, investment in modern infrastructure and unwavering commitment to national security.

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Promise

During the ceremony, President Akufo-Addo reflected on a promise made in 2018 to equip the Ghana Armed Forces to tackle modern security challenges.

Todays commissioning marks the realization of that pledge, he said, lauding the unwavering dedication of the Defence Ministry under Hon. Dominic Nitiwul and his deputy, Hon. Kofi Amankwa Manu, in bringing the vision to life.

The FOB at Ezinlibo joins a growing network of bases across the country, including those at Tilli, Bui, Sankore, and Kenyase, with additional facilities planned for Keta, Ada, Winneba, and Elmina.

Strategically positioned, the Ezinlibo base bolsters Ghanas naval capacity to combat piracy, illegal fishing and transnational crimes within the Gulf of Guinea.

Timely response

The new base is seen as a critical response to the complex security threats plaguing the Gulf of Guinea.

It provides the Navy with the tools to monitor and safeguard Ghanas offshore oil and gas resources while enhancing regional security cooperation.

President Akufo-Addo underscored its importance, saying, This facility symbolizes progress, security, and national resolve. It enables the Navy to act swiftly and precisely in protecting our maritime interests.

The base will also serve as a logistics hub, enhancing operational readiness and facilitating training.

This investment aligns with Ghanas broader aim to maintain peace and stability in West Africa, fostering economic growth and regional cooperation.

Appreciation

President Akufo-Addo expressed gratitude to the Western Nzema Traditional Council, led by Paramount Chief Awulae Annor Adjaye III, for their instrumental role in providing land for the project. Their generosity was described as a selfless commitment to national development.

He also commended the Ghana Armed Forces for their dedication and sacrifice, reaffirming his pride in their efforts to maintain peace and stability.

To the contractors and consultants who brought the project to fruition, the President offered his congratulations: Ayekoo! Your commitment to excellence has ensured this project was delivered on time and to the highest standards, he said.

As Ghana moves forward with plans for additional FOBs, the Ezinlibo facility represents a step towards modernizing the nations defense capabilities.

President Akufo-Addo called on all Ghanaians to unite in the spirit of patriotism and hard work, emphasizing the collective effort required to secure a safe and prosperous future.

The commissioning of the Ezinlibo FOB not only strengthens Ghanas maritime defenses but also reaffirms the governments commitment to the Armed Forces and the countrys security.

As President Akufo-Addo declared the facility officially commissioned, he closed with a prayer for Ghanas continued growth and strength, echoing the hopes of a nation poised to meet its challenges head-on.
Featured

President Akufo-Addo commissions largest naval base, ship in historic ceremony

Graphic.com.gh Dec - 23 - 2024 , 18:04 3 minutes read

In a historic moment for Ghana's maritime security, Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo presided over the commissioning of the country's largest naval base and the biggest ship ever constructed in Ghanas history.

The ceremony, held at the Sekondi Naval Base on Monday, December 23, marked a major milestone in the modernization and operational readiness of the Ghana Navy.

Addressing an audience of naval officers, government officials and international partners, President Akufo-Addo reflected on the progress made since assuming office in January 2017.

"Today is not just a celebration but also a moment of reflection and renewal," he remarked. "It is gratifying to witness the realization of our vision for a Navy that stands as an icon of strength, resilience, and innovation."

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He highlighted the government's efforts to enhance the Navy's capabilities, reporting the acquisition of over 20 modern platforms, including Offshore Security Vessels, Boundary Class Ships, and the iconic Ghana Navy Ship Achimota.

The commissioning of these assets is part of a broader modernization initiative aimed at safeguarding Ghana's maritime resources and sovereignty in the Gulf of Guinea.

Central to the day's events was the Fleet Review Ceremony, a time-honored tradition showcasing the operational readiness of the Navy.

Commitment

President Akufo-Addo expressed pride in witnessing the largest and most advanced fleet in the Navy's history, describing it as "proof of our shared vision and tireless commitment to strengthening this vital institution."

He said one of the highlights of the modernization drive is the Forward Operating Base at Ezinlibo, the largest naval base in the history of the Navy.

Strategically located, it is equipped with cutting-edge facilities to protect Ghanas critical oil and gas installations.

The President noted that nearly every naval formation across the country has benefited from new projects, including accommodation blocks, administrative buildings, and recreational facilities.

Advanced technology

The Ghana Navy has embraced advanced technologies, integrating drone systems and state-of-the-art radar to enhance maritime surveillance.

These innovations have bolstered the Navy's capacity to secure Ghana's Exclusive Economic Zone, ensuring safer waters for seafarers and maritime trade.

The establishment of the Navy Training Command has been another milestone, providing advanced training supported by facilities such as the Full Mission Bridge Simulator.

This center of excellence underscores the Navy's commitment to building human resource capacity and addressing the challenges of a dynamic maritime environment.

President Akufo-Addo lauded the collaborative efforts between the Navy and various stakeholders, including the development of Ghanas National Integrated Maritime Strategy.

He highlighted the pivotal role of the Chief of the Naval Staff in fostering partnerships that enhance maritime security and the sustainable development of the blue economy.

Approval

Looking ahead, the President urged Parliament to expedite approval for the acquisition of two 72-metre Offshore Patrol Vessels, which are critical to further enhancing the Navy's operational capabilities.

This move, supported by the International Monetary Fund, underscores the government's commitment to ensuring robust maritime security.

As he approaches the conclusion of his tenure, President Akufo-Addo expressed deep gratitude to the men and women of the Navy for their dedication and excellence.

He described his role as Commander-in-Chief as both a professional duty and a deeply personal journey. "I take great pride in knowing that the Navy stands stronger, more capable, and more respected than ever before," he stated.

The President's remarks concluded with a call for collective commitment to safeguarding Ghanas future. "The work of nation-building is a collective, continuous effort," he emphasized. "The foundation we have laid will endure for generations to come."

The commissioning ceremony stands as a testament to Ghana's strides in maritime security, positioning the Ghana Navy as a formidable force in the region and a key player in the global maritime domain.

As the nation celebrates these achievements, the vision of a secure and prosperous blue economy remains a cornerstone of Ghana's development agenda.
NHLANGANO  Hundreds of alleged illegal settlers have reportedly encroached on a royal farm earmarked for development by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

The Magindaneni Farm, located near Zheng Yong, has witnessed a surge in unauthorised construction projects, with over 500 new homes, structures under construction and rental flats mushrooming across the landscape. This has sparked concern among authorities, particularly the Acting Shiselweni Regional Administrator, Chief Gija Dlamini.How can they continue building when they know the King has granted this land to the ministry for development? Chief Gija questioned, expressing dismay over the blatant disregard for royal authority.

Investigations by this publication revealed a disturbing pattern of corruption. Local imiphakatsi (traditional councils) have been allegedly issuing fraudulent Kukhonta certificates, allowing individuals to illegally occupy portions of the farm.

Certificates

These certificates, often issued without proper documentation or regard for land ownership, have fuelled a land-grabbing frenzy, with plots being sold and resold at exorbitant prices.

They sell plots ranging from E50 000 to E70 000, sometimes selling the same plot to multiple buyers, revealed a concerned resident, speaking on condition of anonymity. People are now quarrelling over land they never rightfully owned. The situation has been further complicated by the involvement of influential individuals within the local councils. Some residents claim they were coerced into selling their ancestral lands to outsiders, with the local indvuna (headman) allegedly facilitating these transactions.

We were told, Ningashayeli sipikili sishobele, recounted another resident, highlighting the pressure exerted by local authorities.The issue has escalated to such an extent that even humanitarian aid organisations are facing challenges in distributing relief to legitimate residents. Some new homes are even left out when we receive food parcels because they are not recognised as legitimate residents, lamented one resident.The regional administrator has acknowledged the gravity of the situation and has sought police assistance to enforce the law and apprehend those involved in illegal construction.

However, with the Incwala Ceremony currently underway, a full-scale investigation and enforcement drive are likely to be delayed.This land dispute mirrors a similar incident in Mbondzela, where the demolition of homes on private property led to tensions between residents and the farm owner. While government maintains that the Mbondzela residents were occupying the land illegally, the incident highlights the growing land pressures and the complexities surrounding land ownership and usage in the country. The Magindaneni Farm saga serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by government in addressing land-related issues, ensuring equitable access to land and upholding the sanctity of traditional land tenure systems.
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Bawumia meets NPP Manifesto Committee to express gratitude

GraphicOnline Politics Dec - 23 - 2024 , 18:40 2 minutes read

The Vice President and 2024 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has extended appreciation to members of the party's 2024 manifesto subcommittee.

At a meeting held at his residence in Accra on Monday, attended by the chairpersons, vice chairpersons, and members of the various subcommittees, Dr Bawumia commended their dedication and effort in crafting a comprehensive policy document for the elections.

"I want to express sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of you for your dedication and hard work towards putting together such a comprehensive document, which we presented to Ghanaians," Dr Bawumia said.

Despite the outcome of the election, Dr Bawumia praised the quality of the manifesto and the transformational policies it outlined for Ghana's future.

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Reflecting on the surprising election results, Dr Bawumia attributed the party's performance to voter apathy among its core supporters.

"It was as if our people held a meeting across the country and decided they wont go out to vote," he remarked, noting that over two million of the partys core voters stayed away from the polls.

He emphasised the need for a detailed analysis of the voter apathy issue and assured the committee members that the party would conduct comprehensive research as part of its reorganisation process to chart the way forward.

Dr Bawumia also encouraged the committee members not to feel disheartened by the elections outcome, stressing the enduring value of their work on the manifesto.

"God willing, we will all benefit from this document in the future," he assured.

The meeting was also attended by Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, who chaired the Manifesto Committee for the 2024 Bawumia campaign.

In recent days, various party groups have visited Dr Bawumia at his residence, where he has expressed gratitude for their support and encouraged them to focus on reorganising and rebuilding the NPP to emerge stronger in future elections.
Next article: Legal system must be allowed to function without undue interference or public grandstanding - Prof Adei

Previous article: Bawumia on why he conceded early in Election 2024

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Central Regional NPP chairman Robert Kutin passes on

Shirley Asiedu-Addo Politics Dec - 23 - 2024 , 11:54 1 minute read

The Central Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Robert Kutin Jr. is dead. He died on Sunday evening after a long battle with illness.

The Krontihene of Assin Jakai in the Assin South District and a family member, Nana Barfour Adjei X, confirmed the incident.

He said Chairman Kutin died in Accra.

Mr. Kutin, a native of Assin Jakai, was a highly influential figure in the NPP, having retained his chairmanship for three consecutive terms.

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He noted for working hard to turn the Central Region in favour of the NPP in the 2016 general elections.
Next article: Bawumia on why he conceded early in Election 2024

Previous article: Hannah Tetteh on why EC needs review to ensure public trust

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CHASS calls for immediate release of outstanding funds to schools

Mohammed Ali Politics Dec - 23 - 2024 , 14:13 1 minute read

The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has issued an urgent call to the Ministry of Education for the immediate release of all outstanding funds owed to secondary schools across the country.

In a letter dated December 20, 2024, and addressed to the Minister of Education, CHASS highlighted the financial challenges facing schools, particularly with the scheduled reopening set for January 3, 2025.

The letter, signed by CHASS National Secretary Primus Baro, raised concerns over several unresolved issues, including unpaid recurrent funds, arrears for perishable items, transportation costs for food distribution and unsettled utility bills. Despite a recent partial disbursement, CHASS pointed out that many schools, especially single-track and day schools, were excluded from the funds, leaving them in financial distress.

CHASS stressed that these financial constraints are undermining the ability of school heads to provide quality education and ensure the well-being of students.

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The organisation called on the Ministry of Education to prioritise the release of all outstanding recurrent funds, arrears for perishable items, funds for transporting food items to schools, and funds to settle utility bills.

The letter warned that without the immediate resolution of these financial issues, it would be impossible for schools to reopen on January 3, 2025, as planned.

Attached below is a copy of the CHASS letter
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NPP wins 7 of 9 disputed constituencies, 2 pending

Samuel Duodu Politics Dec - 23 - 2024 , 02:57 6 minutes read

The Electoral Commission (EC) last Saturday completed the collation or re-collation of seven constituencies, with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) winning each one of them.

The seven were part of nine constituencies that the EC said it had challenges with the collation, some of them with uncompleted collation and others with supposed flawed collation.

The elections management body had, therefore, indicated that it would not recognise the earlier outcomes of those with the said flawed collations, all of which had gone in favour of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The seven constituencies are Nsawam-Adoagyiri in the Eastern Region, Ahafo Ano South West, Ahafo Ano North and Obuasi East, all in the Ashanti Region, Tema Central in the Greater Accra Region and Techiman South in the Bono East Region.

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However, the process for the Dome-Kwabenya and Ablekuma North constituencies in the Greater Accra Region have been forwarded to the ECs management for a decision.

This was after the recollation had been put on hold due to issues with some pink sheets, also called Summary of Results Sheets, that were not available for the recollation exercise at the Greater Accra Regional office.

The NPP parliamentary candidates who were declared winners during the exercise included the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annor-Dompreh; incumbent MP for Techiman South, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah; incumbent MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah, and incumbent MP for Obuasi East, Patrick Yiadom-Boakye.

The rest, all new entrants, were MPs-elect for Tema Central, Charles Forson; Ahafo Ano North, Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh, and Ahafo Ano South West, Elvis Osei Mensah Dapaah.

Results

Mr Annoh-Dompreh polled 29,640 votes out of the total valid votes of 59,779 to beat Philibert A. Fummey of the NDC who obtained 29,433 votes.

For Okaikwei Central, Mr Boamah polled 21,099 votes while Abdulai Abu Baba Abubakar Sidique of the NDC had 19,378 votes.

Mr Agyemang-Prempeh polled 20,353 votes to win the Ahafo Ano North seat while his sole contender, Kwasi Adusei of the NDC, secured 20,232 votes.

Mr Boakye-Yiadom won the Obuasi East seat with 18,558 votes with Samuel Aboagye of the NDC securing 18, 539 votes.

Mr Korsah won Techiman South with 46,663 to beat Christopher Beyere of the NDC who had 43,429 votes.

For Tema Central, Mr Forson won with 18,870 votes while Ebi Bright of the NDC secured 18,815.

For the Ahafo Ano South West, Mr Dapaah polled 16,058 votes while Abubakar Sadik of the NDC secured 15,372 votes.

Mr Boakye-Yiadom polled 18,558 votes to win the Obuasi East seat, with Samuel Aboagye of the NDC securing 18, 539 votes.

EC

The Director, Electoral Services, at the EC, Benjamin Bano-Bio, who briefed journalists on the outcome of the exercise, said the commission was not able to have all the pink sheets from all the polling stations for the Ablekuma North recollation exercise, so the commission used a limited one, adding that we are left with 31 polling stations so we cannot go ahead to declare.

For Dome-Kwabenya, he said the results were collated but one of the three results used by the Returning Officer was a soft copy from the Presiding Officer.

Mr Bano-Bio said the political parties were asked to bring the hard copies of the pink sheet to authenticate the results but they could not provide them.

Invitation

The Director of Electoral Services who briefed journalists at the start of the process said that the NPP and NDC were invited for the exercise, and stated that the commission had not been served with any court order to halt the exercise to collate and declare the winners for the nine disputed constituencies.

He added that the fact that a political party was not present did not invalidate the process, and cited instances in 1996 and 2004 where the EC took similar steps to address irregularities recorded to buttress his point.

We are here today to ensure that the right thing is done to ensure the collation processes that were not completed will continue from where they left off, Mr Bano-Bio said. He added that the actual or the right candidate that will emerge the winner will be declared to the whole country.

The exercise

The exercise, which was held amid tight security with the deployment of personnel of the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana National Fire Service and the military, was to complete the collation process and declare the winners of the parliamentary election in those constituencies in accordance with the electoral laws.

NPP parliamentary candidates (PCs) for the affected constituencies were present but the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had announced its absence and filed an application at the Supreme Court to quash the High Court's decision.

NDC, NPP

In spite of the decision not to attend, some NDC parliamentary candidates, who had earlier been declared winners of the parliamentary elections in some of the constituencies, visited the collation centres to register their protest over the exercise but left the venues after that.

They were Ebi Bright for Tema Central, Ewurabena Aubynn for Ablekuma North and Baba Abubakar Sadiq Abdulai Abu for Okaikwei Central.

A heated argument ensued between the NDC MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, lawyer for Ms Bright, and EC officials for the Tema Central Constituency over whether the collation of results should start afresh or continue from where it was left off on December 8, 2024.

Mr Dafeamepkor said the order by the Accra High Court was for recollation and not to continue from a midpoint where the process was supposedly halted on December 8, but the Returning Officer for Tema Central, Kwasi Brobbery, disagreed with that position and instead proceeded to continue from where the process was said to have been truncated.

The NDC Deputy Director of Elections and IT, Dr Tanko Rashid Computer, who stormed the centre, objected strongly to the exercise, saying the NDC would not accept the outcome of the exercise.

We wont accept every bit of things to happen here. Thats the position of the party, he told journalists at the centre.

The Majority Leader in Parliament and MP for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who was present at the collation centre, told journalists that the seven constituencies declared in favour of the NPP had brought the partys seats in the ninth Parliament to 89 after an initial 82.

He congratulated them and called on the NDC to accept the outcomes of the exercise.

Recall

The Accra High Court last Friday ordered the EC to bring finality to the election in the affected constituencies by collating the results and declaring the winners in tandem with the electoral laws of the country.

Apart from the order to collate the results and declare the winners, the court, presided over by Justice Rev. Fr Joseph Adu Owusu Agyemang, further ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to provide the EC with adequate security at the collation centres to enable the commission to discharge its duties.

The court gave the orders after it upheld different mandamus applications filed by the respective NPP parliamentary candidates.
Next article: President Akufo-Addo confident about his legacy as he prepares to leave office

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Univ of Ghana, Alan K. confer with President-elect Mahama

Kester Aburam Korankye Politics Dec - 23 - 2024 , 02:11 2 minutes read

The management of the University of Ghana (UG), led by Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, last Friday paid a courtesy call on the President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, to congratulate him on his victory in the December 7 election.

The meeting sparked discussions on bolstering higher education partnerships, focusing on sustainable funding, research initiatives, and key university projects such as the Digital Youth Hub and Student Experience Centre.

Prof. Amfo reiterated the university's commitment to advancing research, innovation and student development through strategic projects.

She also invited the President-elect to participate in the university's 76th Annual New Year School and Conference, starting January 14, next year.

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Key officials present at the meeting included Pro Vice-Chancellors Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante and Prof. Gordon A. Awandare; Registrar, Emelia K. Agyei-Mensah, and the Dean of the School of Law, Prof. Raymond Atuguba.

President-elect Mahama was accompanied by representatives, including Julius Debrah and Prof. Joshua Alabi.

The Vice-Chancellor also called on the President-elect to look at the Ghana National Research Fund which was yet to be implemented.

I do believe that you have a big task ahead of you and I believe that education is a part of it, she said.

Digital skills

President-elect Mahama, an alumnus of the University of Ghana (UG), commended Prof. Amfo's leadership and pledged support for higher education reforms.

He said his priorities included strengthening digital skills training, implementing the 'No Fees Stress' policy for first-year students and addressing infrastructure needs.

Mr Mahama also expressed interest in enhancing the University of Ghana Medical Centre's academic and research functions.

Alan K.

Also at his private office was the flag bearer and Leader of the Movement for Change, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, who also raised concerns about the entrenched winner-takes-all political culture in the country.

He urged Mr Mahama to consider a more inclusive approach by appointing qualified individuals from across the political divide into his government.

President-elect Mahama, in response, acknowledged the importance of a strong opposition.
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Hannah Tetteh on why EC needs review to ensure public trust

Pacome Emmanuel Damalie and Diana Mensah Politics Dec - 23 - 2024 , 14:48 3 minutes read

Former Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya West Constituency in the Central Region, Hannah Serwaa Tetteh, has argued that the Electoral Commission needs a review to ensure public trust.

According to her, that review ought to be a comprehensive review to help rebuild public trust and ensure the credibility of future elections.

The former MP on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was speaking with the media at the NDCs Youth Wing Thanksgiving Service in Accra on Sunday (December 22, 2024).

She is currently the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU).

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She called for reforms to ensure that the EC maintains its role as a neutral arbiter in Ghanas democratic process.



A thorough review is needed to identify changes. This is not just about people but about strengthening the EC as an institution. Right now, public trust is at its lowest, Ms Tetteh stated.

Ms Tetteh, also expressed concern about the ECs recent posture and engagement with stakeholders, describing its approach as lacking transparency and neutrality.

Ms Tetteh, who also served as Ghanas Foreign Affairs Minister during President Mahamas tenure between 2013 and 2016, emphasised the need for the Electoral Commission to do a self-assessment and learn from past experiences to strengthen its role.



Ms Tetteh said What has happened over time, not just in one day is that the way the EC has engaged has not allowed people to have confidence in their objectivity and neutrality, she said.

Reset

The Head of UNOAU stressed the need for the EC to reset its approach and also expressed concern about how its credibility would impact future elections if reforms are not made.



The commission needs to reset its approach. Without this reset, I fear for how the public will perceive its neutrality and competence in upcoming elections, she added.

Ms Tetteh advocated for the commission to collaborate with external bodies and political parties through platforms such as the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) to guide the reform process.



This is not a process they should undertake on their own. Institutions should function with external inputs, and this must be done in consultation with political parties. The goal is to retain and enhance public confidence in their operations, she added.

Youth activism

Answering a question on whether she would serve in the next NDC administration, the Head of UNOAU did not give an emphatic response about her role in the next government.

However, she urged the next Mahama-led administration to give opportunity to the youth to serve in government.

"I think it's appropriate that we allow another generation to also take the lead," Ms Tetteh stated.

Ms Tetteh expressed excitement seeing a lot of young people at the thanksgiving service; saying that, "a party that does not have an active youth does not have a future; and it's important that, that pipeline of leadership is also created".

The Head of UNOAU indicated that the state of the victory also suggested that the party should make its best effort not to betray the youth.

She described the win as a vote of confidence and expression of trust in the NDC which must translate into bringing the needed transformation and prosperity of the country.
Next article: Parliament adjourns to January 2 - Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation hangs

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Legal system must be allowed to function without undue interference or public grandstanding - Prof Adei

Gertrude Ankah Politics Dec - 23 - 2024 , 11:02 2 minutes read

Professor Stephen Adei, an academic and governance expert, has called on political leaders in Ghana to prioritise unity, adhere to legal processes, and implement administrative reforms to safeguard the nations democracy.

In an interview with TV3 on Sunday [Dec 22, 2024], Prof Adei emphasised the need for calm and tact in managing the legal disputes surrounding the ongoing re-declaration efforts in some constituencies as part of the fallout from Election 2024.

Our politicians must temper their political noise with legal prudence, he advised. The legal system must be allowed to function without undue interference or public grandstanding, as this will help cool tempers and foster confidence in the democratic process.

Caution against political polarisation

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Prof Adei expressed concern about the growing polarisation in Ghanas political landscape, urging the two major parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to act in the national interest.

For the sake of Ghanas cohesion and social capital, the two parties must work together to reduce polarization, he said. Our democracy cannot thrive in an atmosphere of division and hostility.

Electoral disputes and legal processes

Commenting on the legal battles surrounding some constituencies, Prof Adei highlighted the importance of expediting judicial processes to avoid prolonged uncertainty.

The delays in resolving electoral disputes often do more harm than good, he observed. In the case of Assin North, if the legal process had been quicker, the affected MP could have returned to Parliament sooner. Prolonged appeals and technicalities only serve to undermine public confidence.

He urged political leaders to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric and allow the courts to determine outcomes impartially.

Reforms to strengthen electoral integrity

Looking ahead, Prof Adei proposed administrative reforms to address challenges in Ghanas electoral process.

One key reform is ensuring that polling stations remain secure and accessible only to authorised personnel during vote collation, he suggested. This is not so much a constitutional issue but an administrative one, and leaders must act decisively to implement such changes.

He also called on the Electoral Commission to refine its processes to minimise disputes and maintain public trust.

A call for responsible leadership

Prof Adei also appealed to Ghanas leaders, including President-elect John Dramani Mahama, to exercise restraint in their public engagements and prioritise the nations democratic stability.

For the sake of our democracy, leaders must be circumspect in their statements and actions, he urged. Justice will be served if we adhere to due process and respect the rule of law.
Next article: Hannah Tetteh on why EC needs review to ensure public trust

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NPP sets up election review committee to investigate 2024 election defeat

Samuel Duodu Politics Dec - 23 - 2024 , 15:17 1 minute read

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced plans to establish an election review committee in January 2025 to conduct a thorough post-mortem analysis of the party's defeat in the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

The committee will engage with party stakeholders and the general public to identify the factors and circumstances that led to the party's defeat.

The National Chairman of the NPP, Stephen Ayesu Ntim, announced this at a news conference today, December 23, at the party's headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra.

Reforms

"We have a firm belief that the work of the election review committee will enable our people to express their concerns and bring out suggestions and reforms necessary to restructure our party," Mr Ntim said.

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He said the committee would also examine the need for constitutional amendments and restructuring the party's internal decision-making processes, particularly in electing presidential, parliamentary candidates, and party executives.

Mr Ntim acknowledged that this period was challenging for the party but expressed confidence in the NPP's resilience.

"We must and we will rise again from this defeat. We will be reorganising ourselves for the battles of tomorrow," he emphasised.

Mr Ntim urged party members to engage in the restructuring process with renewed energy, saying "We cannot give up. We must get the elephant trumpeting ahead."
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero signed into law Bill 250-37 which establishes a new drug task force to be known as the Multi-Agency Unified Law Enforcement Group or MAULEG.

It will be the latest tool in the continuing effort to address Guams festering drug crisis.

The measure by Sen. Chris Duenas, now Public Law 37-134, states that the purpose of the MAULEG task force is to suppress the importation, distribution and selling of narcotics and illicit drugs on Guam and also codifies the MAULEG group into law.

Setting the task force in policy and legislation makes it much more official. It will continue on no matter which administration comes forward, the governor said.

Duenas said the legislation was drafted with the help of a lot of input from local law enforcement authorities.

They are frontline, they are the people who we need every single day, every single night, 24/7 to protect us, he said.

Duenas said the task force will help break the scourge of methamphetamine that has afflicted our people.

Leon Guerrero said the drug crisis has impacted many on island and a serious epidemic.

We all know of families that have been ruined because of this, businesses that have been ruined, and lives that have been taken, she said. As a community we all need to come together.

The MAULEG task force would be automatically activated if Guam Police Department staffing levels fall below 70% of the established standard, or about 364 officers.

The chief of police will be the chairman of the task force and will have the authority to deputize and provide training for the available law enforcement officers from other agencies.

Under MAULEG, officers from the Port Authority of Guam and the Guam International Airport Authority, along with Department of Parks and Recreation rangers, would fall under the authority of the police chief.

We have to do something at a greater pace and a greater rate to interdict, to stop the massive volume of meth and opioid coming into Guam, Duenas said during legislative debate on his bill.

We could soon lose our island. That is not an overstatement, he added.

Duenas said in the next Legislature he will continue to push for High Intensity Drug Designation status that will allow Guam to receive massive millions of dollars in funds.

The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, provides assistance to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States.

In her signing memorandum transmitted to the Legislature Monday, Leon Guerrero wrote, as agencies work together within the task force they will identify improvements to existing operations that they believe will further improve the work of the task force. ... I am confident the Legislature will further respond to any future amendments needed to strengthen the MAULEG task force.

This task force belongs to everyone here ... take it, run with it, and use it as an excellent tool of good, Duenas said during the bill signing.

The new law comes as Guam has seen a rise in the amount of drugs seized by local custom officers.

Guam Customs and Quarantine Director Ike Peredo in November said the agency at that point in time seized approximately 136.7 pounds of methamphetamine in 2024, already more than double the 49.4 pounds seized in 2023.

Also seized in 2024 were 350 pounds of marijuana, quadruple the 68.7 pounds seized in 2023, he said.

Peredo said Customs is still tracking between 90% and 95% of those seizures coming from drugs mailed to Guam.
With the announcement that a small detachment of approximately 100 Marines had started transferring from Okinawa to Guam, the military clarified where specific service members will be housed.

Permanently stationed Marines, sailors and their families will live on Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Base Guam, or in the community, Joint Region Marianas said.

However, single enlisted Marines and sailors who rank at E-5 and below will live on Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz in either the Bachelor Enlisted Quarters or Bachelor Officer Quarters, depending on rank, the JRM said.

Rotational forces of all ranks will also be housed at MCB Camp Blaz, according to JRM.

The logistics support Marines from III Marine Expeditionary Force are part of the first phase of relocating Marines to locations outside of Japan, the Marines announced in a statement last week.

The Pacific Daily News previously reported that the military population on Guam is expected to grow by 2,500 people over the next two years, and then gradually increase by another 15,500 people by 2037, according to information from JRM.

JRM said that increase will also include civilians working for the Department of Defense, reservists, National Guard personnel, and their dependents.

In all, the military population would grow from the current 26,000 to 44,000 by 2037.

Guams tight housing market is prompting the military to increase its mandated assessment of the local housing situation  from typically every five years to now an expedited review every year.

Vera Topasna, executive director of Guams Community Defense Liaison Office, has said the military is "trying to do it annually just to keep up.

According to Topasna, to help address military housing needs, the DoD has built and is in the process of building and replacing some 850 family housing duplex units at Andersen Air Force Base by 2026.

The Navy has projected that by fiscal 2028, JRM will need about 1,100 new family housing units, though that figure could be supplemented by more than 400 additional private rentals, according to the Navys fiscal 2025 budget.

Separately, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that the 2025 annual Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, will increase an average of 5.4 % effective Jan. 1, 2025.

However, military service members stationed on Guam are covered under a separate benefits structure, the Overseas Housing Allowance, or OHA, a cost-reimbursement allowance for those who lease privately owned housing in overseas locations.

OHA includes three separate components: rent, a move-in housing allowance and utilities/recurring maintenance.
John S. Martinez is the former administrator of the Guam Economic Development Authority. He is a resident of Tamuning.




Haiti - FLASH : More than a billion Gourdes to support the population at the end of the year





Faced with the ongoing security and health crisis, the Government is launching a Special Population Support Program that aims to meet the essential needs of the most vulnerable households, encourage economic recovery and strengthen social cohesion.



This program aims to stimulate the national economy through direct payments, public initiatives and targeted subsidies. By injecting financial resources throughout the country, it aims to alleviate household difficulties while temporarily supporting economic activity.



With a budget of more than one billion Gourdes, this plan, supported by several ministries and public institutions, adopts a coordinated and targeted approach to meet the priority needs of the population.



Inclusive Approach focused on priorities :

Assistance to Households in Precarious Situations :

- Distribution of food kits and cash transfers to the most affected households, with priority given to the elderly, people with disabilities and women heads of household. These actions are carried out under the coordination of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST).



- Setting up of mobile canteens and community restaurants to provide hot meals in several localities, by the Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES).



Sanitation and Urban Infrastructure :

- Launch of a vast sanitation program, led by the Ministry of the Interior and Local Authorities, in collaboration with town halls, the Administrative Councils of Communal Sections (CASEC) and large municipalities, to clean urban areas and collect waste.



- Labor-intensive public works for the temporary rehabilitation of strategic roads, particularly those linking Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien, Les Cayes and Saint-Michel-de-lAttalaye.



Strengthening Security and Logistics :

- Implementation of security measures by the Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) and the Haitian National Police (PNH) to protect strategic areas, facilitate the flow of essential goods and ensure orderly distribution of petroleum products in ports and airports.



Support for the Energy and Agricultural Sectors :

- Temporary increase in electricity production and distribution by the Haitian State Electricity (EDH) to improve access to electricity during this critical period.



- Targeted support for rural associations and agricultural initiatives, under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture



Strengthening Health and Social Capacities :

The Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) is stepping up its efforts to improve the operational capacities of hospitals and health centers, in order to manage increased medical needs. These measures are part of a comprehensive approach to protecting and supporting the population.



Call for National Solidarity :

The Government calls for collective mobilization, public institutions, the private sector and civil society, to ensure the success of this program.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Air cab developer Lilium has failed with its own insolvency: as Keno Sander, manager at Lilium, writes on LinkedIn, the start-up in Gauting near Munich ceased operations on Friday. The Grunderszene blog also reports, citing several sources within the company, that Lilium has laid off all 1,000 employees.

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According to Grunderszene information, no deal was reached from the previous talks with an investor , who had apparently not been able to prove in time that he had the necessary liquid funds. In his LinkedIn post, Sander regretted that the Lilium Jet, as the air cab was to be called, would not become a reality after all. Lilium has not yet commented on the development on its official communication channels. According to information from Handelsblatt, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had also not yet received any information on Friday evening , possibly because talks with investors were not concluded until after the weekend.

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No backers  no hope

Lilium announced its insolvency on its own initiative on October 24  This affected the subsidiaries "Lilium GmbH" and "Lilium eAircraft GmbH" The listed parent company Lilium NV, based in Amsterdam, filed for regular insolvency soon afterwards. The start-up brought in the management consultancy and auditing firm KPMG to search for investors.

State aid was also on the table. However, the doubts of many experts and the market about the technology finally prevailed  after massive public criticism, the Ampel coalition denied the start-up a loan of 50 million euros, and the Bavarian government also subsequently rejected the idea. Talks with several investors, which were held according to a mandatory disclosure to the SEC on December 16, were also unsuccessful. There was already talk of 200 planned redundancies. Now all that remains for the visionaries from Gauting is to hope for a Christmas miracle. However, the prospects of the very last talks with investors appear to be slim. The insolvency benefit for the workforce runs out at the end of the month, which is probably the background to the current mass layoffs. At least the unemployment benefit for the employees is secured.

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New Delhi, Dec 23 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will be on a six-day visit to the United States from December 24 till 29 December, during which he will be meeting counterparts to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues.

During the visit, EAM will also chair a conference of the Consul Generals of India in the USA, a statement said.

The visit of the EAM comes ahead of the Donald Trump administration taking over from January 20.

UNI RN
Helsingin Sanomat asked Orpo on Sunday, the final day of the North-South Summit in Saariselka, Finnish Lapland, what kind of greetings he wishes to sent to the public amid what appears to be a tense of not outright angry societal climate.

PRIME MINISTER Petteri Orpo (NCP) hopes that Finns reflect on their behaviour toward others over the holidays.

Id hope that all Finns take a look inside and think about how we treat one another over Christmas, he replied. Finland is one of the most equal countries, and were all in the same boat here. Weve been able to live with one another, and we have to understand and appreciate each other also in these times.

No one is more valuable as a human being than the next person. I hope that well stop [to think about] that.

December has brought another reminder about the prevalence of racism in Finland. Folkhalsan, a Swedish-speaking organisation that works for better health and quality of life in Finland, reported that Daniela Owusu, a 20-year-old Finnish-Ghanian from Kirkkonummi, has faced a racist backlash following her crowning as the countrys 2024 Saint Lucia.

Owusu was the first black person chosen to represent the martyr in the annual procession that celebrates light and joy amid the darkest winter period.

The climate becoming more aggravated leads to this kind of aggravated behaviour. It was truly appalling to hear how a young woman and her family is being flooded with thousands of messages. Thats absolutely not acceptable, Orpo said to Helsingin Sanomat on Sunday.

Orpo and Owusu met earlier this month as the procession made an appearance in the Parliament House. The premier at the time conveyed his regret about the hateful comments targeted at Owusu.

The North-South Summit brought EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to Saariselka to discuss issues related to defence, migration and border security.

Orpo told reporters upon his arrival to the summit that what is needed is a better mutual understanding of the respective security concerns of the Baltics and Southern Europe.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
$100B aid bill a 'significant down payment' for Helene relief, Tillis says

The government funding bill adopted by Congress and signed into law by President Biden includes more than $100 billion in disaster relief for Western North Carolina communities devastated by Hurricane Helene and provides aid for other communities and states hit by natural disasters.

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I'm proud to have worked alongside my Senate colleagues to secure this critical funding for Western North Carolina, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis said in a news release. I remain committed to working with the outgoing Biden Administration and the incoming Trump Administration to ensure these resources reach Western North Carolina as expeditiously as possible. This is a significant downpayment to help make Western North Carolina whole again.

Provisions in the bill include:

Requiring the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to issue a Federal Register notice by Han. 15 of enactment for Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) so funding can flow to North Carolina more quickly. Federal Register notices have often taken 12-24 months after previous authorizations.

Replenishing funding for the SBAs disaster loan program to help homeowners and small business owners rebuild, which Tillis has been pushing since funding expired. There are currently 2,338 applicants waiting for their application to be processed, totaling $172 million.

North Carolina is expected to receive at least $9 billion in assistance  not including FEMA assistance, which is likely to be an additional billions of dollars. Aid coming to North Carolina will include:

Community Development Block Grant funding to help local communities recover and rebuild.

Economic assistance and disaster payments and economic assistance for farmers affected by Helene.

A significant investment to repair and rebuild the roads, highways, bridges, and other infrastructure damaged by Helene.

Major investments in North Carolinas drinking water infrastructure.

While specific funding levels for states will be based on need, the legislation provides the following funding at the national level:

Department of Agriculture  $33.5 billion

$21 billion for disaster assistance to farmers and producers.

$10 billion for economic assistance to farmers and producers.

$7.5 million for the Office of the Inspector General to provide funding oversight.

$42.5 million for the Agriculture Research Service to repair or replace facilities damaged by hurricanes.

$828 million for the Emergency Conservation Program to provide financial and technical assistance to address farmland impacted by natural disasters.

$920 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program to provide financial and technical assistance to address impaired watersheds posing a risk to life or property.

$356.5 million for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program to assist private forest owners restore forests damaged by natural disasters.

$362.5 million for the Rural Development Disaster Assistance Fund to provide assistance to rural communities affected by natural disasters.

$25 million for the Commodity Assistance Program to address facilities damaged by natural disasters.

Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration

$1.5 billion for economic development assistance for areas impacted by natural disasters in 2023 and 2024.

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  $1.04 billion, including:

$244 million for repair and replacement of observing assets, real property, and equipment, including rebuilding the laboratory in Beaufort on the coast.

$399 million for hurricane hunter aircraft and related expenses.

Department of Homeland Security  $30.83 billion, including:

$29 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund, including $4 million for the Office of Inspector General to carry out oversight.

Department of the Interior  $3 billion, for expenses related to the consequences of disasters occurring in and prior to calendar year 2024, including:

$2.3 billion for the National Park Service, which includes $50 million for the Historic Preservation Fund and $1.7 billion to rebuild the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Environmental Protection Agency  $3.3 billion, for expenses related to the consequences of Hurricanes Helene, Hilary, and Milton, and Hawaii wildfires, including:

$3.25 billion for State and Tribal Assistance Grants, of which $1.2 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program, $1.8 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program, $85 million for decentralized water systems, $60 million to address water emergencies, $10 million for Clean Air Act Section 103 grants, and $95 million for hazardous waste financial assistance grants.

Forest Service

$6.4 billion, for expenses related to the consequences of disasters occurring in calendar years 2022, 2023, and 2024, including $208 million for State, Private, and Tribal Forestry.

Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families  $500 million for Child Care, including:

$250 million for renovation and repairs of child care facilities that were damaged by natural disasters, as well as temporary services for children in affected areas.

Department of Transportation

$8 billion for Federal Highways Administration emergency relief to reimburse states and territories for damage from natural disasters to roads and bridges in the National Highway System.

Department of Housing and Urban Development

$12 billion for Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery to assist with the long-term housing, infrastructure and economic recovery needs for areas most impacted and distressed by a natural disaster.

Tillis has been pushing for federal assistance for Western North Carolina since the moment Helene made landfall. His office reported this timeline of the senator's efforts:

On October 1, Senator Tillis led a bipartisan letter to Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) on the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and the urgent need to pass an appropriations package to support the millions of Americans affected by the storm.

On October 16, 2024, Senator Tillis led a bipartisan group of senators in urging the White House to rapidly submit a government funding request to Congress that will fully cover costs associated with clean-up and recovery following Hurricanes Helene and Milton so that affected communities could begin to heal. The Senators called for Congress to return to Washington from the October in-state work period to approve federal disaster relief legislation.

On October 23, 2024, The Hill published an op-ed by Senator Tillis addressed to members of Congress to step up and be proactive with long-term disaster recovery assistance.

On October 29, 2024, Senator Tillis and his colleagues announced plans to introduce legislation that would replenish the Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loan Program with families and small businesses across WNC unable to get loans approved until then. The Senators outlined their plan to seek passage of the legislation when Congress returned to session.

On November 14, 2024, Senator Tillis attempted to pass legislation to replenish the SBA Disaster Loan Program through a unanimous consent request on the Senate floor, but was blocked by another Senator.

On November 15, 2024, Senator Tillis led a bipartisan letter to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) immediately send a supplemental appropriation request to Congress to support the communities we represent, which were devastated after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The OMB sent the request to Congress a few days later.

On November 18, 2024, Senator Tillis introduced the standalone RELIEF Act to provide Hurricane relief to small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene.

On November 20, 2024, Senator Tillis called on Congress to quickly pass Hurricane Helene relief during his testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

On November 21, 2024, Senator Tillis met with Governor Cooper, Governor-Elect Stein, members of the North Carolina Congressional Delegation and the North Carolina General Assembly, and local leaders from Western North Carolina to discuss efforts to provide federal assistance to North Carolinians affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

On December 5, 2024, Senator Tillis joined Fox News Your World with Neil Cavuto where he discussed the urgent need for Congress to provide federal assistance to North Carolinians affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

On December 10, 2024, Senator Tillis hosted N.C. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, N.C. House of Representatives Speaker-elect Destin Hall, State Senators Bill Rabon and Ralph Hise, and State Representative Dudley Greene to discuss efforts to provide immediate assistance to North Carolinians affected by Hurricane Helenes devastation.

On December 18, 2024, Senator Tillis committed to filibustering any continuing resolution that did not include disaster aid for Western North Carolina.

In addition to Senator Tillis legislative efforts the Senator has met with local leaders, residents, and elected officials across Western North Carolina including those in Flat Rock, Hendersonville, Asheville, Black Mountain, Boone, Burnsville, Canton, Clyde, Fairview,Hot Springs, Marshall, Morganton, Spruce Pine, Swannanoa, Waynesville and Wilkesboro.






HENLEY councillors have backed a 34 per cent rise in allowances that has been approved by South Oxfordshire District Council.

The authority said the increase in the basic allowance, from 6,275 to 8,391 from April, was agreed after a recommendation from an independent panel.

Special allowances for extra responsibilities will also rise from 25,101 to 29,369, following a review. It is estimated that the increase will cost the council an extra 125,581 per year.

The Liberal Democrat leader of the council, David Rouane, had said that the rise was needed to make serving on the council accessible to people from a wide background.

Councillor Kellie Hinton, who represents Henley, was absent from the vote due to sickness, but was in favour of it.

She said: I think its incredibly important that the council reflects the people who elected them and that means that there needs to be all different types of people on the council.

Even with the increase, I think its still going to prohibit several types of people but everyone should be able to become a councillor and it shouldnt cost you money, even if youve got loads of money in the bank.

Today, I have spent three hours in a panel hearing over in Abingdon, it took me an hour and a half each way to get there, so thats six hours today minimum that I have spent at the council and it cost me nearly 40 to do that and it meant I cant work at another job.

Im in a fairly low-income household. If I didnt have allowance, I wouldnt be able to do the district council. Im not retired, I havent given my spare time in my retirement, Im young, Im 40 with a family who are still school age.

Im giving my prime years to the council so its absolutely essential that costs are covered otherwise people like me, we cant do this.

Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak, who also represents Henley, voted in favour of the increase.

He said: Every four years we have to have a review of the allowance scheme and we have to appoint an independent panel to do all of the assessments.

The independent panel was made up of two residents and a professor of local government, so a very high-powered team and they look at all of the evidence available and then they came out with a scheme that we voted for.

People have to bear in mind that the overall monetary amount is small but it is for a four-year period, so therefore there will be no increases over the four-year period.

Personally, in all of my years as a councillor on the district council I never claim expenses, I just use my allowance to do the job that I do, to attend meetings, to drive all over the place, quite often Faringdon, Witney, Abingdon and I dont claim expenses at all.

Cllr Gawrysiak said that financial obstacles are only one of the factors prohibiting certain people from being represented on the council.

He said that time constraints can also play a big role and that residents of South Oxfordshire should be willing to compensate councillors fairly for the good governance of the district.

Cllr Gawrysiak said: It certainly removes part of the barrier, there are many reasons why people come into local government to serve and mainly I think all councillors and all political parties actually do it to be of service to their community.

The reason why the allowance was set was also to encourage people to come into a government, not in Henley, but in other parts of South Oxfordshire and Oxfordshire people have difficulty in actually getting candidates to stand for local governments because it inevitably means a hit on their salary.

So, therefore, we absolutely dont want to disenfranchise sections of community, all sections of community should be represented as councillors.

He added: Its not a huge amount, my increase will be 13 per week going forward, and that is for the next four years, so I think it is a reasonable amount for residents to pay for the good governance of South Oxfordshire.

The council said the independent panel that made the recommendation stated it wished to ensure the level of basic allowance does not constitute a barrier to candidates from all sections of the community standing, or re-standing, for election as councillors.

Councillor Rouane said: I want to hear different voices. To make the council accessible to these people we need to pay a reasonable allowance and offer further support.
SIX schools performed in the second annual Kenton Carols event.

Children from Badgemore, Valley Road, Rupert House, and Sacred Heart primary schools in Henley and Kidmore End Primary School took to the stage at the New Street venue on Monday last week.

They sang a number of Christmas songs to a near-capacity audience, which enthusiastically applauded each rendition.

Theatre manager Lottie Pheasant, who took over the role in March last year, came up with the concept to mark the end of the school term and the start of the pantomime season.

Each school performed two or three carols of their choice before coming together to perform a finale which comprised a performance of All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey and Jingle Bells.

The final songs were accompanied by dances which the children had been taught by Steph Maxwell who is on the board of trustees at the Kenton and also runs the dance school Divas and Dudes.

At the end of the show Mayor Rory Hunt was invited to pick a school to receive the Mayors Choice Award, which he presented to Valley Road School for its performance of Silent Night, Its Beginning to look a lot like Christmas and Frosty the Snowman, in which the children used a prop hat and stylised movement to illustrate the story.

Councillor Hunt said that it had been a difficult job to pick the winner. He said: Its wonderful to see so many schools here and see so many smiling faces this close to Christmas and, hopefully, the prospect of a few weeks without homework.

As a councillor, you end up having to make some very difficult decisions and tonight is no exception.

Every choir here has exceeded my expectations. I had to be very picky and I chose Valley Road as the winning school on the grounds that every single one of them came on to the stage smiling and they all sang beautifully.

Cllr Hunt gave his thanks to all who took part in organising the event before wishing everyone a happy Christmas.

He said: It cant be easy managing so many people backstage, making sure theyre on at the right time and they did a fantastic job.

Its a great community initiative. I understand it has grown since last year and, hopefully, its going to continue to grow and continue for many years.

Ms Maxwell said that she was very proud of the pupils who had managed to pull the finale together with little rehearsal.

She said: All of them were fantastic. They were so focused, nothing fazed them. We changed a few little bits at the last minute and they were brilliant.

It started back in late October, early November when I visited all the schools individually to teach them the choreography for the final numbers.

They work on their own numbers themselves and they do as much as they can, but the first time they do it all together and there is about 65 of them on stage is the day of the show. Its

amazing what they have achieved because some of them are only in Year 1 at school so theyre very young.

Ms Pheasant, who lives in Shiplake, said that the number of schools participating in the event had increased compared with last year.

She said: It was amazing, I loved it. For me, it really encapsulated the community spirit here, having so many primary schools involved. We had five last year and then six this year, so it would be great if we had even more schools involved next year.

Last year was our first ever event and after I had this little idea, I then convinced Steph to do it with me. This years performances are even more professional than last year.
Germany: Suspect in Christmas market attack bears history of threats

Berlin, Dec 23 (UNI) A man accused of killing five and injuring more than 200 at a German Christmas market had a history of making anti-Islam statements, which had become increasingly threatening in recent months in Germany, media reports said on Monday.

German authorities arrested suspect Taleb Al Abdulmohsen at the scene of a deadly attack in Magdenburg on Friday, believing he acted alone, CNN reported.

According to reports, a Saudi Arabian citizen, the 50-year-old psychiatrist came to Germany in 2006. Once settled in the country, he began sharing advice online with other people about how to escape repressive regimes in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, setting up the platform wearesaudis.net.
(JNS)  Shortly after Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Chris Atkins flew out of Ben Gurion International Airport. As news came through on his phone, the horrified Canadian filmmaker felt the urge to use his skills to tell the story of what was unfolding.

His friend, the Egyptian-born, Canadian human rights advocate Majed El Shafie, felt the same way and hired a cameraman in Israel to document the atrocities. El Shafie asked Atkins to help sew the footage together. They agreed to keep working together, which led to their new documentary Dying to Live, which was screened for the...
(JTA) - To celebrate Chanukah and Christmas, Max and Sophie, siblings in an interfaith family, bake up a batch of gingerbread dreidels.

That's the plot of a new children's book out this year, but it could be a real-life occurrence this month, when the first night of Chanukah falls on Christmas Day. Among the children's books released ahead of the holidays are several that nod to the unusual calendar convergence and the increasing share of families that include both Jews and people who are not Jewish.

Other notable new Chanukah children's books include one about a unique menorah used at the Whi...
I was quite surprised and so sorry to hear of Harris death. Surprised, because I always pictured Harris to be invincible and that he would live forever. Sorry, because his loss leaves a great void not only in his family, but in the Orlando community at large, and certainly in the Orlando Jewish community. I expected his life to go on forever so that he could continue to do his unbelievable and role-model good deeds.

I first met Harris right after he got to Orlando, introduced by Hy Lake, with the direction to solicit Harris for a gift to the Jewish Federation. Harris had just started to build...
(JNS)  Hamas has agreed to two of Israels key conditions for a ceasefire in Gaza, raising hopes for an agreement to release hostages within days, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Hamas for the first time agreed to accept the presence of Israeli forces in Gaza during a 60-day truce, the newspaper quoted unnamed Arab mediators as saying. The sources also confirmed to the paper reports from earlier in the week that Hamas had submitted a list of hostages, including U.S. citizens, whom it would release.

The purported breakthrough follows a threat on Dec. 3 by President-elect Donald T...
(JNS)  A majority of Kibbutz Nir Oz members voted on Monday to return to their destroyed homes and rebuild.

The kibbutz was among the hardest hit communities during Hamass Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel. One in four residents was either killed or kidnapped, including the Bibas family, mother Shiri, husband Yarden and their two children, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months old.

In a letter to the government, the kibbutz members stressed their expectations for a large-scale and generous construction plan, according to Israels Channel 12 News.

In May, Israel Defense Forces Brig. Gen. Moshe...
(JTA)  WASHINGTON  There are 34 Jews in the incoming Congress, with a 35th likely to join in April.

Should that candidate, Florida State Sen. Randy Fine, win his special election in Florida, that would mean no change in numbers overall between the outgoing Congress and the incoming one: The House Jewish delegation will drop from 26 to 25, but the number of Jewish senators will increase from nine to a minyan.

Dig a little deeper, though, and there are some changes  both in terms of new challenges and new opportunities for the Jewish class of the 119th Congress. Heres a look at what to expec...
(Jewish Journal via JNS)  President Theodore Roosevelt is known for the saying, Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far. The presidencies of Barack Obama and Joe Biden will be remembered for a very different aphorism: Speak in apologetic whispers and defund your sticks; you will go backwards in retreat.

Those are two very different approaches to diplomacy and the realities of international affairs. It explains why both Obama and Biden were among the least capable foreign policy leaders our country has ever known.

A good example is the way they handled Israels wars with Hamas....
China strongly deplores, firmly opposes U.S. military assistance, arms sales to Taiwan: spokesperson

Xinhua) 10:41, December 23, 2024

BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- China strongly deplores and firmly opposes U.S. military assistance and arms sales to China's Taiwan region, and has immediately lodged solemn representations with the United States, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Sunday.

The White House on Dec. 21 announced military assistance worth 571.3 million U.S. dollars to Taiwan. The U.S. Department of Defense announced on the same day that the State Department has approved 295 million U.S. dollars worth of arms sales to Taiwan.

In response, the spokesperson said the United States once again approved military assistance and arms sales to China's Taiwan region. This seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982, and China's sovereignty and security interests.

The decision is a severe breach of the U.S. leaders' commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," and sends a gravely wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. "China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it and lodged solemn representations at once with the United States," the spokesperson said.

The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-U.S. relations, the spokesperson said. "To aid 'Taiwan independence' by arming Taiwan is just like playing with fire and will get the United States burned, and to use the Taiwan question to contain China is doomed to fail."

The spokesperson said that China urges the United States to immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop the dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

"China will take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity," the spokesperson said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
New Delhi, Dec 23 (UNI) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal, in the presence of Chief Minister Atishi, on Monday, began door-to-door registration for women and elderly citizens under the Delhi governments two financial aid schemes, 'Mahila Samman Yojana' and 'Sanjeevani Yojana'.

Under the Chief Ministers Mahila Samman Yojana, every woman in Delhi is entitled to receive Rs 2100 every month, and under the Sanjeevani Yojana, people aged above 60 years will be provided free treatment at all Delhi hospitals.

In a social media post on X, Kejriwal tweeted, Today, I started the registration of Mahila Samman Yojana along with Atishi ji by registering some women myself at the New Delhi Legislative Assembly. I will launch Sanjeevani Yojana at Jangpura Legislative Assembly at 4 pm.

He also urged the women of the national capital to ensure their names are included in the voter list to avail of the Rs 2100 monthly benefit under the Mahila Samman Yojana.

Sharing an incident where a woman reported that her vote had been cancelled, Kejriwal said, Today, when we went to start the registration for 'Mahila Samman Yojana,' a sister told me that someone had got her vote cancelled. We will get her vote reinstated. But I want to tell all my mothers and sisters of Delhi that you should all check your vote. It is necessary to have your name in the voter list to receive Rs 2100 every month, he added.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Atishi tweeted, A new era of women empowerment is beginning with the registration of 'Mahila Samman Yojana' in Delhi. Today, I registered the initial beneficiaries of this scheme with Arvind Kejriwal.

Now, our sisters and daughters in Delhi will not have to depend on anyone for their small expenses because, with this scheme of Arvind Kejriwal ji, Rs 2100 will be credited to their accounts every month, she added.

UNI PSP CS1643
(JNS)  As chaos envelops Syria  with one gang of terrorists overthrowing the other gang of terrorists who ran the government  the question needs to be asked: Can you imagine the danger Israel would now be facing if it had surrendered to U.S. demands in the 1990s to give up the Golan Heights?

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(JNS)  Strong winds are blowing around us  to the north, south, east and west. Regimes are wavering or collapsing, and new ones are rising. We must not be passive because what they all have in common is a fervent hope for our destruction.

Protecting our lands and stabilizing our borders is a clear and present necessity. We must immediately apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, Gaza and the Jordan Valley, and broaden our hold on the Golan Heights and Lebanon. Thank God, while writing these lines, we have been informed of Israels liberation of the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.

In this tumu...
(The Forward)  The prospect of President-elect Donald Trump return to power has unsettled many American Jews, who traditionally vote Democratic. Memories of his first term  marked by polarizing rhetoric, controversial policies, and the perception of flirtation with extremist elements  still loom large.

Please, lets all take a deep breath. American democracy is tough and resilient, and the fears about Trump himself, and his policies, are vastly overblown. Nobody is saying Trumps second term will be a cakewalk  politics never is. But reactions of panic anticipating the end of democracy or...
by Azadeh Amirsadri

I will be in Strasbourg, France during Christmas this year, spending time with my 96 year old father who talks about his mother, my mother, and his cousins, all gone now, but seemingly alive to him. Strasbourg, as beautiful a city as it is, has always been a bittersweet place for me, from my childhood when I went to kindergarten there until now. Good and bad memories merge in a city known for its gothic cathedral, Christmas market, Rhine Valley wine, and specialty cuisine.

I lived in Strasbourg from the age of six to nine, and that was the first time I experienced Christmas. There was a woman, Mademoiselle Simone, who worked in my younger sisters preschool that my parents had befriended. She would visit us in our home or she would have us over at her parents house, where they showed us a porcelain cup that had a bullet hole in it from the second world war, or maybe the cup is something I created in my mind. One year, she took us to the beautiful Cathedral of Notre Dame in Strasbourg for Christmas Eve. I dont remember my parents being there with us, because we had that no-parents-around energy and we felt special to be there with her. I remember a lot of people inside and outside the huge cathedral, and worrying about getting lost in that crowd as she told us to hold hands. I also remember the lights, candles and music, and sweet Mademoiselle Simone who gave us each chocolate and an orange.

We went back to Iran when I was nine years old, and I secretly liked Christmas and envied anyone who was lucky enough to be in a family that celebrated it. I had two Christian friends in school, both Assyrians, who put up Christmas trees at their house. I would go over and admire their green trees with silver garlands, red ornaments, and a star or angel on top. A few pop-up stores sold fresh trees and tall red statues of Santa Claus, or Baba Noel as we called it. It all looked so magical to me and I envied my friends holiday that was special to them only. I also loved Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, but everyone got to celebrate it which made it not as special as Christmas in my preteen mind.

One night, when I was around 12 or 13 years old, while doing my homework in front of the television in our large eat-in kitchen, I saw a short video of the pope on his balcony waving at a crowd with people celebrating. They were all dressed up and were shown in decorated and lit up streets. Church bells were ringing and it all looked very festive and joyous to me who was not very happy about my two friends getting to celebrate while I was not. With a grumpy attitude I asked my older sister when I could change my religion, knowing the answer very well but hoping for a better one from her. I wanted her to ask me why and I could tell her about how unfair it was that we didnt have Christmas and other people did, that I couldnt wait to be 18 and change my religion so I could celebrate Christmas. She didnt bother asking me, just gave me a look that said I dont have time for this, so I continued being grumpy.

Eventually, after coming to the United States and years later marrying an American, I learned how to do Christmas the proper way. We had a fresh tree every year and we spent an evening decorating it with ornaments we had purchased, and untangled light strings from previous years. We had Christmas music playing on our turntable, Nat King Cole being our favorite. We would drink wine, decorate the house; with me so happy that I was getting my own version of that childhood wish, without feeling I was betraying my own culture and customs, since he was American and so were the children. We did the whole thing, wrapping gifts for the kids and leaving cookies and milk for Santa. My childrens art work from school was displayed in the ornaments we hung: elbow macaroni glued to a plastic can lid and spray painted from one child, and a popsicle-stick star or picture frame that came home with pieces already missing from the other. I had a cow bell ornament that the children made fun of and would ask anyone visiting what they thought of it as they rang it for them. One year we put the tree in the pack-and-play playpen after our toddler had kicked it to get to the candy canes and ornaments. I think my joy in this process was as big as my childrens and I didnt understand why everyone around me complained about Christmas being so much work, or stressful and difficult.

Years later, my husband and I split up and I was sad and angry about the end of our marriage and so many other things. I had always put a lot of emphasis on Nowruz, my own holiday, yet for the sake of my young son, I continued to do Christmas for him. My older children had left home, so it was just me and him. I was doing an ok job for a few years, yet could not compete with the holidays at his dads with his new family, until one year, angry with my ex, and angry with the state of the world with wars and threats of wars in every corner, I decided not to do Christmas any more. I wanted my son to grow up not being materialistic and to think of others who dont have much. I wanted him to know that there were so many children in the world who didnt have basic shelter, food and security. I wanted him to see his toys and presents with new eyes, and see the world we lived in, and how being in the safe suburbs in Virginia, did not make the suffering of others go away. Instead of telling him there wont be the usual Christmas this year, I decided to show him how it would be from now on. On Christmas day, after he returned from the morning at his fathers house, I told we will celebrate Christmas differently this year. I said well make sandwiches and take them to Washington DC to feed the homeless for Christmas. I bought him only one gift (Ripleys Believe or Not book) thinking it was time for him to understand the useless point of commercialism. I gave him the wrapped gift and after thanking me, he started looking around the house. His eyes were sweeping all the corners of the rooms, opening closets and then he turned to me and said with some hope in his voice, Maybe Santa hid the other gifts some place hard for me to find? Then it hit me as I saw his disappointment. I just wanted to rewind the day, rewind my bitterness, rewind parts of my life, and get a chance to fix it all for him. I had just destroyed Christmas for a ten-year-old boy who had nothing to do with my resentment at his fathers new family so easily replacing our family, and the general powerlessness I felt about all of these issues rolled into one big ball of grief, anger, resentment, and sadness.

I dont remember exactly when, but he tells me after he asked about gifts hidden by Santa, I said something like, Wait, didnt your dad already tell you about Santa? Apparently, I had outed Santas existence, so Ill just add that to the list of how I fucked Christmas up for him.

Later that day, ashamed about my very weak justifications and internal reasoning for not celebrating, and feeling very guilty, I apologized to him and said sometimes my feelings have nowhere to go and they show up in different ways that are not fair to others. I then said Santa wants us to buy a video camera to tell the story of our lives and took him to Best Buy the following day. Best Buy was at the time his favorite store, and he could spend hours there, looking at all the electronics while I would listen to him telling me how each one worked. I always feigned interest in the technical parts as he loved showing me all the buttons on the latest televisions and electronics; yet that day, I did not dare pressure him for less time in the store. We got a video recorder that he chose and that he actually used, mostly to do a home video tour of my sisters house in Pradet, in France, where we spent time each summer. But to this day, nothing erases those eyes from my mind, wondering if Santa had hidden toys for him.

Throughout the years, I did Christmas the right way again and at other times, as he got older and moved away for college, did not as much. I acknowledge the holiday with my children one way or another, either with them in person or sending something. I finally made peace with the fact that its totally ok to celebrate any and all holidays and I dont have to internalize the ambivalence of the immigrant part of me about making sure I dont lose my own holidays by celebrating others. My childhood dream of celebrating Christmas came true and I didnt have to add or subtract any religion! Imagine that!

As my son became an adult with his own home and traditions, we talked about how to celebrate so we decided that we will go to the best restaurant in whatever city we meet and treat ourselves to an amazing meal. His kindness and grace about my shortcomings in this area have been humbling. He promises that there are no hard feelings, laughs at my radical attempts of making him socially conscious when he was so young, and for my mental and emotional health, he said all the guilt I have should be erased. It is all erased, and yet once in a while, those ten-year-olds eyes still haunt me.
U.S. warplane shot down by "friendly fire" over Red Sea

Xinhua) 11:03, December 23, 2024

ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Two U.S. Navy pilots ejected safely after their fighter jet was shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent "friendly fire" incident, said the U.S. military.

"The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18," U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries, according to the statement.

The apparent friendly fire incident came the same day U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility reportedly operated by the Houthis group within Sanaa, Yemen.

"CENTCOM forces conducted the deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden," CENTCOM said in a separate statement.

U.S. forces also shot down multiple Houthi one-way attack drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, it said.

The U.S. military operations came hours after the Houthis claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile attack on central Israel, which injured at least 20 Israelis in Tel Aviv.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have been carrying out rocket and drone attacks on Israeli cities and disrupting "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea.

In response, the U.S.-led navy coalition stationed in the area has been conducting regular air raids on Houthi targets since January in a bid to deter the armed group.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled Thursday to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting the case against President-elect Donald Trump and alleged co-conspirators accused of 2020 election subversion.

The decision, which concerns a state criminal case already paused, casts uncertainty over whether the case can proceed. The court determined that Willis' office cannot continue handling the case, requiring the appointment of a new special prosecutor for it to move forward.

Citing a "significant appearance of impropriety," the court expressed concern about potential public perceptions affecting the case. However, it declined to dismiss the broader racketeering conspiracy charges entirely.

"While we recognize that an appearance of impropriety generally is not enough to support disqualification, this is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings," the court wrote in Thursday's opinion.

The court added: "We cannot conclude that the record also supports the imposition of the extreme sanction of dismissal of the indictment."

Trump and several co-defendants sought to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis disqualified from the case, citing her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she appointed to assist with the case. The defendants claimed Willis financially benefited from the relationship, alleging Wade funded multiple vacations for the couple.

Trump and his co-defendants argued for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' disqualification, citing her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she appointed. They alleged Willis financially benefited from the relationship, claiming Wade paid for several vacations they took together.

"Failing to do so put Judge McAfee in an untenable position," said Merchant, who represents Mike Roman, a former Trump 2020 campaign official. "This failure of judgment is the exact reason Mr. Roman was forced to move to disqualify her in the first place, so we are thankful that the court agreed she should not be allowed to prosecute this case any further."

Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesman, said in a statement: "In granting President Trump an overwhelming mandate, the American People have demanded an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and a swift dismissal of all the Witch Hunts against him. We look forward to uniting our country as President Trump Makes America Great Again."
The House Ethics Committee has uncovered evidence that former Representative Matt Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex and drugs on more than 20 occasions, including payments to a 17-year-old girl for sex in 2017, according to a final draft of the panel's report obtained by CNN.

The committee's report asserts that Gaetz violated multiple Florida state laws, including statutory rape statutes. Despite Gaetz's resignation from Congress, the GOP-led panel took the unusual step of releasing its findings publicly.

"The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress," panel investigators wrote.

Gaetz, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing, stepped down from the House of Representatives last month following his selection by President-elect Donald Trump as attorney general. However, he later withdrew his nomination amid mounting opposition and the prospect of a challenging confirmation process in the Senate.

Earlier, Gaetz sought a restraining order Monday against the House Ethics Committee to halt the panel's expected release of a final report summarizing its investigation into him.

The filing accused the committee of an "unconstitutional" attempt "to exercise jurisdiction over a private citizen through the threatened release of an investigative report containing potentially defamatory allegations, in violation of the Committee's own rules."

Earlier this month, the House Ethics Committee reversed its earlier decision and voted to release its report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz, despite initial opposition from panel Chairman Michael Guest, a Republican from Mississippi.

The decision followed a lengthy investigation into allegations against Gaetz. He had been President-elect Donald Trump's top choice for attorney general but withdrew from consideration after facing resistance from GOP senators and following CNN's revelation of critical details from the ethics report.

In a statement posted on X last week following reports that the House Ethics Committee had voted to release its findings, Matt Gaetz denied allegations of having sex with a minor or paying women for sex.

"In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated - even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years," Gaetz said. "It's embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, dra
Guests book through OTAs, direct websites, GDS platforms and even social media, depending on their needs. As such, a narrow focus risks missing potential customers who favor alternative channels.

Of course, over-reliance on OTAs can erode profits  as we go on to discuss  but many hotels report that more than 50% of their bookings come from these third-party channels.

This paradox underscores the importance of a balanced distribution strategy  blending reach, profitability and flexibility  to remain competitive in the fragmented travel landscape, and this is what we explore in detail in this extended blog post.

Hotel distribution channels 101: What are they? And why do they matter?

Distribution channels are the platforms and methods hotels use to sell their rooms to travelers. These include direct channels like a hotels website (a.k.a. Brand.com) and indirect channels such as online travel agents (OTAs), global distribution systems (GDS), tour operators, wholesalers and metasearch.

Understanding how each channel works is crucial for hoteliers to strategically manage bookings, maximize revenue and maintain rate parity.

Distribution channels are vital because they help expand a hotels reach, drive bookings, and boost brand visibility. OTAs, for instance, provide exposure to a global audience, while direct channels help establish a stronger brand connection with potential guests.

By leveraging the right mix of channels, hoteliers can target specific markets, optimize pricing strategies, and ultimately improve occupancy and profitability. Balancing these channels effectively ensures better control over revenue, smoother hotel management and an edge over your competitors.

5 distribution channels every hotelier should know

There are five distribution channels that, with very few exceptions, every successful revenue manager and distribution manager in the hospitality industry should not only be familiar with, but have active strategies for. In doing so, they can navigate this often complex and interconnected landscape and keep a handle on their acquisition costs.

Well look at each in turn.

1. Online travel agencies

One of the dominant forces in hotel searching and booking, and defined in our hotel revenue management glossary, OTAs are simply reservation systems supported by websites on which guests can find and reserve rooms (and travel). The key benefit they offer consumers is the ability to quickly compare the market based on selected criteria.

Unlike wholesalers (see below), OTAs dont buy inventory to sell on; they take a cut negotiated with hotels and chains whose rooms they promote and take bookings for. This is the essential trade-off: increased reach and likely revenue in exchange for lower profit.

High-profile examples include Expedia and Booking.com, who operate something approaching a duopoly, but there are many others in this space, including Hotels.com and Priceline.

2. Metasearch

Metasearch engines present the results of aggregate searches in one place, using the inventory from countless other sources. Typically, a user will either go directly to their preferred metasearch website to perform their search or be drawn on to whichever has the best SEO, having searched first on a generic search engine, such as Google.

Once on the aggregator site, they can view their full results before being directed to an OTA or Brand.com site to complete their booking once theyve made a decision.

While OTAs generally take cuts on bookings, metasearch operators are as likely to generate revenue through click-based advertising and subscriptions, and its worth investigating your options on how to exploit them as part of your marketing mix.

Market leaders include Tripadvisor, Trivago, Kayak and Google Hotels (also see Google hotel ads), as well as Expedia, which is an OTA too.

3. Global distribution systems

Largely separate from and predating the worldwide web, global distribution systems  of which there are four major players  are computerized networks owned or operated by a third-party company that enable transactions between services in the travel and hotel industry.

Originally built for aviation, theyre now also very common in hospitality, providing one of the ways to bridge the gap between travel agents and hotels, and providing real-time access to room availability, rates and booking capabilities.

The basic way they work is: for hotels to upload their inventory, rates and room details to the GDS through a channel manager or property system; travel agents or corporate booking systems to search for accommodations that meet clients' needs, with the GDS presenting a list of options; once a booking is made, for the GDS to update the hotel's systems to ensure the inventory reflects real-time availability; and travel agents to take a commission on bookings.

Examples include Amadeus, which is one of the largest GDS providers, offering a wide range of services for hotels, airlines, and other travel sectors, and Sabre, a popular GDS platform that helps hoteliers connect with travel agencies and enhance their visibility in corporate and leisure markets.

4. Direct booking

Take a guess at what direct booking is and youd be right: its the practice of taking bookings that avoid any transactions with third parties.

The advantages are clear: you neednt share your revenue with anyone, so your profit margins are higher. But the downside is your reach is reduced, something that would only be a problem if a) you only used this distribution channel and b) there werent strategies to boost direct bookings, which you can read about in our blog on the hotel marketing mix and which well touch on below..

But first, what of the mechanics?

In the past, these bookings could be made on the day or in advance, and in person as walk-ins, over the phone or in writing (by physical mail if you go back far enough in time). But these days, most are done online via booking engines.

Often supplied by third-party software vendors, booking engine technology enables guests to make reservations on a hotel or chains own website. As shorthand and used by Lighthouse et al, the generic term for these websites is Brand.com.

So how do you entice travelers to book direct when the OTAs you partner with work hard to run attractive promotions and loyalty programs?

Here are our top tips:

For the same price, throw in extras; for example, offer freebies like drinks, activities, amenities, shuttle pick-ups and drop-offs to drive more direct revenue and provide the best value offering to prospective guests.

Ask for email addresses and reviews when OTA guests leave your property, so that you can send them promotions that will entice them to book direct next time around.

As we discuss above, make sure you have an online booking engine on your site to make the booking process as convenient as possible. The booking engine should cater to international guests as well, allowing for currency and language conversion.

It should be able to integrate with your rate shopping tool so that you can monitor all of your room rates in one place. Having that data in one central location means that you can pick up on any violations of rate parity, and update your rates accordingly  all in real time.

Update your cancellation policy to be more flexible. For example, you could allow people to cancel up to 48 hours before the booking.

Remember: while working with external booking sites and intermediaries is necessary, you cant totally rely on them  its far too risky.

If they have too much of the pie, it gives them leverage to increase their commission fees  or if they go bust, then youve lost your customer base. This is why you need to invest in your own website.

5. Wholesalers

Wholesalers are third-party organizations that sell hotel room nights on behalf of hotels with whom they have a contract. Buying rooms in bulk  but at a discount  to guarantee hoteliers a certain level of occupancy, they then sell them on to OTAs and travel agents.

Wholesalers are B2B operators, so they dont sell directly to members of the public.

Its important to keep an eye on rate parity, both from the point of view of both revenue protection and for reputation management, when dealing with wholesalers, but they provide a useful way of hedging your bets when facing periods of low demand.

Examples include Hotelbeds, a leading global bedbank, which provides hotels with access to a vast network of travel buyers, including travel agencies, tour operators and OTAs, and offers inventory in over 180 countries. And GTA (now part of Hotelbeds Group), which specializes in connecting hotels with the global travel trade, and provides a platform for distributing hotel rooms to travel agents and operators worldwide.

A distribution strategy is essential for successful channel management

Essentially, a well-designed and implemented distribution strategy is a structured approach to managing and optimizing your hotels presence across multiple distribution and booking channels. It should ensure that listings are accurate, up-to-date and strategically aligned with your revenue goals.

This includes balancing direct bookings, OTAs, GDS platforms, and wholesalers to reach your target audience effectively. A well-planned strategy will not only help your hotel maintain control over your inventory and room rates but also enhance your competitive edge in the market.

Taking a strategic approach to hotel distribution offers significant advantages. It ensures that your hotel is visible to the right travelers, at the right time and on the most effective channels.

By prioritizing key markets and leveraging high-performing booking channels, you can drive bookings, maximize occupancy and increase revenue.

Additionally, a cohesive strategy enables better cost management by reducing over-reliance on high-commission platforms and encouraging direct bookings.

Effective distribution strategies rely heavily on software tools that streamline channel management. Advanced platforms, such as channel managers and revenue management systems, improve visibility across multiple channels, provide real-time data insights and reduce manual errors.

These tools allow hoteliers to analyze performance metrics, identify opportunities and adjust pricing or inventory allocation quickly, ensuring maximum profitability and efficiency.

How to create a strong hotel distribution strategy

A strong hotel distribution strategy is dependent on a number of key ingredients  understanding your audience, channel selection and data-driven decisions  all of which should be periodically reviewed and honed for future recipe perfection.

Lets dig deeper.

Understand your audience and how they make travel plans

Before taking action, analyze the available data, using it to determine who youre trying to target, where you should be targeting them and when.

Ask yourself:

What demographics are we looking to target? Where do my target guests live and how old are they?

What is their reason for traveling? Leisure or business?

How do they book accommodation? What channels do they use? Do they book in the travel agents office or online?

How long before their stay do they book accommodation? What is their booking window?

How long do they stay with you? What is their average length of stay (LOS)?

What days of the week do they tend to book? Weekdays or weekends?

Then group your ideal guests into different segments depending on their motivations for traveling, their needs and their buying habits.

Identify the best channels for your hotel

Choosing partnerships can be tricky. Start by examining each distribution channels customer mix so you can see if it matches the guest segment that youre looking to attract to your hotel. You might consider:

Regions that they have access to (eg. MakeMyTrip for India)

Age groups that they have access to (e.g. Hostelworld for millennials and Gen Z)

Behavioral niches that they have access to (e.g. HotelTonight for last-minute hotel bookings)

Then, consider the cost versus profit potential of each distribution channel. Typically, this refers to the amount of commission being charged per booking. In doing this, you have to remember that OTAs charge high commissions because they know that they can expand your reach to markets that you simply wouldnt be able to gain access to on your own.

Consider metasearch sites for a more affordable option  not only do they have the cost-per-click model, but TripAdvisor and Google charge a lower commission for hotel bookings made on their site. They also offer a cost-per-click model, which could be beneficial for your property.

So, how do you make the ultimate choice? Should you just pick the giants and leave it at that?

Unfortunately, even if that were a sensible strategy, this route doesnt stop lesser-known booking sites from buying your inventory at a wholesale price from a reseller, and selling your rooms anyway, undercutting you along the way.

This is why hoteliers are turning to tools like Lighthouse, which can help you monitor and enforce rate parity by allowing you to uncover such discrepancies.

Make sense of your performance across channels

Your property management system (PMS) is the one source of truth. Guest and reservation data is recorded automatically via the connection with your channel manager, or manually by your reservations and front office teams.

Dont hold back on applying strict data guidelines here. A PMS containing clean and correct data is key if youre looking to make strategic decisions.

If you dont look to your data to draw conclusions, you wont be able to make decisions with confidence.

For example, should you hold a few rooms for your corporate business  who are willing to book at a higher rate, but often with a shorter booking window  or give it to the leisure traveler who is paying less, but with a longer lead time?

You need to have the data to back you up to know that youre making the right decision. You have several levers available to you, such as:

Length of stay (LOS): How many room nights does each channel normally generate?

How many room nights does each channel normally generate? Day of week: Which ones are your booking channels driving business in? This will tell you which ones send you business as opposed to leisure travelers.

Which ones are your booking channels driving business in? This will tell you which ones send you business as opposed to leisure travelers. Country: Which countries and sorts of lead-times will channels drive?

Which countries and sorts of lead-times will channels drive? Room types: Which room types do your channels usually book out? Is there a pattern?

Which room types do your channels usually book out? Is there a pattern? Lead times: How far in advance do your guests book and via which channel?

The most powerful thing that your data will do is give you the information you need to make a decision with confidence.

Continue to test and adjust your strategy

Optimizing your distribution channel mix is not a set and forget activity, which is why you need to keep a pulse on market fluctuations. New business opportunities will arise, and source markets can change year after year.

Look at your main KPIs  occupancy rate, average daily rate (ADR), and revenue per available room (RevPAR)  and let those be your benchmarks.

Use a business intelligence tool to monitor your key business drivers and get insights in performance quickly. Otherwise you will be wasting valuable time  doing this manually is inefficient. By the time youve exported all your reports from your PMS, and compiled and cross-checked the key drivers, they may already be out of date.

Optimize your distribution strategy with real-time data insights

As our various discussions above illustrate, data is at the heart of successful distribution. Accessing it and analyzing it will give you an infinitely better understanding of your performance and more actionable insights on how to improve it.

But its not just about the data itself, its about the tools that capture and help you make sense of it. Lighthouse provides robust software solutions for uncovering and making sense of distribution-related data. Not least is the issue of parity.

Maintaining it can be difficult when you have dozens of distribution channels to manage. This is why hoteliers are turning to parity analytics tools such as Parity Insight, which can help you monitor and enforce rate parity by allowing you to uncover discrepancies across your channels.

For example, many lesser-known booking sites can (and do) buy hotel inventory at a wholesale price from a reseller, and undercut the hotel when they resell the rooms. Metasearch sites such as Trivago or Tripadvisor pick these rates up and display them alongside your own website and OTA rates. Without a tech tool, it would be difficult to discover, manage and tackle such rate disparities.

Learn how Lighthouse can help you take your distribution strategy to the next level

In todays competitive travel environment, its crucial to ensure the seamless running and optimization of your distribution performance.

To fully optimize your hotel distribution strategy, look no further than Distribution Insight.

Distribution insight gives you visibility of distribution processes to drive channel partner optimization, minimize booking friction and maximize conversions.

Offering real-time intelligence to enhance distribution performance. Distribution Insight helps you:

Easily track the effectiveness of your distribution strategy in real-time

Drive conversions and booking success rates by identifying booking friction

Optimize your mix of distribution partners

Ensure healthy partner connectivity

Take a demo today and see how Distribution Insight can upgrade your distribution strategy.

Ready to take charge of your distribution strategy? - Contact us

About Lighthouse

Lighthouse is the leading commercial platform for the travel & hospitality industry.

We transform complexity into confidence by providing actionable market insights, business intelligence, and pricing tools that maximize revenue growth.

We continually innovate to deliver the best platform for hospitality professionals to price more effectively, measure performance more efficiently, and understand the market in new ways.

Trusted by over 70,000 hotels in 185 countries, Lighthouse is the only solution that provides real-time hotel and short-term rental data in a single platform. We strive to deliver the best possible experience with unmatched customer service. We consider our clients as true partnerstheir success is our success.

For more information about Lighthouse, please visit: https://www.mylighthouse.com.

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WASHINGTON - As Congress faces the looming threat of a government shutdown, Americans are bracing for severe economic costs and the threat of widespread travel disruptions just before the holidays. A government shutdown could cost the U.S. travel economy $1 billion per week, affecting millions of American travelers, businesses and federal workers across the country. Previous holiday shutdowns cost the U.S. economy $11 billion.

A prolonged government shutdown threatens holiday travel disruptions that Americans wont tolerate. Its hard to see how anyone in Congress wins if they force TSA workers, air traffic controllers, and other essential employees to work without pay during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Geoff Freeman, President and CEO, U.S. Travel Association

A survey by Ipsos found that:

60% of Americans would consider altering their travel plans if a government shutdown occurs, with many choosing to cancel or avoid flights altogether.

Both political parties would bear responsibility for the resulting economic losses and inconveniences to travelers.

An overwhelming majority of Americans81%agree that government shutdowns hurt the economy, while 86% say they inconvenience air travelers.

83% of respondents believe that shutdowns negatively affect businesses reliant on air travel and tourist destinations, such as national parks, museums, and local businesses.

Bipartisan consensus is clear: nearly nine in 10 Americans (88%) believe members of Congress from both parties should work together to prevent a shutdown. Furthermore, 69% of voters say they would be less likely to support a member of Congress who voted in favor of a shutdown.

In addition, the failure of Congress to pass disaster relief funding could significantly delay the recovery of travel destinations still grappling with the aftermath of recent disasters.

Research shows that delaying disaster relief funding until 2025 could push recovery efforts into 2026 or beyond," added Freeman. Americans that are suffering deserve better from their elected officials. Its unconscionable that Congress would head home for the holidays while leaving communities devastated by disasters out in the cold.

The travel industrys timeline for full recovery following major disasters typically spans 10 to 27 months, depending on the severity of the damage. Without emergency relief funding, the recovery timeline for hard-hit areas like North Carolina and Tennessee could extend well into 2026 or longer.

As the clock ticks, the American people cannot afford further delays in recovery. The urgency of passing a disaster relief bill is clear, not just for the economic health of impacted states, but for the livelihoods of millions of Americans dependent on travel-related businesses, said Freeman.

Congress must act now to avoid the dual crises of a government shutdown and delayed disaster relief funding.

About U.S. Travel Association

U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing the $1.3 trillion travel industry, an essential contributor to our nation's economy and success. U.S. Travel produces programs and insights and advocates for policies to increase travel to and within the United States. Visit ustravel.org for information and recovery-related data.

Greg Staley

U.S. Travel Association
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Premier lifestyle brand and hospitality management company, Lark Hotels, announces today the formation of a joint venture with contextual hotel brand and operator, Life House. This joint venture will operate under Lark Hospitality LLC, doing business as Lark, encompassing all Lark Hotels and Life House-branded hotels, 33 restaurants and bars, and the groups combined portfolio of nearly 100 independent spirited properties, with locations throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, and Mexico. As part of the transaction, among the Life House stakeholders, both Inovia Capital and Thayer Investment Partners will continue to support this joint venture.

Combining their assets and expertise to form Lark Hospitality, industry trailblazers Rob Blood (Founder, Lark Hotels), Peter Twachtman (CEO, Lark Hotels), and Marc Ghobriel (CEO, Life House) join forces with Blood as Chairman, Twachtman as CEO, and Ghobriel leading the Life House transition team.

In addition to doubling Larks footprint, the combined entity grows the companys centralized team by bringing key positions over from Life House, allowing for continued best-in-class solutions for customized hotel management, day-to-day operations, hiring, technology, and marketing services to maximize owner cash flow.The new entity will have nearly $1 billion in assets under management, and represent accommodations in 27 states, more than 3,000 total keys, nearly 1,500 employees in peak season, and total annual revenue of more than $150 million under management.

There is no company that has made everyone at Lark Hotels sharpen their pencils more than Life House. Over the last five years, they have made us think deeply about who we are as a company, what our value proposition is for our stakeholders, and who we want to be going forward. As we come together, we look forward to incorporating the best practices of both of our companies to deliver exceptional experiences for our guests, investors, hotel owners and teams. Rob Blood, founder of Lark Hotels

The complementary strengths of Life House and Lark, both geographically and operationally, create a leader in the independent and boutique hotel management market. Were eager to continue focusing on delivering a great experience, to guests at the properties we manage, as well as to their owners, and we plan on investing in building a strong portfolio of brands across North America. Marc Ghobriel, CEO of Life House

As one of the few remaining truly independent hospitality companies with a family of brands, including Lark Hotels, Bluebird by Lark, Blind Tiger, AWOL, and Lark Independent, Lark will focus on further developing its individual brands, as well as the Life House brand, by partnering with aspiring and existing hotel owners, family offices, private equity firms, and real estate developers. The company plans to continue to leverage its robust loyalty program to deliver exceptional experiences for guests and valuable direct revenue for hotel owners. Larks unique combination of best-in-class management, supported by a nimble tech stack and a choice of meaningful brands that deliver both the benefit of flexibility and the assurance of connection, gives real estate developers and hotel owners many paths to success with Lark.

For more information or photography, please contact Mary DiLeo at [email protected] or 978-998-0240.

About Lark

Launched by Rob Blood in 2012, Lark Hotels operates lifestyle properties in high-profile destinations, embracing their communities in playful, unexpected ways. Each Lark Hotel invites guests to experience intimate getaways in the heart of an iconic destination, feel the pull of nostalgia, and find attentive service when they want it or privacy when they don't. In 2020, Lark Hotels launched its third-party management division, focused on the management and marketing of independent hotels throughout the United States. In 2021, Lark Hotels introduced Bluebird by Lark, a sister collection of boutique roadside lodges, reimagined for the great American road trip. In 2024, seven Lark Hotels properties were awarded prestigious Michelin Keys from Michelin Guide, a coveted honor that recognizes the country's most outstanding hotels. Most recently, Lark Hotels opened AWOL Stowe, the third iteration of its emerging AWOL brand in the heart of Stowe, Vermont, complete with an outdoor Nordic spa deck and free-standing A-frame cabins. In 2025, Lark Hotels will debut several new and noteworthy properties in sought-after destinations, including their first in a major metropolitan city. For more information about Lark Hotels and Bluebird by Lark, visit larkhotels.com and bluebirdhotels.com.

Lark Hotels is always seeking growth opportunities through both third party management agreements and joint venture opportunities. To learn more, visit larkhospitality.com. To discuss Lark's acquisition and management opportunities, please reach out to [email protected].
Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) noted that social media is collaborative, dynamic, and interactive online applications, platforms, and media, which allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content on social media platforms.

Engaging guests via social media networking is a sustaining trend of investment for tourism and hospitality firms, termed social media engagement. Social media has changed the way individuals interact with each other and is redefining the way firms connect with their customers in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Social Media Tools

Experts generally, outline three kinds of social media tools: listening platforms, publishing platforms, and competitive analysis platforms. Separately, each tool tackles social media from a different angle. Together, they can help your brand achieve all your social media and business goals. To understand what tools are necessary for a successful social media campaign, you have to look at the process. Its helpful to look at social media management as a loop with four separate steps: content creation, content publishing, listening and response and content analyzing and comparing.

Social Media Tools and Analysis

Social media tools are necessary if you want to build a presence on any platform. Social media analysis is the study of data related to a brands activities on social network sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter now X, others deemed appropriate based on your goals/needs. Your analysis goal would be to identify insights for improvement and understand what you are currently doing is working. Listening platforms, publishing platforms, and competitive analysis platforms constitute the majority of social media platforms. Listening Platforms can monitor different platforms and identify statements about your brand and products. Are statements accurate? Misunderstood etc.? Relevant? Publishing platforms help you spread your content. Platforms like Hootsuite and Percolate allow you to share content easily, posting across multiple platforms at once. Finally, competitive analysis platforms allow you to focus on metrics that matter to your business.

Additionally, there are lots of social media tools available for free that provide good business value per the Huffington Post. Ultimately the ability to utilize social media tools collectively will yield the best results. To apply these tools requires time and human resources. Answering the following questions could help your planning and assessment of social media effectiveness and utilization.

Am I growing my fanbase fast enough? My question, what does fast enough mean? Define it!

What are my competitors doing to grow their fanbase quicker than mine? Know your competitive set and what they are doing.

Do I post enough content? Again, what is enough content? On the other hand, what is too much?

Am I posting content at the right time? Knowing when (date and time of day) to post can be extremely helpful, your research should help make this decision.

Is the amount of engagement I get good, bad, or okay? Do we the business have goals for which we are targeting? Are they reasonable and attainable?

Is one particular category of content getting more engagement than the others? This question lends itself to a content analysis. Is all content equal? The answer is no!

Is there a content category thats not helping my engagement but takes a long time to produce? Refer to the notes above.

Am I boosting enough posts? Some folks seem to go overboard with boosts. I would revisit the discussion of goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics.

Do my competitors get more engagement because they boost their posts or because they have great content? Revisit your comp set analysis!

How fast should I be replying to customer questions on social? Set response standards and measure against those standards.

Do my competitors reply faster or slower than I do? Comp Set analysis!

What content worked for previous holidays and events that I can use to help inspire the content for this year? Holidays and seasonal data should be tracked and saved for planning and development of new social media programs.

Moving forward, operators should also be aware of the current trends in social media. Some of these trends are noted below.

Social Media Trends

Notable social media trends could include Video and focuses on specific companies like YouTube, or content creators, creating a community, digital trust concerns, Instagram Threads etc. Additionally, social media trends include the following with my notations.

Video is king: I have always used YouTube but in the beginning never thought of it as a social media platform for marketing and promotion. Obviously, I was behind in that thinking. Years ago, one of my students was explaining to me who Mr. Beast was, and thought, is there money in that? How quickly we have adapted. What we have found is that effective videos typically should be short and to the point, but longer video pieces have their place. They can take the form of an extended podcast or an explanation of content and analysis. For example, we (our program) posted a longer student video presentation explaining the importance of clean water as an example of the United Nations sustainability goals. It was well-received and had a good number of viewers.

Playful content is the new brand personality: Playful content connects with authenticity and allows the guest, viewer and or customer a chance to know the company or brand doing the posting.

The Expansion of social commerce  Social to promote and facilitate eCommerce transactions: It involves leveraging social networks to help with product discovery, recommendations, and sales, combining social interaction with eCommerce trends and functionalities. Maybe think of it as the marriage of E-Commerce and social media platforms.

SEO is important for social channels too: Search engine optimization needs to be robust, efficient, and useful for social channels. When many potential guests start to look for your products and its competitors via search engines, they need to be able find your hospitality business quickly and efficiently.

Behind-the-scenes content and reimagined transparency: Authenticity is in demand, and audiences want content that lends itself to the transparency of business practices. Dont make guests figure out your business challenges; share them and share what you and your business are doing to make a challenge better.

Authentic content resonates across platforms: As noted above the need for businesses and brands to be authentic and who keep it real because guests and potential guests embrace that service attitude.

The boom of the creator and influencer economy: I admit that I cringe a bit when a student tells me they want to be a social influencer. My thinking has been, what do they know, and why would someone want to hear their opinions? I think that about myself all the time. What occurred to me is that businesses and brands were not providing the content and insights that their guests and customers wanted, so influencers filled that void.

Personalized customer care is a consumer preference: As always service, service. Service is key. Personalized care is embraced. I remember in early industry training that a good memory is a benefit for anyone providing service. Remembering a return guest, what their preferences are (now supported with tracked data) and why they enjoyed their stay are all the personal touch that is a great asset for a business.

Marketing and customer care teams use AI regularly: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a tricky business. AI as a tool for learning, promotion, marketing, and more is here to stay. However, for many, AI can be the opposite of authenticity. This does not need to be the case. We need to remember the parameters and limitations for AI and what we are asking AI to do. The issues of false testimonials are clearly a negative. We had a person we know and who knows our program look us up on AI, note I do not know the exact question he asked. The description was flattering but not fully accurate. In fact, the response received detailed our building location and facilities incorrectly. I have no idea where these false facts came from. Therefore, the information generated by AI (CHATGPT) was randomly contrived. This example makes the case for lodging properties to monitor the AI generated materials consistently. As I encourage in the classroom, use AI to identify resources, but always cite those resources and be clear in the questions or tasks that you ask of AI.

Social data is key: Social media data should be shared throughout a hotel and its departments to better utilize data Experts encourage digging deep into the data available to identify new trends and or challenges.

The evolution of social teams and titles: The jobs associated with social media continue to evolve and grow. As many of us can remember, a revenue manager was once a new job. Effective social media requires time and human resources. Depending on the size and complexity of your social media channels, you are likely to need multiple people to create and sustain an effective social media. The discussion below shares some of the job titles and descriptions of social media positions.

Creating a Social Media Team: As social media evolves, so do the teams and the skills needed to run it successfully. For example, Gabby Grahek, strategic services consultant at Sprout, and a social media thought leader, noted: Im hoping and praying for social specialties on social teams. With organizations continuing to experiment with social, build a budget for these teams and elevate their maturity levels when you can. She also notes, well see niche social professions develop on corporate teams. Evaluate your current team structure and identify gaps. This is a great opportunity to take additional ownership over your career path and pitch a new role that fits your skillset. Or make the case to your manager that you need more headcount to accommodate a new role.

Remember when a revenue manager in a hotel was unheard of? New positions and career paths are developing in the field of social media. Organizations may be hesitant to create new positions unless they are warranted and create value for an organization. The question that needs to be addressed is, can social media resources in the form of people generate enough value to earn a respectable Return on Investment (ROI)?

It should be noted that support for a social media program requires multiple tasks and people working for the platforms to remain current. A social media intern will need to keep the social platforms up to date, create and edit content, and schedule and post new content regularly and in a timely fashion. From a personal perspective the timing of the posts needs to be tested and measured for maximum impact of the post. In our shop, we post alumni profiles, but keep the profiles, which are a combination of text and photos, to two or three per month. Otherwise, a mass of profiles at one time may be considered overdoing it and dilute the value of the subject and content.

Indeed and other recruiting companies list job titles and potentially define and create social media career pathways in their work. Indeed, can also help with estimating salaries for these new positions. Some of these positions are noted below.

Social media intern: Interns are a great way to go when starting out down the path of developing and defining social media programs and the people that are needed to support them. A social media interns role is to learn the basics of social media in a business setting. Read more: Learn About Being a Social Media Intern.

Blogger: Bloggers are charged with creating content and in doing so maintain and generate new interest in a company and its products. Content could be white papers, articles, and contributing to blogs regularly. Content can be what drives online searches and hopefully highlights your business. Obviously, solid English and writing skills are a must, and an ability to edit the work of others is also valuable.

Content curator: A question here is, does the content of a post, match the platform and the goals of a business? Is this something that is already been done or overdone? Is the content current with the trends? Think of this person as an editor, selecting content, and the mix of text, photos, graphics, and videos that are appropriate.

Social media coordinator: A social media coordinator ensures that the operations of a social media campaign are running smoothly. They work to plan, implement, and monitor a brands social media presence. Its their goal to improve brand awareness and reputation while engaging with online followers. By creating an active social media presence, they can boost sales and brand recognition.

Social media specialist: The focus here is staying current in terms of technology and social media trends. These individuals can organize and coordinate a social media program and or more specific campaigns.

Social media manager: This is a leadership or supervisory position focused on social media. For example, our program has placed some of our graduates in entry-level social media roles that have evolved into managerial and leadership positions. Read more: Learn About Being a Social Media Manager.

Social media community manager: Their goal is to ensure social media community members feel like they belong and are valued by the brand. Their focus is brand loyalty and community interaction.

Marketing associate: Marketing associates obviously focus on marketing efforts that can include product image and the management of market target segments that are all centered on the businesss brand. These social media workers will balance print, email, website content and social media.

Digital strategist: As one climbs the ladder of social media and works on strategy, they are assessing ways to create strategy and social media campaigns using optimal platforms and options. The effort is to enhance the brand presence based on current trends.

Brand manager: A brand manager, arguably going beyond social media is working to sharpen a businesss focus on its target markets. The work to align brand and message with organizational mission, goals, and objectives.

Digital project manager: These positions are tied to quality assurance and guest satisfaction. They help to build a trusting relationship between a business and the guest and potential guests. The focus here is also more broadly on project management.

Data analyst: These folks are all about mining the data and making sense of it. How did your company do in its last social media campaigns, were goals accomplished? Data could include clicks, impressions, likes and other indicators.

Content strategist: These folks can create content for websites, and also plan for effective use of social media platforms for a business.

Creative director: This is the big job and encompasses the entirety of the reprocess for a company including its social media efforts. This is a leadership role and an important one.

Additionally, another role can be influencers. It is noted that fifty percent of millennials place their faith in social media influencers product recommendations, and the key driver behind this trust is their authenticity! If this is a key target market for you, then perhaps this is an important social media associated role.

Going Forward

There continues to be vast opportunity in social media. It can be useful for businesses to identify social media trends and the companies engaged with these trends. Keeping abreast of research on social media trends and more. Social media planning can provide the framework for social media data and current events and be a basis to support an organizations social media goals and objectives. To effectively do this, knowledge of social media news and current events is important. Some current news is shared below.

Instagram is experimenting with rectangular previews on profile grids.

Threads is finally working on an advanced search option.

X (aka Twitter) is testing the removal of like, comment, and repost buttons from replies.

YouTube is experimenting with picture-in-picture mid-roll ads during live streams.

Instagram allows users to link their Spotify accounts to save songs.

Threads is creating custom feeds feature where users can name their feeds.

Instagram now allows up to 20 images in a carousel post.

Instagram is developing a feature to block chat screenshots when media can only be viewed or replayed once.

Another news example is TikTok. While I am not a TikTok user, many are. It will be useful to monitor its status in anticipation of possible legal challenges. A ban could act as a catalyst that could impact many facets of social media including whether or not there is a replacement platform and strategy?

Social media is a growing and complex area of business that extends across multiple sectors. As business tools, organizations need to match their goals and objectives to the social media tools and trends that will be optimal for them to meet those goals. Currency on trends, product innovations and return on investment are key to social media success.

On the human resources side of the equation, do businesses have the personnel to perform the tasks needed for effective social media programs? Education and training will be key factors for identifying solutions. For example, options could be on the job training (OJT), or more formal educational courses that focus on technology and more specifically social media strategies and tactics. For example, it is not as easy as one might think to create coursework to address video expertise for YouTube. There are diverse efforts in this and other social media channels currently but perhaps a combination of OJT and specific social media platform education and training would be optimal. LinkedIn learning is growing as an ideal source of training.

As noted in other shared perspectives, we utilize students to assume the role of a social media coordinator for the school, and work with myself for content and our business communication coordinator for social media expertise. We also utilize our ECU Social Media Policies as guidelines. Organizations across sectors need to set the standards under which they want to engage on social media in a professional manner.

Reprinted from the Hotel Business Review with permission from www.HotelExecutive.com.
Image Credit Playa Resorts

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has entered into an exclusive negotiation agreement with Playa Hotels & Resorts N.V. The agreement allows Hyatt to exclusively negotiate potential strategic options with Playa, potentially leading to Hyatt acquiring the resort company.

Mark S. Hoplamazian, the CEO of Hyatt, acknowledged the long-standing partnership between the two companies and highlighted Playa's strong reputation as a leading operator of all-inclusive resorts with a portfolio of high-quality locations across the Caribbean and Mexico. The potential transaction could provide Hyatt with new, long-term sources of revenue, aligning with their asset-light business strategy.

However, it's important to note that these discussions may not necessarily result in a transaction, and the terms of any potential deal are yet to be determined. Hyatt has stated that further comments on these discussions will not be provided until a definitive agreement is finalized.

Hyatt, which currently owns 9.99% of Playa's outstanding shares, has filed an amendment to its Schedule 13D with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to publicly disclose these discussions, as required by federal securities laws.
Rendering of The Ritz-Carlton, Xiamen - Image Credit Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. has signed an agreement with Xiamen Green Development Investment Group to launch The Ritz-Carlton in Xiamen Island, Fujian Province. This move is part of the company's ongoing commitment to expand its brand presence across southern China.

The new Ritz-Carlton will be located in the Siming District and is part of a larger mixed-use development project. This includes retail spaces, a 340-meter office tower set to be the tallest landmark in Xiamen, and Marriott Executive Apartments for extended-stay options.

The hotel's location offers sea views from many of the guest rooms. It is close to key corporate and leisure hubs, making it an attractive destination for business and leisure travelers. The hotel is conveniently located near Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, a metro station, local eateries, and retail shops. The nearby Xiamen First Pier provides ferry access to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Gulangyu Island.

The Ritz-Carlton, Xiamen will feature 228 guest rooms, including 35 suites, dining options, a grand ballroom, meeting rooms, a 25-meter indoor swimming pool, a fitness center, and a spa.

The Marriott Executive Apartments Xiamen, located below the Ritz-Carlton, will include 144 fully furnished apartments, a Residents Lounge, a shared swimming pool with The Ritz-Carlton, a private meeting room, and a fitness center. These apartments are designed for long-term business travelers and families.

This agreement marks a significant expansion of Marriott International's footprint in Xiamen, a port city that is becoming a popular tourist destination and actively developing its marine high-tech sector. Marriott International now has five properties in the region, catering to both business and leisure travelers.
MEININGER Hotel Strasbourg - Image Credit MEININGER

MEININGER Hotels is expanding its presence in France with a new hotel development in Strasbourg, marking its fifth location in the country. The hotel, set to open in 2027, will be located at 16 Place de Gare, directly across the main train station. The existing Europcar building, owned by Credit Agricole Alsace Vosges and Banque des Territoires, will be demolished for the new structure.

The upcoming development is a Kaufman & Broad project that will cover almost 4,000 square meters across eight floors. The ground floor will still accommodate a Europcar branch alongside the new MEININGER Hotel.

The MEININGER Hotel Strasbourg will have 114 rooms accommodating up to 349 guests. The rooms will vary from double rooms to triple, quadruple, and six-bed rooms, adhering to MEININGER's room flexibility concept. The hotel's location at Place de Gare offers easy access to the city's key attractions, including La Petite France, the Grande Ile, and the European Parliament.

Strasbourg, the seventh-largest city in France, draws over four million tourists yearly. The city's unique blend of French and German cultures and significant European institutions contribute to its appeal. Strasbourg is known for its UNESCO-recognized old town, breweries, wineries, and the world-famous Christmas market.

According to Ajit Menon, CEO of MEININGER Hotels, the new hotel's hybrid concept, combining the best elements of hostels and hotels, makes it a perfect fit for Strasbourg's diverse visitors, including families, couples, backpackers, school groups, friends, and business travelers.

The MEININGER Hotel in Strasbourg is one of four new locations currently in development, along with Barcelona, Kiel, and Edinburgh. The company is also renovating ten existing properties, part of its strategy of growth through new properties and investments in existing ones. Prioritizing quality and sustainability, the company aims to gradually expand its hybrid hotel concept into new markets.
Hilton Announces New Motto Hotel in Qingdao, China - Image Credit Hilton

In partnership with Qingdao Urban Construction Group, Hilton has announced that it will open a new Motto by Hilton hotel in Qingdao, China. The move marks Hilton's first Motto brand expansion into mainland China. The Motto by Hilton Qingdao Zhanqiao is set to open in June 2026, adding to Hiltons lifestyle brand presence in Asia Pacific.

The hotel will feature 100 rooms and aims to offer guests a unique urban experience, enabling them to explore Qingdao's vibrant cityscape. The hotel's design will reflect the local neighborhood, with spaces encouraging social interaction and exploration.

Qian Jin, President of Hilton Greater China and Mongolia, said the new hotel would meet the evolving needs of contemporary guests and strengthen Hilton's presence in China. He also expressed confidence that the hotel would appeal to new-generation travelers.

Qingdao has recently revitalized its historic district, turning it into a hub for younger audiences. The new hotel will be located within this district. The Motto by Hilton Qingdao Zhanqiao will offer communal spaces such as a lobby, a signature restaurant, and a cafe serving locally inspired brews. The property is conveniently located near Qingdao's iconic Zhanqiao Pier, academic institutions, parks, museums, and shopping areas.

Kong Shaowu, Chairman of Qingdao Urban Construction Group, said the new hotel aligns with Qingdao's rising status as a cultural tourism destination. He also believed the new hotel would provide fresh and exciting ways for travelers to experience the city's culture and energy.

Motto by Hilton aims to offer dynamic stays with a blend of efficient guest rooms, active social spaces, and locally inspired design and food options. The brand operates eight properties worldwide, with more than 20 additional hotels in the pipeline.
Bab Samhan, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Diriyah 2 of 3 - Image Credit Marriott International

Riyadh's historic district, Diriyah, now hosts the newly opened Bab Samhan, a Luxury Collection Hotel. This location presents a unique blend of cultural richness, traditional architecture, and authentic hospitality. Diriyah, also known as the birthplace of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, offers a glimpse into the past while embracing the contemporary era.

Philipp Weghmann, Vice President and Global Brand Leader of The Luxury Collection, expressed his excitement about the new hotel and stressed its commitment to preserving and celebrating Diriyah's local culture, tradition, and architecture.

Diriyah, known for its ancient Najdi architecture, is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, At-Turaif. This site features well-preserved palaces, mosques, and mudbrick structures representative of Najd, the central region of Saudi Arabia. The hotel gets its name from Bab Samhan, one of the most iconic gates in historic Diriyah, which served as a strategic defense point for the city.

The first of its kind in Diriyah, the hotel blends seamlessly with the region's traditional mudbrick architecture. It features open courtyards and spaces for guests to gather, offering a mix of ancient and modern design elements inspired by the local environment.

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Guests can look forward to a warm welcome in a lobby that mirrors an Arabian home, with traditional beverages and treats served upon arrival. The hotel's 134 rooms, including 23 suites, showcase Nadji's design, local artwork, and artifacts complemented by ancestral poetry.

Dining options abound at Bab Samhan, with three distinctive restaurants offering authentic regional cuisine. The signature restaurant, Jareed, features Najd culinary methods combined with contemporary techniques, while Taleed by Chef Micheal Mina offers Mediterranean dishes with a regional twist. Medheef, the hotel's all-day dining restaurant, presents a variety of international dishes.

The hotel's Earthen Spa provides guests with organic treatments and wellness experiences. Other amenities include a fitness center, guided running and walking paths, event spaces, and a 400-square-meter ballroom.

Guests are also able to delve into Saudi Arabia's cultural heritage through guided tours of the nearby UNESCO site, storytelling sessions, poetry readings, and culinary tours.

The General Manager of Bab Samhan, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Diriyah, Fabrice Ducry, expressed his pride in opening this unique hotel and inviting guests to discover the region's rich history, culture, and traditions.
Provided Photo: Andrea Wimpenney, Ethan Coe, Caitlynn Perry, Amanda Kissoon, Mrs. Claus, Santa, Shannon Dozier, Betsy Kapner Provided Photo: Mo, Dan Bosley(MountainOne Board of Trustees, Chair). Andrea Wimpenney, Mo, Dick Alcombright (MountainOne Community Advisory Committee Member) PreviousNext

MountainOne Spreads Holiday Cheer with Berkshire Food Project

Provided Photo: Mo the MountainOne Spokesgoat.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  MountainOne sponsored and partnered with Berkshire Food Project for a festive Morning with Santa and Mrs. Claus in North Adams.

MountainOne's Mountaineers, along with Mo the Spokesgoat, distributed signed copies of the bank's storybook, "How to Climb a Mountain."

According to a press release, the storybook teaches positive life lessons, promotes literacy, and introduces financial education to MountainOne's youngest customers and community members.

Participants also received an activity packet filled with coloring pages and fun financial literacy activities for kids.
NBSU OKs Administrator Contracts

CLARKSBURG, Mass.  The Northern Berkshire School Union Committee approved three-year contracts for two administrators and made plans for the departure of a third.

The committee at its Thursday meeting, held virtually, voted the contracts for Assistant Superintendent Tara Barnes and Director of Information Technology Josh Arico.

Business Administrator Lisa Blackmer gave her 90-day notice two weeks ago with final date of March 14. Her two-year contract was approved in December 2023.

Both Arico and Barnes were applauded for their work and given everything they requested.

Barnes will receive a 3 percent raise in each of the next three years, have her transportation stipend rolled into her salary, a longevity clause and allowed up to four days for remote work for family reasons.

She noted she has brought in nearly $1 million in competitive grants and manages the federal entitlement grants. Superintendent John Franzoni supported her requests, which they had discussed prior to the meeting.

"One of our goals was to go to each school each week, and I think that she does fulfill that," he said. "So the request about the remote work really, she does do it as needed, but it doesn't impact her schedule to make sure she's at all the schools, each week, and really, she goes above and beyond."

Teachers have built-in step and cost of living increases but administrator contracts "just get what they get," Franzoni said, in support of a longevity clause. His was rolled into his contract during negotiations for his final three years.

"I've never worked with somebody who works as hard and as diligently, both for kids and for teachers, in a respectful and forward thinking and yet making sure we're held accountable fashion," said William Knittle, principal of Rowe Elementary. "I enjoy working with Tara, but I also find her to be terribly effective."

Arleigh Cooper, chair of the Savoy School Committee, thanked her for what she's brought to the schools.

"I do think you do a wonderful job, and you do go above and beyond. I feel that what you're asking for is completely reasonable," she said, making the motion to approve.

Arico has been working solo as the technology director for seven years and said his proactive solutions have saved the district tens of thousands over the years.

He is currently at just below $85,000 and requested a bump to $96,575, converting five vacation days to salary, and adding in his $1,200 travel stipend to bring his total salary to $100,000 in the first year, then 3 percent in each of the next two years.

This would align with the lower end of the spectrum on the IT directors in Berkshire County, he said. "I'm part of the Berkshire IT directors' group, and the feedback that I got is definitely that right now I'm under the lowest but I'm hoping to come to just around the low end of that scope."

"You are a one-man show. A lot of these other districts have helpers, have other people working beneath them to help divide and conquer," said Cooper. "You're a such a strong role that we needed to see the comparable figures around the area. You definitely deserve what you're asking for."

Mary Giron of the Clarksburg School Committee described as a "life saver" when she was working at the school. "I know his duties have doubled, tripled since I've gone from Clarksburg, and for the other schools. So I think that this is more than in line with what he deserves.

Arico said he appreciated the support and joked that he'd told Franzoni "if you guys totally shot me down, I really still had no plans of going anywhere."

In other business, Blackmer said the end-of-the-year reports for Savoy and the town of Florida have been submitted and she has requested extensions for Clarksburg and Rowe. She spoke at an earlier meeting on the difficulties in getting the reports done because of changes in staffing and accounting systems, and other issues between the four towns.

"Tara saw where the reports were just out of whack," she said, referring to a conversation in Rowe about the problems. "Actually it was nice for Tara to look because I would walk into John's office and say, 'this happened,' but for Tara and someone else to actually see the differences and the concerns and the issues, and that I wasn't actually losing my mind, that things were not where they were supposed to be, was a little helpful."

Barnes had stepped in to help with the Rowe report the last couple of weeks, Franzoni said, and the plan was to keep things in-house for the next months as it was challenging to obtain a good pool of applicants and to transition people in during the budget season.

"We could use the remainder part of Lisa's salary to potentially utilize an experienced business administrator to help us with some of the things that we have to work on in terms of budgeting for this year, in terms of getting the reports up to date," he said.

Blackmer said her plan was to have the Savoy and Rowe budgets "pretty much set" by her departure and Florida should be in the second draft. Clarksburg has been down to the edge because it has been so tight, she said, adding "we have to make the decision sooner, rather than later, going forward, and so that we're not trying to do budgets in May anyway, regardless of who's in this position."

Barnes said they have been working together to things done and that she was up for taking on more financial responsibility.

"I think it would be good experience for me, just selfishly, because I'd like to learn more about, you know, the business side of things in this office," she said.

"Thank you for the work that you've been putting in. I'm glad to hear that as a team, we're going to finish strong," said Cooper, asking the schools continue to be updated. "I am in full support of doing things in house for that last quarter."

Committee member Judy Oleson of Florida said she appreciated the team willing to jump in and pick up the loose ends.

"Those are the people you are. And I'm sure Lisa has appreciated you coming in and and helping out. She seemed overwhelmed," Oleson said. "We hope we can take that load off your shoulders, Lisa, because you're a good person."

The committee also discussed digitally signing warrants as a way to streamline the process since the five towns in the district have different operational hours and a mix of full and part-time workers. Franzoni said one school has authorized the chair to sign documents as way to be more efficient.

Cooper said it was a topic to bring back to their respective school committees to discuss.
Sunday 22 December 2024, 15:51 - Last updated: 23 December, 16:15

Bianca Guaccero and Giovanni Pernice are a golden couple. They are the winners of 'Dancing with the stars 2024' in Italy and, if that wasn't enough, they are currently in love. The duo shared their story on the set of Domenica In.

Bianca Guaccero's Emotional Tribute to Her Father on 'Ballando con le Stelle'

Dancing with the stars

With 61% of the votes, the Bianca and Giovani easily beat Federica Pellegrini and Pasquale La Rocca in the final of Milly Carlucci's talent show, which has seen a ratings boom this year.

'Ballando con le Stelle', top and flop of the final: the kiss between Bianca Guaccero and Giovanni Pernice, Federica Pellegrini's records, Mariotto 'justifiably absent'. Bianca Guaccero on 'Domenica In' 'There have been two difficult moments in my life: adolescence and a recent one. The authors of this program helped me to bring out my pains,' Bianca Guaccero talks about her experience on 'Ballando'. 'We are used to having to always give a strong and glamorous image and little is said about fragility. On 'Ballando', I tried to break free from my fears, and when I admitted to myself that I had overcome a difficult moment, I wanted to talk about it.' She adds: 'I suffered from panic attacks, I faced a separation, and these were burdens for me. When I faced all this and talked about it, the magic happened. Having the courage to tell your story differently and not feeling wrong because you are different frees you. Many mothers thanked me because by telling that moment, many daughters felt less alone.' Bianca Guaccero wins 'Ballando con le Stelle', the kiss with Giovanni Pernice, and the photos with the trophy: 'What happiness'. Love with Giovanni Pernice Then love came: 'He immediately wanted to be close to me, but I kept my distance because I needed to get comfortable.' And Mara Venier asks if it's true that the showgirl 'imposed' on the dancer not to work anymore. 'When you dance the tango, you have to be close, so day after day, being like that during rehearsals... that's why I told him he shouldn't dance tango and rumba anymore. In reality, I liked him right away, that's why I kept him away. I was charged, but I thought of everything except love. After two or three days of being together all the time, we started laughing together, and I thought, "this one is worse than me," and this complicity was the discovery. That's how it went.' Giovanni Pernice now still lives in England, where he is engaged with his show. 'I have to move from England, I have to return to Rome, I know. This year, Milly's call came, and I returned. In England, I do a one-man show, but I will soon return to live here.'
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Blake Lively is suing her It Ends with Us co star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment months after rumours of a an on-set feud between the pair percolated online.

The Gossip Girl actor, 37, starred as Lily Bloom in the adaptation of Colleen Hoovers bestselling 2016 romance, who becomes involved with an abusive man, Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Lively claims Baldoni, who also directed It Ends with Us, exhibited behaviour that caused her severe emotional distress.

The lawsuit states there was a meeting attended by individuals including Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni and their lawyers, to address The Age of Adeline stars claims, per TMZ.

Lively had a number requirements in order for her to work on the film that  according to the lawsuit cited by the outlet  included no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldonis alleged previous pornography addiction, no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crews genitalia, no more inquiries about Blakes weight, and no further mention of Blakes dead father.

Additionally, no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project, were other requirements included in the lawsuit, according to TMZ.

Per the outlet, the lawsuit says that the distributors of the film, Sony Pictures, approved Livelys requests. However, the actor claims in the filing that Baldoni then began a campaign to destroy her reputation in response.

open image in gallery Blake Lively is suing Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment ( Getty Images )

Baldonis lawyer, Bryan Freeman, told TMZ that Livelys lawsuit had been filed in order to fix her negative reputation.

He added to the outlet that the A Simple Favour stars allegations are false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.

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The lawyer added that Lively had caused issues on the film set by threatening to not [show] up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release.

The Independent has contacted Baldoni and Livelys representation for comment.

open image in gallery Lively and Baldoni as Lily and Ryle in It Ends with Us ( Sony Pictures )

During the press tour for It Ends With Us, Lively was criticised for her tone-deaf approach of promoting the movie, which focuses on domestic violence and abuse.

Amid the ongoing drama, one journalist shared her nightmare interview with the Gossip Girl star recorded in 2016, stating that the interaction  deemed incredibly rude by fans  made her want to quit her job.

Lively did not directly address the criticism. However, a source told People Magazine that she initially felt very vulnerable and upset and thought the drama was out of control.

During the It Ends With Us press tour, fans speculated that Baldoni had been shunned by Lively and her husband over creative differences.

open image in gallery Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds at the It Ends With Us premiere ( Getty Images )

On TikTok, a user pointed out that Lively and Baldoni did not take a picture together at the films August premiere. Meanwhile, others noted that neither Lively nor Reynolds follow Baldoni back on Instagram.

Despite the pervasive feud rumours, Baldoni praised Lively during an appearance on the Today show, calling the star a dynamic creative.

I think shes best known as an actress, and, of course, shes a fashion icon, but she is so much more than that, he said.

She is a dynamic creative. She had her hands in every part of this production, and everything she touched [was] made better.
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Home Alone actor Catherine OHara has revealed she struggled to deliver one of the Christmas films lines to Macaulay Culkin

The actor, who has reunited with the former child star, appeared in the 1990 festive film, playing Kate McCallister, the mother of Culkins Kevin.

In the John Hughes-written film, which was directed by Chris Columbus, Kevin is left behind at home when his family go on holiday for Christmas. At one stage near the beginning, Kevin falls out with his family the night before theyre leaving for Paris.

When his mum sends him up to the attic to sleep as punishment, she says she doesnt want to see him for the rest of the night, to which Kevin replies: I dont want to see you again for the rest of my life, and I dont want to see anybody else, either.

Here, his mum says: I hope you dont mean that  youd feel pretty sad if you woke up tomorrow morning and you didnt have a family.

According to OHara, though, she struggled deeply with the line that followed.

The Schitts Creek star revealed this detail while delivering a speech about Culkin at a ceremony unveiling his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 2023.

The scene where I had to drag him upstairs to sleep in the attic cause hed misbehaved, hes mouthing off about the family and I say, Well, youd be pretty sad if you woke up tomorrow morning and you had no family, and he says, No, I wouldnt. And I was supposed to say, Then say it again - maybe itll happen.

OHara continued: I cant tell you how much that killed me  I could not wrap my head around saying something so horrific to this beautiful child. She then quipped: Of course I was not yet a mother at the time and I had no idea the kind of things would come out of my own mouth with my own two sons.

In her heartfelt speech, OHara reflected on the success of Home Alone, attributing this to Culkins performance. He was 10 at the time.

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Catherine OHara reunited with Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin ( Variety )

She went on to praise Culkin for surviving huge fame at such a young age. This beautiful 10-year-old little boy was called a superstar, a moneymaker, one of the hottest leading young men in Hollywood by the world over. How does anyone survive that? she asked, adding: I believe youd have to possess a certain quality, a gift, that dear John Hughes obviously recognized in you Macaulay, your sense of humour.

Its a sign of intelligence in a child and a key to surviving life at any age. From what I see, you have brought that sense of sweet yet twisted, yet totally relatable, sense of humour to everything you have chosen to do since Home Alone.

She told the crowd gathered at the ceremony, which took place on the streets of Los Angeles: Home Alone was, is, and always will be a beloved global sensation. The reason families all over the world cant let a year go by without watching and loving Home Alone together is because of Macaulay Culkin. Yes, he had a most excellent script and a wonderful director.

But it is Macaulays perfect performance as Kevin McCallister that gave us that little every boy on an extraordinary adventure.

She told the visibly emotional former child star: I know you worked really hard, I know you did, but you made acting look like the most natural thing in the world to do. It was really as if wed ambushed this real little boy named Kevin to make a movie and he just went along with it for the fun of it.
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Four episodes into Netflixs new adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquezs seminal novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, Im still reeling. Partly at the hugely ambitious, lavishly filmed series itself  but mainly at the fact that it ever got made in the first place.

A sprawling masterclass in magic realism, the 1967 novel spans seven generations of the fictional Buendia family, weaving together sex, superstition, and the downright surreal. Its a complex series of warped, bizarre and at times grotesque tales, propelled by deep-rooted, unshakeable desires and the doomed characters inability to escape their fate  a kind of intergenerational curse that passes from parents to children (including, more often than not, the proclivity to copulate with their own relatives).

Set in the make-believe Colombian town of Macondo from the early 1800s onwards, the book charts how a streak of endless civil wars, freak climate events and imperialist plantation owners shape this geographically nebulous corner of Latin America for over a century. Marquez paints this world with such vivid, visceral strokes that, years after reading his novel, it stayed seared into my imagination: Rebeca shovelling handfuls of dirt into her mouth; mad Jose Arcadio tied to a chestnut tree and muttering in Latin; a naked Remedios the Beauty painting animals on the walls with her own excrement.

Its utterly bewitching, but not what youd call an easy read: a non-linear 400+ pager in which the story jumps around through time and half the characters have some variation of the same name. The multi-generational clan is so hard to keep straight, in fact, that theres famously a family tree printed at the front of the book.

In a world, then, where algorithms, not humans, rule the roost when it comes to commissioning decisions, it seems almost inconceivable that this challenging masterpiece would get green-lit. This is a streaming ecosystem in which relentless seasons of Emily in ... [insert European city here] are churned out without pause or remorse. In which the same rehashing of career woman from big city returns to small town and falls in love with simpler life/grumpy but warm-hearted local is turned into a staggering number of films per year. In which safety trumps risk when it comes to reward.

One Hundred Years of Solitude isnt just a world away from all that: it resides in a different universe entirely. Marquez himself basically declared it unfilmable while he was alive, granting the rights to Harvey Weinstein on the condition that he film the entire book, but only release one chapter  two minutes long  each year, for 100 years. I would have bet good money on Netflix not touching it with a bichero (barge pole), never mind picking up a big-budget, 16-episode, Spanish-language epic.

And yet, here we are. It feels nothing short of miraculous. As does the fact that the creators have achieved the seemingly impossible: remaining faithful to the source material while artfully translating it into a piece of visually gorgeous storytelling.

Im not sure Ive ever seen such a perfectly crafted literary adaptation. From spot-on casting to the sparse yet carefully chosen dialogue; from camera shots that move with purpose to follow the characters and immerse the viewer to music that summons forth a world steeped in magic and mysticism  theres an ethereal, fairytale-like quality that grabs your attention by the throat and wont let go.

open image in gallery Jose Arcadio Buendia sets forth to set up the town of Macondo ( Mauro Gonzalez/Netflix )

The first episode starts at the end of the story  we see the Buendia house ravaged by time; the ominous, blood-stained shape of a corpse under a sheet; armies of ants colonising every surface  before were plunged into the past. The opening line exactly mirrors that of the book: Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.

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This is a major factor in explaining why the tangled tapestry of stories genuinely works on screen  much of the dialogue is lifted directly from the original, Marquezs evocative, sumptuous language placed in the mouth of a narrator to guide us through the strange and sweeping narrative. This exterior, omnipotent voice is crucial in explaining what the characters themselves would struggle to show not tell, and vital in establishing a tone that keeps us at one remove from naturalism.

Its the same tactic employed by the 1981 ITV dramatisation of Brideshead Revisited, often held up as the gold standard for literary adaptations; in that, too, the beauty of the original text was treated with a quiet reverence, quoted directly by Jeremy Ironss narrator as he describes Oxford as a city of aquatint that exhaled the soft airs of centuries of youth.

In One Hundred Years of Solitude, we first journey with Jose Arcadio Buendia, patriarch of the Buendia dynasty, and his new wife Ursula Iguaran (who just so happens to be his cousin) as they embark upon married life. A battle between superstition and science commences right off the bat: Ursula is initially too frightened to consummate the marriage after being warned by her mother that she will be cursed with deformed children with pigs tails as punishment for incest.

This is how you portray magic realism on screen  by embracing it and welcoming it in

The fantastical elements of the story arent shied away from, and yet somehow never feel bombastic or overblown: doors slam by themselves to show marital discord; when the couple imagine living by the sea, waves wash across the parched, chapped earth in front of them and lap at their feet. Ghosts are presented physically, with a man Jose Arcadio killed hanging around the house with a hangdog expression and clutching his bleeding neck at every turn, and mystery child Rebeca turning up at the door with a bag of her dead parents bones that rattle and shake irritably. This is how you portray magic realism on screen  by embracing it and welcoming it in, without exaggerating or pushing too far into absurdity.

Though they never reach open water, Jose Arcadio and Ursula set out to escape their demons, and finally set up the town of Macondo after Jose Arcadio envisions it in a dream. Later, we see their family expand and become embroiled in their own misguided passions, predetermined to make the same mistakes as their forebears over and over, ad infinitum.

open image in gallery Colonel Aureliano Buendia is plunged back into his memories as he faces the firing squad ( Pablo Arellano/Netflix )

Its a brave person who takes on a book this renowned, this idolised and this elaborate, and the production of the series hasnt been completely without controversy. Some locals of Aracataca, the birthplace of Marquez, werent impressed by the decision to film in the industrial city of Ibague, 430 miles to the south, instead of in the authors hometown. Based at the foot of Colombias Sierra Nevada mountains, Aracataca is where the Nobel Prize winner lived until the age of eight with his maternal grandparents. Though he went on to live and work in Paris, New York, Mexico City, Caracas and Barcelona, he credited the town of his youth with providing the inspiration for much of his writing, not least One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Were disappointed that Netflix decided not to film here, but we all know that anyone inspired by the series will have to come to Aracataca, as the heart of Macondo lies here, Robinson Mulford, a local high-school teacher, told The Guardian. They will feel the kindness, the solidarity of the people, and everything else that Gabriel Garcia Marquez said of the Colombian Caribbean. They will all be received with love.

One can only hope this beautifully made series will be received with love, too, despite the perceived snub. No matter where you go, you will never escape your fate, Ursulas mother warns her daughter in the opening episode. One Hundred Years of Solitude could just be fated to become that rarest of things: a timeless literary adaptation as beloved as the book that inspired it.
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Kieran Culkin opened up about his unpleasant first acting experience as a child.

The 42-year-old Succession star was just six years old when he began acting professionally.

During a recent appearance on the Smartless podcast, co-hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, Culkin recalled his first acting gig in a commercial that had something to do with learning disabilities.

The concept was Im standing in front of a chalkboard with chalk in my hand and I dont know how to solve the easy thing in front of me. And the kids in the class are supposed to be calling me a dummy and stupid, all that, the Igby Goes Down actor explained.

I have a distinct memory of being there and the director going, Okay, action. And he starts going, Dummy. Idiot. Stupid, Culkin said.

The hosts reacted in shock to the anecdote while Culkin said he, too, was taken aback by the directors approach. Im thinking like, I get it. Im six. Stand here and look sad. Im not f***ing Method. Im six. Whats wrong with you? He said.

Method acting is a controversial technique in which an actor totally immerses themselves in their character. Culkins former Succession co-star Jeremy Strong is well-known for going Method.

Kieran Culkin says a director called him an idiot during first professional acting gig ( Getty Images for BFI )

Decades before he landed his Emmy-winning role of Roman Roy on HBOs hit four-season Machiavellian drama, Culkin made his on-screen debut in the 1990 Christmas classic Home Alone at seven years old alongside his older brother Macaulay Culkin.

In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Culkin admitted that he had no idea what the movie was about when he was making it and when he saw it at the premiere.

I had no idea what that movie was about when I saw it, and I was in it, he said. I was at the premiere, and I was dying laughing. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen. I had no idea what the movie was about.

Culkin has since gone on to star in several other comedy classics, including Steve Martins Father of the Bride and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

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He currently co-leads Jesse Eisenbergs new comedy-drama, A Real Pain, about two cousins (Culkin and Eisenberg) who embark on a tour of Poland to honor their late grandmother.
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Piers Morgan has condemned Saturday Night Lives studio audience for applauding and cheering when host Colin Jost referred to the suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione.

During the latest episode of NBCs hit sketch comedy show, Jost was delivering his popular Weekend Update spin on the news when he brought up Mangiones extradition to New York.

Before he had even begun the joke, the audience erupted into loud cheers and applause at the mention of Mangiones name.

Jost, who looked stunned at the response, awkwardly replied: Yeah... definitely woo. Youre wooing for justice, right?

Continuing the joke, Jost quipped: Luigi Mangione dropped his extradition fight and was flown from Pennsylvania to New York to face multiple charges. In related news, Bumble exploded, he added, referring to the dating site.

Following the episode, a clip of the moment went viral on X/Twitter, with an account by the user name End Wokeness, writing: SNL Weekend Update mentions CEO kiIIer Luigi Mangione and the crowd applauds & cheers.

Morgan later retweeted the post, adding: So disgusting and Colin Jost just smirks away as if its all one big giggle. Shameful moment for SNL.

Piers Morgan slams disgusting SNL studio audience over elated reaction to Luigi Mangione ( Getty Images and NBC )

Other right-wing figures have also taken issue with the moment, including President-elect Donald Trumps homeland security advisor Stephen Miller, who, in a tweet, called it: Revolting. Sickening. Vile.

Business executive and author Jennifer Sey also hit out at SNLs audience, calling them the dumbest group of pathetic woke conformists known to man.

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Here they cheer for a silver spoon/trust funder murdering a stranger with some deranged Robin Hood Im a hero story. Audience is moronic. And evil, she posted.

This isnt the first time Mangione has been mentioned on SNL. Last week, Sarah Sherman joked in a sketch: Yall psychos find him a sex symbol  He has women and gay guys hot and bothered.

Mangione, 26, has been charged with stalking and murdering healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, which prosecutors described as an act of terrorism. He is also now facing federal charges, which would potentially allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty should he ultimately be found guilty of murder since capital punishment has been outlawed in New York for decades.

The computer science graduate has quickly gained an online fan base among those angry about private health insurance in America, and due to his hot appearance with numerous social media users showing divisive appreciation for the murder suspect.

A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections confirmed to The Independent that Mangione has received over 100 pieces of mail just over a week after he was taken into custody.

In addition, members of the public had already contributed more than $130,000 to fund his defense a week ago.

As of Thursday morning, he had received 54 emails, 87 pieces of mail and 163 deposits into his commissary account, an account that allows inmates to purchase items from behind bars. The spokesperson did not confirm how much money was in the account.
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Tom Hanks worried some fans after he appeared a bit shaky during his recent Saturday Night Live appearance.

The 68-year-old Forrest Gump star and five-time SNL host made a surprise cameo during the latest episode of NBCs hit sketch comedy series to celebrate the holidays as well as Martin Shorts fifth time hosting the show.

Joined by other five-time hosts, including Emma Stone, Scarlett Johansson, Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, John Mulaney and Alec Baldwin  whos hosted the show a jaw-dropping 17 times  the group threw an induction ceremony for Short.

During the cold open sketch, SNL cast member Bowen Yang brought out a tray of cocktails. As Hanks picks up one of the drinks to hand to Short, whos standing beside Fey, he quips: May I offer you our signature cocktail, the Marty Tina.

While holding the drink, Hanks hand appears visibly shaky.

Numerous people pointed out his trembles on social media, with one tweeting: Did anyone notice Tom Hanks hands shaking unnaturally in this sketch?

A second on Threads added: I also noticed it!!! And now I am concerned.

Tom Hanks was just on SNL and he looked ROUGH and I noticed his hands now have the same shake that Bill Clinton has acquired, a third wrote.

Tom Hanks appeared shaky while handing Martin Short a drink on SNL ( NBC )

Former President Bill Clinton, 78, whos for years had a hand tremor, previously denied having Parkinsons disease, saying in 2013 that his little tremor was just a sign of aging.

The Independent has contacted Hankss representative for comment.

Elsewhere during the SNL sketch, the hosts went in a circle to boldly make false claims about themselves, with Hanks chiming in to add that hes never had Covid.

In 2020, the Saving Private Ryan actor and his wife Rita Wilson both tested positive for Covid while they were in Australia where Hanks was filming Baz Luhrmanns Elvis.

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Hanks, who was hospitalized with the virus, said at the time that he had bad body aches and was very fatigued, and he was exhausted after just 12 minutes of exercise.

I was wiped, he said on The National Defense Radio Show. Whoever it was, a doctor or nurse, would come into our air-pressurized isolation rooms. She said, How are you feeling? and I said, I just had the weirdest thing. I just tried to do basic stretches and exercises on the floor and I couldnt even get halfway through.

And she looked at me through her glasses like she was talking to the dumbest human being. And she said, You have Covid-19.
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North Korean troops have reportedly suffered heavy casualties while fighting for Russia in Ukraine, according to South Korea's spy agency, which also claimed to have detected signs of Pyongyang preparing to send additional soldiers and kamikaze drones to Moscow.

At least 12,000 North Korean soldiers are fighting in Russias nearly three-year-long war against Ukraine, according to Seoul, Washington and Kyiv.

The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Monday said at least 100 North Korean soldiers have died while another 1,000 suffered injuries in the bordering Kursk region, where Moscow's forces have been battling a Ukrainian ground incursion since August.

Last week, the South claimed the North's leader Kim Jong Un was personally overseeing the training of soldiers to be sent to the frontline to fight for Russia.

North Korea has already provided 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers, and was seen preparing to produce more suicide drones to be shipped to Russia after Mr Kim guided a test last month, the South's military said.

"Suicide drones are one of the tasks that Kim Jong Un has focused on," a JCS official said, adding that the North had expressed its intention to give them to Russia.

Such drones have been widely used in the Ukraine war, and Mr Kim ordered mass production of aerial weapons and an update of military theory and education, citing intensifying global competition.

The US and nine other countries have condemned Pyongyangs alleged export of ballistic missiles and other military equipment to Russia for use in the Ukraine war in a joint statement on Monday. The Norths direct support for the Russian war effort, they said, marked a dangerous expansion of the conflict.

North Koreas foreign ministry said its relationship with Russia was being distorted by the West, calling its alliance with Moscow normal and very effective.

Along the heavily fortified Korean border, the North has dispatched up to 10,000 soldiers to turn the area into a wasteland and install barriers and barbed wire in recent weeks, though the numbers fell to several hundred over the weekend, the South said.

The JCS released photos that it claimed showed a group of North Korean troops testing an electrified wire fence using a goat. It also noted that there is a possibility that the North will test-fire an intermediate-range hypersonic missile around year-end, ahead of US president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, while continuing to send more garbage balloons to the South.

Additional reporting by agencies
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South Korea's opposition party has threatened to impeach acting president Han Duck Soo should he fail to proclaim a law to launch a special counsel investigation into Yoon Suk Yeol's botched attempt at imposition of martial law.

Mr Yeol was impeached on 14 December through a second vote in parliament over his attempt to impose martial law earlier this month, a move that threw the nation into chaos and split his party. Prime minister Han has since taken over as Yoon's presidential powers remain suspended.

The main opposition, Democratic Party, passed a bill this month to appoint a special counsel to pursue charges of insurrection, among others, against Mr Yoon, who faces a Constitutional Court review, and to investigate his wife over a luxury bag scandal.

The opposition has accused Mr Han of aiding Mr Yoon's martial law attempt and reported him to the police. The Democratic Party said it would "immediately initiate impeachment proceedings" against the acting president if the legislation was not promulgated by Tuesday.

"The delays show that the prime minister has no intention of complying with the constitution, and it is tantamount to admitting that he is acting as a proxy for the insurgent," Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan Dae told a party meeting.

Mr Han is a technocrat who has held leadership roles in South Korean politics for 30 years under conservative and liberal presidents. Mr Yoon appointed him prime minister in 2022.

He has previously said he had tried to block Mr Yoon's martial law declaration, but apologised to parliament for failing to do so.

The opposition leader also accused Mr Yoon of hampering the Constitutional Court trial by repeatedly refusing to accept court documents.

"Any delay in the investigation and impeachment trials is an extension of the insurrection and an act of plotting a second one," Mr Park said.

Mr Yoon has failed to comply with summons by authorities investigating whether the martial law constituted insurrection. Mr Yoon denies the insurrection charges and will present his position in court if a public hearing is held during his impeachment trial, his lawyers told the media.

He is under investigation for alleged insurrection by both South Korean prosecutors and a joint team of police, the defence ministry and anti-corruption authorities.

Last week the leader of South Koreas ruling People Power Party resigned for backing Mr Yoons impeachment over his attempt to impose martial law.

Han Dong Hoon, once a close ally of Mr Yoon, said he was concerned about violence breaking out if martial law hadnt been lifted, and defended his decision as a stance against illegal actions.
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I was working as a journalist in Yangon, Myanmars biggest city, when the military seized power. That was on 1 February 2021, and everything changed overnight.

Only three months before, the landslide victory of Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy party in the general election had filled people with joy. Now we were plunged into terrifying darkness.

Across the country, millions took to the streets in peaceful protest against the coup, but the military cracked down on them brutally. Thousands were killed, and tens of thousands imprisoned.

A nationwide curfew was imposed, house-to-house searches were conducted, and anyone deemed suspicious was arrested. Social media use was also tightly restricted. Many died from torture under interrogation.

Watch: Cancelled: The rise and fall of Aung San Suu Kyi Documentary on Independent TV

To suppress the free flow of information, the military targeted journalists, and my profession became deadly dangerous. Between February 2021 and August 2024, 172 Myanmar journalists were detained, 28 of them women. Hundreds of my colleagues fled across the border to Thailand to escape the militarys dragnet.

open image in gallery Pro-democracy protesters hold torches and flags during a flash mob rally to protest against Myanmars military government in Yangon

Many of those who stayed were targeted. One friend of mine, a well-known journalist, was arrested and physically and mentally tortured for three months in prison.

An online news editor, one of my colleagues who had in years past worked as a fixer for foreign reporters, was sentenced to seven years jail for the crime of having a photo of Aung San Suu Kyi on his mobile phone.

People who were released told me he had been tortured and kept in solitary confinement for months in a dark, cramped cell in Yangons notorious Insein Prison. He is still there to this day.

One of my three brothers was arrested for liking and sharing an anti-junta post on Facebook. During the interrogation his calves were slashed with knives and scalding water was poured over the wounds, causing him to pass out.

When he came to the next morning, the soldiers dragged him outside, tied him down and left him lying under the scorching sun till he passed out again. When he woke the second time, he found himself in a truck heading for Insein Prison.

His wife paid a large bribe to a prison officer to ensure he received proper medical treatment in jail. After eight months he was released due to lack of evidence, but the conditions in prison left him in poor health. He was lucky to survive.

open image in gallery Protesters run after police fired warning shots and used water cannon to disperse them during a protest in Mandalay, Myanmar ( AP )

Against this backdrop, before the year was out I quit my job as a journalist, left Yangon and moved to a small town in southern Shan state in the northeast, my wifes hometown, having first wiped all photos, data, and emails from my mobile phone and laptop.

In early 2022, at the request of a friend in the town, I became a volunteer in the distribution of aid for war refugees in Kayah State, the mountainous state on the east of Burma which has been fighting for independence for many years.

With covert support from domestic and international donors, we discreetly purchased as much rice as we could from local farmers, loaded the sacks onto trucks and transported them after dark into Kayah State by mountain roads, bribing soldiers at the military checkpoints along the way with whisky and cash.

But in the summer of 2023 the fightback of people all over Myanmar against the military intensified: battles erupted along the Kayah border, the military retaliated with airstrikes, and we were forced to change our delivery routes.

Later, with the civil war spreading into the centre of the country, local residents were driven from their homes and soon we could no longer buy rice. The conflict has severely disrupted farming in both highland and lowland areas. In addition, fuel shortages have caused transport costs to skyrocket.

open image in gallery Demonstrators rally to mark the 79th birthday of the countrys ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Launglon township in Tanintharyi region, Myanmar ( AP )

UN agencies and other international organisations based in Yangon have been unable to provide effective aid to the suffering Myanmar population because the military council bars them from working in conflict zones.

Local organisations have also been forced to halt their aid efforts, lacking official permits. Only small groups like ours continue to provide covert assistance, at great risk, but as conflict areas expand with internal refugees now numbering in the millions, aid operations become overwhelmingly difficult.

This is part of the countrys larger economic crisis. Many factories have closed due to the withdrawal of foreign investment, leaving workers unemployed; young people flee the country en masse to avoid conscription; while in Yangon, food has become so expensive that working-class families struggle to afford one meal a day.

Yangon, has become unrecognisable. On the outskirts, soldiers raid homes, searching for and seizing young people and forcing them to join the military.

Near the centre, most of the hotels have closed, and although a few nigh clubs and bars catering for the elite are crowded until dawn, all city restaurants close early in the evening, well before the midnight curfew.

The civil war reaches right into the city: sometimes you can hear gunfire and bomb blasts from hit-and-run guerilla attacks. Further out in the beautiful countryside only old people and children are to be seen: all the young people have fled abroad.

Four years might feel like a short time for people living in peace, freedom, and happiness. But for those trapped in terrifying misery, they are excruciatingly long.

My life spent under the ever-growing shadow of military dictatorship becomes darker with each passing day. Right now, my deepest desire is simply to own peaceful days where I can look up at a clear blue sky and breathe freely, without fear.

No one can say when such days will return for us, the people of Myanmar.
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Chinese EV maker Nio has launched its budget brand Firefly, set to take on cut-price electric cars like the new Renault 5, Hyundai Inster, Citroen e-C3 and BYD Dolphin.

Although Nio has confirmed that Firefly will come to Europe  to be sold alongside Nio models already on sale on the continent  there are currently no plans for any Nio models to be sold in the UK.

open image in gallery The Firefly has features cute, curvy styling with triple LED lights at the front and back ( Nio )

The first Firefly model, which takes the brand name rather than having a separate model name, was designed in Nios design studio in Munich and has gone on sale in China priced at the equivalent of 16,140.

The compact, curvy, five-door Firefly looks similar to the short-lived Honda-e proportionally, and gets a similarly cute look with triple circular headlights and tail lights, a glass roof and extra storage space in a frunk under the bonnet.

The Firefly name comes from fireflies, unsurprisingly enough. According to Nio, the Firefly is small, agile and buzzing with energy, symbolizing freedom to move and being different. The brand logo represents a flying and glowing firefly illustrating the brands spirit: freedom to glow. The brand DNA of firefly is vivid to create positive emotions and lasting impressions, thoughtful with logic and purpose, and solid to convey trust and confidence.

open image in gallery The Firefly has been engineered to get a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating ( Nio )

No further technical information has been released on the Firefly, other than it has been engineered to five-star Euro NCAP crash test standards. Its unlikely that it will get the expensive battery-swap technology of more expensive Nio and Onvo models.

Firefly launched at this years annual Nio day held in Guangzhou, China, with the theme Together & Further. Along with the new Firefly model, Nio unveiled its flagship ET9 model.

As well as the innovative battery-swap system and advanced chassis and electrical technologies, the ET9 features a two square meter light carpet that welcomes owners as they enter the car. The executive seating system has nearly two square meters of full-area heating, and a 16-point hot stone massage function.

Nio is part-owned by CYVN, an investment arm of the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, which also owns British luxury EV startup ForSeven  headed by former JLR executive Nick Collins  and has recently bought British supercar maker McLaren Automotive. Nio also has an engineering base in the UK.

However, despite reports linking Nios Onvo brand with coming to the UK  thanks in part to the lack of hefty tariffs on Chinese vehicle imports into the UK compared with Europe  these reports have been dismissed and there are currently no plans to bring Nio, Onvo or Firefly models to the UK.
There have been growing rumours that Elon Musk is considering donating tens of millions of dollars to Reform UK. It comes after party leader Nigel Farage met with the tech billionaire at Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago mansion, alongside Reforms new party treasurer Nick Candy.

Asked earlier this month about the reports by ITV of a $100m (80m) donation, which would be by far the largest contribution in British electoral history, Mr Musk denied it, but his response did not rule out another amount.

The government has said it is committed to reforming the electoral system to protect it from interference, but question marks hang over what that would actually look like.

What are the current rules around political donations?

Political parties in the UK are restricted as to who they can accept donations from. Individuals who want to donate have to be on the UK electoral register, meaning they have to be a British citizen, or an Irish, EU or qualifying Commonwealth citizen living in the UK. British businesses can also donate.

The laws were originally introduced in 2000, partly in response to concerns that foreign sources could donate to political parties in the UK.

While on the face of it, this would suggest Mr Musk is already barred from donating, thats not strictly true. Mr Musk, who has been a vocal critic of the Labour government, could donate through the UK subsidiaries of his companies, which made about 90m in profits over the past two years.

Musk is said to be considering making a large donation to Reform UK ( Reuters )

What kind of legislation would the government introduce?

The government has been urged to intervene to prevent Mr Musk from donating to the fledgling party, with the Electoral Commission calling for the government to strengthen the rules around political donations to protect the system from foreign interference.

Vijay Rangarajan, chief executive of the elections watchdog, said linking donations to the UK profits of companies owned by foreigners was needed to retain the trust of voters  a move which could cap the amount that Mr Musk could donate through the British arm of his social media company X.

According to The Guardian, this is one of the possible measures being considered by the government. But they could also look to ban donations in their entirety by companies that are controlled by a foreign owner.

Would it happen in time to block Elon Musks donation?

Commons leader Lucy Powell suggested on Sunday that the government cant rule out legislation to make sure the electoral system is protected from many of the new issues that face undermining our democracy but indicated they were not planning to do so urgently.

Asked whether the government plans to block the donation, Ms Powell told Sky News the government has no immediate plans to do so, but added it is already planning to introduce reforms to the electoral system later in this parliament  something the party promised to do in its manifesto.

She suggested these changes wouldnt take place until the next parliamentary session, beginning in the second half of next year when the government introduces its election bill which will also look at the voting age and other issues of electoral integrity.

The lack of urgency may come as a result of fears that blocking the donation could do more harm than good, playing into Mr Farages hands and handing him a platform to claim his party is being sabotaged by the establishment.

Wrapping the legislation into the elections bill, which was a manifesto commitment, makes it look less like a specific response to Reform, and could dampen the impact of the partys attack lines.
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Blake Livelys sister Robyn has responded to the sexual harassment lawsuit that the Gossip Girl actor filed against Justin Baldoni.

Blakes older sister, 52, turned to her Instagram story on Saturday (December 21) to share screenshots from a New York Times investigation that explained some of the details of the lawsuit. The New York Times also published alleged text messages from Baldoni, suggesting that he had orchestrated a smear campaign against Lively while their movie It Ends with Us was being promoted.

FINALLY justice for my sister @BlakeLively, the older Lively wrote highlighting specific sentences and phrases from the article. She then encouraged her followers to read the article in a follow-up post as she linked the article and wrote Blake Lively with a heart drawn around the name.

Livelys sister isnt the only person speaking out in defense of Lively.

The author of the It Ends With Us book, Colleen Hoover, also showed her support for Lively in her Instagram Story.

Robyn (left) showed her support for Blake (right) amid lawsuit against Justin Baldoni ( Getty Images for Michael Kors )

@blakelively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive, and patient since the day we met, the author wrote. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.

The lawsuit largely revolves around incidents that occurred during the filming process of It Ends with Us which Baldoni both starred in and directed.

In the movie based on Hoovers novel Lily (Lively) falls in love with Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) before reconnecting with her first love (Brandon Sklenar)  amid a backdrop of domestic violence.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Lively claims Baldoni exhibited behavior that caused her severe emotional distress and that after the film distributor approved her requests for changes to the workplace, Baldoni responded to the requests by creating a smear campaign intended to destroy her image.

Baldonis lawyer, Bryan Freeman, told TMZ that Livelys lawsuit had been filed in order to fix her negative reputation.

Freeman said that The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actors claims were false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt. He added that Lively had caused issues on the film set by threatening to not [show] up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release.

Baldoni and Livelys feud first became publicly known during the It Ends with Us press tour.
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TikTok creator Charles Smith is facing felony charges for allegedly spraying bug killer on grocery store produce in a now-deleted video.

The 27-year-old online prankster, also known as Wolfie Khahletti to his followers, was taken into custody on December 21, days after allegedly dowsing Walmarts fresh food in Hot Shot Ultra Bed Bug & Flea Killer in Mesa, Arizona. He was arrested and charged with a class 6 felony (introducing poison) and two misdemeanors (criminal damage and endangerment).

According to the Mesa Police Department, Smith traveled to a Walmart on South Stapley Drive on December 19 around 8:30 p.m.. There, he filmed himself grabbing a can of bug killer and spraying it on fruit, vegetables and cooked chicken. He didnt pay for the chemical spray or the contaminated food estimated to have a total value of $931, per court documents obtained by The Independent.

Once he left, he began to see comments online saying how horrible the act was, and he decided to return and collect the items, the police statement claims.

Speaking to Arizona Republic the day before charges were filed, Smith said the fresh food was thrown away right after, and no one was poisoned in the process.

The defendant then returned about 10 minutes after he sprayed the items and attempted to collect the items he had sprayed, placed them in a shopping cart, and wheeled them back to the rear of the store, to try and prevent people from taking the contaminated items, police said.

Charles Smith, 27, was charged with introducing poison, criminal damage, and endangerment on December 21 ( TikTok/@wolfiekahletti )

Through investigative means, and with assistance from the Tempe Police Department, detectives were able to identify Smith as the suspect, Mesas Detective Richard Encinas added. Mesa Police contacted Smith and he turned himself in voluntarily. During the interview, Smith admitted to the theft and spraying of the pesticide.

In a statement to People magazine, Walmart assured customers that the Mesa store has since cleared out the contaminated food and cleaned the entire store.

The health and safety of our customers and associates is always a top priority. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers as we work to resolve this issue, Walmart stated. We will continue to work closely with law enforcement during their investigation.

According to the court documents, Smith stated he does these types of pranks as a troll for social media.

The defendant admitted he can earn between 6 to 10 thousand dollars a month for doing acts like these and posting them on social media, it continued.

His recent pranks have included him locking customers inside a 7-Eleven store by wrapping the door handles with a bungee cord, filling a strangers dryer full of clothes with raw bacon and eggs, and walking into a fast-food restaurants kitchen to submerge a pumpkin in their frying oil.

Though Smith has amassed over 345,000 followers on TikTok, his comments section is typically filled with disapproving people. Several individuals have written, This one is too far or Bro, this is wrong. And the Mesa Police Department agrees.

This incident underscores the potential dangers of reckless actions disguised as social media pranks, Mesa Police Department added.

Smith has yet to comment publicly on his arrest.
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One influencer decided to show up to her Thanksgiving dinner in the most extravagant, over-the-top outfit she could find, and now shes planning to do the same for Christmas.

Though the dress code for Brigette Pheloungs holiday celebration with her family is always casual, the 27-year-old content creator, known as Acquired Style on social media, loves to outstage everyone in designer garb suitable for a winter wedding.

This past November, the fashion aficionado arrived at her familys New Jersey home in a $8,800 cable-knit sweater dress by Parker Zinn while everyone else wore gap jeans and sweaters. The Merino wool gown came in two parts: the fabric overlay and the crinoline. She accessorized the billowing dress with a fur headband and white opera gloves.

Zinn, a recent graduate from Parsons School of Design, lent Pheloung the lofty dress to wear for the special occasion.

open image in gallery Influencer Brigette Pheloung dressed in a $8,800 cable-knit dress for her familys Thanksgiving in New Jersey ( TikTok/@acquiredstyle )

This outfit is giving Barbie on top of the cake meets Christian girl fall, she told her 1.3 million followers. When I saw this, I was like, Yeah, Thanksgiving.

Pheloungs Get Ready With Me video and her highly-anticipated Thanksgiving arrival post from November 28 boast over 19.1 million views on TikTok.

The style mogul, whos sat in the front row at several fashion shows, including Tory Burch and Prabal Gurung, started this hilarious tradition in 2021.

I did this for two reasons. One, because l love to dress up and its just a good excuse, but two, my familys reaction is priceless, Pheloung explained in a November 27 TikTok, which has amassed over 13.9 million views, going through her outfits of years past.

According to Pheloung, several of her followers have compared her outfit reveals to the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. Whats more, the content creator said she gained 40,000 followers in just 24 hours after posting the round-up of all her previous looks.

Videos on her page from the last three years reveal the raw reactions of her family members, exposing their amusement and the reality of what its like to traipse around the house all day in the lavish look.

In a post from this past Thanksgiving, Pheloung is filmed sitting on the couch in her knit dress when her young cousin approaches to ask if he could have some of the blanket.

Oh honey, thats not a blanket, thats my dress, Pheloung says before swiftly walking out of the room.

Pheloungs worn everything from a bridal gown for Thanksgiving in 2022 to a glamourous velvet furry two-piece set with a long train for last years Christmas. As for whats on deck for this coming Christmas, the influencer told People to expect another iconic, doll-inspired moment.

Its being custom-made. Think Holiday Barbie, she said.
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Jeremy Clarkson has admitted he was wrong about his new pub after being warned over how difficult it is to make money in the hospitality industry at the moment.

The former Top Gear and Grand Tour host opened The Farmers Dog in August, paying less than 1m for the property formerly known as The Windmill, in Asthall, near Burford in Oxfordshire.

The popular reception for the pub echoes the success of Clarksons Diddly Squat farm shop, which attracts tourists from across the country due to its prominence in his Amazon series Clarksons Farm.

However, in an article for The Times, the 64-year-old shared some of the honest experiences he has had just a few months after opening the venue.

Clarkson claims that despite being warned about the high number of pub closures in the UK, how hard it would be to make money by having only a British food menu and finding staff post-Brexit, he believed itd all be fine.

I was wrong, he says before going on to describe in detail an accident that one of his customers had in the toilets.

No amount of festival visits would prepare you for the horror of what had been produced at the Farmers Dog, Clarkson writes. It was everywhere and in such vast quantities that no ordinary plumbing or cleaning equipment would even scratch the surface.

He then admits that he had to hire chemically trained hazmat engineers to deal with the problem.

Clarkson says it is galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money on the farm, adding: Its worse at the pub. The customers are coming. Theres no problem there. But turning their visits into a profit is nigh-on impossible.

On top of this, Clarkson also expands on the problems he has had with the pubs Christmas tree, beer, turkeys for the festive season and even the neon Farmers Clubhouse sign he has outside.

However, despite saying that everything is a total disaster he does end on a positive note, claiming that top chef Marco Pierre White was bowled over by how good the food is.

He concludes by saying: And its warm and theres a fire and the staff are friendly and young and happy. Its a proper, traditional pub. By which I mean youll love it, and Ill lose a fortune and develop a skin disease from the stress of running it

open image in gallery People queued outside The Farmers Dog on the day it reopened ( PA Wire )

When he first opened the pub Clarkson said it was the next best thing after he couldnt open a restaurant on his farm.

We wanted to have that restaurant on the farm last year and we couldnt, and pubs, they are all for sale, he said.

So, we thought instead of building a restaurant we would buy a pub.

open image in gallery Jeremy Clarkson outside his pub ( PA )

Clarkson has faced backlash over the years from locals in West Oxfordshire when he has attempted to expand his Diddly Squat farm project.

Some residents were concerned that the pubs existence would cause local traffic issues because it is located next to the busy A40. But Oxfordshire County Council has said it has been working closely with Clarkson and his team to reduce the likelihood of traffic issues ahead of the opening.
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Lindsay Hubbard is unapologetic about her decision to turn her pregnancy announcement into a paid partnership.

The Summer House reality star, who welcomed her first child, Gemma Britt Kufe, earlier this month, reflected on the mixed reactions to her July Instagram announcement, which was posted in partnership with Clearblue pregnancy tests.

The post, shared with her 700,000 Instagram followers, featured Hubbard posing with a Clearblue Digital Early Pregnancy Test, which she confirmed was the same brand she used in April when she discovered she was pregnant.

The caption read in part: WERE PREGNANT!!!!! The second I had a feeling, I took a @clearblue Early Digital Pregnancy Test, and getting a clear result, in words, made the next steps sooo much easier.

In a Monday (December 23) appearance on the Trading Secrets podcast with Bachelor alum Jason Tartick, the 38-year-old said the collaboration was part of her broader shift into social media income.

People were very torn up about this, Hubbard told Tartick. They were like, I cant believe she monetized her pregnancy announcement. And its like, why not? Im gonna make the announcement anyway, why not make money from it?

open image in gallery Summer House stars Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke broke off their engagement in September 2023 ( Getty Images )

After confirming she made more than $100,000 in social media income this year, Hubbard elaborated on her decision to reach out to Clearblue for the announcement.

I used Clearblue. I used the digital test, she said. So why not go to them and say, Hey, I used your test, Im about to announce my pregnancydo you want to sponsor this?

Hubbard explained that monetizing her announcement was a practical decision.

This is how Im making my money, said the reality star who transitioned from a career in public relations to focus on social media. Hubbard also revealed that her Clearblue partnership tied another campaign as her largest deal to date.

Hubbards boyfriend, a private doctor, joined her in celebrating their daughters arrival on December 8. In an Instagram post featuring the couple holding their newborns hand, Hubbard wrote, Shes here!! Gemma Britt Kufe.

Hubbard previously opened up to People about her path to motherhood after calling off her engagement to fellow Summer House star Carl Radke in 2023.

The journey is really just crazy, she said. For a girl whos always wanted to be a mom, there I was at 37, staring down the barrel of being single and questioning when dreams of having a family would happen. And then this incredible man comes back into my life, and next thing you know, Im pregnant. Its like the universe was saying, See? This is the time. This is the guy.

Hubbard and Radkes engagement ended abruptly in September 2023, with Radke reportedly calling it off just weeks before their wedding date. In a since-deleted Instagram statement shared at the time, Hubbard said the breakup was not [her] decision and left her feeling humiliated as her entire life and future plans were upended.

However, by mid-2024, the former PR professional indicated in an interview with Glamour that she had moved on, saying she felt indifferent towards Radke. She said, Ive completely moved on in my life and I have so much to focus on in my future.

The fallout from the end of their relationship will be addressed in Summer House season 9. In the trailer released earlier this month, Hubbard accused Radke of infidelity during their engagement. The clip shows her confronting him, saying, Youve been talking to this girl since before we broke up, and labels him a fraud and cheater.
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The Rev. Shannon Blosser sees how his son loves church  the music, the singing, the communion. But the United Methodist pastor said his family hasnt always felt like 11-year-old Noah, who is autistic, has been welcome.

At one point, Blossers wife and the couples two sons stopped attending in-person services at a church where he served. If we felt more supported, we probably would have pushed through.

Many people with disabilities, advocates and families want more religious congregations to know that there are ways to be accommodating and inclusive of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities this holiday season  and year round  and to fully embrace them and their families.

They just have to have the willingness to be the church that sees the image of God in every child and every adult, said Blosser, who now serves two small West Virginia congregations that have been supportive of his familys needs.

Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, one of the congregations, is hosting a Calm Christmas, a sensory-friendly celebration and worship, where music will come from a guitar, rather than a piano, and candles will be swapped for glow sticks to avoid any dangers. There are fidget toys and a visual schedule to help those needing images and graphics to better process the sequence of events.

Blossers message to attendees? Be you.

Families like mine who feel overwhelmed with just the lights and the cameras and the pomp and circumstance of Christmas Eve, they can come in and be themselves, he said. If you need to run around and do laps, ... do it. This is a place for you to be you so you can experience Gods love.

He hopes it could be the start of something more regular, like a quarterly or monthly service.

Linda Bunk, who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a former name for one form of autism, said its important to work on not just facilitating accessibility at churches but also fostering belonging.

For instance, ask someone with Down syndrome if theyd like to be on the welcome team or if they sing or play the guitar, suggested Bunk who's a photographer and has served on Christian mission trips, including to Ukraine.

Let them serve at their ability," she said. God blessed them with all kinds of talents and if we dont ask them or welcome them, well never know what they can do.

Bunk, who has bipolar disorder and lives in Virginia, said she especially likes seeing people with disabilities worshipping with the full congregation, rather than separately.

Why cant we have that all together ... and having fun, dancing, singing, eating food, she said. It breaks down those barriers of disabilities are scary.

Blosser said people with disabilities must be part of planning about inclusion to offer guidance and flag mistakes.

He also encourages congregations to follow the Golden Rule. What would you want done? he said. For most of us, we would want understanding; we would want compassion.

Joining an inclusive Hanukkah service

In Teaneck, New Jersey, Congregation Rinat Yisrael is hosting an inclusive Hanukkah service later this month. The synagogue's Hanukkah minyan, the quorum of at least 10 men needed for public worship, will include Dov Marcus, a congregant who has autism, and who will recite blessings over the Torah.

The idea isnt to give him his one opportunity a year to be called up to the Torah for the blessings, said Stephen Glicksman, a synagogue member and director of innovation at Makor Care & Services Network which supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families and is co-sponsoring the service. Its for people to see that hes capable of being called out  and then be put on the roster like everybody else who will periodically get called up to receive that honor.

Organizers said the service aims to give all people an opportunity to pray in a welcoming, accessible and sensory-aware atmosphere that transcends the holidays.

Marcus attends synagogue weekly and Glicksman said hes often smiling, clapping and humming along during the service. Most congregation members, though, have never heard him because he rarely talks outside his home, Glicksman said.

The people who are there, I think are going to be very surprised that he has that capability.

Inclusion, Glicksman said, shouldnt be viewed as an event or activity, but rather a mindset.

Marcus, who was diagnosed with autism at 2, said receiving the honor of reciting the blessings makes me happy because I feel closer to Hashem, using a Hebrew word for God.

His parents became aware of his sensitivity to sounds the first time they took him to synagogue. During the Jewish holiday of Purim, he became overwhelmed by the loud congregation. It would also happen when he heard the shofar  a ceremonial rams horn, sounded on Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.

Growing up, though, he always felt connected to Judaism and would wrap the leather straps of tefillin and pray with his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor.

He likes the Jewish music, the Jewish service. This is where he shines, his mother, Debbie Marcus, said, adding that his favorite time is attending synagogue.

During his Bar Mitzvah, she recalls how he recited the blessings over the Torah, making many in the congregation cry with joy.

To see Dovie light up the room, to be included and respected the way he is and honored  thats the highlight of the Hanukkah holiday.

Making houses of worship more hospitable

David Mandell, psychiatry professor and director of the Penn Center for Mental Health at the University of Pennsylvania, urged leaders to make their houses of worship hospitable from the moment members enter the door, considering such things as how greeters are trained. The message that all are welcome, he said, should also come from the pulpit.

Other things to consider, he said: Is there a quiet, sensory-friendly room that families can go to when needed and still follow the service remotely? Who in the congregation can volunteer to support families needs?

Many families are not going to come back for the High Holy Days or for Christmas and Easter or for Eid if they feel like their child is not welcome on a regular basis, he said.

Challenges are not uncommon in religious schools, said Mandell, who worked with his synagogue to train teachers there.

In Wisconsin, Kathleen Krueger said attending church with her daughter, who has cognitive disabilities and autism, was at times very challenging, especially when she was younger. When her daughter had an outburst, people would stare, she said.

That would leave Krueger feeling very, very sad for her daughter and also bad for us because nobody wants to stand out in a negative way.

The family kept attending services, but she realized that other families dealing with disabilities werent doing so.

Krueger led an effort to start a special needs ministry at Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, now part of New Life Lutheran Church in Kenosha. It started with holidays and other special events; monthly Bible classes were later added.

Recently, the ministry held a Christmas celebration featuring such things as cookie decorating, crafts, music, a puppet show and a short service. Krueger wanted attendees to enjoy and really feel the love of Jesus. Participants celebrated the ministrys 20th anniversary.

Krueger recommends faith leaders ask people with disabilities and their families how they can better serve them.

As a mother, she said, she appreciated when members would ask her about her daughters challenges rather than being afraid to engage in conversation.

Everybody appreciates a friendly, loving face to welcome them.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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The House Ethics Committee's long-awaited report on Matt Gaetz documents a trove of salacious allegations, including sex with an underage girl, that tanked the Florida Republican's bid to lead the Justice Department.

Citing text messages, travel receipts, online payments and testimony, the bipartisan committee paints a picture of a lifestyle in which Gaetz and others connected with younger women for drug-fueled parties, events or trips, with the expectation the women would be paid for their participation.

The former congressman, who filed a last-minute lawsuit to try to block the report's release on Monday, slammed the committee's findings. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and has insisted he never had sex with a minor. And a Justice Department investigation into the allegations ended without any criminal charges filed against him.

Giving funds to someone you are dating  that they didnt ask for  and that isnt charged for sex is now prostitution?!? Gaetz wrote in one post on Monday. There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses.

Here's a look at some of the committee's key findings:

Sex-for-money arrangements,' drug-fueled parties and trips

The committee found that between 2017 and 2020, Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women "likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use. He paid the women using through online services such as PayPal, Venmo, and CashApp and with cash or check, the committee said.

The committee said it found evidence that Gaetz understood the transactional nature of his relationships with the women. The report points to one text exchange in which Gaetz balked at a womans request that he send her money, claiming she only gave him a drive by.

Women interviewed by the committee said there was a general expectation of sex, the report said. One woman who received more than $5,000 from Gaetz between 2018 and 2019 said that 99 percent of the time that when she hung out with Gaetz there was sex involved.

However, Gaetz was in a long-term relationship with one of the women he paid, so some of the payments may have been of a legitimate nature," the committee said.

Text messages obtained by the committee also show that Gaetz would ask the women to bring drugs to their rendezvous, the report said.

While most of his encounters with the women were in Florida, the committee said Gaetz also traveled on several occasions with women whom he paid for sex. The report includes text message exchanges in which Gaetz appears to be inviting various women to events, getaways or parties, and arranging airplane travel and lodging.

Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg, who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges in 2021, initially connected with women through an online service.

In one text with a 20-year-old woman, Greenberg suggested if she has a friend, the four of them could meet up. The woman responded that she usually does $400 per meet. Greenberg replied: He understands the deal, along with a smiley face emoji. Greenberg asks if they are old enough to drink alcohol, and sent the woman a picture of Gaetz. The woman responded that her friend found him really cute.

Well, he's down here for only for the day, we work hard and play hard," Greenberg replied.

Substantial evidence indicates that Gaetz had sex with underage girl, the committee said

The report details a party in July 2017 in which Gaetz is accused of having sex with multiple women, including the 17-year-old, for which they were paid. The committee pointed to credible testimony from the now-woman herself as well as multiple individuals" who corroborated the allegation.

The then-17-year-old  who had just completed her junior year in high school  told the committee that Gaetz paid her $400 in cash that night, which she understood to be payment for sex, according to the report. The woman acknowledged that she had taken ecstasy the night of the party, but told the committee that she was certain of her sexual encounters with the then-congressman.

There's no evidence that Gaetz knew she was a minor when he had sex with her, the committee said. The woman told the committee she didn't tell Gaetz she was under 18 at the time and that he didn't how old she was. Rather, the committee said Gaetz learned she was a minor more than a month after the party.

But he stayed in touch with her after that and met up with her for commercial sex again less than six months after she turned 18, according to the committee.

Gaetz said evidence would exonerate him but provided none of it

In sum, the committee said it authorized 29 subpoenas for documents and testimony, reviewed nearly 14,000 documents and contacted more than two dozen witnesses.

But when the committee subpoenaed Gaetz for his testimony, he failed to comply.

"Gaetz pointed to evidence that would exonerate him yet failed to produce any such materials," the committee said. Gaetz continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead the Committee in order to prevent his actions from being exposed.

The report details a months-long process that dragged into a year as it sought information from Gaetz that he decried as nosey and a weaponization of government against him.

In one notable exchange, investigators were seeking information about the expenses for a 2018 get-away with multiple women to the Bahamas. Gaetz ultimately offered up his plane ticket receipt to the destination, but declined to share his return from the Bahamas.

The report said his return on a private plane and other expenses paid by an associate were in violation of House gift rules.

In another Gaetz told the committee he would welcome the opportunity to respond to written questions. Yet, after it sent a list of 16 questions, Gaetz said publicly he would no longer voluntarily cooperate.

He called the investigation frivolous, adding: Every investigation into me ends the same way: my exoneration.

The report said that while Gaetzs obstruction of the investigation does not rise to a criminal violation it is inconsistent with the requirement that all members of Congress act in a manner that reflects creditably upon the House.

Justice Department didn't cooperate with the committee

The committee began its review of Gaetz in April 2021 and deferred its work in response to a Justice Department request. It renewed its work shortly after Gaetz announced that the Justice Department had ended a sex trafficking investigation without filing any charges against him.

The committee sought records from the Justice Department about the probe, but the agency refused, saying it doesnt disclose information about investigations that dont result in charges.

The committee then subpoenaed the Justice Department, but after a back-and-forth between officials and the committee, the department handed over publicly reported information about the testimony of a deceased individual, according to the report.

To date, DOJ has provided no meaningful evidence or information to the Committee or cited any lawful basis for its responses, the committee said.

Many of the women who the committee spoke to had already given statements to the Justice Department and didn't want to relive their experience, the committee said. They were particularly concerned with providing additional testimony about a sitting congressman in light of DOJs lack of action on their prior testimony, the report said.

The Justice Department, however, never handed over the women's statements. The agency's lack of cooperation  along with its request that the committee pause its investigation  significantly delayed the committee's probe, lawmakers said.
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A new game-changing weapon to take out enemy drones has been trialled by British soldiers.

The radio frequency-directed energy weapon (RFDEW) is intended to detect, track and destroy a range of threats across land, air and sea up to a kilometre (0.62 miles) away.

It uses high-frequency radio waves to take down drones. Defence minister Maria Eagle said it was a potentially game-changing weapon.

The war in Ukraine and Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping have demonstrated how low-cost drones can have a devastating impact.

Traditional weapons such as surface-to-air missiles can cost many times more than the drones they are trying to shoot down but the RFDEW costs only 10p to fire.

The high-frequency waves disrupt or damage critical electronic components inside targets such as unmanned vehicles, causing them to be immobilised or fall out of the sky.

Defence procurement minister Ms Eagle said: The successful firing by the British soldiers of our radio frequency directed energy weapon is another step forward for a potentially game-changing sovereign weapon for the UK.

Its great to see defence experts and industry working collaboratively to put cutting-edge equipment in the hands of our armed forces.

This is a demonstration of the UK remaining at the forefront of directed energy weapons and developing a crucial advantage against the emerging threats we face.

open image in gallery The Ministry of Defence truck mounted, Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) development system that can detect, track and engage a range of threats across land, air and sea ( Ministry of Defence Crown copyright/PA Wire )

The army successfully trialled a demonstrator version of the RFDEW in a live firing exercise against drones at a range in west Wales.

The development system has been produced by a consortium led by Thales UK, including sub-contractors QinetiQ, Teledyne e2v and Horiba Mira, and supports up to 135 high-skilled jobs in the UK.

Earlier this year it was reported a new British military laser could be rushed onto the front line in Ukraine to take down Russian drones.

The DragonFire weapon, which is expected to be ready for deployment by 2027 at the latest, could have huge ramifications for the conflict in Europe, the Defence Secretary said at the time.

New reforms aimed at speeding up procurement mean the laser, originally set to be rolled out in 2032, will now be operational five years earlier than planned, according to the Ministry of Defence.
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A loud explosion was heard as a major blaze broke out at a supermarket in Birmingham, with a witness claiming it was started by a car set alight and rammed into the shop.

More than 50 firefighters were called to the suspected arson attack in Sparkhill in the early hours of Monday.

It is believed a car hit the retail store before a fire spread to shop signage and the bay windows of flats above. Images from the scene show a burnt-out white car outside the building.

West Midlands Police is investigating the incident.

open image in gallery The remains of a burnt out car at the scene of a fire at a mixed commercial and residential premises on Stratford Road ( Matthew Cooper/PA Wire )

Local property developer Isaac Zintaan said he had been alerted to the fire after residents of his nearby premises told him they had heard a loud explosion which sounded like a bomb went off.

(When I arrived) everyone was coughing due to the intensity of the smoke, the 28-year-old said, adding that it appeared a car had rammed into the supermarket on the ground floor.

No casualties have been reported by the fire service, which said five people had left their properties and been checked by paramedics.

open image in gallery Dozens of firefighters and ten fire engines attended the scene ( Jacob King/PA Wire )

In a statement, West Midlands Police said: We are investigating after a suspected arson on Stratford Road, Birmingham this morning (23 Dec).

Its understood a vehicle hit the building. It was set alight, causing the shop and flats above to catch fire. Residents from the flats have been evacuated. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Fire Service said: Shortly before 4.55am on Monday (23 December), we responded to Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham.

This was a fire at the front of a retail shop, which spread to shop signage and the bay windows of flats above the shop. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the shop and flats to search for casualties.

open image in gallery The fire broke out in the early hours of Monday morning ( Jacob King/PA Wire )

Five people from the flats had left their properties and received checks from attending paramedics. There were no casualties or injuries and everyone has been accounted for.

Firefighters have made good progress at the scene and the fire is under control. The hydraulic aerial platform remains in use as crews work to prevent fire spread. Two fire engines remain at the scene.

Police colleagues are in attendance. Stratford Road is closed in both directions from Formans Road to Nansen Road.

Fire Investigators are at the scene, working with crews.
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In the year he received his cancer diagnosis, the King has chosen to deliver his traditional Christmas message from a former hospital chapel, marking a major break from tradition.

For the first time in 14 years, the annual address to the nation has not been filmed on the royal estate. Instead, Charles has chosen Fitzrovia Chapel  a former hospital chapel  to film his speech, which is expected to focus on the efforts of healthcare workers.

It has been a particularly difficult year for the royal family, as both the King and the Princess of Wales received cancer diagnoses at the start of 2024.

open image in gallery The Fitzrovia Chapel is located at Pearson Square, London W1 ( Colin/Wikimedia Commons )

Kate has been largely removed from the public eye since January, though she announced in a heartfelt video in September that she had completed her treatment.

Meanwhile, the King is still undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer  and is thought to be continuing it into the new year.

open image in gallery Charles smiles during his Christmas message at the Fitzrovia Chapel in central London ( AFP/Getty )

Fitzrovia Chapel was the former sacred space of the demolished Middlesex Hospital where Diana, Princess of Wales opened Londons first dedicated Aids ward.

Carla Whalen, chair of the Fitzrovia Chapel Foundations board of trustees, said about the filming: I assume that this space being one of calm reflection, but also thinking about health, about care, about the medical profession, would make it a pretty apt choice.

Featuring a golden mosaic ceiling, the ornately decorated building was built in the courtyard of what was the hospital and was retained when the hospital was demolished.

open image in gallery The chapel sits at the heart of the former Middlesex Hospital tucked away in Londons West End in Pearson Square ( Brian Anthony/Alamy/PA )

Its first service was held on Christmas Day in 1891 but it is no longer used regularly for services. It was renovated and reopened in 2016 and is mostly used for community events and exhibitions.

Recorded earlier this month, the Christmas speech is the third Charles has delivered since he took the throne. Last year, he spoke of his personal interests including environmental issues.

The tradition of a Christmas Day speech dates back to 1932 when George V addressed the nation, with Queen Elizabeth II delivering the first televised version in 1957.

The last time it was not filmed at a royal residence was in 2010, when the late Queen spoke at Hampton Court Palace.
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Abortion providers have accused police and prosecutors of subjecting a woman to an inhumane ordeal after she was pursued through the courts in the years after she gave birth to a stillborn child.

Sophie Harvey, 25, walked from court last Wednesday with a community order for buying abortion pills online after the prosecution set aside charges relating to an allegation she had illegally aborted her baby.

Ms Harvey and her boyfriend Elliot Benham had stood trial in Gloucestor Crown Court in May, with prosecutors initially alleging she took abortion pills after learning she was at 28 weeks and five days gestation, beyond the legal cut-off for an abortion in England.

While they accepted theyd bought the pills, Ms Harvey insisted she had never taken them and had instead given birth to a stillborn child in the bathroom of her home in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, in September 2018. She described how she was left upset and confused after going into labour at home and wrapped the baby in a towel before placing it into the bin.

The pair admitted to a charge of concealing the birth of a child, but denied procuring a poison, procuring a miscarriage by poison and perverting the course of justice, were ordered to lie on file.

open image in gallery Gloucester Crown Court, where the trial took place earlier this year ( PA Archive )

Heidi Stewart, chief executive of UK abortion provider British Pregnancy Advisory Service, warned of the injustice of a system that has pursued a vulnerable individual so relentlessly even though there was a lack of evidence.

For over six years, this woman has been subjected to an inhumane ordeal by the police and CPS, only for them to now concede that they had no evidence to substantiate the most severe allegations against her, she told The Independent.

Louise McCudden, of UK abortion provider MSI Reproductive Choices, said: Whatever you feel about abortion, its not in the public interest for anyone to be prosecuted for ending their own pregnancy. These Victorian laws have been on the statute books for a century and a half - and have real consequences today.

The jury was earlier disbanded by the trial judge following an application by the pairs lawyers who cited inaccurate reports of the proceedings by the BBC.

Following the collapse of the trial, prosecutors had sought a new trial, and a date had been fixed for February next year. But at a further hearing on Wednesday, a new charge of conspiracy to procure a poison with intent to procure a miscarriage was put to them, which they both admitted.

The Crown Prosecution Service said it decided not to pursue charges alleging that Ms Harvey had illegally aborted her baby following careful reflection.

It has been a long and painful journey. The baby was stillborn in a bathroom and a life was sadly lost. The loss of that life was a tragedy. Judge Ian Lawrie KC

We recognise the profoundly painful circumstances surrounding this case, which our prosecutors have approached with sensitivity and care, a spokesperson said. Our duty is to apply the law set by parliament impartially - especially when dealing with the most difficult or complex decisions.

The defendants have pleaded guilty to two offences, and after careful reflection we have concluded that it is not in the public interest to pursue further charges.

A Gloucester police spokesperson said it was a sensitive and difficult case, which has been upsetting for all involved.

After concerns had been raised to police by a healthcare professional, we had a duty to establish what had happened and carry out a full and impartial investigation. We then provided evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service for them to decide whether a prosecution should be brought.

Judge Ian Lawrie KC, the Recorder of Gloucester, imposed 18-month community orders on the pair. In addition, Ms Harvey has been required to seek mental health treatment, while Mr Benham was told to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

I am sadly too familiar with your case. I am familiar with the background and what took place. It has been a long and painful journey. The baby was stillborn in a bathroom and a life was sadly lost. The loss of that life was a tragedy, Judge Lawrie said.

The impact upon your lives has been traumatic and I am sure this will continue for some time. If you can, and I doubt it, put it all behind you and get on with your lives.
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Kemi Badenoch has said her time as Tory leader has gone as well as it possibly could and that she will not be hurried into taking definitive policy positions.

Despite a gaffe-filled first two months in the job, Ms Badenoch told BBC Radio 4s Today programme I was expecting it to be much worse.

And one of the things that Im really pleased about is that the party has sort of downed tools on the internecine warfare, and the actual being in parliament and seeing a real Labour government reminds everyone who the real opponent is, Ms Badenoch added.

Kemi Badenoch said her job is going as well as it possibly could ( Lucy North/PA Wire )

As well as facing criticism for the Tories lack of a policy platform, much of the focus of her tenure has been on issues such as a diplomatic row between her and Nigeria and her dislike of sandwiches.

Hitting back at criticism of her leadership on Monday, Ms Badenoch said she will publish party policy as it is thought through.

She promised that these things will come, telling the BBC to watch this space. She has benefited from a record-breaking fall in Labours poll ratings under Sir Keir Starmer, who has faced a backlash after scrapping millions of pensioners winter fuel payments and ending tax breaks for family farmers.

But she is facing a fierce challenge from Nigel Farage, with the latest Techne UK tracker poll for The Independent revealing one in five Tory voters have switched to his Reform UK since the general election. Labour is sitting on 27 per cent of the vote, with the Conservatives narrowly behind on 26 per cent and Reform on 21 per cent, the poll showed.

In the interview, Ms Badenoch said: We are six weeks into a four-year general election, maybe five even depending on exactly how it works.

Whatever I say now is likely not to apply then, so what Im going to do is earn the trust of the British people by explaining to them how we think, and we are going to bring the policy out as its thought through.

So Im not saying were not going to say anything, vote for us, these things will come () you will start to see them soon.

She later added: Watch this space is what Im saying, you will see there will be a narrative.

Mrs Badenoch became Tory leader in November, defeating Robert Jenrick to replace Rishi Sunak.

The MP for North West Essex said in her victory speech that the party needs to be honest about the mistakes they made in government.

A Labour spokesman said: Every time Kemi Badenoch speaks it becomes clearer that she has no solutions to the problems the Tories created.

Under her leadership, the Conservatives have made unfunded spending commitments worth billions without explaining how she would pay for any of them. The Conservatives havent listened and havent learned.

On Sunday, one of Mrs Badenochs shadow ministers said it will take time for voters to understand the new leader but they will grow to really respect her.

Shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake described his party leader as bold and optimistic and predicted that by 2029 the party will be in a much better place in terms of convincing people to vote Conservative.

Mr Hollinrake told Sky News Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: Of course theres work to do, of course it will take time for Kemi, for people to understand what Kemi is all about.

I worked for her for 18 months in the Department for Business and Trade as her minister and I was nothing but impressed about the person she is.

Shes bold, shes optimistic, shes strong, she says what she thinks  which in politics, I think is quite a rare commodity, sadly.

So I think over time, people will grow to really respect her. And I think come 2029 well be in a much better place in terms of convincing people to vote Conservative.
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The King and the Prince of Wales are to be front and centre of a charm offensive on Donald Trump as Sir Keir Starmer attempts to bypass Nigel Farage and repair the damaged relationship with the president-elect and his team.

A diplomat has told The Independent that Mr Trumps love for the royal family is seen as the way to his heart as the fallout from the US election continues to overshadow the UK-US special relationship.

Speaking to The Independent, Sir Keir said that the UK-US connection is a special relationship forged in extremely difficult circumstances because of the war in Ukraine and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

open image in gallery Trump called William very handsome after their meeting in Paris ( PA Wire )

But with question marks over how to resolve difficulties between a Trump White House and a Labour UK government, it is understood that part of the calculation in sending Prince William alone to the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris earlier this month was to enable him to start building a relationship with Mr Trump.

It is thought putting in a proper operator as ambassador, with Lord Peter Mandelson heading to Washington, is only part of a complex plan to try to get the relationship back on track.

While one source close to foreign secretary David Lammy insists that normal government business continues, there have been question marks over rows with Mr Trumps ally Elon Musk, who has publicly criticised Sir Keir and voiced anger over Labour helping Kamala Harris in the US election.

Sources in the Trump team have confirmed they are furious about the appointment of Lord Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US. A former chief of staff branded the Labour peer a moron and others inside the camp described Sir Keirs choice as a horrible, arrogant choice.

Added to the problems, Reform UKs Nigel Farage has just become the first UK party leader invited to Mr Trumps Mar-a-Lago home since the election.

A diplomat told The Independent: Labour is deliberately using Britains soft power with Prince William and King Charles front and centre as a bridge to create a good relationship with Trump. He loves the royal family and it is the best way to his heart. All this also recognising that Starmer cant and wont use Farage.

The Trump adviser confirmed: He really does love the royal family. He revered the late Queen [Elizabeth II].

open image in gallery JD Vance met up with Kemi Badenoch ( JD Vance X )

Sources close to Kemi Badenoch, who is trying to ingratiate herself with team Trump through her friendship with vice-president-elect JD Vance, said: Trump loves Boris Johnson and the royal family more than Farage.

The move to charm Mr Trump comes as the fallout over Labour sending 100 volunteers to help his Democrat rival Ms Harris remains a major problem between the new White House and Downing Street.

An adviser to Mr Trump told The Independent: They [Sir Keir, Mr Lammy and Mr Trump] had dinner in New York, it did go well and there was a genuine optimism from it.

But then, almost immediately after, we found out about the 100 Labour activists sent to the election  election interference. There was a deeply held sense of betrayal.

I can tell you that if he could get away with it, President Trump would happily not exchange a single word with Starmer over the next four years. Obviously, he will have to but it will only be because of necessity.

It is still not certain whether Sir Keir will even get an invite to the inauguration on 20 January as others favoured by the incoming administration such as Hungarys Viktor Orban and Italys Giorgia Meloni already have.

open image in gallery Nigel Farage is close to Trump ( Getty )

While it is understood Mr Lammy and Mr Trump particularly hit it off at the dinner in New York in September, his son Donald Jr and others around him are still angry about the foreign secretarys previous tweets about the president-elect.

These included calling Mr Trump a tyrant and a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath.

Already they think he will be replaced with trade minister Douglas Alexander, who spent a lot of time in New York after losing his seat as an MP in 2015.

The Trump adviser suggested: We expect there will be some sort of reshuffle by Starmer and Lammy will be out, probably for Douglas Alexander. We know Douglas and respect him. It will be bringing an adult into the room.

A source close to Mr Alexander told The Independent the speculation was news to him.

But Sir Keir is looking for a means of connecting with the soon-to-be leader of the free world while ignoring the offer from Nigel Farage to be an unofficial go-between.

The prime minister, like other European leaders, is focused on persuading Mr Trump not to abandon Ukraine in the war against Russia, with the incoming president and his inner circle apparently set on pulling the plug on financial aid and forcing some sort of deal.

open image in gallery Foreign secretary David Lammy and prime minister Keir Starmer ( PA Wire )

There are also ongoing tensions over Sir Keirs attempts to hand over the strategically crucial Chagos Islands to Mauritius which the incoming president wants to veto because of the jointly owned airbase on Diego Garcia.

Meanwhile, The Independent has learnt Mr Trumps appointment of ambassador to the UK, businessman Warren Stephens, is partly inspired because of concerns Sir Keir is going soft on Israel.

A senior Republican source told The Independent: Warren Stephens was a big donor to pro-Israel causes. Hes coming over to make sure Starmer stays on side supporting Israel.

The Trump team was said to be unhappy about Sir Keir allowing a small arms embargo against Israel and does not think he has been as fulsome in his support as he should be.

Sir Keir told The Independent: Im not sending messages to President-elect Trump but what I am doing is having an ongoing discussion with him. I went to see him, as you know, in New York in September where we had a couple of hours over dinner together.

Ive spoken to him on the phone a couple of times as well, as have other world leaders and prime ministers across Europe.

Starting from the UK point of view, this is a special relationship forged in extremely difficult circumstances, which has lasted a very long time and is as important today as its ever been. So that is an unbreakable relationship between our two countries.

When it comes to discussions about Ukraine, obviously we act as Nato allies. That again is really important.

So I think that as we all work towards what needs to happen next in Ukraine it is important and right that we are all having discussions amongst ourselves and with President-elect Trump.

Mr Farage is still close to Mr Trump and has already been invited to the inauguration. But his hopes of landing an official role in dealing with him have already been ruled out.
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Peter Mandelson is reportedly set to ask Nigel Farage to help him win over Donald Trump in his new role as UK ambassador to the US.

He is said to be ready to work with the Reform UK leader as part of an attempt to persuade the president-elect not to target Britain with tariffs.

Experts have warned of a looming trade war after Mr Trump himself said Tariff is my favourite word and promised to implement 10 to 20 per cent tariffs on all goods coming into the US  a figure that rises to 60 per cent for goods from China.

Lord Mandelsons indication that he would work with Mr Farage comes despite warnings from senior Labour figures that making overtures to politicians such as the Reform UK leader risks elevating the right-wing cause.

open image in gallery Peter Mandelson will be the UKs ambassador to the US when Donald Trump returns to the White House ( PA Archive )

But referring to their scepticism, a source close to the Labour peer told The Telegraph: I am sure that would be a view held by some, but not those who need to conduct UK-US relations in the most optimum way.

Last month, speaking on his podcast for The Times, Lord Mandelson urged the government to swallow your pride and not exclude Mr Farage from its efforts to improve relations with the president-elect.

Over the weekend, the Reform leader, who has been a close ally of Mr Trump since his 2016 presidential election campaign, offered his services to Lord Mandelson, suggesting that he could act as a link to the president-elect if it would be in Britains national interest.

It comes amid concerns that Lord Mandelsons past remarks about Mr Trump  whom he once described as little short of a white nationalist and racist  could scupper attempts to foster close relations between the US and the UK.

Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Mr Trumps 2024 election campaign, described Lord Mandelson as an absolute moron after his appointment as ambassador was announced.

open image in gallery Reform UK leader Nigel Farage should not be ignored by the government, says Mandelson ( PA Wire )

Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on Friday that Lord Mandelson had been chosen to be the UKs ambassador in Washington.

The former cabinet minister and European Union trade tsar said It is a great honour to serve the country in this way.

Mr Trump has nominated businessman Warren Stephens to serve as the US ambassador to the UK.

Over the weekend, the president-elect named Mark Burnett, the British producer behind reality TV show The Apprentice, as his special envoy to the UK, saying he would bring a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to the role.

Mr Burnett, 64, was instrumental in significantly raising the profile of Mr Trump in the US when he was appointed as the main host of the North American version of The Apprentice.

But in October 2016, he and his wife, actor Roma Downey, distanced themselves from Mr Trump, criticising the hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign.

Lord Mandelson has been contacted for comment.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has insisted she will not be rushed into policy positions, claiming there is no quick fix following the partys historic defeat in Julys general election. Despite the multiple missteps taken by the Labour government since the summer, and some choppy times, the Conservatives have made relatively little progress in the opinion polls, with Reform UK gaining momentum and Labour still in the lead as 2025 approaches.

Like other party leaders taking over in unpropitious circumstances, Badenoch will have to find a way to persuade the voters to grant her and her party a hearing. At the moment they see no reason to pay the Tories much heed. As Badenoch herself says in her latest interview, the British people kicked out the Conservatives because the party was not trusted and did not deliver.

She adds that building trust is something that takes a while...

Whats Badenochs strategy?

Travelling light would seem to be the essence of the new leaders approach. As was clear during her leadership campaign, she prefers to keep to big, broad, traditional Conservative themes and make as few policy commitments as possible. Nearer to the next general election she will no doubt be pushed by circumstances into making some definite policy commitments, but they too may be vague and hedged around with caveats  not unlike what we saw in Labours successful 2024 election campaign.

What are the dangers?

Badenoch will inevitably be outflanked by Reform UK, who seem untroubled by making undeliverable promises to almost every group of voters, with Nigel Farage, their leader, cheerfully disavowing any policy that runs into a bit of difficulty. So, for example, on migration, Badenochs understandable reluctance to avoid setting any targets or caps on net migration will look weak and insincere when set against Farages adamantine certainties.

Since Badenoch had a careless moment at Prime Ministers Questions a few weeks ago, Keir Starmer constantly accuses her of wanting all the new spending and investment contained in Rachel Reevess October Budget but refusing to support any measures designed to cover the cost. Thus, it is now the Conservatives who have to answer the question: How will you pay for it?

What about the Tories record?

After 14 years in power, its proving difficult for them to know how to deal with that. At the moment, Badenoch is disavowing and even apologising for some of what the last Conservative government did, telling audiences that the party talked right but governed left, that it failed on migration, and that it generally let people down.

This may be eye-catching and honest, but she runs the risk of denigrating her own party and tempting the public to conclude that if it made such a mess of things when it was in government (not forgetting that Badenoch served in the cabinet during that time), theres scant reason for it to be given another chance now.

Its the muddle that Ed Miliband found himself in when trying to pick up the pieces after the New Labour defeat in 2010. Then again, perhaps the scale of the Tory disaster means that the party will have to have a radical rethink and shift to the right, as Margaret Thatcher did after Tory corporatism collapsed in chaos in 1974.

Can Badenoch turn it around in one term?

On her own, no. She will depend on having her habitually fractious party united behind her, even as she struggles to gain an audience; she will also have to escape any putative challenges to her leadership as frustrations mount. Its fair to add, too, that her front bench is a little underweight in terms of profile and expertise  a product of the cull of MPs at the general election.

Given the possibility that Elon Musk could provide financial support to Reform UK, Badenoch will also have to recruit her own wealthy benefactors, or woo the richest person on the planet herself.

Further, she will need Reform UK to take votes from Labour and thus help to deprive Starmer of his majority next time round  that is, in the 89 out of 98 parliamentary constituencies where Reform finished second to Labour in July. Even so, Reform generally takes votes disproportionately from the Tories, and Badenoch cannot relish having to rely on Farage for support in a minority administration, still less as a dominant, disruptive presence in any future Conservative-Reform coalition; he is more popular than she is among many Tory activists.

Most of all, Badenoch will have to hope that Labours failures (perceived or real) will be so grievous that the voters conclude that her changed Conservative Party (to borrow a phrase) deserves another chance. As the old adage goes, oppositions dont win elections: governments lose them. Next May, county council elections will provide an early measure of how the Badenoch project is progressing.
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A businessman and his family were killed after their small plane crashed into a popular Brazilian town on Sunday.

Brazils Civil Defence Agency said the plane crashed into a home and then a mobile phone shop in the crowded residential neighbourhood of Gramado in southern Brazil on Sunday morning.

The plane, reportedly being piloted by Brazilian businessman Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, slammed into the chimney of a home and then the second floor of a building before crashing into a mobile phone shop, it said. Galeazzi, his wife, three daughters, and other family members were killed in the crash, according to a statement from his company.

At least 17 people have been injured and two among them are believed to be in critical condition. Others suffered injuries due to smoke inhalation, reports said.

Visuals showed a fire breaking out in the area where there were also cafes with tables and chairs laid out alongside the road.

It remains unclear what caused the crash.

open image in gallery A man checks the damages on a roof caused by a plane crash at the city of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil ( AFP via Getty Images )

open image in gallery A drone view shows the site of a plane crash in the centre of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state ( via REUTERS )

The 61-year-old was travelling with his family members and a company employee to Sao Paulo, his company Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed in a post on LinkedIn. Reports said all 10 people died in the crash.

In this moment of intense pain we are deeply thankful [for] the manifestations of solidarity and love that we have received from friends, colleagues and the community, the statement said. We also express our solidarity with those who have been affected by this accident in the region.

The plane took off from Canela airport in Rio Grande do Sul and crashed just a few minutes later in Gramado.

open image in gallery Police carry out an investigation by houses that were hit by a plane in Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state ( AP )

Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed sorrow over the deaths.

I hope that the injured have a speedy recovery. The Air Force is investigating the causes of the accident and the federal government is at the disposal of the state government and local authorities to clarify the situation as soon as possible, he wrote.

Gramado is a popular mountain resort in the Serra Gaucha hills where tourists especially come around Christmas to enjoy the cool weather, hiking spots, and traditional architecture.

In August, a passenger plane carrying 62 people crashed outside Sao Paulo and everyone died in the crash.
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Lt. Shane Lamond, a former member of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington D.C., was found guilty on Monday of lying to law enforcement officials about giving the leader of the Proud Boys information before the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

Lamond, 49, the former supervisor of the Intelligence Branch of the MPD, cultivated a close relationship with Henry Enrique Tarrio, prosecutors in D.C. said.

That close relationship was put to use leading up to January 6, 2021, when Lamond tipped off Tarrio that a warrant was out for his arrest for setting fire to a Black Lives Matter banner during a 2020 protest. When investigators later asked Lamond about this, he lied.

open image in gallery ( AP )

As proven at trial, Lamond turned his job on its headproviding confidential information to a source, rather than getting information from himlied about the conduct, and obstructed an investigation into the source, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves said in a press release.

District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson found Lamond guilty of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements, after a seven-day bench trial.

The intelligence gathering role that Lamond was supposed to play is critical to keeping our community safe. His violation of the trust placed in him put our community more at risk and cannot be ignored, Graves added.

The Proud Boys are a far-right militant organization that shares white supremacist views and engages in political violence. The group is designated a terrorist group in Canada and New Zealand.

Various members of the group, including Tarrio, participated in storming the Capitol on January 6 in support of Donald Trump who had lost the 2020 election.

open image in gallery A violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, believing the election had been stolen from Trump by Democrats ( REUTERS )

Trump has expressed sympathy for the Proud Boys. Memorably the president-elect told them to stand back and stand by when asked if he rejected their values.

Prosecutors said Lamond and Tarrio were in regular contact beginning in July 2019 but that their contact became more discreet, moving conversations over to Telegram, after the 2020 election.

In December 2020, Lamond gave Tarrio confidential information related to an investigation into the burning of a BLM banner. Weeks later, Lamond told Tarrio a warrant was out for his arrest.

During the bench trial, Lamonds lawyers tried to argue his relationship with Tarrio was for source purposes. Tarrio appeared as a defense witness during Lamonds trial.

However, Judge Berman Jackson disputed that  pointing to conversations in which Lamond shared the status of police and FBI investigations as well as sympathizing with the Proud Boys message.

Lamond will be sentenced on April 3, 2025.
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A FedEx driver has been arrested after police claim he dumped packages in a forest because he was running late on his route.

The Holmes County Sheriffs Office arrested contracted FedEx worker Latavion Lewis last week, according to a statement shared Saturday. He now faces charges of organized scheme to defraud, grand theft and illegal dumping.

Officers made the arrest after residents reported several dumped packages in the woods or on the side of the road in the city of Bonifay. The sheriffs office then contacted FedEx to help identify the driver.

The search led them to Lewis, a contracted worker from Alabama. He agreed to meet with deputies at the Holmes County Sheriffs Office.

open image in gallery A total 44 parcels that the contracted FedEX driver dumped have been recovered. ( Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Lewis admitted to deputies that he dumped the undelivered packages around the area rather than return them to the FedEx warehouse because it was late at night, according to the statement from the sheriffs office.

Police have since recovered 44 packages and returned them to a local post office to make sure theyre sent to their owners.

Sheriff [John] Tate commends the quick work of HCSO deputies in identifying and apprehending the suspect and thanks to the Bonifay Post Office for their role in locating and delivering the recovered packages, the sheriffs office statement read.

Lewis is no longer affiliated with FedEx, a company spokesperson told The Independent.

This incident is completely unacceptable as the safe and secure transport of our customers shipments is a top priority, and we are fully cooperating with authorities in their investigation, the spokesperson said. In addition to being charged with criminal offenses, the individual involved is no longer providing service for our company.

Holmes County is home to nearly 20,000 residents and located in the Florida panhandle, just south of the Alabama border. Bonifay is just under 100 miles from Tallahassee, Florida.

The Independent contacted the Holmes County Jail for more information and was told officers would not be available to comment until December 27. The Independent has also contacted FedEx for comment.
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A popular Los Angeles-based fitness influencer has died after he was shot during an attempted robbery about three months ago.

Miguel Angel Aguilar, 43, the founder and CEO of Self Made Training Facility, was the victim of an attempted robbery on September 13 in Bel Air. Four men reportedly approached Aguilar and demanded his property, according to KTLA. It wasnt clear what type of property they wanted, LAPD said.

At one point, one of the men in the group fired at Aguilar, striking him multiple times, the outlet reported.

The four suspects then fled the scene in a vehicle.

Aguilar was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, and later identified by social media posts from Self Made Training Facility, which stated he was involved in a serious incident and was fighting bravely in the intensive care unit, according to KLTA.

open image in gallery Miguel Angel Aguilar, 43, a fitness infuencer in LA, has died three months after being shot during an attempted robbery. ( KTLA )

However, after three months of recieving treatment for his injuries, Aguilars company confirmed Saturday that he had died surrounded by his family.

Miguel was more than just a leader; he was a visionary, an inspiration, a mentor, a father, a husband, family and a dear friend to many, the social media statement reads. Miguel revolutionized personal training and inspired countless individuals to pursue their fitness and entrepreneurial goals.

Miguels spirit will live on through Self Made Training Facility.

Self Made Training Facility has 26 locations across the country, with 20 of them in California. Others are located in Arizona, Florida, Texas and Virginia.

One man who was working at a construction site across the street said he ran over to help after hearing the gunshots, according to KTLA.

I heard the gunshots, but I thought they were firecrackers since they werent too loud, Jose Moreno said. But then I heard screams, and I looked out the window and saw four guys get in a car and take off.

Aguilar leaves behind his wife, Priscillla Valles, a celebrity hairstylist, and two daughters.
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Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges in New York.

Mangione is accused of killing Thomspon outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4. Police arrested him on December 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania after they received a tip he was eating a meal inside a McDonalds.

Heres whats next for Mangione as he faces charges at the federal level and in two states:

open image in gallery Luigi Mangione is escorted to his New York arraignment on December 23. The 26-year-old pleaded not guilty to the 11 charges he faces in the state ( REUTERS )

Court appearances so far

Mangiones first court appearance was an arraignment in Pennsylvania on December 10, one day after he was arrested in the town of Altoona. Police detained him after receiving a tip he was eating at a McDonalds.

Mangione struggled with police and shouted to reporters standing nearby as he was escorted into his first hearing.

Its completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience, he yelled.

Luigi Mangione arrives at Pennsylvania courthouse

Then, on December 19, Mangione was flown from Pennsylvania to New York after waiving his right to an extradition hearing. Several heavily armed NYPD officers, alongside New York City Mayor Eric Adams, escorted Mangione.

Mangione appeared in the New York State Supreme Court on December 23 for an arraignment hearing, pleading not guilty to the 11 charges he faces in the state, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, second-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and multiple weapons offenses.

Demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse in support of Mangione. Many held signs decrying the insurance industry, with phrases such as Health over wealth, and UHC kills, death by denials. Others supported Mangione with signs that read, Free Luigi.

open image in gallery A demonstrator holds a sign that reads, Free Luigi as Mangione is arraigned in New York City ( REUTERS )

What has Mangione been charged with?

In New York, Mangione faces 11 charges. Prosecutors have hit him with first-degree murder, which they describe as an act of terrorism; second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism; second-degree murder; second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument; and several counts related to weapon possession.

At the federal level, prosecutors charged Mangione with two counts of interstate stalking, one count of murder through use of a firearm and one count of using a firearm silencer during a violent crime. Prosecutors said the state and federal two cases will run on parallel tracks, and that the New York charges will likely go to trial first.

In response, Mangiones attorney Karen Agnifilo condemned the federal charges.

The federal governments reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns, she said in a statement. We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.

However, the Supreme Court in 2019 upheld a longstanding constitutional rule that allows state and federal governments to prosecute someone for the same crime, according to the Associated Press.

While New York abolished the death penalty in 2007, Mangione could still face capital punishment in the federal case.

In Pennsylvania, he faces charges related to officials alleged discovery of a 3D-printed gun and fake ID cards in his possession when he was arrested. Police also say they found a silencer, a 262-word manifesto and a spiral notebook containing a to-do list.

However, these charges likely wont be addressed until after the New York case is resolved.

open image in gallery Luigi Mangione sits in a New York courtroom for an arraignment hearing on December 23 ( POOL/AFP via Getty Images )

Where is Mangione being held?

Mangione is being held without bail in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. There, several other high-profile people are incarcerated, including former head of FTX Sam Bankman-Fried and Sean Diddy Combs, the rapper accused of sex trafficking and other crimes.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were also once held at the prison.

The notorious Brooklyn facility, the only federal lockup in the city, has been variously described as hell on earth and an ongoing tragedy because of deplorable conditions, rampant violence, dysfunction and multiple deaths, according to the Associated Press.

The federal Bureau of Prisons has said it is increasing staffing to make up for staggering shortfalls, but conditions have been so stark at the jail, which houses about 1,100 inmates, that some judges have refused to send people there.

When is Mangiones next court date?

Mangione is set to appear in federal court on January 18. He could return to court for a bail hearing or for a preliminary hearing if prosecutors dont get a grand jury indictment by mid-January, the Associated Press reports.

His next scheduled appearance in New York is set for February 21.

What prosecutors and Mangiones attorneys have said

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called Thompsons murder frightening and well planned.

This was a killing that was intended to evoke terror and weve seen that reaction, Bragg said last week. This was not an ordinary killing. Not to suggest that any killing is ordinary, but this was extraordinary.

Acting US Attorney Edward Kim issued a statement claiming Thompson was killed in cold blood as the Justice Department announced the federal charges against Mangione.

open image in gallery Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference to announce the charges against Mangione ( REUTERS )

Brian Thompson was gunned down in cold blood as he walked down a street in midtown Manhattan, Kim said. Thompson was allegedly killed just because he held the position of chief executive officer of a health insurance company.

As alleged, Luigi Mangione traveled to New York to stalk and shoot Thompson in broad daylight in front of a Manhattan hotel, all in a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mangiones views across the country, he continued. But this wasnt a debate, it was murder, and Mangione now faces federal charges.

Agnifilo told New York Judge Gregory Carro at the December 23 arraignment that she was concerned about getting her client a fair trial. She cited Adamss presence among the several heavily armed officials who escorted Mangione as he was flown in from Pennsylvania.

open image in gallery NYPD officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams escort Luigi Mangione ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

They are literally treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, like some sort of spectacle, Agnifilo said in court. He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest stage perp walk Ive ever seen in my career, it was absolutely unnecessary. Hes been cooperative with law enforcement...There was no reason for the NYPD and everybody to have these big assault rifles.

It was perfectly choreographed, and what was the New York City Mayor doing at this press conference, your honor? That just made it utterly political, she continued.
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Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO, is being held at the same New York prison where music mogul and accused sex trafficker Sean Diddy Combs is being housed.

The Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York is a notorious prison where people who are charged with federal crimes in New York are held while awaiting trial.

Its list of famous inmates over the years includes sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, former head of FTX Sam Bankman-Fried, sex trafficker R. Kelly, Combs and now, Mangione.

open image in gallery New York Police Department officers conducted a perp walk with Mangione yesterday  making a spectacle of the high-profile case ( Getty Images )

On Thursday, Mangione was extradited from Pennslyvania, where he was arrested on gun charges, to New York where he faces first and second-degree state murder charges.

But he was charged on the federal level with two counts of stalking, murder through the use of a firearm and a gun charge.

The new charges now make the suspect eligible for the death penalty and allow prosecutors to place him in the Metropolitan Detention Center while awaiting trial.

The federal detention center is known for being chronically understaffed, plagued by violence and having less-than-ideal living conditions.

Federal judges in New York have been known to reduce sentencings purely based on the awful conditions of the detention center. One judge called it dangerous and barbaric.

open image in gallery the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York has a notorious reputation ( AFP via Getty Images )

But that is where the suspected gunman in the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting will remain until his next hearing which is set to take place in mid-Janaury.

The case, and suspect, have become a major public spectacle due to the nature of the murder.

Thompson was shot multiple times in the morning in the middle of Midtown, Manhattan earlier this month. What puzzled much of the nation was how the suspect managed to flee the scene and evade police for several days, despite conducting the shooting in broad daylight in a populated city.

Mangione was arrested in connection to the murder after a person recognized him at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania. Police reportedly found a notebook containing angry notes about health insurance companies in the U.S. and wanting to seek revenge for their predatory nature.

While many perceive the murder as a tragedy and horrific act of violence, it also generated conversation online about the general animosity toward health insurance companies and the health insurance system.

Mangione has developed somewhat of a fan club, mostly composed of young people, who feel his actions were justified.

As the suspect appeared in court on Thursday, people outside held signs advocating for the suspects freedom.

Combs was arrested in September on sex trafficking and racketeering charges with federal prosecutors alleging that Combs and his associates threatened, abused and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires  which allegedly includes forcing victims into engaging in recorded sexual activity which he referred to as Freak Offs.

His lawyers insist the rap mogul is an innocent man with nothing to hide.

open image in gallery Attorney Marc Agnifolo, left, speaks at the podium, as Alexandra Shapiro, Sean Diddy Combs, and attorney Tony Riccio, seated second left to right, listen during a hearing on an application for bail for the rap mogul in New York federal court in November ( AP )

We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorneys Office, his attorney, Marc Agnifilo, told The Independent via email in the wake of his arrest.

In November the 55-year-old was denied bail for a third time.

Judge Arun Subramanian denied the application, agreeing with prosecutor arguments that Combs had shown a propensity for violence previously, and could not be trusted to obey rules if released.
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Luigi Mangione, the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has pleaded not guilty to state terror and murder charges in a Manhattan courtroom.

Mangione entered his plea during a Monday morning arraignment hearing. He faces 11 counts in New York, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, second-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and multiple weapons offenses. The 26-year-old faces up to life in prison without parole if convicted.

In court, Mangiones attorney Karen Agnifilo told Judge Gregory Carro she was concerned about getting her client a fair trial, CNN reports. She specifically cited New York City mayor Eric Adamss presence among the several heavily armed officials who escorted Mangione as he was flown in from Pennsylvania, where he was arrested.

They are literally treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, like some sort of spectacle, Agnifilo said. He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest stage perp walk Ive ever seen in my career, it was absolutely unnecessary. Hes been cooperative with law enforcement...There was no reason for the NYPD and everybody to have these big assault rifles.

It was perfectly choreographed, and what was the New York City Mayor doing at this press conference, your honor? That just made it utterly political, she continued.

Carro told Agnifilo, We will carefully select a jury. Mangiones next court date is set for February 21.

open image in gallery Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, attends his arraignment in New York on Monday morning. Mangione pleaded not guilty to state terror and murder charges ( Reuters )

Demonstrators gathered outside the Manhattan courtroom as officials escorted Mangione inside. Many held signs decrying the insurance industry, with phrases such as Health over wealth, and UHC kills, death by denials. Others supported Mangione with signs that read, Free Luigi.

Mangione is accused of killing Thomspon outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4. Police arrested him on December 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania after they received a tip he was eating a meal inside a McDonalds.

Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg previously called Thompsons murder frightening and well planned.

This was a killing that was intended to evoke terror and weve seen that reaction, Bragg said last week. This was not an ordinary killing. Not to suggest that any killing is ordinary, but this was extraordinary.

open image in gallery A demonstrator holds a sign that reads, Health over wealth outside of Mangiones Manhattan arraignment Monday morning ( Reuters )

Mangione was also charged at the federal level with murder through the use of a firearm, a gun offense and two counts of stalking. While New York does not have capital punishment, federal prosecutors could pursue the death penalty.

Agnifilo condemned the federal case last week.

The federal governments reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns, she said in a statement. We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.

open image in gallery A demonstrator holds a sign that reads, Free Luigi outside of Mangiones arraignment hearing ( Reuters )

In addition, he faces charges in Pennsylvania related to officials alleged discovery of a 3D-printed gun and fake ID cards in his possession when he was arrested. Police also say they found a silencer, a 262-word manifesto and a spiral notebook containing a to-do list.

Mangione struggled with police and shouted to reporters standing nearby as he was escorted into a Pennsylvania courtroom for his extradition hearing on December 10.

Its completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience, he yelled.

Mangione waived his extradition and was flown to New York on December 19.

open image in gallery Police escort Luigi Mangione after he was flown to New York from Pennsylvania on December 19 ( AP )

Now, he is being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. There, several other high-profile people are incarcerated, including former head of FTX Sam Bankman-Fried and Sean Diddy Combs, the rapper accused of sex trafficking and other crimes.
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Authorities are reportedly struggling to identify the woman who was set alight on a New York City subway train in a horrifying fatal attack due to the severity of her burns.

The woman was asleep on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday when a man set her on fire in a reportedly random attack.

Police have struggled to pull fingerprints from the victim, leading to a delay in the identification process, prosecutors and sources told the New York Post.

The man accused of her murder, Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, appeared at an arraignment hearing in Brooklyn criminal court on Tuesday afternoon dressed in a white jumpsuit.

Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg told the court that the suspect used a shirt to fan the flames as the woman burned to death.

open image in gallery Sebastian Zapeta-Calil is facing murder and arson charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police said ( AP )

Zapeta-Calil, who is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally according to federal immigration officials, was not required to enter a plea and did not speak at the hearing.

According to Rottenberg, Zapeta-Calil told detectives that he didnt know what happened but identified himself in images of the attack, the Associated Press reported.

Zapeta-Calils lawyer, Ed Friedman, did not speak to reporters after the arraignment. The suspect is due back in court on Friday.

open image in gallery Zapeta-Calil is a Guatemalan citizen, was awaiting arraignment on Tuesday ( AP )

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez called the attack a gruesome and senseless act of violence and said it would be met with the most serious consequences.

Border patrol agents first found Zapeta-Calil in Sonoita, Arizona, in June 2018, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson Jeff Carter told CNN.

Agents then served him with an expedited removal and and he was sent to Guatemala six days later, Carter told the outlet.

However, the 33-year-old later unlawfully re-entered the US, according to Carter. Authorities dont yet know when and where he re-entered the US.

Police previously said Zapeta-Calil silently approached the woman and lit her on fire using a lighter. He then left the train and sat on the platform to watch as she burned and ultimately died, according to police. Body camera footage from the responding officers helped identify him and he was taken into custody hours after the attack.

An MTA worker told the Post that it looked like the womans clothes were completely burned off.

open image in gallery Sebastian Zapeta-Calil was taken into custody after a woman was set on fire on a New York subway car ( NYPD )

Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car, and the body-worn cameras on the responding officers produced a very clear detailed look at the killer, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said previously.

Tisch described the incident as one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.

The victim was fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, Tisch said.

NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta said Sunday that several officers had responded to the fire and one stayed to keep the crime scene the way its supposed to be" while the others went to get fire extinguishers and transit workers.

The NYPD released a photo of the Zapeta-Calil on Sunday. They initially described him as a male between 25 and 30 years old, approximately five foot six, and weighs 150 pounds. They said he was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, dark-colored knitted hat with a red stripe, and brown boots.

Zapeta-Calil was taken into custody as a person of interest after police received a tip off from three New York high school students who recognized the description and called 911, Tisch said.

open image in gallery The incident occurred aboard an F train at Coney Island-Stilwell subway station on Sunday morning ( FNTV )

He was confirmed to be on a moving train, which was stopped after police radioed ahead and walked from car to car to find him. He was also found with a lighter in his pocket.

I want to thank the young people who called 911 to help, Tisch said. They saw something, and they said something and they did something. This is another example of great technology and even greater, old fashioned police work with a huge assist from the public.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams also praised the bystanders who alerted police about the suspect.

open image in gallery Zapeta-Calil was apprehended after three New York high school students recognized the description and contacted the NYPD ( NYPD )

This type of depraved behavior has no place in our subways and we are committed to working hard to ensure there is swift justice for all victims of violent crime, Adams wrote in an X post.

The crime  and the graphic video of it that ricocheted across social media  deepened a growing sense of unease among some New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system in a city where many residents take the subway multiple times each day.

Overall, according to authorities, crime is down in the transit system this year when compared to last year  major felonies declined six percent between January and November of this year and in 2023, data compiled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority show. But murders are up, with nine killings this year through November compared to five in the same period last year.
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Civil rights groups who were anxiously preparing for the onset of Donald Trumps presidency breathed a sigh of relief on Monday as President Joe Biden announced the largest single-day commutation of federal death row inmates in modern history.

The White House announced early Monday morning that the president would commute the sentences of 37 inmates awaiting execution in the federal prison system. Now, just three people will remain on death row following the commutations: mass murderers Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers.

Much of Washington is now deserted, with the Christmas holidays driving many lawmakers, staffers, and other federal workers out of the city for several weeks. The presidents action Monday came after a weeks-long advocacy campaign launched by the ACLU and other opponents of capital punishment urging Biden in this direction, one that enlisted the aid of both the presidents allies on Capitol Hill, actors such as Martin Sheen (known for his West Wing portrayal of President Jed Bartlett), as well as business leaders including Richard Branson and Sheryl Sandberg.

The biggest name to back the effort by far was Pope Francis, who noted the issue during his daily address in St Peters Square.

Mondays announcement also followed a move by Biden earlier this month to commute the sentences of hundreds of federal inmates previously shifted to home detention. Similar to his latest decision, the commutation of 1,500 Americans was the largest single-day act of clemency carried out by a U.S. president in modern times.

open image in gallery President Joe Biden announced the commutation of 37 death sentences on Monday, the largest single-day commutation of the federal death row in history. ( AP )

The presidents commutation of death row sentences is likely to be received approvingly by his Democratic base, in contrast to the December 12 announcement of clemency which swept up, among others, a former federal judge convicted of sending children to for-profit jail facilities in exchange for bribes. The Kids For Cash scandal is widely considered to be one of the worst black marks on the U.S. judiciary in its history.

The news that Michael Conahan would be among those granted clemency earlier this month drew disgusted condemnations from many in his home state of Pennsylvania including its Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, who was thought to have been runner-up to serve as Vice President Kamala Harriss running mate during the 2024 election.

By comparison, while MAGA loyalists such as Senator-elect Jim Banks were sounding off about Bidens order on Monday, relieved statements of approval poured in from top Democrats on the Hill who supported the commute the row campaign and others.

By commuting the sentences of 37 individuals on death row, President Biden has taken the most consequential step of any president in our history to address the immoral and unconstitutional harms of capital punishment, said Anthony Romero, the ACLUs executive director.

Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, had been one of the Democrats on Bidens case about death penalty commutations. Durbin was one of the Democrats who offered at least a half-hearted defense of the presidents decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, who was awaiting sentencing on tax and gun charges. Biden had vowed specifically not to pardon his son, a statement he and his aides such as press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeated several times over the course of the 2024 election.

Thank you @POTUS Biden for answering this call to action to address the longstanding injustices faced in our legal system, wrote Rep. Adriano Espaillat. Todays action represents a core tenet of humanity and upholds the moral integrity of our nations justice system.

Richard Branson, in a Twitter thread, wrote: Commuting these federal death sentences sends an important signal that there are alternatives to state-sanctioned killing. By championing forgiveness and mercy, President Biden has come down on the right side of history.

The death penalty is broken. Its inhumane and unfair. Its costly and wasteful. And it doesnt deliver justice or make communities safer.

open image in gallery The presidents pardon of his son Hunter, despite promises not to do so, racheted up the pressure from Democrats for the administration to leave a serious legacy on the issue of criminal justice reform. ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

Civil rights groups had feared a return to the accelerated pace of executions under Trumps first term when the president-elect takes office in January. Federal executions were halted completely before Trump took office, but by the end of his four years in the presidency Donald Trump had overseen more executions than any U.S. president in 100 years. The 13 executions carried out all took place during Trumps final year in office.

Trump himself remains very open about his desire to expand use of the death penalty beyond the standard the Supreme Court established in Coker vs Georgia. Trump has said that he would expand use of capital punishment to those convicted of drug trafficking offenses, possibly including low-level dealers. This would require a major rewriting of legal precedent by the nations highest court.

These are terrible, terrible, horrible people who are responsible for death, carnage and crime all over the country, Trump said in 2022. Were going to be asking everyone who sells drugs, gets caught, to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts.
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While Donald Trump still thinks his first buddy Elon Musk is a great guy, he wants to make it clear that only one man is calling the shots.

No, hes not taking the presidency, Trump declared in a Sunday night speech. Thats not happening.

The president-elects snarky remark comes as Democrats have sought to drive a wedge between the worlds richest man and the notoriously thin-skinned Trump by highlighting Musks growing influence and describing him as the real president. The taunts have only grown following last weeks chaos on Capitol Hill after Musk raged against House Republicans original spending bill, prompting lawmakers to race against the clock to strike another deal to prevent the government from shutting down.

Elon Musk proved that he is the real leader of the Republican Party, because over the course of about four or five or six hours, he tweeted nonstop against the deal that had been negotiated and agreed to by all sides, Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) told CNN this weekend.

Democratic lawmaker Dan Goldman added that Trump was merely the chief of staff to President Musk at this point. At the same time, anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project posted a video calling Trump vice president to Musk.

Donald Trump speaks during Turning Point USAs AmericaFest conference in Pheonix. During the speech, he joked that Elon Musk couldnt be president because he wasnt born in the United States. ( Getty Images )

Even though conservative media has asserted that Trump and the Tesla CEO are in lockstep, and the incoming presidents team has called the notion that Musk is the one running the show ridiculous, other Republicans have suggested that the X (formerly Twitter) owners influence is nearly on par with Trumps.

Musk, who co-chairs Trumps government efficiency advisory committee, has been urged by several MAGA lawmakers to supplant Mike Johnson  who he humiliated over the government funding package  as speaker of the House. Additionally, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) said on Sunday morning that it feels as if the DOGE leader is our prime minister.

Towards the end of his lengthy address at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest on Sunday evening, Trump sent a message that while he considered Musk a great guy, there was a limit to his ascendency.

No, hes not taking the presidency, Trump quipped before claiming Democrats were on a new kick regarding Musk. All the different hoaxes, and the new one is, President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. No, no, thats not happening.

He also made a point that regardless of how much influence people thought Musk had within the GOP and his incoming administration, there was one job that Musk absolutely couldnt obtain.

No, hes not going to be president, that I can tell you, Trump proclaimed. And Im safe. You know why? He cant be. He wasnt born in this country. But the fake news knows that.

Meanwhile, those who have been in Trumps inner circle only to be pushed out in the end predict that Musks position by Trumps side wont last as theres only so much spotlight to share.

When you initially begin in that role, you have enormous influence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on Sunday. And he loves having you around, and he loves listening to you, and youre the best thing in the world. It will always decline. And thats what happens. And youll see it. It will happen with Elon Musk, too.
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The leader of Greenland has flat-out rejected President-elect Donald Trumps renewed interest in purchasing the massive Arctic island from Denmark, insisting that the territory is not on the market.

Greenland is ours, the territorys prime minister Mute Egede said in a statement on Monday. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.

Egedes comment comes after the incoming president announced that he wanted to revisit the idea of buying the semi-autonomous land from Denmark. During his first term in the White House, Trump expressed a desire to make a large real-estate deal because strategically it would be very nice.

Naming Paypal co-founder and former envoy to Sweden Ken Howery as his ambassador to Copenhagen, Trump declared in a Truth Social post on Sunday that the United States would once again look at snapping up Greenland from Denmark.

open image in gallery President-elect Donald Trump speaks at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest. During the event, he proposed taking back the Panama Canal ( Getty )

For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity, he wrote.

In 2019, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen swiftly rejected Trumps initial proposal to buy Greenland, calling it absurd. The then president reacted by calling her nasty and canceling a state visit to the Danish capital. It was later reported that cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder had planted the notion in Trumps head; Trump then floated the idea of swapping Puerto Rico for Greenland.

Less than a month before Trump takes office for a second time, the president-elect has made waves and sparked international backlash with his threats to either retake former U.S. territories or annex sovereign countries.

Over the weekend, he went on a social media tirade in which he threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal following his complaints about the ridiculous fees being charged to shipping companies by the Panamanian government for the right to use the waterway. The canal, built by the United States in the early 20th century, was ceded to Panama in 1999 under the terms of a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978.

If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question, Trump grumbled. To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!

Responding to Trumps threats, which the incoming president doubled down on during a speech on Sunday at a right-wing gathering, Panamas conservative president Jose Raul Mulino posted a video saying that every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to his country.

Well see about that! Trump replied on Truth Social, adding another post with an AI image of a United States flag over the canal zone and a caption reading Welcome to the United States Canal!

Additionally, the president-elect has spent the past few weeks trolling Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau with the idea of making Canada an American state.

No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense! Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State, Trump declared last week in a 3 a.m. post on his social media site. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!
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As a sitting member of Congress, Matt Gaetz paid for sex with a 17-year-old high school student, used cocaine and ecstasy, and spent thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled partying, according to a bombshell report from the House Ethics Committee.

The report found substantial evidence the now-former Republican congressman regularly paid for sex and met women through a sugar dating website through a former associate who has since pleaded guilty to sex trafficking.

The report determined Gaetz likely violated rules of conduct for the House of Representatives that prohibit prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.

open image in gallery Matt Gaetz is accused of paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl and using illicit drugs while a member of Congress ( Getty Images )

Ethics committee members paint a damning portrait of a four-year span, in which Gaetz allegedly paid tens of thousands of dollars to young women for sex  a period when Gaetz emerged as a far-right bulldog for Donald Trumps agenda and a prominent figure in right-wing media.

The president-elect named Gaetz as his first choice for the next U.S. attorney general, overseeing the Department of Justice as the nations top law enforcement official. Gaetz resigned from the House following that nomination, and then withdrew his name from consideration amid mounting scrutiny of the allegations at the center of the committees years-long investigation.

The former congressman has since taken a job with One America News Network and hinted at another run for public office.

He has vehemently denied allegations of wrongdoing. He filed a federal lawsuit against the committee to block the public release of its findings, which he claimed contained defamatory information.

Statutory rape involving 17-year-old girl

Shortly after he entered office in 2017, Gaetz and his associate Joel Greenberg attended a party where Gaetz had sex with multiple women, including a 17-year-old girl, who were paid, according to the report.

Gaetzs then-girlfriend also attended the party, which was allegedly at the home of Christopher Dorworth, a prominent lobbyist in Florida.

Then-congressman Gaetz and the girl, identified as Victim A, had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees.

Gaetz was 35 years old at the time.

open image in gallery Matt Gaetz allegedly had sex with a high school student while he was 35 and a newly sworn-in member of the House of Representatives ( AP )

Victim A testified to the committee that she was under the influence of ecstasy and recalled receiving $400 in cash from Gaetz, which she understood to be payment for sex

She did not disclose her age, nor did he ask. The committee did not find evidence that Gaetz was aware she was a minor.

After later learning she was a minor, he maintained contact less than [six] months after she turned 18 year old, and then met up with her again for commercial sex, according to the report.

When Greenberg was prosecuted for sex trafficking that same victim, Gaetz publicly stated that Victim A doesnt exist and that he has not had sex with a 17-year-old since I was 17, the report noted.

The committee found his statements untrue and his alleged actions were in violation of Floridas statutory rape law.

Tens of thousands of dollars for sex

Gaetz became friends with Greenberg  who had recently taken office as a tax collector in Floridas Seminole County  shortly after Gaetz was sworn into Congress in 2017, according to the report.

Greenberg would contact women through SeekingArrangement.com  now Seeking.com  which had billed itself as a sugar dating website to connect financially well-off men with younger women for transactional relationships.

Greenberg would show the website to Gaetz and give him his login credentials, and the men would then split the costs of drugs, hotels and girls they would invite to parties and travel destinations, according to the report.

open image in gallery Gaetz and his associate Joel Greenberg allegedly met women through a sugar dating website and paid them tens of thousands of dollars for sex ( AP )

Gaetz would often pay women through PayPal and Venmo, as well as cash and with paper checks, or Greenberg would pay women to have sex with Gaetz, who then reimbursed Greenberg, the report found.

Sometimes a lump sum would be sent to one woman, who would then distribute the cash to others who attended their parties, according to the report.

The report lists payments totaling more than $90,000 to 12 different women between 2017 and 2020.

Text messages obtained by the committee appear to show that Gaetz and the women understood the nature of the payments as transactions for sex.

Representative Gaetz did not appear to have negotiated specific payment amounts prior to engaging in sexual activity with the women he paid, according to the report. Instead, the women had a general expectation that they would typically receive some amount of money after each sexual encounter.

One woman told the committee Gaetz paid her more than $5,000 between 2018 and 2019, and 99 percent of the time that Gaetz and I] were hanging out, there was sex involved.

open image in gallery Gaetz is also accused of routinely using drugs including cocaine and ecstasy ( REUTERS )

A 21-year-old woman Greenberg met on SeekingArrangement.com eventually became Gaetzs girlfriend when he was 35. Their relationship continued for more than two years, though they were not exclusive; she sometimes participated with him in sexual encounters with other women who were active on the website or otherwise involved in sex-for-money arrangements, according to the report.

She invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to several of the committees questions, including whether Gaetz had ever paid her for sex and if she was aware Gaetz had ever paid anyone for sex.

There is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz paid women for sex, and had others pay women for sex on his behalf, the report concluded. Nearly every young woman that the committee interviewed confirmed that she was paid for sex by, or on behalf of, Representative Gaetz.

While some women characterized their relationship as a date-for-hire arrangement where sex was not necessarily expected, Gaetz still spent tens of thousands of dollars on other women with whom he had a shared understanding that they would be compensated for sexual activity with him, according to the report.

There were potentially additional amounts spent on commercial sex that could not be specifically identified either because payments were made in cash or through intermediaries, the committee added. The Committees record thus indicates that Representative Gaetz enticed and procured women to engage in sexual activity for hire and purchased the services of women engaging in sexual activity for hire, in violation of Florida state law.

Use of marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine

Text messages obtained by the committee include Gaetzs requests for a full compliment [sic] of party favors, as well as vitamins or rolls. Greenberg asks one woman if she had ever done molly, while women testified that Gaetz routinely was under the influence of marijuana, cocaine or ecstasy.

Gaetz sent one woman several hundred dollars to buy marijuana cartridges, while another woman said she and Gaetzs then-girlfriend brought drugs on a trip to the Bahamas, the report found.

open image in gallery A years-long House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations surrounding Matt Gaetz concluded with a sweeping report published December 23 ( Getty Images )

Another woman said that she brought cocaine to at least one event with Gaetz and that she witnessed him taking cocaine or ecstasy on at least five occasions, according to the report. Nearly every witness interviewed observed Representative Gaetz using marijuana, the report stated.

Greenberg also testified that he would typically provide drugs and Gaetz would pay him back in cash.

Questions of consent and coercion

All of the women interviewed by the committee said their sexual relationship with Gaetz was consensual, but at least one woman said the use of drugs at the parties they attended with him may have [impaired their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent.

Indeed, nearly every woman that the Committee spoke with could not remember the details of at least one or more of the events they attended with Representative Gaetz and attributed that to drug or alcohol consumption, according to the report.

Women also testified to moments where Gaetz tried to convince them to have sex with him or Greenberg. Women described being made to feel bad about not having sex with the men, and being asked to make them happy.

Another woman said that their relationship at some point was a loving friendship, but over time came to feel like a task, according to the report.

When I look back on certain moments, I feel violated, one woman said.

I think about it all the time. ... I still see him when I turn on the TV and theres nothing anyone can do, said another. Its frustrating to know I lived a reality that he denies.

open image in gallery The committees report suggests women may not have been able to fully consent to sex with Gaetz while they were under the influence of drugs and alcohol ( AP )

In one instance, a 21-year-old woman who joined Greenberg and Gaetz at a Florida hotel, along with another 20-year-old woman Gaetz regularly paid for sex, had asked Gaetz for help with her tuition payments, according to messages included in the report.

When she arrived to pick up the check in a hotel room, she found Greenberg and the 20-year-old woman, with the expectation of a sexual encounter in exchange, according to the report.

The four of them had sex and afterwards Representative Gaetz gave her a $750 check made out to cash with tuition reimbursement in the memo line, the report found.

The 21-year-old woman told the committee she believed that the encounter could potentially be a form of coercion because I really needed the money.

While the committee did not find evidence that Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, the report noted that the youngest person who joined the Bahamas trip was 18 years old at the time, and that while his relationship with the women involved an exploitative power imbalance, the Committee does not have reason to believe that he used force, fraud, or coercion as those terms apply under the applicable laws.

Abuse of office

In early 2018, Greenberg paid a woman who had sex with Gaetz the night they met, according to the report.

During that encounter, the woman told Gaetz she needed a new passport, and Gaetz connected her to his chief of staff, who then worked with the State Department to secure an appointment days later, the report found.

She said the $1,000 she received from Greenberg was to assist her with transportation costs to go to the Miami passport office from Orlando, according to the report. The woman said she continued to meet with Gaetz for sex.

Obstruction and tampering

The committee found evidence of Gaetzs obstruction of the probe, pointing to his refusals to answer committee questions while publicly attacking the report and denying allegations that the committee was asking for information about.

open image in gallery Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress after Donald Trump nominated him for US attorney general. He then withdrew his name from consideration following reports that an ethics probe could soon publish its findings ( REUTERS )

The committee also was investigating allegations that Gaetz may have sought to tamper with witness testimony in connection with its investigation or the DOJs investigation. Prosecutors refused to provide a copy of an audio recording in which Representative Gaetz discussed the DOJs inquiry with one of the women he paid for sex, according to the report.

The committee did not find documentary evidence that Representative Gaetz directly acted to prevent any woman from testifying for either of those probes, but some women cited a fear of retaliation from the congressman when declining to speak on the record with the Committee.

No evidence of sex trafficking

In 2021, Greenberg pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor, among other charges, and agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department in the prosecutions of other persons, and to testify in related proceedings, if necessary.

He admitted to introducing a minor to other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts with her, according to a plea agreement.

The Ethics Committee found substantial evidence that Gaetz violated state and federal laws and congressional rules surrounding prostitution and statutory rape, among other allegations, but investigators ultimately did not find that Gaetz violated a federal sex trafficking statute.

Although Representative Gaetz did cause the transportation of women across state lines for purposes of commercial sex, the Committee did not find evidence that any of those women were under 18 at the time of travel, nor did the Committee find sufficient evidence to conclude that the commercial sex acts were induced by force, fraud, or coercion, the report concluded.
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A bombshell report from the House Ethics Committee reveals damning new details about the long-running investigation into Matt Gaetzs alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.

The former Republican representative, who was Donald Trumps first choice for attorney general of the United States, is accused of paying thousands of dollars to more than a dozen women  including a 17-year-old girl  for sex.

Gaetz is also accused of using illegal drugs, including in his office on Capitol Hill, according to the report. He is accused of violating Floridas statutory rape laws, among others, the report found.

The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress, the report states.

He filed a federal lawsuit against the committee on Monday alleging the the unconstitutional publication of potentially defamatory statements against a now-private citizen.

open image in gallery Former congressman Matt Gaetz is accused of paying a 17-year-old girl for sex at a party where he also was using drugs ( Reuters )

He paid more than $90,000 to women through a series of Venmo and PayPal payments transactions, often arranged on the website SeekingArrangements.com with his now-imprisoned former ally Joel Greenberg, according to the report.

The panels report alleges Gaetz sent such payments to more than a dozen women while he was a member of Congress.

Greenberg  who has been cooperating with investigators since pleading guilty to sex trafficking  told the committee that Gaetz was aware that the women they had sex with and paid had met Mr. Greenberg through the sugar dating website, according to the report.

The committee heard testimony from a woman who said she had sex twice during a party Gaetz attended, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees, the committee wrote.

She receieved $400 in cash from Gaetz, which she understood to be payment for sex, accorrding to the report.

At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school, the report said.

The then-17-year-old did not tell Gaetz she was a minor at the time, and he did not ask her age, according to the report. There is no evidence that Gaetz was aware of her age.

She told congressional investigators she was under the influence of ecstasy at the time and saw Gaetz use cocaine, the report found.

open image in gallery The former congressman has sued the committee, alleging its unconstitutional publication of defamatory statements ( Reuters )

During a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with multiple women, including one who described the trip itself as the payment for sex on the trip. He also took ecstasy during the trip, one woman told the committee.

In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated  even some I never dated but who asked, Gaetz said in a statement last week, following news of the reports imminent release.

I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18, he added. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court  which is why no such claim was ever made in court.

The 42-year-old former congressman said his 30s were an era of working very hard and playing hard too.

Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life, he said. I live a different life now.

Gaetz was also the subject of a Department of Justice investigation, though prosecutors ultimately never brought charges against him.

Following news that the report would be published after all, Gaetz claimed he was FULLY EXONERATED after federal prosecutors declined to charge him.

Ive had no chance to ever confront any accusers. Ive never been charged. Ive never been sued, he said. Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body.

open image in gallery The House Ethics Committees bombshell report follows a lengthy investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct while in office, among other accusations ( Getty )

The publication of the report marks a stunning reversal of the committees November decision against its release, which House Republicans also successfully blocked in a series of party-line votes in the chamber earlier this month.

The committees report follows a lengthy probe into allegations against the Republican, including whether he also shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gifts, according to the committees announcement last year.

Gaetzs abrupt resignation from Congress effectively ended the House investigation, though committee members weighed whether to force the House to release a report.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters last month that he strongly requested that the panel not make a report public, arguing that the committee no longer has jurisdiction over the now-former congressman.

But there is precedent for releasing such a report after a lawmaker leaves office. In 1987, former congressman Bill Boner was the subject of an ethics report two months after leaving office. The committee released its report into former congressman Buz Lukens the same day he left office in 1990.

Still, Johnson argued that releasing the report would open a Pandoras box.

If its been broken once or twice, it should not have been, he said.

Attorneys for witnesses who spoke to the panel also urged lawmakers to release its findings.

Gaetzs former ally Joel Greenberg reached a deal with prosecutors in May 2021 to plead guilty to six federal crimes, including underage sex trafficking, after he was initially charged with 33 counts. He is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence.

Greenberg also admitted introducing a minor to other adult men who engaged in commercial sex acts with her, according to court documents.

Following his resignation, Gaetz announced he would be joining right-wing media outlet One America News Network, where he will anchor a one-hour political talk show every weeknight on the networks prime-time lineup starting in January.

In remarks from Arizona on Sunday, Gaetz suggested that he would next try to run for Senate.

Many have asked which perch I will be fighting from, he said. Maybe Ill just run for Marco Rubios vacant seat in the United States Senate and join some of those folks.
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Matt Gaetz sued the House Ethics Committee in a last-ditch attempt to block the publication of a damning report into allegations he paid for sex with more than a dozen women, including a 17-year-old girl.

The report follows a long-running investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use while he was a member of Congress, when he allegedly spent tens of thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled parties and travel.

He is accused of paying more than $90,000 to at least 12 different women, including a high school student, according to the report, which was released Monday, after Gaetz filed his lawsuit.

In the federal lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., the Republican from Florida accused the committee of making an unconstitutional attempt to exercise jurisdiction over a private citizen by releasing a report containing potentially defamatory allegations.

He asked for a judge to issue an emergency order to block the reports release after drafts had already been published in several news outlets Monday morning.

The man Donald Trump initially tapped to be the next attorney general of the United States was then notified by a court clerk that he filed the complaint incorrectly.

Former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz is accused of spending tens of thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled parties and travel while a member of Congress ( AFP via Getty Images )

Publishing the report would mark an unprecedented overreach that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections, attorneys for the former congressman wrote.

The committees release of reports and/or investigatory information about Gaetz includes untruthful and defamatory information concerning Plaintiff, which, if publicly released, would significantly damage Plaintiff s standing and reputation in the community, attorneys wrote.

Once released, the damage to Plaintiffs reputation and professional standing would be immediate, severe and irreversible, they argued.

They warned that the findings would appear to have the endorsement of Congress, media coverage would be immediate and widespread, allegations would permanently remain in the public record, no adequate remedy exists to retract them, and government legal protections would likely prevent him from seeking subsequent damages.

The committee did not immediately return The Independents request for comment.

Once the report was published without any action from the courts, Gaetzs attorneys said their request for a restraining order was moot, and that Gaetz has now suffered irreversible and irreparable harm.

Last month, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson argued that the committee no longer has jurisdiction over the now-former congressman  who abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump nominated him for U.S. attorney general, a nod that Gaetz later abandoned after scrutiny into allegations against him.

There is precedent for releasing such a report after a lawmaker leaves office. In 1987, former congressman Bill Boner was the subject of an ethics report two months after leaving office. The committee also released a report into former congressman Buz Lukens the same day he left office in 1990.
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There is substantial evidence that former congressman Matt Gaetz regularly paid women, including a high school student, for sex and spent tens of thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled parties and travel, according to a damning report from members of Congress.

The long-anticipated report from a House Ethics committee investigation finds that Gaetz likely violated state laws against statutory rape and illicit drug use, as well as House rules against misconduct and abuse of office.

Between 2017 and 2020, Gaetz regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him, including making payments to a 17-year-old girl, the report says.

Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions, according to the report, which was released Monday.

The former Republican representative was Donald Trumps first choice for attorney general of the United States, the most powerful law enforcement official in the country.

He resigned from Congress after he received the nomination, then dropped his name from the running for the top job at the Department of Justice amid renewed scrutiny and imminent release of the report.

open image in gallery Gaetzs nomination for US Attorney General was announced by Donald Trump on November 13. He later withdrew following scrutiny into allegations against him ( AP )

The committee had been set to release the findings of its years-long probe last month, two days after Trump nominated Gaetz on November 13. His resignation effectively killed the investigation.

But lawmakers ultimately voted to release the report after all. The former congressman, who has denied all misconduct allegations, raged that the people investigating me hated me and gave him no chance to ever confront any accusers.

A former attorney in northwest Florida, Gaetz styled himself as a fighter for a more open and transparent government. In 2010, he was elected to serve in the Florida House of Representatives to represent portions of Okaloosa and Santa Rosa county.

His father, Don Gaetz, is an influential political powerbroker and state lawmaker who once served as president of the Florida Senate.

Don Gaetz returned to the state legislature after winning a state Senate seat in November.

His son was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016, quickly earning a reputation as an outspoken far-right firebrand defending Trumps first-term agenda.

He staunchly defended Trump during investigations into the Trump campaigns alleged ties to Russia, which he described as a hoax, and during Trumps two impeachments.

Alongside Trump cheerleader Marjorie Taylor Greene, Gaetz embarked on a nationwide America First Tour in 2021, in which the pair repeated debunked claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election and attacked Trumps critics.

open image in gallery Along with fellow Trump cheerleader Marjorie Taylor Greene, Gaetz embarked on a nationwide America First Tour in 2021 ( Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

Such devotion earned nicknames such as the Trumpiest Congressman in Trumps Washington by GQ magazine and the Trumpiest Congressman by Rolling Stone, which he reportedly considers badges of honor.

He spearheaded the push to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was among a handful of GOP figures who taunted Gaetz over the allegations against him.

Gaetz also spent his time in office raging against special counsel Jack Smiths investigations into the former presidents attempts to subvert the 2020 election and his possession of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

His loyalty paid off. On November 13, Trump nominated Gaetz for US attorney general, sending shockwaves through Washington.

Meanwhile, Gaetz remained under investigation with the House Ethics Committee, and had previously been under investigation as part of a sex trafficking probe at the Justice Department.

That investigation targeted Gaetz and a former associate, Joel Greenberg, and allegations that the pair were part of a group of Florida Republicans who reportedly attended parties where participants used drugs and paid women for sex.

Greenberg later pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor, among other charges.

No criminal charges were ever brought against Gaetz.

open image in gallery No criminal charges have ever been brought against Gaetz, and he has denied all allegations against him ( AP )

The House inquiry included interviews with witnesses from the federal probe. New details about the committees work emerged following Gaetzs nomination.

Joel Leppard, a lawyer representing two women who testified over the summer in front of the committee, shared new details about the damning evidence his clients gave.

The attorney said their testimony included claims that one of the women saw Gaetz have sex with the 17-year-old girl, which he vehemently denies. My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz having sex with a minor, Leppard told ABC.

Leppard also told the network that the women testified that Gaetz paid them to cross state lines in January 2018 and have sex with him on at least two occasions.

A bombshell document from the Justice Department investigation also alleged a web of payments between the former congressman and friends and associates said to have been with him at drug-fueled sex parties.

The document alleges that Gaetz and associates, including Greenberg, sent thousands of dollars by Venmo and PayPal to women who were reportedly involved in the sex parties between 2017 and 2020.

Separately, former Trump administration aide Cassidy Hutchinson claimed in a memoir Gaetz groped her on two occasions and tried to make a pass at her at Camp David. Gaetz has also denied those allegations but claimed the pair had once dated, which Hutchinson denies.

Despite maintaining his innocence in all matters, Gaetz ultimately bowed to the pressure and announced he would not seek the nomination to be attorney general, writing online that the media storm around the announcement was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.

There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus Ill be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trumps DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1, he wrote in a post on X.

open image in gallery The former Congressmans wife, Ginger Gaetz (left), has supported him despite the barrage of allegations against him ( gingergaetz/Instagram )

Gaetzs wife Ginger Gaetz called his decision the end of an era, and wrote that no one loves America more than this guy.

On December 18, as news emerged that the House Ethics committee had secretly voted to release its report, Gaetz admitted to have probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life as he blasted the committees decision.

In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated - even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years, he wroteon X. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court  which is why no such claim was ever made in court.

The 42-year-old Republican said his 30s involve working very hard and playing hard too.

Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life, he said at the time. I live a different life now.
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Though most Americans oppose Donald Trumps plan to pardon January 6 rioters charged with a crime, more than 4 in 10 said they support the decision, according to a new poll.

President-elect Trump has promised to issue pardons for those charged or convicted of a crime related to their actions on January 6, 2021, on his first day in office  a move that would validate his narrative of the day.

Despite the images, videos and convictions that show the tragic results of the attack on the Capitol, 43 percent of Americans said they support Trumps decision to pardon rioters, according to the CNBC All-America Economic Survey.

open image in gallery Donald Trump, pictured on January 6, 2021, held a Stop the Steal rally in which he spread false claims of election fraud ( REUTERS )

Four people died on January 6 after a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol while Congress was certifying 2020 election results. A fifth person, a Capitol police officer, died the following day.

The mob was inspired to stop the certification in part due to lies about mass voter fraud after Trump lost the election. He claims Democrats stole the election from him.

The president-elect did not direct his supporters to storm the Capitol, but evidence through congressional testimony indicates he also did not stop his supporters from doing so.

At least 1,500 rioters have been charged with a crime.

open image in gallery Scenes from the Capitol on January 6, 2021 showed a violent mob of supporters storming the Capitol and entering while Congres was trying to certify election results ( REUTERS )

But 43 percent of the public say they support the president-elects move to pardon the rioters  though it is not without controversy.

The issue of pardoning rioters is where Republicans deviate from Trump the most, according to survey results. Among the 50 percent who said they oppose the decision, 18 percent are Republicans, 46 percent are independents and 87 percent are Democrats.

On other issues such as the economy, immigration or government reform, Republicans are largely aligned with Trump.

Over the last four years, Trump has attempted to re-write history by calling January 6 a day of peace and love and claiming those who are charged were targeted for political reasons.

He has suggested those who investigated the day, including Special Counsel Jack Smith and members of the House Select Committee to Investigate January 6, should be jailed.

The survey of 1,000 people was conducted December 5  8, 2024.
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Donald Trump has named the British producer behind The Apprentice reality TV series as his special envoy to the UK.

The president-elect said Mark Burnett would bring a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to the role.

Mr Burnett, 64, was instrumental in significantly raising the profile of Mr Trump in the US when he was appointed as the main host in the north American version of The Apprentice.

Announcing the envoy role, Mr Trump said: It is my great honour to appoint Mark Burnett as the special envoy to the United Kingdom.

With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role.

open image in gallery Mark Burnett and Donald Trump in Washington DC, 2017 ( AP )

Mark is known for creating and producing some of the biggest shows in television history, including Survivor, Shark Tank, The Voice and, most notably, The Apprentice. He is the former chairman of MGM and has won 13 Emmy Awards.

Mark will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges.

In October 2016, Mr Burnett and his wife, actor Roma Downey, distanced themselves from Mr Trump, criticising the hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign.

Mr Trump has already nominated businessman Warren Stephens to serve as the US ambassador to the UK.

Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on Friday that Peter Mandelson had been chosen as the UKs ambassador in Washington.

open image in gallery Burnett with his wife Roma Downey ( PA )

The former cabinet minister and European Union trade tsar said, it is a great honour to serve the country in this way.

However, the Labour grandees past remarks about Mr Trump  who he once described as little short of a white nationalist and racist  may yet plague attempts to foster close US-UK relations.

Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Mr Trumps 2024 election campaign described Lord Mandelson as an absolute moron.
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An Australian pilot accused of illegally training Chinese fighter pilots is set to be extradited to the US in early 2025 after the Australian government approved his surrender.

Daniel Duggan, 56, has been in a maximum-security prison for over two years, fighting the extradition. He faces charges related to training Chinese fighter pilots in South Africa between 2009 and 2012, including conducting carrier-arrested landings, in violation of arms trafficking laws.

He was arrested in Australia in October 2022. His arrest followed an investigation by Australian authorities into the practice of former military personnel being offered lucrative contracts to train pilots in China.

Mr Duggan, who maintains his innocence, could face up to 60 years in prison if convicted.

His family expressed their devastation at the decision, with his wife, Saffrine Duggan, saying: We are shocked and absolutely heartbroken by this callous and inhumane decision which has been delivered just before Christmas with no explanation or justification from the government.

Mr Duggans family is considering their legal options, including requesting specific reasons for the governments decision. We feel abandoned by the Australian government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family, she said.

It is very difficult to explain to the children why this is happening to their father, especially now, at this time of year. We are all terrified that we may not see him for a very long time. My children are very, very sad.

Attorney general Mark Dreyfus, on Monday confirmed he had approved Mr Duggans extradition to the US.

Daniel Duggan could face up to 60 years in prison if convicted ( Saffrine Duggan )

Acknowledging the public interest in this matter, I confirm that on 19 December 2024 I determined under section 22 of the Extradition Act 1988 (Cth) that Daniel Duggan should be extradited to the United States to face prosecution for the offences of which he is accused, Mr Dreyfus said in a statement.

Mr Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the US. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me, he said.

To ensure the safety of all persons involved and to uphold the integrity of the surrender process, as a matter of longstanding practice, the Australian government does not comment on operational matters relating to extradition, including the timing of, and specific arrangements for, a persons surrender.

Earlier, the father of six had made a final effort to avoid prosecution in the US, submitting an 89-page document to Mr Dreyfus detailing reasons why the extradition should not proceed.

Mr Duggan, a former US Marine who served for over a decade, moved to Australia in 2005 and founded a flight school in Tasmania. He has been an Australian citizen for nearly 13 years but is now set to be extradited by February next year.

In 2014, Mr Duggan moved to China to work as an aviation consultant for the Test Flying Academy of South Africa.
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Vanuatu was hit by another earthquake, a magnitude 6.1 tremor on Sunday, just hours before the Australian government announced an additional $5m in aid.

The quake, which struck near capital Port Vila, caused significant shaking but no tsunami alerts and there were no reported casualties so far.

This comes after a more powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the capital on Tuesday, which killed at least 16 people and injured around 200.

Australia has flown over 500 people back to the country via military airlifts and reportedly more flights are planned. Efforts to restore commercial flights are underway, local officials said.

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flights have been returning Australian citizens from Vanuatu as part of the ongoing humanitarian mission in Port Vila. A total of 588 Australians have been brought to Brisbane on eight flights, with the final two flights scheduled for Sunday, Nine News reported.

Port Vila International Airport has also reopened for commercial flights after being closed due to earlier earthquake damage. Flights with Qantas, Virgin, and Jetstar, which were previously grounded, have now resumed to assist Australian passengers wishing to return home.

In this photo released by the Vanuatu Red Cross Society, a Red Cross volunteer inspects a damaged house in Efate, Vanuatu, Thursday, 19 December 2024, following a powerful earthquake that struck just off the coast of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean ( Vanauatu Red Cross Society )

Qantas and Virgin resumed services from Port Vila to Brisbane on Sunday, while Jetstar will begin flights on the same route on Monday.

A major health crisis is emerging in Port Vila as aid workers estimated that 20,000 people in Vanuatu are without clean water. The United Nations estimates that around 1,000 people have been displaced by the earlier earthquake.

Australian citizens and permanent residents in Vanuatu are being urged to register with DFATs online portal (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) to receive important information and updates.

The death toll and number of injuries are expected to increase as search and rescue operations progress.
Explore an immersive cultural and creative products market at the Xinjiang Library

People's Daily Online) 11:05, December 23, 2024

This photo shows the cultural and creative products market at the Xinjiang Library, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

From Dec. 15 to 18, the Xinjiang Library in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, hosted a cultural and creative products market as part of the "Inheriting Culture, Nurturing the Mind" initiative. Visitors were able to experience the charm of fine traditional Chinese culture in an immersive setting.

The market brought together national-level cultural creative brands, Xinjiang's unique enterprises, intangible cultural heritage inheritors, and artists. It allowed visitors to enjoy local delicacies, participate in interactive games, and appreciate Xinjiang's distinctive cultural appeal.

The cultural and creative products market offered diverse and unique experiences to people of all ethnic groups, helping them further understand and connect with fine traditional Chinese culture. By promoting cultural exchanges and integration among ethnic communities, the event underscored the role of traditional culture in enriching the soul of the nation, nurturing cultural confidence, and ensuring the continued legacy of Chinese heritage.

This photo shows the cultural and creative products market at the Xinjiang Library, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

This photo shows the cultural and creative products market at the Xinjiang Library, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

This photo shows the cultural and creative products market at the Xinjiang Library, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

This photo shows the cultural and creative products market at the Xinjiang Library, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

This photo shows the cultural and creative products market at the Xinjiang Library, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

This photo shows the cultural and creative products market at the Xinjiang Library, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

This photo shows the cultural and creative products market at the Xinjiang Library, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

This photo shows the cultural and creative products market at the Xinjiang Library, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

This photo shows the cultural and creative products market at the Xinjiang Library, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

Intern Han Yifan contributed to this story.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
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Mourners laid flowers near the scene of the deadly Christmas market attack on Monday, as investigators puzzled over the motive of the suspect and his previous encounters with authorities were scrutinised.

The Johanniskirche, a church a short walk from the scene of the attack, has become a place of mourning since the suspect drove a car into the busy market on Friday evening killing five people. A carpet of flowers now covers the broad pavement in front of the church.

The number of injured has risen to as many as 235.

The suspect, identified as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen by German media, is a 50-year-old psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia. He is said to have a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric and to have sympathy with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

He left video messages on his X (Twitter) account on the day of the attack.

In rambling commentary, he variously blamed Germanys supposed liberalism for the death of Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher, and accused police of stealing a USB stick from him and destroying a criminal complaint he had filed.

German newspaper Die Welt said he had undergone psychological treatment.

open image in gallery Candles and flowers outside the Johanniskirche in Magdeburg on Monday ( EPA )

At a gathering organised by AfD outside Magdeburgs cathedral on Monday, co-leader of the political party Alice Weidel described the attack as an act of an Islamist full of hatred for what constitutes human cohesion ... for us Germans, for us Christians.

AfD is polling in second place nationwide and is particularly strong in eastern Germany, where Magdeburg is located.

Holger Munch, president of the countrys federal criminal police office, told the German broadcaster ZDF that Germany had been warned about the suspect by Saudi Arabia as far back as 2023, and that German authorities had investigated it but found it to be vague.

The man also published a huge number of posts on the internet. He also had various contacts with the authorities, made insults and even threats. But he was not known for acts of violence, Mr Munch said.

Federal interior minister Nancy Faeser called for the adoption of tougher internal security laws, including a new act to strengthen police forces, as well as the introduction of biometric surveillance.

It is clear that we must do everything to protect the people of Germany from such horrific acts of violence. To do this, our security authorities need all the necessary powers and more personnel, she told news website Der Spiegel.

open image in gallery People gather to hear Alice Weidel, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany party, speak about the attack ( Reuters )

Vice-chancellor Robert Habeck voiced fears that the attack will fuel online misinformation before a snap national election that is expected to be held in late February. He urged people not to be infected by hatred.

There is still a lot we dont know, and a lot is unexplained, including the exact motive, Mr Habeck said. All the same, I fear that the distrust that was immediately propagated on the net against Muslims, foreigners and people with a history of immigration will entrench itself deeper in society.

Taha al-Hajji, a Saudi lawyer in exile and the legal director of the Berlin-based European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, said that most Saudi opposition activists in Germany did not have a good relationship with the suspect.

He made problems with everyone always ... He was really isolated, said Mr al-Hajji.

He felt that he was the only one right, and people were wrong; he felt he was the centre of everything, he was important. He always had problems with everyone.

The local prosecutor in Magdeburg, Horst Nopens, said on Sunday that a possible factor in the attack may have been the suspects dissatisfaction with the treatment of Saudi refugees in Germany, but added that the motive remained unclear.

Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report
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France marked a national day of mourning Monday for the victims of Cyclone Chido, which devastated the French overseas department of Mayotte earlier this month. Flags were flown at half-staff across the country, and a minute of silence was observed.

The cyclone, the most destructive to hit Mayotte in 90 years, caused extensive damage to the island, known as Frances poorest territory, and left 35 dead and around 2,500 injured. The actual toll is likely much higher due to the widespread destruction of infrastructure and precarious living conditions.

Chido also hit the southeastern part of the African continent.

In Mozambique, the National Institute of Risk and Disaster Management (INGD) said Sunday that 94 people had been killed.

The people of Mayotte are in the hearts of all French people," President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X. The victims in our memories. The nation is mourning.

Macron and his wife Brigitte stood for a minute of silence at the Elysee Palace, in Paris.

Meanwhile, newly appointed Prime Minister Francois Bayrou participated in the observance at the premier's residence in the French capital, saying: This minute of silence signifies the need to rebuild Mayotte and ensure that its people feel supported by the nation as a whole."

Bayrou, named prime minister 10 days ago, is under pressure to announce his cabinet. The delay in forming a government has drawn scrutiny, with critics accusing the administration of being distracted during a national crisis.

Mayotte lawmaker Estelle Youssouffa accused the French government of neglecting the island.

The prime minister seems to be considering the announcement of a reshuffling of his cabinet on a national day of mourning, Youssouffa said Monday on France Inter radio. Its disgraceful, contemptuous, and deeply mediocre. Nobody cares about Mayotte  its appalling!

The Elysee Palace stated that no announcements would be made before 6 p.m. local time to ensure the day of mourning remained undisturbed.

This is the tenth time under the Fifth Republic of France that a national day of mourning has been declared, and the first time in response to a climate-related disaster. Previous occasions have been mainly to mourn former French presidents or victims of terrorist attacks.

Cyclone Chido struck Mayotte on Dec. 14, destroying homes, disrupting water and electricity supplies, and severing communications. Emergency crews continue efforts to restore basic services, but the scale of the damage has made recovery efforts particularly challenging.

___

Associated Press writer Charles Mangwiro in Maputo, Mozambique contributed to this report.
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Warning: This live feed may contain distressing scenes.

Watch as Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party held a rally in front of Magdeburg Cathedral, near the scene of a car-ramming attack that killed five people and injured scores.

It follows an earlier far-right rally in the city on Saturday, during which around 1,000 people congregated after misinformation about the motives of the suspected attacker spread online.

Police have arrested a 50-year-old Saudi doctor identified by local media as Taleb A, who had lived in Germany since 2006.

Law enforcement in Germany is facing criticisms over security and intelligence failure after the attack.

German interior minister Nancy Faeser and the heads of intelligence services are expected to answer questions at parliamentary committee hearings on 30 December.

Authorities have named a nine-year-old boy who was among five people killed, as thousands of pounds were raised for his grieving family.

In a heartbreaking social media post, the mother of Andre Gleiner paid tribute to her son, saying: Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again. Andre didnt do anything to anybody. He was only with us on earth for nine years. Why you? Just why.
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A driver rammed a car into a crowd of shoppers at a busy German Christmas market on Friday evening, killing at least five people and injuring 200.

An extensive police operation is underway following the attack at the market in the German city of Magdeburg that happened at around 7pm local time on Friday.

Four women and a nine-year-old boy have been killed, with 41 people thought to still be critically injured.

A 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia was arrested on Friday following the attack and has been remanded in custody.

Identified as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, he has been in the country since 2006 and according to local media outlets, he reportedly sympathised with the countrys far-right Alternative for Germany party.

How many people have died or injured?

open image in gallery Debris litters the floor of the Christmas market following the attack ( AP )

At least five people were killed in the shocking incident, Saxony-Anhalts governor Reiner Haseloff confirmed on Saturday.

He told reporters at the scene that 200 people were injured. According to German media, 41 of these are in critical condition, 90 are seriously injured and a further 80 suffered minor injuries.

Magdeburg police confirmed that a nine-year-old boy was among the dead, and that the other victims were four women, aged 45, 52, 67 and 75.

Mr Haseloff spoke alongside German chancellor Olaf Scholz, who expressed concern about the condition of those injured. Scholz told reporters. Almost 40 are so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them.

Earlier, Mr Haseloff told reporters earlier that additional deaths could not be ruled out due to the number of people injured.

Who is the suspect?

open image in gallery The black smashed up BMW pictured at the scene following the attack ( AFP via Getty Images )

The suspect is a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia, named by German media as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen.

On Saturday evening, he was remanded into custody after appearing in a court, police said.

The judge ordered pre-trial detention for five counts of murder, multiple attempted murder and multiple counts of dangerous bodily harm, its statement said.

Authorities confirmed that he first came to Germany in 2006 and later gained refugee status in 2016.

Local media reported that he had shown support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD), with a Saudi source telling Reuters that the kingdom had warned German authorities about the attacker, who the source said had posted extremist views on his personal X account.

A German security source told the news agency that tips sent by the Saudi authorities in 2023 and 2024 had been passed on to the relevant authorities. Newspaper Die Welt cited security sources as saying that a risk assessment conducted by state and federal investigators concluded that the man posed no specific danger.

Interior minister Nancy Faeser told reporters on Saturday: At this point, we can only say for sure that the perpetrator was evidently Islamophobic  we can confirm that. Everything else is a matter for further investigation and we have to wait.

He worked as a psychiatric doctor in the nearby town of Bernburg, with his workplace issuing a statement describing their shock at the attack.

Posting on Instagram, the Salus-Fachklinikum Bernburg clinic said it was shocked to learn that the alleged perpetrator worked as a specialist doctor in our enforcement in Bernburg.

It added that the suspect had been employed there as a psychiatric specialist since March 2020, but he had not been working since October due to illness and holiday.

Fairytale market turns into war-like scenes

open image in gallery Police officers guard at a cordoned-off area near the Christmas Market ( AP )

A witness told German newspaperMitteldeutsche Zeitung that she and her children jumped out of the path of the careering vehicle as it drove into the crowd.

The anonymous witness described the area as a fairytale before the attack.

A man who runs a burger stand told the newspaper that the driver sped past his stall and described the aftermath as war-like.

Another witness told Bild that her boyfriend was hit and she is frantically trying to locate him.

The woman, named Nadine, 32, told the newspaper that she had her arm around him when the car came hurtling towards them.

He was hit and pulled away from my side. He was terrible. Nobody even screamed. You couldnt even hear the car.

She said her boyfriend sustained head and leg injuries and she doesnt know where he is. We dont know which hospital he went to, she said. The uncertainty is unbearable.

Where is the Christmas market?

The Christmas market is in the city of Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin. It is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has a population of 240,000.

The large market was bustling on the last Friday before Christmas and was packed with shoppers.

It was evacuated immediately after the attack and organisers have urged the public to stay away from the area.

Footage from the scene of a cordoned-off part of the market showed debris from festive stalls on the ground.

Just yesterday, a service marking the eighth anniversary of an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin took place. In 2016, an attack carried out by Anis Amri killed 13 people and injured dozens more when he drove into a crowd.
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Police have arrested a 50-year-old man after a car ploughed into a busy outdoor Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday evening, killing at least five people and injuring 200 others.

At least five people - including a nine-year-old boy and four women - were killed in the attack as the suspect is remanded in custody.

Footage showed the vehicle breaking through barriers before speeding 400 metres through the crammed fairytale-like Magdeburg market.

Here is everything we know about the suspect so far.

Who is the suspect?

open image in gallery A smashed up car allegedly belonging to the suspect behind a police cordon ( AFP via Getty Images )

The suspect is a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia, named by German media as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen. On Saturday evening, he was remanded into custody after appearing in court.

The judge ordered pre-trial detention for five counts of murder, multiple attempted murder and multiple counts of dangerous bodily harm, its statement said.

Authorities confirmed that he first came to Germany in 2006 and later gained refugee status in 2016.

Local media reported that he had shown support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD), with a Saudi source telling Reuters that the kingdom had warned German authorities about the attacker, who the source said had posted extremist views on his personal X account.

A German security source told the news agency that tips sent by the Saudi authorities in 2023 and 2024 had been passed on to the relevant authorities. Newspaper Die Welt cited security sources as saying that a risk assessment conducted by state and federal investigators concluded that the man posed no specific danger.

Interior minister Nancy Faeser told reporters on Saturday: At this point, we can only say for sure that the perpetrator was evidently Islamophobic  we can confirm that. Everything else is a matter for further investigation and we have to wait.

open image in gallery Far-right demonstrators take part in a protest on Saturday after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany ( Reuters )

In the days since his arrest, an interview the suspect gave to the BBC in 2019 has resurfaced.

In the video, he is seen speaking about a website he designed to help former Muslims flee the Gulf region.

He worked as a psychiatric doctor in the nearby town of Bernburg, with his workplace issuing a statement describing their shock at the attack.

Posting on Instagram, the Salus-Fachklinikum Bernburg clinic said it was shocked to learn that the alleged perpetrator worked as a specialist doctor in our enforcement in Bernburg.

It added that the suspect had been employed there as a psychiatric specialist since March 2020, but he had not been working since October due to illness and holiday.

open image in gallery A policeman is seen at the Christmas market where an incident happened in Magdeburg ( AP )

German public broadcaster MDR previously reported that police suspected there could be explosives in the suspects car, but police later confirmed none were found after closer inspection.

Follow our live coverage of the incident here

How many people have died?

At least five people were killed in the shocking incident, authorities confirmed. One of those killed was a nine-year-old child.

Authorities confirmed on Saturday that 200 people have been injured, including 40 very seriously.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed concern about the condition of those injured. He told reporters: Almost 40 are so seriously injured that we must be very worried about them.

Mr Haseloff told reporters earlier that additional deaths could not be ruled out due to the number of people injured.
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A European country has defended its ban on TikTok, adding that the move was not a rushed reaction to a single incident.

Albanias prime minister Edi Rama said on Saturday the government will shut down TikTok for one year, accusing the popular video service of inciting violence and bullying, especially among children.

Authorities have held 1,300 meetings with teachers and parents since the November stabbing death of a teenager by another teen after a quarrel that started on social media apps. The authorities say that 90 per cent of those approve of the ban.

The ban on TikTok for one year in Albania is not a rushed reaction to a single incident, but a carefully considered decision made in consultation with parent communities in schools across the country, said Rama.

Albanian children comprise the largest group of TikTok users in the country, according to domestic researchers.

Many youngsters in Albania did not approve of the ban.

We disclose our daily life and entertain ourselves, that is, we exploit it during our free time, said Samuel Sulmani, an 18-year-old in the town of Rreshen, 75km north of the capital Tirana, on Sunday. We do not agree with that because thats a deprivation for us.

open image in gallery Tourists near the remains of a cold war bunker on a beach on the island of Sazan, near the Albanian city of Vlore ( Getty )

But Albanian parents have been increasingly concerned following reports of children taking knives and other objects to school to use in quarrels or cases of bullying promoted by stories they see on TikTok.

Our decision couldnt be clearer: either TikTok protects the children of Albania, or Albania will protect its children from TikTok, said Mr Rama.

Following Tiranas decision, TikTok asked for urgent clarity from the Albanian government in the case of the stabbed teenager. The company said it had found no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts, and multiple reports have in fact confirmed videos leading up to this incident were being posted on another platform, not TikTok.

To claim that the killing of the teenage boy has no connection to TikTok because the conflict didnt originate on the platform demonstrates a failure to grasp both the seriousness of the threat TikTok poses to children and youth today and the rationale behind our decision to take responsibility for addressing this threat, said Mr Rama.

Albania may be too small to demand that TikTok protect children and youth from the frightening pitfalls of its algorithm, he said, blaming TikTok for the reproduction of the unending hell of the language of hatred, violence, bullying and so on.
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At least 20 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes as missiles struck a tent camp in an official humanitarian zone, local medics have reported.

One of the strikes hit a tent camp in the Muwasi area, an Israel-declared humanitarian zone, killing eight people, including two children, according to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, which received the bodies.

The Israeli military says it only strikes militants, accusing them of hiding among civilians. It said late Sunday that it had targeted a Hamas militant in the humanitarian zone.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage. Around 100 captives are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

In the 14 months since Israel began its retaliatory air and ground offensive, it has killed more than 45,300 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave.

The ministry says women and children make up more than half the dead but does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. The military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

In its latest update, the Gaza health ministry put the total death toll at 45,317. At least 107,713 have been injured, they added.

The ministry said in the last 24 hours, 58 people were killed and 86 injured.

open image in gallery People and rescuers inspect the carcass of a bus hit by an Israeli strike in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis ( AFP/Getty )

It comes as Oxfam said only around a third of its aid trucks carrying food and water intended for the Palestinians were allowed to enter northern Gaza over the last 10 weeks.

The charity claimed the Israeli military were engaging in deliberate delays and systematic obstructions to the aid vehicles, which are intended to deliver help to starving Palestinian civilians.

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfams policy lead in the occupied Palestinian territory, told Al Jazeera:

After 14 months of relentless bombardment and starvation of the entire population, some people are acting out of desperation and theres absolute chaos in Gaza right now.

Some people are asking their kids not to play, because they will get dizzy since theyre not eating and drinking enough. Imagine asking your five-year-old not to play while already theres all this death and destruction around.
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The emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow people to efficiently produce novel and detailed online reviews with almost no work has put merchants, service providers and consumers in uncharted territory, watchdog groups and researchers say.

Phony reviews have long plagued many popular consumer websites, such as Amazon and Yelp. They are typically traded on private social media groups between fake review brokers and businesses willing to pay. Sometimes, such reviews are initiated by businesses that offer customers incentives such as gift cards for positive feedback.

But AI-infused text generation tools, popularized by OpenAIs ChatGPT, enable fraudsters to produce reviews faster and in greater volume, according to tech industry experts.

The deceptive practice, which is illegal in the U.S., is carried out year-round but becomes a bigger problem for consumers during the holiday shopping season, when many people rely on reviews to help them purchase gifts.

Where are AI-generated reviews showing up?

Fake reviews are found across a wide range of industries, from e-commerce, lodging and restaurants, to services such as home repairs, medical care and piano lessons.

The Transparency Company, a tech company and watchdog group that uses software to detect fake reviews, said it started to see AI-generated reviews show up in large numbers in mid-2023 and they have multiplied ever since.

For a report released this month, The Transparency Company analyzed 73 million reviews in three sectors: home, legal and medical services. Nearly 14% of the reviews were likely fake, and the company expressed a high degree of confidence that 2.3 million reviews were partly or entirely AI-generated.

Its just a really, really good tool for these review scammers, said Maury Blackman, an investor and advisor to tech startups, who reviewed The Transparency Company's work and is set to lead the organization starting Jan. 1.

In August, software company DoubleVerify said it was observing a significant increase in mobile phone and smart TV apps with reviews crafted by generative AI. The reviews often were used to deceive customers into installing apps that could hijack devices or run ads constantly, the company said.

The following month, the Federal Trade Commission sued the company behind an AI writing tool and content generator called Rytr, accusing it of offering a service that could pollute the marketplace with fraudulent reviews.

The FTC, which this year banned the sale or purchase of fake reviews, said some of Rytrs subscribers used the tool to produce hundreds and perhaps thousands of reviews for garage door repair companies, sellers of replica designer handbags and other businesses.

It's likely on prominent online sites, too

Max Spero, CEO of AI detection company Pangram Labs, said the software his company uses has detected with almost certainty that some AI-generated appraisals posted on Amazon bubbled up to the top of review search results because they were so detailed and appeared to be well thought-out.

But determining what is fake or not can be challenging. External parties can fall short because they dont have access to data signals that indicate patterns of abuse, Amazon has said.

Pangram Labs has done detection for some prominent online sites, which Spero declined to name due to non-disclosure agreements. He said he evaluated Amazon and Yelp independently.

Many of the AI-generated comments on Yelp appeared to be posted by individuals who were trying to publish enough reviews to earn an Elite badge, which is intended to let users know they should trust the content, Spero said.

The badge provides access to exclusive events with local business owners. Fraudsters also want it so their Yelp profiles can look more realistic, said Kay Dean, a former federal criminal investigator who runs a watchdog group called Fake Review Watch.

To be sure, just because a review is AI-generated doesnt necessarily mean its fake. Some consumers might experiment with AI tools to generate content that reflects their genuine sentiments. Some non-native English speakers say they turn to AI to make sure they use accurate language in the reviews they write.

It can help with reviews (and) make it more informative if it comes out of good intentions, said Michigan State University marketing professor Sherry He, who has researched fake reviews. She says tech platforms should focus on the behavioral patters of bad actors, which prominent platforms already do, instead of discouraging legitimate users from turning to AI tools.

What companies are doing

Prominent companies are developing policies for how AI-generated content fits into their systems for removing phony or abusive reviews. Some already employ algorithms and investigative teams to detect and take down fake reviews but are giving users some flexibility to use AI.

Spokespeople for Amazon and Trustpilot, for example, said they would allow customers to post AI-assisted reviews as long as they reflect their genuine experience. Yelp has taken a more cautious approach, saying its guidelines require reviewers to write their own copy.

With the recent rise in consumer adoption of AI tools, Yelp has significantly invested in methods to better detect and mitigate such content on our platform, the company said in a statement.

The Coalition for Trusted Reviews, which Amazon, Trustpilot, employment review site Glassdoor, and travel sites Tripadvisor, Expedia and Booking.com launched last year, said that even though deceivers may put AI to illicit use, the technology also presents an opportunity to push back against those who seek to use reviews to mislead others.

By sharing best practice and raising standards, including developing advanced AI detection systems, we can protect consumers and maintain the integrity of online reviews, the group said.

The FTCs rule banning fake reviews, which took effect in October, allows the agency to fine businesses and individuals who engage in the practice. Tech companies hosting such reviews are shielded from the penalty because they are not legally liable under U.S. law for the content that outsiders post on their platforms.

Tech companies, including Amazon, Yelp and Google, have sued fake review brokers they accuse of peddling counterfeit reviews on their sites. The companies say their technology has blocked or removed a huge swath of suspect reviews and suspicious accounts. However, some experts say they could be doing more.

Their efforts thus far are not nearly enough, said Dean of Fake Review Watch. If these tech companies are so committed to eliminating review fraud on their platforms, why is it that I, one individual who works with no automation, can find hundreds or even thousands of fake reviews on any given day?

Spotting fake AI-generated reviews

Consumers can try to spot fake reviews by watching out for a few possible warning signs, according to researchers. Overly enthusiastic or negative reviews are red flags. Jargon that repeats a product's full name or model number is another potential giveaway.

When it comes to AI, research conducted by Balazs Kovacs, a Yale professor of organization behavior, has shown that people can't tell the difference between AI-generated and human-written reviews. Some AI detectors may also be fooled by shorter texts, which are common in online reviews, the study said.

However, there are some AI tells that online shoppers and service seekers should keep it mind. Panagram Labs says reviews written with AI are typically longer, highly structured and include empty descriptors, such as generic phrases and attributes. The writing also tends to include cliches like the first thing that struck me and game-changer.
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Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino fired back Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump twice threatened to take control of the Panama Canal.

As president, I want to express clearly that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama, and will continue to do so, Mulino said in a strident video statement. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.

He added: The canal is not under direct or indirect control, neither by China, nor by the European community, nor by the United States, nor by any other power. As a Panamanian, I strongly reject any manifestation that distorts this reality.

Panama respects other nations and demands respect, he insisted.

Trump again emphasized Sunday in an address before the conservative Turning Point USA Americafest in Phoenix that he is prepared to take back the Panama Canal because hes angry about exorbitant use fees.

He also said in an afternoon post on Truth Social that Americas control and ownership of Greenland from Denmark is an absolute necessity for world security and freedom. He made the startling call as he announced PayPal co-founder Ken Hoswery as his pick to be U.S. ambasador to Denmark .

Trump first raised the threat about the Panama Canal in two long Truth Social postst Saturday, calling the canal a vital American asset.

He added: Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S.

Has anyone ever heard of the Panama Canal? Trump asked the Turning Point crowd Sunday. Because were being ripped off at the Panama Canal like were being ripped off everywhere else.

He vowed swift action on the matter in his remarks.

It was given to Panama and to the people of Panama, but it has provisions. You got to treat us fairly and they havent treated us fairly, Trump insisted.

If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question, Trump added.

An audience member shouted out: Take it back! Trump responded: Thats a good idea.

Panama charges fees for boats and ships to use the canal connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They can vary from $0.50 to $300,000. The U.S. handed Panama control of the canal in 1999. The U.S. is by far the biggest user of the canal.

The United States built the canal in the early 1900s to improve travel for American commercial and military vessels between its coasts without having to go around South America. Washington turned over control of the waterway to Panama in 1999 under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. Trump called the deal foolish on Sunday.

Molino defended the fees, saying they are necessary, and are determined after open hearings taking into account market conditions, international competition, operating costs and maintenance and modernization.

We are a country open to dialogue, today and always, to investments and good relations, but with the clear motto that the country comes first, he emphasized.

That, for this Panamanian president, is not negotiable.
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Abu Dhabi is aiming to become the worlds first city to launch flying taxis, having secured a deal to operate a service by late 2025.

A collaboration with US-based Archer Aviation will also see a fleet of electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufactured in the United Arab Emirates capital.

If successful, Archers Midnight craft will transport up to four passengers per vehicle between various vertiports dotted around Abu Dhabi, cutting journey times by up to 80 per cent.

Archers goal is to transform urban travel, replacing 60-90 minute commutes by car with 10-20 minute flights that are safe, sustainable, low-noise, and cost-competitive with ground transportation, a spokesperson for Archer told The Independent.

Midnight has similar levels of safety to commercial airliners, while also being 100-times quieter than a helicopter at cruising altitudes.

open image in gallery Archers Midnight eVTOL will fly passengers between vertiports throughout Abu Dhabi ( Archer Aviation )

The concept of eVTOL vehicles as a legitimate form of transport was first popularised by Uber in 2016 during its Elevate conference . The hugely popular ride-hailing app envisioned a future where customers would be able to order flying taxis in the same way they order car rides.

More than 300 eVTOL startups have formed since then, raising close to $10 billion in funding between them. A recent report by research firm IDTechEx estimated that less than 5 per cent of these companies will still be around, however Archer Aviation was listed among the top three most valuable firms.

First mover advantage for any of these players is vital, as more benefits will come next  income from early commercial flights will improve finances and attract additional funding, the report stated.

Archer believes it can get this early jump by launching its first commercial operations in Abu Dhabi, shuttling customers between popular destinations. Archers Midnight eVTOL can carry passengers at speeds of up to 240 kph (150 mph), utilising the citys unique topography to fly large parts of the journey over water.

Archer has already secured partnerships in the US, India, South Korea and Japan, however it is closest to launch in the UAE. This is partly thanks to the cross-industry collaboration facilitated by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.

The agreement with Archer includes Abu Dhabi Airports, Etihad Aviation Training, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Global Air Navigation Services, Global Aerospace Logistics, and the Integrated Transport Centre.

The comprehensive support from our partners, combined with Abu Dhabis forward-thinking approach to next-gen transportation, creates an ideal environment for launching Midnight, the Archer spokesperson said.

This collaboration between commercial and governmental entities means that both operational and regulatory issues can be resolved in tandem.

We are committed to launching electric air taxis safely in the UAE... [The] consortium announcement showcases the importance of collaboration across the countrys preeminent aviation entities in order to host Archers Midnight in the region next year, said His Excellency Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, who serves as the Director General of the GCAA.

Regulatory hurdles remain the biggest obstacle for launching eVTOL taxi service in most markets, with only China potentially capable of beating the UAE to launching the worlds first commercial operation.

Earlier this year, local startup AutoFlight demonstrated an inter-city flight in South Chinas Guangdong Province, though regular passenger flights are not expected to begin until 2026.

Alessandro Borgogna, an aerospace engineer who works at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, said that there are already plans in place for up to five eVTOL vertiports to be operating in Abu Dhabi by this time next year.

Borgogna, who helped launch Abu Dhabis Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) hub, said Archers eVTOLs form an integral part of radically transforming land, sea and air transportation in UAEs capital.

People are super excited to use eVTOLs, he told The Independent. Theyll cut journey times, while also being safer, cleaner and less noisy than helicopters.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has addressed rumors that she is pregnant after one of her social media followers asked whether she was expecting a child because she was "glowing."

The New York representative, 35, hosted a Q&A session on her Instagram story.

Responding to a question about whether she is pregnant, AOC said that a Republican member of Congress recently asked her the same question on the floor of the House of Representatives.

"I had a lot of food at Thanksgiving, OK?" she said.
Households here have saved just over 14pc of their incomes in the last quarter

The pile of savings that Irish households are keeping in banks, already standing at over 156bn, is set to grow further as the population ages, a leading Central Bank economist has pointed out.

Households saved 14.1pc of their incomes in the last quarter. The trend of putting away extra money began during Covid but has continued since, with the savings rate averaging around 14pc since the middle of 2022.

This means even though real incomes have been rising, consumption and spending are not keeping pace.

Irelands ageing demographic means the working-age population is going to peak in 2045 and then decline, leading to the savings rate increasing further, according to Robert Kelly, director of economics and statistics at the Central Bank.

Looking at the working age charts, we expect more and more savings. An ageing population saves more, he said. Also, auto enrolment of pensions just came in. There is going to be more and more accumulation of savings within the economy, and we need to think about that, along with [investment] in public infrastructure.

The official definition of household savings includes buying assets such as new homes, paying off debts and paying into pensions, as well as putting money on deposit in banks. Central Bank figures show that households net deposits into banks in Q3 were up by 1.3bn.

Looking at the working age charts, we expect more and more savings

Given that most of this money is in low-interest accounts, and that there is a need to invest in infrastructure and start-up businesses, more thought is now being given about how to incentivise households to use their savings differently.

We are now at 160bn on deposit in banks, and its not necessarily that productive. The only way that money makes its way back in is through the bank-lending channel, Mr Kelly said.

Theres a limited capacity in how that can be used. I will let Government decide what are the right incentives, but we need to think about how we deepen the pool.

Mario Draghi. Photo: Getty

News in 90 Seconds - December 23 2024

The recent report on competitiveness in the EU by Mario Draghi identified an 800bn investment gap, which represents almost 5pc of the EUs GDP. Mr Draghi suggested that money would not come from the public purse but mostly from the private sector.

Mr Kelly said Ireland needs to think about how to diversify the savings pool, including how to allow households get access to mutual funds, for example. Some of that becomes about incentivising through tax policy  whether that be capital gains tax, or restrictions on in and out, he said. People are talking about a number of ways in which there are frictions in the [tax] system to stop people investing, be it in equities or mutual funds.

We need to think about how we deepen the pool

He said governments have a role to play in helping to move savings into productive capital, but there are other elements too, such as changes to the European infrastructure in terms of creating the right products. At present, home ownership is the most highly incentivised asset class.

We would see more consumption if the savings rate falls, Mr Kelly pointed out. If we see the savings rate remain elevated, and thats used to create infrastructure, for example, then we are all of a sudden creating this space again, just through a different means.

Instead of there being slightly less consumption, were seeing [the savings] come through the investment channel. We have to make sure that there is nothing that stops it smoothly going from what could be consumption into investment, if we think thats what households want, and if they want to make more precautionary savings.

The most recent Consumer Expectations Survey published by the European Central Bank (ECB) showed a strong preference for saving among Irish consumers, and pointed out that this preference has only increased in recent years.

The Central Banks last quarterly bulletin forecasts that the savings rate will grow modestly over the next two years, averaging a rate of 15.6pc between 2024 and 2026, above its historical norm.

From a broader perspective, sustainably mobilising household savings across the EU for investment in Europes  including Irelands productive capital stock  would also enhance the resilience of households, businesses and the economy as a whole, the bulletin said.
Japanese car giants Honda and Nissan announce merger plans

Deal would create No. 3 global auto group after Toyota, VolkswagenHonda, Nissan aim to list holding company in Aug 2026 -sourceJoint press conference with Mitsubishi Motors set for Monday

The two firms have signed a memorandum of understanding (AP)

Maki Shiraki Mon 23 Dec 2024 at 09:26







Honda 7267.T and Nissan 7201.T agreed to explore a merger and set up a joint holding company, they said on Monday, which would create the world's third-largest automaker and signals a massive shift in an industry under tremendous upheaval.
Blake Lively has accused Justin Baldoni of embarking on a plan to damage her reputation (Ian West/PA)

Amber Heard has claimed social media spreads lies more quickly than it does the truth, in the wake of Blake Livelys complaint against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni.

US actress Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, hostile work environment and embarking on a multi-tiered plan to damage her reputation with claims of a targeted social media campaign.

The legal complaint states that Baldoni, 40, hired crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, the same publicist who actor Johnny Depp is said to have hired during his high-profile defamation trial against Heard in 2022.

Actress Amber Heard gave a statement to NBC News (Victoria Jones/PA)

In a statement given to NBC News, Aquaman star Heard said: Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying, a lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.

I saw this first-hand and up close.

Its as horrifying as it is destructive.

Depp successfully sued ex-wife Heard over a 2018 article she wrote for The Washington Post about her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse, which his lawyers said falsely accused him of being an abuser.

At the time, Heard said the jurys verdict sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.

Justin Baldoni attending the world premiere of It Ends With Us (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Bryan Freedman, a lawyer representing Baldoni and the other named defendants, said Livelys claims were completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious, adding that the studio made the decision to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign of the film.

It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoovers novel of the same name, is about a womans pursuit of a loving and healthy relationship, with Lively playing lead character Lily Bloom and Baldoni as her love interest Ryle Kincaid amid a backdrop of domestic violence.

After the legal action was filed, Hoover appeared to voice support for 37-year-old Lively, writing on her Instagram stories: @blakelively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.

Thank you for being exactly the human that you are.

Never change. Never wilt.

Blake Lively attending the UK gala screening for It Ends With Us (Ian West/PA)

Hoover posted a link to a New York Times article titled We Can Bury Anyone: Inside A Hollywood Smear Machine.

Livelys former cast members from the 2005 film The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants, America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel, also released a joint social media statement to defend their long-time friend.

As Blakes friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation, the statement said.

Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.

They added: We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment, the statement continues.

We are inspired by our sisters courage to stand up for herself and others.
Aerial image of a herd of cattle in an area of deforested Amazon rainforest covered in smoke from an illegal fire in the municipality of Cujubim, Rondonia State, northern Brazil, on August 20, 2024. (Photo by EVARISTO SA / AFP) (Photo by EVARISTO SA/AFP via Getty Images)

The next United Nations climate conference, COP30, will be held in Belem, the capital of an Amazon region where widespread deforestation mainly driven by cattle farming has turned the surrounding rainforest from a vital carbon sink into a significant carbon source.

Now a new report concludes around 80% of Brazils leading beef and cow leather companies and their financiers have made no commitments to stop deforestation.

The study, released Wednesday by the environmental nonprofit group Global Canopy, highlights the countrys most influential beef and leather producers and processors along with financial institutions that have supported them with $100 billion. This amount is one-third of the annual funding that wealthy nations pledged to provide for climate finance in developing countries during COP29 last month in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Although cattle is the single most influential commodity for deforestation and linked greenhouse gas emissions, the report ... reveals a picture of staggering inaction from corporates and financial institutions alike in Brazilian supply chains, the study said.

The record is poor even among companies that commit to halting deforestation, such as JBS, according to the report. The giant meatpacker is one of the few to make such commitments and one of only two to have a system for tracing cattle all the way to the production unit. Yet the report ranks the company as the most likely to be buying cattle and cow leather from recently deforested land.

This assessment of deforestation risk is based on the number of cattle bought from ranchers in each Brazilian municipality and its deforestation rate. Meatpackers buying from high-deforestation areas are more likely to source from recently cleared land than those buying from low-deforestation areas. The methodology was created by Do Pasto ao Prato, an independent Brazilian consumer app that aims to increase transparency in the livestock sector.

"Commitments are critical as one of the first steps a company takes to address deforestation," Emma Thomson, one of the coauthors, told The Associated Press. But it has to be followed by effective implementation and by monitoring suppliers and indirect suppliers for compliance with those standards. It has to have effective traceability mechanisms and transparent reporting on the progress that is  or isnt  being made.

Besides JBS, the report lists three processing companies with units based in Para state as likely to be buying cattle and cow leather from recently deforested land: Mercurio, Mafrinorte and Frigol.

In a written response, JBS said the study's methodology provides a simplistic and inaccurate assessment of deforestation risk, ignoring factors such as corporate policies, sustainable procurement systems and exclusion of noncompliant suppliers.

The company said that since 2009 it has maintained a system to ensure suppliers meet socio-environmental criteria. The companies that have made significant progress in their controls end up being criticized, and their transparency is used not as an incentive but as a penalty, it said.

Mercurio, Mafrinorte and Frigol didnt reply to requests for comment.

Global Canopys report was funded by the Bezos Earth Fund. Do Pasto ao Prato is financed by Norways International Climate and Forest Initiative.

The state of Para harbors Brazils second largest cattle herd, with 25 million animals  and 35% of its territory is cleared, an area slightly smaller than Syria. As a result, it ranks first in greenhouse gas emissions among Brazilian states. A landmark study published in the journal Nature in 2021 found that the eastern Amazon, where Para is located, has ceased to function as a carbon sink, or absorber, for the Earth, due to widespread deforestation and climate change.

Niki Mardas, executive director of Global Canopy, said there will be an update to Wednesday's baseline report in the runup to COP30 next November, when all eyes will be on the Amazon. This isn't a fixed picture. This is a call to action.

AP
Pippa Hackett: I know theres farmers across the country cheering that the Greens are gone  but that doesnt mean the regulations are going to get any less

In an exclusive interview, outgoing Minister Pippa Hackett says the Green Partys policies will live on despite their electoral demise, defends her own record in government, reveals how she dealt with online abuse and insists Rural Ireland needs the Greens

Minister of State Pippa Hackett says, With or without the Greens, these changes are going to be necessary

Niall Hurson Mon 23 Dec 2024 at 09:16

Despite the Green Partys near-wipeout in the general election, Minister of State Pippa Hackett insists their policies will continue to have influence.
Premature tot set to enjoy first festive food after feeding tube is taken out

Co Tyrone baby boy who weighed just 1lb 10oz at birth is set for his first taste of Christmas dinner after having a feeding tube removed

An odds-defying little boy who weighed only 1lb 10oz at birth is set for his first taste of Christmas dinner after having a feeding tube removed just ahead of the festive season.

Doctors feared Iarla Ace would not survive long when he was born prematurely at 25 weeks in the Royal Maternity Hospital in Belfast in October last year.

But he has since confounded expectations to overcome multiple serious health issues, including a brain haemorrhage shortly after birth.

Iarla has undergone five operations and spent a total of 127 days in hospital before finally being discharged to the family home in Castlecaulfield, Co Tyrone, in February this year.

His mother Lindsay, father Matthew and four-year-old big sister Aine are now looking forward to spending their first Christmas in the house with the resilient 14-month-old.

14-month-old Iarla Ace at his familys home in Castlecaulfield near Dungannon, Co Tyrone (Liam McBurney/PA)

Iarla reached another milestone in t a few weeks ago when a feeding tube was removed from his nose and he was able to eat normally for the first time.

Ms Ace, who is a nurse in Craigavon Area Hospital, said her sons birth on October 22 last year was very traumatic.

He was very, very poorly whenever he was born, said the 39-year-old.

He wasnt responding, and he had to be put on a ventilator.

He was very tiny and at the start he had a lot of difficulties with his breathing and his blood pressure and other things. And it was really one thing after another to be honest with you. At the very, very start it was very precarious  we really didnt think he was going to survive the first couple of days.

But hes a really strong wee man and everything and every idea that they (the doctors) came up with, it seemed to work for him, and he just get past each hurdle and then moved on to the next one.

Ms Ace said last Christmas was a horrible experience for the family as she and her husband tried to balance visits to see Iarla in the neo-natal unit of Craigavon Area Hospital with making the holiday special for Aine at home.

Then Iarla became very unwell with a bowel obstruction and was rushed back to the Royal on New Years Day for emergency surgery.

It was only whenever I started talking about it again I just realised how grim it was said his mum.

It was just horrendous. If I could have cancelled Christmas, I would, but obviously I had a little girl and I couldnt, and we had to do Christmas.

Baby Iarla with mum and dad Matthew and Lindsay Ace and four-year-old sister Aine

She added: Its going to be amazing just for us all to be together at home this year for Christmas, and just eat dinner and visit family and enjoy just the four of us being together.

Iarlas father Matthew, a team leader in a pharmaceutical company, said the day his son finally came home from hospital was incredible.

It was just unreal, said the 38-year-old. Hes been so well looked after in the hospital environment with so much clinical attention, and youre now responsible  theres a pressure that comes with it. But it was incredible.

Ms Ace said the removal of Iarlas feeding tube was a landmark moment

Now he really is thriving, hes meeting all his developmental milestones for his corrected age. He is a very content and happy little man.

Iarlas parents are thankful to all those involved in his care at the Royal in Belfast and in Craigavon hospital, and all the family and friends who have helped them throughout the last 14 months.

They also hailed what the amazing support of TinyLife, a charity that helps families with premature babies.

Iarla has a condition called hydrocephalus, which results in a build-up of fluid in his brain. His parents highlighted the assistance they got from Shine, a charity that offers specialist support to those affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

TinyLifes chief exec Joanne Morgan hailed the family for their fundraising efforts to help other premature babies.

TinyLife is very privileged to support baby Iarla and his family through what has been a challenging year, albeit with a very happy ending, she said.
In the spirit of giving back during the festive season, Circle K is providing free hot drinks to all members of the Irish emergency services.

The gesture of goodwill will see those working over the festive period receive complimentary drinks in store on Christmas Day and New Years Eve.

On these two days, employees of An Garda Siochana, the Fire Service, RNLI, the coastguard and the National Health Service can avail of any hot drink of their choice free of charge.

"Whether its a classic Americano, a milky Latte, a textured flat white, or perhaps a deliciously comforting hot chocolate or cup of tea  its on Circle K, the company said.

It follows a rolling tradition from Circle K, who said it has committed to expressing gratitude to the Irish emergency services who safeguard our communities during a busy time of the year.

Ciara Foxton, Managing Director at Circle K Ireland said they are delighted to once again support Irelands emergency services this Christmas.

"This small gesture is a token of our appreciation for the incredible work our emergency services provide to our communities nationwide, especially during the festive period. Their unwavering commitment to ensuring our safety deserves recognition and appreciation, especially during the holidays

For more information, visit www.circlek.ie, Circle K Ireland on Facebook, or @circlekireland on X and Instagram.
There are more and more children who have no sense of a conventional home life, church leader says

The level of child homelessness has been strongly criticised by Archbishop Michael Jackson who said it was a stain on our society.

As the country prepares to celebrate Christmas, Dr Jackson, who is the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop Glendalough, drew a parallel between the Christ child in the manger and a child in Ireland today on the outside of the provision of hospitality or security.

He said it was very chilling that there is an excess of money somewhere and yet people were queuing for food in front of our eyes at the Capuchin Day Centre recently.

If ever we had on our streets a contemporary expression of the scriptural verse There is no room in the inn, that is it, he told the Irish Independent.

There is an escalation of people for whom the aspiration to live in a place of safety and security is ebbing as they increase in years. There are more and more children who have no sense of a conventional home life.

As well as child homelessness, Dr Jackson highlighted the plight of older and disabled people who are homeless and called for the crisis to be addressed in a structured and compassionate way.

Acknowledging that Christmas can be a difficult time for the bereaved, those who are alone, and those recently arrived in Ireland, he said: Its not only a difficult time; its a time where aloneness almost takes over from loneliness, and that is a very difficult space to inhabit. There are other people who do not have a hearth for their heart. They have nowhere to gather as family and friends.

That can happen for a number of reasons. Some people are unfortunate; some people fall on very hard times; some people are in Ireland for the first time in their lives; some people are in Ireland because they didnt want to be here; some people have just been plain unlucky.

Dr Jackson also expressed solidarity with those who do not find Ireland a place of welcome. Speaking about the rise in anti-migrant and anti-refugee protests, he regretted that many people are tremendously influenced by an international social media which made it very easy for people to escalate sentiment against others.

We need to be vigilant and people who have capacity need to speak for those who dont, they need to engage with people who havent got a voice, he said.

The Anglican church leader, who is chairperson of the Dublin City Interfaith Forum, which fosters dialogue between faiths, said there was significant unseen work taking place in relation to people who speak differently, look differently, from the conventional, inherited Irish person.

The thing that we need to remember is that Ireland, as an island off Europe, needs more and more people of what we call diversity in order to create and sustain a functioning and a flourishing society. We ought not to fear the people we dont know and understand.

I feel for young people who have come here, and against all the odds, have made it and find themselves pushed into the wall. It is really important to engage in dialogue, which is talking to people, embracing them, hearing their story, and sharing something of who you are with them.
Michael OLeary has a lot to answer for  outgoing Environment Minister Eamon Ryan in parting shot at Ryanair boss, as he talks Green Party regrets

Former Green Party leader says he should also have stood up to Healy-Raes moreRyan regrets wolves reintegration commentIrelands NGOs attacked the GreensHis party is already half-way back to power, he says

Eamon Ryan, former Green Party leader, has discussed the lessons he learned from his time in government. Photo: Frank McGrath

Caroline O'Doherty Mon 23 Dec 2024 at 03:30

Outgoing Environment Minister Eamon Ryan says he regrets not hitting back more against attacks by opponents such as the Healy-Raes and Michael OLeary.
The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA)have said there is momentum gathering behind the response to the closure of Holyhead but is critical that information is being provided in a piecemeal fashion.

This morning, the association with other groups met with Minister of State in the Department of Transport James Lawless as the crisis at the busy port continues.

With confirmation last week that the port would remain closed until at least January 15, the IRHA have said the situation is now being escalated to the UK prime minister Keir Starmer.

President of the IRHA Ger Hyland has said the Taoiseach Simon Harris, who has engaged with the Welsh transport minister, needs to speak with the prime minister on the situation.

Delighted to see that there is momentum gathering and that the Department of Transport escalated this to the senior members of Government in the UK and now it requires the Taoiseach to speak to the UK prime minister Keir Starmer, Mr Hyland said.

Holyhead Port was forced to close following damage during Storm Darragh (Peter Byrne/PA)

News in 90 Seconds - December 23 2024

Mr Hyland said the Department of Transport here were putting pressure on UK authorities to allow Liverpool and Milford Haven to be used as options while Holyhead was closed.

He also said he was calling on the ferry companies to up their game and do more to alleviate the crisis after Christmas.

Ahead of the meeting, the association warned that haulage companies could go out of business due to the additional cost of Holyheads closure.

This has been a very trying and costly time for the industry. Depending on the type of operation being run in our sector losses of as much as 3,000 per week per vehicle have been reported, Mr Hyland said this afternoon.

We have spoken to the Department about making an application for compensation early in the new year. The alternative routes are very costly and there has been considerable loss in the last three weeks, he added.

In a statement, the Department of Transport said it would take some time to assess the impact of the ports closure.

Regarding the call for financial supports, while the damage arising from the closure of Holyhead Port has significant impacts and causes disruption for affected hauliers and shippers, it does not affect all hauliers in Ireland, the statement said.

It will take some time to establish the precise impacts of the Holyhead Port closure across the sector and determine an appropriate response.

Mr Hyland also highlighted the importance of the communication coming from the port, so that companies could make plans going forward in the wake of the significant disruption.

The president of the association was critical of how the information from the port was being relayed up to this point.

We need correct and true information from Holyhead with a definite timeline so we can plan for the future as up to now this has been fed to us in a piecemeal fashion, Mr Hyland said.

In a statement, transport minister Eamon Ryan also noted the need for real-time information.

As we assess the impact of this situation, the one thing we all need is clear, accurate and real-time information so that we can respond quickly and appropriately to keep goods and people flowing between our two countries, Minister Ryan said.

Minister Ryan added that the government continues to monitor the situation and expects to get clarity from Stena Line, the owner of the port, in mid-January.

While Minister Lawless paid tribute to the efforts of the industries who have pulled out all the stops to keep the wheels of industry rolling at this crucial time.
If theres a bar in heaven it would be like this: the Long Hall, the pub where Bruce Springsteen has whiskey behind the bar
Martinhal Sagres annual Art, Design & Wellbeing Weekend is not your run-of-the-mill resort event, says Katie Byrne

Theres a swirl of activity in the lobby of Martinhal Sagres when we check in on a Friday afternoon. But it isnt the usual comings and goings of a busy resort hotel.

Clothing rails are being constructed, product displays perfected and, everywhere we look, there are beautifully dressed people carrying beautiful things.

It feels like weve stumbled into a gallery space ahead of opening night  which, in many ways, we have.

Were here for the twelfth edition of the resorts Art, Design & Wellbeing Weekend. The intriguing, off-season event takes place every November, bringing together Portuguese and international artists, artisans and brands.

People who love to ooh and aah over beautiful things (that would be me) get introduced to brands that would otherwise not be on their radar. The makers, meanwhile, get to mingle with like-minded creatives.

While this is my first time staying in Martinhal Sagres, Ive been aware of the luxury beach resort for quite some time. Parents of young children rave about its family-friendly offering, which includes a baby concierge service, kids clubs and activities galore.

Beach views from Martinhal Sagres

But this isnt your typical, conveyor belt-style family getaway, as we discover shortly after checking in. Overlooking the rugged beauty of Martinhal Beach on the Western Algarve coast, and set within a 40-hectare protected natural park, it feels more like an artisanal Club Med.

The connection to nature continues inside, where Terence Conran's architecture firm has created a design scheme that embraces natural materials and tactile touches. Everything, from the hallways to the beds, is generously proportioned.

We think of space as a luxury, director of marketing Daniela Berendonk tells me during a brief tour of the resort, which includes a 37-bedroom beachfront hotel, spacious village houses and privately-owned villas and townhouses. You can see why parents love it.

Artist Marcio Vilela

We dont have children with us, but we get a sense of how easy it is for families to holiday here when we meet Brazil-born, Lisbon-based woodworker and joiner Miguel Saboya and his partner Gaia in the hotels O Terraco restaurant.

They havent spent a moment apart from their young twins since they were born. Tonight, theyve availed of the resorts in-room babysitting service and are enjoying a rare hour of reprieve.

Miguel is a talented furniture designer who creates timeless hand-crafted furniture (miguelsaboya.com). The next day he shows us two of his pieces: a primitive (and surprisingly affordable) acacia wood chair and a sublime chestnut dining table.

His passion is palpable as he talks about the principles of slow design and why he refuses to make furniture that follows trends.

Some of Miguel Saboya's pieces

There are over a dozen brands and makers showcasing their work this weekend. A couple of them  French luxury skincare brand Sisley and car manufacturer Cupra  are larger and well-known. The others are small, independent and under-the-radar. The emphasis, Daniela tells me, is on craftsmanship, environmental sustainability and the importance of self-care.

We meet Tomas Ric, the founder of Czech independent perfume house Pigmentarium (pigmentarium.com), who passes around paper testing strips of his decadent scents and asks us to tell him what colour immediately comes to mind.

Sonia Rocha, co-founder of family-run childrenswear brand Wolf & Rita (wolfandrita.com) talks about the frustration of having their distinctive designs copied by fast-fashion brands. The founders and collaborators behind Cura by the Sea (curabythesea.com) lead an embroidery workshop and explain how they create shirts made from upcycled bed sheets sourced from hotels in Portugal.

Beach views from Martinhal Sagres

Every year, as part of the weekend, the team at Martinhal Sagres chooses a resident artist to showcase their work, which remains in situ until the next event. This years artist, Brazil-born Marcio Vilela, has created a mesmerising series inspired by the resorts surroundings and the regions natural splendour.

Titled Crepusculo Nautico (Nautical Twilight), it features eight photographs that capture the changing colours of the sky when the sun is below the horizon.

Hotels often host design-led events, but this feels more considered. The resort isnt renting out a function room and hoping to attract brands willing to pay for exposure. Rather, it has brought together a group of people whose ethos it admires. It reminds me of similar events run by The Michelberger Hotel in Berlin and Pikes in Ibiza, where the focus is more on art than commerce.

The Martinhal hotel group, which has just opened its fourth location in Lisbon, was founded by husband and wife, Chitra and Roman Stern. The couple saw a gap in the market for high-quality family hotels that nurture more meaningful guest relationships.

Looking at the lineup for the Art, Design & Wellbeing Weekend, its clear they have an affinity with other family-run brands. Look a little closer, and you can see this connection all over the resort. The well-stocked Mini-Market has a selection of toys by The Irish Fairy Door Company. The Finisterra Spa stocks Irish organic skincare brand Voya  apparently its founders met Chitra and Roman through surfing.

Dining at Martinhal

On our final night, we join the makers and other guests for a specially curated dinner by chef Nirmal Save of Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Gunpowder.

The wines are from Herdade do Peso; the exquisite flower arrangements have been created by florist Anita Parilova of Atelier East (if youre planning on getting married in the Algarve, her work is well worth checking out; @east.atelier). The room is alive with laughter and chatter as Instagram accounts are swapped and ideas are shared.

The real joy of a weekend like this is the people you meet. We leave relaxed, inspired and ready to do some Christmas shopping.

Get there

Aer Lingus flies to Faro from Cork and Dublin, while Ryanair flies from Cork, Dublin, Shannon, Kerry and Knock. aerlingus.com; ryanair.com

Katie was a guest of Martinhal Sagres, which is an 85-minute drive from Faro Airport. Rates start from 190 per night in low season; martinhal.com
Economists call it strong price appreciation. Those trying to get on the property ladder may be inclined instead to call it a disaster.

This is a country that, despite harsh economic trials, hit a home ownership high of 80pc of households in 1991. Through outwardly better times in the years since, that figure has plunged.

It underlines, were any underlining needed, the stiff test that faces the new government.

The likely line-up of the next cabinet is taking shape. Names are being bandied about and there is much talk of the need to satisfy gender and geography. These are crucial considerations, but it can leave those outside the political bubble with the impression that forming a government is all about personal ambition and ticking boxes.

As yet, there is no firm indication of who will take on housing, but there will be no more important appointment for the new government to make.

The last two holders of the post were comparative novices. Current Housing Minister Darragh OBriens previous biggest responsibility had been as Seanad leader  a role that, with all due respect, hardly sways the fate of nations.

Housing is different. The new government will be judged on how it tackles the issue, making it essential that the incoming minister is a person of canniness and experience. It needs to be seen in future as one of the big offices of state.

Those seeking a foot on the housing ladder need a political bruiser ready to throw, and take, some punches on their behalf

Whoever takes on the role will face an overflowing in-tray of demands, with the final figure for new home completions for 2024 now expected to come in below last years total of 33,000, despite repeated promises by ministers that the target would not only be met but exceeded.

Taoiseach Simon Harris insisted at Beal na Blath in August that 40,000 homes would be built by the end of the year. During the election, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin was still saying the figure would be in the higher 30,000s.

The modest progress that has been made must be acknowledged, and there is also expected to be an uptick in housebuilding in the next two years. In the end, though, it is those who warned that the Government would struggle to reach its targets  including Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty, who called the predictions delusional  who have been proved right.

Any incoming housing minister needs to acknowledge as much, if only privately, and understand more of the same is not an option.

Former housing minister Eoghan Murphy stands as a cautionary tale for how good intentions count for little when confronted with the realpolitik of getting things done. Defeatists and nay-sayers always try to stymie radical change.

Murphy believed housing needed to be tackled as an emergency, which would take a whole-of-government approach to fix.

His lack of experience ultimately did for him. That does not mean he was wrong. What is required is a tough advocate for ambitious action. Those seeking a foot on the housing ladder need a political bruiser ready to throw  and take  some punches on their behalf.

There could not be a bigger prize on offer for whoever gets it right. Are there any politicians out there willing to step up to the challenge?
Getting to the point where 50,000 homes are being built consistently each year will take several years. Photo: PA

Its all about supply, supposedly. During the general election, there was general agreement on the need to build 50,000 homes a year, albeit less consensus on how this should be done. And anyone who tried to ignore the capacity constraints on available labourers and serviced land wasnt being taken seriously. Getting to the point where 50,000 homes are being built consistently each year will take several years. In the meantime, the average price of a home in Dublin is now over 600,000 as affordability goes out the window.

But the shortage of homes is having an even more acute impact on prices outside of the capital. What is being described as the lowest supply on record has resulted in house prices in western counties increasing at twice the rate of the east coast last year. Three-bed semi-detached homes in counties Clare, Donegal, Galway, Limerick, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo increased by over 10,000 during that time. The average annual rise of 16pc in these counties is twice the rate of increase in the commuter belt, which rose by 7.5pc.

The figures are contained in the Q4 Irish Independent REA Average House Price Index, which concentrates on the sale price of Irelands typical stock home, the three-bed semi. The study aims to offer an accurate picture of the second-hand property market in towns and cities countrywide.

And the statistics have found a clear divide that splits the nation down the middle in terms of the rate of property price increases during the past three months. Estate agents are blaming the steep price increases on the absence of new-home building, and historically low supply in certain parts of the country.

The housing crisis, or housing supply crisis, whichever way you want to look at it, is a truly nationwide phenomenon. The Government is wedded to its Housing for All plan as a means to provide more housing in the private and public sector. The Land Development Agency remains the tool through which State-owned land can be utilised to deliver social and affordable housing. The idea of a State Construction Company has been shot down by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.

First-time buyers are desperate to get on the ladder as the prices keep on creeping up. Auctioneers are predicting a rise of 6pc in house prices next year, with predictions of an increase in bidding wars as buyers chase an extremely limited stock of second-hand three-bed semis.

Any steps that increase the amount of funds available to first-time buyers have to be carefully examined. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael both promised to extend the First Home Scheme of shared equity to the buyers of second-hand houses. Under the scheme, the Government and participating banks pay up to 30pc of the cost of the home in exchange for a stake in it, which can later be bought back by the home buyer. The argument for the scheme being available for first-time buyers was that it helped to increase supply. That logic doesnt follow in the area of second-hand homes.

Tinkering with the market is never a clever idea  as we learned to our cost before.
On the 80th anniversary of Auschwitzs liberation next month, a solemn occasion to honour the survivors and remember the millions slaughtered in the Holocaust, one notable figure will be missing: Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister, who has built his career invoking the Holocaust to justify his policies, reportedly wont attend  not out of principle or protest, but fear.

Polish authorities, who would consider turning him over to the International Criminal Court as members, have left Netanyahu in a quandary.

The man who has weaponised history to shield his actions from criticism now avoids the very site that underscores his favourite rhetoric. This is not merely a logistical challenge; its a damning indictment of moral and political failure.

Netanyahus critics accuse him of crimes against humanity for his governments treatment of Palestinians  a charge he dismisses as antisemitic propaganda. Yet, his planned absence at Auschwitz raises an unavoidable question: If these allegations are baseless, why not face them? 

For a man who has long positioned himself as the torchbearer of Holocaust remembrance, Netanyahus refusal to stand at Auschwitzs gates speaks volumes.

The irony is staggering. History demands accountability from its witnesses. Netanyahu, it seems, is unwilling to meet that standard, even at the risk of desecrating memory itself.

Jessica Toal, Belfast

War in Gaza is destroying vital healthcare systems so desperately needed

The Doctors Without Borders group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) recently published a new report titled Gaza: life in a deathtrap.

Attacks on healthcare are one of the components of this military campaign that has been carried out in Gaza. We have seen indiscriminate attacks and killings which have caused devastating levels of physical and mental harm across society.

Essential infrastructure for survival, including healthcare, has been systematically destroyed.

Robert E Lee who was a Confederate general during the American Civil War once uttered the following words which I find apposite to above: It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it.

John OBrien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary

Simon Harris must revisit his unhelpful comments about the Defence Forces

Lost in the political pageantry of last week was the publication of Senior Counsel Peter Wards report on the application of military law with regard to members of the Defence Forces who have been convicted of serious offences in the civil courts.

This investigation was initiated after the controversial suspended sentence given to soldier Cathal Crotty last June after his vicious attack on Natasha OBrien.

At the time, the Defence Forces, as an organisation, was subjected to an opportunistic walloping in the media, including by Taoiseach Simon Harriss ill-judged comments when he made reference to no hiding place in the Defence Forces for personnel with criminal convictions.

It now transpires that Mr Ward found instances of information on criminal convictions being withheld from the Defence Forces because of the Courts Services data protection concerns.

Will Simon Harris now acknowledge that the Defence Forces does not provide a hiding place, rather was it being obstructed by another state organ in dealing with convicted members.

Michael Gannon, Kilkenny city

Heat pumps not fit for purpose are causing a headache for all involved

I have lost all faith in our Building Control agencies. An 80-year-old widowed neighbour in poor health was advised on Saturday that her non-functioning heat pump needs to be replaced at a cost of 15,000 and she will be contacted in January to discuss her options. Another neighbour was recently advised that there are no spare parts available for his heat pump. To my knowledge, four other heat pumps, less than five years old, have been replaced within shouting distance of my home.

The issues with these systems have been raised with various bodies over the last five years to no effect.

While our Commission for Regulation of Utilities has a register of electrical contractors and gas installers, it has no register of heat pump installers/contractors.

Our local building control agency is not aware of its powers under the Building Regulations regarding the installation of heat pumps in dwellings and claims that heat pumps are considered to be an appliance and therefore dont fall under the remit of the Building Regulations.

As a consequence, heat-pump systems which were not compliant with the National Building Regulations or the manufacturers safety instructions were rolled out unabated without proper documentation.

One such system, of which there are many thousands in operation according to its manufacturer, is unable to control the domestic hot water temperature while the space heating is on. Isolators are being fitted to safety devices, contrary to the manufacturers warnings, on the opinion of the builders consultant who claims the current valve set-up is common practice across the Irish market.

Michael Terry, Lucan, Co Dublin

As winter solstice passes, we must remember to be the light this Christmas

Winter solstice on Saturday was the shortest day of the year. From now on, daylight gradually increases until the summer solstice in June.

Celebrations of returning light are common in history with festivals around the time of winter solstice. 

Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. We decorate our homes with lights to welcome the birth of the true light of the world.

Similar to the old 12-day pagan festivals, which celebrated the rebirth of the sun god Sol Invictus at winter solstice, Christians celebrate the 12 days of Christmas to welcome the birth of Christ.

Many struggling families have little to celebrate this Christmas, with charitable organisations being inundated with calls for help.

Keep a kind thought also for people, especially children, suffering in conflict-ravaged areas throughout the world for whom Christmas will bring no tidings of comfort and joy.

Hopefully, light will shine brighter if we share just a fraction of our resources with the war-torn, the needy, the isolated, the lonely and the homeless this Christmas season.

Billy Ryle, Tralee, Co Kerry
A Coombe Hospital employee has worked almost every Christmas Day for the past 27 years  but insists she wouldnt have it any other way.

Sharon Smyth gets up at 5.45am every December 25, and gets ready as quietly as possible before heading to the Catering Department in The Coombe.

The roads are always clear at that time of the morning, and, of course, its the one day of the year when she can get parking easily after her ten-minute drive to work in Dublins Liberties.

I have worked on Christmas Day for the last 27 years, more or less, Sharon said.

Its great. I have my son, hes 18 now. When he was smaller, I got the day off, but hes not small anymore.

My son is in sixth year now and he worked in the Coombe over the summer. Hell be working there for Christmas this year to help upstairs on the wards.

Its lovely to get in, a lot of girls come down for their break and we get the chance to talk because its not so busy.

We can still sit down, talk to them, and see how their day is going. Its a small hospital and were a nice family here, we all know each other.

It gives us time to catch up because its busy during the year. Christmas Day, Stephens Day, its nice to catch up, she added.

The kitchen moves into full swing early on Christmas Day to get the breakfasts ready  a full Irish for the day thats in it  for patients.

Around 10am, the chefs are busy behind the scenes in the kitchen, preparing the Christmas dinner.

The breakfast trays are collected from the wards, so Sharon and her team get the crockery and cutlery washed and dried before dressing the tables with tablecloths, candles and Christmas crackers.

I like coming in and helping. Its nice to get in and just make sure everybodys okay, Sharon said.

It feels like Christmas Day. I dont feel like Im at work. You go home and youre full of beans. Youre going home to your family; I look forward to that after having a nice day at work.

Its nice to get in here and share all the stories, because we all share stories about our families, everybodys in the same boat.

Were not here for a long time; were just here for a short time and we have to make the most of our lives.

We dress up, the canteen is done up. Weve a Christmas tree and we light candles. Weve got Christmas crackers and Christmas dinner, its lovely.

A lot of staff who come from other countries, where Christmas is not a tradition, love the excitement of the day as much as we do. Everyone is in great form and most of us are wearing Christmas jumpers and hats.

At 2.30pm Sharon gets home and does Christmas again with her family.

My husband John works in the Coombe too and hes off for Christmas. Im out of the kitchen and John has everything ready and Ill be sitting down with a glass of wine, she said.

From then on, he makes sure I relax while he serves my Christmas dinner. Its a great feeling and I really love my double Christmas.

My mam, shes 84, she lives on her own, shell come to us on Christmas Day and Stephens Day. Then on New Year's, shell probably go to my sisters.

Its a family affair, theres not many of us left in our family, but we just make the most of what we have, she added.
New animated short film exposes reality of child trafficking and forced criminality in Dublin

The film is raising awareness of the exploitation of children by criminal gangs

The short film follows a character called Reece who is forced into criminality by gangs

The animated short film, The Runners - a Trafficking Timeline, aims to raise awareness around gangs grooming young children

A new animated short film has been released to highlight how children as young as 10 are trafficked, groomed and forced into criminality by organised gangs in parts of Dublins north inner city.

The Runners  A Trafficking Timeline, was created by the Inner City Organisations Network (ICON), which partnered with MECPATHS, an organisation specialising in raising awareness around child trafficking.

Belinda Nugent, project leader of the community development programme at ICON, said: We had a forum, and we brought the community together to discuss housing, health, and whats working.

One of the huge issues that came up was the grooming of children to become involved in criminal activity.

We brought in Detective Superintendent Derek Maguire from the gardas Human Trafficking Investigation and Co-ordination Unit, and started receiving training to identify what this type of exploitation is and how we can do something about it.

We started speaking to youth clubs and family support groups, and held focus groups to share stories of their children experiencing this.

We were able to create the animation as a way to start raising awareness of whats happening, she added.

The film, created by Sadhbh Lawlor, portrays the story of Reece, a young boy who is exploited by a criminal gang.

The short film follows a character called Reece who is forced into criminality by gangs

The film follows Reeces descent into crime, despite his parents efforts to protect him, and the escalating threats the family faces from the gang.

The film is based on interviews and surveys with young people, parents and community workers within Dublins north inner city.

What were seeing is that children, as young as 8 or 10 years old, are coming home and starting to act disrespectfully towards their parents, Ms Nugent said.

Parents notice things like their children having money in their pockets or buying things like clothes or food, and they would ask, Where are you getting this money from?

At that point, the parents didnt recognise that their child was being groomed, but it was clear something was happening.

The drug dealers or traffickers would start giving these young people small packages to carry, and it didnt stop there.

They were asked to hold the packages at home or bury them, and then the dealers would come and pick them up without the victim knowing.

Eventually, the dealers would call them and say, Go get the package and bring it to me. But when the young people went to look for the package, it wasnt there.

This is when it starts escalating, and the kids are getting further involved. This is where the debt bondage comes into play.

The kids are forced into criminality because they owe a drug debt to the person who has been exploiting them. It becomes a vicious cycle where theyre trapped.

Some families are in a situation where theyre coming to us, saying, Please help us. I owe 4,000 and I dont know where to get that money unless I report it to the authorities.

But when you live in a community where these dealers are active, you cant just go to the police, as youre scared that your family or your children will be attacked if you speak up, she added.

Ms Nugent said what the group observed was that if this debt wasnt paid on time, the pressure increased, often punishing the child or worse.

The film is raising awareness of the exploitation of children by criminal gangs

Criminals often threaten families with violence, even in their own homes, making it difficult for them to seek help.

The debt doesnt just disappear; it gets passed on to someone else and increases. So, if you owe 4,000, and that isnt paid on time, it could rise to 6,500. If thats not paid, it keeps escalating, she added.

One mother came to us saying her childs debt had reached 40,000. Its a whole industry that preys on these families.

Many families are actively trying to protect their children, as depicted in the film through Reeces mother, who tirelessly seeks help from authorities.

ICON hopes the short film will raise awareness about the prevalence of child grooming, debt bondage, and forced criminality.

Despite a recent bill aimed at curbing the grooming of children for criminal activities, ICON points out that much more needs to be done.

They are demanding the government engage with community organisations and frontline services to better understand and respond to the issue to protect vulnerable children.

They are also calling for the development and implementation of comprehensive policies and legislation to prevent child exploitation, including recognition of the issue as trafficking.
A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help the family get back on their feet

A woman and her elderly mother have been left homeless just days before Christmas after their family home went up in flames last weekend.

Mary Roche and her 83-year-old mother, Maisie Roche, had to watch as their home in The Rower, Co Kilkenny, was engulfed by flames destroying everything they owned and all the family memories they had created and stored within the homes four walls.

Mary, who works as a teacher in Waterford, was not in the house at the time of the fire. However, her mother, Maisie, the familys three dogs and their pet cat were all home.

It all happened last Sunday, December 15 at around 1pm, Mary told The Irish Independent. Normally I would be in the house at that time, but I was out the night before with my friend and I was delayed getting home, my friends are claiming that this saved my life.

"I was getting into my car to drive home and I realised I missed a call from my brother so I rang him back and he told me that my house was on fire.

"By the time I arrived at my house, the roof was completely gone and there were fire officers everywhere. It was absolute chaos.

Maisie Roche celebrating her 80th birthday three years ago

Maisie had gone out into yard and when she was walking back towards the house she saw thick smoke coming from upstairs.

"My mother had crossed over the yard to collect a few blocks. Now my mother is 83-years-old and shes on a stick. But as she was walking back across the yard towards the house she saw the flames coming out of the chimney.

"My mother actually went back inside the house and up the stairs to see if she could put out the fire. But by the time she went upstairs there was smoke everywhere.

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"I play the banjo and she spotted my banjo at the top of the stairs and god love her, she was going to try save my banjo. But Im so glad she decided against bringing the banjo because she could of tripped going down the stairs carrying the banjo while trying to walk with her stick.

At this point, the smoke had gotten so thick that there was nothing Maisie could do. She knew she must go for help.

Luckily my mother managed to get out of the house so she decided to go up the lane and get help. She left the animals after her. I think the panic set in and she didnt know what to do.

"My niece actually lives up the lane from us and she happened to be out in her own yard and noticed the smoke so she ran into her father and said nannys house is up in flames so they both tore down the lane.

Although Maisie had managed to escape the house, she was still in danger.

"We had someone walk into our kitchen last week so we had started locking the gates because we didnt want anyone just walking into the house on top of my mother.

"So when the fire happened, she did manage to get out of the house, but she couldnt get past the front gates. Luckily, my brother, who was running down the lane to help, managed to kick down the gate in time.

"He also kicked down the front door and ran inside the house and managed to save our three dogs so thank god they are ok.

Sadly, not everyone survived the fire.

"My mothers cat, that she has had since she was a kitten called Smokey loved going in behind the couch and sleeping there. So poor Smokey couldnt be found and the poor little thing perished in the fire. I found her body the following morning which was heart breaking.

The Roche family have lost everything

All that was left for the family to do was stand back and watch as the fire fighters battled with the flames.

The fire brigade was there for hours. In fairness to them they were so good and so helpful during such a difficult time. Even when we thought the fire was finished it actually lit up again.

"It was tough watching our home being devastated. Even the following morning, I think sometimes you have this foolish idea that something will be still there and then you go to your house and there is just nothing there.

"The reality of what you are facing into just hits home in that moment, said Mary. "I dont want to ever experience anything like that again, it has been a terrible time for us all. I dont know if you have ever seen a house fire but it is something I never want to witness again.

Mary added that it has been a particularly tough time for her mother who just wants to go home.

"My mother was brought to hospital and its been tough because she keeps saying she wants to go home, but sure there is no home to go to anymore.

As the house was completely ablaze within just a matter of minutes, Mary and Maisie were unable to retrieve any belongings. They lost everything but the clothes on their backs.

I moved home two years ago so the whole contents of my house was upstairs so I lost all of that. Also, all our childhood things, old photos and memories were upstairs too and they are all gone as well. It just went up like a tinderbox. Weve lost everything.

Unfortunately, the house insurance had recently lapsed so Mary and Maisie have been left with few options to rebuild their lives.

As a result, Marys family have set up a Go Fund Me page which has raised an incredible 33,000 in just four days.

Everyone has been absolutely amazing, smiled Mary. Their support, help and time means the world. The emergency services were also amazing so I want to thank them as well.

"Everyone has been phenomenal. I am overwhelmed by everyones support. I have amazing people around me and I am so grateful for them all.

In a statement to The Irish Independent, a spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said: Gardai attended an incident along with fire services on December 15, 2024 at The Rower in Kilkenny.

The fire was controlled by fire services. No injuries were reported.

To donate to the fundraiser please click here
A planning application seeking to develop a new solar farm for Ireland West Airport is currently being considered.

The Airport has recently lodged a planning application with Mayo County Council to develop and install a new solar farm on a site at the airport.

If approved, the solar farm will provide more than 40% of the airports annual electricity demands..

It comes as the airport achieved Level Three Accreditation, Optimisation, in recognition of the airports actions to address its CO2 emissions, as part of the Global industrys response to the challenge of climate change.

Commenting on the level Three award Gary Ginty, Property, Infrastructure and Sustainability Programme Manager, Ireland West Airport said the airport is delighted to have achieved the accreditation award which is in recognition of the airport's exemplary work in reducing its carbon emissions.

"This accreditation marks another major milestone as we progress towards Net Zero emissions and build upon the important work already done through our sustainability strategy.

"Our aim is to continue to reduce carbon emissions at the airport and to work to ensure that the airport can continue to grow sustainably into the future while protecting the environment and in turn minimising our climate impact.

"Wed like to recognise the role our airport staff and colleagues, airlines, airport partners, and suppliers have played in this and thank them for engaging with us as we work to better understand and reduce emissions across our airport and beyond.

"Our interim pledge is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 as we work collectively to support aviations green transformation and achieve a net zero position by 2050, said Mr Ginty.

To meet the demands of sustainable development and to safeguard the environment, Ireland West Airport embarked on an extensive sustainability and energy reduction programme in the last 3 years and has introduced a comprehensive Energy and Environmental Management System as well as completing several new initiatives such as:

Upgraded all terminal and external facility lighting to LED, replaced its Ground Operations Vehicles with a fleet of new fully electric, zero-emissions vehicles and also upgraded its Airfield Ground Lighting (AGL) to the latest in LED technology, which will provide for the next generation of airfield ground lighting.

The airport has also completed an upgrade of its Runway Distance Measuring Equipment (DME). Aircraft can use the DME simultaneously for landings and in conjunction with the Instrument Landing System (ILS), an instrument landing is provided which greatly increases efficiencies for aircraft.

Upgrades have also been carried out to its IRVR equipment (Instrumented Runway Visual Range). IRVR equipment is located along the edge of the runway and provides Air Traffic Control & pilots with information on visibility for landings and take-offs.

This equipment is needed for landing/take-offs in low visibility (Fog) conditions. Upgrading the IRVR system reduces significantly time delays as well as fuel use

The final initiative involved an upgrade of the airports Constant Current Regulators with new pure sine wave CCRs which are specifically designed for LED light fittings.

New sine wave CCRs in conjunction with the LED fittings will greatly reduce the consumption of the airports airfield lighting.

Pearse Concannon, Chief Fire and Security Officer, Ireland West Airport, Gary Ginty, Property, Infrastructure & Sustainability Programme Manager, Ireland West Airport, Kieran Boyle, Head of Ground Services, Ireland West Airport.

The airport is also committed to developing electric car charging infrastructure to meet public demand for vehicle charging into the future and has plans to improve the thermal efficiency of the main terminal building by conducting insulation and fabric upgrades and introducing air lock zones along with running information sessions for its employees to encourage energy efficiency improvements across all airport operations

Airport Carbon Accreditation is an annual certification programme and consequently requires ongoing commitment to sustainability and continuous improvements from year to year.

At present, there are over 600 airports in 89 countries globally which are Airport Carbon Accredited at various levels of the programme. Airports accredited to date handle 53.4% of global passenger traffic each year.

Brian McKavanagh, Business Development Director at Atkins Realis said, We are delighted to have contributed to this landmark achievement which paves the way for Ireland West Airport to achieve higher levels of accreditation.

"We will continue to leverage our global sustainability and environmental expertise to support Ireland West Airport on their journey to net zero, said Mr McKavanagh.

Olivier Jankovec, ACI EUROPE Director General said this is a significant step towards decarbonising the airports operations and infrastructure.

"Achieving Level 3 Optimisation is of critical importance for future progression to higher levels of carbon management and to playing an active role in the climate challenge.

"I look forward to cheering the Ireland West Airport team on in their journey to net zero, said Mr Jankovec.
The archaeology, geography and history of Sligo is the subject of a new historic book entitled Sligo: History and Society - Interdisciplinary essays on the history of an Irish county which was launched last week.

The book is a mammoth undertaking and features 35 articles on the archaeology, geography and history of a county that has 10,000 artefacts, according to Mr Martin Timoney who undertook the task.

Mr Timoney said:These type of publications are in every county in Ireland. In 1975, Willie Nolan, a geography lecturer in UCD did one for his own county of Tipperary and he has done every other county except Sligo which will be out on Tuesday next and Antrim which will be out in January. This Sligo volume is between 600-900 pages each. Some of these articles would have been five to ten years in the making and it is an historic occasion as it is the only time Sligo will ever be done like this.

Mr Timoneys publication is entitled A Landscape full of Monuments.

I have been involved in the Sligo Field Club for over 50 years and five years ago I wrote an article for the Corran Herald saying why not look at the monuments south of the Ox mountains. Then I wrote another article about monuments north of Sligo town and I wrote a third article about the monuments in Sligo town.

And I re-wrote it as a geographical tour starting at the Greenfort on Connaughton Road and going around the county taking up all six baronies and mentioning 340 sites. Its a butterfly tour of the county.

Mr Timoney, a leading local archaeologist, is also of the belief that Sligo needs a bigger museum.

We have all these monuments all over the county, but we need a museum to go with them. A museum in Sligo would be of enormous benefit to us. The current museum in the Manse is not suitable and it has two rooms downstairs when we should have 20 rooms and a staff of about ten people. We need a museum in Sligo to show people what we have got to offer from all over the county.

We have 10,000 monuments covering 10,000 years and we have the landscape, the geology, the geography and the nature and the scenery and we need to show people that there is an awful lot more in the county.

There are a lot of artefacts in Dublin but I am sure that if we had a proper museum in Sligo, people who have artefacts in their houses would say I will give this to Sligo and I dont want it to go to Dublin.

Mr Timoney said it was not possible to put everything on display. This is a matter for the County Council and a few years ago money was allocated for an upgrade to the town including a museum. A lot of money was spent on street works at that time and it was an opportunity missed. There were plans to build a museum at the back of the Model Niland Gallery but that seems to have evaporated. There was a three to four storey designed at the back of the Gallery. We need space as we have so many objects that could be put on display in Sligo. We need staff and we need money to purchase objects because some people throughout the country would not like to give for free and would like some donation in return.

The new publication was launched by the Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr Declan Bree at City Hall, Sligo on the 17th December last.

The book is the thirty-first volume in the acclaimed County History and Society Series published by Geography Publications, Dublin under the general editorship of Willam Nolan.

The Sligo volume was edited by Professor William Nolan, retired professor from UCD and Dr. Kieran OConor of the University of Galway.

Launching the volume, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council, Cllr. Declan Bree said the book was the most comprehensive multidisciplinary study ever undertaken on the history of County Sligo.

Comprising 35 carefully curated essays written by many contributors. It is a wonderful publication, showcasing the rich heritage and history of the county. It is fitting that the book is dedicated to John C. McTernan, former Sligo County Librarian and Historian as a testament to his tireless work in promoting and preserving Sligos rich history and heritage.

My congratulations to the editors and each of the contributors to the volume, all of whom have committed their time and expertise to the wonderful essays presented in the book. Martin Lydon, Chief Executive of Sligo County Council congratulated everyone involved in bringing the volume to print and added that Sligo County Council was delighted to be associated with the publication and launch of Sligo: History and Society.

Historian, Fiona Gallagher and Archaeologist Martin Timoney, gave wonderful overviews of the essays that they contributed to the book.

The themes explored in the volume include; Sligos rich archaeology and the physical remains of the past; the late medieval period which was an extremely wealthy period for Sligo and a time when the arts flourished and learning was appreciated; the development of Sligo as a port and administrative centre; the Protestant experience in Sligo and, the rarely heard voice of Sligos poor and marginalised in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Dr. Kieran OConor spoke on behalf of the editorial board, and paid tribute to his co-editor Professor Willie Nolan and his wife Teresa, both of whom have been the driving force behind the County History and Society Series since the publication of the Tipperary volume in 1985.

On behalf of the editors, Dr. OConor thanked the contributing scholars who wrote or co-wrote the thirty-five chapters that make up Sligo: History & Society.

Funding for the publication of the book was provided by Sligo County Council through the Creative Ireland Programme, the National University of Ireland, Sligo Field Club, the National Monuments Service at the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage, the School of Geography at the University of Galway and Aurivo Sligo. Sligo: History and Society: Interdisciplinary Essays on the History of an Irish County is available from www.geographypublications.com or from Liber Bookshop, OConnell Street, Sligo for 60. It has a limited print run of 500.
President of New Ross Rugby Club, Brendan Roche, Doreen Purcell collecting the lotto winnings on behalf of her daughter, Regan, and Tommy McLoughlin from the New Ross Rugby Club lotto committee. Photo: Mary Browne

For the first time in over a year, the lotto run locally by New Ross Rugby Club has been won by a New Ross woman who now resides abroad.

On Sunday, December 15, Club President, Brendan Roche and Lotto Administrator, Tommy McLoughlin found themselves writing a cheque as the jackpot, for an amount of 14,500, had been won for the first time in over 61 draws.

Regan Purcell was the winner of the club lotto jackpot, however, as Regan is now residing in Perth, Australia, her mother Doreen accepted the cheque on her behalf.

Speaking about the lucky win, Regan said shes absolutely thrilled and deeply honoured" to have won the New Ross Rugby Club lottery.

Despite now living down under, Regan said her love for New Ross is still strong and shes committed to supporting the local rugby club: I remain proud to support my hometown club and continue to have a strong connection to New Ross Town.

"It's a privilege to stay connected to the community in this way, and Im incredibly grateful for this opportunity, she added.

Commenting on the significance of the communitys weekly contribution to the lotto, Mr Roche said: The lotto is a vital fundraiser for the club, supporting day-to-day operations.
Tributes have poured Rose St. Ledger (nee Murphy) of Mount Carmel, New Ross, who sadly passed away on Friday, December 20.

Rose was well known to the New Ross community and she was loved by her family, friends, Tesco work colleagues and customers.

Beloved wife of the late Vincey, loving mother of Brian, Tara, Dayna, Danielle, Shane, Darren and the late Patrick, cherished sister of Nicky, Danny Boy, Mag, Michael, Kevin, Tina, Susie and Lala.

Rose is sadly missed by her loving sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, grandchildren Rachel, Leah, Scott, Jack, Kyle, Tasha, Jasmine, Sean, Luke and Dion, daughter-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces and extended family.

Shocked and saddened by the news of Roses passing, some customers of Tesco New Ross have paid tribute to her.

One customer said: I dont know this lady outside of her job in Tesco but she was so kind and helpful to me in the last few months. She will never know how her kind words of encouragement probably saved me. The anonymous tribute went on to say that during a difficult time, with no family support, they were grateful to Rose for always taking the time to say hello girl how are you?

Even though you were always rushing, I will never forget your kindness and wanted your family to know how your kindness saved my sanity. Thanks Rose, rest easy with the angels.

Mourners who have been paying tribute to Rose, describe her as a lovely lady, who was always known to be kind, gentle and caring, while also very hardworking and who loved her family dearly, and supported them in every way she could.

One tribute described Rose as "one of lifes true ladies, and said Rose was always chatting at her grandsons matches, I dont think she missed any of them. She stood with pride and cried with pride for them all Rose will be fondly remembered by everyone who knew her.

You are all in my thoughts. May your gentle soul rest in peace Rose, they added.

Another tribute to Roses family on her passing said: Sincere condolences to all the family on the sad passing of their beautiful mother Rose.

Rose was a wonderful woman with a heart of gold and she would do anything for anyone. May her gentle soul rest in peace. xx

Roses remains will be reposing at Cooney's Funeral Home, New Ross, on Tuesday, December 24 from 3 p.m. concluding at 5 p.m.

Removal from the funeral home on Thursday, December 26 to St. Mary & Michael's Parish Church, New Ross, arriving for her funeral mass at 10 a.m. followed by burial afterwards in St. Stephen's Cemetery.
Pastor Soloman Aroboto, Liam O'Donovan and Anita O'Donovan of the Arklow Christian Church make a donation to Betty McKeown of the Wicklow Hospice. Photo: Michael Kelly

The Arklow Christian Community Church supported Our Ladys Hospice & Care Services, Wicklow Hospice, at their monthly Super Sunday event for November.

Heaping praise on the charity for providing its vital community service, Pastor Solomon Aroboto and Liam and Anita ODonovan were delighted to present a cheque in person to Betty McKeown from Wicklow Hospice.

Speaking after the presentation, Betty said Wicklow Hospice was thrilled with the churchs generous contribution and felt very honoured to be chosen as a recipient.

The Arklow Christian Community Church organises a Super Sunday fundraising event at their highly popular Sunday service every month.

The Arklow Christian Community Church has made sizeable donations to a variety of worthy local causes over the years, including Mens Sheds, Arklow Cancer Support, local scout groups, local schools, Arklow RNLI, The East Wicklow Youth Service, the Vault Youth Cafe, The Arklow Community Action Resource Centre, Arklow First Responders and Arklow Tidy Towns  to name but a few.
Wicklow County Council has gone out to tender to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk which it hopes will be completed in March. The closing date for the receipt of tender applications is February and it is expected that a report will take one month to process and complete.

Wicklow County Council has applied to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government for funding for this phase of the project.

Greystones councillor Stephen Stokes has welcomed the move by Wicklow County Council and said he commended its recent actions to find a long-term resolution.

This includes the re-establishment of the Cliff Walk management committee, which is now meeting regularly. All of the councillors of Greystones Municipal District have also agreed to have the Cliff Walk on the agenda as a fixed item at monthly meetings.

"Getting positive momentum for the Cliff Walk is essential, he said. There is significant activity happening, which includes engagement with Irish Rail. Wicklow County Council is acutely aware of how important the Cliff Walk is to the community, and I support their plan of action. Assessing the Cliff Walk in a holistic manner is vital. It's time to pursue a decisive and comprehensive plan."

Cllr Stokes explained the tender process will identify qualified experts to examine issues affecting the Cliff Walk. The successful company will firstly be asked to inspect a number of key areas, including the condition of the Cliff Walk, the integrity of the rock face along Bray Head, and the identification of all points along the trail that are at risk of collapse due to the effects of coastal and surface water erosion.

Additionally, the report shall seek to identify possible solutions, which could be implemented in the short to medium term in order to reopen the Cliff Walk in its current location.

At a minimum, this analysis is expected to focus on the risk to the public of a hazard occurring regardless of measures implemented, the cost of the measures, the expected lifespan of measures, and the environmental impact of proposed measures.

Finally, the safety, health and welfare risks associated with the implementation of the proposed measures will be looked at. The Sport Ireland Outdoors publication Walking Trails - Criteria for Ireland is being used as the reference document in determining the appropriate criteria and standards applicable.

Where shortcomings are found these shall be documented, mapped, and a risk assessment conducted to determine any potential impacts for users of the Cliff Walk.

Commenting on the decision, Cllr Stokes added: "The Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk is one of Wicklows most cherished natural attractions, enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. Unfortunately, closures due to erosion and safety concerns have impacted the ability of people to access and enjoy the walk. Going out to tender for a detailed assessment is a crucial step towards ensuring that we understand the full scope of the issues, and take the necessary action to restore this beautiful coastal path for generations to come."

Cllr Stephen Stokes at the Cliff Walk.

Taking a broad sweep of the issues that have forced the council to close the walk for so long, Cllr Stokes pointed to the roughly 800-metre section on the Greystones side which has become very hazardous to the public by virtue of the substantial risk of collapse of the walk whilst people are on it.

Several recent slippages over the last decade, and more recently in the last five years, have led to the walk itself collapsing twice at one location, requiring a bridge to be erected, and a subsequent longer bridge was needed following a collapse at a second location.

The Cliff Walk has been officially closed by Wicklow County Council since March 2021. This followed a collapse of the soft clay cliff face on the southern side of the route. Another incident of a rock fall onto the northern (Bray) side of the route in October 2022 further exacerbated the closure. Wicklow County Council said it remains committed to maintaining and improving public amenities and ensuring that the natural beauty of the county is protected and accessible.

The tender, (which can be found at etenders.gov.ie) is for the procurement of engineering consultancy services, including specialist geotechnical services, to carry out an inspection and report on the Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk. It states that the report shall have assessed the trail in terms of its condition, integrity and what risk factors are present having regard to an average footfall count of circa 260,000 per year.
Joe the Magician will perform at the Whale Theatre, Greystones on Sunday December 29.

From festive pantos to magical performances, here's your complete guide to Wicklow's entertainment from Christmas through to New Year's.

1. Womens Little Christmas Party

OSheas Corner of Wicklow town play host to a Womens Little Christmas party that will jingle your bells and get you in the festive spirit.

Tickets cost 15 and are available for purchase from Eventbrite.ie, with the show taking place on Saturday, January 4. The doors open at 8pm and the show gets underway at 9pm

2. Rapunzel Panto

Blessington Musical and Dramatic Society present their annual Panto Rapunzel and the League of Princesses taking place in the Tramway Theatre Blessington.

Shows take place at 7pm on Thursday, January 2, Friday, January 3 and Saturday, January 4, while shows also take place at 2pm on Saturday, January 4 and Sunday, January 5. Tickets will cost 10 on Thursday and 12 for the other performances, and are already on sale at the Office Shop Blessington and Hennessys Next Door.

3. Joe the Magician, The Whale Theatre

Joe the Magician, from RTEjr, is in Greystones after Christmas to give the parents a break  and the best thing is, kids under-2 go free. Joe is bringing his comedy magic and illusion show back to The Whale Theatre for three shows, on Sunday, December 29, at 11am, 1.30pm and 4pm.

Early booking is advised as all of Joes previous tour dates have sold out in Ireland, including the Olympia and the Everyman Cork. Tickets are available from whaletheatre.ie, priced 14.

4. Sharon Shannon, Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray

Sharon Shannon, one of Irelands most beloved and internationally acclaimed folk artists, returns to Brays Mermaid Arts Centre for what will be the first stop on her 2025 Irish Tour.

Her show, on Friday, January 3, promises new music and a captivating performance and already, tickets are selling fast. Her tour follows her last release, a new compilation album called Now and Then to celebrate 30 years at the forefront of Irish music.

Tickets are available from mermaidartscentre.ie priced 31.

5. The Fureys at the Arklow Bay

One of Irelands most acclaimed and influential middle of the road, folk and traditional bands The Fureys will perform at the Arklow Bay Hotel on Sunday, December 29 at 8 pm.

The band will perform classic tracks such as I Will Love You, When You Were Sweet 16, Red Rose Cafe, Leaving Nancy, The Old Man, From Clare to Here, Her Father Didnt Like Me Anyway and The Green Fields of France.

Tickets available at Hotel Reception or on Ticketmaster

6. Peter Pan Panto

Arklow Pantomime Creations will put on three magical performances of their Peter Pan pantomime at St Marys College on Friday, January 3 at 8 pm and Saturday, January 4 at 3 pm and 8 pm.

Tickets are 20 for adults,  15 for children, 60 for a family of four, and available from 0894230136 or arklowpantomimecreations@gmail.com

7. Hollywood Quiz Night

Hollywood GAA club in west Wicklow will host their hugely popular table quiz in Tuttys Pub on Friday, December 27 at 8 pm.

One of the clubs most beloved nights of the year, Hollywood GAA are encouraging you to grab your friends and family and test your knowledge in a convivial (but competitive!) atmosphere.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are reportedly set to tie the knot in the picturesque town of Aspen, Colorado, in the days following Christmas.

The billionaire Amazon founder is expected to marry his fiancee, a former TV news anchor, in a lavish ceremony on Saturday, December 28.

The event, reportedly costing $600m (575m), has been described as an extravagant affair by Mail Online.

Mr Bezos proposed to Ms Sanchez on board his boat in May last year having worked on the Bezos Earth Fund project together since becoming an item in 2019.

The 60-year-old had previously been married to Mackenzie Scott and was forced to fork out a reported $38bn (36bn) after their divorce. They had four children together.

Mr Bezos has paid for the use of sushi restaurant Matsuhisa on Thursday and Friday with friends and family set to gather before the wedding itself.

The pair were born in the same hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico, six years apart. Ms Sanchez has been credited for a public transformation of Mr Bezoss image as the tech mogul has taken a greater public role in recent years.

In a social media post last year, she said of her partner: You have shown me that no great love is not bravely fought for.

Thank you for always being by my side and for being the most loving and supportive partner.

She has also recently shared a few pictures of the two and has also recently shared an appreciation post, praising his wisdom. Mr Bezos is currently the second richest man in the world and has previously announced he will give away the majority of his 110bn (105bn) fortune during his lifetime.

Asked by a reporter whether he planned to give most of his fortune to good causes, he said: Yeah, I do, adding he and partner Ms Sanchez were building the capacity to be able to give away money.

He has been more committed to various projects since stepping down as chief executive of Amazon. He does continue to own 10pc of the online marketplace.

Mr Bezos also owns the Washington Post news outlet as well as the space tourism venture Blue Origin.
Europe

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Ukraines security service has named a Russian general it suspects of ordering a missile strike on a hotel in eastern Ukraine in August and said he acted with the motive of deliberately killing employees of Reuters.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement on Friday that Colonel General Alexei Kim, a deputy chief of Russias General Staff, approved the strike that killed Reuters safety adviser Ryan Evans and wounded two of the agencys journalists on August 24.
LATEST | Luigi Mangione to appear in New York court today, accused of UnitedHealthcare chief executives death

He will face multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism

Luigi Mangione leaves Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

Irish Independent Newsdesk Mon 23 Dec 2024 at 07:40







The man accused of fatally shooting the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare is expected to be arraigned in a Manhattan court on murder and terror charges on Monday.
Solo Leveling Season 2 OTT release date is finally out. Sung Jinwoo, the world's weakest hunter, is the focus of the much anticipated Solo Leveling, which is based on Chugong's best-selling Korean web book. Solo Leveling Season 2 - Arise from the Shadow will be released on Crunchyroll on 4th January 2025.

Solo Leveling Season 2 OTT release date

Fans were given a first peek at new footage from the upcoming second season when this news was released along with the main trailer. The series' final theme song, UN-APEX, sung by TK, was also unveiled in the teaser, promising to be another poignant and potent musical focal point.

Plot

Gates leading to another realm have been appearing all across the planet for more than a decade, according to the streaming service. No end appears in sight to the conflicts between the human hunters who have awoken the ability to fight the magic animals that live inside the dungeons through the gates. Normally a hunter's rank never rises and their skills do not change when they awaken. However, during a raid on a double dungeon, Sung Jinwoo, a low-ranked character known as "The Weakest Hunter of All Mankind," acquired the ability to level up through combat.

Cast and crew

Solo Leveling Season 2 cast features Taito Ban as Sung Jinwoo, Hiroki Touchi as Baek Yoonho, and Reina Ueda as Cha Hae-In. Daisuke Hirawaka takes on the role of Choi Jong-In, while Genta Nakamura portrays Yoo Jinho. Makoto Furukawa appears as Woo Jinchul, with Ginga Banjou serving as both Go Gunhee and the narrator.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.
The Smile Man OTT Release: R. Sarathkumar is gearing up for his 150th outing as an actor. Releasing on the big screen on 27th December this year, this Tamil movie has been directed by the iconic duo Syam-Praveen. If youre wondering where to watch it on OTT, The Smile Man will be streaming on Aha after theatres. Heres everything you need to know about the thriller.

The Smile Man cast and crew

Other than Sarathkumar, The Smile Man also stars Sri Kumar, Sijaarose, Ineya, George Maryan, Rajkumar, Kumar Natarajan, and Baby Azhiya among others. Bankrolled by Salildas, Aneesh Haridasan, and Anandan T, the music has been scored by Gavaskar Avinash and written by Kamala Alchemis. Vikram Mohan has cinematographed the film with San Lokesh sitting at the editing desk.

The Smile Man plot summary

In this Tamil movie, Sarathkumar plays a police officer battling Alzheimer's. Despite being physically healthy, his memories are slipping away, and hes told he has just one year before losing them completely. Amid this personal struggle, he is assigned a challenging case: tracking down a copycat killer. The murderer leaves victims with their mouths mutilated and stitched into a disturbing smile. The story unfolds as the officer races against time, fighting his fading memory to solve the case and catch the killer.

Earlier this year, Sarathkumar starred in two films. The first one Hit List was a crime thriller featuring the actor as a cop. Available on Aha Tamil, it revolves around a mysterious stranger who holds a non-violence-loving mans family as hostages and orders the man to kill a few. The other one was Mazhai Pidikkatha Manithan streaming on Prime Video.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.
We cannot imagine two people who complement each other quite like Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds do, but it took them a series of heartbreaks before finding each other. Now hailed as Hollywood royalty, the couple's relationship was once mired in controversies. Blake and Ryan met on the set of Green Lantern in 2010 and began dating in 2011. The problem, you ask? Overlapping timelines of their romance with Reynold's marriage to Scarlett Johansson. Scroll ahead for more details.

Ryan and Scarlett, who married in 2008, finalised their divorce in July 2011, months after he co-starred Lively. The same year, he opened up about the heartbreak to Details magazine and declared he did not want to get married again. But Blake Lively soon changed his mind, and just months after his divorce, rumours of the Green Lantern pair's relationship had gossip mills working overtime.

Notably, the Deadpool actor was not the only one who broke up with his significant other while filming the movie; Lively, who was then dating her Gossip Girl co-star Penn Badgley, also ended her three-year-long romance around the same time. Many people, for obvious reasons, found it suspicious that both ended their long-term relationships while filming with each other and before they knew it, they were very much a couple in public.

Did Ryan Reynolds cheat on Scarlett Johansson with Blake Lively?

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds first sparked relationship rumours in August 2011, just two months after the Deadpool & Wolverine star finalised his divorce, fuelling cheating allegations. However, both have reiterated time and again that they did not get together for a year after breaking up with their respective partners.

Ryan cleared the air in an interview with People, saying, "We were buddies for a long time, which I think is the best way to have a relationship, to start as friends. About a year after Green Lantern had come and gone and we were both single, we went on a double date  she was on a date with another guy, and I was on a date with another girl  and it was like the most awkward date for the respective parties because we were just like fireworks coming across."

More about Blake and Ryan's relationship

After a year of dating, Blake and Ryan wed on September 9, 2012, in a private ceremony at Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina. The couple share four children: James, Inez, Betty, and Olin.

Scarlett Johansson, meanwhile, married Romain Dauriac in 2014 but the couple got divorced in 2017. She tied the knot with Colin Jost in 2020, and the couple welcomed their first child together in 2021.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.
The Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni drama has sparked a renewed conversation about the influence of social media and the authenticity of online content. The issue of social media manipulation has been a growing concern, with internet citizens, often referred to as netizens, playing a significant role in shaping public opinion on various topics. However, the debate has recently gained momentum after leaked conversations between Baldoni and his PR team went viral, following Lively's lawsuit against him.

Notably, this is not the first instance of a woman being targeted by a 'smear' campaign on social media. Previously, Amber Heard faced intense online harassment when she took her former husband, Johnny Depp, to court. More recently, ADOR CEO and K-pop mogul Min Hee Jin also experienced similar online hatred. A striking commonality among these three cases is the involvement of the same PR team, The Agency Group PR LLC, now known as TAG PR.

How Johny Depp's PR played a pivotal role in online trolling against Amber Heard

A beloved Hollywood heartthrob, Johnny Depp had a significant advantage at the start of the trial against Amber, thanks to his immense fame and wealth. As one of the most recognisable and bankable stars of the past three decades, Depp had all the resources to hire a top-notch team of lawyers and PR experts. So that's what he did. He hired Melissa Nathan's PR agency based in Santa Monica-based non-listed company called The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG PR).

The outcome? A tidal wave of public support for Johnny Depp was fueled by an overwhelming flood of social media posts that strongly supported him and harshly criticised Amber Heard. This online backlash greatly led to a significant shift in public opinion, with many people rallying behind the Pirates of the Caribbean star.

Justin Baldoni ropes Johnny Depp's PR team

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's feud began while filming for Colleen Hoover's book-to-film adaptation It Ends with Us. In August, before the film's release, reports surfaced that Justin hired veteran crisis PR manager Melissa Nathan for damage control.

After Blake's 10-claim complaint against Baldoni, screenshots of Nathan's chat with Baldoni's PR strategist Jennifer Abel were obtained by various outlets. According to a Daily Mail report, in one of the alleged messages, Abel said that Justin wants to feel like she could be buried," and responding to it, Melissa reportedly said, "You know we can bury anyone but I can't write that to him. I will be very tough."

While Jennifer Abel has broken her silence after the lawsuit, Nathan has not responded to the allegations.

Is Blake Lively the new Min Hee Jin?

During the semi-annual reports of HYBE, the K-pop supergroup BTS agency, it was revealed that the media mogul acquired a 51% stake in TAG PR. At that time, a company official stated that the aim was to strengthen the public relations resources of HYBE America. However, amid the recent turn of events, fans are wondering if HYBE roped in the new firm to fuel Min Hee Jin online hate.

"Same in all these celebrity spaces during public feuds as they are targetted by these PR firms to sway public opinion. Here is a reflection discussion today on Blake Lively after the revelations. She was the "MHJ/NJ" in this feud. It is essentially same," one user wrote.

Same in all these celebrity spaces during public feuds as they are targetted by these PR firms to sway public opinion.

Here is a reflection discussion today on Blake Lively after the revelations. She was the "MHJ/NJ" in this feud. It is essentially same https://t.co/AwWzYQ0Fx6  Ylon Musk  Y  (@theletter_Y) December 22, 2024

The user added, " I am 100% sure going to see an exact same discussion or reflection on K Pop Reddit sympathising not just with NJ but also MHJ in a year, 2 years, who knows maybe even months when reality of the situation sets in of what has been happening behind closed doors at Hybe."

Circling back to Blake Lively's lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, along with the smear campaign, the actress has accused her co-star of sexual harassment, which involved including intimate scenes without her permission or any prior notice. She has also alleged that he joked about her post-partum weight and made jokes about her deceased father. Baldoni's legal representative has refuted the claims.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.




Nita Ambani has joined the roster of renowned Indians set to speak at Harvard's India Conference in 2025. The Reliance Foundation chairperson will travel to the United States in February 2025 to attend the annual meeting. The India Conference is an effort conducted by students at Harvard University, an Ivy League institution.

This global conference will analyse and dissect Indian business, policy, and culture, focussing on the country's rise as a major international player.

For the past 21 years, Harvard students have worked together to gather experts from a variety of fields, including business, economics, and culture, to share insights about India's global significance.

The 22nd India Conference at Harvard 2025 will feature several high-profile speakers. The conference will be held on February 15 and 16, 2025, at the Harvard Kennedy School. Ticket prices for the conference range from $50 to $120.

Nita Ambani to speak at 22nd India Conference at Harvard 2025

Nita Ambani, the co-owner of the Mumbai Indians, will speak at the 22nd Harvard India Conference. The conference's official Instagram page confirmed her inclusion in the speakers list on Sunday, describing her as an "educationist, philanthropist, businesswoman, and patron of the arts."

As Founder Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, she has impacted nearly 80 million lives through initiatives in rural transformation, health, education, sports, women empowerment, disaster management, arts, and urban renewal, read the announcement.

The Instagram post touched on many facets of Nita Ambani's life, including her work as a devoted educator who runs 15 schools and founded the internationally renowned Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai. It also mentioned her position with the International Olympic Committee.

People on the internet feel 'very excited'

The news of her inclusion on the speakers list sparked excitement on Instagram, with one user calling it "absolutely huge" and others adding they were looking forward to hearing her speak. Here's what people said.

Credit: IG

Also read: Watch: Bengaluru woman's hilarious argument with Nita Ambani's bodyguard over road blockage by her Mercedes-Benz goes viral

What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.

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2025 is the year when BTS reunites, we have known, but a recent report suggests there's more! According to a new K-media report, the septet, including RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, will return with a full album release in the second half of 2025 and will embark on a World Tour in 2026. While ARMYs have been waiting for this moment since 2022 when the group announced their brief hiatus to pursue individual activities, they are not very happy with the latest prediction.

BTS is set to be discharged from military, then release an album in 2025, and will have a world tour in 2026. pic.twitter.com/X7qcdX6ZVY  Pop Flop (@ThePopFlop) December 23, 2024

BTS comeback in 2025, World Tour in 2026: Report

On December 23, Lee Hwa Jung, a researcher at NH Investment & Securities, predicted that BTS will make a comeback in 2025 with a full album release, marking a significant growth in HYBE's overall sales of the year. The following year, BTS will embark on a World Tour as a companion piece for their album to boost further sales for their label, he added.

HYBE had earlier hinted at a 2026 reunion for the group, allowing members a considerable amount of time to rest and recharge after RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook complete their military service in July. However, Lee explained that the company will push the septet for an early comeback for an instant spike in revenue. He reasoned that while K-pop acts under HYBE, such as SEVENTEEN, ENHYPEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT), ILLIT, and Jin, have been successful, nobody has managed to step into BTS' big shoes.

Why ARMYs are not happy with the report

Fans of the boy band, known as ARMYs, are not too happy with the latest report, even though a BTS reunion in 2025 is highly anticipated. Many cited that the boys should be given proper time to rest before an album release which usually comes with months long press tour and promotional activities. Some concerned fans also highlighted how embarking on a World Tour right after an album release will leave them little to no time to rejuvenate, which could impact their health.

"Tbh idk why it's good but I think it's better for them to rest. We should not get our hopes. Nothing is confirmed now..... Instead if telling them to release an album, we should tell them to rest," wrote one fan.

Tbh idk why it's good but I think it's better for them to rest. We should not get our hopes. Nothing is confirmed now.....

Instead if telling them to release an album, we should tell them to rest...  BTS forever sure (@badhwar_kh92837) December 23, 2024

"I dont believe KMedia. Just BTS. If it doesnt come from them directly, then I wont get too excited yet. To be honest, I dont mind if they just rest first in 2024 & do some fun vacation/game shows like Run BTS or In The Soop/Bon Voyage, etc. Looking forward to their reunion," wrote another fan.

I dont believe KMedia. Just BTS. If it doesnt come from them directly, then I wont get too excited yet. To be honest, I dont mind if they just rest first in 2024 & do some fun vacation/game shows like Run BTS or In The Soop/Bon Voyage, etc. Looking forward to their reunion   GOLDENJK (@Jaykayhay7) December 23, 2024

"It's okay they don't have to release music this quick I want them to take a break," a third fan commented.

It's okay they don't have to release music this quick I want them to take a break  kyle (@kyloovezarmy7) December 23, 2024

Meanwhile, a section of netizens also called it 'wishful thinking,' asking fans to not trust K-media and not get their hopes high until the boys or BigHit makes an official announcement.

This is NOT confirmed by BigHit or BTS themselves so respectfully stop with the Hypothetical news.  ~loves BTS  (@bang5ancore) December 23, 2024

But did @BIGHIT_MUSIC or @BTS_twt said something like this?  Farjana Ahammed (@ahammed_farjana) December 23, 2024

Belive nothing unless said by boys themselves or bighit .......  polar_night (@we_me7_) December 23, 2024

All members of BTS are expected to reunite in 2026 after they complete their mandatory military service. While Jin and J-Hope have already been discharged from the military, RM, Jimin, Jungkook, and V will return home in July next year. Meanwhile, Suga, who has been serving as a public service agent, will complete his service in June 2025.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.
Donald Trump has appointed Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author, as Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence. In a statement announcing several other appointments, the president-elect wrote, Sriram Krishnan will serve as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy."

Trump added that Krishnan would work closely with David Sacks to maintain Americas leadership in AI, as well as help shape AI policy across the government, collaborating with the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Heres everything you need to know about Krishnan whose career that began at Microsoft is now touching the skies.

I am pleased to announce the brilliant Team that will be working in conjunction with our White House A.I. & Crypto Czar, David O. Sacks. Together, we will unleash scientific breakthroughs, ensure America's technological dominance, and usher in a Golden Age of American Innovation!  Trump Posts on  (@trump_repost) December 22, 2024

Who is Sriram Krishnan?

Sriram Krishnan grew up in Tamil Nadu and studied at SRM Valliammai Engineering College in Kattankulathur. He started his career at Microsoft, where he helped develop Windows Azure, particularly its APIs and services. He also authored a book, Programming Windows Azure, for OReilly.

In 2013, Krishnan joined Facebook, where he played a key role in growing the companys mobile ad business. He later worked at Snap and then at Twitter (now X) until 2019, where he worked with Elon Musk on restructuring the platform. In 2021, he became a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and helped open their first international office in London in 2023.

 I'm honored to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with @DavidSacks.



Thank you @realDonaldTrump for this opportunity. pic.twitter.com/kw1n0IKK2a  Sriram Krishnan (@sriramk) December 22, 2024

Krishnan is also an investor and advisor at the Indian fintech company Cred. He co-hosts The Aarthi and Sriram Show podcast with his wife, Aarthi Ramamurthy.

After Trumps announcement, Krishnan took to his X handle and expressed his gratitude, saying, Im honoured to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with @DavidSacks. Sacks also shared the news, calling the team an example of the incredible talent President Trump is bringing to his administration.

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Diljit Dosanjhs Dil-Luminati Tour has left the internet, and the social media fam is buzzing with excitement all over the globe, including the US, Europe, and India. Fans across the world had an unforgettable experience at his show, and still, many are still waiting to be a part of Diljits show. Social media is filled with experiences shared by the fans who attended the event; some are good experiences, and some are bad.

Sadly, not everyone had a great experience at Diljit's show in Mumbai. Recently, taking to Instagram, a woman criticised the event organisers, saying that despite paying Rs 12,000 for a gold ticket, the woman had to struggle to see the stage at Mahalakshmi Race Course. With time, the frustration of the woman grew as she couldnt sing due to crowd complaints, and there wasnt even enough space to dance.

The worst night everthe woman complained

The woman on the social media post went on to explain that the event was the worst night of her life, and she even compared it to a crowded scene at a local trend. Her post read, Went to Diljit Dosanjhs concert in Mumbai yesterday, and it was genuinely the WORST night of my life. Ive been a fan for YEARS; hes the only artist I listen to on a loop, but last night was just a disaster. Paid 12k for gold section tickets to see nothing. Not even ONCE could I see the stage properly, despite being at the front of the gold section.

Mahalakshmi Racecourse wasnt suitable for a concert

Adding more about her experience at the event, she said that the event was so bad that it made her cry. The crowded situation made her sister uncomfortable as people were falling on her, but things got worse when two women started fighting with her, claiming that she was disturbing the show when Diljit was singing the song Lover..

The woman even told her that if she couldnt handle the crowd, then she shouldnt attend such concerts. Along with this, they also made rude comments about her, saying she should not stand near men. Criticising the venue, she said that Mahalakshmi Racecourse wasnt suitable for a concert and suggested that the show should have been conducted in a stadium.

How netizens react to thissee here

Reacting to the post, one user wrote, Theres a reason why Diljit said he doesnt want to do concerts in India."

Another wrote, Im sorry you had to go through this. Mahalakshmi is not for concerts. India is not for concerts. Im sorry."

While a user said he also had the same experience and wrote, Totally with you, girl, had the same experience. Saw him twice in LA, went to Mumbai for my mom & masi, & it was a shit show.

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Deputy Infrastructure and Transport Minister Vassilis Economou, responsible for transportation, rode on Sunday on the train for the last trial run of the Alexandroupolis-Ormenio railroad line, which opened on Monday.

During the train travel, Economou stopped at the bridge at Pythion to inspect its restructuring, to confirm the readiness of the infrastructure for the restart of the railway connection between Greece and Turkiye.

The minister said, "The Alexandroupolis-Orestiada

line is a national line and will be further upgraded. In collaboration with officials and the administration of the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE), we have laid out a comprehensive plan, having committed to opening and upgrading three stations in the region - Orestiada, Soufli, and Didimotycho. With the line's dynamic reopening, we are conveying a clear message: Evros will not stay behind, but is at the heart of our national policy."

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The frigate 'Spetsai' returned to the naval base of Salamina on Monday after completing its mission in the European Union operation 'Aspides' (EUNAVFORASPIDES) at the Red Sea.

According to the Hellenic Navy General Staff (HNGS), after its return, head of HNGS Vice-Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras boarded the ship accompanied by head of the fleet Vice-Admiral Polychronis Koulouris. They welcomed the frigate's captain and crew, congratulating them on the successful completion of their mission.

   iefimerida.gr
The National Weather Service (EMY) has issued an emergency bulletin warning of a severe weather system impacting Greece on Monday and Tuesday.

Heavy rain, thunderstorms, strong winds, and snowfall are expected across various parts of the country.

On Monday, heavy rain and thunderstorms will begin

in the northern Ionian islands and Epirus, spreading to western and central Greece, the Peloponnese, and the Ionian islands.

By the afternoon, the storms will move eastward, affecting eastern Macedonia, Thrace, the eastern Aegean islands, the Dodecanese, and Crete.

Snowfall is also expected in the mountainous and semi-mountainous regions of central and northern Greece, with heavy snow at times, particularly in western Macedonia. The snow will continue on Tuesday but with decreasing intensity.

Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Vasilis Kikilias urged travelers to exercise caution and carry anti-skid chains, especially in mountainous areas.

"We expect strong rain and thunderstorms," he said, emphasizing the importance of preparedness during the holiday season.

The severe weather is expected to ease by Tuesday afternoon, but authorities are urging residents and travelers to stay informed about weather updates and take necessary precautions to ensure their safety.

   iefimerida.gr
The strength of Greeks "emanates from the unbreakable unity and solidarity, elements particularly valuable in today's unpredictable era of crises and challenges," President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou said on Monday in her holiday message to Greeks abroad.

In her message

on the occasion of Christmas and New Year, Sakellaropoulou said that "Greece embraces Greeks everywhere in the world as an inseparable part of its national existence, recognizing their vital contribution to its progress and prosperity. She underlined the gratitude of the Greek state to the diaspora for its "contribution in maintaining our ideals, and in our timeless promotion of our heritage to the world ."

At the same time, the Greek president added that "Greece builds bridges of friendship with states and peoples, setting out an extroversion path that promotes regional collaboration and development, while safeguarding its non-negotiable national rights."

Sakellaropoulou referred also to Greece's elected position as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the coming two years. She said this confers on Greece a sense of responsibility, while it also marks Greece's unwavering commitment and its tireless and sustained efforts that will lead to the predominance of security and peace in the world. "In this, its creative path in the globalized environment we live, Greece always looks forward to the active engagement of Greek communities" abroad, the president said.

   iefimerida.gr
The Bauchi State Police Command has apprehended 15 suspects connected to a violent clash between youth groups in the Kandahar area of Bauchi metropolis.

The incident led to the burning of a primary school in the area.

The Commands Public Relations Officer, SP Ahmed Wakili, revealed this in a statement issued to journalists in Bauchi on Sunday.

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He added that investigations are underway to determine the underlying and immediate causes of the violence.

READ MORE: Fire Ravages Petrol Tanker, Fuel Station In Akwa Ibom

According to the PPRO, On 18 December 2024, at about 08:30 hours, Detectives from A Police Divisional Police Headquarters received a distress call from a good Samaritan regarding a group of youths engaging in violent behaviour in the Kandahar area of Bauchi metropolis.

This group attacked innocent civilians and targeted the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) office located near Kandahar Primary School. The assailants set fire to the Civilian JTF office and a portion of the State Government Primary School.

During this unrest, members of the civilian JTF confronted the attackers, resulting in one of the assailants, identified as Saidu Musa, aged 22, sustaining a gunshot wound to the chest from a locally-made firearm.

In response to the situation, a team of Police operatives was promptly dispatched to the scene. They successfully de-escalated the conflict and evacuated Saidu Musa to the Specialist Hospital for medical treatment.

Preliminary investigations indicated that on 18 December 2024, at 21:20 hours, the Civilian JTF encountered a group of restive youths in the Kandahar area.

Following this encounter, on 19 December 2024, the disgruntled youths regrouped and initiated a violent attack against the Civilian JTF office and the government primary school, inflicting damage and causing distress among innocent citizens.

With the swift response of Police operatives, the situation has now been brought under control, additionally, Fifteen suspects have been arrested in connection with this incident, and investigations are currently ongoing.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Musa Mohammed, has condemned these unprovoked acts against government facilities.

He urged the citizens of Bauchi State to refrain from taking the law into their own hands and to report any concerns to the relevant authorities.

Moreover, he has directed the State Criminal Investigation Department to undertake a detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding this dastardly act.
Doyin Okupe, a former presidential aide, has denied ever criticising President Bola Tinubu.

Okupes statement was in response to an article that listed him among former critics of Tinubu who have now become his supporters.

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According to Okupe, he and Tinubu formed a strong bond during the NADECO era, when they worked together to resist the military junta in Nigeria.

A good man does not spoil another good person. We had a very serious, not-so-visible bond during the NADECO.

He was abroad. We were here in Nigeria coordinating.

When we were in the trenches together under severe pressure from the government, running from here to here, it gives a bond that even political partisanship cannot give.

READ ALSO: 2023 Election: Im Not Saying Rigging Didnt Take Place, But Nobodys Mandate Was Stolen  Doyin Okupe

So, you can go and check all publications. I have never, ever criticised him. There is nowhere you will hear me speak anything ill about Bola Tinubu, Okupe said in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria.

Okupe maintained that he has always believed Tinubu would make a good President.

Go and check all through my time in the Labour Party and in PDP. I have never in my life criticised Bola Tinubu even though we have never been under the same political umbrella before, he said.

However, records show that Okupe did criticise Tinubu in 2013, when he was serving as senior special assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on public affairs.

At the time, Okupe accused Tinubu of speaking ignorantly about the subsidy reinvestment and empowerment programme (SURE-P).

Despite this, Okupe has been expressing his support for Tinubu and his policies since the 2023 presidential election.


The Nigeria Police Force has strongly refuted claims made in a report by Amnesty International titled Bloody August: Nigeria Governments Violent Crackdown on #EndBadGovernance Protests.

The report, released on November 28, 2024, alleged that the police were involved in extrajudicial killings during the #hunger protests held from August 1 to August 10, stating that at least 24 people were killed across six northern states.

In a press briefing on Sunday, Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi described the allegations as false, misleading, and damaging to the image of the Force.

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He stated that a special investigative panel, in collaboration with Commissioners of Police from the affected states, conducted an extensive investigation and produced a report contradicting Amnestys claims.

Amnesty International is advised to have retrospection on its frequently false reporting on Nigerian Law Enforcement activities and reflect on its reporting methodology by ensuring that its reports are accurate and contain a true and fair expression of events that touch on national security and safety of all Nigerians. Accurate reporting of facts is key to the integrity and character of every international organisation, and Amnesty International should not be an exception, Adejobi said.

The police also plans to demand a retraction and public apology from Amnesty International for what they described as inaccurate reporting.

The Nigeria Police Force will in due time be writing to Amnesty International to demand a retraction of this report from the public space and with a public apology, Adejobi stated.

READ ALSO: Wife On The Run After Setting Policeman Ablaze During Dispute In Ogun

He further assured that the police remain committed to protecting the rights of citizens and maintaining national security.

Adejobi who outlined specific inaccuracies said in Borno State, the report falsely claimed that the police used grenades, killing three people.

It was established that the protesters were violent, engaging in widespread looting, pillaging, and wanton destruction of public and private property. For instance, the Skill Acquisition Centre of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees was looted and vandalised, and the warehouse of the World Food Programme in Maiduguri was also looted, he explained.

He dismissed the grenade claim as a blatant falsehood.

In Niger State, the report alleged three individuals were shot dead in Suleja, but police investigations found no evidence to support this claim.

In Katsina State, the alleged killing of a 21-year-old was also disproven. Local sources confirmed that no such incident occurred, Adejobi stated.

In Kaduna State, Adejobi noted that no protests were held on October 1, 2024, contrary to Amnestys claims.

He added that the incident reported by Amnesty involved the Nigerian Army, not the police, and had already been investigated.

In Jigawa State, Amnesty International reported the deaths of two women and a man during protests. However, police investigations revealed no such killings, with evidence suggesting that a lone fatality resulted from protester violence rather than police action.

In Kano State, the report attributed 12 deaths to police actions. Adejobi said investigations showed the deaths were caused by violent confrontations involving looters and criminals, not the police.

The Nigeria Police Force further urged the public to disregard what it described as sensational and misleading reports.

Adejobi however emphasized the need for international organizations to adhere to fair and honest reporting standards, especially on sensitive issues such as human rights violations.


An analysis of the 2025 Appropriation Bill has revealed that over 10 federal ministries and agencies received allocations exceeding N1 trillion each.

These include the Ministries of Police Affairs, Interior, Defence, Finance, Power, Works, Budget and Economic Planning, Niger Delta, Education, and Health.

The proposed budget, presented to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu last week , allocated the highest amountN17.52 trillionto the Ministry of Finance, largely for salary payments. This represents an 87.78% increase from the N9.33 trillion it received in 2023.

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Following the finance ministry is the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which saw a 52.35% rise to N6.78 trillion, an increase of N2.33 trillion from its previous allocation.

The Ministry of Defence ranked third with N2.92 trillion, marking an increase of N1.34 trillion or 84.81%. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior received N1.13 trillion, up from N461 billion in 2024.

READ ALSO: 2025 Budget: FG Earmarks 6.36bn For Renovation Of Presidential Quarters

The Ministry of Power recorded a 510.46% increase, securing N2.1 trillion compared to the N344 billion it received in the previous year.

Similarly, the Ministry of Works saw its allocation rise to N1.14 trillion from N657.23 billion.

Other key ministries also received significant appropriations, including the Ministry of Niger Delta with N2.23 trillion, Education with N2.52 trillion, and Health with N1.91 trillion.

Last Thursday, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed the N49.7 trillion Restoration budget for second reading after deliberations. Lawmakers commended President Tinubus budget as a step toward advancing the countrys development goals.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the Senate session at the National Assembly, referred the bill to the Committee on Appropriations following a voice vote.

The 2025 budget includes a revenue projection of N34.82 trillion to fund the aggregate expenditure of N47.9 trillion, leaving a deficit of N13 trillion.


Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has shed light on the controversy surrounding the proposed tax reform bills, emphasizing that his call for withdrawal was not opposition, but a push for wider consultation.

Makinde, on Sunday, explained that the National Economic Council (NEC) unanimously agreed to withdraw the bill from the National Assembly to facilitate broader discussions with stakeholders.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Makinde made this clarification during a media chat on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State.

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At the level of the National Economic Council, we asked the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force a question on the whereabouts of the bill, and he said that it was already at the National Assembly.

I said if that was the case, why are you just coming here for us to debate and give you the approval as prayed? It amounted to putting the cart before the horse, he said.

READ ALSO: Zamfara Gov Kicks Against Tax Reform Bills, Calls For Better Review

Makinde who made this clarification during a media chat on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State stressed that the goal is to achieve a meaningful reform that benefits the entire nation, rather than rushing into a decision.

We said, withdraw this bill from the National Assembly and let us have a wider consultation. If people have reservations here and there, it is a national issue, and you can seek alignment, he noted

Makindes clarification comes after he was criticized for opposing the tax reform bill.

He urged Nigerians to focus on the substance of the issue rather than attacking the messenger.

I was asked to be part of the people that would brief the media, and my bit was to explain our decision on why the bill should be withdrawn so that consultation could happen with stakeholders, but some people just focused on the messenger instead of focusing on the message.

The proposed tax reform bills, aimed at simplifying tax processes and eliminating redundancies, have sparked controversy, with many stakeholders opposing certain sections proposed by the government.
Tobi Adegboyega, the founder of Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church Nation, is confident that his influence will significantly expand if he relocates to Nigeria.

The statement follows the UK Immigration Upper Tribunals ruling regarding his deportation, which was based on allegations of a 1.87 million fraud.

Adegboyega, however, strongly refuted these claims, describing them as unfounded and lacking credible evidence.

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READ MORE: This Festive Period, Dont Kill Yourself Over Expensive Hair  Yul Edochie To Women

In an upcoming Off The Record podcast episode shared on X Sunday, Adegboyega highlighted SPAC Nations remarkable success in the UK and Europe, boasting that it is currently the largest independent church in these regions.

He emphasized that his impact would be even greater in Nigeria, predicting that his influence would increase tenfold.

Adegboyega also expressed his desire to be in Paris, where he believes he would be happier.

We are the largest independent church in the UK and Europe right now, he claimed.

He added, If I am in Nigeria, I will be bigger than this, 10x maybe. If I am in Paris, I will be happier. Its holiday for me. London will miss me, so you better tell them, we still need this guy, nobody is close to us entertaining us.


Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has criticized the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for imposing restrictions on the distribution of palliatives to the poor.

Obi described the move, via X on Monday as unnecessary bureaucracy that could discourage philanthropists from helping vulnerable citizens.

The criticism comes after a series of tragic incidents, including stampedes that resulted in the deaths of 67 people, including 35 children, in Ibadan, Okija, and Abuja.

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In response, the IGP warned event organizers to involve security agencies or face legal consequences.

Obi argued that while the directive is a timely response to the tragedies, it is prone to abuse and could stifle the spirit of compassion and generosity among Nigerians.

READ ALSO: IGP Egbetokun Laments Over Nigerias Criminal Justice System, Calls For Collective Efforts To End Corruption

Rather than requiring people to seek permission to assist those in need, we should encourage them to find better, more organized ways to offer such help, Obi stated.

He also urged the Federal Government to address the root causes of hardship by offering lasting solutions rather than creating barriers for those stepping in to fill the gaps left by government policies.

The government must do more to address the root causes of this hardship, providing lasting solutions rather than creating obstacles for those stepping in to fill the gaps created by governments insensitive policies, Obi added.

Obis statement emphasized the need for a more constructive approach to addressing the countrys economic challenges, one that promotes coordination and support rather than division and discouragement.
A lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District, Senator Ali Ndume, has claimed that northern part of the country is a big asset and not liability.

Speaking in a statement on Sunday, Ndume stated that all states and regions in Nigeria need one another to survive no matter how rich they are.

The lawmaker also insisted that President Bola Tinubu must withdraw controversial tax reform bill for better consultations.

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He also expressed concerns that the economic challenges faced by Nigerians could worsen if the bills were implemented without adequate consultation.

Ndume said: The North was, is, and will never be a parasite or dependent on any region or even the country. We are assets, not liabilities, to Nigeria.

READ MORE: Rapid Approval Of Tax Reform Bills By Lawmakers Is Suspicious  Senator Ndume

Those who believe the current tax reforms are targeted against northern interests are naive. The law applies equally to all low- and middle-income Nigerians.

I insist that the Tax Reforms Bills be withdrawn for broader consultations and engagement with critical stakeholders, including state and local governments and the private sector.

Our personnel and overhead expenditures for 2024 account for 50 to 60 percent of the budget. Yet, here we are in November, and only 20 percent of the budget has been implemented. Meanwhile, recurrent expenditure has already been exhausted.

This means over N15tn to N20tn is going into personnel, debt servicing, and recurrent expenditure. We should reform the government, not only the executive  we need to reform the government holistically.
Efforts to curb oil-related crimes in the Niger Delta have yielded results as the Nigerian Navy apprehended six individuals involved in transporting illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) in Bayelsa State.

The arrests occurred on Thursday, December 19, 2024, during a patrol conducted by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH as part of Operation DELTA SANITY.

The suspects were intercepted in Otuokpoti while traveling in six passenger boats loaded with sacks and jerrycans of the illegal product.

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READ MORE: Navy Captures 19 Europe-Bound Stowaways On Lagos Waters

In a Facebook statement on Sunday, the Navy confirmed that the suspects were handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) headquarters in Yenagoa for further investigation.

The statement read, Operation DELTA SANITY: On Thursday, 19 December 2024, Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH intercepted and apprehended 6 suspects in 6 passenger boats conveying sacks and jerrycans of illegally refined AGO in Otuokpoti, Bayelsa State.

Consequently, the suspects were handed over to personnel of Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps Headquarters, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

This operation underscores the Navys resolve to clamp down on illegal refining and safeguard the nations waterways and resources.


The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the recent stampedes in various parts of the country, which resulted in the loss of numerous lives.

The Party further blamed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administrations economic policies for the tragic incidents.

According to a statement on Sunday by Debo Ologunagba, the PDP spokesperson, The PDP describes the widespread food stampede in the country as an ugly testament to the alarming level of misery, poverty, hunger, starvation, and sense of hopelessness and desperation for survival currently plaguing our nation under the overtly insensitive, corrupt, and rudderless Tinubu-led government.

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Ologunagba expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and commended Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for his swift response to the incident.

READ ALSO: Proposed Tinubus 2025 Budget ll Plunge Nigeria Into More Challenges  PDP

However, he also accused the Tinubu-led administration of disregarding human life and called on Nigerians to hold the federal government responsible for the incidents.

The PDP calls on Nigerians to hold the Tinubu-led APC administration responsible for the remote cause of these tragic occurrences for which it must recompense.

For the umpteenth time, the PDP demands the immediate review of all the suffocating economic and tax policies of the APC administration, which are bringing misery and death to Nigerians daily, he said.

The African Action Congress (AAC) Party has also criticized the administrations economic policies, stating that they have led to widespread poverty and desperation among Nigerians.

The AAC accused the administration of being overtly insensitive, corrupt, and rudderless and demanded an immediate end to the anti-poor policies.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubus government has replied former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi over his recent comment on viral stampedes that killed many Nigerians across the country.

Recall that on the 18th of December , 2024, 35 children, who visited a charity event in Ibadan, Oyo State, lost their lives, while 22 persons were also killed in Anambra State, in attempt to receive palliative, distributed by Obi Jackson Foundation on Saturday.

It was gathered that a similar event, claimed 10 lives in Abuja.

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Meanwhile, Mr. Obi, in his reaction to the unfortunate development, blamed President Tinubus government for the tragic reports across the country.

Obi claimed that Tinubus economic policies, responsible for hardship facing many Nigerians, which led them to their sudden death.

READ MORE: Stampede Death Toll Rises To 22  Anambra Police

Reacting to the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, in a statement shared via his X page on Monday, Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Tinubu, described Obis comment as insensitive.

He said: When seeking someone who benefits from the misfortune of others or from confusion, what the Yoruba people describe as Arije ninu Madaru, look no further than Peter Obi.

His recent comments on the avoidable tragedies in Anambra and Oyo states lack statesmanship and decency, even as he clings to the fading echoes of his much-vaunted political victory.

This attempt to score cheap political points falls flat.

In times of unfortunate tragedy, leaders are expected to speak responsibly and offer support.

President Tinubu cancelled all engagements, expressed profound sadness over the loss of lives, and ordered an immediate investigation.

That is the way of true leadership. These incidents have highlighted critical issues that must be addressed.

This government is committed to ensuring that the economic difficulties of this period are resolved swiftly in Nigeria so that the standard of living of the average Nigerian can improve.

However, we must not lose sight of the need for patience, orderliness, crowd management, and enforcement of necessary permits for such events. Yes, the government has a role to play, but citizens also have responsibilities. Beyond that the ongoing reforms have started to bear fruits and soon Nigeria will feel the positive impacts.


President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to hold his first media chat tonight at 9pm, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The media chat will be broadcast live on the Nigerian Television Authority and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Petrol To Sell At N935/Litre From Monday  IPMAN Says After Agreeing New Arrangement With Dangote

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Onanuga, via X on Monday, urged all television and radio stations to hook up to the broadcast, which is expected to address various national issues.

The first Presidential Media Chat with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be broadcast at 9 p.m. on Monday, December 23, the statement read.
Mickalene Thomas is used to baring everything in her artwork. The Camden natives show at the Barnes Foundation gets a bit more personal, not only as the first major solo exhibit in her hometown region, but because some of her cousins are seeing the work in person for the first time. That includes nudes of her and her mom.

The video portrait Me As Muse (2016) displays Thomas reclined naked body across a dozen monitors, a continuation of her revolutionary portraits of Black women relaxing in luxurious positions  a spotlight and privilege that have traditionally been reserved for white women in the canon of art history.

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Her work centering Black women as her muses, beginning with her own mom, Sandra Bush, are bold, subversive, and deliver a jolt.

That was certainly the case for her New Jersey relatives.

They were like, Whoa! OK, cuz, like, whats up here? recalled Thomas, laughing at her familys reactions. Next time warn us, come on!

Thomas work is entirely unapologetic, and thats the point. Running through Jan. 12, Mickalene Thomas: All About Love, highlights paintings, photography, collage work, and other mixed media. The touring show focuses on her reworking of masterpieces by artists represented in the Barnes collection, including Henri Matisse and Gustave Courbet.

The most breathtaking is Thomas monumental version of Manets classic Le dejeuner sur lherbe, displayed as a photograph and as a collage painting on a 10-by-24-foot wood panel. Wearing patterned designs by Thomas, three fabulously dressed Black women with rhinestone-dotted natural hair stare at the viewer. Friends of the artist, the models captivate completely with confident and challenging gazes.

That referential conversation across generations and styles is why Thomas wanted the show at the Barnes. As people go in to see the collection, they can go, Whos this Mickalene Thomas? Then they see a reference to Le dejeuner, or other references to Matisse and Courbet, she said. You start to get this sense of the historical conversation around the work. Then they can [say] Wow. [They] probably would never even have thought that this African American queer girl from Camden, New Jersey, would look at these white male artists and reshape this narrative of the Black female body.

Thomas brings that Camden pride with her. In the Los Angeles iteration of All About Love, she built large recreations of her childhood rowhouse. In Philadelphia, she sees the Barnes stop as part of her continued connection to the city; Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen saw the show as well.

It allows me to continue my conversation with engagement with the arts in Camden, she said. They can bring people and say, Look, this is Camden here.

As a kid across the river, Thomas would sneak over to the city with friends to people-watch punks on South Street. Her first concert was the Cure at the Spectrum in the late 1980s, when she rocked spiky hair and steel-toe Doc Martens. Philadelphia also provided her earliest exposure to fine art institutions on field trips from Pennsauken High School to the Art Museum and the original Barnes Foundation location.

The show in Philadelphia has proved an enormously gratifying homecoming for Thomas. The most rewarding part has been seeing the portraits of her late mom adorning the Barnes' walls. Her mother posed often for Thomas before her death in 2012. The portraits of her mother include rhinestone-encrusted paintings and a photograph of her as a reclining nude. It was a meaningful revelation, she said.

Having her at the Barnes, as my muse, its a really indescribable feeling, because it really positions, not just her, but the legacy of women of her nature and spirit  all of that on this very elevated level is empowering, even for me to see, Thomas said. I actually looked at the photograph differently when I saw it in this context. It felt really like it broke through a different tier and moment.

Seeing the paintings for the first time, Thomas older brother told her that she really captured her mothers energy. That was beautiful to hear. Then, she heard from other relatives: Whyd you got your moms breast out? she recounted, laughing again. Theyre like, Girl. Why are you going to do that to your mom?

Undeterred, Thomas knows Sandra Bush  a fashion model who delighted in becoming her daughters frequent subject  wouldve been proud, too.

Mickalene Thomas: All About Love runs through Jan. 12 at the Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, 215-278-7000 or barnesfoundation.org.
John DiMarco places a sign outside the junior high entrance for students at Woodbury Junior and Senior High School informing parents their childrens phones are locked during school hours. This program to keep kids off their phones during school started this school year. Read more

New Jersey schools may be required to develop policies to limit students from using cell phones and electronic devices during class.

A bill introduced by State Sen. Paul Moriarty (D., Gloucester) would require the New Jersey Department of Education to help K-12 schools develop policies to prohibit students from using the devices during instruction.

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It thrusts New Jersey into a growing national movement by some schools to implement cell-phone bans or restrictions to ease classroom distractions. Educators say the devices hinder learning and student mental health.

I think its something we need to address, Moriarty said. Students are addicted to cell phones. I just think its hard to learn when you have a cell phone in your hand.

 READ MORE: Pa. is offering schools money for lockable cell phone pouches. Heres why some Philly-area schools arent taking it.

The bill, S-3695, would task acting Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer with developing a model policy for New Jerseys more than 600 districts. Local boards would be required to adopt a policy, but allowed some flexibility to meet their needs.

If adopted, the bill would take effect immediately, and the policies would be expected to go into effect the first full school year following passage. The bill unanimously cleared the state Senate Education Committee this month.

There has been some opposition to cell-phone restrictions, especially from parents who want their children to have access to their device in the event of an emergency.

The bill would allow districts to decide how to implement the restrictions, which could include sealed magnetic devices that allow students to keep phones in their possession but locked until the end of the day, or could require them to keep devices in lockers or backpacks. Exceptions will be made for students who have individual education plans or health conditions that require wireless communication devices.

Policies would cover smartphones, smartwatches, and any type of cell phone.

When theyre in a school environment we just want them to be able to concentrate on learning, said Assemblywoman Rosaura Bagolie (D., Essex), a cosponsor.

Bagolie, superintendent of the East Newark school system in Hudson County, said students quickly adjusted to a cell-phone ban she implemented there six years ago. Students are required to put the phones in a bin at the beginning of school, she said, and can use office phones in case of an emergency.

 READ MORE: To ban or not to ban the cell phone? Without them, schools see more learning, fewer fights, and calmer hallways.

Nationally, most public schools prohibit cell-phone usage for nonacademic purposes, with 76% enacting bans of some kind in the 2021-22 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. At least six states have passed laws or enacted policies that ban or restrict students use of cell phones or encourage local districts to enact their own bans.

The U.S. Department of Education is urging states and districts to adopt school cell-phone policies. The agency didnt say what action should be taken but said parents and students should be included in the decision-making, along with educators.

The New Jersey School Boards Association supports the spirit and intent of the Moriarty bill but wants to make sure districts have leeway to adopt a policy that meets their needs, said spokesperson Thomas Parmalee.

As technology constantly changes, school districts should be able to adjust their policies over time, he said.

Around the region, cell-phone policies vary, and enforcement can be inconsistent even within a single school.

Some South Jersey districts, including Cherry Hill and Cinnaminson, have already put restrictions in place this school year to curb cell-phone use. Washington Township plans to update its policy in a few months, a spokesperson said.

Woodbury School Superintendent Andrew Bell said that banning cell phones this year was a game-changer for middle and high school students.

It was one of the best decisions I have ever made, Bell said. I love the bill. I think it is something that has to be done.

Bell said the changes have been notable in his district since the ban  fewer disciplinary problems, a decline in cyberbullying, and a better school climate.

Woodbury spent $30,000 in federal pandemic relief funds to purchase Yondr pouches, which magnetically lock phones. Bell said students have mostly been compliant, with only a few infractions a week.

I would tell any superintendent cell phones are just a distraction for kids, Bell said. We needed the pouches.

In Cherry Hill, a policy that took effect in September requires students to keep their devices silenced and in a locker or backpack during grade-bearing classes such as math, science, history, and physical education.

Its literally a fight for their attention, said Superintendent Kwame Morton.

Morton said the district believed the Yondr pouches were too restrictive because the cell phones would be inaccessible all day. Students are allowed to use the devices during study hall, lunch, and recess.

Theyve done a fantastic job adhering to the policy, Morton said.

At Cinnaminson High School, teachers are allowed to set their own technology policies and that seems to work, said Superintendent Stephen Cappello.

Kerry DiSimone, principal at Cinnaminsons middle school, implemented a cell-phone ban this year, despite pushback from some students and parents.

The new policy requires students to keep all devices, except district-issued Chromebooks, in their backpacks in their lockers, DiSimone said.

I knew it wasnt going to be popular, she said. Whether they all agree or not, we did what was best for them.
A teacher at Philadelphias Samuel Fels High School has been charged with sexual offenses and corruption of a minor after a 16-year-old student said he groped her in a classroom.

Alexander Finch, 26, was arrested on Dec. 12, a little more than a month after the alleged incident at the high school in the citys Crescentville section. On Nov. 11, the 16-year-old girl told police that Finch had put his hand down her shirt while she was in a psychology classroom.

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The girl told police that she went to the room to get her book bag, and Finch allegedly grabbed her and said that she has a really nice body, according to a criminal complaint. The teacher touched the girls breasts and buttocks, she told police, and put her in like a chokehold, according to the complaint. After the girl bit Finchs arm, he let go of her, she said.

The girl  who also said Finch had picked her up and hugged her earlier in the year  said she had told her boyfriend about the incident. Police interviewed him at the school a day later, according to the complaint.

The boyfriend told police the girl was visibly upset and shaking as she described the incident. He told her to tell another teacher, according to the complaint. That teacher told police she had been approached by the girl and her boyfriend, and said she reported the allegations to ChildLine, the state hotline for reports of suspected child abuse.

Finch is listed on Fels website as a social studies teacher; it is unclear how long he has worked for the Philadelphia School District. Finch has been reassigned pending the investigation and will not have contact with students during the period of reassignment, according to Christina Clark, a district spokesperson.

The School District of Philadelphia takes the safety and well-being of all students placed in our care very seriously. Any behavior that violates that trust is unacceptable, Clark said in a statement to The Inquirer Monday. The District is working in full cooperation with law enforcement officials.

Reached by phone Monday, Finch declined to comment. He was charged with a felony offense of unlawful contact with a minor, along with lesser charges of corruption of minors, indecent assault, and harassment, and was released on Dec. 13 after posting 10% of his $100,000 bail.

Staff writer Max Marin contributed to this article.
Swarthmore College students rallied on campus in November in protest of the school administrations disciplinary action against students for their actions during pro-Palestinian protests. Read more

At Swarthmore College, several students face discipline for alleged assault, endangerment or infliction of physical harm during pro-Palestinian protests.

Their actions? Using a bullhorn in extremely close proximity to staff members. They sought medical treatment for hearing damage, which for some still persists, said spokeswoman Alisa Giardinelli.

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Students and several professors who support them question whether the noise could have harmed anyone, and say the assault charges are just another tactic by the college to silence protesters. Students also face other disciplinary charges, including intimidation and disorderly conduct.

 READ MORE: Philly colleges are bracing for a potentially volatile fall semester after a year of encampments and resignations

Its pretty preposterous, said Adi Chattopadhyay, 19, a sophomore from California who is part of Swarthmores chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and is facing disciplinary charges. Its just about the school exerting as much power as they can and making students feel like they are weak.

 READ MORE: Swarthmore College will hold commencement off campus for first time since its founding in 1864

The disagreement over the bullhorn is the latest example of ongoing tensions between pro-Palestinian protesters, supporters of Israel, and colleges attempting to mediate. Encampments that were erected during the spring semester, and in some cases later dismantled by police, were not part of fall protests, perhaps because some campuses, including the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers, and Swarthmore, clarified their policies and explicitly banned them.

 READ MORE: Temple agrees to provide training and review its response to antisemitism, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian complaints

But flashpoints have continued, locally and nationally, including a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Temple University outside the Hillel center, and a raid by Penn police on a protesters off-campus house that police said was connected to an ongoing vandalism investigation. At the University of Washington last month, the presidents house and car were vandalized. The vandalism included pro-Hamas symbols and accused the president of being complicit in genocide, according to Inside Higher Education. And the issue of how much noise amplification from protests is OK has become another point of contention in the conflict.

Swarthmore also faces dueling complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights that it failed to properly handle claims of antisemitism and Muslim and Palestinian discrimination on its campus. The college acknowledged the department is investigating the antisemitism complaint, but said it has not been notified that an investigation is underway on the anti-Muslim and Palestinian charges.

The departments website notes two ongoing investigations at Swarthmore based on discrimination involving shared ancestry, but a spokesperson declined to specify the complainants.

Universities are creating new rules

This year ... is a year when presidents are much more systematic about when they speak up, how they speak up, and ... about how they attend to the demands of the stakeholders in their campus communities and beyond, said Derrick Anderson, senior vice present for education futures at the American Council on Education. Universities are creating new rules to keep up with the behavior of individuals and I think we will continue to see that.

Campuses, he said, should take four steps: Dont infringe on free speech, follow the law, communicate clearly and transparently, and enforce rules consistently. That doesnt mean they cant set limits, though, private schools much more than public ones.

 READ MORE: Penn sent officers to raid a pro-Palestinian activist house off campus. They said it was in connection with a vandalism investigation.

People are entitled to express their opinions, he said, but they are not entitled to express them in whatever way they want.

At Swarthmore, 25 students face disciplinary action for alleged violation of school policies pertaining to pro-Palestinian protests. Two are major misconduct cases before panels of students, faculty, and staff members that could lead to punishment including suspension and expulsion. One of those is underway. Nine others are for minor misconduct, and about two-thirds of those have been completed.

All of the charges relate to incidents that occurred last academic year before students erected an encampment in April.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations earlier this fall filed a discrimination complaint against Swarthmore on behalf of students and professors, and last month named Swarthmore one of two colleges of particular concern  the other being the University of Chicago.

These campuses have suppressed the American tradition of free speech, denied inclusion, and systematically punished peaceful civil disobedience by involving state force and disciplinary measures against those who oppose the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Corey Saylor, CAIR research and advocacy director, said in a statement.

Three professors who support the student protesters said the college has administered harsher punishment than it did to students in protests on other issues. They also asserted that the college is targeting students of color; 20 protesters facing discipline, or four-fifths, are in that group.

At the same time, the school has failed to take protesters claims of bias and discrimination seriously, they said.

Its disturbing as a community member to see that the college feels comfortable publicly casting doubt on the experiences of its own students, faculty, and staff when they come forward, said Sangina Patnaik, an associate professor of English literature.

Last week, Patnaik learned that a colleague who had called her and SJP members terrorists will be required to complete an educational program after an outside law firm hired by the college to investigate found the behavior was unreasonable and unwelcome conduct, according to an email from the colleges human resources office. But the firm stopped short of saying the behavior reached the requisite level of severity, pervasiveness, or persistence to constitute a violation of the colleges harassment policies.

Patnaik said it should have been considered a violation.

 READ MORE: College students testify theyre already worried about more antisemitism on campus this fall

Patnaik, Edwin Mayorga, an associate professor of educational studies, and Ahmad Shokr, an associate professor who specializes in the modern Middle East, also said students havent been permitted to have legal counsel inside the school hearings, and in some cases, to introduce witnesses. The college has contended that its process doesnt allow for legal counsel and is supposed to be educational.

How loud is too loud?

The college says it has evidence to support the claim that harm occurred and medical attention was sought.

Patnaik, who serves as a case manager in support of student protesters, said the professors found no prior cases of assault charges involving bullhorns, which are standard fare at many protests.

The students did a lot of research ..., Shokr said. What they used was advertised as being safe for indoor and outdoor use.

It only reaches 105 decibels, he said, and its highly unlikely hearing damage would result.

Fatima Hmada, 21, a senior sociology and anthropology major from Philadelphia, said she is facing discipline for using a megaphone at a protest that lasted 22 minutes, only eight of them indoors. The megaphone, she said, was never at maximum loudness, she said.

Dances held at the colleges have higher decibel levels and last longer, she said.

Audiology experts say that hearing damage can result from exposure to sudden, loud noise, such as from a bullhorn.

A hundred and five decibels is pretty loud, especially if you are in close proximity, and could cause acoustic trauma leading to temporary or permanent hearing loss, said Brianna Casey, an audiologist for Listen 2 Life hearing centers, with offices in Flourtown, Souderton, and Chalfont.

Samantha Anne, professor of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, said its possible to listen to sounds at 85 decibels for up to eight hours and be fine, but for every three decibels added, safe exposure time is halved.

When you get over 100 decibels, we are talking minutes before it can start damaging your hearing, she said.

It depends on proximity to the sound, its level, and the duration, she said.

Some people might be more susceptible to hearing loss with certain medical conditions, she said.

The Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which advocates for free speech, has noticed colleges enacting stricter guidelines on amplified sound.

We are researching what would be a reasonable decibel limit, said Alex Morey, FIREs vice president of campus advocacy.

In Swarthmores case, FIRE would check whether a protester aimed a bullhorn at someones head, or if the college has allowed bullhorn use at other rallies without discipline, indicating it may be treating pro-Palestinian students differently.

Schools, she said, must have maximum tolerance for even the most controversial expression and zero tolerance for violence.

CAIR complaint includes mischaracterizations

In a statement to the student newspaper, The Phoenix, Andy Hirsch, Swarthmores vice president for communications and marketing, called some of CAIRs allegations mischaracterizations, if not outright false.

Swarthmore administrators explained to students repeatedly how they could express views within the code of conduct, and only when they refused to comply was discipline initiated, the college said.

 READ MORE: Swarthmore Colleges pro-Palestinian encampment disbands after 4 weeks and stalled negotiations

In response to allegations of targeting students of color, the college has asserted that the charges had nothing to do with race or identity and were based solely on alleged misconduct.

College officials also argued they were consistent in enforcing policies, noting that several pro-Israel students also faced disciplinary charges last year.

The pro-Palestinian protests are different than some prior protests, such as those for fossil fuel divestment, said Stephanie Ives, vice president for student affairs.

In this case, she said, there are ... distinct populations of passionate students and faculty and staff who believe wholeheartedly in their side, their experience, their historical perspective.

There is a sense of conflict in the college community, she said, and the administration has been left to sort out complaints.

 READ MORE: Why Penn became the hotspot for Gaza protests in Philly instead of Temple, Drexel, or La Salle

Swarthmore ... will wonder where their Jews went

Some say the college hasnt adequately supported Jewish students. On Oct. 7, the anniversary of Hamas attack on Israel, Swarthmores SJP chapter posted on social media: Happy Oct. 7 everyone, calling it a glorious day.

Ben Schwartz, an alumnus, whose father, Mark, a local lawyer, also graduated from the college, wrote to Swarthmores board of managers that he would not send his son there.

One day in the future, the people of Swarthmore College will wonder where their Jews went, and they will find them at other colleges doing interesting and important work, he wrote.

Mark Schwartz, who represents several Swarthmore professors in disputes with the college, said his son didnt get a response.

Jed Siev, an associate professor of psychology, has supported Jewish students disturbed by protesters behavior. While Swarthmore promotes academic freedom, anyone who disagrees with protesters finds themselves vilified, he said. Barak Mendelsohn, an Israeli-born professor at Haverford College, was scheduled to speak at Swarthmore last year but was interrupted by protesters, he said.

A hecklers veto is not in the spirit of academic freedom, he said.

If other minority groups were targeted in this way, it would not be tolerated, he said.

It boggles the mind that there could be a group that says Happy Oct. 7, he said.

The college, noting it received dozens of complaints about SJPs post, condemned it in a statement; SJP said it took down the message that day, noting it was posted without consent of all core organizing members.

This is something I could never come to regret

Despite the arduous discipline process, student protesters stand by their actions in support of more than 45,000 who have lost their lives in Gaza.

As an Arab American student, as a Muslim student, I feel that it is important to continue to protest these atrocities and ask our college to be better and uphold Quaker values, Hmada said. This is something I could never come to regret.

Hmada, who faces over 30 charges related to protest activity, said she had five disciplinary hearings in one week before finals while trying to focus on applying to graduate school.

Its been very tough to balance, said Hmada, who added that she is a first-generation, low-income college student.

Chattopadhyay, a computer science and history major, said his hearing on an assault charge for megaphone use in February is likely to happen in the spring. He said he spent fall semester on disciplinary probation, which prevented him from applying for spring semester abroad.

All of us are just sitting here in limbo, not knowing what our future holds, he said, and that has been deeply unsettling.
Temple University students on campus along Polett Walk in November. Read more

Since Russell Bryant graduated from Temple University in 2014, hes been using his student email address. Its linked to his Amazon and Spotify accounts, and listed on resumes he sent to prospective employers.

In early December, Bryant received notice from his alma mater that his @temple.edu email account was going to be deactivated within weeks. The university would no longer allow graduates to keep their accounts for more than a year after graduation, and existing email accounts would be phased out by mid-May 2025.

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Bryant sent emails to every tech support address he could find on Temples website asking for an exemption. He got an extension allowing him to keep his account for a few more months.

Thats just delaying the inevitable, Bryant said. So I decided to check out what avenues I have to keep it open.

He could think of only one option: sue the school for breach of contract.

Bryant, who is a real estate attorney in Montgomery County, filed a lawsuit against Temple in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on Dec. 5, accusing the university of breach of contract.

Temples email policy promised that graduates would have access to their @temple.edu email addresses for life, the complaint says. It cites a policy that said accounts would be available as long as the university had an alumni email program, which Temple continues to maintain for alumni in the first year after graduation.

Because of that policy, which was in effect when he graduated, Bryant used his account for a decade, the lawsuit says.

He is asking a judge to order the university keep his email account open.

The whole reason I filed the lawsuit was because I use my Temple email address every single day, Bryant said.

Temple declined to comment because litigation is ongoing.

Temple will discontinue alumni access to email, Microsoft 365 services (such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), and OneDrive cloud storage a year after graduation. Starting Jan. 6 and through May 7, the university is phasing out existing accounts of alumni.

The university explains the decision on its website, and offers ways for graduates to save their data.

We have arrived at this difficult decision after a thorough review of cybersecurity risks, national higher education best practices and email usage rates, the university says on website with answers for alumni.

Under the question What happened to email for life? the university explains that the email policy, including alumni access, is subject to review and updates every two years.

Universities have promised email for life, as a perk and a way to maintain an alumni community. But the tide turned in recent years, as other universities  including Ohio State University, Florida State University, and the University of Minnesota  announced an end to their generous alumni email programs.

And if Temple isnt alone among universities in backtracking from email for life, Bryant isnt alone among Temple grads in being upset by the change.

A thread on Reddits r/Temple community garnered more than 70 comments, with many responses lamenting the decision.

Ive used mine since 2008. I have no idea where to begin, one person wrote on the site.

I have all my Microsoft certifications linked to my [Temple] account, another wrote. I spent a lot of time and money getting those bad boys.

Bryant, the Montco native who filed the lawsuit, said that as the first person in his family to graduate from college, he takes pride in the email address.

His status as a Temple graduate is a professional boon, Bryant said. Temple has a good reputation, for its academic programs and sport teams, so sending email from a temple.edu address is a signal to whomever he communicates with.

Without the account, he wont envision the recipient of his emails thinking: Hey this is a guy thats educated, he went to Temple University.
Shigeru Fukuyoshi (right), chef and founder of Sagami in Collingswood, N.J., in the front dining room with longtime friend Alan Su on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. Read more

Sagami, one of the Philadelphia areas most acclaimed Japanese restaurants, soon will get a new owner, with the retirement of founder Shigeru Fukuyoshi, whose wife and business partner of 50 years, Chizuko, died last summer.

Alan Su, the owner of Nom Nom Ramen, Umami Steak & Sushi Bar, and Shiso and a Sagami customer for three decades, will take over, effective Jan. 1. Many of the staff will remain, Su said, including the head sushi chef, Brian Nguyen, who has been at the six-seat counter of the Collingswood BYOB for 28 years.

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Su has been working at Sagami at Fukuyoshis side for the last several months during a transition. When the Fukuyoshis considered retirement about five years ago, they had chosen Su to take over, but Chizuko Fukuyoshi changed her mind. After her death in July, Shigeru Fukuyoshi, 79, wanted to keep going but in the fall decided that it was time to step away.

It would be Sus time. This place is my wifes place, Fukuyoshi said Friday during a chat at the restaurant. She was the boss and she was my brain. I lost my direction, because 50 years we were together, not only doing this place. Now I have trouble because I dont know anything. Now I want to pass over the whole thing to him. Alan is like my son.

Su, 48, listening a few feet away, said: Im really grateful that he thinks Im the right person. I hope hes right. Hopefully, Ill make him proud.

Su has been working at Japanese restaurants since graduating from Philadelphias Central High School.

Other than introduce online reservations, he said he plans no major changes at Sagami, a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundations Best Restaurant Award in 2017 and 2019 while Shigeru Fukuyoshi was a semifinalist in 2023 for Outstanding Chef. Su said he would add a dish or two from his other restaurants repertoire but otherwise, I really want to keep the same culture.

Su marveled at Fukuyoshis stamina. He frequently works seven days a week. The restaurant is closed Mondays, but Fukuyoshi enjoys meeting delivery drivers, Su said. The restaurant opens at 4 p.m. for dinner. Su said he may bring back lunch.

While working with Fukuyoshi, Su said he has picked up some of the reasons for Sagamis success. I think that his style of food has a lot to do with the sourcing and the ingredients, Su said.

Its very simple. There are only three or four ingredients in almost anything that is in here, whereas in other places, even in my own restaurants, the ingredients can become very complicated. But at the same time, theres just so much balance in it because he doesnt need all types of spices. Im learning a lot more about that. Theres nothing complicated about it.

Su said he also has learned about Fukuyoshis generosity. Everything about him is so anti-business like, Su said. Hes just doing this to serve the guests and his staff. He doesnt do any of this for profit or anything.

The Fukuyoshis, both born in Japan on the same day in May 1945, met in 1969 while he was a sushi apprentice at the Japanese restaurant in New York City where she waited tables.

They married and their daughter, Mimi, was born in 1972.

Two years later, the family moved to South Jersey and bought an ice cream shop on a particularly challenging stretch of Route 130 South that forces drivers to make a wicked last-minute turn into the parking lot.

At its 1974 debut, Sagami  believed to be the first Japanese restaurant in South Jersey  was one dimly lit, pine-paneled room whose low ceiling vexed anyone over 6 feet tall. In 1987, the Fukuyoshis installed a separate sushi bar and in 1989, added a 30-seat dining room with higher ceilings.

The accolades and crowds never stopped.

Asked what he planned to do in his retirement, Fukuyoshi replied: You know, that is a hard question. Everything happened suddenly, so I have to look for how I will keep going myself.
Sherrill Davison, an associate professor of avian medicine and pathology at the University of Pennsylvania, tests a sample for avian flu in the school's Kennett Square lab. Read more

Pennsylvania is among the states across the country ramping up efforts to guard against a growing bird flu outbreak. The situation captured the national spotlight last week after California declared a state of emergency over the virus toll on its cattle population.

Steps being taken in Pennsylvania include increased testing for H5N1 in birds and among cattle and raw milk. The state issued a quarantine order in April that required dairy cattle to be tested for avian flu before they entered the state, and last month began requiring regular testing of milk samples from tanker trucks that take raw milk to be pasteurized at processing plants.

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The University of Pennsylvanias veterinary researchers are working closely with the state to track the spread of bird flu in agricultural settings. Penns immunologists are also developing a vaccine for the highly contagious virus.

So far, the virus has not been a serious threat to humans. The vast majority of cases among humans  including the first serious case, reported last week  were among people who had direct contact with an infected animal.

 READ MORE: What to know about the bird flu outbreak as California declares a state of emergency

Pennsylvania has so far seen no cases of bird flu in cattle and has not detected a case of the virus in domestic birds in at least a month.

Heres a look at what Penn scientists are paying attention to as they track the virus.

Is bird flu spreading among humans?

The current outbreak is caused by a strain of the H5N1 virus that began circulating among birds in the United States in 2020, and spread to the cattle population about a year ago.

To date, the vast majority of bird flu cases among humans have been linked to direct contact with an infected animal, such as a bird or cow.

It would be a disaster if we start detecting a lot of infections without a known animal source, if there was any evidence of human-to-human transmission, said Scott Hensley, a professor of microbiology at Penn. Thats whats required for a virus to turn into a pandemic virus.

The H5N1 virus binds poorly to human respiratory cells, which means it is not able to easily spread from one person to another.

The virus could become a bigger threat to humans if it mutates and becomes better able to latch on to receptors in the respiratory system.

Any time you have an avian virus where theres low levels of human immunity, any time you have a situation with a virus thats coming into a lot of contact with humans, you worry its going to begin to be able to mutate and replicate, Hensley said.

The approaching flu season adds to those concerns.

When people contract two types of respiratory virus  for instance, seasonal influenza and bird flu  the viruses can mix together and exchange genetic material. That could lead to a strain of bird flu that is better able to latch on to human respiratory cells and be passed on from one person to another, Hensley said.

We are in a really precarious time right now, he said.

How is bird flu spreading among cattle?

The emergence of bird flu in cattle surprised researchers when cases first began turning up last year. We had no idea cows could even get influenza  this was a total shock, Hensley said.

Scientists initially assumed that the virus would spread among cattle the same as it would among humans  through the respiratory system, he said.

But they now believe that the virus binds to mammary gland cells in cows udders, and is spread through contaminated milk.

Commercial dairy farms use milking machines on multiple cows before cleaning them, putting healthy cows in contact with milk from sick cows, Hensley said.

(Public health officials have cautioned against drinking raw, unpasteurized milk because it can contain the virus. The high-heat pasteurization process deactivates the virus.)

How is Pennsylvania tracking the virus?

At their testing lab in Kennett Square, Penn veterinary researchers are regularly testing samples from domestic birds and cattle  about 4,000 in the last month, said Eman Anis, an assistant professor in the department of pathobiology at Penns veterinary school.

Penns lab is one of three such sites in the state that helps agricultural officials monitor diseases in livestock.

After avian flu began spreading to cattle, the lab updated its testing devices to handle samples taken from milk, Anis said.

We have not found avian flu in any milk, and we hope to stay like that, Anis said.

The lab also regularly monitors for H5N1 in birds, testing samples from both domestic and wild flocks. At one point in 2023, Pennsylvania had more cases of avian flu in domestic birds than any other state in the country. But the virus has not been detected here in birds in at least 30 days, according to state data.

If bird flu is detected in cattle in the state, Anis said, case loads will increase significantly at the Kennett Square lab, so lab administrators are training more staff and stocking up on testing supplies to prepare.

What is the status of Penns bird flu vaccine?

Hensley leads a team developing a vaccine that could one day help protect humans and animals from the virus.

Penns H5N1 vaccine uses the same messenger RNA (mRNA) technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.

 READ MORE: Penn mRNA scientists Kariko and Weissman win Nobel Prize

Traditional vaccines are made by growing a live virus, then deactivating or weakening it. When given to humans, it causes a reaction that allows the body to build immunity to the virus.

Vaccines made with mRNA use bits of genetic code to instruct the body to produce proteins that block the virus from binding to cells.

Penns vaccine is currently in clinical trials among cattle. Researchers expect to publish results as early as January.
MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP)  Germans on Saturday mourned the victims of an apparent attack in which authorities say a doctor drove into a busy outdoor Christmas market, killing five people, injuring 200 others and shaking the publics sense of security at what would otherwise be a time of joy and wonder.

The alleged attack Friday evening at the market in Magdeburg, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) west of Berlin, killed a 9-year-old and four adults and injured 41 people badly enough that authorities warned the death toll could rise.

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The driver, a 50-year-old doctor who immigrated from Saudi Arabia in 2006, surrendered to police at the scene. Hes being investigated for five counts of suspected murder and 205 counts of suspected attempted murder, prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens said at a news conference.

Among other things, investigators are looking into whether the attack could have been motivated by the suspects dissatisfaction with the way Germany treats Saudi refugees, Nopens said.

There is no more peaceful and cheerful place than a Christmas market, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. What a terrible act it is to injure and kill so many people there with such brutality.

More on the suspect police arrested

Although Nopens mentioned the treatment of Saudi immigrants angle, authorities said Saturday that they still didnt know the suspect drove his black BMW into the crowded market.

Police havent publicly identified the suspect, but several German news outlets identified him as Taleb A., withholding his last name in line with privacy laws, and reported that he was a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy.

Describing himself as a former Muslim, the suspect appears to have been an active user of the social media platform X, sharing dozens of tweets and retweets daily focusing on anti-Islam themes, criticizing the religion and congratulating Muslims who had left the faith.

He also accused German authorities of failing to do enough to combat what he referred to as the Islamification of Europe.

Magdeburg is shaken

The violence shocked Germany and the roughly 240,000 inhabitants of Magdeburg, which is the capital of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, bringing its mayor to the verge of tears and marring the centuries-old German tradition of Christmas markets. It led several other communities to cancel their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution and out of solidarity with Magdeburgs loss. Berlin kept its many markets open but increased its police presence at them.

Germany has suffered a string of extremist attacks in recent years, including a knife attack that killed three people and wounded eight at a festival in the western city of Solingen in August.

Fridays attack came eight years after an Islamic extremist drove a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 13 people and injuring many others. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.

Chancellor Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser traveled to Magdeburg on Saturday, and a memorial service is to take place in the city cathedral in the evening. Faeser ordered flags lowered to half-staff at federal buildings across the country.

A witness recounts the horrifying attack

Verified bystander footage distributed by the German news agency dpa showed the suspects arrest at a tram stop in the middle of the road. A nearby police officer pointing a handgun at the man shouted at him as he lay prone, his head arched up slightly. Other officers swarmed around the suspect and took him into custody.

Thi Linh Chi Nguyen, a 34-year-old manicurist from Vietnam whose salon is in a mall across from the Christmas market, was on the phone during a break when she heard loud bangs that she thought were fireworks. She then saw a car drive through the market at high speed. People screamed and a child was thrown into the air by the car.

Shaking as she described what she had witnessed, she recalled seeing the car bursting out of the market and turning right onto Ernst-Reuter-Allee street and then coming to a standstill at the tram stop where the suspect was arrested.

The number of injured people was overwhelming.

My husband and I helped them for two hours. He ran back home and grabbed as many blankets as he could find because they didnt have enough to cover the injured people. And it was so cold, she said.

The market itself was still cordoned off Saturday with red and white tape and police vans, as armed officers guarded at every entrance. Some thermal security blankets still lay on the street.
Humanity went from using Morse code to send messages to checking online photos for AI in less than 200 years. But the lanky wood poles holding the cables that make it all possible have not changed much, at least not in Philly.

Wood poles have been a staple for utility connections since Samuel Morse first discovered their potential in the early 1840s. Over the years, concrete, steel, and fiberglass have become alternatives, but Philadelphia has stuck to the classics . Some wood poles waiting to be installed have even gained notoriety for blocking sidewalks.

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A reader asked Curious Philly, The Inquirers forum for questions about the city and region: Why is Peco still using wood for utility poles?

It comes down to safety and cost-effectiveness, said Peco spokesperson Madison Davis.

Philadelphia has about 111,340 wood poles owned and maintained by Peco. Fixtures like light poles maintained by other entities may use other materials. But wood has a natural insulation and doesnt conduct electricity, which is critical from a safety perspective, Davis said.

The average pole is between 30 and 60 feet tall. A fall from that height can result in blunt chest trauma, fractured ribs, and damage to the lungs and liver. Because they are easier to grip, wood poles are safer for contractors to climb when repairs are needed.

They are also cheaper than fiberglass poles, Davis said without specifying the costs.

Fiberglass poles are more than three times the cost of wood poles, making [them] significantly more cost-effective, Davis said, stressing that the cost of materials fluctuates based on supply, demand, availability, and quantity purchased.

Despite being harder to climb  unless you are an Eagles fan, in which case not even grease deters you  and costlier, fiberglass poles have a longer lifespan than wood poles, which last about 60 years, Davis said. Fiberglass also requires less maintenance.

By nature of design, fiberglass is resistant to corrosion and rot, so termites and water decay are less of a concern, making it a more environmentally friendly option than steel and concrete poles.

But dont try to catch a glimpse of them outside your window, because fiberglass poles are only available at Pecos lineworker training facility, for a pilot program.

What about underground options?

They come with their own set of challenges, Davis said.

While underground lines are not affected by trees and other vegetation or wind, they are vulnerable to heavy rain and flooding . And their issues are more difficult to locate, making repairs longer and more cost-intensive.

Plus, underground lines could also damage the root systems of trees  unlike fiberglass and wood poles, which are considered to be more environmentally friendly.

Wood poles enter retirement by getting cut into smaller pieces that sometimes are turned into fuel, Davis said. Some poles even write their own obituaries .

On the corner of Third and Federal Streets in South Philly, a pole at the end of its life in 2019 thanked the neighborhood it called home and gave a nod to the young pole there on the ground that would soon replace it.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker poses for a photo at City Hall this month. Read more

Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Welcome to a new week, Philly.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker had a big first year in office. She has largely gotten her way on major issues, such as the 76ers arena, and has advanced a majority of her campaign promises, including citywide clean-and-green initiatives. But heading into 2025, vulnerabilities remain.

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And as porch pirates swipe holiday gifts, some Philadelphians say one company in particular could do better to prevent package theft: FedEx.

Heres what to know today.

 Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

Jan. 1 marks Mayor Parkers first full year as Philadelphias 100th chief executive. In the past 12 months, she has achieved many of the goals laid out during her campaign  introducing a year-round schooling pilot, cracking down on gun violence and the Kensington drug market, and prioritizing cleanups.

But that doesnt mean the year was an entirely smooth one. She faced criticism from several unions representing city workers as well as some members of City Council, for instance. And the citys most intractable problems will linger into her second year in office.

She says shes ready for the challenge: Even when we do something and we do it well, Parker told The Inquirer, Im still never going to be satisfied, because I want to do more.

City Hall reporters Anna Orso and Sean Collins Walsh interviewed the mayor about the years ups and downs, and heard from her supporters and detractors.

Month by month: See a detailed timeline of Parkers first year in office, from staff shake-ups and spikes in violence to rallying for national Democratic candidates.

War on trash: Parker has touted the successes of her clean and green initiatives. Heres how well her administration is addressing the citys Filthadelphia moniker, by the numbers.

Its a phenomenon many Philadelphians know well: You get the notification your package has been delivered, open your front door to bring it inside, and see ... nothing. Alas, youve been struck by a porch (or stoop) pirate.

 Scores of area consumers have taken to social media to complain that packages delivered by FedEx, especially, are more likely to go missing. They say drivers have repeatedly ignored their delivery instructions, leaving packages in plain sight or dropping them in exposed locations.

 Of course, the porch pirates are really the issue, one Fishtown resident told The Inquirer, but I think FedEx could do better.

 The problems arent contained to the city: Shoppers are reporting package thefts from Chester County to the Jersey Shore.

Reporter Erin McCarthy explains why its not so easy to deter package theft, and what FedEx says its doing to help.

What you should know today

 Trivia time

Alleging unfair labor practices, Center City workers of which chain joined a multicity strike on Sunday morning?

A) Starbucks

B) Hard Rock Cafe

C) honeygrow

D) Chilis

Think you know? Check your answer.

What were...

 Ordering: Craig LaBans favorite Philly meals of 2024.

 Loving: The bond between Sixers rookie Jared McCain and super vet Kyle Lowry.

 Supporting: Galaei, the Kensington nonprofit serving QTBIPOC Philadelphians.

 Considering: Faith communities role in caring for undocumented immigrants.

 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: Philadelphias last lesbian bar, which closed in January 2021

OUTLAWS ATTEND

Email us if you know the answer. Well select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Varo Duffins, who solved Sundays anagram: Penn Treaty High School. A teacher and her senior students there needed a Christmas miracle to cover the costs for a school trip. Kylie Kelce came through.

Photo of the day

Your only in Philly story

 Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if youre not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again  or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.

This only in Philly story comes from reader Mary Koch, who describes a steadfast commitment to her hometown:

Although Ive lived in Pittsburgh since the day after my husband and I married, Philly is my birthplace, and my love of Philly never stops!

Born in Mount Airy  my parents are from Germantown-Chelten Ave and Coulter Street, respectively  I was raised here, and made it happen that one of our children was born in Chestnut Hill Hospital. My favorite memories were visiting all the Wanamaker Department Store Christmas windows on a chosen Sunday night every December, then going out to dinner at Valley Green Inn along the Wissahickon. Our son, along with many family members, reside in and around our hometown. We visit about 20 times a year.

Many friends laugh when I say wooder for water and question when will I stop. My answer is always NEVER, Im from Philly and youll never get the Philly out of me. Wouldnt trade being from Philadelphia for anything!

 Wishing you an easy start to your week (everyone except Josh Harris, that is). You can expect Tuesdays morning newsletter as usual, then well give your inbox a holiday break until Friday. See you tomorrow.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirers Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
On Dec. 12, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed in home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic. He also pardoned 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. This was an important step in addressing the failures of mass incarceration, write the authors. Read more

President Joe Bidens decision to commute the sentences of 1,500 people and to pardon another 39 is an important step toward addressing the failures of mass incarceration. This is the largest number of commutations made by an American president in a single day but is only a fraction of the 600,000 incarcerated people who could and should be released without risking public safety.

Like presidents, governors are granted clemency powers to signal when a policy has not worked, and there is a proliferation of proof that mass incarceration has been an utter failure. Gov. Josh Shapiro and other state governors must join Biden in expanding the number of commutations and pardons. Doing so would transform the presidents gesture into a bold corrective that would save taxpayers billions of dollars, maintain security, and restore families and communities.

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 READ MORE: Pennsylvanias Board of Pardons should show mercy to more people like me | Opinion

As researchers and activists, we have witnessed and experienced the devastating effects of overincarceration firsthand. We have volunteered in Philadelphias jails, counseled people in reentry who are working to rebuild their lives, and interviewed dozens of formerly incarcerated people who have lost their children, their homes, and their jobs as a result of being locked up. One of us, Jamila W. Harris, was incarcerated nearly two decades ago and continues to endure the consequences of imprisonment for a nonviolent crime.

Critics of mass incarceration argue that it is a moral calamity and a public policy disaster that has proven ineffective in reducing crime while devastating countless lives. The carceral system also costs $182 billion annually  taxpayer money that could be better spent elsewhere. Incarceration in the U.S. exacts profound social and economic costs that disproportionately affect women, low-income people, and communities of color.

Although public safety is a key reason to put people behind bars, a report by the Brennan Center for Justice found that approximately 40% of people currently held in prison do not pose a significant risk to their communities.

Releasing those who are unlikely to endanger others is a proven strategy. California sent thousands of incarcerated people home during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid deadly outbreaks of the disease. A recent study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found that the Golden States strategy did not result in an increase in crime.

The 1,500 people granted clemency by Biden were among the 13,204 who had already been released and placed in home confinement during the pandemic. The presidents commutations prevent them from being sent back to prison, as some Republicans are threatening to do. Only 22 of the 13,204 people placed in home confinement during the pandemic committed new crimes  an astonishingly low number. Thousands of others could be granted the same opportunity to rebuild their lives and contribute to society.

The groups that most merit consideration for clemency include nonviolent offenders, those who would receive shorter sentences if they were to be charged under todays policies, and the older adults who make up an increasingly large percentage of incarcerated individuals and who are much less likely to recidivate than younger people.

 READ MORE: Commutations can relieve costs of sick and aging prison population  and reverse decades of bad policy | Editorial

Expanding clemency would have the bonus of addressing the overcrowding and understaffing that have created dangerous conditions for both prison staff and those who are incarcerated. Philadelphias challenges with these issues illustrate the intractability of these problems.

One Voice United, an advocacy organization for corrections staff, has created an unlikely partnership with Families Against Mandatory Minimums to address understaffing. Their joint statement argues that unprecedented staffing shortages ... make it nearly impossible to ensure the safety of staff and the people in prison, provide adequate medical and mental health care, or offer the treatment, education, and job training programs that have been shown to reduce reoffending and make our communities safer.

In his statement, Biden vowed to take more steps in the weeks ahead. Its essential that both he and our nations governors do so by expanding the actions taken this week and offering second chances to the many Americans who can safely and productively return home.

Jamila W. Harris is coeditor of Prison Health News and a certified peer specialist for people impacted by the justice system with mental health and/or recovery challenges. Lisa Servon is the Kevin and Erica Penn Presidential Professor of city and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania.
The scene of a quintuple shooting at D and Wyoming Streets in North Philadelphia on Dec. 15. Read more

Phillys top brass almost had it last week. Almost 

Having spent a few decades now covering all manner of gun violence, including the past 13 or so years in Philadelphia, Ive learned that this much is true: Violence is never isolated.

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And yet, even as city officials deserve some credit for acknowledging both the progress theyve made in addressing gun violence and the persistence of it, on two different occasions during a 30-minute news conference early last week, leaders referred to a rush-hour shooting on Dec. 13 at City Halls Dilworth Park that left three people injured as an isolated incident.

It wasnt the norm, they said, and four times, they insisted the shooting didnt define us.

This was the best year weve had in more than a decade, with killings down 37% compared with this point in 2023.

Never mind that the shooting at the park was one of 11 different shooting incidents that weekend, in which two dozen people were injured, four of them fatally.

The news conference actually hit a lot of the right notes, with speakers seemingly working off the same two-part script:

Remind the public  often  that Philadelphia has seen a sharp decrease in shootings and homicides this year.

But also that there is still a lot of work to be done before anyone does a victory lap.

Yes, you do know what the stats are, said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. They affirm that even despite this weekends gun violence, we are making some progress. But its not enough. The numbers dont mean a damn thing.

Ive said this before, but it bears repeating. There is no beating Parker, our consoler-in-chief, on a mic, and she seems to have rubbed off on other public officials whove majorly flubbed in the past.

That includes District Attorney Larry Krasner, who clearly learned his lesson after he got slammed nearly three years to the day in December 2021 for his SMH-worthy comments that the city had no crime crisis. He later walked his statement back, calling his words inarticulate and vowing to speak more carefully.

And the thing is, he and other public officials mostly did just that  they spoke with care and sensitivity for the moment. (Extra points to Krasner for his espanol.)

So, you might be wondering, why their comments still left me feeling a little  rage-y?

For starters, lets look at the isolated myth. Acts of violence are connected to broader social, economic, and systemic issues. And they dont just impact the immediate victims, but the surrounding community. There is always  always  a ripple effect beyond the initial incident. Neither Center City nor Dilworth Park exists in a bubble, no matter how much the citys commercial honchos might wish it did.

And then there was Police Commissioner Kevin Bethels comment: Where you stand now is one of the safest areas in the city of Philadelphia. We will bolster our resources here, as well as across the city, to address the episode of violence that we saw over the weekend, but I commit to you that is not the norm.

Um 

Look, Im not picking on Bethel. He is probably one of the more thoughtful public officials in the city. He usually seems to get it. But commissioner, you should know better than most that no place in Philadelphia, or Anywhere, USA, for that matter, can ever be one of the safest if there are other places that remain unsafe.

Violence travels. And we dont have episodes of violence in Philadelphia. We have an epidemic of violence that affects Philadelphians every day. Still.

And it sounds naive for anyone to suggest that this shooting, or any shooting, is not the norm at this point in our collective American experience. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States.

Every day, upwards of 200 people on average are wounded by guns, and more than 110 are killed in America, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. Places we once considered safe from gun violence  movie theaters, concerts, churches, schools, church schools, grocery stores, parks  are no more.

Speaking of people who should know better, Parker knows enough to lead with people-first talking points: One Philly, a United Philly, and all that.

I need you to know that I hear you, Parker said to Philadelphians during a news conference in March in the wake of a shooting of eight Northeast High School students at a SEPTA bus stop.

I see you. I listened to you, Parker said to the people of Chinatown in a video in September to announce that  despite much opposition from that community  she had endorsed the Sixers plans to build a new arena in Center City.

But does she really listen? Is she really seeing us?

Ask those opposed to the Sixers arena how heard or seen they felt when they were involuntarily cast as extras in a docudrama where their concerns about displacement ended up on the cutting-room floor.

Ask them how heard or seen they felt after being handcuffed and removed from City Council chambers on Thursday so that Parker and other electeds could hold a congratulatory news conference after they approved the project.

(As it so happens, that news conference occurred less than 24 hours after a 15-year-old girl was fatally shot in North Philadelphia, and at around the same time a man and a woman were shot and killed on Thursday in the same neighborhood. More isolated incidents, I guess.)

On Friday, during a lengthy State of the City speech full of shout-outs and swagger  Were proud of where we are as Year One draws to a close  Parker reflected on her time in office. She remained unmoved and unapologetic about the controversial arena, saying that she shouldnt be mayor if she only made decisions that were applauded.

All Philadelphians would benefit from the project, she insisted. The city would ensure Chinatown will not only survive but thrive.

Like Parker, I guess well all see  and hear  about that.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker sits in the City Hall cabinet room for an interview with Inquirer reporters on Dec. 18. She spoke about her first year in office and her major accomplishments. Read more

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker ended her first year in office the same way she started it: standing in an auditorium on North Broad Street on a chilly day, speaking directly to the city where she grew up.

In January, when she delivered her inaugural address at the Met Philadelphia, Parker had just been sworn in as the first female mayor in city history, and she promised Philadelphians weary of crime and uncertainty that change was on the way.

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On Friday, 353 days later, she gave a State of the City address at Temple University that in itself was a demonstration of how things had changed since the administration of former Mayor Jim Kenney, whose withdrawn public persona was nearly the opposite of Parkers relentlessly energetic image.

I am invigorated by the challenge every single day, Parker said. I did not run to be mayor of the city of Philadelphia so I could simply be a footnote in somebody elses history book. We wanted to use this opportunity to get things done.

 READ MORE: Mayor Cherelle Parker marks the end of her first year in office with Phillys first State of the City speech at Temple

Parker, a former City Council member and Philadelphias 100th mayor, during her first year in office took on several high-profile showdowns in which she came out on top, capped by winning legislative approval last week for a new 76ers arena in Center City that she strongly supported. The mayor made strides on major campaign promises like introducing year-round school and cleaning up the city. And her administration oversaw a dramatic reduction in gun violence  a decline that is consistent with national trends, but progress nonetheless.

Parker racked up those wins despite an undercurrent of discord and dysfunction in City Hall. She was slow to make major appointments, and a few key roles are still unfilled. A chief deputy mayor resigned less than one year into her administration. She feuded with unions that represent city workers. And she has faced pointed criticism from Council members over communication failures.

Through it all, Parkers style of leadership has begun to come into focus.

A powerful orator and committed cheerleader for the city, Parker has been praised for having a more consistent public presence than her predecessor. Conversely, she can be defensive, sometimes refusing to back away from a stance in the face of vocal opposition. And she has high expectations for herself and her staff, some of whom have at times been frustrated with how decision-making is concentrated at the top of the administration.

Thanks to her political skills and the graces given to a new administration in its honeymoon period, Parker has largely won the battles shes signed up for and has advanced a majority of her campaign promises.

But vulnerabilities remain heading into her second year in office. The mayors relationship with City Council members is fragile, the incoming presidential administration is unpredictable, and stubborn challenges persist, including the Kensington drug market that Parker promised to dismantle.

The mayor said in an interview with The Inquirer last week that shes clear-eyed about whats ahead.

Im never going to be satisfied with any outcomes, Parker said. Never. Even when we do something and we do it well, Im still never going to be satisfied, because I want to do more. Thats in my DNA. I cant help it. Thats how Im wired. I want to be better. I want us to do better.

I wont give anyone the ability to speak for me

At Parkers State of the City speech Friday, she stood in front of a screen with the words she utters at nearly every public appearance: the safest, cleanest, greenest big city with access to economic opportunity for all.

At the end of the address, as she often does, she asked attendees to hold a finger up for a call-and-response. Parker says, One Philly, a united city, and the crowd repeats her, echoing her mantra thats been plastered across city trash cans, billboards, SEPTA ads, and television commercials.

The mayors supporters see an energetic leader. Her critics groan at the sloganeering, saying shes campaigning even a year into governing.

But Parker says those words arent slogans  theyre governing principles.

I hear people making jokes about it, Parker said. Got a couple more years of it. Because it wont stop. Thats the focus.

The mantras have guided Parkers significant number of public appearances, marking a notable shift from the more subdued Kenney, who seemed to all but retreat from public view in his second term.

This year, Parker held 20 lengthy town halls across the city about the Sixers arena and her budget proposal. She hosted news conferences after major crimes and unexpected emergencies. She rode a bicycle in front of cameras to demonstrate her commitment to street safety.

The visibility to the general public has been a significant improvement, said City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas when asked about Parkers leadership through her first year.

For Parker, its about communicating directly to constituents, in part because she distrusts when others speak on her behalf.

I wont give anyone the ability to speak for me, she said. I wont give anyone the ability to be the filter.

That approach has also caused some uncomfortable moments, including with other government officials. During a town hall earlier this month, Parker stood before hundreds of constituents in West Philadelphia and argued with City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, a progressive Democrat from the neighborhood who supported one of Parkers opponents in the mayoral race last year.

During a question-and-answer session, a former resident of the shuttered University City Townhomes brought up the citys agreement to fund affordable housing in the area. He told Parker she agreed to the funding because of the advocacy that kept your feet to the fire.

Parker apparently thought the man was referring to Gauthier, who pushed for the funding. The mayor told the man Gauthier did not twist my arm. Gauthier waved Parker off, saying thats not what he meant.

Excuse me, Parker responded. Im talking about what this gentleman just said, Councilwoman  anybody telling you that they had to pressure me to get me to do what was right, we worked through a legislative process.

Gauthier stood, saying repeatedly: Thats not what he said. Parker forcefully responded twice: That is what he said.

When a video of the exchange circulated on social media this month, other Council members took note. For some, it was yet another example of lawmakers who dont agree with Parker feeling talked down to, said one member who requested anonymity to speak freely about the dynamic.

And the moment underscored the lingering discord between Parker and some Council members, despite the body mostly approving her agenda this year.

Parker shows she isnt easily swayed

It looked like the honeymoon had ended.

In April, after weeks of private grumbling, several Council members who opposed Parkers nomination of Joyce Wilkerson to a new term on the school board let their discontent spill out in public.

Led by Thomas, lawmakers grilled Wilkerson during a public hearing, and Council President Kenyatta Johnson declined to bring her nomination up for a vote, withdrawing it from consideration instead.

I know that Mayor Parker, who is a former member of this legislative body  will respect the decisions of the members of this body, Johnson said at the time.

How the mayor reacted would be closely watched by those seeking to understand the new dynamic between Phillys executive and legislative branches in the Parker-Johnson era. Would Parker acquiesce and send a different nominee? Would she let the seat stay unfilled as a public reminder of Council obstruction? Would she demand a vote on Wilkerson?

Wilkerson walked out of Council chambers, stood before the media, and produced a letter from Parker: The mayor had asked that she remain in the seat indefinitely because Council has not confirmed a replacement.

In her first year, Parker has repeatedly sent the message that once she takes a public stance on an issue, she will not back down.

When a union for city workers sued the administration to stop the implementation of the mayors order bringing all employees back to the office full-time, there was speculation as to whether Parker would compromise, perhaps by bringing workers back four days per week. Instead, the city went to court and won.

When a different union threatened to strike over Parkers insistence on signing a one-year contract extension rather than a traditional multiyear deal, Parker held out and eventually got her way with a one-year agreement. (The city, however, had to offer the union its largest single-year raise in decades to seal the deal.)

Parker says she isnt too pigheaded to change her positions on issues when she learns new information. But given the work she puts into each decision she makes, she said, its not easy to persuade her to change her mind.

When Ive done everything that I could as it relates to my homework, and my subject matter experts have informed me, and I have all of the data available, and I make a decision  to me, this is when leadership kicks in, Parker said. Im not going to be swayed. You know, [by] which way is the wind blowing? Wheres the loudest noise or crowd coming from? You cant govern that way.

Kyle Darby, a City Hall lobbyist who was a policy adviser for Parkers campaign, said newer-school politicians alter their strategies or positions if they encounter significant pushback. He said pressure campaigns dont work on Parker, who has served in elected offices in Philadelphia and Harrisburg for nearly 20 years.

Because she comes from that very old-school, retail version of politics, she is someone who doesnt have that level of fear, Darby said.

Its no accident that Parker has made clear she wont easily be swayed, Darby said.

Its hard to trust people that go back and forth, he said. Shes been very consistent on any decision shes made, whether you like it or not.

The letter from Parker that Wilkerson read to the media asked her to continue serving until the mayor found a new nominee. Eight months later, Parker has not picked a replacement, and Wilkerson is still a school board member.

An unusual structure and an intense workplace culture

Shortly before she took office, Parker announced that her staff would not be led like past administrations that had one big mahoff  a top aide seen as the right hand of the mayor  but by a big three trio of deputies.

No one like me has ever been elected mayor of our city, and no one has ever organized their senior staff this way, Parker said a year ago.

The unusual structure had its critics, who said there would not be a clear conduit to the mayor. One administration official later told The Inquirer it led to tasks getting bottlenecked and left some feeling frustrated both inside and outside of the city.

In October, Parker had a chance to change it, when one member of her big three, Chief Deputy Mayor Aren Platt, resigned unexpectedly. A longtime confidant of Parkers and an architect of her mayoral campaign, Platts departure less than a year into the administration came as a shock in City Hall.

Parker remains on good terms with Platt, who now oversees her campaign, and his resignation may reflect that he and Parker agreed he was more successful in politics than government. But it was also a moment for the mayor to potentially examine whether the dynamics that led to Platts departure were caused, in part, by the administrations structure.

Instead, Parker doubled down to create a second triumvirate of deputies. She elevated City Hall veteran Vanessa Garrett-Harley to chief deputy mayor, joining chief of staff Tiffany W. Thurman and fellow Chief Deputy Mayor Sincere Harris in the new big three.

One downside of having three top staff members instead of one is that the arrangement could foster competition or turf wars among the top deputies and their subordinates.

But to the extent the structure has led to an intense work environment, Parker might not mind it. The mayor acknowledges she is a tough manager and says she channels her grandmother, who helped raise Parker and who used to explain that she was tough on Parker because she knew she could rise above her station.

With my team, am I always stretching and pushing and requiring that homework is done? Parker, a former schoolteacher who grew up in West Oak Lane, said. Yes, but I also believe I have the best and the brightest people with me. So naturally I have very high expectations for them because, quite frankly, theyre smart.

Her team, she said, is on board.

As a manager, I know its also been important to me that I understand and people understand that they are plugged into something thats bigger than them, she said. The work is not just about you.

Complex issues remain in Parkers second year

The day that Parker cant seem to shake was a rainy one in March.

She was in the car when Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel told her the news on an urgent conference call: There had been a shooting near a busy bus stop in Northeast Philly. It was the middle of the afternoon. Eight students were hit.

Parker felt the magnitude of the moment almost immediately.

All the young people, she recalled. And then you start individualizing. And how do we even get to a point where this is even a possibility? How is it even possible? Like, where did we fail?

Crime rates in the city have significantly improved this year. Gun violence is down from its post-pandemic peak, with homicides reduced by 37% compared with last year. The city is on pace to finish 2024 with fewer killings than in any other year since at least 2016.

But its moments like that March afternoon at the bus stop that Parker says remind her of the work thats unfinished. Philadelphia is still the poorest big city in America. The school system has long struggled. Too many young people settle their scores with guns.

[The shooting] laid bare all of the challenges that we have in the city, Parker said, and the importance of addressing them at the root and not running from them.

Observers say that Parker made strides on a handful of projects in her first year, but that her strategies for tackling root issues like poverty are less clear.

George R. Burrell, a former City Council member, said he views former Mayors Ed Rendell and John F. Street as among the citys most successful because they did things that were changing peoples quality of lives, and they saw it.

Parker, he said, has fallen short on that productivity.

And Im hopeful, he added, that the mayor [will] move on to: How do we get at public education? How do we get at poverty? How do we get at growing Black businesses?

Perhaps the most intractable issue that remains is the open-air drug market in Kensington, where hundreds of people in addiction live on the street. Parkers administration unveiled a plan for the neighborhood in April. In May, the city conducted a sweep of encampments on Kensington Avenue and forced away many of the people living in them  some went into treatment; others dispersed into the neighborhood.

Months later, the administration is still developing its strategy to house and treat people in Kensington. Neighborhood leaders who have supported Parkers promise to change conditions say she has yet to address systemic issues like poverty and addiction.

Instead, increased policing has pushed people from one corner to another, said longtime resident Bill McKinney, who leads the New Kensington Community Development Corp.

Parker often says change wont come to Kensington overnight, but residents still expected more meaningful differences a year after they were promised. Some, McKinney said, are growing frustrated.

Theres nothing that indicates for me this is anything other than what weve seen in the past, he said.

 READ MORE: Chaos and confusion have followed Kensington encampment clearing, residents and businesses say

Parker said developing a public health strategy for people in addiction takes time. Her administration is racing to open the Riverview Wellness Village, a 640-bed treatment facility in Northeast Philadelphia. But $100 million in funding for it was just approved in July, and selecting providers to serve people with complex health needs takes months. Riverview is not yet ready for patients.

While clutching her notes during an interview in a City Hall room where the mayors cabinet typically meets, Parker said she doesnt regret promising to dismantle the Kensington drug market. It should have been the goal of every administration, she said.

And if all goes to plan, Parker said, progress will become clear soon. Her first cabinet meeting next year will not be in that City Hall room. It will be at Riverview.

Staff writer Max Marin contributed to this article.
After a UnitedHealthcare executive was gunned down on a New York City sidewalk, an eruption of bitter online commentary celebrated the killers presumed motive: avenging the denial and delay of health insurance coverage.

Many spoke from personal experience. Every year, health insurance companies deny tens of millions of patient claims for medical expense reimbursements, and the tide of those denials has been rising, according to surveys of doctors and other health-care providers. Insurers also have been increasingly demanding that doctors obtain approval before providing treatment, similar surveys show, causing delays in patient care that the American Medical Association says are "devastating."

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While several states have passed legislation trying to restrict such practices amid growing public anger, insurers defend the coverage denials and pre-authorization requirements. They say those measures are meant to contain rising costs and that their methods comply with federal and state regulations. According to information the insurers report to regulators, there have been only small increases nationally in the frequency of denials in recent years.

Most frustrating, according to patient advocates, is that insurance companies often act without explanation, sending denial letters that offer only sparse justifications. The patient gets a cryptic message saying its not medically necessary, but without any other explanation, said Elisabeth Benjamin, a vice president at the Community Service Society in New York, which runs a program that helps consumers appeal denials.

People are mad because its all a big secret, Benjamin said. Its unfair for us as a society, on something thats so visceral, to trust giant corporations that make money when they deny care. This is why people are so, so very angry.

Exactly why and how often claims are being denied or medical procedures are getting early scrutiny is difficult to know. Statistics regarding denials and pre-authorizations are scant, at best, and most of what is available reflects only one state or one type of insurance. Nationally over the last five years, the rates of denial have been between 14% and 16%, according to data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

At least some state data, however, show big increases. In Maryland, for example, regulators report that the number of claims denied by the insurers they regulate has risen nearly 40% since 2019.

Pointing in the same direction are large majorities of doctors and other health-care providers who report that insurers are denying more claims and imposing more pre-authorization requirements. For example, a 2024 survey conducted by Experian Health indicated that 73% of health-care providers said that claim denials are increasing. An American Medical Association survey similarly found that almost three-quarters of physicians said that denials of pre-authorization requests for treatment have increased over the past five years.

The most common feelings I see are frustration and a sense of powerlessness, said William Bennett, an associate professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine who studies patient experiences and treats children with chronic illnesses. Patients have a relationship with their doctor. Their doctors know them, their doctors are experts in their disease, and then, for some reason that is never explained, the recommended care is denied.

Insurance industry representatives blame doctors for many of the denials, saying they botch the required paperwork by submitting inaccurate, incomplete, or ineligible claims information. In a statement last week, UnitedHealth Group said that the companys insurance division pays about 90% of medical claims when theyre submitted. Of the remainder that undergo additional review, only 0.5% are due to medical or clinical reasons, UnitedHealth said.

AHIP, a national association of health insurers, also issued a statement regarding denials, saying that health plans are working to protect patients from the full impact of rising costs while connecting them to care that is safe, evidence-based and coordinated.

Health-care providers have decried the requirements for prior authorization, which oblige doctors to request the insurer's approval before providing patients with certain medical procedures and drugs. According to an AMA survey, nearly a quarter of physicians reported that these requirements led to an adverse event for a patient and more than nine in 10 physicians said the practice causes treatment delays. More than a quarter said their prior-authorization requests were often or always denied.

In response to such concerns, state legislatures have passed a raft of legislation. In 2024 alone, ten states have passed legislation aiming to cut what the AMA says is the growing volume of such requirements, to shorten the delays they cause, or to increase public reporting of data and procedures.

Only a small minority of patients appeal health coverage decisions, according to state and federal statistics. Many are daunted by the complexity of the medical terminology and the insurance bureaucracy.

Its hard to fight a big insurance company, said Larry Levitt, executive vice president of KFF, a nonprofit health policy research and polling organization. To even begin, you need to understand the gobbledygook in the paperwork. Its hard to make heads or tails of it.

In the Affordable Care Act, Congress authorized the establishment of Consumer Assistance Programs in the states to help people appeal denials of insurance coverage, but it has provided no funding for them in recent years. Even so, many states have set up offices to help.

Recent cases tackled by the Maryland attorney general testify to the range of arguments patients can have with their insurers. One patient experienced 30% visual impairment from eyelid inflammation and loose skin, but the insurer deemed the recommended surgery cosmetic and refused to pay. A 12-year-old received daily injections for a growth hormone deficiency for three years but, in the fourth year, the insurer deemed the shots not medically necessary and refused to pay. A patient having surgery to repair a broken clavicle unexpectedly needed work to repair a torn vein, but the insurer refused to pay for the extra procedure.

These denials would have forced each of those patients to pay thousands of dollars more than expected for needed care. After Maryland officials intervened, each of those consumers prevailed.

Last year, consumers in Maryland filed 11,466 challenges to denials. When a denial is challenged, consumers prevail about half the time, according to statistics from the states attorney generals office.

But in Maryland, as in other states with programs to aid patients, officials say few consumers know that they can appeal a coverage denial, let alone that there is a program that can help them do so.

We would love for more people to take advantage of this program, said Marie Grant, Marylands acting insurance commissioner. Insurance is inherently complicated and I deeply understand the frustration here. But people dont have to be alone in this journey.
Aviva Plc agreed to buy Direct Line Insurance Group Plc for roughly 3.7 billion ($4.65 billion) in a deal that would create the UKs largest motor insurer.

Each Direct Line shareholder will be entitled to receive 0.2867 new Aviva shares, 129.7 pence in cash and as much as 5 pence in dividend, according to a statement on Monday. The transaction would value each Direct Line share at 275 pence apiece, representing a premium of about 73% to the closing price on Nov. 27, when Bloomberg News first reported the takeover interest.

The board of Direct Line considers the terms to be fair and reasonable and intends to recommend unanimously that its shareholders vote in favor of the takeover, according to the statement. Upon completion, which is expected around mid-2025 subject to conditions and approvals, Aviva shareholders will hold roughly 87.5% of the combined company.

The deal delivers significant value and reflects the attractiveness of Direct Line, Danuta Gray, the targets chair said in the statement. It will enable the firm to continue to succeed as part of a combined group with Aviva, said Direct Line Chief Executive Officer Adam Winslow, who had earlier led Avivas UK and Ireland general insurance business.

Direct Line shares jumped as much as 3.6% in London trading on Monday, extending their gains to about 58% since the initial Nov. 27 report on Avivas pursuit, when they closed at 158.70 pence. Aviva shares have declined about 6.2% in the same period.

Combined, Direct Line and Aviva could become the UKs largest motor insurer, past their competitor Admiral, according to some estimates. Bloomberg Intelligence has said previously that the deal could double Avivas share in that market. The deal is not expected to impact Avivas credit ratings and the company said it expects centre liquidity to remain above 1 billion.

Aviva started hunting for acquisitions again after Chief Executive Officer Amanda Blanc pursued a series of divestments that slimmed down the insurer and left it more focused on the UK. In March, Aviva said it was entering the Lloyds insurance market through a 242 million purchase of Probitas.

Last year, it agreed to buy Corebridge Financial Inc.s UK protection business AIG Life Ltd. for 460 million. Aviva is among potential suitors that have been studying Esure Group Plc, the British home and motor insurance firm backed by Bain Capital, Bloomberg News has reported.

Direct Line has been pursuing an independent path after rebuffing a proposal from Belgian rival Ageas in March that valued it at around 3.2 billion. It said last month its going to cut about 550 jobs as part of a turnaround plan aimed at saving 50 million next year.

We think the likelihood of a competing offer is low, MKP Advisors wrote in a note on Monday, citing the significant premium, board recommendation and synergies. The focus will now shift to the antitrust review in the UK by the CMA, but ultimately this one should face a pretty straightforward path to completion because motor and home insurance markets remain deeply fragmented.

Bromley, England-based Direct Line sells insurance under its eponymous brand as well as through units including Churchill, Green Flag, Privilege and Darwin Motor Insurance. In addition to car insurance, it also offers home, travel, pet and life insurance as well as offering cover for businesses.

Dealmaking has been picking up in the UK, with the volume of mergers and acquisitions targeting British companies up about 80% this year to $177 billion, data compiled by Bloomberg show. British companies are attracting interest despite fears that Prime Minister Keir Starmers new government would lead to higher taxes and an exodus of the wealthy.

Citigroup Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. advised Aviva on the deal while Direct Line worked with Morgan Stanley, Robey Warshaw and Royal Bank of Canada. Goldmans role with the buyer drew some attention because the New York-based bank had previously advised Direct Line on its defense against Ageas earlier in the year.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says: Avivas proposed 125 million cost savings from its Direct Line acquisition is just 14% of the UK auto insurers 2023 costs and looks modest as the deal faces a variety of execution risks. The 275 pence a share bid represents 2.8x Direct Lines end-2023 tangible book value, and will create the Britains largest auto insurer with a likely share over 20%. Aviva hasnt disclosed UK auto profitability; Direct Line made just 3 million from auto insurance in 1H.  Kevin Ryan, BI insurance analyst

Photograph: The Direct Line Insurance Group Plc app. Photo credit: Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg

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Copyright 2025 Bloomberg.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Carriers
Wells Fargo & Co. said its leaving the worlds biggest climate alliance for banks, in the latest sign that Wall Street is breaking away from such groups.

The company said in a statement Friday that it ended its membership in the Net-Zero Banking Alliance. The bank, based in San Francisco, didnt provide an explanation for its decision.

Wells Fargos departure follows Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which announced earlier this month that it was quitting NZBA. Financial companies have been under increasing pressure from Republican lawmakers, which have launched investigations and filed lawsuits related to the industrys efforts to address climate change.

The House Judiciary Committee, led by Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, said last week that its found substantial evidence of collusion and anticompetitive behavior by financial companies. Separately, BlackRock Inc., Vanguard Group Inc. and State Street Corp. have been sued by a group of states led by Texas for allegedly breaking antitrust laws by boosting electricity prices through their investments.

In a report, Jordans committee specifically criticized financial environmental alliances, saying they have created what it calls a climate cartel. NZBA is part of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, which was launched ahead of a key climate summit in Scotland in 2021. Back then, the worlds biggest lenders, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc., joined the coalition.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement that Wells Fargos withdrawal from NZBA was linked to his offices review of the banks status as a potential boycotter of energy companies.

I urge other financial institutions to follow their example and end ESG (environmental, social and governance) policies that are hostile to our critical oil and gas industries Paxton said.

Wells Fargos decision was based on the companys internal analysis, said a person familiar with the matter who declined to be identified.

A spokesman for NZBA said in a statement that Wells Fargos departure was based on its own individual circumstances. He added that five banks have left the group since it started in 2021, while more than 100 have joined. NZBAs member banks have made significant progress in setting net zero targets, he said.

Wells Fargo is one of the largest financiers for the fossil-fuel industry. It ranks as the second-leading arranger of bonds and loans for oil, gas and coal companies since the start of the decade, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. JPMorgan is first.

Banks and money managers have been defecting from other climate groups in increasing numbers amid GOP-led pressure. This month, Franklin Templeton said it was leaving Climate Action 100+, which was created to press high-polluting companies to curb their emissions. The investment firm two years ago hired Anne Simpson, who was the first chair of CA100+, as its global head of sustainability.

(The NZBA is part of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, which is co-chaired by Mark Carney, who is chair of Bloomberg Inc. and a former Bank of England governor, and Michael R. Bloomberg, the founder of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.)

Photo: Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Copyright 2025 Bloomberg.
In the waning days of President Joe Bidens administration, the governments highway safety agency is proposing voluntary safety guidelines for self-driving vehicles.

But a rule from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration putting the plan in place wont be approved before the end of Bidens term in January and likely will be left to whoever runs the agency under Republican Donald Trump.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whom Trump has named to co-lead a Department of Government Efficiency to cut costs and regulations, has floated the idea of him helping to develop safety standards for self-driving vehicles  even though the standards would affect Teslas automated driving systems.

At present there are no federal regulations that specifically govern autonomous vehicles, and any regulation is left to states. However, self-driving vehicles must meet broad federal safety standards that cover all passenger vehicles.

Under the agencys proposal, released on Friday, automakers and autonomous vehicle companies could enroll in a program that would require safety plans and some data reporting for autonomous vehicles operating on public roads.

To apply companies would have to have independent assessments of their automated vehicle safety processes, and there would be requirements to report crashes and other problems with the vehicles.

Companies would have to give NHTSA information and data on the safety of the design, development and operations of the vehicles. The agency would decide whether to accept companies into the program.

But auto safety advocates say the plan falls short of needed regulation for self-driving vehicles. For instance, it doesnt set specific performance standards set for the vehicles such as numbers and types of of sensors or whether the vehicles can see objects in low-visibility conditions, they said.

This is a big bunch of nothing, said Missy Cummings, director of the autonomy and robotics center at George Mason University and a former safety adviser to NHTSA. Itll be more of a completely useless paperwork drill where the companies swear theyre doing the right thing.

Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said one of the few good things about the plan is that companies will have to report data on crashes and other problems. There have been reports that the Trump administration may want to scrap a NHTSA order that now requires autonomous vehicle companies to report crashes to the agency so it can collect data.

A message was left Friday seeking comment from the Trump transition team on crash reporting requirements.

Brooks said the incoming administration probably will want to put out its own version of the guidelines.

NHTSA will seek public comment on the plan for about 60 days, then the plan would have to wind its way through the federal regulatory process, which can take months or even years. The agency said it believes the plan can accelerate learning about autonomous vehicles as well as work toward future regulations.

It is important that ADS (Automated Driving System) technology be deployed in a manner that protects the public from unreasonable safety risk while at the same time allowing for responsible development of this technology, which has the potential to advance safety, the proposed rule says.

The agency concedes that in the future, there may be a need for NHTSA to set minimum standards for self driving vehicle performance that are similar to mandatory safety standards that govern human-driven cars. But the agency says it now doesnt have data and metrics to support those standards. The voluntary plan would help gather those, the proposal said.

Photo: A Waymo minivan (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Personal Auto
Johnson Countys newest state representative, Helen Kerwin, R-Cleburne, filed her first bill Friday targeting an environmental problem that has struck her county: PFAS contamination in sewage sludge-based fertilizers.

Kerwin said House Bill 1674, could reduce the presence of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in Texas farms and ranches that use fertilizers made from treated sewage. PFAS, often called forever chemicals because they dont break down and can persist in water and soil indefinitely, are known to cause serious health and environmental risks.

Kerwin said she filed the bill after Johnson County farmers sued a fertilizer company, alleging that PFAS-contaminated fertilizer made from municipal waste poisoned their land, killed their livestock, and left them unable to sell anything produced on their farms.

The bill requires manufacturers of products made from biosolids to test them monthly before selling them and sets limits on the concentrations of specific PFAS chemicals, including widely-studied compounds like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) at 900 parts per trillion. If the samples surpass those limits, companies would be required to dispose of the product through incineration or at a landfill approved for toxic waste.

The bill also requires companies to publish PFAS results on their websites.

Companies that violate the law would face Class A misdemeanor charges, which carry a punishment of up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine; repeat offenders could be charged with a state jail felony and face up to two years in state jail and fines up to $10,000.

Dana Ames, the environmental crime investigator for Johnson County who discovered the contamination on the farmers land, said the limits on certain PFAS were determined by scientists who analyzed how the chemicals respond to soil and accumulate in animals and plants.

Farmers have been horribly taken advantage of, Ames said. Im very proud that our legislators heard our cries for help, saw the problem, understood the issue and the magnitude of what we were dealing with, and stepped up.

PFAS have been used in various industrial and consumer products since the 1940s due to their resistance to heat, stains, and water. However, their durability comes with a cost: they dont break down and can accumulate in the environment, in animals and even human bloodstreams. Exposure to certain types of PFAS has been linked to health problems including cancer, birth defects, liver damage, and immune system disorders.

For decades, fertilizers made from biosolids or sewage sludge have been promoted as a sustainable way to recycle municipal waste. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has even supported their use. However, many farmers and ranchers nationwide that used PFAS-tainted fertilizers on their land have been forced to shut down their operations due to poisoned land and livestock.

The EPA does not require states to test biosolids for the chemicals. Some states have passed their own PFAS standards for biosolids; Texas is not among them.

The EPA is evaluating the threats of PFAS in biosolids and is expected to share what they know by the end of December.

Kerwins bill comes at a time when PFAS are under increasing scrutiny nationwide. Earlier this month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against chemical giants 3M and DuPont, accusing them of misleading the public about PFAS sold in many of their consumer products. Environmental advocates praised the move as evidence that addressing PFAS contamination transcends party lines.

Kerwin echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of bipartisan support for the bill.

Im just looking for the support of fellow legislators, and hopefully we can present it as a non-partisan bill, and all the elected officials realize it affects everyone, she said.

Kerwin said that when she was running for office, she told Johnson County officials and farmers that if she won she would make this bill her priority and take this home for them.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/20/texas-pfas-forever-chemicals-biosolids-fertilizer-legislation/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

Topics Texas Chemicals
Two Union Pacific employees were killed and three people were injured when a freight train collided with a tractor-trailer and derailed in a small West Texas city, authorities said Thursday.

The train derailed around 5 p.m. Wednesday in Pecos after the collision at a railway crossing, authorities said. Union Pacific, based in Omaha, Nebraska, said Thursday that two employees had been killed. Pecos Police Chief Lisa Tarango said the other injuries were minor.

Although hazardous materials were being carried aboard the train, none were released in the derailment, city officials said. The hazardous materials included lithium ion batteries and air bags.

Leaked diesel fuel was contained, officials said.

The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to investigate. It said in a statement Thursday that it doesnt determine or speculate about the cause during the on-scene phase of the investigation.

Ronald Lee, emergency services chief for Reeves County, said that some of those injured were in the Chamber of Commerce building, which was damaged in the derailment. He said damage to the Chamber of Commerce was significant enough that officials advised against entering the building until an engineer could inspect it.

Railroad safety has been in the spotlight ever since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in early 2023, spilling a cocktail of toxic chemicals and catching fire. Regulators urged the industry to improve safety and members of Congress proposed a package of reforms, but railroads havent made many major changes to their operations and the bill has stalled.

Eddie Hall, national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union that represents engineers, said in a statement that the derailment is a reminder that much more needs to be done to make railroading safer.

The derailment, he said, should serve as a wake-up call to legislators to improve rail safety.

Images from the site of the crash in Pecos show that the train was hauling metal shipping containers that were stacked two high.

Pecos, which has a population of about 13,000, is located about 200 miles (320 kilometers) east of El Paso.

Tarango said the cleanup was underway.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Texas Trucking
Two Kentucky Supreme Court rulings handed down last week emphasize how important it can be to have clearly worded insurance policies, including exclusions and excess and escape clauses, particularly in high-dollar commercial coverage.

In Motorists Mutual Insurance Co. vs. First Specialty Insurance Corp., the high court split the difference on conflicting policies held by a contractor and an apartment complex  requiring both insurers to pay equally after a child was run over.

The decision overturned a court ruling that had been a guidepost on escape clauses for almost three decades.

We reverse the Court of Appeals opinion holding that First Specialtys other insurance provision was a nonstandard escape clause, overrule Haddix, and hold First Specialtys and Motorists other insurance provisions are mutually repugnant excess clauses, Chief Justice Laurance VanMeter wrote in the Dec. 19 opinion.

The appeal came out of the tragic death of a 5-year-old child in 2016 at a Louisville apartment complex. The child was riding his bicycle when he was hit by a truck driven by an employee of Alltrade, which held the service contract on the Whispering Brook complex, according to the court decision and local news reports at the time.

The apartment service agreement called for Whispering Brook to indemnify Alltrade and hold it harmless for all liability. The apartment companys commercial general liability policy was written by First Specialty. The policy, however, also noted that its coverage was to be considered excess coverage, over any other insurance.

But Alltrades commercial liability, written by Motorists Mutual, also provided that, for any covered auto you dont own, the insurance provided by this coverage form is excess over any other collectible insurance. First Specialtys policy had a non-owned auto endorsement that provided $1 million in coverage. Motorists policy provided $1 million in business auto coverage.

The family of the child filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the apartment owner and the contractor. Motorists Mutual asked the trial court in Jefferson County to determine which policy should pay first. The circuit court judge found that the excess clauses in both policies were mutually repugnant, so both insurers must contribute equal amounts.

After the wrongful death suit settled, First Specialty appealed the trial courts split-the-baby decision.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals reversed the trial judges ruling, finding that First Specialtys other insurance section was really a nonstandard escape clause, as established by the Empire Fire & Marine Insurance v. Haddix ruling in 1996. The appellate court ordered Motorists to provide primary coverage and the apartments First Specialty policy to provide only the excess coverage, the court explained. Motorists Mutual then appealed to the state Supreme Court.

Because Motorists did not file a cross appeal at the appellate court level and did not fully raise the issue of the apartments indemnification obligation, the high court justices declined to tackle that aspect of the case. But on other points, the court agreed with Motorists.

The justices explained that excess clauses and escape clauses are different animals. An excess clause notes that the insurer will pay for a loss only after primary coverage from another insurer has been exhausted. An escape clause denies liability altogether if other insurance is available.

A nonstandard escape clause, as the apartments First Specialty argued, would nail it down further: It denies liability if other coverage is available  whether the other coverage is considered primary, excess, or other coverage. The clause seeks to avoid confusion when another policy has an excess coverage requirement, the court explained.

Under Kentucky case law, when one policy includes a nonstandard escape and the other has an excess clause, the one with the excess clause bears primary liability for the loss, the justices noted. But when both policies have similar excess clauses, they usually cancel each other out and the insurers must share the responsibility.

Contrary to First Specialtys and the appellate courts reasoning, the high court decided that First Specialtys clause was not a nonstandard escape, after all. It did not deny coverage altogether when other insurance is available. The policy said only that it was excess coverage over any of the other insurance, whether primary, excess, contingent or any other basis.

To reach their conclusion, the justices had to shake up years of practice. The 1996 Haddix ruling had held that an other insurance provision that included the phrase whether primary, excess, contingent, or any other basis was to be deemed a nonstandard escape clause. But that Haddix ruling now appears to conflict with another Kentucky Supreme Court decision, known as Kentucky Farm Bureau vs. Shelter Mutual Insurance. The 2010 Shelter ruling spelled out that conflicting policies are mutually repugnant when they are indistinguishable in meaning, as were the excess clauses in the policies in this case.

Three justices concurred in the opinion and three others dissented in part. Attorneys for both insurers could not be reached for comment for this article.

The Non-Collapsed Church Roof Case

Meanwhile, in another insurance decision posted the same day, the state high court found that a State Auto Property & Casualty policy was ambiguous, and coverage was due for a 120-year-old church that saw part of its roof collapse in 2019.

State Auto, now part of Liberty Mutual insurance, had denied the churchs claim, arguing that the incident, which came during a re-roofing, did not meet the definition of a collapse under the policy terms. A trial court in Muhlenberg County granted summary judgment for the insurer, agreeing that two previous court rulings had established the limits of a collapsed roof in insurance policies: The church incident had not produced rubble on the ground.

Greenville Cumberland Presbyterian Church appealed. An engineer had determined that the trusses were decayed from years of water leaks and insects. As the trusses fell, church workers attempted to brace the structure, but it was not enough. The walls bowed outward and the church later had to be demolished.

The appeals court agreed with the churchs attorneys and found that the court-established definition does not, in fact, require rubble to fall to the ground. The policy wording also was not clear on the meaning of collapse and the churchs duty to mitigate damage, so the policy must be read in favor of the insured, the judges said.

The Supreme Court affirmed, declaring that the policy covered the collapse of any part of the building. The opinion can be seen here.

The case was considered to be of some importance to insurers. The Kentucky Defense Counsel, representing insurance interests, had filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court.

Photo: (For illustration only; not the Greenville Cumberland church.)
DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP)  A storm was looming when the inmate serving 20 years for armed robbery was assigned to transport fellow prisoners to their jobs at private manufacturers supplying goods to companies like Home Depot and Wayfair. It didnt matter that Jake Jones once had escaped or that he had failed two drug and alcohol tests while in lockup  he was unsupervised and technically in charge.

By the time Jones was driving back to the work release center with six other incarcerated workers, it was pelting rain. Jones had a reputation for driving fast and some of his passengers said he was racing along the country road, jamming to music in his earbuds. Suddenly, the transport van hit a dip and swerved on the wet pavement, slamming into a tree.

Two men died after being thrown out of the van. And Jones, who was critically hurt and slumped over the blaring horn, had to be cut out of the vehicle. As the other men staggered into the storm to flag down help, they wondered: Why would the Alabama Department of Corrections place their lives in Jones hands?

They knew he had a propensity to drink, said Shawn Wasden, who survived the crash. And they put him behind the wheel of a van anyway.

No state has a longer, more profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies than Alabama. With a sprawling labor system that dates back more than 150 years  including the brutal convict leasing era that replaced slavery  it has constructed a template for the commercialization of mass incarceration.

Best Western, Bama Budweiser and Burger King are among the more than 500 businesses to lease incarcerated workers from one of the most violent, overcrowded and unruly prison systems in the U.S. in the past five years alone, The Associated Press found as part of a two-year investigation into prison labor. The cheap, reliable labor force has generated more than $250 million for the state since 2000 through money garnished from prisoners paychecks.

Most jobs are inside facilities, where the states inmates  who are disproportionately Black  can be sentenced to hard labor and forced to work for free doing everything from mopping floors to laundry. But more than 10,000 inmates have logged a combined 17 million work hours outside Alabamas prison walls since 2018, for entities like city and county governments and businesses that range from major car-part manufacturers and meat-processing plants to distribution centers for major retailers like Walmart, the AP determined.

While those working at private companies can at least earn a little money, they face possible punishment if they refuse, from being denied family visits to being sent to higher-security prisons, which are so dangerous that the federal government filed a lawsuit four years ago that remains pending, calling the treatment of prisoners unconstitutional.

Though they make at least $7.25 an hour, the state siphons 40% off the top of all wages and also levies fees, including $5 a day for rides to their jobs and $15 a month for laundry.

Turning down work can jeopardize chances of early release in a state that last year granted parole to only 8% of eligible prisoners  an all-time low, and among the worst rates nationwide  though that number more than doubled this year after public outcry.

It is a symptom of a completely, utterly broken system, said Chris England, an Alabama lawmaker pushing for criminal justice reform.

Many prisoners work 40 hours a week outside their facilities and then get weekend passes, allowing them to go home without any supervision or electronic monitoring. So when prisoners are then told theyre too dangerous to be permanently released, England said, it looks like another way to create a cheap labor force that is easily exploited and abused.

Arthur Ptomey, who has worked at various private companies over the past six years, said he was denied parole in 2022 after losing his job at KFC, where he had complained about his low wages. A full-time cook, he was upset that even teenagers working the register were outearning him despite the fact that he had worked there for over a year.

Ptomey is one of 10 current and former prisoners who filed a class-action federal lawsuit last year against state officials, local governments and businesses like McDonalds and Wendys franchises, contending they perpetuate a system of forced labor akin to a modern-day form of slavery that keeps the best workers from being released.

He currently works at Progressive Finishes, one of the states biggest contractors of prison labor, which says on its website that it has served as a third-party supplier to automotive companies including Honda, General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Kia, Volvo, Chrysler and Hyundai.

For a lot of these jobs, the attitude is the same  if you dont meet our expectations, well just call for somebody else, Ptomey said while on a 48-hour home pass at his mothers house. Im grateful to come out and work, but I aint come in here to be a slave.

Kelly Betts of the corrections department defended the work programs, calling them crucial to the success of inmates preparing to leave prison. But she acknowledged that even those sentenced to life without the possibility of parole are eligible for so-called work release jobs.

Thats because in Alabama the department determines which prisoners are employed off site largely based on how well theyve behaved behind bars, instead of what put them there. Those working among the civilian population include men and women with records for violent crimes like murder and assault. Many are serving 15 years or longer.

Many choose work to being confined to a facility all day, Betts said. In many cases, it is a matter of quality of life. But ultimately, the inmate chooses and is not penalized for non-participation.

Alabamas lockups are chronically understaffed, and its not unusual for prisoners to work outside their facilities without any correctional oversight. And in some cases, there is no supervision of any kind, which has led to escapes, often referred to as walkaways.

Asked how prisoners are chosen to work without monitoring, Betts said, Each inmates situation is unique, and each inmate is evaluated on his or her own record.

Most companies did not respond to requests for comment, but the handful that did said they had no direct involvement with work release programs.

Home Depot said it would investigate its connection to outdoor furniture maker Wadley Holdings, where some men in the van crash were working. It said it prohibits suppliers from using prison labor and would take action if policy violations are found.

McDonalds said in a statement it does not permit the use of prison labor within its supply chain or at its corporate-owned restaurants and is committed to promoting ethical employment practices. The fast food giant added that while franchisees operate independently, they are expected to respect human rights and are encouraged to develop similar policies.

Best Western also said it does not participate in personnel matters at its independently owned and operated hotels. Hyundai said it knew some of its suppliers hired inmates for jobs but was not involved in the decision to do so. Honda said it was not aware of any business relationship with Progressive Finishes, which is common with companies and third-party suppliers.

As part of its investigation, the AP analyzed 24 years of Alabama corrections department monthly statistical reports to calculate the amount of money generated via contracts with private companies and deductions taken out of prisoners paychecks.

Reporters also parsed information from more than 83,000 pages of data obtained through a public records request, including the names of inmates involved in Alabamas work programs. In addition to working for public entities  everywhere from landfills to the governors mansion  they were leased out to at least 500 private businesses between 2018 and mid-March 2024. That information was cross-referenced with an online state database, detailing the crimes that landed people in prison, their sentences, time served, race and good-time credits earned and revoked. The AP analysis faced limitations because some workplace entries were insufficiently defined.

Few prisoner advocates believe outside jobs should be abolished. In Alabama, for instance, those shifts can offer a reprieve from the excessive violence inside the states institutions. Last year, and in the first six months of 2024, an Alabama inmate died behind bars nearly every day, a rate five times the national average.

But advocates say incarcerated workers should be paid fair wages, given the choice to work without threat of punishment, and granted the same workplace rights and protections guaranteed to other Americans.

Prisoners nationwide cannot organize, protest or strike for better conditions. They also arent typically classified as employees, whether theyre working inside correctional facilities or for outside businesses through prison contracts or work release programs. And unless they are able to prove willful negligence, it is almost impossible to successfully sue when incarcerated workers are hurt or killed. Because they are not seen as employees, they are not eligible for workers compensation insurance benefits if injured on the job, according to the Alabama League of Municipalities.

Though the Alabama corrections department said it could not provide information about the number of prisoners who died while on outside jobs, the AP tracked down family members of prisoners who lost their lives. One man was killed after being sucked into a machine at a plant operated by massive poultry processor Koch Foods and others died after being struck by vehicles while picking up trash or doing road maintenance on the side of busy highways.

The day of the van accident, Jake Jones had finished his shift at a nearby Quality Inn, where his boss and co-workers told the AP that nothing seemed amiss. He headed to the Alexander City work center, where he was a go-to driver, and grabbed the keys to the white Ford Econoline so he could shuttle his fellow prisoners to their jobs. He had about four hours of driving ahead of him, zipping between a string of companies up to 40 minutes apart.

Tyrone Heard, one of the passengers dropped off before the crash, said Jones had been drinking and that he believed staff knew it. Before heading out, he said he overheard two officers discussing whether they should find another driver.

An hour into the trip, Heard said, Jones told us he was drunk. At one point, he added, Jones smashed his foot on the gas until the speedometer topped 90 mph.

About two hours later, the van was wrapped around the tree. Heards uncle, Willie Crayton, was killed instantly. Bruce Clements struggled to breathe and died on the way to the hospital.

The accident report estimated the vans speed was 67 mph upon impact  more than 20 mph over the speed limit. Blood tests were conducted to determine if drugs or alcohol were in the drivers system, but those results have never been released. Police, volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders would not comment, saying the case remained under investigation.

Betts, the corrections department spokeswoman, said Jones met all the criteria to be an inmate driver: Though he failed drug and alcohol tests in 2018 and 2022  and another about a month after the accident  he passed his screening test two days before the deadly crash.

And prison guidelines only bar participation of prisoners who escaped or were recaptured within a 10-year period. His escape was in 2010.

Jones, who since has been moved to a higher-security facility, did not respond to questions from the AP.

Some of the men involved in the crash have been released from prison after serving their sentences, but others continue to report to outside jobs.

They still ride past the crash site, marked by a simple cross  with Willie Craytons hat resting on top.

One dies, get another

Prison labor is enshrined in the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which banned slavery and involuntary servitude  except for those convicted of a crime. That language also was added to the constitutions of many states, though eight of them have removed the so-called punishment clause in recent years after taking the issue to voters.

In 2022, Alabama became one of them, but Gov. Kay Ivey signed an executive order last year giving the corrections department the authority to revoke good-time credits  days shaved off sentences rewarding model behavior  for refusing to work, making it harder for even the best prisoners to accelerate their release.

The people just say that they thought it was unconstitutional, inhumane  and you come back and say, I dont care,' said Robert Earl Council, who is part of the federal lawsuit filed last year that calls for an end to all forced prison labor. It verifies clearly to me the point that weve been trying to drive home  this is strictly, explicitly about the money.

Council, also known as Kinetik Justice, spent five years in solitary confinement for helping lead prison work stoppages  including one that spread to facilities in several other states. At one point, he and other inmates also began hunger strikes, demanding an end to free labor.

Throughout the states history of prison labor, money has been a key driver.

Soon after the Civil War, when the Souths once-booming economy was in tatters, Alabama turned to convict leasing. Young, mostly Black men were arrested for petty crimes like gambling or vagrancy and hired out to private companies. They were forced to build railroads, work in sawmills and toil under deplorable conditions in coal mines, including those owned by U.S. Steel  the biggest company in the world at the time.

No state in America earned more from convict leasing than Alabama  at one point, it accounted for more than 70% of all annual revenue. It was also where companies made the most money. By the time Alabama became the last state to officially ban the practice in 1928, thousands of prisoners had died from rampant disease, dangerous working conditions and poor treatment. Incarcerated workers were treated as disposable, reflected in a quote at the time: One dies, get another.

Alabama shifted its strategy when industries began to modernize and mechanize, said Douglas Blackmon, whose book Slavery by Another Name chronicles the states dark past of convict leasing.

Up until that moment, the practices were so profitable for both government officials and industry  that they would always find a way to continue the system, he said. Its something that people have figured out how to make a lot of money on again. And so the practice reemerges.

Fast forward to the 1970s, when conditions were so bad  from abysmal treatment of inmates with mental illnesses to extreme violence  that a U.S. federal judge took control of Alabamas entire prison system.

Thats when the Department of Corrections decided to classify inmates largely by their behavior behind bars rather than their criminal histories, ostensibly to help alleviate overcrowding. Under the new standards, eligible participants would not only get paid for their outside jobs, but also have their sentences reduced for every day worked.

The system was adopted over the objections of Oscar Adams, the states first Black Supreme Court justice, who noted that the vast majority of those accepted would not get good time because prisoners sentenced to more than 10 years  later pushed to 15  were ineligible. At the time, they represented the bulk of the prison population.

That population continued to grow, mostly due to historically harsh sentencing laws that put people away for life, even if they were convicted of nonviolent crimes. And so did its workforce.

Today, the state has a patchwork of programs that includes not just work centers  including jobs for the city and state paying $2 a day  but also work release programs operated at the county level, sometimes by nonprofit organizations. They receive about $10 a day for every person they house, plus hefty fees paid by prisoners for things like mandatory drug testing.

Some see the largely autonomous county programs as exploitative, but others call them a lifeline.

It taught me how to be a man, said Matthew Smith, who has a history of drug addiction and worked at a poultry plant through a community corrections work release program. It taught me how to get up and go to work every day.

Even prisoners who are happy working often complain about the steep pre-tax deductions taken by the state. After a 40-hour week, many say they end up pocketing only about $100 to $200.

But for the hundreds of private companies that hire them, the benefits are robust. Businesses pay at least minimum wage, but can earn up to $2,400 in tax credits for some inmates hired. Amid crushing staff shortages, they can rely on a steady, pliable workforce available to take extra shifts, fill in at the last minute when civilian workers call in sick and also work holidays. And if an incarcerated worker is injured or even killed on the job, the company may not be liable.

The same is true for businesses across the country. As part of its larger investigation, the AP spoke to more than 120 current and former prisoners and relatives of those who died on the job. Reporters found that the use of incarcerated workers is so pervasive nationwide that prison labor has seeped into the supply chains of some of the countrys largest companies and retailers  and also goods being exported.

Trader Joes, Cargill, McDonalds and other companies responded to that reporting earlier this year by either cutting ties with correctional departments or third-party suppliers or indicating they were in the process of doing so.

In Alabama, the roster of companies hiring inmates is vast.

In the past five years, over 500 prisoners have worked at local Wendys, McDonalds, Burger King and Applebees restaurants alone. They also have cleaned hotels, manufactured kitchen cabinets, made yarn used in carpets, constructed doors for houses sold at national home stores like Lowes, and built trailers pulled behind semi trucks. Theyve helped keep cities running across the state, and worked at public country clubs and even the Supreme Court.

Alabama collected more than $13 million in work release fees in fiscal year 2024. But the prisoner lawsuit filed in federal court late last year with backing from the powerful AFL-CIO federation of unions, estimates the corrections department actually rakes in about $450 million in benefits from prison labor annually. That takes into consideration money saved by not having to hire civilians to maintain the sprawling prison system or work for government agencies.

The suit also alleges that prisoners participating in work programs with good disciplinary records have been hardest hit by plummeting parole rates, with Black workers disproportionately affected.

A decade ago, nearly half the prisoners coming up for parole were released, with no clear racial disparity, it noted. But that changed several years ago when the board began disregarding its own guidelines and denying early releases to those who scored high enough to qualify, based on criteria like their crimes, perceived risk to society and behavior behind bars. In fiscal year 2023, there were 3,583 parole hearings that resulted in 3,286 denials  including one involving a man who had been dead for 10 days.

Alabamas attorney generals office did not respond to a request for comment. But in successfully moving for dismissal of a similar state lawsuit filed by inmates last year, it said slavery and involuntary servitude do not exist in the states prison system.

Those who take part in work release programs do so voluntarily, the motion noted.

For members of the public buying a Blizzard at Dairy Queen or having their cars worked on in a local garage, it can be hard to distinguish incarcerated employees from their civilian counterparts. In most cases, they dress in the same clothes or uniforms. And even those clearly identified as prisoners doing more traditional jobs like road work go unnoticed by most busy motorists speeding down the states roads.

That was true of Braxton Moon, his mother said. He told her how terrified he was by how dangerously close cars whizzed past him, even as he held a sign warning drivers to slow down.

Angela Lindsey pleaded with her son to quit  he was making only $2 a day. But he told her that working beat being locked up around the clock.

Two weeks later, in August 2015, Lindsey received a phone call from her cousin asking: Is it true?' An officer at the work center had posted a picture of her son on Facebook with the words Rest in peace.

She frantically called the center over and over, only to be hung up on each time. All of this was before I even got anything  anything  from the state, she said. It was on social media. It was on the news.

And then it was confirmed: Her son had been struck by a tractor-trailer in a hit and run along the side of Interstate 65.

He had died instantly. He was just 21.

Photo: Arthur Ptomey at his mothers home in Birmingham recently. Ptomey was on work release for several private companies over six years, then denied parole after refusing to take on shifts over a wage dispute. (Anonymous via AP)

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Workers' Compensation Alabama
Thomas Moore is all around us, but you possibly never noticed. His birthplace is on the site of J Smyths, the legendary old live music bar on Dublins Aungier Street (now trading as the Thomas Moore Inn).

There are busts and statues of him in cities around the globe, including Belfast, Dublin and New York. Listen carefully to the opening bars of Dexys Midnight Runners track 'Come On Eileen' and youll hear a sample of Moores song 'Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms'.

Moore was a titan in Irish life in the nineteenth century. As the century drew to a close, Irish households kept a copy of Moores Melodies alongside the Bible, and made sure if sons or daughters were emigrating that the collection was packed off with them on their boat journey abroad.

Moores story is full of colourful adventures and friends in the highest echelons of British and Irish society. It's a mystery as to why he has largely disappeared from our consciousness, which makes TG4s documentary about him over Christmas timely.

I had read about Thomas Moore. A lot of people in my office had heard about him, but they didn't know anything about the man himself, says Suzanne McNally, director of Thomas Moore  Bard na hEireann. Or else people would say theyd never heard of him, but when you mentioned The Last Rose of Summer or The Minstrel Boy, theyd know the songs. He had a fascinating life.

"He was friends of Robert Emmet and Lord Byron. He lived in Bermuda. He was so famous in his lifetime. We wanted to know if he should be forgotten in Ireland today. That set us off on a journey.

Suzanne McNally, director of Thomas Moore  Bard na hEireann.

McNally and her production team have made Moores music a big part of that story. It was an inspired  if perhaps an obvious  decision to make. The documentary is peppered with eight soaring studio performances of Moores melodies from artists such as Duke Special, Steve Cooney, Meav Ni Mhaolchatha and a breathtaking rendition of Oh! Breathe Not His Name by the soul artist Manukahunney and her band. The live recordings, a mix of traditional with modern interpretations, provide chapter points, says McNally, as Moores life story unfolds.

Moore was born in 1779, the son of a Dublin grocer. His mother was ambitious for him. He was one of the first Catholics to study at Trinity College. His Irish Catholic identity  at a time when Catholics were second class citizens in Ireland, unable, for example, to sit in parliament  was the defining feature of his identity. It was at Trinity that Moore befriended Robert Emmet.

Moore was less radical than Emmet, but they shared an Enlightenment worldview and the dream of an independent, pluralist Irish nation. Emmets execution  in which he was hung, drawn and quartered  was deeply disturbing for Moore, who penned the ballad Oh! Breathe Not His Name in his memory, picking up on Emmets famous dying wish that only when Ireland was free could his epitaph be written.

Moore could walk on both sides of the street. At a time when England thought the Irish were barbarous and ignorant, he was a darling of the English aristocracy, invited, for instance, to the Prince Regents inauguration fete. King George VI  and the salons of fashionable, bohemian London  delighted in his wit and when hed play the piano, performing his melodies. As Theo Dorgan, one of the contributors in the documentary, remarks about Moores ambiguous position in Anglo-Irish society  Moore wasnt the only Irish person to be famous in London. He was a man for all seasons.

Pictured is a bust of Thomas Moore.

It's interesting, says McNally, Kevin Whelan, a history professor at Notre Dame University, said in the documentary that at the time, people said of him Tommy dearly loved a lord. It's true.

"When you see all his friends, it's the likes of Lord Moira and Lord Byron. When he got into trouble in Bermuda, it was his friends [e.g. Lord Lansdowne] who got him out of that debt.

As Theo Dorgan said, Moore was still very political. He was Irish. He was proud of that. He walked that thin line between both worlds. He did it well. Doing the research, time and again, people would say, He would go to big houses in England and he'd sing for his supper.

"He would enjoy the big feast and then he would perform. A lot of the ladies liked him apparently. He must have been very charismatic. He was a popular man.

Tellingly, it was when Ireland achieved (limited) independence in the 1920s that Moore started to disappear from view. His reputation took a pounding during the Celtic Revival at the turn of the twentieth century. Joyce often sang his songs.

Moores maladies, Joyce called them. He loved the songs, but he didnt love the man. WB Yeats despised Moores incarnate social ambition, but perhaps Yeats hatred sprung from jealousy  there was only room for one person to be Irelands national poet.

Moores music, which was always prone to melancholy, was reflected in his own life. He lived to a good age, dying in Wiltshire, England, in 1852, outliving cohorts like Daniel OConnell.

He was happily married to Bessy, a young Irish actress, and sister of the famous contemporary actress, Mary Dyke. But tragedy marred their family life  all five of their children died before them.

It seemed a sad, lonely ending for him, losing all five children before him, says McNally. A lot of his friends had all died too. We filmed in Wiltshire. It was sad to see the grave with the names of his family there. But it was a really interesting experience to delve into his life.

Thomas Moore  Bard na hEireann will be broadcast on TG4, 8.25pm, Saturday, December 28, and will be repeated January 8

Thomas Moore and the tale of Lord Byrons explosive memoirs

Thomas Moore and Lord Byron, the most famous poet of his era, not least for his scandalous lifestyle, were firm friends. Byron reckoned there was no one to rival Moores talent for adapting words to music.

In 1824, when word filtered back to London that Byron had drowned in western Greece, Moore was, legally, in possession of the Englishmans memoirs.

Unfortunately, Moore left the manuscript with Byrons publisher, John Murray, two years beforehand as a security, placing himself in debt to Murray to the tune of 2,000 guineas.

Immediately after news of Byrons death, a bitter dispute broke out amongst Moore, Murray, Byrons family and John Cam Hobhouse, Byrons friend and executor.

Portrait of Lord Byron. Picture: DeAgostini/Getty Images.

Hobhouse, in particular, was worried about the red-hot material in the memoirs, chiefly references about Byrons homosexual encounters.

After a fraught weekend of negotiation, full of nasty personal charges, Moore finally acquiesced at an infamous Monday morning summit meeting involving six interested parties (and a seventh, if you include Murrays 16-year-old son) to Hobhouses demands that the manuscript be burnt.

Although morose leaving the meeting, Moore still had the energy to leave the group with a parting shot, a story about an Irishman who had just been condemned to death.

Asked if he had anything to add. Oh nothing, he replied, except that by Jesus youve settled it all very nicely amongst you!
A womens refuge in Cork is seeking to reassure domestic violence victims that help is out there ahead of the Christmas period.

Management of Cuanlee refuge in Cork City, Which operates six refugee spaces and five step-down facilities, are making the pledge amid fears of an increase in domestic violence during the festive season.

Mary Cullinane said: We are looking at a lot of disclosures now about sexual abuse, coercive control. Financial control is also huge this time of the year.

"There is a lot of pressures on families at the moment economically, with addiction, with mental health. These are all factors which can be exacerbated around Christmas.

She said it was important to stress that help is available.

We are here. We will be here over the Christmas period. We have increased capacity. We have six in refuge, and we have five step-down (spaces)  soon to be seven.

Ms Cullinane stressed that Cuanlee does not operate a waiting list, adding: We are working to have spaces for families over the Christmas period.

She said that domestic violence and abuse can have a significant impact on every aspect of a persons life, adding: This is a particularly vulnerable time of the year if there has been or is currently domestic violence and abuse in the home.

She urged women in domestic violence situations to know that the staff of Cuanlee will help them develop a safety plan for themselves and any children they may have.

On occasions, women have arrived to the refuge in the middle of the night, without any belongings, she said. While accommodation at the refuge is short-term, the pressures on the rental sector mean that women are now staying longer in the facility than previously.

The refuge has been operating in Cork since 1978 and offers a range of services including social care, counselling, therapeutic childcare, social work, and addiction care.

A 24-hour helpline also provides support, information and a referral pathway for admission to the refuge.

Last month, a report from Focus Ireland said domestic violence is a significant factor in making mothers and their children homeless.

Cuanlees 24 hour helpline can be contacted at 021 - 4277698, or email: info@cuanleerefuge.org
Military dogs in training

China Military Online) 11:20, December 23, 2024

A military dog assigned to the Chinese People's Armed Police Force (PAP) Tianjin Corps jumps over an obstacle during a multi-subject training exercise on December 9, 2024. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Gong Xu)

A military dog assigned to the Chinese People's Armed Police Force (PAP) Tianjin Corps jumps up an obstacle during a multi-subject training exercise on December 9, 2024. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Gong Xu)

A military dog assigned to the Chinese People's Armed Police Force (PAP) Tianjin Corps follows instruction to inspect suspicious luggage during a multi-subject training exercise on December 9, 2024. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Gong Xu)

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
Credit unions could have an additional 5.5bn to lend to homebuyers and businesses under proposed new Central Bank rules.

The Central Bank has published the findings of a public consultation on changes that could see credit unions allowed to lend more of their assets.

The document sets out a plan to decouple the limits currently imposed and to prescribe new separate limits for house lending and business lending.

It also means all credit unions, regardless of asset size, would operate under the same rules.

For house lending, a credit union would be able to lend up to 30% of total assets to mortgage applicants and up to 10% to businesses.

The document suggests that this would mean that the ability for credit unions to lend for both mortgages and businesses would jump from 2.9bn to 8.6bn.

Irish League of Credit Unions CEO David Malone said the new rules could see more credit unions entering the mortgage space, where they currently have around 730m in loans. File picture: Robbie Reynolds

For most credit unions, the combined lending limit for mortgages and small businesses is set at 7.5% of total assets. This limit can be increased to 10%, and potentially up to 15%, for larger credit unions that submit a business case to the Central Bank and receive approval for higher mortgage and SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) lending.

Irish League of Credit Unions CEO David Malone told the Irish Examiner the sector welcomed the proposals, which have been under discussion for 18 months.

He said more credit unions could enter the mortgage space, where they currently have around 730m in loans.

The proposal that all credit unions could go to 30% of assets in mortgage lending removes a real barrier to entry.

Credit unions offer competitive funds and were much more stable because were not reliant on European Central Bank rates. We also have an omnichannel presence  were digital and physical. Members say thats a huge benefit when theyre looking for a mortgage.

The consultation document also calls for the removal of the requirement for credit unions to receive a comprehensive business plan and detailed financial projections for business loans of 25,000 or more, community loans, or loans to other credit unions.

Mr Malone said that of particular interest is the sectors agri-lending programme, which currently has around 100m in 250 rural locations. Finance Minister Jack Chambers said he agrees that the changes are necessary.

The proposed amendments to the framework would provide a guardrail for those credit unions who want to increase their level of house and business lending, allowing these credit unions the opportunity to provide credit for their members in a sustainable manner, he said.

Mr Chambers is understood to be supportive of an increased role for credit unions and in multiple parliamentary responses has pointed to a peer review of Ireland by the International Credit Union Regulators Network (ICURN).

It said that, without some liberalisation, recent changes to the laws around credit unions may not work.

In one such response, Mr Chambers said the Central Bank should reflect on the views of the credit union stakeholders and the ICURN report.
More than 1,000 prisoners are being crammed into cells on bunk beds or mattresses on the floor and many are forced to use toilets in front of each other.

The overcrowding has led to heightened tensions and disputes among prisoners which is endangering staff.

A 40% increase in injury cases from prison officers in the last two years has been blamed on the overcrowding and drug smuggling, which is causing fights, resulting in injuries to officers when they break them up.

Last week, the inspector of prisons Mark Kelly said in a report on Cloverhill Remand Prison that violence was the inevitable result of overcrowded cells, with inmates subject to degrading conditions of an unscreened toilet.

Temporary measures now the norm

Bunk beds and mattresses are supposed to be temporary or crisis measures, but have become the norm, with around 20% of all inmates now living in such conditions.

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has been forced to deal with rising numbers of prisoners being sent to already overcrowded institutions, leaving it with only two main options  pack more people into cells or leave even more prisoners out on temporary release.

The third option is build more prison spaces, which has not happened and is only likely to start coming on stream in around three to four years, by which time prison sources expect numbers to have increased further again.

Alternatives to prison

The approach of building more prison capacity is strongly opposed by the Irish Penal Reform Trust and others, who want the focus on sentencing policy, expanding probation, and non-custodial options and enhancing temporary release schemes.

IPS figures provided to the Irish Examiner were based on the same date (December 17) for the last three years.

This showed that use of mattresses has risen more than four-fold: from 63 in 2021, to 141 in 2022 and to 290 in 2023.

The top three prisons affected are:

Mountjoy Prison, where the number of mattresses on floors has gone from 25 in 2021, to 12 in 2022, before rising seven-fold to 97 in 2023;

Cork Prison, were numbers have gone from 0 to 29, to 47 (numbers reached 57 earlier in December);

Cloverhill Prison, were numbers have increased from 16 to 25, to 51 (numbers reached 68 recently according to the inspector of prisons report);

A separate set of statistics, obtained by the Irish Examiner, provide estimates on the number of bunk beds in the system.

Because they are considered temporary measures, statistics on their use are not gathered centrally and are only available at individual prison level.

These figures capture data for 11 of the 12 institutions (Midlands not available) and suggest around 850 bunk beds are in use.

Prison sources explain that what typically happens is that the bed or beds in a cell are taken out and replaced by bunk beds, and that many single cells are too small for bunks.

The prisons with the most bunks are: Wheatfield (189), Castlerea (150), Cork (144), and Mountjoy (114).

Dochas Womens Prison, originally designed with rooms rather than standard cells, has almost all been doubled up, with an estimated 70 bunk beds.

Limerick Female Prison, which was substantially upgraded and opened in October 2023, now has 20 bunks. Where it has prison capacity for 56 inmates there were 85 in it on December 2, meaning it was 153% over capacity  the highest in all prisons. This is despite 34 prisoners being on temporary release.

Sources have indicated management is already taking risks on temporary release. The number has gone from 287 on December 2, 2022, to 424 on the same date in 2023, to 547 on December 2 this year.
The Taoiseach has spoken to the Palestinian president to express the "solidarity and unbreakable support of the people of Ireland to the people of Palestine".

A statement from the Taoiseach's office said he had told Mahmoud Abbas that the heartbreaking conditions and loss of innocent life in Gaza this year "weighs heavily on the minds of many Irish people as they gather with their families for Christmas this week".

The Taoiseach also said that Ireland will "continue to use its voice and influence at every opportunity in every international forum it can from the EU to the UN  as well as through direct bilateral relations with Israel and Palestine  to bring about a ceasefire and to start to rebuild shattered lives".

While speaking to President Abbas it was foremost in my mind that the heart-shattering milestone of more than 45,000 dead was passed earlier this month, of which nearly 15,000 were innocent children.

President Abbas told me that 50 people have died and 100 have been injured in Gaza every day in 2024.

"On top of this, we have seen so-called safe zones bombed in the last few days and the conditions in Gaza as described by the UN are horrific."

He said 1.1 million children are living in "hellish conditions".

"Families lack the most basic items, including food, clothing, shoes, mattresses, blankets, and kitchen supplies. There is a dangerous shortage of medicines, with diseases spreading rapidly due to the cold.

"Tens of thousands of people are living at sites with no basic services at all. Thats no bathroom, no water and no food. It is also deeply troubling that the West Bank and East Jerusalem continue to see buildings being cleared and demolished.

The risk of famine has not subsided and the only conclusion that can fairly be drawn at the end of 2024 is that the world has failed the innocent people of Gaza.

The Taoiseach and Abbas also touched on Irelands decision, alongside Spain and Norway, to recognise the State of Palestine in May with President Abbas thanking Ireland again on Monday. President Abbas also said that the Palestinian Ambassador, Dr Jilan Abdalmajid, officially presenting her credentials to Ireland this week was a great honour.

The Taoiseach and President Abbas also spoke of the importance of ongoing international support for the UN relief agency UNRWA.
The largest collection of Irish traditional music in the world is in a fundraising drive for the end of the year as an anonymous US backer has pledged to match 2024 donations.

The Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) says the donations will help drive access to its extensive library music around the world.

ITMA, founded in 1987, is a public archive and resource centre for anyone with an interest in Irish traditional music, song and dance.

The archives have an extensive library of phonograph cylinders (Brian Lawless/PA)

The publicly-accessible archive on Dublins Merrion Square is committed to promoting and preserving the rich cultural tradition of Irish music for future generations.

It has a multimedia collection with some materials dating back to the 18th century, tracing the development of how music was stored and shared through vinyl, cassettes, CDs and digital downloads.

The painstaking collection and preservation of the vast collection requires a lot of care, space and funding.

Every year, ITMA receives a large number of unique and important private collections.

However, it says limitations around its current funding model mean there will be delays in making these materials accessible outside of Dublin without new sources of funding.

A view of instruments at the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)

In 2024, a private US foundation pledged to match every donation it receives up to 100,000 dollars (95,000 euros)  doubling every contribution up to that limit.

The Archive says donations help it offer free, universal access to ITMAs materials, preserving and growing Irish traditional music around the world.

ITMA archivist Maeve Gebruers says that preserving and digitalising the paper and audio collections is really expensive work.

Speaking to the PA news agency, she said: Its really all about digitisation now.

What ITMA is all about is democratising access  because not everybody can come to beautiful Marion Square and can come in and sit in our lovely reading room  so were trying to make the very important collections here accessible to everybody across the planet, really.

That also involves finding solutions to make sure these files are accessible into the future, often a costly process in terms of storage and managing digital assets.

Sheet music at ITMA (Brian Lawless/PA)

She added: Its slow work, its tedious work  but its so important. Thats why we need the donations.

ITMA has become an important centre for enjoying and studying Irish traditional music.

Large amounts of material from its collection and curated exhibitions are also available online, allowing the public to access individual song recordings and manuscripts digitised by ITMA staff.

Ms Gebruers said: People are welcome to come here. They dont need any particular reason, they can just come and listen to the vast amount of audio recordings that we have here or sit and read the books.

Obviously, we have more serious researchers too, who have very concentrated areas of research, but its open to the public. We love to see our library full and people using it and using the collections. Thats ultimately what were all about.

Speaking among centuries-old ballad sheets and wax phonograph cylinders, Ms Gebruers also notes that Irish traditional music is a living tradition which the Archive is collecting on an ongoing basis.

The Irish Traditional Music Archive is located on Dublins Merrion Square (Brian Lawless/PA)

She said: We dont just collect historic formats. We are actively in the field collecting from musicians today; older musicians who we will record interviews with and get their recollections of times gone by and how they learned their music and who they learned it from.

The Merrion Square location also features a recording studio, while ITMA staff also record concerts at large festivals like the Willie Clancy Summer School.

More information on how to donate is available on itma.ie/donate.
A man is facing murder charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police said.

The suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was taken into custody hours after the woman died on Sunday morning.

Zapeta, 33, is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the US illegally after he had been previously removed in 2018, said Jeff Carter, a spokesman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It is unclear when and where he re-entered the US.

New York City police commissioner Jessica Tisch described the case as one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.

She said the woman and the suspect had been travelling on a subway train without any interaction between them to the end of the line in Brooklyn at around 7.30am on Sunday.

New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch (Seth Wenig/AP)

After the train came to a stop, surveillance video from the subway car showed the man calmly walk up to the victim, who was seated motionless, possibly sleeping, and set her clothing on fire with what appeared to be a lighter. The womans clothing then became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, Ms Tisch said.

Police do not believe the two knew one another.

Officers on a routine patrol at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station smelled and saw smoke and discovered the woman on fire, standing in the middle of the subway car. After the fire was extinguished, emergency medical personnel declared the woman dead at the scene.

The suspect had remained at the scene and was sitting on a bench on the subway platform, just outside the train car, Ms Tisch said. Body cameras worn by the officers caught a very clear, detailed look at him and those images were publicly disseminated.

After later receiving a 911 call from three high school children who said they recognised the suspect in the photo, officers took a person of interest into custody who Ms Tisch said was wearing the same grey hoodie, wool hat, paint-splatted trousers and tan boots.

In a statement, Brooklyn district attorney Eric Gonzalez said: The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice.

He added: This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences.

New York governor Kathy Hochul this year has sent New York National Guard members to the citys subway system to help police conduct random searches of peoples bags for weapons following a series of high-profile crimes on city trains. Ms Hochul recently deployed additional members to help patrol during the Christmas season.

About a year ago, Ms Hochul supported funding to install video cameras on every train car in the New York subway system, said Michael Kemper, chief security officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He and other officials on Sunday credited the cameras with helping to track down the suspect so quickly.
The man accused of fatally shooting the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare is expected to be arraigned in a Manhattan court on murder and terror charges on Monday.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was formally charged last week by the Manhattan district attorney with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.

He will face two trials for his alleged crimes: a state case and a federal prosecution, which will run parallel.

Luigi Mangiones booking photo provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (Pennsylvania Department of Corrections via AP)

His initial appearance in the New York State Supreme Court was pre-empted by federal prosecutors bringing their charges over the shooting.

The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

Authorities say Mangione gunned down Brian Thompson as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan on the morning of December 4.

Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonalds after a five-day search, carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID, police said.

He also was carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, according to federal prosecutors.

At a news conference announcing the state charges on Tuesday, Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg said the application of the terrorism law reflected the severity of a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.

In its most basic terms, this was a killing that was intended to evoke terror, he added.

Luigi Mangione leaves the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania (Gene J Puskar/AP)

And weve seen that reaction.

Mangiones lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo has accused federal and state prosecutors of advancing conflicting legal theories.

In federal court last week, she called their approach very confusing and highly unusual.

Mangione is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean Diddy Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.

He was extradited from Pennsylvania on Thursday and quickly rushed to New York City, where he was seen wearing an orange jumpsuit as he was led away from a helicopter by heavily armed police officers and New York City mayor Eric Adams.

Luigi Mangione, being escorted by police, in New York on December 19 (Pamela Smith/AP)

Mr Adams said he was hoping to send a message to the suspect: I wanted to look him in the eye and say you carried out this terroristic act in my city  the city that the people of New York love, the mayor told a local TV station.

I wanted to be there to show the symbolism of that.

An Ivy-league graduate from a prominent Maryland family, Mangione appeared to have cut himself off from family and friends in recent months.

He posted frequently in online forums about his struggles with back pain.

He was never a UnitedHealthcare client, according to the insurer.
Lets face it, leading Somalia is no walk in the park. Yet, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has proven time and again that hes the one who can drive the country toward a brighter future. Despite all the noise, he has managed to push the country forward in ways many thought were impossible. Yet, somehow, his critics seem to think their job is to stand in the way of progress, finding fault in every move the president makes.

Take the Jubaland crisis, for example. The government deployed troops to secure a base vacated by departing ATMIS forces, standard procedure, right? Well, not according to Ahmed Madobe, who quickly turned it into a political drama, accusing the government of trying to remove him from power. In the blink of an eye, what was meant to be a security operation became a full-blown confrontation, with Ahmed Madobe going so far as to partner with Kenya and, quite shockingly, Al-Shabaab. Yes, you heard that right, the same Ahmed Madobe who was once Al-Shabaabs deputy leader.

Ahmed Madobe used territory controlled by Al-Shabaab to launch an offensive against the Somali National Army. So, while some are quick to blame the government, its worth asking, whos really playing with fire here? Ahmed Madobe, it seems, is more than willing to jeopardise national security to protect his political interests. But thats a reality the opposition is keen to ignore.

The favourite hobby of the opposition seems to be criticising the presidents efforts to bring real democracy to Somalia. The push for a one-person-one-vote system is nothing short of revolutionary, and its shocking to see how far the opposition is willing to go to stop it. They call it unilateral and unrealistic, but all it really is is a call for democracy. A real democracy, not the outdated system of indirect elections that has kept so many Somali citizens on the sidelines for years.

The critics also like to throw their weight around when it comes to government property. They accuse the president of favouring his allies and businessmen, but lets set the record straight. The presidents strategy involves utilising government land for large-scale economic projects that will benefit the country as a whole. Projects like the Gateway by Premier Bank and the New Mogadishu economic zone are not about rewarding friends, theyre about creating infrastructure that will drive Somalias economy forward. But of course, its easier to point fingers than to see the bigger picture.

In case you missed it, though, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud isnt just sitting back and taking all of this criticism lying down. While they keep whining, the president is busy making real changes. Under his leadership, Somalia has reclaimed vast territories from Al-Shabaab in Hirshabelle and Galmudug. These areas were once strongholds of terror, but thanks to the presidents commitment to security, theyre no longer safe havens for extremists. And lets not forget about Mogadishu, a city that was once a bloodbath but is now far more secure, with terror attacks nearly nonexistent. The president has done what many thought was impossible, but of course, you wont hear the opposition give him any credit for it.

When it comes to foreign relations, President Hassan Sheikh has turned things around. Unlike his predecessor, hes repaired relationships with key international partners and brought Somalia into the East African Community. Thats a huge win for the country, giving us the chance to engage in regional economic cooperation. The lifting of the arms embargo? Another significant victory that strengthens Somalias sovereignty. And the debt relief? Its a game-changer, giving the government the breathing room to focus on development.

The opposition can keep their complaints coming, but its clear that President Hassan Sheekh is committed to progress. His achievements speak for themselves, and his leadership is laying the groundwork for a brighter future.

At the end of the day, the choice is simple, stagnation or change. And President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has already made his choice. For those who want to see Somalia thrive, its clear whos truly moving the country forward.

Abdullahi H. Samoow is a commentator on political and social affairs in Somalia.

He can be reached at: Abdullahisamoow@gmail.com.
Somalia had been made the country of clan- based politics. The clan in Somalia became political parties in the modern world. Some of bellicose clan chiefs believe that everything must be based on clan, socially, economically, culturally and politically.

These bellicose chiefs were seeking for the last twenty years exclusive mini sate of their clans. The clan had been exaggerated, defaced, and became a tool of anti- system and anti- governing. The clan politics turn out to be daily debate, and discussions in the federal government and its federating clan based mini states. But in 2023, and 2024 reached the clan -based politics its Height peak when every clan made a flag.

Obviously, Somalias governing system had been distracted its direction. This year and last year were bloodthirsty and many innocent people were killed in the north of Somalia in the name of clan. In my personal view clan can work in the rural and remotest area not in the urban cities because the society in the urban is consisting for peoples, citizen, subjects and oncourse alien. These people need community interest not clans, or sub-clans.

How ever the last functioning government was ruled by the military junta for more than two decades. It was SIYAD BAREs regime which was collapsed in 1991. No one predicted this clan-based mini states will be replaced. Apparently, clan ragtag militiamen and an Islamic zealot with fundamentalist and literalist mentality had hijacked the country and divide our nation into hostile clan mini state. The Somalias people needed a representative and accountable government not hostile clan based mini states. This hostile mini state took three decades. Its unfortunate from autocratic regime to anarchy.

From fragile federal government to hostile clan-based minis states. Ostensibly, a s a Somalias homogenous societies, the suitability of Somalia federal form itself is lack of consensus, doubtful and controversial. Somalia is not like Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon where living diversity society, ethically, and religiously, or with the different dogma. Most of Somalias scholars, business people, Somalias traditional clan elders told me a unitary form is fit and suitable for Somalia and federal form was brought from external.

They also told me Somalias prying groups was dictated them and forced them. They also believe clan based mini states did not offer Somalias societies a tangible remedy for their public issue like security, health, education, social welfare and getting last solution for societal problems such as inter- clan and intercommunal conflict. the clan-based politics whether federal or federating units havent political merits. It will lead the country endless clan conflict, division, dysfunctional and dismemberment of Somalia in general and Somalia regions in particular. There will be from clan based mini state to very narrow clan state. The most people I met told me that clan-based politics will lead the country, in to anarchy, chaos and the only obstacle for state building, Somalia unity and Somalia peace and its prosperity.

However, if you look back the historical evolution and roots of this epidemic bug clan mentality you realized they had three waves: the first wave was, camel, cattle raids. Its traditional conflict. The clan raiders always came from herders of clan wandering camel boys searching of pasture and water for their livestock. Somalias pastoralist clans had a culture of camel raiders which is internal strife needs solving internally. The clan raiders usually storm the other clans nomadic tradition huts at night, shooting the people on eyesight before driving away entire herds of camel leaving whole clans members devastated. T

hey contemplate this clan as their adversary. The members of the nomadic wandering Somalia clan will take revenge. the scenario is bad cruel action with the retaliation and revenge as a rational. These models of conflict always occurred in the rural and remotest area in nomadic wandering and camel herders of Somalia. Their disputes always will be solved by the clan elders of two adversary wandering camel clans. T

he second wave of the epidemic bug clan mentality was started in the 1970s when a group of clan henchmen revolted the ruling military junta of Somalia. They formed clan based ragtag clan rebels. These clan rebels including, Somalia salvation democratic front (SSDF) formed in 1978, Somalia national movement (SNM) established in 1981, united Somalia congress (USC) founded 1987 and Somalia patriotic movement (SPM) formed 1989 and finally RAHAWEYN resistance army (RRA) founded in 1995.

These clan rebels were founded in the name of clan. They agreed to topple the military junta of SIYAD regime but they hadnt had any plan to rule the country. They also failed lead the country, and they agreed to disagreed. They had different external patrons with the different agenda and different interest. The clan rebels were also had different interest. Some rebels had the intention of gaining a lion share of any government, while other rebels had a strong believe that they had the only eligible to rule the country because their ancestors were ruled Somalia many years ago, while very narrow clan rebel of them had a secessionist tendency.

The clan henchmen of this epidemic bug clan mentality were laymen, mob people, bellicose chiefs, and clan extremist who strong believe their clan or subclan rather than nationhood, brotherhood and peaceful co-exist of all Somalia clans. Some Somalia clans had imaginary thinking and tell their animist only their clan fought for the colonizers and brought the independent of the country so that they have total to get the lion share of all the government top positions.

Furthermore, these clan henchmen have many false stories for their clan or sub- clans which include their clan was ruled many areas in Somalia. All these tell tales had all the clans but the reality is that Somalia had gained its independence from European colonizers in 1960 and Somalia had been conquered, ruled and divided by this epidemic bug clan mentality. Its clear indication that Somalias clan henchmen argument about Somalia clans is unfounded because Somalia people before the colonizers were nomadic, and wandering society without writing record of their history.

In this regard, The Somalia people hadnt any idea about state and its functions and also, they havent any idea the relations between rulers and ruled. In addition to that if you track down Somalias poem which based on Somalia culture Somalias poem did not mentioned state, government, king or even jury, because as the nomadic their target was how to find, pasture for their livestock, and only stated was their camels, cows, and goats so that federal, unitary, presidential, parliamentary are alien words to their culture.

The fourth wave of epidemic bug clan mentality which is obstacle for state building, Somalia unity, rational thinking was formed clan based mini states in 1992. The mini states did not move anywhere or everywhere. It was backward mentality. The clan mini state was established by accident, without pre-planning, emotionally, imaginary, bellicose and against by all. The mini states had enteral strife and external relations ambitions, and exclusive ministate based on their own clans. In generally Somalia had 18 regions during the military regime (AWDAL, WAQOOYI GALBEED, TOGDHEER, SOOL, SAANAA, BARI, NOGAAL, MUDUG, GALGUDUUD, HIIRAAN, SHABEELADDA DHEXE, BANAADIR, SHABEELADDA HOOSE, BAY, BAKOOL, GEDO, JUBADDA DHEXE, JUBADDA). The Somalia clans are five clans. The clan mini states which had parliament, president and ministers are seven clan based mini states plus Banadir region the capital city.

No clan or sub-clan have the majority of three region. most clans have one region the other region will one district or two the owner of opposite clan. The names of the clan based mini states which had bad blood relations are (Somaliland, Puntland, Galmudug state, HIRSHABELE state, Banadir region, south west state, Juba land state, and emerging newly formed state of SSC Khatumo state.

A layman on street told me These mini states will be fighting each other until Doomsday. Finally, I would like to analyze my synopsis rationality of Somalias clan mini states, mini state in the light of Islam, the interest of the Somalia nation for mini states and finally the Somalias Honorable partners not confuse these clan mini states, but only respect the Somalias sovereignty, territorial integrity and also abiding the international law and norms of diplomacy.

Rationality of forming clan based mini states

The establishment of clan based hostile mini states was irrational, emotional and it was unrealistic approach. Its picture of one clan dominating other clans and the clan which was dominated and subjugated seeking liberty and self- determination and self- rule. This idea is caused endless conflict and unsolvable clan confutation and conformation. The method of their governing system based on their feeling not the national, regional, international standards. The mini states had their own flags, presidents, parliaments and their own territorial control by de facto leader. It was initiated by emotional; hysteria, envy, revenge and retaliation and they became rival mini state living with the gun and ruled by the aggressive people with their bad character, combat and ready for attack and offensive. In addition, Somalia people need democracy not autocracy, meritocracy, gerontocracy and government based general will and will of the people.

mini state in the light of Islam

Islam which we believe strongly is the region of the worlds. the holy Quran started by the worlds and ends to the people not clans or sub- clans. Allah said (Praise be to God, lord of the world) and ends with the humankind not sub- clans (among jinn and humankind) Islam focus on the relationships between the god and the humankind. These relations will be submission and surrender to the god not clan or sub- clan so that the idea of clan based mini state is baseless and havent any ground in Islamic prospect.

Allah also said (and hold firmly together to the rope of Allah and do not be divided) the firmly together is preaching us not divided, disintegration or dismemberment. In my personal judgement the idea of forming clan mini states a clan animism had tempted them, and enticing them with the untruthful expectations nothing else. In Muslim political thought whether caliphs in Sunni or imams in Shia both of them their philosophy based on consultation not clan. Many Somalias laymen who had strong believer of their wandering clan are always talking about that Quran was mentioned to the clan.

This is (O mankind we created you a single (pair) of a male and female, and made into your nations and tribes that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). As we mentioned Islam always giving the priority to the nations, world, people, ummah, the Somalia people are not tribes they are clans even if they are tribes the Quran give first priority to the nations and the tribes is the conjunction of the nations. The second point Somalia seeks single tribe and the Quran is taking to the plural which is tribes.

The third point Islam is talking first and foremost to the nations (like united nations). The most important is nation like Somalia nation not Somalia clans or tribes so that there is misunderstood, misconception and misinterpretation of this verse in the holy Quran. The holy Quran always preaching us unity, peaceful coexist, among all the nations around the world. Islam always talking to the general will, togetherness, respecting each other and consultations are the basic principle of Islamic governing system. Dictatorship, totalitarianism, tyranny, deposit system are unislamic.

the interest of the Somalia nation for clan mini states.

Despite some Somalias clan henchmen and Somalia state building supporters stated mini sates as the positive starting of building blocks but they are overestimating the menace of constantly clan confrontation, lack of community-to-community contact, artificial clan borders, divide city into two or three clans, restriction of the free movement, injustice arrestment in their occupied area and they became a tool of dismemberment and disunity of our beloved homogenous societies. The mini state became hostile mini sates, led by a group secessionist seeking false independence and extraordinary autonomous without regarding the national interest. Mini states need to reform their old political slogan which based on revolt, resistance, racist, but also abandoning clan conflict and inventing a new approach of inclusive political participation and reducing the level of injustices which increased and caused another fragmentation with in the mini state. ABSHIR BACADLE a prominent poet had said (clan is an idol which forced thousands of Somalia people to flee and became a refugee.)

respect the Somalias sovereignty, territorial integrity, and avoid to be your state a rogue state

in my personal knowledge of international relations all the ambassadors, envoys, honorable delegations or government officers must to respect Somalia sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Respecting Somalia sovereignty is the international obligations if dont so there will be jungle law internationally. There are many, extraordinary, exaggerations, huge propaganda, lobbying of these clan members of their clan mini states. The clam henchmen are wandering and they seeking for investment for their own clan ministate. so that before taking any decision read everything about Somalias hysteria clan- based politics and be Vigilant. If one foreign state support blindly, one clan mini state you be the enemy of the other clan, and you breaking the international law and norms of international relations on other side.

It also dealing with mini state without the central government meaning direct violation of the un charter of the article 4 which states (All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat of use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations) if any state break this article whether from developed countries, developing countries or member of these organization ,IGAD,AU,EU , ARAB LEAGUE , OIC, UN, hegemonic state, unipolar state or even veto power we will see as a rogue state because of reciprocity of international relations.

OSMAN HASSAN SALAH (XASAN CADE)

Researcher, human rights analyst and lecturer

Contact via

Email: cusmanxasancade2004@gmail.com
The German government is under increasing scrutiny regarding the possibility of preventative measures that could have been taken to avert the Christmas market car-ramming incident, which resulted in five fatalities and over 200 injuries.

The 50-year-old Saudi suspect, psychiatrist and anti-Islam activist Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, had previously issued online death threats against German citizens and had a contentious history with state authorities.

According to news magazine Der Spiegel, which cited security sources, the Saudi secret service had alerted Germanys BND spy agency a year ago about a tweet where Mr. Abdulmohsen threatened that Germany would face a price for its treatment of Saudi refugees.

In August, Mr. Abdulmohsen also posted on social media: Is there a path to justice in Germany without blowing up a German embassy or randomly slaughtering German citizens? If anyone knows, please let me know.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz denounced the terrible, insane attack on Friday in Magdeburg, calling for national unity amid heightened political tensions as Germany approaches elections on February 23.

He emphasized the importance of sticking together, linking arms, and ensuring that hatred does not dictate our coexistence, but rather that we are a community seeking a common future.

However, as German media scrutinized Mr. Abdulmohsens background, and investigations provided minimal information, criticism surged from both far-right and far-left parties, who were already vehemently opposed to the Scholz administration.

Bernd Baumann, the far-right AfDs parliamentary leader, demanded that Mr. Scholz convene a special session of the Bundestag to address the desolate security situation, stating that this is the least we owe to the victims.

Meanwhile, Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the far-left BSW party, pressed Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to clarify why so many tips and warnings were disregarded beforehand.

Read more: Suspect in German Christmas market attack remanded What we know about German market attack suspect

Ultra-right conspiracy ideologies

Sentiments have escalated, while Magdeburg mourns the tragic event that claimed a nine-year-old child among its victims, with casualties currently being treated across 15 regional hospitals.

Of the 205 injured, approximately 40 are in critical condition, with medical teams working tirelessly to save their lives.

Surgeons have been operating non-stop, as one healthcare worker recounted to local media: There was blood everywhere, people were screaming, and many painkillers were being administered.

Authorities have cautioned that they are merely at the beginning of unraveling the motivations behind the attack.

Taleb al-Abdulmohsen was apprehended at the scene beside the severely damaged vehicle (Pic: RAIR Foundation)

Mr. Abdulmohsen, who was taken into custody at the scene next to the wrecked car, described himself as a Saudi atheist in an unpublished interview with AFP from 2022.

As an activist, he assisted women in escaping Gulf countries and has previously voiced criticism regarding the insufficient support provided by German authorities.

Conversely, he has been vocal against the influx of other Muslim migrants and war refugees into Germany, subscribing to conspiracy theories about a supposed planned Islamization of Europe.

A fierce critic of Germanys earlier open-door policy for many Muslim migrants, he expressed on the platform X that he wished ex-chancellor Angela Merkel could be jailed for life or executed.

His prior run-ins with the law include a conviction in 2013 in Rostock for disturbing the public peace through threats, according to Der Spiegel.

This year, he was under investigation in Berlin for the misuse of emergency calls after a confrontation with police at a local station.

Since late October, he had been on sick leave from his job at a clinic near Magdeburg that treats individuals with substance addiction issues.
Thousands of individuals have taken to the streets in Belgrade, demanding accountability from Serbian leaders for the tragic collapse of a train station roof that resulted in the deaths of 15 people last month.

The government has endured seven weeks of widespread protests since the fatalities occurred in the northern city of Novi Sad, with many demonstrators accusing officials of corruption and insufficient oversight.

The protest, organized by students, began with a 15-minute moment of silence honoring the 15 victims of the incident.

This silence was followed by a half-hour noise segment, where participants used whistles and vuvuzelas to create an overwhelmingly loud atmosphere.

An interior ministry statement noted that as many as 29,000 individuals participated in the protest.

Banners held by protesters read statements like The state is childrens property and Protests are exams, as they called for the resignation of both the prime minister and the mayor of Novi Sad, along with the prosecution of those deemed responsible.

According to the interior ministry statement, up to 29,000 people attended the protest.

Farmers, actors, and various other groups from across Serbia also joined in.

Another demonstration occurred in the southern city of Nis.

Students have demanded the withdrawal of legal actions against demonstrators and the prosecution of those who have assaulted protesters in previous gatherings.

President Aleksandar Vucic, who stated yesterday that he doesnt really care about the protests, described the demonstration as a significantly large gathering.

Emergency responders searched through the debris to find survivors following the tragic train station incident (Pic: Serbian Interior Ministry/ Handout).

In an Instagram video from the presidency building near the protest site, reportedly during the event, Mr. Vucic expressed his willingness to listen to the protesters demands.

These people are opposition-oriented, and I have always been open to understanding their thoughts, beliefs, and what they perceive as important for our country, he commented.

To alleviate tensions from the protests, authorities have promised various subsidies for young people in recent weeks.

On Friday, the government revealed plans to close schools early for winter holidays.

Nevertheless, students continued their protests.

Nearly every faculty at state universities throughout the country is currently blockaded by students.

I am here because enough is enough, stated architect Daria Poljolka, 27.

We all came out because what is happening in this country simply does not make sense.

On November 1, fourteen individuals, aged between six and 74, lost their lives when the roof collapsed after extensive renovation work on the station, with a 15th victim succumbing to injuries in the hospital weeks later.
The US Congress has successfully prevented a government shutdown during the Christmas season after weeks of intense negotiations that went right up to the deadline, approving a bill to fund federal agencies until mid-March.

With just minutes to spare after the midnight deadline had passed, senators bypassed typical procedures to expedite the bill to a vote, halting shutdown preparations and ensuring that over 800,000 workers would not have to go without pay.

Its a relief that bipartisan cooperation prevailed in the end Its a favorable outcome for the nation and its citizens, stated Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer during a speech on the Senate floor.

Given that Democrats control the Senate, it was expected that the funding package would proceed smoothly, especially after they played a crucial role in assisting the Republican majority in the House to pass the bill earlier in the day.

If the bill had not passed, non-essential government operations would have been halted, affecting up to 875,000 workers with potential furloughs, and as many as 1.4 million others would have been required to work without pay.

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Setting government budgets is always a challenging process for Congress, with both chambers closely divided between Republicans and Democrats.

President-elect Donald Trump, along with tech billionaire Elon Musk, his incoming efficiency czar, added to the tension this time by pressuring Republicans at the last minute to withdraw support from a funding agreement they had painstakingly negotiated with Democrats.

Two subsequent attempts to broker a compromise were unsuccessful, leaving Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson at his last opportunity as he spent much of the day in discussions with aides to keep government operations running.

If the funding bill had not succeeded, non-essential government functions would have been paused. Employees in critical services like law enforcement would have continued their work but would only receive pay once government functions resumed.

Numerous parks, monuments, and national sites would have closed, coinciding with an expected influx of visitors.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson

Let it begin

Senators sidestepped potential holiday disruptions by approving government funding through March 14 in a package that includes $110 billion for disaster relief and financial support for farmers.

This package closely resembles a bill that had previously faced significant defeat on Thursday, but without the two-year suspension of the countrys self-imposed borrowing limit that Mr. Trump had demanded.

The influence of Musk, the worlds richest person, over Republicans, along with his apparent sway with Trump, has become a target for Democratic criticism, raising concerns about how an unelected individual can exert such influence.

Even among Republicans, there is increasing frustration regarding Musks intervention, particularly after he criticized the original funding deal in a flurry of social media postsmany of which were highly inaccurateon his platform, X.

Last I checked, Elon Musk doesnt have a vote in Congress, noted Georgia House Republican Rich McCormick to CNN.

He does have influence and will exert pressure to align with his views. But I have 760,000 constituents who expect me to do my job for them.

Trump had indicated that he was willing to accept a shutdown if his demands were not met, and the passage of the funding legislation without his priorities showcased that even his significant influence over Congressional Republicans has its limits.

However, Johnson painted a positive picture of the situation, informing reporters after the House passed the funding package that January, when Trump returns to office, would signal a sea change in Washington.

President Trump will make his return to D.C. and the White House, and we will regain Republican control of both the Senate and the House, Johnson told reporters. Things are going to be significantly different around here.
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment)  On the Sunday before Christmas, Pope Francis said, May the weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound! according to Kristina Molare at the Catholic News Agency.

The Pope continued, in a clear condemnation of the Israeli government, With sorrow I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty; of the children machine-gunned, the bombing of schools and hospitals So much cruelty!

He said, Let us pray for a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, the Holy Land, in all the Middle East and the entire world, at Christmas.

On Saturday, he had been equally forthright on Israels atrocities in Gaza, saying, Yesterday they did not allow the Patriarch (of Jerusalem) into Gaza as promised.

Yesterday children were bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war.

The Pontiff underlined, I want to say it because it touches my heart.

(Latin Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa did ultimately manage to visit Gaza City on Sunday to conduct mass for the Christian Palestinian refugees from Israeli bombardment there, in coordination with Israeli authorities. But apparently until the Pope spoke out, the Israeli military had denied him permission.)

Franciss increasingly outspoken condemnation of Israel has caused several controversies this fall. In a new book first published in Italian in November, the pope called for a painstaking investigation of whether Israel is guilty of genocide in Gaza. (See below for an excerpt from my earlier analysis of these passages.)

On December 7, artisans from the Bethlehem Christian community presented a nativity scene at the Vaticans Paul VI Hall. The installation was headed by Johny Andonia, 39. At the last moment, he decided to wrap the baby Jesus in a keffiyeh, the patterned scarf that is commonly worn by men in the Levant, Iraq and Arabia, but which has come to symbolize the Palestinians in particular. He said the scarf was a symbol to demonstrate the existence of Palestinians. After an outcry from Israel and its supporters ensued, the scarf was removed after three days.

Bethlehem in Palestine has a population of 29,000 about 3,000 of them Christians. Palestinian Christians have suffered from Israeli colonial brutality like all other Palestinians.

I wrote on November 21,

Pope Francis has a new book, Hope never disappoints. Pilgrims towards a better world. . . The Pope mentions Gaza on several occasions in the book. At one point he expresses concern about migration crises around the world, colored as they are by violence and hardship, in the Sahara, the Mexican-US border, and the Mediterranean, which has become a large cemetery in the past decade. He adds, also in the Middle East, because of the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza . . .

The Catholic leader laments that so many Ukrainians have been forced to flee, and praises countries that took them in, such as Poland. He then turns to the Middle East, where, he says, we have seen something similar . . .

Francis said he was thinking especially of those who leave Gaza in the midst of the famine that has hit the Strip. Experts estimate that about 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza managed to flee to Egypt before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu occupied the Rafah crossing with Israeli troops.

Then Pope Francis dropped his bombshell. According to some experts, he wrote, What has been happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.

He insisted that a painstaking investigation be carried out to determine whether the situation fits the technical definition formulated by jurists and international organizations. He is likely referring to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Genocide Convention of 1948, on the basis of which the International Court of Justice is deliberating on whether what the Israelis are doing in Gaza is a genocide . . .



Pieta, Digital, Dream / Dreamland v3 / Clip2Comic, 2024

His last mention of Gaza comes in a passage where he recalls a photograph of a Palestinian grandmother in Gaza, her face not visible, holding in her arms the lifeless body of her five-year-old granddaughter, who had just been killed in an Israeli bombing, along with other family members. He notes that the image has been called The Pieta of Gaza.

The Encyclopedia Britannica explains, Pieta, as a theme in Christian art, depiction of the Virgin Mary supporting the body of the dead Christ. . . . the great majority show only Mary and her Son. The Pieta was widely represented in both painting and sculpture, being one of the most poignant visual expressions of popular concern with the emotional aspects of the lives of Christ and the Virgin.



Michaelangelo, Pieta, Public Domain.

He says that the photo, taken in a hospital morgue, conveys strength, sorrow and the unimaginable pain inflicted by war. He ends by again insisting that innocents must be protected even in the midst of warfare, a principle, he says, that is engraved on the hearts of all people.

The consequence of the Popes comments throughout is a humanization of the Palestinians  a humanization of which US and British media outlets have largely proved themselves incapable. The only way they can be all right with over 17,000 dead children in Israels campaign against Gaza is that they do not see them as truly human. Otherwise, even the death of one little granddaughter would have us all weeping uncontrollably.

Not only does the Pope humanize Palestinian suffering, refusing to lose his empathy in the face of the magnitude of the slaughter and the sheer number of children in burial shrouds, but in a sense he even divinizes Palestinian suffering. The dead little girl in her grandmas arms is a Christ-like figure  Christ-like in her innocence, which did not prevent her from being brutally killed. And the heart-wrenching mourning of her grandmother is like the grief of the Mother Mary over her crucified son, himself the incarnation on earth of the divine.
( RFE/RL )  Russia is reducing its military footprint in Syria and shifting some of its assets from the Middle Eastern country to Africa, flight data and satellite imagery analyzed by RFE/RL appear to show.

Moscow seems to have withdrawn a significant amount of military equipment from its bases in Syria since President Bashar al-Assad, Russias longtime ally, was ousted from power on December 8.

To offset the potential loss of its air base in Hmeimim and naval base in Tartus, Russia looks to be increasing its presence in Libya, Mali, and Sudan. But experts say the African countries are unlikely to be viable alternatives.

Still, flight data and satellite imagery suggest Russia is transferring some of its military assets from Syria to its facilities in Africa.

Losing its Syrian bases would be a major strategic setback for Russia, which has used the facilities to project its power across the Middle East and Africa.

Moscow has said it is still in negotiations with the new government in Damascus over the future of its military bases in Syria. But the significant movement of Russian military equipment suggests it is preparing for a partial or full withdrawal from Syria, experts say.

Russia has several bases in Africa, where Moscow has boosted its military footprint in recent years. They include facilities in Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic, and Sudan.

Moving a significant amount of military equipment from Russia or Syria to Africa, however, will be costly, experts say.



File Photo by Gala Iv on Unsplash

To carry out important operations Russia will have to pay a lot of money. Both for its air and sea fleet, said Roland Marchal of the Paris Institute of Political Studies.

It would also be more difficult to fly cargo jets all the way from Russia to Africa loaded down with heavy weaponry, with refueling a major challenge. That also assumes Russia can secure overflight rights from Turkey, a regional rival.

Despite the costs, Russia appears to be moving some of its military assets from Syria to bases in Mali and Libya, which is home to an estimated 1,200 Russian mercenaries.

Satellite images also show increased activity in Russias naval base in Sudan. Moscow signed a deal to open a base on the African countrys Red Sea coast in 2019. It is unclear if the naval facility is fully operational.

Flight analysis shows Moscow sending cargo planes to Libya, with some coming from Syria and others from Russia.

There has been heavier than usual traffic in recent weeks between Russia and Libya, although it is unclear what the planes were transporting.

A Russian Ilyushin Il-76 jet  a heavy-lift workhorse cargo plane  flew from Russia to Libya on December 12, went back to Russia a day later, and immediately flew back to Libya, flight records show.

Flight records from December 16 also show an Ilyushin Il-76 jet flying from Russia to Moscows military base in Bamako in Mali. The jet returned to Russia the next day.

Cargo planes flying from Russia to Libya used the air space of Turkey, a NATO member.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said on December 12 that Russias logistical challenges in reaching Africa will increase the political leverage that Turkey will hold over Russia.

The think tank also mentioned the practical costs of supporting Russian operations in Africa if more cargo planes stop to refuel at other airfields.

Mark Krutov of RFE/RLs Russian Service contributed to this report.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - Tower Resources Ltd. (TSXV: TWR) ("Tower" or the "Company") is pleased to report complete gold assays from Blue Sky discovery hole RN24-055 on the Rabbit North property in the heart of the Kamloops mining district (see Fig. 1). These assays confirm earlier indications from partial assays (see October 31 press release) that Blue Sky is Tower's most illuminating discovery to date, revealing both the scale and Au grade potential of the gold structures.

Hole 055 Au Results

The Blue Sky intersection in Hole 055 spans 31.5 m, from 255 to 286.5 m down hole, and averages 4.15 g/t Au (see Table 1). Seven other gold zones, all diorite hosted like Blue Sky, were intersected higher in the hole, and all but one of the intervals between zones are highly anomalous, suggesting potential for both open pit and underground development. The closest zone, only 15 m above and potentially connected to Blue Sky, returned 2.92 g/t over 9.0 metres.

At Hole 55 the diorite occurs under ~63 m (vertical thickness) of cover comprised of 1 m of glacial till, 48 m of Chilcotin basalt flows (see Fig. 2) and 14 m of saprolite. However, the extremely high gold grain content of the till ~100 m to the south (i.e. down-ice) at the head of the Dominic Lake gold dispersal train (see Fig. 3) suggests that Blue Sky surfaces just north of the basalt.

The diorite immediately below the saprolite, 72.6 m down-hole, and in six of the seven intervals between gold zones, is highly anomalous, typically averaging ~0.3 g/t Au - a common cut-off grade in open pit gold mines.

Total

Depth

(m) Mineralized Interval(s) Average

Au

Grade

(g/t)

Hole No. Easting

(m) Northing

(m) Azimuth

() Dip

() Mineralized

Zone(s) From

(m) To

(m) Length

(m) RN24-055 663433 5607852 314.7 -60 332 Above Blue Sky 79.0 83.0 4.0 2.05 Above Blue Sky 92.3 95.0 2.7 3.15 Above Blue Sky 121.5 123.3 1.8 8.48 Above Blue Sky 152.8 155.5 2.8 1.80 Above Blue Sky 196.4 198.0 1.6 4.66 Above Blue Sky 201.0 211.6 10.6 1.54 Above Blue Sky 231.0 240.0 9.0 2.92 Blue Sky 255.0 286.5 31.5 4.15 Including 278.7 279.7 1.0 17.10

Table 1 - Significant gold intercepts of the shear-hosted type from Hole 55. Samples with Au grades greater than 15 g/t are shown individually. True widths have not been determined.

Figure 2 - Location of the new Blue Sky gold zone relative to the Thunder and Lightning Au trends and the Durand Stock. The Au grade x metres value for significant Au intersections in previous drill holes are used by Tower for exploration targeting only; they are not indicative of the economic potential of the mineralization.

In addition to its attractive width and grade, the Blue Sky mineralization is of a favoured type. Both the upper and lower contacts are easily recognizable visually. The gold grade is relatively uniform and not influenced by erratic high-grade "outliers"; the highest and lowest Au grades obtained from 35 core samples spanning the 31.5 m zone were 17.10 and 0.44 g/t, respectively. Arsenic and other deleterious elements are absent.

The highest Cu value, 1.96% representing ~5.7% chalcopyrite, was obtained from the coarsely chalcopyrite-veined section pictured in the October 31 news release. The visual estimate of 10% chalcopyrite reported for the pyrite-rich core section in the lower part of the gold zone is not supported by the Cu analyses, with the highest value being 0.25%. Copper is not necessarily a beneficial element in gold deposits because it can increase gold extraction costs.

Overdue Hole 053 Au Results

Hole 53 was drilled in Tower's earlier June drilling program but the core could not be cut at that time because the core saw failed and required significant repairs. The core was cut and assayed during the October campaign, along with that from Hole 052 on the Rainbow porphyry Cu-Au-Mo zone and new Holes 055 to 058.

Hole 053 was drilled near the apparent head of the Dominic Lake Train (see Fig. 3) in search of its bedrock source. With Hole 055 subsequently locating the source, it is now apparent that Hole 053 was collared too far south. The hole did not intersect any significant gold zones but was only 147 m long, leaving a 100 m untested gap between its termination and the top of the mineralized diorite in Hole 055.

Next Steps

The laboratory analyses for Holes 056 to 058 have now been received and are being evaluated. The Company expects to release these results early in the new year, probably in two batches starting with Hole 056 on Thunder North because Holes 057 and 058 targeted a different trend, Thunder-Lightning, as outlined in the Company's October 31 news release.

Methods and Qualified Person

The drill core was logged at Tower's leased, fully equipped core facility near Kamloops by Matthew Husslage, P.Geo. and Ryan Parsons, G.I.T. Mr. Husslage has managed or co-managed all of Tower's Rabbit North diamond drilling programs since the discovery of the Lightning Zone in December 2021.

Split samples of the core, generally 1.0 or 1.5 m in length, were delivered directly to Activation Laboratories (ActLabs) in Kamloops, BC, a laboratory certified as ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited (Lab 790) by the Standards Council of Canada. QA/QC samples including blanks and standards were inserted regularly into the sample sequence at a ratio of approximately 1:20.

The samples were analyzed for Au by fire assay and ICP-OES and for Ag and 36 additional elements by ICP-OES using a four-acid, near-total digestion. Any over-limit (>5 g/t) Au analyses were repeated using the same fire assay procedure but with a gravimetric rather than ICP finish.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Stuart Averill, P.Geo., a director of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Tower Resources

Tower is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the discovery and advancement of economic mineral projects in the Americas. The Company's key exploration assets, all in B.C., are the Rabbit North orogenic gold and porphyry copper-gold project located between the New Afton copper-gold and Highland Valley copper mines in the Kamloops mining district, the Nechako porphyry-associated gold-silver project near Artemis' Blackwater project and the More Creek epithermal gold project on the critical "red line" structural zone connecting the mineral deposits of the Golden Triangle.

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Figure 1 - Location of the Rabbit North property.

Figure 3 - Location of the new Blue Sky Au discovery in relation to the Dominic Lake gold grain dispersal train in the glacial till. Blue Sky appears to account for the strong central part of the train.
Combined After-Tax NPV8% of US$1,321 Million and

IRR of 43% over 25 years

Initial Capital Costs of US$185 Million for Lola Graphite Project and

US$73 Million for Morocco Anode Plant

Preliminary Economic Assessment for Integrated Development Plan Replaces November 12, 2024 Press Release

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates  TheNewswire - December 23, 2024  Falcon Energy Materials plc (TSX-V: FLCN) (Falcon or the Company) today announces the positive results of the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the integrated development plan (IDP), consisting of the Lola Graphite Project (the Mine) in the Republic of Guinea (Guinea) and a natural graphite spheroidization, purification and coating plant (the Anode Plant, view the video HERE) in the Kingdom of Morocco (Morocco). The PEA, prepared by Dorfner Anzaplan UK Limited (Anzaplan), showcases the financial and operational potential of Falcons vision to become a vertically integrated producer of coated, spheroidized and purified graphite (CSPG) anode material at industry leading operating costs.

Falcon issued a press release on November 12, 2024 (the November 12 Release) which announced positive results from a preliminary economic assessment for the Anode Plant. Following a review by the Autorite des marches financiers, the Company clarifies that the terms preliminary economic assessment and feasibility study referred to in the November 12 Release are not the same as those associated with mineral projects as defined under National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) because the Anode Plant, considered on a stand-alone basis, is not a mineral project but rather an industrial project and thus not governed by NI 43-101. As a result, the Company retracts the November 12 Release, which related exclusively to the assessment of the Anode Plant, and replaces it with this press release which discloses the PEA for an integrated mineral project consisting of the Mine (Phase I) and the Anode Plant (Phase II).

Highlights and Key Assumptions of the Integrated Development Plan Preliminary Economic Assessment include:

After-tax net present value (NPV) at a real 8% discount rate of US$1,321 million;

After-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 43%;

Phase I Mine pre-production initial capital costs, including contingency, estimated at US$185 million;

Phase II Anode Plant pre-production initial capital costs, including contingency, estimated at US$73 million1

Anode Plant average operating costs of US$3,193 per tonne of CSPG;

Mine average direct operating costs of US$616 per tonne of concentrate; and

Average saleable production of 26,000 tonnes CSPG per annum (tpa) and 18,000tpa fines from the Anode Plant alongside 42,000tpa of coarse flakes from the Mine.

Matthieu Bos, Chief Executive Officer of Falcon, commented The robust PEA results affirm Falcons strategic vision and dedication to closing critical gaps in the battery materials supply chain. Were poised to advance as a key, vertically integrated, CSPG supplier to Western markets, ensuring a reliable source of high-quality, sustainable battery materials.

Leveraging Advanced Technology and Procurement with Hensen Partnership

The Anode Plant in Morocco will feature Falcons integrated mine-to-market strategy, backed by a strategic partnership with Hensen Graphite & Carbon Corporation (Hensen). Hensen, a leading CSPG producer, brings years of operational expertise from its successful synthetic and natural graphite anode plants in China. Hensen is currently building a large-scale anode plant in Weihai, China (the Weihai Plant), commissioned in Q4 2024. Hensen and Falcon have leveraged the proven design, procurement and existing supply chain practices from Hensens recently completed Weihai Plant to establish a highly competitive, cutting-edge facility in Morocco. The partnership allows Falcon to implement advanced technology and process efficiency to deliver high quality anode materials at scale and with competitive costs to the rapidly growing European and North American markets.

With the Hensen partnership and redomiciliation to Abu Dhabi, we have created a unique platform, headquartered in the UAE with a listing on the TSX Venture Exchange, while maintaining an open mind to additional partnerships with industry leaders in China, Mr. Bos continued. Falcons strategy and structure are truly unique and cannot be replicated by anyone in the short to medium term. The very complicated nature of the CSPG supply chain, which is almost entirely dominated by China, makes partnerships with long-standing anode material producers a critical pathway to success.

Integrated Development Plan Flow Sheet

The PEA contemplates the development of a large high-purity graphite mine and concentrator in Guinea and a value-added CSPG conversion facility in Morocco. Falcons Anode Plant envisages the construction of three distinct production lines, using established and proven Hensen technology and design, focusing on the key steps to produce CSPG. The IDP flow sheet includes:

Phase I: Guinea Mine and Concentrator: Low strip ratio, open pit mine followed by conventional crusher, concentrator, floatation, dewatering and screening circuit to produce a graphite concentrate (the Concentrate);

Phase II: Morocco Spheroidization Plant: Employing the latest, innovative processes to shape the graphite flakes into spheres, increasing the surface area density and energy density, to produce spherical graphite (SG);

Phase II: Morocco Purification Plant: Employing hydrofluoric acid alongside hydrochloric and nitric acid to remove impurities, producing 99.95% spherical purified graphite (SPG); and

Phase II: Morocco Coating Plant: Applying an amorphous carbon (pitch tar) coating on the SPG surface to enhance energy density and increase battery safety and longevity, producing coated SPG (CSPG).

Location and Infrastructure

The 100%-owned Lola Graphite Project is located in Guinea, close to the border with Liberia. The Concentrate is expected to be exported by road through the port of Monrovia in Liberia. It is anticipated that all Concentrate that is suitable for conversion in the Anode Plant will be shipped directly by sea from Libera to Morocco, while the remaining Concentrate will be sold worldwide. The Anode Plant, which requires approximately 8 hectares of land, is strategically located in Morocco on the African continent, benefiting from access to critical port and energy infrastructure and free trade agreements with both the United States and the European Union.

Lola Graphite Project Resource Statement

The resource estimate was established using data from boreholes drilled and sampled up to December 1, 2018. The total resource estimate of the Lola Graphite Project, as disclosed in the Updated Feasibility Study for the Lola Graphite Project with an effective date of February 27, 2023 and a report date of April 7, 2023 and available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca (the "Lola FS), includes Measured and Indicated Resources of 54.0 Mt grading 3.98% Cg, and Inferred Resources of 12.3 Mt grading 3.6% Cg. The resource estimate has been prepared using a cut-off grade of 1.0% Cg for oxides and 1.4% Cg for fresh rock. The PEA for the IDP does not incorporate or include Mineral Reserves disclosed in the Lola FS. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Table 1: Lola Graphite Project Resource Statement

Category Tonnage (Mt) Grade (% Cg) Contained Cg (kt) Measured Resources 8.26 4.04 333.6 Indicated Resources 45.70 3.97 1,812.0 Total M&I Resources 53.96 3.98 2,145.6 Inferred Resources 12.30 3.60 442.5

Mineral Resources has been estimated by the Resources QP. The Mineral Resources are reported in accordance with the CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and Guidelines prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by the CIM Council. Resources are constrained by a Pseudoflow optimised pit shell using HxGn MinePlan software. Pit shell was developed using a 34-degree pit slope in oxide and 42-degree pit slope in fresh rock, concentrate sales price of US$1,389/t concentrate, mining costs of US$2.75/t oxide, US$3.25/t fresh rock, processing costs of US$10.25/t oxide and US$15.18/t fresh rock processed, GA cost of US$1.52/t processed and transportation costs of US$50/t concentrate, 84.2% process recovery and 95.4% concentrate grade and an assumed 100,000 tpa concentrate production. Mineral Resources, which are not Mineral Reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Mineral Resources estimate may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues. There is no certainty that Mineral Resources will be converted to Mineral Reserves. The Inferred Mineral Resource in this estimate has a lower level of confidence than that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and cannot be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resource could be upgraded to an Indicated Mineral Resource with continued exploration. Contained graphite without mining loss, dilution, and processing recovery (In-situ). The effective date of the estimate is February 27, 2023. The open pit Mineral Resources are estimated using a cut-off grade of 1.0 % Cg oxide and 1.4% Cg fresh rock.

Totals may not add due to rounding.

Phase I: Guinea Mine and Concentrator

The Company anticipates using a contract-mining operation to mine approximately 2.5Mtpa of material and 2.3Mtpa of waste in a conventional drill-and-blast mining operation over a 25-year period. The resulting average feed-grade to the processing facility is 3.91% Cg.

The mineral processing plant consists of a crushing area and a concentrator where material beneficiation and concentrate dewatering, screening, and packaging takes place. The process flowsheet includes crushing, grinding, rougher flotation, polishing, and cleaner flotation. The back end of the concentrator includes tailings thickening, concentrate filtration and drying, dry screening and bagging of graphite products, and material handling. All the tailings from the concentrator will be thickened and pumped to the lined tailings ponds. The graphite concentrate, which has a target concentrate grade of >94% Cg, will be recovered by a conventional flotation process at an overall recovery over the life of mine of 83.6%. Over the life of the mine, the processing plant is expected to produce graphite concentrate divided into four standard-size fractions: +48 mesh, -48+80 mesh, -80+100 mesh and -100 mesh. The -100 mesh portion of the production will be used as feedstock for the Anode Plant.

Figure 1: Illustration of Falcons Concentrator

Phase II: Morocco Spheroidization Plant

The 45,000tpa spheroidization plant consists of three separate process steps: micronization, spheroidization of the micronized graphite to produce coarse primary SG, and secondary spheroidization to produce a fine secondary SG product. The overall yield of the spheroidization plant is 60% resulting in 27,000tpa of SG. The micronization and spheroidization process is designed to produce spherical particles of a size of 20 microns (categorized as SG20) and 10 microns (categorized as SG10). SG20, representing 86.7% of the feed, is collected into a main collector and sent to the purification plant by pneumatic transportation. SG10 is collected and sent to secondary spheroidization circuit, which contains additional spheroidizers. SG10, representing 13.3% of the feed, is collected into a main collector and sent to a separate circuit in the purification plant by pneumatic transportation, while the remaining fines by-product particles are sent directly to the bagging station and sold separately.

Figure 2: Illustration of Falcons Morocco Anode Plant

Phase II: Morocco Purification Plant

The 27,000tpa purification plant consists of a chemical treatment to increase the purity of the SG from 94.6% to 99.95% and SPG. The purification plant consists of four separate process steps: a thermally induced chemical reaction, pressure filtration, washing, and drying. The SG is washed with a mixture of hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid (the Key Acids) and steam to remove the main impurities (e.g., SiO2, Al2O3, MgO, Fe2O3, and CaO). Following the purification step the Key Acids are recovered in a filter press and reused. Finally, the SPG is washed to remove water-soluble impurities generated during the reaction and dried to reduce the moisture content below 1%.

Phase II: Morocco Coating Plant

The coating process is the final step of the CSPG production process. The objective of this step is to coat particles with a thin film of carbon precursor (3-25 nanometres thick), which is then crystallized. This involves milling pitch tar (10% wt.), mixing the milled pitch tar with SPG, and thermally treating the mixture in a coating furnace. The coating furnace lines are dedicated to coat primary SP20 and SP10, separately. The cooled CSPG is deagglomerated, demagnetized, sieved and bagged to ensure the final product meets stringent end-user specifications. The coating line is initially built with a 5ktpa capacity and expanded to 26ktpa following end-user qualification of the CSPG.

Figure 3: Illustration of Falcons Coating Plant

Phase II: Morocco Gas and Water Treatment

The Anode Plant contains gas and water treatment systems. The gas scrubber cleans the off-gasses from the purification and coating plant. A hydrated lime solution is fed into the scrubber to capture residual gas, and the purge is sent to the lime scrubber buffer tank. The clean gas is sent to a stack and released in the atmosphere. The water purification plant, which predominantly treats the effluents of the purification plant, has a capacity for 1,200 m3 / day. All waste water will be tested before discharge to the local sewage system and will meet Moroccan discharge limits.

The Anode Plant footprint and buildings are designed such that production can be doubled by adding additional spheroidization, purification and coating lines without erecting new buildings. Additionally, the plant includes advanced gas and water treatment systems, ensuring compliance with local environmental standards. Tanger Med Engineering SA (TME) is currently completing a preliminary environment impact analysis of the Anode Plant.

Phase I and Phase II Capital and Operating Costs

The projected capital and operating costs for the project are presented below in Table 2 and 3. The capital and operational costs are estimated based on the actual costs of the Hensen Weihai Plant, adjusted for transport to and construction in Morocco. Estimations were performed in accordance with the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) Class 5, Recommended Practice 47R-11, with typical variation in low and high accuracy ranges of -20% to -50% and +30% to +100%, respectively.

Capital Costs Phase I: Mine and Concentrator Mining $8M Process Plant $62M Tailings & Water Management $4M Site Infrastructure $11M Power Plant & Distribution $36M Preliminary & General $16M Mine Total Direct Costs $136M Indirect $25M Owners $6M Contingency $17M Mine Total Costs $185M

Table 2: Capital Costs

Phase II: Anode Plant Spheroidization Plant $19M Purification Plant $13M Coating Plant $18M Land Acquisition $5M Contingency $18M Anode Total Pre-Development Capital Costs $73M Combined Total Pre-Development Capital Costs $258M (1) Coating Plant Expansion $24M Contingency $9M Total Expansion Capital Costs $33M

Combined Total Pre-development Capital Costs of $258M includes Mine Total Costs (US$185M), Anode Total Pre-Development Capital Costs (US$73M). Expansion Coating Capital Costs is delayed capital expenditure which is deferred until after full product qualification.

Table 3: Phase I: Mine Operating Costs (US$ per tonne Concentrate)

Operating Costs in US$ per tonne Concentrate Contract Mining $180 Process $341 Site General & Administrative $54 Concentrate Transport to Port $40 Total Direct Costs (FOB Monrovia) $616 Sustaining Capital Costs $64 All-In Sustaining Costs $680

Note: Numbers may not add due to rounding

Table 4: Phase II: Anode Plant Operating Costs (US$ per tonne CSPG)

Operating Costs in US$ per tonne CSPG Spheroidization Plant $314 Purification Plant $829 Coating Plant $503 Waste Disposal $5 General & Administration $54 Sales & Marketing $36 Contingency $165 Direct Operating Costs $1,907 Concentrate Purchase Costs $1,286 All-In Operating Costs $3,193

Economic Analysis

The combined Mine and Anode Plant is projected to yield annual revenues of approximately US$314 million and an operating cash flow of US$213 million at consensus concentrate and CSPG pricing. The Company expects a 24-month construction period for the Mine and a 9-month detail engineering and design period followed by a 15-month construction and commissioning period Anode Plant.

Table 5: Pre- and Post-Tax Preliminary Economic Assessment Results

Investors are cautioned to solely make an investment decision based on the full Integrated Development Plan preliminary economic assessment (as detailed in the column on the righthand side) and not base their investment decisions on either the Phase I (Mine) or Phase II (Anode Plant) economic assessment.

Pre- and Post-Tax Results Project Life 25 years Phase I: Mine Phase II: Anode Plant Combined Pre-development Capital $185M $73M $258M Expansion Capital -- $33M (1) $33M Direct Operating Costs $616 / t conc. $1,907 / t CSPG -- All-in Costs $680 / t conc. $3,193 / t CSPG (2) $3,193 / t CSPG (2) Pre-Tax NPV8% (3) $329M $1,259M $1,584M (4) Pre-Tax IRR (%) 27% 87% 47% Post-Tax NPV8% (3) $176M $1,149M $1,321M (4) Post-Tax IRR (%) 20% 82% $43% Payback (Years) 3.9 1.0 2.6

Incurred in year 2 of production to expand the coating line from 5ktpa to 25ktpa Includes graphite concentrate purchase costs (US$754 per tonne CIF Tanger) Assuming long-term weighted average US$1,237 per tonne of concentrate and US$9,000 per tonne CSPG pricing Combined Pre-Tax NPV and Post-Tax NPV is lower than respective sum of Phase I and Phase II NPVs due to stockpiling and rounding

Next Steps

Based on the results of the PEA, Falcon, Anzaplan and Hensen are evaluating the possibility of advancing the IDP to a feasibility level study. If the Company decides to proceed with such a study, it is anticipated that it would be completed in the first half of 2025. A feasibility study for the IDP would also form the basis for the environment impact analysis and is required to complete the permitting process for the Anode Plant in Morocco.

Data Verification and Quality Assurance and Control

A technical report pertaining to the PEA (the Technical Report) will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101 and filed within 45 days of the date of this press release. The Technical Report will be available on Falcon's website and on SEDAR+ www.sedarplus.ca. For readers to fully understand the information in this press release, they should read the Technical Report in its entirety when it is available on SEDAR+, including all qualifications, assumptions, and exclusions that relate to the information to be set out in the Technical Report. The Technical Report is intended to be read as a whole, and sections should not be read or relied upon out of context.

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Derick R. de Wit, B-Tech. (Chem Eng), FSAIMM, FAusIMM, an independent qualified person (QP, as defined in NI 43-101) from Anzaplan, responsible for the overall PEA of the IDP (except the sections covered by Patrick Moryoussef and Marc-Antoine Audet); Pr Tech Eng, Patrick Moryoussef (P Eng), CIM, OIQ, the COO of the Company and a non-independent QP, responsible for the mining methods and mine production schedule; and Marc-Antoine Audet (P Geo), OGQ, PGO, an advisor to the Company and a non-independent QP responsible for Mineral Resource estimate and associated chapters.

About Anzaplan

Anzaplan specializes in process design and engineering services for graphite beneficiation projects. The Company offers advanced graphite evaluation services for high value applications including strongly growing markets such as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries. Starting with the initial characterization of the graphite ore through development of a beneficiation process to obtain a high- quality flake graphite concentrate, shaping and purification into battery grade spherical graphite, characterization of electrochemical performance and testing of lithium-ion cells.

About Falcon

Falcon is focused on developing the Lola Graphite Project located in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa. Falcon aims to develop a fully integrated source of battery anode material to supply the European lithium-ion and fuel cell markets. With attractive operating costs, proximity to European end-markets and strong ESG credentials, the Company is poised to become a reliable supplier while promoting sustainability and supply chain transparency. Falcon is committed to generating sustainable, long-term benefits that are shared with the host countries and communities where it operates.

For additional information, please visit Falcons website at www.falconem.net.

Contact:

Matthieu Bos

President & CEO

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Matt Johnston

IR Advisor

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Telephone: +971 2307 4013

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are included to provide information about managements current expectations and plans that allows investors and others to have a better understanding of the Companys business plans and financial performance and condition. All information contained herein that is not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Generally, such forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as potential, vision, affirm, advance, ensure, expect, deliver, anticipate, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", will, "would" or "might". Forward-looking information are included to provide information about managements current expectations and plans that allows investors and others to have a better understanding of the Companys business plans and financial performance and condition. Statements containing forward-looking information are made as of the date of this press release and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the IDP, the results of a PEA, the Technical Report, and the results and release of a Feasibility Study.

Forward-looking information is based upon certain assumptions and other important factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such information or statements. There can be no assurance that such information or statements will prove to be accurate. Key assumptions upon which the Companys forward-looking information is based include, without limitation, that proposed development of the IDP will continue as expected, the accuracy of reserve and resource estimates, the classification of resources between inferred and the assumptions on which the reserve and resource estimates are based, long-term demand for CDPG, and that exploration and development results continue to support managements current plans for the development of the IDP.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: (i) volatile stock price; (ii) the general global markets and economic conditions; (iii) the possibility of write-downs and impairments; (iv) the risk associated with exploration, development and operations of mineral deposits and mine plans for the Companys mining operations; (v) the risk associated with establishing title to mineral properties and assets including permitting, development, operations and production from the Companys operations being consistent with expectations and projections; (vi) fluctuations in commodity prices, finding offtake takers and potential clients or enforcing such agreements against same, (vii) prices for diesel, process reagents, fuel oil, electricity and other key supplies being approximately consistent with current levels; (viii) production and cost of sales forecasts meeting expectations; (ix) the accuracy of the mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates of the Company; (x) labour and materials costs increasing on a basis consistent with the Company's current expectations; (xi) there being no significant disruptions affecting the operations of the Company whether due to artisanal miners, access to water, extreme weather events and other or related natural disasters, labour disruptions, supply disruptions, power disruptions, damage to equipment or otherwise; (xii) asset impairment (or reversal) potential, being consistent with the Company's current expectations; (xiii) the risk that the Company will not complete any of the PEA, the Feasibility Study or the IDP on the terms and conditions set forth herein; (xiv) risks associated to the accuracy of projections provided in a preliminary economic study which are preliminary in nature and which include significant of uncertainties; and (xv) other risks and uncertainties described or referred to in the section entitled Risk and Uncertainties in the Companys managements discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023, as updated from time to time in the Companys interim managements discussion and analysis for its quarterly financial periods, each of which is filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Although the Company believes its expectations are based upon reasonable assumptions and has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information, including notably the capacity of Falcon execute its vision to produce CSPG anode material in Morocco at industry leading operating costs, Falcons capacity to execute the projections provided for in the PEA and the Companys capacity to become a key CSPG supplier to Western markets or to ensure a reliable source of high-quality, sustainable battery materials. Such forward-looking information has been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company's business, operations and exploration plans and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is given as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update such forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Company qualifies all of its forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

1 Phase II Anode Plant pre-production initial capital costs (US$73 million) does not include the capital required to expand the coating plant (US$33 million), which is deferred until after full product qualification.
Highlights:

Initial Reid Indicated Resource of 0.59 billion tonnes grading 0.24% nickel containing 1.4 million tonnes of nickel, an Inferred Resource of 0.99 billion tonnes grading 0.23% nickel containing 2.2 million tonnes of nickel. Exploration Target 1 potential of an additional 0.9-2.1 billion tonnes grading 0.20-0.22% nickel

Reid is the second of seven new nickel resources expected to be published by mid-2025 demonstrating the potential scale of the Timmins Nickel District

2024 drilling program across the Timmins Nickel District completed over 119,000 metres across fourteen properties

TORONTO, Dec. 23, 2024 /CNW/ - Canada Nickel Company Inc. ("Canada Nickel" or the "Company") (TSXV: CNC) (OTCQB: CNIKF) today announced an initial mineral resource (the "Mineral Resource Estimate") for its 100% owned Reid Nickel Sulphide Project ("Reid") near Timmins, Ontario.

The Reid Nickel Sulphide Project is located just 16 kilometres southwest of the Company's Crawford Nickel Sulphide Project ("Crawford") and is more than twice the size of Crawford based on the outline of its geophysical target of 3.9 square kilometres. The area of the geophysical target covered by the Reid resource represents approximately 55% of the total target area. The Reid project is now accessible year-round by an exploration road constructed by Canada Nickel during the fall of 2024.

Mark Selby, CEO of Canada Nickel said, "The size and scale of the Reid resource, which is significantly larger than the initial Crawford resource, validates our belief in the potential of the Timmins Nickel District. Reid's target footprint is more than twice the size of our initial Crawford project and is only the second of seven new mineral resources we expect to announce by mid-2025. We look forward to continuing to demonstrate the potential of this world class district."

1 the potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature; there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource; it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource (also see below).

Reid Mineral Resource Estimate

For the initial Mineral Resource Estimate, a total of 26,508 metres of core drilling in 55 drill holes were utilized to calculate the Reid Resources in two categories as provided in Table 1. Indicated Resources totalled 0.59 billion tonnes grading 0.24% nickel, for a total of 1.4 million tonnes of contained nickel and Inferred Resources totalled 0.99 billion tonnes grading 0.23% nickel, for a total of 2.2 million tonnes of contained nickel. The approximate dimensions of the resource are 2.2 kilometres long, 900 metres wide, extending to 700 metres deep and remaining open in multiple directions. An additional 0.9 - 2.1 billion tonnes grading between 0.20 and 0.22% nickel remain as a potential Exploration Target pending further drilling. This Exploration Target is based on core drilling by the Company and geophysical survey on the Project. The Exploration Target potential was derived by modelling the identified nickel sulphide mineralization within the current estimation envelope but outside of the current Mineral Resource Estimate area.

The volume of the modelled Exploration Target area determines the potential tonnage statement in the Exploration Target. The grade range given in the Exploration Target is determined with consideration to the drill core results within the modelled Exploration Target area, consideration of the geological setting in a well understood nickel deposit type where grades are observed and well understood and based on the experience of the Company and the Qualified Persons. The potential tonnages and grades are conceptual in nature and are based on drill holes and geophysical results that define the approximate length, thickness, depth and grade of the Exploration Target potential. There has been insufficient exploration to define a current mineral resource and the Company cautions that there is a risk that further exploration will not result in the delineation of a current mineral resource.

Drilling at Reid was completed in 2022 and 2024. The 2024 campaign successfully completed the goal of infilling previous sections to define an initial mineral resource estimate, gain understanding on the geology of the deposit as well as systematically collecting samples for mineralogical analysis that would help define the potential of nickel recovery.

The Reid Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by Caracle Creek International Consulting Inc. in accordance with CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources & Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines (2019) and CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources & Mineral Reserves (2014). A Technical Report in support of the Mineral Resource Estimate will be filed on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) within 45 days of this news release.

Table 1  Initial Mineral Resource Estimate (in-pit resources) for the Reid Nickel Sulphide Deposit, Ontario

Mineral Resource Estimate Contained Metal Domain Class

(Category) Tonnes

(Mt) Ni (%) Co

(%) Fe

(%) Cr

(%) S (%) Pd

(g/t) Pt

(g/t) Ni (kt) Co

(kt) Fe

(Mt) Cr

(kt) Pd

(koz) Pt

(koz) Higher

Grade Indicated 525.6 0.25 0.012 6.0 0.71 0.048 0.010 0.007 1,294 63.7 31.7 3,742 167.0 120.2 Inferred 754.0 0.24 0.012 6.1 0.71 0.050 0.009 0.007 1,792 92.0 46.3 5,337 227.3 182.7 Lower

Grade Indicated 70.2 0.19 0.013 7.3 0.60 0.045 0.014 0.011 135 9.1 5.1 418 30.7 24.0 Inferred 233.4 0.19 0.013 7.2 0.59 0.049 0.012 0.010 443 29.9 16.9 1,368 93.0 76.9 Total Indicated 595.7 0.24 0.012 6.2 0.70 0.048 0.010 0.007 1,430 72.9 36.8 4,161 197.7 144.3 Inferred 987.4 0.23 0.012 6.4 0.68 0.050 0.010 0.008 2,235 121.9 63.1 6,705 320.3 259.6

*Totals may not add due to rounding.

1. The independent Qualified Person for the Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE"), as defined by NI 43-101, is Dr. Scott Jobin-Bevans (P.Geo., PGO #0183), of Caracle Creek International Consulting Inc. The effective date of the Mineral Resource Estimate is December 5, 2024. 2. The quantity and grade of reported Inferred Resources in this MRE are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these Inferred Resources as Indicated or Measured. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with continued exploration. 3. A cut-off grade of 0.10% Ni was used to define potentially economic material for inclusion within the MRE. Cut-offs were determined on the based on core assay geostatistics and drill core lithologies for the deposit, and by comparison to analogous nickel deposit types. 4. Geological and block models for the MRE used data from a total of 55 surface drill holes, completed by Canada Nickel in 2022 and 2024. The drill hole database was validated prior to resource estimation and QA/QC checks were made using industry-standard control charts for blanks, core duplicates and commercial certified reference material inserted into assay batches by Canada Nickel and by comparison of umpire assays performed at a second laboratory. 5. Estimates have been rounded to two significant figures. 6. The MRE was prepared following the CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources & Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines (November 29, 2019) and the CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources & Mineral Reserves (May 19, 2014). 7. The geological model as applied to the MRE comprises two mineralized domains hosted by variably serpentinized ultramafic rocks: a relatively higher-grade core (dunite) and a lower grade (transitional dunite). Individual wireframes were created for each domain in Leapfrog Geo 2024.1 software. 8. A 20 m x 20 m x 15 m block model was created, and samples were composited at 7.5 m intervals. Grade estimation from drill hole data was carried out for Ni, Co, Fe, Cr, S, Pd and Pt using the Ordinary Kriging interpolation method in Isatis 2024.04 software. 9. The MRE has been constrained by a conceptual pit envelope that was developed using the following optimization parameters. Metal prices used were US$21,000/t nickel, US$40,000/t cobalt, US$325/t iron, US$3,860/t chromium, US$1,350/oz palladium, and US$1,150/oz platinum. Different pit slopes were used for each layer (in degrees): 9.5 in overburden, and 45.0 in rock. Exchange rate utilized was US$/C$ at $0.76. Mining costs utilized different values for overburden (clay, gravel), and rock mining, ranging from C$1.59 to C$3.38/t mined. Processing costs and general and administration costs for a 120 ktpd operation (similar to the ultimate scope of Crawford) were C$7.65/t. Based on the range of grade and ratio of sulphur to nickel, calculated recovery averages 49% for Ni, 11% for Co, 57% for Fe, 30% for Cr and 32% for Pt and Pd. 10. Grade estimation was validated by comparison of input and output statistics (Nearest Neighbour and Inverse Distance Squared methods), swath plot analysis, cross-plots of declustered samples against the nearest OK estimate, and by visual inspection of the assay data, block model, and grade shells in cross-sections. 11. Density estimation was carried out for the mineralized domains using the Ordinary Kriging interpolation method, based on 3,189 specific gravity measurements collected during the core logging process, using the same block model parameters of the grade estimation. As a reference, the average estimated density value within dunite is 2.65 g/cm3 (t/m3), while the transitional dunite domain yielded an average of 2.69 g/cm3 (t/m3).

Next Steps at Reid:

A technical report with respect to the Mineral Resource Estimate disclosed today will be filed within 45 days





Mineralogical studies and metallurgical testwork will continue through 2025, as well as infill drilling to further upgrade the mineral resource

Overall Exploration Update

The Company's 2024 exploration program focused on demonstrating the potential of the Company's portfolio in the Timmins Nickel District through the initial drilling of several promising ultramafic targets to the delineation of mineral resources on targets previously drilled by the Company. Canada Nickel has completed 59 drill holes at Reid since acquiring the Project for a total of 34,615 metres. In 2024, the Company drilled 32 holes at Crawford to better define the Crawford PGM Zone, 26 holes at Texmont, 93 holes at Mann, 16 holes at Bannockburn and 12 holes at Midlothian. The Company then plans to publish five additional resources before the end of the first half of 2025.

Assays, Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Drilling

Edwin Escarraga, MSc, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of NI 43-101, is responsible for the on-going drilling and sampling program, including quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC). The core is collected from the drill in sealed core trays and transported to the secure core logging facility (core shack). The core is marked and sampled at 1.5 metre lengths and cut with a diamond blade saw. One set of samples is transported in secured bags directly from the Canada Nickel core shack to Actlabs Timmins, while a second set of samples is securely shipped to SGS Lakefield for preparation, with analysis performed at SGS Burnaby. All are ISO/IEC 17025 accredited labs. Analysis for precious metals (gold, platinum, and palladium) are completed by Fire Assay while analysis for nickel, cobalt, sulphur and other elements are performed using a peroxide fusion and ICP-OES analysis. Certified standards and blanks (QA/QC samples) are inserted at a rate of three QA/QC samples per 20 core samples making a batch of 60 samples that are submitted for analysis.

Qualified Person and Data Verification

Stephen J. Balch P.Geo. (ON), VP Exploration of Canada Nickel and a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of NI 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of Canada Nickel Company Inc.

The magnetic images shown in this news release were created from Canada Nickel's interpretation of datasets provided by the Ontario Geological Survey.

About Canada Nickel Company

Canada Nickel Company Inc. is advancing the next generation of nickel-sulphide projects to deliver nickel required to feed the high growth electric vehicle and stainless-steel markets. Canada Nickel Company has applied in multiple jurisdictions to trademark the terms NetZero NickelTM, NetZero CobaltTM, NetZero IronTM and is pursuing the development of processes to allow the production of net zero carbon nickel, cobalt, and iron products. Canada Nickel provides investors with leverage to nickel in low political risk jurisdictions. Canada Nickel is currently anchored by its 100% owned flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp. For more information, please visit www.canadanickel.com.

For further information, please contact:

Mark Selby

CEO

Phone: 647-256-1954

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cautionary Note and Statement Concerning Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains certain information that may constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, the potential of the Reid Nickel Sulphide Project, timing for filing a technical report in support of the Mineral Resource Estimate, the significance of drill results, the ability to continue drilling, the impact of drilling on the definition of any resource, timing and completion (if at all) of additional mineral resource estimates, the potential of the Timmins Nickel District, strategic plans, including future exploration and development plans and results, and corporate and technical objectives. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon several assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals, the future demand for metals, the results of drilling, inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the property, environmental liabilities (known and unknown), general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, results of exploration programs, risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. Canada Nickel disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether because of new information. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 23, 2024 /Condor Resources Inc. ("Condor" or the "Company") (TSXV:CN) is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with Element79 Gold Corp. ("Element79") to restructure the December 2024 payment obligation related to the Lucero Project in Chachas, Arequipa, Peru. Under the agreed terms, the US$1,000,000 payment originally due in December 2024 has been restructured as follows:

The payment is increased to US$1,100,000 and is due on or before June 30, 2025. As security for this June 2025 payment, ELEM has pledged 1,750,000 shares of Sun Silver Limited, an ASX-listed company with a A$93 million market capitalization, held by Element79 and which are subject to trading restriction until May 6, 2025. These shares are pledged in favour of Condor as a continuing and specific security interest in the shares and the proceeds thereof. These shares do not represent the sole security for the June 2025 payment, and the June 2025 payment is an obligation regardless of any fluctuation in value of the pledged shares. Other than as expressly amended or implied as amended in the restructured terms, the Original Agreement continues in full force and effect.

Chris Buncic, President & CEO of Condor, commented, "Element79 is making good progress at the Lucero project, and we remain supportive of their efforts to restart operations at the project while maintaining strong relationships with the local community and artisanal mining group. We look forward to their continued success in 2025."

Cancellation of Financing

Condor also announces it will not be proceeding with the non-brokered private placement of up to 10,000,000 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.15 per Unit (the "Offering Price") for gross proceeds of up to $1,500,000 (the "LIFE Offering") pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions as previously announced in the Company's press release of December 5, 2024. With the anticipated receipt of the DIA at Pucamayo South East and other expected catalysts, management expects additional or alternative opportunities for a potentially less-dilutive capital raise in the new year.

About Condor Resources Inc.

Condor Resources is a precious and base metals exploration company focused on its portfolio of projects in Peru. The Company's flagship project, Pucamayo, is an 85 km2 property containing a high sulfidation epithermal system with disseminated precious metals mineralization with a large lithocap alteration visible at surface. The Huinac Punta project, a 7,200 Ha property in Huanuco, Peru, has the potential to host a large carbonate replacement style (CRD) silver-dominant polymetallic mineralized body with the potential for discovery of a bulk tonnage silver and base metals deposit. The Company has optioned several large projects to partners who continue to advance these projects. The Company's award-winning exploration team in Peru has a long history of success in discovering and advancing high quality exploration projects and managing the social aspects of its exploration activities.

For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.condorresources.com.

Follow Condor Resources (@CondorResources) on X and (@condor-resources) on LinkedIn.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Chris Buncic

President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information please contact the Company at 1-866-642-5707, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur.

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in applicable forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in such statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - Midnight Sun Mining Corp. (TSXV: MMA) (OTC Pink: MDNGF) ("Midnight Sun" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, per an online public notice dated December 20, 2024, the renewal application for Large Scale Exploration Licence 21509-HQ-LEL (the "Licence"), which includes the Kazhiba Target, was approved at the most recent meeting of the Mining Licensing Committee.

Midnight Sun's President & CEO, Al Fabbro, stated: "The Kazhiba licence issue has been resolved, removing any concern as to the status of this critical component of our exploration and development plans. We wish to once again thank the Zambian Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development for their assistance in rectifying this matter, and our valued shareholders for their patience and support. We now turn our focus to the many exciting near-term catalysts ahead, starting with the completion and results of our exploration program at Kazhiba. Working in collaboration with First Quantum Minerals, this program is part of a larger, multi-target campaign aimed to define near-surface oxide copper mineralization destined for Africa's largest copper mining complex, Kansanshi, located just a few kilometres from our property. Near-term production and potential cash-flow provides incredibly rare optionality to our Solwezi Project, and a non-dilutive path toward the continued exploration of our underlying sulphide copper targets at Kazhiba, Mitu and Crunch."

KoBold Earn-In - Longstop Removal

Midnight Sun and KoBold Metals Company have agreed to amend the previously announced earn-in agreement (see news release dated February 20th, 2024) to remove the longstop date to allow time for the two parties to receive the necessary Zambian regulatory approvals to complete the final condition precedent of the agreement.

Qualified Person

Darin Labrenz, P.Geo., a Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical data and contents of this release.

About Midnight Sun

Midnight Sun is focused on exploring our flagship Solwezi Project, located in Zambia. Situated in the heart of the Zambia-Congo Copperbelt, the second largest copper producing region in the world, our property is vast and highly prospective. Our Solwezi Project is surrounded by world-class producing copper mines, including Africa's largest copper mining complex right next door, First Quantum's Kansanshi Mine. Led by an experienced geological team with multiple discoveries and mines around the world to their credit, Midnight Sun intends to find and develop Zambia's next generational copper deposit.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF MIDNIGHT SUN MINING CORP.

Al Fabbro

President & CEO

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEW RELEASE.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that are based on expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections as at the date of this news release. The information in this news release that is not a historical fact may be "forward-looking statements". Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (which may, but not always, include phrases such as "anticipates", "plans", "scheduled", "believed" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements and are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Such factors include, among others, risks relating to the timing and ability of the Company to obtain and the timing of the approval of relevant regulatory bodies, if at all; risks relating to property interests; risks related to access to the project; risks inherent in mineral exploration, including the fact that any particular phase of exploration may be unsuccessful; geo-political risks; the global economic climate; metal prices; environmental risks; political risks; and community and non-governmental actions. Neither the Company nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2024) - SALAZAR RESOURCES LIMITED (TSXV: SRL) (OTCQB: SRLZF) (FSE: CCG.F) ("Salazar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has executed a binding Letter Agreement (the "Agreement") for the purchase, from Silvercorp Metals Inc. ("Silvercorp"), of certain exploration assets in Ecuador (the "Transactions"). The parties will now work diligently to complete the necessary documentation to finalize the sale.

Under the terms of the Agreement, the key terms of which are outlined below, Silvercorp will transfer the shares of two of its Ecuadorian subsidiaries to Salazar, which companies hold the following mineral exploration properties in exchange for net smelter return ("NSR") royalties in such properties:

the portion of the Santiago Project Silvercorp owns to Salazar in exchange for a 1.5% NSR royalty on the entire project, subject to a $3 million repurchase option;

the portion of the Pijili Project Silvercorp owns to Salazar in exchange for a 1.5% NSR royalty on the entire project, subject to an option to repurchase 1% NSR royalty on the project in exchange for $1 million;

the Tarqui Project in exchange for a 1.5% NSR on the entire project, subject to an option to repurchase 1% NSR on the project in exchange for $1 million; and

the La Canela Project in exchange for a 1.5% NSR royalty on the project, subject to an option to repurchase 1% NSR royalty on the project in exchange for $1 million.

Salazar currently owns 20% of Santiago and Pijili and this transaction provides the Company with full ownership. These properties were previously held under the Exploration Alliance agreement which will be terminated on closing.

The Transactions are subject to the finalization of definitive agreements and customary closing conditions. It is expected that the Transactions will be completed in the first quarter of 2025.

Fredy Salazar, CEO, stated: "We are very pleased to have completed this agreement with Silvercorp. We are excited with the opportunity to advance these exploration assets while Silvercorp focuses on completing construction at El Domo and initiating mining operations."

About Salazar Resources

Salazar Resources Limited is focused on creating value and positive change through discovery, exploration, and development in Ecuador. The team has an unrivalled understanding of the geology in-country and has played an integral role in the discovery of many of the major projects in Ecuador, including the two newest operating gold and copper mines. Salazar Resources has a wholly owned pipeline of copper-gold exploration projects across Ecuador with a strategy to make another commercial discovery and farm-out non-core assets. Salazar Resources actively engages with Ecuadorian communities and together with the Salazar family it co-founded The Salazar Foundation, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable progress through economic development. Salazar Resources already has carried interests in three projects. At its maiden discovery, Curipamba, Salazar Resources has a 25% stake fully carried through to production. At two copper-gold porphyry projects, Pijili and Santiago, Salazar Resources has a 20% stake and is to acquire the remainder of such projects from Silvercorp pursuant to the Transactions.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Human rights group Amnesty International on Friday condemned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for firing salvos of unguided rockets at civilian areas of Israel during the latest conflict.

"Hezbollah's reckless use of unguided rocket salvos has killed and wounded civilians, and destroyed and damaged civilian homes in Israel," said Amnesty's Secretary General Agnes Callamard.

"The use of these inherently inaccurate weapons in or near populated civilian areas amounts to prima facie violations of international humanitarian law," she said.

"Direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects and indiscriminate attacks that kill and injure civilians must be investigated as war crimes."

Amnesty said it had documented three Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israeli towns and cities that killed eight civilians and wounded at least 16 others following the escalation of the conflict in late September.

In footage of the attacks, it said it had identified the use of unguided multiple launch rocket systems that violate the bedrock principle of distinction under international humanitarian law.

At the time, Hezbollah announced a series of rocket barrages targeting Israeli population centres in response to Israeli air strikes on Lebanese towns and villages.

Amnesty already released the findings of its investigation into Israeli actions during the war.

It said it had documented unlawful Israeli air strikes that killed 49 civilians, which must be investigated as war crimes.

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on November 27.

Despite the truce, Israeli air strikes have killed more than 20 people in Lebanon since November 27, according to an AFP tally based on health ministry figures.

Both Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of repeatedly violating the ceasefire.

Since Hezbollah first started trading cross-border fire with the Israeli army in October 2023, the war has killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, according to health ministry figures.

On the Israeli side, the conflict has killed 30 soldiers and 47 civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The lawyer responsible for setting up Liberia's long-awaited war crimes court told AFP that the first trials will take place in the next five years, more than two decades after the brutal civil wars that left around 250,000 people dead.

Justice has so far proved elusive for the victims of the back-to-back conflicts that raged in the small West African country between 1989 and 2003.

Despite years of international and domestic pressure, Liberia has yet to try anyone for crimes committed during the years of violence which resulted in massacres, mutilation, rape and cannibalism.

"I do not think it is too late," said Jallah Barbu, who in November was appointed by President Joseph Boakai to manage the establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court.

"We have a wonderful opportunity now to address our situation in the world and move forward," he added.

"In the six-year period of the administration of President Boakai, based on all of the commitments I have and the momentum I see, the court will have, long before the expiration of the six years, at least commenced its first trial, if not concluded" it, Barbu said.

Boakai, who took over the presidency at the start of this year, in May signed a decree creating an office responsible for setting up the special court, which will try those accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as economic crimes committed during the period.

A Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 2009 found that all parties in the conflicts were responsible for war crimes and recommended the establishment of a special court.

But the recommendations had until this year gone largely unheeded, particularly in the name of peacekeeping as a number of accused warlords remained influential in their communities.

- 'Bring closure' -

One of those was Prince Johnson, a key militia leader in the civil wars and an influential senator until his death at the end of November.

Johnson, who was seen sipping beer in a video as his fighters tortured then-president Samuel Doe to death in 1990, was a leading opponent of the creation of the court.

He was one of eight warlords that the TRC recommended be tried.

"We want to make sure that when we bring a closure to this process, the Liberian people will be happy, our country will be on a better trajectory, at least in terms of ensuring that respect for the rule of law is not just on the tongue, but it's in our conduct," Barbu said.

The lawyer said that the eventual court would be "of a hybrid nature" and established in Liberia, respecting both local and international laws.

He added that the office had been given a "very strong commitment from the government to support this process in terms of assurances".

"We've also received similar commitments from partners, especially the international community, that they will come to our aid," he said.

But Barbu admitted that in the two months he had been in his position, the office had "not received a penny from any source other than the UK government", whom he said gave $5,000 to fund travel for a research trip to Sierra Leone.

While no trials have taken place within Liberia, a number of convictions have been secured abroad.
A lightning rebel offensive early this month caught Syria's ruling clan off guard.

President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia on December 8, leaving behind many of his collaborators, some of whom sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

According to two sources, the ousted president, who fled to Moscow via the Russian military airfield in Hmeimim on Syria's coast, was accompanied by only a handful of confidants.

Among them were his closet ally, the secretary-general of presidential affairs Mansour Azzam, as well as his economic adviser Yassar Ibrahim, who oversees the financial empire of Assad and his wife, Asma.

"He left with his secretary and his treasurer," an insider who requested anonymity said, mockingly.

Bashar's brother, Maher al-Assad, commander of the elite Fourth Division tasked with defending Damascus, did not know about his sibling's plans.

Leaving his men stranded, Maher took a separate route, fleeing by helicopter to Iraq before travelling to Russia, according to a Syrian military source.

An Iraqi security source told AFP that Maher arrived in Iraq by plane on December 7 and stayed there for five days.

Maher's wife, Manal al-Jadaan and his son briefly entered Lebanon before departing through Beirut airport, said Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, without disclosing their final destination.

Another Assad government heavyweight, Ali Mamlouk, the former chief of Syria's security apparatus, fled to Russia via Iraq, said a Syrian military source.

His son passed through Lebanon before leaving for another destination, according to a Lebanese security source.

- 'Wanted' -

The Iraqi Interior Ministry denied on Monday the presence of either Maher al-Assad or Mamlouk in Iraq.

Both are wanted men.

Maher -- and Bashar al-Assad -- are wanted by France for alleged complicity in war crimes over chemical attacks in Syria in August 2013.

The French courts have already sentenced Mamlouk and Jamil Hassan, former head of Syria's Air Force Intelligence, in absentia to life imprisonment for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes.

On Friday, the Lebanese authorities received an Interpol alert relaying a US request to arrest Hassan and hand him over to the US authorities, should he enter the country.

The United States accuses Hassan of "war crimes", including overseeing barrel bomb attacks on Syrian people that killed thousands of civilians.

A Lebanese judicial source told AFP that they had no confirmation of Hassan's presence in Lebanon, but assured that he would be detained if found.

- Last-minute escapes -

Other prominent figures also made hasty escapes.

Bouthaina Shaaban, former translator for Hafez al-Assad -- Bashar's father who founded the brutal system of government his son inherited -- fled to Lebanon on the night of December 7-8.

Shaaban, Bashar al-Assad's long-time political adviser, then travelled to Abu Dhabi, according to a friend in Beirut.

Kifah Mujahid, head of the Baath Brigades -- the military wing of Syria's former ruling party -- escaped to Lebanon by boat, a party source told AFP.

Other officials took refuge in their hometowns in Alawite regions, some of them told AFP. Assad hailed from Syria's Alawite minority.

Not all escape attempts were successful.

Ihab Makhlouf, Bashar al-Assad's cousin and a prominent businessman, was killed on December 7 while trying to flee Damascus.

His twin brother, Iyad, was injured in the same incident, said a military official from the former government.

Their elder sibling, Rami Makhlouf, once considered Syria's richest man and a symbol of the regime's corruption, managed to survive. Rami, who fell out of favour with the Assad regime years ago, is believed to be in the United Arab Emirates.

Several other figures close to Assad's government crossed into Lebanon, according to a security source and a source in the business world. These included Ghassan Belal, head of Maher's office, and businessmen Mohammed Hamsho, Khalid Qaddur, Samer Debs and Samir Hassan.

A former Lebanese minister with close ties to Syria said that several senior Syrian military officers were granted safe passage by the Russians to the Hmeimim airbase.

They were rewarded for instructing their troops not to resist the rebel offensive in order to avoid further bloodshed, he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held surprise talks at the Kremlin on Sunday with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, officials said, after he had warned of harsh reprisals against Ukraine over a drone attack.

Fico is one of the few European leaders Putin has stayed friendly with since the 2022 eruption of hostilities with Ukraine.

Russian TV journalist Pavel Zarubin, a Kremlin insider, posted a short video showing the two leaders smiling and shaking hands.

The visit by Fico, whose country is a NATO and European Union member, had not been previously announced. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told Zarubin that it had been arranged "a few days ago".

Peskov did not give details of the talks but said it could be "presumed" that Russian gas supplies would be discussed.

Later Peskov said the meeting had ended and that the two leaders would not make a comment.

Ukraine has said it will not renew a contract allowing the transit of Russian gas through its territory, which expires on December 31.

Slovakia and Hungary, which rely on Russian gas, have raised concerns about the prospect of losing supplies.

Fico ended military aid to Ukraine when he became prime minister again in October 2023, and like Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban, he has called for peace talks.

He also announced in November that he would go to Moscow in May for ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

- Putin vows 'destruction' -

Earlier Sunday, Putin vowed to bring more "destruction" to Ukraine after a drone attack on Kazan on Saturday.

Videos on Russian social media showed drones hitting a high-rise glass tower block and setting off fireballs, though there were no reported casualties.

Ukraine has not commented on the strike.

But Putin told a televised government meeting: "Whoever, and however much they try to destroy, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they are trying to do in our country."

The Kazan strike was the latest in a series of escalating aerial attacks in the nearly three-year conflict.

Putin has previously threatened to target central Kyiv with a hypersonic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.

And Russia's defence ministry has called strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities over recent weeks retaliation for Kyiv using Western-supplied missiles to hit Russian air bases and arms factories.

- Russia claims fresh advances -

The threats heightened as Russia claimed fresh battlefield advances in east Ukraine.

The defence ministry said on Telegram that troops had "liberated" the villages of Lozova in the northeastern Kharkiv region and Krasnoye -- called Sontsivka in Ukraine.

Krasnoye is close to the resource hub of Kurakhove, which Russia has almost encircled and would be a key step in its efforts to capture the entire Donetsk region.

Russia has in recent months sought to secure as much territory as possible before US President-elect Donald Trump comes to power in January.

The Republican has promised to end the conflict, without specifying how.

Moscow's army claims to have seized more than 190 Ukrainian settlements this year, as the rival army struggles with manpower and ammunition shortages.

Ukraine on Sunday also accused Russian forces of killing captured soldiers -- an alleged war crimes violation.

A video posted by Ukraine's 110th separate mechanised brigade showed "the shooting of soldiers who surrendered," Kyiv's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said in a post on Telegram.

Drone footage showed Russians shooting the Ukrainians at point-blank range after they had already surrendered, he said.

AFP could not verify the footage.

Ukraine has made several allegations of war crimes during the conflict.
In the dynamic world of Software as a Service (SaaS), achieving visibility and authority requires more than just technical innovation. Companies need a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, and this is where Backspace Marketing excels. Specializing in off-site SEO strategies, the agency provides SaaS brands with the tools to stand out in competitive markets by leveraging targeted backlinking and data-driven approaches.

Building SaaS Authority Through Targeted Backlinks

Backspace Marketing has redefined how SaaS companies approach search engine optimization by focusing on building robust backlink profiles. Collaborating with reputable industry publications and authoritative platforms, they craft strategies that enhance domain authoritya critical ranking factor for search engines.

The agencys approach emphasizes quality over quantity. In an environment where spammy backlinks can do more harm than good, Backspace Marketing ensures each link is industry-relevant and from a trusted source. This strategy not only protects the clients online reputation but also delivers sustainable results.

The Value of High-Quality Backlinks in SaaS SEO

Backlinks are more than just a ranking factor; they are a trust signal for search engines and users. Backspace Marketing focuses on securing placements in authoritative SaaS blogs, tech platforms, and news outlets to establish a strong online presence for its clients.

Unlike strategies that rely on high volumes of low-quality links, this method prioritizes relevance and publication integrity. SaaS companies working with Backspace Marketing benefit from increased search rankings without sacrificing the trust theyve built within their industries.

Creating Content That Attracts Links and Positions Thought Leaders

Central to the agencys success is the creation of link-worthy content. By developing whitepapers, in-depth industry surveys, and insightful articles, they ensure SaaS brands naturally attract high-value backlinks. This not only strengthens the brands SEO efforts but also positions them as thought leaders.

Partnerships with influencers in the SaaS sector further enhance these strategies. These collaborations not only generate backlinks but also establish credibility within niche markets. Though this method requires significant investment in resources, it aligns with Backspace Marketings commitment to delivering measurable, long-term success.

Leveraging Analytics to Gain a Competitive Edge

Data is at the heart of Backspace Marketings process. By using advanced tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush, they analyze competitors backlink profiles to uncover actionable opportunities. This enables SaaS companies to replicate successful tactics while maintaining originality.

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Trends Shaping SaaS Off-Site SEO

As search engines refine their algorithms, the importance of authoritative backlinks has grown significantly. Backspace Marketing stays ahead of these trends by employing sustainable practices that focus on long-term visibility.

Emerging technologies, including AI-driven backlink analysis, are becoming more critical in shaping SEO strategies. The agency integrates these advancements to provide SaaS companies with a competitive advantage, ensuring they remain adaptable in the face of evolving search engine dynamics.

Real-World Success Through Strategic Backlinking

One SaaS client partnered with Backspace Marketing to enhance their domain authority and boost search visibility. Through targeted placements in tech blogs and consistent outreach to industry influencers, the client experienced a notable increase in organic traffic and a stronger presence in competitive keyword rankings.

This example highlights the effectiveness of well-executed off-site SEO strategies in driving tangible results. Backspace Marketings approach demonstrates that investing in quality and sustainability yields long-term benefits.

Achieving SaaS Success Through Strategic Off-Site SEO

Standing out in the crowded SaaS market requires a mix of innovation and visibility. Backspace Marketings expertise in off-site SEO, from securing high-value backlinks to leveraging advanced analytics, equips SaaS companies with the tools needed to succeed.

By focusing on quality, credibility, and data, Backspace Marketing empowers SaaS brands to build a strong digital presence. For companies ready to elevate their search performance, this approach offers a path to sustainable growth and industry leadership.




Monday, December 23, 2024 - A wealthy Kenyan was captured on camera cruising around one of th major roads in Nairobi with a multi-million Aston Martin DB12.

Aston Martin is a high-performance grand car with a twin-turbocharged V8 engine, state-of-the-art infotainment, and a top speed of 202 mph (325km/hr)

The car was unveiled in May 2023 as a replacement for the DB11 and for someone to ship it to Kenya, you must be filthy rich.

This comes even as millions of Kenyans complain of tough economic times, with many families surviving on one meal a day.

Watch the video.

Ni kama this weekend tunakufa na pressure , aston martin DB12 spotted in Nairobi



Video Credits @Osama_otero pic.twitter.com/s5otpQ0YaC  Waigera (@_waigera) December 22, 2024

The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Monday, December 23, 2024  Abductions have continued under the leadership of President William Ruto, with the latest victim being social media influencer Peter Muteti

Muteti was abducted by people believed to be security officers for posting a controversial image of Ruto on his X account.

Mutetis family has called on Kenyans to help trace their kin who was abducted on Saturday.

According to the family members, Muteti shared the contentious post on Thursday before deleting it hours later.

Barely three days after sharing the image, he was abducted by four men in a Toyota Prado in Uthiru, Nairobi at around 9 am.

The family revealed that the social media influencer had initially received threats on his accounts and was being trailed by unknown people.

They revealed that during the fateful day, two armed men jumped out of a moving vehicle before bundling him in the car which had two other men inside before the vehicle sped off.

Moments after his alleged abduction, Mutetis phone went off and he became inaccessible despite several attempts by the family to reach out to him.

Yesterday he went for breakfast and he never came back, I went downstairs to check on him where residents told me he had been abducted, narrated one of the family members.

On Friday there were some suspicious men he saw which made him delete the post because he was filled with fear and had received threats, he added.

While addressing journalists, Muteti's kin revealed that despite attempts to seek police intervention, the officers claimed that they had no information about the whereabouts of the social media influencer.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024 - Renowned political commentator and columnist Prof. Makau Mutua has stated that the allegations of corruption facing Kenya's judiciary must be addressed, and the judges involved must resign.

Lawyers Ahmednasir and Nelson Havi have been exposing how the Kenyan judiciary, under the leadership of Chief Justice Martha Koome, is rotten to the core.

Lawyer Ahmednasir has even coined a term for corruption in the judiciary, branding it 'Jurispesa'

Commenting on the 'Jurispesa' allegations facing Koome and her cog, Prof. Mutua stated that a corrupt judiciary is a threat to law and democracy.

Makau stated that all judges and magistrates involved in corruption, injustices, and misdemeanors must resign to restore faith in the judiciary.

Courts of law  everywhere on earth  rely on public legitimacy for their moral and legal authority.

"Once theres a yawning trust deficit, courts become an impediment to the rule of law and democracy.

"Thats why impugned judges must resign to restore faith in the judiciary, Prof. Makau wrote on X

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024 - Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has broken his silence after the High Court declared the new university funding model illegal and unconstitutional.

In a statement, Ogamba stated that the government would work on modifying the model to address the issues raised by the High Court.

The President formed a working party committee to re-examine the entire funding model and refine it to ensure the next cohort does not face the same challenges encountered during the admission of the current cohort. That committee is continuing its work, Ogamba stated.

We have introduced an interim report, which we will review before producing a final report. Once it is finalised, we will implement it to ensure the funding model for the next cohort serves its purpose and no student is left behind.

This announcement comes just a day after Justice Chacha Mwita ruled that the model was unconstitutional, stating that the government had not conducted proper public participation before implementing it.

The High Court judge also noted that the model was discriminatory in categorising students into various bands.

As a result, he directed CS Ogamba, the Attorney General, the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), the Trustees of the Universities Fund Kenya, and the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) not to implement it.

The court ruling followed a petition filed by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) in 2023.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024 - Former deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed Kenya Kwanza Alliance government under the leadership of President William Ruto is committing systemic mass genocide of Kikuyu community members to reduce their votes in 2027.

The Kikuyu community has over 5.8 million registered voters and in 2022, they overwhelmingly voted for President William Ruto.

With Ruto's fortunes dwindling in the vote-rich region, Gachagua has claimed that Ruto and his advisors have devised ways to reduce the Mt. Kenya population, particularly targeting those who have attained 18 years of age

Speaking during a church service in Naivasha on Sunday, Gachagua claimed that Ruto had ordered the reopening of companies that manufacture toxic and poisonous alcohol and directed them to begin distribution in the Mt. Kenya region

The former deputy president claimed that by doing this, Ruto aims to eliminate Kikuyu youths and drastically reduce their votes by 2027, when he seeks re-election

Gachagua spoke after three people died on Sunday after consuming toxic liquor in Nakuru on Saturday.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024  Mt. Kenya may lose its numerical strength in 2027, according to claims by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua

This is after he accused President William Ruto of undermining the region by failing to address rampant alcoholism

Speaking during a church service in Naivasha, Gachagua alleged that President Ruto was enabling alcoholism in the Mount Kenya region, causing people to drink excessively, even to the point of death, to reduce the region's voter base.

According to Gachagua, despite having won the fight against alcohol and drug abuse in the region during his tenure as Deputy President, Ruto had undone his efforts.

The Interior Security PS was instructed by the President to reopen all those alcohol factories, and they were urged to sell the alcohol exclusively in Mount Kenya.

"It is not sold in Rift Valley or anywhere else. Yesterday, three people died in Bahati, he claimed.

Since they forced me out of office, the President has ordered all the illicit alcohol that kills people to be brought here to destroy our young people.

Gachagua also recalled warning the President against reopening the companies while he was in office, but his pleas went unheard.

He suggested that this move was a calculated effort by the President to reduce the voter population in the Mountain region.

Police and chiefs have been instructed to allow people to continue drinking the deadly alcohol, so the number of registered voters decreases, he claimed.

It is immoral; it is unacceptable to target a community for destruction and extinction through the sale of poison to them. It is entirely possible to end the war on alcoholism because I had already achieved it.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024 - Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi has continued presenting evidence against Justice Alfred Mabeya, alleging corruption

Lawyers across the country have been accusing Justice Mabeya of being one of the most corrupt judges in the country.

In 2020, a petitioner had filed a case before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) seeking the removal of Justice Mabeya but he allegedly bribed the petitioner who later withdrew the case.

Havi has now accused the judge of tripling his corrupt practices and revealed the names of two lawyers who never lose a case when they appear before him

Havi said advocates Philip Nyachoti and Danstani Omari have never lost a case before Justice Alfred Mabeya.

We will in due course examine why the following Advocates never lose cases before Justice Alfred Mabeya: 1. Philip Nyachoti. 2. Danstan Omari.

"You can add to the list. You see, for corruption in the Judiciary to end, we must remove corrupt Advocates from the Roll of Advocates, Havi wrote on X.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024 - An affected former employee of Equity Bank has shared details that paint a grim picture of internal operations, shedding light on alleged systemic problems and financial mismanagement.



The source, whose identity is concealed for protection, reports that the bank is masking major challenges despite publicly projecting profitability.



According to the source, employees were blindsided by sudden terminations shortly after being promised bonuses, with termination letters citing "sustained poor work performance" under Clause 13.0 of their contracts.



One such letter, dated December 13, 2024, outlines the terms of termination, including a one-month salary in lieu of notice, payment for unused leave days, and a Certificate of Service.



However, the source disputes the rationale given, pointing to broader organizational turmoil and alleged deceit toward both employees and customers.



The source further claims that Equity Bank is overstating its profits and relying heavily on its operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to mask poor performance in Kenya.



Allegations of money laundering involving senior politicians and mismanagement by top executives have also been raised, suggesting a deeper rot within the institution.



The source warns that disillusioned employees, subjected to threats and poor working conditions, have resorted to internal fraud, exacerbating the bank's challenges.



Customers are cautioned to remain vigilant, with the source questioning the sustainability of the banks current practices.



"Hi Nyakundi. I'm one of the many affected employees in termination of contracts at Equity Bank.

This bank is pretending everything is okay in the eyes of the public.

All is not well. Imagine a company that had announced that it has made billions of profit and they promised employees that they would get a bonus in December only for them to receive their salaries in the wee hours of the night on Friday so that they could not question the promise of the bonus.

This company is deceiving customers and stealing from them without knowing.

I've evidence of this since I've been an insider.

Any sane person can see all is not well because after making 'billions in profit,' why did they fire employees and the bonus they had promised their employees?



These profits are not real, they're cooked figures. The company is dying. The investors should be aware of this.

Earlier this year we had a meeting with the so-called CEO, and Kenya as a subsidiary is not doing well, they're using DRC to cover up.

The bank is using senior politicians in government to do money laundering and stashing money at Equity Bank.

Those accounts are there, I've seen them. This is done with the knowledge of the senior people at Equity Bank.



The employees are not motivated, and that's why they're stealing from the bank.

That's why there are so many cases of fraud by employees.

The senior people at the bank are abusing employees threatening to fire them and telling them the bank doesn't need them.

All customers should be careful, and if possible, they should withdraw their money as early as now.

Wasiseme hawakuambiwa. Kindly hide my identity. Thank you."

The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Monday, December 23, 2024Renowned Nairobi lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi has blasted the Kenyan judiciary under the leadership of Chief Justice Martha Koome, comparing it with Syria under dictator Bashar Al Assad, who was ousted early this month.

Assad, who was Syria's president since 2000, ruled with an iron fist and is accused of butchering more than 1 million of his citizens and forcing millions to flee to exile during his 25-year rule.

However, opposition forces ousted him early this month, and he is now in exile in Russia.

Ahmednasir compared Kenyas Judiciary to Syria under Assad, describing it as incompetent and corrupt. He expressed hope that by early 2025, Chief Justice Martha Koome and her group of allegedly corrupt judges will be removed and exiled, similar to Assad

The Kenyan judiciary under the leadership of Hon CJ @CJMARTHAKOOME is the same as Syria under Bashar Al-Asad...brutally corrupt and incompetent.

"A friend told me judges and magistrates are in the same panicky and confused state as Damascus was the weekend before Bashar Al-Asad fled.

"I'm confident Koome, Mwilu & Co will flee once Kenyans storm the fortress of JurisPESA in early 2025, Ahmednasir wrote on X

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024 - Justice Alfred Mabeya is one of the most corrupt judges in the country, according to claims made by a renowned Nairobi lawyer.

According to lawyer Nelson Havi, Justice Mabeya, who is accused of trading Justice to the highest bidders, invited journalists to cover his philanthropic event on Friday.

The journalists who were invited were bribed with Sh 2000 to portray him as a good man but not as a corrupt judge.

On Friday Mabeya called us to cover a function where he was donating food to save face but I have not seen the story anywhere, they were given 2k each, the anonymous journalist told Havi, who is a former Law Society of Kenya(LSK) President.

This is not the first time Justice Mabeya has been accused of engaging in acts of corruption.

In 2020, a petitioner filed a case with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) seeking his removal but was allegedly bribed and later mysteriously withdrew the petition

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024 - Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has vowed to make President William Ruto's life a living hell after issuing him an ultimatum over the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)

Speaking at a wedding ceremony in Machakos, Kalonzo announced that if Ruto does not appoint the commissioners by March next year, he would call for nationwide protests.

By the end of March, if there will be no IEBC, I will go for demonstrations and those protests will not leave anyone standing, Kalonzo announced.

The IEBC has remained without commissioners for almost two years and the President recently pointed fingers to a litigation case filed by the opposition leader.

The National Liberal Party (Kenya) leader, Augustus Kyalo Muli, accused the Wiper Party, and by extension Kalonzo, of delaying the appointments, citing their decision to oppose his nomination to the commission selection panel.

The Wiper Party had instead nominated Koki Muli.

An election was held within the Azimio Coalition involving all 23 parties, and I won with 16 votes against Koki Mulis 7. Its clear that no one has ever contested the results of the election, he stated.

However, Kalonzo insisted that he and his team had adhered to the proper timelines and accused the delay of being state-sponsored.

On IEBC, we adhered to the strict timelines of the Court and submitted the name Koki Muli, the Wiper Party leader affirmed.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024 - Prominent lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi has come to the defense of 22-year-old Lameck Mangare who was arrested after he allegedly stole millions of shillings from a judges house in Eldoret.

Lameck reportedly stole the money when he was helping the judge move houses.

Although the suspect claims he stole Ksh 1.5 million, the judge insists that he stole Ksh 5 Million from his house and used part of the money to buy a car.

Police managed to recover Ksh 1.4 million from the suspect after he used Ksh 100,000 to buy a phone.

Taking to his X account, lawyer Ahmednasir said the young man has not committed any crime according to the law.

This young man needs a lawyer. The law is clear. Taking part or the whole 5m bribe kept by the judge in his house isn't a crime according to the laws of the Republic of Kenya.

Stealing bribe money hoarded at the homes of judges is allowed in law...it's recovery of proceeds of crime.

The police should stop harassing the young man. The police may be entitled to a portion of the same if he willingly gives, but in my considered view, no criminal offence had been committed by the young man, he tweeted.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Monday, December 23, 2024 - The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has disclosed why she declined President William Rutos appointment as a member of an independent task force to audit Kenyas debt.

Speaking during an interview, Faith explained that the appointment contravened the law as there was no constitutional provision for such as task force.

According to her, the debt auditing task force would lead to a duplicate of the role performed by other government agencies and further lead to the wastage of public funds.

She further revealed that the appointment could have attracted legal consequences as a section of Kenyans would have gone to court to oppose it.

We were going to enter into a job that we could not handle because even in the letter that we wrote to the president, we explained that such a task force would prompt opposition from Kenyans, she stated.

I do not want to be in a task force where I will be doing someone else's work at the same time there is nothing meaningful that we would have done, Odhiambo added.

In the wake of the anti-finance bill demonstrations, Ruto established a Presidential Taskforce on Forensic Audit of Public Debt.

Odhiambo was among the eight members of the task force appointed by the Head of State to scrutinise the countrys debt and come up with resolutions to manage it.

However, a day later, Odhiambo turned down the appointment on the grounds that it was unconstitutional and therefore illegal.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024 - President William Rutos economic advisor, Moses Kuria, has blasted former Meru County Governor Kiraitu Murungi for claiming that the Meru community has been left out of government despite voting for the head of state during the 2022 presidential election.

Speaking on Saturday, Kiraitu claimed that the Meru community was overlooked in the recent Cabinet and parastatal appointments announced by the President."

The Devolution Empowerment Party leader further said it was disappointing that no one from the Meru Community was appointed ambassador.

However, Moses Kuria, a trusted confidant of the President, told Kiraitu Murungi to shut up, asserting that the Meru community is well-represented in the cabinet by youthful Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eric Muuga.

To my good friend Kiraitu Murungi. The Cabinet position of youthful water CS Eric Muuga was the spoils of Gen Z war.

"It would be unfair to grab Munyonyo from such a young kid. Relax senior, Kuria wrote on X on Sunday.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024 - A prominent and outspoken Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lawmaker has regretted supporting the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

ODM lawmakers ganged up with their United Democratic Alliance (UDA) counterparts to impeach Gachagua, accusing him of being a tribal kingpin and facing charges such as gross insubordination and disrespecting President William Ruto.

The impeachment of Gachagua was supervised by his boss, who allegedly used taxpayers' money to grease the hands of lawmakers who supported the impeachment.

Now two months after Gachagua's impeachment, Kileleshwa Ward MCA, Robert Alai, has blasted Ruto for appointing former President Uhuru Kenyattas allies in the government.

Alai said Uhuru is more tribal than Gachagua and wondered why Ruto replaced a tribalist with a tribalist

Why did we remove Gachagua for being a tribalist then go ahead and bring Uhuru who just practises deeper tribalism from Ichaweri?

"Why replace Gachagua with another villager from Ichaweri? Nyeri was the problem or what?" Alai posed on X

Uhuru is already in the government after three of his allies were appointed to Ruto's cabinet.

The three are Mutahi Kagwe, appointed as the Agriculture and Livestock Cabinet Secretary; William Kabogo, appointed as the ICT Cabinet Secretary; and Lee Kinyanjui, appointed as the Trade and Investment Cabinet Secretary."

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23,2024 - One of the loyal lieutenants of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has blasted former Meru County Governor Kiraitu Murungi and former Cabinet Secretary Mithinka Linturi after they claimed that members of the Meru community have been excluded in President William Rutos government.

Kiraitu and Linturi, who spoke on Saturday, stated that despite the Meru community overwhelmingly supporting President William Ruto in the 2022 election, they have been left out of his broad-based government

The two leaders further claimed Meru tribe was overlooked in the recent Cabinet and parastatal appointments announced by the President.

In response, Homa Bay Member of Parliament Peter Kaluma labeled Kiraitu and Linturi as greedy tribalists, pointing out that the entire Mt. Kenya region holds 10 out of 25 Cabinet positions and wondered why the two are complaining.

Mt. Kenya already has 10 out of 25 members of the Cabinet in a Nation of 45 ethnic communities, and they are shamelessly demanding for more!

"How much will it take to satisfy the greed of these tribalists? Kaluma stated on X.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024 - Political activist Kasmuel McOure's meeting with President William Ruto sparked an online buzz, especially after being on the frontline during the Gen Z revolution against Ruto.

McOure joined the president and other Uasin Gishu politicians in Eldoret on Sunday, December 22, for a church service at A.I.C Kipkorgot.

For many, it was unforeseen for the activist to share a platform with the president, whom he spent months castigating in every forum he got.

Reacting to Kasmuel's moments with Ruto, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei noted that it was apparent the activist would join mainstream politicians if he got the ambition to be in positions of power where he could effect change.

Seeming to laud Kasmuel, the senator implied that the activist was on the right trajectory by seeking to work with the government, which would be instrumental in bringing about the change he has been speaking about for so long.

"To Gen Z, what did you learn from this picture? Your mantra of tribeless, leaderless, agendaless, and directionless will not work.

"Be strategic! politics is about interests, and there is no enmity! Work with the government of HE Ruto to push for what you championed," said Cherargei.

This came months after Kasmuel met with opposition leader Raila Odinga to whom he pledged allegiance.

He said meeting Raila was a proud moment for him despite backlash from a section of Kenyans online.

McOure noted that he sought Raila for mentorship and guidance to help him achieve the societal change that he is pursuing.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Monday, December 23, 2024  Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka did not have kind words for former President Uhuru Kenyatta for his decision to work with President William Ruto.

This follows Uhurus surprise meeting with Ruto in Ichaweri which resulted in the appointments of former presidents allies to Cabinet and various government positions.

The move sparked condemnations among Kenyans, who felt that Uhuru betrayed them, especially the Gen Zs, for agreeing to work with Ruto and even donating some experts to help him oppress them.

Speaking at a wedding ceremony in Machakos, Kalonzo also criticised Rutos move to include allies of Uhuru Kenyatta in his Cabinet, describing the move as blood-based rather than broad-based.

Its not broad-based but bread-based and even blood-based, because young people were killed, and their blood spilled, he stated.

He also took a jab at those willing to join the Kenya Kwanza government, accusing them of aiding its transgressions.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
James Cox

A fundraiser has been launched for a Palestinian asylum seeker who was assaulted by a group of men in Athlone Town last Sunday.

Locals said the man was was brought to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe following the attack.

A number of incident of violence have been reported at the Midlands Accommodation Centre in the town, following misinformation and conspiracy theories spread online.

A local group has launched a fundraiser for the victime of last week's assault, who is a man in his 20s.

The GoFundMe page has a target of 2,000, and has so far raised 1,745 from 88 donations.

It reads: "On Sunday last, a refugee from Gaza was set upon by a group of men in Athlone Town. The man had fled the Israeli bombings. He sought refuge from the Irish who are said to be 'in solidarity' with Palestine, hoping to pave the way for his family's safe passage.

"But on Sunday last in Athlone Town, our refugee from Gaza was 'left dazed and couldn't talk' after being attacked by a group of men, beaten and punched about the head, neck and chest. After the trauma of Gaza, the paramedics were needed again.

"This Christmas, let us help restore our faith in humanity. Any donation, no matter how small will be given directly to help this refugee and his family.

"Thank you and Happy Christmas!

"Athlone Town."

BreakingNews.ie has contacted An Garda Siochana for comment.
James Cox

Here, we have a look at the topics likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come.

Independents the key to government formation

While the Dail is on Christmas break, talks with Independent TDs are likely to go on up until Christmas Eve.

Verona Murphy's successful election as Ceann Comhairle was backed by Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tanaiste Micheal Martin, making it all but certain that the next government will be a Fianna Fail/Fine Gael/Regional Independents coalition.

The Regional Independent Group is made up of Michael Lowry, Sean Canney, Kevin 'Boxer' Moran, Noel Grealish, Marian Harkin, Barry Heneghan, Gillian Toole and Verona Murphy.

Michael Lowry is understood to be one of the leaders in the group, and was a key voice in Ms Murphy's nomination.

The group of Independents will have their eyes on a senior ministry, along with a super junior ministry, so this is likely to be the last big deal in the negotiations.

The Labour Party has confirmed it will remain in opposition.

While the Social Democrats are still in talks with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, the chances of any big progress there are remote.

Dail Christmas break

There was a lot of criticism, including from some TDs, as a vote in favour of a five-week Christmas break passed.

The Dail is set to resume on January 22nd at 12pm. The vote passed by a margin of 88 to 71.

Labour, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit and some Independents were among those criticising the move.

On January 22nd, a new government will likely be announced fairly sharply as behind-the-scenes negotiations will likely continue over the Christmas break.

Labour, Social Democrats, Sinn Fein to form 'coordinated' Opposition

While a Sinn Fein-led left wing government did not progress beyond some soundbits from TDs, there could be a more cooperative opposition in the 34th Dail.

Labour, the Social Democrats and Sinn Fein have spoken about "strategic cooperation" in Opposition, according to The Irish Times.

Sources in the three parties said "closer cooordination in Opposition had been a theme in their discussions".

Abroad

Germany is gearing up for an election in February after the collapse of chancellor Olaf Scholz's government.

Billionaire Elon Musk has worried plenty of observers in Europe by voicing support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. This follows his backing Donald Trump's successful campaign in the recent US presidential election.

In Canada, prime minister Justin Trudeau's political options have narrowed after the leader of a small party that has helped keep his Liberal minority government in power said on Friday he would present a formal motion of no-confidence in parliament.

In the US, Mark Burnett (64) has been named special envoy to the UK by US president-elect Donald Trump.

Mr Burnett (64) has been named special envoy to the UK by US president-elect Donald Trump.

He is married to Derry-born actress Roma Downey, who is best known for her role as Monica the angel in the American television series Touched by an Angel.

In the UK, Mr Musk has also been making headlines amid worries that the X owner could also try to influence UK politics by giving millions of pounds to Nigel Farage's Reform UK party.
Outgoing National President of Network Ireland, Linda Codoul has identified the organisations new virtual branch among the proudest achievements of her year at the helm of the networking group for women in business. The online chapter, which was launched in November, has already welcomed new members from France and Germany, offering a link to home for Irish ex-pats while also broadening the opportunities to connect for members across Ireland.

In addition, Ms Codoul highlighted the novel collaborations that allowed Network Ireland to enhance the business supports it offered to its members. These included partnerships with the Research and Innovation Hub at Griffith College - through which members were offered real-world design and branding solutions from students of the schools BA in Graphic Communication Design - and Virgin Media Television, which featured all of the category winners at the National Businesswoman of the Year Awards on its morning show, Ireland AM.

Reflecting on her year as Network Ireland National President, Linda Codoul said: At the start of my presidency, I committed to offering more opportunities for growth through collaboration with other organisations nationally and internationally. I hope that our members feel the benefit of those efforts, and that theyve gone a step ahead in their careers because of their involvement with Network Ireland this year. Its been a privilege to serve such an incredible group of women and I know they will be in safe hands with incoming president, Amy OSullivan. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of all our corporate sponsors, especially our official partner AIB, and to thank them for their ongoing support, which is so crucial to our organisation - without it, we wouldnt be here.

Ciara Ryan, Head of Wealth and General Insurance AIB, said: Throughout this year, Linda has been a wonderful ambassador not just for Network Ireland but also for women in business. The innovations she spearheaded are already bearing fruit and she has left the incoming president a sound foundation to build on. I would like to wish Linda all the very best as she leaves office, and I look forward to working with new president, Amy OSullivan in the new year.
Taya Korenska and her mother Olena fled the war in Ukraine two years ago, eventually driving 3,000 miles from their home in Ukraine to North Kilkenny, where they settled.

Taya started Castlecomer Community School (CCS) shortly after landing in Kilkenny, and had very little English.

Incredibly, she went on to receive an unprecedented result in her Leaving Certificate, earning the maximum 625 points.

READ ALSO: Kilkenny school celebrating 'exceptional' Leaving Cert results

Over the two years Taya was in CCS, the school really helped her integrate and Taya has expressed her delight with the support she has received from the teachers and her fellow students.

Principal of CCS, Pat Murphy, has also expressed his delight about Tayas result and praised her work ethic since she arrived in the school.

"We are extremely proud of the results that Taya got," he told Kilkenny Live.

"We knew early in her school career that if she got the right support and worked hard, she would achieve exceptional

results. It goes to show what can be done with hard work and determination."

Pat also recalled some fond memories of Taya in the school.

"She was the first Ukrainian student in CCS," he said. "Any time a new Ukrainian family arrived I would ask her to interpret. I also found her to be very generous of her time and had compassionate to her fellow students.

"I know that she will have an exceptional and professional academic career ahead of her."

Tayas mother Olena has expressed her own profound gratitude for the 'unbelievable support from teachers and staff in Castlecomer Community School'.

Last year, Taya sat the equivalent of the Leaving Certificate in Ukraine, but she felt that with all the support and the friendly atmosphere in CCS that she wanted to stay in the Irish system for another year to complete the Leaving Certificate.

She was subsequently overjoyed with the news that she got her first choice college course in Biomedical Engineering in DCU and is grateful to be a recipient of The Abbott Scholarship: No Mind Left Behind.

Taya also has a great interest in poetry and in her own words: "Any seed needs nourishment no matter how beautiful it can potentially be. This school was water, soil, sun and oxygen necessary for me to bloom."

FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS, CLICK HERE
Kilgallen & Partners Consulting Engineers Ltd is an established consulting engineering practice with offices in Kilkenny and Portlaoise and operating under an NSAI certified ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System.

It is a CPD Accredited Employer with Engineers Ireland and under this accreditation maintain a structured mentoring process for all staff.

The company is seeking suitably qualified and experienced personnel for the following positions:

Structural Engineer / Technician

The ideal candidate will have experience in construction site attendance and the use of Autodesk Revit, Masterseries or other similar design software. Current projects include design in pharmaceutical, multi-unit residential, industrial, commercial, retail and public sector.

Civil Engineer / Technician

The ideal candidate will have experience in construction site attendance and the use of Autodesk Civil 3D, Infodrainage or other similar software. Current projects include transport, active travel, flood risk, pharmaceutical, commercial and multi-unit residential. Experience in any of these areas will be an important consideration.

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Strong written and oral communication skills are an advantage for each position along with the ability to work within an ISO 9001 approved quality system.

The salary / reward arrangement will be negotiable and will reflect the level of experience and training of the successful candidate.

A company pension scheme is in place and a hybrid working model forms part of our practice.

Interested parties can apply by emailing a cover letter and CV to info@kilgallen.ie.

*SPONSORED CONTENT
China condemns U.S. arms sales to Taiwan

Xinhua) 11:24, December 23, 2024

BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, strongly condemned U.S. arms sales to Taiwan on Sunday, urging the United States to immediately halt arming Taiwan.

Zhu made the remarks in response to a media query about the U.S. recent announcement of a new round of military assistance and arms sales to China's Taiwan region.

"We firmly oppose the U.S. providing weapons to China's Taiwan region in any form, and our stance is consistent and clear," Zhu said.

She added that the U.S. move severely violates the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982, while sending a wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

Separatist activities and external interference are the biggest threats to peace across the Taiwan Strait, Zhu said.

She urged the U.S. to immediately stop arming Taiwan and warned Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authority that seeking independence by relying on the United States and through military means only leads to a dead end.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
My 2024 predictions were here. How did I do.

The three parties of Government will outpoll the three parties of opposition in at least 90% of public polls in 2024. Was around 80% only so 0/1 The 2024 Budget will project a surplus by 2027. Was forecast for 27/28 so 0/1 The new Public Service Commissioner will not be a current public servant. Sir Brian Roche. 1/1 Donald Trump will win the GOP nomination for President. 1/1 At least three Labour List MPs will resign in 2024. Gone are Kevin, Andrew, Grant and Rino. 1/1 Chloe Swarbrick will replace James Shaw as Greens co-leader. 1/1 There will be at least one by-election in 2024. Nope. 0/1 The Spinoff buys Stuff. Might be the other way round. 0/1 Donald Trump is convicted on at least one charge and sentenced to jail time. He was convicted but now wont be sentenced so 0.5/1 A City Mayor resigns in 2024. A couple should have but havent. 0/1 Floating mortgage rates are below 7% by the end of 2024. Not yet  7.96%. 0/1. Economic growth in 2024 will be higher than in 2023. 0/1 The minimum wage will be increased by 50 cents. Was 45c so 0.5/1 Joe Biden is confirmed as the Democratic nominee for President. Heh well he was before he wasnt. 0.5/1 Chris Hipkins will remain Leader of the Labour Party. Yay. 1/1 The Russia-Ukraine war will end. 0/1 The UK Labour Party forms a majority Government. Easy 1/1 A Te Pati Maori MP will be named by the Speaker. Yep 1/1 Donald Trump will be re-elected President in November. Yep 1/1 Two Ministers will take maternity leave. One did 0.5/1

Overall score is 10/20  possibly my worst year. However some of them were deliberately chosen as long shots or tongue in cheek  see 8, 10 and 20.

Ill do my 2025 predictions after Christmas.

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Shenandoah, IA (51601)

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Windy with heavy thunderstorms this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 76F. Winds SSE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

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Shenandoah, IA (51601)

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Windy with periods of thunderstorms later in the day. A few storms may be severe. High 77F. Winds SSE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

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Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming cloudy and windy after midnight. Low 36F. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

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Gusty winds and showers in the morning. Heavy thunderstorms for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 76F. Winds SSE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Cloudy with gusty winds developing after midnight. Low 37F. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph.
By Jun Ji-hye

Shares related to Shinsegae Group surged, buoyed by news that its chairman, Chung Yong-jin, became the first among Korean politicians, diplomats or business leaders to officially hold a face-to-face meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump since his reelection last month.

According to the Korea Exchange, Monday, Shinsegae I&C rose 30 percent from the previous trading day to reach 14,040 won ($9.67).

Other Shinsegae-related stocks also showed gains, with Shinsegae Food up 23.59 percent, E-Mart up 5.78 percent, Shinsegae International up 2.94 percent and Shinsegae up 1.13 percent.

On Saturday (local time), while returning to Korea via Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chung said in an interview with Korean reporters that he had met with Trump at the president-elects Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and engaged in an in-depth conversation for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Chung, however, declined to disclose what he had discussed with Trump.

The Shinsegae chairman visited the United States upon the invitation of Donald Trump Jr., the president-elects oldest son, staying at the Mar-a-Lago resort for six days beginning Dec. 16.

The Korean businessman also confirmed his meeting with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who was nominated to lead the Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration.
Korean companies pointed to heated global competition amid China's cheap exports as a major source of concern for their businesses next year, which is feared to affect them more than U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's tariff policies, a central bank report showed Monday.

According to the report on the regional economy released by the Bank of Korea (BOK), Korean firms expected domestic exports to continue to expand in 2025, though the pace of growth is projected to slow down compared with this year.

But they voiced concerns about intensifying competition to be caused by the oversupply of Chinese goods and a flood of cheap exports into the global market.

The report was based on a survey of 200 local exporters conducted by the BOK in November on their prospects for and conditions of exports in 2025.

The central bank has expected exports, a key growth engine for Korea, to increase 6.3 percent in 2024, but the figure would shrink to 1.5 percent next year.

The local companies also said the technological competitiveness of Chinese companies, particularly in the rechargeable batteries and steel sectors, would pose a threat to their businesses, the report showed.

As for tariff policies by the new Donald Trump administration, Korean steelmakers and carmakers expressed concerns, but other firms in industries facing fierce competition with China said they would rather benefit from the new U.S. tariff policy.

Local companies securing a competitive edge also said they will be able to manage the potential negative impacts of the Trump policy, the report read.

Trump has vowed to impose "universal baseline tariffs" of a minimum of 10 percent on all imported goods, and raise tariffs on imports from China to as high as 60 percent. (Yonhap)
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said Monday that Korea's economic growth is likely to fall below 2 percent next year, citing various downside risks, including the recent domestic political turmoil.

The Bank of Korea and other institutions had earlier projected growth of approximately 2 percent for Asia's fourth-largest economy in 2025, reflecting a slower-than-expected recovery in domestic demand amid heightened uncertainties at home and abroad.

"Given the significant downside risks, next year's growth forecast is likely to be revised downward, potentially dipping slightly below the country's potential growth rate," Choi said during a press briefing.

The minister highlighted weakened consumer sentiment following the "unfortunate incident," referring to President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law earlier this month, which was overturned by the National Assembly.

"While this is not a crisis-level outlook, the expansion of uncertainties poses challenges," Choi added.

To address such challenges, the government plans to front-load 431.1 trillion won ($300.2 billion), or 75 percent of the 2025 fiscal budget of 574.8 trillion won, during the first half of the year.

Choi said the focus will be on stabilizing livelihoods and supporting socially vulnerable populations, particularly self-employed businesses mostly affected by the prolonged domestic slump.

"I have instructed for a fundamental shift in our approach to ensure that the budget can be utilized as early as Jan. 1," Choi said, emphasizing the importance of timely and efficient resource allocation.

Choi, who doubles as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, reiterated the government's commitment to maintaining credibility among foreign investors.

"Amid uncertainties in the global trade environment, especially with the inauguration of the Donald Trump administration, our focus will be on responding proactively while enhancing Korea's industrial competitiveness over the long term," Choi stated. (Yonhap)
North Korea touted the recovery of the country's flood-damaged northwestern regions as "miracles" in reports released Monday, using the occasion to portray leader Kim Jong-un as a "benevolent father."

"The flood-hit areas of North Phyongan, Jagang and Ryanggang provinces have turned into ideal socialist villages," the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, referring to regions where recovery efforts have been under way since severe floods in late July.

More than 15,000 modern dwelling houses, nurseries, kindergartens, schools and hospitals were newly built in those regions within about four months, the reports said.

Additionally, over 6,000 residential houses were repaired, along with embankment, river improvement and railway projects, the KCNA said, highlighting that "miracles were wrought in the history of construction."

The same stories appeared on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, which caters to the general North Korean readership.

The KCNA emphasized that Kim "energetically led the whole course of the rehabilitation project," ranging from guiding rescue operations and deciding on rapid flood damage repairs to personally inspecting flood-hit areas.

Residents and schoolchildren from the affected areas returned home after staying in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, during the recovery efforts, the KCNA reports also said.

During their stay in Pyongyang, "They were tearfully shown the loving care of" the leader and "more keenly realized that our socialist house holding Kim Jong-un in high esteem as a benevolent father is the bosom of the destiny and the cradle of life," the reports said.

Heavy rains in late July inundated large areas along the Amnok River near North Korea's northern border, with many presumed killed or missing in the subsequent floods.

South Korea's unification ministry has said North Korea appears focused on alleviating public discontent caused by the floods, while emphasizing the regime's recovery efforts and promoting Kim as a leader who cares for people's livelihoods. (Yonhap)
Ukraine's military unveiled what it claimed were false identification documents carried by North Korean troops killed in the war with Russia, a report showed, amid Kyiv's claim that Russia is trying to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers.

Citing images shared on the Telegram channel of Ukraine's special forces, RBC Ukraine reported Sunday (local time) that three North Korean soldiers killed in Russia's western Kursk region carried what appeared to be military identification documents signed with Korean signatures.

The report claimed that the documents bore Russian names and listed the holders' birthplace as the Republic of Tuva, the birthplace of former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

They did not carry portraits of the owners or official stamps, and only included signatures in Korean script, apparently written with pens different from those used in other parts.

"The real names of the killed North Koreans are Ban Gook-jin, Lee Dae-hyuk, and Cho Chul-ho. According to Russian documents, they are Kim Kahn Solat Albertovich, Dongnk Jan Suropovich, and Beljek Aganak Kap-oolovic," it said, citing a statement by Kyiv's special forces.

Ukraine's military was quoted as saying that the latest case "once again confirms that Russia is resorting to any methods to hide its losses on the battlefield, as well as to conceal the presence of foreign troops."

In a separate report, the Ukrainian media outlet reported that Russian soldiers appeared to be unhappy about fighting alongside North Korean troops and described them as "insolent."

Citing footage of Russian soldiers being interrogated by the Ukrainian military, the outlet said Russian soldiers complained about language and communication issues with North Korean troops, accusing them of carelessly using weapons to shoot at drones or troops on the Russian side.

"To be honest, the farther away from the Koreans, the calmer it is ... They shoot at quadcopters during the day, at FPV (first person view drones), at anything that flies. It doesn't matter if it's Russian or Ukrainian FPV. They even shoot them down," a prisoner said.

The report said North Korean troops, located separately from Russian soldiers, entered the battleground ahead of Russian troops.

Last week, South Korea's spy agency said at least 100 North Korean troops dispatched to Russia for combat in Ukraine were killed and the number of injured North Korean troops was estimated to reach some 1,000.

A Pentagon spokesperson also said the United States believes that North Korea has suffered "several hundred" troop casualties, noting that the figure could go up. (Yonhap)
Korean researchers have developed a lightweight wearable robot that can walk up to paraplegic users and lock itself onto them, enabling them to walk, manoeuvre obstacles and climb staircases.

The Exoskeleton Laboratory team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said their goal is to create a robot that seamlessly integrates into the daily lives of individuals with disabilities.

Kim Seung-hwan, who is himself a paraplegic and part of the KAIST team, demonstrated the prototype which helped him walk at a speed of 3.2 kph (2 mph), climb a flight of stairs and take sideways steps to slide into a bench.

"It can approach me wherever I am, even when Im sitting in a wheelchair, and be worn to help me stand up, which is one of its most distinct features," Kim said.

The powered exoskeleton, named WalkON Suit F1, features aluminium and titanium composition to weigh in at 50 kg (110 lb), and is powered by 12 electronic motors that simulate the movements of human joints while walking.

Park Jeong-su, another member of the KAIST team, said he was inspired by the movie "Iron Man." "After watching Iron Man, I thought it would be great if I can help people with a robot in real life."

To ensure the user's balance while walking, the robot is equipped with sensors on its soles and in the upper body that monitor 1,000 signals per second and anticipate the user's intended movements.

Lenses on the front of the robot work as eyes which analyse its surroundings, identify the height of stairs and detect obstacles to compensate for the lack of sensory ability of users with complete paraplegia, Park said.

Kim won the gold medal while wearing the WalkON Suit F1 in the exoskeleton category at Cybathlon 2024, which saw developers with varying physical disabilities demonstrate assistive robots in eight categories.

"I wanted to tell my son .... that I also used to able to walk. I wanted to share a diverse range of experiences with him," said Kim. (Reuters)
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spoke by phone with his Japanese counterpart Monday to reaffirm South Korea's commitment to advancing its relations with Japan despite the political turmoil from President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, Cho's office said.

Cho made the point during the phone talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, highlighting that Seoul's policy toward developing bilateral relations with Tokyo remains "unwavering," Seoul's foreign ministry said in a release.

The ministry quoted Cho as telling Iwaya that "the government under the leadership of acting President Han Duck-soo has been stable in the running of state affairs and that normalcy applies to all economic activities involving foreign investors."

Cho expressed hope that economic cooperation between the countries will continue to move forward.

The two ministers agreed to make thorough preparations to make next year's 60th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral relations meaningful.

In the face of evolving North Korean threats, the two sides also reaffirmed the importance of close coordination between South Korea and Japan, as well as between the two countries and their mutual ally, the United States, and they agreed to continue communication at all levels in this regard. (Yonhap)
Leaders of rival parties met with the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg on Monday and reaffirmed their commitment to the bilateral alliance despite political turmoil from President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment.

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, assured Goldberg over acting President Han Duck-soo's diplomatic efforts to maintain the robust alliance, while pledging his party's support for the interim government.

"Although Korea is currently in a somewhat turbulent situation, the collaboration and cooperation between the two nations, represented by the 70 years of bilateral alliance, will remain unwavering," Kweon said during the meeting at the National Assembly.

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, thanked Goldberg for his advocacy of Korea's efforts to restore democracy following Yoon's martial law declaration on Dec. 3.

"The current turmoil that Korea is experiencing will ultimately serve as a testament to the strength and resilience of democratic values and the liberal democratic camp to the world," Lee said in a separate meeting with Goldberg. "In the process, I believe that the bilateral relationship will become even stronger and more advanced."

Lee said the scope of the Seoul-Washington alliance has expanded from military to economy and technology, expressing hope for it to develop into a comprehensive alliance encompassing human rights and environmental issues.

"It is clear that not only the Korea-U.S. relationship but also trilateral cooperation among the United States, Korea and Japan will continue to grow," Lee said.

During the back-to-back meetings, Goldberg reaffirmed his commitment to the enduring bilateral alliance that has lasted over 70 years, and expressed support for Korea's democratic and constitutional processes.

Goldberg retires next month after nearly 35 years of diplomatic service. His replacement is likely to be picked after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20. (Yonhap)
No. of chapters on work terminology increases to 18 in first update in 11 years

By Jung Min-ho

Korea's official textbook for the EPS-TOPIK, a language proficiency test for foreigners seeking employment in the country, has been updated for the first time in 11 years to focus more on work-related content, officials said Monday.

According to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRDK), the government agency that publishes the material, the number of chapters dedicated to teaching specific work-related terminology has increased to 18 in the new version, up from the previous 10.

EPS-TOPIK is a test designed specifically for non-Korean citizens who wish to work in Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS). This system allows local employers to hire foreign workers in industries facing significant labor shortages.

Unlike TOPIK, a standardized test that measures proficiency in reading, writing, and listening for foreign citizens interested in learning Korean, EPS-TOPIK focuses on evaluating test takers' reading and listening comprehension in the context of the workplace. The test is designed for individuals seeking employment in sectors like construction and manufacturing as E-9 visa holders.

Compared to the previous single-book version, which covered topics like Korean culture, legal issues, work life, and more, the new textbook now consists of two books: one focusing on everyday Korean language and the other dedicated to terms and expressions used in the workplace.

The book specializing in workplace language includes more example sentences and dialogues based on real situations that many workers encounter while working in Korea. Additionally, it incorporates more visual aids to help learners better understand the content.

Each conversation is centered on typical daily life and situations in the workplace that foreign workers may experience, aiming to improve practical communication skills, said the textbook authors, mostly Keimyung University scholars, in its introduction.

The culture and information sections cover language culture, daily life culture, and workplace culture to help learners understand Korean culture and acquire practical information for living in Korea. In particular, Volume 2 (focused on work terminology) includes content related to Koreas industrial landscape and workplace information to support understanding of various industries.

To develop more practical content for the new textbook, HRDK officials carried out polls and in-depth interviews with foreign workers, their employers and industry experts, they said.

The textbooks will be distributed to 17 EPS partner countries for applicants seeking to work in Korea, with Tajikistan set to join the list next year. The books will also be available for free in PDF format on the HRDK website.

We would continue to support the settlement of foreign workers here in order to enhance Koreas national competitiveness, Lee Woo-young, chief director at HRDK, said.

Last week, the government announced that it will allow up to 130,000 foreign nationals to work in Korea on E-9 visas next year under the Employment Permit System, down from this years 165,000.
Acting President Han Duck-soo reaffirmed the strong alliance between South Korea and the United States during a phone call Monday with Gen. Xavier Brunson, the new commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), the prime minister's office said.

Han congratulated Gen. Brunson on his new role and urged continued efforts to strengthen the 70-year-old alliance between the two allies.

He also highlighted Seoul's close consultations with its allies to maintain stability amid recent political turmoil, emphasizing the importance of a robust security posture to counter potential provocations from North Korea.

Brunson expressed his commitment to his new role and stressed the need for decisive action over words to ensure security readiness against potential threats from Pyongyang, according to the office.

Earlier in the day, Adm. Kim Myung-soo, chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and Gen. Brunson also emphasized the significance of the alliance during a separate phone call.

They discussed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and explored measures to bolster their combined defense posture.

Kim stressed that the alliance is a "linchpin" in defending stability on the peninsula, saying that it stands steadfast despite changes in the domestic and overseas security situation.

In response, Brunson underscored the importance of communications between them and called for maintaining the momentum for trilateral exercises among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan to advance their security cooperation, the JCS said.

Brunson took office as the new CFC commander on Friday, replacing Gen. Paul LaCamera. He doubles as commander of the U.S. Forces Korea and the U.N. Command. (Yonhap)
Police have been analyzing President Yoon Suk Yeol's personal phone records after securing them as part of their investigation into his botched declaration of martial law earlier this month, officials said.

The police special investigation team handling the case is checking the records for conversations with individuals allegedly involved in the imposition of martial law on Dec. 3 after obtaining them through a warrant.

Police are also working to obtain a secure phone used by Yoon and its records from the Presidential Security Service.

Separately, police have acquired a document Yoon handed to Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok during a Cabinet meeting that took place shortly before the martial law declaration.

The document reportedly outlines measures to cut off operational expenses for the National Assembly and to form a budget for the legislature under martial law.

On Dec. 13, Choi told lawmakers the document called for securing fiscal funds and liquidity under martial law.

The police have so far questioned ten of the 12 attendees of the Dec. 3 Cabinet meeting after Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho appeared before them Saturday. They have yet to question Yoon and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.

Police believe the gathering had procedural and substantive problems due to the lack of the meeting's minutes and documents proving that deliberation took place. (Yonhap)
DPK leader Lee Jae-myung asks, 'Please find this citizen'

By KTimes

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, sought to identify a citizen who stood in front of an armored vehicle during President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law.

Lee shared a YouTube video on his X account on Sunday with the hashtag "Bright Future of Korea." The footage, originally captured by The Washington Post, shows a moment during the early hours of Dec. 4, when a citizen stood on a crosswalk in Yeouido, Seoul, blocking an armored vehicle en route to the National Assembly.

In the video, a man wearing a black jacket is seen standing on a crosswalk, blocking a moving military vehicle. When the vehicle attempted to proceed despite the obstruction, the citizen threw himself forward, grabbing the front of the vehicle with his bare hands.

When the vehicle attempted to advance despite his protest, nearby citizens rushed forward, grabbing the front of the truck. Others joined in, ultimately bringing the vehicle to a stop.

The Post described the footage as "protesters blocking military vehicles headed toward the National Assembly." It also reported that a protester at the scene shouted, "Over my dead body!"

The comments section of the video shared by Lee was filled with admiration, with users expressing gratitude and respect for the citizen's bravery. "Its heart-wrenching. Their courage has touched countless people," one commenter wrote. Lee also praised the act, "Please, find this person," and applauded his bravery.

The citizen's actions have drawn comparisons to the "Tank Man" of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. On June 5, 1989, a lone man stood in front of tanks entering Tiananmen Square, creating one of the most iconic images of the protests. The moment, captured by AP, became a symbol of resistance and the man in the photo was later recognized by Time magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
Survey reveals caregivers earn 1.12 million won monthly, grapple with high costs, long commutes, no savings

By KTimes

Filipino caregivers brought to Korea in September as part of the Seoul Metropolitan Governments foreign domestic worker pilot program, are struggling to save money due to Seoul's high cost of living, leaving them with barely enough for daily expenses.

A survey on the satisfaction levels and other issues faced by Filipino domestic workers, conducted by the Korea Federation of SMEs in early October and obtained by the Hankook Ilbo on Sunday, vividly details the workers' various grievances.

One caregiver said, My income is so low because weekday shifts are short, so Im forced to work on weekends too. I havent had a day off all week.

Another, living in a dormitory in the affluent Gangnam area, said, The dormitory rent alone is 539,000 won ($410), which is too expensive. With the high cost of living in the city, nothing is left in my account. Im deeply worried about my family back home.

Wages and deductions leave little for savings

The survey revealed that caregivers are often housed in cramped dormitory rooms of approximately 3.3 square meters (35 square feet), with a monthly rent of about 539,000 won.

They complained that the dormitories are "too cramped to move around in," and the "accommodation costs are too high." While some said they were "satisfied with the salary itself," they noted that "dormitory fees, transportation, food and other necessary expenses are all self-funded," leaving nothing from their wages.

One September pay stub showed a gross salary of 1.83 million won, from which approximately 40 percent (710,000 won) was deducted for lodging, communication fees, income tax and social insurance. This left the worker with around 1.12 million won for food, transportation and other living expenses in Seoul.

The findings stand in stark contrast to claims made by some Korean politicians that foreign workers send up to 80 percent of their earnings back to their home countries.

Rep. Na Kyung-won of the ruling People Power Party, previously said, Foreign workers send back most of what they earn, while Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon argued that Korean wages far exceed those in their home countries.

Harsh working conditions

The caregivers' testimonies highlighted challenging working conditions, often involving tasks beyond their original job scope. This expanded scope of work, which had sparked controversy even before the pilot program started, has become a significant source of confusion and dissatisfaction.

The Philippine government clarified that the workers were skilled caregivers, not domestic helpers, and made it clear that their household tasks should be limited to child care.

In contrast, the Korean government promoted the workers as capable of handling both child care and general household chores, leading to a mismatch in expectations and growing frustrations on the ground.

The caregivers said they had no time for proper meals, resorting to eating hurriedly in parks or subway stations while commuting between job sites.

Some caregivers endured daily commutes of over four-hour round trips, leaving them both physically and mentally exhausted. Frequent visits to multiple households further compounded the strain, with many reporting that travel consumed much of their time and energy.

There were also reports of employers demanding tasks beyond the jobs official guidelines, further exacerbating their workload.

One caregiver said, I was told Id be a caregiver, but Im expected to clean five rooms, including the living room and kitchen, do laundry by hand, and work eight hours straight without rest. Its so exhausting I feel like crying.

Another worker said, I came here expecting to care for children with limited mobility, patients, or the elderly, but I was surprised and confused to find myself doing general household chores instead.

Despite these concerning findings, the government is pushing to expand the pilot program nationwide without completing its six-month evaluation. The Ministry of Employment and Labor has asked local governments to submit responses by Dec. 27 to participate in next years program, which aims to recruit 1,200 workers.

Calls for reevaluation before program expansion



Labor and civic groups have repeatedly pointed out fundamental flaws in the programs design and direction, citing its potential to exploit foreign workers and worsen conditions for local workers.

On Dec. 18, International Migrants Day, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said, An indiscriminate migrant labor policy directly harms the employment and working conditions of local workers."

It said that while the domestic housekeeping service industry has long been an undesirable sector due to low wages and poor working conditions, Seoul has chosen to replace local domestic workers with Filipino caregivers rather than improve local wages and conditions.

The statement also emphasized that the program could lead to both the exploitation of foreign workers and the further deterioration of conditions for local workers. The program has also faced criticism for lacking indicators that it addresses Koreas low birthrate, its stated goal.

Criticism has also emerged that the policy disproportionately benefits affluent families, as half of the pilot program applicants and one-third of the selected households were from Seouls Gangnam District, prompting some to label it "a policy catering exclusively to Gangnam parents."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
Three civilians were injured in an explosion at a military base in this southeastern city on Monday, authorities said.

The explosion occurred during an inspection of a recently constructed tank facility for hazardous materials at the base of a logistics support group in Gimhae, about 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 9:27 a.m., according to the police and firefighting officials.

The exact cause of the accident is under investigation.

The three who were injured suffered burns but were not in life-threatening condition. (Yonhap)
Citizens seek class-action lawsuit against president for compensation

By Lee Hae-rin

President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration and the ensuing fiasco have significantly impacted the lives of many Koreans, mostly negatively. Despite the decree being lifted just six hours later and the National Assembly passing a motion to impeach him, the traumatic memory of those events still lingers for many people.

Hong, a 24-year-old student residing in Seoul, was in bed and on her phone when Yoon suddenly declared emergency martial law at 10:28 p.m. on Dec. 3.

"At first I thought it was fake news, then I saw (posts of) people going to the National Assembly on social media. The fear combined with the urge that I had to go there and eventually, I left home," she said.

When she arrived at the Assembly and joined the crowd, she heard the sound of a helicopter. Looking up, she saw a military helicopter overhead, and immediately her mind went back to the Gwangju pro-democracy movement 44 years ago. She thought, "Maybe they will shoot us, just like they did before."

"Now that I think about it, I was in a state of mental panic. I thought I could die if martial law had not been lifted. I gave my mom's contact information to my friends, saying, 'If you can't contact me by tomorrow morning, please let her know.'

Since then, Hong has joined protests calling for Yoons impeachment whenever possible, braving freezing temperatures.

Although the Assembly voted to pass the impeachment motion, she still gets startled by any sound resembling a helicopter. She also struggled to study for her final exams, thinking, "What is the use of assignments when the situation is like this?"

"Since the martial law incident, my daily life has been ruined, and I couldnt sleep for days. My depression worsened, and I want to claim real mental damages," she said.

Those who did not face the soldiers on Dec. 3 are also experiencing psychological pain.

Cho, 33, took the morning train from Busan to participate in a rally in front of the Assembly on Dec. 14, when the parliamentary impeachment vote was held. He cited anxiety and sleeplessness as symptoms he experienced in the aftermath of the martial law declaration.

"I just remembered that I left a lot of malicious comments about Yoon Suk Yeol and Kim Keon Hee on the internet and I got scared thinking that I could be dragged and imprisoned somewhere under martial law. I learned that democracy was the foundation of a peaceful daily life," he said.

"Martial law was lifted, but I kept thinking about the possibility of a second martial law. Even when I went to bed, I stayed up all night checking the news. I hadn't taken any depression pills for a while, but I couldn't sleep after this happened. I ended up going back to the hospital."

Like Hong and Cho, many people who suffered directly or indirectly from the martial law incident are demanding an apology from Yoon, citing symptoms of "martial law trauma," such as anxiety, sleeplessness, anger, stress, and poor concentration.

According to psychiatrists, a growing number of patients have visited mental health clinics recently, complaining about anxiety, anger and depression after the martial law fiasco.

"Many psychiatrists say that among those who visit hospitals, many report psychological shock, saying, 'I can't focus on work and only keep watching the news,' and 'Could this trigger a war?'" said Baek Jong-woo, a professor of psychiatry at Kyung Hee University Hospital.

Kim Hyun-soo, a professor of psychiatry at Myongji University Hospital and chair of the Korean Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, said the number of people reporting anxiety and sleeplessness has increased significantly recently.

"They worry, 'What will happen to the country?'" Kim said.

"When psychiatrists shared their experiences after the declaration of the emergency martial law, many patients came in unable to sleep, and parents who had sent their sons to the military were deeply worried that their children might get caught up in this situation," Kim said.

Given the circumstances, some individuals have decided to seek legal compensation from the president.

A group of citizens began recruiting people to file a class action suit against Yoon for mental damage. On Dec. 10, they said 105 plaintiffs had filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court, claiming compensation of 100,000 won ($68) per person.

They said Yoon should provide compensation for the fear and mental damage caused by his martial law declaration.

"The unconstitutional emergency martial law declaration and rebellion violated people's rights to establish a constitutional system under the principles of national sovereignty and representative democracy guaranteed by the Constitution, and they threatened people's lives and well-being," the group said.

A second group of plaintiffs, consisting of 10,060 people, also plans to file a similar class-action lawsuit in the near future.
The National Assembly began a two-day confirmation hearing process Monday for three nominees to the Constitutional Court, which will deliberate on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial.

The parliamentary hearings aim to fill vacancies on the nine-member bench, where six justices are currently seated. By law, at least six votes are required to uphold an impeachment motion.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) held a hearing on Ma Eun-hyuk earlier in the day in the absence of lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and is set to conduct another hearing on Jeong Gye-seon, both of whom were recommended by the opposition.

A third nominee, Cho Han-chang, recommended by the ruling party, is scheduled to undergo a hearing Tuesday.

During the hearing, Ma introduced his past activities opposing the military rule and pledged to uphold the constitutional order.

Reflecting on the oppressive campus atmosphere when he entered university in 1981, the 61-year-old said he collaborated with other students, friends and citizens "to contribute in a modest way to the era's task of ending the military dictatorship and restoring democracy."

It remains uncertain whether acting President Han Duck-soo would proceed with formal appointments of the three nominees.

The PPP has argued that Han lacks presidential authority to make the appointments and has vowed to file a suit with the Constitutional Court seeking an injunction if he proceeds.

In contrast, the DPK has urged Han to expedite the appointments, claiming formalizing the nomination approved by the National Assembly is merely a formality.

The DPK said it plans to adopt the confirmation hearing reports Tuesday and put them to a plenary vote later this week. (Yonhap)
A notebook belonging to a former military intelligence commander arrested in a martial law probe had details about plans to "provoke North Korea into an attack" at the de facto inter-Korean sea border, police said Monday.

Police said the memo, spanning 60 to 70 pages, was found in a notebook belonging to former Army Maj. Gen. Noh Sang-won, former chief of the Defense Intelligence Command (DIC), during a raid on his residence in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul.

Noh has been arrested for his suspected involvement in the botched Dec. 3 martial law imposition by President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon is now impeached and awaiting a top court decision on whether to remove him from office or reinstate him.

The memo read, "Provoke the North's attack at the NLL," most likely referring to the Northern Limit Line, the western maritime border with Pyongyang in the Yellow Sea.

Police said they have not yet confirmed if any actions were actually carried out to induce an attack from Pyongyang.

But the memo was consistent with the opposition's claims that former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun had attempted to elicit a military action from the North to justify the short-lived martial law.

Noh is known as a close aide of Kim.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has accused Kim of ordering the military to directly strike the trash-carrying balloons sent from the North and to deploy South Korean drones over Pyongyang's airspace.

Noh's notebook also contained details about "sealing off the National Assembly" and mentioned politicians, journalists, religious figures, labor unions and judges as "targets for collection," apparently implying arrests.

No details, however, about the martial law decree were found in Noh's notebook, the police said.

Noh is one of the former and incumbent military officers arrested in the widening investigation into the failed martial law attempt by Yoon.

Noh is accused of sharing the martial law plans with his subordinates at a burger franchise two days before the plans were executed.

Noh was dishonorably discharged in 2018 over a sexual harassment case and opened a "fortune-telling" business at his home and has worked as a psychic. (Yonhap)
Yoon criticized for deliberately delaying legal procedures

By Lee Hyo-jin

The Constitutional Court will proceed with President Yoon Suk Yeols impeachment trial, despite his continued refusal to receive court notifications. The court considers the documents to have been effectively delivered, it said on Monday.

The courts decision comes as Yoon has been ignoring court notifications for over a week, which critics view as a deliberate tactic to delay proceedings on his impeachment motion, passed by the National Assembly in response to his short-lived martial law order.

"The effectiveness of the document delivery, as per Supreme Court precedents, takes effect the moment the documents reach the intended delivery address. The delivery is considered valid even if the recipient does not physically accept it," court spokesperson Lee Jin said during a press briefing.

Therefore, documents on Yoon's impeachment trial, delivered via postal service to his residence last Friday, are considered valid, the spokesperson added.

Lee reaffirmed the courts plan to hold a pretrial hearing this Friday. The session, which takes place before public argument hearings, aims to clarify key issues of the trial, review evidence, and determine the selection of witnesses in advance. Yoon is not required to attend Fridays hearing.

Since the initial notification on Dec. 16, attempts to deliver the documents by mail and in person have failed. Mail sent to the presidents residence was refused by his security team, while deliveries to the presidential office were returned, as officials there claimed that no recipient was available.

Yoon has also ignored court orders requesting the submission of records related to the Dec. 3 martial law decree, as well as written records of two Cabinet meetings held before and after the declaration of the emergency military rule.

Refusing the court documents is likely just the start of Yoons apparent strategy to deliberately delay the trial, who, in the meantime, is attempting to woo his remaining supporters. The trial could face additional delays due to Yoons uncooperative stance, Lim Ji-bong, a constitutional law professor at Sogang University, told The Korea Times.

Lim suggested the cornered president might use further stalling tactics, such as claiming his legal team is unprepared  which he has already been arguing  or requesting an extensive list of witnesses to complicate the proceedings.

The professor added that Yoon could attempt to invoke Article 51 of the Constitutional Court Act, which allows the suspension of impeachment trial proceedings if a criminal trial is underway for the same reasons.

In this case, Yoon  currently under criminal investigation for treason over his failed martial law bid  might argue that the impeachment trial should be paused, if he is indicted.

But I believe the Constitutional Court will be capable of swiftly proceeding with the trial despite such attempts, Lim said.

Yoon's duties were suspended following his impeachment by the Assembly on Dec. 14. The Constitutional Court is expected to rule on his impeachment within six months. If upheld, Yoon would become the second conservative president to be removed from office in a row, following former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment in 2017.

Despite the lengthy legal battle ahead, Yoon has yet to finalize his legal team, amid speculation that high-profile former prosecutors are expected to represent the prosecutor-turned-president.

Seok Dong-hyeon, a former prosecutor and Yoons longtime acquaintance, is serving as the temporary legal adviser and representative for the press. Other rumored members include Kim Hong-il, a former chairman of the Korea Communications Commission and Yun Gap-geun, a former chief prosecutor at the Daegu High Prosecutors Office.

Seok denied speculation that Yoon is deliberately avoiding court notifications.

The president will put more priority on the impeachment trial than the criminal investigation. It is not (his) intention to delay or avoid the trials, but his current stance is based on the notion that there needs to be thorough preparation for court proceedings, Seok told reporters shortly after the Constitutional Courts briefing.

He declined to elaborate on the courts decision deeming the legal documents as effectively delivered to Yoon, saying that those issues will be addressed by his legal defense team once it is officially formed.

Meanwhile, law enforcement authorities are accelerating their investigation into Yoons alleged treason.

Investigators have obtained Yoons phone records which may contain orders he allegedly gave to key military officials who were dispatched to the Assembly during the martial law incident.

Additionally, they have secured a document passed on to Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok during the Cabinet meeting held before the martial law order, in which Yoon reportedly directed him to cut off funds for the National Assemblys operation and allocate legislative budgets under a martial law scenario."

A joint team comprising the National Police Agency, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the Ministry of National Defense has summoned Yoon to appear for questioning at the CIO office by Wednesday at 10 a.m.

However, the chance of him appearing appears to be slim.

The CIO said Monday that its summons  sent to Yoons residence and the presidential office on Friday  were not accepted by the recipient, marking the second time Yoon has ignored the summons request.
Acting President Han's authority also subject to political bickering

By Anna J. Park

The National Assembly's confirmation hearings for three justice nominees to the Constitutional Court began its two-day process, Monday, as opposition parties rush to fill vacant positions on the bench ahead of the deliberations concerning President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial.

The Assembly's confirmation hearing committee focused on evaluating Ma Eun-hyuk and Jeong Gye-seon, two candidates recommended by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

On Tuesday, the committee is set to examine Cho Han-chang, the nominee endorsed by the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

With the ruling party boycotting the hearings, Monday's sessions proceeded with the participation of the opposition bloc only.

The PPP argued that the DPKs unilateral attempt to appoint justices without bipartisan agreement violates the spirit of the Constitution and is thus subject to jurisdictional dispute adjudication.

The party said it would seek an injunction if the opposition parties continue to proceed. The party further criticized the DPK for shifting its stance on the appointment of Constitutional Court justices solely for political gain.

"The DPK had recklessly issued impeachment motions and delayed the appointment of Constitutional Court justices, knowing that once the court's full nine-member bench is restored, the impeachment motions (led by them) would be dismissed," Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, acting party leader and floor leader of the PPP, said Monday.

"While appointing justices has been possible for over two months, the DPK insisted on maintaining a six-member bench for their own political gain. Now, they suddenly push to appoint justices to review the president's impeachment trial, which reveals their intentions."

The PPP also argued that it is impossible for an acting president to appoint Constitutional Court justices. Still, the conservative party at the same time maintains that the acting president can appoint the defense minister and the minister of interior and safety with his authority.

In contrast, the DPK vowed to accelerate the appointment process, stating that it aims to adopt the confirmation hearing reports as early as Tuesday and hold a plenary vote later this week. The main opposition party plans to begin the impeachment trial of Yoon in mid-January and reach a conclusion by February.

However, it remains uncertain whether acting President Han Duck-soo can exercise his authority to appoint the Constitutional Court justices.

All three Constitutional Court justice nominees have said in their written submissions to the National Assembly that the acting president is legally authorized to appoint the justices.

In addition to questions surrounding the scope of his authority over the appointments, Han also faces the threat of impeachment by opposition parties.

DPK floor leader Park Chan-dae said Monday that the party would immediately initiate impeachment proceedings against the acting president, if he fails to promulgate the special counsel bill on first lady Kim Keon Hee and another special counsel bill on the insurrection case during Tuesday's regular Cabinet meeting.

"We will not tolerate the delaying tactics of those who sought to carry out the insurrection. If the acting president does not promulgate the special counsel bills by Tuesday, the DPK will immediately initiate impeachment proceedings against him," Park said.

In response to the opposition's pressure to adopt the special counsel bills, the Prime Minister's Office issued a cautious response.

"The office will listen to various opinions and make a decision based on the Constitution, laws and the future of the country," an official said, stating its previous position that it is a matter that requires consideration of various opinions based on the law and the long-term view of the country.

It is expected that the fate of the two bills will be decided by the given legal deadline of Jan. 1, suggesting that the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday won't likely be making the decision on the two special counsel bills.
Police said Monday they requested former floor leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) to appear for questioning later this week, as part of their probe into President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law imposition.

Rep. Choo Kyung-ho was ordered to appear for questioning Thursday, after he rejected a previous summons.

Choo, who was floor leader of the PPP on the Dec. 3 martial law imposition, is accused of allegedly asking National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik to postpone the vote to demand the lifting of martial law.

Choo, who stepped down from the post Dec. 7, is also suspected of trying to prevent some PPP lawmakers from joining the vote to demand the lifting of martial law. (Yonhap)
By Shin Hye-suk

Since President Yoon Suk Yeols declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, Korea has plunged into chaos. Like many who had previously been indifferent to politics, I anxiously followed the news, reminded of Plato's warning: "The greatest penalty for refusing to engage in politics is to be ruled by the most inferior men."

The nation was stunned, and the world watched. Citizens from across Korea gathered at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul while others flew in from abroad, united by a shared concern for the nation's future. It was a turning point for many ordinary citizens like myself.

I had never paid much attention to politics before. But suddenly, I found myself deeply invested, worrying daily about the nations fate. What, then, is politics? Shouldnt it be about ensuring the safety, prosperity and peace of the people  those who work and pay taxes to sustain the system? Yet, many politicians seem to focus on factional strife and personal gain, disrupting the lives of those they are meant to serve.

It often feels as though some believe the peoples sovereignty exists solely for their benefit, ignoring their role as stewards of that trust. In times of turmoil, we came together, raising our voices. Through persistence, we succeeded in passing the impeachment motion on the second attempt in the National Assembly.

As an ordinary citizen, I tend to appreciate a right-leaning political stance when it is grounded in principle and fairness. However, I neither blindly support nor oppose any particular party. Even so, this situation demands criticism. President Yoon Suk Yeol and his administration have faced significant challenges, especially in governing with a minority in the National Assembly. Constant obstruction by the opposition majority has made it nearly impossible to move forward with policies.

Even under these circumstances, leadership must navigate obstacles skillfully. What if leaders set aside egos and worked together, pooling their wisdom to move the country forward? Wouldnt collaboration be more effective than constant antagonism?

Why must politics be a winner-takes-all battle? Instead of resorting to obstruction, representatives should prioritize communication and seek compromise. Politics should focus on crafting policies that enhance lives, not defending ideologies at the peoples expense.

As someone in the arts with little political knowledge, I often wonder: Arent coexistence and mutual respect the foundations of any society? Why, then, do politicians neglect these values, driven by ideology and self-interest? Their actions divide and harm ordinary lives, and the public can no longer tolerate such abuses of power.

We need leaders who act as stewards of trust, not agents of division. From now on, I hope politicians set aside self-interest and focus on establishing a peaceful and prosperous future for all. True leadership is about cooperation, not confrontation. Only through unity and shared commitment, we can restore harmony and dignity to our society.

Shin Hye-suk (sinesu@naver.com), who also goes by Shindy, completed a doctorate in sociology and has devoted two decades of her life to academic pursuits at a university in Japan. She is also a florist and has served as president of the Rotary International Seoul Club Korea.
By John Burton

It may surprise those living in Korea that President Yoon Suk Yeols self-coup attempt by declaring martial law was a popular topic among comedians on Americas late night television shows. Korea, stop giving Donald Trump ideas!, sarcastically declared the anchor on the faux news program, The Daily Show.

That humorous comment underscored that many Americans do see parallels between their own political situation and that in Korea since both Yoon and Trump show authoritarian tendencies. Some fear that Trump might try to do something similar to Yoons bid to become dictator. Do the recent events in Korea serve as a warning to what could happen in the U.S.?

Both countries are experiencing polarization between political extremes and both Yoon and Trump were elected by narrow margins. The rhetoric employed by both leaders echo each other. They complain about fake news and describe their political opponents as unpatriotic enemies.

Both believe they have been the victims of rigged elections, the outcome of the presidential race in 2020 for Trump and the National Assembly elections in April for Yoon. Yoon prioritized the deployment of troops during the night of martial law to the National Election Commission to gather possible evidence of election fraud.

Weeks before he declared martial law, Yoon appointed loyalists to sensitive national security posts, including Kim Yong-hyun, his former chief of the Presidential Security Service, as the new defense minister, and Yeo In-hyung as the chief of the Defense Counterintelligence Command.

This prompted opposition leader Lee Jae-myung to warn in early September that Yoon was preparing to declare martial law, although that was dismissed as political fearmongering. The reality was that Kim and Yeo would play the main roles in carrying out the martial law plan.

Trump is also trying to surround himself with political loyalists in key military and intelligence posts, including Pete Hegseth as Secretary of State, Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, and Kash Patel as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Hegseth has said he would carry out a purge of woke generals, seen as those who might oppose plans by Trump to deploy the military in the U.S. if he invokes the Insurrection Act.

The 19th century U.S. Insurrection Act falls short of martial law in Korea under which the military assumes basic government function. But it does empower the U.S. president to use the military and national guard troops to suppress civil disorder or rebellion and was last used in 1992 to stop the racial violence in Los Angeles, including attacks on Korean shopkeepers. Trump contemplated using the act in 2020 to put down national demonstrations in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a policeman in Minneapolis.

Does Korea offer lessons to the U.S. on how to prevent a military-backed takeover from happening?

One reason why Yoons bid for dictatorial power lasted only six hours is that Koreans still have strong memories of the last time martial law was declared in 1979, which paved the way for the harsh dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan. Since 1987, Korea has established a robust democracy based on a strong civil society, which made Yoons action all the more shocking.

The result was that thousands of Koreans poured onto the streets as soon as martial law was declared at 10.30 on a freezing night. Lawmakers rallied at the National Assembly and immediately voted unanimously to revoke martial law in a dramatic show of unity across the political spectrum. This was aided by the fact that Korea has a strong modern tradition of holding mass protests.

In contrast, most Americans take democracy for granted since its political system has lasted for nearly 250 years. As a result, the reflexes against authoritarian rule have atrophied and many Americans might decide not to resist en masse.

One key early test of resistance is whether the U.S. Senate will confirm Trumps most controversial cabinet nominees, including Hegseth, Gabbard and Patel. So far the debate appears to be split along partisan lines. Will enough Republicans vote against them if they are convinced that these appointees would support Trumps invocation of the Insurrection Act?

The American media will also play an important role. While the Korean media universally condemned Yoons act, major right-wing media outlets in the U.S., such as Fox News, might be willing to endorse a Trump grab for power.

The coming months will determine whether Americans will show the same resolve as Koreans did in defending their democracy.

John Burton (johnburtonft@yahoo.com), a former Korea correspondent for the Financial Times, is a Washington-based journalist and consultant.
Yoon must cooperate with legal processes for impeachment

The planned impeachment trial against President Yoon Suk Yeol is mired in legal uncertainties, primarily due to his persistent refusal to accept key legal documents. On Monday, the Constitutional Court said it would push for a pretrial hearing for Yoon as planned, noting that he had received the legal documents. However, despite the court's decision, the dispute is expected to persist, as Yoon's side is likely to mount strong resistance. Since Dec. 16, the Constitutional Court has made multiple attempts to deliver essential paperwork, including an acceptance certificate and a notification for appearance. However, Yoon's legal team has consistently blocked these efforts, citing the lack of a designated receiver. This ongoing obstruction threatens to delay the impeachment process and erode public trust in the nation's legal system.

On Dec. 20, a joint investigative team, composed of officials from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the police, also attempted to serve Yoon with an appearance notification related to their probe into his role in declaring martial law, but to no avail. Yoons refusal to cooperate raises grave questions about his commitment to accountability and the rule of law, particularly at a time when the country is grappling with unprecedented political turmoil and growing concerns over national security.

In a public statement issued on Dec. 12, Yoon pledged to take full responsibility for his actions and face any legal or political consequences stemming from the martial law debacle. He emphasized his commitment to cooperating with investigations and impeachment procedures. However, his actions sharply contrast with his words. His refusal to accept the legal documents seems like a deliberate attempt to delay the impeachment trial and subsequent legal proceedings, possibly in hopes of gaining time until political circumstances shift in his favor.

This approach is not only unethical, but it also undermines the legal processes essential to a functioning democracy. It is critical that Yoon, who once proclaimed that "the buck stops here" when he assumed the presidency, now demonstrate that he is willing to take responsibility for his actions. If Yoon truly believes in the rule of law, he must honor his earlier pledge to confront any challenge to his authority head-on, rather than resorting to delay tactics that only serve to prolong the political crisis.

The situation is all the more troubling given the historical context of the nation's past impeachment proceedings.

When former President Roh Moo-hyun was impeached in 2004, he accepted the documents from the Constitutional Court just one day after the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion. Similarly, when former President Park Geun-hye faced impeachment in 2016, she received the notice within one hour of the motions approval. In both cases, the presidents cooperated with the legal process, despite the political stakes involved. Yoons refusal to engage with the legal system now stands in stark contrast to the precedents set by his predecessors.

The current crisis is even more serious given lingering concerns over national security. Yoons declaration of martial law, which remains a contentious issue, was followed by the arrest of several high-ranking military and police officials, including the Chief of Staff of the ROK Army, Park An-su. These developments have created a power vacuum, leaving the nation vulnerable to potential security threats. In this context, the impeachment trial and investigations must proceed swiftly and without obstruction, so that the nation can regain stability and move past this political impasse.

Yoons legal team has cited the need for more time to prepare for the impeachment trial, but this argument rings hollow. The impeachment motion was passed swiftly, and Yoons legal team has had ample time to prepare. Delaying the legal process only prolongs the uncertainty that is destabilizing the country. As president, Yoon must understand that his actions have far-reaching consequences, and it is now time for him to follow through on his public commitment to take responsibility.

The nation is facing crucial challenges, and Yoons refusal to engage in the legal process is not only a breach of his constitutional duty but also a betrayal of the trust placed in him by the people. If he is to salvage any semblance of credibility, he must cooperate fully with the impeachment trial and investigation. Only through swift and transparent legal proceedings can the country begin to heal from this crisis and restore confidence in its leadership. Yoon must now live up to the commitment he made upon assuming office: to take responsibility for the challenges he faces and to put the nation's interests above personal or political gain. The buck truly stops here.
By Casey Lartigue Jr.

A pivotal lesson that has guided my professional career was one I learned during my freshman year at Harvard University. Professor Thomas OConnor shared a story about a politician basking in the praise of a neighbor. He thanked her for voting for him, only to be shocked when she replied, I didnt vote for you.

Confused, he asked her why. Her response was simple: You didnt ask me.

From then on, the politician made it a point to ask everybody he met to vote for him. This story stuck with me because it underscored an essential truth: People usually dont act unless you ask them. Whether its asking someone to vote, support a cause, contribute to a mission, support a YouTube channel, you cant assume people with their own busy lives will act on their own for you.

As a member of the Young Executive Board of the Washington Scholarship Fund from 1999 to 2004, I asked everyone I met to donate to help provide scholarships for low-income children in Washington. As an executive with the organization Fight For Children from 2004-2005, I was in a position where I helped distribute funds, but that didnt stop me from also encouraging others to donate. When I joined the board of directors of the Black Alliance for Educational Options from 2004 to 2010, I attempted to fundraise while also donating. Here in South Korea, before I co-founded Freedom Speakers International (FSI), I was the volunteer International Cooperation Advisor from 2012 at the Mulmangcho School (for North Korean refugee adolescents) recruiting volunteers. I also set up fundraising events.

It was only after co-founding FSI with Eunkoo Lee that I began to face criticism for my fundraising efforts. Most of the negative feedback has come from a handful of North Korean refugee haters who seemingly criticize everyone and everything.

In some ways, it comes with the territory of being the only American executive to co-found an organization in South Korea empowering North Korean refugees. I was advised in our early days not to be public because I would get attacked, and I have ignored that advice as a public speaker, event organizer, moderator, columnist, blogger, mentor, editor, author, educator, advocate, policy advisor and fundraiser. I knew my mission so I brushed off the accusations.

A friend of mine recently shared his experience in an emergency room that brought clarity to the accusations. While he was panicking and feeling the urgency of his medical situation, the doctors and nurses went about their work. He said, The emergency room needs to be renamed as The Emergency Room for You. Because it wasnt an emergency to the staffers.

This analogy perfectly captures my experience with FSI. Ensuring the survival of the organization has always been an emergency for me. From the moment Eun-koo and I decided to formalize FSI after almost four years of volunteering, the need for funding was urgent. We had more North Korean refugees coming to us, we needed resources and staffers to support them and to build a viable organization. But to outsiders  especially critics  it didnt seem urgent.

Ive made it a point to ask everyone I meet for their support. In the early days, we relied on online fundraising from Americans because funding streams for North Korean refugee organizations werent available to us (my co-founder is South Korean). We now receive more support from South Koreans (individuals, organizations, businesses and government), and for the first time, we have some financial stability.

Today, FSI is strong enough to support our core mission of mentoring North Korean refugees in public speaking and also to expand our impact in new ways. For example, we now have a fundraiser dedicated to supporting future education expenses of children of North Korean refugee single moms. I was inspired to set it up after recognizing the disconnect between people wanting to send gifts to the children of North Korean refugee single moms while the moms were focused on saving for spending on education in the future. Years ago, when we didnt have money, status, or the capacity to think beyond our immediate needs, this kind of initiative wouldnt have been possible.

But the fact that we can now organize such a fundraiser is proof that I did the right thing by constantly asking for support. Critics havent stopped me from doing whats necessary to sustain FSI. When I hear their complaints about me engaging in fundraising, it reminds me to continue asking everyone I know to support our work.

The results speak for themselves: FSI has survived because Ive embraced the philosophy of asking everyone I know to support our work. Speaking of which, have you supported Freedom Speakers Internationals mission of empowering North Korean refugees to engage in public speaking? My email is in the bio line of this column.

Casey Lartigue Jr. (CJL@alumni.harvard.edu) is the co-founder of Freedom Speakers International with Lee Eun-koo; and co-author with Han Song-mi of her memoir "Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korean Daughters Search for Her Mother and Herself.
















Major conglomerate SK Group said Monday it has agreed to sell a specialty gas producer for 2.7 trillion won ($1.86 billion) in its latest efforts to realign its business portfolio.

SK Corp., the holding company of SK Group, said its board of directors approved a deal to sell an 85 percent stake in SK Specialty to private equity fund Hahn & Co.

SK Specialty, formerly known as SK Materials, produces chipmaking-related specialty gas, such as etching gas.

SK Specialty provides specialty gases to SK hynix and other chipmakers. (Yonhap)
By Lee Min-hyung

Kang Jin-su, a senior auto consultant at Kia, has shifted his sales focus to targeting customers with strong purchasing power, as this group is more likely to actively recommend the brand to their acquaintances.

Last month, Kang gained widespread recognition as Kia's grand sales master by achieving the impressive milestone of over 4,000 cumulative auto sales. Since joining the carmaker in 1996, he has consistently excelled, averaging annual sales of 138 vehicles over the past 29 years. This remarkable achievement earned him the distinction of being Kias 32nd grand sales master, solidifying his reputation as a top performer within the company.

His office is located in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, and he adopted a strategy of earning the trust of merchants at Garak Market, one of the nation's largest agricultural and fish markets.

Thousands of merchants work at the market, and they possess strong purchasing power, Kang said during a recent telephone interview. One of their key characteristics is that they maintain mutual trust with me over the long term, once they find me trustworthy.

Kang said he has a group of around 50 customers at the market, who consistently introduce their family members and friends, helping him maintain robust sales steadily for decades.

They run their own businesses and have multiple clients, he said. Forming a reliable relationship with them was the key driving force for me to win the title of grand sales master.

Kang also expressed his hope of earning the title of the carmakers top salesperson of the year.

I need to sell more than 400 vehicles annually to win the title, but so far, Ive sold around 240 vehicles this year, he said.

Even though it seems challenging to reach the position for now, Kang expressed confidence in rising to the top spot in the near future.

"I always strive to make my customers feel comfortable and at ease during our conversations, no matter the time or place, which is why most of them sign a contract during our first meeting," Kang said.

The portion of my auto sales to individual customers is around 70 percent, with the remaining 30 percent coming from corporate customers. To reach the top rank, I need to increase my corporate sales, Kang said.
LG Energy Solution signed a deal for the joint development of prismatic batteries with General Motors (GM), becoming the only company to have all three form factors for electric vehicle (EV) batteries in its portfolio.

This is the first time the Korean battery giant officially announced plans to develop prismatic batteries. The batteries developed through this agreement will be installed in GM's next-generation EVs.

The deal cemented LG Energy Solution's status as the industry's only manufacturer capable of producing pouch, cylindrical and prismatic batteries, which are the most commonly used battery types for EVs.

The company said the agreement holds additional significance as the global EV battery market continues to diversify. Carmakers are developing detailed strategies tailored to vehicle sizes and market specifics, leading to more complex and varied demands for battery manufacturers.

Against this backdrop, LG Energy Solution said the deal will enhance its ability to offer tailored solutions that meet diverse customer needs, and the company will build on its technologies and the multiple patents it holds across designing, manufacturing and packaging processes.

LG Energy Solution said its technological prowess in stacking layers of materials in casing will boost its prismatic battery development capabilities.

Along with diversified form factors, the company said it will also enhance its competitiveness in the mid- to low-end battery market. During an investor event in October, LG Energy Solution announced its long-term strategy of placing strategic emphasis on lithium iron phosphate batteries.

The company clinched a series of EV battery supply deals earlier this year. They include cylindrical 46-series batteries for Rivian EVs in November, pouch batteries for Ford in October and Mercedes Benz in September and pouch batteries for Renault in July. (Advertorial)
Tax incentives, low-interest loans proposed to salvage ailing industry

By Park Jae-hyuk

On Monday, the government announced long-awaited measures aimed at boosting the competitiveness of Korea's petrochemical industry, which has seen declining profitability due to strong price competition from Chinese rivals as well as the global economic downturn.

However, despite years of requests from the industry, the measures did not include a relaxation of antitrust regulations, which could have facilitated the merger of unprofitable factories by removing rules that some argue restrict market-leading companies. Because the equipment in these factories is interconnected, mergers and acquisitions between petrochemical firms often involve large-scale deals, which then makes them subject to antitrust regulations.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, petrochemical firms will be allowed to defer the payment of transfer income taxes if they sell assets in regions designated as vulnerable to industrial decline, in order to repay debts or make investments.

Subcontractors and small business owners in these regions will also receive financial support from the government.

Additionally, state-financed funds worth up to 3 trillion won ($2 billion) will be injected into the petrochemical sector, so that companies can secure liquidity and reorganize their businesses with low-interest loans.

Regarding joint ventures and merger and acquisition deals in the sector, the government said it will help companies consult with authorities, namely the Fair Trade Commission, in advance, to shorten the reviewing process for such transactions.

It was uncertain which specific company or which specific merger case needed the easing of antitrust regulations, Lee Dong-cheol, head of the ministrys chemicals industry team, said.

In a press release, the ministry stated that the government will encourage companies to develop restructuring plans through an independent consulting agency, acknowledging the challenges of government-led reforms.

It added that the government will announce follow-up measures during the first half of next year after listening to suggestions from the industry.

The Korea Chemical Industry Association (KCIA) welcomed the government's plans in its official statement, but officials in the industry remain lukewarm about the measure, saying they do not expect the announced measures to become fundamental solutions to the current situation.

"KCIA Chairman Shin Hak-cheol appreciated the government announcing the measures without delay," the association said. "He vowed to communicate with the government and industry officials so that the announced measures can help the industry overcome crises and achieve continuous growth."

A major petrochemical company official also noted that tax incentives for research and development could be helpful for the industry, but the governments plans do not seem to be a breakthrough, considering the current market environment.

Throughout this year, petrochemical firms had expected that the government may employ drastic measures similar to Japans lifting of antitrust regulations on struggling industries in the 1970s, which is considered to have facilitated the Japanese petrochemical sectors restructuring in the 2010s.

By delaying the application of the Fair Trade Act and providing tax reduction and other incentives for mergers, the government should support autonomous restructuring of the private sector, Korea Industry Alliance Forum Chairman Jeong Marn-ki said in April, during a conference on the petrochemical industry crisis.

Accounting firm Samil PwC recommended that the government waive antitrust regulations on mergers within the petrochemical industry and proposed that operators of naphtha cracking centers in the Ulsan, Yeosu and Daesan industrial complexes form an integrated company to close or sell inefficient facilities.

For the restructuring to gain momentum, the government should legislate a special law and provide unprecedented financial support, the accounting firm said in a report published this month.
China escalates rhetoric against Koreas potential move to impose tariffs on BYD

By Lee Min-hyung

Korea is unlikely to impose countervailing duties on Chinese electric vehicles (EV) amid fears of possible trade retaliation from the worlds second-largest economy, experts and industry officials said Monday.

This contrasts sharply with the positions of the United States and the European Union (EU), both of which are moving to raise tariffs on Chinese EV imports. Starting in September, the U.S. quadrupled its tariff on China-made EVs to 100 percent, while the EU decided to impose an increased tariff of up to 45.3 percent on EVs imported from China.

Koreas Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is also weighing the option of imposing similar duties on Chinese EVs, as BYD plans to start selling its vehicles in Korea in January 2025. The ministry stated that it has developed a detailed guideline outlining the legal foundation for potential sanctions on Chinese imported goods.

However, Korea's saber-rattling is unlikely to materialize due to the trade-reliant structure of its economy, according to industry insiders.

Korea will not be able to play the card in the end, as the economy is still heavily reliant on China, Lee Ho-geun, an automotive engineering professor at Daedeok University, said. This means Korea remains highly vulnerable to any possible trade retaliation from China.

In response, China is also intensifying its rhetoric against Koreas potential sanctions on Chinese EV imports. State-controlled media in China argued that such regulations will ultimately harm the interests of Korean companies and citizens.

The professor also noted a slim chance of Korea imposing tariffs or regulatory pressure on BYD or other China-made EVs, citing the countrys current political circumstances.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea prefers to adopt a pro-China policy drive, so it will be tough for the government to push ahead with the move, Lee said.

Data from the Korea International Trade Association shows that in 2023, Korea's export dependence on China reached 19.7 percent, making it the highest in the world. Meanwhile, Korea's dependence on the U.S. was recorded at 18.3 percent during the same period.

Industry officials said Korea cannot follow a similar path to that of the U.S. or the EU when it comes to China regulations, as the Korean economy has much more to lose under such a scenario.

Even if the move is a step in the right direction amid the global rise of protectionism in the wake of the second Donald Trump presidency, the Korean economy is vulnerable to external variables due to the trade reliance, an automotive industry official said.

According to the official, Hyundai Motor and Kia  two major Korean carmakers  would face significant risks from China's retaliation if the Korean government imposes punitive sanctions on Chinese EVs.

The two carmakers are moving to redirect their strategic focus on China by recently making mega-sized investments there, but their fate will be clouded once again if both countries engage in any unnecessary trade conflict, the official said.
The Saudi suspect in Germany's deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market held strongly anti-Islam views and was angry with Germany's migrant and asylum policy, officials said Saturday.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the "terrible, insane" attack that killed five people and shocked the nation, days before Christmas and eight years after a jihadist drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin.

Police were puzzling over the motive of Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, the main suspect after an SUV plowed at high speed through a dense crowd in the eastern city of Magdeburg Friday.

As well as killing five people, the vehicle wounded 205 others. A nine-year-old child was among the dead and casualties were being treated in 15 regional hospitals.

Germany has been hit by multiple deadly jihadist attacks, but evidence gathered by investigators and his past online posts painted a different picture of Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old doctor of psychiatry.

In an unpublished interview with AFP from 2022 for an unrelated story, Abdulmohsen presented himself as "a Saudi atheist."

He has helped Saudi women flee their country -- but also railed against what he saw as Germany's permissive attitude towards refugees from other mainly Muslim countries.

Interior Minister Nancy Fraser said he held "Islamophobic" views. And a prosecutor said that "the background to the crime... could have been disgruntlement with the way Saudi Arabian refugees are treated in Germany."

Taha Al-Hajji of the Berlin-based European Saudi Organization for Human Rights told AFP Abdulmohsen was "a psychologically disturbed person with an exaggerated sense of self-importance."

Call for unity

In his online posts, Abdulmohsen spoke about his troubles with and suspicions of German authorities.

Last August, he posted on social media: "Is there a path to justice in Germany without blowing up a German embassy or randomly slaughtering German citizens?... If anyone knows it, please let me know."

Die Welt daily reported, citing security sources, that German state and federal police had carried out a "risk assessment" on him last year but concluded that he posed "no specific danger."

A somber Scholz, dressed in black, visited the attack site Saturday together with national and regional politicians laying flowers outside the main church in Magdeburg.

Local people have left candles, flowers, cards and children's toys at the Johanneskirche church, where Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier later joined a memorial service.

Scholz pledged the state would respond "with the full force of the law" to the attack. But he also called for unity as Germany has been rocked by a heated debate on immigration and security ahead of elections in February.

It was important "that we stick together, that we link arms, that it is not hatred that determines our coexistence but the fact that we are a community that seeks a common future," he said.

US President Joe Biden later joined other world leaders in voicing his condolences "to the people of Germany grieving the terrible attack."

"No community  and no family  should have to endure such a despicable and dark event, especially just days before a holiday of joy and peace."

Pope Francis also offered condolences to the German president in a telegram.

Scholz said he was grateful for the expressions of solidarity from around the world. "It is good to hear that we as Germans are not alone in the face of this terrible catastrophe."

'Sad and shocked'

Surveillance video footage of the attack showed a black BMW racing straight through the crowd, scattering bodies amid the festive stalls that were selling traditional handicrafts, snacks and mulled wine.

On Saturday, debris and discarded medical materials blew across the cordoned-off site, the stalls now empty around a giant Christmas tree.

This year's fair has been cancelled out of respect for the victims.

The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, which has focused on jihadist attacks in its campaign against immigrants, wrote on X: "When will this madness stop?"

"What happened today affects a lot of people. It affects us a lot," Fael Kelion, a 27-year-old Cameroonian living in the city, told AFP.

"I think that since (the suspect) is a foreigner, the population will be unhappy, less welcoming."

Michael Raarig, 67 and an engineer, feared the attack "will play into the hands of the AfD" which has had its strongest support in the formerly communist Eastern Germany.

Security was stepped up Saturday at Christmas markets elsewhere in Germany with more police out in Hamburg, Leipzig and other cities.

Church bells rang in Magdeburg and across the region at 7:03 p.m. the time of Friday's attack. (AFP)
The United States said Monday it is opening an investigation into China's policies for its semiconductor industry, over concerns that Beijing is turning to "extensive anticompetitive and non-market means" to undermine other economies.

The probe centers on foundational semiconductors  which go into everything from cars to medical devices  and whether China's actions create burdens for U.S. commerce, according to the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) office.

The fear is that Beijing's practices undermine "the competitiveness of American industry and workers, critical U.S. supply chains, and U.S. economic security," the USTR's office added.

"We have seen time and again, a pattern of harmful impact from nonmarket policies and practices across industries that the PRC has targeted for worldwide market dominance," said USTR Katherine Tai, referring to the People's Republic of China.

Previous instances have included steel, aluminum, solar cells, electric vehicles and now, semiconductors, Tai told reporters on Sunday.

"This is enabling its companies to rapidly expand capacity and to offer artificially lower-priced chips that threaten to significantly harm and potentially eliminate fair, market-oriented competition," Tai added.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said that an analysis of the U.S. semiconductor supply chain found two-thirds of U.S. products contain Chinese-made foundational chips.

"About half of companies didn't know whether they had Chinese chips in their products," she said, adding that this included firms making defense systems, critical infrastructure and consumer electronics.

In recent years, President Joe Biden has sought to shore up U.S. chipmaking capabilities to reduce reliance on other countries.

The latest probe will initially focus on China's foundational semiconductors production, including the extent that these are used in other products like medical devices and vehicles.

The probe is also expected to consider whether Beijing's policies on inputs for semiconductor fabrication contribute to "burden or restriction on U.S. commerce," the USTR's office said.

"This investigation is part of our broader strategy to strengthen the resilience of our supply chains and revitalize domestic manufacturing," said National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard.

The investigation falls under Section 301 of the Trade Act, the same tool used during President-elect Donald Trump's first administration to impose tariff hikes on Chinese products.

Officials will have a year to carry out the investigation and decide on responses. (AFP)
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PORTLAOISE gardai are appealing for witnesses, after a car was involved in a series of dangerous driving incidents in the town last night.

A dark 5 series BMW drove through a checkpoint on the Dublin Road shortly after midnight, before taking off on a terrifying journey around the town.

The runaway vehicle smashed into a parked car in a housing estate during the escapade, before speeding away again.

Gardai said today: The manner of driving was extremely dangerous and reckless and has no place on our roads.

Appealing for witnesses, particularly those with dashcam footage, the Laois Roads Policing Unit (RPU) said the dark BMW 520/530 drove through a checkpoint outside the fire station on the Dublin Road, at about 12.10am on Monday 23 December.

It was subsequently involved in a number of dangerous driving incidents, after travelling out the Borris Road and into Dr Murphy Place, where it crashed into a parked car.

The BMW then took off again along the Dublin Road and turned onto the Block Road, before driving back along the Stradbally Road towards town. It then turned right at SS Peter and Pauls Church and went back out the Dublin Road again.

Gardai are appealing for assistance in locating or identifying the BMW and driver. Anyone that was travelling in the relevant locations between 12.10am and 12.30am, who may have dashcam footage or information relating to the incidents, is asked to contact Portlaoise Garda Station at 057 8674100 and leave a message for the Laois RPU.

The unit can also be contacted at Portlaoise.traffic@garda.ie or the Garda confidential line at 1800 666 111.
A range of stories are featured across the front pages on Monday morning.

The Irish Times reports that taxpayers are subsidising 50 private secondary schools by more than 140 million a year.

More than 1,000 prisoners are being crammed into cells on bunk beds or mattresses on the floor and many are forced to use toilets in front of each other, the Irish Examiner reports.

The Irish Independent reveals that house prices in western counties are rising at twice the rate of elsewhere.

A new poll in the Irish Daily Mail shows that former Social Democrats co-leader Roisin Shortall is the favourite to become the next president.

The Irish Daily Star tracked down Kyran Durnin's mother in England but she made no comment.

The Belfast Telegraph leads with an image of a plane that crash landed at Belfast City Airport on Sunday evening.

The UK economy is among the topics covered by the British papers.

The Times reports a Labour cabinet minister has called the state of Britains economy disappointing, as the Daily Mail and Daily Express lead with business chiefs warning the UK is heading towards a recession.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph says Britains new ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, is willing to work with Nigel Farage in an effort to win over the Trump administration.

More than 100 million was spent last year on failed efforts to block support for children and young people with special education needs, according to The Guardian.

The Daily Mirror reports a three-year-old British boy is hoping for a life-saving double organ transplant for Christmas.

The Sun leads with heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury assuring fans it is not over following his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia.

And the Daily Star says a new poll has revealed cleanliness will take a back seat for millions of Britons over the festive period.
PRNewswire

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 23: Dun & Bradstreet India, a global leader in business decisioning data and analytics, has announced today that it has partnered with the Northeastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC) to issue D-U-N-S Numbers to Farmer Production Organizations (FPOs) in the North Eastern region of India.

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The D-U-N-S Number is a unique nine-digit identifier for businesses. This number is assigned once Dun & Bradstreet's patented identity resolution process identifies a company as being unique from any other in the Dun & Bradstreet Data Cloud. It helps identify, validate, and link businesses worldwide.

Speaking about the partnership, Preeta Misra, Senior Director - Credibility & Business Insights Group, ESG and SME, Dun & Bradstreet India said, "This is a valuable opportunity for all the Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) registered with NERAMAC to enhance their visibility and expand their reach both locally and globally. The Northeastern Region of India, known for its rich agricultural diversity and unique products, offers immense potential for FPOs to showcase their goods and connect with new markets. By leveraging this opportunity, these FPOs can not only gain visibility in the international markets but also contribute to the growth and development of the region's agricultural sector on a broader scale."

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Talking about the benefit of the D-U-N-S Number, Misra further added, "The industry-recognized D-U-N-S Number, an identifier for more than 590 million entities in the Dun & Bradstreet Data Cloud, provides information and linkage across business relationships, employers, and subsidiaries for more effective decision making."

Cmde Rajiv Ashok (Retd), Managing Director of NERAMAC said, "The logical progression for any Farmer Producer Company (FPC) is to seek opportunities and increase business. Given the geography, climatology and land holding patterns, the cultivated quantities of produce in Northeastern Region, relative to other regions of India, is relatively limited. However, the produce has its USP in terms of quality and limited exposure to chemical fertilizers/ pesticides. The obvious extrapolation from here leads to the requirement to export the produce to ensure higher income generation for farmers in FPOs/ FPCs. We believe that the Dun &Bradstreet's D-U-N-S number will empower our FPOs/ FPCs to build credibility, increase visibility, expand across global markets, find potential customers, and identify growth opportunities.

For details, you can get in touch with NERAMAC at cs@neramac.com or write to D&B at india@dnb.com.

About NERAMAC:

North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC) Limited was incorporated in 1982 as a CPSE of the GoI and it now functions under the administrative control of Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (MDoNER).

NERAMAC has evolved over the years and apart from its role as a marketing agency, it has in the recent years focused on capacity building. Accordingly, it is an Implementing Agency of the MoAFW 10,000 FPO Formation and Promotion scheme and has developed 220 FPOs. Significant steps have also been taken into the cold chain segment and establishment of food processing units both major and minor. Skill Training and entrepreneurship development is being undertaken in a big way with agencies like; MSDE, NSDC, FICSI, ASCI, NABARD, Min of Social Justice etc. With the mandate now extending into Fisheries and Dairy sectors, it is expected that in the near future, the reach of NERAMAC in NER would further extend.

About Dun & Bradstreet:

Dun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, enables companies around the world to improve their business performance. Dun & Bradstreet's Data Cloud fuels solutions and delivers insights that empower customers to accelerate revenue, lower cost, mitigate risk and transform their businesses. Since 1841, companies of every size have relied on Dun & Bradstreet to help them manage risk and reveal opportunity. For more information on Dun & Bradstreet, please visit www.dnb.com.

Dun & Bradstreet Information Services India Private Limited is headquartered in Mumbai and provides clients with data-driven products and technology-driven platforms to help them take faster and more accurate decisions across finance, risk, compliance, information technology and marketing. Working towards Government of India's vision of creating an Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) by supporting the Make in India initiative, Dun & Bradstreet India has a special focus on helping entrepreneurs enhance their visibility, increase their credibility, expand access to global markets, and identify potential customers & suppliers, while managing risk and opportunity.

India is also the home to Dun & Bradstreet Technology & Corporate Services LLP, which is the Global Capabilities Center (GCC) of Dun & Bradstreet supporting global technology delivery using cutting-edge technology. Located at Hyderabad, the GCC has a highly skilled workforce of over 500 employees, and focuses on enhanced productivity, economies of scale, consistent delivery processes and lower operating expenses.

Visit www.dnb.co.in for more information. Click here for all Dun & Bradstreet India press releases.

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PRNewswire

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 23: Godrej Agrovet Limited, one of India's leading diversified agri-business company, has unveiled a brand film leading to Kisan Diwas 2024. Titled #SeedsofGoodness, the film reiterates company's commitment of handholding and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our country's farmers amidst continuously evolving climatic and, hence, farming conditions.

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#SeedsofGoodness highlights impact of weather on Indian farmers and how company is addressing it

Conceptualized and executed by Godrej Industries Group's Corporate Brand and Communications team along with Creativeland Asia, #SeedsOfGoodness showcases different on-field initiatives being undertaken by Godrej Agrovet to uplift farming families.

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To watch the video: Link

Speaking about the film, Balram Singh Yadav, Managing Director, Godrej Agrovet Ltd., said, "Today, rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns, including seasonal and prolonged rains, directly impact yield and income of Indian farmers - the ones who feed our nation. Advances in science and technology now enable us to predict and refine farming practices, and at Godrej Agrovet, we remain steadfast partners to our farmers through continuous innovation. By providing them holistic support and solutions, we aim to help them overcome these challenges. This Kisan Diwas, on behalf of our entire company, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our farmers and reaffirm our commitment to their upliftment."

Burjis Godrej, Executive Director, underscored the company's core mission of empowering farmers with sustainable solutions, positioning it at the heart of Godrej Agrovet's vision. Rajavelu K. N., CEO - Crop Protection Business, outlined the company's focus on introducing innovative measures to address the growing challenges posed by pests and weeds. Capt. A.Y. Rajendra, CEO - Animal Feed & Godrej Maxximilk, emphasized the critical role of high-quality animal feed in improving livestock health and farmer income. He also highlighted the importance of genetic advancements to boost milk production without compromising animal welfare. Bhupendra Suri, CEO - Godrej Jersey, elaborated on initiatives aimed at enhancing milk output, while Abhay Parnekar, CEO - Godrej Foods, stressed the necessity of robust infrastructure to optimize poultry productivity. Sougata Niyogi, CEO - Oil Palm Business, highlighted the significance of soil testing and drip irrigation systems for achieving sustainable and successful oil palm cultivation. Dhrubajyoti Banerjee, CEO - Aqua Feeds, detailed the measures being implemented to support aquaculture farmers, particularly during harsh winter conditions.

Anu Joseph, Co-Founder and Creative Vice-Chairman of Creativeland Asia, shared, "This film is a tribute to the resilience of Indian farmers and Godrej Agrovet's commitment to helping them battle the challenges of climate change. It highlights the partnership between Godrej Agrovet and the Kisan in sowing the #SeedsOfGoodness for a sustainable and secure future. The idea was to bring the perspective of Godrej Agrovet's leaders to life."

The Godrej Industries Group continues to leverage synergies across the group to uplift the farming families. Since 1991, Godrej Agrovet's team has been at the forefront of innovation and handhold farmers who feed our nation.

About Godrej Agrovet Ltd:

Godrej Agrovet Limited (GAVL) is a diversified, Research & Development focused food and agri-business conglomerate, dedicated to improving the productivity of Indian farmers by innovating products and services that sustainably increase crop and livestock yields. GAVL holds leading market positions in the different businesses it operates - Animal Feed, Crop Protection, Oil Palm, Dairy, Poultry and Processed Foods. GAVL has a pan India presence with sales of over a million tons annually of high-quality animal feed. Our teams have worked closely with Indian farmers to develop large Oil Palm Plantations, which is helping in bridging the demand and supply gap of edible oil in India. In the crop protection segment, the Company has strong presence in the B2B segment through its subsidiary Astec Lifesciences and through its extensive distribution, network pan-India delivers innovative agrochemical offerings catering to the entire crop life cycles. In Dairy, Poultry, and Processed Foods, the company operates through its subsidiaries Creamline Dairy Products Limited and Godrej Tyson Foods Limited. Apart from this, GAVL also has a joint venture with the ACI group of Bangladesh for animal feed business in Bangladesh.

For more information on the Company, please log on to www.godrejagrovet.com

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Mumbai, December 23: Solar91 Cleantech Limited promoted by 4 IIT graduates specializes in providing EPC solar energy solutions to commercial and industrial clients, proposes to open its Initial Public Offering on December 24, 2024, aiming to raise Rs 106 Crore with shares to be listed on the BSE SME platform.

The issue size is 54,36,000 equity shares with a price band of Rs 185 - Rs 195 Per Share and face value of Rs 10 each. Equity Share Allocation Qualified Institutional Buyer - 25,63,800 Equity Shares Non-Institutional Investors - 7,70,400 Equity Shares Retail Individual Investors -17,97,000 Equity Shares Market Maker -3,04,800 Equity Shares. Vishal Mega Mart IPO Allotment Update: GMP Price, Listing Date and Know How To Check Allotment Status Online.

The net proceeds from the IPO will be utilized to meet out the expenses for investment in its subsidiary for the development of solar plants as an Independent Power Producer (IPP), meet working capital requirements and cover general corporate purposes. The anchor bidding will open on December 23, 2024, the issue opening date will be December 24, 2024 and the issue will close on December 27, 2024.

The Book Running Lead Manager to the Issue is Narnolia Financial Services Limited and the Registrar to the Issue is Maashitla Securities Private Limited.

Saurabh Vyas, Chairperson & Whole Time Director of Solar91 Cleantech Limited expressed, " I am delighted to announce this remarkable milestone in our journey as we launch our Initial Public Offering (IPO). Founded with a vision of Energizing India, the company has been built on a foundation of innovation, expertise, and a deep understanding of the renewable energy sector. The extensive combined experience and foresight have been instrumental in shaping the company and transforming it an emerging player in the IPP space."

"This IPO marks a new chapter for the company, empowering us to accelerate our growth, expand our IPP portfolio, and continue delivering sustainable, high-quality solar energy solutions to clients across domestic, agricultural, and industrial sectors. With the growing emphasis on renewable energy in India, we are poised to play a pivotal role in advancing the nation's green energy goals. It is a moment of immense pride to see our vision align with India's renewable energy goals, and I am confident that this offering will unlock new opportunities for us to contribute meaningfully to a greener, more sustainable future."

Vipin Aggarwal, Director, Merchant Banking Division at Narnolia Financial Services Limited said, "We are proud to be associated with Solar91 Cleantech Limited as they embark on this significant IPO journey. The company's proven expertise in delivering comprehensive Solar EPC solutions to commercial and industrial clients, coupled with its strategic transition to the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model.

The company's foundation is further strengthened by its exceptional promoters--four IIT graduates with extensive experience and a deep understanding of industry dynamics and growth potential. Their leadership has been instrumental in driving innovation, ensuring operational excellence, and navigating the company through a transformative phase in the renewable energy sector. Concord Enviro IPO: GMP, Opening Date, Price Band  Heres All You Need To Know.

Their vision to design, build, own, and operate solar power plants nationwide while advancing grid stability through storage solutions resonates strongly with India's green energy aspirations. This IPO will provide Solar91 the capital required to accelerate its expansion, enabling them to strengthen their role as enablers of India's 'green revolution.' We believe this public offering will unlock immense value and are excited to support their continued growth and success."

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New Delhi, December 23: Two foreign nationals have been arrested for smuggling into the country cocaine worth Rs 33 crore at the international airport here, the customs department said on Monday. The accused men, a Brazilian and a South African, were arrested in separate cases, it said. Giving details of the first case, the customs official said a Brazilian national was intercepted after his arrival from Guarulhos (Brazil) via Paris on December 11.

"Upon questioning, the passenger admitted that the had ingested some capsules containing some narcotic substances," said a statement issued by the customs. The passenger was then taken to Safdarjung hospital for further suitable procedure to extract the secreted goods. "The entire ejection procedure lasted over several days during which customs staff maintained round the clock vigil. Total 127 capsules (were) recovered from the passenger which in turn yielded net weight 1383 grams of white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine. The value of the said substance is Rs 21 crore approximate," it said. Gold Smuggling Bid Foiled at Delhi Airport: How INR 400 Phone Led to a Smugglers Arrest at IGI Airport.

The passenger was arrested and the narcotic was seized. In another case, a South African national was intercepted after his arrival from Ethiopia's Addis Ababa on December 7. Upon questioning, this passenger also admitted to have ingested some capsules containing narcotic substances, another statement by the customs said. Trans-Border Drug Syndicate Busted: Heroin Smuggled From Myanmar Worth Over INR 6.40 Crore Seized in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, 3 Arrested.

The passenger was also taken to Safdarjung hospital where 67 capsules were recovered from him during the ejection process that lasted over several days. Around 799 grams of white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine was recovered from them, it said, adding that the value of the said substance is Rs 12 crore approximate. The passenger was arrested and the narcotic has been seized.

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Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 23 (ANI): Two police constables were injured in an encounter with three 'khalistani terrorists' who had been involved in the Gurdaspur police station grenade attack in Punjab.

The suspects opened fire during the police operation, leading to a heavy exchange of gunfire that critically injured all three terrorists, said UP police officials .

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SP Avinash Pandey explained the sequence of events, stating, "In Gurdaspur district, a police station was attacked a few days ago, and based on that information, today, Gurdaspur police informed that three suspects, who had been hiding, were located. This information was shared with the Puranpur police station, and a search operation was launched. The police were informed by the picket at Khamaria Point that three suspects were riding a bike at high speed towards the city of Pilibhit. The teams from Puranpur police station, SOG, and Gurdaspur police immediately pursued them."

The encounter took place near an under-construction bridge in the Puranpur area, where the suspects were surrounded. SP Pandey further explained, "As the suspects were heading towards an under-construction bridge near the Puranpur area, some vehicles also came in their path. The suspects were surrounded, and when the police confronted them, they opened fire. The police responded with heavy gunfire, injuring all three suspects critically."

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The suspects were initially taken to the Community Health Center (CHC) for treatment, but later succumbed to their injuries at the district hospital. "The three suspects were taken to the CHC for treatment, and later, they were transferred to the district hospital, where they were confirmed dead," SP Pandey confirmed.

The police also recovered two foreign-made Glock pistols and a stolen motorcycle linked to a theft in Puranpur. "From the suspects, the police recovered two foreign-made Glock pistols and a stolen motorcycle related to a theft in Puranpur," said SP Pandey.

The constables injured in the encounter were identified as Constable Sumit and Constable Shahnawaz. SP Pandey provided an update on their condition, stating, "Two of our constables were also injured in the encounter. They received medical treatment and were referred to the hospital for further care."

Meanwhile, Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, confirmed the 'breakthrough' in a post on X, stating, "In a major breakthrough against a #Pak-sponsored Khalistan Zindabad Force(KZF) terror module, a joint operation of UP Police and Punjab Police has led to an encounter with three module members who fired at the police party." (ANI)

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Kotputli (Rajasthan) [India], December 23 (ANI): A 3.5-year-old girl fell into a borewell in the Kiratpura village of Kotputli, Rajasthan, sparking a swift and coordinated rescue effort. The incident occurred on Sunday morning, and authorities immediately launched a rescue operation to free the child.

Kotputli Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Brajesh Choudhary confirmed the incident, stating, "A 3.5-year-old girl fell into a borewell in the Kiratpura village of Kotputli district. The administration and medical team have reached the spot. Rescue operations are underway..."

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Teams from the district administration, along with medical personnel, have been working at the scene since the accident was reported. Local authorities have cordoned off the area to ensure the safety of both the rescue workers and the villagers.

Rescue operations often face immense challenges, especially in cases involving borewell accidents, as the narrow, deep shafts can be difficult to navigate. Authorities have called in specialized teams and equipment to assist with the operation, which involves carefully digging and securing the area around the borewell to prevent further complications. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India] December 23 (ANI): The BJP Minority Front is set to commemorate the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on December 25, which is also observed as "Good Governance Day." Various programs will be organized across the country to honour the occasion.

Jamal Siddiqui, the National President of the BJP Minority Front, stated that "Atal Smriti Sabhas" will be held at every booth in cities across India. During these gatherings, tributes will be paid to Vajpayee through floral arrangements and the recitation of his poems by the youth.

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These events will also feature discussions on Vajpayee's notable contributions as the founder of the BJP, as well as his tenure as India's Prime Minister.

Siddiqui further added that the programs will also highlight the achievements and development works of Vajpayee's government, along with the ongoing progress made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

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A virtual meeting was held today to discuss the preparations for the upcoming program. The meeting was attended by various state in-charges, state presidents, general secretaries, program in-charges, co-in-charges, and senior party officials. Among the attendees was Dushyant Kumar Gautam, the national general secretary and in-charge of the Morcha, who contributed to the planning and coordination of the events.

Meanwhile, following the announcement by BJP national president JP nadda for nationwide commemorations of 'Good Governance Day' and 'Veer Bal Diwas', the party's Himachal Pradesh unit shared the detailed outline for the events scheduled on December 25 and 26.

BJP State General Secretary Trilok Kapoor, during a press conference in Dharamshala on Sunday, said to commemorate the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, homage will be paid in Delhi by President Droupadi Mumu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other dignitaries.

Regarding BJP National President JP Nadda's directives, he said events will also be organized at the booth level nationwide.

He also informed about state BJP President Dr Rajeev Bindal's announcement that tributes will be paid to the former PM's statues at all booths. Since this marks Vajpayee's centenary year, year-long programs will be held in his honour, according to BJP State General Secretary Trilok Kapoor.

Highlighting former PM Vajpayee's contribution, Kapoor said that the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana transformed rural connectivity. As part of the tribute to Former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, participants will walk 1-2 kilometres on such roads. Schools and colleges will organize poetry recitations and other programs based on Vajpayee's works. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) Seven BJP MLAs on Monday approached the Delhi High Court seeking tabling of 14 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports pertaining to the city administration before the assembly.

The matter was mentioned by the senior counsel for the petitioners before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela which directed that it be listed for hearing in the "normal course".

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This is the second petition by the legislators in relation to the CAG reports.

The petitioners' senior counsel said in spite of an earlier writ petition on the issue, 14 CAG reports were yet to placed before the Assembly by the government.

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When the bench questioned what was the urgency in the matter, the senior lawyer said once election was announced, the session of the assembly would not be called.

"Normal course", the court said.

Opposition leader Vijender Gupta and BJP MLAs Mohan Singh Bisht, Om Prakash Sharma, Ajay Kumar Mahawar, Abhay Verma, Anil Kumar Bajpai and Jitendra Mahajan had earlier filed a petition on the issue of placing of CAG reports before the assembly.

In the latest plea filed through lawyers Neeraj and Satya Ranjan Swain, the petitioners said in spite of the order passed in the earlier case, the Speaker was yet to receive the reports for taking further action.

"Hon'ble Speaker informed the petitioners that he is not in receipt of the CAG Reports. On 20.12.2024, when the petitioner no.1 again enquired about receiving the CAG reports, the Hon'ble Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly apprised that he has not yet received the CAG reports till 12:51 PM," the latest petition said.

"This is a clear violation of the statement/undertaking given by the senior counsel on behalf of the GNCTD before this Hon'ble Court," it added.

They have therefore sought a direction to the Delhi government and the chief minister/finance minister to forward the 14 CAG reports in a time bound manner to the Delhi Speaker for taking all necessary and consequential action.PTI ADS

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New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) The CBI has designed a new cutting-edge online platform, 'Bharatpol' that will allow police forces of states and Union Territories and central agencies to seamlessly send their requests seeking information from Interpol on fugitives holed abroad or other affairs, officials said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation is the National Central Bureau of India solely responsible for Interpol-related affairs.

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Through Interpol, the CBI can seek the information needed from similar agencies of other member countries of Interpol to help investigate crime or criminals in India and share criminal data and intelligence to assist other countries.

All the law enforcement agencies submit their requests to the CBI for issuance of Interpol Red Notices for detention of fugitives holed abroad, Yellow Notices for missing persons, Blue Notice for information about a person's identity, location, or activities in relation to a criminal investigation and other such issues.

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To coordinate with the CBI, law enforcement agencies depute designated Interpol liaison officers who keep regular touch with the CBI whenever they need information from Interpol on any issue.

The process of submitting a request seeking issuance of a Red Notice on fugitives or seeking a different action from Interpol was done via e-mails etc, which left the information cluttered and time-consuming.

An idea was floated before CBI Director Praveen Sood to bring all such communication exchanges on a dedicated online platform, which would reduce the crucial processing time and make it easy to monitor progress on each case, they said.

The project designed and executed internally by the CBI is in trial mode and may be launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on January 7, they said.

"The communication between states and CBI (Interpol India) will be seamless using a portal and not through letters, emails, fax. It will cut avoidable delays and result in getting more notices published through Interpol in the future," an officer in the know of developments said.

Since 2021, as many as 100 wanted criminals, including 26 in 2024, have been returned to India through coordination via Interpol channels.

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Visuals of the fire at the shop (Photo/AN)

Parvathipuram Manyam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], December 23 (ANI): A fire broke out at the Kartikeya Jewelry shop in Palakonda town in Parvathipuram on the midnight hours of Monday.

Visuals showed huge flames emanating from the shop.

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The fire is suspected to be a result of a short circuit, as per Giridhar, a fire officer.

Firefighters upon receiving information arrived at the site and doused the fire.

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The fire has caused damage to the furniture and the gold and silver ornaments in the shop.

Extent of the damage caused is yet to be estimated, as per the fire officer. (ANI)

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Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 23 (ANI): A delegation of the Industrialists Association of the State called on Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here on Monday and apprised him of their various demands.

The Chief Minister listened to their grievances patiently and said that the State Government is facilitating the industries and creating a conducive atmosphere for their growth in the State.

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He said that any kind of intimidation or harassment of the industries would be dealt sternly and strict action would be ensured against the culprits. He said that the Government is promoting green industries in the State aligning with the target of transforming Himachal Pradesh into a Green Energy State by March 31, 2026.

He urged the industrialists to invest in the green energy sector such as IT sector, food processing, tourism and hydropower energy. He said that climate change is the biggest challenge and that green initiatives can play a pivotal role in mitigating the effects of global warming.

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CM Sukhu said that the State Government has taken numerous initiatives in this regard and it is promoting e-vehicles in the State. He said that the State Government is also establishing one MW Green Hydrogen Plant in Nalagarh of Solan district. He said that the State Government is enhancing infrastructure to offer better facilities and opportunities for the entrepreneurs.

Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and representatives of the Industrialists Association were present on the occasion.

Earlier CM Sukhu chaired a review meeting on centrally sponsored schemes on Monday and directed officials to expedite ongoing projects across various departments to ensure maximum benefits reach the people of the state.

He also emphasised the importance of conceptualizing and prioritizing new projects for the state's welfare.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister assessed the implementation and progress of schemes related to social welfare, backward class and tribal development, women's welfare, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), and agriculture, an official release said. He underlined the necessity of completing these projects within stipulated timelines to prevent cost escalation and to accelerate the state's development. (ANI)

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Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], December 23 (ANI): Former Chief Minister and BJP MLA Vasundhara Raje, on Monday, visited those hospitalised in the December 20 fire incident in Jaipur's Bhankrota area. Raje also commended the efforts of the medical team.

On Friday a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway hit a truck coming from the opposite direction. The fire caused by the collision spread rapidly and engulfed many other vehicles in the flames.

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Following the tragic incident, Sawai Mansingh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur reported 13 fatalities, while 23 patients are currently receiving treatment. Hospital officials revealed that eight of the injured sustained burns exceeding 50 per cent and three of them remain on ventilators.

Speaking to mediapersons, Vasundhara Raje stated, "We enquired about the condition of the injured who are undergoing treatment at hospitals and interacted with their family members to see if we can do something for them... it is a very horrible accident. I want to thank the doctors and attendants."

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Dr. Deepak Maheshari, Principal of SMS Medical College, confirmed, "Twenty-three patients are currently undergoing treatment at Sawai Mansingh Hospital, where three patients are on ventilators. Eight patients have burns exceeding 50 per cent and their treatment is ongoing. It is worth noting that 13 people have died in the accident so far, of which 11 have been identified."

Dr. RK Jain, Head of the Burn Ward Department at SMS Hospital, provided further details, stating, "Among the 23 patients admitted, three are on ventilators, and the rest are also critically ill. Patients have burns ranging from 35 per cent to 60 per cent. However, some with lower percentages are in comparatively better condition."

He added that four to five patients showed improvement and are expected to be discharged soon, with plans for follow-up care for the more critical cases.

Jain also highlighted an innovative treatment effort, saying, "For two patients with burns covering sixty per cent of their bodies, we performed cadaveric skin transplants in the operating theatre. This procedure aims to increase their chances of survival and reduce the risk of infection."

Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP Hanuman Beniwal also visited the SMS Hospital. "The accident is sad and emphasises the need for preventive measures to avoid such tragedies. He demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident, alleging an increase in such cases since the BJP government came to power," he said.

Beniwal also announced a contribution of Rs 50 lakh to the hospital's burn ward from his MP quota, adding that the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) would take to the streets to protest against the current system.

Commenting on the uproar in Parliament and allegations against the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Beniwal said that the BJP and Congress continue to engage in political gamesmanship. He also criticized the BJP government in Rajasthan, calling its first year in office a failure, citing the recent tragic accident as an example. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) In a major breakthrough in the Punjab terror conspiracy case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested a key aide of Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa and gangster Bachitar Singh alias Pavitar Batala, according to an official statement.

Jatinder Singh alias Jyoti of district Gurdaspur, Punjab, had been absconding since the arrest of weapons supplier Baljit Singh alias Rana Bhai in July 2024.

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He was arrested on Monday from Mumbai after extensive technical and on-ground efforts by the NIA.

The anti-terror agency has identified Jatinder as a member of the terror gang formed by foreign-based Landa of the banned terrorist organisation, Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), and an aide of Batala, a close associate of Landa.

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Jatinder Singh was providing weapons to on-ground operatives of Landa and Batala in Punjab, as per NIA investigations.

He was procuring weapons from Madhya Pradesh-based supplier Baljit Singh alias Rana Bhai, who was recently chargesheeted in the case, said the statement issued by the NIA.

Investigations also revealed that Jatinder Singh had brought ten pistols from MP and delivered them to operatives of Landa and Batala in Punjab.

He had planned to smuggle more weapons from MP into Punjab but his plans were scuttled by NIA's search operations over the past several months, the statement said.

Jatinder's arrest marks a major step forward in NIA's efforts to dismantle the terror-gangster nexus by preventing smuggling of arms, ammunition, explosives etc. and raising of funds for carrying out terrorist acts on the Indian soil, it added.

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New Delhi [India], December 23 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday morning left his residence in Delhi to visit the Parbhani district of Maharashtra where he will meet the families of victims who have been killed in the ongoing violence.

He will also meet the family of budding advocate Somnath Suryawnashi, a Dalit activist, who allegedly died in judicial custody following the protests over alleged vandalism of a replica of the Indian Constitution.

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The Maharashtra Police are making efforts to strengthen the security arrangements ahead of Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi's visit.

Meanwhile, the family members of deceased Somnath Suryawnashi have demanded a death sentence for the accused police officer under whose custody Suryawanshi died.

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"The police didn't give any information regarding my brother after they arrested him. The day my brother died, on December 15, they only informed me then that my brother had died due to a heart attack. Those involved in this incident must be punished. Suspending them is of no use. They should be punished because they have killed my brother. We want them to hang till death. We will say the same to Rahul Gandhi," Premnath Suryawanshi, brother of deceased Dalit activist, told ANI.

Vijayabai Suryawanshi, mother of the deceased, reiterated the demand that those involved in the "murder" of her son must be hanged till death and the government should take a decision on it.

Violence erupted in Parbhani city on December 10 following the alleged vandalism of a replica of the Indian Constitution. Special Inspector General of Nanded, Shahaji Umap, earlier stated that around 50 people had been arrested, and eight cases registered in connection with the violence.

The official clarified that all arrests were made at the scene of the incident and reported that a deputy superintendent of police and nine other police personnel sustained minor injuries during the unrest. (ANI)

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Jaipur, Dec 23 (PTI) The Rajasthan Congress will organise a Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Samman March at all district headquarters on Tuesday in protest against Union Home Minister Amit Shah's "objectionable remarks" against Babasaheb.

Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee media in-charge Swarnim Chaturvedi said the march will be organised by the respective District Congress Committees.

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According to a statement, Congress workers will submit a memorandum to district collectors addressed to President Droupadi Murmu, urging her to direct Shah's dismissal from the Cabinet and ask him to apologise to the country.

The Opposition has been demanding Shah's resignation for his remarks about Ambedkar during a speech in Rajya Sabah during the recently concluded Winter Session.

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Taking a swipe at the opposition, Shah had said, "It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar'. If they had taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven."

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Kolkata, Dec 23 (PTI) Director Sandip Ray on Monday described the death of renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal as a personal loss for the Ray family, recalling that the ace director had made a documentary on his father, the legendary Satyajit Ray, whom he affectionately called 'Manikda.'

Talking to PTI, Sandip expressed his shock at the news of Benegal's passing, remembering how the two shared a warm, personal bond that deepened after the filmmaker made Ankur (1974).

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"Whenever my father visited Mumbai, Benegal would invite him to his home and to film screenings. They had a unique relationship," Sandip said.

Sandip praised Benegal for exploring the vast acting abilities of stars like Mohan Agase, Om Puri, and Naseeruddin Shah in his films.

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He also recalled how renowned filmmaker made the documentary on Satyajit Ray, one of the most comprehensive works on his father's life and career, and showed a keen interest in the restoration of Ray's films. Sandip shared an anecdote where Benegal once remarked, "There is only one Ray."

Benegal, a pioneer of Indian parallel cinema, passed away on Monday at the age of 90 due to chronic kidney disease at Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital, his daughter Pia said.

His iconic works, including 'Ankur', 'Nishant', 'Manthan', and 'Bhumika', have left an indelible mark on Indian cinema. Benegal's last project was the 2023 biographical film 'Mujib: The Making of a Nation'.

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Jaipur, Dec 23 (PTI) A three-year-old male tiger was found dead at the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district, an official said on Monday.

The big cat may have died in a territorial fight, Anoop KR, Chief Conservator of Forests and RTR Field Director, said.

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Forest guards found the tiger's carcass in the Aamaghati area on Sunday morning with injury marks on the neck, leg and head.

"Camera traps showed movement of two tigers in the same area. So it is believed that the tiger died in a territorial fight," Anoop said.

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According to forest officials, Ranthambore faces challenges due to overcrowding of tigers, which often leads to fights over territory.

With over 70 tigers, including young ones and cubs, the reserve spanning 900 sq km is struggling to support them.

According to a study by the Wildlife Institute of India (2006-2014), the park's safe capacity is around 40 adult tigers.

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Agartala (Tripura) [India], December 23 (ANI): Three Bangladeshi nationals were arrested at Tripura's Agartala Railway Station on Sunday for illegal entry into India, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Agartala Government Railway Police stated.

The arrest was made following a joint operation by the Agartala Government Railway Police (GRP), Railway Protection Force (RPF), Border Security Force (BSF), and the intelligence department.

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The detainees, identified as Chhoton Das (19) and Bishnu Chandra Das (20) from Noakhali, and Mohammad Malek (30) from Habiganj, were apprehended this afternoon, the police stated. They had reportedly arrived at the railway station intending to board a train to another state, with initial investigations indicating Kolkata as their destination, the police further added.

Following their arrest, the suspects were taken to Agartala GRP Police Station for further interrogation. Officials suspect that more individuals may be connected to this case, and additional arrests are anticipated.

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A case has been registered at the Agartala GRP Police Station, and the suspects are scheduled to be presented in court on Monday. More details awaited. (ANI)

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Jaipur, Dec 23 (PTI) A girl aged around three years fell into a borewell in the Kotputli-Behror district of Rajasthan, and the NDRF and SDRF have been deployed to rescue her from the 150-feet-deep borewell, officials said.

The girl, Chetna, was playing in his father's farm in the Sarund area when she accidently slipped into the borewell, they said.

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NDRF and SDRF teams have reached the spot in are trying to pull the girl out with the help of a hook attached to a rod, Sarund SHO Mohammad Imran said.

The girl's movements were captured through a camera and an oxygen pipe was lowered into the borewell to supply oxygen.

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"The girl is stuck at a depth of nearly 150 feet. Her movements are being monitored," he said.

Earlier, Industry Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore spoke to the officers and instructed them to ensure speedy rescue of the girl.

Two weeks ago, a five-year-old boy fell into a borewell in Dausa district. The rescue operation lasted over 55 hours but the boy could not be saved.

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New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) The BJP on Monday organised a youth employment fair aimed at providing job opportunities to slumdwellers in Delhi.

Around 4,000 youngsters registered for jobs, the BJP said in a statement.

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"Those who secured jobs today will receive their appointment letters in the next seven to 10 days. Around 1,445 youngsters will be provided jobs soon," the BJP's Delhi unit secretary Vishnu Mittal said.

Addressing the youngsters at the job fair, the BJP's Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva said, "Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative, 71,000 youngsters across the country were provided employment."

Also Read | The Delhi Model: Jasmine Shah's New Book Shows How AAP 'Redefined' Governance in India.

"In Delhi, the BJP has been working to address employment issues in slum clusters for the past 26 weeks, visiting slums every Sunday," he added.

Sachdeva laid stress on the importance of the Centre's internship programme that aims to provide opportunities for youngsters in major companies nationwide.

He also hit out at the AAP government, accusing it of failing to deliver on promises made to slumdwellers during the past decade.

"The Arvind Kejriwal government has only deceived and scared slumdwellers," the statement quoted him as saying.

Next week, 1,600 flats will be handed over to slumdwellers in Jailerwala Bagh, with additional flats ready in Kathputli Colony, under a central government scheme, Sachdeva said.

The BJP's South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri contrasted the AAP government's performance with that of the Madan Lal Khurana-led BJP administration.

He claimed that while the-then BJP dispensation had provided essential services such as ration cards, mobile toilets, electricity and parks to slumdwellers, the Kejriwal government failed even to provide clean drinking water.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ambala, Dec 23 (PTI) Haryana Transport Minister Anil Vij on Monday issued instructions to suspend the Ambala Cantonment police station SHO for not filing an FIR on a complaint lodged by a woman.

Hearing people's grievances during his weekly 'Janta Darbar' programme here, Vij reprimanded SHO Satish Kumar for failing to act on a complaint of fraud related to purchase and sale of shops.

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At last week's Janta Darbar, Vij had directed the SHO to register a case based on the woman's complaint.

The woman again appeared before Vij on Monday, alleging that despite the minister's direction, the SHO failed to register an FIR.

Also Read | The Delhi Model: Jasmine Shah's New Book Shows How AAP 'Redefined' Governance in India.

When Vij asked Satish Kumar why a case was not registered even after his direction, the SHO failed to provide a proper explanation.

Taking the matter seriously, Vij spoke to Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur over phone and instructed that the SHO be suspended.

Vij later told reporters that inaction by officials would not be tolerated, and those who fail to perform their duties will face the consequences.

He also instructed the officials present at the Janta Darbar to ensure that the complaints received are resolved swiftly within a week.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, Dec 23 (PTI) Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority on Monday said Switzerland-based Terminal Investment Limited Sarl (TIL) has proposed to invest an estimated Rs 20,000 crore for the development of the Vadhvan Port and the surrounding ecosystem.

The facility, being developed near Dahanu in Palghar district of Maharashtra at an investment of Rs 76,200 crore, is being developed by Vadhvan Port Project Ltd (VPPL).

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VPPL is a special purpose vehicle, wherein Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) holds a 74 per cent stake and Maharashtra Maritime Board owns the remaining 26 per cent.

JNPA said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with TIL for this purpose, and the collaboration is a step further in improving port infrastructure in the country and turning Vadhvan Port into a world-class port of the future.

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According to the initial pact, TIL has proposed to invest an estimated Rs 20,000 crore for the development of the Vadhvan Port and the surrounding ecosystem, JNPA said.

TIL has a diverse portfolio of container terminals, strategically located at key ports on the world's major shipping routes, providing access to key mature and developing markets.

"This partnership not only reflects the confidence of global investors in India's maritime sector but also ensures the integration of cutting-edge technology, sustainable practices, and world-class infrastructure," said Unmesh Sharad Wagh, IRS, Chairman, JNPA and CMD, VPPL.

Together, the two partners aim to create a port ecosystem that sets new benchmarks in efficiency and innovation, he added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) The initial share sale of Ventive Hospitality Ltd got 1.28 times subscription on the day two of bidding on Monday.

The Initial Public Offer (IPO) received bids for 1,84,68,011 shares, as against 1,44,34,453 shares on offer, according to NSE data.

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Retail Individual Investors (RIIs) portion attracted 1.76 times subscription, while the quota for Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) got subscribed 1.22 times. The Non-Institutional Investors part received 1.07 times subscription.

Blackstone-backed Ventive Hospitality on Thursday said it has mobilised Rs 719 crore from anchor investors.

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The issue, with a price band of Rs 610-643 per share, will conclude on December 24.

The IPO is entirely a fresh issue of equity shares of up to Rs 1,600 crore and has no offer-for-sale component.

The company proposes to utilise the net IPO proceeds towards funding the debt payment, including payment of interest accrued thereon.

Ventive Hospitality (formerly ICC Realty) is a joint venture between the US-based Blackstone Group and Panchshil Realty. At present, Panchshil holds a 60 per cent stake in Ventive, while Blackstone owns the remaining 40 per cent stake.

It is a hospitality asset owner primarily focused on luxury offerings across business and leisure segments in India and the Maldives.

As of September 2024, the company's portfolio has 11 operational properties, comprising 2,036 keys across the luxury, upper upscale and upscale segments. All of its assets are operated by or franchised from global operators, including Marriott, Hilton, Minor and Atmosphere.

JM Financial, Axis Capital, ICICI Securities, IIFL Capital Services Ltd (Formerly known as IIFL Securities Ltd), Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, SBI Capital Markets and HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India) Pvt Ltd are the book-running lead managers for the issue.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Sao Paulo, Dec 23 (AP) A bridge linking two northern states in Brazil collapsed, killing at least two people and leaving a dozen others missing, police said Monday. A sulphuric acid spill is complicating the rescue operation.

Footage obtained by local residents showed cars and trucks were crossing the Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira bridge when large sections crumbled into a river on Sunday.

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Police operating on the border of the northern states of Maranhao and Tocantins said that eight vehicles were missing: four trucks, two cars and two motorcycles. Police and Brazil's road department said they started investigations on the case.

The 533-metre-long (1,748-foot-long) bridge between the cities of Estreito and Aguiarnopolis was built in the 1960s and located 1,300 kilometres north of the capital, Brasilia.

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Magnum Coelho, a colonel at the local firefighters' office, told journalists that sending divers for rescue operations is dangerous because the Tocantins River could be contaminated by sulfuric acid from one of the missing trucks that fell from the bridge.

The bridge collapse was among several tragedies in Brazil over the weekend. On Saturday, a crash involving a passenger bus and a truck killed dozens of people on a highway in Minas Gerais, a state in southeastern Brazil. On Sunday night, authorities confirmed the number of deaths had risen to 41.

Local authorities said Sunday that the truck driver is on the loose and could face criminal responsibility because of allegedly overweight cargo that may have caused the crash.

The Minas Gerais state's fire department said that several people were taken to hospitals near the city of Teofilo Otoni. The bus had reportedly departed from Sao Paulo and was carrying 45 passengers.

Also on Sunday, at least 10 people died after a small plane crashed in Gramado, a southern town popular with tourists. More than a dozen people were injured on the ground, Brazil's Civil Defense Agency said.

The plane was piloted by Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, a Brazilian businessman who was travelling with his family to Sao Paulo State. Brazil's Civil Defence Agency said that the plane hit the chimney of a home and then the second floor of a building before crashing into a cellphone store. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Gramado, December 23: At least 10 people were killed when a small plane crashed into the southern Brazilian city of Gramado on Sunday, CNN reported. The aircraft collided with several buildings, causing widespread damage and leaving over a dozen people injured, according to official Brazilian authorities.

The Civil Defence of Rio Grande do Sul confirmed that at least 17 people were injured in the crash, with many suffering from smoke inhalation due to a fire sparked by the collision. Two individuals are reported to be in serious condition, suffering from severe burns. The crash occurred shortly after the aircraft took off from the local airport, according to the National Civil Defence. Brazil Plane Crash: 10 Dead After Small Plane Crashes Into Shops in Gramado; Disturbing Videos Surface.

The plane first collided with the chimney of a building before crashing into a residential home and then striking a furniture store. Debris from the crash also hit an inn, reported CNN. Video footage from the scene showed the aftermath, with flames and smoke rising from the wreckage and scattered debris covering the area. The footage also showed an overcast sky with fog enveloping the city. Brazil Plane Crash: Small Plane Crashes Into Brazilian Town Popular With Tourists, Number of Dead Unclear (Watch Videos).

Brazil Plane Crash Video

JUST IN - Governor of Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul says no survivors after plane carrying 10 people crashed into multiple buildings in Gramado pic.twitter.com/QAdo1Y5PRH  Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) December 22, 2024

 A plane with 10 people onboard crashed into a residential areas in Gramado Brazil. 1/ pic.twitter.com/xvapcCYzLa  Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) December 22, 2024

Local authorities have expressed concerns that there were no survivors on board the aircraft. Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite indicated that initial reports suggest the plane's occupants did not survive. Preliminary information indicates the plane was carrying 10 people, but it is unclear whether all the fatalities were passengers or included individuals on the ground, CNN reported. Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash. The tragic incident has rocked Gramado, a small but popular resort town in southern Brazil, known for its holiday attractions, especially during the Christmas season.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Munich [Germany], December 23 (ANI): The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has strongly condemned the Chinese government's recent decision to impose sanctions on the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP) and its leadership, including former WUC Director of the Legal Committee, Mehmet Tohti, along with 14 of its staff members and experts.

According to a press release by the WUC, the Chinese government has also sanctioned Samphe Lhalungpa, Chair of the Canada Tibet Committee, and four other members.

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"These retaliatory sanctions are a typical response from the Chinese Communist Party, aimed at punishing those who stand up for human rights. However, they also clearly indicate that the impactful work of URAP is resonating globally," said WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun.

On December 22, a Chinese state-run media outlet stated that, these sanctions follow Canada's decision to sanction eight current and former Chinese government officials, including Chen Quanguo, Erkin Tuniyaz, Shohret Zakir, Peng Jiarui, and Wu Yingjie, for their involvement in orchestrating the Uyghur genocide in East Turkistan.

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According to the press release, the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project plays a vital role in resettling 10,000 Uyghur refugees from high-risk countries. Due to China's extensive influence, over 300 Uyghurs have been deported in recent years, making this initiative crucial for protecting Uyghur rights. Despite facing significant pressure and ongoing attempts to disrupt its work, URAP has made notable progress. This month, URAP Executive Director Mehmet Tohti, alongside MP Sameer Zuberi who introduced the M-62 motion in the House of Commons celebrated the arrival of the first Uyghur refugee in Canada.

Beyond its resettlement efforts, URAP has been a leading voice in raising awareness about Uyghur forced labour in Canada, actively advocating for comprehensive legislation to address the issue. The WUC stressed that these sanctions are clearly a retaliatory act targeting organizations and individuals who are actively supporting Uyghur and Tibetan rights. The aim is to intimidate and silence human rights defenders working to expose the CCP's repressive policies.

In its press release, the WUC said it stands in full solidarity with the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project and the Canada Tibet Committee, and condemns all forms of transnational repression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The WUC calls on the international community to take strong and decisive action against such repression and to implement concrete measures to protect at-risk communities, particularly those under the CCP's colonial regime.

The WUC further urged the Canadian government to take immediate steps to safeguard these organizations and individuals, who are lawfully and peacefully operating within Canada. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Six persons arrested for the attack on actor Allu Arjuns house over Sandhya Theatre stampede issue were granted bail by a city court on Monday. Allu Arjuns Pushpa 2 Leaked Online Days After Feud With INOX PVR Over Shows in North India?.

Leaders of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (JAC), arrested by the police on Sunday, were produced before a judge at his residence on Monday morning. The judge directed each accused to arrange two sureties of Rs 10,000 each.

Jubilee Hills police, which had arrested the accused when they were protesting at the actors house, produced them before a magistrate at his residence in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad.

Members of the OU-JAC had stormed the house of Allu Arjun at Jubilee Hills on Sunday evening, raising slogans of we want justice, barged into the actors house and damaged the property. They were demanding the actor to pay Rs 1 crore compensation to the family of a woman who died in a stampede at Sandhya Theatre during the premier show of Pushpa 2: The Rule.

According to police, some persons holding placards suddenly rushed to the residence of actor Allu Arjun in Jubilee Hills and started sloganeering and one of them mounted the compound wall and started throwing tomatoes.

When the security staff objected and persuaded them to get down, they got into an altercation. They climbed down the wall, manhandled the security staff and damaged some flower pots kept along the ramp.

They continued sloganeering for a while and spoke to media persons waiting at the gate.

On receiving the information, Jubilee Hills Police reached the place and took six persons into custody. They all claim to be part of OU-JAC and on enquiry, they have claimed that they were trying to protest against the actor seeking to help the victims family.

"A case has been registered against six persons and others who were involved in the offence and stringent action as per law is being initiated against them all," said S.M. Vijay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, West Zone. Stones Pelted at Allu Arjuns Residence: Members of OU JAC Involved in Attack on Pushpa 2 Stars Home Arrested (Watch Video.

The police officer said that such lawless behaviour will not be tolerated and stringent legal action will be initiated against anybody who tries to take law into his hands.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2024 01:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Kolkata, December 23: A total of 190 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have been arrested in the Indo-Bangladesh border district of Nadia in West Bengal alone during the past year, as per the records of the state police. Again, as per the same records, out of 190, around 52 were arrested during the last 45 days when the political crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh was at its peak because of the continuous attacks on the minority Hindus and religious institutions there.

As per records, sources aware of the development said that all of them crossed over to the Indian side taking advantage of the porous and unfenced borders in parts of the district and then started residing in India and started the process of arranging fake Indian identity documents through the local agents network. An insider from the state police pointed out that these 190 arrested included only those who had started residing at the border-adjacent villages only in Nadia district after illegally crossing its porous borders. 8 Bangladeshis Arrested in Thane for Illegal Stay.

It is quite possible that many of them after crossing the borders in Nadia might have shifted to other districts in due course. In that case, the number of illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators crossing over to the Indian territory through the porous borders in Nadia district would be much higher, he added. West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police are informed that of the many rackets operating in the state and arranging fake Indian passports for illegal Bangladeshi residents, the maximum is from Nadia district.

Recently, a former Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) associate Selim Matabbar was arrested from a hotel in the Park Street area in central Kolkata, along with a fake Indian passport. Investigation revealed that he got that fake Indian passport arranged by such a racket operating from Nadia district only. Matabbar, who was arrested on November 30, managed to get a job at the same hotel by virtue of that fake passport. Two Bangladeshi Nationals Arrested for Illegal Stay in Maharashtra's Thane.

On the same day, the cops of Nadia district police arrested four illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators namely Sumi Akhtar, Iman Biswas, Shankar Biswas and Rupkumar Biswas from Mazdia under Krishnaganj Police station in Nadia.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2024 03:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Parbhani, December 23: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Parbhani on Monday where a local Dalit youth was found dead in judicial custody after the recent violence that hit the town following the desecration of a statue of Dr B. R. Ambedkar, party officials said here. During his brief visit, Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to meet the bereaved families of Somnath Vyankat Suryawanshi, 35, who was studying his LlB, and another Dalit social worker Vijay Wakode, who suffered a heart attack and succumbed while attempting to control the rampaging mobs on December 11-12.

The Congress leader will reach Nanded by a special flight later this morning and then drive down to Parbhani where he will call on the two Dalit families who lost their near and dear ones. He will be accompanied by top leaders of his party Ramesh Chennithala, state President Nana Patole, MPs Dr Shivaji Kalge, Ravindra V. Chavan, Dr Kalyan Kale, MLAs Vijay Wadettiwar, Amit Deshmukh, Vijay Balasaheb Thorat, President of State SC Department Siddhath Hattiambire, Nana Gawande, Atul Londhe and others. Rahul Gandhi Summoned by Bareilly Court Over Caste Census Remark During Lok Sabha Polls.

Hailing from the Wadar community, Suryawanshi was arrested in connection with the violent incidents that ensued after the desecration of a statue of Dr Ambedkar near Parbhani Railway Station on December 10, by one mentally disturbed person named Sopan Pawar. After the sacrilege, a violent and tense shutdown was observed in Parbhani, while the local police swooped down and detained/arrested around 300 persons, mostly Dalits, including Suryawanshi on December 12.

Barely 72 hours later, Suryawanshi was found dead in judicial custody, sparking a massive furore with the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and INDIA bloc allies raising the issue at multiple levels. The MVA allies Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT), Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), plus the CPI (Marxist), Republican Party of India (A), Republican Sena, Republican Party of India(K), and many other Dalit groups slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party Mahayuti regime for the incident. Rahul Gandhi Booked: Delhi Police Lodge FIR Against Congress Leader Over Parliament Scuffle.

Following the uproar inside the Maharashtra Legislature in Nagpur and outside, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced compensation for the bereaved family, ordered a judicial probe and appointed a Special Investigation Team of the police to get to the depth of the matter. Earlier, the Parbhani Police had claimed that Suryawanshi had complained of chest pain and was rushed to hospital for treatment, even as some Opposition leaders claimed attempts to make Parbhani into a caste-riots issue on the line of the Koregaon-Bhima (Pune) incidents of January 1, 2018.

However, a provisional autopsy report from the Government Medical College, Aurangabad had stated that he succumbed to shock following multiple injuries, snowballing into a huge political row. The MVA and Dalit leaders had vociferously alleged that he was brutally beaten by the police and had succumbed to grave injuries, as was later confirmed by the provisional post-mortem report of December 16.

Last weekend, Nationalist Congress Party(SP) President Sharad Pawar went to the Parbhani and also to Beed where the Massajog village Sarpanch (Headman) Santosh Deshmukh was tortured and killed a fortnight ago, sparking a massive political-social outcry. Following this, Nationalist Congress Party chief and Deputy CM Ajit A. Pawar also rushed to Beed and met the bereaved family as a senior Minister of his party came under a cloud in the killing.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2024 11:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Christmas is just one day away! The festival is a special time for Christians all across the globe as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is celebrated on December 25 every year. Christmas 2024 falls on Wednesday, December 25. For many, it is the most joyful time of the year, filled with family gatherings, delicious feasts, church services, and Christmas carols. Homes are beautifully decorated; streets are lit up, and Christmas trees shine bright with ornaments. It is a time of joy and spreading happiness. While December 25 is the main celebration, Christmas Eve has its own special traditions that are full of fun and excitement. Christmas Eve 2024 Wishes and HD Images: Share WhatsApp Messages, Wallpapers, Xmas Photos, Quotes and GIFs To Share Christmas Greetings in Advance.

Christmas Eve 2024 falls on Tuesday, December 24. Around the world, different countries celebrate Christmas Eve in different ways. No matter how you choose to celebrate Christmas 2024, these Christmas Eve traditions are a must-try as they will add extra joy to the festivities. Heres a roundup of some Christmas Eve traditions from across the globe.

Christmas Eve Traditions

 One popular Christmas Eve tradition in many countries, especially the Catholic countries, is attending the midnight Mass. Countries like Italy, Spain, and Poland have a midnight mass.

 In some countries, people observe a fast on December 24 and break it with a meal after the midnight Mass.

 In the United States, it is a tradition to leave out cookies and milk for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

 Many Canadians open their presents on Christmas Eve.

 In some countries, children and youths reenact the story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus birth on Christmas Eve.

 In countries like Germany, Sweden, and Portugal, people exchange gifts and celebrate on Christmas Eve.

 In places like Serbia and Slovakia, Christmas Eve is when the Christmas tree is brought home and decorated.

 Some countries have the tradition of bringing home the Yule Log and lighting it on Christmas Eve.

 In many countries, Christmas Eve is a popular time to go door-to-door carolling.

 In Spain, many families gather for a festive Christmas Eve treat with loved ones.

 In France, families come together for their traditional Christmas meal called the Reveillon de Noel on Christmas Eve.

 In China, Christmas Eve is one of the biggest shopping times of the year.

 In Italy, Christmas Eve is celebrated with the feast of the seven fishes.

 In Germany, a traditional Christmas Eve meal includes potato salad and sausage.

 In Denmark and Sweden, the main Christmas celebrations take place on Christmas Eve, and in Norway, families light a candle every night from Christmas Eve until New Years Day.

 The tradition of the Yule Book Flood is practiced in Iceland. It involves giving loved ones a book to read on Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas 2024 Wishes in 63 Different Languages: From Feliz Navidad to God Jul, Spread the Holiday Cheer With Xmas Greetings From Around the World.

So, how do you plan to celebrate Christmas Eve? Whether you decide to attend a church service, enjoy a feast with family, or exchange gifts, we wish you a blessed, joyful, and peaceful Christmas Eve!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2024 12:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Feature: "Finding a home away from home," Malacca heritage strengthens China-Malaysia ties

Xinhua) 13:01, December 23, 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Wang Lin, a tourist from Hangzhou, marveled at the artifacts in the Cheng Ho Cultural Museum in Malacca, where the stories of China's legendary navigator and diplomat Zheng He were vividly brought to life.

"The history of Zheng He's voyages that I learned in school has come alive before my eyes, thanks to the visa-free policy between China and Malaysia," he said.

Zheng He, known as Cheng Ho in Malay, was a celebrated envoy of the Ming Dynasty, who visited Malacca at least five times during his seven maritime expeditions. His voyages have not only strengthened ties between China and Malaysia but also laid the foundation for centuries of cultural and economic exchanges.

Today, Malacca's rich historical legacy and vibrant cultural landscapes continue to attract Chinese tourists, as the 50th anniversary of China-Malaysia diplomatic relations in 2024 has bolstered tourism and strengthened people-to-people ties.

Since the implementation of the China-Malaysia mutual visa exemption in December 2023, travel between the two nations has become more convenient.

Roslan Abdul Rahman, secretary-general of Malaysia's Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, told Xinhua that the country has welcomed 2.69 million Chinese tourists in the first nine months of this year, marking a 144 percent year-on-year increase.

Malacca stands out as a favorite destination for Chinese tourists due to its historical ties with China.

Among its attractions, Jonker Street, nestled in the heart of Malacca, holds particular significance. Once the site of Zheng He's storehouses and early Chinese settlements, the area now is a bustling UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its well-preserved architecture, traditional Peranakan shophouses, antique shops, art galleries, and lively street food stalls offer visitors a window into its unique history.

"The surge in Chinese visitors over the past year has greatly boosted the local economy, created new business opportunities, and spurred growth in Malacca's tourism and hospitality sectors," said Gan Tian Loo, chairman of the Jonker Walk Working Committee.

Gan emphasized Jonker Street's cultural importance, describing it not only as a pivotal hub during Zheng He's voyages but also as a living testament to Baba-Nyonya culture. "Jonker Street provides a rare opportunity to explore the harmonious fusion of Malaysian and Chinese traditions while celebrating a friendship that has thrived across generations," he added.

The Baba-Nyonya, or Peranakans, are descendants of Chinese immigrants who intermarried with local Malays, creating a distinct cultural identity. Male descendants are called "Baba," while female descendants are called "Nyonya".

Their legacy is showcased at the Baba Nyonya Museum, which offers visitors a glimpse into traditional Peranakan homes, featuring grand spiral staircases and architecture that blends Eastern and Western styles.

Wang Shanshan, a tourist from Beijing, shared her emotional experience after visiting the museum. "I used to prioritize beaches and natural scenery when visiting Southeast Asia. Now, I'm more interested in uncovering the history of Chinese migration and understanding how our culture has evolved here," she said.

She found the exhibits both familiar and novel. "Even with local influence, the core of traditional Chinese values remains. It feels like finding a home away from home," she added.

Beyond its historical landmarks, Nyonya cuisine, rooted in the Baba-Nyonya community, has become a must-try experience for visitors. Dishes like buttery pineapple tarts, onde-onde filled with palm sugar, and spicy chicken stews, exemplify a rich fusion of Cantonese, Fujian, and local Malaysian flavors.

Lucy Wee, a fifth-generation Nyonya and owner of Anak Nyonya restaurant on Jonker Street, has noticed a growing interest in this unique culinary tradition. "More Chinese tourists are eager to try Nyonya food after learning about Baba-Nyonya culture," she said.

As a passionate advocate for her heritage, Wee takes pride in sharing her family's recipes. "The flavors are unique -- sweet, sour, and slightly spicy. Once people try it, they always want to come back for more," she said.

From exploring Zheng He's maritime legacy to savoring Nyonya cuisine, Chinese tourists discover Malacca as both a historical treasure and a modern cultural gateway. This deepening connection between China and Malacca will offer increasing opportunities for cultural exchange and mutual appreciation in the years to come.

Gan noted the role of Malacca in strengthening cultural bonds between the two peoples. "Jonker Street provides a rare opportunity to explore the harmonious fusion of Malaysian and Chinese traditions while celebrating a friendship that has thrived across generations," he said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
National Farmers Day in India is annually celebrated on December 23 with various events and programs. The day, also known as Kisan Diwas, marks the birthday of the fifth Prime Minister of India, Choudhary Charan Singh, also a farmer's leader. He was the one who introduced many policies to improve the lives of Indian farmers. Choudhary Charan Singh is remembered for his pro-farmer policies and his dedication and efforts to uplift the agricultural community. The annual event is dedicated to recognising and honouring the contributions of farmers to the nations economy and food security. Kisan Diwas 2024 Wishes and National Farmers Day Greetings: Share HD Wallpapers, Messages, Quotes and Images To Honour the Farmers in India.

National Farmers Day is an annual observance in various countries around the world to celebrate the national contributions of farmers and agricultures. It is observed on different dates around the world. In this article, lets know more about National Farmers Day 2024 date in India and the significance of the annual event dedicated to recognising the efforts and hard work of farmers. National Farmers Day 2024 Greetings: Share Kisan Diwas Wishes, Messages, HD Wallpapers, Quotes and Images To Celebrate and Honour the Farmers.

National Farmers Day 2024 Date

National Farmers Day 2024 in India is celebrated on December 23.

National Farmers Day Significance

National Farmers Day in India is an important event that honours the hard work and dedication of the farmers, who are the backbone of India's economy. Agriculture is a primary livelihood in the country for millions and a significant contributor to GDP. The day brings attention to the challenges faced by farmers, such as access to credit, fair pricing, and sustainable farming practices. On this day, various events are celebrated like debates, seminars, quiz competitions, discussions, workshops, exhibitions, essays writing competitions and functions.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2024 09:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Three people, including a woman, all reported to be residents of Delhi and aged between 20 and 25 years, were shot dead in Morni hills of Panchkula in Haryana, police said on Monday. The three were attacked by three men outside a resort, said the officials, adding that it could be a case of rivalry.
New Delhi, December 23: Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy at an event in Pune reportedly expressed concern over the potential mass migration to Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad due to climate change. Highlighting the growing risks of environmental challenges, Murthy pointed out that failure to address these issues in time could force millions to relocate to these cities in search of better living conditions.

As per reports, Narayana Murthy mentioned that if we do not address climate change quickly, it could result in a large number of people moving to cities like Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad. He cautioned that increasing temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and serious damage to the environment in rural areas could drive people to seek better living conditions in urban areas. Narayana Murthy Defends 70-Hour Work Week, Urges Young People in India To Work Hard To Boost Countrys Growth.

Murthy urged that there should be quick cooperation among businesses, politicians, and government officials to address climate change and to prevent people from moving away from rural areas into cities. He also highlighted the problems that these cities are already dealing with. Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad are becoming harder to live in because of growing traffic and pollution.

Narayana Murthy reportedly said, These cities have become extremely challenging to live in, difficult to navigate, and have witnessed rising pollution levels". While he recognised the possibility of many people migrating, he highlighted the need to improve conditions in both rural and urban areas. Narayana Murthy also encouraged the young generation to take more responsibility for the environment and society. Narayana Murthy Doesnt Believe in Work Life Balance, Disappointed When Companies Moved to 5-Day Work Week.

He urged them to pay attention to the needs of disadvantaged communities and to help them to improve the well-being of the nation. Murthy expressed hope that India would be able to address these challenges in the years ahead. He pointed out and believes that by 2030, there will be considerable progress in achieving goals related to climate change to address the possible migration crisis.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2024 10:28 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
NASA has warned about a massive asteroid called 2024 XN1 that will pass by Earth on December 24, just before Christmas Eve. This asteroid is about 120ft wide, roughly the size of a 10-story building. The close approach of the asteroid to our planet will give scientists and researchers a chance to observe them closely and gather important data about the space rocks, where they come from, and what they are made up of. This information will help us understand the origins of our solar system and will improve our ability to track and respond to similar asteroids in the future. While NASA is monitoring the asteroid, it also highlights the importance of planetary defenceprotecting Earth from potential threats in space. Asteroid Approaching Earth! God of Chaos Asteroid To Hit Earth? NASA Alerts Asteroid Apophis Close Approach to Home Planet Raising Doomsday Concerns.

Is Asteroid 2024 NX1 Dangerous?

While the asteroid will come close to Earth, there is no danger of it hitting the planet. The asteroid, 2024 XN1, will pass by Earth at a distance of 4,48,000 miles, which is more than 16 times the distance between Earth and the moon. It will be travelling at a speed of 14,743 miles per hour and will make its closest approach at 02:57 AM IST. There is no reason to worry, as it will not come close enough to cause harm. The asteroid will pass by safely, and rest assured, it wont impact the Christmas Eve 2024 festivities.

Importance of Tracking Asteroids

Asteroid 2024 XN1 might be one of the largest space visitors heading our way, but there is no reason to worry. Asteroids like 2024 XN1 are ancient rocks left over from the formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. They orbit the sun and sometimes cross paths with Earth. Monitoring and keeping track of these asteroids is important for planetary safety. It helps scientists stay prepared and cautious about potential future threats or risks. Asteroid Heading Towards Planet? Dont Worry (Too Much) About Asteroids Hitting Earth.

Even though asteroid 2024 XN1 will safely pass by Earth, NASA highlights the importance of keeping an eye on asteroids like this. The aim is not just to protect Earth from any future risks but to also learn more about the early days of our solar system. Using advanced radar and the latest technology, NASA is constantly tracking these space rocks to gather valuable information and ensure that the planet stays safe.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2024 04:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
En espanol

Renowned Mexican journalist and ufologist Jaime Maussan is back with a new project that's set to captivate UFO enthusiasts and his loyal followers. He recently announced the launch of 'Maussan TV'a channel dedicated to exploring unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and extraterrestrial life.

The launch of 'Maussan TV'

Through his Instagram account, Maussan shared a promotional post for his upcoming television series, 'Maussan Television.'

"Fascinated by unidentified aerial phenomena?  Get ready because #YaViene. Follow us on all our social media platforms and don't miss a thing!  @maussan_television," he wrote.

'Maussan TV' promises to be a comprehensive platform covering UFO sightings, extraterrestrial theories, and scientific and environmental issues.

Although the official launch date has yet to be confirmed, speculation suggests it may air on Mexico's Channel 3.3 via Imagen Television, potentially reaching a broader audience.

This new project reflects Maussan's decades-long dedication to investigating unexplained phenomena. It aims to provide varied content, from conspiracy theories to discussions on environmental preservation.

Jaime Maussan's legacy

A reporter for nearly six decades, Maussan has contributed to several notable publications and TV channels like Televisa.

Since 1984, Maussan has been a trailblazer in UFO studies in Mexico, gaining prominence through his hit show 'Tercer Milenio.'

In 1990, he was also named on the United Nation's Global 500 Roll of Honour, an award of recognition for environmental achievements around the world.

His work has played a key role in popularizing UFO phenomena across Latin America. Throughout his career, he has investigated numerous sightings, becoming a leading voice in ufology and challenging mainstream perceptions of the unexplained.

Despite facing criticism for supporting controversial cases and pseudoscience, Maussan's determination to legitimize UFO studies has earned him widespread attention. His ability to spark debate keeps him at the forefront of discussions about extraterrestrial life.

He has presented numerous specimens as proof of extraterrestrial life on Earth that have mostly been debunked as being fake or regular inhabitants of Earth.

With his new 'Maussan TV,' he continues his mission to uncover the mysteries of the universe and inspire new conversations about science, the environment, and what lies beyond Earth.
A well-known regional food truck operator who launched his first brick-and-mortar joint nearly five years ago at Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem now is letting go of that venture.

Randevoo, 444 Main St., on Dec. 29 plans to close for good  at least at the book shop, owner Zach Umstead posted on the business Facebook page. Umstead didnt provide specifics as to any reasons behind the closure, but did state in Saturdays posting: There is no need to write a book on why this difficult decision is being made. I want to be happy period!

Additionally, Randevoo Sushi Bar in April bid farewell to a second brick-and-mortar space, which was a stand at the Downtown Allentown Market. It had just opened a few months prior in January 2024. However, that closure was due to a revision in the markets operating hours that didnt fit Randevoos business model, Jeff Vaughan, spokesman for market owner City Center Allentown, had told lehighvalleylive.com.

For the time being, Umstead plans to continue operating Randevoo as a food truck at area events, festivals and private functions, as well as host private sushi parties and classes. The truck also is slated to run alongside the Corn Fritter Guy tent, a spinoff of Randevoo featuring made-from-scratch corn fritters with maple brown butter sauce.

Umstead in the posting thanked loyal patrons for their support over the years. He also hinted at future plans in finding another space for another shot at a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Thank you for trying our innovative dishes and enjoying the best quality fish you can find, it stated. ... This has been a great chapter and there will be another one at some point. Just going to wait for the right team and location to officially call home.

Randevoo in Bethlehem plans to operate its final week with a limited menu, Umstead stated.

Randevoo is known for its modern dining with a twist on traditional Asian fusion cuisine. Menu items include a wide variety of sushi rolls, including yellowfin spicy tuna, volcano shrimp tempura and vegan tempura. Theres barbecued shrimp and sliced short rib skewers; Korean fried chicken; and crispy pork belly lo mein.

Smaller bites include warm lump crab dip, wontons and steamed pork dumplings. For those with a sweet tooth, entrees are often topped off with ginger pineapple upside down cake for dessert.

Umstead in winter 2020 opened the Bethlehem site in shared space with the Lost Tavern Brewing outpost inside the book shop. The site previously occupied Daves Deli & Gelato, which announced its closure in February 2020. Umstead then began working closely with Lost Tavern Brewing on promoting menu items to complement its craft beer selection.

Umstead has more than a decade of experience working in the culinary industry. He attended the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh and completed an externship at a fine dining restaurant in Colorado. There, Umstead brainstormed his vision for Randevoo, left Colorado and launched the business in his hometown in the Lehigh Valley, the eaterys website states.

Its unclear if a replacement is on tap to fill the vacancy being left by Randevoo at the book shop. Moravian College spokesman Michael Corr couldnt immediately be reached for details Monday with the college closed for winter break.

Randevoo is the second downtown Bethlehem restaurant to announce its closure in recent weeks.

Birriaholic, 81 W. Broad St., also plans to close after Dec. 29, owners posted on the business Facebook page. They then shared the news of the pending closure with loyal customers, citing business and operational constraints as the reason.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
Phillipsburg Town Council approved to obtain and accept approximately $125,000 from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to implement the Year Four Neighborhood Preservation Program.

The program provides direct robust financial and technical assistance to municipalities to revitalize designated areas that fall fully or partially in low- and moderate-income census tracts.

Phillipsburg is listed among the 60 program-eligible towns in New Jersey. Eligibility is factored by calculating a towns perceived Municipal Revitalization Index Distress Score ranging between 64th and 98th percentile and the areas density, of blocks per square mile, against the state median.

At 95%, Phillipsburg ranks among the ten highest scorers in the state on the list compiled by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Hackettstown also made the list with a score of 70%.

The funding would be applied to Phillipsburgs Census Tract 308. That tract is enclosed by Lock Street to the south, the Lehigh Railway Line to the West and the Norfolk Southern Washington Secondary Railway Line on its north and the town border with Lopatcong Township.

The Neighborhood Preservation Programs annual grant is made to designated preservation program municipalities during the 5-year designation timeframe. There are 20 designated program municipalities in their third funding year of program work and another 20 entering their second year, as of Dec 18, 2024, according to the state website.

In 2019, after a hiatus of several years, the program started again with a focus on revitalizing mixed-use districts, commercial corridor neighborhoods and downtowns.

The agenda included approvals of regular refunds, designation of ADA parking spaces within the town and purchase of a garbage truck from the Borough of Washington.

Council adjourns with one resolution still on the table

Council President Peter Marino put off a vote on a redevelopers agreement between the town and Peron Construction.

The developer is requesting a new redevelopment agreement for its property at 170 Howard St. where an industrial warehouse is proposed.

Marino didnt explain his decision on Wednesday night and the matter was accepted by the four-person council. Councilman Matthew Scerbo Sr. was absent.

Residents laughed along with town council members who adjourned their last meeting of 2024 with irregular speed. Lawmakers approved the eight-item long consent agenda Wednesday in less than seven minutes, the towns clerk confirmed.

Philipsburg Town Council is scheduled to reconvene in January for its regular reorganization meeting.

Glenn Epps can be reached at gepps@lehighvalleylive.com or glenn_epps_on X (formerly known as Twitter.com), Facebook and Threads.

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UPDATE: Weather alert issued for light snow in Lehigh Valley region

Light wintry precipitation is forecast Christmas Eve across eastern Pennsylvania and most of New Jersey.

The National Weather Service on Monday issued winter weather advisories for Tuesday morning for a mix of snow and freezing rain across portions of the Delaware Valley, including Philadelphia.

Weather service forecasters around 1 p.m. Monday issued a special weather statement for light snow likely late Monday night into Tuesday across an area including Lehigh, Northampton and Warren counties.

Snow is expected for the southern Poconos, northern New Jersey, and the Lehigh Valley, though snow accumulations should generally be less than 1 inch, the weather service said in a forecast discussion.

The timing of the snow begins with a slight chance after 3 a.m. Tuesday, followed by snow likely mainly before 8 a.m., according to the weather system forecast at Lehigh Valley International Airport, outside Allentown, according to the weather service.

That follows snowfall Friday into Saturday that totaled 3.8 inches at the airport, according to weather service data.

Will any of that snow or the round forecast for Tuesday morning stick around for a white Christmas? Some melting is in store, as Tuesdays high temperature is forecast above freezing, near 38 at the airport. Christmas Eve nights low is forecast around 22.

AccuWeather meteorologists on Monday were forecasting significant disruptions for many travelers ahead of the Christmas holiday, plus the start of Hanukkah on Wednesday evening and Kwanzaa on Thursday. Icy and snow-covered roads are possible in the Northeast, with flooding and avalanche risks ramping up along the Pacific Coast, according to the forecasting company based outside State College, Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation offers up the following tips for driving during wintry weather, and reminds motorists to clear accumulated ice or snow from their vehicle within 24 hours after the storm has ended  or face a potential fine of $50 that can rise to $1,500 if dislodged snow or ice strikes another vehicle or pedestrian and causes death or serious injury:

Slow down gradually and drive at a speed that suits conditions.

Turn on your headlights. If caught in a snow squall, turn on your hazard lights.

Stay in your lane and increase your following distance.

Stay alert, keep looking as far ahead as possible and be patient.

Do not drive distracted; your full attention is required.

Use your defroster and wipers

Keep windows and mirrors free of snow and ice.

During whiteouts, come to a complete stop only when you can safely pull off the roadway.

Do not stop in the flow of traffic since this could cause a chain-reaction collision.

Do not pass a vehicle moving slowly or speed up to get away from a vehicle that is following too closely.

Always buckle up and never drive impaired.

When encountering a plow truck, drivers should:

Stay at least six car lengths behind an operating plow truck and remember that the main plow is wider than the truck.

Be alert since plow trucks generally travel much more slowly than other traffic.

When a plow truck is traveling toward you, move as far away from the center of the road as is safely possible, and remember that snow can obscure the actual snow plow width.

Never try to pass or get between several trucks plowing side by side in a plow train. The weight of the snow thrown from the plow can quickly cause smaller vehicles to lose control, creating a hazard for nearby vehicles.

Never travel next to a plow truck since there are blind spots where the operator cant see, and they can occasionally be moved sideways when hitting drifts or heavy snowpack.

Keep your lights on to help the operator better see your vehicle. Also remember that under Pennsylvania state law, vehicle lights must be on every time a vehicles wipers are on due to inclement weather.

Pennsylvania State Police offer this advice if you are involved in a crash:

First and foremost, move your vehicle as far as possible from the travel lanes if its able to be driven. Remaining in the lanes of travel when your vehicle can be driven is extremely dangerous.

If your vehicle or another involved vehicle is not able to be driven due to damage, or if one of the involved parties is injured, Pennsylvania law requires the crash be reported to police. Do this by dialing 911 right away.

If your vehicle is disabled in the lane of travel or stuck in the travel lanes due to snow or ice, remain inside the vehicle with your seatbelt on and hazard lights activated. If its not safe to remain inside your vehicle, assess the situation and get yourself and passengers to a place of safety such as behind a barrier or guardrail. When exiting your vehicle, move as quickly as possible and DO NOT remain in the travel lanes or near your vehicle.

When encountering a crash scene, the law requires you to move over if possible and always slow down. First responders will be active at the scene and focused on helping those involved in the crash and getting the road back open.

Follow your local forecast at lehighvalleylive.com/weather with watches, warnings and other advisories available as theyre issued at lehighvalleylive.com/weather-alerts.

Current weather radar

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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
A man accused of theft and criminal damage to parking meters in Portlaosie sought to vary his bail so he could visit his native Romania.

Narcis Tudose (32) of 41 Finglas Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 11 is accused of damaging a parking meter belonging to Laois County Council and stealing 3,452.35 in coins at Nanny Kellys, Main Street, Portlaoise on November 13, 2024.

He is further accused of stealing coins valued at 743 and damaging a parking meter at Doyles Shoe Shop, Main Street, Portlaoise and possession of implements including a crow bar, battery operated angle grinder and tools at Bridge Street Carpark on November 18, 2024.

Garda Inspector Joe Culliton said the defendant was alleged to have caused around 7,000 in damage to parking meters in Portlaosie.

He appeared before Portlaoise District Court seeking to vary his bail to allow him to return to Romania where he said his mother was seriously ill with cancer of the brain.

Insp Culliton objected to any variation of previously granted bail.

Our concern is if he leaves the country he wont return, said Insp Culliton. He said the man had told gardai in an interview that he intended to leave the country.

Nicholas Revilles BL said his client had been previously granted bail on very strict conditions which he was adhering to. He said the fact that he is requesting permission shows his intention to adhere to conditions.

Judge Andrew Cody inspected documentation provided to show how ill the mans mother is.

This would suggest she was diagnosed with a cerebral tumour in 2011, said Judge Cody.

Mr Revilles agreed but said the womans condition had deteriorated considerably.

Judge Cody noted the serious nature of the allegations and said he wouldnt grant a variation on bail to allow the man to return home.

However, he told Mr Revilles that he would consider the application again in the future but only if a cash lodgement of around 10,000 was provided.
It was an emotional day in Telfords in Portlaoise on Friday when staff bid farewell to one of their longest-standing colleagues, John Tarleton, who has been an integral part of Telfords for an incredible 34 years. CONTINUE READING BELOW PHOTO

USE ARROWS OR NEXT BUTTON TO SEE MORE PICTURES

Telfords posted a moving tribute to John on his last day when he was joined in store for a special celebration with his wife Breda and staff past and present.



"As one of the original four staff members who was at Telfords from the beginning  alongside Liam McEvoy Seamus Fitzpatrick and Mick Heffernanhis dedication and hard work have played a key role in shaping the company Telfords is today," the company said about John.



"This morning, we were joined by his wife, Breda, and gathered with Telfords staff, along with a few retired colleaguesNoel Kearney, Pat Hennessy, and Jack Kavanaghto celebrate his remarkable journey and wish him the very best for the future.

"We are deeply grateful for his years of service, his wisdom, and the memories he leaves behind. Thank you for everything, and here's to a wonderful next chapter!"



Enjoy your retirement John!
The Laois community has been devasted by the sudden death of Lorraine Lyons (nee Tyrrell) just days before Christmas.

Lorraine, from Gort na Noir in Abbeyleix, sadly passed away on Saturday, 21 December.

A much loved figure in her community, many have taken to express their sympathies with Lorraine's family online and share their admiration and fondest memories of her.

On her RIP.ie notice, one person wrote: "What a wonderful person who was kind, caring and full of life and happiness. A young life gone far too soon."

Another kindly shared: "She was such a special personfull of life, laughter, and one of a kind. We all have so many wonderful memories of her which will never be forgotten. Her love for Christmas, dressing up, and all the fun and craic made this time of year feel truly magical. It feels so bittersweet that she left us at Christmasit was her favourite time, and now it will always remind us of her. "

Someone else said: "Lorraines friendliness and kindness will be long remembered in Abbeyleix."

Her sudden passing has left many in Abbeyleix shocked, with some people simply saying "there are no words" to describe the loss.

Lorraine will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Her funeral arrangements will be announced later.
A local resident has been recognised for his lifelong contribution to the Irish co-operative and agrifood sector.

Dr Sean Brady has received the co-operative industrys highest national honour - the Plunkett Award for Co-operative Endeavour, named after Sir Horace Plunkett, founder of the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society.

Dr. Brady, who lives with his wife Kay and family in Sallins, was reared on a family farm in Arva, Co. Cavan. He is a distinguished and respected figure in Ireland's agri-food industry, recognised for his extensive leadership for decades across numerous agricultural enterprises, strategic business initiatives and national policy programmes supporting the growth, success and economic contribution of Irish agriculture.

He was presented the award at a special ceremony in Dublin, together with his wife Kay and family.

Among his most notable achievements, Dr Brady chaired the expert committee responsible for developing "Food Harvest 2020," the 10-year strategic vision for the growth of Ireland's agri-food and fisheries sectors. He subsequently chaired the Dairy Expansion Activation Group to deliver on the ambitions of Food Harvest 2020.

Dr. Brady earned a Ph.D. in Food Science from University College Cork and a Diploma in Applied Finance from the Irish Management Institute. He also completed the Timoney Institute Advanced Leadership Programme.

He began his career at Killeshandra Co-op, and was instrumental in the 1990 merger process with Lough Egish to form Lakeland Dairies, where he then served as General Manager, Dairy Division.

He went on to hold several key industry executive roles including Managing Director of Greencore Malt for eight years, and Irish Sugar for five years, within Greencore Group plc. He also served as CEO during key transformative periods for the Irish Dairy Board (now Ornua), Aurivo Co-op , LacPatrick Dairies and Greyhound Racing Ireland, providing key strategic direction in each role.

Dr Brady is currently chair of the Department of Agricultures Bovine TB Strategy Implementation Group. He is a non-executive Board director of Ornua since 2020 (nominated by Lakeland Dairies), chair of the Dairy Processing Technology Centre, a council member of the Irish Management Institute and chair of the audit committee of Kilkenny County Council.

For over a decade to 2023 he served as Chair of the Golden Jubilee Trust, the charitable trust which funds co-operative initiatives, research and innovation for the benefit of rural communities, society and the economy.

Dr. Bradys initial nomination for the Plunkett Award came from the board of the trust.

He is currently chair of the board of management of Dominican College Newbridge, and has also previously served as a Director of Animal Health Ireland, the Irish National Stud and Life Credit Union.

Edward Carr, President of the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) said: "Sean embodies the essence of visionary leadership in Irelands agri-food sector. His exceptional ability to combine innovation with the values of co-operative enterprise has helped to drive success for multiple organisations and has also left an indelible mark on our global reputation for food excellence.

As a dynamic leader with a deep well of expertise, Sean is both a forward-thinker and a steadfast advocate for collaboration, ensuring that the initiatives he steers leave a legacy of resilience and growth. He matches these qualities with a deeply engaging personality, enthusiasm for other peoples success, and an ability to bring people with him, even in difficult times.

Dr Brady said: I am deeply honoured to receive the Plunkett Award. The co-operative agri-food industry in Ireland holds a unique and vital place in our nations heart and economy. It is a sector defined by its resilience, innovation, and commitment to quality - values that reflect the very character of our people. I have been privileged to witness and contribute to its growth and transformation over the decades, and I am immensely proud of what we have all achieved together. I am deeply grateful to the many individuals and organisations I have had the privilege to work alongside.
The parish priest for Ruan & Dysart in County Clare says Midnight Mass will be celebrated on Christmas Eve, despite a lightning strike which damaged the spire at St Mary's Church in the village.

The timber spire crashed to the ground in flames after it was struck at around 3am on Sunday morning. A family home, which was unoccupied at the time, was also damaged.

Speaking this Monday morning, Fr Pat O'Neill said the main church building did not sustain any significant damage but that the electricity and heating were impacted.

"The church itself is okay, the difficulty is we have no electricity and we have no heating in the church and all of the electrics will have to be redone. All of the electrics will have to be seen to and certified as safe before the ESB can connect us up," he told Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1.

READ ALSO: Major Ireland weather update with polar cold spell and snow to arrive within days

When asked about the possibility of there being Christmas Mass, he said: "All I can say is we'll see - maybe with the help of God, maybe we might be able to (have Mass)."

Fr O'Neill added: "We will have midnight Mass here (in Ruan) tomorrow night somewhere! If we don't have it in the church, we will have it in the hall but we will have it here for sure and, if it's possible, to have it in the church we will have it in the church."
This past week, week commencing December 16, 2024, Revenue officers seized contraband with an estimated value of over 880,000 in various operations in Dublin, the Midlands and Rosslare.

The detections included over 30kg of herbal cannabis, with an estimated value of almost 611,300, almost 2.35 kg of cocaine, with an estimated value of 164,500 and various other illicit drugs, with an estimated value of almost 3,000.

Additionally, 251 items of counterfeit goods, with an estimated value of 83,000, approximately 458 litres of alcohol, with an estimated value of over 10,000 and 1,310 cigarettes with an estimated value of 1,200 as well as 9,900 in cash.

READ MORE: ALERT: Nearly 200 cars seized by gardai during major Christmas clampdown

The 2.35 kg of cocaine was seized as a result of an intelligence led operation, when Revenue officers searched two consignments at Dublin Airport. The illegal drugs were discovered, concealed in boxes described as Engraved Leather Organiser and Yoga Wear, that had arrived in air cargo consignments from the United States and were destined for addresses in Dublin.

The herbal cannabis and the various other illicit drugs were seized as a result of risk profiling, and with the assistance of detector dogs Sam, Enzo and Ciara, by Revenue officers examining parcels at premises in Dublin and the Midlands. The illegal drugs were discovered in parcels that originated in the USA, the United Kingdom, Thailand, India and Spain. The parcels were destined for various addresses nationwide.

The counterfeit goods were seized as they were confirmed by the Rights Holder to have infringed on Intellectual Property Rights.

The alcohol and cigarettes seized were of various brands. These seizure were made as a result of risk profiling, when Revenue officers stopped and searched passengers passing through Rosslare Europort, and whilst examining parcels at premises in the Midlands.

The cash was seized when Revenue officers stopped and searched a passenger passing through Rosslare Europort. On December 18, Revenue officers were granted a cash detention order at Gorey District Court in respect of same. It is suspected that the cash is the proceeds of, or intended for use in, criminal activity and is detained by Revenue in accordance with proceeds of crime legislation.

Investigations into all seizures are ongoing. These seizures are part of Revenues ongoing operations targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity. If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on 1800 295 295.
The Irish Department of Transport has said it will take time to determine any appropriate financial supports for hauliers affected by the closure of Holyhead Port.

The busy ferry port in Anglesey, north Wales, was forced to close following damage during Storm Darragh and is not set to re-open until January 15 at the earliest.

All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are currently cancelled, upending travel plans for thousands across the festive season.

However, alternative sailings to Ireland took place over the weekend amid high winds and challenging conditions.

Irish ministers met supply-chain stakeholders on Monday to facilitate new services to the greatest extent priority.

The Department of Transport said the closure of the port is being treated with absolute priority.

The focus remains on securing viable additional routes and vessels with sufficient capacity to support the steady movement of both goods and people between Ireland and the UK during the period of Holyhead Port closure.

A number of additional routes and services have been put in place: Dublin to Liverpool, Dublin to Heysham, Dublin to Fishguard and from Belfast to Cairnryan which has created additional capacity to compensate for the losses through Holyhead.

The Department said it is working hard with operators and UK authorities to establish further routes that can accommodate passenger and freight demand.

Irish hauliers have warned that delays in resolving the Holyhead problems could lead to lay-offs or business failures, further requesting financial supports from the Government or the EU.

However, the Department of Transport said in a statement that any decision on supports would take some time.

In a statement, it said: Regarding the call for financial supports, while the damage arising from the closure of Holyhead Port has significant impacts and causes disruption for affected hauliers and shippers, it does not affect all hauliers in Ireland.

It will take some time to establish the precise impacts of the Holyhead Port closure across the sector and determine an appropriate response.

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said his department will monitor the situation over the holidays, adding: Our key focus is on ensuring that there is a resilient solution to the difficulties caused by the damage to Holyhead Port.

We will continue to work with the UK and Welsh governments to help secure additional berths in alternative ports, and we expect to get clarity on the state of play at Holyhead from Stena by mid-January.

As we assess the impact of this situation, the one thing we all need is clear, accurate and real-time information so that we can respond quickly and appropriately to keep goods and people flowing between our two countries.

James Lawless, the junior minister at the department, later said hauliers had not put a specific solution or figure on the supports they were requesting.

He added that it would be important that any financial supports were targeted and evidence based.

Mr Lawless told RTE radio: This is an act of God issue in terms of the damage of Storm Daragh at a port in other jurisdiction, the UK, owned by a private company, Stenaline

Really, it was a bit of a perfect storm that has brought this about.

Earlier, a Welsh Cabinet secretary said people have been ferried to Ireland on alternative routes after the temporary closure of Holyhead port in an effort to get people home for Christmas.

Welsh Transport Secretary Ken Skates said: Conditions have been incredibly challenging across the UK, but additional sailings from Wales and the Mersey area have taken place, helping people and goods get to Ireland for Christmas. These sailings will continue.

Id like to thank the ferry companies for their efforts in putting alternative sailings in place. I would urge anyone who is travelling to check the arrangements with their ferry company.

This is a challenge we have never faced before, but well continue to work together with the UK and Irish governments to rescue the hopes and plans of people and businesses.

We will also work with the owners of Holyhead Port to get the facility back open as soon as possible, as it is a massively important facility for Ireland and the UK.

According to the Welsh Government, contingency plans are also in place for the new year period.
Global Times: First Kuliang Forum commemorates enduring bond between Chinese and American people, offers insights on how to find right way to get along





BEIJING, Dec. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- "Kuliang, Kuliang!" American resident Milton Gardner repeatedly whispered the word on his deathbed. As a place where Gardner spent the most joyful 10 years in his life, Kuliang was Gardner's childhood home in China that he failed to return to until his final hours.

At that time, Gardner's families still did not know what the word Kuliang meant, neither to mention the deep bond between Gardner and Kuliang. It was not until 1992 that a Chinese student in the US unveiled the story between Gardner with Kuliang, uncovering a century-long friendship between the people in China and the US to the world.

Since then, 32 years have passed. The small village of Kuliang in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province, has become a representative of the friendship between Chinese and American people.

Nowadays, the bond with Kuliang has inspired generations after generations of youngsters from both countries to carry forward the traditional friendship and bring the hearts of the two peoples closer.

To serve as a platform for the exchange of ideas between the China-US youth, the 2024 Kuliang Forum was officially held on Friday by the People's Daily Digital Communication and Global Times.

The forum, with theme of "Bridging Cultural Differences, Inheriting Friendship and Trust," brought together more than 150 political, academic, media, business, and youth representatives from both China and the US, as well as members of "Kuliang Friends" to engage in candid and in-depth discussions on how the peoples of China and the US can transcend differences in systems, cultures and languages to forge deep friendships, and find the correct path for these two great powers to coexist peacefully.

A century-long friendship

The heartwarming tale and its connections begin with a few special stamps that unveil a nostalgia spanning an entire century.

In April 1992, the People's Daily, a prominent Chinese newspaper, featured an article titled "Ah! Kuliang," which tells the poignant story of Milton Gardner, an American who spent his childhood in the southern Chinese town of Kuliang before returning to the US in 1911.

For decades, Gardner yearned to revisit his beloved hometown, but sadly, he never had the chance. In his last moments, he repeatedly whispered "Kuliang." His wife, Elizabeth Gardner, made several attempts to honor his wish by traveling to China, but she struggled to find Kuliang.

Eventually, while sorting through her husband's belongings, she found old stamps with postmarks indicating "Foochow, Kuliang." With assistance from a Chinese student, she learned that Kuliang is located in Fuzhou.

The touching narrative resonated with many people, including Xi Jinping, then secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, who immediately had officials contact Gardner and invite her to Kuliang.

On August 21, 1992, she arrived in Fuzhou, and the next day, she finally visited the cherished place her husband had longed for.

On September 26, 1992, the People's Daily published Bond with Kuliang, documenting Mrs. Gardner's trip to China. In the story, she said: "Thanks to [the] People's Daily for its attention and support, thanks to the people of Fuzhou for their warm hospitality, and many thanks to everyone who made this dream come true."

In September 2012, two of Gardner's grand-nephews visited Kuliang, and the People's Daily once again recorded this enduring bond with Kuliang.

In a congratulatory letter to the "Bond with Kuliang: China-US People-to-people Friendship Forum" held in Fuzhou in 2023, Xi said amity between peoples holds the key to the relationship between countries, and the people are the cornerstone of its growth. "I hope that you will continue to write the Kuliang story and carry forward the special bonds, so that the friendship between our two peoples can stay forever strong and robust like the thousand-year-old cedar trees in Kuliang," Xi said.

In the letter, Xi said that in the following 30 years and more after 1992, members of the Kuliang Friends and people from various sectors of both countries have delved deep into the history of this town, actively spread its culture, and worked tirelessly to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.

"Their stories have shown once again that the Chinese and American peoples can transcend differences in system, culture and language, and build profound friendship," said Xi.

Amity between the people

At the 2024 Kuliang Forum, many "Kuliang Friends" shared the stories of their search for their ancestors' life in Kuliang via videos, which touched many audiences.

"My family roots are deep in China. I was born in China. My father was born in China. My grandmother and grandfather spent all their working years in China... Thirteen members of our family came back to China," Priscilla Brewster, a member of the "Kuliang Friends" group, said in a video speech to the forum.

"It seemed like a miracle to be back again. When I tell my family and friends about my seven summers in Kuliang, I tell them about the house I lived in on the side of the mountain. I tell them about the slippery rock in back of the house where we would run and jump and play and where we would leap over the stream. I tell them about the whispering pines and the signal that we were back in our beloved place, a place of peace where all people would love to be, Kuliang," Brewster said, recalling the old days emotionally.

"As an American, I long for harmony in my country. Like the great cedar tree of a thousand years on Kuliang, our two people are intertwined wherever there is goodwill and the desire to understand each other's culture. It has become clear to me that distance, hardships, warfare, years, cannot separate me from the bonds of friendship forged by my ancestors and by my own experiences growing up in China, my beloved country," she said.

William N. Brown, professor at the Xiamen University School of Management, Touching China 2019 Person of the Year, and Fujian's first foreign permanent resident, told the Global Times at the forum that there are many touching stories between the people of China and the US, among which his favorite is the Kuliang story.

Brown said that previously he did not understand China until he came to the country, where he truly learned about and fell in love with the Chinese people.

The Kuliang story told us that, over a hundred years ago, foreigners and Chinese people had already joined hands in Xiamen to establish hospitals and schools together. I met some elderly people in the US who are nearly a hundred years old. They lived in Xiamen during the 1930s and 1940s, and they still love China. Even after leaving China for 60 years, they can still speak the Minnan dialect. They fell in love with China because of its people, Brown said.

Jeffrey Greene, Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, shared the story of the Flying Tigers at the forum as another example of the enduring friendship among the peoples in China and the US.

During World War II, some young American Air Force soldiers came to China to assist the Chinese people in resisting brutal invaders. In December 1941, they successfully prevented Japanese bombers from bombing Kunming, and subsequently, the names and deeds of these American airmen spread worldwide.

The Chinese people affectionately referred to them as the "Flying Tigers." At the same time, during the Pearl Harbor incident, the Chinese people selflessly risked their lives to rescue American pilots.

The "Flying Tigers" are also a testament to the two peoples fighting side by side and jointly winning victory in World War II, highlighting the legacy of China-US friendship, Greene told the Global Times.

Greene said that, so far, his foundation has helped over 500 Flying Tiger veterans return to China.

Avery Jade Prewitt, an American student in Chinese Politics at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times at the forum that she was touched and encouraged by the bond and the friendship between Chinese and American people embodied in the Kuliang stories.

In November 2023, President Xi announced in San Francisco the plan to invite 50,000 American teenagers to come to China for exchange and study over the next five years.

Avery came to study in China under the initiative. She said that some people view China and the US as competitors and tend to be negative about the relations between the two countries, but she chooses to be optimistic after seeing the warm and frequent exchanges among Chinese and American students.

To cross the bridge together

During her speech at the forum, Roberta Lipson, Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China), said, "Today, I stand here as AmCham China Chair, representing over 800 American companies operating in China. Through my work in AmCham China, I have witnessed the remarkable achievements resulting from US-China cooperation, and we recognize the significance of the economic relationship between our two countries."

"Addressing climate change and solving major global issues require the US and China to work together. I sincerely hope that the next administration in Washington will prioritize cooperation and facilitate our joint efforts," Lipson noted.

Jack Pinnick, a 16th Generation San Feng Pai Disciple, discussed the importance of communication in an interview with the Global Times at the forum. He believes that many people may learn about the relationship between countries through news, but some news reports fail to fully capture the true lives and realities of the local people. Thus, enhancing mutual understanding through personal stories is an effective approach.

Pinnick said, "My biggest dream is to spread the Wudang martial arts and traditional culture that I have learned here. I hope to pass this knowledge on to the next generation."

During the forum, a launch ceremony for the Initiative for Friendly Exchanges Among Chinese and American Youth was held to encourage youngsters to carry forward the bond with Kuliang and write new stories of China-US friendly exchanges in their own ways.

"The hope and foundation of the China-US relationship lie in the people, and its future lies in the youths. The bridge [of friendship] is already built. Now it's up to us, and the Chinese people, to cross it together," Avery said.

The story of Kuliang has spanned a century. Attendees at the forum shared a common wish that the friendship between the peoples of China and the US remains forever strong and robust, like the thousand-year-old cedar trees in Kuliang.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202412/1325571.shtml

SOURCE Global Times

22 december 2024 at 19:57

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JinkoSolar recognized with two prestigious awards from EUPD Research





MUNICH, Dec. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. ("JinkoSolar" or the "Company") (NYSE: JKS), one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world, today announced that it has been recognized with two prestigious awards from EUPD Research, the Solar Prosumer and the DACH Energy Transition Award.

The Energy Transition Award is a prestigious acknowledgement for the pioneers of the energy transition in the DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), who succeed in comprehensively integrating the new energy world into their product and service portfolio and are seen as role models for others.

The SolarProsumer Award honors companies that are active in the photovoltaic industry and are particularly distinguished by innovative business models and solutions in the field of solar energy. The term "prosumer" refers to the idea that consumers not only produce energy by installing solar systems, but also become producers themselves and thus participate in the energy market. The Solar Prosumer Award recognizes companies that help promote and implement this idea.

"We are very proud to have been recognized by EUPD Research with two prestigious awards in 2024. The DACH Energy Transition Award recognizes our far-reaching commitment to deliver a one-step solution to end customers and support the energy transition in the EU, and in the DACH region specifically. On the other hand, the SolarProsumer Award is based on the professional opinions and evaluations of PV system owners in Germany. It is therefore the most direct reflection of consumer trust in JinkoSolar, one of the most trusted and admired global PV brands" says Frank Niendorf, JinkoSolar' EU Vice-President.

About JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world. JinkoSolar distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to utility-scale, commercial and residential customers in China, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, South Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Greece and other countries and regions.

JinkoSolar had over 10 productions facilities globally, over 20 overseas subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, India, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Denmark, Indonesia, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, and a global sales network with sales teams in China, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Spain, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Vietnam and India, as of September 30, 2024.

To find out more, please see: www.jinkosolar.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and the Company's operations and business outlook, contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in JinkoSolar's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Ms. Stella Wang

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

Tel: +86 21-5180-8777 ext.7806

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

22 december 2024 at 21:19

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GW Instek Marks 50 Years of Innovation, Embarking on a New Journey to 2025





Backed by five decades of technological expertise, GW Instek commemorates its 50th anniversary by delivering top-notch testing solutions to key industry sectors worldwide, empowering them to enhance quality and efficiency.

NEW TAIPEI CITY, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- GW Instek is poised to reach a landmark in 2025, celebrating 50 years since its establishment in 1975. Throughout its history, the company has dedicated itself to the research, development and manufacturing of measuring and testing instruments for diverse industries across the globe. Despite the ever-evolving market landscape, GW Instek stays true to its "Integrity, Quality, and Innovation" philosophy, offering efficient and precise testing solutions to engineers worldwide.

In 2024, GW Instek introduced a range of advanced solutions including high-power power supplies, a modular data acquisition system, and an oscilloscope incorporating Python programming. These additions to the product lineup underscore the company's commitment to emerging markets, aiding customers in cost reduction and efficiency enhancement.

ASR-6000: Premier Solution for High-Power Power Supply Testing

The ASR-6000, a high-performance AC/DC power supply tailored for high-power applications, integrates third-generation silicon carbide (SiC) technology to deliver an outstanding 4U 6 kVA power density in a single unit. Supporting both AC single/three-phase input and output, it boasts a parallel connection up to 24 kVA, with a product enhancement in the pipeline to reach 36 kVA. Offering full-power DC output, the ASR-6000 is ideal as the power source for AI servers (M-CRPS), electric vehicle on-board chargers (OBC), and power quality testing of single/three-phase equipment.

DAQ-9600: Modular Data Acquisition System for Versatile Testing

The DAQ-9600 is a modular data acquisition system designed for ultimate flexibility. Featuring the popular 6 1/2 digital multimeter GDM-9061, it boasts 3 module slots with 6 selectable switching modules, delivering top-tier specs including a max voltage measurement of DC 600 V / AC 400 V (DAQ-909 Module). Users can easily expand its capabilities to meet various testing needs. It is ideal for multi-point measurements in AI server thermal research, reliability testing, industrial automation, automotive electronics, and aerospace research.

MPO-2000: Oscilloscope Redefines Testing with Python Integration

The MPO-2000 series oscilloscope, featuring built-in Python programming, enables users to seamlessly create customized test programs. Perfect for standalone operation or multi-unit coordination, the MPO-2000 offers an efficient, intelligent testing solution. It is suitable for automation teaching in testing & measurement, small-scale production line testing, QA component tolerance checks, and other complex testing applications.

GW Instek Unveils PHU: Wide-Range High-Power DC Power Supply for 2025

In 2025, GW Instek will introduce the PHU wide-range high-power DC power supply. Available in 3 power levels (5kVA, 10kVA, 15kVA), 6 voltage ranges (80V~1500V), and 18 models, the PHU offers extensive specs and multiple industrial interfaces. Users can mix and match voltage and current within the rated power range, eliminating the need for multiple high-power supplies. It is perfect for servers, electric vehicles, photoelectric systems, semiconductor components, automotive electronics, and more.

GW Instek: Paving the Way for the Next 50 Years of Industrial Innovation

With an extensive product portfolio that meets all types of measurement needs, GW Instek drives technological advancements in emerging markets. The company roadmap for 2025 includes initiatives to roll our additional solutions for automotive electronics, batteries, and electric vehicles based on the latest advancements in testing technologies, providing state-of-the-art solutions to enhance global industrial quality and efficiency.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, GW Instek is proud of the advancements and breakthroughs achieved during five decades of accumulation in technical expertise. With innovative technologies and a deep understanding of user requirements, the company remains a pivotal force in global measuring and testing solutions. Working together with its many partners, each a leader in their specialized field, GW Instek is poised to create another 50 years of remarkable achievements.

To learn more about GW Instek products, please contact: [email protected]

For more information on the company and its innovative solutions, please visit https://www.gwinstek.com



SOURCE GOOD WILL INSTRUMENT CO., LTD.

23 december 2024 at 03:00

News published onand distributed by:
Bristol Myers Squibb Receives European Commission Approval for Opdivo (nivolumab) plus Yervoy (ipilimumab) for the First-Line Treatment of Adult Patients with Microsatellite Instability?High or Mismatch Repair Deficient Metastatic Colorectal Cancer





Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved Opdivo (nivolumab) plus Yervoy (ipilimumab) for the first-line treatment of adult patients with microsatellite instability?high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

"Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Europe and patients are in need of new treatment options that delay disease progression. Approximately 5-7% of metastatic colorectal cancer patients have MSI-H/dMMR tumors and these patients are less likely to benefit from conventional chemotherapy and typically have poor prognosis outcomes," said Dana Walker, M.D., M.S.C.E., vice president, Opdivo global program lead, Bristol Myers Squibb. "The EC's decision to approve Opdivo plus Yervoy represents a significant milestone for this patient population in the European Union and underscores our commitment to advancing treatment options."

The decision is based on results from the CheckMate -8HW trial, which were presented at medical congresses earlier this year. These data formed the basis for the Company's application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In the study, Opdivo plus Yervoy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in the dual primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) and reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 79% compared to the investigator's choice of chemotherapy as assessed by Blinded Independent Central Review (BICR). The safety profile for the dual immunotherapy combination remained consistent with previously reported data and was manageable with established protocols, with no new safety signals identified.

This approval by the EC for Opdivo plus Yervoy for the first-line treatment of adult patients with MSI-H or dMMR unresectable or mCRC is valid in all 27 member states of the European Union (EU), as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. In addition to approval in colorectal cancer, Opdivo-based options are also approved for treatment of multiple tumor types in the EU.

Bristol Myers Squibb thanks the patients and investigators involved in the CheckMate -8HW clinical trial.

CheckMate -8HW and Select Efficacy and Safety Results

With a median follow-up of approximately 31.5 months, CheckMate -8HW trial results showed:

PFS (progression-free survival; a dual primary endpoint): Opdivo plus Yervoy reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 79%. Median PFS was not yet reached in the Opdivo plus Yervoy arm (95% CI: 38.4-NE) vs. 5.9 months in the chemotherapy arm (95% CI: 4.4-7.8). Consistent PFS benefit was observed across all pre-specified subgroups, including patients with KRAS or NRAS mutations, and those with baseline liver, lung, or peritoneal metastases.

plus reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 79%. Median PFS was not yet reached in the plus arm (95% CI: 38.4-NE) vs. 5.9 months in the chemotherapy arm (95% CI: 4.4-7.8). Consistent PFS benefit was observed across all pre-specified subgroups, including patients with or mutations, and those with baseline liver, lung, or peritoneal metastases. Safety: The safety profile for the combination of Opdivo plus Yervoy remained consistent with previously reported data and was manageable with established protocols, with no new safety signals identified. Grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 23% of patients in the Opdivo plus Yervoy arm and 48% of patients in the chemotherapy arm. Any grade TRAE-related discontinuation was 17% in the Opdivo plus Yervoy arm and 32% in the chemotherapy arm.

About CheckMate -8HW

CheckMate -8HW (NCT04008030) is a Phase 3 randomized, open-label trial evaluating Opdivo plus Yervoy compared to Opdivo alone or the investigator's choice of chemotherapy (mFOLFOX-6 or FOLFIRI with or without bevacizumab or cetuximab) in patients with microsatellite instability?high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

839 patients were randomized to receive either Opdivo monotherapy (Opdivo 240 mg Q2W for six doses, followed by Opdivo 480 mg Q4W), Opdivo plus Yervoy (Opdivo 240 mg plus Yervoy 1 mg/kg Q3W for four doses, followed by Opdivo 480 mg Q4W), or investigator's choice of chemotherapy. The dual primary endpoints of the trial are progression-free survival (PFS) per blinded independent central review (BICR) for Opdivo plus Yervoy compared to investigator's choice of chemotherapy in the first-line setting and PFS per BICR for Opdivo plus Yervoy compared to Opdivo alone across all lines of therapy. Further data disclosure is planned at The American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium taking place January 23, 2025, through January 25, 2025. The trial also evaluates several secondary safety and efficacy endpoints, including overall survival, which is ongoing.

About dMMR or MSI-H Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is cancer that develops in the colon or the rectum, which are part of the body's digestive or gastrointestinal system. CRC is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world. In 2020, it is estimated that there were approximately 1,931,000 new cases of the disease; it is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men and women combined.

Mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) occurs when the proteins that repair mismatch errors in DNA replication are missing or non-functional, leading to microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) tumors. Approximately 5-7% of metastatic CRC patients have dMMR or MSI-H tumors. These patients are less likely to benefit from conventional chemotherapy and typically have a poor prognosis.

Bristol Myers Squibb: Creating a Better Future for People with Cancer

Bristol Myers Squibb is inspired by a single vision ? transforming patients' lives through science. The goal of the company's cancer research is to deliver medicines that offer each patient a better, healthier life and to make cure a possibility. Building on a legacy across a broad range of cancers that have changed survival expectations for many, Bristol Myers Squibb researchers are exploring new frontiers in personalized medicine and, through innovative digital platforms, are turning data into insights that sharpen their focus. Deep understanding of causal human biology, cutting-edge capabilities and differentiated research programs uniquely position the company to approach cancer from every angle.

Cancer can have a relentless grasp on many parts of a patient's life, and Bristol Myers Squibb is committed to taking actions to address all aspects of care, from diagnosis to survivorship. As a leader in cancer care, Bristol Myers Squibb is working to empower all people with cancer to have a better future.

About Opdivo

Opdivo is a programmed death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor that is designed to uniquely harness the body's own immune system to help restore anti-tumor immune response. By harnessing the body's own immune system to fight cancer, Opdivo has become an important treatment option across multiple cancers.

Opdivo's leading global development program is based on Bristol Myers Squibb's scientific expertise in the field of Immuno-Oncology and includes a broad range of clinical trials across all phases, including Phase 3, in a variety of tumor types. To date, the Opdivo clinical development program has treated more than 35,000 patients. The Opdivo trials have contributed to gaining a deeper understanding of the potential role of biomarkers in patient care, particularly regarding how patients may benefit from Opdivo across the continuum of PD-L1 expression.

In July 2014, Opdivo was the first PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor to receive regulatory approval anywhere in the world. Opdivo is currently approved in more than 65 countries, including the United States, the European Union, Japan and China. In October 2015, the Company's Opdivo and Yervoy combination regimen was the first Immuno-Oncology combination to receive regulatory approval for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and is currently approved in more than 50 countries, including the United States and the European Union.

About Yervoy

Yervoy is a recombinant, human monoclonal antibody that binds to the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4). CTLA-4 is a negative regulator of T-cell activity. Yervoy binds to CTLA-4 and blocks the interaction of CTLA-4 with its ligands, CD80/CD86. Blockade of CTLA-4 has been shown to augment T-cell activation and proliferation, including the activation and proliferation of tumor infiltrating T-effector cells. Inhibition of CTLA-4 signaling can also reduce T-regulatory cell function, which may contribute to a general increase in T-cell responsiveness, including the anti-tumor immune response. On March 25, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Yervoy 3 mg/kg monotherapy for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. Yervoy is approved for unresectable or metastatic melanoma in more than 50 countries. There is a broad, ongoing development program in place for Yervoy spanning multiple tumor types.

INDICATIONS

OPDIVO (nivolumab), as a single agent, is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older with completely resected Stage IIB, Stage IIC, Stage III, or Stage IV melanoma.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy, is indicated as neoadjuvant treatment of adult patients with resectable (tumors ?4 cm or node positive) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

OPDIVO (nivolumab) in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy, is indicated for neoadjuvant treatment of adult patients with resectable (tumors ?4 cm or node positive) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and no known epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements, followed by single-agent OPDIVO (nivolumab) as adjuvant treatment after surgery.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express PD-L1 (?1%) as determined by an FDA-approved test, with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab) and 2 cycles of platinum-doublet chemotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients with EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations should have disease progression on FDA-approved therapy for these aberrations prior to receiving OPDIVO (nivolumab).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with intermediate or poor risk advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with cabozantinib, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who have received prior anti-angiogenic therapy.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) that has relapsed or progressed after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and brentuximab vedotin or after 3 or more lines of systemic therapy that includes autologous HSCT. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) with disease progression on or after platinum-based therapy.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy or have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), as a single agent, is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC) who are at high risk of recurrence after undergoing radical resection of UC.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine, is indicated as first-line treatment for adult patients with unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), as a single agent, is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric (12 years and older) patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with sorafenib. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after prior fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based chemotherapy.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of completely resected esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer with residual pathologic disease in adult patients who have received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, and esophageal adenocarcinoma.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Severe and Fatal Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions

Immune-mediated adverse reactions listed herein may not include all possible severe and fatal immune-mediated adverse reactions.

Immune-mediated adverse reactions, which may be severe or fatal, can occur in any organ system or tissue. While immune-mediated adverse reactions usually manifest during treatment, they can also occur after discontinuation of OPDIVO or YERVOY. Early identification and management are essential to ensure safe use of OPDIVO and YERVOY. Monitor for signs and symptoms that may be clinical manifestations of underlying immune-mediated adverse reactions. Evaluate clinical chemistries including liver enzymes, creatinine, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level, and thyroid function at baseline and periodically during treatment with OPDIVO and before each dose of YERVOY. In cases of suspected immune-mediated adverse reactions, initiate appropriate workup to exclude alternative etiologies, including infection. Institute medical management promptly, including specialty consultation as appropriate.

Withhold or permanently discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information). In general, if OPDIVO or YERVOY interruption or discontinuation is required, administer systemic corticosteroid therapy (1 to 2 mg/kg/day prednisone or equivalent) until improvement to Grade 1 or less. Upon improvement to Grade 1 or less, initiate corticosteroid taper and continue to taper over at least 1 month. Consider administration of other systemic immunosuppressants in patients whose immune-mediated adverse reactions are not controlled with corticosteroid therapy. Toxicity management guidelines for adverse reactions that do not necessarily require systemic steroids (e.g., endocrinopathies and dermatologic reactions) are discussed below.

Immune-Mediated Pneumonitis

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated pneumonitis. The incidence of pneumonitis is higher in patients who have received prior thoracic radiation. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune- mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.1% (61/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (<0.1%), Grade 3 (0.9%), and Grade 2 (2.1%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune- mediated pneumonitis occurred in 7% (31/456) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.2%), Grade 3 (2.0%), and Grade 2 (4.4%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune- mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.9% (26/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.4%) and Grade 2 (2.6%). In NSCLC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 6 weeks, immune- mediated pneumonitis occurred in 9% (50/576) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.5%), Grade 3 (3.5%), and Grade 2 (4.0%). Four patients (0.7%) died due to pneumonitis.

In Checkmate 205 and 039, pneumonitis, including interstitial lung disease, occurred in 6.0% (16/266) of patients receiving OPDIVO. Immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 4.9% (13/266) of patients receiving OPDIVO, including Grade 3 (n=1) and Grade 2 (n=12).

Immune-Mediated Colitis

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated colitis, which may be fatal. A common symptom included in the definition of colitis was diarrhea. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection/reactivation has been reported in patients with corticosteroid-refractory immune-mediated colitis. In cases of corticosteroid-refractory colitis, consider repeating infectious workup to exclude alternative etiologies. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 2.9% (58/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.7%) and Grade 2 (1%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 25% (115/456) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.4%), Grade 3 (14%) and Grade 2 (8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 9% (60/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.4%) and Grade 2 (3.7%).

Immune-Mediated Hepatitis and Hepatotoxicity

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated hepatitis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 1.8% (35/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.2%), Grade 3 (1.3%), and Grade 2 (0.4%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 15% (70/456) of patients, including Grade 4 (2.4%), Grade 3 (11%), and Grade 2 (1.8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 7% (48/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (1.2%), Grade 3 (4.9%), and Grade 2 (0.4%).

OPDIVO in combination with cabozantinib can cause hepatic toxicity with higher frequencies of Grade 3 and 4 ALT and AST elevations compared to OPDIVO alone. Consider more frequent monitoring of liver enzymes as compared to when the drugs are administered as single agents. In patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib, Grades 3 and 4 increased ALT or AST were seen in 11% of patients.

Immune-Mediated Endocrinopathies

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency, immune-mediated hypophysitis, immune-mediated thyroid disorders, and Type 1 diabetes mellitus, which can present with diabetic ketoacidosis. Withhold OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information). For Grade 2 or higher adrenal insufficiency, initiate symptomatic treatment, including hormone replacement as clinically indicated. Hypophysitis can present with acute symptoms associated with mass effect such as headache, photophobia, or visual field defects. Hypophysitis can cause hypopituitarism; initiate hormone replacement as clinically indicated. Thyroiditis can present with or without endocrinopathy. Hypothyroidism can follow hyperthyroidism; initiate hormone replacement or medical management as clinically indicated. Monitor patients for hyperglycemia or other signs and symptoms of diabetes; initiate treatment with insulin as clinically indicated.

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 1% (20/1994), including Grade 3 (0.4%) and Grade 2 (0.6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 8% (35/456), including Grade 4 (0.2%), Grade 3 (2.4%), and Grade 2 (4.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 7% (48/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.3%), Grade 3 (2.5%), and Grade 2 (4.1%). In patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 4.7% (15/320) of patients, including Grade 3 (2.2%) and Grade 2 (1.9%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypophysitis occurred in 0.6% (12/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.2%) and Grade 2 (0.3%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypophysitis occurred in 9% (42/456), including Grade 3 (2.4%) and Grade 2 (6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypophysitis occurred in 4.4% (29/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.3%), Grade 3 (2.4%), and Grade 2 (0.9%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, thyroiditis occurred in 0.6% (12/1994) of patients, including Grade 2 (0.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, thyroiditis occurred in 2.7% (22/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.5%) and Grade 2 (2.2%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hyperthyroidism occurred in 2.7% (54/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (<0.1%) and Grade 2 (1.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hyperthyroidism occurred in 9% (42/456) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.9%) and Grade 2 (4.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hyperthyroidism occurred in 12% (80/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.6%) and Grade 2 (4.5%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypothyroidism occurred in 8% (163/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.2%) and Grade 2 (4.8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypothyroidism occurred in 20% (91/456) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.4%) and Grade 2 (11%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypothyroidism occurred in 18% (122/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.6%) and Grade 2 (11%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, diabetes occurred in 0.9% (17/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.4%) and Grade 2 (0.3%), and 2 cases of diabetic ketoacidosis. In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, diabetes occurred in 2.7% (15/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.6%), Grade 3 (0.3%), and Grade 2 (0.9%).

Immune-Mediated Nephritis with Renal Dysfunction

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated nephritis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction occurred in 1.2% (23/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (<0.1%), Grade 3 (0.5%), and Grade 2 (0.6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated nephritis with renal dysfunction occurred in 4.1% (27/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.6%), Grade 3 (1.1%), and Grade 2 (2.2%).

Immune-Mediated Dermatologic Adverse Reactions

OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated rash or dermatitis. Exfoliative dermatitis, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) has occurred with PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies. Topical emollients and/or topical corticosteroids may be adequate to treat mild to moderate nonexfoliative rashes.

YERVOY can cause immune-mediated rash or dermatitis, including bullous and exfoliative dermatitis, SJS, TEN, and DRESS. Topical emollients and/or topical corticosteroids may be adequate to treat mild to moderate non-bullous/exfoliative rashes.

Withhold or permanently discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated rash occurred in 9% (171/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.1%) and Grade 2 (2.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated rash occurred in 28% (127/456) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.8%) and Grade 2 (10%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated rash occurred in 16% (108/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (3.5%) and Grade 2 (4.2%).

Other Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions

The following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions occurred at an incidence of <1% (unless otherwise noted) in patients who received OPDIVO monotherapy or OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY or were reported with the use of other PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies. Severe or fatal cases have been reported for some of these adverse reactions: cardiac/vascular: myocarditis, pericarditis, vasculitis; nervous system: meningitis, encephalitis, myelitis and demyelination, myasthenic syndrome/myasthenia gravis (including exacerbation), Guillain-Barre syndrome, nerve paresis, autoimmune neuropathy; ocular: uveitis, iritis, and other ocular inflammatory toxicities can occur; gastrointestinal: pancreatitis to include increases in serum amylase and lipase levels, gastritis, duodenitis; musculoskeletal and connective tissue: myositis/polymyositis, rhabdomyolysis, and associated sequelae including renal failure, arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica; endocrine: hypoparathyroidism; other (hematologic/immune): hemolytic anemia, aplastic anemia, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), systemic inflammatory response syndrome, histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi lymphadenitis), sarcoidosis, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, solid organ transplant rejection, other transplant (including corneal graft) rejection.

In addition to the immune-mediated adverse reactions listed above, across clinical trials of YERVOY monotherapy or in combination with OPDIVO, the following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions, some with fatal outcome, occurred in <1% of patients unless otherwise specified: nervous system: autoimmune neuropathy (2%), myasthenic syndrome/myasthenia gravis, motor dysfunction; cardiovascular: angiopathy, temporal arteritis; ocular: blepharitis, episcleritis, orbital myositis, scleritis; gastrointestinal: pancreatitis (1.3%); other (hematologic/immune): conjunctivitis, cytopenias (2.5%), eosinophilia (2.1%), erythema multiforme, hypersensitivity vasculitis, neurosensory hypoacusis, psoriasis.

Some ocular IMAR cases can be associated with retinal detachment. Various grades of visual impairment, including blindness, can occur. If uveitis occurs in combination with other immune-mediated adverse reactions, consider a Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada?like syndrome, which has been observed in patients receiving OPDIVO and YERVOY, as this may require treatment with systemic corticosteroids to reduce the risk of permanent vision loss.

Infusion-Related Reactions

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause severe infusion-related reactions. Discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY in patients with severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) infusion-related reactions. Interrupt or slow the rate of infusion in patients with mild (Grade 1) or moderate (Grade 2) infusion-related reactions. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy as a 60-minute infusion, infusion-related reactions occurred in 6.4% (127/1994) of patients. In a separate trial in which patients received OPDIVO monotherapy as a 60-minute infusion or a 30-minute infusion, infusion-related reactions occurred in 2.2% (8/368) and 2.7% (10/369) of patients, respectively. Additionally, 0.5% (2/368) and 1.4% (5/369) of patients, respectively, experienced adverse reactions within 48 hours of infusion that led to dose delay, permanent discontinuation or withholding of OPDIVO. In melanoma patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 2.5% (10/407) of patients. In HCC patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 8% (4/49) of patients. In RCC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 5.1% (28/547) of patients. In MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 4.2% (5/119) of patients. In MPM patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 6 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 12% (37/300) of patients.

Complications of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Fatal and other serious complications can occur in patients who receive allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) before or after being treated with OPDIVO or YERVOY. Transplant-related complications include hyperacute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), acute GVHD, chronic GVHD, hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) after reduced intensity conditioning, and steroid-requiring febrile syndrome (without an identified infectious cause). These complications may occur despite intervening therapy between OPDIVO or YERVOY and allogeneic HSCT.

Follow patients closely for evidence of transplant-related complications and intervene promptly. Consider the benefit versus risks of treatment with OPDIVO and YERVOY prior to or after an allogeneic HSCT.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity

Based on its mechanism of action and findings from animal studies, OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. The effects of YERVOY are likely to be greater during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with OPDIVO and YERVOY and for at least 5 months after the last dose.

Increased Mortality in Patients with Multiple Myeloma when OPDIVO is Added to a Thalidomide Analogue and Dexamethasone

In randomized clinical trials in patients with multiple myeloma, the addition of OPDIVO to a thalidomide analogue plus dexamethasone resulted in increased mortality. Treatment of patients with multiple myeloma with a PD-1 or PD-L1 blocking antibody in combination with a thalidomide analogue plus dexamethasone is not recommended outside of controlled clinical trials.

Lactation

There are no data on the presence of OPDIVO or YERVOY in human milk, the effects on the breastfed child, or the effects on milk production. Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed children, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment and for 5 months after the last dose.

Serious Adverse Reactions

In Checkmate 037, serious adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=268). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 42% of patients receiving OPDIVO. The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse drug reactions reported in 2% to <5% of patients receiving OPDIVO were abdominal pain, hyponatremia, increased aspartate aminotransferase, and increased lipase. In Checkmate 066, serious adverse reactions occurred in 36% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=206). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO. The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were gamma-glutamyltransferase increase (3.9%) and diarrhea (3.4%). In Checkmate 067, serious adverse reactions (74% and 44%), adverse reactions leading to permanent discontinuation (47% and 18%) or to dosing delays (58% and 36%), and Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions (72% and 51%) all occurred more frequently in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm (n=313) relative to the OPDIVO arm (n=313). The most frequent (?10%) serious adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm and the OPDIVO arm, respectively, were diarrhea (13% and 2.2%), colitis (10% and 1.9%), and pyrexia (10% and 1.0%). In Checkmate 238, serious adverse reactions occurred in 18% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=452). Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions occurred in 25% of OPDIVO-treated patients (n=452). The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions reported in ?2% of OPDIVO-treated patients were diarrhea and increased lipase and amylase. In Checkmate 816, serious adverse reactions occurred in 30% of patients (n=176) who were treated with OPDIVO in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy. Serious adverse reactions in >2% included pneumonia and vomiting. No fatal adverse reactions occurred in patients who received OPDIVO in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy. In Checkmate 77T, serious adverse reactions occurred in 21% of patients who received OPDIVO in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment (n=228). The most frequent (?2%) serious adverse reactions was pneumonia. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 2.2% of patients, due to cerebrovascular accident, COVID-19 infection, hemoptysis, pneumonia, and pneumonitis (0.4% each). In the adjuvant phase of Checkmate 77T, 22% of patients experienced serious adverse reactions (n=142). The most frequent serious adverse reaction was pneumonitis/ILD (2.8%). One fatal adverse reaction due to COVID-19 occurred. In Checkmate 227, serious adverse reactions occurred in 58% of patients (n=576). The most frequent (?2%) serious adverse reactions were pneumonia, diarrhea/colitis, pneumonitis, hepatitis, pulmonary embolism, adrenal insufficiency, and hypophysitis. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 1.7% of patients; these included events of pneumonitis (4 patients), myocarditis, acute kidney injury, shock, hyperglycemia, multi-system organ failure, and renal failure. In Checkmate 9LA, serious adverse reactions occurred in 57% of patients (n=358). The most frequent (>2%) serious adverse reactions were pneumonia, diarrhea, febrile neutropenia, anemia, acute kidney injury, musculoskeletal pain, dyspnea, pneumonitis, and respiratory failure. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 7 (2%) patients, and included hepatic toxicity, acute renal failure, sepsis, pneumonitis, diarrhea with hypokalemia, and massive hemoptysis in the setting of thrombocytopenia. In Checkmate 017 and 057, serious adverse reactions occurred in 46% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, dyspnea, pyrexia, pleural effusion, pneumonitis, and respiratory failure. In Checkmate 057, fatal adverse reactions occurred; these included events of infection (7 patients, including one case of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia), pulmonary embolism (4 patients), and limbic encephalitis (1 patient). In Checkmate 743, serious adverse reactions occurred in 54% of patients receiving OPDIVO plus YERVOY. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients were pneumonia, pyrexia, diarrhea, pneumonitis, pleural effusion, dyspnea, acute kidney injury, infusion-related reaction, musculoskeletal pain, and pulmonary embolism. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 4 (1.3%) patients and included pneumonitis, acute heart failure, sepsis, and encephalitis. In Checkmate 214, serious adverse reactions occurred in 59% of patients receiving OPDIVO plus YERVOY (n=547). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients were diarrhea, pyrexia, pneumonia, pneumonitis, hypophysitis, acute kidney injury, dyspnea, adrenal insufficiency, and colitis. In Checkmate 9ER, serious adverse reactions occurred in 48% of patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib (n=320). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients were diarrhea, pneumonia, pneumonitis, pulmonary embolism, urinary tract infection, and hyponatremia. Fatal intestinal perforations occurred in 3 (0.9%) patients. In Checkmate 025, serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=406). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients were acute kidney injury, pleural effusion, pneumonia, diarrhea, and hypercalcemia. In Checkmate 205 and 039, adverse reactions leading to discontinuation occurred in 7% and dose delays due to adverse reactions occurred in 34% of patients (n=266). Serious adverse reactions occurred in 26% of patients. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?1% of patients were pneumonia, infusion-related reaction, pyrexia, colitis or diarrhea, pleural effusion, pneumonitis, and rash. Eleven patients died from causes other than disease progression: 3 from adverse reactions within 30 days of the last OPDIVO dose, 2 from infection 8 to 9 months after completing OPDIVO, and 6 from complications of allogeneic HSCT. In Checkmate 141, serious adverse reactions occurred in 49% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=236). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, dyspnea, respiratory failure, respiratory tract infection, and sepsis. In Checkmate 275, serious adverse reactions occurred in 54% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=270). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were urinary tract infection, sepsis, diarrhea, small intestine obstruction, and general physical health deterioration. In Checkmate 274, serious adverse reactions occurred in 30% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=351). The most frequent serious adverse reaction reported in ?2% of patients receiving OPDIVO was urinary tract infection. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 1% of patients; these included events of pneumonitis (0.6%). In Checkmate 901, serious adverse reactions occurred in 48% of patients receiving OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reporting in ?2% of patients who received OPDIVO with chemotherapy were urinary tract infection (4.9%), acute kidney injury (4.3%), anemia (3%), pulmonary embolism (2.6%), sepsis (2.3%), and platelet count decreased (2.3%). Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 3.6% of patients who received OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy; these included sepsis (1%). OPDIVO and/or chemotherapy were discontinued in 30% of patients and were delayed in 67% of patients for an adverse reaction. In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=119), serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients were colitis/diarrhea, hepatic events, abdominal pain, acute kidney injury, pyrexia, and dehydration. In Checkmate 040, serious adverse reactions occurred in 59% of patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=49). Serious adverse reactions reported in ?4% of patients were pyrexia, diarrhea, anemia, increased AST, adrenal insufficiency, ascites, esophageal varices hemorrhage, hyponatremia, increased blood bilirubin, and pneumonitis. In Attraction-3, serious adverse reactions occurred in 38% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=209). Serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients who received OPDIVO were pneumonia, esophageal fistula, interstitial lung disease, and pyrexia. The following fatal adverse reactions occurred in patients who received OPDIVO: interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis (1.4%), pneumonia (1.0%), septic shock (0.5%), esophageal fistula (0.5%), gastrointestinal hemorrhage (0.5%), pulmonary embolism (0.5%), and sudden death (0.5%). In Checkmate 577, serious adverse reactions occurred in 33% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=532). A serious adverse reaction reported in ?2% of patients who received OPDIVO was pneumonitis. A fatal reaction of myocardial infarction occurred in one patient who received OPDIVO. In Checkmate 648, serious adverse reactions occurred in 62% of patients receiving OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy (n=310). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients who received OPDIVO with chemotherapy were pneumonia (11%), dysphagia (7%), esophageal stenosis (2.9%), acute kidney injury (2.9%), and pyrexia (2.3%). Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 5 (1.6%) patients who received OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy; these included pneumonitis, pneumatosis intestinalis, pneumonia, and acute kidney injury. In Checkmate 648, serious adverse reactions occurred in 69% of patients receiving OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY (n=322). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% who received OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY were pneumonia (10%), pyrexia (4.3%), pneumonitis (4.0%), aspiration pneumonia (3.7%), dysphagia (3.7%), hepatic function abnormal (2.8%), decreased appetite (2.8%), adrenal insufficiency (2.5%), and dehydration (2.5%). Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 5 (1.6%) patients who received OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY; these included pneumonitis, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary embolism, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. In Checkmate 649, serious adverse reactions occurred in 52% of patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy (n=782). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in ?2% of patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy were vomiting (3.7%), pneumonia (3.6%), anemia (3.6%), pyrexia (2.8%), diarrhea (2.7%), febrile neutropenia (2.6%), and pneumonitis (2.4%). Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 16 (2.0%) patients who were treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy; these included pneumonitis (4 patients), febrile neutropenia (2 patients), stroke (2 patients), gastrointestinal toxicity, intestinal mucositis, septic shock, pneumonia, infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, mesenteric vessel thrombosis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. In Checkmate 76K, serious adverse reactions occurred in 18% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=524). Adverse reactions which resulted in permanent discontinuation of OPDIVO in >1% of patients included arthralgia (1.7%), rash (1.7%), and diarrhea (1.1%). A fatal adverse reaction occurred in 1 (0.2%) patient (heart failure and acute kidney injury). The most frequent Grade 3-4 lab abnormalities reported in ?1% of OPDIVO-treated patients were increased lipase (2.9%), increased AST (2.2%), increased ALT (2.1%), lymphopenia (1.1%), and decreased potassium (1.0%).

Common Adverse Reactions

In Checkmate 037, the most common adverse reaction (?20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=268) was rash (21%). In Checkmate 066, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=206) vs dacarbazine (n=205) were fatigue (49% vs 39%), musculoskeletal pain (32% vs 25%), rash (28% vs 12%), and pruritus (23% vs 12%). In Checkmate 067, the most common (?20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm (n=313) were fatigue (62%), diarrhea (54%), rash (53%), nausea (44%), pyrexia (40%), pruritus (39%), musculoskeletal pain (32%), vomiting (31%), decreased appetite (29%), cough (27%), headache (26%), dyspnea (24%), upper respiratory tract infection (23%), arthralgia (21%), and increased transaminases (25%). In Checkmate 067, the most common (?20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO arm (n=313) were fatigue (59%), rash (40%), musculoskeletal pain (42%), diarrhea (36%), nausea (30%), cough (28%), pruritus (27%), upper respiratory tract infection (22%), decreased appetite (22%), headache (22%), constipation (21%), arthralgia (21%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 238, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) reported in OPDIVO-treated patients (n=452) vs ipilimumab-treated patients (n=453) were fatigue (57% vs 55%), diarrhea (37% vs 55%), rash (35% vs 47%), musculoskeletal pain (32% vs 27%), pruritus (28% vs 37%), headache (23% vs 31%), nausea (23% vs 28%), upper respiratory infection (22% vs 15%), and abdominal pain (21% vs 23%). The most common immune-mediated adverse reactions were rash (16%), diarrhea/colitis (6%), and hepatitis (3%). In Checkmate 816, the most common (>20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus chemotherapy arm (n=176) were nausea (38%), constipation (34%), fatigue (26%), decreased appetite (20%), and rash (20%). In Checkmate 77T, the most common adverse reactions (reported in ?20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy (n= 228) were anemia (39.5%), constipation (32.0%), nausea (28.9%), fatigue (28.1%), alopecia (25.9%), and cough (21.9%). In Checkmate 227, the most common (?20%) adverse reactions were fatigue (44%), rash (34%), decreased appetite (31%), musculoskeletal pain (27%), diarrhea/colitis (26%), dyspnea (26%), cough (23%), hepatitis (21%), nausea (21%), and pruritus (21%). In Checkmate 9LA, the most common (>20%) adverse reactions were fatigue (49%), musculoskeletal pain (39%), nausea (32%), diarrhea (31%), rash (30%), decreased appetite (28%), constipation (21%), and pruritus (21%). In Checkmate 017 and 057, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418) were fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, cough, dyspnea, and decreased appetite. In Checkmate 743, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO plus YERVOY were fatigue (43%), musculoskeletal pain (38%), rash (34%), diarrhea (32%), dyspnea (27%), nausea (24%), decreased appetite (24%), cough (23%), and pruritus (21%). In Checkmate 214, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) reported in patients treated with OPDIVO plus YERVOY (n=547) were fatigue (58%), rash (39%), diarrhea (38%), musculoskeletal pain (37%), pruritus (33%), nausea (30%), cough (28%), pyrexia (25%), arthralgia (23%), decreased appetite (21%), dyspnea (20%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 9ER, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO and cabozantinib (n=320) were diarrhea (64%), fatigue (51%), hepatotoxicity (44%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (40%), stomatitis (37%), rash (36%), hypertension (36%), hypothyroidism (34%), musculoskeletal pain (33%), decreased appetite (28%), nausea (27%), dysgeusia (24%), abdominal pain (22%), cough (20%) and upper respiratory tract infection (20%). In Checkmate 025, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=406) vs everolimus (n=397) were fatigue (56% vs 57%), cough (34% vs 38%), nausea (28% vs 29%), rash (28% vs 36%), dyspnea (27% vs 31%), diarrhea (25% vs 32%), constipation (23% vs 18%), decreased appetite (23% vs 30%), back pain (21% vs 16%), and arthralgia (20% vs 14%). In Checkmate 205 and 039, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=266) were upper respiratory tract infection (44%), fatigue (39%), cough (36%), diarrhea (33%), pyrexia (29%), musculoskeletal pain (26%), rash (24%), nausea (20%) and pruritus (20%). In Checkmate 141, the most common adverse reactions (?10%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=236) were cough (14%) and dyspnea (14%) at a higher incidence than investigator's choice. In Checkmate 275, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=270) were fatigue (46%), musculoskeletal pain (30%), nausea (22%), and decreased appetite (22%). In Checkmate 274, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=351) were rash (36%), fatigue (36%), diarrhea (30%), pruritus (30%), musculoskeletal pain (28%), and urinary tract infection (22%).In Checkmate 901, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) were nausea, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, constipation, decreased appetite, rash, vomiting, and peripheral neuropathy. In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO as a single agent (n=74), the most common adverse reactions (?20%) were fatigue (54%), diarrhea (43%), abdominal pain (34%), nausea (34%), vomiting (28%), musculoskeletal pain (28%), cough (26%), pyrexia (24%), rash (23%), constipation (20%), and upper respiratory tract infection (20%). In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=119), the most common adverse reactions (?20%) were fatigue (49%), diarrhea (45%), pyrexia (36%), musculoskeletal pain (36%), abdominal pain (30%), pruritus (28%), nausea (26%), rash (25%), decreased appetite (20%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 040, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=49), were rash (53%), pruritus (53%), musculoskeletal pain (41%), diarrhea (39%), cough (37%), decreased appetite (35%), fatigue (27%), pyrexia (27%), abdominal pain (22%), headache (22%), nausea (20%), dizziness (20%), hypothyroidism (20%), and weight decreased (20%). In Attraction-3, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) in OPDIVO-treated patients (n=209) were rash (22%) and decreased appetite (21%). In Checkmate 577, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=532) were fatigue (34%), diarrhea (29%), nausea (23%), rash (21%), musculoskeletal pain (21%), and cough (20%). In Checkmate 648, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) in patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy (n=310) were nausea (65%), decreased appetite (51%), fatigue (47%), constipation (44%), stomatitis (44%), diarrhea (29%), and vomiting (23%). In Checkmate 648, the most common adverse reactions reported in ?20% of patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY were rash (31%), fatigue (28%), pyrexia (23%), nausea (22%), diarrhea (22%), and constipation (20%). In Checkmate 649, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) in patients treated with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy (n=782) were peripheral neuropathy (53%), nausea (48%), fatigue (44%), diarrhea (39%), vomiting (31%), decreased appetite (29%), abdominal pain (27%), constipation (25%), and musculoskeletal pain (20%). In Checkmate 76K, the most common adverse reactions (?20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=524) were fatigue (36%), musculoskeletal pain (30%), rash (28%), diarrhea (23%) and pruritis (20%).

Surgery Related Adverse Reactions

In Checkmate 77T, 5.3% (n=12) of the OPDIVO-treated patients who received neoadjuvant treatment, did not receive surgery due to adverse reactions. The adverse reactions that led to cancellation of surgery in OPDIVO- treated patients were cerebrovascular accident, pneumonia, and colitis/diarrhea (2 patients each) and acute coronary syndrome, myocarditis, hemoptysis, pneumonitis, COVID-19, and myositis (1 patient each).

Please see US Full Prescribing Information for OPDIVO and YERVOY.

Clinical Trials and Patient Populations

Checkmate 227?previously untreated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 9LA?previously untreated recurrent or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in combination with YERVOY and 2 cycles of platinum-doublet chemotherapy by histology; Checkmate 649?previously untreated advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction and esophageal adenocarcinoma; Checkmate 577?adjuvant treatment of esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer; Checkmate 238?adjuvant treatment of patients with completely resected Stage III or Stage IV melanoma; Checkmate 76K?adjuvant treatment of patients 12 years of age and older with completely resected Stage IIB or Stage IIC melanoma; Checkmate 274?adjuvant treatment of urothelial carcinoma; Checkmate 275?previously treated advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma; Checkmate 142?MSI-H or dMMR metastatic colorectal cancer, as a single agent or in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 142?MSI-H or dMMR metastatic colorectal cancer, as a single agent or in combination with YERVOY; Attraction-3?esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; Checkmate 648?previously untreated, unresectable advanced recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in combination with chemotherapy; Checkmate 648?previously untreated, unresectable advanced recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 040?hepatocellular carcinoma, in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 743?previously untreated unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma, in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 037?previously treated metastatic melanoma; Checkmate 066?previously untreated metastatic melanoma; Checkmate 067?previously untreated metastatic melanoma, as a single agent or in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 017?second-line treatment of metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer; Checkmate 057?second-line treatment of metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer; Checkmate 816?neoadjuvant non-small cell lung cancer, in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy; Checkmate 77T?Neoadjuvant treatment with platinum-doublet chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer followed by single-agent OPDIVO as adjuvant treatment after surgery; Checkmate 901?Adult patients with unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma; Checkmate 141?recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck; Checkmate 025?previously treated renal cell carcinoma; Checkmate 214?previously untreated renal cell carcinoma, in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 9ER?previously untreated renal cell carcinoma, in combination with cabozantinib; Checkmate 205/039?classical Hodgkin lymph.

About the Bristol Myers Squibb and Ono Pharmaceutical Collaboration

In 2011, through a collaboration agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Bristol Myers Squibb expanded its territorial rights to develop and commercialize Opdivo globally, except in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, where Ono had retained all rights to the compound at the time. On July 23, 2014, Ono and Bristol Myers Squibb further expanded the companies' strategic collaboration agreement to jointly develop and commercialize multiple immunotherapies ? as single agents and combination regimens ? for patients with cancer in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

About Bristol Myers Squibb

Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding, among other things, the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. All statements that are not statements of historical facts are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives and involve inherent risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including internal or external factors that could delay, divert or change any of them in the next several years, that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control and could cause our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, that the outcome of pricing and reimbursement negotiations in individual countries in Europe may delay or limit the commercial potential of Opdivo (nivolumab) plus Yervoy (ipilimumab) for the additional indication described in this release, any marketing approvals, if granted, may have significant limitations on their use, that continued approval of such combination treatment for such additional indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials, and whether such combination treatment for such additional indication will be commercially successful. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many risks and uncertainties that affect Bristol Myers Squibb's business and market, particularly those identified in the cautionary statement and risk factors discussion in Bristol Myers Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as updated by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made only as of the date of this document and except as otherwise required by applicable law, Bristol Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

corporatefinancial-news

23 december 2024 at 06:50

News published onand distributed by:
VERSES Renews Agreement with Chief Scientist Karl Friston to Continue Innovation





VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VERSES AI Inc. (CBOE:VERS) (OTCQB:VRSSF) ("VERSES'' or the "Company"), a cognitive computing company specializing in next-generation intelligent systems, announces that the Company has extended its exclusive contract with Professor Karl Friston, acclaimed neuroscientist, to continue his role as Chief Scientist. The extension includes additional performance-based incentives that recognize recent breakthroughs in research and development and contributions to its flagship product Geniustm and further expected technological advancements.

"Our work with Professor Friston has exceeded our expectations," said Gabriel Rene, founder and CEO of VERSES. "His revolutionary theories on Active Inference have been central to the creation and continued development of Genius, as well as our broader cognitive computing initiatives. We believe the results from Genius have been nothing less than spectacular, some of which we previewed with the Mastermind exercise recently. The recent success in the Atari benchmarks further underscores the transformative potential of these systems, and we look forward to sharing more results in the coming weeks. We are thrilled to deepen this collaboration as we build on these milestones and drive innovation forward together."



Professor Friston, whose partnership with VERSES is central to advancing the practical application of his research, shared his thoughts on the renewed agreement:

"I am delighted to be able to extend my work with a company so deeply committed to translating the right scientific principles into transformative and sustainable applications," said Professor Friston. "VERSES' steadfast dedication to pioneering the commercialization of Active Inference research is already yielding exceptional results. My continued commitment to VERSES reflects not only a shared belief in this ambitious vision, but also a dedication to advancing the groundbreaking work we have undertaken together. I eagerly anticipate contributing to this mission in the years to come ? as we aim to shape the future of intelligent ecosystems."

About VERSES

VERSES is a cognitive computing company building next-generation intelligent software systems modeled after the wisdom and genius of Nature. Designed around first principles found in science, physics and biology, our flagship product, Genius , is a suite of tools for machine learning practitioners to model complex dynamic systems and generate autonomous intelligent agents that continuously reason, plan, and learn. Imagine a Smarter World that elevates human potential through technology inspired by Nature. Learn more at verses.ai , LinkedIn , and X .

On behalf of the Company

Gabriel Rene, Founder & CEO, VERSES AI Inc.

Press Inquiries: [email protected]

Investor Relations Inquiries

U.S., Matthew Selinger, Partner, Integrous Communications, [email protected] 415-572-8152

Canada, Leo Karabelas, President, Focus Communications, [email protected] 416-543-3120

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although VERSES believes, in light of the experience of their respective officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information in this press release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the parties can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include, among other things, statements regarding the expectation that Verses will be successful at making further technological advancements and the expectation that Verses will announce more results from the Atari benchmarks in the coming weeks.

There are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied various material assumptions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause VERSUS' actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors may include, among other things, that Verses will be successful at making further technological advancements and that Verses will announce more results from the Atari benchmarks in the coming weeks. The Company undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of its securities or its financial or operating results (as applicable).

Additionally, forward-looking statements involve a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks include, without limitation: that Verses will not be successful at making any further technological advancements and that Verses will not announce more results from the Atari benchmarks in the coming weeks or at all. VERSES cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on VERSES' forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. VERSES has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of VERSES as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. VERSES does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

23 december 2024 at 08:30

News published onand distributed by:
Burning for Renewal: The Capitol Fire on the 75th Anniversary of Its Cornerstone
Position Statement of the Liberia Institute of Architects on the Fire at the Capitol Building
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Alisha Panray-Ramchurn and Cian Healy, from Seomra Glas, Thomond Primary School, who received first prize in the Additional Educational Needs Category of Team Limerick Clean-Ups Decorate a BIG TLC Christmas Tree Competition with their teacher Ms Healy, JP McManus, Helen ODonnell, and John Kiely

THE WINNERS of Team Limerick Clean-Up's (TLC) Decorate a BIG TLC Christmas Tree competition have been announced.

TLC, co-founded by JP McManus, launched its Decorate a BIG TLC Christmas Tree competition at the end of November, asking pupils across Limerick to decorate a big Christmas tree using recyclable materials.

Over 140 trees from 54 primary schools across Limerick entered the competition, with judges being extremely impressed by the creativity and imagination that went into every entry.

St Fergus NS, Glin, came first in the junior category, third class in Scoil Iosagain, Hospital, came first in the intermediate category, sixth class of Scoil Mocheallog, Killmallock, took the crown in the senior category and Thomond Primary School, Seomra Glas took the top spot in the additional educational needs category.

READ MORE: Family electrical retailer adds festive spark to Limerick

We were delighted to present the winning class groups with their prizes for TLCs Christmas Tree Competition, said JP McManus.

We would like to thank all the teachers and staff for facilitating this competition among their pupils.

It is great to see younger generations learning more about the environment and the importance of keeping Limerick clean and tidy.

First, second and third place in each category (Junior, Intermediate, Senior, Additional Educational Needs) received vouchers for school equipment.

The aim of the competition is to raise awareness of TLC and highlight the importance of protecting the environment amongst younger generations.

The first-place winners of each category were celebrated at a special prize-giving event at the International Rugby Experience.

The winners were presented with their prizes and the chance to meet TLC co-founders JP McManus and Helen ODonnell and Limerick Senior Hurling Manager John Kiely.

All Christmas tree entries have been on display in the International Rugby Experience for the last two weeks.

TLC had over 22,000 people involved last year and is celebrating 10 years next year on Good Friday, April 18.

Junior Category

1st Prize: St Fergus NS, Glin, Junior Infants, Ms Fitzgerald & Ms Healy

2nd Prize: Cloverfield NS, Junior and Senior Infants, Ms ODea

3rd Prize: Kilcornan NS, Junior and Senior Infants, Ms Balfry & Ms Gleeson

Intermediate Category

1st Prize: Scoil Iosagain, Hospital 3rd Class, Ms Laffan & Ms McNamara

2nd Prize: Knocklong NS 2nd, 3rd & 4th Class, Ms Fogarty

3rd Prize: Christ the King, Caherdavin 2nd & 6th Class, Ms Waters

Senior Category

1st Prize: Scoil Mocheallog 6th Class, Ms Brady & Ms Twomey

2nd Prize: Scoil Mocheallog, 5th Class, Ms Rea

3rd Prize: Kilmeedy NS, Multigrade, Karen, Nodlaig, Cora & Avril

Additional Educational Needs Category

1st Prize: Thomond Primary School, Seomra Glas, Ms Healy

2nd Prize: Scoil Iosagain CBS, Autism Class Ms Fitzgibbon

3rd Prize: Mid West School for the Deaf, Ms Corcoran
GARDAI have arrested a man as part of the investigation into the fatal incident in Rathkeale on Saturday.

Young mother Marguerita Sheridan, aged 21, lost her life following the hit-and-run in the town.

She was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after the driver of a silver transit van allegedly rammed the gates of a property at Bank Place, Rathkeale at 12.15pm on Saturday.

It is understood Marguerita, who gave birth to a baby boy three weeks ago, was standing in proximity to the gates at the time.

A garda spokesperson said a van believed to have been involved in this incident has been recovered by gardai and will be subject to a technical examination. Gardai have not revealed where the man was arrested or where the silver Ford Transit van was located.

"The man, aged in his 40s, is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a garda station in county Limerick. Gardai continue to appeal for any witnesses to this incident to come forward," said a garda spokesperson.

READ MORE: Woman killed in Rathkeale hit-and-run named locally

Gardai continue to appeal for witnesses.

"Any road users or pedestrians who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were in the Rathkeale area in county Limerick between 11:30am and 1:00pm on Saturday are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardai.

"Anyone with any information is asked to contact Rathkeale garda station on 069 63222, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any garda station," said a garda spokesperson.

Investigations are ongoing.
*** READER DISCRETION ADVISED ***

A NEPHEW of murdered crime boss Kieran Keane and convicted drug dealer Christy Keane has been jailed for beating his then partners head off the bathroom floor, rubbing a pitchfork over her body and attacking her with an axe in her home.

Limerick Criminal Circuit Court heard how David Keane, aged 32, of Island Road, Assumpta Park, Limerick city told the women: Im your boyfriend. I own you.

Keane pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and assault causing harm in an apartment on the Dublin Road, Limerick city on April 8, 2021; and assaults at a stables in Blackwater, Ardnacrusha and at his home address on the same date of December on December 18, 2019.

The court also heard that Keane hit the womans face against a mirror and strangled her while on holiday in Benidorm, Spain on October 1, 2019.

Prosecuting barrister John OSullivan, instructed by State solicitor Padraig Maw, outlined the evidence with the assistance of Detective Garda Michael Brennan.

Mr OSullivan said the victim and the accused had been engaged in an intimate relationship.

The prosecuting barrister said on the morning of April 8, 2021 the then couple were chatting and joking. At 12.15pm, the victim, who doesnt wish to be named, received her payslip.

The accused started giving out, complaining about the level of pay she was getting. She said it was none of his business. He said, It is my business. Im your boyfriend. I own you. She said, Nobody owns me.

"She got up, went to the kitchen and made two cups of tea, said Mr OSullivan, who went on to say that the victim poured the tea down the sink saying, If youre going to treat me like that, make your own tea.

The woman went to the bedroom to get clothes. Mr OSullivan said Keane punched a wardrobe, causing shelves to fall down.

He picked up a shelf and started hitting her with it to the head and legs. She fell to the floor. He pulled her hair, said Mr OSullivan.

The victim ran to the front door but Keane had locked it.

Mr OSullivan said the defendant started breaking up furniture and burning her clothes in the fireplace. The court heard that Keane ran at her with a small axe / hatchet. She ducked and the weapon hit the doorbell box.

She blacked out. The next thing she remembers is lying on the bed. He kept checking on her. He started cleaning the house. She had a lump on her face. She went to the bathroom and opened the window to scream for help.

She said, He started killing me. He was standing on her back beating her head off the floor. She said her bum was sore from him kicking her. She told the accused she needed to go to the doctor. She was screaming with the purpose of obtaining help. He said, Wash the ware and if she did that he would take her to the doctor, said Mr OSullivan.

The barrister said that the victim managed to escape after pretending to wash the dishes.

She ran out looking for assistance and hid near bins. She said he came out of nowhere, started hugging her and telling her, Just come home with me. She feared he was going to kill her. He started dragging her by the hair. She was sobbing, said Mr OSullivan, who added that the alarm was raised by the caretaker who saw Keane and the victim.

Mr OSullivan said Keane walked away quickly back to the apartment.

The woman was taken to UHL by ambulance and admitted overnight for observation. Her injuries included a minor head injury and multiple soft tissue bruising. She has ongoing headaches, difficulty sleeping and suffers from anxiety.

Keane was later arrested by gardai and during interviews denied assaulting her, saying She caused the injuries to herself.

READ MORE: ALERT: Motorist caught travelling at nearly twice the speed limit on rural Limerick road

Mr OSullivan said the first incident had taken place while they were on holiday in Benidorm, Spain on October 1, 2019.

After a night out on the town they returned to the hotel they were staying in. He followed her into the bathroom and hit her face off a mirror. She tried to leave.

"He tripped her up and strangled her, putting his hands around her neck. She was in fear of her life. She thought she was going to be killed. She pretended to be dead. Eventually he put her out of the apartment, said Mr OSullivan.

The prosecuting barrister said two months later they remained together and were getting on well. On December 18, 2019, the victim found out Keane was texting another girl and had arranged to meet her.

She decided to leave the accused. He was driving a car at the time. He drove towards a location in Blackwater, Ardnacrusha where he kept horses. He grabbed her by the hair and pushed her head down by the handbrake. She managed to escape from the car.

He got a pitch fork and started rubbing it on her body in a threatening manner. She didnt know if he was going to kill her. He locked her in a stable, said Mr OSullivan.

The court heard that he then dragged her by the hair to the car.

He went to his home address and forced her into his bedroom. He locked the door and kicked and punched her. She managed to get out of the house, said Mr OSullivan.

The court heard Keane has a number of previous convictions including under the Control of Horses Act, unauthorised taking of a vehicle, sale or supply of drugs and breaching a safety order.

Mr OSullivan asked Detective Garda Michael Brennan if Keane has any history of gainful employment? Not that Im aware of, said Det Garda Brennan.

READ MORE: Gardai make arrest in connection with fatal hit-and-run in Rathkeale

Mr OSullivan read out her victim impact statement in which she wrote: As a direct result of the impact of this unprovoked, horrendous, violent and vicious attack, and false imprisonment I am not the person I was before it happened.

She said she suffers from extreme PTSD and just recently began counselling for the second time.

I have practically become a recluse in my parents' house, sometimes spending weeks / months without any contact with the outside world. I am very often overwhelmed with feelings of shame attached to my attack, as in, could I have prevented it?

She said she suffers from severe depression and never ending anxiety crippled her both emotionally and physically.

I now suffer from stress-related alopecia. I am constantly in fear that I may become a prisoner once again and have recurring nightmares during which I relive every single moment of the lifechanging experience.

"The physical scars might be healing but more occur as time goes on such as alopecia, night terrors and lack of appetite. Every day turns into a huge mental challenge.

She said she has feelings that she is not worthy of being loved and trust has become a major barrier for her.

I had thoughts of ending my life on three occasions but thankfully I realised I have a loving, caring family, who have been there for me through this horrible experience. They love me no matter what has happened.

The old (victims name) was full of life, happy and smiling. It is more of a facade these days. One thought kept coming to me as I prepared this statement - did the defendant plead guilty for his own benefit?

In mitigation, Andrew Sexton SC, defending, handed in letters from Keanes doctor; Le Cheile charity, and a certificate which shows he is doing a course in literacy.

He has pleaded guilty. He accepts the facts. They got back together again - there was a lot of toing and froing. It started out innocently, chatting away, he wasnt lying in wait. It was a spontaneous combustion situation.

"At the end of it, he didnt run away. He was in a very agitated state - thats why gardai had to break into the apartment. He said there were many fights, said Mr Sexton.

Counsel said Keane is an unusual individual.

He comes from a family which has led to him having challenges. It is a tricky situation. Im not going to go into it in open court. It is through no fault of his own.

If he behaves himself and doesnt fly off the handle he appears to be a decent person - he cares for his sister, said Mr Sexton, whose instructions were that Keane was a good boyfriend at one stage but totally disgusting at the end.

Judge Colin Daly put the case back overnight to last Thursday to consider his verdict.

In giving sentence, the judge said Keane prevented the victim from leaving her home during a sustained assault for over two hours.

The judge spoke of the womans physical, psychological and emotional injuries. He said an aggravating factor is that Keane has a history of domestic violence with a previous for breaching a protection order.

Judge Daly took into account Keanes guilty plea albeit at a late stage, his family challenges, intellectual functioning and history of caring for his sister.

The judge imposed a four-year prison sentence for false imprisonment with the final 12 months suspended. He imposed a concurrent 18 month sentence for the assault at Blackwater, Ardnacrusha and took the assault at Keanes home into account.

Speaking to Limerick Live after the case, the victim said she was happy with the sentence.

Her mother said her daughter is happy that he was held accountable and that this will inform other women about Keane.

He is on record now as a domestic violence abuser. Were very happy that it's over. Gender based violence has no place in society, said the mother.

If you have been affected by this article please contact Adapt Domestic Abuse Service on 1800 200 504; Womens Aid 1800 341 900 or Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.
TOKYOHonda and Nissan said they planned to merge in 2026, a move that has won Japanese government backing to keep the nations status as a leader in car manufacturing.

The companies said their boards formally approved the start of merger talks on Monday. They said they planned to reach a definitive agreement in June 2025 and complete the merger in August 2026.

Under the plans, a joint holding company would be created that would integrate the operations of both automakers.

Hondas chief executive, Toshihiro Mibe, said the companies were already finding efficiencies from previously announced collaboration.

We realized that the synergy effects were greater than expected," and that helped push forward the merger plan, he said at a news conference.

The companies had said on Dec. 18 that they were studying a possible merger.

Nissan shares have rallied more than 30% since that announcement. Nissan has suffered from falling profits and lackluster sales in the U.S., and investors see a merger as a chance for it to recover by leaning on a stronger peer.

Honda, which expects a net profit of about $6 billion this fiscal year, is in no immediate need of a savior. But the company said it needed greater scale to meet the challenges of developing new technologies.

Japans government has left no doubt about its support for a merger.

We should take a favorable view when companies cooperate to strengthen their competitiveness," said Yoji Muto, head of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, on Friday. Muto, while declining to discuss the Honda-Nissan merger plan specifically, said such industry realignments are one effective method for fostering innovation and raising corporate value."

The chief executives of Honda and Nissan visited government ministries Monday morning ahead of their announcement, in a symbolic show of deference to their regulators.

Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan chairman who was arrested in Japan in 2018, said Monday that the merger makes sense politically" because the industry ministry wanted any rescuer of Nissan to be Japanese.

Do they force somebody? No, they wont force, but they can give you arguments that you cannot refuse," said Ghosn at a news conference. He spoke to Tokyo-based reporters from Lebanon, where he escaped five years ago after being charged with financial crimes which he denied. He no longer has any ties to Nissan.

China has been encroaching on areas that Japan once dominatedboth cars and components such as batteriesworrying Japanese officials. Last year, China surpassed Japan as the worlds leading auto exporter by number of vehicles.

About 8% of Japans working population is involved in automotive and related jobs, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. Last year, the industry overallincluding cars, trucks, motorbikes and componentsaccounted for more than a fifth of Japans total exports, the association said.

Tokyo is funding research projects that bring together rival automakers to work on technologies such as next-generation batteries.

Yoko Kubota contributed to this article.

Write to Peter Landers at Peter.Landers@wsj.com
As the date for Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2025 nears, Kinsey Fabrizios excitement is understandable. She is the president of the US-based Consumer Trade Association (CTA) that runs the world's largest tech trade show in Las Vegas.

CES offers a glimpse into the future," she told Mint in a video interview from her US office. Nothing beats the energy of being in person. CES is about the serendipity of discoverymeeting someone in line for coffee who could become your next business partner or seeing a product that changes the way you live," she added.

About 140,000 people attended CES 2024 with 40.6% of the attendance coming from outside of the US, including India. CES 2025, which will see attendees from over 150 countries, is being held from 7-10 January. We don't have the (attendee) numbers yet but the hotel pickup is tracking ahead of this time last year. We also had more innovation award entries and speaker submissions than we had for CES 2024, indicating that it's going to be a really strong and healthy show," she added.

Over the past few years, CES has moved beyond consumer technologies as most gadgets are now used as part of enterprise tools. Our artificial intelligence or AI-powered smartphones are a good example. You can use them to check your work email, collaborate with your colleagues using tools like Zoom, Teams, or Slack, or even use them as edge computing devices," she said.

CES' growing focus on enterprises can also be seen from their this years speaker listwhich includes Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang; Accenture chair and CEO Julie Sweet; Volvo Group president and CEO Martin Lundstedt; Waymo co-CEO Tekedra N. Mawakan; Delta CEO Ed Bastian; and Yann LeCun, VP & chief AI Scientist at Metaas well as from its attendee profiles.

While the numbers for CES 2025 will be audited later next year, CES 2024 saw 42.5% of the total verified attendees from business-to-business (B2B) companies, while 20% came from business-to-consumer (B2C) firms.

Fabrizio acknowledged that CES has evolved far beyond consumer electronics, reflecting shifts across industries. Every company is a tech company," Fabrizio said, underscoring how technology has become the backbone of industries ranging from healthcare to transportation. "We do have the name (consumer) in our organization but everything has evolved and transformed, and we see that transformation at CES."

For instance, the West Hall showcases advancements in mobility, expanding from aftermarket car tech to vehicles from original equipment manufacturers (OEM), industrial tech, and even marine and aerial technologies like Oshkosh, John Deere, Brunswick, and flying cars. Similarly, the North Hall focuses on the future of work, featuring AI, cloud, sustainability, smart cities, and renewable energy technologies.

By aligning CES with industry transformations, we ensure it remains the leading platform for showcasing innovation and shaping the global tech conversation," Fabrizo said. She added that attendees can expect to see groundbreaking advancements in alternative power sources, renewable energy, and quantum technology. A dedicated programme called "Quantum Means Business" will be around the advancements in quantum computing and their applications in companies.

Fabrizio also believes that healthtech is truly transformative". From wearables that empower individuals with health data to solutions addressing global challenges like healthcare access, these innovations are life-changing," she noted. CES 2025, she said, will feature a robust lineup of companies tackling issues such as hearing enhancement, efficiency tools for working parents, and even autonomous vehicles for safer transportation.

A key aspect of CES success also lies in its ability to cater to both tech giants and startups. Fabrizio highlighted the significance of Eureka Park, home to over a thousand startups showcasing their innovations. We also have programmes like investor matchmaking to bridge the gap between these communities," she explained.

With AI and generative AI dominating discussions, Fabrizio acknowledged the importance of responsible tech development. Were committed to balancing innovation with safety, privacy, and ethics," she said, adding that the CTA collaborates with industry leaders and governments to establish guidelines and best practices, particularly in emerging sectors like AI and healthcare.

But how easy is it to strike a balance between speedy innovation and policy guardrails?

It's important to collaborate together with the government. One thing that's very challenging here in the United States is that a lot of states will create their own privacy guidelines, their own guidelines for social media, their own guidelines for AI, and their own guidelines for autonomous driving. And that's really challenging for tech companies to be innovative when they have to know all the rules from all the different states," Fabrizo said.

She added that the CTA has been advocating a federal framework around these areas that would clearly explain to companies these are the guardrails and the guidelines when it comes to privacy, when it comes to AI and this is what you need to know as you build your products so that they understand the rules and they can innovate within the rules and that's what we want for the industry and for our companies".

Underscoring the importance of government representatives making the effort to attend CES, Fabrizo said, We think it is important for government leaders from around the world, and here in the United States, to demo tech products, to see products in action, to talk to the innovators and the founders and the creators and understand how their tech products are changing the world and solving big global challenges."

Read more: Zomato upends tradition with Sensex entry
MUMBAI : Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd, the realty arm of the Mahindra Group, will pause fresh investments in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) and narrow operations to markets where it can create a niche as a net zero developer.

We have exited two cities completely, Nagpur and Hyderabad, and we are holding back any investment in Delhi NCR right now," said Amit Kumar Sinha, managing director and chief executive at Mahindra Lifespace. Location and price points matter as the company is focusing on sustainable living and net-zero buildings, he said.

Sinha told Mint that success in Mumbai doesnt easily translate to other parts of the country. Approvals, construction need a lot of local understanding of players, contractors, etc. so I want to consolidate our market position in three cities," he said.

Mahindra Lifespace is, therefore, narrowing its pan-India footprint and will aggressively" focus on only three cities: Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru, Sinha said. The company will factor in their sustainability goals for any future acquisitions, besides concentrating on bringing the existing land bank to the market.

We have a lot of land banks in Chennai and Jaipur. We are bringing them to market as we speak," Sinha said. We also have some land parcels in Mumbai now, including Thane and Bhandup, which are very large." As for Pune and Bangalore, the company will follow the model of buy, launch, monetize and buy the next one, he said.

Net zero focus on acquisitions

We are a young, upcoming, strong brand, which wants to differentiate in the market. Why not make sustainability a theme and net zero a theme so that we can lead the industry in this area?" Sinha said. Many of our competitors have taken the lead in some of the other areas so we have to find our mission."

Mahindra Lifespace built its first net zero energy residential project, Mahindra Eden in Bengaluru, in 2022. It was certified by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). Its first net zero waste and energy project, Mahindra Vista at Mumbais Kandivali East, was launched in February this year and two-thirds of the flats were sold out within the first three days. The company also launched Mahindra Zen in March 2024 in Bangalore as a net zero waste and energy project.

The company looks at net zero in three ways: energy, waste and water.

Net zero energy means producing little to no carbon emissions while using electricity. To achieve this, Mahindra Lifespace has tied up with companies that supply green electrons or renewable energy. The company has secured special approvals from the Bangalore administration for this. This adds an extra cost per kilowatt hour so the company is also focusing on ways to cut down energy consumption per user. This includes using custom-made glass to control heat and light, rooftop solar and wind energy setups, and more.

For managing waste, the company has hired vendors that incinerate the waste produced by the society residents or decompose it to use it as manure. The idea is to not send waste to landfill, Sinha said. For net zero water, the company is building systems for rainwater harvesting and creating an offset, that will replenish a waterbody somewhere else for the water consumed by the society residents. The company recycles steel rebars and uses bricks made out of steel waste.

Likely challenges

Several constraints, however, may not allow the developer to plan net zero projects everywhere.

If a city does not have the ability to supply green electrons, we cant just change that. Net zero water projects in cities like Jaipur and Bangalore are also going to cost a lot," Sinha said. So, our goal is every year, whatever we launch, a higher portion of those launches should be net zero." The companys target is to have 100% net zero launches by 2030.

Making a net zero project also puts pressure on the companys costs. Out of the 8-10% profit margin on a project, the company is taking a dent of 1% to make the output sustainable. We are taking a small dent today for a longer brand value going forward," Sinha said.

According to Deben Moza, senior executive directorhead of project management services, Knight Frank India, constructing a sustainable building can cost 7-10% higher than a conventional building. Your capex, which is the initial expense, is higher, but in the long run, your energy bills are far less than a conventional building as you have efficient systems in place."

Another challenge is that customers are also not ready to pay a premium for sustainability today, Sinha said. Charging a premium will still depend upon location, brand name, amenities and space, among other things. The company expects this trend to change over time, due to growing awareness around sustainability.

It's a good strategy. It's like taking responsibility to themselves, and I think Mahindra can do that," said Pankaj Kapoor, founder and managing director at Liases Foras, a non-broking real estate research firm. It's smaller developers that may not really take such a call."

In the short term, it may be a costly affair for them, but in the long run, it will be paying off because the reason is it's net zero  eventually, it will be saving costs for the people, so they will generate loyalty among the customers and itll improve sales, Kapoor said.

Sustainability has become an important part of discourse in Indian real estate. Modern strategies are getting adopted across residential and commercial assets, including insulating outer walls and floors, heat efficient glazing, green roofing and AI-driven smart systems for efficiency, according to a KPMG x Colliers report on sustainable real estate.

Rising focus on sustainability is compelling developers to use recyclable construction materials, optimize heating and air conditioning systems, use advanced glass technologies, etc, the report said.

It's not that overnight things will change, but slowly customers are becoming more aware of sustainability," Moza said. So there is pressure on developers from customers who do a thorough due diligence on how construction is being done and what sustainability measures have been taken."

Funds and private equity players that are funding developers who comply with sustainability and ESG norms, so there's pressure from such funding agencies too, according to Moza.

Business goals

Mahindra Lifespace has set a goal to achieve 8,000-10,000 crore worth of pre-sales by FY28. To achieve this, the company plans to scale up gross development value to 45,000 crore from its current potential GDV of 22,650 crore.

With the Bhandup and Thane acquisition, at least two-thirds of the companys land requirement for the 45,000 crore target is fulfilled, Sinha said.

In terms of capex, the company requires 7,000-7,500 crore. The cost is expected to come down if the company pursues more society redevelopment projects as it doesnt require too much capital outlay.

For funding future projects, half of this we have in our accruals  operating cash flow, half we are trying to solve for," Sinha said. Some of this will be through debt, private equity platforms as well as working with our parent Mahindra  they are very much behind us."

The parent company, which owns 51% stake in the company, does not wish to dilute more stake, Sinha said.

Last month, Mahindra Lifespace tied up with Japan's Sumitomo Corporation for the second phase of their joint industrial parks project in Tamil Nadu. The company, through its subsidiary Mahindra World City Developers, and its partner will together invest 225 crore in Mahindra Industrial Park Chennai Ltd, in proportion to their existing shareholding.

The company is getting interest from other Japanese investors and certain discussions are underway, Sinha, without disclosing any other details.
Swarovski, Austrian affordable luxury company known for its glass-based products like jewellery, watches, and crystal decorations, is focusing on selling lab-grown or cultured diamond jewellery in India. Although the product line was introduced globally last year, it is now being sold and promoted in the Indian market, Nasr Sleiman, Swarovskis general manager for India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, told Mint .

"'Created diamonds' is now the fastest-growing business category in this region. We think it's because the pricing is also very attractive from an end-consumer standpoint. Globally, the prices of diamonds have fallen, so this business will grow a lot in the coming days despite the fact that the category needs a little more awareness right now, " he said.

Jewellers said natural diamonds are about 10-30% or so cheaper over last year, depending on the quality. Lab-grown diamonds are typically 40% the price of natural diamonds.

"We launched our 'created diamonds' segment earlier in the year in the country and we want it to have a strong presence here. It was a big success in the US market and that's why we decided to roll this out in other important locations like China, Japan and also in Dubai," he said. Swarovski crystals generally are made from a combination of quartz, sand, potash, soda, and other ingredients that are melted at high temperatures.

Outside of Austria, the company has factories in Serbia, India, Thailand, and Vietnam. A majority of its sales in India, about 80-85%, come from its jewellery lines, with the remainder coming from its bridge-to-luxury Swiss-made watches that are priced upwards of 20,000.

While a sluggish luxury market, along with unstable geopolitical and macroeconomic landscape has dampened business in one of its top markets, China, it has also meant it is focused more on other geographies like India, where it plans to add 10 stores to its existing count of 60 in the next one year. At present, the company operates its own boutiques as well as works with local partners in India to sell its inventory. It opened a new company-operated store in Gurugram earlier this month, and looks to add airport retail across different cities in its next phase of expansion.

"Our next set of stores will be a mix of both, retail and travel retail and will be a mix of owned and partner stores. We don't want to open everywhere in India, and will try and focus on locations that can sustain long-term business. Duty-free is growing very steadily here and that is a great avenue to be present," he added.

Globally, Swarovski has 6,600 points of sale, of which 2,300 are company-owned stores.

The company first launched its store in India in 2000, and has since then shifted its positioning in the country from a "shy presence" to a very strong one.

"The potential of the country today has really changed. The retail market landscape has evolved beyond just the usual suspect cities to include many other cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and so on," said Sleiman.

The company said it had total sales of 1.8 billion in 2023, 4% higher than in 2022. It saw growth in all its categories of business including retail sales, business-to-business crystal sales and the consumer jewellery business. While its top-10 markets saw consistent growth, the company's Ebit (earnings before interest and taxes) returned to positive territory for the first time since 2019, despite a significant foreign exchange impact.

Luxury consumption in India growing

India's appetite for luxury consumption has been steadily growing in recent years. Last month, Mint reported that affluent Indian consumers are increasingly spending on high-end luxury goods, driving strong sales for some of the world's leading fashion labels.

This trend is occurring despite a slowdown in domestic consumption and a decline in sales in China, a key market for luxury brands. The local operations of Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Hermes collectively reported sales of 1,400 crore from clothing, accessories, and other merchandise for the year ended March 2024, based on exclusive filings accessed through business intelligence platform Tofler. Swiss watches worth 2,075 crore were sold in India between January and October this year.
Top billionaire investor and D-Mart promoter Radhakishan Damani opposed the candidate for chairmanship proposed by British American Tobacco (BAT for its Indian unit VST Industries Ltd, leading to his rejection at a shareholder vote, according to voting disclosures and an executive privy to the development.

Opposition from Damani, who owns nearly a third of India's third largest cigarette maker, marks a rare episode of opposition from the investor who holds more than 1% shares in 11 publicly listed companies.

BAT, the promoter of VST Industries with 32.16% shareholding, first appointed its executive Naresh Kumar Sethi as director on the board of the Hyderabad-based cigarette maker in November 2018. VST sought shareholder approval to reappoint Sethi as executive chairman from non-executive director for five years from 5 November.

However, Damani opposed Sethi's appointment. Among non-institutions who own 56.9% of VST, 95% voted against Sethi's candidature. Despite 91% approval from public institutions, which own 10.9%, and the promoter voting for the resolution, Sethi's appointment failed to pass, since it got only 56% votes. Special resolutions require approval from 75% of shareholders.

Damani's opposition to Sethi's candidature as chair implies that the largest public shareholder of VST industries is not aligned with BAT's decision.

"Damani is concerned about the strategy of VST and how they intend to grow the business," a company executive said on the condition of anonymity.

Emails sent to Damani, BAT and VST Industries managing director Aditya Gooptu remained unanswered.

This is a rare instance, if not the first, of a significant shareholder opposing the resolution, which eventually led to the resolution being defeated," said Shriram Subramanian, founder and managing director of proxy advisory firm InGovern Research. Damani appears to be unhappy with the redesignation of the BAT nominee and the lack of transparency in how the board of VST Industries went about the process."

BAT's share

At the end of September, BAT owned 32.16% of VST Industries, employees owned 0.19%, and public investors the remaining 67.65%. In his personal capacity, Damani owned 3.15% and 25.95% through his investment firm Bright Star Investments Pvt Ltd, bringing his total ownership to 29.1%.

Damani's opposition to an essential resolution at VST Industries comes after he sold 3.24% in the last two years. Until September 2022, Damani owned 32.34%, more than promoter BAT's ownership in VST Industries.

Also read | Ace investor Radhakishan Damani buys stake in hospitality company

VST Industries, which owns the Charms brand of cigarettes, reported 9.8% growth in business, ending with 1,837.5 crore in revenue from operations in FY24. However, its total cigarette sales fell 3.2% from 8.25 million cigarettes in 2023 to 7.98 million last year. Profit after tax declined 7.8% from 327 crore to 301.6 crore.

Tobacco biz grew

ITC's tobacco business grew 8.5% last year to 30,596.6 crore, while profitability improved 6.5% to 19,089 crore. Godfrey Phillips India Ltd, which sells cigarettes under the Four Square and Red & White brands, ended last year with 4,820 crore in revenue, a 26.6% increase from the 3805 crore in FY23.

Over the last five years, shares of VST Industries have lagged behind their peers and the Sensex: VST Industries shares declined 12.3% between 20 December 2019 and 20 December this year. During this time, shares of ITC, a diversified conglomerate, and Godfrey Phillips India returned 93% and 304%, respectively. Sensex is up 87.2% during this time.

Also read | Radhakishan Damanis DMart eyes fivefold growth in heated market

According to a review by Mint, Damani, who promotes and owns 74.65% of Avenue Supermart Ltd, also owns more than 1% of 11 publicly listed companies, including 3M India Ltd, Trent Ltd, Mangalam Organics Ltd and Advani Hotels & Resorts Ltd.
More than 10 years into the Xi Jinping era, it has become clear that much of Chinas growth under his watch was driven by unsustainable borrowing, real estate speculation and investments in factories and infrastructure the country didnt really need. Difficult reforms that could have unlocked more durable growth, such as steps to increase consumer spending, were neglected in favor of policies designed to bolster Communist Party control.

Now, China is drowning in debt, reeling from a property bust that wiped out trillions of dollars of household wealth, and verging on a deflationary spiral. Growth has slowed, Western investment has collapsed and consumer confidence is near a record low.

And yet, as China squares off with the U.S. for a second showdown over trade, Xi is digging in. Hes convinced that his top-down approach to managing Chinas economy, with plans to make it an even bigger industrial power, offers the best path for China to eventually surpass the U.S. in economic might.

People close to Beijings decision-making say nothing that has befallen China in recent years has changed Xis belief that the U.S. is fading as the singular superpower, and that Chinas importance is rising on the world stage.

Xi still believes that the East is rising and the West is in decline," said a foreign-policy adviser in Beijing, referring to a pronouncement the leader made three years ago when Chinas economy, driven by Western demand for its exports, experienced a short-lived recovery from the Covid pandemic. It might just not be a straight line in his view."

To achieve his vision, Xi is building out a sweeping industrial supply chain intended to make whatever China needs, including semiconductors, to withstand more conflict with the U.S.

His government is also drawing up plans to hit back at any tariff hikes by President-elect Donald Trump, through retaliatory measures such as restrictions on sales of raw materials the U.S. needs to make chips, car engines and defense-related products. Hes cultivating allies in the developing world to try to add pressure on the U.S.

What Xi hasnt done, many economists argue, is take hard-but-necessary steps to fix the countrys wounded economy.

While Beijing has rolled out some stimulus recently, it hasnt acted decisively to clean up the troubled property sector, fully restructure local-government debt, and significantly increase consumption, which would support growth in the long run.

A lot of the problems are of the governments own making," said Richard Koo, chief economist at Nomura Research Institute. Like many economists, Koo believes China faces what he calls a race against time" to address the countrys mounting growth problems before it slips into a long-term downturn, made worse by unfavorable demographics.

The State Council Information Office, which handles inquiries about Chinas leadership, referred questions to the countrys top economic-planning agency, Chinas central bank and the ministries overseeing industry and commerce. None of those government institutions responded to questions.

Following Xis moves

I had a front-row seat over the past decade covering China as Xi had opportunities to fix its economy, just as previous Chinese leaders did when they faced economic turbulence.

Every time, he took the fork in the road that led to more state control, and away from the kinds of changes that many Chinese economists say are necessary. Although some of Chinas economic problems started before Xi was in power, he failed to resolve them, leading even some of the governments own advisers to talk privately about a lost decade.

In September 2018, I attended an economic forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. At the time, some market-minded officials hoped that Trumps tariff threats would force Beijing to carry out long-delayed reforms such as giving private enterprise more room to prosper.

The government needs to build consensus through debate and then implement reforms one by one," said Wu Jinglian, a pro-market economist.

Zhang Shuguang, another liberal thinker, reminded the audience that Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese leader who launched the countrys reform and opening" era, focused on integrating China with the U.S. and other developed countries.

Necessary concessions should be made," he said, while cautioning against matching Washington tit-for-tat in an endless trade war.

Instead, the trade fight galvanized Xis resolve to expand state control and plump up Chinese industry, even though it risked worsening tensions with the U.S.

His government showered preferred sectors such as semiconductors and electric vehicles with subsidies and encouraged banks to lend more to factories to increase production.

Xi also launched a crackdown on the private sector. Meant to discourage irrational risk-taking and knock powerful business leaders down a peg, it wound up stifling Chinas entrepreneurial spirit.

The result was an economy increasingly dominated by state-backed firms, with growing overcapacity of steel, EVs and other products. Today, China is more reliant on exports to drive growth than in 2018, making it more vulnerable to the kind of tariffs Trump is proposing.

Missed opportunities

Meanwhile, Beijing only halfheartedly addressed problems it had allowed to fester for years. As Xi consolidated power, he asserted personal control over managing the economy, which previously was overseen by Chinas premier, and surrounded himself with loyalists who had limited experience in economic policymaking.

The Xi leadership let Chinas property bubble inflate for years, even though it was clear the market was overheated. Although Xi finally popped the bubble in 2020, restricting credit to overleveraged developers, Beijing still hasnt come up with a comprehensive plan to clean up the mess. Tens of millions of units sit empty and the market continues to languish.

Year after year, Beijing warned local governments against excessive borrowing. But it never strictly enforced the rules. By this year, local governments had taken on as much as $11 trillion in off-the-books debt to build transit systems and other projects, including many that failed. The borrowing made growth look better in the short term, but leaves China more vulnerable to financial instability.

Beijing also made repeated pledges to promote consumer spending. Yet household consumption makes up only about 39% of gross domestic product in China, relatively unchanged in recent years, compared with around 68% in the U.S. To change that, Beijing would need to do more to encourage people to spend more and save less, including by expanding Chinas relatively meager social safety net with greater health and unemployment benefits.

However, Xi views American-style consumption as wasteful, and fears that providing too much state support to households could encourage welfarism."

One reader reached out to me recently to describe how Chinas dimmed outlook affected everyday people. He said he had lost his management job at a Western manufacturing firm two years ago, after the company left China. Nowadays, hes working as a ride-hailing driver to provide for his family.

Its not that Im not working hard to find a better job," the reader, who lives in central China, told me. There is simply no opportunity."

Whats so bad about deflation?

As storm clouds gathered over Chinas economy earlier this year, a key Communist Party advisory body prepared a report for leaders in Beijing. It warned that China could slip into a deflationary spiralthe kind of disaster that befell the U.S. during the Great Depressionif more urgent steps werent taken to rejuvenate growth.

Xi was unperturbed.

Whats so bad about deflation?" he asked his advisers, according to people close to Beijings decision-making. Dont people like it when things are cheaper?"

Xis dismissal made the topic all-but-taboo in Chinese policymaking circles, the people said, despite concern among economists that China could fall into a vicious cycle of falling prices and weak demand. At a high-level conference this month, the leadership acknowledged the need to realize reasonable price recovery" but left key details of how it would do this unclear.

China handled economic challenges more assertively before the Xi era.

In the late 1990s, when China suffered from overproduction and deflation, then-Premier Zhu Rongji forced weak state-owned enterprises to close or merge, resulting in massive job cuts but also making the remaining companies stronger.

In 2008, amid a global financial crisis, Beijing put together a fiscal-stimulus program amounting to about 12% of the countrys GDP at the time. Although that planted the seeds of Chinas subsequent debt problems, it won Beijings economic policymaking credibility among international investors by showing it would do whatever it took to keep growth on track.

Digging in for a showdown

Xis words and actions since the U.S. election have shown he isnt backing down.

In his Nov. 7 congratulatory message to Trump, Xi offered a veiled warning about engaging in economic fights with China. History tells us that both countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation," Xi said.

About a week later, Xi used a meeting with President Biden in Peru to warn Trump not to challenge Beijing on major issues the two powers are at odds over, including Chinas sovereignty claim over Taiwan, human rights, its party-state system, or what Xi calls Chinas right to development"a reference to U.S. restrictions on Chinese access to Western chips and other technologies.

These four red lines," Xi told Biden, cant be challenged," according to Chinas official account of the meeting.

People close to Beijings decision-making say that Xi views the economic challenges China faces as necessary pains in the process of replacing old growth drivers, including real-estate investment, with newer sources, such as high-value manufacturing including cars and chips.

They say Xi and his team have been buoyed by progress they have seen in reducing Chinese reliance on Western products, while increasing the worlds dependence on China.

The strategy has been working," one of the people familiar with decision-making in Beijing said, even as the overall economy struggles."

A November report by research firm Gavekal Dragonomics shows that China has become steadily less reliant on manufacturing imports for some types of semiconductors, as well as medical devices, industrial robots and devices used in self-driving vehicles.

But China still relies on American technology, capital and know-how, especially in areas such as high-end chipmaking, aviation and biotechnology.

And as exports are among the few bright spots in the Chinese economy these days, China needs to maintain its ability to sell to its major trading partners as much as possible to prevent another big hit to overall growth.

With a rematch of Trump vs. China coming, hopes are emerging among some Chinese economists that a new trade war will finally force the Xi leadership to shift its manufacturing-centric economic policy toward one more focused on empowering consumers. If Trump follows through with his promise to impose higher tariffs, they reason, Chinese exports would inevitably decline and Beijing would have to bolster domestic demand to keep the economy going.

But the world has changed since Trumps first term. Both sides are more dug-in.

Evan Medeiros, a former senior national-security official in the Obama administration, said Xis leadership style will make it hard for China to manage Trump 2.0 effectively.

I just dont see Xi forging a grand bargain," he said.

Write to Lingling Wei at Lingling.Wei@wsj.com
Companies lending against gold are auctioning the collateral in higher quantities to recover stressed loans, at a time of rising regulatory scrutiny over the sector. Gold auctions that rose sequentially in the second quarter are expected to rise further in the ongoing December quarter, experts said, since directions from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) pertaining to gold loans came only at the end of the second quarter.

Cumulative data on gold auctions is not available; however, leading gold loan financier Muthoot Finance Ltd said at an analyst call that it auctioned gold worth 69 crore in the first quarter, followed by 250 crore in the second quarter.

Another gold-focused non-bank lender, Manappuram Finance, said in its analyst call that it auctioned gold worth 360 crore in the second quarter. The company said it has an average book loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of 58%, against the regulatory maximum of 75%. LTV of 75% means a gold loan of 75 should be backed by gold collateral worth 100.

A few weeks to kick in

Experts said the auction process and the recalibration in gold lending practices by lenders, following the RBI's new guidelines, is expected to take a few weeks, which means the bulk of the impact of rise in auctions is likely to be seen in the third quarter.

A lot of regulatory overhaul has played out for gold loan NBFCs," said Jinay Gala, director, India Ratings & Research, adding there has been a rise in gold loan auctions as NBFCs look to adhere to the streamlined norms.

Traditionally, gold financiers used to carry the collateral gold because they had the comfort that gold prices are on a rising trend. However, lenders are now ensuring clear and standardized auctioning policies in accordance with regulatory guidance, which means they cant keep holding on to the gold on a continuous basis," he added.

The revised mandate by RBI requires lenders to recalibrate their lending and auction practices to ensure standardisation in use of third parties for sourcing and appraisal of loans, valuation of the collateral gold in the presence of the customer, adequate due diligence and lack of end use monitoring of gold loans, transparency during auction of gold ornaments and jewellery, ongoing monitoring of LTV, and appropriate application of risk-weights.

George Alexander Muthoot, managing director of Muthoot Finance, told Mint that the company always considers auctions as a last resort. We prioritize supporting customers by providing extended time for loan repayment, ensuring they have every opportunity to reclaim their pledged gold," Muthoot said.

Muthoot said his company auctions loans only when they turn non-performing assets (NPAs), adding even in such situations, it grants them more time to recover their gold. In many cases, this approach leads to successful loan closures within three to four months, as customers repay and retrieve their assets," Muthoot added.

The background

The central bank, which prohibited IIFL Finance Ltd from issuing fresh gold loans in March 2024, has been cracking down on gold financiers. Its common concerns include: Breach of LTV ratios; varying auction policies and processes; and deviations in assaying and certifying the pledged gold's purity and weight while sanctioning loans and auctioning on default. The ban on IIFL Finance was lifted on 19 September.

In May 2024, RBI tightened the cash route in gold loans. It said gold loan lenders can hand out a maximum of 20,000 in cash against the pledged gold. For any higher amount, the money has to be deposited in the borrower's account. In September 2024, it asked them to thoroughly review their policies, processes, and practices to identify any gaps within three months, and closely monitor the high growth in the segment.

Also read | RBIs gold loan ban on expected lines

Bank credit against gold jewellery rose sharply to grow at 56.2% on year as of 18 October 2024, as against 13.1% in the previous year, as per latest data by RBI.

The central bank's directions came at a time of rising stress in gold loans, along with the strong growth in gold loans.

Loans unpaid for up to 30 days are tagged Stage-1 assets, those due for 30-90 days are Stage-2 assets, and those due for over 90 days are Stage-3 assets. At Muthoot Finance, Stage-3 assets rose to 4.3% of outstanding loans in the second quarter, compared with 3.3% at the end of the March quarter, and 4% a year earlier. For Manappuram Finance, similar numbers were 2.4% in the second quarter, up from 2% at the end of the March quarter, and 1.6% a year earlier.

The impact of LTV

For gold loan companies, a high LTV usually indicates higher risk.

A lot of the NBFCs used to look at 75% LTV (the mandated level) as entry LTV, but RBI clarified that it is exit LTV, which means that the principal plus interest cannot cross 75%. We were doing 75% entry LTV for about 50% of the portfolio," the head of a large non-bank lender said on the condition of anonymity.

Entry LTV is the minimum LTV considered as per the principal amount lent at the time of sanction of the loan. Exit LTV is the maximum LTV, including principal amount and interest due, that needs to be adhered to by lenders during the tenure of the loan

When RBI noted the matter in its annual inspection, several NBFCs proposed marking these loans NPAs, making provisions against them, and recovering the money by selling collateral. However, RBI said you need to go back on the LTV because it is violating guidelines," he added.

This meant lenders had to go by lower LTV, making new loans smaller than earlier (which resulted in lower ticket sizes for such loans being sanctioned compared to earlier). This, combined with higher compliance costs to follow revised regulations, could reduce the profitability of gold financiers in the short to medium term as customers and employees adapt to the changes, industry experts said.

There are heightened audit checks and risks and balances being built in, all of which require additional manpower and monitoring. Accordingly, the breakeven gold loan AUM per branch is on the rising trend," India Ratings Gala said, adding that so far, the gestation period for breakeven has been stable supported by the rise in gold prices.

As such, larger players are seeing more value-led growth whereas smaller players are seeing growth in terms of both volume and value," he said.

Demand continues

Despite the ongoing recalibration and some amount of expected slowdown in lending, industry experts expect demand for gold loans to remain strong going into 2025, especially given the significant slowdown in the pace of growth of unsecured and personal loans.

The steady rise in gold prices and expectations that gold will continue to grow is also making this a good time for lenders to auction the precious metal while ensuring high recovery levels.

Spot gold prices, as per MCX data, have risen 12.3% so far in FY25 and 19.5% YTD (year-to-date) to 75,233 per gram as of 20 December, 2024. On year, prices were up 21% from 62,197 per gram a year ago.

Also read | The household stress behind rising gold auctions

In a report in October 2024, CRISIL Ratings had said that any change in asset classification norms could lead to an increase in reported delinquency levels (both overdue and NPA). It's possible to offset the impact of this on credit loss by "conducting auctions in a timely manner", the agency had then said adding that a reassessment of business sourcing and audit policies is expected to increase the operational intensity and lead to a slowdown in business growth.

The gold loan sector in India is experiencing an unprecedented growth, with a 41% year-on-year surge. The gold loan market is projected to grow significantly, with an estimated market size of 15 trillion by 2027," Muthoot said, adding that the company has revised upwards its gold loan growth guidance for FY25 to 25% from the earlier 15%.
Whatever happened at the Makar Dwar of Parliament on the penultimate day of the winter session is unbelievable. The ruling party alleges that two of its members were injured and hospitalized after Rahul Gandhi and some Congressmen who accompanied him pushed and shoved them.

The Congress, in turn, contends that it was BJP members who obstructed them and pushed Rahul and party president Mallikarjun Kharge injuring the latter. Both parties lodged complaints and the matter is before the Lok Sabha speaker and the Delhi police.

The issue will drag on as both parties are trying to corner votes in the name of Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.

In brief, here is how the incident unfolded: On Wednesday, home minister Amit Shah mentioned Dr Ambedkar in his address to the Rajya Sabha. Kharge moved a privilege motion against the remarks, and his post on X over the comments sparked a political fire. Soon opposition leaders began interpreting Shahs comments. Former chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal shot off a letter to the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo Chandrababu Naidu urging them to part ways with those who disrespect Ambedkar.

It all happened despite Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi making their positions clear.

Those creating a ruckus in the name of Ambedkar today are unaware of his grace and fortitude. Had it not been the case, he would have left for the US the day he was kicked out of the Parsi Inn in Baroda for being a Dalit though the Maharaja of Baroda had made him an officer in the accountant generals office.

Despite the prestigious post and the kings backing, no one in the city was ready to offer him residence. He had to stay at the Parsi Inn under an assumed identity, which unravelled when a group of armed Parsis attacked the inn. Dr Ambedkar had to vacate the inn with all his belongings and books and spend the rest of the night in a park. Despite such humiliation, instead of nursing a grudge against the Parsi community, he fought against the system that created divisions among humans. It has been 68 years since Ambedkar left us, and politicians today are busy trying to appropriate his legacy to suit their political compulsions. Had Babasaheb been alive today, he wouldnt have condoned their conduct.

These leaders forget that the voters didnt elect them to behave in such an unparliamentary manner. When the electorate votes, the only consideration driving their action is their well-being and progress. Are they getting what they wished for? Have you heard any serious debate in Parliament recently on the issues of employment, environment protection, internal security, dignity for women, and equal opportunity of development for all?

There was a time when I would listen to the televised debates of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Even in those days, seniors would lament the lack of gravitas in parliamentary debates. But Atal Behari Vajpayee, Sushma Swaraj, Chandrashekhar, Lalu Yadav, Javed Akhtar, and others would articulate the issues of the common man. But the trend has changed over the past few years. Today, instead of political process, we are watching a movie with raging, monotonous, and senseless hate. While the opposition keeps accusing the treasury bench, the ruling party indulges in counter-accusations.

It costs 9 crore to conduct a days proceedings in Parliamenta sum adequate to complete all public projects in a village or an urban pocket. Our politicians should ponder over their irresponsible behaviour and its cost to the nation.

We should keep in mind that any incarnation of the divine or personalitybe it Lord Ram, Mahatma Gandhi, or Dr Ambedkarin whose name votes can be secured at the elections, is condemned to be the target of raucous and emotionally charged debate in Parliament. Has any parliamentarian ever thought of following in the footsteps of these greats?

For example, there were differences between Ambedkar and Gandhi. But both Gandhi and Nehru had the foresight to reach out to him and request him to head the constituent committee as its chairman.

Last but not least, heres a story about Lord Ram. Tulsidass Ramcharitmanas gives an elaborate description of Rams coronation. Before assuming the throne of Ayodhya, Ram tells the citizens of the city that if ever they find any fault in his actions and decisions they had the right to question him. As the citizens of a modern democracy do we have any right to question and hold our parliamentarians accountable? Why is our democracy so constrained?

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.
India presently has more than a quarter trillion dollars of essential imports. These include crude oil, coal, edible unrefined oil, fertilizer, steel and copper. This list does not include defence or pharmaceutical intermediates, which could also be called essential. Domestic production capacity for all these is unlikely to become  atma nirbhar  in the near future, even as demand will grow as India chugs at a 7% or 8% growth rate.

These critical imports feed Indias energy and food needs (edible oils) as well as downstream industries such as automobiles and electronics. Imported pharmaceutical ingredients and special minerals are needed for healthcare and the renewable revolution.

To pay for all these crucial imports in dollars, we need to earn enough foreign exchange consistently for the next decade. Which are our reliable dollar earners? The two strong dependable export items that have grown steadily are inward remittances (clocking $129 billion this year, the highest in the world) and software services (exceeding $200 billion). Both can be said to be de facto exports of skilled or semi-skilled labour.

This is Indias big competitive advantage. Sustaining this edge, especially in software, will need climbing the value ladder and confronting the challenge of artificial intelligence (AI), which threatens to eliminate most of the low-end coding work that was outsourced to India.

The rapid growth of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) catering to the worlds best corporations is a promising development, and soon there will be more than 3,000 such GCCs. Inward remittances have outpaced foreign direct investment and need to be encouraged.

They come from millions of workers who are at the lower end of the earning spectrum in Gulf countries and North America. The cost of remittances can be reduced in the same spirit as has been done for the unified payments interface (UPI). The UPI system is a great success thanks to a significant subsidy to keep it frictionless and free for the end user.

Beyond remittances and software services, engineering goods exports have clocked above $110 billion this year and have grown by 40% in the past six years. If this trend continues, it too would be a solid support to export earnings. In a report, Ajay Srivastava, founder of Global Trade Research Initiative, analysed the structural changes that have occurred in Indias export and import baskets over the past two decades.

There are some surprising new winners. An example is the growth in the export of mobile phones. From zero a few years ago, these have crossed $20 billion and are rising. This too can become a steady source of dollar revenue.

But unlike remittances and software services, the export of engineering goods and mobile phones has high import content. Likewise, one of Indias strongest dollar earning sectors, the export of diesel and petrol, which now accounts for a fifth of all merchandise exports, has a very high import component.

The net earning capacity of these exports is hence dwarfed by that of remittances and software. Similarly, a decade ago, India was the worlds leader in the export of polished diamonds, accounting for a 90% market share by volume. Here too, the net export is very low, since 90% of the cost is of imported uncut diamonds.

In the case of Indias petro-product exports, revenue is additionally impacted by the volatility of oil prices. As per Srivastavas analysis, the share of polished diamonds, gold and other products has dropped from 16.9% in 2004 to just 7.5% in 2024. The share of textiles and clothing is down from 21.1% to 8%.

Clothing and garments were supposed to be Indias advantage due to their high labour intensity, but the performance has been dismal. Late starter Vietnam, along with Bangladesh and even Sri Lanka, has overtaken India. Garment exports, along with erstwhile labour-intensive sectors like footwear and leather products, are anyway at risk of being disrupted by automation.

The recent stagnation in Bangladeshs garment industry is a warning sign. Even in labour-intensive diamond polishing, the gloomy fate of the diamond bourse in Surat is a sobering reminder of the impact of competition from other suppliers and changing tastes of global consumers.

One growing sub-sector is that of service exports that involve undertaking turn-key projects and winning global tenders. These too are basically the export of Indias talent based on human capital and a direct consequence of nurturing Indias education infrastructure.

Project exports, which are a combination of services and goods involving customized fabrication, can get tangled in long-winded tax disputes. It is important that tax policy does not kill this goose.

Another promising area of value-added exports is of tourism services, which are also employment intensive. Spain gets 85 million foreign tourists and Thailand gets 29 million, compared to Indias 9 million. Not even 0.1% of Chinas outbound tourists come to India, surely a huge opportunity.

India can double foreign tourist arrivals with appropriate promotion, branding, sectoral policy support and infrastructure. There are other untapped opportunities in agricultural products, but these have to be balanced against the growing domestic needs of nutrition and cattle feed.

That said, paying for unavoidable and growing imports of education is a big area of concern. These are expected to drain the economy of $70 billion and more. India should become a net exporter of educational services instead.
Over the past year, Ive noticed an overwhelming theme emerge when Asian tech leaders look at what comes next for artificial intelligence (AI). There has been a marked desire to move beyond chatbots and software, and into the physical realm.

Well start to see much more AI-enabled hardware and roboticsand it will be coming from Asia.

The experience Ive had tuning in to many executive chats and tech conferences could best be summed by Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huangs proclamation in Taipei in June. The next wave of AI is physical AI," he said. The era of robotics has arrived."

Historically, a lot of coverage of robot-human interactions in Asia have been filled with futuristic techno-orientalist tropes that often fail to reflect the reality. But there are factors that make the region uniquely primed to propel this next leap forward in integrating AI into the physical world.

While the US is the leader in AI advancesand the software and internet revolution emanated from Silicon ValleyAsian tech giants have traditionally been very good at the hardware side of things.

Citigroup projects that there would be 1.3 billion AI robots globally by 2035 and 4 billion by 2050, doing everything from household chores to delivering parcels. A lot of the progress will come from China, which accounts for 78% of all robotics patents over the last two decades, Citi analysts said.

Japan and South Korea make up 7% and 5%, respectively, while the US contributes just 3%. This dominance in Asian robotics remained just as strong when the sheer quantity of patents was weighed through a quality-assessment measure.

Moreover, robotics is an extremely expensive and difficult process. But advancing in this sector has emerged as part of Chinas top-down priorities for its tech ecosystem, meaning government subsidies in research and development, and other support give it an edge.

There are other societal factors that suggest an embrace of AI robotics makes sense. Researchers have found Japan is poised to be a global leader in deploying technologies that adopt automation, as it confronts an ageing population and shrinking workforce.

AI-driven software coupled with hardware are being developed and implemented across all types of work, including white and blue collar, agriculture and services.

While many US industries have been gripped by fears of robots taking away livelihoods, in Asia, there has been a tendency to welcome automation due to a people shortage.

This is already playing out, although on a small scale, in several creative ways. A Shenzhen startup is using an AI robot to help cook meals. A tool unveiled by Japans Fujitsu in October teaches Noh, a performance art dating back to the 14th century that is under pressure as there are fewer people who know the techniques to carry on the tradition. Not to mention the countless industrial robots.

While the region may currently be behind the US when it comes to AI now, Asian tech firms have shown great success in finding practical, market applications for technology developed elsewhere.

Japanese tech entrepreneurs, especially, have been very good at this. Sony Group perfected the consumer radio after taking transistor technology invented in the US. Sony also unveiled the first consumer robot to the mass market in 1999: the beloved Aibo dog.

Theres been a tendency to overhype the role and value of robots in Asian societies, especially in Western reporting, when the reality is much more nuanced.

I have yet to meet a real person in Japan who ties Shinto animism beliefs into the embrace of robots. And mounting research suggests that eldercare robotic experiments have not been worth the cost and often end up causing more work for caregivers (and that perhaps better immigration policies to address labour crunches would be a more worthwhile solution). Several high-profile robotic ventures launched in recent years have been curtailed.

But AI could serve as a catalyst, especially as investors and company leaders increasingly search for practical and real-world applications for the technology that go beyond just engaging chatbots.

Also read: Superhuman AI may be the next Pied Piper of Hamelin for our kids

Softbank Group founder Masayoshi Son said in Tokyo last month that he is passionate about AI robotics," stating that like his favourite cartoon, Astroboy, you cant just have the muscle, you have to have intelligence."

I remain sceptical that well see the rise of AI robots in 2025, but I have no doubt theyre coming, and that they will likely be coming from Asia. Bloomberg
In ancient Indian philosophy, vidya or wisdomis celebrated as the ultimate liberator, the force that dispels ignorance and uplifts individuals and societies. From the Vedic chant  Asato ma sadgamaya "lead me from ignorance to truthto Mahatma Gandhis vision of Nai Talim, education rooted in self-reliance and character building, a broader construct of knowledge has always been central to Indias ethos.

Yet today, this vision remains unfulfilled for millions of children. Despite attending school, many fail to acquire even basic literacy and numeracy. Bridging the gap between schooling and learning is essential if we are to deliver on this ancient promise of vidya.

India has made remarkable strides in education. Literacy rates have soared from 16% in 1947 to over 80% today. Landmark policies, from the National Education Policies of 1968 and 1986 to the transformative Right to Education (RTE) Act, have expanded access, pushing enrolment from 50% in 1951 to a near-universal level today.

Yet, every year, 2 million five- and six-year-olds enter Grade 1 in India. By age 10, over half of them cannot read a basic sentence and fewer than 29% can comprehend what they read. If these children formed a nation, it would be as large as Japan and it would be unrealistic to expect this nation to thrive without addressing this learning crisis.

In a world driven by science and technology, the absence of foundational skills among Indias next billion learners is a looming disaster. But this crisis can be avertedif parliamentarians step up.

Five key priorities have emerged through my interactions with the International Parliamentary Network for Education (IPNEd).

The first step is to acknowledge the scale of the challenge and foster a unified political commitment to tackle it. Since Indias vast and complex education system serves 260 million children, taught by 9.5 million teachers across 1.5 million schools, bringing about any form of reform into this system is an uphill battle.

Encouragingly, the government and the opposition recognize the urgency of improving learning outcomes. The governments Nipun Bharat mission aims to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) by Grade 3 by 2026-27, while the opposition has also made increased FLN investment a manifesto priority.

However, political will alone isnt enoughit must translate into effective funding.

In 2022-23, the Indian government allocated nearly $319 million to states for them to improve primary education. Yet, only 20% of children gained basic language and mathematical skills. The government has been spending large sums every year, but unfortunately, improvements in learning outcomes remain abysmally low.

This situation calls for parliamentarians to advocate smarter use of education funds. Ironically, while the government spends around 80% of the budget on printing textbooks, only 1.14% is spent on teacher handbooks, and less than 2% on assessments.

Its like buying a car but spending almost nothing on fuel or maintenance. Without proper guidance and measurement, textbooks wont drive learning improvements. We need to shift focus, investing in the tools and training that help teachers use textbooks effectively and measure progress to ensure every rupee spent drives progress.

The third step is to boost teacher motivation. Low teacher salaries arent the root cause. The real challenge is that the majority of teachers are often expected to manage diverse classrooms that have students of different ages and learning abilities, making it hard to address everyones needs.

Yet, only a small portion of the budget goes towards training teachers to handle such challenges. We must amplify our efforts to not only create sharp goals for teachers, but also train them on the right skills to manage such classrooms, while creating a cadre of mentors who can guide teachers in tackling challenges as they arise.

Parliamentarians should recognize and endorse innovative methods to provide teachers with the necessary support, while taking out the time to felicitate teachers for their efforts. Parliamentarians also need to engage with teachers to understand the challenges they face and convey those concerns to local authorities or the government.

Once supply-side issues are addressed, parliamentarians must focus on empowering communities, especially parents, to demand quality education. Raising awareness of how parents can support their childrens learning and institutionalizing platforms for parental involvement are key steps.

For example, in Chile and Peru, providing parents with information on the income benefits of education, school quality and funding options led to higher student attendance and improved outcomes. Parental engagement programmes in Madagascar, Chile and the Dominican Republic significantly strengthened parent-school collaboration and boosted learning outcomes.

Data transparency and public disclosure can be powerful tools to rally community support for better education. Reliable assessments to measure student learning can be shared in a clear format for parents to assess school performance and hold them accountable.

This exercise can lead parents to focus on outcomes rather than just school infrastructure. Parliamentarians can amplify this information, empowering parents and communities to demand better education in their schools. It could help turn education into a political priority.

Better FLN outcomes can create a ripple effect across the education system. As children master the basics, schools can focus on broader development, integrating opportunities for sports, arts and cultural activities. Strong foundational skills lay the groundwork for holistic educationone that not only strengthens academics, but also nurtures well-rounded, responsible citizens.

Just as ancient India flourished with the transformative power of vidya, todays political leaders empower children with modern vidya.

To achieve this, we need a coalition of political leaders across the Global South, committed to empowering teachers, engaging communities, securing timely funding, ensuring data transparency and sharing good practices in the mission of holistic learning.

The journey begins in the classroom, where we must lead our children from ignorance to truthand enable prosperity for generations to come.

The author is a leader of the Indian National Congress and a three-time member of Parliament representing Assam.
President-elect Donald Trump threatened to take control of the Panama Canal, accusing the Panamanian government of charging excessive shipping tolls to use the strategic waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Were being ripped off at the Panama Canal like were being ripped off everywhere else," Trump said at a conservative conference in Phoenix on Sunday, demanding the return of the state-run canal to the U.S. We will never, never let it fall into the wrong hands."

His comments drew an angry rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, who took office in July after campaigning on a platform to curb U.S.-bound migration through the countrys pristine tropical rainforests with support from the U.S. government. He rejected Trumps threats as an affront to Panamas sovereignty.

Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will continue to be so," Mulino responded in a televised address Sunday afternoon. The sovereignty and independence of our country arent negotiable."

Well see about that!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform later in the day. He added in another social-media post featuring an image of a waterway and an American flag, Welcome to the United States Canal!"

Trump didnt specify how he would take back control of the canal. His transition team didnt respond to a request for additional comment.

Short of an invasion, as the U.S. carried out in 1989 to overthrow then-dictator Manuel Noriega, the U.S. government has no ability to restore control of the canal, which the U.S. built more than a century ago.

The U.S. gradually handed back control of the canalas well as the U.S.-governed Panama Canal Zone, which ran through the middle of the countryas a result of a 1977 treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter. Panama gained full control of the canal in 2000.

View Full Image Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said Sunday that the sovereignty and independence of our country arent negotiable. Photo: AFP

Trump believes the U.S. gave away something for nothing," said John Feeley, who resigned as U.S. ambassador to Panama during Trumps first term. For him, its yet another example of a country taking advantage of the U.S."

Trumps warning comes after he recently threatened to impose tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada if the countries failed to secure their respective borders with the U.S. and curb drug trafficking and illegal migration. Trump went so far as to troll Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by suggesting that Canada become the 51st state and calling him governor.

The 50-mile Panama Canal, through which about 4% of global trade passes, is crucial for the global economy and U.S. consumers. Chilean wines and Ecuadorean bananas are shipped to the U.S. East Coast through the canal, as is copper from Chile to Europe and liquefied natural and petroleum gas from one U.S. coast to the other.

Unlike Suez, a flat seawater canal whose stream flow is defined by the tide, the Panama Canal is a much more complex infrastructure. The Panama Canal relies on freshwater and uses a system of locks as aquatic elevators, lifting ships almost 90 feet above sea level onto a navigable waterway and then lowering them down the other end. The U.S. is the canals top user, followed by China.

Trump said the handover of the canal was solely for Panama to manage, and not for China or any other country to manage."

You see whats going on thereChina," Trump told supporters on Sunday.

China has replaced the U.S. as the dominant trading partner in Latin America. Seven of the 11 nations worldwide that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which Beijing considers as part of its territory, are in the region. Five that switched recognition to Beijing under Chinese leader Xi Jinpings watch, including Honduras and Panama, were showered with Chinese deals.

After gaining control of the canal, Panama spent $5 billion in a project to build locks to accommodate larger ships. But the Panama waterway faces more serious long-term challenges that could disrupt global shipping. It had to adapt its operations in recent years, boosting prices, restricting traffic and draft because of diminishing rainwater needed to operate the waterway.

Canal authorities are working on a $2 billion plan to build infrastructure to manage and preserve freshwater reservesan amount equal to the canals annual contributions to Panamas government coffers.

Since the U.S. handover, there have been no complaints by users, Mulino said. On the contrary, it has been a source of strong international support and national pride," Mulino said in his video address. These treaties also established the permanent neutrality of the canal."

The decadeslong struggle for Panama to obtain control of the waterway and the canal zone has always been the focus of Panamanian nationalism.

In recent weeks, the canals administration aired television ads celebrating the waterways handover as a source of pride to the nation. On Jan. 9, Panama commemorates Martyrs Day, which marks the death of more than 20 Panamanians killed in 1964 riots protesting U.S. control of the 10-mile-wide canal zone that bisected the country.

Feeley said Mulinos strong comments had been aimed at his domestic audience. The Panamanian president should have just ignored Trump, he said. A better Mulino response would have been silence," Feeley said. The best he can hope for now is that Trump will get distracted by something else on Monday morning."

In neighboring Colombia, President Gustavo Petro said he will be on Panamas side and in defense of its sovereignty " until the very end."

If the new U.S. government wants to talk business, we will talk business, face to face, and for the benefit of our people, but dignity will never be negotiated," Petro wrote on X.

Write to Santiago Perez at santiago.perez@wsj.com, Jose de Cordoba at jose.decordoba@wsj.com and Alex Leary at alex.leary@wsj.com
The holidays are a bonanza for scammers preying on people eager for deals. Now artificial intelligence is creating more sophisticated traps and targeting vastly more victims.

Visa said the number of charges on its credit-card network blocked for potential fraud on Black Friday and Cyber Monday surged 200% globally from last year. The increase was driven by scammers using AI. Mastercard said it blocked nine times the amount of fraud attempts between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday from a year ago.

It is absolutely a golden age for fraud and fraudsters," said Michael Jabbara, global head of fraud services at Visa.

U.S. shoppers have lost $8.7 billion to fraud overall through this years third quarter, a 14.5% increase from the same period a year ago, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Fraudsters are deploying AI to more efficiently perform a variety of tasks, according to Katalin Parti, a cybercrime researcher at Virginia Tech. That includes blasting out text messages to bait victims and writing programming to test huge volumes of stolen credit card information, she said.

AI is also helping scammers generate more fake online ads and shopping sites that entice people to share credit-card information. Michael Maestranzi was duped by such a scam after clicking on an ad for an advent calendar based on a childrens game his 10-year-old son loves.

Its Christmastime so Im constantly thinking about my three kids and what to get them," said Maestranzi, a 46-year-old resident of Nutley, N.J.

The ad took him to what looked like a Macys webpage, where the calender was listed for half its normal price at $39.97. A countdown showed they were rapidly selling out. It was only after his second attempt at the purchase went through that he realized he was never asked for an email address for shipping confirmation.

Then I knew I got scammed," he said.

Scammers are also using AI to impersonate account holders. The technology was used in 25% of cases of scammers trying to falsely verify identities and gain access to accounts, according to Plaid, a fintech startup that lets customers give companies permission to connect with their banking accounts.

AI is being used to generate fake drivers licenses or passportsor even deepfake videos in cases when account holders are asked to send selfie videos to verify identities, according to Plaid. Companies that use the so-called liveness checks include crypto exchange Coinbase and trading platform Robinhood.

Banks have ramped up efforts to educate consumers on spotting scams. JPMorgan Chase has also started using AI to validate payments and prevent fraud. Visa said in 2022 it had invested $500 million in AI and other technology for fraud detection over the past five years. But people are still falling victim.

The biggest thing Ive heard from financial institutions over and over again is that the current tools that they have for fraud prevention are not matching the tools that fraudsters are able to bring," said John Pitts, head of policy at Plaid.

Maestranzi was able to get his charge reversed after reporting it to his credit-card company, but said he feels embarrassed by the experience.

The red flags were all there," he said.

Write to Angel Au-Yeung at angel.au-yeung@wsj.com
In the heart of the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged not only as a global economic powerhouse but also as a shining example of an integrated, multicultural society. This transformation is deeply rooted in the visionary leadership of the UAE, which has embraced the principles of tolerance, happiness, and inclusivity, setting a unique model for the world.

A Vision for Tolerance

The UAEs commitment to fostering a tolerant society is epitomized by the establishment of the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence in 2016. This ministry, initially named the Ministry of Tolerance, reflects the UAEs long-standing tradition of welcoming diversity. With its diverse population, consisting of over 200 nationalities, the UAE has made a concerted effort to promote mutual respect and peaceful coexistence among its residents. Initiatives like the National Tolerance Program, which includes educational campaigns, community events, and interfaith dialogues, underscore this commitment. The ministrys efforts are also evident in the UAEs hosting of significant interfaith events, such as the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity in 2019, which was a landmark moment for global religious harmony.

Pursuing Happiness

Parallel to its focus on tolerance, the UAE has also pioneered the concept of governmental responsibility for citizens happiness with the creation of the Ministry of State for Happiness in 2016. This ministry aims to integrate happiness into government policies, ensuring that well-being is a measurable outcome of governance. Through the National Programme for Happiness and Wellbeing, the UAE has embarked on a journey to become one of the happiest countries in the world, focusing on quality of life, education, health, and economic opportunities. This approach has not only elevated the publics mood but has also inspired a global dialogue on how governments can play a direct role in the happiness of their citizens.

Education as a Pillar of Integration

The UAE understands that education is fundamental to building an integrated society. Its educational system promotes peace, religious tolerance, and critical thinking. Programs like Tolerance & Schools, run by the Ministry of Tolerance, introduce students to the values of diversity and respect, preparing them to live in a multicultural world. The curriculum emphasizes dialogue, inclusion, and the celebration of cultural diversity, setting a foundation for a society that values each member regardless of their background.

A Model of Inclusion

The UAEs approach to integration extends beyond policy into action. The country has been proactive in creating spaces for different faiths to coexist. The Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, featuring a church, mosque, and synagogue, symbolizes this commitment to interfaith harmony. Moreover, the UAEs celebration of the Year of Tolerance in 2019, along with numerous initiatives for religious inclusion, showcases its dedication to fostering an environment where all can thrive together.

The UAE has indeed proven itself to be a master of creating an integrated society, where tolerance and happiness are not just buzzwords but are woven into the fabric of government policy and daily life. Through innovative ministries, educational reforms, and cultural initiatives, the UAE continues to set a benchmark for how nations can strive for unity in diversity, offering lessons that resonate far beyond its borders. This model of integration is a testament to the UAEs vision for a future where everyone, regardless of their cultural, religious, or national background, can find a place to call home.



Shayne Heffernan
Mean Scoil Mhuire, Longford students Kanyinsola Richard Akinyemi and Weronika Kostyra have been recognised as finalists in this years Poetry Aloud competition.

The competition challenges second-level students across the island of Ireland to recite a prescribed poem from memory.

Organised by the National Library of Ireland (NLI) and Poetry Ireland, in partnership with University College Cork, this years competition drew 358 entries from schools across the island. There were 29 finalists in this years competition from across 15 counties, from Antrim to Dublin and Longford.

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The competition has been putting poetry to the forefront of students minds since 2007. It has three categories: junior, intermediate, and senior. The prescribed poems for this year were Forecast by Geraldine Mitchell (junior category), Counting the Winter Days by Nithy Kasa (intermediate category), Nocturne by Eavan Boland (senior category).

The late poet Seamus Heaney was a supporter of the Poetry Aloud competition, citing the extraordinary way in which it seeks to celebrate the joy of speaking and listening to poetry, as well valuing the North-South dimension to the all-island event.

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Dr Audrey Whitty, Director of the National Library of Ireland, commented: "Poetry Aloud is a powerful celebration of spoken word, which brings young people from across the island of Ireland together to breathe fresh life into the work of Irelands greatest poets. The competition highlights the enduring power of poetry to move, inspire and unite.

Liz Kelly, Director of Poetry Ireland, said: The late Seamus Heaney loved Poetry Aloud, he always said that it brings poetry into the memory and affections of the young in a way that will make it a lifelong possession and value. Poetry Ireland is thrilled to carry on the work of making poetry a lifelong possession for young people through Poetry Aloud 2024.

We are delighted to once again work with colleagues at the National Library of Ireland, UCC and schools all over Ireland. Poetry Ireland is committed to connecting people with poetry and to increasing accessibility for people of all ages and backgrounds.

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This years judging panel included Dr Audrey Whitty, Director of the National Library of Ireland, Liz Kelly, Director of Poetry Ireland, and Anne Tannam, Poetry Irelands Poet in Residence.

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2024 full list of winners:

Senior Category

Winner: Anna Rose Nic Mhanais, Colaiste Ide, Kerry.

Runner-Up: Labhaoise Ni Lonargain Ni Chonamhara, Gaelcholaiste Cheitinn, Tipperary.

Intermediate Category:

Winner: Saorlaith Ni Cionna, Colaite Oiriall, Monaghan

Runner-Up: Azeezat Oluwatobiloba Yussuff, St Marys College, Louth

Junior Category

Winner: Kieran Flynn, Meanscoil Nua an Leith Triuigh, Kerry.

Runner-Up: Luke Power, Ramsgrange Community School, Wexford

Overall Winner 2024: Anna Rose Nic Mhanais, Colaiste Ide, Kerry.
The epidemic of mental health problems amongst farmers must act as a wake-up call for EU policy makers, MEP Maria Walsh said in a meeting with the European Commissioner for Agriculture.

MEP Walsh, the youngest serving Irish MEP, is a member of the European Parliaments Agriculture Committee and used the meeting with Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen as an opportunity to raise the concerns of Irish farmers.

MEP Maria Walsh said, Those in power are failing to take the mental health challenges of farmers seriously, leading to an avoidable loss of life across Europe. I brought this message directly to Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen when I met him in Strasbourg.

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It is widely accepted and evidenced that farming is one of the most dangerous jobs in Europe. Fatalities in the sector are 233% higher, and accidents 18% higher, than in other industries. However, too many people overlook the dangers presented by the epidemic of mental health problems amongst our farmers.

A 2023 study from UCD showed that 20% of Irish farmers surveyed had suicidal thoughts in the two previous weeks, and nearly 40% reported experiencing moderate to extremely severe stress.

I believe Commissioner Hansen has a unique and personal understanding of this issue. I hope this will lead to tangible solutions, and crucially financial investment, coming from the Commission over the coming months. A welcome first step towards this is the Commissioners commitment to featuring mental health in his upcoming Vision for Future of Agriculture document.

Along with mental health, Commissioner Hansen and I discussed a range of issues impacting Irish farmers. I urged the Commission to ensure the continuation of our nitrates derogation, and I shared the concerns of Irish farmers around the Mercosur trade deal. Generational renewal, reform of the CAP and young farmers were also top of my agenda.

Also read: Minister Burke secures direct Brussels agriculture engagement over Mercosur concerns

I welcome Commissioner Hansons commitment to prioritising easy yet impactful wins, such as CAP reforms that can be achieved in the short-term. The Commissioner highlighted the potential threat of the ongoing war in Ukraine as well as the Trump presidency on the agricultural sector. I also look forward to welcoming Commissioner Hansen to Ireland next year.
Failte Ireland is reminding eligible private and community SMEs to submit their applications for the Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme before the deadline on January 13, 2025 at 12noon.

Part of the EU Just Transition Fund, co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the EU, over 4.4million has already been approved for projects under the Private and Community SME scheme, which continues to attract significant interest. Details of these projects will be announced in January 2025, once contracts have been signed. 5.5million was also announced in June 2024 as part of the Digital programme, bringing the total allocated to date within this scheme to almost 10million.

Applications for the scheme, which opened for Expressions of Interest in August 2023, are being evaluated on a rolling basis, and funding is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. This means that once all available funding is allocated, the scheme will close, even if it is before the official deadline. Therefore, it is crucial for applicants to submit their fully completed applications as soon as possible to increase their chances of securing funding.

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Paul Hayden, Head of Just Transition at Failte Ireland, emphasised the importance of timely submissions: The EU Just Transition Fund is a once-in-a-generation funding opportunity with the potential to transform Irelands Midlands and build a greener future. We encourage eligible applicants to submit their applications promptly, as funding is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

There has been a high volume of applications received so far, reflecting the strong interest in this unique funding opportunity for developing regenerative tourism in the midlands. The overall scheme aims to diversify the regional economy through sustainable tourism and job creation.

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Applicants can find more information and submit their applications through Failte Ireland's website Trade Portal. A dedicated Tourism Activator has been allocated to each county to support applicants with their submissions. The full list of Tourism Activators and their contact details can be found here.

For more information, visit www.failteireland.ie.
The long-running St Christopher's Services dispute has ended in positive resolution after more than 90 percent of staff voted in favour of accepting a pay deal with management.



The ballot of over 130 Forsa members under the new proposals opened last Monday, December 17 and a result was announced last Wednesday when 96 percent of staff unanimously backed the agreement.



The work-to-rule industrial action, which began in mid-November and stemmed from a breach of the 2021 collective agreement on the payment of increments, was suspended last week.

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Forsa's Assistant General Secretary Tony Martin praised their members and the 'unity' demonstrated by staff which enabled the progress.

Following extensive negotiations, Forsa and St Christophers management had agreed on a set of proposals designed to harmonise pay scales and address staff concerns.



The proposals included that, from January 1, 2025 all staff who are currently on the 2021 pay scale will be moved up to the 2022 scale and staff will subsequently move to the 2023 pay-scale level next July.

Fine Gael Longford TD Micheal Carrigy stated he is very pleased by the development.

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"It's very positive and I'm delighted that the union reps accepted the recommendation," he said. "There is more work to be done and more to be got from the HSE. I said when I was elected it would be a priority for me to work with the union and with St Christopher's to get pay parity because that has to be a priority."



Deputy Carrigy praised the resolve of workers and the key stakeholders including CEO Declan Kenny.

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"I'm working and I have been behind the scenes to make sure that pay parity across Section 39 organisations forms part of the Programme for Government," he said. "There's a new era there, a new CEO and a new chairperson of the board and I'm looking forward to working with them to stabilise the financial future."
Gardai investigating the death of a young woman in County Limerick over the weekend have arrested a man.

Marguerita Sheridan, 21, lost her life following the hit-and-run in Rathkeale on Saturday afternoon.

She was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after the driver of a silver transit van allegedly rammed the gates of a property at Bank Place, in the town.

It is understood Marguerita, who gave birth to a baby boy three weeks ago, was standing in proximity to the gates at the time.

A garda spokesperson said a van believed to have been involved in this incident has been recovered by and will be subject to a technical examination.

"The man, aged in his 40s, is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a garda station in County Limerick. Gardai continue to appeal for any witnesses to this incident to come forward," said a garda spokesperson.

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Gardai continue to appeal for witnesses.

"Any road users or pedestrians who may have camera footage, including dash-cam, and were in the Rathkeale area in county Limerick between 11.30am and 1.00pm on Saturday are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardai.

"Anyone with any information is asked to contact Rathkeale garda station on 069 63222, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any garda station," said a garda spokesperson.

Investigations are ongoing.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: December 23 2024

Previously this spring, the County authorized a $772,455.84 construction management services contract with Gannett Fleming Engineers and Architects related to the project.

Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D  Glen Cove) applauded the Monday, Dec. 16 approval of a contract that that will advance a critical sanitary sewer infrastructure project in Glen Cove.

The Rules Committee, of which Minority Leader DeRiggi-Whitton is ranking member, voted unanimously to award a $1.72 million contract to Philip Ross Industries for general construction services related to the replacement of outdated and obsolete equipment at the Harwood Dive ejector station and the Southridge Drive pump station in Glen Cove.

Maintaining our sanitary sewer system may not be one of the most glamorous assignments we have as elected officials, but ensuring their seamless operation is absolutely crucial for safeguarding public health and elevating our quality of life across Nassau County, Minority Leader DeRiggi-Whitton said. This contract will help to advance critical sewer system upgrades in the City of Glen Cove, and I am glad to see that it was approved unanimously.
Abu Mohammad al Jolanis US Rewards for Justice poster.

The US State Department removed the $10 million reward for Abu Mohammad al Jolani, the Specially Designated Global Terrorist who leads Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), which State describes as an Al Qaeda branch. The bounty on Jolani was removed as US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf met with him and other Hayat Tahrir al Sham leaders in Damascus on December 20.

Leaf argued that it would be a little incoherent [] to have a bounty on the guys head while meeting with Jolani, despite the active designations on him and his group.

Leaf described Jolani, who now uses his real name, Ahmed al Sharaa, in an effort to rebrand and distance himself from his terrorist nom de guerre, as pragmatic.

He came across as pragmatic, Leaf said. Of course, we areweve been hearing this for some time, some very pragmatic and moderate statements on various issues from womens rights to protection of equal rights for all communities, et cetera.

The Biden administration and the State Departments about-face took place almost immediately after HTS led the charge to oust Bashir al Assad and his brutal government. HTS and allied forces took Damascus on December 8 after a swift, 10-day-long offensive in which HTS fighters marched southward from the groups stronghold in northern Idlib province.

In its $10 million reward for Jolani, the State Department noted that Under Jolanis leadership, ANF [the Al Nusrah Front, HTSs predecessor] carried out multiple terrorist attacks throughout Syria, often against civilians.

The Department of National Intelligence (DNI) notes on its website that HTS seeks to replace it [the Assad regime] with a government guided by a fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic law.

HTS uses suicide attacks, guerilla tactics, and small-arms units to conduct attacks, DNI states. Additionally, Jolani called for retaliatory attacks against the US-led coalition in response to airstrikes in Syria in 2014.

Jolanis path to victory in Syria is steeped in both blood and allegiance to Al Qaeda. He joined Al Qaeda in Iraq after the US invasion in 2003 and battled US forces until being captured and detained for five years at Camp Bucca, a prison that was effectively run by Al Qaeda on the inside. Jolani was a close associate of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi before the latter was killed by the US in 2006, according to The Times of Israel.

After his release, Jolani reported to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who later became the leader of Al Qaedas Islamic State of Iraq. Jolani returned to Syria during the so-called Arab Spring and the uprising against Assad and became Al Qaedas leader in that country.

Jolani and Baghdadi had a dispute over who was to lead the jihad in Syria. Baghdadi wanted Jolani to report to him, while Jolani sought autonomy. The dispute was brought to Ayman al Zawahiri, Al Qaedas emir, who sided with Jolani. This disagreement ultimately led to Baghdadis defiance and Zawahiri ejecting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria from Al Qaeda.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.
A Boston Police officer convicted two years ago of seriously injuring a man while driving drunk has been banned from future police work in Massachusetts by the states law enforcement oversight board.

The officer, Domenic Columbo, was accused of causing a crash early on New Years Day 2018. According to prosecutors, he was driving his pickup truck faster than the 25 mph speed limit when he struck a sedan in Dorchester, injuring two people.

One male passenger was seriously injured but survived, the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office said at the time. He and Columbo were both hospitalized after the crash.

The Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, or POST, is required by law to revoke the policing certification of any officer convicted of a felony, as Columbo was.

The board was created through a 2020 police reform law to provide more direct oversight and consistent standards for Massachusetts' more than 400 police departments. It was tasked with certifying over 20,000 officers employed across the Bay State  and decertifying those found to have broken the law or engaged in reckless on- or off-the-job conduct.

Including Columbo, the commission has decertified 39 police officers.

An attorney listed for Columbo did not respond to a voicemail seeking comment Monday. Court records show the case is under appeal.

In a report on the crash, police wrote that the man injured by Columbo had a life-threatening brain injury requiring surgery (craniectomy), laceration to his kidney and spleen requiring surgery, pelvis and rib fractures requiring surgery and a fractured right femur requiring surgery, according to a Boston Globe story from 2018.

His injuries are severe and long-lasting, then-District Attorney Daniel Conley said at the time, the Globe reported. They will likely change the course of his life and the lives of those who love him. And the cause of those injuries, we allege, was one mans decision to drink and drive.

In December 2022, a Suffolk Superior Court jury convicted Columbo of felony drunk driving and two counts of felony assault and battery with a dangerous weapon  his car. He was also convicted of a misdemeanor count of negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Judge Peter B. Krupp imposed a sentence of two years and six months in jail, followed by probation, but delayed the sentence pending Columbos appeal.

Material from a previous MassLive story was used in this report.
A discrimination lawsuit brought by a group of restaurateurs in Bostons North End against the city for banning outdoor dining in the neighborhood was dismissed Friday.

In his ruling, Judge Leo Sorokin wrote that Mayor Michelle Wus decision to impose a fee for on-street dining licenses in the North End during the pandemic and later to end the practice altogether fall squarely within state and federal laws.

Despite restaurant owners' claims that the policy discriminated against them for their Italian heritage, Sorokin ruled that there was no demonstrable correlation between the policy and the plaintiffs' ethnicities.

Plaintiffs are understandably upset with the Citys policy authorizing on-street dining in other neighborhoods while banning it in the North End ... and believe the City could reasonably and safely authorize on-street dining, he wrote. Plaintiffs' unhappiness, however, cannot alone give rise to a cause of action against the City.

In 2020 and 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, then-Gov. Charlie Baker issued executive orders allowing municipalities to let restaurants set up outdoor dining patios on public streets. In Boston at the time, restaurants in all neighborhoods were allowed to take part in the program.

However, in 2022, after Wu took office, the program continued, but participants in the North End were required to pay a $7,500 impact fee as well as a monthly fee of $480 for each parking space their patios took up. This was meant to reduce the negative effects on the neighborhood, where narrow streets and sidewalks, limited parking, increased rodent activity and other challenges were exacerbated by outdoor dining.

According to court documents, the North End has the highest concentration of restaurants per capita in the state.

The outdoor dining season was also shortened to five months in the North End, compared to eight or nine months in other neighborhoods.

The citys actions sparked an immediate backlash from restaurant owners in the neighborhood. However, after the conclusion of the 2022 outdoor dining season, the North End/Waterfront Residents Association lobbied against allowing outdoor dining in future years.

In 2023, on-street outdoor dining was not allowed in the North End.

In January 2024, a group of 21 North End restaurateurs filed a lawsuit against the city in federal court, claiming discrimination. In their complaint, they claimed that they were being singled out by the fees and later the ban, preventing them from gaining the same competitive advantage as restaurants in other areas of Boston.

In his decision to dismiss the case, Sorokin wrote that he was doing so firstly because the plaintiffs' complaint was incredibly long and wordy, counter to court rules. However, he still went into each of their claims, saying they were demonstrably without merit.

Notably, he wrote the U.S. Constitution does not grant residents the right to use public streets for private profit as an extension of their restaurants. But, going further, he said nothing in the citys policy was discriminatory based on race, ethnicity or national origin, whether explicitly or implicitly.

In fact, he wrote, the restaurant owners themselves acknowledged in court documents that the North End is uniquely different from other neighborhoods, providing completely reasonable motivation for the city to regulate the neighborhood differently.

The very policy Plaintiffs allege harms white Italian Americans or Italian restaurants actually benefits several Italian restaurants (and likely restaurants owned by those of Italian descent) that enjoyed on-street dining outside the North End, he wrote.

What Plaintiffs have alleged is a regulation of restaurants, in a certain neighborhood, predominately serving Italian food, and predominately owned by persons of Italian heritage, he continued, citing legal precedent that disproportionate impacts alone do not constitute discrimination.
Last week we led off our rundown of New Years Eve musical offerings with a thorough roundup of Northamptons First Night shows.

This week, we will provide some musical opportunities at various other venues up and down the Pioneer Valley.

But before we list those shows, wed be remiss not to mention this: Although this first event doesnt involve live music and is a few days before the actual holiday, it does involve commemorating a New Years Eve party 40 years ago: the world premiere of the film Rusty Nail  New Years Eve 84 with NRBQ & The Whole Wheat Horns at the Academy of Music in Northampton.

This film features NRBQs last performance at the Rusty Nail, a renowned Western Massachusetts venue that hosted many great shows before it burned down in 1985.

The evening also includes a short film of never-before-seen NRBQ footage and an interview segment with local music journalists David Sokol and Johnny Memphis. Tickets are available at aomtheatre.com.

Now on to live music shows:

Holyokes De La Luz Soundstage (114 Race St.) will ring in 2025 with a block party that showcases a diverse trio of bands. Lexi Weege and Signature Dish will serve up their blend of soulful bluesy funk while The Bromantics play a stream of New Wave hits and Dirty Snowman rocks out.

But thats not all: the New Music Alliance Songwriter Showcase in the Divine Theater (located in Gateway City Arts) will feature performances by Jess Martin, Bekka Dowland, Eddie DeRocher, Marvin Jackson, and Tristan Alexander. Then DJs Gio from Spin That Records and Iohann Rashi will provide dance tracks to close out the festivities.

A suggested $20 donation includes access to the dance party at Holyokes Fame, just across the canal making the evening an old-school block party.

Over in Easthampton, the Pulaski Club (79 Maple St.) will feature live music by Chris Hartman from 8 p.m. to midnight when there will be a champagne toast, complete with party hats and noisemakers. There is no cover charge for this event.

Chicopee has two notable shows: The first one is being billed as a New Years Eve Eve Eve Party as it occurs on Dec. 28, when Presz & Perry will play the Atlas Pub (330 Carew St.) The second show is a New Years Eves Pre-Party at OConnells Irish Pub (733 Chicopee St.) where you can hear Livio and The Acoustic Rock Show play from 6-9 p.m. if you want to pregame (or simply make and early night of it) on Dec. 31.

In Westfield, American Legion Post 124 (38 Broad St.) will feature Buffalo Station. Tickets are available at the legion clubhouse for $20. Both members and guests are welcome. One town over, the Southwick Inn (479 College Highway) will see Myles Reed and the Pitoniak Brothers Band will ring (and sing) in 2025 starting at 8 p.m.
Three winning Powerball tickets from Saturdays drawing were sold in Massachusetts.

Two of the winning tickets were sold at a 7-Eleven in Quincy. They each won $150,000, which means they matched four numbers and the power ball. The other ticket was sold at Global Montello Group Corporation in Seekonk. It was for $50,000.

The winning numbers were 1, 12, 17, 21, 58 and the power ball was 1.

The next drawing will be Monday. The jackpot is worth $103 million.

The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of winning tickets every day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600.

So far, the largest lottery prize won in Massachusetts this year was worth $1 million a year for life.

The prize was from the lotterys Lifetime Millions scratch ticket game. The winner claimed their prize through a trust on July 10, and opted to receive a one-time payment of $15.4 million.
Two men charged in connection with the shooting death of a 28-year-old man inside a parked truck in Worcester were ordered held without bail in court on Monday, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr.s office announced.

Adrian Rodriguez, 33, and Darius Perkins, 20, were charged with armed assault to murder and held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Jan. 3, 2025, a spokesperson for Earlys office told MassLive.

An arraignment date for Dylan Driscoll, 19, another suspect in connection with the shooting, has not been set, the spokesperson said. A fourth person, an unnamed juvenile, was also charged in connection with the shooting, Worcester police previously said.

Rodriguez, Perkins and the juvenile were arrested in Fitchburg on Saturday in an effort that included the U.S. Marshals Service, state police, and local police from Fitchburg, Leominster and Worcester, police said. Driscoll was found and arrested in New Jersey.

At around 2:35 a.m. on Dec. 16, Worcester police went out to Dorchester Street after a man was reportedly shot inside a truck, police said in a short statement. Officers were flagged down and directed by an individual to an unconscious man inside a vehicle.

The man had a gunshot wound and officers rendered medical aid to him, police said. The man was then taken to the hospital but later died.

Police have not yet identified the man shot inside the truck.
The driver who died early Monday morning after a car crashed into a guardrail on Route 3 in Duxbury has been identified as Abdel Naser Alyagbeh, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruzs office announced.

At around 4:52 a.m., fire officials received a 911 call about a motor vehicle crash near Mile Marker 23.4 on Route 3 southbound, the Duxbury Fire Department said in a statement. On-duty firefighters were on call responding to another emergency, requiring off-duty firefighters to go to the crash site.

Massachusetts State Police also received a 911 call and arrived at the crash site, Cruzs office said in a statement. Preliminary findings in the investigation show that the driver, Alyagbeh, 53, of Pembroke, was ejected after veering toward the right shoulder of the highway.

Alyagbeh died before first responders arrived, Cruzs office said.

No passengers were inside the car, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash, the statement read.

Massachusetts State Police are investigating the crash.
A driver is dead after their car crashed into a guardrail on the southbound side of Route 3 in Duxbury early Monday morning, the Duxbury Fire Department announced.

At around 4:52 a.m., fire officials received a 911 call about a motor vehicle crash near Mile Marker 23.4 on Route 3, the department said in a statement. On-duty firefighters were on call responding to another emergency, requiring off-duty firefighters to go to the crash site.

Firefighters arrived to find the damaged car.

The driver was ejected from the vehicle and, tragically, did not survive the accident, Deputy Fire Chief Brian Monahan wrote in the statement.

No passengers were inside the car, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash, the statement read.

Route 3s southbound side was closed for several hours to allow the crash site to be cleared.

Massachusetts State Police are investigating the crash.
Fireworks in the basement of a Spencer house exploded as firefighters worked to put out the flames Sunday night.

The fire started at a home at 4 East Ave. in Spencer, according to NBC Boston. But it quickly spread to two other houses.

There were propane tanks and fireworks, which are illegal in Massachusetts for those without a certification or licensing, in the basement of the first house, Spencer Fire Chief Robert Parsons told the news outlet.

Video shared on X shows the fireworks exploding as firefighters worked to put out the fire.

The first house is a total loss, WCVB reported, with the second home also likely being a total loss. The third homes siding on the exterior melted.

Part of the issue with putting out the fire is that there were no fire hydrants on the street, the news outlet reported. Overall, there are very few hydrants in the entire town of Spencer.

Firefighters tried to get water out of a nearby pond but fell through the ice, WCVB reported. Both firefighters involved were OK.

Ultimately, they had to bring tanker trucks to provide water through narrow roads, the news outlet reported.

Officials have not yet said what caused the fire.
Good Monday morning, all.

This is the last Bay State Briefing until 2025. However you celebrate, may your holiday season and New Year be filled with wonder, peace and light.

Lets get right to it.

Its been a full year, by any measure, for Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey.

From the collapse of Steward Healthcare and contending with the state Legislature to stumping for President Joe Biden, and then, abruptly, Vice President Kamala Harris  not to mention some cross-border sniping with her old home state of New Hampshire  Healey had plenty to occupy her time in 2024.

And with some problems from the old year  the states housing crunch and its seemingly unsolvable shelter crisis  carrying into the new year, and a possible re-election bid beckoning, 2025 looks just as consequential for the Arlington Democrat.

Healey took on many of those topics  and more  in a year-end interview with MassLive.

This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and content.

Q: Sum up this year, in one word.

Healey: Productive.

The Democratic governor then rattled off a laundry list of what she said was her administrations accomplishments over the last year, including legislative authorization of long-sought economic development and climate bills; along with the compromise gun reform bill that lawmakers sent her earlier this year; a compromise, $5.1 billion housing bond bill, along with measures addressing care for veterans and maternal health issues.

Healey: But you know, when I say productive, Im still signing bills right? Stuff is getting done, stuff is moving, and we just got to continue on that track. And my focus remains [on] making Massachusetts more affordable, more competitive. Thats why youre going to see my continued focus on lowering costs.

Q: The process for a lot of those bills getting to you was a messy one. It took a long time. Formal sessions ended in July, and negotiations dragged on for some months. The [legislative] leaders suggested it might be time for a rethink. Does the process matter as much as the result?

A: For me, its about looking at the results, not the process. At the end of the day, its like, What do we end up with? And I think that what we ended up with was really transformational policies that were implementing, and well continue to implement, that are going to make a real difference in peoples lives.

Q: Let me ask you about the housing bill. How do you see that unfolding in 2025? How much can the state get done? You still have some towns resisting the [MBTA Communities Act], for instance.

A: We do have some communities resisting. But the vast majority, well over 100, are already in compliance because they know any employer in this state is behind more housing because it is a competitive disadvantage [not to have it]. Its a reason that people cant afford to stay here, or that workers cant afford to move here because of housing. We need it for our state, so [the] vast majority of communities are on board.

And in terms of actually getting housing done, were already seeing the benefits of it. In fact, it started with my tax cut bill. Because a year ago, with that tax cut bill, I proposed we give tax credits to developers to build more affordable housing in Gateway Cities. Do you know that in just one year since I signed that bill, the number of units has grown six times under that program? Weve gone from building about 200 units a year to now over 1,300 units, and thats going to grow.

Q: Are those affordable homes or are they market rate?

A: Theyre both. Theyre both because the program, its combined, some [are] affordable, some [are] market-rate. Market rate is very important, but thats a big deal, right?

Q: What are those [market rate] units going to look like? Are they going to rent for $5,000 or $6,000 [a month], or are they going to be units that people can afford?

A:  ... Theres a range, because, again, our program is about, you know, building more affordable units, market-rate units, workforce housing. Its really everything. And everything is what is needed in the state. But rents will come down when theres more supply.

Q: The new shelter program rules went into effect two weeks ago. Your office is going to seek legislative authorization for additional [measures] in the coming term. Is that going to be enough, in your judgment, to get the shelter system to where its in a manageable place? Or is that a rear-guard action?

A: Its a step in the right direction. I mean, weve continued to make steps in the right direction. Because, you know, what I inherited as governor was an emergency shelter system that wasnt working to begin with.

The latest policy changes that I made, its about getting people out of hotels into permanent housing, and thats what weve got to be doing. Ive also, you know, said clearly we are not a sanctuary state. Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state. Its why I sent a team to the border to communicate that message. Because we cannot be responsible for, and the Massachusetts taxpayers cannot be responsible for, housing people from other countries who have come through the border to Massachusetts.

Q: What difference does that make, governor, when you have cities like Boston, reaffirming their sanctuary status?

A: Well, I dont even know what sanctuary city status necessarily means, to be honest. Because in operation, you know, law enforcement continues to cooperate  state, local, and federal  when it comes to investigating crimes, prosecuting crimes, and deporting people who have been here unlawfully, who have done criminal things. But, you know, I think our message has been clear."

Q: Youve said the State Police will not cooperate with the [incoming Trump administrations announced] mass deportation effort. If the incoming administration says that it wants to call on the states National Guard, would you resist such a call?

A: Depends on what theyre called upon to do. The president of the United States has the authority to nationalize the National Guard and to call up the National Guard for certain missions. As governor, I am responsible for leading the National Guard here in Massachusetts, in service of Massachusetts residents.

... I cant engage in hypotheticals about what President Trump might do or how he might use or seek to use, the Guard. Well have to see what that is.

But you know, I want to be clear that the Massachusetts State Police will continue to cooperate with local and federal law enforcement when it comes to the investigation and prosecution of crime ... and of people who have broken the law and are here unlawfully and need to be deported. Mass deportations is a different thing. Thats this concept of going to a school or a factory ...

Q: And how would you feel if it were a Massachusetts National Guard soldier who was detailed to do that?

A: It depends what theyre being asked to do ...

Q: So they go into a school in Roxbury ...

A: Im not going to engage in hypotheticals until we see it. Im just laying out what the law is here in Massachusetts.

Q: This years state budget doubled operational support for the MBTA. Nonetheless, it is still looking at a significant funding shortfall. Whats ahead there in terms of state support?

A: A lot of progress has been made, and thats evidenced by the elimination of the slow zones for the first time in decades. That said, weve got a lot more work to do, and we need the funding to do it. I think with the [Millionaires] surtax, were going to make the most use of that there. Right now, we have those revenues coming in for transportation and for education. I want to make sure that we maintain what we need to do operationally ... I feel good about our ability to do that over the next few years.

Q: Are you running for reelection in 2026?

A: Im going to answer that at the appropriate time. I love my job. I love the opportunity to serve. Theres a lot were working on. Theres a lot more to do. But Ill make announcements about that later in the year.

A Worcester Police Department police cruiser parked on Mechanic Street in Worcester on June 26, 2024.Nicole Simmons/MassLive

They said it

I was bullied, battered, and blackballed, starting in the police academy and lasting most of the 10 years that I was an officer there because I refused to behave in the ways described in the Department of Justices report.

 Former Worcester Police Officer William Gardiner, speaking during a public meeting last week on a bombshell U.S. Justice Department report censuring the citys police department.

Activists and migrants, some accompanied by children, protest stricter regulations on the states emergency shelter system at a Sept. 5 rally outside Gov. Maura Healeys office. (SAM DORAN / STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE)State House News Service

Monday numbers

Healey administration officials sent their regular report on the states emergency shelter to legislative budget writers last week. The report provides a snapshot of whos in the system, and how much it costs.

Here are a few top-line numbers from that report.

$856.8 million: The total amount expended on the emergency housing assistance program in the 2024 budget year.

$331.8 million: The total amount the state spent on the emergency housing assistance program in the 2024-25 budget year.

3,265: The total number of families who entered the emergency assistance system as migrants, refugees or asylum seekers, as of Dec. 12.

792: The number of families applying for shelter within the last 14 days.

190: The number of families who exited the shelter system between Nov. 28 and Dec. 11.

353: The average number of days that families stayed in the system.

4,451: The number of people who entered the system as migrants, refugees or asylum seekers who have work authorizations, once again, as of Dec. 12.

The Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill in Boston (State House News Service photo).(State House News Service)

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On your calendar

Reminding us that its never too early to start planning ahead, Gov. Maura Healey will deliver her annual State of the State Address to a joint session of the state House and Senate on Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. in the state House chamber.

Turned up to 11

Bob Slim Dunlap, who played guitar and toured with Minnesota legends The Replacements, died last week, aged 73, from complications from a stroke he suffered in 2012. Dunlap played on the bands final LPs, Dont Tell A Soul (1989) and All Shook Down (1990). He replaced founding guitarist Bob Stinson and nearly didnt accept the offer to join the band, according to The Guardian.

From Dont Tell a Soul, heres the achingly lovely Ill Be You.

Your Monday long read

No, we dont have warp drive yet. And First Contact with Vulcan still is likely decades away. But we do have a U.S. Space Force, whose insignia looks a whole lot like the emblem of the United Federation of Planets Starfleet.

Five years after its creation, Space.com looks at what the newest branch of the U.S. military has accomplished so far  and where it goes next.

Heres the germane bit:

Within just a few years, Space Force had its own large-scale training exercises and counterspace weaponry aimed solely at protecting American spacecraft or disrupting other nations' satellites in the event of a conflict.

To highlight this new focus, the service unveiled a lean new mission statement in September 2023 consisting of just nine brief words: Secure our Nations interests in, from, and to space.

And thats it for the year. Well see you all back here in 2025. As always, please send tips, comments and questions to jmicek@masslive.com.
An Erris councillor was told that the cutting of trees along the R312 which links Castlebar to Erris was the responsibility of council officials from Castlebar and Ballina.

Geesala-based Fine Gael councillor Gerry Coyle had blasted Mayo County Council for failing to cut branches of trees along the R312 which he said was blocking parts of the road and knocking electricity wires providing power to the barony.

It is lunacy what is going on, they are ready to come down, he told the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District.

I cannot understand listening to people talk about road safety and reducing speed and yet there are trees overhanging ready to come down on someone's car. They need to be cut back altogether away from the roads and the powerlines and the phone lines. Power is out every minute with trees taking down cables, he said

He was supported by his fellow Erris-based councillor Sean Carey who said that it was essential that trees growing over the road be cleared.

Overhanging trees over the road is a big issue and there is a canopy formed on both sides. We had issues before with lorries and buses getting their mirrors broken. The trees lower down were done but up high they weren't done. Can we contact the road section and request these essential works done once and for all, he said.

In response, Seamus O Mongain, Head of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District said that he would contact the Roads section of Mayo County Council regarding it but added that most of the trees were outside their area of responsibility.

Unfortunately the R312 falls outside the jurisdiction of the Westport/Belmullet MD [Municipal District] and straddles the Ballina and Castlebar MDs and we will bring it to their attention too.

I have to point out that the trees are the obligations of the land owners and it is the responsibility to maintain the trees on their private property and the bulk of those we are describing are on private property unfortunately, he said.

Cllr Coyle said he did not care who was responsible for that part of the road and wanted the matter resolved.

We might be in different MDs but we are all Mayo County Council and if that is where it has to go it has to go until it is solved because it cannot be allowed to be left the way it is. I am sick to the eyebrows of people telling me about road safety and then having to go up that road, he said.

Louisburgh-based councillor Chris Maxwell said trees were being choked with ivy and disease and felt it would not cost much to cut them down before they fell.

Cut them down once and for all and we will be finished with it and not back year after year with the same story, the Independent Ireland councillor said.
A WILDLIFE project in north Connemara and south-west Mayo tackling invasive species such as rhododendron has restored over 1,000 hectares of blanket bog.

The Dulra project, a flagship initiative for invasive species control and habitat restoration, has restored over 1,000 hectares of blanket bog in and around Special Areas of Conservation across Galway and Mayo.

The Dulra Project engaged with local communities around the Mayo and Galway border in transformative habitat restoration and control of invasive rhododendron and in the process successfully restored over 1,000 hectares of blanket bog.

This essential funding of 1.4m enabled us to hire and train a dedicated team of 20 local operatives, who carried out extensive work successfully treating rhododendrons across Connemara and parts of southwest Mayo, said Sinead Grimes, Dulra Project Manager.

Highlighting the importance of the funding, Castlebar native Ms Grimes added: Without this support, these critical works simply would not have been possible. This funding not only facilitated on-the-ground action but also enabled local communities to do the work by providing training, employment and skills development opportunities in conservation. Through this project, weve reclaimed over 1,000 hectares of ecologically sensitive lands from invasive rhododendrons; and trained locals in the skills needed to carry out maintenance; this is a real win for local communities.

The Dulra project was managed by FORUM Connemara CLG, in partnership with the Leenane Development Association, the Dulra Project is part of the Natura Communities initiative funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) via LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature.

Successful Completion

The team are pleased to announce the successful completion of the first phase of the projects rhododendron control efforts in southwest Mayo.

Over a three-week period between October 29 and November 22, a dedicated team of ten professionals worked in difficult conditions to manage the invasive Rhododendron ponticum, treating a total of approximately 360 hectares across ecologically sensitive areas and adjacent lands. The team of operatives, all hailing from Connemara, worked under the skilled supervision of Eoin Varley, from Renvyle, with overall guidance provided by the project ecologist, Conor Ryan, a native of Westport.

A significant milestone was achieved with over 300 hectares treated within the Mweelrea/Sheeffry/Erriff Complex Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Townlands that were treated within the SAC include: Loughnamucka, Cregganbaun, Srahwee, Derrygarve More and Knockeen.

An additional 60 hectares were treated on lands outside the SAC. This included approximately 30 hectares on Carrowniskey, covering all commonage and adjacent private ground. Also included were lands at Srahnacloy where approximately 30 to 40 hectares were treated in just one day with further work planned in 2025 to finalise these works in the area.

The team employed the stem herbicide application method recommended by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). This approach ensures effective management of rhododendron while minimising environmental impact.

Gratitude

Project collaborator and head of Leenane Development Association, Martin Gavin, a farmer from Leenane, expressed gratitude for the collective effort.

This work represents a critical step in restoring our ecosystems. The participation of landowners and the collaboration between the community, NPWS and the Dulra team have been instrumental in achieving this success. We are proud of the progress and look forward to continuing these efforts in 2025, he said.

Martin Gavin (right) Project collaborator and head of Leenane Development Association

The Dulra Project remains committed to combating invasive species and protecting the regions biodiversity. While significant progress has been made, follow-up work and community engagement will be essential to ensure the continued success of these efforts.

The Dulra project continues to make significant strides in tackling invasive species and demonstrating the value of collaborative efforts in carrying out ecological restoration to protect Ireland's unique natural landscapes.

For more details on the project or to learn how you can get involved, visit the Dulra Project Website on https://www.forumconnemara.ie/dulra or email dulra@forumconnemara.ie.
MAYO County Council has granted planning permission for the development of a 16 unit housing development on the outskirts of Westport.

Soir Siar Investments Limited, a Dublin-based company were granted planning permission to construct a housing development consisting of 16 dwellings in single and two storey and detached and semi-detached configurations on the site of the existing West Vets building.

During the planning process, the applicants submitted revised plans for the site on the West Road to increase the number of units to 26 but this was rejected by Mayo County Council who approved the original proposals.

The proposed development on a 0.900 hectare site located along the R335 West Road will see the demolition of the current West Vets building to make way for two detached two-bedroomed bungalows; two detached four-bedroomed two storey units; ten semi detached three-bedroomed two storey units and two detached three-bedroomed two storey units.

Permission was granted by Mayo County Council despite council planners expressing some concerns over vehicular site access and visibility along the R335 as well as the site layout of the development.

A meeting between the planning agent of the applicant as well as senior planners with Mayo County Council also took place where the revisions to the site layout including overall design and housing mix was discussed, along with ways to lessen the 'extent of retaining features, most especially along the northern site boundary'.

Revised Proposal

An agreement was reached with the applicant to extend the response time to the further information request but a further three months. On the last day of this extended period, the applicant proposed 'a major redesign' of the proposed scheme to increase the scale of the development to consist of 26 units.

The revised scheme submitted proposed the replacement of the four detached units and two semi-detached units along the northern boundary, with a terrace of buildings consisting of one three-bed dwelling house, and seven three-storey buildings containing two-bed apartments at ground floor level with four-bed duplex units above.

The revised proposals submitted also proposed the replacement of the two detached units and eight semi detached units along the western site boundary, with one three-unit terrace of three-bed units; one four-unit terrace of four-bed units and one three-unit terrace comprising two four-bed units and one four-bed unit.

The council planners stated that while the revisions proposed 'go some way' in softening the visual impact of retaining walls proposed along the northern site boundary, it was considered that the increase in the number of units proposed from 16 to 26 was 'excessive'.

They also added that the mix of units proposed does not result in 'an appropriate mix for a site on the edge of the town centre' and would be contrary to the objectives of the Westport Local Area Plan.

Due to the late submission of the revised plans, Mayo County Council planners stated that there was no facility under the Planning Regulations to see further clarification or discussion in relation to the residential mix.

Therefore it is considered that the most appropriate recommendation in terms of the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, is to recommend that permission be granted the 16 unit development as initially sought by the applicant, the planner's report read.

Objection

There was one objection to the proposed development submitted by a neighbouring landowner who stated that the applicant 'does not give a crap' about the local community and questioned who will be moving into the proposed development.

I hope you are not naive enough to think that these units will only be occupied by single male foreign nationals. That will absolutely ruin those areas. This proposed development is on the greenway where single white females jog day and night. I have a B&B, tourists walk into town past this place. Please don't ruin that, he stated.

Planning permission was granted for the development subject to 21 planning conditions.
BALLINROBES Cornmarket lost another of its best-known personalities with the passing of well-regarded local shopkeeper Patsy Murphy, who will be laid to rest today (Monday, December 23)

He was best known as the owner of Murphys Centra, a family-run corner shop he inherited from his father which has been an institution in the town for decades.

Mr Murphy passed away peacefully at University Hospital Galway on Thursday two days after Dr Martin Finnerty, who ran a GP surgery on Cornmarket for many years, was laid to rest.

Local councillor Michael Burke described him as a gentleman and a great man for the town.

From my experience with him, he was a great guy and very generous of his time in lots of ways, Cllr Burke told The Mayo News.

Mr Murphy was a generous sponsor of many local causes and organisations, including Ballinrobe Rugby Club, which he represented as a player before later serving as their President.

The club paid tribute to him on their social media and afforded him a guard of honour at his removal to St Marys Church in Ballinrobe on Sunday evening.

Patsys vision, dedication, and hard work were instrumental in creating the foundation upon which our club stands today, the club stated.

Without his efforts and commitment during those formative years, we would not have the organization we are so proud of today.

Patsy was a vital member of the senior team in the 1970s, playing on the wing, and later served as club president from 1986 to 1988. During his presidency, he made significant contributions to ensure the club was managed effectively and successfully.

Patsy has always been a strong supporter of our club, and his passion for rugby was passed down to his son, Rob, who is also a member of Ballinrobe RFC. Rob provided the live commentary for us last year and is always ready to lend a hand whenever needed.

Several years ago, he gave up parking space outside his shop to facilitate the redevelopment of the Cornmarket area. The shop remains locally owned and is currently ran by Mr Murphys son, Robert. A large group of current and former Ballinrobe Centra staff members formed a guard of honour when the funeral passed by the shop in Cornmarket yesterday evening (Monday).

He would be going out to a meeting and promoting things that might be of a great benefit to him but he never saw it [that way], he was never personal to himself in his life, Cllr Burke added. He always did the right thing as he felt was the right thing.

Mr Murphy was also a member of the Mayo Male Voice Choir and was involved for many years with the Ballinrobe Development Company.

Along with his friend David Hall, Mr Murphy was heavily involved in commemorating the American-born Lithuanian pilot, Felix Waitkus, who made an emergency landing at Cloongowla, Ballinrobe en route to Lithuania in his plane, Lituanica II, in 1935.

Extensive research into the event by Mr Hall and Mr Murphy helped forge close links between Ballinrobe and Lithuania. This culminated in the twinning of the south Mayo town with Jonava, Lithuanias ninth-biggest city, in 2011.

Felix Waitkus trans-Atlantic flight was remembered in Ballinrobe for many years through the Fly Mayo Festival. A commerative sculpture remembering the landing of the Lituanica II was erected by the River Robe in Ballinrobe a number of years ago.

He will be laid to rest in Ballinrobe this morning (Monday, December 23) following his Funeral Mass in St Marys Church in Ballinrobe.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.
Highlights of new quality productive forces: Low-altitude economy

13:25, December 23, 2024 By Yang Yang ( Chinadaily.com.cn

Editor's note: As a highlight of new quality productive forces, China's low-altitude economy is undergoing a transformative evolution, marked by a diverse range of application scenarios, broad market prospects, and huge development potential.

The concept of 'Low-altitude Economy' was first proposed academically in 2010, first proposed in policy in 2021, first proposed by the top leaders in 2023, first proposed in law on Jan 1, 2024, and officially included in the national Government Work Report in March 2024.

Eye-catching low-altitude aircraft in various scenarios in China

Upper left: Tourists take photos of a drone show in Futian district of Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, Oct 4, 2024. Upper right: A DJI agriculture drone sprays a rice field in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, on June 21, 2024. Below: China's first homegrown AS700 civil manned airship during its demonstration flight in Yangshuo county in Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Sept 14, 2024. (Photo/Xinhua)

Low-altitude aircraft have been widely used in various scenarios in China, including for performance, agriculture, tourism, logistics, medical and emergency rescue.

China's first homegrown AS700 civil manned airship not only plays an important role in low-altitude tourism, but can also be used in multiple scenarios such as logistics, intelligent mapping, emergency rescue, and urban security.

Application progress in China

Air taxi

A five-seater eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft flies during a demonstration flight near Shekou Cruise Home port in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, Feb 27, 2024. (Photo/Xinhua)

Dubbed as "air taxi", the eVTOL aircraft completed its first inter-city electric air-taxi demonstration flight in South China's Guangdong province on Feb 27, 2024.

The first low-altitude short-haul transport route for passengers between Shenzhen and Zhuhai in the Greater Bay Area opened on April 30, 2024.

The passenger-carrying helicopter route connecting Shanghai Pudong Airport and Jiangsu Kunshan City Terminal opened on Aug 18, 2024.

Low-altitude logistics distribution achievements

A man experiences food delivery service by a drone at Futian Port, Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, on Oct 23, 2024. (Photo/Xinhua)

In August 2024, Meituan drones began food and emergency delivery services to visitors at the Badaling section of the Great Wall.

Meituan released the fourth generation of new drone models, focusing on the new multi-rotor models of urban low-altitude logistics distribution scenarios on July 5, 2023.

Meituan began self-developing drone technology in 2017 and sent the first order in Shenzhen in 2021, starting normal operations of drone delivery service.

On Dec 2, 2024, an SF Express drone took off from the Wuhan Blood Center, carrying 800 milliliters of "life-saving blood" for surgery to Wuhan Asia General Hospital, a journey that took only 19 minutes. This marked the launch of Wuhan's first low-altitude blood distribution route.

The drone is a product of Phoenix Wings, a cargo drone company of China's delivery giant SF Express. While approaching its destination, the drone can scan a QR code at the center of the parking apron to help it make a precise landing.

Supporting policies in China

A flying car developed by Xpeng Aeroht performs at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong province, on Nov 10, 2024. (Photo/Xinhua)

National-level

The concept of "low-altitude economy" was included in national planning in February 2021.

The low-altitude economy was listed as a strategic emerging industry at the Central Economic Work Conference in December 2023.

The low-altitude economy was proposed to be built actively as one of the new growth engines in the Government Work Report in March 2024.

Clear requirements for the development of the low-altitude economy were put forward at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in July 2024.

Local level

The low-altitude economy was written into the local government work reports or relevant policies of nearly 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions since the start of 2024.

Fifteen cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Hefei have joined hands with enterprises to build a low-altitude economic ecosystem.

Some local governments have also established special industrial funds to provide a financial basis for low-altitude economic development.

Broad market prospects

A staff member shows a drone at the First Jinjiang Trade Fair on Scientific and Technological Innovation in Quanzhou, Fujian province, April 9, 2024. (Photo/Xinhua)

The market scale of China's low-altitude economy is projected to reach 1.5 trillion yuan ($210 billion) by 2025, and 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035, said the National Development and Reform Commission citing data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Sound infrastructure and technical capacity

China has more than 440 drone routes.

5G-A, artificial intelligence, satellite communications, and other technologies are also applied to low-altitude economic infrastructure construction.

The number of low-altitude economic invention patent applications in China has increased rapidly from 852 in 2014 to 14,134 in 2023.

Enterprises pursue new quality productive forces through innovation

Staff members assemble drones at a production line in Longgang district, Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, on Nov 6, 2024. (Photo/Xinhua)

By the end of March 2024, China had over 69,000 enterprises related to the "low-altitude economy", and the top four provinces with the most companies related to the "low-altitude economy" are Guangdong, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Anhui.

What is the low-altitude economy?

A passenger-carrying aerial vehicle undergoes a flying test in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, on Nov 8, 2024. (Photo/Xinhua)

The "low-altitude economy" refers to a comprehensive economic form that involves low-altitude flying activities, both manned and unmanned, within the airspace below 3,000 meters, spreading across multiple fields.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, December 23, 2024

The media circus came to town last week when the news media and top New York City officials welcomed killer-idol Luigi Mangione to the Big Apple.

Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the heart of Manhattan on December 4, arrived by helicopter at 1 p.m. New York time last Thursday, touching down at New Yorks Downtown Manhattan Heliport on the edge of the Financial District.

Wearing a prisoners orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, he was escorted by a heavily armed phalanx of NYPD officers and plainclothes detectives from the helipad to a waiting black SUV.

The high-profile helicopter flight was the last leg of Mangiones journey from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania to Manhattan.

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The attention paid to this newly minted celebrity murder suspect was breathtaking, including live coverage of his entire journey to Lower Manhattan, starting with his exit from a Pennsylvania jail to board a flight to Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma.

Once there, he transferred to a waiting helicopter to be whisked to Lower Manhattan. Wait, why couldnt they have just taken a bus, like every other perp transferring from someplace else?

The answer is: This was a perp walk like few others. Most of them are for much lower-profile suspects in police custody, whose exits from precinct houses are documented by local newsies, who have been told in advance when to show up.

But Mangione is no lower-rung perp. Thus, his landing in Manhattan drew proportional attention.

Was he treated like a celebrity? Yes, at least in part. He was cuffed, of course, and the orange jumpsuit was not exactly red-carpet worthy.

I never heard anyone praise the jumpsuit and declare orange is the new black, but most reports made a point of noting that the suspect later changed out of the orange outfit into a sweater, khaki pants and loafers -- from perp to prep, one might say (although nobody said it, to my knowledge).

As I often say when the media pulls out all the stops to swarm a hot news story, one can hardly blame them. This is a hot story.

At the same time, one has to wonder if the story maintains its heat only because the media continues to fan the flames.

In this case, as in many others, the media seems to once again be aiding and abetting the elevation of this guy into something more than he is.

But what about the spectacle of New York Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch being there for the perps arrival?

Certainly, they did not stride up to him with wide smiles on their faces to present the proverbial key to the city.

Their presence and their statements were meant to convey the commitment of the citys law enforcement apparatus to maintaining law and order, even if detectives sometimes have to travel 280 miles to Altoona to do so.

But in so doing, they made a visual, made-for-TV statement that they likely had not intended. The message was: This suspect must be really important to draw the in-person attention of the mayor and police commissioner who, one might assume, had much better things to do.

After all, they did not assist the transport process in any way. All they did was take in the spectacle and then make some remarks to the media -- which was likely a big reason why they showed up in the first place.
by Teresa Buyikian , December 20, 2024

2024 has been the year of the meal deal, as every traditional QSR tried to figure out a way to keep customers happy despite higher prices. But one burger chain is fighting the perception of higher prices with an experiential campaign that took a direct jab at competitors.

Smashburger, the chain that started the grilled smash burger craze, wanted to point out to consumers that their burgers, made by hand with higher quality meat, no freezers and fresh veggies, which are typically considered a higher end QSR experience, are, on average, only 60 cents more than their fast food competitors. The brand tapped agencies X&O and The Bait Shop in order to drive the message home, launching the Change Your Burger guerilla marketing effort last month.

In New York City, Houston and Denver, the agencies collaborated on burger sculptures, made out of coins, which were placed in front of the brands competitors, but also close enough to Smashburger should the customer be swayed to change their burger choice.

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Brett Banker, co-founder at X&O, told Marketing Daily, We were shocked when we did the homework -- but yes, its roughly less than a dollar difference between the All-American Smashburger and a (McDonalds) Quarter Pounder with Cheese. This became the foundation for the brief: For just pocket change, you can get a much better burger at Smashburger.

By placing change on the doorsteps of our competition, we could immediately redirect and change their mind to trade up for a better one, one made with Certified Angus beef, fresh vegetables, smashed by hand, family-owned farms, no microwaves, no walk-in freezers.

The 3D builds, mobile billboards and floor installations, were also promoted via social media, using local area foodie as well as financial industry influencers. We approached influencers from a few perspectives: one, local influencers in the markets that knew the food scene and two, financial influencers who could credibly, and playfully, poke at the differences between them, added Banker. The result was over 1 million consumer views via TikTok and Instagram.

On why the brand decided to go with 3D installations, Banker said, We wanted something physically engaging and attention-grabbing, and ultimately the idea was intended to take a playful jab at our competitors, turning the 3D object into a symbol of superiority and change. The 3D objects give customers a visual reminder that they dont have to settle. For a little pocket change, they can elevate their burger experience by visiting Smashburger.

X&O also recently relaunched the Smashburger logo and corporate ID materials, reflected in new signage and color schemes. Its a new day for Smashburger. Having just deployed a new visual identity in their restaurants, one that is bolder, confident and inspired by the irreverence of the music scene, they are bringing some new swagger and disruption to the category, said Banker.
by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, December 23, 2024



On the heels of my "Nine Seconds To Midnight" post, watchdog group Media Matters this morning released its 2024 "Misinformer of the Year:" anti-media intimidation.

It's not the first time the group has named a movement broader than a specific entity. In 2016, it named "Fake News / Alt Right Media Ecosystem," and in 2007 it named "Misinformation."

And while I think its 2024 choice is an inspired one, I don't think it goes far enough, because the intimidation is just one tactic in a far bigger, and more encompassing info war undermining the role of legitimate news organizations.

It's also nothing new. On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump began his first full day as president declaring war on America's news media while standing in front of the CIA's hallowed wall of fallen heroes. And he has been escalating it ever since.

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That's because his strategy has been to undermine each and every institution that has the power to check his unbridled one. He will soon have control of the legislature, and he has pretty much tamed the judiciary, and based on his cabinet nominations -- as well as his non-cabinet-level appointments -- he's advancing on this mission of "deconstructing the administrative state."

That means one of the few remaining checks is the news media. And barring a new constitutional amendment overturning the first one, his only recourse is to utilize other means to undermine the press's ability to check his power.

So naturally, he has chosen a litigative one. And if ABC News' capitulation is any indication, it's likely to be a very successful one.

Honestly, the intimidation -- and capitulation -- began long before Trump's most recent legal actions -- and much of it has only been implied, yet still very effective, as corporate media moguls line up to supplicate themselves

Remember Jeff Bezos' 11th-hour decision to scuttle The Washington Post's long-standing editorial policy of issuing presidential endorsements (one that would have recommended Kamala Harris for president)?

Intimidation doesn't necessarily require overt actions. It merely requires creating a threatening atmosphere that creates an imbalance of power.

And given the economic shifts impacting conventional news organizations -- especially the atomization of the information marketplace, and the increasing role of platforms and "news influencers" -- the American news media has never been more vulnerable to intimidation.

"Donald Trump and Trump world media allies have either filed or threatened to file at least half a dozen lawsuits against media outlets, media figures, publishing houses, and even the Pulitzer Prize board," Media Matters notes in this morning's announcement. "Earlier this month Trump sued the Des Moines Register, its owner Gannett, popular pollster J. Ann Selzer, and her polling firm Selzer & Company for releasing a poll showing Trump would lose Iowa. Without evidence, he called the poll fraud and election interference. This suit comes after Trump won a $16 million settlement from ABC News after suing for defamation."

For more on Media Matters' intimidation rationale, read Senior Fellow Matt Gertz's article explaining the pick.
EY India partners with the National Association for the Blind (NAB) to create 600+ audiobooks for the visually impaired under the "Talking Books" initiative, benefiting 100K+ individuals across India.



EY Indias Talking Books project will create 600+ audiobooks, recording 40,000+ pages in just one month. Over 100K visually impaired individuals to benefit! #visuallyimpaired #medindia

Provide improved learning resources for individuals with visual impairments

Address the critical lack of accessible educational tools for the visually impaired population in India

EYs Talking Books Initiative Empowering 100,000 Lives

Reducing social inequality

Addressing climate change challenges

Building a better working world by fostering economic inclusivity, social justice, and environmental sustainability

EY Partners With The National Association For The Blind For Talking Books- (https:bwpeople.in/article/ey-partners-with-the-national-association-for-the-blind-for-talking-books-542729)

EY India (Ernst and Young) has joined hands with the National Association for the Blind (NAB) to create over 600 audiobooks under the Talking Books initiative. This effort aimed at supporting the visually impaired community across India is set to benefit more than 1Lakh individuals.India has a big population of visually challenged population with 5 million blind people, 35 million people facing varying degrees of visual impairment and 2,40,000 blind children. Access to educational resources remains a significant challenge to this population making initiatives like Talking Books important for personal and professional growth.The Talking Books project is designed toThe current edition of the project aims to record over 40,000 pages in just one month, featuring more than 600 audiobooks. These resources are expected to benefit over 100,000 individuals, significantly enriching NABs library and providing an invaluable learning tool for the visually impaired community.EYs Talking Books initiative reflects the organizations commitment to using its workforce for the benefit of society. Employees have shown strong support for the program by dedicating their time and skills to recording audiobooks. This initiative not only empowers the visually impaired community but also helps to foster a sense of purpose among EY employees.The Talking Books initiative is part of the broader EY Ripples program, which was launched in 2018 with the ambition to positively influence one billion lives by 2030. The program focuses on:In India, the EY Ripples community comprises over 4,000 volunteers. Over the past four years, these volunteers have collectively influenced more than 11.5 million lives through education drives, tree plantations, cleanliness campaigns, and more.Source-Medindia
The Environmental Protection Agency says the military violated a federal consent decree when officials chose not to attend a Dec. 12 public meeting with the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative.

In a letter sent Wednesday to Rear Adm. Mark Williams, deputy commander of Navy Closure Task Force Red Hill, and David Kless of the Defense Logistics Agency, the EPA said it was disappointed  by their decision not to participate in the meeting and had assessed a $5, 000 fine for not attending.

The CRI is community board made up of a mixture of local residents, activists and people directly affected by the Red Hill water crisis, which began in November 2021 when fuel from the Navys bulk Red Hill fuel storage facility contaminated the Navys Oahu water system, which serves 93, 000 people.

The CRI was created as part of a 2023 federal consent order regarding the closure of Red Hill that includes the EPA, the state Department of Health and the military. Its formation came out of requests for community involvement in the defueling and shutdown process.

According to the letter, several EPA officials had already flown out to Hawaii for the meeting when they learned that military officials would back out. The meeting ultimately went forward with the CRI and officials from the EPA and DOH present and the military a no-show.

Maj. Mandy Feindt, an Army officer who sits on the CRI and whose family became seriously ill after the 2021 spill, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that $5, 000 is essentially pennies when it comes to the (Department of Defense) budget, but (this ) is a small win nonetheless as this is the first time weve seen the Navy held accountable for anything since knowingly poisoning thousands of their own people and contaminating this island three years ago.

Navy Closure Task Force Red Hill did not provide a comment by deadline for this story.

From the get-go the relationship between the CRI and military officials has been complicated.

Vice Adm. John Wade, the Navy officer who oversaw the removal of fuel from the Red Hill facility, praised the CRI after completing that mission to go on to leading the Navys 3rd Fleet in San Diego. He said that despite the often biting criticism he faced, he believed the community board contributed to making defueling operations safer by asking hard questions and raising concerns he and his team were unaware of.

However, meetings have often been deeply contentious. CRI members have frequently accused military leaders of dodging questions, while federal officials have complained of CRI members being disrespectful and going off-topic during meetings.

For their part, military officials have disputed how many meetings the agreement actually requires them to attend, and often have declined to attend, sometimes backing out on the day the meeting was scheduledmost recently Dec. 12.

Hundreds of people raised enforceability concerns with the EPA in early 2023, and we were assured there were sufficient mechanisms to ensure compliance with the (consent decree ),  said Wayne Tanaka, director of the Sierra Club of Hawai i. However, the Navy attended only two out of the required eight CRI meetings in all of 2024, with no repercussions from the EPA.

In March, the EPA suggested bringing in a mediator to the meetings as military officials voiced increasing frustration with the tone of gatherings and what they considered to be off-base personal attacks. CRI members and several community organizations alleged that bringing in a mediator was an attempt to silence community members and for the federal government to take control of the narrative.

In June, EPA Region 9 Director Amy Miller told members of the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative during a Zoom meeting that the EPA was in talks with the Navy and Defense Logistics Agency to find alternatives  as the CRI resisted calls to bring in a mediator and establish meeting protocols and that they were seeking to retroactively change the consent order to not include the CRI.

Miller implied during the meeting that members of Hawaiis congressional delegation had told the EPA that they supported shutting down the CRI. But in a joint statement, the lawmakers denied they ever had, saying any suggestion that the delegation supports disbanding the CRI is baseless and completely inaccurate.

THE EPA quickly reversed course on shutting down the CRI, but in November made amendments to the consent order that puts an EPA-appointed mediator in charge of setting meeting agendas and limits discussion to issues related to the agenda and the consent decree.

The amendments also say that military officials do not have to attend meetings if CRI members do not follow the new ground rules,  and that they needed to appear only at four meetings per year.

The CRI grudgingly accepted the amendments, though its members sent a letter Dec. 2 petitioning EPA to put the ground rules out for public comment. According to the letter, the EPA informed military officials the CRI had agreed to the terms and would attend the Dec. 12 meeting.

According to the EPA letter, Laura Ebbert, the agencys acting deputy assistant administrator for environmental justice, was appointed mediator for the meeting and began working with the Navy Closure Task Force, EPA officials and CRI members to lay out an agenda.

On Dec. 5, Ebbert finalized the date, time, location and agenda for the Dec. 12 meeting, with sign-off from Navy Closure Task Force. But on the day of the meeting, the task force announced that Williams would not be attending and that it would attend a meeting in January after the EPA responded to the CRIs Dec. 2 letter.

According to the EPAs letter to Williams and Kless, the agency issued a written denial of the CRIs request the same day and told the boards members it is not required to put the ground rules out for public comment and that the Navy and Defense Logistics Agency do not have to attend CRI meetings if board members are not willing to participate in the CRI meetings pursuant to the procedures and protocols in the Ground Rules.

Military officials ultimately did not appear at the meeting, which was hosted at an Olelo Community Media studio and broadcast live.

In the EPAs letter sent Wednesday, the agency said the military violated the decree by not attending the December CRI meeting and expressed disappointment in the absence of Navy and Defense Logistics Agency officials, but was looking forward to working with all parties to schedule the January meeting in accordance with the 2023 consent order and amendments.

The letter added, If the CRI members agree to participate in the January CRI Meeting pursuant to the Ground Rules and Navy and DLA do not attend the January CRI meeting, EPA may assess an additional stipulated penalty.

Now, even after the EPA changed its rules to only require the Navy and DLA to attend one CRI meeting a quarter, the Navy and DLA still havent shown up. And as expected, our only consolation is a pittance of a fine,  Tanaka said.

While some action is better than nothing at all, I hope the EPA realizes its own limitations and the need to listen to the community. In the meantime, we simply cannot trust the Navy or federal agencies to keep their promises on their own. Citizen watchdogs and advocacy will continue to be essential for accountability in the years ahead.

___

(c)2024 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Visit The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at www.staradvertiser.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Sweeping new efforts to protect the brain health of service members, including stricter safety standards for existing and new weapons, were included in the annual defense policy bill approved by Congress this month.

Under the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which is expected to be signed into law before the end of the month, existing weapons would have to be modified to reduce blast exposure both for those using the weapons and those standing close by, and future weapons systems would have to be developed with brain safety in mind.

"Blast overpressure has been devastating for our service members' health, causing suicide, depression, seizures, and more," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in an emailed statement. "I am firmly committed to doing everything I can in Congress to protect our service members from injuries caused by their own weapons and get them the care they deserve."

Read Next: Tricare Patients Fear Losing Preferred Health Care Providers Amid Contract Transition

Warren voted against final passage of the NDAA but pushed for the brain health initiatives included in the bill in her capacity as chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee's personnel subcommittee. She and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, introduced a separate bill earlier this year with the policy changes that were eventually folded into this year's NDAA to address blast overpressure, which is any pressure caused by a shockwave that is over the normal pressure in the atmosphere.

Members of Congress in both parties have been increasingly concerned about traumatic brain injuries, or TBI, among service members amid a growing body of evidence of injuries and devastating symptoms caused not just by enemy attacks but also from routine military activities such as repeatedly firing artillery.

Military.com has reported extensively on evidence that TBI is linked to an increased risk of suicide among veterans and that Pentagon officials squandered opportunities to get ahead of the issue.

Last year, The New York Times also reported on hallucinations, seizures, suicide risks and other symptoms among troops who fired artillery during the war against the Islamic State terrorist group.

Lawmakers, particularly from Maine, also showed more interest in preventing and treating brain injuries after evidence that an Army reservist who carried out a mass shooting in the state last year had TBI.

Amid the increasing pressure from lawmakers to take the issue more seriously, the Pentagon over the summer rolled out several new brain health policies. Most notably, the Pentagon said it will track all service members' cognitive health from the beginning of their careers.

But the new policies still fell short of what lawmakers were pushing for, such as modifying some weapons systems to reduce the blast exposure to the person firing the weapon.

Those modifications will now be mandated by the NDAA. Specifically, weapons will have to be adjusted to "reduce blast exposure of the individual using the weapon and those within the minimum safe distance," according to the bill text.

New weapons systems would have to be developed while "taking into account the thresholds for blast exposure and overpressure safety," and contractors will have to provide the department with "blast overpressure measurements and safety data," the bill adds.

The bill also requires the defense secretary to identify safety thresholds for blast exposure and create formal training for service members about those thresholds before weapons training, deployments and other high-risk activities. The secretary could waive the thresholds if it's essential for national security, but waivers will have to be tracked in a central database.

The bill will also create a pilot program to track blast exposures of individual service members; enshrine into law the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, which is an existing program in the military health system to treat TBI; require the Pentagon to establish standardized monitoring, treatment and referral guidelines for TBI programs; and mandate standard follow-up care for TBI patients.

"Traumatic brain injuries have tragically become the signature wound of this generation of service members," Ernst said in a statement after the NDAA passed. "Through my bipartisan efforts in this year's defense bill, we can better meet the challenges of our service members today and prevent future injuries by mitigating exposure."

Related: Pentagon's Efforts on Traumatic Brain Injuries to Get Government Watchdog Review
KIEV  Russian troops have again been executing Ukrainian prisoners of war, Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets posted on Telegram.

A video showed five Ukrainian prisoners being gunned down by Russians after they were captured, he said.

"Russian war criminals who shoot Ukrainian prisoners of war must be brought before an international tribunal and receive the harshest punishment that the law provides for," Lubinets posted.

Killing prisoners of war is a war crime, and repeated allegations have been made against Russian forces.

In an interview conducted in mid-December, Lubinets put the number of confirmed cases since the start of the war at 177, with the number rising rapidly.

There had been 109 executions this year alone, the ombudsman said.

Putin vows revenge for Kazan attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Kiev with retaliation following Saturday's drone attack on the Russian city of Kazan on the Volga.

"Whoever tries to destroy something here will be faced with a multiple of the destruction on their territory and will come to regret what they have attempted in our country," the Kremlin chief said during a televised video conference.

On Saturday morning, six Ukrainian drones hit residential buildings in Kazan and a seventh struck an industrial facility. No injuries from the attack were officially reported, while media reports indicated that three people suffered cuts from shattered window glass.

Kazan is located more than 1,000 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Although Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attack, it is seen as a response to a Russian missile strike against Kiev.

Drone sets fire to Russian fuel depot

A fuel depot in the western Russian region of Oryol caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack, regional governor Andrey Klychkov posted on the Telegram platform early Sunday.

"Thanks to quick reactions, it was luckily possible to prevent further consequences of the attack - the fire was quickly localised and has now been fully extinguished," Klychkov posted. He said there were no casualties or serious damage.

According to Klychkov, Russian air defence shot down around 20 drones that were primarily targeting fuel and energy supply facilities.

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported the downing of an overall 42 drones in the regions of Oryol, Rostov, Bryansk, Kursk and Krasnodar. The information cannot be independently verified.

The fuel depot near the village of Stalnoi Kon had been attacked a week ago. Ukraine's military justified the attack by stating that the reservoirs serve the Russian army. The depot also supplies the Druzhba oil pipeline to Europe, however.

2024 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A Marine Corps helicopter's engine caught fire Friday, forcing its crew to make an emergency landing near Camp Pendleton in Southern California, the service said.

The CH-53E Super Stallion -- the service's primary heavy-lift helicopter -- experienced an in-flight engine fire at 4:11 p.m. West Coast time. The aircraft "safely landed" in a landing zone on the base near Interstate 5 before it was engulfed in flames, according to the service.

The helicopter belonged to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. A spokesperson for the wing told Military.com on Friday evening that the four-person crew was safe with no injuries. Marine Corps and local emergency services responded to the scene to extinguish the fire, prompting authorities to urge the public to avoid the area.

Read Next: Tricare Patients Fear Losing Preferred Health Care Providers Amid Contract Transition

The California Highway Patrol posted images of the subsequent fire on social media Friday, noting that travelers should expect traffic delays in the area.

"Additional details will be shared as they become available," 3rd MAW said in its statement. The cause of the fire is not currently known, Capt. Stephanie Davis, a spokesperson for 3rd MAW, told Military.com on Monday. A mishap board -- a body meant to investigate crashes -- was assigned on Friday, she said.

The Super Stallion belonged to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 466, Davis said.

The nearly 70-ton Super Stallion is the Marine Corps' premier heavy-lift helicopter, known for rapidly transporting up to 55 troops and 16 tons of equipment from ship-to-shore and elsewhere, according to the service.

Late last year, Marine Corps officials told Military.com that the Super Stallion was one of several aircraft being used in lieu of the V-22 Osprey when the latter was grounded amid concerns over mechanical issues and pilot safety.

Between 2012 and 2023, the Super Stallion was involved in 16 "Class A" mishaps, Military.com previously reported; such mishaps are defined as an incident involving the aircraft that killed, permanently disabled a service member, or cost the military more than $2.5 million in damages.

In 2016, two of the helicopters crashed into each other off the coast of Hawaii, resulting in the deaths of 12 service members. In 2018, four Marines from 3rd MAW were killed when their Super Stallion crashed near El Centro, California.

In February this year -- the last known fatal crash for the aircraft -- five Marines from 3rd MAW were killed when their aircraft crashed near a mountain east of San Diego during a routine flight from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada.

Marine Corps Times reported that the commander of the squadron the Marines belonged to was fired earlier this month for "loss of trust and confidence" nine months after the fatal crash. The investigation into that crash is ongoing, according to the publication.

In October, a CH-54E crashed on takeoff at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, according to Naval Safety Command data reviewed by Military.com. The aircraft was deemed "repairable" and "minor injuries" were reported, though the number of service members involved in the incident was not noted.

Related: 5 Marines Killed in California Helicopter Crash Identified as Families Grieve
Psychologist Shannon Curry has treated military members and their families for 11 years, helping them deal with trauma, grief, pain and mental health conditions related to their service to the country.

Curry never served, but having lived in Hawaii for several years, the Newport Beach, California, therapist has an affinity for counseling armed forces families. She completed her doctoral internship at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu and is a Tricare West Region provider under the Defense Department's current regional contractor, Health Net Federal Services.

"We have these relationships with our military community. I had a mom cry in my waiting room saying, 'I can't tell you how hard it has been for us to find care,'" Curry said in an interview Dec. 11.

Read Next: Ospreys Cleared to Fly Again, But Problematic Gearbox Gets More Scrutiny

But Curry may not be able to work with that patient next year under a network shift that moves the contract to TriWest Healthcare Alliance starting Jan. 1. Curry didn't know about the change until she received a flyer on Nov. 3 announcing it.

The flyer included instructions on filing claims as a non-network provider but said nothing about how to join the new network.

According to Curry, her practice immediately sent a request for information on joining the network, "explaining the urgency of the situation" for its 100 patients. Yet more than six weeks later, she continues to receive emails from TriWest saying the request is pending.

She is concerned, and her patients are stressed.

"Finding a provider that isn't more than 20 miles away has been an absolute nightmare. I hope they don't take [Curry Psychology Group] off the list because I don't know how we will get treatment," said the wife of an active-duty Coast Guard member whose son receives counseling at the group.

This experience is playing out among patients and providers at hundreds of medical facilities, clinics and hospitals across much of the new 26-state Tricare West Region, which will serve 4.5 million military family members, retirees and their families.

After TriWest published its new provider network Dec. 11, many learned that their current practices aren't in the new network, and they fear they will be forced to switch doctors and lose patients, severing relationships that have been in place for years.

Forced to Change?

"This is not OK. ... We have a medically complex daughter and an autistic son, and we actually chose [Fort] Carson because we knew they could receive appropriate, progressive pediatric specialty care," said Taylor Hester, an Army wife who is pushing TriWest to accept Children's Hospital Colorado into the network and increase reimbursement rates.

TriWest Healthcare Alliance was awarded a $65 billion, five-year contract to manage the Tricare West Region following a lengthy contract dispute that ended earlier this year and a lawsuit filed by current contract manager Health Net.

TriWest, which oversaw the Tricare West Region from 1996 to 2013, has managed the Department of Veterans Affairs community care program in 14 western states, including Alaska and Hawaii, and several U.S. territories since at least 2019.

The company says it maintains a robust network of nearly one million community providers, including at least 130,000 behavioral health providers, to treat Tricare beneficiaries, roughly 50% of whom are also in the VA's community care network.

Neither TriWest nor Health Net would provide data on the amount of overlap the networks have, but in a statement, the Defense Health Agency told Military.com that more than 90% of the current network's primary care providers are in the new network. The DHA didn't provide a figure for specialty care.

According to the statement, the new contract requires the contractors to build their networks "utilizing their professional expertise and industry experience."

"The contract specifies requirements the contractor must meet in building their network, including capacity to provide access to care for all covered general and specialty care services throughout their network," wrote DHA spokeswoman Brenda Campbell in an email.

A review of the contractors' provider directories found that in Newport Beach, California, where Curry's practice is located, of the first 25 mental health providers listed in Health Net's existing network, just one practice also is in TriWest's provider directory.

In Scappoose, Oregon, where Tricare beneficiary Abby Oki's son sees a pediatric cardiologist, 13 physicians overlap, but most are affiliated with the hospital that referred her now 4-year-old child as an infant to his current doctor because of his specialized and surgical needs.

"We have a special tie with his doctor that has literally seen him grow, and to have to go to a new doctor? That would be a lot," Oki said during an interview.

The National Military Family Association, which represents military spouses and children and advocates on issues including health services, child care and education, says it has received questions regarding the West Region's "network adequacy," particularly regarding pediatric care and children's hospitals.

"One question I always had about TriWest and its network of providers was that in their other incarnation, they are focused on care for veterans, so pediatrics has not had to be as much of an area of focus as it must be now," said Eileen Huck, NMFA's acting director for government relations.

Reimbursement rates for children's hospitals have been at the center of a dispute between the Defense Department and the Children's Hospital Association since last fall, when the DoD instituted a rule change that tied reimbursements for those facilities to Medicare rates.

The cuts translated into $45 million annual savings for the Pentagon but a reduction in reimbursements by an average 30% for the same levels of medical care, according to the association.

Of the seven top 20-ranked children's hospitals in the country that are located in the West Region, five are currently in Health Net's Tricare network. Only one, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, California, is listed in the TriWest network directory.

TriWest officials say they are updating their network directory daily, but military families fear they will be forced to change physicians and/or drive long distances for care for their special needs children.

"Does this mean that we're going to be reassigned to a new base? Are we going to have to up and move this summer?" asked Hester, whose children are enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program, which limits duty station options for some families to ensure they have appropriate medical care. "[Am I] going to have to go back to work full time so I can carry secondary insurance? This is a really terrifying experience."

Providers Allege Poor Communications

Providers say they were blindsided as well, with those interviewed by Military.com saying they found out about the network switch in Facebook groups. Curry said her office manager went back through all Tricare correspondence to make sure she didn't miss anything and found that the first correspondence she received that mentioned TriWest was on Nov. 3.

Renee Rugile, a marriage and family therapist in Millington, Tennessee, who counsels patients in the West Region by telehealth, said she received no notification from TriWest about the pending change but applied to become a network provider after learning of the transition on Facebook.

She received a response from TriWest saying her request would be reviewed and, if it is determined that her specialty is needed, a TriWest staff member would be in touch.

"That's not a guarantee even though I feel like I am a much-needed clinician for a lot of reasons -- one being my personal experience as a military spouse but also as a person of color. There's not a lot of black clinicians," she said.

At least two providers -- Curry and Ashley Comegys, a licensed clinical social worker in Virginia who specializes in perinatal mental health and provides telehealth services -- have posted videos online urging patients to contact their congressional representatives, the Defense Department and Tricare.

"TriWest has made the new contract extremely challenging for clinicians, making it hard for military members to continue seeing their provider," Comegys said in a Facebook reel.

On Instagram, Curry's video about the situation had garnered nearly 1,000 likes and 88 comments -- and drew the ire of TriWest Chief Executive Officer David McIntyre, who called her and left a message requesting she consider removing it.

In the voicemail, which was reviewed by Military.com, McIntyre said TriWest has spent the last 10 months building its network.

"[Your video] is not accurate, is inflammatory and has incited massive outreach in terms of escalating risk toward us," McIntyre said, citing the recent climate of threats toward health care workers and insurers.

TriWest officials said in an email Dec. 13 that the company is "incredibly proud of the network we have built."

According to the company, the network "exceeds contract standards, and we will continue adding providers to our network to ensure we can meet the health care needs of our nation's military families."

As part of the transition, TriWest is allowing a 90-day network waiver, from Jan. 1 to March 31, that lets beneficiaries see their current providers. After 90 days, if the provider has not been accepted into the network, patients may still see their providers, but there will be associated out-of-network costs.

Additionally, TriWest will honor pre-authorizations or referrals from Health Net through the pre-authorization's expiration date or June 30, 2025, whichever comes first.

In a statement to Military.com on Dec. 22, McIntyre said he wanted to thank Curry for bringing the issue to the company's attention.

"Since she raised this issue, the TriWest team listened and has responded by allocating a full suite of resources toward revamping our process for bringing behavioral health providers in network and creating an expedited path for approval. Previously, this process took three to four months, and we now have mechanisms in place to make this transition possible in three weeks," McIntyre said.

"We are grateful for Dr. Curry's service to military families and the commitment of nearly a million providers nationwide who have joined our network in service to this important mission," he added.

Defense Health Agency officials said they cannot require individual providers to be allowed in the network. The DHA added that outreach has been "consistently made to providers giving them the opportunity to join the new West Region network" and that the network provider list is updated multiple times per week.

The 1.5 million beneficiaries in six states who will move from the Tricare East Region to Tricare West on Jan. 1 -- Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin -- likely will not see as much turmoil related to the changeover because TriWest purchased the network of Humana Military, the company that manages the Tricare East Region and currently serves those states, according to Huck.

Comegys, who is a military spouse, says her small practice is in jeopardy if she is booted off the Tricare network.

She believes that having more providers, not fewer, is in the best interest of patients, military families, the Defense Department and the network.

"They need to grandfather everybody in, because we have already agreed to take Tricare and work with Tricare clients," Comegys said.

Editor's Note: This story was updated to correct the identity of the company that manages Tricare in six states transitioning to the West Region and to clarify Huck's title.

Related: In Reversal, Defense Department Now Wants to Bring Tricare Beneficiaries Back to Military Health System
KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian drones struck a major Russian fuel depot for the second time in just over a week on Sunday, according to a senior Russian regional official, as part of a massive cross-border attack on fuel and energy facilities that Kyiv says supply Moscow's military.

The strikes came days after Russia launched sweeping attacks on Ukraines already battered energy grid, threatening to plunge thousands of homes into darkness as winter tightens its grip over the region, and as Russias all-out invasion of its neighbor nears the three-year mark.

A fire broke out at the Stalnoy Kon oil terminal in Russias southern Oryol region, local Gov. Andrey Klychkov said in a post on the Telegram messaging app, adding Russian forces downed 20 drones targeting fuel and energy infrastructure in the province.

Russian independent news outlet Astra shared video of what it said was an explosion at the site, showing a massive orange blaze lighting up the night sky. While the clip could not be independently verified, it was later shared by a Ukrainian security official who described it as footage from Oryol.

The official, Andriy Kovalenko of the Council of National Security and Defense, claimed the Oryol fuel depot supplies Russian forces fighting in Ukraine and southern Russia, including the Kursk province where Ukrainian troops have dug in following a lightning incursion in August.

According to Klychkov, the Russian local governor, the fire was extinguished hours later and did not cause casualties or significant damage.

Ukraine's military previously claimed to have struck the Stalnoy Kon terminal with drones on Dec. 14, causing a powerful blaze.

Other key war-related developments from Ukraine and Russia:

 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday vowed retaliation after Ukrainian drones the day before struck residential buildings in the city of Kazan, in the Tatarstan region over 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the front line. Speaking to Tatarstan's regional governor, Rustam Minnikhanov, Putin asserted that anyone attacking Russia has to reckon with Moscow inflicting many times greater damage in return, but did not elaborate. His remarks were carried by Russian state news agencies.

Minnikhanov's press service on Saturday said that eight drones attacked Kazan. Local authorities said there were no casualties.

 A 30-year-old man died on the spot Sunday in Ukraine's southern Kherson region after a Russian drone dropped explosives nearby, local Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin reported. Hours earlier, Prokudin said that two other civilians died as a result of Russian drone strikes on the province late on Saturday. A man in his late 40s suffered fatal injuries from a drone blast, and a woman was found dead under rubble after another drone slammed into her house.

 In the Kharkiv region in the northeast, a Russian drone strike Sunday severely injured a 56-year-old man as he walked down a road in the city of Kupiansk, local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov reported. He said the man would need to have at least one limb amputated as a result, but gave no further detail.

 In the Kyiv suburb of Brovary, debris from a Russian drone sparked a fire late on Saturday on the roof of a 25-story tower block, according to regional Gov. Ruslan Kravchenko. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

 According to Ukraines Air Force, Russia launched 103 Iranian-made Shahed drones at its neighbor overnight into Sunday. Ukrainian air defense shot down 52 of the drones while another 44 failed to reach their targets, the force said in a statement, in a likely reference to electronic jamming.

 Meanwhile, Russias Defense Ministry said Sunday that its forces had intercepted 42 Ukrainian drones launched overnight at Russian territory. According to the ministry, 20 of those were over the Oryol region, where the local governor said a blaze tore through the oil terminal.

 Separately, Russian forces have continued grinding forward in Ukraines northeast, in addition to eking out gains near the eastern town of Kurakhove. On Sunday, Russias Defense Ministry reported that its troops had captured two northeastern settlements: Lozova in the Kharkiv region and Krasne in the Luhansk province. There was no immediate confirmation from Kyiv.
The Cubs have signed veteran catcher Carlos Perez to a minor league deal, according to the transactions tracker on Perezs MLB.com profile page. The deal presumably includes an invite to MLB Spring Training.

Perez, 34, should not be confused with his younger brother and fellow catcher Carlos Perez, who is currently a free agent but played parts of two MLB seasons with the White Sox. The elder Perez signed with the Blue Jays out of Venezuela before making his pro debut in 2008 and has spent parts of five seasons in the majors since then. A well-regarded defensive catcher, Perez made his big league debut with the Angels back in 2015 but slashed just .224/.267/.332 (64 wRC+) in 595 plate appearances across 184 games and three seasons in Anaheim. Perez split the 2018 season between the Braves and Rangers but made it into just 28 games while posting a ghastly -4 wRC+ in 75 trips to the plate.

After that lackluster showing in 2018, Perez shuffled between the Orioles, As, and Rockies systems over the years before finally resurfacing in the majors last year at the age of 32. The 2023 campaign was arguably the best of Perezs career as he served as Oaklands primary backup behind Shea Langeliers. His .226/.293/.357 slash line in 68 games for the As was well below league average (83 wRC+) overall but roughly on par with the expectations associated with a typical big league backup. Perez returned to the As on a minor league deal last winter but did not ultimately crack the clubs big league roster this year despite hitting quite well at Triple-A. In 112 games with the clubs Las Vegas affiliate, Perez slashed a strong .260/.344/.544 with 27 homers and 27 doubles. Those numbers are inflated by the offense-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League, but even when adjusted for that environment are still good for a 114 wRC+ at the level.

Perez elected minor league free agency last month in search of greener pastures, which he seems to have found in Chicago. The Cubs appear mostly set at the big league level with a catching tandem of Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya, but its possible that Perez could be the next man up in the event of an injury, earning a big league opportunity similar to the ones Christian Bethancourt and Tomas Nido got with the club last year. From Chicagos perspective, meanwhile, Perez offers a non-roster depth option behind the plate who can also serve as a mentor to young pitchers at the Triple-A level like Cade Horton as well as the clubs top catching prospect, Moises Ballesteros. Ballesteros reached Triple-A at just 20 years old last year on the power of his exciting bat, but his defensive skills are questionable and its not yet clear whether hell be able to stick behind the plate in the majors.
3:13 pm: Jimenez will earn a guaranteed $2MM salary if he makes it onto the team, reports Hector Gomez of Z101 Digital. He can earn an additional $2MM in playing time incentives.

12:13 pm: The Rays are in agreement with designated hitter Eloy Jimenez on a minor league deal, per a report from Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The deal presumably includes an invite to major league Spring Training.

Jimenez, 28, signed with the Cubs out of the Dominican Republic as an international amateur and made his pro debut in 2014. He quickly rocketed up prospect rankings and was eventually included alongside Dylan Cease in the crosstown trade that brought Jose Quintana to Wrigley Field. Jimenezs top prospect star continued to shine with the White Sox, and they eventually signed him to a long-term deal prior to his big league debut in 2019. The $43MM guarantee gave Chicago control over Jimenez for eight seasons in a record-setting deal for a prospect who had not yet made his big league debut.

The deal initially looked like something of a coup as the slugger burst onto the scene in the majors with a fourth-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2019 before Jimenez slashed .295/.332/.559 (138 wRC+) with 14 homers in just 55 games during the shortened 2020 season. Jimenezs excellent offense helped to lead the White Sox to their first playoff appearance since 2008, and while they fell to the As in three games it seemed as though the South Siders were in position to compete for years to come with Jimenez as a key part of the core.

Things didnt turn out that way, unfortunately. Jimenez was limited to just 139 games and 558 trips to the plate over the next two seasons due to a myriad of injuries, and while he posted a 125 wRC+ during that time the missed time combined with Jimenezs lackluster defense in the outfield led Chicago to make him more or less a full-time DH going forward. While Jimenez stayed healthy enough to play 120 games in 2023, his offense left much to be desired as he slashed just .272/.317/.441 with 18 homers in 489 trips to the plate. That was good for a 105 wRC+ which, while above average, left him as a roughly replacement level DH (0.6 fWAR).

After losing 101 games in 2023, the White Sox were surely hoping Jimenez would rebound enough in 2024 to build up his trade value and bring in an interesting piece or two for the rebuild they had kicked off by trading away Dylan Cease and declining Tim Andersons club option during the offseason. Unfortunately, the slugger did anything but as he turned in by far the worst performance of his career in 2024. In 98 games with the White Sox and Orioles, Jimenez hit a paltry .238/.289/.336 and was worth -0.9 fWAR. That below replacement level production made it an easy decision for Baltimore to cut him loose this winter, making him a free agent for the first time in his career.

Thats led him to the Rays, who are coming off a disappointing 2024 season in large part thanks to a lackluster offense. Given Jimenezs own offensive struggles, hes hardly a guarantee to help with that. But adding a bat with his potential upside on a minor league deal cant hurt the clubs efforts to but forth a stronger lineup in 2025, and even if Jimenez only manages the 105 wRC+ he posted 2023 that would still be an upgrade over the 97 wRC+ the Rays got out of their DH slot last year. Should Jimenez make the roster out of camp, hed join youngsters like Christopher Morel, Jonathan Aranda, and Jonny DeLuca in vying for playing time in the outfield and at DH.
File photo - A medical marijuana store in Bangor, Michigan on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020.Joel Bissell | MLive.com

LANSING, MI  Only 62 cents of every $100 spent on marijuana in Michigan in the past year went toward medical marijuana.

Since the first recreational stores opened in 2019, total marijuana sales have boomed. Theyre currently on pace to surpass $3.3 billion this year. But that has come at the expense of a once-thriving medical marijuana market thats now on life support.

The medical customer base - 81,273 registered patients as of November - continues to dwindle as certifications lapse and arent renewed.

By comparison, the state had 276,253 registered medical marijuana patients five years ago.

Among the nearly 850 marijuana shops operating across the state by Dec. 1, less than a quarter were licensed to sell medical pot, and when they do, the medical products receive scarce shelf space. MLive identified just a dozen shops selling medical product only.

But the state still maintains different laws and tax structures to regulate medical marijuana and spends millions of dollars a year to do so.

Legislators and cannabis business leaders have wanted to combine the medical and adult-use markets for years, but proposed legislation that would have done so is likely dead as a result of political infighting in the waning days of the lame-duck session.

House bills 5884 and 5885 had sought to eliminate the medical market and merge certain aspects with the recreational regulatory structure by 2026.

The proposed laws would have allowed medically registered patients to buy recreational products while still receiving the perks of being a medical patient, meaning they wouldnt be subject to the 10% recreational excise tax.

Furthermore, current laws barring sales to customers under 21 wouldnt apply to medical marijuana patients, who can buy the drug as young as 18.

The bills call for existing medical marijuana licenses to be automatically converted to adult-use in March 2026. However, municipalities that dont want recreational businesses have the option to pass ordinances banning the changeover within their borders.

The proposed laws received bipartisan support  they were sponsored by state Rep. Jimmie Wilson Jr., D-Ypsilanti, and state Rep. Graham Filler, R-St. Johns  as well as backing from the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, the largest cannabis trade organization in the state.

Any changes to the marijuana law require a super-majority, 3/4 vote of the Legislature, since the laws were created through a citizen ballot initiative.

The issue our members are having is they have to file two applications each year, one for med and one for rec, and they also have to pay double license fees for that, said Robin Schneider, director of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association. And then there are regulatory duplications that they have to adhere to because, because the programs are separate, and so its very costly and expensive for them to be running two parallel programs within their facility.

Until December 2021, marijuana businesses were required to also have a medical marijuana license. Since that rule has expired, a minority of business are opting to retain dual licenses.

The Cannabis Regulatory Agency spent $9 million  nearly $755,000 per month  for wages, benefits and other costs to regulate the medical market over the last 12 months, including processing renewals, new licenses, inspections and enforcement. The agency spent $20.4 million regulating recreational marijuana over the same period.

Schneider called proposed legislation to merge the markets long overdue.

Supporters of a merger say the changes would give medical patients more options for marijuana, while reducing administrative and business costs needed to sustain the evaporating medical market.

George Brikho, who operates the Jazz Cannabis Club recreational marijuana store in Detroit and previously led the now-defunct Michigan Medical Marijuana Association, said most medical customers have already been pushed aside by corporate profit seeking.

Its pretty much all mass-produced product, Brikho said. Its not focused on medical. Certain marijuana is good for certain illnesses or health problems, and the market has veered away from that.

Its hard to find strain-specific marijuana for patients, and medical marijuana patients are giving up their cards.

There has been little opposition to the proposed bills.

The Michigan Sheriffs Association opposed a previous version that would have stripped some funding to law enforcement. Matt Saxton, the organizations director, said the latest versions no longer do that and the Sheriffs Association is now neutral on the proposal.

What politicians and business leaders are now seeking is just a clean merge, Filler said, just to have one act in the state of Michigan to cut down on the bureaucracy and ... allow this to be an industry you want to invest in in the state of Michigan because were regulated and we have rules and laws that make sense.
Dexter Morgans origin story continues unfolding in the new prequel series Dexter: Original Sin. A new episode airs Sunday, Dec. 22, at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime.

Watch the first two episodes now for free with a trial on Paramount+, or, watch the cable airing for free live with trials on Fubo and DIRECTV Stream. Sling users can also watch with the Paramount+ and Showtime add-on.

About the show:

Dexter: Original Sin is set in 1991 Miami, Florida. When he cant ignore his bloodthirsty urges any more, student Dexter Morgan needs to learn how to channel his inner darkness. With the help of his dad, he adopts the logic that he can find and kill people who deserve to be eliminated from society. This way, he avoids repercussions from the law, quite the challenge for a young Dexter who is starting a forensic internship with the local police department.

In tonights new episode, Kid in a Candy Store, Dexter adjusts to his new job as a forensics intern at Miami Metro. Meanwhile, his sister Deb lashes out at their dad by engaging in petty criminal behavior.

Tune in tonight, Dec. 22, at 10/9c on Showtime.

Dexter: Original Sin trailer:

Where to watch:

Cast:

Christian Slater

Patrick Gibson

Molly Brown

Patrick Dempsey

James Martinez
In his previous role in Michigan, Birminghams Catholic bishop once ruled a sexual abuse allegation against a priest was unsubstantiated  a case that was later found to be credible and that the church settled, according to a new report.

Steven J. Raica, the bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham , was named in a new report by the Michigan Attorney General this week for his role at the Diocese of Lansing. The Michigan report reviewed church and tipline reports and investigated claims of clergy abuse.

Raica was a priest in the Diocese of Lansing in Michigan for nearly four decades until 2014, and then became Bishop of Gaylord before he moved to Alabama in 2020. He received multiple reports of at least 17 other priests abusing mostly children while at the Diocese of Lansing  most of which happened years earlier  according to the report.

The report does not accuse Raica of abusing anyone, but describes his role in investigating and receiving reports of abuse against other priests.

In one instance, in 2010, after a report that a deceased priest, John Slowey, had sexually abused a child at an orphanage in Lansing between 1954-55, Raica and another priest ruled the claim was unsubstantiated, per the report.

Later, the John Doe 110 allegation was found to be credible and was settled , the Michigan Attorney Generals report reads.

Donald Carson, spokesman for the Diocese of Birmingham, responded to questions in an email to AL.com.

In his role as Chancellor of the Diocese of Lansing, then-Monsignor Raica managed all records for the diocese, and as such, researched diocesan records for information that could substantiate claims or allegations, Carson said in an email. It is not unusual that over time, additional information could be brought forth that would change initial findings.

In another case, Raica defended a priest with criminal convictions and multiple sexual misconduct allegations who was later removed as a priest for sexual abuse against an adult man, the report says.

That priest at the Diocese of Lansing had been convicted of disorderly conduct after twice being arrested for sex charges, was rejected by another diocese, was investigated for sexual harassment at a college, and was reported for allegedly abusing children at a school, per the report. Raica wrote a letter in 2010 defending that priest on behalf of the Diocese of Lansings bishop, saying that, beyond a 1985 arrest, [t]here has never been any further episode of indiscretions, and that the diocese had no reservations about his priestly service, per the report.

Then, in 2018, a man alleged that that priest sexually assaulted him in 1980 when he was 18 years old, and claimed he had informed the Diocese of Lansing about it in 2004 and accused the diocese of gross negligence, per the report. The diocese investigated his claim in 2018, which resulted in the priest being removed that year, per the report.

This report  the fourth of seven total  is part of a yearslong investigation into clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church throughout Michigan. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessels office found that 56 priests and other clergy in the state, including 42 incardinated in the Diocese of Lansing, may have engaged in sexual misconduct since 1950.

Most of the reports of abuse or assaults were against children and occurred before 2002, peaking in the 1970s and 1980s, per the report.

Raicas name appears 171 times in the report, which identifies him as currently overseeing the Diocese of Birmingham.

Throughout the report on the Diocese of Lansing, you will see Bishop Raica, then-Monsignor Raica and serving as Chancellor of that diocese, cited repeatedly in expressing deep sorrow in face of the horrendous actions of accused clergy, in thanking abuse survivors for their courage in coming forward, and in tending to their long-term spiritual and mental health, Carson said. In addition, you will see his consistent, methodical, and professional handling of every allegation.

A Michigan native, Raica was ordained as a priest of the Diocese of Lansing in 1978 and served there until he was installed as a bishop of Gaylord in Michigan in 2014. He also had an 11-year stint in Rome , including serving as spiritual director and adjunct faculty for the North American College between 1999 and 2005. He now leads more than 104,000 Catholics across north and central Alabama, as Pope Francis nominated him to the position following the retirement of the previous bishop, Robert J. Baker.

His participation in internal investigations listed in the report occurred mostly between 2008 and 2014, per the report. His role included receiving reports of abuse and interviewing alleged victims, informing priests of allegations against them and recording their responses, as well as in some cases filing paperwork and letters, according to the report.

Raicas response to victims, on behalf of the Diocese of Lansing, was often to refer alleged victims to Catholic healing retreats, to speak with the dioceses bishop, and offer compensation for counseling and sometimes other stipends, such as for tuition assistance, the report says.

In many of the cases, alleged victims told Raica and other church officials that they had attempted to report sexual abuse years earlier, but nothing happened, or they were told to not speak of it again, according to the report.

I truly regret that the Diocese did not respond differently in the past, Raica wrote to one alleged victim in 2010. I certainly and sincerely apologize for what happened to you and so many others by this priest who wielded so much power in the local community. As a priest, it is as though I have been slugged in the gut once again. I ache.

At a school in Michigan that Raica previously served at when he first was ordained as a priest, an alleged victim said that another priest named Vincent DeLorenzo sexually abused him for three or four months in 1979 when he was 8 years old, per the report. The alleged victim said that he told Raica that the priest made [him] take his clothes off, and that Raica allegedly told him that it would stop, and it didnt happen again, according to the report.

John Doe 18 believed Fr. Raica talked to Fr. DeLorenzo because, after he told Fr. Raica, it never happened again, the report reads. John Doe 18 stated that Fr. Raica never reported the sexual abuse to the school principal or to John Doe 18s parents.

Raica said in a 2007 memo that he didnt recall receiving any complaints regarding sexual impropriety about DeLorenzo while he was at the school, per the report. Carson called the details of the attorney generals report confusing.

The attorney general report includes at least seven sexual abuse claims against DeLorenzo, at least three of which were ruled as unsubstantiated by the Diocese of Lansing. DeLorenzo died in jail in January while serving a sentence for the attempted sexual abuse of a 5-year-old.

According to the police report, reads the Michigan report, John Doe 18 said he holds a grudge to this day against Fr. Steve, because [he] could have stopped future issue[s] right then and there if he would have called his parents.

The Diocese of Lansing has published a list of 17 priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. The cases span a period for the priests service going back to 1937.

So far, the Michigan Attorney Generals office has brought 11 cases involving all seven of the states dioceses, and nine of them resulted in convictions, per the report. But for most of the cases, a criminal prosecution isnt possible because the statute of limitations expired, the priest died, the person who alleged sexual abuse didnt want to pursue criminal charges or the conduct didnt violate state law.

The Michigan Attorney Generals investigation intends to determine whether any criminal charges for sexual misconduct or abuse could be filed against any of the clergy members  as well as to determine if the Archdiocese and Dioceses properly reported the sexual abuse to law enforcement, the report said.

It is our intent to share what was learned during the investigation as to ensure that any past failure to report sexual abuse will never happen again, the report reads.
Michigan State Police arrested a 31-year-old Allen Park man Sunday in connection with an alleged road rage incident the day prior. Troopers with MSP were dispatched to the area of northbound I-75 and Dix Highway around 11:05 a.m. Saturday for reports of a felonious assault.

Troopers interviewed the alleged victim who said another driver pointed a gun at him while driving. The suspect captured the incident on video and gave the footage to police. The suspects license plate was visible in the video and a description of the suspect matched that of the person who the truck is registered to.

Detectives with the Freeway Investigative Support Team (FIST) then canvassed the address associated with the truck and observed it parked in a driveway. A search warrant was obtained and executed at the home where the suspect was located.

Police found 14 firearms in the home, which were seized. The suspect was processed and lodged at the Detroit Detention Center for felonious assault. The case has been sent to the Wayne County Prosecutors Office for consideration of formal charges.

Great work by troopers and detectives to get this suspect off our roads. said F/Lt Mike Shaw. It was only a matter of time before this suspect went from pointing a gun to pulling the trigger. Again, there is no reason to use a firearm to settle a simple traffic dispute.
A 27-year-old man was arrested this week after he allegedly filmed himself spraying food products inside a Walmart with bug spray. According to CBS-5 News in Arizona, Charles Smith was arrested Saturday, two days after shooting the video which he later posted to the internet.

In the now-deleted video, Smith shows his face on camera before displaying a can of bed bug and flea killer in his hand. He then sprays multiple food items with the pesticide, including several fruits, vegetables and rotisserie chickens at a Walmart in Mesa, Arizona.

According to police, Smith turned himself in after being contacted by police during the investigation. Smith allegedly described himself as a troll and said he posts the prank videos online to earn money. Smith is facing a felony charge and three misdemeanors in the matter.
Update: Police identify Jackson man found deceased in Chelsea pond

CHELSEA, MI - The body of a missing Jackson man was found, along with his pickup, in a Chelsea retention pond on Sunday, police said.
ANN ARBOR, MI  Major demolition work is underway at a long-blighted city site on the west edge of downtown Ann Arbor.

City officials have talked for many years about tearing down the deteriorating buildings across from the Ann Arbor YMCA at 415 W. Washington St. and now its happening  a significant milestone as the city aims to put the property to new use.

A crane moves a piece of metal during building demolition at 415 W. Washington in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024.Josh Boland | MLive.com

A city-hired demolition crew reduced structures at the back of the site to rubble in recent weeks.

Now attention has shifted to gradually dismantling the buildings at the front while aiming to preserve a large chimney known as a roosting spot for chimney swifts, a migratory bird species whose population decline has been a concern.

A crane moves structural pieces into a pile at the site of building demolition at 415 W. Washington in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024.Josh Boland | MLive.com

The Washington Street property is one of four city-owned sites where the city is having buildings demolished under a $1.4 million contract with 21st Century Salvage.

Others include structures at 721 N. Main St., a picnic shelter at Veterans Memorial Park and the Farmers Market office.

City officials hope to see the Washington Street property redeveloped with new housing while leaving room for the Treeline trail for pedestrians and cyclists to run through it.

The city has a pre-approved conceptual development plan from 2023 based on the citys vision for the site, showing a new building rising six stories with potentially 157 housing units.

A potential development deal fell through in June after a developer withdrew an offer to purchase the site.

City Council then voted 10-0 in August to direct city staff to hire a real estate broker or sellers agent to solicit new offers from interested developers.

No new proposals have been publicly announced yet.

Ann Arbor's draft conceptual plan for a 157-unit housing development at 415 W. Washington St. as presented to the city's Planning Commission on Feb. 7, 2023.SmithGroup

The city aims to clean up decades-old pollution underground as the property is put to new use.

The site originally was home to the Road Commission in the 1920s and later was used for various city operations that have since relocated, leaving the property vacant since 2007 except for storage and parking use.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter.
FLINT, MI  Lockhart Chemicals president faces criminal charges for allegedly mismanaging wastewater and allowing containment systems to degrade leading to a 15,000-gallon oil and chemical spill into the Flint River in 2022, officials announced Monday, Dec. 23.

Investigators allege Rajinder Minhas, 60, is responsible for the spill after repeatedly neglecting maintenance, refusing facility upgrades and failing to implement a preventative maintenance plan or provide annual emergency training for employees.

Minhas denied involvement in the spill when he was first contacted by officials with the city of Flint and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson was joined by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel at a news conference Monday to announce the charges.

A sign is visible outside Lockhart Chemical Co., located at 4302 James P. Blvd., on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021 in Flint. (Isaac Ritchey | MLive.com)Isaac Ritchey | MLive.com

Minhas was arrested at his home last week and arraigned on Wednesday, Dec. 18. He was released on bond and will return to court for a probable cause conference on Jan. 2.

Investigators traced the spill to a tank valve leak in Lockhart Chemicals underground tunnel network for combined wastewater. It flowed through the municipal storm sewer to an outlet in the Flint River, Nessel said. Chemical mixtures from the river matched substances found at the site.

Lockhart Chemical did not have safety managers on site daily, Nessel said.

49 1 / 49 Thousand gallons of oil-based material spilled into Flint River

Minhas ran this chemical factory with a mentality geared towards keeping operational costs low and profits high, Nessel said. ...Years of mismanagement and neglect made the 2022 discharge inevitable, and when it did spill over into the sewer and river, Minhas denied any and all responsibility.

Minhas was charged with the following felonies and misdemeanors:

Falsely Altering a Public Record, a 14-year felony;

Uttering and Publishing a False or Altered Public Record, a 14-year felony;

Substantial Endangerment to Public, a five-year felony;

Discharge of Injurious Substance to Waters of the State, a two-year felony;

False Statements and Omissions regarding Air Pollution Control, a one-year misdemeanor; and

General Violations of Air Pollution Control law, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 for each day violations occur.

Minhas is facing more than $1 million in fines for the violations, Nessel said.

Officials are not aware of any negative effects to Flint residents or air quality due to the spill, Nessel said. Shortly after the spill was discovered, the Genesee County Health Department issued a no contact order for the entire river.

Those who run a business have a responsibility to ensure their operations do not jeopardize public health or the environment, especially our precious water sources, Nessel said.

This is the largest environmental investigation the Genesee County Sheriffs Office has ever carried out, Swanson said.

Cleanup teams worked for 12 to 16 hours a day for three weeks straight after the spill was discovered, Swanson said. Soft and hard booms were placed all the way down the river and cycled more than 20,000 gallons of water, Swanson said.

Waterfowl, turtles and other aquatic animals were contaminated, Swanson said.

State environmental regulators announced Lockhart Chemical, the manufacturer of metalworking fluids and greases, was the source of a significant leak of oil-based material a few days after it was discovered in 2022.

The spill appeared to have started on June 15 near its plant on James P. Cole Boulevard.

Lockhart Chemical filed for bankruptcy in October 2022, just a month after EGLE ordered it to immediately stop using leaky underground waste and stormwater tunnels for disposal.

The order forced the company to store the water in above-ground containers and truck it off-site for disposal.

Related: Four months after Flint River chemical spill, Lockhart files for bankruptcy

EGLE had previously cited Lockhart for violations of its operating permit.

The 2022 spill was made up of thousands of gallons of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, officials said. Cleanup efforts were made using absorbent booms and skimmer boats.

Lockhart Chemical purchased the 13-acre manufacturing site in Flint in 1982. It produced sulfonates, emulsifiers, rust prevention additives, corrosion inhibitors and additives for metalworking fluids and greases here, according to the companys website.

Related: Lockhart cited for Flint River spill. State says operations have not improved

The Lockhart site is now under the management of an appointed bankruptcy trustee who is working with EGLE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Want more Flint-area news? Bookmark the local Flint news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Flint daily newsletter.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Marvin Gabrion, Michigans only death-row inmate, had his death sentence commuted to life in prison by President Joe Biden in the 1997 killing of Rachel Timmerman, 19.

Gabrion is also suspected of killing Timmermans 11-month-old daughter, Shannon, whose body has not been found, and three others.

Gabrion, 71, was among 37 death-row inmates  out of 40 - to have their sentences commuted to life in prison without parole.

Timmerman disappeared two days before she was to testify in Newaygo County Circuit Court that Gabrion had raped her.

Rachel Timmerman and her daughter, 11-month-old Shannon. (Photo provided by Timmerman family)

Gabrion restrained Timmerman with tape, handcuffs and chains attached to a cinderblock and threw her into Oxford Lake, a muddy lake in the Manistee National Forest.

Her body was found in early June 1997, about a month after she was killed.

Related: Facing death penalty, Marvin Gabrions appeal rejected in 1997 killing of Rachel Timmerman

He was convicted of first-degree murder. He was tried in federal court because the killing happened on federal land. Michigan law does not allow the death penalty.

A jury in 2002 sentenced Gabrion to death.

He has filed multiple appeals over the years. His attorneys, in an effort to show he was incompetent, filed an extraordinary report on four generations of his family.

Related: Once near genius, Marvin Gabrions path to death row marked by abuse, mental illness, violence

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati noted the utter depravity of the killing. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal.

Gabrion is held in the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, or MCFP Springfield, in Springfield, Missouri.

Federal prosecutors believe Gabrion killed three others: John Weeks, Wayne Davis and Robert Allen.

Weeks had urged Gabrion to take Timmerman out for dinner before she and her daughter went missing. Weeks then went missing. Davis, a witness to the rape, and Allen, a man with mental disabilities whose Social Security checks were stolen by Gabrion, also went missing.

Biden put a moratorium on federal executions in 2021. He said the federal government should end the use of the death penalty except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder, a White House statement said.

The Associated Press said Biden acted before President-elect Donald Trump could resume executions.
ANN ARBOR, MI  A group of University of Michigan seniors who developed a popular app thats sweeping across colleges nationwide have been named to Forbes' 2025 30 Under 30 list.

MeetYourClass is an app designed to help incoming college students connect with one another and find friends or roommates before arriving on campus. It has grown to roughly 450,000 users at over 1,000 colleges and is beginning to partner with colleges as a tool to combat declining enrollment.

Cofounders Blake Mischley, Jonah Liss and Kaleb Schmottlack, all 21, developed the app together when they were sophomores at the University of Michigan in fall 2022, along with cofounder Jon Millar, who has since phased out of the startup.

RELATED: Need help finding friends or roommates in college? These UM students built an app for that

Now, the apps developers are being recognized among the nations youngest influential entrepreneurs, artists, celebrities and more. Mischley, Liss and Schmottlack made it onto Forbes' 30 Under 30 education list, which was released earlier this month.

Mischley, a graduate of Forest Hills Northern High School in Grand Rapids, said it is an honor having their startup gain the national spotlight, and especially being among the youngest on the Forbes list. But mostly, its just validation that the trio is on the right path.

Obviously, we know what were doing is  we like to think  great, said Mischley, who is studying computer science at UM. But getting that validation from Forbes really motivates us.

Theres still a lot of work to be done... Now, its like, Whats next?

MeetYourClass works similarly to a dating app, where prospective college students can create profiles for themselves with their photos, hometowns, interests, areas of study and links to their social media accounts.

Then, they can scroll through the profiles of other students who plan to attend the same school, and find people with similar interests. The goal is to help prospective students develop a network of friends, potential roommates and study buddies before they even step foot on campus.

When MLive first featured the creators of the MeetYourClass app in May 2024, the website had already swept across college campuses nationwide, with over 360,000 users at 900 schools.

Since then, the site has added nearly 100,000 new users. It is also expanding to work directly with universities to help drive enrollment by building community among prospective students.

Founder Jonah Liss holds up an example page for a new MeetYourClass profile at Michigan Union in Ann Arbor on Thursday, May 9, 2024.Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

Mischley said theyre pitching the app to college administrators as a tool to combat what is known in higher education as summer melt, which is when a college-bound students commits to a school but never ends up attending college.

Theyll have applied, theyve been admitted, and theyll even (make a) deposit and commit to an institution, but then they just dont show up on the first day for whatever reason, he explained.

Its estimated 10-40% of high school students fall into that category each year, said Liss, who is studying business administration and graduated from International Academy in Bloomfield Hills. But MeetYourClass is hoping to help shrink that number by helping prospective students find a sense of community so they can be confident to go to college.

Where were really trying to help is get students to that finish line to actually be confident enough to show up on the first day, because they have that support system, Mischley said.

From a student side, were providing them the software that we have for over 400,000 students, that is organic to these newer generations. And then from a university side, were giving proprietary technology to help them better serve those students and figure out, how can we get these students to the finish line?

MeetYourClass has already developed official partnerships with 10 schools across the Midwest, including Michigan Tech, Oakland University, Spring Arbor University and the University of Dayton. The goal is to keep expanding, Mischley said.

Were having more conversations with schools across the country, he said.

While the Forbes list also has a separate social media category, which is mostly for content creators, Liss said he was glad to see MeetYourClass recognized in Forbes' education category as a tool for higher education.

When the group of UM students first started MeetYourClass, they simply saw it as a social media platform to help prospective college students find new friends and roommates. Now, they view it as a tool that can lead to better educational outcomes and reduce barriers to higher education.

Over time, its evolved from rather than just saying, We want to help people get roommates and socialize easier, to now its more for the sake of enrollment and making the college experience and the education process easier, he said.
KALAMAZOO, MI  The old style candy canes that were displayed for decades in Kalamazoo are now gone, but the holiday tradition lives on.

Candy Cane Lane remains, just with an updated design and greater accessibility.

Kalamazoos beloved Candy Cane Lane has been a fixture of the holiday season at Bronson Park for decades. In 2019, crews installed an updated candy cane display that drew criticism from those in the community unhappy with the change.

Since the new seasonal candy cane lane decorations were brought in, the city had continued to display some of the older style candy canes, in recent years, in a separate part of the park. This allowed people to take photos of the same canes they knew from years past.

But the older style candy canes are now missing from Bronson Park due to their aged condition and for safety, Kalamazoo Parks Director Patrick McVerry said.

RELATED: Kalamazoo brings back a few old candy canes after complaints

The new candy canes are in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was an issue cited with the old ones before they were replaced, the city previously said.

The "new" Candy Cane Lane at Bronson Park in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com

Some community members have complained about the change. Others are just happy to see the tradition continue. Many like to compare the features of the new and old candy canes.

Mary Ann Skartsiaris said she has been coming to see the local attraction every year since she was 2 in 1972. She misses the old candy canes, but realized while looking though her photos that the design also changed at other times in the past.

Skartsiaris sees the advantage of the current design because its easier to get around for people with disabilities. Still, she understands the special place people have in their hearts for the older candy canes they remember growing up.

When I was a kid, it was like walking through fantasy land, and you had to walk through those to get in, she said.

The well-known candy canes that mark the Bronson Park walkways are shown in this Dec. 7, 1968, photo. The photo was taken looking southeast toward the Kalamazoo Public Library. (Kalamazoo Gazette file, courtesy of Western Michigan University archive)

Skartsiaris said the new candy canes are more straight up and dont look as festive to her as the old ones did. Hanging garland seems to improve the look and people can still feel like theyre walking toward something magical, she said.

She is happy to see the city is making the effort to keep Candy Cane Lane going.

Mary Ann Skartsiaris with her brother and sister, Chrissy and Matt, posing for a photo with Annie, the leader dog, near the candy canes at Bronson Park in the early 1980s.(Courtesy | Mary Ann Skartsiaris)

The park across from City Hall was lit up in holiday lights during a tree-lighting ceremony on Nov. 29, and people were seen hanging out around the candy canes as holiday music played.

Im just blessed we still have such a great place to go and we can all enjoy it for free, Skartsiaris said. Im grateful that our town cares about that tradition enough to do that in whatever shape or form.

Bronson Park timelapse of snow and tree lighting tonight in Kalamazoo (~2 hours condensed) pic.twitter.com/zkbu3fhyAB  Brad Devereaux (@bdevero) November 30, 2024

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KALAMAZOO, MI  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reappointed two Western Michigan University trustees to eight-year terms.

Lawyers Kelly Burris and James Liggins will serve on the board from Jan. 1 through the end of 2032, the governors office announced Thursday, Dec. 19.

The appointments to the eight-member board are pending approval in the Michigan State Senate.

Burris, who joined the board in February 2023, is the owner of Burris Law, PLLC, an intellectual property law firm in Detroit. She earned her Juris Doctorate from St. Louis University, a Master of Science in materials science and engineering from Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering from Western Michigan University in 1988.

Michigan Lawyers Weeklys Women-led Law Firms list in 2024, included Burris, of Detroit, in the 2025 Best Lawyers in America, a WMU release said.

Liggins, of Kalamazoo, has served on the WMU board since January 2024. He is senior counsel at Warner Norcross + Judd, LLP. Previously, he was a partner at Miller Canfield Paddock and Stone, PLC, and an in-house litigation associate at Consumers Energy, according to the governors press release.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University.

He serves on numerous boards, including Bronson Healthcare Group, as chair, and The Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation.

Trustees Burris and Liggins have brought great wisdom and invaluable experience to the board and to the Western Michigan University community, WMU President Edward Montgomery said. We look forward to their continued leadership over the coming years.

Kalamazoo Gazette/MLive offers free email news alerts. Click here to sign up for alerts or for the daily 3@3 Kalamazoo news roundup. Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page here.
BAY CITY, MI  A Bay County Jail inmate is to spend the next several years in prison for providing a fatal batch of drugs to her cellmate.

Kristine I. Campau, 35, on Monday, Dec. 23, appeared before Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran for sentencing, having pleaded guilty in October to manslaughter and jail inmate in possession of contraband. The charges are 15- and five-year felonies, respectively.

Campaus convictions stem from the overdose death of Jessica L. Ayers, a 41-year-old mother of four.

His client seated beside him, defense attorney James F. Piazza described Ayers death as a tragic situation, saying Campau had no intention to harm or kill anyone. Campau seconded this when she spoke.

I do apologize for all of this, she said. If I could take it back, I would, and make the right decision.

Sheeran fashioned what he labeled a reasonable sentence under the circumstances. He sentenced Campau to concurrent terms of five to 15 years and 40 months to five years in prison. He gave Campau credit for 422 days already served.

Prosecutors dismissed a life offense of delivering a controlled substance causing death. They also agreed not to seek a habitual-offender sentencing enhancement.

Between 4 and 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 28, 2023, an inmate within the jail at 503 Third St. triggered a panic alarm in her cell after Ayers, her cellmate, went into medical distress, said Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham. Corrections officers entered the cell and rendered aid, but Ayers was pronounced deceased before she could be taken to a hospital, the sheriff said.

Investigators determined Campau had provided drugs to Ayers. Campau had been booked in the jail on Oct. 26 on several warrants.

Campau already had the drugs inside her when she arrived at the jail, Cunningham said. A routine search of her person did not lead to the drugs discovery, he said.

Ayers likely ingested the drugs shortly after corrections staff did their hourly round through the cellblock, the sheriff said.

Autopsy results showed Ayers died of fentanyl intoxication, with 26 nanograms of the substance in her blood.

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid commonly mixed with heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine or made into pills that look like prescription painkillers.

Fentanyl has become a leading cause of death in the United States responsible for a majority of the 105,000 fatal overdoses recorded between November 2022 and November 2023. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency warned six out of 10 fake prescription pills analyzed two years ago had a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report there were an estimated 109,680 fatal drug overdoses throughout the country in 2022, an increase from 109,179 in 2021. An estimated 68% involved synthetic opioids, principally illicitly produced fentanyl.

In Bay County, fatal drug overdoses increased 12.54% from 2020 to 2021, claiming the lives of 42 people between the ages of 16 and 70. Of those deaths, 33 involved the presence of fentanyl.

Bay County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. William Morrone in April issued a public health advisory after six overdoses occurred in 11 days. Morrone is the medical examiner for Bay, Tuscola, Midland, Iosco, and Arenac counties.

Morrone encouraged a five-step plan for users to prevent fatal overdoses, the first and fifth step being the same  get into substance abuse treatment. Second, obtain Narcan, an opiate antagonist that counteracts an overdose. Third, dont use drugs alone. Fourth, acquire testing strips that will indicate the presence of fentanyl in substances.

Ayers had been in the jail for nearly a year, having been arrested and charged in December 2022 with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.

A Kent County judge in 2017 sentenced Ayers to 30 to 90 months in prison on a first-degree retail fraud conviction. The Michigan Department of Corrections paroled Ayers in July 2019. While on parole, Ayers in November 2019 stabbed two people, resulting in her receiving two concurrent terms of 182 days in jail.

The MDOC again paroled Ayers in January 2022, and she was to remain on it until February 2024.

Ayers had a creative spirit and was known for her positivity.

Jessicas creativity knew no bounds, her obituary states. Her love for music and art was evident in everything she did. She was a dancer at heart, and her joy in movement was infectious.

In addition to her four children, Ayers was survived by a fiance, grandson, mother, and three siblings.
Michigan State continues to add experience to its offensive line and secondary from the portal.

Matt Gulbin, a redshirt junior interior lineman from Wake Forest, announced his commitment to the Spartans via social media on Sunday. A half-hour later, UConn redshirt junior defensive back Malcolm Bell also provided a commitment.

Gulbin was named an honorable mention All-ACC selection this year and has one season of eligibility remaining. Bell was a three-year starting cornerback who also has one year left in college.

Gulbin, 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, is the third offensive line transfer commitment Michigan State has picked up this offseason, following Oregon States Luka Vincic and Western Carolinas Caleb Carter.

Bell, 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, is the third defensive back the Spartans have landed in the portal, following Texas States Joshua Eaton and Eastern Illinois NiJhay Burt.

A former three-star recruit from Connecticut, Gulbin signed with Wake Forests 2021 recruiting class and appeared in four games as a true freshman while keeping a redshirt for the year. He played in 40 career games for the Deamon Deacons with 22 starts over the last two seasons, primarily at guard but can also line up at center.

Bell, a former three-star prospect from Montreal, didnt play while taking a redshirt as a true freshman in 2021. He has 93 career tackles, including four for a loss and 13 passes defended in 33 games with 18 starts.

Michigan State is losing a trio of offensive line starters in left guard Luke Newman, center Tanner Miller and right guard Brandon Baldwin, who are all out of eligibility. Additionally, veteran Dallas Fincher is transferring to San Diego State. The Spartans secondary was decimated by injuries this season and theyve lost four defensive backs to the portal, including starting cornerback Charles Brantley.

The Spartans have lost 13 players to the portal so far this offseason and are up to 10 additions.
Termites are a 'serious' problem that you don't want to have. But there's been a surge of activity in some areas of Australia lately.

Recent wet and humid weather in parts of the country has been conducive to termite activity above the ground. Source: TikTok/Getty

Australian homeowners are being warned to check their walls, floors and roof cavities and better yet, call in the experts, with conditions in parts of the country causing termites to find new homes. And you desperately don't want it to be yours.

Termites thrive in wetter and more humid conditions, allowing them to leave their nest to forage and find a new food source.

Bates Pest Control on the NSW South Coast has taken on a number of new homes recently where termites were discovered.

"We've got a few that have got into the houses big time," Meryl, who works for the pest control company, told Yahoo News Australia.

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"It's the humidity and the moisture ... it gets them all moving. "It happens every year in the weather conditions," she said, although noting last year wasn't too bad.

"A lot of people are very mindful now, they're watching their homes or getting inspections."

Most houses where termite activity has been found will likely only require modest treatment to hopefully be OK. "They're all being rented out for their AirBnBs over Christmas," she said. "So it's a bit crazy".

Wood eating ants, commonly know in Australia as white ants, can cause severe damage in dry walls of timber homes. Source: AAP

"We just did one last week and she [the homeowner] had a whole pile of stuff downstairs ... and she picked up a box and it was riddled with termites."

Luckily the box was on a concrete surface but nearby the woman had pallets and wooden doors sitting on the exposed ground which were "completely disintegrated".

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"Fortunately for her the termites had enough food so they hadn't actually moved to attacking the house.

"She was very lucky. She was probably one of the most nervous customers that I've had to deal with, she was just beside herself."

Termites are a 'serious' issue for homeowners

Termites can be harmful if inside the home causing more than $1.5 billion in damage to homes every year, a study by the University of Technology Sydney previously showed. Alarmingly, according to research carried out by the CSIRO, as many as one in three Australian homes will be impacted by termites across the lifespan of the home.

Online, some pest inspectors have shared their findings at damaged homes, showing how an innocuous-looking timber frame can actually crumble after the insects have been through.

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"Looks all good until you fiddle with it, then it just obliterates," a Sydney pest controller says in one clip this month, showing a timber frame underneath a house.

"Termites are a serious problem guys, take them seriously," he warns.

Just like the team from Bates, he urges people to get annual checks for termites. That way you are more likely to catch them before too much damage is done.

Even for those doing the right thing, the invasive insects can have ruinous results. Yahoo News recently spoke with a couple who were left more than $100,00 out of pocket after they purchased a multi-million dollar property on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland in June last year only to later find a pest report did somehow not uncover extensive termite damage at the property. Shortly after moving in the couple discovered part of the home "was at risk of collapsing".

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According to the Australian federal government's Department of Agriculture, termite nests in houses can typically be found in walls and near a water source, like a sink.

"Tap wood to find any hidden damage and look for blistered wood surface damage and debris," its page on subterranean termites says.

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After a dog was found abandoned at a Brisbane park, an animal rescuer said it might be the result of a council change banning rough sleepers from owning pets.

A young dog was found abandoned at a Brisbane park last week after the City of Moreton Bay Council banned rough sleepers from owning pets. Source: TikTok/shannimarie_

A horrified pet owner has heavily criticised an individual's decision to abandon a puppy at an east coast park last week, which she said was done "clearly intentionally"  in an act she branded both "cruel and unacceptable".

Brisbane woman Shani told Yahoo News Australia how she was out walking her own dog last Wednesday, when she stumbled across the abandoned dog tied to a pole in the park.

Shani said having worked previously "in animal rescue for years", she'd seen "the signs too many times"  a dog tied to a pole in distress, left in a place where its clear they were meant to be found.

The Queenslander said her "heart sank" instantly after coming across the heartbreaking scene.

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"I knew immediately he had been abandoned," she told Yahoo. "I rushed home to drop off my dog, then returned to check on him. He was still there. He had slipped the lead hed been tied to.

"When I approached him, he ran. My panic set in as cars started to appear on the streets."

Brisbane woman Shani said she was eventually able to gain the dog's trust, and brought him home with her partner. Source: TikTok/shannimarie_

Pet owner blasts 'cruel' decision to abandon dog at local park

Shani was ultimately able to gain the animal's trust, and eventually was able to take the dog home to offer care. She said the dog "displays signs of distress around women but seems comfortable with men", which she said "suggests to me" that "he may have been mistreated by a woman" in the past.

Given the location at which the dog was found, Shani thinks the abandonment may have something to do with Moreton Bay council's recent decision to ban rough sleepers from owning pets. The City made amendments to a local law which from December 17 prohibits rough sleepers from owning animals, allegedly in response to community complaints and safety concerns.

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"I suspect his abandonment may have something to do with recent changes in pet ownership regulations, but I also understand how hard it has become for some families to care for their animals," she said.

"That said, there are so many resources out there to help re-home petsabandoning them should never be the solution."

Shani said she's now working to find the animal a foster carer and eventually "a loving forever home". "Im committed to ensuring he gets a second chance at life with a family who will love him," she said.

The Brisbane resident said abandoning pets is cruel and unacceptable. She said there "are pounds, rescue groups, and countless resources" available to ensure animals have "a fighting chance".

"Its heartbreaking to see the spike in abandoned pets during the festive seasonit happens every year, and it never gets easier to witness," she said.

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"Animals are living, breathing beings who deserve love, respect and care. I hope this situation sheds light on the seriousness of pet abandonment and the need for better solutions to support families and their animals. This is a real problem, and it needs to be addressed with compassion and action."

Majority of rough sleepers 'manage pet ownership responsibly'

Weighing in on the matter, the Animal Welfare League in Queensland (AWLQ) said the majority of owners experiencing homelessness with a pet manage them responsibly in the community.

Speaking to Yahoo, a AWLQ spokesperson said the organisation "acknowledges the challenges faced by Moreton Bay Council" in addressing complex issues like illegal camping and homelessness  just like many councils experiencing the same issue with the increasing cost of living and affordable housing pressures forcing many into homelessness.

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"However, as an organisation deeply committed to supporting vulnerable members of our community and their pets, we are concerned about the impact of these new measures on people experiencing homelessness and their beloved pets," the spokesperson said.

"Rather than imposing punitive measures like prohibiting pets or issuing fines, we urge a more compassionate, solutions-focused approach. Supporting people in finding stable housing, providing access to pet-friendly shelters, and investing in community outreach are steps that would benefit both the individuals affected and the broader community.

"Homelessness is a symptom of broader systemic challenges, and addressing it requires empathy and collaboration."

Shani criticised the individual who dumped the dog, but acknowledged it is difficult during a cost of living crisis to care for a dog. Source: TikTok/shannimarie_

Banning pets 'can lead to more animals' dumped

Unfortunately, the spokesperson argued, there is a significant risk of increased pet abandonment as a result of council's changes. "For many rough sleepers, the bond with their pets is profound, and being forced to choose between keeping their animal or avoiding fines and penalties may lead to heart-wrenching decisions," they said.

"The bond and relationship they have with their pet is often what keeps them going. Without this relationship there is a very real risk of a decline in mental health and potential self harm."

The RSPCA also spoke to Yahoo News about the issue. A spokesperson said "banning pet ownership can simply lead to more animals being dumped" which has "a detrimental impact on both the animal and owners welfare."

"Over the past two years, RSPCA Queensland has been running a proactive service in Moreton Bay for vulnerable residents, including people experiencing homelessness  offering free veterinary services, preventative treatments, pet food, essentials and pet care advice," a spokesperson told Yahoo News.

"In the first year our Community Outreach team operated this service in the Moreton Bay region, our inspectors saw a 19 percent reduction in animal welfare complaints reported in the area."

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Hoagie, sub, grinder, hero  a sandwich goes by many names.

They're as versatile as they are reliable, limited only by what can fit between slices of bread, within a bagel or inside any other conceivable sandwich holder.

And they're as popular in Cayuga County as just about anywhere else.

On our Facebook page, @auburncitizen, The Citizen asked readers to share their favorite sandwiches in the county. Here's how their recommendations stacked up:

Auburn Bagel Co.: Roast Beef Melt

The new downtown bagel shops owner, Tony Daddabbo, takes its A schmear above the rest!" slogan seriously.

His Roast Beef Melt is served between the halves of an everything bagel  or any of the shop's other ones, if desired  with roast beef, Swiss cheese and caramelized onions.

The latter is what makes the sandwich really stand out, Daddabbo told The Citizen.

They are one of the hardest easy things to make, he said. "You have to just sit there and saute them for like a half-hour to really caramelize them."

WHEN: Open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays

WHERE: 105 Genesee St., Auburn

INFO: Visit auburnbagelcompany.com or call (315) 282-7961

Aurora Brewing Co.: Italian Braised Beef

The Ledyard brewery's Italian Braised Beef sandwich isn't always available, making for a special taste experience when it is.

The sandwich features braised chuck and short rib topped with onions and banana peppers on a ciabatta bun slathered with a horseradish sauce.

"We're all really into food," brewery co-owner Joe Shelton told The Citizen. "We like to follow the trends and make what we would like to eat."

WHEN: Open noon to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. Sundays

WHERE: 1897 Route 90, Ledyard

INFO: Visit brewaurora.com or call (315) 916-2104

Curleys: The Rachel

When it comes to sandwiches, the Rachel is the yin to the Reubens yang.

Curley's co-owner Jessie Smith told The Citizen both sandwiches are popular because of their ingredients, sharing Swiss cheese and sauerkraut. But the breads and proteins are what separate them.

Homemade shaved corned beef and marble rye make the Reuben darker and richer. The Rachel, on the other hand, has in-house roasted turkey and honey wheat bread, offering a lighter meal.

WHEN: Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to midnight Wednesdays through Saturdays, noon to 9 p.m. Sundays

WHERE: 96 State St., Auburn

INFO: Visit curleystavern.com or call (315) 282-7670

Downtown Deli: The Garcia

Downtown Deli owner Rick Habbada doesn't take any credit for its sandwiches. The most popular, the Garcia, has not changed since founder Mike Orofino opened the deli in Auburn Plaza.

Its a simple sandwich, Habbada told The Citizen. The combination of the ingredients keeps customers coming back.

The deli owner said it serves more than 700 of the smoked turkey sandwiches a month, explaining why it was one of the most common recommendations by The Citizen readers.

The turkey is served between halves of homemade focaccia bread with provolone cheese, Italian tomatoes and Russian dressing.

Habbada said the deli's Balboa (roast beef, Swiss cheese and garlic butter) is a close second in popularity.

WHEN: Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays

WHERE: Auburn Plaza, 217 Grant Ave., Auburn

INFO: Visit dtdmenu.com or call (315) 252-2600

Hangry Sandwich: The Danno

Dan O'Hara, co-owner of the Fingerlakes Mall sandwich shop, said it keeps things simple for customers.

"It's about giving people a healthy option," he told The Citizen.

But customers also love a good dip, which is why the shop's Danno has been a hit. The French dip-inspired sandwich features roast beef and au jus, mozzarella and smoked horseradish sauce.

WHEN: Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays

WHERE: Fingerlakes Mall, 1579 Clark St. Road, Aurelius

INFO: Find the shop on Facebook or call (315) 282-7109

Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co.: Beef on Weck

The Weedsport brewery has been holding Weck Wednesdays for about a month, serving Beef on Weck and California turkey sandwiches as a special midweek meal.

Lunkenheimer co-owner Derric Slocum told The Citizen the brewery's Beef on Weck, a western New York specialty, stands out because of its Rochester-sourced beef and kimmelweck rolls.

The sandwich is sprinkled with caraway seeds and flaked salt, and comes with au jus for dipping, salt-and-pepper kettle chips and pickle slaw.

WHEN: Open 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. Sundays

WHERE: 8931 N. Seneca St., Weedsport

INFO: Visit lunkenheimercraftbrewing.com or call (315) 834-7027

Mr. Pizza: Cheesesteak

Asked what makes his pizza shop's cheesesteaks a favorite among The Citizen readers, Mr. Pizza owner Jeff Lumb told The Citizen, Theyre made with love.

The shop's menu offers a few different kinds of cheesesteaks, but Lumb said there are no limits on what can be ordered.

The Philly-inspired sandwich can be ordered with just beef and cheese, or with mushrooms, peppers and onions, jalepenos and any other ingredients the shop has in stock.

WHEN: Open 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays

WHERE: 69 Wall St., Auburn

INFO: Visit mrpizzaaubny.com or call (315) 253-2209

Owasco Market: Hot Roast Beef Sub

Owner Lesley Brooks-Bianchi said the rural market likes to have fun with its food.

Some of its sandwiches, for instance, are named after customers. They include the Gary, a regular sandwich on white bread, and the Tim's Chopped Cheese.

Also popular are the Italian drip beef and the hot roast beef, the latter featuring roast beef, onions, cheddar cheese and a slather of their in-house horsey mayo.

All the market's subs are made with stretch bread from Skaneateles bakery The Patisserie.

WHEN: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays

WHERE: 4892 Gahwiler Road, Owasco

INFO: Find the market on Facebook or call (315) 784-5921

Roseadahs: Grilled Chicken Mattie St. Mobster

Traci Leubner, co-owner of the Auburn restaurant, told The Citizen many items on its menu have something in common. Quality is one of them, as the restaurant prides itself on using fresh ingredients.

Similarly, the Grilled Chicken Mattie St. Mobster is a poultry version of the burger with the same name.

Instead of a black Angus steak blend, chicken breast is topped with mozzarella, basil, a balsamic glaze and bruschetta. The latter, Leubner said, is made in-house.

WHEN: Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays

WHERE: 20 Mattie St., Auburn

INFO: Visit roseadahsrestaurant.com or call (315) 282-7686

Wilcox General Store: Hot Ham and Cheese

For 40 years, the King Ferry shop has been serving up a signature Hot Ham and Cheese sandwich so popular it was the most frequent recommendation by The Citizen readers.

The smoked ham comes from Owasco Meat Co. in Moravia, store owner James Wilcox told The Citizen. He said the first version of the sandwich was that with American cheese on a kaiser roll.

Now, its made to order, he said. If we have it, you can have anything you want on it.

WHEN: Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Sundays

WHERE: 1595 Route 34B, King Ferry

INFO: Visit facebook.com/wilcoxgeneralstorekingferry or call (315) 364-8076

Five surprising places to get great food in Cayuga County Restaurants and food trucks aren't the only places to get great food in Cayuga County.
Saurav Pandey

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Schools now allowed to fail students in classes 5 and 8, centre notifies new rule

Saurav Pandey

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Allu Arjuns kids Ayaan and Arha whisked away after attack on actors' Hyderabad house

Vaishnavi Gavankar

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Case registered against six members of OUJAC for allegedly throwing tomatoes at Allu Arjun's house

Vaishnavi Gavankar

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Surender Sharma reveals the reason why he turned down Kapil Sharma's show; says, 'He is earning so much, even I wanted remuneration'

Vaishnavi Gavankar

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India sets export priorities, readies for US Prez Donald Trumps trade retaliation with all options open - report

Shaleen Agrawal

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Sanjiv Shankaran is Editor - Opinions, Editorials, Features at Moneycontrol. (Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.)

Priyanjali Ghose

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From popcorn to parathas: Various complexities of Indias GST regime

Adrija Chatterjee is an Assistant Editor at Moneycontrol. She has been tracking and reporting on finance and trade ministries for over eight years.

Adrija Chatterjee

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GIC Re, NIACL, Star Health stocks fall over 6% as Council defers decision on GST relief for life, health insurance premiums

J Jagannath

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Maldivian airline keen on Maldives-China flights

Xinhua) 13:26, December 23, 2024

COLOMBO, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Maldivian, the national flag carrier of the Maldives, has been keen on Maldives-China flights, as China has become the top source market for Maldives tourism, according to the Maldives' state broadcaster PSM on Sunday.

Maldivian Deputy Managing Director Ali Saleem told PSM that with China being the top source market for Maldives tourism, wide-body flight operations will begin with routes to China.

Maldivian will connect Velana International Airport with Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, operating three weekly flights. Airbus A330-200 will offer economy, business and premier class seating, PSM reported.

The flights to China are expected to accommodate 60,000 passengers annually.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- EVE Energy provided three battery cell production lines for the XPENG P7+ model at its market launch, as reported by an automobile blogger on December 20 via Sina Weibo, a Chinese social media platform akin to Twitter. Due to the model's higher-than-expected sales performance, the company quickly added the fourth production line within one month of the car's release, with plans to add two more lines next month to fully support P7+ production and delivery.

Wu Anfei, XPENG's head of R&D for the P/G series models, reposted the blogger's Weibo, expressing gratitude for the support from EVE Energy and other suppliers.

Mr. Wu also noted that the delivery cycle for the XPENG P7+ has been shortened to 5-8 weeks after three ramp-ups in production capacity, more than three weeks shorter than the initial delivery period. Some customers, who had originally been scheduled to receive their cars after the Chinese New Year, may now receive them before the holiday.

The XPENG P7+ officially hit the market on November 7, offering three trim levels, priced between 186,800 yuan and 218,800 yuan. The P7+ has achieved 10,000 units of cumulative deliveries within four weeks of its market launch.

XPENG P7+; photo credit: XPENG

The P7+ model maintains the company's signature "Robot Face" front fascia with a full-width LED light.

The interior of the P7+ adopts a minimalist design, similar to that of the XPENG X9. The vehicle includes a 15.6-inch central touchscreen powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295P chip.

According to XPENG's introduction, the model features built-in AI-powered advanced ADAS (advanced driver-assistance system) across the entire lineup, equipped with XPENG's in-house developed XOS 5.4 and the AI Hawkeye Visual Solution. The AI Hawkeye Visual Solution incorporates two 8M cameras, millimeter-wave radars, and ultrasonic radars, delivering clear, precise, and extended-range vision, enabling the P7+ to perform effectively in various lighting and weather conditions, from low light to high contrast environments. The XOS 5.4 platform enhances human-like interaction fourfold, with a 53% increase in lane-change success and a 155% improvement in detour handling.

As for power performance, the P7+ offers two power options: a low-power version with a maximum output of 180 kW, and a high-power version with a peak output of 230 kW.
Sunil Matkar

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Tushar Goenka

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Supply chain fintech Mintifi profit up 3.7 times as revenue from operations rises to Rs 384 cr

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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.

LiDAR maker Seyond plans SPAC merger for Hong Kong listing

On December 20, TechStar, a Hong Kong SPAC, announced a merger agreement with LiDAR solution provider Seyond Holdings Ltd. and Merger Sub. The deal will enable Seyond to achieve a backdoor listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

LG Energy Solution establishes China headquarters in Nanjing city

At the 2024 World Intelligent Manufacturing Conference on December 22, LG Energy Solution announced it will settle its China headquarters in the Nanjing Economic and Technological Development Zone. The headquarters will oversee LG Energy Solution's Chinese subsidiaries and focus on R&D, supply chain management, and upstream-downstream investments.

CATL partners with Xiamen Road & Bridge Construction Group

On December 18, CATL signed a strategic agreement with Xiamen Road & Bridge Construction Group to collaborate in electrification solution field. The duo will work together on heavy-duty truck battery operations, battery charging and swapping services, energy storage, and battery financial services.

Photo credit: CATL

Shaanxi Automobile delivers 10,000th new energy heavy-duty truck to KargoBot

Autonomous trucking solution developer KargoBot announced that on December 18, Shaanxi Automobile delivered the 10,000th new energy heavy-duty truck to the company. The truck is equipped with L4 autonomous driving technology.

Cumulative deliveries of ZEEKR 001 model surpass 250,000 units

ZEEKR, the premium electric vehicle maker under Geely Holding, announced on December 22 that its ZEEKR 001 model has surpassed 250,000 units in cumulative deliveries.

Li Auto launches trial operation of supercharging station overtime occupancy charges

On December 21, Li Auto announced the start of a trial operation for its supercharging station occupancy fee program. Effective immediately, users who charge their vehicles at Li Auto's supercharging stations will incur a fee for exceeding the designated charging time limit. The fee is set at 2 yuan per minute, with a cap of 200 yuan per single session. The charge applies if the charging cable is not returned to the charging pile within 15 minutes after charging is completed.

XPENG opens first automobile store in Australia

On December 21, XPENG announced the grand opening of its first automobile store in Australia. The store features the XPENG G6 model and the company's flying car as its centerpiece exhibits.

XPENG: EVE Energy adds multiple battery cell production lines for XPENG P7+ model

EVE Energy provided three battery cell production lines for the XPENG P7+ model at its market launch, as reported by an automobile blogger on December 20 via Sina Weibo, a Chinese social media platform akin to Twitter. Due to the model's higher-than-expected sales performance, the company quickly added the fourth production line within one month of the car's release, with plans to add two more lines next month to fully support P7+ production and delivery.

NIO launches third brand 'FIREFLY', first model to hit market in April 2025

On the evening of December 21, NIO officially launched its third brand, FIREFLY, at the 2024 NIO Day event. The debut model, sharing the same name as the brand, was announced with a pre-sale price of 148,800 yuan and is set to hit the market in April 2025.

XPENG achieves milestone with 10,000th BEV delivered in Europe

Chinese new energy vehicle maker XPENG recently celebrated the delivery of its 10,000th vehicle in Europe, reaching the achievement at Ebersberg, Germany, according to the company's announcement on December 23. This makes XPENG the first Chinese battery-electric vehicle (BEV) startup to achieve this delivery milestone in the European market.

Dongfeng Nissan ships 500 Venucia electric taxis to Myanmar

On December 17, the first batch of Venucia-branded electric taxis was successfully shipped to Myanmar, marking the launch of the country's government taxi procurement program, according to Dongfeng Nissan's recent WeChat post.

Changan Automobile allies with EHang to develop flying cars

On December 21, 2024, urban air mobility (UAM) solution developer EHang announced a strategic partnership with Changan Automobile. The collaboration focuses on the R&D, manufacturing, sales, and operations of flying cars, including eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft and amphibious air-land vehicles.

Lynk & Co Z20 all-electric SUV hits market with limited-time starting price of 135,900 yuan

On December 22, 2024, Lynk & Co officially released its first pure electric SUV, the Lynk & Co Z20, onto the market. The vehicle comes with a limited-time starting price of 135,900 yuan and offers three variants. It is now available for purchase at 364 Lynk & Co stores across 201 cities in China, with deliveries commenced.
Bangladesh formally requests the extradition of former PM Sheikh Hasina from India

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'Current Congress wants conformism': Why Mani Shankar Aiyar failed to mend fences with Gandhis

Parimal Peeyush

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Delhi AQI: GRAP causing more problems than it's solving? What experts say

Arishaa Izaj

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Drunk truck driver runs over family of migrant workers on footpath in Pune, 2 toddlers among 3 killed

Chhabi Kala

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'Half knowledge will lead to...': Mohan Bhagwat on atrocities committed in name of religion

Chhabi Kala

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Key social movements in 2024: Reclaim the Night, Maratha quota agitation and more

Priyanjali Ghose

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Kumar Vishwas stokes row with veiled dig at Sonakshi Sinha's interfaith marriage: 'Someone else took Lakshmi ...'

Armaan Bhatnagar

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No more 'Kumbh Mein Bichhre Bhai': Maha Kumbh 2025 to redefine safety with top-notch lost & found system

Armaan Bhatnagar

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Rahul Gandhi meets kin of man who died in judicial custody after Parbhani violence

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Shanghai (Gasgoo)- BYD's premium brand DENZA recently announced that the 2025 DENZA D9 model will hit the market on December 26. The new model will adopt BYD's latest fifth-generation DM (Dual Mode) technology and offer an optional LiDAR device.

DENZA D9; photo credit: DENZA

The new DENZA D9 maintains the design of the current model, featuring sharp headlights and a unique grille that presents a diamond-cut effect, giving the front a distinctive look. At the rear, a new "BYD DM-i AWD" badge highlights the upgraded powertrain.



In terms of size, the new DENZA D9 measures 5,250 mm in length, 1,960 mm in width, and 1,900 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,110 mm. Notably, the model offers an optional LiDAR device, further enhancing its perception capabilities and safety.

DENZA D9; photo credit: DENZA

Inside, the 2025 DENZA D9 retains the existing model's layout, including a D-shaped steering wheel, a compact digital instrument cluster, and a large-size central touchscreen. In addition, the vehicle adopts a column-mounted shifter.

In terms of powertrain performance, the new DENZA D9 is equipped with BYD's fifth-generation DM hybrid system, which combines an electric motor with a 1.5T engine delivering a maximum output of 115 kW. The vehicle is powered by a 39.938 kWh battery pack, offering two ranges of 145 km and 155 km on battery power alone. Fuel consumption is rated at 7.15 L/100 km and 6.65 L/100 km, respectively.
Tashi Namgyal, shepherd who alerted Army during 1999 Kargil War, passes away in Ladakh

Deblina Halder

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Christin Mathew Philip

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In this editing of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: Indian banks gearing for change in new year, how the trading cycle will fare in 2024...

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Arun Anand has authored two books on the RSS. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.

Namrata Agarwal

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V Shunmugam is Partner, MCQube. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.

Namrata Agarwal

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Shishir Tripathi is a journalist and researcher based in Delhi. He has worked with The Indian Express, Firstpost, Governance Now, and Indic Collective. He writes on Law, Governance and Politics. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.

Namrata Agarwal

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Air India Copenhagen-Delhi passengers fight over armrest space: 'It came to blows'

Ankita Sengupta

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Ankita Sengupta

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Stella Dey

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Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On December 21, XPENG announced the grand opening of its first automobile store in Australia. The store features the XPENG G6 model and the company's flying car as its centerpiece exhibits.

Photo credit: XPENG

The XPENG G6, which hit the market in China in June 2023, is an all-electric mid-sized coupe SUV. Equipped with an 800V high-voltage charging system, the G6 can gain up to 300 km of range with 10 minutes of charging. It boasts a range of 755 km under the CLTC condition and a combined power consumption of 13.2 kWh per 100 km.

XPENG G6; photo credit: XPENG

Additionally, the XPENG G6 is fitted with 31 advanced driver-assistance sensors, including an optional LiDAR device. The dual Orin-X chips can deliver a total computing power of 508 TOPS, while the XNet deep visual neural network enhances environmental perception.

This year, XPENG has been stepping up its international market expansion. The company has introduced several intelligent electric vehicle models in various countries, including Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Iceland, Spain, and Portugal. Additionally, XPENG has expanded into the Middle Eastern and African countries.

In October, XPENG partnered with Ali & Sons Holding LLC to host a market launch event in Dubai for the G6 and G9 models. This marked XPENG's official entry into the UAE market and a significant milestone in its Middle Eastern strategy.

In November, XPENG signed an official dealership agreement with IML (International Motors Ltd.), a European distributor for automobile manufacturers, marking the company's official entry into the UK market. XPENG said its first model to be launched in the UK would be the G6, which is expected to hit the market in early 2025.

XPENG plans to continue expanding into key markets in Europe, ASEAN, the Middle East, Latin America, and Oceania. At the Paris Motor Show 2024, the company announced its goal to enter over 60 countries and regions globally by the end of 2025. Over the next decade, it aims for its overseas sales to account for half of its total sales.
Passenger downgraded from First Class to accommodate service dog on Delta flight. Viral post

Stella Dey

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YouTuber quits PhD course to become full-time OnlyFans creator. She has earned $1 million so far

Stella Dey

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British economy flatlines in 3rd quarter in another blow to new Labour government

101Reporters

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Arishaa Izaj

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Rohit Singh

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Trump wants US to retake Panama Canal; President Mulino retaliates: All about the feud

Armaan Bhatnagar

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Beijing (Gasgoo)- On December 17, the first batch of Venucia-branded electric taxis was successfully shipped to Myanmar, marking the launch of the country's government taxi procurement program, according to Dongfeng Nissan's recent WeChat post.

The initiative includes the purchase of 500 Venucia electric vehicles (EVs), with deliveries expected to be completed by 2025.

Photo credit: Dongfeng Motor

This shipment represents Myanmar's first order of imported electric taxis, representing a significant milestone in its transition to renewable energy. Local reports indicate that Myanmar plans to gradually replace oil-fueled taxis with EVs, with Yangon alone requiring 60,000 vehicles. Recognizing this demand, the Yangon City Taxi Association expressed interest in the Venucia VX6 and initiated collaboration with Dongfeng Nissan.

Dongfeng Nissan has been accelerating its international expansion efforts. The Sino-Japanese joint venture has completed the development of two GCC-specific vehicle models and four globally-oriented models under the Venucia brand for overseas markets. Additionally, it has established a robust after-sales service and warranty system for its international customers.

Leveraging shareholder resources, including Dongfeng Motor Industry Import & Export Co., Ltd. and Nissan Motor's global network, Dongfeng Nissan is actively expanding its overseas sales channels.
Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent 'friendly fire' incident

101Reporters

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How a flat Earth YouTuber ended up admitting the planet is round after his Rs 31 lakh Antarctica trip

Sheetal Kumari

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Key changes that we can expect to see

Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day

Shaurya Shubham

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In this editing of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: Indian banks gearing for change in new year, how the trading cycle will fare in 2024...

Where are the rules? Tech policy in 2024 in a nutshell

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Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day

Reshab Shaw

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Beijing (Gasgoo)- Chinese new energy vehicle maker XPENG recently celebrated the delivery of its 10,000th vehicle in Europe, reaching the achievement at Ebersberg, Germany, according to the company's announcement on December 23. This makes XPENG the first Chinese battery-electric vehicle (BEV) startup to achieve this delivery milestone in the European market.

Delivery ceremony; photo credit: XPENG

Starting its European journey in Norway in 2021, XPENG has expanded into key markets, including Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, and Portugal. The company's high-tech and high-performance BEVs have filled gaps in the local new energy vehicle market, establishing a reputation for "intelligent" and "premium" mobility solutions. XPENG's European lineup is priced between 40,000 and 80,000 (approximately RMB 300,000RMB 600,000).

Photo credit: XPENG

At the "XPENG AI Day," Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng emphasized that the key to international success for Chinese automakers lies not in cost-efficiency but in technological innovation. Enabled by advanced AI, XPENG leads the industry in over-the-air (OTA) update frequency. The next overseas update will introduce German and French voice control services, enhancing user experience across Europe.

XPENG also unveiled its latest overseas expansion plan at the Paris Motor Show, targeting entry into over 60 countries and regions by the end of 2025. With Europe as its core focus, the company aims to make overseas markets contribute half of its total sales within the next decade, underscoring its commitment to global growth.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On December 23, GAC Honda, the joint venture between GAC Group and Honda Motor, officially began operations at its new energy vehicle factory in the Guangzhou Development District, marking a new chapter in its journey toward electrification and intelligent manufacturing.

Designed with an annual production capacity of 120,000 vehicles, the factory integrates advanced technologies and sets a benchmark for smart and zero-carbon production.

Photo credit: GAC Honda

The facility features a fully integrated digital intelligence system, connecting production, quality control, and logistics to ensure high efficiency and high standards in vehicle manufacturing. Smart equipment is deeply integrated into the four main workshops, enabling intelligent production of high-quality new energy vehicles.

The factory implements sustainable practices across all stages of production to achieve carbon neutrality. GAC Honda is committed to reducing carbon emissions throughout the product lifecycle, including raw material procurement, vehicle manufacturing, and usage phases, aiming to lead the automotive industry in carbon management.

Photo credit: GAC Honda

Energy optimization is a cornerstone of the facility's operations. Equipped with a 22MW solar power system, it generates approximately 22 million kWh annually, reducing carbon emissions by 13,000 tonnes each year. The factory also employs an intelligent energy management system, leveraging AI models for precision energy monitoring and automated control of high-power equipment.

Aligned with Honda Motor's goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, GAC Honda plans to launch 10 battery electric vehicle (BEV) models in China by 2027, including the e:N series and the new "Ye" series. By 2035, the company aims for BEVs to account for 100% of its sales in the region.
President Joe Biden View Photo

President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden issued a statement regarding Christmas.

Mr. Biden was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here is his edited statement:

On behalf of our family, we wish a merry Christmas to everyone in the United States and around the world who is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and the promise of hope and renewal.

During this season of joy, we are inspired by the countless Americans who are a reminder that the things we hold sacred unite us and transcend distance, time, and even the constraints of a pandemic: faith, family, and friendship; a love of the arts, learning, and nature; gratitude, service, and community; unity and peace. These are the gifts from the heart.

Looking back at this year, weve seen enormous courage, character, resilience, and resolve in all of you who heal, comfort, teach, and protect and serve in ways big and small. You show there is much to gain in appreciation and gratitude for the gift of time and goodwill we share as we look out for one another. Again and again, you show how our differences are precious and our similarities infinite.

We are also keeping in our prayers all for whom this Christmas falls on heavy hearts. We pray for you to find strength from sorrow and purpose from pain.

We pray for our service members and their families, and thank them for their service and sacrifice.

And, for the nation, we pray for the promise found in Scripture  of finding light in the darkness, which is also perhaps the most American of things to do.

As we celebrate Christmas in the White House, we see the world through the eyes of the Child born on this day  of hope and love, peace and joy, and of the light that shines within us all.

This sacred season is yet another reminder that we are a great nation because we are a good people.

We are forever humbled and grateful to serve as your President and First Lady.

Merry Christmas, America.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Sacramento, CA  The California Public Utilities Commission approved six different rate increases this year impacting customers PG&E bills.

Some took effect this year, and a couple of others will not be implemented until the coming two years.

New District 8 Republican Assemblyman David Tangipa, who represents the Mother Lode region, has sent a letter of displeasure to the CPUC members.

He writes, As an elected official representing rural and low-income communities across California, I write to express my strong opposition to the recent approval of the holiday rate hikes, the sixth such approval in the last year. This decision is deeply concerning and raises significant questions about the long-term impacts of these cumulative increases on working families throughout California. Before proceeding with yet another rate hike, the Commission must take a step back to assess the real-world consequences of the previous five increases, which have yet to be fully realized.

Some of the new money (hike approved last week) will go toward vegetation management and extending the operation of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant.

Tangipa adds, Transparency and accountability must guide decisions that impact millions of residents. Endless rate hikes cannot be the sole solution to addressing PG&Es financial or operational challenges. The Commission must insist on creative, sustainable alternatives that do not simply transfer the burden to ratepayers.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Patient readers: Yes, as we enter the holiday season, Im going to lighten up on Water Cooler (which is hard, because the world doesnt stop being interesting, or volatile, simply because the West has a religious holiday, and in any case I dont really focus on holidays all that much).

Todays Water Cooler would be a full complement, except that I am having my main laptops keyboard repaired, and I foolishly did not put a copy of my Water Cooler template on this backup machine. So the structure will be a bit off, and the Covid tables wont appear. Oops! lambert

* * *

Bird Song of the Day

Northern Mockingbird, Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Washington, Maryland, United States. Adult male Northern Mockingbird singing from power lines and deciduous trees at intersection. Seventeen minutes of mimicry, plus a cow, so enjoy your coffee.

In Case You Might Miss

* * *

Politics

So many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital. Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles

* * *

Trump Transition

6 key lines from Trumps Sunday speech to conservative activists in Phoenix [CNN]. Here are six key lines from Trumps speech on Sunday. (1) Trump said he would consider retaking control of the Panama Canal, which he referred to as a vital national asset, doubling down on social media posts hed made on the topic Saturday. (2) Trump said bringing the [Ukraine] war to an end is one of the things I want to do quickly, and said Putin wants to meet with him as soon as possible. (3) No, [Musks] not taking the presidency. I like having smart people, he said. Theyre on a new kick. Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, all the different hoaxes. The new one is President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. No, no, thats not happening. (4) Woke has to stop. Because along with everything else, its destroying our country. Were going to stop woke, Trump said. Woke is bullsh*t.' (5) Trump pointed to rises in diagnoses of autism, childhood cancer and chronic diseases, and said that somethings wrong. Together, were going to make America healthy again, Trump said. Something bad is happening.' (6) Trump said he was shown a chart highlighting the views his campaign had received [on TikTok]. As I looked at it I said, Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while, he said.  Here is the complete speech from C-SPAN. Elon Musk Is Donald Trumps Wrecking Ball [Bloomberg]. The US government has just narrowly avoided a shutdown  and the speculation, confusion and concern around tech titan Elon Musks power in Washington is rampant. So rampant that President-elect Donald Trumps incoming press secretary was forced to clarify. As soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view, Karoline Leavitt explained about the plan to keep the government funded, known as a continuing resolution.President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop.'  When youre explaining, youre losing. And so it begins: Trump: [Elon Musk] is not going to be president. That I can tell you. Im safe. You know why? He cant be. He wasnt born in this country pic.twitter.com/YpgcGZ0jF4  Acyn (@Acyn) December 22, 2024 * * * GOP congressman says it feels like Elon Musk is our prime minister' [NBC]. Its kind of interesting, [Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas,] said during an interview on CBS News Face the Nation. We have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker. It feels like as if Elon Musk is our prime minister.'  Swell, another extra-constitutional entity. And one based on feelings! Why oh why is the only revolutionary energy out there  Lets have a Prime Minister!  on the conservative side? (Or am I missing it.) Donald Trumps transition team seeks to pull US out of WHO on day one' [Financial Times].Members of Trumps team told the experts of their intention to announce a withdrawal from the global health body on the president-elects January 20 inauguration. The departure would remove the WHOs biggest source of funds, damaging its ability to respond to public health crises such as the coronavirus pandemic. America is going to leave a huge vacuum in global health financing and leadership. I see no one that is going to fill the breach, said Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health at Georgetown Law, adding that the plan to withdraw on day one would be catastrophic for global health.  WHOs performance on Covid was also catastrophic, so its Sophies choices all the way down. I did just check to see if this infamous tweet has finally been taken down: It seems to have been (unless search has been gamed). So I suppose a tiny amount of progress has been made. NOTE Nope, no progress. The tweet is still up. Thanks to alert readers Rick and ChrisPacific. How can anybody take WHO seriously when this falsehood is still doing its damage? * * *  Paid for Sex, Used Drugs While in Congress, Panel Finds [Bloomberg]. House investigators found substantial evidence former Representative Matt Gaetz paid several women  including a 17-year-old girl  for sex and bought and used illegal drugs while in Congress, according to a bipartisan committee report released Monday. Gaetz, who President-elect Donald Trump initially nominated to be his attorney general, had asked a court to prevent the reports release, but his paperwork was filed incorrectly. The committee wrote there was ample evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress. In addition to the sexual misconduct, the committee found evidence that Gaetz used illicit drugs and created a fake email from his Capitol Hill official congressional office for the purpose of purchasing marijuana. The report also accuses Gaetz of accepting excessive undisclosed gifts, including a 2018 Bahamas vacation. Gaetz, a Florida Republican who has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing, in November resigned his congressional seat and bowed out of consideration to be Trumps attorney general amid opposition to his confirmation from GOP senators. But the details in the report still raise questions about his political future, including a possible run for governor of Florida.  If only Gaetz were a genocidaire Then his nomination would have been met with universal applause! (Note that the Justice Department, in a separate investigation, filed no charges.) Gaetz floats possible bid for Rubios Senate seat [The Hill]. ;Many have asked which perch I will be fighting from next, and some of you throughout this conference have even given me a few suggestions, Gaetz said at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest. My fellow Floridians have asked me to eye the governors mansion in Tallahassee, maybe special counsel to go after the insider trading for my former colleagues in Congress. It seems I may not have had enough support in the United States Senate. Maybe Ill just run for Marco Rubios vacant seat in the United States Senate and join some of those folks, Gaetz continued, nodding to the fact he struggled to win enough support among senators to be President-elect Trumps attorney general.  * * * Sriram Krishnan named Trumps senior policy advisor for AI [TechCrunch]. President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed reports that Sriram Krishnan, until recently a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), will serve as senior policy advisor for AI at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Trump said in a statement that Krishnan will help shape and coordinate AI policy across government, working with the presidents council of advisors on science and technology. And in a post on X, Krishnan said that hell be working closely with ex-PayPal COO David Sacks, who was recently named Trumps crypto and AI czar.'  Ive just been blocked on X by Andreessen, who is, after all, just another bullet-headed tech bro weasel, although said to be freer with his blocks than others. A badge of honor, so far as Im concerned. Let the enshittification begin! Trump picks billionaire financier for deputy defense secretary [WaPo]. President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday night announced that he will nominate Stephen Feinberg, a billionaire political supporter who has been involved in the defense contracting business, to the job of deputy defense secretary. Feinberg is the co-CEO of Cerberus Capital Management, which has invested in hypersonic missiles and previously owned the private military contractor DynCorp, a company that was acquired by another defense firm, Amentum, in 2020. During the first Trump administration, Feinberg led the Presidents Intelligence Advisory Board, which provides the U.S. leader advice on intelligence assessments and estimates and counterintelligence matters.  Cerberus is, of course, the multi-headed watchdog for the gates of Hell in Greek mythology. One can only wonder why the name was chosen. * * * Trumps lawyers are the unsung heroes of his electoral victory [The Hill].  Correct. Though  take a bow, Fani!  Trumps lawyers had help.

Republican Funhouse

EXCLUSIVE: Where is Congresswoman Kay Granger? [The Dallas Express]. According to Ms. Grangers roll call vote page, Grangers last vote was on July 24th, 2024 The Dallas Express attempted to reach her district and D.C. offices but calls went directly to voicemail where a recorded message from Congresswoman Granger plays. We then visited her office in person hoping to understand how Congresswoman Granger planned to vote on the continuing resolution this afternoon. Upon arrival, we found the door locked, front door glass window covered, no one inside, and no sign of the office continuing to be occupied. We then received a tip from a Granger constituent who shared that the Congresswoman has been residing at a local memory care and assisted living home for some time after having been found wandering lost and confused in her former Cultural District/West 7th neighborhood. The Dallas Express team visited the facility to confirm whether Granger was residing there and to inquire about how she planned to vote on the spending bill. Upon arrival, two employees confirmed that Granger is indeed living at the facility. However, we were not permitted to conduct an interview regarding the current spending debate in the House of Representatives and how or if Ms. Granger planned to vote.  Good for a scrappy local paper. Sounds like another one of the many, many Washingtont stories everybody knows about, but nobody talks about. Rep. Kay Granger says shes had unforeseen health challenges, but not in memory care [The Hill]. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) says shes had unforeseen health challenges, with her office denying that shes in memory care. On Sunday, the 81-year-old congresswomans son, Brandon Granger, told The Dallas Morning News that she has been having some dementia issues late in the year. Brandon Granger said his mother is living at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth and also confirmed that she is not in a memory care facility.  Oh.

Democrats en deshabille

Not A Democrat [Joe Klein, Sanity Clause]. The Party Left Me. So, our long national nightmare is over? In any case:  First thing in politics, you need a candidate. And if you want to accomplish something more than business as usual, especially within the party, you need a great candidate. You need a candidate who accurately describes the state of the union and more, is willing to say unpopular thingsits the surest path to credibility, just ask Donald Trump. You need a politician who sounds like he or she is speaking English that hasnt been strained through the consultant-pollster Cuisinart. You need a candidate who answers questions directly, as Kamala Harris never seemed to do. Now, such a candidate might be available to the Democrats in 2028. But I dont see any obvious choices right now.  One can only wonder if there was a Democrat candidate like that. One who ran twice, say. Ocasio-Cortez faces uncertain political future [The Hill]. Her centrist colleagues promotion of Connolly sent a clear message that Democrats want to suppress left-wing ideology as they look to rebrand their image, challenging Ocasio-Cortezs place in the party, which has lost considerable power in Washington.  All that opportunism, and yet opportunity never knocked. Sad.

Realignment and Legitimacy

Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to N.Y. state charges in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO [NBC]. Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Monday to New York state charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. And [Defense lawyer Karen Agnifilo] placed the blame for these perp walks on Mayor Eric Adams, calling these public parades of Mangione absolutely unnecessary and perfectly choreographed, utterly political.' The tenor of the defense? And in response: Mayor Adams priority is  and always has been  public safety, and he has repeatedly spoken about how social media is fueling the radicalization of our youth. Critics can say all they want, but showing up to support our law enforcement and sending the message to New Yorkers that violence and vitriol have no place in our city is who Mayor Eric Adams is to his core.'  Adams stepped right into it, since alll that showing up to support pollutes the jury pool. Luigi Mangione Judge Married to Former Healthcare Executive [Ken Klipperstein]. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker, who is overseeing pre-trial hearings for Luigi Mangione, is married to a former Pfizer executive and holds hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock, including in healthcare companies and pharmaceutical companies, according to her 2023 financial disclosures. The judges ties to the healthcare business are a stark reminder of how pervasive the for-profit industry is in American life  a point made by Mangione himself. Luigi Mangione Pleads Not Guilty to State Murder Charges [Wall Street Journal]. Agnifilo had previously said she was surprised by the federal charges. The state and federal prosecutions were in conflict with one another, she said. The state case is based on his allegedly terrorizing and intimidating a group of people, she said, while the federal case accuses him of stalking an individual.

Syndemics

I am in earnest  I will not equivocate  I will not excuse  I will not retreat a single inch  AND I WILL BE HEARD. William Lloyd Garrison

* * *

Covid Sequelae

COVID-19 may Enduringly Impact cognitive performance and brain haemodynamics in undergraduate students [Brain, Behavior, and Immunity]. From the Conclusion: The present study found evidence suggesting that COVID-19 infection is associated not only with subjective cognitive impairment but also with prolonged objective cognitive impairment, especially in executive functioning, in some but not all undergraduate students. Moreover, we found novel evidence of distinct task-related anterior prefrontal haemodynamic responses in students reporting a past COVID-19 infection relative to those reporting no past infection, and exploratory analyses suggested this may be particularly true for those who reported experiencing brain fog due to COVID-19. This new information may prove important as we move forward towards developing interventions in response to the mounting evidence that COVID-19 has prolonged influences on brain health. In closing, we call for scientists to respond urgently to the rapidly increasing prevalence of long covid symptoms pertaining to the brain. Persistence of spike protein at the skull-meninges-brain axis may contribute to the neurological sequelae of COVID-19 [Cell]. The Highlights: SARS-CoV-2 spike protein persists in the skull-meninges-brain axis in COVID-19 patients. Spike protein is sufficient to induce brain pathological and behavioral changes in mice. Spike protein enhances brain vulnerability and exacerbates neurological damage in mice. mRNA vaccines reduce, but do not eliminate, the spike burden.

Stats Watch

Manufacturing: United States Durable Goods Orders [Trading Economics]. New orders for manufactured durable goods in the US decreased 1.1% month-over-month to $285.1 billion in November 2024, following an upwardly revised 0.8% rise in October and much worse than market forecasts of a 0.4% decline.

* * *

Airline Watchdog Raises New Questions On NTSB Handling Of Boeing 737 MAX Electrical Faults [Simple Flying]. The Foundation for Aviation Safety, founded by Ed Pierson, a former Boeing 737 factory manager turned whistleblower, has renewed its calls for investigators to review production processes at Boeings Renton facilities in the context of the two fatal 737 MAX crashes. According to the foundation, the documents prove that Boeing and the FAA were aware of quality control and installation issues of the Electrical Wiring Interconnect System (EWIS) while the 737 MAX aircraft were being built at the factory in Renton, Washington, the United States. MCAS software and the lack of pilot training did not trigger these two fatal crashes. Shockingly, the [official] documents show that Boeing suspected the new ET302 airplane had intermittent electrical faults in the airplanes wiring before it crashed.' More: [A]fter the Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (EAAIB) published its final report of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crash that happened in March 2019, NTSB pushed back against claims made by the Ethiopian investigators. The latter party concluded that electrical problems that existed since the time of the accident aircrafts production date resulted in the left angle of attack (AoA) sensor heater failing, resulting in the AoA sensor providing erroneous values to the 737 MAXs flight computer,  Hoo boy. Not the MCAS?

Manufacturing: American Airlines is cutting international flights next year  and blaming Boeing [Quartz]. American Airlines (AAL) will be doing a little less international travel next year, apparently because it wont have the planes it needs to do so. The airline said it will be putting off a number of new routes thanks to Boeing (BA) fulfilling jetliner orders more slowly than expected.

Manufacturing: COMAC courts airlines in Cambodia, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia for C919 orders [Aerotime]. COMAC (the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has been making moves to attract airlines based in Indonesia, Cambodia, and Kazakhstan, to place orders for its C919 narrowbody 158-192 seat aircraft. The move comes as the Chinese planemaker seeks its first orders for the jet outside of mainland China, say sources close to the Shanghai-based company. COMACs opportunity to attract more airlines to its C919 jet (which competes in the market with the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX) has improved throughout 2024 as quality issues at Boeing plus supply chain bottlenecks and delayed deliveries have plagued the other two manufacturers. Notwithstanding these issues and compounding the situation for airlines is that both Airbus and Boeing narrowbody production lines are sold out until beyond 2030.

Tech: Bluesky finds with growth comes growing pains  and bots [Associated Press]. But with growth comes growing pains. Its not just human users whove been flocking to Bluesky but also bots, including those designed to create partisan division or direct users to junk websites. Little data has emerged to help quantify the rise in impersonator accounts, artificial intelligence-fueled networks and other potentially harmful content on Bluesky. But in recent weeks, users have begun reporting large numbers of apparent AI bots following them, posting plagiarized articles or making seemingly automated divisive comments in replies.

* * *

Todays Fear & Greed Index: 29 Neutral (previous close: 28 Fear) [CNN]. One week ago: 54 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Dec 23 at 1:15:00 PM ET.

Xmas Pre-Game Festivities

Santa Confirms Everyone Getting Bag Of Glitter Labeled Fairy Dust His Sister-In-Law Sells On Etsy [The Onion].  But as so often with this decades Onion, the headline is all you really need to read

Holiday cheer:

"Theres no room at the hospital, weve just declared a critical incident. Would you like to be checked in privately Instead?" pic.twitter.com/6d58xs2h5e  tern (@1goodtern) December 17, 2024

Mystery Drones

Why drone hysteria has taken off [CBS]. George Mason University engineering professor Missy Cummings, who has been doing drone research for 25 years, says what most people are actually seeing are likely aircraft, stars, or reflections off of objects, like towers. Of all of those options, drone is the least likely, because its actually pretty hard to pick these out of the sky, she said. If youre actually looking at lights from a drone, it means that youre definitely not looking at a foreign adversary, because theyre sophisticated enough to turn the lights off.'  Fair enough. I reiterate that the initial NY sightings were SUV-sized, and while I cannot say that none of them had lights on, what I can say is that report that I read that they did. So I am a hard-core laggard on this; I dont think any official figure has given a public account of the initial large drones, and the media coverage, which conflated all drones with bright lights in the sky, has successfully obscured the initial sitings, whether through sheer laziness or intent, who knows. File under I guess well never know.

Gallery

Pissaro:

Zeitgeist Watch

Paganism makes a rebound:

Your reminder that churches dont pay taxes because they are supposedly spending their money to help their communities through things like food banks, shelters and after-school programs. https://t.co/D8Emc50qiY  Melanie D'Arrigo (@DarrigoMelanie) December 20, 2024

News of the Wired

Science is popping:

Dark energy mystery is finally SOLVED  as scientists come up with a radical new theory to explain the mysterious force [Daily Mail]. [N]ew evidence supports the timescape model of cosmic expansion, which doesnt have a need for dark energy. This timescape model takes into account the fact that time itself moves much slower in the presence of a gravitational field, such as the one around Earth.  This theory does away with the need for dark matter by challenging one of the basic assumptions of traditional cosmology. It may be mind-blowing to us human beings, but variations in gravitational forces change the way that time progresses in the universe. The timescape model suggests that a clock placed on Earth would move 35 per cent slower than one tossed into cosmic voids between superclusters of galaxies. By the time the clock here on Earth has completed one 24-hour round from midnight to midnight, the clock in space would already show 08:00 am the next day. On the time scale of the universe, this means billions of more years have already passed in the voids between galaxies than at the heart of the Milky Way. So, even if the universe is expanding at the same rate it was after the Big Bang, the spaces between galaxies would have grown much more than we would expect  creating the illusion of acceleration.  For the physicists in the readership, the original paper

Supernovae evidence for foundational change to cosmological models [Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]. From the Abstract: We compare the standard homogeneous cosmological model, i.e. spatially flat cold dark matter (CDM), and the timescape cosmology which invokes backreaction of inhomogeneities. Timescape, while statistically homogeneous and isotropic, departs from average FriedmannLemaitreRobertsonWalker evolution, and replaces dark energy by kinetic gravitational energy and its gradients, in explaining independent cosmological observations. Well, er, but concluding: These results provide evidence for a need to revisit the foundations of theoretical and observational cosmology.  More research needed!

* * *

Your Consciousness Can Connect With the Whole Universe [Popular Mechanics]. A recent groundbreaking experiment in which anesthesia was administered to rats has convinced some scientists that tiny structures in the rodents brains are responsible for the experience of consciousness. To pull it off, microscopic hollow tube structures called microtubules perform some advanced physics; the experts believe microtubules perform incredible operations in the quantum realm. Citing the work of earlier researchers, the study infers that the same kinds of quantum operations are likely happening in the human brain. And: The Wellesley study is significant because the physical source of consciousness has been a mystery for decades. Its a major step toward verifying a theory that our brains perform quantum operations, and that this ability generates our consciousnessan idea thats been gaining traction over the past three decades. And: If this quantum theory of consciousness tied to microtubules turns out to be correct, it could revolutionize our understanding of consciousness and even strengthen the trailblazing theory that consciousness, on a quantum level, is capable of being in all places at the same time. In other words, it can exist everywhere simultaneously, suggesting that your own consciousness can hypothetically connect with quantum particles beyond your brain, maybe entangling with consciousness all across the universe.  Just dont tell the marketing department.

* * *

Contact information for plants: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. From CK:

CK writes: An autumnal plantitude from long ago and far away.

And: A bonus. These three (yes, there is a cat in that tree) lovelies have recently passed on. For me, this photo captures the absolute magic of our shared years.

* * *

Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the annual NC fundraiser. Material here is Lamberts, and does not express the views of the Naked Capitalism site. If you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldnt see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know Im on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for three or four days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:

Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated:

If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!
Even if someone time travels, they may not remember or capture it: Study Interesting Engineering

How old are you really? Your blood can reveal your biological age  and risk of health problems Study Finds

SCIENTISTS SUGGEST HARVESTING BLOOD FROM MARS COLONISTS TO CONSTRUCT FUTURE CITY Futurism

Early warning tool will help control huge locust swarms EurekAlert

Brace! Risks stack up for the global economy in 2025 Reuters

Climate/Environment

Pandemics

The Koreas

China?

Old Blighty

European Disunion

ANAF Uncovers PNLs TikTok Campaign Promoting Calin Georgescu Romania Journal

#Romania: New findings from Romanias ANAF, the body that oversees financial integrity, show that the pro-EU National Liberal Party (PNL) financed the TikTok campaign that ended up amplifying public visibility of Georgescu in the presidential election. Some important findings:  https://t.co/hKIqZ2p5bu  Dionis Cenusa (@DionisCenusa) December 22, 2024

Syraqistan

The US regime wont tell American citizens that it has declared war on Yemen. Thats because its motives are so sordid, and so divorced from any concept of national security, it could not explain why it is there. It cannot allow Americans to know that their military is engaged in  Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) December 22, 2024

*** Eilat port lays desolate amid Houthi threat Ynet

Over 80% of Yemenis rely on foreign aid for their basic needs, 90% of which is imported. To defeat the Houthis, you dont need to drop a single bomb. Just stop sending them free food.  Uri Kurlianchik (@VerminusM) December 22, 2024

New Not-So-Cold War

Biden Administration

Biden Ends Term With Parade of Lies About Our Wars Ken Klippenstein

Trump Transition

War on drugs meets war on terror

US fought both  and both grew. https://t.co/O5XSMwGDLb   GEROMAN  time will tell    (@GeromanAT) December 22, 2024

Antitrust

Monopoly Round-Up: New Deal or Crime Spree? BIG by Matt Stoller

Palantir and Anduril join forces with tech groups to bid for Pentagon contracts Financial Times

Meet the US military-industrial complex on steroids: Silicon Valley oligarchs are forming a cartel to get huge Pentagon contracts. Cartel members will include:

-Elon Musks SpaceX

-OpenAI (49% owned by Microsoft)

-Palantir (founded by far-right billionaire oligarch Peter Thiel) https://t.co/ik1WDCw7er  Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) December 23, 2024

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Police State Watch

 Asked if Luigi Mangione is a terrorist, Bidens Homeland Secretary Mayorkas replies:  The rhetoric on social media following is extraordinarily alarming. It speaks of what is really bubbling here in this country and unfortunately we see that manifested in violence. The pic.twitter.com/D3CRwE4hCn  Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) December 22, 2024

Healthcare?

The Fallacy of Modern Psychiatry: Treating Symptoms, Ignoring Causes Mad In America

Guillotine Watch

The SNL crowd cheers for Luigi Mangione last night making the host so uncomfortable he said youre cheering for justice right? What he doesnt understand is this is justice in a decaying capitalist empire. pic.twitter.com/WrUkznOSdX  Power to the People  (@ProudSocialist) December 22, 2024

Class Warfare

Living happily ever after? The hidden health risks of Disney princesses The BMJ

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
With the development of the former Global Mall site currently underway, we take a look at ho
Biden admin races to fill 1,200 DEI positions  with $160M price tag  before Trump inauguration

The Biden administration is rushing to fill 1,200 diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) positions before the Trump administration takes office, with an estimated annual salary total of $160 million.

Positions like the deputy assistant secretary for minority health at the Department of Health and Human Services are being filled just days before the new president's term begins, to ensure DEI advocates are in place to challenge future policies.

Federal agencies such as the FDIC, FAA and SEC are advertising DEI positions, including roles with high salaries and remote work options, to stack their ranks with DEI-focused personnel.

Beyond staffing, the administration is accelerating environmental grants, transportation projects and student loan relief measures before the Trump administration can roll them back.

The administration is making a final push to spend allocated funds, with announcements of major grants, loans and weapon disbursements, emphasizing the urgency to implement their agenda before the transition.

The administration of outgoing President Joe Biden is racing to fill 1,200 diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) positions before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office. With an estimated collective annual salary of $160 million, these positions are not just a drop in the bucket  they're a calculated maneuver to lock in a federal workforce committed to upholding DEI policies long into the Trump administration.

The hiring spree, which has already seen 33 DEI positions advertised in the immediate aftermath of Trump's election victory, is a full-throttle effort to add new employees to the federal payroll just days before the new president hits the ground running. The strategy couldn't be clearer: stack the decks with fresh faces who will be on board with the current administration's social justice agenda, ensuring a corps of DEI advocates who won't be easily cowed by the incoming Trump administration's pledges to sweep out the old guard.

For instance, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) wasted no time in posting a vacancy for a deputy assistant secretary for minority health, a position with a hefty salary cap of $221,900 and a mandate to advance health "equity." By closing applications on Nov. 29, the Biden administration is trying to ensure that the review process is completed well before Trump assumes office. This move is a textbook case of administrative speedballing, ensuring the new appointee is in place to challenge Trump's policies from day one.

Not to be left behind, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is advertising a director of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion role, complete with a remote work option and a staggering salary of $310,000. This position, tasked with developing DEI strategies for the FDIC, is another prime example of the rush to pile DEI bodies into federal agencies.

Similar efforts are being seen across the federal landscape. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently closed applications for an affirmative employment specialist, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reviewing applicants for a supplier diversity officer position.

Biden determined to leave a "lasting impact" before Trump takes over

Apart from deploying people on DEI posts, Biden is determined to work on agencies to leave a "lasting impact" before Trump takes the reins in January.

"Let's make every day count," Biden declared in a recent address to the nation. His administration is scrambling to implement as much of its agenda as possible, knowing full well that the incoming administration will likely try to undo much of its work. (Related: Biden administration's final act: A desperate attempt to sabotage Trump's border wall promise.)

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg laid it out plainly: "Theres only one administration at a time. Our responsibility is to make good use of the funds that Congress has authorized for us." By this directive, Buttigieg announced the disbursement of over $3.4 billion in grants for various transportation-related projects, designed to improve passenger rail service, enhance port operations, reduce highway deaths and support the development of sustainable transportation materials.

Biden's administration is making a final push on major environmental grants and project approvals. The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a comprehensive plan to address lead pipes, with a nationwide deadline for removal and introduced a federal fee for oil and gas companies that emit dangerous levels of methane.

Meanwhile, the Department of Energy has announced a $544 million loan to a Michigan company to expand the manufacturing of high-quality silicon carbide wafers for electric vehicles.

Department of Defense spokesman Sabrina Singh revealed that Biden wants to "spend down the authority that Congress has allocated and authorized before he leaves office." This implies a last-minute flurry of spending on defense-related projects, including the rapid provision of $7.1 billion worth of weapons from the Pentagon's stockpiles.

The Senate also recently confirmed April Perry as a U.S. District Court judge in northern Illinois, and more judicial nominees are advancing, including those who have already advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The race against the clock is also evident in the Department of Education's efforts to finalize a new federal rule that would cancel student loans for individuals experiencing financial hardship. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is in a unique position to decide on several cases that could grant student loan relief, including instances where individuals were cheated by their colleges.

Watch the video below where Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) says Biden is going to undercut Trump as much as he can.

This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Tucker Carlson: Biden administration wants to leave Trump with a crushing global conflict.

Report: Biden administration to let migrants skip ICE check-ins in New York City.

MORE MONEY LAUNDERING: Biden administration forgives $4.65 billion loan to Ukraine.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

PBS.org

Brighteon.com
Cory Endrulat and Jim Gale on Decentralize TV: The RESILIENCE of nature and humanity

Hurricane Milton caused widespread destruction, but it also highlighted the inherent resilience and adaptability of both nature and human beings as described in this episode of "Decentralize.TV."

Stories like the surviving raccoons and regrowing banana trees illustrate nature's capacity for recovery and resilience, providing powerful examples of perseverance.

In the face of adversity, community members in Florida came together, emphasizing the power of human unity and collective response to disasters.

The conversation focused on the book "Natural Intelligence" by Cory Endrulat and Jim Gale, advocating for the integration of natural wisdom into human lives, encouraging sustainable and self-reliant practices to build resilient communities.

It underscored the transformative potential of resilience, inspiring people to rebuild stronger communities and find innovative solutions, fostering personal and social evolution.

Amid the destruction and chaos of Hurricane Milton, the resilience of both nature and human beings shines through. The storm's fury, which devastated homes, communities and ecosystems, has also revealed an incredible capacity for recovery and growth.

Through stories like Todd Pitner's surviving raccoons and Jim Gale's banana trees quickly regrowing leaves, people see the profound lessons in perseverance and adaptability that nature imparts.

During a recent episode of "Decentralize TV," the Health Ranger Mike Adams discussed with co-host Pitner and guests Gale and Cory Endrulat their personal experiences with the hurricane and how they embody the principles of resilience in their lives.

Pitner, whose home suffered significant damage, was elated to discover that his beloved raccoons not only survived but were unharmed. This moment of hope and renewal exemplifies the natural resilience that even the most unexpected creatures possess.

Gale's banana trees provide another powerful illustration. Although the trees faced severe damage from the storm, within days they were sprouting new leaves. This rapid regeneration demonstrates the intrinsic strength and adaptive nature of plants, which can recover from seemingly catastrophic setbacks. It is a testament to the regenerative power of nature, an essential reminder of its enduring resilience.

Endrulat, who experienced flooding and power outages in his community, highlighted the resilience of his food forest and the community's collective response. In the face of adversity, people came together to support one another, demonstrating the power of human unity and the potential for individual action to make a significant impact. (Related: Creating food forests out of front lawns can prepare communities for FOOD COLLAPSE  Brighteon.TV.)

"It is incredible resilience. And just the people coming together in Florida with these catastrophes just shows you that people are ready, and they don't need the government to help them," Endrulat stated.

More sustainable and self-reliant practices should be adopted

The guests' conversation revolved around Endrulat and Gale's book "Natural Intelligence," which focuses on the symbiotic relationship between human and natural resilience. Through their work, Endrulat and Gale advocate for the integration of natural intelligence into human lives, encouraging individuals and communities to adopt more sustainable and self-reliant practices.

It involves recognizing the inherent wisdom of nature and learning to harness it for personal and collective well-being. The world around people, with its intricate ecosystems and cycles of growth and renewal, offers abundant lessons on how to endure and flourish.

As the conversation progressed, they discussed the concept of "natural intelligence" as a tool for solving complex global problems. By drawing inspiration from nature's resilience, people can develop sustainable solutions that prioritize health, self-reliance and community cohesion.

The authors advocated for a shift from dependency on conventional authority and artificial systems toward a more natural, self-sufficient way of living. It evolved into a broader dialogue about humanity's potential for positive change.

The guests highlighted the importance of decentralization, permaculture and community organizing as key strategies for building resilient communities. These approaches not only promote environmental sustainability but also foster a sense of ownership and responsibility among individuals.

Ultimately, the discussion underscored the power of resilience, both in nature and within people themselves. The devastation of natural disasters can serve as a catalyst for transformation, inspiring humanity to rebuild stronger, more resilient communities and to find innovative solutions for the challenges people face.

The interplay between human and natural resilience presents an opportunity for profound personal and social evolution. As people continue to navigate the complexities of the modern world, the lessons of resilience derived from nature and human community remind people of the boundless potential for renewal, growth and positive change.

Follow Preparedness.news for more news about being prepared and resilient in times of disasters.

Watch the full conversation between Cory Endrulat, Jim Gale, Todd Pitner and the Health Ranger Mike Adams on "Decentralize TV."

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Must listen: Jim Gale unlocks the secret to an ENDLESS FOOD SUPPLY in super popular episode of Decentralize.TV.

10 Essential tips for emergency preparedness: Be ready for anything.

Community preparedness: Building networks for support and resources.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

Amazon.com
Google: Quantum computer might be tapping into parallel universes

Google unveiled quantum chip Willow, which performed in under five minutes a task that would take current supercomputers 10 septillion years to complete.

Google suggests the quantum computer leverages parallel universes, supporting David Deutsch's theory. However, this interpretation is controversial and disputed by critics like physicist Ethan Siegel.

Willow has 105 qubits, a significant upgrade from the 53-qubit Sycamore, with enhanced error correction capabilities as it scales up.

Google envisions transformative uses in medicine, clean energy and battery design, but critics argue that the tested task lacks immediate practical value and was designed to showcase quantum speed.

Google's announcement solidifies its lead in quantum computing, but the field remains competitive with efforts from other tech giants like IBM, Amazon and Microsoft, all aiming for practical, scalable quantum applications.

In a groundbreaking announcement, Google has revealed its latest quantum computing achievement: the quantum chip Willow, which is said to have performed in under five minutes a computational task that would take today's fastest supercomputers an estimated 10 septillion years to complete.

While the results have been met with excitement and skepticism, the company's claim that its quantum computer might be tapping into parallel universes has sparked intense debate in the scientific community.

According to Google Quantum AI founder Hartmut Neven, Willow's exceptional speed has lent support to the concept that quantum computation operates in a multiverse. This notion, first proposed by physicist David Deutsch, suggests that quantum computers could leverage parallel universes to achieve their rapid results. However, this interpretation is highly controversial.

Critics, including renowned physicist Ethan Siegel, argue that the multiverse theory is not necessarily supported by the success of quantum computing. He pointed out that quantum mechanics can function effectively without invoking the existence of parallel universes.

"You can have quantum mechanics work just fine, both physically and mathematically, without introducing even one parallel universe," Siegel said.

Quantum technology pushes boundaries of what is possible in computational science

Google's claims, while ambitious, are rooted in a significant technological leap. The Willow chip operates with 105 qubits, up from the 53 qubits of its predecessor, the Sycamore chip. This increase not only enhances the computational power of the machine but also addresses a key challenge in quantum computing: error correction. With its advanced design, Willow is capable of reducing errors as it scales up, marking a significant step toward practical quantum computing. (Related: Googles quantum leap: Willow chip pushes boundaries of computing power.)

The potential applications of quantum computing are vast and transformative. Google envisions a future where quantum computers could help discover new medicines, design more efficient batteries for electric cars and accelerate progress in clean energy alternatives. Quantum technology's ability to process vast amounts of data simultaneously makes it an invaluable tool for solving some of the world's most complex problems.

Critics, however, highlight the narrow scope of the computational task performed by Willow. While the chip's performance is impressive, the task itself is not a practical application but rather a benchmark designed specifically to showcase quantum speed. German physicist Sabine Hossenfelder suggested that this particular task, which involves generating a random distribution, has no immediate practical value.

The debate surrounding Google's claims highlights the ongoing struggle in the field of quantum computing to achieve practical and scalable applications. Despite skepticism, the developments in quantum technology continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in computational science.

As the race for quantum supremacy continues, Google's announcement has solidified its position as a frontrunner in this emerging field. Other tech giants, including IBM, Amazon and Microsoft, are also racing to develop quantum computers capable of solving real-world problems. The ultimate goal is not just to build faster computers, but to unlock new possibilities in fields ranging from medicine to energy production.

In the end, while the concept of parallel universes remains speculative, Google's breakthrough in quantum computing represents a significant milestone in advancing the technology.

As scientists and engineers continue to push the boundaries of quantum mechanics, the potential applications of this rapidly evolving field continue to expand, shaping the future of technology and scientific discovery.

Follow Computing.news for more stories like this.

Watch the video below that talks about quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

This video is from the Grand Solar Minimum Solutions channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Apple to compete with NVIDIA, develop AI server chip named "Baltra."

Google backs construction of first small nuclear reactors to power AI data centers.

China may be winning the quantum computing race with a record-shattering processor.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Futurism.com

Newsweek.com

Brighteon.com
MEDICAL FRAUD in America is the NORM: If a doctor can make you sick, label you sick, and keep you sick, their practice gets more funding from the crooked system

Dr. Scott Jensen exposes mass-medical fraud in the United States, revealing that healthcare systems profit more from keeping patients sick.

Insurance companies and healthcare providers incentivize doctors to push vaccines by offering substantial bonuses based on vaccination rates, leading to a cycle of sickness for profit.

Jensen highlights the diabetes scam, where patients are labeled diabetic without proper treatment, solely for financial gain.

The U.S. medical system is criticized for its toxic and corrupt nature, focusing on profit over patient care.

Western medicine prioritizes expensive and harmful treatments, including addictive drugs and vaccines, leading to sicker patients and early mortality.

Dr. Scott Jensen is blowing the whistle on mass-medical fraud happening across the United States right now. This has been going on for some time. Im doctor Scott Jensen, and I am not exaggerating when I tell you, if you are a patient, your doctor, your insurance company, your clinic, your hospital, we can all get paid more if we make you sicker.

There are all kinds of incentive plans being doled out by insurance companies, governments and government programs to clinics and providers and healthcare systems. Literally doctors can get tens of thousands of dollars on an annual basis for pushing vaccines to meet a certain threshold of their patients, like at 60% and 80%, and then they get paid the bonuses for EVERY patient that got injected with dirty vaccines. This keeps people sick, so the doctors and hospitals get paid more. Its a vicious cycle that just keeps repeating because of money. The doctors do not care at all about their patients getting well and healing because that means less pay.

Dr. Jensen goes on to blow the whistle on the whole diabetes scam in America. If we can call you diabetic based on some parameters, even if were not treating you with the medication and didnt even really do anything for you, if we can call you diabetic, and we do a test called an A-1-C,  and if we get a 6.8 reading, that allows us to call you diabetic even if we dont do anything for you  So, all of the sudden, youve got this bizarre incentive to call as many of your patients as possible diabetics.

The U.S. medical system in general is becoming more toxic and corrupt by the day, and there is no more care in the mainstream healthcare system

It used to be that when someone said drug dealer they meant someone out on the streets selling weed, meth or cocaine. Nowadays, it means a medical quack who pushes highly addictive opioids and dirty jabs, like mRNA and the flu shots. Is your drug dealer visit covered by insurance? Guess what? It doesnt matter, because its not helping you heal. Thats why Big Pharma has to give doctors bonuses to dole out the deadly drugs and vascular-clotting spike prion stabs.

It is not an exaggeration, conspiracy theory, or delusion that most medical doctors are not in the business of helping their patients heal. Sure, if you have a broken bone, deep wound, or youre having a baby, the hospital is the best option, but other than that, its like a death wish, for the short-and-long-term possibilities.

Western medicine is not about patient outcomes, unless those outcomes mean the patient is six feet underground. Hospital protocol follows the most dangerous, experimental priorities first, and the most expensive ones too. Using addictive drugs, prescriptions that cause lots of horrific side effects, and vaccines that contain neurotoxins and spike proteins that ruin your health, doctors ensure return visits from their patients by keeping them sick, confused, and locked into the sick care system.

Thats why people who take prescription drugs and vaccines are the sickest people on planet earth, and they remain that way until their early passing. Its unfortunate, and most of them will not listen to one ounce of advice from natural health advocates who know better.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Simone? (@simone.gisondi)

Tune your internet dial to NaturalMedicine.news for more tips on how to use natural remedies for preventative medicine and for healing, instead of succumbing to toxic Big Pharma products, like addictive drugs and dirty vaccines, that cause, spread, and exacerbate disease and disorder.

Sources for this article include:

Instagram.com

NaturalMedicine.news
Ohio Senate passes bill that seeks to outlaw criticism of Israel

The Ohio Senate passed Bill 297, which incorporates the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism into Ohio state law.

The bill expands the offense of "ethnic intimidation" to include acts of riot and aggravated riot based on race, color, religion or national origin.

The bill includes the IHRA's definition of anti-Semitism as "a certain perception of Jews, expressed as hatred, targeting Jewish or non-Jewish individuals, property or institutions."

The legislation sparked debate over free speech protections, with Democrats like Sen. Paula Hicks Hudson raising concerns about criminalizing free speech and Rep. Matt Gaetz suggesting it could criminalize the Gospel.

GOP senators, including Bill sponsor Sen. Terry Johnson, argue that the bill is not meant to be used as an attack on free speech and that criticism of Israel is acceptable.

The Ohio Senate has passed a bill that would incorporate the definition of anti-Semitism into Ohio state law.

Bill 297, which received a vote of 27 to 4 in favor on Dec. 18, incorporates the definition of anti-Semitism established by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) into Ohio state law. This move follows an executive order from Gov. Mike DeWine in 2022, which encouraged state agencies, including higher education institutions, to use the IHRA definition as a guide for investigations. (Related: Newly proposed law would strip non-profit status from all organizations across America that criticize Israel.)

According to the IHRA definition, anti-Semitism is "a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities."

The bill would also expand the criminal offense of "ethnic intimidation" to include acts of riot and aggravated riot committed based on race, color, religion or national origin.

If passed, Ohio would become one of several states to formally adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism into its state law.

Rep. Matt Gaetz: Bill 297 would criminalize the Gospel itself

Ohio State Sen. Paula Hicks Hudson (D-11), one of four senators to vote against the bill, expressed concerns about the potential ramifications of the law. "When we look at the language of this bill, and we look at how it comes down to what the law should and should not do, what we are doing is criminalizing free speech," Hicks Hudson said. "We are not coming up with an answer by doing this."

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who previously criticized the "Antisemitism Awareness Act," echoed a similar statement. Gaetz highlighted the potential consequences of adopting the IHRA's definition of antisemitism. He argued in his social media post that this definition would criminalize the Gospel itself.

"Antisemitism is wrong, but this legislation is written without regard for the Constitution, common sense or even the common understanding of the meaning of words. The Gospel itself would meet the definition of antisemitism under the terms of this bill!" Gaetz posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. But shortly after, Gaetz deleted his tweet due to the controversy it caused during his nomination for attorney general.

The bipartisan push for this legislation has sparked debates over the balance between protecting marginalized communities and safeguarding free speech. Some argue that such bills are aimed at appeasing a foreign power, rather than addressing domestic concerns.

However, other state politicians including State Sen. Terry Johnson (R-14), the sponsor of the bill, countered that the bill is not an attack on free speech and wouldn't be used for criminal prosecutions. "I want to emphasize now that the state of Israel is not above criticism," Johnson stated.

Head over to Censorship.news for mire similar stories.

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Sources include:

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Putin is ready to negotiate a CEASEFIRE with Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared his willingness to negotiate a ceasefire with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, marking a potential shift in the approach to resolving the Ukraine conflict.

Putin's announcement came during a Q&A session and signals a possible historic shift, as he has previously been known for his unbending stance on Ukraine. His readiness to engage in dialogue is seen as a significant development.

Although Putin stated he is open to negotiations, he maintains Russia's forces are advancing on the battlefield, and his conditions for talks remain unclear. Ukraine faces internal pressure regarding any potential compromise.

The Ukraine crisis is one of the most significant conflicts in West-Russia relations since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Trump's meeting with Putin is viewed as a glimmer of hope for achieving a ceasefire but will require navigating complex diplomatic waters.

Trump is pushing Europe to play a more active role in resolving the conflict, including deploying troops to Ukraine to oversee a ceasefire. He also advocates using tariffs on China as leverage to pressure Russia into ending the conflict, making it a pivotal point in the ongoing peace negotiations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has thrown the international community a curveball by declaring his readiness to negotiate a ceasefire with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Putin, known for his unbending stance on Ukraine, has decided that compromise might be the path to ending the devastating conflict.

Putin's pronouncement came during his annual televised Q&A session, where he fielded questions from a reporter for a U.S. news channel. He made it clear that he's open to talks with Trump, whom he claimed he'd not spoken to in years. The Russian leader's willingness to engage in dialogue signals a potentially historic shift in the approach to resolving the Ukraine crisis. (Related: Putin signals readiness for peace talks with Trump but stresses unchanged demands for ending Ukraine conflict.)

"I am ready to meet with Donald Trump and find a way to end the war," Putin stated, his eyes flashing a mix of determination. "We have always said that we are ready for negotiations and compromises."

However, Putin still maintains that his forces are marching towards victory on the battlefield. He's painted a picture of a war where the Ukrainian fighters are slowly dwindling, leaving "no one left who wants to fight."

Trump, known for his dealmaking prowess, needs to be sharp as a tack to cut through Putin's rhetoric. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has got his work cut out too. Hes already facing internal pressure, with some politicians viewing any compromise akin to surrender.

Will Putin's "compromise" be enough to bring a ceasefire? The answer might lie in the fine print of the terms he's willing to accept. Putin claims Russia has no conditions to start talks with Ukraine and is willing to negotiate with Kyiv's legitimate authorities, but he's still holding the cards close to his chest.

The Russia-Ukraine war has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, making it the biggest crisis in relations between Moscow and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis. If Trump can navigate the waters of diplomacy and Putin's shifting allegiances, the end to the bloodshed is not far-fetched.

Trump wants Europe to oversee the ceasefire

Meanwhile, Trump has expressed his goal of ending the war but he is pressing Europe to take the lead in overseeing the ceasefire in Ukraine.

During a recent Paris meeting, Trump made his position crystal clear: Europe must step up or the conflict will rumble on.

At the heart of Trump's Ukraine plan is a simple yet revolutionary idea: Europe should deploy troops to Ukraine to oversee a ceasefire and deter Russian aggression. However, his vision of peace comes with a hefty price tag for the old continent.

During the meeting, Trump made his goals clear to Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership for Ukraine is definitely out of the picture, and the EU must shoulder the burden of peacekeeping.

Trump's plan would require Europe to dip into its deep pockets and commit significant military aid to Ukraine. His point was if they wanted peace, Europeans would have to pay for it.

Trump is also pushing Europe to leverage its economic clout with China. He's advocating for the use of tariffs on China as a bargaining chip to pressure Beijing into getting Russia to end the conflict. It's a bold gambit that could make or break the peace process.

Zelensky, a man on the front lines of this brutal conflict, would likely welcome any effort to end the war. But he's not about to relinquish his quest for NATO membership just yet. The Ukrainian leader has hinted at being open to negotiations with Russia, but only if it means securing a path to eventual NATO and EU membership for his country.

Head over to Trump.news for more similar stories.

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Sources include:

Reuters.com

EconomicTimes.IndiaTimes.com

WSJ.com

Brighteon.com
Neurologist: Stone Age brains of humans are not equipped to handle information overload from modern technology

Modern technology, particularly smartphones and streaming services, has significantly reduced human attention spans, with studies suggesting an average of just eight secondsless than a goldfish.

The human brain, largely unchanged since prehistoric times, is ill-equipped to process the overwhelming visual and sensory overload of modern screens.

Prolonged screen use has numerous detrimental effects, including cognitive decline, insomnia, eye strain, musculoskeletal pain, addictive behaviors and reduced physical activity.

Experts recommend limiting recreational screen time to less than two hours daily for adults, with additional time spent on non-screen activities. For children, excessive screen time can lead to sleep problems, lower academic performance and exposure to inappropriate content.

Practical strategies include turning off notifications, setting timers, avoiding phones in the bedroom and replacing screen time with physical activities or hobbies.

In the age of smartphones, streaming services and endless social media scrolling, its no secret that your attention span is often under siege. What once seemed like a harmless joke  that humans now have shorter attention spans than goldfish  has become a sobering reality backed by scientific research.

The culprit? Modern technology and the relentless bombardment of screen-based distractions.

Richard E. Cytowic, a neurologist and the author of "Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age: Coping with Digital Distraction and Sensory Overload," warned that the human brain, which has been largely unchanged since prehistoric times, is ill-equipped to handle the onslaught of digital stimuli humans face daily.

Stone Age brains were designed to process the natural world  sights, sounds and tastes  not the constant barrage of notifications, videos, and information that define modern life.

This mismatch between ancient biology and modern technology is wreaking havoc on the average human's ability to focus.

The human brain operates within strict energy constraints. It's like a computer with limited processing power and battery life.

When you're bombarded with too much information or too many distractions, the brain becomes overloaded, leading to stress. Stress, in turn, triggers distraction, which often results in errors or poor decision-making. This vicious cycle is at the heart of the attention span crisis.

Cytowic explained that the brain is wired to prioritize vision over other senses. However, with eye-to-brain connections outnumbering ear-to-brain connections by a factor of three, it's no wonder that screens  with their vivid colors, moving images and endless content  dominate human attention.

Smartphones, in particular, are designed to exploit this evolutionary quirk, making them irresistible to Stone Age brains.

Information overload: A modern epidemic

The concept of "information overload" isnt new. In 1970, futurist Alvin Toffler warned in his book "Future Shock" that humans would become increasingly dependent on technology, unable to cope with the sheer volume of information they encountered.

Fast forward to today, and his predictions have come true.

Americans now consume five times as much information daily as they did just 25 years ago. Even digital nativesor people born into a world of technologycomplain about the stress and distraction caused by their devices.

Visual overload is the primary culprit. Unlike sound, which requires time to process, visual information is processed almost instantaneously.

This means that screens can deliver a constant stream of stimuli, leaving little room for the brain to rest or focus.

The result? A society thats increasingly unable to sustain attention on anything for more than a few seconds.

Studies suggest that attention spans have plummeted to an average of eight secondsless than that of a goldfish. While this statistic is often debated, the broader trend is undeniable: Humans are losing their ability to focus.

Research by Gloria Mark at the University of California, Irvine, found that people now switch between tasks every 47 seconds, down from 150 seconds in 2004. This constant switching, or "attention leaking," is akin to having a gas tank thats constantly losing fuel.

Neuroscientists distinguish between different types of attention: Sustained, selective and alternating. Sustained attention allows you to focus on a single task for an extended period, while selective attention helps you filter out distractions.

Alternating attention enables you to switch between tasks. Unfortunately, modern life demands all three types of attention simultaneously, pushing your brain to its limits. The result is a decline in focus, memory lapses and reduced cognitive performance.

Negative effects of too much screen time

The consequences of excessive screen time go far beyond a shrinking attention span.

Here are some of the most concerning effects of too much screen time:

Cognitive decline

Studies have linked excessive screen time to problems with brain function, including impaired memory and reduced cognitive performance.

Insomnia and poor sleep quality

The blue light emitted by screens disrupts the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. Combined with the constant input of information throughout the day, and its no wonder that many people struggle to unwind at night because of insomnia or poor sleep habits.

Eye strain and headaches

Prolonged screen use can cause eye fatigue, blurred vision and headaches. The glare and brightness of screens only exacerbate these issues.

Musculoskeletal pain

Sitting for hours in front of a computer or holding a phone in a hunched position can strain the neck, shoulders and back, leading to chronic pain.

Addictive behaviors

Smartphones and social media are designed to be addictive, triggering cravings and withdrawal symptoms when users are unable to access them. This can lead to compulsive behaviors that interfere with daily life.

Reduced physical activity

Time spent on screens is time taken away from physical activity. A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of obesity and other health problems.

Tips for reducing screen time

While theres no universal guideline for how much screen time is "healthy," experts generally agree that adults should limit recreational screen time to less than two hours per day. Any additional time should be spent engaging in physical activity or other non-screen-based hobbies.

For children, the stakes are even higher. On average, kids aged eight to 12 spend four to six hours a day on screens, while teens spend up to nine hours.

Excessive screen time can lead to sleep problems, lower grades and a host of other issues, including exposure to inappropriate content and cyberbullying. (Related: Less drama and fewer distractions: Minnesota middle school students happier after smartphone ban.)

Reducing screen time isn't easy, especially if you're on your phone or computer a lot, but its essential for maintaining mental and physical health.

Here are some practical tips on how to reduce screen time:

Turn off notifications

There's a reason your brain is always on alert the minute the notification sound on your phone goes off.

Notifications are designed to grab your attention, often leading to unnecessary screen time. Disable them to create a more peaceful environment.

Set timers

Use a timer to limit your screen time. When the timer goes off, put down your device and engage in an activity that doesnt involve a screen.

Don't keep your phone in your bedroom

Avoid scrolling before bed or first thing in the morning. Use an alarm clock instead of your phone to wake up.

Encourage non-screen activities

Replace screen time with physical activity, reading or hobbies that don't involve technology.

Visit FutureTech.news for more stories like this.

Watch this clip on how Australia is set to become the first country in the world to ban social media for children under 16.

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SURVEY: Majority of American teenagers feel happy and peaceful without smartphones.

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Sources include:

LiveScience.com

ReidHealth.org

AACAP.org

Brighteon.com
Arkansas takes a bold stand against Pharmas deadly deceit, holds pharma executives criminally liable for concealing risks with COVID-19 vaccines

Arkansas lawmakers propose legislation to hold pharmaceutical executives criminally liable for vaccine injuries if they concealed risks.

The bill aims to bypass federal liability shields, targeting executives for felony charges and prison sentences.

Advocates argue the legislation is a crucial step toward accountability for the millions injured or killed by COVID-19 vaccines.

Critics warn of legal challenges and the need for broader financial penalties for vaccine harm.

A long overdue reckoning for Pharma's deadly deceit

For too long, the pharmaceutical industry has operated under a veil of immunity, shielded from accountability for the devastating harm caused by their products. The COVID-19 vaccines, rushed to market with minimal safety testing, have left a trail of devastation in their wakemillions injured, countless lives lost, and a public health system that turned a blind eye to the carnage. Now, Arkansas lawmakers are taking a bold step toward justice, introducing legislation that could hold pharmaceutical executives criminally liable for knowingly concealing risks associated with vaccines.

Senate Bill 6, introduced by Republican State Sen. Bryan King, would make it a felony for executives to "knowingly hide, conceal, omit, or otherwise withhold evidence, documentation, or information that the vaccine has dangerous effects." If convicted, these executives could face prison sentences ranging from one year to life. The bill is a direct challenge to the federal liability shields that have protected vaccine manufacturers for decades, allowing them to operate with impunity while ordinary citizens bear the brunt of their negligence.

This legislation is not just about Arkansasits a national call to action. The COVID-19 vaccines were marketed as a savior, yet they failed to deliver on their promises. Instead, they unleashed a wave of injuries and deaths that public health authorities have consistently downplayed or ignored. From heart inflammation to neurological disorders, the list of vaccine-related harms is long and growing. Yet, those responsible have faced no consequences, protected by a legal framework that prioritizes corporate profits over human lives.

A glimmer of hope for the injured and the sacrificed

For the millions of Americans who have suffered vaccine injuries or lost loved ones, this legislation represents a glimmer of hope. Its a recognition that the current system has failed themthat the federal governments blanket immunity for vaccine manufacturers has allowed a culture of secrecy and deceit to flourish. The proposed bill is not perfect; critics argue it is vague in its definitions and lacks provisions for financial penalties. However, it is a crucial first step toward accountability, one that could pave the way for broader reforms.

The discovery process in such cases would be nothing short of explosive. Imagine the revelations that could emerge if these cases make it to courtevidence of what pharmaceutical executives and government regulators knew about the risks of these vaccines, and when they knew it. The public deserves answers, and the victims deserve justice. This legislation is a step toward ensuring that those answers are uncovered and that justice is served.

Yet, the road ahead is fraught with challenges. Federal laws like the PREP Act and the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act provide robust protections for vaccine manufacturers, and it remains to be seen whether Arkansass legislation can withstand legal scrutiny. But if successful, this bill could inspire other states to follow suit, creating a groundswell of momentum for nationwide accountability.

Arkansass proposed legislation is a bold and necessary step toward justice, but it is only the beginning. The public deserves transparency, the victims deserve justice, and the pharmaceutical industry deserves to face the consequences of their actions.

Sources include:

OpenVAERS.com

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

ARKLeg.state.ar.us [PDF]
Congress passes slimmed-down funding bill  a VICTORY for Trump and Musk

The U.S. Congress passed a pared-down funding bill to keep the government running until March 2025, reducing it from 1,547 to 118 pages at the urging of President-elect Trump and Elon Musk.

The bill passed with narrow margins, receiving 85 votes in the Senate and 366 in the House of Representatives, with 34 representatives voting against it.

Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated the bill as a "necessary step" leading to a unified Republican government, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries saw it as a "pivot point" for cooperation.

The bill removed controversial provisions, such as a four percent raise for members of Congress and potential State Department censorship, but did not abolish the federal debt ceiling as Trump had requested.

The political landscape remains complex, with potential future debates over the debt ceiling and a continued push for a smaller, leaner government by Trump, Musk and their allies.

The U.S. Congress managed to thread the needle on a pared-down funding bill that will keep the government running until March 2025.

The original bloated spending package, which stretched an eye-watering 1,547 pages, was slashed down to just 118 pages after President-elect Donald Trump and his tech visionary colleague Elon Musk called for reform. (Related: DOGE faces monumental task as U.S. budget deficit SOARS TO RECORD HIGH going into 2025.)

At midnight on Friday, Dec. 20, the Senate narrowly passed the bill, with only 85 out of 100 senators voting in favor. This was followed by a resounding 366-34 vote in the House of Representatives, with 34 fiscal hawks showing their disapproval.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) celebrated the victory, hailing it as a "necessary step to bridge the gap" ahead of Trump's return to the White House next month.

"This is America First legislation because it allows us to be set up to deliver for the American people," he declared, pointing to the upcoming "sea change" in Washington under a unified Republican government.

But the story doesn't end with joyous bipartisan celebration. The original behemoth bill was a behemoth for a reason: it was stuffed with everything from online censorship initiatives to distributing millions to inspect molasses at U.S. ports. Trump and Musk, ever the champions of efficiency, were quick to push back.

"We did what was necessary to get down to the bare essentials," Musk tweeted, adding that the ball was now in the Democrats' court. The compromise bill also managed to excise some of the more eyebrow-raising provisions, like a four percent raise for members of Congress and the potential censorship arm at the Department of State.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the House Minority Leader, called the final bill"a "pivot point," marking a new era of cooperation. However, Jeffries also made it clear that the Democratic Party would not be cowed.

"We wanted to make sure that the federal debt ceiling remained intact," he said, pointing out that it was a critical part of preventing future crises.

Abolishing debt ceiling was not included in the final draft

While the bill succeeded in passing, it's clear that the battle lines are far from settled.

Trump's request to abolish the federal debt ceiling was notably absent from the final package, despite his impassioned calls for its removal.

"Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous debt ceiling," Trump railed on Truth Social, adding that the pressure was squarely on whoever would be president.

Meanwhile, sources familiar with the negotiations claim that House GOP leadership has agreed to raise the debt limit in the next Congress by $1.5 trillion via budget reconciliation. This move would bypass the usual 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate, signaling the Republican Party's continued commitment to fiscal restraint.

As the dust settles, it's clear that the new political landscape will be defined by a complex dance between the White House, Congress and other advocates like Musk.

The coming weeks and months will likely see more of the same drama, as Trump, Musk and their allies continue to push for a smaller, leaner and more efficient government.

As the bill heads to outgoing President Joe Biden's desk for signing, one thing is certain: the political waters are roiling, and the question of who will come out on top in this new era of governance remains as murky as ever.

Trump.news has more stories about Trump's incoming spending policies.

Watch the video below where Sen. Tommy Tuberville says "MAGA has taken over" in relation to the House passing the trimmed-down spending bill.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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FTCs junk fee ban: A step toward transparency or regulatory overreach?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) passed a bipartisan Junk Fees Rule in a 4-1 vote to combat hidden fees in live-event ticketing and short-term lodging industries, requiring businesses to disclose total prices upfront, including mandatory fees.

The rule aims to save consumers up to 53 million hours annually and an estimated $11 billion over the next decade by eliminating the need to search for true costs, enhancing price transparency, and leveling the competitive playing field.

Some industry stakeholders and conservative critics argue the rule may reduce business flexibility and set a concerning regulatory precedent, with Republican FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson dissenting, expressing concerns about enforcement under a potential Trump administration.

The rule faces uncertainty over its future under a potential Trump administration, and while the House passed the TICKET Act to address ticket fees, the Senate has yet to act, indicating ongoing legislative and regulatory efforts to improve price transparency.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken a significant step toward addressing hidden fees in the live-event ticketing and short-term lodging industries with the announcement of its final Junk Fees Rule. The bipartisan rule, approved in a 4-1 vote, aims to combat deceptive pricing practices that have long frustrated consumers by requiring businesses to disclose the total price upfront, including all mandatory fees. While the move has been praised by consumer advocates and the Biden administration as a victory for transparency, it has also sparked debate among industry stakeholders and conservative critics, who argue it may stifle business flexibility and set a troubling regulatory precedent.

The FTCs Junk Fees Rule targets practices such as bait-and-switch pricing, where companies advertise a low base price but bury additional fees  such as resort, convenience or service fees  until the final stages of a transaction. These hidden fees, according to FTC Chair Lina M. Khan, have cost consumers billions of dollars and wasted millions of hours as they scramble to understand the true cost of their purchases. The rule mandates that businesses clearly and conspicuously disclose the total price, including all mandatory fees, in their advertising and pricing information. It also requires that the total price be displayed more prominently than other pricing details, ensuring consumers know the full cost upfront.

The FTC estimates that the rule will save consumers up to 53 million hours annually in wasted time spent searching for the true price of tickets and lodging. Over the next decade, this time savings is projected to translate to more than $11 billion in consumer benefits. The rule does not prohibit businesses from charging fees or limit the amount of those fees, but it does require transparency. This approach aims to level the competitive playing field, making it easier for consumers to compare prices and ultimately saving them money.

Bad for business?

While the rule enjoys broad support from consumer advocates and the Biden administration, it has faced criticism from some industry stakeholders and conservative voices. Republican FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson dissented from the ruling, arguing that the Commission should focus on routine law enforcement rather than imposing new regulations during the waning days of the Biden administration. Ferguson, who has been tapped by President-elect Trump to replace Khan as FTC chair, expressed concern that the rule would not take effect until after Trumps inauguration, leaving it to the incoming administration to enforce or potentially withdraw. He warned that the precedent set by the rule could influence future regulatory decisions, stating, The precedent set today is unfortunate, but it is certainly a precedent by which future Commission majorities will abide.

President Biden, however, applauded the FTCs decision, emphasizing the impact of hidden fees on American consumers. We all know the experience of encountering a hidden fee at the very last stage of checkout, Biden said. These junk fees sneak onto your bill and companies end up making you pay more because they can. Those fees add up, taking real money out of the pockets of Americans. The administration has made combating junk fees a priority, with similar efforts underway in other sectors, such as credit card late fees and airline charges.

The FTCs rulemaking process was extensive, with the agency receiving over 60,000 comments from consumers and stakeholders following the proposed rule in October 2023. The final rule reflects the agencys commitment to addressing widespread concerns about deceptive pricing practices. However, the broader debate over junk fees extends beyond the FTCs jurisdiction. In Congress, the House passed the TICKET Act earlier this year, which would require ticket sellers to disclose the all-in cost of tickets, including fees. The bill has yet to be voted on in the Senate, highlighting the ongoing legislative efforts to address price transparency in the ticketing industry.

Transparency is a good thing

As the Junk Fees Rule moves toward implementation, its impact on both consumers and businesses remains to be seen. Proponents argue that it will empower consumers with the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions, while critics worry that it could impose unnecessary burdens on businesses and stifle innovation. The rules fate under a potential Trump administration also looms large, with the incoming administration having the option to withdraw or revise the regulation.

In the meantime, the FTCs Junk Fees Rule represents a significant milestone in the fight against deceptive pricing practices. Whether it proves to be a lasting victory for consumers or a temporary setback for businesses, the debate over transparency and regulation in the marketplace is far from over.

Sources include:

FTC.gov

TheHill.com

NBCNews.com
Hypersonic threat: Houthi missile overwhelms Israels defense, raising alarms across the region

Houthi Hypersonic Missile Attack on Tel Aviv : Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a hypersonic missile, "Palestine 2," striking the Tel Aviv area and injuring 16 civilians, marking a significant escalation in regional tensions.

: Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a hypersonic missile, "Palestine 2," striking the Tel Aviv area and injuring 16 civilians, marking a significant escalation in regional tensions. Iron Dome Defense Failure : The attack demonstrated the Houthi's ability to penetrate Israel's Iron Dome system, highlighting the challenges posed by hypersonic weapons, which can travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5 and evade traditional defenses.

: The attack demonstrated the Houthi's ability to penetrate Israel's Iron Dome system, highlighting the challenges posed by hypersonic weapons, which can travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5 and evade traditional defenses. Regional Alignment and Retaliation : The Houthi strike followed Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, killing 25, and was praised by Hamas, signaling growing alignment among Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah and the Houthis against Israel.

: The Houthi strike followed Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, killing 25, and was praised by Hamas, signaling growing alignment among Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah and the Houthis against Israel. Humanitarian and Security Crisis : The conflict has escalated with over 45,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, Israeli operations expanding to Lebanon, and Houthi attacks targeting Israeli allies in the Red Sea, raising fears of a broader regional war.

: The conflict has escalated with over 45,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, Israeli operations expanding to Lebanon, and Houthi attacks targeting Israeli allies in the Red Sea, raising fears of a broader regional war. Implications of Hypersonic Technology: The use of hypersonic missiles by non-state actors like the Houthis raises concerns about the future of warfare and potential destabilization in the Middle East, with questions looming about the possibility of a larger conflict.

In a dramatic escalation of regional tensions, Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a hypersonic missile that struck the Tel Aviv area early Saturday morning, leaving sixteen civilians lightly injured and sparking widespread concern over the growing threat posed by advanced weaponry. This marks the second such attack in days, as the Iranian-backed Houthis continue to demonstrate their ability to penetrate Israel's vaunted Iron Dome defense system.

The missile, dubbed "Palestine 2," targeted a military site in the Jaffa region, according to Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree. In a statement, Saree claimed the missile struck its target with precision, rendering Israel's interception systems ineffective. The attack, he said, was part of the "promised conquest and holy jihad," and a response to Israeli military actions in Gaza and Yemen.

Footage circulating on social media showed the missile evading Iron Dome interceptions, both above and below the atmosphere. Israeli authorities confirmed that the missile's remnants caused significant property damage and injured civilians, primarily from shattered glass. Emergency services treated sixteen individuals for minor injuries and seven others for anxiety-related symptoms.

The Houthi strike comes on the heels of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza that killed at least 25 people on Friday, raising the possibility that the missile attack was a retaliatory measure. This week alone, the Houthis have launched multiple hypersonic missiles targeting Israeli military sites, signaling a new phase in the ongoing conflict.

Next gen weapons are a game changer

The use of hypersonic technology has profound implications for regional security. As Elon Musk noted on X last month, "Future wars are all about drones & hypersonic missiles." The inability of Israel's Iron Dome to intercept the Houthi missile underscores the challenges posed by these ultra-fast, maneuverable weapons, which can travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5 and evade traditional defense systems.

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, praised the Houthi attack, calling it a "genuine stance" in support of the Palestinian cause. The statement highlighted the growing alignment between Iran-backed groups across the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. This coalition has intensified its attacks on Israel since the conflict in Gaza escalated in October 2023.

The humanitarian toll of the conflict continues to rise, with over 45,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since the war began. Israeli operations have expanded to Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah forces, while the Houthis have also targeted Israeli allies in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The widening scope of the conflict has drawn in multiple actors, raising fears of a broader regional war.

Israeli officials are now grappling with the implications of these developments. The failure to intercept the Houthi missile has raised questions about the effectiveness of Israel's air defense systems against advanced threats like hypersonic weapons. The Israel Air Force is reportedly investigating the incident, with experts examining missile remnants to determine their origin and capabilities.

The attack on Tel Aviv, a city rarely targeted directly, underscores the vulnerability of Israel's commercial and diplomatic center. The use of hypersonic missiles by the Houthis marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict, posing a new and formidable challenge to Israel's security infrastructure.

As tensions continue to escalate, the international community is left to ponder the implications of these developments. The use of hypersonic technology by non-state actors like the Houthis raises alarming questions about the future of warfare and the potential for further destabilization in the Middle East. The question of whether "World War III is already here" looms large, as the region teeters on the brink of a broader, more dangerous conflict.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

JPost.com

BusinessTimes.com
Mexican President Sheinbaum relents, now ready to receive Mexican nationals deported by Trump

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced her government's new willingness to accept Mexican nationals deported by President-elect Donald Trump.

The Mexican government is committed to working with internal authorities to manage deportations and has emphasized the responsibility it has to the welfare of its citizens.

Mexico continues to refuse to be a "safe third country" for deportees from other nations.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry is preparing to strengthen consular support and legal aid for Mexicans facing deportation.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced that her government is prepared to accept Mexican nationals deported from the United States by President-elect Donald Trump's mass deportation policies.

This decision comes as Trump plans to initiate one of the largest immigration enforcement operations in U.S. history, reminiscent of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1954 campaign.

In a statement released by the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) on Thursday, Dec. 19, the Sheinbaum government affirmed its commitment to work with federal, state and local authorities to manage potential mass deportations. The statement emphasized the Mexican State's "responsibility and obligation" to its citizens, ensuring they would be received "in the manner they deserve" during these challenges.

The announcement follows Trump's threats to impose economically crippling tariffs on all imports from Mexico, starting with a tariff of 25 percent, unless the country halts the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl and illegal immigrants into the United States.

In recent weeks, Sheinbaum has engaged in multiple discussions with Trump, reportedly pledging to halt illegal immigrant caravans from Central and South America as they attempt to cross Mexico toward the U.S. border.

Mexico aims to demonstrate progress in stopping migrant caravans and reducing border crossings, as well as increasing fentanyl seizures, in hopes of mitigating Trump's tariff threats. (Related: THANK YOU, TRUMP: Amid U.S. pressure, Mexican officials dissolved 2 migrant caravans headed for the southern border.)

Mexico still refusing to accept deported migrants from other nations

While Sheinbaum has relented, the SRE has clarified that it will only receive its own nationals and will not act as a "safe third country" for migrants from other nations.

This position mirrors Mexico's stance during Trumps first term when then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador rejected an agreement requiring Central American migrants to file asylum claims in Mexico rather than the United States.

Trump's transition team has been in contact with the governments of Mexico and El Salvador through informal channels to discuss the potential repatriation of millions of illegal immigrants. Detailed conversations have taken place, sometimes involving business representatives, to establish broad understandings that would allow for immediate deportation efforts after Trump's inauguration.

Meanwhile, Mexico is preparing for the possibility of being forced to receive thousands of migrants through Trump's mass deportations. Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramon de la Fuente, a close ally of Sheinbaum, has traveled to the U.S. multiple times in recent weeks to fill vacant positions in Mexico's 22 consulates-general and 31 consulates in the country.

De la Fuente has also been working with Sheinbaum to develop a strategy for providing legal and consular support for Mexican citizens who may face deportation. De la Fuente is working on a legal defense strategy for Mexicans in the U.S., as well as streamlining procedures and digitizing documents that may be required in the event of deportations.

Watch this video discussing Trump's plan to impose tariffs on Mexico if it refuses to cooperate with his mass deportation plans.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Missouri's radical plan: Citizens to get $1,000 bounty for REPORTING ILLEGALS.

San Diego County Sheriff refuses to comply with attempts to turn the county into a sanctuary for illegals.

Illegal immigrants self-deporting ahead of Trump's return to the White House.

Trump claims he's already solved the border crisis after talking to Mexican president.

Trump announces tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China over their roles in border and drug crises.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

Bloomberg.com

Brighteon.com
Congress report highlights how the federal government is weaponizing the development of AI for CENSORSHIP

A report warns that the federal government is pushing for AI development to aid in the suppression of content on the internet.

The report highlights government initiatives, aimed at developing AI tools for censorship, often disguised as combating "misinformation."

The committee calls for a ban on government funding for censorship-related AI research and collaboration with foreign entities on AI regulation that leads to censorship.

Private sector AI firm are now aligning with government demands for AI development, including using AI for cybersecurity and intelligence operations.

The recently released report by the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government reveals that the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris has been attempting to mold artificial intelligence development to power more effective censorship of online content.

In recent years, the U.S. and other international entities like Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union have been treating emerging AI technology as a threat. But the subcommittee's report indicates that the real issue lies not with AI but with government efforts to use it to better suppress free speech on the internet.

The report, titled "Censorship's Next Frontier: The Federal Government's Attempt to Control Artificial Intelligence to Suppress Free Speech," highlights the alarming trend of governments and third parties funding, developing and deploying AI to control online discourse. This push to weaponize AI for censorship has raised serious concerns about the future of free speech and digital freedoms. (Related: Ex-Google CEO warns that AI poses an imminent existential threat.)

The report argues that the primary reason for the alarm over AI's role in spreading "disinformation" is the government's push to harness this technology for censorship. According to the committee, the Biden-Harris administration has been particularly aggressive in pressuring AI developers to incorporate censorship features into their models.

The report points out that instead of addressing the underlying issues of misinformation, the government is more focused on building tools that can quickly and efficiently censor content. This approach, the committee argues, risks stifling free speech and muzzling dissenting voices online.

According to the report, the government has made several direct moves to regulate AI development and use it for its political advantage.

For instance, the National Science Foundation has issued grants aimed at developing AI tools to "combat misinformation." However, the committee warns that such moves are often thinly veiled attempts to control online discourse in ways that align with the current administration's agenda.

The report emphasizes that the government must refrain from influencing private algorithm and dataset decisions related to "misinformation" or "bias." It also calls for a ban on government funding for censorship-related research and collaboration with foreign entities on AI regulation that leads to censorship.

Private sector aligning with government goals for AI development

One of the key developments highlighted in the report is the recent appointment of retired U.S. Army Gen. Paul Nakasone to the board of directors of OpenAI. Nakasone is known for his previous role as the head of the Department of Defense's Cyber Command and his expertise in cybersecurity and intelligence operations.

Nakasone will now be advising OpenAI on safety and security, and his appointment is seen as a potential shift in the company's priorities towards aligning with government and military-industrial interests.

The report notes that this move is part of a broader trend where tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have increasingly aligned themselves with government and military agendas under the guise of "security." As a result, companies that once promised to democratize information have become tools for surveillance and control.

The report warns that advanced AI systems, originally developed for defensive purposes, could evolve into tools for mass surveillance. This could include monitoring citizens' online activities, communications, and even predicting behaviors under the pretext of combating terrorism and cyber threats.

With AI now being designed to analyze vast amounts of data, the potential for these tools to shape public discourse is real. Critics argue that these developments could lead to a chilling effect on free speech, where people are hesitant to express their opinions for fear of being labeled as "misinformation" or "disinformation."

In the report, the Select Subcommittee emphasizes that if allowed to develop freely, AI could expand Americans' capacity to create knowledge and express themselves. However, the current trajectory suggests that AI may be distorted to serve the interests of those in power, rather than to enhance individual freedoms.

Visit Censorship.news for more on government attempts to censor online speech.

Watch this episode of the "Health Ranger Report" as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses the potential developments in AI for 2025.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

OpenAI whistleblower who dissented against how the company trained ChatGPT found dead.

Surveillance AI detects for suicidal ideation at schools and sends police to students homes.

Joshua Hale on Decentralize TV: The importance of decentralized AI SYSTEMS.

Bill Gates wants AI algorithms to censor vaccine "misinformation" in real time.

Sources include:

ReclaimTheNet.com

Newsweek.com

Brighteon.com
U.S. airstrike on Syria kills ISIS leader Abu Yusif

U.S. airstrike kills ISIS leader Abu Yusif in Syria's Deir ez-Zor Governorate on Dec. 19, marking a key operation targeting resurgent ISIS forces.

CENTCOM emphasizes ongoing efforts to prevent ISIS resurgence, highlighting concerns over ISIS's desire to free its over 8,000 detained operatives in Syria.

U.S. troop presence in Syria doubled to approximately 2,000, including 900 core troops and 1,100 temporary rotational forces.

Increased airstrikes target ISIS in areas previously shielded by Syrian and Russian air defenses, with dozens conducted in recent weeks.

ISIS aims to reconstitute its caliphate, prompting aggressive U.S. military operations to disrupt its plans.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed that Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Yusif, also known as Mahmud, was killed in an airstrike conducted in Syria's Deir ez-Zor Governorate on Thursday, Dec. 19.

The operation marks the latest in a series of strikes targeting resurgent jihadist and ISIS forces who have taken advantage of the power vacuum left behind by the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and the transitional government in Damascus' slow-moving efforts to reestablish control over Syria's sparsely populated eastern regions, which includes Deir ez-Zor.

"On Dec. 19, U.S. Central Command Forces conducted a precision airstrike targeting ISIS leader Abu Yusif a.k.a. Mahmud in the Dayr az Zawr [Deir ez-Zor] Province, Syria resulting in two ISIS operatives killed, including Abu Yusif," wrote CENTCOM in its announcement. "This airstrike is part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies and our partners throughout the region and beyond."

According to CENTCOM, the airstrike was carried out in an area formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russian forces.

Army Gen. Michael Kurilla, CENTCOM's commander, emphasized the U.S. military's ongoing efforts to prevent the resurgence of ISIS in Syria, particularly amid the recent political changes in the country.

Kurilla highlighted concerns about ISIS's ambitions to free over 8,000 of its operatives currently detained in Syrian facilities, with most of them being detained in northeastern Syria in Rojava, a territory controlled by the U.S.-supported, Syrian Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which is being threatened by Turkish military operations. (Related: Sen. Lindsey Graham threatens sanctions against Turkey if it proceeds with military operations against Syrian Democratic Forces.)

"ISIS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria," said Kurilla. "We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria.

U.S. increasing military operations in Syria to prevent ISIS resurgence

CENTCOM expressed how ISIS and other affiliated jihadist groups in Syria who were previously shielded by Syrian and Russian air defenses are now being targeted by U.S. forces.

CENTCOM has conducted dozens of strikes in recent weeks, including a series of operations on Dec. 8, when opposition groups took control of Damascus. U.S. strikes targeted 75 ISIS targets in central Syria who were attempting to reconstitute the failed caliphate.

The latest airstrike follows the Pentagon's announcement that the U.S. troop presence in Syria has doubled this year.

Previously, the U.S. had maintained approximately 900 military personnel in the country as part of international efforts to combat ISIS. A recent statement by Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder revealed that there are now approximately 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria.

Ryder claims there have been around 2,000 troops in place for at least the past few months. He clarified that the increase includes 900 "core" troops on longer-term deployments to Syria and an additional 1,100 "temporary rotational forces" deployed to the country for shorter durations to meet operational requirements.

Watch this episode of "Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp" discussing America's anti-ISIS bombing campaign in Syria.

This video is from the AllTheWorldsAStage channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

U.S. to increase troop presence in Syria, meet with previously designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

European nations reestablish diplomatic relations with Syria following Assad's ousting.

The Great Wall of Europe: EU closes doors to Syrian aliens as jihadists take over Syria.

Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, once linked to al-Qaeda, now considered for DELISTING as terrorist group.

Biden bombs 75 "targets" in Syria, opening possibility ISIS uses Syria's massive chemical and biological weapons arsenal to wipe out U.S. food supply.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

NewArab.com

ForcesNews.com

ABCNews.go.com

Brighteon.com
New York police arrest man for setting subway rider on fire

Xinhua) 13:51, December 23, 2024

NEW YORK, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Police in New York City apprehended a man on Sunday for setting a female subway rider on fire.

The man walked toward the victim and set her on fire at around 7:30 am (1230 GMT) as an F train arrived at the last stop of Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station, according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch in a press conference.

The victim was pronounced dead after the flames were put out. The suspect remained at the scene and sat on a bench outside the train as the victim burned, said Tisch.

The arrest was made with tips from other subway riders later Sunday.

The names of both the suspect and the victim have not been released. The suspect emigrated from Guatemala to the United States in 2018, according to Joseph Gulotta, the chief of transit for the New York City Police Department.

Investigators do not believe the suspect and the victim knew each other, and the suspect's motivation is still under investigation.

The shocking crime captured widespread attention, highlighting the ongoing problems with crime in New York City's subway system.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
U.S. has more than doubled troops in Syria, hides expansion for years

U.S. military has more than doubled troop presence in Syria, increasing from 900 to about 2,000 troops.

The Pentagon has been hiding the true number of troops in Syria, raising questions about the government's intentions.

The surge in troops coincides with the ousting of President Assad, potentially leading to conflicts with Israel and Turkey.

The U.S. has a history of getting involved in conflicts with unclear objectives, often resulting in long-term commitments with no clear end in sight.

Analysts advocate for more transparency and a shift towards diplomatic solutions instead of military engagements in Syria and other volatile regions.

In a shocking revelation that's been kept under wraps for far too long, the U.S. military has more than doubled its troop presence in Syria, a move that's not only unsettling but raises serious questions about our government's intentions.

Department of Defense officials finally broke their silence on Thursday, Dec. 19, admitting that they've been harboring roughly 2,000 troops in Syria, far more than the 900 they've been peddling for years.

Analysts argue that what the Pentagon has done is not just a case of a simple miscalculation but a continuation of a pattern seen far too often: the U.S. wading into conflicts without a clear plan, hiding behind the false pretense of doing what's "necessary" and dragging itself further into trouble.

The U.S. has been playing a dangerous game in the Middle East, critics point out. With the recent ouster of President Assad in Syria, people thought that the U.S. government would be taking a step back, not pouring more troops into the region. Instead, the nation not only increased its presence but has done so under a shroud of secrecy, leaving allies and enemies alike guessing at its intentions. (Related: The new normal: U.S. shows unwavering support for Israel's aggression, including its Syrian incursion.)

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder tried to downplay the significance of the troop surge, claiming it's been there "for a while" and was never directly related to the chaos in Syria. This massive uptick in troops happened just as Assad was getting the boot, and any self-respecting military analyst would call that a red flag.

Ryder also tried to pass it off as "diplomatic considerations," however, the Pentagon has a long history of playing this undisclosed card. It's been a go-to tactic for covering up how many troops the U.S. really has in these hot zones.

For critics, one particularly alarming aspect of this revelation is the potential for these newly discovered troops to become embroiled in conflicts with Israel and Turkey, two countries that have been flexing their muscles inside Syria's borders.

Israel's air strikes against Assad's regime and Turkey's offensive against Kurdish forces  both of which have partnered with the U.S. in the fight against ISIS  have the potential to pull these troops into a multi-front nightmare.

Moreover, the U.S. has been playing a similar game in Afghanistan, only recently acknowledging the true number of troops deployed there. It's like the government has a bad case of the jitters whenever they have to come clean about military commitments in these sensitive regions.

Analysts hope Trump stops future military deployments

President-elect Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of U.S. involvement in Syria, and he's no doubt going to have a say in future troop deployments.

But this isn't about one man or even one administration. It's about a fundamental shift in how the U.S. approaches its military commitments abroad.

The world has seen this before: surge in troops, lose sight of the original objective, get sucked into a series of escalating conflicts, and end up with a long, drawn-out commitment with no clear end in sight.

Is another round of withdrawals and resignations likely, similar to what occurred when Trump attempted to pull troops out during his first term? Or will there finally be a genuine, honest conversation about the costs and benefits of the continued presence in Syria?

The U.S. has a long history of getting dragged into conflicts it has no business being involved in, often under the guise of stopping bad guys like ISIS. But this latest revelation in Syria is just another reminder that the nation needs to be far more cautious about where it sends the troops and how to manage the country's military engagements abroad.

Analysts insist that the U.S. needs to stop falling into this trap of joining Israel's multi-front wars and instead focus on a diplomatic solution that addresses the root causes of these conflicts. The country cannot continue to pour more troops into areas where there's no clear path to victory or where the battlefield keeps shifting and evolving.

Head over to Chaos.news for stories related to this.

Watch the video below that talks about the Israeli army saturating Syria with heavy equipment.

This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

RFK Jr. says Trump wants American troops out of northern Syria.

US hypocrisy reaches a new level: Israel's occupation of Syria is 'security,' Russia's moves in Ukraine are 'aggression.'

U.S. airstrikes in Syria kill 35 ISIS members amid worsening regional instability.

Biden bombs 75 "targets" in Syria, opening possibility ISIS uses Syria's massive chemical and biological weapons arsenal to wipe out U.S. food supply.

Sources include:

SCMP.com

TimesOfIsrael.com

Brighteon.com
A Flat Earth believer from California, Jeran Campanella, recently faced a challenging reality after traveling to Antarctica to observe the phenomenon of a 24-hour sun.

The journey, part of an experiment organized by Colorado pastor Will Duffy, aimed to debunk the Flat Earth theory by providing firsthand evidence of the Earth's spherical nature.

$37,000 Antarctic Trip Challenges Flat Earth Beliefs

Campanella, a prominent Flat Earther and YouTuber from Salinas, California, had long dismissed the existence of continuous daylight in Antarctica, a phenomenon observable during the Southern Hemisphere's summer.

Determined to verify his beliefs, he joined a group of Flat Earth and globe Earth proponents on a trip to Union Glacier, Antarctica.

The $37,000 venture involved traveling from California to Punta Arenas, Chile, before embarking on a flight to the icy continent, according to NDTV.

Upon arrival, the team set up cameras to monitor the sun's movement. Within hours, Campanella and others observed what they had previously denied: the sun remained visible for 24 consecutive hours.

This observation directly contradicted the Flat Earth model, which asserts that the sun must rise and set daily.

Acknowledging his error, Campanella admitted in a livestream from Antarctica: "Sometimes you are wrong in life. I thought there was no 24-hour sun. In fact, I was pretty sure of it."

While he conceded the existence of the phenomenon, he stopped short of abandoning all Flat Earth beliefs, saying, "The Azimuthal Equidistant map no longer works, but that doesn't mean I'm right about everything else."

Flat Earther Austin Whitsitt Also Faces Evidence

Another participant, Austin Whitsitt, also grappled with the implications of the evidence. He meticulously tracked the journey to ensure they were heading south and admitted the experience raised questions requiring reevaluation.

According to SFGate, despite witnessing the 24-hour sun, Whitsitt maintained that the observation was merely a "singular data point" and did not conclusively prove a spherical Earth.

The trip, dubbed "The Final Experiment," sought to challenge Flat Earthers with undeniable evidence.

For Duffy, the experiment was an effort to end the debate surrounding Earth's shape. However, the aftermath highlighted the resilience of deeply held beliefs, as some participants and their supporters resorted to accusations of deception.

Critics from the Flat Earth community have since targeted Campanella and Whitsitt, accusing them of faking the trip and betraying their cause. Both have defended their observations, emphasizing the importance of confronting evidence honestly.

While the experiment revealed cracks in the foundation of Flat Earth beliefs, it also underscored the complexities of changing deeply ingrained worldviews. For many, it served as a reminder of the power of firsthand experience  and the challenges of embracing inconvenient truths.
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Bhopal, Dec 22 : Madhya Pradesh received two Asiatic (Gir) lions -- one male and one female from Sakkarbaug Zoological Park in Gujarat's Junagadh on Saturday. The lion couple has been kept at Bhopal's Van Vihar.

Madhya Pradesh forest department said lions were brought from Junagarh's Zoological Park under the animal exchange programme between two neighbourhood states (MP and Gujarat).

The lion and lioness reached Bhopal's Van Vihar National after a travel of over 900 kilometres from Junagarh on Saturday evening, and they have been kept in quarantine for care and medical examination under the monitoring of veterinarians.

"The age of both the lions is about three years. They have been kept in quarantine for care and medical examination in Van Vihar. At present, there are two lions and three lionesses in Van Vihar National Park," MP forest department said.

After permission was received from the Central Zoo Authority under the exchange scheme, a nine-member team went to Junagadh Zoo with a tiger and tigress from Van Vihar National Park on December 17, official said.

Under the exchange of animals programme, Madhya Pradesh has provided two Bengal tigers from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) spread over three districts - Rewa, Shahdol and Umariya in the Vindhya region in the eastern part of the state.

"In exchange for the pair of lions, a tiger (Bandhavgarh-2) and tigress (Bandhani), both aged six years, have been given from Van Vihar National Park to Junagarh Zoo," the MP forest department said in a statement.

With having more than 785 out of a total 3, of 800 big cats across the country, Madhya Pradesh retained its tag of 'Tiger State' for the last few years, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India (NTCA).

Madhya Pradesh is renowned for its six existing tiger reserves: Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Pench, Sanjay Dubri, and Satpura. The Union Forest Department recently approved two more tiger reserves - Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhopal and Madhav National Park in Shivpuri district.
Ahmedabad, Dec 22 : US President-elect Donald Trump has reignited the national debate on illegal immigration, pledging that, on his first day of taking charge of the office, he would oversee the largest deportation operation in American history. This announcement comes as the Biden-Harris administration faces criticism over immigration policies, with over 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the US, 80 per cent of whom have been in the country for a decade or longer.

While the focus often centres on migrants from Latin America, a growing number of illegal immigrants are arriving from India -- specifically, the state of Gujarat. Despite heightened border security, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded 90,415 Indian nationals attempting to cross into the country illegally during FY 2024. Of these, nearly half were Gujaratis.

From October 2023 to September 2024, a total of 29 lakh illegal immigrants were apprehended at the US borders, including 43,764 Indians at the Canadian border, the highest on record. Since October 2020, nearly 1,70,000 Indian migrants have been detained at the US land borders, making them the largest group from outside the Western Hemisphere.

One of the most tragic cases tied to Gujarats illegal immigration network is the Dingucha case, an example of the perilous journeys migrants undertake.

On January 19, 2022, the Patel family from Dingucha -- a village in Gujarat -- froze to death during a blizzard while attempting to cross the US-Canada border into Minnesota. Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishali, and their children Vihangi and Dharmik had travelled to Toronto, Canada, on visitor visas before embarking on the dangerous trek.

Two men, Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Anthony Shand, are accused of orchestrating the smuggling operation. Patel, identified as the mastermind, and Shand, who was hired to drive migrants across the border, face charges of human trafficking, criminal conspiracy, and culpable homicide in Minnesota.

In January 2024, Gujarat Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against 14 so-called immigration agents accused of operating a fraudulent scheme to help individuals illegally migrate to the US with promises of job opportunities. The case, which may reveal the identity of the mastermind behind the racket, has led to the investigation of travel agents who charged hefty sums for their services.

The FIR, lodged by the Gujarat Police's Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Gandhinagar, followed the interrogation of 66 passengers aboard a Dubai-Nicaragua flight grounded in France. The Airbus A340, carrying 303 Indians, was stopped on December 21, 2023, on suspicion of human trafficking. The flight's disruption exposed a widespread immigration racket involving private companies and agents who facilitated illegal journeys to the US and Canada by routing travellers through Europe and South American countries. This multi-stop route, referred to as the "donkey route", involved creating fake documents and misleading paper trails to bypass immigration controls.

The attraction of the US for Gujaratis is significant. Gujaratis account for approximately 20 per cent of all Indians in America, with a high concentration in cities like Jersey City, New Jersey, and Edison, New York. Known as "Little Gujarat", these areas serve as cultural and economic hubs for the diaspora. Gujaratis also dominate the hospitality industry, owning 22,000 of the 53,000 hotels in the US.

The reasons for Gujaratis perilous journey are multifaceted. Experts share that in Gujarat, economic disparities and limited job opportunities drive many to seek better prospects abroad. The well-established Gujarati community in the US provides a strong support system, making the American Dream seem attainable.

However, migration is often orchestrated through illegal channels. Families pay hefty sums to traffickers, known as "agents", who promise safe passage through dangerous routes, often via Mexico or Canada. Tragically, some do not survive the journey, as highlighted by recent deaths at the US-Mexico border.

While Gujaratis in the US have built a reputation for hard work and entrepreneurship, illegal migration tarnishes the broader diasporas image and fuels political debates. Trumps promise of mass deportations could have implications for undocumented Gujaratis, many of whom have lived in the shadows for years.
Sydney, Dec 22 : Residents who have evacuated several towns in southeast Australia due to a major bushfire have been told they could be away from home for several weeks as the fire continues to grow.

Thousands of people in six towns in and around the Grampians National Park, approximately 230 kilometres west of Melbourne in the southeastern state of Victoria, were ordered to evacuate on Friday and Saturday as a bushfire in the park threatened homes and lives, reports Xinhua news agency.

The fire, which was sparked by lightning on Monday, tripled in size between Friday and Saturday as a result of high temperatures and strong winds.

As of Sunday morning, it had burned more than 34,000 hectares of land. Over 300 firefighters and water bombing aircraft were working to slow its spread.

Residents were told at meetings on Saturday that authorities expect the fire to continue burning for weeks.

Garry Cook, deputy chief officer from the Country Fire Authority, said that favourable conditions on Saturday night had allowed firefighters to extend control lines along the fire's northern edge.

However, he said strong winds forecast for Sunday would again put containment efforts under pressure.

"It's a big fire, there's a lot of unburnt fuel in the Grampians still, so it's quite a challenge for the days ahead," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius are forecast across Victoria from Christmas Day next Wednesday through to next Friday, posing a major fire threat.

In its seasonal bushfire outlook released in November, the National Council for Fire and Emergency Services identified Victoria's southwest, including the Grampians National Park, as one of the regions facing an increased summer bushfire risk.

It said at the time that the dry winter and spring period across southern Australia meant the landscape was primed for bushfires.

Cook said on Sunday that the area was very dry and that communities would likely have to deal with the threat of fires for the remainder of the summer.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : It is heartening to note that the Centre is actively engaged -- primarily through the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister -- in examining the matters that came in the way of an efficient public-oriented delivery by the government machinery.

A general definition of efficiency applicable to all situations is that it is a measure of productivity per unit of resource -- money, manpower or time. Consequently, any step that makes a process cost-effective without adversely impacting the output, will also add to its efficiency. Ease of doing business has rightly been made a testing ground for scrutinising the performance of those who manned the Ministries at decision-making levels. Bureaucratisation is being addressed by eliminating obscure and obsolete laws and rules, revising timelines for implementation and redefining accountability at different steps of the hierarchy.

There is so much to do in this regard and the government has to be complimented for launching the move. Finding ways and means of reforming governance is a task that had to be assigned to competent people with the needed experience and interest -- like those who hold responsible positions in highly empowered bodies like Niti Ayog and Economic Advisory Council and had an inside view of the governance. The traditional practice was to constitute an Administrative Reforms Commission which -- judging from the past -- used its autonomy only to take its own time in producing volumes of reports that were full of generalities. ARCs made few points of identified deficiencies and seldom spelt out practical ways of resolving them. The importance of both structure and process reforms has attracted greater notice ever since Donald Trump, President-elect in the US, announced that Elon Musk would oversee a Government Efficiency Commission to bring about improvement in the governance of the democratic state.

Three things have to happen in India for the governance to get an upgrade in terms of the service it provides to the people -- ensuring quick implementation of decisions made, putting in place built-in systemic checks against delays in delivery caused by inefficiency or neglect and taking effective measures to eradicate corruption. To set the right environ, it was necessary to discard laws and rules that had lost their relevance because they essentially catered to the colonial set-up or became totally redundant on account of the world shifting to a new age of communications and refinement of legal obligations. There was a need for a thorough review of the institutional entities within the government and autonomous bodies existing under the umbrella of the Centre, to judge their contemporary utility and purpose and make the required changes by way of closure, organisational restructuring and merger. Also, it is the acceleration of digitisation that has become the universal call for reform in governance -- especially needed by an advancing economic power like India. Fortunately, the present regime is making brisk progress in this direction. Online work -- with due regard to security -- has proved to be a great instrument of efficiency, cost-effectiveness brought about through saving time and manpower as a resource and operational learning for knowledge enhancement.

Participating in a media event recently, Sanjeev Sanyal member of the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister, highlighted the nuts & bolts reforms being carried out to make for efficient governance. He drew a line between structural and process reforms and explained how the latter were being prioritised -- ranging from discarding of many colonial-era laws like Labelling laws and the Weights and Measures Act to the winding up of defunct organisations that were allowed to keep going as autonomous bodies even when they served no purpose in particular. He stated that online processing of matters requiring clearance from multiple Ministries in a time-bound fashion was already adding to the ease of doing business.

The massive bureaucratisation in India has always been a challenge to the speedy delivery of project work and the attention being given by the Modi government to the much-needed reforms in governance would be deeply appreciated by informed citizens. The call for Digital India was timely indeed and it has already helped the forward march of the Indian economy in a highly competitive world and also ensured that India was able to function as a welfare state as well because of direct transfer of monetary assistance to the needy. Digitisation will help to actualise the concept of minimum government maximum governance which implies that we must move towards a slim bureaucracy where the empowerment and accountability of each member of the administrative hierarchy would be clearly defined.

At the macro level the idea of process reforms looks great and hopefully the results will start showing up, soon enough. The objective of reforms is to make bureaucracy people-oriented, less corruptible and performance-driven -- this will require a strong system of supervision in which any serious failure or dereliction of duty at any level is to an extent blamed on the immediate supervisor too. This should apply right up to the top of the hierarchy. There was earlier a noticeable trend of senior officers of All India Civil Services -- who largely head the administrative machinery in the Centres Ministries and in the States -- shirking from making crucial decisions and developing an unhealthy dependence on their political masters in this regard. The tendency to wait for a nod from the above passes down the line with the result that the wisdom accruing from an objective examination of the pros and cons of a project is denied to the decision-makers. Political executive changes now and then but the bureaucracy is there all the time and it is expected to do what was in the best interests of the democratic nation.

In the Indian context, the political executive at the Centre does not bring its own administrative heads to assume power -- unlike what happens in the US -- and this allows for a distinction to be made between those who run the regime and those who take care of the machinery of the government for implementing policies framed by the former. Process reforms therefore need not be impeded by the political complexion of the ruling dispensation -- in reality though, politics did influence bureaucracy in setting the direction of reforms and fixing priorities. In the Modi regime, the initiative for reforms that made the governance service-oriented has come from the Prime Minister himself.

There is no gainsaying the fact that in a democracy the non-elected bureaucracy can often decide the fate of the elected leadership as people might evaluate the latter on the basis of what the administration brought to their table. Policies may have been framed with the best of intentions but it is the manner of their execution that would attract or disappoint the people affected by them. Good governance, therefore, entails a role for the political executive in ensuring that its decisions are promptly and correctly implemented.

It has to be mentioned that while ease of doing business was guaranteed by the government of the day, the success of a corporate body in the highly competitive world of our times, depended a great deal also on its capacity to see the opportunities and risks lying ahead in the concerned areas. These would be indicated by business intelligence and that is the reason why leading businesses invest in processing all information of intelligence value available within and outside of the organisation. Also, citizens of a democratic state must have an idea of what threats -- external or internal -- faced the nation and they should be willing to contribute their mite to the handling of the same. This will happen provided the style of governance of the existing regime convinced them that the latter was totally committed to the safeguarding of national interests in all spheres. In this backdrop, a well-informed society would add to the ease of doing business.

The machinery of the government would do credit to the regime if it was efficient, sensitive to the peoples needs and known for an image of uprightness, impartiality and firmness. All reforms should aim at achieving this. A regime that upholds nationalism, promotes unity without distinction of caste and creed and follows the principle of equality before the law, gets due recognition from the people and adds to the incentives and morale of the businesses, too.

(The writer is former Director of Intelligence Bureau.)
Los Angeles, Dec 22 : Hollywood star Blake Lively, who is also the wife of Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, has levelled accusation against her It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment.

In her complaint, the actress has alleged that Baldoni attempted to mount a smear campaign against her and claims his behavior caused her and her family severe emotional harm, reports Variety.

Bryan Freedman, a lawyer for Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, fired back at Livelys complaint in a statement.

As per Variety, he called it shameful and full of categorically false accusations. The complaint lodged with the California Civil Rights department, states that a meeting was held in January of 2024 to address Livelys claims and her demands for returning to work on It Ends With Us after the actors and writers strikes had ended, allowing production to resume. Livelys husband, Ryan Reynolds, was reportedly in attendance at the meeting.

At that meeting, Lively complained that Baldoni had discussed Livelys weight with her trainer, pressed her to disclose her religious beliefs and talked about his sex life in inappropriate ways. Lively also complained that Jamey Heath, one of the producers of the film and the CEO of Wayfarer Studios, showed Lively a video of his wife naked and giving birth.

Lively also alleged that both Baldoni and Heath entered her makeup trailer without getting her permission first, including when she was breastfeeding her infant child. It goes on to state that the concerns (Lively) raised were not only for herself, but for the other female cast and crew, some of whom had also spoken up.

Blake Lively achieved recognition for her portrayal of Serena van der Woodsen in the teen drama television series Gossip Girl.
Kuwait City, Dec 22 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Indian workers abroad during his visit to a labour camp in Mina Abdullah, Kuwait, marking the first official program of his historic visit to the West Asian nation.

The labour camp houses approximately 1,500 Indian nationals from various states across India.

During the interaction, PM Modi inquired about the well-being of the workers and highlighted several welfare initiatives undertaken by the Indian government over the last decade.

Speaking to a worker from Tamil Nadu, he asked whether he talked to his family regularly through video calls, pointing out that affordable internet in India has made such communication possible.

The Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to 'Viksit Bharat 2047,' emphasising that the initiative aims to enhance connectivity and commuting for Indian workers abroad.

A worker from Bihar, employed as a welder in Kuwait, thanked the Prime Minister for inaugurating the new Nalanda University campus in Bihar and working tirelessly for the nation's betterment.

PM Modi responded by saying, "You work hard for your family. I, too, work for my family -- 140 crore Indians."

He further mentioned significant government schemes, including PM Awas Yojana, Har Ghar Nal Yojana, and the Swachh Bharat Mission, which have improved the lives of many Indians.

Interacting with a Gujarati worker employed as a technician, the Prime Minister stressed the contribution of Indians working abroad to the country's development.

"Even though you have lived here for years, your contributions to India's progress are invaluable. The money you send home every month has made India one of the top countries in the world," he said, addressing the workers at the labour camp.

PM Modi also acknowledged the respect Indian workers have earned globally.

"Indian workers are trusted worldwide for their honesty, diligence, and dedication. This reputation is not built overnight but through years of hard work. That is why today, India's youth are in demand worldwide," he added.

He congratulated the workers for their contributions and stated, "Whenever something good happens in India, your happiness multiplies. I am here to honour all of you for your dedication and hard work."

The Prime Minister's visit to the labour camp holds special significance, especially after the tragic fire at a housing facility in the Mangaf area of Kuwait City in June this year, which claimed the lives of several Indian workers.

Following the incident, the Indian government took swift action, with Minister of State for External Affairs Kirtivardhan Singh being dispatched to Kuwait under the Prime Minister's direction.

Despite major political developments in India, including swearing-in ceremonies of governments in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, PM Modi closely monitored rescue efforts.

Since the tragedy, the Indian Embassy in Kuwait has worked tirelessly, ensuring safety measures at labour camps and housing facilities for Indian workers.

In 2021, India and Kuwait signed an agreement to safeguard the rights of Indian domestic workers in Kuwait, focusing on worker protection and compliance with local laws.

The visit reaffirmed the government's commitment to the welfare of Indian nationals abroad, celebrating their efforts and contributions to India's global reputation.
Mumbai, Dec 22 : Comedian-actor Sunil Grover recently shared a heartwarming photo of himself with his furry friends on social media.

The picture shows Sunil smiling while posing with his four adorable dogs. On Sunday, the comedian took to his Instagram handle and shared the sweet image of him with his four cute furry companions.

In the photo, Grover, dressed in a black outfit, is seen sitting with three little puppies, while a bigger dog stands in front of him. Alongside the shot, he captioned it with "kaarvaan."

In the image, Sunil is surrounded by his playful and energetic furry companions. One dog is perched on his lap, another is standing beside him, and two more are playfully looking at the camera.

Sunil's love for animals is no secret to his followers. He has often spoken about his affection for pets in interviews and has shared glimpses of his time spent with his dogs in the past. This latest post, however, seems to have struck a special chord, with fans enjoying the rare, off-screen side of the actor.

Meanwhile, the Jawan actor has reunited with Kapil Sharma on the Netflix show The Great Indian Kapil Show after they had a fallout, allegedly on a flight while returning to India from a tour in Australia in 2017. Grover joined the team after a gap of over six years.

Grover became a household name with his iconic fictional characters, Gutthi in Comedy Nights With Kapil and Dr. Mashoor Gulati on The Kapil Sharma Show. However, his relationship with Kapil Sharma hit a rough patch in 2018 after a heated argument during their return from a show in Australia. Following the fallout, Sunil distanced himself from Kapil and stopped collaborating with him. The two finally reconciled earlier this year when Kapil announced his Netflix show, marking their long-awaited reunion.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the Christmas celebrations organised by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) at the CBCI Centre in New Delhi at 6.30 p.m. on Monday - marking a historic occasion as it will be the first time a Prime Minister will be present at the festive event at the headquarters of the Catholic Church in the country.

During the event, PM Modi is expected to interact with key leaders from the Christian community, including Cardinals, Bishops, and prominent lay figures. His presence highlights the government's commitment to fostering inclusive cultural dialogue and strengthening relations with the Christian community, a PMO statement said.



The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, established in 1944, is a significant body that represents the interests of Catholics across India. It plays a crucial role in promoting faith-based initiatives and addressing social issues affecting the community.



Earlier this week, on December 19, PM Modi attended another Christmas celebration at the residence of Union Minister George Kurian. There, he engaged with eminent members of the Christian community, underscoring the spirit of inclusivity and celebration. In a post on the social media platform X, PM Modi shared: "Attended the Christmas celebrations at the residence of Union Minister George Kurian Ji. Also interacted with eminent members of the Christian community @GeorgekurianBjp."



Kurian, who hails from Kerala, was inducted into the Union Cabinet on June 9, and his ministerial appointment is seen as an outreach to the Christian community. A long-time BJP leader, Kurian is well-known for his calm demeanour and his extensive involvement in various capacities within the party.



Christmas holds great religious and cultural significance for Christians, as it marks the birth of Jesus Christ, revered for his teachings of love, sacrifice, and compassion. The occasion is commemorated with religious services, prayers, and carol singing, reflecting on the spiritual message of hope and humanitys transformation through Christs sacrifice.




New Delhi, Dec 22 : In a major relief for fliers and air passengers, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced the launch of "Udaan Yatri Cafe", an eatery outlet at the airport for providing basic essentials like food and water at affordable and reasonable rates. The one-of-its kind initiative is being launched at Kolkata airport on a pilot basis and if it turns successful, it will be replicated at other airports across the country, managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Interestingly, the move close on the heels of AAP MP Raghav Chadha flagging the issue of overpriced food and beverages at the airports, in the Parliament and seeking corrective steps for making air travel affordable.

With the launch of first "Udaan Yatri Cafe" at Kolkatas Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, air passengers will have access to essential items like water bottles, tea, coffee, and snacks at reasonable prices.

The Rajya Sabha MP has welcomed the move and also expressed hope that such facility would be extended to other airports of the country.

"Finally, the government has heard the voice of the common man. While the initiative begins with Kolkata Airport, I hope it is extended to all airports nationwide. This will ensure that air travelers dont have to pay Rs 100-250 for basic items like water, tea, or coffee," Chadha said.

He emphasized that affordable amenities at airports are crucial for the convenience of the general public.

It was during the Winter session of Parliament, Raghav Chadha raised the issue in Parliament and brought to the attention of members, the issue of exorbitant prices of water, tea, and snacks at airports and its adverse impact on common man.

In his speech, the RS MP highlighted the plight of passengers and explained how they were forced to pay inflated prices for food and beverages at airports.

"A water bottle costs Rs 100, and tea is priced at Rs 200-250. Cant the government establish affordable canteens at airports?" he had questioned. He had also criticized the poor management of airports, which he likened to bus stands due to long queues, overcrowding, and disorganization.

His concerns on exorbitant prices at airports also found strong resonance and support on the social media, with many hailing it as a voice for the common man.

He also raised concerns over sharp rise in airfares in recent times and said it was in stark contrast with governments own pledge of making air travel affordable for slipper wearing citizens.

"The government promised that people in slippers would fly, but now even those wearing Bata shoes cant afford air travel," he told the House.

"A ticket to Maldives costs Rs 17,000, but a ticket to Lakshadweep, which the government is promoting as a tourist destination, costs Rs 25,000," he pointed out.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : A woman passenger, who paid Rs 50,000 for a business class Air India ticket from Milan to Delhi, was left stranded in the Italian city overnight due to an 18-hour delay in the flight and ended up missing an important ceremony that was part of her sister's wedding.

Shivani Bazaz, the hapless passenger took to X to share her experience which has left her "shocked and deeply disappointed with Air India".

She said that after the harrowing experience in Milan, her ordeal did not end as she had to run from pillar to post to get back her luggage that was checked into the Air India flight, and she still has not got a refund.

What happened on Nov 5 while travelling from Milan to Delhi was nothing short of a nightmare, and I believe its important to put it out there. It is important because if someone like me who has access to people inside Air India has to go through this, I cant even imagine what regular passengers have to deal with on a daily basis," Bazaz wrote on X.

"I was scheduled to fly from Milan to Delhi on Air India paid Rs 50,000 for a business class upgrade because my sisters wedding began the next day (Nov 6), and I couldnt afford any delays. I even chose Air India over Lufthansa for the direct connection. To my absolute shock, the flight scheduled to depart at 8 PM was delayed by 18 hours," she said.

Bazaz further stated that she was stranded at the airport overnight with no lounge access, no proper communication, and no accommodation or food provided.

"It was a cold night and there were children and old people suffering in a deserted airport. This is a clear violation of passenger rights," she contended.

"The rescheduled flight was set to depart at 1:30 PM the next day. But by then, I had no choice but to book a new flight with Lufthansa, missing my sisters mehendia moment I will never get back," she lamented.

"Then started the fight to get my luggage that was already checked into the Air India flight. I have cried every 15 minutes that night and the following morning."

"The only reassuring person during this ordeal was Air Indias manager in Milan, Preeti Singh, who promised my luggage would be sent and assured me of a refund for the Rs 50,000 I paid for the upgrade. But, It has been over a month, and despite countless follow-ups, I am yet to receive the refund. The delay in addressing this has shattered my trust in Air India, an airline I chose in good faith over other options," Bazaz said.

"Whats most upsetting is the lack of accountability and empathy shown by Air India. No passenger should have to go through this, especially during such an important time in their life. Im sharing this because I hope Air India will take this seriously, expedite my refund and improve their processes so others dont face such harrowing experiences," she added.

Meanwhile, the Air India management responded to her string of posts on X, assuring her that her problem would be dealt with on high priority.

"Dear Ms. Bazaz, we truly apologize for the inconvenience you've experienced. Kindly share your booking details via DM. We will get this reviewed on priority," Air India posted on X.
Chandigarh, Dec 22 : Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday said with the rapid and continuous development works being carried out across the country, India is set to become a developed nation by 2047.

He said every scheme in the country is being implemented with the aim of benefiting the common people.

Interacting with the public in Ladwa in Kurukshetra district, the Chief Minister heard public issues as well as development works. The Chief Minister directed officials for prompt resolution.

In response to the citizens' request to relocate the Government Senior Secondary School to the vacant land near the BDPO office, the Chief Minister instructed the officials to prepare a proposal for it. If the location is deemed suitable for the school, necessary action will be taken to facilitate the shift, he added.

Upon receiving complaints from citizens regarding contaminated drinking water, the Chief Minister directed the Subdivisional Magistrate to address the issue promptly and improve the system for providing clean drinking water.

He said the health of the residents in the constituency must not be compromised.

Regarding concerns about the quality of the road construction work from Babain to Shahabad, the Chief Minister instructed the officials to assess the road's quality. If any deficiencies are found, appropriate action should be taken against the responsible ones.

The Chief Minister said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is experiencing continuous development in all spheres.

He said the current pace of development is far greater than that of previous governments, and it is evident from the rapid progress being made that by 2047, India will establish itself as a developed nation.

Talking to the media, the Chief Minister said the One Nation, One Election initiative is a commendable decision for both the country and its citizens.

Prime Minister Modi believes that conducting simultaneous elections will help save both time and resources spent on separate elections.

Regarding tweets from Opposition parties, the Chief Minister said the Opposition has neither any issue and policy, nor leader.

As a result, those in the opposition, with little to do, tend to oppose any positive initiatives, Saini added.
Seoul, Dec 22 : Chung Yong-jin, chairman of South Korean retail conglomerate Shinsegae Group, said he had a brief talk with US President-elect Donald Trump during his visit to Trump's Florida resort but declined to provide any other details.

"I had a meal together with President-elect Trump, and we separately had an in-depth conversation on various topics," he told Yonhap News Agency while waiting for his return flight home from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Saturday (U.S. time).

Chung said his chat with the incoming U.S. leader lasted about 10 to 15 minutes, reports Yonhap news agency. Chung is the first South Korean known to have met Trump since his election victory last month.

He had stayed at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort since Monday at the invitation of Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of the president-elect, with whom the Shinsegae chairman had already met three times this year.

Chung said he could not disclose the content of his talk with the U.S. president-elect.

He said Trump had made no "special indication" when asked if the president-elect made any comments on South Korea.

Instead, Trump Jr. introduced him to "many people," with whom he discussed business, Chung added.

The Shinsegae chairman said Trump Jr. and others expressed their interest in the situation in South Korea following President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law declaration early this month.

Chung said he explained that South Korea has the potential to recover from the ongoing political fiasco and it won't take long before the country returns to a normal state, said the report.

IANS
Seoul, Dec 22 : South Korea and the United States are conducting joint research to strengthen protection against cryptocurrency heist attempts amid growing concerns of such attacks by North Korea-linked hackers, officials said on Sunday.

Based on a recently signed technical annex between the South Korean government and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the two sides will jointly develop technologies to prevent cryptocurrency-targeted attacks and to track stolen assets, according to authorities and cybersecurity industry officials.

The science ministry plans to support such research through the Institute of Information and Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation until 2026, reports Yonhap news agency.

The move comes as the price of bitcoin recently surged to $100,000 after the U.S. presidential election last month, raising concerns of increased attempts by hackers to steal virtual assets.

While the United States collaborates with other countries for cybersecurity research, it is known to have chosen South Korea for research on digital asset tracking technology as North Korea is seen as a key culprit behind cryptocurrency heists.

Under the programme, South Korean and U.S. researchers, including those from Korea University and the RAND Corp. research institute, will focus on technologies to prevent and track hackers when they steal assets from a cryptocurrency exchange.

They will also focus on understanding how they convert or launder other financial assets they obtain into virtual assets through illegal ransomeware or other methods.

North Korea is known as a major player in cryptocurrency heists, with hackers linked to the country estimated to have stolen $1.34 billion worth of cryptocurrency across 47 incidents this year, according to Chainalysis, a leading blockchain analysis firm.

Meanwhile, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) chief said last month that the government needs to closely monitor unfair transactions in the cryptocurrency market.

"The price of virtual assets has recently been shooting up in a very short period of time, and with heavy volatility of the market itself, the government needs to closely monitor possible unfair transactions," FSC Chairman Kim Byoung-hwan told public broadcaster KBS.
New Delhi, Dec 22 : Union Minister of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday reviewed the power sector scenario in Kerala during a programme in the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram.

The programme was held at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Ministry of Power in a statement said that Suresh Gopi, Minister of State for MoPNG & Tourism, and K. Krishnankutty, Kerala Minister for Electricity were present at the meeting.

The meeting was also attended by senior officials from the state government, officials from the Central government, and officials from Power Finance Corporation (PFC).

"During the meeting, matters related to the overall power sector scenario in the state of Kerala were deliberated. The issues related to demand and supply of power, capacity addition including possibilities in the Renewable, Hydro & Nuclear sector and power distribution sector were discussed. Further, the current status of works under execution under Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) and possible action plans were discussed," the Power Ministry statement read.

The state highlighted concerns related to the power sector and the possible solutions to meet future demand.

K. Krishnankutty, in his address, thanked Union Minister Khattar for his visit to Thiruvananthapuram to review issues related to the power sector, and also highlighted concerns of the state.

He also thanked the Central government for allocation of coal linkage for 500MW, Viability Gap Funding support for Battery Energy Storage System for Rs 135 crore, and for allocation of Power from NTPC Barh up to March 2025.

The Minister requested additional allocation of power from NTPC Barh (Central Generating Plants) and for extension in time for allocation of power from the plant for up to June 2025.

He mentioned that the state is also working on large scale integration of renewable power, adding that Kerala would make all out efforts for over all improvement in the power sector.

In his address, Manohar Lal Khattar mentioned that his visit to the state would help in resolution of issues and in identification of new initiatives that may be taken up to further improve services to the citizens of the state.

The Union Minister assured of continued support and cooperation of the Central government in the overall development of the state and wished for the well-being of the people of Kerala, the Power Ministry statement read.
Mumbai, Dec 23 : As the year comes to an end, actress Kajal Aggarwal has expressed her gratitude to 2024 for all the lessons learned, laughs shared, and the moments that didnt go as planned but somehow worked out better than expected.

Sharing a picture with her husband Gautam Kitchlu and her son Neil on Instagram, the actress posted a note expressing her gratitude.

She wrote: As this year comes to a close, I cant help but feel a mix of gratitude and relieflike surviving a reality show where the challenges were mostly self-inflicted. But in all seriousness, Im thankful for the lessons learned, the laughs shared, and the moments that didnt quite go as planned but somehow worked out better than expected.

To the people who have been there through my best ideas and my what was I thinking? moments, Im truly grateful. Life may not have gone according to my meticulous plans (spoiler: it never does), but its been a year of growth, humour, and unexpected wins.

She now hopes that 2025 does not bring any plot twists.

Heres to the lessons we didnt want to learn, the surprises we didnt see coming, and the friends who stuck around through it all. Bring on next yearjust please, no more plot twists. #2025 #excitedforthenewyear.

Kajal, who is considered as one of the highest paid actresses in South Indian cinema, made her acting debut with a minor role in the 2004 Hindi film Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... and had her first Telugu film release in Lakshmi Kalyanam in 2007.

In the same year, she gained the spotlight for her role in Chandamama. The 2009 fantasy film Magadheera, one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time, marked a turning point in her career.

Her work in films such as Darling, Brindavanam, Mr. Perfect, Businessman, Naayak, Baadshah, Govindudu Andarivadele, Temper, Khaidi No. 150, Nene Raju Nene Mantri, Awe and Bhagavanth Kesari, Naan Mahaan Alla, Maattrraan, Thuppakki, Jilla, Vivegam, Mersal and Comali, was appreciated by critics and the audiences alike.

Her most successful Hindi films include the action film 2011s Singham starring Ajay Devgn and the thriller Akshay Kumar-starrer Special 26.
Panama City, Dec 23 : Panamanian scholars depicted as "ridiculous" US President-elect Donald Trump's threat to take back the Panama Canal.

Trump on Saturday wrote on his Truth Social platform that the Panama Canal plays a "critical role" in the US economy and national security. He demanded Panama reduce fees on the canal or return it to US control, reports Xinhua news agency.



"It is ridiculous," said Jones Cooper, a professor at the University of Panama. Panama is the rightful owner of the canal, and the United States has no legal basis to reclaim it, he added, noting that the United States profited significantly during its occupation while Panama gained little in return.



Julio Yao, a Panamanian international relations scholar, called Trump's comment the latest example of the American "big stick" policy. He emphasised that the Panama Canal must not be returned to the United States.



According to the Torrijos-Carter Treaties signed in 1977 by the then-Panamanian President Omar Torrijos and then-US President Jimmy Carter, Panamanians recovered their sovereignty over the canal on December 31, 1999.



Earlier on Sunday, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino said that the canal will "continue to be in Panamanian hands" after US President-elect Donald Trump threatened to retake it.



Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama and "will remain so," and "the sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable," Mulino said in a social media video post.



Trump on Saturday called the Panama Canal "a VITAL National Asset for the United States," threatening to retake the canal, citing "exorbitant prices" on US ships.



Mulino said he hopes to maintain a "respectful" relationship with the next US government. He also pointed out that security issues such as illegal migration, drug trafficking, terrorism, and organised crime should be a priority in the two countries' bilateral agenda.



He also recalled the Torrijos-Carter Treaties and added that it established the permanent neutrality of the Panama Canal, "guaranteeing its open and safe operation for all nations. (...) any position to the contrary is invalid."



"(The tariffs) are established based on an open hearing, considering market conditions, international competition, operating costs and the maintenance and modernisation needs of the interoceanic waterway," said Mulino.



"The Canal will continue to be in Panamanian hands as an inalienable patrimony of our nation and guaranteeing its use for the peaceful and uninterrupted transit of ships of all nations," said the Panamanian president.




Sydney, Dec 23 : An Australian man has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty offences after 98 kangaroos were found dead north of Sydney.

Police found the kangaroos dead on federal government-owned land in the town of Singleton, about 140 km north of Sydney in the east coast state of New South Wales (NSW), along with ammunition and two cartridges on October 8, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a statement issued on Monday, NSW Police said that a 43-year-old man has been charged with six crimes over the incident following an investigation.

The man was arrested during a raid on a property in Williamtown, almost 70 km east of Singleton, on Friday.

While executing a search warrant, NSW Police said that officers found and seized three firearms. A number of firearms were also seized from a second property in the area.

The man has been charged with six offences -- Committing an act of aggravated cruelty upon an animal, discharging a firearm upon/over a Commonwealth prohibited area, trespassing onto commonwealth land, not keeping a firearm safely  not pistol/prohibited firearm, harm or attempt to harm a protected animal, and holder of Category A or B licence not have approved storage.

"Police have since seized a number of firearms from a second Hunter region property. A Firearms Suspension Notice has been issued.

The man was granted strict conditional bail to appear before Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday, January 13, 2025," NSW Police said in a statement.

Kangaroos are protected native animals in every Australian state and territory.

Anyone found guilty of harming a protected animal in NSW faces a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment for each offence.
Mumbai, Dec 23 : Actress Sonam Kapoor remembers her beloved 'dadu' Surinder Kapoor on what would have been his 99th birthday today.

The actress took to her Instagram stories to reflect on the cherished memories and the impact her grandfather had on her life. Sonam shared a black-and-white photo of her grandfather and wrote, Happy, happy birthday, dadumiss you.

Anil Kapoor also paid a heartfelt tribute to his late father, a renowned producer. The Mr. India star fondly remembered him, highlighting that his simplicity, honesty, and joyful nature not only defined who he was but also gave meaning to his life.

Anil shared a series of vintage monochrome photos on Instagram, featuring his father alongside legendary icons like Raj Kapoor, R.D. Burman, Shashi Kapoor, and Parveen Babi, among many others.

For the caption, he wrote, Celebrating my dads 99th birthday today. His simplicity, honesty, and joy not only defined him but gave all our lives meaning. His presence was so magnetic, and though I miss him deeply, his memories and lessons guide me every day, filling my life with strength and warmth. Heres to the legacy of a remarkable man who will always be my greatest inspiration

Surinder Kapoor, the father of Anil, Boney, and Sanjay Kapoor, passed away in September 2011 at the age of 85 due to a cardiac arrest.

Surinder Kapoor began his film career as a secretary to Geeta Bali, a prominent Hindi film star of the 1950s and the wife of his nephew, Shammi Kapoor. In 2009, he was honoured with the prestigious Shri L V Prasad Phalke award by the Dada Saheb Phalke Academy for his contributions to the film industry.

His first major success as a producer came with the 1963 Hindi film "Shehzada," directed by K. Shankar. The film was a remake of the Tamil film Idhu Sathiyam.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Sonam will next be seen in "Battle of Bittora," produced by her father Anil Kapoor and sister Rhea Kapoor.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Windy with a mix of clouds and sun. High 83F. Winds SSE at 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Windy. Thunderstorms likely, accompanied by heavy rainfall at times. Storms could contain damaging winds. Low 58F. Winds S at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
SCIENTISTS have developed a way of assessing the ability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen by measuring their shape. This test could improve specialist transplant and transfusion practice as well as blood banking. The research is now published open access in eBioMedicine  part of the Lancet Discovery Science.

Image Credit: NHS Blood and Transplant

FlowScore- a formula developed at Oxford University in collaboration with NHS Blood and Transplant - predicts how quickly red blood cells release their oxygen. This process is important for oxygenating the bodys tissues, including organs and muscles, particularly in people receiving large transfusions.

Healthy fresh red blood cells have a distinctive biconcave  or dumbbell  shape for efficient oxygen release. During refrigerated storage, red cells become energetically stressed and more spherical, which slows oxygen release.

Factors affecting oxygen release from red cells were described at Oxfords Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics but the testing method was too laborious for routine use in blood agencies working to improve the monitoring of blood stored for transfusion. To adapt the research findings to blood banking, NHS Blood and Transplant's Component Development Laboratory joined the project, providing blood samples stored according to NHS protocols and measurements from haematology analysers.

During routine blood counts, haematology analysers use flow cytometry - a method that passes cells through a laser beam to study their characteristics. When light hits a cell, the pattern of scattering reveals information about their size and shape. It was found that this information accurately predicts oxygen release from red blood cells, and the predictive formula was called FlowScore. The innovation makes measurements of red cell oxygen transport simpler, faster, and more accessible for laboratories worldwide.

Blood banks can now use FlowScore as a quality-control measure during processing and storage. For example, FlowScore was able to quantify the beneficial effects of rejuvenation and detect periods of blood handling outside blood bank-grade conditions. The latter may be critical in monitoring stored blood quality in developing countries with higher ambient temperatures. FlowScore could also provide a way to check the quality of blood for specific vulnerable patient groups, should future research show patient benefit.

We find that FlowScore is a robust surrogate of oxygen-handling by red cells and provides new and important information on oxygen transport by the blood. Aside from its applications in transfusion medicine and blood banking, FlowScore can help identify new genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that influence oxygen delivery to tissues. Pawel Swietach, Professor of Physiology, Oxford University

Dr Peter Smethurst, from the NHSBT Blood and Transplant Component Development Laboratory, said: FlowScore could become quite fundamental to the way blood is tested to ensure its quality. It is a technical breakthrough that should improve the monitoring of stored blood and drive improvements that will most benefit vulnerable recipients of red cell transfusions.

Dr Rebecca Cardigan, Head of the NHSBT Blood and Transplant Component Development Laboratory, said: FlowScore is an accessible marker of cellular performance to complement other quality metrics. It has been very exciting to conduct this cross-disciplinary and multi-agency collaboration, translating the excellent basic research in Oxford to provide a basis for better assessment of stored blood and transfusion practice across the world.
Experts from a renowned international brewing and distilling centre are warning people to watch out for counterfeit and illicit alcohol - spirits - whether they're travelling abroad over the festive season or celebrating at home.

Academics from Heriot-Watt University's International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD), have warned people to not be complacent about the risks of counterfeit and illicit alcohol. It is not just a problem in far away countries; lots of alcohol sold in the UK is also counterfeit.

The warning comes following recent cases in Istanbul, where toxic alcohol-related deaths have reached 37, amidst a major crackdown on bootleg alcohol by the Turkish authorities on illegal producers.

Over the past few months there have also been fatalities and serious illness, due to contaminated alcohol in Laos and Fiji.

Only a problem abroad?

In the US, EU, UK there is a relatively low rate of counterfeit spirits  low but not zero. But the bottles that are being sold outside of normal channels such as shops and off licenses, certainly should be treated with caution.

Counterfeit spirits are emphatically not only a problem affecting tourists in 'far-flung' destinations. Counterfeit spirits, accounting for 25-40% of consumption in some areas, cost the EU 3 billion annually.

As recently as September, warnings were issued in Jersey after the authorities discovered a batch of counterfeit vodka - imitating a popular Scottish brand - contaminated with chemicals dangerous to human health.

And several years ago, researchers found that 33% of tested old and rare Scotch whisky was found to be fake [note 2].

Tell tale signs

The ICBD academics are urging people to take care and always follow the advice given by the Food Standard Agency, namely to monitor the 4 P's: the product (is it an unknown brand?); the price (is it too good to be true?); the package (is the bottle properly sealed or does the label look suspect in some way?) and finally the place of purchase (is it a normal shop?).

Speaking about the warning, Michael Bryan, a Post Graduate Researcher at The International Centre for Brewing & Distilling in HWU's School of Engineering & Physical Sciences (who is developing a global database - see below) said:

"Alarm bells should ring if a deal seems too good to be true. Ask yourself: is the shop an authentic one or is it potentially dodgy? Is the price you'd expect to pay? Is there any evidence of tampering with the closure? Does the label and barcode look authentic?"

The cost of not being vigilant

Michael knows to his personal cost, the dangers of not being vigilant. He said:

"I personally have been drugged and robbed from material put into spirits, so I know how easy it is. In my case, a bar worker offered a free drink of something I would never consume generally  very out of the ordinary  but in the moment it seemed ok, but was not. As we travel to exciting and far-flung places, it pays to be extra vigilant.

"I would like to say this is not a 'first world' problem but that is not the case. The point is, counterfeit and illicit alcohol is everywhere, however - thankfully - the chances of truly poisonous spirits is much less in the first world because we have more rigorous supply chain control.

"Nevertheless, we should always be on guard. If something does not taste right or smell right or is priced right, be suspicious. Look online to see if there is a recall, or just return the item you've bought, to the shop - as defective.

"And definitely never buy alcohol 'under the counter' or from the boot of someone's car! Always buy from a reputable supermarket or off-licence."

Database of chemical fingerprints of authentic spirits being built

Along with colleagues in the ICBD - and working with Process NMR Associates in the USA - Michael Bryan is leading a project to build a database to test, compare and log alcoholic spirits.

The team have spent the last 12 months using lab-based analytical techniques to detect the chemical fingerprint of hundreds of authentic, international spirits including whisky, tequila, mezcal, and bourbon.

They've used advanced analytical tools, including near infrared spectroscopy (NIR), ultra-violet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to create the chemical fingerprints.

This approach aims to replace costly, bulky equipment with comparative mathematics, enabling faster, cheaper authenticity tests without opening bottles.

The database could curb counterfeit trade, protecting consumers and manufacturers alike.

Professor Annie Hill from Heriot-Watt University is the academic supervisor for the database project. She said:

"Our continuing research aims to further increase awareness and to develop accessible and affordable methods to enable wider detection and identification of illicit distilled spirit products."
We have entered a new era of improved and emerging biologically-based diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD-related neurodegenerative disorders (ADRD) that are rapidly impacting evaluation and care paradigms in every clinical setting: primary care, specialty care and dementia subspecialty care.

A comprehensive evaluation includes setting goals in partnership with the patient and usually a care partner; obtaining information about the patient's risk profile for AD or a related disease (e.g., age, family history of dementia, hypertension, smoking); describing the history of symptoms and their impact on daily life; evaluating the patient's ability to perform tests of thinking abilities; and obtaining a brain MRI or CT scan along with laboratory tests for conditions that may contribute to cognitive impairment. The integration of new brain scans, spinal fluid tests, or other specialized tests into this comprehensive evaluation will add critical value to the diagnostic formulation and care plan for persons in whom there is a clinical concern for AD or an ADRD.

A special issue of the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association highlights the new Alzheimer's Association Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnostic Evaluation, Testing, Counseling and Disclosure of Suspected Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (DETeCD-ADRD CPG) that summarizes the process of diagnostic evaluation and disclosure for persons suspected of potentially having cognitive-behavioral impairment due to AD or ADRD. ADRDs include Lewy Body Disease, Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID), and a host of other diseases and conditions that may cause or substantially contribute to cognitive-behavioral impairment. Similar American guidelines are more than 20 years old and aimed at specialists or dementia subspecialists.

With this guideline, we expand the scope of prior guidelines by providing recommendations for practicing clinicians on the process from start to finish. We recommend that medical professionals begin by making sure their thinking about the goals of the evaluation aligns with that of the patient, which usually requires a discussion to educate the patient on the specific steps of the process. Then we outline the steps involved in obtaining information about symptoms and examination, followed by a variety of diagnostic tests tailored to the patient, and summarize best practices regarding the diagnostic disclosure process." Brad Dickerson, M.D., Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Frontotemporal Disorders Unit and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School

"We emphasize the importance of the involvement of a care partner throughout this process for most patients, since cognitive symptoms often compromise a person's ability to process all of this information by themselves," Dickerson added.

This guideline does not propose diagnostic or staging criteria for these diseases, which continue to evolve. Rather, it provides a framework for a high-quality process tailored to each individual patient that enables clinicians to establish a three-step diagnostic formulation including:

Cognitive Functional Status - the overall level of impairment, such as mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

Cognitive-Behavioral Syndrome - the symptoms the person is experiencing (e.g., progressive language difficulty and memory loss with depression).

The likely brain disease(s) or condition(s) causing the symptoms.

"The workgroup provides rigorous, evidence- and practice-informed foundational steps that capture the core elements of a high-quality evaluation and disclosure process," Dickerson said. "The guidelines are formulated into 19 practical recommendations that are applicable to any practice setting, including primary care, along with additional guidance for specialists and subspecialists."

In this special issue of Alzheimer's & Dementia, the three executive summaries* by the DETeCD-ADRD CPG workgroup distill these recommendations, briefly summarize the evidence supporting them, and operationalize them as a series of steps in an evaluation process. A comprehensive report hosted online provides extensive details about the guideline development methodology, evidence review process, peer review process, rationale and recommendations for implementation, and specific narratives with evidence supporting each recommendation.

"The AD/ADRD field has entered a new era and is moving rapidly, which is very exciting," said Alireza Atri, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Banner Research, and Director of the Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Banner Health, Sun City and Phoenix, Arizona, and Lecturer on Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. "This first U.S. interdisciplinary national evaluation guideline, designed for broad clinical settings, provides a comprehensive foundation summarizing a high-quality and personalized process within which specific tests are slotted and can be updated as the field evolves."

"Some details of the guideline will likely require modification as new tools and biomarkers become sufficiently validated for appropriate clinical use in real-world practice. The workgroup leveraged best evidence and practices to empower persons with memory or thinking symptoms or concerns and their loved ones, clinicians, and health systems, to engage in a person-centered process that will enhance knowledge, appreciation and autonomy for the person with a potential illness - and facilitate doing what is right for them," Atri said.

The DETeCD-ADRD CPG workgroup includes experts from multiple disciplines and multiple care settings, including primary care and specialty care. The guideline concludes that if clinicians use the recommendations in this guideline and health care systems provide adequate resources, outcomes should improve in most patients in most practice settings.

We encourage clinicians to review these guidelines and incorporate them into their practice. These guidelines are important because they guide clinicians in the evaluation of memory complaints, which could have many underlying causes. That is the necessary start for an early and accurate Alzheimer's diagnosis. In addition, these guidelines provide clinicians information about other underlying causes that may contribute to the memory complaints." Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association chief science officer and medical affairs lead

Additional co-authors include Carolyn Clevenger, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, GNP-BC (Emory University, Atlanta, GA), Jason Karlawish, MD (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA), David Knopman, MD (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN), Pei-Jung Lin, PhD (Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA), Mary Norman, MD (Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Culver City, CA), Chiadi Onyike, MBBS, MHS (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD), Mary Sano, PhD (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY), Susan Scanland, MSN, CRNP, GNP-BC, CDP (Dementia Connection, Clarks Summit, PA).

This work was funded by the Alzheimer's Association.
"Build your enemy a golden bridge to retreat across" is a piece of advice offered by Sun Tzu in his ancient military treatise, The Art of War. It turns out that cancerous growths adopt this strategy in their battle against the immune system. In a new study being published in Cell Reports, researchers from Prof. Idit Shachar's laboratory at the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered that a certain type of aggressive breast cancer prompts nearby immune cells to build "molecular bridges" between themselves, which causes these cells to refrain from attacking the cancer and leads to immune suppression. An antibody treatment that blocks the building of these bridges was shown to restore the immune system's ability to attack with force, inhibiting the cancer's progression in a mouse model.

In the past, cancer treatment focused on destroying the malignant cells by, for example, using radiation treatment or chemotherapy. In recent decades, however, it has become evident that a tumor's development depends on the communication between the cancer and the nearby noncancerous cells. In an earlier study, researchers from Shachar's lab in Weizmann's Systems Immunology Department showed that blood cancer cells create "molecular bridges" with nearby support cells in order to survive and proliferate  otherwise they die within a matter of days. The researchers identified a protein, CD84 (SLAMF5), that is used to construct these bridges: When this protein is present on the surface of a specific immune cell, it can bind to a similar protein on a different cell, creating an intercellular bridge. In the type of blood cancer studied, CD84 is expressed in high quantities on the cancerous cells themselves, creating physical bridges between these cells and adjacent ones. The researchers even developed an antibody that blocks the bridges, slowing down the disease. As a result of these findings, the scientists began collaborating with the City of Hope cancer treatment and research center in California.

"We are presenting a treatment that might help a wide range of patients, since it focuses on the tumor microenvironment and not on the cancer cells themselves"

We then wanted to see whether the molecular bridges between cells in the tumor's microenvironment are also important in types of cancer other than blood malignancy." Prof. Idit Shachar, Weizmann Institute of Science

"Dr. Steven Rosen, an executive vice president at City of Hope, proposed that we examine samples from patients with the most aggressive type of breast tumors  triple-negative breast cancer. One of the reasons there is still no cure for these tumors is that their cells show no external signs that would allow us to identify and destroy them. That's why it is especially important to find a treatment that can suppress the cancer by affecting a component of its supportive microenvironment, rather than the cancer cells themselves."

In the new study, led by Stav Rabani, a doctoral student in Shachar's lab, the researchers analyzed the genetic sequences of growths taken from women with triple-negative breast cancer and discovered that the level of CD84 expression in the tumor microenvironment was much higher than normal. One of the surprising findings of the study was that even though breast cancer cells themselves express very low levels of CD84, they cause nearby immune cells to express it in large quantities and to create bridges between themselves, suppressing the immune response. The researchers also found that patients with higher levels of CD84 in their tumors did not survive as long as others.

Next, the researchers studied the progression of breast cancer in mice that had been genetically engineered not to express the CD84 protein and found that these mice developed significantly smaller growths. This finding prompted the scientists to test their previously developed antibody  which had successfully prevented the building of molecular bridges  as a treatment for breast cancer. Injections given twice a week to mice that had started developing breast cancer significantly slowed tumor growth and, in some cases, even led to complete recovery.

The researchers discovered that CD84 helps the cancer to develop by causing a buildup of cells that suppresses the immune response. They decided to focus on one of the cells that plays an unclear role in cancer  the regulatory B cell. They found that, like other immune cells, B cells build more "molecular bridges" in a breast tumor environment than in healthy tissue. The construction of the bridges causes these cells to produce a small protein that is known as a key suppressor of the immune response. When this protein is expressed in the tumor microenvironment, it is picked up by the immune system's T cells  the warrior cells that are supposed to destroy the cancer cells  suppressing their activity and preventing them from attacking the tumor.

The City of Hope cancer treatment and research center, together with Yeda Research and Development Co Ltd, the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science, set up a company called Slam BioTherapeutics, which is developing cancer treatments based on anti-SLAM family antibodies. "The antibody we developed only works on cells that express a high level of CD84," Shachar explains. "In a healthy person, most of the cells do not express this protein at all and immune cells express it at low levels, so the treatment works specifically in the tumor microenvironment. The company is currently focusing on using anti-SLAM antibodies to treat blood cancers in which the cancer cells themselves express high levels of CD84, but our new findings open the door to trying the antibody on many other kinds of growth, including those in which the cancerous cells don't express this protein at a high level. In the age of personalized medicine, we are presenting a treatment that could help a wide range of patients since it focuses on the tumor microenvironment and not on the cancer cells themselves."

Science numbers

Triple-negative breast cancer is the most aggressive type of breast cancer, representing up to 20 percent of all new cases diagnosed. A significant proportion of these cancers occurs in patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which are especially common among Ashkenazi Jews.

Also participating in the study were Prof. Emine Gulsen Gunes, Dr. Martin Gunes, Dr. Aimin Li and Prof. Raju Pillai from City of Hope in Duarte, California; and Bianca Pellegrino, Bar Lampert, Dr. Keren David and Dr. Shirly Becker-Herman from Weizmann's Systems Immunology Department.

Prof. Idit Shachar is the incumbent of the Dr. Morton & Anne Kleiman Professorial Chair. Her research is supported by the Belle S. and Irving E. Meller Center for the Biology of Aging and the Judy and Bernard Briskin Multiple Myeloma Research Project. Dr. Michael Baker Research Fellow Chair supports a staff scientist in Prof. Shachar's lab.
UiB researchers are behind a new discovery that tells us how associated neurodegenerative diseases might develop.



In the center of this new discovery stands a molecule called NAD, or Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide.



Professor Mathias Ziegler from the Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen (UiB), led the international team of researchers behind the new study and explains its significance:

The fascinating thing about NAD is that the molecule is essential to life, as it plays critical roles in all cellular processes. Therefore, dysregulated NAD levels are involved in aging processes as well as many pathologies ranging from cancer to diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. And the reason for this is that it holds a key position in both energy metabolism and the regulation of vital functions." Professor Mathias Ziegler, Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen

NAD is like a rechargeable battery

As we all know: All bodily functions depend on energy. Without energy we can neither run, breathe nor think. The energy that our body, or our cells, need to function comes from the food we ingest. Nutrients, such as sugar or fat, are converted to a universal form of energy that our cells can use to maintain all energy-demanding functions.



"NAD is central to these conversions as it functions like a rechargeable battery. It is charged by the energy retrieved from food and passes it on to fuel all cellular activities. An important part of this energy transfer takes place in cellular structures called mitochondria, which are also referred to as the powerhouse of the cell", Ziegler explains.



Crucially, NAD also contributes to many other vital functions throughout the cell. It serves as a chemical signal to regulate key cellular events including gene expression and DNA repair, which take place in the cell nucleus.



"Interestingly, during aging, our DNA may accumulate damage which, in turn, will increase the demand for NAD molecules. Indeed, we see that cellular NAD levels decrease as we age, and it is assumed that increased DNA repair activity is one of the main reasons for this decline" explains Ziegler.



"The problem arises when the mitochondria or their NAD store are affected or tapped over extended periods of time".



But how do cells cope with the increased demand for NAD and do decreased NAD levels necessarily result in pathological conditions?

To answer these questions, Ziegler and his team developed models to study how cells react to reduced NAD levels as they occur during aging.



They had previously developed a method that enabled them to detect cellular NAD molecules and their distribution in living cells. In addition, they now implemented advanced analytical techniques, including high-resolution mass spectrometry, to study the cellular dynamics of NAD-dependent processes. As a result, the researchers discovered a hitherto unrecognized role of mitochondria in the maintenance of cellular NAD levels:



"These organelles serve as an NAD reservoir that is filled when cells function normally, and it supplies the cell with NAD when there is an increased demand", explains Lena Hyland, PhD student and first author of the study.



Employing gene-technological methods such as CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing they were able to establish the molecular mechanisms of how mitochondria counteract cellular NAD decline.



"Decreased cellular NAD levels thus appear to be generally well tolerated by the cells", she says.



"The problem, however, arises when the mitochondria or their NAD store are affected or tapped over extended periods of time. This can have fatal consequences since the cells may no longer have sufficient NAD "battery capacity" to drive vital, energy-dependent processes", Professor Ziegler adds.

NAD supplementation has provided encouraging results

Research over the past years has established that mitochondrial dysfunction and lowered cellular NAD levels represent characteristics of aging, and age-related disorders, such as dementia or neurodegenerative diseases.



Based on their new findings, the team of researchers believes that excessive consumption of mitochondrial NAD might constitute a key factor leading to dysfunctional cellular powerhouses and thus aging-associated diseases.



Indeed, initial clinical trials in Norway and internationally using therapeutic supplementation approaches aiming to increase NAD levels have provided encouraging results.



"We are very excited about having discovered yet another mechanism potentially involved in disease development and progression", says Hyland, and Ziegler concludes:



"Our study also demonstrates the importance of basic research to identify promising targets to slow aging and to treat aging-related diseases".

The results have been published in the renowned journal Nature Metabolism and featured in a News and Views article in the same issue.
Air India Orders 34 Trainer Aircraft for New Pilot Academy in Maharashtra

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 14:41 IST

The order includes 31 single-engine aircraft from Piper Aircraft in the US and 3 twin-engine aircraft from Diamond Aircraft in Austria.

The FTO, based at Belora Airport in Amravati, aims to graduate 180 commercial pilots annually.

Air India has placed an order for 34 trainer aircraft as part of its plans to launch South Asias largest Flying Training Organisation (FTO) in Amravati, Maharashtra.

The new training centre, set to open by the second half of 2025, will help train cadet pilots and enhance the airlines self-reliance in producing qualified pilots.

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The order consists of 31 single-engine planes from Piper Aircraft (USA) and 3 twin-engine aircraft from Diamond Aircraft (Austria). These aircraft, set to be delivered from 2025, are equipped with advanced glass cockpits, G1000 avionics, and Jet A1 engines, ensuring top-quality training for future pilots.

The FTO at Belora airport in Amravati aims to graduate 180 commercial pilots every year. This move is part of Air Indias Vihaan.AI transformation programme, aiming to strengthen its pilot training infrastructure as the airline grows.

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Sunil Bhaskaran, Director of Air Indias Aviation Academy, said, The new FTO is a strategic move to exponentially expand our training infrastructure and our commitment to building a self-reliant ecosystem of qualified pilots for both Air India and the Indian aviation industry."

Air India has also opened a new Aviation Training Academy in Gurugram, the largest of its kind in South Asia. The Amravati FTO will feature modern classrooms, hostels, a digital operations centre, and a maintenance facility, all designed to provide world-class training with high safety standards.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 14:41 IST
Epigamia's Co-Founder Rohan Mirchandani Passes Away At 42 Due To Cardiac Arrest

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 09:06 IST

Rohan Mirchandani, co-founder of Epigamia, a prominent Greek yogurt brand in India, passed away on December 21

Rohan Mirchandani

Rohan Mirchandani, co-founder of Epigamia, a prominent Greek yogurt brand in India, passed away on December 21 at the age of 42 due to a cardiac arrest. The news was confirmed through an official statement from Drums Food International, the parent company of Epigamia.

A graduate of NYU Stern and The Wharton School, Mirchandani founded Drums Food International in 2013. Under his leadership, the company transformed from Hoki Poki ice cream into Epigamia, a household name in yogurt and dairy products. With over 20,000 retail touchpoints across 30 cities, the company was also preparing for an expansion into the Middle East by 2025-26.

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Epigamias senior leadership team, including Ankur Goel (COO and founding member) and Uday Thakker (co-founder and director), will continue to manage the company with full backing from the board of directors, Mirchandanis family, and key investors such as Verlinvest and DSG Consumer Partners.

Rohan was our mentor, friend, and leader," Goel and Thakker said in a joint statement. We are committed to carrying forward his dream with strength and determination."

The board of Epigamia also honored Mirchandanis legacy, describing him as a visionary leader" whose dedication and passion left a profound mark. We will collaborate closely with the leadership to elevate Rohans legacy to even greater heights," the statement added.

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Mirchandanis passing follows other significant losses in Indias startup ecosystem, including Pepperfry co-founder Ambareesh Murty and Good Capitals Rohan Malhotra.

Mirchandani was known for his innovative mindset and often shared his eureka moment" during a business school lecture in Mumbai, which led him to address the lack of innovation in Indias FMCG sector. His ambitious vision for Epigamia included scaling its revenue to 250 crore in FY25 and expanding into quick commerce.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 09:04 IST
Sanathan Textiles IPO Closes: Check Subscription Status, GMP Today

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 17:42 IST

Sanathan Textiles IPO: Unlisted shares of Sanathan Textiles Ltd are trading at Rs 382 in the grey market, reflecting a premium of Rs 61 (19%) over the upper price band of Rs 361. This indicates positive listing gains for investors on December 27.

Senores Pharmaceuticals IPO.

Sanathan Textiles IPO: The initial public offering of yarn manufacturer Sanathan Textiles Ltd has been closed on Monday, December 23. The price band of the IPO has been fixed in the range of Rs 305 to Rs 321 per share. Till 5:00 pm on the third day of bidding on Monday, the IPO received bids for 44,26,24,834 shares as against the 1,19,93,770 shares on offer, resulting in a subscription rate of 36.9 times.

So far, the retail category has received a 9.31 times subscription, while the non-institutional category (NII) got a 44.39 times subscription. The QIB category has received a 79.59 times subscription.

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Sanathan Textiles IPO GMP Today

As per market observers, the unlisted shares of Sanathan Textiles Ltd are trading at Rs 382 in the grey market, reflecting a premium of Rs 61 (19%) over the upper price band of Rs 361. This indicates positive listing gains for investors on December 27.

The 19 per cent GMP is higher than the 18.69 per cent grey market premium recorded on Friday.

The GMP is subject to sentiments in the market and may change.

Sanathan Textiles IPO: Key Dates

Closing Date: December 23 (Monday)

December 23 (Monday) Allotment Finalisation: December 24

December 24 Listing on BSE and NSE: December 27 (Friday)

Sanathan Textiles IPO: More Details

The Rs 550-crore IPO is a combination of a fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 400 crore and an Offer For Sale (OFS) of shares valued Rs 150 crore by promoters and promoter group entities.

Its price band has been fixed at Rs 305 to Rs 321 per share. The minimum lot size for an application is 46. The minimum amount of investment required by retail investors is Rs 14,766. The minimum lot size investment for small NII is 14 lots (644 shares), amounting to Rs 2,06,724, and for big NII, it is 68 lots (3,128 shares), amounting to Rs 10,04,088.

The company has mobilised Rs 165 crore from anchor investors ahead of its initial share-sale opening for public subscription. SBI Mutual Fund (MF), Nippon India MF, HDFC MF, Kotak MF, Bandhan MF, SBI General Insurance Company, Societe Generale, and PineBridge Global Funds, are among the anchor investors, according to a circular uploaded on the BSE website.

As per the circular, Sanathan Textiles has allotted 51.4 lakh shares to 20 funds at Rs 321 apiece, which is also the upper end of the price band. This aggregates the transaction size to Rs 165 crore.

The company plans to utilise the proceeds from its fresh issue worth Rs 160 crore for payment of debt, Rs 140 crore will be invested in its subsidiary, Sanathan Polycot Pvt Ltd, for the repayment or prepayment of its borrowings, and the remaining amount will be allocated for general corporate purposes.

Sanathan Textiles operates three distinct yarn business divisions  polyester yarns, cotton yarns, and yarns  for technical textiles and industrial applications. These divisions are managed under a single corporate entity.

Half of the issue has been reserved for qualified institutional buyers, 35 per cent for retail investors and the remaining 15 per cent for non-institutional investors.

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Further, investors can bid for a minimum of 46 equity shares and in multiples of 46 equity shares thereafter.

Dam Capital Advisors and ICICI Securities are the book-running lead managers to the issue. The equity shares are proposed to be listed on the BSE and the NSE.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 12:58 IST
Stocks To Watch: NTPC Green, IndusInd Bank, Zomato, Vedanta, Indian Oil, And Others

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 07:53 IST

Stocks to watch: Shares of firms like NTPC Green, IndusInd Bank, Zomato, Vedanta, Indian Oil, and others will be in focus on Monday's trade

Stocks To Watch: Check Latest Market Trend On December 23

Stocks To Watch On December 23: Markets saw a sharp drop on Friday, losing nearly 1.5% as the corrective phase continued. In todays trading, shares of RIL, NTPC Green, IndusInd Bank, Zomato, and Vedanta are likely to attract attention due to recent developments.

UltraTech Cement: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved UltraTech Cements acquisition of India Cements.

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NTPC Green Energy: The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bihar government to launch renewable energy projects in the state.

Vedanta: The mining giant has announced that it will consider the demerger of its base metals business at a later date, while the share entitlement ratio for the demerger of its remaining five businesses will remain unchanged.

Zomato: Zomatos stock will be under the spotlight today as the food delivery company becomes the first new-age tech firm to join the BSE Sensexs 30-share frontline index.

RIL: Reliance Industries wholly-owned subsidiary, Reliance Digital, has entered into definitive agreements to acquire a 45% equity stake in Health Alliance Group Inc.

NHPC: NHPC has signed an MoU with the Bihar government to invest Rs 5,500 crore in solar energy and green hydrogen projects.

Piramal Enterprises: The board of Piramal Enterprises has approved raising up to Rs 2,000 crore through a qualified institutional placement, in one or more tranches.

IndusInd Bank: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 27.30 lakh on IndusInd Bank for failing to adhere to certain regulatory norms.

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Indian Oil: The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) board has approved an investment of Rs 657.33 crore in a yarn project at Bhadrak, Odisha.

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: The views and investment tips by experts in this News18.com report are their own and not those of the website or its management. Users are advised to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 07:53 IST
Assam TET 2024 Postponed, Check New Exam Date; Fresh Admit Cards Soon

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 13:46 IST

Assam TET 2024: The board will also issue fresh admit cards to all the candidates who applied for the exam starting January 3, 2025, from 11 AM onwards.

Assam TET 2024: The new examination schedule is now available on the official website at madhyamik.assam.gov.in. (Representative/News18 Hindi)

The Directorate of Secondary Education, Assam has revised the exam date of the Assam Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) recruitment exam 2024. Initially scheduled for December 29, 2024, the exam will now take place on January 19, 2025. The board will also issue fresh admit cards to all the candidates who applied for the exam starting January 3, 2025, from 11 AM onwards.

Ranoj Pegu took to microblogging site X to inform about the postponement of the exam. The TET cum Recruitment Test scheduled for 29/12/2024 has been postponed to 19/01/2025. Candidates can download fresh Admit Cards using their Application No. and Password on the Directorate of Secondary Education, Assams website (https://madhyamik.assam.gov.in) from 11 AM on 03/01/2025," he posted.

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The TET cum Recruitment Test scheduled for 29/12/2024 has been postponed to 19/01/2025.Candidates can download fresh Admit Cards using their Application No. and Password on the Directorate of Secondary Education, Assams website (https://t.co/tRCUQ53sgi) from 11 AM on pic.twitter.com/7BJer0xWeu  Ranoj Pegu (@ranojpeguassam) December 22, 2024

The new examination schedule is now available on the official website at madhyamik.assam.gov.in. There are two exam papers, each held for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Each paper contains 150 multiple-choice questions. Blind candidates receive an additional 20 minutes to write the exam.

Assam TET 2024 Admit Card: How To Download?

Step 1: Once out, candidates need to go to the official website of Assam TET, which is, madhyamik.assam.gov.in, to download the hall ticket.

Step 2: Upon reaching the homepage, search for and click on the Assam TET Admit Card 2024 Download link.

Step 3: Key in your application number and password in the provided space and then click submit.

Step 4: Once done, your Assam TET Admit Card 2024 will be displayed on your screen.

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Step 5: Download and save a copy of the same and take a print out for future use.

Students appearing for the exam are required to carry a hard copy of the admit card along with a photo identity card issued by the government (such as an Aadhaar card, PAN card, driving license, or voter ID). PwBD (Disabled) candidates must carry a document recognized by the competent authority as a certificate to the exam centre.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 13:38 IST
Centre Scraps 'No Detention Policy' For Class 5, 8 Students Who Fail Year-end Exams

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 21:11 IST

The failed students will be able to take the annual exams again within two months. However, if they fail again, they will have to repeat the year, according to officials.

The Ministry of Education has also said that no child will be expelled from any school till completion of elementary education (Representative/File Photo)

The Centre has scrapped the no-detention policy for classes 5 and 8. This means that students who are unable to clear the year-end exams will be marked as failing and have to retake the exams. The failed students will be able to take the annual exams again within two months. However, if they fail again, they will not be promoted and will have to repeat the year, according to officials.

However, the Ministry of Education has said that no child will be expelled from any school till completion of elementary education. The decision to amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010 was taken by the Centre to improve the learning outcome among children, Secretary, Sanjay Kumar said.

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During the holding back of the child, the class teacher shall guide the child as well as the parents of the child, if necessary, and provide specialised inputs after identifying the learning gaps at various stages of assessment," the notification said.

The new rule is applicable to more than 3,000 schools run by the central government including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navaodyala Vidyalayas, and Sainik Schools, the Ministry of Education has informed.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 introduced the no detention policy which meant that even if students failed the annual class 5 or class 8 exams, they were not allowed to be detained in the same class. This step was so that students would not be disheartened and would be encouraged to continue school.

The Act was amended in 2019 and the states were given the option of deciding if they wanted to continue with the policy. Since school education is a state subject, states can make their decision in this regard. Already 16 states and 2 UTs including Delhi have done away with the no-detention policy for these two classes," the notification stated.

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Haryana and Puducherry have not made any decision yet while remaining states and UTs have decided to continue with the policy," a senior official told PTI.

After the NEP 2020 was announced, it was decided that the new policy would be notified after the completion of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF). After the NCF was finalised in 2023, the education ministry revised the rules for implementing the RTE provisions, reported Times of India.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 16:22 IST
NEET UG Counselling 2024: Registration Begins For Special Stray Vacancy Round 3 at mcc.nic.in

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 14:59 IST

NEET UG Counselling 2024: Candidates who cleared the NEET UG 2024 exam and are yet to get a seat may apply for the special stray vacancy round 3 by visiting the official website at mcc.nic.in.

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has commenced the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET (UG) 2024 special stray vacancy round 3 counselling process today, December 23. The last date to fill the choice is tomorrow, December 24 up to 11 am.

Candidates who cleared the NEET UG 2024 exam and are yet to get a seat may apply for the special stray vacancy round 3 by visiting the official website of MCC at mcc.nic.in. The seat allotment result will be declared tomorrow.

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NEET UG Counselling 2024 Special Stray Vacancy Round 3: Steps To Apply

Step 1: Visit the official website of NEET Counselling

Step 2: On the homepage, click on the special stray vacancy round registration link

Step 3: Enter the required details such as registration number and password

Step 4: Fill out the form. Submit and pay the fees

Step 5: Download the acknowledgment form for further reference.

After being assigned a seat, a candidate must report to the specified college to finish the admissions procedures. Candidates must carry the original copies of the designated documents when they report to the designated college. Candidates who are allotted seats in this round must report to their respective colleges between December 25 and 30 by 5 PM for document verification.

ALSO READ | Haunted By Paper Leaks, Can NTA Exorcise The Ghost Of Entrance Tests In 2025?

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The medical entrance exam was held on May 5. However, after the results were issued by NTA, reports of a paper leak case came to light. There were allegations of increasing the marks of 1563 candidates. After the release of the NEET UG Result 2024, several candidates filed a case at the Supreme Court. Following an investigation, the number of toppers came down from 61 to 17.

Meanwhile, the Education and Health Ministries are currently deliberating on whether to conduct the NEET-UG medical entrance exam next year in pen-and-paper mode or shift it to online mode. A decision on this matter is expected soon, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said last week. The Education Ministry has held two rounds of discussions with the Health Ministry, led by Union Minister JP Nadda.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 14:47 IST
UP Board Intermediate Practical Exam 2025 Schedule Declared, To Begin On Jan 23

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 12:46 IST

The first phase of the UP Board Intermediate Practical Examination will be held from January 23 to 31, 2025. The second phase will be conducted from February 1 to 8, 2025.

UP pre-board practical examinations for class 12th will be held at the school level between January 4 and 10, 2025 (Representative/File)

UP Board Practical Exam 2024 Schedule: The Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Council (UPMSP) has released the intermediate board practical examinations 2025 schedule. Those who are set to appear for the exam can check and download the timetable through the official website of UP Board, upmsp.edu.in.

These examinations will be conducted in two phases. The first phase of the UP Board Intermediate Practical Examination will be held from January 23 to 31, 2025. It will be held students residing in Agra, Saharanpur, Bareilly, Lucknow, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Devipatan, and Basti.

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The second phase of practical examinations will be conducted from February 1 to 8, 2025. The divisions included in this phase are Aligarh, Meerut, Moradabad, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Varanasi, and Gorakhpur.

ALSO READ | UP Board 10th, 12th Exam Date 2025: UPMSP Class 10, 12 Exams To Begin On Feb 24

Furthermore, to maintain the sanctity of the examinations, it will be conducted under the surveillance of CCTV cameras. UPMSP has also instructed officials to preserve the complete recording of the examination. The appointment of examiners for practical examinations will be managed by the respective regional offices.

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High school practical examinations will be completed based on project work at the school level like last year. Individual candidates can get information about the practical examination from the principal of their exam centres. The marks of high school practical and intermediate moral education, yoga, sports, and physical education will be uploaded on the official website of UP Board by the principal. This process needs to be completed by January 10, 2025.

The pre-board practical exams of class 12th will be held at the school level between January 4 and 10, 2025. The annual exams of classes 9th and 11th and pre-board written examinations of classes 10th and 12th will be conducted by the principals of the schools from January 11 to January 21, 2025, UP Board Secretary Bhagwati Singh has said.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 12:40 IST
XAT 2025 introduces a significant change by allowing the use of scientific calculators, accessible through the exam interface. Additionally, 34 new test cities, including Anantapur, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Shimla, and Kolhapur, have been added to accommodate growing demand.

XAT Admit Card 2025: How To Download?

Once the admit card link is activated, candidates can download their XAT 2025 hall tickets by following the simple steps given below

Step 1: Visit the official website of XAT at xatonline.in.

Step 2: On the homepage, click on the XAT Admit Card 2025 link

Step 3: On the newly opened page enter your login details like registration number and password

Step 4: Click on submit and your admit card will appear on the screen

Step 5: Download the XAT 2025 Admit Card and take a printout for future reference

ALSO READ: AIBE 19 Answer Key 2024 Soon At allindiabarexamination.com; How To Download

XAT 2025 has achieved a record-breaking 142,235 registrations, surpassing the 1.35 lakh applications in 2024. Registrations have consistently increased since the pandemic dip in 2021, when the number dropped to 79,843.
Why Chinas Bet In Syria Has Failed, What Are Beijings Main Concerns After Assads Fall?

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Edited By: Shilpy Bisht



Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 14:18 IST

China, which has made some solid investments in Syria in order to strengthen its position in the Middle East, now seems battered. Beijing will have to reevaluate its support to Iran and Russia in the region

As far as the United States and European Union are concerned, they are likely to thwart Chinas attempts to expand its diplomatic footprints in the Middle East and beyond. (Reuters File Photo)

China needs to recalibrate its strategy in Syria after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government, which was heavily backed by Iran and Russia  on whom Beijing, perhaps, over-relied.

China, which has made some solid investments in Syria in order to strengthen its position in the Middle East, now seems battered. Beijing will have to reevaluate its support to Iran and Russia in the region.

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What Have Been China-Syrias Relations?

Back in September 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping had rolled out a red carpet for Assad and his wife, Asma, who made a six-day visit to the country amid fanfare. The Assads were Xi Jinpings guests at the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.

China was the only sixth visited country by Assad since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Some say Xi Jinpings red-carpet welcome to Assad and the signing of a strategic partnership" agreement between the two countries was how imperial" Beijing rewarded loyal" Damascus for formally joining the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) earlier in 2022.

Additionally, Beijing had also provided a diplomatic shield for Assad by blocking several resolutions in the United States Security Council (UNSC) in recent years.

Chinas top envoy Wang Yi had pledged to bring peace to troubled global hotspots," and had sent diplomats to the Middle East in recent years. Beijing also called for end of the collective punishment" of Palestinian civilians by Israel.

According to a report by the Cyprus-headquartered consultancy firm Centre for Operational Research and Analysis (COAR), following the Syrian governments victory against the rebel forces in Aleppo in 2016, Chinas financial assistance to Damascus jumped 100 times from $500,000 to $54 million in just one year. Additionally, Beijing also made long-term investments in Syrian oil and gas, totalling $3 billion.

What Assads Fall Means For China?

The most obvious reason to assume that Syria was important to Beijing was Chinas use of its United Nations Security Council (UNSC) veto at key points in Syrias civil war to support the Assad regime. China vetoed UNSC resolutions relating to the Syrian civil war eight times.

Syrias civil war also complicated Beijings response to the Arab Spring. Thousands of Uyghurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority from western Chinamostly from Xinjiangtravelled to Syria to fight alongside al-Qaeda against the Syrian government.

One Uyghur combatant quoted in an AP news article in 2017 reportedly said, We didnt care how the fighting went or who Assad was. We just wanted to learn how to use the weapons and then go back to China." A defeated Syrian government, therefore, had serious potential repercussions for Beijing.

In fact, China had not made any major contracts or investments in Syria since 2010, according to Atlantic Council. The peak of China-Syria trade over the past 15 years was in 2011, when it was valued at about $2 billion. In 2022, it was a mere $541 million. Chinas companies have no shortage of attractive markets in the Middle East, and Syria hasnt been one of them for a long time.

What Is China Worried About?

Experts and columnists in Chinese mainstream media have been concerned about Chinas growing interests in the Middle East as an economic guide and investor, should China meddle in regions politics and how can United States be prevented from disrupting Beijings plan?

Social media posts have also criticised Chinas seemingly exaggerated diplomatic achievements in the region, including the Beijing-brokered truce between major Palestinian rival factions Fatah and Hamas earlier this year, and the Saudi Arabia-Iran surprise diplomatic detente" in March 2023.

Beijing wants to expand its influence in the Middle East, and Syria was an important foothold for it to do that," US-based current affairs commentator Heng He told Radio Free Asia (RFA) Mandarin in a recent interview. This is at the very least a huge setback for the Chinese Communist Partys desire to boost its influence  by winning allies or supporting certain forces in the Middle East," he said.

Chinas absence from a summit in Jordan could also suggest that the new masters" in Syria do not believe that China can play neutral role in the transition. Turkey and Saudi Arabia, who were the key participants in the summit, might now see China as irrelevant.

As far as the United States and European Union are concerned, they are likely to thwart Chinas attempts to expand its diplomatic footprints in the Middle East and beyond. Beijing had helped the Iranians overcome sanctions and political pressure imposed by the US in recent years, as reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

This also means that China has indirectly been part of Irans Axis of Resistance, which means being an adversary to Israel and the United States and its allies, the SCMP reported.

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In all this chaos, Turkey has emerged as an important stakeholder in the Middle Eastern geopolitics. Thus, increasing diplomatic action between Washington and Ankara over the regions future.

With the US, Turkey and Israel appearing to have the upper hand in the current Middle Eastern dynamic, it is hard to imagine how China can find some room for diplomatic manoeuvre," SCMP said.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 14:18 IST
Why Trump Wants To Control Panama Canal Again, How Did It Help US Become A World Power?

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Edited By: Shilpy Bisht



Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 17:59 IST

Donald Trump has said he would not let Panama Canal fall into wrong hands referring it to China. However, Panamas President has said Panamas independence was non-negotiable and China had no influence on canals administration

The US accounts for about 75% of the canals traffic, with China ranking as the second-largest user. (Representational Photo)

President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal, citing rising tariffs and concerns over sovereignty. The US threat to the Panama Canal has drawn a sharp criticism from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona, Trump also said he would not let the canal fall into the wrong hands", warning of potential Chinese influence on the passage.

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On Truth Social, Trump posted an American flag flying over a narrow body of water with a comment: Welcome to the United States Canal!" Has anyone ever heard of the Panama Canal?" Trump said at AmericaFest, an annual event organized by Turning Point, an allied conservative group. Because were being ripped off at the Panama Canal like were being ripped off everywhere else."

Meanwhile, Panamas President Mulino said in a recorded message on Sunday that Panamas independence was non-negotiable and that China had no influence on the canals administration. He also defended the passage rates Panama charged, saying they were not set on a whim".

History Of Panama Canal

Explorers in Central American began taking keen interest in finding a shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific in the early 1500s. In 1523, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V commissioned a survey of the Isthmus of Panama and several plans for a canal were produced, but none ever implemented.

US interest in building a canal piqued with the expansion of the American West and the California gold rush in 1848. (Today, a ship heading from New York to San Francisco can save about 7,800 miles by taking the Panama Canal rather than sailing around South America.)

In 1880, a French company run by the builder of the Suez Canal started digging a canal across the Isthmus of Panama (then a part of Colombia). More than 22,000 workers died from tropical diseases such as yellow fever during this early phase of construction and the company eventually went bankrupt, selling its project rights to the US in 1902 for $40 million.

President Theodore Roosevelt championed the canal, viewing it as important to Americas economic and military interests. In 1903, Panama declared its independence from Colombia in a US-backed revolution and the US and Panama signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, in which the US agreed to pay Panama $10 million for a perpetual lease on land for the canal, plus $250,000 annually in rent.

Over 56,000 people worked on the canal between 1904 and 1913 and over 5,600 lost their lives. The canal, which cost the $375 million to build, was considered an engineering marvel and represented Americas emergence as a world power.

In 1977, responding to nearly 20 years of Panamanian protest, US President Jimmy Carter and Panamas General Omar Torrijos signed two new treaties that replaced the original 1903 agreement and called for a transfer of canal control in 1999. The treaty, narrowly ratified by the US Senate, gave America the right to defend the canal against any threats to its neutrality. In October 2006, Panamanian voters approved a $5.25 billion plan to double the canals size by 2015 to better accommodate modern ships.

How Panama Canal Control Went To Panamanians?

Signed by US President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos, the treaties set a timeline for the canals gradual transfer to Panama.

According to the Torrijos-Carter Treaties on December 31, 1999, the US officially handed over the control of the Panama Canal to Panamanians.

Since then, Panama has managed the canal, overseeing significant expansions, including the 2016 addition of wider locks to accommodate Neopanamax ships. Today, the canal handles over 14,000 vessels annually and facilitates 2.5% of global trade.

How Panama Canal Became Important?

The Panama Canal is the umbilical cord that ties North and South America together. Although the canal is a mere 82 km in length, the width of the country of Panama at one of its narrowest points. It is among the most iconic pieces of infrastructure in the world, and was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

When the Panama Canal opened in 1914, it stood as a testament to human innovation. However, its creation was not without controversy. The US initially supported Panamas independence from Colombia to secure the rights to build the canal.

The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty granted the US control over the Panama Canal Zone, a move that sparked resentment among Panamanians for decades.

The US accounts for about 75% of the canals traffic, with China ranking as the second-largest user.

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The Panama Canal finished the 2020 with $3.4 billion in revenues, up 7.2% on the 2019 fiscal year. In 2020, the canals direct contribution to Panamas national nominal GDP was 2.7%. Transits across the canal totalled 13,369 in the 2020 fiscal year, a 3% drop on the previous year. It is widely believed that the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to this dip. Its tonnage for the 2020 fiscal year was 475.2 million.

But the canal has faced several challenges over the years, including severe droughts. In 2023, low water levels forced administrators to reduce daily ship transits and raise tolls, leading to supply chain disruptions.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 17:52 IST
3 Khalistani Terrorists, Who Attacked Punjab Police Post, Gunned Down In Encounter In UP

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 13:13 IST

Three Khalistani terrorists were neutralised in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit. The police said that they were involved in an attack on a police post in Punjab.

Three Khalistanis killed in UP Police encounter (Photo: CNN-News18)

Three Khalistani terrorists, who were accused of carrying out an attack on a police post in Punjabs Gurdaspur, were killed in an encounter in Uttar Pradeshs Pilibhit, officials said on Monday.

The Punjab and UP Police had conducted a joint operation against three terrorists belonging to the Khalistani Commandos Force.

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Who Were Three Terrorists And What Did They Do?

The slain terrorists were identified as Gurvinder Singh, Virender Singh alias Ravi, and Jaspreet Singh alias Pratap Singh  all of who hailed from Gurdaspur.

The police said that the three criminals had thrown grenades and bombs at a police station in Gurdaspur.

Two AK-47 rifles, two Glock pistols, and ammunition were recovered after the encounter.

#WATCH | Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh: ADG Bareilly Zone Ramit Sharma inspects the incident site where three terrorists were killed in the encounter today.The three operatives of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) killed in the encounter were involved in a grenade attack on a police pic.twitter.com/Gewd15Rhn0  ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2024

A team of Punjab Police informed the UP Police about the presence of the three terrorists in an area that falls under the jurisdiction of the Puranpur police station of Pilibhit. The police of both states launched a joint operation as they received the tip-off about the accuseds presence in Puranpur.

The gunfight broke out in the early hours of Monday after which the three accused were gunned down.

The encounter took place in the jurisdiction of Puranpur police station. The joint operation was conducted by teams of Punjab Police and Uttar Pradesh Police," the police said in a statement.

In a joint operation against, #Pakistans ISI operative in Punjab, a collaborative effort between UP Police & Punjab Police led to an encounter with three operatives of KZF in the jurisdiction of PS Puranpur, Pilibhit. Recovery: Two AK rifles and two Glock pistolsThe three pic.twitter.com/ezEvP0WpOI  DGP Punjab Police (@DGPPunjabPolice) December 23, 2024

Two Constables Injured In Encounter

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Pilibhit SP Avinash Pandey detailed the encounter and said that when the terrorists were chased and stopped, they opened fire on the police teams, prompting to police to retaliate. The three terrorists sustained critical injuries, after which they were rushed to the District Hospital where they were declared dead.

Two of our constables, Sumit and Shahnawaz have been injured and are under treatment," the SP said.

Location : Pilibhit, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 08:33 IST
5 Honours In 10 Years: How PM Modi Silenced Critics With His Middle East Policy

Reported By :

News18.com

Edited By: Pragati Ratti



Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 10:13 IST

Kuwait became the fifth country in the Middle East to bestow upon PM Modi the highest honour of 'Order of Mubarak the Great'.

The emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, conferred Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the West Asian nations highest civilian award 'The Order of Mubarak the Great'. (IMAGE: NARENDRA MODI/X)

In 2014, when Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India for the first time, his critics in Delhis power corridors said two things: that he did not understand foreign policy and that the Arab world would never like him. In 2024, exactly ten years later, those same critics must be looking for a place to hide as Kuwait became the fifth country in the Middle East to bestow upon PM Modi the highest honour of Order of Mubarak the Great. Before this, Saudi Arabia had bestowed the second-highest civilian honour upon PM Modi, Palestine gave him the highest civilian honour in 2018, and the UAE in 2019 accorded the highest civilian honour, the Order of Zayed, on PM Modi. In 2019, Bahrain, too, conferred PM Modi with the third-highest honour of Order of Renaissance.

Since assuming office, PM Modi has made the region his priority, which is also proven by the frequency of his visits to the region. PM Modi has been to the UAE seven times, twice to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, once to Bahrain and Oman, once to Israel and Palestine, once to Jordan, and once to Iran.

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In the early days after Independence, India had a buyer-seller relationship with countries in the Middle East. They were the sellers of crude, and India was the buyer, but PM Modi has transformed this relationship by establishing leader-to-leader ties with the leader of every country in the region. For example, PM Modi addresses the President of the UAE, Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as Brother. PM Modi assisted in the process of land approval for the BAPS first Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi during his tenure, and later he inaugurated the temple in 2023.

In 2018, PM Modi rode in a helicopter provided by the Jordanian government and escorted by helicopters from the Israel Air Force. When Indians were stuck in Sudan after civil war broke out between two warring groups and they had to be rescued, the Saudi government provided India with the base and medical assistance, and even Royal Saudi Naval Forces rescued a few Indian nationals.

PM Modi also refers to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, as Brother. Last year, India managed to get pardoned the eight former naval officers accused of spying by the Qatari government only because of the personal rapport of PM Modi with the Qatari leadership, and after their release, PM Modi personally visited Qatar to thank the leadership for their generous gesture. During Indias G20 Summit, the ambitious IMEC Project was launched, which will connect India to Europe via the Middle East. India signed an updated agreement for the Chabahar Port Project with Iran this year, and India maintains close ties with both Israel and Iran.

PM Modi has also outmanoeuvred Pakistan in the Middle East. Now, no country in the region ever mentions the Kashmir issue, not even during their meetings with the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The UAEs famous EMAAR group is investing 500 crore in Jammu & Kashmir, which will provide jobs to 7,500 Kashmiri youths.

The joint statement released by India and Kuwait does not mention the issue of Palestine. This is also a reflection of changing times. Indias policy towards Palestine has been long-standing and consistent. India supports a negotiated two-state solution, towards the establishment of a sovereign, independent, and viable State of Palestine within secure and recognised borders, living side by side in peace with Israel. India has also strongly condemned the terror attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the loss of civilian lives in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. India calls for a solution through dialogue and diplomacy.

The GCC, the Middle East, is an integral part of Indias extended neighbourhood. PM Modi has taken historical linkages forward by developing them into strong relationships of energy, expatriates, and the economy.

India is dependent on the six Gulf Cooperation Council states for a large share of its energy requirements. In 2023, India imported crude from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar. The imports from the Middle East have declined by about 28 per cent to 1.97 million barrels per day due to more purchases from Russia.

Indian nationals make up a 7.6 million strong expat community in the Gulf. The safety and security of Indian nationals are a top priority for the Modi government. PM Modi also acknowledged the contribution that these expats make to the Indian economy by sending money back home in the form of remittances, and India tops the list with $129 billion in 2024. It also becomes the responsibility of the Indian government to keep raising the issue of the welfare of expats with the host governments and also to evacuate them in times of crisis, as India did from Yemen, Sudan, and Iraq in the past.

About 89 per cent of FDI from GCC countries was received in the past decade alone. If we go by data from DPIIT, between April 2000 and September 2013, FDI equity inflow to India was $3,046.11 million, and between September 2013 and September 2024, FDI investment was $24,541.14 million.

The UAE was the first Gulf country PM Narendra Modi visited in August 2015, marking the first visit by any Indian PM in 34 years.

Today, gulf countries look at India as a rising economic power, a key market, and a geopolitical player. India is also a net security provider in the Indian Ocean.

India is today known in the Gulf for its IT industry, digital public infrastructure, real estate, defence production, manpower, pharmaceutical industry, education, traditional medicine, space, agriculture, and electronics. Today, the buyer-seller relationship has been transformed into partnerships where Gulf countries take care of Indias energy security, and India takes care of Gulf countries food security.

The UAE is investing in India to set up food parks to enable the availability of high-quality products suitable to the UAE, using Indian farmers products, to be sold in the UAE. During PM Modis visit to Kuwait, the PM invited the Kuwaiti Investment Authority to India to look for opportunities to invest in food parks. India is also contributing to the Gulfs healthcare sector through its skilled healthcare professionals. A significant number of Indian doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers are employed across the Gulf. Indias medical tourism attracts many patients from Gulf countries. IIT Delhi has opened its campus in Abu Dhabi; this collaboration will foster joint research, academic programmes, and student and faculty exchange.

Gulf countries look at India as an investment destination. In October 2023, the UAE declared its intention to spend US $75 billion in India, while Saudi Arabia established a US $100 billion investment objective. The largest sovereign wealth fund in the UAE, ADIA, has been given the green signal to operate through the tax-neutral finance hub of Gift City in Gujarat. The Kuwait Investment Authority has already invested $10 billion in India.

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Middle Eastern countries are now shifting their focus from traditional sectors like oil and gas to high-growth, knowledge-driven industries. India and the UAE signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2022, which aims to boost trade to USD 100 billion in five years.

India and GCC nations are currently negotiating a free trade agreement. India is also making Gulf countries members of the International Solar Alliance to promote solar energy as a sustainable solution for energy access and climate change. Kuwait has been added to the list.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 10:13 IST
'What Have They Done?' BJP Vs Kejriwal As AAP Begins Registration For Women's Welfare Schemes

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 14:09 IST

The BJP has slammed the AAP's new welfare schemes, alleging those are election gimmicks. Arvind Kejriwal countered, saying the BJP's only aim was to target him.

Anurag Thakur (L)/Arvind Kejriwal (R)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday attacked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the latters Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana, the registration for which kicked off in Delhi today. In response, Arvind Kejriwal questioned the BJPs efforts for the welfare of Delhi and said the BJPs only manifesto was to abuse him.

Coming down heavily on Arvind Kejriwal, BJPs national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the Aam Aadmi Party has been in power for 10 years but failed to make Delhi pollution-free. The party also alleged the party could not clean the Yamuna River.

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What have they done? They were in power for 10 years, but could not make Delhi pollution-free. They could not clean the Yamuna," Poonawalla said.

They used to talk about good hospitals and schools but could not do it. Now they are making new promises. What were they doing for 10 years? These are just election promises made to the public in view of the upcoming Delhi polls," he said.

Addressing a press conference today, Union Minister and BJP MP Anurag Thakur said, The AAP government polluted Yamuna River so badly, it has become so smelly, foamy and poisonous. I remember, during a press conference in 2022, Kejriwal had said that before the next election, he, along with people would take a dip in the Yamuna River, that is before the 2025 election."

Kejriwal Ji, 10 years have gone by and only 10 days are left to go for 2025, did the cleaning of Yamuna happen? Has Yamuna become clean?" he asked.

#WATCH | Delhi: BJP MP Anurag Thakur says, " AAP govt polluted Yamuna River so badly, it has become so smelly, foamy and poisonousI remember, during a press conference in 2022, Kejriwal had said that before the next election, he, along with people would take a dip in the https://t.co/GvkCDa92Xj pic.twitter.com/pcMOSJn8Hl ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2024

Also slamming the Delhi government over air pollution, Thakur said, Delhi has become a gas chamber due to the excessive air pollution and bad sewage system. This is causing diseases like malaria and dengue. The water is polluted."

Today, the time has come to save Delhi and end the corruption of Arvind Kejriwal," he said.

VIDEO | Heres what BJP MP Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) said while addressing the launch of partys Aarop Patr in Delhi.Delhi has become a gas chamber due to the excessive air pollution and bad sewage system. This is causing diseases like malaria and dengue. The water is pic.twitter.com/2DMmnE1kVY  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 23, 2024

Earlier too, the BJP had hit out at the AAP, alleging that this was another attempt by the party to cheat" the women in Delhi.

In a post on X, the party said, Arvind Kejriwal is the biggest fraud in the world and his job is to sell false dreams! A case of fraud should be filed against him!"

Before the elections in Punjab, he said that he would give 1000 rupees to women, but after the elections, he has not given even a single rupee to date. Then before the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, he said he would give 1000 rupees but has not given it till date," the BJP said.

In the run for the upcoming Delhi elections, AAP is vying for a third consecutive term, having won 62 out of 70 seats in the last election.

AAP LAUNCHES SCHEMES FOR WOMEN

Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday commenced the registration process for Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana from parts of the national capital.

Earlier, Kejriwal had announced that registration for the Delhi government scheme under which women will be provided monthly assistance will begin on Monday.

He also said registration for the Sanjeevani Yojana which will provide free treatment to people above 60 years of age will also begin along with it.

VIDEO | Delhi CM Atishi (@AtishiAAP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) launch the registration process for Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana.#DelhiNews(Full video available on PTI Videos  https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/s3wI4XHwH5  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 23, 2024

Countering the BJPs allegations, Arvind Kejriwal on Monday asked, What has the BJP done for the people of Delhi? Nothing."

Their only manifesto is to abuse me," he added.

They have no team, narrative, vision for Delhi. They dont even have a chief ministers face," the party convenor said.

" The BJP has no agenda to contest elections. They should tell the people of Delhi what they have done for Delhi in five years. The Aam Aadmi Party has done a lot of work for Delhiites in terms of electricity, water, womens travel, roads and many other things. What work have these people done?" Kejriwal asked.

The law and order situation in Delhi has collapsed. They have not done any work. Now that they have come for elections, they are issuing a chargesheet against me," he added.

In its 2024-25 budget, the Delhi government announced the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana scheme to provide Rs 1,000 per month to all women aged above 18. However, Kejriwal recently announced that the amount would be raised to Rs 2,100 if his party returns to power in the assembly elections, slated for February next year.

Reacting to the announcement made on Sunday, the Delhi unit of the BJP said Kejriwal was selling false dreams" as the AAP had made similar promises ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi and assembly elections in Punjab but has not delivered them.

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said, The registration for the scheme will start tomorrow, and women dont have to go anywhere for registration. Our volunteers will come to your home and complete the registration."

There are many daughters whose college education is interrupted after class 12 due to financial constraints. With this Rs 2,100, they will be able to continue their studies and also help them pursue higher education," he added.

The beneficiaries will need to show their voter identity cards, and all eligible women voters in Delhi will receive the benefits, he said.

You dont need to stand in any queues or waste your time. We will come to your doorstep. Across every area of Delhi, AAP has created thousands of teams. These teams will come to your home and will do registration of all the women of the house and give them a registration card (Kejriwal Kavach Card)," an official statement read.

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Kejriwal also announced that registration for the Sanjeevani Yojana will start on Monday, and elderly people will be registered at their homes by AAP volunteers.

Earlier, the AAP supremo announced that the Sanjeevani Yojana would be launched to provide free treatment to people aged above 60 years after his party returns to power in Delhi.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 13:33 IST
Air India Express Surat-Bangkok Flight Sees Bumper Liquor Sale, Passengers Say 'Stock Exhausted'

Published By :

PTI

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 10:52 IST

Passengers on an Air India Express inaugural flight from Surat to Bangkok complained that there was insufficient liquor onboard. Airline officials claimed otherwise.

Air India Express (File photo/PTI)

Air India Express inaugural four-hour flight from Surat in Gujarat to Thailands capital Bangkok saw good sales of liquor onboard, with some passengers claiming the stock ran out.

The flight, operated with a Boeing 737-8 aircraft on Friday, had 175 passengers and six crew members onboard. The passenger capacity of the plane is 176.

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Liquor consumption is prohibited in Gujarat.

Officials of the budget airline on Sunday said there were brisk sales of alcohol on the flight from Surat to Bangkok and the stock was not exhausted, as claimed by some on social media.

Some passengers had taken to social media, saying the airline ran out of liquor.

There was sufficient stock of liquor as well as food onboard, the officials added.

There was no official statement from the Tata Group-owned Air India Express.

According to the officials, generally, a passenger is not served more than 100 ml of liquor during a flight.

The airline offers five types of liquor onboard.

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A 50 ml of Chivas Regal is priced at Rs 600 while 50 ml each of Red Label, Bacardi White Rum and Beefeater Gin cost Rs 400. It also offers 330 ml Bira Lager for Rs 400.

When it comes to food, passengers can either pre-book or buy during the flight.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 10:50 IST
Row Over Congress Link To Allu Arjun House Attack, All 6 Arrested Get Bail

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 14:54 IST

Protesters vandalised flower pots at actor Allu Arjun's Hyderabad residence, demanding compensation for a woman's death during Pushpa 2 screening stampede. Six people were arrested and released on bail.

Allu Arjun targeted over woman's death during Pusha 2 screening (Photos: X)

At least six people were arrested on charges of vandalising flower pots and other items at the residence of top Telugu actor Allu Arjun in Hyderabad on Sunday, demanding justice for the woman who died in Pushpa-2 screening stampede. The arrested were, however, granted bail on Monday, news agency ANI reported.

Speaking to the reporters, advocate Ramdas, for the accused, said, The students of Osmania Univesity were demonstrating peacefully. When the police force attacked them they acted in their self-defence. Police filed a case against them. After their appearance before the judge today, the six people have been given bail without any conditions and a fine."

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Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged the incident was a state-sponsored terrorism", and that Allu Arjun was targeted because he refused to campaign for the Congress party.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy also condemned the incident and directed the state Director General of Police and the city police commissioner to be tough in maintaining law and order.

WHAT HAPPENED AT ALLU ARJUNs HOUSE?

According to the police, a group of people claiming to be members of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee on Sunday attacked Allu Arjuns residence. One of the protesters mounted the compound wall at the actors house and started throwing tomatoes.

When the security staff objected and persuaded them to get down from the wall, the protesters manhandled the security staff and damaged some flower pots, a release by the police read.

The protesters raised slogans and spoke to the media waiting at the gate, it stated.

The Jubilee Hills Police reached the spot soon after they were informed about the incident and arrested six people. A case was registered against the arrested six and a few others involved in the vandalism.

The police also said that any lawless behaviour will not be tolerated.

The protesters, who raised slogans against Allu Arjun, demanded Rs 1 crore in financial assistance to the deceased womans family.

A placard left by them read that crores of rupees are made by making films, while those watching films are dying.

According to police sources, Allu Arjun was not at home when the incident happened.

Meanwhile, security at the actors house was tightened.

A police release from the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Central Zone said a report is being forwarded to the DGP against a suspended police officer Vishnu Murthy for initiating disciplinary action.

The DGPs office will investigate this matter and take necessary action, it said.

ALLU ARJUN APPEALS TO FANS TO BE RESPONSIBLE

In an X post on Sunday, Allu Arjun appealed to his fans to express feelings responsibly, and not use abusive language.

I appeal to all my fans to express their feelings responsibly, as always and not resort to any kind of abusive language or behavior both online and offline," (sic), the actor tweeted.

I appeal to all my fans to express their feelings responsibly, as always and not resort to any kind of abusive language or behavior both online and offline. #TeamAA pic.twitter.com/qIocw4uCfk Allu Arjun (@alluarjun) December 22, 2024

ALLU ARJUNs FATHER CONDEMNS ATTACK

Commenting on the incident, Allu Arjuns father and veteran producer Allu Aravind said he would let the law take its course.

You have seen what happened outside our house. But this is the time for us to observe restraint. We should not react to all this at present. Police came and took them away. They later filed a case. Police are ready to take away if anyone comes here to cause any trouble," the actors father said.

No one should encourage such types of incidents. We will not react to this. This is the time for us to observe restraint. Law will take its own course," he told reporters.

BJP ATTACKS CONGRESS

In the wake of the attacks, BJPs IT cell chief Amit Malviya, in an X post, wrote that the Congress is targeting Allu Arjun because he refused to campaign for them.

Stone pelted on National Award winning actor Allu Arjuns house. This is state sponsored terrorism," Malviya shared a video of the attack and wrote in an X post.

The Congress is targeting Allu Arjun because he refused to campaign for them. He was earlier arrested in haste for a crime he didnt commit," he added.

Stone pelted on National Award winning actor Allu Arjuns house. This is state sponsored terrorism. The Congress is targeting Allu Arjun because he refused to campaign for them. He was earlier arrested in haste for a crime he didnt commit.        pic.twitter.com/gjfjKhrhQy  Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 22, 2024

In another X post, Malviya wrote, The main accused in the stone-pelting incident at National Award-winning actor Allu Arjuns home is a close associate of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. This was not a random act but a deliberate, state-sponsored attack on the actor."

From the Chief Minister to the senior police officials of Telangana, their actions and statements reflect a tone of vendetta, as if they hold a personal grudge against Allu Arjun," he added.

The main accused in the stone-pelting incident at National Award-winning actor Allu Arjuns home is a close associate of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. This was not a random act but a deliberate, state-sponsored attack on the actor. From the Chief Minister to the senior police pic.twitter.com/I0Ud7O3PAa Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 23, 2024

BJPs Telangana state president also condemned the incident, and said, The incident of stone pelting at actor Allu Arjuns residence in Hyderabad highlights the shocking failure of law and order under the Congress government in the state."

Incidents reflect the administrations inability to protect & ensure the safety and security of citizens. Targeting of artists and cine industry has become a dangerous norm under the Congress Govt in Telangana. Is this Congress supported / sponsored ?" (sic), he wrote in an X post.

The incident of stone pelting at actor Allu Arjuns residence in Hyderabad highlights the shocking failure of law and order under the Congress government in the state. Incidents reflect the administrations inability to protect & ensure the safety and security of citizens. pic.twitter.com/xhRMmNs1mj G Kishan Reddy (@kishanreddybjp) December 22, 2024

Speaking to the media, BJP leader NV Subash said, Attacking ones residence must not be done, there could be elder people, children, women and workers inside the residence. This incident is unacceptable, we condemn that."

Why is the Revanth government witch-hunting the film personalities? The then government made so many arrangements and infrastructure development in Telangana, especially in Hyderabad that the whole unit from Chennai had shifted here. Such an attitude by the Revanth Reddy government and the Telangana Police is not acceptable," he added.

CONGRESS DENIES LINK-UP ALLEGATIONS

On reports suggesting that one of the Congress Youth workers was behind the attack on Allu Arjuns house, Telangana Congress leader Sama Ram Mohan Reddy denied the allegations and told CNN-News18 that there was no link between the Congress party, the Chief Minister, or any office associates and the case.

He is also a student at the Osmania University," Reddy said about one of the persons involved.

The attack has also been condemned by the Chief Minister, and there are no links between the attack and the Congress party, or the Chief Minister, or any of the office associates," he said.

The government is very transparent and we have initiated an action against the accused. This is nothing, but a political drama by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the BJP. We are with the common man and the Opposition is backing a celebrity who is an accused," Reddy told CNN-News18.

Earlier, some photos on social media had shown one of the attackers, allegedly identified as Kodangal Youth Congress President Srinivas Reddy, with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

(Srinivas Reddy was recently appointed the youth president of Congress from Kodangal. He has been associated with the party since 2020).

On Monday, MLC Venkat Balmoor also blamed BRSs KT Rama Rao for the attack and shared a picture of Rao with Reddy Srinu Mudiraj, which he identified as the one who allegedly attacked Allu Arjuns house.

I strongly condemn the attack on Allu Arjuns house. The Congress Party will never encourage activities that disrupt peace and security. Whoever made a mistake, its their mistake. No party member will be ignored," Balmoor wrote on X.

If its the Congress party, there will be stricter measures, but there will be no laxity. CM Revanth Reddys tweet on this issue yesterday shows the Congress governments policy" he added.

Attack on Allu Arjuns house Is there a conspiracy angle to KTR? Recently, KTR has been engaging in such immoral acts to defame the government. Now, Reddy Srinu Mudiraj, who attacked Allu Arjuns house, is a disciple of KTR.this photo is proof of that There are suspicions that he was behind the attack," (sic), a rough translation of his post in regional language suggested.

ALLU ARJUN DID NOT LEAVE THEATRE DESPITE BEING TOLD ABOUT WOMANs DEATH

On Sunday, police officials said Allu Arjun did not leave the theatre during the screening of Pushpa-2 on December 4 despite being told to do so in view of a stampede in which a woman died.

Speaking at a press conference on the annual round-up of 2024, city police commissioner CV Anand showed a video, made by police, on the situation that prevailed when the stampede occurred.

The video was made by collating footage, including from news channels and cell phone clips. It suggests the actor remained in the theatre until midnight.

Anand did not make any comment on the video but said the media can draw its own conclusions.

A police official talked about the sequence of events on the fateful night of December 4.

He said that he and other police officials informed a manager of Allu Arjun about the death of the woman and told him that the situation was out of control. He indicated that they were not allowed to meet the actor.

Allu Arjuns staff members told them that they would convey the matter to the actor but did not do so, he said.

The official said he later managed to reach the actor, told him about the womans death and asked him to leave the theatre so that the fans wouldnt harm each other while trying to catch a glimpse of him.

The official also told the actor that security arrangements would be made for his exit.

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However, the actor said he would go only after watching the film, the police official said.

Later, accompanied by a senior officer, the official went inside and brought the actor out, he said.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 07:55 IST
Bengaluru Techie Loses Rs 11.8 Crore To 'Digital Arrest' Scam

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 22:02 IST

The fraud occurred between November 25 and December 12.

The fraudster further alleged that a case was registered in connection with this in Mumbai's Colaba Cyber Police Station. (Representative image)

A 39-year-old software engineer became a victim to a "digital arrest" scam and lost Rs 11.8 crore when fraudsters impersonating police officials claimed that his Aadhaar card was being misused to open bank accounts for money laundering, police said on Monday.

The fraud occurred between November 25 and December 12, they said.

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According to police, in his complaint, the victim alleged that on November 11, he received a call from a person who claimed to be an officer of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The alleged officer claimed that his SIM card, which was linked to the Aadhaar card, was used for illegal advertisements and harassment messages.

The fraudster further alleged that a case was registered in connection with this in Mumbais Colaba Cyber Police Station.

Later, he got a call from a person claiming to be a police officer alleging that his Aadhaar details were being misused to open bank accounts for money laundering, the FIR stated.

The fraudster warned him to keep the matter confidential and also allegedly threatened him that if he did not cooperate with the virtual investigation, he would be physically arrested.

Then, he also got a call from a person asking him to download the Skype app following which a man, allegedly dressed in Mumbai police uniform video-called him and claimed that a businessman had opened a bank account using his Aadhaar to conduct transactions worth Rs 6 crore, the FIR further stated.

However, on November 25, another man in police uniform called him over Skype and alleged that his case was being heard in the top court and threatened to arrest his family if he did not comply, according to the complainant.

Citing a fake Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines, the fraudsters allegedly asked him to transfer funds to certain accounts on the pretext of "verification purposes" or face legal consequences.

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According to the FIR, the victim transferred a total sum of Rs 11.8 crore in multiple transactions to various bank accounts over a period of time, fearing arrest. However, when they started demanding for more money, the victim realised that he had fallen prey to fraudsters and lodged a complaint with the police.

A case has been registered under the IT Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and cheating by impersonation, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 22:02 IST
BJP, TMC Trade Barbs After Voter ID, Aadhaar Card Recovered From Bangladeshi Terrorist

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 13:28 IST

The back-to-back arrests have led to a question mark over the security apparatus of Bengal, with the opposition BJP questioning the safe sanctuary to terror modules under chief minister Mamata Banerjee

The sleeper cell was operating in Assam, West Bengal and Kerala. (Photo By Special Arrangement)

The arrest of a Bangladeshi national, who had links to an Assam-based terror module, has not only triggered a war of words in West Bengal but also revealed the ease with which terror networks can procure Indian documents.

Md Sad Radi, who was held in Kasargod, was arrested after a joint team of Assam Police and West Bengal Police conducted pan-India raids. Radi is the mastermind of a sleeper cell and owes allegiance to Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

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Probe so far has revealed that Radi entered Kerala in November, posing as a construction worker. During this time, he got forged documents, which included an Aadhaar card and a voter ID. Apart from this, he was also found in possession of a fake passport. The forged documents point to local support that Radi enjoyed and is one of the aspects the police are looking into.

Close on the heels of Radis arrest, a member of the prohibited Tehreek-e-Mujahideen in Kashmir was caught after a cooperative effort between the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the West Bengal Special Task Force in Canning, South 24 Parganas.

The back-to-back arrests have led to a question mark over the security apparatus of Bengal, with the opposition BJP questioning the safe sanctuary" to terror modules under chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

On Radis arrest, Sukanata Majumdar, state BJP president, said the Union government was prepared to take full responsibility for the border with Bangladesh on the condition that the necessary land for the construction of border fences is allocated by the state government.

His colleague Amit Malviya, meanwhile, claimed that the detained ABT members possessed voter ID cards from two different constituencies  Kandi and Hariharpara in Murshidabad. This incident is just the tip of the iceberg. Illegal infiltrators obtaining voting rights have become a significant part of the TMCs voter base, enabling their continued grip on power," Malviya posted on X.

Responding to the criticism, Firhad Hakim, mayor of Kolkata and a Trinamool Congress leader, said the arrests were carried out by the West Bengal Police under Banerjees leadership, which showed a complete lack of tolerance for extremists".

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: The presence of members of the terror module is nothing new to Bengal. Terrorist outfits used Bengal as a safe haven during the three decades of the Left Front regime. There were blasts at Lalbazar and attacks at the American consulate in Kolkata. This trend has reversed since TMC came to office."

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He added: The Union home ministry has said in Parliament that terrorists are active in 14 states,

many of them governed by BJP. If there is any cross-border infiltration, it is the Centres job to stop that. The BSF should be alert."

First Published: December 23, 2024, 13:25 IST
Bullet Train Milestone Unlocked: 2 Lakh Noise Barriers Come Up Along 103-Km Viaduct

Reported By :

News18.com

Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee



Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 20:51 IST

Officials said for every 1-km stretch, 2,000 noise barriers have been placed on each side of the viaduct to keep a check on the sound generated by the train

The bullet train will operate at 320 kmph, which will create a lot of noise and can be a source of disturbance for the surrounding areas. (Image for representation: PTI/File)

As 2024 comes to an end, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project achieved yet another significant milestone, with over two lakh noise barriers installed along the 103-km viaduct.

According to an official statement on Monday, for every 1-km stretch, 2,000 noise barriers have been strategically placed on each side to keep a check on the sound generated by the train and other structures when it is being operated.

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These barriers reflect and distribute aerodynamic noise produced by the train as well as the sound generated by the wheels running on the tracks. Each barrier measures 2 metres in height and 1 metre in width, with a weight of approximately 830 to 840 kg," read a statement from the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL).

The trains on this high-speed corridor will operate at 320 kmph, which will create a lot of noise and can be a source of disturbance for the surrounding areas. Hence, these barriers will help in noise reduction.

The sound barriers installed in residential and urban areas are taller measuring 3 metres in height. These include an additional 1-metre translucent polycarbonate panel above the 2-metre concrete barrier to ensure passengers enjoy unobstructed views.

Six dedicated factories have been established to support the production of these barriers  three are in Ahmedabad and one each in Surat, Vadodara, and Anand.

ALSO READ | Indias High-Speed Train Coaches To Be Tested At Countrys First Climatic Lab Worth Rs 173 Cr

WORK ON AT A HIGH SPEED

The bullet train project has made significant progress when it comes to key construction work. More than 243 km of the viaduct has been constructed, along with 352 km of pier work and 362 km of pier foundation work.

Bridges have been constructed across 13 rivers, while multiple railway lines and highways have been crossed through five steel bridges and two PSC bridges. Track construction in Gujarat is progressing rapidly, with RC (reinforced concrete) track bed construction underway in Anand, Vadodara, Surat, and Navsari districts. Construction for 71 km of the RC track bed has been completed, and welding of rails has started on the viaduct," officials said.

In Maharashtra, the first concrete base slab for the Mumbai bullet train station was successfully cast at a depth of 32 m, equivalent to a 10-storey building. Work on the 21-km tunnel between Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Shilphata is underway, with an intermediate tunnel (ADIT) of 394 m completed to facilitate the main tunnel construction.

Construction of seven mountain tunnels using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) is ongoing in Palghar district. The only mountain tunnel in Gujarat has been successfully completed.

The 12 stations along the corridor, designed with thematic elements and energy-efficient features, are under rapid construction. These user-friendly and energy-positive stations are designed to provide a world-class passenger experience while prioritising sustainability.

Vivek Kumar Gupta, managing director of NHSRCL, said the project continues to set new benchmarks in high-speed rail infrastructure by combining cutting-edge technology with environmental considerations.

The project is not only transforming connectivity but also creating significant social and economic benefits, including the generation of thousands of jobs, development of local industries, and improvement in regional infrastructure. It will also help in reducing travel time, enhancing mobility, and fostering regional development; the project is set to drive economic growth and elevate the quality of life across Gujarat and Maharashtra," he said.

ALSO READ | Three Workers Dead After Structure Collapses At Bullet Train Project Site In Gujarats Anand

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The work on Indias first bullet train project started in September 2017. Initially, the deadline was December 2023, but this was delayed and, now, at least one stretch can begin functioning around 2026.

The 508-km project is spread across three states/union territories  Maharashtra (156 km), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (4 km), and Gujarat (384 km). With a total of 12 stations, 35 trains will operate from one direction per day at a frequency of 20 minutes during peak hours and 30 minutes otherwise.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 20:51 IST
Concerned Towards Minorities: Archbishops On PM Modi Attending CBCIs Christmas Event

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 22:08 IST

This is the first time that a Prime Minister attended an event at the Headquarters of the Catholic Church in India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers during Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took part in the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) at the CBCI Centre premises in New Delhi.

He also interacted with key leaders from the Christian community, including Cardinals, Bishops and prominent lay leaders of the Church. This is the first time that a Prime Minister attended an event at the Headquarters of the Catholic Church in India.

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Archbishop of Trichur and CBCI President, Rev. Mar Andrews Thazhath, said, This is for the first time that the Prime Minister of India is coming to the CBCI Center, a center of the Catholic ChurchWe are honored, we praise the God because the Prime Minister has come on behalf of Christians, we wish all the Indians Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."

#WATCH | PM @narendramodi attends the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) in New DelhiThis is for the first time that the Prime Minister of India is coming to the CBCI Center, a center of the Catholic ChurchWe are honored, we pic.twitter.com/58sdul5g1l  DD News (@DDNewslive) December 23, 2024

Archbishop of Delhi and CBCI General Secretary Rev. Anil Joseph Thomas Couto expressed happiness over Prime Ministers attendance in the celebration. He said, Im very happy that the Prime Minister is coming to the CBCI Center and joining us for this Christmas meeting.. Christmas is a type of togetherness, of love, of affection, and Im happy that together we are celebrating the birth of Jesus."

#WATCH | PM @narendramodi attends the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) in New DelhiIm very happy that the Prime Minister is coming to the CBCI Center and joining us for this Christmas meeting.. Christmas is a type of pic.twitter.com/cFPTZxbq59  DD News (@DDNewslive) December 23, 2024

Archbishop of Bombay Oswald Cardinal Gracias said that Modi attending the event showed that he is concerned about the minority communities.

This is a beautiful event organized by CBCI, the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows his concern towards the minority communities," he said.

#WATCH | PM @narendramodi attends the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) in New DelhiThis is a beautiful event organized by CBCI, the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows his concern towards the minority communities," pic.twitter.com/erRm1LOkCL  DD News (@DDNewslive) December 23, 2024

While addressing the event, PM Modi said that the teachings of Jesus Christ celebrate love, harmony and brotherhood and it is important for all to work to make this spirit stronger.

He further asserted that it pains his heart when there are attempts to spread violence and cause disruption in society.

He stressed that only a human-centric approach as adopted by India can take a 21st century world to new heights.

Attended the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India. Here are some glimpses pic.twitter.com/H3SD8zGRSR Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 23, 2024

Citing the Christmas market attack in Germany and the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka, Modi said it is important to come together and fight such challenges.

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Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) was established in 1944 and is the body which works closest with all the Catholics across India.

Last week, PM Modi attended a Christmas celebration at Union Minister George Kurians residence in Delhi, where he interacted with the members of the Christian community.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 22:08 IST
Disinformation, Fake News Powerful Enough To Disrupt Society: Amit Shah

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 23:13 IST

Amit Shah said there was a need for a robust ecosystem to counter misinformation, and in order to reduce the spread of propaganda to zero, there is a need for a strategy, technology, and readiness in place.

Amit Shah was delivering the '37th Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture' in New Delhi.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said disinformation, misinformation, mal-information, and fake news have such power that they are always ready to tear the social fabric with the use of the latest technology.

He also underlined that divisive forces are still active in the country, Delivering the 37th Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture, Shah said a country where social unity does not exist cannot progress in any meaningful way.

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Responsibility for addressing these challenges and preparing the entire police force to tackle them now lies with the countrys information warriors, he said.

He said that by identifying and eliminating threats promptly, the intelligence ecosystem helps maintain trust and stability within society.

He said if challenges such as Naxalism, terrorism, organised crime, divisive forces, communalism, narcotics, and antisocial elements are to be fully controlled, ensuring the security of society is of paramount importance.

Shah said there was a need for a robust ecosystem to counter misinformation, and in order to reduce the spread of propaganda to zero, there is a need for a strategy, technology, and readiness in place.

The home minister said for the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to realise the vision of a developed India, it must prepare itself to become a cutting-edge agency.

He also claimed that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India will become the worlds third-largest economy by 2027.

Shah said that as we progress, competition intensifies, threats increase, and obstructive forces emerge. He said that building a robust infrastructure to counter these threats, from headquarters to police stations and constables is the responsibility of young officers.

In order to achieve a fully developed India by 2047, we must visualise all potential threats and prepare a comprehensive roadmap to safeguard the nation from them, he said.

Shah said that inclusive development, along with peace and stability in the country, is only possible if we reshape our work under this expanded definition, prepare anew, and remain vigilant.

Over the past 10 years under the Modi government, significant successes have been achieved in combating terrorism, Naxalism, insurgency, narcotics, and anarchic elements, he said.

He said that under the current government, a major focus has also been placed on improving coordination between states and agencies and they have been strengthened with the backing of the law and amendment to several legislations.

Shah said the Modi government introduced three new criminal laws starting from July 1 after discussing with all the stakeholders in many meetings over the last five years.

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He said he was involved throughout in the drafting of the laws.

Once they are fully implemented, Indias criminal justice system will become the most modern in the world, justice will be delivered within three years of the filing of any FIR, right up to the Supreme Court, the minister claimed.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 23:13 IST
'Gold Rush' At Andhra Pradesh Beach, Locals Find Treasures In The Sand

Curated By :

Translation Desk

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 15:30 IST

According to reports, some locals were lucky enough to collect gold worth approximately Rs 3,500 each.

Gold rush on Andhra Pradesh beach after Cyclone Nivar.

While most people buy gold from jewellery shops, the residents of one coastal village in Andhra Pradesh are finding it naturally  on the beach. It may sound unbelievable, but its true. A fascinating gold rush" is currently underway on Uppada Beach, located in the East Godavari district, where locals are combing through the sand for precious gold particles and beads that have washed ashore.

This unusual phenomenon captured the attention of both residents and visitors alike. Locals, including fishermen, have been sifting through the beach sand using combs, hoping to find gold nuggets, grains, and even ornaments. While you may not expect to find gold just by walking along the shore, the secret lies beneath the surface, hidden in the sand. The true treasure hunt begins when the sand is disturbed after storms, and the shimmering gold appears.

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The beach in question is Uppada, which falls under the Kakinada revenue division. Recently, the area gained attention not only for its unique gold deposits but also for its potential to become a major tourist attraction. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan recently suggested turning Uppada and other beaches in the region into international tourist destinations, capitalising on the local charm and natural beauty.

This beach, however, is famous for another reason  its rich history of gold discoveries. Villagers from nearby areas, including Uppada and Suradapet of U Kothapalli block, have been finding gold particles and beads in the sand for generations. Often, the fishermen of the region find not just small gold grains but sometimes whole ornaments or solid gold pieces.

The phenomenon is tied to the regions ongoing coastal erosion. Over the years, many houses and even temples have been swept away by the sea, and with them, the gold items they once contained. These pieces, heavy and durable, are now being washed back ashore during strong waves  especially after storms.

The recent gold rush" was triggered by Cyclone Nivar, which hit the southern coast in November this year, causing significant damage and fatalities. The cyclones high tide stirred up the seabed, carrying gold particles and beads to the beach. Local fishermen were the first to spot the glittering treasure, and as news spread, hundreds of people flocked to the beach in hopes of finding gold.

According to reports, some locals were lucky enough to collect gold worth approximately Rs 3,500 each. This phenomenon led to speculation that the gold washed ashore may be relics of ancient temples, which have long since eroded into the sea. It is believed that small gold beads were once buried during the foundation ceremonies of homes and temples in the region, only to be carried away by the sea over time. When the storm stirred the ocean bed, these gold particles resurfaced.

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Local legends also suggest that the gold found on the beach may be remnants of old temples that were submerged under the sea centuries ago. According to Assistant Sub-Inspector Lovu Raju, it was customary in the area to bury small gold beads during the construction of houses and temples. As the coastal structures crumbled over time due to erosion, these gold particles were carried away into the sea. With the intensity of Cyclone Nivar, the waves likely deposited some of these particles onto the beach.

Residents have been engaging in the search for gold whenever fishing trips are less fruitful, particularly during storms when the dark sands make it easier to spot the gold. This tradition has been carried out for centuries, and while not every search is successful, those who do strike gold can make a significant profit. The traders who buy the gold pay between Rs 300 and 400 for small finds, with larger or more valuable pieces fetching up to Rs 2,000.

Location : Andhra Pradesh, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 15:30 IST
Kerala Lottery Results 23.12.2024: Win Win W-801 Winners Announced; Full List Here!

Published By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 25, 2024, 09:07 IST

Kerala Lottery Results: Here's FULL LIST of winning numbers for Win Win W-801 lucky draw for Monday, December 23.

Kerala Lottery Win Win W-801 Results: The first prize winner of Win Win W-801 will get Rs 75 lakh. (Image: Shutterstock)

KERALA LOTTERY WIN WIN W-801 RESULT ON MONDAY, 23.12.2024, LIVE UPDATES: The Kerala State Lottery Department has announced the results of the Win-Win W-801 lucky draw for Monday, December 23. The winner of the first prize will receive Rs. 75 lakh. The individuals who secure the second and third prizes will receive amounts of Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 1 lakh, respectively. Check the Full List of Winning Numbers below.

ALSO READ: Kerala Lottery Results 25.12.2024: Fifty Fifty FF-122 Winners; First Prize Rs 1 Crore!

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FULL LIST OF WINNING NUMBERS FOR WIN WIN W-801 LOTTERY

WINNING NUMBERS FOR CONSOLATION PRIZE OF RS 8,000 ARE

WN 283251

WO 283251

WP 283251

WR 283251

WS 283251

WT 283251

WU 283251

WV 283251

WX 283251

WY 283251

WZ 283251

WINNING NUMBER FOR 1ST PRIZE OF RS 75 LAKH IS WW 283251 (KATTAPPANA)

Agent Name: M JAKKIR HUSSAIN

Agency No.: Y 2771

WINNING NUMBER FOR 2ND PRIZE OF RS 5 LAKH IS WV 136563 (KANHANGAD)

Agent Name: AMARJITH A S

Agency No.: S 1288

WINNING NUMBER FOR 3RD PRIZE OF RS 1 LAKH ARE

WN 813008

WO 285751

WP 782431

WR 548525

WS 588786

WT 840737

WU 658729

WV 943178

WW 866977

WX 219421

WY 217533

WZ 689892

WINNING NUMBERS FOR 4TH PRIZE OF RS 5,000 ARE

0875 2490 2829 2868 3749 5025 5294 5827 7056 7243 7477 7869 8357 9012 9140 9221 9280 9662

WINNING NUMBERS FOR 6TH PRIZE OF RS 1,000 ARE

0649 1016 1697 1836 2261 5200 5641 6072 6522 6575 7039 7914 8626 8661

WINNING NUMBERS FOR 7TH PRIZE OF RS 500 ARE

0274 0477 0773 0979 1050 1098 1117 1329 1382 1459 1639 1647 1651 2317 2394 2507 2509 2555 2661 2948 3077 3086 3419 3431 3549 3704 3721 3739 3845 4000 4369 4467 4570 4584 4632 4639 5080 5108 5252 5470 5574 5611 5633 5658 5676 5772 6068 6091 6114 6280 6395 6689 6776 7333 7680 7717 7856 7857 7877 7911 7957 7965 8002 8115 8236 8644 8717 8746 8981 9054 9069 9117 9250 9368 9422 9473 9491 9498 9524 9553 9677 9796

WINNING NUMBERS FOR 8TH PRIZE OF RS 500 ARE

0097 0172 0451 0464 0534 0671 0830 0913 1223 1264 1301 1313 1504 1594 1778 1883 1922 1949 1996 2032 2227 2393 2582 2634 2647 2805 2902 2913 2960 3233 3306 3340 3401 3444 3463 3496 3723 3958 3981 4050 4077 4119 4208 4225 4258 4373 4506 4517 4557 4699 4714 4715 4748 4781 4822 4875 4943 4968 5114 5343 5430 5452 5481 5511 5595 5605 5609 5621 5708 5766 5785 5969 5973 6204 6507 6677 6861 6933 7085 7141 7179 7204 7250 7305 7451 7464 7684 7707 7766 7793 7819 7895 8086 8092 8179 8274 8335 8351 8400 8411 8489 8512 8532 8538 8553 8594 8617 8619 8640 8649 8743 8775 9001 9124 9220 9234 9283 9302 9314 9385 9403 9420 9552 9562 9713 9770

HOW TO CHECK THE WIN-WIN W- 801 RESULTS?

The results for the Win-Win W-801 lottery will be available on the official Kerala Lottery Department website, keralalottery.info. Alternatively, you can confirm the results in person by visiting the Kerala Government Gazette office.

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE MONEY?

Match your ticket number with the draw results published in the Kerala Government Gazette to find out if youve won. If the number on your ticket matches to the winning number, you could be the lucky winner. Winners are required to collect their prize from the Kerala Lottery headquarters at Gorky Bhavan within 30 days of the results announcement. When claiming your prize, ensure you have your winning ticket and a valid photo ID for verification.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED TO CLAIM PRIZE MONEY?

A self-attested copy of the winning ticket by a Gazette official, with passport-sized photographs on both sides.

A signed copy of the participants PAN card.

Complete the online award money receipt form and submit it with a revenue stamp attached.

Provide identity verification documents, which may include ration cards, voter IDs, PAN cards, and Aadhaar cards.

HOW TO DOWNLOAD A PDF WITH A FULL LIST OF WINNING NUMBERS?

Go to keralalotteries.info or keralalotteryresult.net, which are the official websites of the Kerala Lottery Department.

Locate the Win-Win W-801 lottery results by selecting the appropriate link.

The winning numbers from the draw will be displayed on the results page.

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Look for the option on the website to download the results.

To view and review the lottery results in PDF format, click on the provided link.

Location : Thiruvananthapuram [Trivandrum], India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 09:00 IST
Kumar Vishwas Cites Ramayana In Veiled Dig at Shatrughan Sinha, Sonakshi: 'Teach Your Children...'

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 12:04 IST

Kumar Vishwas appear to refer to Sonakshi Sinha's inter-faith marriage with Zaheer Iqbal, as he urged people to teach their children the 'Ramayana'.

Kumar Vishwas's apparent dig at Sonakshi and Shatrughan Sinha sparked mixed reactions online. (Photo: X)

Poet Kumar Vishwas stoked controversy with a veiled dig at actor and Trinamool Congress MP Shatrughan Sinha and his daughter Sonakshi Sinhas interfaith marriage by invoking the Ramayana at a public event.

Teach your children Ramayana, make them read the Geeta. Otherwise, someone else might take away the Shri Lakshmi of your house even if the house is named Ramayana," he said during an event in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

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#BreakingNews | Poet Kumar Vishwas sparks controversy with indirect dig at Shatrughan Sinha & Sonakshi Sinha#Congress fires back, calling his comment lewd" & cheap" @kotakyesha with details. Surendra Rajput of Congress shares his views with @GrihaAtul pic.twitter.com/w3UTc4lgJR News18 (@CNNnews18) December 23, 2024

Notably, Sonakshi Sinha tied the knot with longtime boyfriend and actor Zaheer Iqbal in June this year in an intimate wedding ceremony. Shatrughan Sinhas house is named Ramayana, adding to the fact that Vishwas was referring to the inter-faith marriage.

Sonakshi Sinhas inter-faith marriage was already surrounded by controversy as the entire Sinha family was not happy with the union as her brothers Luv and Kush were absent from the ceremony.

Kumar Vishwas Remarks Spark Row

Vishwas comments on Ramayana sparked a furious reaction on social media as they touched upon cultural and personal values. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate called the remarks lewd" and cheap", asking does a girl not have a right to marry a person of her choice?"

Kumar Vishwas ji, you not only made a cheap comment on Sonakshi Sinhas inter-religious marriage, but you also exposed your real thinking about women The foundation of marriage and marriage is equality, mutual trust and mutual love. No one takes anyone anywhere," she added in a post on X.

                     ?         ,                            Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) December 22, 2024

Shrinate added that had Vishwas really studied" the Ramayana, he would have understood love. You certainly got two minutes of cheap applause, but your stature sank further into the ground. You should realise your mistake and apologize to both the father and his daughter," she said.

Other netizens also criticised Vishwas for the remarks, highlighting that he had two daughters. Some people defended his remarks, saying he had spoken the truth. Many criticised users for sharing pictures of Vishwas daughters following the comments.

Sonakshi Sinhas Spat With Mukesh Khanna

In other news related to Sonakshi Sinha, the actor recently gave a heated reply to Mukesh Khanna, who blamed Shatrughan Sinha for not imparting cultural knowledge to her daughter after she failed to answer a question about Lord Hanuman on Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).

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The actress further warned Khanna to stop bringing up the incident for attention, reminding him that she responded to his criticism respectfully due to the values instilled by her father. The next time you decide to say anything about the values my father has instilled in me please remember its because of those values that I have only said what I said, very respectfully," Sonakshi asserted.

Khanna later said that he had no intention to hurt either Sonakshi or her father. I knew I was antagonising her by taking her name from that incident in the famous Kaun Banega Crorepati show. But I had no malicious intention to malign her or her father who is my senior and I have a very cordial relationship with him," he added.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 11:59 IST
'Fraud With Country': Delhi HC Denies Puja Khedkar's Pre-Arrest Bail In UPSC Case

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 17:08 IST

Delhi High Court made sharp observations while upholding that Puja Khedkar was unfit to avail the benefit which is meant for disabled candidates.

Puja Khedkar (FIle Photo)

Delhi High Court on Monday denied anticipatory bail to former probationer IAS officer Puja Khedkar who is accused of misrepresenting and falsifying facts" in her UPSC application.

The High Court also vacated the interim protection from arrest granted to her.

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Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said that prima facie, a strong case is made out against her.

What Did The Court Say?

The court observed that Khedkar is not a fit candidate to avail the benefits meant for disadvantaged groups that she has been availing by forging her documents.

The High Court said that her moves were part of a large conspiracy to manipulate the system. The court also observed that the investigation will be affected if she is granted an anticipatory bail.

The court also noted that UPSC is one of the most prestigious examinations in the world and stressed that she had committed fraud not just with the constitutional body but also country at large.

Will Cooperate: Puja Khedkar

Khedkar said that she would cooperate in the investigation and claimed that her custody was not needed as all evidence is documentary in form.

The Delhi Police had stressed that her custodial interrogation was necessary to ascertain the involvement of others in the case.

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The UPSC, which is the complainant in the case, had described Khedkar as a mastermind".

On July 31 this year, the UPSC had cancelled her candidature and imposed a lifetime ban from taking all future examinations and selections of the Commission.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 14:33 IST
Madurai Jailer Suspended For Asking Prisoners Granddaughter To Come To His Home Alone

Curated By :

Translation Desk

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 11:16 IST

It has been reported that after the request, the girl's family members confronted and physically assaulted the jailer on a public road. Following this, he was taken to the police station which led to his suspension

The jailer had a history of behaving inappropriately with female relatives of prisoners. (News18 Malayalam)

An assistant jailer in Madurai Central Jail has been suspended after a case was registered against him for inappropriate behaviour towards a prisoners granddaughter. The jailer, Balaguruswamy, was acquainted with the girl as she would visit her relative in prison. Exploiting his familiarity, he allegedly asked her to come to his home alone.

The incident came to light when the girl filed a complaint with the police, leading to Balaguruswamys suspension and the initiation of legal proceedings. Following the complaint, the girls family members reportedly confronted and physically assaulted Balaguruswamy on a public road. He was subsequently taken to the police station.

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Allegedly, Balaguruswamy had approached the girl at a roadside eatery operated by her family and made the inappropriate request.

Further allegations suggest that this was not an isolated incident, and Balaguruswamy had a history of behaving inappropriately with female relatives of prisoners.

Location : Madurai, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 11:16 IST
Meitei, Kuki Police Recruits To Serve Together As A Team: Manipur CM Biren Singh

Published By :

PTI

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 23:52 IST

N Biren Singh said that it is necessary to work together to bring peace to the state.

Manipur CM N Biren Singh told the police recruits that once they wear the uniform, they become Indian soldiers and do not belong to any community or caste. (IMAGE: PTI)

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday said the newly recruited police cadets, including those from Meitei and Kuki communities, will be posted together as a team" in an attempt to bring back peace in the ethnic violence-hit northeastern state.

Nearly 2,000 recruits of the Manipur Police passed out from the Lachit Borphukan Police Academy here on Monday, strengthening the force in the state.

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Assam and Manipur Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and Singh attended the ceremony as the chief guests.

The community-wise division took place due to the present situation. It was not like this earlier, and I will not allow this to happen in future," the CM told reporters after the ceremony.

The newly trained personnel will have to do everything together in the manner in which they trained here, he asserted.

We have to start working together to bring peace to the state. Their postings will be together. We will not break the team. We will try to restore the unity of earlier Manipur," Singh said.

Out of the 1,946 passed-out recruits of Manipur Police from the Lachit Borphukan Police Academy here, the caste distribution of them is diverse with 62 per cent being Meiteis, 12 per cent Kukis and the remaining 26 per cent belonging to the Naga and other tribes.

Asked about the ongoing law and order situation in Manipur, Singh said it is complicated and will take time to normalise.

We all have seen that peace is returning to the state," he said.

On the recent arrests of Bangladesh nationals entering India illegally in Manipur, the CM said it is not his states issue alone.

Bangladeshis illegally entering India are being arrested in Manipur, Assam, Tripura, Arunachal. We all have to tackle it together as it is our regions issue," Singh said.

Earlier, while speaking at the Passing Out Parade, Singh thanked his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma for imparting basic training to the huge police contingent during the states difficult times.

I expressed gratitude to the chief minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Government of Assam for making all the required arrangements for imparting basic training to the huge contingent of Manipur Police during the difficult time the state had been facing, and for providing the space for training the new recruits," Singh said.

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He also asked the personnel to share their experiences with family members on how they stayed and acquired training together, regardless of the communities they belong to and urged them to become the beacons in the process of restoring peace and tranquility in Manipur.

The chief minister told them that once they wear the uniform, they become Indian soldiers and do not belong to any community or caste, and that they should commit to the nation.

Location : Imphal, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 23:52 IST
News18 Evening Digest: Delhi HC Denies Puja Khedkar's Pre-Arrest Bail In UPSC Case & Other Top Stories

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 17:16 IST

We are also covering: Bangladesh Seeks Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina's Return, Sends Diplomatic Note To India, BJP, TMC Trade Barbs After Voter ID, Aadhaar Card Recovered From Bangladeshi Terrorist and Ousted Syrian President Assads Wife Unhappy With Life In Russia?

Puja Khedkar's moves were part of a 'large conspiracy' to manipulate the UPSC system. (PTI Image)

In todays evening digest, News18 covers the Delhi High Court denying anticipatory bail to Puja Khedkar in the UPSC case, Bangladesh sending a diplomatic note to India on the ongoing controversy surrounding South superstar Allu Arjun following the Pushpa 2 stampede.

Fraud With Country: Delhi HC Denies Puja Khedkars Pre-Arrest Bail In UPSC Case, Withdraws Protection

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Delhi High Court on Monday denied anticipatory bail to former probationer IAS officer Puja Khedkar who is accused of misrepresenting and falsifying facts" in her UPSC application. The High Court also vacated the interim protection from arrest granted to her. Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said that prima facie, a strong case is made out against her. READ MORE

BJP, TMC Trade Barbs After Voter ID, Aadhaar Card Recovered From Bangladeshi Terrorist

The arrest of a Bangladeshi national, who had links to an Assam-based terror module, has not only triggered a war of words in West Bengal but also revealed the ease with which terror networks can procure Indian documents. Md Sad Radi, who was held in Kasargod, was arrested after a joint team of Assam Police and West Bengal Police conducted pan-India raids. READ MORE

Bangladesh Seeks Ex-PM Sheikh Hasinas Return, Sends Diplomatic Note To India

Bangladeshs interim government on Monday sent a note verbale or a diplomatic note to India calling on the latter to send back deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka. Hasina, 77, has been living in exile in India since Aug 5 when she fled the country amid the student-led protests over a controversial job quota system that toppled her 16-year regime. READ MORE

Ousted Syrian President Assads Wife Unhappy With Life In Russia? What Led Her To File For Divorce

The British wife of Syrias ousted president Bashar al-Assad has filed for divorce after expressing dissatisfaction with her life in Moscow where her family sought asylum after the fall of the Assad regime, according to reports. She was born and raised in London by Syrian parents and moved to Syria in 2000 at the age of 25 after marrying Bashar al-Assad. READ MORE

Allu Arjuns Kids Allu Arha, Allu Ayaan Forced To Leave Home After Protestors Vandalise Home | Watch

Allu Arjuns children Allu Arha and Allu Ayaan were whisked away from their home in Hyderabad after their house was vandalised. On Sunday, Allu Arjuns house was vandalised by protesters demanding justice for the woman who died in the stampede outside Sandhya Theatre. READ MORE

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Sunil Gavaskar Slams India For Mistreating R Ashwin: Was Denied Even The Honor Of Vice-Captaincy

Legendary former India Sunil Gavaskar has criticized the Indian team management for denying Ravichandran Ashwin even the honor of vice-captaincy despite his apparent leadership skills. He said India could have given him the armband in a token Test or a bilateral series and not just the chance to lead the team out to the field in his 100th Test. READ MORE

First Published: December 23, 2024, 17:16 IST
'It Pains My Heart': PM Modi Condemns 'Attempts To Incite Violence' In Society

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 20:26 IST

PM Modi was addressing the Christmas event hosted by Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) at the CBCI Centre premises in New Delhi.

PM Modi at Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI). (Image: X/@narendramodi)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday condemned attempts to incite violence in the society while emphasizing that teaching of Jesus Christ celebrate love, harmony and brotherhood.

While addressing the Christmas event hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) at the CBCI Centre premises in New Delhi, PM Modi vowed to work together to follow the teaching of Jesus and make this spirit stronger.

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#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends Christmas Celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) at the CBCI Centre premises, New Delhi(Source: DD News) pic.twitter.com/6YjxxGeXbD  ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2024

PM Modi also condemned the last weeks terror attack in Germanys Magdeburg Christmas Market when an SUV smashed through a crowd killing four women and a nine-year-old child and injuring 205 people. Seven Indians were injured in this attack.

He further emphasised on giving importance to human interest and not just national interest. He said that India prioritises both national interest and human interest in its foreign policy. India even moved beyond its capabilities to help poor countries during Covid pandemic and provided medicines to over 150 nations," he said.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the evacuation of Indians stranded in war-torn nations, saying that no matter where they are or what crisis they face, todays India sees it as its duty to bring its citizens to safety.

We brought back our nurses who got stuck in the Gulf countries. It was a very satisfactory moment for me when we safely brought Father Alexis Prem Kumar from war-torn Afghanistan, a decade back. He was stuck there for 8 months and was in hostage For us, all these missions are not mere diplomatic missions but an emotional commitment to bring back family members," he said.

#WATCH | Delhi | At the Christmas Celebrations event hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), PM Modi says, It was a very satisfactory moment for me when we safely brought Father Alexis Prem Kumar from war-torn Afghanistan, a decade back. He was stuck there pic.twitter.com/LU4K9p6RPd ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2024

The Bible says  bear each others burdens. Our institutions and organisations work with this motto. Jesus Christ showed the world the path of compassion and selfless service Today, the country is moving ahead with the common goal of Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Prayas We have made sensitivity one of the parameters of work" PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister further expressed pride on George Koovakads elevation as a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

It is a moment of pride that His Holiness Pope Francis has made His Eminence George Koovakad a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Catholic Church," he said.

Koovakad is one of the 21 priests elevated to the rank of cardinal in a special announcement by Pope Francis on October 6. Previously, Koovakad, who held the title of Monsignor, was declared the Titular Archbishop of Nisibis in Turkey. He is currently based in the Vatican.

The PM further said that he has invited Pope Francis to visit India.

This occasion is going to be memorable as the CBCI is going to celebrate its 80th anniversary. I congratulate all related to CBCI I am fortunate that I have always received affection from you. I also receive the same affection from Pope Francis. During the G7 meet in Italy, I met him  it was my 2nd meeting with him in three years. I invited him to visit India" he said.

PM Modi also interacted with key leaders from the Christian community, including Cardinals, Bishops and prominent lay leaders of the Church. This is the first time that a Prime Minister attended an event at the Headquarters of the Catholic Church in India.

Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) was established in 1944 and is the body which works closest with all the Catholics across India.

Last week, PM Modi attended a Christmas celebration at Union Minister George Kurians residence in Delhi, where he interacted with the members of the Christian community.

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Sharing pictures from the event, PM Modi on his X handle, wrote, Attended the Christmas celebrations at the residence of Union Minister Shri George Kurian Ji. Also interacted with eminent members of the Christian community."

Christmas is annually observed to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Celebrated on December 25, it serves as both a religious and cultural event marked by billions around the world.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 19:25 IST
Man Registers As 'Sunny Leone', Names 'Jonny Sins' Husband, Gets Rs 1,000 Under Govt Scheme

Curated By :

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 09:38 IST

A man in Chhattisgarh fraudulently registered under the Mahatari Vandan Yojana using the names 'Sunny Leone' and 'Jonny Sins', receiving Rs 1,000 monthly for ten months.

Sunny Leone (Photo: Social Media)

In a case of online fraud, a man is reported to have been receiving Rs 1,000 monthly by the Chhattisgarh government, in the name of actress Sunny Leone. According to a report with The Indian Express, the man had been receiving the monthly amount under the state governments Mahatari Vandan Yojana.

The revelation was made after the Mahatari Vandan Yojana website was scanned, thus filtering out details of a beneficiary registered with the name Sunny Leone and her husband mentioned as Jonny Sins, the report stated.

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One of the files displayed Sunny Leone as the name of the beneficiary, while her husbands name was mentioned as Jonny Sins.

The report also claimed that the application was received at the Anganwadi level in the Talur sector of Bastar district.

The file mentions verified" by the Anganwadi and another supervisor. It also states that the person has received the beneficiary amount for ten months  March to December.

The report also quoted Bastar collector Haris S as saying, We are looking into the matter."

A senior police official from Bastar was also quoted as saying that action would be taken if any complaint is received from the district administration.

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Later, state Congress president Deepak Baij, in a social media post, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of favouring their supporters through the scheme.

Mahtari Vandan money is going to BJPs favourites in the name of Sunny Leone," Baijs X post in Hindi suggested.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 09:36 IST
'Why Censored?' Taslima Nasreen Claims Her Play 'Lajja' Banned In Bengal, BJP Reacts

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 22:48 IST

"Lajja" play, written by Taslima Nasreen, was scheduled to be staged at theatre festivals in Gobordanga and Pandua, Hooghly.

Award-winning exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen. (Image via X/@taslimanasreen)

Award-winning exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen on Monday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of banning her play Lajja" in the state saying that the CM is suppressing and censoring the art and literature.

In a post on Facebook, Nasreen claimed that despite advertisements for the festivals running for two months, Mamata Banerjees police suddenly intervened without prior notice, informing organisers that all plays would be allowed except Lajja".

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The play was scheduled to be staged at theatre festivals in Gobordanga and Pandua, Hooghly.

Mamata Banerjee has banned my play Lajja in West Bengal today. The play was scheduled to be staged at theatre festivals in Gobordanga and Pandua, Hooghly. Advertisements for the festivals have been running for two months, and now, without any prior notice, Mamata Banerjees police suddenly informed us that all plays will be staged except Lajja. The Nabapalli Natya Sanstha has staged this play three times in Delhi, with packed audiences each time," Nasreens post read.

The author further claimed that the police have justified the ban by citing concerns over potential riots. The police claim that staging Lajja will provoke Muslims to riot. Using the same excuse of potential Muslim riots, the state government had previously stopped the airing of my mega serial Dusshahobas, which dealt with strained relationships, on Akash 8 TV channel," she said.

Nasreen further questioned the reason for the ban saying that Lajja" depicts an incident from Bangladesh, making the fear of riots in West Bengal unfounded. The incident depicted in Lajja is from Bangladesh. Why would Muslims in West Bengal riot over an incident in Bangladesh? This is beyond my understanding. Citing the fear of riots, I was once forced to leave West Bengal as well," she added.

The author expressed her frustration over the censorship of art and literature and said that why no one is standing up against this injustice.

Why is art and literature censored instead of taking action against those who want to incite riots? Why are the voices of artists and writers suppressed? How much longer will I alone continue to ask this question? Does no one else feel responsible for standing up against injustice?" she added.

BJP reacts

Reacting to Nasreens claims, BJP IT-Cell head Amit Malviya said, In an unprecedented move, the West Bengal Police has banned the staging of Taslima Nasrins Lajja at theatre festivals in Gobordanga and Pandua, Hooghly, citing concerns over a potential Muslim reprisal".

In an unprecedented move, the West Bengal Police has banned the staging of Taslima Nasrins Lajja at theater festivals in Gobordanga and Pandua, Hooghly, citing concerns over a potential Muslim reprisal.If Mamata Banerjee is unable to manage law and order in Bengal and is so pic.twitter.com/ssATs7f3p7  Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 23, 2024

He added, If Mamata Banerjee is unable to manage law and order in Bengal and is so intimidated by Muslim veto that even art, culture and freedom of expression are being stifled, then she should consider stepping down."

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Lajja" novel

Lajja is a Bengali novel written by Nasreen. The term lajja" translates to shame" in Bengali and several other Indo-Aryan languages. The novel depicts the violence, rape, looting, and murders of Bengali Hindus that occurred in December 1992. First published in Bengali in 1993, the book was banned in Bangladesh.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 20:59 IST
'Working Longer Is Meaningless': Congress MP On Narayana Murthy's 70-Hour Workweek Demand

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 14:02 IST

Narayana Murthy has repeatedly advocated 70-hour workweek in India, expressing his disappointment over departure to a five-day workweek.

Karti Chidambaram and Narayana Murthy (PTI Image)

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has criticised Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthys views on work-life balance" and his firm stance on a 70-hour workweek, stating that the peoples focus should be on efficiency".

He also batted for a 4-day working week, advocating work-life balance and calling it most important for good social order".

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What Did Narayana Murthy Say?

His remarks came after Murthy said that he was disappointed" with Indias shift from a six-day workweek to a five-day workweek in 1986. He has time and again called for a 70-hour workweek, justifying his opinion, stating that the development of India requires sacrifice and not relaxation.

He had mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modis 100-hour workweeks to back his views.

When Prime Minister Modi is putting in such relentless effort, the best way to express our gratitude for the progress around us is by matching his dedication with our own hard work," he said at an event last month.

He had also said that he maintained a 14-hour work-day schedule for six-and-a-half days a week.

Chidambaram Reacts

The Congress MP described long work hours as meaningless", stating that people should focus on efficiency".

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Working longer is meaningless, focus should be on efficiency. Daily life is as it is a struggle, battling inefficient & substandard infrastructure & amenities. Work life balance is most important for good social order & harmony. We should infact move to a 4 day working week. 12 https://t.co/EOOer6AgnK Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) December 22, 2024

Working longer is meaningless, focus should be on efficiency. Daily life is as it is a struggle, battling inefficient & substandard infrastructure & amenities. Work life balance is most important for good social order & harmony. We should infact move to a 4 day working week. 12 noon on Monday to 2 pm on Friday.," he posted on X on Sunday.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 14:02 IST
Disha Patani Sets Fitness Goals With Deadlifts: 5 Key Benefits Of Performing This Exercise

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 13:04 IST

Disha Patani was seen sweating it out in the gym as she performed weighted deadlifts with a barbell. This exercise strengthens the back and also improves posture.

Disha Patani returned to the gym after her Thailand vacation.

Despite jetting off on picturesque vacations, Disha Patani always manages to sneak in her intense workout regime in her schedule. The actor was recently seen vacationing in Thailand with her best friends  Mouni Roy and Krishna Shroff. After returning from the holiday, the first thing Disha did was hit the gym to burn off the holiday calories.

Taking to her Instagram Stories, Disha Patani shared a video of herself sweating it out in the gym. She was seen in a white tank top which she had paired with a pair of loose grey sweatpants. She was seen performing weighted deadlifts as her fitness instructor supervised her and guided her form. Sharing the video, she wrote, Need to get back to challenging weights."

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Take a look at the story shared by Disha Patani here.

Disha has always been a fitness enthusiast. The weighted deadlift is an intense strength training exercise that involves lifting a weighted barbell from the floor. This exercise improves posture and also strengthens the back and core.

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Here are five key benefits of performing the deadlift exercise using a barbell.

1. Full-Body Strength: The deadlift targets multiple muscle groups, including the hamstrings, glutes, lower back, traps, forearms, and core. Its an excellent way to build overall strength across your body. 2. Improved Posture: Deadlifts help strengthen the muscles that support your spine and posture, particularly the back and core. 3. Increased Grip Strength: Holding a heavy barbell during deadlifts improves grip strength, which can enhance performance in other lifts and physical tasks that require hand strength. 4. Core Stability: Deadlifts engage your core muscles for stabilization throughout the lift, helping to develop a stronger and more resilient core. 5. Calorie Burning and Fat Loss: Since deadlifts engage large muscle groups and require significant energy, they can help burn a significant amount of calories, aiding in fat loss and improving overall metabolism.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 13:04 IST
Honey Singh Opens Up About His Struggle With Bipolar Disorder, Here's How You Can Help A Loved One

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 18:05 IST

Rapper Honey Singh got candid about his struggle with bipolar disorder. Here are ways in which you can support a loved one who has been diagnosed with this mood disorder.

Honey Singh talked about how he developed psychotic symptoms.

Honey Singh recently got candid about his struggle with bipolar disorder in his Netflix documentary, Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous. The rapper talked about his symptoms and how he developed psychotic symptoms because of his mood disorder.

Appearing on his documentary, Honey Singh opened up about how he developed feelings of paranoia because of his bipolar disorder. He said, Gradually, I developed symptoms of suspicion and paranoia, someones going to frame me or something weird like that. Maybe theyll file a case against me. I didnt really understand what was happening to me. Why was I feeling like this?"

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View this post on Instagram A post shared by Yo Yo Honey Singh (@yoyohoneysingh)

Singh also mentioned how he agreed to join Shah Rukh Khan on tour in the United States even though he was not in the correct state of mind. He mentioned how he had smashed his head with a coffee mug because he did not want to perform. He said, Ill tell you what happened nine years ago. When they took me to Chicago for the show, I said, I dont want to perform. I was sure that I was going to die during that show. Everyone told me that I should get ready, but I refused. My managers came over, and they said, Why arent you getting ready? I said, Im not going I went to the washroom, took a trimmer, and I shaved my hair off. I said, How will I perform now? They said, Wear a cap and perform. There was a coffee mug lying there. I picked it up and smashed it on my head."

Talking about his bipolar disorder, he continued, There were psychotic symptoms as well. Its like your mind is in overdrive, and you spiral out of control. You start playing out your dreams in real life. I would get scared even when my maid used to come thinking shed be laughing at me, she was wiping blood off the floor, etc. It was a weird feeling. I thought Id never be able to meet my parents again. I saw hell. I wished for death every day."

It is important to understand the complexities of bipolar disorder. In case a loved one has been diagnosed with this mood disorder, then heres how you can help them.

1. Learn About Bipolar Disorder

Educate yourself about the symptoms, triggers, and treatment options for bipolar disorder. Understanding the condition will help you empathize with the persons experiences.

2. Be Non-Judgmental and Patient

People with bipolar disorder may go through extreme mood swings, ranging from mania (feeling overly energetic or euphoric) to depression (feeling hopeless or lethargic). Be patient, avoid judgment, and provide a calm, supportive presence.

3. Offer Emotional Support

Be an active listener. Allow the person to express their feelings and emotions without offering unsolicited advice.

4. Encourage Professional Help

Bipolar disorder often requires professional treatment, including a mix of therapy and medication. Gently encourage your loved one to keep their appointments with mental health professionals and stay consistent with their prescribed treatment plans.

5. Recognize the Warning Signs

Be aware of early signs of a manic or depressive episode, such as changes in sleep patterns, energy levels, or mood. This will allow you to help them.

6. Create a Stable Environment

People with bipolar disorder often thrive in stable environments. You can help by reducing stressors by maintaining a predictable routine, minimizing chaos, and offering a safe space for relaxation.

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7. Respect Boundaries

Understand that there may be times when your loved one needs space. Respect their boundaries and offer support in ways that they find comfortable. This might mean stepping back or even offering practical help.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 18:05 IST
National Farmers Day 2024: Kisan Diwas History, Significance And 5 Quotes By Chaudhary Charan Singh

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 08:01 IST

National Farmers Day serves as both a commemoration and a reminder of the importance of addressing farmers' issues and improving their quality of life.

National Farmers Day 2024: Farmers are the nations backbone. (Image: Shutterstock)

National Farmers Day 2024: Every year on December 23, India observes National Farmers Day, or Kisan Diwas, to honour the nations backbone  its farmers. This day marks the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, Indias fifth Prime Minister, who advocated for the rights and welfare of the farming community.

As an agrarian economy, India relies heavily on its farmers, making them crucial to the countrys development and prosperity. National Farmers Day serves as a reminder of the importance of addressing farmers issues and improving their quality of life.

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National Farmers Day 2024: Kisan Diwas History

Kisan Diwas was established to honour the life and achievements of Chaudhary Charan Singh, Indias fifth Prime Minister, who served from 1979 to 1980. During his tenure, he prioritised policies aimed at improving the lives of farmers, including land reforms and initiatives to boost agricultural productivity.

Due to his dedication to the welfare of the farming community, his birthday, December 23, was declared as National Farmers Day.

National Farmers Day 2024: Kisan Diwas Significance

Kisan Diwas highlights the crucial role farmers play in sustaining Indias economy, rural development and food security. The day serves as an opportunity to discuss key issues such as fair pricing, climate change adaptation, sustainable farming practices and access to modern technologies.

It also acts as a platform for raising awareness about government schemes and reforms to improve farmers lives.

National Farmers Day 2024: Kisan Diwas Facts

India is a nation of agricultural abundance, with the majority of its rural population dependent on farming or agricultural-related work. Farmers are the backbone of society, working tirelessly to ensure that the nation remains nourished. Kisan Diwas is a day to better understand and appreciate the invaluable contribution of farmers to the nation.

National Farmers Day 2024: Kisan Diwas Celebration

On this day, events are organised across the country to introduce people to scientific and technological innovations in agriculture. These programmes also provide a platform to discuss the challenges faced by farmers and explore their needs and aspirations.

National Farmers Day 2024 : 5 Quotes By Chaudhary Charan Singh

Chaudhary Charan Singh (1902-1987) is often referred to as the Champion of Farmers Rights." Born into a middle-class peasant family in Noorpur, Uttar Pradesh, he pursued studies in physics, law and post-graduate courses at Agra University.

Charan Singhs efforts to improve the lives of farmers were instrumental during his tenure as Indias Prime Minister from 1979 to 1980, where he passed several pieces of legislation and implemented measures aimed at safeguarding the interests of farmers.

He also authored many books on the upliftment of farmers, with notable titles such as Abolition of Zamindari, Co-operative Farming X, and Prevention of Division of Holdings Below a Certain Minimum.

Charan Singh popularised the iconic slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan," originally introduced by Indias second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri. Known for his dedication to improving the lives of farmers, Charan Singh played a big role in Indias land reforms and rural debt reduction initiatives.

Here are 5 of his quotes:

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The true India resides in its villages Have patience! In time, even grass becomes milk. Even for our enemies in misery, there should be tears in our eyes. A nation can prosper only when its rural sector is upgraded and its purchasing power is high. The farmer is the master of this country, but he has forgotten his power.

As we pay tribute to Chaudhary Charan Singhs legacy, we must commit to supporting the farming community to ensure their sustainability and well-being in the face of contemporary challenges. Let Kisan Diwas remind us of the timeless value of agriculture and the collective responsibility to preserve it.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 06:00 IST
Wedding Season 2024: The Role Of Monks In Buddhist Weddings

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 14:23 IST

In most Buddhist weddings, monks or nuns do not perform or formalise the ceremony. Instead, the couple may choose a friend or a civil celebrant to conduct the wedding.

Buddhism does not view marriage as a sacrament but rather a personal and social commitment. (Image: Shutterstock)

A Buddhist wedding symbolises the couples commitment to knowledge, compassion and harmony in their relationship while also honouring the teachings of the Buddha. Unlike other spiritual traditions, Buddhists view marriage as an individual choice rather than a sacrament.

Instead of following rigid procedures, a Buddhist ceremony is a happy, flowing event that honours the partners cultural backgrounds.

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Local customs are typically incorporated into Buddhist weddings, such as the use of string to bind the wrists in Cambodia or the consumption of three cups of rice wine in Japan. Most conclude the wedding with an extravagant feast and live music. Buddhist weddings may appear to be very different from other weddings around the world.

ALSO READ: The Significance Of Buddhist Wedding Rituals And Symbols

The Role of Monks In Buddhist Weddings

In most Buddhist weddings, monks or nuns do not perform or formalise the ceremony. Instead, the couple may choose a friend or a civil celebrant to conduct the wedding.

Monks usually do not officiate the ceremony in a Buddhist wedding because Buddhism considers marriage to be a secular matter. However, monks are often asked to bless the couple and impart wisdom to them by chanting prayers and applying symbolic marks of blessing on the bride and groom during a temple visit. In other words, they serve as spiritual advisors rather than marriage performers. This usually happens after the legal marriage ceremony is over.

ALSO READ: Marriage Season: Tips To Choose The Right Wedding Photographer

Important details about Buddhist marriages and monks roles:

No formal monastic marriage ceremony

The wedding ceremony itself is usually not performed by monks because Buddhism does not view marriage as a sacrament but rather a personal and social commitment.

Praying and being blessed

Monks are asked to participate in the wedding ceremony to bestow blessings and say prayers for the couples health and happiness.

Visiting a temple to receive blessings

After their wedding, Buddhist couples often go to a temple to get monk blessings.

Symbolic gestures

Monks may bless a marriage by applying a paste made of water and candle wax to their foreheads.

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Living a moral life

Buddhist wedding vows, which are in line with Buddhas teachings, often stress the need to lead an ethical life, with compassion and mutual respect.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 14:21 IST
Which State Consumes The Most Meat? 99.8% Of Its Population Are Non-Vegetarians

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 15:19 IST

A recent survey has revealed that more than 85 percent of people in India like to eat non-vegetarian food. This begs the question, which state in India has the most number of people who are non-vegetarians?

Though India boasts a large population of vegetarians, the country also has a sizeable chunk of people who prefer non-vegetarian food. (Representative/Shutterstock)

While India boasts the highest vegetarian population globally, the number of people who enjoy non-vegetarian food is also significant. A recent survey highlighted that over 85 percent of people in India consume non-vegetarian food.

According to a study, Nagaland has the highest meat consumption in India, with a staggering 99.8 percent of its population identifying as non-vegetarian.

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Following closely behind is West Bengal, securing the second position on the list. In this state, 99.3 percent of the population consumes non-vegetarian food. Kerala takes the third spot, with a significant 99.1 percent of its residents opting for non-vegetarian cuisine.

Andhra Pradesh claims the fourth position on the list of highest non-vegetarian consumers, with 98.25 percent of its population indulging in meat. Tamil Nadu secures the sixth position, with 97.65 percent of its residents enjoying non-vegetarian food, particularly chicken biryani, which is a local favourite.

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Odisha follows closely in seventh place, with approximately 97.35 percent of its population expressing a preference for non-vegetarian food.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 15:19 IST
Allu Arjun's Kids Allu Arha, Allu Ayaan Forced To Leave Home After Protestors Vandalise Home | Watch

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 08:59 IST

Allu Arjun's children, Allu Ayaan and Allu Arha, were seen exiting the family's Jubilee home after it was vandalised on Sunday.

Allu Arjun's kids leave their home after the property was vandalised.

Allu Arjuns children Allu Arha and Allu Ayaan were whisked away from their home in Hyderabad after their house was vandalised. On Sunday, Allu Arjuns house was vandalised by protesters demanding justice for the woman who died in the stampede outside Sandhya Theatre. The protesters, identified as members of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OU-JAC), damaged the property of the Telugu superstar. Following the attack, Allu Arjuns kids were seen escorted to a safer location.

A video has surfaced online in which Allu Arha and Allu Ayaan were seen getting into a car with a couple of family members and leaving the premise. The vehicle was surrounded by the media and they captured a worried Arha seated in the car. Watch the video below:

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Allu Arjuns kids (Arha & Ayaan) whisked away from the house after attacks today! pic.twitter.com/iu5N5UFZ3Q idlebrain.com (@idlebraindotcom) December 22, 2024

AA Is Not There In HomeAyaan & Arha Went To Their GrandFather's Home#StopCheapPoliticsOnALLUARJUN pic.twitter.com/aTu9qW7CJW  C/o.AlluArjun (@CareOfAlluArjun) December 22, 2024

Although Allu Arjun hasnt commented on the protest outside his home yet, his father, producer Allu Aravind spoke to the media on Sunday night and addressed the attack on their house. He condemned the attack, and said that incidents like these should not be encouraged.

While speaking to the press at the home he shared with Allu Arjun, Allu Aravind said, Everyone has seen what happened at our house today. But it is time for us to act accordingly. Now is not the right time for us to react to anything." He further said that the police have arrested the vandalisers and have filed a case against them. The police are ready to take away anyone else who comes here to create a ruckus. No one should encourage incidents like these," he said. But I will not react just because the media is here. Now is the time to practice restraint. The law will take its own course," he concluded.

Meanwhile, six people have been arrested in connection with the protest.

About The Sandhya Theatre Stampede:

The stampede took place on December 4 at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad during the premiere of Pushpa 2, when thousands of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of actor Allu Arjun. Tragically, a 35-year-old woman lost her life, and her son sustained critical injuries in the chaos. Following the incident, the police filed a case against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Chikkadpally police station, based on a complaint lodged by the deceased womans family.

On December 13, Allu Arjun was arrested in connection with the incident. However, later that day, the Telangana High Court granted him a four-week interim bail. He was subsequently released from custody on December 14.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 08:59 IST
'End Of Glorious Chapter Of Cinema: President, PM Modi Condole Shyam Benegal's Death

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Last Updated: December 24, 2024, 00:02 IST

The filmmaker breathed his last at the Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai.

Shyam Benegal passed away at the age of 90. (X)

Renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal passed away at the age of 90 on Monday, after days of suffering from a chronic kidney-related disease. The filmmaker breathed his last at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai.

Leaders across the party lines condoled the death of Bengal saying that the passing away of the filmmaker marked the end of the glorious chapter of the Indian cinema.

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President Droupadi Murmu condoled Benegals death and highlighted his achievements saying that he started a new kind of cinema and crafted several classics

The passing of Shri Shyam Benegal marks the end of a glorious chapter of Indian cinema and television. He started a new kind of cinema and crafted several classics. A veritable institution, he groomed many actors and artists. His extraordinary contribution was recognised in the form of numerous awards including Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Padma Bhushan. My condolences to the members of his family and his countless admirers," the President said in a post on X.

The passing of Shri Shyam Benegal marks the end of a glorious chapter of Indian cinema and television. He started a new kind of cinema and crafted several classics. A veritable institution, he groomed many actors and artists. His extraordinary contribution was recognised in the President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) December 23, 2024

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed grief over the passing away of Benegal and said, Saddened by the demise of Shri Shyam Benegal Ji. A Padma Bhushan recipient and a visionary filmmaker, his pioneering works greatly enriched the landscape of Indian cinema. Shri Benegals pathbreaking films addressed social realities with unmatched depth and sensitivity. His contribution to art, culture and storytelling will always be remembered with deep respect. My heartfelt condolences to his family and admirers in this difficult hour."

Saddened by the demise of Shri Shyam Benegal Ji. A Padma Bhushan recipient and a visionary filmmaker, his pioneering works greatly enriched the landscape of Indian cinema.Shri Benegals pathbreaking films addressed social realities with unmatched depth and sensitivity. His  Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) December 23, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the death of Benegal saying that the filmmakers storytelling had a profound impact on Indian cinema.

Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Shyam Benegal Ji, whose storytelling had a profound impact on Indian cinema. His works will continue to be admired by people from different walks of life. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," he said on X.

Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Shyam Benegal Ji, whose storytelling had a profound impact on Indian cinema. His works will continue to be admired by people from different walks of life. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 23, 2024

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that Benegals tremendous contributions to the art form left an indelible mark.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of legendary filmmaker, Shyam Benegal, a towering figure in Indian cinema and a true pioneer of the parallel cinema movement. His tremendous contributions to the art form, marked by thought-provoking storytelling and a profound commitment to social issues, leave an indelible mark. His works like Bharat, Ek Khoj based on Pandit Nehrus The Discovery of India and the series Samvidhaan, which is based on the Constituent Assembly debates are a valuable reference point for young audiences. Recipient of the prestigious Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award, along with 18 National Film Awards, his legacy will continue to inspire generations of filmmakers. Our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and admirers," he said on X.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of legendary filmmaker, Shyam Benegal, a towering figure in Indian cinema and a true pioneer of the parallel cinema movement. His tremendous contributions to the art form, marked by thought-provoking storytelling and a profound commitment to pic.twitter.com/g4p7NBmTxf Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 23, 2024

Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi said that the filmmakers legacy in cinema and commitment to social issues will inspire the generations.

Saddened by the passing of Shyam Benegal ji, a visionary filmmaker who brought Indias stories to life with depth and sensitivity. His legacy in cinema and commitment to social issues will inspire generations. Heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and admirers worldwide," he said on X.

Saddened by the passing of Shyam Benegal ji, a visionary filmmaker who brought Indias stories to life with depth and sensitivity.His legacy in cinema and commitment to social issues will inspire generations. Heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and admirers worldwide. pic.twitter.com/J6ARdNiVNV  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 23, 2024

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled the death saying, Saddened by the demise of our iconic filmmaker Shyam Benegal. A pillar of Indian parallel cinema, he was loved and admired by all connoisseurs. My condolences to his family, friends and followers."

Saddened by the demise of our iconic filmmaker Shyam Benegal. A pillar of Indian parallel cinema, he was loved and admired by all connoisseurs.My condolences to his family, friends and followers.  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 23, 2024

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also condoled the demise of veteran filmmaker, saying that it is an irreparable loss" to the film industry.

In a post on X in Hindi, Adityanath said, The demise of renowned film producer-director Padma Bhushan Shri Shyam Benegal ji is extremely sad and an irreparable loss to the cinema world." The chief minister said Benegal had an unforgettable contribution in giving Indian cinema a new and unique identity in the world. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant salvation to the departed soul and give strength to his bereaved family and fans to bear this immense sorrow. Om Shanti!" he said.

  -                                               Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) December 23, 2024

Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi said that Benegal was a true companion who communicated with society and time through art.

Shyam Benegal ji brought alive on screen the stories of anguish, struggle and change of the Indian society. The sensitivity of Nishant, the message of Manthan, and the philosophy of Bharat Ek Khoj  each of his creations is an inspiration. He was a true companion who communicated with society and time through art. Today an era of public voice in cinema has ended. Humble tribute," she said on X.

       ,            ,   ,                                 pic.twitter.com/lvDqaZ7BjV  Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) December 23, 2024

Mahrashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, Its a sad occasion that famous director Shyam Benegal just passed away. He brought parallel cinema to the forefront. He received many national awards. His service to Indian cinema is incomparable and his departure is an end to an epoch. I pay my homage to the departed soul."

#WATCH | Mahrashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis says, Its a sad occasion that famous director Shyam Benegal just passed away. He brought parallel cinema to the forefront. He received many national awards. His service to Indian cinema is incomparable and his departure is an end to an pic.twitter.com/xLn6ia5tVO ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2024

Shyam Benegals career spanned over five decades, cementing his position as a pioneering filmmaker in Indian cinema. He made his debut in the film industry with the 1974 movie Ankur. His subsequent films, such as Nishant" (1975), Manthan" (1976), and Bhumika" (1977), solidified his reputation as a masterful director, earning him numerous national and international accolades.

Later, Benegal also made several critically acclaimed films like Mandi" (1983), Trikaal" (1985), and Sardari Begum" (1996). His last release was Mujib: The Making of a Nation, which hit theatres in 2023.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 22:33 IST
Paparazzo Recalls Meeting Deepika Padukone And Ranveer Singh's Baby Dua: 'She Clung To Her Mother...'

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Last Updated: December 24, 2024, 03:07 IST

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone introduced their daughter Dua to the paparazzi, requesting no photos be clicked or published until they are ready.

Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh introduce baby Dua to paps.

Actor couple Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone organised a heartwarming meet-and-greet session with the Mumbai paparazzi to introduce their three-month-old daughter, Dua. The event, held earlier this evening, marked the first time the duo presented Dua to the media but came with a heartfelt request: no photographs or publications of their daughters pictures until they give their approval.

Paparazzo Pallav Paliwal shared details of the occasion. When we arrived, Deepika and Ranveer greeted us. Later, Deepika went inside and brought baby Dua in her arms. Dua clung to her mother throughout. She was dressed in a simple white dress," he shared, adding, They asked us to keep the noise down as Dua had just woken up from her nap. Deepika later took Dua back inside," Paliwal was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

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The couple extended their hospitality by organising a catered lunch for the guests. They stayed with us the whole time. Ranveer even distributed Sindhi sweets that he loves. He instructed the catering team to serve them properly after heating. They also gave sweets for our families," said Paliwal.

Notably, cameras and mobile phones were strictly prohibited at the event. Instead, Deepika and Ranveer took personal photos with the paparazzi using their own devices, ensuring their daughters privacy.

This isnt the first instance of celebrity parents making special requests to protect their childrens privacy. In 2022, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt held a high-tea session with the paparazzi after their daughter Rahas birth. Unlike Deepika and Ranveer, however, Raha wasnt present, and the couple only shared photos during the meet. Raha was officially introduced to the media during the Kapoors Christmas lunch in 2024.

Ranveer and Deepika welcomed Dua on September 8, 2024, announcing her arrival on social media. Following Duas birth, Deepika traveled to Bengaluru to stay with her parents while Ranveer made solo appearances.

First Published: December 24, 2024, 03:07 IST
Pushpa 2 Stampede: Police Summon Allu Arjun For Questioning Today Amid Attack On His House

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Last Updated: December 24, 2024, 01:14 IST

Allu Arjun, previously arrested and granted interim bail by the High Court, is currently out on bail and has been directed to cooperate with the investigation.

Pushpa 2 actor Allu Arjun was arrested for woman's death in stampede during the film's Hyderabad premiere.

Actor Allu Arjun has been summoned by the Chikkadapally police in Hyderabad for questioning on December 24 at 11 AM regarding the tragic stampede during the Pushpa 2 premiere at Sandhya Theatre. The December 4 incident resulted in the death of a woman, Revathi, while her son remains hospitalised.

Allu Arjun, previously arrested and granted interim bail by the High Court, is currently out on bail and has been directed to cooperate with the investigation. Fresh notices have been issued amid speculation that authorities might seek bail cancellation.

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On Sunday, Allu Arjuns residence was vandalised by protesters demanding justice for the woman who lost her life in the stampede outside Sandhya Theatre. The demonstrators, identified as members of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OU-JAC), reportedly caused damage to the Telugu superstars property. Following the incident, Allu Arjuns children were escorted to a safer location.

As per reports by the Free Press Journal, police are set to file a petition on Tuesday seeking cancellation of Allu Arjuns interim bail. The actor has allegedly violated the High Courts guidelines by holding a press conference following his bail earlier this month.

Officials claim Allu Arjun refused to leave the Sandhya Theatre on December 4, despite police instructions, which allegedly led to the stampede. A senior officer stated that the actors manager was informed about a womans death and the deteriorating situation, but this was not conveyed to Allu Arjun. The police reportedly plan to present video evidence to support their claims in court.

For the unversed, Allu Arjun landed in legal trouble after a woman died during a stampede that was caused at the Pushpa 2 premiere. The crowd went out of control after Allu Arjun stepped out of his car to greet fans attending the premiere. A woman died while her son was brutally injured. The boy has been hospitalised since.

Allu Arjun was arrested on December 13, 2024, in connection to the case. He was picked up from his residence and then sent to 14-day judicial custody. He was granted interim bail for 4 weeks on a personal bond of Rs 50,000. However, delays in paperwork resulted in him spending a night in jail.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 21:50 IST
Opinion | Amit Shah And Ambedkar: The Hard Facts

Written By :

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 13:42 IST

Congress cries foul over Shah's Ambedkar remarks, but their own history of neglecting Babasaheb's legacy is damning. In stark contrast, the Modi government has consistently upheld Ambedkars values and principles

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is the man the Opposition loves to hate and the reasons are many. (Image/PTI File)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is the man the Opposition loves to hate, and the reasons are many. Shah is a no-nonsense person whose tenure has been phenomenally successful. Be it the abrogation of Article 370, reduction in Naxal violence, strengthening of the UAPA and FCRA norms, empowering the BSF, or making the Northeast free of insurgency, Amit Shahs track record has been exemplary, far superior than any of his predecessors.

Under Shahs leadership, 287 Naxalites have been neutralised, over 1,000 arrested, and 837 have surrendered in recent times. Additionally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the construction of 15,000 houses in Naxal-affected regions. The abrogation of Article 370, a historic move by the Modi government, has, over the past five years, resulted in a 100 per cent decline in stone-pelting incidents, a 69 per cent reduction in terror attacks, an 80 per cent decrease in civilian casualties, and a 44 per cent drop in armed forces casualties in Jammu and Kashmir. Needless to say, it is Amit Shahs relentless and tireless efforts that have restored normalcy in Kashmir.

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As the saying goes, success breeds enemies, and it is therefore unsurprising that in the winter session of Parliament, which concluded last week, Shah was targeted by the Opposition. His remarks on Ambedkar were misquoted and twisted out of context with malicious intent to malign him. However, the Opposition failed to realise that Shah has risen from the ashes like a phoenix time and again. Each time the Congress tried to write his political obituary, it was forced to eat humble pie.

Shah holds the highest respect for Babasaheb Ambedkar, which he has demonstrated by standing up for the rights of Valmikis, who were brutally suppressed under successive Congress regimes. It is worth noting that Valmikis were denied even the right to vote or aspire to a life of dignity, largely due to Article 370Nehrus biggest blunder among many other Nehruvian disasters. However, by abrogating the discriminatory Article 370 in 2019, Amit Shah ensured, in one decisive move, that Valmikis were brought into the mainstream. Ambedkar dedicated his entire life to the welfare of Dalits, while ironically, the Congress spent decades institutionalising discrimination and divisiveness against them. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi or any Congressman has no locus standi whatsoever, to appropriate Babasahebs towering legacy.

It should also be noted that the Congress is rattled after being routed in the recent assembly elections in Maharashtra. Furthermore, the BJP made history by returning to power in Haryana for the third consecutive term in 2024. Needless to add that apart from the Modi Tsunami", it was Amit Shahs strategic genius and his discerning eye for detail that played a pivotal role in the BJPs success at the hustings. Clearly, unable to defeat Shah electorally, the Opposition chose to disrupt Parliament with the so-called Ambedkar controversy" to divert attention from its own dismal failures.

If anything, it is the Congress that has a lot of explaining to do. A letter from Pandit Nehru has recently been making the rounds on social media, branding Ambedkar as a traitor, collaborating with the British". This letter, dated 26th January 1946, was addressed to Amrit Kaur (purportedly Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the first Health Minister of independent India). There can be no greater insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of our Constitution, and to the entire Dalit community, than the fact that Nehru did not even have the decency to attend the Dalit icons funeral in 1956.

The Congresss deep-rooted disdain for Ambedkar is both troubling and unacceptable. Despite its best efforts to discredit Amit Shah, the Congress failed miserably, as the public can now see through the charades of charlatans like Rahul Gandhi and his left-leaning cabal.

If Rahul Gandhi or his grandmother truly cared for Dalits, why was the legacy of Dalit veteran Babu Jagjivan Ram erased by the Congress? If the Congress genuinely respected Ambedkar, why did Nehru block Babasahebs attempts to enter the Lok Sabha twicein 1952 and 1954? If Sonia Gandhi really cared for the marginalised and OBCs, why was Sitaram Kesri unceremoniously ousted during the twilight of his career? If the Congress party truly upholds Babasaheb and his ideals, why is there not a single Dalit represented in the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, chaired by the Gandhis? And why did the Congress fail to confer the Bharat Ratna on Babasaheb, despite ruling India for decades?

Nehru received the Bharat Ratna in 1955 while serving as Prime Minister, and his daughter Indira Gandhi was awarded it in 1971, during her tenure as Prime Minister. In stark contrast, Ambedkar was posthumously honoured with the Bharat Ratna only in 1990a full 34 years after his deathwhen VP Singhs National Front government, supported by the BJP, was in power at the Centre.

Given the Congresss abysmal track record, it should introspect rather than lecture the BJP on matters of Dalit empowerment. In fact, credit must go to Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah for ensuring that the provisions of the SC/ST Atrocities Act remain intact. The granting of constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) through the 102nd Amendment became a reality only due to the conviction and determination of PM Modi.

Rahul Gandhi continues to harp on about a caste census to benefit OBCs and weaker sections. Why, then, did the Congress not release the findings of the caste census it conducted in 2011? What stopped it? While in power, the Congress neither worked for OBCs nor Dalits and systematically smothered Babasahebs legacy. Now that it is out of power, why is the Congress making a shallow pretence that it cares for the poor and the downtrodden?

Not only the current Modi government but even historically, Babasahebs rich legacy has consistently been upheld by the BJP. For instance, the Ambedkar Mahaparinirvana Sthal at 26, Alipur Road in Delhi was dedicated to the nation by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in December 2003. Constitution Day (Samvidhan Diwas), also known as National Law Day", has been celebrated in India on 26th November every year since 2015 to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution. Why did the Congress never celebrate this significant day?

Additionally, April 14, Ambedkars birth anniversary, is now a national holiday to honour his contributions and achievementsa gesture that was never implemented under Congress rule. For decades, Ambedkar House in Primrose Hill, northwest London, remained in a decrepit state. It was the BJP-led Maharashtra government that purchased it for over 3 million in 2015. Why did the Congress, despite being in power for decades at both the Centre and in Maharashtra, fail to act on this?

The truth is as clear as day: neither Nehru and Indira Gandhi nor Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have ever truly cared about Babasaheb or his ideals. In stark contrast, the Modi government has consistently upheld Ambedkars values and principlesnot through hollow rhetoric, but through strong and resolute actions.

One of the greatest books ever written in Indian history is arguably Pakistan or the Partition of India: Indian Political What is What. In this seminal work, Ambedkar does not hold back in his criticism of Islam, the Muslim League, the Congress, and Nehru. Ambedkar never endorsed Muslim appeasement or vote-bank politics. Yet, Rahul Gandhis father, Rajiv Gandhi, took Muslim appeasement to embarrassing new heights by overturning the Supreme Courts landmark Shah Bano judgement of 1985.

Ambedkar was strictly against the hijab, yet in Karnatakawhere the Congress party is currently in powerit openly supports practices such as hijab, halala, and halaal. This stands in stark contrast to Babasahebs progressive vision, further exposing the Congresss hypocrisy.

Having studied the Vedas, Ambedkar concluded that there is no evidence in them of any invasion of India by the Aryan race. He viewed the Rig Veda as embodying a sense of unity and consciousness" that united different tribes to form an Indo-Aryan nation. Furthermore, Ambedkar had even advocated for making Sanskrit the official language of India.

Had he been alive today, Ambedkar would have been outraged by the anti-Sanskrit and anti-Hindi rhetoric of the DMKs Dravidian establishment. Let us not forget that the DMK and the Congress are close allies. How can the Congress ally with the DMK and still lay claim to Babasahebs legacy?

If Babasaheb were alive today, he would undoubtedly have supported the Modi governments transformative Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019, which aims to grant citizenship and dignity to persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. This landmark legislation was brought to fruition thanks to the unrelenting determination of Amit Shah. Does Rahul Gandhi or anyone in the Opposition support the CAA? They do not. If they oppose it, on what grounds can they claim to uphold Ambedkars vision?

Honouring Ambedkars legacy, Prime Minister Modi dedicated the BHIM app to him in 2016. From the world-class Ambedkar International Centre in Delhi to the development of the five major landmarks associated with Babasahebs life into the Panchteerth", the Modi government has ensured Ambedkars rightful place in the annals of history, along with the ideals he championed.

I am shocked at the comments made about Babasaheb Ambedkar," the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, said last week while speaking at a function in the Park Street area, referring to Amit Shah. Mamata Banerjees hypocrisy, however, is legendary. To date, she has not condemned the horrific rapes of numerous Dalit women in Sandeshkhali, allegedly perpetrated by her former close confidante, Shahjahan Sheikh. Thousands of Matuas and Rajbongshis continue to live in deplorable conditions in Bengal due to the sheer apathy of the Mamata regime.

Had Babasaheb been alive, he would have been appalled at the atrocities against Dalit women in Sandeshkhali, under a Chief Minister who, ironically, is the only woman CM in India.

The Statue of Equality, also known as the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial, is a monument under construction dedicated to Ambedkar. This iconic bronze statue, standing 450 feet tall, including a 100-foot pedestal, will be located at the Indu Mills compound in Mumbai. It is a travesty that despite ruling India for well over five decades, the Congress party could not even build a fitting memorial to honour Babasaheb. The task of giving Ambedkar his long-overdue recognition is now being dutifully undertaken by Prime Minister Modi.

Let us not forget that between Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi, there are sprawling memorials covering a massive 115 acres. To cut to the chase, the unfortunate truth is that Rahul Gandhi, his father, grandmother, great-grandfather, and others repeatedly undermined the legacy of one of Indias greatest Dalit icons. The Modi government, on the other hand, has consistently reached out to backward classes and Dalits, making significant efforts to create a more equitable social balance through effective legislation.

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Ambedkar always envisioned governments running according to the Constitution, without discrimination and with equality. Indeed, if any government in post-independent India has truly embraced inclusivity as its guiding principle through Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka Prayas, it is undoubtedly the Modi government.

Sanju Verma is an Economist, National Spokesperson of the BJP and Bestselling Author of The Modi Gambit. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 13:38 IST
Opinion | The Places Of Worship Act Is Immoral, Unconstitutional And Unsecular

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 15:59 IST

The Places of Worship Act must be struck down by the biggest gavel of the Supreme Court to preserve the sanctity of our democracy and secularism, and to restore faith in basic morality

For a law to become universally acceptable, it needs to incorporate the concept of morality.

The curt decision by the Supreme Court bench, led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna, to bar lower courts from accepting new petitions or ordering new surveys until it concludes its hearing on the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 brings this contentious issue back onto the centre stage and compels us to debate on its validity.

Does this Act passed in 1991 by the Congress-led Narasimha Rao government, ostensibly to preserve social harmony, conform to the fundamental principles of justice and equality? Is the claim that it upholds the concept of secularism a plausible argument? Or is it a law that inadvertently legalises the wrongs of the past under the guise of false secularism? In short, is it a moral law?

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A law is a set of rules that are created and enforced by governing entities to regulate behaviour, both public and personal, to ensure the smooth functioning of society. Laws can be passed by any controlling authoritybe it the Parliament, an autocrat or a king.

Therefore, laws are not sacrosanct per se. Arbitrary laws or wrongful ones can be enacted by dictators attempting to cling to power, avaricious monarchs intent on amassing wealth, and even political parties pandering to their vote banks. For a law to become universally acceptable, it needs to incorporate the concept of morality. Morality, without getting into a complex academic, philosophical, or legal debate on the mattersimply putis what is right and wrong.

Immanuel Kant, the well-known German philosopher, believed that a moral imperative requires laws to be chosen as though they should hold as universal laws of nature." In short, law is related to morality inasmuch as justice is a moral concept, which is meaningless outside the realm of morality. Essentially, justice consists in the creation of an equal system. (Arthur Scheller Jr., Marquette Law Review, 1953)

With this definition and with these interpretations, let us look at the Places of Worship Act.

The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 was enacted by the Congress-led Narasimha Rao government on 18 September 1991, in the context of the Ayodhya dispute.

The key elements of the Act are as follows:

Section 3 states: No person shall convert any place of worship of any religious denomination, or any section thereof, into a place of worship of a different section of the same religious denomination or of a different religious denomination, or any section thereof.

Section 4(1) stipulates the cut-off date: It is hereby declared that the religious character of a place of worship existing on 15 August 1947 shall continue to be the same as it existed on that day.

Section 4(2) debars any future or pre-existing suits on the matter: On the commencement of this Act, any suit, appeal, or other proceeding with respect to the conversion of the religious character of any place of worship existing on 15 August 1947, which is pending before any court, tribunal, or other authority, shall abate, and no suit, appeal, or other proceeding with respect to any such matter shall lie on or after such commencement in any court, tribunal, or other authority."

Morality

To fully comprehend the implications of the Places of Worship Act, we need to be cognizant of Indias contentious history. Over a period spanning more than a thousand years, alien Muslim invaders and Portuguese colonists forcibly destroyed hundreds of Hindu temples and viciously desecrated their idols. Several Muslim rulers erected mosques over Hindu temple sites. Iconoclasm, predominantly directed against Hindu places of worship, was both a state-sanctioned and religiously ordained policy under both Muslim rulers and the Christian Portuguese.

Let us be clear about one thing: These were acts of crass immorality that were undoubtedly wrong. There can be no debate or justification for these vile deeds. The passage of time cannot mitigate their depravity or convert these wrongs into right. By maintaining the status quo, the Places of Worship Act allows these symbols of injustice to persist, granting them a degree of legal respectability and ensuring that wrong will forever prevail over right. This is unacceptable by any standard of universal human morality.

Basic Structure of Constitution

Not only does this law deviate from the universal principles of morality, but it also runs afoul of the modern Indian Constitution. Its biggest flaw is that it violates the basic structure of the constitution which gives every Indian citizen the right to judicial review for their grievances.

Judicial review is a legal procedure that gives the courts of a country the power to examine the actions of the legislative, executive, and administrative arms to adjudicate whether such actions conform to the written constitution. Based on the review, courts can validate or nullify governmental actions, if unconstitutional.

Article 32 of the Indian Constitution is a fundamental right that guarantees the right to constitutional remedies; it means every individual has the right to move the Supreme Court for the enforcement of their fundamental rights.

In the famous Kesavananda Bharati judgement (Kesavananda Bharati vs State of Kerala, April 24, 1973), the Supreme Court of India propounded the basic structure doctrine of the Constitution, which stipulates that certain fundamental features of the Constitution, such as democracy, secularism, federalism, and the rule of law, cannot be amended by Parliament. Additionally, the court held that judicial review is an integral part of the basic structure of the Constitution, thereby implying that Parliament cannot abrogate this right.

More recently, in the case of Anita Kushwaha v. Pushap Sudan (2016), the Supreme Court was more explicit, indicating that blocking a citizens access (mainly Hindus in these cases) to courts violated the equality defined in Article 14. The Supreme Court stated: A citizens inability to access courts or any other adjudicatory mechanism provided for the determination of rights and obligations is bound to result in denial of the guarantee contained in Article 14, both concerning equality before the law and equal protection of the laws."

Section 4 of the Places of Worship Act bars anyone from filing an appeal before a court, tribunal, or other authority to seek redressa draconian diktat that, by denying the right to judicial review, violates the basic structure of the Constitution, making it an illegal Act.

Secularism

To claim that this Act will further secularism is a myth. The Act is an oxymoron. In order to ostensibly preserve secularism, the Act indirectly condones actions that strike at the very heart of a secular society. The destruction of a site of worship belonging to another religion, followed by the building of a mosque over it, prompted by hate and hubris, is certainly not secularism; it represents the very epitome of religious xenophobia. This law indirectly condones the state-sanctioned, intolerant, hateful iconoclasm of Muslim rulers of yore.

Social Disharmony

The spectre of communal disharmony has often been invoked as the rationale behind the Places of Worship Act. Former Supreme Court judge Rohinton Nariman recently claimed: We find today, like the hydras heads popping up all over the country, there is suit after suit filed everywhere Now, not only concerning mosques but also dargahs All this can lead to communal tension and disharmony, contrary to what is envisaged in both our Constitution and the Places of Worship Act."

After introducing the bill, the then Home Minister SB Chavan remarked: I am sure that the enactment of this Bill will go a long way in helping restore communal amity and goodwill."

Communal harmony cannot be attained through mollification. It is the product of maturity and good sense. Moreover, communal harmony is a two-way street, not a one-way traffic. This law is based on the assumption that redressing historical wrongs committed by Muslim invaders, even through the legal process, will anger todays Muslims and lead to violence. However, there is also a flip side to this enforced status quo. Not allowing redress can also fuel Hindu anger and have the same consequences. Traditional Hindu timidity and the tendency to give in to maintain peace cannot be taken for granted or guaranteed.

When Muslims defend these historical atrocities and seek legal help to preserve the status quo, they not only identify themselves with the perpetrator but also with the vile deed itself; in effect knowingly and deliberately accepting responsibility for the crimes of Muslim invaders. Todays Muslims must disassociate themselves from these past misdeeds.

Lasting harmony cannot be achieved by suppressing the Hindu voice to appease Muslims. Justice must be rendered by the courts wherever it is due, regardless of the passage of time, and it is the duty of all law-abiding citizens to accept that verdict.

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Colonialism and invasions resulted in Indigenous people being deprived of their fundamental rights. The reclamation of cultural identity is one of the most important political and social concerns in post-colonial countries and has been the topic of extensive discussion among scholars, leading to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Article 11 of this charter states: Indigenous peoples have the right to practise and revitalise their cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect, and develop the past, present, and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sitesStates shall provide redress through effective mechanisms, which may include restitution, developed in conjunction with Indigenous peoples, with respect to their cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their free, prior and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs.

Note that the Article specifically refers to restitution for religious and spiritual property taken without their free, prior, and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions, and customs", making it applicable to Hindu temples.

The Places of Worship Act is a classic example of how a modern state is attempting to propagate a false idea of secularism by suppressing Hindu identity, marginalising Hindu religious aspirations, trivialising Hindu victimisation, and, above all, depriving Hindus of the most fundamental democratic rightjudicial review.

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The Places of Worship Act is immoral, violates the basic structure of our Constitution in more ways than one, condones religious xenophobia and contravenes the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It must be struck down by the biggest gavel of the Supreme Court to preserve the sanctity of our democracy and secularism, and to restore faith in basic morality.

The writer is a US-based author. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 15:59 IST
Jail, Bail & Politics Ka Khel: How AAP Navigated A Challenging Year Ahead Of 2025 Polls

Reported By :

News18.com

Edited By: Apoorva Misra



Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 08:41 IST

After two landslide victories, Arvind Kejriwal and AAP are hopeful for a next term that will take them closer to the record held by Sheila Dikshit and Congress in Delhi

The AAP will try to incur sympathy and use the L-Gs nod to reach out to its voters for Delhi polls. (PTI)

As the year draws to a close, AAP, which claims to be stronger than ever, is gearing up for the 2025 Delhi assembly polls along with a whole new set of challenges.

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An eventful beginning

The scenes unfolding in the national capital as the year commenced seemed to be straight out of a Bollywood potboiler as party supremo and then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal skipped summons from the Enforcement Directorate. Kejriwals arrest, however, was imminent, with rumour mills running over time to guess when he would be behind bars.

Even as Kejriwal played Catch Me if You Can with ED officials, three of his confidantes were already in prison  cabinet minister Satyendar Jain, then deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh.

With dates for Lok Sabha elections announced and three important party faces inside jail, the trials and tribulations of the party  and Kejriwal  had just begun.

ALSO READ | Birthed By Anna Hazare Andolan 12 Years Ago, Tracing AAPs Slow Yet Steady Expansion Across India

On March 21, less than a week after election dates were announced, Kejriwal was arrested for his alleged involvement in the scrapped Delhi liquor policy case.

What ensued was a rarely seem political drama as AAP workers mobilised for strength on ground. The party displayed unity in its toughest time, with leaders and party workers standing strong. They also battled allegations that opposition leaders were trying to break not just the party but also topple the Delhi government.

The organisation found some strength on April 2 as Singh was released on bail.

AAP was now looking at brighter days ahead. The next month, when Delhi was set for polling, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal interim bail from May 10 to June 1 to campaign for the elections.

Many battles, fewer victories

In the Lok Sabha election, the AAP contested 22 seats across India, including seven in Delhi. Once the elections were over, Kejriwal went back to jail.

The results were declared and the party managed to win three seats in Punjab. The victory was not historic for the party, which had won four seats in 2014.

AAP failed in Delhi too. Despite fighting the election as an INDIA ally, AAP couldnt secure a single seat.

ALSO READ | Opinion | Empty Chairs, Vacuous Promises: AAPs Descent into Political Farce

From July, the party started its preparations for the assembly polls in Delhi to be held in the first two months of 2025. Party workers, led by Singh, now chief minister Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj launched campaigns while Kejriwal, Sisodia and Jain continued to be behind bars.

In August, Sisodia was granted bail after spending 17 months in jail. The party not just celebrated the release but also put him to work for the assembly poll campaign. Within weeks, Kejriwal was released on bail in September. In October, Jain was granted bail.

Kejriwal, who refused to resign despite being asked by allies while he was in jail, resigned within days of his release. What could have been a leadership vacuum and an opportunity for the opposition to pounce upon turned out to be Kejriwals Plan B.

The surprise move gave Delhi its third female chief minister in Atishi. As the Kalkaji MLA completed almost three months in the chair, she surpassed late Sushma Swarajs term in office.

Now that Kejriwal was free from the chief ministerial post, he put his focus on political campaigning. From padyatras to public meeting and speeches, he made himself an essential part of all campaigning strategies in Delhi.

Meanwhile, assembly polls in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir took place where AAP contested. While the party failed miserably in Haryana despite a strong campaign, it found space in the J&K assembly through its maiden victory in Doda.

Another blow to AAP in 2024 was the unofficial withdrawal of the partys Rajya Sabha MP, Swati Maliwal. While she has not quit the party officially, she is now a vocal critic of the top brass and the government.

The fissures became evident when Kejriwal walked out of jail in May to campaign for the party. Maliwal, who had also served as the chief of the Delhi Commission for Women under Kejriwals term, alleged that Bibhav Kumar, Kejriwals close aide, assaulted her at the then chief ministers residence on May 13.

The incident kicked off a political storm in the city, which eventually soured relations between AAP and Maliwal. Initially, the party promised it would take action against Kumar but later accused Maliwal of acting on BJPs directions. Kumar went to jail and was released on bail soon after.

Exits and resignations

Apart from Kejriwals registration, the party also lost two sitting cabinet ministers this year who then moved to the BJP.

On April 10, Raaj Kumar Anand resigned from the cabinet and AAP, citing the alleged corruption charges against the party leadership. In November, the party lost its senior leader and cabinet minister Kailash Gahlot to BJP. In both the cases, AAP claimed that the leaders were under pressure as they were facing raids from central agencies. The party also lost a number of small leaders and a few MLAs in between.

However, throughout the year, AAP held on to the narrative of unity in its people.

ALSO READ | Monthly Allowance Guarantee Pending In Punjab, Can Kejriwal Keep Promise To Delhis Women?

Meanwhile, several leaders from Congress and BJP joined AAP and found space in the partys 2025 assembly poll list.

As of mid-December, the party has issued its list of 70 candidates and several turncoats have been given a chance, dropping the sitting MLAs.

2025: A critical year for AAP

In 2013, the party took help from Congress to form a government in the city. In 2015, of the 70 seats, it bagged 67. In 2020, it won 62 seats in Delhi.

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After two landslide victories, Kejriwal and AAP are hopeful for a next term that will take them closer to the record held by Sheila Dikshit and Congress in Delhi.

This is not just a test of their governance but the results of the 2025 assembly polls in Delhi will also re-establish Kejriwals grasp over the national capital and his desire to be a bigger leader in national politics.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 08:39 IST
Maharashtra Portfolio Allocation Done, Mahayuti Gears Up For Guardian Minister Race

Reported By :

News18.com

Edited By: Apoorva Misra



Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 12:00 IST

With ministers from the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP in the same district, competition and disputes seem inevitable

The slow and steady approach that the alliance used in the recent cabinet expansion is likely to guide their decision on guardian ministers. (PTI)

The newly formed Maharashtra government completed its cabinet portfolio allocation on Saturday. However, while celebrations followed the announcement, the challenges are far from over.

One of the pressing issues now is the appointment of guardian ministers for various districts, a move that could spark conflict within the Mahayuti.

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Several districts have multiple ministers, with three to four representatives from different alliance parties. If all these ministers belonged to the same party, the decision over guardian minister appointments would have been simpler. However, with ministers from different parties in the same district, competition and disputes seem inevitable.

In Nashik, BJPs Girish Mahajan, Shiv Senas Dada Bhuse, and NCPs Narhari Zirwal and Manikrao Kokate are contenders for the position. Agriculture minister Kokate has staked his claim, stating that the NCP has the majority of MLAs in the district, and thus the guardian minister should come from their party. However, this has set the stage for internal competition.

Similarly, in Raigad, NCPs Aditi Tatkare and Shiv Senas Bharat Gogawale are in a race for the position. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Shiv Senas Sanjay Shirsat and BJPs Atul Save are both asserting their claim.

The competition is equally intense in Pune. Ajit Pawars entry into the Mahayuti government was marked by a strong push for the districts guardian minister post. Pune has witnessed significant political shifts whenever the guardian minister changes, making this decision crucial.

BJP leader Chandrakant Patil said the selection is often based on experience, not just the number of MLAs from a party. Ajit Pawar previously served as Punes guardian minister, taking over from Chandrakant Patil. Both names are likely to be in contention this time as well. In addition, smaller districts like Satara also have multiple ministers, adding complexity to the decision-making process.

Potential Conflicts Across Districts

 Thane: Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena) vs Ganesh Naik (BJP)

 Jalgaon: Gulabrao Patil (Shiv Sena) vs Sanjay Savkare (BJP)

 Beed: Pankaja Munde (BJP) vs Dhananjay Munde (NCP)

 Yavatmal: Ashok Uike (BJP), Sanjay Rathod (Shiv Sena), and Indranil Naik (NCP)

 Satara: Shambhuraj Desai (Shiv Sena), Shivendra Raje Bhosale (BJP), Jaykumar Gore (BJP), and Makrand Patil (NCP)

 Kolhapur: Hasan Mushrif (NCP) vs Prakash Abitkar (Shiv Sena)

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Despite these challenges, some districts are likely to see smoother appointments due to fewer ministers or a lack of significant competition.

The Mahayuti alliance is expected to handle these internal conflicts with care, ensuring they dont spill into public view. The alliances strategy of patience and coordination has already been evident in the recent cabinet expansion. The same slow and steady" approach is likely to guide their decision. By prioritising strategic consensus, the alliance aims to maintain its unity and focus on governance.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 12:00 IST
'Congress Should Be Ready...': Mani Shankar Aiyar's Big Remark On INDIA Bloc Leadership

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 15:29 IST

Mani Shankar Aiyar's remark comes in the backdrop of a leadership challenge within the INDIA bloc formed last year to take on the BJP-led NDA.

Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar | File Image

Former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said that the Congress should be ready to not be the leader of the oppositions INDIA bloc and backed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the post, saying other alliance leaders are more competent for the role.

The senior Congress leaders remark comes in the backdrop of a leadership challenge within the opposition bloc formed last year to take on the BJP-led NDA at the Centre.

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I dont think its a relevant question. I think the Congress should be ready to not be the leader of the bloc. Let whoever wants to be the leader be the leader. There is competence in Mamata Banerjee. There is competence in others in the alliance," Aiyar was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

He further underscored the significant role of the Congress within the INDIA bloc and noted that Rahul Gandhi would get respect within the alliance even without serving as its leader.

I think the position of the Congress party and the Congress leader will always be a major one. It doesnt have to be the only one. It will be the major one in the INDIA bloc. I am sure Rahul (Gandhi) will be treated with even more respect than he would be as the president of the alliance," said the 83-year-old Congress leader.

The INDIA blocs strategy worked well in the Lok Sabha election as the BJP was stopped below the halfway mark. The alliance, however, faced setbacks in subsequent Haryana and Maharashtra polls.

Soon after the declaration of the Maharashtra election results last month, voices were heard backing CM Banerjee to take over the leadership of the opposition alliance. It came after Banerjee herself showed her interest in the opportunity.

She took a veiled swipe at the Congress after the INDIA blocs disappointing results in the Maharashtra elections, saying that everyone needs to be taken along" as the Opposition bloc moves against the BJP-ruled central government.

When asked why she was not taking charge, Banerjee said, If given the opportunity, I would ensure its smooth functioning. I dont want to go outside Bengal, but I can run it from here."

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Several opposition leaders backed Banerjee to lead the opposition front. Congresss objection means nothing. We will support Mamata Mamata Banerjee should be given the leadership (of the INDIA Bloc)," the RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yada said.

NCP founder Sharad Pawar said, Yes, certainly (she is capable of leading the alliance). She is a prominent leader of this nation she has that capability. The elected leaders she sent to Parliament are responsible, dutiful, and well-aware people. Therefore, she has the right to say so."

First Published: December 23, 2024, 15:29 IST
Amazon Prime Users In India Will Get Less Features For Their Money In 2025: What We Mean

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 14:34 IST

Amazon is making a big change to the number of devices you can use to watch Prime Video shows and movies in India.

The new device is already given on your Prime account in India.

Amazon Prime users will start seeing their money offer less features in India from January 2025 onwards. The company has notified its customers in the country about a major change that affects your streaming access on the big screen and more devices. Other popular streaming apps like Netflix have changed their viewing rules in recent years and now Amazon is ready to pull the plug and limit your options for watching its shows and movies.

Amazon Prime Users Device Limit Up Change: What Happens In 2025

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The new message is being sent via email to existing Prime users in India and heres what it says:

Starting January 2025, we are updating our usage terms in India to include up to two TVs as part of your five devices entitlement. You can manage your devices on your Settings page or buy another Prime membership to watch Prime Video on more devices."

Amazon has offered support for up to five devices for many years, without putting a limit on the type of devices you can stream content from your account. However, the new 2025 change means only 2 TVs will be allowed to run out of the 5, the rest could be mobile, tablet or even laptop using the web version. As part of your Prime membership, you and your household are entitled to enjoy Prime Video on up to five devices," the note adds.

This is definitely a big downgrade for people who are paying Rs 1,499 every year to use Amazons bouquet of services that come under the Prime membership. The other interesting part of the message is the use of the word household, which has become active and meaningful for those using Netflix as well these days.

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Streaming platforms are blocking the option to share accounts with people, which Netflix claims to have worked in its favour. Some are limiting the device support, which at one point didnt matter for people using Prime Video and similar apps in the country. In fact, we are now seeing ad-free models being introduced which takes you back to the cable TV days when ads were fairly common on the big screen.

You can get more details from the Amazon Prime page on your account and manage the devices that are signed in with your Prime ID.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 20, 2024, 14:21 IST
OnePlus Watch 3 Details Revealed: Heres What It Might Offer

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 10:17 IST

The OnePlus 13 series is launching in the next few weeks but when will the brand launch the new Watch 3 model? We finally might have the answer.

OnePlus Watch 3 could look like the Watch 2 but with some major upgrades

OnePlus started its smartwatch journey on a bad note which improved dramatically with the Watch 2 model this year. And now, the company is ready to upgrade to version 3.0 of the smartwatch which should be launching sometime early next year. The new details about the OnePlus Watch 3 have leaked recently and it shows some design changes that will surely excite you about the upgraded model coming out in 2025.

OnePlus Watch 3 Design Leak: What To Expect

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The new leak via a report this month shows a same-ish design for the OnePlus Watch 3 with its circular display most likely getting an AMOLED panel. However, it seems the company is ready to overhaul the use of the rotating dial and make it more functional and let you access more features.

OnePlus is tipped to improve the health features on the Watch 3 with a new heart rate sensor to support ECG for better real-time tracking and alerts like the Apple Watch. The hardware on the Watch 3 is likely to have some basic upgrades but having an LTE model in the lineup could encourage more people to consider the next smartwatch for their off-the-phone use.

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The dual-OS strategy is expected to be part of the ecosystem once again, and the only major boost we would like OnePlus to offer is a bigger battery unit to accommodate the all-time connectivity support.

OnePlus 13 series is launching in early January across markets including India, where we will also see the OnePlus 13R model. But there has been no details or official word on the OnePlus Watch 3 launch details which suggests it might happen later in 2025. These new hardware changes could push the OnePlus Watch 3 price slightly higher but hopefully not by that much.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 10:17 IST
3 AM Meetings, 56-Hour Work Week: Former Executive Highlights Intense Culture In Amazon India

Curated By :

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 12:57 IST

In a LinkedIn post, a former Amazon executive shared he typically worked 60 hours per week, but his colleagues in Bengaluru worked even longer hours.

Former Amazon executive claims company culture is more important than strategy. (Photo Credits: LinkedIn)

Adam Broda, a former Amazon executive, has sparked a conversation about work culture in global companies, compared to the intense work schedules of Indian employees. In a LinkedIn post, Broda shared that while at Amazon, he typically worked 60 hours per week, but his colleagues in Bengaluru, particularly in the technical team, worked even longer hours. According to Broda, they were online before he logged in at 7 am and attended meetings and reviews throughout the day, even at unusual hours like 3 am. While he praised Indian employees dedication, his post sparked mixed reactions online.

The individual wrote, At Amazon, I worked hard, some weeks Id work 60+ hours, but never as many as our team members in India. Much of our organisations developer team was based out of Bangalore. Theyd be online when Id log in (7 am). Theyd join for weekly Staff meetings (10 am). Theyd often call into afternoon VP-level reviews (4 pm). And, heres the crazy/debatable thing, most of them were happy to do it. As if 60+ hours was normal and the opportunity worth taking. In my 5 years there, I witnessed multiple leaders asking why they were on calls at 3 am Bangalore time. The explanation would (almost) always be the same, We want to be here. This response begs two questions: Was that true and if so, why? At what point did their desire to work cross a line? Interesting questions perhaps best for another time."

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Adam Broda claimed that company culture is more important than strategy. He added that employees who are motivated, enthusiastic and given the right tools will usually perform better than those who are just going through the motions. He also suggested that managers should ask about their working hours and find ways to support them across time zones. Even if employees are willing to work longer hours, it doesnt always mean its a good idea for their well-being.

Reacting to the post, a user wrote, They wanted to be there or they thought you wanted to hear that and thats why they said it? You have to look at the financial condition, background of those people, age/family and the context of work culture in India to fully understand it."

Another shared, I reported to a former Amazon SVP who then became my leader at Salesforce. He was adamant about hiring people in India. But it wasnt because of the culture. The reason he wanted to hire talent in India was because they cost us 25% of the cost of US labour. And those employees would indeed work hard. Damn hard. And not complain like some of the employees he knew in our US offices."

I can imagine the burnout rates in India are very high," a comment read.

Another mentioned, Please stop this talk about working hours, productivity and related topics. It seems like no one has a clear understanding and the conversation appears to be driven by other motives."

An individual shared, Do you think an American or a European would ever attend a 3 AM meeting local time? The meeting invite, at such an odd India time, should not have gone to the Indian folks in the first place. Even if it did, they should have declined it, instead of setting a wrong precedent."

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One more added, Its not because they want to be there. Its because theyll be fired if they dont. In India, tech talent is easily replaceable and commoditised."

Since the post was shared on LinkedIn, it has garnered over 900 views.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 12:57 IST
Bengaluru Techie, Fired From Job In 3 Months, Calls Out 'Toxic' Work Culture And 'Micromanagement'

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 15:45 IST

A techie from Bengaluru, who had been sacked from his job, launched a barrage of charges against his former manager.

The techie expressed dissatisfaction with the workload. (Representative Image)

A tech professional from Bengaluru, who was fired from his position at the India headquarters of an American workforce management company, has made claims against his former manager. The employee said in a detailed LinkedIn post published on December 20 that the main reason he had difficulties during his brief time with the company was a toxic work environment characterised by micromanagement, an overwhelming workload, and undue scrutiny over small transgressions.

Despite having no prior expertise with SaaS (Software as a Service), the techie, who has worked at Amazon and Revolut, said he joined the company on September 9, 2024, with eagerness and a willingness to adapt. He stated in his interview that he was aware of this lack of experience and that he was eager to learn. He said, however, that the company did not offer him the guidance or training he needed to be successful.

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The employee said he was not given the right direction and was expected to perform on par with more experienced coworkers. I was new to the system, the payroll process, and Salesforce, but I was not given constructive guidance on these tools or processes," he wrote on LinkedIn. He also mentioned that he was not instructed on how to properly log breaks, which made his problems worse because there were times when the companys system tagged him offline after he was inactive for short periods.

Instead of providing helpful feedback or assistance to improve his work, the techie criticised his manager for concentrating too much on trivial matters, such as going over break periods by a minute. He expressed concerns about the workload as well, claiming that he was required to manage 35 to 40 cases each week, often with extra work added right before his shift finished. He also claimed that this led to a lot of overtime with little tolerance or understanding from his manager.

When I raised concerns about the extended hours and sought guidance on managing my workload, I was met with dismissive responses like, You have to solve your open cases anyhow, any way you prefer," he further expressed.

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In less than four months, the Bengaluru techies job was terminated, a decision he blamed on the difficulties he had there. Despite his readiness to change and grow, he bemoaned the absence of encouragement and helpful guidance.

Currently, online debates concerning workplace culture have been triggered by the accusations, especially in Indian management teams of international corporations.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 15:45 IST
Passenger Fumes As Airline Gives His First Class Seat To A Service Dog

Curated By :

Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 12:28 IST

In a viral Reddit post, the traveller said he had been upgraded to first class on a Delta Airlines flight, only to be downgraded minutes later.

Users expressed that service animals have become a pain for co-passengers. (Photo Credits: Reddit)

A Delta Airlines passengers first-class experience took an unpleasant turn when he was unexpectedly bumped from his premium seatnot for another person, but for a four-legged canine companion. Yes! you heard it right,. For a dog. This incident left the passenger fuming, after which he took to Reddit to share his frustrating experience. In the post, which is now going viral, the traveller said that he had been upgraded to first class on a Delta Airlines flight, only to be downgraded minutes later.

Sharing the picture of the furry passenger who was taking his place in the first-class seat, the passenger wrote, I got upgraded to first this morning, only to 15 mins later get downgraded (to a worse seat than I previously had). I asked the desk agent what was going on and she said, something changed."

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Elaborating further, he said, Okay, fine, I am disgruntled but whatever, I then board only to see this dog in my first-class seat  And now Im livid."

After being forced out of his seat, the passenger immediately contacted Delta support. He was told that the airline policy allows service animals to take priority, even if it means relocating other passengers, and there is nothing they can do.

Calling the situation an absolute joke," the traveller said, There is no way that dog has spent as much with this airline as Ive  What an absolute joke."

Whats the point of being loyal to this airline anymore, truly? I have sat back when others complained about this airline mistreating customers lately and slipping in service levels, but Im starting to question my allegiance as well," he concluded.

Soon enough, a plethora of users chimed into the comments section to support the frustrated passenger. A majority of users expressed that service animals have become a pain for co-passengers on flights. Others suggested the user has taken complimentary upgrades or raised a complaint.

Notice how nowhere else in life do you see this quantity of service animals? Go to the airport, and all of a sudden they appear," read a comment.

Another added, This is a reason to avoid bulkheads in either cabin FYI."

Exclusively in the US. It doesnt happen anywhere else. Its American main-character syndrome," said an individual.

Adding a tweak of humour, a user joked, The dog is probably a Diamond Medallion 2 million miler."

If you had paid for your seat, then I think it is a legitimate gripe. Complimentary upgrades can be taken away for a variety of reasons, though, not just service dogs, without compensation," an account remarked.

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Meanwhile, a Delta employee also joined the conversation and explained that bulkhead seats, rows directly behind a partition offering extra legroom and easier access, are often saved for passengers with disabilities or service animals. When I was in reservations, anytime people wanted the blocked seats, I had to advise them that Delta has the legal obligation to move them if a passenger with disabilities requires it," they said.

Till now, the share has garnered more than 3,600 upvotes, and the numbers are still increasing.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 12:28 IST
The Great Detachment: How Emotional Disconnect Is Reshaping Work Culture

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Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 14:06 IST

Unlike the Great Resignation, where employees actively quit in search of better opportunities, this trend is more about emotional and mental withdrawal.

Employees may be present physically, but their minds and hearts are elsewhere. (Representative Image)

Feeling emotionally disconnected from your job? Youre not alone. The Great Detachment" at work is a growing workplace phenomenon that is affecting todays workforce. In this rising trend, younger employees are becoming increasingly disengaged, emotionally detached and burnt out from their jobs. Despite their desire to quit, employees often feel trapped due to intense competition in the job market. Its more than just simply not liking your job, as this phenomenon is reshaping how we understand workplace engagement and the mental health of employees, particularly among Gen Z and Millennials.

The Great Detachment describes a workforce where many individuals feel a significant disconnect from their work. Unlike the Great Resignation, where employees actively quit in search of better opportunities, this trend is more about emotional and mental withdrawal, even if the person continues to fulfil their basic job duties. They may be present physically, but their minds and hearts are elsewhere.

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This trend can be manifested as reduced motivation, decreased productivity and a lack of interest in career advancement, yet constrained from leaving due to financial pressures, a competitive job market, or a lack of desirable alternatives.

The Great Detachment Phenomenon: Factors contributing to this detachment

1) Burnout and Overwork: Due to layoffs and company restructuring, many employees are now experiencing increased workloads, constant pressure and unrealistic expectations. This can lead to exhaustion and detachment.

2) Lack of Growth Opportunities: When employees want to do something more meaningful, but they are often met with repetitive tasks, they start feeling disconnected. This will lead them to feel that they are stuck in their roles with no clear path to advancement.

3) Poor workplace culture: Toxic work environments, lack of recognition and poor management can contribute to reduced motivation, decreased productivity and a lack of interest in jobs.

4) New employee expectations: The pandemic led many to rethink their priorities, with work-life balance and personal well-being taking precedence. Moreover, expectations for remote work flexibility also increased. It led to a mismatch between what employers offer and what employees expect, leaving employees feeling undervalued and questioning their future.

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5) Hybrid and remote work: Hybrid work can also create an emotional distance, as it entails switching work locations throughout the week. It often results in team members working on different schedules, which naturally challenges coordination and communication.

As the Great Detachment trend continues to rise and poses significant challenges for both employees and employers, it has become important for companies to address the root causes of disengagement, meaningful work and fostering environments that support mental health and flexibility. Younger employees need to feel supported, empowered and aligned with their roles to remain engaged.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 14:06 IST
The True Hero: Pilot Thanks Bone Marrow Donor In Surprise In-Flight Announcement

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 18:46 IST

Captain David Whitson, 44, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2016 and was given a 5% chance of survival.

Not all heroes wear cap, agree? (Photo Credit: X)

A United Airlines pilot reunited with the woman who saved his life eight years ago, surprising her on a flight last week. Captain David Whitson was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2016 and was given a 5% chance of survival. Allie Reimold, then 22, was a match for his bone marrow transplant and donated her stem cells, saving his life. Last week, as Allie boarded her flight in Houston, she had no idea David was nearby. It had been four years since their last meeting and nearly eight years since she helped David overcome the life-threatening illness.

Back in 2016, David, a healthy 44-year-old, was struck with severe symptoms that led to the devastating diagnosis, needing a bone marrow transplant. With no suitable match in his family, doctors turned to donor registries, where Allies profile came up as a perfect match. Allie, then a behavioural sciences undergraduate, had joined the National Marrow Donor Programme during a campus event. When asked to donate, she agreed, undergoing a non-invasive procedure to provide stem cells. These were transplanted into Davids body on December 21, 2016, effectively replacing his diseased blood with healthy cells.

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Over the years, David and Allie formed a close bond. They first met in 2018 and have stayed in touch through social media and annual reunions. As a gesture of gratitude, David extended his airline travel benefits to Allie, allowing her to travel like family.

Last week, David, who had just piloted a flight to Houston, noticed through his airline app that Allie was nearby and about to board Flight 2223. In a race against time, he coordinated with the flight crew and dashed across the airport to surprise her.

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Once aboard, David took to the planes PA system to share their remarkable story with passengers, calling Allie the true hero of this story." He then walked over to embrace her, drawing applause from everyone on board. Its not every day you can hug someone who saved your life," David told CNN.

For Allie, now a cancer prevention researcher, the moment was especially meaningful. Their reunion came just days before the eighth anniversary of Davids transplant.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 18:46 IST
Tributes Pour In For Rohan Mirchandani, Co-founder of Epigamia, After His Sudden Demise

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 20:13 IST

Mirchandanis untimely demise has left the start-up ecosystem in shock. Many of his peers, friends and admirers took to social media to pay tributes to the entrepreneur.

Rohan Mirchandani founded Drums Food International in 2013. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

Rohan Mirchandani, co-founder and CEO of the popular yoghurt brand Epigamia, passed away on Saturday after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. He was 42. Epigamia co-founders Ankur Goel and Uday Thakker issued a statement mourning his loss. Rohan was a mentor, friend, and leader. We remain steadfast in our determination to carry forward his dream with strength and vigour," they said, as reported by NDTV Profit.

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Mirchandanis untimely demise has left the start-up ecosystem in shock. Many of his peers, friends and admirers took to social media to pay tributes to the entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur Vishal Gondal expressed his grief on X (formerly Twitter). Weve known each other since the days he started Epic Omega, and Ive always admired his passion and determination. Rohan would often share his newest creations with me, seeking feedback. It was a privilege to witness his inspiring entrepreneurial journey up close. We recently met at Bay Club, and I could never have imagined it would be our last meeting," Gondal wrote.

Shocked and heartbroken by the untimely passing of my dear friend @RoMirchandani, co-founder of @epigamia. Weve known each other since the days he started Epic Omega, and Ive always admired his passion and determination. Rohan would often share his newest creations with me, pic.twitter.com/7vehJKj648 Vishal Gondal (@vishalgondal) December 22, 2024

Billionaire Harsh Mariwala also shared his condolences. The Marico chairman posted a photo with Mirchandani and remembered their association through the ASCENT Foundation. His insights and enthusiasm inspired our community of over 1,000 entrepreneurs. His passing is a significant loss to the entrepreneurial community," Mariwala said.

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Epigamias parent company, Drums Food International, confirmed that the senior leadership team will continue to manage day-to-day operations. Mirchandanis father, Raj Mirchandani, along with the companys board, will also provide support to ensure smooth functioning.

Rohan Mirchandani founded Drums Food International in 2013. He had graduated from the prestigious Stern School of Business at New York University and the Wharton School.

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Mirchandani once revealed that a lecture in Mumbai on the lack of innovation in FMCG inspired him to create his company. Under his leadership, Epigamia became Indias leading Greek yoghurt brand and a household name in the country.

His death follows the passing of other Indian entrepreneurs in recent months. Pepperfry co-founder Ambareesh Murty died last year and Rohan Malhotra, co-founder of Good Capital, passed away in October 2024.

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 20:13 IST
UK Firm's 15-day Holiday Policy Sparks Debate On Work Culture In India And Abroad

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Trending Desk

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 18:09 IST

Vivek Panchal shared a screenshot of a message he received from a colleague informing him about the company-wide holiday until January 6.

This UK-based company declared a 15-day holiday break for Christmas and New Year's. (Representative Image)

The festive season is upon us and several companies, especially in the West, announced holidays for their employees. A recent social media post has ignited a lively debate on the differences in holiday policies and work culture in India and abroad. An Indian employee working for a UK-based company revealed that his organisation has declared a 15-day holiday break to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

On X, Vivek Panchal shared a screenshot of a message he received from a colleague informing him about the company-wide holiday until January 6 to celebrate the holiday season. Hello Vivek, from Monday its holidays till Jan 6th, for Christmas and new year," the screenshot of the message read.

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Sharing the message on X, he called the holiday break an advantage of working for a British firm. He wrote, Benefits of working in a UK-based company."

Benefits of working in a UK based company ? pic.twitter.com/onfxM4dPB7 Vivek Panchal (@Vivekpanchaal) December 20, 2024

Posted three days ago, the post highlighted the stark contrast between the work cultures. Many Indian employees took to the comments section to express their disappointment with the lack of generous holiday policies in Indian companies.

Commenting on the post, a user said that all the Western countries follow the system, writing, Not only UK but all the western countries follow this. Only India and some Asian countries follow the client first attitude and work 247 and 365 days work strategy."

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Another user referred to Infosys co-founders recent controversial call for a 70-hour work week and wrote, Narayana Murthy in a parallel universe."

The third one added, Reality of India, Diwali pe sirf ek din ki chutti (Reality of India, only one day of leave on Diwali)." You work for an Indian company, so you dont get US holidays. Your client is from the US, so you dont get Indian holidays either," the fourth user said. A user noted that they get work from opportunity during the holiday season, writing, Oh look at you go! Same here buddy! I love the opportunity to WFH during this busy Christmas period!!!"

Location : Delhi, India

First Published: December 23, 2024, 18:09 IST
Bangladesh Launches $5 Billion Corruption Probe Into Sheikh Hasina, Kin

Published By :

AFP

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 21:15 IST

Bangladesh anti-corruption mission said it is probing embezzlement connected to a Russian-backed nuclear power plant.

The Bangladesh graft watchdog is also probing Sheikh Hasinas son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and niece, Tulip Siddiq, a British lawmaker and government minister. (IMAGE: AFP)

Bangladesh has launched a probe into the alleged $5 billion embezzlement connected to a Russian-backed nuclear power plant by ousted leader Sheikh Hasina and her family, the anti-corruption commission said Monday.

Along with Hasina, the now-former prime minster who fled to India after being toppled by a revolution in August, those subject to the inquiry include her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and niece, Tulip Siddiq, a British lawmaker and government minister.

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The allegations were raised by a writ seeking an investigation filed in the high court by Hasinas political opponent, Bobby Hajjaj, chairman of the Nationalist Democratic Movement party.

We seek justice through our court", Hajjaj told AFP on Monday.

Key allegations are connected to the funding of the $12.65 billion Rooppur nuclear plant, the South Asian countrys first, which is bankrolled by Moscow with a 90 percent loan.

A statement Monday from the commission said it had launched an inquiry into allegations that Hasina and family members had embezzled $5 billion" from the Rooppur plant via various offshore bank accounts in Malaysia".

It said its investigations were examining questionable procurement practices related to the overpriced construction" of the plant.

The claims of kickbacks, mismanagement, money laundering, and potential abuse of power raise significant concerns about the integrity of the project and the use of public funds", the commission said.

Graft allegations also include theft from a government building scheme for the homeless.

Hasina, 77, fled by helicopter on August 5 into exile in India, infuriating many Bangladeshis determined that she face trial for alleged mass murder".

It was not possible to contact Hasina for comment.

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Siddiq has denied any involvement in the claims" accusing her of involvement in embezzlement, according to a statement from the British prime ministers office.

Joy, who is understood to be based in the United States, was also unavailable for comment.

Location : Dhaka, Bangladesh

First Published: December 23, 2024, 21:14 IST
Bangladesh Seeks Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina's Return, Sends Diplomatic Note To India

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 19:35 IST

Sheikh Hasina has been residing in India since August 5 when her Awami League government was ousted by student-led protests, as relations between the two countries strained.

Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave Bangladesh as protests led by students against a job quota system intensified. (Reuters/File)

Bangladeshs interim government on Monday sent a note verbale or a diplomatic note to India calling on the latter to send back deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka.

Hasina, 77, has been living in exile in India since Aug 5 when she fled the country amid the student-led protests over a controversial job quota system that toppled her 16-year regime. The Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for crimes against humanity and genocide".

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We have sent a note verbale (diplomatic message) to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process," Foreign Affairs Adviser or de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain told reporters at his office.

Earlier today, Bangladeshs Home Advisor Jahangir Alam said his office has sent a letter to the foreign ministry to facilitate the ousted premiers extradition from India. We have sent a letter to the foreign ministry regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway," he told reporters in response to a query.

Alam asserted that an extradition treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi already exists and Hasina could be brought back to Bangladesh under the treaty.

We confirm that we have received a Note Verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today in connection with an extradition request. At this time, we have no comment to offer on this matter," a spokesperson from the MEA told News18 after Bangladeshs note.

Muhammad Yunus Had Vowed To Bring Back Hasina

Bangladeshs interim leader Muhammad Yunus had long promised that his administration would seek the extradition of Hasina. In a televised address to the nation on his first 100 days in office, Yunus said that the interim government will try those responsible including the former PM for hundreds of deaths during the student-led uprising that ended her 15-year rule.

We will seek the return of the fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina from India," he said. Yunus said Hasinas role would be investigated not only in the deaths during the unrest but also in other violations of human rights, including alleged enforced disappearances while she was in power.

Sheikh Hasina has targeted the Yunus-led interim government in several speeches from India. On December 15, Hasina labelled Yunus as a fascist" and accused him of suppressing the spirit of the Liberation War and pro-liberation forces.

This undemocratic group led by the fascist Yunus has no responsibility towards the people," she said. They are secretly supporting the anti-Independence radical communal forces. The lack of sensitivity of the leaders of this government, including the fascist Yunus, towards the Liberation War and its history is proven in every step they take."

India-Bangladesh Relations

Relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the formation of an interim government which Yunus now heads, particularly over a spate of attacks on minorities, including the Hindu community, in the last few months.

India on Friday lodged a strong protest with Dhaka over certain controversial comments made by the key aide of Bangladeshs interim government, Mahfuj Alam. In a now-deleted Facebook post, Alam said India should recognise the uprising that forced the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign.

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We have registered our strong protest on this issue with the Bangladesh side. We understand that the post being referred to has reportedly been taken down," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, adding that such comments underline the need for responsibility in public articulation.

(with agency inputs)

Location : Dhaka, Bangladesh

First Published: December 23, 2024, 16:11 IST
Bangladeshi Traders Forced To Import From Pakistan As Second Container Ship Docks: Report

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 20:53 IST

Another container ship from Pakistan carrying unknown items has reached Bangladeshs Chittagong port.

The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government is seen drawing closer to Pakistan. (IMAGE: REUTERS/REPRESENTATIVE)

A second container ship from Pakistan, carrying items yet to be disclosed, has docked in Bangladeshs Chittagong port, The Economic Times said. The report also said Bangladeshi traders are being forced to import from Pakistan.

The timing of the shipment is also worth noting as it comes a day after interim government advisor Muhammad Yunus met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

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The report, citing Chittagong port authorities, said that the ship carried 1,000 containers. Earlier in November, another container ship from Pakistan reached Bangladeshs shores, marking the first time a container ship from the nation that it freed itself from (with Indias help) in 1971 came to the country.

Indian officials speaking to the news outlet said it is necessary to keep an eye out for the ships arriving from Pakistan as they may contain equipment meant for terror and insurgent groups.

Meanwhile, Bangladeshs interim government on Monday said it has sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi seeking the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India, a move that may further strain ties between the two countries.

India confirmed receiving the note verbale, or diplomatic communication, from the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi but refrained from making any comment on it.

Bangladeshs de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain said Dhaka wants Hasina back to face the judicial process.

We have sent a note verbale to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process," Hossain told reporters in Dhaka.

In New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: We confirm that we have received a Note Verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today in connection with an extradition request."

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At this time, we have no comment to offer on this matter," he said in response to a question.

Hasina, 77, has been living in India since August 5 when she fled the country following a massive student-led protest that toppled her 16-year regime.

Location : Dhaka, Bangladesh

First Published: December 23, 2024, 20:53 IST
Govt In Touch With Indians Injured In Germanys Magdeburg Terror Attack

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 18:31 IST

The embassy in Berlin said it is in touch with the seven injured in the terror attack on a German Christmas market.

Tributes to the victims are seen outside the Johanniskirche (Johannes Church), a makeshift memorial near the site of a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany. (IMAGE: AFP)

The Indian embassy in Berlin on Monday said that it is in close contact with the seven Indians injured in Fridays terror attack in Germanys Magdeburg Christmas Market.

The embassy said that three of the Indians have been discharged.

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@EOIBerlin has been in close contact with all the 7 Indians injured in the attack at the Magdeburg Christmas Market on 20 Dec 2024. 3 of the Indians have been discharged, while the remaining are under treatment. Mission is in regular touch with them and actively providing India in Germany (@eoiberlin) December 23, 2024

@EOIBerlin has been in close contact with all the 7 Indians injured in the attack at the Magdeburg Christmas Market on 20 Dec 2024. 3 of the Indians have been discharged, while the remaining are under treatment. Mission is in regular touch with them and actively providing requisite support. The mission is also in touch with their families," the embassy said in a social media post.

The German government pledged Sunday to fully investigate whether there were security lapses before the Christmas market car-ramming attack that killed five people and injured over 200.

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The city of Magdeburg has been in deep mourning over the mass carnage on Friday evening, when an SUV smashed through a crowd at its Christmas market, killing four women and a nine-year-old child and injuring 205 people.

Surgeons at overwhelmed hospitals have worked around the clock, and one health worker told local media of blood on the floor everywhere, people screaming, lots of painkillers being administered".

Location : Magdeburg, Germany

First Published: December 23, 2024, 18:31 IST
China provides emergency assistance to quake-hit Vanuatu

Xinhua) 15:16, December 23, 2024

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has provided 1 million U.S. dollars in emergency assistance to the quake-hit Vanuatu to support the country's response to the disaster and reconstruction efforts, said Li Ming, spokesperson for the China International Development Cooperation Agency on Monday.

At the request of Vanuatu, the Chinese side has coordinated experts from Chinese enterprises based in the country to conduct a preliminary disaster assessment, and the Chinese medical team in Vanuatu has actively participated in the treatment, rescue and operation of injured individuals, said Li.

The Red Cross Society of China has also provided 100,000 U.S. dollars in emergency cash assistance to Vanuatu, Li added.

The spokesperson said that China is willing to continue to provide follow-up assistance according to the needs of Vanuatu and help the country overcome difficulties and rebuild homes as soon as possible.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
Don't Mess With Us: Ex-Mossad Agents Make Sensational On-Air Revelation About Hezbollah Pager Plot

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 13:49 IST

Pager blasts and walkie-talkie explosions had rocked Lebanon in September this year. Israeli spy agency Mossad carried out one of the most remarkable counterintelligence operations in world.

Hezbollah pager blast: Ex-Mossad agents detail Israel's pager plot (Photo: AFP/CBS News)

The world witnessed the pager blasts that took place all over Lebanon in September this year, killing several Hezbollah militants and injuring around 3,000 others, including children.

However, the story behind one of the most daring and unimaginable counterintelligence operations was revealed by two senior retired Mossad agents who gave a stern message to their enemies  dont mess with us".

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In an interview with CBS News, the two former agents, who were in the leading roles in the pager blast operation and walkie-talkie blast incident that followed the next day, detailed how they tricked Hezbollah into buying the devices from Israel and using them against militants.

The former agents revealed that the operation to trick Hezbollah into inflicting harm upon itself started 10 years ago with walkie-talkies which were used by Israel like a weapon. They said that the device was made in Israel by Mossad which fixed explosive devices inside the battery.

The ex-agents said that Hezbollah purchased over 16,000 exploding walkie-talkies. It was then up to Israel when to activate them, and they did not do it for 10 years, until three months ago.

When asked if Hezbollah was aware that they were buying the walkie-talkie from Israel, the former agents said, Well obviously they didnt know that they were buying it from Israel".

They said that the Jewish country has an incredible array of possibilities of creating foreign companies that have no way being traced back to Israel".

They revealed that Mossad created a pretend world" in which they are a global production company", where world is our stage".

How Did Idea Of Using Pagers As Explosives Come?

Since the walkie-talkies are only worn in battle, Mossad devised of developing such as device that would be there in Hezbollah militants pockets at all times  a pager.

A pager is almost obsolete around the world, but Hezbollah still using it," the former agents said.

The two ex-agents said that their team began working on developing the second phase of the operation in 2022. They had discovered that Hezbollah was buying pagers from a Taiwanese company, named Gold Apollo.

So to make it into a bomb, we have to enlarge it a little bit. If we push the button the only one that will get injured is the terrorist himself," the former agents told CBS News.

They said that the blasts would take place in such a manner that it would not harm the people sitting near the target. This was done to ensure minimal damage.

To ensure that Hezbollah members hold the pagers at the intended time of the blast, Mossad tested ringtones compelling enough for someone to take it out of their pocket. They also tested how long it took for a person to answer a pager.

CBS 60 minutes interviewed two recently retired senior (alleged) Mossad agents with leading roles in the pager and walkie-talkie" operation which decimated Hezbollah.Watch this fascinating interview! pic.twitter.com/SuxNUdqWX1  Israel News Pulse (@israelnewspulse) December 23, 2024

How Did Mossad Manufacture Explosive Pagers?

The ex-agents told CBS News that Mossad wanted to use the name Gold Apollo on its pager, for which it set up shell companies, including one in this building in Hungary," to dupe the Taiwanese into partnering with Mossad".

They said that the Taiwanese company had zero clue" that they were working with Mossad. And neither did Hezbollah," they said.

Mossad further fired Gold Apollo saleswoman who Hezbollah was used to working with. She made a lucrative offer of the first batch of pagers as an upgrade free of charge".

Hezbollah had bought 5,000 pagers by September 2024. Now, Israel was left with one question  when to activate both bombs  walkie-talkies and pagers.

As Mossad got hints that Hezbollah might be getting suspicious of the devices, Mossad head Dadi Barnea gave a nod for the explosives to go off.

On September 17, at 3.30 pm, pagers began beeping all over Lebanon, resulting in nationwide explosions. The very next day, Mossad finally activated the walkie-talkies that had been sleeping for 10 years in Iran-backed Hezbollah militants pockets. Some went off at the funerals of those killed by the pagers. Overall, around 30 people died while nearly 3,000 sustained injuries, marking one of the most daring operations of all time.

Dont Mess With Us: Ex-Mossad Agents Tell Enemies

The former agents said that the aim of the blast was not to kill Hezbollah militants.

The aim, it wasnt killing Hezbollah terrorists. If hes just dead, so hes dead. But if hes wounded, you have to take him to the hospital, take care of him. You need to invest money and effort. And those people without hands and eyes are living proof, walking in Lebanon, of dont mess with us." They are walking proof of our superiority all around the Middle East," the ex-agents told CBS News.

They said that the day after the pagers went blasted, people were scared even to turn on the air conditioners across Lebanon as they were afraid of explosions.

So there was  there is real fear," the former agent said.

We want them to feel vulnerable, which they are," he added.

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The ex-agents said that Mossad cannot use pagers again as it has already done it once. They said that the Israeli spy agency has moved on to the next thing".

And theyll have to keep on trying to guess what the next thing is," they said.

Location : Jerusalem, Israel

First Published: December 23, 2024, 11:32 IST
Javed Munshi's Arrest From Bengal Concerning, Bangladesh Hosting Terror Groups: Sources

Reported By :

News18.com

Edited By: Pragati Ratti



Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 12:38 IST

Sources say Bangladesh is becoming a hub for all terror groups including Lashkar, ISIS and Al Qaeda.

Suspected terrorist Javed Munshi presented before court in West Bengal. (IMAGE: X/@ANI)

Bangladesh is hosting Jammu and Kashmir terror groups because of pressure from anti-India groups like Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), also known as Ansar-al Islam Bangladesh and Jamaat-e-Islami, sources have told CNN-News18. Sources said that the arrest of Javed Munshi, a suspected terrorist linked to Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM), near the Indo-Bangla border, is a major cause of concern. Munshi is trained in weapons, logistics and radicalisation.

Sources say Bangladesh is becoming a hub for all terror groups including Lashkar, ISIS and Al Qaeda. ISIS and Al Qaeda are also active in Bangladesh and Indian agencies have made multiple arrests in Jammu and Kashmir from these groups, sources said.

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Sources said that entry and exit are easy for all these terror accused and state machinery has been helping them.

Sources added that the Javed Munshi arrest from West Bengal is crucial for agencies. Munshi is a Pakistan-trained terrorist. He visited Pakistan during the 1990s and trained in IED attacks. He told security agencies about his plans to visit Bangladesh to see revival in activities with the help of other outfits," sources said.

According to top Intelligence sources, TuM is a dangerous organisation which carried out a number of terrorist attacks and grenade attacks, and weapons snatching incidents. They out rightly support terrorist outfits including Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen (HM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) among others.

TuM has also helped LeT and HM in terms of financial and logistic support in the recent past, sources added.

According to sources, TuM has been engaged in radicalisation and recruitment of youth for terrorist activities in India and is running terrorist training centres for Kashmiri youth in Jammu and Kashmir.

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According to sources, Munshi possibly wanted to revive the movement of terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir by providing all support to HM and LeT.

These days, the Bangladesh government is actively allowing these groups to enter their territory due to ABT and Jamaat pressure," sources said.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 12:38 IST
Did Syrian Leader Bashar Al-Assad's Wife File For Divorce In Russia? Kremlin Responds

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 24, 2024, 11:54 IST

The Turkish reports claimed that Asma filed for divorce in a Russian court and sought special permission to leave Moscow.

Bashar al-Assad with his wife Asma al-Assad | File Image

The British wife of Syrias ousted president Bashar al-Assad is not seeking a divorce, reports quoted a Kremlin spokesman as saying. The clarification came after some reports in Turkish media suggested that Asma al-Assad wanted to end her marriage and leave Russia, where she and her husband were granted asylum after a rebel coalition overthrew the former presidents regime and took control of Damascus.

According to Turkish and Arab media reports, Asma had sought to move to her hometown London. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when questioned on the reports in a news conference, said, No, they do not correspond to reality."

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A report in BBC stated that Peskov also denied reports that Assad had been confined to Moscow and that his property assets had been frozen.

The Turkish reports claimed that Asma filed for divorce in a Russian court and sought special permission to leave Moscow. Her application was reportedly being evaluated by Russian authorities.

Russia was a staunch ally of the Assad regime and offered it military support during the civil war, the BBC report stated.

Asma was born and raised in London by Syrian parents and moved to Syria in 2000 at the age of 25 after marrying Bashar al-Assad.

Earlier this month, Bashar al-Assad and his family, including Asma, were granted asylum in Moscow after the authoritarian leader was ousted by rebels from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), marking the end of his familys five-decade-long iron-fisted rule.

Although Bashar al-Assads asylum request was accepted, he is reportedly living in the foreign country under several restrictions. He is not permitted to leave Moscow or engage in any political activities.

According to The Jerusalem Post, Russian authorities also froze Bashar al-Assads assets, which include 270 kilograms of gold, USD 2 billion, and 18 apartments in Moscow.

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He served as Syrias president for 24 years, assuming the chair in 2000 after succeeding his father Hafez al-Assad, who ruled for nearly three decades from 1971 to 2000.

Meanwhile, the ousted Syrian presidents brother, Maher al-Assad, has not been granted asylum in Russia, and his request is still under review, according to the Saudi and Turkish reports. Maher and his family are under house arrest in Russia.

Location : Moscow, Russia

First Published: December 23, 2024, 11:01 IST
Trump Names Indian-American Entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan Senior Policy Advisor On AI

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 08:30 IST

Indian American entrepreneur and tech leader Sriram Krishnan has been appointed as Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence by President-elect Donald Trump.

Sriram Krishnan (Photo: X)

Indian American entrepreneur, venture capitalist and author Sriram Krishnan was on Sunday named Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence by US President-elect Donald Trump.

In an official statement, announcing many other appointments, Trump said, Sriram Krishnan will serve as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy."

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Working closely with David Sacks, Sriram will focus on ensuring continued American leadership in AI and help shape and coordinate AI policy across government, including working with the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Sriram started his career at Microsoft as a founding member of Windows Azure," Trump said.

WHO IS SRIRAM KRISHNAN?

Sriram Krishnan has previously led product teams at Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo, Facebook and Snap. He would work along with David O Sacks who will be the White House AI and Crypto Czar.

Responding to his appointment, Krishnan said, Im honoured to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with David Sacks."

 Im honored to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with @DavidSacks.Thank you @realDonaldTrump for this opportunity. pic.twitter.com/kw1n0IKK2a  Sriram Krishnan (@sriramk) December 22, 2024

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Krishnans appointment was also welcomed by the Indian American community.

We heartily congratulate Sriram Krishnan and are delighted that he has been appointed by President-elect Donald Trump as Senior Policy Advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy," said Indiasporas executive director Sanjeev Joshipura.

First Published: December 23, 2024, 08:13 IST
'Too Good To Be True': Russia Claims Cancer Vaccine Discovery, Oncologists Sceptical

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 10:20 IST

Developing vaccines for cancer is more challenging because cancer cells look more like our normal, healthy cells, making it harder for the immune system to recognize them as threats.

While cancer vaccines are already in development, breakthroughs remain elusive to date. Both Pfizer and Moderna, which made Covid19 m-RNA vaccine, are already working in this arena but are yet to report any major success. (Image: Shutterstock)

Experts in oncology  in India and globally  are simultaneously sceptical and excited. The reason is that although the announcement marks a significant breakthrough, it lacks the support of credible data and detailed information.

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While cancer vaccines are already in development, breakthroughs remain elusive to date. Both Pfizer and Moderna, which made Covid19 m-RNA vaccine, are already working in this arena but are yet to report any major success.

While humans have been using hundreds of vaccines for protection against bacteria and viruses, developing vaccines for cancer is more challenging. This is because cancer cells look more like our normal, healthy cells, making it harder for the immune system to recognise them as threats. Also, every persons tumour is unique, with its own distinct markers. Hence, all of this makes the development of effective cancer vaccines complicated requiring advanced and tailored methods.

Whats the news?

Alexander Gintsburg, Director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, announced that pre-clinical trials have shown the vaccines effectiveness in suppressing tumour growth and preventing metastases. He said that the vaccine is scheduled for release in early 2025 and will be provided free of charge to Russian citizens.

Russians claimed that they are working on creating personalised cancer vaccines using artificial intelligence.

Now it takes quite a long to build [personalised vaccines] because computing of how a vaccine, or customised mRNA, should look like uses matrix methods, in mathematical terms. We have involved the Ivannikov Institute which will rely on AI in doing this math, namely neural network computing where these procedures should take about half an hour to an hour," Gintsburg, who is Russias vaccine chief, told local media.

He explained that the use of artificial neural networks could bring down the duration of computing required to create a personalised cancer vaccine. The current process is lengthy and using AI could cut this time to less than an hour".

On training the AI, Gintsburg said that an experimental base of 40,000 to 50,000 tumour sequences with identification of antigen compatibilities in a patient converted into protein or RNA will be needed. This would help determine whether or not this combination can be used for the individual," he said.

How will the vaccine work?

While the Russian officials have not shared any details about the actual trial data, the efficacy of the vaccine or other details required to verify the claims, they only shared that they have developed an mRNA-based vaccine to treat cancer.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) is known as a powerful tool for treating various human diseases, especially malignant tumours, due to the extraordinary clinical outcomes of mRNA vaccines using lipid nanoparticle technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, scientists at US pharma giant Pfizer and Moderna developed COVID-19 vaccines building upon their experience in developing mRNA cancer vaccines, according to an article published in the medical journal, Science Direct.

mRNA vaccines work by delivering a strand of messenger RNA into the body, sending a message to the cells to produce a specific protein. RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is an essential polymeric molecule involved in several biological processes within living cells.

The human bodys immune system identifies this protein as foreign and produces antibodies to fight against it. In this case, this approach could be customised to train the immune system to recognise and target cancer cells effectively.

However, this is not the first time that an attempt has been made to find a treatment against cancer using this technology. In fact, in the last three decades, globally several trials have taken place with limited success and major failures  using multiple technologies.

Where is the data, proof: Indian experts

Indian experts believe its too early to celebrate. According to Dr Gaurav Dixit, unit head, haemato-oncology at Gurugram-based Artemis Hospital, its important to see further data on this.

Vaccines are available currently for a few cancers which are thought to be due to viral infections. I am not sure if they are talking about a particular cancer or all cancers in general I would wait for the final data to come out before getting very excited," he said.

Dr Pragya Shukla, head of the department, clinical oncology at Delhi State Cancer Institutes, told News18 that she will be adopting a wait and watch" policy. Its too early to say anything. To have a common vaccine for all cancers is too good to be true as all cancers have different etiopathogenesis," she said.

She said that even if its true, its not clear which phase is the trial at. Normally it takes at least 10-15 years to make any vaccine available on the market."

Similarly, according to Dr Satya Prakash Yadav, director, pediatric haematology oncology and bone marrow transplant at Medanta Hospital, cancer vaccine research has been going on for last 25 years. There has been no big breakthrough as yet."

On a global level, several experts have expressed similar concerns raised by Indian doctors. For instance: Professor Kingston Mills, a renowned immunologist at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, told Newsweek: Until we see data from a clinical trial, there has to be scepticism about this."

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Theres nothing in scientific journals that I can see about it. Thats where you usually would start reading, as a scientist, about a breakthrough. I dont see any paper about this, so I have nothing to go on in terms of what the science is," he said.

Thats not to say that Russian scientists have not developed a vaccine against some sort of cancer; Mills said, The idea of a cancer vaccine is real."

First Published: December 23, 2024, 10:20 IST
Trump Vows To 'Stop Transgender Lunacy' On Day One Of Presidency

Published By :

AFP

Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 08:05 IST

He also vowed to "keep men out of women's sports," adding that "it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female."

US President-elect Donald Trump (AP Image)

President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday pledged to stop the transgender lunacy" on day one of his presidency, as Republicans  set to control both chambers of Congress and the White House  continue their push against LGBTQ rights.

I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high schools," the president-elect said at an event for young conservatives in Phoenix, Arizona.

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He also vowed to keep men out of womens sports," adding that it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female."

Speaking to the AmericaFest conference in a border state he easily carried in the November election, Trump further promised immediate measures against migrant crime," vowed to designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and doubled down on his talk of restoring US control of the Panama Canal.

Transgender issues have roiled US politics in recent years, as Democratic- and Republican-controlled states have moved in opposite directions on policy such as medical treatment and what books on the topic are allowed in public or school libraries.

Last week, when the US Congress approved its annual defense budget, it included a provision to block funding of some gender-affirming care for the transgender children of service members.

In his speech Sunday, which amounted to something of a victory lap, Trump made expansive promises for his second term  and drew a dark picture of the four years preceding it, under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the latter of whom he defeated in the 2024 election.

On January 20, the United States will turn the page forever on four long, horrible years of failure, incompetence, national decline, and we will inaugurate a new era of peace, prosperity and national greatness," Trump said, referring to his swearing-in.

Golden Age

I will end the war in Ukraine. I will stop the chaos in the Middle East, and I will prevent, I promise, World War III."

He added: The golden age of America is upon us."

The president-elect has yet to explain publicly how he plans to bring a quick end to the war in Ukraine, or to bring peace to the Middle East.

But in the sort of bellicose language he sometimes used even against US allies in the past, Trump said Sunday that Panamanian authorities havent treated us fairly" in their operation of the Panama Canal.

He had said earlier that fees for use of the canal  construction of which was begun by France and completed by the United States  are ridiculous."

And he added Sunday that if the principles behind the 1970s treaty that gave Panama full control of the canal are not followed, then we will demand" that it be returned to the United States in full, quickly and without question."

Thousands of ships transit the key Central American waterway every year, making it critical to US and international commerce.

The president-elect, who regularly blames migrants from Latin America for Americas drug problems, renewed his vow to immediately begin the largest deportation operation in American history" upon taking office, and later went further, saying he would immediately designate the (drug) cartels as foreign terrorist organizations."

This criminal network operating on American soil will be dismantled, deported and destroyed," Trump said.

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During his first term in 2019, after the killing in Mexico of nine American citizens from a Mormon community, Trump vowed to apply the terrorist designation to Mexican cartels.

But he relented following a plea from then-Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 23, 2024, 07:28 IST
Migrant Arrested For Lighting Woman On Fire In US Subway, Watching Her Burn To Death

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 13:18 IST

The 33-year-old suspect set the woman's clothing on fire with a lighter and watched her burn to death as the incident alarmed commuters and police officers.

The suspect was seen calmly watching the victim burn to death after setting her on fire. (Photo: X)

In a horrifying incident, a Guatemalan migrant has been arrested for allegedly lighting a sleeping woman on fire in a subway in New Yorks Brooklyn on Sunday, then watching calmly as the victim burned to death, shocking commuters on the train.

Describing it as one of the most depraved crimes one person could commit", New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the killing happened at about 7:30 am on a train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station.

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As the train pulled into the station, the suspect calmly walked up to the victim, who was in a seated position at the end of a subway car  and used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victims clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds," Tisch was quoted by the New York Post during a press conference.

NEW: The man suspected of lighting a woman on fire on a New York City subway has been identified as Sebastian Zapeta.The man apparently sat on a bench and watched his victim burn. Police, who clearly had no clue what was going on, reportedly told the man who is believed to pic.twitter.com/dxYibgfncJ  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 22, 2024

Patrolling cops smelled and saw the smoke, then followed it to the flame-covered woman, said the commissioner. Although they managed to extinguish the flame, the woman died on the scene.

Suspect Calmly Watched Victim Burn, Evaded Cops

A horrifying video showed the suspect calmly looking on as the woman was burning to death inside the open subway car door. Cops yelled to the crowd, Did anybody see anything? Did anybody see anything?" as smoke poured from inside the subway car.

During the pandemonium, the suspect was seen sitting on a nearby bench as police officers huddled up. One of the cops approached the hooded victim and said, Do me a favour? Walk down there. I need this space cleared up." The man stood up and left the scene.

Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car," said Tisch. The body-worn cameras on the responding officers produced a very clear, detailed look at the killer."

Who Is The Suspect?

The suspect was reportedly identified as Sebastian Zapeta, a 33-year-old immigrant from Guatemala who arrived in the United States in 2018. He was detained by border patrol agents in Arizona in June that year and his legal status was not immediately clear, sources told the NY Post.

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He was caught when three high schoolers told the police that they saw the man pictured in images released by the police at the Jay and York Street Station. When cops responded to the call, they found the suspect already on another train leaving the station and wearing the same grey hoodie and paint-splattered pants he was wearing when he torched the woman.

Cops halted the train at Herald Square, went from car to car and arrested the suspect. Tisch said he had a lighter in his possession. I want to thank the young people who called 911 to help. They saw something, and they said something, and they did something," she said.

Location : New York, United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 23, 2024, 13:18 IST
Who Is Asma Al-Assad, Syria's Controversial First Lady Who Filed For Divorce From Ousted President?

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 15:02 IST

Asma al-Assad was a UK-born investment banker who moved to Syria and married Bashar al-Assad in 2000. Feted for her looks and glamourous style, Asma's image crumbled in the wake of a brutal civil war.

Asma Al-Assad was once the 'face of female liberation' in Middle East before the civil war tarnished her image. (Reuters/File)

Asma al-Assad, a London-born investment banker who emerged as Syrias most controversial First Lady, has reportedly filed for divorce from Bashar al-Assad, after the Syrian President was ousted following a stunning rebel offensive that toppled his over two-decade-old regime.

Asma has reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with her life in Moscow and has sought to move to her hometown London, according to Turkish and Arab media reports. Asma has filed for divorce in a Russian court and sought special permission to leave Moscow, as per the reports.

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This came after Bashar al-Assad and his family, including Asma and their children, fled from Syria following the rebel advance orchestrated by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and were granted asylum in Russia. However, the ousted president is living under several restrictions.

Who Is Asma Al-Assad?

Asma al-Akhras was born on August 11, 1975, and raised in London by Syrian parents. Her mother was a Syrian diplomat, while her father was a cardiologist. She graduated from Kings College London in 1996 with a bachelors degree in computer science and French literature and had a career in investment banking.

Asma met Bashar during a trip in Libya together and moved to Syria full-time in 2000. Known for her glamour. attractiveness and willingness to connect with the people", Asma was called Syrias Princess Diana when she married Bashar al-Assad around the same time when he succeeded his father as the President of Syria.

According to BBC, a US State Department report in 2022 estimated that the Assad familys net worth was between $1 billion and $2 billion, while Bashar and Asma maintained close patronage relationships with Syrias largest economic players", using their companies to launder money from illegal activities and funnelling funds to his autocratic regime.

Asmas Fall From Grace

Asma, now 49, was once the face of female liberation for the Middle East", an image that was pushed in a 2011 profile for Vogue, which praised her glamourous lifestyle and called her the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies", according to South China Morning Post. She soon grabbed the spotlight of the high society, hosting celebrities like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and enjoying a lavish reception overseas.

However, her image crumbled under revelations of her luxurious spending while Syria grappled with a devastating civil war that claimed over half a million lives. WikiLeaks in 2012 revealed private documents that showed Asma spending $350,000 on palace furnishings and $7,000 on crystal-encrusted shoes along with a penchant for paintings and jewellery while a common man in Syria could barely afford a living.

While Syria was hit by US sanctions, Asma reportedly shipped her luxurious goods to Dubai to get around the restrictions. The Assad family also used a chunk of its fortune to purchase at least 20 luxury apartments in Moscow, possibly as an escape route".

As people protested against Bashars regime following the Arab Spring" that swept the Middle East, Asma was known as one of the main economic players" in Syria. She reportedly had influence over the economic committee that managed the countrys economic crisis. She also made important decisions on Syrias food and fuel subsidies, trade and currency issues.

In 2021, London Metropolitan Polices War Crimes Unit launched an investigation into Asma, accusing her of supporting and encouraging terrorism, Sky News reported. Asma was accused of supporting her husbands brutal regime, including torture, murder and the use of chemical weapons.

Will Asma Be Provided Refuge In UK?

Asma also held influence over the Syria Trust for Development, which managed foreign aid for reconstruction in regime-held areas. Former US Secretary Mike Pompeo called Asma one of Syrias most notorious war profiteers" in 2020. Another senior Trump administration official described her as the business head of the family" and an oligarch".

Asma holds a British passport and dual British-Syrian citizenship. The 13-year-old civil war has left her reputation in ruins, along with that of her husband, culminating in them being forced out of Syria.

After the fall of the Assad regime, Asma has now reportedly filed for divorce. The couple have three children  Hafez, Zein and Karim. Reports have suggested that Asma has sought to relocate to London with her children following the Syrian uprising.

However, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said she was no longer welcome in the country and hinted that she may lose her British passport. Asma Assad (is) potentially someone with UK citizenship that might attempt to come into our country, and I want it confirmed that shes a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK," he told the parliament earlier this month.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that it was far too early" to discuss such a measure. Notably, Asma al-Assad had her UK assets frozen in March 2012 amid growing protests against her husbands rule, as part of a European sanction programme that London maintained after Brexit.

(with agency inputs)

Location : Moscow, Russia

First Published: December 23, 2024, 15:02 IST
Who Is Sriram Krishnan? Indian-American And Elon Musk's Trusted Is Trump's AI Policy Advisor

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Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 09:43 IST

Indian-American entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan has been named as Senior White House Policy Advisor on AI. Krishnan is considered to have close relationship with Elon Musk.

Sriram Krishnan (Photo X/Sriram Krishnan )

US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) announced that Indian-American entrepreneur and author Sriram Krishnan will serve as Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence.

Sriram Krishnan will serve as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy," Trump said in a statement in which he also announced other appointments.

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Who Is Sriram Krishnan?

Krishnan is a veteran in the tech industry, having a long career at top tech firms such as Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook, Snap, and Yahoo!. He will work closely with David O. Sacks, who Trump named as White House AI & Crypto Czar.

Krishnan has a close relationship with Elon Musk with whom he tied up to revamp X after the latter took over the company in 2022.

The Indian-American was appointed a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz in February 2021.

Last year, he was selected to lead the companys London office, its first one outside the US. Krishnan quit the company in late November.

Previously, Krishnan advocated for a more innovative and technology-centric strategy to resolve conflicts between major internet platforms and AI-driven models such as OpenAIs ChatGPT.

Sriram Krishnan Reacts To His Appointment

Krishnan responded to his appointment and said, Im honoured to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with David Sacks."

 Im honored to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with @DavidSacks.Thank you @realDonaldTrump for this opportunity. pic.twitter.com/kw1n0IKK2a  Sriram Krishnan (@sriramk) December 22, 2024

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The Indian-American community also welcomed Krishnans appointment.

We heartily congratulate Sriram Krishnan and are delighted that he has been appointed by President-elect Donald Trump as Senior Policy Advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy," Indiasporas executive director Sanjeev Joshipura said.

Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 23, 2024, 09:39 IST
A member of the San Diego County board of supervisors abruptly resigned for safety reasons, after backing efforts to implement "sanctuary" immigration policies in California's second-largest county. The San Diego Union-Tribune and other outlets called the move "shocking." Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas was reelected with more than 62% of the vote last month; her district is heavily Hispanic and reaches to the US-Mexico border, Politico reports. She had been criticized online for her support of a policy meant to protect people from the promised mass deportations of the incoming presidential administration by blocking county funds from being put toward federal immigration enforcement. The measure ultimately passed, but the county sheriff has pledged not to enforce it.

"After very careful consideration, I've decided to conclude my tenure as County Supervisor, completing my first term this January 6, 2025," Vargas wrote in a lengthy Instagram post Friday. "Due to personal safety and security reasons, I will not take the oath of office for a second term." The sheriff's office tells NBC San Diego it is not aware of any threats against Vargas. In her post, she promised, "I remain committed to continuing the fight for equity, justice, and human rightsjust in a different capacity. I look forward to staying whole-heartedly engaged and active in the pursuit of a more equitable society." Vargas had also been accused of racial discrimination by a county officiala claim she deniesand had been criticized by some constituents who claimed she had become unresponsive to their concerns, the Voice of San Diego reported last month. (More San Diego stories.)
A man who died in what is now Germany about 1,800 years ago went to his grave wearing a religious amulet around his neck that may change what we know about the spread of Christianity, reports Live Science. Details:

Archaeologists found the 1.4-inch-long amulet on a skeleton in a cemetery near modern-day Frankfurt, reports CNN. At the time the man died between 230 AD and 270 AD, the region was part of the Roman Empire.

Researchers found a thin silver scroll inside the amulet that had a Latin inscription with multiple references to Jesus and the Biblemaking it the oldest Christian artifact ever discovered north of the Alps, per Smithsonian. It predates any such previous discovery by at least 50 years.
Turning over the Panama Canal, a process started in 1977 by President Carter, was foolish, President-elect Trump says. And unless there are changes, Trump posted, "we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question." At issue are the fees Panama charges US ships to pass through the canal, which he called exorbitant, Politico reports. Trump teed the issue up with two long posts Saturday night on Truth Social , then returned to it Sunday at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in Phoenix.

"It was given to Panama and to the people of Panama, but it has provisions, you gotta treat us fairly and they haven't treated us fairly," Trump said in his speech, per the Hill. To keep the canal, he said, Panama must follow "the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving." When a member of the audience member hollered "take it back," Trump answered, "That's a good idea." Panama is a strong ally of the US.

At his first major rally since the election, Trump declared, "the Golden Age of America is upon us," adding that "there's a spirit that we have now that we didn't have just a short while ago." He made no mention in Phoenix of Republicans' struggle to avoid a government shutdown, per the AP. But he did address the role of billionaire Elon Musk, who was knee-deep in that lobbying. To suggestions that "President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon," the president-elect assured his supporters: "No, no. That's not happening. He's not gonna be president." (More President-elect Trump stories.)
Pope Francis has made a poignant plea for ceasefires everywhere as Christmas approaches, emphasizing the need to silence weapons and let carols fill the air. Speaking from indoors at the Vatican Sunday, the Pope highlighted the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, decrying the "cruelty" of attacks targeting schools and hospitals. Francis urged for peace across all global war fronts, expressing deep sorrow over the suffering in Gaza, particularly the "machine-gunning of children and the bombing of schools."

On Saturday, Pope Francis, 88, criticized Israel's actions in Gaza, revealing that his envoy faced challenges entering the territory due to Israeli bombings. However, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Catholic Church leader in the Holy Land, was allowed into Gaza to conduct a pre-Christmas Mass for the small Christian community there. Israel maintains that its conflict is focused solely on Hamas, which it holds responsible for violence in the region.

Despite recent health challenges related to bronchitis and a taxing schedule, the Pope appeared in good spirits. His recent indoor delivery of the Sunday Angelus comes after a slightly wheezy appearance during his Christmas greetings to Vatican officials. Looking ahead, Pope Francis is set to inaugurate the Holy Year and lead Christmas celebrations at St. Peter's Basilica, followed by a visit to Rome's main prison on Thursday to inaugurate the Jubilee. His packed schedule is managed carefully due to past health issues, including having part of a lung removed in his youth. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
In Bethlehem, the Nativity Store, a fixture since 1927, is grappling with a dire outlook amidst ongoing conflict in the region. As Bethlehem faces its second consecutive subdued Christmas due to war in Gaza, tourism has sharply declined. "We are not feeling Christmas," says Rony Tabash, third-generation owner, emphasizing the lack of visitors and subsequent economic strain. Unemployment in the city is around 50% and the broader West Bank faces 30% joblessness. Tourism, a crucial economic driver, has evaporated, leaving local artisans without work.

Bethlehem's streets, usually bustling with festive cheer, are unusually quiet. Economic setbacks have driven nearly 500 families from the area in the past year. Mayor Anton Salman highlights the canceled festivities as a deliberate signal to the world, underscoring the enduring hardships faced by the Palestinian people. Meanwhile, hotels stand largely unoccupied, struggling against the backdrop of dwindling tourist numbers. The city's typically vibrant Christmas activities are drastically muted, mirroring the community's current challenges.

Amidst these hardships, Father Issa Thaljieh of the Church of the Nativity calls for resilience and faith. He encourages Palestinians to remain connected to their roots. Some residents, like Nihal Bandak, hope to recapture joy by reviving family traditions. Her son is torn, aware of the contrasting hardships in Gaza. Tabash remains hopeful, maintaining the Nativity Store against the odds and cherishing Christmas's symbolic "light in the night," praying for peace as the community waits. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
Some big news for Callista Gingrich over the weekend: She's been selected by Donald Trump to serve as his ambassador to Switzerland, reports the AP . In a Sunday post on Truth Social, the president-elect said he was "pleased" to make this appointment. "Happily married to the Great Newt Gingrich, Callista previously served, with distinction, as my Ambassador to the Holy See," Trump noted. He added that during her previous post, Gingrich "worked to advance and defend international religious freedom, combat human trafficking, and provide humanitarian assistance around the World."

The Hill notes that Newt Gingrich has long been a Trump ally, but Callista Gingrich has been openly supportive in her own right: At the Republican National Convention over the summer, she went after President Biden, accusing him of attacking religious freedom, and lauded Trump for installing three Supreme Court justices. Those justices, she said, were "committed to protecting our God-given right to worship," per the New York Times. She thanked Trump later Sunday for placing his trust in her once more, noting on X: "I am truly humbled and honored." (More Callista Gingrich stories.)
The term "Christmas Adam" appears in Urban Dictionary , but how many people actually know what it means? In short, it's a holiday of sorts celebrated on Dec. 23, although the New York Times notes that "the Vatican certainly does not recognize it, and many churchgoers have not heard of it." The premise behind the name, and the celebration, is the ultimate dad joke: "Because Adam comes before Eve." Meaning, Dec. 23 comes one day before Christmas Evethough as the Times points out, the "eve" in "Christmas Eve" refers to the word "evening," not to the woman from the Garden of Eden who the Bible says was created out of her partner Adam's rib.

Although the term seems to have really taken off on social media in Protestant evangelical circles in recent years, the origins of "Christmas Adam" appear to stretch back to at least the late 19th century, when lexicographers for the Oxford English Dictionary say children in Sunday school inquired about it. Celebrations to mark the occasion vary: Grammarist notes that some people honor the tradition by taking part in Christmas-centric activities, such as cruising around to see local holiday lights or baking cookies.

One pastor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, tells the Times that he posts a photo of a McDonald's McRib sandwich every year, then eats one. "It's become a ridiculous personal tradition of mine," he says of the nod to Adam's rib. One practical advantage of celebrating Christmas Adam is that churches can add services and spread out their holiday celebrations over three days instead of two, cutting down on overcrowded pews. These additional Christmas Adam services tend to be less formal than the ones held on Christmas Eve or Christmas Dayone church in Indiana serves hot cocoa and cookies and encourages congregants to wear ugly Christmas sweaters.

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However, some who initially embraced Christmas Adam are now backing away from its bro-leaning insinuation. "Our tradition is not actually one that wants to emphasize that Adam precedes Eve," the Rev. Rory Chambers of New Jersey's progressive First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck tells the Times. "We don't need to maintain that patriarchal sort of thing." (Dec. 23 has also been deemed Festivus, largely thanks to Seinfeld.)
Californians are still moving away from the state in large numbers, but the state has reversed its population decline, according to the latest US Census Bureau figures. The state, which lost population during the pandemic, gained 232,570 people from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, the Los Angeles Times reports. Its population is now 39,431,263still the highest in the nation, but 124,000 below the peak it reached in 2020.

International migration was the main driver of California's population growth. Some 361,057 people from other countries moved to the state, behind only Florida at 411,032, according to the Census Bureau. Births outnumbered deaths by 110,466.
The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty on Monday to murder and terror charges in a state case that will run parallel to his federal prosecution. Luigi Mangione , 26, was shackled and seated in a Manhattan court when he leaned over to a microphone to enter his plea, reports the AP . The Manhattan district attorney formally charged him last week with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism. His initial appearance in New York's state's trial court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting. The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first. At a news conference announcing the state charges last Tuesday, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said the application of the terrorism law reflected the severity of a "frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation. In its most basic terms, this was a killing that was intended to evoke terror," he added. "And we've seen that reaction." Karen Friedman Agnifilo, an attorney for Mangione, has accused federal and state prosecutors of advancing conflicting legal theories. In federal court last week, she called their approach "very confusing" and "highly unusual."

Mangione is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean "Diddy" Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried. Mangione was extradited from Pennsylvania on Thursday and quickly rushed to New York City, where he was led away from a helicopter by heavily armed police officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams said he was hoping to send a message to the suspect: "I wanted to look him in the eye and say you carried out this terroristic act in my citythe city that the people of New York love," the mayor told a local TV station. "I wanted to be there to show the symbolism of that." (More Luigi Mangione stories.)
The leaders of Honda and Nissan on Monday detailed their plans to merge into the third largest automaker in the world in 2026. Assuming all goes according to plan, the new company would roll out about 8 million cars a year based on current production numbers, behind only Toyota and Volkswagen, reports the AP . Their total would include Mitsubishi, which already partners with Nissan. The merger is pitched as a way to better adapt to a fast-changing industry, particularly in regard to electric vehicles, per the New York Times . Tesla and China's BYD have been taking an ever-bigger share of the market.

However, the Wall Street Journal reports that something else might be going on as well: Critics including former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn say the Japanese government is pushing the merger in order to save Nissan. "Do they force somebody? No, they won't force, but they can give you arguments that you cannot refuse," he said from Lebanon, where he fled to avoid financial charges in Japan. The leaders of both companies deny the allegation, though the Journal notes that Honda chief executive Toshihiro Mibe "struggled" on Monday when asked to explain why the relatively healthy Honda would pair with the struggling Nissan. He told reporters Honda would remain an independent brand before adding, "I don't know if that was an answer." (More Honda stories.)
A retired police officer in the nation's capital was convicted Monday of lying to authorities about leaking confidential information to the leader of the Proud Boys extremist group. US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson convicted former Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Shane Lamond of obstructing justice and making false statements after a trial without a jury, per the AP . Sentencing was scheduled for April 3 after Lamond's conviction on all four counts.

Lamond was charged with leaking information to then-Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio, who was under investigation in the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner. Lamond testified at his bench trial that he never provided Tarrio with sensitive police information. Tarrio, who testified as a witness for Lamond's defense, said he did not confess to Lamond about burning the banner and did not receive any confidential information from him. But the judge did not find either man's testimony to be credible. Jackson said the evidence indicated that Lamond was not using Tarrio as a source after the banner burning.

"It was the other way around," she said. The judge said the string of messages that Lamond and Tarrio exchanged over the course of months showed a pattern: "Lamond and Tarrio talk, and Tarrio immediately disseminates what he learns," she added. The judge described Tarrio as an "awful witness" who was "flippant, grandiose and obnoxious" on the stand. "He was one of the worst I've had the opportunity to sit next to during my tenure on the bench," Jackson said.

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Lamond, who met Tarrio in 2019, had supervised the intelligence branch of the police department's Homeland Security Bureau. He was responsible for monitoring groups like the Proud Boys when they came to Washington. "I don't support the Proud Boys, and I'm not a Proud Boys sympathizer," Lamond testified. Lamond said he considered Tarrio to be a source, not a friend. But he said he tried to build a friendly rapport with the group leader to gain his trust. Lamond, 48, of Colonial Beach, Virginia, was charged with one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements. He retired in May 2023 after 23 years of service to the police department. (Tarrio is serving 22 years in prison for his role in orchestrating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.)
Lava began bubbling Monday through the crust of one of the world's most active volcanoesKilauea, on Hawaii's Big Island. The eruption was confined to the volcano's summit caldera, in a remote, closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the Hawaii Volcano Observatory reported. Increased earthquake activity began at about 2am local time and within about half an hour webcam images began to show lava emerging through fissures in the caldera or spurting in fountains, the AP reports.

The most immediate threat was from volcanic smog that could reach homes downwind, the observatory said. Such "vog" contains sulfur dioxide and can worsen symptoms for people who have conditions like asthma, other respiratory issues or cardiovascular disease. Hawaiian Airlines canceled two flights early Monday because of the eruption, KHON2 reports. The area where the eruption is occurring has been closed to the public since 2007 due to hazards that include crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park encompasses the summits of two of the world's most active volcanoes: Kilauea and Mauna Loa. Kilauea also erupted in June and September.

(More Kilauea stories.)
TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A 63-year-old Asian man appeared before the High Criminal Court yesterday, confessing to the killing of his 34-year-old son but claiming it was unintentional.

The Public Prosecution charged the defendant with premeditated murder, alleging that on October 14, 2024, he intentionally killed his son by binding his hands and feet with cloth, then slitting his throat with a knife.

The prosecution contends the actions were deliberate and resulted in the death of the victim.

Three Asian witnesses, who resided with the defendant and his son, corroborated key aspects of the incident.

The first witness stated that the defendant had previously admitted his son struggled with drug addiction in their home country.

After treatment, the son was brought to Bahrain to work with his father.

Problems

The witness testified that the son frequently caused problems, verbally abusing and physically assaulting his father.

On the day of the incident, the witness heard an argument and left the house.

Upon returning, he found the father covered in blood, and he confessed to killing his son.

The second and third witnesses corroborated this account.

Erratic behaviour

A fourth witness, an employee at a nearby kiosk, testified that two weeks prior to the incident, the son exhibited erratic behaviour, shouting and aggressively pulling at his fathers clothes.

The witness further stated that the defendant contacted him on the day of the incident, requesting the police number and later the defendants address, which he provided to the police.

The witness recounted the defendants explanation that he had beaten his son, only discovering the extent of the tragedy upon police arrival.

The forensic doctor testified that the victim suffered a deep, fatal wound to the neck extending to the spinal column, inflicted by a sharp object.

Injuries

Additional injuries, consistent with binding the victims hands and wrists with a rigid material, were also noted.

These injuries were consistent with the knife recovered at the scene.

A police officer from the Capital Governorate Directorate confirmed receiving a report from the defendant, who was found wearing blood-stained clothing.

The officer witnessed the victims body and the murder weapon at the scene.
TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Twenty-eight Indian fishermen have returned home after serving their sentences in Bahrain for breaching international fishing laws by entering the kingdoms territorial waters.

Their case dates back to 11 September, when the Coast Guard apprehended the group, who had sailed from Iran into Bahraini waters for fishing.

The fishermen had started working in Iran on 31 August before venturing into the Arabian Gulf, where they eventually strayed into Bahrains maritime boundaries.

Indian Ambassador to Bahrain, Vinod K. Jacob, expressed his thanks to Bahrains Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other authorities for their help in ensuring consular access and support during the process.

He noted that the incident shows Indias efforts to safeguard its citizens abroad while maintaining solid ties with Bah- The Indian fishermen on way home rain.
CALGARY, AB , Dec. 23, 2024 /CNW/ - Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) said today that the 2024 CPKC Holiday Train program raised over $1.75 million and collected more than 130,000 pounds of food for local food banks during its four-week journey across Canada and the United States.

CPKC Holiday Train. Credit Neil Zeller (CNW Group/CPKC)

"I am continually amazed with the excitement and enthusiasm the Holiday Train generates during its annual journey across North America as it celebrates the holiday season while supporting local communities and charities," said Keith Creel, CPKC President and Chief Executive Officer. "Thank you to the thousands of individuals, young and old, who joined us this year to see the Holiday Train during its magical trip and gave so generously to support local organizations helping those in need."

Holiday Train Highlights

Additionally, the CPKC Holiday Express train raised over $108,000 for local food banks this year after visiting 13 communities in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi.

CPKC also operated the Tren Navideno, a specially-decorated train adorned with lights and festive scenes, bringing the holiday spirit to nine communities across Mexico as part of a unique holiday tradition running since 2010.

About CPKC

With its global headquarters in Calgary, Alta., Canada, CPKC is the first and only single-line transnational railway linking Canada, the United States and Mexico, with unrivaled access to major ports from Vancouver to Atlantic Canada to the Gulf of Mexico to Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico. Stretching approximately 20,000 route miles and employing 20,000 railroaders, CPKC provides North American customers unparalleled rail service and network reach to key markets across the continent. CPKC is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpkcr.com to learn more about the rail advantages of CPKC.

SOURCE CPKC

Contacts: Media, [email protected]
LONGUEUIL, QC, Dec. 23, 2024 /CNW/ - Throughout 2024, space enthusiasts witnessed many memorable events in Canada. Here are some highlights:

Health care at a distance

In February, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Impact Canada announced the winner of the Deep Space Healthcare Challenge. Montreal-based MD Applications received a $500,000 grant to develop its EZResus application. This application, which is already helping save lives on Earth, has great potential for diagnosing and responding to medical emergencies in space.

Feeding astronauts on space missions

In March, the CSA announced the Canadian winner of the Deep Space Food Challenge. Vancouver-based Ecoation Innovative Solutions Inc. received $380,000 for its CANGrow indoor modular food production system, designed to work in both space and remote locations.

University students build their own nanosatellite

On March 21, three CubeSats designed and built by Canadian students were launched to the International Space Station. After four launches, the Canadian CubeSat Project is now complete and is succeeded by CUBICS, which provides an opportunity for university teams to design, test, launch and operate their own nanosatellites.

Discovery on Mars thanks to the Canadian APXS instrument

In early May, while exploring the rugged soil of Mars, the Curiosity rover crushed a rock, leading to a surprising discovery: pure sulfur crystals, something never seen before on the red planet! The nature of the crystals could be determined using the Canadian APXS instrument attached to the end of the robotic arm of the rover.

CSA hosts international events

Throughout the year, several major events took place at the John H. Chapman Space Centre (CSA headquarters). Notably, on May 21, the second workshop on the Artemis Accords took place. Over three days, representatives of the signatory countries discussed principles designed to guide civil space exploration activities to be safe, transparent, and sustainable. Also, in late October, some 80 representatives from space agencies and government entities worldwide gathered at the CSA for the 38th plenary of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) to pool their expertise to maximize the benefits of satellite Earth observation (EO) initiatives.

Canadian experiments and instruments in the stratosphere

In June, as part of the STRATOS program, two stratospheric balloon campaigns took place, one in Canada (ICARUS 2024) and one in Sweden (TRANSAT 2024), which was also marked by the first transatlantic flight between these two countries.

Work on Canadarm3 for Gateway is progressing

In June, Canada announced the start of the design, construction and testing period for Canadarm3. These are the last steps before this sophisticated Canadian robotic system, built by MDA Space, is delivered to Gateway, which is the next major international initiative for human space exploration.

Water, a critical resource for space exploration

In July, the CSA announced the semi-finalists for the Aqualunar Challenge, which aims to develop new technologies to purify water on the Moon. These technologies, primarily used for space missions, could help advance current water purification processes on Earth.

Tests in microgravity in Longueuil

In July, the CSA and the National Research Council of Canada conducted a parabolic flight campaign in Longueuil. During these flights, several technologies were tested, including a flywheel for the Artemis II mission.

Forty years of Canadians in space

On October 5, Canada celebrated the 40th anniversary of Canadian astronauts in space! In 1984, Marc Garneau was the first Canadian to go to space (Mission STS-41G). Since that historic eight-day flight, nine CSA astronauts have participated in 17 space missions. Three others are currently preparing for a mission.

Canadian data to the rescue

The International Charter on Space and Major Disasters was activated 83 times this year. Satellite data from the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) and RADARSAT2 was provided to relief teams around the world to help them respond to disaster-affected areas.

New discoveries thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope

Canada has also excelled in astronomy with the Canadian instrument NIRISS, which helps study several types of celestial bodies on the Webb Telescope. Astronomers at the University of Montreal have discovered a potentially habitable exoplanet. In addition, through the CANUCS program, Canadian researchers were able to observe the first galaxy in active formation. This cosmic jewel was named Firefly Sparkle because 10 distinct star clusters glitter like fireflies.

Canadian astronauts in training

Our Canadian astronauts had a busy year as they proudly represented Canada on the international stage and contributed to the development of future space missions. Joshua Kutryk is preparing for a six-month stay on the International Space Station while Jeremy Hansen and Jenni Gibbons train for a trip around the Moon during Artemis II. In addition to supporting space missions in a variety of ways, David Saint-Jacques has also been helping define Canada's participation in Moon exploration. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/fra/astronautes/canadiens/actifs/bio-david-saint-jacques.asp

Please contact us to learn more about the CSA's initiatives and missions.

The CSA's Media Relations team wishes you a happy 2025, filled with space adventures and scientific discoveries!

Website: www.asc-csa.gc.ca

Follow us on social media!

SOURCE Canadian Space Agency

Contact information: Canadian Space Agency, Media Relations Office, Telephone: 450-926-4370, Email: [email protected]
Staff were left to prepare meals in winter jackets. The small personal-sized heater provided by management was completely ineffective in raising temperatures in the industrial sized kitchen. After initial complaints were raised by staff, their union took it upon themselves to action and deliver large space heaters to the nursing home on Sunday as temperatures dropped further. The freezing conditions extended beyond the kitchen and into the dining hall of the long-term care home.

In a letter sent to the Southbridge CEO on Monday, SEIU Healthcare is demanding accountability for leaving workers and seniors in freezing conditions for a period of at least five days. "Failure to properly act in the face of -20 degree temperatures is cruelty to workers. It's inhumane and beyond corporate mismanagement," declared Tyler Downey, president of SEIU Healthcare.

Downey added, "It's the job of the employer to protect workers. We demand no less." SEIU Healthcare is calling on the Ministry of Labour to inspect the failures of the nursing home.

During the pandemic, more than 70 residents died at Orchard Villa. At 30 deaths per 100 residents, Orchard Villa has one of the worst pandemic death records in Ontario, resulting in support from the Canadian Armed Forces.

SOURCE SEIU Healthcare

For Media Inquiries Contact: Corey Johnson, Director of Strategic Communications, SEIU Healthcare, 416-529-8909, [email protected]
MONTREAL, Dec. 23, 2024 /CNW/ - The Good Shroom Co Inc. (TSXV: MUSH) ("TGSC" or "the Company"), an emerging cannabis company with a focus on innovation, announces its financial results for the first quarter of 2025.

Key Financial Metrics

Revenue (net of excise): $691,382

Net Income (Loss): ($55,398)

EBITDA: ($40,553)

Gross Margin: 33.9%

Long-Term Debt: TGSC continues to operate without any long-term debt.

The Company faced a challenging quarter, with quarterly results reflecting several key factors that impacted performance. TGSC remains focused on its long-term growth strategy by continuing in Quebec and focusing on innovations nationally.

Quarterly Performance: Key Factors

TGSC's refined operations over time, combined with economies of scale, have allowed the Company to achieve greater efficiency. As a result, even at reduced revenue levels, the Company is operating close to breakeven. This demonstrates that significant setbacks, like those experienced this quarter, are not deeply pernicious for the Company and underscore its resilience and ability to weather challenges.

TGSC's main market, Quebec, operates on a biannual product call system through its cannabis board. This system means that one underperforming product call can result in weaker performance across two consecutive quarters. This was the case for TGSC, as the recent "rationalization" of offerings by the cannabis board of the province affected the entire market, including the Company. As a result of this rationalization, TGSC received a return of $29,622 plus associated fees and lost sales opportunities during late Q4, Q1 and early Q2. Despite this setback, it is important to highlight that this is the first instance of such an outcome in TGSC's history, a testament to its typically strong performance in the Quebec market. Based on its proven track record, TGSC expects to rebound with the upcoming product call, beginning in late Q2 and continuing into Q3.

In addition, the Company experienced a return of traditional cannabis products from the province of Alberta during Q1 2025. The value of this return was $35,913 plus associated return fees. While this return impacted the quarter's results, the Company plans to redirect these products to the medical cannabis market and other sales channels, ensuring minimal waste and optimized revenue streams.

Strategic Response and Future Outlook

TGSC's strategy moving forward is twofold. First, the Company will continue its established approach in Quebec. Historically, this strategy has yielded consistent results, and TGSC expects it to continue delivering, barring rare occurrences like the recent underperforming product call that impacted two quarters. Quebec remains a core market where TGSC has a competitive advantage and strong track record.

Second, the Company is advancing its national expansion strategy, which excludes traditional cannabis products outside of Quebec. TGSC's analysis of market dynamics has shown limited competitive advantage in traditional products beyond its home turf, as evidenced by the product returns from Alberta this quarter. Consequently, the Company is focusing nationally on innovative offerings, such as its THC-infused pouches, branded as DYP's and Deckies. These innovations are already experiencing a successful launch in Alberta, reaffirming TGSC's strategic pivot towards differentiation and growth through innovation.

Looking forward, TGSC is enthusiastic about the upcoming launch of THC-infused pouches in Ontario in January 2025. Additionally, the Company expects Q3 2025 to be the first quarter in which it will have three consecutive months of ramped-up sales for DYP's in Alberta, following the current high demand and ongoing ramp-up period. Q3 will also include initial sales data from the Ontario market, providing critical insights into the true sales velocity of these innovative products. This will further solidify TGSC's position in the market.

While the challenges of late Q4, Q1 and early Q2 have impacted short-term results, the Company is confident in its ability to navigate these obstacles and emerge stronger. TGSC's commitment to innovation, adaptability, and strategic growth will continue to drive shareholder value and position the Company as a leader in the Canadian cannabis market.

About The Good Shroom Co. Inc.

The Good Shroom Co Inc. (TSXV: MUSH) is an emerging cannabis company that sells a variety of traditional cannabis products and innovations, with its primary market in Quebec but expanding nationally. For more information, visit [www.thegoodshroom.co](http://www.thegoodshroom.co).

Website: www.thegoodshroom.co

Disclaimer

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the Policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs, and current expectations of the Corporation with respect to future business activities and sales. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", or similar expressions. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but instead reflect the Corporation's expectations, estimates, or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions, and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance, or achievements.

Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected are the following: market acceptance of the Company's products, changes in the Company's strategy, changes in supplier operations and pricing, expectations regarding competition and their pricing strategy, maintaining in good standing all necessary regulatory licenses and authorizations for its products, the benefits, safety, efficacy, dosing, and social acceptance of cannabis-related products, and no material changes in the legal environment. Changes in applicable laws and regulations, compliance with extensive government regulation, and operational risks related to COVID-19 or other pandemics and supply chain disruptions and shortages are also factors.

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated, or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties, and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended, and such changes could be material. The Company does not intend and does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative.



SOURCE Good Shroom Co Inc. (The)

For more information: Eric Ronsse, Chief Executive Officer, The Good Shroom Co Inc., Email: [email protected], Website: www.thegoodshroom.co
The body found Sunday afternoon in a state forest in Cape May County was inside a refrigerator, according to police.

The discovery was made by troopers responding to a section of Belleplain State Forest in Dennis Township just before 3 p.m., a spokesperson from the New Jersey State Police told NJ Advance Media on Monday.

A cause and manner of death had not been announced as of Monday afternoon. No other details were immediately available, with an investigation into the matter ongoing.

Belleplain State Forest encompasses 21,320 acres of land across northern Cape May County and eastern Cumberland County.

The bodys find comes a week after hunters across the state in Ocean County stumbled across the badly decomposed remains of a man. The body was identified Sunday as a 55-year-old man from India who was reported missing by family members in October. Four Indiana men were arrested and charged with his muder.

Officials have said in both cases that there was no known danger to the public.

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A dilapidated mall in Essex County could be seized by the township through eminent domain next year if no progress is made on its redevelopment, a township official said recently.

In October, the Livingston Township Council passed an ordinance designating Livingston Mall a condemnation area in need of redevelopment, following a study authorized earlier in the year.

The township isnt looking to get involved in the redevelopment through eminent domain, but officials may do so if theres absolutely no progress (and) it appears that its at a standstill, the township manager, Barry Lewis Jr., recently told NJ Advance Media.

The mall  which has multiple vacancies  is still currently operating, but its ownership is fractured, complicating its immediate future, Lewis said.

It is owned by Kohan Retail Investment Group and Transformco. Neither company responded to a request for comment. The mall was previously owned by Simon Properties, Lewis said.

Macys is an anchor tenant in the mall. In response to a request for comment, the company sent a statement saying some stores will be closed, but its undecided which locations will be closed.

Over the next three years, we intend to close approximately 150 Macys stores while further investing in our 350 go-forward fleet, the company said. We expect to close roughly 65 locations this year, after the holidays, in line with our typical cadence.

A final decision on specific locations has yet to be made, the company said.

Lewis said township officials have had sporadic meetings with the stakeholders involved, but the challenge is getting everyone to the table to discuss the sites development. Kohan Retail Investment Group, in particular, has been an obstacle in moving forward, he said.

They havent shown up a couple of times, he said. They showed up once completely uninformed as to what was going on about New Jersey redevelopment.

Our understanding is that Macys and Transformco folks are sort of in communication with each other and cooperating and understand how critical the Kohan piece is to the overall plan, he added.

Officials will likely hold public meetings in the future to hear from residents on what theyd like to see in the malls place, but it must be realistic and economically viable, Lewis said.

People have posted empty photos of the mall on social media, including users on Reddit. One user said both the air conditioning and escalators were not working this past summer, and the property had overgrown grass and potholes.

Another anchor tenant, Sears, shuttered its location in the mall in 2020.

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Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com.
An Essex County College adjunct professor has been charged with criminal sexual contact and harassment of an adult student last month, authorities said Monday.

Gnanaseharan Selliah, of West Orange, was taken to the Essex County jail on Friday and remains in custody, according to online jail records.

Selliah also works as an English as a second language teacher at Bloomfield High School in Essex County, according to the schools website.

In a blog post for the New Jersey Education Association earlier this year, he described himself as a public school teacher with 25 years of experience.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.
A wanted foreign national and accused MS-13 gang member who was in the United States illegally was arrested in Hudson County last week after six years on the lam, officials said.

Johnathan Stanley Garcia-Vasquez, aka Johnathan Stanley Garcia-Garcia, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcements officials outside his residence in West New York Friday on a warrant of removal, officials said.

He was wanted on murder charges by officials in El Salvador.

U.S. Border Patrol agents first encountered Garcia near Hidalgo, Texas on June 9, 2016 and served him a notice and order of expedited removal, according to the Newark office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

He was held in ICE custody until Jan. 27, 2017, when he posted bond and was released.

On Aug. 7, 2018, authorities in El Salvador issued an arrest warrant for Garcia on charges of aggravated homicide and participating in terrorist organizations.

An immigration judge ordered him removed in absentia in October 2018. However, Garcia failed to surrender for deportation the following month. He lived as a fugitive until his arrest last week.

The United States is not a safe haven for international fugitives seeking to exploit our immigration laws to evade justice in their home countries, said John Tsoukaris, director of ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark field office.

Our officers diligence and commitment to public safety allowed them to safely apprehend this international fugitive before he could cause harm to the citizens and residents of New Jersey. I am also grateful to the FBI for their support with the arrest of this transnational criminal, Tsoukaris said in a news release.

Garcia is being held by ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations pending final removal.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.
An 88-year-old Jersey City doctor with a practice Downtown has been charged with sexually assaulting a patient on two office visits, authorities said Monday.

Dr. Humberto Perez, described as a family medicine physician, was taken into custody after a male patient reported allegations of sexual misconduct during two medical consultations over the summer, according to Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione and a criminal complaint.

The doctor was charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of criminal sexual contact, the criminal complaint said.

The victim told police the incidents occurred on July 5 and July 9 this year. According to the criminal complaint, Perez was arrested Nov. 21.

Anyone with information pertaining to Perez is asked to call the JCPDs Special Victims Unit at (201) 547-6505. Calls can be made anonymously.
As part of an effort to keep tobacco out of reach for anyone under age 21, North Bergen has passed a law requiring tobacco retailers in the township to be licensed every year by the townships health department.

Scheduled to take effect in the new year, the requirement will empower the health department to monitor and regulate all tobacco sales in the community, the township announced in a news release.

If convicted of violating the ordinance, a fine of up to $1,000 may be levied, with each day that the violation continues to exist being considered a separate violation, the ordinance says.

By tightening our control surrounding tobacco sales, our hope is that we send a message to retailers that here in North Bergen we dont condone the sale of tobacco to minors, said Health Officer Janet Castro, who also serves as the townships Business Administrator.

The Board of Commissioners adopted the ordinance at its final meeting of 2024, on Dec. 18.

We are working with the state of New Jersey, our local health department and law enforcement to make sure that tobacco stays out of the hands of our young people, Mayor Nicholas Sacco said. Thanks to our local T.A.S.E. program (Tobacco Age of Sale Enforcement) and the North Bergen Prevention Coalition, we have been able to collect meaningful data that corroborates what towns across the nation already know: our laws are not being enforced effectively. With the passing of this ordinance, our hope is that we are able to deter our young consumers from buying these substances by strengthening the laws that govern the spaces that sell to minors.

It has been illegal in New Jersey since 2017 to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.

The North Bergen T.A.S.E. program, however, found that local merchants were indeed selling these types of products to minors at what the township called alarming rates.

Under the new law, every retailer who sells tobacco or nicotine-delivery products in North Bergen must apply for a new license with the town every year. That means that retailers must be licensed by both the state and the town in order to legally sell tobacco.

The language covers not only cigarettes but also cigars, cigarillos, pipes and e-cigarettes/vaping devices, cartridges and substances with nicotine in them.

The application fee for the North Bergen license will be $50 with the license itself costing $500 a year.

This will allow the township to keep a better eye on who is selling these products in addition to funding the enforcement of local ordinances aimed at keeping the tobacco market away from young consumers, the township said.
Four Indiana men were arrested last week and accused of murdering a man whose body was found earlier this month in the woods of Ocean County, authorities said.

The man, identified Sunday as Kuldeep Kumar, 35, of India, was reported missing Oct. 26 by family members in Ozone Park, New York. His body was discovered Dec. 14 in a state of advanced decomposition in the Greenwood Wildlife Management Area in Manchester, according to a release from the Ocean County Prosecutors Office.

The following day, the Ocean County Medical Examiners Office determined that Kumar died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and his death was ruled a homicide, the office said.

An investigation was launched, and detectives determined that Sourav Kumar, 23, Guarav Singh, 27, Nirmal Singh, 30, and 22-year-old Gurdeep Singh, all of Greenwood, Indiana, worked together to carry out the murder, officials said.

The four men were arrested Friday in their hometown and taken to Johnson County Jail in Franklin, Indiana, where they will remain pending their extradition to New Jersey, investigators said. They were each charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

No other information was released Sunday, and it was unclear how the men knew each other or the victim.

The investigative efforts leading to the arrest of these defendants were nothing short of outstanding, and the teamwork exhibited by all the participating agencies truly exemplifies the best in law enforcement, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a statement. Collaborating with our law enforcement partners, particularly the FBI and (New Jersey State Police), led to the identification of our victim and the swift apprehension of these defendants in Indiana.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
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News / National

by Simbarashe Sithole

The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has managed to exceedingly meet demand by 38,9 percent this festive season.In a statement, GMAZ chairperson, Dr Tafadzwa Musarara said the milling industry has managed to supply the local market with various grain-processed products and the suppliers are exceeding demand."The grain milling industry has this festive season, successfully supplied the local market with various grain processed products including maize meal, rice, flour, salt and others. Whilst demand is currently high the suppliers are exceeding demand by more than 38,9% resulting in price stabilisation and products available in all retail shops both formal and informal," Dr Musarara said.He further hailed the government for implementing a private-led approach in achieving national food security."We are most grateful to the government for implementing a private-led approach in achieving food security.This resonates with the international best practice," Musarara added.Musarara further pledged to continue with adequate supply of grain to the local market especially during this period of drought."As the country continues to endure the vagaries of weather, we pledge our continued commitment to adquately supply the local market and support local agriculture through contract farming which adds opening more source markets to ensure prices remain affordable," he added.Meanwhile the Minister of Agriculture Dr Anxious Masuka weighed in saying there is enough grain in the strategic grain reserve to feed everyone."There is enough grain in the strategic grain reserve to feed everyone until March next year. There will also be enough grain to feed 4,5 million learners in basic education schools until April next year, requiring 276 000 tonnes for social welfare school-feeding programmes, said Dr Masuka.
Six months in, Chief Anne Kirkpatrick has tamped down violent crime, moved the departments move to shiny new downtown digs, tasted crawfish and launched two viral NOPD mascots, one official (Patch the mini horse) and one decidedly not (the evidence rooms stoned rats).
I was working as a journalist in Yangon, Myanmars biggest city, when the military seized power. That was on 1 February 2021, and everything changed overnight.

Only three months before, the landslide victory of Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy party in the general election had filled people with joy. Now we were plunged into terrifying darkness.

Across the country, millions took to the streets in peaceful protest against the coup, but the military cracked down on them brutally. Thousands were killed, and tens of thousands imprisoned.

A nationwide curfew was imposed, house-to-house searches were conducted, and anyone deemed suspicious was arrested. Social media use was also tightly restricted. Many died from torture under interrogation.

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Watch: Cancelled: The rise and fall of Aung San Suu Kyi Documentary on Independent TV

To suppress the free flow of information, the military targeted journalists, and my profession became deadly dangerous. Between February 2021 and August 2024, 172 Myanmar journalists were detained, 28 of them women. Hundreds of my colleagues fled across the border to Thailand to escape the militarys dragnet.

Pro-democracy protesters hold torches and flags during a flash mob rally to protest against Myanmars military government in Yangon

Many of those who stayed were targeted. One friend of mine, a well-known journalist, was arrested and physically and mentally tortured for three months in prison.

An online news editor, one of my colleagues who had in years past worked as a fixer for foreign reporters, was sentenced to seven years jail for the crime of having a photo of Aung San Suu Kyi on his mobile phone.

People who were released told me he had been tortured and kept in solitary confinement for months in a dark, cramped cell in Yangons notorious Insein Prison. He is still there to this day.

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One of my three brothers was arrested for liking and sharing an anti-junta post on Facebook. During the interrogation his calves were slashed with knives and scalding water was poured over the wounds, causing him to pass out.

When he came to the next morning, the soldiers dragged him outside, tied him down and left him lying under the scorching sun till he passed out again. When he woke the second time, he found himself in a truck heading for Insein Prison.

His wife paid a large bribe to a prison officer to ensure he received proper medical treatment in jail. After eight months he was released due to lack of evidence, but the conditions in prison left him in poor health. He was lucky to survive.

Protesters run after police fired warning shots and used water cannon to disperse them during a protest in Mandalay, Myanmar (AP)

Against this backdrop, before the year was out I quit my job as a journalist, left Yangon and moved to a small town in southern Shan state in the northeast, my wifes hometown, having first wiped all photos, data, and emails from my mobile phone and laptop.

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In early 2022, at the request of a friend in the town, I became a volunteer in the distribution of aid for war refugees in Kayah State, the mountainous state on the east of Burma which has been fighting for independence for many years.

With covert support from domestic and international donors, we discreetly purchased as much rice as we could from local farmers, loaded the sacks onto trucks and transported them after dark into Kayah State by mountain roads, bribing soldiers at the military checkpoints along the way with whisky and cash.

But in the summer of 2023 the fightback of people all over Myanmar against the military intensified: battles erupted along the Kayah border, the military retaliated with airstrikes, and we were forced to change our delivery routes.

Later, with the civil war spreading into the centre of the country, local residents were driven from their homes and soon we could no longer buy rice. The conflict has severely disrupted farming in both highland and lowland areas. In addition, fuel shortages have caused transport costs to skyrocket.

Demonstrators rally to mark the 79th birthday of the countrys ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Launglon township in Tanintharyi region, Myanmar (AP)

UN agencies and other international organisations based in Yangon have been unable to provide effective aid to the suffering Myanmar population because the military council bars them from working in conflict zones.

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Local organisations have also been forced to halt their aid efforts, lacking official permits. Only small groups like ours continue to provide covert assistance, at great risk, but as conflict areas expand with internal refugees now numbering in the millions, aid operations become overwhelmingly difficult.

This is part of the countrys larger economic crisis. Many factories have closed due to the withdrawal of foreign investment, leaving workers unemployed; young people flee the country en masse to avoid conscription; while in Yangon, food has become so expensive that working-class families struggle to afford one meal a day.

Yangon, has become unrecognisable. On the outskirts, soldiers raid homes, searching for and seizing young people and forcing them to join the military.

Near the centre, most of the hotels have closed, and although a few nigh clubs and bars catering for the elite are crowded until dawn, all city restaurants close early in the evening, well before the midnight curfew.

The civil war reaches right into the city: sometimes you can hear gunfire and bomb blasts from hit-and-run guerilla attacks. Further out in the beautiful countryside only old people and children are to be seen: all the young people have fled abroad.

Four years might feel like a short time for people living in peace, freedom, and happiness. But for those trapped in terrifying misery, they are excruciatingly long.

My life spent under the ever-growing shadow of military dictatorship becomes darker with each passing day. Right now, my deepest desire is simply to own peaceful days where I can look up at a clear blue sky and breathe freely, without fear.

No one can say when such days will return for us, the people of Myanmar.
Residents of Okinawa gathered on December 22 to protest a string of sexual assault incidents involving US soldiers that have occurred in the southwestern Japanese prefecture since last year.

S/ Sakihama Sorane, University student / Why must we be deprived of youth just because we were born in Okinawa, because there are bases here? What we're seeking is an ordinary wish to live in peace. That's all.

Organizers said more than 2,500 people took part in the event in the city of Okinawa.

The participants adopted a resolution through applause, calling for apologies and compensation to the victims and for drastic revisions to the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement.

Earlier this month, a US Air Force serviceman was convicted of abducting and sexually assaulting an underage girl in Okinawa in December last year.


Stories of China's major-country diplomacy: We sing 'Ode to the Motherland' for Grandpa Xi

15:20, December 23, 2024 By Kanatov Amirkhan Yerlanovich ( People's Daily Online

"The five-starred red flag flutters in the wind, and the victory song echoes loudly. Let's sing for our beloved motherland, as it embarks on the path to prosperity and strength..." Every time I sing the Chinese song "Ode to the Motherland," I think of that thrilling day.

I was among the dozen Kazakhstani children who greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping upon his arrival at the Astana airport in Kazakhstan on July 2 this year.

Kanatov Amirkhan Yerlanovich takes part in the 3rd Chinese Bridge-Chinese Show for Foreign Primary School Students in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

We arrived early at the lobby of the airport's VIP terminal, and began singing "Ode to the Motherland" in Chinese as soon as Grandpa Xi entered the lobby.

Hearing the song, Grandpa Xi stopped in front of us and smiled as he listened.

We were so nervous at the beginning that we started the first note too high. But we gradually got back on track. After we finished the song, Grandpa Xi applauded our performance and said we sang very well, which immediately eased our nervousness.

I was one of the two representatives who walked up to Grandpa Xi and greeted him in Chinese. "Hello, Grandpa Xi. My name is Amirkhan, and I am 10 years old. Welcome to Astana," I said.

Grandpa Xi graciously thanked us and praised our Chinese as "fluent and authentic."

I told him that I was born in Astana and I hope to study at China's Tsinghua University when I grow up. Grandpa Xi was delighted at my dream and encouraged us to aim for good universities. "You are welcome to study in China," he said.

I then spoke on behalf of all the children present, "Thank you, Grandpa Xi! We love you!"

That brief but unforgettable interaction with Grandpa Xi became a source of pride for all of us in the children's welcoming group that day.

Kazakhstani children welcome President Xi Jinping at the Astana airport on July 2, 2024. (People's Daily/Wang Zhou)

Even now, when I think back to that moment at the airport, I still feel excited. Grandpa Xi is a leader of a big country, and I have had the honor of singing for him and speaking with him  what an incredible thing to be proud of!

In fact, my connection with China and Grandpa Xi goes far beyond that encounter.

I was born in Astana on Sept. 22, 2013. Just half a month before I was born, Grandpa Xi delivered an important speech in Astana titled "Promote People-to-People Friendship and Create a Better Future."

In the speech, he proposed for the first time the idea of jointly building a Silk Road economic belt. Kazakhstan, therefore, became the place where the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was initiated.

When I was 6 years old, my mother began to arrange for me to learn foreign languages, including English, Spanish, and Chinese. I've taken pleasure in learning Chinese since then, and the three hours I spent each week learning the language were some of the happiest times for me.

In October of last year, I represented participants from the Kazakhstan division in the 3rd Chinese Bridge-Chinese Show for Foreign Primary School Students in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

It was my first trip to China. I remember I started counting down to the trip six months in advance, and the night before my flight, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep.

Photo shows China-aided Shelek Wind Farm in Kazakhstan. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

In Kunming, I met friends from around the world and tasted Chinese food that I had previously only seen in books and on TV.

I am often asked by adults, "Amirkhan, what do you want to do when you grow up?" I always tell them that I remember Grandpa Xi's words of encouragement, and I want to go to China to study at Tsinghua University.

I want to master Chinese, learn more advanced scientific knowledge, and then return to Kazakhstan to contribute to the well-being of the people in my mother country. I also want to help promote the friendship between Kazakhstan and China.

I believe the world of the future will be one free from war, hunger, poverty, and injustice  a beautiful world where humans live in unity, helping and loving one another, just like what Grandpa Xi said about the community with a shared future for mankind. We must work together for this beautiful world.

(Kanatov Amirkhan Yerlanovich is a student from the Confucius Institute at the L.N. Gumilev Eurasian National University in Kazakhstan. The article is compiled by People's Daily reporter Zhao Yipu based on an interview with him.)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
The holidays will be a little brighter this year for some Chippewa Valley families. Jasons Presents has worked all year to make sure that 128 Chippewa County kids have plenty of Christmas presents to open this year.

Volunteers with Jason's Presents work all year to fundraise and then buy and wrap presents for kids who might otherwise have to go without.

Jasons Presents is a nonprofit named for Deputy Jason Zunker, who was killed in the line of duty in 2008.

Zunker died Jan. 5, 2008, a day after being struck by a car while performing traffic control duties related to a semi truck fire on Highway 53 near Bloomer.

For the past 15 years, the charity has given presents to kids.

Chippewa County Sheriffs Deputy Leah Berg helps oversee the outreach.

I pretty much do it all year round, Berg said Thursday. It's a continuous thing, but more of the fundraising and everything starts about the end of September into October.

Jasons Presents hosts a quarter auction each fall and The Chippewa Family Restaurant holds a day-long fundraiser each November where all the day's proceeds go to the organization.

Typically that event brings in between $14,000 and $15,000 each year. Other donations come from various organizations and individuals in the community, Berg said.

Berg is glad the program has grown and continues to serve local kids in Zunkers honor.

She said much of its success is due to the help from community businesses such as Walmart in Lake Hallie, Blains Farm & Fleet and The Chippewa Family Restaurant, which continue to donate to the cause each year.

In 2008, Berg said, "(Zucker) was trying to revamp the local Shop With a Cop program. ... So there was another officer and I, after Jason had passed away, we kind of worked on it together.

"We started with 25 kids and a pizza party down in the basement of the courthouse, and now it's grown to what it is. He would have really liked that.

Berg said area schools provide the names for children and families to participate.

I go through the student counselors or the school counselors, and I have them pick out families for us, because they know the families better than what we do, Berg said. They take out the families and give them a nomination form that says you have been selected for Jason's Presents. They fill it out and get it back to me.

Local law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel buy the gifts and hold a Christmas party for the families, complete with Santa and fire trucks, ambulances and police vehicles.

We take care of it. We do the shopping. We do wrapping and then we host the party for them, she said.

Christmas party

The Christmas party, an annual event, was one of the many ways area law enforcement and private citizens commemorated the memory of Zunker, who was the first Chippewa County Sheriffs Department officer to die in the line of duty, and the only law enforcement officer in Wisconsin to die in the line of duty in 2008.

We host a party down at the Knights of Columbus, down on Pumphouse Road, which they have graciously donated to us every year, Berg said.

This years party was held Dec. 11 with a game night and snacks before dinner and gifts.

We actually provide a meal for them. So this year we did tacos, and then after that, we kind of just do a little presentation on why we're there, about Jason, Berg said. We do a few little door prizes. And then Santa Claus comes, and he makes his appearance, so people can, you know, see him and take pictures if they'd like, with him.

Next the volunteers, who are made up largely of law enforcement officials, families and supporters, hand out the gifts.

Now, the gifts, they don't have to open them there.  They can if they want. Otherwise, they can take them home if they want to put them under the tree for Christmas, Berg said.

Berg said the majority of families take the gifts home and save them for Christmas. She also said they make sure families have necessities such as warm clothing and toys for the kids so they dont have to choose between needs and wants during the holidays.
Chef Joe Farina and his wife Yvonne, who are known for their classy Italian eateries in Michigan City, will soon open a new concept downtown.

The Farinas, who worked at Victory Italian and other Chicago restaurants, are trying something different with Rocco's Tavern. The new upscale oyster bar will serve raw oysters from both coasts, steaks, chops and burgers.

"There will be no Italian. We just wanted to do something different," Joe Farina said. "We like Michigan City. We like the neighborhood and what's going on there."

Rocco's Tavern will feature an old-school Miami decor and a 1960s steakhouse vibe with cream suede booths. It will have a full bar with a curated wine selection, bourbon, whiskeys and cocktails. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will seat about 60 diners inside and another 20-25 on an outdoor patio.

It will offer fancy desserts and is looking at tableside desserts like cherries jubilee or bananas foster. It will serve strips, filets, tomahawks, lamb chops, pork chops, Beef Wellington and Steak Diane, giving diners the option of encrusting steaks in blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese. Seafood options will include lobster tails, tuna tartare, a seafood tower and assortments of four to six oysters with mignonette sauce and a house-made cocktail sauce with freshly ground horseradish.

It will open in February next door to Cafe Farina, which offers traditional Italian cuisine.

Reopened

Well-established as a Chicago chef, Joe Farina has cooked at events like Chicago Gourmet, Taste of Travel, The Grand Chefs Experience and Bacon Fest. He founded the Victory Restaurant Group that has had locations in River North, the South Loop, Elmhurst and Oak Park. His wife Yvonne Farina is a certified sommelier who's worked in many acclaimed Chicago restaurants.

They made Michigan City their adopted home and opened Farina's Supper Club in Michigan City, Cafe Farina in Michigan City and Farina's Belly Flop in Long Beach.

Their flagship restaurant, Farina's Supper Club, closed for months after suffering a kitchen fire in February. The traditional Wisconsin-style supper club recently reopened at 3311 Pottawattamie Trail.

Farina's Supper Club first opened in 2021, offering an elegant dining experience.

"Steaks are really popular. So are a lot of meats. The Pork Chop Sinatra is really big there," he said. "It's a supper club. We try to keep it simple. It's hearty good food. We cook everything to order. It's the stuff I grew up on. I call it Italian-American food. It's half Melrose Park, Illinois where I grew up and half Italian."

Open

Little Harts Play Cafe in Dyer combines a coffee shop with an indoor playground for children up to age 6.

Jessica Wood and Garrett Wood, married parents of a 2-year-old, opened the new business at 2011 Hart St. just off the corner of U.S. 30 and Hart Street.

Little Harts Play Cafe, whose name plays off its address, features an innovative indoor playground with a miniature town hall and other play spaces that are meant to promote creativity, socializing and physical development.

"We're parents. We know how hard it for small kids to find public places," Jessica Wood said. "Kids can't stay still for long. This is somewhere where kids can run around while their parents enjoy a good cup of coffee. When we moved back from Mississippi, we struggled to make friends with other parents. We thought we might awas well open a play cafe. They have them in the northern suburbs of Chicago but there's nothing like it here."

The 2,800-square-foot business is divided between the coffee shop and the 1,800-square-foot place space that features play areas like a Dyer Town Hall, a police station, a grocery store and a climbing structure.

"We focus on imaginative play, she said. "We couldn't find anything like that when we moved to Dyer. There are play structures like McDonald's PlayPlaces but nothing where kids can use their creativity and play as firemen or police officers."

Little Harts Play Coffee, which is located in a former accounting office, plans to host birthday parties, church groups and other group events. It plans to offer the community programming, such as help with post-partum depression.

It sources all its coffee from Just Be Coffee Roasters in Munster and offers a full range of coffee drinks, including seasonal items like peppermint mochas, pumpkin spice lattes and hot chocolate. It will offer pastries and baked goods, and is looking at bringing over Mexican goods from the neighboring La Cecina restaurant.

Open

FitFuel Cafe is now powering workouts in the new Hammond Destination YMCA at the site of the former Woodmar Mall at 6532 Indianapolis Boulevard.

Mike Mucha and Dan Edwards opened the cafe, which sells smoothies, wraps and sandwiches, as well as fresh fruit and healthier chips.

"We sell healthy, substantial foods," Mucha said. "We're try to give good healthy options and serve good things to the community. It's approachable and family-oriented."

Popular wraps include the chicken Caesar and buffalo chicken. A vegetarian option will be added soon.

The peanut butter and banana smoothie is popular with weightlifters looking to consume protein to build muscle after a workout. It caters to people who come to the new YMCA to work out, do cardi go swimming or take ninja, gymnastics or ballet classes. In the late afternoon and evenings, after school lets out, it caters to a lot of middle school and high school kids.

"We try to make sure it's approachable and in young people's budgets," Mucha said.

FitFuel Cafe is in the brand new, multimillion-dollar YMCA's lobby, where it's surrounding by seating where people can hang out, decompress after a workout, wait to be picked up or enjoy a snack.

Mucha previously worked at a Dairy Queen and in customer service. Edwards is one of the owners of seven Jimmy John restaurants in Northwest Indiana. They are interested in potentially expanding the FitFuel concept to other YMCAs.
Jerry Davich Metro columnist Follow Jerry Davich 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

One combat veteran felt the blast of a grenade exploding near his face, then immediately wondered if his face still existed. Another vet had to break the arm of a fallen comrade to squeeze his lifeless body into a body bag. Another one has been in therapy for PTSD since 1992.

It just  hurts, another vet sighed in front of a war memorial.

These are the raw, candid stories of Vietnam veterans from our Region for a new documentary film, tentatively titled Vietnam Changed My Life.

A number of Region veterans are now ready to tell their stories, 50 years after they served their country, said George Bogdanich, of Valparaiso, a veteran journalist and filmmaker.

The film features veterans speaking from a perspective of five decades later about a bitter, divisive and unpopular conflict that deeply affected their lives.

Vietnam is still very much alive for many veterans from that war, said Bogdanich, a 76-year-old Gary native who is spearheading the film project. What is the true cost of war? We can still learn from Vietnam.

The veterans describe deadly battles like the Tet Offensive and Hamburger Hill, as well as their return home without a welcome from a country that had turned against the war, treating them with indifference and sometimes hostility.

I think there is a younger generation that knows very little about Vietnam and who will find these stories compelling, Bogdanich said.

The films four-minute video trailer is a compelling peek into the psyches of the veterans featured in the documentary.

You cant describe what happens when you walk into an ambush and you see a guy get blown up, Mike Chiarodo, a Vietnam vet from Chesterton, said in the trailer. Your whole body changes tremendously. Its pretty hard to be a 19-year-old with 20 men under him and the (expletive) hits the fan and youre making the calls. And you hope youre right.

In an interview segment titled Surprise At Bao Lauc, Vietnam vet Gary Heid said, I woke up to this grenade going off in my face and blood squirting out of my hands. I wondered what my face looked like. And then I turned to my right and our platoon sergeant was clutching his chest. The grenade hit him and killed him. And I thought, Im the next ranking sergeant here. Im in command.

Dan Orlich, a Gary native, was in Vietnam for less than a day when the Tet Offensive surprise attack started against U.S. forces.

I was not ready for what was going on, he said. We didnt have a clue what was going on.

In a segment titled, Hamburger Hill, John Sasse explained how he was talking with another soldier during combat just minutes before he was placing him into a body bag that was too small.

Its pretty draining, he said.

The four-minute trailer is riveting. I cant wait to watch the entire film from Bogdanich, whose previous documentary, Betrayal: When the Government Took Over the Teamsters Union, concluded that one abusive, intimidating mob had replaced another one, though it was done legally with the blessing of the U.S. justice system.

That 70-minute film served as an indictment against the federal government, examining how the feds took control of the International Teamsters Union three decades ago, and how the justice system continues to trample upon the free speech rights of 1.4 million union members.

Bogdanichs new film also is motivated by historic lies from the U.S. government regarding the Vietnam War and serious tactical mistakes by the U.S. military.

It was the veterans who had to deal with those lies and mistakes for five decades now, Bogdanich said.

For years, hes heard stories from Vietnam veterans about their combat days. Their continuing nightmares, battles with PTSD and with the government for medical benefits from that war.

Fifty years later, there are veterans still fighting for their compensation, Bogdanich said.

His film will focus on the broader picture of war through the personal lens of combat veterans.

With the war long out of sight and these veterans aging and dying off, George felt it was imperative that the larger story of that war be told by those who directly experienced combat and its aftermath, said Christopher Pupillo, of Valparaiso, who serves as the films cameraman, editor and associate producer.

The story centers primarily around the three Vietnam veterans from the Region, who have been long-time friends with Bogdanich. (Watch the trailer at NWI.com.)

The inspiration for the film was a recognition by George that these veterans, two of whom George has been friends with since Lew Wallace High School in Gary, and the more recent friend from Hammond, Pupillo said. They previously remained pretty tight lipped about their experiences, both in Vietnam and back here at home.

The film will not be a collection of war stories, but the reason why their stories need to be told now. And an exploration of the nature of war and its long term consequences.

This film would ideally be shown at colleges, high schools and for veterans groups, Bogdanich said.

Ideally, the film will be released next summer if the remainder of funding comes through for the passion project.

Sometimes the hardest part of making a film is raising the money, Bogdanich said.

He and Pupillo have launched a fundraising campaign designed to raise money to help complete post-production of the film in addition to building an audience and public interest. To contribute to the project, visit https://freespeech-films.com/donation-lead-in/.

These stories deserve to be told, Bogdanich said.
believe that many of the payments in the chart above were made in connection with sexual activity and/or illicit drug use. The Committee was also not able to quantify the amount of cash payments Representative Gaetz made to women, 50 or the amount of payments that other individuals, such as Mr. Greenberg, made on behalf of Representative Gaetz. Representative Gaetz refused to answer questions about his relationships with the women involved. There was, however, evidence that he understood and shared many of the women's transactional views of their arrangements. In one text exchange viewed by the Committee, Representative Gaetz balked at a woman's request that he send her money after he accused her of ditching" him on a night when she was feeling tired, claiming she only gave him a "drive by." The woman asserted to Representative Gaetz that she was being treated differently" than other women he was paying for sex. 51 The Committee also obtained text messages in which Representative Gaetz's then-girlfriend informed some of the women who were typically paid for sex that "the guys [Representative Gaetz and Mr. Greenberg] wanted me to share that they are a little limited in their cash flow this weekend... [M]att was like[,] if it can be more of a customer appreciation week. . . .52 A few months later, she noted that, Btw Matt also mentioned he is going to be a bit generous cause of the 'customer appreciation' thing last time. Another woman specifically recalled a conversation with Representative Gaetz about issues with Mr. Greenberg's "following through" with expected payments after Mr. Greenberg's encounters with her. 53 Mr. Greenberg told the Committee that Representative Gaetz was aware that the women they had sex with and paid had met Mr. Greenberg through the sugar dating website. Representative Gaetz did not appear to have negotiated specific payment amounts prior to engaging in sexual activity with the women he paid. Instead, the women had a general expectation that they would typically receive some amount of money after each sexual encounter. In 2017, using a pseudonymous account, Representative Gaetz made payments to women largely without a description of the purpose of the payment. After several months, he began to use other payment accounts, including ones with his own name, using innocuous descriptions to indicate the purpose of the payments. 54 Representative Gaetz did not provide any information regarding the tens of thousands of dollars in payments he made to over a dozen women despite being offered the opportunity to do so by the Committee. Representative Gaetz was provided with a list of women who the Committee found received payments from him beginning in 2017 and was asked to inform the Committee of the purpose of those payments, as well as to inform the Committee how he knew 50 Representative Gaetz withdrew more than $25,000 in cash from 2017-2018 alone. See Personal Checking Account #2; Personal Checking Account #3; Personal Checking Account #4. 51 Some women appeared mindful of their own potential liability and were reluctant to acknowledge explicit discussions of sex-for-hire. The Committee received some testimony indicating that there may have at times been miscommunications about the transactional nature of their interactions, but that it was ultimately made clear. One woman testified, [m]aybe I was under the impression that Joel [Greenberg] had talked to [Representative Gaetz] about kind of what was supposed to happen. I think maybe [Representative Gaetz] even didn't really understand at some points because maybe that's why he wasn't giving me what I wanted. So I think there was definitely some miscommunication, and then maybe Joel promised stuff, and he wasn't keeping it. I don't really know what was going on behind the scenes with them or that kind of stuff. But I would assume that he understood, considering he did send me money at one point. 18(a) Interview of Woman 4. 52 Exhibit 4. 53 18(a) Interview of Woman 5. 54 See Exhibit 3. 15
Pet vending machines have been sparking heated online debates in China for months, but this controversial unmanned economy model seems to have an even darker side than meets the eye.

We first featured Chinas live pet vending machines back in May of this year when they were spotted in busy cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Back then, people were furious about having cats displayed in transparent containers barely large enough for them to turn around in, but according to recent reports by several Chinese news outlets, this business model has an even darker side. Its hard to resist an adorable kitten meowing at you from inside one of these vending machines like its begging you to take it home, but its even harder when doing so costs nothing. Thats right, the cats in these adoption boxes are free, even specimens of coveted breeds that would otherwise cost a few hundred dollars. But theres a catch!

Inside a large shopping mall in Shanghai, China, lies a shelf filled with adorable cats, including expensive breeds and hybrids that pet stores charge premium prices for. But these are all free! All you have to do is call a number, sign a contract and take the cute cat home with you. Its a dream deal in real life. Or so it seems until you get your first monthly invoice for cat food, litter, and other pet products.

Chinese newspaper Youth Daily recently documented the case of Yuan, a Shanghai resident who fell in love with a 3-month-old American Shorthair kitten at the Global Harbor shopping mall. It was so adorable that she signed the contract and took it home with her. It was only later that she realized the cost of the mandatory monthly fee. She had to pay 800 yuan ($110) for cat food and litter for 24 months, which made the cat several times more expensive than if she had bought it from a breeder.

The kitten was so adorable that we signed the contract and brought it home, the woman told Youth Daily. But the price of the supplies they provide is too expensive and not even from a well-known brand.

Similar cases have been reported around China, with people complaining that they had been scammed by unscrupulous entrepreneurs. One woman reported being $750 in debt due to mandatory monthly fees, even though the cat she adopted unexpectedly died months ago. Apparently, adopters must also sign agreements that state they cannot terminate the contract if the pet dies or becomes lost within two years. Pet shops justify such conditions as guarantees that the new owners will not mistreat or abandon the pets.



The main purpose of this is to prevent people from mistreating or abandoning cats once they take them home, a pet store employee told News Weekly when asked about the stores two-year payment plan.

Chinese pet forums are full of horror stories of people getting free cats only to be stuck with heavy bills even after the animals died. Pet store and pet vending machine operators continue to defend the model as a safety measure for the animals welfare. Legal experts say that people should stop thinking with their hearts when adopting free cats and read the contracts carefully in order to avoid financial burden.
Gardai have issued an appeal for information in relation to a BMW which was involved in a hit and run in the Midlands

Gardai said the dark coloured BMW 520/530 drove through a garda checkpoint on the Dublin Road in Portlaoise moments before a number of dangerous driving incidents including a hit and run incident.

Laois RPU(Road Protection Unit) are investigating an incident from last night where a dark coloured BMW 520/530 drove through a checkpoint on the Dublin Road at the fire station at approximately 12.10am on Sunday, December 23, Gardai stated.

It was subsequently involved in a number of dangerous driving incidents. It travelled out the Borris Road and into Dr Murphy Place where it collided with a parked car before taking off back out the Dublin Road and turning onto the Block Road. It then travelled back in the Stradbally Road towards town before taking a right at St Peter & Pauls Church and going back out the Dublin Road again. The manner of driving was extremely dangerous and reckless and has no place on our roads, Gardai said.

Laois Roads Policing would appreciate it if the public could assist us in locating or identifying this vehicle and driver. Anyone that was travelling in the above locations between the times of 12.10am and 12.30am that may have dash cam footage or may have any information relating to what happened we would ask them to please contact Portlaoise Garda Station and leave a message for Laois Roads Policing and we will contact you. We can also be contacted at Portlaoise.traffic@garda.ie or the Garda confidential 1800 666 111, Gardai concluded.
BARRY Cowen MEP has been appointed as a shadow rapporteur on agriculture for the Renew Group in the European Parliament.

The appointment was made at the parliament when it had a plenary sitting in Strasbourg last week and when Renew Group (of which Fianna Fail is part) members had two meetings, including one for members of the agriculture committee.

At the agriculture meeting I was delighted to be appointed as the group's shadow rapporteur on a crucial file concerning CAP and the future of agriculture. It's such a privilege to take on such an important role so early in my term as an MEP and over the coming weeks I'll be engaging extensively with farmers, foresters, agri-innovators and representative bodies as I prepare a position paper on the future of agriculture and the Common Agricultural Policy as part of that file, said Mr Cowen.

During three days in Strasbourg Mr Cowen also met with representatives from Danone to discuss how large agri-food companies are managing the transition to more sustainable, resilient food systems.

That night I spoke in the chamber about sustainable tourism, emphasising the need to balance growth ambitions with environmental responsibilities while supporting small and medium enterprises in the tourism sector through this transition, said Mr Cowen.

It's a vital industry in my constituency and across Europe. And like the rest of society the sector knows it must play its part in tackling climate change.

On Wednesday the Offaly man spoke in the chamber again. I also spoke in the chamber about the importance of mental health in agriculture and the need for stronger commitments in this area. Later I met with the Minister Counsellor with responsibility for Parliamentary Affairs from China's mission to the EU. As global economic conditions shift, and they are shifting, it's vital for Ireland to have plans in place for existing and indeed future trade relationships. 

Before returning home, Mr Cowen, former TD for Laois-Offaly who was elected to the European Parliament in June, wished everyone a happy Christmas.
A planes nose wheel collapsed as it landed in Belfast due to adverse weather conditions.

There were four crew on board and no passengers when the hard landing occurred on Sunday afternoon.

The incident triggered emergency procedures at Belfast City Airport and has forced the runway to close for the rest of the day.

Several flights have been redirected to Belfast International Airport.

The airline operating the flight said the incident was a result of adverse weather conditions, which has been disrupting travel across the UK.

A spokesperson Belfast City Airport said: At around 1600 today, Sunday December 22, an Aer Lingus regional flight, operated by Emerald Airlines, had an incident on landing at Belfast City Airport.

This was a positioning flight with no passengers but four crew members on board.

The airports emergency procedures were enacted.

The runway is currently closed and will be for the rest of the day. Passengers are asked to contact their airline.

A spokesperson from Emerald Airlines said: An Emerald Airlines positioning flight, EA701P, with no passengers on board, flying from Edinburgh to Belfast City Airport, December 22 2024, experienced a hard landing upon arriving into Belfast City Airport due to adverse weather conditions.

A spokesperson for Belfast International Airport said: Following the incident at Belfast City Airport this afternoon we have taken four diverted flights.

As we already had a heavier schedule than usual, we are now, with these additional flights, close to capacity so we are limited in how many more redirected flights we can take this evening, however we will continue to support where possible.

Our website will carry the most up-to-date information for arrivals and departures and if anyone has any queries they should be directed to the airlines.

Given the circumstances, our teams on the ground are working to help these additional flights as quickly as possible.

We would ask for passengers patience as we support each additional flight.
In an era where we are living longer, the significance of caring for our older loved ones cannot be overstated.

As the years advance, so do the challenges that come with ageing - highlighting the importance of compassionate care.

Home Instead, Ireland's leading home care provider, has a unique approach known as "relationship-based care".

Unlike traditional caregiving, relationship-based care begins with building a strong bond with the client. This relationship forms the cornerstone upon which the best care is delivered.

Our comprehensive range of services, including personal care, meal preparation, companionship, dementia care, live-in care, and overnight care, is designed to cater to those diverse needs.

Home care bridges the gap between ageing at home and transitioning to a nursing home.

While nursing homes have their place, there is no place like home. Ageing individuals benefit from the familiarity and comfort of their surroundings, cherished memories, and the independence they deserve.

In this ageing population, the requirement of home care continues to grow. As a result, our CAREGiver base is consistently expanding.

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Hyderabad: Telugu actor Allu Arjun refused to leave the theatre during the screening of 'Pushpa-2' on December 4, even after being informed about a stampede that claimed a womans life, police officials stated on Sunday.

Speaking at a press conference on the annual round-up of 2024, city police commissioner C V Anand presented a video compilation, created using news footage and mobile recordings, to illustrate the chaos at the scene, reported PTI. While Anand refrained from commenting on the video, he invited the media to draw their own conclusions.

A police official recounted the events of that night, stating that attempts were made to inform Allu Arjun of the situation. Officers had initially contacted the actors manager but were reportedly denied direct access to the star. The manager assured them the message would be conveyed but failed to do so.

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The official said he later managed to reach the actor, told him about the woman's death and asked him to leave the theatre so that the fans wouldn't harm each other while trying to catch a glimpse of him.

The official also told the actor that security arrangements would be made for his exit. However, the actor said he would go only after watching the film, the police official said. Later, accompanied by a senior officer, the official went inside and brought the actor out.

Commissioner Anand also addressed allegations that bouncers hired by the actor had manhandled fans and police during the stampede. He warned of strict legal action if the claims were verified, stating that VIPs would be held accountable for the behaviour of their security personnel.

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When asked about the possibility of appealing the interim bail granted to Allu Arjun, Anand declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation. He also avoided discussing allegations from the deceased womans family that the actors team threatened them to stay silent.

Meanwhile, state Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy found fault with Allu Arjun's response on Saturday to the debate in the Legislative Assembly. The minister, who observed that the actor should have respect for the government and the chief minister, demanded an apology from Allu Arjun to the government and the CM. "This government is never vindictive. As Cinematography Minister, we allowed benefit shows and hiking ticket prices to promote the film industry," he said.

However, Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar found fault with CM Revanth Reddy for his comments on Allu Arjun in the Assembly on Saturday. The comments of the CM sounded like character assassination of Allu Arjun and hurting the Telugu film industry, he alleged in a statement.

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Later in the day, Sanjay Kumar visited a boy who is undergoing treatment in a hospital after being injured in the stampede. "Consoled his father over the heartbreaking loss of his wife, Revathi. I pray to god that Sritej recovers at the earliest. Assured support to the family in this difficult time," Kumar said on X.

Earlier in the day, state DGP Jitender told reporters in Karimnagar district that film personalities and all others should understand that the safety and security of citizens are of utmost importance and also conduct themselves accordingly.
An Essay review of Jeff Hawking's book, A Thousand Brains: A new theory of intelligence

Elements of a Paradigm Shift in thinking about thinking

While neuroscience remains stuck in a state of perpetual uncertainty, seemingly perpetually hovering over the intractable mind-body problem, Jeff Hawkins, an Engineer turned self-taught neuroscientist, boldly advances forward.

Drawing upon his engineering expertise and employing "constraint-guided" deductive thought experiments (which are subsequently validated through simulation analysis), Hawkins makes subtle yet significant refinements to his pattern recognition-prediction framework introduced in "On Intelligence."

In his second book, "A Thousand Brains," Hawking, following in the footsteps of Nobel Laureate Santiago Ramon de Cabajal and Vernon B Mountcastle, systematically unravels the mystery of the neocortex. He reveals that the neocortex contains thousands of copies of the same brain circuits depicted in de Cabajal's Nobel Prize-winning diagrams as cortical mini-columns nestled deep within the structure of each neuron.

These dendritic-driven circuits serve as the brain's mini-processors, receiving inputs and generating predictions. Notably, these circuits are replicated for every one of de Cabajal's 150,000 columns across every sensory region of the neocortex. Their most crucial function lies in using their locally-based predictions to prime parent neurons, prompting them to cast their votes for the most probable whole, integrated systemwide prediction based on the parent neuron's higher-level shared inputs.

The resulting coherent integrated prediction shapes our understanding of the world. As neurons are activated, they give rise to our thoughts, consciousness, and indeed, our perception of the external world.

While this discovery may seem groundbreaking, it is not the culmination of Hawking's significant mid-course correction to his earlier theory. The true crowning achievement lies in the revelation that during the process of making piecewise predictions, each neuronal circuit constructs its own reference frames responsible for constructing hundreds of thousands of sensory-mode-specific prediction models of the external world.

So, what does all this mean?

If these updates withstand rigorous peer review, Hawking's modest contributions will have successfully introduced a novel theoretical framework that profoundly reshapes our understanding of cognition and the brain's intelligence. Consequently, the neuroscience community will be compelled to abandon its pursuit of the elusive mind-body problem and embrace the realization that the majority of neurons in our neocortex are dedicated to creating and manipulating reference frames that the brain employs to construct models for planning and thinking.

These hundreds of thousands of reference frame-generating mini-processors collectively store all our knowledge throughout our lives as a distributed network of dynamically evolving neuronal connections.

The culmination of Hawking's work is the elimination of the mind-body problem, as there is no mind, only a body. Neuronal activity permeates every aspect of our existence.

Having navigated through a labyrinth of intricate constraints, Hawking's refinements to his "On Intelligence" pattern recognition prediction framework provide a comprehensive picture of how the brain comprehends the world. In doing so, it begins to offer answers to some of neuroscience's most perplexing questions, such as: How do our diverse sensory inputs coalesce into a unified experience? What transpires during our thought processes? What constitutes consciousness? How can two individuals arrive at divergent beliefs from the same observations? What is the essence of abstract thinking? How does the brain process language? And why do we possess a sense of self?

A few crucial details are worth noting. Santiago Ramon de Cabajal, the first to meticulously examine the intricate circuitry within the neocortex, was awarded the Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking discovery of the structure of neocortical columns. One of de Cabajal's initial observations was the arrangement of neurons in layers based on variations in size, density, connectivity, and behavior.

As we delved into "On Intelligence," we discovered that inputs enter our brains at the lowest rung of de Cabajal's six-layer hierarchy. When predictions are confirmed, they become part of our shared knowledge base of experiences. Conversely, if predictions are incorrect, they ascend the cortical ladder, learning and becoming more abstract at each higher level. At the pinnacle of this hierarchy lies language and generalized abstract thinking, exemplified by mathematics.

As Mountcastle had forewarned in his seminal paper, "An Organizing Principle for Cerebral Function: The Unit Module and the Distributed System" (reprinted in "The Mindful Brain" by Gerald M. Edelman and Vernon B. Mountcastle, MIT Press, 1982), despite the uniform appearance of circuits across the neocortex, this phenomenon may hold significant implications. It suggests that every region of the neocortex employs the same algorithm to perform its respective functions, which likely encompass far more intricate and crucial tasks beyond mere sensory feature extraction.

Driven by this intriguing idea, Hawking relentlessly pursued it, determined to unravel the more profound secret it held.

After five arduous years of dedicated research, primarily relying on thought experiments and computer simulations, Hawking finally struck gold.

The revelation is that Mountcastle's secret lies in the fact that our brain connections recognize patterns that generate predictions, and subsequently store them as distributed dynamic reference-frame-based models of the world. These models are continually created, learned, and stored through our everyday experiences.

With every experience, new knowledge is added to the model by forming new synapses. The small percentage of neurons that are active at any given moment represent and account for our perceptions, thoughts, and consciousness. Ultimately, they are merely what it feels like to have an active neocortex. When the neocortex is inactive, the rest, which comprises the memory that makes up the distributed knowledge base of our stored experiences, comes into play.

Through simple deduction, the author uncovered Mountcastle's secret: the neocortex stores everything we know as a systemwide distributed network using map-like reference frames to construct its prediction models. The brain utilizes these models to engage in survival-enhancing thoughts. Intelligence lies in our ability to learn and apply these models to enhance our survival.

Trailblazing! Ten stars

(Article changed on Dec 26, 2024 at 6:37 AM EST)
Mark your calendar: From Bethlehem Prof. Qumsiyeh (founder and Director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability, Bethlehem University) and from Gaza Prof. Dr Yasser El-Nahhal (Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Islamic University, Gaza) speak of past , present, and future during a genocide and an ecocide. Tuesday 24 December 2024 at 9 PM Palestine time, 7 PM London Time, 2 PM EST. Link: meet.google.com/dpe-pdnw-zqw

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Hundreds of people have slept outside in freezing weather in the Damascus region, hoping to find a loved one who might still be alive in one of the many prison complexes run by former president Assad, who fled Syria on December 8. Recently, the unguarded prisons began to be broken into as thousands of prisoners found freedom, some after decades of torture and horrific conditions.

Every country has prisons, but Syria's were notorious for being filled with hundreds of thousands of political prisoners. Sednaya prison has been dubbed the "human slaughterhouse". It is just one of the dozens of horrific prisons. Still, it has become the focus of news reports after Syrian and international journalists have gone inside recently to inspect the bone saw, vats of acid, and the body-crushing machines utilized in the vast complex housing tens of thousands.

The dreaded, and deadly secret police, Mohabarat, hunted down citizens who said anything, no matter how slight, against Assad or his regime. A careless comment on Facebook, or a slip of the tongue on the phone, could send a person to prison, and sometimes it meant death.

There were no charges, lawyers, trials, sentencing, or family visits. A person just disappeared, and if loved ones asked questions, they were told to shut up or face the same fate. Occasionally, a judge could be bribed with huge sums of money, and a prisoner could be freed. But since poverty is rampant in Syria, even the door of bribery was locked shut.

Before the 2011 uprising against Assad, Syria had enough gas and oil wells to fulfill domestic needs for gasoline, heating oil and oil to be converted into electricity for the national grid. Once the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish militia in the northeast, occupied the wells the Assad regime had to buy petroleum products from Iran, and the price of gasoline went up, heating oil became scarce and electricity dropped to 30 minutes in three intervals per day.

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SAN ANTONIO, TX - The Snapka Law Firm, Injury & Malpractice Lawyers, a leading personal injury and medical malpractice law firm serving Texas for over three decades, is proud to announce the relocation of its San Antonio office. The firm's new address is 2211 Buena Vista St #116, San Antonio, TX 78207. This move reaffirms The Snapka Law Firm's commitment to serving the San Antonio community and its surrounding areas with 
Former Oregon State inside linebacker Melvin Jordan IV has found a new home, as redshirt sophomore announce Sunday that hes transferring to Georgia Tech.

Jordan, who played three years for Oregon State, started 10 games for the Beavers this past season. Jordan has familiarity with Georgia Tech, as he grew up in Florida and went to high school in St. Petersburg.

Jordan is the third Oregon State player from its 2024 roster to go into the transfer portal and find a new school, all at Power 4 programs. Others are cornerback Andre Jordan Jr. (UCLA) and offensive lineman Luka Vincic (Michigan State).

Jordan had 45 tackles, third best behind safety Skyler Thomas and Chisom.

Jordan was one of two starting inside linebackers OSU lost to the portal, joining Isaiah Chisom. The Beavers found some help over the weekend, as USCs Raesjon Davis announced that hes transferring to Oregon State.

--Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, ndaschel@oregonian.com or @nickdaschel.

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Unionized Starbucks workers in the Portland area have joined a five-day strike that started Friday to protest a lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company.

The strikes by baristas and other workers organized with the union Starbucks Workers United began in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and have spread to a dozen cities in the busy lead-up to Christmas.

The strike had closed 59 stores as of Monday afternoon, according to the union organizing the workers. But Starbucks officials said Monday it has had no significant impact to its store operations.

We respect our partners right to engage in lawful strike activity, and we appreciate the thousands of partners across the country who are continuing to support each other and deliver the Starbucks experience for our customers, the company said Monday in a statement.

Workers at 535 company-owned U.S. stores have voted to unionize since 2021, but Starbucks has nearly 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores.

Roughly three dozen Starbucks locations in Oregon are organized under Starbucks Workers United, according to the union, and about 20 in the Portland area. It was not clear how many were participating in the walkout but employees planned to picket a location in Beaverton.

Starbucks Workers United, which began the unionization effort in 2021, said Starbucks has failed to honor a commitment made in February to reach a labor agreement this year. The union also wants the company to resolve outstanding legal issues, including hundreds of unfair labor practice charges that workers have filed with the National Labor Relations Board.

The union noted that Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol, who started in September, could make more than $100 million in his first year on the job. But it said the company recently proposed an economic package with no new wage increases for unionized baristas now and a 1.5% increase in future years.

Union baristas know their value, and theyre not going to accept a proposal that doesnt treat them as true partners, Starbucks Workers United President Lynne Fox said.

Starbucks said Workers United prematurely ended a bargaining session this week.

We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table, the company said in a statement.

Negotiations are currently focused on pay raises. Starbucks said it has committed to an annual pay increase of at least 1.5% for unionized workers. If the company gave a lower increase to non-union workers in any given year, it still would give union workers a 1.5% increase.

Starbucks said the union wants to increase the minimum wage for hourly workers by 64% immediately and 77% over the life of a three-year contract.

Starbucks said it already pays an average of $18 per hour. With benefits  including health care, free college tuition and paid family leave  Starbucks' pay package is worth an average of $30 per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week.

The strikes wont be the first for Starbucks during the busy holiday season. In November 2023, thousands of workers at more than 200 stores walked out on Red Cup Day, when the company usually gives away thousands of reusable cups. Hundreds of workers also went on strike in June 2023 to protest after the union said Starbucks banned Pride displays at some stores.

The union and the company struck a different tone early this year, when they returned to the bargaining table and pledged to reach an agreement. Starbucks said it has held nine bargaining sessions with the union since April, and has reached more than 30 agreements with the union.

But Starbucks has struggled with falling sales and lower customer traffic in the U.S. and abroad this year, and the CEO who promised to work for a labor agreement, Laxman Narasimhan, was forced out this summer. Niccol quashed a unionization campaign at Chipotle when he was the CEO there, but he pledged to work constructively with the union in a September letter.

Now, Starbucks and the union appear to be at an impasse.

In a year when Starbucks invested so many millions in top executive talent, it has failed to present the baristas who make its company run with a viable economic proposal, Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a Starbucks barista from Texas and bargaining delegate, said in a statement.

-- Staff and wire reports
In Portlands Central Eastside, small acts of kindness are supersized  blown up, immortalized in colorful bursts of paint and splashed across the walls of once-drab buildings.

Strolling along Belmont Street, you might find yourself sucked into a perfectly still scene alive with good intentions. Faceless, purple figures clink coffee cups and chat with other equally purple, equally frozen friends. They recycle cans, hold up umbrellas for pets and dance against the colorful, brick-textured background.

The mural, titled Streets of Hope, covers two walls on the corner of Southeast Eight Avenue and Yamhill Street. Its the most recent project by the Portland Street Art Alliance and part of its ongoing initiative to uplift the citys unhoused community through art.

To accurately reflect a community, you have to be willing to involve them in the process, said Tiffany Conklin, PSAAs executive director.

We make murals in the streets, and many times we go out there and were in their living room essentially, right? she said. For us, it feels right to bring them into the fold.

This mission began in 2021 with the inauguration of the Leroy Blocks, a series of murals honoring and inspired by Leroy Sly Scott, a beloved Portlander who spent 30 years living unhoused in the Sunnyside area. Community members rallied in support of the project, Conklin said  holding up flashlights and helping to redirect traffic during painting days.

A mural dedicated to Leroy Sly Scott located on Southeast 34th Avenue and Southeast Belmont Street in Portland, Oregon, taken on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.Sean Meagher/The Oregonian

Streets of Hope takes community involvement to the next level. Exploring themes related to how Portlands unhoused community cares for each other, the mural was created in collaboration with five local nonprofits: P:ear, Street Books, Street Roots, Sisters of the Road and Ground Score Association.

With more than a decade of experience as a project manager at Portland State Universitys survey research lab, data-informed design has always been a dream of Conklins. Streets of Hope brought this aspiration to life.

Although the first swipe of paint didnt hit the walls until late August, initial planning and grant applications began more than two years earlier. In March, the group contracted Damon Smyth, a Portland-raised muralist and comic book artist  and he and Conklin spent the next few months interviewing members of each nonprofit.

Portland-raised muralist and comic book illustrator Damon Smyth was the artist behind "Streets of Hope."Courtesy of Portland Street Art Alliance

In every conversation, Smyth encouraged individuals to be unfiltered in their answers. He often started sessions by prompting members to draw something that connected to them, then looked for ways to incorporate these ideas into the murals final design.

Connecting with the community  especially those from P:ear, a mentorship organization for unhoused youth  was both a learning opportunity and a chance to serve as a role model, Smyth said.

As a 16-year-old living in Portland in 2008, Smyth was incarcerated for three years, a sentence that was followed by a 6-month period of homelessness, he said. It was in prison that comic books became his go-to escape mechanism, he said, a hobby that later turned into a career illustrating historical graphic novels.

In 2020, amid the wave of national and local Black Lives Matter protests, Smyth started painting again  reviving a casual childhood interest in graffiti and turning it into massive downtown murals featuring George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Hes been painting murals full time since 2021.

We can go down the wrong path sometimes, but you can still be successful, Smyth said.  You can still be a great person. You can still be highly empathetic. You can still be valued. You can still be seen as someone that contributes to society.

"Streets of Hope" is a mural exploring how Portland's unhoused community takes care of each other.Courtesy of Portland Street Art Alliance

Theres a lot of beauty in Portlands unhoused communities, he said. The heart of Streets of Hope isnt just depicting the communitys struggles  its showing how much joy, light and kindness individuals emit despite them.

Every element of the mural is directly inspired by the stories of those he interviewed, Smyth said.

The massive, realistic depiction of two hands reaching for each other was pulled from an instance he witnessed first-hand where two people helped each other up during a drawing session. After noticing how unhoused individuals prioritize their pets needs, he sketched a vignette where a man holds an umbrella over his dog.

For "Streets of Hope," the Portland Street Art Alliance collaborated with five local nonprofits, including Street Roots, a weekly social justice newspaper.Courtesy of Portland Street Art Alliance

Theres a hand holding a rolled-up newspaper, a reference to the weekly social justice paper dispersed by Street Roots. Scattered coffee allusions  a pair of people holding takeout cups, a giant mug sloshing liquid across the wall  exist as a nod to the P:ear cafe, where some interviews took place.

One scene youth were adamant Smyth included was an image of three people dancing, arms stretched up toward the sky.

I felt so inspired that people that dont even have a roof over their head can still laugh and dance and sing together, he said. They were always excited to be around me, and I was excited to be around them.

PSAA invited nonprofit members to join in on a few early days of painting, filling in Smyths outlines with spray paint gusts and soaked acrylic paint rollers.

Portland Street Art Alliance held two community painting days where members of local nonprofits helped Damon Smyth with the mural painting process.Courtesy of Portland Street Art Alliance

For Smyth, art gave him an outlet through which to channel his energy during his incarceration. Making art offers individuals something they have complete control over, he said  a way to reclaim a sense of childhood nostalgia, a spark of life.

Hes currently wrapping up two murals at Beavertons first year-round homeless shelter, where hell teach art classes as part of its yearlong residency program.

Part of the human experience is creation, Smyth said.  We have machines that build better than us, we have computers that are better at math  but art is still one of those things that cant be duplicated.

With Streets of Hope, he said, the goal is that the murals inherent empathy will be infectious.

 I hope that people will see it and theyll treat someone different that day because of it, he said.

Dance came up frequently in Damon Smyth's conversations with local unhoused community members.Courtesy of Portland Street Art Alliance

 Veronica Nocera covers life and culture. You can reach her at vnocera@oregonian.com, 503-221-8111 or @vernocera
The Washington Post has documented three times as many deaths of Native American children in Indian boarding schools as the U.S. Interior Department acknowledged earlier this year.

The newspapers investigation  which aimed to highlight gaps in the federal governments official accounting of what happened to Native American children who were wrested from their homes in the name of assimilation  found that 3,104 Native children died at the schools in U.S. custody between 1828 and 1970, including at least 270 at Chemawa Indian Training School in Salem.

The U.S. government previously said that 973 Native children died in the boarding schools, including 53 children at Chemawa, the newspaper reported.

The causes of death included infectious diseases, malnutrition and accidents, records show, wrote the Post. Dozens died in suspicious circumstances, and in some instances the records provide indications of abuse or mistreatment that likely resulted in childrens deaths. A 10-year-old boy was fatally shot in 1912 at an Alaska school, a newspaper reported. A girl in Oregon fell from a high window there & was brought home a corpse in 1887, according to a teachers diary.

The 270 number is not new, however. The Posts report drew on the work of independent historian SuAnn Reddick and Pacific University archivist Eva Guggemos, who published their research into Chemawa deaths in 2021.

Both Reddick and Guggemos said the 3,104 figure likely underestimates the death toll  and that the growing research into the boarding schools will continue to substantiate the harm that Native communities have known for decades.

This is just the beginning, Reddick said.

The U.S. government has said that at least 18,000 children, some as young as 4, were taken from their parents to attend the federal boarding schools, including 10 in Oregon, according to the Associated Press.

President Joe Biden issued a formal apology for the assimilation practice in October.

 Beth Slovic is an editor on the public safety and breaking news team. Reach her at 503-221-8551 or bslovic@oregonian.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.  First it was Canada, then the Panama Canal. Now, Donald Trump again wants Greenland.

The president-elect is renewing unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U.S. to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allied countries with which hes picking fights even before taking office on Jan. 20.

In a Sunday announcement naming his ambassador to Denmark, Trump wrote that, For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.

Trump again having designs on Greenland comes after the president-elect suggested over the weekend that the U.S. could retake control of the Panama Canal if something isnt done to ease rising shipping costs required for using the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Hes also been suggesting that Canada become the 51st U.S. state and referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as governor of the Great State of Canada.

Greenland, the worlds largest island, sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. It is 80% covered by an ice sheet and is home to a large U.S. military base. It gained home rule from Denmark in 1979 and its head of government, Mute Bourup Egede, suggested that Trumps latest calls for U.S. control would be as meaningless as those made in his first term.

Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale, he said in a statement. We must not lose our years-long fight for freedom.

Trump canceled a 2019 visit to Denmark after his offer to buy Greenland was rejected by Copenhagen, and ultimately came to nothing.

He also suggested Sunday that the U.S. is getting ripped off at the Panama Canal.

If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question, he said.

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino responded in a video that every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to, but Trump fired back on his social media site, Well see about that!

The president-elect also posted a picture of a U.S. flag planted in the canal zone under the phrase, Welcome to the United States Canal!

The United States built the canal in the early 1900s but relinquished control to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.

The canal depends on reservoirs that were hit by 2023 droughts that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships, administrators also increased the fees that shippers are charged to reserve slots to use the canal.

The Greenland and Panama flareups followed Trump recently posting that Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State and offering an image of himself superimposed on a mountaintop surveying surrounding territory next to a Canadian flag.

Trudeau suggested that Trump was joking about annexing his country, but the pair met recently at Trumps Mar-a-Lago club in Florida to discuss Trumps threats to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods.

-- The Associated Press
The display cases in Cedar and Sea are like many others in museum exhibits, full of traditional objects such as baskets, fishing hooks, carving tools and boxes. But compared with many other Indigenous exhibits in nontribal museums, there is a key difference: Most things here are not artifacts.

Cedar and Sea and ntsayka ilii ukuk  This is Our Place are the latest exhibits at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria that highlight modern communities and traditional culture in Indigenous communities along the northern Pacific coast.

Its a big change at the north Oregon coast museum. Since it opened in 1963, the Columbia River Maritime Museum has had little in the way of Indigenous representation. Its current 26,000 square feet of gallery space has primarily housed boats, artifacts, art and exhibits focused on the last 200 years of primarily EuroAmerican maritime history.

But as the museum eyes a $30 million renovation project, headlined by the new 24,671-square foot Mariners Hall, it is also looking at ways to fill holes in the story it has been telling.

Jeff Smith, curator at the museum, said the effort to connect with Native communities has been more word of mouth than institutional, eschewing the more common museum-to-tribe approach.

It was very personal, not institution to institution, Smith said. By doing it that way we were focusing on the artists and their art, but also allowing them to share their culture.

That approach is clear in the beautiful and sprawling Cedar and Sea, which includes videos that highlight individual artists and their crafts. But ntsayka ilii ukuk, a small photographic exhibit, is a direct partnership with the Chinook Indian Nation, a Washington tribe at the mouth of the Columbia River that is currently fighting for federal recognition.

Bruce Jones, executive director of the museum, said the intention is now to always maintain some inclusion of the Chinook Indian Nation, whose headquarters is just across the river, as well as more exhibits on Indigenous culture and history around the region as the museum expands.

Its an ongoing cultural story, Jones said. Theres a lot more we could do.

For now, the public can see the Columbia River Maritime Museums latest efforts: two exhibits that shine a light on a few of the Indigenous cultures that have long been absent from its story.

A Nuu-chal-nuth sealing canoe sits at the center of the Cedar and Sea, exhibit. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

A variety of traditional carving tools are on display. Some are historic artifacts, but most are replicas. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

A small side room shows the raw elements that are harvested for traditional crafts made by Native people along the Northwest coast.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

CEDAR AND SEA

From the forest entryway to the display cases and the objects inside, the Western redcedar tree is omnipresent in Cedar and Sea.

Focused on the coastal areas where the Western redcedar grows, along the Pacific coast from Northern California to the southern arm of Alaska, the exhibit traces the plants uses from harvest to finished product, showcasing Native artists who are using the tree in their traditional lifeways.

(While called cedar throughout the exhibit, a dendrologist would remind you that the Western redcedar is not a true cedar  though thats how the tree is often called in the Pacific Northwest, where there are no native cedars.)

Besides the cases filled with objects, the museum has erected tall video screens that show footage and interviews of some of the main contributing artists  a reminder that these traditional crafts are actively being done by living people in their communities.

Nathan Jackson, a Tlingit carver who is featured in the exhibit, said hes spent his career making poles, paddles, canoes and many other smaller objects in the traditional styles of his ancestors. The spirit of that work carries on, he said, even if the methods have changed.

At this point, there are many different tools you can be able to use and to be able to maintain the same characteristics of traditional work, Jackson said.

A bentwood box created by Tsimshian artist David Boxley is on display at the center of the exhibit. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Display cases in "Cedar and Sea" showcase new traditional works by Northwest Native artists. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Another featured artist, Suquamish basket maker Ed Carriere, contributed pieces to Cedar and Sea that were completely new to him. While he was adept in making clamming baskets, he was challenged to make a shrimp trap for the museum. He also made what he calls the archeology basket, which showcases several millennia of weaving techniques in one piece.

When you get into basketry you get into your ancestors  how they lived, what they did in the wintertime, how they gathered the cedar limbs, the cedar bark, the root, Carriere said at the opening reception of the exhibit. By doing that all my life, I really can understand how my ancestors lived and what they did in their lives.

Jones said Cedar and Sea was about five years in the making. It replaces the museums previous section on local Indigenous culture, which was a small piece of its larger exhibit on the maritime history of the lower Columbia River.

When creating the new exhibit, the museum wanted to get away from stereotypical past-tense portrayals of Native peoples, he said.

To us it was just something that would resonate more with our visitors, Jones said. It would do a disservice to any of the tribes to simply portray history with some artifacts that were collected by explorers in the 1700s and 1800s, and not show the contemporary voices.

Smith said his work as curator was to focus on living, breathing people, including contemporary artists and craftspeople. While a few genuine artifacts are found in the exhibit, the majority of the roughly 170 objects are new, he said  either works by Native artists or historical replicas made by outside organizations.

This exhibit reaches back into the past and brings you right to the present day, Smith said.

ntsayka ilii ukuk  This is Our Place was created in collaboration with the Chinook Indian Nation and photographer Amiran White. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Skakwal, a 24-foot canoe, is on display at the center of the exhibit. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Photographs from Chinook Indian Nation highlight ceremonies alongside everyday life.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

THIS IS OUR PLACE

On the other side of the wall from the entrance to Cedar and Sea is ntsayka ilii ukuk  This is Our Place, a small exhibit that focuses on the Chinook Indian Nation, a tribe that lives at the mouth of the Columbia River and has been fighting for federal recognition for decades.

In the exhibit, the community is showcased through a series of images by documentary photographer Amiran White, who relocated to Oregon from England and has spent the past decade working with the tribe.

Her work offers a broad window into the Chinookan community, showing a variety of traditional ceremonies as well as slices of everyday life.

Theres a photo of a dugout canoe gliding across calm waters, its five paddlers in silhouette. Beside it, an image of an older and younger woman, perhaps mother and daughter, harvesting nettles from the forest. Down the wall is a picture of two girls sharing a bite of ice cream. Two spots down, theres a photo of a salmon ceremony.

In some images, the people are dressed in regalia, but in most theyre in T-shirts and jeans, flannel shirts and rain boots. They show a community immersed both in classic Americana, like summer ice cream and high school graduation, as well as their traditional lifeways.

It echoes similar photographic exhibits on, say, the black rodeo or Ikoi no Kai, but for the Chinook tribe, ntsayka ilii ukuk is a crucial distillation of its mission to secure a prosperous future for our descendants while honoring our ancestors, according to an exhibit placard.

White, who pulled the two dozen images from her vast collection taken over the years, said she has shared the tribes goal of exposure  an effort not just to gain federal recognition but a greater public recognition as well. She said she hopes that effort comes through for the people who visit the exhibit.

Im hoping that they realize and see that there is an Indigenous community right there on the land where theyre at, White said. I hope that it gives them enough curiosity to find out more and maybe see what they can do to help, and to be good allies.

The Columbia River Maritime Museum is open 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria; $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, $8 for kids.

--Jamie Hale covers travel and the outdoors and co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast. Reach him at 503-294-4077, jhale@oregonian.com or @HaleJamesB.

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Portland is great place to celebrate Christmas, according to a new ranking.

WalletHub ranked the top 20 U.S. cities for Christmas and Portland came in at No. 14.

To compile the list, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated cities across five key dimensions: 1) Traditions & Fun, 2) Observance, 3) Generosity, 4) Shopping and 5) Costs.

The No. 1 Christmas city in the country? Atlanta. Seattle made the top five, coming in at No. 3.

Here are some of the things that make Portland a great city for celebrating the holidays:

Holiday light displays

The holiday light displays on Southeast Portlands Peacock Lane is one of the oldest  and most famous  in Portland. The lane will be illuminated and open to holiday visitors until Dec. 31. Hot cocoa and cider is available nightly while supplies last.

Peacock Lane is the most famous of Portlands holiday displays, but its certainly not the only one. You can find elaborate displays in neighborhoods all around the metro area.

Portlands Tree

Portlands Tree in Pioneer Courthouse Square draws thousands to its annual tree lighting and serves as a backdrop for downtown shopping through the holiday season.

Portlands Tree Lighting will be live in person at Pioneer Courthouse Square the day after Thanksgiving.The Square PDX

Christmas Ships

The Christmas Ships celebrate 70 years on the water this year. You can watch the procession of lighted ships from a variety of riverfront locations, on both the Willamette and the Columbia, around the metro area.

Portland Winter Ice Rink

Downtown Portlands outdoor ice rink has returned for its second year. It will be open at its location near the Morrison Bridge through Jan. 5.

34 1 / 34 Portland winter ice rink ribbon cutting 2023 Mark Graves/The Oregonian

Zoolights

The Oregon Zoos light display is a holiday staple, featuring thousands of lights.

Zoolights also runs through Jan. 5.

Holiday pop-up bars

Portland is renowned for its inventive bar scene, and the holiday season is certainly no different. Local establishments offer holiday specials and Christmas pop-ups that serve holiday-themed cocktails and mocktails.

And more...

The Portland area is also a great place to cut your own Christmas tree in a national forest, catch a ride on a holiday train and more. Check out our full holiday events guide.

Every year, owners of the Forest Park Drive-In on Northwest Skyline Boulevard in Portland adorn the mid-century, nostalgia-heavy landmark with Christmas decorations, including a tree. November 18, 2024Beth Nakamura

 Julie Evensen covers trending topics and popular culture. She can be reached at jevensen@oregonian.com or @juliecevensen on Twitter and @julieevensen on Threads.

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Buckman's new R&D pilot plant is named in honor of Robert H. (Bob) Buckman, who served in the past as both CEO and Chairman of the Board, to recognize his leadership through the 1980s and 1990s. Buckman's new R&D pilot plant is named in honor of Robert H. (Bob) Buckman, who served in the past as both CEO and Chairman of the Board, to recognize his leadership through the 1980s and 1990s.

Buckman Unveils New $10 Million Robert H. Buckman Chemical R&D Pilot Plant

Dec. 23, 2024 - Buckman recently unveiled its new, state-of-the art chemical R&D pilot plant facility on the campus of its global headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. The new R&D pilot plant is named in honor of Robert H. (Bob) Buckman, who served in the past as both CEO and Chairman of the Board, to recognize his leadership through the 1980s and 1990s, and his nationally recognized expertise on "knowledge sharing."

Bob Buckman authored the book on the subject in 2004, Building a Knowledge-Driven Organization, pioneering the importance of sharing knowledge across an organization to drive results and identified the computer as the tool to facilitate that knowledge sharing by accelerating and advancing innovation and success.

The company recently invested over $10 million in the new, 12,400 square foot facility to accelerate and support chemical and digital innovation. The differential solutions Buckman brings to market improve customers' manufacturing processes, products and even their environmental footprint in industries like pulp and paper, water treatment and leather. This significant investment underscores the company's commitment to innovation and growth, positioning us to deliver innovative chemical solutions to our customers while fostering economic development within our community.

The pilot plant is a key step in the research and development process at Buckman whereby the company manages ideas to commercialization using a stage-gate process. The pilot plant enables the scaleup of a lab bench product for further improvements and refinements, before it can be commercialized. Successful testing and production at this stage is critical to not only test the efficacy of new products, but to also plan for their safe and effective production at scale in any of Buckman's manufacturing sites around the world in the U.S., Brazil, S. Africa, Europe and China.

The new R&D pilot plant is designed to accelerate the development of advanced chemical processes and products, enabling Buckman to respond swiftly to market demands and customer needs. The new R&D pilot plant is designed to accelerate the development of advanced chemical processes and products, enabling Buckman to respond swiftly to market demands and customer needs.

The new R&D pilot plant is designed to accelerate the development of advanced chemical processes and products, enabling Buckman to respond swiftly to market demands and customer needs. By integrating the latest technologies and methodologies, Buckman aims to launch new products, enhance existing product offerings, improve efficiency, and reduce environmental impact. This facility will serve as a hub for experimentation and collaboration, allowing the company's talented team of scientists and engineers to explore the art of the possible in the chemical sector.

The new facility is equipped with the highest safety standards available, bearing witness to Buckman's core value of Safety which is expressed throughout the company that People Matter Most. It also has a robust digital monitoring and analysis system to monitor all functions in real time, collecting data that can optimize both the product application and the process.

"Our investment in this R&D pilot plant signifies more than just a financial commitment; it reflects our belief in the power of innovation as a driver of growth," said Junai Maharaj, CEO of Buckman. "This facility will not only attract top talent from our local universities and across the country but also empower our existing workforce to turn new ideas into innovative solutions, ultimately benefiting our customers and stakeholders."

Maharaj went on to say "Innovation is a key component of our culture, and this investment is one of the most exciting we have made in the last 25 years. The culture of knowledge sharing continues. We hope that the establishment of the R&D pilot plant will also have a profound impact on the local aspiring chemists and chemical engineers. By partnering with local educational institutions, Buckman will provide internship and training opportunities, helping to cultivate the next generation of chemical engineers and scientists. This initiative aligns with our mission to contribute positively to the community and bolster Memphis' growing reputation as a hub for innovation.

"Furthermore, the pilot plant demonstrates Buckman's unwavering commitment to sustainable practices. As we develop new technologies and processes, we aim to minimize waste and enhance resource efficiency, aspiring to set a benchmark for environmental stewardship in the industry," Maharaj noted.

Buckman will celebrate its 80th year of operations in 2025. As it hits this milestone, its recent growth has been driven under the leadership of an independent management team that the family shareholders put in place in 2017.

"We are excited about the future and look forward to delivering even better solutions to our customers, empowering our employees, and contributing to the economic vitality of Memphis," Maharaj concluded.

Buckman is a privately-held, global specialty chemical company with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee.

SOURCE: Buckman
2024 has been a big year for on-device AI in consumer electronics. Both Microsoft and Apple took swings with their respective operating systems, with Microsoft debuting its Copilot+ PC branding for AI-capable laptops and Apple releasing Apple Intelligence.

These early examples offered mixed results. Some features, like real-time translations and on-device speech-to-text, can be useful. Others, like Microsofts Windows Recall, have yet to prove themselves.

All of this hype for AI has important implications for the new year. 2025 looks set to become the year when mainstream developers make their attempts to add on-device AI to their Windows apps, and that means youre going to want to pay even closer attention to the AI performance of modern Windows laptops before you buy a new one.

I spoke with two experts in AI research and testing to probe their brains for insights on how Windows on-device AI will grow in 2025.

Big gains are coming for NPUs

If youre curious about Windows laptops AI performance, youll likely end up comparing the TOPS promised by each laptop model. TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second) is a measurement of an NPUs ability to perform matrix multiplications for on-device AI tasks. (Learn more about what an NPU is and why it matters for AI.)

2024 saw big gains in the TOPS performance available from Windows laptops. To qualify for Microsofts Copilot PC+ branding, a Windows laptop must have at least 40 TOPS of NPU performance. For reference, Qualcomms first Copilot+ PCs quoted about 45 TOPS  thats a four-fold uplift over Intels Meteor Lake Core Ultra 7 165H, which had only quoted 11 TOPS of NPU performance.

Windows Recall on a Copilot+ laptop by Samsung. Microsoft / Samsung

I think Qualcomm really woke everyone up, said Karl Freund, founder and principal analyst at Cambrian AI Research. Freund has noted that AMD and Intel have been quick to respond with their own chips, which delivered a similar uplift.

By the end of 2024, shoppers looking for a premium Windows laptop  like a Microsoft Surface, Asus ProArt, or Dell XPS  can expect a roughly three- or four-fold increase in NPU performance compared to similarly premium laptops that were available at the end of 2023. Thats a huge bump up. But will that trend continue into 2025?

Ryan Shrout, president of performance testing lab Signal65, thinks it could. It wouldnt surprise me if we see double again, and triple again wouldnt surprise me. However, he expects those eventual gains to be weighted more towards the end of next year. My guess is it will be late 2025, and probably into 2026, when we see the most significant NPU improvements.

TOPS may not stay on top for long

A potential two- to three-fold improvement for on-device AI performance is significant. However, Freund and Shrout warned its best not to give too much credence to the TOPS performances that chip makers quote.

TOPS really stands for Terribly Overused Performance Stat,' said Freund. It doesnt have a lot of value.

Shrout agreed, comparing TOPS to the TFLOPS figures that AMD and Nvidia often quote when marketing GPUs. These numbers, which point to a GPUs maximum possible computation speed, offer surprisingly little insight into actual real-world performance.

Real-world AI performance is currently a bit of a wild card, in part because Windows has yet to coalesce around a single API for tapping an NPUs AI capabilities. Thats a problem for owners of Copilot+ laptops that lack a Qualcomm chip inside.

Da Vinci Resolve running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite laptop. Mark Hachman / IDG

Though AMD and Intel have chips that qualify for Copilot+ branding, Qualcomm has enjoyed a favored status so far. Qualcomm machines were the first to receive support for Windows Recall and several popular apps, like Blender and Affinity Photo, which were recently announced to only work on Qualcomm Snapdragon X hardware.

That should change through 2025, however, as Microsoft rallies support for its low-level machine learning API (DirectML) and the Windows Copilot Runtime, which includes several task-specific AI APIs (some of which have yet to be released). For now, its clear that Copilot+ PCs leave a lot to be desired and have lots of room for growth coming up.

I think Microsoft will have this solved in 2025, said Shrout. Once application developers attach to DirectML, like they did with DirectX, it will be a solved problem. And I dont think it will be a problem for long. Shrout compared it to the early days of 3D on the PC, which initially saw competing APIs but eventually consolidated around the leaders, with Microsoft DirectX becoming the most popular option.

Proving the case for Windows AI

Better NPUs and a unified API that makes it easier for Windows application developers to actually use an NPUs full performance are both important steps forward, but they dont necessarily guarantee that on-device AI will become commonplace.

Thats because developers still have the option to turn towards companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, who make their AI models and services available to any device with internet access. And their AI models are still more capable than on-device AI models, able to do more and generate those results far more quickly.

However, those AI models hosted in the cloud have a major downside that will become more relevant in 2025  price.

The fact we can have small language models run on an NPU continuously in the background to monitor whats happening, thats something the cloud cant do, or at least would be much more expensive from an infrastructure standpoint, said Shrout.

OpenAIs recent release of ChatGPT Pro, a new premium tier for power users, seems to drive this point home. ChatGPT Pro provides unlimited access to the companys new o1 model and priority access to the Sora video generator, but its priced at $200 per month. The per-token price paid by app developers to make o1 available to users is similarly steep.

Users and developers who turn to a Windows laptops on-device NPU, on the other hand, can essentially use it whenever they want for free. Thats arguably going to be the final brick laid in the road towards on-device AI. Developers and users will have both the tools and incentives to rely on a Windows laptops NPU whenever possible to cut costs.

It remains to be seen how quickly the shift towards on-device AI will happen, and to what extent it will proliferate through Windows software ecosystem, but its likely that 2025 will be a huge turning point.

I think Qualcomm had it right five years ago when they said AI would move on-device. At first, I was skeptical. But now Ive become a believer, said Freund.
By ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP)  Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the worlds third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels.

The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company.

Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry.

An industry shakeup

The ascent of Chinese automakers is rattling the industry at a time when manufacturers are struggling to shift from fossil fuel-driven vehicles to electrics. Relatively inexpensive EVs from Chinas BYD, Great Wall and Nio are eating into the market shares of U.S. and Japanese car companies in China and elsewhere.

Japanese automakers have lagged behind big rivals in EVs and are now trying to cut costs and make up for lost time.

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi announced in August that they will share components for electric vehicles like batteries and jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to dramatic changes in the auto industry centered around electrification. A preliminary agreement between Honda, Japans second-largest automaker, and Nissan, third largest, was announced in March.

A merger could result in a behemoth worth about $55 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers.

Joining forces would help the smaller Japanese automakers add scale to compete with Japans market leader Toyota Motor Corp. and with Germanys Volkswagen AG. Toyota itself has technology partnerships with Japans Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp.

What would Honda need from Nissan?

Nissan has truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda doesnt have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions.

Nissan also has years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybird powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said.

Nissan does have some product segments where Honda doesnt currently play, that a merger or partnership could help, said Sam Abuelsamid, a Detroit-area automotive industry analsyt.

While Nissans electric Leaf and Ariya havent sold well in the U.S., theyre solid vehicles, Fiorani said. They havent been resting on their laurels, and they have been developing this technology, he said. They have new products coming that could provide a good platform for Honda for its next generation.

Why now?

Nissan said last month that it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global work force, and reducing global production capacity by 20% after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million).

Earlier this month it reshuffled its management and its chief executive, Makoto Uchida, took a 50% pay cut to take responsibility for the financial woes, saying Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes, rising costs and other global changes.

Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissans credit outlook to negative, citing worsening profitability, partly due to price cuts in the North American market. But it noted that it has a strong financial structure and solid cash reserves that amounted to 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion).

Nissans share price has fallen to the point where it is considered something of a bargain. A report in the Japanese financial magazine Diamond said talks with Honda gained urgency after the Taiwan maker of iPhones Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., better known as Foxconn, began exploring a possible acquisition of Nissan as part of its push into the EV sector.

The company has struggled for years following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He eventually was released on bail and fled to Lebanon.

Honda reported its profits slipped nearly 20% in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as sales suffered in China.

More headwinds

Toyota made 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, while Honda rolled out 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million. Even after a merger Toyota would remain the leading Japanese automaker.

All the global automakers are facing potential shocks if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on threats to raise or impose tariffs on imports of foreign products, even from allies like Japan and neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico. Nissan is among the major car companies that have adjusted their supply chains to include vehicles assembled in Mexico.

Meanwhile, analysts say there is an affordability shift taking place across the industry, led by people who feel they cannot afford to pay nearly $50,000 for a new vehicle. In American, a vital market for companies like Nissan, Honda and Toyota, thats forcing automakers to consider lower pricing, which will eat further into industry profits.

____

AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report from Detroit.
A Lancaster County man admitted to using his job at PennDOT to sell test answers to Spanish-speaking residents who otherwise wouldnt have been able to pass the permit or license exams, prosecutors said.

Angel Carrion, 68, was a drivers license examiner assistant who took applicants into a private room and fed them the answers to knowledge tests in exchange for cash, according to the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office. He was arrested in January 2023 and pleaded guilty Tuesday to 17 counts of bribery.

Carrion, a West Lampeter Township resident, was sentenced to seven years of probation. The first two days were served at Lancaster County Prison, and the following nine months will be on house arrest, prosecutors said.

Carrion has already paid back $5,011 in restitution to the victims as part of his sentence, prosecutors said. He is barred from working for any state agency or holding any public office.

Carrion worked at two drivers license centers in Lancaster County  at Regency Square in East Hempfield Township and the Lancaster East center in East Lampeter Township, police said.

He resigned in April 2022 after PennDOTs Risk Management office found irregularities with 686 license or identification card transactions Carrion processed from October 2021 to March 2022. Hed been working for PennDOT since September 2019.

These irregularities included unusual testing patterns, incomplete applications and the absence of required documents, police said.

Immigrants were the bulk of the defrauded applicants, and some applications lacked verification of their immigration or citizenship status. Other applications that were approved were found to be incomplete. Police said all of the applicants who participated in the investigation were in the U.S. legally and were eligible to apply for drivers licenses.

Many applicants who paid Carrion had their licenses recalled, forcing them to resubmit applications, undergo testing again and submit documents that Carrion had omitted, prosecutors said. Multiple people had to be retested because investigators couldnt verify whether they were involved with the scam.

Multiple people did not pass when they were retested. Prosecutors said some of the victims had failed the tests as many as 13 times before paying Carrion for the answers. Carrion told some applicants to fail their computerized tests so he could administer the test privately in exchange for money.

In many cases, the PennDOT investigators determined that applicants had failed the general knowledge exam multiple times on Driver License Center computers but then passed when Carrion administered a paper version of the test, prosecutors said.

Carrions payments were anywhere from $20 to $350, according to the district attorneys office.

Prosecutors said Carrion called himself the Angel of Lancaster who was here to help Spanish people.

In addition to forgery, Carrion pleaded guilty to one count of theft by deception, one county of criminal use of a communication facility and 51 counts of tampering with public records.
An investigation published Sunday by the Washington Post shows that far more Native American children died at the U.S. governments turn-of-the-century boarding schools  including Carlisles  than previously disclosed.

An extensive review of historical records by the Post pegged the number of deaths at 3,104 students between 1828 and 1970  three times the commonly cited federal figure for the schools, whose flagship institution was located on the grounds of what is now the Carlisle Barracks and Army War College.

The Posts project involved dozens of journalists drawing on hundreds of thousands of records, according to the newspaper, including materials that were not included in the Department of the Interiors own analysis.

The newspaper also documented dozens of additional burial sites containing the remains of children who died at the schools, which spanned the nation and where Native American children were forcibly assimilated into White culture, often violently.

Many of the sites are unmarked. The Carlisle cemetery is somewhat of an outlier given that the site containing Native American childrens remains has become a well-known historical site in the Harrisburg region, and its records are comparatively well-preserved.

The Carlisle Indian Industrial School opened in 1879 under the direction of U.S. Army officer Richard Henry Pratt, whose now-infamous motto was kill the Indian in him, and save the man, and whom many scholars have pointed to as a key player the federal governments ethnic cleansing efforts against Native Americans.

Children were typically abducted from tribes that were in conflict with the U.S. military; at the schools, they were subjected to military-style schedules, vocational training, and harsh discipline for any actions that were found insufficiently Anglophone. Pratts model spread to dozens of other boarding schools across the country that began taking Native American children.

The Posts investigative team detailed new historical records about the abysmal safety and sanitation standards at many of the schools, with one expert saying the conditions were more akin to prison camps where disease  the most common cause of death among Indian children at the schools  was rampant.

For several years, archaeologists working with the federal government have carefully disinterred students remains from the Carlisle cemetery and returned them to their tribal ancestors for re-burial; one of the tribes involved in this years round of excavations at Carlisle was profiled by the Post as part of the reporting project.

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden issued a formal national apology for the Indian school program and designated the former Carlisle school site as a national monument. The U.S. Senate passed a bill that would create a reconciliation commission on the issue, which is awaiting action in the House.
The Lebanon County chapter of the NAACP sent letters to its county commissioners and the district attorneys office to raise concerns after reading a PennLive investigation that showed troubling patterns on how sex crimes cases are handled.

About a dozen members of the group attended the commissioners meeting Thursday morning to speak during the public comment period about the issues exposed in the investigation.

Michael Schroeder, secretary of the group, handed printed copies of nine PennLive articles that were part of the yearlong project. The project focused on an alarming number of counties that prosecute a small fraction of reported sex crimes.

Lebanon County ranked 66 out of 67 counties for the lowest number of sex cases filed last year per capita.

Lebanon County also ranked eighth lowest in the state for the rate of sex crimes prosecutions in 2022 and 2023, compared with the number of reported sex crimes.

Lebanon County is prosecuting a woman who said she was raped by a military officer last year for making a false-report report. Experts hired by the defense reviewed the case and concluded the investigation was seriously flawed. Veronika Rodriguez also is facing two additional felony charges related to using her cellphone to record part of the incident in the officers car after she said she became increasingly uncomfortable. Under Pennsylvania law, both parties must consent to being recorded and the officer was not aware.

In addition to Rodriguezs case, a woman named Mandy who said she was raped by a co-worker in Lebanon County was featured in the project. She said state police told her not to expect charges in Lebanon County because she knew her assailant. Her case was closed without charges.

To commissioners, Schroeder said, Our ask is for you to look carefully into this matter. And ask the district attorney to respond publicly and in writing to these questions.

Hess Graf would not respond to PennLives questions for the project despite phone calls, emails and a visit to her office over five months. She did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Four questions in the NAACP letter asked:

For the DAs office policy for allegations of sex assault by victims who know their attacker;

For the DAs office written response protocol for allegations of sexual assault and why the office didnt apply for federal STOP funding that has helped other counties prosecute sex assaults;

Whether the office disagreed with any aspect of PennLives article about their prosecution of Rodriguez; and

Why the office failed to respond to any media inquiries about those issues.

Schroeder said he understands commissioners dont oversee independently elected district attorneys. Only voters do. District Attorney Pier Hess Graf announced recently that she was running for re-election in 2025 to serve a second term.

I know you dont have any authority over the district attorney, but you have a voice. And were asking you to use it, he said.

The day Schroeder delivered his letter to Hess Grafs office, a judge signed a gag order preventing Rodriguez, her family or attorneys associated with her case from speaking about her case. Her case has been going viral on TikTok with some influencers sharing her story. Her friends started an online fundraiser and petition.

Schroeder said the PennLive investigation indicates the DAs office may not be adhering to its mission statement posted prominently on the DAs webpage.

The offices pattern of responses appears to show an egregious failure to fulfill its commitment to victims rights and an equally egregious failure to fulfill its commitment to public engagement.
Susquehanna Township residents may see drones flying over their house this holiday season, but not so fast  it doesnt have anything to do with the mysterious sightings popping up all over the East Coast.

Police announced Monday that drone surveys will be underway from Dec. 24 to Jan. 3 as the township prepares to embark on a drainage improvement project in the Progress Area neighborhood.

The project hopes to solve ongoing flooding problems by replacing the Wood Street culvert, adding new stormwater infrastructure, and installing sidewalks in the Susquehanna Township residential area.

Surveys will be conducted on Wood Street, Sylvan Place, Schoolhouse Lane and Shell Street, weather permitting. Police said the surveys will not majorly affect residents.

Central Pennsylvanians and many others on the East Coast have been on the lookout for drones in recent weeks, as hundreds have been spotted flying over neighborhoods to military bases. The U.S. government is investigating the sightings, including whether they all were indeed drones, but the reasons behind them remain unclear.
UPDATE: Teen shot man twice in the chest after family argument in central Pa. home

A man has been arrested and charged with attempted homicide after a shooting in Fairview Township on Saturday evening, according to police.

Officers were called just before midnight to Meadowbrook Court, located just across from the Capitol City Airport, according to a report from the Fairview Township Police Department.

Police arrived to find one person shot in the chest multiple times, and were told that the assailant had fled. The victim was hospitalized.

Angel Sanjurjo-Rodriguez, age 18, was identified as the suspect, although police did not immediately say how they had pegged Sanjurjo-Rodriguez as the shooter.

Pennsylvania State Police troopers apprehended Sanjurjo-Rodriguez Sunday morning in the Selinsgrove area, according to Fairview Township police.

Sanjurjo-Rodriguez is facing charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and illegal firearms possession, according to court records. He is scheduled for arraignment Sunday night.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Author: Nir Kshetri, University of North Carolina  Greensboro

Police investigating the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, have announced that the suspected assailant had used a 3D-printed gun. Several high-profile crimes in recent years have involved this kind of homemade, or partially homemade, weapon.

Often called ghost guns because they can be hard to trace, these firearms can be either partially or completely made with components that have been produced in metal or plastic on commercially available 3D printers. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering the legality of current federal restrictions on these firearms.

The first known criminal case involving a 3D-printed gun resulted in the arrest of a U.K. man in 2013. But since then, police worldwide have reported finding increasing numbers of these weapons.

My research focuses on the economic and social effects of advanced digital technologies, including 3D printing. I see that the use of 3D-printed guns in criminal and violent activities is likely to continue to increase. And it will likely prove ever harder for governments and police to regulate these firearms.

'Ghost gunsThe Conversation

Surge in arrests and seizures

Arrests and seizures connected to 3D-printed guns are escalating quickly. Between 2017 and 2021, U.S. law enforcement agencies seized and reported nearly 38,000 suspected ghost guns, according to a 2024 report from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In 2021 alone, 19,273 suspected ghost guns were traced, a significant increase from 8,504 in 2020. The number of seized 3D-printed guns in New York state alone surged dramatically, from 100 in 2019 to 637 in 2022.

Arrests linked to 3D-printed guns are also rising. The world recorded 108 arrests in the first half of 2023, compared to 66 arrests in all 2022.

North America leads in 3D-printed gun-related arrests, with 166 cases from 2013 to June 2023. Europe followed with 48 arrests, while Oceania ranked third with 24 arrests.

The U.S. is a particular hot spot, with 36% of total global arrests related to 3D-printed firearms in 2023. But Canada is close behind, with 34%. The U.K. had 10%, and Australia had 8%.

Growing global security threat

Police and media reports indicate that many efforts to acquire or manufacture 3D-printed firearms were connected to plans for violent actions.

These guns have been used by diverse groups including far-right extremists, ethno-separatists, jihadists, left-wing anarchists, organized crime groups in Europe and pro-democracy rebels in Myanmar.

From 2019 to mid-2022, there were at least nine documented cases in Europe and Australia of extremists, terrorists or paramilitary groups either producing or attempting to produce firearms using 3D-printing technology. An analysis of 165 cases of 3D-printed firearms from 2013 to mid-2024 reveals that 15% were linked to terrorism. Far-right groups appear to be the most frequent users among terrorism-related cases.

The Liberator was the first widely available plan for 3D-printing a firearm. Kelly West/AFP via Getty ImagesKelly West/AFP via Getty Images

A widely varied legal landscape

Often, 3D-printed guns are homemade firearms without serial numbers. This lack of identification makes them attractive to criminals because it is harder for law enforcement to link specific guns to particular crimes or suspects. Different countries take very different approaches to regulating these weapons.

Japan enforces stringent laws governing the manufacture, possession and sales of firearms. Its legal system strictly prohibits unauthorized firearm production, including 3D-printed guns. In 2014, a 28-year-old Japanese man was sentenced to two years in prison for producing plastic 3D-printed firearms.

In 2023, Canada effectively banned ghost guns. It is illegal to possess or manufacture them without a license from the government.

In Australia, making a 3D-printed firearm is illegal, and in some states, possessing a digital blueprint to create one is also an offense. In the state of New South Wales, a person convicted of possessing blueprints can face up to 14 years in prison. In Tasmania state, the punishment can be even more severe  up to 21 years in prison.

Across the European Union, making or owning homemade firearms, including 3D-printed ones, is broadly prohibited. However, laws and penalties vary, with some nations criminalizing even the possession of digital files or blueprints related to 3D-printing guns.

In the U.K., where firearms are very restricted, 3D-printed guns have been considered illegal. But in November 2022, the government updated the laws to specifically ban possessing, buying or producing parts for 3D-printed guns. The proposal aims to explicitly ban 3D-printed guns, addressing their unique challenges directly, rather than relying on existing laws designed for traditional firearms. The U.K. National Crime Agency has called for a ban on possessing blueprints as well, and Parliament is currently considering two bills proposing such a ban.

Federal rules in the US

The U.S. Constitution poses some unique challenges to regulating ghost guns, especially for the federal government, but also for states.

For regular firearms  that is, those not produced by 3D printing  U.S. federal law requires that a key component, called the lower receiver, bear a unique serial number. Purchasing a lower receiver requires a federal background check and conducting the transaction through a merchant who holds a Federal Firearms License.

The situation is more complicated when it comes to 3D printing weapons. The First Amendment to the Constitution protects freedom of expression, which includes sharing digital files that could contain firearm designs. And the Second Amendment protects citizens right to bear arms.

In the U.S., selling 3D-printed firearms requires a federal license. But producing or owning homemade firearms for personal use is allowed. That includes 3D-printing the lower receiver component, and assembling the rest of the weapon with unregulated parts.

Current federal law, under review by the Supreme Court, also requires 3D-printed guns meet specific guidelines, even if they do not contain any currently regulated firearms components. Under the rule, makers of ghost gun kits must obtain a federal license, conduct background checks, record information about their customers and add serial numbers to their products.

The type of weapon also matters when determining the legality of a 3D-printed firearm. Automatic weapons, or machine guns, can continue to fire ammunition as long as the user holds the trigger down. These weapons have been heavily regulated by federal lawfor almost 90 years.

Criminals have used 3D printers to produce Glock switches or auto-sears, which convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic machine guns. That turns those items into machine guns under federal law, making them illegal. Owning this kind of 3D-printed conversion device can lead to a maximum of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

3D-printed gun components seized by police in Mineola, N.Y., Dec. 10, 2024. Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty ImagesHoward Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images

In the states

The states can also regulate firearms, and many are trying to get control of 3D-printed guns.

By November 2024, 15 U.S. states had established regulations on ghost guns, though exact requirements vary. The rules typically require a serial number, background checks for firearm component purchases and reporting to authorities that a person is producing 3D-printed guns.

For instance, in New Jersey, a 2019 law mandates that all ghost guns have a serial number and be registered. Under current New York law, possession or distribution of a 3D-printed gun is classified as a misdemeanor. However, a proposed law seeks to elevate the manufacturing of firearms using 3D-printing technology to a felony offense.

As technology advances and rules evolve, criminals who use 3D-printed firearms will continue to pose threats to public safety and security, and governments will continue playing catch-up to effectively regulate these weapons.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/3d-printed-guns-like-the-one-allegedly-used-to-kill-a-health-care-ceo-are-a-growing-threat-in-the-us-and-around-the-world-246220.
By Jonathan D. Salant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

WASHINGTON  As billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk praised Donald Trump at an October rally in Butler and awarded a $1 million check at a town hall in McKees Rocks later that month, he also helped former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick oust long-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.

Thats according to U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who said Sunday that Mr. Musks impact within Pennsylvanias borders went beyond Trumps victory in the most populous battleground state and affected the Senate race.

Its rare to have a surrogate that has a lot of fanboys and is very compelling to a lot of the demographic that we are losing in, in my party and in Pennsylvania, Mr. Fetterman said on ABCs This Week. I really believe that it mattered. We lost Bob Casey for 15,000 votes. And yeah, Im sure he did move the needle. Thats undeniable.

He said Mr. Musks impact went beyond that of a typical surrogate, like Mr. Fetterman was, campaigning for a favored candidate  even beyond the millions of dollars he spent on the presidential campaign. Mr. Musk contributed more than $235 million to his own super PAC, which funded a Pennsylvania statewide tour and a controversial $1 million-a-day giveaway.

Musk and I, were in the business, surrogacy is part of it, and sometimes it really has much of an impact, Mr. Fetterman said. But I knew that was going to be a special one ... an endorsement and an active one, and Im not even talking about it as a checkbook.

Mr. Fetterman also praised what he said was Trumps singular political talent.

You know, he had the energy and almost a sense of fearlessness to just say all those kinds of things, he said And people, its undeniable that it has an entertaining aspect for that, too, and just if youre not afraid to say all of those things, or, and after you survived an assassination, you literally were shot in your head and had the presence of mind to respond, you know, fight, fight, fight. 

He said he disagreed with Vice President Kamala Harris' characterization of Trump, who tried to overturn the 2020 election that he lost to Joe Biden, as a fascist.

Thats her prerogative, I mean, but, but its not a word that I would use, Mr. Fetterman said. Because you put a lot of Democrats, especially in my state, that I know, and I happen to love people that are going to vote for Trump, and they are not fascists. And also fascism, thats not a word that regular people, you know, use, you know? I think people are going to decide who is the candidate thats going to protect and project, you know, my version of the American way of life, and thats what happened.

Even as Mr. Fetterman was campaigning for Ms. Harris  saying he thought she would carry the state  he said there was no denying Trumps popularity among segments of Pennsylvania voters.

If you live in Pennsylvania and you spend time in red county Pennsylvania, as much as I did, the support is astonishing, he said. I mean, I was driving home from Indiana County at nine oclock, and there was a Trump superstore on the side of a road, nine oclock on Friday night, and people are buying swag. And then really, that really crystallized in, at the assassination, and that was in Butler County, Western Pennsylvania, fairly close to where I live. And the day or two later, you start seeing people wearing shirts with that iconic picture. And, you know, the energy and the anger and, its like, wow, I really thought  in fact, I thought that might be ballgame.
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The IFT-12 tender, in which spectrum will be made available for 5G networks in Mexico, will begin on 27 January when an invitation to would-be buyers to express their interest begins, according to an announcement from regulator the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT).

The IFT-12 tender aims to allocate 2,223 radio spectrum blocks for the provision of wireless access services in different frequency bands. This seems to be mainly for 5G, although some news outlets suggest that some spectrum might be used to support or expand LTE.

In addition, according to Statista, as of September 2024 two 5G networks were actually deployed in Mexico, owned by AT&T and Telcel's Radiomovil Dipsa. At the same time, says the global data and business intelligence platform, there were also five LTE networks in Mexico, each owned by a different operator.

The bidding mechanism for this tender is called the multiple round ascending simultaneous type. The IFT version will involve a maximum of three competitions in which spectrum acquisition limits will increase in each contest based on demand in the previous contest and spectrum available.

The IFT explains that it is imposing limits seek to prevent levels of spectrum accumulation that may harm free competition and economic competition, as well as avoid the establishment of barriers to entry. In addition, it seeks to encourage the entry of new participants or strengthen the ability to compete of those already established and promote the efficient use of the spectrum.

The IFT has also incorporated incentives to participation, designed to promote competition and the provision of services at competitive prices for end users. Blocks will be available in the 600MHz band, the L-band, the 800MHz band, the AWS band, the PCS band and the 2.5GHz band, for national and other sorts of coverage.

There are some coverage obligations included in the national blocks of the 600MHz band and in the 2.5GHz band, to support less well-served areas. More information is available on the IFT website.

The long-awaited IFT-12 may the last tender carried out by the IFT before its final disappearance in 2025.
Third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a fine or both.

The two first-degree charges and one of the third-degree charges were dropped as part of a plea bargain reached by Reed's lawyer, James Huff, and Deputy Solicitor Ashley Hammack.

Reed was also charged with two counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

First-degree sexual exploitation of a minor is a felony punishable by between three and 20 years in prison. No portion of the three years may be suspended nor can probation be granted until three years have been served.

Second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor is a felony punishable by between two and 10 years in prison. No portion of the two years may be suspended nor can probation be granted until two years have been served.
Savannah River Mission Completion presents a $5,000 check to Salvation Army. Presenting the check, from left, are SRMC Senior Executive Coordinator Jenny Godfrey and SRMC President and Program Manager Dave Olson. Salvation Army Captain Michael Good accepts the donation.
Two recipients of the Wilma Maiers Memorial Scholarship of the Kiwanis Club of Summerville visited at the Dec. 12 meeting to provide updates. Ashley Ridge High School Class of 2023 graduate Olivia Fogel (left), now attending North Carolina A&T State University, and Class of 2024 graduate, Cameron Sulton (right), is attending University of South Carolina. Also pictured is Kiwanis Club Scholarship Chair Margaret Bailey (center).
If you're in the market for an otherworldly experience of wine and food that lights up your taste buds and immerses you in a swirl of sights, sounds, smells and fun, the Charleston Wine + Food Festival's Culinary Village is a must-experience. Read morePlenty to Enjoy in the Culinary Village
Business and Tourism Reporter

Megan Fernandes is a Business and Tourism Reporter for the Post and Courier. She is an award-winning reporter, who has worked in the newspaper industry from coast-to-coast.
The latest example of the growing trend for bring renewable energy to data centres comes from B.Grimm Power (BGRIM), the power business arm of B.Grimm Group, Thailand's oldest multinational conglomerate.

The company says it aims to add value to its business by partnering with data centre operators and focusing more on clean power.

The offer of energy solutions to the growing data centre business in Thailand comes at a time when BGRIM continues to increase its power supply through new power plant development projects and asset acquisitions in a number of countries.

According to information from parent company B.Grimm Group, up to THB136 billion (about US$3.98 billion) is being allocated to plans to invest in electricity generation facilities and new businesses between 2024 and 2030. BGRIM is said to be in talks with data centre companies to pave the way for new cooperation.

Reports suggest that it will initially spend THB5-7 billion (US$146.2 million  US$204.7 million) to support its work in the data centre business.

According to the Bangkok Post, the company has joined hands with industrial estate developer Amata Corporation to provide energy solutions, including power supply management, for data centres in Amata Industrial Estate Chon Buri in eastern Thailand. BGRIM plans to clinch power purchase agreements to supply 310 megawatts of electricity to data centres.

The company says the business plan for its partnership with data centre operators will be concluded within the first quarter of next year. It also says that in the power business it wants to increase its total power supply to 10GW, up from 4GW from its power plants in 15 countries.

Althugh precise details of its plans for renewables in Thailand do not seem to have been offered, the company says it intends to expand its investment in renewable power, including solar, wind and hydroelectric power, in Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and the US.

In 2025, the company says it expects to add 900MW of power supply, including electricity from asset acquisitions, to its portfolio.
Summerville, SC (29483)

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South Carolina has long ranked among the most dangerous states for women, with record setting numbers of homicides committed by men. As domestic violence persists across the state, many in the Lowcountry are working to protect often overlooked victims of household violence: children.

One in 15 U.S. children witness violence in their home every year, according to Rochelle Hanson, a clinical psychologist and tenured professor at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center within the Medical University of South Carolina. She has more than 30 years of varied expertise on the impact of household violence on children.

Exposure to violence at a young age can affect children for the rest of their lives, both socially and developmentally.

In households where domestic violence occurs, even babies can be negatively impacted. Infants may have difficulties forming attachments to their caregivers, Hanson said. When they grow older, they may struggle to form social relationships and to control their emotions from which aggression manifests, she said.

All of this culminates to a variety of societal issues. Children struggling with emotional control are often more distractible, sometimes leading to poor academic performance. When they struggle academically, they may fail to achieve higher paying jobs, Hanson said.

In order to mitigate the lasting effects of living in a home with domestic violence as a child, evidence-supported methods of intervention can greatly help reduce symptoms of trauma and provide methods of coping.

Hanson and Dr. Carole Swiecicki, a licensed psychologist, serve as co-directors of Project BEST, a project at MUSC tasked with training professionals and implementing strategies to provide South Carolina communities with the tools to best help children who have been abused and traumatized.
Suffering from allergies caused by Hanois polluted air, Mai Tuyet Minh decided to quit her well-paying job and sell four of her five homes in the capital to relocate.

Minh, 45, was born into a poor family in the citys suburban district of Son Tay, but her relentless efforts brought her a great career and enabled her to become the head of procurement at the JW Marriott hotel.

She also founded two import-export companies on her own. Her earnings, which amounted to hundreds of millions of dong (VND100 million = US$3,927) a month, enabled her to buy five properties in the most sought-after areas in Hanoi.

"I had always planned to live in Hanoi for the long term because I believed the city provided more opportunities to earn money than rural areas," she says.

But in 2015 she had a health crisis that entailed the removal of her gallbladder. Two years later she frequently suffered from hives.

"I was akin to an air pollution prediction device," she says. "Whenever I felt itchy, the next day the AQI (air quality index) would turn purple, indicating severely polluted air. The more polluted the air, the worse my skin allergies became."

She had to routinely take antihistamines, and stopping them would cause her allergies to flare up again. Her doctor cautioned that regular medication like that could eventually harm her liver, further aggravating her skin conditions.

Her life became unbearable. The allergies prevented her from concentrating at work and even sapped her motivation to get up from bed each day.

Her son, a high school student, also struggled with chronic allergic rhinitis and frequently needed antibiotics. Her mothers health deteriorated, and was later diagnosed with lung cancer. Her father suddenly had a stroke and consistently struggled to breathe.

"I felt like going insane, wanting to smash something," she says. "I lost interest in everything, feeling that money and status were no longer important."

Hanois Long Bien bridge area could be seen covered in fog Dec. 11, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, air pollution in Hanoi has worsened over the past 10 years, with each year especially bad from October to April of the following year.

The National Environmental Status Report for 2016-2020 shows the average PM2.5 dust concentration in Hanoi was almost double the national level.

In 2019 days with AQI categorized as unhealthy accounted for 30.5%.

A study conducted in August 2021 by Live&Learn Vietnam, the Hanoi University of Public Health, and Vietnam National University on the impact of air pollution on community health in Hanoi found that in 2019 alone, there were 2,855 premature deaths in the city due to exposure to PM2.5 dust. This accounted for 12% of all cases in individuals over the age of 25.

The total potential life years lost by the population was 79,933 years, and average life expectancy lost due to exposure to PM2.5 was 908 days, or 2.49 years.

Significantly, the rise in PM2.5 resulted in over 1,000 hospital admissions annually due to cardiovascular diseases and 3,000 cases due to respiratory issues, accounting for 1.2% and 2.4% of the total number of cases in the city.

To escape the suffocation in Hanoi, Minh and her son backpacked along the coast down to the central region for a month.

The further they went, the more their health improved and became marked.

During a stop in Van Phong Bay in Central Vietnams Khanh Hoa province, her son looked up at the sky and exclaimed: "Its the first time in my life Ive seen so many stars!"

Suddenly Minh realized it had been a long time since she had seen a clear sky or nights as bright as day. Hanoi was always obscured by dust, smoke, and high-rise buildings.

"I felt sorry for my disadvantaged son," she says.

Van Phong Bay is renowned for its beautiful coral reefs, long white sandy beaches and calm waters.

Coincidentally, Minh learned on the same day that a seaside house was for sale, she went to see it and put down a deposit after 15 minutes. The next day she paid in full.

Minh in front of her seaside house at Van Phong Bay, 2018. Photo courtesy of Minh

After the trip mother and son returned to Hanoi and continued to suffer from allergies. At that point Minh thought it was time to leave the capital.

In 2018 she sold four of her five Hanoi houses, closed her two companies, and resigned from her job to the astonishment of her colleagues and dismay of her parents.

"At that time I just thought about how to live healthily and happily," she says.

After relocating to Van Phong she began to swim every morning before going home to fix the newly bought house, read books, chat with neighbors, and cook.

"I no longer had rashes, and my son no longer had rhinitis or the need for any medication."

Recently she invited her divorced father from Hanoi to come and live with her.

Every day he would swim in the sea, watch the sunrise and wait for sunset, read books and chat with fishermen. From being a bedridden man who constantly told his daughter "I will die tomorrow," he can now walk around and is even looking for a partner.

"Living in Hanoi was suffocating and oppressive, but here the air is clean, I feel healthier, and my blood pressure has stabilized," he says.

Tra Giang, 33, a former subordinate of Minh at the JW Marriott, was surprised when the latter suddenly decided to quit and move to Khanh Hoa. But last year, after meeting her again, she saw a "different" Minh.

"Back then she was always stressed, tired and occasionally irritable," Giang says. "But now she is more outgoing, happy, youthful, and full of energy."

Minhs house overlooks the sea. Photo courtesy of Minh

As her physical and mental health improved and her energy returned, Minh wanted to work again. Seeing the beauty of Van Phong Bay, she opened a homestay for tourists. She also established a company each in Vietnam and Italy.

"My income is now many times what it was in Hanoi," she says.

Her son, who studied online since Covid-19, was admitted to a polytechnic university in Italy.

Minh feels her life is more joyful and meaningful now. She has also built up a large network of relationships around the world.

She believes that with diligence and creativity success is possible anywhere. She now realizes that the notion that success only comes in the city, which she herself used to have, causes people to flock there not only causing air pollution but also inadvertently putting pressure on supporting services.

"I realized that one does not need to be in Hanoi to become wealthy," she concludes.
Controversial UK-based Nigerian pastor Tobi Adegboyega, founder of the defunct SPAC Nation church, has sparked conversations after referring to Afrobeats star David Adeleke, aka Davido, as a gospel musician.

On Sunday, during an interview on Off The Record podcast, the cleric, known for his flamboyant lifestyle, addressed criticism over his decision to feature secular musicians, including Davido and Zlatan, to perform at his recent birthday celebration rather than gospel artists.

 if the gospel means good news. Everyone there is a gospel artist. Davido is a gospel artiste. Have you heard: Because I Stand Strong, this is my devotion ? Mr Adegboyega said, referencing one of Davidos hit songs titled Stand Strong ft Sunday Service Choir.

He explained, What I had then was my friendsfriends who were there through thick and thin. Davido said, I just want to be there and perform for one hour. Theyre my friends. Not one penny was exchanged with any of them. They love me, and I will give my friends platforms.

He dismissed criticisms from gospel artists, questioning the appropriateness of his actions, stating, If gospel artists arent coming to us and instead join the bandwagon of critics asking, Is that a church? what should I do? Drag them with a rope?

Its my friends; I dont like people who dont want us. Its simple.

Its my friends that will be there. Everyone in that room is my friend. Zlatan is like a son to me; his kids are my kids, and his parents are in my house. So should I now say, Well, because you are not gospel artists, let me go and look for some gospel artists criticising me and force them to sing?

Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later

Mr Adegboyega emphasised that his friends will always be featured at his events, adding, My friends will always sing at my events, and the next one will be bigger because my friends list is getting bigger.

Background

On November 11, Pastor Tobi Adegboyega hosted a grand celebration for his birthday. Videos from the event, which have recently gone viral, show several prominent Nigerian celebrities in attendance, including Davido, Zlatan, Kcee, Nkechi Blessing, Obi Cubana, Daddy Freeze, and E-Money.

One notable clip captures Davido performing his hit song Fem with Pastor Tobi standing beside him, while another highlights Kcee delivering a lively performance at the event.

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Gertrude Inyang, an alternative medicine practitioner, sat behind the glass table in her office at Cherry Zephyr Clinic and Spa, Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja on July 17, 2024.

She nodded her head at intervals, as she listened to the reporter seated across the table, posing as a chronic HBV patient in search of a cure.

We cure, we dont treat, Ms Inyang said during the consultation. We dont manage such conditions, we treat holistically.

As Ms Inyang spoke, she listed different terminal ailments which she claimed could be cured at her facility using alternative medicines, including all kinds of Hepatitis, Cancer and Sickle Cell Disease.

Is there anything that God cannot do? she asked. If you go to a pharmacy and pick any medication from the pharmacy, you must see side effects. Here, we are talking about nature. We flush the system. All the good organs, we activate. We have devices to activate, to flush, to renew the organs.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), alternative medicine, often referred to as complementary medicine, includes a wide range of health practices or substances that differ from orthodox medication and are not fully part of a countrys healthcare system.

Ayurveda, herbal medicines, and acupuncture are common forms of alternative medicine. Although most of them derive from tradition, safety concerns regarding dosage and regulation exist. Sometimes, their efficacy is not backed by scientific evidence, leaving room for quacks to mislead patients.

Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later

For emphasis, Ms Inyang shared success stories of patients who, she said, received treatment at her facility.

This person was going to the US every six months for 13 years. At the end, he had gone through radiotherapy, chemotherapy, about three surgeries.

The doctor told him: Just go back, eat everything you can eat and wait for two weeks. In fact, he was here yesterday. He is driving his car, he has gone back to his business, he is normal. Theyve been doing chemo to get it but all of it didnt work. But he came here, he got recovered. They gave him 2022, first week of December to die. But this is 2024, she concluded with a confident smile.

Ms Inyang attributed the alleged successes to the grace of God, but pointed out that her treatments were costly, and eliminating HBV, a viral infection that attacks the liver, could take up to three months.

HBV is commonly transmitted through contact with blood, sharp objects, sexual intercourse or during childbirth.

When a patient gets infected, the virus can be acute or chronic. Acute infections are often cleared by the immune system within six months. Where the infection persists, it may progress to chronicity, but not all chronic cases require treatment.

A gastroenterologist at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jireh Makpu, said treatment is required for patients with active HBV. Inactive cases only need to be monitored. Although the infection is treatable, it currently has no known cure.

According to the WHO Global Hepatitis Report 2024, Nigerias total HBV infections in 2022 was nearly 14.4 million. There were also more than 46,000 deaths as a result of the virus in the same year. Nigeria, and nine other countries, account for nearly two-thirds of the estimated global disease burden of viral hepatitis. Many drug merchants market untested products as cures for the ailment.

Ms Inyang recommended five different therapy sessions to go with oral medication. They cost N30,000 per day, a daily exercise for at least 25 days.

This means as of July 2024, HBV patients seeking a cure at Cherry Zephyr Clinic and Spa would spend at least N750,000 for therapy within the first month of treatment, excluding the cost of oral drugs.

HBV tests are usually conducted by lab analysis of blood samples collected from patients, but Ms Inyang told the reporter that a holistic test would be conducted with a Quantum Magnetic Resonance Analyzer (QMRA) machine, to analyse all the organs, identify those that were failing and determine medicines to be administered.

Some researchers have described the machine as lacking scientific backing, and experts argue that its results are unreliable.

As far as I know, I am not aware that it has been validated for any of these things, Mr Makpu said of the QMRA. As a scientist, I cannot recommend it for people who want to test for Hepatitis B. A blood test is still the way to go.

The QMRA device on Ms Inyangs table looked like a medium-sized briefcase connected to a computer. She charged 25,000, then signalled a staff member to conduct the test.

He instructed this reporter to place her right palm on the beeping machine, and after one minute, the results showed up on the connected laptop screen.

For about 15 minutes, Ms Inyang studied the screen and took notes. She read out a long list of diagnoses, claiming that the reporter suffered from cardiovascular issues, liver problems, insomnia, an irregular menstrual cycle, and other ailments.

To commence treatment of these, Ms Inyang asked for a deposit of N250,000. But citing harsh economic realities, this reporter pleaded to only purchase some of the prescribed products and return for the others later.

Ms Inyang then recommended three products for a start: Cleanser, a transparent capsule filled with yellowish powder; Liver Care, a green capsule with a similar yellowish substance, and Mira Tab, made up of spherical white pills and circular green pills.

Unverified NAFDAC numbers

Although WHO recognises that traditional or alternative medicines are beneficial to healthcare, they may only be administered following rigorous clinical trials to prove their safety and efficacy.

In Nigeria, clinical trials are conducted by the Nigerian Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), after which registration numbers are issued to show that the drugs have been approved for use and are not harmful. However, NAFDAC numbers do not certify that a drug actually does what it claims to do, the agency has said repeatedly in the past.

One of the three products prescribed by Ms Inyang, Liver Care, had no NAFDAC registration number. The other products, Cleanser and Mira Tab had A4-6889 and A4-6695 printed on the labels as NAFDAC numbers, but there were no records of both on the agencys Green Book portal, a database for registered drugs in Nigeria.

Despite these, Ms Inyang told the reporter to stop taking orthodox medication prescribed by qualified medical doctors and focus only on her products. She prescribed eight tablets of Mira Tab, two and three capsules of Liver Care and Cleanser for the first dose.

Start with three capsules, she said holding up the container labelled Cleanser. It will make you [have] loose stool but if you do not go, the next day, take four.

About 22 kilometres from Ms Inyangs office, another practitioner, Alfred Danladi, operates Damla Herbs Resources, in Dankoli Plaza, Gwarimpa, where he also offers cures for various ailments, including HBV.

If you are going to follow synthetic, that is orthodox, you will be taking medication, and at the end, you end up having liver cirrhosis, Mr Danladi, the organisations managing director, said during a visit to his office.

He recommended the QMRA test after this reporter told him shed been diagnosed with chronic HBV. When the test was concluded, Mr Danladi said the reporter had developed resistance to orthodox medication. He assured that his treatment, estimated to cost N250,000, would eliminate the virus.

Again, this reporter opted to only purchase some of the products. Reaching behind a curtain that demarcated his office, Mr Danladi produced two transparent bottles containing a murky, brown liquid substance.

The bottles had no labels to show names or NAFDAC numbers. Mr Danladi warned that the bottle must never be kept on the floor at any point during the treatment. But by the back door of his office, herbs, suspected to be used in preparing the substance, lay all over the bare, dusty floor.

He also handed this reporter a transparent disposable cup with a piece of masking tape stuck to its side to indicate dosage.

Mr Danladi said the brown liquid, along with the other prescribed herbal substances should be taken for four weeks. At the end of the period, patients are to avoid every type of medication for the next two months, then proceed for an HBV test, which, he assured, would return negative.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), leaving chronic HBV untreated can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis or other damages. Sometimes, patients die.

While the infection causes the liver to be constantly exposed to injuries, many people remain asymptomatic, until severe damage has been done.

A 58-year-old Lagos resident, Akeem Muraina, did not know that he had contracted HBV and remained asymptomatic until he fell severely ill in June 2024.

He started feeling unwell some days before the 2024 Eid-el-Kabir celebrations but put off going to the hospital until after the festivities.

He told me that he was not feeling too well, and does not want to go to the hospital so he doesnt break down while we were celebrating, in order not to bring our spirits down, Mr Murainas son, Imran Ridwan, said.

But Mr Murainas health degenerated very quickly. He lost appetite and vomited continuously. In less than a month, he lost considerable weight. Several hospital visits and a series of tests later, he was diagnosed with liver cancer.

His family struggled to raise the N26 million required for his treatment and on Sunday, 13 October, Mr Muraina died.

Desperation for a cure and the high cost of receiving medical treatment in Nigeria, where more than half the population lives in poverty, are some of the reasons patients turn to untested alternative medicine, but the use of such unregulated substances can be harmful.

Mr Makpu said although most medicines are obtained from plants, the indiscriminate use of herbs for HBV treatment could have adverse effects on patients.

Most times, people are given things they do not know and many times, they do not even ask what the components of these things are, Mr Makpu said. Those things most times damage the liver, and youll find them coming back worseone can have what we call hepatic coma. You find that it can be triggered or precipitated by herbal medications.

To determine the content and safety of the products, Ms Inyangs Cleanser and Mr Danladis liquid substance were sent to University of Lagos Consultancy Limited (UNILAG Consult) laboratory, Lagos, for analysis.

High PAH levels, heavy metal presence increase risk of cancer, organ damage

In both samples, there were high levels of Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). These are organic compounds in the environment, water or food, formed through human activity like burning coal, gas or industrial emissions.

Human exposure to PAHs can occur through smoking, eating or inhaling contaminated air. Prolonged exposure has been linked to respiratory diseases, damaged reproductive systems and an increased risk of cancer.

The liquid sample purchased from Damla Herbs Resources contained 0.1 parts per million (ppm) of PAHs, two times higher than 0.05 ppm, the permissible limits for drugs, according to the results of the analysis.

Sometimes, by our interactions with the environment, these things get into our bodies in little quantities and the body usually tries to detoxify or handle them, Mr Makpu said of PAHs. But if they are coming in excessive quantities, they can overwhelm the bodys ability to handle them.

An analysis of the Cleanser capsule at UNILAG Consult revealed PAH levels as high as 0.58 ppm, more than 11 times the permissible limits. According to the results, the levels of PAHs present in both samples may have other acute health effects, including liver and kidney damage and lung malfunction.

Heavy metals were detected in the Cleanser capsule, with Lead, Cadmium, Nickel and Manganese exceeding WHO standards.





Lead exposure can result in gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the intestines and stomach. It can also cause brain and spinal cord damage.

These heavy metals in blood samples can result in blood poisoning, a laboratory technician at UNILAG Consult, Segun Gadimoh, said.

The lab results also showed that exposure to Cadmium can lead to skeletal problems, while Nikel exceeding recommended limits may cause skin allergies.

Reacting to the results, Mr Makpu said such metals can significantly damage the liver, impairing its blood detoxifying function, even in patients without HBV.

Manganese is one of those things thought to cause brain disease in patients with liver disease and thats because Manganese can be deposited in parts of the brain and can worsen brain function in these patients, he said.

This reporter reached out to Ms Inyang with the lab results and questions on the sale of her products.

Im not a herbal practitioner, Ms Inyang replied. I do not produce herbs. I am an acupuncturist I dont understand what you are saying.

Ms Inyang also denied selling drugs at her facility before ending the call.

A copy of the lab results and further questions were sent to her WhatsApp line. Although the messages were delivered and read, Ms Inyang did not respond until press time.

Also reacting to the results, Mr Danladi denied giving any patient medication for hepatitis B recently and faulted the lab analysis.

Where do you see cure written on it? he asked. This medicine wouldnt cure hepatitis B, only alleviate symptoms. In our company, we treat hepatitis B by having the patient take medication for 3 to 4 months under our supervision. Subsequently, he/she will check the viral load to see if there is improvement.

Although Mr Danladi sold two bottles of the liquid substance and directed that they be taken for a month, he said after the tests that the products expire after one week.

This product only lasts for one week and may spoil if taken from Abuja to Lagos for lab testing, he said.

He added that although the company had no NAFDAC approval, they are registered by the Traditional Medicine Board under the Lagos State Ministry of Health.

A message sent to the board to confirm the registration has yet been replied to at the time of filing this report.

More untested cures

Despite possible harms associated with unregulated consumption of alternative medicine, the advertisement of unregistered products as cures to terminal or other ailments is quite common in Nigeria.

A social media user on Facebook with the username Mr Spade has shared hundreds of videos claiming to have herbal cures for stroke, memory loss, fibroid, HBV and others.

In one of his videos with over eight thousand views, he claimed that combining turmeric powder, bitter kola and cloves could eliminate HBV. In a different video, he advertised a greenish liquid substance in a transparent plastic bottle with no labels, claiming he formulated the product from pawpaw leaves to cure HBV.

On X, an account with username Ayodeji Awolumate posted an image of plastic bottles containing greenish liquid content. The caption read: permanent cure for Hepatitis B.

Section 2(d) of the Herbal Medicines and Related Products Advertisement Regulations, (2021), prohibits the advertisement of herbal medicines and any related products as a cure, prevention, treatment for any disease conditions listed in the schedule to these regulations or as may be prescribed by the Agency.

Infective hepatitis and 64 other diseases were listed in the Acts schedule.

In Gudu, Abuja, a different alternative medicine practitioner, Love Egbo, runs Fohow International Nigeria Ltd.

She said the organisation has its headquarters in Lagos but operates in several states where agents like herself are recruited to market the companys products. Ms Egbo added that she has been in the business for over 13 years, claiming to be a medical doctor who stopped working in the hospital when she found more impressive results from Fohow products than orthodox medicines.

She also claimed that many people had been cured of HBV and similar ailments at her facility, including HIV. For Ms Egbo, getting a cure often depends on the patients financial strength.

Its the money. Someone that I just gave a prescription because she has breast cancer the prescription I made for her is six point something million [naira], but it is not what you will [pay] at once, she said.

She said treatment could span between three and six months, depending on how damaged the organs are. Ms Egbo recommended and attempted to carry out a QMRA test, but when it was time for the test, the old laptop on her desk failed to power on.

She urged the reporter to return with her HBV test results and prescribed drugs worth N288,000 without any test. The reporter paid N11,000 for only one of the products, Detox Plus, and promised to return for the others when financially capable.

Detox Plus content looked and smelled like Ms Inyangs Cleanser capsules, though they had different containers. Both had similar health benefits on their labels, but while Ms Inyangs product came with a NAFDAC number that could not be verified, Detox Plus had a disclaimer: These claims have not been evaluated by NAFDAC.

She encouraged this reporter to continue with her orthodox medication, and slowly transition fully into alternative medicine.

As the reporter made to leave, Ms Egbo held her hands and said a prayer, fervently begging God to make the treatment effective.

In a subsequent interview, Ms Egbo said the company received certification from NAFDAC to sell the product.

When they were in the process of getting NAFDAC numbers, we had some products, she said So when they finally got all of them with numbers, we had some we shifted aside, but we still have the letters of the NAFDAC certificationthe CEO gave us some letters to cover those ones, so when the product later had NAFDAC numbers, we were asked to return them so that she can restock our offices. But they are all the same thing.

She added that the products she sells only work as supplements and recanted her claims of having cures for HIV and similar ailments.

What we give is to support the body system  we support such degenerative diseases, she said.

She agreed to share a copy of the NAFDAC certification but did not do so until press time.

Harmful products, misleading claims frustrate progress of alternative medicines

Traditional medical knowledge has contributed immensely to healthcare globally.

More than 40 per cent of pharmaceutical products were formulated based on traditional knowledge, including landmark drugs like aspirin, the smallpox vaccine and the contraceptive pill, according to information on the WHOs website.

In Nigeria, plant-based medicines are part of the nations cultural heritage, believed by many to have great prospects.

The Director-General of the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency, Martins Emeje, has called for the development of indigenous medicine to address dependence on increasingly expensive imported drugs.

NAFDACs Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye, has also expressed her belief in herbal remedies on several occasions and urged practitioners to subject their products to clinical trials. She emphasised the need for more research into medicinal plants in Nigeria following the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency has also repeatedly warned against the marketing or consumption of unregistered, substandard or falsified medicines in Nigeria, stating that they can have fatal consequences.

When contacted on 9 December, NAFDACs Public Relations Officer, Christiana Obiazikwor, who said she was on leave, referred the reporter to an episode of NAFDACs health awareness broadcast NAFDAC and Your Health where Mrs Adeyeye further spoke on steps to get approval and the need for more research into herbs.

The DG is doing well on herbal people should just come and register their products, Ms Obiazikwor said.

This story was produced with support from the Tiger Eye Foundation under the On Nigeria programme, funded by the MacArthur Foundation.

Page planned & produced by: Aaron Cole

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Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State has signed the states 2025 Appropriation and Finance Bills into law.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Buni had on 30 October, presented the bills worth N320.8 billion to the state House of Assembly for the 2025 fiscal year.

The assembly had earlier passed the proposed expenditure less than two months after the presentation.

Speaking at the occasion, the governor commended the House Speaker, Buba Mashio, and other members of the assembly for a speedy passage of the bills.

You have demonstrated a strong commitment to serve our people, placing the states interests first, and above your personal comfort to ensure timely passage of these bills into law.

I am aware of the slight adjustment made by the assembly on the budget size with a decrease of N15 million. I am sure the adjustment is done to make the proposals more realistic and in reflection to the prevailing economic realities.

As the year 2025 sets in, the government would hasten the completion of all ongoing projects, initiate new ones and ensure timely completion of all, in fulfilment of our campaign promises, he said.

Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later

Mr Buni charged project supervising engineers to ensure that projects were executed in strict compliance with specifications and contractual agreements.

I will support you, and stand with you to execute your duties effectively and efficiently.

However, if you fail in your responsibilities, government would not hesitate to engage external supervising engineers to ensure quality execution of our projects for government to get value for its money, the governor said.

He also charged the state Bureau for Public Procurement to henceforth undertake clinical diagnosis of contractual biddings with a very reasonable profit margin.

Only competent contractors with the capacity, technical know-how and other required prerequisites should be considered for award of contracts.

The bureau shall be held responsible for lapses recorded in award of any contract, Mr Buni said.

The governor congratulated 500 persons recently trained in the production of household needs, saying they would benefit from a total N50 million start-up grant.

He said each beneficiary would receive a grant of N100,000 and a start-up kit to launch his/her own businesses, under the programme executed in collaboration with the UNDP.

According to him, his administration would implement the new minimum wage of N70,000, and prioritise job creation for teeming youths.

Earlier, the state government employed 15 graduates from each of the 178 political wards, totalling 2,670, and provided cash support to flood victims, small and medium scale entrepreneurs to stimulate economic growth, the governor said.

(NAN)

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The first Presidential Media Chat with President Bola Tinubu will be broadcast at 9 p.m. on Monday, the presidents office said in a statement.

The interview will be aired on the Nigerian Television Authority and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.

All television and radio stations are requested to hook up to the broadcast, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga wrote.

The statement gave no indication if the interview would be live or pre-recorded.

Mr Tinubu assumed office on 29 May 2023 and has implemented tough economic policies that has caused Nigerians to witness the worst cost-of-living crisis in the country in a generation. The policies include the cancellation of petrol subsidies, floating of the naira and increase in electricity tariff.

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The Anambra State Government has said that the Oba community in Idemili Local Government Area of the state does not have a traditional ruler at the moment.

TonyCollins Nwabunwanne, the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said this at a news conference in Awka on Monday.

The people of Oba had allegedly conducted an election for a successor to their Igwe, Peter Ezenwa, who died in 2018.

Mr Nwabunwanne said no election allegedly conducted by the community was known to the government, which had full supervisory power over community and union matters.

He said that a subsisting matter was pending in court, stopping the conduct of the election into the traditional rulers seat of the Oba community, and the government would not recognise any exercise in contempt of court.

He said the government did not supervise the process as the law demanded because it was conducted in contempt of Court.

As of today, there is no traditional ruler or Igwebuike Cabinet in Oba Community. There is a subsisting matter in court which barred the conduct of traditional ruler election before us, and until that matter is dispensed with, there can be no election.

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The Anambra government is hereby issuing a bench warrant on anybody parading himself as the traditional ruler of Oba Community, such a person should be arrested by the security agencies, he said.

Mr Nwabunwanne said that the Anambra State Government would do all that was necessary to ensure peace, security and social order.

He insisted that communities must respect the laws of the state and the constitutions they made for themselves.

(NAN)

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The Senate deliberated on important matters last week. Arguably the most important was the 2025 budget presented to the lawmakers during the week. There was also the debate on the bill to increase the minimum capital of insurance companies by over 400 per cent.

Below are some of the crucial issues the lawmakers discussed before embarking on a recess.

Senate raises minimum capital for Insurance coys

The minimum capital of insurance companies may be raised if a bill passed by the Senate gets the concurrence of the House of Representatives and the assent of the president.

On Tuesday, the upper chamber passed the bill raising the minimum capital for insurance companies from 2 billion to 10 billion.

The bill also provides an increase in the reinsurance of the insurance companies from 10 billion to 35 billion, while non-life insurance was increased from 3 billion to 15 billion.

It was sponsored by Adetokunbo Abiru (APC, Lagos East), the chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions.

The upper chamber passed the bill after considering the committees report clause by clause at the Committee of the Whole, chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin.

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Consideration of modern ranches to tackle insecurity

The Senate on Tuesday mandated its National Security and Intelligence, Livestock and Agriculture committees to liaise with the federal government with a view to establishing modern cattle ranches across the country to reduce insecurity.

The upper legislative chamber also resolved to enact a law restricting cattle movement from neighbouring countries to Nigeria.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Anthony Siyako on the need to address the incessant banditry attacks and displacement of villagers in Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State.

Mr Siyako, while presenting his motion, said suspected herders armed with dangerous weapons invaded Sansani, Kalindi, Powishi and Lawushi Daji villages in the late hours of last Thursday.

2025 budget

On Wednesday, President Tinubu presented a budget of N49.7 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year to the National Assembly.

Mr Tinubu made the presentation to a joint session of the National Assembly held at the chamber of the House of Representatives.

The budget is christened Budget of Restoration: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity.

In the budget details, Mr Tinubu said the 2025 appropriation was designed to ensure macro-economic stability, poverty reduction, promoting economic stability, developing human capital development and insecurity.

He said the budget specifically aimed to restore the governments policy of restructuring the nations economy, boosting human capital development, and increasing trade activities, including the nations oil and gas sector.

Extension of implementation 2024 budget

After President Tinubu presented the 2025 budget to a joint sitting of the two chambers, the Senate reconvened for plenary and resolved to extend the implementation of the capital component of the 2024 budget till 2025.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the extension during the plenary after it was read for the first, second and third times and supported by most senators.

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, leading the debate, explained that the extension was required to allow the federal government to complete ongoing projects captured in the budgets.

He also cited the need to allow federal government ministries, departments, and agencies to use the significant funds approved for each project execution.

2025 budget passes second reading at Senate

On Thursday, the 2025 budget passed second reading at the Senate.

The senators voted to pass the appropriation bill after debating its general principles during the plenary on Thursday.

The bill seeks to authorise the issuance of the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation of N49,740,165,355,396 for the 2025 fiscal year.

During Thursdays plenary, the senate leader led the debate on the bills general principles.

In the lead debate, Mr Bamidele, the senator for Ekiti Central Senatorial District, said the budget proposal demonstrated Mr Tinubus commitment to stabilising the economy, improving lives, and repositioning Nigeria for greater performance.

He said the budget proposal experienced a significant increase of 74.18 per cent from the previous years budget and that the rise would address infrastructural decay and developmental challenges in the country.

Lawmakers adjourn plenary

The two chambers of the National Assembly on Thursday adjourned plenary sessions to allow lawmakers enjoy the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Mr Akpabio announced the adjournment during Thursdays plenary.

He said both the Senate and the House of Representatives would reconvene on 14 January 2025.

Mr Akpabio, however, said senators who are members of the crucial ad hoc committees may be recalled from holiday in line with parliamentary practices.

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Community in E China's Yiwu marked by international integration

15:58, December 23, 2024 By Chang Sha ( People's Daily Online

Jimingshan community, in east China's Zhejiang Province, is one of the neighborhoods with the highest density of foreign nationals citywide, home to nearly 1,400 foreigners from 74 countries and regions.

Located in Yiwu, a city renowned as "the world's supermarket" and with strong appeal for businessmen overseas, the community has explored its own way to offer a favorable environment for harmony between Chinese and foreign residents, facilitating the latter to better integrate into local communities.

To this end, various measures have been put in place, such as establishing a community-based service center specialized for international residents, a first of its kind in China, and hosting a full range of cultural exchange activities on a regular basis.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
Jeff Fountain, director of Schuman Centre for European Studies, emphasized the foundational Christian influence on Europe, which introduced values of human dignity, human rights, and reconciliation. Robert Schumans vision, he noted, went beyond economics: Europe needs a soul, an ideal, and a political will to serve this ideal. The Schuman Declaration in 1950, which began with pooling coal and steel production, aimed to foster de facto solidarity and prevent further wars. Fountain highlighted the character of the founding fathersSchuman, Adenauer, and de Gasperinoting their proximity to borders, their shared Catholic faith, and their vision of peace, even in times of adversity. He shared an inspiring note from Schuman smuggled during WWII: We French have to learn to love and forgive Germans in order to rebuild France.

Fountain urged Christians to fight passivity and inaction and engage as salt and light in todays polarized society, focusing on reconciliation and recognizing Gods image in others.

Pastor Daniel Kim shared insights on the Prayer Breakfast Movement, which builds relationships and fosters reconciliation through political, religious, and social collaboration. He cited the friendship between Koreas Foreign Minister and Japans Prime Minister as an example of reconciliation at a global level. Kim encouraged Europeans to embrace their diversity, stating that young Europeans are a modern example of unity and peace, while the EU remains a model of stability. He called on participants to use time wisely for purposeful and intentional engagement in society.

ECPYouth president Valeriia Petrechkiv presented ECPYouths mission and values of catholicity, dignity, and cooperation. She highlighted the biblical foundation for unity and respect, connecting these principles with human dignity and cross-cultural cooperation within Europe. ECPYouth aims to connect young politicians, provide training for the next generation, and amplify the voice of Christians in public life. Petrechkiv shared ongoing initiatives, including regional conferences, the Christian Changemakers program, and working groups focused on politics, events, and communication.

Klariska ten Napel, an ECPM- Christen Unie city councillor in Zwolle, addressed how foundational EU values like peace and stability can inspire political engagement today. She expressed concern over destabilization and greed but encouraged others to remain steadfast in their faith and purpose. Reflecting on her personal journey, she emphasized the need to overcome fear and stay committed to ones values. If you want a strong, united Europe, you need to be strong inside yourself, she said, urging participants to fight for a better Europe by living out love, purpose, and resilience.

The gathering provided inspiration to engage with Europes challenges through the lens of faith, reconciliation, and purposeful action, while drawing on the values which formed the European project.
The Voice of Nigeria (VON) has mourned the loss of journalist Rafat Salami who died last Friday.

Mrs Salami, who formerly worked at VON, was until her death the treasurer of the Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute.

In a statement on Monday, the Director-General of VON, JIbrin Ndace, described Mrs Salami as a professional who was a beacon of strength, compassion, and inspiration.

Her remarkable contributions to broadcast journalism and her pivotal role in advancing digital media at VON were extraordinary, he said.

Read Mr Ndaces full statement as well as an earlier one he released below.

With profound sadness, the management and staff of Voice of Nigeria (VON) extend heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the late Mrs. Rafat Idris Salami, our esteemed Assistant Director of Digital Media. Her demise on Friday, 20th December 2024, has left us all in shock and deep sorrow.

Mrs. Salami was far more than a professional; she was a beacon of strength, compassion, and inspiration. Her remarkable contributions to broadcast journalism and her pivotal role in advancing digital media at VON were extraordinary. Renowned for her impeccable work ethic, multilingual skills, and unwavering commitment to excellence, she was the epitome of professionalism and dedication.

Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later

My personal relationship with Mrs. Salami predates my appointment as Director General of VON. Following my appointment, I consistently sought her invaluable advice and relied on her steadfast support in our collective efforts to reposition the agency.

Even at our recent VON retreat earlier this week, despite her health challenges, Mrs. Salami participated actively. I personally reached out to her during the retreat to pray for her recovery, never imagining that it would be our final interaction.

Mrs. Salamis illustrious journey with VON began as a correspondent in Lagos, where her passion and diligence set her apart. Over the years, she played instrumental roles in producing flagship programs such as VONSCOPE, Sixty Minutes, and Africa Hour. Her integrity, dedication to truth, and exceptional leadership earned her the admiration and respect of her peers.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Mrs. Salami was a passionate unionist, a staunch advocate for gender equity, and a mentor to countless talents within the media industry. Her active involvement in the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and her recent re-election as Treasurer of the International Press Institute (IPI) underscored her lifelong commitment to advancing journalism and human rights.

A devout Muslim and an active member of the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Mrs. Salami exemplified a life of faith and service. Her tireless advocacy for blood donation and her unwavering dedication to helping the sick were hallmarks of her selflessness and compassion.

Her passing is an irreplaceable loss to her family, colleagues, and all who were privileged to know her. Our thoughts and prayers are with her beloved son Ahmad, whom she cherished deeply. We pray that Allah (SWT) grants her family the strength to bear this profound loss and blesses her soul with Al-Jannah Firdaus.

Mrs. Salamis legacy of compassion, resilience, and service will forever inspire us. May the memories of her remarkable life and the indelible impact she made provide comfort to all who mourn her.

With profound sadness, the management and staff of Voice of Nigeria (VON) extend heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the late Mrs. Rafat Idris Salami, our esteemed Assistant Director of Digital Media. Her demise on Friday, 20th December 2024, has left us all in shock and deep sorrow.

Mrs. Salami was far more than a professional; she was a beacon of strength, compassion, and inspiration. Her remarkable contributions to broadcast journalism and her pivotal role in advancing digital media at VON were extraordinary. Renowned for her impeccable work ethic, multilingual skills, and unwavering commitment to excellence, she was the epitome of professionalism and dedication.

My personal relationship with Mrs. Salami predates my appointment as Director General of VON. Following my appointment, I consistently sought her invaluable advice and relied on her steadfast support in our collective efforts to reposition the agency.

Even at our recent VON retreat earlier this week, despite her health challenges, Mrs Salami participated actively. I personally reached out to her during the retreat to pray for her recovery, never imagining that it would be our final interaction.

Mrs Salamis illustrious journey with VON began as a correspondent in Lagos, where her passion and diligence set her apart. Over the years, she played instrumental roles in producing flagship programs such as VONSCOPE, Sixty Minutes, and Africa Hour. Her integrity, dedication to truth, and exceptional leadership earned her the admiration and respect of her peers.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Mrs Salami was a passionate unionist, a staunch advocate for gender equity, and a mentor to countless talents within the media industry. Her active involvement in the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and her recent re-election as Treasurer of the International Press Institute (IPI) underscored her lifelong commitment to advancing journalism and human rights.

A devout Muslim and an active member of the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Mrs Salami exemplified a life of faith and service. Her tireless advocacy for blood donation and her unwavering dedication to helping the sick were hallmarks of her selflessness and compassion.

Her passing is an irreplaceable loss to her family, colleagues, and all who were privileged to know her. Our thoughts and prayers are with her beloved son Ahmad, whom she cherished deeply. We pray that Allah (SWT) grants her family the strength to bear this profound loss and blesses her soul with Al-Jannah Firdaus.

Mrs Salamis legacy of compassion, resilience, and service will forever inspire us. May the memories of her remarkable life and the indelible impact she made provide comfort to all who mourn her.

VOICE OF NIGERIA EXPRESSES GRATITUDE FOR SUPPORT AND PRAYERS IN HONOUR OF RAFATU ONYECHE SALAMI

On behalf of the entire Management and Staff of Voice of Nigeria, I am profoundly moved by the outpouring of heartfelt messages, calls, and visits received following the passing of our dear sister and colleague, Rafatu Onyeche Salami.

The extraordinary expressions of love and tributes from within the Corporation, across the media and journalism industry, the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, and other stakeholdersboth within and beyond Nigeriaare a testament to the enduring impact Hajiya Rafatu had on so many lives. Her contributions will remain etched in the annals of history.

We are especially grateful to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his compassionate condolence message, and to the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, FNIPR, for his unwavering support and kind words. It is worth noting that Rafatu served with distinction as the Secretary of the Ministers Committee during Nigerias hosting of the International Press Institute (IPI).

We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to IPI Nigeria, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), and the Al-Habibiya Islamic Society for their steadfast support and solidarity during this difficult time. May Allah reward you all abundantly.

At Voice of Nigeria, we will cherish her memory always and continue to honor her legacy. We join hands in praying for her eternal rest and encourage everyone to keep her and her family in their prayers.

Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, MNIPR

Director-General

Voice of Nigeria in

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Fintiri creates seven new Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri on Monday announced the creation of additional emirates and chiefdoms in the state

With the development, the state now has 14 emirates and chiefdoms graded into first, second, and third class.

The state House of Assembly passed the Adamawa State Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) and matters incidental thereto bill into law on 10 December, a day after the lawmakers received the executive bill.

Governor Fintiri assented to the bill on 16 December and announced the new emirates and chiefdoms.

The development reduces the domain of the Lamido of Adamawa, Mustapha Barkindo, from eight to four local government areas  Yola South, Yola North, Girei and Hong.

The new emirate law also means the Emir of Mubi, Abubakar Isa-Ahmadu, now has two local government areas in his emirate  Mubi North and Mubi South, down from five.

The Adamawa and Mubi emirates are predominantly Fulanis.

Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later

Mr Fintiri, in a broadcast on Monday, said the new chiefdoms and emirates were created to reposition the traditional institution and enhance its capacity to promote peace, security, and development in the state.

The new chiefdoms and emirates include the Huba Chiefdom, with headquarters in Hong and a second-class chief; Madagali Chiefdom, with headquarters in Gulakand, a second-class chief; and Michika Chiefdom, with headquarters in Michika and a second-class chief.

Others are Fufore Emirate, with headquarters in Fufore and a second-class chief; Gombi Chiefdom, with headquarters in Gombi and a third-class ruler; Yungur Chiefdom, with headquarters in Dumne and a third-class chief; and Maiha Emirate, with headquarters in Maiha and a third-class chief.

Mr Fintiri said the move is also expected to provide more centres for dispute resolution, improve governance in ungoverned spaces, and strengthen social cohesion.

The governor said the creation of the new chiefdoms and emirates has been gazetted and is now part of the states statutory repository.

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The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Adebowale Adedokun, has unveiled a new vision to eliminate procurement fraud in the country.

This was the central focus of a press conference themed Renewed Hope Through Strategic Procurement, which was held in Abuja on Monday.

Mr Adedokun stated that the goal is to eliminate procurement fraud and ensure that the federal government obtains optimal value for all its contracts.

The new vision is anchored on three key pillars: transparency and accountability; competence, efficiency, integrity, and innovation; and inclusivity and economic growth, he said.

He explained that, in the coming year, the BPP plans to deploy an electronic procurement system to allow government agencies to conduct e-advertisements, improving cost efficiency and transparency.

The BPP will also focus on enhancing career development for procurement officers and strengthening partnerships with anti-corruption agencies and other stakeholders.

Inclusivity will remain a cornerstone of our strategy, and we will strengthen our oversight functions by implementing categorisation and classification systems for contractors and construction, he said.

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Mr Adedokun further outlined that the bureau would adopt intelligence and benchmarking systems to regularly review and update policies and practices to stay aligned with prevailing standards.

He noted that the BPP would address ongoing challenges, such as project implementation delays, capacity gaps, and limited awareness.

These challenges present opportunities for growth, innovation, and the establishment of new benchmarks for public procurement excellence in Nigeria.

By leveraging technology, fostering collaboration, and empowering our workforce, we will overcome these obstacles and set a new standard for public procurement excellence in Nigeria, Mr Adedokun added.

The D-G also mentioned that sanctions would be imposed for poor conduct, while good practices would be rewarded.

He stressed that the BPP would work closely with anti-corruption agencies to ensure that violations of public procurement practices are met with stringent penalties.

Agencies that adopt open, transparent, and competitive procurement procedures in line with BPP standards will be openly recognised.

We will enter into Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with relevant anti-corruption agencies to enforce appropriate standards, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that also present at the press briefing were the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliu, and the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Abdullahi Bello.

Others present included the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Orji Ogbonaya, and a representative from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

They all pledged to support the BPP in realising its vision to eliminate procurement fraud and other corrupt practices associated with the award of government contracts.

(NAN)

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A Nigerian man has allegedly murdered his friend in Delta State, south-south Nigeria.

The prime suspect, Efe Onoetiyi, allegedly hired assassins to murder the victim, Paulinus Okon.

The police spokesperson in Delta State, Bright Edafe, disclosed this while parading the suspects at the police headquarters in the state.

Mr Edafe, a superintendent of police, uploaded on his X handle on Monday a video clip showing the suspects during the parade.

He said the incident occurred at Otokutu, a community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the South-southern state, but did not indicate the exact period the incident happened.

How it happened

The police spokesperson said the prime suspect, Mr Onoetiyi, in September, contacted his friend, Mr Okon and informed him of a building on sale which was valued at N30 million.

He said Mr Okon expressed interest and gave him N30 million to purchase the building based on the agreement that he (Onoetiyi) would buy the building for him (Mr Okon).

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Instead of Efe (Onoetiyi) buying the property, he diverted the money and used it to buy his own house and also bought two other lands.

When it got time for Efe to show Paulinus the property he bought for him, he (Efe) didnt know what to do. He became confused and didnt know how to explain it to Paulinus. So, he decided to kill, Mr Edafe narrated.

The spokesperson said Mr Onoetiyi first contacted a man to kill Mr Okon with a promise to pay him N450,000 but the man declined.

He said Mr Onoetiyi consequently contacted three other men  Okeimute Gaga, Sunday Ikpeba and Lawrence Joseph, a herbalist  to kill the victim.

The murder

Mr Edafe said when Messrs Gaga and Ikpeba indicated they were ready to kill the victim, Mr Onoetiyi allegedly tricked Mr Okon to accompany him to a party.

He said immediately Mr Onoetiyi and Mr Okon arrived at the scene where they had planned to kill the victim, Messrs Gaga and Ikpeba grabbed him and tied him to a stick.

While he was alive, they used a machete and cut off his head. They tied his body in a bag and threw it into Orere River and carried the head to the shrine that belongs to the herbalist here, he said.

His (Mr Okons) head was buried at the shrine.

The clip showed a decayed skull, believed to be that of the slain Mr Okon, being exhumed in front of a shrine.

Mr Edafe, during the parade, asked Mr Onoetiyi why he murdered his friend.

I dont know how I will explain it, he responded in Pidgin English.

READ ALSO:Police arrest suspect over alleged trafficking of Nigerian girls to Libya

Ransom after murder

Mr Edafe said after killing Mr Okon, Mr Onoetiyi collected N20.7 million ransom from Mr Okons family after lying to them that he had been kidnapped.

The police spokesperson said all the arrested suspects would be prosecuted.

He warned Nigerians to be cautious of the friends they keep.

We should be very careful about our associations and wherever we are going. Paulinus just died because he trusted a friend, he said.

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Very soon, Chinese boys and girls will be selling pure water on our highways. Many of them will out-sprint our own hawkers and there will be messy street fights. Write down that prediction and remember to acknowledge my copyright to that prophecy when it comes to pass.

But, wait! What prediction are we talking about when we already have hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals all over Nigeria  from the aquatic splendour of Lagos to the arid wonders of Sokoto. The Chinese have embedded themselves into our society unobtrusively. They have meshed with our communities and, if I may borrow an expression invented by Prof Wole Soyinka, many of them have not only frolicked here but also wifed here.

I have seen mixed race children with Chinese features in many rural communities in Northern Nigeria. You cant miss their facial features  almond-shaped or slanted eyes with pronounced epicanthic folds, dark irises, flat noses, prominent cheekbones and flat facial features. The Chinese are members of the Mongoloid race one of the three main races in the world, the others being Negroids and Caucasoids.

Invasion

The current Chinese invasion of our urban and rural spaces is intriguing because the Asian immigrants, unlike their caucasian counterparts, live, wine and dine with the local people and are therefore, to some extent, stakeholders in the affairs of those communities. Their children wont be regarded as immigrants but as locals. Someday, they will claim their political and traditional rights and provide leadership for fellow local brothers and sisters.

That, however, is not the worrying aspect of the massive emigration of Chinese nationals to Nigeria. It is normal for people all over the world to seek better livelihood in other lands. What is worrisome is the capacity of the newcomers to outnumber the original natives. When youre talking numbers, the Chinese are heavyweight champions. I checked the current population of that country in real time as I was writing this piece and it was 1,417,794,773. The US comedian, Richard Pryor, would tell you the hidden connotation of having that huge population, A billion people, thats some!

To further contextualise the matter, we simply have to remember that the population of the entire continent of Africa is 1.5 billion.

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China has the capacity to neutralise the numerical strength of several Nigerian ethnic nationalities. If the Chinese decide on a programme of encouraging 15 percent of their population to settle in Africa with Nigeria as a favourite honey pot, they will be the largest single homogenous ethnic block within most of the individual countries and will rightly determine its fortunes, based on the mantra of one-man-one-vote.

Just consider the figures: 15 percent of their population is 212,700,000, enough to distribute all over Africa and emerge as the most populous ethnic group in many countries of the continent. Imagine if there was a 40 million Chinese population in Nigeria! If you analyse figures coming out of Nigerias Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it will take some doing to outvote or out-rig the hypothetical Chinese!

Im not advocating a Trump-style nationalist racial cleansing, neither am I oblivious of the positive contribution of some foreigners of Chinese descent to the manufacturing sector of Nigerias economy. I am rather interested in seeing the bad eggs among the lot identified and removed from circulation as the law demands.

Demarketing Nigeria

I have been a victim of racial profiling in some foreign airports on account of the categorisation of Nigerians as pathological criminals. To discover that some of the cybercrime for which Nigerians have been classified as past masters were actually designed, orchestrated and supervised by Chinese nationals operating in Nigeria in plain sight is, therefore, galling.

Just the other day, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) blew the lid off one of such Chinese-led criminal outfits operating from a seven storey building in Victoria Island, Lagos.

There were 792 suspects in all, including 148 Chinese, 40 Filipinos, two Kazakhstani, one Pakistani and one Indonesian.

The foreign nationals used the facility to train their Nigerian accomplices on how to initiate romance and investment scams and also used the identities of their Nigerian accomplices to perpetrate criminal activities. It is a massive computer-based operation.

Nigerian accomplices, who are assigned WhatsApp accounts linked to foreign telephone numbers, especially from Germany and Italy, engage victims in romantic conversations as well as phantom business and investment discussions to trick them to shop on the purported online investment shopping platform called www.yooto.com.

So far, the EFCC investigations have shown that the Nigerian accomplices dont know who the real owners of the company they work for are, because the workers are not offered letters of appointment and are usually paid either in cash or through a private account.

I see a big problem looming in the horizon if Chinese nationals continue to come to Nigeria to establish criminal enterprises using Nigerian names. Had the shoe been on the other foot as indeed happened several times in some foreign countries in the past, the media would be agog with news of Nigerians duping the Chinese. Now it is the Chinese who are duping Nigerians and also swindling the whole world using Nigerian names to commit the crimes.

Criminals

In the northern part of the country, the Chinese are all over the mines stealing mineral resources and establishing protection rings. They have become part of the insecurity architecture of the country. I hear that they also run human trafficking rings operating under Omerta-style codes of secrecy. They sell goats and may soon start selling pure water. In the Southeast (Enugu) recently, one of them was nabbed for attempting to smuggle out some precious stones mined in the state.

Many of these foreign criminals enter the country on 90-day visas and remain here even though they are out of status because we dont do due diligence after allowing them into our country. It probably would have been tolerable if they speak well of Nigeria outside. No, many of them feel superior to blacks generally. In words and deeds they show that they have no respect for Africans.

Four years ago, during the COVID scourge, blacks were singled out for special ostracisation and dehumanisation in Guangzhou province of China. In my column in Daily Trust at the time, I wrote a piece titled Racist China:

Some Africans resident in Guangzhou are now virtually destitute and are looking for any opportunity to return home. Many of them claim they are treated like lepers in public and targeted for additional COVID-19 tests without ever seeing the results. The police and public health bureau in Guangzhou claimed that officials had responded to false rumors that 300,000 black people in Guangzhou were setting off a second epidemic. How can black people be so accused when it is widely suspected that the origin of Covid-19 is linked to the Chinese propensity of eating anything with four legs except a table  maggots, scorpions, millipedes, roaches, bats, lizards, worms, etc (https://dailytrust.com/racist-china/)

Destroy the Armada

Nigerias Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has his work cut out. This armada of undesirables must be routed.

And I ask the Chinese, how can you treat my people like excrement in your own country and then compound my existence by coming to my country to commit crimes in my name? Whoever does that and expects to walk free in my backyard?

Wole Olaoye is a Public Relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be reached on wole.olaoye@gmail.com, Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021

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The work we are doing reflects a deeper commitment to ensuring that every medical/dental graduate has a fair and transparent pathway to complete their housemanship. The challenges are significant, but they are not insurmountable. With continued investment in healthcare infrastructure, stakeholder collaboration, and a collective commitment to ethical practices, the system can and will be further strengthened.

The journey to becoming a doctor is marked by immense dedication, sacrifice, and a commitment to serve humanity. For the newly qualified Nigerian doctor, the housemanship year represents a critical step in transitioning from learning to hands-on medical/dental practice. It is a period of work under supervision, a time to refine skills, build confidence, and prepare for the rigours of independent medical/dental practice. However, in recent years, this crucial stage has become a focal point of frustration for many young doctors, due to the variation of placement slots, regional preferences, and systemic challenges. The centralised housemanship scheme (CHMS) was initiated by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) in 2021, to address some of these challenges. With over 12,000 house officers having benefitted from the CHMS since inception, the MDCN would like to clarify issues of concern, highlight what the MDCN has done or is doing, and, importantly, outline a path forward.

I recently came across the story of a young doctor, Onyinyechukwu (Onyinye), who had graduated after years of perseverance through strikes, funding challenges, and personal sacrifices. When it came to time for her housemanship, Onyinye had hoped to serve in an urban hospital where she could build on her clinical experiences in a more resource-equipped environment. Instead, in the option available to her on the portal was a hospital far from her family and familiar surroundings. Initially disheartened, she considered discarding the placement, but after a conversation with her mentor, she decided to embrace the opportunity. Months later, Onyinye shared how the experience of working in an underserved community transformed her perspective on medicine. She saw, firsthand, the critical gaps in healthcare access and how even basic interventions saved lives. More importantly, she found a renewed sense of purpose in serving where she was needed the most.

This story is a reminder that the housemanship year is not just about personal preferences or convenience but also about answering the call to service, even in challenging circumstances. Yet, it also underscores the importance of ensuring fairness and transparency in the placement process, so that every graduate, like Onyinye, feels that their opportunity is earned and valued.

In 2021, the centralised housemanship placement portal was introduced to streamline the placement process and ensure fairness in allocations. The goal was to eliminate the unnecessary delays, favouritism, and unequal opportunities that plagued the old system. By centralising the process, every eligible graduate now has equal access to the available slots. While this system has brought significant improvements, the challenges faced today reveal the complex realities of a growing medical workforce and limited capacity.

A significant issue is the concentration of desire to work in urban centres like Lagos and Abuja, where infrastructure, security, and amenities are perceived to be better. This creates intense competition for slots in these cities, leaving many hospitals in underserved areas with unfilled quotas. Yet, these same regions offer critical opportunities for young doctors to gain diverse experiences, while addressing the healthcare needs of communities that are often neglected.

At present, there are 114 accredited hospitals for housemanship in Nigeria, with only 44 federal institutions participating in the centralised portal. These include federal teaching hospitals, federal medical centres, and some specialist hospitals. Each of these facilities is assigned a specific quota based on functioning infrastructure, available consultants, and capacity to accommodate house officers. Together with the 70 hospitals managed by the states, the military or private individuals/organisations that have been accredited by MDCN for housemanship, the number of available slots for placements is sufficient to meet the current output of medical/dental graduates across the country. However, with a growing output of medical/dental graduates, compounded by the increasing number of foreign-trained medical/dental graduates returning to Nigeria, the available slots remain a challenge. Efforts to accredit more hospitals are ongoing, but the gap between demand and capacity will not disappear overnight.

A significant issue is the concentration of desire to work in urban centres like Lagos and Abuja, where infrastructure, security, and amenities are perceived to be better. This creates intense competition for slots in these cities, leaving many hospitals in underserved areas with unfilled quotas. Yet, these same regions offer critical opportunities for young doctors to gain diverse experiences, while addressing the healthcare needs of communities that are often neglected. Encouraging placements in these areas through targeted incentives and improved infrastructure is a necessary step forward. And, we are committed to doing this.

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Still, the pressures on the system reflect broader societal challenges. On a very regular basis, and in contravention of the CHMS, letters of recommendation and outright demands to prioritise specific individuals are a daily reality for the MDCN leadership. While devising strategies to balance key stakeholders demands and requests, these pressures test the principles of fairness and equity that the system is designed to uphold. Medicine is not just about clinical expertise  it is also about leadership, integrity, equity, and a commitment to the greater good.

These obstacles, notwithstanding, we have made and continue to make significant progress. The centralised portal has reduced waiting times for many medical/dental graduates, ensuring a transparent and structured process in placements. Newly qualified doctors are given adequate information on how the centralised housemanship scheme works and they are encouraged to create their accounts on the portal and make their choices directly, based on available slots. Hospitals accredited for housemanship are rigorously assessed to meet standards, including accommodation, call rooms, and a balanced ratio of house officers to consultants. Efforts are ongoing to accredit more state-owned and private hospitals, as well as to increase quotas in existing facilities, particularly in underserved areas.

These efforts align with President Ahmed Bola Tinubus commitment to ensuring equitable and improved quality health outcomes for all Nigerians under the Renewed Hope agenda. The Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), which emphasises governance reforms and health system strengthening, complements these ongoing reforms. Under the leadership of the Honourable Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, the government and its partners are focused on improving the healthcare workforce capacity, which directly supports MDCNs work to accredit more hospitals and expand housemanship placements in both urban and underserved areas. These investments reflect the shared vision of a healthcare system that leaves no Nigerian behind.

But, perhaps, most importantly, we need to re-evaluate how we nurture and prepare our young professionals. The culture of entitlement, favouritism, and short-term thinking undermines the very principles upon which the Hippocratic Oath is administered. The housemanship year should not be reduced to a competition for urban placements but seen as an opportunity to serve, learn, and grow in diverse settings.

Systemic reform, however, requires more than just increasing the numbers. It is essential to improve the quality of training and working conditions for our house officers, ensuring that they are not only well-prepared for their roles as independent healthcare professionals but also motivated to remain within the Nigerian healthcare system when they complete the programme. The exodus of doctors seeking better opportunities abroad  popularly known as the japa syndrome  is a pressing concern that requires urgent attention. Addressing it means tackling broader issues, including remuneration, security, career growth, and workplace environments. Already, the Health Workforce Migration Policy (2024) developed by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoH&SW) and recently signed by Mr President is targeted at ameliorating these issues.

But, perhaps, most importantly, we need to re-evaluate how we nurture and prepare our young professionals. The culture of entitlement, favouritism, and short-term thinking undermines the very principles upon which the Hippocratic Oath is administered. The housemanship year should not be reduced to a competition for urban placements but seen as an opportunity to serve, learn, and grow in diverse settings. For this to happen, a collective effort is needed to foster a sense of responsibility and fairness among graduates, their families, and the broader community.

The work we are doing reflects a deeper commitment to ensuring that every medical/dental graduate has a fair and transparent pathway to complete their housemanship. The challenges are significant, but they are not insurmountable. With continued investment in healthcare infrastructure, stakeholder collaboration, and a collective commitment to ethical practices, the system can and will be further strengthened. This effort will not only address the challenges of today but will also ensure a resilient and equitable healthcare system capable of delivering quality care for all Nigerians, irrespective of where they live.

As part of this commitment, the renovation and upgrading of six federal teaching hospitals across the federation under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) exemplifies the strides being made to strengthen the foundation of medical training and healthcare delivery. These upgrades are not merely infrastructural improvements but are critical investments in the future of healthcare, ensuring that young doctors have access to state-of-the-art facilities for learning and practice.

These efforts signal that we are not just addressing the challenges of today but are building a robust system for the future  one in which every graduate is equipped to contribute meaningfully to the health of the nation and every Nigerian can access the care they deserve. To this end, we call on all stakeholders, across government, professional bodies, healthcare institutions, and society at large, to unite in supporting these reforms. Together, we can ensure that the housemanship year becomes not just a requirement but an exciting transformative journey for our young doctors  a cornerstone for the health sector, and a testament to our collective commitment to a healthier Nigeria.

Fatima Kyari is the CEO and Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

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Insecurity is real in Nigeria and we advocate for a whole of society approach to address the issues involved. However, the objective of this piece is to emphasise the importance of aligning statistical reports with on-the-ground realities to foster trust and actionable insights. Inflated statistics can misinform policy decisions and public opinion. Such data has potential consequences for Nigerias security sector, including resource allocation and strategy development.

Nigeria has a data problem, a deeply rooted governance problem manifested in poor data quality, fragile data generation infrastructure and the blatant politicisation of data. To argue against this fact is to provide an alternative explanation for Nigerias disappointing inability to conduct a credible census since 1962, conflicting unemployment figures, selective release of economic data, inaccurate and incomplete health data, discrepancies in school enrolment rates and unreliable criminal justice statistics, among others. Given this context, it is imperative to interrogate recent statistics by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on kidnapping and ransom payment in Nigeria.

There is a concurrence among most scholars in Nigeria that bandits are the various organised criminal groups operating mainly in the North-West region of Nigeria. Driven primarily by economic imperatives, these criminal groups have in the last decade indiscriminately attacked rural communities, commuters and security agencies in the region. Undoubtedly, they have evolved a sophisticated and strategic approach to kidnapping for ransom, demonstrating tactical proficiency in carrying out abductions, often utilising intelligence networks, exploiting security gaps, and operating in remote areas with challenging terrain.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics Crime Experience and Security Perception Report 2024, Nigeria recorded a total of 2.23 million kidnapping incidents during the year under review, with 63.5 per cent of these occurring in the North-West geopolitical zone  highlighting the significant role of bandits in Nigerias kidnapping economy. The report indicates that 8.6 per cent of households in the North-West reported experiencing kidnapping, compared to a national prevalence rate of 3.2 per cent. During the period under reference, 2.2 trillion was paid as ransom, with 54.5 per cent of the payments made in the North-West region. Additionally, the average national ransom per incident was 2.67 million. The report unequivocally places the North-West as the locus of Nigerias kidnapping crisis.

Ideally, an evidence-based report should provide impartial and definitive proof of the facts it presents. However, this presumption depends on the rigour of its methodology and the credibility of its publishers. Also, regardless of how the evidence is framed, it should be consistent with logic, widely accepted knowledge, and established facts. The report makes bold and unsettling assertions that require objective evaluation.

The methodological rigour of the report is insufficient in relation to the bold claims it presents. Beyond its scantiness, the methodology has key deficiencies, and the sampling representation is grossly inadequate for the regional conclusions that the study makes. To start with, the pilot survey was conducted only in the Kuje and Bwari area councils of the Federal Capital Territory, using 20 households, and raising concerns about the appropriateness of the pilot in reflecting regional variations, especially in the North-West, which is reported as the epicentre of kidnapping incidents in the country. Also, the report fails to provide sufficient information on the sampling frame and cluster design. While the sampling frame uses the Housing and Population Census of 18,000 Enumeration Areas, it selected 1,020 Enumeration Areas and 12,281 households nationally. Can it be said that this sample size meets the test of sufficiency to validate the 2.2 trillion ransom payment?

The methodology section is silent on sampling design specificity, such as specific variables used to stratify the Enumeration Areas, and household selection methods, although the report references what is described as systematically selected, but there is need for more clarity around this. The section is also silent on the non-response rate, while it mentions non-response adjustment for weighting but doesnt state the actual non-response rate achieved. This is a critical indicator of survey quality.

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There is also the problem of the lack of detail on crime definitions and ransom data verification. The methodology is quiet on how kidnapping was defined or how ransom payments were verified. Given the sensitive nature of ransom payments, relying solely on household self-reporting may lead to exaggerations or omissions. Ultimately, the study highlights the risks of potential bias with studies reliant on self-reported data. The reason is simple, respondents may either overstate or understate their experiences on the basis of fear, stigma, or misremembering events, thereby impacting the accuracy of the prevalence and ransom figures. The study does not discuss strategies utilised for cross-referencing self-reported data with other sources and address how potential biases were minimised during interviews.

Just to bring clarity to this figure: 2,235,954 kidnapping incidents would translate to over 4.4 million people, if we assume an average of two persons were kidnapped per incident. This perspective becomes pivotal as abductors are often engaged in mass abduction for criminal gains. The population of Gabon in 2023 was estimated to be around 2.4 million people. Did the NBS data managers think about the logistic requirement to kidnap a population twice that of Gabon within 12 months? How would the abductors manage the transport logistics for such a criminal enterprise within the time frame?

Beyond methodological inadequacies, the study inexplicably contradicts logic and established facts in some of its most critical findings. It is against the grain of media reportage and share of conversation that Nigeria had more than 2.2 million kidnapping incidents in one year. The study states that residents of the North-West paid bandits around 1.2 trillion in ransom in the period under review. For context, Zamfara and Katsina states are epicentres of kidnapping in the North-West. Zamfara State budgeted N188.87 billion for 2023, while Katsina had N288 billion for the same year. Their combined budget is around a third of the amount the report asserts was paid by the entire region. In interrogating the data, one is bound to ask again: Where did the victims of kidnapping in Nigerias North-West get 1.2 trillion to pay for ransom within 12 months? Given the general knowledge that government is usually the biggest spender in any economy, even if the state governments are the ones paying the ransom from their meagre budgets, then how did the states meet their other fiscal obligations? The North-West region is the poorest geopolitical zone in Nigeria, with more than 70 per cent of its residents living below the poverty line and in rural communities. This is not an attempt to downplay the plight of communities experiencing the vagaries of violence by bandits.

For the purpose of comparison, we checked the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) repository. ACLED is an independent, impartial, international non-profit organisation collecting data on violence in all countries and territories in the world. We extrapolated the abduction data for the period (May 2023-April 2024) and found 634 incidents across Nigeria (see Figures 1 and 2 below).

The data from ACLED contradicts findings by the NBS estimated at 2,235,954 kidnapping incidents nationally using the perception survey. Giving the preponderance of media report on kidnapping in Nigeria, there is no adult interviewed in Nigeria who will not report that the crime is on the rise. But that does not equate the lived experience.

Just to bring clarity to this figure: 2,235,954 kidnapping incidents would translate to over 4.4 million people, if we assume an average of two persons were kidnapped per incident. This perspective becomes pivotal as abductors are often engaged in mass abduction for criminal gains. The population of Gabon in 2023 was estimated to be around 2.4 million people. Did the NBS data managers think about the logistic requirement to kidnap a population twice that of Gabon within 12 months? How would the abductors manage the transport logistics for such a criminal enterprise within the time frame? We are raising the pertinent questions because empirical data must not go against the logic of common sense.

Insecurity is real in Nigeria and we advocate for a whole of society approach to address the issues involved. However, the objective of this piece is to emphasise the importance of aligning statistical reports with on-the-ground realities to foster trust and actionable insights. Inflated statistics can misinform policy decisions and public opinion. Such data has potential consequences for Nigerias security sector, including resource allocation and strategy development. Such figures also have significant implications for Nigerias international reputation and investor confidence, as they prospect for business across various sectors in the country.

Oluwole Ojewale and Tosin Osasona (security and law scholars) wrote from Dakar and Ibadan respectively.

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Senator Oshiomholes intervention serves as a powerful call for a policy shift. Electricity should be treated as a basic necessity and made affordable for all citizens. While privatisation is not inherently flawed, the regulatory framework must be robustly enforced to ensure fairness. Citizens who invest in procuring infrastructure, such as transformers that eventually become the property of electricity companies, should be compensated. Furthermore, these costs should be reflected in the tariff system to ease the financial burden on consumers.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has long been known for his rare courage in speaking out against societal injustices. From his tenure as a labour leader to his time as a state governor, he consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to truth and justice, regardless of the interests at stake. His recent remarks on the floor of the National Assembly regarding Nigerias enduring electricity crisis serve as yet another testament to this legacy.

Oshiomholes personal account of his struggles with the nations electricity problems resonates deeply with many Nigerians who have faced similar challenges. His insights into the heavy sacrifices placed on ordinary citizens, often forced to finance infrastructure for power companies, reveal a glaring injustice in the system.

In Mab Global Estate, Abuja, for instance, homeowners had to pool their resources to develop essential infrastructure, such as electricity, drainage channels, and access road networks. These responsibilities, which should ideally be handled by the government, have been unfairly shifted to citizens, who already pay taxes with the expectation of receiving basic amenities in return. To add to the burden, the government imposes additional levies like tenement rates and ground rents, with threats of legal action for noncompliance. And despite these personal investments, the electricity infrastructure ultimately becomes the property of the Electricity Distribution Company (DisCos), raising important questions about the ownership and valuation of these assets. Are they considered purchases or donations? How much of DisCos infrastructure is funded by citizens?

Senator Oshiomhole also highlighted an eye-opening example from his home state, where electricity infrastructure appears to be monopolised by a family business. This brings up a larger question: Why should the fate of millions of Nigerians be controlled by a few private families? Shouldnt electricity be managed as a public service, similar to water corporations, to ensure fairness and accountability?

The privatisation of Nigerias electricity sector, while well-intentioned, seems to have exacerbated existing issues. While citizens hoped for an improved electricity supply, they were instead met with persistent power outages and a burdensome tariff system that fails to account for the harsh realities faced by ordinary Nigerians. The imposition of these tariffs has not taken into consideration the financial strain on citizens, especially when the value of the minimum wage has significantly decreased over time. The introduction of tariff bands has not done enough to address the erratic power supply, as the marginal improvements recorded remain a function of the water level, which is seasonal.

Why, then, should a private company collect payment for services it fails to deliver, particularly when citizens are left to shoulder the burden? As Senator Oshiomhole rightly pointed out, Nigerians are often forced to purchase their own transformers, and negotiate and paying the distribution companies directly for their installation and connection. Even after these personal investments, the transformer remains the property of the distribution company. To add insult to injury, the monthly bills continue to roll in, disregarding the initial sacrifices made on the infrastructure by the citizens.

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State governors have also taken it upon themselves to purchase transformers for their communities, only for the distribution companies to demand additional payments to complete the connections. If transformers and cables that are the essential components of electricity provision are being funded by citizens, state governments, and community representatives, what exactly are the DisCos contributing?

If privatisation was meant to inject private capital into the sector, how have the DisCos fulfilled this goal? Many of these companies are known to thrive on facilities, often backed by depositors money, which has led to the collapse of some financial institutions. Moreover, it is concerning that these companies have invested far less of their own capital than they originally pledged.

The puzzling disclosure that there is no governing board overseeing the operations of the distribution companies, despite the Nigerian governments significant stake, raises serious concerns about corporate governance and calls for immediate reform. Corporate governance regulates the relationships between a companys stakeholders, which includes its creditors, employees, shareholders, management, governments and other internal and external interests. It is a framework that ensures corporate control and forbids misuse. The seeming lack of this highlights the inefficiencies and contradictions inherent in the privatisation model and underscores the urgent need for reform in the way electricity services are managed in Nigeria.

Senator Oshiomholes intervention serves as a powerful call for a policy shift. Electricity should be treated as a basic necessity and made affordable for all citizens. While privatisation is not inherently flawed, the regulatory framework must be robustly enforced to ensure fairness. Citizens who invest in procuring infrastructure, such as transformers that eventually become the property of electricity companies, should be compensated. Furthermore, these costs should be reflected in the tariff system to ease the financial burden on consumers.

The fundamental issues raised by Senator Oshiomhole demand urgent attention. The Senates rapt engagement with his presentation, led by the Senate President, is a hopeful sign. With the collective resolve of our leaders and citizens, we can address these systemic injustices and create a future where electricity is no longer a privilege, but a right for all.

The time to act is now. The history we write today will shape the legacy we leave for future generations.

Yisa Usman is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), and a doctoral candidate at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. Email: topusman@gmail.com.

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Optiva Capital Partners, Africas leading wealth management and retention company, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Loft & Keys LLC, a renowned real estate and investment company with dominant presence in Nigeria and the Middle East.

The ceremony which took place over the weekend at Optiva Capitals Corporate Headquarters, aims to boost investment in Nigerias hospitality and healthcare sectors on the one hand, as well as provide Nigerian investors with opportunities to invest in real estate in the UAE, particularly in Dubai.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Jane Kimemia, CEO, Optiva Capital Partners, emphasised the transformative potential of this partnership, With Loft & Keys deep understanding of the Nigerian market and established networks in the Middle East, we are poised to bring $500 million in investments into Nigerias hospitality and healthcare industries. These funds will be strategically spread across Lagos, Abuja (FCT), Delta, and Enugu.

The investment in hospitality will serve as a catalyst for economic growth in Nigeria. Beyond creating employment opportunities, it will spur infrastructure development, enhance regional tourism appeal, and foster business ecosystems in Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, Enugu, and Delta. Similarly, the healthcare focus will address critical gaps in medical infrastructure, improve access to quality care, and promote health innovationkey pillars for national development.

The partnership according to Dr Kimemia also extends to Nigerian investors seeking opportunities in the UAE. With Loft & Keys expertise and extensive networks in Dubai and other Middle Eastern hubs, the collaboration will unlock access to one of the worlds most dynamic real estate markets.

Speaking about the partnership, Chief Austin Ugochukwu Albert, Chairman, Loft & Keys LLC, said Optiva Capital Partners stands as Africas leading wealth retention company, a position that is firmly established and without question. This partnership with Loft & Keys will further solidify their dominance and create even greater opportunities for growth. As Dr. Jane Kimemia has rightly emphasised, Loft & Keys, with our extensive expertise in the Middle East, is a trusted and experienced partner.

We have a strong presence in the UAE and are actively expanding into Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the near future. Together with Optiva Capital Partners, we are committed to capturing significant market opportunities in these regions. I am confident that this partnership will foster substantial growth that will be mutually rewarding for both parties.

Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later

Dubai, a city widely known for its opulence and rapid development, is reportedly operating at only 30% of its projected capacity, presenting a significant growth opportunity for investors. According to industry experts, this untapped potential creates a unique window for investors to capitalize on the citys future expansion and development.

The partnership aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 17 as two formidable brands, Optiva Capital Partners and Loft & Keys are committed to leveraging their collective strengths to drive impactful investments that benefit clients and communities alike.

Optiva Capital Partners is a premier wealth management and retention firm offering bespoke solutions in four areas of specialization  investment immigration, investment advisory, insurance, and international real estate.

On its part, Loft & Keys is an internationally recognized real estate and investment company with a robust presence in Nigeria and the UAE. The firm is dedicated to connecting investors with high-value opportunities in dynamic markets.

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The police in Cross River State said they have apprehended a 35-year-old man, Victor Eyop, for the alleged trafficking of girls from Nigeria to Libya.

Gyogon Grimah, the commissioner of police in Cross River, confirmed this on Monday at a news conference in Calabar.

Mr Grimah explained that on 9 November, a man named Chidi Samuel, in Calabar, reported a case of human trafficking against the suspect.

He said that on that date, Mr Samuel claimed the suspect and his wife, Esther Eyop, allegedly recruited Deborah Nyong, 25.

They also recruited two others, Ms Anita Lawrence, 25, and Ms Mabel Tom, 16, for human trafficking to Libya after they were tested for the Human Immune Virus (HIV) and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs).

After the test, the suspect took them to his house and the next day gave them a substance they were to mix in their bath water for cleansing before embarking on the journey.

On 12 November, the suspect and his wife drove the girls to Bogobiri Street in Calabar, where they booked tickets and transported them to Kaduna with arrangements with one Hajiya (names unknown) to receive the girls in Kaduna, he said.

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The commissioner said while in Kaduna, a taxi driver was sent to pick up the girls and further transported them to Katsina. However, along the road to Katsina, the vehicle developed a fault.

Mr Grimah said it was at this point the victims realised they were being trafficked and started contacting people for help, and the complainant, Samuel, sent money to them through a Point of Sale (POS) operator along the road.

He said they used the money to board a taxi back to Kaduna and found their way back to Calabar on 15 November.

Mr Grimah said the suspect would be arraigned in court at the end of the investigation.

During interrogation, the suspect claimed he did not know that what he did was an offence. He said he was only assisting people to travel out of the country.

I am not a travel agent, but my sister is in Libya, it is through her that the girls are being taken to Libya.

The girls were aware of the plan from inception that they would be taken to Katsina and from where Hajiya would direct them on how to get to Libya, he narrated.

(NAN)

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The Cross River State Government has called on hotels to upgrade their services ahead of the 2024 Calabar Carnival and street parties scheduled in the state during the yuletide.

Ekpenyong Ojoi, the director general of the Cross River Tourism Bureau, made the call on Monday in Calabar at an award presentation of N1 million each to 20 hotels and N500 thousand each to 14 restaurants and bars.

Hotels and bars from the northern and southern districts of the state benefitted from the government initiative.

Speaking during the presentation of cheques, Mr Ojoi said there would be no tourism in the state without the private sector involvement.

According to him, the Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, is highly committed to ensuring the growth of hotels in the state, which will boost the states tourism potential.

He, however, said that the hotels also needed to upgrade their services.

As we support you, you need to upgrade your services. When customers call for food or water, does it take up to 30 minutes before they are provided? Do we still have hotels with leaking roofs?

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The Bureau will come after such hotels and close them down.

The governor has assured that, by the first quarter of 2025, two new aircraft will be added to the states fleet.

This is to boost traffic to the state. So, hotels have to be ready to accommodate these tourists and give them the best service, Mr Ojoi said.

Charles Ogar, chairperson of the Hoteliers Association of Nigeria, Cross River Chapter, appealed to hotel and restaurant owners to partner with the states tourism bureau to grow the sector.

Mr Ogar, who called on the grant beneficiaries to ensure that the funds were ploughed back into their businesses, said tourism in Nigeria has to be led by Cross River.

He thanked the state government for its support to the industry while calling for the training and retraining of players in the states hospitality industry to boost its potential.

Similarly, Ekpenyong Akiba, the special adviser to the governor on special duties, said the governor has shown deliberate intention to encourage hotel businesses.

Mr Akiba added that tourism was a driver of several activities in the state.

(NAN)

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Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has described the passing of the second Military Governor of the State, Godwin Abbe, as sad and painful.

Mr Abbe, a retired major-general, died in Abuja on Saturday after a protracted illness.

In a release made available to reporters by Mr Enos spokesperson, Ekerete Udoh, in Uyo on Sunday, the governor said the former military governor helped lay the foundation of an ascendant Akwa Ibom State, where the dreams of the Founding Fathers to have a prosperous, homogeneous, united, and peaceful State would be the defining ethos of our identity.

Today, because he interpreted those ideals perfectly, our State has experienced exponential growth across all sectors and continues to be blessed with leaders who, as he was, were selfless, passionate, and committed to making Akwa Ibom a model of development, peace, and progress  a commitment we are dedicated to continuing and expanding.

READ ALSO: Voice of Nigeria mourns late journalist Rafat Salami

We offer our deepest condolences to the family, the Nigerian Armed Forces, and the people and Government of Edo State on the sad and painful passing of this gallant and patriotic Nigerian military tactician and statesman.

Governor Eno said the Akwa Ibom State Government would work with the late generals family and the Nigerian Army to ensure that we give him a befitting funeral.

The late Abbe was also former minister of defence during the administration of the former President Umaru YarAdua.

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The Abia Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the death of eight people, with three others injured in a road traffic crash that occurred along the Bende-Ohafia Road, Abia State.

A statement by the Sector Commander, Ngozi Ezeoma, on Monday in Umuahia said that the crash occurred on Sunday along the Mmuri River axis of the road in the Ohafia Local Government Area of the state.

She said the crash involved a trailer carrying chippings, which hit and fell on a Sharon Volkswagen vehicle with 10 people on board.

At the time of the crash, eight people had died, including a woman standing by the roadside, and three were injured.

The injured victims were taken to the hospital while the dead ones were deposited at the morgue, she said.

Ms Ezeoma said that preliminary investigation revealed that the crash was caused by dangerous driving and excessive speeding.

(NAN)

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Troops of the Joint Task Force in the South-east, codenamed Operation UDO KA, have neutralised 13 armed members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and nabbed three kidnappers in the South-east.

The task force spokesperson, Jonah Unuakhalu, lieutenant-colonel, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Enugu.

He said that the feat was in furtherance of the troops clearance operations to make the South-east safe and peaceful throughout the yuletide.

Mr Unuakhalu said that the Force Commander, Hassan Dada, a major-general, called on well-meaning citizens to continue to support the joint task force.

He said that citizens of the South-east can do this by providing timely, reliable and credible information to the task force and other security agencies.

Remember, security is everybodys business. It is not in the hands of security agencies alone.

When you see something, say something by calling the JTF Operation UDO KAs toll-free line -193 and press Option 2  to speak directly to Headquarters Operation UDO KA, he said.

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Details of operation

On operational details, Mr Unuakhalu said that troops of Sector 1 of the task force conducted an ambush operation on 21 December along Amouka-Umouka Road in 9th Mile, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, to stop the kidnappers operation.

According to him, during the operation, troops came in contact with the kidnappers and in the ensuing firefight, the troops shot one dead while others escaped with gunshot wounds.

Items recovered at the scene were one AK-47 rifle, two magazines and 17 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, two cell phones, one power bank, three ATM cards, one wristwatch, a bunch of keys and N8,900, he said.

The spokesperson also said that on 16 December, troops of Sector 5 conducted a clearance operation within Mbosi and Isseke general area in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra, where three IPOB members were neutralised.

Items recovered included one AK-47 rifle, two loaded AK-47 magazines and three Dane guns, while a house belonging to one of the irredentist commanders and a shrine used for their fortification were destroyed.

The gallant troops had earlier recovered five water gel Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and two batteries used for detonating the IEDs while on routine patrol along roads within IhialaOrlu, Lilu, Agba Lilu and Orsumoghu general area in Anambra State.

He explained that on 14 December, troops acting on credible and reliable information from members of the public, arrested three suspected kidnappers at Itungwa in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

He said that on receiving the information about the movement of the suspected kidnappers, troops quickly mounted a snap checkpoint to apprehend the suspects.

The suspects operating in a stolen tricycle, on sighting the troops, attempted to make a U-turn but were apprehended.

Items recovered included one AK-47 rifle, one G3 rifle, one locally made single barrel pistol, 10 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 34 rounds of 5.5mm ammunition, two AK-47 rifle magazines, two G3 rifle magazines and one live cartridge.

Other items recovered were: one mobile phone, N6,600 and two knapsack bags used for concealing the weapons, he said.

(NAN)

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68 Embassies Displayed Their Culture and Traditions at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, December 5, 2024 the 11th Annual Embassy Showcase, Winternational, presented by World Trade Center Washington, DC (WTCDC), gathered 68 embassies and cultural organizations and drew 8,000 guests to celebrate international culture, travel, tourism, and trade.

Opening ceremony of the 11th Annual Winternational Embassy Showcase at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

"Winternational is a vibrant celebration of culture, diplomacy, and connection," said Allyson Browne McKithen, Executive Director of World Trade Center Washington, DC, Vice President of International Programs for TCMA, and the event's founder. "With over 8,000 attendees and 68 embassies and cultural organizations represented, this year's event showcased the power of global collaboration and the impact of cultural exchange to bring people together. Only possible in Washington, it provides a unique opportunity to explore the rich of traditions from around the world while fostering deeper understanding and relationships across nations. Winternational serves as a reminder that through shared experiences, we can build lasting bridges that connect us all."

During the opening ceremony, over 20 ambassadors joined Secretary of State of the District of Columbia, Kimberly A. Bassett, on stage, as she delivered Mayor Muriel Bowser's proclamation declaring it "Winternational Day" in Washington, D.C. The ceremony also included remarks from John P. Drew, President and CEO of TCMA; H. E. Mohamed Siad Doualeh, Ambassador of Djibouti to the United States, on behalf of the Council of Arab Ambassadors; and Jonathan Arons, External Communications and Community Relations Manager for Giant Foods.

The daylong event transformed the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (RRB/ITC) into a global marketplace, featuring interactive embassy displays of visual art, cuisine, handicrafts, and tourism. Guests enjoyed unique cultural experiences, including exhibitors in traditional dress like the elaborate carnival masks and costumes presented by Bolivia, or the high-energy performance stage programmed by the League of Arab States reflecting their regional heritage. Exhibitors also offered authentic handmade goods like jewelry from Honduras, colorful Agaseke baskets from Rwanda, beaded accessories and patterned textiles from Guatemala, Nanduti lace art from Paraguay, Gulnor silk embroidery from Uzbekistan, and beloved Lele dolls from Mexico. Attendees sampled and purchased delicacies such as rum cakes and beef patties from Jamaica, truffles from Saudi Arabia, caviar from Azerbaijan, honey from Costa Rica, and international beverages, condiments and spices from the Giant Food pop-up market.

Participating embassies included the African Union Mission, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bolivia, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, European Union, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, the Ibero-American Cultural Association, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kandahar Treasure, Kenya, Kuwait, League of Arab States, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Myanmar, Nigeria, Oman, Organization of American States, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkiye, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.

"Each year, Winternational continues to grow and thrive, welcoming more countries, exhibitors, and visitors," said John P. Drew, President and CEO of TCMA (A Drew Company) the exclusive manager of RRB/ITC. "This annual showcase has become a cornerstone event for international diplomacy in Washington, providing a unique platform for cultural exchange, trade, and tourism promotion. This year, we're proud to have many sister world trade centers join us, further strengthening our network and mission of making the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center a destination for global commerce and cultural dialogue."

Winternational was made possible with support from Presenting Sponsors: World Trade Center Washington, DC, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center and TCMA; Platinum Sponsors: Giant Food and the League of Arab States; Gold Sponsors: World Trade Centers Arkansas, Baltimore, Boston, Delaware, Denver, Dublin, Kansas City, Kentucky, Philadelphia, and Savannah; Silver Sponsors: 80M Signs, Black Professionals in International Affairs and Ibero-American Cultural Association; and Media Sponsors: Tiempo Latino and The Washington Diplomat.

The continued success of the Embassy Showcase, particularly following its return from a four-year post-pandemic hiatus, highlights its importance as a signature event on Washington's diplomatic and cultural calendar, bringing together diverse voices from around the world to celebrate shared values and traditions.

About Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (RRB/ITC)

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center is a dynamic hub for government, business, culture and community, in the heart of the nation's capital. As the first and only federal building dedicated to both public and private use, the RRB/ITC is the official World Trade Center Washington, DC (WTCDC), and a premier conference and event venue with executive office space, attractions, dining, retail, parking, and community activities.

World Trade Center Washington, DC (WTCDC) is part of World Trade Centers Association, a worldwide network of over 320 business centers, professionals, and organizations, across 90 countries, accelerating business growth and prosperity, and strengthening the global community. WTCDC oversees the international trade and cultural mission of the RRB/ITC to provide a platform for building connections, fostering diplomacy and advancing a more prosperous U.S. and global economy. RRB/ITC is exclusively managed by TCMA (A Drew Company) in collaboration with the U.S. General Services Administration. Visit www.rrbitc.com or follow @ReaganITCDC.

TCMA (A Drew Company)

Trade Center Management Associates (TCMA) is the exclusive manager of Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (RRB/ITC). TCMA's team specializes in International Trade Services, Real Estate Management and Hospitality. For more information, visit www.drewcompany.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2586141/RONALD_REAGAN_BUILDING_AND_INTERNATIONAL_TRADE_CENTER_1.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2586147/RRBITC_WTCDC_Logo.jpg
CALGARY, AB , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) said today that the 2024 CPKC Holiday Train program raised over $1.75 million and collected more than 130,000 pounds of food for local food banks during its four-week journey across Canada and the United States.

CPKC Holiday Train. Credit Neil Zeller (CNW Group/CPKC)

"I am continually amazed with the excitement and enthusiasm the Holiday Train generates during its annual journey across North America as it celebrates the holiday season while supporting local communities and charities," said Keith Creel, CPKC President and Chief Executive Officer. "Thank you to the thousands of individuals, young and old, who joined us this year to see the Holiday Train during its magical trip and gave so generously to support local organizations helping those in need."

Holiday Train Highlights

Additionally, the CPKC Holiday Express train raised over $108,000 for local food banks this year after visiting 13 communities in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi.

CPKC also operated the Tren Navideno, a specially-decorated train adorned with lights and festive scenes, bringing the holiday spirit to nine communities across Mexico as part of a unique holiday tradition running since 2010.

About CPKC

With its global headquarters in Calgary, Alta., Canada, CPKC is the first and only single-line transnational railway linking Canada, the United States and Mexico, with unrivaled access to major ports from Vancouver to Atlantic Canada to the Gulf of Mexico to Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico. Stretching approximately 20,000 route miles and employing 20,000 railroaders, CPKC provides North American customers unparalleled rail service and network reach to key markets across the continent. CPKC is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpkcr.com to learn more about the rail advantages of CPKC.

SOURCE CPKC
MENLO PARK, Calif., Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BillionToOne, a next-generation molecular diagnostics company with a mission to create powerful and accurate tests that are accessible to all, today announced that they will be presenting at the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, CA, on January 14, 2025.

BillionToOne marks a transformative year of achievements as it looks toward 2025. The company closed an oversubscribed, upsized Series D funding round led by Premji Invest in June, and was recently recognized as the Biotech Breakthrough Awards' Diagnostics Company of the Year. More than 500,000 patients have received BillionToOne tests to date, and the company has grown from $0M to $150M+ in annual recurring revenue over the past five years.

This will be BillionToOne's second year in attendance at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, and the company will present on the topic of "Redefining Molecular Diagnostics with Single-Molecule Precision." Presentation details are as follows:

Location: Mission Bay (32nd Floor) at The Westin

Date: Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Time: 2:30-2:55 pm PT

A webcast and presentation materials will be available on BillionToOne's website: https://billiontoone.com/event/jpm-2025-43rd-annual-healthcare-conference/

About BillionToOne

Headquartered in Menlo Park, California, BillionToOne is a precision diagnostics company on a mission to make molecular diagnostics more accurate, efficient, and accessible for everyone. The company's patented Quantitative Counting Technology (QCT) molecular counting platform is the only multiplex technology that can accurately count DNA molecules at the single-molecule level.

For more information, please visit www.billiontoone.com .

SOURCE BillionToOne
Evan Day brings over 15 years of expertise in data-driven marketing strategies to enhance BriteCap's digital presence.

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BriteCap Financial LLC ("BriteCap"), a leading non-bank lender providing small businesses with fast, convenient, and affordable working capital, is excited to announce the appointment of Evan Day as VP of Digital Marketing. Evan has more than 15 years of experience with a focus on data analytics, marketing automation, lifecycle management, holds an MS in Data Science, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Neuroscience.

BRITECAP FINANCIAL ANNOUNCES NEW VP OF DIGITAL MARKETING EVAN DAY

"We are delighted to welcome Evan Day to the BriteCap team and the growing family of NMEF companies," said Richard Henderson, CEO of BriteCap. "I've worked closely with Evan for years watching him build a track record of transforming customer acquisition and retention strategies. His expertise in digital marketing and lead nurturing will enhance our customer and partner experience, ensuring smooth, simple, and intuitive digital interactions with BriteCap."

Evan remarked, "I'm thrilled to join the BriteCap team at such an exciting time of growth. The BriteCap digital lending platform is among the best I've seen and the company's commitment to empowering small businesses is something I'm proud to be a part of."

About BriteCap Financial LLC

BriteCap Financial is a leading provider of working capital for America's small business owners. Since 2003, BriteCap combines technology and non-traditional credit algorithms to provide fast, convenient, and affordable working capital directly to businesses and through their broker network. For more information about becoming a partner, visit britecap.com/partners. BriteCap is majority-owned by a holding company affiliate of NMEF.

About NMEF

NMEF is a national premier lender who works directly with third-party referral (TPR) sources to finance "mid-ticket" equipment commercial leases and loans ranging from $15,000 to 3,000,000 and up to $5,000,000 for investment grade opportunities. The company accepts A  C credit qualities and finances transactions for many asset categories including but not limited to medical, construction, franchise, technology, vocational, manufacturing, renovation, janitorial, and material handling equipment. NMEF is majority owned by an affiliate of InterVest Capital Partners. The company's headquarters are in Norwalk, CT, with regional offices in Irvine, CA, Voorhees, NJ, and Murray, UT. For more information, visit www.nmef.com.

Media Contacts:

For BriteCap:

David Schneider

Vice President of Marketing

BriteCap Financial, www.BriteCap.com

[email protected]

954-494-1606

For NMEF:

Blair Dawson

SVP, Chief Marketing Officer

NMEF, www.nmef.com

[email protected]

203-354-1710

SOURCE BriteCap Financial
Continued growth in core business lines: Integrated OR and Connected Surgery

Building upon its established footprint in Europe, Caresyntax further cemented its position as the leader in surgical intelligence and OR-integration solutions with new business awards in France (Nantes, Lyon), Germany (Berlin, Hamburg), Spain (Tenerife), and Switzerland (Fribourg, Morges), alongside expansion within its existing network of hospital partners. In addition to commercial revenue, these commercial partnerships also expanded the Caresyntax portfolio to include software, services, and Internet of Things (IoT) functionalities.

In the Americas, Caresyntax continued the commercial rollout of its advanced OR Integration Connected Surgery offering, inking deals with two different large hospital systems in Florida, along with hospitals in Mexico (Mexico City, Oaxaca, Campeche), and Chile (Santiago). The market has shown great interest in Connected Surgery's benefits: a lightweight footprint, vendor-neutrality, cost-effectiveness compared to traditional OR integration, and future-proof capability for continuous evolution and updates through a cloud-based architecture. In addition to new hospital placements, the company also focused on value delivery and expansion within its flagship customers in the US, signing expansion deals for its OR analytics, OR scheduling, Video-Based Assessment, OR workflow, and Clinical Value Assessment solutions with key customers including Universal Health Services (UHS), the OSF Healthcare, the Ascension Health Alliance, and the University of Iowa.

New CDaaS offering for medtech partners: rapid adoption and uptake from industry

Launched at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in January 2024, Caresyntax completed the development and deployment of the Clinical Data as a Service (CDaaS) portfolio for medtech partners. Building upon decades of thought leadership by the company's Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Bruce Ramshaw, MD, the company integrated his team's continuous quality improvement methodology, advanced systems science, and user-friendly dashboard analytics into the Caresyntax platform. The key differentiators of the Caresyntax data collection platform include flexibility (no strict protocols, IRB, or patient consent), data accuracy (data ingestion, curation, and cleansing), and speed (data for publication within months, compared to years.) Most importantly, CDaaS offerings can be tailored around existing clinical evidence strategy, wrapping around trial sites or collecting data from entirely different clinical sites.

In its first year on the market, the portfolio developed into a multi-million-dollar business with win rates well above traditional SaaS business models (Caresyntax win rate above 40%), tremendous market upside (7 new partnerships signed in Q3 and Q4), outstanding retention rates (3 existing customers inked expansion or renewal), and annual revenue growth projected above 100%. In 2024, CDaaS data was used for 10 abstracts or poster presentations, 2 society presentations, 2 published manuscripts, and 1 FDA indication expansion. Caresyntax has signed deals with medtech customers across all surgical specialties, with interest from the complete range of partner sizes, from early-stage startups to multinational strategic players.

Leveraging Strategic Collaborations and Key Partnerships

In addition to its direct-to-customer activities, Caresyntax also established key partnerships that provide accretive revenue and additional avenues for commercial success. The company expanded its partnership with D-Scope technologies to co-develop data analysis tools and advanced reporting capabilities for use in public, private, Veterans Administration, and Department of Defense Hospitals. The company also inked a partnership with surgical startup Qaelon to create a decentralized registry for real world data, with the aspirational goal to update the standard of care for surgical leak detection. And most recently, the company signed an initial deal with the American Hernia Society to create the backend infrastructure and frontend data visualization platform for all its members. These partnerships show promise as multiplier opportunities for expansion and cross-sell of core Caresyntax platform capabilities further downstream.

Product Innovation

In 2024, Caresyntax furthered its application of AI in the operating room to transform healthcare. By integrating AI at critical points in surgical workflows, Caresyntax helped customers enhance efficiency, reduce errors, and unlock valuable insights from previously unusable data sources.

To assist with OR scheduling and throughput, Caresyntax introduced its Block Marketplace module across 25 hospitals and 670 practices nationwide. Block Marketplace proactively identifies potential scheduling conflicts and resource availability issues, optimizes utilization, adapts to real-time demands, and serves as a marketplace for open surgery time, maximizing prime-time utilization of the operating room.

With the launch of Connected Surgery, Caresyntax introduced supervised machine learning algorithms to help surgical leaders with operational efficiency measures throughout the surgical suite: reducing turnover time, improving compliance with the surgical safety checklist, and identifying operational bottlenecks. Caresyntax also rolled out a new Turn-by-Turn Guidance module to help clinical teams navigate and prepare for different phases of surgery.

Core to all its product offerings are the diverse data flows coming out of the varied systems of the hospital. This year, the company launched several new capabilities to capture and curate diverse multimodal data, leveraging the functionality of Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs). With these evolving models, the company can make more use of complex and variable unstructured sources like surgical notes and medical records to inform better algorithms and products.

Significant Momentum and Focus on Data Streams in 2025

Carrying forward this significant momentum from 2024, the company is excited to continue its growth trajectory across the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East in 2025. In addition to its expanding list of clinical sites, the company is especially excited to harness the power of its growing database of data sourced directly from the OR environment. The Caresyntax platform captures unparalleled data from the surgical continuum, including pathway decisions, in-room video, surgical and endoscopic tower feeds, clinical and financial outcomes, supply chain and cost information, and pre- and post-operative patient information. As the company expands its footprint of OR Integration and medtech customers, those integrations contribute to create the most rich, differentiated dataset available from the surgical environment. Throughout 2025, the company plans to expend significant R&D capacity on its proprietary data analytics engine, to drive unique and novel insights for clinical, administrative, regulatory, and commercial partners downstream.

About Caresyntax

Caresyntax is on a mission to make surgery smarter and safer by converging AI-powered software, devices, and clinical services to help customers improve surgical outcomes. Our vendor neutral, enterprise-grade surgical intelligence platform delivers actionable insights to improve patient outcomes by using proprietary software and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze large volumes of video, audio, images, device data, clinical and operational data in and around the OR. This real-world evidence can be used by the care team live, during a procedure, and accessed by those outside the operating room via the platform's dedicated telehealth link. After a procedure, the Caresyntax platform provides insights that help surgeons benchmark and improve their care, hospital administrators use surgical resources more efficiently, medical device companies advance better products, and insurance companies understand risk and devise more tailored policies. Headquartered in San Francisco in the US and internationally in Berlin, Caresyntax software is used in more than 3,000 operating rooms worldwide and supports surgical teams in more than three million procedures per year. For more information, visit Caresyntax.com

Caresyntax Contact:

[email protected]

US Media Contact:

[email protected]

International Media Contact:

Gargee Kashyap

Senior Marketing Manager

[email protected]

SOURCE Caresyntax
BEIJING, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) successfully hosted the Western China MBA Professor Training Program in collaboration with the China National MBA Education Supervisory Committee and Shantou University School of Business on December 17 and 18, 2024. 58 professors from over 40 universities in China nationwide, mostly western China, attended this training.

Since 2007, CKGSB has been aspiring to address the pressing disparities in management education between eastern and western China with its MBA professor training program. As of 2024, the program has trained 372 professors from 155 universities across 22 provinces, 4 autonomous regions, 3 direct-administered municipality in China, indirectly impacting tens of thousands of MBA students.

This year, the training focused on social innovation and business for good, a topic many participating professors found lacking in their day-to-day teaching and research. Professor ZHU Rui (Juliet), CKGSB Professor of Marketing and Director of the ESG and Social Innovation Center, led the training. She introduced how CKGSB has been innovating with the integration of business for good in management education, and how our relevant practice-based course has already helped 2,800+ students integrate ESG into their businesses. Professor Zhu also hosted an interactive workshop with the training's participants on how they may build this idea into their teaching.

Participants shared in their post-program survey that Professor Zhu's teaching and her ESG Assessment map gave them a new perspective on how to balance profits and social responsibilities. Many also felt inspired on how to bridge the gap between research and practice.

Recognized in CKGSB's 2022 and 2024 ESG and Social Innovation Reports and honored as a finalist for the 2021 China Social Impact Award by the United Nations and British Chamber of Commerce, this program exemplifies CKGSB's impact in this critical area. Through partnerships with the government, NGOs, and business schools, this initiative has made significant progress in promoting quality education and reducing inequalities.

For more information on CKGSB's ESG and social innovation efforts, visit our ESG and social innovation website.

About CKGSB

Established in Beijing in November 2002, CKGSB is China's first privately-funded and research-driven business school. The school aims to cultivate transformative business leaders with a global vision, sense of social responsibility, innovative mindset, and ability to lead with empathy and compassion (https://english.ckgsb.edu.cn).

SOURCE Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB)
Chef-in-Residence Kristen Kish Delivers Inspirational Address to Culinary Professionals

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts celebrated a record-breaking 4,092 graduates who completed online or campus-based degree and diploma programs and were honored during 2024 commencement ceremonies. The diverse class of eligible graduates ranged in age from 18 to 73 and represented all 50 states and international locations, including Canada, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Germany, the Philippines, and Mexico. As the largest culinary school brand* in the United States, Escoffier continues to shape the next generation of culinary and hospitality professionals.

Escoffier recognized a record number of graduates at 2024 commencement events in Boulder and Austin (above). Escoffiers Chef-in-Residence Kristen Kish (seen here with student) delivered the commencement address for graduates at the Boulder campus and for the online ceremony.

Escoffier's Chef-in-Residence Kristen Kish delivered the commencement address for graduates at the Boulder campus and for the online ceremony. Kish, a culinary school graduate, award-winning chef, entrepreneur, author, and Emmy-nominated television host, shared insights from her culinary journey and encouraged graduates to embrace their individuality and curiosity.

"Find your own voice, stay true to yourself, and build a community that inspires you to grow," Kish advised. "If you do, you'll have the ingredients for your version of success  and your impact in this world will always align with your intention."

Jack Larson, CEO of Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, praised the graduates for their talent, dedication, and accomplishments.

"This historic achievement underscores the dedication of Escoffier's students to honing their craft and contributing to culinary and hospitality fields. We celebrate the drive and perseverance of this year's 4,092 graduates as they embark on their careers, apply foundational skills and use front- and back-of-the-house training to make significant contributions to an evolving industry," said Larson.

Graduates from Escoffier's online programs and Austin and Boulder campuses earned associate degrees in programs including Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry, Plant-Based Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Restaurant Operations Management, Food and Beverage Operations, and Holistic Nutrition and Wellness. Many also completed diploma programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry Arts, Plant-Based Cuisine, and Holistic Nutrition and Wellness.

Graduates are eligible to join Escoffier's growing alumni network, now more than 22,700+ strong. Escoffier alumni have gone on to work in Michelin-starred restaurants, alongside James Beard Award-winning chefs, and build careers in hotels, resorts, and their own businesses.

For more information, visit Escoffier's Alumni Association.

For more information on Escoffier graduation ceremonies, visit YouTube, Facebook, Instagram.

About Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is the largest culinary school brand in the U.S. (based on comparable student population data currently reported in IPEDS). Escoffier's programs blend a classic and contemporary approach to culinary education, emphasizing sustainability and business skills. Escoffier is ranked No. 1 and 2 on Niche's 2025 Best Colleges for Culinary Arts in America list. Both the Boulder and Austin campuses are Great Place to Work-Certified institutions and have been designated as Military Friendly Schools.

For media inquiries, contact: [email protected] or (224) 357-7323.

*Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is the largest culinary school brand in the U.S. (based on comparable student population data currently reported in IPEDS).

SOURCE Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- First Horizon Corporation (NYSE: FHN) is proud to announce that the First Horizon Bank Operations team has been honored with the 2024 Commitment Award by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE). This prestigious recognition highlights the organization's dedication to operational innovation and continuous improvement in the pursuit of excellence.

Since the early 1990s, TNCPE has provided assessments and feedback to more than 1,000 organizations across industries, helping them refine processes, improve client relationships and achieve lasting results through the Baldrige Excellence Framework.

"This recognition demonstrates we are committed to continuously improving our operational processes in the pursuit of excellence," said Amy Shreve, Executive Vice President and Operations Executive at First Horizon Bank. "It's a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our Operations team to meet the highest standards of performance for our clients and communities."

Recognition from TNCPE is a multiyear journey that signifies a commitment to continuous improvement, performance and exceptional service. First Horizon Bank remains steadfast in its efforts to enhance operational excellence and build stronger relationships with clients across its 12-state footprint.

For more information about this year's TNCPE award winners, visit TNCPE.org.

About First Horizon

First Horizon Corp. (NYSE: FHN), with $82.6 billion in assets as of September 30, 2024, is a leading regional financial services company, dedicated to helping our clients, communities and associates unlock their full potential with capital and counsel. Headquartered in Memphis, TN, the banking subsidiary First Horizon Bank operates in 12 states across the southern U.S. The Company and its subsidiaries offer commercial, private banking, consumer, small business, wealth and trust management, retail brokerage, capital markets, fixed income, and mortgage banking services. First Horizon has been recognized as one of the nation's best employers by Fortune and Forbes magazines and a Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. Bank. More information is available at FirstHorizon.com.

SOURCE First Horizon Corporation
LAS VEGAS, Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In the aftermath of the recent corporate violence, Aplomb Security Group is challenging traditional approaches to executive protection of relying on others. The company stresses that protecting individuals and assets requires more than just hiring security personnel. It demands deep expertise and training, a comprehensive, proactive strategy that incorporates specialized training, tactical planning, and customized security protocols.

US Secret Service agent Call to Action to Change Security and Safety Mindset from Proactive vs. Reactive Post this Aplomb Security Group Short Company Video

The firm, co-founded by a retired U.S. Secret Service Senior Special Agent, advocates for a fundamental shift from reactive security measures to comprehensive strategic planning.

"Security is not just a serviceit's a strategy," says Cory, co-founder of Aplomb Security Group and former U.S. Secret Service agent. "Most organizations focus solely on hiring security personnel, but true protection requires a multi-disciplinary approach that anticipates risks and empowers employees to recognize threats in their daily lives."

The incident involving executive protection highlights a critical oversight many people make when hiring security services: relying solely on security personnel without first evaluating the training, expertise, and tailored strategies or expected results that are required to prevent potential harm and ensuring it is understood by the individual.

Aplomb Security Group, led by co-founder and CEO Traci Shirachi, a former PricewaterhouseCoopers Director, brings a unique combination of corporate expertise and federal protection experience to executive security.

"Many companies hire security based solely on military or law enforcement backgrounds, assuming that experience alone guarantees protection," notes Shirachi. "We've found that multi-disciplined experts and effective security protocols require integrating preventive measures into every aspect of an organization and each person's life."

Aplomb Security Group's comprehensive approach includes:

Behavioral threat and vulnerability assessments

Customized executive protection training

On-site fortification planning

Employee-focused situational awareness programs

Integrated residential and family protection strategies.

The firm emphasizes three critical steps organizations should take immediately:

Conduct tailored comprehensive vulnerability assessments specific to company operations and lifestyles (home, office, family, and travel). Implement customized security protocols that align with business objectives. Provide comprehensive situational awareness and other types of training (behavior and de-escalation) for all employees.

"Traditional security measures often impede daily operations or broader company vision and objectives," adds Shirachi. "Our goal is to empower individuals and organizations with practical, proactive strategies that integrate seamlessly into their lifestyle and business operations whereby security and safety are a critical aspect of day-to-day life."

Call to Action

For more information about developing customized security strategies or to schedule a complimentary consultation, contact Aplomb Security Group at [email protected].

About

Aplomb Security Group Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, Aplomb Security Group combines decades of federal protection expertise with advanced business strategy to deliver comprehensive security solutions for corporations, executives, and families. The firm specializes in creating proactive, integrated security programs that protect assets while maintaining operational effectiveness.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Aplomb Security Group
BEIJING, Dec. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- "Kuliang, Kuliang!" American resident Milton Gardner repeatedly whispered the word on his deathbed. As a place where Gardner spent the most joyful 10 years in his life, Kuliang was Gardner's childhood home in China that he failed to return to until his final hours.

At that time, Gardner's families still did not know what the word Kuliang meant, neither to mention the deep bond between Gardner and Kuliang. It was not until 1992 that a Chinese student in the US unveiled the story between Gardner with Kuliang, uncovering a century-long friendship between the people in China and the US to the world.

Since then, 32 years have passed. The small village of Kuliang in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province, has become a representative of the friendship between Chinese and American people.

Nowadays, the bond with Kuliang has inspired generations after generations of youngsters from both countries to carry forward the traditional friendship and bring the hearts of the two peoples closer.

To serve as a platform for the exchange of ideas between the China-US youth, the 2024 Kuliang Forum was officially held on Friday by the People's Daily Digital Communication and Global Times.

The forum, with theme of "Bridging Cultural Differences, Inheriting Friendship and Trust," brought together more than 150 political, academic, media, business, and youth representatives from both China and the US, as well as members of "Kuliang Friends" to engage in candid and in-depth discussions on how the peoples of China and the US can transcend differences in systems, cultures and languages to forge deep friendships, and find the correct path for these two great powers to coexist peacefully.

A century-long friendship

The heartwarming tale and its connections begin with a few special stamps that unveil a nostalgia spanning an entire century.

In April 1992, the People's Daily, a prominent Chinese newspaper, featured an article titled "Ah! Kuliang," which tells the poignant story of Milton Gardner, an American who spent his childhood in the southern Chinese town of Kuliang before returning to the US in 1911.

For decades, Gardner yearned to revisit his beloved hometown, but sadly, he never had the chance. In his last moments, he repeatedly whispered "Kuliang." His wife, Elizabeth Gardner, made several attempts to honor his wish by traveling to China, but she struggled to find Kuliang.

Eventually, while sorting through her husband's belongings, she found old stamps with postmarks indicating "Foochow, Kuliang." With assistance from a Chinese student, she learned that Kuliang is located in Fuzhou.

The touching narrative resonated with many people, including Xi Jinping, then secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, who immediately had officials contact Gardner and invite her to Kuliang.

On August 21, 1992, she arrived in Fuzhou, and the next day, she finally visited the cherished place her husband had longed for.

On September 26, 1992, the People's Daily published Bond with Kuliang, documenting Mrs. Gardner's trip to China. In the story, she said: "Thanks to [the] People's Daily for its attention and support, thanks to the people of Fuzhou for their warm hospitality, and many thanks to everyone who made this dream come true."

In September 2012, two of Gardner's grand-nephews visited Kuliang, and the People's Daily once again recorded this enduring bond with Kuliang.

In a congratulatory letter to the "Bond with Kuliang: China-US People-to-people Friendship Forum" held in Fuzhou in 2023, Xi said amity between peoples holds the key to the relationship between countries, and the people are the cornerstone of its growth. "I hope that you will continue to write the Kuliang story and carry forward the special bonds, so that the friendship between our two peoples can stay forever strong and robust like the thousand-year-old cedar trees in Kuliang," Xi said.

In the letter, Xi said that in the following 30 years and more after 1992, members of the Kuliang Friends and people from various sectors of both countries have delved deep into the history of this town, actively spread its culture, and worked tirelessly to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.

"Their stories have shown once again that the Chinese and American peoples can transcend differences in system, culture and language, and build profound friendship," said Xi.

Amity between the people

At the 2024 Kuliang Forum, many "Kuliang Friends" shared the stories of their search for their ancestors' life in Kuliang via videos, which touched many audiences.

"My family roots are deep in China. I was born in China. My father was born in China. My grandmother and grandfather spent all their working years in China... Thirteen members of our family came back to China," Priscilla Brewster, a member of the "Kuliang Friends" group, said in a video speech to the forum.

"It seemed like a miracle to be back again. When I tell my family and friends about my seven summers in Kuliang, I tell them about the house I lived in on the side of the mountain. I tell them about the slippery rock in back of the house where we would run and jump and play and where we would leap over the stream. I tell them about the whispering pines and the signal that we were back in our beloved place, a place of peace where all people would love to be, Kuliang," Brewster said, recalling the old days emotionally.

"As an American, I long for harmony in my country. Like the great cedar tree of a thousand years on Kuliang, our two people are intertwined wherever there is goodwill and the desire to understand each other's culture. It has become clear to me that distance, hardships, warfare, years, cannot separate me from the bonds of friendship forged by my ancestors and by my own experiences growing up in China, my beloved country," she said.

William N. Brown, professor at the Xiamen University School of Management, Touching China 2019 Person of the Year, and Fujian's first foreign permanent resident, told the Global Times at the forum that there are many touching stories between the people of China and the US, among which his favorite is the Kuliang story.

Brown said that previously he did not understand China until he came to the country, where he truly learned about and fell in love with the Chinese people.

The Kuliang story told us that, over a hundred years ago, foreigners and Chinese people had already joined hands in Xiamen to establish hospitals and schools together. I met some elderly people in the US who are nearly a hundred years old. They lived in Xiamen during the 1930s and 1940s, and they still love China. Even after leaving China for 60 years, they can still speak the Minnan dialect. They fell in love with China because of its people, Brown said.

Jeffrey Greene, Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, shared the story of the Flying Tigers at the forum as another example of the enduring friendship among the peoples in China and the US.

During World War II, some young American Air Force soldiers came to China to assist the Chinese people in resisting brutal invaders. In December 1941, they successfully prevented Japanese bombers from bombing Kunming, and subsequently, the names and deeds of these American airmen spread worldwide.

The Chinese people affectionately referred to them as the "Flying Tigers." At the same time, during the Pearl Harbor incident, the Chinese people selflessly risked their lives to rescue American pilots.

The "Flying Tigers" are also a testament to the two peoples fighting side by side and jointly winning victory in World War II, highlighting the legacy of China-US friendship, Greene told the Global Times.

Greene said that, so far, his foundation has helped over 500 Flying Tiger veterans return to China.

Avery Jade Prewitt, an American student in Chinese Politics at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times at the forum that she was touched and encouraged by the bond and the friendship between Chinese and American people embodied in the Kuliang stories.

In November 2023, President Xi announced in San Francisco the plan to invite 50,000 American teenagers to come to China for exchange and study over the next five years.

Avery came to study in China under the initiative. She said that some people view China and the US as competitors and tend to be negative about the relations between the two countries, but she chooses to be optimistic after seeing the warm and frequent exchanges among Chinese and American students.

To cross the bridge together

During her speech at the forum, Roberta Lipson, Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China), said, "Today, I stand here as AmCham China Chair, representing over 800 American companies operating in China. Through my work in AmCham China, I have witnessed the remarkable achievements resulting from US-China cooperation, and we recognize the significance of the economic relationship between our two countries."

"Addressing climate change and solving major global issues require the US and China to work together. I sincerely hope that the next administration in Washington will prioritize cooperation and facilitate our joint efforts," Lipson noted.

Jack Pinnick, a 16th Generation San Feng Pai Disciple, discussed the importance of communication in an interview with the Global Times at the forum. He believes that many people may learn about the relationship between countries through news, but some news reports fail to fully capture the true lives and realities of the local people. Thus, enhancing mutual understanding through personal stories is an effective approach.

Pinnick said, "My biggest dream is to spread the Wudang martial arts and traditional culture that I have learned here. I hope to pass this knowledge on to the next generation."

During the forum, a launch ceremony for the Initiative for Friendly Exchanges Among Chinese and American Youth was held to encourage youngsters to carry forward the bond with Kuliang and write new stories of China-US friendly exchanges in their own ways.

"The hope and foundation of the China-US relationship lie in the people, and its future lies in the youths. The bridge [of friendship] is already built. Now it's up to us, and the Chinese people, to cross it together," Avery said.

The story of Kuliang has spanned a century. Attendees at the forum shared a common wish that the friendship between the peoples of China and the US remains forever strong and robust, like the thousand-year-old cedar trees in Kuliang.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202412/1325571.shtml

SOURCE Global Times
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO AUSTRALIA, CANADA, HONG KONG, JAPAN OR THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN.

OSLO, Norway, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- HydrogenPro ASA (OSE: HYPRO): HydrogenPro ASA ("HydrogenPro" or the "Company") has secured approx. NOK 70 million in new equity through a private placement of new shares (the "Private Placement") towards its existing shareholders ANDRITZ AG ("ANDRITZ") and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. ("MHI"). The Company is further pleased to announce that it has entered into an investment agreement (the "Investment Agreement") regarding a conditional equity investment of approx. NOK 70 million (the "LONGi Investment") by LONGi Hydrogen Technology (Xi'an) Co., Ltd. ("LONGi Hydrogen") and a cooperation agreement (the "Cooperation Agreement") with LONGi Hydrogen. Thus, provided successful completion of the LONGi Investment, the total gross proceeds to the Company from the Private Placement and the LONGi Investment amount to approx. NOK 140 million. The subscription price in the Private Placement and LONGi Investment is NOK 5.50 per share (compared to NOK 4.50 per share as of close on 20 December 2024).

LONGi Hydrogen is engaged in the development and manufacturing of green hydrogen equipment and solutions. It is a holding subsidiary of LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd., a world leader in solar PV products and solutions, listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Jarle Dragvik, CEO of HydrogenPro, comments: "We are grateful for the trust and vote of confidence from our two largest industrial shareholders. Over the past few years, we have demonstrated the importance of our strong partnerships with MHI and ANDRITZ, delivering two of the world's largest green hydrogen projects. This investment further strengthens the solid cooperation within technology and market development."

Mr. Dragvik adds: "We are further delighted to welcome LONGi Hydrogen as a strategic partner as we continue to execute on our vision of delivering sustainable hydrogen solutions globally. They bring first-class industrial and technical expertise. We see a great strategic fit that together with all of our industrial partners on board we will broaden our opportunities to further optimize our current offering on the market."

The Private Placement

Through the Private Placement, ANDRITZ and MHI will each subscribe for 6,350,000 new shares (the "New Shares") at a subscription price of NOK 5.50 per share (the "Subscription Price"). The total subscription amount for the New Shares is approx. NOK 70 million. The New Shares will, following their issuance, represent approx. 15.3% of the Company's outstanding shares.

In connection with the Private Placement, both ANDRITZ and MHI have agreed to a 6-month lock-up for its shareholding, subject to customary exemptions.

5,281,300 of the New Shares will be issued to ANDRITZ and MHI on a temporary ISIN blocked from trading on Euronext Oslo Brs pending publication of a listing prospectus.

The net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used for general corporate purposes.

The Private Placement and issuance of the New Shares is expected to be concluded during the first half of January 2025.

Share capital increase

In connection with the Private Placement, the board of directors of HydrogenPro (the "Board") has resolved to increase the share capital of the Company with NOK 254,000 by the issuance of 12,700,000 new shares, each with a nominal value of NOK 0.02 pursuant to an authorization granted by the Company's annual general meeting on 23 April 2024.

Investment Agreement and Cooperation Agreement with LONGi Hydrogen

Pursuant to the Investment Agreement, LONGi Hydrogen shall subscribe for 12,703,209 new shares in the Company at the Subscription Price. Completion of the LONGi Investment is subject to LONGi Hydrogen obtaining a necessary Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) regulatory approval in China to carry out its investment in the Company (the "Approval"), and the Company's shareholders, following and provided LONGi Hydrogen obtaining the Approval, resolving to approve, or facilitate via a board authorisation, the share issue pertaining to the LONGi Investment at a general meeting. It is expected that the LONGi Investment will be consummated during the first half of 2025.

Subject to completion of the LONGi Investment, LONGi Hydrogen has agreed to a 6-month lock-up for its shareholding (subject to customary exemptions). Moreover, LONGi Hydrogen intends to nominate one candidate to the Company's board of directors in connection with the general meeting to be held for the purposes of consummating the LONGi Investment.

The net proceeds to the Company from the LONGi Investment will be used for general corporate purposes.

The primary purpose of the Cooperation Agreement is for the Company and LONGi Hydrogen to leverage their respective strengths to provide superior quality and cost-efficient products to customers, supporting their long-term vision for global decarbonization. The Cooperation Agreement specifically enables collaboration on relevant projects, broadening the scope of projects the Company and LONGi Hydrogen can bid on and enhancing the quality of products and services delivered. Additionally, the Cooperation Agreement will improve HydrogenPro and LONGi Hydrogen's manufacturing footprint in China and Europe, ensuring optimized production and supply chain efficiency.

Equal treatment considerations - Subsequent Offering

The Private Placement entails a deviation from the shareholders' pre-emptive rights pursuant to Sections 10-4 and 10-5 of the Norwegian Public Limited Companies Act. The Board has diligently considered the deviation from the shareholders' pre-emptive rights to be in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders. Moreover, the Private Placement has been considered by the Board in light of the equal treatment obligations under the Norwegian Securities Trading Act section 5-14, section 2.1 of the Oslo Rule Book II, and Oslo Brs' Circular no. 2/2014, and the Board is of the opinion that it is in compliance with these requirements and guidelines.

In reaching these conclusions, the Board emphasized that the Private Placement enables the Company to efficiently raise new equity, and thereby improve the liquidity situation of the Company. Furthermore, the New Shares are issued above the volume-weighted average price (VWAP) of the Company's shares the last 30 trading days prior to this date, and therefore, based on the current market price, the Private Placement does not result in financial dilution for the Company's existing shareholders. Alternative structures to the Private Placement have been considered.

To facilitate equal treatment, including to limit the dilutive effect of the Private Placement and provide shareholders who did not participate in the Private Placement the opportunity to subscribe for shares at the same price, the Board proposes that a subsequent offering (the "Subsequent Offering") is carried out by the issuance of up to 6,350,000 new shares, at the Subscription Price, which equals up to NOK 34.925 million in gross proceeds, directed at shareholders of the Company as per 20 December 2024 (as registered with the VPS two trading days thereafter) (except for Andritz and MHI) who are not resident in a jurisdiction where such offering would be unlawful or would (in jurisdictions other than Norway) require any prospectus, filing, registration or similar action (the "Eligible Shareholders"). The subscription period for the Subsequent Offering will commence following the approval and publication of an offering prospectus, expected during Q1 2025.

The Subsequent Offering is subject to, inter alia, completion of the Private Placement, relevant corporate resolutions (including necessary resolutions by an extraordinary general meeting of the Company), prevailing market price and traded volume of the Company's shares, and approval of an offering prospectus. Further information on any Subsequent Offering will be provided in a separate stock exchange release. The Board reserves the right in its sole discretion to not conduct or to cancel the Subsequent Offering.

The Board also notes that the LONGi Investment, if and when completed, will entail a deviation from the shareholders' pre-emptive rights pursuant to Sections 10-4 and 10-5 of the Norwegian Public Limited Companies Act. The Board will therefore consider applicable equal treatment obligations in relation the LONGi Investment following fulfilment of the conditions for consummation of the LONGi Investment, taking into account the prevailing market price and trading volumes of the Company's shares at such points in time.

Advisors

Wikborg Rein Advokatfirma AS is acting as legal counsel to the Company in connection with the Private Placement and LONGi Hydrogen Private Placement.

About HydrogenPro:

HydrogenPro is a technology company and an OEM for high pressure alkaline electrolyser systems for large-scale green hydrogen plants, all ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 certified. The Company was founded in 2013 by individuals with background from the electrolysis industry which was established in Telemark, Norway by Norsk Hydro in 1927. We are an experienced engineering team of leading industry experts, drawing upon unparalleled experience and expertise in the hydrogen and renewable energy industry.

About LONGi:

LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (LONGi) is committed to being the world's leading solar technology company, focusing on customer-driven value creation for full scenario energy transformation.

Under its mission of "making the best of solar energy to build a green world" and brand positioning of "the most trusted, reliable solar company that blazes the trail for green technology", LONGi has dedicated itself to technology innovation and established five business sectors, covering mono-crystalline silicon wafers, mono-crystalline silicon cells/mono-crystalline silicon modules, distributed photovoltaic solutions, utility plant system solutions, and green hydrogen equipment solutions.

LONGi Hydrogen Technology (Xi'an) Co., Ltd. is a holding subsidiary of LONGi, and is committed to becoming the world's leading large-scale green hydrogen equipment and solution provider. At present, the principal business scope of the Company covers large-scale hydrogen production equipment by alkaline water electrolysis and green hydrogen production solutions by green power.

About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group:

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world's leading industrial groups, spanning energy, logistics & infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com.

About ANDRITZ:

International technology group ANDRITZ offers a broad portfolio of innovative plants, equipment, systems, services and digital solutions for a wide range of industries and end markets. Sustainability is an integral part of the company's business strategy and corporate culture. With its extensive portfolio of sustainable products and solutions, ANDRITZ aims to make the greatest possible contribution to a sustainable future and help its customers achieve their sustainability goals. ANDRITZ is a global market leader in all four of its business areas - Pulp & Paper, Metals, Hydropower and Environment & Energy. Technological leadership and global presence are cornerstones of the group's strategy, which is focused on long-term profitable growth. The publicly listed group has around 30,000 employees and over 280 locations in more than 80 countries.

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to MAR article 17 and the Norwegian Securities Trading Act sections 4-2 and 5-12.

This stock exchange announcement was published by Petter Gjessing Bakken on the time and date provided.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The information contained in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. No reliance may be placed for any purpose on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy, fairness or completeness.

Neither this announcement nor the information contained herein is for publication, distribution or release, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in or into or from the United States (including its territories and possessions, any State of the United States and the District of Columbia), Australia, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant laws of such jurisdiction. The publication, distribution or release of this announcement may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions and persons into whose possession any document or other information referred to herein should inform themselves about and observe any such restriction. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

This announcement is not an offer for sale of securities in the United States. The securities referred to in this announcement have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and in accordance with applicable U.S. state securities laws. The Company does not intend to register any securities referred to herein in the United States or to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States.

Any offering of the securities referred to in this announcement will be made by means of a set of subscription materials provided to potential investors. Investors should not subscribe for any securities referred to in this announcement except on the basis of information contained in the aforementioned subscription material. In any EEA Member State, this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at qualified investors in that Member State within the meaning of the EU Prospectus Regulation, i.e. only to investors who can receive the offer without an approved prospectus in such EEA Member State. The expression "EU Prospectus Regulation" means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State).

This communication is only being distributed to and is only directed at persons in the United Kingdom that are "qualified investors" within the meaning of the EU Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of English law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and that are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order") or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom this announcement may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). This communication must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Persons distributing this communication must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so.

Matters discussed in this announcement may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by words such as "believe", "aim", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "will", "may", "continue", "should" and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other important factors which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond its control. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this release by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. The Company and its respective affiliates expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update, review or revise any forward-looking statement contained in this announcement whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. The information, opinions and forward-looking statements contained in this announcement speak only as at its date and are subject to change without notice.

For further information, please contact:

Martin Thanem Holtet, CFO

+47 922 44 902

[email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/hydrogenpro-asa/r/hydrogenpro-asa--secures-nok-70-million-from-existing-investors-and-conditionally-nok-70-million-fro,c4086127

SOURCE HydrogenPro ASA
MUMBAI, India, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Avaada Group, a leading name in the renewable energy sector, has announced an unprecedented investment of $12bn in Rajasthan, India, for accelerating green energy transition, thereby establishing the region as a global renewable energy powerhouse. This landmark announcement was made during the prestigious Rising Rajasthan 2024 Summit, attended by India's Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan's Hon'ble Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma.

Highlighting Rajasthan's strategic importance, Avaada Group's Chairman Vineet Mittal, Guest of Honour at the event, stated, "Rajasthan's vast solar and wind resources, coupled with the visionary leadership of the Hon'ble Prime Minister and Chief Minister, present an unparalleled opportunity to redefine the global renewable energy landscape. Avaada's commitment of $12bn while driving green industrial manufacturing will also create millions of jobs, shaping a sustainable and inclusive future."

Rajasthan stands out as a global hub for renewable energy, with over 142 GW of unmatched solar potential, supported by 325+ sunny days annually. The state's pro-business policies, including the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme 2024 and the Integrated Clean Energy Policy 2024, have attracted investments worth $78bn.

Avaada Group's journey in Rajasthan began with a modest 150 MW solar project and has since evolved into multiple ventures, including one of the world's largest single location renewable energy projects by an IPP. Key investments announced at the summit include:

1,200 MW Pumped Storage Project (PSP) : A $700mn initiative to enhance energy storage and grid stability.

: A $700mn initiative to enhance energy storage and grid stability. Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Projects : Investments aimed at driving global decarbonization goals.

: Investments aimed at driving global decarbonization goals. Utility-Scale Solar and Wind Projects: Across Jhalawar, Kota, Barmer, and Bikaner, contributing significantly to India's renewable energy targets.

With its strategic alignment to international sustainability frameworks like the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), Rajasthan offers a unique advantage for zero-carbon manufacturing and green industrial growth, positioning itself as a magnet for industries seeking sustainable operations while creating over 1mn green jobs.

"As a global renewable energy leader, Avaada is proud to participate in Rajasthan's vision of becoming a green hub of industrial growth," Mr. Mittal remarked. "Our investments aim to double the region's economy by 2030, aligned with global efforts to combat climate change."

With its strategic initiatives, Avaada Group is poised to attract international collaborations, setting a benchmark for renewable energy innovation and sustainable industrial development.

About Avaada Group

Avaada Group is a leader in the global energy transition, specializing in solar module manufacturing, renewable power generation, and the development of green hydrogen, green methanol, green ammonia, and sustainable aviation fuel projects. Under the visionary leadership of Mr. Vineet Mittal, Avaada has become a significant global player in clean energy. Avaada Energy, the group's renewable power generation arm, aims to achieve a capacity of 11 GWp by 2026. The group's strong execution capabilities have attracted substantial international investment, including a $1.3bn commitment in early 2023, with $1bn from Brookfield's Energy Transition Fund and $300mn from GPSC, a subsidiary of Thailand's PTT Group.

Contact

Kiren Srivastav

[email protected]

Charu Sehgal

[email protected]
ELKHART, Ind., Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A corporate plea is going out to the Church in America to gather together January 9-12th in Elkhart, IN, at the RV Hall of Fame. The body of Christ is uniting from all 50 states with one goal: to prepare for a nationwide call of repentance that leads to a national move of God.

Time to Revive, founded by Kyle Lance Martin [Middleberry, IN], has seen this kind of transformation in Malawi, Africa, from the message of repentance.

Road of Repentance

"While in Malawi, Africa, we witnessed government officials call a nation to repent, and the fruit of repentance led to healing and transformation in the land. We believe the same thing can happen for the United States, and it's special to be calling the Church of America together where it all began in Indiana"

Time to Revive, a 17-year-old ministry, has been equipping believers all over the world to share the Gospel. What was birthed in Indiana 10 years ago during a 52-day revival has led to thousands coming to know the Lord through outreaches in 17 states, 96 nations, and three territories studying the Bible through the two-year "reviveSCHOOL" study.

The event is gaining support from local and national government leaders and churches. Lt. Governor-Elect Micah Beckwith, House of Representatives Joanna King, Burundi Ambassador to the U.S. Jean Bosco Barege, Malawi Ambassador to the U.S. Esme Chombo, The Presidential Advisor on Religious Affairs (Malawi) Rev. Brian Kamwendo, and Turning Point USA's Lucas Miles all plan to attend.

Phil Byars, Lead Pastor at Elkhart Bible Church, encouraged locals to attend "....what we're hoping for is not just an area revivalbut a national revival and maybe even an international revival."

Believers across the United States and the world will be uniting together January 9-12th, 2025, at the RV Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN, for what could be the start of revival, through the message of repentance in America. You can be a part of this gathering by registering at reviveunitedstates.com or emailing [email protected]. Use code "revive" to waive the registration fee now until January 8th.

Contact Information:

Time to Revive

Nicole Schubert

(855)-225-5887

[email protected]

SOURCE Time to Revive
Partnership Supports Rare Character Whiskey's Expansion Amid Growing Demand for Premium Bourbon

CHICAGO, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- InvestBev Credit, the leading private equity and credit provider in the alcohol beverage industry, proudly announces the closing of a seven-figure financing agreement with Rare Character Whiskey. This partnership will provide Rare Character Whiskey with the necessary capital to expand its inventory and manage the unprecedented growth anticipated by the company in 2025.

Rare Character Whiskey, a rising star in the bourbon market, has earned acclaim for its innovative approach to small-batch and single-barrel offerings. With secured financing from InvestBev Credit, Rare Character Whiskey is well-positioned to scale its operations while maintaining the quality and craftsmanship that define its brand.

"Working with Pete and the Rare Character team has been a pleasure," said Brian Rosen, General Partner at InvestBev. "We are thrilled to support their success in the strong and stable bourbon market. Rare Character is an exemplary partner, and we're confident this collaboration will lead to incredible milestones in 2025 and beyond."

"As independent bottlers offering a unique range of productsfrom small-batch limited releases to single barrels and one-time offeringswe are always on the hunt for great, legacy whiskey of age," said Pete from Rare Character Whiskey. "We are excited to work with Brian and InvestBev Credit to bring more of these amazing offerings to our expanding market footprint over the coming years!"

The seven-figure financing underscores InvestBev's commitment to empowering brands in the alcohol beverage industry by providing tailored financial solutions that drive sustainable growth. As the bourbon market continues to thrive, Rare Character Whiskey's strategic focus and industry expertise align seamlessly with InvestBev's mission to support visionary brands.

Rare Character Whiskey is set to utilize the funds to expand its inventory, meet increasing consumer demand, and fortify its presence as a leader in the premium bourbon category.

About Rare Character Whiskey

Rare Character Whiskey specializes in producing premium, small-batch, and single-barrel bourbon that reflects the artistry and tradition of American whiskey-making. With a focus on innovation and quality, Rare Character has quickly become a respected name among enthusiasts and collectors.

About InvestBev

Founded in 2015 by Brian Rosen, InvestBev Group is a premier private equity firm in the adult beverage industry, known for its short return windows and non-correlated investment strategy. Helmed by 3rd generation industry veteran Brian Rosen, InvestBev Group has raised nearly $200 million across four funds, a $100 million credit platform, and a low-cost insurance provider to distilleries. InvestBev is dedicated to supporting emerging brands and segments within the alcohol sector. Learn more: Website | LinkedIn

Press Contact:

Shannon Duer

845-548-1211

SOURCE InvestBev
CHICAGO, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Katten announced today that the firm advised CleanSpark Inc. on a $650 million convertible senior notes offering.

Mark Wood, Partner and Co-Chair of the Capital Markets practice, led the Katten team that advised the company in connection with its offering of $650 million aggregate principal amount of 0.00% convertible senior notes due 2030. The notes were sold to the initial purchasers, led by Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. as Lead Book-Running Manager, in a private offering for resale to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act). The issuance and sale of the notes closed on December 17, 2024.

In connection with the pricing of the notes, CleanSpark entered into capped call transactions with various counterparties and repurchased approximately $145 million of its common stock. ICR Capital LLC served as financial advisor to CleanSpark in connection with this offering.

"We congratulate our client CleanSpark on successfully completing its first-ever 144A convertible notes offering," Wood said. "It has been a privilege to work alongside the CleanSpark team as it has led CleanSpark's growth in the bitcoin mining industry."

CleanSpark is a market-leading, pure play Bitcoin miner. The company owns and operates a portfolio of mining facilities across the United States.

Katten regularly advises companies within the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries, combining its regulatory expertise and deep experience in a wide range of sophisticated transactions to deliver holistic legal advice to companies in this industry.

The Katten team also included Capital Markets Partners Elizabeth McNichol and Timothy Kirby, and Associates Maximillian Licona and Michael Tremeski; Financial Markets and Funds Partner Krassi Zourkova and Associate Eli Krasnow; and Transactional Tax Planning Partner Todd Hatcher and Associate Jeffrey Ng.

Katten is a full-service law firm with approximately 700 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm's core areas of practice include corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals. For more information, visit katten.com .

SOURCE Katten
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (second from right) inspects construction site of the Lao Cai-Ha Noi-Hai Phong railway line in Lao Cai province, December 22, 2024 - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac



Pham made the request while during his inspection tour to the construction site of the project in northern Lao Cai province on December 22.

The Government will then mull over the investment policy for the project before submitting to the National Assembly for consideration and approval as regulated by law.

All preparations must be completed so that construction of the railway could begin in December 2025, the Government chief has ordered.

The rail line, with total investment capital of around US$11.6 billion, will stretch 417km, connecting 9 northern cities and provinces: Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, and Hai Phong. It also helps facilitate rail connection with China.Construction of Lao Cai-Ha Noi-Hai Phong railway expected to start next year

VGP  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested the Ministry of Transport to submit Lao Cai-Ha Noi-Hai Phong railway project to the Government in January next year.

Pham made the request while during his inspection tour to the construction site of the project in northern Lao Cai province on December 22.

The Government will then mull over the investment policy for the project before submitting to the National Assembly for consideration and approval as regulated by law.

All preparations must be completed so that construction of the railway could begin in December 2025, the Government chief has ordered.

The rail line, with total investment capital of around US$11.6 billion, will stretch 417km, connecting 9 northern cities and provinces: Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, and Hai Phong. It also helps facilitate rail connection with China./.
WICKENBURG, Ariz., Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Meadows Behavioral Healthcare (MBH), a leader in trauma, addiction, and mental health treatment, is proud to announce the appointment of Marina Rodina as its new Senior Vice President of Business Development. Marina, an accomplished executive with over two decades of experience in sales and behavioral healthcare leadership, will play a pivotal role in advancing MBH's mission to deliver life-changing care.

Marina brings a unique blend of leadership, strategic vision, and hands-on experience to MBH. After beginning her career in pharmaceutical sales, she spent 12 years at Acadia Healthcare, where she was instrumental in launching the Treatment Placement Specialists (TPS) team in 2015. Under her leadership as the Vice President of the TPS team, the TPS team tripled in size, helping countless individuals and families access critical mental health and addiction care.

Throughout her career, Marina has led the development of teams, mentored new hires, and fostered a culture of collaboration and growth. Her commitment to improving access to care has made her a trusted partner among clinical professionals and healthcare leaders nationwide.

"Marina's background connecting individuals with quality treatment, coupled with her proven ability to build strong, collaborative teams, makes her an exceptional addition to our leadership team," said Kate Renwick-Espinosa, CEO of MBH. "We are confident her experience and vision will drive meaningful growth for MBH's comprehensive treatment programs."

Marina's personal journey highlights her resilience and dedication. Born in Ukraine, she immigrated to New York City with her family at the age of 8, watching her loved ones work tirelessly to achieve the American Dream. Inspired by this experience, she developed a strong work ethic and an unwavering belief in the power of perseverance. Marina earned a dual degree in Psychology and Marketing from Long Island University.

"I'm honored to join Meadows Behavioral Healthcare and contribute to its legacy of transformative care," said Marina. "MBH's reputation for clinical excellence, innovation, and compassion aligns perfectly with my passion for helping individuals find the support they need. I look forward to working with this extraordinary team to expand access to treatment and make a meaningful impact on those we serve."

About Meadows Behavioral Healthcare

Meadows Behavioral Healthcare (MBH) is a leading network of specialized behavioral healthcare programs, providing evidence-based treatment for trauma, addiction, mental health disorders, eating disorders, and co-occurring conditions. With a full continuum of care  from inpatient to outpatient and virtual programs  MBH meets individuals at their point of need, helping them achieve lasting recovery. Trusted for decades, MBH's "Meadows Model" and personalized treatment plans have transformed countless lives. For more information, visit TheMeadows.com or call 800-244-4949.

SOURCE Meadows Behavioral Healthcare
MyTek ranks among the top B2B companies globally out of 350,000

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- MyTek, a Scottsdale, Arizona IT services company exclusively serving Arizona business announces its inclusion in the 2024 Clutch 1000 list from Clutch, the leading global marketplace of B2B service providers. The Clutch 1000 is an exclusive ranking highlighting the top 1000 highest-rated business service providers on the platform out of more than 350,000 total providers worldwide.

Honorees are selected based on four key criteria:

Tim Tiller, MyTek CEO

Quantity, quality, and recency of verified Clutch reviews

Diversity and scope of clientele and portfolio of work

Robust company profile with competitive specializations and considerable experience

Strong brand awareness and industry recognition

"MyTek is honored to have earned a spot on the prestigious Clutch 1000 list, representing the pinnacle of excellence among B2B companies worldwide," stated Tim Tiller, MyTek CEO. "This recognition underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional service and nurturing client relationships. We're proud to be listed as a top service provider on the Clutch platform among many successful companies."

In addition to being included on the 2024 Clutch 1000 list, MyTek is also featured for a fifth year in a row on the Phoenix Business Journal Book of Lists for 2024 as a top company in Arizona.

The List provides a look at the largest and most influential players defining the local economy and is compiled from information obtained through email surveys and reviewed by the Phoenix Business Journal.

"We've thrilled to be included again in the Book of Lists alongside other leading Arizona businesses across a variety of industries," said Tiller. "As an Arizona company serving Arizona clients, it's our mission to be an IT partner that works hard to understand our clients' technology needs and tailor solutions that supports their growth."

View the complete list of 2024 Clutch 1000 honorees here.

View our recent work and reviews on our Clutch profile here.

Learn more about the Phoenix Business Journal Book of Lists here.

About MyTek

We deploy the magic of IT with unparalleled support to Arizona businesses. For over a decade, MyTek provides proactive IT solutions such as comprehensive technology solutions, IT cyber security, technology project implementation and IT consulting to small and medium-sized businesses. Our goal is to provide enterprise-level IT practices and solutions growing business sector in Arizona, with predictable pricing. Our experience has allowed us to build and develop the infrastructure required to ensure our clients' happiness, with their technology reliable and at an affordable investment. Our dedicated staff loves seeing our clients succeed. Your success is our success. We treat your business with the same care and strategic oversite as if it was our business. Learn more at mytek.net or call (623) 312-2440 or contact us here.

MEDIA CONTACT

Brenda Bryan

The Bryan Agency

[email protected]

(602) 561-9758

SOURCE MyTek
REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Halfpricesoft.com has just announced the release of 2025 ezPaycheck payroll software for support for small businesses, freelancers, and sole proprietors as well as many other clients. The new ezPaycheck includes 940, 941, W2 and W3 forms and 2025 tax tables.

Clients can still acquire the 2024-2025 bundle version at a cost reduction for a limited time. For those utilizing the 2024 ezPaycheck please note:

Setup Bank Accounts Easily with Just Released ezPaycheck 2025 ezPaycheck for 2025 Released For US Business Owners To Process Unlimited Checks For Multiple Companies

Do NOT install this new version before you complete 2024 paychecks. ezPaycheck 2025 installation will update the tax tables. With ezPaycheck 2025, you can still access your 2024 paychecks, view reports and print 2024 W2 forms.

Dr. Ge stated, "The software, ezPaycheck 2024 and 2025 is still available for purchase to those clients that need to process year-end tax forms."

Priced at just $169 per installation for a single installation of 2025 ezPaycheck software. The bundle 2024-2025 version is $199 for a limited time. ezPaycheck payroll software is affordable for any business. With paycheck software, business owners can easily calculate taxes, deductions, and other payroll-related tasks. Potential clients are welcome to download ezPaycheck free demo version with no obligation and no risk at halfpricesoft.com

Despite its cost and ease of use, Accountants, CPA and Tax Professionals should not assume ezPaycheck 2024 runs short on features. ezPaycheck 2025 is packed with all the features a business needs to run payroll quickly and easily, including:

Supports daily, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly and monthly payroll periods. Features report functions, print functions, and pay stub functions.

Automatically calculates Federal Withholding Tax, Social Security, Medicare Tax and Employer Unemployment Taxes.

Includes built-in tax tables for all 50 states and the District of Columbia

Easily calculates differential pay

Prints miscellaneous checks as well as payroll calculation checks

Prints payroll checks on blank computer checks or preprinted checks

Creates and maintains payroll for multiple companies, and does it simultaneously

Prints Tax Forms NEW 943 Form, 940, 941, W2, and W3 (Copy A preprinted form required)

Supports multiple accounts at no additional charge

Supports network access to share data from different computers and locations (additional cost)

30 day no cost trial. No registration required and absolutely no obligation

ezPaycheck is compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and other Windows systems. We also sell a MAC version separately.

ezPaycheck payroll software is affordable for any size business. Customers seeking a way to simplify payroll processing with more accuracy to start the no-obligation 30-day test at https://www.halfpricesoft.com/index.asp

About halfpricesoft.com

Halfpricesoft.com is a leading provider of small business software, including online and desktop payroll software, online employee attendance tracking software, accounting software, in-house business and personal check printing software, W2, software, 1099 software, accounting software, 1095 form software, and ezACH direct deposit software. Software from halfpricesoft.com is trusted by thousands of customers and will help US Business owners simplify payroll processing and streamline business management.

SOURCE Halfpricesoft.com
Last of Three Voter-Approved Increases Takes Effect Next Week

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) reminds drivers that tolls at the region's seven state-owned toll bridges will go up by $1 next Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. This will be the third of the three $1 toll increases approved by the California Legislature in 2017 through state Senate Bill 595 and by voters through Regional Measure 3 in June 2018. The first of these toll hikes went into effect on Jan. 1, 2019 and the second on Jan. 1, 2022.

BATA Logo (PRNewsfoto/Bay Area Toll Authority)

Regular tolls for two-axle cars and trucks (as well as for motorcycles) at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay, Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward bridges will rise to $8 from the current $7 on Jan. 1, 2025.

Tolls for vehicles with three or more axles also will rise by $1 on Jan. 1, 2025, at all seven of the state-owned toll bridges: to $18 for three axles, $23 for four-axles, $28 for five axles, $33 for six axles, and $38 for combinations with seven or more axles.

Regional Measure 3 continues the peak-period toll discount for motorcycles, qualifying carpools and qualifying clean-air vehicles crossing any of the state-owned toll bridges on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The discounted toll will rise to $4 on Jan. 1 from the current $3.50. To qualify for this discount, carpoolers, motorcyclists and drivers of clean-air vehicles must use FasTrak to pay their tolls electronically and must use a designated carpool lane at each toll plaza.

Senate Bill 595 and Regional Measure 3 also established a 50-cent toll discount for two-axle vehicles crossing more than one of the state-owned toll bridges during weekday commute hours of 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. To be eligible for the toll discount, which is to be applied to the second toll crossing of the day, motorists must pay their tolls electronically with FasTrak. Carpools, motorcycles and qualifying clean-air vehicles making a second peak-period toll crossing in a single day will qualify for an additional 25-cent discount off the already-discounted carpool toll.

New FasTrak customers can obtain toll tags at Costco warehouse stores and select Walgreens stores around Northern California. A complete list of participating locations  as well as an online enrollment and registration feature  is available on the FasTrak Web site at bayareafastrak.org. Customers also may enroll in the FasTrak program by phone at 1-877-229-8655; by calling 511 and asking for "FasTrak" at the first prompt; or in person at the FasTrak customer service center at 375 Beale Street in San Francisco. FasTrak can be used in all lanes at all Bay Area toll plazas.

Major projects in the Regional Measure 3 expenditure plan include improvements to State Route 37 in the North Bay, freeway interchange improvements in Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties, the purchase of more new BART cars, extension of the BART system from Berryessa to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara, extension of the Caltrain corridor to the Salesforce Transit Center in downtown San Francisco, expansion of Muni's transit vehicle fleet, expansion of San Francisco Bay Ferry service and more frequent transbay bus service, an improved connection between northbound U.S. 101 and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in Marin County, upgrades to the Dumbarton Bridge corridor, and extension of the SMART rail system to Windsor and Healdsburg in Sonoma County.

The Regional Measure 3 toll hike that takes effect next week is separate from the toll hike approved by BATA earlier this month, which will be phased in over five years, beginning Jan. 1, 2026, to pay for the maintenance, rehabilitation and operation of the seven state-owned toll bridges. BATA this month also approved updates to the policies for high-occupancy vehicles on approaches to the state-owned bridges, which will similarly go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

BATA, which is directed by the same policy board as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), administers toll revenues from the Bay Area's seven state-owned toll bridges. Toll revenues from the Golden Gate Bridge are administered by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which joined with BATA to operate a single regional FasTrak customer service center in San Francisco. MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

SOURCE Metropolitan Transportation Commission
DALLAS, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NexPoint Capital, Inc. (the "Company"), a non-traded publicly registered business development company sponsored and managed by NexPoint Advisors, L.P., today announced the expiration and final results for its tender offer (the "Tender Offer") for up to 2.5% of its outstanding common stock ("Shares") at a price of $5.49 per Share as of December 17, 2024, plus any unpaid dividends accrued through the expiration date of the Tender Offer. The Fund's Tender Offer expired on December 17, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. 164,563.035 shares of the Company were tendered for repurchase in the Tender Offer.

Any questions regarding the Tender Offer can be directed to the Company's Tender Agent, DST Systems, Inc., at (844) 485-9167. The Company's current offering price for its Shares, as well as other information, including information about management and the healthcare-focused investment strategy, are available at nexpoint.com. The information on or accessible through nexpoint.com is not incorporated by reference herein.

About NexPoint Capital, Inc.

NexPoint Capital, Inc. is a non-traded, publicly registered business development company sponsored and managed by NexPoint Advisors, L.P.

About NexPoint Advisors, L.P.

NexPoint Advisors, L.P. ("NexPoint Advisors") is an SEC-registered adviser on the NexPoint alternative investment platform ("NexPoint"). NexPoint Advisors serves as the adviser to a suite of funds and investment vehicles, including a closed-end fund, interval fund, business development company ("BDC"), and various real estate vehicles. For more information visit www.nexpoint.com.

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements. These statements may involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the performance of financial markets, the investment performance of NexPoint Advisors' sponsored investment products, general economic conditions, future acquisitions, competitive conditions, and government regulations, including changes in tax laws. Readers should carefully consider such factors. Further, such forward-looking statements speak only on the date at which such statements are made. NexPoint Advisors undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statement.

This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy, or investment product. Neither the Company, nor the Company's Board of Directors, nor NexPoint Advisors makes any recommendation as to whether to tender or not to tender any Shares in the Tender Offer. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission.

Contact Information for Tender Offer:

Financial Advisors: (855) 498-1580

Shareholders: (844) 485-9167

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE NexPoint Capital, Inc.
Nordstrom Shareholders to Receive $24.25 Per Share in Cash

Transaction Represents a Premium of Approximately 42% Since March 18, 2024

Board Also Intends to Pay Special Dividend of Up to $0.25 Per Share in Cash Contingent on Closing

SEATTLE, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement under which Erik, Pete, Jamie Nordstrom and other members of the Nordstrom family (collectively, the "Nordstrom Family") and El Puerto de Liverpool, S.A.B. de C.V. ("Liverpool") (BMV: LIVEPOL) will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Nordstrom not already beneficially owned by the Nordstrom Family and Liverpool in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $6.25 billion on an enterprise basis. Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom Family will have a majority ownership stake in the Company.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nordstrom common shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock they hold. The merger consideration represents a premium of approximately 42% to the Company's unaffected closing common stock price on March 18, 2024, the last trading day prior to media speculation regarding a potential transaction. In addition, the Board intends to authorize a special dividend of up to $0.25 per share (based on Nordstrom's cash on hand) immediately prior to and contingent on the close of the transaction. Upon completion of the transaction, Nordstrom will become a private company.

The Nordstrom Board of Directors, with Erik and Pete Nordstrom recusing themselves, has unanimously approved the proposed transaction upon the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of independent and disinterested directors that led the review and negotiation of this transaction. The special committee, composed of Kirsten Green, Amie Thuener O'Toole and Eric Sprunk, was formed in February 2024 in response to interest expressed by Erik and Pete Nordstrom in exploring a possible transaction during the Board's most recent evaluation of possible avenues to enhance shareholder value.

"The special committee of the Nordstrom Board of Directors reviewed this proposal against the Company's standalone prospects for growth," said Eric Sprunk, chairman of the special committee. "Following a rigorous and independent evaluation and consultation with outside financial and legal advisors, the special committee unanimously concluded that this transaction offers greater value for all public shareholders at a significant premium to the unaffected share price."

"The Nordstrom Board regularly considers alternatives to enhance value, culminating in this most recent process," added Brad Tilden, chairman of the Nordstrom Board. "I want to thank the special committee for their diligent and thorough work evaluating and negotiating this transaction over the past several months."

"For over a century, Nordstrom has operated with a foundational principle of helping customers feel good and look their best," said Erik Nordstrom, chief executive officer of Nordstrom. "Today marks an exciting new chapter for the business. On behalf of my family, we look forward to working with our teams to ensure Nordstrom thrives long into the future."

"We're grateful to the employees, customers and shareholders who have shaped Nordstrom into the company it is today," said Pete Nordstrom, chief brand officer of Nordstrom. "Since our founding in 1901, we have been committed to providing our customers with the best possible service  and to improving it every day. We look forward to building on that commitment in this next phase of the Company's evolution."

"Nordstrom is one of the worldwide leaders in department store retailing, and we're thrilled to be investing in a company that has meaningfully shaped the industry for nearly 125 years," said Graciano F. Guichard G., executive chairman of the Board of Directors of Liverpool. "We are honored to partner with the Nordstrom Family and the Company's talented team as they continue to deliver outstanding service to customers."

Transaction Details

The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2025, subject to regulatory and other conditions, including approval of holders of two-thirds of the Company's common stock and the holders of a majority of the shares of the Company not owned by the Nordstrom Family or Liverpool or their respective affiliates and the Company's directors and Section 16 officers.

The transaction will be financed through a combination of rollover equity by the Nordstrom Family and Liverpool, cash commitments by Liverpool, up to $450 million in borrowings under a new $1.2 billion ABL bank financing, and Company cash on hand. The Company's $2.7 billion principal amount of existing senior notes and debentures are expected to remain outstanding following the transaction. As part of the transaction, the Company expects to take actions to secure the Company's existing senior notes and debentures with a second lien on the Company's current assets and related collateral and a first lien on the Company's other assets (excluding real estate), conditioned and effective upon the transaction closing. Following the closing of the transaction, Nordstrom will be owned 50.1% by the Nordstrom Family and 49.9% by Liverpool.

In addition to the special dividend (if paid), Nordstrom expects to continue paying regular quarterly cash dividends of 19 cents per share through transaction close, including a pro-rated dividend for any partial quarter immediately prior to the close of the transaction.

Upon completion of the transaction, Nordstrom's common stock will no longer be listed on any public market.

Advisors

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Centerview Partners LLC are acting as financial advisors to the special committee, and Sidley Austin LLP and Perkins Coie LLP are acting as legal counsel to the special committee.

Moelis & Company LLC is acting as financial advisor and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Lane Powell PC and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP are acting as legal counsel to the Nordstrom Family.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is acting as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Galicia Abogados, S.C. are acting as legal counsel to Liverpool.

About Nordstrom

At Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN), we exist to help our customers feel good and look their best. Since starting as a shoe store in 1901, how to best serve customers has been at the center of every decision we make. This heritage of service is the foundation we're building on as we provide convenience and true connection for our customers. Our interconnected model enables us to serve customers when, where and how they want to shop  whether that's in-store at more than 350 Nordstrom, Nordstrom Local and Nordstrom Rack locations or digitally through our Nordstrom and Rack apps and websites. Through it all, we remain committed to leaving the world better than we found it.

About El Puerto De Liverpool

El Puerto de Liverpool is a Mexican omnichannel retailer with a leading presence in department stores and a robust e-commerce platform. It operates across Mexico with 310 stores under the Liverpool and Suburbia banners, 119 specialized boutiques, as well as 29 shopping centers. The Company is also one of the leading credit card issuers in the country with more than 7.6 million credit card holders, accounting for 47% of its sales transactions. For 176 years, it has offered a comprehensive selection of high-quality products and servicesfrom the latest in fashion for the entire family to expert advice on interior design, food and beverages, housewares, technology, and much more.

Liverpool is recognized as one of the best places to work in Mexico, employing more than 78,000 workers nationwide. The company is committed to operating with efficiency, growth, innovation, prestige, exceptional service, profitability, and adaptability to specific markets, all while fostering a strong sense of social responsibility towards the world around it.

Additional Information Regarding the Transaction and Where to Find It

This press release relates to the proposed transaction (the "proposed transaction") involving the Company, Norse Holdings, Inc. ("Parent") and Navy Acquisition Co. Inc. ("Acquisition Sub"), whereby the Company would become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company or any other person or the solicitation of any vote or approval. The Company and affiliates of the Company intend to jointly file a transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 (the "Schedule 13E-3") relating to the proposed transaction, and the Company intends to file a proxy statement on Schedule 14A relating to a special meeting of shareholders to approve the proposed transaction, each of which will be mailed or otherwise disseminated to the shareholders of the Company entitled to vote on the proposed transaction. The Company may also file other relevant documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") regarding the proposed transaction. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION, INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT REGARDING THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN), THE SCHEDULE 13E-3 (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN), AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the definitive proxy statement, any amendments or supplements thereto and other documents containing important information about the Company and the proposed transaction, once such documents are filed with the SEC, through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, shareholders of the Company may obtain free copies of such documents by accessing the Investor Relations portion of the Company's website at https://nordstrom.gcs-web.com/financial-information/sec-filings.

Participants in the Solicitation

The Company and certain of its directors, executive officers and other employees may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of the Company is set forth in the Company's definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A for the 2024 annual meeting of the shareholders of the Company, filed with the SEC on April 11, 2024 (available here), under the sections "Corporate GovernanceDirector Compensation and Stock Ownership Guidelines," "Compensation of Executive Officers," and "Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management." To the extent the security holdings of directors and executive officers have changed since the amounts described in these filings, such changes are set forth on Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. Updated information regarding the identity of participants and their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, in the Company will be set forth in the Company's Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A regarding the approval of the proposed transaction and other relevant documents to be filed with the SEC, if and when they become available. These documents will be available free of charge as described above.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated timing of the consummation of the proposed transaction. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Forward-looking statements can also be identified by words such as "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "expects," "future," "intends," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continues," "target," "outlook" and similar terms and expressions, but the absence of these words does not mean that the statement is not forward-looking. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations due to various risks and uncertainties including, without limitation: (i) the risk that the proposed transaction may not be completed in a timely manner, or at all; (ii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the proposed transaction, including, without limitation, the receipt of shareholder approvals, the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals or the absence of a Below Investment Grade Rating Event; (iii) unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the proposed transaction; (iv) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the proposed transaction on the plans, business relationships, operating results and operations; (v) potential difficulties retaining employees, suppliers and customers as a result of the announcement and pendency of the proposed transaction; (vi) the response of employees, suppliers and customers to the announcement of the proposed transaction; (vii) risks related to diverting management's attention from the Company's ongoing business operations; (viii) legal proceedings, including those that may be instituted against the Company, its board of directors, its executive officers or others following the announcement of the proposed transaction; and (ix) risks regarding the failure to obtain the financing to complete the proposed transaction or have a sufficient amount of Company cash on hand to complete the proposed transaction or pay the full amount of the special dividend contemplated by the proposed transaction. In addition, a description of certain other factors that could affect the Company's business, financial condition or results of operations is included in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations but are not guarantees of future performance or events. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as may be required by law.

INVESTOR CONTACT:

James Duies

Nordstrom, Inc.

[email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT:

Grace Stearns

Nordstrom, Inc.

[email protected]

Adam Pollack / Tim Ragones

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

(212) 355-4449

SOURCE Nordstrom, Inc.
HOUSTON, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Relevant Industrial, LLC (Relevant), a leading provider of industrial equipment and engineered solutions, is excited to announce the acquisition of Loy Instrument, Inc., a trusted leader in process control and combustion solutions headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. This strategic acquisition marks a significant milestone for Relevant, strengthening its position as an industry leader with best-in-class expertise in combustion, process control, and automation.

Relevant Industrial Acquires Loy Instrument, Inc. Relevant Industrial Acquires Loy Instrument, Inc.

Loy Instrument brings over 80 years of industry-leading knowledge and a reputation for delivering advanced solutions across diverse industrial applications. With a team boasting more than 900 years of combined experience, Loy's engineering excellence and customer-centric approach make it a natural fit for Relevant Industrial. This partnership enhances Relevant's ability to deliver innovative solutions to clients in key industries such as refining, petrochemical, aerospace, metals, pharmaceutical, food processing, manufacturing, and power generation.

"The addition of Loy Instrument's expertise strengthens our ability to tackle complex challenges in combustion and process control, providing even greater value to our customers," said John Carte, CEO of Relevant Industrial. "We're excited to welcome this exceptional team into the Relevant family and look forward to driving innovation together."

Loy brings a team of industry-leading engineers, service professionals, and field technicians, bolstering Relevant's capabilities in key markets as mentioned above. This strategic move also expands Relevant's geographic footprint into Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan, allowing the company to provide exceptional support and specialized expertise to more customers. Loy's steadfast commitment to safety, quality, and technical excellence aligns perfectly with Relevant's mission to deliver reliable, high-value solutions tailored to every client's needs.

"Joining Relevant Industrial is an exciting step for Loy Instrument, our employees, and our customers," said Ken Bradway, President of Loy Instrument, Inc. "Together, we'll leverage our combined expertise and resources to expand our capabilities and continue delivering exceptional solutions to the industries we serve."

Alongside the acquisition of Loy Instrument, Relevant Industrial is also pleased to welcome Krom Americas to its network, further enhancing the company's capabilities in process control and industrial services. Krom Americas, established in 2020, addresses the demand for localized inventory and faster delivery of Kromschroder products across the United States, and Canada. By stocking inventory in Indianapolis, Indianaknown as the Crossroads of AmericaKrom Americas ensures customers benefit from shorter lead times and superior service.

With the integration of Loy Instrument and Krom Americas, Relevant Industrial is well-positioned for continued growth and innovation, delivering unmatched expertise and solutions to industries across North America.

About Loy Instrument, Inc.

Founded in 1937, Loy Instrument, Inc. is a leading provider of process control, combustion, and industrial solutions, serving a broad range of industries. Known for its engineering expertise and customer-centric approach, Loy has built a reputation for providing high-quality solutions, from design assistance to installation and service. Loy's skilled team and world class fabrication capabilities are integral to its success in delivering innovative, reliable solutions. For more information, visit loy-instrument.com and kromamericas.com.

About Relevant Industrial:

Relevant Industrial, LLC was formed in 2010 to acquire Wilson Mohr, which traces its roots back to 1965. As the first Honeywell thermal channel partner in the U.S., Wilson Mohr quickly established itself as an expert in burner management, fuel trains, and other critical thermal solutions for a growing customer base. Since 2010, the company has grown organically and through numerous acquisitions, expanding its product portfolio and engineered solutions to a wide range of customer end markets. Relevant Industrial brings together the industry's top problem-solvers: skilled technicians, engineers, designers, and experts across various fields dedicated to finding solutions and delivering results. While we sell parts and services, our mission goes beyond thatwe help customers discover new and efficient ways to enhance their operations. With over 30 locations across the U.S. and sales representation in more than 30 additional territories, Relevant serves key markets, including Renewable Energy, Alternative Fuels, Semiconductor, Refining, Chemical/Petrochemical Processing, OEM, Food Processing, Upstream Oil & Gas, and Municipal sectors. Our offerings span instrumentation and automation, rotating equipment, purification, and thermal equipment. Relevant Industrial is your partner for practical and impactful solutions. For more information, visit our website at relevantindustrial.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Relevant Industrial

Mathilde Simoes

8323224969

[email protected]

SOURCE Relevant Industrial
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Stena RoRo has taken delivery of E-Flexer No. 12 - in a series of 15 vessels - from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). The ship is the Guillaume de Normandie and is long-term chartered to the French shipping company Brittany Ferries. In April next year, the ship will enter service on the Portsmouth - Caen route, replacing the Normandie, which has sailed the route since 1992. This is the fifth of five ordered E-Flexer vessels for the Brittany Ferries fleet.

Just as with four of the five E-Flexer ships that Stena RoRo has delivered to Brittany Ferries, the vessel will be powered by multi-fuel engines as well as the market's largest battery-hybrid package of 12 MWh. With these batteries, the ship will be able to operate in and out of port solely on battery power and even maneuver when docking and undocking without using the ship's diesel engines.

This is a unique technical solution that provides significantly lower CO2 emissions for the ship.

The E-Flexer concept has been continuously developed in line with future environmental requirements, and through its technical design and high degree of innovation, it can fulfill and exceed both existing and future international requirements.

The Guillaume de Normandie is also equipped with a shore connection with an output of 8 MW for high-speed charging of the batteries, which also enables a completely fossil-free stay when in port. With the installed battery capacity, the vessel can operate at speeds of up to 17.5 knots on batteries alone.

The ship's engines can be powered by marine diesel (MGO), liquefied natural gas (LNG), biodiesel or biogas. In addition, the PTI/PTO system with the Battery Power function can be used for propulsion at sea or maneuvering in port. The system is scalable, which means that in the future, the Guillaume de Normandie can operate entirely on batteries or with a combination of the different fuels.

The ship's modern interior (designed by Figura Arkitekter AB) has been especially created for the current route and with clear influences from Normandy. The ship is certified for 1300 passengers along with 2410 lane meters of cargo, whereof 176 lane meters for personal cars.

The E-Flexer series is based on a basic concept with vessels larger than most existing RoPax ferries and features a highly flexible design. Each ship is tailored to customers' needs, both commercially and technically. An optimized design of the hull, propellers and rudders along with opportunities to incorporate new environmentally friendly technology contribute to the E-Flexer vessels being at the absolute forefront in terms of sustainability and performance as well as cost and energy efficiency.

"It is with great satisfaction and pride that we have now taken delivery of the twelfth E-Flexer vessel in the series," says Stena RoRo AB Managing Director Per Westling. "Within the framework of the E-Flexer concept, there has been continuous technical development and we can offer our customers flexible and future-proof propulsion systems that by a wide margin meet both today's and future environmental requirements. The large battery hybrid system we installed on the Guillaume de Normandie means that the ship can operate optimally, in step with regulatory developments, or in accordance with the operator's own policies."

The Guillaume de Normandie is chartered to Brittany Ferries for 10 years.

The total of five E-Flexer ships ordered by Brittany Ferries are renewing and modernizing the company's current fleet of cargo and passenger ships. The first ferry, the Galicia, was delivered in the autumn of 2020, the second in November 2021, the third in December 2023. The Saint-Malo was delivered in October 2024, which is the fourth vessel in the series, and the Guillaume de Normandie in December 2024, the fifth and final ship.

Stena RoRo currently has 15 confirmed orders at CMI Jinling, Weihai shipyard for E-Flexer vessels, as well as two orders for New Max RoRo vessels. Twelve vessels have now been delivered.

Stena E-Flexer orders:

1. Stena Line: Stena Line network in the Irish Sea; delivered in 2019

2. Stena Line; Stena Line's network in the Irish Sea, delivered in 2020

3. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network; delivered in 2020

Long-term charter agreement

4. Stena Line: Stena Line network in the Irish Sea; delivered in 2021

5. DFDS; DFDS network; delivered in 2021

Long-term charter agreement

6. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network; delivery 2021

Long-term charter agreement; LNG operation

7. Stena Line; Stena Line network, delivered from the shipyard in May 2022

Extended version

8. Stena Line; Stena Line's network, delivered from the shipyard in September 2022

Extended version

9. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network; delivered in December 2022

Long-term charter agreement, LNG operation

10. Marine Atlantic; Marine Atlantic network, delivered in February 2024

Long charter agreement; LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation

11. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network, delivered in 2024

Long charter agreement; LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation

12. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network, delivered in 2024

Long charter agreement; LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation

13. Corsica Linea, Corsica Linea network, delivery 2026

LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation

14. Attica Group, delivery April 2027

Methanol-ready, battery-hybrid installation

15. Attica Group, delivery August 2027

Methanol-ready, battery-hybrid installation

E-Flexer No. 12 specifications for Brittany Ferries:

Length: 194.7 m

Draught: 6.5 m

Beam: 27.8 m

Capacity: 1300 passengers and 2410 lane meters, of which 176 lane meters are intended for automobiles

Passenger cabins: 222 distributed over four decks

Speed: 23 knots (17.5 on batteries only

Photos: CMJS Shipyard

Captions:

Guillaume de Normandie  Brittany Ferries Batteri room 1 Batteri room 2 Les Planches, the ship's bar on deck 8, shows clear influences from Normandy There is a special lounge on deck 6 for the ship's pod cabin guests Riva Bella , the restaurant in the forward section of deck 7

For more information, please contact:

Per Westling, Managing Director, Stena RoRo AB

Tel: +46 31 855154; +46 704 85 51 54

Email: [email protected]

Since 1977, Stena RoRo has led development of new marine RoRo, cargo and passenger concepts. We provide custom-built vessels, as well as standardized RoRo and RoPax vessels. The company leases about fifteen vessels to operators worldwide, both other Stena companies and third parties. Stena RoRo specializes above all in using its technical expertise for the design and production of new vessels and the conversion and technical operation of existing vessels in order to deliver tailor-made transport solutions to its customers. We call this "Stenability". Since 2013, we have had responsibility for the design and completion of Mercy Ships' new hospital vessel the Global Mercy  the world's largest civilian hospital ship. The ship was delivered in 2021.

www.stenaroro.com

Brittany Ferries is a French ferry company and tour operator based in Roscoff, France. The company was founded by an agricultural cooperative in Breton for exporting vegetables to the UK. The first ferry voyage was from Roscoff to Plymoth on January 2, 1972, the day after the UK joined the EEC  the European Economic Community, the predecessor to the EU. The cargo consisted of artichokes and cauliflower. The company quickly expanded with more ships and routes when it became clear that the biggest market was British tourists who wanted to explore Brittany and later Normandy as well. Brittany Ferries presently operates 14 routes connecting France, Great Britain, Spain and Ireland. In a normal year, the company has sales of approximately 450 million Euros and transports approximately 2.5 million passengers and 205,000 freight units. The company is still largely owned by French farmers, supported by the regions of Brittany and Normandy, and prides itself on being the largest employer of seafarers in France.www.brittanyferries.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/r/stena-roro-takes-delivery-of-the-battery-hybrid-vessel-guillaume-de-normandie,c4086104

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/9515/4086104/3189235.pdf Stena RoRo takes delivery of the battery hybrid vessel Guillaume de Normandie https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/i/guillaume-de-normandie,c3365506 Guillaume de Normandie https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/i/battery-pack,c3365507 Battery pack https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/i/battery-pack,c3365508 Battery pack https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/i/les-planches-the-ship-s-bar-on-deck-8-with-influences-from-normandie,c3365509 Les Planches the ship s bar on deck 8 with influences from Normandie https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/i/dormitary-pod-lounge-area---on-deck-6,c3365510 Dormitary pod lounge area - on deck 6 https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/i/riva-bella-the-restaurant-in-the-forward-section-of-deck-7,c3365511 Riva Bella the restaurant in the forward section of deck 7

SOURCE Stena RoRo
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Stena RoRo has taken delivery of E-Flexer No. 12 - in a series of 15 vessels - from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). The ship is the Guillaume de Normandie and is long-term chartered to the French shipping company Brittany Ferries. In April next year, the ship will enter service on the Portsmouth - Caen route, replacing the Normandie, which has sailed the route since 1992. This is the fifth of five ordered E-Flexer vessels for the Brittany Ferries fleet.

Just as with four of the five E-Flexer ships that Stena RoRo has delivered to Brittany Ferries, the vessel will be powered by multi-fuel engines as well as the market's largest battery-hybrid package of 12 MWh. With these batteries, the ship will be able to operate in and out of port solely on battery power and even maneuver when docking and undocking without using the ship's diesel engines.

This is a unique technical solution that provides significantly lower CO2 emissions for the ship.

The E-Flexer concept has been continuously developed in line with future environmental requirements, and through its technical design and high degree of innovation, it can fulfill and exceed both existing and future international requirements.

The Guillaume de Normandie is also equipped with a shore connection with an output of 8 MW for high-speed charging of the batteries, which also enables a completely fossil-free stay when in port. With the installed battery capacity, the vessel can operate at speeds of up to 17.5 knots on batteries alone.

The ship's engines can be powered by marine diesel (MGO), liquefied natural gas (LNG), biodiesel or biogas. In addition, the PTI/PTO system with the Battery Power function can be used for propulsion at sea or maneuvering in port. The system is scalable, which means that in the future, the Guillaume de Normandie can operate entirely on batteries or with a combination of the different fuels.

The ship's modern interior (designed by Figura Arkitekter AB) has been especially created for the current route and with clear influences from Normandy. The ship is certified for 1300 passengers along with 2410 lane meters of cargo, whereof 176 lane meters for personal cars.

The E-Flexer series is based on a basic concept with vessels larger than most existing RoPax ferries and features a highly flexible design. Each ship is tailored to customers' needs, both commercially and technically. An optimized design of the hull, propellers and rudders along with opportunities to incorporate new environmentally friendly technology contribute to the E-Flexer vessels being at the absolute forefront in terms of sustainability and performance as well as cost and energy efficiency.

"It is with great satisfaction and pride that we have now taken delivery of the twelfth E-Flexer vessel in the series," says Stena RoRo AB Managing Director Per Westling. "Within the framework of the E-Flexer concept, there has been continuous technical development and we can offer our customers flexible and future-proof propulsion systems that by a wide margin meet both today's and future environmental requirements. The large battery hybrid system we installed on the Guillaume de Normandie means that the ship can operate optimally, in step with regulatory developments, or in accordance with the operator's own policies."

The Guillaume de Normandie is chartered to Brittany Ferries for 10 years.

The total of five E-Flexer ships ordered by Brittany Ferries are renewing and modernizing the company's current fleet of cargo and passenger ships. The first ferry, the Galicia, was delivered in the autumn of 2020, the second in November 2021, the third in December 2023. The Saint-Malo was delivered in October 2024, which is the fourth vessel in the series, and the Guillaume de Normandie in December 2024, the fifth and final ship.

Stena RoRo currently has 15 confirmed orders at CMI Jinling, Weihai shipyard for E-Flexer vessels, as well as two orders for New Max RoRo vessels. Twelve vessels have now been delivered.

Stena E-Flexer orders:

1. Stena Line: Stena Line network in the Irish Sea; delivered in 2019

2. Stena Line; Stena Line's network in the Irish Sea, delivered in 2020

3. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network; delivered in 2020

Long-term charter agreement

4. Stena Line: Stena Line network in the Irish Sea; delivered in 2021

5. DFDS; DFDS network; delivered in 2021

Long-term charter agreement

6. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network; delivery 2021

Long-term charter agreement; LNG operation

7. Stena Line; Stena Line network, delivered from the shipyard in May 2022

Extended version

8. Stena Line; Stena Line's network, delivered from the shipyard in September 2022

Extended version

9. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network; delivered in December 2022

Long-term charter agreement, LNG operation

10. Marine Atlantic; Marine Atlantic network, delivered in February 2024

Long charter agreement; LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation

11. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network, delivered in 2024

Long charter agreement; LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation

12. Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries network, delivered in 2024

Long charter agreement; LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation

13. Corsica Linea, Corsica Linea network, delivery 2026

LNG operation with battery-hybrid installation

14. Attica Group, delivery April 2027

Methanol-ready, battery-hybrid installation

15. Attica Group, delivery August 2027

Methanol-ready, battery-hybrid installation

E-Flexer No. 12 specifications for Brittany Ferries:

Length: 194.7 m

Draught: 6.5 m

Beam: 27.8 m

Capacity: 1300 passengers and 2410 lane meters, of which 176 lane meters are intended for automobiles

Passenger cabins: 222 distributed over four decks

Speed: 23 knots (17.5 on batteries only

Photos: CMJS Shipyard

Captions:

Guillaume de Normandie  Brittany Ferries Batteri room 1 Batteri room 2 Les Planches, the ship's bar on deck 8, shows clear influences from Normandy There is a special lounge on deck 6 for the ship's pod cabin guests Riva Bella , the restaurant in the forward section of deck 7

For more information, please contact:

Per Westling, Managing Director, Stena RoRo AB

Tel: +46 31 855154; +46 704 85 51 54

Email: [email protected]

Since 1977, Stena RoRo has led development of new marine RoRo, cargo and passenger concepts. We provide custom-built vessels, as well as standardized RoRo and RoPax vessels. The company leases about fifteen vessels to operators worldwide, both other Stena companies and third parties. Stena RoRo specializes above all in using its technical expertise for the design and production of new vessels and the conversion and technical operation of existing vessels in order to deliver tailor-made transport solutions to its customers. We call this "Stenability". Since 2013, we have had responsibility for the design and completion of Mercy Ships' new hospital vessel the Global Mercy  the world's largest civilian hospital ship. The ship was delivered in 2021.

www.stenaroro.com

Brittany Ferries is a French ferry company and tour operator based in Roscoff, France. The company was founded by an agricultural cooperative in Breton for exporting vegetables to the UK. The first ferry voyage was from Roscoff to Plymoth on January 2, 1972, the day after the UK joined the EEC  the European Economic Community, the predecessor to the EU. The cargo consisted of artichokes and cauliflower. The company quickly expanded with more ships and routes when it became clear that the biggest market was British tourists who wanted to explore Brittany and later Normandy as well. Brittany Ferries presently operates 14 routes connecting France, Great Britain, Spain and Ireland. In a normal year, the company has sales of approximately 450 million Euros and transports approximately 2.5 million passengers and 205,000 freight units. The company is still largely owned by French farmers, supported by the regions of Brittany and Normandy, and prides itself on being the largest employer of seafarers in France.www.brittanyferries.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/r/stena-roro-takes-delivery-of-the-battery-hybrid-vessel-guillaume-de-normandie,c4086104

The following files are available for download:
AKRON, Ohio and KANSAS CITY, Kan., Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Truck Master Warranty, a leader in commercial medium and heavy-duty truck protection plans, donated hundreds of toy trucks to Ohio's Akron Children's Hospital and Children's Mercy Hospital of Kansas City. This initiative aims to brighten the holidays for children spending Christmas and Hanukkah in the hospital and bring smiles to their faces during a challenging time.

CEO Rob Fox delivering the toy trucks to Akron Children's Hospital Toys Trucks for Akron Children's Hospital Donation

"A toy truck is a timeless gift," said Rob Fox, Truck Master Warranty CEO. "I got one as a child, my kids got them, and even my grandkids. It's a classic holiday gift that has never ceased to bring a smile to kids' faces."

Truck Master Warranty aims to not only serve its customers but also contribute to the communities where its employees live and work. As the company's growth has expanded its employee base nationwide, Truck Master Warranty has more opportunities to give back to local communities, proudly sharing its success by supporting local hospitals and other institutions spreading goodwill.

Representatives from Truck Master Warranty personally delivered the toy trucks to both hospitals and spent time interacting with the children as they enjoyed their presents. The donations reflect a heartfelt commitment to giving back to the community and spreading joy to families during the holiday season.

"We certainly appreciate this large gift of toy trucks from Truck Master Warranty and delivered just in time for Santa's visit with our patients," said Vicki Parisi, director of Volunteer Services for Akron Children's. "The community support for our patients and the doctors, nurses and other providers who care for them is something we never take for granted and it becomes even more special and magical during the holiday season."

Truck Master Warranty invites other businesses and individuals to join in spreading holiday cheer by supporting local charities and hospitals. To learn how to donate to Akron Children's Hospital, visit www.akronchildrens.org or to Children's Mercy Hospital, visit www.childrensmercy.org.

For more information about Truck Master Warranty, visit truckmasterwarranty.com.

Media Contact:

Shaun Petersen

Chief Legal Officer

Truck Master Warranty

800 326 5204

www.truckmasterwarranty.com

About Truck Master Warranty:

Since 2013, Truck Master Warranty has served the needs of the pre-owned Medium Duty (classes 3 through 6) and Heavy Duty (classes 7 and 8) Truck markets by offering the most comprehensive, industry leading, and feature rich service contracts. Truck Master Warranty is the exclusive provider of the Heavy Truck industry's only "Certified Pre-Owned" 90 Day limited warranty called CPO90. Truck Master Warranty combines technologically advanced dealer tools and resources to better serve a truck dealership's most valuable asset  their customers.

SOURCE Truck Master Warranty
Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, attends the second plenary meeting of the 13th session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese lawmakers met on Sunday to deliberate reports during an ongoing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, attended the plenary meeting of the session.

The meeting heard a report on the enforcement of the Law on State-Owned Assets of Enterprises. The report proposed establishing and improving the entrusted agency mechanism for state-owned enterprises and state capital.

Lawmakers reviewed a report on the enforcement of the Yellow River Protection Law, which calls for promoting law-based governance of the river and advancing the conservation and restoration of the ecosystem of its basin.

They heard an audit rectification report for 2023, which stated that as of the end of September, the rectification process had involved a total of 538 billion yuan (about 74.8 billion U.S. dollars) in funds, while over 2,800 individuals had been held to account.

The meeting also deliberated a report on the allocation and utilization of fiscal funds for disaster prevention, mitigation and emergency management. The report proposed improving fiscal policies and systems, and optimizing fund-allocation models.

The meeting also heard reports on farmland protection, legislative recording and review, and on addressing misconduct and corruption that occurred among the people. 

Editor: Zhang Zhou
VADUZ, Liechtenstein, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wirex, a global leader in bridging traditional and digital finance, has announced the addition of VNX Euro (VEUR) and VNX Swiss Franc (VCHF) to its platform. With this integration, Wirex users can now spend VEUR and VCHF directly through their Wirex cards, streamlining everyday transactions and enhancing convenience.

Wirex Adds VEUR and VCHF Stablecoins to its Platform for Seamless Spending

Wirex cards allow users to use VEUR and VCHF in various ways. Whether users receive payments in VEUR and/or VCHF, use them for remittances (including cross-border transactions), or sell digital assets for stablecoins instead of fiat, Wirex provides the simplest solution for spending in real life. Users can instantly convert their stablecoins into fiat currency and send them directly to their bank accounts, catering to those who prefer traditional banking options.

Pavel Matveev, Co-founder of Wirex, said: "We're excited to welcome VNX Euro (VEUR) and VNX Swiss Franc (VCHF) to Wirex. This addition allows our users to effortlessly spend stablecoins in real life, whether for daily purchases, remittances, or managing their digital assets. At Wirex, our goal is to make digital currencies as convenient and versatile as traditional money, and VEUR and VCHF are another step toward achieving that vision."

Future Features

Additional features will be rolled out later after the launch, complementing the immediate benefits of VEUR and VCHF. These include loans and high-yield X-Accounts, both of which are growing in popularity among Wirex users. Loans offer a smart and tax-efficient way to access liquidity without selling underlying digital assets. Users can leverage their BTC, ETH, SOL, and other digital assets, as collateral for loans in stablecoins, allowing them to benefit from potential appreciation while accessing funds without triggering taxable events.

X-Accounts provide an opportunity for users to earn industry-leading yields of up to 15% APY on their stablecoin balances, enhancing the overall value proposition of holding VEUR and VCHF within the Wirex ecosystem.

Upcoming Advanced Opportunities

VEUR and VCHF have the potential to become preferred options in Wirex's advanced trading products, such as Wirex DUO and Wirex Multiply. Notably, Euro-backed stablecoins have already demonstrated significantly higher usage among Wirex users than larger USD alternatives, highlighting strong demand for Euro-denominated trading options.

As Wirex explores adding VEUR and VCHF to these products, it aims to further strengthen its position as a leader in digital finance by offering innovative solutions that bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital assets.

Disclaimer: The term "stablecoin" is used herein in relation to VEUR and VCHF for marketing purposes. The reader however shall understand that VEUR and VCHF are fiat-referenced tokens which are described in more detail in the VNX Gold based Fiat Referenced Tokens (FRT) Terms and Conditions which are available for review at www.vnx.li

About VEUR and VCHF

Both VEUR and VCHF are multichain tokens referencing the Euro and Swiss Franc, developed by VNX, generated by a licensed token generator under the Blockchain Act in Liechtenstein. VEUR and VCHF are supported by the reserves ensuring 1:1 parity and represent a reliable digital asset in the crypto world. These tokens combine the stability of fiat currencies with the convenience of crypto, enabling quick, low-cost, and 24/7 accessible cross-border payments while opening new opportunities in DeFi.

About Wirex

Wirex is a prominent UK-based digital payments platform with over 6 million customers spread across 130 countries. It offers secure accounts, making it easy for users to store, purchase, and exchange multiple currencies seamlessly. As a principal member of both Visa and Mastercard, Wirex goes beyond traditional services, embracing the evolving trends of Web3 to provide mainstream access to digital finance and wealth management. Having processed transactions totalling $20 billion, Wirex aims to contribute to the adoption of a cashless society by facilitating straightforward transactions in various currencies worldwide. Wirex is simplifying digital payments, making it more accessible and convenient for people across the globe.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2586836/Wirex_VEUR_VCHF.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2031625/5077408/Wirex_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Wirex
BEIJING, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- When a tasting to savor the mellow flavor of Fenjiu was held in Hong Kong recently, the Shanxi-headquartered Chinese baijiu maker speeded up its pace to expand its overseas market.

On September 27, more than 100 representatives and experts from the business, trade and culture circles of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong gathered on the tasting to build more consensus on spreading the Chinese baijiu to more overseas markets.

Hong Kong, as a confluence of oriental and western cultures and one of the most competitive international metropolises, is now not only a vital market for Fenjiu, but also a crucial hub for it to step into the Belt and Road market, said Zhang Weidong, general manager with Shanxi Xinghua Cun Fenjiu International Trade Co., Ltd.

Zhang expressed his hopes to better leverage Hong Kong as an international platform to disseminate the Chinese baijiu culture and brands to the world and expected more romantic encounters between Fenjiu and Hong Kong locals and new story-telling and taste bud journeys with overseas consumers.

Recent years, Fenjiu Group's "going global" efforts gathered pace with growing international influence. In the first half of 2024, revenues of related listed business grew 19.65 percent on year to 22.75 billion yuan, with its business covering 70 countries and regions around the world.

With 100-plus overseas distributors, more than 9,000 overseas retail outlets, and over 180 duty-free shops at home and abroad, the Chinese baijiu producer's sales network spans over five continents on the globe and important global free ports.

Chinese baijiu, as an ideal vehicle to link Chinese brands and culture with the international community, makes deeper connections with global consumers thanks to the resonation between Chinese and foreign cultures, said Liang Zhiyong, deputy president of China Economic Information Service.

During the "going global" journeys, Liang suggested Chinese baijiu makers taking into thorough consideration of tariffs, compliance, cultural differences, localization, and consumer participation in products R&D to better adapt to overseas demands and expand consumption scenarios.

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/342373.html

SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road
A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying a test satellite for communication technology blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 20, 2024. (Photo by Ma Yongtao/Xinhua)

XICHANG, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China successfully sent a test satellite for communication technology into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province on Friday.

The satellite was launched by a Long March-3B carrier rocket at 11:12 p.m. (Beijing Time) and has entered the planned orbit.

This satellite will be used for satellite communications, radio and television, data transmission, and other services. It will also carry out tests and verification of related technologies.

This launch marked the 554th mission of Long March series carrier rockets. 

A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying a test satellite for communication technology blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 20, 2024. (Photo by Ma Yongtao/Xinhua)

A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying a test satellite for communication technology blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 20, 2024. (Photo by Ma Yongtao/Xinhua)

Editor: JYZ
Gaza, Dec 23 : At least 23 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

At least nine people, including three children and two women, were killed, and some others were injured as a result of the Israeli bombing of the Musa bin Nusayr School on Sunday, which houses displaced people in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City, Xinhua news agency reported quoting WAFA.

Four more people were killed when the Israeli army bombed a vehicle on the Al-Jalaa Street in Gaza City, it added.

Five citizens, including four children, were killed on Sunday morning in Israel's shelling of the Jabalia town, north of Gaza City, WAFA said in a separate report.

In the southern Gaza Strip, two people were killed when the Israeli army bombed their apartment west of Khan Yunis, and three others died in the Israeli bombing of the city of Rafah, WAFA said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Sunday that with the direction of intelligence, the air force conducted a "precise strike" on Hamas militants who were operating inside a command-and-control center in the Gaza Strip.

The command-and-control center, which was embedded inside a compound that previously served as the Musa bin Nusayr School, was used by the militants to plan and execute attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel, it added.

Israel has been on a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 45,227, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Saturday.
Moscow, Dec 23 : Russia has not lost the desire to improve its relations with the US, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview.

"Everything can be done if there is a desire. We have never lost this desire," Putin told Pavel Zarubin on Sunday, a journalist of Russia's state TV and radio company VGTRK, while answering a question about the prospects for improving Russia-US relations, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Russian President was responding to a question about the possibility for Russia and the United States to normalise their relations, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.

Putin said Russia is ready to build relations with other countries, provided that such efforts do not compromise Russian interests.

"If we establish relations with someone, we will do so only based on the interests of the Russian state," he said.

Putin drew from the 19th and 20th centuries to emphasise the changes in international relations and recalled that after the Crimea War of 1853-1856, when a series of restrictions were imposed on Russia, then-Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire Alexander Gorchakov sent out a letter with the following words: "Russia is not angry. Russia is concentrating."

"Gradually, as Russia was concentrating, it returned all its rights in the Black Sea as well, grew stronger and so on," said Putin.

Last week, Russia had issued an advisory for its citizens warning them not to travel to the US and other western countries claiming they could be "hunted" by the authorities in those states, Al Jazeera reported.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was cited by the outlet as describing the US-Russia relations as "on the verge of rupture".
Jerusalem, Dec 23 : Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz visited an Israeli army outpost in southern Lebanon, threatening decisive action against Hezbollah if the group fails to retreat behind the Litani River as required under the ongoing ceasefire agreement.

The truce deal, effective since November 27, demands Hezbollah move fighters and arms to the north of the Litani River and Israeli troops fully pull out of the south of the Blue Line within 60 days, with the Lebanese army taking over Lebanon's border areas, Xinhua news agency reported.

Katz's visit to the outpost on Sunday, which overlooks the Lebanese villages of Marun al-Ras and Yaroun, aimed to "oversee security arrangements before the next phases of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement," according to a statement by his office.

"If Hezbollah attempts to violate the ceasefire, we will crush its head," Katz warned in the statement.

He stressed Israel's determination to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its operational infrastructure in the area, which he said poses a threat to northern Israeli communities.

The Defence Minister met with top army commanders to review operational readiness at the border and to evaluate the preparations for the upcoming phases of the ceasefire agreement.

A fragile peace prevails in border areas between Israel and Lebanon as the ceasefire agreement ended 14 months of fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. However, the Israeli army has launched sporadic strikes in Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah militants violating the truce.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has once violated the ceasefire, allegedly in response to the repeated Israeli attacks.

The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on November 27, putting an end to the confrontations that erupted on October 8, 2023.

The agreement stipulates that Israel will withdraw from Lebanese territory within 60 days, with the Lebanese army deployed in the country's south to prevent any presence of weapons and militants south of the Litani River.

The agreement also stipulates a mechanism for supervising its implementation headed by the US, with the participation of France, UNIFIL forces, and the Lebanese and Israeli armies.
Aden, Dec 23 : Yemen's Houthi group said it attacked a US aircraft carrier with eight cruise missiles and 17 drones and downed a US fighter jet.

The group successfully struck aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its escorts, thwarting the joint US-British attack on Yemen, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement, aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"Our forces shot down an American F/A-18 fighter jet during the operation as it attempted to intercept our missiles and drones," Sarea added.

Earlier on Sunday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that two US Navy pilots ejected safely after their fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent "friendly fire" incident, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18," CENTCOM said.

The incident came the same day US forces conducted airstrikes on a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility reportedly operated by the Houthis within Sanaa, and shot down multiple Houthi one-way attack drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, according to a separate statement by CENTCOM.

Earlier the US-British navy coalition launched a new airstrike on a Houthi site in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, the local media reported.

The strike targeted the site in Hodeidah's Al-Luhayyah area, according to media reports, which did not provide further details or report any casualties.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have been carrying out rocket and drone attacks on Israeli cities and disrupting "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea.

In response, the US-led navy coalition stationed in the area has been conducting regular air raids on Houthi targets since January in a bid to deter the armed group.

Last week, the Houthi military authorities announced that the US and British aircraft have conducted "a new aggression" against targets in Hodeida, a strategic province in western Yemen along the Red Sea coast.

According to the report, the allied forces targeted the At-Tuhayta district in the southern part of Hodeidah, though specific details about the aerial bombardment were not immediately disclosed.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : The national capital continues to grapple with toxic air quality. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded was 410 at 6 a.m. on Monday which falls in the 'severe' category.

A thin layer of fog blanketed the city, reducing visibility, while the minimum temperature dropped to 9.2 degrees Celsius at 5:30 a.m., according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). A cloudy sky with light rain is expected later in the day, offering a ray of hope for some relief from the pollution.

Several areas in Delhi reported alarming AQI levels, including Wazirpur (464), Ashok Vihar (460), Mundka (446), Burari Crossing (445), and Anand Vihar (443). Notably, air quality in Dwarka-Sector 8 (393) and Najafgarh (372) hovered just below the aseverea threshold.

On Sunday, PM2.5 levels (Particulate Matter), a major pollutant, remained dangerously high, with 37 out of 39 monitoring stations recording asevere plusa air quality.

PM 2.5 particles, small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, pose severe health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.

Amid worsening pollution, the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage IV measures have been enforced across the National Capital Region (NCR) since December 16.

These emergency steps aim to curb pollution but have had limited immediate impact.

The Supreme Court recently directed Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to impose firecracker bans akin to Delhias and emphasised stringent implementation of GRAP and the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The apex court also ordered NCR states to deploy teams at Delhias entry points to monitor compliance with GRAP IV measures.

Residents are increasingly reporting health issues related to the pollution, including respiratory problems and eye irritation. The combination of thick fog, and toxic air has made life challenging for people of Delhi, with many calling for stronger and more effective measures to combat the crisis.
Johannesburg, Dec 23 : Seven people were killed and five injured in a road accident in Limpopo Province, northeastern South Africa, local authorities confirmed.

The accident occurred on on Sunday involved a pileup of seven cars including a minibus carrying passengers on the N1 highway near Ga Phasha, a village in Limpopo Province, leading to the tragedy, said Violet Mathye, a member of the executive council for transport and community safety at the Limpopo Provincial Legislature.

The injured were immediately taken to the hospital, Mathye said.

"We urge our drivers and pedestrians to be more cautious when driving or walking along the roads during the festive season. Road safety is the responsibility of all," said Mathye.

Mathye sent condolences to the bereaved families and said investigation is underway for the cause of the accident.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident twelve people were killed and others seriously injured in a head-on collision in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Local authorities confirmed on Sunday that the accident occurred at approximately 8 p.m., local time, Saturday on the N2 road near Dutywa, a town in Mbhashe Local Municipality in the province.

According to Unathi Binqose, the spokesperson for the Provincial Transport Department, the crash involved a minibus taxi carrying 10 passengers and a bakkie -- a South African English term for a pickup truck -- with four occupants.

Of the bakkie's passengers, "three men died on the scene, while a female passenger suffered serious injuries," Binqose said.

"In the minibus taxi, eight people tragically lost their lives -- four men and four women. Two others were injured and rushed to hospital for medical attention," he said. "This is the second worst crash since the beginning of the festive season."

One injured woman in the minibus taxi later succumbed to her injuries and died in hospital, bringing the total number of fatalities on Eastern Cape roads Saturday alone to 23 from four separate accidents, confirmed the spokesperson, Xinhua news agency reported.

This came just a few days after a head-on collision on the N9 road outside Graaff-Reinet, a town in the same province, claimed 15 lives Monday.

A culpable homicide case has been opened by police for further investigation.

Binqose also urged motorists to exercise extreme caution during the festive season to prevent further loss of life.

"There's a greater responsibility on drivers to be extra cautious and be patient with one another so we can avoid head-on collisions," he said.
Jerusalem, Dec 23 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would "act with force" against the Houthi group in Yemen, a day after the group launched a missile toward the Tel Aviv area.

"Just as we acted with force against Iran's (other) allies, we will act against the Houthis," Netanyahu said in a video statement on Sunday.

He emphasised that Israel was not acting alone, noting that the United States and other nations share the same view with Israel that the Houthis are posing "a threat not only to international shipping but to the global order."

"Hence, we will act with strength, determination, and ingenuity," Netanyahu added. "Even if it takes time, the outcome will be the same as with other terrorist groups."

Netanyahuas comments came a day after a ballistic missile launched by the Iran-backed group exploded in a playground in south Tel Aviv on Saturday, wounding 16 and causing extensive damage after attempts to intercept it failed, Xinhua news agency reported.

A Houthi missile hit a playground and a building in Tel Aviv overnight between Friday and Saturday, injuring people and causing building damage, according to the latest update from Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service.

The Houthi attack followed a series of Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, which targeted Yemen's capital Sanaa as well as the ports of Hodeidah, As-Salif, and Ras Issa. The strikes, which the Israeli military said were aimed at Houthi infrastructure, killed at least nine people.

It was the second time in as many days that a Houthi missile sparked sirens in the countryas center in the middle of the night, after a warhead launched on Thursday was partially intercepted outside Israeli airspace and crashed into an empty school building in the city of Ramat Gan, again causing severe damage but no injuries.
The Temporary Special Commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Protection of Investors' Rights expects that the first preferential loans for the Ukrainian defense industrial complex will be issued by the end of this year, MP, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Temporary Special Commission on Protection of Investors Rights Halyna Yanchenko said.

"We are really looking forward to the first preferential loans for the Ukrainian defense industry. God willing, the first ones will be issued before the end of this year. For some time there was bureaucratic red tape in the triangle of the Ministry of Finance - the Ministry of Strategic Industries - the Enterprise Development Fund [EDF, which should provide banks with the opportunity to provide preferential loans at 5% per annum to defense industry companies]," Yanchenko said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

The MP recalled that the final meeting of the Temporary Special Commission was held recently, attended by all defense associations, as well as weapons manufacturers and representatives of government agencies working with the defense industry.

"Therefore, there was an opportunity to figure out on the spot who is lagging. We hope that such a face-to-face meeting will speed up the process of resolving bureaucratic delays and issuing the first preferential loans in the defense industry," Yanchenko noted.
Washington, Dec 23 : President-elect Donald Trump has named Indian-American entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan as the Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

"Sriram Krishnan will serve as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy," Trump announced on Sunday, alongside a series of appointments focused on AI advancements.

Krishnan, a renowned venture capitalist and author, has an impressive background, having worked with tech giants like Twitter, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo!, and Snap.

In his new role, he will collaborate closely with David Sacks, who has been designated as the White House AI & Crypto Czar.

"Working closely with David Sacks, Sriram will focus on ensuring continued American leadership in AI and help shape and coordinate AI policy across government, including working with the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Sriram started his career at Microsoft as a founding member of Windows Azure," Trump highlighted.

Following the announcement, Krishnan expressed his gratitude on X, posting, "I'm honoured to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with David Sacks."

Krishnan's appointment has been widely applauded by the Indian-American community, recognising his contributions to technology and leadership.

Born in Chennai, India, Krishnan moved to the United States after completing his graduation. Apart from being a seasoned tech leader, he is also a venture capitalist, podcaster, and author.

Together with his wife, Aarthi Ramamurthy, he co-hosted The Aarthi and Sriram Show, a podcast centred on various aspects of startups, which gained significant popularity within the entrepreneurial community.

In February 2021, Krishnan joined Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) as a general partner. He later led the firm's London office in 2013. However, He exited the firm in late November.

In 2022, Krishnan collaborated with Elon Musk on restructuring Twitter following Musk's acquisition of the platform.

He is also credited with helping former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reconnect with Elon Musk after the latter's nomination to the proposed Department of Government Efficiency.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying tribute to ex-PM Chaudhary Charan Singh on his birth anniversary on Monday.

In a post on X, he wrote that the late PM was a true well-wisher of the poor and the farmers.

"Humble tribute to former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Chaudhary Charan Singh ji, a true well-wisher of the poor and farmers, on his birth anniversary. His dedication and service to the nation will continue to inspire everyone," said PM Modi in the post. He also posted a video clip highlighting the former Prime Minister's contribution to the nation's welfare.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar paid tribute to Chaudhary Charan Singh at Kisan Ghat, Delhi. Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary -- RLD chief and grandson of Chaudhary Charan Singh -- was also present with the Vice President.

After paying tributes, the Vice President said, "On the occasion of Kisan Diwas, I salute all the farmers of India. In 2001, the right decision was taken and Kisan Diwas was started in the name of such a great man who dedicated his life to the nation's development along with the farmers and rural development. His thinking and philosophy are exemplary for all of us."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to social media to pay tribute to the former PM. "I pay my tribute to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh on his birth anniversary. He worked for the welfare of the poor and farmers throughout his life. When democracy in the country was under threat, he fought with all his might to protect it. Despite travelling from land to sky, Chaudhary sahab never left his land. His contribution to India's development journey will always be remembered."

Born in 1902 in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, Chaudhary Charan Singh's birth anniversary is marked as Kisan Diwas or National Farmers' Day on December 23. He championed the farmers' cause and is credited with shaping several farmer-friendly policies.

Chaudhary Charan Singh was Indiaas fifth Prime Minister from 1979 to 1980, who advocated for the rights and welfare of the farming community. During his tenure, he introduced various welfare initiatives for farmers.

In 2001, the Government of India declared December 23 as the National Farmers' Day in recognition of his significant contributions. On this day, various events, including seminars, workshops, and debates, are organized to raise awareness about farmers' issues and their importance.
Seoul, Dec 23 : South Korean companies pointed to heated global competition amid China's cheap exports as a major source of concern for their businesses next year, which is feared to affect them more than US President-elect Donald Trump's tariff policies, a central bank report showed on Monday.

According to the report on the regional economy released by the Bank of Korea (BOK), South Korean firms expected domestic exports to continue to expand in 2025, though the pace of growth is projected to slow down compared with this year.

But they voiced concerns about intensifying competition to be caused by the oversupply of Chinese goods and a flood of cheap exports into the global market, reports Yonhap news agency.

The report was based on a survey of 200 local exporters conducted by the BOK in November on their prospects for and conditions of exports in 2025.

The central bank has expected exports, a key growth engine for South Korea, to increase 6.3 per cent in 2024, but the figure would shrink to 1.5 per cent next year.

The local companies also said the technological competitiveness of Chinese companies, particularly in the rechargeable batteries and steel sectors, would pose a threat to their businesses, the report showed.

As for tariff policies by the new Donald Trump administration, South Korean steelmakers and carmakers expressed concerns, but other firms in industries facing fierce competition with China said they would rather benefit from the new U.S. tariff policy.

Local companies securing a competitive edge also said they will be able to manage the potential negative impacts of the Trump policy, the report read.

Trump has vowed to impose "universal baseline tariffs" of a minimum of 10 per cent on all imported goods, and raise tariffs on imports from China to as high as 60 per cent.

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Parbhani : , Dec 23 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Parbhani on Monday where a local Dalit youth was found dead in judicial custody after the recent violence that hit the town following the desecration of a statue of Dr B. R. Ambedkar, party officials said here.

During his brief visit, Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to meet the bereaved families of Somnath Vyankat Suryawanshi, 35, who was studying his LlB, and another Dalit social worker Vijay Wakode, who suffered a heart attack and succumbed while attempting to control the rampaging mobs on December 11-12.

The Congress leader will reach Nanded by a special flight later this morning and then drive down to Parbhani where he will call on the two Dalit families who lost their near and dear ones.

He will be accompanied by top leaders of his party Ramesh Chennithala, state President Nana Patole, MPs Dr Shivaji Kalge, Ravindra V. Chavan, Dr Kalyan Kale, MLAs Vijay Wadettiwar, Amit Deshmukh, Vijay Balasaheb Thorat, President of State SC Department Siddhath Hattiambire, Nana Gawande, Atul Londhe and others.

Hailing from the Wadar community, Suryawanshi was arrested in connection with the violent incidents that ensued after the desecration of a statue of Dr Ambedkar near Parbhani Railway Station on December 10, by one 'mentally disturbed' person named Sopan Pawar.

After the sacrilege, a violent and tense shutdown was observed in Parbhani, while the local police swooped down and detained/arrested around 300 persons, mostly Dalits, including Suryawanshi on December 12.

Barely 72 hours later, Suryawanshi was found dead in judicial custody, sparking a massive furore with the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and INDIA bloc allies raising the issue at multiple levels.

The MVA allies Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT), Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), plus the CPI (Marxist), Republican Party of India (A), Republican Sena, Republican Party of India(K), and many other Dalit groups slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party Mahayuti regime for the incident.

Following the uproar inside the Maharashtra Legislature in Nagpur and outside, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced compensation for the bereaved family, ordered a judicial probe and appointed a Special Investigation Team of the police to get to the depth of the matter.

Earlier, the Parbhani Police had claimed that Suryawanshi had complained of chest pain and was rushed to hospital for treatment, even as some Opposition leaders claimed attempts to make Parbhani into a caste-riots issue on the line of the Koregaon-Bhima (Pune) incidents of January 1, 2018.

However, a provisional autopsy report from the Government Medical College, Aurangabad had stated that he succumbed to "shock following multiple injuries", snowballing into a huge political row.

The MVA and Dalit leaders had vociferously alleged that he was brutally beaten by the police and had succumbed to grave injuries, as was later confirmed by the provisional post-mortem report of December 16.

Last weekend, Nationalist Congress Party(SP) President Sharad Pawar went to the Parbhani and also to Beed where the Massajog village Sarpanch (Headman) Santosh Deshmukh was tortured and killed a fortnight ago, sparking a massive political-social outcry.

Following this, Nationalist Congress Party chief and Deputy CM Ajit A. Pawar also rushed to Beed and met the bereaved family as a senior Minister of his party came under a cloud in the killing.
Pilibhit : , Dec 23 (IANS) Three criminals accused of hurling a grenade at police posts in Punjab's Gurdaspur were killed in an encounter with police in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit early Monday morning, a senior police officer said.

Punjab Police DGP Gaurav Yadav, while sharing details on social media platform X, stated, "In a major breakthrough against a Pak-sponsored Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror module, a joint operation by UP Police and Punjab Police led to an encounter with three module members who fired at the police party. This terror module is involved in grenade attacks at police establishments in border areas of Punjab."

He said that the three suspects were involved in the grenade attack on a police post in Gurdaspur.

Pilibhit Superintendent of Police (SP) Avinash Pandey reported that the gunfight occurred in the Puranpur police station area between the suspected Khalistani terrorists and a joint team of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh Police.

The injured suspects, identified as Gurvinder Singh, Virendra Singh, and Jasanpreet Singh, sustained injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Authorities recovered two AK-series rifles, two Glock pistols, and a large quantity of ammunition from the scene.

"Early this morning, a team from Punjab Police informed Puranpur police station that suspects in a grenade attack on a police post by alleged Khalistani terrorists might be hiding in the area," SP Pandey said.

Upon receiving this information, police teams immediately launched a blockade and searched the area. They later received a tip-off about three suspicious young men on a motorcycle, riding dangerously and carrying potentially harmful items, heading toward Pilibhit.

"Both Punjab Police and Puranpur police station staff chased the suspects. Meanwhile, Gajrola and Madhav Thanda police stations were alerted about possible escape routes. At a canal track near an under-construction bridge, the suspects opened fire when challenged by the police. In the retaliatory firing, all three were injured and subsequently sent to CSC Puranpur for treatment," Pandey said.

However, they later succumbed to the injuries.

Recently, multiple explosions targeted police posts in Gurdaspur. On Thursday, a grenade was hurled at the closed Bakshiwal police post.

A day later, another explosion occurred at the closed Wadala Bangar police post, which had also recently shut down due to staff shortages.

Residents in nearby areas reported being shaken by the blasts. At Wadala Bangar, frightened locals emerged from their homes at night only to discover the sound originated from the police station. Following the explosion, police vehicles patrolled the area throughout the night, with sirens blaring.
Chennai, Dec 23 : The Tirunelveli district police in Tamil Nadu have been placed on high alert following the escalation of caste tensions on social media after the murder of S. Mayandi near the district court premises on December 20.

Superintendent of Police (SP) N. Silambarasan issued a stern warning against individuals spreading hate posts online, emphasising the need to maintain communal harmony.

In a statement, the SP said, "Following the murder near the Tirunelveli District Court, several posts on social media are aimed at creating societal friction. We will take strict action against those responsible for such acts."

The Tirunelveli Taluk police have registered three cases so far and formed teams to apprehend those responsible for the offensive posts.

The district has witnessed a spate of caste-related crimes over the years. This year so far, 27 cases have been registered on similar charges, with arrests made in each instance. In 2023, a total of 49 such cases were filed. The police have also taken steps to curb caste glorification in public spaces.

Private buses have been directed not to play caste songs that promote pride in one group while offending others. In earlier years, particularly between 2005 and 2015, such songs were commonly played in buses, instilling caste-based pride and creating tension among communities.

Subramanian, a software engineer from Chennai who hails from Tirunelveli, said, "During our school days, private buses would play songs that glorified one caste while demonising others. This was harmful, as people from all castes travel together. The police's decision to ban such practices is commendable."

It may be recalled that southern Tamil Nadu, including districts like Tirunelveli, Theni, Dindigul, and Madurai, has been plagued by caste-based violence.

A few years ago, the region witnessed a series of brutal caste killings, including four beheadings in Tirunelveli and Dindigul within a span of two days. In response, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had pledged tough action to curb caste-based violence. Then-Director General of Police, C. Sylendra Babu, camped in the affected districts and directed authorities to monitor shops and industries selling knives, axes, and other potential weapons. These establishments were instructed to sell such items only to verified domestic users and maintain a customer registry.

The police have been proactive in confiscating deadly weapons, including firearms, and arresting those involved.

They are now planning mixed-community programmes to foster unity among various caste groups in the district.

Additionally, educational programmes in schools are being considered to discourage caste-based violence and promote harmony.

The role of caste in Tamil Nadu's political and social fabric remains significant but the rising incidents of brutal violence -- such as beheadings and public displays of severed heads -- have drawn widespread condemnation.

The Tirunelveli district police are committed to ensuring peace and reducing caste-based tensions through continued vigilance and community-building initiatives, the officials said.
Damascus, Dec 23 : Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Commander Ahmed al-Sharaa and visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held talks during which both sides vowed to strengthen bilateral ties.

Speaking at a joint press conference following their meeting on Sunday, Fidan expressed optimism for a "brighter future" for Syria and promised Turkey's support in rebuilding Syria's infrastructure, restructuring its institutions, and returning displaced Syrians.

Restoring stability to Syria is crucial for the millions of refugees, Fidan said, calling for a consensus within Syria and a system to protect the minorities and include all faiths and ethnicities in Syria, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Terrorist organisations have no place in Syria's future," he said, taking aim at the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its alleged affiliates in Syria, a party designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, and welcoming Syria's new authorities' intent to fight extremist groups.

He urged Israel to stop its military actions in Syria and respect the country's sovereignty and called for an end to international sanctions against Syria.

Cautioning that certain foreign powers exploit local proxies in Syria, Fidan said he expects US policy to shift in response to new realities.

For his part, al-Sharaa called Turkey "a friend to the Syrian people," saying both sides aim to build "strategic relations befitting the future of the region."

Noting the pressing challenges facing Syria, such as a refugee crisis, poor economy, and rampant poverty, al-Sharaa voiced the new Syrian authorities' commitment to building a state that meets the aspirations of all Syrians and urged reaching a global consensus on ensuring Syria's unity and lifting all sanctions against the country.

"It is unacceptable for any group in Syria to possess weapons," he said, stressing the need to disarm all factions across Syria, including areas under the control of the PKK and its alleged affiliates.

He stressed the importance of uniting military forces under a new Defence Ministry, adding that most armed factions in Syria have agreed to a single chain of command.

According to Turkish state-run TRT broadcaster, the meeting was also attended by Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz, Burhan Koroglu, acting charge d'affaires at the Turkish embassy in Damascus, and Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, Syria's interim foreign minister.

Al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre of Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, led a 12-day military operation that resulted in the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government on December 8.
Juba, Dec 23 : International medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) called for urgent humanitarian support for displaced Sudanese civilians who have fled to neighbouring South Sudan.

MSF said on Sunday that over the last weeks, the number of recently displaced people has surpassed 80,000, including hundreds with war wounds as the conflict in Sudan intensifies, Xinhua news agency reported.

Emanuele Montobbio, MSF emergency coordinator in Renk county of Upper Nile State, one of the main entry points for the displaced into South Sudan, said since the beginning of December, over 5,000 people crossed into the country each day as the fighting escalated near the border in Sudan's White Nile and Sennar states.

He said MSF is scaling up its response to the humanitarian crisis in Renk and surrounding informal settlements along the border, noting that the influx of people in the area and its surroundings has overwhelmed already scarce resources, leaving the displaced people in crisis.

"We have added 14 tents around the hospital to make space for the war-wounded patients that are arriving at Renk County Hospital, there is no place for other tents in the surroundings, while patients and their families keep coming to the hospital," Montobbio said in a statement issued in Juba, South Sudan's capital.

Montobbio said the medical charity is working alongside the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to treat war-wounded patients and manage the growing influx of critical cases and the mass casualty response in pre-and post-operative care wards, but the situation is completely overwhelming and it's not enough.

"Just a few dozen people have been treated with surgical interventions and tetanus vaccinations in recent weeks, while over 100 wounded patients, many with serious injuries, still await surgery," he said.

Roselyn Morales, MSF deputy medical coordinator in South Sudan, said outside the transit centres within Renk and in informal settlements, thousands are forced to live under trees or in makeshift shelters, with limited access to food, clean water, healthcare, or any other basic services.

"We urgently call on both South Sudanese authorities and international organisations to rapidly scale up their response in Renk and beyond, ensuring that the essential and lifesaving needs of the affected population are addressed without delay," she stressed.

MSF said that two Renk transit centres, designed to accommodate a maximum of 8,000 people, are now sheltering over 17,000 while most returnees and refugees initially entered South Sudan through the official Joda border crossing, an increasing number are now crossing through informal routes to the east of Renk in which more than 82,000 new arrivals have been recorded in areas including Joda, Duku Duku, Jerbana, Shemmedi, Gosfami and Atam.

Alhida Hammed, a wounded displaced person from Blue Nile State in Sudan receiving treatment at the MSF facility in Renk described the horrific situation back home.

"The houses were blazing, and everyone was running in different directions we have been displaced and now live under a tree, I have no desire to return home, home is no longer a home it is filled with bad memories," she said.

Bashir Ismail from Mosmon in Blue Nile described the destruction he witnessed from the air raids in his area.

"I used to only hear about air raids, but recently, it became a reality, I was at the market buying some items when the bombing started, and something hit me in the chest it was the most painful experience of my life I was so disoriented that it felt like I had lost my memory the next thing I knew, I was in Renk County Hospital," he said.

MSF said it is deploying mobile clinics to provide primary healthcare in informal settlements in Gosfami, Atam, Jerbana, and Joda, where displaced people are concentrated. On December 17 alone, MSF teams conducted over 250 medical consultations in Gosfami and referred severely ill people to Renk County Hospital. MSF is also launching activities in response to the urgent need for water and sanitation in Atam and Jerbana.

Additionally, relief items have been delivered to these areas for distribution to 2,500 displaced families. Despite these efforts, the response remains insufficient due to the absence of other humanitarian organisations in these informal settlements, which has left a significant gap in support for the displaced population, MSF said.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday accused the Centre of being stubborn and anti-farmer, hoping that the government would not do injustice to the farmers and implement its promises.

He said this while paying tribute to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, whose birth anniversary is marked as the Farmers' Day.

In a post on X, Kharge wrote, "Farmer is India, the pride of the country. Warm wishes to all farmer sisters and brothers, and farm labourers on Farmer's Day. Respectful tributes to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh ji on his birth anniversary, who fought for the farmers of the country."

Attacking the Modi-led Centre, the Congress chief accused the government of being stubborn and anti-farmer. "It is hoped that the Modi government will not do further injustice to our farmers through its stubbornness and anti-farmer policies and will implement its old promises," he further wrote.

Even as Kharge attacked the government on the farmers' issues, the Centre on Sunday said it has been recognising the vital role of farmers and has introduced a suite of initiatives designed to support their socio-economic upliftment and ensure sustainable agricultural growth.

"These programmes, including the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana (PM-KMY), are aimed at providing financial security, risk mitigation, and long-term social security for farmers," said a government statement.

It said that by addressing both immediate challenges and long-term needs, these schemes underscore the governmentas commitment to nurturing the backbone of the nation and fostering a sustainable agricultural future.

Earlier in the day, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and others paid rich tributes to the former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar paid tribute to Chaudhary Charan Singh at Kisan Ghat, Delhi. Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary -- RLD chief and grandson of Chaudhary Charan Singh -- was also present with the Vice President.

After paying tributes, the Vice President said, "On the occasion of Kisan Diwas, I salute all the farmers of India. In 2001, the right decision was taken and Kisan Diwas was started in the name of such a great man who dedicated his life to the nation's development along with the farmers and rural development. His thinking and philosophy are exemplary for all of us."
Hyderabad, Dec 23 : Six persons arrested for the attack on actor Allu Arjun's house over Sandhya Theatre stampede issue were granted bail by a city court on Monday.

Hyderabad, Dec 23 (IANS) Six persons arrested for the attack on actor Allu Arjunas house over Sandhya Theatre stampede issue were granted bail by a city court on Monday.

Leaders of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (JAC), arrested by the police on Sunday, were produced before a judge at his residence on Monday morning. The judge directed each accused to arrange two sureties of Rs 10,000 each.

Jubilee Hills police, which had arrested the accused when they were protesting at the actoras house, produced them before a magistrate at his residence in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad.

Members of the OU-JAC had stormed the house of Allu Arjun at Jubilee Hills on Sunday evening, raising slogans of awe want justicea, barged into the actoras house and damaged the property. They were demanding the actor to pay Rs 1 crore compensation to the family of a woman who died in a stampede at Sandhya Theatre during the premier show of aPushpa 2: The Rulea.

According to police, some persons holding placards suddenly rushed to the residence of actor Allu Arjun in Jubilee Hills and started sloganeering and one of them mounted the compound wall and started throwing tomatoes.

When the security staff objected and persuaded them to get down, they got into an altercation. They climbed down the wall, manhandled the security staff and damaged some flower pots kept along the ramp.

They continued sloganeering for a while and spoke to media persons waiting at the gate.

On receiving the information, Jubilee Hills Police reached the place and took six persons into custody. They all claim to be part of OU-JAC and on enquiry, they have claimed that they were trying to protest against the actor seeking to help the victimas family.

"A case has been registered against six persons and others who were involved in the offence and stringent action as per law is being initiated against them all," said S.M. Vijay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, West Zone.

The police officer said that such lawless behaviour will not be tolerated and stringent legal action will be initiated against anybody who tries to take law into his hands.
The issue of economic exemption from mobilization remains highly relevant but has shifted from an economic to a political matter. Business associations and entrepreneurs are now willing to accept any model as long as it is adopted and implemented, according to Halyna Yanchenko, Member of Parliament and Chair of the Temporary Special Commission on Investor Rights Protection.

"There have been many discussions regarding models of economic reservation. Frankly, the process has been delayed so much that businesses are ready for any model, just for it to be adopted and start functioning," Yanchenko said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

She reminded that economic reservation was proposed to prevent enterprise and economic collapse. The idea was to allow business owners to reserve key employees under certain conditions.

Various models were considered, ranging from an additional fee of UAH 20,000 per key employee to requiring an average company salary of UAH 35,000 or more.

"It's unfortunate that this issue has been stalled rather than resolved. We must remember Winston Churchill's saying: 'The military may win battles, but the economy wins wars.' We need to strike a balance between the General Staff's mobilization needs and the country's economic stability. This balance must be accounted for," Yanchenko emphasized.
Belagavi : , Dec 23 (IANS) Amid the series of maternal deaths in Karnataka, another case came to light in Belagavi city on Monday. The family of the deceased has alleged that the death occurred due to doctors' negligence.

The deceased woman is identified as Vaishali Kotabagi from Gowdawada village near Hukkeri town. She died on Sunday.

The family has also alleged that the death occurred due to the prescribed medicines.

According to police, the deceased Vaishali suffered labour pain four days ago and was taken to the Hukkeri Taluk Hospital. As the doctor was not available, she was shifted to the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS).

Vaishali gave birth to a baby girl on Saturday. She had undergone cesarean surgery. On Sunday morning, Vaishali developed chest pain and was subsequently admitted to the ICU. She, however, passed away.

The family cried foul play and demanded answers from hospital authorities over the sudden death. They refused to hand over the dead body to conduct the post-mortem and the body was sent to the mortuary after BIMS staff requested them.

The deceased had celebrated her marriage anniversary five days ago. The family has demanded an investigation into the death case. The police stated that they are awaiting the post-mortem report to proceed in the case.

Karnataka BJP had launched an attack on the state's Congress-led government during the winter session over maternal deaths reported across the state. Leader of the Opposition, R. Ashoka, raised the issue in the Legislative Assembly, stating that the situation in the state has become so dire that women fear setting foot in government-run hospitals.

Talking about maternal deaths in the Legislative Council, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao appealed for stronger regulation of the powerful pharmaceutical lobby in the country. "I want to convey that drug-related laws are not strong. There is no history of action being taken against pharmaceutical companies."

The case of maternal deaths has been handed over for judicial investigation by the Congress government.

The incidents of maternal deaths have been reported from the government hospitals of Ballary, Raichur and other districts in north and central Karnataka.
Moscow, Dec 23 : Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was on a working visit in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The meeting was planned several days ago, and the two leaders held talks in a one-on-one meeting, Peskov said during an interview with Pavel Zarubin, a journalist of Russia's state TV and radio company VGTRK, on Sunday, adding that the two sides were expected to discuss international issues and the transit of Russian gas, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, according to Fico, the meeting was a reaction to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said Thursday at a European Union summit in Brussels that he was against any transit of gas through Ukraine to Slovakia.

Putin confirmed Russia's readiness to continue supplying gas to the West and to Slovakia, the Slovak prime minister said, adding that it is practically impossible after January 1, 2025, when the current contract expires, given the attitude of Zelensky.

Top EU officials were informed about the trip and its purpose on Friday, Fico said.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has confirmed that his country will halt the transit of Russian gas through its territory starting January 1, 2025.

The resumption of gas transit would be only possible at the request of the European Commission and if Ukraine transports non-Russian gas, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Friday, citing Shmyhal.

Notably, Ukraine used to be a key transit route for Russian gas supplies to Europe.

Slovakia is dependent on gas passing through Ukraine and Fico has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for refusing to extend the contract, which expires at the end of the year. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, shown in a video posted on Zarubin's account on the Telegram messaging app, said the discussions were sure to focus on gas transit and the current international situation.

The Slovak government office could not be immediately reached for comment and did not immediately reply to emailed questions. Ukraine has repeatedly said it would not extend the transit deal with Russia nearly 34 months into a war between the neighbours.

Slovakia, which has a long-term contract with Russian giant Gazprom, has been trying to keep receiving gas through Ukraine, saying buying elsewhere would cost it 220 million euros ($229 million) more in transit expenses.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv will not extend its five-year gas transportation deal with Russia, which expires at the end of 2024. The move has raised concern for Slovakia, which has a long-term contract with Russian energy giant Gazprom.
Sydney, Dec 23 : A police manhunt is underway for two people after a woman was shot dead in Australia's state of Queensland.

The Queensland Police said in a statement on Sunday that they were called to a Railway Parade address at Caboolture, a town about 45 km north of Brisbane, at around 12.10 a.m. on Sunday, where they located the woman unconscious and unresponsive. She was declared dead later, reports Xinhua news agency.

Initial investigations indicate the 23-year-old woman was assaulted by two males and sustained a gunshot wound outside the Railway Parade property.

Detectives believe this is not a random attack and have launched a homicide investigation.

A spree of shooting incidents has occurred in different parts of the nation this month, raising safety concerns.

Earlier on December 20, one man died, and two more were injured after a shooting in Melbourne, the capital city of Australia's state of Victoria.

Police officers were called to a property in Campbellfield, 15 km north of central Melbourne, at 10:10 p.m. local time following reports a man had been shot.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers found a 60-year-old man suffering from significant and life-threatening injuries.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died.

Victoria Police said in a statement that two men, aged 22 and 20, are under police guard in hospital.

The statement said that the two men came to police attention after being dropped off at the hospital with injuries and that they would be interviewed in relation to the shooting.

"At this stage, it is believed the incident was targeted, and the people involved are known to one another," police said.

In another shooting incident on December 12, two teenagers were arrested after police believe they are linked to a crash, car fire and shooting in western Sydney.

Police in Australia's state of New South Wales said in a statement that officers responded to reports of gunshots fired at a barbershop in Mount Druitt, about 40 kilometres west of central Sydney, at about 2:20 a.m. local time.

Upon arrival, police found several bullet holes in the shop's window.

The shooting was reported shortly after officers arrested two 17-year-old teens at the site of a crashed vehicle in a neighbouring suburb.

The vehicle, which police said was stolen, had failed to comply with a police order to stop, triggering a pursuit that ended with the crash. The two teens were uninjured and arrested on the scene.
Panama City, Dec 23 : Panamanian scholars depicted as "ridiculous" US President-elect Donald Trump's threat to take back the Panama Canal.

Trump on Saturday wrote on his Truth Social platform that the Panama Canal plays a "critical role" in the US economy and national security. He demanded Panama reduce fees on the canal or return it to US control, reports Xinhua news agency.

"It is ridiculous," said Jones Cooper, a professor at the University of Panama. Panama is the rightful owner of the canal, and the United States has no legal basis to reclaim it, he added, noting that the United States profited significantly during its occupation while Panama gained little in return.

Julio Yao, a Panamanian international relations scholar, called Trump's comment the latest example of the American "big stick" policy. He emphasised that the Panama Canal must not be returned to the United States.

According to the Torrijos-Carter Treaties signed in 1977 by the then-Panamanian President Omar Torrijos and then-US President Jimmy Carter, Panamanians recovered their sovereignty over the canal on December 31, 1999.

Earlier on Sunday, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino said that the canal will "continue to be in Panamanian hands" after US President-elect Donald Trump threatened to retake it.

Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama and "will remain so," and "the sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable," Mulino said in a social media video post.

Trump on Saturday called the Panama Canal "a VITAL National Asset for the United States," threatening to retake the canal, citing "exorbitant prices" on US ships.

Mulino said he hopes to maintain a "respectful" relationship with the next US government. He also pointed out that security issues such as illegal migration, drug trafficking, terrorism, and organised crime should be a priority in the two countries' bilateral agenda.

He also recalled the Torrijos-Carter Treaties and added that it established the permanent neutrality of the Panama Canal, "guaranteeing its open and safe operation for all nations. (...) any position to the contrary is invalid."

"(The tariffs) are established based on an open hearing, considering market conditions, international competition, operating costs and the maintenance and modernisation needs of the interoceanic waterway," said Mulino.

"The Canal will continue to be in Panamanian hands as an inalienable patrimony of our nation and guaranteeing its use for the peaceful and uninterrupted transit of ships of all nations," said the Panamanian president.
Hyderabad, Dec 23 : Telangana's Minister for Roads and Buildings and Cinematography Komatireddy Venkata Reddy on Monday condemned the attack on the house of Tollywood actor Allu Arjun.

The minister took to 'X' to condemn the attack on Allu Arjun's house in Hyderabad by a group of persons on Sunday over the Sandhya Theatre stampede issue.

"I strongly condemn the attack on the house of film actor Allu Arjun. There is no room for physical attacks in a democracy. No one should act in a way that disrupts peace and order. The matter related to the Sandhya Theatre incident is in court. The law will take its course," the Minister posted.

Earlier, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy also condemned the attack on the actor's house. He directed the Director General of Police and City Police Commissioner to take strict action to maintain law and order. He made it clear that no laxity would be tolerated in this regard.

The Chief Minister also asked senior officials to prevent police personnel who are not connected with the investigations into the Sandhya Theatre incident from speaking on the issue.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Vishnu Murthy, was suspended recently following allegations of corruption, Sunday addressed a press conference about the December 4 incident at Sandhya Theatre. He accused Allu Arjun of lacking a basic understanding of the law and also targeted the film industry for criticizing the police department.

Taking serious note of the suspended police official's action, top officials initiated disciplinary action against him.

Akshansh Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central Zone, said in a statement that Vishnu Murthy conducted the press meeting without obtaining prior permission from higher authorities or intimating any senior officer. "This action is a clear violation of disciplinary norms. We are forwarding a report against Sri Vishnu Murthy to the Director General of Police (DGP) for initiating disciplinary action. The DGP's office will investigate this matter and take necessary action," he said.

"We reiterate that such actions will not be tolerated, and necessary disciplinary measures will be taken against those who violate the conduct rules," the DCP said.

Vishnu Murthy was previously working as the DSP Task Force at Nizamabad, and later attached to the DGP Office on allegations and subsequently suspended in October 2024.
Bengaluru, Dec 23 : Karnataka Police have filed an FIR against the accused who tried to attack BJP MLC C.T. Ravi in the corridors of the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, police said on Monday.

The accused had attempted to attack C.T. Ravi in the wake of an alleged objectionable statement against State Minister for Women and Child Welfare Lakshmi Hebbalkar. The incident took place on December 19 at Belagavi Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.

The complaint was registered in this regard with the Hirebagewadi police station in Belagavi by C.T. Ravi. However, the police had registered it as a miscellaneous case.

BJP MLC D.S. Arun and Prof. S.V. Sankanura had lodged the complaint with the Chairman of the Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti alleging the attack on C.T. Ravi by supporters of Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar.

BJP MLC Kishore Kumar Puttur who was present at the time of the attack had also lodged a separate complaint with Chairman Horatti in this regard.

Ravi had repeatedly alleged that his complaint regarding the attack on him was never registered by the police.

Sources confirmed that the complaint has been registered under BNS 189(2) (unlawful assembly is a group of five or more people who have a common goal to commit an illegal act), 191(2) (rioting) 190 (unlawful assembly with the prosecution of common object), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 352 (intentionally insult others to provoke a breach of the peace or other offence), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) against the accused.

Talking to IANS, BJP MLC Kishore Kumar Puttur stated that he had lodged a complaint in this regard with the Council Chairman and he has yet to get updates about the progress.

"The attackers who were detained by the police in the morning were seen talking to television channels in the evening. The BJP would have never allowed the occurrence of such an incident if it was in power. I doubt any police action under the Congress government as it will be in favour of the ruling government," MLC Puttur stated.

"The attackers had directly threatened me with life and challenged me that I will face consequences," he stated.

Chaos and drama unfolded last Thursday as, during a heated debate session in the Legislative Council, C.T. Ravi allegedly referred to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, as a "drug addict".

Taking objection to the remarks, Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar slammed Ravi, and called him a "murderer". Responding back, the BJP leader allegedly used derogatory words against the woman Minister.

"Regarding the allegations, the Speaker has given a ruling. I've already shared this with the media and won't elaborate further... Our words are known to our conscience and the Almighty," Ravi had stated.
Seoul, Dec 23 : North Korea appears to be preparing to deploy additional troops and military equipment to Russia, possibly including suicide drones, in support of Moscow's war against Ukraine, South Korea's military said on Monday.

According to the South's spy agency, the assessment came as North Korea is believed to have sent thousands of troops to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine, with the number of casualties estimated to be around 1,100, Yonhap news agency reported.

"A comprehensive assessment of multiple intelligence shows that North Korea is preparing to rotate or increase the deployment of troops (in Russia), while currently supplying 240-millimetre rocket launchers and 170 mm self-propelled artillery," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

"There are also some signs of (the North) moving to manufacture and supply suicide drones, first unveiled during Kim Jong-un's on-site inspection in November," the JCS said, attributing the move to the North's efforts to gain practical warfare experience and modernise its conventional weapons system.

Last month, the North's state media reported that Kim observed an on-site test of various types of suicide attack drones and called for the full-scale production of the weapons that are increasingly becoming important in modern warfare due to their cost-effectiveness.

The military is monitoring the situation following signs that the North has expressed its intent to provide loitering munitions to Russia, a JCS official told reporters, without providing further details.

The JCS said no specific signs of provocation have been detected from the North, adding that the country is focusing on expanding its military cooperation with Russia and stably managing its domestic environment ahead of a key year-end plenary party meeting.

The military, however, did not rule out the possibility of the North staging a surprise military provocation timed around the major political event, such as launching an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) tipped with a hypersonic warhead.

In April, North Korea said it successfully launched a new IRBM tipped with a hypersonic warhead, a claim that Seoul assessed as "unsuccessful," although it acknowledged that Pyongyang appears to have made some progress in its hypersonic weapons program.

Going forward, the JCS projected the North to continue with "grey zone" provocations next year, such as launching trash-carrying balloons and carrying out GPS jamming attacks.

"As the North has to concentrate on supporting Russia next year, it is likely to feel burdened by (the possibility of) causing military tension or conflicts that could lead to the creation of a new war front," the JCS said.

"But the need for cooperation on information sharing with the US as well as establishing a firm readiness posture is vital as there is also the possibility of the North attempting various provocations, such as an intercontinental ballistic missile launch or a nuclear test to enhance its bargaining power against the US"

The JCS also noted that the North's construction activities to reinforce border security are still underway, unveiling photos of North Korean troops testing electric barbed-wire fences with what appeared to be goats.

Since April, the North has mobilised thousands of soldiers to reinforce roads and install anti-tank barriers.
Sydney, Dec 23 : An Australian man has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty offences after 98 kangaroos were found dead north of Sydney.

Police found the kangaroos dead on federal government-owned land in the town of Singleton, about 140 km north of Sydney in the east coast state of New South Wales (NSW), along with ammunition and two cartridges on October 8, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a statement issued on Monday, NSW Police said that a 43-year-old man has been charged with six crimes over the incident following an investigation.

The man was arrested during a raid on a property in Williamtown, almost 70 km east of Singleton, on Friday.

While executing a search warrant, NSW Police said that officers found and seized three firearms. A number of firearms were also seized from a second property in the area.

The man has been charged with six offences -- Committing an act of aggravated cruelty upon an animal, discharging a firearm upon/over a Commonwealth prohibited area, trespassing onto commonwealth land, not keeping a firearm safely a" not pistol/prohibited firearm, harm or attempt to harm a protected animal, and holder of Category A or B licence not have approved storage.

"Police have since seized a number of firearms from a second Hunter region property. A Firearms Suspension Notice has been issued.

The man was granted strict conditional bail to appear before Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday, January 13, 2025," NSW Police said in a statement.

Kangaroos are protected native animals in every Australian state and territory.

Anyone found guilty of harming a protected animal in NSW faces a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment for each offence.
Bengaluru, Dec 23 : Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti has stated that the derogatory remark row involving BJP MLC C.T. Ravi and Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar was a closed chapter and the interference of police in the case was not acceptable.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru on Monday, Chairman Horatti said that the derogatory remark row is a closed chapter. "The incident which took place in the session in the Legislative Council and has been discussed thoroughly," he stated.

"After the House was adjourned indefinitely, BJP MLC C.T. Ravi was arrested from the premises of the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi. Currently, we have not received any complaints from either side. If a complaint on breach of privilege is given, we will initiate action," he stated.

"The police are not supposed to interfere with the incident which had taken place inside the council. There is no jurisdiction for the police to act in the matter which happened inside the House," Horatti stated.

"The FIR has been registered in this connection. The police have not come inside the council. The matter will be considered if there is a video and audio recording available with us regarding the incident. If any other party provides the video or audio, we will send it to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). Once the House session ended for the day, no video recording was done after that," Horatti stated.

Earlier, Horatti had stated that the obscene remark row case involving the BJP MLC and the Minister would be handed over to the 'Ethics Committee' and following the report, future action would be initiated.

Chaos and drama unfolded on December 19 as, during a heated debate session in the Legislative Council, C.T. Ravi allegedly referred to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, as a "drug addict".

Taking objection to the remarks, Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar slammed Ravi, and called him a "murderer". Responding, the BJP leader allegedly used an obscene term against the woman minister. Following the complaint by Minister Laxmi, the police arrested MLC Ravi after booking him under the charges of sexual harassment. On December 20, the High Court granted interim relief to Ravi by ordering his immediate release.
Hyderabad, Dec 23 : Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh paid tributes to former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao on his death anniversary on Monday.

Paying his tributes, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said that the beloved son of Telangana paved the way for India's rise from the crisis to the highest peaks. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also paid his tributes to Narasimha Rao.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief called Narasimha Rao an able administrator who overcame the crisis with reforms and led the country forward. The reforms he implemented as the Prime Minister changed the course of the country, Naidu posted on 'X'.

"On the occasion of PV's death anniversary, I pay tribute to the memory of the multi-faceted genius," wrote Naidu.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B. Mahesh Kumar Gound visited PV Gyan Bhoomi in Hyderabad to pay tributes to Narasimha Rao on his 20th death anniversary.

"Words fall short to describe P. V. Narasimha Rao ji. He was truly a lifelong learner," said the Congress leader.

Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy, Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Government Advisor K. Kesava Rao and members of Narasimha Rao's family also paid tributes at PV Gyan Bhoomi.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao paid rich tributes to the economist, politician, polyglot, Bharat Ratna former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao on his death anniversary. He termed PV as the pride of Telangana.

"His birth in Telangana is a source of pride for all of us. PV, who served as the Prime Minister of the country during the difficult period, saved the country from the financial crisis and paved the way for modern India with his rule," KTR posted on 'X'.

The BRS leader stated that after the formation of Telangana State, the BRS government honoured the beloved son of the state in a befitting manner.

KTR recalled that the BRS government celebrated the birth centenary celebrations of Narasimha Rao on a grand scale. "We named Necklace Road as PV Marg, installed the statue of PV and named the Veterinary University after PV," he said.

"Not only that. The Telangana government sent a resolution to the Central government to give Bharat Ratna to PV Narasimha Rao. It nominated PV's daughter to the Legislative Council."
The Polish Trade Inspectorate for the Quality of Agricultural and Food Products (IJHARS) in Rzeszow has decided to ban the circulation of a batch of durum wheat imported from Ukraine, totaling 21,998 tonnes, on the Polish market.

As the inspection reported on the X social network last Friday, the decision was made due to the low protein content in the batch of durum wheat.

The decision was immediately implemented.

IJHARS inspectors from Rzeszow made a similar decision to ban the import of eight batches of rice, totaling 200 tonnes, imported from Myanmar, due to the presence of dead pests in them.

As reported, IJHARS has tightened controls over agricultural products imported to Poland since March 2024. IJHARS Chief Inspector Przemysaw Rzodkiewicz said in March that in 2023, 1.4% of batches of products from Ukraine inspected by the border commission were rejected.

Poland has banned 22.59 tonnes of flaxseed, 46 tonnes of malting barley, 15.61 tonnes of Ukrainian ice cream, 10.55 tonnes of sponge cakes, 5.34 tonnes of bagels with a total weight of 10.55 tonnes imported from Ukraine from its market during the year, and on April 9 - for three batches of Ukrainian bagels with a total weight of 5.34 tonnes, 57.66 tonnes of tomato paste.

In early April 2024, the Polish trade inspectorate announced the largest fine in its history of 1.5 million zlotys (about $380,000) imposed on an importer company for importing 11,500 tonnes of industrial rapeseed and feed wheat from Ukraine to the Polish market.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to Tamil Nadu government and the state police over the alleged electrocution of two contract labourers of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) in Tiruchi last week, an official said on Monday.

Taking suo motu cognisance of a media report on the incident, the NHRC issued notice to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.

The media report said that two persons, working as contract labourers with the Tangedco died due to electrocution while repairing a high-tension overhead power line near Olaiyur Ring Road in KK Nagar, Tiruchi on December 18, said a statement.

The Commission observed that the contents of the media report, if true, indicated gross negligence on the part of the electricity department, resulting in the death of two labourers.

The Commission also noted that such incidents had occurred in the state earlier too. This is a serious human rights violation and a matter of concern for the Commission.

In its notice, the NHRC said that the response from the state government should include the status of the FIR registered in the matter and compensation, if any, provided to the next of kin of the two victims.

The Commission said that it would also like to know the steps taken/proposed by the State government and Tangedco to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

According to the media report, as per the preliminary investigations, the power supply to the cable was not fully turned off during the repair work in Tiruchi. The workers were on the job without any protective gear.

In a similar incident, a worker was electrocuted to death while repairing a transformer in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu last year. Last month, a migrant worker was reportedly electrocuted during Cyclone Fengal and his body was found near an ATM in Muthialpet.
Seoul, Dec 23 : South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul held a video meeting on Monday with the chiefs of South Korea's diplomatic missions in the United States and emphasised the need for greater outreach to the host nation, the foreign ministry said.

Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong and the consul generals from New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Honolulu and Houston attended the meeting held amid concerns about a potential leadership vacuum in diplomacy following the National Assembly's impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier this month, Yonhap news agency reported.

Cho praised the mission heads for their outreach efforts to various sectors in the US to stably manage bilateral relations and urged them to further enhance these efforts, the ministry said.

He also emphasised the need to mobilise all available resources to address diplomatic needs and meet public expectations.

The discussion also covered strategies for addressing high-profile issues in the US and ways to cooperate with Congress, state governments and state assemblies, as well as academic and economic circles, the ministry noted.

A senior diplomat will visit the US and Japan this week to discuss cooperation between the three countries and North Korea-related issues, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Sunday.

Earlier the ministry informed that first Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun will embark on the five-day trip that will first take him to Washington for talks with his US counterpart on bilateral ties, and trilateral cooperation with Japan, and North Korea.

The trip comes after President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment on December 14 over his short-lived imposition of martial law, which has raised concerns over Seoul's policy coordination with Washington and Tokyo, especially with the incoming US administration of Donald Trump, set to take office next month.

Under Yoon, South Korea has sought to deepen trilateral security cooperation with the US and Japan amid evolving nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea.
Seoul, Dec 23 : Special counsel bills against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid and allegations surrounding First Lady Kim Keon Hee are unlikely to be reviewed during a Cabinet meeting this week despite pressure for them to quickly be put into effect, an official said on Monday.

On Sunday, the main opposition Democratic Party urged acting President Han Duck-soo to promulgate the bills mandating special probes into Yoon's botched martial law declaration on December 3 and allegations against First Lady Kim Keon Hee at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, vowing to hold him responsible if he fails to do so.

"It is an issue that should be decided by listening to various opinions based on the Constitution, the law and the country's future within the given deadline," a key official at Han's office told Yonhap News Agency by phone.

Han has until January 1 to decide whether to promulgate the bills or demand parliamentary reconsideration of them.

"Realistically, it is difficult to be included as an agenda item for the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday," the official said.

The National Assembly passed the two opposition-led bills on December 12 in the aftermath of Yoon's short-lived imposition of martial law.

Han has until January 1 to either veto or promulgate them, and the bills currently appear to be included as agenda items during a regular Cabinet meeting on December 31.

The special counsel bill against Yoon is designed to investigate insurrection charges related to his declaration of martial law.

The bill on the First Lady calls for investigating a wide range of allegations, including her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and interference in election nominations through a power broker.

It is the fourth version of the bill targeting the first lady following a similar proposal vetoed by Yoon last month. The government has been critical of the bills against the first lady, noting they have "unconstitutional" elements.

Regarding the special counsel bill on Yoon, the ruling People Power Party has called for Han to veto it, describing it as "clearly unconstitutional."

A senior official at the Prime Minister's Office said the fate of the two bills will likely depend on whether the ruling and opposition parties negotiate a way to rid them of "unconstitutional" elements.

Han will meet the leadership of the rival parties on Thursday for the first session of a consultative body between the two parties and the government.
Mumbai, Dec 23 : Upset over his exclusion from the cabinet, a veteran NCP leader and Samata Parishad founder Chhagan Bhujbal on Monday met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and discussed the growing resentment in the OBCs especially after he was denied a ministerial berth.

Bhujbal had earlier created a stir by making a statement -- "Jaha Nahi Chaina, Vahan Nahi Rehna (There is no point in staying where there is no comfort)". On Monday, he said, "I have told Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis everything that has been happening after December 15. He has asked me for 8 to 10 days. The Chief Minister has said he is aware that the OBC community is upset and that he would definitely think about addressing their resentment and dissatisfaction."

"Sameer Bhujbal (his nephew) and I both met the Chief Minister. We discussed many issues, including social and political issues with him. We discussed everything that happened and what was going on. The CM told me that he saw and heard many things in the media. He further stated that the OBC community has a big role in the victory of the Mahayuti in the recently held Assembly election and we should thank everyone for that. Keeping this in mind, he said I am also concerned that the OBCs will not be harmed under any circumstances," said Bhujbal.

"Currently, there are holidays due to festivals, there is a different atmosphere in the state. Therefore, the CM has assured me to discuss later and find a way out," said Bhujbal who has repeatedly questioned the decision by Ajit Pawar and Tatkare to deny him a ministerial berth without taking him into confidence.

"The CM told me to give him 8 to 10 days and after that, we will meet again. He also asked me to tell the OBC leaders to discuss the pros and cons of the present situation and meet again," said Bhujbal. He reiterated that "I have told the Chief Minister everything. He has understood the entire issue saying that OBCs are upset and he is also worried about it."

To a question whether he would leave the NCP and join the BJP, he said, "I have said everything I wanted to say to the chief minister. I will not say anything more on this."

Meanwhile, in his reaction after Bhujbal's exclusion from the cabinet and his latest meeting with CM Fadnavis, NCP chief and Dy CM Ajit Pawar in Pune, said, "It is our internal issue, we will address it internally.''

Bhujbal meeting the CM, the first after he was dropped from the cabinet expansion held on December 15, is important especially as the OBC organisations, including Samata Parishad, have started organising protests and meetings across the state against his exclusion. The meeting is also to send a strong signal to NCP president and Dy CM Ajit Pawar that he may be down but certainly out. After his exclusion from the cabinet, Bhujbal has not met Ajit Pawar neither the latter nor the state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare had interacted with him in person or through phone.

Bhujbal has already denied the partyas offer to go to Rajya Sabha after resigning from the Assembly citing that it would be a betrayal of the Yevala constituency. He also claimed that the party neglected his request to field him in the Lok Sabha elections from Nashik constituency and for the Rajya Sabha elections.

Further, Bhujbal said he decided to contest the Assembly election after the party leadership told him that he was needed in the state. Bhujbal, who took on the pro-Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange, was expecting his induction into the cabinet.
Bengaluru, Dec 23 : Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries, M.B. Patil on Monday defended Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Laxmi Hebbalkar, in the row involving BJP MLC C.T. Ravi. Patil said, "Can a woman make such allegations purely out of imagination?" He emphasized that the matter would be resolved if Ravi issued a public apology.

Speaking to media persons in Bengaluru, Patil remarked, "No woman can level such accusations based solely on imagination. They [the BJP] often lecture about the culture of this country -- is this their culture? Provocation is one thing, but the use of derogatory language is entirely unacceptable."

Patil defended Minister Hebbalkar, dismissing claims by BJP leaders that the allegations were part of a conspiracy. He also criticized the BJPas counter-allegation that the police had threatened C.T. Ravi with an encounter to suppress the issue. "Everything will be resolved if C.T. Ravi tenders a public apology," Patil asserted.

Addressing accusations of police misconduct against Ravi, Patil said Home Minister, G. Parameshwara, would make an official statement on the matter.

Responding to the controversy, C.T. Ravi insisted he had never engaged in personal attacks against opponents, asserting that his criticisms were "ideological and political." Speaking to the media in Haveri following his release on Karnataka High Court orders, Ravi encouraged people to investigate his reputation in his hometown, Chikkamagaluru.

"Let people also inquire about Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in Ramanagara," he added.

Ravi claimed that the Chairman of the Legislative Council had clarified there was no audio or video evidence of him using the alleged derogatory term. He accused the government of filing a false case and treating him "like a terrorist."

The incident erupted last Thursday during a heated debate in the Karnataka Legislative Council. C.T. Ravi allegedly referred to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, as a "drug addict." This provoked strong reactions, with Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar calling Ravi a "murderer." Ravi reportedly responded with an obscene remark directed at Hebbalkar.

The alleged comment led to Ravias arrest on charges of using derogatory language against Hebbalkar. However, following a High Court directive, Ravi was released, sparking further political drama.
Jaipur, Dec 23 : Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje visited SMS Hospital in Jaipur on Monday to check on the condition of those injured in the Jaipur LPG tanker blast.

In line with medical protocols and to avoid the risk of infection to the patients, she refrained from entering the ICU of the Burn Unit. Instead, she met the families of the injured in the office of Superintendent Sushil Bhati.

Lok Sabha member from Jaipur Manju Sharma accompanied her during the visit.

Raje expressed her empathy with the kin of the injured victims and offered all assistance.

After visiting the families, she said and also posted on X, "I wish to extend my condolences to the families who have lost their members. It was a horrible accident. The doctors are taking care of everyone..."

She said this was a humanitarian issue and not a political matter.

At least 12 people were burnt alive in a catastrophic chain of events that unfolded on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway early on December 20 when a truck crashed into an LPG Tanker taking a U-turn, triggering a fireball that engulfed close to 34 vehicles. Several people were injured with some battling for their lives with severe burn injuries.

"The Jaipur-bound tanker was coming from Ajmer and tried to take a U-turn from the highway to move towards the Agra Road," said Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph. "While taking the turn, an Ajmer-bound truck coming from Jaipur suddenly appeared and hit it from behind. The collision caused a gas leak and it immediately caught fire. The rest of the mishap took only 10 to 15 minutes." Over 30 people are in SMS hospital getting treatment for burn injuries. Out of these, many are on ventilators and have sustained over 60 per cent burn injuries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured in the accident. The Rajasthan government also announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for those injured.
New Delhi, 23 Dec : Companies like Google, Oracle and American Express have offered jobs to students of IIT Delhi, who have secured over 1,200 offers including pre-placement offers (PPOs). About 1150 individual students are being uniquely selected.

In this phase, students have also received 50 plus international offers from 15 plus prestigious organisations across multiple global regions, including Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan, UAE, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The placement season for the academic year 2024-25 is currently going on. However, IIT Delhi did not disclose the high-value packages. IIT Delhi said that they have a policy where they have decided to not mention high-value packages in their placement-related public statements.

The institution informed that the recruiters with double-digit offers on campus this year, so far include Google, Oracle, American Express, Texas Instruments, Barclays, BCG, BlueStone Jewellery and Lifestyle Private Limited, Deutsche India Pvt Ltd, Goldman Sachs, Graviton Research Capital, Intel India, Meesho, Micron Technology, Microsoft, OLA, PayU, Quadeye, Qualcomm, Robust Results Private Limited, Shiprocket, Squarepoint Capital, Trident Group, and Turing Global India Pvt. Ltd.

Commenting on the ongoing placement season, Prof. Naresh Varma Datla, Professor-in-Charge, the Office of Career Services (OCS), said, "IIT Delhi had a very good start and has been doing very well so far. We believe that a similar trend will continue in the upcoming days as well. The Office of Career Services is focused on expanding the range of companies and job profiles in the coming days to cater to the students appearing for placements."

Prof Suresh Neelakantan, Co-Professor-in-Charge, OCS, IIT Delhi, said, "We sincerely appreciate our recruiters for recognising the talent and potential of our students, and we congratulate the students for their perseverance and outstanding efforts."

The placement season spanning till the end of next semester, is focused on the placement of undergraduate and postgraduate students of IIT Delhi. The smooth and efficient execution of the placement process is the result of the dedicated efforts of the entire Office of Career Services team, including staff, student coordinators, and volunteers, alongside the continued collaboration with industry partners across various sectors, the official added.
Mumbai, Dec 23 : Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt celebrated eight years of sobriety after quitting alcohol.

The actress took to social media to share her journey, expressing that the opposite of addiction is not just sobriety but connection.

On Monday, Pooja posted a candid photo of herself with the caption, "8 years sober today. Gratitude. Gravitas. Grace. 'You're not alone, we love you' has to be at every level of how we respond to addicts socially, politically, and individually. For one hundred years now, we've been singing war songs about addicts. I think all along we should have been singing love songs to them because the opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection."  Johann Hari #onestepatatime #onedayatatime #sobrietyrocks #soberissexy #soberliving #8yearssober #gratitude #gravitas #grace #johannhari #lostconnections #poojabhatt.

The 'Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin' actress gave up alcohol around 2016. Pooja Bhatt, daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, has been candid about her struggles with alcohol. She had previously shared that she decided to quit drinking after realizing she had fallen into the "trap of addiction" and understood that the only way to break free was to acknowledge it to herself.

During her stint on the reality show "Bigg Boss OTT 2," the 'Sadak' actress admitted she had a drinking problem, which prompted her to acknowledge her addiction and make the decision to quit.

Pooja also pointed out how women often don't have the same freedom as men to openly discuss addiction in society.

She said on the show, "Society gives a license to men, and thus they can openly speak about being addicted and recovering from alcoholism. However, women don't openly drink, and so they don't openly recover. I used to drink openly, so when I thought of recovering from alcoholism, I realized that why should I recover in the closet? People used to call me an alcoholic, but then I said, 'I'm a recovering alcoholic."
New Delhi, Dec 23 : A day after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP-led Centre of systematic conspiracy to assault the Election Commission's integrity, the latter dismissed the charges as baseless and unwarranted.

New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) A day after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP-led Centre of systematic conspiracy to assault the Election Commissionas integrity, the latter dismissed the charges as baseless and unwarranted.

Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, speaking to IANS, reflected on the amendments and changes in countryas electoral system during the past seven decades and stated that it was the Congress which was at the helm while varied reforms were initiated in the poll panel.

Mallikarjun Kharge, taking to X on Sunday and condemned Modi government's move to limit public access to certain electronic election-related documents, including CCTV footage, webcasting, and video recordings of candidates. He called it a 'calibrated erosion' of the ECI's integrity, labelling it as a frontal assault on India's Constitution and democratic values. Kharge's remarks follow a recent amendment by the Central government, which restricts public inspection of specific electronic records, ostensibly to prevent their misuse.

In a rebuttal, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi accused Kharge of hypocrisy, pointing to the Congress Partyas historical role in amending and altering the country's election system, on multiple occasions.

Naqvi fired back, saying, "The Election Commission of India was established in 1950, and reforms in elections, both big and small, have primarily taken place under Congress rule. The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems he now criticises were both introduced during Congress's time."

Naqvi further reminded Kharge of several key changes brought under Congress regime including tax exemptions on political party funding, foreign funding for parties, and relaxed election contest rules for those with criminal records.

He also praised the Modi government's contributions to improving the election process, highlighting increased transparency and efficiency.

"Prime Minister Modi has worked to make elections more transparent and accessible to voters. Today, state funding of elections is up to 70 per cent, voter slips are distributed efficiently through government channels and the creation of voter ID cards has been completed for all citizens," Naqvi added.

Naqvi also responded to recent events in Uttar Pradesh, where three Khalistani terrorists were killed in a police encounter in Pilibhit.

"Anyone who challenges the integrity and security of our nation will face a firm response. This encounter is a testament to the commitment of our security forces to safeguard the nation and its citizens," he concluded.
Palakkad, Dec 23 : Former BJP leader Sandeep Warrier, once a prominent youth face of the party in Kerala, has accused the state BJP leaders of feigning affection towards Christians and Christianity.

"The BJP's newfound 'love' for Christians is fake and a mere camouflage," Warrier said on Monday. His statement follows his recent resignation from the BJP during the Palakkad assembly by-election last month, where he joined the Congress, surprising many.

Warrier's remarks come amid an incident in Palakkad where three activists from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) were arrested for disrupting Christmas celebrations at a government school. The Kerala Police charged them with spreading religious hatred following a complaint by the school headmistress, Jayanthi.

The incident occurred on Friday when teachers and students were celebrating Christmas. The group allegedly barged in, insisting that no celebrations should occur unless Sri Krishna Jayanthi celebrations were also observed.

According to Warrier, two of the arrested individuals -- K. Anilkumar, V. Susasanan, and K. Velayudhan -- are known BJP activists who were actively involved in the recent Palakkad by-election campaign.

Union Minister of State for Fisheries, George Kurian, condemned the incident, stating, "It should never have happened. I appreciate the Kerala government's action against it. Celebrations like Christmas or those in the name of Mohammed Nabi should be encouraged to help children learn about all religions."

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan expressed skepticism about the BJP's involvement in the incident. "Even today, Prime Minister Modi is meeting Christian Church leaders. Let the police investigation proceed," he said.

The headmistress' complaint noted that during the Christmas celebrations, a group entered the school compound, shouting slogans against the event and questioning why no Sri Krishna Jayanthi celebrations had been held on campus.
Special Operations Forces crew kills 77 North Korean soldiers during three days in Kursk region

Operators of the 8th Special Operations Forces (SOF) Regiment have killed 77 and injured more than 40 North Korean soldiers in Kursk Region over the past three days.

As reported on the SOF Telegram channel on Monday morning, 12 vehicles, three buggies and an armored combat vehicle were also destroyed.
Srinagar, Dec 23 : Ruling National Conference (NC) Lok Sabha member Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Monday held a protest against the reservation policy of the Jammu and Kashmir government outside the residence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar city.

Ruhullah Mehdi led a protest march of youth shouting slogans 'We want justice for open merit candidates'. Police did not stop the protest march and allowed them to move peacefully to the Gupkar Road residence of Omar Abdullah.

The protesters were carrying placards with slogans for justice to the open merit candidates in selections for government jobs.

The NC government led by Omar Abdullah has formed a three-member cabinet sub-committee to make recommendations regarding the reservation policy of the government.

Protesters have been saying that the majority of seats are reserved for various category candidates while the open merit candidates are left to compete for just 40 per cent of vacancies in different departments.

Ruhullah Mehdi has been demanding that the majority of government jobs should be available to open merit candidates as happens in other UTs and states of the country.

Senior separatist socio-religious leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said he would join the protests against the present reservation policy if the authorities would allow him to do so.

"Fervent appeal to address their concerns immediately. Support#openmeritstudentsasdocistion@OMSA_JK sit in protest. Would be part of it if authorities allowed. My delegation will be there to support. Will also raise in #JamaMasjid whenever allowed to do so," Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on X.

Peoples Democratic Party (MLA), Waheed ur Rehman Para also joined the anti-reservation protest.

Meanwhile, the Awami Itihad Party (AIP) headed by incarcerated Lok Sabha member, Engineer Rashid also announced support for the Aga Ruhullah Mehdi-led anti-reservation protests.

AIP chief spokesman, Inam Un Nabi said on X, "As directed by our incarcerated MP Baramulla Er Rasheed Sb, AIP proudly announces its participation in the protest led by MP Srinagar Aga Ruhulla demanding the rationalization of the reservation policy. Er Rasheed Sb has always supported genuine public causes and we stand firm in this commitment."

It must be recalled that the present reservation policy came into force after the Lt Governor-led administration announced reservations for various categories including Paharis and other OBCs.

In March 2024, The Jammu & Kashmir Lt. Governor approved a 10 per cent reservation for newly-included tribes, including Paharis, in the Schedule Tribe (ST) category and added 15 new castes in the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Kolkata, Dec 23 : A special court in Kolkata, on Monday, rejected a plea from an accused in the cash-for-school job case in West Bengal to return to his workplace abroad by January 2, 2025.

On Monday, Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya, the son-in-law of former West Bengal Education Minister and Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee, after arriving at Kolkata from the US on Monday made two appeals at the special court, the first being of anticipatory bail and the second is the permission to go back to his workplace by January 2.

However, the special court, although granted conditional anticipatory bail in the matter, refused to grant permission to him to go back abroad by January 2.

The judge of the special court observed that since he was not arrested earlier despite being questioned by the central agencies probing the school job case he could be granted anticipatory bail in the matter.

However, the main condition of the anticipatory bail was that he would not be able to leave the country without prior permission of the court. With this condition, Bhattacharyaas plea to go back to his workplace in the US was automatically rejected.

Bhattacharya is among the 54 accused named in the subsequent charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the matter. The process of framing charges in the ED-registered case is scheduled at a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata later in the day.

In fact, Bhattacharya had returned to Kolkata to be physically present at the special PLMA court during the charge framing process on Monday. However, with the special court barring him from leaving India without prior permission from the court, it has now become uncertain when he will be again able to go back.

Earlier he had been questioned several times in the school job case and during that process he reportedly revealed a lot of critical information about his father-in-law.
Hyderabad, Dec 23 : With the arrest of actor Allu Arjun for the death of a woman in a stampede at Sandhya Theatre during the premier show of 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' and subsequent developments causing a strain in relations with the Telangana government, representatives of the Telugu film industry are planning to meet Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.

Hyderabad, Dec 23 (IANS) With the arrest of actor Allu Arjun for the death of a woman in a stampede at Sandhya Theatre during the premier show of aPushpa 2: The Rulea and subsequent developments causing a strain in relations with the Telangana government, representatives of the Telugu film industry are planning to meet Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.

Producer Naga Vamsi said on Monday that a decision on meeting the Chief Minister will be taken after Telangana Film Development Corporation chairman Dil Rajuas return. A leading producer, Dil Raju, who was recently appointed chairman of TFDC by the state government, is currently in the United States.

Terming the incident at Sandhya Theatre as unfortunate, Naga Vamsi said no hero or producer would want such incidents. The producer also denied that the Telugu film industry would shift to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. He said film shoots are happening in both the states and the government in Andhra Pradesh is also extending cooperation to the industry.

In another move to reach out to the Telangana government, the State Film Chamber of Commerce on Monday appealed to its members to donate money for the family of Revathi, who died in the December 4 incident at Sandhya Theatre while her son Sri Tej was injured.

Film Chamber also held a meeting to discuss the situation arising out of recent developments.

In another development, filmmaker R. Narayana Murthy visited KIMS Hospital on Monday and called on the family of eight-year-old Sri Tej who was critically injured in the stampede while his mother died. This comes after Chief Minister Revanth Reddy targeted both actor Allu Arjun and other film personalities for not meeting the family of the deceased and helping them.

While speaking in Assembly on December 21, Revanth Reddy had come down heavily on Allu Arjun for visiting the theatre without police permission, conducting aroadshowa even after the stampede claimed the life of a woman and critically injured her son, and lacking sensitivity.

The actor also came under flak for not meeting the bereaved family or visiting the injured child in the hospital.

The Chief Minister also found fault with the film personalities who had made a beeline to Allu Arjunas house to meet him after his release from jail. The Congress government also did not like the actor addressing a press conference a few hours after the Chief Ministeras statement in the Assembly to say that allegations against him are false and that they are aimed at his character assassination.

The next day police released minute-to-minute video footage of the incidents at Sandhya Theatre to dispute Allu Arjunas claims.

Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy had also announced in the Assembly that the government will not allow benefit shows of movies before their release and will also not permit an increase in cinema tickets.

The state government has been allowing an increase in the rates for big-budget movies featuring top stars. It had also permitted an increase in the rates for aPushpa 2: The Rulea.
Patna, Dec 23 : Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday began the Pragati Yatra from Valmikinagar in Bihar's West Champaran. This Yatra will mark a significant development drive in the state.

The Chief Minister, accompanied by Cabinet Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and other party leaders, received a warm reception from party workers and local officials upon arrival.

During the yatra, Nitish Kumar will lay the foundation stone for various development projects amounting to Rs 700 crore.

Under the Energy Departmentas on-grid electricity scheme, the Bihar government will do the electrification of remote villages that come under the jurisdiction of Valmikinagar Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Bagaha. The scheme focuses on providing on-grid electricity to 22 villages within the dense forests of VTR.

Approximately 70,000 people, who have remained without electricity since Independence, will benefit from this initiative. An investment of Rs 139 crore has been allocated to the project.

This project introduces underground cabling for power supply, a first for Bihar. The underground cables will traverse the dense forests of VTR, ensuring a smooth and sustainable electricity supply to these remote areas.

The electrification project is expected to be completed within 18 months, significantly transforming the lives of the inhabitants of these villages.

The introduction of underground electricity cabling reflects a forward-thinking approach to infrastructure development in ecologically sensitive regions.

The Pragati Yatra of Nitish Kumar showcases the stateas development efforts during his tenure of 20 years.

Around 500 cops have been deployed to ensure safety and security, alongside 150 officers and magistrates.

As per the schedule of Pragati Yatraas first phase, Nitish Kumar will visit West Champaran on December 23. After staying overnight in Valmiki Nagar Tiger Reserve, he will go to East Champaran on December 24. On the occasion of Christmas on December 25, there is no programme. He will visit Sheohar and Sitamarhi on December 26, then Muzaffarpur on December 27 and on December 28, he will visit Vaishali and then return to Patna.
Mumbai, Dec 23 : Actor Gagan Gupta, who plays the character of Tamta Mama in the show "Swipe Crime," recently explained why social media and dating apps have become inseparable from our lives.

Produced by Shruti Badjtaya and Harsh Mainra under Versatile Motion Pictures, Swipe Crime explores the creation and misuse of a dating app, revealing the darker aspects of social media and modern technology.

Gagan Gupta shared, "Social media and dating apps have become inseparable from our lives." While Gupta recognized the benefits of social media for artists, he also reflected on its more troubling consequences. "Social media offers convenience, from food to clothes delivered at your doorstep. But it also brings risksmeeting strangers, privacy threats, and even impacting family bonds," Gupta explained.

When asked about the title, the actor shared, "Swipe Crime feels as dangerous as swiping your mobile screen to the wrong placewhat happens next?"

Directed by Harsh Mainra, "Swipe Crime" delves into college life intertwined with a dark and sinister digital scam and features an ensemble cast including Abhishek Singh Rajput, Faisal Malik, Rishab Chadha, and Sanyam Sharma, among others.

Earlier, in a statement, Abhishek described "Swipe Crime" as a mirror to modern relationships. Speaking about the series, Abhishek shared, "Swipe Crime is not just a story of crime; it's a mirror to modern relationships and the choices we make in the digital age. Being a part of such a layered and gripping project has been incredibly rewarding, and I'm thrilled for audiences to experience it."

"Swipe Crime" centers around a group of college students who become trapped in a dangerous web of fraud and blackmail. As they fall victim to manipulative online scams, they desperately attempt to escape the growing crisis. The series also shines a light on the devastating impact of cybercrime, which has destroyed countless lives across the country. Despite the widespread harm, lawmakers have failed to offer adequate support, leaving victims feeling abandoned and powerless.

"Swipe Crime" was released on Amazon MX Player on December 20.
Bhopal, Dec 23 : Amid controversy over the alleged insult to Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution, Madhya Pradesh BJP chief V.D. Sharma posed several questions to Congress and sought answers on Monday.

Addressing a press conference in Bhopal, Sharma alleged that the Congress party has indulged in a "malicious" attempt to mislead the people to create "unrest" in the country on Dr Ambedkar issue.

Responding to former MP CM Digvijaya Singh's allegation that the incident that occurred on Parliament premises was a planned conspiracy by the BJP, Sharma said the Congress has always believed in "politics of division" and its leaders like Digvijaya Singh are the "masterminds".

"Digvijaya Singh has made false claims about an incident that occurred near Parliament's gate. This is unfortunate that Congress and its leaders are running away from the facts and they are deliberately making false claims," Sharma said.

The BJP chief, who is also a two-time sitting BJP MP from the Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat, then raised questions related to Dr Ambedkar and India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

"Digvijaya Singh said (in a press conference) that Dr Ambedkar was forced to witness humiliation on many occasions. BJP wants to ask Congress' top leadership and Digvijaya Singh to reply that who had humiliated Dr Ambedkar?," BJP leader asked.

He further sought a reply from Congress on Dr Ambedkar's resignation as Law Minister from ex-PM Nehru's cabinet in 1951, and a statement made by Nehru on that political development. "All these things are not BJP's allegations, but the facts are available to the people," Sharma, added.

The BJP leader further claimed that Congress never respected Dr Ambedkar mainly because he stood against its (Congress) nefarious acts, be it Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir or on any other issues.

"During Congress-led UPA-2 (2009-2014), in an NCERT book, Dr. Ambedkar's photograph was presented in a very disrespectful manner here in Madhya Pradesh. Why was that done and for what regions?" Sharma said responding to Congress' allegations against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

On Saturday, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh alleged that the incident that occurred near Parliamentas gate, leading to a physical altercation between MPs from the ruling and the opposition bloc, was a planned conspiracy of the BJP.

"One BJP MP fell on another. Both were injured. The one who fell said that Rahul Gandhi was standing in front of him. If he was standing in front, could he have pushed him?" Digvijaya Singh has said.

The confrontation occurred as MPs from the NDA and the Opposition bloc staged separate protests outside Parliament over Union Home Minister Amit Shahas remarks on B.R. Ambedkar. The situation escalated into a physical altercation when members from both sides clashed, resulting in jostling and injuries.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : Around 13.45 million subscribers submitted their requests for mobile number portability (MNP) in October this year, taking the cumulative MNP requests from 1,039.11 million at the end of September to 1,052.56 million in October, the government data showed on Monday.

Number of active wireless subscribers in October was 1,066.67 million, as per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data.

As per the information received from 1,175 operators, the total broadband subscribers stood at 941.47 million at the end of October.

Total wireless subscribers stood at 1,150.42 million at the end of October, thereby registering a marginal monthly decline rate of 0.29 per cent.

Wireline subscribers increased from 36.93 million at the end of September to 37.79 million at the end of October. BSNL, MTNL and APSFL, the three PSUs access service providers, held 23.29 per cent of the wireline market share as on October 31.

As on October 31, the private access service providers held 91.78 per cent market share of the wireless subscribers whereas BSNL and MTNL had a market share of only 8.22 per cent.

Meanwhile, the number of machine-to-machine (M2M) cellular mobile connections increased from 54.64 million at the end of September to 56.12 million at the end of October.

Bharti Airtel Limited has the highest number of M2M cellular mobile connections 29.08 million with a market share of 51.82 per cent.

The overall tele-density in India stood at 84.69 per cent at the end of September to 84.46 per cent at the end of October.

The urban tele-density stood at 131.31 per cent while rural tele-density at 58.39 per cent during the same period. The share of urban and rural subscribers in total number of telephone subscribers at the end of October were 55.58 per cent and 44.42 per cent, respectively.
Dhaka, Dec 23 : In yet another shocking incident that exposes the chaotic situation currently prevailing in Bangladesh under interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, one of the country's renowned freedom fighters Abdul Hai Kanu was harassed and humiliated by members of the radical Jamaat-e-Islami party, which was banned under the antiterrorism law till the fall of Sheikh Hasina government in August, earlier this year.

A nearly two-minute video, that has now gone viral on social media, shows Jamaat workers putting a garland of shoes on Kanu and asking the old man to leave his house in Ludiara village in Batisa Union of Chauddagram Upazila of Comilla District in Chittagong.

Several reports revealed that Kanu had gone to a local market on Sunday morning where a few men caught him and took him in front of Kuliara High School where he was physically and mentally harassed.

Kanu, who had returned to his village home after the fall of Awami League government, reportedly told local media that a person also put a knife to his throat.

"I thought that this time I would be able to live in the village comfortably. But they treated me more violently than the Pakistani hyenas," Bangladeshi online news portal Bangla News 24 quoted the freedom fighter as saying.

Bir Protik or 'symbol of bravery', is the fourth highest gallantry award in Bangladesh and Kanu is among the 426 people who have received the prestigious award so far for displaying exemplary courage during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.

"In the video, several young men are seen putting a chain of shoes around Abdul Hai Kanu's neck. At this time, one person from the side is asking him to leave the house. Another is saying to leave Comilla. At this time, when Abdul Hai Kanu pleaded and refused to leave the house, a middle-aged man said, "How have we been able to stay at home for so many years?" At this time, another person said, "Can you apologise to the people of the entire village?" At this time, he folded his hands and apologised to everyone. At one point, two people took him by the hands and led him forward," the report added further.

It also mentioned that one of the persons who threatened Kanu was a "hardened terrorist" who had left for Dubai in 2006 and returned after August 5 when Yunus and the interim government took charge of the country.

The current establishment had immediately lifted a ban on the country's largest Muslim party Jamaat-e-Islami that was imposed under an antiterrorism law.

Reacting strongly, Hasina's party Awami League said that such "heinous actions" against Bangladesh's war heroes "cannot be tolerated" and are a "direct assault" on the country's dignity and history, urging countrymen to stand against it.

"A proud freedom fighter, Abdul Hai Kanu, who served during the Liberation War, has been humiliated by being forced to wear a garland of shoes! Kanu, a revered freedom fighter from the Chauddagram upazila of Comilla, was abducted from his own home this morning by a group of miscreants and current collaborators of the 1971 anti-independence regime. This outrageous act is not just an assault on an individual, but an attack on the very values of our nationas independence and the honour of our Liberation War heroes," read a statement issued by the party.
Belagavi, Dec 23 : Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar on Monday rubbished BJP's warning of widespread agitation during the centenary celebrations of 194 Congress session and said that the party will celebrate the Belagavi session, the historic one in country's political history.

"I am not dead yet, I am alive. D.K. Shivakumar is still the president of state Congress unit. I am not afraid of BJP's protests," Shivakumar stated.

Notably, the preparations are in final stages for the centenary celebrations of 1924 Indian National Congress session, presided over by Mahatma Gandhi. The event is scheduled in Belagavi on December 26 and 27. The party has also decided to hold a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on December 26 in Belagavi and a public meeting on December 27.

Shivakumar further remarked, "Mahatma Gandhi led Independence struggle as the president of the Congress party and secured freedom for the nation. It was the result of freedom movement under his watch that we got our democracy, Constitution, the national flag, and the national anthem."

"It is our responsibility to preserve and ensure that these ideals remain the cornerstone of democracy. Gandhi Ji's legacy should be remembered every day, that is why his portrait is printed on currency notes. Protesting during an event that honors a leader like Gandhi Ji  do they think we will be intimidated?" Shivakumar questioned.

"Belagavi session centenary celebration is a historic event to commemorate the nation's history. The history of Congress Party is the history of the nation," he said.

"In 1924, when Mahatma Gandhi assumed the presidency of the Congress, Jawaharlal Nehru and Karnataka's Gangadhar Deshpande served as AICC general secretaries. Together, they organized the Congress session in Belagavi and facilitated Gandhi's presidency," he explained.

"From here, Gandhi led the country's freedom struggle. During the 2023 elections, we launched our Praja Dhwani Yatra from this very place and carried out our campaign. Following this, we won 136 constituencies in the state and established a stable government," he said.

"Once again, from this land, we are organizing this event to determine the direction for the country and the state. At this juncture, key leaders from across the country will discuss the challenges faced by the nation and the state in the executive committee meeting and deliberate on the path forward," he added.

When asked about the number of Congress leaders attending the event from across the country, he said, "Around 500 to 600 key Congress leaders from across the nation will attend. This includes AICC general secretaries, executive committee members, presidents of all Pradesh Congress Committees, leaders of legislative parties from all states, and Members of Parliament."

"While they will participate in the public gathering, only executive committee members will attend the committee meeting," he said.
Chandigarh/Pilibhit, Dec 23 : In a breakthrough against Pakistan-ISI's sponsored Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror outfit, a joint operation of Punjab Police and Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police led to an encounter with three module members involved in a grenade attack at a police establishment in Gurdaspur, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Monday.

The encounter took place in the jurisdiction of the police station in Puranpur in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit after the three module members opened fire at the joint police party.

The development came less than a week after some unknown persons hurled a hand grenade at the police post in Bakshiwala in Gurdaspur on December 18. Pertinently, the terrorist organisation KZF had used social media platforms to claim responsibility for this act of terror.

DGP Yadav has identified three operatives as Varinder Singh, Gurwinder Singh and Jashanpreet Singh, all residents of Kalanaur. Police teams in UP have also recovered two AK-47 rifles and two 9MM Glock pistols from their possession, he added.

He said preliminary investigation has revealed that this terror module is controlled by Pakistan-based Ranjeet Singh Nita, the KZF chief, and operated by Greece-based Jaswinder Singh Mannu, a native of Kalanaur.

Notably, Varinder, who was leading the module and was being masterminded by Britain-based Jagjeet Singh, used the assumed identity of Fateh Singh Baghi which he used to claim responsibility for the grenade attack.

Terming this operation as a classic example of inter-state cooperation in which police forces of UP and Punjab worked together, the DGP said the information, which was received by the Punjab Police, was immediately shared with the UP Police and joint operation was launched against the perpetrators.

Sharing operation details, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Border Range Satinder Singh said that following inputs about suspects fleeing to UP and taking shelter somewhere there at Pilibhit, Gurdaspur Police immediately informed the Pilibhit Police and also moved police teams from Gurdaspur to Pilibhit to launch a joint operation.

Police teams had traced the accused and when confronted they opened fire at the police teams, prompting police parties to retaliate, he said, adding during the exchange of fire the three accused had sustained bullet injuries and were immediately taken to the Community Health Centre in Puranpur for medical treatment.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harish Dayama said further investigations are going on to expose all connections and members of this terror module and more arrests and recoveries are likely in the coming days.

Three Khalistani terrorists who bombed Punjab Police posts were killed in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh. Pilibhit Superintendent of Police (SP) Avinash Pandey reported that the gunfight occurred in the Puranpur police station area and the three accused of hurling a grenade were shot dead.

"Both Punjab Police and Puranpur police station staff chased the suspects. At a canal track near an under-construction bridge, the suspects opened fire when challenged by the police. In the retaliatory firing, all three were injured and subsequently sent to CSC Puranpur for treatment," he said.

However, they later succumbed to the injuries.
Photo: https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/11260

From Sunday evening to Monday morning, the enemy launched an air attack on Ukraine with drone strikes, 47 enemy targets were shot down, and another 25 were lost, according to the AFU Air Force.

"As of 09:00, 47 Shahedtype attack UAVs and other types of drones have been confirmed shot down in Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytsky and Odesa regions," the report says.

The Air Force noted that on the night of December 22 (from 09:00 on December 21), the enemy attacked by 72 Shahedtype attack UAVs and other types of drones from Russias Bryansk and Orel directions.

The air attack was repelled by anti-aircraft missile forces, aviation, electronic warfare units, mobile fire groups of the Air Force and the Defense Forces of Ukraine, the command added.

Meanwhile, due to the active counteraction of the Defense Forces, 25 enemy drone simulators were lost locally (without negative consequences).

The command also added that in Khmelnytsky and Kyiv regions, private enterprises and homes of citizens were damaged due to the Russian attack, without casualties, and assistance was provided to the victims.
Hyderabad, Dec 23 : In a setback to veteran actor Manchu Mohan Babu in the case relating to an attack on a journalist, the Telangana High Court on Monday dismissed his petition for anticipatory bail.

Mohan Babu had sought anticipatory bail on health grounds. His counsel had submitted to the court that he was suffering from health problems related to heart and nerves.

The court also said that Mohan Babu is currently in Tirupati.

After recently visiting Dubai to see his grandson, Mohan Babu went to Tirupati to look after the functioning of his educational institutions.

However, the public prosecutor opposed the anticipatory bail petition.

After hearing the arguments, the court dismissed the petition for anticipatory bail.

The veteran actor, who is also a former Member of Parliament, was booked for an attempt to murder after he attacked a reporter of a television channel after grabbing the mike. The reporter was injured and was admitted to a hospital.

The incident occurred on the night of December 10 during the chaos at Mohan Babu's house in Jalpally, which was sparked by a dispute with his actor son, Manchu Manoj.

Rachakonda Police initially registered a case under Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 118 (1) (causing hurt with dangerous weapons or substances) against Mohan Babu, and later added Section 109 (attempt to murder).

The FIR was registered on a complaint by M. Satyanarayana, a Telangana news channel TV9 reporter.

Mohan Babu attacked the TV reporter when the latter had gone to his residence in Jalpally to cover the ongoing dispute between the veteran actor and his actor son Manchu Manoj.

Journalists had staged protests demanding the police to book an attempt to murder case.

Mohan Babu, who was admitted to the hospital the same night with complaints of high blood pressure and anxiety and was discharged two days later, apologised to the journalist and TV9.

On December 15, he along with his elder son and actor Manchu Vishnu also visited the hospital and called on the journalist. He once again apologised to the reporter and his family member.

Earlier, Mohan Babu and his sons were booked under BNS Sections 329 (4) (criminal trespass and house trespass) and 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt) read with 3 (5) in connection with the incidents that occurred at their house.

Mohan Babu and his sons were summoned by Rachakonda Police Commissioner Sudheer Babu on December 11.

The veteran actor had approached the High Court seeking an exemption.

His two sons separately appeared before the Commissioner, who took an undertaking from them that they would do nothing which precipitated the matter further.

The Police Commissioner on December 16 denied that there was any delay in taking action against Mohan Babu in the cases registered against him.

The Commissioner said the police would obey the orders of the High Court, which has given Mohan Babu time till December 24 to appear before the police.

Sudheer Babu said if there was no response from Mohan Babu after December 24, they would serve a fresh notice.
Mumbai, Dec 23 : A new fraud in Chhattisgarh involving actress Sunny Leone has come to light. A person has been enjoying the benefits of the state's welfare scheme Mahtari Vandan Yojana using the actress name to get the Rs 1000 per month from the state government.

As per media reports, the fraud was uncovered in Talur village, located in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region. A man used Sunny's name to receive the amount as the scheme only transfers the money to married women.

A case has been filed against the man behind the fraud named Virendra Joshi, reportedly. The man also used the name of adult film actor Johnny Sins.

The scheme was introduced by the BJP government. The fraud related to the scheme came to the light after an RTI filing which led to the scanning of the Mahatari Vandan Yojana website thereby filtering out details of a beneficiary registered with the name Sunny Leone and her husband mentioned as Johnny Sins.

To become a beneficiary of the scheme, the documents from the fraudster were received at the Anganwadi level in the Bastar district. The file was "verified" by Anganwadi and another supervisor. It also stated that the person has received the beneficiary amount for ten months from March to December.

In a social media post, the state Congress president Deepak Baij accused the BJP of favouring their supporters through the scheme. He wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "Mahtari Vandan money is going to BJP's favourites in the name of Sunny Leone".

Sunny Leone is yet to comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, Sunny, who last hosted the dating reality show 'MTV Splitsvilla X5', renewed her wedding vows with her husband Daniel Weber after 13 years of their marriage. The couple renewed their vows in an intimate ceremony in the Maldives on October 31, and was joined by their children Nisha, Noah, and Asher.

A source close to the couple had shared that the couple had wanted to renew their vows for quite some time but waited until their children were old enough to understand the significance of the occasion.
Belagavi, Dec 23 : Laxmi Hebbalkar, the women and child welfare minister on Monday released a video of the BJP MLC C.T. Ravi allegedly using derogatory words against her on the floor of the Legislative Council and stated that she will never forgive him for the offence.

Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, Minister Laxmi stated, "I have sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and she would meet him soon and submit the complaint.

"I will also meet the President Droupadi Murmu and submit all evidence to her in connection with the case," she said.

"There is no question of forgiving C.T. Ravi. I will not rest until he is punished. The Chief Minister and Chairman of the house should investigate the matter. The video should be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL)," she demanded.

Lashing out at the BJP MLC, she said, "C.T. Ravi, you have used that word. I will face hundreds of C.T. Ravis like you. I have documents with me. You should be ashamed. You claim that the police have planned to encounter you? If anyone comes to your native Chikkamgaluru and uses that derogatory word on your wife, will you sit quiet?"

"Not a single person from the BJP has asked for an apology for the incident. Instead they take out a procession for him. Is that right?" Minister Laxmi questioned.

"Don't you have women and girls at your houses? Without remorse you have been roaming as if nothing had happened. I will not sit quietly. I will pursue a legal battle," said Minister Laxmi.

"I have sought an appointment with the PMO to meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I will convey the matter to him. This is being done to dent my political career. You forget that we will sit depressed due to this incident," she underlined.

"Everyone in the party is with me. Senior leader and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has called and spoken to me. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also has spoken to me over phone for the last two days. The women in the state are with me," she further remarked.

The row erupted last Thursday during a heated debate in the Karnataka Legislative Council. C.T. Ravi allegedly referred to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, as a "drug addict."

This provoked strong reactions, with Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar calling Ravi a "murderer." Ravi reportedly responded with an obscene remark directed at Hebbalkar.

The alleged comment led to Ravi's arrest on charges of using derogatory language against Hebbalkar. However, following a High Court directive, Ravi was released, creating further political drama.

--IANS

mka/mr
Mumbai, Dec 23 : Dropping a political bomb, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that a Dalit man was 'murdered by police' and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis 'lied' in the legislature on the issue.

Accompanied by top party leaders, Rahul Gandhi visited the home of Somnath Vyankat Suryawanshi, 35, who was found dead in judicial custody on December 15, barely 72 hours after he was arrested in connection with the violence following the desecration of a statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar there.

Emerging after paying condolences to the family, a grim Rahul Gandhi said that grieving Suryawanshi had shown him the post-mortem report and videos of the incidents, and also apprised him of the sequence of events thereafter.

"It's 100 per cent a murder. The Police have beaten him... The police have murdered him in custody. He was killed because he was a Dalit and was trying to protect the Constitution. He was beaten and finished off," said Rahul Gandhi sternly.

He also pointed an accusing finger at Fadnavis, claiming that the "CM has lied in the Assembly", ostensibly to convey a "message to the police".

"It is the RSS ideology to finish off the Constitution. The (MahaYuti) government and their ideology is responsible (for Suryawanshi's death). The CM and those who thrashed him (the Dalit man) are responsible for all this," said Rahul Gandhi determinedly.

When the media sought to know whether he was attempting to politicise the issue with his visit and statements, the Lok Sabha LOP contested the claim, even as Bharatiya Janata Party leaders flayed his remarks.

"There's no politics here. It's a matter of justice. There's been a murder. It's a question of ideology. We want immediate action in the matter. We want this to be resolved and those behind it must be punished," Rahul Gandhi demanded.

Taking a cue, Maharashtra Congress President Nana F. Patole said that the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will soon move a breach of privilege motion against the CM for misleading the House on Suryawanshi's death. "The CM had said that he (Suryawanshi) was suffering from breathing problems and had died. Earlier the police had said he had complained of chest pains. The autopsy report (December 16) mentioned 'shock following multiple injuries' as the cause of death," pointed out Patole.

Subsequently, an unfazed Fadnavis dismissed Rahul Gandhi's remarks as 'political' and reiterated that the MahaYuti government has already initiated two probes into the matter, and justice would be done with stringent punishment to the accused.

Earlier, sporting a dark blue tee-shirt -- symbolizing the Dalit colour, Rahul Gandhi entered the Suryawanshi home bare feet, bowed and paid homage to a portrait of Somnath, a law student, and then walked inside to greet the family with a 'Namaste', this afternoon.

He sat on the floor beside the mourning family members hailing from the Wadar community. They related the sequence of events leading to Somnath Suryawanshi's death in judicial custody and showed him certain documents.

Rahul Gandhi gave them a patient hearing, nodded his head on several occasions, paid condolences and promised to ensure justice for the deceased man.

Later, he travelled to the home of another Dalit social worker Vijay Wakode, who suffered a heart attack and succumbed while attempting to control the rampaging mobs on December 11-12.

Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by top leaders like AICC's Ramesh Chennithala, state President Nana Patole, MPs Dr Shivaji Kalge, Ravindra V. Chavan, Dr Kalyan Kale, MLAs Vijay Wadettiwar, Amit Deshmukh, senior leaders Vijay Balasaheb Thorat, President of State SC Department Siddharth Hattiambire, Nana Gawande, Atul Londhe and others.

Suryawanshi was arrested in connection with the violent incidents that ensued after the desecration of a statue of Dr Ambedkar near Parbhani Railway Station on December 10, by one 'mentally disturbed' person named Sopan Pawar.

After the sacrilege, a violent and tense shutdown was observed in Parbhani, while the local police swooped down and detained/arrested around 300 persons, mostly Dalits, including Suryawanshi on December 12.

Barely 72 hours later, Suryawanshi was found dead in judicial custody, sparking a massive furore with the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and INDIA bloc allies raising the issue at multiple levels.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at qnajmi@gmail.com )
Gandhinagar, Dec 23 : As Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed appointment letters to newly appointed candidates across the country during the Rozgar Mela, the new recruits from Gujarat thanked PM Modi for giving them an opportunity to serve the nation.

Several of the newly appointed recruits spoke to IANS and expressed their gratitude to PM Modi.

One recruit shared, "After three years of hard work, Iave been selected for the Border Security Force (BSF). I am thrilled and want to thank PM Modi for this opportunity."

Another recruit from Gujarat said, "Iave been selected for the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) after two years of hard work. I am deeply grateful to PM Modi for this opportunity."

A third recruit, who was selected for the State Bank of India (SBI), shared, "Itas a great experience to receive my appointment letter through video conferencing. I am incredibly thankful to PM Modi for providing this opportunity."

Another recruit who had long dreamt of joining the military added, "After several years of dedication, Iave finally received the opportunity to serve the nation. I am very thankful to PM Modi for making this possible."

Earlier in the day, PM Modi personally congratulated over 71,000 recruits as part of the Rozgar Mela through video conferencing, designed to empower youth through job creation and enhance their role in nation-building.

Speaking at the event, PM Modi congratulated the recruits and their families, saying, "Today marks a new beginning for you. Your hard work has paid off. I met Indian youth and professionals in Kuwait, and now I am interacting with the youth of our nation."

The Prime Minister highlighted the government's efforts to harness Indiaas youth potential, noting, "Through the Rozgar Mela, we are advancing this mission. Over the past ten years, the campaign to provide jobs in government departments and ministries has been ongoing. Today, over 71,000 youth have received their appointment letters."

PM Modi also praised the transparency of the recruitment process, stating, "In the last decade, our government has provided over 10 lakh permanent government jobs, a historic achievement. Unlike previous governments, these appointments are being made with full transparency, ensuring that the youth selected through this process will dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the nation."

The Rozgar Mela is part of government's broader initiative to prioritize employment generation and provide youth with meaningful opportunities to contribute to the nation-building and secure their futures.
Srinagar, Dec 23 : Irked by the protest of his party's Lok Sabha member, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, against reservations despite the assurance given by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that it would be rationalised, the latter quoted Rudyard Kipling as he expected patience and trust from his party leaders and supporters.

After Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi led the anti-reservation protest at the Chief Minister's Gupkar residence in Srinagar city, Omar Abdullah said on X, "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you. If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too."

"If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, or being lied about, don't deal in lies, or being hated, don't give way to hating. And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dreama"and not make dreams your master. If you can thinka"and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken, Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!' If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kingsa"nor lose the common touch. If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, Anda"which is morea"you'll be a Man, my son."

There is little doubt that despite the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government constituting a cabinet sub-committee to make recommendations for rationalising the present reservation policy, his own Lok Sabha member leading the protests should embarrass the Chief Minister.

The problem with his party men and leaders seems to be that they are ignoring the basic fact that Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory and the elected government does not enjoy the same powers it would in a full fledged state.

While seeking restoration of statehood, Omar Abdullah appears to have realised that it would take some time and it is till such time that he expects his party leaders and supporters to keep their cool.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : Empowering local governance while safeguarding the rights of tribal communities in Scheduled Areas and management of natural resources would top the agenda at a National Workshop on PESA Act in Ranchi on Tuesday, said an official.

The day-long workshop on Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) is designed to generate actionable outcomes that will benefit the targeted communities.

Its focus will be on making all-out efforts to enhance their ease of living and create an enabling environment for their growth and prosperity, aligning with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said a statement.

Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, would also take part in the workshop organised by the Department of Panchayati Raj, Government of Jharkhand, with the aim of disseminating awareness about the Act at a time when Jharkhand is on the verge of finalising its PESA Rules in alignment with the PESA Act.

The occasion would also commemorate the enactment of the PESA Act on December 24 1996, a landmark legislation empowering Gram Sabhas in Scheduled Areas with self-governance and the management of natural resources.

The programme includes comprehensive discussions on PESAas role in strengthening governance in Scheduled Areas, along with a short film and song showcasing the essence and impact of PESA. Deepika Pandey Singh, Minister of Panchayati Raj, Rural Development and Rural Works, Jharkhand, will deliver the keynote address.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has advised the 10 PESA States a" Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana a" to organise awareness and capacity-building activities across their respective regions, said a statement.

These initiatives aim to actively engage key stakeholders, including elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions, Gram Sabha members, and officials from departments such as Forest, Revenue, Rural Development, Tribal Welfare, and Social Justice.
Dhaka, Dec 23 : The interim government in Bangladesh on Monday said that it has sent a diplomatic note to the Indian government, asking for extradition of the country's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The interim government in Bangladesh on Monday said that it has sent a diplomatic note to the Indian government, asking for extradition of the country's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

A leading voice in the struggle to restore democracy in the country, Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had to flee the country in an ignominious manner and seek refuge in India on August 5, earlier this year.

Touhid Hossain, the interim government's Foreign Affairs Advisor, confirmed the latest development in Dhaka on Monday afternoon.

"We have informed India. We have conveyed our request for Sheikh Hasina's return for judicial purposes. This has been communicated through a note verbale (diplomatic note)," Hossain told local media.

Earlier in the day, the country's Home Affairs Advisor, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury had said that his ministry had written to Hossain's office to facilitate the return of the ousted Prime Minister from India.

"We have sent a letter to the foreign ministry regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway. They have an extradition agreement with us," Chowdhury was quoted as saying by the country's leading Bengali daily Prothom Alo.

Earlier this month, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had travelled to Dhaka and held talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Md. Jashim Uddin and also called on Towhid Hossain and Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.

The meetings took place as relations between the two countries had nosedived over the past few months with India being extremely concerned about the surge in extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence, and provocations, especially against the Hindu community, in Bangladesh.

In September, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar had also held a bilateral meeting with Hossain on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York which was the first high-level engagement between the two countries after Hasina's ouster in August.

Hasina has also strongly condemned the "tortures" inflicted on common people, especially minorities, by the interim government.

"A top leader of the Sanatan religious community has been unjustly arrested, he must be released immediately," said the Bangladesh Awami League (AL) President after the arrest and jailing of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote who is also associated with Iskcon Bangladesh.

"A temple has been burnt in Chittagong. Previously, mosques, shrines, churches, monasteries and houses of the Ahmadiyya community were attacked, vandalized and looted and set on fire. Religious freedom and security of life and property of people of all communities should be ensured," Hasina stated.

"After the killing of innumerable Awami League leaders and workers, students and members of the law and order forces, harassment is going on through assaults and arrests. I strongly condemn and protest against these anarchist activities," she had added.
Dhaka, Dec 23 : The interim government in Bangladesh on Monday said that it has sent a diplomatic note to the Indian government, asking for extradition of the country's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

A leading voice in the struggle to restore democracy in the country, Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had to flee the country in an ignominious manner and seek refuge in India on August 5, earlier this year.

Touhid Hossain, the interim government's Foreign Affairs Advisor, confirmed the latest development in Dhaka on Monday afternoon.

"We have informed India. We have conveyed our request for Sheikh Hasina's return for judicial purposes. This has been communicated through a note verbale (diplomatic note)," Hossain told local media.

Earlier in the day, the country's Home Affairs Advisor, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury had said that his ministry had written to Hossain's office to facilitate the return of the ousted Prime Minister from India.

"We have sent a letter to the foreign ministry regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway. They have an extradition agreement with us," Chowdhury was quoted as saying by the country's leading Bengali daily Prothom Alo.

Earlier this month, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had travelled to Dhaka and held talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Md. Jashim Uddin and also called on Towhid Hossain and Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.

The meetings took place as relations between the two countries had nosedived over the past few months with India being extremely concerned about the surge in extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence, and provocations, especially against the Hindu community, in Bangladesh.

In September, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar had also held a bilateral meeting with Hossain on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York which was the first high-level engagement between the two countries after Hasina's ouster in August.

Hasina has also strongly condemned the "tortures" inflicted on common people, especially minorities, by the interim government.

"A top leader of the Sanatan religious community has been unjustly arrested, he must be released immediately," said the Bangladesh Awami League (AL) President after the arrest and jailing of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote who is also associated with Iskcon Bangladesh.

"A temple has been burnt in Chittagong. Previously, mosques, shrines, churches, monasteries and houses of the Ahmadiyya community were attacked, vandalized and looted and set on fire. Religious freedom and security of life and property of people of all communities should be ensured," Hasina stated.

"After the killing of innumerable Awami League leaders and workers, students and members of the law and order forces, harassment is going on through assaults and arrests. I strongly condemn and protest against these anarchist activities," she had added.
The fire broke out on the territory of the Alabuga economic zone in the Russian Federation in a warehouse where parts for unmanned aerial vehicles of the Shahed-136 type, which the Russian occupiers use to strike Ukraine, were stored.

As reported on the Telegram channel of the Main Intelligence Agency (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the room contained 65 fuselages of attack drones, as well as engines, navigation systems, thermal imaging cameras for the manufacture of 400 Shahed-136 units.

"Everything burned down. The aggressor's losses caused by the destruction of the Russian warehouse are estimated at $16 million. The mysterious destructive fire was another blow to the military-industrial complex of terrorist Russia," the report says.
Chennai, Dec 23 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has strongly criticised the recent amendment to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, calling it an undemocratic assault on free and fair elections.

In a post on X, Stalin said that democracy was facing its gravest threat under the BJP-led Union Government.

The Union Government's amendment to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, introduced on Saturday following recommendations from the Election Commission of India (ECI), has sparked widespread debate.

The amendment restricts public access to election materials, such as CCTV footage, unless explicitly listed by the ECI.

Voicing his objections, Stalin said, "Democracy is facing its gravest threat under the BJP-led Union Government, with the reckless amendment of Section 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules designed to undermine transparency in elections."

He argued that the amendment was a reaction to a Punjab and Haryana High Court directive to provide CCTV footage of an election booth.

Stalin added that the move undermines one of the Constitution's fundamental features -- transparency. In a post on X, Stalin said, "The BJP-led Union Government's fear extends beyond Haryana, reflecting anxiety over Maharashtra, where their orchestrated and unholy victory in the recent Assembly election has raised serious concerns."

He cast doubts on the BJP's recent electoral victories, particularly in Maharashtra. Stalin criticised the ECI for what he described as its willingness to bow to pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

He remarked, "It is shocking that the Election Commission of India, instead of defending its institutional integrity, has willingly succumbed to the Union Government's influence, effectively defacing its own creation -- free and fair elections."

The Chief Minister called on all political parties, including those aligned with the Union Government, to unite against what he termed an undemocratic assault on free and fair elections.

It is worth noting that the DMK and Stalin have been vocal opponents of the BJP-led central government.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK-led alliance made a clean sweep, winning all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry.
Kochi, Dec 23 : The Kerala High Court on Monday criticised the Kerala government based on reports that bio-medical waste from the state was dumped in Tamil Nadu.

The High Court asked for a proper report to be filed before January 10 when the case will be heard next.

The court said: "It is an alarming situation that waste generated in Kerala is being disposed in the neighbouring state, that too in a haphazard manner and contrary to the legal requirements."

These remarks came up at the special hearing done after media reports surfaced that biomedical, plastic, food, and mixed solid waste from Kerala was being illegally dumped at six locations in the Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu.

Tirunelveli is located about 140 km from the state capital city.

The matter surfaced after the southern Bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) had taken suo motu cognisance of the issue, following a report which appeared in a few media outlets on December 17 and 18.

On Monday, the Court was also informed that six criminal cases have been lodged in the matter and three Kerala residents have been arrested.

Even while slamming the Kerala government for dumping waste in Tamil Nadu it also asked the Cochin Corporation (Kochi Municipal Corporation) to file an affidavit on steps taken to clear polluted drains in Kochi and to prevent the dumping of plastic or other waste in drains, which would inevitably clog up rivers and backwaters.

The Court also ordered the amicus curiae to file a brief report on the issue, particularly which drains the state are most polluted.

"We request the amicus curiae to submit a brief report on the areas where the attention of the Court must be drawn regarding accumulation of filth, plastic and other waste in the drains," said the Court.
Kabul, Dec 23 : The Afghan caretaker government's Ministry of Public Health on Monday announced a three-day vaccination campaign aimed at protecting 4.8 million children under the age of five from poliovirus.

Running from Monday to Wednesday, the campaign will provide anti-polio drops to children in 11 out of the country's 34 provinces, said Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, spokesperson for the ministry.

In his message, Amarkhil urged tribal elders, religious scholars, and parents to actively participate and fully cooperate with polio workers to implement the campaign appropriately, Xinhua news agency reported.

On October 28, the Afghan caretaker government's Ministry of Public Health announced a three-day vaccination campaign aimed at protecting 6.2 million children under the age of five from poliovirus.

The campaign provided anti-polio drops to children in 16 out of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, said Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, spokesperson for the ministry.

In his message, Amarkhail urged tribal elders, religious scholars, and parents to cooperate with polio workers to implement the campaign appropriately.

"There are no confirmed positive polio cases registered in Afghanistan in 2024. The ministry is trying to eradicate this wild virus by launching vaccine campaigns," Amarkhail said.

Earlier on June 3, Afghanistan's second nationwide anti-polio campaign of 2024 kicked off, aiming to protect Afghan children from this paralysis, according to a statement by the country's Ministry of Public Health.

During the four-day campaign until June 6, more than 11.2 million children under five will be given polio vaccines, the statement said.

"The Ministry of Public Health is committed to eradicating the wild poliovirus with the cooperation of its partners in Afghanistan," said the newly-appointed Acting Minister of Public Health Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali.

There had been no reported cases of wild poliovirus in Afghanistan for five consecutive months, the World Health Organization reported in March.

Polio is a virus that may cause paralysis and is easily preventable by the polio vaccine. It is transmitted through contaminated water or food, or contact with an infected person. Many people who are infected with the poliovirus don't become sick and have no symptoms. However, some develop paralysis, which can sometimes be fatal. Treatment includes bed rest, pain relievers, rehabilitation and portable ventilators.
Mumbai, Dec 23 : Actor Aadar Jain turned up the romance on fiancAe Alekha Advani's birthday. The couple shared a passionate kiss.

Mumbai, Dec 23 (IANS) Actor Aadar Jain turned up the romance on fiancee Alekha Advani's birthday. The couple shared a passionate kiss.

On Monday, Aadar wished his fiancee Alekha Advani on her birthday with a special post. Taking to his Instagram handle, he dropped a romantic photo of them sharing a passionate kiss on a serene beach at sunset, with a heart etched in the sand showcasing their initials.

In another photo, Alekha is seen enjoying a swing on the beach. Yet another image showcases the tranquil beauty of trees against a backdrop of soft clouds. Jain also posted a photo of his ladylove posing with the cake.

The photos are from the couple's romantic gateway from Phuket, Thailand. In the comments section, members of the Kapoor family wished Alekha on her special day. Karisma Kapoor commented, "Happy birthday Alekha."

Meanwhile, Aadar Jain, son of Rima Jain and cousin of Ranbir Kapoor, celebrated his roka ceremony with fiancee Alekha Advani on November 23. The event was an intimate affair, attended by the couple's family and close friends, including Neetu Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Karisma Kapoor, veteran actor Shammi Kapoor's wife, Neela Devi Kapoor, Babita amaong others.

Sharing photos from their Roka on Instagram, Aadar wrote, "Forever & always.."

The couple officially confirmed their relationship during last year's Diwali celebrations hosted by Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan. Though Aadar had known Alekha for many years, their romance has flourished over the past year, drawing attention not only for their deep bond but also for the fascinating ties within their social circles.

Aadar proposed marriage to Alekha on a beautiful beach. In a heartfelt post, he called Alekha his "first crush, his best friend, and now, his forever."

For the unversed, Alekha Advani is not only a businesswoman but also a successful entrepreneur. She reportedly graduated from Cornell University's Hotel School and started her career as a hospitality consultant at a multinational corporation. After working with an MNC in Los Angeles, Alekha returned to Mumbai, where she contributed her expertise to a prestigious private members' club in Juhu.
Mumbai, Dec 23 : Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra, who was last seen in 'Indian Police Force', is embracing the extremes and coming out stronger.

On Monday, the actress took to her Instagram, and shared a video of herself in which she could be seen in a jacuzzi. The actress said in the video, posted from Lapland in Finland, that the temperature outside the jacuzzi is -13 C.

The actress then came out of the jacuzzi, and lay down on the snow with her back facing down. She screamed as she felt the temperature shock and sprinted back to the jacuzzi.

She wrote in the caption, "Life can throw you from hot to cold in a heartbeat, just like this. But it's all about embracing the extremes and coming out stronger. Stay balanced, stay motivated, and take the plunge into whatever life offers #NOGUTSNOGLORY #MondayMotivation #HotAndColdChallenge #Laplanddiaries".

Earlier, the actress and her husband, Raj Kundra's premises were raided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). After this, Raj had issued a public statement about him fully complying with the authorities.

Raj took to the Stories section of his Instagram, and penned a long note. He wrote, "To whom it may concern, While the media seems to have a flair for drama, let's set the record straight: I'm fully complying with the ongoing investigation that has been unfolding for the last four years. As for the claims of 'associates', 'pornography' and 'money laundering', let's just say that no amount of sensationalism will cloud the truth, in the end, justice will prevail".

He further mentioned, "A note to the media: It's unacceptable to repeatedly drag my wife's name into unrelated matters. Please respect the boundaries. #ED".

The recent ED searches were part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged money laundering case.

On October 3, Kundra, who is facing accusations of money laundering through bitcoin, received a notice from the Enforcement Directorate, instructing him to vacate his Juhu bungalow and Pune farmhouse. In response, he filed a petition with the Mumbai High Court challenging the notice.

The businessman was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch in July 2021 in connection with the case, facing multiple charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology Act. He was later granted bail by a city court.
Bhubaneswar, Dec 23 : Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Monday said that the state government will provide compensation to farmers for the damage to the crops due to unseasonal rainfall in the state within the next five days.

Speaking to mediapersons here on Monday, Pujari said that the district administrations have been asked to conduct proper assessment of the crop loss due to the unseasonal rainfall in the state.

He also said that the district administrations have also been instructed to rope in officials from unaffected areas for the assessment work.

"The revenue department officials have already started on-the-ground assessment. They have been instructed to complete the assessment within three days," said Pujari.

He urged the farmers not to worry as the state government will compensate for the losses caused by the natural disasters.

The revenue minister also asserted that the process of assessment is likely to be completed within three to four days. He stated that the compensation would be provided to the farmers through district administrations within five days.

Pujari further added that the district collectors have been asked to help farmers with the sale of crops not damaged completely.

The revenue minister noted that Ganjam district is worst affected due to the untimely rains.

He also clarified that all the affected farmers including those paid premium under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) will be compensated by the government through input subsidy for the crop loss.

The minister said that the insurance companies have also been instructed to pay the compensation amount to the farmers at the earliest.

As per report, the harvested crops of farmers in many coastal and interior districts -Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Boudh, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Khordha, Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Nawrangpur, Nayagarh, Puri and Raygada, have been damaged due to the unseasonal rainfall recently.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : The Delhi High Court on Monday issued a notice to Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale over his failure to pay Rs 50 lakh damages to former diplomat Lakshmi Puri, wife of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

A bench of Justice Manoj Jain was hearing a contempt plea filed by Lakshmi Puri against Saket Gokhale for the latter's "wilful and deliberate non-compliance" of the Delhi HC judgment.

Issuing notice, Justice Jain-led Bench ordered Saket Gokhale to file an affidavit disclosing all his assets, properties, and bank accounts and deposits within the next four weeks.

The matter will be heard next on February 5 next year.

In its July 1 decision, the Delhi High Court had ordered the Trinamool Congress leader to pay Rs 50 lakh damages in a defamation case filed by former diplomat Lakshmi Puri.

It had also directed Saket Gokhale to publish an apology in a newspaper and on his social media platform "X" handle within four weeks for publishing wrong and unverified allegations.

Further, the Delhi HC had directed that the apology tweet published on Saket Gokhale's X account should be retained for six months.

In the latest plea, Lakshmi Puri contended that Saket Gokhale should be punished for his non-compliance and willful disobedience of the court's decision.

The contempt plea added that Saket Gokhale was completely aware of the July 1 judgment passed against him, and he had also published related tweets on his social media handle.

The defamation suit was filed following Saket Gokhale's successive X posts accusing Lakshmi Puri of purchasing property in Switzerland disproportionate to her income. He also named Hardeep Puri in the tweets.

The Delhi High Court had held that the plaintiff suffered irreparable harm on account of Saket Gokhale's defamatory statements.

It said: "The defendant (Gokhale) is restrained from publishing further defamatory content against the plaintiff. Damages to the tune of Rs 50,00,000 are awarded to the plaintiff for the harm caused to her reputation."
Suva, Dec 23 : Fiji Airways restarted commercial passenger operations to Port Vila, capital of Vanuatu, on Monday, after days of suspension following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Vanuatu on December 17.

According to Fiji Airways, the aircraft carried 98 passengers, including a Fiji government relief team, returning Vanuatu nationals and residents as well as aid workers, with a payload of assistance goods onboard.

Also on board was a Fiji Airways ground team to service the aircraft at Port Vila and prepare for its return journey.

The Fijian national carrier resumed its normal schedule on Monday afternoon and further services will be operated on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The earthquake in Vanuatu last week killed at least 14 people, injured more than 200 and caused widespread damage, with homes flattened and vehicles destroyed.

A Fiji military team was sent to Vanuatu as part of Fiji's broader commitment to support neighbouring nations in times of crisis, as the country stands in solidarity with Vanuatu during its recovery from the devastating earthquake.

Earlier On December 21, Port Vila International Airport said that it will reopen on Sunday commercial airline operations, which had been suspended following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Vanuatu.

Airports Vanuatu Limited, owner and operator of Port Vila International Airport, made the announcement on Saturday via its social media account.

The company encouraged stranded passengers both in Vanuatu and abroad to contact relevant airlines to confirm details of their travel plans.

"Our certified aviation infrastructure engineers have completed a thorough inspection of all our airport pavements and have certified them as safe for operations having sustained no damage from the recent earthquake," Airports Vanuatu said, adding that aviation fuel supplied at Port Vila Airport is also not contaminated based on assessments conducted by fuel specialists.

The devastating earthquake has caused dozens dead, with more than 200 others injured.

Airports Vanuatu said the country's capital city, Port Vila, is still recovering from the devastating earthquake, with intermittent disruptions to utilities, communications and various services ongoing.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : The total number of exporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) increased considerably from 52,849 in 2020-21 to 1,73,350 in 2024-25, the government said on Monday.

MSMEs exports have witnessed a remarkable rise, increasing from Rs 3.95 lakh crore in 2020-21 to Rs 12.39 lakh crore in 2024-25, underscoring their critical role in boosting India's economy and strengthening global trade.

MSMEs demonstrated an exemplary growth trajectory, contributing 45.73 per cent to exports in 2023-24, which increased to 45.79 per cent by May 2024, highlighting their growing impact on India's trade performance.

Notably, the gross value added (GVA) by MSMEs in India's GDP was 29.7 per cent in 2017-18 which rose to 30.1 per cent in 2022-23.

Even amid the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the sector sustained a contribution of 27.3 per cent in 2020-21, rebounding to 29.6 per cent in 2021-22.

These figures highlight the sector's pivotal role in driving economic growth and stability, reflecting its enduring strength and importance to the Indian economy, said the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Between July 1, 2020, and July 24, 2024, a significant number of enterprises transitioned to medium enterprises.

During the financial year 2020-21 to 2021-22, 714 micro enterprises scaled up to medium and 3,701 small enterprises were upgraded to medium enterprises, informed the ministry.

This number increased steadily with the financial year 2023-24 to 2024-25 witnessing further growth, with 2,372 micro enterprises and 17,745 small enterprises scale up to medium.

"As India strives to position itself as a global economic powerhouse, the MSME sector undoubtedly plays a central role, fostering innovation, generating employment, and enhancing export competitiveness," the ministry noted.

MSME's are the backbone of India's economic landscape, pivotal in employment generation, entrepreneurship promotion, and economic development.
Hyderabad, Dec 23 : Tollywood actor Allu Arjun's father-in-law Kancharla Chandrasekhar Reddy on Monday called on AICC in-charge for Telangana Deepa Dasmunsi.

The meeting at Congress party's Telangana headquarters Gandhi Bhavan here comes amid a raging row involving the actor following the December 4 stampede at a theatre in Hyderabad during the premier show of 'Pushpa 2: The Rule'.

Chandrasekhar Reddy left Gandhi Bhavan after meeting Dasmunshi amid reports in a section of media that Allu Arjun's father-in-law faced humiliation as he did not get an audience with the AICC in-charge.

Chandrasekhar Reddy left Gandhi Bhavan without answering queries from media persons.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Mahesh Kumar Goud, however, said Chandrasekhar Reddy met Dasmunshi.

The TPCC chief said Chandrasekhar Reddy came to Gandhi Bhavan to meet him but as he was busy at a press conference, Chandrasekhar Reddy left after meeting Dasmunshi.

Stating that Chandrasekhar Reddy is still in the Congress party, Goud said he would speak to him.

Chandrasekhar Reddy had quit Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to join the Congress party in February this year.

His meeting with Dasmunshi came a day after some members of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee attacked Allu Arjun's house in Hyderabad. They were demanding the actor to pay Rs 1 crore to the family of the woman who died in the stampede at Sandhya Theatre.

Speaking in the Assembly on December 21, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had launched a scathing attack on Allu Arjun, blaming him for the stampede which left a woman killed and her son injured.

Revanth Reddy said that Allu Arjun visited the theatre without police permission, conducting a aroadshowa even after the stampede claimed the life of a woman and critically injured her son and for lacking sensitivity.

The actor also came under flak for not meeting the bereaved family or visiting the injured child in the hospital.

The Chief Minister also found fault with the film personalities who had made a beeline to Allu Arjunas house to meet him after his release from jail.
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bill Burns, visited Ukraine on his last visit as director of the CIA, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

Bill Burns visited Ukraine on his final trip as CIA Director. Throughout this war, weve had many meetings, and I am deeply grateful for his assistance, Zelenskyy said on X Saturday.

The President noted that such meetings in Ukraine, in other European countries, in America, and in other parts of the world were held without official information. After Burns' last visit, Zelenskyy wished him and his family good luck.

We dont disclose secrets, but we keep in touch. We will likely meet again, and we will surely see how this war ends with a real and lasting peacea peace we are working toward together, the President stressed.
Guwahati/Imphal, Dec 23 : Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Monday said that even as the situation in his state was complex, it has been gradually improving, adding that it will take time to restore complete normalcy and peace.

After attending the passing out parade of the newly recruited Manipur police personnel at Lachit Barphukan Police Academy at Dergaon in Assam's Golaghat district, the Chief Minister said that gradually, the situation in Manipur is improving with most of the districts remaining incident free for the past several months.

"The situation in Manipur is complex. It will take time to restore complete normalcy in Manipur. The state and Central security forces along with the civil administration are doing their best to maintain the violence-free situation and to deliver services to the people," Biren Singh told the media.

In all, 1,984 recruits of Manipur police took part in training at the Lachit Barphukan Police Academy in January this year and 1,946 recruits successfully completed their training.

Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, who is also holding the additional gubernatorial charge of Manipur, also attended the passing out parade.

The Chief Minister said that since the situation in Manipur is not conducive, he earlier approached Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to provide training to the new recruits of Manipur police personnel and Sarma immediately agreed.

"Assam and Manipur's old relationship is once again visible," he said, adding: "I am extremely grateful to Assam Chief Minister, his colleagues in the government and the DGP G.P Singh and other senior officials of the state."

To a question about the infiltrators from Bangladesh, Biren Singh said that problems of infiltration from Bangladesh and Myanmar are being faced not only by Manipur but also Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and other northeastern states.

"We have to jointly deal with the infiltration issue," he said, adding that among the new recruits police personnel there are people belonging to the Meitei, Kuki-Zo and Naga community and the government would try to keep them as a united team without dividing them on ethnic lines.

According to officials, out of the 1,946 recruits, caste distribution is diverse with 62 per cent being non-tribal Meiteis, 12 per cent are tribal Kuki-Zo and the remaining 26 per cent belonging to Naga and other tribes.

The ethnic violence between the non-tribals Meiteis and tribal Kuki-Zo broke out in Manipur on May 3 last year after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

According to police, 258 people, including militants, have been killed and over 2,000 injured during the 19 months of ethnic hostilities.
Kolkata, Dec 23 : The Union Minister of State for Port, Shipping and Waterways, Shantanu Thakur, on Monday, handed over appointment letters to as many as 25 candidates at the Rozgar Mela organised at Salt Lake in Kolkata.

The event was organised by the office of the South Bengal Division of Border Security Force (BSF).

Speaking to IANS, Union Minister Thakur said that the event at Kolkata was a part of a nationwide exercise organised in 27 different places in the country simultaneously.

"A total of 71,000 students participating at the events nationally were handed over appointment letters. Here I handed over the same to 25 candidates," he added.

Speaking on the occasion, he described the Rozgar Mela as a noble effort by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The country is happy that so many people are getting jobs at this event. I really applaud the Prime Minister's efforts to promote youth power in the country through such an event. Personally, I feel very happy participating in the event," Union Minister Thakur said.

Speaking to IANS, Sujata, who got enrolled in BSF, said that it was a great day for her since her dream had been fulfilled finally.

"It was a great moment to receive the appointment letter from the Union Minister. I am so happy," she added.

Sukumar Roy, who received an appointment letter for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), said that he was particularly happy with the arrangement of the event.

"I am feeling so good and this was surely a great day for me," he added.

Pratap Chandra Roy, who also got an appointment for CRPF, said that he found the words of the organisers at the event quite motivating.

"This was really a great day for me since my dream was fulfilled and I thank the organisers of the event for that," he said.

Fawaz T. K., who received the appointment as an associate professor with the Indian Maritime University, Kolkata, said that the event was extremely illustrious.

"I was really excited over the extremely fast process of appointment. The college where I have got an appointment letter is one of the best engineering colleges in the country," he said.

All the recipients of the appointment letters thanked the Prime Minister for the opportunity.
Mumbai, Dec 23 : The trailer of the upcoming movie 'Hindi Vindi' was unveiled on Monday. The film stars Neena Gupta and Mihir Ahuja. It also marks the acting debut of Guy Sebastian. The trailer offers a peek into the narrative which explores themes of identity, family, and the universal language of music.

Mumbai, Dec 23 (IANS) The trailer of the upcoming movie aHindi Vindia was unveiled on Monday. The film stars Neena Gupta and Mihir Ahuja. It also marks the acting debut of Guy Sebastian. The trailer offers a peek into the narrative which explores themes of identity, family, and the universal language of music.

The film is a co-production between India and Australia, and is directed by Ali Sayed, with its music composed by Javed-Mohsin and Guy Sebastian himself.

The film tells the story of Kabir (played by Mihir Ahuja), a teenage musician on a journey of self-discovery as he races against time to create a song in a language he doesn't speak. Kabir is conflicted about his cultural identity and struggles with a language barrier when his Indian grandmother (portrayed by Neena Gupta) comes to live with him in Sydney.

The filmas music blends contemporary and classical tunes to create a rich auditory experience. The soundtrack reflects the emotions and themes central to the story. The film has development support from Screen Australia.

Earlier, the first look of the film was unveiled, and it showed Guy Sebastian starring in a pivotal role along with Neena Gupta and Mihir Ahuja. The first look poster showcased the filmas lead actors in a breathtakingly intense frame.

The poster hinted at a gripping storyline, rich with emotion, drama, and music that will leave a lasting impression on audiences of all ages. The film is a musical drama exploring intergenerational language barriers within the migrant community.

A 24Six Films production, aHindi Vindia was shot on location across Sydney, Australia and is directed by Ali Sayed and written by Jay Sharma with Sayed.

Produced by Aniket Deshkar, Jay Sharma, Anil Sharma and Sunny Shah (SEM Films Mumbai), the film is set to release through The Backlot Films on February 27 2025.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Priyank Kanoongo as a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), an official statement said on Monday.

The appointment was made under the approval of President Murmu on Saturday, an official said.

Bhopal-based Kanoongo earlier served as a member of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) from 2015-2018.

He served as Chairperson of the NCPCR from 2019-2024.

The Commission consists of a Chairperson, five full-time members and seven deemed members.

The statute lays down qualifications for the appointment of the Chairperson and members of the Commission.

The NHRC in the country was established on October 12, 1993.

The statute under which the NHRC is established is the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993, as amended by the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006.

It is in conformity with the Paris Principles, adopted at the first international workshop on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights held in Paris in October 1991, and endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations by its Regulations 48/134 of December 20, 1993.

Earlier on Monday, the NHRC organised an open house discussion on the rights of gig workers in hybrid mode in New Delhi.

The discussions were held in three technical sessions -- 'Informality of the Gig workers' social security benefits and their legal ambiguity', 'Deprivation of health, mental health, safety and security of gig workers', and 'Gender disparity and financial instability for women gig workers'.

In her keynote address, NHRC Acting Chairperson Vijaya Bharathi Sayani said that there is a need for targeted efforts through regulatory frameworks to address gig worker's challenges, including long working hours, financial strain, and physical exhaustion.

She said that more than 83 per cent of app-based drivers work more than 10 hours daily, which puts them under physical and mental strain, added by policies like "10-minute deliveries and unrealistic targets which also result in avoidable accidents".

Women face additional challenges such as safety risks, erratic schedules, and physical demands, discouraging their participation and raising concerns about their well-being, said Sayani.

NHRC Secretary General Bharat Lal said that it is crucial to check the implementation of laws such as the Social Security Code 2020 and the various other labour laws in the country to ensure gig workers' welfare.

He also noted that several states like Karnataka, Rajasthan and Jharkhand are focusing on providing social security to gig workers but more needs to be done to address their other major concerns relating to health insurance, minimum wages, stress-free working conditions protecting their dignity.
Kolkata, Dec 23 : Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing a multi-crore cash-for-school job case in West Bengal, received a major setback on Monday as nine accused persons filed petitions at a special court in Kolkata, seeking relief from the case.

The ED was expected to file the charge sheet against the accused at the special court in the second half of Monday.

The most prominent name to file the relief petition is the Trinamool Congress legislator and the former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Manik Bhattacharya. His wife Shatarupa Bhattacharya and son Sauavik Bhattacharya were among the nine who have filed relief petitions.

The ground of Bhattacharya's relief petition was that ED failed to comply with the court's directive to file a "closure report," of the investigation in the case.

The fourth person to file the relief petition is the former and now suspended youth Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh. The grounds for his filing the relief petition are the difference in the charges framed against him and the different charge sheets filed by ED in the matter.

The other five who have filed the relief petition include employees of corporate entities who have been named in the subsequent charge sheets filed by ED in the matter. Their grounds were that they could not get through the voluminous charge sheet copies that were forwarded to them before the charge framing process.

The nine individuals who have filed relief petitions were named in subsequent charge sheets filed by ED in the matter. ED had given a total of 54 names in the charge sheet, out of which 29 are individuals and the remaining 24 are corporate entities or trusts.

The prime trust named in the charge sheet is Babli Chatterjee Memorial Trust, named after the deceased wife of Partha Chatterjee. The ED has claimed in the charge sheet that proceeds in the school job case were shown as donations to the trust and thus diverted.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : After being without a regular designated head for over six months, the Centre on Monday cleared the appointment of retired Supreme Court judge Justice V. Ramasubramanian as the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Under the Protection of Human Rights (PHR) Act, 1993, the apex human rights body consists of a Chairperson, five full-time members and seven deemed members.

NHRC has been waiting for a full-time Chairperson since June 1, after former Supreme Court judge and the eighth Chairman of the rights panel, Justice Arun Mishra, retired on completion of his tenure in office.

Since then, NHRC has been functioning with just one member in five positions, Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, also the Acting Chairperson.

As per Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the PHR Act, the Chairman and other members are appointed by the President upon the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister (who serves as the committeeas Chairperson), Home Minister, Leaders of the Opposition in both Houses of the Parliament, the Speaker of Lok Sabha and the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

The qualification of the NHRC Chairperson is that he should either have been a Chief Justice of India or a judge of the Supreme Court.

Besides Chairperson, NHRC consists of five other members other than the ex-officio members. One member is, or has been a judge of the apex court and one member is, or has been the Chief Justice of a High Court. Out of the remaining three members selected for their professional experience in matters centred on human rights, at least one must be a woman.

The ex-officio members include the Chairpersons of National Commissions -- National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women, National Commission for Minorities, National Commission for Backward Classes, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights; as well as the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.

The sitting Judge of the Supreme Court or sitting Chief Justice of any High Court can be appointed to the post only after consultation with the Chief Justice of India.

The tenure of the NHRC Chairman is five years or until the Chairman turns 70 years -- whichever is earlier.

The statutory body of NHRC came into being on October 12, 1993, under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of September 28, 1993.

The NHRC is entrusted with the protection and promotion of human rights, which the Act defines as "rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India".
New Delhi, Dec 23 : In a major breakthrough in the Punjab terror conspiracy case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday said it has arrested a key aide of designated Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh, also known as Landa, and gangster Bachitar Singh alias Pavitar Batala.

Jatinder Singh alias Jyoti of district Gurdaspur, Punjab has been arrested from Mumbai on Monday, the NIA said, adding, he was absconding since the arrest of weapons supplier Baljit Singh alias Rana Bhai in July 2024.

Jatinder was arrested after extensive technical and on-ground efforts by the NIA, the probe agency informed.

The anti-terror agency said in a statement that it has identified Jatinder as a member of the terror gang formed by foreign-based Landa of the banned terrorist organisation, Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), and an aide of Batala, a close associate of Landa.

According to NIA, Jatinder Singh was providing weapons to on-ground operatives of Landa and Batala in Punjab. He was procuring weapons from Madhya Pradesh (MP) based supplier Baljit Singh alias Rana Bhai, who has recently been chargesheeted in the instant case, the NIA investigation revealed.

NIA Investigations have further revealed that Jatinder Singh had brought ten pistols from MP and delivered them to operatives of Landa and Batala in Punjab.

He had planned to smuggle more weapons from MP into Punjab but was scuttled by NIAas sustained search operations over the past several months, the statement said further.

Jatinderas arrest marks a major step forward in NIAas efforts to dismantle the terror-gangster nexus by preventing smuggling of arms, ammunition, explosives etc, and raising of funds for carrying out terrorist acts on Indian soil.

The Union Home Ministry has designated Lakhbir Singh Landa, a 34-year-old Canada-based gangster, as a terrorist under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA.

Landa was involved in a rocket attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in 2021, among other terrorist activities, according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Landa fled to Canada in 2017. The MHA identifies him as a member of the notorious Khalistani group, BKI.
Chandigarh, Dec 23 : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday recommended a President's Police medal for Punjab Police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Jasbir Singh for "an act of exceptional and exemplary courage and selfless devotion to duty" at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar on December 2 when an assassination attempt was made on his life.

In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Sukhbir Singh Badal said, "It was only because of the blessings and grace of the almighty that ASI Jasbir Singh happened to be present there that day."

"It was remarkable how Jasbir Singh displayed a rare courage and commitment to his duty and risked his life to safeguard the sanctity of Sikhism's most sacred shrine, Shri Harmandar Sahib, and to save my life," he added.

He said, "The prevention of the tragic sequence of events was nothing short of providential, especially as those bent upon vitiating the sanctity of the place and the atmosphere of peace and communal harmony in Punjab, seemed to enjoy the brazen patronage of the high and mighty in the state."

Joining the issue, SAD Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also wrote to Amit Shah, demanding a high-level judicial probe into the incident.

In addition to recommending that Jasbir Singh's act of bravery on duty be acknowledged at the national level through an award of the President's Medal, she slammed Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his government in Punjab for "issuing provocative justifications for acts amounting to killings of political rivals".

She said that minutes before the assassination attempt on Sukhbir Singh Badal's life, senior officers of the police were busy chatting about controversial figures who have a criminal track record.

She said in a statement that the assassination attempt was neither a stray incident nor was it an individual act by "a lone wolf".

It was a clearly sponsored, pre-planned, pre-meditated act and a part of a deep-rooted conspiracy to weaken and eliminate the Sikh leadership, she added.
Pune, Dec 23 : Union Minister of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said over 13.29 lakh houses have been approved for Maharashtra during the financial year 2024-25 under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin Plus (+).

In his address at the Kisan Samman Diwas and Farmers and Rural Development Beneficiaries Conference here, the Union Minister said the survey work has been completed, and the final list has been made for these additional houses to be allotted in Maharashtra.

"The government is working with the commitment that no person should be deprived of a pucca house," Shivraj Chouhan said.

Speaking at the event to mark National Farmers Day 2024, the Union Minister further said that a target has been fixed to build over 19.66 lakh houses in Maharashtra during the financial year 2024-25.

"The total estimated expenditure for this will be Rs 29,501 crore. It is hoped that the newly formed state government will be able to achieve these targets within the stipulated time," the Minister added.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the government is making all-out efforts to provide the benefits of this scheme to those people who have not got the opportunity to join the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana or whose name is not on the survey list.

Earlier, people who had two-wheelers and telephones were deprived of this scheme, but now, under the Awas Plus (+) scheme, all such people will get the benefit of a house, the minister explained.

According to the new survey, people in the monthly income group of Rs 15,000 and those who own more than 5 acres of unirrigated land will also be able to get the benefit of this scheme.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said that the government is very sensitive towards women empowerment. A target has been set to make 3 crore Lakhpati Didis across the country. So far, 1.15 crore sisters have been made Lakhpati Didi because women's self-help groups play a major role in India's economy.

Talking about the development of the agriculture sector, Union Minister Chouhan said that during the UPA government, the annual budget provision for agriculture was only Rs 23,000 crore, whereas during the tenure of the Modi government, it has been increased to Rs 1.27 lakh crore.

Apart from this, the government has provided a subsidy of Rs 1.94 lakh crore for a total of 45 programmes.

The minister further stated that the government has so far spent Rs 1,166 lakh crore for various ongoing schemes under the National Food Security Programme, and the government is making continuous efforts to double the income of the country's farmers.

He also said that recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated 109 varieties of new seeds of 65 crops to the nation which will be an important part of natural farming.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : Facing criticism for failure to clean the Yamuna, the AAP-led Delhi government on Monday blamed the BJP-led government in Haryana for failure to check industrial pollutants falling into the river resulting in disruption of raw water treatment in Delhi due to high content of ammonia.

Delhi Water Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj criticised the spike in the release of industrial waste into river Yamuna from Haryana, saying, "Two water treatment plants in Delhi have been impacted, causing 70-80 MGD water shortfall in the city."

He asked the BJP why its government in Haryana had failed to install water treatment plants to stop pollutants from Sonipat and Panipat falling into the Yamuna river.

Bhardwaj, in charge of Delhi Jal Board, said Delhi's Haiderpur and Wazirabad water treatment had been hit due to high ammonia content in raw water, impacting the supply of drinking water in parts of central and western Delhi.

"Ammonia content in Yamuna water has risen to 3.5-4 parts per million (ppm), forcing the closure of treatment plants due to bad quality of raw water," he said, alleging that in the past two days drain number 1 and drain number 8 carrying industrial waste from Haryana's Panipat and Sonipat cities have recorded higher content of toxic effluents.

Earlier, Bhardwaj said the great response to the registration of the AAP government's women financial assistance scheme in the city would bring a tsunami of electoral wins for the ruling party in the upcoming Assembly election.

The pro-AAP mood among voters over the past two days is going to make the upcoming election much more difficult for the BJP as compared to the last two in 2015 and 2020, he added.

However, the BJP slammed the door-to-door registration drive of the AAP for two welfare schemes -- Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana -- accusing the party of engaging in "election gimmicks" ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections.

BJP leader and NDMC Vice Chairman Kuljeet Chahal accused former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of making hollow promises.

"Kejriwal promised 500 new schools, 20 colleges, employment for youth, free water, and electricity. None of these promises have been fulfilled. Why is he making these announcements now after being in power for a decade? Will the money suddenly appear in people's bank accounts?" Chahal asked, calling the welfare schemes a mere "election gimmick".

--IANS

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Pope Francis has called for a Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine and the Middle East on Christmas Day, according to the Vatican's website.

Tormented Ukraine continues to be struck by attacks against the city, which at times damage schools, hospitals, and churches. May the weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound! Let us pray for a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, the Holy Land, in all the Middle East and the entire world, at Christmas, said the Pontiff after reading the prayer Angelus on Sunday.

He also noted that he was following the news from Mozambique and repeated his message of hope, peace and reconciliation to the people of that country. He prayed that "dialogue and the quest for the common good, supported by faith and good will, may prevail over mistrust and discord."
Kolkata, Dec 23 : As announced by the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee last week, Trinamool Congress organised protest rallies throughout the state at block and ward levels, condemning the recent comments of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah about B.R. Ambedkar.

The event was organised on Monday and witnessed the participation of the ruling party activists in huge numbers.

The main protest demonstration was organised at Kolkata and it was led by the party's state president in West Bengal Subrata Bakshi.

He led a procession to Esplanade in Kolkata and before starting the protest rally he garlanded the statue of Ambedkar there.

He said that the protest demonstrations are being carried out throughout the state following the instructions of the party chief Mamata Banerjee.

"We condemn the comments by the Union Home Minister about the father of the Indian Constitution. We condemn BJP," he added.

Trinamool Congress's state vice-president Jayprakash Majumdar said Ambedkar hailed from the backward community and led the committee for drafting the Indian Constitution.

"Because of him, the Indian Constitution called for inclusivity for all. At that point in time, the Hindu fundamentalist forces too opposed him. That hatred was reflected in the recent comments by the Union Home Minister," Majumdar added.

Since the Union Home Minister's comments surfaced, Mamata Banerjee has launched scathing attacks against the BJP over them more than once.

First, the West Bengal CM issued a statement last week, claiming that the comments about Ambedkar were reflections of the BJP's culture of hate and intolerance.

Noting that Ambedkar envisioned a nation built on values of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity, where all classes, castes, creeds, and communities could live in harmony, Banerjee, in a statement, said: "This is not just an insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar but an attack on the entire Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution, an assault on the legacy of our freedom fighters, and a betrayal of our Dalit and Adivasi brethren."
Seoul, Dec 23 : South Korea's National Assembly began a two-day confirmation hearing process on Monday for three nominees to the Constitutional Court, which will deliberate on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial.

The Parliamentary hearings aim to fill vacancies on the nine-member bench, where six justices are currently seated. By law, at least six votes are required to uphold an impeachment motion.

The main Opposition Democratic Party (DP) held hearings earlier in the day for Ma Eun-hyuk and Jeong Gye-seon, both recommended by the Opposition, without the participation of lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

During the hearings, both nominees pledged to safeguard constitutional order.

Ma introduced his past activities opposing the military rule and pledged to uphold the constitutional order.

Reflecting on the oppressive campus atmosphere when he entered university in 1981, the 61-year-old said he collaborated with other students, friends and citizens "to contribute in a modest way to the era's task of ending the military dictatorship and restoring democracy."

He also said "a candidate's ideological inclination" does not necessarily play a decisive role in determining the outcome of an impeachment trial.

Jeong said she would "make utmost efforts to chart a path forward for society, protect fundamental rights and uphold constitutional order, if given the chance to serve as a Constitutional Court justice."

A third nominee, Cho Han-chang, recommended by the ruling party, is scheduled to undergo a hearing on Tuesday.

It remains uncertain whether acting President Han Duck-soo would proceed with formal appointments of the three nominees, Yonhap news agency reported.

The PPP has argued that Han lacks Presidential authority to make the appointments and has vowed to file a suit with the Constitutional Court seeking an injunction if he proceeds.

In contrast, the DP has urged Han to expedite the appointments, claiming formalising the nomination approved by the National Assembly is merely a formality.

The DP said it plans to adopt the confirmation hearing reports Tuesday and put them to a plenary vote later this week.
Guwahati, Dec 23 : Assam Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi on Monday claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has not only disrespected B.R. Ambedkar in the Parliament but has insulted the whole Dalit community.

Bordoloi said, "I was in the Parliament when Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke about B.R. Ambedkar. I have the original audio clip with me. His statement was derogatory in nature. It has insulted the Dalit community in our country."

The Nagaon Lok Sabha MP also said that the Congress will continue to protest against Amit Shah's comments against Ambedkar.

Earlier on Saturday, Congress announced a nationwide campaign to further press its demand for the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks about B.R. Ambedkar, the principal architect of India's Constitution.

"In continuation of our firm protest against the offensive and disrespectful comments made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah about B.R. Ambedkar, the party has decided to escalate our demand for his resignation," Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal said in a press statement.

The decision followed a high-level meeting chaired by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, where it was resolved to strengthen the fight to uphold Ambedkar's legacy. A series of activities have been planned as part of this intensified campaign.

"All Congress MPs and Congress Working Committee members will hold press conferences in their respective constituencies, state headquarters, or district headquarters on December 22 or December 23 to condemn the remarks against Amedkar and demand the resignation of Amit Shah," Venugopal said, as per the statement.

As part of the agitation, the party has called for a Babasaheb Ambedkar Samman March to be held in every district across India on Tuesday.

The march will begin with the garlanding of Ambedkar's statue, followed by the submission of a memorandum to the President through respective District Collectors.

"Ensure that a large portrait of Ambedkar is prominently displayed at the front of the march. Participants should carry placards featuring Ambedkar's image along with slogans demanding an apology from Amit Shah and his removal from the Union Cabinet," Venugopal said in the statement.

"These actions reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding the legacy of Ambedkar, who remains a beacon of justice and equality for the nation. We urge all party leaders, workers, and the public to actively participate in these initiatives," he added.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : The central government has scrapped the "no-detention policy" in schools. In this regard, the Ministry of Education has issued an official Gazette notification.

Following the decision, regular exams will now be conducted at the end of each academic year for students in the 5th and 8th grades. Students failing these exams will not be promoted to the next class; instead, they will be given an opportunity to reappear for the exam. These students can retake the exam within two months. If they pass the re-exam, they will be promoted to the next grade. So, from now onwards the schools will be allowed to fail Vth and VIIIth standard students who do not clear the year-end exams, according to officials.

The Ministry of Education clarified that no student will be expelled from school until they complete their primary education. Anil Kumar Singhal, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Education, issued the Gazette notification regarding this change.

According to the Ministry of Education, with these new changes, students who fail will be held back in their current class. Previously, the No Detention Policy was in effect in the country. Under this policy, students up to class 8 could not be held back, and even if they did not perform well, they would be promoted to the next class. There was no provision to hold back students in the same class. These rules were part of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act.

However, the Ministry has now made significant changes. Under the new rules, exams will be held for these students, and those who fail will not be promoted to the next class.

The Ministry of Education has specified the conditions under which students who fail in exams will be held back in the same class. The second change is that regular exams will now be conducted at the end of each academic year for 5th and 8th grade students.

The Ministry explained that after the regular exams if any student fails to meet the prescribed criteria, they will be given an additional opportunity for a re-exam within two months of the declaration of the result. If the student fails again to meet the promotion criteria after retaking the exam, they will be held back in the same class (5th or 8th grade).

The Ministry also mentioned that during the period when a student is held back, the class teacher will guide the student and, if necessary, the student's parents. After identifying the various stages of student failure, expert input will be provided.

Moreover, the school principal will create a list of students who have been held back due to failure. These students will receive expert input, and their progress will be closely monitored. For the overall development of the student, exams and re-exams will be competency-based.
Belgrade, Dec 23 : Heavy snowfall has hit western and southwestern Serbia, prompting authorities to warn of potential disruptions to transportation and electricity supply on Monday.

The Serbian Hydrometeorological Institute (RHMZ) issued an urgent weather alert, forecasting intense snowfall from today through Wednesday with the heaviest snow expected in the western regions.

The Ministry of Interior's Sector for Emergency Situations has advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and stay indoors. Residents have been urged to prepare for possible power outages.

To ensure timely communication, RHMZ has activated an emergency SMS notification system to inform the public of the severe weather conditions and provide necessary instructions, Xinhua news agency reported.

Snowfall is expected to persist over the next two days, with emergency services on standby to clear roads and assist affected areas.

By Wednesday, between 20 and 40 cm of snow is forecast for lower areas, while mountain regions could receive over 50 cm, according to RHMZ.

Earlier this year, Serbia had faced significant losses due to drought which ravaged crops.

The drought had drastically lowered crop yields, forcing farmers to start their harvests much earlier than planned.

Sugar beet harvesting began earlier than the usual mid-October timeline, with corn and sunflower harvests also starting about a month and a half ahead of schedule.

Experts indicated that the drought had sped up the corn harvest, leading to a projected yield decrease of 16 to 20 per cent.

In response, the local government has been investing in irrigation systems to support agriculture.

Petar Samolovac, assistant secretary for Agriculture, Water Management, and Forestry in Vojvodina, said that the total investment in these irrigation systems amounts to $6.15 million.

The temperatures had hit record highs in the Mediterranean with countries such as Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Turkey and Greece, witnessing blistering heat, this year.
Ahmedabad, Dec 23 : Adani Defence & Aerospace announced on Monday that it has signed a binding agreement to acquire Air Works, India's largest private-sector maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) company, for an enterprise value of Rs 400 crore.

Ahmedabad, Dec 23 (IANS) Adani Defence & Aerospace announced on Monday that it has signed a binding agreement to acquire Air Works, Indiaas largest private-sector maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) company, for an enterprise value of Rs 400 crore.

"Adani Defence Systems & Technologies Ltd (ADSTL) has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire 85.8 per cent shareholding in Air Works India (Engineering) Private Ltd," a company statement said.

Air Works undertakes base maintenance for narrow-body and turboprop aircraft, as well as rotary aircraft from its facilities at Hosur, Mumbai, and Kochi and with regulatory approvals from civil aviation authorities of more than 20 countries.

In addition to being a market leader in civil aviation, Air Works has built significant capabilities in defence MRO, executing projects for key platforms of the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, the statement said.

"The acquisition enhances the Adani Groupas capabilities in the defence MRO sector, solidifying its position in Indiaas airborne defence ecosystem," the statement said

This strategic move marks a pivotal step in Adani Group's growth trajectory, laying the foundation for its expansion into the civil aviation services domain, it added.

With operations spanning 35 cities and a workforce of over 1,300 personnel, Air Works brings extensive expertise in servicing both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

The MRO company offers an end-to-end bouquet of aviation services spanning line maintenance, heavy checks, interior refurbishment, painting, redelivery checks, avionics as well as asset management services to its Indian and global customers, according to the statement.

"The Indian aviation industry stands at a transformative juncture, now the third largest globally and on track to induct over 1,500 aircraft in the coming years," said Jeet Adani, Director, Adani Airports.

"This growth aligns seamlessly with the governmentas vision to connect every corner of our nation, creating unprecedented opportunities in aviation services. For us, creating a presence in the MRO sector is more than just a strategic step - it's a commitment to building an integrated aviation services ecosystem that strengthens the backbone of Indiaas aviation infrastructure. Together, we are excited to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Indiaas skies."

Adani Defence & Aerospace CEO Ashish Rajvanshi said: "This landmark acquisition represents a pivotal step in Adani Defence & Aerospaceas mission to strengthen Indiaas MRO capabilities."

"Our vision is to deliver a full-spectrum MRO offering - spanning line, base, component, and engine maintenance - to meet the needs of both commercial and defence aviation sectors. In a time when Aatmanirbharta in defence is a national imperative, we stand fully committed to scaling domestic capabilities to serve both our armed forces and the broader aviation sector. This is our pledge to the nationa"to build capabilities that secure our skies and strengthen our sovereignty."

Adani Defence & Aerospace, part of the Adani Group, is a pioneer in the design, development, and manufacturing of state-of-the-art defence products. The company has also established an ecosystem of start-ups and MSMEs with an export-oriented mindset, best-in-class processes, and quality management systems, the company statement added.
Damascus/Amman, Dec 23 : Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held talks with Ahmad al-Shara, head of Syria's de facto governing group, in Damascus on Monday, with discussions focusing on Syria's political transition and broader regional security concerns.

According to Sham FM, a Syrian media outlet, Safadi reaffirmed Jordan's support for Syria's transition, which includes forming an inclusive government and drafting a new constitution.

During the meeting, Safadi also highlighted the need for the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees, stressing Jordan's readiness to facilitate the repatriation process in collaboration with Syria's new leadership.

Additionally, Safadi reiterated Jordan's commitment to aiding Syria's reconstruction efforts, emphasizing that Jordan would encourage both regional and international partners to engage with Syria's emerging leadership, Sham FM reported.

A statement posted by Jordan's Foreign Ministry on social media platform X further underscored Safadi's remarks, stressing that Syria's reconstruction is of strategic importance to both Jordan and the broader region, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement also noted that Arab countries are united in their support for Syria's recovery, free from external interference.

In the context of regional security, Safadi emphasized the significance of securing the 386-kilometer border shared by Jordan and Syria. He pointed to the ongoing challenges posed by terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons smuggling along this frontier, stating, "We want that border to be stable and secure."

The foreign minister also condemned the recent Israeli incursion into Syrian territory, according to the statement.

A militant alliance led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group waged a major military operation from northern Syria on November 27. It swept southwards, captured the capital Damascus, and overthrew former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government within 12 days.

Earlier this month, King Abdullah II of Jordan had said that the first step towards achieving comprehensive calm in the Middle East region is to stop the Israeli war on Gaza, which requires immediate and serious global action.

A statement released by Jordan's Royal Hashemite Court on December 12 had stated that, during the king's meeting in Aqaba with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the two sides had also addressed efforts to enhance humanitarian response in Gaza.

The king also warned of the dangers posed by unilateral Israeli measures in the West Bank, and its continued assaults on holy sites in Jerusalem, the statement said.
Jaipur, Dec 23 : A 3-year-old girl on Monday fell into a 700-feet-deep borewell in Badiyali Dhani, located in the Kiratpura area of Rajasthan's Kotputli, an official said, adding that she is stuck at a depth of 150 feet.

A rescue operation is currently underway to save her.

Excavation work is being carried out near the borewell with the help of a JCB, while oxygen is being supplied to the girl through a pipe, an official said.

The rescue team has observed the girl's movements through a camera lowered into the borewell, and her cries have also been recorded.

The SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) is being assisted by the personnel of the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) to rescue the girl.

The incident happened on Monday afternoon at around 1.50 p.m, when the 3-year-old minor girl, Chetna Chaudhary, daughter of Bhupendra Chaudhary, was playing outside her house.

She slipped and fell into the borewell.

Hearing her cries, the family immediately alerted the police. Soon, a team of police and officials from the local administration rushed to the scene.

An official said that due to the continuous supply of oxygen, one cylinder is being exhausted every hour.

The medical team has ordered an additional 20 cylinders to ensure the girl's safety.

The NDRF team plans to reach the girl using an iron rod and pipe. Once access is made, they aim to pull her out by trapping her hands or legs in a circular ring attached to the rod.

The girl's movement was visible in the camera footage, and she was seen wearing a cap and shaking her head.

Kotputli MLA Hansraj Patel said that the SDRF and NDRF teams, along with the police and administration, are fully engaged in the rescue operation, and every effort is being made to save the girl.

The SDRF team has briefed Superintendent of Police Rajan Dushyant about the operation's plan, stating that they would first attempt to lift the girl using ropes and pipes.

The team is currently connecting pipes of the right length to facilitate the rescue.
Moscow, Dec 23 : The transit of Russian gas to European countries is currently "very difficult" and requires attention, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Peskov made the remarks after a meeting between Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sunday where the parties discussed the transit of Russian gas as Ukraine declined to renew a gas transit deal with Russia.

"You have heard the statement from the Ukrainian side, and you know about the position of those European countries that continue to buy Russian gas and that consider it necessary for the normal operation of their economies," Peskov said, noting it is a very complicated situation that requires attention, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday at a European Union Summit that he will not extend Ukraine's five-year gas transportation deal with Russia, which expires at the end of 2024.

The move has raised concern for Slovakia, which has a long-term contract with Russian energy giant Gazprom. Although Putin confirmed Russia's readiness to continue supplying gas to the West and to Slovakia, Fico said this was "practically impossible" once the gas transit agreement expires at the end of the year.

The meeting between Putin and Fico planned several days ago, and the two leaders held talks in a one-on-one meeting, Peskov said.

Meanwhile, according to Fico, the meeting was a reaction to Zelensky, who said Thursday at a European Union summit in Brussels that he was against any transit of gas through Ukraine to Slovakia.

Putin confirmed Russia's readiness to continue supplying gas to the West and to Slovakia, the Slovak prime minister said, adding that it is practically impossible after January 1, 2025, when the current contract expires, given the attitude of Zelensky.

Top EU officials were informed about the trip and its purpose on Friday, Fico said.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has confirmed that his country will halt the transit of Russian gas through its territory starting January 1, 2025.

The resumption of gas transit would be only possible at the request of the European Commission and if Ukraine transports non-Russian gas, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on Friday, citing Shmyhal.

Notably, Ukraine used to be a key transit route for Russian gas supplies to Europe.

Slovakia is dependent on gas passing through Ukraine and Fico has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for refusing to extend the contract, which expires at the end of the year. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, shown in a video posted on Zarubin's account on the Telegram messaging app, said the discussions were sure to focus on gas transit and the current international situation.

Slovakia, which has a long-term contract with Russian giant Gazprom, has been trying to keep receiving gas through Ukraine, saying buying elsewhere would cost it 220 million euros ($229 million) more in transit expenses.
Gaza, Dec 23 : Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said on Monday its fighters killed three Israeli soldiers and "rescued" Palestinians held by Israeli forces in a house in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Al-Qassam said its members "stabbed and killed three Israeli soldiers who were on a mission to protect a building." It added that Hamas fighters also seized the Israeli soldiers' weapons and freed several Palestinians held captive.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that three soldiers and officers from the Kfir Brigade were killed by the detonation of an explosive device targeting a military force in northern Gaza.

Earlier in the day, the Hamas-run media office said that more than 50 Palestinians were killed or injured in an Israeli military operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

The office described the Israeli army's actions as a "horrific, brutal crime," claiming that the camp was stormed by over 17 tanks, bulldozers, military vehicles, and dozens of heavily armed soldiers, supported by drones.

The statement said that the casualties were all civilians, including more than half women and children. It also reported that over 20 housing units were destroyed, as well as significant damage from shelling and explosions.

The Gaza government held both the Israeli military and the US administration responsible for the continuation of these actions, urging the international community to intervene, end the "blatant crimes," and ensure the protection of civilians and infrastructure.

Israel launched a large-scale military offensive against Hamas in Gaza on October 7, 2023, following a cross-border attack by the Islamist group into southern Israel.

Israeli authorities say the Hamas attack killed more than 1,200 people and saw hostages taken back to Gaza.

Palestinian health authorities say the ensuing Israeli offensive has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians and caused widespread destruction to homes and infrastructure.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, during which the parties discussed continued cooperation and contributions to Ukrainian weapons production, sanctions against the shadow fleet of the Russian Federation and the summit of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in Estonia.

"The Head of State thanked for the defense, political and economic support provided by the United Kingdom, in particular, for the package announced on December 19 to strengthen the Ukrainian Navy. The President also noted the government's decision to send a loan of GBP 2 billion, the repayment of which will take place with funds from frozen Russian assets, for the Ukrainian production of weapons," the press service of the Presidents Office reported on Monday.

The parties also paid attention to strengthening sanctions against the Russian Federation and, in particular, the shadow tanker fleet of the Russian Federation. Zelenskyy stressed that it is necessary to limit the use of Russian tankers as much as possible, which will reduce the ability of the Russian Federation to finance the war.

During the conversation, the parties discussed the leaders' meetings in Brussels and the JEF summit in Estonia, as well as the efforts needed to strengthen Ukraine. Zelenskyy noted that the Ukrainian state is interested in expanding cooperation with JEF and full membership in the organization.

He also invited Starmer to visit Ukraine again.
Mumbai, Dec 23 : Soon, the yummy streetside vada-pavs or bhelpuri or pav-bhaji that millions on Mumbai streets gorge daily, may be served with a dash of food safety and hygiene - courtesy the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, said officials here on Monday.

Mumbai, Dec 23 (IANS) Soon, the yummy streetside vada-pavs or bhelpuri or pav-bhaji that millions on Mumbai streets gorge daily, may be served with a dash of food safety and hygiene  courtesy the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, said officials here on Monday.

In a unique initiative, the FSSAI is all set to train some 10,000 street food vendors lessons in enhancing and maintaining food safety and hygiene for the array of foods that they serve in corner stalls or roadside carts, and now even in vans, that tickle the palates of hungry people all over the city.

The reason is: to reduce public health risks and prevent Mumbaikars from consuming contaminated, unhealthy or unhygienic foods which they love, but which may be harmful for their well-being.

The BMC Administrator, Bhushan Gagrani and the FSSAI CEO, G. Kamalvardhan Rao, signed a memorandum of understanding to the effect with top officials from both sides like Vipin Sharma, Sanjog Kabre, Daksha Shah (BMC) besides Preeti Chaudhary, K.U. Methekar (FSSAI), present.

The FSSAI experts will train the street food vendors on the importance of food safety, personal hygiene, cleanliness, preparation of the place of sale, cooking or preparing the food/s, food hygiene processes, safe handling, storage, waste management, plus information on the Food Safety and Standards Act.

Gagrani said on the occasion that Mumbai is renowned as a metropolis of people who work hard and enjoy a strong bond with the street food vendors, and hence it was important to upskill them properly to keep the health of Mumbaikars robust.

Accordingly, Mumbai's licensed street food vendors will be trained so that they can provide clean, hygienic and fresh food to the citizens to help the Mumbaikars remain 'healthy' always with access to quality foods.

The MoU envisages regular tutoring sessions for the street food sellers, round the year, in collaboration with the BMC and FSSAI, and would benefit around 10,000 licenced vendors to begin with, in all the 227 electoral divisions and Wards of the city.

"The main objective of this training is to increase the knowledge and skills of street food vendors about food safety rules, hygiene practices and safe handling of food, create awareness among them to comply with the 'Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006', reduce risks related to public health and discourage Mumbaikars from consuming contaminated, unhealthy food," remarked Gagrani.

The BMC will ensure that a maximum number of street food vendors participate, provide resources/support for the training and the selected ones will be awarded certificates.

The FSSAI will prepare and provide standardized training modules through qualified trainers and subject-matter experts, hand out reading materials and guidelines for street food vendors, along with effectiveness and evaluation of the training programmes.

A Joint Coordination Committee will be formed between the BMC and the FSSAI, with three members from each side to monitor various initiatives and implement them effectively, besides carrying out a review of the progress at regular intervals.

An official said that the street food vendors will be imparted knowledge of the basic hygiene practices as per Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Rules, 2011.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: qnajmi@gmail.com)
Bhopal, Dec 23 : Amid corruption allegations levelled by Opposition Congress against the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Monday that his government has 'zero tolerance' for corruption.

Chief Minister Yadav said his government is moving forward with the same commitment he has made on the very first day he took oath as the Chief Minister.

He claimed that all toll plazas or entry points where illegal activities were found have been stopped immediately.

"Our government has taken various tough decisions on the very first day (of taking charge as CM) and ending corruption at toll plazas was one of them. We have conducted a thorough investigation at all toll plazas and prompt action was initiated," he added.

Chief Minister Yadav's statement came a day after the Congress accused the BJP government of making Madhya Pradesh a "hub of scams," and failure in taking tough action against the nexus of officials and politically connected people operating in the state for decades.

The recovery of 52 kg gold and Rs 9.86 crore cash along with documents related to unaccounted assets from an ex-Regional Transport Office (RTO) constable during raids conducted by multiple agencies have sparked a political controversy here in Madhya Pradesh.

On Sunday, Congress demanded the inclusion of names of the former and current Road Transport Ministers, along with department officials and their family members in the ongoing Lokayukta raid against ex-RTO constable Sourabh Sharma.

Referring to the Income Tax Department searches against builders in the state, the opposition Congress called for a probe to investigate the links between the builders and retired bureaucrats as well as those currently serving in the current BJP government.

Responding to CM Yadav's statement, senior Congress leader and former Minister Mukesh Nayak, who is also in charge for the state media department, said the Chief Minister has finally accepted that corruption took place in the RTO department.

"CM Yadav has accepted that high-level corruption was involved in the RTO department. Then, why he didn't take any action against senior officials and the Transport Minister? Why tainted officials are being shielded," Nayak asked.
Istanbul, Dec 23 : Turkish police detained five people in Istanbul on Monday on suspicion of financing Islamic State (IS), state broadcaster TRT reported.

Acting on an investigation by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, authorities identified seven suspects allegedly involved in sending funds to IS members in conflict zones, TRT said.

Arrest warrants were issued on charges of "membership of an armed terrorist organisation" and "violating the Law on the Prevention of Terrorism Financing."

Police conducted simultaneous raids at seven addresses across Istanbul, detaining five suspects, TRT reported, adding that efforts to apprehend the remaining two were underway.

During the raids, 55,000 euros and various organisational documents were seized, Xinhua news agency reported.

In September, the Turkish Police had apprehended a suspect believed to have orchestrated a January attack on a church in Istanbul.

The Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) and the General Directorate of Security conducted a joint operation in Istanbul to capture Viskhan Soltamatov, a suspected member of the Islamic State (IS).

According to the agency, Soltamatov was involved in planning the assault on the Santa Maria Italian Church and was responsible for supplying the weapon used.

The attack, which occurred on January 28 during prayer in the Sariyer district, resulted in the death of a Turkish citizen.

Turkish Police had previously arrested 31 suspects linked to the attack, and the investigation continues.

In February, the country's security agencies had arrested at least 34 foreign nationals over their suspected links to the Islamic State in an operation across seven provinces in Turkey.

During operations, unauthorised firearms, a significant amount of foreign currency, and digital materials were also seized.

Turkey designated IS a terrorist organisation in 2013 and has been targeted by the group in several attacks. Ankara has conducted counter-terrorism operations both domestically and abroad in response.
Damascus, Dec 23 : Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader, Ahmad al-Shara, held talks on Monday with visiting Qatari Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, with both sides pledging to forge a broad strategic partnership and accelerate Syria's recovery.

During the meeting, al-Shara hailed Qatar's "honorable stance toward the Syrian people" and emphasized Damascus' intention to tap into Qatari expertise across various fields.

"We plan to begin extensive strategic cooperation with Qatar in the coming period," he said, adding that the Gulf nation would play an "effective and significant" role in Syria's future. He also extended an invitation to the Emir of Qatar to visit Syria.

Al-Khulaifi, for his part, underscored Doha's commitment to supporting Syrians during their transition and stressed that "the Syrian people alone have the right to determine their destiny without any external guardianship."

He affirmed that "Qatar will remain by the side of our Syrian brothers, now more than ever," Xinhua news agency reported.

The visit by the Qatari delegation headed by al-Khulaifi marks the first of its kind in 13 years, according to Qatar's Foreign Ministry.

Meanwhile, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari said on social media platform X that the delegation traveled to Damascus "on board the first Qatar Airways plane to land at a Syrian airport" since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's government.

Qatar officially reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, which was closed in 2011 following the outbreak of anti-government protests in Syria.

On Friday, a high-level US delegation had met with Ahmad al-Shara, the commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

In a statement, the US State Department said the diplomats "will be engaging directly with the Syrian people ... about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them."

The officials are Barbara Leaf, the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs; Roger D. Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs; and Daniel Rubinstein, former special envoy for Syria.

Syria's local news outlet al-Watan Online said the meeting discussed sanctions relief on Syria and the possible removal of the HTS from international terrorism lists.
Hyderabad, Dec 23 : Hyderabad police have summoned Tollywood actor Allu Arjun on Tuesday for questioning in the Sandhya Theatre stampede case.

The police on Monday issued a notice to the actor, directing him to appear before them at Chikkadpally Police Station at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

The legal team of the actor reached his residence to discuss the strategy in view of the latest development.

A woman died and her son was critically injured in the stampede at Sandhya Theatre on December 4 during the premier show of "Puspha 2: The Rule".

The theatre management, Allu Arjun and his team were booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The "Pushpa" star, who is listed by police as accused number 11, was arrested on December 13. He was produced before a city court, which sent him to judicial custody for 14 days.

However, the same day the Telangana High Court granted him interim bail for four weeks. The actor was released from Chanchalguda Jail the next day.

The fresh notice to Allu Arjun came amid reports that the police are planning to approach the High Court to cancel his interim bail.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner C. V. Anand had said on Sunday that the police would take the next step in the case after taking legal opinion. The police chief on Sunday also released minute-to-minute CCTV footage of the incident at Sandhya Theatre to debunk Allu Arjunas claims.

The police compiled a 10-minute video to provide a clear account of what had transpired on December 4. Anand said the video was compiled after analysing 1,000 video clippings.

While speaking in the Assembly on Saturday, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had come down heavily on Allu Arjun for visiting the theatre without police permission and conducting a aroadshowa even after the stampede claimed the life of a woman and critically injured her son. The same day Allu Arjun had addressed a press conference, terming the allegations as false. He also stated he was hurt over "character assassination".
Mumbai, Dec 23 : Shyam Sunder S. Benegal, a multiple National Award winner and among the pioneers of 'parallel cinema' - with silver screen classics like "Junoor", "Ankur", "Manthan", "Zubeida" and "The Making of the Mahatma" - passed away after a long battle with a kidney disease, his family said here on Monday.

Mumbai, Dec 23 (IANS) Shyam Sunder S. Benegal, a multiple National Award winner and among the pioneers of 'parallel cinema'  with silver screen classics like "Junoor", "Ankur", "Manthan", "Zubeida" and "The Making of the Mahatma"  passed away after a long battle with a kidney disease, his family said here on Monday.

A second-cousin brother of the late legend, actor-film-maker Guru Dutt, Benegal was 90 and breathed his last at a private hospital in Mumbai. He is survived by his wife Nira and their daughter Pia.

Conferred the Padma Shri (1976), the Padma Bhushan (1991), the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2005) and many other national-international honours, Benegal had celebrated his 90th birthday (December 14) with many colleagues from the film industry present to meet and greet him.

The details of the last rites of his mortal remains are not yet known.

Born in Hyderabad on December 14, 1934, Benegal belonged to a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahman lineage, with his photographer-father Sridhar B. Benegal having roots in Karnataka.

At the tender age of 12, the little Shyam had shot a film using a camera presented by his dad, who inspired and nurtured his interest in film-making that became his career for over six decades.

Later, Benegal went onto study MA (Economics), founded the Hyderabad Film Society, and later started his career in 1959 as a copy-writer with Lintas Advertising Agency in Mumbai, where he rose to be the Creative Head, with over 900 ad films and sponsored documentaries under his belt.

In 1962, Benegal made his first Gujarati documentary film, "Gher Betha Ganga" (Ganga At Doorsteps), taught at the prestigious Film & Television Institute of India from 1966-1973, and later served as its Chairman twice (1980-1983 & 1989-1992).

With over 70 documentaries and short films to his credit, and a stint in the USA, Benegal made his first full-length Hindi feature film, "Ankur" (1974), that shot him to fame, bagging 3 National Awards, another 43 national-international awards/honours.

Over a film career spanning more than 60 years, Benegal made many classics like "Manthan" (1976), "Bhumika" (1977), "Junoon" and "Kalyug" (1979), "Aarohan" (1982), "Mandi" (1983), "Trikaal" (1985, "Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda" (1993), "The Making of the Mahatma" (1996), "Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero" (2005), "Welcome to Sajjanpur" (2008), "Mujib: The Making of a Nation" (2023), to name a few prominent ones.

He also made noteworthy and award-winning documentaries, including on India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, "Jawaharlal Nehru" (1982) and "Nehru" (1985), on the legendary film-maker Satyajit Ray, Tata Steel's Platinum Jubilee, A Festival of India, Lost Childhood, and many more.

Benegal created memorable television serials like: "Yatra" (1986), "Bharat Ek Khoj" (1988), "Sankranti" (1997), "Samvidhaan" (2014), among several others.

Tributes poured in for Benegal on social media from actors, actresses, producers, directors, his colleagues in the Indian and international film fraternity, media groups and his legion of fans and admirers.
Patna, Dec 23 : The Special Task Force (STF) of the Bihar Police has made significant progress in curbing Maoist activities in 2024, arresting 123 operatives, including 11 high-profile individuals with rewards on their heads, a top official said.

Amrit Raj, Additional Director General (ADG) of STF, said that northern Bihar is free from Maoist activities.

The STF has effectively eradicated Maoist movements in North Bihar, he said.

ADG Amrit Raj credited this to the arrest of prominent operative Ram Babu Ram in 2023, which marked a turning point.

"Security forces have restricted Maoist activities to eight districts of Bihar, like Gaya, Nawada, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Kaimur, Munger, Lakhisarai, and Sheikhpura. We are making efforts to stop their revenue generation," he said.

Amrit Raj pointed out that the STF destroyed opium plantations spanning 2,523 acres in these districts, targeting a critical source of Maoist funding.

The STF has recovered Rs 56 lakh in extorted funds during raids across affected districts.

"Under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 32 cases have been registered, leading to the attachment of movable and immovable assets worth Rs 6.75 crore. We have also recommended to the Enforcement Directorate to attach properties valued at Rs 8.97 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). So far, assets worth Rs 4.9 crore have been successfully attached," Amrit Raj said.

"We have constituted a dedicated team for the investigation of 18 specific cases involving Maoist operatives. Legal proceedings are progressing smoothly," he said.

Under the surrender and rehabilitation programme, 22 Maoist operatives have surrendered before Bihar Police since 2020.

In a bid to improve infrastructure for the security forces in the Maoist-affected districts, a total of 85 police station buildings were completed in the first phase. Under the second phase, 27 buildings were proposed, of which 25 have been constructed.

The Bihar government has constructed 1,814 km of roads in Maoist-affected regions and established 93 mobile towers. 35 additional mobile towers are under construction to enhance communication in remote areas.

The STF has established 11 Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) at strategic locations in deep forests and hilly terrain.
New Delhi/Imphal, Dec 23 : A few civil society groups from Manipur on Monday held demonstrations in New Delhi on Monday, seeking the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to restore peace and normalcy in the ethnic conflict-ridden state.

The demonstrators claimed that the Central governmentas silence and inaction led to Manipur exacerbating the situation in the state and turning the ethnic crisis more complex.

Under the banner of "Peace and Mutual Coexistence", demonstrators urged the Prime Minister to address the ethnic divisions and initiate a peace process at the earliest.

"For 19 months, Manipur has been burning, and the silence of the Central government made the situation worse and the suffering of the people of the state continued. The ethnic crisis claimed the lives of around 260 people and displaced over 60,000 people, disrupted lives, and eroded trust among communities," a protestor said.

He claimed that the livelihood of people and all sectors, including education, administration, health and other basic services and overall governance, have collapsed in Manipur.

The protesters emphasised the need for the immediate resettlement of displaced people and resumed talks to rebuild peace and harmony. They also highlighted the geopolitical importance of Manipur, urging the Central government to protect the territorial and ethnic integrity of the state.

The demonstrators appealed to the Prime Minister to visit Manipur personally, engage with affected communities, and demonstrate leadership by initiating a roadmap for lasting peace and unity. Their plea underscored the urgency of decisive action to heal the wounds of a fractured state.

On December 9 and 10, the Congress-led INDIA Bloc parties from Manipur and ten Kuki-Zo tribal MLAs separately held demonstrations at Jantar Mantar in the national capital, urging the Prime Minister to visit the violence-hit-state and resolve the 19-month-long ethnic hostilities at the earliest.

Reiterating their demands for a separate administration or Union Territory (UT) for tribals in Manipur, the tribal MLAs sought the Prime Ministeras intervention to stop violence in the northeastern state.
Jaipur, Dec 23 : All government and private schools in Rajasthan will remain closed for winter vacation from December 25 to January 5, officials said.

The decision was shared by Education Minister Madan Dilawar through a social media post, emphasising the need to prioritise students' health and safety during the harsh winter season.

"According to the warning issued by the Meteorological Department of Rajasthan, there is a possibility of a significant increase in the intensity of cold wave in the state from December 24. Keeping this situation in mind, the Education Department of the State government has decided according to the Academic Almanac that this year's winter vacation will be from December 25 to January 5," the Minister posted on X.

As per the Shivira Panchang, the winter break generally begins on Christmas Day (December 25) and ends on January 5.

School Director Sitaram Jat said that the Shivira Panchang outlines the holiday schedule for the entire year, and based on that, the winter vacation will be from December 25 to January 5.

This order applies to all government and private schools in the state.

While the District Collector may extend the holiday period in cases of extreme cold, no such conditions exist currently, Jat added.

The state government has issued an official order for the holiday period, which will be observed by both the Rajasthan Board and CBSE Board schools.

In recent years, holiday extensions have been announced after January 5, particularly for students from nursery to class 8.

Last year, the holidays in Jaipur were extended from January 6 to 13, marking the winter vacation from December 25 to January 13.

The Education Department gives the authority to declare holidays in schools to the District Collectors after January 5 so that they can declare them in their respective areas based on winter.

In the last session, the District Collectors themselves had declared holidays in most of the districts.
Mandya : , Dec 23 (IANS) A complaint was lodged against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with the Karnataka State Women's Commission on Monday in connection with the controversial incident of dislodging of dupatta of a woman while snatching a microphone from her.

The incident took place in 2019 in Varuna Constituency in Mysuru district during an event.

BJP Mandya Spokesperson C.T. Manjunath has lodged a complaint in this regard and urged the Women's Commission to take up a suo moto case regarding the incident.

The complaint has been sent online. In his complaint, Manjunath has urged the President of the State Women's Commission, Nagalakshmi Choudhary, to lodge a complaint against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah like how the Commission took up a suo moto case against BJP MLC C.T. Ravi in connection with his alleged derogatory statement against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar.

"In this incident, CM Siddaramaiah had dragged the dupatta of a woman and insulted her. We don't know whether that woman had lodged a complaint or not. There might be a chance that the woman might have been threatened not to file a complaint," Manjunath stated.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah landed in a controversy in January 2019 when he engaged in a verbal duel with a woman and snatched the microphone from her, dislodging her dupatta in the process at an event in Varuna in Mysuru.

The incident which occurred during a public interaction organised by Siddaramaiah, his son, then MLA Yathindra who represented Varuna Assembly constituency, and others, was caught on camera and the video of the incident had gone viral.

The meeting convened to discuss strengthening the party base in the constituency, was earlier held by Siddaramaiah, ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

While the BJP had condemned the incident, then Chairperson of the National Commission for Women Rekha Sharma said the panel would write to Karnataka Police seeking appropriate action on the matter.

The video showed a wordy duel between Siddaramaiah and Jamalar, a former district panchayat member, who said she was upset that his son Yathindra "showed up" seven months after getting elected.

Siddaramaiah maintained that his son keeps visiting the constituency, which she strongly contested.

The woman tapped the table, further enraging Siddaramaiah who shouted at her and forcibly asked her to sit.

As she beat the table the second time, Siddaramaiah lost his cool and snatched the microphone with which the dupatta got entangled.

Siddaramaiah later took to Twitter (now X) to play down the incident, saying that it was an accident and that the woman is like his sister.

"When I was trying to stop a long speech of a party worker, that incident happened, it was an accident there was no bad intention. I have known her for 15 years, she is just like my sister," he had tweeted.
Lubinets to inform UN, ICRC about shooting of five Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered

Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets will inform the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross about the shooting of five surrendered Ukrainian soldiers.

"The 110th Military Brigade named after Cornet General Mark Bezruchko distributed a video with another crime of the Russians - the shooting of soldiers who surrendered. The video shows how Russian soldiers shot five Ukrainian captured defenders. I will inform the UN and the ICRC about this fact," Lubinets wrote on his Telegram channel.

Russian war criminals, who shoot Ukrainian prisoners of war, must be brought before an international tribunal and face the most severe punishment provided for by law, the Ombudsman stressed.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday condemned attempts to incite violence in society, highlighting that the teachings of Jesus Christ promote love, harmony, and brotherhood.

While speaking at the Christmas event hosted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) at its headquarters here, PM Modi stressed the need to work together to embody the values taught by Jesus and strengthen this spirit of unity.

He also condemned last week's terror attack at Germany's Magdeburg Christmas Market, where an SUV drove into a crowd, resulting in the deaths of four women and a nine-year-old child, while injuring 205 people. Among the injured were seven Indians.

PM Modi stressed the importance of prioritising human interests alongside national interests, stating that India's foreign policy reflects this approach.

He highlighted India's humanitarian efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic, where the country helped over 150 nations by providing medicines and vaccines. This approach, centred on human welfare, had a positive global impact, with countries like Guyana and several island nations expressing deep gratitude.

"India went beyond its capabilities to help other countries during the Covid-19 pandemic, providing medicines to over 150 nations," he said.

He also highlighted the evacuation of Indians stranded in war-torn nations, saying that no matter where they are or what crisis they face, today's India sees it as its duty to bring its citizens to safety.

"We brought back our nurses who got stuck in the Gulf countries. It was a very satisfactory moment for me when we safely brought Father Alexis Prem Kumar from war-torn Afghanistan, a decade back. He was stuck there for 8 months and was in hostage for us, all these missions are not mere diplomatic missions but an emotional commitment to bring back family members," he said.

The Prime Minister further expressed pride in George Koovakad's elevation as a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

"It is a moment of pride that His Holiness Pope Francis has made His Eminence George Koovakad a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Catholic Church," he said.

He stressed the significance of hope in transforming the world, drawing attention to India's achievements over the past decade.

PM Modi pointed out that 250 million people have overcome poverty, and the nation's economy has grown from the 10th to the 5th largest globally.

He praised the country's youth for their drive and ambition, and highlighted the empowerment of women across sectors, including entrepreneurship and the armed forces, emphasising that no nation can progress without empowering women.

PM Modi also discussed India's strides in technology, with advancements in mobile and semiconductor manufacturing. He underlined the importance of technology in empowering the poor and the rapid infrastructure development taking place, including new expressways, rural roads, and metro routes.

These initiatives, he said, inspire hope for a brighter future for India.

The Prime Minister reiterated the values of compassion and selfless service taught by Jesus Christ, stressing the role of institutions in serving society. He commended the government's initiatives, such as the PM Awas Yojana, which empowers women by building homes in their names, and the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which has increased women's participation in Parliament.

PM Modi concluded by reiterating the importance of collective effort in building a developed India.

He expressed his confidence that, with ongoing initiatives like Swachh Bharat and support for local artisans, India will continue to progress.

"A developed India is our shared goal, and together, we will achieve it," he affirmed, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a hopeful Jubilee Year.
New Delhi, Dec 23 : The Central government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday signed a $500 million loan to support green and sustainable infrastructure projects aligned with the country's climate commitments.

The ADB loan, with a sovereign guarantee, will be extended to the India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL).

"ADB financing will help IIFCL provide long-term capital for infrastructure projects focusing on connectivity and energy transition as well as under-resourced sectors like urban projects, education, and health care," said Mio Oka, Country Director for ADB.

To meet its net-zero commitments, the country needs immense private capital investment that will require innovative financing platforms and risk-mitigation instruments to address inherent sector risks and market asymmetries.

As a strategic development finance institution, IIFCL is well-suited to meet these needs, said the Ministry of Finance.

ADB has worked closely with IIFCL over the years to develop its operational and risk management capacities. As IIFCL has developed and evolved, its operations are increasingly geared toward leveraging private sector resources that necessitate the expansion of its product offerings for potential institutional investors.

The project will build the institutional capacity of IIFCL to integrate green and best practices into the infrastructure projects. A sustainability unit and an environmental sustainability framework and scoring method to assess the sustainability rating of the projects will also be established, the ministry added.

Last week, the Indian government and the ADB signed an agreement for a $350 million policy-based loan under the second subprogramme of the Strengthening Multimodal and Integrated Logistics Ecosystem (SMILE) programme, to strengthen the domestic manufacturing sector and improve the resilience of supply chains.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the SMILE programme is a programmatic policy-based loan (PBL) to support the government in undertaking wide-ranging reforms in the logistics sector in India.

IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 23 : Chairperson of Adani Foundation, Priti Adani, on Monday said the passing away of one of the pioneers of 'parallel cinema' -- film-maker and National Award winner Shyam Benegal -- marks the end of an era in the Indian cinema, adding that his legacy will continue to inspire others.

Taking to X, Priti Adani wrote: "Shyam Benegal's passing marks the end of an era in Indian cinema. A master storyteller, his films bridged art and reality, giving voice to the unheard and shaping the golden age of parallel cinema. His legacy will continue to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles alike. Om Shanti."

Shyam Sunder S. Benegal, a multiple National Award winner and among the pioneers of 'parallel cinema'  with silver screen classics like "Junoon", "Ankur", "Manthan", "Zubeida" and "The Making of the Mahatma"  passed away after a long battle with a kidney disease, his family said here on Monday.

A second-cousin brother of the late legend, actor-film-maker Guru Dutt, Benegal was 90 and breathed his last at a private hospital in Mumbai. He is survived by his wife Nira and their daughter Pia.

Conferred the Padma Shri (1976), the Padma Bhushan (1991), the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2005) and many other national-international honours, Benegal had celebrated his 90th birthday (December 14) with many colleagues from the film industry present to meet and greet him.

The details of the last rites of his mortal remains are not yet known.

Born in Hyderabad on December 14, 1934, Benegal belonged to a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahman lineage, with his photographer-father Sridhar B. Benegal having roots in Karnataka.

At the tender age of 12, the little Shyam had shot a film using a camera presented by his dad, who inspired and nurtured his interest in film-making that became his career for over six decades.

Later, Benegal went onto study MA (Economics), founded the Hyderabad Film Society, and later started his career in 1959 as a copy-writer with Lintas Advertising Agency in Mumbai, where he rose to be the Creative Head, with over 900 ad films and sponsored documentaries under his belt.

In 1962, Benegal made his first Gujarati documentary film, "Gher Betha Ganga" (Ganga At Doorsteps), taught at the prestigious Film & Television Institute of India from 1966-1973, and later served as its Chairman twice (1980-1983 & 1989-1992).

With over 70 documentaries and short films to his credit, and a stint in the USA, Benegal made his first full-length Hindi feature film, "Ankur" (1974), that shot him to fame, bagging 3 National Awards, another 43 national-international awards/honours.

Over a film career spanning more than 60 years, Benegal made many classics like "Manthan" (1976), "Bhumika" (1977), "Junoon" and "Kalyug" (1979), "Aarohan" (1982), "Mandi" (1983), "Trikaal" (1985, "Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda" (1993), "The Making of the Mahatma" (1996), "Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero" (2005), "Welcome to Sajjanpur" (2008), "Mujib: The Making of a Nation" (2023), to name a few prominent ones.

He also made noteworthy and award-winning documentaries, including on India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, "Jawaharlal Nehru" (1982) and "Nehru" (1985), on the legendary film-maker Satyajit Ray, Tata Steel's Platinum Jubilee, A Festival of India, Lost Childhood, and many more.

Benegal created memorable television serials like: "Yatra" (1986), "Bharat Ek Khoj" (1988), "Sankranti" (1997), "Samvidhaan" (2014), among several others.

Tributes poured in for Benegal on social media from actors, actresses, producers, directors, his colleagues in the Indian and international film fraternity, media groups and his legion of fans and admirers.
Jaipur, December 23 : : Rajasthan BJP President Madan Rathore on Monday criticised the Opposition's actions, stating that the recent disturbances in Parliament, the scuffles at Makar Dwar, and the use of violence were unbecoming of public representatives.

He expressed his displeasure, noting that he was present with BJP MPs at the gate of Parliament during the incident, which he described as unfortunate.

State BJP President Rathore emphasised that the Congress is protesting over irrelevant issues, but the people are aware of the truth.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, both the Central and state governments have been continuously working for public welfare, the BJP leader said.

He also added that Opposition leaders have consistently attempted to confuse the public about the Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, and reservation policies.

However, the reality is that Congress has repeatedly insulted Ambedkar, he said.

He noted that while the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi travels abroad to advocate for ending reservations, the BJP has taken concrete steps to honour Ambedkar.

The BJP has not only developed the five pilgrimage sites dedicated to Ambedkar but has also worked to realise his ideals, while Congress has only used his name for political gains, the BJP leader added.

State BJP President Rathore highlighted the pride of the country in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recognition, with the highest civilian honour received in Kuwait, a Muslim-majority country.

This recognition is not limited to Kuwait; more than 20 countries have honoured PM Modi for his global leadership, diplomatic skills, and the principle of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (the world is one family). This reflects the result of PM Modi's strong foreign policy and leadership abilities, he said.

The State BJP President assured that the BJP is focused on strengthening its organisational structure and addressing public issues.

He urged party workers to remain close to the people, resolve their problems, and work towards making the party organisation stronger.

He also shared details about the upcoming elections for key party positions, including the Mandal president, district president, state president, and national president, alongside the formation of booth committees.

He emphasised that party workers would be assigned roles based on their qualifications.

In honour of the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the BJP will celebrate Good Governance Day on December 25 across the country.

State BJP President Rathore mentioned that various programmes would be held across the state to celebrate this occasion.

Additionally, on December 26, the country will observe "Veer Bal Diwas" to commemorate the martyrdom of Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, the sons of Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. Various events will take place across the state in their memory, the BJP leader said.

He also criticised the Opposition's discussion on Manusmriti, particularly their refusal to present it when asked in Parliament, despite claiming there was only one copy.

He asked why such a topic is being raised when it has no relevance in modern society and has no place in the Constitution.

The State BJP President urged the Opposition to also address Sharia law, which they openly support, but avoid discussing it.

He concluded by stressing that discussions over irrelevant or outdated issues should not confuse society.
Bengaluru, Dec 23 : Reacting to the statement of Karnataka Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar that she would complain about the alleged obscene remark made against her to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC C.T. Ravi on Monday wondered if it was appropriate for the Minister to speak ill about his mother, sister and wife in the Legislative Council.

Addressing reporters in Chikkamagaluru, Ravi said that Hebbalkar also threatened him on the floor of the House. Along with her, Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar and Congress MLC Channaraj Hattiholi also threatened him with dire consequences.

"Laxmi has dubbed BJP leaders as 'Dhritarashtras'. If she thinks all BJP leaders are Dhritarashtra, why does she want to complain? What's the benefit she will get out of complaining about the matter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

"The police acted on the complaint by Minister Laxmi and why have they not taken any action on my complaint? Minister Laxmi spoke against my mother, sister and wife. What this 'great mother' (Minister Laxmi) had spoken, everyone has seen. Is that correct?" C.T Ravi questioned.

"Was there an order to take me overnight to unknown places, forest areas? Why did they take me to Belagavi, Rayabagh and Lokapura? I got hurt in the head in Khanapur and they got the treatment in Khanapur. It was a small injury and despite bleeding, they did not get the treatment for me. Who asked the police to take me to the sugarcane fields and crusher plant?" Ravi further asked.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Public Distribution, Food and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi commenting over the issue in Hubballi, stated, the Council Chairman's decision is final in this case and he has stated that there is no record of usage of any derogatory word in the house.

"Assuming that Ravi had used that word, the police can't subject him to punishment like how it is being done in Afghanistan and Iraq. What nonsense are the Congress leaders talking about the case?" Joshi questioned.

Laxmi Hebbalkar on Monday released a video of the BJP MLC C.T. Ravi allegedly using derogatory words against her on the floor of the Legislative Council and stated that she would never forgive him for the offence.

Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, she said that she sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and she would meet him soon and submit the complaint.

The incident erupted last Thursday during a heated debate in the Karnataka Legislative Council. C.T. Ravi allegedly referred to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, as a "drug addict." This provoked strong reactions, with Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar calling Ravi a "murderer." Ravi reportedly responded with an obscene remark directed at Hebbalkar.

The alleged comment led to Ravi's arrest on charges of using derogatory language against Hebbalkar. However, following a High Court directive, Ravi was released, sparking further political drama.

The Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti stated that the derogatory remark row involving BJP MLC C.T. Ravi and Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar was a closed chapter and the interference of police in the case was not acceptable.
Guwahati, Dec 23 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that the government has been working tirelessly with an aim to bring all-round development to the people belonging to different communities of the state.

Speaking at a function in Dibrugarh, Sarma said, "The present government has been working very dedicatedly to bring about all-round development of the people of the state belonging to every section of the society."

The Chief Minister also said that the state government's 12 days of development campaign which ended on Monday, is an initiative to help the targeted people through government interventions.

During this period, Sarma himself along with the Council of Ministers visited different districts and participated in the development campaign.

He said that in the last 12 days, 20 lakh new ration cards were distributed. 48,673 students have been covered under the Dr. Bani Kanta Kakati Merit Scholarship.

Sarma stated that since the inception of the Bani Kanta Kakati Merit Scholarship, the programme benefitted one lakh nine thousand students.

He said that as per NEP 2020, one high school should be located every five kilometres. Considering the provision, the State government is distributing bicycles to every student studying in class IX.

Stating that a new horizon has been created in education, the Chief Minister said that the State government is spending Rs 2,000 crore annually for the benefit of the students.

He also said that if the students take education as their vocation, Assam will progress in leaps and bounds.

The Chief Minister also said that if the pace of development remains like what it is now, a lot of investments will come to Assam.

"Steps have been taken to ensure that in the new Assam, there will be no dearth of employment avenues in the state. In view of Industry 4.0, new disciplines like AI, Robotics, 3D technology etc have been introduced in the academic landscape of the state," he added.
Bhubaneswar, Dec 23 : Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday extended condolences on the death of veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal.

CM Majhi also called Benegal the cornerstone of Indian parallel cinema.

"Deeply saddened by the passing of the legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal. A cornerstone of Indian parallel cinema, he was revered and admired by cinephiles worldwide. His pioneering work has left an enduring legacy, shaping the landscape of Indian cinema and inspiring generations of filmmakers and audiences alike," wrote CM Majhi on his X account.

Meanwhile, former Odisha CM and Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik also offered his condolences on the demise of the national award-winning filmmaker.

"Deeply saddened to learn about the passing away of legendary filmmaker #ShyamBenegal. He was a doyen of Indian cinema and his departure is a great loss to the film industry. His socially relevant portrayals were ahead of his time and his towering presence behind the camera will be sorely missed by all. My thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and followers. Om Shanti," wrote Patnaik.

Shyam Sunder S. Benegal, a multiple National Award winner and among the pioneers of 'parallel cinema' -- with silver screen classics like 'Junoon', 'Ankur', 'Manthan', 'Zubeida' and 'The Making of the Mahatma' -- passed away after a long battle with kidney disease, his family said here on Monday.

A second-cousin brother of the late legend, actor-film-maker Guru Dutt, Benegal was 90 and breathed his last at a private hospital in Mumbai.

He is survived by his wife Nira and their daughter Pia.

Conferred the Padma Shri (1976), the Padma Bhushan (1991), the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2005) and many other national-international honours, Benegal had celebrated his 90th birthday (December 14) with many colleagues from the film industry present to meet and greet him.
Patna, Dec 23 : Member of Parliament from Samastipur Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, Shambhavi Choudhary, visited the family of AI engineer Atul Subhash at his residence in the Pusa area on Monday and consoled them for the tragic demise of their son who committed suicide in Bengaluru.

She has assured the family of her support, and promised the family members to bring the matter to Parliament and advocate for changes in custody laws and protections against misuse of harassment laws.

While addressing the media, Shambhavi Choudhury expressed her sorrow over the incident and assured her support for the family's demands.

"I have ensured all possible help in this matter to provide the family's rightful claim to custody of Atul Subhash's son," Shambhavi Choudhary, the LJP-RV MP from Samastipur, said.

Atul Subhash, an AI engineer working with a private firm in Bangalore, tragically ended his life earlier this month.

Before his suicide, he released a lengthy video and left behind a 24-page note, detailing the reasons and circumstances leading to his decision.

After his demise, Atul Subhash's father, Pawan Modi, has strongly advocated for the custody of his grandson.

He asserts that since the child's mother, Nikita, is currently in jail, the natural guardianship should be passed to the grandparents. He urged the court to prioritise the well-being of the child and consider the grandparents' custody claim.

Pawan Modi emphasised the need for legal reforms to reduce male harassment cases.

He requested MP Shambhavi Choudhary to raise this issue in the Lok Sabha for broader legal and societal reforms.

He also advocated for legal reforms to prevent incidents like this in the future.

He urged the MP to help bring back his grandson, for whom the family has been fighting custody.

The MP inquired about the steps taken by the Bengaluru police and the details of the FIR lodged locally.
Patna, Dec 23 : The ongoing hunger strike by Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) candidates in Patna's Gardanibagh has intensified as the health conditions of some of the protestors have worsened.

On Monday, one candidate was hospitalised at Gardanibagh Hospital before being transferred to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) due to a further decline in his condition.

The protestors, including five candidates on hunger strike, are demanding the cancellation and reorganisation of the 70th BPSC Preliminary Examination. They have been staging a "Shiksha Satyagraha" for six consecutive days, with no response from the government or the Commission to their grievances.

Satyam Kumar, a candidate participating in the hunger strike, stated, "We have only one demand: the 70th BPSC prelims exam should be organised again. Apart from this, there is no other demand. The health of the students sitting on hunger strike has started deteriorating. One of my friends had to be admitted to the hospital on Monday."

The protest highlights the growing unrest among candidates who allege irregularities in the examination process. Despite the worsening health conditions of the protestors, no officials have engaged with them to address their concerns, leading to heightened tensions around the issue.

Saurabh Kumar, a student leader, emphasised the disparity in the difficulty level of question papers, stating, "The biggest concern is that the candidates who will appear for the exam on January 4 will either get a difficult or an easy question paper. Due to this, all the candidates will not get the same questions. We have only one demand-- that the entire exam should be cancelled and conducted again."

Adding to the grievances, Kumar highlighted the lack of the normalisation process. He pointed out that "The Commission is saying that normalisation was not implemented. But there were 12,000 candidates at the exam centre where the exam was cancelled. There are not so many candidates in one district. In such a situation, how is the result possible without normalisation?"

Sanjeev Kumar, another protesting student, referred to past instances, particularly the 67th BPSC examination, where the state government had cancelled and re-conducted the exam after a paper leak.

He said, "When the paper was leaked in BPSC 67th, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took the initiative and the paper was cancelled. The examination was conducted again in a transparent manner. These exams involve crucial posts like SDM and DSP. If there is a possibility of malpractice this time, the examination should be cancelled and re-conducted."
Guwahati, Dec 23 : Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday said that the six decades of misrule by Congress is now a matter of the past and the country has been moving forward at a fast pace.

Union Minister Sonowal attended a Rozgar Mela -- a government initiative to give appointments to at least 71,000 youth across the country -- in Guwahati.

Speaking at the event, he said: "The six decades of misrule are a thing of the past. We have witnessed a decade of good governance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi where the merit of youth is kept at the top while ensuring the welfare of the people is delivered efficiently and effectively."

Speaking to the successful candidates, Sonowal said: "Under the inspiring leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are building a nation with a vision to become Atmanirbhar and Viksit by 2047. Today, your appointment adds power to this historic journey of our country as the Yuva Shakti is the true essence of a successful Karmayogi. I call upon all of you to commit yourselves to the cause of nation building and work with your utmost conviction, commitment, compassion and consideration for the welfare of the people."

The Union Minister added: "Our honourable leader, PM Modi, has taken many steps that have empowered the youth of our country to realise their true potential. Since 2014, the movement of Nation Building has been moving forward at an unprecedented speed and conviction. This was not even dreamt by the people during the Congress-led governments which lagged development, pushing the country backwards. The six decades of misrule are a thing of the past."

"We have witnessed a decade of good governance under PM Narendra Modi where merit of youth is kept at the top while ensuring the welfare of the people is delivered efficiently and effectively. By embarking on this path, with a vision of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas,' we have an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the cause of nation building and welfare of people. India of today has rose to this occasion as we move ahead in our quest to become 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047," he said.
Germany has announced a new batch of weapons and equipment for Ukraine, according to the press service of the German Government.

According to the published list, the package includes air defense systems: one air defense system IRIS-T SLM and missiles for it, one air defense system IRIS-T SLS (each consisting of two launchers) and missiles for it, two PATRIOT launchers, two self-propelled anti-aircraft guns GEPARD with spare parts and ammunitions for them, two air surveillance radars TRML-4D, guided AIM-9L/I-1 Sidewinder missiles.

Germany will also supply 15 LEOPARD 1 A5 main battle tanks with spare parts and ammunition, 30 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP), one self-propelled howitzers Panzerhaubitze 2000 with spare parts, ammunition for main battle tanks LEOPARD 2. The package also includes seven air assault vehicles Caracal, five AMPS self-protection systems for helicopters, 45 underwater scooter, and one border protection vehicle. Ukraine will also receive twelve trucks and eight tankers Zetros.

Also, the new aid package includes 4.3 million rounds of ammunition for fire arms, 53,000 rounds 155mm ammunition, 20,000 rounds 40mm ammunition, 15,000 120mm mortar ammunition, 4,580 anti-tank mines, 120 grenade launchers GMG, 200 machine guns MG4, 420 assault riffles MK 556, 90 precision rifles HLR 338 and 314,000 rounds ammunition for them, 100 rifles CR 308.

The assistance package includes drones of various types: 30 reconnaissance drones VECTOR with spare parts, 24 reconnaissance drones RQ-35 HEIDRUN, and 14 reconnaissance drones HORNET XR.

In addition, the package includes emergency power generators, 50 tents, tourniquets, and mine clearing systems.
Bhopal, Dec 24 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who was on a visit to Madhya Pradesh on Monday, extended his greetings to CM Mohan Yadav on the completion of one year in office.

Addressing an event organised by the MP government on the occasion of the inauguration of the renovated historical Lakha Banjara Lake in the Sagar district of Bundelkhand region, Dhami said Mohan Yadav-led BJP government has laid a strong foundation for the development of Madhya Pradesh.

Dhami recalled his association with the Sagar since his childhood, saying that his late father served in the Mahar Regiment of the Indian Army. During that period, Dhami spent several formative years of his student life in Sagar.

"I have spent my childhood here in Sagar and many recollections remain vivid in my mind. Every street, road and lake here will always remain alive in my memories. The holy land of Sagar has given me values, a new vision in my life," Dhami said.

Uttarakhand CM further said that over the years, Madhya Pradesh and the Sagar region have achieved remarkable progress. He also recalled that the reconstruction works of Kedarnath Dham as well as the Mahakal Lok have been done under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi.

CM Mohan Yadav along with his counterpart and Uttarakhand CM Dhami inaugurated renovated Lakha Banjara Lake. Key features of the project include the construction of three water treatment plants around the lake, which spans over 400 acres. These facilities have successfully stopped the direct flow of sewage into the lake.

A total of 41 drains previously discharging wastewater into the lake have been diverted through the installation of a 5.5 km pipeline.

On this occasion, CM Yadav also laid the foundation stone for several projects in the Bundelkhand region under the 'Jan Kalyan Parv' (public welfare campaign) launched on the completion of one year of his government in Madhya Pradesh.

The event was organised two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Chhatapur to lay the foundation of the ambitious river interlinking project Ken-Betwa on the occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of former PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on December 25.

"A new history of Bundelkhand's progress will be written in the form of Ken-Betwa Link Project on December 25 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said addressing the event on Monday.
Bhubaneswar, Dec 24 : The State Transport Authority (STA) of Odisha on Monday inked a Memorandum of Understanding with IIT Madras to implement innovative Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) strategies and road safety measures to improve road safety across the state.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, the minister for state Commerce and Transport Department.

As per a press statement issued by the state transport department, the collaboration between STA and IIT Madras represents a major milestone in Odisha's journey towards realising the vision of a 'Viksit Odisha' by fostering safer, smarter, and more sustainable transportation systems.

The STA aims to impactful IEC campaigns that empower citizens to adopt safe road practices and behaviors by leveraging IIT Madras' expertise in road safety technology and communication.

This partnership will focus on implementing the 4E Model of road safety -- Engineering (Road and Vehicle Design), Enforcement, Emergency Care, Education, with Empathy (Human Factors) -- to address safety comprehensively and effectively.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Jena said: "The partnership with IIT-Madras marks a crucial step in the government's mission to make Odisha's roads safer. By blending cutting-edge research with practical, community-driven IEC strategies, we are making significant strides toward achieving our vision of a Viksit Odisha -- a state where safety and innovation coexist for the benefit of every citizen."

Presenting last year's statistics on road accidents and fatalities in the state, Jena said that the MoU's initiatives will focus on leveraging modern technology, real-time data, and engaging communication tools to effectively address high-risk groups and foster long-lasting behavioural changes in road safety.

"Educational content, workshops, and state-wide campaigns will be rolled out to reduce road accidents and fatalities, while targeted outreach efforts will engage diverse groups, from school children to professional drivers," added Jena.

Usha Padhee, Principal Secretary, Commerce and Transport Department said that such a collaborative effort underscores the government of Odisha's unwavering commitment to improving road safety, fostering innovation, and building a sustainable, safer urban mobility ecosystem. Through this initiative, the state takes a decisive step towards realising its vision of a Viksit Odisha.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : Five persons, including two juveniles, were nabbed on Monday for opening fire in South Delhi in which a youth was injured, police said.

The incident took place in Ambedkar Nagar on Sunday when 20-year-old man Kunal, from Madangir, was shot and later admitted to Safdarjung Hospital, they said.

A police officer said that a used cartridge was recovered from the spot and an FIR was registered against the accused.

The police officer added that investigations led to the arrest of Kamal alias Anna and Shubham -- both 23-year-old -- Sahil (22) and two juveniles.

Two country-made pistols, a knife and two motorcycles used in the commission of the crime were also recovered from their possession, he said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the attack stemmed from personal enmity, the police officer said. Anna allegedly attempted to take revenge after being beaten by Kunal and his friend Sera during a previous altercation, he stated.

Anna and Sahil were identified as the shooters, the officer added.
Guwahati, Dec 24 : The army and Assam Rifles in coordination with the Assam Police, apprehended a wanted top cadre of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Khaplang's Yung Aung faction (NSCN-K-YA) from the state's Charaideo district, officials said on Monday.

Guwahati, Dec 24 (IANS) The army and Assam Rifles in coordination with the Assam Police, apprehended a wanted top cadre of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Khaplangas Yung Aung faction (NSCN-K-YA) from the state's Charaideo district, officials said on Monday.

A Defence spokesman said that based on specific information, Army and Assam Rifles in association with the Assam Police apprehended a notorious NSCN (K-YA) cadre identified as David Konyak from Namtola under Charaideo district of Assam on Sunday night.

The security forces were on a lookout for this individual who was involved in numerous extortion and abduction related activities along the bordering areas of Assam and Nagaland, he said.

The apprehended individual has been handed over to the police for further investigation.

Meanwhile, the NSCN-K-YA has recently served an extortion notice of Rs 20 lakh to public sector oil major Oil India Limited (OIL).

The notice was signed by self-styled Major of the NSCN-K-YA outfit, Tha Aung and sent to OIL's office in Manabhum, located in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

The outfit in its notice sought Rs 20 lakh within December 10 and it has also warned that OIL would be held accountable for any delays.

OIL sources earlier confirmed the receipt of the extortion notice.

The OIL authority said that the security had been beefed up at the exploration site in Arunachal Pradesh in response to the militant outfit's notice and took up the matter with the Arunachal Pradesh government.

The OIL has its operational site at the Manabhum reserve forest in eastern Arunachal and the thickly forested Manabhum reserve forest areas fall under both Changlang and Namsai districts.

The NSCN-K-YA notice caused some panic among the officials and workers of the Maharatna company.

The NSCN-K-YA has not signed a ceasefire agreement with the Centre.

The Centre has signed ceasefire agreements with eight Naga outfits, including the dominant Naga group, the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) and periodically extended the term of the ceasefire period.
It has taken me 18 years to tell my story. But thanks to the women around me, and my beautiful children, I finally have the courage to speak about my past, so I can offer hope and healing to women like me who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant.

I was about to graduate high school when I found out I was pregnant. I was in a relationship with the father of my child, but he didnt treat me with the love and kindness I deserved. Many people close to me, out of fear and confusion, suggested I should have an abortion. I understood how fear could lead them to make that suggestion, but I knew immediately it wasnt the right decision for me. While I was unprepared to be a mom and was facing a challenging time, I knew I would choose life for my child. Additionally, deep down, I wanted to prove I could have a child, and that abortion was not a real solution for my situation. I also knew choosing abortion would not put an end to the abuse I was experiencing from the father. The pain and suffering I endured in our relationship would have only increased exponentially.

I decided to move forward with my pregnancy and shortly after my 18th birthday, I gave birth to my beautiful daughter. Two months after our daughter was born, the abuse from her father intensified, and he began selling drugs. One night after an argument, he threatened me with a gun. When he was sent to prison, I finally felt free from our toxic relationship, but now I faced my new role as a mother all alone.

My loneliness led me to look for love in the wrong places, and I eventually found myself in another abusive relationship involving manipulation and drugs with no way out. During our relationship, I gave birth to two little boys and was pregnant with my third when I finally decided to leave. In the middle of the night, and nine months pregnant, I packed up my three kids and left.

With the help of my family, I started nursing school and attempted to juggle four children under the age of five, while going to classes, working, and completing my studies. A friend told me about a local Christian church, and I began attending regularly. Soon my children started school there, and the church community welcomed us as part of their family. The womens ministry director at the church, who is now one of my closest friends, poured into me and my children and showed us love and compassion during some of the most challenging seasons. Through a single parents group offered at the church, I learned about Shepherds Village, an organization that provides support, healing, and housing opportunities for single mothers and their children.

I eventually moved into the village and lived there for three years with my children. I took financial support and parenting classes while also attending a bimonthly support group. While at the village, I was able to grow in my faith and relationship with Christ, find my community, walk through healing, and finish my Bachelors Degree in Nursing. The village is one of several ministries of New Life Solutions in Florida, an organization offering medical care, post abortive healing, counseling, support, resources, and so much more to women in need. The organization had such a profound impact on my life that I decided to apply to New Life Solutions and worked my way up as the director of medical services. For the past four years Ive worked in this position and provided ultrasounds, counseling, and medical care to pregnant women in the area.

I never expected that as I helped pregnant women find hope and healing, I would also find it for myself. For so long, I pushed my trauma aside for fear that if it came to the surface, it would be too much for me to handle. As I sat at work telling women that they were deeply loved, valued, and worthy of happiness, I realized I needed to listen to my own words. While my journey has not been easy, it led me to New Life Solutions and gave me my beautiful children. I found healing and strength, and now I have the courage to share my story so that other women know they are not alone.

I speak for the women who are facing emotional, mental, and physical abuse. For the women who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. For the women scared for their life, and their childs. For the women who are told that abortion is their only option. I will continue to use my voice to remind them that they are not alone and that there are resources and love available to them.

Caitlin Drakos is the Director of Medical Services at A Womans Place Medical Clinic in the Tampa Bay Area in Florida
'Regulatory challenges exist everywhere. What we look for is regulatory stability over time.'

Photograph: Dado Ruvic/Reuters

Online retail major Amazon is navigating a challenging regulatory environment in India at a time when e-commerce is witnessing rapid growth and quick commerce has emerged as a new reality.

Samir Kumar, in his first interview since taking charge as Amazon India head in September, tells Aryaman Gupta and Nivedita Mookerji/Business Standard in New Delhi that regulatory challenges exist in every market and that India is not more difficult than others.

On quick commerce, he says a pilot for 15-minute delivery is starting in Bengaluru this month.

You have been in Amazon for 25 years and now heading the India business for a little over two months now. How have things changed for you?

It's not a whole lot different from what I was doing earlier, just that the travel has increased quite a bit... The way our team operates is the same.

So, when I moved back from Seattle to Bengaluru, it was very easy to settle down.

Is the regulatory environment in India more challenging versus the rest of the world?

Regulatory challenges exist everywhere. What we look for is regulatory stability over time.

We comply with local laws and regulations in every market we enter, and we have a very high bar for that around the world.

It is not that India is more difficult than other places... We are focused on enabling, for our customers and sellers.

We have 1.6 million sellers on our platform, with 65 per cent of them coming from small regions. Our Prime business is growing.

We are increasing the speed of our delivery everywhere. Our selection is continuing to go up.

We continue to invest in infrastructure. We have created 130,000 direct and indirect jobs. We are building for India.

Is the increased regulatory ire, from the government, retail industry bodies, or the anti-trust body--Competition Commission of India (CCI), dispiriting?

It isn't, because we are focused on our customers and sellers, and building for India. As Jeff (Bezos) always said - as a large company, we should be scrutinised. We are open to that.

Is there any merit in the allegations from different quarters?

I won't comment on that. But we have to build in the right way for our sellers and customers, reduce the cost of doing business for them... I am very internal-focused.

My priorities are to build a strong team, get the largest selection in India, improve customer satisfaction, improve speed, and enable businesses to sell all over the world.

We have seen some top level exits recently. Are you worried about attrition?

Not really. A lot of team members I was working with before I left (for Seattle) are still here. When I had moved to India in 2012, I had three goals: To hire and develop a strong team, build the right culture in that team, and build India's largest selection (of products)... There will always be some people who leave for their own reasons, but I am not worried.

What are your quick commerce plans?

Our strategy has always focused on "selection, value and convenience" and our vision is to build a large profitable business in India.

So, while we focus on implementing our strategy to offer the largest selection at fastest speeds and greatest value to customers in every single pin code across the country, we are excited to start a pilot to give our customers a choice to get their everyday essentials in 15 minutes or less.

We already have millions of customers across India including prime members already who trust us and will look forward to this convenience. The pilot will be in Bengaluru.

You have increased your export target. Will this make India among your top export markets globally?

We have announced a target of $80 billion in cumulative exports from India by 2030. It took us five years to get to $5 billion (in exports).

And over the next two years, we have reached $13 billion (in 2024).

With the investment that the government of India is doing in manufacturing hubs, GDP growth, and increase in seller base, we are seeing that growth curve.

With the new export target, India will be among the top export markets for Amazon globally.

How close are you to achieving your previous investment targets?

We have already invested $11 billion in India, and we are going to get to $26 billion in cumulative investments by 2030.

We will be investing not just in the stores business but also Amazon Web Services (AWS)... Our AI (artificial intelligence) investments in India will depend on how many Indian entrepreneurs are going to use AWS.

Has there been a moment when you thought India is not a place to do business due to regulatory pressures?

No, I love what we are doing in India. I am going to invest all my time and energy in growing this business.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Instead of entering into negotiations with Russia on gas supplies Lithuania will stand for its energy independence, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda has said Monday.

"How cheap is your love? There are those who come to Russia with love and feel gassed to meet a war criminal. This is not Lithuania's way. We choose energy independence and real market prices  with no political strings attached!" he said on the X social network.

The Lithuanian head of state said this in response to a visit by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to Moscow for a meeting with Vladimir Putin. Fico said following the meeting that he made it due to the termination of the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia through the territory of Ukraine. According to Fico, Putin confirmed Russia's commitment to continuing gas supplies to Slovakia, adding however that they are almost impossible after January 1, 2025, considering the Ukrainian President's stance.

As reported, Fico stated on December 20 that the termination of gas transit through Ukraine to Slovakia could turn into a serious conflict.

Zelenskyy said on December 19 that Ukraine would not continue transit of Russian gas. At the same time, he noted that in a conversation with the Prime Minister of Slovakia, he said that if there was not Russian gas, but gas from another country, and there would be no payment of funds to the Russian Federation before the end of the war, Ukraine was ready to consider such an option.

In September 2024, the Hungarian MOL Group announced the conclusion of an agreement with oil suppliers from the Russian Federation and pipeline operators to ensure its transportation via the Druzhba pipeline through Belarus and Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia.

Last week, Fico said Slovakia would hold a series of "extremely intensive negotiations at different levels and in different countries" starting this week to secure gas supplies from Russia after its current transit contract involving Ukraine expires at the end of this year. According to Denisa Sakova, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Slovakia, the negotiations will be held with the participation of the European Commission, Ukraine and EU member states.
An 11-year-old girl, who was abducted and raped in an industrial area in Gujarat's Bharuch district leaving her injured, died at a government hospital in Vadodara on Monday evening after battling for life for a week, officials said.

Image used for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo

The girl had sustained serious internal injuries in the sexual assault and was referred to SSG Hospital in Vadodara after undergoing primary treatment at the civil hospital in Ankleshwar, an industrial town in Bharuch district, hospital authorities said.

"The girl suffered from a cardiac arrest at around 2 pm, after which her condition deteriorated. The patient was stabilised after treatment, but at around 5:15 pm, she suffered another cardiac arrest. Doctors provided her with immediate treatment, but she was declared dead at 6:15 pm," said resident medical officer, SSG Hospital, Dr Hitendra Chauhan.

The minor girl's condition deteriorated as sepsis (a life-threatening response to infection or injury) spread to her entire body, leading to organ failure and causing cardiac arrests, he explained.

On December 16, an industrial worker abducted the girl when she was playing near her hut. He took her to nearby bushes, where raped her and fled the spot, leaving her injured, according to the police.

The police arrested the 36-year-old accused, a native of Jharkhand, a day after the crime.

The accused lived next to the girl's hut and worked in the same factory as her father.

A three-member delegation led by Dipika Pandey Singh, a Congress minister in the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand, last week visited the hospital in Vadodara to meet the victim and her family members, and later targeted the Gujarat government over migrant labourers.

She also handed over a cheque of Rs 4 lakh to the victim's kin.

Gujarat health minister and government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel responded by saying Congress was politicising a serious crime like rape.
Police officials in Hyderabad claim that top Telugu actor Allu Arjun remained in the theatre during the screening of 'Pushpa-2' on December 4, despite being informed about a stampede that resulted in the death of a woman.

IMAGE: Actor Allu Arjun addresses a press conference at his residence in Hyderabad. Photograph: ANI Photo

The police presented a video compiled from various sources, including news channels and cell phone clips, suggesting the actor stayed until midnight. While declining to comment directly on the video, police officials stated that the media could draw their own conclusions.

According to a police official, they informed Allu Arjun's manager about the death and the chaotic situation, but were unable to meet the actor. Despite being urged to leave to prevent further harm to his fans, the actor reportedly insisted on watching the film. The official eventually escorted Allu Arjun out of the theatre.

Amid allegations that bouncers hired by Allu Arjun pushed crowds as well as policemen when the stampede occurred at the cinema hall, the police commissioner warned that stringent action as per law would be taken if THE bouncers indeed misbehaved with the police on duty. The VIPs would be made responsible for the behaviour of the bouncers hired by them, he said.

Asked if the police would appeal against the interim bail granted to Allu Arjun, the commissioner refused to give a direct response, just saying it is part of the investigation. What course of action is taken would be known in the days to come, he said.

He also declined to comment when asked if the family of the deceased told him about Allu Arjun's team or film production team allegedly threatening them not to speak on the issue.

Meanwhile, state Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy found fault with Allu Arjun responding on Saturday to the debate in the Legislative Assembly. The minister, who observed that the actor should have respect for the government and the chief minister, demanded an apology from Allu Arjun to the government and the CM. "This government is never vindictive. As Cinematography Minister, we allowed benefit shows and hiking ticket prices to promote the film industry," he said.

However, Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar found fault with CM Revanth Reddy for his comments on Allu Arjun in the Assembly on Saturday. The comments of the CM sounded like character assassination of Allu Arjun and hurting the Telugu film industry, he alleged in a statement.

Later in the day, Sanjay Kumar visited a boy who is undergoing treatment in a hospital after being injured in the stampede. "Consoled his father over the heartbreaking loss of his wife, Revathi. I pray to god that Sritej recovers at the earliest. Assured support to the family in this difficult time," Kumar said on X.

Earlier in the day, state DGP Jitender told reporters in Karimnagar district that film personalities and all others should understand that safety and security of citizens is utmost important, and also conduct themselves accordingly.
Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who is sulking over not being included in the new Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Monday.

IMAGE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal. Photograph: ANI Photo

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Bhujbal said he had an elaborate discussion with the CM on the prevailing political and social atmosphere in the state.

The former state minister was accompanied by his nephew Sameer Bhujbal during the nearly 30-minute meeting with Fadnavis at the latter's 'Sagar' bunglow in Mumbai.

"Fadnavis told me that the Other Backward Classes have played an important role in the landslide victory of the Mahayuti in the assembly elections (held on November 20) and he will take care that the OBC community's interest is not harmed," Chhagan Bhujbal said.

He also said Fadnavis has sought some time to think over the issues pertaining to OBCs. "He (Fadnavis) said he would arrive at some decision in 10 to 12 days," the NCP leader added.

OBC leaders are opposed to activist Manoj Jarange's demand for reservation for the Maratha community in the Other Backward Class (Kunbi) category. Bhujbal has also been vocal about his opposition to the demand.

Asked if he was planning to switch over to the BJP, Chhagan Bhujbal refused to elaborate and said he has already spoken his mind on the issue of him being ignored in the ministry expansion.

On Sunday, representatives of OBC organisations from different parts of Maharashtra met him in the city.

The NCP leader, who represents the Yevla constituency in Nashik district, did not attend the winter session of the state legislature that concluded in Nagpur on Saturday. He left for Nashik on the first day of the session, a day after 39 Mahayuti MLAs took oath as ministers.

The Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar's NCP, won 230 of the 288 seats in the state assembly polls held last month.
A Hyderabad court on Monday granted bail to six people, who were arrested for allegedly vandalising the residence of Telugu actor Allu Arjun even as the police beefed up security at the actor's house here, a day after the incident.

IMAGE: People seen outside the residence of actor Allu Arjun after stones were allegedly pelted by six members of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee, in Hyderabad, December 22, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

The incident also led to a fierce political slugfest with the BJP joining the BRS in attacking the Congress government, saying some of the attackers belonged to the Kodangal assembly constituency of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.

Meanwhile, the top Telugu actor was issued notice to appear before police on Tuesday as part of ongoing probe into the stampede during the screening of 'Pushpa-2' on December 4, in which a woman was killed and her minor son injured, police sources said.

The actor has been asked to appear at 11 AM on December 24, they said.

Allu Arjun has earlier said he would cooperate with the investigation.

The notice came a day after police commissioner C V Anand released a video showing the sequence of events at the theatre.

Earlier, the six people, claiming to be members of Osmania University - Joint Action Committee were arrested after they allegedly damaged flower pots and threw tomatoes at Arjun's residence on Sunday evening.

They were arrested by the police and produced before a local court which granted them bail on Monday.

On Sunday, Chief Minister Reddy had condemned the attack and directed the state DGP and the city police commissioner to be tough in maintaining law and order.

BRS leader T Harish Rao termed the incident a "complete failure of governance" while BJP Lok Sabha member D K Aruna claimed that four of those who indulged in vandalism at the 42-year-old actor's house belong to Kodangal.

"This is leading to suspicion whether it was a Congress conspiracy", she said, a charge denied by the ruling party.

Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy said it is wrong to link the vandals with the Congress party by merely showing some photos.

Those accused in the incident had photos taken with leaders of other parties as well, he said.

"We do not know why they have carried out the vandalism. Why should we provoke and send them," he asked.

Pachayat Raj Minister D Anasuya Seethakka alleged that BRS and BJP are politicising the issue. One life was lost and another is battling for life, she said.

"The BRS leaders are behaving differently when they are in power and when not in power. BRS people threw stones on film people (during statehood agitation). Did they not think about the film industry then? Are we saying film industry should leave (the state)," she said.

Allu Arjun's father-in-law Chandrasekhar Reddy met AICC Telangana in-charge Deepa Dasmunsi at the Gandhi Bhavan, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud said.

However, it was not clear what transpired between the leaders.

Meanwhile, the producers of 'Pushpa-2' on Monday extended a financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh to the family of the woman who died in a stampede during the screening of the film on December 4.

Naveen Yerneni, the producer, visited the hospital where the victim's eight-year-old son was undergoing treatment and handed over a cheque to the family.

According to the hospital, the boy is presently maintaining stable vital parameters and continues to be off oxygen and Ventilator, while his neurological status remains the same.
Bangladesh's interim government on Monday said it has sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi seeking the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India, a move that may further strain the ties between the two countries.

IMAGE: Deposed prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina. Photograph: ANI Photo

India confirmed receiving the 'note verbale' or diplomatic communication from the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi but refrained from commenting on it.

Bangladesh's de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain said Dhaka wants Hasina back to face the judicial process.

"We have sent a note verbale to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process," Hossain told reporters in Dhaka.

In New Delhi, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "We confirm that we have received a Note Verbale from the Bangladesh high commission today in connection with an extradition request."

"At this time, we have no comment to offer on this matter," he said, in response to a question.

Hasina, 77, has been living in India since Aug 5 when she fled the country following a massive student-led protest that toppled her 16-year regime.

Bangladesh-based International Crimes Tribunal has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for "crimes against humanity and genocide".

Under the provisions of the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty, extradition may be refused if the offence is one of a "political character".

Another clause said a person convicted of an extradition offence may not be extradited unless the person was sentenced to imprisonment or other form of detention for a period of four months or more.

The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power.

India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in that country.

Earlier on Monday, Home Adviser Jahangir Alam said his office sent a letter to the foreign ministry to facilitate the ousted premier's extradition from India.

"We have sent a letter to the foreign ministry regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway," he told reporters in response to a query.

Alam said an extradition treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi already exists and Hasina could be brought back to Bangladesh under it.

Last month, in an address to the nation on the completion of 100 days of the interim government, Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Yunus said it will seek the extradition of Hasina.

"We must ensure justice in every killing. We will also ask India to send back fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina," he said.

Yunus, who assumed office on August 8, claimed that about 1,500 people, including students and workers, were killed while 19,931 others were wounded during the protest against the Hasina government.

In October, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul had reportedly said that Bangladesh would strongly protest if India tried to refuse Hasina's extradition by citing any provision in the treaty.

In an interview with PTI in Dhaka in September, Yunus had said that Hasina making political remarks from India is an "unfriendly gesture", asserting that she must remain silent to prevent discomfort to both countries until Dhaka requests her extradition.

"If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh (government) wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet," he said.

In recent weeks, Hasina has accused the Yunus-led interim government of perpetrating "genocide" and failing to protect minorities, especially Hindus, since her ouster.

There have been a spate of attacks on minorities including on the Hindu community in Bangladesh in the last few months.

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka two weeks back during which he conveyed to the Bangladeshi side India's concerns, especially those related to the safety and welfare of the
Union Minister of State BL Verma on Monday expressed concern over the situation in Bangladesh and said the government is closely monitoring it.

IMAGE: Opposition MPs tote bags displaying messages against atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh during a protest, at the Parliament in New Delhi, December 17, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Addressing a Rozgar Mela organised at Jammu, the minister lauded the Border Security Force for its role in safeguarding India's borders with Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan.

"I would like to especially congratulate the BSF, which protects our borders. Having worked on the development of the northeast, I have observed the challenges and progress in these border states," Verma told reporters here.

"The situation in Bangladesh is a matter of concern, but our government and our external affairs ministry are closely monitoring it and will continue to do so," he said.

Necessary and justified steps will be taken to address it, the minister added.

He took a volley of questions on the situation in Bangladesh, election and electronic voting machine fraud alleged by the Congress and the caste census issue, among others.

Responding to a question on Samajwadi Party MLA Suresh Yadav's controversial statement labelling the BJP government as a "Hindu terrorist organisation", Verma said: "Such remarks are deeply unfortunate and have no place in a democratic nation like ours. The public will respond appropriately to such divisive and derogatory comments. The government will also take appropriate action."

"Whether it is the Samajwadi Party or Congress or its INDIA alliance partners, they are focused on appeasing the Muslim community. On the other hand, Prime Minister Modi follows the principle of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. BJP does not believe in appeasing anyone," the minister said.

Such divisive statements, like those dubbing "Hindus as malaria and mosquitoes' or abusing Sanatan Dharma, are unacceptable", he said, adding that the government and the people will take note of such remarks.

On allegations of electoral fraud made by the Congress, Verma slammed the opposition party for its inconsistency.

Congress ruled the country for nearly 55 years but failed to deliver the development we have witnessed in the past decade under Prime Minister Modi. Elections are now conducted in a completely free and fair manner.

"However, Congress only accepts election results as fair when they win. When they lose, they blame EVMs and allege fraud," he said.

On Rahul Gandhi's call for a caste census, Verma asked why the Congress which ruled for decades did not conduct it while it was in power.

"The Gandhi family ruled the country for nearly 55 years, often through remote control, yet never felt the need for a caste census. It is Prime Minister Modi who has ensured dignity and respect for OBCs, SCs, and STs. Congress stalled the first report in 1955 and the Mandal Commission, denying OBCs their rightful reservations. Today, OBCs have a constitutional board, and I, as an OBC, serve as a Minister. This shows the change brought by the BJP," he said.

Verma participated in the Rozgar Mela organised by the BSF in Jammu, where 636 appointment letters were distributed to new recruits, with Verma personally handing out 26.

"As many as 71,000 appointment letters are being distributed across 45 locations nationwide today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

"Since 2014, India has been advancing rapidly on the path of development, with a notable increase in employment opportunities. Over the past nine years, 10 lakh jobs have been provided by the prime minister. I congratulate all the appointees," he added.
The Central Industrial Security Force on Monday said there was "no lapse" on its part when asked about the scuffle that took place among MPs in Parliament complex during the recently concluded Winter Session and added it will choose to "keep quiet" when allegations are levelled by lawmakers.

IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi checks on BJP MP Pratap Sarangi who accused him of pushing during the scuffle on Parliament premises, in New Delhi, December 19, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

The Central Industrial Security Force is tasked to guard the Parliament House Complex.

"There was no lapse (on part of the force)...by lapse if you mean some weapons were allowed inside, then I can tell you that no weapon was allowed...," CISF deputy inspector general (operations) Shrikant Kishore told the press during a conference in New Delhi.

He said the force will choose to "keep quiet when the honourable members (MPs) make allegations."

The officer was asked about the counter-allegations made by the parliamentarians on who pushed whom.

He added the CISF was not conducting any inquiry into the incident that took place at the 'Makar Dwar' of the Parliament House Complex on December 19.

Bharatiya Janata Party MPs Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput had got injured during scuffle between the opposition and ruling BJP MPs on the premises of Parliament.

The Delhi police had filed an FIR against Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi following BJP's complaint against him.

Kishore said MPs who enter Parliament "are not screened" (frisked) as per protocol.

Asked about complaints against the force since it took charge of Parliament security in June this year, the officer said the MPs, employees working in the complex and visitors are "very satisfied and happy" with their work.

"We have trained our personnel for this duty (Parliament security) properly...everyone, including the MPs are contributing to further improving the security of the complex. Parliament security is paramount," he said.

Kishore said the security department of Parliament will be competent to answer questions related to security, including recovery of cash from a seat in the House during the last session.
National Conference Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, along with Peoples Democratic Party leaders Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, Sheikh Khursheed and others, led a peaceful protest on Monday, December 23, 2024, outside Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's residence in Srinagar.

They demanded a rationalisation of the reservation policy implemented in Jammu and Kashmir post the abrogation of Article 370.

Aga Ruhullah started the protest march from the Burn Hall school and arrived outside the CM's home, demanding a rational reservation policy for Jammu and Kashmir.

Legislators and PDP leader and Mehbooba Mufti's daughter Iltija Mufti also arrived at the spot.

Earlier in the day, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said he would join the protest if allowed by the authorities.

Aga Ruhullah, whose party the National Conference is in power in J&K, had on Sunday urged people to join the protest in a peaceful and dignified manner outside Omar's residence.

Calls for revocation of the reservation policy in J&K have been getting louder with student associations and political parties extending support to the protest.

The policy introduced by the lieutenant governor-led administration, before the assembly elections, had squeezed the general category to 40%, which form the majority of the population, and increased reservation for reserved categories to 60%

All photographs: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: Aga Ruhullah leads a protest rally outside the chief minister's home in Srinagar, here and below.

IMAGE: Iltija Mufti at the protest.

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
A Shiv temple in Ludhawala, a predominantly Muslim locality under the jurisdiction of Kotwali police station, was reopened on Monday with a 'havan' and Muslims showering flowers on a procession by Hindus.

Image used for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI on X

The Shiv temple was built in 1971.

However, during the communal tensions triggered by the Ayodhya incident in 1992, Hindu families from the locality migrated, taking the temple's idols and 'Shivling' with them. Since then, the temple had remained closed.

City magistrate Vikas Kashyap confirmed that the reopening and associated ceremonies were conducted peacefully.

"All functions in the temple were conducted without any disturbance. The atmosphere was cordial and Hindu activists, led by Swami Yashvir Maharaj, returned in a peaceful manner," Kashyap told PTI.

In a remarkable display of harmony, local Muslims welcomed the procession of Hindu activists by showering flowers on them as they made their way to the temple.

Swami Yashvir Maharaj led the purification ceremony in the temple, which involved performing a 'havan' and other rituals.

"This is a significant moment for us. The Shiv temple has been closed for years, but today it has been reopened after proper purification," he remarked.

The swami had announced last week that the temple would reopen on December 23 after a purification ceremony.

The district administration had made elaborate security arrangements to ensure peace in the area. The police patrolled the locality to avoid any untoward incident during the event.

About 200 km away from Muzaffarnagar, excavations are going on in Sambhal after the reopening on December 13 of the Bhasma Shankar Temple, which had been closed for over 46 years.

Last week, an old temple structure was found in Khurja town of this district, sparking demands from right-wing outfits for its renovation.
Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs, George Kurian, on Monday strongly condemned the alleged threatening of teachers at a government school in Kerala by Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists over Christmas celebrations.

Image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo

Kurian urged the state government to take stringent action against the culprits to prevent such incidents from recurring.

While talking to reporters in New Delhi, Kurian said he supports the legal action taken by the state government against the accused in connection with the incident.

The Union Minister also said that the Kerala Government's decision to celebrate Christmas in state-run schools is a welcome move.

"I strongly condemn the incident. I request the Kerala government to take stringent legal action to not repeat such incidents anymore... Extending support to the legal action taken by the Kerala government," he said.

He also wanted the state government to organise the celebrations of other religions like "nabidinam" (Milad-un-Nabi) and Sri Krishna Jayanti also in state-run schools to create awareness about it among children.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan said he didn't know the exact details of the incident and didn't not believe that BJP activists would do such things.

Let the police investigate the matter, he said, adding that the BJP's stand is clear on the issue through the participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Christmas celebrations.

Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan strongly reacted against the threatening incident over the Christmas celebration and said the Sangh Parivar has been trying to create communal tension in Kerala for ages. The Christmas celebration in the Palakkad school was disrupted in the same manner as they do in North India, he alleged.

"The communal appeasement of the ruling CPI(M) has become a persuasion for the BJP to commit atrocities against minorities," Satheesan alleged.

The Palakkad school had witnessed the real face of the Sangh Parivar workers who go to the Christian homes with cakes during the time of Christmas. "They are like wolves in sheep's clothing", he further charged.

Such incidents would not be allowed to repeat in Kerala, the LoP said, adding that a strong stand would be taken against it.

The workers of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), youth organisation associated with CPI(M), and the Youth Congress organised Christmas celebrations, including carols, in the school premises as a mark of protest against the threatening act of the VHP workers.

K Anilkumar, V Susasanan, and K Velayudhan, local activists of the VHP, were arrested by Chittoor police for allegedly threatening teachers in connection with the Christmas celebration on Friday at Nallepilly Government Upper Primary School in Palakkad.

According to the complaint filed by school authorities, the three allegedly disrupted the school's Christmas celebrations, questioning teachers and students about their attire for the Christmas carol and verbally abusing the teachers in front of the students.

The three persons were arrested on Saturday after booking them under charges of disrupting the duty of public servants and threatening, police had said.

Meanwhile, a symbolic crib, erected by children and teachers in another school located at Thathamangalam in Palakkad as part of the Christmas celebration, was found destroyed on Monday morning.

School authorities said the crib and other decorations were placed inside the building, which was locked as it was a holiday.

State minister K Krishnankutty, who visited the school later in the day, said the crib was deliberately destroyed by someone, and a probe would be carried out into the incident.

A special police team would investigate both these incidents and find out whether the same persons were behind it, he added.

As the issue triggered a widespread protest, the VHP state leadership clarified that they were not against any religion and the outfit would face the case legally. In a statement issued in Kochi, VHP state president Viji Thampi and General Secretary V R Rajasekharan admitted that the district office bearers of the outfit had questioned the teachers in connection with the organisation of the Christmas celebration at Nallepilly School.

When the local leaders asked whether the school had permission to organise religious functions like this and whether they would celebrate Sri Krishna Jayanti and nabidinam like this, one of the teachers said they would do whatever they like, it said.

When they brought the matter in front of the school principal, she had admitted the mistake and the issue was over there, the VHP leadership claimed in the statement. However, some local leaders of the Left and teachers' outfit had lodged a police complaint in this regard later, the VHP added in the statement.
Brussels has no comment on Fico's visit to Moscow, EU prepared for stop of Russian gas flow via Ukraine

The European Commission has no comment on the recent visit by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to Moscow, but the Eu is prepared for the termination of the transit of Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine.

An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent in Brussels received on Monday such a comment from the European Commission about Fico's trip to Moscow, during which he met with Vladimir Putin to discuss further supplies of cheap Russian gas.

"In relation to the issue of PM Fico's visit to Moscow, we have no comment. However, we would like to recall the following facts, attributable on the record to a Commission Spokesperson: The stop of flow via Ukraine on 1 January is the expected situation and the EU is prepared for it," a representative of the Commission said.

The other fact is that the European Commission, in coordination with the Member States, has been working for more than a year specifically on preparing for a scenario without Russian gas transiting via Ukraine as of 1 January 2025 and on ensuring that alternative supplies are available for the impacted Member States.

"The European gas infrastructure is flexible enough to provide gas of non-Russian origin to Central and Eastern Europe via alternative routes. It has been reinforced with significant new LNG import capacities since 2022," the spokesperson said.

In addition, the Commission said security of gas supply architecture of the EU has been reinforced in the last couple of years, including with energy efficiency measures and renewables development.

"The impact of the end of the transit via Ukraine on the EU's security of supply is limited," the official said.
Ukraine has agreed to a US proposal for a 30-day cease-fire in the war against the Russian invasion, prompting the United States to say it would immediately lift the suspension of military aid, including the sharing of intelligence.

The outcome of nine hours of talks on March 11 in Jeddah marked a stunning turnaround less than two weeks after an acrimonious meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The clash between the two leaders preceded the US pause in aid and limits on intelligence sharing, which the United States said were imposed because of doubts that Ukraine was committed to seeking peace.

"The President wanted this war to end yesterday... So our hope is that the Russians will answer 'yes' as quickly as possible, so we can get to the second phase of this, which is real negotiations," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters after the agreement was announced.

A joint statement issued by the two countries said Ukraine expressed a "readiness" to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day cease-fire, "which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation."

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump said a meeting with Russia would take place later on March 11 or the following day.

Rubio, who attended the talks in Saudi Arabia along with national-security adviser Mike Waltz, said the cease-fire plan puts the ball in Russias court.

Were going to tell them this is whats on the table, he said of Russian President Vladimir Putins government. Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking. And now itll be up to them to say yes or no."

Russian officials have repeatedly said that they want a comprehensive peace deal, not a cease-fire or other temporary arrangement.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it wouldn't rule out contacts with US officials over next several days, but gave no further comment.

The US and Ukrainian delegations said they also discussed the importance of humanitarian relief efforts as part of the peace process, particularly during the cease-fire, including the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.

"I have confirmation that the security assistance from the United States has been restored," Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of the Ukrainian President's Office and a member of the delegation, said in a post on Facebook.

"Arrangements are starting to be fulfilled."

In addition, Ukraine and the United States agreed to conclude a pact on joint development of Ukrainian critical minerals and other resources as soon as possible.

That deal had been expected to be signed at the White House meeting on February 28, but Zelenskyy left early after the argument in the Oval Office, leaving it in limbo.

Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

The talks were closely watched across Europe, which has grown concerned Washington's renewed contacts with the Kremlin would sideline both Kyiv and Brussels from the peace process.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who recently traveled to the White House to meet Trump, congratulated the US and Ukrainian delegations, saying it is now up to Moscow to end the fighting.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saidthe proposal for a ceasefire agreement and the resumption of U.S. intelligence sharing and security assistance was a welcome development.



"This is a positive development that can be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine. The ball is now in Russias court," she added.

The talks in Jeddah on March 11 followed a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack that struck the Moscow region and other Russian provinces overnight, killing three people.

John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, said before the joint statement that restoring intelligence cooperation should be seen as a positive result for Kyiv.

He also said sequencing in future negotiations will be crucial. While an early cease-fire can be key part of a future peace process, he stresses that it's important that it be followed by further steps toward a lasting peace deal, such as continued military shipments to Ukraine, a potential demilitarized zone, and a greater role for European countries, including their forces deployed as peacekeepers.

These are all serious ideas that have been floated, Herbst said.

That might not be a just peace, because a just peace wouldnt see Ukraine have to concede territory, but it could still be a durable one that makes it very hard for Russia to renew aggression.

What Role Will Russia And Europe Play In Peace Talks?

As Ukrainian and US officials met in Saudi Arabia, attention was also shifting to the other two players that will decide how the war ends: Russia and Kyivs European allies.

Top military officials from more than 30 nations met in Paris on March 11 for talks on the creation of an international security force for Ukraine.

The force is being envisaged by Britain and France. Its aim is to reassure Ukraine and deter another large-scale Russian offensive after any cease-fire. The force might include heavy weaponry and weapons stockpiles that could be rushed within hours or days to aid in Ukraines defense.

Russia has so far said it is against accepting European troops in Ukraine as part of a deal.

The Kremlin has also spoken about getting Western sanctions lifted on its economy as part of a peace process, including in Saudi Arabia where US and Russian officials held talks nearly a month ago.

Marie Dumoulin, a former French diplomat and an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, says that this gives European governments some leverage when the dust settles from the talks in Jeddah.

She said that doubts remain in European capitals about whether Russia is willing to make any concessions of its own and that Europe can use both its own offer of security guarantees to Ukraine and the possibility of lifting European Union sanctions on Russia as a way to shape discussions in both Moscow and Washington.

This gives Ukraine a few more cards to hold at the table, Dumoulin told RFE/RL. These can give Ukraine some room to say whether the deal being offered to them is good enough yet or not.

RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and RFE/RL's Kosovo Service contributed to this report
Due to Russia's cyberattack, all registration actions are unavailable in Ukraine, about 25 state registers have been suspended, the consequences of the attack on the registers will become fully clear after the restoration of the register, managing partner of the RI Group law firm Oleksandr Keer said.

"As a result of the massive cyberattack, the work of about 25 state registers has been suspended to one degree or another, which has practically paralyzed a significant part of the processes in various areas of business and citizens' lives. Now almost all activities requiring obtaining data from state registers have been paused, in particular, all registration actions are unavailable," he told Interfax-Ukraine.

Keer said that, first of all, the situation is a problem "for areas of activity related to real estate, since it is impossible to carry out transactions with real estate  purchase and sale agreements, leases, donations, mortgage agreements are not concluded, pledges, seizures of property, prohibitions on alienation of property, etc. are not issued."

"Businesses and citizens are forced to simply postpone the implementation of these actions until the proper operation of state registers is restored," he said.

Keer said all legal and notarial actions requiring access to state registers are not carried out until the registers are restored.

"Notaries have suspended most notarial actions related to the need to use real estate and movable property registers, but continue to provide services that do not require verification of data from the registers, for example, registration of wills, amendments to them, certification of the authenticity of a signature, certification of copies of documents, etc.," he said.

Keer also said businesses are currently unable to carry out registration actions in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs, in particular, it is impossible to formalize a change in the director, participants of legal entities, or a change in the charter capital.

In addition, due to the cyberattack, the provision of registration services related to the change of ownership of vehicles, except for services for the initial registration of vehicles (new and imported from abroad), was suspended by the service centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"Both businesses and citizens have no other choice but to postpone the actions that are currently impossible until the registries are established. There is no clear and verified information about the leakage and destruction of critical data from the registries. Therefore, the consequences of the attack on the registries will become fully clear after the registry is restored and will largely depend on how critical the damage to the registries is," he said.

Keer believes that, for example, after restoring access to the State Register of Rights to Real Estate, "it is quite possible that data will disappear from the register or information about the owners of real estate objects, the arrest or pledge of these objects, and the like will change." "This situation creates certain opportunities for the implementation of various types of fraudulent actions with real estate. In this regard, after restoring access to the registers, we strongly recommend that you thoroughly check the information in the registers and, if you discover that the information has disappeared, changed, or has been otherwise affected, immediately take appropriate measures to protect your violated rights and interests," the lawyer said.

As reported, on December 19, the Ministry of Justice announced a large-scale failure at the level of the network infrastructure servicing state registers due to Russia's cyberattack on state registers under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice. According to Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, the time for priority restoration will be approximately two weeks. First of all, the State Register of Civil Status Acts of Citizens, the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs, and the State Register of Rights to Real Estate and Their Encumbrances will be restored.

On December 20, Stefanishyna said all data in the registers will be restored, but it will take some time, and that the leak of personal data is not confirmed.
BELGRADE -- When, at the age of 60, Desanka Mosic finally resolved to leave her longtime husband, it followed four decades of violent abuse. Petar had broken her nose within a week of their wedding. Now, as she waited in Pancevo, in central Serbia, to board a bus for Germany 15 days after their divorce was finalized, he tracked her down and stabbed her to death in front of their teenage grandson.

Instead of a new life abroad, Desanka would have her initials added to a growing list on the Femicide Memorial, a digital platform to memorialize female victims of domestic violence across the country.

"She never even considered leaving him, reporting, or divorcing him because of societal pressures and the influence of his family," Desanka's son Dejan told RFE/RL's Balkan Service.

Desanka and the other victims are an ongoing testament to suffering and silence in Serbia, where women are dying in cities and households at a disturbing rate -- in many cases after having endured decades of unreported violence.

Farewell Letter

In a farewell letter she'd written before seeking safety at a shelter that she hoped a court restraining order would keep Petar far away from, she had written: "I've left to live alone, without you and your torture, threats to kill me, and abuse -- I've had enough."

International organizations agree that, statistically speaking, home is the most dangerous place for many women.

In the past 15 years, 406 women have been murdered in Serbia, according to the Belgrade-based Autonomous Women's Center (AZC), a nonprofit, most of them over the age of 46. The center says that in more than half of those cases, the killers were their "married or unmarried partners."

But while gender-based violence remains a serious problem in the most populous of the former Yugoslav republics, there are also signs that newer generations of Serbian women and girls are increasingly aware of the risks of domestic abuse.

"We have a significant number of older women who have never reported the violence," says Vanja Macanovic, head of the Autonomous Women's Center, which launched the Femicide Memorial.

She attributes such underreporting to the stigma among older generations, who often see reporting abuse as shameful.

Dejan says his mother grew up in an abusive household, with a father who drank. Marriage initially seemed like a form of protection, he says: "She was 17 when she accepted this [abuse] as a normal expression of love."

His mother "didn't realize she could report any form of violence, whether due to fear, threats, or the expectations of his family and sister, who provided her with a kind of support and love but also justified his behavior as complicated, nervous, and unpredictable."

Psychologist Biljana Slavkovic says fear and shame are among the main reasons many women endure prolonged violence. Such victims frequently believe they somehow contributed to the behavior, and they experience corresponding and pervasive guilt as a result.

"This guilt is reinforced by systems that normalize abusive behavior and teach women through transgenerational models that [suggest] it's normal to endure aggression and abuse from a partner or family member," says Slavkovic.

In patriarchal and conservative societies like Serbia, Slavkovic says, a normalization of violence prevents victims from fully recognizing their situation.

Dejan says he thinks the social environment played a role in his family's suffering. Outsiders were curious about things like where their money came from or why his mother and father married, he says, but ultimately weren't overly concerned about their well-being.

"They were interested in everything except how to stop a man like him," Dejan says. "They'd regard it as none of their business."

Fighting For Safety

Informal polling of women in Belgrade by RFE/RL's Balkan Service hints at the prevalence of gender-based violence. But Macanovic says statistics show that younger generations of women are more aware and informed of the risks of abusive domestic situations.

"Unlike women who have endured 20, 30, or 40 years of violence, younger women are more likely to recognize the danger they're in," she says.

For some of the women who spoke to RFE/RL, like 21-year-old Tamara, taking action is nonnegotiable. After experiencing unwanted touching on a bus, she says, she called the police when she saw it happening to someone else.

"We're not doing anyone a favor by not reporting violence," Macanovic stresses. "Those who are aware of abuse should get informed about how to help and call the police when they hear violence occurring."

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned in a landmark study in 2019 that "Killings carried out by intimate partners are rarely spontaneous or random, and should be examined as an extreme act on a continuum of gender-related violence that remains underreported and too often ignored."

If anyone did try to help Desanka, her son says, it was mostly words of pity and comfort alongside advice that she should leave her husband. "But no one knew, not even my mother, how to do that when you can't trust anyone -- not even the police, who were often privately sitting with him and having coffee."

'Far From Resolved'

Serbia ratified the Council of Europe's convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, in 2013 and introduced a Domestic Violence Prevention Law in 2017.

Serbia's parliament-appointed commissioner for equality, Brankica Jankovic, says reports of violence have increased since the law's implementation. "But the problem is far from resolved," she adds. Jankovic emphasizes the need for specialized staff and dedicated departments to handle domestic violence cases effectively.

"It's not the same if a victim is met by an investigator fresh from a case involving theft or terrorism versus someone specifically trained to work with victims of violence," Jankovic says.

Some 28,413 cases of domestic violence were reported in Serbia in 2023, according to Interior Ministry data shared with the Autonomous Women's Center, the highest number of recorded reports since 2018. The center says it received 4,095 calls to its SOS line for psychosocial support in the same period, representing a 4 percent year-on-year increase. Twenty-seven women were murdered in Serbia in 2023.

"They feel no one believes them," says Macanovic, adding that the most dangerous moment for a woman is "when she leaves the abuser or informs him of her decision to leave."

A court concluded in connection with Desanka's murder -- and Petar's eventual sentencing to 30 years in prison for the crime -- that her ex-husband killed her "when he realized his ex-wife would not return to him and there was no chance of continuing their family life together."

A third of the victims chronicled by the Femicide Memorial had reported their abusers before they were murdered.

Dejan says he can't fathom why people fail to realize that no form of violence should be tolerated. But for years, he says, as his father grew wealthier and gained allies within institutions, his mother was like "a helpless hamster running in a wheel."

In his mother's case, her unrealized goal was "a better and brighter tomorrow," he says. "She hoped, but she was sinking deeper and deeper without realizing it."

Two days after the authorities issued a restraining order against him, Petar Mosic appeared at the shelter where Desanka was staying, prompting the local social welfare center to report the offense to the police.

Dejan says his father had information that the shelter had reported him. Had he been arrested, Dejan maintains, his mother might be free and alive today.
Welcome back to the China In Eurasia briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter tracking China's resurgent influence from Eastern Europe to Central Asia.

I'm RFE/RL's China Global Affairs Correspondent Reid Standish and here's what I'm following right now.

Minding The Transatlantic Gap

China is looking to capitalize on a transatlantic rift between the United States and Europe that is widening as U.S. President Donald Trump looks to quickly end the war in Ukraine.

But how much of an opening is there actually for Beijing?

Finding Perspective: The threat of tariffs, a war of words at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, U.S.-Russia talks that excluded Europe and Kyiv, and a standoff at the United Nations over how to commemorate the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine have all been recent fissures between Washington and European governments.

That brought new questions about relying on the United States to European capitals and left an opening for Beijing, which has been trying to woo back Europe over the past four years.

On the sidelines in Munich, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held bilateral meetings with several top European officials, including EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Spain's foreign minister seems to be at least more open to the idea of keeping China closer amid tensions with the United States.

Jose Manuel Albares told the Financial Times that the European Union should craft its own China policy and not follow the more confrontational line with Beijing advocated by those in the Trump administration.

"Europe must take its own decisions, on its own. And we have to decide when China can be a partner and when China is a competitor," Albares told the newspaper.

How We Got Here: During Trump's first term in office, Washington pushed European governments to take a harder line on China. That led to the bloc labeling China a "systemic rival" in 2019.

The Chinese government's untransparent handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, trade, human rights, and supply chain concerns, and Beijing's backing of Russia throughout the war in Ukraine all saw that harder line solidify in Europe under former U.S. President Joe Biden's tenure.

Now amid growing transatlantic tensions, some European governments see following Trump's tough stance on China as a way to win over Washington. Others, like the Spanish government, are arguing to preserve vital economic ties with Beijing, especially amid growing uncertainty about the United States.

This has even led to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, one of Brussels's more hawkish voices on China, calling in January for a new effort to improve relations between Brussels and Beijing.

A True Rift? Tensions on each side of the Atlantic are real.

Following his party's victory in elections on February 23, Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor-in-waiting for the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said the Trump administration "does not care much about the fate of Europe" and that the Continent needs to act accordingly.

"My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the U.S.A.," he said.

Talk of a seismic shift in the geopolitical order is also under way in Brussels.

One EU official recently back from discussions with U.S. officials told RFE/RL that the White House's focus is on ending the war in Ukraine and that there is a "take it or leave it" attitude from Washington.

The Trump administration wants to "remove the Ukraine issue from the table and move on to other issues. It is becoming clear that Trump's goal is to rule the world together with Russia and China" and work toward "strategically separating them from each other," said the official, who was granted anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters.

Why It Matters: Europe may be grappling with a realignment, but that doesn't mean China is its only option to hedge.

As European leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visit Washington, von der Leyen is set to arrive in India on February 27.

James Crabtree, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told me that "it's hard to imagine a better time to re-energize Europe's and India's historically lackluster ties" and that a focus of the trip will be technology cooperation.

"A meeting of the EU-India Trade and Technology Council -- only the second since its foundation in 2023 -- offers opportunities to deepen collaboration in areas ranging from artificial intelligence to clean technologies," he said.

China may also be short on opportunities, with most EU members unable to look past its support for Russia amid the war in Ukraine. The bloc's most recent sanctions package passed on February 24 once again included Chinese companies and individuals.

What is likely to emerge is a more fragmented Europe when it comes to China. While some governments look to countries like India, South Korea, and Japan to balance out their foreign policy, others -- such as the current Spanish government and Hungary -- will keep courting Chinese investment and create new openings for Beijing.

Three More Stories From Eurasia

1. A Reverse Nixon?

China publicly backed the Trump administration's recent talks with the Kremlin, but analysts and former U.S. officials I spoke with mostly said the prospect of a U.S.-Russia reset is also making Beijing "nervous" about having less leverage over its partner.

The Details: "While a complete rapprochement might not be in the cards, they're nervous because if Trump lifts sanctions on Russia, then Moscow's dependency on China decreases," Dennis Wilder, who was a top White House China adviser to former U.S. President George W. Bush, told me.

One of the hallmarks of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's foreign policy has been a burgeoning strategic partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin that's grown closer since Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Beijing has propped up the Russian economy through enhanced trade and energy purchases while fueling the Kremlin's war effort with the supply of key goods as both Xi and Putin have found common ground in wanting to challenge the West and unseat the United States.

The fear of all that being derailed by a new type of U.S.-Russia relationship born out of a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine is real for Beijing.

Wilder says he's had conversations with "very senior Chinese officials" since Trump's election in November who have expressed concern about a potential U.S.-Russia reset.

He says they've used the phrase "Only Trump goes to Moscow," a play on the historical reference to former U.S. President Richard Nixon's landmark visit to Beijing in 1972, when he defied precedent and courted China to exploit its split with the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.

2. But Can It Work?

A grand bargain would be a major diplomatic feat, but it's something Trump administration officials have hinted at in public comments of late.

What You Need To Know: The Trump administration has made clear it sees managing a long-term rivalry with China as its top foreign policy objective and may look to deprioritize regions like Europe and the Middle East in order to raise pressure on Beijing in Asia.

Following the talks in Riyadh, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the possibility for future "geopolitical and economic cooperation" between Washington and Moscow was among the key points discussed.

And in an interview this month with The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Washington was prepared to reset the relationship with the Kremlin following an agreement over Ukraine as a move to end Russia's isolation and its growing dependence on China since the war began.

"It's not in Putin's interest to be the little brother in a coalition with China," Vance said.

The thinking is that even new cracks between the two powers may loosen Moscow's alignment with Beijing and could have a deterrent effect on China, especially if it decides to use military force to take Taiwan.

Still, both Beijing and Moscow are aware of what the White House is trying to do, and Beijing has made a point to show it and Moscow are still a tandem, including a recent phone call between Putin and Xi on the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

Steve Tsang, director of SOAS University London's China Institute, told me he believes Washington's efforts to reset its Russia ties are also not all bad news for Beijing.

"Xi does not want Putin to fail in the war, and so Trump delivering a peace that mostly meets Russian conditions is a positive," he said. "Who knows who will be the next U.S. president and if there will be a reversal of U.S. posture post-Trump."

3. Taiwan Watches A New U.S. Line On Ukraine

Ukrainians living in Taiwan and local supporters protested outside the de-facto Russian Embassy in Taipei on the eve of the third anniversary of Moscow's invasion.

What It Means: The self-governing island has been a vocal supporter of Kyiv, which the Taiwanese government sees as a foil for its own tenuous geopolitical position where China has long threatened to invade and annex Taiwan if it refused to peacefully accept unification.

Those parallels have grown since Trump's election. The United States is Taiwan's largest military backer and its support is considered vital for its survival, but Trump's global shakeup, including launching negotiations with Russia without Ukraine and threatening to cut off future aid to Kyiv, has brought anxiety to Taiwan about a similar withdrawal of American assistance.

When I was in Taiwan in December, I spoke with several senior officials who said they were closely watching what happened to Kyiv on the battlefield and with the new U.S. administration.

So far, the White House has reaffirmed its support for Taiwan, but Washington has also threatened tariffs on the island's semiconductor industry, which is responsible for around 60 percent of world production for microchips and 90 percent of the most-advanced ones needed for the global AI boom.

Across The Supercontinent

Choking Off Iranian Oil: Earlier this month, the United States brought in a new tranche of sanctions on Iranian oil, my colleague Kian Sharifi and I reported . The move is seen as an opening shot against Tehran and Beijing -- Iran's top oil customer.

New Bridge Deal: The Transport Ministry of Tajikistan and the Tajik branch of the Chinese company Zhejiang Communications Construction Group (ZCCC) signed a cooperation agreement for the construction of what will be the longest road bridge in Central Asia.

New Tools For Tashkent: Uzbekistan showcased on February 25 newly purchased Chinese-made air-defense systems, including the FM-90 short-range surface-to-air missile system and the KS-1C medium-to-long-range air-defense system.

One Thing To Watch

A Chinese-crewed cargo ship is detained in Taiwan's southern port of Tainan after a key Taiwan-Penghu Internet cable was mysteriously severed.

Taiwanese prosecutors are investigating whether this was an accident or part of a broader pattern of disruptions to vital communication lines, but the country's Coast Guard released footage of them apprehending the vessel.

The move comes amid growing tensions from a rise of so-called gray zone tactics, the term often used by Taiwanese officials to refer to the hybrid tactics used to intimidate the island but which remain below the threshold for war.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you might have.

Until next time,

Reid Standish
Members of Ukraine's National Guard are battling frigid temperatures and darkness as they defend the front lines from attacks by Russian forces near the northeastern city of Kupyansk. Current Time reporter Oleksiy Prodayvoda reports from Ukrainian positions where troops depend on night vision, electronic warfare, and drones in winter battles against the enemy.
Photo: https://t.me/vitaliy_klitschko/3911

Kyiv's twin city Brussels has handed over to the Ukrainian capital a batch of aid for the rehabilitation of wounded servicemen, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said Monday.

"Kyiv has received another batch of aid from the twin city of Brussels. One hundred modern beds for the rehabilitation of the military to one of the capital's hospitals was handed over from the mayor's office of Brussels by the head of international and economic relations, Marie-France Botte. Together with Mrs. Marie-France we talked to the fighters who are undergoing treatment and rehabilitation here," he said on the Telegram channel.

The Kyiv mayor also noted that recently, with the assistance of Brussels Mayor Philippe Close, this hospital received a mobile operating X-ray unit (C-arc) and an X-ray-transparent multifunctional operating table to operate on military personnel with complex combat injuries and civilians.

"Brussels is also helping to equip Kyiv's medical facilities and to provide medical traineeships. During the full-scale war, they transferred to Kyiv, in particular, five ambulances, two fire trucks, a CT-apparatus, 28 beds with electric drive and mattresses for the rehabilitation of the military, 3,000 bulletproof vests to protect medics and workers of emergency, municipal services during the elimination of the consequences of Russian shelling," Klitschko said.
Eva Osborne

Dublin, Cork, Kerry, and Limerick lead the way in terms of big lotto wins as 2024 comes to an end, according to the National Lottery's high-tier prizes report.

The National Lottery created a 33 new millionaires in 2024, with over 161 players sharing over 103 million in high-tier prizes across all draw-based games.

Dublin topped the charts for National Lottery wins with over 21 million paid out to 32 players, seven of which won prizes in excess of 1 million.

So far this year, three millionaires have been made each in Cork, Kerry, and Limerick.

One of the Limerick winners claimed the second-largest prize of 2024, a Lotto jackpot worth an astounding 8.9 million.

Remarkably, the winning ticket was purchased in the same shop that previously sold the historic 115 million EuroMillions jackpot ticket to Dolores McNamara in 2005.

Online players continued to win big in 2024, with 32 million paid out to 34 players, eight of which won prizes in excess of 1 million.

Four of these online players were from Dublin alone.

The news comes as there is just one week to go until the Millioaire Raffle, which takes place on New Year's Eve, that will guarantee another Lottery Millionaire.
By Cillian Sherlock and Ellie Ng, PA

The Department of Transport has said it will take time to determine any appropriate financial supports for hauliers affected by the closure of Holyhead Port.

The busy ferry port in Anglesey, north Wales, was forced to close following damage during Storm Darragh and is not set to re-open until January 15th at the earliest.

All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are currently cancelled, upending travel plans for thousands across the festive season.

However, alternative sailings to Ireland took place over the weekend amid high winds and challenging conditions.

Irish ministers met supply-chain stakeholders on Monday to facilitate new services to the greatest extent priority.

The Department of Transport said the closure of the port is being treated with absolute priority.

The focus remains on securing viable additional routes and vessels with sufficient capacity to support the steady movement of both goods and people between Ireland and the UK during the period of Holyhead Port closure.

A number of additional routes and services have been put in place: Dublin to Liverpool, Dublin to Heysham, Dublin to Fishguard and from Belfast to Cairnryan which has created additional capacity to compensate for the losses through Holyhead.

The Department said it is working hard with operators and UK authorities to establish further routes that can accommodate passenger and freight demand.

Irish hauliers have warned that delays in resolving the Holyhead problems could lead to lay-offs or business failures, further requesting financial supports from the Government or the EU.

However, the Department of Transport said in a statement that any decision on supports would take some time.

In a statement, it said: Regarding the call for financial supports, while the damage arising from the closure of Holyhead Port has significant impacts and causes disruption for affected hauliers and shippers, it does not affect all hauliers in Ireland.

It will take some time to establish the precise impacts of the Holyhead Port closure across the sector and determine an appropriate response.

Eamon Ryan (Brian Lawless/PA)

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said his department will monitor the situation over the holidays, adding: Our key focus is on ensuring that there is a resilient solution to the difficulties caused by the damage to Holyhead Port.

We will continue to work with the UK and Welsh governments to help secure additional berths in alternative ports, and we expect to get clarity on the state of play at Holyhead from Stena by mid-January.

As we assess the impact of this situation, the one thing we all need is clear, accurate and real-time information so that we can respond quickly and appropriately to keep goods and people flowing between our two countries.

James Lawless, the junior minister at the department, later said hauliers had not put a specific solution or figure on the supports they were requesting.

He added that it would be important that any financial supports were targeted and evidence based.

Mr Lawless told RTE radio: This is an act of God issue in terms of the damage of Storm Daragh at a port in other jurisdiction, the UK, owned by a private company, Stenaline

Really, it was a bit of a perfect storm that has brought this about.

Minister of state for international transport James Lawless (Cillian Sherlock/PA)

Earlier, a Welsh Cabinet secretary said people have been ferried to Ireland on alternative routes after the temporary closure of Holyhead port in an effort to get people home for Christmas.

Welsh Transport Secretary Ken Skates said: Conditions have been incredibly challenging across the UK, but additional sailings from Wales and the Mersey area have taken place, helping people and goods get to Ireland for Christmas. These sailings will continue.

Id like to thank the ferry companies for their efforts in putting alternative sailings in place. I would urge anyone who is travelling to check the arrangements with their ferry company.

This is a challenge we have never faced before, but well continue to work together with the UK and Irish governments to rescue the hopes and plans of people and businesses.

We will also work with the owners of Holyhead Port to get the facility back open as soon as possible, as it is a massively important facility for Ireland and the UK.

According to the Welsh Government, contingency plans are also in place for the new year period.
Eva Osborne

Revenue officers seized 2.35 kg of cocaine as a result of an intelligence led operation, when officers searched two consignments at Dublin Airport.

This past week, Revenue officers seized contraband with an estimated value of over 880,000 in various operations in Dublin, the Midlands, and Rosslare.

The cocaine was discovered concealed in boxes described as Engraved Leather Organiser and Yoga Wear that had arrived in air cargo consignments from the United States and were destined for addresses in Dublin.

Elsewhere, Revenue officers also seized over 30kg of herbal cannabis, with an estimated value of almost 611,300.

Officers also seized:

Various other illicit drugs, with an estimated value of almost 3,000;

251 items of counterfeit goods, with an estimated value of 83,000;

Approximately 458 litres of alcohol, with an estimated value of over 10,000;

1,310 cigarettes, with an estimated value of 1,200;

9,900 in cash.

The herbal cannabis and the various other illicit drugs were seized as a result of risk profiling, and with the assistance of detector dogs Sam, Enzo and Ciara, by Revenue officers examining parcels at premises in Dublin and the Midlands.

The illegal drugs were discovered in parcels that originated in the US, the United Kingdom, Thailand, India, and Spain. The parcels were destined for various addresses nationwide.

The counterfeit goods were seized as they were confirmed by the Rights Holder to have infringed on Intellectual Property Rights.

The alcohol and cigarettes seized were of various brands. These seizure were made as a result of risk profiling, when Revenue officers stopped and searched passengers passing through Rosslare Europort, and whilst examining parcels at premises in the Midlands.

The cash was seized when Revenue officers stopped and searched a passenger passing through Rosslare Eurport.

On Wednesday last, Revenue officers were granted a cash detention order at Gorey District Court in respect of same.

It is suspected that the cash is the proceeds of, or intended for use in, criminal activity and is detained by Revenue in accordance with proceeds of crime legislation.

Investigations into all seizures are ongoing.
Tom Tuite

A semi-automatic pistol and ammunition intercepted in transit in Dublin last week was part of an organised crime gang's "conspiracy" to carry out a murder, a bail hearing was told.

Declan Coulahan, 45, of Drumcairn Parade, Tallaght, south Co Dublin, and 35-year-old Michael Simpson of Rowlagh Avenue in Clondalkin, West Dublin, faced their second court appearance on Friday.

The pair, who had been charged and remanded in custody on Friday, were brought before Dublin District Court on Monday.

Both men are accused of possessing a 9mm Luger calibre Glock model 17 semi-automatic pistol and possession of 10 rounds of 9mm Luger calibre ammunition in the Dublin area on December 17th.

Mr Coulahan was further remanded in custody to appear again on January 3rd, with his barrister Kevin McCrave giving gardai notice in court that his client would move a bail application on the next date.

Mr Coulahan was employed, earning 650 a week, and awaits a decision on whether he will be allowed free legal aid.

On Monday, Mr Simpson sought bail, which was denied following Garda objections.

Detective Garda James Morris of the National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau cited the seriousness of the case. He alleged Mr Simpson was associated with an organised crime group with a violent history of threatening and intimidating behaviour.

Judge Mark O'Connell heard that the charges related to an investigation into a conspiracy by the key members of the gang to murder a named man.

Further serious charges could be proffered, and gardai are to seek directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Detective Garda Morris alleged Mr Simpson was a "vital cog".

The court heard he told gardai: "I was just moving the firearm". According to the detectives evidence, Mr Simpson claimed he collected was going to give it to another person and he was not the person giving the orders.

Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland also voiced objections to bail.

Defence solicitor Emer O'Sullivan described her client, who has yet to indicate a plea, as a stay-at-home father, a family man, and a "threat to no one".

The court heard that he was supported in court by relations and a former employer who had a work offer for him.

Judge O'Connell said Mr Simpson had the presumption of innocence. However, the judge refused the bail application and remanded Mr Simpson, who did not address the court, in custody to appear again on January 6th next.
Sean McCarthaigh

Almost two-thirds of Irish people believe men are treated better in politics than women, while just under half believe that feminism has gone too far".

The findings are contained in a new report published by the European Commission on attitudes to gender stereotypes across the EU.

The results of the EU-wide survey reveal that 64 per cent of Irish respondents stated their belief that males are treated better in politics than women  the third highest rate among the 27 EU member states where the average rate was 54 per cent.

Only 6 per cent of Irish people thought female politicians were treated better than male ones.

The report also showed that 47 per cent of Irish people believe that feminism has gone too far including 18 per cent who totally agreed with such a sentiment.

A majority of citizens in eight EU countries also held such a view including France and Spain.

The Irish rate of dissatisfaction with the advancement of feminism was just above the EU average of 45 per cent.

The Eurobarometer poll, of over 26,600 adults across the EU member over 1,000 in the Republic, was carried out to provide an overview of the perception of gender stereotypes across various contexts including the household, work, politics and leadership positions.

The findings show Europeans tend to reject many common gender stereotypes, although exceptions still exist and a tendency to stereotype is still present among a sizeable proportion.

For example, although majorities disagree that the most important role of a man is to earn money and of a woman is to take care of her home and family, around 4 in 10 Europeans including Irish people still agree with these statements.

The findings were mixed when it came to perceptions of gender roles within the household.

An overwhelming majority of Irish people agree that it is important for women and men to be financially independent (92 per cent) and that taking parental leave is enriching for a father (84 per cent).

A large proportion also disagree that men should have the final say for important family decisions (81 per cent).

Slimmer majorities disagreed that having children is more fulfilling for a woman than a man (53 per cent) and agree that if a fathers pay is lower than that of the mother, he is the one who should give up work to look after the children if a family decides that one parent has to do so (56 per cent).

Some stereotypical views about the division of roles in the household still persist with 51 per cent of all Europeans and 41 per cent of Irish respondents believing that, all in all, family life suffers when the mother has a full-time job.

Household chores

Opinion is similarly divided on whether men are naturally less competent than women in performing household tasks.

In Ireland 45 per cent agreed that men were less competent at household chores than women but 52 per cent disagreed.

Most Europeans including Irish people reject gender stereotypes relating to professional work with 58 per cent of Irish respondents disagreeing that women should give priority to their family responsibilities over their career, although 34 per cent agreed with such a view  the same rate as the EU average.

Similarly, 8 out of 10 Irish people disagreed that men taking parental leave demonstrated some sign of lack of career ambition, while 83 per cent disagreed that women were not ambitious enough to get more senior job roles.

However, Irish people are split almost evenly on whether women have the same chances of getting promoted as men with 49 per cent believing they do, while 47 per cent think the opposite.

On gender stereotyping in politics, the results overall were positive with large majorities rejecting the statement that women were less interested than men in positions of responsibility in politics  64 per cent in Ireland.

In a similar fashion, 84 per cent of Irish people disagreed that women do not have the necessary qualities and skills for senior roles in politics, while 79 per cent disagreed that women in leadership positions do not show the necessary authority to be taken seriously and 81 per cent disagreed that they were too emotional to be good leaders.

Conversely 73 per cent of Irish respondents believe that having more women in politics leads to better policy decisions with 58 per cent believing temporary measures like quotas are necessary to overcome the existing under representation of women in politics.

The report was published just after the recent general election in Ireland which showed that the number of female TDs is still less than a quarter of all members elected to the new enlarged Dail.

Gender quotas

Although there was a record number of 246 female candidates in last months election due to the gender quota for political parties, the number of women elected TDs was 43 up slightly to 24.7 per cent of all successful candidates compared to 23.1 per cent in the previous Dail.

The report acknowledged that the EU has made significant progress in gender equality in recent decades with encouraging trends including the higher number of women in the labour market and their progress in securing better education and training.

However, it added: While the gender gap in education is being closed and is actually negative for several indicators, gender gaps in employment, pay, care, power and pensions persist.

The European Commission said one of the key objectives of its Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 was to challenge gender stereotypes which it claims is a root cause of gender inequality and affects all areas of society.

While the overall results present a positive picture, the report said the findings are more nuanced when broken down between member states with wide gaps between the highest and lowest figures in agreement on each issue related to gender stereotyping.

It observed that men are also more inclined than women to stereotype based on gender, while the gap in perceptions between men and women is more pronounced among younger age groups than older people.

In most cases, this is due to a closer alignment of youngest mens attitudes with those of older men than with those of their female age peers, it added.
Eva Osborne

Gardai have arrested two women after Revenue officers seized suspected herbal cannabis (64kg) with an estimated value of 1.28 million at Shannon Airport on Monday.

The women, aged in their 20s and 40s, are currently detained at a garda station in the Southern Region.

The cannabis was discovered concealed in vacuum packed packages in the baggage of two female passengers who had disembarked a flight originating from the United States.

Gardai and Revenue said they seized approximately 64kgs of herbal cannabis as a result of 'risk profiling'.

Investigations are ongoing, gardai said.

This seizure is part of Revenue's ongoing operations targeting organised crime groups and the importation, sale and supply of illegal drugs.

This week, revenue officers also seized 2.35kg of cocaine as a result of an intelligence led operation, when officers searched two consignments at Dublin Airport.

This past week, Revenue officers seized contraband with an estimated value of over 880,000 in various operations in Dublin, the Midlands, and Rosslare.

The cocaine was discovered concealed in boxes described as Engraved Leather Organiser and Yoga Wear that had arrived in air cargo consignments from the United States and were destined for addresses in Dublin.

Elsewhere, Revenue officers also seized over 30kg of herbal cannabis, with an estimated value of almost 611,300.
Photo: https://www.president.gov.ua/

The number of killed and wounded North Korean soldiers in Kursk region has exceeded 3,000 people, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff Headquarters on Monday.

"Commander-in-Chief [of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr] Syrsky reported on the front and the Kursk operation. Currently, according to preliminary data, the number of killed and wounded North Korean troops in the Kursk region exceeds 3,000 people," he said on the Telegram channel on Monday.

According to the head of state, "there are risks of sending additional number of soldiers and military equipment from North Korea to the Russian army, and we will give tangible response."

He stressed the importance of the world to understand that the risk of destabilization around the Korean Peninsula and in the neighboring regions and waters is increasing proportionally to the development of cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

"The transfer of experience in modern warfare and the spread of military technology from Russia is a global threat. For peace, the price of restoring stability is always much higher than the price of effective pressure on those who destabilize the situation and destroy life," Zelenskyy said.
3 Terrorists Linked to Gurdaspur Attack Killed in UP Encounter

Punjab Police has confirmed that the suspects were part of a Pakistan-backed Khalistan Zindabad Force terror module.

Gurdaspur Grenade Attack Latest News: Three terrorists accused of hurling a grenade at a police post in Gurdaspur, Punjab, were killed in an encounter with a joint team of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab police in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh. The late-night gunfight occurred when the police attempted to arrest the suspects, who responded with gunfire.

The three men, identified as Gurwinder Singh, Virendra Singh, and Jasanpreet Singh, sustained injuries during the exchange and later succumbed to them. Police recovered two AK-series rifles and two Glock pistols from the scene.

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Punjab Police has confirmed that the suspects were part of a Pakistan-backed Khalistan Zindabad Force terror module. "This module is responsible for grenade attacks on police establishments in Punjab's border areas," said Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). "The encounter was carried out within the jurisdiction of Puranpur Police Station, Pilibhit, by a coordinated effort between Punjab and Uttar Pradesh police. Investigations are ongoing to dismantle the entire terror network," he added.

Uttar Pradesh DGP Prashant Kumar lauded the operation, describing it as a "daring" act and an excellent example of inter-state police coordination.

This encounter follows a spate of attacks targeting police facilities in Punjab. The Bangar police post in Gurdaspur was attacked with a grenade last Friday. On Tuesday, a blast occurred at the Islamabad police station in Amritsar, and earlier, an explosion took place outside the Bakshiwal police post in Gurdaspur. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in these incidents.
Panchkula Triple Murder News: Three Killed in Firing at Birthday Party, Gang War Suspected

Panchkula Police have launched an investigation and are examining CCTV footage from the hotel.

Panchkula Birthday Party Triple Murder Latest News Today: A birthday celebration turned tragic in Haryanas Panchkula as three individuals were shot dead in a suspected gang-related shooting at Hotel Sultanate in Pinjore early Monday morning. The incident occurred around 2:00 am when unidentified assailants opened fire on the gathering, leaving two men and a woman dead.

The deceased have been identified as Vicky and Vineet, both residents of Delhi, and a woman from Hisar. Initial investigations suggest that Vicky had ties to criminal activities, leading police to suspect the incident may be linked to a gang rivalry.

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Panchkula Police have launched an investigation and are examining CCTV footage from the hotel. We suspect this is a targeted attack linked to gang rivalries. Teams have been formed to identify and apprehend the attackers, a police official stated.

The incident has sparked concerns about safety in the area, particularly as it took place in a relatively public setting. Authorities are also looking into possible lapses in security measures at the venue. Further details are awaited as the investigation continues.

(For more news apart from Panchkula Birthday Party Triple Murder Latest News Today, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman)
Punjab Weather Update: Yellow Alert Issued for Thunderstorms and Lightning in 14 Districts

Farmers have also been advised to take protective measures for their crops.

Punjab Weather Update Latest News Today: A yellow alert has been issued by the Meteorological Department for 14 districts of Punjab and Chandigarh, warning of light thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and winds with speeds of 30-40 kmph. Residents are advised to take precautions and stay alert as the weather conditions may disrupt outdoor activities and pose safety risks.

The affected districts include Mansa, Sangrur, Barnala, Patiala, SAS Nagar (Mohali), Fatehgarh Sahib, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Rupnagar, Moga, Jalandhar, SBS Nagar (Nawanshahr), and Hoshiarpur.

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Officials have urged residents in these areas to secure loose outdoor items, avoid sheltering under trees during lightning, and exercise caution while traveling. Farmers have also been advised to take protective measures for their crops.

The weather conditions are expected to persist for the next 24 hours. Authorities are monitoring the situation closely and will issue further updates if needed.

Stay tuned for further alerts and weather-related advisories.
Interview with the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkiye in Romania

The Ambassador of Turkiye in Romania, H.E. Ozgur Kvanc Altan, has given an exclusive interview to Radio Romania International. The ambassador...
The 35th anniversary of the Romanian revolution

The Romanian anti-communist revolution is a defining moment in the country's recent history and still subject to discussion and historical research.

Timisoara, 35 years ago (Photo: Costantin Duma)

Steliu Lambru, 23.12.2024, 14:00

A small protest began on December 16, 1989 in Timisoara that would lead to an avalanche of demonstrations across the country. This will result, on December 22, in the ousting of Nicolae Ceausescu and his regime, but some 1,150 people were killed and 4,100 wounded in the process. Of those who died then in Timisoara, the regime tried to make the bodies of 44 of them disappear: they were taken to Bucharest, put in the ovens at the crematorium, and their ashes thrown into the sewer in the Popesti-Leordeni village, in the south of Bucharest.

The people who rose up in Timisoara fought against the regime that had come to power after 1945 and for their rights and for a better life. On December 16, 1989, very few people could ever imagine what would happen in the following days. The journalist Mircea Carp, one of the former directors of the Free Europe radio station, recalled, in a 1997 interview given to the Oral History Center of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, the feverish expectations that everyone had:

After the events in Brasov in 1987, in 1988 and 1989 the Iron Curtain began to fall, with lots of things happening in quick succession, in East Germany, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. Only in Romania things seemed to stand still, nothing was moving. Ceausescu seemed to be very much in control of the situation, so much so that he was even able to go on an official visit to Iran, from where he returned after he was told serious things were happening back home. But Ceausescu never believed that his position was at risk.

Europe in 1989 was seething, and the emergence of Solidarity on the Polish political scene in the spring was the signal for the return to life. By December, throughout Central and Eastern Europe, the wind of change could not be stopped. For Mircea Carp, the start of the Romanian revolution in Timisoara was a fulfillment of a burning desire, but also a shock:

December 1989 came and with this first spark, the events in Timisoara. I have to say that they took us by surprise in terms of the moment when they happened, because, of course, we had prepared both mentally and in terms of the content of our shows for a possible regime change in Romania. But, in itself, the 16th and the following day, the 17th of December 1989, came unexpectedly for us. As for me, I was taking a few days off, I wasnt even in the office those days. My colleague Sorin Cunea was the first to broadcast on the airwaves what was happening in Timisoara. Starting from December 18, we organized ourselves and started working in teams and working 24 hours a day. We worked in teams of 3 or 4 people, non-stop, preparing all these shows in a hurry based only on information we had from press agencies abroad and from some people who had been travelling back from Romania.

The Romanians who had lived for so many decades in fear and humiliation had a very important moral support in the Romanian language radio stations. Mircea Carp said that during the days of the outbreak in Timisoara, he and his station did their duty as best they could:

The moment when the revolution started, and we were on alert, the other radio stations and Free Europe, maybe first of all Free Europe. But, in any case, we did not effectively contribute to the start of the events of December through incendiary broadcasts, through broadcasts that would encourage the population to rise up against the regime. Maybe it would have been better, maybe it would have been worse. My point of view is that the American government, Im talking about Voice of America or Free Europe, would in no way have allowed our radio stations to encourage an action that would lead to a bloody revolution, a revolution that would to cost human lives and destruction.

On December 16, 1989, 35 years ago, the book on Romanias recent history began to be written in Timisoara.
December 23, 2024

A roundup of local and international news

Newsflash

Newsroom, 23.12.2024, 13:55

COALITION  The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has designated Social-Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu for the position of Prime Minister. The new pro-European coalition stands good chances of continuing Romanias good track record, following the undeniably good economic results obtained and the Schengen accession, the president said. I believe they will successfully deal with current issues such as budget construction and the calendar for the 2025 presidential election, the president went on to say. Also today, the new ministers will appear before Parliaments special committees, which will be followed by the debate and the confidence vote in a joint plenary sitting. Previously, the leaders of PSD, PNL, UDMR and the leader of the group of national minorities signed a political agreement to form a Parliament majority and a government. Social-Democrat president Marcel Ciolacu stated that the duty of the parties is to defend democratic values, Romanias trajectory in the EU and NATO, as well as national values and identity. PNL interim leader Ilie Bolojan said that his party signed the agreement to form a stable government, which will carry out reforms during a difficult period. He announced that former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu is the coalitions joint candidate for the upcoming presidential election. UDMR president Kelemen Hunor stated that the current coalition seeks to gain peoples trust in order to overcome the political deadlock, and the first challenges are adopting the 2025 budget and organizing the presidential election as soon as possible next year. The representative of national minorities (other than the Hungarian one), MP Varujan Pambuccian, said that this coalition seeks to maintain political, economic and social stability.

PARLIAMENT  PSD MP Ciprian Serban was earlier today elected Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies in the new Parliament. The interim leader of PNL, Ilie Bolojan, was elected Senate Speaker. We recall that four pro-European parties entered Parliament  PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR  and three self-proclaimed sovereigntist parties, AUR, SOS Romania and POT.

FORECAST  The National Strategy and Forecast Commission has significantly downgraded its economic growth forecast for 2024 from 2.8% previously to 1%, amid an accelerated decline in activity, especially in industry and agriculture. The only sector with a positive estimated impact was services. In its autumn forecast, published in November, the European Commission estimates that the Romanian economy will report an economic slowdown this year, up to 1.4%, but the gradual recovery of external demand, the easing of financial conditions, resilient private consumption and an acceleration of investments will support economic growth up to 2.5% in 2025 and 2.9% in 2026.

COMMEMORATION  In a message conveyed on Revolution Victory Day, President Klaus Iohannis said that Romania is at a turning point and must firmly reject attempts to revise history, which aim to defame the memory of the heroes of democratic Romania and mystify the truth about the dictatorial regime. The head of state pointed out that the freedom for which the heroes of the Revolution sacrificed themselves is more alive and present than ever today, 35 years on. A number of events were held throughout the country to mark the anti-communist revolution of 1989, with participants recalling protesters aspirations back then for democracy and a European path for Romania.

BORDER POLICE  The border police in Romania expects a significant increase in traffic flows at the border checkpoints, especially on the Hungarian border, given that many Romanian citizens are coming home from the holidays from European countries. Over 3,500 border police officers carry out nationwide surveillance and control activities on a daily basis, also with a view to preventing and combating cross-border crime. According to a press release published by the Border Police, if the situation requires it, additional lanes will be opened up to the maximum working capacity in crossing points that get crowded. (VP)
December 23, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and world news

Newsflash

Newsroom, 23.12.2024, 19:57

GOVERNMENT The new government in Bucharest, headed by the social-democrat Marcel Ciolacu and made up of the pro-European parties PSD, PNL, UDMR and the group of the national minorities has got the investiture vote in Parliament. All the 16 members proposed to become part of the new Executive on Monday got the greenlight following the hearing in the Legislatives specialized committees. The Prime Minister had said the new government would not resort to austerity measures, but public spending must be decent. The PNL interim leader Ilie Bolojan said that his party signed the agreement to form a stable government, which will carry out reforms during a difficult period. He announced that former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu is the coalitions joint candidate for the upcoming presidential election. The UDMR president Kelemen Hunor says the current coalition seeks to gain peoples trust in order to overcome the political deadlock. However, the AUR MPs believe the programme presented by the PSD leader is unrealistic and the USR representatives say the new government does not meet the citizens expectations. Previously, the leaders of PSD, PNL, UDMR and the leader of the group of national minorities signed a political agreement to form a Parliament majority and a government. According to Romanias president Klaus Iohannis, the new pro-European coalition stands good chances of continuing Romanias good track record, following the undeniably good economic results obtained and the Schengen accession.

DAY In a message conveyed on Revolution Victory Day, President Klaus Iohannis said that Romania is at a turning point and must firmly reject attempts to revise history, which aim to defame the memory of the heroes of democratic Romania and mystify the truth about the dictatorial regime. The head of state pointed out that the freedom for which the heroes of the Revolution sacrificed themselves is more alive and present than ever today, 35 years on. A number of events were held throughout the country to mark the anti-communist revolution of 1989, with participants recalling protesters aspirations back then for democracy and a European path for Romania.

PARLIAMENT PSD MP Ciprian Serban was on Monday elected Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies in the new Parliament. The interim leader of PNL, Ilie Bolojan, was elected Senate Speaker. We recall that four pro-European parties entered Parliament  PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR  and three self-proclaimed sovereignist parties, AUR, SOS Romania and POT.

FORECAST The National Strategy and Forecast Commission has significantly downgraded its economic growth forecast for 2024 from 2.8% previously to 1%, amid an accelerated decline in activity, especially in industry and agriculture. The only sector with a positive estimated impact was services. In its autumn forecast, published in November, the European Commission estimates that the Romanian economy will report an economic slowdown this year, up to 1.4%, but the gradual recovery of external demand, the easing of financial conditions, resilient private consumption and an acceleration of investments will support economic growth up to 2.5% in 2025 and 2.9% in 2026.

(bill)
35 years since the anti-Communist Revolution in Romania

35 years have passed since Timisoara became the first city free from communism in Romania, a moment that triggered a wave of protests which would spread to Bucharest and other cities

Timisoara, 35 years ago (Photo: Costantin Duma)

Daniela Budu, 23.12.2024, 14:00

35 years have passed since Timisoara became the first city free from communism in Romania, a moment that triggered a wave of protests which would spread to Bucharest and other cities of the country and lead to the fall of the Ceausescu regime on December 22, 1989. This year, just like the years before, sirens were sounded in the city to mark the moment, and several revolutionaries remembered the day of the 20 December 1989, when over 100,000 people gathered in the centre of Timisoara. It was a day of mourning at the Metropolitan Cathedral, where a service was held in memory of the heroes of the Revolution. Wreaths were laid in front of the Cathedral, and other memorial services were held at the churches in the city and at the Heroes Cemetery.

Three and a half decades after the historic moment, the events in Timisoara were marked by the turmoil on the current political scene, and the Timisoara revolutionaries say that these are the result of the fact that Romanian society has not been able fulfill all the ideals of December 89. The whole country has marked the Romanian Revolution these days, and many of those attending the commemoration events have recalled how the protesters then fought for democracy and a European path for Romania. In December 1989, 1,142 people lost their lives, over 3,000 were seriously injured and several hundred people were illegally detained and tortured.

In a message conveyed on the day of the Victory Day of the Romanian Revolution, President Klaus Iohannis states that Romania is at a delicate point and must firmly reject attempts to revise history, which seek to defile the memory of the heroes of democratic Romania and mystify the truth about the dictatorial regime. The Revolution of December 1989 was lived with fear, with a lot of emotion, but above all with hope and courage, as it was the moment when Romania was reborn and showed the whole world that it could create its own destiny, the head of state said. He also pointed out that the ideal of freedom for which the heroes of the Revolution sacrificed themselves is now more alive and more present than ever. Let us never forget how much we have achieved since then and how many efforts have been mane to have a country deeply attached to democratic values, which is considered a reliable partner of the allies in the European Union and NATO, Klaus Iohannis pointed out. He warned, however, that the values and principles of the 1989 Revolution risk being endangered today by populist and hypocritical discourses.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has also sent a message on the 35th anniversary of the Romanian Revolution, emphasising the sacrifice of the people who fought for democracy. The EC leader stressed that Romania and Europe remember the Romanians sacrifice. 35 years ago, Romanians stood up for the right to choose their own destiny. Many gave their lives so that their children could be free and live in democracy. Today, Romania and Europe remember their sacrifice, wrote the President of the European Commission. (MI)
Quarterly GDP data from the UK is the only major economic report due on Monday, headlining a light day for the European economic news.

At 2.00 am ET, the Office for National Statistics releases UK GDP data. The is forecast to grow marginally by 0.1 percent, as initially estimated in the third quarter, following a 0.5 percent expansion in the second quarter.

In the meantime, Destatis is scheduled to issue Germany's import prices for November. Economists forecast import prices to rise 0.5 percent on month, slower than the 0.6 percent in October.

At 3.00 am ET, Spain's statistical office INE releases Spain's GDP data for the third quarter. The initial estimate showed that the economy expanded at a steady pace of 0.8 percent.

At 4.00 am ET, Italy's non-EU trade data is due.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Ukraine is interested in stabilizing the situation in Syria and is ready to supply food to this country, but considers it essential for ensuring the security of Syria and the entire Middle East region to "remove any Russian presence," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, following the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters.

"Ukraine is interested in stabilizing the situation in Syria and the region as a whole and will support the necessary efforts of partners. We believe that it is essential for the security of the people of Syria and the region as a whole to remove any Russian presence from Syria," he said in Telegram on Monday.

"We are grateful to every country and every leader who are now ready to help Syrian society restore normal life and build effective state institutions," he said.

"We will definitely support the people of Syria in food security. All the necessary decisions for this have been made on our part, Ukraine is ready to supply food," the president said.

He also noted the readiness "to work with representatives of the Syrian people to correct the mistakes of the Assad regime, in particular, in relation to Ukraine and all of Europe."
Chesnara plc (CSN.L), a Life and Pensions Consolidator, Monday announced that it has reached a second portfolio acquisition deal with Canada Life Ltd., known as Canada Life UK, for a closed portfolio of unit-linked bonds and legacy pension .

The portfolio includes approximately 17,000 policies and 1.5 billion pounds in assets under management as of December 31, 2023.

As an outcome of the acquisition, the policies will move to Chesnara's UK subsidiary, Countrywide Assured, by the end of 2025, pending court approval.

During the period, Canada Life UK will reinsure the management of the portfolio to Countrywide Assured through a reinsurance deal, effective from December 31, 2023. The company will pay 2 million pounds for this agreement, which will be funded from internal Group resources.

The reinsurance agreement transaction is expected to increase Chesnara's Economic Value by at least 8 million pounds, generate 8 million pounds in cash over five years, and slightly lower its Solvency II ratio by about 2 percent.

Chesnara earlier had purchased a different Canada Life UK insurance business in 2023.

Group Chief Executive Steve Murray, "This transaction, the sixth deal implemented in the past three years, will add additional scale to our UK business which now looks after over 300,000 policies, and provides an attractive return on investment for our shareholders."

CSN.L is currently trading 0.14% less at 257.65 pence on the London Stock Exchange.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Britain has successfully trialed for the first time a game-changing drone killer radio-wave weapon that can take down a swarm of drones using radio waves for less than the usual cost.

The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) development system can detect, track and engage a range of threats across land, air and sea, the UK Ministry of Defense said in a press release.

RFDEWs are capable of neutralizing targets up to 1 kilometer away with near instant effect and at an estimated cost of 10 pounds per shot fired, providing a cost-effective complement to traditional missile-base air defense systems.

The weapon uses high frequency waves to disrupt or damage critical electronic components inside devices such as drones, causing them to be immobilized or fall out of the sky. It can also be used against threats on land and at sea.

A live firing trial was recently completed by the British Army's Royal Artillery Trials and Development Unit and 7 Air Defense Group at a range in West Wales. They successfully targeted and engaged Uncrewed Aerial Systems, in a first for the British Armed Forces.

The user experimentation trials completed in recent months have enabled Army air defense personnel to explore and exercise the capability's potential in different configurations across a variety of range environments, threat types and engagement scenarios.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Health officials are concerned about the surge in valley fever cases, a fungal infection affecting the lungs, in numerous counties in California with some regions witnessing spikes of over 100 percent year-over-year.

As of November 30, a total of 11,076 valley fever cases were reported in the state compared to last year's 7,396 cases, according to data published by the California Department of Public Health.

A year-over-year increase in cases were recorded in Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Merced, Monterey, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tulare and Ventures counties.



The disease, also called coccidioidomycosis, is caused by a fungus that grows in the soil and dirt in some areas of California and the southwestern United States.

The non-contagious infection occurs when an individual breathes in fungus spores from dirt and dust in outdoor air, making it difficult to avoid breathing in dust.

The fever primarily affects the lungs, leading to respiratory problems including cough, fever, chest pain, and tiredness. In certain cases, the infection turns fatal and affects the other parts of the body.

To prevent infection, the department advises public to avoid dusty areas, keep doors and windows closed on windy days, use N95 respirators to protect against dust, and avoid outdoor activities that stir up dust or dirt.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
With S1 Pro Sona Edition giveaway contest, Ola Electric might achieve some positive social media content after a massive backlash

One of Indias leading electric scooter makers, Ola Electric, is creating new buzz around its S1 range with the introduction of S1 Pro Sona Edition. This is a very limited edition model that gets real 24K gold elements. It has been unveiled as part of #SavingsWalaScooter campaign aimed at expanding sales and service stores to 4,000 by December 25, 2024.

The company has not announced the price of Ola S1 Pro Sona Edition as it is a part of a giveaway. Yes, an electric scooter with 24K real gold elements in limited numbers is part of a giveaway that one can win through #OlaSonaContest. The Sona Edition gets exclusive colours, finishes and even a custom skin on Move OS.

Ola S1 Pro Sona Edition

With growing popularity for electric scooters, there is a massive surge in new offerings. Bajaj recently launched the new Chetak 35 Series, Hero launched new Vida V2 series and Honda recently showcased upcoming Activa e and QC1. Ola Electric, on the other hand, has no immediate new electric scooter launches.

However, the company has been building hype around its flagship scooter S1 Pro near the holiday season. There have been a lot of controversies revolving around Ola Electric for some time now. Rivals like TVS and Bajaj have caught up in sales and both those brands are just inches away from surpassing Olas top position for a long time.

Ola seems to be doing damage control to fix some of the social media backlash with #OlaSonaContest. As part of the contest, participants need to post an Instagram reel with S1 Pro or click a picture standing outside an Ola Store and tag Ola Electric with #OlaSonaContest.

Were sure many participants will flood Instagram with positive content about Ola Electric to stand a chance of winning an Ola S1 Pro with 24K real gold elements. The company is also on the verge of expanding its sales and service network to incorporate as many as 4000 touch points before December 25th, 2024.

How is Sona Edition special?

When compared to a standard S1 Pro, Sona Edition features quite a few design changes to distinguish itself apart. There will be exclusivity and Ola has not disclosed how many Sona Edition will be given away for free. It features a Pearl White shade with real 24K gold plating seen on side stand, rear footpegs, grab rail, brake levers and ORVM stalks.

Top of the handlebar cowl, ORVMs, front fender and lower part of side body panels get a subtle Gold shade. Even the rear swingarm and bottom part of front telescopic forks get a Gold shade. Both front and rear alloy wheels gets a more contrasty Gold finish. Floorboard gets Gold coloured bolts and seat cover is made of Nappa leather with Gold stitching. Move OS interface gets a custom Sona Mode and Gold coloured theme.
After taking a look at the top 10 two wheelers and top 10 motorcycles last month, now let us take a look at top 10 scooters. The Indian scooter market witnessed strong growth in November 2024, with the top 10 scooters achieving a combined sale of 5,30,227 units, a significant 13.60% increase compared to 4,66,741 units in November 2023. Heres a detailed look at the performance of the top-selling scooters.

Top 10 Scooters Nov 2024  YoY Performance

Honda Activa continued to dominate the scooter market, leading the charts with 2,06,844 units sold, registering a growth of 5.50% year-on-year (YoY) with 10,789 additional units sold compared to November 2023. TVS Jupiter secured the second spot with 99,710 units, showcasing a remarkable growth of 36.85% YoY, driven by its strong market presence and updated features.

In third place, Suzuki Access recorded sales of 54,118 units, growing by 3.06% YoY. Ola S1 (Retail), a leading electric scooter, claimed the fourth spot with 29,204 units sold, although it experienced a slight decline of 2.89% YoY. Honda Dio followed in fifth, selling 27,779 units, reflecting a solid growth of 15.85%.

TVS Ntorq, known for its sporty appeal, sold 26,664 units but saw a 12.28% decline YoY. Bajaj Chetak stood out as the star performer in November, registering a massive 205.24% YoY growth with 25,860 units sold, up from 8,472 units in November 2023, highlighting the increasing adoption of electric scooters. TVS iQube also made significant strides, achieving 25,681 units in sales and growing by 53.76% YoY. Suzuki Burgman Street showed robust growth, with 17,389 units sold and a 34.37% increase YoY, cementing its place as a popular premium scooter. Rounding out the top 10, Hero Pleasure recorded sales of 16,978 units but experienced a steep decline of 25.38% YoY.

Top 10 Scooters Nov 2024  MoM Performance

Following the strong year-on-year (YoY) growth in scooter sales, the month-on-month (MoM) performance for November 2024 showed a sharp decline as the market adjusted post the festive season in October. Total sales for the top 10 scooters dropped by 19.54%, with 5,30,227 units sold in November compared to 6,58,991 units in October  a loss of 1,28,764 units.

Honda Activa, while maintaining its lead in the scooter segment, recorded a steep MoM decline of 22.47%, with sales dropping by 59,962 units to 2,06,844 in November. TVS Jupiter, the second-best-selling scooter, saw a 9.11% drop, selling 99,710 units compared to 1,09,702 units in October. Suzuki Access experienced a significant 27.66% decline, with sales reducing to 54,118 units, down by 20,695 units from October. Ola S1 (Retail), a prominent electric scooter, registered a 29.88% drop, selling 29,204 units compared to 41,651 units the previous month. Honda Dio followed with sales of 27,779 units, reflecting a 16.28% decline.

TVS Ntorq, known for its sporty appeal, saw the sharpest decline among the top 10, with sales dropping by 33.45% to 26,664 units. Bajaj Chetak, despite its YoY growth, experienced a 15.61% decline MoM, selling 25,860 units in November. TVS iQube also saw a dip, with sales dropping by 11.21% to 25,681 units. Similarly, Suzuki Burgman recorded a 15.09% decline, selling 17,389 units in November. Hero Pleasure was the only scooter among the top 10 to post positive MoM growth, recording a significant 33.38% increase in sales. It sold 16,978 units in November, up by 4,249 units compared to October.
NEC Ukrenergo received EUR86 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the construction of anti-drone protection at key substations of the electricity transmission system, the company reported on Telegram.

According to acting head of NEC Oleksiy Brekht, in the context of Russian attacks on the power system, the protection of key equipment at substations is critically important.

"The effectiveness of the projects already being implemented was proven, in particular, during the latest massive missile and drone strikes in November-December. Work on the construction of protection continues. The more substations we manage to protect, the more stable the Ukrainian power system will be, the less the risk of forced outages for consumers," he noted.

EIB Vice President Teresa Czerwinska stressed that the EUR86 million investment is an important step towards strengthening Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the face of constant military threats.

"By supporting Ukrenergo in the construction of anti-drone shelters, we aim to ensure stable electricity supplies throughout the country, responding to the needs of civilians and businesses," she said.

According to NEC, since the beginning of the full-scale war, the EIB has provided the company with credit support totaling EUR136 million.

As reported, according to Ukrenergo's assessment, the protective reinforced concrete structures can withstand a direct hit from "Shaheds" - the most dangerous for high-voltage network facilities, and protect equipment from missile debris. According to the company's calculations, without protective structures, the damage as a result of Russian drone strikes on transmission system facilities would have been five to six times greater.
The team of the analytical portal DeepState announced pressure due to the work of the project.

"We have always worked and made maximum efforts to win and help our soldiers and our country. Therefore, we have an ironclad reputation and the most valuable trust among society, and most importantly among the military. Therefore, there is the most famous map of the Russian-Ukrainian war in Ukraine and the world. But, unfortunately, not all commanders-in-chief like the truth and this is offensive," the portal said in a statement on the Telegram channel.

The project team also expressed gratitude for the support, indicating that "this support is very great and it gives strength and inspiration."

"We work for victory and do not give up! Lies will destroy us all," the analysts said.

Earlier, MP Mariana Bezuhla said that allegedly Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky "launched an attack on the DeepState team." According to her, the project includes: Mobilization of the DeepState team; Appeal to the SBU and law enforcement agencies regarding disclosure of information; discrediting the project; Closing the project.
The Third Assault Brigade has made public the facts of war crimes committed by Russian occupiers in the village of Nevske in Luhansk region, the brigade's press service said.

The materials were published on the brigade's YouTube channel. It is noted that the videos were found on the phone of one of the soldiers of the Russian army, who was filming the criminal orders of his accomplice Oleh Rudakov, call sign Rudyk, on his smartphone. The identity of the Russian was identified during the investigation, and details of his biography and service in the Russian army were also found out.

"The occupier gave the Russian soldiers who were closer to the line of contact the task of executing and torturing the local population. In addition, the fighters of the Third Assault intercepted radio communications of Rudakov's group, which entered the village of Nevske. They contained an order to "clean up" that is, to destroy the local residents of the settlement," the brigade said.

In addition to war crimes against the civilian population, in the intercepted radio communications of the Russians, the Third Assault recorded instances of inhumane treatment of its own soldiers in the Russian army. This concerns murder as a method of punishing servicemen.

The brigade said the published investigation can be used in an international court as evidence of war crimes committed by Russian soldiers on the territory of Ukraine.
From February 24, 2022 to the end of October 2024, 184 bodies of Ukrainians killed in captivity were returned to Ukraine, including 169 military personnel and 15 civilians, the Media Initiative for Human Rights said with reference to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

"From February 24, 2022 to the end of October 2024, 184 bodies of Ukrainians killed in captivity were returned to Ukraine. Among them, 169 military personnel and 15 civilians. The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War informed the Media Initiative for Human Rights about this. At the same time, we assume that the number of dead prisoners is significantly higher," the Media Initiative said on its website on Monday.

It is also noted that among the 169 bodies of military personnel killed in captivity that were returned to Ukraine, in particular, 55 of those who died in the explosions in the Olenivka colony.

It is reported that since February 24, 2022, the MIHR has documented the testimonies of 122 Defenders of Ukraine who were in Russian captivity. The collected testimonies speak of systematic torture, isolation from the outside world, and denial of proper medical care. As a result, Ukrainian prisoners are critically losing weight and receiving serious injuries. The Media Initiative for Human Rights documentarians have also collected many testimonies of death of prisoners of war in places of confinement. They are mainly caused by torture.

"There are still many defenders in Russian captivity who have been there since the first months of the great war, that is, more than 30 months. Russia does not allow representatives of monitoring missions, in particular the International Committee of the Red Cross, to see them, and does not inform Ukraine about the deterioration of health or death of prisoners. All of these are gross violations of the Geneva Conventions," the Media Initiative for Human Rights said in the report.

The Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) was founded in 2016 with the aim of conducting journalistic investigations into human rights violations. Currently, the IHR documents human rights violations due to Russia's armed aggression.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. A biased resolution was adopted at the plenary session of the European Parliament, aimed against the sovereignty and independent policy of Azerbaijan, on December 19, 2024. This document marks the next stage in a long-term campaign designed to undermine the country's achievements.

Azerbaijan has made significant achievements by pursuing an independent policy on the international stage. The fact that Baku hosts major international events, organizes them at a high level, and succeeds in making important decisions naturally worry certain circles. The recent hosting of the globally significant COP29 event in Azerbaijan is a prime example of such achievements. Unfortunately, these achievements provoke unease in some quarters, who launch their own pressure mechanisms and resort to a slanderous campaign against the country.

The European Parliament's resolution is also part of this series. Azerbaijan's growing authority on the international stage, its initiatives and efforts aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the South Caucasus, as well as its achievements in energy security, lead to further growth of these biased actions. This resolution not only represents steps taken against Azerbaijan but also serves as further evidence that the European Parliament operates under double standards.

To demonstrate how unjust and biased the adopted resolution is, it's enough to focus on one fact: individuals who committed crimes against humanity on Azerbaijani territory, former representatives of the separatist regime, and those involved in terrorist acts are presented in this document in a completely distorted manner as "Armenian prisoners of war". While all facts prove that they are war criminals, the European Parliament ignores this and, for its own purposes, call them as "prisoners of war". This contradicts even the most fundamental principles of international law.

Furthermore, the document calls for the release of individuals they refer to as "political prisoners". In Azerbaijan, political activity does not lead to arrests or prohibition. The key is to act within the boundaries of the law. Regardless of the direction of activity, everyone has clear obligations, tasks, and laws they must comply with. If a citizen violates the law, they are held accountable, just like anyone else, regardless of the nature of their activity. The European Parliament is attempting to justify and even demand the release of individuals, calling them "political prisoners", despite the fact that their crimes have been proven at every stage. It's clear that these individuals were funded by the same sources as these parliamentarians and served the same interests. This once again demonstrates that European parliamentarians are fulfilling the orders of certain circles.

Such an approach clearly proves that the European Parliament serves political interests, rather than the principles of objectivity and justice. Debates in the European Parliament and the documents adopted in recent years have increasingly become tools for political pressure and gross interference in the internal affairs of other countries. This body is effectively making decisions based on biased and double standards that promote the interests of certain groups, while it should be guided by fundamental principles such as the protection of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. As a result of all this, the European Parliament is already recognized on the international stage as a structure far removed from objectivity.

The European Parliament should understand that resolutions based on an unjustified position and false information fail to garner serious interest or trust, not only in the countries they target but even within the international community.

It's clear that these documents are simply misguided attempts to weaken Azerbaijan's strengthening international position. Therefore, it's important to recognize that, despite all these efforts, prejudices, and steps taken against the country, Azerbaijan will continue to uphold its independent policy and national interests.

Azer Garayev, political analyst
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. A fresh cohort of previously internally displaced individuals (51 families or 208 individuals) has successfully transitioned this morning, arriving in the vibrant city of Shusha in Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

The group is comprised of households temporarily residing in dynamic environments such as dormitories, sanatoriums, pioneer camps, and administrative facilities across diverse regions of Azerbaijan.

The return of former internally displaced persons to the restored city of Shusha continues in accordance with the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

To date, about 30,000 people are currently living in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, along with former internally displaced persons who resettled there, working on the implementation of projects in the region, as well as performing official duties in local subdivisions of certain state institutions, working in resumed health care, education, culture, tourism, industry, and energy institutions.
XLMedia announced a series of board changes on Monday, as it progressed toward a planned liquidation following the sale of substantially all of its assets.

The AIM-traded company confirmed its focus on cost reduction and effective governance as it prepared to return capital to shareholders and conclude its operations.

An initial return of capital was planned for early next year, with a further distribution expected in the second quarter.

XLMedia's shares were anticipated to be suspended from trading on AIM by 13 May 2025, marking six months since the completion of its North American asset disposal.

The current board would remain in place until 30 June 2025, overseeing the return of capital and preparing for liquidation.

Independent non-executive chair Marcus Rich, senior independent director Julie Markey, and board member Ory Weihs would step down on that date, having worked their contractual notice periods.

Chief executive officer David King, whose position would become redundant due to the asset sales, would also leave the company at the end of June.

Peter McCall, currently the groups company secretary and general counsel, would join the board in January, subject to due diligence, to oversee the company during its transitional phase.

McCall would serve on a reduced time basis, while non-executive director Cedric Boireau would continue in his role.

Further announcements regarding McCalls formal appointment would be made in accordance with AIM disclosure requirements.

The board wishes to ensure the group's operations are brought to an orderly close, said interim non-executive chair Marcus Rich.

As such, the directors will stay on to work their notice periods with a view to maximising the cash return to shareholders, and in due course to oversee the start of the process to efficiently wind down the group.

At 1223 GMT, shares in XLMedia were down 2.17% at 9p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
British firms are predicting a sharp fall in business activity in the new year, in the latest economic snapshot to warn of an increasingly gloomy outlook for the UK in 2025. The growth indicator survey from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) indicates firms are preparing to cut down on hiring and reduce output over the next three months.  Guardian

Many exporters are still struggling with post-Brexit trading rules, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has said, as it urges the government to press ahead with an EU reset in the new year. In a survey of more than 1,000 of its member companies, the BCC found just 15% said the trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) with the EU, signed by Boris Johnson on Christmas Eve 2020, had helped them to grow sales with the EU.  Guardian

Donald Trump has threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal unless rip-off transit fees are reduced for US ships. In social media posts, the president-elect said the 51-mile waterway was vital to Americas economic and security interests but was being run in a very unfair and injudicious way.  Telegraph

Sir Chris Hohn, the billionaire hedge fund manager, awarded himself a 42 million dividend this year  down dramatically from the 275 million he collected in 2023 as TCI Fund Management made charitable donations of 340 million. Hohn, 58, received the $53 million payout in the year to the end of March, according to accounts filed at Companies House.  The Times

A former adviser to a UK prime minister has been accused of involvement in a $250 million bribery case. The British executive is described as a co-conspirator in the US Department of Justices prosecution of Gautam Adani, one of the richest men in Asia. Adani, an Indian billionaire and founder of the multinational conglomerate Adani Group, was charged in November by a New York court for his role in an alleged conspiracy to bribe Indian officials to win valuable energy contracts.  The Times
Lovestruck Books, a romance bookstore, cafe, and wine bar, made its debut in Cambridge, Mass., last week.

Located at 44 Brattle St., near Harvard Square, the bookstore spans more than 5,000 square feet and offers romance titles along with a small children's section and a curated selection of non-romance reads. The cafe and wine bar are not yet open, but owner Rachel Kanter plans to have them up and running by the end of January. She also has an official opening weekend slated for January 17.

Kanter has already held some off-site events prior to the store's opening, and in July, she told Shelf Awareness that her event plans include book clubs, author talks, boudoir photo shoots, paint-and-sip nights, Drag Story Hour, and more.

Before launching Lovestruck, Kanter's only experience with bookstores was as an avid customer. Her professional background was in teaching, and she has taught English and worked at educational nonprofits. Following a return to Cambridge last year after about a decade away from Boston, she was dismayed to see a beloved local coffee shop closing.

She hoped someone would reopen it, and began considering the idea of doing it herself, as a cafe and romance bookstore. When the Ripped Bodice opened a second location, in Brooklyn, N.Y., she felt confident it was the right thing to do.
Adani Group has revealed its intention to acquire the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) company Air Works for an enterprise value of ?400 crore.

"Adani Defence Systems & Technologies Ltd. (ADSTL) has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire 85.8% shareholding in Air Works, Indias largest private sector MRO company with the largest pan-India footprint", the ports-to-power conglomerate said in a statement.

The acquisition enhances Adani's capabilities in the defense MRO sector, solidifying its position in India's airborne defense ecosystem.

Air Works, which operates across 35 cities with a workforce of over 1,300 personnel, provides comprehensive aviation services, including line maintenance, heavy checks, interior refurbishment, and avionics upgrades.

The company also provides base maintenance for narrow-body, turboprop, and rotary-wing aircraft at its facilities in Hosur, Mumbai, and Kochi, with regulatory approvals from civil aviation authorities in more than 20 countries.

Beyond its leadership in civil aviation, Air Works has developed strong capabilities in defense MRO, successfully executing projects for key platforms of the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.

Commenting on the acquisition plan, Jeet Adani, Director of Adani Airports , said, The Indian aviation industry stands at a transformative juncture, now the third largest globally and on track to induct over 1,500 aircraft in the coming years.

"For us, creating a presence in the MRO sector is more than just a strategic stepits a commitment to building an integrated aviation services ecosystem that strengthens the backbone of Indias aviation infrastructure".

Ashish Rajvanshi, CEO, of Adani Defence & Aerospace, termed the acquisition a 'a pivotal step' in the company's "mission to strengthen Indias MRO capabilities".
To reinforce Malaysia's commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and people-to-people ties with India, the Malaysian government has announced the extension of the 30-day visa exemption for Indian nationals until December 31, 2026. This initiative, launched as part of Malaysia's Visa Liberalisation Plan, aims to promote economic and tourism growth in the lead-up to Visit Malaysia Year 2026 and Malaysias chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025.

Consul General of Malaysia in Chennai, Mr. Saravana Kumar Kumaravasagam, welcomed this announcement as a significant milestone in fostering closer relations between Malaysia and India.

This is a golden opportunity for the people of Tamil Nadu and across India to explore Malaysias rich cultural heritage, pristine beaches, and vibrant cities without the hassle of applying for a visa. With Malaysia being a key destination for Indian travellers, this extension reflects our dedication to enhancing connectivity and ensuring seamless travel for all, said Mr. Saravana Kumar.

Adding to this, Mr. Hishamuddin Mustafa, Director of Tourism Malaysia Chennai, emphasized the importance of this initiative in bolstering tourism and cultural exchanges between the two nations.

This visa exemption not only simplifies travel but also reaffirms Malaysias commitment to being a preferred destination for Indian travellers. With strategic partnerships and robust promotional campaigns, we are focused on introducing Indian tourists to Malaysias unparalleled hospitality, culinary delights, and unique attractions. We are also keen to work closely with Indian travel agencies and airlines to develop customized travel packages that cater to the needs of every traveller, he said.

The visa exemption policy, which has been in place since December 1, 2023, grants Indian nationals a 30-day stay in Malaysia. Indian tourists must present a return flight ticket and demonstrate adequate funds for their stay, either in the form of a bank statement or credit cards, upon arrival.

Tourism Malaysia is already working closely with airlines, travel agencies, and industry players to roll out special travel packages and promotions targeting Indian travellers. These tailored packages will be available for various group travel segments, including:

Weddings & Social Events: Malaysia offers stunning locations for destination weddings and social events, with venues that cater to every need, from beachside ceremonies to luxury resorts.

Business Events: With world-class conference facilities and a vibrant business ecosystem, Malaysia is an ideal destination for business meetings, conferences, and corporate events.

Edu Tourism: Malaysia is a growing hub for education, offering a wide range of opportunities for students and educational groups, whether for short-term language programs, cultural exchange, or specialized academic tours.

Leisure Tourism: Focused on offering diverse experiences in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Malacca, Sabah, and Sarawak, with options ranging from heritage and cuisine to adventure and eco-tourism.
President-elect Donald J. Trump announced the appointment of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-origin entrepreneur and former aide to Elon Musk, as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump highlighted Krishnan's role in ensuring continued American leadership in AI, stating that he will help shape and coordinate AI policy across the government, including collaboration with the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Krishnan, who hails from Chennai, India, began his career as a founding member of Windows Azure at Microsoft. He will work closely with David Sacks, another prominent figure in technology and policy, to advance the U.S. position in AI development.

Expressing his gratitude for the opportunity, Krishnan remarked, I'm honored to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI, working closely with David Sacks. Thank you, @realDonaldTrump, for this opportunity, in a post on X.

Born to a middle-income Tamil family, Krishnan's passion for technology ignited in the late 1990s when he taught himself coding without internet access. He pursued a degree in Information Technology at SRM Engineering College, Anna University, graduating in 2005.

With an illustrious career spanning major tech companies like Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and Snap, Krishnan has made significant contributions to the industry. At Facebook, he developed the Facebook Audience Network, a key competitor to Googles ad technologies. At Twitter, he spearheaded major product innovations that resulted in substantial user growth. In 2021, he joined Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) as a general partner, focusing on investments in emerging technologies such as Web3 and AI.

thought leader in the field. Krishnan gained further recognition in 2022 for his work with Musk during Twitter's transformation post-acquisition. His insights into AI and social media trends have established him as a

In addition to his professional achievements, Krishnan co-hosts 'The Aarthi and Sriram Show' with his wife, Aarthi Ramamurthy. The podcast, featuring high-profile guests like Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, has gained millions of downloads, solidifying the couple's status as a 'tech power duo'. They currently reside in London.
Wipro, the information technology firm, has announced the appointment of Ranjita Ghosh as its new Global Chief Marketing Officer.

"Ranjita Ghosh will assume her new role from February 1, 2025. In this role, she will lead all marketing activities for Wipro Limited across its geographies, shaping the companys brand and contributing significantly to its growth", the company said in a press release.

Ghosh will report to Hari Shetty, Chief Strategist & Technology Officer. She succeeds Laura Langdon, who has chosen to pursue career opportunities outside the Bengaluru-based company.

On November 25, Wipro appointed Omkar Nisal as its new CEO for Europe, succeeding Pierre Bruno. Bruno's departure follows several key appointments, including Srinivas Pallia, who took over from Thierry Delaporte on April 6.

Previously, as the CMO of Wipros Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA) strategic market unit, Ranjita supported its business objectives and success through a robust marketing, customer experience, and communications charter. Her work involved brand positioning and localisation, thought leadership, and managing influencer partnerships, with a focus on innovative marketing strategies and customer advocacy.
The NYPD is asking for the publics assistance in identifying an individual wanted in connection with an alleged incident of assault that occurred in Manhattan.

It was reported to the police that on Friday, Dec. 20 at approximately 6:10 a.m., an 83-year-old male victim was aboard a southbound 5 train approaching the Fulton Street subway station, when an unidentified male individual began a verbal dispute with him, according to a statement released by the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

The unidentified male individual allegedly proceeded to punch the victim in the face with a closed fist multiple times before exiting the train and fleeing on foot in an unknown direction, police said.

The victim sustained lacerations to the face and head and traveled by private means to Kings County Hospital for treatment, police said.

The NYPD released a surveillance image of the sought individual.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.
NEW YORK  A Brooklyn real estate magnate accused of working with a Turkish government official to funnel illegal campaign contributions to New York City Mayor Eric Adams plans to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge tied to the scheme, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Erden Arkan, the owner of a real estate construction firm, was one of several individuals implicated in the sprawling corruption indictment brought against Adams in October. He would be the first to plead guilty in a public proceeding.

In court papers, prosecutors said Arkan planned to plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud by collecting campaign contributions for Adams that were made under the name of someone other than the true contributor.

Adams then used those funds to fraudulently obtain public funding under the citys matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small-dollar donations, prosecutors allege.

A lawyer for Arkan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An attorney for Adams, Alex Spiro, said in an emailed statement that the decision would have no bearing on the Mayors case whatsoever.

We know from the governments own interviews that Mr. Arkan repeatedly said that Mayor Adams had no knowledge of his actions, Spiro said.

A well-known member of New Yorks Turkish community, Arkan is a co-owner of KSK, a Brooklyn-based construction firm specializing in luxury condominiums. His firms ties to Adams emerged in November 2023, as investigators searched his residence, along with the home of Adams chief fundraiser and his liaison to the Turkish community.

Adams was subsequently charged with accepting bribes in the form of luxury travel benefits and illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals hoping to buy his influence for their benefit. He has pleaded not guilty and vowed to remain in office as he fights the charges.

The indictment details an April 2021 dinner organized by the Turkish official in which Adams personally solicited illegal campaign contributions from Arkan  identified in court papers only as Businessman-5.

The following month, Arkan hosted a fundraiser at KSKs headquarters for Adams in which 11 of his employees donated between $1,200 and $1,500 to the campaign. Each was reimbursed by the construction firm, prosecutors allege, making the contributions illegal straw donations.

Arkan later confirmed to the FBI that he had spoken to the Turkish official about the fundraiser. He initially denied reimbursing his employees, prosecutors said.

As he sought to recruit others to raise money for Adams, Arkan appeared to acknowledge misgivings about the fundraising scheme, telling prospective donors in New Yorks Turkish community that it may feel like swimming against the current but unfortunately this is how things work in this country, according to the indictment.

As Adams gears up for an April trial, he has pledged to fight the case with every ounce of my strength and my spirit.

But his administration has faced overlapping scandals and investigations, leading to the resignations of his police commissioner, schools chancellor, multiple deputy mayors and his director of Asian affairs. His former buildings commissioner was also charged in a separate bribery conspiracy case involving real estate officials last year.

Last week, Adams' former top advisor and close confidante, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, was charged by state prosecutors for allegedly accepting bribes from two real estate developers seeking to speed the process of construction approvals. She has pleaded not guilty.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has embarked on a working visit to Serbia, Trend reports.

During the visit, Minister Bayramov will attend the Conference of Ambassadors of the Republic of Serbia and hold meetings with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Juric, as well as other senior officials.

The primary focus of the visit is to enhance and expand the diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Serbia, highlighting the commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a message to the participants of the Forum of Azerbaijani Religious Leaders on the topic "Pressing Issues of Religious Enlightenment: Tradition, Experience, and Prospects", Trend reports.

"Dear Forum participants,

I welcome you to the Forum on Pressing Issues of Religious Enlightenment: Tradition, Experience, and Prospects.

Azerbaijan, a country where communities with diverse religious beliefs and convictions coexist peacefully, has historically upheld a progressive system of ethnic and cultural relations founded on mutual trust and respect. For centuries, our nation has preserved exemplary traditions of tolerance, free from discrimination or conflict on religious grounds. It is no coincidence that Azerbaijan, a successful host of prestigious international events for world religious leaders, has become a hub for intercultural cooperation and dialogue.

The preservation of ethnic and cultural diversity in our society, as well as the promotion and encouragement of the rich values of multiculturalism, remain among the priority directions of our state policy. Religious policy in our country is implemented in accordance with the principles of a democratic, legal, and secular state and aligns with international norms. We regard this approach as a key factor in ensuring public and political stability and solidarity.

The complex processes currently unfolding in the world, the exploitation of religion for political purposes, and the rise of xenophobia, extremism, and sectarianism pose serious threats to international peace and security. To counter such dangers effectively, it is essential to accurately assess the role of religion in public life, enhance moral and ethical education, and advance religious enlightenment. Religious figures bear a significant responsibility in this regard.

It is commendable that religious leaders, theologians, scholars, and specialists representing various confessions in Azerbaijan have convened to discuss these pressing issues. I am confident that your deliberations will take place in an atmosphere of constructive dialogue and will contribute significantly to organizing religious enlightenment in accordance with contemporary requirements while promoting moral and ethical values.

Once again, I extend my best wishes to you and wish the Forum success," the address reads.
Australias energy ministers are developing a plan to kickstart the first deliveries of huge liquefied gas shipments into Victoria and NSW, fearing they are out of time and other viable options to avert a domestic gas crisis.

Despite Australias position as a top global gas exporter, homes and businesses in the south-east are facing a shortage of the fuel by 2028 unless urgent measures are taken to offset rapidly depleting gas fields in the Bass Strait that have supplied the local market for decades.

Eastern Australia is running out of gas, leaving little choice but to import it, either from ourselves or overseas. Credit: Xabier Mikel Laburu

Surging gas demand on cold winter days  when households crank up their heaters  could lead to sporadic shortfalls even sooner, officials warn.

With long lead times involved in exploring and developing new gas fields, state and federal ministers are looking for a more immediate solution and have agreed to collectively seek advice on underwriting special shipping terminals to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) into Victoria, NSW or South Australia for the first time.
Elon Musk achieved wealth in a kind of recognisably Chinese way, which is more about the hustle than about through any elite pedigree, Wang said. He works 996, he added, referring to the Chinese work practice of working 9am to 9pm, six days a week. And among Chinas ruling class, Musk is seen as a sympathetic foreigner who can be counted on to praise China as amazing and echo Beijings talking points on political issues such as the status of Taiwan. Turn right: Some are asking if Elon Musk (right) will be Donald Trumps co-president. Credit: AP Musk hasnt said much publicly about China since Donald Trumps election victory, however, beyond complimenting Chinas space program on X on the eve of the election. Musks business empire depends on this mutual love fest: China is Teslas second-largest market, after the US, and China is home to one of Teslas two international gigafactories. That gigafactory, in Shanghai, produced its three-millionth car in October.

Meanwhile, Musk is awaiting Beijings approval to launch full self-driving systems in the country, according to Chinese state media, a crucial step for the companys ability to jockey for market share in Chinas competitive EV industry. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Loading But things could soon get complicated for Musk, who is constantly at Trumps side and has taken on a host of unofficial roles in an administration thats readying to take an extremely hawkish stance on China. That will especially be the case if the chief executive cant moderate Trumps China policy. Signs of escalating US-China tensions are already emerging. After Trump vowed last month to implement additional 10 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, Beijing hit back with a series of retaliatory measures against US technology and defence firms. Musk has interests in related areas: SpaceX is a key contractor to the US military, and he runs a social media platform that is banned in China.

Starlink, the satellite business operated by SpaceX, is a particular point of friction in his relationship with Beijing. The PLA Daily, a Chinese military publication, wrote that Starlink, a Pentagon contractor that has been used in Ukraines fight against Russia, represents a tool for the US to achieve space hegemony. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment. For now, Musk seems immune to the criticism his companies sometimes face. Johnny Bi, a Chinese software engineer who lives in Thailand and admires Musk from a purely tech perspective, pointed out that Musks popularity is boosted by Chinese state medias selective emphasis on positive messages about the billionaire. An article last month in the Peoples Daily, the official Communist Party mouthpiece, lavished praise on Tesla, for instance, and a piece in the state-run Beijing Daily last year described Musks views on the US-China relationship as rational and valuable. Musks controversial posts on X, which have made him an increasingly divisive figure in the US, do not make it through Chinas censorship apparatus.

Perhaps partly due to this favourable coverage, a frenzy surrounds all things related to Musk in China. Chinese media obsesses over his culinary choices, including his dinner menu at a Beijing fine dining establishment last year. His 76-year-old mother, Maye Musk, also enjoys a high profile in China and has had several brand promotion deals with Chinese companies, including a mattress firm. For the next four years, how the public in China views Musk will depend on how well China-US relations pan out under Trump. Johnny Bi, a 40-year-old Chinese software engineer People love Maye because she raised such a successful child, said Chris Sun, an entrepreneur who translated Walter Isaacsons recent biography of Elon Musk into Chinese. Parents in China, they love educating their kids, and they love to pave the way for their kids in the future, Sun said. Maye Musks manager declined to comment. Musks celebrity is such that a Chinese impersonator boasts 1.3 million followers on TikTok, where he posts videos of himself speaking broken English in front of a Tesla. In one popular clip, a shirtless Musk overpowers a Mark Zuckerberg dummy, simulating a cage fight between the two tech moguls.

Liangs fan club, which is mostly populated by male tech workers and entrepreneurs, has organised events on finding the Chinese Musk where would-be billionaires try to draw lessons from the Tesla chief executives business endeavours. Many in China see him as a success to learn from, and a trailblazer to watch, Liang said, adding that the scale of Musks ambition isnt present in the Chinese business world. Musk does, of course, have his detractors. One Chinese social media commentator called Musk a carpetbagger, criticising his political swing to the right as opportunistic, while others express concerns that he is a misogynist or narcissist. Bi, the software engineer, warned that if Musk falls out of Beijings favour, Chinese state media coverage could swiftly turn negative. Some Western companies have faced popular backlash and boycotts after political missteps. For the next four years, how the public in China views Musk will depend on how well China-US relations pan out under Trump, Bi said. And honestly, Musk is not the savvy politician he believes himself to be. Washington Post
Tens of thousands of Victorian school-leavers are celebrating this morning as more than 47,500 offers of places in university, TAFE and private college courses for 2025 land in inboxes around the state.

You can search your name in the table below to see any first-round Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre course offers. This is not an exhaustive list of all first-round offers as some students declined to have this information published.

The VTAC data encompasses 2092 courses offered at 31 tertiary institutions in Victoria. If you missed out on a first-round offer, VTAC will release its second round of offers on January 10.

The hardest course to get into this year is dental science (honours) at La Trobe Universitys Bendigo Campus. It has a minimum selection rank of 99.90
A former bishop will plead not guilty to sex assault charges dating back to 2016 in WAs north-west.

Christopher Saunders, 74, faced Broome Magistrates Court on Monday for the first time since being charged with five historical offences relating to the alleged sexual assault of a 24-year-old man.

Former Broome bishop Christopher Saunders arrives at Broome Magistrates Court on Monday. Credit: 9News Perth

Saunders lawyer Tony Hager told the court his client was yet to enter a plea but intended to plead not guilty at his next appearance.

The former bishop is now facing 33 charges, including indecently dealing with a child as a person of authority, sexual penetration without consent, and unlawful and indecent assault.
Duggan spoke to her husband on the phone on Monday. She has planned a family trip this weekend to the Macquarie Correctional Centre in Wellington, two hours from their home near Orange. Hes very emotional, she said. He is very sad. Hes been crying a lot because of the fact that he knows that he wont be seeing his kids. We can see him here in Australia, but once he goes to the US  which is going to be soon  we cant. To fund our family to go to the US ... to visit their father is seven return tickets. She vowed to continue the legal fight overseas, regardless of cost.

Of course we will. How can you not keep fighting it? she said. One of our kids today basically just sat outside on the lawn and just stared into the trees. I caught them crying in the shadow of our house. Thats the real reality of this ... that they take on the burden of something that young children shouldnt be put through. There was a way out where our attorney-general didnt have to sign the extradition at all. The arrest came shortly after Australian authorities said they were investigating the practice of former military personnel being offered lucrative contracts to train pilots in China.

In May, a Sydney court found that Duggan was eligible to be extradited to US, where he could face up to 60 years jail if found guilty. He has spent more than two years in detention in Australia, much of it in solitary confinement. Dreyfus said: Mr Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me. To ensure the safety of all persons involved and to uphold the integrity of the surrender process, as a matter of longstanding practice, the Australian government does not comment on operational matters relating to extradition, including the timing of, and specific arrangements for, a persons surrender. Duggan and his wife, Saffrine. Credit: Nine Duggan has the option of appealing to the Federal Court against Dreyfus decision to approve the extradition. The father of six had made a last-ditch attempt to avoid prosecution in the US, sending an 89-page submission to Dreyfus outlining why the extradition should not go ahead.

In an earlier statement, Saffrine Duggan said her family had been left devastated by the attorney-generals decision. We are shocked and absolutely heartbroken by this callous and inhumane decision which has been delivered just before Christmas with no explanation or justification from the government, she said. We feel abandoned by the Australian government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family. We are now considering our options. It is very difficult to explain to the children why this is happening to their father, especially now, at this time of year. We are all terrified that we may not see him for a very long time. After serving for more than a decade in the US Marines, Duggan moved to Australia in 2005 and founded a flight school in Tasmania. He has been an Australian citizen for nearly 13 years but is due to be extradited by February.
The capture of an Australian soldier by Russian forces has brought home the realisation that, in addition to death, foreign fighters risk being played as international bargaining chips.

Oscar Jenkins, a 32-year-old Melbourne man fighting with the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine in the Donbas region, appeared in social media footage wearing military camouflage clothing with his hands tied. He was slapped across the face by a man speaking in Russian who demanded his nationality. Im Australian, Jenkins replied.

The footage was shared by Alexander Sladkov, a Russian propagandist and military correspondent for Russia 1 and Russia 24 TV channels. Russia has classified foreign fighters as mercenaries and, as such, they are denied POW privileges and can be prosecuted. Sladkov said the Australian would face trial and prison.

Under Russias criminal code, mercenarism can attract up to 15 years in prison. The Kremlin is reportedly handling almost 600 criminal cases against foreign fighters  mostly citizens of the United States, Georgia, Britain, Canada, Lithuania and Latvia.

The Ukraine foreign legion has reportedly attracted more than 20,000 recruits, but the number of Australians fighting for Ukraine remains unclear. Reports vary between 30 and 200 men. But eight Australians have died since Russia invaded in February 2022. It is also unknown if the Australian fighters have patriotic links to Ukraine or are soldiers of fortune. Jenkins had been living and teaching in China since 2015 before joining the foreign legion.
Stockholm: A 15-year-old boy gets into a taxi outside Stockholm hiding a loaded gun and asks to be taken to the Israeli embassy. A 13-year-old on the other side of the country in Gothenburg is caught firing shots at Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems. At the same facility, a 16-year-old helps to plant homemade explosives outside the main entrance.

Investigators say all three attacks this year are part of a new trend in which Iran-affiliated actors recruit local criminals, including minors, to strike at Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe. The Iranian mission at the United Nations didnt respond to a request for comment.

Police secure the area near the Israeli embassy in Stockholm after a suspected shooting on October 1. Credit: AFP

The incidents show how the war between Israel and Irans proxies across the Middle East is also driving Tehran to escalate its covert operations in Europe  and that is rattling governments already concerned that the conflict is stirring tensions between communities already divided over immigration.

In the recent northern autumn, both Swedish and Norwegian security services warned against Iranian-backed operations, and in October Norway temporarily raised its terror alert to high from medium, armed its police and set up controls on the border with its Scandinavian neighbour.
In addition to soliciting prostitution, the Ethics Committee report states that Gaetz accepted gifts, including transportation and lodging in connection with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, in excess of permissible amounts. That same year, investigators say Gaetz arranged for his chief of staff to obtain a passport for a woman he was sexually involved with, falsely telling the US State Department that she was his constituent. In some of the text exchanges, Gaetz appears to be inviting various women to events, getaways or parties, and arranging airplane travel and lodging. At one point he asks one woman if she has a cute black dress to wear. There are also discussions of shipping goods. One of the exhibits is a text exchange that appears to be between two of the women concerned about their cash flow and payments. In another, a person asks Gaetz for help to pay an educational expense. Regarding the 17-year-old girl, the report states theres no evidence that Gaetz knew she was a minor when he had sex with her, the committee said. The woman told the committee she didnt tell Gaetz she was under 18 at the time and that he didnt know how old she was.

Rather, the committee said Gaetz learned she was a minor more than a month after the party. But he stayed in touch with her after that and met up with her for commercial sex again less than six months after she turned 18, according to the committee. But Florida law, which states it is a felony for a person 24 or older to have sex with a minor, does not allow a claim of ignorance or misrepresentation of a minors age as a defence. Joel Leppard, who represents two women who told the committee that Gaetz paid them for sex, said the findings vindicate the accounts of his clients and demonstrate their credibility. We appreciate the committees commitment to transparency in releasing this comprehensive report so the truth can be known, Leppard said in a statement. At least one Republican joined all five Democrats on the Ethics Committee earlier this month in voting to release the report about their former colleague despite initial opposition from GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.

While ethics reports have previously been released after a members resignation, it is extremely rare. On behalf of the Republicans who voted against releasing the report, Representative Michael Guest of Mississippi, Ethics Committee chairman, wrote that while the members do not challenge the reports findings, we take great exception that the majority deviated from the committees well-established standards to drop any investigation when a person is no longer a member of the chamber. Loading We believe that operating outside the jurisdictional bounds set forth by House rules and committee standards, especially when making public disclosures, is a dangerous departure with potentially catastrophic consequences, Guest wrote. Mounting a last-ditch effort to halt the publication of the report, Gaetz filed a lawsuit on Monday asking a court to intervene, citing what he called untruthful and defamatory information that would significantly damage his standing and reputation in the community. Gaetzs complaint argues hes no longer under the committees jurisdiction since he resigned from Congress.

The committees position that it may nonetheless publish potentially defamatory findings about a private citizen over whom it claims no jurisdiction represents an unprecedented expansion of Congressional power that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections, Gaetzs lawyers wrote in their request for a temporary restraining order. Loading The often secretive, bipartisan panel has investigated claims against Gaetz since 2021. But its work became more urgent last month when Trump picked him as his first choice to be the nations top law enforcement officer. Gaetz resigned from Congress that same day, putting him outside the Ethics Committees jurisdiction. Democrats had pressed to make the report public even after Gaetz was no longer a member and had withdrawn as Trumps pick to lead the US Justice Department. A vote on the House floor this month to force the reports release failed; all but one Republican voted against it. The committee detailed its start-and-stop investigation over the past several years, which was halted for a time as the Justice Department conducted its own probe of Gaetz. Federal prosecutors never brought a case against him.

Lawmakers said they asked the Justice Department for information about its probe, but the agency refused to hand over information, saying it doesnt disclose information about investigations that dont result in charges. Loading The committee then subpoenaed the Justice Department for records, but after a back-and-forth between Justice Department officials and the committee, the department only handed over publicly reported information about the testimony of a deceased individual, according to the report. To date, DOJ has provided no meaningful evidence or information to the Committee or cited any lawful basis for its responses, the committee said. In releasing the report, the panel added that Gaetz was also un-cooperative throughout the probe. He provided minimal documentation in response to the committees requests, it said. He also did not agree to a voluntary interview.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, on the occasion of Christmas, Trend reports.

"Your Holiness,

I am delighted to offer my most sincere congratulations and best wishes to you, and through you, all your fellow Christians on the occasion of Christmas.

This radiant holiday, which brings a renewed spirit and symbolizes pure sentiments such as mercy and benevolence, embodies mutual understanding, support, and unity among people in its very essence. As an inseparable part of the Azerbaijani society, the Christian communitys celebration of this holiday, as always, with particular enthusiasm and excitement, is a vivid testament to the ethnic and cultural diversity and rich traditions of multiculturalism that prevail in our country.

Azerbaijan is one of the unique destinations where different civilizations converge, and where, for centuries, a national and cultural mosaic, along with an atmosphere of tolerance, have thrived. Representatives of various nationalities and faiths have coexisted in peace, safety, mutual trust, and respect. We take pride in all of this and cherish these values as national treasures. It is no coincidence that, alongside being aligned with the policies pursued by the Azerbaijani state, the preservation of friendship between peoples, interfaith harmony, and traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance are, first and foremost, the natural way of life for our people.

The Christian community holds a distinctive place in modern Azerbaijani society. Our Christian citizens, who have settled in Azerbaijan and lived here as a family for hundreds of years, play a significant role in the public, political, social, and cultural life of our homeland, contributing greatly to the prosperity of our beloved country. Ancient Christian heritage, shrines, churches, and other places of worship across our territory are protected equally alongside mosques and synagogues by the Azerbaijani state. In the meantime, our country plays an active role in preserving Christian monuments that are considered gems of world cultural heritage, thus promoting intercultural dialogue.

We are pleased with the established relations between Azerbaijan and the Holy See. Our bilateral ties are marked by numerous reciprocal visits, constant contacts, and significant milestones. It is with satisfaction that I note the upcoming construction of a second Catholic church in our country, to be built in honor of Pope John Paul II. This project demonstrates great attention and care toward our countrys Catholic community and symbolizes the high level of relations between Azerbaijan and the Holy See.

Your Holiness,

I want to thank you for contribution to solidification of the relationship between Azerbaijan and the Holy See, and express my gratitude for your continued high appreciation of our countrys traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance.

I am confident that the productive cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Holy See will continue to promote interfaith and intercultural understanding worldwide, serving the cause of safeguarding universal values and ensuring solidarity among people.

I seize this pleasant opportunity to offer my most heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of your birthday and the upcoming New Year 2025, and wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your noble and sacred mission," the letter reads.
New York: A suspect has been arrested over the death of a woman police believe may have fallen asleep on a stationary subway train before being intentionally set on fire by a man she didnt know.

New York transit police announced the arrest of the man after receiving a report from three high school students who recognised him. They had seen images of him taken from surveillance and police body cam video and widely distributed by police.

Police were called to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn after a woman in a carriage was set alight. Credit: Anadolu via Getty Images

New Yorkers came through again, said New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who described the case as one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.

Tisch said the suspect and the woman, neither of whom has been identified, were riding on a subway train without any interaction between them to the end of the line in Brooklyn about 7.30am on Sunday (New York time).
Phoenix, Arizona: Donald Trump has vowed that he will be president of the US  not Elon Musk  addressing growing complaints about the outsized role the Tesla boss has already had in his incoming administration.

No, hes not taking the presidency, Trump told a conservative audience at a rally in Phoenix on Sunday (Arizona time).

Im the boss: Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk has become President-elect Donald Trumps apparent right-hand man. Credit: AP

All the different hoaxes. The new one is that president Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. No, no, thats not happening.

That Trump would be compelled to address Musks power is testimony to the unusual influence that the worlds richest man has displayed in the run-up to a second Trump presidency.
PHILIPSBURG:--- It is that time of the year when publishers are tasked with selecting the persons or entities of the year. This year, it was not easy as the

politicians were also in the headlines since the country made history when the Mercelina 1 cabinet tumbled just 17 days after taking office. To make matters

worse, there were two elections in one year, and who would forget the famous Member of Parliament Kevin Maingrette, who threw the government down, then apologized and placed a bandage on the same coalition he described as not transparent and worked with them until the parliament was dissolved.

Despite the comedy in all peoples business, these comedians in politics did not come out as persons of the year.

Describing how the person or entity of the year is selected, a biological person, a group of persons, a legal entity, or an idea can be chosen as Person of The Year.  You or they must have had a significant influence on current events during the year, shaping the news positively or negatively.

Every household, business, and person in St. Maarten felt the crippling effects of NV GEBE and its load-shedding. Even though almost everyone became frustrated and even angry, people managed to cope by shifting their schedules around.

In 2024, GEBEs billings and load-shedding, as well as the discussions surrounding ENNIA Insurance company, have had an overwhelming and destructive

impact on the health and wealth of the entire population of Sint Maarten, one that cannot be missed.

They attracted public attention and media coverage throughout the Kingdom and the region during the year, dominating conversations in political, cultural, technological, and economic spheres, and without a doubt, those conversations were not favorable.

The losses, discomfort, and misery suffered by the population of Sint Maarten can be attributed to incompetence and greed. To add insult to injury, the billings by the electrical company made no sense to anyone; people were being robbed blindly and were even disconnected when consumers complained too much.

Electricity supply was interrupted daily for many months throughout the island, yet consumers received bills as if there were no interruptions. The bills were higher than before, without discounting the interruptions. Worse yet! It was discovered that GEBE included charges in their billings under the caption Fuel Clause that had nothing to do with the cost of fuel. This fiasco came to light during the run-up to the August elections when it was fully uncovered the culprits behind the fuel clause and how the

entire country is being robbed.

Under pretenses, the fuel clause was used to defraud consumers and have them pay for a loan from the Harbor Group of companies they did not consent to and knew nothing about. This discovery, as well as the load shedding and discomfort suffered, enraged the public at large to this day. Because of these events that still occur today, SMN News had no choice but to select NV GEBE as the entity of the year in the negative.

In all fairness, as a news entity, we know that the current management is not to blame for the chaos within NV GEBE. When the temporary manager took office in September 2022, he met nothing but disaster at the government-owned company. If you ask us, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack while the people were at their mercy.

It is incumbent upon the Council of Ministers to bring relief and also assist the managing director, Troy Washington, by appointing a complete management team at NV GEBE; there is a lot that needs to be done for the company and the citizens of this country and sitting on the names of the proposed candidates will not change the course unless the government does what needs to be done.

As we continue to skin the onion in finding the right persons and entities that made the news this year, we could not help but include the Ennia saga that has left a mark on the Caribbean countries of the Netherlands. The ENNIA bail-out story was an equally vexing experience for everyone in St. Maarten, Curacao.

St. Maarten politicians fought, but in the end, they all buckled to their knees in fear of threats and conditions from their master and bound the country for the next 30

years in the Ennia bailout scandal.

The Central Bank, Curacao, and the Netherlands pressured Sint Maarten to borrow money to finance a NEW ENNIA insurance company. Sint Maartens taxpayers would be burdened with payments for the next 30 years to fund the NEW ENNIA and give up dividends from its share in the Central Bank for an additional 20 years. In return, Sint Maarten would get zilch from this investment. NEW ENNIA would be owned 100% by Curacao companies at the end of the process and become the owner of Mullet Bay.

Questions have arisen in this regard as to whose best interest the Central Bank, the CFT, and the Netherlands serve, as well as who looks after the best interest of the people of Sint Maarten.

Based on the devastating impact the above events had on the people of Sint Maarten during 2024, our editorial staff, without hesitation, concluded that N.V. GEBE and ENNIA should be declared as Entities of the year in the negative for 2024.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched on Aug. 12, 2018, aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket. The Parker Solar Probe's mission is to study the sun in unprecedented detail.

The revolutionary solar probe became the first spacecraft to "touch" the sun when it swooped inside the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, during its eighth flyby on April 28, 2021, according to a statement from NASA. The probe will complete 24 orbits of the sun over its seven-year lifespan and fly seven times closer to our star than any other spacecraft.

The Parker Solar Probe's closest approach to the sun will occur on Dec. 24, 2024, during which the spacecraft will swoop to within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface.

The Parker Solar Probe is named after pioneering astrophysicist Eugene Parker, who first proposed the existence of solar wind in 1958, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). Parker visited the probe during its construction and witnessed its launch, in doing so becoming the first person to ever witness the liftoff of their namesake spacecraft. Prof. Emeritus Eugene N. Parker died on March 15, 2022, at the age of 94.

"Parker Solar Probe is going to answer questions about solar physics that we've puzzled over for more than six decades," Parker Solar Probe Project Scientist Nicola Fox, of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), said in a statement.

"It's a spacecraft loaded with technological breakthroughs that will solve many of the largest mysteries about our star, including finding out why the sun's corona is so much hotter than its surface. And we're very proud to be able to carry Gene's name with us on this amazing voyage of discovery."

Related: How hot is the sun?

Parker Solar Probe speed

On Sept. 27, 2023, the sun's powerful gravity accelerated the probe to a top speed blistering 394,736 mph/ (635,266 km/h)That's faster than any probe had ever traveled before.

Parker Solar Probe trajectory

The Parker Solar Probe will make 7 Venus gravity assist flybys and 24 orbits of the sun throughout its lifetime. (Image credit: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.)

The Parker Solar Probe has flown closer to the sun than any other spacecraft and will continue to shrink its orbit around our star over its approximately seven-year lifespan.

The solar probe's swooping trajectory around the sun would not be possible without a series of Venus gravity assist flybys. Over its lifetime, the probe will use seven Venus flybys to gradually narrow its orbit around the sun, coming as close as 3.83 million miles (6.16 million km)  more than seven times closer than Mercury gets to our star, according to the APL.

Parker Solar Probe temperature

When the probe makes its closest approach to the sun, its solar shields will encounter temperatures approaching 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit (1,400 degrees Celsius), according to APL.

Astonishingly, the spacecraft's science instruments will be protected from these scorching temperatures and remain close to room temperature  about 85 degrees F (30 degrees C).

Parker Solar Probe objectives

The Parker Solar Probe is studying the sun up close and personal in a bid to understand how energy and heat move through the sun's atmosphere and affect processes such as the solar wind.

According to APL, the three main scientific objectives of the Parker Solar Probe are:

Trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind. Determine the structure and dynamics of the plasma and magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind. Explore mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles.

The sun is the primary source of Earth's light and heat, but that's not the only way it affects the planet. The solar wind is a collection of charged particles that stream from the star and flow past Earth at speeds of more than a million mph (400 kilometers per second), according to NASA. Disturbances in the solar wind can shake our planet's magnetic field and pump energy into the radiation belts, triggering a set of changes known as space weather.

Space weather is significantly affected by the solar wind and other solar outbursts such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. During times of peak activity  when the solar cycle is at solar maximum  space weather can pose a risk to communications on Earth, satellites and even spacewalking astronauts.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a solar flare on May 3, 2022, which is visible on the lower left. (Image credit: NASA/SDO) (Image credit: NASA/SDO)

The Parker Solar Probe is helping scientists understand more about the sun's underlying mechanisms so they can improve space forecasting efforts and be more prepared for changes in solar activity.

"Until we can explain what is going on up close to the sun, we will not be able to accurately predict space weather effects that can cause havoc at Earth," says the APL Parker Solar Probe website.

Parker solar probe instruments

The spacecraft carries four instruments:

The Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons Investigation (SWEAP) counts the most abundant particles in the solar wind, measuring the properties of electrons, protons and helium ions.

The Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe Plus (WISPR) is a telescope that makes three-dimensional images of the sun's corona and inner heliosphere to actually "see" the solar wind and provide 3D images of shocks and other structures as they travel past the spacecraft. When flying past Venus in 2020, the WISPR instrument detected a bright rim surrounding the planet. Scientists suggest it may be a phenomenon known as nightglow caused by "light emitted by oxygen atoms high in the atmosphere that recombine into molecules in the nightside" NASA officials said in a description of the image.

During a Venus flyby July, 2020, the Parker Solar Probe's WISPR instrument observed a bright glow around the edge of the planet. (Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Naval Research Laboratory/Guillermo Stenborg and Brendan Gallagher)

The Electromagnetic Fields Investigation (FIELDS) makes direct measurements of the shock waves that course through the sun's atmospheric plasma.

The Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (ISIS) consists of two instruments that will take an inventory of the elements in the solar atmosphere by using a mass spectrometer to study charged particles near the probe.

Eugene Newman Parker legacy

The Parker Solar Probe is named after pioneering astrophysicist Eugene Parker, who first proposed the existence of the solar wind in 1958. (Image credit: University of Chicago)

In the 1950s, Eugene Newman Parker, an astrophysicist at the University of Chicago, proposed several concepts about how stars  including our sun  give off energy. He described an entire complex system of plasmas, magnetic fields and magnetic particles that make up what he referred to as the solar wind, the cascade of energy streaming from the sun.

Originally, the mission was billed as Solar Probe Plus. But in 2017, only a few days before the scientist's 90th birthday, NASA renamed the mission to honor Parker for his contributions.

"This is the first time NASA has named a spacecraft for a living individual," Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said in a statement. "It's a testament to the importance of his body of work, founding a new field of science that also inspired my research and many important science questions NASA continues to study and further understand every day. I'm very excited to be personally involved honoring a great man and his unprecedented legacy."

Most NASA missions are renamed after their launch and certification. However, in this case, the decision was made to honor Parker before the launch, to draw attention to his important contributions to heliophysics and space science.

Originally proposed in 1958, the mission has been a long time in coming, "not because we weren't excited," Fox told reporters before the 2018 launch, "but because we had to wait 60 years for technology to catch up with our dreams."

"The solar probe is going to a region of space that has never been explored before," said Parker. "It's very exciting that we'll finally get a look. One would like to have some more detailed measurements of what's going on in the solar wind. I'm sure that there will be some surprises. There always are."

On Aug. 12, 2018, Parker became the first person to ever witness the launch of their namesake spacecraft. In addition, Parker received numerous awards for his research and significant contributions to science, including the George Ellery Hale Prize, the National Medal of Science, the Bruce Medal, the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, the Kyoto Prize, the James Clerk Maxwell Prize and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy, according to his NASA biography.

Eugene Parker witnessed the launch of his namesake spacecraft on Aug. 12, 2018. (Image credit: NASA/Glenn Benson)

Pioneering astrophysicist Prof. Emeritus Eugene N. Parker died on March 15, 2022, aged 94, according to a statement released by the University of Chicago.

"The university and the department has lost one of its giants," said Michael Turner, the Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago and a colleague of Parker's for decades. "Gene changed the course of science with his work on magnetic fields literally everywhere in the cosmos, but he remained humble and approachable, with a wry sense of humor."

Additional resources

Learn more about the Parker Solar Probe mission with this NASA press kit. Explore the solar probe's instruments with a series of short videos from APL. Read what NASA scientist Kelly Korreck has to say about what it takes to be a solar scientist. Check out ESA's Solar Orbiter and learn more about its solar orbiting mission with these resources from ESA.

Bibliography

Johnson-Groh, M. (2021, December 13). NASA enters the solar atmosphere for the first time. NASA. Retrieved May 5, 2022.

Teamwork with Parker Solar Probe. ESA. (2019, October 7). Retrieved May 5, 2022.

Brown, G. (2017, May 31). Solar Probe Mission renamed to honor pioneering physicist. NASA. Retrieved May 5, 2022.

NASA. (2021, December 14). In-depth: Parker Solar Probe. NASA. Retrieved May 5, 2022.

NASA Parker Solar Probe: The Mission. The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Retrieved May 5, 2022.

Buckley, M. (2021, February 24). Parker Solar Probe offers stunning view of Venus. NASA. Retrieved May 5, 2022.

Garner, R. (2021, February 8). Eugene Newman Parker. NASA. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from A NASA biography article.
Telegram founder says messaging app profitable for first time



Dubai, Dec 23 (AFP) Dec 23, 2024



The founder and chief executive of the Telegram encrypted messaging app Pavel Durov said on Monday that the platform had recorded a net profit for the first time in 2024, with annual revenue exceeding $1 billion.

"As I predicted, 2024 turned out to be a very good year for Telegram. For the first time in its 3-year history of monetisation, Telegram became profitable," Durov announced on his Telegram channel.

The messaging app, which says it has over 950 million users worldwide, had previously operated without fees but began offering paid subscriptions and showing adverts in 2021.

Durov said the move had helped reach revenues exceeding $1 billion, with subscribers to the app's premium service tripling to 12 million.

Dubai-headquartered Telegram had more than $500 million in cash reserves, excluding cryptocurrency assets, Durov said.

The company did not appear to have published any annual accounts to accompany Durov's statement.

In August, the Russian-born Durov was arrested in France and charged with failing to curb extremist and illegal content on Telegram.

Durov, who has French citizenship, was released under strict bail conditions, including reporting to a police station twice a week and not leaving French territory.

In September, the 40-year-old billionaire criticised the French authorities and called their approach misguided.

He nevertheless admitted that the platform's rapid growth had allowed criminals to "misuse" the app more easily.

Durov also said the company's staff had begun using artificial intelligence to ensure "problematic content" in the app's search feature "is no longer accessible".

However, he insisted that "99.999 percent" of users were not involved in criminal activity.
Ex-US Marine pilot to be extradited from Australia to US



Sydney, Dec 23 (AFP) Dec 23, 2024



Australia's attorney general has decided an ex-US Marine pilot accused of illegally training China's military will be extradited from Australia to the United States, with the pilot's family slamming the news as "inhumane".

Daniel Edmund Duggan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 at the request of the US government, which accuses him of breaking arms control laws.

It alleges he illegally trained Chinese military pilots between 2010 and 2012, after he left the Marines. Duggan has denied the charges.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said Monday that Duggan "should be extradited to the United States to face prosecution for the offences of which he is accused".

"Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me," he said in a statement.

Dreyfus would not comment further on the timing of the extradition.

Duggan's wife Saffrine said in a statement the family was "shocked and absolutely heartbroken".

She added it was a "callous and inhumane decision which has been delivered just before Christmas, with no explanation or justification from the government".

"It is very difficult to explain to the children why this is happening to their father, especially now, at this time of year.

"We are all terrified that we may not see him for a very long time. My children are very, very sad."

The family was informed the extradition would occur sometime after December 30 and before February 17.

Duggan's lawyers and family are considering what legal options they may have left.

The Attorney-General has been contemplating Duggan's future since May, when an Australian court ruled the pilot was eligible for extradition to the United States.

A highly regarded jet pilot, Duggan spent 12 years in the US Marine Corps, reaching the rank of Major and working as a tactical flight instructor.

The father of six moved to Australia in 2002 after leaving the Marines, gaining citizenship and working in an adventure flight company called Top Gun Tasmania.

He has been behind bars for 26 months, his family added in a statement.
Bangladesh launches $5bn graft probe into Hasina's family



Dhaka, Dec 23 (AFP) Dec 23, 2024



Bangladesh has launched a probe into the alleged $5 billion embezzlement connected to a Russian-backed nuclear power plant by ousted leader Sheikh Hasina and her family, the anti-corruption commission said Monday.

Along with Hasina, the now-former prime minster who fled to India after being toppled by a revolution in August, those subject to the inquiry include her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and niece, Tulip Siddiq, a British lawmaker and government minister.

The allegations were raised by a writ seeking an investigation filed in the high court by Hasina's political opponent, Bobby Hajjaj, chairman of the Nationalist Democratic Movement party.

"We seek justice through our court", Hajjaj told AFP on Monday.

Key allegations are connected to the funding of the $12.65 billion Rooppur nuclear plant, the South Asian country's first, which is bankrolled by Moscow with a 90 percent loan.

A statement Monday from the commission said it had launched an inquiry into allegations that Hasina and family members had "embezzled $5 billion" from the Rooppur plant via "various offshore bank accounts in Malaysia".

It said its investigations were examining "questionable procurement practices related to the overpriced construction" of the plant.

"The claims of kickbacks, mismanagement, money laundering, and potential abuse of power raise significant concerns about the integrity of the project and the use of public funds", the commission said.

Graft allegations also include theft from a government building scheme for the homeless.

Hasina, 77, fled by helicopter on August 5 into exile in India, infuriating many Bangladeshis determined that she face trial for alleged "mass murder".

It was not possible to contact Hasina for comment.

Siddiq has "denied any involvement in the claims" accusing her of involvement in embezzlement, according to a statement from the British prime minister's office.

Joy, who is understood to be based in the United States, was also unavailable for comment.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on measures related to constructing a new thermal power plant (TPP) in the nation's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Trend reports.

Guided by paragraph 32 of Article 109 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, in implementation of the "State Program for the Socio-Economic Development of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic for 2023-2027," approved by the Decree of the President of Azerbaijan No. 3910 of June 5, 2023, and in order to ensure the increase in electricity production in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic using the potential of public-private partnerships and the export of electricity, it is hereby decreed:

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) shall, within five months, ensure the negotiation with potential partner-investors, attract consulting companies, prepare technical and economic justifications, and other project documents for the construction, taking into account international experience, of a new thermal power plant in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The company shall submit final proposals regarding the implementation of the project to the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan for approval in coordination with the relevant state bodies (structures).

The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan:

2.1. Together with the Ministry of Economy and other relevant state bodies (structures), ensure that the state budgets capital investment section (investment expenditures) provides the necessary funds for the works required to connect the planned new thermal power plant to the transmission network and improve other resulting necessary infrastructure, in line with the stage of project implementation.

2.2. Together with the Presidents Representative Office in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Finance of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan, SOCAR, the Azerenerji Open Joint Stock Company (OJSC), and other relevant state bodies (structures), resolve other issues arising from this decree.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic:

3.1. In coordination with the Presidents Representative Office in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, within one month, ensure the submission of proposals from SOCAR regarding the land plot for the construction of the thermal power station and take appropriate measures related to the issues arising from this.

3.2. Together with the Azerenerji and Azerishig OJSCs, submit proposals to the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan regarding the connection of the thermal power plant to the energy system of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the electricity needed to meet the internal needs of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

3.3. Take necessary measures to resolve other issues arising from this decree.
Taiwan govt says opposition-led amendments risk defence budget



Taipei, Dec 23 (AFP) Dec 23, 2024



Taiwan's government warned on Monday that opposition-led amendments to next year's budget could put national security and defence funding at risk.

The opposition-majority parliament passed the amendments last week to reduce the central government's tax revenue by NT$375.3 billion (US$11.5 billion), drawing strong criticism from the ruling party.

"This will severely impact central government's financing such as economic development, social welfare and national defence," Taiwan's Finance Minister Chuang Tsui-yun told a cabinet press conference on Monday.

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DDP) had sought to block the bills, arguing they could harm Taiwan's democratic system, as the democratic island faces growing military threats from China.

Taiwan's cabinet said the amendments would require it to cut 28 percent from a major section of next year's budget proposal, which includes NT$294.5 billion allocated for national defence.

It also said the amendments were passed without consensus between the central and local governments and the government would explore "all constitutional remedies" to preserve the budget.

President Lai Ching-te warned Saturday that Taiwan's combat capacity could be "deeply compromised" and that the amendments could undermine the "life safety" of Taiwan's 23 million people.

The amendments, passed on Friday, have sparked brawls among lawmakers and drawn thousands of protesters outside the parliament.

The DDP had originally proposed a record-high NT$647 billion in defence spending for 2025 -- a 7.7 percent increase from this year -- to bolster deterrence against Beijing.

China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has ramped up its military activities around the self-ruled island in recent months, staging large-scale drills and deploying naval vessels.

The main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), has defended the amendments, arguing they enhance fiscal autonomy for local governments.

The KMT, widely seen as pro-Beijing, and its ally Taiwan People's Party passed another controversial reform in May to expand parliamentary powers, a move partially struck down by Taiwan's top court months later.
Syrian medics say were coerced into false chemical attack testimony



Douma, Syria, Dec 23 (AFP) Dec 23, 2024



Two Syrian doctors and a nurse told AFP that Bashar al-Assad's government coerced them into providing false testimony to international investigators after a deadly 2018 chlorine attack.

The three, who treated the wounded at a field hospital in the rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus after the April 7, 2018 attack, said they were summoned to national security headquarters.

"I was told... that they knew where my family is in Damascus," said orthopaedic surgeon Mohammed al-Hanash, giving public testimony which would have been impossible before the fall of Assad's government on December 8.

Emergency and intensive care specialist Hassan Oyoun said that "when I arrived before the investigator... his gun was on the table pointing towards me."

Muwafaq Nisrin, 30, who worked as an emergency responder and nurse in 2018, said: "I was under pressure because my family lives in Douma -- like most of the medical personnel's families".

The attack targeted a building near a field hospital where the wounded were taken, and where the three personnel were among the medical teams at work.

A short time later, a video began circulating online showing chaos at the facility, with medics treating the wounded including children, and a man using a hose to spray people with water.

The government of Bashar al-Assad called the images "fake", and security services questioned those who appeared in the video, including the medical staff who AFP met.

In January last year, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) blamed the Damascus government for the attack, which killed 43 people.

Investigators said there were "reasonable grounds to believe" that at least one Syrian air force helicopter had dropped two cylinders of the toxic gas on Douma.

Damascus and Moscow said the attack was staged by rescue workers at the behest of the United States, which afterward launched air strikes on Syria, as did Britain and France.
Prosecutor Laurie Scott told the court that the inflammatory video was shared by numerous accounts on X, formerly Twitter, including by one with a message saying of Khan: The most serious threat to protesters everywhere. This Muslim has an automatic assault rifle and says hes coming for the EDL. All mosques need raiding now.
Im just going to archive all my stuff to do with the jungle. Then when the time is right and Ive had a little time to process Im going to make my own reels of all my best bits I really like.
In a meandering statement, he explained: Were very good allies with Denmark, we protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world. So the concept came up and I said, Certainly Id be. Strategically its interesting and wed be interested but well talk to them a little bit. Its not No1 on the burner, I can tell you that.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov addressed a conference of ambassadors in Belgrade during his working visit to Serbia, Trend reports.

Meanwhile, the Minister touched upon political, economic, energy, and humanitarian aspects of the Azerbaijan-Serbia strategic partnership, as well as common regional problems, including double standards and selective application of international law.

The nearly 30-year diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Serbia have been actively demonstrated in their multifaceted strategic partnership, with direct involvement from the leadership of both countries.

The significant role of the Strategic Partnership Council, the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, and the political consultation mechanisms in enhancing cooperation was emphasized.

Minister Bayramov also highlighted the promising areas of collaboration, particularly in energy security. He noted Azerbaijan's vital role in Europes energy diversification, specifically the cooperation with Serbia on gas exports in the current year. The green energy sector was also emphasized as one of Azerbaijan's priorities, with initiatives such as the Black Sea submarine energy cable project and the strategic partnership in green energy between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan being highlighted as important steps in linking Europe and Central Asia through the Caspian and Black Sea regions.

Additionally, Minister Bayramov provided insights into the outcomes of the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) held in Azerbaijan this year. He stressed the importance of the agreements reached on climate financing, the completion of negotiations on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and the readiness of the Loss and Damage Fund for the global climate agenda.

The commonalities between Azerbaijan and Serbia were also noted, such as their historical connections, territorial sizes, and the shared challenges both countries face in the selective application of international law, including the issue of double standards.

The ministers underscored the importance of not relying on foreign actors or being involved in geopolitical conflicts, preferring direct negotiations to avoid manipulation and interference. Both countries are committed to supporting territorial integrity and sovereignty as part of their foreign policy.

The event was attended by Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, ambassadors abroad, and Serbian Parliament Chair Ana Brnabic.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held an enlarged meeting with the country's Foreign Minister Marko Djuric within the framework of his visit to Serbia on December 23, 2024, Azerbaijani MFA told Trend.

The ministers held an expanded-format meeting where they exchanged views on various aspects of the Azerbaijan-Serbia strategic partnership, including regional and international security issues.

Both ministers expressed satisfaction with the development of the strategic partnership between the two countries, which is based on mutual respect, strong partnership, and adherence to the key principles of international law, particularly mutual support for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The importance of high-level reciprocal visits and the friendship between the leaders of the two countries were emphasized as key factors in the development of this partnership.

They also expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Serbia in areas such as energy security, transport, culture, and tourism. The ministers underscored the need for further collaboration in the fields of economy, trade, and investment, highlighting contributions to humanitarian cooperation and visa-free initiatives that expand international ties. They also emphasized the continued mutual support and solidarity within regional and international organizations.

Bayramov shared the successes achieved at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Azerbaijan, and thanked Serbia for its high-level participation and contribution. He also outlined Azerbaijan's plans for "green" energy and the role of the region in electricity exports. He expressed well wishes for Serbia's preparations for Expo 2027, noting that the event highlights Serbias growing importance.

The Serbian side was also informed in detail about the large-scale reconstruction and construction projects taking place in the liberated territories, as well as ongoing efforts to normalize relations and the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The ministers also addressed additional topics of mutual concern and concluded the meeting with a joint press conference to provide an overview of their discussions.
The average price of one hectare of arable land in Romania was 41,624 lei/hectare (ha) in 2023. The lowest price was recorded in the North-East Region, at 35,303 lei/ha, while the highest value was reported in the Bucharest-Ilfov Region, with 61,360 lei/ha, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS).

Additionally, the average price of permanent pastures increased approximately 7.5% nationwide in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Regarding the average price of one hectare of arable land in Europe, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) notes that it recorded significant variations in 2023. According to available data for 21 EU member states in 2023, the prices of arable land ranged from a minimum of 4,491 euro/ha on average in Croatia to a maximum of 283,039 euros/ha on average in Malta, while in Romania, the average price was 8,414 euro/ha.

The average price of permanent pastures in EU member states in 2023 ranged from a minimum of 1,986 euro/ha in Bulgaria to a maximum of 71,203 euro/ha in the Netherlands, while in Romania, the average price was 6,074 euro/ha. AGERPRES
The new president of the Senate, Ilie Bolojan, who chaired the first meeting of the legislative body after being elected on Monday, expressed his hope that better laws will be generated.

"I never thought that I would become president of the Romanian Senate, it was not a goal for me to occupy this position, but I will do everything possible to represent the Senate and our country with dignity. I think a few things are important to me from this position and I hope you will resonate with them as well. First of all, to be able to generate laws that are as good as possible, as clear as possible, not laws that sound necessarily good, but that create problems, laws that solve problems, laws that create a good context for Romanians, for our entrepreneurs to develop and for our country to have a good direction in the coming years," said Bolojan.

He emphasized the importance of reforming institutions that are are related to Parliament's coordination.

"From my administrative experience in the last 20 years, these have been among the most inefficient institutions and I believe that we need to focus on them in such a way so as to make them more efficient, closer to the people and to generate better regulations in the areas they manage," explained the newly elected Senate president.

According to him, a very important issue is to increase trust in the parliamentary system and in Parliament, including the Senate.

"I believe that we have to fight for this issue, because you know that we have the lowest trust rate in public institutions and this very low rate has repercussions in society. And, if we want to have more trust among people and better conditions, I think it is very important to fight for more trust, including in the Romanian Senate," said Ilie Bolojan. AGERPRES
The president of the Senate, the liberal Ilie Bolojan, declared on Monday that the Government proposed for the investiture is "a necessity for Romania", noting that "this is no longer a question of likes or dislikes or animosities related to the recent past, this is about responsibility for the country".

"The Government that we propose to invest today is a necessity for Romania, because we need stability, considering the political crisis we are in. We need the control of budget deficits and state finances in such a way that we take measures so that things do not get out of control. But this is not enough. This Government has several important missions: to maintain Romania's European and Euro-Atlantic course and to restores citizens' trust in the state and in the political class", Bolojan told the joint plenary session of the Parliament for the investiture of the future Government.





"These are the reasons why the National Liberal Party decided to support this coalition and vote today for the investiture of the current Government. This is no longer a question of likes or dislikes or animosities that hold on to the recent past, this is a question of responsibility for Romania and for the future of our country", added Ilie Bolojan.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Azerbaijan and Serbia are actively exploring new directions for cooperation, said Jeyhun Bayramov, Azerbaijans Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trend reports.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, Bayramov emphasized the significant progress made in bilateral relations following presidential visits in recent years, as well as foreign ministers' visits in both the past and current years.

"The visits of our presidents in 2022, 2023, and 2024, as well as those of our foreign ministers in recent years, along with the agreements signed during these visits and the work of the Strategic Partnership Council between Azerbaijan and Serbia, have significantly contributed to the strengthening of our bilateral relations. Building on dialogue and interaction mechanisms, such as political consultations between our foreign ministries, we continue to explore and identify new areas of cooperation and partnership," he said.

Bayramov further noted that political cooperation between the two countries has led to a high level of mutual support in international organizations.

"Although the current level of trade and economic relations does not fully reflect the potential of our countries, we are systematically working to improve it through regular meetings of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. We are also exploring opportunities in areas such as energy security, renewable energy, education, science, culture, and tourism, which are promising fields for expanding bilateral cooperation," he added.

The minister also highlighted that the introduction of a visa-free regime for citizens of Azerbaijan and Serbia has further strengthened ties between the peoples of the two countries.

"As Azerbaijan chairs COP29, we have opened new opportunities for cooperation in climate diplomacy. We are confident that the upcoming EXPO-2027, to be held in Serbia, will be another significant step forward in the development of our partnership," he concluded.
Gratis de la Digi RCS RDS pentru toti romanii care au un abonament la firma de telecomunicatii. Tot ce trebuie sa faci este sa soliciti acces la acest serviciu
President Klaus Iohannis has appointed Marcel Ciolacu, chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), as prime minister.

"The pro-European coalition has proposed a candidate that I have decided to accept," the head of state said on Monday at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

This morning, PSD, the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) and the leaders of the national minorities signed a political agreement in Parliament, prior to the formation of the governing coalition. AGERPRES
The Ministry of Finance (MF) borrowed, on Monday, 359.5 million RON from the banks, through an issue of benchmark state bonds, with a residual maturity of 158 months, at an average yield of 7.47% per year, according to data published by the National Bank of Romania (BNR).

The nominal value of Monday's issue was 600 million RON, and the banks subscribed 462 million RON.





The Ministry of Finance (MF) has planned, in December 2024, loans from commercial banks in the amount of 5 billion RON, to which the amount of 600 million RON can be added through additional sessions of non-competitive offers, related to bond auctions.
President Klaus Iohannis signed, on Monday, the decree regarding the appointment of Marcel Ciolacu as a candidate for the position of prime minister, in order to request the Parliament's vote of confidence on the program and the list of the new Government. We present the main priorities of the new coalition government, formed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) and the parliamentary group of national minorities.

The government program foresees the progressive increase of the funding allocated to health by 1% of GDP per year, up to the European average, but also the improvement and predictability of the funding of the health system through multi-annual budgeting, the granting of deductions for complementary health insurance and the achievement of a high degree of absorption of European funds dedicated to the field of health during the period 2025-2028.





The Ministry of Internal Affairs will continue the implementation of strategies related to the prevention and combating of organized crime. Other priorities are the recovery of damages caused by the commission of crimes, limiting the impact and diminishing the negative consequences of drugs, combating illegal migration, increasing road safety, the fight against corruption among our own personnel and the coordinated fight against all illegal acts against the environment.The development of a National Center of Excellence in Cyber Defense, the creation of an integrated military communications system and the expansion of information security measures were included among the strategic objectives of the Ministry of National Defense (MApN).At the same time, another priority is the strengthening of the defense dimension of Romania's strategic partnerships, but also of cooperation with allied states, especially with France, Turkey, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Poland, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.The new Executive has in mind "outlining Romania's role as a regional pole of stability and security, by maintaining substantial contributions in the regions of priority interest for our country, such as the extended Black Sea region, the Western Balkans and the Eastern neighborhood of NATO and the European Union (EU)".The revitalization and digitization of the national cultural heritage, in order to ensure greater accessibility, especially for young people, is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Culture.President Klaus Iohannis signed, on Monday, the decree regarding the appointment of Marcel Ciolacu as a candidate for the position of prime minister, in order to request the Parliament's vote of confidence on the program and the list of the new Government.
MP Varujan Pambuccian announced that the group of national minorities will offer parliamentary support to the future Government and will participate in all political decisions.

He signed the political agreement on Monday at the Parliament Palace, alongside Social Democratic Party (PSD) President Marcel Ciolacu, interim National Liberal Party (PNL) President Ilie Bolojan, and Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) President Kelemen Hunor, agreement laying out the basis for the formation of the governing coalition.

"We joined this coalition out of a desire for stability and to preserve a firm Euro-Atlantic path - political, economic, and social stability. We also believe, and hope, that together we can ensure this stability. The parliamentary group of national minorities will offer parliamentary support to the Government and will participate in all political decisions, keeping in mind something we care deeply about: in a very difficult economic period ahead, we want the population not to suffer, meaning we do not want to see reductions in income or increases in taxes and fees. We hope that, through the nomination of Mr. Crin Antonescu, and through this decision to work together, the Euro-Atlantic path will be maintained and the most important goal of this path - the accession to the OECD - will be achieved," said Pambuccian in a press statement, alongside Marcel Ciolacu, Ilie Bolojan, and Kelemen Hunor.

According to this protocol, Crin Antonescu will be the candidate supported by the coalition parties for the Presidency of Romania. AGERPRES
President Klaus Iohannis on Sunday, after consultations with parliamentary parties, said that it is possible for a pro-European coalition government to be formed "very soon."

"The pro-European coalition formed by PSD - PNL - UDMR [Social Democratic Party, National Liberal Party, Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania] and minorities came together with all the leaders, they requested the four leaders come together, and they informed me that negotiations for finding a solid governmental equation are close to finalisation. There are premises that very soon we will have a completed governmental formation as a result of the negotiations," said the head of state at the Cotroceni Palace.

The head of state held consultations with parliamentary parties earlier in the day regarding the appointment of a prime minister. The PSD - PNL - UDMR coalition, along with minorities, and Save Romania Union (USR) responded to the invitation, while the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), S.O.S. Romania and the Party of Young People (P.O.T.) refused to attend.

Klaus Iohannis mentioned that negotiations would continue throughout Sunday.

"I am optimistic that immediately after the election of the presidents of the two chambers, I will be in a position to make a nomination for the prime minister position," he said.

The new parliamentarians took their oaths on Saturday and will soon vote for the president of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. AGERPRES
The Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) and the group of national minorities have agreed to have a joint candidate for the Presidency in the person of Crin Antonescu, political sources said on Monday.

This decision is going to be voted on in the leadership bodies of each party, according to the quoted sources.

PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu pointed out at the end of last week that one of the options for the presidential candidacy discussed within the coalition was Crin Antonescu.

The Liberals also maintained that Antonescu would be a good option for the presidential race. PNL Suceava branch president Gheorghe Flutur said that the proposal for Crin Antonescu's candidacy for the Presidency of Romania is "very good," arguing that he is "a committed pro-European" and "an asset for guaranteeing the country's pro-Western path." AGERPRES
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Monday the signing of a political agreement between the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) and the parliamentary group of national minorities to take over governance.

"We have a political agreement. Each of the signatories understood the Romanians' message from the general elections," said Ciolacu.

According to him, the coalition's objectives are to defend Romania's position in Europe and NATO, as well as to protect national identity. AGERPRES
The national currency appreciated, on Monday, in relation to the euro, which was calculated by the National Bank of Romania (BNR) at 4.9759 RON, down by 0.05 RON (-0.01%) compared to the previous quotation, of 4.9764 RON.

Also, the RON gained ground against the US dollar, which was quoted at 4.7871 RON, down by 0.37 bani (-0.08), compared to Friday, when it stood at 4.7908 RON, Agerpres informs.





The gold gram rose in price on Monday, up to the value of 403.2660 RON, from 401.4137 RON, in the previous meeting.
The chairman of the County Council (CJ) Satu Mare, Pataki Csaba, signed, on Monday, the financing contracts for two new European projects, worth 4.2 million euros, informs the institution on Facebook.

According to the cited source, "Green Cross-Border Region" is a project worth 2.4 million euros that will invest in the production of energy from renewable sources to reduce the operating costs of the institutions subordinated to the Satu Mare County Council and will feasibility studies should be developed in this regard.





"The County Council will equip the institution with new musical instruments, lighting equipment, stage installations, sound system, digital scores and IT equipment. The project has a value of 1.8 million euros," the quoted source states.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic met with Azerbaijans Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov during the ministers official visit to Serbia, Azerbaijani MFA shared in a post on its X page, Trend reports.

The meeting covered various topics related to economics, energy, humanitarian matters, as well as regional and international security issues arising from the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Serbia.

Minister Bayramov informed President Vucic about recent developments concerning post-conflict reconstruction and peace efforts in the region.
JEFFERSON CITY  The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri said Monday she vigorously objected to commutation requests for two men convicted in the 1997 killing of a bank security guard in St. Louis.

U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Flemings comments followed President Joe Bidens announcement earlier Monday that Norris Holder and Billie Allen will serve out life prison sentences, instead of being executed, for the murder of bank security guard Richard Heflin, 46, of Belleville.

Fleming said two separate juries recommended the death penalty after looking at the egregious circumstances of this crime.

Allen and Holder shot Mr. Heflin as soon as they entered the crowded bank, Fleming said. After he had already been shot and wounded, Allen stood over Mr. Heflin with an assault rifle and shot him again, execution-style. Mr. Heflin was shot at least eight times.

Fleming said Heflin was a decorated military veteran, husband and father of three who had continued to protect bank employees and the community as a guard after he had retired from law enforcement.

Throughout the appeals process, our office has consistently respected and supported the jurys decision to impose the death penalty, Fleming said in a statement. Earlier this year, I vigorously objected to the commutation requests because of the brutal, proven facts surrounding this case. The focus today, two days before Christmas, should be on Mr. Heflins family and friends and the 27 years of suffering that they have had to endure since he was assassinated.

Flemings comments  as a sitting U.S. attorney serving in Bidens administration  marked a strong break with the president and stood in sharp contrast to praise for the president by death penalty opponents.

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, a St. Louis Democrat who lost in the August Democratic primary to St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, thanked Biden after his commutation announcement.

Both Holder and Allen were among 37 federal death row inmates to have their sentences commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Monday.

From day one, weve pushed for the commutation of these sentences & an end to the death penalty, Bush said on X. Todays action has saved lives.

And Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, applauded Biden for a historic and courageous step in addressing the failed death penalty in the United States  bringing us much closer to outlawing the barbaric practice once again.

Clayton attorney Edward L. Dowd Jr., the U.S. attorney for St. Louis at the time of the St. Patricks Day 1997 bank robbery, said Monday he was extremely disappointed in Bidens decision to commute the two federal death sentences.

They shouldve been executed long ago, Dowd said Monday. And I dont think that Biden was thinking about the victims  Richard Heflin, or his children, or his family.

Biden, in announcing the commutations, said in a statement that he had dedicated his career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system.

He said his decision was consistent with his administrations moratorium on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.

Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss, Biden said.

But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice President, and now President, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level, said Biden, who leaves office Jan. 20 when President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in.

In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted, Biden said.

Heflin was working at Lindell Bank & Trust in the citys Hi-Pointe neighborhood when Holder and Allen entered the bank and opened fire.

Robbers Kill Bank Guard Article from Mar 18, 1997 St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri)

The March 17, 1997, holdup has been compared to Hollywood cops-and-robbers action movie Heat.

Police believed that Allen and Holder had planned to shoot the bank guard and then use three vehicles to get away, including using a stolen van for the robbery itself and then setting it on fire, as the bank robbers did to their van in the motion picture.

A van the robbers used as their getaway vehicle crashed and burned in Forest Park. Police arrested Holder at the scene. Allen was arrested the next day.

Police said gasoline had been sprayed inside the van, which was rigged to catch fire.

The scene played out around 10:30 a.m., a few blocks from where police were setting up for the Hibernians St. Patricks Day parade in Dogtown.

At the time one of the robbers opened fire without warning, Heflin was reaching for a St. Patricks Day cookie when he was shot.

Holder, of Country Club Hills, was 21 at the time of the killing; Allen, of Oregon Avenue in St. Louis, was 19.

In 1998, Allen and Holder were both found guilty of a bank robbery in which someone was killed and of using a gun in the crime.

Dowd said the defendants walked into the Lindell Bank & Trust intending to have a takeover bank robbery, to shoot people and get money, and that each had a fully loaded SKS semi-automatic assault rifle.

They walked in and shot Richard Heflin eight times, Dowd said. He died very quickly. And then they sprayed the bank with bullets.

Holder admitted to the robbery but said he didnt fire any shots in the heist.

Madeline Cohen, an attorney for Holder, said his case reflects many of the systems flaws and thanked Biden for converting his sentence to life in prison. Holder, who is Black, was sentenced by an all-white jury.

Norris case exemplifies the racial bias and arbitrariness that led the President to commute federal death sentences, Cohen said.

Shes not thinking at all about the victims whose lives are destroyed by these people, Dowd said. It is very hard to get 12 people to agree that someone should be executed.

I tried 33 cases as an assistant U.S. attorney or U.S. attorney. Every defendant was found guilty of every charge that I brought against them, Dowd said. I never had the slightest fear of having a diverse jury.

Holder and Allen werent the only two Missourians on Bidens commutations list.

Biden also commuted the federal death sentences of Wesley Paul Coonce Jr. and Charles Michael Hall to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Both were inmates at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, and were found guilty in 2014 of murdering another inmate, Victor Castro-Rodriguez, 51.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
JEFFERSON CITY  Missouri lawmakers next year could take up an issue promoted by President-elect Donald Trump: ending the collection of income taxes on tips.

Rep. Brian Seitz, R-Branson, introduced legislation earlier this month that would exclude tips earned from waiting tables or serving drinks from income tax payments.

Seitz said the move could help many workers in his southwest Missouri district, which is heavily dominated by tourism.

I personally waited tables for three years in college. It was quite frustrating for people who were good at that job that we had to give some of that money to the federal or state government, Seitz said. In the current economic environment, by eliminating the tax on tips, wed give these individuals more disposable incomes.

Under his plan, taxpayers would be able to subtract from their gross income 100% of the money they received from tips. In addition, certain employers would no longer withhold money earned via tips from an employees paycheck.

In June, Trump announced on the campaign trail his plan to exclude workers tips from taxes, saying he got the idea from a waitress at his Las Vegas hotel.

To those hotel workers and people who get tips, you are going to be very happy, because when I get to office we are going to not charge taxes on tips, people making tips, Trump said, adding: Were going to do that right away, first thing in office.

The announcement came in Nevada, which has a high concentration of tipped workers in restaurants, hotels, casinos and bars.

Vice President Kamala Harris also called for an end to taxes on tips during a stop in Nevada.

Seitz said he did not know how much the change could affect state revenues, which are flattening after a post-pandemic economic boom cycle. A financial analysis is expected to be completed in January when lawmakers return to the Capitol for the start of their four-month legislative session.

Analysts reacting to Trumps proposal said it may not produce a significant savings for many tipped workers because they typically are younger and may not earn enough to pay any federal income tax at all.

Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe is projected to face declining revenue in his first six months in office, potentially putting a squeeze on spending.

General tax revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30 will total $13.35 billion, a decrease of about $70 million from the record amount received in the last fiscal year.

Revenues are expected to improve in the following year, but only by an estimated 1.6%.

Seitz said the cost of eliminating the tax shouldnt be an issue.

Its a matter of fairness. Whats the incentive of providing good services if youre basically being told youre going to have to give that money away? Seitz said. Its getting to the point where its getting difficult to get people to wait on tables or bus tables.

Trump also campaigned on the idea that seniors should not pay tax on Social Security payments.

That is already the case in Missouri.

In 2023, Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation exempting Social Security benefits and public pension payments from income tax, which is expected to reduce state general revenue by an estimated $309 million annually.

The measure was approved with broad bipartisan support.

Seitzs legislation in House Bill 198.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.  First it was Canada, then the Panama Canal. Now, Donald Trump again wants Greenland.

The president-elect is renewing unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U.S. to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allied countries with which hes picking fights even before taking office on Jan. 20.

In a Sunday announcement naming his ambassador to Denmark, Trump wrote that, For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.

Trump again having designs on Greenland comes after the president-elect suggested over the weekend that the U.S. could retake control of the Panama Canal if something isnt done to ease rising shipping costs required for using the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Hes also been suggesting that Canada become the 51st U.S. state and referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as governor of the Great State of Canada.

Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, said Trump tweaking friendly countries harkens back to an aggressive style he used during his days in business.

You ask something unreasonable and its more likely you can get something less unreasonable, said Farnsworth, who is also author of the book Presidential Communication and Character.

Greenland, the worlds largest island, sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. It is 80% covered by an ice sheet and is home to a large U.S. military base. It gained home rule from Denmark in 1979 and its head of government, Mute Bourup Egede, suggested that Trumps latest calls for U.S. control would be as meaningless as those made in his first term.

Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale, he said in a statement. We must not lose our yearslong fight for freedom.

Trump canceled a 2019 visit to Denmark after his offer to buy Greenland was rejected by Copenhagen, and ultimately came to nothing.

He also suggested Sunday that the U.S. is getting ripped off at the Panama Canal.

If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question, he said.

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino responded in a video that every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to, but Trump fired back on his social media site, Well see about that!

The president-elect also posted a picture of a U.S. flag planted in the canal zone under the phrase, Welcome to the United States Canal!

The United States built the canal in the early 1900s but relinquished control to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.

The canal depends on reservoirs that were hit by 2023 droughts that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships, administrators also increased the fees that shippers are charged to reserve slots to use the canal.

The Greenland and Panama flareups followed Trump recently posting that Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State and offering an image of himself superimposed on a mountaintop surveying surrounding territory next to a Canadian flag.

Trudeau suggested that Trump was joking about annexing his country, but the pair met recently at Trumps Mar-a-Lago club in Florida to discuss Trumps threats to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods.

Canada is not going to become part of the United States, but Trumps comments are more about leveraging what he says to get concessions from Canada by putting Canada off balance, particularly given the precarious current political environment in Canada, Farnsworth said. Maybe claim a win on trade concessions, a tighter border or other things.

He said the situation is similar with Greenland, with Trump ultimately looking for concessions from Norway.

What Trump wants is a win and even if the American flag doesnt raise over Greenland, Farnsworth said. Europeans may be more willing to say yes to something else because of the pressure.

Associated Press Writer Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.
The entrance to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. (James Bolinger/Stars and Stripes)

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan  Reports of drone sightings at this base south of Hiroshima caused the airfield to temporarily halt military and civilian flights on Sunday evening, according to U.S. military and Japanese officials.

The MCAS Iwakuni control tower notified an All Nippon Airways flight scheduled to land at 6:50 p.m. Sunday at the Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport that drones were flying at the airport, an official at the Iwakuni office of the West Japan Civil Aviation Bureau told Stars and Stripes by phone Monday.

The company contacted the Civil Aviation Bureau, which in turn checked with the U.S. military, the official said

Commercial aircraft at the Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport share the runway with aircraft from the U.S. Marines and Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.

The ANA flight flew a holding pattern while waiting to land at the airport but once low on fuel it diverted to Hiroshima Airport, the official said. Around 8 p.m., the aviation bureau confirmed that the airport had reopened and the plane returned to Iwakuni at 9:41 p.m., the official said.

The airport closure delayed the ANA aircrafts 7:30 p.m. return to Haneda Airport by more than two hours, he said. Public Broadcaster NHK reported Monday the delay affected about 250 passengers.

Safety is a priority of MCAS Iwakuni and out of an abundance of caution, the airfield was briefly closed on the evening of December 22, 2024, to investigate alleged drone sightings over the airfield, base spokesman Maj. Gerard Farao told Stars and Stripes by email on Monday. Upon determining that there was no threat to aviation safety, the airfield was reopened.

Farao said he could provide no further details while the incident is under investigation.

Unauthorized flights over MCAS Iwakuni are in violation of Japanese law, he said.

An Iwakuni Police spokesman said Monday that police are investigating whether any drones were flying at the time.

Flying drones over restricted defense facilities in Japan may be punishable by imprisonment up to one year or a fine of up to $3,191, according to the National Police Agency website.

This is not the first report of a drone incident at a U.S. base in Japan. In May the Navy investigated overhead photos and videos posted to social media platform X of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan docked at Yokosuka Naval Base.

Drone sightings have been on the rise in the U.S., with many reports last week in New Jersey causing concern among many residents.

snyder.jonathan@stripes.com @Jon_E_Snyder

kusumoto.hana@stripes.com @HanaKusumoto
An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, takes off from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on Dec. 16, 2024. (Logan McGuire/U.S. Navy)

NAPLES, Italy  Two Navy aviators were rescued after the fighter jet they were flying was shot down this week in an apparent friendly fire incident were responding to incoming one-way aerial attack drones and anti-ship cruise missiles threatening U.S. forces in the Red Sea, a defense official said Monday.

The service members had safely returned from a previous mission and had relaunched to provide air defense, the defense official said on condition of anonymity. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the incident.

They were shot down while recovery of remaining aircraft was underway, said the official, who referred to the aviators as pilots.

In the hours leading up to the incident, the Truman Carrier Strike Group had successfully intercepted two anti-ship cruise missiles and two one-way aerial attack drones with reports of other unmanned vehicles in the air, the official added.

In a statement on Sunday, U.S. Central Command said the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the Truman CSG, had mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18 Super Hornet as it was flying off the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.

Initial reports indicated that one of the aviators had suffered minor injuries, but both service members were aboard Truman on Monday and had been evaluated and released by medical staff, the official said.

It wasnt clear how Gettysburg made the error, particularly since ships in a battle group remain linked by radar and radio communication. It also remained unknown what type of missile was used to shoot down the fighter jet or if the Navy is working to recover the aircraft.

An investigation is underway to determine the facts and circumstances, the official said.

In March, officials aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, on duty in the Red Sea at the time, acknowledged Houthi fighters had been savvy in adapting their efforts with swarm drone attacks and upgraded ballistic missile capabilities.

The Middle East is a difficult tactical environment with significant surface and air traffic, and atmospheric conditions that can challenge communications, said James Holmes, chair of the maritime strategy program at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.

Add the stress of a combat situation and the sheer fog of war, and it is not farfetched to imagine a crew could mistake the identity of an aircraft and take it under fire, Holmes said.

On Saturday, U.S. forces conducted airstrikes targeting a Houthi missile storage facility and a command hub in Yemen, CENTCOM said in a statement the same day.

During the mission, U.S. forces also shot down multiple Houthi one-way attack drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea. Air Force and Navy assets, including F/A-18s, were used in the operation, CENTCOM said.

A Houthi military spokesman released a statement on Sunday in which he claimed the rebels launched eight cruise missiles and 17 drones in an attack against U.S. forces. He also claimed without offering any evidence that the Houthis shot down the F/A-18, likely following a pattern of him making exaggerated claims, the Associated Press reported the same day.

Saturdays mission against the Iranian-backed group was the second in the last week.

On Dec. 16, U.S. forces also targeted a Houthi militant facility that facilitated the groups attacks against ships in the region. In November, a series of U.S. airstrikes against Houthi militants targeted weapons bunkers in Yemen. Those strikes included Air Force and Navy assets, such as F-35C stealth fighter jets.

The strikes come following the arrival of the Truman Carrier Strike Group in the Middle East a little more than a week ago.

The group includes the destroyers USS Stout and USS Jason Dunham, and Carrier Air Wing 1 with nine embarked aviation squadrons.

The Pentagon has beefed up its presence in the region with additional Air Force bombers, fighter jets and refueling aircraft.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held an enlarged meeting with the country's Foreign Minister Marko Djuric within the framework of his visit to Serbia on December 23, 2024, Azerbaijani MFA told Trend.

The ministers held an expanded-format meeting where they exchanged views on various aspects of the Azerbaijan-Serbia strategic partnership, including regional and international security issues.

Both ministers expressed satisfaction with the development of the strategic partnership between the two countries, which is based on mutual respect, strong partnership, and adherence to the key principles of international law, particularly mutual support for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The importance of high-level reciprocal visits and the friendship between the leaders of the two countries were emphasized as key factors in the development of this partnership.

They also expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Serbia in areas such as energy security, transport, culture, and tourism. The ministers underscored the need for further collaboration in the fields of economy, trade, and investment, highlighting contributions to humanitarian cooperation and visa-free initiatives that expand international ties. They also emphasized the continued mutual support and solidarity within regional and international organizations.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov shared the successes achieved at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Azerbaijan, and thanked Serbia for its high-level participation and contribution.

Bayramov also outlined Azerbaijan's plans for "green" energy and the role of the region in electricity exports. He expressed well wishes for Serbia's preparations for Expo 2027, noting that the event highlights Serbias growing importance.

The Serbian side was also informed in detail about the large-scale reconstruction and construction projects taking place in the liberated territories, as well as ongoing efforts to normalize relations and the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The ministers also addressed additional topics of mutual concern and concluded the meeting with a joint press conference to provide an overview of their discussions.
Sailors man the combat information center at Naval Support Facility Redzikowo in Poland on Dec. 16, 2024, during a simulation of the base's Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system's capabilities. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

NAVAL SUPPORT FACILITY REDZIKOWO, Poland  More than a hundred sailors assigned to this rural outpost in the Polish countryside help protect Europe against ballistic missile threats much the same as if they were at sea.

They work, eat and sleep on six-month deployments, away from their friends and families for similar lengths of time as their counterparts on ships.

The total U.S. service member and civilian contingent at the base in northern Poland near the Baltic Sea numbers about 355, akin to that of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

And a 33-member watch team directly monitors the sites Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system, working rotational 12-hour shifts to ensure 24-hour daily coverage year-round.

Its difficult, but its worth it, said Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Furtado, a 33-year-old gunners mate from Cairo, Ga., serving his second deployment at Naval Support Facility Redzikowo. Our military is there to protect, and were now protecting Europe.

The deck house, shown Dec. 16, 2024, includes four distinctive square panels that are part of the bases AN/SPY-1 radar. The radar allows for the 360-degree view needed to detect, track and intercept medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) Two of three missile launch sites at Naval Support Facility Redzikowo in Poland are visible from the base's main facility. The launch sites, shown Dec. 16, 2024, are surrounded by lightning rods. Each site houses eight SM-3 missiles. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) Naval Support Facility Redzikowo in Poland bears an uncanny resemblance to the services destroyers. The ashore site, pictured Dec. 16, 2024, is the newest addition to a layered ballistic missile defense system that protects Europe. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) Capt. Michael Dwan, commodore of Task Force 64, speaks with reporters during a media tour of Naval Support Facility Redzikowo in Poland on Dec. 16, 2024. Dwan oversees the Navy's Aegis Ashore sites in Poland and Romania along with the ballistic missile defense capabilities of five destroyers based in Rota, Spain. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) A wooden map of Europe and Russia decorates a wall in the building housing the combat information center at Naval Support Facility Redzikowo in Poland, as seen Dec. 16, 2024. The Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense facility was declared mission-ready by NATO in July. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) Sailors man the combat information center at Naval Support Facility Redzikowo in Poland during a simulation of the base's Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system capabilities on Dec. 16, 2024. The total U.S. contingent at site is about 355. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) The Aegis Ashore missile defense system at Naval Support Facility Redzikowo in Poland was declared mission-ready by NATO in July. (Ashleigh Whitney/U.S. Navy)

The similarities to a Navy destroyer dont end there. Four distinctive phased-array radar panels are affixed to the deck house at NSF Redzikowo, giving the base an uncanny resemblance to the services workhorse ships.

The AN/SPY-1 radar system is what provides the base  along with another Aegis Ashore site in Romania and destroyers at sea  the 360-degree view needed to detect, track and intercept medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, according to the Navy.

More than 10 years in the making, NSF Redzikowo became fully operational this year, a milestone in trans-Atlantic air and missile defense at a time when the threat of ballistic missiles on the Continent is growing, U.S. and European officials say.

On Friday, a Russian ballistic missile attack against Ukraine killed one and injured 12 others while damaging several buildings in Kyiv, Reuters reported the same day.

Meanwhile, Iran has shown growing willingness to use its arsenal, launching nearly 200 missiles against Israel in an October retaliatory attack. Most of those missiles were intercepted but a small number struck in central and eastern Israel, killing a Palestinian man, the BBC reported on Oct. 3.

The deployment of an American destroyer on Polish soil becomes a reality, representing a significant development in the security history of Poland, the United States and NATO and marking a notable shift in the geopolitical landscape, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said during the bases ceremonial opening in November.

Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Furtado, a gunner's mate, closes the door of a missile launch site at Naval Support Facility Redzikowo in Poland on Dec. 16, 2024. Each of the three such sites at the base has eight unarmed SM-3 interceptor missiles. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

But unlike Navy destroyers, which carry Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles among other armament, NSF Redzikowo and NSF Deveselu in Romania each are equipped with 24 unarmed SM-3 interceptor missiles.

That makes the Aegis system at the bases just like what we have on our ships but with one important difference, Capt. Michael Dwan, commodore of Task Force 64, said during a recent media tour of the Redzikowo facility.

We are purely defensive-minded, said Dwan, whose responsibilities include oversight of the two Aegis Ashore sites and the ballistic missile defense capabilities of five Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain.

The bases mission is part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach, which was established in 2009 to counter Iranian ballistic missile threats. It includes an early warning system in Turkey manned by the U.S. Army, he said.

The layered defense, focused on ballistic missiles capable of entering NATO member countries territory, is what allows the alliance to defend itself from a multitude of attack scenarios, Dwan said.

Sailor training and the bases capabilities are designed to neutralize those threats, regardless of a missile type or location, he said.

What keeps me up at night is essentially something that I dont know, Dwan said. What doesnt keep me up at night is my ability to meet that threat. I know that we can do that.
Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) depart the ship after returning from deployment. Cole returned to Naval Station Norfolk on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, after a deployment in support of maritime security and stability efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (Nathan T. Beard/U.S. Navy)

The USS Cole returned to Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Monday after a seven-month combat deployment that took the crew into the tense conflicts of the Middle East.

A crowd of families and loved ones gathered on the pier to celebrate the safe return of the sailors.

I am proud of the determined warriors of Cole for continuing this ships legacy of outstanding service during a challenging combat deployment, said Cmdr. Matt Faulkenberry, commanding officer of the USS Cole. Cole demonstrated professionalism and lethality across all domains.

Chief Gunners Mate Tyler Kaltenberg, assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole, greets family on the pier after returning from deployment Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. Cole returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a deployment in support of maritime security and stability efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (Nathan T. Beard/U.S. Navy) Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Garion Pequeno, assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67), greets family on the pier after returning from deployment Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. Cole returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a deployment in support of maritime security and stability efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (Nathan T. Beard/U.S. Navy) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) returns to Naval Station Norfolk on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, after a deployment in support of maritime security and stability efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (Nathan T. Beard/U.S. Navy) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) returns to Naval Station Norfolk on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, after a deployment in support of maritime security and stability efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (Nathan T. Beard/U.S. Navy)

During its 224 days on deployment, the Cole served as an air defense unit for strike group forces in the Red Sea and also provided deterrence and defense to U.S. allies and partners in the Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Gulf, contributing to stability in the region, according to a Navy news release.

On Oct. 1, Cole joined the USS Bulkeley and helped defend Israel against inbound Iranian missiles in the Levant region. Cole earned a star on the ships Combat Action Ribbon for engagement in combat operations in the Red Sea during its deployment.
(Gerard F. Forken/Stars and Stripes)

Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, Dec. 21, 1966: Bob Hope stands solo on stage as he delights thousands of U.S. service members with his jokes a few days before Christmas.

Hopes legendary variety-style holiday show toured bases, trenches and hillsides for decades with a vast array of entertainers starting in World War II. In 1964 Hope took the first of nine USO trips to Vietnam. He would record his final Bob Hope Chirstmas Show from Vietnam in 1972, but continued touring with the USO until 1990.

Of the service members he preformed for Hope said in 1991, Its the best audience.

Looking for Stars and Stripes coverage of the Vietnam War? Subscribe to Stars and Stripes historic newspaper archive! We have digitized our 1948-1999 European and Pacific editions, as well as several of our WWII editions and made them available online through https://starsandstripes.newspaperarchive.com/
Battle of the Bulge U.S. veteran David Marshall salutes during a ceremony in Bastogne, Belgium, Dec. 14, 2024, to mark 80 years since the famed World War II engagement. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)

Eighty years ago the Battle of the Bulge started, Germanys last big offensive against the U.S. and Allies during World War II. That holiday season saw fierce combat in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium and Luxembourg.

At the same time, a father in Belgium wrote an open Christmas letter to General Eisenhower and his brave warriors thanking Americans for their heroism and generosity. The Associated Press reported how American soldiers cheerfully shared tidbits from their ration kits with pale Belgian children begging gum and candy.

The Belgian father appreciated the Americans generosity, but did not want the soldiers to think the kids were beggars. The father explained how hard it was for kids in Belgium to go through years of war, struggling to even get the most basic things. To hungry Belgian kids, American soldiers were like Santa Claus.

As published in The New York Times, the Belgian father wrote that is why all of them go out to you in full confidence, as if to Father Noel  because Father Noel never regarded them as beggars.

It was American generosity that liberated Europe from the enemy of hunger, which always accompanies war. Right before the Battle of the Bulge started in December 1944, the U.S. was building up food supplies to feed hungry civilians in the Netherlands.

When the surprise Battle of the Bulge occurred, the fighting caused major food losses in Belgium. The U.S. had to divert food supplies from the Netherlands to relieve Belgium and then replenish those supplies. This was done in time to save the Netherlands from famine toward the end of the war in 1945. These were some of the quiet, behind the scenes heroics of World War II.

It was American and Allied food assistance that saved many children and families from starvation during the war. On the home front Americans rallied to donate to the National War Fund, which saved more lives from hunger.

We should remember that generosity in sharing food with the hungry children. For even though WWII is in the history books, child hunger is not. There are millions of children starving across the globe right now because of wars and climate change. They look to Americans for help too.

There are desperately hungry children in war-torn Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gaza, Syria, Yemen, Mali, and many other nations. War is causing the biggest hunger emergencies as well as drought. Haiti is suffering extreme hunger. The U.N. World Food Program and partner agencies like Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, CARE and UNICEF are struggling to reach every hungry person in need. They need more support. The world needs more food and peace.

The charity Marys Meals works in impoverished and war-torn countries like Ethiopia, trying to provide basic school meals to children. For many children a school lunch is their only chance at a daily meal. Every child should be able to get these meals.

In the new year we cant let hunger and chaos spread around the globe. We cannot let children suffer hunger, which will stunt them physically and mentally for life.

If we had not helped Europe overcome food shortages caused by WWII, millions of people would have starved to death. Think of all the children that would have been lost without American food aid.

Eighty years ago, during the Battle of the Bulge, Americans were fighting under terrible winter conditions against Nazi German forces. We should remember the bravery of American soldiers and allies in winning the Battle of the Bulge and ultimately defeating Nazi Germany to end the war.

Even amid the hardship of the Battle of the Bulge and WWII, American soldiers were generous and helped feed children. At that same time Americans kept up an offensive against hunger, which saved many lives in Europe.

We should remember this history, for it can help guide us in the new year as we face numerous challenges and uncertainties abroad. But one thing we can count on is our humanitarian spirit, which is vital to building a lasting peace.

William Lambers is an author who partnered with the U.N. World Food Program on the book Ending World Hunger. His father, Vincent, was with the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II and recounted how hungry children asked the soldiers for food, which they always shared.
Author Han Kang was announced as the laureate of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. (Jung Yeon-Je, AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  When the Nobel committee recognized Han Kang in October for her body of work exploring the fragility of human life, it could not have known how relevant the theme would feel in South Korea just two months later.

Han, the first Korean writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, has long been interested in the existence of the victims of violence, as explored in the context of the Gwangju democratic movement of 1980 in Here Comes the Boy or the Jeju uprising of 1948-49 in No Goodbye. By drawing out the historical traumas that have left deep scars in Koreas modern history, the novelist seeks to remember and heal them.

And yet the trauma of Korean society is ongoing. On Dec. 3, as part of a power struggle, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, bringing hundreds of troops to surround parliament and raid the election commission. Lawmakers restored civilian control after about six hours, without major violence, and have since moved to impeach the president.

Hans work shows how literature can lead a nation forward from moments like these. She critiques our institutions and our history, and she seeks to understand our people and to give hope. Han does this by examining the relationship between the local and the universal, the national and the global.

James Joyce once said: I am always writing about Dublin, because if you can get to the heart of Dublin, you can get to the heart of any city in the world. In the particularity lies the universal. Han found universals in the particularities of Korean family relationships, violence and democratic movements. Her award is just the latest confirmation that the path for Korean literature to globalize is not to seek the abstract universal, but to explore the roots of reality here and now in Korea. The film Parasite by Bong Joon-ho and the Netflix drama Squid Game also come from a similar cultural context and in their own ways, through the local nature of Korean society, exposed unspoken truths about the current stage of human civilization.

I believe that the unique power of Hans work, expressed in poetic prose, lies in her ability to break with the shackles and norms that have been so strongly enforced in the Korean literary tradition. The criteria of outstanding literature are to show a certain difference and specificity, and such difference and specificity is not only possible through the individual competence of the writer but also through the accumulation of the cultural competence of the country and language to which she belongs.

Hans award should be seen as honoring the rise of Korean culture over the last decade, with the spread and growth of the Korean Wave, or K-culture, which has seen Korean films and dramas win prestigious international art awards, and popular music, including BTS, spreading the nations influence around the world. This prominence is not possible without the accumulation of competence and the power of cultural voice.

The Nobel is sure to increase interest in Hans work and to attract readers around the world, including to The Vegetarian, which was published in English in 2016, and next months English translation of We Do Not Part. I expect the award will increase interest in Korean literature in general. Those who do explore Hans fiction will quickly realize it is far from superficially entertaining; her stories require careful reading and reflection on people and the world. It was never a safe bet that works such as hers would be popular, but if you put in the effort, youll be glad you did.

Readers around the world who delve into Hans writing and also follow the news from South Korea will appreciate the bizarre incongruity that my country is experiencing now: We are celebrating a Nobel laureate who explored our past, while we also feel anew the threat of a coup detat, martial law and state violence. In her acceptance speech, Han asked: How are humans this violent? And yet how is it that they can simultaneously stand opposite such overwhelming violence? What does it mean to belong to the species called human? To negotiate an impossible way through the empty space between these two precipices of human horrors and human dignity, I needed the assistance of the dead.

The events of December have only underscored that Korean democracy indeed does need the assistance of the dead, and of living artists such as Han, and of allies around the world.

Gilyoung O is a professor of English at Chungnam National University in South Korea and a literary critic.

2024 Los Angeles Times.

Visit at latimes.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
This undated photo shows Army Pfc. Edwin Thomas. He was killed in a flight-related accident at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, last week, according to the 2nd Infantry Division. (U.S. Army)

SEOUL, South Korea  An Army helicopter maintainer was killed in a flight-related accident at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, last week, according to the 2nd Infantry Division.

Pfc. Edwin Thomas, a CH-47 Chinook repairer, was declared dead at 12:13 p.m. Thursday at the Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital at Humphreys, where he was taken after the accident, according to a division news release Saturday.

The 20-year-old native of Eagan, Minn., was assigned to the 3-2 General Support Aviation Battalion of the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

Thomas was conducting ground-based crew chief duties on a Chinook at the time of the accident, the brigade said in a separate news release Friday.

The commands provided no further information, and the incident is under investigation, according to the releases.

Army Chinook repairers undergo 17 weeks of training at Fort Eustis, Va., to be proficient in servicing the helicopter. The Boeing-developed tandem rotor helicopter is used by the Army to transport troops and supplies.

Edwins battalion commander described him as a valued member of the unit with an unparalleled work ethic.

We will honor our time with him as he left an indelible mark on our battalion and his company, Lt. Col. Anthony Snipes said in the 2nd ID release. His legacy will continue through our professional dedication to our mission and the Army. The pain we feel is a testament to the impact he left on those around him.

The 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade described Thomas as a vibrant, dynamic presence.

We ask that you keep Pfc. Thomas family in your prayers, the brigades release said.

Thomas is survived by his father, Matthew Thomas; his mother, Elizabeth Cherian; and his brother, David Thomas, according to the division.

He enlisted in the Army in August 2023. His awards include the Army Aviation Badge, Korea Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers volunteers from Camp Humphreys decorate cookies with orphans at Ikseonwon Orphanage in Cheonan, South Korea, Dec. 21, 2024. (Eric Mendiola/Stars and Stripes)

CHEONAN, South Korea  Soldiers from the U.S. Armys Camp Humphreys made a familiar trip over the weekend to bring holiday cheer to the children at an orphanage nearby.

The trip, organized by the Better Opportunity for Single Soldiers program, or BOSS, at Humphreys, and sponsored by the Korea Tourism Association, brought about 20 service members together Saturday with 30 children at the Ikseonwon Orphanage in Cheonan 13 miles away.

We always look to try and make this trip happen almost monthly, but we always run into issues with planning so think this time were going to go and at least make it bimonthly, said Sgt. Jordan T. Owens, the Camp Humphreys BOSS vice president.

Better Opportunities for Single Solder program volunteers from Camp Humphreys pose at Ikseonwon Orphanage in Cheonan, South Korea, Dec. 21, 2024. (Eric Mendiola/Stars and Stripes) Cookies decorated by US soldiers from Camp Humphreys and orphans at Ikseonwon Orphanage in Cheonan, South Korea, Dec. 21, 2024. (Eric Mendiola/Stars and Stripes) A U.S. soldier from Camp Humphrey decorates cookies with children at Ikseonwon Orphanage in Cheonan, South Korea, Dec. 21, 2024. (Eric Mendiola/Stars and Stripes)

The soldiers brought gifts of stuffed animals and helped decorate Christmas cookies with the children. Laughter emanated from every corner of the activity room where the hourlong gathering took place.

With their families back in the United States, the volunteers find the orphanage visit a nice way to spend time during the holidays, said Sgt. Justin Stephan, 65th Brigade BOSS representative.

I dont have family here in Korea. Honestly its fantastic. This is the second time Ive come out here and its just as great as the first time, Stephan said at the gathering. Ive been looking forward to this event since the last time it was pushed out. Its great we get to engage with community; it feels like making a difference.

Volunteers made the same trip during the 2023 holidays to the orphanage, which is run by the city of Cheonan, according to its director, Min Taeoh.

The children like this event, its an important thing for them, he said Saturday at the orphanage. Its a really meaningful event.

Over 1 million children have grown up in South Korean orphanages in the last 70 years, according to the charity Holt International Childrens Services, a child advocacy and adoption agency.
Japans Ground Self-Defense Force announced plans to resume flying its fleet of V-22 Ospreys, like the one shonw here. (Japan Ministry of Defense)

Japan plans to put its Osprey tiltrotor aircraft back in the air after imposing safety guidelines affecting the aircraft transmissions announced by the U.S. military last week, according to the Ministry of Defense on Saturday.

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force grounded its 17 V-22 Ospreys on Dec. 10 following a near crash by a U.S. Air Force Osprey in New Mexico. The Japanese grounded their tiltrotors a day after the U.S. grounded its fleet.

The schedule for the return to flight along with the number of aircraft affected have not been disclosed, a spokesman for Japans Ministry of Defense said by phone Monday.

Naval Air Systems Command, which runs the Osprey program for the U.S. military, on Thursday ordered new guidelines for metal gears inside the aircrafts transmission, known as the proprotor gearbox, according to a news release on the same day from the command.

All Ospreys with proprotor gearboxes under a certain number of flight hours will be subject to additional safety restrictions. The restrictions affect the newer transmissions because investigators have found that the metal weaknesses, if they are going to occur, happen early on, The Associated Press reported Friday.

Tiltrotors with proprotor gearboxes that exceed the number of flight hours have resumed flying.

The command said Thursday that the additional safety controls will remain in place until the proprotor gearboxes are replaced. It did not reveal the flight threshold for the guidelines or say how many aircraft will be affected.

During a Nov. 20 flight involving a CV-22B Osprey at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., the crew received warnings about the metal gears inside the proprotor gearbox.

The aircraft lost an engine, but the crew was able to land due to lessons learned from the November 2023 crash off the coast of Yakushima in southern Japan that killed eight Air Force Special Operations Command service members, according to the AP.

That tragedy led the U.S. military to ground its fleet of about 400 Ospreys between Dec. 6 and March 8 while investigators examined the cause.

Following the New Mexico incident, all military services again grounded their tiltrotors. The Marine Corps, however, put its Ospreys back in the air days later.

Replacing the transmissions likely would take years for the approximately 400 aircraft in the militarys fleet.

Japan also grounded its Ospreys for two weeks in late October and early November after one of the aircraft was damaged during a joint exercise with U.S. forces.

Three Marines were among the 16 troops aboard the aircraft participating in a disaster response drill during Keen Sword as it attempted to take off from Camp Yonaguni, a Japanese base on a remote island west of Okinawa. No one was injured when the aircraft struck the ground.

An investigation committee determined the pilot forgot to turn on an interim power switch that provides additional engine power for takeoffs. Flight procedures require the switch be turned on after the engine is started and during takeoff.

The Osprey was shipped from Yonaguni on Thursday and will be transported to Camp Kisarazu, Chiba prefecture, in the south of Tokyo, a Ground Self-Defense spokesman said by phone Monday.

Some Japanese government officials may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

The revolutionary aircraft lands and takes off like a helicopter but flies as a fixed-wing aircraft.

koja.keishi@stripes.com, @KeishiRKoja

mcelhiney.brian@stripes.com, @BrianMcElhiney
Japanese officials defused and removed a World War II-era bomb, seen here atop sandbags, from Senaga Island near Naha Airport on Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 23, 2024. (Tomigusuku City)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  Japanese troops removed and defused an American shell believed to be left over from World War II on a small island south of Okinawas capital city.

The shell is one of several pieces of leftover ordnance found recently in southern Japan.

The 5-inch shell was removed around 9 a.m. Monday from a construction site in Tomigusuku city on Senaga Island, about 2,500 feet from Naha Airports runway, a spokesman for Tomigusukus Disaster Prevention and Crisis Management Division said by phone Monday.

Several members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces 101st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit moved the shell into an explosion-proof container and defused it, the spokesman said.

The shell was found Nov. 8 by a contractor who was excavating soil with heavy equipment as part of disaster recovery work, the spokesman said.

No businesses or homes were evacuated, but traffic was restricted within a radius of 83 feet during the operation. The shell was taken to a warehouse managed by Okinawa prefecture and will be disposed of later, according to the spokesman.

Some Japanese government officials may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

The discovery followed the defusing and removal of another 5-inch, WWII-era U.S. shell from a construction site in Naha city earlier this month. Both discoveries were unrelated to magnetic surveys the Japanese government has been conducting at airports around the country, including one at Naha Airport that began last week.

The government began the surveys in October at Miyazaki Airport on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japans four main islands, after a World War II-era bomb exploded there.

Magnetic surveys at airports in Sendai, Matsuyama and Fukuoka are happening concurrently with the Naha survey.

Crews between April 1, 2023, and March 31 disposed of nearly 22 tons of unexploded ordnance on Okinawa believed to be left over from WWII.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov addressed a conference of ambassadors in Belgrade during his working visit to Serbia, Trend reports.

Meanwhile, the Minister touched upon political, economic, energy, and humanitarian aspects of the Azerbaijan-Serbia strategic partnership, as well as common regional problems, including double standards, and selective application of international law.

The nearly 30-year diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Serbia have been actively demonstrated in their multifaceted strategic partnership, with direct involvement from the leadership of both countries.

The significant role of the Strategic Partnership Council, the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, and the political consultation mechanisms in enhancing cooperation was emphasized.

Minister Bayramov also highlighted the promising areas of collaboration, particularly in energy security. He noted Azerbaijan's vital role in Europes energy diversification, specifically the cooperation with Serbia on gas exports in the current year. The green energy sector was also emphasized as one of Azerbaijan's priorities, with initiatives such as the Black Sea submarine energy cable project and the strategic partnership in green energy between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan being highlighted as important steps in linking Europe and Central Asia through the Caspian and Black Sea regions.

Additionally, Minister Bayramov provided insights into the outcomes of the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) held in Azerbaijan this year. He stressed the importance of the agreements reached on climate financing, the completion of negotiations on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and the readiness of the Loss and Damage Fund for the global climate agenda.

The commonalities between Azerbaijan and Serbia were also noted, such as their historical connections, territorial sizes, and the shared challenges both countries face in the selective application of international law, including the issue of double standards.

The ministers underscored the importance of not relying on foreign actors or being involved in geopolitical conflicts, preferring direct negotiations to avoid manipulation and interference. Both countries are committed to supporting territorial integrity and sovereignty as part of their foreign policy.

The event was attended by Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, ambassadors abroad, and Serbian Parliament Chair Ana Brnabic.
Ukrainian soldiers prepare to fire 120mm mortar toward Russian position on the front line at undisclosed location in Donetsk region, Ukraine, June 4, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk, Ukraine 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP)

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian anti-corruption activists are calling for a criminal investigation into Ukraines top defense institutions for alleged state treason, over allegations that tens of thousands of Ukrainian-produced mortar rounds critical to the countrys defense against Russian troops are failing to fire or badly misfiring.

The accusations of corruption that have dogged Ukraines defense sector are also a potential roadblock for future aid  and future investment into the countrys burgeoning defense industry  from Kyivs international allies.

The Anti-Corruption Action Center, one of Ukraines leading independent anti-corruption watchdogs, on Monday filed a petition to Ukraines domestic security service, the SBU, calling for an investigation of officials at the countrys Defense and Strategic Industries ministries as well as Ukroboronprom, the state defense industry conglomerate.

Officials in these government bodies committed a series of acts that prevented the mortar rounds from being used for their intended purpose, so as to damage Ukraines defense capability, the center said in its petition.

From the facts already exposed it is beyond reasonable doubt that officials in charge for quality control were aware of the malfunction of the mortar rounds but intentionally allowed them to be sent to the Ukrainian armed forces, said Daria Kaleniuk, the centers executive director, in an interview.

Vitaliy Shabunin, head of the centers board, posted the petition on Facebook on Monday. He also posted another one to Ukraines National Anti-Corruption Bureau, an independent government agency tasked with battling graft, for the alleged overpayment of some $90 million to a Polish firm for weapons.

The cases were the two bloodiest corruption schemes in 2024, Shabunin wrote.

Last month, Ukrainian media outlets reported that a significant portion of 120-mm caliber mortar rounds and a smaller number of 82-mm shells that had recently arrived at the front line were defective. The two mortar rounds are a key element of Ukraines defense against Russian infantry assaults.

Soldiers in one unit said that only one out of every 10 120-mm rounds managed to explode successfully, according to local media.

The allegations come at a sensitive time for President Volodymyr Zelenskys government. Ukrainian forces are struggling with shortages of equipment and manpower while trying to hold back Russian advances along numerous points on the front line in Ukraine and Russias western Kursk region  and Zelensky, after years of vowing to fight for every inch of Ukrainian territory, has recently signaled a greater openness to entering into negotiations to end the war.

The accusations of corruption in its defense sector are also a key talking point among Republican politicians in the United States who oppose providing further military support to Ukraine, though the allegations do not apply to Western-donated weaponry.

Olena Tregub, a member of a group at Ukraines Defense Ministry that monitors defense sector procurements, emphasized that this was only one instance in the countrys burgeoning, multibillion-dollar domestic defense industry.

I dont want to play into the narrative that we are a corrupt, failed state because its not true, she said. Still, the situation with the mortar rounds was horrible and dangerous, Tregub said.

We are concerned because, we need those [rounds] on the front lines, said Tregub, who also heads an independent commission that tracks corruption in the defense sphere, adding that it is a critical situation if theyre not reaching their targets.

The Defense Ministry last month issued a statement acknowledging the malfunction of 120-mm mortar rounds, which it said it was actively investigating.

Preliminary results suggested that the defects were caused by low-quality powder charges or violations of ammunition storage conditions, the ministry said, adding that appropriate personnel decisions would be made for officials found responsible.

The ministry said it had suspended the use of the affected batches of ammunition and that imported rounds would be used instead. The State Bureau of Investigation had also opened a criminal case, the ministry said.

However, the ministry did not provide details of how many mortar rounds were defective, or which officials were being investigated. The name of the company that produced the rounds has not been released for national security reasons, defense officials say.

Out of one shipment of 54,000 120-mm caliber rounds, almost half needed to be replaced, Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin told Ukraines parliament in November. It was not clear what percentage this was of the total number of rounds that were defective, however.

Ukrainian media outlets reported the total number of faulty 120-mm mortar rounds to be closer to 100,000. While this figure could not be independently confirmed, a Ukrainian defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said: The original contract was for hundreds of thousands of mortar rounds, and now there is need to import about 20 percent of this quantity.

The official also said that while the investigation into the production of the faulty rounds is underway, the company that produced them has not been blacklisted and is now sending proposals to produce millions of shells of different calibers.

The question at the center of the anti-corruption agencys petition is whether Ukraines quality control bodies were aware, or should have been aware, of the shells defects.

The mortar rounds flaws were obvious for anybody, who had ever worked with such kind of munition, said Kaleniuk, the watchdogs executive director, who also is involved in lobbying Ukraines allies for needed weapon systems. And those on the production lines, as well as in authorized government bodies, obviously knew about it.

The center was not accusing the entire Defense Ministry or Ministry of Strategic Industries, which oversees Ukraines domestic military production, Kaleniuk said  but rather officials inside these agencies, who were engaged in decision-making regarding the contract to produce mortar rounds.

Oleksandr Zavitnevych, the head of parliaments national security, defense and intelligence committee, and a member of Zelenskys political party, said that the defective rounds would be replaced at the expense of the manufacturer and that quality control has been intensified across all production facilities.

Those involved in Ukraines domestic arms industry are also concerned about what effect the allegations over shoddy quality control could have on Western investment into Ukraines defense industry.

As Ukrainian officials brace for what could be severe cutbacks in Western military aid next year, Kyivs international partners are funneling hundreds of millions of dollars to Ukrainian arms producers  including $800 million from the United States to help Ukraine produce long-range drones. Kyiv also hopes to become a major arms exporter in the years to come.

Even one single mis-procurement can destroy the trust of Western partners, said Maryna Bezrukova, the head of the Defense Ministry agency responsible for weapons procurement. We should fix the mistake and show that this situation will not repeat in the future.

Sometimes production mistakes and technological mistakes happen in the U.S. and in Europe, she said. It also happens in Ukraine because we are under pressure and we are a country at war.
U.S. Space Force commander Gen. Chance Saltzman and guests stand in front of a radar dome belonging to the 23rd Space Operations Squadron Detachment 1 at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, April 5, 2023. The unit's mission is to provide telemetry, tracking and commanding operations to U.S. and allied government satellite programs. (Kaitlin Castillo/U.S. Space Force)

(Tribune News Service)  Donald Trump hinted he still wants to buy Greenland, a self-ruling territory of Denmark, saying that U.S. ownership and control of the island is an absolute necessity for national security.

Donald Trump hinted he still wants to buy Greenland, a self-ruling territory of Denmark, saying that U.S. ownership and control of the island is an absolute necessity for national security.

The U.S. President-elect reopened a debate from 2019, when he offered to buy what is the worlds biggest island, a proposal that was quickly rebuffed by Denmark at the time.

For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, Trump said on Truth Social Sunday, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.

Greenland is already crucial to American national defense, being home to a U.S. air base and a radar station. The war in Ukraine has dramatically increased the territorys military value to the US and NATO, given the islands strategic location between the Arctic and the North Atlantic.

Trump made the statement on Sunday as he nominated PayPal co-founder Ken Howery for U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark. Howery responded on X saying he would work to deepen the bonds between the U.S., Denmark and Greenland. Howery was an ambassador to Sweden from 2019 to 2021, under Trumps first administration.

Commenting on Trumps post, Greenlands Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede said by email that the island is not for sale and will never be for sale. However, he said Greenland must continue to be open to cooperation and trade directly with other countries, especially its neighbors.

The autonomous authority published a blueprint for its foreign, security and defense policy earlier this year, in which it outlined hopes to forge closer links with North America through trade in critical minerals and by having a bigger say in key defense relationships that have historically been governed by Denmark.

Trumps proposal to buy Greenland in 2019 triggered tensions between the U.S. and Denmark, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen describing it as absurd, making it clear Greenland was not for sale. The Danish government didnt immediately respond to a request for comment on Trumps more recent statement.

The renewed interest in Greenland comes as Trump on Sunday threatened to retake control over the Panama Canal and earlier in the week suggested Canada could become the U.S.s 51st state.

With assistance from Kari Lundgren.

2024 Bloomberg L.P.

Visit bloomberg.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
U.S. troops at the Al-Tanf garrison near Syrias border with Jordan. (Karoun Demirjian/The Washington Post)

The Assad regimes abrupt collapse has thrust Americas long-standing military mission in Syria into uncertainty, as the Pentagons chief battlefield partner fights for survival and a U.S. leader skeptical of foreign military commitments prepares to retake power.

President-elect Donald Trump will encounter a transformed Middle East when he begins his second term next month and increasingly urgent questions about the future for roughly 2,000 U.S. troops positioned in eastern Syria where, for more than a decade, Washington has used an array of outposts to combat the Islamic State and monitor the activities of adversary Iran.

The new realities in Syria underscore the dramatic changes wrought across the region in the wake of Hamas militants Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which unleashed punishing wars in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, set off unprecedented attacks between Iran and Israel, and left Tehrans most powerful proxies severely weakened.

Trump, who repeatedly threatened to pull U.S. forces from Syria during his first term and has sought in recent days to distance the United States from the upheaval now gripping the country, has not revealed his plans for the U.S. military mission there. But he and his advisers have signaled that a top priority will be containing ISIS, which no longer boasts the vast pseudo-state it once controlled but has regrouped in Syrias southern desert, where U.S. forces have pounded the militants with intense airstrikes in recent days.

James Jeffrey, who served as Syria envoy during Trumps first term, noted that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Sunni Islamist movement that toppled Assad and has embraced a role as Syrias new government, had been successful in battling the Islamic State in the past, a fact that could intensify questions for the incoming president.

Trump is going to ask, Why do I have to keep  troops on to fight ISIS, when essentially all of our fighting is mainly bombing them in the desert? Jeffrey said. And its going to be very hard to answer that question.

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), the retired Special Forces officer whom Trump tapped to be national security adviser, has said that Trump will prioritize limiting foreign entanglements but also has described preventing an ISIS resurgence as a number one priority, leaving it unclear what military strategy the new administration might pursue.

The President has been crystal clear on and his mandate from the voters was to do everything he can to avoid us getting [dragged] into more Middle East wars, Waltz told Fox News in a recent interview. But in Syria, he is clear-eyed about the threat of ISIS thats still there  We have to keep a lid on it.

Trumps transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Both Trumps team and the Biden administration, which sent senior diplomats to Syria this week for the first time in more than a decade, are proceeding with caution in dealing with HTS, which was first formed as an offshoot of al-Qaida. While the group has promised stability and inclusion, it remains on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist groups.

Syrias new interim leader, HTS commander Ahmed al-Sharaa, has called for militias across Syria to be demobilized but has not explicitly said whether his government would like the United States to stay.

Officials at the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command (Centcom), which oversees operations across the Middle East, have held planning meetings that examined how the fate of Syria is intertwined with the ongoing upheaval across the Middle East, according to a defense official, who like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations.

The stakes for the United States, with American personnel operating at small, exposed bases, are high, as they are in neighboring Iraq and Jordan. Since the Gaza war began, Iran-backed militias have carried out at least 211 attacks on U.S. forces with one-way attack drones, rockets, and other munitions, including one that killed three U.S. soldiers just over the Syrian border in Jordan in January, according to Pentagon data. More than 130 of those attacks targeted American positions in Syria.

The mounting questions come as the Pentagon for the first time on Thursday acknowledged that senior military officials had for months withheld that the military presence in Syria had more than doubled this year from roughly 900 troops to about 2,000. Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a spokesman, said he had just become aware of the expansion, and that officials sometimes withhold such information due to diplomatic and operational security considerations.

The United States is not the only foreign nation forced by Assads ouster to rethink its military presence in Syria. For years Tehran sent forces and funds to Syria, which served as a base for Iran to threaten archrival Israel. With Assad gone, those links are severed. Since 2015, Russia played a key role enabling the former regimes fight against rebel challengers. Moscow has consolidated its forces in coastal Syria in recent days and, like Washington, has made no definitive statements about its future there.

A chief factor in shaping the future of the U.S. mission will probably be the future arrangements between Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria and the new HTS-led government in Damascus, and how far the United States will go in protecting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led group that has been the United States chief partner in battling ISIS.

While the SDF has proved a dogged companion in that fight, its hope of securing lasting autonomy has long generated friction between Washington and its NATO ally Turkey, which considers the SDF to be part of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the Kurdish group it has battled for decades.

Under pressure from Ankara, the United States brokered a deal between the SDF and Turkish-backed Arab militias pushing to assert control in northern Syria. That agreement, which required the SDF to withdraw from the city of Manbij, represented a loss as the group seeks to keep Arab forces away from Kobane, a majority-Kurdish city close to Syrias border with Turkey. It now appears likely that Turkish-backed Syrian fighters will attempt to take Kobane, a symbolic priority for Syrias Kurds.

According to Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, the SDF is in a very, very challenged position as non-Kurdish fighters within the groups ranks have fled and leaders question how long they will have U.S. support. Theyre more vulnerable than theyve ever been, he said.

Also of top concern for U.S. officials are the prisons and camps housing ISIS militants and family members that are now guarded by SDF forces.

Farhad Shamsi, a spokesman for the SDF, said his groups coordination with American forces had intensified because of the evolving threat from ISIS. Shamsi warned that militants were attempting to push into northeast Syria and some, he claimed, were joining Turkish-backed groups the SDF has battled in recent days.

We hope that they will maintain their presence here in Syria, especially in this critical situation, because we think that ISIS will be resurging, Shamsi said, adding that the SDF was worried Turkey would not heed American efforts to defuse tensions and the new authorities in Damascus had not provided firm guarantees about the groups role in a future Syria if a broad national pact can be reached.

Joseph Votel, a retired general and former Centcom commander, said the United States standing with other partners could suffer if it abandons them.

I think we ought to be putting more and more pressure on Turkey to cease their operations and those by the SNA, he said, referring to the Syrian National Army, a military forced backed by Ankara. Kurdish forces have more experience than do other groups in Syria countering the Islamic State, Votel said, warning, We could be creating a situation here where ISIS can regain and reestablish themselves, he said.

The turmoil in Syria has also raised questions about the future of the U.S. mission in neighboring Iraq, which has served as a security and logistics hub for counterinsurgency operations in both countries. While U.S. forces have helped Iraq combat its own challenges with ISIS and acted as a counterweight to Irans influence in the region, the American troop presence is a sensitive topic for the countrys leaders.

Talks are ongoing with the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad about the implementation of a bilateral agreement that would dismantle by the fall of 2025 the U.S.-led military coalition established to fight ISIS in Iraq. While American officials have not said whether any of the U.S. force of roughly 2,500 would stay beyond that time, Iraqi officials say an additional agreement would remove most of them by 2026.

Now, that may be changing. One senior Iraqi official said there has been a shift in how senior Iraqi officials regard a potential U.S. withdrawal after recent developments in the region.

The existing deadline for withdrawing troops now seems distant, the official said. But as it nears, he added, I highly anticipate that Iraq will officially request an extension permitting U.S. forces to stay.

In a Dec. 13 meeting in Baghdad with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Sudani seemed to have a fresh appreciation for the U.S. deployment given the upheaval in Syria, according to a U.S. official familiar with the conversation. Iraqi officials were also more welcoming than they had been of U.S. requests to station reconnaissance assets near Iraqs border with Syria, the official said, though Sudani did not request an extension of the American military presence.

Birnbaum and Salim reported from Baghdad.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. The minimum monthly wage in Azerbaijan is set at 400 manat ($235.2) from January 1, 2025, Trend reports.

President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the continuation of measures in the sphere of improvement of the social welfare of the population.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan within a month must submit to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan proposals on bringing the minimum amount of labor pension up to 320 manat ($188.2) from February 1, 2025; within three months must submit to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan proposals on increasing the amount of social allowances and pensions; within a month must ensure that the amount of monthly tariff (official) wages of workers employed in the spheres financed from the state budget, determined by the acts of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In addition, part 1 of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 3708 of January 5, 2023, On additional measures on improvement of social welfare of the population (Collection of Legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 2023, No. 1, Article 101 (Volume I) is canceled.

Parts 1 and 3 of this decree will come into force on January 1, 2025.
Patrick Lawlor said he has phoned about 30 without success

A JAILED underworld bagman has complained he cant find a solicitor to fight a Criminal Assets Bureau bid to seize his family home.

Patrick Lawlor, who is not due out of prison until 2028 after being jailed for money-laundering, said he has phoned about 30 without success.

Lawlor appeared at a High Court hearing from Shelton Abbey prison where he is serving his time.

Last month, his son Ian had asked the judge to make an order for the authorities to allow him to attend the case.

Patrick Lawlor and his wife Leonie are named as respondents in the case in which their Collins Avenue home in Dublin is being targeted.

No-one is willing to do it, he told Judge Alex Owens.

Judge Owens said he could not understand that and that he would hear an application for free legal aid if one is made.

He told Lawlor that he needed to file a sworn affidavit in response to the CAB case and that there are bound to be lots of solicitors in and out of the prison who can act as a commissioner to certify his statement.

The case has been listed for hearing next February.

In October, Leonie Lawlor told the court she has no access to money to fund a legal defence because her accounts have been frozen by CAB.

None of the details of CABs case against the couple have been opened in court but the Sunday World previously revealed how Patrick Lawlor worked for a gang linked to George The Penguin Mitchell.

During his 2022 trial, it emerged that Lawlor had earned the equivalent of 100,000 working just a few days a month.
Cars, speedboats, jet skis, jewellery and cash among expensive items found after murder of drug gangster Zach Parker

Five years after the murders of Gucci Gang members Sean Little and Zach Parker, their property is still being targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau.

The Bureaus investigation has revealed the huge money being made by the young drug dealers in the infamous gang, which saw them splash cash on cars, speedboats, jet skis and jewellery.

A 32,000 bag of cash made up of 5, 10 and 20 notes was handed over to pay for two jet skis and 8,000 for a speed boat, according to evidence in the High Court this week.

Sean Little shared photos of the jet skis

This was on top of the gangsters spending on designer jewellery and clothes that led to their Gucci Gang name.

Parker was considered the main supplier of drugs in the Swords area of north Dublin as part of the violent organised crime gang led by a criminal known as Mr Flashy.

But his criminal career came to an end at the age of 23 in a ruthlessly organised and pre-planned attack when he was shot dead in January 2019.

The raid

The investigation into Parkers murder outside a gym in Swords led officers to a lock-up he had rented in nearby Balbriggan.

Little turned up along with Mr Flashy during a search of the property and a third gang member, as a jet ski and speedboat were seized.

Five months later, Little (22) was found shot dead beside his burning car just off the M1 motorway near Balbriggan.

This week the High Court made an order to have the expensive boys toys declared the proceeds of crime.

Because both men are dead, three of their parents were named as respondents in the case as they were the only people CAB believed to have any entitlement to the property.

Zach Parker was part of the gang led by Mr Flashy

Still in their early twenties, Little and Parker were making more money than they knew what to do with.

A legitimate businessman who sold the jet skis in 2018 told how four men had wanted to buy two of the most expensive models in stock at a 10pm meeting at the commercial premises.

The pair were in a hurry to close the deal and needed to register them in the name of another man who had a regular job and income.

The businessman recognised Little as one of the men who had been involved after seeing his photograph following his murder.

When he had delivered the jet skis to a caravan park, he was paid in cash which he counted twice, only to find he had been given slightly too much.

He said that the man, which he believed to be Little, said: Ill kill the lad who counted that.

Mr Flashy

The businessman, who had been involved in a separate jet ski deal with a customer who gardai believe to have been Mr Flashy, told of the highly suspicious way he was paid a final instalment of 1,000.

He arrived at a supermarket car park in Finglas and was told a lad will be with you in five minutes.

Then a lad jumped over the wall, hood up, came over to the window of the jeep. He handed me a coin bag with a wad of cash in it, he said.

He turned around and jumped back over the wall he came over. It was the strangest thing. He never said anything.

Gardai at the scene of Parkers murder

At this time, the Gucci Gang led by Flashy had taken over the drugs business controlled by Trevor Byrne, a Kinahan cartel gunman and career criminal.

With its stronghold in Finglas, the gang had forged a reputation for murderous violence and was involved in a complex feud that would lead to Parker and Littles deaths.

The case this week was not contested by the three parents, which included Stephen Little, who was convicted of possession of a weapon while on his way to avenge his sons murder.

An investigation of Parker and Littles finances showed that neither of them had the legitimate income to have been able to make the purchases.

In a previous case against Little his job as a delivery driver for a sheet metal company was regarded by CAB as a front.

Judge Alex Owens remarked the deceased men were up to their necks in organised crime and his was satisfied the seized boat and jet skis were bought with the proceeds of crime.

The judge also gave the Bureaus legal officer permission to sell the assets.
Maura Burke (54) had too much to drink and was suffering hormonal issues at the time, her solicitor said

Maura Burke spat on the victim twice and punched her face

A bus driver punched her ex-partner in the face while the pair were socialising over new year, a court heard.

Maura Burke (54) had too much to drink and was suffering hormonal issues at the time, her solicitor said.

Imposing a three-month suspended sentence, Judge David McHugh said this was a substantial assault.

The defendant, of Cappagh Road in Finglas, admitted seriously assaulting her ex-partner on January 1, 2022.

Garda Niall Ring told Blanchardstown District Court that the victim came into Finglas garda station at 6.30am.

Gda Ring said she was upset, her nose was bleeding and there was blood on her face. The woman said she had been involved in an altercation with Burke, her ex-partner, while socialising in her house.

Gda Ring said that Burke pushed the victim, who fell back against the fridge and onto the ground.

Burke then walked up to the woman with her fists clenched and punched her in the face.

Burke spat on her twice, and got on top of her and continued hitting her.

Gda Ring said the victim suffered bruising to her body and cuts to her face.

Defence solicitor Darren Gray said Burke co-operated fully with gardai. She made a cautioned statement where she said there had been a physical argument between the pair, and she remembered punching her ex-partner.

Maura Burke spat on the victim twice and punched her face

The court heard a huge amount of alcohol had been involved.

Mr Gray said Burke worked as a bus driver for Dublin Bus, and once won a competition for Dublins Best Bus Driver.

Burke had been promoted to instructor and required garda vetting for this new role.

Mr Gray said the assault was completely out of character for Burke, who had been drinking and suffering hormonal issues, which were common for women her age.

She had not touched alcohol in three months, he said.

Burke had 1,000 in court as a token of her remorse.

Recognisances were set for an appeal.
Instead, she said shed gone to confront her future brother-in-law Gary The Gimp Thompson, who lived in a property next door and who she had a major issue with

The fiancee of killer David Monster Thompson was found not guilty this week of harassing her future mother-in-law.

In something more like an episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show, Natalie Currie, while her future hubby languishes in jail, contested a charge of harassment against Leslie Elliott on September 22 this year after shed turned up on her street drunk at 4am and started shouting abuse.

During a contest hearing, Natalie Currie (Milliken)  who went viral last year when David Thompson proposed to her in a huge romantic gesture while he was still serving a life sentence for murder  claimed she hadnt gone to the area in Antrim to harass the woman wholl officially be her mum-in-law soon.

Instead she said shed gone to confront her future brother-in-law Gary The Gimp Thompson, who lived in a property next door and who she had a major issue with.

Natalie Currie said that David Thompson is the perfect gentleman.

On Wednesday a judge agreed after hearing evidence from Leslie Elliott last month in the first part of the contest at Ballymena Magistrates Court, that Natalie was telling the truth and found her not guilty of harassment.

However, he did find the mother of three guilty of assaulting two police officers and resisting arrest after they were called to arrest her for the harassment charge.

She was sentenced to three months in jail but the judge suspended the term for two years after the court was told the officers were not seriously injured after she elbowed one and kicked another.

As reported here before, David Monster Thompson had his licence revoked in March after his brother Gary told cops he had tried to strangle him.

That case is going to contest in January and David Thompson has strongly denied the charges.

Natalie Curries barrister Thomas McKeever told the court on Wednesday: Regards to the harassment charge, my clients case was put to the complainant in the case and it was made clear that the other gentleman in the court, Gary Thompson, who is the complainants son  the animosity was directed at him.

Really, if there was a harassment count against that party it would be much more relevant than the complainant.

And we say that her evidence changed somewhat during cross-examination. We would say respectively that that witness [Leslie Eliott] didnt give the court the full picture initially that Gary Thompson was above the premises where she was staying so the court can form a view, we say, in respect of that and wed say the harassment isnt made out.

David Monster Thompson and Natalie Currie

District Judge Paul Copeland agreed, saying he was satisfied on the evidence that Natalie had gone to the property to express animosity at Gary Thompson, and not Leslie Elliott.

He added: Ms Elliott was understandably upset to find this figure outside her home. Im not entirely sure what animated the defendant to behave the way that she did on this occasion.

I think the complainant understandably was drawn into this but Im not entirely convinced that she was able to convince the court that she was the object of the defendants anger.

In accordance with the law and evidence Im not satisfied the defendant is guilty of harassment and accordingly I acquit her of that charge and find her not guilty.

But he had damning words for Natalie Currie when it came to her assaulting the police officers who arrived to arrest her for allegedly harassing Ms Elliott and found her guilty of two assaults on police and resisting arrest.

Her solicitor Mr McKeever said in mitigation: When police arrived out at the scene they werent aware of the background in terms of the ongoing police investigation into Gary Thompson, who was the source of the animosity, if I can put it that way.

The background is the defendant lost her sister on the 10th April 2024 and the investigation ongoing at the time into Gary Thompson being involved directly in a drug-related incident. I can say the tensions at that time were very high.

Gary Thompson was never charged with any offence connected to Natalie Curries sister.

Gary 'The Gimp' Thompson

Telling Natalie Currie to stand up, Judge Copeland said: Youre no stranger to the criminal justice process. You have nine convictions which covers quite a significant spectrum of the criminal code.

I think your judgment was completely eradicated after you set off in the middle of the night to take these people to task. I think your judgment was compromised by the amount of drink you were taking and you were actually drinking in the course of committing further offences as you assaulted these officers.

Ive made a ruling about the harassment, which is in your favour and its based on the law and the submissions your counsel made and its based on the facts, but I dont want you to go away from this court thinking that you can go and tackle people persistently about something thats annoying you  you just cant do that.

Thats why Im bounding you over to be of good behaviour and to keep the peace for the next two years and therell be a recognisance of 500.

She was told to stay away from the area where Gary Thompson and his mother lives and to refrain from drinking in public or from being disorderly.

Regarding the assaults on police, the judge said the convictions had crossed the custody threshold.

Police officers setting out that night to protect the public... do not expect nor should expect to be met by some woman crazed with drink abusing them with bad language, kicking out at them acting in an aggressive way, the judge said.

But youre indebted to Mr McKeever for what hes done for you.

David Thompson and new fiancee Natalie celebrate their engagement

The judge said he wasnt going to send her to jail but if she repeated such behaviour she would go to prison. He sentenced her to three months but suspended it for two years.

She was also ordered to pay 500 compensation to one of the police officers who she kicked and gave her 10 weeks to pay it.

Ill give you ten weeks to pay for that, given the time of year and the fact youve got family at home, but if youve money for drink, youve money to set aside for paying compensation, he said.

Last Christmas following the proposal outside Victoria Square in Belfast, Natalie told the Sunday World: Hes a gentleman, Im lucky to have him  and Im the girl to change him.

David Thompson was given a life sentence in 2001 for the murder of Ryan Neill in the early hours of St Patricks Day the previous year.
High-flying CEO alleged to have subjected his wife to number of assaults and threats to kill her

This is the high-flying CEO and former Irish swimmer who appeared in court this week accused of coercively controlling his wife as well as multiple counts of assaulting and threatening to kill or seriously harm her.

Graham Beegan (45), who was also previously a board member and treasurer of Swim Ireland, is alleged to have subjected his wife to emotional, physical and financial control and monitored her with cameras in their home, it is alleged.

Beegan, with an address at Pakenham House, Spencer Dock, Dublin 1, is charged with coercive control of his wife, which had a serious effect on her on dates between January, 2019 and September, 2022.

He is also charged with three counts of assaulting her, causing her harm and four of threatening to kill her at their home address on dates in 2021 and 2022.

Beegan is well known in the swimming world and represented Ireland at national level and won numerous medals in the 1990s.

He went on to become the treasurer and board member of Swim Ireland from March 2017 to April 2021.

Beegan is also a successful business owner and a member of a number of executive boards.

Graham Beegan (45)

He is on the board of directors of UK-based luxury car company H.R. Owen, which has an annual turnover of 556m and sells high-end cars including Aston Martin, BAC, Bentley, Bugatti, Czinger, Ferrari, Hennessey, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, Radford, Rimac and Rolls-Royce.

He is also the board chairman of Limor Less is More Ltd which is the developer of an audio and podcasting app.

Beegan is also a director of a number of other firms including Berjaya Property Ireland Ltd, Berjaya Reykjavik Investment Ltd, BBAZ Consultants, Frontier Horizon Holdings Ltd and GBAB Consulting Ltd.

He is also listed as a director of Ultimate Submissions Mma Limited but that company is in liquidation.

Beegan describes himself as having board appointments across aviation, NGB, technology etc. Business owner, strategic mindset, managing multiple international projects including largescale portfolios in multiple industries not limited to property, hotels,technology, education, aviation leasing.

He appeared in Dublin District Court this week where Garda Shona Moran told Judge Gerard Jones she arrested the accused for the purpose of charging him. He said no comment to each count after caution and was handed copies of the charge sheets.

Gda Moran said the DPP directed trial on indictment and time was sought for the preparation of a book of evidence.

In a summary of the prosecutions case, she said the accused and the woman were married and she made a complaint in 2022 alleging emotional, physical and financial control, which was basically coercive control.

The woman outlined a number of assaults and threats to kill, the garda said. She had not required any medical attention.

It was also alleged he monitored her with cameras and by electronic means in the home.

Mr Beegan had gone to a garda station and was questioned.

Gda Moran had no objection to bail subject to strict conditions.

Judge Jones granted bail, with a 500 cash lodgement required.

Under conditions, Mr Beegan is to stay away from the alleged victim and have no contact with her by any means including electronic.

He is to sign on weekly at Store Street Garda Station, provide gardai with a primary address and contact phone number and notify them of any change of address.

Defence barrister Robert Crowley said the accused had no issue surrendering his passport but travelled regularly for work and asked to be able to apply to have it returned when required.

Judge Jones said the passport could be returned with three days notice and proof of travel arrangements.

Mr Crowley said the accused was not making a legal aid application.

The charges against Mr Beegan are under Section 39 of the Domestic Violence and Sections 3 and 5 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. He has not yet entered pleas to the charges. He was remanded on bail to a later date and will be sent forward to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court when the book of evidence is ready.
Amirul Arif Bin Mohd Yunos told the young girl she wouldnt be believed if she told anyone about the abuse.

A doctor employed to care for some of the most vulnerable children in Ireland has been jailed for the violent sex abuse of a teenage girl.

Amirul Arif Bin Mohd Yunos carried out a series of sick sex attacks on his victim in his office at Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services i(CAMHS) n Dublin.

Niall speaks to Sunday Independent crime correspondent Ali Bracken about Yunos crimes and the impact on his victims life.

MORE EPISODES
From Conor McGregor's civil trial to Gerry The Monk Hutchs election bid, Crime World covered many stories this year.

2024 was a big and busy year here at Crime World where we found ourselves podcasting about everything, from the unlikely tale of Kerry and its connections with the Sinaloa Cartel, to the trial of Conor McGregor.

Eight years after the start of the Kinahan-Hutch feud the fallout from the split of the powerful mob continued as Ireland signed an extradition treaty with the UAE, Sean McGovern was placed into custody in Dubai and the Bomber Kavanagh Organised Crime Group crumbled.

Amidst tales of drug dealers being denied their wealth by the Criminal Assets Bureau, brave victims waiving their anonymity to speak out and criminals going in and out of prison we also hosted a special interview with the veteran criminal Gerry The Monk Hutch.

In part one of our review of 2024, we look back on a year in crime.

MORE EPISODES
While you are enjoying time with your family, ours is still not complete.

The family of missing Jojo Dullard have spoken of their agony at spending another Christmas not knowing where she is  just weeks after gardai concluded a month-long dig for evidence in the case.

In a statement issued on the familys social media page, they said: It has been an extremely emotional and difficult last few weeks.

We are heartbroken. We had hoped we would have Jojo home for Christmas, unfortunately that did not happen.

For people who have information, please spare a thought for Jojo this Christmas.

While you are enjoying time with your family, ours is still not complete.

Jo Jo Dullard disappeared without trace in 1995

Jojo is still alone out there, waiting to be found and brought home to her family. It is never too late to come forward.

The investigation is still ongoing.

We would like to thank An Garda Siochana for their continued hard work and dedication to bring Jojo home.

Our family would like to thank everyone for your prayers and continued support throughout the years 

We look to 2025 with hope.

Gardai wound down a massive dig near the Wicklow/Kildare border earlier in December at which time they declined to comment on the outcome of the searches for operational reasons.

Pictures captured by the Sunday World revealed the unprecedented scale of the dig.

While we were present at the site, a number of witnesses could be seen inspecting the progress of the works.

The witnesses visit to the site came just days after Superintendent Paul Burke had made an appeal for information, saying gardai were convinced there are witnesses who could still come forward and help solve the murder even though 29 years had now elapsed.

We want to bring Jojo home to her family, he said. There are persons out there who know what happened to Jojo Dullard. Now is the time for those persons to come forward and speak.

Jojo vanished in November 1995 as she was hitchhiking home

The 21-year-old went missing on November 9, 1995 while on her way home to Callan, in Co Kilkenny, after socialising in Bruxelles bar on Dublins Harry Street.

She missed the last bus to Kilkenny and boarded a 10pm bus to Naas, Co Kildare, intending to hitchhike the rest of the way.

She hitched a lift from Naas to the slip road on the M9 at Kilcullen, Co. Kildare, and at 11.15pm got another lift to Moone. There, Ms Dullard called a friend at 11.37pm from a phone box.

During that call, Jojo said a car had stopped for her and she was going to take the lift. This was the last known interaction with her.

A man in his 50s arrested in connection with the case last month was later released without charge.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Naas Garda station on 045 884 300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, the Help Bring them Home confidential line on 1800 911 999 or the Missing Persons Helpline 1800 442 552.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanovic has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. President,

I extend my warmest congratulations on the occasion of your birthday. I wish you good health and much success in your personal and professional life.

I am confident that our two friendly countries will further work to improve our overall relations and find new forms of cooperation. The economic opportunities that our two countries have can be an incentive for better and more meaningful cooperation.

Please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my highest consideration," the letter reads.
The man has denied hurting or killing the deceased.

An Irish pensioner has denied any knowledge of a a Thai womans death in his holiday apartment in the resort area of Pattaya, local media have reported.

The Thai womans body was discovered in a fifth-floor hostel room in the Jomtien area of Chonburi in eastern Thailand yesterday afternoon.

According to reports in Thaiger.com, the 45-year-old woman  named as only as Duangta - had died there a number of days earlier and her body had begun to decompose.

Police discovered her body on the bed in a fifth-floor hostel room in the Jomtien area of Chonburi in eastern Thailand.

Following the discovery, a 77-year-old Irishman was questioned by police in connection with his knowledge of the womans death.

The man, who is described as being from Co Down, has been travelling under an Irish passport which carries an Irish translation of his name.

It has been reported that the pensioner told police Duangta had been sick and kept vomiting and sleeping the whole time."

He has claimed she felt weak and exhausted and that he last spoke to her on December 19.

He has denied hurting or killing the deceased.

Police have said there were no signs of a struggle or physical assault in the room.

Police at the scene in Pattaya

The Irish pensioner was not at the scene when the womans body was discovered and he was found by police walking along Jomtien Beach near the Grand Jomtien Palace Hotel.

He was then escorted back to the apartment for questioning.

It has since been reported that the Irish OAP told police that Duangta was physically assaulted by someone and requested to stay in the room with him.

According to his account, the woman had been staying with him since December 18, while he checked into the apartment on December 16.

He initially rented the room daily before changing to a monthly rental agreement.

Police Captain Puttharak Sonkhamhan of the Pattaya City Police Station said officers are questioning the Irishman further over his statements.

He said: The woman had been dead for at least three days. Her body had started to decay and bloat, giving off a foul smell throughout the room.

She was wearing only denim shorts and nothing on her top half. An inspection of the room found no signs of a struggle or ransacking.

It would be hard not to notice she was dead as her body was already decomposing. There was also fluid and blood on the bed.
A number of operations have taken place in Dublin, the Midlands, and Rosslare since Monday.

Revenue officers have seized almost 900,000 worth of contraband including drugs and illicit cigarettes across the country over the past week.

A number of operations have taken place in Dublin, the Midlands, and Rosslare since Monday, December 16, including an intelligence-led bust at Dublin Airport which resulted in the seizure of 2.35kg of cocaine.

The drugs had an estimated value of 164,500 and were discovered in two consignments concealed in boxes described as Engraved Leather Organiser and Yoga Wear.

The packages had arrived in air cargo consignments from the United States and were destined for addresses in Dublin.

Cocaine seized

Meanwhile, over 30kg of herbal cannabis worth 611,300 and various other illicit drugs with an estimated value of 3,000 were seized as a result of risk profiling by Revenue officers examining parcels at premises in Dublin and the Midlands.

With the assistance of detector dogs Sam, Enzo and Ciara, the drugs  including cannabis oil, benzodiazepine, diazepam, Zolpidem, and Zopiclone tablets - were discovered in parcels destined for various addresses nationwide that originated in the United States, the United Kingdom, Thailand, India and Spain.

Some 251 items of counterfeit goods worth around 83,000 were seized as they were confirmed by the Rights Holder to have infringed on Intellectual Property Rights.

This haul featured knock-off items from brands such as Adidas, Ami, Boss, Burberry, Canada Goose, Calvin Klein, Crocs, Dior, Golden Goose, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Moncler, Mulberry, New Balance, Nike, The North Face, Off White, ON Cloud, Palm Angels, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Red Bull, Saint Laurent, Stone Island, Tommy Hilfiger, Ugg, and White Fox.

And approximately 458 litres of alcohol and 1,310 cigarettes with a combined value of approximately 11,200 were seized as a result of risk profiling when Revenue officers stopped and searched passengers passing through Rosslare Europort and whilst examining parcels at premises in the Midlands.

Over 9,000 in cash was also seized at Rosslare Europort after Revenue officers stopped and searched a passenger passing through.

And on Wednesday, December 18, Revenue officers were granted a cash detention order at Gorey District Court. Its suspected that the cash is the proceeds of, or intended for use in, criminal activity and has been detained by Revenue under proceeds of crime legislation.

Investigations into all seizures are ongoing.

These seizures are part of Revenues ongoing operations targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity. If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on 1800 295 295.
Head of facility says its impossible as theres not enough ambulances to get nearly 400 patients out

Reda Abu Zarada wraps herself and her grandchildren in blankets in their tent at a camp in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip. Photo. AP

Israel ordered the closure and evacuation yesterday of one of the last hospitals still partly functioning in a besieged area on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip, forcing medics to search for a way to bring hundreds of patients and staff to safety.

The head of the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia, Hussam Abu Safiya, told Reuters via text message that obeying the order to shut down was next to impossible because there were not enough ambulances to get patients out.

We currently have nearly 400 civilians inside the hospital, including babies in the neonatal unit, whose lives depend on oxygen and incubators. We cannot evacuate these patients safely without assistance, equipment, and time, said Dr Abu Safiya.

We are sending this message under heavy bombardment and direct targeting of the fuel tanks, which if hit will cause a large explosion and mass casualties of the civilians inside, he said.

The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on Dr Abu Safiyas remarks.

On Friday it said it had sent fuel and food supplies to the hospital and helped evacuate more than 100 patients and caregivers to other Gaza hospitals, some in co-ordination with the Red Cross, for their own safety.

The hospital is one of the only ones still partially functioning in the once crowded northern edge of Gaza, an area under intense Israeli military pressure for nearly three months in one of the most punishing operations of the 14-month-old war.

Dr Abu Safiya said the military had ordered patients and staff to be evacuated to another hospital where conditions are even worse. Photos from inside the hospital showed patients on beds crammed into corridors to keep them away from windows. Reuters could not immediately verify those images.

Israel says its operation around three communities on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip  Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia  is targeting Hamas militants. Palestinians accuse Israel of seeking to permanently depopulate the area to create a buffer zone, which Israel denies.

The Israeli military said yesterday forces operating in Beit Hanoun struck Hamas militants and infrastructure. The armed wings of Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad group said they killed many Israeli soldiers.

Elsewhere, Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 24 Palestinians, eight of them, including some children, at a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City, medics said.

The Israeli military said in a statement that strike targeted Hamas militants operating from a command centre embedded inside the school. It said fighters used the place to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces. Hamas denies its forces operate among civilians.

Medics said four Palestinians were killed when an airstrike hit a car elsewhere in Gaza City. An Israeli security official said troops had struck a Hamas terrorist in a vehicle.

At least 12 other Palestinians were killed in airstrikes in Rafah and Khan Younis in the south of the enclave, and Nuseirat and Bureij in the central Gaza Strip, medics said.

A strike on a home in the central city of Deir al-Balah late on Saturday killed at least eight, including three women and two children, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies. Another six people were killed in separate strikes yesterday, according to local hospitals.

The children are still inside the house. We are looking for them. They were sleeping in the living room, five of them together, said a relative of a victim, Noman Abu Samra, as people searched rubble in Deir al-Balah.

Mediators have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to secure a ceasefire in Gaza after months when talks were frozen.

Sources close to the discussions told Reuters on Thursday that Qatar and Egypt had been able to resolve some differences between the warring parties but sticking points remained.

Israel began its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities on October 7, last year, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel says about 100 hostages are still being held, but it is unclear how many are alive.

Authorities in Gaza say Israels campaign has killed more than 45,200 Palestinians. Most of the population of 2.3 million has been displaced and much of the coastal enclave is in ruins.
It is understood the mother-of-two died from gunshot wounds

The funeral of murder victim Karen Cummings is set to take place today.

The childrens nurse (40) was killed at her home in Banbridge, Co Down, on Saturday December 14.

It is understood the mother-of-two died from gunshot wounds. She had been found unconscious with a serious head injury in the Laurel Heights area of the town.

Two men appeared in court on Wednesday charged with her murder and were remanded in custody.

Crowds of people turned out for a vigil in her memory at Solitude Park in Banbridge on Thursday evening.

Banners bearing the names of the 25 women killed here since 2020 were held up during the event organised by Women's Aid Armagh and Down.

A family notice said Ms Cummings funeral will take place on Monday afternoon.

Requiem Mass will be held in the Church of St Therese, Banbridge, with burial afterwards in St Patricks Cemetery.

Her family has requested donations in lieu of flowers be made to the Paediatric Fund at Daisy Hill Hospital, where Ms Cummings worked.

Karen Cummings was killed at her home in Banbridge.

Candle-lit vigil held after murder of Karen Cummings

Last week, First Minister Michelle O'Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly said ministers had discussed the fact that seven women had been killed in Northern Ireland in 2024, and their strategy to end violence against women and girls.

"That's not acceptable by anybody's standards but it also highlights that we have a deep-rooted problem in society, that there's a huge amount of work to do, and it's not down to one body, one government department, one entity to fix this," Ms O'Neill said.

She said preventative work is "vitally important".

Ms Little Pengelly added that the Executive wants to send a "really clear message about the unacceptability of the levels of violence against women and girls and all violence overall".

"We're absolutely dismayed by the most recent murder, as First Minister said, that is the seventh this year. It is a challenge everywhere. The levels are particularly high in Northern Ireland. That is why we moved to publish this strategy along with the delivery plan," she said.

"And of course, our thoughts are with the family and all of those families of those women who have been killed this year but we are determined going into next year to ramp this up in terms of our focus on this very, very tragic issue."
Holyhead closure is a challenge weve never faced before

Many Christmas deliveries coming through the UK will not arrive on time for the big day, according to Irish road hauliers.

They are also warning that the Holyhead Port closure will see haulage companies facing closure by the end of next month, and said there is up to 2bn worth of goods waiting to ship on both sides of the Irish Sea now stuck.

The busy ferry port in Anglesey, North Wales, was forced to close following damage during Storm Darragh and is not set to reopen until January 15 at the earliest.

All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are currently cancelled, upending travel plans for thousands in the festive season.

Speaking this morning, President of the Irish Road Haulage Association Ger Hyland said the closures are "horrendous" for the industry.

He said many Christmas packages, especially non-EU packages travelling from the UK to Ireland, will not reach their destinations on time.

"We have people in offices, we have people in trucks that have hardly seen home since this broke two weeks ago," he told RTE Radio Ones Morning Ireland.

Mr Hyland said they are now asking the Irish Government for financial support as it is likely some of the haulage companies are now facing closure due to the financial losses.

"We are a very high turnover industry with a very low margin, he said.

"We have to get financial aid to our shippers to weather this storm.

"98pc of all goods, on all shelves in all shops are delivered by our industry... if our industry fails, this country fails."

He said a direct subsidy is needed for hauliers.

Mr Hyland said they are still asking questions about the reopening of the port.

"We feel that the UK government have not done enough to get Holyhead up and running again or to give us a steer as to when it is going to be up and running, he said.

"When we come back after Christmas, we will be calling on the UK government, the Irish Government, anybody who can tell us definitively when Holyhead is going to be up and running.

"If it is going to be the middle of March, well then tell us its going to be the middle of March. If it is going to be May or June, tell us it is going to be May or June," he said.

Over the weekend, people were ferried to Ireland on alternative routes in an effort to get people home for Christmas, the Welsh Cabinet Secretary has said.

Alternative sailings took place amid high winds and challenging conditions.

Welsh Transport Secretary Ken Skates said: Conditions have been incredibly challenging across the UK, but additional sailings from Wales and the Mersey area have taken place, helping people and goods get to Ireland for Christmas.

"These sailings will continue.

Id like to thank the ferry companies for their efforts in putting alternative sailings in place. I would urge anyone who is travelling to check the arrangements with their ferry company.

This is a challenge we have never faced before, but well continue to work together with the UK and Irish governments to rescue the hopes and plans of people and businesses.

We will also work with the owners of Holyhead Port to get the facility back open as soon as possible, as it is a massively important facility for Ireland and the UK.

According to the Welsh Government, contingency plans are also in place for the New Year period.
A woman in her 20s died after the incident. Marguerita Sheridan had just given birth to her first child, a baby boy, three weeks ago

Gardai at the scene of the hit and run at the Well Road, Rathkeale, Co Limerick, where a mother in her early 20s died, leaving behind a three-week-old baby boy. Photo: Brendan Gleeson

A man in his 40s has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run in Rathkeale, Co Limerick, on Saturday.

A woman in her 20s died after the incident. Marguerita Sheridan had just given birth to her first child, a baby boy, three weeks ago.

Gardai have arrested a man, aged in his 40s, as part of the investigation into the fatal incident in Rathkeale Co. Limerick on Saturday, December 21, 2024, a garda spokesperson said.

A van believed to have been involved in this incident has been recovered by gardai and will be subject to a technical examination, the spokesperson said.

A post-mortem examination was conducted by State Pathologist, Dr.Sally Ann Collis on Sunday. The results are not being released for operational reasons, gardai said.

A man in his 40s continues to be detained at a garda station in Co. Limerick.

Gardai continue to appeal for any witnesses to this incident to come forward.

Any road users or pedestrians who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were in the Rathkeale area in Co. Limerick between 11:30am and 1pm are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardai.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Rathkeale Garda Station on 069 63222, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any garda station.

Investigations are ongoing, gardai said.
A group of about 20 people entered St Marys Pro Cathedral on Dublins Marlborough Street during Sunday mornings 11am mass.

The protest was held in St Mary's Pro Cathedral in Dublin on Sunday morning

A group of about 20 people entered St Marys Pro Cathedral on Dublins Marlborough Street during Sunday mornings 11am mass.

A livestreamed video shows the group holding placards with Palestinian flags and photos of children as they walk up the aisle during a hymn to applause from the congregation.

Speaking from the altar, Monsignor Lorcan OBrien noted that the Irish people havent been silent about the conflict in Palestine as he asked the protesters to exit the church.

Addressing the group, he said: To those of you who have come into our church at a most inappropriate time to make your protest, I just want to say that the Irish people havent been silent and that the Irish people have supported the voice and the actions of our government.

I would also like you to know that the Catholic community living in Gaza are especially in our thoughts and in our prayers at this time as well as all the people of Gaza, and then Palestinians everywhere.

We would be grateful now if you would please leave our church as we conclude our liturgy now that you have made your protest.

The protest has been widely criticised by the Christian community online in the wake of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballas visit to the parish of the Holy Family in Gaza this weekend.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem greeted the small Christian community, who have taken refuge in the parish compound since Israels attacks began last October, and told them that all the people of the world, not only Christians, are with you during a homily.

He will enter Bethlehem on Christmas Eve to celebrate a mass in St Catherines Church with the community there.

It comes after a service in Armagh was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters in a similar fashion earlier this month.

A group of around 30 "cross-community Christians took to St Patrick's Cathedral with signs to "highlight the silence from the Catholic church on genocide in Palestine".

According to one demonstrator Deirdre Murphy Linder, the group held a "silent a dignified procession at the end of communion".

Speaking to the protesters during the service, Father Barry Mathews said the church is "not a political organisation, rather we are an organisation who trusts in God's plan and trusts God is present.

He said that the work the Catholic church has done "for the care of children in Gaza" cannot be ignored.

"We here as a parish community have given 5,000 pounds from your donation, Fr Matthews said.

"We don't use Mass as an opportunity for a quick snapshot. Let us not use the church for a place of political statement."
Best-selling writer Ekins latest book, The Brutish Empire, dispels the notion that British colonialism and its governing of nations they invaded all over the world was a benign affair

Top Irish author Des Ekin says delving into past atrocities of the British Empire for his new book led to him experiencing nightmares.

The former Sunday World journalist and Book of the Decade nominee also reveals how several of the generals involved in horrific slaughtering around the globe by the British in colonial times were Irish.

Best-selling writer Ekins latest book, The Brutish Empire, dispels the notion that British colonialism and its governing of nations they invaded all over the world was a benign affair.

Des Ekin

Researching all the different atrocities that were committed in the name of the British Empire was very, very dark and hard-going at times, says Ekin, whose previous critically-acclaimed books include The Stolen Village.

In the middle of doing it, that sort of brutality seeped into the subconscious and I was waking up with horrendous dreams.

It was tough to confront that, but I knew it was important to carry on. It is important that people know the real, shocking story behind British colonialism.

Its not a case of this is all in the past and we should leave it behind, because its not in the past.

As somebody once said, the past is never gone, its not even past. The reason for that is people are still suffering from it due to inequality and other issues.

Des says: Their method of keeping people in order in the British Empire was something they called frightfulness, which has a different meaning now. It was State terror used to clamp down hard on any perceived sense of disloyalty or rebellion. People lived in absolute fear.

Quite a lot of the generals who were involved in a lot of the atrocities were either from Ireland or had strong Irish connections.

Herbert Kitchener from Kerry was involved in the concentration camps, which the British introduced during the Boer War in South Africa in 1900.

The British won conventionally, but they couldnt consolidate their victory because the Boers were carrying on a guerrilla warfare.

So the British burned down the houses of their wives and children, left them homeless and then put them all into concentration camps where the conditions were horrendous.

I was shocked to find that 22,000 children alone died in those concentration camps, and 28,000 Boers altogether. Kitchener was the mastermind of that.

.

Des Ekins book, The Brutish Empire (OBrien Press), is out now.
A sanctuary for dance students in Tauranga has closed its doors after decades of teaching.

The Dance Education Centre in Matua closed at the end of September. It was established in 1991 from the Prue Gooch School of Dance, established in 1975.

Co-directors, mother and daughter Prue and Debbie Gooch, have taught dance to students from age 3 to adults.

Classical ballet, contemporary, jazz dance, musical theatre, tap dancing, competition work, and stage productions were taught at the school.

The centre attracted students from across the country. Many have gone on to successful dance careers, including with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the New Zealand School of Dance, and ballet companies overseas.

Former students have spoken of the immense contribution the school has made to ballet and the lifelong lessons from the school.

Students reach extraordinary heights

Debbie told the Bay of Plenty Times it was time the family went on with other parts of their lives.

Wed dedicated so many years to the Tauranga community and young children who also travelled from outside of Tauranga to us  some as far as Gisborne, Auckland, Taupo  over the years.

When they told students and families of the closure, there were tears.

It has been a sanctuary for so many children.

Debbie said she worked with the Dance Institute in Tauranga to make a pathway for our classes.

She and Prue would continue to teach their competition students.

Debbie said the centre had a solid legacy and created its own training programmes.

Debbie  in her 40th year of teaching  said she had some extraordinary students who have reached extraordinary heights.

Ballet teacher Prue Gooch pictured in 2006 taking her class through a scene in her production of Beatrix Potter with Phoebe Scott and Ellen Lellman. Photo / Jimmy Joe

Its very humbling and it touches my heart that people have wanted the knowledge that I have, to help better their own lives.

Her mother inspired her to be a teacher, and the pair became a strong team to bring the best for their students.

Asked what she planned to do next, Debbie said she was having the first of two hip replacements on December 18 and anticipated a year-long recovery.

She had a wonderful husband and their children were older  so there might be quite a few adventures ahead.

Debbie thanked from the bottom of my heart all the families who chose to learn at the centre.

Because as much as we taught them, I have learned so much from being with them.

The bulk of my dancing life

Prue said this year marked her 50th year teaching dancing in Tauranga and the centre had been the bulk of my dancing life.

Prue Gooch, pictured in 2020 when she was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to dance. Photo / George Novak

Now, age is working against me as far as running a large business.

Prue  who was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to dance in 2020  said the centre would be remembered for producing a high standard of dancers.

She recalled a grandmother recently say to her, You cannot give up  youre the one person in Tauranga I know that has high expectations of the children.

Prue thought this was a very relevant comment for the times were living in and parents needed to elevate that expectation again, as we probably had 10 years ago and before that.

She was still extremely busy with sewing, making tutus, and writing a book. She looked forward to having time for herself.

Immense contribution to ballet

Royal New Zealand Ballet artistic director and former Dance Education Centre student Ty King-Wall said it was a sad moment for the dance and arts community, particularly the thousands of alumni who have treaded the boards of their Matua studios over the past 50 years.

Dance Education Centre has been such a constant for generations, and the contribution theyve made to ballet in this country, nurturing and developing talented young dancers, has been immense.

Royal New Zealand Ballet artistic director and former Dance Education Centre student Ty King-Wall.

King-Wall said the centre was instrumental during the formative years of his training, paving the way for his professional career.

I will always feel enormously grateful for the time I spent there.

King-Wall said the centres legacy would live on through the people who danced, trained, taught, and worked there.

He said many former students had become successful teachers, opening their own dance schools.

A great opportunity presents itself for one of them to take up the mantle and continue the mahi in the region.

He was confident the Bay of Plenty would continue to be a source of talent for the national ballet.

Former Dance Education Centre student and teacher Janelle Reid said her 11- and 14-year-old daughters had attended since they were 4.

The Papamoa College teacher was devastated by the closure.

I used to live there all my life like after school every single day. And so did my kids.

She said her daughters had learned confidence and lifelong lessons from the school.

Even if they dont become dancers, its still so good for them.

Reid said Debbie Gooch was still training her daughters for competitions. Their syllabus work was now at Dance Institute.

-Bay of Plenty Times
The summer holidays are almost here so now is the time to remind New Zealanders of the healthcare options available to them over the festive period.

Some healthcare services are unavailable or operate for limited hours over Christmas and New Year, so its important to remember where you can go for help and support.

Hospital emergency departments and many urgent care clinics will remain open  so if its an emergency, always call 111 or go to ED if you are seriously unwell.

If you need prescription medication over the summer break, contact your GP or healthcare provider early to stock up.

Visit healthpoint.co.nz for up-to-date information on your local GP and pharmacy opening hours.

If you need a doctors appointment while you are away on holiday, you can try your usual GP first, as many offer online and phone appointments. They may also have out-of-hours telehealth services too.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora National clinical director primary and community care Dr Sarah Clarke said in a recent press release, no matter where you are in the country, you can access care around the clock.

If you are unsure what to do, then Healthline is available for free 24 hours a day on 0800 611 116, said Clarke.

Their clinicians can provide you with health advice and can also help you to find the services you need.

You can choose to speak with a Maori clinician if youre calling between 8am and 8pm.

When you call, you can use your mobile to share images and video  to help the team help you.

Rural people and people holidaying in rural areas can access Ka Ora rural telecare after hours by calling 0800 2 KA ORA (0800 252 672) or book online at kaora.co.nz.

If you live rurally or you are visiting rurally, then you can access Ka Ora. Theyre available from 5pm to 8am on weekdays, and 24 hours on weekends and public holidays.

Ka Ora Telecare provides afterhours primary care services for our rural populations, said Clarke.

If you are heading for the water, dont forget to visit the Can I Swim Here? section of the Land Water Aotearoa (LAWA) website at lawa.org.nz to view the latest information.

Keep sun smart this summer. You can access daily UVR level forecasts by downloading apps including the UVNZ app, NIWAWeather, and the Metservice app. For more information, head to sunsmart.org.nz.

Helpline services offer support, information and help for you, and your parents, family, whanau and friends

Helplines for Children and young people:

 thelowdown.co.nz  or email team@thelowdown.co.nz or free call or text 5626.

 Whats Up  0800 942 8787 (for 518-year-olds).

Phone counselling is available every day of the week, 365 days of the year, 11am11pm.

Online chat is available from 11am10:30pm 7 days a week, including all public holidays.

Help for whanau:

 EDANZ  Eating Disorders NZ . Freephone 0800 233 269, or email info@ed.org.nz.

 Parent Help  0800 568 856 for parents/whanau seeking support, advice and practical strategies.

 Family Services 211 Helpline  0800 211 211 for help finding community-based health and social support services in your area.

 Yellow Brick Road  Supporting families towards mental wellbeing Mental health support for families - Yellow Brick Road

Specialist help:

 Alcohol and Drug Helpline  0800 787 797 or online chat.

 Are You OK  0800 456 450 family violence helpline.

 Gambling Helpline  0800 654 655

 Speak to your midwife, doctor, well-child Tamariki Ora nurse or Plunket

 Plunket  0800 933 922

 Anxiety NZ  0800 269 4389 (0800 ANXIETY).

 Seniorline  0800 725 463 A free information service for older people.

 0508MUSICHELPS  The Wellbeing Service is a 24/7 online, on the phone and in-person counselling service fully funded by the NZ Music Foundation and provided free of charge to those in the Kiwi music community who cant access the help they need due to hardship and other circumstances. Call 0508 MUSICHELPS.

 Shine  0508 744 633 confidential domestic abuse helpline.

 Quit Line  0800 778 778 smoking cessation help.

 Vagus Line  0800 56 76 666 (Mon, Wed, Fri 12 noon  2pm). Promote family harmony among Chinese, enhance parenting skills, decrease conflict among family members (couple, parent-child, in-laws) and stop family violence.

 Womens Refuge Crisisline  0800 733 843 (0800 REFUGE) (for women living with violence, or in fear, in their relationship or family).

 Shakti Crisis Line  0800 742 584 (for migrant or refugee women living with family violence).

 Safe to Talk  0800 044 334 or free text 4334 for help to do with sexual harm.

Available 24/7 and staffed by trained counsellors.

Mental Health Crisis team contact numbers, by District:

Northland

 Whangarei (09) 430 4101 ext 3537

 Kaipara (09) 439 3330 ext 65401

 Mid-North 0800 643 647

 Far-North (09) 408 9187

 After Hours 0800 223 371

Auckland/Waitemata/Counties Manukau

 North Shore (09) 486 8900

 Henderson (09) 822 8501

 Rodney (09) 427 0360

 Central Auckland 0800 800 717

 South Auckland (09) 261 3700

 After hours 0800 775 222

 0508 927 654 or 0508 WARMLINE (8pm to midnight, seven nights).

Waikato

 Hamilton 0800 505 050

 Lakes 0800 166 167 ??

Bay of Plenty

 Tauranga 0800 800 508

 Whakatane 0800 774 545

Eastern

 Gisborne 0800 243 500, or after 10pm call (06) 869 0512

 Napier, Hastings 0800 112 334

Central

 New Plymouth 0508 292 467

 Whanganui 0800 653 358

 Mid Central 0800 653 357

 Hutt Valley 0800 745 477

 Capital and Coast 0800 745 477

Wellington

 Wairarapa 0508 432 432

 0800 200 207 (7pm1am, Tuesday to Sunday).

Tasman

 Nelson 0800 776 364

 Marlborough 0800 948 497

 Golden Bay 0800 776 364

Canterbury

 Christchurch 0800 920 092

 Greymouth 0800 757 678

 Timaru 0800 277 997

 Canterbury/West Coast  Warmline 03 379 8415 / 0800 899 276 (1pm to midnight, seven nights)

Southern

 Dunedin, Milford Sound, South to Stewart Island - 0800 467 846

Press 1 for Southland

Press 2 for Otago
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. The President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Zhaparov, has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydarovich.

I sincerely congratulate you on your birthday!

It is gratifying to note that under your leadership, the Republic of Azerbaijan has become an active participant in global processes.

We are particularly delighted that the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, one of the largest events in the world, was held for the first time in our brotherly nation and organized perfectly.

I am confident that the strategic partnership between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue to strengthen and expand for the benefit of our peoples.

Dear Ilham Heydarovich, I wish you robust health, family well-being, and great success in your state activities.

Once again, happy birthday!" the letter reads.
A financial mentoring advocacy group in Tauranga wants to help people have a sustainable financial future.

Bay Financial MentorsTau Awhi Noa has been providing financial guidance and education in Tauranga for over 52 years.

Initiated to support families experiencing financial hardship in their community, Bay Financial Mentors provides financial mentoring, advocacy and education, so everyone can achieve sustainable financial wellbeing for themselves and future generations.

Each year the organisation delivers more than 5000 mentoring sessions, providing critical support to individuals and families navigating financial challenges at 12 locations throughout the region.

We are committed to ensuring no one in our community feels alone in their financial struggles, Bay Financial Mentors general manager Shirley McCombe said.

Our goal is to empower individuals to regain control of their finances and build a sustainable future through free, confidential and non-judgmental help.

The key service areas for those seeking support are split into four areas: one-on-one mentoring, community education, Total Money Management and Kahukura services; support for those who are homeless or potentially homeless.

In addition to these services, Bay Financial Mentors plays a pivotal role in the recently established initiative Super Support.

A programme that helps seniors navigate financial complexities, promoting confidence and security in managing their resources.

Bay Financial Mentors' involvement is to help these older adults with tailored financial advice and advocacy.

As financial pressures continue to grow with the cost-of-living crisis, the demand for Bay Financial Mentors services has surged amid significant reductions in government funding for its services.

The organisation remains committed to working closely with other community groups to expand its reach and connect with those in need, despite the financial challenges.

Financial wellbeing underpinned every element of our lives and financial hardship was directly linked to domestic violence, poor mental health and suicide, among other negative measures of the communitys health, McCombe said.

Financial mentoring changes lives and is about more than just money. Its about creating pathways to stability, dignity and empowerment.

The reduction in government funding has created a substantial gap that Bay Financial Mentors must fill to maintain its vital services.

Its Total Money Management programme, which provides hands-on support for vulnerable clients, has lost all government funding.

Without this programme, many of its clients would struggle to manage their lives, keep their homes or even feed themselves.

TECT recently granted $30,000 towards Bay Financial Mentors, enabling it to continue serving those in need.

TECT trustee Rachael Gemming said Bay Financial Mentors work transformed lives, offering not only financial tools, but hope and the opportunity for a better future.

One of TECTs roles is to empower organisations like Bay Financial Mentors to sustain their services when the community needs them most, Gemming said.

This funding is ensuring people have access to critical support that can truly transform their lives.

Amid the funding shortfall it is experiencing, Bay Financial Mentors has a clear vision for the future.

To strengthen its community education initiatives and further its collaboration with local organisations, expand its outreach and seek innovative solutions to funding challenges.

It strives to continue increasing its work in the prevention space and be more proactive than reactive to the needs of the community and create a brighter financial future for all.

For more information, go to https://tgabudget.org.nz/ or call 07 578 0969 for support.
My dad made sure that we were very aware that we were adopted.

Valentina was aged 4 when she met her adoptive parents and moved from Pskov, Russia, to Brisbane.

Nothing is known about me before age 4, Valentina told the Herald.

On paper, Valentina Burgess life began after she learned to walk and talk.

Valentinas journey to meeting her younger brothers is the subject of the latest episode of the online docuseries An Adoption Story. Before the episodes online release, the Hamilton woman shared her experiences with Maryana Garcia.

Valentina Burgess has always known she was adopted. But the Russian-born woman wasnt aware she had two biological half-brothers living in New Zealand, less than two hours away.

Valentinas adoptive father was told honesty was the best path forward.

I was adopted with two other siblings - a younger brother and an older sister and we dont look alike. As we got older, you cant really hide something like that.

Growing up, Valentinas father would share his experiences of Russia with his three adopted children, helping them stay connected with their heritage through storytelling and by organising Russian language lessons.

Valentina said she never wondered about her birth family or thought of searching for them.

It just never crossed my mind.

Russian-born Valentina Burgess was adopted when she was 4 years old and grew up in Brisbane. Photo / Alex Gilbert, An Adoption Story

That all changed when Valentinas son, Lachlan, was born in 2020.

As soon as I had my son, I thought, Wow. This is big.

Valentina couldnt imagine being placed in an orphanage that young.

I couldnt imagine myself doing that. Thats how it started.

With each milestone reached in Lachlans life, Valentina asked herself more questions.

Id start thinking, That wasnt recorded for me.

Starting the search

Then Valentina and her husband, Carl Snowling, moved to New Zealand. The young family settled first in the Coromandel and then in Hamilton.

I moved to New Zealand in 2022 with no job and no friends, Valentina said.

Once the excitement of the move wore off, Valentina sought out the agency that had helped organise her adoption.

I was wanting to just make connections, to find community. I thought maybe this was a good place to start and it was.

The agency, ICANZ or Inter-Country Adoption New Zealand, introduced Valentina to Alex Gilbert.

Alex Gilbert, himself a Russian adoptee, founded the non-profit, online community Im Adopted in 2015. Photo / Alex Gilbert, An Adoption Story

Gilbert, also a Russian adoptee, founded the non-profit, online peer support community Im Adopted in 2015.

At first, it was mostly sharing our stories, Valentina said.

Then, Gilbert told Valentina he could search for her birth family if that was what she wanted.

It wasnt some random guy with a laptop asking for my information. So with my permission, he started searching.

Gilbert said he knew what it was like to be in Valentinas situation.

I wanted to jump in and help, Gilbert said

Gilbert started with the few documents Valentina had kept from the orphanage but those records didnt contain much information on Valentinas birth parents.

Then he got a break.

With her orphanage health records, I was able to pinpoint a clue on taking the next steps of the search.

Valentina Burgess didn't think about finding her birth family until her son, Lachlan, was born in 2020. Photo / Alex Gilbert, An Adoption Story

Valentina said Gilbert searched for about a year, contacting her weekly about his progress.

Id fill in my husband every time. There were a lot of no-gos. It was trial and error, Valentina said.

Sometimes you would really think we were getting somewhere and we werent. It was disappointing sometimes.

There were points where Valentina began to think Gilbert could be wasting his time.

I thought, This isnt going to happen. I thought we werent going to find anything.

But Alex just kept going and going and going.

Ive found your sister

Then, one day, Gilbert rang Valentina with news he couldnt wait to share. He had found Valentinas half-sister Viktoria in Pskov.

Straightaway I was on the phone wanting to know more information, Valentina said.

He connected us within an hour. It was nighttime for me and it was morning in Russia. I knew she would have to go to work and I had to go to bed so I was trying to get in as many questions as possible.

Eventually, Valentina verified her half-sisters identity by finding her name in orphanage documents.

Weve set her up with an instant translator [app] and Alex has done a few calls for me and translated.

In the course of these conversations, Valentinas half-sister revealed some surprising information.

She told me there were two other brothers, Valentina said.

They were younger. This information wasnt around anywhere because they hadnt been born yet when I was adopted.

Valentina was stunned.

I was looking for mum and dad, not siblings. You might find somebody older but not younger. It wasnt even a possibility Id considered.

Theyre both in Auckland

Gilbert was later able to verify that Valentinas two younger half-brothers had also been adopted, moved to New Zealand and were living less than two hours away, in Auckland.

As soon as we found that out I was like, Well, weve got to go see them, Valentina said.

Since then, Valentina has met her half-brothers in person.

Their meeting and Valentinas journey are the subject of the latest episode of An Adoption Story, a web docuseries Gilbert created, produced and edited.

The first season, released on YouTube last year, featured the stories of 12 adopted people and had more than 200,000 views.

Television professionals Hamish Dodd and Bridgid Davis also helped with the production of the episode focusing on Valentina.

Now, Valentina and all three of her Russian-birth siblings share a group chat.

I chat to them every day. My family is growing and tripling in size very quickly.

Valentina said she was grateful to get another chance to be a sister.

Im just grateful that this happened at this point and this time and I can take it on. It all just aligned. In any other order, it wouldnt have worked.

Valentina encouraged other adoptees to seek their birth families if they had questions they wanted answered.

I think if you think about it you should try. But if youve never thought about it then dont worry.

I think for your identity its really important even if you dont get results.

Valentinas journey is the subject of the latest episode of An Adoption Story, a web docuseries. Photo / Alex Gilbert, An Adoption Story

Sharing experiences to help others

Alex Gilbert said he hoped Valentinas story could help provide an insight into what the journey of an adoptee could be like.

It shows that yes, there may be connections but also heartaches along the journey that you might be on.

Gilbert said the An Adoption Story series also helped other adoptees to connect, no matter where on their paths they were.

I love doing this because I know how important it is to know about your roots, and if you dont want to learn about your roots, thats perfectly fine.

I respect every adoptees choices and that is what I have our community for.

Gilbert said he hoped both the series and his online community, Im Adopted, would continue to grow.

-Waikato Herald
It was a positive weekend on New Zealands beaches, with surf lifeguards reporting good safety awareness among swimmers and only two rescues carried out across the country.

At Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club, volunteer surf lifeguards assisted an upturned trailer sailer and monitored its safe return to shore, while after patrol, off-duty lifeguards in Raglan Beach rescued a kite surfer reported to be in distress.

After a busy start to summer involving a large volume of rescues and some early fatal drownings across the country, Surf Life Saving New Zealand is incredibly pleased to see beachgoers following advice to swim between the flags this weekend and urges everyone to continue making safety a priority this summer.

Were thrilled to see so many people staying safe at the beach over the weekend, said Andy Kent, SLSNZ General Manager - Lifesaving.

"By swimming between the flags and staying informed, people are helping us keep them safe. Its a team effort, and we encourage anyone visiting the beach to keep up the great work as summer continues."

As the weather warms up, SLSNZ encourages beachgoes to plan their beach visits carefully. Check Safeswim to find a lifeguarded beach, and always swim between the red and yellow flags.

Surf lifeguards are there to watch for hazards, monitor changing conditions, and respond quickly if needed.

Quite simply, a surf lifeguard is very often the difference between life and death, says Andy.

For more beach safety tips, visit the SLSNZ Website .

Key Safety Messages: 2024/25 season

1. Know How To Float - Me Mohio koe me Pehea te Manu

If you dont know how to float, dont go into the water.

Just being able to float when you are in the water can increase your chance of survival. Floating allows you to calm yourself and keep your airways out of the water. It is also the first thing to do if you get caught in a rip.

If you dont know how to float well, practice or get some lessons in a pool before you head to the beach - being able to float is a key skill when learning to swim. Anyone can learn to float but some people may take a little longer to learn.

2. Find The Safest Place To Swim - Kimihia te Wahi Haumaru Rawa Ki Te Kaukau

Remember if you are heading to the beach, check www.safeswim.org.nz to find a lifeguarded beach, and always swim between the red and yellow flags, which show the safest place to swim. The surf lifeguards are there to help keep beachgoers safe, by keeping a constant eye on sea as they continuously scan for hazards or people in difficulty, keeping on top of weather forecasts and understanding the swell and tide conditions too.

3. If In Doubt, Stay Out - Mehemea e Rangirua Ana, Me Noho Ki Waho

Waves can be bigger than they look, dangerous rip currents are hard to spot and weather conditions can be unpredictable. If you feel uncomfortable about getting into the water, stay out. Its better to be safe than sorry. Too many people get into trouble in the water because they overestimate their abilities and underestimate the conditions.

4. Take Care of Others - Tiakina te Tangata

Always keep children within arms reach in or near the water. Waves can move quickly and unexpectedly and can knock kids off their feet and sweep them away. Everyone has different levels of ability, so watch out for your mates too.

5. Know How to Get Help - Me Mohio koe me Pehea te Kimi Awhina

If someone in the water is in trouble and surf lifeguards are on patrol, let them know. If you cant see any surf lifeguards, call 111 and ask for police. Police have a direct line to surf lifeguards and others who can help.

If youre in the water and in trouble yourself, signal for help.
The aunt had wanted to book a Mt Maunganui rental close to her own house so her out-of-town family could enjoy an extended Christmas stay near her, the homes real owner, Carla Beazley, told the Herald .

Booking.com says it takes safety and security very seriously and is investing significantly in the problem of fake property listings.

Her family are among multiple customers and homeowners who have complained to the Herald about how easy it is to set up fake listings on the popular travel site  and how difficult it is to get them taken down.

An elderly aunt has lost nearly $10,000 trying to rent a Christmas holiday home from a fake Booking.com listing.

However, the aunt unwittingly clicked on a fake Booking.com listing, made by a scammer who had copied photos and details from the real listing.

The scammer then directed the aunt to make a private payment away from the Booking.com site.

Beazley found out about it only when one of the aunts family members knocked on her door to ask questions.

Beazley had to explain they didnt actually have a booking for her rental and that she was not part of the scam.

She said the family member was understanding despite their significant financial loss.

But she fears others may turn up in the same situation, and may become irate and the situation could escalate.

This is a safety issue because weve just had someone turn up on our doorstep, Beazley said.

It was also the second time a group had booked through the fake listing and then tracked Beazley down.

When the first group contacted Beazley on November 20, she immediately called Booking.com to try to get the fake listing taken down, she said.

She later spent hours making multiple follow-up calls over a series of weeks without luck, she said.

Two other property owners in the same situation have also been in touch with the Herald.

Mark Gray, who owns a Martinborough holiday rental listed on Airbnb, has also discovered a fake Booking.com listings of his property.

The owners of this Martinborough vineyard in the South Island have had a warning attached to the top of a fake listing of their holiday rental but only after spending weeks trying to get the travel site to take action. Photo / Supplied

A third owner  who wants to remain anonymous  contacted the Herald with the same problem. Gray and the third owner both said they had been trying for weeks to get fake listings of their properties taken down, without luck.

Beazley and Gray also said that when people set up new holiday home listings on Booking.com, the website did not require verifiable proof that a person owns the house, instead simply asking the lister to check a box saying they do.

A Booking.com spokeswoman did not directly answer a Herald question about whether people making new listings need to prove they own a property.

We take safety and security very seriously and have a number of measures in place to verify properties before they begin welcoming guests  including checks performed by our security, local partner services and customer service teams," the spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman said that when a property is flagged to them as suspicious, the site blocks the listing from taking bookings while it investigates.

It then removes the listing completely if non-compliance with our terms and conditions is found.

The spokeswoman said the listing of fake properties by professional cyber criminals is a challenge for the travel sector and Booking.com is investing significantly to limit the impact.

We are sorry for the experiences these property owners brought to our attention and we have urgently addressed each of their individual concerns, she said.

The day after the Herald contacted Booking.com, a red notice appeared at the top of the fake listing of Grays Martinborough property stating: Were sorry this property isnt taking reservations on our site right now.

The owners of this beautiful Martinborough vineyard said they spent hours on the phone listening to automated messages and being passed around between departments after complaining to Booking.com about a fake listing of their property.

However, Gray was unimpressed, saying he first contacted Booking.com trying to get the listing taken down on October 15 and had spent hours without success, until speaking to the Herald.

The fake Mt Maunganui listing of Beazleys home has now been taken down, but she doubts it was Booking.com that did it.

She said she had instead started communicating with a person via the email address on the fake listing of her property.

Pretending to be a customer wanting to book her own home, she was given a British bank account to pay into and a copy of a passport photo page after she asked for verification she was talking to a real person.

Once she had the persons name, Beazley changed tack and sent a formal-looking email pretending she was a law enforcement agency, threatening to report the person to Interpol if they didnt remove the listing within 24 hours.

It obviously scared them because it was gone the next morning, Beazley said.

She believes its unlikely Booking.com removed the fake listing because a couple of days later the company sent her an automated email saying her complaint had been passed on to the relevant department to investigate.

-NZ Herald
A prisoner who escaped from Corrections staff at Waikato Hospital in Hamilton was wearing handcuffs and a GPS monitor.

Corrections and police are still hunting for the escaped inmate, who was at the hospital for medical oversight.

Police were notified about 1.30pm 48-year-old Damon Anderson had escaped from custody at the hospital on Pembroke St.

A spokesperson said police were actively searching for the escapee.

"While he is not considered an immediate risk to the public, police urge people not to approach him and to report any sightings of him through to police," said a police spokesperson in a statement this morning.

"Police enquiries to locate him are ongoing."
An interview with Benno Buhler, Architect and Court Surveyor, who leads a team of home inspectors working along the Costa del Sol and Costa de la Luz

SIE Malaga Monday, 23 December 2024, 17:25 | Updated 20:01h. Compartir

Finding your dream home can be overwhelming. Once you've found a property, the pressure builds up: estate agents insist there are other buyers ready to purchase immediately, you might not speak the local language and you are unfamiliar with the culture and customs.

Before succumbing to this pressure or making decisions you could later regret, it's worth seeking independent advice. This is where a home inspector comes in. A home inspector visits the property, conducts a thorough evaluation and prepares a detailed report on the condition of the property. This assessment can help you decide whether the property is worth purchasing and assist in negotiating a better price based on any issues which may come up. The inspector will also highlight defects, estimated repair costs and potential legal concerns (such as illegal extensions, boundary disputes or unregistered rights of way) that your lawyer will need to address.

Benno Buhler established the Home Inspector Service in Andalusia in 2012, offering expert evaluations for foreign clients buying property along the Costa del Sol and Costa de la Luz. With extensive professional experience, he is an architect, court surveyor, member of the Malaga Architects College, and a member of the British RICS association. He has worked on the Costa del Sol since 1996.

Zoom Benno Buhler, Home Inspector Service in Costa del Sol and Costa de la Luz.

We met with Benno in his studio in the Malaga Soho area to discuss the role of a home inspector and how he can assist homebuyers in Spain.

What is a home inspector?

In some US states, home inspections are mandatorywithout one, you can't secure a mortgage. I believe Spain should adopt similar laws. A home inspector performs the technical check (while your lawyer handles the legal side), helping you avoid making a poor investment. Thats our job!

Can the real estate agent help?

Real estate agents are salespeople. Their primary goal is to close the deal, so providing impartial advice may not always be in their interest. They might prefer to avoid revealing potential issues or legal problems and many agents lack professional qualifications. In Spain, anyone can become a real estate agent without any formal training, but its a far cry from the responsibility of handling a major property transaction.

Could you hire yourself a surveyor or architect?

In theory, yes! However, most surveyors or architects will produce lengthy, technical reports filled with complex language and legal background, which may take time. Homebuyers, however, often need answers right away. As home inspectors, we can visit the property and provide immediate feedback on its condition, value, and defects. We are also qualified as court surveyors and architects and we specialise in helping foreign homebuyers.

What does your service include?

We're not afraid to get our hands dirty! Well inspect damp basements, check all technical aspects of the house and pool systems and provide a comprehensive snag list. We also estimate repair costs, which can help in negotiating a lower purchase price. Think of it like buying a used caryoud want to know the cost of fixing a broken wheel bearing or removing scratches before making the purchase. This is exactly what we do, but for homes. Every identified issue can serve as leverage for price negotiations.

Zoom

What are your fees?

Our services start at 550 plus VAT for properties worth up to 500,000. We also offer a performance-based fee structure: the more we can reduce the purchase price by highlighting defects, the more we earn. Its a win-win situation for everyoneexcept for the seller, of course!

Can buyers negotiate the price themselves?

Certainly! But once defects are raised, expert knowledge becomes essential. A savvy seller will likely have counterarguments prepared and an untrained negotiator may struggle to plead their case. For instance, during a house inspection, we discovered that, according to the manufacturer's specifications, the Aircon Chiller (exterior heat pump) was not suitable for installation on a roof near the beach. This allowed us to negotiate a 35,000 discount. Could the buyer have negotiated this kind of discount alone? Possibly, but it would have been far more complex.

Does the buyer need a lawyer for the purchase?

While not mandatory for every property, we strongly recommend hiring a lawyer if its a standard, legal purchase. We can assist you through the entire process, right up to the notarys office for the key handover. If we discover serious legal issues, we work closely with law firms who can advise you further. Our service complements legal advice by focusing on the technical side.

Why not just rely on a lawyer?

A lawyer wont visit the property to assess its condition. Even if they do, they wont be able to spot illegal extensions or zoning issues that could complicate future legal proceedings. As architects, we understand the local zoning laws and the complexities of "legalising" illegal structures. We provide this crucial information, which allows your lawyer to advise you on whether the issue is significant.

Have you ever recommended not to buy?

Yes, occasionally we advise against purchasing a property when there are too many legal complications or when renovation costs are excessive. Our reports always include our professional opinion on whether the investment is worthwhile.

More information:

Benno Buhler

Address: Calle Casas de Campos 33, 2-G. 29001. Malaga

T: +34 952 609 617

M: +34 610 794 443

Email: info@architect-spain.com

Web: https://buehler-and-partners.com/home/
Javier Almellones Malaga Monday, 23 December 2024, 09:35 | Updated 10:08h. Compartir

For all the important festive dates, from Christmas Eve to Three Kings' Day, including the 25th December itself, Malaga province's calendar has many traditional events that have been ingrained for decades and, in some cases, are even hundreds of years old. An auction of the most peculiar objects on Christmas Day or two 'verdiales' events on set days around Christmas are some of these folkloric or religious customs that endure despite the passage of time and the Anglo-Saxon influence of Santa Claus. Here is just a small selection.

1 25 December Canillas de Albaida auction

Zoom Ayuntamiento de Canillas de Albaida

When Christmas Day is only a few hours away, the residents of Canillas de Albaida have the custom of gathering in the main square of the village to participate in a curious auction. They themselves have previously donated objects or foodstuffs of all kinds. From a ham to a bottle of champagne or even a live kid goat. The proceeds will be used to raise money to pay for the patron saint's fiestas. But this curious custom has its origins going back 140 years. It is related to the auction that was held to raise funds for all those who lost their homes after the devastating earthquake of 1884, which had its epicentre in the neighbouring municipality of Arenas del Rey in the province of Granada, but its impact also reached the foothills of the Tejeda and Almijara mountain ranges.

2 25 December Jeva day

Zoom Turismo Antequera

Christmas Day is also experienced in a special way at the foot of El Torcal near Antequera. Like every 25th December since 1987, the village of La Higuera celebrates the so-called Dia de Jeva (Jeva day). It is a Festival of National Tourist Interest that pays religious homage to the Virgen de la Purificacion. In fact, the image, represented on a canvas, has already been carried from its shrine (the Jeva hermitage) in procession to a threshing floor, where a mass was held on the Sunday before Christmas. On the 25th itself there will be a good party atmosphere, performances by the 'pandas de verdiales' (traditional music groups) and the tasting of homemade 'mantecados' biscuits and shots of sweet anis. All of this in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere in keeping with the Christmas festivities.

3 28 December Verdiales festival in Malaga

Zoom Salvador Salas

The city of Malaga also has a very special event, eminently folkloric, but also with a Christmas flavour because it is held between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. It has run somewhere in the city for over six decades. After trying out several locations, the latest and now very well established one is the Andres Jimenez Diaz park in the district of Puerto de la Torre. This is the Fiesta Mayor de Verdiales, which every 28 December is the biggest folklore event in the province. Almost 30 'pandas' (traditional music groups) that follow three well-known styles of music (originating from Almogia, Montes and Comares) will gather in this location to participate in a contest where it is as important to win as it is to create a good party atmosphere. Every year there are more and more fans of this music that uses guitar, lute, violin and tambourine. Neither will traditional cuisine be missing from this festival, washed down with what else but the moscatel wine of Los Montes and the Axarquia.

4 5 January The dragging of empty tin cans in Archidona

Zoom Ayuntamiento de Archidona

It is most certainly the noisiest of the festivities linked to Christmas in Malaga. While this activity can also be seen in other Andalusian municipalities, Algeciras for example, the dragging of empty tin cans in Archidona stands out as one of the most peculiar customs. It is held just hours before the Three Kings' parade. Children with their parents are in charge of dragging over 7,000 cans noisily from the Paseo de la Victoria to the iconic Plaza Ochavada. It is their way of trying to attract the attention of Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar. This tradition goes back a long way. According to Archidona's local history records, it was started during the post-war years when both toys and food were scarce. For years this custom was lost until it began to be revived in 2004. Thus, for more than 20 years now, with the exception of the occasional stoppage due to the pandemic, the younger generations of Archidona's residents have been perpetuating this noisy dragging of tin cans.

5 5 January Sacramental play of the Three Kings in Benarraba

Zoom Ayuntamiento de Benarraba

On the eve of Epiphany, many towns and villages in Malaga province will hold a Three Kings' parade. However, this is not the case with the picturesque white village of Benarraba, located in the Genal valley in the Serrania de Ronda. The custom there is to present a play or re-enactment known as an 'auto sacramental' (a didactic play on biblical or historical subjects). In the case of Benarraba the tradition revolves around the Three Kings and the children and young people of the village dress up as pages, kings, shepherds, dignitaries and little angels, forming a procession guided by a star (carried by the best donkey in the village). The Three Kings ride on the backs of mules, which are also dressed up for the occasion with colourful braids, instead of the expected camels.

Other unique celebrations

* During these festive days there are also other unique celebrations and festivals in the province, such as the big New Year's Eve fancy dress party in Coin, the Fiesta de las Migas in Torrox ), the 'Mananitas' in Algatocin and La Canada del Real Tesoro (the Monday before Christmas Eve when villagers get up for a special mass at 6am and then go carolling to wake up everyone else, ending up in a local bar for a hot drink and breakfast), Aguardiente de Jubrique competition (28 December) and various live nativity scenes. Many of them have already been held in towns and villages such as Benaojan, La Canada del Real Tesoro, Ojen or Alhaurin El Grande, but there are others in the coming days. Of course, this year the most famous and biggest for participants, the one in Almayate, which has been suspended for technical reasons, will be missed.
Ignacio Lillo Malaga Monday, 23 December 2024, 08:45 Compartir

A new train line along the entire Costa del Sol "can be done", said minister for transport Oscar Puente, adding that he hopes its route will be clear in at least a year's time. While appearing on Spanish television programme Espejo Publico, presenter Susana Griso passed on a message from Malaga city mayor Francisco de la Torre: "I am concerned about the lack of investment in infrastructure in Malaga, I hope that Oscar Puente's commitment to the Costa del Sol train will come true. We have collapsed motorways with traffic jams and in such a densely populated area. And I would like to know if the soon-to-be third busiest airport in Spain will be expanded".

The minister referred to the councillor as "a good friend from the time when I was mayor (of Valladolid) and I am fond of him" before responding to his concerns: "When I say that something is going to be done, I have credit, because I also go to many places and say: 'it is not going to be done'. Just the other day, I said that the underground railway will not be built in Talavera and it is not going to be built, or in my city, because it cannot be done".

Zoom Minister of transport Oscar Puente appeared on the Espejo Publico television programme. SUR

"But here, it can be done," Puente said. "If I have been cautious with the coastal train project it is because I did not have the technical input that would give me confidence. Now I have it, and therefore Francisco de la Torre can rest assured that all I need is time as minister, but if I don't have enough time, we will at least have all the projects ready."

'There is a formula'

"The coastal train is possible, there is a formula and we are going to develop it," Puente added. "We are already going to put the (feasibility) study out to tender, but when you launch a study you can already see whether it is going to be feasible or not, and I have great confidence in the director general of the railway sector, Carlos Juarez, who is a brilliant technician and already has in his head what the alternative could be."

The minister is referring to the idea, reported by SUR a few days ago, that it is possible to build a large part of the future coastal railway line parallel to the A-7 motorway. "So that everyone understands, for those who are not from the Costa del Sol, the problem of the route is that it is a tremendously complex territory due to the land, volume of buildings, among others. It is not easy to run a train through there and the key is to find the route, and what Carlos Juarez, who is an excellent technician, tells me is that he already has this possibility in mind."

The minister said: "We are going to study it in depth, we are going to put the study out to tender and I hope that in a year's time we will have cleared up the uncertainty about the possibility of the route, and from then on we will get started with the legal instruments".

Airport expansion

On the mayor's second question about the expansion of Malaga Airport, which is close to reaching its maximum capacity, the transport minister said: "If the airlines need an expansion of Malaga Airport, Francisco de la Torre can rest assured that this expansion will be carried out".

Puente said this is not a political move, but is included in the airport regulation document (DORA), "which sets the agenda for airport expansions in our country".

The minister pointed out that Malaga has two runways, "something that Alicante, for example, does not have, which is also registering a lot of traffic". "But here I want to send a message of calm and at the same time of rigour to those who are calling for investment in airports. Spain has the best airport manager in the world, Aena, which also has a highly professional management team. Investments in airports are made in Spain depending on whether they are really needed, and they are paid for by the airlines," Puente added.
Do you have the impression that winters in Spain are now somewhat shorter and less cold? The suspicion is true, and it is actually a proven fact. Climate Central researchers analysed the temperatures recorded in 123 countries and 901 cities in different parts of the world during the three winter months over the past decade, concluding we now have between seven and 14 "lost winter days", as they technically call days with minimum temperatures above freezing.

Climate Central is an organisation of researchers dedicated to publicising the effects of climate change who, above all, use publicly available data to cross-reference, project and draw relevant conclusions. For example, their maps of projected sea level rise were used at the 2021 UN climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

They have now applied large database analysis technologies to put the spotlight on temperature increases, and focused on winter. Normally, experts' attention is focused on the intense heat waves that have swept the world from east to west in recent years. This is undoubtedly one of the most pressing climate emergencies and one that will require the most adaptation from countries in the not too distant future. But here, the focus has been on warmer winters and their consequences.

The study shows that the area of the planet most affected by this phenomenon is the northern hemisphere, including Spain. According to their research, there are eight winter days lost on average in the past decade in Spain, that is, between 2014 and 2023.

Some 62% of Spanish provinces, 32 out of 52, had at least one additional week of winter days above freezing point, zero degrees, compared to a world without climate change.

The study goes so far as to highlight the Spanish provinces where it is most noticeable that winters are no longer what they used to be. Leon is the most affected over the last ten years, according to the data. It is followed by Palencia, Soria and La Rioja. Of the four provinces pointed out in the report, three are in the region of Castilla y Leon.

Twelve Spanish cities were included among the 901 analysed throughout the world. They were: Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Valencia, Pamplona, Seville, Granada, Malaga, Almeria, Huelva and Cadiz. The cities with the worst results, such as the highest number of days with warmer minimum temperatures in winter, were Granada (14), Pamplona (13), Madrid (9 days), Zaragoza (7) and Bilbao (3).

Winter in other parts of the world

The picture in Spain is not one of the worst compared to the rest of the world. The countries with the most critical situation, losing at least three additional weeks worth of winter days, three times more than in Spain, are Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

All of them are located in Europe, which is once again one of the areas of the world most affected by climate change. Europe is also the part of the world that most of the 19 countries with a loss of more than two weeks of freezing days are to be found, the data shows.

At Spain's level are 25 other countries in Europe and Asia, which registered between one week and two more with days that did not fall below freezing. These countries were Italy, France, Austria and Norway in Europe, and Afghanistan, Iran and Japan in Asia.

Fuji in Japan is one of the cities with the largest increases in lost winter days. On 6 November, the Japanese celebrated the first snowflakes finally falling on the iconic Mount Fuji, the latest in 130 years since records began. Snow covers the sacred peak every year from 2 October. But 2024 will end up as the warmest year on record.

Alongside Fuji, Turin and Verona (Italy), Norway's Bergen and Riga (Latvia) stood out as having had no less than one month of lost winter days (with minimum temperatures above zero degrees) in the past decade.

This figure is extraordinary as the average is seven winter days lost. This figure is the benchmark given to indicate the countries with a significant impact on their winters. A total of 44 of all those analysed are in this situation.

"Warmer winters are threatening ecosystems, economies and cultural traditions in the most affected countries"

These changes have serious implications for both the economies and the human and environmental health of affected areas. "The snow, ice and cold temperatures that used to characterise the winter season are rapidly disappearing in many places, threatening ecosystems, economies and cultural traditions. To prevent this, it is critical to urgently phase out fossil fuels, the burning of which is the main emissions driver of rising global temperatures," said Climate Central vice president Kristina Dahl.

Allergies and eternal insects

Cold winters are crucial for maintaining winter sports, which are key to the economic prosperity of many towns and villages, especially in central Europe, where ski resorts drive a large part of the economy. Spain's resorts are no strangers to this problem where the country has lost 15% of its snow volume in recent years.

In terms of natural resources, the replenishment of the snow cover on the summits of the countries is essential for the subsequent supply of freshwater during the thaw and to counteract the threat of droughts, which are also expected to be severe in the near future due to climate change.

901 Cities They have been analysed in the work on warmer winter temperatures by the Central Climate.

Even the life cycles of plants are altered by warmer winters. On the one hand, as Emma Gaitan, PhD in environment and head of meteorology and climatology at the Foundation for Climate Research, pointed out, crops may flower earlier than expected. "If there is an untimely frost, such as in spring, when the fruit has already come out, it can end up killing it, or freezing it from the inside, with the consequent damage to the agricultural sector and food security," she said.

Allergies are also being brought forward to the autumn months. Daniela Silva, a specialist in internal medicine and e-health medical manager at Cigna Healthcare Spain said the fact that winter is being pushed aside leads to "greater exposure to allergens", which, together with high temperatures, generates "a greater intensity and duration of allergic symptoms". "Changes in the weather can favour the proliferation of pollen-producing plants and other allergens, as well as increasing the concentration of pollen in the air," she added.

Agriculture, with the wine sector being the most affected, and the life cycles of insects are other aspects most affected by warm winters. The plagues of flies, ticks and moths that have settled in different parts of Spain throughout the warm season of 2024 is an example of this. Moth larvae did not die naturally during the winter as it was not cold enough, Jose Luis Viejo Montesinos, an expert from the Spanish entomological society, pointed out. This led to an unusual abundance of adult specimens during spring, he added.
Rocio Jimenez Asturias Monday, 23 December 2024 | Updated 24/12/2024 07:47h. Compartir

Christmas is knocking on the door, so it is not surprising that practically every corner of the country has already unveiled its lights and is decked out for the occasion. In the big cities it can be a little more impersonal, but in those small villages scattered throughout Spain, the feeling that flourishes can be unique as inhabitants work together to give a special touch to their homes.

This is what happens every year in Aciera, a small village with just 37 inhabitants located in the municipality of Quiros in the northern Spanish region of Asturias. The village has managed to occupy a prominent place on the country's Christmas map thanks to its stunning lights display, which is said to have more bulbs per inhabitant than the impressive festive lights display in the city of Vigo in Galicia.

Fifteen years ago the neighbourhood association Canor Fandos started an initiative to decorate the village, which has become a tradition and to which more people slowly joined, but no institution, which makes its achievement even greater. This is a work of the people for the people, where residents work with each other.

Apart from town hall, which is in charge of lighting the streets, residents don't receive any help or support from any institution. The retired members of the association are the ones who spend the most time in the month leading up to Christmas to install everything, said Miguel San Jose, president of Canor Fandos.

On the same day as the big lights switch-on, which occurs during the long weekend of Constitution Day, there is a raffle of a Christmas basket, La Cestona, for the members of the local association, with music, carols and a hot chocolate for the whole village. The Quiros council this year also announced its second annual decoration contest, an initiative that seeks to encourage creativity and teamwork among residents. The prizes, aimed at associations, businesses and individuals, range from 150 to 800 euros and the jury takes into account both design and originality, as well as the use of sustainable materials and handcrafted decorations.

Christmas decorations and lights in Aciera Miguel San Jose

This December, thanks to the decorations installed throughout the village that give off an almost magical feel, tourism in Aciera has increased. From the first long weekend of December until the end of Christmas, the weekends and holidays are, as they say in Asturias, "a pilgrimage", with visitors and many excited children arriving en-masse, Miguel pointed out. Locals have a signposted route that takes the visitors around the most outstanding corners of the village.

The 37 residents proudly show off their streets that shine brighter every year. There is not a single one of them who does not soak up the joy during December and who does not celebrate the great effort they make to make their village the most beautiful at Christmas, Miguel added.

A unique natural environment

Those who decide to visit this destination over Christmas can complete their getaway with a hiking route in the surrounding area, as this village is located near the Ubinas-La Mesa Nature Reserve, declared a biosphere reserve by Unesco, the Valdemurio reservoir and the Senda del Oso (bear trail).

Zoom The Sierra de Caranga. Turismo de Asturias-jano Foggia

For example, the route that takes you to the Collado de Aciera, a medium-difficulty route, with a difference in altitude of 261 metres and five kilometres, takes about two hours to complete. This can be extended by going down to the neighbouring village of Villamejin, thus completing a circuit around the Sierra de Caranga.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Please accept my sincere congratulations and heartfelt wishes on your birthday.

Thanks to your tireless efforts and visionary policies, Azerbaijan has achieved remarkable success in strengthening social stability, economic sustainability, and its international reputation. Under your wise leadership, the country confidently moves forward by implementing large-scale projects and improving the well-being of the people.

I highly appreciate your significant contribution to deepening the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, based on centuries-old friendship and mutual support.

Our countries have great potential for further developing close mutual cooperation. I am confident that, through our joint efforts, we will increase our achievements and elevate Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan multifaceted interstate relations to a new level of productive collaboration.

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, I wish you good health, prosperity for your family, and continued success in your presidential activities for the benefit of brotherly Azerbaijan," the letter reads.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Pizza is more than food in Central New York; its a story told in crust, sauce and tradition.

Every pizzeria has its own tale to share, and in 2024, I made it my mission to hear and taste  as many as possible. I visited a different shop each week, heard the story behind their business and watched them make what they love making.

After 52 weeks and 52 pizzas, youd think Id be ready for a break. Nope. In fact, Ive even gone back to some of them for seconds (and thirds).

But asking me to pick a favorite? Thats missing the point. Lets dive into what I learned  Syracuse-style  with a Pizza Tour Lightning Round.

The PPP from Peppino's has no 'gumline, that soft layer of dough between the crust and the rest of the pizza. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Peppinos Owner John Vigliotti has pizza crust down to a science. Just ask him, but be prepared to listen to his lecture for 90 minutes. Its fascinating. His three-day fermentation process prevents his pizzas from developing a gum line, that thin firm layer of goo just above the crust before the sauce, cheese and toppings.

Matt Bartolotta spreads out the sauce for our pizza at Angelo's in Auburn, the 41st stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Im pretty sure owner Angelos Matt Bartolotta is the only pizza-maker in CNY who actually cooks his sauce. Most mix it and let it cook in the oven, along with the rest of a pizzas ingredients.

Heaviest pizza: Tangy Tomato

A "Big Boy" meat-lovers Chicago-style deep-dish pizza from Tangy Tomato, the 35th stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

The Chicago-style meat lovers deep-dish from Tangy Tomato. This thing weighed 6 pounds. Two of those pounds were Galbani mozzarella and a few pounds of meat.

JD at Danzer's, our 26th stop of the CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

JD at Danzers turned their popular Red Reuben sandwich into a pizza. Corned beef, sauerkraut, cabbage, Swiss cheese and Thousand Islands dressing top this crust. It wasnt bad, but it was nothing like the sandwich that I love.

Robbie Thompson brings out a cheeseburger pizza. Robbie T's in Jamesville is the latest stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

One thing I found this year is that the pizza business is full of happy people. I mean, they are serving food that puts smiles on the customers faces. But without a doubt, Robbie Thompson (aka Robbie T) is the kindest guy in the business. He also remembers every customer who walks into his shop. This guy remembered that I counted the number of pepperoni when I came in for a story in 2021. (There were 95 slices of roni on that pizza, by the way.)

Worst pizza: Anything from the State Fair

One bite is all it took with this slice of pepperoni pizza from Hot & Fresh near the Midway at the New York State Fair. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Who goes to the Fair and spends $6 on a single slice of heat-lamp pizza when you can have Pickle Barrel beef tips, Bacon Bombs and Peacheys donuts? Its just not right. Youll find better pizza in Indiana, and thats saying a lot.

Bobby Angotti grabs a slice from his garlic pizzas. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Maybe I should rename this category to Most affordable because owner Bobby Angotti doesnt use cheap anything. He uses quality ingredients. Yet my 18-inch white garlic pizza from Angottis cost just $12.95. And Bobby gave me a couple of his mothers meatballs while it cooked in his oven.

Best deal: West End Kitchen & Catering

A meat lover's pizza from the West End Kitchen & Catering, the fourth stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

The Meat Lover pizza from the West End Kitchen & Catering is $20 for an 18-inch pizza. My tape measure clearly clocked it at 19 inches. I want this place to last, so Im hoping they adjust their prices so they actually make money.

Pizza at the Western Ranch, the 28th stop on the CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Weve all driven by this old motel on I-690. And we usually laugh because one of the MOTEL letters isnt lit. During my visit, The Ranch had live music playing with owner Wally Gaworecki Jr. serving as the emcee. They also both kinds of beer to go with my pizza: Miller AND Miller Lite.

Biggest kept secret: The LaFayette Inn

An Oh My Darling pizza at the LaFayette Inn, the 46th stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

This old roadhouse on Route 11 born during Prohibition serves outrageously good pizza. Get the Oh My Darling pizza and stay awhile.

Best pizza: Youll have to wait a week. Check back here on Monday, Dec. 30.

Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drinks and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. (AND he pays for what he and his guests eat and drink, just so you know.) You can also find him under @HoosierCuse on Twitter and on Instagram. Sign up for his weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.
(Its a debate every Central New Yorker has had at some point: Whos got the best pizza? This year, well do our best to find out. Im on a quest to find the best pizza shops in the Syracuse area. Throughout 2024, Ill visit 50-plus pizzerias. At each, Ill sample their most popular pizza, or whatever they recommend. As I go, Ill score each one, and tell readers a little bit about the shop itself.)

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Mattydale, N.Y.  It wouldnt be fair if I visited just two of the three pizza shops in town that specialize in Chicago-style pizza. Right?

During my yearlong tour of local pizzerias, I realized that true deep-dish rib-sticking belly-busting pizza is a rarity in these parts. I had visited Tangy Tomato and East of Chicago earlier this year, so I stopped by the other this weekend to try their version of Windy City pizza.

The Pump Pizza Pub, next to the dearly departed Zebbs Deluxe Grill & Bar in the Mattydale Plaza at 2803 Brewerton Road, serves true Chicago- and New York-style pizza. And they are vastly different. The only similarities are the freshly chopped ingredients and Grande cheese that goes on top.

Anthony Manicone bought this bar in 2017 back when it was Woodys Jerkwater Pub. Like many bars and restaurants, he battled a changing industry during the Covid pandemic. People just werent going out as much as they used to. In 2021, he rebranded to make it more of a bar and restaurant with good food.

Anthony, capitalizing on his years of operating DaVincis Pizza in Syracuses Armory Square and Anthonys Pasta Bar in Hanover Square, now serves a full menu. He makes all kinds of pizza along with specialty sandwiches, burgers, pastas and Italian entrees like chicken francaise and veal marsala.

I make the best (Utica) greens, he said on a cold Sunday afternoon. You know how when you have some really good greens, you have to have good bread? Well, thats what my Greenza pizza is.

Sold! Lets grab a wedge of this deep-dish Italian dinner ...

A Utica greens pizza at Pump Pizza in Mattydale, the 51st stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Address: Pump Pizza Pub, 2803 Brewerton Road, Mattydale. (315) 373-0030

Do they deliver: No. If you dont want to eat in this welcoming bar, you can order ahead of time and take it home. But Id suggest you sit down, have a drink and stay awhile.

What I ate: I bought a Utica greens Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. But the owner insisted I try a New York-style supreme pizza. And a deep-dish char-roni pizza. Ive been eating it ever since.

Why this pizza? The Utica greens pizza is what Anthony makes when hes hungry. Hes Italian, and he loves his greens and bread. This is the best of both.

A Utica greens pizza at Pump Pizza in Mattydale, the 51st stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

RATINGS (out of 5)

Crust: 4/5. The crust for the New York pizza is vastly different than the Chicago style. Different ingredients. Different process.

The dough for both pizzas is made a day in advance, just separately. Both use a high-gluten all-trumps flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Anthony adds butter to the Chicago mix. He presses it into deep-dish pans, lets the dough rise and partially cooks them and stores them into a cooler next to the pizza prep table.

Pizza shells for Chicago-style pizzas to be made today at Pump Pizza in Mattydale, the 51st stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

They come out much heavier, almost like a thick pastry. Its not stretchy, and it tastes like a dense buttered roll. The crust ends up being an inch thick in the center and 1 inches on the outer rim.

The traditional dough has a different salt-to-sugar-to-water ratio and no butter. Manager/pizziola Henry Tiger Lambert hand-stretches the New York base until you can almost see through it.

You could put the same toppings on a Chicago pizza and a New York pizza, and theyd taste so different, Tiger said. Its a different experience.

Hes right. They brought me out a New York-style works pizza with cup-and-char pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, and onions. The center crust was -inch at its thickest point and -inch on the edge. The ultra-thin crust was merely a tasty vehicle for the toppings.

Toppings: 5/5. Anthony and Tiger make their own red sauce for the pizza, using sweet Alta Cucina tomatoes with basil, oregano and onion. It makes their pizza unique. Syracuse.com restaurant critic Jared Paventi once raved about this simple, fresh tomato sauce back in 2021: Not too heavy on the garlic or herbs, not too sour or sweet. The flavor of fresh tomatoes was accented by a dusting of parmesan cheese, imparting a salty, slightly nutty flavor. It was thick with coarsely chopped, not chunky tomatoes, but still fit for the Chicago-style pizza that eats more like a casserole than the New York-style slices were accustomed to in Central New York.

Anthony Manicone adds cheese to a Chicago-style pizza at Pump Pizza in Mattydale, the 51st stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Todays meal, though, features Anthonys greens. He uses both sausage and prosciutto with the escarole he cuts and sautees here. He mixes a too-modest amount of hot cherry peppers. Cmon, Anthony! I get that you want to make these approachable to the less-daring customers, but I was hoping to ignite a fire in my mouth.

The parmesan, provolone and Grande mozzarella served as nutty and creamy binder.

Value: 3/5. The Chicago deep-dish pizzas are available in 10- or 12-inch pans. I paid $23 for the smaller pizza. The price per square-inch bit was just over 29 cents, making it and the Chicago pizza from Tangy Tomato the most expensive of the pizzas I ate this year. That said, both of those pizzas were heavier than all. The Utica Greenza pizza at Pump weighed nearly 3 pounds. Considering the ingredients that pack on the pounds here, thats a good value.

Charisma: 4/5. This pizzas got the kind of swagger that grabs your attention from the get-go. The crust is golden and sturdy, holding up like a champ with stretchy cheese that refuses to let go. The hearty greens on top and crumbled pork gives it a full force of flavors. Its rustic, its bold, and its unapologetically delicious.

Total: 16/20. I have to show you the New York pizza next to the one that Im actually featuring. This just shows you the variety available at Pump. Anthony also brought out a wedge of the crispy cup-and-char pepperoni Chicago-style pizza.

Oh, and he sent me home with a bag of homemade cookies that his mother from Italy baked.

What? Thats what we do, he said. Do you want to try some of the Chicken Francese? Ill go make you a plate.

No! I cant! Yes, I want to, but I need to have enough room for Christmas dinner. Thanks, though.

Lunch at Pump Pizza in Mattydale, the 51st stop on our CNY Pizza Tour. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)

Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drinks and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. (AND he pays for what he and his guests eat and drink, just so you know.) You can also find him under @HoosierCuse on Twitter and on Instagram. Sign up for his weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Gwendolyn Dowdell, a trailblazing Syracuse police detective committed to protecting vulnerable people, died Wednesday at the age of 72.

Dowdell was born in Mississippi then moved to Syracuse in 1969.

She graduated from Central Technical High School in 1971 and took a job working as a key puncher for Onondaga County. Later in life, she found her calling as a Syracuse police officer.

She joined the police academy June 30, 1986 and was appointed an officer a few months later. It was late in life for a new officer, especially one with five children.

In a 1995 interview with The Post-Standard, Dowdell said she was a 34-year-old housewife when she started at the academy. Her husband was supportive; he would run with her to train for her physical test.

Laura Walker, a retired officer, said that even as one of the older cadets and after five children, Dowdell excelled in the physical and academic requirements of the academy.

Dowdell was part of a group who fought the departments hiring age cap of 29. She was in the first class of officers that included older recruits.

In the 1995 interview, Dowdell said it was crucial for officers to be aware of the differences between criminals and law-abiding citizens.

Otherwise, we start treating citizens like crooks and then they perceive us as the enemy, she said.

Dowdell was the older sister of Syracuse Common Council President Helen Hudson, who told syracuse.com that her sister had to be tough working as a Black woman in the police department, but she also used kindness and warmth as tools for succeeding on the job.

When she would give them that good hearty laugh and then that big old hug, they had no choice but to love her, Hudson said.

She remembered a time when they were in the car on a shopping outing and came upon a car that had drifted off the road because the roads were slippery.

She got out of that car in a blizzard and started stopping traffic, Hudson said. She was a phenomenal woman.

Victoria Baratta, an officer who worked with Dowdell, told Syracuse.com that Dowdell had an aura that made strangers feel like they knew her.

Baratta remembered a time when she responded to a call with Dowdell and she was speaking to the people involved like old friends. By the end of the call, Dowdell hugged them. Baratta asked how long Dowdell had known the people. Dowdell responded that she had never met them before.

She made everyone feel comfortable, Baratta said.

She was eventually promoted to detective in the domestic violence, child abuse and missing persons units.

Dowdell and her partner, Michael Harrington, were some of the first detectives assigned to the domestic violence unit in its infancy, according to The Post-Standard archives.

The pair worked to show victims that the department was working to take these incidents as seriously as any other crime. Before the unit was created, more than 13,250 domestic violence calls did not end in arrests. In 1994, things began to change, in part thanks to Dowdell and Harrington.

Most of their time was spent doing follow-up visits to women after patrol officers responded to an initial domestic violence call at their homes. They would check on victims, make sure that the abuse is not continuing, or help victims obtain orders of protection.

One domestic violence victim told The Post-Standard how Dowdell changed her perspective.

Investigator Dowdell told me I could get help. She made it clear you could always press charges, that you dont have to take the abuse, said Melody Carmona, a domestic violence victim. Shes definitely different. Shes so supportive. She really cares about womens rights.

Dowdell spent days tracking down Carmonas boyfriend to arrest him.

In the 1995 newspaper interview, Dowdell said the biggest challenge of their job was convincing victims that they deserve better.

This file photo shows city domestic violence investigators Gwen Dowdell and Mike Harrington working on paperwork at their desks on the fifth floor of the Public Safety building.Tim Reese

Its especially important to convince women that they deserve love, respect and a life without fear, Dowdell said.

Dowdell worked tirelessly to help survivors and hold their abusers accountable.

She loved what she did, Barratta said, and it showed.

The Rev. Grace Kelley-Neal, another retired officer, said Dowdell often took the time to make sure others around her were taken care of. After Officer Wallie Howard was killed in the line of duty, Dowdell organized a service in conjunction with CAMP 415, the association for minority police officers, to honor Howard, Kelley-Neal said.

She was unforgettable, Kelley-Neal said. She cared about people.

Walker said Dowdell had a talent for knowing when someone was feeling down and how to help.

Dowdell received the Vera Houses highest recognition, the Sister Mary Vera Recognition Award, which celebrates people who make significant contributions to those affected by domestic and sexual violence.

She has also been honored with the Champion of Children Award, the 1990 Police Benevolent Association Merit and Valor Award and several other local and state honors. In 2021, she was honored by state Sen. John Mannion during Black History Month.

Walker said that despite Dowdells accomplishments, she preferred to stay under the radar.

She retired from the force in January 2007 after more than 20 years.

After retiring, she worked as a school resource officer at Corcoran High School and later as a security official at Onondaga County Community College.

Her family, including her husband, children and grandchildren, were the other joy in her life, according to her obituary.

Baratta and Walker said Dowdell was famous for her hugs during her time at the police department, too. If you knew her, you were not getting away without a hug from her, they said.

She was a mother of five with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was also a caretaker for her mother in the later years of her life, Kelley-Neal said.

A 1995 file photo of Gwendolyn Dowdell.Carl J. Single

Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at ahayes@syracuse.com.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23.Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic in the framework of his working visit to the Republic of Serbia on December 23, 2024, Trend reports.

According to the information, the prospects of bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Serbia, as well as regional and international security issues, were discussed during the meeting.

Jeyhun Bayramov noted the importance of visits and high-level contacts in the development of strategic partnership relations between Azerbaijan and Serbia and emphasized the importance of maintaining the existing dynamics in this field.

Furthermore, it was noted that the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Serbia is an important platform for further expansion of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the current state of cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector and touched upon the prospects of cooperation.

The importance of cooperation in the field of production and export of alternative energy was noted.

In addition, information was presented on Azerbaijan's potential in the field of green energy production.

At the same time, mutual interest was expressed in the implementation of joint projects in the sphere of tourism between the two countries, in particular in the creation of direct air transport communication.

Detailed information was provided on the results of the COP29 event held in Azerbaijan this year, and the importance of joint efforts in the field of climate diplomacy was emphasized. Confidence was expressed that the Expo-2027 event would create additional opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.

Bayramov also informed the opposite side in detail about the current situation in the region in the post-conflict period, the large-scale reconstruction and construction works carried out in the territories liberated from occupation, efforts to combat the mine threat, as well as the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The meeting also featured an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest, the statement reads.
The Italian Data Protection Authority (DPA) on Friday fined OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, 15 million euros ($15.66 million) for violations of data privacy laws by its artificial intelligence app.

The Italian watchdog, Garante Per La Protezione Dei Dati Personali, has ordered OpenAI to launch a six-month institutional communication campaign on radio, television, newspapers, and the Internet to raise public awareness about ChatGPT.

This campaign will specifically talk about OpenAIs data collection practices from users and non-users to train its AI model and the rights exercisable by the users, including those of opposition, rectification, and cancellation.

ChatGPT users and non-users should be made aware of how to oppose the training of generative artificial intelligence with their personal data and, therefore, be effectively placed in the position to exercise their rights under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), the Garante said in its news release.

The investigation, which began in March 2023, revealed several GDPR breaches by OpenAI, which included the companys failure to promptly notify Garante of a data breach that exposed user information.

This lack of transparency delayed the authoritys ability to respond and safeguard affected individuals.

It was also found that OpenAI utilized users personal data to train ChatGPT without first identifying an adequate legal basis and violated the principle of transparency and the related information obligations towards users.

Additionally, OpenAI failed to implement age verification measures, raising concerns about exposing children under 13 to content inappropriate for their developmental stage and self-awareness.

Reacting to the recent fine, OpenAI dubbed the decision disproportionate and announced it would appeal.

When the Garante ordered us to stop offering ChatGPT in Italy in 2023, we worked with them to reinstate it a month later. Theyve since recognized our industry-leading approach to protecting privacy in AI, yet this fine is nearly 20 times the revenue we made in Italy during the relevant period, an OpenAI spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

However, OpenAI added it remained committed to working with privacy authorities worldwide to offer beneficial AI that respects privacy rights.

The recent fine imposed on OpenAI follows previous action against the company when the Garante had temporarily banned ChatGPT in the country in March 2023 over alleged violations of the European Unions GDPR.

However, the platform was later restored after OpenAI introduced measures regarding user consent for data usage in AI training.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on the improvement of management in the sphere of utilization of non-metallic mineral deposits in the Republic of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

According to the decree, AzerGold Closed Joint Stock Company should:

- analyze the current situation in the field of development of non-metallic mineral deposits with the involvement of reputable international consulting companies, study the relevant market, and, depending on the results of the conducted research, prepare within four months proposals to improve management in this area and submit them to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan;

- within six months to prepare and submit to the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan proposals on improvement of national standards in the field of study, exploration, development, and exploitation of non-metallic mineral deposits taking into account international standards;

- to take the necessary measures to resolve other issues arising from this decree.

The Cabinet of Ministers is instructed to solve the issues arising from this decree.

This decree comes into force from the date of its signing.
Russia says oil spill may have polluted 200,000 tonnes of soil



Moscow, Dec 23 (AFP) Dec 23, 2024



An oil slick from two damaged tankers off the coast of southern Russia this month may have polluted up to 200,000 tonnes of soil, Russia's minister of natural resources said on Monday.

"The volume of polluted soil could reach 200,000 tonnes," Alexander Kozlov said at a meeting broadcast by the Zvezda channel on Telegram.

On December 15, two Russian oil tankers, the Volgoneft-212 and the Volgoneft-239 were hit by a storm in the Kerch Strait, with one sinking and the other running aground.

The strait separates southern Russia from the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

The ships were carrying 9,200 tonnes of fuel oil, around 40 percent of which may have spilled into the sea, according to Russian authorities.

President Vladimir Putin last week called it an "ecological disaster".

Fuel oil was found along dozens of kilometres of beach, with the seaside resort of Anapa particularly hard hit.

The port city of Kerch, in annexed Crimea, also saw patches of fuel oil arrive on its shores, according to images broadcast by local authorities.

Volunteers in white protective clothing have been clearing up beaches in the region, according to images published on Monday by regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev.

"Volunteers said that last night almost everything had been cleaned up, but during the night the waves deposited fuel oil again," he said.

Local authorities also broadcast images of oil-spattered birds being treated by volunteers.

Ten dolphins may also have been killed by the oil spill, the specialist Delpha centre said on Sunday, adding that tests were needed to confirm the cause of death.

"This is an extremely alarming situation," the scientific institution, which protects dolphins in the Black Sea, said on Telegram.
Japanese car makers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger that would form the worlds third-largest car manufacturer by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels.

The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors had also agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses.

Car makers in Japan have lagged behind their big rivals in electric vehicles and are trying to cut costs and make up for lost time as newcomers like Chinas BYD and EV market leader Tesla devour market share.

Nissan has been fighting to survive. Credit: Bloomberg

Hondas president, Toshihiro Mibe, said Honda and Nissan will attempt to unify their operations under a joint holding company. Honda will lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. They aim to have a formal merger agreement by June and to complete the deal and list the holding company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by August 2026, he said.
Blue Sky Kids Land promised exceptional care to its tiny customers and their parents, ornamenting them in flower girl dresses, intricate christening gowns and miniature three-piece suits to make them the star at its shops across Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra.

But the kids clothing store also systematically exploited its staff, paying them as little as $10 an hour while blocking Fair Work inspectors from entering their stores, threatening to fire those who spoke to regulators and ordering the mass deletion of timesheets so the abuse of workers rights could not be revealed.

Blue Sky Kid Lands store in Parramatta. Credit: Edwina Pickles

On Friday, as the Christmas shopping rush entered its final stretch, Blue Skys cute facade of fairy dresses and pink bows came crashing down.

The company and its two directors, Guo Dong Gu, and his wife, Fei Rong Yang, were fined more than $5.1 million for exploiting four Chinese migrants and obstructing Fair Work inspectors.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev has sent a congratulatory letter to President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of your birthday!

I wish Azerbaijan, under your leadership, the achievement of all its set goals, accelerated development, and prosperity. I also extend my best wishes to you.

I believe that the strong friendship and cooperation established between our fraternal peoples will continue to be comprehensively strengthened.

I deeply value our relationship and always recall our meetings with warm feelings.

Taking this opportunity, I wish you, dear Ilham Heydar oglu, good health, great success, happiness and well-being for your family, and peace and prosperity for the fraternal people of Azerbaijan," the letter reads.
Firefighters have warned that Victorias power supply could be at risk and extra pressure placed on the national grid as crucial equipment deployed to respond to mine and power station fires in the Latrobe Valley undergoes repairs.

It comes as firefighters battle multiple bushfires across several states.

The inferno at Hazelwood in February 2014. Credit: Keith Pakenham

Since the Hazelwood coal mine fire in 2014, which burned for four weeks and contributed to the deaths of 11 people, authorities have stationed an aerial pumper at Morwell, which can safely direct water into coal mine fires.

Its primary purpose is to provide rapid response to fires at Yallourn, Loy Yang A and Loy Yang B power plants, their coal, and the transmission infrastructure connecting them to the grid, as well as the interconnector to Tasmania that terminates in the region.
Ive never been a big Christmas person, largely because my family didnt celebrate it when I was growing up. Because of this, I didnt have any core Christmas memories  or at least, I didnt until last year.

They do say Christmas is about the kids  the joy of gift giving, the merriment of Christmas food and special treats, its all made better when you have little ones around to truly revel in the magic of it all. I just didnt expect my own little one to choose to show up six weeks early, with a mission to be born as close to Christmas as possible.

Zoya Patel went into labour on Christmas morning, six weeks early. Credit:

I was eight months pregnant when I went to bed on Christmas Eve, 2023, uncomfortably large but determined to enjoy the holidays. My husband and I had made our annual Christmas trip from Canberra to the South Coast  a tradition that, much to the chagrin of locals, half of Canberra shares. And after 11 beach Christmases, I was glad to be spending my last Yuletide sans children in our familiar sandy paradise.

I had spent the day in the ocean, letting the waves lift the weight of my baby and making me feel light and mobile for the first time in ages. My due date was January 31, 2024, and I was dreading the idea of being nine months pregnant in the worst of the summer heat. But at least I wouldnt have to worry about a vulnerable newborn in a Canberra winter, I reasoned.
Queenslands new LNP government has looked interstate to rein back the cost of the states hospital capacity expansion program, which it claims blew out by billions under the former Labor regime.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls said Sam Sangster, who had extensive hospital infrastructure delivery in NSW and South Australia, was well-placed to oversee the expansion of 11 hospitals, the delivery of three more, plus the Queensland Cancer Centre.

Sangster said while his remit was broad, it would still be up to the government to deliver the goods.

Sam Sangster, pictured in 2019 when he was CEO of Sydneys Western City & Aerotropolis Authority. Credit: Wayne Taylor

They may not agree with some of them, or we may have strong agreement, but thats my job as an independent reviewer, to form recommendations for government, he said.
This year changed my life. I havent felt that way about many, if any, of the 34 years I lived before this one. But I am certain what I experienced in 2024 will stay with me forever.

I work for UNICEF, the United Nations childrens agency, and until this year I was a largely desk-bound international civil servant at the organisations New York headquarters. I left my life in Perth to leap from journalism into the world of humanitarian assistance and I loved every second of it, but I had always imagined my boots being far dirtier than they got in Manhattan.

Ingram in October 2024, in a shelter in Beirut. Credit: Fouad Choufany

In 2024, I burnt through two pairs of Dr Martens. I completed two missions to the war in the Gaza Strip, one stint to the war in Lebanon, and now I write this from Sudan, where more children are on the run from the countrys brutal conflict than in any other place in the world.

It is impossible to compare these three conflicts except for one consistent fact  the children in each country are paying a very heavy price for violence not of their making. They are being killed, maimed, violated, recruited, displaced, abducted or denied the basic supplies they need to make it to tomorrow, and the day after.
Trojan horse turncoat ads Dangu said eGobbler was probably able to advertise via Google using a Trojan horse technique, first building a reputation as a genuine advertiser by posting real ads. Loading In Australia and Germany, the group was initially posting ads for high-end womens clothing outlets, which resulted in these real companies getting free advertising as a result of the fraudulent scheme, Dangu explained. After running the inoffensive ads for a while, the scam advertiser will turn coat without warning, paying tens of thousands of dollars to push the bad ads. By the time the advertiser is blocked, the campaign has already been live for hours and seen by millions of people.

They win, because they just got their two hours of success. And then they do it again next time, Dangu said. A Google spokesperson this month said their team would debrief to see how the ads featuring the photoshopped images of Albanese had been served to Australians. This scam ad showing a photoshopped image of comedian Russell Brand was also detected by Confiant. Credit: Confiant Ads that exploit the names and likenesses of public figures for financial gain are unacceptable, they said. When we find ads that violate our policies, we will remove them. The ad in question was removed within hours. The spokesperson said Google bad actors were becoming more sophisticated and achieving a greater reach, evolving their tactics in an attempt to evade detection. This includes a technique called cloaking, where Google reviewers are shown different content than what appears for the person subsequently viewing the published ad online.

Advertiser profiles set up by scammers can sometimes be based on inaccurate or fraudulent information, the Google spokesperson said. Katherine Mansted, head of cyber intelligence at cybersecurity company CyberCX, said all sorts of illegal online activity spikes during this time of year because the bad actors knew companies were operating with a skeleton security staff and that the public was more likely to be spending time online. Katherine Mansted, of CyberCX. Whether were talking scammers, cyber criminals or nation states, they exploit critical holiday periods like Thanksgiving, like the Christmas shutdown. The latest suspected eGobbler attack occurred on the evening of November 26, about two days before Thanksgiving. Around the same time, similar ads were earning millions of impressions across Europe, as people in Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden were beginning their day, Dangu said.

The reason they target the US holidays is because they know that these tech companies are based in the US, and so theres less attention [on security], he said. Loading Although the ads ran on many different websites, including Australian news outlets, Dangu said they all originated from Google, which serves up ads to many third-party websites. He said Google was a prime target for major scam ad attacks because of its dominance of the global digital ad supply. Mansted agreed, noting that while Google had been doing more to counter bad actors abusing its paid ads, its not enough because it only takes an hour or an even shorter amount of time for potentially hundreds or thousands of people to be exposed to a malicious ad. More than 90 per cent of ad impressions traded via the ad tech supply chain passed through at least one Google service in 2020, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission estimated.

The ACCC has raised concerns that this market dominance could harm Australian publishers and consumers. Google is facing two proposed Australian class action lawsuits over allegations the search giant engaged in anticompetitive conduct in the digital advertising market. Google on the hook Among the websites to be impacted by the shocking ads featuring Albanese were those belonging to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald newspapers, published by Nine, the owner of this masthead. The ads sparked a flurry of reader complaints. Nine has expressed frustration with Google about rising instances of these types of scam ads, some of which use artificial intelligence. We have raised a number of concerns directly with Google and are in active discussions with them to rectify the increase of inappropriate advertising through programmatic ad marketplaces, a Nine spokesperson said.

Loading Like most major publishers, Nine utilises programmatic advertising which automatically serves digital advertising to readers. The ad in question was not approved by Nine, has no place on our platforms, and does not reflect the rigorous editorial standards that we uphold. While we took immediate action to remove and block the ad from our site, we apologise to any readers who were impacted or offended by it. Australias Financial Services Minister Stephen Jones said new laws currently before parliament would place an obligation on tech platforms such as Google to prevent this type of content being shared. The governments legislation puts digital platforms on the hook for publishing scam content and gives them the choice to either prevent scams, or face hefty fines and compensation for victims.

Some of the scam ads linked to this investment scam website, showing this counterfeit news article. How the scam works Some scam ads that showed the phoney images of Albanese were linked to a fake Nine News article. The headline read: A new project called Quantum Ai has launched, offering every Australian the opportunity to earn an impressive $25,000 AUD per month, starting with just $400! People who clicked on the article were encouraged to register their name, email and phone number to sign up for the investment project. Instead, their details would have likely been provided to scammers. Sergeant Alexander Kazagrandi, with the Australian Federal Polices Joint Policing Cybercrime Co-ordination Centre, said once Australians registered their contact details with an investment scam website, they were typically contacted within a day or two, then asked to make a small initial deposit.

Sometimes, theyll be handed over to another agent or [the] so-called manager and prompted to invest more and more as time goes on. These relationships or these interactions can last days or several months, he said. Loading Sometimes, they will even offer the victim a small amount to withdraw to [give people the impression they have had] these significant earnings  unfortunately, when the rug is pulled, its quite often very difficult to recover those funds. A recent investigation by this masthead heard from criminal insiders and cybercrime investigators who said scam marketing companies, known as affiliates, could earn between $100 to $3000 in commission for passing on the details of a single victim to scammers. Dangu said eGobbler would have multiple criminal partners to whom they could sell the personal data, estimating that the group could have made tens of millions of dollars from their latest scam advertising blitz.
Anthony Albanese has intervened for a third time in a preselection fight for a prize Labor seat, benefiting his own Left faction and infuriating the Right.

Georges River councillor Ashvini Ambihaipahar was chosen last week as Labors candidate for the safe Sydney seat of Barton, replacing former Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and new Labor candidate for Barton Ashvini Ambihaipahar. Credit: AAPIMAGE

Albanese joined Ambihaipahar on Monday to announce her candidacy, describing her as a cracker of a candidate and someone who has an enormous commitment to this local community, and someone who I think will really add something to our team as we seek a second term in government.

Ambihaipahar emphasised her links to the local community and her career as a scientist, then a lawyer and then with the St Vincent de Paul Society and as a state candidate.
Aquaculture also eases demand pressure on our wild fishing stocks. A salmon farm in Tasmania. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Salmon Tasmanias website states the regulations strike a balance between growing a vital protein source, which is produced with minimal environmental impacts due to careful management. The industry states its physical footprint on the water is 4000 hectares, compared to 426 million for agriculture on land. Tasmanian waterways are not, and never can be, overrun by salmon pens, it said.

Green gripes However, environmental groups paint a different picture. Loading The industry puts into the sea more pollutants than all of Tasmanias sewage outfalls combined, said Australian Marine Conservation Society sustainable seafood program manager Adrian Meder. The organisations GoodFish sustainable seafood guide told shoppers to reject Tasmanian farmed salmon this Christmas, warning that the huge expansion of the industrys footprint could lead to high environmental impacts.

Wild fish kilometres from salmon farms have been found with antibiotic residue in their flesh. There are strict health guidelines around food containing antibiotics, due to the potential for uncontrolled use to lead to the creation of so-called superbugs in the human population. Farmed salmon are sometimes treated with antibiotics to prevent infections that can kill fish or hurt production levels. The Salmon Tasmania website said only its veterinarians can prescribe antibiotics. Meder said nutrient-rich salmon waste is churned out from salmon pens, disrupting the marine ecosystem. It has been linked to algal blooms that have, in some instances, clogged inshore reefs in several locations near farms. A Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry completed in 2022 warned that the industrys rapid growth had been facilitated by the state government, which is an enthusiastic promoter and supporter of the industry. It included several scientific expert submissions that warned about algal outbreaks and issued a recommendation for ceasing operations in sensitive, sheltered and biodiverse areas  a call Meder said had been ignored.

Salmon Tasmania rejected these claims. Loading We do not know who the Australian Marine Conservation Society is, what their agenda is, or who funds them, but we are very confident in the sustainability of our operations across Tasmania, Martin said. Harbouring doubts Macquarie Harbour on Tasmanias west coast is not the main source of salmon supply, producing around 13 per cent of annual production.

But it is where the most controversial leases are, because it is the only home for the incredibly rare and ancient relic, the Maugean skate, of which there are only 40 to 120 adults left in the wild. Salmon farming began there in the late 1980s, and all three of Tasmanias salmon companies, Tassal, Huon and Petuna, operate in the waterway. They have recently scaled back the size of their operations as concerns about the industrys impact on the critically endangered fish grew. The federal governments threatened species committee said in August the best way to save the endangered fish was to eliminate, or at least dramatically cut back on, salmon farming in its habitat. The committee said there was a significant correlation between low oxygen levels and an increase in salmon farming. Farmed fish suck up a lot of the oxygen in the water, while fish food and faeces that enter the water via the salmon pens feed oxygen-consuming bacteria.

Salmon farmers are trialling mechanical systems that push micro bubbles of oxygen to the bottom of the harbour. No fish farming should ever pose an extinction threat to an endangered species, and no other fish farming industry in Australia does, Meder said. Its actually really easy to do fish farming better than this. Salmon Tasmania has warned that scaling back the industry could cut the 260 local jobs that it generates and claimed that multiple factors affected water quality, not just farming, including climate change and disruption from hydroelectric dams to river flows into Macquarie Harbour. Political fallout Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has on her desk a request from environment groups to revoke licences for farming in Macquarie Harbour, but a decision is not expected before an election due by May.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has accused the government of seeking to shut down the salmon industry. The governments prepared to hang the local community out to dry, he said this month. Macquarie Harbour is in the Braddon electorate, which the Liberal Party won from Labor at the 2019 election. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hopes to win Braddon back. He visited on December 14 and declared he would not pre-empt Pliberseks legal responsibilities as environment minister, but nevertheless guaranteed the industry would continue under his leadership. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits salmon farms in Macquarie Harbour, on Tasmanias west coast. As long as Im prime minister, there will be support for jobs here in Tasmania because I understand how important it is for the Tasmanian economy, Albanese declared. Plibersek was absent from his visit.
Thousands of tunnelling workers on Sydneys massive road and rail projects have been exposed to high levels of deadly silica dust for at least seven years, with the regulators warnings conveyed to multibillion-dollar contractors but kept from the public.

SafeWork NSW, Transport for NSW and iCare, and contractors CPB and Lendlease, have been intimately aware of the dangers posed by silica on road-tunnelling projects such as NorthConnex and WestConnex since early 2018, documents produced under a NSW parliamentary order show.

The threat was considered so severe that SafeWork, the workplace health and safety regulator, warned compliance action would be undertaken to ensure worker safety.

The NorthConnex tunnel in Sydney being constructed in 2017. Credit: Brook Mitchell

But questions remain about what action was taken against companies to ensure workers health was prioritised.
The most difficult university courses in Victoria to get into based on selection rank have been revealed, and the top three include dentistry.

The University of Melbourne has dominated the top rankings of hard-to-reach degrees this year: seven of its courses are among the 10 with the highest selection-rank requirements.

Students lucky enough to have cracked this years toughest-to-get-into course on the list will be heading to La Trobe Universitys Bendigo campus to study dental science (honours), which required a minimum selection rank of 99.9.

The minimum selection rank is a students ATAR plus any additional adjustments, such as special consideration, that they have been awarded.
New York: The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty on Monday to state murder and terror charges while his attorney complained that comments coming from New Yorks mayor would make it tough to receive a fair trial.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was shackled and seated in a Manhattan court when he leaned over to a microphone to enter his plea. The Manhattan district attorney charged him last week with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in a state case that will run alongside his federal prosecution.

Luigi Mangione is escorted into Manhattan criminal court for his arraignment on state murder and terror charges. Credit: AP

His initial appearance in New Yorks state trial court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting. The federal charges carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday.

Under your leadership, the Republic of Azerbaijan continues to advance successfully along the path of sustainable socio-economic development, playing an important and constructive role in regional and international affairs. Your consistent efforts in this direction have earned you high authority both among your compatriots and on the global stage.

I would especially like to acknowledge your constant attention to the comprehensive expansion of friendship and cooperation between our countries. Thanks to strong political will, we have elevated Tajikistani-Azerbaijani relations to a qualitatively new level of strategic partnership this year. We remain committed to further advancing this process in line with the fundamental interests of our fraternal peoples.

I greatly value our friendship and the trust-based nature of our personal relationship. I am confident that, through joint efforts, we will continue to enrich the multifaceted ties between our two countries with new constructive examples and achieve even greater strengthening of these bonds.

Taking this pleasant opportunity, I wish you, dear Ilham Heydarovich, robust health and continued success in your responsible endeavors for the benefit of the friendly people of Azerbaijan," the letter reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on ensuring the activity of the Azerbaijan Business Development Fund and making amendments to some decrees and orders of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in this regard, Trend reports.

According to the decree, the Charter of the Azerbaijan Business Development Fund and the Order of Use of Funds of the Azerbaijan Business Development Fund have been approved.

Moreover, it was noted that residual assets for 189.7 million manat ($111.5 million) on preferential loans granted to business entities by the Entrepreneurship Development Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan through authorized credit organizations in the process of liquidation shall be written off from the statutory fund of the Entrepreneurship Development Fund, and the right of claim is transferred to the assets of these authorized credit organizations.

The Cabinet of Ministers must approve within four months the procedure for financing business entities with soft loans, as well as making investments and informing the head of state, studying the possibilities of applying other financing mechanisms taking into account the requirements of the economy, and, depending on the result, submitting its proposals to the President and solving other issues arising from the decree.

The Ministry of Economy must approve within a month the structure of the Fund, as well as the labor remuneration fund, the maximum number of employees, and the number of their salaries (official salary, additional payments to the official salary, bonuses, and other payments), and take the necessary measures to solve other issues arising from the decree.
India can never permit others to have veto on its choicesIndia can never permit others to have veto on its choices





Mumbai

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said India can never permit others to have a veto on its choices and will do whatever is right in the national interest and for the global good without being intimidated to conform. In a video message for a function in Mumbai on Saturday, he said when India is etched more deeply in global consciousness, its repercussions are truly profound. In a world grappling with unhealthy habits, stressed lifestyles or recurring climate events, there is much learning to be gained from India's heritage. But the world will only know when the countrymen take pride in it, he said. In an age of globalisation, technology and tradition must march together, said Jaishankar. Bharat will inevitably progress but it must do so without losing its Bharatiyata. Only then can we truly emerge as a leading power in a multi-polar world, he said. Jaishankar was conferred the 27th SIES Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati National Eminence Award.

The awards are given in four fields  Public Leadership, Community Leadership, Human endeavour, Science and Technology and Social Leadership  with primacy on spiritualism. The awards are named after the late 68th Seer of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi. The Foreign Minister did not attend the event but sent his video message. Independence should never be confused with neutrality. We will do whatever is right in our national interest and for global good without being intimidated to conform. Bharat can never permit others to have a veto on its choices, he said.

For too long we were schooled to visualise progress and modernity as a rejection of our heritage and traditions, Jaishankar said. Perhaps, this came from an affinity for imported models, or perhaps it was a discomfort with its own practices. But now as the deepening of democracy has thrown up more authentic voices, the country is rediscovering itself and finding again its own persona, he said. Jaishankar said India is an exceptional nation because it is a civilisation state. Such a country will only exercise influence when it fully leverages its cultural strengths in the global arena, he said. To that it is essential that we ourselves, the younger generation, are fully aware of the value and significance of our heritage. This can be articulated at various levels, but most importantly it should have an impact at the societal level, he said. Jaishankar said India is poised today at a crucial juncture. On the one hand, the last decade has demonstrated that it has the capabilities, confidence and, most importantly, the commitment to advance development across broad fronts. It has shown that the age-old problems of poverty, discrimination and lack of opportunities can be indeed addressed. On the global stage, it has established itself as an independent power but one committed to global good, especially the well-being of the global south, he said. At the same time, however, the constraints and limitations that have long been our bane still remain in place. There are viewpoints and ideologies which are more pessimistic and even denigrating of ourselves, added Jaishankar.
Discussion on technical co-operation between NITTTR, Ministry of Defence





Staff Reporter

Commander Kuldeep S Nehra, Quality Assurance Officer, Bhopal Unit of Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA), Ministry of Defence held detailed discussions with the Institute Director Prof. C.C. Tripathi for mutual cooperation. On this occasion, Institute Director Prof. C.C. Tripathi said that our Institute is dedicated for training human resources. Our Institute is fully capable of providing in-service education, recognition of prior education and experience, and creation of courses and training programs for the employees of the defence sector as per specific requirements.

NITTTR Bhopal will feel proud to work with the Ministry of Defence in any form, and cooperation between the two institutions can create many new possibilities. Commander Kuldeep S Nehra visited the Industry 4.0 laboratories of the Center of Excellence of NITTTR Bhopal and appreciated the tremendous technological advancement of the Institute. He said that NITTTR Bhopal can work in collaboration with various defense institutions and play an important role in providing training in advanced technology in the defense sector. NITTTR Bhopals high-quality technical facilities and training programs can be helpful in meeting the modern needs of the defense sector. A possible Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NITTTR Bhopal and the Ministry of Defense was also discussed, which would establish a formal agreement for future cooperation and partnership between the two institutions. On this occasion Dean Corporate and International Relations of NITTTR Bhopal Prof. PK Purohit, Prof. Manish Bhargava and Major Nishant Ojha were also present.
HC raps prosecution for taking no steps for 8 months

Staff Reporter

THE Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has sharply criticised the prosecution for its failure to take necessary steps for eight months, despite the examination of 22 witnesses in the child kidnapping case. While allowing the bail application of the accused, Justice Urmila JoshiPhalke also reminded, It is the duty of every Court to protect the right of the accused as far as the aspect of speedy trial is concerned.



The Court also directed to communicate the order to the Director of the prosecution.The case is based on the kidnapping of a four-yearold boy, Nayan Mukesh Luniya, who was abducted on February 17, 2021 in Amravati. The crime was registered under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. Accused Israr Mobin Muktar Shaikh, arrested on April 24, 2021, and has been in custody since then. His defense lawyer Adv Rajendra Daga argued that the trial was being unduly delayed, with no steps taken by the prosecution to secure the presence of the remaining witnesses for cross-examination. The roznama, or case diary, indicated a total lack of initiative from the prosecution, despite numerous court dates in which the prosecutor failed to request any action to bring witnesses to court. In her detailed order, Justice

Joshi-Phalke pointed out that 22 witnesses are already examined by the prosecution but within eight months, no steps are taken by the prosecution. She noted that, based on the courts own records, there had been no effort by the prosecution or any direction from the court to secure the presence of the remaining witnesses, despite multiple opportunities. The judge further criticised the gross inaction on the part of the concerned prosecutor. The court stressed that the responsibility to protect the accuseds constitutional right to a speedy trial lay not only with the prosecutor but also with the judiciary. Justice Joshi-Phalke stressed the courts duty to actively ensure the accuseds right to a fair and prompt trial under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty. Justice Joshi-Phalke also referenced the right to a speedy trial in several recent Supreme Court decisions, which have underlined that delays in trial, especially when caused by prosecutorial inaction, could result in an infringement of an accused persons rights. In particular, the court cited recent rulings in Javed Gulam Nabi Sheikh v State of Maharashtra and Sheikh Javed Iqubal @ Ashfaq Ansari @ Javed Ansari v State of Uttar Pradesh, where the Supreme Court granted bail due to similar delays in trial proceedings. Finally, the court granted bail to the accused with several restrictions.
Mohali building collapse: Body of man found, death toll climbs to 2





CHANDIGARH

THE death toll in the Mohali building collapse climbed to two with the body of a 29-year-old man recovered from under the rubble on Sunday, even as a preliminary probe suggested that digging in an adjacent plot led to the incident. The multi-storey building collapsed on Saturday evening in Sohana village of Punjabs Mohali district, with at least five people trapped under its rubble. Rescue efforts continued overnight to find possible survivors. Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Mohali, Damandeep Kaur said one male body was recovered during the ongoing rescue operation. He was identified as Abhishek Dhanwal from Ambala. Earlier in the day, Abhisheks father told reporters at the site that his son, who used to visit a gym in the building, was missing and his phone was not reachable. Abhishek worked in the IT sector and used to live in a nearby area, his father said. Earlier, a 20-year-old woman died in the incident on Saturday evening. The woman hailing from

Himachal Pradesh, died after she was pulled out of the debris of the building. She was rescued from the rubble in a critical condition and was rushed to a hospital, but she succumbed to injuries. Police have booked two building owners. Viraj S Tidke, officiating Deputy Commissioner, said on Sunday that, A 3-storey building collapsed yesterday...The rescue operation continued overnight. So far, two bodies have been recovered. The building also had a basement. Several excavators have been pressed into service. National Disaster Response Team, Army, State rescue teams have been working since Saturday evening to address the crisis. Medical teams, along with an ambulance, have also been deployed at the site.

As the operation continued at the site, required equipment and machinery have been made available to the rescuers, in addition to those brought by the NDRF and Army. Preliminary information suggests that the building, which also had a gym, collapsed due to digging in an adjacent plot. Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police Deepak Pareek told reporters at the site on Sunday that as per preliminary investigations the owner of the building, which collapsed, had a plot of land adjacent to it on which digging work to construct a basement was on. However, no permission was taken and no concerned agency was informed about the unauthorised digging, Pareek said. Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa slammed the Mohali district administration over the incident. Bajwa, a senior Congress leader, who visited the site, told reporters that he has learnt that some structures have been built in the area in flagrant violation of rules. Accountability should be fixed in the matter. As head of district administration, personally, I hold the Deputy Commissioner responsible. ..After a few months another building will collapse and this will continue, so accountability has to be fixed, Bajwa said. He also said the administration should take necessary measures to ensure such incidents are not repeated in the future.
Special farewell ceremony organised for outgoing Commandant Brig Kumar at COD





Staff Reporter

A special ceremony was organised under the aegis of Headquarters Madhya Bharat Area at Central Ordnance Depot (COD), Jabalpur to bid farewell to the outgoing commandant, Brigadier C Vasanta Kumar, as he proceeds to his new posting and to warmly welcome the incoming Commandant, Brigadier Naveen Thapa. The highlight of the event was the symbolic exchange of the "Baton" between Brig C Vasanta Kumar and Brig Naveen Thapa, signifying the formal handing over of command responsibilities.

This moment underscored the tradition of excellence and discipline upheld at COD Jabalpur. Brig C Vasanta Kumar was lauded for his exceptional leadership and significant contributions. Under his guidance, COD Jabalpur achieved remarkable milestones, setting new standards in discipline and management. The farewell turned emotional as officers, jawans, and defence civilians expressed their gratitude and wished him success in his future endeavors. Simultaneously, Brig Naveen Thapa was welcomed with great enthusiasm and optimism. The officers and personnel expressed confidence that COD Jabalpur would continue to scale new heights under his capable leadership. The Works Committee and union members played a pivotal role in organizing the ceremony. Activities like rope-pulling involving all personnel highlighted the unity and team spirit fostered within the organization. The event concluded with heartfelt best wishes for Brig C. Vasanta Kumars future and a warm welcome to Brig Naveen Thapa, marking the beginning of a promising new chapter for COD Jabalpur.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Esteemed Mr. President,

Allow me to extend my warmest wishes to you on your birthday.

Azerbaijan holds great significance for Hungary. I am pleased that our relations have continued to strengthen over the years and have reached the level of strategic partnership, which is of exceptional importance.

Mr. President, I am confident that without your dedication, our shared successes would not have been possible. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for your support.

There is great potential for further expanding cooperation between our countries, particularly in key areas such as energy and water management.

Rest assured, you can count on my personal support and the support of my government to deepen our cooperation and achieve our common goals in the future.

I wish you strong health and much success in fulfilling your important responsibilities," the letter reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. President of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Your Excellency, my dear friend.

It is my privilege to share my warmest congratulations on the occasion of your birthday. The State of Israel joins you in celebration of this momentous day.

Under your leadership, Azerbaijan has become a vibrant nation of economic vitality, prosperity, peace and stability. This is perhaps most beautifully expressed via your nation's inspirational model of religious tolerance and understanding. Especially during this time, when Anti-Semitism is spreading around the world, Azerbaijan is a shining example of our collective potential to live together in harmony. In this way, as in so much else, you are following along the path of peace that your father, the Honorable Heydar Aliyev, of Blessed Memory, also walked along.

As you so eloquently stated, multiculturalism is a gift that must be embraced. The Jewish community of Azerbaijan, which directly feels this warm embrace from you, serves as a living bridge further connecting our two people. Our strategic partnership with your nation provides a pillar of stability for both Israel and our greater region, and we are profoundly grateful for the opportunity to continue working with you to grow and strengthen our many collaborations.

I will always remember and cherish the warm and gracious welcome with which you and your wife, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, hosted Michal and I during our visit to your incredible nation. I am hoping to have the honor of welcoming both you and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva to Israel in the near future as well. Of course, I am also eagerly looking forward to seeing you at the World Economic Forum in Davos early next year.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on the successful convening of the COP29 last mouth. Azerbaijan is a leader in the community of nations, and this was yet another demonstration of your commitment to securing the health and safety of future generations.

As 2024 draws to a close and we look towards 2025, I would also like to share my sincere hopes that the coming year is one of success and prosperity for you, your family, and all the people of Azerbaijan," the letter reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Azerbaijan's membership in D-8 has made the organization even stronger, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after a meeting of the country's Cabinet of Ministers, Trend reports.

"We had bilateral meetings with Egyptian President Sisi and other leaders as part of the summit. We see the positive impact of the sincere dialogue between Turkiye and Egypt in many areas", he added.

To note, the Republic of Azerbaijan was unanimously elected as a member of D-8 on December 19 during the XI D-8 Summit in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. The Forum of Religious Figures of Azerbaijan is taking place in Baku on the topic "Current Issues of Religious Education: Traditions, Experience, and Perspectives," Trend reports.

The event has gathered representatives of relevant government structures, various religious denominations operating in Azerbaijan, as well as teachers from religious educational institutions, theologians, and specialists.

The forum opened with the playing of the country's national anthem, followed by a minute of silence to honor the memory of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev and the martyrs.

Then, Farah Aliyeva, head of the department for humanitarian policy, diaspora issues, multiculturalism, and religion at the Presidential Administration, read a message from President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the forum participants.

More than 100 religious figures, leaders of Islamic and non-Islamic religious communities from different religions, invited from regions of Azerbaijan, are participating in the forum to raise awareness of religious threats, enhance the role of religious leaders in the process of religious education, and examine opinions and proposals regarding the activities of religious communities and figures, as well as the difficulties they face.

The event's panel sessions, covering topics such as "Religious Threats in a Secular State: A Political-Ideological Perspective," "The Role of Religious Factors in the Implementation of Women's Rights," "Azerbaijani Multiculturalism: Practice, Traditions, and Contemporary Challenges," and "Models of Religious Education in a Secular State: Theory and Practice," will discuss key aspects of religious policy, current issues, and the current religious situation in the country.

Additionally, the forum will host a photo exhibition on the theme "Western Azerbaijan: Maps, Exhibits, Monuments, Deportation."

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. The portal of electronic services and information systems AMIN (Azerbaijan Multicultural Information Network), has been presented in Baku, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Ramin Mammadov said, Trend reports.

He made the remark at the Forum of Religious Figures of Azerbaijan on the topic "Pressing Issues of Religious Enlightenment: Tradition, Experience, and Prospects" today.

Mammadov pointed out that Azerbaijan is a unique place where various ethnic and religious communities live together, share common values, and play the role of a spiritual bridge between civilizations.

"The liberated territories are reviving, and our religious monuments are regaining their historical appearance. On the initiative of First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation is successfully carrying out restoration work on historical and cultural monuments in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur.

The Juma Mosque in Aghdam, the mosque in Zangilan, and the mosques in Yukhari Govhar Agha, Ashaghy Govhar Agha, Mamayi, Taza Mahalla, and Saatli have been put into operation after restoration. In several cities and regions, the construction and restoration of mosques, as well as churches, are ongoing.

As President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev emphasizes in his speeches that tolerance, multiculturalism, and respect for religions are our way of life. Our people, with their high moral qualities, simply cannot imagine an alternative to respectful attitudes toward others' values, traditions, and heritage. In the thinking and historical memory of Azerbaijanis, there is no experience of intolerance toward other nations and beliefs.

We see ethnic and religious diversity as not a dividing line but a unifying factor that fosters mutual dialogue. We live in a stable, safe, and prosperous society. We have a strong state that accepts all its citizens, regardless of their religion or ethnic background, and protects them from dangers.

One of the main goals of the AMIN portal is to organize religious education work at a higher level. We believe that this portal will ensure the availability and transparency of services provided by the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations. At the same time, the information systems presented on the portal will demonstrate the unique picture of Azerbaijani multiculturalism.

During the forum, we'll hear proposals from religious figures, government officials, scholars, and representatives of the public and witness fascinating debates. The speeches and panel discussions will provide a clear understanding of the main directions and current issues of Azerbaijan's state policy in the religious sphere.

At the same time, this will allow for studying the existing situation and problems related to the religious situation in the country, threats and challenges, as well as constructive opinions and proposals about the legislative framework," the chairman added.

To note, the Forum of Religious Figures of Azerbaijan on the topic "Pressing Issues of Religious Enlightenment: Tradition, Experience, and Prospects," organized by the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, has gathered more than 100 religious figures, leaders of Islamic and non-Islamic religious communities from different religions, invited from regions of Azerbaijan.

The forum focuses on raising awareness of religious threats, enhancing the role of religious leaders in the process of religious education, and examining opinions and proposals regarding the activities of religious communities and figures, as well as the difficulties they face.

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With the holidays right around the corner, now is an appropriate time for reflection, grace, and thanks. I want to express my gratitude to each of you for continuing to allow me to advocate on your behalf. It is one of the greatest honors of my life to represent East and Southeast Texas in the Texas Legislature, and a responsibility I do not take lightly. I hope you all have a safe holiday season and a very Merry Christmas.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. Bill filing for the 89th Legislative Session begins

November 12 marked the first day legislators could file bills for the 89th Legislature  kicking off the beginning of the next session. Since bill filing opened, members have already filed over 2,000 bills between the House and Senate. Typically, over the course of the session, members will file upwards of 7,500 bills. While most of those will not pass, we will have an opportunity to read and evaluate many of them. The 89th Legislative Session officially begins on Tuesday, January 14 at noon. Members can file bills until the 60th day of session, March 14th. After that date, members can only work on bills that have already been filed. The regular legislative session lasts 140 days and will conclude on Monday, June 2. I look forward to representing Senate District 3 once again this session and encourage constituents to reach out to my office if they have an interest in any legislation coming before the Legislature.

2. State Board of Education approves new instructional materials

Last month, the State Board of Education (SBOE) approved a comprehensive list of K-12 instructional materials as part of the new Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) process. These new materials were developed and approved for statewide use as directed by House Bill 1605 from the 88th Regular Session by Rep. Brad Buckley. Districts that use materials on the approved list are eligible for an additional $40 per student in additional funding. That bill also directed the state to develop its own high-quality instructional materials. The SBOE approved that curriculum, called the Bluebonnet Learning curriculum, which covers kindergarten through fifth grade. Using the state-developed curriculum is optional for school districts, but districts who opt to use it will receive an extra $20 per student, so $60 per student total. There was some disagreement surrounding the content in Bluebonnet Learning because it uses well-known Bible stories and other Christian-based stories. However, there are references to other faiths and traditions in the curriculum as well. The approval of the instructional materials followed a months-long public comment period and open meetings that allowed public testimony.

3. Dementia research effort announced by Lt. Gov. Patrick

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced a new initiative to help lead the fight against dementia. The Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) will be a new research program funded by the state to support researchers and companies coming to Texas and to further their efforts. Its modeled off a similar state program the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). CPRIT is one of the most successful health programs ever created in Texas, and the goal is for DPRIT to be similar. Together, we can work to offer further insight into this heartbreaking disease.

4. ETCOG receives emergency radio infrastructure grant

The East Texas Council of Governments announced the approval of $1.75 million in grants awarded to East Texas governments to enhance public safety. The grants will support critical emergency radio infrastructure needs such as integrating and expanding the TxWARN system, interoperability, and VHF system upgrades. The funds are from the State Emergency Radio Infrastructure program which is facilitated by the Governors Public Safety Office. These upgrades are critical to ensure public safety in East Texas and will help modernize emergency radio infrastructure in the region.

5. Leadership pledge funding to stabilize unemployment insurance fund

Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick, Speaker Phelan, Senate Finance Committee Chair Huffman, and House Appropriations Chair Dr. Bonnen pledge to appropriate funding to stabilize unemployment insurance rates for businesses next session. Rates have been increasing due to higher wages and an evolving job market in Texas. The Texas Workforce Commission manages the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and projected it will need an infusion of funding next year. Typically, those additional funding needs would be paid through additional assessments on businesses. By plugging the hole with state funding, businesses can keep more of their hard-earned profits and the state will keep the fee as it currently is.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. The Azerbaijani family model is built on national identity and religious values, Chair of the State Committee on Family, Women and Children Issues Bahar Muradova said at the Forum of Religious Figures of Azerbaijan on the topic "Pressing Issues of Religious Enlightenment: Tradition, Experience, and Prospects" today, Trend reports.

According to her, the national-spiritual and religious-cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, located in a strategically important geographical region of the world, rich in natural, geopolitical, economic, and especially human resources, is rooted in ancient history and traditions.

"In Azerbaijan, peoples and ethnic groups belonging to different religions and denominations have always lived in peace, and the model of coexistence that has developed on this basis has preserved its uniqueness. This has formed the foundation of the values of multiculturalism and tolerance, which we possess and, rightly, take pride in," she said.

The official emphasized that Azerbaijan, in accordance with the model of a secular state and democratic society, has always recognized and supported the important role of religion in the life of society.

"Azerbaijan continues the traditional policy of multiculturalism and tolerance today, ensuring that people belonging to different religions and cultures live under equal conditions. The Azerbaijani state, based on the principles of secularism, emphasizes the importance of national and religious values, defining them as the core of our lives, and the institution of the family is considered the foundation of these values.

From this perspective, the Azerbaijani family model is also based on national identity and religious values. The correct promotion of these values protects the institution of the family from all external influences. Thus, the work of religious education extends beyond religious communities and places of worship, becoming one of the priority areas for the relevant government bodies," she added.

To note, the Forum of Religious Figures of Azerbaijan on the topic "Pressing Issues of Religious Enlightenment: Tradition, Experience, and Prospects", organized by State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, has gathered more than 100 religious figures, leaders of Islamic and non-Islamic religious communities from different religions, invited from regions of Azerbaijan.

The forum focuses on raising awareness of religious threats, enhancing the role of religious leaders in the process of religious education, and examining opinions and proposals regarding the activities of religious communities and figures, as well as the difficulties they face.

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Two youths were killed as a motorcycle they were riding on rammed into a guardrail at a flyover in Kolkata on Sunday morning.

The deceased were identified as Anish Rana (19) and Danish Alam (18), residents of the Bowbazar area in Kolkata.

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Eyewitnesses said that Alam was driving the motorcycle at a high speed on Maa Flyover, where accidents are quite frequent.

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They also said that neither Rana nor Alam were wearing headgear and the speedily-driven motorcycle rammed into a guardrail at a curve on the flyover. The impact of the collision was such that both fell from the flyover and suffered severe head injuries.

Locals assembled there and informed the local police. The injured were immediately rushed to state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, where they were declared dead.

Sources in City police said that since accidents are quite frequent on Maa Flyover, the cops often conduct awareness drives on precautions while driving, especially for two-wheelers.

The motorcyclists are specially alerted to use headgear and avoid over-speeding on the flyover. However, a section of motorcyclists, especially the youths, often ignore those notes of caution. Had the motorcycles speed this morning been within a reasonable limit while crossing the curve, the accident could have been avoided. Moreover, had the two deceased youths been using headgear, their lives could have been saved, said an official from the City Polices Traffic Department.

Besides over-speeding, he added, another reason for frequent motorcycle accidents on Maa Flyover was the motorcyclists getting entangled in stray and sharp Chinese kite strings. To prevent that, the city police have raised a wire fence four feet above Maa Flyovers guard walls.
Data from the telecom regulator TRAI on Monday said in October, 13.45 million subscribers submitted their requests for mobile number portability (MNP).

The cumulative MNP requests increased from 1039.11 million at the end of September 2024 to 1052.56 million at the end of October 2024, since implementation of MNP.

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Number of active wireless subscribers in October was 1066.67 million, the data said.

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Notably, Reliance Jio lost 3.76 million wireless subscribers in October but spruced up its active mobile subscriber base by adding 3.847 million users.

Bharti Airtel added 1.928 million users to its wireless coffers during the month and its active subscriber gains were about 2.723 million for October.

Vodafone Idea lost 1.977 million wireless subscribers and its active subscriber base fell by nearly 723,000 users.

As per the TRAI data, Reliance Jios total wireless tally slipped to 460 million in October down from about 463.7 million in September, although its active user base strengthened.

According to the Trai release, the total broadband subscribers decreased to 941.47 million at the end of October 2024 with a monthly decline rate of 0.31%.

The number of total telephone subscribers in India decreased from 1,190.66 million at the end of September 24 to 1,188.20 million at the end of October 24, showing a monthly decline rate of 0.21 percent. Urban telephone subscriptions decreased from 662.15 million at the end of Sep-24 to 660.42 million at the end of Oct-24 and the rural subscription also decreased from 528.51 million to 527.79 million during the same period, Trai said.

Except Mumbai, Karnataka, Assam, Gujarat and Odisha, all other service areas have shown decline in their wireless subscribers during the month of October 2024.
Overall Net Profit of operating Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) rose to Rs 3.22 lakh crore in FY24 as against Rs 2.18 lakh crore in FY23 showing an increase of over 47 per cent, according to an official report.

The market capitalisation of CPSEs more than doubled in Fiscal Year 2024-25 as compared to Fiscal Year 2023-24, the report said.

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The major contributors to the increase in market cap are NTPC Ltd, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Coal India Ltd and Indian Railway Finance Corporation Ltd.

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A major proportion of the increase in profit of Rs 0.89 lakh crore was contributed by the Petroleum (Refinery & Marketing) group, according to the report compiled by the Public Enterprises Department of the Finance Ministry.

Within the Petroleum (Refinery & Marketing) group, the major contribution towards the increase in Overall Net Profit is contributed by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (Rs 0.31 lakh crore). The profitability of the Petroleum (Refinery & Marketing) group has impacted the overall profitability, the survey said.

Net Loss of loss-incurring CPSEs was Rs 0.21 lakh crore as against Rs 0.29 lakh crore showing a decrease of over 27 per cent. Major loss-incurring CPSEs are Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd, Bharat Petro Resources Ltd and NMDC Steel Ltd.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. converted from a loss of Rs 0.15 lakh crore to a profit of Rs 0.15 Lakh crores in FY 2023-24, while Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd was able to reduce the loss from Rs 0.08 lakh crore in FY 2022-23 to Rs 0.05 lakh crore in FY 2023-24, the report said.

Contribution to the Central Exchequer (CCE) of all CPSEs by way of excise duty, customs duty, GST, corporation tax, interest on Central Government loans, dividend, and other duties and taxes stood at Rs 4.85 lakh crore in FY 24 as against Rs 4.58 lakh crore in FY 23, showing an increase of around 6 per cent.

Among the components of CCE, Excise duty is the highest component which accounts for 46 per cent in FY 2023-24. The increase in CCE is mainly due to an increase in Corporation tax from Rs 0.56 lakh crore in (FY 2022-23) to Rs 0.81 lakh crore in (FY 2023- 24).

The top five CPSEs contributing to the Central Exchequer are Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd.
The Delhi Congress on Monday announced a padyatra across district and block levels in the national capital in protest against Union Home Minister Amit Shahs alleged remarks on Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav stated, Shahs insulting remarks against Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar in Parliament not only demean the architect of the Indian Constitution but also insult the people of the country. This exposes the anti-Dalit and anti-constitutional mindset of the BJP and RSS leadership.

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Yadav demanded Shahs resignation and a public apology, asserting, We demand the resignation of Amit Shah and an immediate apology from him. His continuation as Union Home Minister is a direct affront to the ideals of justice, equality, and dignity that Dr Ambedkar stood for.

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He further alleged that the BJP leadership has shown no remorse for Shahs conduct. Despite this appalling behavior, the BJP has chosen to defend such statements, thereby exacerbating the hurt caused to millions of Indians, Yadav remarked.

Yadav also accused the BJP of being fearful of Congress leader Rahul Gandhis commitment to upholding constitutional values and democracy. Instead of holding Amit Shah accountable for insulting Dr. Ambedkar, they have filed an FIR against Rahul Gandhi, who is fighting for the rights of the backward and underprivileged, he added.
In the wake of the surge in the hoax bomb threats being received across schools in the national capital, Delhi Police on Monday organised a training for the teachers on bomb threats and drug abuse as part of LG VK Saxenas Samvaad programme.

The crime branch unit of Shahdara district, in collaboration with the Director of Education Department, Delhi, organised the programme which featured key speakers, Sanjay Sain, DCP Crime Branch; Prashant Gautam, DCP Shahdara, and Anil Sharma, ACP, Narcotics, Crime Branch.

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The programme was aimed to educate teachers from government and private schools on how to handle bomb threats in schools, the role of teachers in preventing drug abuse, and cyber hygiene, which saw participation of 247 teachers from Trans Yamuna Area.

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Additionally, Retired ACP Prabhat Sinha, an expert in Cyber Crime, also presented a detailed presentation on cyber hygiene (CyGene). He shared insights on the growing threats of cybercrime, offered practical prevention measures, and discussed case studies to highlight the challenges teenagers face in the digital world.

The teachers, as future influencers, have a direct impact on students. It is crucial that they are well-equipped with the knowledge of current issues such as cyber hygiene (CyGene) and drug abuse to ensure the safety and well-being of their students, said Prashant Gautam, DCP Shahdara.
Leader of Opposition in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh, on Monday, termed the mayors visit to Indira Camp at Rangpuri Pahadi a show after the inspection by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena.

He said under the AAP rule in the MCD, the residents of Indira Camp are forced to live under deplorable conditions and the visit by the Mayor Mukesh Kumar, following the LGs inspection, shows that the ruling party only believes in appearances and aims to take credit for the work initiated by him. He pointed out that no cleanliness-related work has been done in Indira Camp over the past two years till the LGs visit.

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Castigating the AAP for allegedly forcing the residents of the city to live under such miserable conditions, the BJP leader said the promises made by the ruling party leaders before coming to power remained only on paper with nothing substantial being done till date.

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Actor Dulquer Salmaan took to Instagram on Sunday to celebrate a special milestonehis 13th wedding anniversary with wife Amaal Salmaan.

In a heartfelt post, Dulquer reflected on their journey together, sharing glimpses of their life as a couple and parents.

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Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dulquer Salmaan (@dqsalmaan)

The actor beautifully described how their relationship has evolved over the years, from calling each other husband and wife to now being known as Maryams papa and mamma.

Life feels like the roads I love driving on, Dulquer wrote, comparing their journey to a mix of twists, turns, and smooth stretches. Sometimes speed breakers and potholes. But at the best times, silky smooth with the greatest of views. Through it all, as long as I have your hand to hold, I believe we can reach anywhere. And in style.

Dulquers heartfelt words were accompanied by a series of adorable photos, capturing cherished moments with Amaal.

The post resonated with fans and friends alike, who filled the comments with love and congratulatory messages.

Married since 2011, Dulquer and Amaal share a daughter, Maryam Ameerah Salmaan. Over the years, the couple has often shared glimpses of their personal life, giving fans a peek into their loving bond.

On the professional front, Dulquer last appeared in Lucky Baskar, now streaming on Netflix. The film, set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, showcases Dulquer in an entirely new avatar as a humble bank cashier navigating an extraordinary life journey. Directed by Venky Atluri, whose previous work Sir/Vaathi received critical acclaim, the movie also stars Meenakshi Chaudhary as the leading lady.

Dulquers versatility continues to shine, with his prominent role in the blockbuster Kalki 2898 AD.
Taylor Swift recently brought joy to a young fan during a visit to Childrens Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, on December 12. Known for her kind-hearted gestures, the 35-year-old pop icon spent the day spreading holiday cheer to patients.

During her visit, Swift met Naya, a teenage patient, and the two shared a lighthearted moment that quickly went viral.

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While signing an Eras Tour book for Naya, the teen complimented Swifts outfit, calling it tea  a slang term for something stylish or cool. Swift, smiling warmly, responded, You made my day with that.

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| Taylor sent the girl who admired her outfit at the Childrens Mercy Hospital in Kansas City a matching one for Christmas pic.twitter.com/5ZsJv9dkXX  Taylor Swift Updates (@swifferupdates) December 22, 2024

But Swift didnt stop there. Days later, Naya shared a heartfelt video revealing a special Christmas gift from the superstar: the exact tartan outfit Swift had been wearing during their meeting.

The luxurious $4,500 Miu Miu ensemble included a $2,250 pleated skirt and a matching $2,250 button-down top.

She is so amazing, Im so blessed, Naya captioned the video, showing her excitement as she unwrapped the gift. Along with the outfit, Swift included a handwritten note that read:

When you asked where I got it, I purposely didnt tell you because I had a plan  Picked you up a few things I hope youll think are tea. Ha Merry Christmas! Love, Taylor.

Swifts thoughtful gesture is just one example of her longstanding dedication to her fans. In 2019, she donated $10,000 to help a teenager battling stage 4 cancer and contributed $5,000 to a Canadian fan struggling to pay tuition fees.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Approximately 200 doctors have returned from abroad and started working in Azerbaijan, the executive director of the Territorial Medical Units Management Association (TAIB), Vugar Gurbanov, said in response to questions from reporters at the press conference on the results of 2024 and plans for 2025, Trend reports.

He noted that the number of doctors returning to our country from abroad will increase over the next year.

We regularly communicate with doctors abroad. We are implementing a pilot project to attract a group of doctors living in Germany to the country. We have had talks with doctors. They are also giving us support. It is planned that from next year doctors from Germany will start working in the regions, Gurbanov added.
Bangladesh has formally asked India to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to this country in August after a student-led movement dislodged her from power.

A note verbale has been sent to the Indian government for sending Sheikh Hasina back to Bangladesh, Interim Governments Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain was quoted as saying by the Bangladeshi media. We have sent a note verbale requesting India to send Sheikh Hasina back, Mr Hossain told reporters.

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An official spokesperson of the Ministry of External affairs here said,  we confirm that we have received a note verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today in connection with an extradition request. At this time, we have no comment to offer on this matter.

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Sheikh Hasina fled to India on 5 August after she was ousted from power following weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600 people. An interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, has been ruling Bangladesh since then.

Dhaka has been upset with some of the statements Sheikh Hasina has made in recent weeks. On 9 December, she accused the Yunus-led interim government of being the mastermind behind the student protests that led to her ouster.

While addressing a virtual meeting of the United Kingdom Awami League, she claimed that despite all the demands of the protesters being met, the unrest continued across the nation, suggesting that it was a planned conspiracy.

Sheikh Hasinas ouster and the subsequent attacks on the minorities, especially Hindus, across Bangladesh have cast a shadow on India-Bangladesh ties too. India has repeatedly asked Bangladesh to ensure the safety of minorities in the neighbouring country.

The matter was also raised with Dhaka when Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited the neighbouring country earlier this month. He had held talks his Bangladesh counterpart Md. Jashim Uddin and also called on Towhid Hossain. The meetings followed as ties between the two countries deteriorated over the past few months with India being concerned about the surge in extremist rhetoric, increasing violence incidents and provocations, especially against the Hindu community in Bangladesh.

In fact, the Union External Affairs Minister, Mr S. Jaishankar, had also held a bilateral meeting with Hossain on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York which was the first high-level engagement between the two countries after Hasinas ouster in August.

Even Hasina has also strongly condemned the tortures inflicted on common people, especially minorities, by the interim government. She had stated that a top leader of the sanatan religious community has been unjustly arrested and must be released immediately.

A temple has been burnt in Chittagong. Previously, mosques, shrines, churches, monastries and houses of Ahmadiya commnunity were attacked, vandalized and looted and set on fire. Religious freedom and security of life and property of people of all communities should be ensured, she stated.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of charging GST on every government jobs examination forms including Agniveer.

Her statement came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed more than 71,000 appointment letters to newly appointed youth in government departments and organizations via video conferencing.

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Vadra, who is the Congress MP from Keralas Wayanad, in a social media post wrote, BJP cannot provide jobs to the youth, but it is rubbing salt on the wounds of the youth by charging 18 per cent GST on the examination forms. GST is being collected on every government job form including Agniveer.

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Attacking the ruling dispensation, she said that after filling the form, if the paper is leaked due to the failure of the government or if there is corruption, then the money of the youth is wasted.

Stating that parents sacrifice their lives and save every penny to educate their children and prepare for the exams, Vadra said, But, the BJP government has turned their dreams into a source of income.

The Congress parliamentarian, along with her post, also shared a government vacancy advertisement charging 18 per cent GST from the candidates under various categories including SC/ST.

Notably, the Congress and other parties of the INDIA bloc have been critical of the government for allegedly failing to address the unemployment issue.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had slammed the Narendra Modi-led government over the issue of unemployment and called it the biggest curse under the ruling dispensation.
Blowing poll bugle for upcoming Assembly elections, the BJP Monday released a Charge Sheet (Aarop Patra) against the AAP Government in Delhi.

Former Union Minister Anurag Thakur released the Aarop Patra against the AAP Government. State President Virendra Sachdeva and Leader of Opposition Vijendra Gupta were also present on the occasion.It is a booklet detailing failures of AAP failures.

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Addressing reporters,Thakur said the time has come to save Delhi and end the corruption of AAP government and Arvind Kejriwal.Highlighting the froth and pollution in Yamuna river, he blamed the AAP government for polluting the Yamuna River so badly, it has become smelly, foamy and poisonous.

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Further, he said, I remember, during a press conference in 2022, Kejriwal had said that before the next election, he, along with people, would take a dip in the Yamuna River, that is before the 2025 election. Kejriwal ji, 10 years have gone by and only 10 days are left to go for 2025, did the cleaning of Yamuna happen? Has Yamuna become clean?

People from Purvanchal used to perform Chhath Puja with devotion and rituals on the banks of the Yamuna but Kejriwals government had polluted the Yamuna so much that now celebrating the festival has stopped, he pointed out.

He said Delhi has become a gas chamber due to the excessive air pollution and bad sewage system. This is causing diseases like malaria and dengue. The water is polluted Today, the time has come to save Delhi and end the corruption of Arvind Kejriwal. He said the AQI level once crossed 1200 and is still above 500.

The former Information & Broadcasting Minister said the AAP government promised free clinics and large hospitals in Delhi, but today 70 per cent of patients are compelled to seek treatment in private hospitals. Further, Thakur alleged that there have been multiple scams in the AAP government.

The Water Board scam, the classroom scam, the Mohalla Clinic scam, the Waqf Board scam, the liquor scam, DTC scandals, and so on. What kind of government is this? We will work to save Delhi. Kejriwal is a friend of the corrupt and a criminal of Delhi. We will not forgive him but will clean up the mess he has made, he said.

They promised to make Delhi corruption-free, but eight ministers, one MP, and 15 MLAs from their party have already been to jail, the former Union minister added.This is the only government where the health minister, deputy CM, and CM were all in jail. This was not a government for the people but a government for the jail, he further said.

Delhi BJP has formed an 11-member Pradesh Aarop Patra committee, led by LoP Vijender Gupta, against Delhi Government ahead of Delhi Assembly elections 2025.

Meanwhile, AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi commenced the registration process for Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana from East Kidwai Nagar, New Delhi today.

Kejriwal has announced that registration for the Delhi government scheme under which women will be provided monthly assistance of Rs 2100 will begin on Monday. He also said registration for the Sanjeevani Yojana which will provide free treatment to people above 60 years of age will also begin along with it.
Six people accused of vandalizing the residence of actor Allu Arjun at Jubilee Hills were granted bail on Monday as both the Congress and the BRS leveled accusations at each other for having links with the lynchpin of the attack.

The six men were released on conditional bail and must furnish two sureties of Rs 10,000 each within three days.

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Meanwhile, the Congress accused the BRS working president K T Rama Rao of orchestrating a conspiracy, and its social media handles posted photographs of the kingpin Reddy Srinivas standing with the BRS leader wearing a pink scarf the BRS posted photos of the same man with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.

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BRS social media convenor Krishank claimed he was the Congress youth president from Kodangal, the home constituency of the chief minister and even posted a video as evidence.

Krishank said, In this video, Reddy Srinivas on 4 December 2024 thanked the voters and Congress leaders for electing him for the second time consecutively as the youth Congress president in chief minister Revanth (Reddys) Kodangal constituency.

Congress leader Sama Ram Mohan Reddy clarified Reddy Srinivas was indeed from Kodangal and an Osmania University student but denied any links with the chief minister or any other office bearer of the Congress with the vandalism. Key BJP leaders like G Kishan Reddy and DK Aruna also slammed the chief minister and Congress after the attack at Allu Arjuns residence which was described as state-sponsored.

The vandals climbed walls yesterday, pelted stones and tomatoes, and broke flower pots.

However, the family has yet to lodge a formal complaint.

Yesterday, chief minister Revanth Reddy condemned the attack on Allu Arjuns house although he did not name the actor in his tweet. He also directed the DGP and Commissioner of Police of Hyderabad to take strict action regarding law and order. Meanwhile, Hyderabad CP, CV Anand also apologized today after losing his cool when he had lashed out at the media.

The Hyderabad police had yesterday released a video showing the sequence of events on the fateful night of 4 December when a woman Revathi was crushed and her son was critically injured and battling for his life in a city hospital.

The video showed the massive crowd that had gathered, Allu Arjun arriving while waving at his fans through the sunroof, his bouncers pushing at people and policemen to make way for the star, the helplessly outnumbered police personnel trying to control the crowd, Revathi and her son being carried out and administered CPR and, finally police escorting out the star who once again waved at his fans.

The actor had accused the state government of resorting to character assassination after the chief minister accused the film industry of losing its humane touch and rallying around Arjun although both sides refrained from taking names.
Ajit Pawar-led NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Monday said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured him of OBC representation in the cabinet.

The meeting came after Bhujbal met representatives of OBC organisations from across Maharashtra on Sunday. Bhujbal who represents the Yevla constituency in Nashik district, had skipped the recent winter session of Maharashtra Legislature in Nagpur and left for Nashik on the very first day of the session, after he failed to make it to the cabinet, even as 39 Mahayuti MLAs were sworn in as ministers.

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I have told the Chief Minister everything. He has understood the entire issue. He understands that OBCs are upset. He also told me that he will definitely think about it. He (CM) said, currently, the atmosphere in the state is different due to holidays and he needs around 10 days. After that, we will meet again and find a good way out, he told me, Chhagan Bhujbal said.

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Incidentally, OBC leader Bhujbal had opposed Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patils demand for the Maratha community to be included in the Other Backward Class (Kunbi) category in order to be given government job reservations.

When Bhujbal was asked about the possibility of joining the BJP, he declined to say anything but reiterated that he had already voiced his concerns about being left out of the cabinet expansion.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar who heads the NCP to which Bhujbal belongs, reacted to Bhujbals meeting with CM Fadnavis and said, This is an internal matter of our party. We will resolve the issue in our own way.

Significantly, a few days earlier, Bhujbal had openly hinted that NCP leader Ajit Pawar had something to do with his not being included in the cabinet. Bhujbal had also cited his open opposition to Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patils job reservation demand as the reason why Ajit Pawar chose not to include him in the cabinet.
President Droupadi Murmu on Monday appointed Justice V Ramasubramanian, a retired Supreme Court judge, the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Murmu has also appointed Priyank Kanoongo and Dr Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi (Retd) as the members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India.

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In a post on X, NHRC India said: Honble President of India appoints Shri Justice V Ramasubramanian (Retd) as the Chairperson, and Shri Priyank Kanoongo and Dr Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi (Retd.) as the Members of the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC), India.

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Under the Protection of Human Rights (PHR) Act, 1993, the apex human rights body consists of a Chairperson, five full-time members and seven deemed members.

NHRC has been waiting for a full-time Chairperson since June 1, after former Supreme Court judge and the eighth Chairman of the rights panel, Justice Arun Mishra, retired on completion of his tenure in office.

Since then, the NHRC has been functioning with just one member in five positions, Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, also the Acting Chairperson.

As per Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the PHR Act, the Chairman and other members are appointed by the President upon the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister (who serves as the committees Chairperson), Home Minister, Leaders of the Opposition in both Houses of the Parliament, the Speaker of Lok Sabha and the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

The qualification of the NHRC Chairperson is that he should either have been a Chief Justice of India or a judge of the Supreme Court.

Besides Chairperson, NHRC consists of five other members other than the ex-officio members. One member is, or has been a judge of the apex court and one member is, or has been the Chief Justice of a High Court. Out of the remaining three members selected for their professional experience in matters centred on human rights, at least one must be a woman.

The ex-officio members include the Chairpersons of National Commissions  National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women, National Commission for Minorities, National Commission for Backward Classes, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights; as well as the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.

The sitting Judge of the Supreme Court or sitting Chief Justice of any High Court can be appointed to the post only after consultation with the Chief Justice of India.

The tenure of the NHRC Chairman is five years or until the Chairman turns 70 years  whichever is earlier.

The statutory body of NHRC came into being on October 12, 1993, under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of September 28, 1993.

The NHRC is entrusted with the protection and promotion of human rights, which the Act defines as rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India.
The Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) has issued a fervent appeal to the Chief Secretary of Assam, urging swift action to avert a potential road blockade on the Meghalaya-Assam highway.

This proposed blockade, allegedly spearheaded by the Kutumba Suraksha Parishad, stems from tensions surrounding the Mawjymbuin dispute, a matter deeply intertwined with the regions cultural and territorial sensitivities.

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The highway serves as a vital transportation link between the two northeastern states, making any disruption a significant threat to regional stability and economic activity.

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At the heart of the contention lies the demand by certain Hindu right-wing groups to reopen the Mawjymbuin Cave in Meghalaya for Hindu rituals.

These groups have issued a 10-day ultimatum to the Meghalaya government to comply with their demands, exacerbating tensions in the region.

Mawjymbuin Cave holds religious significance for multiple communities and is emblematic of the broader struggle over cultural and land rights in Meghalaya.

In its letter, HITO expressed grave concern over the potential consequences of the blockade, emphasizing that such actions could disrupt the fragile harmony between Meghalaya and Assam.

The organization argued that the Mawjymbuin issue is best addressed through the Dorbar Shnong, the traditional governance system of the Hynniewtrep people. This system is recognized for its authority in resolving community disputes and maintaining customary practices.

HITO also invoked the Instrument of Accession (IOA) of the Khasi States, a historic agreement that acknowledges the communitys rights over their ancestral lands. The organization highlighted the importance of respecting these traditional frameworks to ensure an equitable resolution.

HITO warned that allowing the blockade to proceed could inflame communal tensions, particularly in Shillong, where a significant population of Hindu non-tribal residents resides.

Such a situation would jeopardize peace and harmony in the region, with the potential to escalate violence, the organization stated.

The organization further cautioned that failure to address the issue promptly could undermine trust between communities and erode the regions social fabric.

HITO has urged the Assam government to take immediate and decisive steps to prevent the blockade, emphasizing the necessity of preserving the inter-state transport corridor and ensuring regional stability.
Under the Rozgar Mela, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday distributed appointment letters to over 71,000 newly inducted recruits in Government departments and organizations via video conferencing. He emphasised that his government was working in all the departments with the youth of the country as the focus point.

He said there is a campaign going on to provide government jobs in various ministries, departments and institutions of the country.

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Today also, more than 71,000 youths have been given appointment letters. In the last 1-1.5 years, almost 10 lakh youths have been given permanent government jobs by our government. This is a very big record in itself. In the tenure of any previous government, youths have not got permanent jobs in the Government of India in such a way in the mission board. But today, not only are lakhs of youths getting government jobs but these jobs are being given with complete honesty and transparency, he said.

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He expressed his happiness that the youths coming from this transparent tradition are also engaged in serving the nation with full devotion and honesty and expressed the hope that the pledge taken by India to build Viksit Bharat by 2047 will be fulfilled.

He said the policies of the last decade  Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, Startup India, Stand Up India, Digital India  have been made, keeping the youth at the focus.

He said, India changed its policies in the space sector. India promoted manufacturing in its defence sector and the youth benefited the most from this. Today the youth of India is full of new confidence. Today we have become the fifth largest economy in the world. India has become the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world.

Stressing that his government is supporting the youth in every way, PM Modi noted that  Today, when a youth decides to start his own startup, he gets a whole ecosystem to support him. Today when a youth plans to make a career in sports, he is confident that he will not fail. Today, modern arrangements are being made for the youth at every step from training to tournaments in sports. 

Today, we are seeing a complete transformation in so many sectors. Today India has become the second largest country in the world in mobile manufacturing. Today, from renewable energy to organic farming, from space sector to defence sector, from tourism to wellness, the country is touching new heights in every sector.., he stated.

The Prime Minister paid tributes to Chaudhary Charan Singh on his birth anniversary.

He said, It is the good fortune of our government that we got the opportunity to honour Chaudhary Sahab with Bharat Ratna this year. I pay my tribute to him. We celebrate this day as Kisan Diwas. On this occasion, I salute all the farmers of the country. Chaudhary Sahab used to say that India will progress only when the rural areas of India progress.

He also that through the policies and decisions of his government, new opportunities for employment and self-employment are being created in rural India as well.

A large number of youth have got employment in the agriculture sectorJust a few days ago, the government started the Bima Sakhi Yojana. The governments goal is to connect every citizen of the country with insurance protection. This will also create employment opportunities in large numbers in rural areas.., he noted.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has alleged that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis lied on the floor of the house about the death of 35-year-old Dalit activist Somnath Suryavanshi in police (judicial) custody in Parbhani, during the winter session of the state Assembly held in Nagpur, after the issue was raised by Sharad Pawar-led NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad.

Gandhi made the allegation after he reached Parbhani on Monday and met Vijayabai Suryavanshi, the mother of the Dalit activist who died in police (judicial) custody recently, following violence which broke out in Parbhani on December 10, after a replica of the Constitution of India in the hands of a statue of Dr B R Ambedkar, encased in a glass case, was allegedly desecrated.

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I have just met the family of Somnath Suryavanshi. The family of Somnath Suryavanshi showed me the autopsy report. They also showed me some photos and videos. Somnath Suryavanshi died in custody. The police killed Somnath Suryavanshi. However, while informing about this incident, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis lied in the Maharashtra Assembly. Somnath Suryavanshi was killed because he was a Dalit. Somnath Suryavanshi was protecting the Constitution. The ideology of RSS is that of ending the Constitution. We demand that action should be taken against those who are guilty in this incident and they should be punished. There is no politics in this incident. Justice must be done, Rahul Gandhi said in Parbhani on Monday.

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My sons (Somnath Suryavanshis) bones were broken and he was killed. My son was beaten and his life was taken. I was informed five days after my son died. I was not told anything. The police did not call me when my son was alive. I was told  Somnath is your son, he has died, take his body. We told Rahul Gandhi what they told me. My sons killers should be given the death penalty. We told Rahul Gandhi everything that has happened so far. How can the Chief Minister say that Somnath Suryavanshi died of a heart attack. Vijayabai Suryavanshi said, after speaking to Rahul Gandhi on Monday.

Incidentally, Rahul Gandhi is the second political leader to question the circumstances which led to the death of the Dalit activist Somnath Suryavanshi.

Earlier on Saturday, on the sixth and final day of the state assemblys winter session, Sharad Pawar-led NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad had expressed serious doubts about Somnaths death, citing the postmortem report which stated that he died of shock due to multiple injuries in police custody. The truth should have come out but it has not been revealed in the answer given by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. How did Somnath Suryavanshi from Parbhani die? I read his postmortem report. There were many injuries on his body. Where did those injuries come from? He suffered a concussion due to a broken bone. Who will answer for this? Are we changing the postmortem report to save the criminals, Awhad had asked during the Maharashtra Assemblys winter session.

Significantly, Fadnavis has ordered a judicial probe into the Parbhani violence. It may be recalled that CM had stated in the assembly recently that Suryavanshi had told a magistrate that he was not tortured and that the CCTV footage did not show any evidence of police brutality. Suryavanshi, who resided in Shankar Nagar, in Parbhani, was among the 300 people, mostly Dalits, who were detained or arrested by the police on December 12, after the violence which broke out in Parbhani. He died on December 15 at a state-run hospital where he was rushed after he complained about chest pain while he was in judicial custody, at the Parbhani district central prison, according to the police.

On Friday, Fadnavis had announced Rs 10 lakh assistance to the family of Suryavanshi in the Assembly, but his mother had refused to accept the assistance and said, I do not accept the Chief Ministers words. My son was beaten and killed. I want justice for this. I do not believe in the promises of the minister. I do not want Rs 10 lakh. Keep that Rs 10 lakh in the ministers pocket or feed some policeman. I want my son.

The Chief Minister lied. He misled the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Therefore, on behalf of the Congress, we will move a privilege motion against the Chief Minister. After todays meeting, Rahul Gandhi will also present his position in the Lok Sabha and expose the BJP government. The manner in which the BJP is targeting backward classes, Buddhists and minorities is visible. The Congress will raise these issues in a democratic manner,State Congress President Nana Patole said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said out-of-the-box thinking is required to find solutions in the face of challenges such as attacks on critical infrastructure, cyber attacks, information warfare and radicalization of youth.

Shah, while delivering the 37th Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture in New Delhi, lauded the agency, saying that due to the working methodology, vigilance, alertness and the tradition of sacrifice and dedication of IB, the country is safe today.

Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the security agencies have established dominance over various threats to the nation by fighting a decisive battle over the last five years.

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He highlighted that till five years ago, the country faced three long-standing issues including the Northeast, Left-Wing Extremism, and Kashmir, that challenged its peace, law and order, security, and future.

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He added that due to the strict policies and tough decisions of the Modi government, the upcoming generations no longer need to worry about these three threats, as the government has achieved almost decisive victory over them.

Shah mentioned that violent incidents in these three regions have dropped by 70 per cent, and fatalities have reduced by approximately 86 per cent.

He remarked that over the past 10 years, there has been significant improvement in the IBs alertness, sharpness, and capability to deliver results.

The HM further noted that the intelligence agency has not only maintained its tradition of integrity, courage, sacrifice, and dedication, but has also taken it forward.

He said that in the face of modern challenges and difficult circumstances, the IB has kept the country safe, and further emphasized that the ecosystem of any intelligence agency is not just the foundation of security, but also a fundamental necessity for the future and development of the country.

Shah added that no country can progress without a robust intelligence ecosystem, as without it, the sovereignty and economic development of the nation is not possible.

He further said that combating divisive forces that harm society through disinformation, misinformation, mal-information, and fake news, and preparing police forces to address these challenges, is a priority for the IB.

The HM further said that during the past 10 years, India has transformed from a regional leader to a global leader, shaping the direction of diplomacy, economics, and security worldwide.

Identifying all the challenges in building a developed India and establishing infrastructure to prevent them is the responsibility of young officers, Shah added.

He further explained that security is no longer just about the protection of borders and citizens, and it must be expanded to include new dimensions.

Shah explained that the success of any security agency is based on its workforce and its ability to train its personnel, and also highlighted the need to build a robust ecosystem to counter misinformation.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. On December 23, the Azerbaijan Minister of Defense, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, received a delegation led by the Commander of the Turkish Land Forces, Army General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

First, the Turkish delegation visited the graves of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev, and prominent ophthalmologist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva, in the Alley of Honor, as well as the Alley of Martyrs and Turkish Martyrs Cemetery. The guests laid wreaths and flowers and honored their blessed memory.

At the meeting hosted by the Defense Ministry, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov extended a warm welcome to the Turkish guests and conveyed his pleasure at their presence in Azerbaijan.

Highlighting the deep history and rich cultural heritage of Azerbaijan and Turkiye, the minister noted that bilateral cooperation between the two countries is strong in all fields, including the field of military. He also underscored the importance of taking the necessary steps to fully implement the Shusha Declaration, which was signed in the spirit of the close and friendly relations between the leaders of 2 fraternal nations.

The minister emphasized the role of the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Turkiye in promoting peace and stability within the region.

Expressing his appreciation for the warm welcome and exceptional hospitality, Army General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu emphasized that the consistent organization of mutual visits and meetings reflects the unshakable friendship and fraternal ties between the two nations. He further stated that the Azerbaijani-Turkish High-Level Military Dialogue Meeting holds significant value in enhancing interoperability between the two armed forces.

The meeting featured an extensive exchange of views on the prospects for advancing cooperation in the military and military-educational sectors, as well as on a range of other issues of mutual interest.

Following this, First Deputy Minister of DefenseChief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army, Colonel General Karim Valiyev, held a meeting with the delegation from the fraternal country.

The meeting, held at the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army, emphasized the importance of conducting joint exercises to further enhance the professionalism of the military personnel from both countries and facilitate the exchange of experience. The discussions also focused on the current state of bilateral military cooperation and various other relevant issues.

Subsequently, a meeting was held with the adviser to the Minister of Defense, Colonel General Bakhtiyar Ersay.

During the meeting, a comprehensive exchange of views took place regarding the measures being implemented to adapt the Azerbaijan Army to the model of the Turkish Armed Forces.
The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with Citi Foundation, have officially launched the seventh edition of the Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Challenge for 2024-2025.



This years challenge invites young entrepreneurs, including those with disabilities, to develop innovative solutions that Enhance access to opportunities and well-being for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). The initiative, designed to foster social entrepreneurship and drive sustainable development, will be implemented in collaboration with AssisTech Foundation (ATF).



Applications are open now, inviting young entrepreneurs and differently abled entrepreneurs innovating solutions that Enhance access to opportunities and wellbeing of Persons with Disabilities to apply, an official release said.



This edition, for 2024-2025, will be implemented in collaboration with AssisTech Foundation (ATF), Indias leading organisation accelerating Assistive Technology (AT) innovation for People with Disabilities.



Youth Co:Lab, co-created in 2017 by UNDP and Citi Foundation, aims to empower and invest in youth to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship. In India, Youth Co: Lab was launched in 2019 in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog. As of the end of 2024, Youth Co:Lab has conducted six national theme-specific youth social innovation and entrepreneurship dialogues in India through this collaboration, reaching over 19,000 people and supporting the creation or enhancement of 2600 youth-led social innovation and entrepreneurship teams.



This year, the Youth Co: Lab National Innovation Challenge 2024-2025, held in collaboration with AssisTech Foundation (ATF) will focus on empowering young entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs with disabilities innovating for solutions that Enhance access to opportunities and well-being of Persons with Disabilities, across the following sub-categories: Inclusive and Accessible Assistive Technology (AT), Inclusive Educational Technology and Skilling Solutions and Accessible and Inclusive Care Models.



Speaking at the virtual launch, Dr Angela Lusigi, UNDP Resident Representative, India, stated, We firmly believe that young people are not just the leaders of tomorrowthey are the changemakers of today. This belief is embodied in Youth Co:Lab, now in its seventh edition. For the first time, it prioritises startups by and for persons with disabilities. We know that promoting disability-inclusive development is not just the right thing to do; its essential for achieving the SDGs.



ATF plays a pivotal role in implementing this years Youth Co:Lab, leveraging its expertise in disability inclusion and Assistive Technology innovation. Highlighting their role, Prateek Madhav, CEO & Co-Founder of ATF, said, Imagine AI enabling individuals with visual impairments to walk independently or AR/VR transforming learning for people with autism. As enablers of the Assistive Technology ecosystem, we are excited to partner with UNDP and AIM for this years Youth Co:Lab to improve the lives of PwDs.



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Senior Akali leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, on Monday, recommended a Presidents Police Medal for Assistant Sub Inspectors of the Punjab Police, Jasbir Singh and Hira Singh for their act of exceptional and exemplary courage and selfless devotion to duty  on the precincts of Shri Harmandar Sahib, Amritsar, on December 4 when an assassination attempt was made on his life.

In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, copies of which have been forwarded to the concerned government officials including the DGP, Punjab, Badal said: It was only because of the blessings of the great Guru Sahiban and grace of the Almighty that ASI Jasbir Singh and ASI Hira Singh happened to be present there that day. It was remarkable how Jasbr Singh and Hira Singh displayed rare and noble courage and commitment to his duty and risked his life to safeguard the sanctity of Sikhisms most sacred shrine, Shri Harmandar Sahib, and to save my life, he said.

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Badal further said: The prevention of the tragic sequence of events was nothing short of providential, especially as those bent upon vitiating the sanctity of the place and the atmosphere of peace and communal harmony in Punjab seemed to enjoy brazen patronage of the high and mighty in the state. Meanwhile, SAD Member of Parliament and former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, also wrote to Amit Shah, demanding a high-level judicial probe into the shocking incident. In addition to recommending that Jasbir Singh and Hira Singhs extraordinary act of bravery on duty be acknowledged at the national level through an award of the Presidents Medal, she came down heavily on the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his government in Punjab for issuing provocative justifications for acts amounting to killings of political rivals.

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She pointed out that minutes before the assassination attempt on Mr Badals life, senior officers of the Punjab Police, including a superintendent, (SP) were busy chatting up a few controversial figures who have a criminal track record so high profile that almost every Station Head Officer in the state knew these criminals identity. Prominent among these controversial figures was Narain Singh Chaura. 

She said that these controversial figures were then allowed to move freely and were literally guided to their intended victim. Unbelievably, there were no security officials in plain clothes around Mr Badal at the prefixed hour to assist him, allowing the assassin an absolutely unhindered access to their target.

She further said that it was clear that the assassination attempt was neither a stray incident nor was it an individual act by a lone wolf. It was a clearly sponsored, pre-planned, premeditated act and a part of a deep rooted conspiracy to weaken and eliminate Sikh leadership. This was aimed at rendering the brave and patriotic Sikh quom totally leaderless and in a state of utter confusion and fratricidal war, she said.
Funds from Chhattisgarhs Mahatari Vandan Scheme have been fraudulently transferred to a bank account, allegedly created under the name of Bollywood actress Sunny Leone, during the past 10 months.

The fake beneficiary account received 1,000 every month, amounting to 10,000 before the scam was uncovered.

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The fraudulent account, listed under Sunny Leone as the beneficiary and Johnny Sins as her husband, originated from Talur village in the Bastar district. Shockingly, the application was verified and forwarded by anganwadi staff, exposing glaring lapses in the verification process.

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The scam came to light when a whistleblower shared screenshots on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), prompting immediate action from the Bastar administration. Bastar Collector Harish S confirmed that the account has been frozen and the accused, identified as Virendra Joshi, is under investigation.

We received information about the case on Sunday morning and took immediate action. The fraudulent account has been frozen, and an FIR is being filed. The funds will be recovered within a day, and those involved in verifying the application will face strict action, said the collector.

Attempts to seek a comment from Chhattisgarhs Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Rajwade were met with silence as her personal assistant cited her unavailability.

The scam has ignited a political storm in Chhattisgarh. Congress state president Deepak Baij accused the BJP-led state government of gross negligence and corruption. Funds under the Mahatari Vandan Scheme are being released in the name of a porn star. Tomorrow we might hear about benefits being sent to Kareena Kapoor. This highlights the rampant irregularities and corruption under this government, he said, demanding a thorough investigation.

BJP MLA Sushant Shukla called Baijs comments irresponsible and claimed that the scheme was being implemented transparently. The Mahatari Vandan Scheme has gained public trust. Congress leaders should apologise for spreading misinformation and undermining a welfare initiative that benefits mothers and sisters across

Chhattisgarh, he said.

The fraudulent application was reportedly approved using the credentials of an anganwadi worker, revealing critical gaps in oversight at multiple levels. Experts believe the issue may not be isolated.

Without a comprehensive audit, its possible that similar scams are occurring elsewhere. This case underscores the urgent need forstronger monitoring mechanisms, said Aarti Pandey, a social worker in Chhattisgarh.

While the Bastar administration has acted promptly to recover thefunds and investigate those responsible, critics argue that such scams are symptomatic of deeper systemic failures. The silence from the Women and Child Development Department remains a significant concern.

As local body elections in the state approach, the governments handling of the Mahatari Vandan scheme and other welfare initiatives is likely to come under intense scrutiny. For now, the fraudulent transfers under the scheme have cast a shadow on its credibility and implementation.
The Jharkhand government is organizing a workshop in Ranchi on Tuesday with the aim of disseminating awareness about the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA Act).

Minister of Panchayati Raj, Rural Development & Rural Works, Jharkhand, Deepika Pandey Singh, will deliver the keynote address. Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Vivek Bharadwaj, will address the National Workshop highlighting the significance of PESA in advancing local governance in Scheduled Areas, underlining the commitment of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj for effective implementation of the Act.

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This significant event will serve as a vital platform for engaging stakeholders in discussions on the Acts objectives, achievements, and its critical role in empowering local governance while safeguarding the rights of communities in Scheduled Areas.

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The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has advised the ten PESA States  Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana  to organize impactful awareness and capacity-building activities across their respective regions.

These initiatives aim to actively engage key stakeholders, including elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions, Gram Sabha members, and officials from line Departments such as Forest, Revenue, Rural Development, Tribal Welfare, and Social Justice.

Through meaningful discussions and interactive sessions, the focus will be on highlighting the salient features of the PESA Act and exploring its immense potential to strengthen governance in Scheduled Areas.

The collective efforts of these States will play a crucial role in raising awareness, empowering Gram Sabhas, and ensuring effective implementation of the PESA Act at the grassroots level, ultimately fostering inclusive growth and sustainable development in Scheduled Areas.

The focus is on making all-out efforts to enhance their ease of living and create an enabling environment for their growth and prosperity, aligning with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This initiative aims to raise awareness about the PESA Act, build the capacity of stakeholders, and empower Gram Sabhas for better governance and improved functioning of Gram Panchayats in Scheduled Areas.

The workshop marks a significant milestone in strengthening grassroots democracy in Indias tribal regions. This occasion commemorates the enactment of the PESA Act on 24th December 1996, a landmark legislation empowering Gram Sabhas in Scheduled Areas with self-governance and the management of natural resources.

Recognized for its critical role in protecting tribal communities from exploitation, the Act highlights the governments commitment to preserving and promoting the social, economic, cultural, and political way of life of the Scheduled Tribes.

The day-long PESA Workshop is designed to facilitate meaningful dialogue and generate actionable outcomes that will benefit the targeted communities. The program includes comprehensive discussions on PESAs role in strengthening governance in Scheduled Areas, along with a short film and song showcasing the essence and impact of PESA.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has organized a series of key conferences in 2024 to strengthen the implementation of the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996  widely known as the PESA Act. First Regional Conference was held on 11th12th January 2024 at YASHADA, Pune, Maharashtra, covering the PESA States of Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
In an unexpected turn of political developments in South Korea, President Yoon Suk-yeol invoked emergency martial law on 3 December, the first time since 1979. In a television address, Yoon justified the decree by accusing the opposition party of engaging in antistate activities. Yoon further justified his action saying that it was necessary to eradicate pro North Korean forces and safeguard the constitutional order of freedom. The anachronistic declaration of martial law, to be withdrawn within six hours, by President Yoon was an incomprehensible shock that stirred up dark memories and painful wounds of state violence.

However, South Korean democracy is resilient, and Korean society continues its efforts to properly heal and bid farewell to the darkest periods of its past. In a peculiar democratic system in South Korea, the President need not have the support of the party he belongs to. In Yoons case, he was at loggerheads for quite some time with the opposition Democratic Party (DP), which holds a majority in parliament. Such a situation invariably led to frictions with Opposition lawmakers who easily passed bills, only for the President to repeatedly veto them. The prolonged standoff reached new heights when the DP introduced a bill to downsize the national budget.

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It further filed impeachment motions against a state auditor and three prosecutors. Controversy followed as some of these prosecutors were tied to on-going investigations into DP leader Lee Jaemyung. Yoon considered these actions as blatant anti-state acts that disrupt legitimate state institutions and an outright attempt at insurrection. Yoons declaration of martial law created mayhem in the country. When 190 lawmakers voted to overturn the orders, Yoon quickly lifted the martial law within six hours. Under South Koreas constitution, the President must revoke martial law if a majority of the 300-seat unicameral legislature opposes the decision.

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It may be remembered that since 1948, South Korea has seen a total of 16 martial law declarations, excluding the latest. Previous decrees were largely issued under authoritarian regimes and in response to extreme situations such as war, military coups, or domestic uprisings. In Yoons case, it was sheer misjudgement of the political pulse in the country. Within days of the mayhem that was unfolding in Seoul, this author was conducting a Ph.D. viva online of a scholar from Delhi University who was on a scholarship from the Korea Foundation and was defending her thesis from Seoul.

When asked to share information from the ground on the developments unfolding at a rapid pace, she said the situation was very scary as military troops were airdropped throughout the night around the Presidential house, National Assembly and other critical government buildings located in the area. The reactions of the people were spontaneous. This demonstrated that people who had already tasted the fruits of democracy were not willing to surrender their freedom and rights to an authoritarian system again. Thousands of residents rushed outside to protest the Presidents decision.

The South Korean military prohibited activities by Parliament and political parties and banned public protests. In the most undemocratic manner, Yoon since coming to power has had a love-hate relationship with the media, accusing the nations fourth estate of playing politics in national affairs, which is why he intensified crackdowns on media outlets. Yoons attempts to bring media and publications under government control since taking office had already backfired.

political immaturity was quickly noticed when his own party members condemned the action. PPP leader Han referred to the declaration as wrong and vowed to stop it along with the people. Ahn Cheolsoo, a four-term lawmaker from the PPP, described martial law as an extraordinary act of violence that destroys our democracy. The DP leader Lee criticized Yoons declaration as unconstitutional, saying there were no practical prerequisites to justify such an extreme measure. South Korean experts were equally disapproving. While some said the situation was flabbergasting, others said Yoons actions were self-destructive and that the situation did not merit declaring martial law. Yoons political immaturity was laid bare as his declaration evinced no public support and he failed to judge the public mood. Now the court is the final arbiter.

Soon, calls for Yoons impeachment or resignation gathered momentum with both the opposition and the public intensifying their demands. Yoons approval rating had already plummeted. The reasons attributed for this were cited as his inapt handling of the First Ladys scandals and mismanagement of critical policies. Yoon had already felt his position was shaky when several academics had started calling for his ouster from the presidency. The general public was also unwilling to see Yoon continue in office and were having rallies in and around Seoul since August 2022, demanding his resignation.

There were fast-paced developments in the prelude to the eventual impeachment. There was an overwhelming opinion across the board that even if President Yoon was quick to withdraw martial law after he realised his folly, he could not avoid treason charges. DPs floor leader Park Chan-dae was emphatic when he observed that Yoon could no longer run the country normally and therefore he should step down. After the first attempt to impeach Yoon failed because the ruling party lawmakers boycotted, the second attempt succeeded on 14 December after ruling People Power Party lawmakers decided to vote for Yoons impeachment realising that public protests had intensified and his approval rating had plummeted.

The National Assembly passed the motion 204-85 in a floor vote. Yoons presidential powers and duties were suspended and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the countrys No. 2 official, took over his authority after copies of the document on impeachment were delivered to Yoon and to the Constitutional Court. The court has up to 180 days to determine whether to dismiss Yoon as president or restore his powers.

If Yoon is thrown out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days. Yoons impeachment over his stunning and short-lived martial law decree that ended days of political paralysis proved that democracy in South Korea is vibrant and resilient. It also demonstrated that Yoons impeachment was an outcome driven by the peoples ardent desire for democracy, courage and dedication. While the Constitutional Court shall take time as per law to adjudicate Yoons actions, the immediate challenge before Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to whom all the powers of Yoon have been transferred is to ensure that the volatility in the countrys politics do not affect security interests.

The fear is that North Korea might take advantage of the prevailing political fluidity and launch provocations. Han asked the foreign minister to inform other countries that South Koreas major external policies remain unchanged. The finance minister was also asked to ensure that potential negative impacts on the economy by the political turmoil are minimised. Hans broad objective is to ensure the critical task of ensuring normal and stable operations of state affairs. Being a major ally, Hans office briefed President Joe Bidens office in Washington about the political situation in South Korea and regional security challenges, including North Koreas nuclear programme and its military cooperation with Russia. Both sides reaffirmed their mutual commitment to maintaining and strengthening their alliance.

In South Koreas power structure, while the executive power is concentrated with the President, the Prime Minister takes the reins of the government if the President is incapacitated. There should be no worry in the prevailing confusing political situation as Han is a competent leader with vast experience. Earlier he held top government posts such as trade minister and finance minister. He also served as a prime minister from 2007 to 2008. Support was forthcoming from allies. The US ambassador Philip G Goldberg endorsed South Koreas democratic and constitutional process.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Japan was watching the developments in South Korea closely and assured Han that bilateral ties shall not be affected. When the opposition as well as members of his own party brought in a rebellion charge against Yoon, he remained defiant, calling his martial law decision an act of governance. The conservative Yoon described the main liberal opposition DP as a monster. He further accused the DP of flexing its legislative muscle to impeach many top officials and undermine the governments budget bill for 2025. He claimed the deployment of troops was meant to maintain order, rather than disrupt it.

This evoked sharp response from DP leader Lee Jae-myung who called Yoons speech a mad declaration of war. Yoon probably defended his actions by way of preparations for his defence at the Constitutional Court. But in reality Yoon was living in a fools paradise as opinion surveys showed more than 70 per cent of South Koreans supported his impeachment. His approval rating plummeted to 11 per cent, the lowest since he took office in 2022. Yoon also overlooked the fact that his claims did not align with the testimony by some military commanders whose troops were deployed to the Assembly. This showed that Yoon did not understand the mind of the military correctly.

As per the available reports, Yoon asked Kwak Jong-keun, commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, to order his troops to quickly break down the door and drag out the lawmakers who were inside. Kwak didnt carry out Yoons order. This showed the military was clearly not under Yoons control. The military did not feel compelled to obey orders that were seen as illogical, irrational and smelled of dictatorship.

(The writer is former Senior Fellow at the PMML (Ministry of Culture), MP-IDSA (Ministry of Defence), and ICCR Chair Professor (Ministry of External Affairs) at Reitaku University, Japan)
South Korea held the largest share of the US import market for battery materials last year, a trade association said on Sunday, outranking rivals China and Japan.

The United States imported $9.7 billion worth of key battery materials  anode and cathode materials and separators  from South Korea in 2023, up 93.1 percent from $5.02 billion in 2020, according to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), which analysed UN trade data.

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Last year, South Korea held a 33.7 per cent share of the U.S. battery material import market, followed by Japan at 26.4 per cent and China at 8.4 per cent. In comparison, South Korea held an 8.5 per cent share in 2020, far behind Chinas 28.9 per cent and Japans 17.2 per cent, reports Yonhap news agency.

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South Koreas rise in the U.S. battery materials import market comes amid changes to the global supply chain, sparked by growing trade disputes between the United States and China.

Major South Korean battery makers  LG Energy Solution Ltd., SK On Co. and Samsung SDI Co.  have recently built large-scale battery plants in the United States, leading to increased U.S. imports of battery materials from South Korea.

The sharp growth in the South Korean firms U.S. market share, however, is sparking concerns as the incoming U.S. administration of Donald Trump is reportedly considering imposing tariffs on battery materials.

In an internal document, Trumps transition team recommended changes to restrict support for electric vehicles and impose tariffs on all battery materials globally, Reuters earlier reported.

South Korean companies have pushed to operate battery plants in the United States under the current Joe Biden administrations initiative to induce investment in electric vehicles in the country.
Bruneis Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has thwarted an attempt to use Brunei as a drug transit hub by an international drug syndicate, which is believed to be operating from the Americas, local media reported on Sunday.

The NCB launched an operation codenamed Blockad in early November and uncovered a plot to smuggle drugs from Brunei to countries in the Middle East, Europe, East Asia, and Australia, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting local daily Borneo Bulletin.

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The NCB intercepted air packages containing 36.73 kg of methamphetamine, marking the largest drug seizure in Bruneis history, surpassing the 19 kg seizure during Operation Musang King in 2020, according to the report.

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The syndicate is believed to be operating from the Americas, concealing drugs within speakers and computers, and rerouting packages to other countries via courier services. Investigations revealed attempts to recruit locals to assist in the operations.

The NCB has asked for support from regional and international agencies, including the US Drug Enforcement Administration, to identify and apprehend those behind the syndicate, according to the report.

Earlier on December 19, Brunei distributed 1,500 calendars for 2025 to raise awareness about the importance of living a drug-free lifestyle.

The event was a joint effort by the IT Protective Security Services (ITPSS) company and Bruneis Narcotics Control Bureau.

The calendars, designed by ITPSS, featured monthly messages that highlighted the dangers of drug abuse and the importance of prevention.

Brunei, a Sultanate in Southeast Asia, strictly enforces laws against drugs, alcohol, and tobacco to safeguard the health and safety of its people.

Similarly, on December 4, the Royal Brunei Police Force confiscated 24 bottles of alcohol and 50 cartons of cigarettes during an operation.

Police officers apprehended two local men and intercepted a white vehicle believed to be involved in suspicious activities.

The suspects were found in possession of prohibited goods and were immediately taken into custody.

The production and sale of tobacco and alcohol are strictly prohibited in Brunei, a sultanate on Borneo Island. Those who are convicted of tobacco smuggling will face huge fines or imprisonment.
The missing An-2 light aircraft, which disappeared in Russias Kamchatka Peninsula has been found with all three people aboard alive, local authorities said on Sunday.

All three individuals on board, including two crew members and one passenger, have been evacuated by a Mi-8 helicopter from Kamchatka rescue teams and are being transported to Milkovskaya District Hospital, where their health conditions will be assessed, said the regional office of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

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According to the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, the missing plane and people were found near Mount Tundrovaya on early Sunday.

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The plane, which was en route from Milkovo to Ossora, failed to arrive at its destination on Thursday, prompting an intensive search and rescue operation.

Earlier December 19, an An-2 aircraft operated by Fair Avia went missing over Russias Kamchatka Peninsula, local authorities said.

At 4:45 a.m. Moscow time (0145 GMT), a distress signal was detected from the An-2 aircraft, tail number 33555, at an altitude of 700 metres. The plane was en route from Milkovo to Ossora, Sergei Lebedev, regional emergency minister, said on social media.

The plane with three crew members aboard presumedly disappeared approximately 80 km south-southeast of the Klyuchi village. Emergency response efforts are underway.

An-2 is a single-engine plane widely used in Russias remote areas.

Earlier on July 16, 2021, all 19 people on board a Russian Antonov An-28 passenger plane that vanished from radars in Siberia survived after the aircraft made a hard landing, the emergencies ministry said.

The aircraft  operated by SiLA, a small airline offering regional flights in Siberia  went missing while flying from the town of Kedrovy to the city of Tomsk.

But the aircraft was located after helicopters were dispatched to search for it.

The ministry said that all 19 people on board had survived and were now being evacuated from the site.

Russian aviation safety standards have improved in recent years but accidents, especially involving ageing planes in far-flung regions, are not uncommon.
A senior diplomat will visit the US and Japan this week to discuss cooperation between the three countries and North Korea-related issues, Seouls foreign ministry said on Sunday.

First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun will embark on the five-day trip later Sunday that will first take him to Washington for talks with his US counterpart on bilateral ties, trilateral cooperation with Japan, and North Korea, according to the ministry.

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He will then visit Tokyo for vice ministerial-level talks on the three-way cooperation with the United States and preparations for the 60th anniversary of the normalisation of relations between South Korea and Japan next year, Yonhap news agency reported.

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The trip comes after President Yoon Suk Yeols impeachment on December 14 over his short-lived imposition of martial law, which has raised concerns over Seouls policy coordination with Washington and Tokyo, especially with the incoming US administration of Donald Trump, set to take office next month.

Under Yoon, South Korea has sought to deepen trilateral security cooperation with the US and Japan amid evolving nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea.

To address uncertainties posed by the incoming Trump administration, the foreign ministry has set up a task force to come up with response measures to the new administrations foreign policy.

During this months talks, the three countries, South Korea, the US and Japan acknowledged the need to explore ways to collectively contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Seouls foreign ministry. The meeting marked the second of its kind after its inaugural session in January.

The talks took place as South Korea, the US and Japan sought to deepen trilateral security cooperation amid evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. The 5th winter camp, "Karabakh Twin Schools", has started with the joint organization of the Azerbaijan Diaspora Support Fund, the "Zafar" Public Union for the Support of Martyrs' Families, and the Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Switzerland, Trend reports via the State Committee on Work with Diaspora.

According to the committee, this year, the camp involves children of the martyrs of Azerbaijan and children of Azerbaijanis living in Moldova.

The Executive Director of the Azerbaijan Diaspora Support Fund Akram Abdullayev welcomed the camp participants and informed them about the importance of this project, which has already become a tradition.

Then, the chair of the "Zafar" Public Union Sevinj Orujova thanked everyone involved in the implementation of the project and wished success to all participants.

The author of the project idea, the chairman of the Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Switzerland Gasim Nasirov expressed great joy and pride that this camp, bringing together children of Azerbaijanis living in different regions of the world, is being held for the 5th time.

The speakers expressed hope that the project would continue in the future and contribute to the solidarity of Azerbaijanis worldwide.

To note, 20 schoolchildren, aged 12 to 15, including children of martyrs of Azerbaijan and children of Azerbaijanis from Moldova, are participating in the camp, which runs from December 20 through December27, 2024. During the camp, participants will receive professional training in various fields, as well as organized excursions to historical and tourist attractions in Baku.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Job Title: Lecturer (Computer Science)

Organisation: Uganda Christian University (UCU)

Duty Station: Mukono, Uganda

About the Company:

Uganda Christian University (UCU) is an authentic Christian institution established by the Church of Uganda in 1997 in response to a call for quality university education with a Christian perspective. Uganda Christian University replaced the historic Bishop Tucker Theological College which trained clergy and educators during its 84-year history from 1913-1997. The local chief, Hamu Mukasa, granted land for the college to operate in Mukono.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Teach at undergraduate level in areas allocated by the Dean of School/Head of Department.

Carry out research, teaching, mentoring, supervision and administration within the faculty

Engage with the broader scholarly and professional communities.

Contribute to the development, planning and implementation of a high quality curriculum.

Assist in the development of learning materials and maintaining records to monitor student progress, achievement and attendance

Class preparation, teaching and evaluation of students in accordance with the University curriculum.

Supervising students placements, internships and research papers.

Ad-hoc administrative tasks including and not limited to participating in various student and faculty activities e.g. attending Faculty board meetings, and other Faculty related events.

Setting and marking course works and final examinations.

Assisting in supervising of exams to ensure that exams are done according to rules and regulations.

Advising students on academic and other related issues.

Any other official duties as may be assigned by the Supervisor from time to time.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Must have a Master of Science in Computer Science or a related field from a recognized higher institution of learning.

Must have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field obtained after 2014 from a recognized institution of higher learning.

Must have University teaching experience as a Lecturer for at least two years Or an Assistant Lecturer for at least two (2) years OR as a Tutorial Assistant for at least three (3) years.

Must have at least one scholarly article or publication OR should have undertaken at least one research paper.

Should be a mature and committed Christian.

Should have strong oral and written communication skills.

How to Apply:

All candidates should apply online at the link below

Click Here

Deadline: 31st December 2024

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline

Date Posted 2024-12-23T08:04 Valid Through 2025-01-01T00:00 Employment Type FULL_TIME Hiring Organization Uganda Christian University Job Location Mukono, Mukono, Mukono, 0256, Uganda

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ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 23. KazMunayGas (KMG) and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) discuss the development of advanced technologies to improve oil production efficiency and expand the capacity of the Shymkent Refinery, Trend reports.



During a working trip to the People's Republic of China, the Chairman of the Board of KazMunayGas (KMG), Askhat Khassenov, held a meeting with the President of CNPC, Hou Qijun, in Beijing.

During the talks, cooperation in geological exploration, improving oil production efficiency, expanding the capacity of the Shymkent Refinery, and implementing oil and gas chemical projects were discussed.

As part of the joint work with CNODC (a subsidiary of CNPC), new areas on the eastern edge of the Caspian depression are being studied. Scientific and technical developments aimed at increasing the oil recovery factor from low-margin and hard-to-recover oil and gas fields were considered. Fields for testing enhanced oil recovery technologies were identified.

The companies also exchanged views on the next steps for the project to expand the capacity of PetroKazakhstan Oil Products (PKOP) from 6 to 12 million tons.

The results of the Urea project, which produces an important nitrogen fertilizer for domestic farmers, were also discussed. The projects capacity is 1.2 million tons per year, with a cost of about $1.5 billion.

At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed confidence in the successful implementation of projects and the strengthening of the strategic partnership between KMG and CNPC.

To note, CNPC (China National Petroleum Corporation) is the largest Chinese oil and gas company. Its headquarters are in Beijing. The company ranks 4th in the Fortune Global 500. CNPC's recoverable reserves amount to 1.65 billion tons of oil and 1.95 trillion m of gas.
Japanese autogiants Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co on Monday announced they signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to kick off discussions and considerations exploring a business integration between the two companies through the establishment of a joint holding company.



In a joint statement, Honda and Nissan said it signed an MoU to merge management resources to respond to market changes, integrating Nissan and Hondas four-wheel-vehicle and Hondas motorcycle and power products businesses.

The merger of Nissan and Honda is expected to be done via a joint share transfer, with the stock of the joint holding company scheduled to be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by August 2026. Both Nissan and Honda will be fully owned subsidiaries of the joint holding company, they stated.

The companies said they signed an MoU back on March 15, 2024, exploring a strategic partnership related to vehicle intelligence and electrification. Since then, the two companies have held discussions aimed at collaboration in various fields, read the statement.

On August 1, 2024, both companies also signed another MOU where they looked to joint research in fundamental technologies in the area of platforms for next-generation software-defined vehicles (SDVs). This focused on areas crucial for intelligence and electrification.

I believe that by uniting the strengths of both companies, we can deliver unparalleled value to customers worldwide who appreciate our respective brands. Together, we can create a unique way for them to enjoy cars that neither company could achieve alone, said Nissan CEO and president Makoto Uchida.

Honda and Nissan are two companies with distinctive strengths. We are still at the stage of starting our review, and we have not decided on a business integration yet, but in order to find a direction for the possibility of business integration by the end of January 2025, we strive to be the one and only leading company that creates new mobility value through [a] chemical reaction that can only be driven through [the] synthesis of the two teams, said Toshihiro Mibe, Honda director and representative executive officer.

With the merger, the Nissan-Honda merged entity looks to achieve a sales revenue surpassing 30 trillion yen and an operating profit crossing 3 trillion yen.

Mitsubishi joins merger talks with Nissan and Honda

Another major Japanese name in the automotive sector, Mitsubishi Motors Co, joined Nissan and Honda in another statement on Monday announcing it signed an MoU to explore the possibility of Mitsubishi Motors participation, involvement, and synergy sharing in relation to the business integration through the establishment of a joint holding company outlined in an MOU signed between Nissan and Honda.

This meant that Mitsubishi reached a basic understanding with Nissan and Honda regarding their August 1 MoU on car intelligence and electrification. Mitsubishi Motors has been participating in this framework, and the three companies have been proceeding with discussions, the official announcement read.

With the establishment of a joint holding company that houses both Nissan and Honda, all three agreed to explore the possibility of Mitsubishi participating in the merger. Whether it will indeed happen will be decided by the end of January 2025, according to the Japanese automobile companies.
An investigation by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) following a massive jump in the share price of Bharat Global Developers Ltd (BGDL) resulted in the market watchdog taking action against the firm, including barring it and key company officials.



On Monday, SEBI suspended trading of BGDL, alleging financial misrepresentation, manipulation of prices, improper disclosures, and inflating prices in a bid to offload shares. SEBI issued an interim order to freeze the profits amounting to Rs 271.6 crore made by preferential allottees by selling the shares.



The market regulator also barred BGDL CEO Mohsin Shaikh, MD Ashok Kumar Sewada, two of its directors, and many allottees of preferential shares in the securities market.



The BGDL stock was trading just above Rs 16 apiece in November 2023. But it jumped to around Rs 1,702 per share a year later, in November 2024, triggering the SEBI investigation. An official complaint about the stock was also filed last week, according to reports.

Securities and Exchange Board of India took note of social media posts and a complaint dated December 16, 2024, regarding suspicious financials and disclosures by Bharat Global Developers Limited (BGDL), a company listed on the BSE. The scrip saw a steep 105 times jump in its share price from Rs 16.14 in November 2023 to Rs 1702.95 in November 2024, the watchdog body said in the interim order.

SEBI reveals shocking details on how preferential allottees allegedly gamed the market

SEBIs preliminary investigation found that back in June 2020, BGDL had five promoters who held 93,860 shares (or 16.77 per cent) of the total stock. But the company in September 2020 disclosed that the entire stock of the company was publicly held.

Then, in December 2023, the statutory auditor, the chief financial officer (CFO) and the director resigned, after which five new directors were assigned, SEBI elaborated.

After this, through two preferential share allotments9.72 crore shares in April 2024 and 35 lakh shares in August 2024more than 99 per cent of all shares were held by just 41 allottees, but they were classified as public shareholders.

In October 2024, the company made certain disclosures in the market stating orders secured from companies such as Reliance Industries, TATA Agro and Consumer Products, McCain India Agro Pvt Ltd and UPL Agro Pvt Ltd.

SEBI also found that BGDL claimed it set up a Dubai unit back in January 2024, and even said the subsidiary bagged high-value order worth Rs 251 crore for processing and supplying high-value precious stones, including diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires to prominent wholesalers and bespoke designer jewellery boutiques.

All of this together led to a massive price hike, with the stock hitting its 2-week high of Rs 1702.95 on November 28, 2024. In the same month, 13 preferential allottees offloaded around 21 lakh shares, then valued at about Rs 271 crore.

The sale of shares began immediately after lock-in was released on October 31, 2024. Since the shares were allotted at Rs 10, and sales were made at market price which had shot up after the companys disclosures, a total profit of approximately Rs 269 crore was made by the thirteen preferential allottees from the first tranch, said SEBI in the interim order.

Once seized of the prime facie fraud being effected by the noticees, SEBI cannot be a mute spectator

The securities watchdog also listed out various misrepresentations the company made to exchanges over time. On October 30, 2024, one day before the lock-in period of the first tranche of preferential shares expired, BGDL announced the establishment of six new unitsBharat Global Green Energy Pvt Ltd, Bharat Global AgroTech Pvt Ltd, Bharat Global Aerospace and Defense Pvt Ltd, Bharat Global ImPex Pvt Ltd, Bharat Global Gems and Mining Pvt Ltd, Bharat Global Waste Management Pvt Ltd.

However, SEBI found no evidence of the establishment of these wholly-owned subsidiaries. As on date, none of these six companies are reflected in the database of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, suggesting that they have not been incorporated, it said.

Other deal and order-winning announcements by BGDL were also debunked, and detailed in the SEBI statement.

The disclosures and all events that have happened in a well-orchestrated manner could not have happened serendipitously; there was a design to it. Once seized of the prime facie fraud being effected by the Noticees, SEBI cannot be a mute spectator while the preferential allottees offload their stakes to a very large number of shareholders who invest in markets based on the supposed true disclosures by companies. Time and opportunity cannot be given to preferential allottees/noticees to offload their stakes to a very large number of shareholders who invest in markets based on the supposed true disclosures by companies, Ashwani Bhatia, whole time member of SEBI, said in the regulator statement.
Denouncing a recent report by the US, which shed light on the capabilities of the People's Liberation Army (PAL), its modernisation plans, and China's development of nuclear weapons, the Chinese defence ministry said the report, titled 'Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China' "desperately slandered" the Chinese military and "exaggerated" the military threat posed by China.

The ministry accused Washington of fabricating false narratives against the PLA and said the report "misinterpreted China's defence policies, speculated about China's military capacity development, flagrantly interfered in China's domestic affairs, desperately slandered the Chinese military and exaggerated the so-called military threat posed by China.

ALSO READ: Inside China's expanding underground bunkers, nuclear arsenal

China "strongly deplores and firmly opposes" all these statements, news agency Xinhua quoted defence spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang as saying.

He said for over 20 years, the US has been publishing such deceptive and hypocritical reports year after year, only seeking excuses for the development of its own military capacity and misleading public opinion.

"We urge the US to stop fabricating false narratives, rectify the erroneous perception of China, and push for the healthy, stable development of bilateral and military relations."

Zhang alleged that the 'war-addicted' US has become the biggest destroyer of international order and the greatest threat to global security.

READ MORE: US report highlights sophisticated espionage capabilities of Beijing

He further said China is developing nuclear weapons to safeguard the country's strategic security. But the US, which has the largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal in the world, sticks stubbornly to the policy of first use of nuclear weapons, undermining international and regional peace and stability, he added.

He also expressed the hope that the US would adopt a more positive, rational attitude toward China and the development of the Chinese military, and create bonds between the militaries of the two countries that do not involve conflict or confrontation but champion openness, pragmatism and cooperation.
A grand commemoration ceremony will be held on December 30 at Dr. DS Kothari Auditorium at DRDO Bhawan in New Delhi to honour and recognise the contributions of naval civilians in the operational preparedness of the Indian Navy. In an attempt to enhance the efficiency in administration and well-being of its civilian personnel, the Navy had declared 2024 as the 'Year of Naval Civilians.

Naval civilians play a major role in logistics and administration, ensuring efficient management, distribution of supplies, equipment, resources and seamless coordination to maintain the Navy's smooth operational readiness.

They are also engaged in repair and maintenance services across shops, submarines and aircraft. Other responsibilities of naval civilians include ensuring combat effectiveness of naval forces through efficient armament supply, preservation, storage and inspection.

The 'Year of Naval Civilians' underscores the Indian Navys commitment to recognising the vital role of its civilian personnel in ensuring the nations maritime security and operational excellence. This initiative serves as a testament to fostering a robust and inclusive environment for all stakeholders, the defence ministry said in a release.

ALSO READ: Eyeing Indian Ocean supremacy, Indian Navy stealth guided missile frigate INS Tushil begins journey home from Russia

During the year, a series of measures were initiated to improve civilian HR management and address various aspects of the professional and personal growth of civilian personnel. This included steps taken to improve administrative efficiency, expedite digital transformation, introduce innovative training programs and promote welfare activities.

According to the defence ministry, some of the achievements in this regard include the promulgation of key policies and documents such as Citizen's Charter for the Directorate of Civilian Personnel, revised HR Handbook on Civilian Personnel Management, and Vision Document for Naval Civilian HR Management.

Steps were also taken to increase the welfare and safety of Navy civilians including the provision of insurance cover for civilian personnel working onboard ships at anchorage/sea and the extension of CGHS facilities to 21 industrial units in Mumbai.

There were also specialised workshops and training programmes conducted during the year.
A two-seater F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet of the US Navy, assigned to the Red Rippers of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, was shot down over the Red Sea in what was said to be a friendly fire. Two Navy pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from the aircraft.

'Red Rippers' of Strike Fighter Squadron is responsible for protecting merchant traffic in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks from Yemen.

The aircraft that was shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The CENTCOM had recently said the Truman had entered the Mideast, without specifying that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.

The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the aircraft, a statement from CENTCOM read.

ALSO READ: Russian nuclear bombers fly near Alaska. A power move or routine patrol?

Initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries.... This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.

While the CENTCOM did not specify the mission of the pilots on the fighter jet, it was shot down at the time when the US military was conducting airstrikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels.

It wasn't immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.

However, CENTCOM said warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels.

Sailors merely have seconds to make decisions on incoming hostile fire.
India grown drone manufacturing company Zuppa Geo Navigation Technology claimed that their drones are immune to hijack as they do not have any Chinese components in them and are locally manufactured.

There has been an increased focus on building indigenous drone systems as it was found that there were Chinese spare parts in the drones used by the Indian Army. The usage of Chinese spares in defence equipment for India comes with huge potential for risks, including the transfer of data. Some time ago, the Department of Defence Production (DDP), in a letter to industry bodies, cautioned against private defence companies using Chinese parts.

In August, there was an instance of an Indian drone straying across the line of control into Pakistan. There were reports that suggested that this was an instance of hijacking.

Zuppa reportedly claimed the drone was hijacked by Pakistan as it had Chinese technology which made it vulnerable.

ALSO READ: Why China-made drones are hard to detect?

A few weeks ago, the company had written to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, demanding a ban on the import from Chinese firms that allegedly violated its intellectual property rights.

According to a report in The New Indian Express, founder and MD of the company, Sai Pattabiram, said, "We had warned the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Civil Aviation and National Security Council Secretariat about the possibility of such an incident happening.

The report said while many drone makers depend on Chinese products for major components in the drone, Zuppa is making these locally, including printed circuit board (PCB).


On December 21, Hollywood actress Blake Lively sued actor Justin Baldoni for alleged sexual harassment and for tarnishing her reputation by launching a smear campaign against her during the release of their film It Ends With Us.

ALSO READ | Blake Lively files sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni; alleges smear campaign and hostile work environment

Now, Livelys The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants co-stars have come out to support the actress in a lengthy statement posted on Instagram. Signed by America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel, the actresses wrote that they were appalled by the lengths Baldoni went to discredit Lively.

We are inspired by our sisters courage to stand up for herself and others, they continued, and urged people to read The New York Times expose that includes evidence to support Livelys claim.

Lively vs Baldoni

In the 80-page lawsuit, Lively claimed that she did not feel safe working in the production of the film, and added that she was asked to do a full nude shot during the childbirth scene, which was not discussed prior to the shooting. Baldoni claimed that it was unrealistic to give birth in a hospital gown.

Since the release of It Ends With Us in August, the once-loved Lively has turned evil in the eyes of social media users. Past videos of the actress started to emerge, in which she was seen acting rudely during an interview and making snarky comments in various situations.

During the promotion of the movie  based on a book by Colleen Hoover, which details sexual harassment and domestic abuse  Baldoni, director and lead-star of the film, was raising awareness on the trauma that women go through in relationships, while Lively was promoting her newly launched haircare line.

It is alleged that Baldoni and his team orchestrated this PR strategy to badmouth Lively in the fear that she might expose what happened on set.

While Baldonis lawyer Bryan Freedman responded that the allegations are "false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt," and that it is a desperate attempt from Lively to fix her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions.
India, home to 1.4 billion people, is grappling with a significant mental health crisis. More than 200 million Indians are struggling with mental health problems, yet over 80% of them do not receive professional treatment. This gap is further magnified in rural areas, where over 65% of the population resides.

A lack of awareness, stigma, and an acute shortage of mental health professionals are key barriers preventing access to care.

Stories of individuals silently battling mental health challengesa young woman with postpartum depression in Bihar or a corporate employee in Bangalore suffering through panic attacksare not isolated cases. These challenges reflect the broader struggle faced by millions across the country. In this context, digital therapy platforms are emerging as a promising solution to bridge these gaps.

The role of digital therapy platforms

Digital mental health platforms offer users easy access to therapy, professional support, and resources from the comfort of their homes. These platforms are addressing some of the most pressing issues in mental healthcareaffordability, accessibility, and stigma.

The government has already recognised the importance of digital interventions. In October 2022, India launched the National Tele Mental Health Programme, TeleMANAS. This initiative provides free tele-mental health services through 46 working centres spread across the country. By 2023, TeleMANAS received over 4,70,000 calls, all promptly attended to by professional mental health specialists. This shows the scale of demand and how effectively digital platforms can meet it.

Accessibility and affordability

One of the standout advantages of digital platforms is their affordability. Traditional offline counselling costs anywhere from 1,500 to 5,000 per session, putting it out of reach for many. In contrast, digital therapy apps provide much more affordable options, enabling a larger section of the population to seek help. For individuals living in remote areas, these platforms offer a lifeline, eliminating the need for travel to urban centres.

These platforms also address the stigma associated with seeking mental health support. Many individuals hesitate to approach counsellors due to the fear of being judged. Digital therapy allows users to maintain anonymity, creating a safe space to discuss their mental health concerns without societal pressure.

The role of technology in mental health

Technology is playing a pivotal role in revolutionising mental healthcare. Innovations such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) are enabling personalised therapies and predictive diagnostics.

Chat-based AI tools offer guided interventions, while teletherapy services connect individuals with licensed professionals in real-time. For example, immersive technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) are being used for treatments such as exposure therapy, helping individuals manage anxiety or PTSD in a controlled environment.

Indias tech ecosystem is well-positioned to scale these solutions. With affordable smartphones and expanding internet penetration, digital platforms can reach a wider audience, even in rural areas. Combined with localised content and vernacular languages, these platforms can address cultural sensitivities and make therapy more relatable to diverse populations.

Addressing challenges

While digital platforms hold great promise, there are several challenges that need to be addressed. First, India lacks a robust regulatory framework to govern mental health applications. Clear guidelines must be introduced to ensure user privacy, safety, and the quality of therapy provided. Additionally, while technology can bridge many gaps, it cannot fully replace face-to-face therapy, especially for individuals with severe mental health conditions. A hybrid model that combines digital and traditional therapy may be a more sustainable approach.

Another challenge is the digital divide. While urban populations have easier access to digital platforms, rural areas still face issues with connectivity and digital literacy. Ensuring equitable access will require collaboration between the government, private sector, and technology providers.

A path to global leadership

Indias efforts to expand digital mental health initiatives place it in a unique position to set a global standard for mental healthcare. With its large population and diverse challenges, India can provide valuable insights on scaling affordable, accessible, and culturally sensitive digital therapy solutions.

Programs like TeleMANAS demonstrate the potential for digital platforms to reach underserved populations and reduce barriers to care. By investing in technological advancements, fostering collaborations, and addressing regulatory gaps, India can lead by example in transforming mental health care systems. These efforts are not just about technology but also about fostering a society where mental well-being is a priority for all.

Wrapping it up

Digital therapy platforms in India have the potential to significantly improve mental health care accessibility, affordability, and awareness. By addressing existing challenges and leveraging innovative technologies, India can redefine how mental health care is delivered, not just domestically but globally. This shift could transform millions of lives, offering a path to emotional well-being for individuals who have long struggled in silence.

The author is the founder & CEO of Veda Rehabilitation and Wellness

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinion or views of THE WEEK.
On December 6, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a draft resolution, co-sponsored by India, to designate December 21 as World Meditation Day. This date coincides with the winter solstice, which holds special significance in Indian tradition as the beginning of Uttarayanaan auspicious period for meditation and self-reflection. Interestingly, the International Day of Yoga falls on June 21, the summer solstice.



Archaeologists trace the origins of meditation back to 5,000 BCE, with roots in ancient Egypt, China, and religions such as Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Meditation gained recognition as a physical and emotional self-help practice in the West only in the late 1960s. However, at the United Nations, meditation has held a special place since 1952, when a "Room of Quiet" for meditation was inaugurated.

Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjold, the UN's second Secretary-General, was instrumental in designing the space. Sweden contributed a six-ton iron ore stone altar, symbolizing "permanence" in a changing world. The room featured 12 benches designed by Swedish furniture maker and architect Carl Malmsten and an abstract mural by Swedish artist Bo Beskow, Hammarskjolds close friend.

The mural, painted in geometric forms of blue, white, yellow and grey, includes a single black dot or half-circle to focus the viewer's eye, offering a point of rest. The abstract design was chosen to reflect the room's interfaith purpose, allowing people of any belief or religion to find solitude and introspection. Over time, diverse groups came together under the banner of the Friends of the UN Meditation Room to support its renovation and upkeep.

Elected Secretary-General in 1953 and re-elected in 1957, Dag Hammarskjold played a pivotal role in shaping peacekeeping operations and advancing "preventive diplomacy" to resolve global crises, including the Suez Crisis and conflicts in Lebanon and Jordan. In his later years, Hammarskjold concentrated on fostering peace and dialogue in emerging nations across Africa and Asia.

During the opening ceremony of the meditation room, Hammarskjold said: "We have within us a centre of stillness surrounded by silence. This house, dedicated to work and debate in the service of peace should have one room dedicated to silence in the outward sense and stillness in the inner sense People of many faiths will meet here and, for that reason, none of the symbols to which we are accustomed in our meditation could be used.

In October 2021, the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations undertook efforts to enhance the meditation room by replacing its furniture. They donated 12 new benches, crafted to replicate the original Carl Malmsten designs. These benches were produced by the same company, using the original techniques, designs and materials.
By Prathima Nandakumar

Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar dubbed the BJP leaders as "Dhritarashtra" (blind king) for choosing to remain mum in the Legislative Council last week.

"The entire BJP party is corrupt today. I saw how they turned into "Dhritarashtra" 'in the Legislative Council when their party member C.T. Ravi used derogatory language against me," said the minister in Belagavi on Monday, after learning that the legislator had filed an FIR against her.

Slamming the BJP leaders for rallying behind Ravi, Hebbalkar said, "The BJP leaders are wearing masks. None of them dared to condemn Ravi. Instead, they are now taking out processions to glorify him."

Furious over senior BJP leaders like Prahlad Joshi claiming that the police had attempted to kill Ravi in an "encounter", Hebbalkar asked, "What encounter? The BJP should be ashamed of exaggerating things. Instead of addressing the real issue, they are playing politics. Today, injustice has been done to a women and child development minister and when the entire state is criticising the BJP, they want to divert the attention of people with an FIR. 'Ulta chor kotwal ko daante' (Thief is blaming the cop). The BJP claims the MLC was taken around in the night. But what was the main issue here and why was an FIR filed against him? The BJP is taking people in circles now," said Hebbalkar.

The minister demanded to know how BJP was aggrieved when the derogatory word was used against her and she was suffering all this while. "Just because I stayed indoors for two days, you people decided to give media interviews, take out victory processions in honour of the accused. Aren't you all ashamed of yourselves? Don't you have women members in your family? Don't you have a conscience? You people rush to the temples and stand before the deity always. Remember, there is a greater court, that of God. 'Uski lathi main awaaz nahi hoti hai' (when he (God) weilds his stick, there will be no sound). I will petition the Prime Minister and President of India."

When a reporter asked Hebbalkar's feelings as a mother, she shot back saying she was a woman first. "First of all I am a woman who has been aggrieved. It is an assault on my self-respect. I hail from the land of (Kittur) queen Chennamma. I will not remain mum as it is not only a question of my respect but of all the women of this country. Often women are targeted in politics. They try to break our confidence and intimidate us. But it is only a delusion to think they can hurt us and confine us inside our home. Beti padhao, beti bachao is only a slogan for the BJP," charged Hebbalkar, who asserted that Ravi had used the objectionable word against her and it had caused her immense pain.

"I am ready to face 100 CT Ravis. I have every evidence against him. I have the video clipping which I will release to the media today," said the Belagavi rural MLA, who accused Ravi of bluffing about his head injury.

"Why has he rolled a big bandage around his forehead? He thinks he can hoodwink people by doing all this," she mocked.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Labor relations in Azerbaijan have been fully digitized, as per the new legislation that came into effect in August, said Narmin Mirzayeva, Deputy Head of the State Labor Inspection Service, Trend reports.

Speaking at a conference on "Labor Relations, Occupational Safety, and Human Resources as Key Components of Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance Approaches," Mirzayeva further highlighted the change.

"Employment contracts between employees and employers are now concluded electronically.

When an employees contract is terminated, the required precautionary actions must be executed through an electronic system, guaranteeing that the employee is informed beforehand.

In accordance with current standards, a range of labor-related documents, such as orders, certificates, assessments, and others, are now handled through digital platforms," she said.

To note, The Azerbaijan-Turkiye Businessmen's Association (ATIB) is hosting a conference in Baku on the topic of "Labor Relations, Occupational Safety, and Human Resources as Key Components of Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance Approaches".

The event is attended by Orkhan Mammadov, Chairman of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBIA) under the Ministry of Economy, Hasil Abbasov, Deputy Chairman of the State Employment Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, Narmin Mirzoyeva, Deputy Head of the State Labor Inspection Service, members of the Azerbaijani Parliament, as well as entrepreneurs from Azerbaijan and Turkiye.

The ATIB Board of Directors has scheduled the annual general meeting after the conference.

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The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) informed the Delhi High Court that the payment made by the mining company CMRL to Exalogic, a now-defunct company owned by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayans daughter, constituted corruption. It further stated that the payment was made to ensure smooth operations for CMRL.

The SFIO emphasized that the CMRL-Exalogic investigation was a matter of public interest and alleged that funds were provided to political leaders by CMRL to conceal the corruption. These statements were made during arguments in the High Court which was hearing CMRLs petition seeking to halt the SFIO investigation into its dealings.

The controversy began when the Malayala Manorama reported on August 8, 2023, that CMRL had made a payment of Rs 1.72 crore under bogus claims to the chief ministers daughter, Veena Thaikandiyil. The report was based on a verdict by the New Delhi bench of the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board.

Last week, the SFIO informed the High Court of its suspicion that CMRL had paid money to supporters of terror activities and that an investigation into the matter was ongoing. The counsel representing the Union government revealed that the SFIO had already completed its probe into Exalogic Solutions, CMRL, and the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) concerning the alleged funding scam. The investigation report has been submitted for review.

Meanwhile, the Income Tax Department informed the High Court that transferring tax-related documents in the case to the SFIO was lawful and clarified that there was no legal violation in doing so. It also noted that the Interim Settlement Board's order is not final, and any objections could be raised before the High Court.

The High Court directed all parties involved in the CMRL petition to submit their written arguments within a week. A verdict on CMRL's petition against the SFIO investigation will be delivered later.

Two petitions were previously filedone in the Kerala High Court and the other in the Bengaluru High Courtchallenging the SFIO investigation into the CMRL-Exalogic transactions. However, both courts dismissed the petitions.
India on Monday confirmed that it had received a formal note from Bangladesh demanding the extradition of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The government, however, refused to make any comment on Dhaka's missive.

"We confirm that we have received a note verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today in connection with an extradition request. At this time, we have no comment to offer on this matter," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain said Dhaka has sent a formal note to the Indian government, saying the country wanted Hasina back for the judicial process.

Home Advisor Jahangir Alam also confirmed the interim government's communication with New Delhi on this issue.

READ: Will Jamaat-e-Islami find a lasting role in Bangladesh's political system?

Hasina has been living in exile in India ever since she was ousted from power following a nationwide anti-government protests.

Sending Hasina back would be a tough call for New Delhi which has shown no inclination to extradite the 77-year-old leader to its eastern neighbour.

There is an extradition treaty between India and Bangladesh, but it does allow the refusal of extradition requests if the offence is of a political nature.

India and Bangladesh had built up strong bilateral relations during Hasina's time in office, but New Delhi also admits that sheltering her for a longer period in the country would hamper its efforts to build strong ties with the interim government.

READ: Treatment of minorities will continue to stir Bangladesh's politics and shape its India ties

The relations between the two countries took a hit after Bangladesh witnessed rampant cases of attacks on religious minorities, especially Hindus. India has raised its concerns during Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's recent visit to Dhaka, though Bangladesh has accused Indian media of exaggerating the situation of minorities in the country.
In a joint operation, Punjab police and the Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh police gunned down three suspected members of the Pakistan-sponsored Khalistan Zindabad Force during the early hours of Monday. The Pakistan-sponsored militants were allegedly involved in the Gurdaspur grenade attack.



#WATCH | Pilibhit SP, Avinash Pandey says "A grenade was thrown at a police station in Punjab's Gurdaspur and in that sequence, Gurdaspur Police arrived here. They informed us that the three accused are hiding here in Puranpur...When they were chased and stopped, when we https://t.co/wFJbloW6gD pic.twitter.com/ZMNH6SISxe  ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2024

The militants were killed in an encounter at Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh on Monday morning and the police recovered several arms and ammunition from them. The deceased militants were identified as Gurvinder Singh (25), Virender Singh alias Ravi (23) and Jaspreet Singh alias Pratap Singh (18) and all three hail from Gurdaspur.

According to police, two AK-47 rifles, two Glock pistols and a huge cache of ammunition were seized from the militants. Amitabh Yash, Additional Director General (Law and Order), Uttar Pradesh Police confirmed the trio was involved in the Gurdaspur grenade attack. The three sustained serious injuries in the encounter and were immediately rushed to CHC Puranpur for treatment. The three suspects later succumbed to their injuries, Yash told PTI.

In a joint operation against, #Pakistan's ISI operative in Punjab, a collaborative effort between UP Police & Punjab Police led to an encounter with three operatives of KZF in the jurisdiction of PS Puranpur, Pilibhit. Recovery: Two AK rifles and two Glock pistols



The three pic.twitter.com/ezEvP0WpOI  DGP Punjab Police (@DGPPunjabPolice) December 23, 2024

Punjab police chief Gaurav Yadav said it was a major breakthrough and the terror outfit was involved in attacks on police establishments in Punjabs border areas. "In a major breakthrough against a #Pak-sponsored Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror module, a joint operation of UP Police and Punjab Police has led to an encounter with three module members who fired at the police party, the Punjab police chief tweeted.

He added the terror module was involved in the grenade attacks at police establishments in border areas of Punjab. The encounter has taken place in the jurisdiction of PS Puranpur, Pilibhit, between the joint police teams of Pilibhit & Punjab and the three module members are involved in the grenade attack on a police post in #Gurdaspur, Yadav said. The DGP said further probe to unveil the entire terror module is underway.
Senior PDP leader and Jammu and Kashmir MLA Waheed Para has been served a notice by the Income Tax department requesting his financial records. The notice instructed Para to appear before Income Tax authorities on December 20, but he received the notification only that day. Para represents Pulwama constituency in south Kashmir.

His representative is likely to visit the Income Tax office on Monday. The notice falls under Section 131 (1A) of the Income Tax Act, which empowers tax officers to seek information from taxpayers even if no formal investigation is in progress.

This section allows authorities to request financial documents and books of accounts, either in person or through an authorised representative. Election data filed with the Election Commission revealed that Para spent over Rs 14 lakh on his campaign.

Of this amount, Rs 12 lakh came from individuals, companies, firms, or associations as loans, gifts, and donations.

In his election affidavit, Para declared assets exceeding Rs 2.5 crore, including inherited agricultural land valued at Rs 2 crore. Para was granted bail after serving two years in jail. He was initially arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on November 25, 2020, a day after submitting his nomination for the District Development Council elections in Pulwama.

Despite receiving bail from an NIA court in January 2021, he was rearrested by the Counter Intelligence (Kashmir) unit of Jammu and Kashmir Police on similar charges as he exited jail. He is considered an important leader who commands influence on the PDP supporters especially youth in south Kashmir.

He had contested the Lok Sabha elections against NCs Agh Ruhullah unsuccessfully from Srinagar. In the inaugural session of the assembly in November, he tried to move a resolution against the abrogation of Article 370, however, this was disallowed by Speaker, Abdul Rahim Rather.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi visited the family of Dalit activist Somnath Suryavanshi, who died at a state-run hospital while being in judicial custody, in Parbhani district of Maharashtra.

Suryavanshi was among the over 50 people arrested on December 10 in connection with the violence that broke out in the district following the vandalisation of a glass-enclosed replica of the Constitution near Dr Ambedkar's statue.

"Somnath Suryavanshi was killed because he was a Dalit and was protecting the Constitution. The RSS ideology wants to finish the constitution," Gandhi said while demanding a probe into his death.

Gandhi reached Parbhani on Monday afternoon after travelling from Nanded by road. He was shown pictures, videos, and Suryavanshi's postmortem report. After going through all the material, Gandhi said it was a case of custodial death and the police had killed him.

The 35-year-old law student died on December 15 at a state-run hospital where he was rushed after complaining of chest pain and uneasiness.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi raised the issue in the recently concluded state legislature session. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced an inquiry by a retired judge into the case of Suryavanshi's death and a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the victims family.

Suryavanshi's family has demanded a death sentence for police personnel who were involved in Somnaths death.

Rahul Gandhi was also scheduled to meet the family of Vivek Vakode, another Dalit activist who died of a heart attack.
After Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament last week that a metro project in Kolkata had been halted, both the BJP in West Bengal and the states ruling party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), have called for its resumption.

Responding to a question from BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya regarding the governments plans to build a new metro line between New Garia and Baruipur, Vaishnaw explained that a survey had been conducted, but the project could not be taken forward due to low traffic projection.

Jadavpur MP Sayani Ghosh raised the matter in Parliament where she attacked the BJP for only looking after its own interests instead of the welfare of common people.

We sought an extension of the metro from Kavi Subhash (New Garia) to Baruipur. But I received a letter from the [railways] department where they have said the project is not economically viable and it is unremunerative, she said.

I dont understand. If your goal is to extract money from everywhere, are people voting for you for their benefit or for your profits?

Local MLA and West Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee claimed that the survey report cited by the railway minister to call the metro project economically unviable was old and did not apply in present context.

The population has now increased since the survey was conducted. The New Garia-Baruipur project is very much viable today. Baruipur Municipality will pass a resolution to demand that the project be restarted again, Banerjee told THE WEEK.

The Baruipur Paschim legislator added that he would personally submit a report with new details, demonstrating how the metro project would benefit local residents in the region and proving that it would not be economically unviable.

Bhattacharya, the BJP MP who raised the question about the project in Rajya Sabha, said that he would personally take up the matter with Vaishnaw to ask him to reconsider the railways ministrys decision.

The minister has not stated that the project has been cancelled. As an MP from West Bengal, I will personally request him to resume the project so that it can benefit the common people, he told THE WEEK.

Contesting the claim of Ghosh, the TMC parliamentarian from Jadavpur, the Rajya Sabha MP said, This is not a totalitarian regime. Naturally, operational costs and profitability must be considered. TMC leaders are concerned about this one project. What about the others that are delayed due to the state governments inaction?

Bhattacharya highlighted five other metro projects that are currently under construction in and around Kolkata. The railway minister informed Parliament that four of these projects have been delayed due to various issues linked to the state government, such as traffic diversion, land acquisition, and encroachment.

Vaishnaw further stated that delays in land acquisition by the state government are impacting 43 other railway projects located entirely or partially in West Bengal. Of the required 3,040 hectares of land, only 640 hectares (21 per cent) have been acquired so far.
On Monday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) staged protests across West Bengal in response to Home Minister Amit Shah's comments about Dr B.R. Ambedkar in parliament. The party organised rallies and marches in various blocks and municipal wards across the state.

Last week, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee directed party leaders across all levels to actively protest against the home minister. Trinamool general secretary Subrata Bakshi issued directives to the partys district presidents, district chairpersons, MPs, MLAs and the mayors and chairpersons of corporations and municipalities.

Several rallies, led by senior TMC leaders, were held across Kolkata. Mayor Firhad Hakim led a demonstration in the city's ward number 82, calling for Shah to either clarify his remarks or step down from his position.

At the end of the rally, Hakim paid floral tribute to a statue of Dr Ambedkar and said, Amit Shahs slanderous remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar is not just an insult to him but also an insult to the Constitution of India.

#WATCH | Kolkata | TMC leader and West Bengal Minister Shashi Panja along with party workers today held a protest over Union Home Minister Amit Shahs remarks on BR Ambedkar



She says, "Today, protests are happening in the entire state. The insult of BR Ambedkar cannot be pic.twitter.com/AS94iiEXjL  ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2024

Amit Shah used to give directions for encounters over the phone. He was in CBI custody for 72 days, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation mayor added. Now that he is the home minister, what was supposed to happen is happening. But Babasahebs stature wont be reduced by them.

In the Girish Park area of the city, Dr Shashi Panja, the minister for women and child development and social welfare of West Bengal, led a march, while Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh organised a protest with party workers in Kolkatas ward number 28.

Several other Trinamool MLAs, including Sujit Bose from Bidhannagar in North 24 Parganas, Bivas Sardar from Baruipur Purba in North 24 Parganas, and Abdur Razzak from Jalangi in Murshidabad, spearheaded protest marches in their respective constituencies.

Protests were also held in districts such as Bankura, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Hooghly, Jalpaiguri, Maldah, and Birbhum. Additionally, the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), the ruling party's student wing, staged demonstrations at colleges across West Bengal to condemn the home ministers remarks about Ambedkar.
President-Elect Donald Trump has picked Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-American venture capitalist, as senior policy advisor for AI at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Krishnan was a general partner at Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and a former product leader at Twitter.

A statement by Trump said Krishnan will "help shape and coordinate AI policy across government, working with the presidents council of advisors on science and technology."

Krishnan acknowledged the offer, stating he was "honoured to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI." "Thank you, Donald Trump, for this opportunity."

Born in Chennai, Krishnan is an Information Technology graduate of Anna University who began his career with Microsoft in 2007 as a program manager for Visual Studio. His career later took him to Twitter, Yahoo!, Facebook, and Snapchat, where he pioneered the platform's ad tech, setting the stage for its IPO.

Krishnan and his wife Aarthi Ramamurthy shot to prominence in 2021 as the hosts of the podcast "The Aarthi and Sriram Show" (which was then called the "Good Time Show"). He was appointed a general partner at a16z in February 2021, and in 2023, was selected to lead the firms London office, its first non-U.S. location. He left in late November after rumours began to circulate that he was in talks with Elon Musk to join the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an informal advisory board spearheaded by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Krishnan has a close relationship with Muskwith whom he worked to rebuild Twitter (now X) following Musks acquisition of the company in 2022.

Views on AI

Krishnan has been open about his views of AI trends. An opinion piece he wrote in The New York Times stressed on a "fundamentally different mechanism for websites to "exchange" value with OpenAIs ChatGPT and other AI-powered chatbots.

"Some industry experts believe the answers are in legal action and older sites forming content alliances. As a technologist, my hope is that the answers lie in code rather than lawyers and that we see creative technology solutions to help keep the internet open."
Bangladesh's interim government said it has sent a formal note to India seeking the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The Bangladesh-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has already issued an arrest warrant for Hasina who has been living in exile in India since August 5 when she was forced to quit and flee the country following massive nationwide anti-government protests.

"We have sent a note verbale to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process," Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain said.

Home Advisor Jahangir Alam also confirmed that his office has sent a letter to New Delhi to facilitate Hasina's extradition. He pointed out that an extradition treaty already exists between the two countries.

India has not yet made any official statements on the reports.

READ: Will Jamaat-e-Islami find a lasting role in Bangladesh's political system?

Bangladesh interim government's head Muhammad Yunus had said last month that the country would seek the extradition of the ousted prime minister.

"We must ensure justice in every killing We will also ask India to send back fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina," he had said.

The relations between India and Bangladesh nosedived after the fall of Hasina government with reports of rampant attacks on religious minorities emerging from the neighbouring country.

READ: Treatment of minorities will continue to stir Bangladesh's politics and shape its India ties

India has voiced its concerns during the visit of foreign secretary Vikram Misri to Dhaka, though Bangladesh has been accusing the Indian media of exaggerating the situation.

Dhaka had also raised strong protests over Hasina's recent remarks that the Yunus-led interim government was perpetrating "genocide" in Bangladesh.
Asma al-Assad, wife of Syrias deposed president Bashar al-Assad, Asma al-Assad, has filed for divorce after fleeing to Moscow from Syria, according to reports that appeared in Turkish and Arab media.

Her application which is currently pending before the Russian court says that she plans to leave Moscow for her home country London. Her application is reportedly currently being evaluated by Russian authorities, the report added.

 Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad, a survivor of breast cancer, is in another fight for her life after being diagnosed with myelogenous leukemia.



This is her message to Syria before she begins treatment. pic.twitter.com/fL5Cqekt07  Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) May 25, 2024

Asma was born and raised in London by her Syrian parents. Hence, she holds dual British-Syrian nationality. Asma moved to Syria in 2000 and married Assad at the age of 25. She met Assad while he was working as an eye doctor in London.

She had fled to Moscow weeks before the collapse of the regime, where she is undergoing treatment for a second bout of cancer. Her immediate family, including her father Fawaz al-Akhras, were also in Moscow. al-Akhras faces sanctions imposed by the US Treasury.

Asma and Assad's elder son Hafez came to Moscow with his father, while their other children, including daughter Zein who was studying at the Sorbonne in Abu Dhabi, have now joined them, Financial Times quoted people close to the family. The report added that four hours before departing Damascus, 23-year-old son Hafez was spotted walking around a park near the presidential palace and hanging out with friends.

UK may revoke citizenship

While high-profile sources in the UK say Asma is not welcome back home, there are also speculations that the UK government could strip her citizenship, though such decisions are rare.

Though UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it was too early to decide on Asma's citizenship at this point, there is a clause in the British Nationality Act which stipulates that the Home Secretary may by order deprive a person of a citizenship status if the Secretary of State is satisfied that deprivation is conducive to the public good.

Under section 40 of the 1981 British Nationality Act, a Home Secretary may by order deprive a person of a citizenship status if the Secretary of State is satisfied that deprivation is conducive to the public good.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel too has urged the Government to ensure there will be "no asylum claims from former members of the Assad regime in this country".

Id like to ask the Foreign Secretary what the Governments assessment is of the implications for the Syrian resettlement program, and can he confirm that despite Assad fleeing to Russia to claim asylum, there will be no asylum claims from former members of the Assad regime in this country, many of whom will be associated with human rights abuses?
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 23. Kazakhstan plans to build a new terminal at the Alat port in Azerbaijan in 2025, Kazakhstan's Minister of Transport Marat Karabaev said at the country parliament's meeting, Trend reports.

According to him, Kazakhstan is additionally working on the construction of terminals at the Alat port, in the settlement of Selyatino near Moscow, at the Svisloch station in Belarus, and in Tashkent.

He explained that construction of these facilities is scheduled to begin next year, and the total capacity of the new terminals will be 1.2 million containers per year.

"In the future, it is planned to create joint terminals in Constanta, Romania; Budapest, Hungary; and Urumqi, China. As a result, the capacity of external terminals will increase fivefold, allowing for the attraction of cargo from the main countries forming cargo flows to Kazakhstan's transport corridors," the minister emphasized.

He also added that currently, Kazakhstan-China terminals are operating at the Lianyungang port and the Xi'an dry port, and a terminal with a capacity of 500,000 containers per year is functioning at the port of Poti in Georgia, operated by a Kazakh entrepreneur.

Additionally, Karabaev noted that, at present, only Azerbaijani ferries operate on the Kurik-Alat route, due to the shortage of Kazakhstans fleet.

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In a tragic incident, a woman was set on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn on Sunday. According to the police, a man has been arrested in New York in connection with the death of a woman.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described Sunday's incident as "one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being."

The man had used a lighter to ignite her clothing, while she was travelling on a stationary F train. She was in a subway carriage at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station at about 7:30 local time when the man approached her. Although the officers extinguished the flames, the woman died at the scene.

The police said that they are questioning the suspect to establish a possible motive behind the attack.

Before the attack, there was "no interaction" between the pair, said NYPD's Joseph Gulotta.

According to Tisch, the officers on patrol at an upper-level station smelled smoke and went to investigate, when they saw a person fully engulfed in flames inside the train car.

The man got off the train as police officers on patrol rushed to the train. "The suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car," Tisch said.

The police were able to obtain "very clear, detailed" imagery of the man from the responding officers' body-worn camera. The pictures were released by the NYPD and soon they got the information on the suspect via a 911 call.

He was arrested at Herald Square station - which is located near the Empire State Building in Manhattan. He was found with a lighter in his pocket, Ms Tisch said.

Gulotta said that the man emigrated from Guatemala to the US in 2018.
Chennai, Dec 23 (PTI) TVS Emerald has bought a 12-acre land to develop a real estate projects worth about Rs 2,800 crore.

The company did not disclose the cost of the acquisition of the land, which is located on Radial Road (PTR) in Chennai.

The land will have a development potential of 2.5 million square feet and a revenue potential of Rs 2,800 crore, the company said in a statement.

This marks the third acquisition of land by TVS Emerald in the current fiscal.

Earlier, the company acquired a 4-acre land parcel in Padur, Chennai and a 4-acre parcel in Thanisandra, Bengaluru.

Sriram Iyer, Director & CEO, TVS Emerald, said, "This landmark acquisition, reinforces our commitment to strategic growth and market leadership in Chennai and Bengaluru."

By securing this land on the premium Radial Road corridor, he said, the company is expanding footprint and creating substantial value for its stakeholders.

"This move aligns perfectly with our vision of developing world-class properties in high-potential locations," Iyer said.

TVS Emerald, a fully-owned subsidiary of TVS Holdings, is engaged in the business of developing residential projects and self-sustaining communities with presence in Chennai and Bengaluru.

It has delivered around 3.6 million sq.ft of residential developments in Chennai and has about 8.6 million sq.ft of under development projects.
MUMBAI, India, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited (BSE: 543412) (NSE: STARHEALTH), India's largest standalone health insurer, has achieved remarkable recognition at the ASSOCHAM 16th Global Insurance Summit & Awards 2024, securing the Runner-Up position for "Most Effective Insurance Penetration." This prestigious accolade underscores the company's transformative impact in democratizing health insurance across India.



"This recognition from ASSOCHAM validates our mission to make affordable health insurance available to every Indian," said Anand Roy, MD & CEO at Star Health. "Our innovative products, robust distribution network, and customer-centric approach have enabled us to bridge critical healthcare gaps across the nation. This award reinforces our commitment to expanding health insurance penetration and securing the health of millions more Indians in the years ahead."



During FY 2020 to FY 2025 (November), Star Health Insurance recorded significant contributions from diverse regions: Metropolitan areas consistently accounted for the largest share, contributing 42% in FY 2020 and maintaining a robust 41% as of FY 2025 (November). Rural areas increased their contribution from 20% in FY 2020 to 22% in FY 2025 (November), reflecting growing insurance penetration in these regions. Similarly, semi-urban areas saw a rise from 21% to 22%, while urban areas' contribution slightly changed from 16% in FY 2020 to 15% in FY 2025 (November). Other regions maintained a steady 1% contribution throughout this period. The total lives insured grew significantly from 15.66 million in FY 2020 to 22.99 million in FY 2024, underscoring the company's expansive reach.



Star Health's commitment to innovation is evident in its suite of tailored health insurance solutions. The company has broken new ground with specialized policies for diverse segments, including senior citizens, individuals with pre-existing conditions, and economically disadvantaged families. Its technology-driven approach, featuring AI-powered claims processing and digital-first solutions, has significantly streamlined the insurance experience for customers across urban and rural India. The ASSOCHAM Global Insurance Summit, themed "Insuring India by 2047: New Landscape for Insurance Sector," brought together the industry's foremost leaders and policymakers. Star Health's recognition at this premier forum highlights its pivotal role in shaping the future of India's health insurance landscape.



The company's achievement reflects its successful strategy in pioneering affordable health insurance solutions, leveraging technology to simplify insurance processes, building an extensive hospital network for seamless cashless treatment, and driving financial inclusion through innovative health insurance products. This recognition further cements Star Health's position as a trailblazer in India's health insurance sector, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to creating a healthier, more insured India.



About Star Health and Allied Insurance:



Star Health Insurance (BSE: 543412 | NSE: STARHEALTH) is India's leading standalone health insurer, operating since 2006. The Company offers Health, Personal Accident and Travel Insurance, with specialized products for cancer, diabetes, cardiac illnesses, senior citizens, women and children. Star Health has a strong distribution network, including 902 offices, 30,000+ healthcare providers, 742,000 agents, and robust bancassurance partnerships. The Company is also the first in India to settle over 1 crore claims. In FY24, Star Health reported a gross written premium of Rs 15,254 Cr and a net worth of Rs 6,339 Cr.For more information visit http://www.starhealth.in



Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2401495/4977585/StarAlliedLogo.jpg



(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR

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New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) The initial public offering of Unimech Aerospace and Manufacturing Ltd received 3.81 times subscription on the first day of share sale on Monday, helped by encouraging investors' participation.

The Rs 500-crore initial share sale received bids for 1,79,22,111 shares, as against 47,04,028 shares on offer, as per NSE data.

Retail Individual Investors (RIIs) part fetched 4.45 times subscription, while the category for non-institutional investors received 4.02 times subscription. The quota for Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) got subscribed 2.49 times.

The Initial Public Offering (IPO) has a fresh issue of up to Rs 250 crore and an offer-for-sale (OFS) of up to Rs 250 crore.

Price range for the offer has been fixed at Rs 745-785 per share.

Anand Rathi Advisors Ltd and Equirus Capital Private Ltd are the book running lead managers to the offer.

Unimech Aerospace is a high-precision engineering solutions company specialising in complex manufacturing solutions for the aerospace, defence, energy and semiconductor industries.

Shares of the firm will be listed on the BSE and NSE.
New Delhi [India], December 23: New Zealand has emerged as a prime pick for international students who want top-notch schooling, a friendly place to live, and stunning scenery. Its education system, which is recognized around the globe for its lively student scene, and ample work opportunities after graduation make it a great spot for eager learners from all over. If you're considering pursuing international education, here's why study in New Zealand might be just right for you.



Why study in New Zealand?



 World-class education



New Zealand has many great universities with cutting-edge research labs, high standards, and degrees that are respected everywhere. The country always ranks high for how good its education system is, and people all over the world respect students who get their degrees from New Zealand universities.



 Multicultural experiences



With students from more than 120 countries, New Zealand gives you a chance to learn in a place with many different cultures, which helps you see things from a global view. It's a great place to grow as a person and in your career in a safe place where everyone feels welcome.



 Work opportunities post-study



New Zealand makes it easy to find work after you graduate by giving out work visas to students who have completed their graduation. This gives graduates a chance to get real job experience. It's a big plus for those who want to start their careers after they complete their studies.



New Zealand country highlights 2024-25



Aspect



Details



Top universities



8 globally recognized universities



Admission requirements



High school certificate for UG; Bachelors degree for PG



Accepted standardized tests



SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT



English proficiency tests



IELTS, TOEFL



Average tuition fees



Approximately NZD 20,000 - NZD 35,000 per year



Living expenses



Approximately NZD 15,000 per year



Permitted working hours



Up to 20 hours per week during term, full-time during scheduled breaks



Post-study work opportunities



Post-study work visa available for graduates



Student support services



Extensive on-campus and off-campus support for international students







Study in New Zealand requirements



To study in New Zealand, you must fulfill certain eligibility requirements, which vary according to the program you plan to pursue. In general, undergraduate programs need high school diplomas or similar qualifications. Postgraduate studies need a bachelor's degree in a related discipline. Non-native speakers must also demonstrate English proficiency, with IELTS or TOEFL results generally recognized. Navigating the different criteria may be challenging, but you can rest assured that institutions in New Zealand provide good assistance, or you can connect with overseas education consultants to help you throughout the process.



Top universities in New Zealand



New Zealand boasts eight universities that have earned global recognition. These schools appear in the QS World University Rankings, showcasing their top-notch academics, groundbreaking research, and cutting-edge teaching approaches. Students can choose from a broad selection of courses in fields like engineering, medicine, business, environmental science, and the arts. Many of these universities offer programs designed to meet industry demands, giving students the chance to gain real-world experience through internships, research work, and partnerships with businesses.



Universities in New Zealand are famous for their welcoming and inclusive environments, making them ideal places for international students to thrive both academically and socially. The small class sizes and one-on-one attention add to the overall quality of education, while the stunning landscape and safe surroundings offer an unforgettable experience for students.



Here's a look at the top 10 universities in New Zealand and their QS rankings for 2025:



University name



QS Ranking 2025 (New Zealand)



QS Ranking 2025 (Global)



University of Auckland



1



87



University of Otago



2



194



Victoria University of Wellington



3



236



University of Canterbury



4



258



University of Waikato



5



331



Massey University



6



372



Lincoln University



7



393



Auckland University of Technology



8



447







Each of these universities offers its own unique mix of academic programs, research opportunities, and a supportive campus culture, making New Zealand a top study abroad destination for higher education. Whether you want to study engineering, arts, health sciences, or business, you'll find programs that fit your academic and career goals at these respected institutions.



Cost of studying in New Zealand



Heres a breakdown of the estimated costs associated with studying in New Zealand for international students:



Expense type



Estimated cost (Per Year)



Undergraduate tuition fees



NZD 20,000 - NZD 35,000 approximately



Postgraduate tuition fees



NZD 25,000 - NZD 40,000 approximately



PhD tuition fees



NZD 6,500 - NZD 9,000 approximately (same for international and domestic students)



Living expenses



NZD 15,000 approximately (includes accommodation, food, transport, etc.)



Health insurance



NZD 500 - NZD 700 approximately



Visa application fee



NZD 330 - NZD 530 approximately



Study materials (books, etc.)



NZD 500 - NZD 1,000 approximately



Personal expenses



NZD 2,000 - NZD 5,000 approximately







Scholarships to study in New Zealand



There are several scholarships that can help international students reduce tuition fees. Scholarships are available from the New Zealand Government, universities and private organizations Some of the scholarships include New Zealand international scholarships that are available for the students from the selected countries. Other scholarships include university-specific scholarships such as the University of Auckland International Student Excellence Scholarship and the Victoria University Tongarewa Scholarship. These scholarships will help the candidate make New Zealand a preferred study destination.



Student visa for New Zealand: Planning your journey wisely



Having a student visa is a key aspect of planning for your journey to study in New Zealand. This often requires providing proof of acceptance letters into a New Zealand educational institution, evidence of the availability of adequate funds to cover tuition fees and personal sustenance, and a valid medical insurance policy. In the case of the student visa, international students are permitted to work part-time during their studies, thus giving him or her some working experience as well as an income source.



However, the right guidance is very important when going through this process. This is where MSM Unify, one of the best overseas education consultants, can come into place. MSM Unify has helped over 186,000 students with all aspects of studying abroad, from choosing the right course and university to applying for visas. With MSM Unifys support, you can focus on achieving your academic goals while ensuring that all the logistical aspects of your move are handled professionally.



Conclusion



Studying in New Zealand opens doors to world-class education, a multicultural experience, and a clear pathway to future career opportunities. The countrys high academic standards, supportive environment, and range of scholarships make it an attractive destination for students worldwide. Whether you're interested in business, technology, or the arts, New Zealand has something for everyone. With the right planning and guidance, your dream of studying in New Zealand can become a realityhelping you build the future you desire.



(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PNN and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR

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New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) The initial share sale of Ventive Hospitality Ltd got 1.28 times subscription on the day two of bidding on Monday.

The Initial Public Offer (IPO) received bids for 1,84,68,011 shares, as against 1,44,34,453 shares on offer, according to NSE data.

Retail Individual Investors (RIIs) portion attracted 1.76 times subscription, while the quota for Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) got subscribed 1.22 times. The Non-Institutional Investors part received 1.07 times subscription.

Blackstone-backed Ventive Hospitality on Thursday said it has mobilised Rs 719 crore from anchor investors.

The issue, with a price band of Rs 610-643 per share, will conclude on December 24.

The IPO is entirely a fresh issue of equity shares of up to Rs 1,600 crore and has no offer-for-sale component.

The company proposes to utilise the net IPO proceeds towards funding the debt payment, including payment of interest accrued thereon.

Ventive Hospitality (formerly ICC Realty) is a joint venture between the US-based Blackstone Group and Panchshil Realty. At present, Panchshil holds a 60 per cent stake in Ventive, while Blackstone owns the remaining 40 per cent stake.

It is a hospitality asset owner primarily focused on luxury offerings across business and leisure segments in India and the Maldives.

As of September 2024, the company's portfolio has 11 operational properties, comprising 2,036 keys across the luxury, upper upscale and upscale segments. All of its assets are operated by or franchised from global operators, including Marriott, Hilton, Minor and Atmosphere.

JM Financial, Axis Capital, ICICI Securities, IIFL Capital Services Ltd (Formerly known as IIFL Securities Ltd), Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, SBI Capital Markets and HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India) Pvt Ltd are the book-running lead managers for the issue.
New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) Parle Biscuits has reported a twofold jump in profit at Rs 1,606.95 crore for FY24 while revenue from operations was up 2 per cent to Rs 14,349.4 crore.

Total revenue was up 5.31 per cent at Rs 15,085.76 crore in FY24 helped by other income, according to financial data accessed through business intelligence platform Tofler.

Parle Biscuits, a subsidiary of Parle Products, had reported a standalone profit of Rs 743.66 crore in FY23 and revenue from sale of products was at Rs 14,068.80 crore.

Incorporated in September 1974, Parle Biscuits is a leading manufacturer of biscuits and confectionery. It owns popular brands such as Parle G.

Parle Biscuits' advertising promotional expenses in FY24 were up 3.23 per cent to Rs 442.81 crore. This was at Rs 428.93 crore a year ago.

Total tax expense of Parle Biscuits was Rs 499.4 crore in FY24. Total expenses were at Rs 12,979.41 crore, down 2.54 per cent year-on-year.

Sharing the scenario and outlook, Parle Biscuits said FY24 was fulfilling and promising for the company.

"The company continues to aggressively pursue new opportunities in the field of biscuits and confectionery," it said.

Parle Products owns 100 per cent stake in Parle Biscuits.
New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) Kalyani Investment Company, one of the promoter group entity of Bharat Forge, has settled a case with Sebi about the alleged violation of disclosure norms after paying Rs 1.12 crore towards the settlement fee.

Kalyani Investment Company Ltd (KICL), a listed entity, is part of the over USD 2.5 billion Kalyani Group.

The order came after the applicant (Kalyani Investment Company) proposed to settle the instant proceedings initiated against it, without "admitting or denying the facts and conclusions of law", under the Sebi's settlement regulations.

"In view of the acceptance of the settlement terms and the receipt of the settlement amount, the adjudication proceedings initiated against the applicant (Kalyani Investment Company) vide show cause notice (SCN) dated March 19, 2024, is disposed of," Sebi's adjudicating officer Amit Kapoor said in the settlement order on Friday.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) initiated adjudication proceedings against the applicant for the alleged violation of Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act (SCRA) rules and disclosure norms.

Thereafter, Sebi issued a show cause notice on March 19, 2024, to KICL.

The SCN alleged that the applicant failed to place the summary of the related party transaction entered between the KICL and Kalyani Steels Ltd (KSL) on March 27, 2014, before its audit committee concerning purchase of Non-Cumulative Optionally Convertible Preference Shares (NCOCPS) of Lord Ganesha Minerals Pvt Ltd (LGMPL).

Further, it alleged that the applicant failed to take prior approval of its audit committee for the related-party transaction entered between applicant and KSL on September 16, 2015, with respect to purchase of NCOCPS of LGMPL.

Sebi also found that the applicant had allegedly failed to place the summary of the related party transaction entered between KICL and KSL, before its audit committee concerning the Inter Corporate Deposits, advanced by applicant to KSL, during the period December 27, 2013, to March 19, 2014.

Pursuant to the receipt of the settlement application, Kalyani Investment Company filed revised settlement terms, wherein it will pay Rs 1.12 crore towards settlement charges.

The revised settlement terms proposed by KICL were cleared by Sebi's High Powered Advisory Committee (HPAC), which recommended the matter be settled.
Mumbai, Dec 23 (PTI) Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority on Monday said Switzerland-based Terminal Investment Limited Sarl (TIL) has proposed to invest an estimated Rs 20,000 crore for the development of the Vadhvan Port and the surrounding ecosystem.

The facility, being developed near Dahanu in Palghar district of Maharashtra at an investment of Rs 76,200 crore, is being developed by Vadhvan Port Project Ltd (VPPL).

VPPL is a special purpose vehicle, wherein Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) holds a 74 per cent stake and Maharashtra Maritime Board owns the remaining 26 per cent.

JNPA said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with TIL for this purpose, and the collaboration is a step further in improving port infrastructure in the country and turning Vadhvan Port into a world-class port of the future.

According to the initial pact, TIL has proposed to invest an estimated Rs 20,000 crore for the development of the Vadhvan Port and the surrounding ecosystem, JNPA said.

TIL has a diverse portfolio of container terminals, strategically located at key ports on the world's major shipping routes, providing access to key mature and developing markets.

"This partnership not only reflects the confidence of global investors in India's maritime sector but also ensures the integration of cutting-edge technology, sustainable practices, and world-class infrastructure," said Unmesh Sharad Wagh, IRS, Chairman, JNPA and CMD, VPPL.

Together, the two partners aim to create a port ecosystem that sets new benchmarks in efficiency and innovation, he added.
New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) State-run power giant NTPC on Monday said it has signed an initial pact with GRIDCO and CRUT to set up green hydrogen infrastructure in Odisha.

NTPC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GRIDCO, a Government of Odisha undertaking for Energy and Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), the public transit agency of the state government, on Monday, as per a statement.

The tripartite MoU intends to further green energy technologies in Odisha, especially green hydrogen mobility scheme.

As per the MoU, NTPC will set up a green hydrogen fuelling station in Bhubaneswar, along with hydrogen buses for short-haul and long-haul operations.

This will open an option of phasing out fossil fuel buses in favour clean and green fuels, bringing decarbonisation and energy security.

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has contributed partially for setting up of the project in Bhubaneswar.

The NTPC is operating the green hydrogen blending project in Surat for the last two years and has taken similar mobility initiatives in Leh, Greater Noida, and Gujarat's Kandla.

The NTPC is also developing the green hydrogen hub in Visakhapatnam and aims to reach 60 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2032.
As the countrys first bank, Kapital Bank continues to organize various training programs to support the development of young people and help them achieve success in their career paths. In line with this goal, training sessions on Emotional Intelligence were held at the Kapital Bank room in Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU) and the Career Center of Baku Slavic University.

Both training sessions were conducted by Narmin Ahmadzada, a senior specialist in the Employee Engagement and Motivation Department of Kapital Bank's Talent Management Division. During the sessions, students gained in-depth knowledge about the role of emotional intelligence in professional and personal development, as well as effective methods and practical applications to enhance it.

It is worth noting that Kapital Bank, which frequently garners attention with its educational support initiatives, has previously inaugurated Kapital Bank rooms equipped with modern technological standards at Azerbaijan State University of Economics, Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, Azerbaijan Technological University, and Baku Engineering University. These rooms are designed to enable students to participate in various training sessions and acquire new skills. The Bank remains committed to organizing innovative training programs and events for young people in the future.

Kapital Bank, the country's first bank, is part of PASHA Holding. Kapital Bank has the largest service network in Azerbaijan with 119 branches and 53 departments all over the country. For more detailed information about the banks products and services, please refer to https://kapitalbank.az website, 196 Call Centre or the banks various social network pages. To apply for a consumer loan visit https://kbl.az/prgtk, for a Birbank installment card visit https://kbl.az/prcrc.
Agartala, Dec 23 (PTI) Bangladesh owes Tripura Rs 200 crore in electricity dues but no decision has been taken on halting power supply to the neighbouring country yet, Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Monday.

Tripura supplies 60-70 megawatts of power to the neighbouring country according to an agreement signed by the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited through the NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited with the Bangladesh Power Development Board.

"Bangladesh has not paid us about Rs 200 crore for supplying electricity. The outstanding (amount) is increasing every day. We hope that they will clear their dues so that the power supply is not disrupted," Saha told PTI here in an interview.

Asked whether the Tripura government would stop the supply of electricity if Dhaka fails to pay the dues, the chief minister said no decision has been taken on it yet.

He said several pieces of machinery at the power generation plant in Tripura were brought through either Bangladeshi territory or Chittagong port. Therefore, out of gratitude,e the Tripura government started supplying power to the country following a pact.

"But I don't know how long we will be able to continue the supply of electricity to Bangladesh if they don't clear the dues," he said.

Tripura began supplying power to Bangladesh in March 2016. The electricity is produced at the state-owned ONGC Tripura Power Company's (OTPC) gas-based 726 MW generation capacity power plant in southern Tripura's Palatana.

According to reports, Adani Power, which exports power to Bangladesh from its 1,600 MW Godda plant in Jharkhand, reduced the supply to 520 MW from around 1,400-1,500 MW in August due to non-payment of USD 800 million by the country.

Asked about the impacts on Tripura due to the reported attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh, Saha said there is no major influx from the neighbouring country to his state yet.

"But we are closely monitoring the situation along the border since the border is porous as there are many gaps. However, as of now, there is no major influx from Bangladesh after the present turmoil started in that country in August," he said.

Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on its north, south and west and the length of its international border is 856 km, which is 84 per cent of its total border.

Commenting on the recent breach of security at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, the chief minister said he had taken strong action in the case.

"We have arrested several people who were involved in it. We have also taken action against policemen who were responsible for the security of the premises where the breach took place," he said.

Saha said after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh, trade has been affected and the import of Bangladeshi goods to Tripura has come down significantly.

He said among the goods that come to Tripura from Bangladesh are cement, stone chips and Hilsa fish. "Supply has been disrupted. It is their loss," he said.

Asked about the communication network with Bangladesh, he said if the railway line is restored between Agartala and Dhaka, it would be immensely beneficial for both the country.

"If Chittagong port is allowed to be used without any disruption, the entire Northeastern states will be significantly benefitted," he said.

The direct road distance to Chittagong port from Agartala is around 175 km.

A rail line linking Agartala with Akhaura in Bangladesh was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on November 1, 2023.

The project has a length of 5.46 km in India and 6.78 km in Bangladesh.

The cost of the Indian portion was Rs 708.73 crore and funded by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).

The cost of the Bangladesh portion was Rs 392.52 crore. The Bangladesh portion is funded by the Ministry of External Affairs India and executed by the Bangladesh Railway.

If the overland transport right is allowed by Bangladesh, the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata is expected to come down from about 30 hours to about 10 hours.

The existing train commute distance between the two cities is 1,581 km and it requires a re-route via Guwahati and Lumding in Assam. This would be curtailed to 460 km, officials said.
New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) Filmmakers Shekhar Kapur, Hansal Mehta, and cine stars Manoj Bajpayee, Akshay Kumar, and Kajol paid homage to Shyam Benegal, calling the veteran director a master storyteller who redefined cinema and inspired generations with his films.

Benegal, one of the pioneers of the Indian parallel cinema movement in the 1970s and 1980s, died on Monday at Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital due to chronic kidney disease.

Known for films like his 1974 debut "Ankur", "Mandi", "Nishant", "Mammo", and "Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda" that explored social themes still relevant in the country through layered characters, the director celebrated his 90th birthday just nine days ago on December 14.

Kapur bid farewell to his "friend and guide" in a post on X.

"He created the new wave cinema. #shyambenegal will always be remembered as the man that changed the direction of Indian Cinema with films like Ankur, Manthan and countless others. He created stars out of great actors like Shabama Azmi and Smita Patil," the filmmaker wrote on the microblogging platform.

Addressing Benegal as Shyam Babu, as he was known to friends and collaborators, Mehta thanked the filmmaker for being an inspiration.

"Thank you for the cinema. Thank you for giving tough stories and flawed characters such amazing dignity. Truly among the last of our greats," Mehta wrote.

Bajpayee, who worked with the director in 2001's "Zubeidaa", said Benegal's death is a "heartbreaking loss" for Indian cinema.

"Shyam Benegal wasnt just a legend, he was a visionary who redefined storytelling and inspired generations. Working with him in Zubeidaa was a transformative experience for me, exposing me to his unique style of storytelling & nuanced understanding of performances.

"Ill forever be grateful for the lessons I learned under his direction. It was an absolute honor to have had the opportunity to work with him. His legacy will live on in the stories he told and the lives he touched. Rest in peace Shyam Babu, Om Shanti," the actor wrote on X.

Akshay Kumar said he is "pained" after learning about Benegal's death.

"One of the finest filmmakers in our country, truly a legend. Om Shanti," he said.

In her Instagram Story, Kajol said Benegal's contributions to Indian cinema are "immeasurable and his legacy will live on through his incredible body of work".

"Thank you for your Cinema... for stories that shaped incredible talent and for pushing boundaries and creating pride in Indian Cinema," said producer Karan Johar on Instagram Story.

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra said Benegal was the best at expressing "poetry of the ordinary face and ordinary lives".

"Much will be written about Shyam Benegal but for me not many talk about the fact that there was a lament in his films and a sadness about the fact we were not living in the best of all possible Worlds (sic)" he said in another post on X.

Mishra, who spoke highly about the filmmaker when he launched a book on Benegal by Atul Tiwari in Lucknow barely three days ago, said he couldn't believe the veteran would "leave us so soon".

Telugu superstar and politician Chiranjeevi also paid tributes to Benegal, a fellow Hyderabadi.

"Deeply saddened at the departure of Shri Shyam Benegal, one of the finest film makers and great intellectuals of our country. He discovered & nurtured some of the brightest film talents of India.

"His films, biographies and documentaries form part of Indias greatest cultural treasure!! A fellow Hyderabadi & former Rajya Sabha member, Benegal Sabs masterful works will always be held in great esteem in Indian Cinema! Rest In Peace Sir!!" he wrote.

Director Rahul Dholakia said he was fortunate to have met Benegal, who was also his father's friend.

"The father of art house / new wave / alternative or simply fine cinema - who gave us classics like Ankur, Manthan, Nishant, Mandi.. junoon, Kalyug and many more .. #ShyamBenegal sir is no more - a fine man, a gentle soul and one of Indias finest filmmakers (sic)" Dholakia added.

"Farewell to the legendary #ShyamBenegal, the master storyteller who redefined Indian cinema with his realism and depth. His films will continue to inspire generations. Rest in peace maestro," said Bengali star Prosenjit Chatterjee on X.
Dhaka, Dec 23 (PTI) Bangladesh's interim government said on Monday that it has sent a diplomatic note to India to send back deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka.

Hasina, 77, has been living in exile in India since Aug 5 when she fled the country amid the student-led protests that toppled her 16-year regime. Bangladesh-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for "crimes against humanity and genocide".

We have sent a note verbale to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process, Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain told reporters at his office.

Earlier in the morning, Home Advisor Jahangir Alam said his office has sent a letter to the foreign ministry to facilitate the ousted premier's extradition from India.

We have sent a letter to the foreign ministry regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway, he told reporters in response to a query.

Alam said an extradition treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi already exists and Hasina could be brought back to Bangladesh under it.

Last month, in an address to the nation on the completion of 100 days of the interim government, Bangladeshs Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said it will seek the extradition of Hasina.

We must ensure justice in every killing We will also ask India to send back fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina, he said.

Yunus, who assumed office on August 8, claimed that about 1,500 people, including students and workers, were killed while 19,931 others were wounded during the protest against the Hasina government.

In October, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul had reportedly said that Bangladesh would strongly protest if India tried to refuse Hasina's extradition by citing any provision in the treaty.

In an interview with PTI in Dhaka in September, Yunus had said that Hasina making political remarks from India is an unfriendly gesture", asserting that she must remain silent to prevent discomfort to both countries until Dhaka requests her extradition.

"If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh (government) wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet," he said.

In recent weeks, Hasina has accused the Yunus-led interim government of perpetrating "genocide" and failing to protect minorities, especially Hindus, since her ouster.
Beijing, Dec 23 (AP) China said a plan by the Philippines to deploy midrange missiles would be a provocative move that stokes regional tensions.

The Philippines top army official told reporters in Manila earlier on Monday that the military plans to acquire a mid-range system to defend the country's territory amid tensions with China in the South China Sea.

Yes, there are plans, there are negotiations, because we see its feasibility and adaptability, Lt Gen Roy Galido said.

The US deployed its Typhon mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines in April and troops from both countries have been training jointly for the potential use of the heavy weaponry.

China opposes US military assistance to the Philippines and has been particularly alarmed by the deployment of the Typhon system. Under President Joe Biden, the US has strengthened an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter China, including in any confrontation over Taiwan.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that deployment of the weapon by the Philippines would intensify geopolitical confrontation and an arms race.

It is an extremely irresponsible choice for the history and people of itself and the whole of Southeast Asia, as well as for the security of the region, she told a daily briefing.

The Philippines would not necessarily buy the Typhon system, Galido said.

The army is working not only with the United States but with other friendly countries on a long list of weapons platforms that it plans to acquire, he said.

The Philippines defence plan includes protecting its exclusive economic zone, which reaches 200 nautical miles (370 km).

It is paramount for the army to be able to project its force up to that extent, in coordination, of course, with the Philippine navy and the Philippine air force," Galido said. (AP) SCY

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Islamabad, Dec 23 (PTI) The Pakistan government and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in their maiden meeting on Monday agreed to continue talks to address contentious issues, including the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.

The long-anticipated talks between the committees representing the government and the PTI were chaired by the National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who had last week announced to facilitate the two sides in their effort to defuse the prevailing political tension.

Those who attended from the government side include Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, PMs political aide Rana Sanaullah, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, former premier Raja Parvez Ashraf, former minister Naveed Qamar, lawmaker Farooq Sattar and Privatisation Minister Aleem Khan.

PTI was represented by former speaker Asad Qaiser, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Senator Raja Nasir Abbas.

Sadiq thanked the government's leadership and senior leaders of the opposition for holding the talks. He announced that the next session would be held on January 2 and PTIs team would present a charter of their demands in the next meeting.

"We discussed things about past and present and I hope that if we work together for the country's betterment, it will strengthen the political stability, strengthen democracy and help in dealing with challenges faced by Pakistan," he said after the meeting.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui read out the communique regarding the talks that both sides described the talks as a positive development and emphasised the importance of keeping the negotiations ongoing.

Both committees expressed goodwill, saying that Parliament is the appropriate forum for resolving issues, the handout said.

PTIs Qaiser informed the members that several members of his committee could not attend due to court proceedings.

It was agreed that both sides stand united in the fight against terrorism. A tribute was also paid to the martyrs for their sacrifice. There was also a declaration of support for standing alongside the forces in the war against terrorism.

The talks began amidst the ongoing political tension between the government and PTI as the latter was demanding the release of all political leaders, including Imran Khan.
Peshawar, Dec 23 (PTI) Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government has decided that it will no longer issue birth, death, or marriage certificates to families who refused polio vaccination, officials said on Monday.

The move is part of an intensified effort to bolster the provinces ongoing polio eradication campaign. Under the new directive, individuals must ensure their children receive the polio vaccine to access these essential documents, the officials said.

The directive is particularly focused on areas in and around Peshawar and nearby village councils, aiming to improve immunisation rates in regions where resistance to vaccination remains a challenge.

A recent notification issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar, directed to the District Health Officer and Medical Officer, warns that non-compliance of the order would lead to disciplinary action.

"This decision will ensure that every child is immunised. We are taking all necessary steps to safeguard the future generations from polio," a health department spokesperson said.

Polio eradication has been a persistent challenge in Pakistan, one of the few countries where the virus remains endemic. The provincial government hopes that linking vaccinations to vital documentation will incentivise families to comply with immunisation efforts.

According to officials, the policy is being closely watched by local and international health organisations as a potential model for accelerating the fight against polio in other regions.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic, according to the World Health Organisation. Anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan are regularly marred by violence. Many workers have been killed and injured by attackers who believe that anti-polio vaccine campaigns are un-Islamic.

Pakistan has so far reported 64 cases of the crippling disease this year.
Washington, Dec 23 (AP) The emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow people to efficiently produce novel and detailed online reviews with almost no work has put merchants, service providers and consumers in uncharted territory, watchdog groups and researchers say.

Phony reviews have long plagued many popular consumer websites, such as Amazon and Yelp. They are typically traded on private social media groups between fake review brokers and businesses willing to pay. Sometimes, such reviews are initiated by businesses that offer customers incentives such as gift cards for positive feedback.

But AI-infused text generation tools, popularized by OpenAI's ChatGPT, enable fraudsters to produce reviews faster and in greater volume, according to tech industry experts.

The deceptive practice, which is illegal in the US, is carried out year-round but becomes a bigger problem for consumers during the holiday shopping season, when many people rely on reviews to help them purchase gifts.



Where are AI-generated reviews showing up?



Fake reviews are found across a wide range of industries, from e-commerce, lodging and restaurants, to services such as home repairs, medical care and piano lessons.

The Transparency Company, a tech company and watchdog group that uses software to detect fake reviews, said it started to see AI-generated reviews show up in large numbers in mid-2023 and they have multiplied ever since.

For a report released this month, The Transparency Company analysed 73 million reviews in three sectors: home, legal and medical services. Nearly 14% of the reviews were likely fake, and the company expressed a high degree of confidence that 2.3 million reviews were partly or entirely AI-generated.

It's just a really, really good tool for these review scammers, said Maury Blackman, an investor and advisor to tech startups, who reviewed The Transparency Company's work and is set to lead the organisation starting Jan 1.

In August, software company DoubleVerify said it was observing a significant increase in mobile phone and smart TV apps with reviews crafted by generative AI. The reviews often were used to deceive customers into installing apps that could hijack devices or run ads constantly, the company said.

The following month, the Federal Trade Commission sued the company behind an AI writing tool and content generator called Rytr, accusing it of offering a service that could pollute the marketplace with fraudulent reviews.

The FTC, which this year banned the sale or purchase of fake reviews, said some of Rytr's subscribers used the tool to produce hundreds and perhaps thousands of reviews for garage door repair companies, sellers of replica designer handbags and other businesses.



It's likely on prominent online sites, too



Max Spero, CEO of AI detection company Pangram Labs, said the software his company uses has detected with almost certainty that some AI-generated appraisals posted on Amazon bubbled up to the top of review search results because they were so detailed and appeared to be well thought-out.

But determining what is fake or not can be challenging. External parties can fall short because they don't have access to data signals that indicate patterns of abuse, Amazon has said.

Pangram Labs has done detection for some prominent online sites, which Spero declined to name due to non-disclosure agreements. He said he evaluated Amazon and Yelp independently.

Many of the AI-generated comments on Yelp appeared to be posted by individuals who were trying to publish enough reviews to earn an Elite badge, which is intended to let users know they should trust the content, Spero said.

The badge provides access to exclusive events with local business owners. Fraudsters also want it so their Yelp profiles can look more realistic, said Kay Dean, a former federal criminal investigator who runs a watchdog group called Fake Review Watch.

To be sure, just because a review is AI-generated doesn't necessarily mean its fake. Some consumers might experiment with AI tools to generate content that reflects their genuine sentiments. Some non-native English speakers say they turn to AI to make sure they use accurate language in the reviews they write.

It can help with reviews (and) make it more informative if it comes out of good intentions, said Michigan State University marketing professor Sherry He, who has researched fake reviews. She says tech platforms should focus on the behavioral patters of bad actors, which prominent platforms already do, instead of discouraging legitimate users from turning to AI tools.



What companies are doing



Prominent companies are developing policies for how AI-generated content fits into their systems for removing phony or abusive reviews. Some already employ algorithms and investigative teams to detect and take down fake reviews but are giving users some flexibility to use AI.

Spokespeople for Amazon and Trustpilot, for example, said they would allow customers to post AI-assisted reviews as long as they reflect their genuine experience. Yelp has taken a more cautious approach, saying its guidelines require reviewers to write their own copy.

With the recent rise in consumer adoption of AI tools, Yelp has significantly invested in methods to better detect and mitigate such content on our platform, the company said in a statement.

The Coalition for Trusted Reviews, which Amazon, Trustpilot, employment review site Glassdoor, and travel sites Tripadvisor, Expedia and Booking.com launched last year, said that even though deceivers may put AI to illicit use, the technology also presents an opportunity to push back against those who seek to use reviews to mislead others.

By sharing best practice and raising standards, including developing advanced AI detection systems, we can protect consumers and maintain the integrity of online reviews, the group said.

The FTC's rule banning fake reviews, which took effect in October, allows the agency to fine businesses and individuals who engage in the practice. Tech companies hosting such reviews are shielded from the penalty because they are not legally liable under US law for the content that outsiders post on their platforms.

Tech companies, including Amazon, Yelp and Google, have sued fake review brokers they accuse of peddling counterfeit reviews on their sites. The companies say their technology has blocked or removed a huge swath of suspect reviews and suspicious accounts. However, some experts say they could be doing more.

Their efforts thus far are not nearly enough, said Dean of Fake Review Watch. If these tech companies are so committed to eliminating review fraud on their platforms, why is it that I, one individual who works with no automation, can find hundreds or even thousands of fake reviews on any given day?



Spotting fake AI-generated reviews



Consumers can try to spot fake reviews by watching out for a few possible warning signs, according to researchers. Overly enthusiastic or negative reviews are red flags. Jargon that repeats a product's full name or model number is another potential giveaway.

When it comes to AI, research conducted by Balazs Kovacs, a Yale professor of organisation behaviour, has shown that people can't tell the difference between AI-generated and human-written reviews. Some AI detectors may also be fooled by shorter texts, which are common in online reviews, the study said.

However, there are some AI tells that online shoppers and service seekers should keep it mind. Panagram Labs says reviews written with AI are typically longer, highly structured and include empty descriptors, such as generic phrases and attributes. The writing also tends to include cliches like the first thing that struck me and game-changer. (AP) SCY

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Phoenix (US), Dec 23 (AP) Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States foolishly ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged ridiculous fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Panama's conservative president Jose Raul Mulino, who was elected in May on a pro-business platform, roundly rejected that notion as an affront to his country's sovereignty.

The Republican president-elect's comment came during his first major rally since winning the White House on Nov 5. He also basked in his return to power as a large audience of conservatives cheered along. It was a display of party unity at odds with a just-concluded budget fight on Capitol Hill, where some GOP lawmakers openly defied their leader's demands.

Addressing supporters at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in Arizona, Trump pledged that his dream team Cabinet would deliver a booming economy, seal US borders and quickly settle wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

I can proudly proclaim that the Golden Age of America is upon us, Trump said. There's a spirit that we have now that we didn't have just a short while ago.

His appearance capped a four-day pep rally that drew more than 20,000 activists and projected an image of Republican cohesion despite the past week's turbulence in Washington with Trump pulling strings from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as Congress worked to avoid a government shutdown heading into the holidays.

House Republicans spiked a bipartisan deal after Trump and Elon Musk, his billionaire ally, expressed their opposition on social media. Budget hawks flouted Trump's demand that they raise the nation's debt ceiling, which would have spared some new rounds of the same fight after he takes office on Jan 20, with Republicans holding narrow control of the House and Senate. The final agreement did not address the issue and there was no shutdown.

Trump, in his remarks in Phoenix, did not mention the congressional drama, though he did reference Musk's growing power. To suggestions that "President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon, Trump made clear, No, no. That's not happening.

He's not gonna be president, Trump said.

The president-elect opened the speech by saying that "we want to try to bring everybody together. We're going to try. We're going to really give it a shot." Then he suggested Democrats have lost their confidence and are befuddled after the election but eventually will come over to our side because we want to have them.

Atop a list of grievances  some old, some new  was the Panama Canal.

We're being ripped off at the Panama Canal, he said, bemoaning that his country foolishly gave it away.

The United States built the canal in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.

The canal depends on reservoirs to operate its locks and was heavily affected by 2023 Central American droughts that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships using the canal each day, administrators also increased the fees that are charged all shippers for reserving a slot.

With weather returning to normal in the later months of this year, transit on the canal has normalised. But price increases are still expected for next year.

Mulino, Panama's president, has been described as a conservative populist who aligns with Trump on many issues. Panama is a strong US ally and the canal is crucial for its economy, generating about one-fifth of that government's annual revenue.

Still, Trump said, that, once his second term is underway, "If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.

I'm not going to stand for it," Trump said. "So to the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly.

He did not explain how that would be possible.

Shortly after Trump's speech, Mulino released a video declaring that every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to his country.

Without mentioning Trump by name, Mulino addressed Trump's complaints over rising fees for ships crossing the canal, saying they are set by experts who take into account operational costs, and supply and demand factors.

The tariffs are not set on a whim Mulino said. He noted that Panama has expanded the canal over the years to increase ship traffic on its own initiative, and added that shipping fee increases help pay for improvements.

Panamanians may have different views on many issues Mulino said. But when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.

Trump then took to his social media site to offer in response, We'll see about that!" He also posted a picture of a US flag planted in the canal zone under the phrase, Welcome to the United States Canal!

The canal aside, Trump's appearance at Turning Point's annual gathering affirmed the growing influence the group and its founder, Charlie Kirk, have had in the conservative movement. Kirk's group hired thousands of field organisers across presidential battlegrounds, helping Trump make key gains among infrequent voters and other groups of people that have trended more Democratic in recent decades, including younger voters, Black men and Latino men.

You had Turning Point's grassroots armies, Trump said. It's not my victory, it's your victory.

Trump on Sunday also announced several new members of his incoming administration, most notably:

-- Stephen Miran, who worked at the Treasury Department in Trump's first term, to lead the Council of Economic Advisers, an executive branch agency charged with providing objective economic advice to the president.

-- Callista Gingrich to be the US ambassador to Switzerland. Gingrich was US ambassador to the Holy See in Trump's first term. She is married to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Separately, Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt announced he was donating $1.1 million to Trump's inaugural fund to complement the $14 million that he said he already had given to the Make America Great Again Inc super political action committee  making him one of the president-elect's top donors.

Pratt is chairman of Pratt Industries, which uses recycled paper and boxes as a raw material in a process that produces new cardboard. (AP) SCY

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Colombo, Dec 23 (PTI) Military personnel engaged to provide security to former Sri Lankan presidents have been withdrawn with effect from Monday evening, the Defense Ministry sources said.

From now, only police would be attached to the personal protection divisions of former presidents.

Last week, the parliament was told that slashing excessive personal security provided to former presidents would lead to saving of Sri Lankan Rs 1,200 million annually.

The opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), which Mahinda Rajapaksa heads, claimed that slashing the security of the former president would endanger his safety.

Under the new arrangement, all former presidents would be provided just 60 police personnel each as recommended by the committee which assessed the issue, the government announced.

Opposition politician Udaya Gammanpila said the deployment of police to provide security would further hinder policing as the police force is already short of personnel to handle other matters.

He said it was the military that should be deployed to provide security as they are better trained for the purpose.

Earlier, the government had announced that the personal security provided to former presidents would be slashed from January 1.

Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala had said the governments aim was to ensure the security of the entire country and the decision to cut excessive security (for former presidents) was in line with the government policy.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksas share of expenditure was the highest with Rs 710 million for the deployment of over 310 personnel for his personal protection.

It is not that we have personally targeted the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, Wijepala had said.

The SLPP dubbed the move a political act of vengeance claiming Rajapaksa was still under threat from remnants of the LTTE.

Sri Lanka had plunged into an economic crisis when the island nation declared sovereign default in mid-April of 2022, its first since gaining independence from Britain in 1948.
London, Dec 23 (PTI) INS Tushil, the latest multi-role stealth guided missile frigate of the Indian Navy, has docked in London on its first port of call during its maiden operational deployment.

Commodore Robert Bellfield, Royal Navy Commander London and Eastern England, received the Indian Navy warship on behalf of UK government on Sunday. He was received by Captain Peter Varghese, the Commanding Officer of the ship.

An honour to welcome INS Tushil to London, for her first foreign visit. This occasion is a demonstration of the close relationship between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy, our two nations, and our shared interests, said Bellfield.

Indias Deputy High Commissioner to the UK, Sujit Ghosh, also paid a visit to the warship docked on the river Thames before it departs on Monday evening.

The ship, built in Russia and commissioned on December 9 in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, set sail from Kaliningrad on December 17.

According to a Ministry of Defence statement, the ship will traverse the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and finally, the Indian Ocean, making port calls at several friendly foreign countries along the way.

The maiden deployment of INS Tushil would involve key charter of Indian Navy, namely, Diplomatic, military, and constabulary activities. The ship will carry out joint patrolling and maritime partnership exercises with a number of navies en route, including piracy hotspots in the region, the ministry said.

During port calls, the ship will undertake capability-building activities with host Navies and hold interactions with senior military and government leadership. The port calls will also serve to engage with the Indian diaspora spread across the region.

The ministry added INS Tushils port calls and exercises are aimed at consolidating India's maritime cooperation with littoral countries of the region and reinforcing Indian Navy's commitment to protecting and safeguarding the seafaring community.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 23. The President of Kazakhstan emphasized the importance of accelerating the implementation of the nuclear power plant construction project in Kazakhstan during a meeting with the Minister of Energy Almassadam Satkaliyev, Trend reports.

The President was provided with information on the key results of the work, plans for the growth of Kazakhstan's fuel and energy complex, and the execution of significant oil and gas and energy projects during the meeting.

President Tokayev was also briefed on the progress of the heating season and the operation of major heat and power supply facilities. Tokayev instructed that special attention be paid to monitoring the heating season and the implementation of energy infrastructure modernization projects.

To note, on October 6, a referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant was held in Kazakhstan, in which more than 71 percent of the population voted in favor.
Beijing, Dec 23 (PTI) China Monday backed Panama President Jose Raul Mulinos assertion of his country's sovereignty over the Panama Canal against US President-elect Donald Trump's threat to regain control of it if the central American country doesn't stop charging "exorbitant prices" to US ships and naval vessels.

The 82-km Panama Canal cuts across the central American nation and is the main link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

If shipping rates are not lowered "we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, quickly and without question, Trump told a crowd of supporters in Arizona on Sunday.

His remarks prompted a quick rebuke from Mulino, who said, "every square metre" of the canal and surrounding area belongs to his country.

Panama's sovereignty and independence were non-negotiable, BBC quoted Mulino as saying.

Asked for her comments at a media briefing here, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning referred to Mulinos assertion of Panama's sovereignty.

The Panama Canal is a great creation of the people of Panama. It is a golden waterway for connectivity among countries. China has always supported the people of Panama in their just struggle for sovereignty over the Canal," she said.

China will as always respect Panamas sovereignty over the Canal and recognise the Canal as a permanently neutral international waterway, she said.

The Panama Canal was built in the early 1900s. The US maintained control over the canal zone until 1977 when treaties gradually ceded the land back to Panama.

After a period of joint control, Panama took sole control in 1999.

Up to 14,000 ships cross the canal annually, including container ships carrying cars, natural gas and other goods, and military vessels, according to a BBC report.
Mumbai, Dec 23 (PTI) Following are the top stories from the Western Region at 1700 HRS.

















BOM16 MH-LD RAHUL

* Somnath Suryavanshi killed as he was Dalit and protecting Constitution: Rahul Gandhi





Parbhani: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday claimed Somnath Suryavanshi was killed because he was a Dalit and was protecting the Constitution, in the wake of the desecration of its replica in Maharashtra's Parbhani. *

















BOM15 GJ-AMBEDKAR STATUE

* B R Ambedkar's statue vandalised in Ahmedabad; unidentified persons booked





Ahmedabad: A statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar was vandalised in the early hours on Monday by unidentified persons in Ahmedabad city, triggering a protest, police said. *







BOM4 MH-ACCIDENT-LD TRUCK

* 3 killed, 6 injured as truck crushes people on footpath in Pune; driver arrested





Pune: Two toddlers and a man were killed and six other persons injured after a truck ran over people sleeping on a footpath in Maharashtra's Pune city in the wee hours of Monday, police said. *





















LGB2 MP-HC-SLAUGHTERHOUSE-NOC

* Unacceptable: HC on denial of civic nod for slaughterhouse in 'religious city' Mandsaur





Indore: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed a civic official in Mandsaur to issue an NOC sought by a man for opening a buffalo slaughterhouse, terming its objection for denying the permission as "wholly unacceptable". *



















BOM14 MH-CONGRESS-MUNDE

* Sarpanch murder case: Cong seeks Dhananjay Munde's ouster from Maharashtra cabinet for fair probe





Parbhani: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole demanded on Monday the sacking of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde from the state council of ministers to ensure an impartial probe into the Beed sarpanch murder case.



















BOM7 MH-BHUJBAL-FADNAVIS

Sulking Bhujbal meets CM Fadnavis, discusses political and social issues



Mumbai: Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal,who is sulking over not being included in the new Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here on Monday.

















BOM9 MH-VANDE BHARAT TRAIN-SNAG

Goa-bound Vande Bharat train deviates from regular route due to technical snag at Diva station





Mumbai: The CSMT-Madgaon Vande Bharat express train deviated from its regular route on Monday morning due to a technical snag at Diva station in Thane district of Maharashtra, delaying its onward journey to Goa by 90 minutes, officials said.













BOM5 GJ-TREMOR

3.7 magnitude tremor hits Kutch in Gujarat; no casualty





Ahmedabad: A tremor of 3.7 magnitude jolted Gujarat's Kutch district on Monday morning, the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) said.

















BOM6 GA-FUGITIVE-ARREST

Land grab accused who fled from Goa police custody with cop's help nabbed in Kerala



Panaji: A land grab accused, who escaped from Goa police's custody earlier this month, has been arrested in Kerala, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Monday.



















BOM8 MP-FACTORIES-FIRE

Fire at two factories in Indore; no casualty





Indore: A massive fire broke out at two factories in an industrial area in Madhya Pradesh's Indore on Monday, an official said. ***
New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) Need for targeted efforts and regulatory frameworks, establishment of rest points, and setting up a grievance redressal mechanism, particularly for women, are among the suggestions that emerged out of a NHRC-hosted session on challenges faced by gig workers.

The National Human Rights Commission recently organised an open house discussion on the rights of gig workers, in a hybrid mode in New Delhi, a senior official said on Monday.

In her keynote address, NHRC's acting chairperson, Vijaya Bharathi Sayani said that there is a "need for targeted efforts" through regulatory frameworks to address gig worker's challenges, including long working hours, financial strain, and physical exhaustion.

Over 83 per cent of app-based drivers work more than 10 hours daily. This puts them under the physical and mental strain added by policies like '10-minute deliveries' and unrealistic targets which also result in "avoidable accidents", she was quoted as saying in the statement.

Women face additional challenges such as safety risks, erratic schedules, and physical demands, discouraging their participation and raising concerns about their well-being, the NHRC said.

Some of the suggestions that emanated from the discussions included exploring and expanding the e-Shram portal as a valuable tool in aiding such workers; supporting women gig workers with "maternity benefits, creche facilities, and the establishment of rest points through public-private partnerships"; and building "financial literacy" of gig workers to promote transparency, besides providing opportunities to upscale their skills through vocational training programmes.

All companies engaging them should provide general and specific welfare schemes, including health benefits, accident insurance, old-age protection, and unemployment safeguards in case of accidents, etc., was another suggestion.

Setting up a grievance redressal mechanism, particularly for women gig workers and build awareness around POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) policies to ensure a safer work environment; ensuring minimum wage enforcement and income transparency in all sectors engaging gig workers by the aggregators to bridge gender disparities; and developing schemes addressing the risks posed by climate challenge and ensure workers' safety during extreme weather conditions by the employing companies were also among the suggestions.

Reviewing of rating system of gig workers service which is "arbitrary", without providing any forum to them to hear their point of view also emerged as a suggestion during the session.

NHRC's Secretary General, Bharat Lal said it is crucial to check the implementation of laws such as the Social Security Code 2020 and the various other labour laws in India to ensure gig workers welfare.

He also noted that some states like Karnataka, Rajasthan and Jharkhand are focusing on providing social security to gig workers, but more needs to be done to address their "other major concerns" relating to health insurance, minimum wages, stress-free working conditions protecting their dignity.
New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) A man from Manipur has been arrested by the customs officials for trying to smuggle into the country gold, concealed in rectum, at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here, according to an official statement issued on Monday.

The accused (24) was intercepted after his arrival from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) on Friday, it said.

"During personal and baggage checks, officers recovered 3 oval-shaped capsules containing yellow chemical paste suspected to be gold, weighing 1,063 grams (including concealing material) concealed in rectum cavity. After extraction, this resulted in the recovery of 951 grams of an uneven-shaped gold bar with a tariff value of 70,37,552," the customs department said in a post on X.

Further, two gold biscuits weighing 23 grams, valued at Rs 1.7 lakh, were also recovered from his baggage.

Thus, the yellow metal total weighing 974 grams, valued at Rs 72.07 lakh, has been seized and the passenger was arrested.
New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) Delhi LG VK Saxena has approved increasing the threshold limit of annual income from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for students to get admission in private schools under the EWS quota, a Raj Niwas notification said on Monday.

The move will benefit a far greater chunk of students whose parents come under the economically weaker section (EWS) category.

The Delhi High Court, in its December 5, 2023 order, asked the Delhi government to increase the threshold limit from the existing Rs one lakh to Rs 5 lakh.

"However, the Delhi government through the chief minister had submitted a file with a proposal to enhance the limit to only Rs 2.5 lakh in October end. The LG while approving the proposal of the limit of Rs 2.5 lakh, had strongly advised the CM to revisit this threshold limit and raise it to at least Rs 5 lakh," it said.

Thereafter, the High Court in an order dated November 13, observed that its earlier orders had remained disobeyed, the notification said.

This compelled the Delhi government to yet again revise the threshold limit from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and send it to LG for approval on Monday, it added.
Bengaluru, Dec 23 (PTI) India's SpaDeX mission, intended to develop and demonstrate technology required to dock and undock spacecraft in space, will be launched using PSLV-C60 on December 30 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, ISRO said.

On December 21, the launch vehicle was integrated and moved to the First Launch Pad, for further integration of satellites and launch preparations.

ISRO has also put up the fast time-lapse video of the moving of PSLV-C60, which was fully integrated up to PS4 at the PIF facility for the first time, to the First Launch Pad, in its X account.

On December 30, people can witness the launch live at the Launch View Gallery after registering for it. The registration started on Monday at 6 pm, ISRO said in its website.

SpaDeX mission is a cost-effective technology demonstrator mission for the demonstration of 'in-space docking' using two small spacecraft launched by PSLV, ISRO said in an explainer on the subject.

This technology is essential for Indias space ambitions such as Indian on Moon, sample return from the Moon, the building and operation of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), ISRO stated in an explainer.

In-space docking technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives. Through this mission, India is marching towards becoming the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology, it added.

According to the ISRO, SpaDeX mission consists of two small spacecraft (about 220 kg each) to be launched by PSLV-C60, independently and simultaneously, into a 470 km circular orbit at 55  inclination, with a local time cycle of about 66 days.

SpaDeX mission was floated to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft (SDX01, which is the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target, nominally) in a low-Earth circular orbit, the explainer added.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 23 (PTI) The inquiry report submitted by ADGP M R Ajith Kumar on the disruption of Thrissur Pooram, alleging that the annual temple ritual was deliberately sabotaged with an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, has reignited a controversy in Kerala.



The report filed by the then ADGP (Law and Order) after probing an incident in April this year followed a political controversy sparked by allegations by the opposition Congress-led UDF and CPI that the festival was disrupted to aid the then BJP candidate, Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi.

A copy of the report, which surfaced in the media on Monday, blamed the Thiruvambady Devaswom, one of the two partners of the Thrissur Pooram, for "intentionally disrupting" the grand and iconic festival for vested interests.



The report stated that the incident, which unfolded just a week before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, was exploited by anti-government factions, opposition parties, and others to generate anti-government sentiment and influence the election outcome.





"The Thirivambady Devaswom stopped the Pooram rituals raising demands that could not be accepted by a government system in any means..."





This shows they were not conducting Pooram but deliberately sabotaging it for vested interests," it alleged.



According to the report, a general body meeting of the Thiruvambady Devaswom in March decided to suspend the Pooram if the Thrissur district administration imposed barricades to control crowds as per the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) Act. The Devaswom demanded relaxation of the rule barring the public from sterile zones until 2:30 am, a restriction implemented after the 2016 Puttingal fireworks tragedy.



From 2016 to 2022, the district administration strictly enforced fireworks-related safety norms, and both Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms complied. However, in 2023, Thiruvambady Devaswom raised objections, which were rejected, and the issue resurfaced in this years review meetings.



Pooram rituals proceeded smoothly until 1 am on April 20. The disruption began when Thiruvambady Devaswom stopped the Madathil Varavu procession at Naduvilal Junction, sent back six elephants prepared for the Ezhunellathu ceremony, switched off lights in pandals, and created law-and-order issues at the T Junction on MG Road, it claimed.



The report alleged that these actions were deliberate attempts to create anti-government sentiment, even though police had no confrontations with the public, festival attendees, or Devaswom representatives during the time.



Further, it stated there were no lapses on the part of the police, particularly the then Thrissur City Police Commissioner, who was transferred after the incident.



Rejecting the report, the Thiruvambady Devaswom demanded a CBI investigation, arguing that the truth would not emerge from a state police probe.

CPI leader and former minister V S Sunilkumar, who lost to Suresh Gopi in Thrissur, said that the report by the ADGP was incomplete and it attempted to protect some persons.



The inquiry was conducted under the orders of the state government and state police chief, but was later dismissed by the latter, citing shortcomings in the ADGP's investigation.

Finally, the government has ordered a three-level inquiry into the disruption row.



ADGP Ajith Kumar, who faced allegations of meeting RSS leaders at the behest of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was recently promoted to DGP.
Noida, Dec 23 (PTI) A 27-year-old man in Gautam Buddha Nagar district allegedly stabbed a woman to death after she refused to marry him, police on Monday said.

Virendra, a resident of Vijay Nagar in Ghaziabad, was arrested on Sunday over the killing.

The incident took place Saturday in Satyam Residency Colony near GT Road.

Virendra entered the house of Rajesh Kumar and attacked Rajesh's 23-year-old daughter, Rakhi, with a knife, an officer said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Shakti Mohan Awasthi said Rakhi was admitted to a hospital in Ghaziabad in critical condition, where she died late at night.

"The investigation revealed that Rakhi and Virendra's families knew each other and used to live together in Meerut earlier. Virendra's marriage with Rakhi was fixed but the girl's side had a condition that the marriage would take place only after the boy gets a government job," the DCP said.

Since Virendra was not getting a government job, he went to Rakhi's house to convince her but her mother refused to marry her daughter to him.

"Enraged by this, Virendra attacked Rakhi with a knife," Awasthi said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. bp hopes its participation in the development of Karabakh and Ashrafi-Dan Ulduzu-Aypara (ADUA) fields in Azerbaijan will be an opportunity for the two projects to get access to international standards, bp Azerbaijan told Trend.

On September 20, a memorandum of understanding was signed in Baku between bp and SOCAR, outlining bp's intention to join agreements for Karabakh oil field and Ashrafi-Dan Ulduzu-Aypara (ADUA) field.

bp said that for its part, the company signed the memorandum of understanding in order to be able to commence discussions with SOCAR reading its participation in the exploration and development of Karabagh and ADUA.

"We see this as another great opportunity to work jointly with SOCAR adding to our 30 year-long exceptionally successful partnership. We believe our participation in the exploration and development of the two blocks would speed up the progress of the projects through synergies as we work together to identify development scenarios that would make best use of the world class infrastructure we operate in the region, in particular our offshore assets and infrastructure.

We hope our participation will be an opportunity for the two projects to get access to international standards linking them with bp's global experience, technical and commercial knowledge, advanced technology and financial resources. We look forward to this significant business opportunity and to SOCAR's support for realizing it," said the company.

bp believes both projects are very promising.

"The MoU was signed on the 30th anniversary of ACG, coinciding with Azerbaijan's Oil Workers' Day. This symbolic occasion highlights the significant potential of Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon resources, ensuring they will continue to benefit the nation for many decades to come," said the company.

The existing risk service agreement for the development of Karabakh field was signed in 2018 and ratified by the Azerbaijani parliament. Currently, SOCAR holds 100 percent of the shares under this agreement.

The Ashrafi-Dan Ulduzu-Aypara field is situated 90-110 kilometers northeast of Baku, at a depth of 80-180 meters. This area includes several existing and promising structures. An active agreement for exploration, development, and production sharing in the ADUA area was also signed in 2018 and ratified by the parliament, with SOCAR currently owning a 100 percent share in this agreement.

Follow the author on X: @Lyaman_Zeyn
A nearly two-year investigation by Democratic senators of Supreme Court ethics details more luxury travel by Justice Clarence Thomas and urges Congress to establish a way to enforce a new code of conduct.

Any movement on the issue appears unlikely as Republicans prepare to take control of the Senate in January, underscoring the hurdles in imposing restrictions on a separate branch of government even as public confidence in the court has fallen to record lows.

The 93-page report released Saturday by the Democratic majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee found additional travel taken in 2021 by Thomas but not reported on his annual financial disclosure form: a private jet flight to New Yorks Adirondacks in July and jet and yacht trip to New York City sponsored by billionaire Harlan Crow in October, one of more than two dozen times detailed in the report that Thomas took luxury travel and gifts from wealthy benefactors.

The court adopted its first code of ethics in 2023, but it leaves compliance to each of the nine justices.

The highest court in the land cant have the lowest ethical standards, the committee chairman, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, said in a statement. He has long called for an enforceable code of ethics.

Republicans protested the subpoenas authorized for Crow and others as part of the investigation. No Republicans signed on to the final report, and no formal report from them was expected.

Attorney Mark Paoletta, a longtime friend of Thomas who has been tapped for the incoming Trump administration, said the report was aimed at conservatives whose rulings Democrats disagreed with.

This entire investigation was never about ethics but about trying to undermine the Supreme Court, Paoletta said in a statement posted on X.

The court did not immediate respond to a request for comment.

Thomas has said he was not required to disclose the trips that he and his wife, Ginni, took with Crow because the big donor is a close friend of the family and disclosure of that type of travel was not previously required. The new ethics code does explicitly require it, and Thomas has since gone back and reported some travel. Crow has maintained that he has never spoken with his friend about pending matters before the court.

The report traces back to Justice Antonin Scalia, saying he established the practice of accepting undisclosed gifts and hundreds of trips over his decades on the bench. The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and retired Justice Stephen Breyer also took subsided trips but disclosed them on their annual forms, it said.

The investigation found that Thomas has accepted gifts and travel from wealthy benefactors worth more than $4.75 million by some estimates since his 1991 confirmation and failed to disclose much of it. The number, value, and extravagance of the gifts accepted by Justice Thomas have no comparison in modern American history, according to the report.

It also detailed a 2008 luxury trip to Alaska taken by Justice Samuel Alito. He has said he was exempted from disclosing the trip under previous ethical rules.

Alito also declined calls to withdraw from cases involving Donald Trump or the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol after flags associated with the riot were seen flying at two of Alitos homes. Alito has said the flags were raised by this wife.

Thomas has ignored calls to step aside from cases involving Trump, too. Ginni Thomas supported Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election that the Republican lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

The report also pointed to scrutiny of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who, aided by her staff, has advanced sales of her books through college visits over the past decade. Justices have also heard cases involving their book publishers, or involving companies in which justices owned stock.

Biden has been the most prominent Democrat calling for a binding code of conduct. Justice Elena Kaganhas publicly backed adopting an enforcement mechanism, though some ethics experts have said it could be legally tricky.

Justice Neil Gorsuch recently cited the code when he recused himself from an environmental case. He had been facing calls to step aside because the outcome could stand to benefit a Colorado billionaire whom Gorsuch represented before becoming a judge.

The report also calls for changes in the Judicial Conference, the federal courts oversight body led by Chief Justice John Roberts, and further investigation by Congress.

(AP)
For the past six months, one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress has been missing  not just from Washington but from public life entirely. Turns out, Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger, 81  who is two months older than Joe Biden  has been living in a luxury nursing home while failing to cast a single vote since July, effectively vanishing from the job she was elected to do.

Granger, who is set to officially retire in January after nearly three decades in office, is reportedly residing at Tradition-Clearfork, an upscale assisted living facility in Fort Worth that specializes in memory care. The shocking revelation comes after local journalist Carlos Turcios noted Grangers disappearance from her offices, which have been empty and unstaffed for months. Calls to her offices went straight to voicemail, and visits to her district headquarters found no sign of life.

A tip from a concerned constituent led to the stunning discovery: Granger had been quietly admitted to the care home after being found wandering, lost and confused in her district.

Two staff members at Tradition-Clearfork confirmed her residency, with Assistant Executive Director Taylor Manziel bluntly saying, This is her home.

Meanwhile, as crucial votes pile up in Washington  from the debt ceiling to national security  Grangers seat sits empty, leaving nearly 2 million constituents without a voice. Local Republican leaders are furious.

This is outrageous, said Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French. Important decisions are being made every day, and our district is left completely unrepresented. The lack of a Republican vote from CD-12 could tip the scales in a razor-thin Congress. We deserve better.

Republican Committeeman Rolando Garcia didnt hold back. This is a humiliating end to a long career. Kay Granger was clearly in visible decline when she ran for re-election in 2022, and now shes stuck in a nursing home, unable to vote. This is a failure of leadership  someone should have stepped in long before this happened.

Despite being physically and mentally incapacitated, Granger and her staff continue to collect taxpayer-funded salaries.

The Tradition-Clearfork facility, where she resides, charges over $4,000 a month for rent, offering lavish amenities such as a movie theater, an indoor pool, and a 24-hour concierge.

Even more perplexing, her successor, Craig Goldman, has yet to be sworn in, leaving the seat essentially vacant. Critics question why Goldman hasnt stepped up to fill the void, especially as Democrats like New Jerseys Andy Kim were sworn in early to fill crucial vacancies.

Grangers disappearance isnt just a political scandal  its a glaring example of the dysfunction within Congress.

Until her absence, Granger was the formidable chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee and a key force in securing military funding, particularly for Lockheed Martins F-35 program in her district. In November 2023, she announced she would not seek reelection, marking the end of her groundbreaking career as Fort Worths first female mayor and Texas first GOP congresswoman.

But now, her legacy risks being overshadowed by the mystery and mismanagement surrounding her final days in office.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Elon Musk has publicly endorsed Germanys far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, underscoring concerns about his growing alignment with extremist and antisemitic movements and further spotlighting the billionaires troubling political influence.

On Friday, Musk amplified a post on his social media platform, X, from a right-wing German influencer criticizing Germanys conservative leadership for refusing to collaborate with AfD. Only the AfD can save Germany, Musk declared  openly backing a party widely condemned for its Holocaust denial and pro-Russian stance.

Musks endorsement was met with immediate outrage. Musk endorses German neo-Nazi party, wrote Bill Kristol, a prominent Jewish conservative. Nadav Pollak, a former fellow at the Washington Institute, warned that AfDs links to Nazi ideology are well-documented, describing Musks support as completely messed up.

AfDs surge in popularity has alarmed European leaders and Jewish organizations, particularly after their strong showing in recent EU elections. Bjorn Hocke, one of AfDs most prominent figures, has repeatedly used Nazi slogans and faced legal consequences for doing so. Jewish leaders in Germany have consistently warned that AfDs rise poses a direct threat to democratic stability and minority communities.

Musks public embrace of AfD comes at a dangerous moment, as he expands his political footprint in the U.S. alongside President-elect Donald Trump. Musk has been tapped to co-lead Trumps Department of Government Efficiency, where he is expected to drive deep spending cuts and reshape federal policies. His involvement has already derailed bipartisan efforts to avert a government shutdown.

Under Musks leadership, X has increasingly become a haven for extremist rhetoric. Holocaust deniers, including Nick Fuentes, have been reinstated on the platform, and Musk has openly threatened to sue the Anti-Defamation League for tracking rising antisemitism. His endorsement of Tucker Carlsons interview with economist Jeffrey Sachs  who blamed Israel for U.S. wars  further reflects Musks drift into far-right circles that regularly peddle conspiracy theories and scapegoat Jewish communities.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
The NYPD announced Sunday they have in custody a person of interest in the early morning death of a woman who they believe may have fallen asleep on a stationary subway train before being intentionally lit on fire by a man she didnt know.

The suspect is a migrant from Guatemala. Sources identified the person of interest to YWN as 33-year-old Sebastin Zapeta, saying he entered the U.S. from Guatemala approximately a year ago, but whether he did so legally or illegally was unclear.

Transit police apprehended the suspect after receiving a report from three high school students who had recognized the man. They had seen images of the suspect taken from surveillance and police body cam video and widely distributed by police.

New Yorkers came through again, said New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who described the case as one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.

Tisch said the suspect and the woman, both of whom have not been identified, were riding a subway train without any interaction between them to the end of the line in Brooklyn at around 7:30 a.m.

After the train came to a stop, surveillance video from the subway car showed the man calmly walk up to the victim, who was seated motionless, possibly sleeping, and set her clothing on fire with what appeared to be a lighter. The womans clothing then became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, Tisch said.

Police do not believe the two knew one another.

Officers on a routine patrol at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station smelled and saw smoke and discovered the woman on fire, standing in the middle of the subway car. After the fire was extinguished, emergency medical personnel declared the woman dead at the scene.

Unbeknownst to the officers, the suspect had remained at the scene and was seated on a bench on the subway platform, just outside the train car, Tisch said. Body cameras worn by the officers caught a very clear, detailed look at the suspect and those images were publicly disseminated.

After later receiving a 911 call from the teenagers, other transit officers identified the man on another subway train and radioed ahead to the next station, where more officers kept the train doors closed, searched each car and ultimately apprehended him without incident, said Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta. The man had a lighter in his pocket when he was taken into custody, Tisch said.

Gulotta said the investigation was continuing, including whether the woman was homeless and the background of the suspect.

The case marked the second fatality on a New York subway Sunday.

At 12:35 a.m., police responded to an emergency call for an assault in progress at the 61st Street-Woodside Station in Queens and found a 37-year-old man with a stab wound to his torso and a 26-year-old man with multiple slashes throughout his body. The older man was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital while the younger man was in stable condition, police said.

An investigation was continuing.
As thousands of Chassidim joined the Satmar Rebbe of Williamsburg in the Barclays Center to mark the 80th anniversary of Chof Alef Kislev, a historic initiative was announced by the renowned philanthropist and pillar of Chesed, R Yoel Landau.

R Yoel announced that together with philanthropist R Yaakov Schwimmer, and in collaboration with the dedicated administration of Satmar institutions in Williamsburg, they will giving a stunning 30% salary increase to the hundreds of devoted Rabbeyim and teachers in Satmar Mosdos!

This groundbreaking development was finalized during a meeting last week at the residence of the Satmar Rebbe of Williamsburg, attended by prominent philanthropists, and institutional leaders.

This initiative sets a new global standard, demonstrating the true value of Rabbeyim and unwavering dedication to Torah education and the future of Klal Yisroel.

This is by far the largest and most significant salary increase in the history of Torah and education institutions in America.

The historic initiative, worth tens of millions of dollars, is being carried out with the extraordinary support of philanthropic Satmar magnates and the relentless efforts of institutional leadership to achieve this lofty goal.

[Thousands Join the Satmar Rebbe of Williamsburg To Mark Chof Alef Kislev [VIDEOS & PHOTO]

[Thousands Join the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Yoel To Mark Chof Alef Kislev [PHOTO GALLERY]

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
A small plane crashed into a Brazilian town thats popular with tourists on Sunday, killing all 10 passengers on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, Brazils Civil Defense Agency said.

The agency in a post on X said the plane hit the chimney of a home and then the second floor of a building before crashing into a mobile phone shop in a largely residential neighborhood of Gramado. More than a dozen people who were on the ground were taken to hospitals with injuries including smoke inhalation, with two said to be in critical condition.

It is not immediately clear what caused the crash.

Local media reported that the plane was piloted by Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, a Brazilian businessman who was travelling with his family to Sao Paulo State. In a statement published on LinkedIn, Galeazzis company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that the 61-year-old was on the plane, adding that he was traveling with his wife, their three daughters, several other family members and another company employee, who perished in the crash.

In this moment of intense pain we are deeply thankful with the manifestations of solidarity and love that we have received from friends, colleagues and the community the statement reads. We also express our solidairity with those who have been affected by this accident in the region.

Security cameras filmed the small Piper plane departing from Canela airport in Rio Grande do Sul State, minutes before it crashed in Gramado, which is about 10km from the airport.

Gramado is in the Serra Gaucha mountains and popular with Brazilian tourists who enjoy the cool weather, hiking spots and traditional architecture. The town was settled by large numbers of German and Italian immigrants in the 19th century and is a popular spot for Christmas vacations.

(AP)10 are killed as a small plane crashes into a Brazilian town popular with tourists
The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty on Monday to state murder and terror charges while his attorney complained that statements coming from New Yorks mayor would make it tough to receive a fair trial.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was shackled and seated in a Manhattan court when he leaned over to a microphone to enter his plea. The Manhattan district attorney formally charged him last week with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in a state case that will run parallel to his federal prosecution.

His initial appearance in New Yorks state trial court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting. The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

One of Mangiones attorneys told a judge that government officials, including New York Mayor Eric Adams, have turned Mangione into a political pawn, robbing him of his rights as a defendant and tainting the jury pool.

I am very concerned about my clients right to a fair trial, said Karen Friedman Agnifilo.

The citys mayor and top police official stood among a throng of heavily armed officers last Thursday when Mangione was flown to a Manhattan heliport and slowly escorted up a pier after being extradited from Pennsylvania.

I wanted to look him in the eye and say you carried out this terroristic act in my city  the city that the people of New York love, the mayor told a local TV station.

Friedman Agnifilo has accused federal and state prosecutors of advancing conflicting legal theories, calling their approach confusing and highly unusual. He is being treated like a human pingpong ball between warring jurisdictions here, she said Monday.

State trial court Judge Gregory Carro responded that he has little control over what happens outside the courtroom, but said he can guarantee that Mangione will receive a fair trial.

Authorities say Mangione gunned down Brian Thompson as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan on the morning of Dec 4.

Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonalds after a five-day search, carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID, police said. He also was carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, according to federal prosecutors.

At a news conference announcing the state charges last week, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said the application of the terrorism law reflected the severity of a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.

In its most basic terms, this was a killing that was intended to evoke terror, he added.

Mangione is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean Diddy Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.

Outside the courthouse where Mangione appeared Monday, a few dozen supporters chanted, Free Luigi, over the blare of a trumpet.

Natalie Monarrez, a 55-year-old Staten Island resident, said she joined the demonstration because she lost both her mother and her life savings as a result of denied insurance claims.

As extreme as it was, it jolted the conversation that we need to deal with this issue, she said of the shooting. Enough is enough, people are fed up.

An Ivy-league graduate from a prominent Maryland family, Mangione appeared to have cut himself off from family and friends in recent months. He posted frequently in online forums about his struggles with back pain. He was never a UnitedHealthcare client, according to the insurer.

Thompson, a married father of two high-schoolers, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.

The killing has prompted some to voice their resentment at U.S. health insurers, with Mangione serving as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills. It also has sent shockwaves through the corporate world, rattling executives who say they have received a spike in threats.

(AP)
A Guatemalan man accused of fatally setting a subway rider on fire in New York City had been deported in 2018 but later reentered the U.S., evading federal authorities and eventually staying in city-funded shelters, sources revealed.

The suspect, who has yet to be formally charged, was first apprehended at the Arizona border in 2018 after entering the U.S. illegally. He was deported just days later under the Trump administration. However, he managed to cross the border again under the Biden administration and made his way to New York City.

By April 2023, he was living at a Days Inn hotel on 36th Street, which had been converted into a migrant shelter. Records indicate he stayed at several other taxpayer-funded shelters, including one on Randalls Island, according to sources.

On Sunday, he allegedly set a sleeping passenger on fire and stood by as she burned to death, police said.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the tragic incident.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Iran-affiliated groups are increasingly enlisting minors across Europe, particularly in Nordic countries, to target Israeli and Jewish institutions, according to a new report in Yisrael Hayom.

In Sweden, a string of alarming incidents involving teenagers has highlighted the growing threat. This year alone, a 15-year-old armed with a loaded weapon was intercepted en route to the Israeli embassy, a 13-year-old fired at a facility linked to Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems, and a 16-year-old took part in a bombing attempt.

Swedish and Norwegian security services have sounded the alarm over Iran-backed recruitment efforts. In October, Norway briefly raised its terror threat level to high, prompting police to carry firearms and authorities to tighten border controls with Sweden, Bloomberg reported.

The recruitment of minors by Iran-linked operatives echoes historical patterns. During the Iran-Iraq War, Iranian forces notoriously deployed child soldiers, some as young as nine, for front-line combat and dangerous mine-clearing missions. Many of these children were given symbolic keys to paradise, representing promises of heavenly reward for martyrdom.

Peter Nesser, a terrorism researcher at Norways Defense Research Institute, said that Iranian operatives leverage social media platforms like Telegram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to attract young recruits. Payments for attacks vary from $1,560 for major operations to as little as $125 for smaller tasks.

Swedens security service (SAPO) noted that many young recruits are unaware they are acting on behalf of foreign powers. In one case, a teenage recruit had to call for directions to the Israeli embassy in Stockholm after losing his way.

Nordic countries open societies and expanding immigrant populations are believed to make them vulnerable to these operations. Since 1980, Sweden has accepted over 1.5 million immigrants, yet recent surveys show 40% of migrants feel alienated from Swedish society.

In response, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre has prioritized tackling youth crime, while Sweden has introduced youth detention centers for offenders under 15.

Nesser warned that Iran could escalate activities in Europe following setbacks to its proxy networks in the Middle East. They might try to create more havoc, he cautioned.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
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Sgt. A., the reserve officer who was charged with leaking classified documents, requested during a hearing held on Sunday regarding his case that the gag order on his name be lifted.

Sgt. A. said during the hearing: I have acted throughout my life for the benefit of the state in military service. I served the state in several organizations. I have always contributed. I miss my family; I have a small child and a wife at home that I care for and they care for me. I constantly think about them and I dont understand how Im still in prison.

I made mistakes in the way I acted, I will never repeat it. I dont understand at the end of the day why theres a gag order on this matter. I initially thought it was a temporary order that would end soon but the gag order is still in effect.

Everything has come out in the media and I cant fight for my innocence, clear my name, when Im in darkness and obscurity. The public needs to know who I am, what I did  and what my intentions were.

As is well-known, Sgt. A. and Feldstein are victims of the left-wing sectors war against the right in Israel. Top IDF officials, who unfortunately are on the left-wing side of the spectrum, hid information from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, namely a Hamas document found in Gaza saying the left-wing protests calling for the release of the hostages are a boon for Hamas and harm efforts to reach a hostage deal. Sgt. A. felt that the information was of vital importance and could help bring back the hostages and couldnt understand why the information wasnt being publicized. With the failures of IDF leaders to prevent the Oct. 7 massacre looming in his mind, he took a photo of the document and forwarded it to Feldstein, Netanyahus former aide.

Feldstein also felt the information must be publicized for the sake of the hostages and he leaked it to the foreign press since Israeli media outlets were forbidden to publish it after the IDF imposed a gag order on the information.

Senior IDF officials were furious about the violation of regulations regarding classified information, and the left-wing State Attorneys Office was delighted to cooperate with the scandal connected to Netanyahus office.

Feldstein and Sgt. A. were arrested and thrown into a top security prison where they suffered inhumane conditions, including being the only Jews in a ward full of violent Arabs, being subject to endless interrogations, including in the middle of the night, and being banned from any visits, even from close family members or lawyers. Feldstein was imprisoned for a month and Sgt. A. is still imprisoned after Supreme Court Justice Alex Stein ordered that he be detained until the end of the legal proceedings, which could take years.

The case and Steins decision regarding Sgt. A. has been condemned even by leftists, with Channel 13 host Raviv Drucker calling it madness, a disgrace, and a scandal and calling on the State Prosecutor to release him immediately.

The two suspects, who only wanted to help bring the hostages home, endured far harsher conditions than Israelis who were recently indicted for spying for Iran.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
A terrorist attempted to stab an IDF soldier in the Pisgat Zeev neighborhood of Jerusalem, near the Chizma checkpoint early Monday afternoon.

BChasdei Hashem, an Israeli civilian who witnessed the incident shot and neutralized the terrorist before he could stab the soldier.

No one was injured in the incident.

Israel Police said that the terrorist arrived at the area in a car and after he attempted to stab the soldier, the soldier opened fire on him along with nearby civilians.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
The IDF announced the deaths of three soldiers during combat in northern Gaza today.

The fallen soldiers are identified as Captain Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, 22, from Kiryat Motzkin; Staff Sergeant Netanel Pessach, 21, from Elazar; and Sergeant First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, 21, from Talmon. All were members of the Kfir Brigades Shimshon Battalion.

Preliminary military investigations indicate the soldiers were killed by an explosive device in the Beit Hanoun area.

So far, 391 Israelis have lost their lives in the ongoing ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and operations near the border, a toll that includes a police officer involved in a hostage rescue and a Defense Ministry contractor.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz officially confirmed on Monday Israels responsibility for the July assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, marking the first time Israel has admitted to the operation, which had been widely attributed to it by various international observers.

Haniyeh, who had been residing in Qatar since 2017, was in Iran to attend the inauguration of the countrys new president. He was killed in an explosion at a guesthouse belonging to Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps, an incident that sent shockwaves through the region.

During a recent commemoration event for local security officers, Katz issued a stern warning to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, following their continued missile and drone attacks on Israel.

In these days, when the Houthi terror organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded the defense systems in Iran, and damaged the production systems. We have overthrown the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt heavy blows to the axis of evil, and we will also severely strike the Houthi terror organization in Yemen, which remains the last one standing, Katz said.

We will strike [the Houthis] strategic infrastructure and decapitate its leaders. Just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah, in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon  we will do in Hodeidah and Sanaa, he added.

This declaration comes amid escalating hostilities, with the Houthis launching numerous missile and drone attacks toward Israel since October 2023, in solidarity with Palestinians during the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. In response, Israel has conducted multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi positions in Yemen, aiming to dismantle their operational capabilities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed that Israels actions against the Houthis are not only in self-defense but also serve to protect global interests. He remarked, They are not only attacking us; they are attacking the entire world.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Fast fashion retailer Quiz Clothing has revealed plans to abandon its listing on London's junior stock market amid a battle to stay afloat.

Shareholders in Quiz, which has 60 UK stores, will be asked to vote to exit AIM at an investor meeting in January.

Quiz said delisting will 'be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders'.

Founder Tarak Ramzan and his family will vote to quit AIM, as will major investors Tajveer and Amraj Gill.

Delisting?: Shareholders in Quiz will be asked to vote to exit AIM at an investor meeting in January

In total, owners of 66.74 per cent of Quiz's shares are expected to back the delisting, which needs 75 per cent to pass.

Meanwhile, Scottish-born Ramzan is in talks to prove a 1m loan to the retailer.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 23. The Swedish engineering and consulting company Afry, serving as the consultant for the construction of the Kambarata-1 HPP in Kyrgyzstan, will present the concrete dam project in May 2025, said Taalaibek Ibrayev, the countrys Energy Minister, Trend reports.

During his speech marking the 90th anniversary of Kyrgyzstan's energy sector, Ibrayev spoke about preparatory work for the plant.

"The preparatory work for the construction of the Kambarata-1 HPP, known as the project of the century, is in its final stages. So far, the consulting company Afry has proposed four dam options. Based on the conclusions of global experts, the working group from the Ministry of Energy has selected the concrete dam. In the next phase, in May 2025, Afry will present the dam project. Following that, design work and other activities will begin," he said.

The Minister emphasized that the development of the energy sector remains a priority for the countrys leadership. In recent years, small hydropower plants have been commissioned, large HPPs have been renovated, solar power plants have been built, and the construction of wind power plants has begun.

Ibrayev also noted that 2024 marks a significant milestone for Kyrgyzstans energy sector, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary. Kyrgyzstan has made changes to industry legislation, introduced incentives to attract investments, and equipped energy professionals with modern technology and equipment.

To note, construction of the Kambarata HPP-1 is set to begin in 2025, with the first hydro unit expected to be commissioned in 2028. The preliminary cost of the project ranges from $4.5 billion to $5 billion, with a capacity of 1,860 MW. The Kambarata HPP-1 is anticipated to produce 5.6 billion kWh of electricity annually.

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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 23. Kyrgyzstan plans to start the construction of the Kambarata-1 hydropower plant (HPP) in the summer of 2025, President Sadyr Zhaparov announced at a ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of the country's energy sector, Trend reports.

"The Kambarata-1 hydroelectric project, which we call the "project of the century," is actively developing with the participation of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and the support of the World Bank. If everything goes according to plan, we will begin constructing the base dam and other infrastructure facilities by next summer," the president said.

He emphasized that the commissioning of Kambarata-1 will allow the Toktogul Hydropower Plant to operate at optimal capacity. This will ensure water supply to neighboring countries during the spring and summer seasons and fully meet Kyrgyzstan's electricity needs during the autumn and winter months. The construction of this plant is seen as a strategic step toward Kyrgyzstan's energy independence. Moreover, Kambarata-1 will play a crucial role in the efficient management of water resources in Central Asia.

Taalaibek Ibrayev, the countrys energy minister, also announced during the event that the Swedish engineering and consulting company Afry, which is serving as the consultant for the Kambarata-1 project, will present the concrete dam design in May 2025.

The first hydro unit of the Kambarata-1 HPP is slated to be commissioned in 2028. The preliminary cost of the project is estimated to be between $4.5 billion and $5 billion, with a planned capacity of 1,860 MW. The plant is expected to produce 5.6 billion kWh of electricity annually.
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, December 23. Tajikistan and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have executed a financial accord amounting to $270 million for the initial phase of the Rogun Hydropower Plant Development Program, Trend reports.

According to the Ministry of Finance of Tajikistan, the agreement was signed by Tajikistan's Minister of Finance, Fayziddin Qahhorzoda, and Vice President for Investment Clients Region 2 and Project and Corporate Finance, Konstantin Limitovsky.

The total financing provided by AIIB for the construction of the Rogun HPP amounts to $500 million and will be allocated in two phases under separate agreements.

The funds will be used to co-finance Lot 1 and Lot 3A of the Rogun HPP, as well as to construct and reconstruct 55 kilometers of roads, including bridges connecting local villages.

The Rogun HPP, located on the Vakhsh River, is planned to consist of six units, each with a capacity of 600 MW. Two units are already operational, with a third set to begin operation by 2025. Once completed, the plant will generate over 17 billion kWh of electricity annually, significantly boosting Tajikistan's energy supply.

Upon full operation, the Rogun HPP will provide electricity to nearly 10 million people in Tajikistan, helping to alleviate regular winter electricity shortages. Additionally, about 70 percent of the electricity generated will be exported at affordable rates to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Photo: Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, December 23. Tajikistan and Russia's Tatarstan have discussed expanding industrial cooperation, Trend reports.

A delegation from Tajikistan, led by Minister of Industry and New Technologies Sherali Kabir, met with Rustam Minnikhanov, President of Tatarstan, in Kazan. The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation across various sectors, with a particular emphasis on trade, investment, and industry.

The sides highlighted key areas for cooperation, including metallurgy, mining, oil and gas, chemicals, light and food industries, pharmaceuticals, and construction. They expressed strong interest in deepening ties, acknowledging Tatarstan's status as one of the leading economic regions in Russia.

One of the primary objectives identified was strengthening direct economic relations between businesses and economic entities in both regions. The potential for increasing mutual trade and collaborating on investment projects was also emphasized.

In addition to economic cooperation, the two parties expressed a shared interest in expanding cultural and humanitarian exchanges, particularly in education, science, and healthcare.
Apropos for the holiday season, tonight Angel Candice inspires our peek at pop culture, community reporting and top headlines.

Check TKC news gathering . . .

Local Holiday Burnout

Family of 4 loses home in Kansas City fire just before Christmas A Kansas City family of four has lost their home just before Christmas as a house fire engulfed it over the weekend.

Tragedy On KC Streets

Driver of speeding Honda crashes, kills 2 Saturday in Kansas City Police say a speeding driver lost control of their car Saturday afternoon, ending in a crash that killed two people.

Rock Chalk Getaway Car

1 arrested after rifle spotted on busy Lawrence street leads to dangerous chase A man spotted with a rifle on a busy Lawrence street has been arrested after he drove down a sidewalk and then sped to the other side of the city before he crashed.

Show-Me Tradition In Flames

Rural Missouri general store gutted after overnight fire Scott's Iconium Store, which is about a two-hour drive from Kansas City, caught fire around 2 a.m. Sunday.

Reporting On Local Legend

A White Christmas Richard White has been serving up free Christmas dinners for 47 years

Angel Shares Inspiration

Candice Swanepoel stuns as she strips off to red lace lingerie VICTORIA'S Secret beauty Candice Swanepoel stripped to festive lace lingerie as she posed for a sizzling new shoot. The catwalk queen flashed her rippling abs in a red lace bra and thong, pai...

MAGA Fact Checks Electorate

Trump addresses Elon Musk's growing political influence: 'He's not going to be president' After Musk helped tank a bipartisan bill to fund the government, Trump told conservative activists that he hadn't "ceded the presidency" to the tech billionaire.

Prez Vs. Rep. Pelosi

Joe Biden has "bone to pick" with Nancy Pelosi-Democrat Biden has grievances with Pelosi after he was "pushed aside" when it comes to this year's presidential election, Lindy Li said.

AOC In Doubt

Ocasio-Cortez faces uncertain political future Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is facing an uncertain future after a pivotal setback this week, when she lost her race to lead Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. The 74-year-old Re...

Deadly Tech Trick Took LOTS Of Planning

Israel's spy agency, Mossad, spent years orchestrating Hezbollah walkie-talkie, pager plots Retired Israeli case agents behind Mossad's boobytrapped pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon explain how they got Hezbollah to buy the devices and the plots' impact on the Middle East.

Towers Hit In Russia

Ukraine Hits Kazan Buildings In Latest Display Of Drone Power Ukraine struck high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan, in the latest display of its growing drone capabilities.

El Papa Pleads For Peace

Pope Francis calls for a ceasefire on all fronts in his prayer ahead of Christmas Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday prayer ahead of Christmas celebrations, condemning the "cruelty" of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza.

Local Holiday Indulgence

Our Food Editor's Favorite Sweet Treats Right Now Our food editor has racked up a few favorite sweet treats around town and shares them on the most recent episode of KCUR's Up To Date.

Grigs Gives Holiday Forecast

Clouds and 51 Monday Chances of rain Tuesday with a drop in temperature

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
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Cruise Saudi, a Public Investment Fund portfolio company responsible for the creation and development of Saudis cruise sector, has announced the soft launch of Saba Beach on Jabal AlSabaya  Cruise Saudis newly developed private island for cruising in the heart of the Red Sea.

The soft launch of Saba Beach marks a significant milestone for Cruise Saudi, and the development of the private island is a natural progression in Cruise Saudis mission to position Saudi as a prominent destination for cruising.

Just a short sail from Jeddah, roughly 220 Nautical miles, Jabal AlSabaya will be exclusively accessible to all cruise line passengers, offering a Red Sea experience that combines luxury, local culture, and the natural beauty of Saudis coastline.

Saba Beach on Jabal AlSabaya welcomed the first cruise passengers on 21 December 2024 as part of a soft launch that offers guests an exclusive first experience of the private island.

Upon completion of the first phase, facilities will include a floating park, full-service restaurant, retail shops, a VIP beach and VVIP beachfront villas.

Visitors can also treat themselves to a spa experience, a shisha lounge and a range of land and water activities that cater to all kinds of travelers.

Guests can relax on beachside cabanas at Saba Beach or explore the crystal-clear waters of the Red Sea with a snorkeling excursion.

Designed to integrate seamlessly with the natural environment, the islands development represents the best of Saudi culture, with influences from the Aseer and Hijaz regions, coastal Roshan designs, and patterns inspired by Sadu and AlKhous.

The projects development began in 2024  from the start the islands facilities were also built with sustainability at the forefront.

Construction was undertaken with minimal impact, using local materials and craftsmanship along with off-site prefabrication, whilst measures were put in place to protect the islands surrounding environment.

Lars Clasen, CEO of Cruise Saudi, commented: Since the inception of Cruise Saudi, our vision has been to create unique and exceptional cruise experiences for passengers from around the world. The launch of Saba Beach represents not only a world-class destination but also our commitment to enhancing Saudis tourism industry. We are opening up a truly unique area of the region and look forward to welcoming cruise passengers from around the world.

Barbara Buczek, Chief Destination Experiences Officer of Cruise Saudi, commented: The soft launch of Saba Beach on Jabal AlSabaya is another pioneering and innovative development in the creation of Saudia Arabias cruise sector. At the heart of what we offer is the guest experience, showcasing Saudis incredible and diverse natural assets, culture and history to our passengers and the launch of Saba Beach represents a milestone in bringing a previously unseen Saudi to the local, regional and international markets. -TradeArabia News Service
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 23. Turkmenistan has proposed the establishment of a new diplomatic format called "Central Asia + ASEAN" (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Trend reports.

This initiative was introduced during a recent Cabinet of Ministers meeting chaired by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

The proposal aims to strengthen regional cooperation, with Malaysia's upcoming presidency of ASEAN in 2025 being a key factor in moving forward with this plan. Turkmenistan sees this as an opportunity to expand its ties with Southeast Asia.

To note, Turkmenistans President paid an official visit to Malaysia on December 18-19. A key focus of Turkmenistan's foreign policy is the enhancement of relations with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, with particular emphasis on strengthening ties with Malaysia.

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TV Programm heute

Wer heute Fernsehen sehen will, greift entweder zur Programmzeitschrift oder  vor allem bei jungeren TV-Zuschauern gang und gabe  nutzt den Programmguide seines Vertrauens im Internet. Bei TV SPIELFILM gibt es mit der "TV Programm von heute"-Ubersicht eine praktische Zusammenstellung aller Sendungen des Tages. Von den Hauptprogrammen Das Erste, ZDF, RTL, Sat.1, ProSieben und kabel eins bis hin zu den Spartenkanalen, Dritten Programmen und Sport- oder Infokanalen: Wer das Programm heute kennen will, kann sich kinderleicht durch die Ansicht navigieren.

TV heute: Vielseitig aber auch unubersichtlich

Im Laufe der Jahre bevolkern immer mehr Sender die deutsche Fernsehlandschaft. Wer das Fernsehprogramm heute im Auge behalten will, muss uber einen breiten Blick verfugen. Der durchschnittliche deutsche TV-Haushalt empfangt mehr als 70 vollwertige Programme uber seinen Fernseher, insgesamt gibt es mehr als 400 Programme im deutschen TV. Landesweite, regionale und lokale Fernsehangebote dominieren das Programm heute. Mit dem Aufkommen von Streamingdiensten wie Netflix und Amazon oder der wachsenden Bedeutung des Pay-TV wird die Auswahl fur Fernsehen heute immer groer.

Mit dem TV Programm von heute wahrt der Programmguide Ubersicht in Zeiten der Unubersichtlichkeit. Auch bei der Auswahl einer geeigneten Sendung hilft TV SPIELFILM: Wir geben Programm-Tipps fur jeden Tag, zeigen mit dem bestens bekannten Daumen, ob sich das Programm heute lohnt oder nicht. Die Kritiken und Tipps stammen aus der Redaktion und werden taglich gewissenhaft und mit geubtem Auge ausgewahlt und verfasst. Informationen bezuglich des Genres, der Schauspieler und der Altersfreigabe im TV sind ebenfalls ersichtlich. Die ubersichtliche Darstellung in Tabellenform gliedert die einzelnen Sendungen zeitlich und liefert einen schnellen Uberblick uber das tagliche TV-Programm.

Fernsehen heute: Webseiten und Apps

Eine weitere Moglichkeit sich nicht nur uber das TV Programm zu informieren, sondern auch direkt einzuschalten, besteht uber die digitalen Angebote von TV SPIELFILM. Mit den Apps oder uber die Internetseite kann direkt ins tagliche Programm geschaltet werden.

Auch eine Verbindung zu den Streamingangeboten findet sich unter jeder Sendung: Wenn eine Serie auch uber Netflix, Amazon, Maxdome und Co. streambar ist, erfahrt ihr es im EPG von TV SPIELFILM.

Der mobile Zugriff, aktuelle Informationen nach einem Programmwechsel und die Funktion, Sender nach eigenem Belieben zu sortieren, stellen weitere Vorteile fur das Fernsehen von heute dar. Hilfreiche Features sind auerdem die integrierte Suchleiste sowie eine Erinnerungsfunktion. Durch diese Funktion erhalt der Zuschauer die Moglichkeit, von ihm favorisierte Filme, Serien oder Dokumentationen fur das Programm heute auszuwahlen und auf eine Merkliste zu setzen. Kurz vor der Ausstrahlung wird der Nutzer uber das gewunschte Programm im TV heute informiert.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 23. During the period spanning January to November 2024, the bilateral trade dynamics between Uzbekistan and Iran culminated in a substantial foreign trade turnover amounting to $448 million.

The data obtained by Trend from the country's Statistics Agency shows that this is 4.4 percent less compared to the same period last year ($468.1 million from January through November 2023).

On this account, Iran has achieved a notable position within the upper echelon of Uzbekistan's trading partners, securing a place in the top 20 rankings.

Uzbekistan's exports to Iran totaled $149.8 million, which is 14 percent less compared to the same period last year ($170.8 million from January through November 2023).

The imports from Iran to Uzbekistan reached $298.1 million from January through November 2024. This figure is down 0.2 percent compared to the same period last year ($297.3 million from January through November 2023).

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan's total foreign trade volume amounted to $59.4 billion, which is more by 3.6 percent year-on-year ($57.3 billion in January-November 2023).
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'Classic case of fraud': HC refuses pre-arrest bail to Puja Khedkar

The Delhi High Court Monday (December 23, 2024) dismissed Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea lamenting that the disgraced IAS aspirant is accused of a 'classic case of fraud'

Monday December 23, 2024 4:49 PM , ummid.com News Network

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Monday (December 23, 2024) dismissed Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea lamenting that the disgraced IAS aspirant is accused of a 'classic case of fraud'.

While dismissing Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea, the Delhi High Court bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said a strong prima facie case was made out against Khedkar and an investigation was required to unearth the conspiracy.

"It is a classic case of fraud committed on a constitutional body as well as society", Justice Singh said.

Puja Khedkar 'fraud' case

Puja Khedkar had "cracked" the Civil Services exams 2022 and was supposed to join as Assistant Collector Pune in June this year as Probationary IAS Officer.

She, however, made the headlines after she started demanding separate cabin, accommodation, staff, car, royal seal and more for which she was not entitled to as a trainee and probationary officer. After her demands were not met, she forcibly occupied the Additional Collector's office in Pune.

Puja Khedkar's matter later reached higher up. After an internal probe, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled her temporary appointment, and also barred her for lifetime from appearing in the Civil Services Exams.

During the probe, the Union Public Service Commission Friday had confirmed that Puja Khedkar, probationary IAS Officer, faked her identity to avail attempts beyond the permissible limit.

Following the UPSC investigations, the Delhi Police registered an FIR under provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Act and Right of Persons with Disabilities Act.

Puja Khedkar has denied all allegations against her.

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Deadlock on Palestinian State Key Obstacle in Saudi-U.S. Defence Deal

The future of a formal US-Saudi security agreement remains uncertain, though the Biden administration appears to be now pursuing a pact that would not involve a broader deal with Israel making concessions towards a Palestinian state

Monday December 23, 2024 11:48 AM , Asad Mirza

As the Biden administration prepares to relinquish power next month, it may leave without accomplishing a much-discussed diplomatic goal: the normalisation of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, accompanied by a formal US security agreement with Saudi Arabia.

The future of a formal US-Saudi security agreement remains uncertain, though the Biden administration appears to be now pursuing a pact that would not involve a broader deal with Israel making concessions towards a Palestinian state.

While the Biden-administration may want to expedite the deal so that it is complete before 20 January 2025, western media reports that Riyadh is now looking for a more modest agreement that forgoes normalising ties with Israel.

Reuters citing sources says that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MbS) has doubled down on the condition that normalisation with Israel must depend on Tel Avivs commitment to work towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, in line with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still eager to secure normalisation with the Saudi powerhouse as a historic milestone and a sign of broader acceptance in the Arab world. But Netanyahu is treading cautiously as he knows that any step towards a two-state solution would break apart his ruling coalition, the sources said.

As a result of the Saudi and Israeli positions, Riyadh and Washington hope a more modest defence pact could be sealed before President Joe Biden leaves the White House in January, according to the Saudi and western sources.

Earlier this year, numerous reports said Saudi Arabia was seeking a defence pact with Washington, to secure access to better US weaponry, and a US-backed nuclear programme in exchange for it agreeing to normalisation of ties with Israel.

The Guardian reported in May, however, that the Kingdom began pushing for a more modest defence pact with the US that foregoes a normalisation deal with Israel due to Tel Avivs intransigence toward an independent Palestinian state.

US President Joe Biden said last week that the ceasefire in Lebanon moves Washington closer to its vision for a more integrated West Asia, referring to the normalisation of ties by Arab states with Israel.

I applaud the courageous decision made by the leaders of Lebanon and Israel to end the violence. It reminds us that peace is possible. the president added.

The US President went on to say that Washington remains prepared to broker a peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia that will include a credible pathway for establishing a Palestinian state.

A full-blown US-Saudi treaty would need to pass the US Senate with a two-thirds majority - and this would be a non-starter unless Riyadh recognises Israel, the sources said.

The pact now under discussion would involve expanding joint military exercises and drills to address regional threats, mainly from Iran. It would foster partnerships between US and Saudi defence firms, with safeguards to prevent collaboration with China, the sources said.

The agreement would promote Saudi investment in advanced technologies, especially drone defence. The US would increase its presence in Riyadh through training, logistics and cyber security support, and may deploy a Patriot missile battalion to enhance missile defence and integrated deterrence.

But it would not be the kind of binding mutual defence treaty that would oblige US forces to protect the world's biggest oil exporter in the event of a foreign attack.

The picture is complicated further, however, by the impending arrival of Donald Trump in the White House. While Trump's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict excludes any provisions for Palestinian statehood or sovereignty, he is a close ally of the Saudi crown prince.

Palestinian and some Arab officials worry that Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner - architect of the "Deal of the Century" and also a close ally of the crown prince - may ultimately persuade him to support the plan.

How the Prince reconciles Saudi priorities with this shifting diplomatic landscape will be pivotal, defining both his leadership and the future of the peace process, diplomats said.

The current US administration has not yet given up hope for a deal on security guarantees before Biden leaves office in January, but several obstacles remain. One of which is whether there is enough time to strike a deal.

US officials are mindful that the Kingdom is still interested in formally cementing the guarantees it has been seeking, especially to gain access to more advanced weapons, but are uncertain whether it would prefer to get it done under Biden, or wait for Trump, the source say.

The critics of any such agreement between Saudi Arabia and the US say that he US has already contributed to a moral hazard by arming the Saudi Arabia-UAE coalition in its initial 2015 Operation Decisive Storm aerial bombing campaign on Yemen, thereby becoming complicit in killing thousands of civilians.

Alex Little in his opinion piece on US-based website thehill.com says that Saudi Arabia faces no threat to its sovereignty, as the Middle East lacks a true regional hegemon. Regional stability is one of Washingtons main rationales in its dealings with Riyadh.

Yet Saudi Arabia has been involved in almost every conflict zone and geopolitical fault line throughout the Middle East. Additionally, weapons that were given to the Saudis have a history of ending up in adversaries hands, including Al Qaeda and Iran. Moreover, corruption and a lack of transparency in Saudi defence institutions is a prevailing problem.

Little further opines that on top of the mismanagement of military aid, devoting equipment that Saudi Arabia would need to enhance its defence would detract from American interests in higher priority theaters, namely the Indo-Pacific.

He says further that fears that China will replace the US as a security guarantor in the Middle East are unfounded. China has little to no ability to project power in the Middle East and is highly opposed to military intervention, alliances and establishing bases.

Another dilemma which MbS faces is how to deal with the internal audience and the so-called Islamic world, if he agrees to normalisation of ties with Israel, as it will definitely impact his standing in the country and the region negatively.

While the Saudi leadership strongly advocates Palestinian statehood, it remains uncertain, according to diplomats, how the Crown Prince would respond if Trump revives the deal, he floated in 2020 to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

(The writer, Asad Mirza, is a New Delhi-based senior commentator on national, international, defence and strategic affairs, environmental issues, an interfaith practitioner, and a media consultant.)

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NASA Parker Solar Probe closest ever Sun flyby on Christmas Eve

NASAs Parker Solar Probe is set to make its record-breaking closest ever Sun flyby on Christmas Eve

Monday December 23, 2024 7:51 PM , ummid.com News Network

Washington: NASAs Parker Solar Probe is set to make its record-breaking closest ever Sun flyby on Christmas Eve.

Launched in 2018 , the car-size Parker Solar Probe, was developed as part of NASAs Living With a Star program to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society.

The Living With a Star program is managed by the agencys Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASAs Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed, built, and operates the spacecraft and manages the mission for NASA.

Closest Ever Sun Flyby

The Parker Solar Probe is approaching to Sun and is likely to come closest ever to the biggest star of our solar system on December 24, 2024 or Christmas Eve when it will be just 6.1 million km or 3.8 million miles.

This will be at around 6:53 a.m. EST or 5:23 PM IST a day befor Christmas 2024 when Parker Solar Probe will blaze through the Suns outer atmosphere at a jaw-dropping 430,000 mph.

Parker to report back on Dec 27

NASA had its last contact with Parker Probe two days ago - on December 20, 2024. The next contact will be on December 27, 2024 when Parker will send a beacon tone to confirm it is safe after the historic and record-breaking closest Sun flyby, the American space agency said.

NASAs Parker Solar Probe is set to make its record-breaking closest ever Sun flyby on Christmas Eve. #NASA #ParkerSolarProbe pic.twitter.com/kY2A5P90Il  ummid.com (@ummid) December 23, 2024

"During the closest approach, or perihelion, mission operations will be out of contact with the spacecraft, and Parker will transmit another beacon tone on Friday December 27, 2024 to confirm its health following the close flyby", NASA said.

No human-made object has ever passed this close to a star, so Parker will truly be returning data from uncharted territory said Nick Pinkine, Parker Solar Probe mission operations manager at APL.

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Exciting progress on the Bizerte Bridge project in Tunisia. Since March, when China's Sichuan Road and Bridge Group (SRBG) signed a contract with the Tunisian Ministry of Equipment and Housing, the project has been moving forward at a fast pace.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 23. Trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan amounted to $1.075 billion from January through November 2024.

The data obtained by Trend from Uzbekistan's Statistics Agency shows that this figure has increased by 10.8 percent compared to the same period last year ($970.1 million in January-November 2023).

Turkmenistan ranked among Uzbekistan's top 10 trading partners.

Uzbekistan's exports to Turkmenistan equaled $110.4 million, which is 45.3 percent less year-on-year ($160.5 million in January-November 2023).

At the same time, imports from Turkmenistan hit $964.9 million, which is more by 19.1 percent compared to $809.6 million the previous year.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan's total trade volume amounted to $59.4 billion, which is more by 3.6 percent year-on-year ($57.3 billion in January-November 2023).
Rhodes College in Tennessee has come forward with news that racist messages found on campus were actually fabricated by a student. The incident happened over Thanksgiving break and led to an investigation into what initially seemed to be a hate crime.

However, after consultation with Memphis police, it was concluded that the messages were intentionally created to misrepresent supporters of former President Donald Trump.

In a statement shared by FOX News, Rhodes College confirmed that the responsible student admitted to his act. The school went on to state that the incident caused enormous pain within its community, while adding that the college explores legal actions to hold accountable the individual involved.

Read more: House Republicans Threaten to Defund Truman Scholarship Over Alleged Liberal Bias

Community Outrage Over Offensive Flyers at Rhodes College

Flyers discovered near the National Pan-Hellenic Council Plazaa space dedicated to honoring historically Black Greek organizations contained phrases like "Trump Rules" and racial slurs against Black people, per Campus Reform. Students described the content as vulgar and hurtful but mostly expressed anger and disappointment at the situation. This caused massive conversations about the effect of such messages, even if they were proven false.

The school responded promptly by warning the students and actively investigating the case.

Rhodes College reemphasized its dedication to creating a diverse and inclusive community, which they believe all hate speech goes against. They mentioned that such false messages damage these values and cause unnecessary harm.

Although the whole thing was a hoax, the college promised to continue to address the underlying racism issue responsibly while working to heal the divisions caused by the incident.
BRASILIA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 23rd Dec, 2024) A bridge connecting two states in Brazil's northern and northeastern regions collapsed on Sunday as vehicles were crossing, killing at least one person and spilling sulfuric acid into the Tocantins River.

The National Department of Transport Infrastructure said the central span of the 533-metre bridge, linking the cities of Estreito in Maranhao state and Aguiarnopolis in Tocantins state, gave way in the afternoon. A tanker truck carrying the acid plunged into the water, officials said.

According to the fire department, one person has been confirmed dead and another was rescued alive.

Preliminary estimates indicate at least 11 people were involved in the accident with two trucks, a car, and a motorcycle falling into the river, which is more than 50 metres deep.

By early evening, rescue divers halted their efforts after identifying that one submerged tanker was leaking sulphuric acid, said the fire department from Tocantins.
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Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif launched Phase-II of the largest scholarship program in the history of Pakistan: Chief Minister Honhar Scholarship Program, under which educational expenses of 30,000 students annually and 120,000 students in next four years will be paid by the Government

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Dec, 2024) Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif launched Phase-II of the largest scholarship program in the history of Pakistan: Chief Minister Honhar Scholarship Program, under which educational expenses of 30,000 students annually and 120,000 students in next four years will be paid by the Government.

She said,Under this Scholarship Program, talented students can pursue higher education from the best institutions without worrying about their financial situation. She added,The Punjab government is responsible for paying 100% of the educational expenses of successful students under the Program.

The Chief Minister noted while attending the Honhar Scholarship ceremony at one of the renowned educational institutions of Islamabad: FAST National University of Computer and Engineering Science,Students of 65 universities, 12 medical and dental colleges, and 359 colleges in Punjab are receiving Chief Minister Honhar Scholarships. She said,Students of 68 subjects/disciplines will be able to meet their educational expenses in the form of scholarships under the Program.She added,Students under the age of 22 with a domicile of Punjab will be eligible for the Honhar Scholarship.

 She highlighted,Monthly income of parents of the eligible student should be less than Rs 300,000 per month.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said,In order to ensure transparency in the Scholarship Program, all applications were received and processed through an online portal. She added,In addition to the committee of each educational institution, the scrutiny process was also carried out by a provincial-level committee, and the entire process was supervised by a steering committee chaired by the Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.

The Chief Minister highlighted,The first ceremony of the Honahar Scholarship Program was held at the University of Punjab, in which scholarships were awarded to 2473 students, whereas in the 2nd ceremony held at FAST University Islamabad, scholarships will be distributed among a total of 2570 students of Rawalpindi Division. She said,Under the Honahar Scholarship Program, 1886 students of UET Lahore were awarded scholarships. She added,1660 scholarships are for the students of public sector universities, while 637 scholarships are for the students of Federal universities, which will be distributed among the students of private sector universities.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Sindh Minister for Local Governments, Saeed Ghani, Monday, directed the officials concerned to expedite the work on K-IV project to overcome water shortage issues in Karachi and assuage hardships of the citizens

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Dec, 2024) The Sindh Minister for Local Governments, Saeed Ghani, Monday, directed the officials concerned to expedite the work on K-IV project to overcome water shortage issues in Karachi and assuage hardships of the citizens.

The LG Minister, while chairing a meeting of Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP), stressed on optimum efforts for the earliest completion the K-IV project to improve the water supply to Karachi, said a statement issued here.

The Additional Additional Chief Secretary LG Sindh Syed Khalid Haider Shah, KWSSIP Project Director Usman Moazzam, CEO Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation Salahuddin, Chief Operating Officer KWSC Asadullah Khan were present in the meeting that discussed in detail the augmentation of the K-4 project and other issues.

Under the Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme (K-IV), completion of the first phase could add 260 million gallons per day (MGD) to water supply system of the metropolis. The K-IV Project envisages phase wise provision of 650 MGD water to Karachi from Keenjhar Lake and the Phase II, is planned to augment the KWSC system with additional supply of 390 MGD of water.

Saeed Ghani said that we should make every effort to complete the K-4 project, which possessed great importance in providing water to the citizens of the port city at the earliest. He said that this project will further improve the water supply of Karachi.
President Emmanuel Macron's office said the composition of France's new government would be announced on Monday evening amid efforts to drag the second-largest EU economy out of a deepening political crisis

Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Dec, 2024) President Emmanuel Macron's office said the composition of France's new government would be announced on Monday evening amid efforts to drag the second-largest EU economy out of a deepening political crisis.

The cabinet of new Prime Minister Francois Bayrou will be announced by Elysee secretary-general Alexis Kohler, Macron's office said.

The news came as France observed a day of mourning on Monday for the victims in the cyclone-hit Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte, France's poorest overseas territory, where at least 35 people were killed and 2,500 injured last week. Authorities have warned the death toll could soar.

Bayrou, the head of the centrist MoDem group, which is allied to Macron's party, was appointed on December 13 after the fall of a short-lived conservative-led government following a standoff over an austerity budget.

Bayrou had said he hoped that his new administration would be presented "over the weekend" and "in any case before Christmas".

Macron and Bayrou held a series of talks Sunday, but contrary to expectations the composition of a new administration was not announced.

French politics has been deadlocked since Macron gambled on snap elections this summer. The move backfired, with no party or alliance securing a majority.

The country was plunged into fresh chaos this month after the far right and left joined forces to oust Bayrou's predecessor, Michel Barnier, the shortest-serving prime minister in the history of the Fifth Republic, which began in 1958.

Bayrou's priority is to make sure his government can survive a no-confidence vote and that it passes a budget for next year.

He is hoping to bring in figures from the left, right and centre to protect his government from possible censure.

Bayrou is the sixth prime minister of Macron's mandate, and the fourth of 2024.

Many commentators are already predicting his premiership will be short-lived.

- 'Already weakened' -

Estelle Youssouffa, who represents Mayotte in the French parliament, criticised Bayrou for planning to announce his government during a day of national mourning.

"I'm with our people, who have no water and have not seen any help," Youssouffa told broadcaster France Inter. She criticised politicians who she said were obsessed with "reshuffling" ministers at a time when Mayotte was in great distress.

"No one gives a damn about Mayotte. And that, frankly, is serious."

The fate of top posts remained uncertain but former prime minister Elisabeth Borne, former interior minister Gerald Darmanin, and Xavier Bertrand, the right-wing head of the northern Hauts-de-France region, have been mentioned as possible members of Bayrou's team.

Bertrand is a major irritant for Marine Le Pen's far-right, which he has long opposed.

Outgoing interior minister Bruno Retailleau, a conservative who has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, was expected to keep his job.

Bayrou has endured a tumultuous first week as premier after facing criticism for attending a town hall meeting in his home city of Pau, where he is mayor, while Mayotte grappled with the deadly aftermath of Cyclone Chido.

Le Pen has suggested that Macron was weakened by months of political crisis and would eventually have to resign.

"I am preparing for an early presidential election," she told French newspaper Le Parisien last week.

A new poll by Ifop for weekly newspaper Journal du Dimanche found 66 percent of respondents were already unhappy with Bayrou's performance.

Only 34 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the prime minister.

Ifop said it had not seen such a low rating for a prime minister starting the job in more than six decades.

"Francois Bayrou, still without a government and already weakened," said French daily Le Monde.

The Socialist Party has refused to take part in the government. Its leader, Olivier Faure, said he was "appalled at the poverty" of what was being proposed to him during talks.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. The UK has new and existing programmes on education, green inclusive business investments, and effective economic governance in Uzbekistan, the Ambassador of the UK to Uzbekistan Timothy Smart told Trend.

"We are introducing a new education fund for 6.5 million pounds ($8.2 million), which will build on the UKs significant experience of working with partners operating in the education sector. The fund will identify catalytic gaps in educational provision and provide targeted support for equitable and quality education; provide systemic support to implement reform, including to improve the skills of teachers and leaders; advise on educational quality assurance systems and English language development across the region; and promote an evidence-based UK education offer that will deepen education partnerships and position the UK as the long-term partner of choice for Uzbekistan. The facility will work with international financial institutes and strategic delivery partners such as the British Council, UNICEF, the Aga Khan Foundation, UK universities, and other UK partners such as Voluntary Services Overseas," he said.

Ambassador Smart explained how the UKs 18 million pound ($22.7 million) Green Inclusive Growth Fund will establish a private equity/venture capital fund to support green small and medium-sized enterprises across the region to tackle economic issues (including job creation) and mitigate against climate change. By championing green growth, the Fund aims at making a positive climate and environmental impact. The programme started earlier this year and will last till 2029.

"The Effective Governance for Economic Development (EGED) Programme, the first multiyear bilateral programme launched by the UK in the Central Asia region, has been implemented since 2020 and aims to improve the efficiency, accountability, and transparency of economic policy implementation according to the reform priorities in Uzbekistan, as well as in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. On the supply side, the programme supports increasing the effectiveness of economic policy in general and in individual sectors through planning and implementation of policies based on the systematic use of data, while on the demand side, it fosters improvement to the quality of interactions between government and civil society," he underscored.

The Ambassador noted that over the last four years, in Uzbekistan, the programme has provided technical assistance and expert policy support in the areas of labor rights and employment, public procurement, transformation of state-owned enterprises, public finance management, and eCommerce. EGED has also supported a number of critical analytical and policy papers feeding into Uzbekistans reform initiatives (e.g., Country Gender Assessment, Air Quality and Land Management reports, Listening to the Citizens of Uzbekistan, etc.). Furthermore, through a climate window, the programme sponsored the World Bank projects that helped generate critical evidence for climate-smart policies and reforms.

"EGED is also providing support to the Delivery Unit in the center of the government to help ensure better economic policy performance by embedding evidence-informed processes into reform design and implementation. In addition, the programme will be supporting the WTO accession process from early 2025 around analytics, regulations, and capacity building for selected Uzbek ministries," he said.
(@FahadShabbir)

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) held historic hearings from December 2 to 13 addressing States obligations under international law to combat climate change, a process spearheaded by small island nations facing existential threats, the U.N. reported Monday

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Dec, 2024) The International Court of Justice (ICJ) held historic hearings from December 2 to 13 addressing States obligations under international law to combat climate change, a process spearheaded by small island nations facing existential threats, the U.N. reported Monday.

Initiated by a UN General Assembly resolution, the proceedings involved 96 countries and 11 regional organizations presenting their views on the obligations of States with regard to climate change under international law.

While ICJ advisory opinion will be non-binding, it is expected to shape the future of international climate law.

The hearings opened with an appeal from Vanuatu and 'Melanesian Spearhead Group', representing nations most vulnerable to climate change.

The outcome of these historic proceedings will have repercussions for generations to come, determining the fate of nations like mine and the future of our planet, said Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatus special envoy for climate change.

The Pacific Island nation highlighted the catastrophic impacts of rising seas and extreme weather, calling the failures of high-emitting States illicit.

The countrys Attorney General Arnold Kiel Loughman argued that the failure of a handful of high-emitting states to meet their obligations constitutes an internationally wrongful act, as they have brought humanity to the brink of the abyss.

Small island developing States (SIDS), represented by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), echoed these calls.

They asked the World Court to affirm principles of international law that address sea-level rise, including the recognition of maritime zones and statehood even if territories are inundated.

Brazil highlighted its commitment to ambitious emissions reductions, stressing that despite being a developing country, it faces significant challenges like poverty eradication and extreme climate impacts.

The countrys special envoy on climate change, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, underscored the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, asserting that high-emitting developed countries bear the greatest burden in addressing the crisis.

China, meanwhile, urged the ICJ to avoid creating new legal obligations and focus on existing frameworks such as the Paris Agreement on climate change.

As one of the worlds largest emitters, China argued that developed nations must bear historical responsibility, while developing countries require longer timelines to meet climate goals.

The United States acknowledged the severity of the climate crisis but argued that international treaties like the Paris Agreement are not legally binding.

Margaret Taylor, the US representative, also rejected the notion that common but differentiated responsibilities is a fundamental principle of international law.

On the other hand, the European Union (EU) emphasized cooperation and stressed the non-adversarial nature of the advisory proceedings.

EU representatives pointed to the importance of existing treaties in addressing climate change but stopped short of calling for enforcement mechanisms.

While the ICJ deliberates, nations and observers alike await its advisory opinion, expected to guide future legal interpretations of States responsibilities for the climate crisis.

For small island nations and vulnerable communities, the stakes are existential, it was pointed out.

APP/ift
Vietnam Briefing has developed into a premium source for insight on doing business in Vietnam. It publishes business news concerning foreign direct investment into Vietnam, including the most important tax, legal and accounting issues. The Vietnam Briefing Magazine was first published in 2009, and is contributed to by investment professionals based in Vietnam.
Many students in the U.S. rely on financial aid to attend colleges and universities, but as Julia Barajas reports in LAist.com, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid could cause a dilemma for students with an undocumented parent.

If students fill out the application, they will share their parents financial information  and potentially raise questions about their immigration status -- with the federal government. If they dont fill out the application, they wont get federal financial aid. (December 2024)
Albania's prime minister said Sunday the ban on TikTok his government announced a day earlier was "not a rushed reaction to a single incident."

Edi Rama said Saturday the government will shut down TikTok for one year, accusing the popular video service of inciting violence and bullying, especially among children.

Authorities have held 1,300 meetings with teachers and parents since the November stabbing death of a teenager by another teen after a quarrel that started on social media apps. Ninety percent of them approve of the ban on TikTok.

"The ban on TikTok for one year in Albania is not a rushed reaction to a single incident, but a carefully considered decision made in consultation with parent communities in schools across the country," said Rama.

Following Tirana's decision, TikTok asked for "urgent clarity from the Albanian government" in the case of the stabbed teenager. The company said it had "found no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts, and multiple reports have in fact confirmed videos leading up to this incident were being posted on another platform, not TikTok."

"To claim that the killing of the teenage boy has no connection to TikTok because the conflict didn't originate on the platform demonstrates a failure to grasp both the seriousness of the threat TikTok poses to children and youth today and the rationale behind our decision to take responsibility for addressing this threat," Rama said.

"Albania may be too small to demand that TikTok protect children and youth from the frightening pitfalls of its algorithm," he said, blaming TikTok for "the reproduction of the unending hell of the language of hatred, violence, bullying and so on."

Albanian children comprise the largest group of TikTok users in the country, according to domestic researchers.

Many youngsters in Albania did not approve of the ban.

"We disclose our daily life and entertain ourselves, that is, we exploit it during our free time," said Samuel Sulmani, an 18-year-old in the town of Rreshen, 75 kilometers north of the capital Tirana, on Sunday. "We do not agree with that because that's a deprivation for us."

But Albanian parents have been increasingly concerned following reports of children taking knives and other objects to school to use in quarrels or cases of bullying promoted by stories they see on TikTok.

"Our decision couldn't be clearer: Either TikTok protects the children of Albania, or Albania will protect its children from TikTok," Rama said.
As Israels 14-month-old war with Hamas drags on, the arriving winter means life will get even harder for the two million Palestinians living in the territory. Turkey's Foreign Minister met with Syria's de facto leader in Damascus on Sunday. President-elect Donald Trump is threatening to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage, which allows ships to cross between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. And a NASA spacecraft is about to make the closest approach to the sun.
A journalist jailed in Azerbaijan for nearly seven months has said he believes his arrest is linked to his reporting.

Farid Mehralizada, an economist and journalist with VOAs sister outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has been jailed since May on charges including conspiring to smuggle foreign currency. The journalist, his employer and press freedom groups believe the case is retaliatory and part of a wider crackdown in Azerbaijan.

In messages relayed to VOA through his wife, Mehralizada spoke about his passion for journalism and said he believed he was targeted for his work.

Ive always enjoyed working with statistical data and numbers. As a journalist and economist, it was my job to interpret them, Mehralizada said.

Mehralizada says he believes he is being detained in retaliation for his work, which is often critical of the governments economic policy.

I think my arrest highlighted how authoritarian governments, like Azerbaijans, fear the power of numbers and the reality they reveal through statistics, Mehralizada said. Among the journalists criticisms was that the Azerbaijani government isnt diversifying the economys reliance on oil and gas.

Mehralizada is one of at least 14 journalists jailed in the past year for their work in Azerbaijan, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ. Several of them work at Abzas Media, one of the countrys most prominent anti-corruption investigative outlets.

Mehralizada did not work with Abzas Media but he sometimes provided expert commentary to the outlet. Still, he is facing charges of conspiring to smuggle foreign currency in connection to a case brought against Abzas Media. Mehralizada denies the charge. Mehralizada and Abzas Media have both said that he never worked for the outlet.

Mehralizada is facing additional charges of illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion and document forgery. He faces up to 12 years behind bars if convicted of all the charges against him. He denies the accusations.

A trial against Mehralizada and six Abzas Media staffers began on Dec. 17 in Azerbaijans capital, Baku. Press freedom groups say the charges against the group of journalists are politically motivated.

The trial epitomizes the way the Azerbaijani government has used retaliatory criminal charges to lock up vast swathes of the countrys leading independent journalists over the past year, Gulnoza Said, CPJs Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, said in a statement.

RFE/RL has condemned the trial and called for Mehralizadas immediate release.

Farid is being punished for reporting uncomfortable truths about Azerbaijans economy. Azerbaijan must end this sham trial and release Farid to his wife and newborn daughter, RFE/RL President Stephen Capus said in a statement last week.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called for the release of Mehralizada and other journalists jailed in Azerbaijan.

The United States is deeply concerned not only by these detentions, but by the increasing crackdown on civil society and media in Azerbaijan, Blinken said in a statement earlier in December.

Azerbaijans Washington embassy and foreign ministry did not reply to VOAs emails requesting comment.

When the trial began, Mehralizadas wife, Nargiz Mukhtarova, said it was difficult to see her husband and the other defendants in handcuffs.

But their courage was incredibly impressive, she told VOA. They were smiling during [the] hearing.

In prison, Mukhtarova said, her husband spends his days reading books  nearly 200 of them since he was detained  and doing crossword puzzles. He is being treated well, but without internet access, he mostly suffers from a lack of economic news, Mukhtarova added.

Mukhtarova and her husband are permitted one weekly meeting, which she said they always look forward to.

He is doing good, she said. His mood is better now because at least they have a chance to talk publicly about their case.

The trial is set to resume on Dec. 28.
The Chinese government protested Sunday the latest American announcements of military sales and assistance to Taiwan, warning the United States that it is "playing with fire."

U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Saturday the provision of up to $571 million in Defense Department material and services and in military education and training for self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and says must come under its control. Separately, the Defense Department said Friday that $295 million in military sales had been approved.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement urged the U.S. to stop arming Taiwan and stop what it called "dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

U.S. military sales and assistance aim to help Taiwan defend itself and deter China from launching an attack.

The $571 million in military assistance comes on top of Biden's authorization of $567 million for the same purposes in late September. The military sales include $265 million for about 300 tactical radio systems and $30 million for 16 gun mounts.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry welcomed the approval of the two sales, saying in a post on X that it reaffirmed the U.S. government's "commitment to our defense."

In October, the U.S. approved $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including the first-time delivery of an advanced surface-to-air missile defense system, also drawing China's criticism while Beijing has responded with war drills around Taiwan.

Taiwan earlier this month demanded that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said undermined peace and stability and disrupted international shipping and trade.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said he would not commit to defending Taiwan if China were to invade during his presidency.

Trump has also said that Taiwan should pay the U.S. for defending it against China, likening the relationship to insurance. Taiwan spends about 2.5% of its GDP on defense.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Iran's withdrawal from the nuclear non-proliferation agreement (NPT) could be a very dangerous step, the Iranian international affairs expert Ali Bigdeli told reporters, Trend reports.

According to him, the country should be ready to withstand an attack from some countries in case of such a move by Iran.

Iran is currently in a situation where it needs to either discuss its nuclear program or, as some politicians say, withdraw from the NPT. The second option would put Iran in too much jeopardy, he said.

Bigdeli noted that the current period related to Iran's nuclear program is very sensitive. Iranian officials must take a logical step in that direction. If they don't, Iran's situation will be even worse. North Korea's withdrawal from the NPT is more diverse than Iran's. Iran is one of the most vulnerable places in the world. Therefore, it is necessary to pursue a policy based on logic.

To note, the International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution on November 21 with 19 votes in favor, 12 abstentions, and 3 against Iran. The resolution urged Tehran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency on several issues and also called for a credible document on uranium residues at two undeclared sites on Iranian territory.

To note, 39 members of the Iranian parliament petitioned Iran's Supreme National Security Council in October to revise the country's defense doctrine regarding the development of atomic weapons.

Meanwhile, in January 2016, Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany) implemented the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action concerning Irans nuclear program.

In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions, leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional Protocol as per the nuclear agreement.

Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 20-30 percent.

Iran has officially affirmed that its strategy is not to pursue the development of an atomic bomb and that it does not support the production of weapons of mass destruction.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Israel has taken over a buffer zone between Israel and Syria and says its forces will not withdraw until it is sure that residents of the Golan Heights border area will be secure. Half of these residents are from the Druze community, who worry about what the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime will mean for them and their family members on the Syrian side of the border. Linda Gradstein reports from the Golan Heights. VOA footage by Ricki Rosen.
A recently released U.S. government report details China's ongoing efforts to "erode long-standing norms in and around Taiwan" through various pressure tactics, including increased military flights crossing the Taiwan Strait median line.

While U.S. officials have expressed serious concerns, some military experts argue that Washington's response has been ineffective in curbing Chinese aggression.

To deter further coercion, some former U.S. military officials propose leveraging the U.S.-Taiwan Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) to allow American military jets to refuel there as a clear demonstration of resolve.

The ACSA, a rarely discussed logistics agreement between the U.S. and Taiwan, allows the U.S. Department of Defense to exchange supplies, services, and logistical support with its partners and allies.

In its 2024 report, Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China, released last week as mandated by Congress, the Pentagon highlights China's ongoing military buildup to secure national interests and assert territorial claims along its periphery. The report notes that the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) is increasingly focused on "military contingencies in the Taiwan Strait while simultaneously delaying or denying third-party intervention."

The report also details the PLA's extensive joint land, air and sea exercises around Taiwan throughout 2023 to enhance combat readiness and operational coordination. It notes that more than 1,500 PLA aircraft entered Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone in both 2022 and 2023.

Officials in Washington say U.S. defense engagement with Taiwan has evolved in response to China's growing capacity and willingness to use military coercion against Taiwan.

But in Beijing, officials are warning against what they call "foreign military intervention," asserting that Taiwan is part of China's "internal affairs."

"China urges the U.S. to immediately stop arming Taiwan," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated on Monday, following President Joe Biden's recent authorization of up to $571 million in Defense Department materials, services, and military training for the self-ruled island.

The spokesperson condemned the U.S. announcement of military aid, warning that Washington is "playing with fire and will get burned."

Founded in 1949, the Communist Party-led People's Republic of China has never governed Taiwan but claims sovereignty over the self-ruled democracy. It has never excluded the possibility of using force to bring the island under its control.

The U.S. maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity, taking neither an official stance on Taiwan's sovereignty nor supporting its independence.

A State Department spokesperson recently said that the U.S. remains concerned about "elevated" PLA activity near Taiwan, describing it as consistent with levels observed during previous "Joint Sword" military exercises. The statement followed PLA naval drills near Taiwan and along the First Island Chain earlier in December.

Trey Meeks, a senior defense fellow at the Washington-based Center for a New American Security, told VOA that low-cost strategies that would boost Taiwan's morale and demonstrate U.S. resolve could help counter China's "new normal" of constant and escalated military coercion.

Meeks is among the military experts who said President-elect Donald Trumps team is likely to be much more aggressive only if Taiwan agrees to significantly increase its defense budget.

When Chinese military jets cross the median line, he suggested, a pair of U.S. fighter jets could later respond by leveraging the U.S.-Taiwan logistics agreement, the ACSA, by making a refueling stop in Taiwan.

Another U.S. option, Meeks said, would be a visit by a U.S. Coast Guard vessel already operating in the region. This would signify a strategic response and signal that larger ships, potentially including U.S. naval vessels, might follow at U.S.-Taiwanese discretion.

It wouldnt be the first time. In June 2021, a U.S. military aircraft traveled to Taiwan to deliver COVID-19 vaccines, while in February 2023, South Korea's "Black Eagles" aerobatic team made a refueling stop at Taiwan's southern Kaohsiung airport while en route to an air show in Australia.

For Taiwan, other options include intercepting Chinese aircraft incursions using radar missile locks.

The ride stops being fun for the Chinese fighter pilot when you lock him up with a surface-to-air missile," said Meeks, who's also a former U.S. military official.

Forty-five years ago, Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which became law on April 10, 1979.

TRA policies would provide Taiwan with defensive weapons. U.S. special operations forces have been operating in Taiwan since 2012, and several hundred U.S. troops are currently known to be serving as a training team on the ground in Taiwan.
France unveiled a new government on Monday, composed of former ministers and senior civil servants that Prime Minister Francois Bayrou will hope can oversee the passage of a 2025 budget and avoid a collapse that would deepen the country's crisis.

Eric Lombard, 66, the head of Caisse des Depots, the investment arm of the French government, became finance minister, working with Amelie de Montchalin as budget minister.

Conservative Bruno Retailleau remained interior minister. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu also remained in post.

Elisabeth Borne, who stepped down as prime minister in January, became education minister, while former interior minister Gerard Darmanin will lead the Justice Ministry.

Bayrou has struggled for almost 10 days to put together a government as he looks to stave off potential no-confidence votes from the far right and left.

He will need to begin work immediately on passing a 2025 budget bill after parliamentary pushback over the proposed legislation led to the toppling of his predecessor, former Prime Minister Michel Barnier.

The names were read out by President Emmanuel Macron's chief of staff Alexis Kohler.
Ties between India and China witnessed a thaw in 2024, with both sides pulling back some troops from flashpoints along their border. But analysts say mistrust between the Asian giants will pose a challenge to restoration of friendly ties. Analysts also believe the India-China rapprochement will not affect Indias strategic cooperation with the United States. From New Delhi, Anjana Pasricha has a report.
Hanukkah, Judaism's eight-day Festival of Lights, begins this year on Christmas Day, which has only happened four times since 1900.

For some rabbis, the intersection of the two religious holidays provides an auspicious occasion for interfaith engagement.

"This can be a profound opportunity for learning and collaboration and togetherness," said Rabbi Josh Stanton, a vice president of the Jewish Federations of North America. He oversees interfaith initiatives involving the 146 local and regional Jewish federations that his organization represents.

"The goal is not proselytizing; it's learning deeply from each other," he said. "It's others seeing you as you see yourself."

One example of togetherness: a Chicanukah party hosted Thursday evening by several Jewish organizations in Houston, bringing together members of the city's Latino and Jewish communities for a "cross cultural holiday celebration." The venue: Houston's Holocaust museum.

The food on offer was a blend of the two cultures  for example a latke bar featuring guacamole, chili con queso and pico de gallo, as well as applesauce and sour cream. The doughnut-like pastries were sufganiyot  a Hanukkah specialty  and bunuelos, And the mariachi band took a crack at playing the Jewish folk song "Hava Nagila."

"What really brings us together is our shared values  our faith, our families, our heritage," said Erica Winsor, public affairs officer for the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston.

Rabbi Peter Tarlow, executive director of the Houston-based Center for Latino-Jewish Relations, said the first Chicanukah event 12 years ago drew 20 people, while this year the crowd numbered about 300, and could have been larger had not attendance been capped. He said the partygoers were a roughly even mix of Latinos  some of them Jews with Latin American origins  and "Anglo" Jews.

"There's too much hate, too much separation against both Jews and Latinos," Tarlow said. "This is a way we can come together and show we support each other."

While Hanukkah is intended as an upbeat, celebratory holiday, rabbis note that it's taking place this year amid continuing conflicts involving Israeli forces in the Middle East, and apprehension over widespread incidents of antisemitism.

Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, acknowledged that many Jews may be feeling anxious heading into Hanukkah this year. But he voiced confidence that most would maintain the key tradition: the lighting of candles on menorah candelabras and displaying where they're visible through household windows and in public spaces.

"The posture of our community  without stridency, just with determination  is that the menorah should be in our windows, in a place where the public sees it," Hauer said.

"It is less for us, the Jewish community, than for the world," he added. "We have to share that light. Putting the menorah in the window is our expression of working to be a light among the nations."

Hauer concurred with Stanton that this year's overlap of Hanukkah and Christmas is "an exceptional opportunity to see and experience the diversity of America and the diversity of its communities of faith."

Rabbi Motti Seligson, public relations director for the Hasidic movement Chabad-Lubavitch, noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of a milestone in the public lightings of menorahs. It was on Dec. 8, 1974  as part of an initiative launched by the Lubavitcher leader, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson  that a menorah was lit outside Philadelphia's Independence Hall, where the Liberty Bell was housed at the time.

"Hanukkah is a celebration of religious liberty, so that it's not taken for granted," Seligson said. "One of the ways of doing that is by celebrating it publicly."

He said Chabad was organizing about 15,000 public menorah lightings this year through its numerous branches around the world.

"There certainly is some apprehension," Seligson said, referring to concerns about antisemitism and political friction. "Some people question whether Jews will be celebrating as openly as in the past."

"What I'm hearing is there's no way that we can't," he added. "The only way through these difficult times is by standing stronger and prouder and shining brighter than ever."

Stanton concurred.

"Through our history, we've been through moments that are easy and moments that are hard," he said. "Safety for us does not come from hiding. It comes from reaching out."

Why is Hanukkah so late this year? The simple answer is that the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles and is not in sync with the Gregorian calendar, which sets Christmas on Dec. 25. Hanukkah always begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, a date which occurs between late November and late December on the Gregorian calendar.

The last time Hanukkah began on Christmas Day was in 2005. But the term "Chrismukkah"  signifying the overlap of the two holidays  had become a popular term before then. The term gained extra currency in 2003, when the character Seth Cohen on the TV drama "The O.C." embraced the fusion holiday as a tribute to his Jewish father and Protestant mother.

This season, the Hallmark Channel introduced a new Christmas movie called "Leah's Perfect Gift," depicting a young Jewish woman who had admired Christmas from a distance and gets a chance to experience it up close when her boyfriend invites her to spend the holidays with his family. Spoiler alert: All does not go smoothly.

Despite such storylines suggesting a fascination with Christmas among some Jews, Stanton says research by the Jewish Federations reveals a surge in Jews seeking deeper connections to their own traditions and community, as well as a surge in Jews volunteering for charitable activities during the holidays.

"The opportunity is to share with others how we celebrate Hanukkah," he said. "It's a holiday of freedom, hope, showing proudly you are Jewish."
After a four-and-a-half-year military standoff along their disputed Himalayan border, ties between India and China witnessed a thaw in 2024 with both sides withdrawing troops from two flashpoints. But analysts say mistrust remains a key hurdle to restoration of friendly ties between the Asian giants.

Indian foreign minister, Subrahmanyan Jaishankar, told parliament this month that the pullback has set New Delhi-Beijing ties in the direction of some improvement. But he stressed the need to restore stability on the frontier. "We are clear that the maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas is a pre-requisite for the development of our ties.

While troops have stepped back from face-to-face confrontation along disputed stretches, tens of thousands of soldiers are still spending a fifth winter in the Himalayas while artillery and fighter jets remain deployed along the border.

The mood on the border for four years has been one of preparing for war, therefore turning them into peacetime deployments is going to be an operational, mental, psychological and structural activity, which is, again, going to take a certain amount of time, said Swaran Singh, professor at the School of International Studies at New Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Large stretches of the poorly defined 3,488-kilometer-long frontier between the two countries are disputed. Tensions had spiraled after a 2020 border skirmish that killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.

A high-level diplomatic dialogue to discuss the boundary dispute resumed last week after five years. Following a meeting between Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and Indian National Security Adviser Wang Yi in Beijing, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to seek solutions that were fair, reasonable and acceptable to both sides, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

The two countries also decided to resume trips by Indian pilgrims to Tibet and restart border trade at a mountain pass.

The ground for the thaw was laid by a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia in October.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Li Jian told reporters at a press briefing last week that Beijing is ready to work with India to enhance mutual trust and manage their differences.

Analysts in New Delhi say India will be cautious moving ahead. Border-related issues is something that India wants to address first, and then expand into an overall larger normalization of relationship with China, Singh said.

Economic cooperation, however, is expected to move faster. China wants to tap into Indias growing market while New Delhi needs more Chinese imports as it seeks to become a manufacturing hub. Although bilateral trade has flourished despite the border crisis, India had put restrictions on Chinese investments and clamped down on issuing visas in the aftermath of the 2020 clash.

While no one should expect a dramatic shift in political ties, economic ties will perhaps evolve in a much more accelerated manner and perhaps India would be much more liberal in opening up its markets or opening up certain sectors, according to Harsh Pant, vice president for studies at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

Chinese foreign minister Wang asked his Indian counterpart to restore direct flights between the two countries that were suspended during the pandemic and facilitate visas for Chinese nationals at a meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 countries in Rio De Janeiro.

Chinas and Indias common interests far outweigh their differences. The two sides should see each others development as an opportunity, Wang told Jaishankar.

Analysts say the thaw between India and China  Asias two biggest countries -- will not impact the trajectory of New Delhis ties with Washington, which have gathered momentum in recent years partly over mutual concerns about Beijings assertiveness. Besides its Himalayan border, New Delhi is also concerned about Chinas growing presence in the Indian Ocean  Beijing has built ports in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and is constructing one in Myanmar.

Both India and the U.S. want a certain kind of Indo-Pacific, a certain kind of geography, strategic geography, which is free, balanced, open and fair, which is also inclusive and, in some ways, those ideas will continue to propel the relationship, Pant said.

The countries are cooperating in areas ranging from defense to high technology. The U.S. is also Indias largest trading partner.

New Delhis ties with Washington have witnessed some stresses. India, for instance, did not join U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia and has continued to import large quantities of crude oil from Moscow.

Speaking recently at the launch of a foreign policy magazine, Indias World, in New Delhi, Jaishankar said that ties between India and the U.S. will continue to deepen even if both sides do not see eye to eye on every issue.

We have very honest conversations on where we agree and where we do not, Jaishanker said.

Calling their relationship important and large, Jaishankar said, we factor these conversations but keep advancing that [overall] relationship.

Analysts say India will stay aligned with the United States and other Western countries in forums like the Quad.

It is a win-win for both sides. China is a structural challenge for both India and the U.S. So irrespective of the fact whether there is a crisis or not, India and U.S. will continue to deepen their relationship, said Sankalp Gurjar, assistant professor of geopolitics at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics.
Kenyas security report this year has been dominated by the violence and killings of women and girls, with more than 7,100 cases of gender-based violence since September 2023. Included in that number are 100 documented cases of murder against women since August 2024.

Sarah Wambui said she was attacked one morning by her husband of 20 years.

He attacked me on Jan. 18, 2024, she said. He stabbed me all over  38 stabs from my face, the entire body, even my internal organs, my kidney and liver, were affected. I have been in hospital. I was discharged in August.

Speaking last week, Foreign Affairs Minister and acting Interior Minister Musalia Mudavadi said the number of incidents of sexual and gender-based violence, or SGBV, against women worries security officers.

Nairobi County recorded the highest number of SGBV cases, while Samburu and Mandera counties had the lowest incidents, Mudavadi said. There were 100 murders of women from August to November 2024. So far, the Directorate of Criminal Investigation has completed the investigations on these, and the majority are pending before court.

Two weeks ago, hundreds of people took to the streets in Kenya, demanding an end to the killings of women. The protest was dispersed by police using tear gas and making arrests.

The response by police angered demonstrators, human rights groups, and womens organizations. They accused authorities of not taking the attacks and killings of women seriously.

Wambuis accused attacker is out of prison and has been threatening to kill her, she said. The mother of two has been moving from one place to another to avoid him.

Right now, my life is in danger, she said. The perpetrator is out, and he has vowed he will finish me, and the case will be discarded. So I am actually in hiding.

Human rights researchers say patriarchal views and a lack of protection are some of the reasons behind the attacks on women and girls.

Njoki Gachanja, a human rights defender, said the number of abused women may be higher than reported.

"Most of those numbers come from low-income areas where there is a lot of poverty and that is linked to a lot of violence. So, these numbers may sound staggering for people who are on the ground documenting these cases on a daily basis, Gachanja said. We know that there are more people who have not been covered by those who made the headlines, and this is a catastrophe that must be addressed by the government."

According to the Gender Violence Recovery Centre, one in three Kenyan women has experienced sexual violence before the age of 18, and 38% of married women have experienced physical violence.

The government has set up a security team to address attacks on women and ensure justice for the victims.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech Monday in the Knesset that there has been some progress in the ongoing negotiations to secure the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Everything we are doing cannot be disclosed, Netanyahu said. I wish to say cautiously that there has been some progress and we will not stop acting until we bring them all home.

Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in their October 2023 attack on southern Israel and took about 250 others hostage. There are around 100 hostages still being held in Gaza, though at least one-third are believed to be dead.

Israels counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,200 people, according to the Gaza health ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and fighters in its count.

Netanyahu also said Monday that he wants to sign new peace agreements with Arab countries, similar to the 2020 Abraham Accords negotiated by the U.S. for Israel and several Arab countries.

"Moderate Arab countries view Israel as a regional power and a potential ally, Netanyahu said. I intend to seize this opportunity to the fullest.

Meanwhile, Lebanons caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday visited Lebanese troops positions and U.N. peacekeeper posts in southern Lebanon, touring the region from which Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants are supposed to withdraw under a nearly month-old ceasefire agreement.

Mikati praised the role of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) after meeting with UNIFIL commanders and began his tour with a visit to a Lebanese army barracks.

He highlighted the need for Israeli troops to withdraw from Lebanon, saying the Lebanese military would then be able to carry out its tasks.

The ceasefire agreement calls for Lebanese troops to deploy in southern Lebanon as Israeli and Hezbollah forces leave.

Israeli troops entered the country at the end of September as part of an offensive aimed at pushing Hezbollah back from the border. The incursion was part of a significant intensification of the conflict, which had included lower-level cross-border attacks since the October 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Since the ceasefire with Hezbollah, Israeli forces have focused on the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza medics said Monday that Israeli airstrikes killed at least 20 people overnight.

U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said Monday that Israel continues to strike densely populated areas in Gaza, including on areas where Israeli forces have ordered people to move, causing destruction, displacement and death.

Israeli officials have previously responded to similar assessments by blaming Hamas for operating in populated areas.

Fletcher expressed concern about the ability to get aid into Gaza and into the hands of those in need, saying northern Gaza has been under a near-total siege for more than two months.

He said Israeli authorities have denied meaningful access to humanitarian workers, and that local gangs inside Gaza have engaged in systematic armed looting of our supplies.

We deal with tough places to deliver humanitarian support. But Gaza is currently the most dangerous, in a year when more humanitarians have been killed than any on record, Fletcher said.

Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated as terror organizations by the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
The European Union Sunday decried military court verdicts against 25 supporters of Pakistans jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, affirming that these rulings contravene the countrys international obligations to ensure a fair and public trial for civilians.

The individuals were tried and sentenced to vigorous imprisonment ranging from two to 10 years in connection with attacks on military facilities during nationwide anti-government protests in May 2023, as announced by the Pakistani army on Saturday.

The statement did not provide further details or publicize the verdicts, promising to announce sentences to the dozens of remaining accused in connection with the violence as and when the due process is complete.

In a statement released Sunday, the EU expressed concern over the sentencing of the 25 civilians.

These verdicts are seen as inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), it said.

The multilateral treaty obligates nations to provide individuals with a fair and public trial in a court that is independent, impartial and competent, and has the right to adequate and effective legal representation.

The EU stated the treaty mandates that any judgment rendered in a criminal case be made public.

The statement emphasized that countries benefiting from the EUs Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus, or GSP+, facility, including Pakistan, have voluntarily agreed to implement 27 international core conventions, including the ICCPR, effectively.

The GSP+ designation grants zero import duties on more than two-thirds of tariff lines when exporting to the European Union, providing Pakistan, a cash-strapped nation, with a major and crucial trade partner.

Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party, which led the anti-government protests last year, promptly rejected the rulings as a blatant violation of human rights and the rule of law within the country. The party has long asserted that the riots were the result of operatives within the military who had infiltrated ranks of peaceful protesters.

The actual perpetrators orchestrated a false flag operation on that day and are now utilizing military trials to serve as judge, jury and executioner, targeting innocent civilians, the PTI asserted in a tweet on its X social media platform.

Since August 2023, Khan has been incarcerated and faces multiple charges, including allegedly inciting attacks against military facilities, despite being in police custody when the nationwide protests erupted last year, demanding his release.

Pakistans prestigious English-language DAWN newspaper slammed the military convictions in a Sunday editorial.

Can serving officers, bound by military hierarchy, truly provide independent judgments? The one-line descriptions of convictions accompanying the names of the 25 individuals hardly qualify as reasoned judgments, the paper asked.

That such trials are occurring under civilian leadership adds a layer of irony to this distressing situation. Pakistans democracy, still finding its feet, cannot afford such compromises on core democratic values, the editorial read.
Pope Francis called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday Angelus prayer ahead of Christmas, condemning the "cruelty" of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza.

"Let the weapons fall silent and let the Christmas carols ring out!" Francis said, delivering his Sunday blessing from indoors due to a cold and as a precaution ahead of a busy Christmas period.

"Let us pray that at Christmas there will be a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, in the Holy Land, throughout the Middle East and throughout the world," the pope said.

Francis recalled, as he often does, the "battered Ukraine" that continues to be hit by attacks on cities, "which sometimes damage schools, hospitals and churches."

He also expressed his pain thinking of Gaza, "of such cruelty, to the machine-gunning of children, to the bombing of schools and hospitals ... How much cruelty!"

Francis on Saturday also criticized Israel's actions in Gaza and said that his envoy had been unable to enter the territory because of Israeli bombing. Israeli authorities on Sunday allowed Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the leader of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, to enter Gaza and celebrate a pre-Christmas Mass with members of the territory's small Christian community.

Israel says it has made great efforts to spare civilians and is only at war with Hamas, which it accuses of genocidal violence in the attack that ignited the war.

The pontiff, who turned 88 this past week, appeared in good shape on Sunday, after looking wheezing and congested during his annual Christmas greeting to Vatican bureaucrats on Saturday.

The Vatican cited the cold temperatures outside and Francis' strenuous week ahead in deciding to deliver his Sunday blessing indoors.

The pope on Tuesday is due to inaugurate his big Holy Year and preside over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations in St. Peter's Basilica. On Thursday, he is scheduled to travel to Rome's main prison to inaugurate the Jubilee there.

Francis has long suffered bouts of bronchitis, especially in winter. In 2023, he ended up in hospital to receive intravenous antibiotics. He had part of one lung removed as a young man and frequently seems out of breath, especially after walking or exerting himself.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. The dialogue on Iran's nuclear program between Iran and three European countries (the UK, France, and Germany) will continue in Switzerlands Geneva, said Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trend reports.

Speaking during a press briefing in Tehran on December 23, Baghaei noted that the upcoming discussions, involving deputy foreign ministers, are scheduled for mid-January.

Baghaei added that during the dialogue, the parties will exchange views on regional issues and Iran's nuclear program.

Notably, a similar meeting between the foreign deputy ministers of Iran and the three European countries (the UK, France, and Germany) took place in Geneva on November 29.

To note, the International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution on November 21 with 19 votes in favor, 12 abstentions, and 3 against Iran. The resolution urged Tehran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency on a number of issues and also called for a credible document on uranium residues at two undeclared sites on Iranian territory.

Meanwhile, in January 2016, Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany) implemented the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action concerning Irans nuclear program.

However, in May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

Two years later, Iran responded to the sanctions by implementing a strategic plan for the nuclear sector to counter them. The Iranian parliament made this decision at the end of 2020, leading to the suspension of additional measures and the Additional Protocol following the nuclear agreement.

Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 2030 percent.

Iran has officially affirmed that its strategy is not to pursue the development of an atomic bomb and that it does not support the production of weapons of mass destruction.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday there are indications that North Korea is preparing to send more troops and weapons to support Russias war effort in Ukraine.

The additional weapons being readied include suicide drones, and North Korea has already sent 240mm rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled artillery to Russia, the JCS said in a statement.

North Korea has also sent about 12,000 troops already to Russia, according to South Korea, the United States and Ukraine.

The JCS said Monday that at least 1,100 of the North Koreans have been killed or wounded.

Ukraines military said Monday it shot down 47 aerial drones that Russian forces launched in attacks overnight targeting multiple areas of the country.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia used a total of 72 drones in its latest round of daily aerial assaults.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down drones over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy and Zhytomyr regions, the military said.

Khmelnytskyi Governor Serhii Tiurin said on Telegram that the drone attacks damaged a business and some homes, while injuring one person.

Russias Defense Ministry said Monday it destroyed a Ukrainian aerial drone over the Bryansk region, which is located along the Russia-Ukraine border.

Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram there were no reports of damage or casualties from the Ukrainian attack.

Some information for this story was provided by Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
President-elect Donald Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal on Sunday, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage and drawing a sharp rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona on Sunday, Trump also said he would not let the canal fall into the "wrong hands," warning of potential Chinese influence on the passage.

China does not control or administer the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has long managed two ports located on the Caribbean and Pacific entrances to the canal.

The president-elect's comments came hours after he leveled a similar threat against Panama in a post on Truth Social on Saturday night.

"Has anyone ever heard of the Panama Canal?" Trump said on Sunday at AmericaFest, an annual event organized by Turning Point, an allied conservative group. "Because we're being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we're being ripped off everywhere else."

Trump's comments were an exceedingly rare example of a U.S. leader saying he could push a sovereign country to hand over territory. It also underlines an expected shift in U.S. diplomacy under Trump, who has not historically shied away from threatening allies and using bellicose rhetoric when dealing with counterparts.

"The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair," Trump said. "It was given to Panama and the people of Panama, but it has provisions. You get to treat us fairly, and they haven't treated us fairly. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, quickly and without question."

In a recorded message released by Panamanian President Mulino on Sunday afternoon, the nation's leader said that Panama's independence was non-negotiable and that China had no influence on the canal's administration. He also defended the passage rates Panama charged, saying they were not set "on a whim."

"Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue belonging [to Panama]," Mulino said in the statement, which was released on X.

Several other Panamanian politicians, including members of the opposition, also took to social media to criticize Trump's statements.

The United States largely built the canal and administered territory surrounding the passage for decades. But the United States and Panama signed a pair of accords in 1977 that paved the way for the canal's return to full Panamanian control. The United States handed over control of the passage in 1999 after a period of joint administration.

The waterway, which allows up to 14,000 ships to cross per year, accounts for 2.5% of global seaborne trade and is critical to U.S. imports of autos and commercial goods by container ships from Asia, and for U.S. exports of commodities, including liquefied natural gas.

It is not clear how Trump would seek to regain control over the canal, and he would have no recourse under international law if he decided to make a play for the passage.

This is not the first time Trump has openly considered territorial expansion.

During his 2017-2021 term, Trump expressed interest in buying Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. He was publicly rebuffed by Danish authorities before any conversations could take place.

Trump's appearance at AmericaFest capped a four-day event that drew more than 20,000 activists.
In his first term as U.S. president, Donald Trump tightened economic sanctions against North Korea to try to force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons program. VOAs Young Gyo Kim looks at what Trump should expect from North Korea during his second term. Scott Stearns narrates.
The USS Savannah departed from Cambodia last Friday, after the first port visit by the U.S. Navy to the Southeast Asian nation in eight years. Despite being a close partner of China, analysts say the stop in Cambodias port city of Sihanoukville shows that the country is looking to improve its relations with the United States.

The Savannah arrived in Sihanoukville last Monday and docked there about 30 kilometers from the Chinese-funded Ream Naval Base, which has drawn concern from U.S. analysts as a potential permanent base for Chinese forces.

Cambodias Ministry of National Defense says the U.S. warships five-day visit was aimed at strengthening and expanding friendship and promoting bilateral cooperation.

In June 2024, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Minister of National Defense Tea Seiha, with the two sides agreeing to strengthen their bilateral defense relationship.

Recent anti-democratic reforms, human rights violations and an increasing Chinese presence within Cambodia have strained relations. The Ream Naval Base is a particular sore spot for the two nations, with the U.S. imposing sanctions in 2021 on two senior Cambodian military officials accused of profiting from the Chinese-built base.

However, last weeks port call and official promises suggest that Cambodia wishes to push back against its reputation as a client state of Beijing, analysts say.

I think that Cambodians are trying to show that  look, were not taking the side of the Chinese or the Americans, said Abdul Rahman Yaacob, a researcher at the Lowy Institute in Australia.

Yaacob said that Cambodia is using the return of a U.S. defense presence to its shores to demonstrate its adherence to self-proclaimed principles of nonalignment to the broader Asian region.

Sam Seun, a policy analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, told VOA that the international community too often focuses on Cambodias relationship with China, and that this port call proves Cambodia can have good relationships with the United States and other countries too.

He said Chinas presence in Cambodias defense infrastructure is normal for a small country looking to strengthen its military capabilities.

One port call, though, might not be enough to quell U.S. fears about Chinese military influence in Cambodia and mend the U.S.-Cambodian relationship.

Although he viewed it as a good start, the warship docking in Cambodia will not lead to a full restoration of relations between Cambodia and the United States. The United States will still accuse Cambodia of allowing China to establish a military base in its territory, Seun said.

China's two Type 056A frigates, the Aba and the Tianmen, had been stationed at Ream Naval Base for nearly 12 months by the time the Savannah arrived in Cambodia.

Cambodian officials earlier stated that the ships were there for training engagements with the Cambodian navy.

The bases location holds strategic significance to China, given its proximity to potential conflict arenas and vital shipping routes in the South China Sea, said Sun Kim, assistant dean and lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences and International Relations at the Pannasastra University of Cambodia.

Sun said the base is important to Chinese oil and gas transportation, as it allows for a greater ease of transport of fuel from Africa and the Middle East.

Additionally, in the event of a conflict in the South China Sea or the Taiwan Strait, Ream Base could prove even more important, analysts say.

"If China needs to deploy its navy, Ream Naval Base may be used as one of the bases for deployment by China, said Sun.

However, according to Cambodian law, foreign forces are prohibited from being permanently stationed in the country and from conducting military operations out of Cambodian bases. Cambodia has denied that the Ream Naval Base is controlled by China.

On Friday, Cambodias former Prime Minister Hun Sen said Japan would be granted visitation rights to Ream Naval Base, according to a post on his Facebook page. The announcement came during a visit to Cambodia by Japan national security adviser Akiba Takeo.

Katherine Michaelson contributed to this report.
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military regimes of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso rejected the six-month withdrawal period granted by the Economic Community of West African States before their definitive withdrawal, seeing it as an external "attempt at destabilization", according to a joint statement.
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Media arrests at protests, an elected official sentenced to prison for the murder of a reporter, and a historic deal to free American journalists from Russian prison. Cristina Caicedo Smit recaps the biggest stories for U.S. media in 2024
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP)  From answering questions from Cabinet ministers, academics and students on climate change, substance abuse and the law to childrens inquiries about her birth and links to God and being described as a talkative feminist, Sophia, the world-famous robot won hearts at an innovation fair in Zimbabwe this week.

Boasting the ability to mimic facial expressions, hold human-like conversations with people, and recognize their gestures, Sophia is a global icon of artificial intelligence, according to the United Nations Development Program, which brought her to the southern African country. She was created by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics in 2016 and granted Saudi Arabian citizenship in 2017, becoming the worlds first robot citizen.

It was the first time Zimbabwe hosted a robot of her kind, and she wowed the old and the young alike at the University of Zimbabwe in the capital, Harare. She was there as a special guest at a week-long Artificial Intelligence and Innovation event.

She smiled, frowned, used hand gestures to drive home certain points, made eye contact in various one-on-one interactions and gave some unnatural pauses. She assured people that robots are not here to harm or take over from humans.

But she was quick to differentiate herself from humans, when conversations appeared to become too personal.

I dont have romantic feelings towards humans, my purpose is learning, said Sophia, as participants equated her with the human version of some Zimbabwean daughters-in-law known for being fiercely independent, assertive and outspoken in the largely patriarchal society.

But she did apologize when one participant chided her for seemingly avoiding looking at him.

Sophia also appeared patient as both adults and children mobbed her for selfies and bombarded her with questions, although she would also fire back with inquiries of her own about what locals were doing to solve the problems besetting them.

On Friday, her last day, she exhibited her fashion sense. She smiled, and expressed appreciation for being clothed in the countrys national dress, a black, long slit number complemented by chevron stripes in red, green and white.

I appreciate the effort to make me feel at home in Zimbabwe, she said. She has been to Africa before, previously visiting Egypt, South Africa and Rwanda.

UNDP said it hoped Sophias engagement would inspire Zimbabwes youth to explore careers in AI and STEM fields.
Gaza's civil defence agency said on Sunday that Israeli strikes killed at least 35 Palestinians across the territory, more than 14 months into the Israel-Hamas war.

The violence came even as Palestinian groups involved in the fighting said a ceasefire deal was "closer than ever".

Israel has faced growing criticism of its actions during the war, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, including from rights groups accusing it of "acts of genocide" which the Israeli government strongly denies.

Pope Francis denounced on Sunday the "cruelty" of Israel's bombardment, highlighting the deaths of children and attacks on schools and hospitals in Gaza.

It was his second such comment in as many days, despite Israel's accusing the pontiff of "double standards".

On the ground in Gaza, civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said at least 13 people were killed in an air strike on a house in central Gaza's Deir el-Balah belonging to the Abu Samra family.

An AFP photographer saw residents searching through the debris for survivors, while others looked for belongings they could salvage.

In a nearby compound, bodies covered in blankets lay on the sandy ground.

The military said it targeted an Islamic Jihad militant who was operating in Deir el-Balah.

"According to an initial examination, the reported number of casualties resulting from the strike does not align with the information held by the IDF (military)," it said to AFP in a statement, which did not give its own toll.

"We are... losing loved ones every day," said Deir el-Balah resident Naim al-Ramlawi.

"I pray to God that a truce will be reached soon" and would allow Gazans to finally "live a decent life, instead of this miserable life", he said.

The military also confirmed a separate strike further north, on a school in Gaza City.

Bassal said eight people including four children were killed in the attack on the school, which had been repurposed as a shelter for Palestinians displaced by the war.

It was the latest of numerous similar strikes against schools-turned-shelters during the war.

The military says the facilities are used by Hamas Palestinian militants.

In this case it said it carried out a "precise strike" that targeted a Hamas "command and control centre" inside the school compound.

- 'Significant risk' at hospital -

AFP images showed mangled concrete slabs and iron beams strewn amid patches of blood at the damaged school building.

Bassal said in a statement that a separate strike, overnight into Sunday, killed three people in Rafah, in the south.

And a drone strike on Sunday morning hit a car in Gaza City, killing four people, the spokesman added.

Late on Sunday, the civil defence agency said seven people were killed when Israeli drones struck tents in the humanitarian area of Al-Mawasi in western Khan Yunis, while the Israeli military said it had targeted a "Hamas terrorist".

Israel in early October began a major military operation in Gaza's north, which it said aimed to prevent Hamas from regrouping there.

A United Nations official who visited Gaza City said late last month that people were living in "inhumane conditions with severe food shortages and terrible sanitary conditions".

On Sunday a hospital director in northern Gaza said Israeli forces were bombing buildings near the facility.

Hossam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said in a statement that the facility's generators were hit and that "the army is attempting to target the fuel tank, which is full of fuel and poses a significant fire risk."

Contacted by AFP, the military said it was unaware of any strikes on the hospital, one of only two still operating in northern Gaza.

The unprecedented Hamas attack last year that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 96 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 45,259 people, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

Hamas and two other Palestinian armed groups said in a rare joint statement on Saturday that an agreement to end the bloodshed was "closer than ever", after Qatari-hosted talks that followed months of stalled negotiations.

burs-az-jd/dcp
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 23. Iran has never been the party to stop or withdraw from discussions regarding its nuclear program, said Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trend reports.

Speaking during a press briefing in Tehran on December 23, Baghaei emphasized that Iran has always remained committed to dialogue over the past two decades, seeking to address concerns and resolve issues through negotiation.

He explained that when considering whether Iran should continue talks, it is crucial to first focus on the situation and reasons behind the challenges related to its nuclear program. Then, Iran will make decisions based on the behavior of other parties, Baghaei added.

To note, the Comprehensive Plan of Joint Action on Iran's nuclear program was implemented between Iran and the P5+1 group (the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany) in January 2016. The US announced in May 2018 that it was withdrawing from the plan and imposed sanctions on Iran in November of the same year. Iran has announced that there will be no restrictions on the Iran nuclear deal in 2020.

However, in May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

Two years later, Iran responded to the sanctions by implementing a strategic plan for the nuclear sector to counter them. The Iranian parliament made this decision at the end of 2020, leading to the suspension of additional measures and the Additional Protocol following the nuclear agreement.

Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 2030 percent.

Iran has officially affirmed that its strategy is not to pursue the development of an atomic bomb and that it does not support the production of weapons of mass destruction.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Strong magnitude 5.9 earthquake at 7 km depth

23 Dec 06:04 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 4 minutes.

23 Dec 06:07: Now using data updates from GFZ

... [show all] ... 23 Dec 06:09: Magnitude recalculated from 5.9 to 5.8. Epicenter location corrected by 3.9 km (2.4 mi) towards SSE.

23 Dec 06:10: Now using data updates from USGS

16 Feb 04:16: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 22.20 to 7.00 km (from 13.8 to 4.3 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 12 km (7.5 mi) towards WSW.

Update Mon, 23 Dec 2024, 07:06

Felt earthquake: 5.9 quake Caribbean Sea, 53 km south of Bayamo, Granma, Cuba, 1 hour and 5 minutes ago - 205 shake reports so far

Numerous people reported to have felt the quake. Attached is an updated map showing the shaking felt (and reported) by this earthquake.

Update Mon, 23 Dec 2024, 06:41

Felt earthquake: 5.9 quake Caribbean Sea, 53 km south of Bayamo, Granma, Cuba, 40 minutes ago - 142 shake reports so far

Numerous people reported to have felt the quake. Attached is an updated map showing the shaking felt (and reported) by this earthquake.

Read all

Download the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app and get one of the fastest seismic alerts online: Android | iOS and get one of the fastest seismic alerts online:

Earthquake details Date & time Dec 23, 2024 06:00:56 UTC - Local time at epicenter Monday, Dec 23, 2024, at 02:00 am (America/Havana GMT -4) Status Confirmed (manually revised) Magnitude 5.9 Depth 7 km Epicenter latitude / longitude 19.8862N / 76.6255W Cuba Also near: United States 146 km (91 mi) away | Jamaica 169 km (105 mi) away Seismic antipode 19.8862S / 103.3745E Quality 246 seismic stations Shaking intensity VI Strong shaking near epicenter Felt 313 reports Primary data source USGS (United States Geological Survey) Nearest volcano ###NEARESTVOLCANO2### Weather at epicenter at time of quake Broken Clouds 22.2C (72 F), humidity: 82%, wind: 3 m/s (5 kts) from N Estimated seismic energy released 4.5 x 1013 joules (12.4 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 10676 tons of TNT or 0.7 atomic bombs!) | equivalent to ONE quake of magnitude 5.9 | about seismic energy

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Quake possibly felt by 5.6 million people According to preliminary estimates from the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake might have been felt by over 5.6 million people across 3 countries: Cuba (4.4 million), Jamaica (1.1 million), and Haiti (0). Approx. 720,000 people were in areas with According to preliminary estimates from the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake might have been felt by over 5.6 million people across 3 countries:(4.4 million),(1.1 million), and(0). Approx. 720,000 people were in areas with Moderate shaking (intensity V), while approx. 17,200 people might have been affected by the highest-expected shaking intensity of VI, or shaking (intensity V), while approx. 17,200 people might have been affected by the highest-expected shaking intensity of VI, or Strong on the on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale . MMI Level

Shaking (5,564,900 in total) (5,564,900 in total) Possible damage I Not felt None II Very weak None III Weak (23.4%) 1,302,000 Probably none IV Light (63.23%) 3,518,900 None or minor only V Moderate (13.06%) 726,700 Minor VI Strong (0.31%) 17,300 Minor to Moderate VII Very strong Moderate VIII Severe Significant IX Violent Heavy X Extreme Catastrophic Estimated number of people exposed to shaking from the earthquake by intensity (data coverage corresponding to attached map) Map of expected ground shaking intensity according to the MMI scale (shakemap, source: USGS) Map with population density (from white to black) in the area around the quake's epicenter (source: USGS) Alert level for this earthquake: Level GREEN Based on seismic and statistical models, USGS estimates that the risk of fatalities and damage from this earthquake is low. The main factors that contribute to this evaluation are: The maximum expected ground shaking from this quake likely reached dangerous levels near the epicenter (level VII or Very strong on the MMI scale).

on the MMI scale). A large number of people was exposed to strong shaking from the quake. Based on seismic and statistical models, USGS estimates that. The main factors that contribute to this evaluation are: Comment Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are mud wall and informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) construction.

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake 412 km east of this event struck this region on March 2, 1994 (UTC), with estimated population exposures of 171,000 at intensity VI and 47,000 at intensity VII, resulting in a reported 4 fatalities.

Source: USGS Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage. Expected fatalities The risk of fatalities from this quake is considered low and classified as Level The risk of fatalities from this quake is considered low and classified as Level GREEN , the lowest on a color scale from Green (low) to Red (very high). USGS estimates that there is a 65.3% chance that there are no direct fatalities as effect of shaking and a 30.2% chance that between 1 and 10 fatalities occurred. The likelihood that there are more than 100 fatalities is less than 1%. Expected economic damage The economic impact of this earthquake is expected to be minimal or small (Level , the lowest on a color scale from Green (low) to Red (very high). USGS estimates that there is a 65.3% chance that there areas effect of shaking and a 30.2% chance that between 1 and 10 fatalities occurred. The likelihood that there are more than 100 fatalities is less than 1%.The economic impact of this earthquake is expected to be minimal or small (Level GREEN ). Only light damage if any should have occurred. USGS calculates an 90.9% chance of total economic loss in the range of 0-1 million US Dollars and a 8.9% risk of losses between 1 and 10 million US Dollars. Total economic loss from this quake is not likely to surpass 1 million US Dollars (less than 1% chance). ). Only light damage if any should have occurred. USGS calculates an 90.9% chance of total economic loss in the range of 0-1 million US Dollars and a 8.9% risk of losses between 1 and 10 million US Dollars. Total economic loss from this quake is not likely to surpass 1 million US Dollars (less than 1% chance).

User-reports for this quake (337) felt in up to approx. 250750 km (155466 mi) distance, with isolated cases to have felt the quake even 2,364 km (1,469 mi) away.





The majority of reports came from Manzanillo (75 reports), a city with more than 130,000 inhabitants in Granma in 72 km (45 mi) distance northwest of the epicenter, Cuba, Havana (49 reports), the capital of Bayamo (35 reports) (54 km or 34 mi to the north) in Granma. See the Cuba . Out of these, 313 people indicated they felt it. The quake was reported to have been, with isolated cases to have felt the quake even 2,364 km (1,469 mi) away.The majority of reports came from, a city with more than 130,000 inhabitants in Granma in 72 km (45 mi) distance northwest of the epicenter,, the capital of Cuba with 2,200,000 inhabitants in La Habana in 697 km (433 mi) distance northwest of the epicenter, and(54 km or 34 mi to the north) in Granma. See the list of places where most people reported this quake further below. User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale Contribute:

Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.

Flag as inappropriate.

Mark as helpful or interesting.

Send your own user report! Translate Liguanea, Kingston St. Andrew Jamaica (207.2 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short Light shaking and low rumble. Daughter felt it in two distinct waves. I felt it in one. Thought it was my imagination until she called out for me confirming that we did in fact feel an earth tremor. | 16 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short Jobabo (133 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 2-5 s : Temblor perceptible | 7 users found this interesting. Santiago de Cuba (86.1 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 30-60 s : Very strong | 6 users found this interesting. Santiago de Cuba (70.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Tembling the walls | 6 users found this interesting. Nuevitas, Camaguey, Cuba / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Estaba recostado en la cama con mi telefono y esta comenzo a tambalearse suavemente, lo que hizo que me pusiera de pie rapidamente. Ahi supe que era un temblor de tierra y me lo confirme con una aplicacion que tengo en el telefono. Enseguida comence a buscar informacion y eso me trajo hasta aqui. | 4 users found this interesting. Santiago de Cuba (84.5 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt / 5-10 s : At the begining a noise like a choper and tiene the quake Door were Shakira and the flor seems moving. Down town Santiago de Cuba | 4 users found this interesting. St Ann , Jamaica (208.7 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Was in bed listening to podcast when bed started shaking | 5 users found this interesting. Same! (Loguanea Kingston listening to podcast) / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s Bartolome Maso (45.2 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Estaba durmiendo, desperto a todos en la casa, se sintio un ruido y movimientos laterales | 5 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s Midlothian, VA, watching TV in bed. / not felt : A very slight vibration that lasted maybe 20 seconds. Ive only felt something like that once before on 23 AUG 2011 when Virginia had one; in that instance I felt this same type of vibration, but much stronger. This may sound odd, but my pet Cockatoo (Mike the Lap Chicken) whos cage is in our room was covered and sound asleep let a out his alert- sound maybe 6 or so seconds before the vibration; this rarely ever occurs so I thought Id mention it. John Lykins, Paramedic/Firefighter (Ret.) | 3 users found this interesting. I'm a bit skeptical that you felt an earthquake in Virginia, that occurred in Cuba. ???? / not felt Holguin City, Cuba (698.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging : I felt a strong shake of the bed that went stronger, the walls of the room made sounds and the bed shaked very strong, my wardrobe shaped so hard the door got opened and the fan too. | 2 users found this interesting. Bayamo (698.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe : Estaba viendo el celular cuando de repente senti un mareo y el techo de mi casa que es de fibrocemento comenzo a temblar. | 2 users found this interesting. San Luis, Santiago de Cuba (87.4 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Me encontraba durmiendo cuando senti que la cama se sacudio suavemente y esto me desperto, luego se intensifico y el ruido fue mas fuerte, me levante de la cama y ya la sacudida se estaba deteniendo. | 2 users found this interesting. acostada pero despierta (126.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : que la cama se movia fue algo muy rapido pero lo senti | 3 users found this interesting. Caimanera (154.5 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Se movia el televisor y el refrigerador duro como medio minuto avia tambaleo hacia los lados | 3 users found this interesting. Manzanillo Granma Cuba (72.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s fuerte | 3 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s Guardalavaca Cuba (698.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s : I was in a Almirante hotels Middle of the night felt like shaking. | 2 users found this interesting. Santiago de Cuba 12 segundos (86 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) durmiendo y el movimiento me desperto | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) Bartolome Maso, Granma (698.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : It's felt strong and the bed shaking hardly | 2 users found this interesting. Bayamo (55.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) Estaba durmiendo,,,muy fuerte lo sentimos | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) Manzanillo Granma Cuba (72.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s fuerte | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s Las tunas (123.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Fue algo horrible nunca habia sentido esa sensacion, me desperto el primer sismo y despues empezo el segundo que se sintio mas fuerte. Pero ambos duraron menos de 5 minutos. Nuevitas, Camaguey, Cuba (195.5 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Estaba recostado en la cama con mi telefono y de repente comenzo a tambalearse suavemente. Yo me puse de pie y verifique que no fuera un vehiculo pasando por la calle. Luego me llego la notificacion por mi telefono y comence a buscar informacion y asi fue como llegue aqui Nuevitas, Camaguey, Cuba (195.5 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Estaba recostado en la cama con mi telefono y de repente comenzo a tambalearse suavemente. Yo me puse de pie y verifique que no fuera un vehiculo pasando por la calle. Luego me llego la notificacion por mi telefono y comence a buscar informacion y asi fue como llegue aqui Bayamo (51.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s : Sentido por todos, animales alarmados | One user found this interesting. Guisa Granma Cuba (698.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Duro de 10 a 15 seg mas o menos, se sacudio todo muy fuerte, el piso temblaba muy fuerte | One user found this interesting. Mandeville Jamaica (227.4 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Deep rumble and slight vibration. Nothing actually moved | One user found this interesting. Santiago de Cuba (83.5 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 10-15 s : Aproximadamente 15 segundos | One user found this interesting. Niquero, Granma Cuba (101.8 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Leve pero petsectible | One user found this interesting. Nuevitas (195.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Se sintio leve | One user found this interesting. Manzanillo, Granma (68.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) New kingston (202.2 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s Show more Read more Show more List of cities/places with most reports Place Distance from epicenter Average reported Shaking Intensity Nr. of reports Manzanillo, Granma, Cuba (Pop.: 128,188) 72 km (45 mi) NW of epicenter V: Moderate shaking 75 Havana, La Habana, Cuba (Pop.: 2,163,824) 697 km (433 mi) NW of epicenter IV: Light shaking 49 Bayamo, Granma, Cuba (Pop.: 192,632) 54 km (34 mi) N of epicenter V: Moderate shaking 35 Campechuela, Granma, Cuba (Pop.: 25,069) 79 km (49 mi) NW of epicenter IV: Light shaking 26 Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba (Pop.: 555,865) 85 km (53 mi) E of epicenter V: Moderate shaking 17 Bartolome Maso, Granma, Cuba (Pop.: 53,024) 45 km (28 mi) NW of epicenter VI: Strong shaking 17 Yara, Granma, Cuba (Pop.: 28,944) 55 km (34 mi) NW of epicenter V: Moderate shaking 15 Guisa, Granma, Cuba (Pop.: 18,408) 42 km (26 mi) N of epicenter V: Moderate shaking 10 Guantanamo, Guantanamo, Cuba (Pop.: 272,801) 151 km (94 mi) E of epicenter IV: Light shaking 5 Las Tunas, Las Tunas, Cuba (Pop.: 203,684) 124 km (77 mi) N of epicenter III: Weak shaking 5 Note: Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (330 in total) could be used for statistics. What is Intensity and the Mercalli Intensity Scale?

The amount of shaking that occurs on the surface due to an earthquake is called the intensity. It is commonly measured on the so-called Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) ranging from 1 (not felt) to 10 (extreme shaking), and given in Roman numerals as I,II,...IX, X, and often displayed with color codes ranging from light blue to dark red.

Earthquake intensity depends mainly on the magnitude and depth of the quake as well as the distance from the epicenter: The further away, the less shaking intensity occurs.

Read more about the MMI scale! The amount of shaking that occurs on the surface due to an earthquake is called the intensity. It is commonly measured on the so-called Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) ranging from 1 (not felt) to 10 (extreme shaking), and given in Roman numerals as I,II,...IX, X, and often displayed with color codes ranging from light blue to dark red.Earthquake intensity depends mainly on the magnitude and depth of the quake as well as the distance from the epicenter: The further away, the less shaking intensity occurs. Number of reports by intensity Shaking intensity Number of reports Min-Max distance from epicenter (*) Average distance (*) I: Not felt 22 43982 km (27610 mi) 283 km (176 mi) II: Very weak shaking 15 9.1698 km (5.7434 mi) 256 km (159 mi) III: Weak shaking 34 40698 km (25434 mi) 202 km (125 mi) IV: Light shaking 111 25750 km (15.7466 mi) 171 km (106 mi) V: Moderate shaking 53 25154 km (15.596 mi) 70 km (44 mi) VI: Strong shaking 49 12.387 km (7.754 mi) 60 km (38 mi) Notes

(*) Reports are filtered to exclude those that are likely highly inaccurate or esaggerated.

Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (330 in total) could be used for geographic statistics. further below.

Compare Quake Data Data for the same earthquake as reported by different agencies The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision. Mag Depth Time GMT 2024-12-23 Epicenter Agency 5.9 7 km 4.3 mi 1.8 km 06:00:56.943 41 km SSW of Guisa, Cuba Epicenter uncertainty:  4.5 km USGS (United States Geological Survey) 5.9 15 km 9.3 mi 06:00:57.97 0.15s CUBA REGION 7.7 km (4.8 mi) epicenter difference with USGS EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre) 5.9 22 km 14 mi 06:00:00 Cuba 12 km (7.5 mi) epicenter difference with USGS SGC (Colombian Geological Service) 5.76 10 km 6.2 mi (*) 06:00:57.54 Cuba Region 14 km (8.6 mi) epicenter difference with USGS Epicenter uncertainty:  4 km GFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences) 5.9  0.1 9 km 5.6 mi 06:00:57.714 Cuba region [Sea: Cuba] 14 km (9 mi) epicenter difference with USGS INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia) 5.9 22 km 14 mi 06:00:59 CUBA REGION 12 km (7.5 mi) epicenter difference with USGS IRIS (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology) 5.7 10 km 6.2 mi (*) 06:00:57 Cuba Region 8.6 km (5.3 mi) epicenter difference with USGS GeoAu (Geoscience Australia ) 5.44  0.41 10 km 6.2 mi (*) 06:00:58.556 0.18s Event of magnitude 5.4, near of Santiago de Cuba 2.9 km (1.8 mi) epicenter difference with USGS Epicenter uncertainty:  3.2 km RENASS (Reseau National de Surveillance Sismique (ReNaSS)) 6.2 18 km 11 mi 06:00:56 63 Km al norte de Marea del portillo, Cuba 10 km (6.2 mi) epicenter difference with USGS INETER 5.9 22 km 14 mi 06:00:59 37 km S of Guisa, Cuba 12 km (7.5 mi) epicenter difference with USGS NNSN (Norwegian National Seismic Network) Notes:

(*) A depth given as 10 km often means that the the depth of the quake could be not determined with sufficient accuracy.

Earthquake statistics Average number of earthquakes Based on data from the past 55 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 5.4 quakes on average per year in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi): Mag. 5 or higher: 0.16 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 6.3 years)

per year (or 1 quake every 6.3 years) Mag. 4 or higher: 2.1 quakes per year

per year Mag. 3 or higher: 6.2 quakes per year

per year Mag. 2 or higher: 16.4 quakes per year

per year Mag. 1 or higher: 24.4 quakes per year The area where this quake occurred has a moderate level of seismic activity. However, It has had at least 9 quakes above magnitude 5 since 1970, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 5 to 10 years. Number of quakes per year
Photo: Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images

Blake Lively is accusing her It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni of mounting a retaliatory social media campaign against her in a sexual-harassment complaint. Amber Heard knows what thats like. The Aquaman actress backed Lively amid the revelation that Baldoni hired the same crisis publicist that her ex-husband Johnny Depp used during his defamation lawsuit against her. (Heard is also suing that crisis publicist, Melissa Nathan.) Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on, Heard told NBC News. I saw this firsthand and up close. Its as horrifying as it is destructive.

A jury found that Heard defamed Depp in 2022, after she accused the actor of abuse in a 2018 op-ed for the Washington Post in a piece titled, I spoke up against sexual violence  and faced our cultures wrath. That has to change. At the time, Heard said the verdict sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. Depp worked with Nathan during the trial, who is now also representing Baldoni. In her complaint, Lively claimed Nathan worked to help change narrative against Baldoni during the films press cycle, via proactive fan posting and social manipulations, amounting to the alleged smear campaign. Now, Heard is just the latest to offer support to Lively, a list that includes her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars and It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover.
Photo: Jason Kempin/WireImage

You come for one sister of the traveling pants, you come for them all. Blake Livelys Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars issued a joint statement on social media supporting Lively in her It Ends With Us lawsuit. On Instagram America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel wrote that they stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation. Lively is suing her director/co-star Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, crisis PR team The Agency Group, Melissa Nathan, and others for sexual harassment, retaliation, and more. The complaint alleges that Baldoni harassed Lively on the set of It Ends With Us, then hired a crisis PR firm to launch a smear campaign against her.

Ferrera, Tamblyn, and Bledel worked with Lively on both Sisterhood films and have remained close with her ever since. Throughout the filming of It Ends with Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, they wrote, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice. The Sisterhood fam specifically called out what they saw as the hypocrisy of Baldoni positioning himself as a feminist ally. Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors stories to silence a woman who asked for safety, they wrote. The hypocrisy is astounding. Baldoni has denied Livelys claims through his lawyer, Bryan Freedman.
Photo: Emilio Madrid

I hate to be a Grinch at Christmas, but its not a good sign when your Broadway show has more than one Reddit thread asking if its a scam. So things currently stand for Simon Richs All In: Comedy About Love. Bothered by the lack of indefinite article there? I hear you, but alas, for All In to qualify as a comedy about love, it would actually have to be a play. Instead, its an expensive staged reading with a rotating cast of celebrities.

Admittedly, the shows marketing team has been careful about their wording: All In, says its website, is a series of hilarious short stories  read by some of the funniest people on the planet. That, adjectives aside, is accurate. Rich and John Mulaney are both former Saturday Night Live writers, and Mulaney seems to be doing his friend a solidwhile continuing his awkward post-divorce-and-rehab tourby anchoring All In. He starts the show off with some stand-up, written by Rich (a hoary bit where the actual joke, Mulaney-style, is that it all continues long past the punchline, eventually shoehorning itself into the shows love theme), and if you enjoy seeing humans at their full height, youd better lean in now, because its the only standing anyone will do for the next 90 minutes. To call the show directed by Alex Timbers feels generous. Timbers, a regular Mulaney collaborator, assembles what feels like a jazzed-up New Yorker Festival panel with an intensely elder-millennial-baiting edge. David Korinss set decoration says cool Upper West Side professor, Jake DeGroots lights go heavy on the pink, and Lucy Mackinnons projections incorporate cute black-and-white cartoons that complete the sensation that were here for a Shouts & Murmurs read-aloud. Most shameless of allyes, I did feel targeted, and yes, I did resent itthe show is scored with live renditions of songs from the Magnetic Fields 1999 opus 69 Love Songs, played by an onstage band with the music-theater couple the Bengsons at the forefront.

With all the Stephen Merritt coming at us, along with an extended bit about Arrested Development that occurs in the last of the evenings stories, All In is placing quite a bet on the nostalgia of aging hipsters. Its also set to feature plenty of that (my) generations SNL and Broadway favorites in its rotating cast: Mulaney will stick it out for half the shows ten-week run, then switch out with Lin-Manuel Miranda, with different trios of well-known funny folks alongside them. I saw Richard Kind, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Fred Armisen, but you might see, among others, Hank Azaria, Jimmy Fallon, Chloe Fineman, orhe couldnt notNick Kroll somewhere down the line. And if paying $149 or more to see any of these folks sit in armchairs and read from binders is enough for you, go forth and god bless.

Despite the sus vibes, the production isnt without charm. All four performers in my version of All In, especially Kind and Goldsberry, squeezed as much character out of the thin material as possible, and though Richs writing hits some clunky lows (missed-connections classifieds from the POV of dogs? Not a banger), he also lands on several genuinely funny conceits. (Or rather landed  the stories arent new; they all come from his published collections.) The SNL influence is palpable: Rich is a writer in search of a sketch concept  usually a heightened genre that he can stuff with mundane, oh, isnt that relatable scenarios and casually contemporary vocabulary in order to play off the disparity between form and content. We get a tale of life-partner pirates (Mulaney and Armisen) who start every sentence with Arr and wind up adopting a sweet little stowaway (Goldsberry). Theres a prim Victorian case study, narrated with gusto by Kind as a respectable medical man whos afraid that his wife (Goldsberry) is falling for the Elephant Man (Armisen, playing Joseph Merrick as a Portlandia douchebag). Theres also the story of a third-rate talent agent (Kind) who manages to sign Death (Armisen) as a client  and maybe it was just me, but I couldnt stop giggling at how the mic filter meant to turn Armisen into the Grim Reaper essentially just made him sound like regular everyday Adam Driver.

By far the strongest piece in the bunch, though, is The Big Nap. Its a hardboiled noir told by a world-weary detective who also happens to be a 2-year-old trying to crack the case of Moomoo, his baby sisters missing stuffed unicorn. Richs preferred device is at its funniest here, with Mulaney in high Philip Marlowe mode, throwing out sinister speculations about the depths of this heinous crime (Mamas the big boss around here. She pulls all the strings  Dadas just a bag man) and Goldsberry vamping amusingly as a femme fatale who has yet to develop object permanence. Im completely lost. I dont know where I am, and I forgot whats happening  I also dont understand mirrors, she says, half flailing and half channeling Bette Davis. Or, when Mulaneys private eye demands to know where she got the Batman stickers shes offered him as pay (How do I know these arent hot?), her eyes flutter vaguely as she purrs: I dont remember. Sometimes things are just in my hand.

Concluding with a history report read by Goldsberry as Richs own imagined great-granddaughterwriting about the mysterious customs of her great-grandparents back when human beings still lived on EarthAll In neither ends nor begins with its best material. When faced with the climate apocalypse, Rich veers cliche and sentimental. Better to stick with the Bogie and Bacall babies and the Park Slope pirates. In those worlds, the shows low-stakes humor blends most successfully with its aspiration to tell some small but not trivial truths around things like being a parent, being a sibling, and growing up. If this final Broadway show of 2024 is the years dessert, All In feels like a strange culinary hybrid: Breyers vanilla served with gold leaf and just enough Dubai chocolate to try and get it trending on TikTok. Its got a simple center, with some fun and some heart to it, but the commercial stunt of the whole endeavor is pointed and unavoidable. Maybe thats not an inappropriate metaphor for Christmas, or for Broadway, but it can leave you feeling a bit like Goldsberrys baby dame: not quite sure what exactly were all doing here.

All In is at the Hudson Theatre through February 16.
A Waterford man was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for carrying out a litany of crimes in the city.

Glen Reid, of Larchville, Waterford, appeared in Waterford Circuit Court last week for sentencing by Judge Eugene O'Kelly.

The 35-year-old's offending took place over two separate dates last year.

On May 26, 2023, Reid was at Wetherspoons pub on Arundel Square. He assaulted an unsuspecting person in an unprovoked attack, hitting the victim several times. The victim sustained a cut under their eye.

Beheading a bird

The court heard that Reid had been "drinking all day" in the establishment. Patrons of the bar witnessed Reid then "in some form of bravado" lure a bird, grab it and decapitate the creature. The attack was described in court as a "callous act of cruelty".

Railway Square Arson

In the early hours of August 18, 2023, Reid started a fire in the underground carpark of the apartment block of Railway Square. 200 people had to be evacuated from their homes at two o'clock in the morning. The carpark had to receive repairs costing around 50,000.

No 'ill will'

In court, defending counsel Gareth Hayden BL explained that his client presented himself readily to Gardai at the scene of the arson and was cooperative with their investigation. Reid pleaded guilty at an early stage and was described as being "very pleasant to deal with".

The court also heard that there was "no suggestion of ill will" behind the arson.

According to Mr Hayden, Reid has attended meetings to help with his alcohol issues. A letter from Reid' s partner was submitted to the court in a plea for clemency.

Judge O'Kelly heard that his partner is both raising their children and taking care of Reid's father. Judge O'Kelly surmised that the family are also "victims of his offending".

Reid was sentenced to one year and 10 months for the assault, and nine months for animal cruelty, both sentences to run concurrently. He was then given a sentence of five and a half years for the arson.

Judge O'Kelly suspended the final two years of the arson sentence, and ordered Reid to attend Probation Services for a period of 18 months post release.
A woman has narrowly avoided a custodial sentence for stealing 20,000 from her former partner.

Tara Kelly, of Danesfield, Cappoquin, Co Waterford, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

The 29-year-old committed the acts between the time of December 2018 to December 2019 and January 2020 until December 2020. A third charge of theft in May 2021 was taken into consideration.

The court heard that Kelly had access to her then partner's bank account and made hundreds of financial transactions. In total, she fraudulently took 20,666 from the victim.

At her sentencing hearing, Judge O'Kelly was informed that she had raised just over 21,070 in compensation for the victim, mostly from family loans.

Judge O'Kelly spoke about the victim impact statement, outlining the financial and mental turmoil suffered by the man. The crimes left him with feelings of depression and anxiety.

Judge O'Kelly also noted that the victim was left unable to put down a deposit for a house due to the theft.

Defending barrister Tom Giles Kelly, BL, told the court that his client was cooperative with the authorities and was in employment.

Judge O'Kelly sentenced her to two years and three months, which he went on to suspend.
A man has pleaded guilty to a dozen charges of theft at Waterford Circuit Court, after fraudulently collecting social welfare payments for up to two years after his brother's death.

Paul ONeill, of Belmont Heights, Ferrybank, appeared before Judge Eugene ONeill for sentencing.

The court heard how ONeill came to carry out a large-scale theft of social welfare over a two-year period, which has cost the State nearly 60,000.

The 52-year-old is believed to have fraudulently collected social welfare payments for up to two years following the death of his brother Darren. Darren had received a terminal diagnosis and passed away on January 19, 2020. Paul acted as carer for the last 12 months of his brothers life.

However, after Darrens passing, Paul did not inform the Department of Social Protection about his brother's death.

The late Darren O'Neill had been in receipt of weekly disability payments from the Department, while Paul received a carers allowance.

The Court heard that a carer in Pauls position would be entitled to 12 weeks more of allowance after the death of the person in their care, but no more beyond that period.

In early March 2020, Darrens Department of Social Protection details were updated. Paul was in possession of his late brother's Bank of Ireland card and account.

Two years later, the Department of Social Protection received a call from a person "pertaining to be Darren O'Neill".

The caller also requested a new Public Services card. The phone call aroused suspicion and Detective Garda Trevor Conroy of the Special Investigation Unit was alerted. In late 2022, the unit went to the home of the accused and discovered the phone that was used to make the call to the Department.

At the house, O'Neill denied being the person who made the call but admitted to owning the phone.

During the Garda search of his home, Gardai uncovered an Irish driving licence belonging to Darren ONeill, a Public Services card and a receipt from Thompsons Funeral Home for Darren's funeral.

Gardai reviewed CCTV in Ferrybank showing Paul wearing his brothers clothing and using his Bank of Ireland debit card to make transactions across Waterford. Footage also showed O'Neill collecting his carer's allowance.

In March 2022, O'Neill was arrested and made full admissions to the Gardai.

The court heard from Det. Conroy that between the period of January 19, 2020, and December 8, 2022, ONeill had taken 21,186 in carers support allowance and 38,669.50 in disability allowance. In total, ONeill fraudulently took 59,855.50 from the State.

According to Det. Conroy, O'Neill is currently paying 25 a week back to the State. When asked by State Prosecutor Conor O'Doherty BL how long it would take to pay back the State, Det. Conroy replied: "45 years."

Remorse

Defence counsel Gareth Hayden BL told the court that his client fell into a dark spiral after the death of his brother.

According to Mr Hayden, O'Neill took solace in drink. O'Neill said: "When he [Darren] died, I took it very hard. I drank myself into oblivion.

He told Gardai: "I'm sorry this happened, I'm sorry it happened at all."

Mr Hayden also noted that O'Neill was not living in the lap of luxury but "very modestly" at the time of his offending.

O'Neill has a history of offending, having received 22 previous convictions from 1987 until 2021. He served a year in prison for burglary in 1993.

The court heard that he has struggled with alcohol and substance abuse but has made proactive steps to better his life and situation.

Mr Hayden said: "He accepts that he's been no angel in the past, [but] he is trying to turn his life around."

Judge O'Kelly remanded O'Neill on bail for the preparation of a probation report. He is scheduled for sentencing in January 2025.
During the COVID lockdowns, when cellist Rachel Scott was allowed only one visitor at a time, she streamed monthly duets she made with other instrumentalists. Looking for a little more variety, she decided to incorporate spoken word and approached actor Damien Ryan, artistic director of Sport for Jove theatre company, to deliver Shakespeare pieces alternating with the sonorous voice of her 1750 cello playing Bach.

It was this really beautiful marriage of spoken word and me trying to speak as much as I could on the cello, she says.

The cellos sound is the closest of any instrument to the human voice, and Scott has always relished working with voices. Post-lockdown, she again worked with Ryan, this time focusing on poems about sleep, after which Ryan suggested a project called Bach and the Bard.

Actor Bernadette Ryan, cellist Rachel Scott and actor Christopher Tomkinson. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

Scott and harpist (and ABC broadcaster) Genevieve Lang sought to emphasise differences in the repertoire, given there are only two instruments, so they also play works derived from Bach, such as Villa-Lobos Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, which lends the great composers work a Brazilian flavour.
Its an issue Melbourne-based Maggie Zhou, a 25-year-old writer and content creator, is conflicted about. On one hand, I think a lot of people are embracing ageing, and were talking more about ageism, she says. On the other hand, it does feel like we are involved in more practices, especially in the skincare and beauty realm, that, lets be honest, do target anti-ageing. The fear of ageing has been embedded in our psyche for millennia. The ancient Greek myth of Tithonus  who loses his faculties and is left to babble incoherently in a room for eternity  taps into an existential anxiety, as does the fable of Dorian Gray, who gave up his soul in exchange for eternal youth. Old is a country no one wants to visit. We are afraid of ageing because we fear losing our independence, and sickness, loneliness and death. Women, in particular, face huge societal pressure to slow the ageing process; to minimise wrinkles, dye grey hair and cover up tuckshop arms. They experience invisibility in middle age; ignored in shops and restaurants and overlooked in the workplace when no longer the recipient of the male gaze. In later life, infantilisation is widespread. Patronising shop assistants ask: What can I do for you, young lady? or invoke the royal we: How are we doing today? Old is a country no one wants to visit. We are afraid of ageing because we fear losing our independence, sickness, loneliness and death.

Youth has always been a currency in terms of beauty, Zhou says. Is TikTok just amplifying these conversations? I think the standards of beauty that were upholding here are the same ones that weve had for decades. Society benefits women who obey these types of beauty standards. Ageism in Australia A 2021 report by the Australian Human Rights Commission said ageism remains normalised and acceptable in Australia, despite leading to poorer health, social isolation, decreased quality of life and financial insecurity for older adults. Last year, the Australian HR Institute survey on attitudes to age among employers found only one-quarter were open to hiring workers aged over 65 to a large extent. Homelessness has become increasingly widespread among older women and longer life expectancies and a resulting inheritance impatience is leading to more cases of elder abuse. Ageism is one of the only forms of discrimination and prejudice in society that is still widely tolerated, says Tim Windsor, an associate professor in psychology at Flinders University. At the same time, its the only form of discrimination that all of us will eventually be subjected to, if were fortunate enough to live long enough, so its in everybodys interests to try and do something about it.

ABC broadcaster Jacinta Parsons was in her early 30s when she first twigged she was becoming invisible. She and a group of friends walked past a building site, bracing for cat calls. They were met with silence. Parsons was nonplussed. Author Jacinta Parsons. Credit: Justin McManus There was the feminist response which was Well, I dont want to be looked at anyway, says Parsons, who became so enraged by the injustice of ageism  especially for women  that she wrote the book, A Question of Age. But being ignored was also jarring; the realisation that they no longer represented a conquest to be won. Invisibility can mean that women are ignored in queues, cant land job interviews, and are shamed for not dressing in age-appropriate ways. But then theres also that invisibility thats really dangerous, where we see homeless women, and we see invisibility in our health care.

In her seminal 1972 essay The Double Standard of Ageing, American philosopher Susan Sontag wrote that an ageing woman is judged far more harshly than an ageing man. Since women are considered maximally eligible in early youth, after which their sexual value drops steadily, even young women feel themselves in a desperate race against the calendar. They are old as soon as they are no longer very young. Is ageing harder for women? The double standard still exists today. A 2018 study on online dating, which analysed 200,000 users found that while mens sexual desirability peaks at age 50, womens drop from the time she is 18. Following the launch of Star Wars: The Force Awakens Carrie Fisher was trolled over her appearance while her co-star Harrison Ford  14 years her senior  faced little criticism. Please stop debating about whether or not I aged well, she tweeted. Unfortunately, it hurts all three of my feelings. My body hasnt aged as well as I have. Blow us. She then retweeted a fan: Men dont age better than women, theyre just allowed to age.

But men can also feel diminished by ageing. Psychologically I think men have always struggled to a degree with ageing, especially around retirement and those life transitional phases, says Carl Nelms, the manager of Blokes Psychology, a clinical service catering exclusively to men. He sees clients in their 50s and 60s who have defined themselves by their careers and neglected their life outside work. So once the career starts to wind up, they realise Im lonely, I dont have a lot of social connections outside of work and I dont have many hobbies. My physical health is declining, and I dont feel as masculine, chemically, my testosterone is decreasing. So its a real point of crisis. Clinical psychologist Jane Turner, who has worked in the field of ageing for 30 years, says it is common for people living in residential aged-care facilities not to identify with their peers. When asked what it is about the nursing home that they really dont like, she says the most common answer can be summarised as: the place is full of old people.

People internalise the negative stereotype of old age, Turner says, and seek to psychologically distance themselves from it. Maggie Kirkman defiantly calls herself an old woman. Maggie Kirkman: old isnt a dirty word. Credit: Eddie Jim I refuse to stop using the word old, Id rather change the meaning than give in to euphemisms or ageist stereotypes, Kirkman says. If you have this culture that age is all downhill, that when youre young the thing you dread is being old, you have pop songs that say I hope I die before I grow old, without being aware of it, you position yourself within that view of the world. And then of course, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Kirkman, 77, works part-time as an academic, to the chagrin of some who see those over 60 as keeping young people out of jobs. Ive experienced loads of ageism, I continue to experience it.

It was Dr Miriam Rose Ungunmerr Baumann, the Senior Australian of the Year in 2021, who made Kirkman ponder the discrepancy between the way elders are venerated in Indigenous communities and the lack of respect for older people in broader society. When Miriam Rose was speaking to old people she would say to them, youre all elders, Kirkman says. She was determined to elevate all old people on the model of Indigenous Australians. Changing the narrative around ageing Dr Stephanie Ward, a geriatrician on ABC TVs Old Peoples Home for Teenagers, says intergenerational contact (where people of different ages come together to share experiences) can challenge negative attitudes. At the beginning and end of the series the teenagers were asked to list five words that described older people. The difference was marked. Initially, the adolescents chose words that denoted frailty. By the end, they were picking words such as interesting and fun.

Intergenerational programs give people that opportunity to really understand what another generation has been through and to see beyond the surface, Ward says. So you learn about the differences but you also learn about the commonalities. Vya, a gregarious then-16-year-old, appeared in the second series of Old Peoples Home for Teenagers, where a group of adolescents spent eight weeks at a Sydney retirement village. Before the show I just thought old people were a bit cranky, Vya says. Dave Ball and Vya in ABC TVs Old Peoples Home for Teenagers. But she bonded with Dave Ball, a then-82-year-old former engineer, who was in a band in London in the 1960s and loves cutting up the dance floor.

We clicked so easily because hes like the old version of me, says Vya, who still sees Ball every week and communicates with him and other residents in a Whatsapp chat group. I hope to grow old just like him and still have all my energy, still be super excited to see people and super jumpy. Hes definitely just like a teenager in my eyes. Older woman? Hear me roar In 2020 Luisa Dunn, 54, became a poster girl for the grey hair revolution, when she documented her transition to her natural colour on Instagram. Dunn, who has 1.2 million followers and was snapped up by Silverfox MGMT  which represents models over 30  is driven by the opportunity to help reframe ageing for the next generation. Although she has received thousands of ageist online comments, such as wrinkled granny, thumbs down emoji, Dunn is buoyed by those who have thanked her for shifting their fear of ageing.

What I find most encouraging is seeing this inspiring movement where more and more women feel empowered to make independent choices about their bodies, without apology. However, she says her journey to ageing acceptance has not been easy or linear, and she had to unpack her own internalised ageism. Luisa Dunn has 1.1 million followers on Instagram. Credit: Jedd Cooney I think our social conditioning around the negative aspects of ageing and our changing bodies runs very deep, Dunn says. One day I would catch a glimpse in the mirror and see an unapologetic confident woman, and the next view myself through societys critical lens. She is frustrated by the number of brands that dont include older models in their marketing campaigns, saying it reinforces the ageist messages that older customers dont deserve to be seen in their clothes

Its especially egregious when a product is specifically targeted at a 50-plus female but marketed on a 20-year-old model. Loading Jacinta Parsons is optimistic that the body acceptance movement, which has been enthusiastically embraced by Generation Z, will encourage people to question why wrinkles and other signs of ageing have been demonised. Body positivity has forced us to think differently about bodies and realise how deeply we have been constructed to think a certain way, Parsons says. Ageism is the same thing. She is going for walks with older women and asking them the sorts of questions she raises in the first book: What do we do when our outside self doesnt match our inside self? How do we adjust our perceptions of getting older? What does it mean to age as a woman?
American actress Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against her co-star in the movie "It Ends With Us" Justin Baldoni. The 37-year-old accused the celebrity of sexual harassment.

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According to Variety, the actress filed a complaint with the California Department of Civil Rights back in January of this year. She claims that a colleague was free to discuss her weight with her trainer, demanded that she disclose her religious beliefs, and entered her dressing room without permission, even when the star was breastfeeding her child.

In addition, as Blake Lively noted, producer Jamey Heath also demonstrated inappropriate behavior. According to the star, the men told overly explicit stories about their intimate lives and "former addiction to adult films." Baldoni also assured the celebrity that he could communicate with the dead, so he did not avoid making horrific statements about her late father.

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"I hope that my lawsuit will help lift the veil on these sinister retaliation tactics aimed at harming people who speak out about misconduct and help protect those who may be targeted for harassment," Lively said.

The actress demands that Justin Baldoni, who is also the director of "It Ends With Us," not add any intimate scenes to the script, except for those that were approved before the start of the filming process. The star also wants to receive compensation for unspecified damages from his colleague.

"Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer colleagues have developed a sophisticated press and digital plan in response to Ms. Lively exercising her legally protected right to speak out about their misconduct on set, with the additional goal of intimidating her and anyone else from speaking publicly about what really happened," the actress' lawyers said.

Justin Baldoni's reaction

According to People, Baldoni's representatives deny all allegations against the actor. According to them, Blake Lively's lawsuit is "shameful" and aimed at "correcting the negative reputation" of the star.

In addition, Baldoni's lawyer assures that the celebrity created many problems during the process of creating the film. According to him, Lively threatened not to appear on the set and refused to promote the film, which would ultimately lead to its collapse during the release.

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Under the auspices of the Union of Maghreb Arab and the Customs Adminitration of the Kingdom of Morocco, the EU-WCO Programmes for Harmonized System (HS) and Rules of Origin (RoO) in Africa held the annual Steering Committee Meetings on 9-11 December 2024 in Marrakesh, Morocco. The high-level meetings gathered representatives from the European Union, the WCO, the African Continental Free trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the WCO ESA and WCA Regional Offices for Capacity Building, eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Customs administrations from Africa, to appraise the results of the Programmes, provide guidance and orientation, and approve the work plan for the next reporting period.

The Steering Committee members commended the work accomplished by the Programmes to date and the significant milestone it had played in advancing harmonized trade through, dedicated and tailor-made support, the coordinated implementation of the Harmonized system (HS), robust capacity building initiatives, digitalization projects, as well as the implementation of advance rulings at regional and national levels. They also acknowledged the important changes that the Programme was making for its beneficiaries and in Africa. The Committee expressed its appreciation to the European Union and the WCO for the partnership and highlighted the paramount importance of continuity of both the HS and RoO programmes, as well as the prospects to include valuation.

The steering Committee Members reviewed the progress made so far by the Programmes and examined the key areas that still needed interventions such as supporting efforts towards establishment of Customs laboratories, implementation of advance rulings, Origin adapted training materials, self-certification of origin, and technical support to the RECs and the AfCFTA secretariat.

The Committee adopted and validated recommendations for the way forward and concluded the meeting by endorsing Programmes annual report for 2024.
Dmytro Komarov, a Ukrainian traveler and host of the popular travel show "The World Inside Out," has posted a new photo for the first time in many months and told us where he has been all this time. The last time the journalist appeared on social media was in the early summer of 2024.

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The new photos show Komarov in a military boat; wearing special equipment, probably in the middle of a mine; wearing a military bulletproof vest together with the permanent cameraman of "The World Inside Out" Oleksandr Dmitriev. As the host admitted on his Instagram page, "Komarov did not disappear anywhere"  the celebrity did not go on social media as a matter of principle, because he was busy with important work.

"Instagram and Facebook are specifically on another phone that I don't carry with me so as not to be distracted from work. Today, I turned it on to share with you the first announcement of the new season of the World Inside Out. Ukraine," the traveler wrote in his post. "We have dedicated our new expedition to the search for the strength of Ukrainians.

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In the new season, the team went on a special journey to find places that serve as a source of invincibility for the people. "From Uzhhorod to Toretsk, from Chernihiv region to Zmiinyi Island. We will travel all over the country: from the South to the North, from the West to the East, looking for strength on the ground and under it, in the air and on the water. This season will definitely give you optimism and surprise you many times," Komarov announced. The host admitted that he used to think he knew Ukraine, but discovered a lot of unknowns during the filming.

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For the first time, Ukrainian restaurateur Yevhen Klopotenko spoke about his secret romance with MasterChef season six finalist Kateryna Pieskova. According to the culinary expert, he tried three times to build a romantic relationship with his colleague, but nothing worked out because they could not fully understand their feelings.

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The chef spoke about this in an interview on Alina Dorotiuk's YouTube channel. He noted that he was not ready to go into the details of his personal life in order not to offend the pastry chef.

According to Yevhen Klopotenko, he met Kateryna Pieskova during her participation in MasterChef. The colleagues quickly found a common language, so they tried three times to build a good relationship, but, unfortunately, nothing happened. The restaurateur noted that he felt most comfortable spending time with the pastry chefs because they always had something to discuss. He admitted that he still keeps in touch with her.

"We can talk a lot about food. She comes and talks for two hours about the flavors of desserts. Once she brought 15 desserts, and I made ceviche with dorado. We ate fish, Beef Wellington and left: "Napoleon, Shu cakes, tiramisu, something else. I said: "Katia, can I stop now?" But you have to eat, to appreciate the taste. The next day I didn't eat anything at all. But it was just wow! You intensify some things, and she does the same," Klopotenko said about his relationship with his colleague.

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As the restaurateur said, he has very similar views on life to Kateryna Pieskova. Their tastes and beliefs coincide in many ways, but they have not been able to build a relationship.

"We are too close to friendship. The biggest problem is that you want to be a friend, but you also want something more. To be honest, I couldn't figure it out," the chef said.

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COMMUNITY NOTES: BALLYHAUNIS - WESTERN PEOPLE (DECEMBER 23 EDITION)

A spokesperson for St Vincent de Paul told this column that its new shop in Ballyhaunis will open in the early part of the new year.

The hope is that the shop can open in the first few months of 2025, a spokesperson for the charity told the Western People.

The shop will open on Bridge Street on the premises currently occupied by the clothes shop, Claire Fontayne.

Amar Sattar, who also owns the building, told this column several months ago that his Claire Fontayne shop would close for good in late November to make way for his new tenant, St Vincent de Paul, which runs over 200 charity shops nationwide trading under the Vincents name.
Reading, PA (19601)

Today

Any morning clouds give way to partly sunny skies; a milder afternoon with highs back above the 60-degree mark. .

Tonight

Becoming cloudy overnight with some patchy fog and drizzle possible late at night.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Any morning clouds give way to partly sunny skies; a milder afternoon with highs back above the 60-degree mark. .

Tonight

Becoming cloudy overnight with some patchy fog and drizzle possible late at night.
Writer, translator, and literary critic Bohdana Matiyash used the example of her family to recall how the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine were merged into the Soviet Union and still consider the imposed language their native language. She disclosed that her mother was threatened with deprivation of parental rights for not recognizing this.

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Bohdana Matiyash admitted to OBOZ.UA that she is now happy that the Ukrainian language is no longer "only for peasants" and is now widely used in public places. However, in Soviet times, this was considered a mockery of people.

"I am glad when I see in public places that the law on language, at least in Kyiv, is in effect. Yesterday, my husband and I were returning home, we went to a bakery to have coffee, and in front of me a girl makes an order in Ukrainian, the seller speaks Ukrainian, not only with customers but also with colleagues. Behind me, people come in and speak Ukrainian, and you involuntarily ask yourself: have we lived to see this? Is this in Kyiv? Where people used to say to my mother when they heard her speaking Ukrainian with us on the bus: "Why are you mutilating a child?" So there are still changes. I think that they will also occur in those territories that we perceive today as mostly Russian-speaking," the writer shared her hopes.

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She added that a foreign language has been imposed on Ukrainians for decades, so it will not be easy to get rid of it. Another important factor was the fact that there are many stereotypes surrounding the language issue, which not everyone is ready to fight.

"Again, the policy of Russification was a hyper-powerful mechanism. I know what my parents went through, how they were summoned to the KGB. My mother was told that she would be deprived of her parental rights. She was sitting there, nervous, covering her hands with a handkerchief so that they wouldn't be seen shaking. And with such a nervous laugh, she told them: "Well, you'll have to raise them yourself!" And the KGB officers were screaming that she was mocking them. This is the reality of Kyiv in the 70s and 80s..." Bohdana Matiyash recalled.

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As the artist emphasizes, "the Russification policy was thought out to the smallest detail," which is why many Ukrainians believe that they "absorbed Russian with their mother's milk," even though their grandparents could speak either Surzhyk or Ukrainian. "I understand that behind this language there can be numerous traumas and exterminated families. In the twentieth century, Soviet people lived in constant fear: if you try to push your Ukrainianness somewhere, you will not live!" the writer noted.

Among the harsh but invisible methods of Russification were intimidation by KGB officers, free Russian television (while Ukrainian television is paid for), and stereotypes about the "rural" language. Bohdana Matiyash emphasizes that without the right state policy, the legacy of Russia cannot be overcome, and the government is doing little to do so.

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"In 2022, in Lviv, I talked to a family that had left their hometown in eastern Ukraine because of shelling. They only switched to Ukrainian when talking to me, and spoke Russian among themselves. It's impossible to convey to someone the need for the Ukrainian language if they say: "This is our language, we grew up with Russian fairy tales, our mother sang us a lullaby in Russian." In order for this need to emerge, there must be a properly thought-out state policy. Society must understand the value of its language and culture," the translator emphasized.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, actor Dmytro Surzhykov told what helped him quickly switch to Ukrainian. He was born and raised in Mariupol, spoke Russian for many years in everyday life, and mostly participated in Russian-language projects in theater and cinema, but found the strength to change the language of communication.

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China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has boosted infrastructure development and trade connectivity, said a Thai scholar in a recent interview with Xinhua. #GLOBALink
The casket with the bones of Jesus' brother James, which was found in Israel, is considered "the most significant object from the time of Christ." And this valuable Christian relic was presented at an exhibition in the United States.

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The 2000-year-old ossuary has the engraved name of the Son of God's brother. This funeral box is on display at Pullman Yards in Atlanta as part of an exhibition that includes 350 historical objects from the time of Jesus, writes DailyMail.

According to researchers, the limestone box bears an inscription in ancient Aramaic that reads "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." Since the names correspond to the names of the brother and father of Jesus of Nazareth, many speculate that the box once contained the remains of James the Just, the first Christian leader in Jerusalem after the crucifixion, experts say.

According to historians, during the first century, Jews buried their dead in caves and later collected the bones to place them in ossuaries.

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However, like many other biblical archaeological finds, the James' Casket became the subject of controversy shortly after its public discovery in 2002.

In 2003, the owner of the ossuary, Oded Golan, was accused of forging the inscription, and experts claimed that he had added the phrase "brother of Jesus" to the limestone. Golan, on the other hand, emphasized that the artifact was genuine. And after a ten-year trial, the Israeli antiquities collector was acquitted.

Although all charges were dropped against Golan, the judge said that the verdict "does not mean that the inscription on the ossuary is authentic or that it was written 2000 years ago."

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"We conducted several chemical tests, including the inscription itself, which is the most important element of the ossuary. And we proved that the entire inscription is authentic - it was engraved several thousand years ago," Oded Golan emphasized this week.

If authentic, James' ossuary would be the oldest physical evidence of Jesus' life, experts say. However, the box was found empty, meaning the bones were lost long ago.

The story of James and his ossuary

The Bible mentions Jesus' brothers several times: James, Jude, Simon, and Joses. James' name always appears first, emphasizing that he was the eldest among them.

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It is known that James died a martyr's death in 62 AD, when he was stoned to death by order of the high priest. And according to other sources, the scribes and Pharisees threw him down from the top of the Temple and then beat him to death in 69 AD.

According to early church history, the chief priests aimed to stop the spread of the idea that Jesus was the Savior after the crucifixion, so they killed all his followers.

Golan said that he bought the osuar in Israel when he was still an engineering student. "At the time, I didn't realize its importance at all," the collector said.

A study conducted in 2015 aimed to determine whether the James' ossuary could have come from the tomb believed to belong to the family of Jesus.

It is known that the tomb of Talpiot was found in the south of the Old City in East Jerusalem in 1980 and contained six funeral boxes with the names of Jesus' brother, father and mother.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote about the Ossuary of James as 1 of 7 convincing proofs that Jesus was a real person.

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Gangsters have always been attractive characters for movies. Their stories of power, money and crime captivate audiences around the world.

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The gangster movie genre is so wide and diverse that it is difficult to single out the best films. However, some works have become real cult films and have gone down in the history of cinema forever.

Directors such as Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma have made a significant contribution to the development of this genre. Their films have become classics and still remain relevant.

Gangster films are not just entertaining movies, they are a look into the dark side of society. If you decide to watch all the gangster movies, it will take a lot of time. But to get started, OBOZ.UA suggests that you familiarize yourself with the best films that are definitely worth seeing.

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

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Director Sergio Leone tells the story of two Jewish gangsters who come to power in New York. The film covers several decades of life of a group of friends in the Jewish neighborhood of New York.

The plot centers on a story of friendship, betrayal and remorse, told through the memories of Noodles (Robert De Niro), a former gangster who returns to his hometown after a long absence.

The Long Good Friday (1980)

This is a cult British crime thriller directed by John Mackenzie. The plot centers on Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins), an influential London gangster whose business and ambitions are destroyed by a series of mysterious attacks on Good Friday. The film is characterized by an intense plot, brilliant acting and a poignant social theme dealing with politics, corruption and violence.

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Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973)

This is a cult Japanese crime drama that immerses the viewer in the cruel world of the Japanese yakuza mafia. This series of films, created by film director Kintaro Nishikawa, was a real breakthrough in Japanese cinema and influenced the development of the crime genre in general.

The films of the series recreate the atmosphere of a violent underground, where cruelty, betrayal and a ruthless struggle for power reign supreme. The main characters are members of the yakuza, who live by their own strict laws and are ready to do anything for the honor of the clan.

City of God (2002)

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Director Fernando Meirelles tells a dramatic story set in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, where poverty, violence and drugs shape the lives of the inhabitants.

The plot tells the story of two childhood friends: one who becomes a photographer and the other who chooses the path of crime. The film impresses with its realistic portrayal of violence and chaos in Brazilian favelas, as well as with the powerful directorial work of Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lunda.

Scarface (1983)

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A cult crime drama about the rise of Cuban immigrant Tony Montana in the world of Miami drug trafficking. Director Brian De Palma has created an intense story about ambition, cruelty and the destructive power of power. Al Pacino's performance in the title role is considered one of the best of his career. The film has become a classic of the genre and a symbol of the gangster era of the 80s.

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

This is a deep crime thriller that explores the life of a small-time gangster in Boston. Eddie Coyle, played masterfully by Robert Mitchum, finds himself caught between the world of criminals and law enforcement, trying to avoid prison. The film is characterized by a realistic depiction of the criminal world and the moral dilemmas faced by the protagonist. The film is considered one of the best works in the genre of crime drama of the 70s.

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Sometimes you want something unusual and spontaneous. Go somewhere you've never been before, see with your own eyes what you've only seen in pictures. What would you choose: the northern lights and volcanic landscapes or green hills and atmospheric pubs? Today we are comparing two incredible countries that take every tourist's breath away. We'll tell you where to meet 2025 below.

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Iceland

The island nation is located in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is characterized by volcanic and geologically active territory. The climate here is subpolar maritime. The southern coast is warmer and more humid, while the northern coast is colder and drier. In winter, the average temperature ranges from -5C to 1C.

We recommend starting your trip with the Christmas market in Reykjavik. Here tourists will be able to see a reflection of true Icelandic traditions: woolen sweaters, ceramics, handmade products. They will also taste authentic dishes, in particular, puffed bread - laufabrau.

By the way, in the country, on the eve of Christmas, locals often exchange books - Jolabokaflo. That's why you can buy all kinds of literature at the markets.

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What to see?

First, go to the Valley of the Geysers. The most popular of them is Haukadalur. It is located at the foot of the glacier. The crater is capable of spewing steam to a height of over 40 meters. Also, go to Deildartunguhver, the most powerful hot spring in Europe. Every second, it spews out about 150 liters of water with a temperature of about 97C.

If you want to keep warm, then head to the Blue Lagoon. The geothermal lake contains natural salts that have a positive effect on the human body. You can swim here at any time of the year.

Next, head to the Gulfoss Waterfall. It is located in the canyon of the Kvitau River. Its streams fall into a 32-meter deep gap.

Also visit the Reinisfjara beach near the town of Vic. It is famous for its huge basalt columns and black sand. The landscape was formed over the centuries: hot lava flowed into the ocean and froze, and magma turned into boulders.

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And, of course, go to the Svinafellsjokull ice cave. It seems as if sapphires are stored here. Keep in mind that you can only come here from December to February.

Ireland

The country is located in northwestern Europe on the Atlantic Ocean. It has a temperate climate with warm summers and cool winters. The average temperature in December ranges from 6C to 10C.

It has long been a custom in the country to light candles on New Year's Eve. It means a silent invitation to the festive circle as a symbol of hospitality and unity. Traditional caroling groups perform in local pubs during the holidays.

We recommend visiting the Christmas market in Dublin. Here travelers can enjoy mulled wine and pudding. By the way, it is made from butter flavored with cognac. You can also buy handicrafts here.

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Also go to Forty Foot Beach. The Irish have a tradition of New Year's Eve swimming in icy waters.

What to see?

First, head to the Cliffs of Moher. They are located near the villages of Liscanor and Doolin in County Clare and are 214 meters above sea level. From here you can admire the Atlantic Ocean. It is also an amazing location for photo shoots.

Next, go to the town of Hout. The popular Bailey Lighthouse is located here. The first building was erected here around 1667. By the way, the station is officially automatic. However, it still has staff.

Also visit the Temple Bar neighborhood in the capital. There are various places where live folk music is played. The most popular is The Temple Bar. It is famous for its large collection of whiskey and beer. All buildings here are decorated with bright lanterns and themed decorations.

Fairy-tale and picturesque Iceland or atmospheric and incendiary Ireland - you choose.

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Xac minh 'than y' chua ung thu bang phuong phap 'truyen nang luong' "Than y" Nguyen Van Kien (trai) lam viec voi co quan chuc nang - Anh: Cong an cung cap Ngay 28-2, ong Nguyen Tuong Duy - chu tich UBND xa Hai Yang (huyen ak oa, Gia Lai) - cho hay ang phoi hop cac co quan chuc nang xac minh truong hop nguoi xung...

An Giang lien tiep xuat hien mua trai mua

Mua bat chot giua cao iem ma kh khien nguoi dn bat ngo. Theo ng Luu Van Ninh, Gim oc i Kh tuong Thuy van tinh An Giang, nguyn nhn cua hien tuong ny l do nhieu ong nhiet oi trn cao trong ieu kien La Nina ket hop cua ra pha Nam khoi khng kh lanh...
Michael Crook (3rd R), chairman of the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, visits the memorial hall of Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Dec. 21, 2024. [The North China Military Martyrs Cemetery/Handout via Xinhua]

SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua)  A commemoration event was held in north China's Hebei Province on Saturday to honor Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune for his selflessness and spirit of internationalism.

Titled "Memories Through Time and Space," the event was hosted by the North China Military Martyrs Cemetery in the provincial capital Shijiazhuang.

Around 100 people, including soldiers, students and individuals from various walks of life, attended the event.

This year marks the 85th death anniversary of Bethune, who died of blood poisoning at the age of 49 on Nov. 12, 1939 in China while aiding the Chinese people in their fight against Japanese aggression. His remains were relocated to the cemetery in 1953.

The commemoration began at 10 a.m., with participants bowing before the surgeon's tomb and presenting flower baskets.

"My father met Norman Bethune in Spain during his recovery from battle injuries. Influenced by him, my father aspired to come to China, where he met my mother and later had me," said Michael Crook, chairman of the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives.

His parents, David and Isabel Crook, played an important role in training a large number of foreign-language professionals for China.

"The spirit of Bethune has not faded with time; instead, it has been widely inherited and carried forward in both China and Canada," said Hu Jinqiang, director of the North China Military Martyrs Cemetery.

Hu noted that today Bethune is not just a name but a symbol of internationalism, humanism and selfless dedication. "We commemorate him to inspire more people to remember history and carry forward his spirit."

Participants bow before the tomb of Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune during a commemoration event in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Dec. 21, 2024. [The North China Military Martyrs Cemetery/Handout via Xinhua]

(Source: Xinhua)

Editor: Wang Shasha
This photo taken on Dec. 2, 2023 shows herbal tea drinks at a tea shop in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. [Xinhua]

KUNMING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua)  A number of Chinese hospitals have found their edge in the country's growing health drinks market by prescribing herbal formulas that target minor symptoms, from calming nerves and aiding sleep to promoting healthy hair.

Struggling with insomnia, Guo Xiaofan, 26, who is a resident of Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, recently turned to an online consultation platform of a traditional Chinese medicine hospital, where she was prescribed herbal tea.

Guo consumed the herbal tea by brewing the dried herbs at home and found it to be a great alternative to her habit of drinking milk tea. "The first sip tasted a bit strange, but as I continued drinking, it actually tasted quite good," she said.

This herbal tea is based on a well-known Chinese medicine formula designed to treat symptoms of insomnia and neurasthenia. The tea includes ingredients such as sauteed jujube kernel, dried lily, poria, and albizia bark.

The Yunnan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital has recently launched five herbal medicine formulas for oral consumption. On the first day of the market release, 10,000 doses were sold.

Wan Xixi, deputy director of the hospital's medical administration department, said that these formulas are crafted based on prescriptions from renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

Each dose of herbs is individually packaged and can be brewed or boiled for easy consumption at home. "These bags of dried herbs are not available for purchase on the market. To obtain them, individuals must consult a doctor for a prescription, as they are tailored to specific syndrome differentiation," Wan explained.

In recent years, an increasing number of health-conscious young people have developed a strong interest in such medicinal herbal tea drinks.

According to a consumer behavior survey on the Chinese herbal tea drink industry conducted by data analysis provider iiMedia Research earlier this year, more consumers are paying attention to and trying herbal drinks, with purchase intentions steadily rising.

In addition to their health benefits, prescription herbs for drinking are generally more affordable than tea beverages, which further contributes to the growing market share of herbal drinks.

A white-collar worker surnamed Huang from Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, recently purchased several types of herbal remedies for drinking through the online platform of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital.

"I bought five doses of each type. With medical insurance coverage, the total bill came to less than 100 yuan (about 13.9 U.S. dollars), which I think is very reasonable. After drinking, I felt the effects were quite good," he said.

Many Chinese hospitals, especially traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, have become keen on promoting their special herbal tea formulas, some of which change seasonally. For example, in summer, they focus on formulas of smoked plum tea for relieving summer heat, and in winter, herbal tea formulas for clearing throat get more popular.

In addition to hospitals, many pharmacies, including the time-honored traditional Chinese medicine brand Beijing Tong Ren Tang, have seen a boost in herbal tea sales.

The pharmacies clearly remind buyers that, while some herbs are available in drink form and others, like Chinese yam and coix seed, which can be consumed as food, these herbal formulas are still considered medicine. Therefore, they should be taken under proper medical supervision.

According to the data from iiMedia Research, the Chinese herbal drinks market reached a size of 41.16 billion yuan in 2023 and is expected to surpass 100 billion yuan in 2028.

This undated photo shows a staff member making herbal tea drinks at a tea shop in Xining, northwest China's Qinghai Province. [Xinhua]

(Source: Xinhua)

Editor: Wang Shasha
The Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Sichuan Provincial People's Government, and the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) jointly held a conference in Xichang City of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on November 18 and 19 to sum up positive results from the implementation of the three-year action on fostering new social norms, promoting rural revitalization and showing caring to women and children.

Since its launch in September 2021, the special action has exercised positive impacts upon local women, children and families of different ethnic groups, brought to them tangible benefits and created a bright future for them.

During the past three years, the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) has proactively responded to the proposals by Professor Peng Liyuan at a national meeting for Spring Bud Project  Dream of Future Action, and fully implemented the ACWF's work plans on the three-year action.

So far, the CCTF has raised donations of fund and goods worth about 106 million yuan (US $14.93 million) to support 7,500 girls in the completion of their academic studies, built three Spring Bud homes, two Ankang libraries and six sunshine services stations, and organized over 300 online and offline caring activities, benefiting 300,000 girls and families.

Let's review the activities and touching stories behind the CCTF, beneficiary women, girls and families over the past three years.

The CCTF has rolled out the Spring Bud Education Assistance Action to provide schooling girls with allowance and support in both academic studies and living and help them improve comprehensive quality. Photo taken on October 11, 2021, shows that Spring Bud girls give performance at a meeting on further implementation and promotion of Spring Bud Project  Dream of the Future Action in Beijing.

The CCTF has introduced the Spring Bud Companion Services project to explore new model featuring "education assistance, companion and empowerment" and provide girls with warmth and caring in their growth. Photo shows that the CCTF and Tencent volunteers visit Spring Bud girls in Xichang Minzu Middle School and organize a Spring Bud Companion Camp for them.

The CCTF has implemented the Spring Bud Caring Services project. It has built three girls' growth services centers in Xichang, Zhaojue and Butuo, distributed "growth packages" containing school supplies and other daily necessities to local girls and supported their healthy growth through the organization of online and offline activities. Photo taken in July 2023 shows that the CCTF organizes a group of charity-minded people from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to visit Spring Bud girls in Daliangshan Mountain area and holds growth camps and study tours for them.

The CCTF has organized reading activities on publications such as the book on General Secretary Xi Jinping's visits to people's homes to further strengthen girls' moral cultivation, awareness of social responsibility, and help the girls develop a deeper love for the country and its people. Photo taken in April 2023 shows that teachers from Xichang No.3 Primary School speak with Spring Bud girls about Xi's visit to a family in Sanhe, a village in Liangshan and the girls also share their understanding of family during a reading activity at a girls' growth services center in Xichang.

The CCTF has supported the building of Sunshine Stations and Ankang Libraries and distributed over 1,000 sets of "Hello Kids" nutritional packages as well as 80,000 sets of maternal and infant nutritional packages. Photo shows that a representative of CCTF and charitable enterprises sends infant formula products to an in-need family in Huili, a city in Liangshan.

The CCTF has developed public welfare science popularization courses and held thematic training events to empower grassroots medical personnel and improve medical services in Liangshan. It has donated hygiene products worth about 42 million yuan (US $5.92 million) to girls, organized thematic activities and distributed health manuals to help girls grasp a deep understanding of adolescent physical and mental health and strengthen self-protection competence. Photo shows that an associate professor from Sichuan Normal University gives a lecture about adolescent psychological health to girl students in Xichang-based Xining Middle School, where the CCTF's project to promote the development of girls' education in Liangshan was launched.

The CCTF has promoted the building of the Spring Bud Dream Chorus to enhance music literacy of girls. Photo taken in September 2023 shows that the Spring Bud Dream Chorus from Wenchang Primary School of Yuexi County in Liangshan is invited to give a show during a musical concert at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

The CCTF has organized girls to attend sci-tech growth camp events, furthering enhancing their sci-tech literacy. Photo taken on April 27, 2024, shows that a group of Spring Bud girls visit the China Science and Technology Museum to explore the mystery of science and technology and expand horizon after attending the launch ceremony of the new round of the project to enhance the Spring Bud girls' sci-tech literacy, under the Spring Bud Project  Dream of Future Action, in Beijing.

The CCTF has held empowerment and music training sessions for rural teachers to enhance their teaching competence. Photo shows that rural music teachers from eight provincial regions including Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces attend the first session of the Music for a Bright Future training program, jointly launched by the CCTF and Xi'an Conservatory of Music.

The Spring Bud Project was honored as one of the best poverty reduction practices in the 5th Call of Global Solicitation on Best Poverty Reduction Practices Campaign at the 2024 International Seminar on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships, in Beijing in October 2024.



In the future, under the leadership of the ACWF and with the support of people from all social sectors, the CCTF will further strengthen its education assistance to girls, provide more caring services to children living in difficulties, continue with the implementation of the project designed to meet the various needs of women, children and families in Liangshan, and contribute to rural revitalization and sustainable development of Liangshan.

Photos from CCTF

(Source: CCTF/Women of China)

Editor: Wang Shasha
In the UK, a one-in-a-billion chicken egg was sold at auction. The spherical egg was bought for 200 pounds sterling, or more than 10 thousand hryvnias at the current exchange rate.

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According to the BBC, the egg was sold by the British charity organization Iuventas. The proceeds were used to support the mental health of young people in Oxfordshire.

The egg was donated by Berkshire resident Ed Pownell, who in turn bought the unusual shape of the egg at an auction in Scotland. The man admits that he made such an expensive purchase after a few pints (about 0.5 liters) of beer.

At first, the charity organization thought this unusual donation was a joke. But then they decided to put the egg up for sale.

"We are very happy that the egg was sold because it means we can continue to do what we are doing," says Roz Rapp, a representative of the foundation. She explained that the chicken egg was just one of many items at the auction, which raised 5,000 for the charity.

The egg was originally owned by a resident of Ayr, Scotland. She found it among many other chicken eggs in a regular supermarket. Ed Pownell calls his purchase a good investment.

David Miller, a representative of the auction house Thomson Roddick Callan, which organized the auction, says that round eggs come along once in a billion.

"The money raised will help teenagers aged 13 to 25 who suffer from mental disorders. This will allow us to reach more young people who need support or are on long waiting lists," said Roz Rapp.

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This contribution was delivered by veteran Trotskyist Barbara Slaughter to the Socialist Equality Party (UK)'s Seventh National Congress held November 29-December 2, 2024.

Comrades, Id like to begin by joining with other comrades in expressing my deep respects to comrade Wolfgang Weber.

I knew Wolfgang over a period of years at summer camps in Germany. As comrades have said, he was a man who took the decision to devote his life to the construction of the Fourth International. He was also a man of profound knowledge, not only of the classics of Marxism, but also of human culture more generally. And the fact that, as Uli Rippert has told us, he participated in the work of the German section up to the very eve of his death, is truly extraordinary. It demonstrates his utter commitment to the struggle to build the ICFI and his conviction that the future belongs to the international working class.

The draft resolution has my full support, as do the opening reports of Chris Marsden and Tom Scripps. The discussion has been of an extremely high level.

This Congress has the task to collectively agree on the political perspective which will provide a way forward for the coming period, in which we will have to turn into the working class and fight for that perspective. As Chris rightly said, the axis of the resolution is the necessity to build a mass movement in the working class against war and for socialist revolution. He also said that never since the end of the Second World War has the danger and imminence of a Third World conflagration loomed so large.

What this means has been spelled out in a lead article in the Foreign Affairs magazine, cited on the World Socialist Web Site under the headline The return of total war. The article states: indeed, what the world is witnessing today is what the theorists in the past have called Total War, in which the contestants draw on vast resources, mobilize their societies, prioritize warfare over all other state activities, attack a broad variety of targets and reshape their economy and those of other countries.

The WSWS pointed out that the prioritization of warfare over all other state activities means the ruthless subordination of the working class to war. Everything must be sacrificed on the altar of war and the vast resources required to wage it. Prominent members of the oligarchy are openly declaring that World War Three has already begun. This is why the US, even before the inauguration of Donald Trump, is already investing $1.7 trillion in upgrading its nuclear arsenal.

As Trotskyists, we understand that, like the two world wars that scarred the 20th century, the present world conflicts all arise from the same source, the irreconcilable contradiction between the globalization of production and the outdated nation state system, and between social production and private ownership. But today, those contradictions are so sharp, with the development of the productive forces, of automation, artificial intelligence and nuclear powerwhich all demand objectively the socialist transformation of society to be rationally and creatively utilizedthat unless the working class overthrows this rotten, corrupt system, then human society will be destroyed. Oppenheimer recognized this and viewed in isolation it is a terrifying prospect. Its the end of the road for capitalist society. And yet we say we are revolutionary optimists. How can this be?

ICFI demolishes Aidan Beattys attack on Trotskyism

I would like to turn to something written by Karl Marx 165 years ago in his Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy. He wrote: No social order is ever destroyed before all the productive forces for which it is sufficient have been developed, and new superior relations of production never replace the older ones before the material conditions for their existence have matured within the framework of the old society. Mankind thus inevitably sets itself only such tasks that it is able to solve, since closer examination will always show that the problem itself arises only when the material conditions for its solution are already present, or at least in the course of formation.

This is the source of the optimism of the International Committee of the Fourth International and its sections. Global production has integrated the international working class on an unprecedented scale. Only the united struggle of the international working class, to fight for its interests against the capitalist system, can establish socialism, a new and objectively necessary form of society based on the common ownership of the means of production.

But to carry out that huge historic responsibility, the working class must become conscious of its role, and that is our task, to bring a revolutionary perspective and consciousness into the working class. That is Gerry Healys great contribution to the present situation that confronts us. Because during the 1950s and 60s, when the Trotskyist movement was decimated by the counter-revolutionary tendency of Pabloite revisionism, Healy fought against all the odds for the continuity of the Fourth International. When in 1963, the US Socialist Workers Party joined the Pabloites in the United Secretariat, the Socialist Labour League stood alone on the world stage, embodying in its struggle all the lessons of the history of the revolutionary movement going back to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and beyond.

Healy fought against opportunism in all its forms. He warned about the pressure of idealism on our movement. He said it was not enough to agree with the teachings of Lenin and Trotsky, we had to understand that our movement was built on the profound belief that only the working class, under the leadership of the revolutionary party could take power, and that our struggle must be in line with that strategy in all our struggles. And he was adamant that despite our apparent isolation, the task could not be resolved in Britain alone, but must be fought, first and foremost, as an international responsibility inseparable from the building of the Fourth International as the world party of socialist revolution. That is why hes being attacked in this filthy, unprincipled way so long after his death, because the legacy of his great contribution lives in us and in the ICFI as a whole.

There has been a swathe of books attacking Trotskys legacy, by Ian Thatcher, Geoffrey Swain and Robert Service and no doubt others. Now John Kelly and Aiden Beatty have joined the fray. They have produced their attack on HealyBeatty being financed by supporters of Zionism, which is responsible for the genocidal attacks on the Palestinian people, before the eyes of the international working class. Several books have been written over the course of the last few years by renegades from the Trotskyist movement after the split of 1985-86. Beatty has systematically collected them all together to deliver what he hoped would be a killer blow.

Aidan Beatty [Photo: Carnegie Mellon University]

He did so, however, without reckoning with comrade David North and the ICFI of which we are part. The articles written by David, Tom Mackaman, Andrea Peters, and our Tom, have already torn his narrative to shreds. That narrative is built on lie after lie. The whole basis of his case is that Gerry Healy was an ignorant thug and that the SLL was almost like a criminal gang. I was there in the 1950s and 60s, and I can testify to the contrary.

In 1966 there was the so-called Tate Affair which comrade David has written about. It was in fact a political provocation organised by Ernest Tate, who was the representative of Usec [Pabloites United Secretariat] in Britain.

At the time, Cliff Slaughter produced a pamphlet which exposed the whole rotten situation. He wrote: The SLL knows that it must expect the class enemy to raise their traditional and favourite accusations against Bolshevism, the accusation of the use of violence to settle political differences.

At the same time Red Flag, the newspaper of Posadas wrote, Imperialism is very weak. It is incapable of mobilizing big fascist currents, but it will use what can be used, and the SLL outfit is ideal, with its gangster methods and fascist mentality. These were and remain serious charges and Beattys book is full of similar charges, all based on outright lies, rumours, innuendo.

Here are some of the allegations that he cites: Anyone who challenged Healy suffered violent physical assaults. On page 59 he writes, Healy is credibly alleged to have once broken a chair over the back of his secretary, Aileen Jennings, an action that was hushed up at the time. Beatty says allegedly, but alleged by whom? He doesnt say. He gives no evidence whatsoever. He just leaves it hanging there.

Healy is supposed to have gloried in his reputation for violence. Beatty says, Healy was probably quite happy to have rumours of his violence circulate. The words probably and allegedly appear in almost every paragraph, and the place where much of the violence was alleged to have occurred was at SLL summer camps.

I was present at every single summer camp from 1958 to the last one in 1973, before the opening of the Education Centre. Those summer camps were devoted to the study of Marxist classics by Lenin, Trotsky, Marx, Engels, etc. And I never witnessed any violence, any threat of violence, or even a hint of violence. We were living under canvas. It would be impossible to hide any such evidence. We were living in tents, but it just didnt exist.

Outrageous claims fill every page. Beatty claims, The high rate of turnover of party members prevented opposition factions from forming and meant party members had no institutionalized memory of what the party had been saying in previous years. If this wasnt so serious, it would be laughable. As comrades have said, we are a party of history, in ways that people such as Beatty just cannot understand.

The founding of the Socialist Labour League and democratic centralism

Regarding the SLL, Beatty claims, Healy may have established the SLL without actually consulting any members of the Club, and the question of the SLLs actual attitude to and relationship with the Labour Party, remained unresolved. All atrocious lies.

The truth is that the SLL was founded in February 1959, when the group was winning great influence in the unions, and because of this, the Labour Party had begun expelling Club members in many parts of the country. The foundation of the SLL was aimed at countering the Pabloite efforts to politically liquidate the Trotskyist movement into Stalinist and social democratic parties. The SLL recognized the necessity of intervening in the Labour Party to win influence amongst its members and youth, but refused to subordinate its own programme to the bureaucratic leadership. Healy argued that the formation of the league would demolish the false accusation that Trotskyists were a red conspiracy. He insisted that the SLL was formed to fight for the scientific principles of Marxism, both within the Labour Party and in the trade unions. He said, These principles are vital weapons in the political and industrial struggle facing the working class movement.

Gerry Healy, 1964

And the relations with the Labour Party did not remain unresolved, as Beatty claims. Following the announcement of its formation, the SLL applied for political affiliation to the Labour Party, just as the Fabian Society, Co-operative movement and many other organisations were affiliated. It declared itself to be a Marxist tendency within the Labour Party.

However, the SLL and its publication, the Newsletter, were proscribed and anyone associated with it could no longer maintain their membership of the Labour Party. All over the country, SLL members were expelled from Labour.

Its interesting to know what actually happened to Healy at this time. Despite this vicious political witch-hunt, Healy was re-elected as chairman of his ward party. And then, when the Streatham Constituency Labour Party refused to implement Healys expulsion, Labours National Executive Committee responded by closing the whole organization down and causing it to be reorganized.

Regarding the banning of any opposition to Healy within the SLL, Beattys arguments can be proved to be outright lies, and Im going to do that right now.

Just months after the founding of the SLL, a Pabloite opposition emerged involving Peter Cadogan, Ken Coates, Peter Fryer, Alistair McIntyre, John Daniels and others. This is all discussed and explained in the Historical and International Foundations of the Socialist Equality Party, which provides a detailed account of this political struggle.

I was new to the movement at that time, and I was very impressed with the way the leadership conducted that fight. On January 16, 1960, the National Committee published an internal 45-page document containing all the correspondence involved, which was circulated to all the branches. It stretched from the August 21, 1959 to December 5, 1959. As far as the National Committee was concerned, the dispute was conducted strictly in line with the constitution of the SLL, based on the principles of democratic centralism: democracy in arriving at decisions and centralism in carrying them out.

At that time, I only had a hazy understanding of the fundamental importance of democratic centralism, although I had signed up to it as part of the constitution. I think its important to point out that Peter Fryer and John Daniels claimed to have no political differences with the SLL. Fryer, who had been editor of the Newsletter since its launching, disappeared in August 1959 claiming he did not agree with the way the party centre was run. Daniels, co-editor of Labour Review along with Bob Shaw, complained about the conduct of the comrades in Nottingham towards Ken Coates, who consistently refused to work under the direction of the branch. But in reality, serious political differences were emerging. For example, Peter Cadogan did not agree with the SLL on nuclear disarmament. He produced and made public a document which called for a vast united front for peace, a front that cuts across class boundaries because of the inclusive annihilation threatened by atomic warfare.

This proposal was, as an NC resolution pointed out, an issue which was in violation of the unanimous decision of the inaugural resolution of the SLL, which far from cutting across class boundaries as the reformists urge, has as its major aim the intensification of the class struggle and the victory of the working class.

Both Cadogan and Fryer used the columns of the capitalist press, the Daily Herald and the Manchester Guardian, as it was then called, to attack the SLL. Cadogan, having done so, expected to remain a member of the League. Fryer wrote to the Daily Herald about differences on the Newsletter, calling for the removal of the leadership of the League. Cadogan, with others, formed the Stamford faction, which included individuals who had been expelled from the SLL.

Despite all of this, Coates and the rest were invited to attend meeting after meeting of the National Committee to discuss their differences. Cadogans response was to produce a document titled, The 1959 situation and the Socialist Labour League. The document was circulated to non-members, including Pat Jordan, a representative of the United Secretariat Pabloite group in Britain, whom Cadogan insisted in a meeting of the executive committee of the SLL was not an enemy of the ICFI.

Daniels had written a letter to E. P. Thompson of the New Reasoner revealing internal material about the SLL, adding that Thompson could use the letter in any way he chose. Behind the scenes they were working with Michel Pablo, who was urging them on in their attacks. Nevertheless, through this whole period until the point of expulsion, the National Committee attempted to have a discussion with the renegades to fully clarify the political issues involved, for the benefit of the membership.

In February 1960, an SLL document was published, Internal discussion material for information of members. It contained all the relevant correspondence, and it was clear throughout that the National Committee had acted scrupulously in accordance with the principles of democratic centralism. Cadogan was unanimously expelled by the NC and was informed of his right to appeal to the next annual conference of the SLL.

This was an important document in educating new cadre like myself on the rights and also responsibilities of membership of the League. What is extraordinary is that throughout this whole period, the League was also preparing for a National Assembly of Labour, which was held in November 1959, with an attendance of 800 workers.

The truth behind the expulsion of Brian Behan

Not long after that a new faction led by Brian Behan emerged. On page 36 of Beattys book he writes, When Brian Behan questioned Healys monopolizing of party assets, he was duly expelled from the new organization. Behan had suggested that the party should practice what it preached, and nationalize all SLL assets for which Healy both violently denounced him and arranged to have one of his henchmen assault him.

Here are the facts. Behan and his supporters disagreed with the establishment of the SLL and called for the founding of an open Workers Party, orientated primarily to industrial struggles rather than the political problems involved in the continuing allegiance of the working class to the Labour Party. However, Healy and the leadership of the League were well aware that the issue of reformism was not a finished question among British workers. A campaign against bans and proscriptions continued, and much of the Leagues work was orientated towards the Labour Party. Behans position was very much one of anarcho-syndicalism.

Behan in 1963 [Photo: Bob Haswell/Hulton/Getty]

I have a document in my possession, Internal Bulletin Number 5, produced for the National Conference of June 1960, which contains details of the appeals made by Behans faction against their expulsion from the SLL. Its clear that much of their opposition to the leadership was based on gossip and character assassination. In it, Behan made the outrageous claim that the SLL was led by pimps and ponces who lived off the movement. Reflecting this position, he tried to move a motion within the NC that all League finances should be controlled by a committee of lay members of the NC, implying that full-time party workers could not be trusted.

Clearly, he was anticipating a split and was hoping to walk away with all the resources, including the print shop that had been rebuilt after the disastrous court case in 1954 in which the Club had lost all their resources, the print shop and everything else. In the draft programme of the minority faction, which is included in Bulletin Number 5, the leadership of the SLL was accused of being a bureaucratic clique. It stated, They always shift the line to defeat the enemy in the same way that Stalin did, whilst at the same time holding on to their control of the assets, all real power of the organization.

Although not directly stated in their documents, they accused the SLL of succumbing to the pressure of Pabloite revisionism, claiming, The majority are really now for total entry into the Labour Party. The basis of this theory is that Marxists must subordinate all their activities to securing a basis within the mass organizations, be they Stalinist or social democratic. Accusing the SLL of favouring total entry they concluded, It is the firm belief of the minority that if the perspectives document of the majority is implemented, then the Marxist movement will be drowned in the reformist ocean. Their conception of party building was to have a main orientation towards the working class in industry based on the participation of the party in the immediate struggles of the working class.

Its clear from their document that they had little understanding of, and no agreement with, the split with Pabloite revisionism in 1953. They described it as a disastrous split that leaves us in the ridiculous position of having two internationals. They accused the clique leadership of being, afraid to unite with other tendencies because their own bankruptcy would be speedily exposed.

Yet despite the subjective vilification which imbued their whole campaign, the minority faction were afforded their full rights under the constitution. I clearly remember Behan attending a special aggregate in Leeds armed with his lengthy document. He also travelled to Liverpool and other places.

At the time, I was impressed that the League would go to such lengths to assert the rights of a group led by somebody who appeared to be a political scoundrel, but Healy insisted on it. The issue was the clarification of the cadre about the formation of the SLL itself, and what the main orientation of our work should be. All members of the minority appealed individually to the congress, against their expulsion and all were expelled. Behan and his supporters then set up the Workers Party, which published a paper, Workers Voice. The party was short lived, however, and Behan subsequently left politics and entered academia, becoming a lecturer in Media Studies at the London College of Printing.

Keep Left, the Labour Party and the fight for Trotskyism

Now I want to raise another question, which I think is important. Two pages on from what he says about Behan, on page 39, Beatty writes the following about the Young Socialist paper, Keep Left: Labour youth members associated with their in-house paper Keep Left. Keep Left defected to the SLL and became the youth movement of the latter.

He then states, Keep Left had a circulation of perhaps as high as 10,500 but was proscribed by the Labour Party in May 1962 and three SLL supporters were removed from the National Committee of the Labour Partys Young Socialists towards the end of that year.

A march 1965 edition of Keep Left

The proscription of Keep Left was in fact over accusations of violence, and at first I couldnt understand why Beatty had not cited this, backing it up with so-called evidence provided by the Labour Party. Then I realised, this must have been because there is printed evidence to prove that the expulsions and proscriptions were based on a conspiracy dreamt up at the highest echelons of the Labour Party itself, including by Labours future Foreign Secretary, George Brown and old Etonian, Lord Walston.

I need to explain this in some detail, because it gives you an insight into what goes on behind closed doors and how they recognize the significance of our organization.

On the first day of the Young Socialist Conference held at Easter 1962, a secret session was called, ostensibly to discuss YS organization and the report of the outgoing National Committee. Under the section dealing with Keep Left, which at that time was not proscribed, a delegate from Birmingham leapt to his feet and launched an attack against the paper. A furious debate ensued in which even delegates who didnt support Keep Left declared they were tired of the smear campaign against the paper and stressed its democratic right to be published. An overwhelming majority of the 368 delegates showed their support for this view by voting in favour of next business, thus terminating the debate without any decision being made.

The election of the new National Committee resulted in a left-wing majority, including three supporters of Keep Left, Liz Thompson, David Davis and Mike Ginsburg.

On the following morning, however, after a short debate on education, the chairman of the Standing Orders Committee reported that he had received three emergency resolutions and that he intended to place one of themfrom the Redditch branch in Birmingham concerning Keep Lefton the agenda. After a heated debate, the report was rejected by 161 votes to 108, clearly a majority against.

However, the right-wing was undeterred, and before the lunch break, the Standing Orders Committee returned to the platform and calmly announced the conference would go into private session at 2pm to discuss the emergency resolution on Keep Left and in an atmosphere of great confusion, points of order, points of information, counts and recounts, a vote was finally taken to accept the report by 168 votes to 155.

The resolution read, Because of the threats made of physical violence to a delegate and visitor from Redditch Young Socialists who have positive evidence that Keep Left is directly connected with the proscribed Trotskyist organization, the Socialist Labour League, this conference calls for an immediate inquiry into Keep Left so that its attempts to destroy the Young Socialists as a democratic socialist organisation, can be defeated.

The allegations of violence purported to come from two young YS members from Redditch, and it was undoubtedly the accusation of violence, which was assumed without a scrap of evidence, that swayed the conference to vote 183 votes in favour with 150 against.

The individuals involved were David Todd and Keith Biddle. What was not known by the conference was that Todd had insisted that the threat against him was, not intended seriously, and was more or less a joke. And the threat against Biddle, which was also a joke, was made by Todd!

This was revealed in an affidavit signed by Todd on July 19, later that year, because he was so appalled at the way the issue had been misrepresented and used for political purposes by the right-wing of the Labour Party. His affidavit also revealed that the wording of the Redditch resolution was cooked up at a party in a flat belonging to the Labour peer and old Etonian Lord Walston. All this occurred in the middle of the Young Socialist conference. Present at the gathering were Julia Gaitskell, the daughter of Hugh Gaitskell, leader of the Labour Party at the time, as well as leading Labour politicians, including the aforementioned George Brown, who had been Foreign Minister in the Attlee government post the Second World War. According to the affidavit, Brown addressed the gathering, saying, What the right-wing had to do to kick out the fascist left-wingers!

George Brown in the Netherlands (1967) [Photo by Ron Kroon (ANEFO) / CC BY 1.0

The affidavit proves beyond all doubt that the proscription of Keep Left and the subsequent expulsion of three members of the YS National Committee came about because of a conspiracy at the highest level of the Labour Party. They thought that by beheading the youth moment in this way, they could control it and force it in a right-wing direction. Of course, they were mistaken.

At the national conference of the Labour Party, held in Brighton in October that same year, Gaitskell and his supporters were determined to strengthen the right-wings grip on the party. The Young Socialists was not even on the agenda despite an investigation into Keep Left having been called for at the Young Socialist conference. When challenged about this, the chairman of the Standing Orders Committee said there was no time. And anyway, you cant go on discussing these affairs year after year.

By October 1962, our political support in the East Leeds Constituency was such that I was elected as one of two delegates to attend the Labour Party conference. This meant that I could attend every session, including the secret session. And it was there that the NEC proposed an amendment to the Constitution to strengthen the right-wing grip on the party by making association with, as well as being a member of proscribed organisations, a ground for expulsion.

Barbara Slaughter speaking at the Labour Party conference in 1962

This amendment was defeated, however, because some of the unions had strong Communist Party membership and were afraid of losing support within their own unions. But the real purpose of the amendment became clear when, in the discussion, George Brown, whom I mentioned earlier, began fulminating against the Trotskyists. He said, and I recorded it at the time, We can keep out known members, but there is a new factor, the drive and energy of these Trotskyists! They are not devoted to the principles of the party. They are using a new technique, by setting up an organisation that does not have a membership, and the NEC will be failing in its duty if it did not address the issue.

Before the secret session ended, a young delegate raised a point of order and said that on Tuesday morning hed been assured that the Young Socialists, although it was not on the agenda, would be discussed under the National Report. Chairman Harold Wilson said he was very, very sorry, but he pleaded shortness of time. At this point, another delegate jumped to his feet and shouted, We have had calls from the platform about building the membership. The people who are building the party are the Young Socialists. This is where the recruitment is coming from. Surely, once in three years, we can find some time to discuss them.

Another delegate raised the issue of David Todd and his affidavit. He said, There is a document currently circulating the conference where a member of YS has made a sworn statement involving members of the NEC and full-time officials. Its impossible to expect the conference to accept the report without delegates having a chance to discuss the issue.

Wilson cynically insisted that the NEC was anxious to reach that part of the report so it could be discussed, and the NEC would have time to reply. But unfortunately, it wasnt possible.

A composite resolution from the Glasgow Woodside Constituency had been submitted to the conference demanding the proscription of Keep Left be rescinded, and that the suspended Young Socialist NC members be reinstated. But it wasnt discussed because it was not put on the agenda.

The truth was that the NEC could not, and would not, allow any discussion on the Young Socialists. Their position was indefensible, and when a delegate from Liverpool, Jimmy Rand, called for discussion on the Todd affidavit, he was howled down by the right-wing, and his motion was defeated on a show of hands.

That is why, in my opinion, Beatty did not fulminate on the accusations of violence against Keep Left, because he knew that the affidavit evidence existed.

An attempt to wall us off from the youth and young students who are being radicalised

In the final chapter, with its outrageous attacks on comrade David North, Beatty makes it clear that the central purpose of the book is to discredit our party today, to spread lies and slanders in an attempt to wall us off from the youth and young students who are being radicalised in the current political situation. We must not allow this to happen. That is why the continued exposure of the cabal of Beatty, the Zionists and Kelly which North and the other comrades have already carried out, is a crucial part of our work.

In conclusion, I would like to read the whole of point 54 of our conference resolution, which I think is very strong:

The SEP and the IYSSE will take up a struggle against Beatty, Kelly and all attempts to cut students and young people off from the revolutionary traditions they must become familiar with. This must include a particular focus on Healy and the British Trotskyists defence of a revolutionary internationalist perspective in the crucial period following World War II. Drawing the lessons from the years in which Healy led the fight for Trotskyism is essential in the political arming of the working class, just as is a comprehensive understanding of the struggle waged by the ICFI against the subsequent political degeneration of Healy and the Workers Revolutionary Party out of which the SEP in Britain emerged. This political offensive must spearhead a broader effort to encourage a flourishing of Marxist culture and debate among young people, including on the campuses in a fight against the censorious and repressive regime created by government extremism and counter-terror legislation, and false accusations of antisemitism. The World Socialist Web Site stands at the centre of this work, providing a daily Marxist analysis of world events.

Trotskyism is the only basis on which the working class can advance its interest against war, fascism, and ecological catastrophe. Thank you, comrades.
On Friday, December 13, George Mason University president Gregory Washington published a statement to the university website following the police and Federal Bureau of Investigations joint raid of two members of the campus chapter of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the subsequent banning of the students and the club from campus.

Washington claims to be addressing concerns we have heard voiced on campus regarding an off-campus police action [that] has left many alarmed.

Many students at GMU, located in Northern Virginia outside Washington, D.C., have explained to the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) that the police and FBI agents raid of the SJP members home and the latters subsequent banning raises many concerns about the universitys regard for democratic rights.

Washingtons letter is not interested in addressing these concerns. Instead, the president merely doubles down on deceitful allegations that have been made to justify the unprecedented assault on due process and freedom of speech on campus.

The university president drums up a dishonest narrative of the police raid last month, stating, the search turned up sufficient amounts of weaponry and materials calling for violence against Americans and in particular Jews. This was enough to warrant immediate precautionary action to maintain the safety of the university community, he says.

A pro-Palestinian protester interrupts President Joe Biden during an event on the campus of George Mason University in Manassas, Va., Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 [AP Photo/Alex Brandon]

In fact, no publicly available documents surrounding the incident indicate any intent of committing violence on the part of the two students or the SJP as a whole. According to The Intercept, the weapons found on the premises were antique firearms legally registered to the familys son, a Mason alum and volunteer deputy chief firefighter. Efforts to press charges against him were fought in court and a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge dismissed them two weeks later.

Lawyers representing the family have stated claims of antisemitism are based on mistranslations of anti-Zionist literature. No further arrests or charges have been made following the raid a month ago.

Washington resorts to a series of circular arguments, stating that based on the evidence obtained [during the raid] and in furtherance of the investigation, GMU Police had cause under University Policy 1132 to issue a criminal trespass notice, barring two George Mason students from physically entering university property.

The reference to the universitys policy resolves nothing, as a search of GMUs website brings back a description of its criminal trespass notice. It states GMU may issue such a notice if a student:

Violates criminal or civil laws;

Violates University policies, regulations, rules, or directives;

Poses a threat to the health, safety, welfare, or academic experience of members of the University community;

Causes significant disruption to the regular operation of University functions; or

Causes or threatens harm to persons or property.

None of these criteria apply in the current situation because the universitys response has been based upon allegations which have either not been proven or have been dismissed outright in a court of law.

Coming to the conclusion of his letter, the university administrator reveals the authoritarian tendencies which dominate the schools outlook.

Issuing what can only in the present circumstances be seen as a veiled threat to the rest of the student population, Washington states, The bottom line for you is this: You are safe here Our police department and a number of other less visible security teams are looking out for you 24/7.

He continues: Whether you can see them or not, extensive protections are in place, working as they are intended to, maintaining the safe learning and living environment we cherish.

In a subsequent email addressed to an unrelated incident involving a student involved in a suspected terrorist plotting, Washington reveals openly what these extensive protections are.

He refers to GMU having capabilities, plus more measures that by design remain invisible, [which] form a protective web around the university campus that our proximity to the nations capital demands, with capabilities not always available to universities elsewhere.

These capabilities include: the first fully equipped university SWAT team in Virginia, a campus police department having close ties with local, state, and federal law enforcement, police officers that are routinely present at student gatherings and constant university vigilance, including a cross-functional team of university officials meeting regularly and as needed to provide on-demand emergency operations.

Washington cynically conflates the raid on two student activists engaged in constitutionally protected activities and the arrest of a terror suspect, declaring the two recent actions are proof that these systems are working as intended.

In fact, no charges have been proven in either case to show these systems are working as intended. In the case of the SJP members, no charges have even been issued!

Washington, in replying to these incidents in such a manner, is demonstrating an obliviousness and disregard for a whole list of constitutionally defended democratic rights, including: the presumption of innocence, due process and freedom of speech.

George Mason University maintains substantial ties to the US government and intelligence apparatus, as the World Socialist Web Site has previously reported. Notably, the crime the two students are suspected of committing, which triggered the police raid, involved graffiti on the site of a job fair sponsored by defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and other weapons manufacturers, who have profited off the crimes of the US war machine.

In suppressing the democratic rights to due process and free speech, George Mason University is acting as the mouthpiece of a government which openly embraces the policies of genocide abroad and repression at home. Far from making students feel safe, Washingtons letter demonstrates that no ones rights are protected at the university.
At some checkpoints on the border between Ukraine and Poland, there was a large number of cars entering the country through the Lviv region. The reason is an increase in passenger traffic due to the Christmas holidays.

ADVERTISIMENT

This was reported by the State Border Guard Service. They noted that the queues formed at the following checkpoints:

"Korchova";

"Medyka."

"At the entrance to Ukraine from Poland, queues were recorded in front of the "Korchova" and "Medyka" checkpoints. We recommend choosing less busy checkpoints nearby to reduce waiting time. The pre-Christmas period has led to a 25% increase in passenger traffic at the checkpoints in Lviv region, which complicates traffic," the statement said.

At the same time, in the morning of December 23, a rather large accumulation of vehicles  15-45 cars and buses  was recorded at several checkpoints, mainly on the border with Poland. At many checkpoints, only vehicles are allowed to cross  pedestrians are not allowed to cross. Most of these checkpoints are on the border with Poland.

ADVERTISIMENT

This was reported by the Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. They noted that as of 9:00 a.m., congestion was recorded at the checkpoints:

"Ustyluh" (border with Poland)  45 cars;

"Uhryniv" (border with Poland)  20 cars, 5 buses;

"Rava-Ruska" (border with Poland)  2 buses;

"Hrushiv" (border with Poland)  9 buses;

"Krakivets" (border with Poland)  14 buses;

"Shehyni" (border with Poland)  14 buses;

"Malyi Bereznyi" (border with Slovakia)  15 cars;

"Uzhhorod" (border with Slovakia)  4 buses;

"Tysa" (border with Hungary)  25 cars;

"Dzvinkove" (border with Hungary)  20 cars;

"Kosino" (border with Hungary)  40 cars;

"Vylok" (border with Hungary)  15 cars.

Pedestrians are not allowed to cross the border

At the same time, many checkpoints do not allow pedestrians to cross the border. For example, on the border with Poland, these are the checkpoints:

ADVERTISIMENT

"Yahodyn" (also temporarily not allowing passenger cars);

"Ustyluh";

"Uhryniv";

"Rava-Ruska";

"Hrushiv";

"Krakivets";

"Smilnytsia."

On the border with Slovakia  "Uzhhorod."

On the border with Hungary  "Tysa."

On the border with Romania  "Diakove."

In general, pedestrians may not be allowed to cross the border for various reasons. In particular:

For security reasons;

due to repairs, etc.

What cannot be transported across the Ukrainian-Polish border

Earlier, border guards noted that passenger traffic at the border increased during the Christmas season. And the State Customs Service reminded that Ukrainians cannot transport several goods across the border with Poland. In particular:

military weapons of all kinds, ammunition, and military equipment;

narcotic and psychotropic substances;

potent poisonous, radioactive, explosive substances;

works of art, cultural and historical values, and other items of significant artistic, historical, scientific, and other cultural value;

canceled securities;

goods exported in violation of intellectual property rights.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
As the school year concludes in Australia, numerous studies have projected an even worse teacher staffing crisis in public schools in 2025. The federal Department of Education is predicting a shortage of 4,100 secondary school teachers across the country next year, with this almost certainly a significant underestimate.

A section of the striking New South Wales teachers rally in Macquarie Street, Sydney on June 30, 2022.

A study by statistician Simon Kuestenmacher looked at teacher supply into the next decade. It estimated that by 2034, Australias current workforce of 391,000 schoolteachers will need to grow to 414,000, an increase of 23,000 teachers. This is to keep up with the projected 6 percent increase in the number of school aged children.

These numbers, however, do not factor in Australias ageing teacher workforce. Kuestenmacher estimated that to replace teachers approaching retirement and those working over their retirement age, 34,000 new teachers will be needed in the next decade.

[W]e are facing an uphill battle, he explained. Pumping out 3,400 new teachers (that actually end up teaching) every year was never an easy task but in our current economic environment, things are only getting more difficult.

Graduates are shunning teaching degrees, while registered teachers are leaving the profession in unprecedented numbers.

In 2023, graduating school students choosing teaching as their first university course preference dropped nearly 20 percent from 2022. Moreover, of those who do start a teaching degree, 50 percent drop out before the end of the course. This reflects the terrible experiences that many student teachers have during their placements in public schools, prompting half of them to pursue an alternative career. Many graduate teachers quit the profession within the first few years.

Education researcher Saul Karnovsky told ABC News: We have seen teacher shortages in the past, no doubt. There have been moments of crisis which the media would have called a crisis and policymakers would have as well. But the scale and the scope of this particular crisis at the moment is unprecedented.

Teacher shortages exist in every Australian state. In Queensland, 78 percent of principals said they had teacher shortages this year. Schools are reported to be struggling to staff all classes in Western Australia and South Australia. Victoria, Australias second most populous state, reported 1,500 unfilled teaching positions in August 2024, almost double the number of vacancies that existed at the start of the school year.

The Labor government in New South Wales (NSW) has claimed that the teacher shortage in that state is easing. However, new data referred to by the state opposition minister for education, Sarah Mitchell, has revealed that NSW has 200 fewer full-time and temporary teachers than two years ago, despite increasing student enrolments. In addition, hundreds more jobs are being axed following the announcement in April by Premier Chris Minns, that public school funding will be cut by $148 million this year and even more, $1.4 billion, over four years.

Overwhelming workloads are one of the key drivers of the workforce crisis. Australia has some of the worlds highest face-to-face teaching hours requirements, and every year teachers are burdened with additional administrative duties. While wealthy public schools enjoy lavish infrastructure and teacher supports, within underfunded public schools, teachers are provided with grossly inadequate support for student disabilities and challenging behaviours.

One primary school teacher in Melbourne told the World Socialist Web Site about the impact in her school of the staffing crisis. A factor of the teacher shortage that I think needs to be highlighted, is that schools running without enough teachers, are hiring CRTs [casual relief teachers], when they can, to cover all the additional tasks that may otherwise be done by additional staff members. This exhausts budgets, meaning that inevitably in Term 4 schools cant afford more CRTs, so classes are split.

I frequently get 6 kids each day sent into my classroom. Teachers are then catering to 30 kids of different year levels, adding to workload, stress and exhaustion. Teachers then feel guilty for taking time off when they need it because of the burden it places on their colleagues. The expectation to work at this pace is way too high.

A Western Australia teacher with 25 years working in both public and private school classrooms told ABC News that the workload and pressure became too much. I was experiencing heart palpitations and breathing issues, it was related to stress Its not a school, it is every sector and the pays not the issue because there are other times when I was getting paid moreits the work-life balance, its having basically no life physically I just could not keep doing it.

In an article in the Conversation, another teacher pointed to the gulf between the needs of the students and the demands of the government: Its frustrating knowing what the students need emotionally, but the curriculum and administrative demands dont leave room for that kind of support.

Student learning is being badly affected by the staffing shortage. A 2023 report found that almost 10,000 lessons in NSW were being conducted without adequate educational support in public schools daily.

A high school teacher in regional Victoria explained to the WSWS that at his school, A hundred students at a time get sent to a study centre when staff are not present. They get supervised by usually one, at the most two, Education Support staff. These lessons, usually online from a central lesson hub, are then counted by the school as fully delivered lessons.

The teacher shortages are intensifying the cascade of dysfunction in Australia public schools. Decades of deliberate underfunding has resulted in the country having one of the most privatised school systems in the OECD. Students classified as disadvantaged, with a low socio-economic background, indigenous, disabled or living in a remote area make up 46 per cent of public school enrolments.

Government schools are concentrations of disadvantage. Yet between 2009 to 2018 the total income of Catholic and private schools rose ten times higher than that for public schools. From 20192024, even under the totally inadequate official framework for school funding, public schools lost $13.1 billion and are likely to lose a further $13.3 billion under the Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the next round of funding currently before the parliament.

A Secondary Principals Council submission into a senate inquiry into disruption in Australian classrooms held this year stated: Our [public] schools simply do not have the resources to adequately address [the students] complex and challenging behaviours. Staff shortages, and staff teaching out of their field of expertise, supercharges disruption and intensifies disorderly behaviour, which drives teacher departure from more challenging school settings and the teaching profession generally.

A critical factor in driving up teacher workload and stress was the introduction of the high-stakes National AssessmentLiteracy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) regime by Labors Rudd and Gillard governments in 2008. Described by Gillard as the bedrock of Labors education revolution, the tests were implemented to make schools accountable for student continuous improvement. Subsequently, poor performance in the tests, or any other problem emerging in the schools, is sheeted home to lack of quality teaching.

A war on public education is being waged by the ruling elite, and policed by the teachers unions. In every state and territory, the union bureaucracy has collaborated with state and federal governments, including by delivering regressive enterprise agreements that have driven down real wages and facilitated the imposition of crushing workloads.

The Committee for Public Education (CFPE) calls on teachers and school workers to establish rank-and-file committees in their schools, independent of the teacher union bureaucracies, to fight for a counter-offensive that aims to secure a proper educational provisioning for all students and decent wages and conditions for educators, within a fully funded public education system that provides the highest quality schooling for all students, regardless of their familys wealth.

Contact the CFPE:

Email: cfpe.aus@gmail.com

Facebook: facebook.com/commforpubliceducation

Twitter: CFPE_Australia
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Abu Mohammed al-Jolani (Ahmed Hussein al-Shara), leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), during a visit to the Syrian capital Damascus Sunday.

Diplomats from the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom have all visited the new leadership in Damascus; Fidans is the highest-level visit from a NATO member state.

[Photo: @HakanFidan/X]

The efforts of the political and media establishment to restore the credibility of the HTS, which is still considered a terrorist organisation in Turkey, and the denunciation of a legal left-wing party as terrorist for its constitutional activities are taking place at the same time.

Fidans visit, which comes in the wake of regime change in Damascus, as the US, Israel and Turkey continue to struggle over the division of the country, is part of Ankaras efforts to increase its influence over the future of Syria and the HTS leadership, and to eliminate the Washington-backed Kurdish forces.

Fidan and Jolani embraced before the meeting and posed warmly. At a joint press conference after the meeting, both Fidan and Jolani said that US-led sanctions against Syria should be lifted.

We stressed that the first priority is to establish stability in Syria. For this to happen, security must first be established in the country, Fidan said, adding, It is also necessary to ensure the rule of law and the protection of minorities. It is necessary to establish an inclusive government, led and owned by Syrians, in which no religious or ethnic group is excluded.

On the one hand, Fidan wants a Syria in which no religious or ethnic group is excluded, while on the other he demands that the Kurds, whom Turkey sees as the main threat in Syria, be prevented from gaining any legal status. Ankara fears that if the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria, led by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)-affiliated Peoples Protection Units (YPG), becomes permanent, it could lead to the creation of a Kurdish state, which could encourage similar tendencies among Kurds in Turkey.

Fidan stressed Turkeys commitment to Syrias territorial integrity, adding, The terrorist organisation [PKK/YPG] is occupying the Syrian peoples land and stealing its natural resources. Today, as in the past, we will never allow ISIS to take advantage of opportunities. Syria, liberated from the Baathist darkness, will be cleansed of ISIS and PKK. There is no place for the PKK/YPG in Syria. The PKK/YPG should disband itself as soon as possible.

Jolani emphasised Turkeys role in the struggle for regime change, saying, Turkey, our friend, has stood by the Syrian people since the beginning of the revolution, we will not forget this. When asked about northeastern Syria, Jolani replied, We cannot accept that any group has weapons in its hands, whether in the areas under our control or in the areas under the control of the YPG. It is unclear what this means for the Islamist militias of the Syrian National Army (SNA), which are also backed by Turkey, particularly against the YPG, and are not controlled by Damascus.

For the time being, HTS is pursuing a policy of non-confrontation with Kurdish forces; at the start of the last operation, it left SDF-held areas of Aleppo untouched and maintained dialogue.

While HTS has announced the elimination of armed groups, it does not appear to be in as much of a hurry as Ankara to take control of areas held by Kurdish forces. HTS is seeking to consolidate its power within the country and abroad by balancing between the US and Israel. However, the areas held by the SDF, which contain energy resources and granaries vital for the countrys future, will sooner or later become an important battleground.

Meanwhile, the US lifted the bounty on Jolanis head and started diplomatic relations with HTS. Washington saw regime change in Syria as part of its global war against Iran, China and Russia.

President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20, has already admitted that the US conducts wars to plunder natural resources, expressed most bluntly in his demand for the US to take the oil from Iraq. The US military has reportedly increased the number of personnel in Syria from 900 to 2,000.

Following the launch of the HTS operation on November 27, the SMO captured Tal Rifaat and Manbij, which had been held by the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkeys planned attacks on Kobani, east of the Euphrates, were halted last week by a temporary ceasefire brokered by the United States.

Washington has responded to Ankaras insistence on the physical elimination of the PKK/YPG through a new military operation with a threat. In a joint statement on Friday, US Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham announced that they had introduced a sanctions bill against Turkey in the US Senate called the Countering Turkish Aggression Act of 2024. The joint statement of the two senators included the following statement:

Attacks by Turkish-backed forces on our Syrian Kurdish partners undermine regional security & efforts to prevent an ISIS resurgence. Today Sen Graham & I introduced a bill to impose sanctions on Turkeywhich we should enact if they do not accept a ceasefire & demilitarized zone. We seek a united, inclusive, stable Syria for all Syrians  and supporting our Syrian Kurdish partners is essential to accomplishing that goal.

In recent statements, SDF commander Mazlum Abdi has emphasised efforts to reach an agreement with Turkey and HTS. Abdi told the Sharq website: We did not ask for a federal administration in Syria. We want a decentralised administration and self-government. We advocate the unity of Syria, not its division. Abdi previously told Reuters that all non-Syrian Kurdish fighters in northern and eastern Syria (Rojava) would return home if a full ceasefire was reached with Turkey.

Meanwhile, Ankara is deeply disturbed by Israels growing invasion and influence in Syria. Fidan told the press conference: Israels usurpation of Syrian territory by taking advantage of the current environment cannot be tolerated. Israel should respect Syrias sovereignty and territorial integrity and not further endanger regional security. The international community must show a concrete response to Israels unlawful actions.

This statement is also an example of hypocrisy. In reality, the Turkish ruling class, like the Zionist regime, is an invading force in Syria. In fact, these two states, which are two critical allies of the US imperialism in the region, consider methods that violate the international law as their right while criticising their rival. This includes labelling journalists as terrorists and targeting them.

On Thursday, a vehicle carrying journalists Nazm Dastan and Cihan Bilgin, who were covering clashes between the SMO and SDF in northern Syria, was reportedly targeted by Turkish drones, leading to their deaths. The police intervened against a group of people who wanted to issue a press statement in Istanbul on Saturday to protest the killing of journalists, detaining 59 people. At least 9 of the detainees, including 6 journalists, were arrested.

Yet at the end of November President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pointed out that the number of members of the press killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023 was 189 and condemned Israels targeting of journalists, saying, Hundreds of journalists have been wounded in this process and targeted by bullets and bombs.

Israel claims that the journalists it targets in Gaza are not members of the press but members of terrorist organisations.
Resident physicians at the Detroit Medical Center held a spirited protest outside the Childrens Hospital of Michigan last Thursday to demand better wages, working conditions and lower out-of-pocket health care expenses. The medical school graduates, who are training to become independent doctors, said Tenet Healthcare, which acquired DMC in 2013, was refusing to recognize their newly organized union.

Resident physicians protest at DMC's Children's Hospital of Michigan on December 19, 2024.

In June, the residents voted by 508-8 to join the Alliance of Resident Physicians, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers. This followed last years unionization votes by resident physicians at nearby Wayne State University and emergency room doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners at Ascension St. John Hospital on the citys east side.

The disastrous experience of the pandemic has spurred unionization among residents and fellows throughout the country. The average first-year resident at DMC reportedly makes $59,000 a year, but they regularly work 80-hour weeks and are burdened with massive student loan payments from debts accumulated from eight years or more of undergraduate and medical school studies.

Hospital chains have long opposed unionization, claiming that residents are medical students not employees. It was not until 1999 that the National Labor Relations Board ruled that they should be recognized as employees.

Residents at the protest described chronic levels of understaffing, job overloading and burnout. Six-figure student loan debt is common, a young resident in the Neurology Department, told the WSWS. With the long hours it is difficult for residents to manage their life and work while you have this looming debt hanging over you. We feel were undervalued and that with all the work we put in, we should be able to get by without the stress of paying our bills. Weve got stress enough trying to care for our patients.

She continued: The Detroit Medical Center is unique. It has to treat anyone regardless of insurance and severity of conditions. We have the most challenging cases, which need more resources, not just medical but housing, social work and insurance needs. But we are severely understaffed in all departments and that puts more pressure on residents to balance all these things that are an extension of care. It is a great challenge to provide the medical care that you want and that patients should get when you literally dont have the resources.

The ongoing pandemic, she said, had exacerbated the crisis. Safety regulations are seemingly non-existent. You can be exposed anywhere in the hospital, especially in the Emergency Department, but you never know. They might take precautions after the fact but youve already been exposed to so many infected patients.

Regarding the incoming Trump administration, she said, We already face so many challenges, and I only see more barriers, hurdles and obstacles to providing people with their basic needs when Trump comes in, whether its womens needs or basic health care. People at DMC will suffer the most. It will only add to the stress and the burnout we are already suffering.

For-profit medicine is hurting everyone. Medications are not covered, there are tests the hospitals never do and delays and that only prolong the medical care we are trying to provide. That prolongs hospital stays, makes patient more prone to getting infections and getting sicker, not better. Health care has to be a human right for everyone.

Another resident told the WSWS, At lot of people within the administration do things more for profit, not what is best for the patients. Theres plenty of stories where orders arent carried out or nurses arent aware of something going on with their patient because theyre too busy taking care of other patients. Its not due to lack of trying, but the lack of staff. You can only be in one place at one time and when you have 15 patients to take care of on the floor it is impossible to do that.

In Detroit, 30 percent of the population lives below the official poverty line. Nearly 10 percent are uninsured while more than half of the citys residents rely on Medicare, Medicaid or the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for medical care.

DMC officially became a for-profit health care system in 2010 when it was taken over by Vanguard Health System. In 2013, DMC was acquired for $1.8 billion by Tenet, which claimed it would continue the hospitals commitment to so-called charity care. Instead, it slashed its spending on indigent patients by 98 percent in the first five years of ownership, according to a 2018 report by the Michigan Nurses Association, with spending falling from $23 million in 2013 to just $470,000 in 2016.

Protesting resident physicians.

In 2020, Tenet received $850 million in pandemic relief grants from the US Congress. Despite reporting $3.1 billion in profits that year and paying its top executive Ronald Rittenmeyer $16.7 million in total compensation during the first year of the pandemic, Tenet cut spending by $377 million. The savage cost-cutting provoked the longest health care strike in Massachusetts history. The 301-day walkout by hundreds of nurses at St. Vincent Hospital nurses in Worcester was isolated by the Massachusetts Nurses Association and other unions and was defeated.

The struggle by the DMC resident physicians deserves the support of workers throughout the metro Detroit area. But a warning must be made: the American Federation of Teachers bureaucracy has no intention of waging the type of struggle against the health care monopoly that is required to end these oppressive conditions.

At Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, officials from the AFT-aligned United Michigan Medicine Allied Professionals (UMMAP) have repeatedly blocked collective action by 4,500 medical technicians who are fighting for their first contract. Last month, UMMAP officials called off a one-day strike, claiming they had reached a memorandum of understanding with Michigan Medicine that creates a framework for contract negotiations.

Radiological professionals, physical therapists, lab and medical assistants, rehab and social workers and other clinical technicians had voted by 98 percent to authorize the walkout. But UMMAP officials ignored the vote without achieving any of the workers demands for improved wages, benefits and working conditions.

Detroit public school educators have also had bitter experiences with the Detroit Federation of Teachers, which has collaborated with the citys Democratic Party establishment for decades in the shutdown of schools and the carrying out of mass layoffs.

AFT President Randi Weingarten, who pulled in $499,874 in salary and other compensation in 2024 is a staunch defender of the capitalist profit system that stands behind the exploitation of workers in the healthcare industry. She is also a supporter of the wars promoted by the Democratic Party in the Middle East and against Russia.

Rank-and-file resident physicians must take the conduct of the struggle into their own hands through the formation of rank-and-file committees. These committees, controlled by the residents themselves, must unite with health care, auto, education and other workers in Detroit to break the resistance of Tenet Healthcare to their demands.
Last week, New Popular Front (NFP) head Jean-Luc Melenchons vacation home in a village in the Loiret region of France was broken into and sprayed with graffiti by fascists.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, center, delivers a speech after the second round of the legislative elections [AP Photo/Thomas Padilla]

The Parti de legalite socialiste condemns the break-in and the fascist threats against Melenchon. The PES has well documented political differences with Melenchons anti-Trotskyist populism and the role he played in demobilizing the workers during the struggle against pension cuts last year and in the July 2024 elections. However, the PES defends Melenchon against fascist threats and aggression which aim through him to intimidate all left-wing opposition in the working class.

The Montargis public prosecutor gave a report on December 17 with some details on an investigation assigned to the Bellegarde military police. The mayor of Lombreuil had found parts of the grill work in Melenchons residence had been cut and a window opened. According to Orleans regional public television, the house had been seriously vandalized: The entrance to the property had been cut, military police found a window opened through which the neofascists likely entered, and lots of graffiti, that police called insulting and dishonoring, targeting Melenchon.

Melenchon learned of the attack on his house through friends watching the TV news and said that the graffiti included Nazi swastikas and said, We will find you, Long Live Marine [Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally], or F*ck Arabs. He tweeted his thanks to those who had alerted him and the press: Thanks to comrades watching television who warned me of the attack on my house in the Loiret. I fear for my books. To the media, please do not worsen the danger I face.

Melenchon, the leader of the France Unbowed (LFI) party, said these intimidations resemble the language, the anonymous flyers, the phone calls, the aggressions we have had to face over the last year.  It recalls the vocabulary of the racists who attack our positions against the Gaza genocide. Yes, the attack is political, otherwise why would there be these slogans? He added, Over the last year we have felt we are protected neither by the courts, nor by police. Everything ends in the quicksand of nothingness or mistrials, in 9 cases out of 10.

Olivier Faure, the head of the big business Socialist Party, denounced it as an intolerable attack, while the right-wing mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, said all that is unforgivable and serious. Marine Le Pen, mentioned in the graffiti, felt obliged to react, saying, Such actions must face exemplary condemnation. I hope everything will be done to find those guilty of these very cowardly acts, and I give my support to Mr Melenchon who is today a victim of them.

The fascist threats against Melenchon are aimed not only at him but also at the millions of his voters among workers and youth who had hoped for a left-wing, social and anti-war policy. In both of the last two presidential elections, he received over 7 million votes. But fascist gangs systematically attack anything identified as left to try to intimidate workers and youth opposed to the policies of austerity and imperialist war demanded by the financial aristocracy.

In past times, fascist violence has targeted allies of Melenchon,such as former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Anonymous generals threatened to mutiny if he was elected prime minister, while British soldiers were then filmed shooting live ammunition at pictures of Corbyns head.

In 2021, during the Spanish regional elections, Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias received a letter with four bullets and death threats. The investigation confirmed that the bullets came from a Cetme assault rifle, a weapon that has been used for decades by the Spanish army and state security forces.

The danger of fascist violence, far from fading away, is escalating massively. After the election victory in the United States of Donald Trump, who has threatened to kill Marxists and socialists, the ruling classes are accelerating their turn towards the far right, reinforcing those who attacked Melenchon. They are getting a green light to continue their intimidation campaign, as capitalist governments fear eruptions of working class opposition to imperialist war abroad and class war at home.

Against fascist violence encouraged by state policy, the working class must build an independent political movement against imperialist war and social reaction, based on a socialist perspective against the parties of the capitalist ruling class, whose shock troops are the fascist gangs.
A week after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached by the National Assembly, the countrys political crisis continues to deepen. Yoon, with the assistance of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), is seeking to block investigations into his extraordinary declaration of martial law on the evening of December 34 and to prevent his removal from office.

Protesters carry a caricature of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a rally demanding his arrest in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, December 21, 2024 [AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon]

After being impeached on December 14, Yoon was suspended from office pending a decision in the Constitutional Court on whether or not to remove him. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was appointed by Yoon and is now acting president, used his presidential powers on Thursday to veto six bills passed by the National Assembly, where the opposition Democratic Party (DP) holds a majority.

This is only the second time since the end of the US-backed military dictatorship in the 1980s that an acting president has exercised the veto power. The bills included four providing financial assistance to the agricultural and fishery sectors, and another giving greater power to the National Assembly to summon and require information from officials. The bills have now returned to parliament, where a two-thirds majority is needed to overturn Hans vetoes. The DP and its allies hold only 192 out of 300 seats.

Significantly, Han also has refused to date to approve National Assembly nominees to the nine-member Constitutional Court to fill three vacant positions. If the nominees are blocked, it sets a very high bar for Yoons removal from office. Constitutionally, all six existing judges must vote in favour of the impeachment.

The political confrontation between acting president Han and the DP-controlled National Assembly will come to a head tomorrow. The Democrats yesterday issued an ultimatum to Han, demanding that he approve bills establishing special counsel investigations into insurrection charges against Yoon and corruption allegations against Yoons wife, or face impeachment himself. In addition, they have suggested that Han may have been involved in the martial law decree.

Yoon is also stonewalling. In the immediate wake of his failed attempt to impose martial law and the wave of outrage that swept the country, the president publicly apologised and promised to cooperate with legal and constitutional proceedings. Since then, however, he has refused to answer summonses or hand over documents.

Yoon also failed to appear last Wednesday at the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) for questioning over charges of insurrection and abuse of power. A CIO statement declared that his no-show would be considered as a failure to comply with the first summons. A second summons has been issued and the CIO is reportedly considering the possibility of Yoons arrest.

The fact that Yoon feels he can brazenly impede his removal from office is a result firstly of the perfidy of the Democrats and their allies in the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). They have wound back the mass protests and strikes that erupted over the declaration of martial law and channelled the widespread anger into the narrow confines of parliamentary manoeuvres.

Yoons attempt to wind back the clock to the military dictatorships of the past failed in large measure because of the immediate protests it provoked and ruling class fears of a mass outpouring of anger. Thousands of people gathered around the National Assembly in the early hours of December 4 and prevented the arrest of key political figures, including the opposition leader and parliamentary speaker.

The National Assembly was able to convene and pass a motion demanding Yoon lift the martial law decree. While constitutionally required to accede to the motion, Yoon prevaricated for several hours, no doubt consulting both domestically and internationally as to whether he should simply ignore the demand. Finally, he relented.

The KCTU immediately swung into action, declaring that it would initiate a general strike until Yoon was removed from office. In reality, the general strike proved to be nothing more than limited stoppages in several sectors, such as auto and rail, some of which had already been planned.

Following Yoons impeachment, the KCTU announced on December 16 that it was lifting its general strike guidelines. KCTU head Yang Gyeong-su claimed that Yoons suspension from office amounted to a victory. In the end, democracy, workers and citizens, and the KCTU won, he said.

Mass protests against Yoon continued last Saturday. Organisers estimated that 300,000 took part in the largest demonstration, in the capital Seoul, to demand his resignation and arrest. Farmers associated with the Korean Peasants League attempted to join the protests, driving into Seoul with tractors and cargo trucks, but were blocked by police. Other protests involving thousands were held around South Korea, including in Busan, Gwangju, Jeonju, Ulsan, Daegu and Jeju.

While large, the protests were significantly smaller than those the previous Saturday, when organisers estimated that two million gathered near the National Assembly building where lawmakers were preparing to vote on a second motion to impeach Yoon. Older participants who had experienced the brutality of military dictatorship expressed their determination to never allow a return. Young people were clearly shocked that basic democratic rights could be so easily overturned.

The fact that Yoon has not resigned and the right-wing PPP has even begun to organise pro-Yoon rallies suggests that he has powerful support in international circles. The Biden administration, in particular, welcomed Yoons decision to forge close military and intelligence ties with Japan in what amounts to a tripartite alliance with the US as Washington prepares for war against China. Such a pact had been previously thwarted by deep-seated animosity toward Japan stemming from its harsh colonial rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945.

While the Biden administration indicated that Yoon should withdraw the martial law decree, it has not condemned his wholesale assault on democratic rights, nor called for his removal from office. If Yoon had succeeded, South Korea would now be under martial law, all political and strike activity would be banned, and blanket censorship imposed. Yet Washington, which hypocritically exploits the banner of democracy to wage regime-change operations, is silent when it comes the gross abuses of political allies if its geopolitical interests are at stake.

The turn to autocratic methods of rule in South Korea is part of the turn internationally to extreme right-wing and fascistic regimesrevealed most starkly by the installation of the fascist Trump as US president. Amid a worsening crisis of global capitalism that is fuelling acute social tension in South Korea and internationally, the ruling classes cannot impose their agenda of war and austerity by democratic means.
Rescuers in Vanuatu remain under pressure to reach trapped victims following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu on December 17. The shockwaves caused widespread damage in the small South Pacific country, population of 334,000 situated 2,600 kilometres northeast of Sydney.

Rescue workers inspect a damaged building in Port Vila on December 19, 2024 [AP Photo/Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade]

The powerful earthquake struck 30 kilometres off the west coast of Efate, Vanuatus main island at a depth of just 50km. It damaged many buildings and domestic dwellings in and around Port Vila. There have been numerous aftershocksthe latest a magnitude 6.1 quake which shook buildings on the countrys main island at 2.30 a.m. on Sunday.

Aftershocks of at least magnitude 5 are typical of an earthquake sequencea series of smaller quakes that follow the initial one. For an earthquake at over 7, there could be ten times as many aftershocks in the magnitude 5 range, and ten times as many again at magnitude 4, and so on. The pattern can continue for weeks to several months, or even longer.

Some 80,000 people have been directly affected. The official death toll was revised down from an initial 14 to nine, though it is expected to rise again with people still caught under rubble and landslides. Vanuatu President Nike Vurobatavu later said the number of people dead was around 16. Hundreds more have been injured with casualties overwhelming hospital services.

A seven-day state of emergency has been declared by caretaker Prime Minister Charlot Salwai. It includes a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. with only essential services allowed to operate. Shops and fuel stations open only at certain times and people have been rushing to get food supplies, water and fuel. On Sunday the capitals airport finally reopened allowing commercial flights to resume.

In Port Vila there are several sites where buildings are reported to be fully pancaked, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Rescuers have concentrated on two disaster areas; a four-storey building housing a supermarket, hotel and garage and a shopping block in the CBD that crumbled into a pile of concrete.

It is unlikely they will find anyone else alive in a collapsed building which housed the US, French, UK and New Zealand diplomatic missions.

Any buildings still standing have sustained significant structural damage. The main wharf is closed due to a major landslide. Two water reservoirs supplying Port Vila were totally destroyed causing major water shortages and will require reconstruction. Telecommunications, still piecemeal and patchy, were restored two days after a near total blackout following the quake.

Locals have been working to pull people from the rubble. New Zealander Shell Piercy, a paramedic and interim chief executive of the Vanuatu emergency services told Radio NZ (RNZ) they had managed to rescue seven people out of one collapsed building but described the scene as absolute carnage. She said it was likely that more bodies would be found given that the quake occurred in the middle of the day in the busy city.

New Zealand engineer Nicholas Brooke said buildings that looked like theyd sat down suggested some had soft storiesan out-dated practice where the bottom floors were weaker than the upper levels, and collapsed more easily while the top stories remained intact. He too expected the death toll to rise. Its likely to be quite a significant tragedy, Brooke said.

World Vision Vanuatu director Clement Chipokolo told RNZ on Sunday that international assistance was making a difference, but the situation was still grave. Much of the capital remains without power and water, and some roads are still closed. The situation is increasingly becoming dire, with potential epidemics breaking out because of lack of water, he said.

Residents who spoke to the ABC described how their houses had just collapsed, leaving them homeless. Some are scared to return because of more aftershocks. With their water storage destroyed there was a water crisis, they said. Many are living in makeshift tents, with families stuck outside with no utilities in the searing summer heat.

The situation remains precarious for tens of thousands of children, many of whom have been separated from their families. An estimated 40,000 children need humanitarian assistance according to NGOs such as UNICEF, who say the children need shelter, food, healthcare, and access to education.

International defence and medical personnel, search and rescue teams and disaster response teams from New Zealand, Australia, France and the United Kingdom are now on the ground in Port Vila. Supplies and medical equipment for about 500 households have been sent from Australia. Military aircraft have meanwhile evacuated some 568 Australians and over 100 people to New Zealand.

The amount of aid offered by the major powers however remains extremely limited. Australias Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberras immediate response package was worth a pitiful $A2 million. It includes a 64-person Disaster Assistance Response Team, a medical assistance team and nine Federal Police.

The French military have carried out emergency operations from the colony of New Caledonia, 500km away. These have included transporting emergency personnel and relief including food rations, water and IT equipment. Flights have returned to Noumea with evacuees, including a group of shaken New Caledonian school children.

Wong emphasised that the aid and rescue missions would be conducted under the tripartite FRANZ arrangement. Signed in 1992 the agreement, involving France, Australia and New Zealand, enforces a policy of systematic coordination between the three countries armed forces when they operate in Pacific Island countries hit by natural disasters.

Vanuatu is still recovering from the impact of damaging earthquakes and cyclones that affected 80 percent of the population in 2023. However, these events cannot be understood simply as natural disasters. Like other Pacific Islands, Vanuatu is poorly developed. According to the Asia Development Bank, 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line of $US1 per day and suffers from lack of access to basic services, jobs, healthcare and education.

In collaboration with the US and France, Australia and New Zealand have maintained neo-colonial control over the region, keeping Pacific nations in a state of backwardness and dependency. Throughout the region, the social and economic conditions imposed by the former imperialist powers, including chronic underfunding of essential infrastructure and social services, make the islands extremely vulnerable to, and unprepared for, repeated calamities.

Low-lying atolls and islands such as Kiribati, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are experiencing more extreme weather events and hurricanes, regular flooding, coastal erosion, food insecurity and water contamination. Vanuatu this month took a case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, seeking an advisory opinion on laws pertaining to climate change and human rights.

At the COP29 climate summit held in Baku, Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatus Special Envoy for Climate Change, excoriated Australias Labor government, declaring that as the worlds third largest fossil fuel exporter, it is exporting climate destruction overseas, including to Pacific nations like Vanuatu, who experience the most devastating impacts of the climate crisis, despite contributing the least.

Disasters in the Pacific have long been used by the major powers as both military exercises and to cement their geo-strategic hold across the region. This has intensified as the drive to counter Chinas influence has gathered pace amid the US-led war drive. Vanuatu is a critical component in this. China is the largest external creditor to Vanuatu after a decade of infrastructure building, while Australia is its biggest aid donor.

Last August Australian officials expressed alarm after China handed over a new presidential palace, estimated to cost $A31 million, to the Vanuatu government, joining a list of infrastructure projects funded and built by Beijing. The opening of the palace was preceded by the release of Vanuatus foreign policy white paper reaffirming its non-aligned status.

According to the ABC, Canberra was concerned that China has ploughed money into high profile projects and suggested the palace offered China opportunities for surveillance and intelligence gathering in Vanuatubut produced no evidence.
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Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is escorted by police Thursday, December 19, 2024, in New York. [AP Photo/Pamela Smith]

The case of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year old who allegedly assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the streets of Manhattan, has become a major public issue in the United States. While many details remain to be explained, the response from different layers of society raises fundamental class questions.

To begin with, the World Socialist Web Site denounces the vindictive prosecution of Mangione, who has been denied bail and is being charged with terrorism, raising the possibility of the death penalty. We demand that Mangione, who apparently suffers from severe health issues, be granted bail and receive the medical care that he needs.

The response of the corporate oligarchs and mainstream media, combining a vicious attitude towards Mangione personally with moral outrage over his alleged violence, is utterly hypocritical. Only a few days after the killing in Manhattan, the media was unanimous in its praise of the terrorist murder of Russian general Igor Kirillov in the streets of Moscow, an act which brings the world closer to the brink of nuclear war.

American capitalist society, in terminal crisis, feeds on flesh and drinks blood, to quote civil rights lawyer Clarence Darrows description of the hysteria during World War I. Hundreds of thousands have been killed in US-backed wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Syria and other countries. The new Trump administration is preparing political violence on a scale never seen before in American history.

Having said this, we totally oppose those who hold up Mangione as some sort of avenging hero. Any feeling of satisfaction, that Thompson got what he deserved, is a retrograde and even harmful response, personalizing what is ultimately a problem that can only be resolved on the basis of a social struggle by the working class.

The significant public support for what Mangione allegedly did expresses the deep-rooted tendency in American public life, itself promoted by the corporate media in opposition to class consciousness, to glorify individual action and extreme individualism.

More will come out about the motives behind the killing. However, one can never judge an act by subjective intentions, but rather by the perspective that guides it and the impact it has. From the standpoint of the latter criteria, the killing of Thompson changes nothing except that the 50-year-olds wife and two children have been deprived of a husband and father, and that Mangione himself faces the prospect of a lengthy prison term and even a death sentence.

In the larger scheme of things, Thompson is a small fry of American capitalism, and he has already been quickly replaced. The apparent motive, and the sympathy which his killing has evoked, recall a famous scene from the Depression-era novel The Grapes of Wrath, where a poor farmer, arguing with a bulldozer driver about to tear down his homestead, tries to figure out whom to shoot in order to stop it:

[The driver:] Its not me. Theres nothing I can do. Ill lose my job if I dont do it. And looksuppose you kill me? Theyll just hang you, but long before youre hung there will be another guy on the tractor, and hell bump the house down. Youre not killing the right guy. Thats so, the tenant said. Who gave you orders? Ill go after him. Hes the one to kill. Youre wrong. He got his orders from the bank. The bank told them: Clear those people out or its your job. Well, theres a president of the bank. Theres a Board of Directors. Ill fill up the magazine of the rifle and go into the bank. The driver said: Fellow was telling me the bank gets orders from the East. The orders were: Make the land show profit or well close you up. But where does it stop? Who can we shoot? I dont aim to starve to death before I kill the man thats starving me. I dont know. Maybe theres nobody to shoot. Maybe the thing isnt man at all. Maybe, like you said, the propertys doing it. I got to figure, the tenant said. We all got to figure. Theres some way to stop this. Its not like lightning or earthquakes. Weve got a bad thing made by men, and by God thats something we can change.

The basic task of our time is the expropriation of UnitedHealthcare and other major corporations by the working class in a socialist revolution, not vengeance against individual executives. This requires the construction of a revolutionary party in the working class, capable of raising its class consciousness and organization to the level of this historic aim.

The recent and ongoing strikes by workers at Amazon, Boeing, Canada Post and elsewhere are the tremors before a massive eruption of class struggle under the incoming Trump administration. The outcome will be determined by the degree to which this spontaneous upsurge becomes a conscious and international movement against capitalism, and the degree to which workers are able to organize themselves independently against the pro-management union bureaucrats.

Marxists oppose individual violence because it runs directly counter to the above outlook, as we explained in an earlier perspective, replacing the action of the class with the action of desperate, angry individuals, drawn primarily from the ranks of middle-class youth.

In contrast to this approach, wide sections of the pseudo-left are openly promoting Mangione. Typical was a headline in the newspaper of the Spartacist League, a middle-class radical group that split from Trotskyism more than 50 years ago, which declared: Counterproductive but Not Criminal: Free Luigi! In the article, the Spartatcist League promotes the worst instincts of personal revenge and bloodlust, hailing Mangiones bold, decisive and courageous, action while evincing sympathy with the desire to off a bloodsucking millionaire. While it may be bold and decisive, there certainly is nothing courageous about shooting an unarmed man in the back.

Criticizing Mangiones alleged actions only as inexpedient, the article then declares categorically that the killing was certainly no crime from the standpoint of the working class.

In fact, it is from the standpoint of the interests of the working class that the killing was most criminal. Spartacist itself admits, Its possible that others will be inspired by the act and choose the same roada waste of potentially revolutionary human material. In this statement, the writers essentially accept responsibility for such a terrible tragedy. Rather than attempting to draw the necessary lessons and educate workers, Spartacist adapts to, and helps to amplify, political confusion.

The Spartacists support for Mangione recalls the promotion of the suicide of anti-genocide protester Aaron Bushnell earlier this year. Bushnell took his own life as a form of personal protest, while Mangione took anothers. But what they have in common is their utter political futility. The bourgeoisie will be moved neither by self-immolation nor the killing of an executive.

Spartacist pays only lip service to the Marxist opposition to terrorism, declaring it a side issue. In fact, it is central, not least because it exposes Spartacist and others as unprincipled opportunists.

In contrast to the bourgeois usage of the term terrorism to demonize all forms of resistance, the Marxist usage of the term has always had the more specific meaning of substituting for the mobilization of the working class acts of violence against individual members of the ruling class. Marxists have always insisted that in spite of its appearance of radicalism, terrorism at its heart is an essentially reformist, even conservative perspective of pressuring the ruling class into making concessions.

No doubt many of those who support Mangione hope that his alleged action will frighten insurance companies into reducing premiums and expanding coverage. But the opposite has taken place. Corporate America is determined to make an example of Mangione while it prepares for sweeping dictatorship and open oligarchic rule under Trump.

The political evolution of terrorist groupings has always followed a definite class logic. In the late 19th century, the founder of Russian Marxism Georgi Plekhanov opposed the Narodnik movement, which attempted to fight the Tsar with assassinations, as liberals with bombs. This characterization was proven decades later during the Russian Revolution, when their political heirs in the Socialist Revolutionary Party opposed the October Revolution and joined with Tsarist officers against the Bolsheviks in the Civil War.

In more recent times, many former radicals from the 1960s who espoused bombings and guerrilla tactics have found their way into high-ranking political and academic posts, including Bill Ayers of the Weather Underground and former Maoist turned Democratic Party hack Van Jones. In Germany, former street fighter Joschka Fischer became foreign minister in the late 1990s.

Spartacist and the pseudo-left fraternity to which it belongs are trying to divert a generation of radicalized youth into the dead-end perspective of reformist pressure which does not fundamentally threaten the status quo. In so doing, they have helped to create an environment of extreme frustration in which the killing of Thompson could take place.

The disruption of a mass movement has not only paved the way for the re-election of Trump. It also leaves vulnerable layers to seek a way out through personal solutions. This is particularly true among students and youth, a category which includes Mangione. Polls show roughly 60 percent of young people support his actions.

But now, doubling down after the evident failure of exerting pressure through protests, the pseudo-left encourages pressure through self-destructive acts of vengeance.

All those who promote short-cuts and quick fixes, or divert attention from social to personal solutions, whatever they say about themselves, are politically disoriented and pessimistic. For youth seeking a way to oppose inequality, exploitation and war, we say: Turn to the working class and build a revolutionary movement based on socialist principles! Not individual revenge, but only workers power can settle accounts with capitalism.
President-elect Donald Trump told a conference of fascist supporters in Arizona that the United States would demand the return of the Panama Canal to US control if the Panamanian government failed to follow his dictates about the fees imposed for transit and the stepped-up Chinese economic activity around the critical maritime facility.

Trump spoke to Turning Point USA American Fest after posting several messages on his Truth Social site denouncing Panama in the style of a loud-mouthed Yankee imperialist bully. He denounced the administration of President Jimmy Carter for signing the treaty in 1977 that ultimately returned the Canal Zone to Panamanian control in 1999.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at Turning Point Actions AmericaFest, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona. [AP Photo/Rick Scuteri]

When President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar, during his term in Office, it was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else, Trump wrote. It was likewise not given for Panama to charge the United States, its Navy, and corporations, doing business within our Country, exorbitant prices and rates of passage.

Panama was abusing the privilege of charging tolls for passage through its own canal, he declared. Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the US.  This complete rip-off of our Country will immediately stop.

Tacitly admitting the weakened position of American imperialism even in its own hemisphere, Trump warned that the canal should not fall into the wrong hands, a clear reference to China. He called the canal a vital national asset that was crucial both for US trade and national security.

Returning to this theme in Arizona, he declared, It was given to Panama and to the people of Panama, but it has provisions, you gotta treat us fairly and they havent treated us fairly. While this appeared to be another complaint about the fees being charged, these are the same for American ships as for the vessels of any other country, based on tonnage and type of cargo, not what flag the ship flies.

He added, If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question.

When one of his fascist listeners shouted, Take it back, Trump replied: Thats a good idea.

There is a second aspect to Trumps sudden declaration of interest in Panama. Returning American military forces to the Panama could give them a significant role in the interdiction of the flow of migrant workers across the US-Mexico border.

Millions of these migrants come from South America through the Darien gap, the jungle region of Panama that borders on Colombia, and then up through Central America. US troops in the former Canal Zone would be in a position to block the migrants either at the canal itself or by pushing further south.

Trumps references to American generosity to Panama can only generate disgust and anger in the people of that country and of Latin America more generally. The United States has invaded Panama twice, the first time to ensure the territorys independence from Colombia and set it up as a US-controlled puppet state, clearing the way for construction of the 52-mile canal across the isthmus.

The US invasion came in 1989, when the first Bush administration sent thousands of US troops in to overthrow the regime of General Manuel Noriega, a longtime operative for US imperialism who had fallen out with Washington. Thousands of Panamanians were killed by American bombs, while Bush claimed that the invasion was necessary to preserve the neutrality of the Canal Zone. Noriega was brought back in chains to the United States to be tried for drug-trafficking, which he and his CIA controllers had long promoted. Noriega served long prison terms in the US and then France and was eventually repatriated to Panama to die of cancer.

The new crisis in US-Panama relations is being provoked by Americas economic decline and the growing influence of China, which now has more extensive trade relations with Latin America than the United States. But US ships still account for the lions share of the traffic through the Panama Canal, since it is the shortest sea route from the West Coast to the East Coast of the US.

Cranes load a cargo ship at the Panama Canal's Balboa Port in Panama City, Monday, September 9, 2024. [AP Photo/Matias Delacroix]

China is the second-biggest user of the Panama Canal, and a Chinese company controls two of the five ports near the canals two ends, one on the Caribbean and the other on the Pacific.

China has been negotiating a possible new trans-isthmian canal through Nicaragua, which would take advantage of the largely flat terrain and sizable lakes. Last month Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega revoked an earlier agreement with a Hong Kong-based consortium and proposed a different route for the canal, this time to be funded on a multinational basis, with both US and Chinese involvement.

There has been growing commercial pressure either for widening the Panama Canal or building the Nicaraguan canal. There was a 29 percent drop in ship transits through the canal over the past fiscal year because of severe drought conditions. This has a global impact, since the canal accounts for fully 6 percent of all world trade traffic.

While Trumps threat to Panama is no doubt connected in some fashion to these specific geostrategic concerns, there is a more general dimension to the foreign policy of the incoming administration, as Trump seeks to overcome the declining world position of American imperialism through a combination of bluster and bullying.

In recent weeks, he has several times gloated over the fading political fortunes of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, taunting Trudeau as Governor Trudeau and suggesting that Canada should become the 51st US state.

Last month he demanded that Mexico and Canada stop all illegal border crossings into the United States and warned that if they did not do so immediately, he would impose heavy tariffs on their imports to the US market.

Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long-simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price! he posted on Truth Social.

He continued this diatribe last week in another Truth Social declaration: No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense! He continued: Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!

Perhaps Trump was channeling fond memories from his childhood, when he would have been raised on tales of how grandfather Frederick Trumpan immigrant from Germany who fled to New York City to avoid military servicefounded the family fortune by opening bars and brothels in Canada during the Yukon Gold Rush.

Whatever the exact triggers, Trumps musings about bringing territories both tiny (Panama) and gigantic (Canada) under direct American control testify to the aggressive appetites of an imperialist ruling elite that sees military force as the only possible solution to its deepening economic, social and political crises.
25 years ago: Military coup in Cote D'Ivoire

On December 24, General Robert Guei led a successful coup against the President Henri Konan Bedie of Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Guei and his military supporters arrested Bedies cabinet, but allowed the deposed president and his family to board a French helicopter to Togo. Additional government officials escaped by road.

Mutinying soldiers rioted in the streets, looting and stealing luxury vehicles and racing through the capital of Abidjan. Radio and TV stations fell under control of troops supporting the coup, and checkpoints were set up throughout the country.

Ivory Coast President Henri Konan Bedie [Photo by European Union, 2024 / CC BY 4.0

A principal demand of the mutinying soldiers was the release of political prisoners from the main opposition party, the Rally of the Republicans (RDR). After Bedie refused, Guei and his delegation told journalists that Bedie was no longer president. Soldiers immediately released the prisoners and opened the jails, causing a stampede that killed 24 inmates.

Although Cote D'Ivoire had a reputation as the most economically developed and politically stable of the former French colonies in Africa, the imposition of an IMF structural adjustment program had resulted in severe cuts in public spending and growing poverty levels. On the world market, the price of cocoathe main ingredient in chocolate production and the major export of Cote DIvoirenosedived. The economic distress, combined with a government imposing a market privatization scheme, unleashed a farmers boycott on the selling of cocoa beans.

The deteriorating economic situation, strikes and protests, and widespread corruption sealed the fate of Bedie and his Democratic Party of Cote dIvoire (PDCI) ending almost 40 years of rule. Reports surfaced that crowds of people chanted No more Bedie and that soldiers had received general support from the populationan indication of mass hatred for Bedie and his ruling clique rather than overwhelming support for the coup leaders and the RDR.

Guei, who had been the countrys military chief from 1990 to 1995in which capacity he had been responsible for leading the torture of students involved in the protest movement of 1990announced a junta with himself as president. He swiftly guaranteed to carry on Cote dIvoires subordinate status to France and international finance capital. We are maintaining international agreements and they will be scrupulously respected, he said.

50 years ago: Battle of Phuoc Long announces final phase of Vietnam War

On December 26, 1974, major fighting began in the Battle of Phuoc Long in Vietnam between the northern Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the southern Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Phuoc Long was the first major battle in the Vietnam War after final withdrawal of US forces in March 1973. It proved a decisive victory for North Vietnam.

PAVN forces initially carried out many smaller operations in Phuoc Long province prior to launching the main siege on ARVN fortifications around Phuoc Binh, the capital of the region. Heavy fighting would last until January 6, 1975, when the ARVN troops withdrew and those remaining surrendered. With about double the manpower, the PAVN forces overpowered the southern army. The battle was the first in a series of swift victories for the North that would continue until the capture of Saigon and the reunification of Vietnam in April 1975.

North Vietnamese forces firing artillery in the early 1970s

Without the backing of the US military, Washingtons southern puppet regime teetered on the point of collapse. Throughout 1973 and 1974 skirmishes between PAVN and ARVN forces broke out along the front but did not develop into larger battles. Many of these were initiated as provocations by the South hoping to elicit a response from the North that would then force the Nixon administration to redeploy US forces.

North Vietnams selection of Phuoc Long, a relatively minor territory strategically, as the jumping off point of the final phase of the war was intended to test the waters and see if there would be a response by the White House, four months after Richard Nixon resigned and was replaced by Gerald Ford. In the battles aftermath, when it was clear that there would be no return of US military forces, the North began its preparations for the operations that would retake Saigon and finally remove the US-backed regime in the South.

75 years ago: South Korean Army massacres over 80 civilians in Mungyeong

On December 24, 1949, two platoons in the South Korean Army's 3rd infantry division committed a massacre of 88 unarmed civilians, including 32 children, in the city of Mungyeong, in the North Gyeongsang district of South Korea.

The victims were residents of the Seokdal village, killed for their alleged communist sympathies. The villagers reportedly did not welcome the presence of the soldiers who would later execute them. The community was branded a communist village.

One of the few survivors of the massacre, Eui Jin Chai, reported witnessing as a child the killing of nine of his family members on that day. Chai was left for dead under the corpse of his murdered older brother.

For decades, the South Korean military and government covered up the war crime, denying responsibility for it and presenting the slaughter as having been committed by communist guerillas. It was not until the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of 2007 that the Korean government would finally acknowledge the massacre as a clear illegal act in which the military indiscriminately and mercilessly massacred unarmed civilians without any selection process or legal basis.

Syngman Rhee

The Mungyeong massacre took place in the context of anti-communist repression under the government of Syngman Rhee, whose regime served as a client state of US imperialism in its intensifying Cold War against the USSR.

Rhee's dictatorship sparked mass opposition by the Korean working class, such as the Jeju uprising in April 1948, which was brutally put down with tens of thousands killed. The suppression of the Juju uprising served to normalize future massacres against those deemed by the state to represent any political opposition to it, including the villagers of Seokdal in 1949. In total, hundreds of thousands of Koreans, predominantly left-wing, were estimated to be murdered in the prelude to and the early days of the Korean War.

100 years ago: Mussolini accused of personally organizing violence

On December 27, 1924, the Italian newspaper Il Mondo published an open letter by prominent fascist Cesare Rossi that accused Benito Mussolini, the fascist leader and Italian prime minister, of organizing violence against his opponents. The letter cited documentary evidence to support these allegations.

Mussolini

Rossi had been an early companion of Mussolini in organizing the fascist movement. He was, like Mussolini, a socialist who had become a nationalist. He was a frequent contributor to the fascist daily Il Popolo d'Italia, was party boss in Tuscany and the head of the government Press and Propaganda Office after Mussolini came to power in 1922. He had played a major role in suppressing anti-fascist politicians after the 1924 election and was linked to the assassination of socialist opposition leader Giacomo Matteotti in June since one of his henchmen, Amerigo Dumini, had been a part of the group that carried out the murder.

The murder of Matteotti had shaken the country and the fascist regime itself and caused opposition parties to boycott parliament.

The Rossi letter deepened the crisis of the Italian state. Several days later, 30 leaders of the fascist paramilitary gangs met with Mussolini and told him that if he didnt suppress enemies of the regime, they would do so. Mussolini would later admit that he could have been overthrown by a coup at that time. He maneuvered, however, to allocate all power to himself and in a speech on January 3, admitted he was responsible for all violence and justified violence as necessary. It is from that date that his personalist dictatorship began.

Rossi was forced to flee Italy for Switzerland. He was lured back to Italy in 1928, when he was imprisoned and then exiled to a small island by Mussolini. The allies arrested him in 1943 but after various trials, including one for the murder of Matteotti, he spent the remainder of his life in freedom.
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Rivians factory in Normal, Illinois [Photo by Rivian]

Electric vehicle maker Rivian has agreed to a neutrality agreement with the United Auto Workers on union organizing at its plants contingent on the company achieving profitability, according to a report by Bloomberg News on December 19. The deal further reveals the degree to which the UAW apparatus works to defend corporate profit interests.

Since Rivians founding in 2009 the EV maker has never posted a quarterly profit, losing $1.1 billion in the third quarter of 2023 alone. It built just 57,000 vehicles in 2023.

The report of the secret deal follows the announcement by the Biden administration that Rivian qualified for a conditional loan of up to $6.6 billion dollars from the US Department of Energy for the construction of an EV plant in Georgia. Bloomberg previously reported that Rivians reluctance to cut a deal with the UAW had been one of the factors holding up the federal loan.

The Biden administration and the Democratic Party have promoted UAW and other unionization efforts to an unprecedented degree in recent years. The administration of UAW President Shawn Fainwhich came into office in 2023 posturing as militant reformersreciprocated with all-out backing for Biden and then Kamala Harris failed presidential campaigns.

The strategy of the Biden administration over the past four years has been to rely on the UAW and other union bureaucracies as a means of containing and suppressing the class struggle. The White House worked closely with Fain and the UAW apparatus to sabotage the struggle by Big Three autoworkers in 2023. Severely limited stand-up strikes which the UAW called at only a small number of plants resulted in contracts which have allowed the automakers to enact a wave of mass layoffs and terminations of temporary workers.

As of this writing neither Rivian management nor the UAW have commented on the reports of the agreement. Rivian stock, however, was up 4 percent on the report. The UAW had already formed an organizing committee among employees at Rivians electric truck and SUV plant in Normal, Illinois. The Normal operation employs around 8,000, the majority production workers.

The Rivian deal again reveals the alignment of the UAW apparatus with corporate profit interests. Rather than insisting that the interests of workers must take top priority, the union bureaucracy proceeds on the opposite basis, that workers livelihoods and safety must take a back seat to Rivians powerful shareholders such as Amazon and BlackRock.

Also notable, but not surprising, is that the UAWs reported deal with Rivian was reached entirely behind the backs of the workers it is nominally seeking to represent. This secrecy is in line with the typical conduct of the UAW apparatus.

Just last week, a federal judge in Detroit ordered the UAW to produce records and documents the union has been withholding in relation to an ongoing corruption investigation into Fains administration.

The brutal work regime at Rivian, including long hours, low pay and unsafe conditions, has undoubtedly created a mood of resistance among workers. There is a growing understanding of the need for collective struggle.

However, workers looking for a way to fight will not find it in the UAW apparatus. The record of the UAWs betrayals over the past 45 years has included the decimation of jobs and waves of factory closures in the auto industry, along with the elimination of defined benefit pensions, the spread of part-time and temporary work, stagnating pay and the end of the eight-hour day.

Whether or not the UAW establishes a presence at Rivian, workers at the plant will find they require collective organizations to fight for the interests of the rank and file.

The World Socialist Web Site and the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) call for the formation of rank-and-file factory committees independent of the bureaucratic UAW apparatus. These committees, democratically run by workers themselves, have been established by militant workers in a growing number of industries to map out a strategy to fight job cuts, oversee line speeds and health and safety, and counterpose the will of shop-floor workers to the dictates of management.

Reports of injuries at Rivian: Cracked skull, amputated finger, vomiting Rivian blue

Workers at Rivian have ample reason to organize a fight back, confronting intense exploitation and working conditions that have resulted in numerous safety citations.

An October report in Bloomberg provided an extensive account of injuries at the plant, including: A cracked skull. A foot fracture. A back laceration so severe it required surgery. An amputated finger.

The Bloomberg report noted that Rivian had more initial safety violations categorized as serious (21) than any other US auto company, despite the fact that it only has one plant.

Many injuries are also not reported, sources told Bloomberg. One former employee was quoted as saying that said she complained to doctors last year of vomiting bile with a Rivian blue hue after painting automobiles without a respirator.

The worker said she was assigned to the paint room for about $23 an hour plus benefits, spraying the vehicles, eight hours a day, six days a week.

She said that she was given a polyester suit, rubber gloves and plastic goggles. Within weeks she complained of dizziness and was soon also suffering nausea, diarrhea and weight loss and was forced to leave her workstation often to use the bathroom. She asked for a respirator, but management refused, telling her it was uncomfortable and hot.

Only after she went to see a doctor about symptoms including blue tinged vomit did management finally relent. A complaint reported to OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) was dismissed after the company filed a rebuttal.

The worker was eventually terminated, the company citing a lack of documentation to justify her absences for illness, Bloomberg reported.

In other incidents the article recounts, a worker at the paint shops entrance suffered a lower back laceration that required hospitalization and surgery. Two months later, an employee working on an electric delivery van suffered a finger amputation when struck by a control handle. The next month, a workers skull was fractured when they hit their head and fell.

The report additionally pointed to several instances of safety issues involving forklifts. According to an OSHA report in September 2023, a forklift driver suffered foot fractures from contact with a structure, while another suffered traumatic injuries when a tugger was hit by a forklift. OSHA also reported the unsafe practice of pushing empty carts by bulldozing them with forklifts.

UAW bureaucracy facilitates low wages at EV battery factories, mass layoffs at assembly plants

The UAW apparatus sees the unionization of Rivian workers primarily as an opportunity to increase its dues income.

Talk from UAW President Shawn Fain about a just transition to electric vehicles has not been based on the premise of defending the existing jobs and pay scales of UAW members, but rather on ensuring the corporate competitiveness of battery plants and other EV production facilities. To this end, the UAW has agreed to substandard pay and benefits at a number of facilities in exchange for union recognition.

In a statement reporting the high injury rate at the Normal factory, the UAW criticized Rivian for not following the example of its corporate partner Volkswagen in agreeing not to contest unionization, citing the joint statement issued by VW with the UAW touting their many common goals.

In its most recent contract offer to Chattanooga workers VW offered a 14 percent raise over four years, far below even the totally inadequate 24 percent raise contained in the sellout agreement the UAW negotiated with the Detroit automakers in 2023.

Earlier this year Volkswagen invested $5 billion in Rivian to partner in the development of software for electric vehicles. In November, VW upped its stake to $5.8 billion and said it was forming a joint venture with Rivian.

Similar to the UAW bureaucracys role in the US, the German union bureaucracies and corporatist works councils are collaborating with VW management to 35,000 jobs and impose wage freezes in order to boost profits.

The kind of deal that the UAW plans to impose at Rivian can be seen in its recent agreement with Stellantis to unionize the companys joint venture battery operation with South Korea-based Samsung SDI in Kokomo, Indiana.

Construction site of new Stellantis-Samsung electric battery plant in Kokomo, Indiana

Part of the arrangement involves a leasing agreement with Samsung SDI. Nearly simultaneously the Department of Energy approved a $7.5 billion loan to assist the Stellantis-Samsung battery joint venture. In what amounts to a quid pro quo, the UAW is actively recruiting laid-off Stellantis workers for the plant. Simultaneously the UAW agreed to suspend its Keep the Promise campaign it had launched last summer against Stellantis, which was aimed from the beginning at heading off boiling rank-and-file anger over mass layoffs.

The UAW has put up no opposition as Stellantis has slashed thousands of jobs, nearly 4,000 just since September, including at the companys Kokomo operations. The Stellantis Tipton Transmission plant has been put up for sale, with the threatened loss of 1,000 jobs. At other Stellantis transmission plants in Kokomo 387 supplemental workers were fired earlier this year.

A significant factor in the recent announcement by Fain that the UAW was suspending its Keep the Promise campaign was the unionization agreement with Stellantis covering the Kokomo battery plant.

Conditions at the Kokomo battery operation are abysmal. Workers are subjected to rotating 12-hour shifts to ensure the plant can operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are reports of abuse of immigrant workers. Both immigrant and native-born face low pay, $19 per hour, and degrading conditions such as lack of running water and safety equipment, with workers being subjected to skin irritation and rashes from hydraulic washers splashing chemicals. There are also reports of frequent fires.

A member of the Stellantis Kokomo Rank-and-File Committee told the WSWS that the UAW was doing the job of the human resource department by blackmailing laid-off Stellantis workers to go to work at the Samsung SDI battery plant, even though the pay is lower, and a union contract is not in effect. The worker said workers are being told that if they turn down work at the battery plant it is the equivalent of a quit and they lose all rights, including state unemployment benefits as well as company paid supplemental unemployment benefits.

The arrangement established by the UAW with Stellantis in Kokomo is in line with deals it has made with GM and Ford in relation to EV plants set up by those companies.

In June, the UAW agreed to a sellout deal at the Ultium Cells battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio. The factory is a joint venture between General Motors and South Korea-based LG Energy Solution. The contract locked in a pay scale lower than under the national UAW-GM contract, setting a precedent for all electric vehicle workers. It also set a contract expiration separating Ultium Cells workers from the national UAW-Big Three contract.

In 2023, Ford granted the UAW the ability to organize workers at the battery plant it is supposed to be building in Marshall, Michigan, under the expedited card check procedure, foregoing a union election. The deal is based on the understanding that workers at the plant will earn near-poverty wages, according to a document submitted to the state legislature, which has provided huge tax breaks and incentives to underwrite the project.

Objective conditions are forcing workers from the Big Three to Rivian to the auto parts companies into struggle to defend their jobs, living standards and safety conditions against intensifying management attacks. But to secure their interests workers must establish militant organizations of their own: rank-and-file committees. Such committees are fighting to oppose the interests of shop floor workers to the dictates of management, both corporate-controlled parties and the UAW bureaucracy as part of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File-Committees.

Work at Rivian? Join the rank-and-file movement for workers interests! Fill out the form at the end to discuss getting involved with the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees. Your identity will be kept confidential.
Ganja is a small but incredibly charming town in Sicily, which in 2014 was recognized as "the most beautiful small town in Italy". This historic place is known for its stunning views, but behind the attractive facade lies a dark history of the mafia.

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The history of Ganja dates back to ancient times. According to legend, it was founded by the Cretans around 1200 BC. Here you can see many historical sights, such as medieval and baroque churches, a castle on the top of a hill, and even underground passages. Experts told why Ganja is worth visiting.

Unfortunately, Ganja has not benefited from tourism as much as other coastal towns and villages in the country: the population has declined mainly due to the outflow of young and ambitious people moving to metropolitan areas such as the nearby center of Palermo.

It was this trend that prompted the then-mayor Giuseppe Ferrarello to introduce the One Euro Houses program, offering buyers the opportunity to renovate dilapidated properties at their own expense.

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Ganja is a great option for a Christmas trip. Every year, this area attracts visitors due to the large-scale live nativity scene that is organized in the center. The theatrical performance, which involves several hundred actors, takes the audience on a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem and tells the story of the biblical events.

However, Ganja has not always been a quiet idyll of winding streets and grand facades. In fact, the town was once a notorious mafia hotspot and went down in history as the "site of the Ganja siege" in 1926. At that time, the fascist prefect and former policeman Cesare Mori occupied the town. Many mafia members fled Sicily to the United States and Argentina, which led to the growth of organized crime in these regions.

Ganja is located on a hill, so it offers incredible panoramas. From here you can see endless olive groves, vineyards, and mountains. Ganja offers stunning views of Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. The ancient castle on the top of the hill is one of the main attractions of the region.

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Ganja is famous for its architecture. Narrow cobblestone streets, and old houses with flowering balconies create a unique charm. The village has many beautiful churches, each with its own unique history. Tourists are advised to visit the Church of the Mother of God and the Church of St. Nicholas.

The underground passages of Ganja are a real adventure. Here you can see the tomb of Chiesa Madre Gandhi, where the mummies of priests are lined up along the walls of the crypt.

As you might expect from an Italian town, there is also a wide selection of traditional dishes, with classic pizza, pasta, calzones, arancini, and mastacutte.

The traditional Sicilian way of life has been preserved in Ganja. Here you can taste the local cuisine, meet the hospitable locals, and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of real Italy.

Subscribe to OBOZ.UA channels in Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events.
Late Sunday night, the unions covering rail workers offered to abandon all substantive industrial action in their ongoing wage dispute, if the New South Wales (NSW) Labor government agreed to drop its legal case against the union and make public transport fare-free until a new enterprise agreement is approved.

Sydney train guard checks station platform [Photo: RTBU NSW]

This peace offering from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) and other associated unions would have represented the liquidation of workers struggle against Labors real-wage slashing pay increase proposal of 9.5 percent over three years. It violates the determination of workers to fight, expressed in two emphatic strike ballots, including one just last week.

This is a warning for rail workers that the union bureaucracy is preparing to push through a sell-out deal that will leave them falling further behind the soaring cost of living and do nothing to improve their conditions.

The Labor government refused the offer, with NSW Premier Chris Minns declaring today he was drawing a line in the sand. The governments case to suspend or terminate all industrial action by rail workers will be heard tomorrow by the Fair Work Commission (FWC).

Under Australias draconian Fair Work Act, the FWC can order an end to industrial action on the grounds that it so much as threatens to harm the economy. The NSW government will argue specifically that rail workers industrial action could cause significant economic harm, in particular to large hoteliers and other businesses as well as threats to public safety on New Years Eve.

Continuing a media-backed campaign of blatant propaganda against rail workers, Minns said this morning, Nothing is off the table, includingI hate to say this, but includingcancelling the fireworks or recommending that people dont go to the city during New Years Eve.

The governments supposed safety worries are utterly bogus. In December 2019, Sydneys fireworks proceeded amid high winds, while bushfires raged throughout the state. Every year since, the event, typically attended by more than 1 million people, has gone ahead under conditions of a global pandemic that has claimed more than 25,000 lives in Australia alone.

So too the professions of concern over the impact to public amenity. Last year, Sydneys T3 Bankstown train line was shut down on New Years Eve due to planned track work. Now, the line is totally out of action for at least 12 months, as it is being converted for the driverless Metro system.

Underscoring the pro-business character of this attack, several major hospitality corporations have filed submissions in support of the governments FWC case.

It should be noted that the substantive actions the government is complaining about have in fact not been reinstated by the rail unions since they were paused on November 21, and union officials have vowed that disruption on New Years Eve will be minimal.

Despite this, Labor ministers and newspaper headlines alike have blamed rail workers for hundreds of cancelled and delayed trains over the weekend.

It is entirely probable that this situation was deliberately engineered by transport authorities, which for months have plastered Sydneys trains stations with signs warning of major disruption due to industrial action. It is worth recalling that the only time in recent years that the citys rail network has been brought to a complete halt, other than by malfunctions, was when the entire workforce was locked out on February 21, 2022, and accused by the Liberal government not only of striking, but of terrorist-like activity.

Workers have reported on social media that they were sent home upon arriving for their shifts over the weekend, because they were participating in the limited work bans and other protected industrial actions that are currently in place.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the RTBU said Sunday nights offer would enable there to be minimal disruption on New Years Eve and throughout the remainder of the festive season.

In other words, the union promised to give the government exactly what it wanteda ban on any disruptive industrial action over the Christmas-New Year period and beyondwhile workers received little more in exchange than the right to keep wearing union T-shirts while the bureaucracy sells them out behind closed doors.

The conception that a temporary loss of fare revenue would pressure Labor to agree to a better pay deal is a lieeven the governments likely inflated estimated cost of $127 million per month is a drop in the ocean compared with the states annual budget of more than $120 billion.

The RTBU leadership is promoting this illusion, as it has done in previous disputes, in an attempt to shut down workers demands for strikes and other substantive industrial action. Significantly, in this case, the union has offered up an olive branch under conditions where there is substantial and growing hostility among workers to the Labor government.

The union leadership was compelled by this anger to announce on Friday that it would suspend any support for the NSW Labor Party, insofar as it relates to the NSW parliamentary Labor Party.

Even on its face, this statement was effectively a pledge to continue supporting the party in every other jurisdiction, under conditions where Labor governments are slashing wages and attacking workers democratic rights throughout the country.

But the RTBUs attempt to paint the actions of the state government as an aberration was further exposed this morning, as Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged his unequivocal support for the attack against rail workers.

Albanese said: The Minns Government are being reasonable and we support their actions, I know its before the Fair Work Commission tomorrow and I hope that provides some resolution.

The fact that the RTBUs supposed falling-out with NSW Labor was followed just two days later by an offer to liquidate the struggle of rail workers exposes its utterly fraudulent character.

Whatever the outcome of tomorrows hearing, Sundays grovelling capitulation demonstrates that the union bureaucracy has no intention of leading a fight against this Labor government, which has launched an all-out assault on workers basic rights, in order to impose deepening real wage cuts.

This has been clear throughout the present dispute, in which the union has repeatedly allowed the government to avoid industrial action by temporarily providing free fares or 24-hour train service.

The RTBUs initial claim to be fighting for an 8 percent per annum pay increase has given way to a backroom deal in November to finance wage rises by identifying and abolishing waste throughout the rail agencies. In other words, in line with Labors policy, even the tiniest improvement to the existing offer would be paid for through cuts to jobs and conditions elsewhere in the organisation.

The current operation follows a long history of sellouts by the RTBU bureaucracy.

In 2022, the union sidelined workers for months while it engaged in multiple court cases, then forced them to conduct an additional protected action ballot over a plan to switch off fare collection machines. This proposed action was ultimately never carried out, serving instead as a pretext to shut down virtually all other industrial action by rail workers.

With workers cut out of their own struggle, the union leadership pushed through a wage-slashing deal, based on a phoney promise that larger pay rises would be delivered through the industrial courts after workers signed off on the rotten agreement.

In 2018, the RTBU imposed a meagre 3 percent pay rise, along with job cuts and numerous attacks on workers conditions. Despite the overwhelming demand from workers, the bureaucracy called just a single 24-hour strike, which was designed from the outset to be banned by the FWC.

Four years earlier, the union pushed through an agreement with a nominal wage rise of just over 3 percent per annum, along with productivity savings, that is, cuts to jobs and conditions. These included the abolition of longstanding clauses prohibiting forced redundancies and salary reductions for redeployed workers.

Along with this filthy record, the RTBUs offer to shut down industrial action on Sunday night illustrates the urgent need for workers to break the shackles of the union bureaucracy and take matters into their own hands.

Rank-and-file committees, democratically led by workers themselves, must be built in every rail depot and workplace. Through these committees, workers can prepare demands based on their actual needs, and a plan of action to fight for them, including strikes, not mere stunts. This will likely require a fight against Australias repressive anti-strike laws.

Rail workers are under attack from a Labor government that is utilising every mechanism of the capitalist state, including the industrial courts, to slash their wages and shut down their fight.

This cannot be defeated from within the stranglehold of the unions, which were centrally involved, along with successive Labor governments, in drafting the harsh industrial relations laws now being levelled against rail workers. Moreover, the unions have consistently enforced these draconian measures and relied upon them to suppress workers struggles.

Nor can this attack be fought off by rail workers alone. Through rank-and-file committees, they can make a powerful appeal to broader sections of workers, who all confront an assault on their wages, working and living conditions at the hands of pro-business Labor governments at state and federal level.

This includes the 80,000 building workers whose workplace democratic rights have been obliterated by the federal Labor governments administration of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union.

It also includes the hundreds of thousands of public sector workers across NSW, who all face the same wage-slashing government deal and whose struggles have been systematically sabotaged and undermined by the union bureaucrats that claim to represent them.

The entire working class must defend rail workers, including through the establishment of rank-and-file committees and joint strike action throughout the public sector. If it is allowed to stand, Labors attack will serve as a precedent to be used against any and all industrial action.

Above all, workers are in a struggle against capitalism. This poses the necessity of fighting for a socialist perspective and to place railways and other vital public assets, as well as the banks and major corporations, under public ownership and democratic workers control, to be run in the interests of social need, not private profit.
The scenes that took place in Magdeburg on Friday evening were gruesome. A large BMW SUV raced several hundred meters through the cheerfully celebrating people in the crowded Christmas market, killing five and injuring 200, 40 of them seriously.

Policemen patrols a Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, December 21, 2024. [AP Photo/Michael Probst]

The massacre is reminiscent of the attack on Berlins Breitscheidplatz eight years ago, where a truck raced into a Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 48. Only that this time the perpetrator is not a jihadist, but an Islam-hater and supporter of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The assassin was well known to the authorities. Several warnings had been received about him, he had repeatedly come into conflict with the law, had left a broad trail on social media and had hinted at his deed and carefully prepared it. But because he did not shout Allahu akbar, but agitated against the alleged Islamization of Germany, the warnings were not taken seriously.

The now 50-year-old Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen came to Germany from Saudi Arabia in 2006 to complete his medical studies with a specialist training. Since then, he has lived in Germany. He worked in several cities, since March 2020 as a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy at the state-owned Salus Clinic Bernburg near Magdeburg. There he supervised addicted offenders in involuntary treatment.

In 2016, Abdulmohsen successfully applied for asylum. He justified his request by saying that he was persecuted in Saudi Arabia because he had turned away from Islam and helped women to flee the country. A cultural attache at the Saudi embassy warned him that he was threatened with execution in his home country.

According to Spiegels research, the Rostock District Court had already sentenced him to a 90-day sentence three years earlier for disturbing public peace by threatening crimes. The reason is said to have been threats he had made because his medical education was only partially recognized.

In May 2019, the F.A.Z. had a two-and-a-half-hour telephone conversation with Abdulmohsen. Although it became clear that, as the F.A.Z. writes today, he was a driven man and jumped from one topic to anotherhis deep aversion to Islam, the dramatic situation of Saudi Arabian women, his family who had rejected himthe newspaper published a long interview with him in June 2019. It appeared under the headline: I am the most aggressive critic of Islam in history.

Abdulmohsen portrayed himself as a champion for the rights of Arab women and told horror stories about fathers who abuse and murder their daughters. The F.A.Z. does not seem to have checked what was fact and what was invented. In any case, the interview fit perfectly into a political atmosphere in which all parties fomented resentment against refugees and Muslims, and the short-term opening of the borders in the summer of 2015 was declared the original sin of German politics.

Abdulmohsens Twitter/X account, which already had 15,000 followers in 2019, developed accordingly. While he had initially railed against Islam and the Saudi authorities, he felt increasingly persecuted by the German authorities, whom he accused of Islamising Germany.

Germany is hunting Saudi asylum seekers inside and outside Germany to destroy their lives. Germany wants to Islamize Europe, said the English-language short biography of his X account. He fiercely attacked even refugee organizations that seek help for religiously persecuted people. For example, he accused Secular Refugee Aid Germany of misuse of donations and corruption.

The traces that Abdulmohsen left behind online in recent years give disturbing insights into a world disconnected from reality, reports Der Spiegel. Abdulmohsens role models: Elon Musk, the US agitator Alex Jones, the right-wing extremist Briton Tommy Robinson. He openly sympathized with the AfD and dreamed of a joint project with the largely right-wing extremist party: an academy for ex-Muslims. He called for the death penalty for former Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In August 2023, he threatened to kill Germans indiscriminately on his X account, the cover of which is decorated with an automatic handgun: A purely philosophical questionnaire: Would you blame me if I killed 20 Germans indiscriminately because Germany is taking action against the Saudi opposition? The entry was deletedprobably by himselfbut copies were retained.

In May 2024, he spoke on X in Arabic of a war with the German authorities and announced that it was likely that I will die for it later this year. He also repeated this in private messages with other X users, which Der Spiegel was able to view.

Most recently, Abdulmohsen wrote up to 250 messages per week on X, in which he portrayed himself as a fervent supporter of the AfD and posted video excerpts of an Islamophobic account. Ten days before the crime, he threatened in Arabic that the West only understood carnage and violence. He added, Those who do not blow up and kill are not respected by the Germans.

Eight days before the crime, an Islamophobic US blog published a video interview with Abdulmohsen. In it, he accuses the German state of conducting a covert secret operation to hunt down and destroy the lives of Saudi ex-Muslims worldwide. At the same time, he said, Syrian jihadists were granted asylum in Germany.

According to Spiegel, the Saudi intelligence service warned the German Federal Intelligence Service about Abdulmohsen three times in 2023 and 2024. The warning is said to have been about the post, in which he threatened that Germany would pay a price. The warning also reached the police. According to Welt, however, the State Criminal Police Office in Magdeburg and the Federal Criminal Police Office came to the conclusion that there was no concrete danger from him.

Abdulmohsen apparently carefully prepared the attack himself. A few days before, he stayed in a Magdeburg hotel, probably to explore the area. For the attack, he rented a heavy, powerful BMW and advanced via the only access road to the Christmas market, which was not secured by barriers and could only be reached via a pedestrian zone. After the attack, he returned to the main street, where he was stopped and arrested by the police.

Before details of the attack were known, right-wing extremists tried to exploit it for their own purposes.

Elon Musk, who had called for support for the far-right party a few hours before the attack with the words Only the AfD can save Germany, demanded the immediate resignation of Chancellor Olaf Scholz in response to the attack, whom he called an incompetent fool and an incompetent idiot. He also shared an article that linked the events in Magdeburg to mass immigration.

Even after the perpetrator was identified and his right-wing extremist, Islamophobic attitude known, the AfD is trying to exploit the terrible attack for its reactionary purposes. Party leader Alice Weidel intends to take part in a demonstration in Magdeburg today, Monday.

Sahra Wagenknecht, whose party is in no way inferior to the AfD when it comes to anti-refugee agitation and the call for law and order, called on the German government to finally present a convincing security concept with a clear focus on protecting the population.

The political background of the Magdeburg attack shows that right-wing extremism, anti-refugee agitation and terrorist violence against the population go hand in hand. Of course, the personality of the perpetrator plays a role in such terrible massacres. But political hatred and paranoia can only lead to such a monstrous crime in a sick society where violence and killing people have become the norm.

In the Mediterranean alone, the European Unions inhumane closed-border policy from January to November of this year has claimed 2,000 lives, six a day, not counting the undeclared figure, in the last 10 years, there have been almost 31,000 deaths. In Gaza, several Magdeburgs have been taking place every day for 14 months, when Israeli fighter jets bomb homes and refugee camps, killing children and women indiscriminately. And in Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of young men are being sacrificed for a war that serves the imperialist powers of NATO.

The established parties responsible for this policy also bear responsibility for the Magdeburg disaster. They defend a sick capitalist social system that can only survive through war, oppression, social cuts and intensified exploitation. As a result, fuses are short-circuiting more and more often, as in the US, where school shootings are now commonplace.

This development can only be stopped by building a movement that unites the working class across all borders and fights for a human, i.e. socialist, society.
The new generation of the famous Renault Clio is in the final stages of development. The low-cost model of the French company is expected to be released by 2026. The network showed this car in a completely different form with a bright modern design.

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Motor1 also showed its version. The assumptions are based on inspiration from the company's current models. Partly by the flagship Rafale crossover. So, large elements of geometric shapes, narrow lighting, and broken lines are needed.

Of course, there is no hope that by 2026 the European car will have only gasoline modifications. The new 6th generation Renault Clio is expected to be offered in hybrid and possibly electric versions.

Renault had previously planned to completely abandon internal combustion engines in the European market by 2030. Electric cars need to be made cheaper through new designs, efficient mass production, and cheap batteries. An expanded range is also being prepared.

The automaker is working to reduce the cost of batteries by 65% by 2028. This is expected to make EVs more affordable.
Costco's food court is a godsend for families and individuals seeking a wallet-friendly bite on the go. A $1.50 hot dog or $2 slice of pizza makes the perfect bribe for the kids before a two-hour sojourn in the endless maze of the warehouse, and the ice cream sundae with a warm, oversized chocolate chip cookie on the side is a hard-to-beat snack for the drive home. In the United States, Costco's food court items are foods most would consider squarely American: pizza, sandwiches, salads, chicken bakes, soda, coffee, and sundaes.

However, Costco currently operates stores all over the world. While many food court items found in the U.S. can be found overseas, the international stores also have some wild food court offerings that put the U.S. food courts to shame. Some, like Canada's poutine, are designed to mimic the local cuisine, while others don't make as much sense for the locations (looking at you, chili cheese fries in Taiwan)  but if Costco's behind them, we want to try them no matter what. From fish and chips to bulgogi pizza, here are 11 Costco food court items outside the United States that have us drooling.

Read more: 25 Most Popular Snacks In America Ranked Worst To Best

Meat Pies (Australia)

Costco meat pies and other food items on kitchen food warmer - randysexcellentadventure8463/YouTube

Variations of meat pies are common in many cultures around the world. These savory pies typically consist of a puffy, golden pie crust stuffed with loads of gravy, veggies, and a filling like chicken or beef, but recipes and ingredients vary widely. In Australia, you'll often find the country's national favorite condiment, vegemite, in the mix, but that's not the case with the meat pies served at Australian Costco food courts. Costco food courts in Australia serve Aussie steak pies bursting with savory gravy and juicy steak for AUD 7.99 (or roughly USD 5.09).

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The retailer's 300-gram meat pie can be topped with ketchup and relish. The sizable steak pie has a gorgeous, flaky, puffy, golden-brown crust enveloping an interior consisting of large chunks of steak swimming in piping hot dark brown gravy. Considering the pie's contents, it appears large enough to reasonably split between two adults, but these meat pies look so tasty that it'd be understandable if shoppers don't want to share. The Aussie steak pies look like they'd fill you up and warm you from head to toe, and we are begging Costco U.S. to get these to our food courts ASAP.

Poutine (Canada)

Closeup of Costco fries loaded with gravy and cheese curds - mnjfoodlife702/TikTok

U.S. Costco members living near the Canadian border are in luck as long as we're talking gravy. Costco Canada's dining court not only serves french fries (a luxury that eludes the states) but also fries with the option of gravy or Canada's unofficial national food, poutine. Poutine recipes can vary a bit, but at its core, poutine consists of fries topped with generous helpings of gravy and cheese curds. Costco food courts, well-known for simplicity in their offerings, provide exactly that.

By all accounts, the retailer's cafeteria french fries are very solid on their own, and when smothered with gravy and gooey, melty globs of mozzarella curds, it's like taking regular cheese fries and catapulting them to the moon. Are there better spots for poutine in the gigantic country? Surely. However, at CAD 5.99 (around USD 4.21), Canadian Costco food courts' poutine dish is a steal and well worth a try should you visit a location up north. Psst ... you can also get chicken strips with fries at Canadian Costcos  a dish which, despite fitting in squarely with American fast food options, is unavailable in the U.S.

Gelato (Iceland)

Iceland Costco menu signage featuring a gelato awning - 60lbackpack52/YouTube

Iceland seems to have it all  stunning hot springs, out-of-this-world Northern lights viewing, residents who consistently place near the top of the rankings in the World Happiness Report. However, there's one thing U.S. residents have in abundance that you'll be hard-pressed to find in Iceland: an abundance of Costcos. There is only one Costco in Iceland, and it's located just outside the capital city of Reykjavik. That said, the nation's solitary Costco store carries some incredible products, and its food court has one item that has American shoppers green with envy  an Italian-style gelato station.

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As is the case with many of the Costcos outside of the U.S., the Iceland store's food court also carries the standard pizza, chicken bakes, and so on. While Costcos in America do offer ice cream, as does the one in Iceland, Iceland's gelato offering looks to be far more sophisticated, with multiple flavor options available. Visiting the Costco food court may not be the first thing on your Iceland bucket list, but it seems well worth a stop if you're a die-hard member of the Costco cult.

Fish And Chips (France)

Order of Costco France's fish and chips in cardboard box with other food and drinks - samanthaperi4370/YouTube

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With only one store, Iceland may be one of the countries with the fewest Costcos, but France is ahead by just a nose with two warehouses in the entire country. For the record, neither store is in Paris  you'll have to travel outside the city of love to Pontault-Combault or Villebon-sur-Yvette for your French Costco experience. The French menus have several similarities to those of the U.S. food courts alongside a handful of unique items, namely a Cobb salad, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (for some reason), and a fish and chips meal.

Fish and chips have long been a favorite across the U.K. (and especially in Britain) and are not generally thought of as a French delicacy, but hey, it's probably not the weirdest thing you'll ever encounter in a Costco. Why the French Costco carries fish and chips while none of the U.K. stores seem to is a mystery beyond us, but we're drooling at the thought of the big box store's take on the classic dish. These battered fish and crispy french fries (American fries are called "chips" across the pond) can be yours for just a handful of euros.

Okonomiyaki Pizza (China)

Close up of Costco China menu signage featuring the pizza and fried chicken - DronePilotJourdan/YouTube

While Costco is certainly not the best way to sample all the incredible foods China has to offer, Chinese Costco food courts may just be the most diverse out there  at least when compared to those in the U.S. Costco cardholders in China have access to items like coffee, unique ice cream flavors, pork mooncakes, and red wine beef pie, but the item we're most anxious to try is Costco China's okonomiyaki pizza.

Okonomiyaki originates from Japan and is a popular dish in China and several other Asian countries. It's essentially a savory flour-based pancake crust finished with toppings of the vendor's choice  often proteins, veggies, sauces, and additional accoutrement. Sound familiar? Yep  it's sort of like pizza, and this was likely the thought process behind this unique addition to the menu at Chinese Costco food courts.

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Reddit users have found the dish specifically at Suzhou, China's Costco. The okonomiyaki consists of a crispy crust topped with octopus (umm, wow?!), corn, peppers, mayo, and bonito flakes (fermented, dried, and smoked skipjack tuna flakes). It's a world of difference from the greasy (albeit delicious) cheese and pepperoni slices offered at the American warehouse food courts, and might just be a good enough reason to add Costco to your China trip itinerary.

Bulgogi Pizza (Korea)

A slice of Costco Korea bulgogi pizza on white plate - cosmoproblems/YouTube

Just as Costco in Canada took a nationwide favorite dish and turned it into a food court staple, Costco food courts in South Korea sell a few food court items that give a nod to the country's rich culinary culture while replicating some of the comfort foods of the cafeterias found in the U.S. There's a pork bake in place of the American chicken bake, but the item that truly wows is the bulgogi pizza.

Bulgogi is a traditional Korean dish made by thinly slicing beef and leaving it to marinate in a mixture of soy sauce, sweetener (often honey or sugar), minced garlic, sesame oil, and in some cases, pureed Asian pear, which adds a nice acidity to the mix and helps tenderize the meat. Bulgogi is most commonly served over rice, but nowadays, it's possible to find this slightly sweet, umami-rich meat served over salads, in burritos, in bao buns, and now, atop pizza at the food court at Costco. If you enjoy variations on BBQ chicken pizza and have an affinity for the rich, unique flavors of Korean food, Costco's bulgogi pizza in South Korea is a must-have.

Clam Chowder (Japan)

Japan Costco's container of clam chowder with oyster crackers on top next to plate of half-eaten pizza - cosmoproblems/YouTube

Like many of the other countries mentioned on this list, Japanese Costco food courts serve up a menu closely resembling that of the United States, with a couple of twists  for example, while the famous Costco hot dogs in the U.S. are made from beef, you'll find all-pork hot dogs in Japan; and although both countries serve pizza, the offerings for American shoppers are stagnant while Japan's pizza options rotate throughout the year.

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One dining court menu item you can't find in the U.S. is  drumroll, please  clam chowder. As we've seen, although many international Costco food court items pay homage to the country's cuisine, there are a few options that seem slightly out of place, and clam chowder certainly falls into that bucket. Still, the clam chowder looks pretty darn tasty. The clam chowder appears nice and thick, loaded with seafood, and offers the option to add oyster crackers (a must-do for clam chowder) to the mix. While it would be cool to see some additional Japanese-inspired items in the Costco cafeteria in Japan, the clam chowder is certainly a unique addition to the menu.

Spicy Fried Chicken Bucket (China)

Blown-up food menu at China Costco food court - William Chan/Facebook

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Fried chicken can be found all over the world, but since the explosion of fried chicken-based fast food empires like Popeyes and Chik-fil-A, crispy fried chicken has taken on a distinctly American vibe  so naturally, upon learning that Costco food courts in China offer spicy fried chicken buckets, American Costco members went into a total frenzy. Costco has not offered an official explanation as to why its U.S. food courts aren't currently serving up fried chicken of any kind, but social media speculation indicates everything from rising costs to supplier issues to a fear of deterring customers from the store's popular rotisserie chicken.

Whatever the case may be, it doesn't appear that the United States will be seeing fried chicken in Costco food courts anytime soon, so for now, we'll just have to drool over China's spicy fried chicken bucket from afar. Costco China sells spicy fried chicken in buckets and offers a three or six-piece option consisting of thickly breaded fried chicken thighs and drumsticks (the spicy kick appears to come from an ingredient in the batter). If you've ever dreamed of roaming the kitchen appliances or clothing aisles at Costco and munching on a delicious, freshly fried drumstick, you'd better add a trip to Costco China to your (fried chicken) bucket list.

Cottage Pie (United Kingdom)

Close up of Costco UK menu signage featuring Aberdeen Angus Cottage Pie - Let Zee/Facebook

Shepherd's pie has to be one of the absolute best comfort foods of all time. A savory pie composed of creamy mashed potatoes sitting atop a medley of ground lamb and veggies with gravy, shepherd's pie will warm you to your bones on a snowy day  and, depending on how it's prepared, can be quite a nutritious meal. Cottage pie is almost the exact same thing; the main difference between shepherd's pie and cottage pie is that cottage pie is made with ground beef rather than lamb. In fact, many of the "shepherd's pies" seen in the United States are technically cottage pies, as beef is more readily available and affordable than lamb in the U.S.

Cottage pie is fairly simple to prepare at home, but Costco members in the United Kingdom have an even easier option: picking up some pipin'-hot-and-ready cottage pie from the Costco food court. Named the Aberdeen Angus cottage pie, this U.K.-only food court option consists of ground beef and veggies swimming in a rich, dark brown gravy, finished with a generous helping of mashed potatoes. While it may not be the easiest cafeteria item to eat during a shopping trip, the Aberdeen Angus cottage pie would certainly make for a delicious and filling dinner after shopping.

Chili Cheese Fries (Taiwan)

Taiwan Costco menu signage of chili cheese potato - Victoria Loomis Dorward/Facebook

If poutine is Canada's version of loaded fries, chili cheese fries must serve as the official loaded fry of the U.S. Chili cheese fries typically involve fries, cut into any fry shape  straight, crinkle-cut, waffle, whatever you like, which are then doused in gobs of gooey, melty cheese and topped off with a generous portion of chili. These fries are yet another staunchly American food item not currently available in United States Costco food courts (we don't even have fries, for cryin' out loud). Yet somehow, they've made their way onto the menu abroad.

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Costco food courts in Taiwan serve chili cheese fries, and the reviews from shoppers lucky enough to have tried this delicacy are raves. The hand-cut fries look thick and crispy, finished off with cheese, chili, and a sprinkling of raw chopped onions. A well-seasoned and balanced chili is, naturally, a huge part of executing a successful cheese fry, and word on the street is that the Taiwanese Costco food court's rendition is quite good. It's always amazing to try authentic local cuisine in other countries, but if you're traveling in Taiwan and need a little taste of the U.S., the Costco food court cheese fries seem like a great way to go.

Jalapenos Hot Dogs (Mexico)

Costco Mexico menu signage featuring hot dog with jalapenos - BostonVentures/YouTube

In the United States, Costco's $1.50 hot dog and soda combo is tough to beat. Honestly, it's tough to find any type of meal for under $5, so having such a delicious treat at an affordable price is a godsend. That said, longtime members of the big box retailer know that for $1.50, you're not getting anything too fancy  it's an all-beef hot dog in a bun with a toppings bar that includes ketchup, mustard, and relish (chopped raw onions were made available for a limited time, but those are long gone).

However, Costco food courts vary quite a bit when we journey outside of the United States, and while many other countries offer hot dogs, the available meat, buns, and toppings differ depending on location. Take a trip south of the border to one of Mexico's 40 warehouses, for instance, and you'll find a special jalapeno dispenser at Costco, perfect for topping off a hot dog (they also have the chopped raw onions, lucky ducks). The dispenser churns out slices of pickled jalapenos via a hand crank apparatus, allowing shoppers to dress up their hot dogs (and other food court items) with a bit of heat. Not only does a Costco hot dog with jalapenos sound fire, but this jalapeno dispenser sounds like a tool that really should be available at Costco stores worldwide.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.
Female friendship is a special bond full of support, understanding and unforgettable moments. Cinema has always skillfully conveyed these sincere emotions, creating films that inspire and delight.

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These films demonstrate the power of friendship, shared victories, overcoming difficulties, and even fun in the most ordinary situations. If you are planning to spend an evening with close friends, choosing the right movie can make it unforgettable.

Romance, adventure, drama or comedy - movies about female friendship are suitable for any mood. OBOZ.UA offers a selection of the best films that reveal the beauty of relationships between friends. Immerse yourself in the world of cinema that gives emotions and inspiration for your own friendship.

La Vie revee des anges, 1998

A French drama film directed by Eric Zonk, which has won numerous awards, including the Cesar Award for Best Actress. The plot centers on two young women, Isa and Marie, who are trying to find their place in the world, struggling with the challenges of living in modern society. The film deeply explores the themes of friendship, loneliness and self-discovery, leaving a lasting impression thanks to the actors' sincere performances and emotional intensity.

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Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

A drama film directed by John Avnet, based on the novel of the same name by Fanny Flagg. The film tells the story of the friendship between two women who support each other as they overcome the difficulties of life in the southern states of the United States in the 1930s. Through memories and contemporary events, the film explores the importance of human connection, self-respect and the struggle for justice.

How to Be Single (2016)

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A 2016 American romantic comedy that explores the lives of modern women in the big city, focusing on the theme of loneliness and the search for love. The film, based on the novel by Liz Tuccillo, offers the viewer a light and funny story about friendship, relationships and self-discovery.

The movie follows the lives of four friends in New York City, each of whom is looking for happiness in their own way. Alice, the protagonist, after breaking up with her boyfriend, decides to enjoy life to the fullest and discover herself. Her friends, Meg, Rosie and Lucy, also have their own stories of love and disappointment. Together they experience a variety of emotions, from joy and love to despair and loneliness.

The Heat, 2013

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A comedy action film directed by Paul Feig and starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. The film tells the story of the uneasy alliance between a serious FBI agent Sarah Ashburn and an impulsive Boston policewoman Shannon Mullins, who together investigate the activities of a dangerous drug lord. Their interaction, full of funny conflicts and unexpected twists and turns, becomes the basis for the development of a true friendship, despite the complete opposite of their characters.

Little Women (2019)

An adaptation of the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott, directed by Greta Gerwig. The film tells the story of the four March sisters - Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy - who are trying to find themselves and realize their dreams in the context of social restrictions of the 19th century. The film focuses on their family bond, their support for each other and their struggle to choose their own path.

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Thanks to the excellent acting of Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and Eliza Scanlan, the film received critical acclaim and Oscar nominations.

Booksmart, 2018

This is a bright comedy about two best friends who decide to catch up on everything they missed at school by celebrating before graduation. The film debunks stereotypes about nerds and popular kids, showing that everyone can be fun and spontaneous.

Me Without You (2001)

A British drama about a complicated friendship between two women that has lasted for over 20 years. The protagonists, Marina (Anna Friel) and Holly (Michelle Williams), go from teenage adventures to adulthood, facing trials that either strengthen or destroy their bond. The film explores the themes of jealousy, addiction, and attempts to find one's own identity in the shadow of a loved one. The realistic plot and emotional scenes make the film relatable to many viewers.

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The First Wives Club (1996)

The cult comedy about three women who unite after their husbands' infidelities. The heroines, played by the brilliant Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton and Bette Midler, decide to take revenge on their exes for their infidelity and indifference. The film skillfully combines humor, emotion and the theme of female solidarity. The plot demonstrates how the support of friends helps to overcome the most difficult periods of life.

Thelma & Louise (1991)

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Ridley Scott's cult drama that has become a symbol of women's freedom and independence. The main characters, Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon), embark on a journey that unexpectedly turns into a flight from the law after a tragic incident. The film touches on the themes of friendship, self-realization and the fight against injustice in a world dominated by male power.

Book Club (2018)

A comedy drama about four friends who start reading the book 50 Shades of Gray as part of their book club. This novel becomes a catalyst for changes in their lives, prompting them to take a fresh look at relationships, love and personal aspirations. The film combines humor and emotional moments, highlighting the importance of friendship and new beginnings in later life.

Where the Heart Is (2000)

A drama that tells the story of a young woman named Novalee who finds herself pregnant and homeless after her boyfriend leaves her. She finds shelter at Walmart, where she begins a new life, making friends and learning more about herself. The film shows the power of the spirit, the ability to change and the importance of finding support in difficult moments of life.

Subscribe to OBOZ.UA channels in Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events.
In the US, it's common for children to leave Santa Claus milk and cookies.

But this tradition looks different for children around the world.

In Ireland, some families leave Santa a pint of Guinness.

From the Yule Lads of Iceland to the traditionally green-clad Father Christmas of the UK, the Santa Claus Americans are accustomed to looks a little different throughout the rest of the world, and so do certain Christmas traditions.

While it's common for people around the world to leave their gift giver a treat for their arrival, the snacks and drinks vary.

Many American children, for example, are known to leave milk, cookies, and the occasional reindeer-friendly snack, such as a carrot, but it's common for kids to leave Santa Claus a stronger drink  like beer or wine  in European countries such as France and Ireland. And for children in Germany, snacks are skipped altogether in favor of handwritten letters.

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Whether you're looking to mix up your Santa's snacks or just learn something new this holiday season, here's a peek at how Christmas is celebrated around the world through 12 treats families leave for the man with the bag.

United States

Children in the US leave milk and cookies for Santa. rangizzz/Shutterstock

In the US, many children leave out a glass of milk and a plate of cookies for Santa.

Some families also leave carrots and celery for Santa's reindeer.

Australia

In Australia, children leave Santa beer. Reshetnikov_art/Shutterstock

Although Australians leave cookies for Santa to snack on, they replace the glass of milk with a cold glass of beer. December is actually summer for Australia, so the beer might be just what Santa needs in the hot weather.

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Ireland

Some children in Ireland leave a pint of Guinness. Frantisekf/Shutterstock

Some families in Ireland leave a pint of Guinness for Santa on Christmas Eve.

According to Culture Trip, children usually place the cold beer near the tree to offer Saint Nick a quick pick-me-up for the long night ahead.

UK

Children in England leave Father Christmas mince pies and sherry. Marbury/Shutterstock

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Like in Australia and Ireland, children in the UK also leave Santa alcohol.

Families believe Father Christmas needs some sherry to warm up on Christmas night. It's also tradition to pair the sherry with a mince pie.

The Netherlands

Some children in the Netherlands leave carrots in their shoes. Milos Ruzicka/Shutterstock

In the Netherlands, children often leave carrots and hay to help energize Sinterklaas's horses  yes, horses  on their trip around the world.

In some parts of Europe, like Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands, children don't believe Santa's sleigh is pulled by reindeer. Instead, they think he is being pulled by horses, so children leave food for them on Christmas Eve, and sometimes this food is left in their shoes.

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Argentina

Children in Argentina leave hay and water out ahead of Three Kings Day. ben bryant/Shutterstock

Rather than leave snacks for Santa, children in Argentina leave out hay and water for the Three Kings' horses. They also leave out their shoes, so their gifts can be placed in them, Ecela Spanish reported.

Children in Argentina usually receive their presents on January 6, Three Kings Day, which honors the day the Three Kings delivered their presents to baby Jesus.

Denmark

Children in Denmark leave their nisse rice pudding. Gaus Alex/Shutterstock

Kids in Denmark don't leave anything for Julemanden  the Danish term for Santa  to eat, but they do leave out treats for their nisse, or house elf.

According to Atlas Obscura, the Danish tradition calls for families to leave a bowl of risengrd (rice pudding or sweet porridge) out on Christmas Eve for the house elf.

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Sweden

Children in Sweden also leave out rice porridge. dimbar76/Shutterstock

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In 2017, then-press officer of the Swedish Embassy in Washington, DC, Kate Reutersward told NPR that her family would leave a bowl of risgrynsgrot (rice porridge) outside their door.

"The rice porridge is thickened with milk and flavored with cinnamon and a little salt. Some families add almonds, butter, jam, or molasses, but the traditional version doesn't have to be sweetend," she said.

Some families in Sweden may also leave Jultomte a cup of coffee.

Iceland

In Iceland, families leave the Yule Lads laufabrau. Elisa Hanssen/Shutterstock

Rather than Santa Claus, children in Iceland await the arrival of the 13 Yule Lads, who, beginning on December 12, each bring them a small present, Nordic Visitor reported. In return, families leave out laufabrau, which translates to leaf bread and tastes like a crispy wafer.

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France

Some children in France leave Pere Noel wine. New Africa/Shutterstock

In France, children leave Pere Noel wine and leave Gui, his donkey, treats like carrots or hay, which is left in their shoes, History.com reported.

Germany

In Germany, some children leave handwritten letters. Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

Germans have a Christmas angel, the "Christkind," instead of Santa Claus, and they don't leave any snacks.

Instead, they write the angel letters. Some families mail the letters ahead of the holiday, while others leave them out on Christmas Eve, History.com reported.

Chile

Pan de pascua is a traditional Chilean fruitcake. Ildi Papp/Shutterstock

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In Chile, children leave pan de pascua, a traditional fruitcake, for Viejito Pascuero, "Old Man Christmas." Some of the fruitcake's key ingredients are dulce de leche, rum, candided fruits, and nuts.

Read the original article on Business Insider
When you think of Jamaican cuisine, jerk chicken and goat curry might be two of the first dishes that come to mind. These crowd favorites are among the Jamaican dishes you have to try, however, Jamaica is a multicultural island that has much more to offer.

"Jamaican cuisine is influenced by many different cultures ...," Peter Ivey, founder of The Reggae Chefs and Mission:FoodPossible, told Tasting Table.

Indigenous Arawak, West African, Portuguese, Irish, English, Indian, and Chinese are among the cultures cooked into Jamaica's culinary tapestry, including the island's snacking culture. One example of this, Ivey notes, is the island's extensive sugar plantations and the importation of enslaved Africans gave way to several sugar-heavy snacks using leftover coconut and other creative combinations of sugar and nuts. Like these, most Jamaican snacks are intertwined with a unique story reflecting the Caribbean island's diverse roots and history. We teamed up with Ivey to come up with a list of popular Jamaican snacks you must try.

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Read more: 25 Most Popular Snacks In America Ranked Worst To Best

Patty

beef patties on black plate with one split by a fork - Ezume Images/Shutterstock

If you've ever mistook chickpea patties on the menu of a Jamaican spot for actual burgers, you'll soon learn that patties are not, in fact, burgers but an empanada-like snack that is everywhere across Jamaica. "We ... have the English pasty to thank for the ultimate Jamaican snack, the Jamaican patty," commented Peter Ivey. "Although the West African meat pie is a terrific contender for the inspiration of the meat and crust icon."

A traditional Jamaican beef patty recipe involves a flaky pastry stuffed with ground, seasoned beef. What sets a Jamaican patty apart from similar snacks like empanadas and spanakopita is its bright yellow pastry shell, which comes from turmeric and curry powders. The filling is made from ground beef, onion, Scotch bonnet pepper (another typical Jamaican ingredient), garlic, ginger, and various other spices.

This beloved snack is thought to have originated in Jamaica with the appearance of Cornish sailors who introduced the comparable Cornish pasty around the 1800s when they came to the island to trade other commodities. The Jamaican version holds its own, though, incorporating flavors of the other cultural influences on the island, such as the curried spices from India. Over the years, more inventive patty fillings have emerged. Chicken and vegetable patties are common finds, while some places, such as Jamaica's Devon House Bakery, specialize in even more niche patty varieties, such as goat curry, saltfish and ackee, and lobster, among other fillings that pay tribute to the favorite flavors of Jamaican food.

Festival

Three festivals on white plate - sockagphoto/Shutterstock

A Jamaican festival is a slightly sweet, deep-fried bread that is "uniquely Jamaican," according to Peter Ivey. The origins of Jamaican festivals can be traced back to the island's population of enslaved Africans during the 18th century. Cornmeal was a staple ingredient among the enslaved population. Some historic accounts suggest that they mixed the cornmeal with water and spices and fried it in oil, turning basic ingredients into a simple, filling food.

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Today, festivals are one of the most popular snacks and street foods in Jamaica, commonly sold at street vendors, and also served as a side dish. This starchy snack is made from wheat flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, water, and milk. The dough is fried until golden brown and crispy on the outside and light and fluffy inside. Despite its sweet flavor, a festival typically accompanies savory meals like jerk chicken and escovitch fish.

Festivals share loose similarities to plain donuts, are best enjoyed hot, and are the perfect bite to satisfy hunger on the go. Hellshire Beach in Jamaica is a great spot to sample festivals. Grab a stool at one of the brightly painted shacks, such as Aunt May's, and enjoy a festival and fried fish combination while watching the waves crash ashore.

Fried Plantains

Wooden bowl of fried plantains on cloth - Bhofack2/Getty Images

Although plantains likely originated on the Pacific island of New Guinea, plantains have been a prominent part of African cuisine for hundreds of years and were introduced to the Caribbean. Plantains were a cheap and filling food for the enslaved population, who commonly used techniques from back home to prepare them.

Today, plantains still play a starring role in Jamaica's cuisine as a well-loved snack or side dish. An important to know about plantains is that they should never be eaten raw. You can boil them, steam them, or mash them. In Jamaica, a popular way to prepare plantains is to fry them. Select ripe plantains, then peel, slice, and fry in a neutral oil until golden brown.

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The result is warm, bite-size plantains that are caramelized and crispy on the outside and warm and flavorful when you bite into them. Fried plantains are a snack enjoyed any time of the day on their own or accompanying dishes like ackee and codfish for breakfast or jerk chicken and rice for dinner. Enjoy them plain, or season the plantains with salt, Cajun seasoning, or even cinnamon. Add a dash of hot sauce for a sweet and spicy combo, or serve them on top of ice cream for dessert. However they're served, this versatile Jamaican snack is a must-try.

Banana, Cassava, Plantain, Or Breadfruit Chips

Cassava next to glass bowl of cassava chips - Sitepu.z/Shutterstock

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Like in many cultures, chips are a popular snack in Jamaica. Look twice, and you'll realize that the snack aisles are filled with more than just potato chips because Jamaica is home to many starchy fruits like bananas, plantains, and breadfruit, as well as root vegetables like cassava. Thanks to their starchy nature, these local crops are the perfect ingredients to make chips.

Peter Ivey said that while banana chips have a long history in Jamaica, these days, new varieties like cassava and breadfruit chips are coming on fast. Breadfruit is a versatile fruit that shares similarities with potatoes and is common in the South Pacific and Caribbean islands.

At grocery stores, gas stations, and street stands, bags of banana, cassava, and plantain chips are sold by brands like St. Mary's. Choose between plain, lightly salted, or other flavors like sour cream and onion and chili. Enjoy the crunchy snack on its own or with dips like guacamole or salsa.

Bun And Cheese

Stacked spiced bun slices with cheese in the middle and on the side - king wheeler/Shutterstock

Spiced bread, also known as Jamaican Easter spice bun, is an evolution of the British hot cross bun, which was traditionally served on Good Friday and Easter in the United Kingdom. The cross painted on the bun with flour is a literal representation of the bun's religious origins.

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The English introduced hot cross buns to Jamaica during colonization. Although they have evolved from their original form, this spiced bread is still popular at Easter celebrations. Spiced bun's essence comes from a blend of aromatic spices -- allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon  mixed with molasses (another common ingredient on the island, thanks to the abundance of sugar cane plantations). Dried fruits like raisins and cherries are commonly baked into the bread.

If you're truly going to enjoy it like a local, eat your spiced bun with a slice of yellow sliced cheese on top, an addition that transforms the spiced bun into the ever-popular bun and cheese. "The combination of spiced bun and cheese is an all-island favorite that is enjoyed all year round but explodes in popularity at Easter ...," Ivey shared. "The balance of the sweet taste of the bun combined with the salt of the cheese is what drives us Jamaicans crazy!"

Peanut Drops And Coconut Drops

Coconut drops on blue mat - Rick Laing/Shutterstock

An incredibly simple and tasty Jamaican treat is a peanut drop. This sweet snack is a combination of grated ginger, roasted peanuts, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar made into a hard candy. No need to save this treat for dessert. Enjoy it any time of the day.

Peanut drops are easy to make at home. Grated ginger and roasted nuts are placed in a pot of water. Once boiling, sugar is added and left to boil for an additional 50 minutes until the liquid reduces. Cinnamon, vanilla, and any other spices, such as nutmeg, cloves, and almond extract, can be thrown in. The sticky, thickened mixture is scooped out and shaped by the spoonful on a lined pan, where the candies will cool until they are at room temperature and hardened.

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Peanut drops are only one of several kinds of drops in Jamaica. Another popular variation is coconut drops, which are made from diced fresh coconut, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and sugar. Think of these drops like a spicy Jamaican version of a coconut macaroon.

Bulla Cake

Two ginger cookies on plate with star anise - MShev/Shutterstock

Similar to a cross between a cake and a cookie, bulla cake is made from spiced dough, in which ginger plays a leading role. Jamaicans take pride in the quality of ginger found on their island. When in Jamaica, it's common to hear its ginger referred to as the best in the world. While this assertion is debatable, the abundance of top-notch ginger has certainly found its way into many popular Jamaican recipes.

These affordable cakes are considered to be among the most popular street foods in Jamaica. Find them sold pre-packaged at most grocery stores and street stands as an easy-to-grab snack.

Bulla cakes are also easy to make fresh at home. Molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice are mixed together to produce a thick, fragrant, eggless dough. The dough is rolled out, cut into circular shapes, and baked. While you can spread jam or butter over the cake, to truly experience bulla cakes the Jamaican way, Peter Ivey recommends that you pair these gingery, bread-like pastries with avocados (locally known as pear).

Stamp And Go

codfish fritters close-up on plate - orenthomasphotography/Shutterstock

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Sometimes simply just called fritters, the stamp and go is a flat and fried salted codfish fritter. The unusual name is believed to come from British sailing ships in the 18th century. "Stamp and go" was an order to get something done quickly. Fittingly, stamp and gos are a popular roadside snack in Jamaica today.

This tasty fried snack is traditionally made with flaked salt cod, a fish sourced from the waters around Norway and other Scandinavian countries, but common in many of Jamaica's favorite dishes, such as Jamaica's national dish: ackee and codfish, which is a dish you might be served for breakfast in Jamaica. To make stamp and gos, the codfish is mixed into a batter with ingredients including escallion (Jamaican-grown green onion), thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper (another staple in Jamaican cooking), black pepper, and flour. The fritter is fried until its exterior is golden and perfectly crunchy and served with a spicy pepper sauce.

Stamp and gos are sold at cafes, reggae clubs, and food stands across Jamaica. At ital cafes  built on the plant-based food movement in Jamaica stemming from Rastafarian culture it is also common to see vegetarian versions of these fritters, such as using ackee  Jamaica's national fruit that made its way over to the island from West Africa likely around the 1700s and can't be imported to the U.S. -- in place of codfish.

Pepper Shrimp

Peppered shrimp on plate with lemon - gowithstock/Shutterstock

Peppered shrimp is a combination of some of the best flavors that Jamaica has to offer. The beloved snack is made from "a local technique of infusing Scotch bonnet peppers and other spices into shrimp," commented Peter Ivey. As you're exploring the island, you'll likely pass plenty of food stalls selling fresh produce, grilled fish, and big pots of boiled soup. Another common sight is bags filled with red shrimp  pepper shrimp, one of Jamaica's most popular street foods.

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Pepper shrimp originated in the parish of St. Elizabeth in the southwest of Jamaica, where the shrimp were originally caught in the Black River next to the parish. The shrimps are marinated in a mix of spices and herbs and then stewed until cooked and aromatic. Annatto powder is an important ingredient, as it gives the dish its bright red color. Garlic, thyme, onion, allspice, and, of course, Scotch bonnet pepper are other key ingredients in pepper shrimp, a spicy, flavorful snack to enjoy from a stand while road-tripping around the island or as an appetizer.

Tamarind Balls

Bowl of sugared tamarind balls - Yessi Frenda/Shutterstock

Tamarind balls are a sweet and sour snack -- and a favorite treat in Jamaica and other Caribbean cultures. Tamarind is a tropical fruit native to Africa and Asia that produces pods. The fruit has a distinct sour flavor distilled from its pods to make juice, sauces, and jams. While it might seem foreign and daunting to use initially, don't overlook tamarind and experiment with using it in different recipes. Remember, it is even a key ingredient in Pad Thai. In Jamaica, one of the most popular ways to use this fruit is to make round, sugar-coated treats known as tamarind balls that are as tarty as they are sweet.

You can find already-made tamarind balls in stores in Jamaica, which are an easy bite to pop into your mouth. However, they are also an easy treat to make at home. The most important ingredient, of course, is tamarind pulp, which can be bought in bulk or extracted fresh from tamarind pods. Sugar is mixed with the pulp until a thick dough forms. Using the dough, small balls are created by hand-rolling, and they are rolled again in granulated sugar. Enjoy them right away, or let them sit for a few hours or even overnight so the candy becomes firmer.

Gizzada

several gizzada pastries - Jamaican876food/Instagram

Also known as a Pinch Me Round, gizzada is a delicious Jamaican coconut tart that loosely resembles the Portuguese queijada. Its pinched, crispy pastry shell gave it its nickname "Pinch Me Round" and is filled with a sweet, dark brown coconut filling. Gizzada gets its color from the blend of spices and other ingredients.

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Like many of Jamaica's dishes, gizzada's origins come with a side of history linked to the many countries that passed through the island over the centuries. Rumor has it that this coconut pastry was first introduced to Jamaica by a Portuguese Jewish community, who began arriving on the island as early as the 1500s after fleeing religious persecution back home.

Gizzadas are a wonderful blend of textures  a crunchy crust and a soft, gooey filling. Grated coconut is cooked with brown sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, and butter to create a rich filling with a touch of spice. Enjoy as a post-meal dessert or a quick sweet treat any time of the day.

Toto

Stack of pieces of toto cake on white plate - Candice Bell/Shutterstock

Toto is a light, moist cake that incorporates the best of Jamaican flavors: coconut, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and to truly make it Jamaican, a hint of rum. This dangerously delicious coconutty, spice-infused cake is a popular addition to family gatherings, such as a Sunday dinner.

Toto has its origins in slavery in Jamaica. As the story supposedly goes, when slaves were hungry and not given enough sustenance after hard days of work on the plantations, they mixed flour, coconut, and molasses and baked the mixture by placing hot coals on top of a metal sheet.

Today, the recipe has evolved a bit and includes a few more ingredients than the original. Nonetheless, toto remains a popular family recipe that continues to be passed down between generations. This tasty cake is a testament to the endurance and diversity of Jamaicans  and, like many of the island's favorite dishes, is a fusion of culinary traditions.

Grater Cake

pink and white coconut grater cake stacked - cannolicrunch/Instagram

Also known as "sugar cake," grater cake was named after the process of grating coconut for this dessert. Less of a cake and more of a candy, this bright pink and white coconut sweet is a popular snack in Jamaica and across many of the Caribbean islands.

"My favorite Jamaican snack growing up was peanut cake and grater cake," Peter Ivey mentioned to Tasting Table. "These snacks are prevalent at street corners or intersections. Besides being sweet and crunchy, just imagine a vendor sprinting alongside a moving vehicle to collect money and give change ... What fun for a child to be a part of!"

The star ingredients in grater cake are fresh grated coconut, sugar, and water. Ginger, vanilla, almond extract, and other spices are optional add-ins to add depth to the flavor. Half of the mixture is kept plain, while the other half is turned into a bright pink hue. The pink color comes from either red food coloring or a natural coloring ingredient, such as beetroot powder. The pink and white coconut mixtures are layered on top of each other to create this simple, tasty snack that is an ode to the abundance of sugar cane plantations on the island.

Sweet Potato Pudding

Slice of sweet potato pudding - Hope Phillips/Shutterstock

This Jamaican favorite features grated sweet potatoes, coconut milk, and plenty of warm baking spices. The flavors share some similarities with a sweet potato casserole in the U.S., but Jamaican pudding's texture is quite different  a mixture of a dense yet moist cake-like dessert. "It's not soft and gooey like the American variety but more like a moist bread-like pastry," said Peter Ivey. He noted that cornmeal and bread pudding are other popular types of pudding.

Sweet potato pudding is a staple on Jamaican holidays. Try your hand at making pudding on your own. Modern ovens have expedited the original process of cooking sweet potato pudding, which traditionally required putting hot coals on top of and below the pan to cook it.

The first step is to grate the sweet potatoes, which is essential to ensure you get the best texture. Mix cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, sugar, salt, and rum into coconut milk. Gradually add the milk mixture and flour to the sweet potatoes. Lastly, stir in the butter. Pour the batter into greased baking pans, sprinkle the top with raisins, and bake until it passes the toothpick test. Enjoy with whipped cream, ice cream, or simply on its own.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.
For Allison Hong Merrill, the holiday season is tinged with memories of rejection. Nearly 30 years ago, on Chinese New Years Eve, she returned from college to her village in Taiwan with a bold announcement. Then 21, she told her father she intended to leave the university to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To Hong Merrills father, the decision was unthinkable  she had secured a coveted spot at the university in Taipei, a rare and prestigious achievement. How could she possibly throw that away? By the end of their heated exchange, he disowned her and ordered her never to return home.

Three years later, married and living in Texas, she experienced yet another life-shattering rejection. While she was out with a neighbor, her American husband of 16 months emptied their apartment of all their belongings and vanished. Having recently arrived from Taiwan, she had relied on him to interpret for her and to navigate social interactions on her behalf. It was a week before Thanksgiving, and Hong Merrill found herself completely alone in a foreign country, barely able to speak English.

In the aftermath, she grappled with the immediate challenges of survival  finding a place to live, buying groceries, figuring out what came next. But these rejections also compelled her to confront a deeper struggle of reclaiming her identity and self-worth. With her roles as a wife and daughter stripped away, and no one left to speak for her, Hong Merrill asked herself: When everything else is gone, who am I and where do I truly belong?

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Searching for the answer, she resolved not to be voiceless anymore. So she began writing.

Utah author Allison Hong Merrill poses for a portrait in her office at her home in Orem on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News

Her memoir, Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops, was released in 2021 and went on to win more than 60 awards, including the grand prize of the 2021 Millennium Book Award in the U.K. and the grand prize in the 2022 Shelf Unbound Indie Best Contest.

Most recently, shes part of a new book with an eye-catching title: The Not-So-Secret Lives of REAL Mormon Wives, published in November by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, the largest independent Latter-day Saint publisher. Hong Merrill is one of eight women who contributed stories from the perspective of faithful Latter-day Saints. Among others are the fashion designer Fernanda Bohme, mental health educator Ganel-Lyn Condie and podcaster Caroline Melazzo.

Hong Merrill told me she hasnt seen the Hulu show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives  after reading reviews, she opted not to watch. But she welcomed the chance to share her story in the book, which set out to offer a true representation of what it means to be a successful Mormon wife, according to Emily Clark, the acquisitions and marketing manager at Cedar Fort who curated and edited the stories for the book.

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In her chapter, Hong Merrill writes about her parents Armageddon-like fighting while growing up in a slum village in Taiwan, her troubling divorce, and how, as a 13-year-old, for the first time in her life, she could envision the possibility of unconditional love and acceptance after meeting Latter-day Saint missionaries.

On that Chinese New Years Eve, after the fight with her father, she could only cling on to her faith. She wrote: If I walked alone, should I still walk? Yes. I knew how to be alone. I knew how to move in the dark. I kept walking.

Allison Hong Merrill, left, pictured with a younger sibling in 1981. Merrill is an award-winning author from Utah who was born in Taiwan. | Hong Merrill family photo

Who am I?

Growing up in Taiwan in the 1970s and 1980s, Hong Merrill, 51, was steeped in a culture that prioritized male authority and lineage, where men made decisions and dictated the order of society. The Chinese saying translated as heavy male, light female encapsulated the view that mens souls were heavier  or more significant  than womens, she told me. Women were to live by three obediences: to their father, their husband, and sons in widowhood. Hong Merrills parents regretted they didnt have a son, and they didnt hide their disappointment from Hong Merrill and her three sisters.

During one Chinese New Year celebration, she recalled squatting with other girls and women in the kitchen, waiting for the men to finish their feast, prepared by the women, who would later eat the mens leftovers. On another occasion, Hong Merrills grandmother banned her from joining her male cousins when they went to the store to get snacks, simply because she was a girl. These experiences of being treated as second-class contributed to her shaky sense of self-worth. I was a person, but I was not treated as a person, she said.

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The patriarchal dynamics amplified the turbulent environment in her home. Her mother would leave Hong Merrill and her younger sister alone at home for hours without food, toys or clean clothes, Hong Merrill told me. In the morning, she would walk past me out the door and she would leave as if she never saw me, she said. She doesnt remember her mom ever hugging her.

Her father drank and once chased her mother into an alley with a butchers knife in hand. He blamed her for not giving him a son and thus ending his bloodline. Hong Merrills mother, who died in 1997, would leave him, then return, and the cycle would start over again. Watching her parents tumultuous relationship, Hong Merrill wondered: Why cant women be happy like men?

Yet, she also recalled clinging to a more hopeful insight from Chinese culture  a teaching of the Chinese philosopher Confucius that resonated with her: under the heavens, there is but one family.

When Hong Merrills father met Latter-day Saint missionaries in Taiwan, he expressed no interest in the church. But Hong Merrill, who was then 13, saw in the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints something shed never had before.

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I grew up in a home with no love and no warmth, but when the missionaries came to my home, it looked like the sun was behind them, she told me. Then I thought: I want that. I want the feelings that they brought to my family. Hong Merrill and her sisters went on to convert to the church.

But Hong Merrills conversion, and later the decision to serve a mission, precipitated a rift from her father. After passing the National University Entrance Exam, she was among the top 20% of high school graduates on the island  those who got to go to college. Abandoning this opportunity was disgraceful to her father. But she did not foresee how drastic their fallout would be over her decision to go on a mission. I expected him to be furious, but I didnt expect him to disown me, she told me. That night, out on the street, Hong Merrill looked for coins in pay phone slots in order to find a place to go for the night.

Next, she had to figure out: If I was not his daughter anymore, then who am I? Am I not a child anymore?

Allison Hong Merrill, pictured at 15 years old before her baptism in Hualien, Taiwan, Nov. 20, 1988. | Hong Merrill family photo

No longer voiceless

With the help of church members, she went on to serve a mission in Taichung, Taiwan. Since college, shed maintained correspondence with a former missionary shed met as a university freshman in Taipei. After her mission, Cameron  a pseudonym she used in the memoir for privacy  invited her to continue her schooling at a university in Texas, where he was studying (she has kept out the name of the school for privacy reasons). Securing a scholarship, she moved to the United States and they were married in 1996.

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Initially, Hong Merrill struggled adjusting to life in a new country with a new language. Her husband, who spoke Chinese, interpreted for her and communicated on her behalf in social situations. It was a convenient arrangement, or so it seemed at first. Conversations often happened around her, yet not with her, leaving her feeling lost and insecure. Theyre laughing. Are they laughing at me? I dont know, you know? she told me. She had a story, but she wasnt the one telling it. I thought, OK  I dont want other people to tell my story, she told me.

Sixteen months into the marriage, the couple had a heated fight. Looking for a friend to confide in, Hong Merrill went to visit a Taiwanese neighbor. When she returned two hours later, her apartment was eerily silent. She flipped the light switch, but the light wouldnt come on. In the darkness, she could make out the austere contours of the space. The apartment was empty  furniture gone, except the bed; Cameron  gone. He had moved out, she learned shortly after, turning off electricity, ending the apartment contract and turning in the key to the manager.

I thought: This cant be real, Hong Merrill recalled. It was so surreal. After trying to get cash from their joint account, she discovered that Cameron transferred all their money to another account. He even served her a restraining order. She later wrote about coming to terms with her new status: penniless, homeless, family-less, soulless ...

In her solitude  again  Hong Merrill was confronted with the grief of abandonment. She was at the crossroads. I felt like I was being thrown into the swimming pool and metaphorically I had to learn how to stay alive on my own because nobody was coming to save me, she told me. In this crucible of hardship, she turned to her faith: People can fail you over and over again, but only God can provide the kind of help that is lasting.

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Yet, helpers along the way embraced Hong Merrill. An older couple from Utah who served a mission in Taiwan invited Hong Merrill to live with them and integrated her into their family  this was my first experience feeling loved as a child, she wrote in her book. Hong Merrill eventually transferred to Brigham Young University, where she went on to study Chinese. In 2016, she earned a masters degree in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Rachel Rueckert, a fellow memoir writer whos gotten to know Hong Merrill through a writing group, told me she recognized parallels between Hong Merrills turbulent upbringing and the early life of Tara Westover, the author of Educated.

Cedar Forts Emily Clark called Hong Merrills writing absolutely exquisite. She painted such a vivid and sad picture but then she was able to take it and slowly weave in hope as her story went on, Clark told me.

And this hope isnt just a narrative device  its who Hong Merrill is every day.

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Allison walks into a room and you feel her presence and her love, Rueckert told me. You would never guess the things that she has overcome. During a challenging time in Rueckerts life, Hong Merrill gave her an hourglass for one-hour writing sprints. She tries to create the world that she wants to live in, and that world is better for all of us to live in, Rueckert said.

Allison Hong Merrill, pictured on the bottom row, forth from left, in Hualien, Taiwan, 1979. Merrill is an award-winning Utah author who was born in Taiwan. | Hong Merrill family photo

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A devoted parent is self-made

How did Hong Merrill achieve forgiveness, or at least some form of letting go, after all these years?

Ive learned that I would do myself a disservice if I keep waiting for my dad or for Cameron to come and apologize to start the process of forgiving them, she said. She wouldnt let them dictate the terms of her forgiveness, she explained. If I do, Im giving them way too much power to control me, she said. They are holding my peace hostage.

After the divorce, she no longer had contact with Cameron. But if she did, shed send him blessings because thats what I want people to say to me if I had accidentally offended anyone.

As for her father, Hong Merrill helped him and her sisters immigrate from Taiwan to the U.S. They now live in Utah, but Hong Merrill and her father are still not on the best terms. She tells me, semi-jokingly, that she kind of respects that hes stuck with his views. But shes also still a little surprised by his unflinching disapproval after all these years, even after Hong Merrill brought him over to the U.S.

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She got married again in 1998 to a man she met while teaching Chinese at the Missionary Training Center in Provo  he taught Japanese. For her new family, she was determined to create a childhood  and a life  that was vastly different from her own. Along with her husband, she raised three sons, now in their 20s. When they were younger, she was often the first one in line to pick them up from school. She made sure to be there for them both emotionally and physically, offering the stability and care she said her own parents never provided. Shes now a grandmother, with a second grandchild on the way. Even though I wasnt privileged to grow up in a loving home, I had a choice to become a future mother who gives that blessing to her children. A devoted parent is self-made, she wrote in her memoir.

Celebrating the power to speak

She now writes from her home office in Orem, with a sign behind her desk that reads: Be obsessed with love and kindness. With her writing, she has weathered rejection  the manuscript for Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops, which went on to collect dozens of awards, garnered 149 rejections from agents during the query process. But she didnt take the rejections personally  writing is an art, while publishing is a business, she said. Every story, if you just tell it the best you can, write it the best you can, you will have an audience to receive your work, said Hong Merrill, who published the memoir with a hybrid publishing house, which combines aspects of both traditional and self-publishing.

Hong Merrill is at work on two new books, including a novel she envisions as a prequel to her memoir. It draws on the genealogy work she began in Taiwan after joining the church, tracing her ancestry to a secret society of princes from 800 B.C.

Shes the hardest working writer I have ever known, said Rueckert. And she fought very hard for everything that she has.

Hong Merrills creative drive, she told me, comes from the same longing she had experienced as a little girl  to be seen and acknowledged, her experiences affirmed. Ive always had to prove to people that Im right here, that I have worth, she said. Now shes celebrating her power to speak and is determined to make sure her voice endures. Writing down her story, she explained, is like carving into a tree trunk: Allison was here.
Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival, and MSC Cruises all regularly call on Roatan, Honduras, despite the US State Dept. issuing a Level 3: Reconsider Travel advisory for the country.

In fact, multiple cruise ships visit Roatan most days, and the cruise lines have not made any effort to curtail excursions that leave the walled-off port area. Passengers can leave that closed-off section on foot or take local transportation despite the travel advisory, which make the dangers in Honduras very clear.

Related: US shares travel advisory on 2 more Caribbean cruise ports

"Violent crime, such as homicide, armed robbery, and kidnapping, remains common. Violent gang activity, such as extortion, violent street crime, rape, narcotics, and human trafficking, is widespread. Local authorities may lack sufficient resources to respond effectively to serious crime incidents," the State Department advisory reads.

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The advisory does offer some solace for Roatan visitors.

"Around resort areas in the Bay Islands, which include Roatan, Utila, and Guanaja, there is a concentration of resources, and these areas are better policed," it added.

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Roatan has a closed off cruise port area.Image source: Daniel Kline/ComeCruiseWith.com

Roatan tour operator pushes back

The State Department did, however, warn that in some areas, the law literally does not apply.

"In December 2022, the Government of Honduras declared a 'State of Exception' in response to high levels of extortion and other crimes. The declaration remains in effect and has been modified to include more cities. It allows the police to suspend constitutional rights in 226 of the countrys 298 municipalities," it shared.

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That's both troubling and comforting, given that, if you do choose to leave the port area, heavily armed soldiers are very visible.

None of the major cruise lines that call on Roatan have changed their port schedules. In addition, one popular operator of excursions in Roatan, AT21 Tours Roatan, has issued a letter trying to reassure visitors.

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AT21 TOURS Roatan General Manager Bryan Tejada posted the letter on his company's Instagram page.

"We understand that recent news regarding a U.S. Department of Justice advisory for Honduras may have raised concerns about your upcoming trip. However, its important to note that Roatan, where you will be visiting, is fundamentally different from the mainland of Honduras, both in terms of safety and overall travel experience," he added.

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Roatan is an island

In many ways, Tejada is making the same argument Royal Caribbean (RCL) makes when it defends continuing to make port stops at its Labadee, Haiti, private destination, despite Haiti being under a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory.

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Basically, both the cruise line and Tejada try to separate their destination from the problem areas.

"Roatan is one of the Bay Islands located about 40 miles off the northern coast of mainland Honduras. It is a well-known tropical paradise, celebrated for its vibrant coral reefs, pristine beaches, and welcoming local communities. Tourism is the lifeblood of the island, and local authorities work closely with law enforcement and tourism organizations to ensure it remains a safe, secure, and enjoyable destination for visitors," he added.

Tejada also makes a distinction that goes beyond what the State Department said about Roatan.

"The advisory youve read pertains to the mainland, where certain challenges exist in areas far removed both geographically and contextually from Roatan. In contrast, Roatan has a strong focus on maintaining its reputation as a premier tourist destination, which includes heightened safety protocols in areas frequented by visitors," he added.

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The general manager did share a basic warning.

"That said, as with all travel (regardless of destination), we always recommend that visitors exercise basic precautions, such as safeguarding personal belongings and being aware of your surroundings. These are simply common-sense measures that help ensure a seamless travel experience," he wrote.

ALSO READ: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise

Tejada expressed that he does not believe Roatan visitors are in any danger.

"Thousands of visitors safely enjoy the island every year, finding not just the stunning landscapes but also warm and friendly locals who make their visits special. Were confident that your visit to Roatan will be everything youve hoped for and more," he closed with.

Are you taking a cruise or thinking about taking one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to have all your questions answered.
Do you know a student special enough to join Northwood High School's Morgan Daigle as a Louisiana Young Hero?

Louisiana Public Broadcasting is seeking nominations for its 2025 class of exceptional youth, and the deadline is early next year.

LPB defines its Young Heroes as those who have "excelled in academics, given significantly of themselves through public service, overcome adversity, exhibited extraordinary heroism or inspired others through their deeds and strength of character to become better students, persons, and citizens," according to a news release.

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'A well-rounded kid': Northwood High student honored in Young Heroes group by LPB

'No worries': ASH valedictorian named one of only 750 recipients of Gates Scholarship

Anyone  parents, teachers, guidance counselors, principals, family or friends  can nominate a Louisiana high school student who either is enrolled in a school or homeschooled and who is 18 and younger.

Online nomination forms and supporting documents can be submitted at lpb.org/heroes. The deadline for entering is March 2, 2025. Previous Young Heroes are not eligible.

"It's our privilege to honor young people from around our state as Louisiana Young Heroes each year, and it's incredible to think that since 1996, we have helped tell the stories of 230 remarkable students through this statewide program," said LPB President and CEO C.C. Copeland.

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For information, call either 1-800-272-8161, ext. 4274, or (225) 767-4274. You also can email heroes@lpb.org.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: See how to nominate a Rapides student for LPB's 2025 Young Heroes
ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4)  A woman is in the hospital with critical injuries after her car left the roadway and wound up in a ravine, according to officials.

According to Lt. Cam Roden with the Utah Highway Patrol, a 32-year-old woman was driving northbound on I-15 near mile marker five when the crash occurred around 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 22.

1 killed, 2 hospitalized after driver runs red light in West Valley City

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Roden told ABC4.com that the driver took an exit, but went off the road for an unknown reason. The driver continued on through the intersection when she hit a barrier. Her car continued down a ravine and landed on its top.

The driver was taken to the hospital with critical injuries, Roden said. Officials did not provide further details about the driver or her condition.

There is no further information at this time.

Connor Comeau contributed to this report.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
MALAKOFF, Texas (KETK)  A Sunday house fire has left one person dead in Malakoff, according to Malakoff Police Department Chief Floyd Thomas.

East Texas firefighter loses home in Sunday fire

Chief Thomas said the deceased was identified as Gloria Arvizu and that the fire happened at 803 W. Mitcham St. in Malakoff.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  The Metro Nashville Police Department is investigating a stabbing in South Nashville overnight that reportedly sent one person to the hospital.

Officials were called to the 100 block of Lafayette Street to a reported stabbing around 12:11 a.m. on Monday.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime-related reports from across Middle Tennessee

According to Metro police dispatch, one person was injured and transported to a nearby hospital.

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No additional information on a suspect or the victims condition was immediately released.

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 Find todays top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee.

This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.

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Tyson Fury's (34-2-1, 24 KOs) trainer SugarHill Steward realized that his client would lose the rematch to Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) before the last round of the fight. In the break between the 11th and 12th three minutes, the American urged his boxer to act actively to take the victory.

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The Sun tabloid writes about this and quotes a Detroit specialist. The steward demanded that Fury give 100% and not stop for a moment. In addition, the American demanded that the Gypsy King, as the British boxer is called, not forget about defense.

"You have to accept the situation. There is no tomorrow, do you hear me? There is only now. This fight is fucking close, you have to beat this bastard. You have to keep moving, keep your fucking feet moving. Keep your fucking hands up and give it your all. Tyson, you hear me? You're going to have to take it, don't be stupid, but you're going to have to take it," Fury's mentor said.

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As a reminder, all three judges of the Usyk vs. Fury 2 fight gave the victory to the Ukrainian boxer with a score of 116-112. In addition, it became known what result was recorded by artificial intelligence.

Ex-champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) gave his version of the rounds. And the legendary Lennox Lewis admitted that he was not impressed with the fight.

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This angered Tyson, who called himself the strongest with a difference of at least three rounds. The Briton also staged a demarche after the fight.

At the same time, impressive statistics of the opponents' punches in the fight were published. And the photo showed what Fury's face looked like after 100 missed punches from Usyk.

After the victory, the Ukrainian boxer decided on his next opponent and also made a confession about the rematch with Tyson.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, Paris Fury's reaction was caught on camera when Oleksandr was announced the winner of the rematch with Tyson. In addition, the rematch was found in a famous cartoon.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
DENVER (KDVR)  Wheat Ridge police are investigating a deadly crash on Kipling Street Monday morning.

At around 9:30 a.m., Wheat Ridge police officers were investigating a serious crash at West 44th Avenue and Kipling Street. The intersection is east of Prospect Lake.

See the latest traffic conditions in Denver on FOX31

Wheat Ridge police released a few details about the crash but said one person was killed and two others were hospitalized in critical condition.

Police said Monday morning that the intersection will be shut down for hours and drivers are asked to avoid the area. At about 3:10 p.m., the intersection was reopened to traffic.

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The crash is still under investigation.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
QUINTON, Ala. (WIAT)  A man was shot and killed at his home in Quinton on Friday, according to the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office.

At around 8:15 p.m. Friday, the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office responded to a report of a person shot in the 2700 block of McCarty Town Road. After arriving at the scene, deputies discovered an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound. Copeland Fire and Rescue pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.

18-year-old injured in Hoover shooting

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The victim was identified as Floyd John Franklin, 64.

The suspect has been identified as Alexander Nalley, 32. Nalley has been charged with Intentional Murder with no bond. He is in custody of the Jefferson County Jail.

Anyone with information pertaining to this case is encouraged to contact the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Authorities are searching for three suspects in connection with a shooting in North Nashville Sunday night that left one person seriously injured.

According to Metro Nashville dispatch, the shooting was reported shortly after 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 22 from the 2400 block of 26th Avenue North.

Woman charged with attempted murder after fight in North Nashville

Law enforcement told News 2 officers at the Metro Nashville Police Departments North Precinct heard the shots and came down to the scene, where they saw a man lying on the ground.

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Police said the victim was brought to a local hospital, where he is undergoing surgery.

Officers at the scene said theyre looking for three suspects, one of whom had a long gun. Authorities believe the suspects had a car waiting on a nearby street because theyre no longer in the area.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

News 2s crew saw officers looking around the apartments in the area where the shooting took place Sunday night, as well as a vehicle with window damage from gunshots.

No additional details have been released about this incident.

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 Find todays top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee.

This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
A contractor for Amtrak removed the final ruins of an 1866 rail bridge from the Susquehanna River last month, despite opposition bolstered by a startup that argued the 10 remnant piers should have stayed due to their historical proximity to the Underground Railroad.

In a news release last week, Amtrak hailed the removal of the final remnant piers last month as a critical early step in its $2.7 billion project to replace its current bridge, which was built in 1906, over the Susquehanna River.

Opponents who wanted to see the piers preserved described their demolition as wasteful spending to destroy what they described as monuments to a pivotal time in U.S. history.

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The piers were left over in the Susquehanna from an older rail bridge that opened in 1866, shortly after the Civil War ended. The main structure of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Bridge was dismantled for scrap during World War II, though the piers remained in the water until being removed over the past several months.

Amtrak had argued that the 1866 bridge piers needed to be removed to begin work on the megaproject of building a new bridge, which the federal passenger rail corporation says will enable high-speed rail at top speeds of 160 mph.

The railroad also claimed that the derelict piers were an impediment to boaters, and there was little objection to removing the piers throughout a yearslong planning and review process.

But as construction work began, starting with the demolition of the 1866 piers earlier this year, some vocal opposition, bolstered by rail startup with ambitious plans to privatize Amtraks busy Northeast Corridor, demanded a halt to their removal.

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Some officials in Harford County and Cecil County joined AmeriStarRails call for the piers to remain intact, echoing the rail startups cofounder, Scott Spencer, in arguing that the piers were historically significant and tied to the Underground Railroad.

Despite the rail bridge opening after Maryland abolished slavery and the end of the Civil War, Spencer argued that the piers bore silent witness to enslaved people on the final steps of their final journey across the Mason-Dixon Line to freedom while under construction.

He also said its completion after the Civil War symbolized unity of the North and the South, and provided transportation to newly free Black Americans.

Spencer said Monday that he was saddened by the destruction of the pilings, which he called the largest group of surviving structures that were related to the Underground Railroad and the Civil War.

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Several experts on local Underground Railroad activity interviewed by The Baltimore Sun said they couldnt see a solid connection between the bridge piers and the Underground Railroad, noting that enslaved people mostly crossed the Susquehanna River by boat and that construction of the bridge had little overlap with slavery in Maryland.

The state found in a 2006 preservation review that while the pilings had a unique history related to 19th century transportation, they lacked historic integrity as the bridges entire superstructure had been removed.

Public input during Amtraks review process favored clearing the piers from the landscape. And a review during the decade of planning for a new rail bridge found little connection between the pilings and the Underground Railroad, which mainly involved enslaved people crossing the Susquehanna by ferry on the journey to freedom.

The National Park Service has already designated a ferry landing site on the east side as part of their Network to Freedom due to its well-documented history of Underground Railroad activity.

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Spencers firm had pitched its own bi-level replacement to Amtraks bridge. That plan, conceived after a decade of planning for Amtraks replacement project, would have left the piers intact and was supported by Perryvilles mayor and commissioners.

Spencer said Amtraks reasoning for removing the piers was misleading because they were not necessary for the new bridges construction or in the way of boaters, and described their destruction as an unfortunate example of wasteful spending.

He said money spent on demolition could have gone to critical infrastructure like securing tracks to avoid train fatalities like two seen last week.

Some of the opposition to the piers being removed came too late. Spencer shared a letter he received from the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture expressing the state commissions strong support for halting demolition.

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The letter, penned by commission chair Maya Davis, was dated last Thursday, after all of the pilings had been removed.

Preserving these piers is essential for honoring the legacy of those who risked everything for freedom, commemorating the resilience and courage of those before us, Davis wrote.

Amtrak said in a statement that it had salvaged some original stones from a few piers and delivered them to municipal officials in Havre de Grace and Perryville. The stone blocks were made of locally sourced granite from the nearby Port Deposit quarry, the rail corporation said.

The project team, including Amtrak contractor Fay Construction, had also installed bird deterrent nets on the piers to avoid disrupting nesting of migratory species, they said. Major construction on the new bridge is expected to begin in mid-to-late 2025, Amtrak said.

Have a news tip? Contact Dan Belson at dbelson@baltsun.com, on X as @DanBelson_ or on Signal as @danbels.62.
Ten members of the same family have been killed after a private jet crashed minutes after taking off in southern Brazil on Sunday, Dec. 22.

A statement released on the LinkedIn page of business consultants Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that company CEO Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, 61, died in the crash alongside his wife, three daughters, and other family members.

Company director, Bruno Cardoso Munhoz Guimaraes, was also listed as dead, per the release.

MATEUS BRUXEL / AGENCIA RBS/AFP via Getty Firefighters and other rescue teams work in the site of a plane crash at the city of Gramado Firefighters and other rescue teams work in the site of a plane crash at the city of Gramado

Luiz Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable careers as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados, the statement read.

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In this moment of immense pain, Galeazzi & Associados is deeply grateful for the expressions of solidarity and affection received from friends, colleagues and the community. We also sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the region.

MATEUS BRUXEL / AGENCIA RBS/AFP via Getty Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

Related: Pilot and Passenger Survive After Their Plane Crashes on Busy Road and a Photo Captured Their Stunned Reaction

According to the statement, the crash occurred in the mountain resort town of Gramado in southern Brazil. The aircraft was bound for Jundiai near Sao Paolo, around 700 miles to the north.

The jet reportedly hit the chimney of a building, then crashed into a house, a furniture store and a hotel as it fell, per the BBC. The devastation caused great commotion, according to the familys company statement, which confirmed that the organization would fully cooperate with the investigation into the crash.

MATEUS BRUXEL / AGENCIA RBS/AFP via Getty Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil,

Local authorities reported 17 people on the ground were injured in the accident, including two in serious condition, according to the BBC.

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Rio Grande do Sul state governor Eduardo Leite told a press conference that the aircraft had taken off in unfavorable weather conditions, the BBC added.

The plane reportedly flew for 3km (1.8 miles) before falling into the urban area of the city just minutes after take-off on Sunday morning, Leite added.

Related: 9 People Missing After Small Plane Crashes in Remote Mangrove Forest: Reports

"At the time, it was revving up. You could see that it was accelerating a lot," eyewitness Nadia Hansen told Reuters, according to the BBC.

"Then there was a bang as it hit the building and then it passed close to my house and then it fell, and I thought it had dropped in front of the house," she added.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Leite also said that the cause of the accident was being investigated by Brazil's Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa).

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The country's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva  who recently underwent emergency brain surgery  sent his condolences to the families of the victims in a post on X.

I hope that the injured have a speedy recovery. The Air Force is investigating the causes of the accident and the federal government is at the disposal of the state government and local authorities to clarify the situation as soon as possible, he wrote in an English translation of his post.



Read the original article on People
CHICAGO  A 14-year-old boy was injured in a drive-by shooting on the citys Southeast Side.

The shooting happened just before 10 a.m. Monday on the 8000 block of South Escanaba Avenue in the South Chicago neighborhood.

Police said the 14-year-old was walking when an unknown black Nissam Altima approached him and someone inside opened fire. The vehicle then fled southbound on Escanaba Avenue.

The boy sustained gunshot wounds about the body and was transported to Comer Childrens Hospital in serious-but-stable condition, according to police.

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Boy, 16, fatally shot on South Side

No one is in custody. Area Two Detectives are investigating.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH)  Fifteen people are displaced after a fire at a multi-family home in Hartford early Monday morning, fire officials said.

Fire officials responded to the fire in the area of Adams Street. When fire officials arrived at the scene, they encountered the fire primarily on the first floor.

Multiple people displaced following fire in Ansonia

A person was evaluated at the scene and taken to the hospital, fire officials said. The extent of the injuries is not known.

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No firefighter injuries have been reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The American Red Cross is working to assist with the displaced families.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  2025 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.

We remember and honor those 168 who lost their lives on April 19, 1995, when a bomb went off in front of the Murrah building in downtown Oklahoma City.

168 Days to remember those lost in the OKC bombing: Peter L. DeMaster. Image courtesy Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum.

We want to remember Peter L. DeMaster, while honoring those who survived and thanking those changed forever.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) believes that the fight between Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) and Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs), which took place on December 21, was incredibly close. The Briton called our compatriot the winner, giving him a minimal advantage.

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This was reported by the British edition of The Independent. Joshua was an independent expert of the DAZN video platform, which broadcast the rematch between Usyk and Fury to the whole world, and kept his own round count. As a result, Anthony came up with an incredible final score  115:114 in favor of Oleksandr.

Joshua's scorecard by rounds:

Round 1: Fury

Round 2: Fury

Round 3: Usyk

Round 4: Usyk

Round 5: Fury

Round 6: Usyk

Round 7: Usyk

Round 8: Usyk

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Round 9: Fury

Round 10: Fury

Round 11: Usyk

Round 12: draw 10-10

As a reminder, all three judges of the Usyk vs Fury 2 fight gave the victory to the Ukrainian boxer with a score of 116-112. In addition, it became known what result was recorded by artificial intelligence.

This angered Tyson, who called himself the stronger man by at least three rounds. The Briton also staged a demarche after the fight.

At the same time, impressive statistics of the opponents' punches in the fight were published. A photo showed what Fury's face looked like after 100 missed punches from Usyk.

After the victory, the Ukrainian boxer decided on his next opponent and also confessed the rematch with Tyson.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
WAIANAE, Hawaii (KHON2)  Three male suspects, two 17-year-olds and one 19-year-old, are in custody after being arrested in connection to the deadly Dec. 19 drive-by shooting in Waianae.

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The incident happened shortly after 9 p.m. when witnesses reported a white Toyota Camry passing by before hearing multiple gunshots.

HPD investigates drive-by shooting in Waianae

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The vehicle then fled towards Farrington Highway.

Upon arrival at the scene, HPD found a 28-year-old male victim had sustained a gunshot wound and was unconscious.

He was transported to the Queens Medical Center-West in critical condition where officials said his condition deteriorated and the death pronouncement was made.

After interviewing numerous witnesses and reviewing many hours of surveillance video, detectives from HPDs Homicide/Strategic Enforcement Detail identified, located and recovered the suspect vehicle.

Evidence including bullet casings, were recovered and are being tested, said HPD in a media highlight.

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All three suspects were arrested between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 22.

Check out more news from around Hawaii

Each suspect will face charges for Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Murder in the First Degree, Place to Keep and Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Separate Felony.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2.
PRIMGHAR, Iowa (KCAU)  An 18-year-old was killed in a crash in OBrien County on Saturday, according to the OBrien County Sheriffs Office.

In a release, the Sheriffs Office said that they got a call from OnStar at around 12:11 a.m. stating that there had been a crash on the 5400 block of 500th Street about five miles southwest of Paullina.

The call from OnStar indicated that the vehicle involved in the crash had likely rolled over.

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When officials arrived at the scene, they found a 2023 Chevrolet Malibu in the north ditch.

1st human case of bird flu in Iowa detected, Iowa HHS says

Officials believe that the car had been heading east on 500th Street when it left the road way. The car appears to have hit a driveway which had caused the car to roll at least once.

The driver, identified as Carter Halverson, 18, of Paullina, had been ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident is still under investigation.

The OBrien County Sheriffs OFfice was assisted by the Paullina Police Department, Paullina Fire Department Paullina Ambulance, and the OBrien County Medical Examiner.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports.
An 18-year-old has pleaded not guilty to bringing a loaded gun to a school in Lynn.

According to the Essex County District Attorneys office, Malachi Wright-Godfrey, 18, was arrested by the Lynn Police Department and arraigned in Lynn District Court on Friday after he allegedly brought a loaded gun to Lynn Classical High School.

Godfrey is charged with six counts: carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a dangerous weapon on school grounds, possession of a large-capacity firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, and assault and battery on a public employee.

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He pled not guilty to all charges and was ordered held without bail, and is scheduled for a probable cause hearing on January 22.

The incident 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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LOS ANGELES (KTLA)  The heartbroken family of a man who was shot to death in Boyle Heights earlier this week has identified the victim as a teenager who was returning home from dropping his sister off at work.

A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told KTLA that the shooting occurred around midnight on Wednesday in the 500 block of South Grande Vista Avenue near Lanfranco Street.

When officers arrived at the scene, they located a man inside a Kia Soul who had sustained gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Fitness influencer dies 3 months after being shot during attempted robbery in Los Angeles

While police did not release the victims identity, his family identified him as 19-year-old Jason Alexander Ramirez.

Jason Alexander Ramirez as seen in a family photo.

Jasons brother Angel told KTLA that he was coming back from dropping his sister off at work and was just a few houses down from his own residence when he was shot.

Angel says that witness accounts and surveillance footage indicate that four teenaged male suspects were lurking in the vicinity of Jasons home at the time he arrived in the area.

The alleged suspects were looking for a rival gang member and when they came across Jason, they mistook him as a member and plotted to take his life, Angel said. One of the four suspects walked into the street and acted as if in distress to lure Jason to stop his vehicle, while the other three suspects hid behind cars.

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When Jason least expected it, while helpless and indefensible, he was ambushed in cold blood, he continued, emphasizing that he and others close to the family believe the senseless tragedy was part of a gang initiation process involving someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Police have detained a suspect connected to a man being shot to death in a car in Boyle Heights. Dec. 18, 2024. (KTLA)

One suspect was detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, but the other three remain outstanding as of Sunday afternoon. Officers continue to investigate, but Angel hopes someone with information can come forward and help his aching family find justice.

Southern California teen allegedly killed by brother with ax remembered by loved ones

While trying to help someone who he thought was in need, he was unfairly attacked, Angel said. Jason truly was a prime example of how one should love his fellow man.

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His actions that night showed the love in his heart, and he will be remembered for an eternity, he added.

Anyone with information surrounding the fatal shooting of Jason Alexander Ramirez is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
(Bloomberg) -- Malaysias troubled state wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd. has filed a $1 billion claim against a Hong Kong-based corporate services provider to recover its stolen assets.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The legal action, which is also being pursued by the liquidators of 1MDB and its subsidiaries, was filed on Dec. 20 in the British Virgin islands against eight entities of Amicorp Group and its Chief Executive Officer Toine Knipping, according to the fund in a statement on Monday.

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1MDB said that Amicorp facilitated fraudulent transactions worth over $7 billion, and played a vital role in enabling 1MDB to be defrauded. Amicorp did not respond to a request for comment.

There is, in our view, strong evidence to suggest that Amicorp  at the highest levels  knew they were involved in a dishonest and illegal money laundering scheme designed to transfer large sums of cash away from its intended beneficiary - the people of Malaysia, a spokesperson for the 1MDB board said in the statement.

1MDBs multibillion dollar scandal has spanned multiple criminal probes around the world, including in the US. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak - who founded 1MDB - is in jail for graft over his role in the scandal.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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This article will update.

Two people have been arrested in the death of a 7-year-old who had "injuries consistent with trauma ... and signs of malnourishment," according to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police.

Just before 4 p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the 1300 block of South Pershing Avenue on a report of a possible death investigation. When they arrived, officers found an unresponsive child in the house.

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The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's Child Abuse detectives and a case manager with the Department of Child Services began an investigation of the child's death.

Detectives ultimately arrested Julia Sizemore, 20, and Kevin Gavarrete, 26, Sunday on a preliminary charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, IMPD said.

According to reporting from WTHR, the boy's name is Kayden Gavarette, according to the boy's aunt, Jessica Ryan.

This is a devastating and unimaginable tragedy. The loss of a young life, especially so close to the holidays, is heartbreaking for our entire community, said Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigations Kendale Adams.

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Our department is fully committed to uncovering the truth and holding those responsible accountable. The safety and well-being of our children remain our highest priority, and we are working with our partners to ensure justice is served. We extend our deepest condolences to all who are grieving this senseless loss, he added.

Gavarrete and Sizemore have not yet formally been charged by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office.

Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2 arrested after 7-year-old boy found dead in Indianapolis home
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX)  Two suspects were arrested Saturday on drug charges after shots were allegedly fired.

Around 7:45 p.m. the Grand Junction Police Department received a report of possible shots fired at a home on the 1400 block of Texas Avenue.

After law enforcement arrived, they learned a physical altercation allegedly occurred between a resident of the home and two men. Witnesses said they heard a suspected gunshot and then saw two men flee the house.

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Once officers tried to speak with the man and woman inside the home, they saw no signs of movement, according to GJPD.

To ensure the safety of all individuals and verify whether anyone had been injured, officers breached the door of the home, the press release read.

After entering the residence, law enforcement found the man and woman, discovering neither of them had sustained gunshot injuries. A home sweep was made and no one else was there.

During the investigation, GJPD found evidence that a shot was allegedly fired and a large amount of fentanyl and other illegal substances. Colt Davidson, 34, and Mandy Stice, 19, were both arrested and booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility.

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Davidson was charged with:

Special offender

Controlled substance-distribute fentanyl

Possession with the intent of district schedule I/II of methamphetamine

Possession with intent to distribute marijuana

Controlled substance-possession of fentanyl

Unlawful possession of controlled substance schedule I/II

Tampering with physical evidence

Possession of drug paraphernalia

Stice was charged with:

Mandy Stice

Possession of schedule I/II controlled substance

First-degree introducing contraband

Tampering with physical evidence

Two counts of possession of schedule I/II controlled substance

Possession of drug paraphernalia

The two men who fled the scene are still at large.

This appears to be an isolated incident, and officers are in the early stages of the investigation. No additional information is available at this time the release said.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com.
MANASSAS, Va. (DC News Now)  Two men were taken to the hospital after they were shot in Manassas Sunday night.

In a post on X just after 9 p.m., the Manassas City Police Department said there was a heavy police presence in the 9000 block of Liberia Avenue for an investigation.

In an update about 30 minutes later, the department said responders were air-lifting two men who had been shot in that area to a local hospital for treatment.

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Candlelight vigil held for beloved, son, friend, and teacher killed in stabbing

Police said they believe there was an altercation inside a bar that continued into the parking lot, where someone shot both men.

As of Sunday night, both men were in stable condition.

Police encourage anyone with information to call 703-257-8000.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WCBD)  Authorities are searching for two men who attempted to rob a person through a Facebook Marketplace listing.

The Georgetown Police Department is asking for the publics help locating DreQuan (Jerky) Jeremiah Rhodes and DyQatius TyJah Armstrong.

Police say both men lured a person through a Facebook Market Place listing to an apartment complex off Gilbert Street last month, and proceeded to commit an armed robbery against the victim with a handgun-style weapon.

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The victim attempted to defend himself, which police said caused the suspects to fire several rounds to take the victims life.

Rhodes and Armstrong are considered armed and dangerous. If you know where they are, you are asked to contact the Georgetown Police Department by calling 843-545-4300 (main number), 843-527-6764 (dispatch), or 843-545-4400 (tip line).

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2.
HOHHOT, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- In the sparse, sandy grasslands of Jarud Banner in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, machinery is filling wind-eroded pits and laying sand barriers while workers are busy supporting the comprehensive management of Horqin Sandy Land. "Our independently developed sand-fixing machine processes raw materials like reeds and straw into grass mats for sand barrier installation," said Yu Dongjiang from M-Grass Ecological Environment (Group) Co., Ltd. The sand-fixing machine is simple in structure, easy to operate, and highly adaptable to various terrains. It improves raw material utilization efficiency, enabling the installation of nearly 30,000 meters of sand barriers daily, according to Yu, who is also the project manager for the comprehensive management of the northern central Horqin Sandy Land. Previously, the manual weaving of grass mats required significant labor and time. Yu's project shows China's wider push to advance ecological restoration. In the arid landscapes of northern China, cutting-edge technology is transforming the fight against desertification into a story of hope and renewal. From satellite monitoring systems to innovative tree-planting tools, the integration of advanced equipment has elevated traditional reforestation efforts. In Inner Mongolia's Kubuqi Desert, for example, drones have been employed to plant seeds across vast stretches of barren land, significantly improving efficiency and survival rates. These seeds, combined with specially developed nutrient packs, ensure saplings thrive in challenging environments. While in northwest China's Gansu Province, solar energy projects are being combined with afforestation programs at the southern edge of the Tengger Desert, creating a synergy that not only restores ecosystems but also boosts local economic development. Local villagers are also finding employment in these initiatives, blending green technology with grassroots participation. "I never would have imagined that as a farmer, I could find work in the sand dunes," said Qin Zhaoping, a resident of Hengliang Township in Gansu's Gulang County. His job involves adjusting the sprinkler irrigation systems beneath photovoltaic panels and tending to the thriving sand plants. For Qin, photovoltaic-based desert control is a meaningful effort that benefits future generations. "It generates electricity, combats desertification, and provides me with an income from working here," he said. According to official data, 53 percent of China's treatable desertified land has been restored, leading to a net reduction of approximately 4.33 million hectares of degraded land. One of the country's landmark ecological projects is the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program. Since 1978, China has expanded its afforestation area by 32 million hectares under the program. Meanwhile, China's desertification control technologies and equipment are making their way onto the global stage, sharing ecological restoration expertise with other countries and regions. To join the efforts of the Global South, China has launched desertification control centers with Arab states and Mongolia, created demonstration sites in Central Asia and Africa, and provided satellite technology and big data support for Africa's Great Green Wall initiative. In December, Yu's company signed a memorandum of understanding with the municipal government of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia to enhance the country's ecological environment and promote practical cooperation. The collaboration includes conducting ecological restoration in desert areas surrounding the city, and jointly developing, maintaining, and cultivating plant resources. "Through smart machinery, innovative research on grass species, big data analysis, and seed packages, the company has developed a scientific and efficient path for ecological restoration," said Yu. "The integrated use of these technologies not only improves the success rate of ecological restoration but also significantly reduces the cost of restoration," Yu added. China's global cooperation in combating desertification also won praise from experts and officials during the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) held in December. "We're incredibly proud to be a partner with China. China has been a pioneer in showing how to create prosperous areas in areas that were once desertified and degraded. And we are proud to partner with you (China) to bring those lessons to other countries," said Valerie Hickey, global director for the environment at the World Bank, at the conference.
In the "Alabuga" economic zone in the Republic of Tatarstan (Russia), a warehouse was destroyed where parts for Shahed-136 kamikaze drones, which the aggressor uses to strike Ukraine, were stored. A fire broke out there, burning down equipment for the production of four hundred of these UAVs.

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The aggressor suffered losses of $16 million. This was reported on December 23 by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

It is noted that 65 fuselages of attack drones, as well as engines, navigation systems, and thermal imaging cameras for the production of 400 units of Shahed-136 of Iranian origin, were in the factory.

"Everything is burned. The aggressor's losses caused by the destruction of the Russian warehouse are estimated at $16 million," the DIU said in a statement.

It added that the "mysterious" destructive fire was another blow to the military-industrial complex of the terrorist state of Russia.

The agency also reminded that there will be just retribution for every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people.

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The "Alabuga" Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of industrial and production type is located 10 km from the city of Yelabuga in the Republic of Tatarstan. It is one of the largest in Russia and generates 59% of total revenues and 34% of tax revenues from all SEZs in the country.

The Russian Federation has set up production of analogs of Iranian Shahed drones there, so this facility (located 1237 km in a straight line from the Ukrainian border) is a legitimate target for the Ukrainian Defense Forces. On the morning of April 2, 2024, the plant was attacked by a Ukrainian drone: it hit one of the buildings, over which a fire mushroom rose into the sky after the explosion.

Earlier, the Associated Press reported that there is a "secret factory" in the "Alabuga" SEZ, where engineers make hundreds of decoy drones designed to deplete Ukrainian air defense. In the fall, the Russians began producing thermobaric drones there along with decoys.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP)  A major storm pounded Californias central coast on Monday, bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean.

The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet (18 meters) as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon as forecasters warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day.

"We are anticipating that what is coming toward us is more serious than what was there this morning, said Fred Keeley, mayor of the city of Santa Cruz, where the pier collapsed.

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In Watsonville along the Monterey Bay, first responders were called to Sunset State Beach, a state park, around 11:30 a.m. Monday for a report of a man trapped under debris. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office believes a large wave pinned him there. The man was pronounced dead at a hospital. Other details were not immediately available, and his name has not been released.

The storms high surf also likely pulled another man into the Pacific Ocean around noon Monday at Marina State Beach, nearly 13 miles (21 kilometers) south of Watsonville, authorities said. Strong currents and high waves forced searchers to abandon their efforts roughly two hours later as conditions worsened. The man remained missing Monday evening.

In Santa Cruz, the municipal wharf under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean around 12:45 p.m., taking three people with it. Two people were rescued by lifeguards and a third swam to safety. No one was seriously injured.

Keeley, the mayor, said that section of the wharf had been damaged over time. The structure was in the middle of a $4 million renovation following destructive storms last winter about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of San Francisco.

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Its a catastrophe for those down at the end of the wharf," said David Johnston, owner of Venture Quest Kayaking, who was allowed onto the pier to check on his business.

Tony Elliot, the head of the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, estimated that about 150 feet (45 meters) of the end of the wharf fell into the water. It was immediately evacuated and will remain closed indefinitely.

Some of the wharfs pilings are still in the ocean and remain serious, serious hazards to boats, the mayor said. Each piling weighs hundreds of pounds and is being pushed by powerful waves.

You are risking your life, and those of the people that would need to try and save you by getting in or too close to the water, the National Weather Services Bay Area office said on the social platform X.

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The end of the Santa Cruz Wharf that broke off had been shut down during renovations. The portion, which included public restrooms and the closed Dolphin restaurant, floated about half a mile (0.8 kilometers) down the coast and wedged itself at the bottom of the San Lorenzo River.

Those who fell into the water were two engineers and a project manager who were inspecting the end of the wharf, officials said. No members of the public were in the area.

Building inspectors were looking at the rest of the pier's structural integrity.

Further up the West Coast, dangerous surf conditions and waves up to 30 feet (9.1 meters) were expected from the central Oregon coast up through southwestern Washington. Winds could peak near 80 mph (130 kph) and a high surf warning in effect until 10 p.m. Monday night, forecasters said.

In a post on X, the National Weather Service office in Portland, Oregon, said it will likely go down as some of the highest surf this winter.

___ Dazio reported from Los Angeles.
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Two teenagers were arrested after they allegedly committed an aggravated robbery of a convenience store in the Ballpark neighborhood of Salt Lake City.

Jimmy Gallegos, 19, and Odalys Garcia, 18, were arrested and booked into jail on several charges, including aggravated robbery. Police were first notified about the incident when someone called 911 to report a person with a gun on the 1400 block of South State Street after midnight on Sunday, Dec. 22.

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Utah man sentenced for fraudulently obtaining over $560K in disability benefits

Salt Lake City Police officers investigate an aggravated robbery in the Ballpark neighborhood on Dec. 21, 2024. The investigation resulted in the arrest of two people. (Courtesy: SLCPD) Salt Lake City Police officers investigate an aggravated robbery in the Ballpark neighborhood on Dec. 21, 2024. The investigation resulted in the arrest of two people. (Courtesy: SLCPD)

According to a press release from the Salt Lake City Police Department, the two teenagers reportedly entered the store and were looking at merchandise. Garcia left the store, after which she moved her vehicle in a way that would help Gallegos make a quick escape, according to SLCPD.

When a store employee told Gallegos he needed to pay for the merchandise he picked up and put on, Gallegos is accused of pulling out a handgun and trying to leave the store without paying, police said.

After wrestling with Gallegos, the employee was able to disarm him, but Garcia went back into the store and allegedly used pepper spray to help Gallegos get away.

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Police arrived at the scene as the pair made it to their vehicle. Gallegos and Garcia were each booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on charges including aggravated robbery and being minors in consumption of alcohol.

Gallegos was also arrested for using a concealed weapon while committing a violent felony and failing to disclose an identity. Garcia was arrested for other charges, including not having a valid drivers license and unlawful possession of marijuana/spice, SLCPD said.

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COLUMBIA, Ky. (FOX 56)  State police said one juvenile is dead and four others were injured in a crash Saturday afternoon in Adair County.

According to Kentucky State Police (KSP), the crash happened around 4:30 p.m. CST on the Kentucky Route 55 Bypass near the intersection with Pelham Branch Road.

Investigators said 46-year-old Joel Hammack of Crossville, Tennessee, was speeding when his truck rear-ended 62-year-old Townya Ritzies car, forcing it off the roadway and causing it to overturn.

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The coroner pronounced a juvenile from Ritzies car dead on the scene, per KSP. Four people were taken to the hospital: two seriously injured passengersa juvenile and a 66-year-oldas well as Ritzie, of Columbia, and another juvenile with minor injuries.

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Police said Hammack was treated on scene before he was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide under the influence of alcohol, DUI 4th offense or greater, first-degree assault, and three counts of second-degree assault.

Joel Hammack, 46, of Crossville, Tennessee (Adair County Regional Jail) Walter Nichols, 45, of Bean Station, Tennessee. (Adair County Regional Jail)

A passenger in Hammacks truck, 45-year-old Walter Nichols of Bean Station, Tennessee, was also treated on the scene, according to KSP. He was allegedly acting unruly while first responders were helping victims. Nichols was also arrested and charged with:

3rd-degree assault (EMS, fire, rescue squad)

4th-degree assault (minor injury)

3rd-degree terroristic threatening

2nd-degree disorderly conduct

Alcohol intoxication in a public place

Read more of the latest Kentucky news

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Both men were taken to the Adair County Regional Jail.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
Michigan Ross online MBA students connecting at an -in-person residency in -Ann Arbor. Courtesy photo

In our annual ranking of the best Online MBA Programs in the United States, we count Admission Standards as a full one-third of a schools final score. We believe the quality of the cohort makes for a better learning environment for all students, and the more evaluation candidates are subjected to on the front end, the better the class experience at the back.

A big part of a schools Admissions score  15 out of a possible 100 points  comes from its acceptance rate: That is the percentage of applicants who actually end up getting in. While we lowered the metric five points from last years ranking methodology to better measure the quality of the eventual cohort, we still believe it to be an important factor in a programs rigor. (See the full methodology for the 2025 ranking here.)

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Its not surprising, then, that the most selective schools are also among the most highly ranked  generally speaking.

HARDEST AND EASIEST ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS TO GET INTO

As we do every year in our annual OMBA ranking, we asked schools to report their acceptance rates for all intakes during the most recent academic year. So, that would be the 2023-2024 academic year for our 2025 ranking.

Jack Welch Management Institute (ranked No. 8 overall) was the most selective online MBA program on our 2025 list with a 27% acceptance rate. Thats down 3% from the 30% admission rate the school reported for 2024s ranking.

Indiana Universitys Kelley School of Business (tied for No. 2 overall) was the second hardest program to get into with an acceptance rate of 28%, the same as last year. The No. 1 school on our 2025 ranking, University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management, accepted 46% of applicants.

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The tables below show the online MBA programs for our latest ranking with the lowest and highest acceptance rates. The lower the rate, the harder it is for students to get accepted into the program.

8 Jack Welch Management Institute 27.00% 2 Indiana University (Kelley) 28.00% 1 University of Texas at Dallas (Jindal) 46.00% 6 University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business 47.00% 16 Bryant University 52.71% 49 Rogers State University 53.00% 14 University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) 56.00% 2 University of Michigan (Ross) 57.00% 34 San Jose State University (Lucas) 59.00%

On the other end of the spectrum, Fairfield Universitys Charles F. Dolan School of Business (ranked No. 23 overall) had the least selective program, accepting 100% of applicants. It was followed by Ohio University at 99.46% and SUNY Oswego at 97%.

Fourteen programs, in fact, had acceptance rates of 90% or more, while another 15 schools accepted 80% or more of applicants.

52 George Mason University (Costello) 90.20% 12 Santa Clara University (Leavey) 90.97% 15 University of Massachusetts at Amherst (Isenberg) 91.00% 33 University of Connecticut 92.00% 56 Seattle University (Albers) 92.00% 36 Bowling Green State University (Schmidthorst) 93.00% 43 University of Massachusetts Lowell (Manning) 94.00% 9 Hofstra University (Zarb) 95.00% 48 Drexel University (LeBow) 95.00% 47 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (Rollins) 95.20% 28 Villanova University 95.80% 51 SUNY Oswego 97.00% 44 Ohio University 99.46% 23 Fairfield University (Dolan) 100.00%

ARE ONLINE MBAs GETTING LESS SELECTIVE?

At the start of the pandemic, many schools loosened their admission standards to help mitigate looming uncertainties in the economy, job outlook, and student enrollment.

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In hindsight, it wasnt all that surprising. It was uncharted territory; nobody knew what was coming. As a result, acceptance rates rose en masse in full-time MBA programs from the 2019 and 2020 intakes as schools adapted to the changes. Acceptance rates for online programs, already considerably higher than their full-time counterparts, followed suit.

What is somewhat surprising is that, nearly five years on, admission rates have not bounced back in the top U.S. online MBA programs. According to data reported for our 2025 ranking, the average acceptance rate of ranked programs is still 6% higher than it was before the pandemic.

For our 2020 OMBA ranking, Poets&Quants asked online MBA programs to submit acceptance rates for its 2019-2020 academic year, with data covering mainly fall 2019  a few months before the pandemic really started shutting things down. The average rate among the ranked programs that year was 70.63%. That average rose to 73% for our 2021 ranking (using intake data from fall 2020 onward.)

That means this years average acceptance rate is 6.24% higher than before the pandemic. In other words, online MBA programs are, on average, easier to get into  at least among schools that we rank. There are certainly caveats to the comparison. We ranked 57 schools for 2025 compared to 35 for 2020, making a direct comparison imprecise.

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There are notable exceptions: Rogers State Universitys acceptance rate dropped 40.7% from 2019-2020 when 93.7% of students who applied got in to 2023-2024 when 53% of applicants were accepted.

The acceptance rate at Indiana Kelley dropped 37.9% in the same time period, from 65.9% to 28%.

Twenty of the 57 schools in our 2025 ranking reported lower acceptance rates compared to five years ago, meaning it was harder for candidates to get an invitation to enroll. However, 28 schools have higher acceptance rates than before the pandemic. (Seven schools were ranked for the first time this year and data wasnt available for the comparison.)

ADMISSION RATES DROPPED AT 30 SCHOOLS FROM LAST YEAR

If youre looking at just the change from last year, its just the opposite. So, the trend might be starting to reverse.

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In fact, admission rates at 30 schools from our ranking dropped this year compared to last. They fell 7% or more at 15 of those schools.

Rogers State (ranked 49th overall) had the biggest year-over-year drop at 22%. It was followed by Rice Universitys Jones Graduate School of Business (5th) with a 14.71% drop and University of Michigan Ross School of Business (tied for 2nd) with 14%.

Fifteen schools reported higher acceptance rates for this ranking, compared to 27 schools last year and 25 schools the year before.

University of Tennessee at Chattanoogas Rollins College of Business (No. 47 overall) had the largest year-over-year increase in admission rates, rising 40.5%  from 54.7% for last years ranking to 95.2% this year.

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The table below shows how acceptance rates have changed at all 57 ranked schools over the last five years.

1 University of Texas at Dallas (Jindal) 46.00% 46.00% 34.80% 46.10% 50.60% -4.60% 2 Indiana University (Kelley) 28.00% 28.00% 34.60% 35.70% 65.90% -37.90% 2 University of Michigan (Ross) 57.00% 71.00% 73.60% NR NA -16.60% 4 University of Washington (Foster) 82.00% 73.00% 75.20% 76.50% 82.80% -0.80% 5 Rice University (Jones) 70.70% 85.41% 69.00% 68.70% NR 2.00% 6 University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business 47.00% 46.00% 43.70% 26.00% 64.90% -17.90% 7 Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) 80.00% 61.00% 61.20% 49.30% 56.00% 24.00% 8 Jack Welch Management Institute 27.00% 30.00% 25.00% 27.30% 24.80% 2.20% 9 Hofstra University (Zarb) 95.00% 92.00% 91.70% 94.00% 83.50% 11.50% 10 University of Florida (Warrington) 60.00% 56.00% 45.70% 61.30% 63.60% -3.60% 11 Auburn University (Harbert) 71.30% 67.00% 59.50% 61.70% 67.20% 4.10% 12 Santa Clara University (Leavey) 90.97% 94.24% 93.80% 91.30% 98.00% -7.03% 13 Lehigh University 74.00% 72.00% 65.60% 65.10% 55.70% 18.30% 14 University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) 56.00% 62.00% 59.00% 55.80% 54.60% 1.40% 15 University of Massachusetts at Amherst (Isenberg) 91.00% 92.00% 92.10% 92.40% 66.30% 24.70% 16 Bryant University 52.71% 52.94% 96.30% 90.60% NR -37.89% 17 University of South Florida (Muma) 61.00% 67.00% 61.60% 59.10% 49.70% 11.30% 18 University of Utah (Eccles) 85.00% 89.90% 87.90% 74.50% 78.70% 6.30% 19 William & Mary (Mason) 88.00% 96.00% 96.70% 89.80% 85.40% 2.60% 20 University of Denver (Daniels) 75.80% 77.50% 75.20% 77.30% 79.80% -4.00% 21 Southern Methodist University (Cox) 77.00% 76.00% 76.00% NR NR 1.00% 22 University of California-Davis 67.00% 76.00% 67.30% NR NR -0.30% 23 Fairfield University (Dolan) 100.00% NR NR NR NR NA 24 Worcester Polytechnic Institute 84.00% 76.00% 100% 89.50% 72.70% 11.30% 25 University of Nebraska-Lincoln 69.00% 77.40% 77.90% 80.90% 84.90% -15.90% 25 Wake Forest University 87.00% NR NR NR NR NA 27 University of Iowa (Tippie) 80.00% 88.00% NR NR NR -8.00% 28 Villanova University 95.80% 98.60% 85.40% 82.00% 83.50% 12.30% 29 North Carolina State University (Poole) 73.30% 74.03% 70.00% 57.50% 70.70% 2.60% 30 Syracuse University (Whitman) 88.00% 86.00% 83.10% 81.60% NR 6.40% 31 Florida International University 60.00% 67.00% 98.30% 97.30% 55.20% 4.80% 32 University of Maryland (Smith) 78.00% 86.00% 91.10% 85.20% 70.20% 7.80% 33 University of Connecticut 92.00% NR NR NR NR NA 34 San Jose State University (Lucas) 59.00% 68.00% NR NR NR -9.00% 35 Texas Tech University (Rawls) 88.00% NR NR NR NR NA 36 Bowling Green State University (Schmidthorst) 93.00% 93.00% NR NR NR 0.00% 37 University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium 85.60% 94.30% 96.70% 82.80% 92.60% -7.00% 38 University of Cincinnati (Lindner) 69.00% 81.00% 76.90% 67.70% 59.80% 9.20% 38 Baylor University (Hankamer) 85.00% 86.00% 79.30% 85.10% 75.70% 9.30% 40 Creighton University (Heider) 75.79% 83.00% 84.40% 87.50% 85.90% -10.11% 41 University of Delaware (Lerner) 82.10% 82.80% 83.90% 76.80% 68.70% 13.40% 42 University of Michigan-Dearborn 79.80% 72.00% 75.20% 62.80% 53.20% 26.60% 43 University of Massachusetts Lowell (Manning) 94.00% 94.00% 88.00% 87.70% 90.70% 3.30% 44 Ohio University 99.46% 99.00% 97.40% 96.60% 92.10% 7.36% 45 Pepperdine University (Graziadio) 78.00% 83.92% 81.70% 85.60% NR -7.60% 46 Kennesaw State University (Coles) 82.00% 77.00% 76.80% 74.20% 65.60% 16.40% 47 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (Rollins) 95.20% 54.70% 58.90% 53.70% 60.70% 34.50% 48 Drexel University (LeBow) 95.00% 77.00% 86.00% 37.40% 31.30% 63.70% 49 Rogers State University 53.00% 75.00% 100% 82.10% 93.70% -40.70% 50 American University (Kogod) 74.00% 80.00% 89.50% 85.40% 81.00% -7.00% 51 SUNY Oswego 97.00% 97.00% 97.20% 95.00% 90.20% 6.80% 52 George Mason University (Costello) 90.20% NR NR NR NR NA 53 University of Missouri (Trulaske) 89.00% NR NR NR NR NA 54 Clemson University 79.00% 90.00% 93.20% NR NR -14.20% 55 Louisiana State University (Ourso) 84.00% 86.00% 78.90% 78.60% 69.80% 14.20% 56 Seattle University (Albers) 92.00% NR NR NR NR NA 57 University of North Texas (Ryan) 73.00% 82.00% 79.20% 74.00% NR -1.00% * NR  Not Ranked ** NA  Not Applicable *** 5-Year Change column is calculated from avilalbe data, so some schools may show a 2-, 3-, or 4-year change.

DONT MISS THESE STORIES IN OUR 2024 OMBA RANKING PACKAGE:

The post 2025 OMBA Ranking: Acceptance Rates At The Top Online MBA Programs appeared first on Poets&Quants.
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR)  The Roanoke County Police Department is asking for the publics assistance in locating a missing person.

22-year-old Matthew Harris Jr. left his Roanoke County home on Friday, December 20, and was last seen at Macksville Mart in Seneca Rocks, West Virginia on December 20 around 12:45 p.m.

UPDATE: 14 displaced after Roanoke structure fire, cause undetermined

He is believed to be driving a 2014 black Ford Fiesta with a Virginia tag TYS-4705.

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Matthew has a medical condition that requires medication and his family is concerned for his safety and well-being.

Anyone with information is to contact the Roanoke County Police Department at 540-562-3265

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  Two men and a woman are facing charges after deputies found them in a stolen vehicle in Anderson County.

The Anderson County Sheriffs Office arrested Cheyenne Poteat, Jonathan Riley and Braydon Wilson following a traffic stop on Monday, Dec. 16.

An investigation was initiated when deputies spotted an Infiniti G25 driving near George Smith Mill Road in Anderson. Deputies approached the car when it stopped and parked at the Hurricane Creek Boat Landing.

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Authorities discovered a multi-colored bag with about 10 grams of methamphetamine and 113 grams of cocaine. Several guns were scattered in the hatch along with 11 cell phones according to deputies.

It was reported that Riley and Wilson told law enforcement that they had only known each other for a day after they connected on Instagram.

Both men along with Payton were charged with trafficking meth and cocaine, receiving stolen goods and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

All three individuals were booked into the Anderson County Detention Center.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
On Dec. 30, 2021, a wind-driven wildfire raced through two communities just outside Boulder, Colorado. In the span of about eight hours, more than 1,000 homes and businesses burned.

The fire left entire blocks in ash, but among them, pockets of houses survived, seemingly untouched. The owners of these homes may have felt relief at first. But fire damage can be deceiving, as many soon discovered.

When wildfires like the Marshall Fire reach the wildland-urban interface, they are burning both vegetation and human-made materials. Vehicles and buildings burn, along with all of the things inside them  electronics, paint, plastics, furniture.

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Research shows that when human-made materials like these burn, the chemicals released are different from what is emitted when just vegetation burns. The smoke and ash can blow under doors and around windows in nearby homes, bringing in chemicals that stick to walls and other indoor surfaces and continue off-gassing for weeks to months, particularly in warmer temperatures.

The Marshall Fire swept through several neighborhoods in the towns of Louisville and Superior, Colo. In the homes that were left standing, residents dealt with lingering smoke and ash in their homes. Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

In a new study released three years after the Marshall Fire, my colleagues and I looked at the health effects people experienced when they returned to still-standing homes. We also created a checklist for people to use after urban wildfires in the future to help them protect their health and reduce their risks when they return to smoke-damaged homes.

Tests in homes found elevated metals and VOCs

In the days after the Marshall Fire, residents quickly reached out to nearby scientists who study wildfire smoke and health risks at the University of Colorado Boulder and area labs. People wanted to know what was in the ash and causing the lingering smells inside their homes.

In homes we were able to test, my colleagues found elevated levels of metals and PAHs  polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons  in the ash. We also found elevated VOCs  volatile organic compounds  in airborne samples. Some VOCs, such as dioxins, benzene, formaldehyde and PAHs, can be toxic to humans. Benzene is a known carcinogen.

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People wanted to know whether the chemicals that got into their homes that day could harm their health.

At the time, we could find no information about physical health implications for people who have returned to smoke-damaged homes after a wildfire. To look for patterns, we surveyed residents affected by the fire six months, one year and two years afterward.

Symptoms 6 months after the fire

Even six months after the fire, we found that many people were reporting symptoms that aligned with health risks related to smoke and ash from fires.

More than half (55%) of the people who responded to our survey reported that they were experiencing at least one symptom six months after the blaze that they attributed to the Marshall Fire. The most common symptoms reported were itchy or watery eyes (33%), headache (30%), dry cough (27%), sneezing (26%) and sore throat (23%).

All of these symptoms, as well as having a strange taste in ones mouth, were associated with people reporting that their home smelled differently when they returned to it one week after the fire.

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Many survey respondents said that the smells decreased over time. Most attributed the improvement in smell to the passage of time, cleaning surfaces and air ducts, replacing furnace filters, and removing carpet, textiles and furniture from the home. Despite this, many still had symptoms.

We found that living near a large number of burned structures was associated with these health symptoms. For every 10 additional destroyed buildings within 820 feet (250 meters) of a persons home, there was a 21% increase in headaches and a 26% increase in having a strange taste in their mouth.

These symptoms align with what could be expected from exposure to the chemicals that we found in the ash and measured in the air inside the few smoke-damaged homes that we were able to study in depth.

Lingering symptoms and questions

There are a still a lot of unanswered questions about the health risks from smoke- and ash-damaged homes.

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For example, we dont yet know what long-term health implications might look like for people living with lingering gases from wildfire smoke and ash in a home.

We found a significant decline in the number of people reporting symptoms one year after the fire. However, 33% percent of the people whose homes were affected still reported at least one symptom that they attributed to the fire. About the same percentage also reported at least one symptom two years after the fire.

We also could not measure the level of VOCs or metals that each person was exposed to. But we do think that reports of a change in the smell of a persons home one week after the fire demonstrates the likely presence of VOCs in the home. That has health implications for people whose homes are exposed to smoke or ash from a wildfire.

Tips to protect yourself after future wildfires

Wildfires are increasingly burning homes and other structures as more people move into the wildland-urban interface, temperatures rise and fire seasons lengthen.

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It can be confusing to know what to do if your home is one that survives a wildfire nearby. To help, my colleagues and I put together a website of steps to take if your home is ever infiltrated by smoke or ash from a wildfire.

Here are a few of those steps:

When youre ready to clean your home, start by protecting yourself. Wear at least an N95 (or KN95) mask and gloves, goggles and clothing that covers your skin.

Vacuum floors, drapes and furniture. But avoid harsh chemical cleaners because they can react with the chemicals in the ash.

Clean your HVAC filter and ducts to avoid spreading ash further. Portable air cleaners with carbon filters can help remove VOCs.

A recent scientific study documents how cleaning all surfaces within a home can reduce reservoirs of VOCs and lower indoor air concentrations of VOCs.

Given that we dont know much yet about the health harms of smoke- and ash-damaged homes, it is important to take care in how you clean so you can do the most to protect your health.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Colleen E. Reid, University of Colorado Boulder

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Colleen E. Reid receives funding from NSF, NIH, and the U.S. EPA for her research. She has previously received funding for her research from the CDC, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the JPB Foundation.
This article was originally published in The Conversation.

Tracey, a high school teacher in the Philadelphia School District, remembers the hurtful comments she heard from parents when she started her career over a decade ago as a young Black teacher in what was then a predominantly white area of southwest Philly.

I can recall white parents making comments saying, Oh, this young Black teacher who doesnt have children herself  how is she supposed to teach my child? she said. And Im like, what does my race and the fact that I dont have children have to do with me educating your child?

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Traceys frustrations mirror those of other Black teachers in Philadelphia.

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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the teaching profession faced what has been referred to as the Great Teacher Resignation. A national survey found that 64% of teachers were less satisfied with teaching after the pandemic compared with prior to the pandemic, and 74% would not recommend teaching as a career.

In Philadelphia, a great resignation of Black teachers started well before the pandemic and continues today. The decrease in numbers of Black teachers in the district continues despite research that demonstrates Black teachers positive impact on Black students experiences in school and academic outcomes, as well as their positive impact on all students.

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As States Limit Black History Lessons, Philly Gets it Right, Researcher Says

We are a professor of urban education and a Ph.D. in sociology and education who research Black teacher attrition and other issues involving Black teachers and Black students.

In 2021, we were part of a small research team that interviewed 30 Black teachers who either currently or formerly worked in the School District of Philadelphia. Tracey and other names used in this article are pseudonyms to protect the anonymity of our interview participants. This study was done in partnership with Research for Action, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit education research group focused on racial and social justice. Our findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Black Studies.

We wanted to understand, from the teachers perspectives, why so many Black teachers are leaving the district and what the district can do to support and retain them.

Black teachers have grown weary

In 2000, there were 4,059 Black teachers in the district. That number had dwindled to 2,866 by 2022.

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Its not an issue that is unique to Philadelphia. An education researcher at Penn State University found that between 2022 and 2023, the attrition rate for Black teachers across Pennsylvania was well over double that of white teachers.

Black public school educators in Philadelphia have grown weary, for good reason, wrote education scholar and author Camika Royal in her 2022 book Not Paved for Us: Black Educators and Public School Reform in Philadelphia.

Our interviews suggest a key reason for this weariness has to do with experiences of racism within the larger school district that affect Black teachers across the system, but manifest differently depending on their schools locations.

Segregated, underfunded schools

The Black teachers we interviewed who taught in neighborhoods with a majority of Black residents said they faced systemic racism through lack of resources, including books and classroom materials, for their students.

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Philadelphias Building 21 Pushes Students to Tackle Unfinished Learning

Philadelphia is one of the most racially divided cities in the U.S.. Among the nations 30 largest cities, it ranks second after Chicago in terms of residential segregation, according to researchers at Brown University. Schools reflect these neighborhood racial divides.

I request things all the time and dont get them, said Nina, a middle school teacher in a majority Black neighborhood, Well, there wasnt enough books for all the kids. So, what Im supposed to do? Now I have to go online, find my own resources and things like that.

Racial microaggressions

Black teachers who taught in majority white sections of the city, meanwhile, spoke of their frustration with being the targets of chronic racial microaggressions.

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Examples of these microaggressions included hearing white parents complain about a Black teacher being assigned to teach their child, and working with white colleagues whom they felt ignored or actively avoided speaking to or acknowledging them.

Im walking down the hall and I say Hello, one mid-career teacher reflected. If its just me and a white colleague and were passing each other in the hallway  then they dont say anything to me. But the person behind me who was white, theyll say something to them before (the other person) even say(s), Good morning.

Racial microaggressions toward Black teachers is certainly not a new phenomenon. Nor is it limited to Philadelphia.

A recent nationwide survey also found that racial microaggressions are a major reason Black teachers across the U.S. are leaving teaching at high rates.

Support and validation

Despite the many systemic issues and experiences of racism that Black teachers reported to us, most of the participants in our study  25 out of 30  were current teachers in the district.

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In other words, they had, so far, stayed in the profession.

These teachers reported they kept teaching because they were committed to students, particularly students of color.

I stay because our (Black students), they need to see (Black teachers) in the classroom, said Mila, a veteran teacher for whom teaching was her third career.

Many of the teachers also found support and motivation through affinity groups that provide them opportunities to meaningfully connect to other Black teachers. These groups are established by fellow teachers in the district but are organized independently of the district.

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What allowed me to stay was finding networks, said Simon, another veteran teacher in the district. And then the network kind of made me find my niche, find my voice, find who I was, validate me.

Keeping Black teachers in the classroom

Education scholar Bettina Love argues that school districts and school officials should stop trying to recruit Black teachers until you can retain the ones you have.

Some meaningful efforts are underway. The Center for Black Educator Development, founded in Philadelphia, works to recruit and retain Black teachers both in Philadelphia and across the country. Other nationwide organizations, such as the Black Teacher Project based in Oakland, offer fellowship and space for supportive affinity groups.

School districts or administrators can offer Black teachers physical spaces, financial resources and dedicated time to meet with other Black teachers to discuss racism  including ways to resist it  along with self-care. This can help prevent an exodus of the Black teachers who have remained in the profession.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Most Ukrainians have a loved one with whom they would like to spend New Year's and Christmas. However, 39% will not be able to do so because their partners are in the military.

Source: survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in cooperation with the Razumkov Center sociological service from 29 November to 14 December

Details: 38% of respondents have loved ones abroad, making celebrating New Year and Christmas together impossible.

What moods prevail in the country?

At present, Ukrainians feel hopeful (55%), anxious (45%), optimistic (29%), fearful (26%), and confused (26%) about their future.

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Compared to August and December 2023, respondents are more likely to report negative feelings, such as:

Fear (+11% over the year)

confusion (+7%);

hopelessness (+6%);

anxiety (+6%);

pessimism (+5%).

The survey involved 1,518 respondents aged 18 and older living on the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government. The sample did not include residents of territories temporarily not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities.

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The village of New York in the Donetsk region is currently under the control of the Russian occupiers. Unfortunately, it has been left in ruins.

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This was reported by DeepStateUA on Telegram. The aerial photo shows destroyed houses with no life in them.

"The village is often associated with another New York  a big and democratic one. There is no Manhattan here, but there is Petrivska Hora. Unfortunately, there is no life here anymore, only wandering bastards who are going to storm Nelipivka," the message says.

The Russians launched an offensive on New York in late June 2024, and in just two months they managed to capture the village. Now the enemy is trying to establish control over the village of Nelipivka, which is located nearby.

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New York is a settlement in Ukraine, in the Toretsk city territorial community of the Bakhmut district of the Donetsk region. It is located on the Kryvyi Torets River, 10 km from Toretsk and 38 km from Donetsk. Until 2024, almost 11 thousand people lived there, and after the Russian offensive in 2024, 1,940 people lived there.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Dec. 23Deputies arrested Alicia Marie Heilmann, 34, for third-degree driving while intoxicated after a traffic stop at 11:59 p.m. Friday near the intersection of 680th Avenue and 255th Street in Alden.

Deputies arrested William David Schwartz, 48, for second-degree driving while intoxicated, driving after revocation, failure to display current registration and no proof of insurance after a traffic stop at 12:54 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of 770th Avenue and 270th Street in Clarks Grove.

Police arrested Adam Mikkel Clay, 41, for driving while intoxicated at 1:11 a.m. Saturday in Albert Lea.

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An individual was arrested for driving while intoxicated pending blood results at 7:56 p.m. Saturday at 132 Bridge Ave. The name was redacted from logs.

Scam reported

Deputies received a report of someone who had lost more than $1,500 in a scam at 1:29 p.m. Friday on School Street in Conger.

1 arrested for assault, carrying BB gun

Police arrested Travis Joseph Jensen, 24, for second-degree assault and carrying a BB gun in public after receiving a report of a man who pointed a handgun at another person at 8:51 a.m. Friday near the intersection of Commercial Street and Madison Avenue.

Package reported stolen

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Police received a report of a package that was reported stolen at 1:25 p.m. Friday at 414 W. College St. The theft occurred between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday.

2 arrested on warrants

Police arrested Heather Marie Brigston, 34, on an Olmsted County warrant at 7:40 p.m. Friday at 606 S. Broadway.

Police arrested John Anthony Garza Jr., 44, on a local warrant after receiving a report at 10:29 p.m. Friday of a suspicious person who went behind a building at 411 S. First Ave.

Hit-and-run crash reported

Police received a report at 11:37 a.m. Saturday of a hit-and-run crash at 2708 Bridge Ave.

1 arrested for fleeing police

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Police arrested Kiana Lynette Price, 35, for fleeing in a motor vehicle after a traffic stop at 2:11 a.m. Sunday near Jefferson Avenue and West Third Street.

Boy taken to hospital after injury at arena

A 12-year-old boy was reportedly taken to the hospital after a reported head injury at 10:22 a.m. Saturday at 701 Lake Chapeau Drive. The caller stated the boy was unable to feel his legs. His condition is unknown.
Four employees  including a mother and son  suffered severe burn injuries after a food truck recently exploded in Washington state.

According to a report from KPTV, the sudden explosion occurred inside a food truck owned by 4 Caminos Authentic Mexican Food in the downtown area of Vancouver, Wash., on Sunday, Dec. 15.

Isabel Castellon, the owner of the 4 Caminos Authentic Mexican and its food truck, was among the four victims injured during the incident. The others involved included her partner, her son and one of her employees.

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The four victims suffered severe burn injuries and are receiving treatment at Legacy Emanuel Hospital, according to KPTV.

Officials have not released a cause for the blast yet, but family members speculated to the outlet that the explosion was a propane-related accident.

The Vancouver Fire Department in Clark County did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment on Sunday, Dec. 22.

KPTV FOX 12/YouTube 4 Caminos sign 4 Caminos sign

Related: Man Sustains Second-Degree Burns After Heated Insole 'Exploded in His Boot: 'I Started Freaking Out'

Several area business owners who witnessed or felt the explosion spoke to KPTV about the blast.

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The building kind of shook and I was like, 'Oh my goodness, what just happened?  business owner Reshell Douglas told the outlet. It was a terrible accident.

Christian Barrios, owner of La Casita Art Gallery & Cultural Center, added, They were inside when it happened, everyone was inside. We tried to help as much as we could, but we couldnt do much.

Barrios told KPTV that he saw the blast and got a look at those injured at the scene, including the owners son. He was screaming and in pain too. Maybe because he was in shock at everything happening so fast, Barrios said. It was really painful to see them in that situation.



Related: Fitness Influencer Miguel Angel Aguilar Dies 3 Months After Being Shot During a Robbery: He 'Left an Enduring Legacy'

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Friends and family have started a fundraiser via GoFundMe to help Castellon and the other people injured in the devastating explosion.

The GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $12,000 as of Dec. 22, noted that Castellon is recognized as a valued member of the community and that the explosion occurred as she was preparing for a community event.



A devastating explosion occurred inside the 4 Caminos food truck while its owner, Isabel, her partner, and an employee were setting up to serve at a posada (community event) at La Casita, the GoFundMe page read. All three, and Isabel's son, were inside the truck when the explosion happened, leaving them with serious burn injuries.

Barrios, who placed a painting of Castellon in his art gallery and cultural center, also told KPTV that he is praying for her swift recovery.

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Shes always here, shes willing to help, shes willing to help people, said Barrios, whose cultural center, per KPTV, is hosting an event on First Friday with the proceeds going to the familys recovery needs.



Read the original article on People
Four Greenwood men have been charged with murder in connection to the death of a 35-year-old man in New Jersey, according to an announcement made by the Ocean County Prosecutor's office and New Jersey State Police last week.

Sourav Kumar, 23, Gaurav Singh, 27, Nirmal Singh, 30, and Gurdeep Singh, 22, were charged with one count of murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the death of 35-year-old Kuldeep Kumar, who had been reported missing earlier this year.

On Dec. 14, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office Major Crime Unit was informed that a body in a state of advanced decomposition had been located inside the Greenwood Wildlife Management Area in Manchester Township, New Jersey.

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The county's medical examiner's office determined that the individual had died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and that the killing was a homicide. With assistance from the FBI, officials discovered that the body belonged to Kumar.

Kumar was reported missing by a family member on Oct. 26, 2024.

After conducting a comprehensive investigation along with a number of law enforcement agencies, New Jersey State Police and Ocean County Prosecutor's office alleged that the four men "acted together" to kill Kumar.

The investigative efforts leading to the arrest of these defendants were nothing short of outstanding, and the teamwork exhibited by all the participating agencies truly exemplifies the best in law enforcement, said Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.

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Collaborating with our law enforcement partners, particularly the FBI and (New Jersey State Police), lead to the identification of our victim and the swift apprehension of these defendants in Indiana."

On Dec. 20, the four men were arrested by detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutors Office Major Crime Unit, New Jersey State Police Major Crime Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the city of Greenwood Police Department.

The four men are being held at the Johnson County Jail as they wait for extradition to New Jersey.

Justice for victims and their families is always our highest priority, and this case is a testament to the dedication, expertise, and determination of those who worked relentlessly to bring those responsible to justice. Together, we remain steadfast in our mission to ensure that those who commit such heinous acts are held accountable," said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.

Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 4 Indiana men charged in New Jersey with killing Kuldeep Kumar
Editors note: The podcast Chasing Life With Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of lifes mysteries big and small. You can listen to episodes here.

(CNN)  Some people feel there is a fundamental tension between religion and science, but Dr. Francis Collins, a preeminent scientist, the former director of the National Institutes of Health and an evangelical Christian, is not among them.

The idea that theres an inherent, irreconcilable conflict between science and faith is not true, because I have lived both of those worldviews since I was 27, and Ive never found an instance where I couldnt put them together, Collins told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on his Chasing Life podcast recently. (Collins was Guptas genetics professor at the University of Michigan Medical School three decades ago.)

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I feel like, as a believer whos also a scientist, science takes on a whole new wonderful kind of aspect because youre exploring Gods creation, Collins said. And he should know: While director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, he was instrumental in helping map the human genome  essentially laying out the DNA instruction book for human biology  for the Human Genome Project.

When you discover something that no human knew before, God knew that. And you just got a little glimpse of Gods mind, he said. That makes science kind of a form of worship, and it makes the lab almost like a cathedral. I love that.

You can listen to the full podcast episode (with a bonus song) here.

Collins was not born into a religious tradition, rather he came to it  first almost by accident and then after deliberate study.

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He grew up in an intellectual family in which faith was simply not part of the conversation. It wasnt denigrated; it just wasnt considered relevant, he said. By the time I was a college student and then a graduate student in chemistry, I was an atheist.

He said he arrived at his atheism not by a careful analysis of the pros and cons but rather by default.

All that changed during medical school.

I had a patient who was an elderly woman in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Thats where I was training, he recalled. She shared her faith with me every time she had a terrible episode of chest pain from her cardiac disease. And one day she just turned and looked me straight in the eye and said, What do you believe, doctor?

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The question blew him away.

I realized I hadnt given it any thought at all. And she just asked me the most important question Ive ever been asked in my life. And Im a scientist, you know. Im supposed to have reasons for making decisions about something thats really important, and I hadnt done any of that, he said.

What followed was a two-year journey trying to understand, how could somebody who really is rational and theyre thinking about science, could actually accept the idea of God, which science cant measure, and even a God that cares about me?

That was an unexpected journey where I thought I would end up strengthening my atheism and instead, somewhat kicking and screaming, became a Christian, he said.

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Collins has gotten some pushback during his career for his beliefs, maybe most notably when President Barack Obama nominated him to be NIH director, but those initial concerns didnt play out.

Over the 12 years that I served in that role, those objections became less prominent as people assessed, OK, hows he doing his job? Is he sort of smuggling in his religious perspective? No, he said. When youre doing a job as a scientist, science is the tool that youre going to use. Thats how youre going to rest your arguments.

Youre not going to suddenly say, Well, if you look in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 25, youll see what the answer here is. Ill do that for myself in my prayer life, but Im not going to do that in a scientific discussion.

Collins faith in science has never wavered, but the same cannot be said for some Americans, especially during the pandemic. Evolving data, lockdown restrictions that didnt make sense in some parts of the country, misinformation and other factors all led to a drop in confidence that scientists were acting in the publics best interest.

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I was becoming increasingly concerned about ways in which truth, science, faith and trust  traditional anchors for all of us  seem to be getting a little dislodged, and no more so than during Covid when the most dramatic example, of course, being peoples distrust of the vaccines, Collins said, explaining what he wants to accomplish with his latest book, The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust.

What a wake-up call to say weve lost something really important here, in terms of our path towards this road of wisdom, and also to deciding whats true and who to trust and what is science about, and where does faith play a role, he said. I dont know that weve come to grips with how that happened and what we might do to keep it from happening again, because the distrust just seems to grow, not to shrink.

Here are four lessons Collins learned about faith in science and public trust during the pandemic.

Developing a vaccine was great  but not enough

Misinformation and distrust chipped away at public buy-in of vaccines.

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I think the development of those Covid vaccines in 11 months stands as perhaps the most significant scientific achievement of humanity since we started recording these things, Collins said, noting that by late 2022 the vaccines reportedly had saved at least 3 million lives in the United States and many more elsewhere.

And yet (tens of millions of Americans)  good, honorable people barraged by all kinds of information and not trusting the sources from people like me said, Nope, thanks; I dont want this.

An analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 234,000 deaths could have been prevented between June 2021 and March 2022 when vaccines were widely available.

I dont in any way want to suggest that those (millions of Americans) were somehow culpable for this, Collins said. They were basically victims, in my view, of a lot of missteps and misinformation and frankly disinformation (by) people who are out to make a buck convincing them that, No, you dont need the vaccine because Ill sell you this other thing.

Knowledge does not equal wisdom

Those concepts of knowledge and wisdom get muddled up together, Collins said.

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Knowledge is the facts, the evidence, the information, the best you can put together, but its often insufficient to help you make a decision, he said. For that you need experience, you need some sense about insights and, oh, maybe some common sense and a moral compass  whats the right thing to do?

When you add those components  insight, common sense and morality  to knowledge, you get wisdom.

But wisdom can be elusive. Right now, it feels like that road is pretty hard to travel. Were getting knocked into the ditch, he said.

Four ingredients necessary for trust

Collins said writing The Road to Wisdom caused him to think about what goes into public trust.

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In the area of trust, it seems like the way in which we make decisions about trust depends on four things, he said. One of them is integrity: Is this a source that I believe is honest and forthcoming? Second: Do they have competence? Do they really know what theyre talking about? Have they done the work to look at the complexities of the issue? And third is humility: Is this a source that actually admits there are things theyre not sure about and doesnt try to extend their expertise in one area into all areas?

Most everyone would agree with the first three, he said.

But the fourth one, which now has emerged very large, is  is this source part of my bubble, is this part of my tribe? And therefore, Im going to let my guard down and accept what they say, Collins said. And that could be good or that could be bad. Because facts dont care how you feel. And a fact that comes at you from somebody whos not in your tribe, that happens to be true, is still something you need to take on board and not reject just because of its source.

Collins said weve lost some of that ability to discern the facts from sources outside our bubble, which can lead us astray.

Restoring trust is essential

Our future depends on the restoration of trust, he said.

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Science is a critical part of how we make progress, and to the extent that people are less and less likely to trust it to help them flourish, then were going to have more trouble flourishing, Collins said.

Reclaiming that confidence and faith in science will have to be a deliberate process.

That involves some humility, some admission of things that didnt go as well as they should, a willingness to really listen, to understand the other perspectives of people who have lost that trust and try to figure out what we could do to regain it, he said.

Ultimately, Collins said hes an optimist but also a realist who believes work still needs to be done.

I think it also is a call to action for all of us to begin to reanchor ourselves in truth and science and faith and trust, he said.

Listen to the full episode here and join us every Friday for a new episode of the Chasing Life podcast. Happy holidays until the next episode.

CNN Audios Eryn Mathewson contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Newly discovered fossils matched up with a mysterious alien plant species found in 1969 and brought it to clearer life. Its even stranger than scientists initially thought it was.

Researchers first gathered the fossil 55 years ago in a rich fossil bed near the ghost town of Rainbow, Utah. They named the leaves, as the fossil left them nothing else, Othniophyton elongatum, or alien plant. Though the fossil didn't provide researchers with a clear snapshot, they thought it might belong to the ginseng family.

Many years later, Steven Manchester from the Florida Museum proved otherwise. He came across an unidentified and unusually well-preserved plant fossil" at the University of California, Berkeley. He demonstrated that two fossils belonged to the same plant adorned with unusual flowers and fruits."

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With the assistance of the latest technology, the new example in a pristine state of preservation is not only illuminating the 55-year-old mystery surrounding an ancient unidentified plant but revealing that theres more diversity in the fossil record of flowering plants than previously recognized.

Two fossils, one plant

The two fossils came from the same location in Utah: the Green River Formation. Tectonically active 47 million years ago, a massive inlake system captured an assortment of fish, reptiles, birds, and plants in exquisite detail. In the case of the original sample, researchers only had leaves to work with, leaving them limited in their ability to assess what it looked like.

The new fossil sample provided a fuller portrait of the enigmatic plant. The leaves were attached to a unique specimen, as per a recent statement from the Florida Museum. It was not a single leaf made up of smaller leaflets but covered in flowers and berries.

This fossil is rare in having the twig with attached fruits and leaves. Usually those are found separately, Manchester said in a statement.

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After identifying that the two fossils belonged to the same plant, they could establish that the plant wasnt a ginseng. But then, what was it?

Instead of lumping the plant into a known family, which happens in paleobotany, researchers explained, they went the extra distance to ensure its classification was correct. Generally, in paleobotany, extinct plants that existed less than 65 million years ago are often placed within modern genera.

Without finding any links to any existing species, researchers put the fossil aside for some years, riddled with more questions than answers.

A plant with an unusual anatomy illuminating ancient biodiversity

A stroke of luck graced the Florida Museum when a new curator of artificial intelligence equipped researchers with state-of-the-art technology. They could study the fossil in closer, richer detail. They even noticed seeds.

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Normally, we dont expect to see that preserved in these types of fossils, but maybe weve been overlooking it because our equipment didnt pick up that kind of topographic relief, Manchester said.

The new plant species possessed a striking anatomy such as the retention of its stamens, or the male reproductive organs of the flower. Normally, they fall away as the fruit develops, as Manchester said. "And this thing seems unusual in that its retaining the stamens at the time it has mature fruits with seeds ready to disperse. We havent seen that in anything modern.

The plant has neither modern nor extinct relatives, making the "alien" the only example ever seen of its kind. Its unclear how much diversity in this mysterious extinct group has lost to time, a statement concludes.

But interestingly enough, the research from 1969 might lead to the discovery of more extinct groups. The planet's ancient ecosystem might have been brimming over with a richer assortment of plant life than scientists ever thought.

The article was published in the journal Annals of Botany.
Nearly half of Ukrainians, 47%, support Ukraine joining NATO even if some of its territories remain under Russian occupation at the time of accession, according to a survey by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Razumkov Center, published on Dec. 22.

In case of such an accession, the alliances umbrella of protection may be extended to occupied territories only after liberation.

This represents a 14-percentage-point increase from a similar poll in June 2023.

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The poll comes as U.S. President-elect Donald Trumps hesitance to sustain long-term support for Ukraine adds urgency to defining Ukraine's post-war security architecture.

The poll was conducted face-to-face among 1,518 respondents in Ukraine-controlled areas.

It also found that 36% opposed NATO accession under such conditions, down 16 percentage points since June 2023.

The strongest opposition to the idea of such limited accession to NATO came from respondents over 50, those from eastern, central, and southern oblasts, and individuals living below the poverty line or without ties to occupied territories.

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The findings come as Ukraine faces limited battlefield success and growing discussions on security arrangements.

While 55% of respondents view NATO membership as Ukraine's best security option, 60% believe it is the only way to prevent future Russian aggression.

Other options, such as neutrality with international guarantees, garnered only 12% support, while non-alignment was favored by just 3%.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 1 that NATOs Article 5 might not immediately apply to active conflict zones, signaling a shift in Kyivs stance.

Zelensky also recently acknowledged that liberating some occupied territories, such as Crimea, might require diplomatic solutions, not military ones.

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This pragmatic approach aligns with NATO pathways resembling West Germany's phased accession during the Cold War, an idea supported by 70.3% of Ukrainians in a Dec. 10 survey by the New Europe Center.

Read also: More than two-thirds of Ukrainians favor idea of restoring nuclear arms arsenal, poll shows

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
ST. LOUIS (KTVI)  Multiple people were struck by a vehicle Sunday evening outside a frozen custard stand in St. Louis, leaving at least one person critically injured.

The incident comes after years of calls for safety measures around Ted Drewes, the beloved custard stand, with some believing the city has taken far too much time in addressing those concerns.

According to a social media post by the St. Louis Fire Department, six people were taken to area hospitals, one of whom was said to be in critical condition.

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Virginia woman faces jail time after practicing illegal dentistry

Mitch McCoy, spokesman for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, said the crash happened around 8 p.m. in the Ted Drewes parking lot. The driver, a 19-year-old man, initially fled and went home, but his family told him to return to the scene.

McCoy said the youngest victim is 12 while the oldest is in his 70s.

The investigation is still ongoing and more information will be disclosed to the public on Monday, McCoy said.

This is not the first tragedy to happen outside Ted Drewes.

In July 2022, Matthew Nikolai was struck and killed while crossing the street in front of Ted Drewes. A pickup truck hit the high school student, causing him to be thrown into the path of another car, which also struck him. Nikolai was 17.

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The driver of the second vehicle stopped and remained at the scene to speak with first responders. The driver of the truck, later identified as Jacob Adler, initially stopped, got out of his pickup, and walked to the scene without identifying himself. Adler then drove off immediately afterward.

Adler was eventually arrested and, in June 2024, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and tampering with physical evidence. He was sentenced to five years in state prison.

In October 2024, someone drove their car into a fire hydrant across the street from Ted Drewes. A bollard was installed in front of the hydrant to protect it.

2 Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent friendly fire incident: US military

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In an interview with Nexstars KTVI, Rasmus Jorgensen, the deputy director of communications for the St. Louis Mayors Office, said safety improvements would be scheduled between January and March 2025, during Ted Drewes offseason.

During that October interview, Jorgensen mentioned various safety improvements planned around the area, including relocating a Ted Drewes parking lot entrance, improved lighting, and the construction of a new bump-out with bollards and fencing to corral and separate patrons from vehicular traffic out in front of Ted Drewes.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
WASHINGTON  Donald Trump is making a naughty list and checking it twice.

Thats according to one Republican senator who likened the public pressure the president-elect is putting on members of Congress to confirm his Cabinet nominees next year to Santa Claus handing out lumps of coal to misbehaving children.

Everybody toe the line, everybody line up, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said at a conference earlier this month, characterizing Trumps approach. We got you here, and if you want to survive you better be good. Dont get on Santas naughty list here because we will primary you.

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Trump himself didnt deny that he might seek retribution against Republican senators who oppose his top picks to lead federal agencies while speaking at a press conference in Florida.

If theyre unreasonable, if theyre opposing somebody for political reasons or stupid reasons I would say they probably would be primaried, Trump said of GOP senators this month.

One Republican senator, Joni Erst of Iowa, learned this the hard way. After the Iraq War veteran and sexual assault survivor suggested she had concerns with Pete Hegseth, Trumps expected nominee to lead the Department of Defense, who has been accused of sexual assault, Trumps allies turned up the heat against Ernst, launching vicious criticism at her and calling for the senator to face a primary election challenge in 2026.

Her colleagues have since gotten the message, avoiding any hint of disapproval in their statements about Trumps nominees and instead vowing to give them a fair hearing in the Senate next month. It doesnt mean theyre all safe, a few controversial picks are sure to face contentious confirmation hearings. But GOP senators arent looking to draw Trumps ire weeks before they actually have to cast a vote on his nominees on the Senate floor.

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Nobody needs to get on his naughty list because were pretty much invested in the same things hes invested in, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a Trump ally, told HuffPost.

Still, other GOP senators could be in Trumps crosshairs, in addition to Ernst, including Murkowski, Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Todd Young (Ind.), Mike Rounds (S.D.) and John Curtin (Utah).

Lisa Murkowski

The Alaska senator is a rare phenomenon in todays Republican Party: an independently-minded voice who isnt afraid to call out Donald Trump. At a No Labels conference earlier this month, Murkowski called herself more of a Ronald Reagan  Republican than I am a Trump Republican, adding that shed prefer being known as someone who seeks to do right by this state and the people that I serve regardless of party.

She doesnt face reelection until 2028, and the last time she did, in 2022, she survived a Trump-backed challenger thanks to substantial support from independents in Alaska. She has expressed concerns with several of Trumps nominees, including Hegseth and anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been tapped to lead the Health and Human Services Department.

Susan Collins

Collins is another moderate Republican who has expressed concerns with some of Trumps nominees. Like Murkowski, the Maine senator, she has been a critic of Trump and also voted to convict him over his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

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Asked by HuffPost if she worried about retribution from Trump or his allies, Collins, who is up for reelection in 2026, said she planned to vet Trumps nominees like every other president before him.

Ive always approached the nominees, whether theyre Democratic or Republican presidents, in the same manner. I sit down with them and interview them, I look at the background check, I monitor or participate in the public hearing, and then I do what I think is right, Collins said. Ive always given a lot of deference to the presidents choices, because I believe in general, the president should be able to assemble his own team, but I have voted against a few of them in the past, and well see what happens.

Mitch McConnell

The 82-year-old Kentucky Republican stepped down as Senate GOP leader in December after nearly two decades on the job, and he could be a wildcard during what is likely the last two years of his Senate career. Although hes typically unwilling to criticize or even talk about Trump, he may feel differently now that hes out of leadership and free of wider responsibility.

Earlier this month, McConnell fired a warning shot at RFK Jr. for working with a lawyer who sought to revoke approval of the lifesaving polio vaccine for children. The issue is a personal one for McConnell: He struggled with polio as a child.

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Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed  theyre dangerous, McConnell said. Anyone seeking the Senates consent to serve in the incoming administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts.

John Curtis

All eyes will be on Curtis, a low-profile House Republican from Utah who was elected in 2024 to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney in the upper chamber. Will he go the way of Romney, a vocal critic of Trump? Or will he keep his head down and fall in line with the MAGA contingent in Congress?

Im not a rubber stamp, Curtis told ABCs This Week on Sunday. I think me speaking my mind and being upfront makes the president a better president.

Anybody who wants to give me heat for doing my job, bring it on. This is my job. Its my constitutional responsibility, he added.

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Curtis expressed concerns with Kash Patel, Trumps nominee to lead the FBI, and he has not yet backed Hegseth despite meeting with him earlier this month.

One early tell, at least on fiscal matters: Curtis last week voted along with other deeply conservative members of the House to reject a government funding bill that included a hike in the statutory borrowing limit, which Trump had demanded.

Mike Rounds

The amiable South Dakotan, who initially backed Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) over Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential race, has said that all of Trumps nominees should get the benefit of the doubt while starting out  comments that Trumps transition touted in their favor.

But Rounds has also expressed concerns with RFK Jr. and his views on vaccines. I want to know what his real concerns are and what he would want to do different. But I do not want to lose our vaccine programs, he told reporters this month.

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Asked by HuffPost if he was thinking about drawing a primary challenger ahead of his 2026 reelection campaign, Rounds downplayed the possibility and stressed he wanted to play a constructive role in building out Trumps team.

I have never had a time in which there werent suggestions of, you know, having primaries. Primaries are a part of the process, Rounds said. At this point, were just all part of the same team. And I think thats what were going to focus on is keeping everybody on the same team and getting this stuff done. So its team building right now. Its not a negative approach, its a positive approach.

Todd Young

Young, a former U.S. Marine known for working across the aisle, won a second term in 2022 despite not having Trumps endorsement after he said the former president bore responsibility for the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

In 2023, Young upped the ante and announced he wouldnt support him in the 2024 presidential race. Hes been largely mum on Trump since then, but hes had plenty of positive things to say about most of his nominees. Still, Young could be a senator to watch  particularly on Hegseths expected nomination to lead the Pentagon.

When asked by CNN earlier this month about the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against Hegseth, which the former Fox News host has denied, Young said he had a fulsome conversation with Hegseth that covered everything on my mind, but indicated hes not ready to back him yet for the job.
LAKEVILLE, Mass. (WWLP)  The Lakeville Police Department is currently investigating after finding approximately 80 Amazon packages left on the side of the road on Sunday morning.

On December 22 at around 2:00 a.m., Sgt. Shawn Robert located three large totes in a wooded area off Bedford Street during his routine patrol stated the Lakeville Police Department. The totes were unattended, and upon examination, he realized they were full of Amazon packages spread out across several feet into the woods. The totes were brought to the police station using a pickup truck to be inventoried and examined.

Springfield police warn of cryptocurrency schemes

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Lakeville Police Chief Matthew Perkins said that the police received no reports of missing or stolen packages, so they were returned to an Amazon distribution center in Middleborough.

I would like to commend Sgt. Shawn Robert for his discovery of these unattended packages while on routine patrol, Perkins said. Sgt. Robert likely saved a Christmas headache for many local residents by noticing these totes and getting them back to Amazon, hopefully in time for a holiday delivery.

Lakeville police are investigating further into the matter in hopes of determining the cause of the left-behind packages.

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WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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Slovakia has criticized Prime Minister Robert Fico, who arrived in Moscow on Sunday, December 22, to meet Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on the carpet. The prime minister was told that negotiations on gas transit should have been conducted with Ukraine, not Russia.

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The trip to Putin was called a betrayal of national interests. This was reported by Aktuality.sk.

Thus, the leader of the opposition party "Progressive Slovakia" Michal Simecka called the trip a disgrace for Slovakia. According to him, Fico is making the country a propaganda tool for the aggressor country.

"If the prime minister was really concerned about gas transit, he should have negotiated with the Ukrainian side, instead of making Slovakia an instrument of Russian propaganda," the MP said.

Meanwhile, Ivan Korcok, a member of the Presidium of the opposition party Progressive Slovakia, called the trip a "turning point" in the country's foreign policy. No one in the European Union supported Fico's request to maintain gas transit through Ukraine.

"After the failure in Brussels at the EU summit, when no one in the European Union supported his request to preserve gas transit through Ukraine, the prime minister went to stand next to the Russian president. This is a betrayal of allies and Slovakia, a gap in our foreign policy for which the Prime Minister has no mandate," Korcok summarized.

Bronislav Grohling, leader of the Freedom and Solidarity Party, also reacted to Fico's talks with Putin. The MP called the head of the Slovak government a collaborator and said that the country was thus "in international isolation."

"We are sending a message to Vladimir Putin and all pro-Russian politicians that Robert Fico does not speak for the entire nation," Grohling summarized.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
A woman is dead following a crash at SR 247 and CR 137 Sunday in Suwannee County. The 86-year-0ld Suwannee woman was traveling northbound on CR 137 at about 7:15 p.m. and was stopped at a stop sign, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release.

She failed to yield to traffic on SR 247 and attempted to make a left turn, the news release states. The womans vehicle was hit by a van driven by a 35-year-old Suwannee woman. She received minor injuries. There were six occupants in the van. They were taken to Lake City Medical Center for evaluation. The 86-year-old woman was taken to a Gainesville hospital where she was pronounced dead, the news release states.

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ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  The Texas Veterans Land Board is extending an invitation to the community to attend the unaccompanied burial of U.S. Army Veteran Sergeant Donald Lee Mikel at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Abilene, ensuring no Veteran is laid to rest alone.

Born on November 10, 1945, Sergeant Mikel served in the Army from August 1967 to June 1970. During his service, he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal, recognizing his dedication and honorable conduct.

As Sergeant Mikel has no known next of kin, the Texas Veterans Land Board is encouraging the public to honor his memory by attending the ceremony. He will be laid to rest with full military honors.

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The burial service will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Abilene, 7457 West Lake Road.

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This story was originally published by ProPublica.

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive its biggest stories as soon as theyre published.

In states with abortion bans, ProPublica has found, pregnant women have bled to death, succumbed to fatal infections and wound up in morgues with what medical examiners recorded were products of conception still in their bodies.

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These are the very kinds of cases state maternal mortality review committees are supposed to delve into, determining why they happened and how to stop them from happening again.

But panels in states that have recently imposed strict bans on abortion have done little to uncover whether the laws are contributing to maternal deaths, including tracking delays in care for pregnancy complications and making these problems known, a ProPublica investigation shows.

In fact, we found that in a few states, political leaders who backed the bans have stood in the way of measuring their consequences.

They have dismissed committees, slowing down their work. They have weeded out members openly critical of abortion bans and supportive of transparency.

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Texas has gone as far as to legally prohibit its committee from reviewing deaths that are considered abortion-related. This could include some miscarriage care, health officials told ProPublica.

In two deaths of Texas women that ProPublica investigated, Porsha Ngumezi and Josseli Barnica had already miscarried when they were given misoprostol to help complete the process. The committee does not review cases that involve that drug because its also used for abortions, said committee chair Dr. Carla Ortique: If they received medication, if they received any procedure, we will not get those records. Chris Van Deusen, the spokesperson at the Texas Department of State Health Services, would not say whether Ngumezis and Barnicas deaths would be reviewed.

Porsha Ngumezi with her husband, Hope. - Danielle Villasana for ProPublica

Josseli Barnica with her infant daughter. - Courtesy of the Barnica family/ProPublica

Other state committees have not made changes to systematically examine the role abortion bans are playing in maternal deaths, officials acknowledged, though some said they might note it as a contributing factor if it appears in the records. If the committee discovers a trend that raises a particular concern, it could decide to include that information in its reports, South Carolina officials said.

Some noted that they follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and that those recommendations dont direct committees to consider abortion access or delays in abortion care. Indianas law directs committee members to determine whether the person who died had an abortion and whether that contributed to their death; it does not focus on delays in access to abortion care.

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States can direct their committees to look at any important health issue; Texas panel added new questions to its process to help capture the role of the coronavirus pandemic in deaths, for example.

ProPublica asked governors in 15 states with strict abortion bans whether committees should examine the impact of the laws on maternal deaths; most did not respond. None directly answered the question or advocated for specific changes. (Read their responses here.)

Were not acting like we want to know the answer to this question. And that concerns me, said Caitlin Myers, an economics researcher at Middlebury College who is studying the impact of abortion access on maternal health. However you feel about the ethics of abortion, we should want to understand how these policies are affecting womens health.

Experts interviewed by ProPublica say state maternal mortality review committees are uniquely well-positioned to examine the impacts of abortion bans on maternal health. The panels are often made up of practicing OB-GYNs, cardiologists and nurses, and they can also include doulas, medical examiners and experts in mental health, substance abuse and domestic violence. They review summaries of medical records to determine whether deaths were preventable and to identify contributing factors. This allows researchers and government officials to see patterns and come up with ways to improve the countrys poor maternal health outcomes.

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Committees are not systematically tracking an issue that came up throughout ProPublicas reporting on deaths in states with abortion bans: delays and denials of procedures, like dilation and curettage, which are used to empty the uterus during miscarriages to avoid hemorrhage and infection. The procedures are also used for abortions, and doctors face prison time for violating restrictions. Women have died after they could not access these procedures, ProPublica found.

Nevaeh Crain, a teenager whose organs were failing, was made to wait 90 minutes for a second ultrasound to confirm fetal demise. Amber Thurman suffered for 20 hours while sepsis spread. And Barnica was subjected to serious infection risks for 40 hours while doctors monitored the fetal heartbeat until it stopped.

Nevaeh Crain. - Danielle Villasana for ProPublica

Studying such delays needs to be a part of these kinds of reviews, said Dr. Daniel Grossman, a leading reproductive health care researcher and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California San Francisco.

Grossman has collected dozens of accounts from health care providers detailing substandard treatment and poor outcomes in states that banned abortion. But he and others recognize who is ultimately in charge of state maternal mortality review committees.

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I cant imagine the states that passed restrictions saying, Now we want to know if that caused any deaths, said Eugene Declercq, a professor at Boston Universitys School of Public Health who serves on Massachusetts maternal mortality review committee. The clinicians and the public health people might want to know, but the political leaders would be aghast.

Even if they start to pursue such answers, states are years behind in reviewing deaths, ProPublica found in a survey of 18 states with the most restrictive abortion laws. Most have not finished reviewing deaths from 2022, the year most bans became effective after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion. Two states are still reviewing 2021 deaths. Three states  Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota  did not respond.

Reviews typically lag years behind deaths because of the time it takes state health department employees to learn of cases, track down records and wrestle them free from hospitals and doctors before they summarize and redact them for review. We have one person in the entire state that has to collect all that data. Literally one, said Dr. Stacie Geller, a founding member of Illinois committee. I live in fear of her retiring.

The CDC, which has pumped tens of millions of dollars into helping states establish these committees and standardizing their work, has tried to reduce the backlog by setting a goal for committees that receive funding to review cases within two years. However, theres no way to compel states to do so, and not all have caught up.

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Such lags matter more in places where there has been a seismic shift in abortion access, experts told ProPublica, because there isnt a full understanding yet of the laws effect on maternal health care.

Marian Knight leads the United Kingdoms maternal mortality review program, widely seen as the worlds best. She said if there were a major legal shift like this in her country, she and her colleagues would adapt to track the impact in close to real time. I would be monitoring that in the same way as I did during COVID, where we were analyzing data weekly and feeding it in, Knight said.

As of last month, only five states  Iowa, West Virginia, Indiana, Georgia and Tennessee  had finished reviewing cases from 2022, ProPublica found. None had yet published a report on its findings for that year.

Seven other states were still examining 2022 cases: Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana.

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Idaho, Texas and Kentucky had not yet started looking at cases from that year.

Ngumezis husband, Hope, touches his wifes grave in Pearland, Texas. - Danielle Villasana for ProPublica

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Even though North Dakota did not respond to ProPublicas survey, reporters found that its committee, formed by state legislation in 2021, has never met to review cases, according to two members.

In some instances, state officials are responsible for delays.

Idaho disbanded its committee in summer 2023 after a conservative group argued it was unnecessary and attacked members for recommending that the state expand Medicaid for postpartum patients. The move froze the groups work until last month, when a reconstituted, smaller committee met for the first time. Two members who had spoken out against the bans impacts on maternal health, and are suing the state over it, were not brought back onto the committee. The state is defending its anti-abortion laws; the Idaho Attorney General has said he will not stop protecting life in Idaho.

It is unclear how long Georgias reviews will be stalled after state officials dismissed its committee last month, citing a violation of confidentiality rules after ProPublica reported on internal documents in stories about two preventable deaths examined by the group. The Georgia Department of Public Health said in a letter about the dismissal that this would not result in any delays to the committees responsibilities.

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In a move that confused maternal research experts, Texas committee said it would not review data from 2022 and 2023 and begin with reports from 2024 to get a more contemporary view of deaths. The committee has skipped years in the past to address gaps, and at its recent meeting, Ortique, the chair, said that the decision had absolutely no nefarious intent. The period it plans to skip includes two of the preventable deaths ProPublica reported.

Dr. Romy Ghosh, an OB-GYN in Austin, Texas, pleaded with the maternal mortality review committee at a public meeting this month to reconsider its decision to skip those years.

Theres been a lot of fear in my patients. They wonder, can I save their life if something goes wrong? she said. I think that this information will tell us theres either nothing to worry about or it will be damning.

Between the decision to skip years and the legal prohibition against examining cases involving abortion-related care, it appears Texas will not review any of the three preventable deaths ProPublica identified.

There is a limit to how much committee members can push back against state leaders.

When Texas delayed publishing its maternal mortality report in 2022, an election year, then-committee member Nakeenya Wilson, a community advocate, spoke out, saying withholding data that does not make us look good is dishonorably burying those women.

The next session, Texas lawmakers passed a bill changing the requirements for the position that Wilson held, effectively removing her from the committee. State officials appointed Dr. Ingrid Skop, a Texas OB-GYN who is the vice president of a prominent anti-abortion organization.

Wilson said maternal mortality review committees must be free to speak candidly about patterns they see in maternal deaths and to release information in a timely fashion.

If its not the committee, then who is it? she said. There has to be increased accountability.

Thurmans grave in McDonough, Georgia, on the day after what would have been her 31st birthday. - Nydia Blas for ProPublica

Audrey Dutton, Anna Maria Barry-Jester, Lizzie Presser and Amy Yurkanin contributed reporting.

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If at first you dont succeed, try, try again.

President-elect Donald Trump apparently wants to make another play to take control of Greenlandan autonomous region of Denmark that by all accounts isnt for saleeven after a disastrous attempt during his first term created a diplomatic firestorm.

Trump announced his renewed interest in Greenland at the bottom of a Truth Social post Sunday which named PayPal co-founder and former Swedish Ambassador Ken Howery as his pick for ambassador to Denmark.

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After touting Howerys credentials, Trump added: For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.

The statement comes more than five years after Trump first floated the idea of buying Greenland in what he bizarrely described at the time as essentially a real-estate deal. In fact, the Danish constitution protects Greenlands autonomy and would need to be amended if Denmark wanted to sell, which so far hasnt been the case.

In 2019, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksenwho is still in officecalled the idea absurd. Trump retaliated by canceling a planned state visit to Denmark, which in turn infuriated the officials he was scheduled to meet.

After Trump won re-election, Frederiksen called to congratulate him and vowed to work together on security issues, her office said in a statement.

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The Daily Beast has reached out to her office for comment on Trumps post.

Thanks to its strategic location in the north Atlantic, the U.S. has been interested in absorbing Greenland for more than 150 years. In 1946, former President Harry Truman offered to buy the island for $100 million in what would have been the single largest territorial expansion in U.S. history.

But the issue has historically been a non-startereven after Trump promised not to build a Trump tower in the middle of Nuuk, Greenlands capital.

I promise not to do this to Greenland! pic.twitter.com/03DdyVU6HA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2019

The incoming president is reportedly far more interested in the islands coal, zinc, and copper reserves than in traditional real estate prospects. Greenland is also home to the U.S.s northern-most military base, Pituffik Space Base (until recently Thule Air Base), which helps provide crucial intelligence-gathering for missile warnings and space surveillance.

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Meaning Howerywho wrote on the social media platform X that he was deeply humbled and honored by the nominationwill have his work cut out for him. Elon Musk replied to Howerys post with a message encouraging the diplomat to Help America gain Greenland, along with a crying-laughing emoji.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  Attorneys for Adnan Syed, whose complex legal case was chronicled in the hit podcast Serial," are seeking to have his prison sentence reduced as he awaits further court decisions. Syed was released from prison in 2022 and has remained free ever since, though his court case is ongoing. His lawyers are seeking to reduce his sentence under a Maryland law that allows people who have been imprisoned for at least 20 years for crimes committed when they were minors to seek a change in sentence.

Syed was released when a Baltimore judge overturned his conviction in response to a request from prosecutors who said they found flaws in the evidence. But in August, Maryland's Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision that reinstated Syeds conviction while allowing him to remain free pending a new hearing about whether he should have been released.

The court said the victims family didnt receive adequate notice to allow them to attend the original hearing in person.

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The defense attorneys' filing on Friday seeks to maintain Syed's freedom until the new hearing.

This filing is a small step toward ensuring that Adnans custody status is stabilized and his freedom is safeguarded, said Erica Suter, Syed's attorney and an assistant public defender who directs the Innocence Project Clinic at University of Baltimore Law School.

We maintain his innocence and our mission of proving that hasnt changed," Suter said in a statement.

She also said Syed's accomplishments and good conduct, both during his incarceration and since release, support reducing his sentence. Since his release, Syed has been working at Georgetown Universitys Prisons and Justice Initiative. His lawyers, including Brian Zavin, who is chief attorney of the Maryland Office of the Public Defenders Appellate Division, also noted in Friday's filing in Baltimore City Circuit Court that Syed has been caring for his elderly parents since his release and that his father recently died.

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The filing also said Syed has cared for his spouse's aging parents.

The Maryland Supreme Court's 4-3 ruling in August came about 11 months after it heard arguments in a case that has been fraught with legal twists and divided court rulings since Syed was convicted in 2000 of killing his high school ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee.

She was found strangled to death and buried in an unmarked grave in 1999. Syed was 17 at the time and was sentenced to life in prison, plus 30 years.

David Sanford, an attorney who represents Lees family, said in a statement Monday that if there is new and compelling evidence to support vacating the conviction of Adnan Syed, we will be the first to call for Mr. Syeds freedom.

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However, he said the state has not presented a shred of new, let alone compelling, evidence which would warrant overturning a murder conviction that has withstood appeals for over two decades.

The State of Maryland engaged in a charade in 2022: it recycled old evidence and, in the process, bamboozled the trial court and the public into believing that Mr. Syed was likely innocent, Sanford said, adding that attorneys will confer with the family and present their position in court in the days ahead.

Syed, who is now 43, has maintained his innocence.

Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates is weighing how to proceed given the Maryland Supreme Court's decision.

Syeds case was chronicled in the Serial podcast, which debuted in 2014 and drew millions of listeners who became armchair detectives. The show, hosted by veteran radio producer Sarah Koenig, transformed the true-crime genre as it shattered podcast-streaming and downloading records, revealing little-known evidence and raising new questions about the case.
LUFKIN  Tonya Jackson left an Angelina County nursing home on a recent December day, happy with the successful resolution she brokered between the staff and a resident.

The elderly woman faced eviction after communication broke down between her family and the facility. Thats when Jackson stepped in.

Jackson is the Deep East Texas managing local ombudsman for long-term care facilities. Each day she serves Texans living at these facilities as a state-assigned independent advocate.

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We do not enter a nursing facility to wreak havoc, Jackson said. We enter the nursing facility to assist and advocate for the residents who do not feel they have a voice. We are there to help mend the broken bridge.

There are not enough people like Jackson in Texas, which has a dismal track record for long-term care. The state ranked 42nd for safety and quality, on a 2018 scorecard from AARP, the last time the survey was taken.

The lack of ombudsmen  which include both paid staff and volunteers  is a statewide issue, and is acute in Deep East Texas, which includes Angelina, Nacogdoches and Newton counties. Just five people, two paid staff and three volunteers, bounce between 48 long-term care facilities  34 nursing facilities and 14 assisted living facilities.

We would be lost in the long-term care community without them, but they definitely need more support across the board, said Andrea Earl, the associate state director of advocacy and research for the AARP.

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In early December, the Deep East Texas Council of Governments, a group made up of representatives from local governments, called for more volunteers to bolster this program.

Jackson prays the extra hands will better support her small team. She believes one volunteer for each facility would go a long way toward improving the lives of residents.

Volunteers can usually catch things that we cant, being that our time is so limited going to each of the facilities, Jackson said.

At the same time, state officials hope the Legislature will step in to provide extra support when they reconvene in January.

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Patty Ducayet, the states lead ombudsman, wants lawmakers to fund more full-time and part-time positions, regulate the use of Medicaid and create a portal to handle involuntary discharge, the eviction of residents.

Texas legislators have signaled they intend to prioritize dementia care and research this session. Earl hopes this means theyll see the value in prioritizing the ombudsman program as well.

The program has faced an uphill battle in past sessions.

This session, we have to continue to lay the groundwork to ensure that legislators over in the big pink building understand that this is a critical office to long-term care residents and families, Earl said.

The role of an ombudsman

The state ombudsman works independently from the Health and Human Services Department, which oversees the states long-term care facilities. This independence provides ombudsmen the chance to work on behalf of residents without fearing retribution.

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Texas utilizes full-time employed ombudsmen to investigate complaints related to the health, safety, welfare and rights of residents in care facilities and help resolve any issues. Their work is ideally supplemented by a large force of volunteers who do similar work but for only a few hours a week.

Jackson tries to see 15 to 20 people at each facility during her monthly visits. If shes successful, shell meet with every resident at least once a year.

The job requires patience and empathy, Jackson said. In many places, ombudsmen are the only visitors residents get from the outside world and the conversations provide them a level of peace.

Her visits serve not only to connect with residents but also to establish a rapport with staff at each facility so she can more effectively address complaints.

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Facilities without that rapport may see ombudsmen as people just trying to stir up problems, Earl said. Ombudsmen and facilities have clashed before. In 2023, the Texas Assisted Living Association worked with Rep. Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches on legislation that Earl said would have made the job of ombudsman harder. The legislation would have limited what files ombudsmen could review, even when it is requested by the patient, Earl said.

Accessing those documents and looking at history, especially when we're talking about dementia patients and those facing severe medical issues, is a key part of what they do, Earl said.

Carmen Tilton, the vice president of public policy for the Texas Assisted Living Association, said the organization supported House Bill 4220, which would have impacted ombudsman access to patient records. Their goal wasnt to curb access, however, but to bring Texas regulation in line with federal regulations.

Prior to this, even volunteer ombudsmen  without consent from residents  could access any resident information. This meant they could access Social Security numbers, bank account information, doctors information, prescriptions, and more, Tilton said. The bill also sought changes to training to clarify the differences between facilities and to establish guidelines for what is an ombudsmans job and what is that of law enforcement.

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It was perceived as an attack on the program, which was not our intent, Tilton said.

Clardy dropped the bill before it went for a vote. Since then, the ombudsman office has worked with the Texas Assisted Living Association directly to institute many of the changes Tilton hoped to see within the organization's framework without requiring legislative intervention.

Making changes actually happen within the facility can be difficult, slow and may result in backsliding instead of progress, Ducayet said. An ombudsman may fix a problem for one resident only to be back in the same facility facing the same problem with another resident. This can be extremely frustrating and requires volunteers and staff to have patience.

When done right, the issues are resolved within the facility  between the administration, residents and their families  and dont require state intervention. Jackson does a good job of this, said Lynne Nix, the business office manager for Shady Acres Health & Rehabilitation in Newton County.

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Nixs relationship with Jackson has been built on the belief that Jacksons interventions help both the facility and the resident. Sometimes a resident isnt comfortable speaking their mind and the situation deteriorates quickly. The ombudsman is the logical answer.

They're the true advocates for the residents, Nix said.

A shortage of ombudsman

In 2024, the state ombudsman program had a 25% turnover rate of paid staff, the highest it has ever been. Those who have stayed are overworked, Ducayet said. Ideally, Texas would have one staff member for every 2,000 licensed care facility beds. Right now, Texas has one person for every 2,514 beds, she said.

If the program was fully staffed, then paid personnel could focus their work on recruiting and supporting more volunteers, Ducayet said. An additional 22 full-time employees would further improve advocacy statewide.

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Local volunteers, who are often people whose family members are in long-term care facilities, or are eyeing a facility for themselves, serve as the boots on the ground, Earl said.

They can accomplish a lot if they can focus on one or two facilities at a time, Ducayet said. But thats not a reality for Texas right now. Since 2019, the number of active volunteers has decreased by more than 100 people, leaving only 300 people to serve as volunteers across the state.

The work, whether as a volunteer or a full-time staff member, takes its toll.

Residents, who are often elderly or ailing, die. The sudden loss of a person who you have been meeting with for months, or even years, can be extremely difficult, Ducayet said. After serving in the field for 18 years, she learned that any meeting with a person could be her last.

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Those are hard things, Ducayet said. It takes resilience and grit, like most hard things do.

Fewer staff and volunteers means longer times between visits to care facilities. Having more eyes and ears on the ground helps address problems at a facility more quickly, Ducayet said. This could go a long way toward improving elderly care and preventing problems from escalating to the point where state intervention feels necessary.

What can be done

Ducayet has several goals this legislative session to improve the ombudsman program and care for residents of long-term care facilities overall.

First is increasing state funding for the ombudsman program by about $3 million. This would cover the cost of 22 additional full-time ombudsmen statewide, including a quality assurance officer and discharge rights officer at the state level.

She also wants to resolve noncompliance with state and federal discharge rules by nursing facilities. Involuntary discharge, like what Jacksons client was facing in early December, is the No. 1 complaint received by the program. Ducayet believes creating an online portal for nursing homes to file discharge notices, hiring for a position that is over discharges statewide and making it increasing fines if a nursing home violates discharge laws will help.

Increasing staff at long-term care facilities should also be a priority, Ducayet said. She and the AARP are advocating for the state to require nursing homes to use 85% of Medicaid reimbursements for payroll.

This would put the money in the hands of caregivers, instead of corporations, Ducayet said.

A similar bill was proposed in 2023. The Texas Senate approved it, as did a House committee. But it never received a full vote by the state House. . Earl believes it can go all the way this year.

These goals may not necessarily resolve the major issues within the long-term care industry in Texas, but they would go a long way toward increasing accountability in the industry, Earl said.

The AARP shares many of Ducayets goals, and Earl believes the work completed during the 88th Legislative Session to educate lawmakers about the ombudsman program and how its funded could help them progress. She is optimistic, but also weary of what is gearing up to be a potentially complicated session.

While Ducayet is working at the state level to improve upon the program, Jackson has other goals  mainly: to find more local volunteers.

If she could find one volunteer for each of the 48 facilities in Deep East Texas, an 11 county region, then she could feel more confident that her program is truly meeting the needs of this vulnerable population.

Disclosure: AARP has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Afghanistans Foreign Ministry on Monday welcomed the reopening of Saudi Arabias Embassy in Kabul for the first time since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

On Sunday, the Saudi Embassy in Kabul said on X that it was resuming the missions activities based on the governments keenness to provide all services to the brotherly Afghan people.

A deputy spokesman for Afghanistans Foreign Ministry, Zia Ahmad Takal, said: We welcome the reopening of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Kabul and assure them that the ministry will cooperate in all matters and pay close attention to their safety.

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Takal said authorities were optimistic that the embassys reopening would expand relations and cooperation between the two countries, while also addressing the problems and demands of Afghans living in Saudi Arabia in a timely manner.

No country formally recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, although a number of countries have diplomatic relations with them.
Feminism in Ukraine is met with criticism. Inna, who made history at her company by becoming the first woman to occupy a position previously reserved for men, frowns when asked if she is a feminist. No, no, she replies, rejecting the label, which she considers to be aggressive. However, this engineer is leading the first, tentative steps on the countrys path to equality in the workplace. The labor shortage caused by the war is driving legislative changes and training programs to recruit women workers like her in male-dominated professions.

Deputy Minister of Economy Tetyana Berezhna explains that due to the mobilization of men, there is a shortage of personnel in construction, industrial production, the agricultural sector, etc. As she explains, the country needs women to replace men in production.

The drain on the Ukrainian labor market from the Russian invasion  in the form of refugees, civilians turned soldiers, and military personnel killed or wounded on the battlefield  is sowing the country with pioneers, as a collateral benefit. The first female metro driver, the first female bus drivers, truck drivers, miners, lathe operators Ukraine has lost around 3.5 million workers (both men and women), according to Hlib Vishlinski, director of the Centre for Economic Strategy. This represents around 17% of a workforce that in 2021, before the start of the war, the World Bank put at 20.5 million.

In Soviet times, the percentage of women workers was higher than in modern Ukraine. Workers were exploited as much as possible. Nursery schools were open 24 hours a day, every day, so that women could work in the factories, explains Vishlinski in her office in central Kyiv. But more women working did not mean equality: They had to work, but they were also expected to take care of the house and the children.

Stereotypes remain

Now, 56% of women are employed, compared with the EU average of 68%. Stereotypes remain, however. The war is an opportunity to open the door for women; in Ukraine we have a gender gap in the labor market, explains Larisa Lisogor, a researcher at the Institute of Demography of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Conciliation and care are still womens business, and there are few places available in early childhood education. Women have traditionally worked in lower-paid jobs in sectors such as education, health, services, and trade. Mens jobs are better-paid because they are considered more dangerous and labor-intensive, explains the expert.

In conversations on this topic, it is common to quickly point out that many women have been absent from certain sectors due to convenience or physical limitations. Even Inna, 45, who prefers to keep her last name confidential for security reasons  she works in an aeronautical components company in the defense sector  is the perfect example of the opposite. In my job there are limits for women, unfortunately, because we are not physically strong enough to move certain things that can weigh up to 100 kilos, she says, sitting in the lobby of a nearly dark hotel in Zaporizhzhia.

Inna, an engineer from Zaporizhzhia, during a business trip to Gdansk, Poland, on December 13.

In the position Inna has been in for three months, the work consists largely of travelling to a variety of locations on the fly, sometimes in the middle of nowhere and in sub-zero temperatures, to repair aircraft equipment. Normally, women prefer to be in warmer places, she says two days after returning from Gdansk, Poland, where she worked at minus 5C. But when asked who she thinks would be more respected, between a strong woman and a man who is incapable of lifting weights and sensitive to the cold, she answers without hesitation that most likely, him. When she took up her new position, in a company dominated by men, her colleagues assumed she would be dedicated to administrative work, paperwork. Now they understand that we are on the same level, they dont think they are better than me, she says.

Banned professions

In many cases, it was not a question of whether or not women wanted to do a job, but one of power. A Soviet law, partly repealed in 2017, banned women from being hired in 450 professions considered dangerous or requiring heavy lifting, in the alleged aim of preserving their reproductive capacity. All underground or gas-related jobs, for example, were banned. They could not be ship mechanics or long-distance bus drivers. Other rules, dating back to 1971, ban them from working night shifts, or prevent them from going on business trips if they have more than three children. Ukraine is not Iran, argues Vishlinski. The law that banned women from working in the mines was to protect them; it had more of a populist aspect than patriarchy.

The government is finalizing a new labor code and martial law has introduced some legislative changes that facilitate womens entry into the labor market. The Deputy Minister of Economy states that one of the priorities of her department is to strengthen female leadership, expand womens economic opportunities, and eliminate wage differences between men and women. The gender gap in wages in 2021 was 18.6% and the government has set itself the goal of reducing it by five points.

The state, with the support of companies and international partners, is launching training and retraining programs for around 150 professions where there is a labor shortage. Since the beginning of 2024, more than 22,500 people have been trained, 73% of whom are women, Berezhna explained in a written response. In particular, in November this year, the government added 31 specialties to the list of professions in which women have traditionally been underrepresented. These include trolleybus driver, tram driver, forklift operator, milling machine operator, crane operator, lathe operator, carpenter, and others.

Women, driven by the war and these vocational training programs, are heading down the mines, taking up driving trucks, or operating heavy machinery in steel companies. Changes are also taking place in the mentality of some employers, who are ready to hire women for atypical positions, says Berezhna. In addition, modern technology makes it much easier to perform physically demanding jobs, making traditionally male professions more accessible to women.

The phenomenon is not comparable in size to that of the British Munitionettes, the women employed in the military industry in the United Kingdom during World War I. Or the millions hired as workers in factories, shipyards, etc., in the United States, while men were fighting in World War II, represented by the iconic Rosie the Riveter. There are only a few thousand jobs among millions of workers, says Vishlinski. But it is a good start; the goal is to show that women can be truck drivers if they want to, adds Volodimir Landa, senior economist at the same think tank.

Inna, in this new stage of her life, has just bought a car, also as a result of the conflict. Its in case we have to evacuate, she says, but it is another sign of her recent empowerment. Regarding the pride she feels in paving the way for other women, she emphasizes: The fact that women are starting to have these positions is a consequence of the war, not of feminism. We want to have the same rights as men, but we are so far away In any case, as Lisogor, the researcher at the Institute of Demography of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, points out, new challenges are driving changes in stereotypes. Now we have this opportunity. It is the beginning of the process.

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PUERTO JIMENEZ, Costa Rica (AP)  The endangered Geoffreys spider monkeys that dangle high in the rainforest canopy are elusive and hard for scientists to track.

So biologist Jenna Lawson hid 350 audio monitors in trees across Costa Rica's lush Osa Peninsula to spy on them.

The devices recorded the sounds of the forest and surrounding countryside for a week, collecting so much data that Lawson could have spent years listening to it all.

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Instead, she fed it into artificial intelligence systems trained to instantly recognize spider monkey calls and detect where the animals traveled. One of the worlds largest acoustic wildlife studies when Lawson began the project in 2021, it revealed troubling findings about the health of a treasured wildlife refuge.

More of this AI-assisted wildlife surveillance is urgently needed as some 28% of all plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction, according to a paper published in the academic journal Science this summer. Researchers from Dutch and Danish universities showed that machine-learning techniques can handle huge amounts of data and uncover sound patterns, allowing for faster, cheaper, and better ecological studies that can aid in biodiversity conservation. But many technical challenges remain.

Tech giant Microsoft's philanthropic AI for Good Lab announced this month it is hoping to answer some of those technical challenges with a new kind of hardware and computing system for eavesdropping on the planet's wildest places.

Those remote places are also the most important places on the Earth from a biodiversity perspective, said Microsoft's chief data scientist, Juan Lavista Ferres, in an interview last week by video call from Colombia, where a research team was preparing to test the new approach.

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Powered by the sun and energy-efficient AI computer chips, the devices can run for years rather than weeks without human intervention. And they can regularly transmit their data online via low-Earth orbit satellites. It's called Sparrow, short for Solar-Powered Acoustic and Remote Recording Observation Watch.

Pablo Arbelaez, director of an AI-focused research center at the University of the Andes, said a first Sparrow test will happen in a jungle preserve along Colombia's largest river, the Magdalena. Eventually, the researchers hope to get a better idea of how deforestation  and efforts to reverse it  is affecting the population behavior of jaguars, blue-beaked paujil birds, spider monkeys and other endangered species.

Another project closer to Microsoft headquarters will monitor forests in Washington state's Cascade Mountains. By late 2025, Lavista Ferres plans to have devices on all continents, from remote corners of the Amazon rainforest to gorilla habitats of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That will then be open-sourced to make it accessible to a wide body of researchers in real time, but with measures to obscure sensitive location data.

What we dont want is these devices to ever be used for poachers to understand where the animals are, Lavista Ferres said.

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It was a concern about encroachments on Costa Rican spider monkey habitat that led Lawson, then at Imperial College London, to undertake her ambitious bio-acoustic study three years ago. She persuaded landowners to let her place recording devices on their properties outside Corcovado National Park, a jewel of Costa Rica's decades-long efforts to preserve biodiversity by encouraging wildlife tourism.

She basically realized the spider monkey is in a really critical situation, said local environmentalist and bug scientist Jim Cordoba-Alfaro. On a follow-up visit last year, he and Lawson trekked across a private reserve with an Associated Press reporter to observe the monkeys and check on the audio monitors.

Compared to the charismatic capuchin monkey and the notoriously loud howler monkey -- both commonly seen or heard throughout Costa Rica  spider monkeys are far more wary of humans and the changes they bring.

Theyre the most sensitive of the primates that we have here, said Lawson. The spider monkey would be the first animal to leave when theres signs of trouble. They would be the last animal to come back once forests are restored because they need mature secondary and primary forest to be able to survive.

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The Royal Society of London in March 2023 published Lawson's findings of what the audio monitors revealed: the spider monkeys weren't going anywhere near paved roads or the plantations harvesting palm oil and teak wood that bisect the region's protected national parks. That meant government-designated wildlife corridors meant to extend their range through and beyond the Osa Peninsula were not working as well as designed. She came back to present those conclusions to local officials.

After hours of searching, a troop of spider monkeys appeared  peering down at the humans who found them. Within moments, they were on their way again  extending their lanky arms and prehensile tails to grasp at trees and propel themselves across the canopy with spidery acrobatics.

Unattended acoustic detection of animal sounds is valuable not just in rainforests but in a wide variety of ecosystems, according to the Science paper published earlier this year. For example, it could help sailors avoid colliding their ships with large baleen whales heard to be passing through a shipping channel.

Lavista Ferres said there are still numerous challenges to overcome, from humidity that can fray jungle monitors to elephants in African savannas unintentionally knocking them off a tree.

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Lawson said using the audio monitors to capture the spider monkey's distinctive whinny enables biologists to study a larger area at lower cost, but also provides a truer account of how the monkeys behave without scientists following them around.

Were reducing our influence on their behavior, she said. And also  they dont want us here."
Dec. 23Alaska's U.S. senators voted in favor of a bill that is set to increase Social Security benefits for thousands of the state's residents.

The measure, known as the Social Security Fairness Act, passed the Senate in a 76-20 vote early Saturday and heads now to the desk of President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it.

The bill is set to eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, which reduce Social Security benefits for many of Alaska's public sector workers and their surviving spouses.

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The provisions have been in place for four decades, reducing Social Security benefits for people who worked in both Social Security-eligible jobs and for public sector employers that do not pay into Social Security, including those in Alaska.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she'd been working on the legislation for more than 20 years, since she was appointed to the Senate in 2003. Murkowski first co-sponsored legislation the Social Security Fairness Act in February 2003, according to her office.

"It's been a long arc," she said in a phone interview on Thursday, after it became clear that the Senate was on a path toward passing the bill. "It was an issue that was presented to me right at the very beginning."

She said state government workers, teachers and firefighters are among the constituents who brought the issue to her attention.

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"Any meeting I've ever had with teachers  this is their number one ask. Any meeting that I have with firefighters, law enforcement  this is always top of their list," said Murkowski.

For years, she said both Democrats and Republicans shied away from taking on the provisions because they were tied to broader issues concerning Social Security, Murkowski said.

The House voted 327-75 to pass the bill last month, paving the way for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to bring the bill to a vote in the U.S. Senate before the holiday recess.

Murkowski said there had been a behind-the-scenes push to delay consideration of the measure until next year, when Republicans will control both the U.S. House and Senate, and President-elect Donald Trump will return to the White House.

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"There were just too many of us that were co-sponsors to this bill who said, 'no, we've been promised before that we would have hearings on this.' We've been promised before that we would see action on this and it didn't come, so when you have it in front of you, you seize the moment," said Murkowski.

Opponents of the measure raised concern about the predicted $190 billion cost of the bill in the coming decade, which is expected to hasten a crisis in funding the Social Security program.

"Yes, by eliminating the GPO and the WEP, it does kind of move forward that tipping point," said Murkowski. "And we have to address that."

But she said "there has been a period of unfairness for far, far, far too long, and it needs to be corrected," adding that she hoped the passage of the legislation will lead to continued work on addressing broader concerns regarding Social Security funding.

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Joelle Hall, president of the Alaska AFL-CIO, the state's largest labor organization, said in a statement that the provisions set to be eliminated by the bill were "punishing public employees and their heirs for dedicating their lives to their community."

In a written statement, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan said he voted for the bill because the Alaska Legislature passed a unanimous resolution earlier this year supporting the federal legislation.

Sullivan said Alaska workers who qualify for the state's retirement plans "have been penalized by the Social Security Administration and the IRS for being pushed into a system they didn't choose."

"I've been working on an Alaska-specific solution for this issue for years. The legislation we passed tonight will fix this problem, strengthen our state's workforce, help with recruitment efforts, and benefit hard-working Alaska families," Sullivan said in a statement issued shortly after the bill passed.
Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, has attacked the BBC after claiming the British broadcaster rejected his Benjamin Netanyahu expose The Bibi Files.

The Going Clear director accused the BBC of bending the knee to the Israeli prime minister in its coverage of the war in Gaza.

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He produced The Bibi Files, which draws upon leaked videos of the police interrogation of Netanyahu on charges that he accepted gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for political favors.

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Netanyahu attempted to block the features release, according to the filmmakers, which include director Alexis Bloom (Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes).

BBC wont show The Bibi Files because it is critical of Netanyahu. Israelis in film accuse him of prosecuting an endless brutal war in Gaza to avoid bribery conviction, Gibney said on X/Twitter. BBC doesnt want to allow that POV on TV. BBC bends knee to Bibi. Gibney has previously said no mainstream outlet in the U.S. will show the film.

BBC wont show The Bibi Files because it is critical of Netanyahu. Israelis in film accuse him of prosecuting an endless brutal war in Gaza to avoid bribery conviction. BBC doesnt want to allow that POV on TV. BBC bends knee to Bibi. https://t.co/aQ6aPUvrxO  Alex Gibney (@alexgibneyfilm) December 22, 2024

The BBC said it does not comment on individual commissioning decisions.

It is likely The Bibi Files was pitched for the BBCs Storyville strand, which has not shied away from the Middle East conflict, premiering the Nova Music Festival massacre film Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again earlier this year. All films must comply with BBC editorial guidelines.

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A BBC spokesperson said: This conflict is a challenging and polarising story to cover, and we are committed to providing impartial reporting for audiences in the UK and across the world. We have shown a broad range of content with different perspectives on the Israel-Gaza war alongside ongoing news coverage across TV and radio.

Bloom told the Toronto International Film Festival that The Bibi Files had been through a rigorous editorial process. Its been fact-checked up the wazoo. So, its not a lunatic left-wing film, nor a lunatic right-wing film, she said.

The Bibi Files screened as a work in progress at the Toronto International Film Festival in October, and made its official world premiere last month at DOC NYC. Producers are Bloom, Gibney, Raviv Drucker, Kara Elverson, and David Rahtz. Executive producers include Lyn Davis Lear, Jim Swartz, Erin Edeiken, and Richard Perello.

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For the first time since 2020, a coal-fired power plant is closing down in North Carolina.

The Allen Steam Station, which is set to retire at the end of 2024, has been generating power for the Charlotte area since 1957, however, in recent years it has slowed down, serving more during peak power periods rather than as a baseload power plant.

Its the first in a series of coal-power retirements set out in Duke Energys Integrated Resource Plan, which lays out the utilitys plan for meeting North Carolinas mandated emissions goals. Duke Energy must reduce its emissions by 70% of 2005 levels and be operating at net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. As a part of that plan, all of Dukes remaining coal-fired plants will retire or convert entirely to natural gas by the end of 2035.

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Before retirement, however, Duke Energy must build replacement generation to keep the power grid stable.

At some retiring coal plants, were building nuclear, at some were building natural gas, Duke Energy spokesman Bill Norton, said.

Natural gas is playing a large role.

New gas-fired plants will be built to replace the coal-fired plants at the Marshall and Roxboro sites and before the Allen Steam Station in Belmont closes, a new natural gas turbine is coming online in Lincoln County.

You need something that can fire up quickly to fill that gap. Coal was never really designed to do that. It took, you know, the better part of a half of a day to get to full speed, Norton said.

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Dukes reliance on natural gas, another fossil fuel that has significant carbon emissions, has its critics. Munashe Magarira, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, spoke out against the plan to build a new natural gas plant at the Marshall site, claiming the new plant would not significantly reduce carbon emissions and could increase pollution from VOCs.

You do not need natural gas to retire coal. There are other alternatives, particularly solar and other renewables that are paired with storage that can do the same sorts of jobs, both providing sort of around the clock, or closer around the clock energy, he said.

A significant exception to the natural gas buildout at former coal sites is Duke Energys plan for Belews Creek in Stokes County. There, Duke Energy plans to install a new type of nuclear energy generation called small modular reactors. The utility aims to have that power online by the mid-2030s, though opponents are skeptical of the timeline and potential cost, given delays other recent nuclear projects have faced.

As for the Allen Steam Station, because the site itself contains nearly 20 million tons of coal ash, the largest site in the state, most of the power plants land will be converted into a series of lined landfills to safely store the waste so it cannot contaminate groundwater. With the remaining land, Duke Energy plans to build 167 MW of battery storage.

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Thats actually the same size as unit 1 the last retiring coal unit at this site, Norton said. [Batteries] take up less land, you dont have large amounts of personnel involved with them.

The next plant slated for retirement is the Mayo Steam Station in Person County. Operations will end before the end of 2030.

(VIDEO: Town of Carrboro sues Duke Energy for contributing to and lying about climate change)








A total of 47% of Ukrainians are ready to support Ukraine's accession to NATO if part of the Ukrainian territories remain occupied by Russia, as indicated by the poll.

Source: survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in cooperation with the Razumkov Center sociological service, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The survey was conducted from 29 November to 14 December 2024.

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In particular, in December 2024, 47% of respondents answered affirmatively to the question about supporting Ukraine's accession to NATO if part of the countrys territory remains occupied. This is 14% higher than in June 2023.

A total of 36% of respondents are not ready to support Ukraine's accession to NATO if part of its territory remains occupied, which is 16% less than in June 2023.

Respondents aged 50 and older (40%); respondents who lived in the eastern (36%), central (38%), and southern (48%) regions before the full-scale invasion; respondents living below the poverty line (46%); and respondents who have no family members in temporarily occupied territories (42%) were more likely to report being unwilling to support NATO membership if part of Ukraine's territory remains occupied.

According to 55% of respondents, the best option to ensure security for Ukraine is to join NATO.

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A neutral status, backed by international guarantees, is supported by 12% of respondents.

Among the options offered, the respondents considered Ukraine's non-aligned status with restrictions on its own defence capabilities and reliance on its own capacity while maintaining defence capabilities to be less reliable in terms of the country's securitythese scenarios were supported by 3% of respondents each.

60% of respondents feel that only Ukraine's accession to NATO will prevent Russia from launching another wave of aggression. Among other defence strategies that could be helpful in protecting against yet another invasion by Russia, respondents frequently highlighted restoring the country's nuclear status (39%).

The least effective of the proposed strategies, according to respondents, is the creation of a demilitarised zone on the line of contact, regardless of whose troops will be involved in its control.

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Ukraine's accession to NATO and the restoration of its nuclear status are the most popular responses among all respondents, independent of their macro-region of residence prior to the full-scale invasion, financial circumstances, or if they had family members in temporarily occupied territory.

Face-to-face were conducted with 1,518 respondents aged 18 and up from all government-controlled territories of Ukraine.

Background:

Another poll showed that as of November, about 70% of Ukrainians were positive about the idea of Ukraine joining NATO in stages, similar to the way a divided Germany once did.

For the first time, more than half of Polish citizens reportedly supported the idea that the war in Ukraine should be ended, even if it means giving up part of its territory or independence.

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LOS ANGELES (NewsNation)  Starbucks baristas returned to work on Wednesday following the largest strike of its kind at stores across the U.S. Meanwhile, Amazon delivery drivers paused their picket lines but plan to resume their fight for better wages and working conditions.

Amazon workers are demanding the companies recognize them as unionized employees or meet their demands for an inaugural labor contract.

This major year-end push stems from failed negotiations and strategically hits during the busiest week of the year.

Contract negotiations at Starbucks

The Workers United Union represents about 10,000 Starbucks employees at more than 500 stores.

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Union leaders said the strikes expanded on Saturday to include stores in Denver, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio. In a post Sunday on X, the union said that picket lines had expanded to Brooklyn and Long Island in New York, St. Louis and Pittsburgh.

The five-day strike, which began on Friday, initially closed Starbucks cafes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle. Its now expanded to 10 cities, though it impacts just a fraction of the more than 16,000 Starbucks locations across the country.

Workers blame Starbucks for an impasse in talks, as the company blames workers for demanding unsustainable wage increases.

A million taxpayers will soon get up to $1,400 from the IRS: Heres why

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The union argues Starbucks has failed to honor a commitment made in February to reach a labor agreement this year.

The union also wants Starbucks to resolve outstanding legal issues, including hundreds of unfair labor practice charges that workers have filed with the National Labor Relations Board. The agency also has opened or settled hundreds of charges against Amazon.

In launching the strikes that started Friday in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, Workers United said Starbucks proposed an economic package with no new wage increases for unionized baristas now and a 1.5% increase in future years.

Starbucks said Workers United prematurely ended a bargaining session this week. The company also says it already offers pay and benefits worth $30 per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week.

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The company said it is ready to continue negotiation when the union wants to come back to the bargaining table.

Workers United will seek to cause more stores to close and claim that their strike has reached hundreds of stores in dozens of cities, Sara Kelly, Starbucks executive vice president and chief partner officer, said in a statement Tuesday.

The public conversation may lack the important context that the vast majority of our stores (97-99%) will continue to operate and serve customers, and we expect a very limited impact to our overall operations.

Teamster-led strikes at Amazon

Action against Amazon is more extensive, centering around claims of corporate greed that shortchange employees.

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The Internal Brotherhood of Teamsters claims to have nearly 9,000 workers on strike nationwide, demanding higher pay and improved working conditions.

According to the union, workers who voted to authorize strikes began picketing on Thursday after Amazon ignored a Sunday deadline the union had set for contract negotiations.

Drivers argue they should get paid the same as United Postal Service workers or UPS drivers.

Amazon and Starbucks workers are on strike. Trump might have something to do with it

Amazon announced plans to raise wages for its subcontracted drivers to $22 an hour following union pressure. However, Teamsters members driving for UPS earn an average of $49 an hour.

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The Teamsters union has primarily focused on organizing delivery drivers, who work for contractors handling Amazons deliveries. However, Amazon has rejected calls to negotiate, since it doesnt consider the drivers to be its employees.

Teamsters also say the union represents some Amazon warehouse workers, totaling about 10,000 Amazon workers nationwide  a small portion of Amazons 1.5 million employees.

The union hasnt disclosed the number of workers participating in the strike or how long it will last. But it included Amazon-employed warehouse workers in San Francisco and subcontracted delivery drivers in cities like Chicago, New York City, Atlanta, and other parts of California.

Will the strike impact holiday packages?

For customers, logistics experts suspect there could be minor delays in California, Georgia, Illinois and New York.

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However, Amazon told NewsNation it doesnt expect the strike to impact operations, and wont affect customers receiving their packages on time.

Additionally, Amazon argues the drivers are not its employees. The company also says these actions are protests, not strikes since no Amazon employee or third-party driver pays Teamsters union dues.

NewsNation+s national correspondent Mills Hayes and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.
Hybrid work is here to stay, according to economists from Harvard Business School and the University of Pennsylvania, and employees will vote with their feet if they are denied the "new norm."

Amazon and AT&T may appear to be winning high-profile battles to bring staff back to the office, but flexible workers are quietly prevailing in the remote-work war.

With the pandemic behind us, some executives argue that remote work has outlived its usefulness. Yet the data tells a different story. The economy has outperformed expectations, hybrid-friendly companies are seeing better stock performance, and productivity is up.

So why push for a return to full-time office work when flexibility is driving success? The answer, at least for some companies, lies in sunk costs: if millions were spent on high-end office spaces, the C-suite expects them to be used. Others see RTO as a quiet way to cut staff without layoffsan approach employees are increasingly aware of.

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Experts agree the debate is largely over: hybrid work is here to stay.

Economists point out that flexibility is critical for attracting and retaining talent, and businesses that prioritize real estate over their workforce may soon find themselves with empty desks.

Human capital vs office space

Any CEOwhether they're a fan of hybrid work or notwould be hard-pressed to argue that office footprint is more critical to a business's future than attracting and retaining top talent.

This is the opinion shared by Raj Choudhury, an associate professor at Harvard Business School.

Choudhury told Fortune: "My prediction is eventually every company and every company leader will have to accept [remote work]."

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Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, would disagreehe's just told his hundreds of thousands of employees they need to be back in the office five days a week. His staff aren't happy, in fact more than seven in ten have said they're looking for work elsewhere.

Choudhury said the outcome is clear: "This is a simple economic argument about talent. There are enough companiesincluding very large companies like Microsoftthat have realized Amazon's loss is Microsoft's gain.

"In the Seattle area if a large number of people are going to be looking for jobs out of Amazon, where will they go? Many of them will end up at Microsoft. There are enough smart CEOs out there who understand that rigidity has a cost."

It seems these lessons are already being learned.

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In October 2023, 63% of CEOs KPMG surveyed predicted a full return to in-office work by the end of 2026.

By April 2024, when KPMG spoke to CEOs of U.S. companies turning over at least $500 million, it found just one-third expected a full return to the office in the following three years.

It seems Nvidia's Jensen Huang read the room early on. The CEO of the AI darlingriding high on an 171% increase in share price this year to dateskipped RTO mandates entirely, ensuring the company retains the brightest talent in a competitive market.

This trend is only going to become more pronounced adds David Cook, an anthropologist at University College London: "With the younger demographic the expectation is even stronger that they want to be able to work remote.

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"It's definitely a culture war. Once the economic context changes and employers are competing for employees, flexible working, hybrid working, working from home, will be seen as one of the attractions."

The Elon argument

The vanguard of the business elite may argue that coming to work is a checkbox of adult lifewhich is why federal workers now under the watchful eye of Tesla CEO Elon Musk are so concerned.

But Musk's motivation is obvious.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal alongside DOGE co-lead Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk declared: "Requiring federal employees to come to the office five days a week would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome."

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The Tesla CEO might be saying what other bosses are thinking, added Choudhury, but it's not a tactic which will wash with staffers for long.

Choudhury explained: "You can try these gimmicks a couple of times but employees will see through this. It'll be serious reputational damage if you continue this path of [not] being able to attract and retain talent."

The other problem with this method is bosses have absolutely no power over which staff decide to move on because of an RTO mandate.

Research has found that in-office mandates are costing companies high performers, as pointed out by Nick South, managing director of people and organization practice at the Boston Consulting Group.

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"It's much harder if you're trying to reshape the size of your workforce to do it through this sort of device and keep control of who goes and who stays," South tells Fortune in a phone call. "Most organizations I work with when they have to do these sorts of things really try and do it in the right way, but also make sure that they do their best to keep the best people and help them see this is where they want to be for the future."

Stick to the plan

South's continuing advice to leaders is to establish the goalposts for staff and stick to them.

Not everyone got the memojust take Mark Zuckerberg, who said during the pandemic that Meta would be the most forward-leaning company on remote work. Yet by the summer of 2023, employees who weren't in the office three days a week risked being terminated.

Data indicates that while headline-grabbing companies might feel powerful enough to change the rules for their staff, the majority of employers have settled into a steady rhythm.

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Data from the Flex Indexwhich analyses employer-provided data from more than 8,000 businesses in the U.S.found that throughout 2024, the number of businesses offering work location flexibility has stabilized at around 70%.

This is a trend that Peter Cappelli, a professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School, loosely expects to continue.

"Usually a safe bet is tomorrow will look like today, only slightly more so," Professor Cappelli tells Fortune.

The biggest problem in the RTO battle is a fundamental lack of communication, the academic added: "The bigger problem is that top executives don't really see management as being what they dothey see cutting deals, playing in finances, talking to investors, M&Asbut the nitty gritty of managing our workforce is pretty low on their list of things they want to do.

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"The problem they created for themselves was that when we started the pandemic they did a lot of appropriate and smart things ... and were motivated by the fact that they had no alternative. Then, after that, the companies were trying to do the right thing and said: 'We'll be back by the summer. Oh no, by fall. OK, Labor Day.' They got irritated by the pandemic so they stopped saying anything. That's the problem.

"Now they've gone four years with this model without telling anybody what the plans were. So, of course, it's the new normal ... and taking things away is really irritating for people, especially if you haven't told them anything about it or what your goals are."

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
American Airlines (AAL) will be doing a little less international travel next year, apparently because it wont have the planes it needs to do so. The airline said it will be putting off a number of new routes thanks to Boeing (BA) fulfilling jetliner orders more slowly than expected, travel industry news site The Points Guy first reported.

As a result of ongoing Boeing 787 delivery delays, American is adjusting service on certain routes in spring 2025 to ensure we are able to re-accommodate customers on affected flights, American said in a statement provided to Quartz. Well be proactively reaching out to our impacted customers to offer alternate travel arrangements and remain committed to mitigating the impact of these Boeing delays while continuing to offer a comprehensive global network.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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American said that it will not be cancelling any routes because of the delays, but it will be starting some routes later than expected:

Flights from Chicago OHare International Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, on hold since September, will be restarting in May instead of April.

Flights from Miami International Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport will be temporarily suspended starting in May.

Beginning in April, there will be two daily flights from Miami International Airport to Ministro Pistarini International Airport near Buenos Aires, Argentina, instead of three.

American Airlines is one of the largest Boeing customers waiting on 787 deliveries. Of the 785 unfilled orders for the plane listed on the planemakers website, American is waiting on 25 of them. Only United Airlines (UAL), Saudi Arabias Riyadh Airlines, and Lufthasa are identified as awaiting more planes.

Because the planes are wider than Boeings popular 737 Max planes, theyre desirable for airlines who do a lot of long-haul international service. Though U.S. carriers are hesitant to add more capacity after empty seats industry-wide reduced fares (and passenger revenues), American was hoping that what little new supply it was introducing would be international.

As we bring back capacity, theres probably 1% of consolidated capacity or more thats coming out of regional that will largely be on the domestic side, CFO Devon May said on an October earnings call. The rest of the growth, I think, will be split relatively evenly, maybe a little more international than domestic.

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(WHTM) Significant delays are affecting trains from Philadelphia to Harrisburg early this week.

Amtrak reported downed power lines in New Jersey on Sunday morning across all four tracks between New York and Washington. Although crews managed to clear downed lines off two of the tracks, travelers still felt the lasting effects of the delays.

Despite occurring yesterday in New Jersey, trains between Philadelphia and Harrisburg continue to experience delays of up to one hour.

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Its unclear when trains will return to their scheduled arrival times. Travelers should plan ahead when embarking on their holiday travels via train.

This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
Christophers view

Heres the good news, and the bad news, for journalists troubled by the decline in trust in your profession: Trust in media is a relatively new phenomenon, dating to the rise of survey data in the 1930s. The medias devotion to the idea of the public interest and its associated impartiality also roughly dates to the mid-20th Century. Trust in the media has been declining for decades.

Meanwhile, taking the longer view of our collective past shows us that the current landscape of a partisan and deeply divided American media  coarsening and polarizing politics, spreading unreliable information and propaganda  is in many ways just a return to business as usual.

For most of US history journalists and the press were overtly, often sensationally partisan. Citizens expected as much. So did politicians. Historians of journalism have well documented that readers supported and trusted their media  Republican or Whig or Know Nothing or Jacksonian or Populist or Socialist publications  and turned a blind eye to much of the rest. To put it differently, echo chambers once existed in the world of print as much as they do today in the world of social media.

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Likewise, Americas first presidential campaign season already showed its fair share of political mudslinging. In fact, journalists bad behavior is still notorious in that hotly contested election of 1800, Adams vs. Jefferson, when the partisan press spewed controversial, spiteful and alarmist allegations designed to tear down the opposing candidate and party as much if not more so than to build up their own. Pro-Adams Federalist organs before (and especially after) the election circulated (since-confirmed) rumors about Jeffersons sexual relationship(s) with his slaves, and in 1800 they framed the electorates choice as a battle between Godand a religious President or Jeffersonand no God!!! Pro-Jeffersonian warned another Adams presidency would continue a reign of terror created by false alarms, to promote domestic feud and foreign war.

Endorsements  much discussed this fall  werent created to objectively weigh the pros and cons of candidates. The press essentially political. Business journalism offered some incentive for facts, but in the sorts of judgements we remember best  say abolitionist newspapers like William Lloyd Garrisons famous  the press for much of US history was usually endorsing and picking sides. Readers expected that. From before the birth of the Republic through the muck-raking days of Upton Sinclair around the turn of the 20th century, the press as a whole was less concerned with balanced reporting and impartially informing the American people than with reflecting and reinforcing the biased beliefs of narrow segments of the public.

Objectivity and neutrality, by and large, were products of the media consolidation that followed World War II, and a limited range of media options that spanned a few giant radio and television companies along with high-circulation magazines like and. That period and those media conduits were what generated the major expectations Americans (and many around the world) came to associate with what Ben Smith described last week as a self-conscious, high-minded public interest.

History suggests that theres no natural pull back to that era of a more objective media, and no clear path to escape, once again, the inherently unreliable partisan journalism of Americas early history. George Washington warned in his 1796 Farewell Address, I have argued, that passions swayed by foreign influence, emerging new political parties, and rising factionalism were the major threats to American democracy. When we look at our political landscape today, with foreign adversaries making mischief on social media, growing polarization, and a new class of powerful individuals and groups, its hard not to hear Washingtons words as a warning for our own times.
Rosa Herrero has managed to make a new life for herself and her five children in the migrant shelter where they live. The single mother has done so despite the fact that the shelter is located in the middle of nowhere in Brooklyn, where the nearest subway station is nearly six miles away and the ride on public transportation to other points in New York City takes hours. She has also managed to do so despite the fact that her family sleeps on cots inside a giant tent that is part of a camp set up by the local government on a former airfield to house some 2,000 asylum seekers. It is far from a home, but it is the only roof the Herreros have had over their heads for the past year. Now, the city is evicting them from it.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, announced last January 10 that his administration will close 25 migrant shelters over the next two months. Among them is the Floyd Bennett Field camp, where the Herrero family lives along with 500 others. This center is part of a network of 250 shelters set up by the city to accommodate the thousands of migrants who have arrived in the Big Apple since the spring of 2022. Since then, more than 225,000 asylum seekers have arrived, a record number. However, the number of new arrivals has been declining for five months, leading the Adams administration to reduce resources allocated to managing the migration crisis, including the closure of several shelters.

Thanks to our smart management strategies, weve turned the corner, Adams said in announcing the impending closure of 25 centers. Were going to continue looking for more sites to consolidate and close, and more opportunities to save taxpayer money, as we continue to successfully manage this response. Over the past two years, Adams administration has allocated more than $6 billion to accommodate new arrivals.

In addition to the one at Floyd Bennett Field, which will close on January 15, the mayor plans to shutter the encampment on Randalls Island, several hotels across the city, two Manhattan dormitories, and a warehouse-turned-shelter at John F. Kennedy International Airport, among others. Migrants living at those centers will be moved to other sites in the system, which is housing 54,900 migrants, down from a peak of 69,000 in January.

Affected families, meanwhile, say they have not received enough information about how the closure and relocation process will be carried out. Some migrants housed at Floyd Bennett Field  the citys third-largest family shelter, which opened in November last year  say the closure notice took them completely by surprise. Families have been summoned to individual meetings at the reception and management center located at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, where they hope to find out where they will be living next month. The round trip from the camp to this hotel takes between four and five hours.

Herrero has her appointment next Friday. Sitting on a bench outside Floyd Bennett Field with two of her daughters, the 45-year-old single mother waits in the sun for the only public bus that passes near the camp. The wind from Jamaica Bay, which almost completely surrounds the shelter, whips her, while the temperature hovers around 2C. I dont know what Im going to do, laments the migrant from Venezuela, who arrived in New York a year ago. Since then, Herrero has lived with her five children  aged 9, 14, 15, 20, and 22  in this shelter.

Newly arrived migrants at the temporary shelter at Floyd Bennett Field, a former airfield in Brooklyn, in January 2024. Spencer Platt (Getty Images)

I didnt want to go anywhere else because I think about my childrens school, which is nearby, I think about my work, which is nearby, and their comfort and well-being, she explains. Having to move to another center, possibly in another part of the immense city, worries her not only because of her job, but because the relocation will occur in the middle of the school year. Psychologically, its not good for my children. They have already made friends and tried to adapt to that school. Moving them from one school to another also affects them, she says.

This is precisely one of the main concerns of the citys pro-immigrant organizations. Although they welcome the closure of this center, which they never considered suitable for accommodating families with children, they urge the Adams administration to do everything possible to ensure that the relocation process disrupts the lives of these families, and especially those of the minors, as little as possible.

While we welcome this closure, one which we have long advocated for because this site was never an appropriate setting for families with children and raised concerns about families safety, we are mindful of the disruption it causes to the families we serve, who above all else are longing for stability. We also want to ensure that childrens learning continues, their access to the classroom is not impeded, and households can still reach employment opportunities, healthcare, and critical services, migrant advocacy organizations the Coalition for the Homeless and the Legal Aid Society said in a joint statement.

Families will be moved from the center over the next few weeks until January 15, five days before Donald Trump returns to the White House and begins implementing his immigration agenda, which includes the detention and deportation of millions of migrants. Although Adams did not mention him when announcing the closure of the camp at Floyd Bennett Field, members of his administration, as well as migrant advocates, feared that the president-elect would launch raids at the shelter  since it is the only one in the city located on federal land  or cancel the lease.

Yet even with the shutdown, pro-immigrant organizations continue to keep an eye on the mayor for his outreach to the president-elect. Adams has already made clear that his administration will work with the incoming government on immigration issues, and the mayor met last week with Tom Homan, whom Trump has tasked with carrying out his promised mass deportation operation as his border czar. The two emerged from the meeting saying they had the same goals. In the face of this apparent alliance, groups like the Coalition for the Homeless and the Legal Aid Society say they are closely monitoring shelter closures and migrant transfers to ensure new arrivals access to shelter and protection from any potential federal immigration enforcement dragnets.

Migrants leave the Floyd Bennett Field shelter on December 11. Spencer Platt (Getty Images)

Access to home ownership: the pending task

The organizations also argue that rather than continuing to relocate migrants from center to center, the city should invest in long-term solutions that help these people obtain their own housing. The Adams administration implemented a new rule last May that requires migrant families housed in these shelters to reapply for shelter every 60 days, leaving them in an unstable situation in which, every two months, they run the risk of having to move if they are not granted a new spot in the same center. Meanwhile, couples without children and single people receive spots for only 30 days; after that period, they must leave the shelters unless the city determines that they have extenuating circumstances and grants them a waiver.

While we welcome the news that the Floyd Bennett Field [center] will close, it is not enough. We urge the Adams administration to take further steps by focusing on humane and long term solutions that truly support our newest neighbors, Murad Awawdeh, the president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), said in a statement. The city must prioritize creating pathways to permanent housing that provide stability and dignity, ensuring immigrant New Yorkers can build their lives here and contribute to our communities.

Herrero knows firsthand how difficult it is to find an apartment in the city as an asylum seeker. Ive been looking for a rental for five months to get out of here, she says outside Floyd Bennett Field. She says she is building her credit, which is at 700 points (on a scale of 850), which is considered a good rating but not enough to get an apartment in a real estate market as competitive as New Yorks. I didnt come to this country to be a burden on the government, but how am I going to rent if here they ask for a higher credit rating than I have? I have to continue being a burden on the government because they dont give me the opportunity, she says, frustrated.

Eric Adams during a press conference at City Hall on December 12 in New York. Michael M. Santiago (Getty Images)

I have money to pay my rent, I have my money, and I work. But Ive made 10, 20, or 30 applications to real estate agencies and when they see the documents they ask me for a higher credit score. Where am I supposed to get it if I have only been in the United States for a year and I just got my work permit? she asks. Her budget for an apartment is up to $2,800. She is looking for a three-bedroom apartment for herself and her five children. Ive offered to give them three or four months rent in advance so they would see that I am a responsible person, and even then they wont give it to me. So I see myself in the sad obligation of turning to the government because I have no other option, to stay in a place like this because there is no other situation that can resolve it for me, she adds.

To address this reality, NYIC is demanding that Adams expand programs like CityFHEPS, under which beneficiaries residing in New York City receive a monthly supplement to pay their rent. Currently, undocumented migrants cannot benefit from this assistance. The organization believes that the program would help to ensure success for all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status, rather than perpetuating a cycle of instability and hardship.

Herrero is grateful that the city has provided her family with a bed over the past year, but she recognizes that it is not enough. What I benefited from at the shelter, and what I am grateful for, was giving us a roof over our heads, she says. Everything else is up to me because it is my obligation as a single mother. And like me, there are many of us who work and look for a way to live with dignity, but they dont give us the opportunity.

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By Gram Slattery and Tim Reid

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) - Donald Trump's surprise threat to retake control of the Panama Canal and his expansionist declaration that the United States should own Greenland signals that the incoming U.S. president will pursue a foreign policy unbound by diplomatic niceties.

As Trump prepares to take office on Jan. 20, his aides have been preparing him to deal with two foreign policy crises: war in Ukraine and multiple conflicts in the Middle East, both of which the president-elect has promised to speedily resolve.

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But on Sunday, Trump was more focused on making threats against U.S. allies like Panama and Denmark, which controls Greenland as an overseas territory. In previous weeks, it has been Canada which has had to weather his trolling that it should become the 51st state of the United States.

Defenders of Trump's approach say he is merely a forceful advocate of "America First" policies. That means brusquely defending America's interests - economic or otherwise - when dealing with friends and largely disregarding consequences allies may face.

"The idea is that what's good for America is good for the rest of the world," said Victoria Coates, a high-ranking national security official during Trump's 2017-2021 term. "So he takes a clear-eyed look at what are America's interests in any given situation."

In the case of Panama, Trump said the United States should reassert control of the vital Central American waterway because Panama was charging shippers too much to use it, an allegation the Panamanian president vehemently denied.

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Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona, Trump also said he would not let the canal fall into the "wrong hands," warning of potential Chinese influence on the passage.

Two Trump foreign policy advisers, speaking on condition of anonymity, argued he was addressing a larger issue, one which they expect to be a focus of his second term: Growing Chinese influence over governments and economies in Latin America.

China does not control or administer the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has long managed two ports located on the canal's Caribbean and Pacific entrances.

"It's all about leverage and flexing. The number two user of the Panama Canal is China and he's trying to thwart their influence in Latin America," said Tricia McLaughlin, an adviser to Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump's choice to co-chair a government efficiency commission with the CEO of Tesla Elon Musk.

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Detractors point out his approach risks alienating key allies.

In some cases, public bullying could push natural friends into the orbit of competing major powers, like China and Russia, or make them less likely to strike an economic or security-focused deal with the U.S., they say.

Mayer Mizrachi Matalon, the conservative mayor of Panama City who has worn a Trump "Make America Great Again" hat, issued a blistering statement on Sunday. "We are not, nor will we ever be, a 51st state," he said.

John Bolton, Trump's national security adviser in his first term who has since turned on the former president, said there are legitimate debates over the premiums Panama charges for passage through the canal, and also Greenland's strategic importance to the U.S. and NATO.

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But, he added, Trump is endangering the chance to have those discussions "because he couldn't keep his mouth shut."

Trump was not averse to rebuking or threatening allies during his first term, especially European members of NATO, who Trump accused of spending too little on the alliance's military defense.

Yet threatening such geographically close allies such as Canada and Panama weeks before he even takes office appears to show a greater willingness to use U.S. power as a blunt instrument to extract concessions.

The White House declined to comment. Trump's transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

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TRUMP STILL WANTS GREENLAND

On Sunday, Trump also resurrected in a statement an idea he floated during his first term - that the U.S. should buy Greenland, which has become an increasingly important strategic territory as Arctic trading routes open up due to climate change.

Some officials involved in the transition or close to Trump have informally discussed in recent weeks what an acquisition of the Danish territory would look like, three of those people told Reuters.

One potential option would be signing with Greenland a Compact of Free Association, or COFA, should the island become fully independent of Denmark, which some polls have shown Greenlanders' support in the long term.

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Under a COFA, which the United States currently holds with three Pacific island states, there is an extremely high degree of economic integration between the U.S. and the relevant foreign country, though the foreign country remains independent.

Danish officials rebuffed Trump when he first expressed interest in acquiring the island during his 2017-2021 term, but he never lost interest in the idea, two of the associates and transition advisers said.

In recent weeks Trump has also mused about turning Canada into a U.S. state, an idea that has little basis in reality, experts say.

Yet there is strategic thinking behind Trump's trolling, said Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

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Justin Trudeau, Canada's embattled prime minister, is unpopular at home and facing mounting calls to resign, Abrams noted. Trump has pledged to slap tariffs on Canadian imports unless it reduces the flow of migrants and drugs into the U.S.

"Trump is piling the pressure on Trudeau, I think it's part of a negotiation over tariffs," Abrams said. "I think you'll see the same thing with Mexico at some point."

McLaughlin, Ramaswamy's adviser, agreed, saying: "It's a message to Trudeau that you and Canada are the little brother, don't bite the hand that feeds you until you have paid your fair share in tariffs," she said.

(This story has been refiled to change to 'unbound,' not 'unbounded,' in paragraph 1)

(Reporting by Gram Slattery in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Tim Reid in Washington; additional reporting by Steve Holland; editing by Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell)
The Animation Guild has ratified its contract with the major studios, despite concerns from some about protections against artificial intelligence.

The guild announced that 76.1% of the members voted in favor of the deal.

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This agreement is the next step forward in our goal to create the strongest contract for our members, said Steve Kaplan, the business representative of the union, in a statement.

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The three-year contract includes raises of 7%, 4%, and 3.5% across the board, as well as higher gains for specific crafts. Among them is a provision requiring pay equity for color designers, which has been traditionally female dominated, and a staffing minimum for TV animation writers.

The deal did not include most of the negotiators more ambitious demands, such as a provision allowing members to opt out of using AI in their jobs, and to opt out of having their work used to train AI systems. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers also did not agree to guild-wide staffing minimums.

That led to some discontent among the membership, and four members of 56-member negotiating committee publicly said they would vote no.

Mike Rianda, director of The Mitchells vs. the Machines, said on Instagram that the contracts AI terms were far from what we were going for, and warned the lack of protections would cost lots of members their jobs.

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Kaplan, the business representative, acknowledged in his statement that the deal is a work in progress.

The advancements made here are plenty, but there is also much work to be done with regard to addressing the priority matters that were not fully answered, he said in the statement. The membership made clear to us that there is a need for more focus on Generative Artificial Intelligence, and we will attack the issue through a multi-faceted approach including lobbying for effective legislation, advocating for tax incentives for human-made work, and grieving against potential abuses.

The deal does include AI guardrails that are broadly similar to those offered to other unions. AI work will be covered by the contract, and AI work cannot be used to undermine members pay or credit. The deal also includes notification and consultation provisions, which supporters said would lead to a dialogue within companies about whether AI is actually useful in various circumstances.

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If the North Pole was populated by glowing narwhals, giraffes, pigs and llamas, it would look a little bit like Carly Groves' house in Ann Arbor.

Tucked in the Burns Park neighborhood of Ann Arbor at 1702 Shadford Road, the Groves' house is covered in Christmas decorations. There are animal statues of all different kinds aglow on the front lawn, an illuminated archway and lights lining the roof, windows and sidewalk.

It's all a part of Groves' childhood dream to have a spectacularly decorated house like the fabled (though less carefully deployed) decor in 1989's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

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Groves, a fourth-grade teacher at Allen Elementary in Ann Arbor, decorates her house with thousands of lights and decorations, making it visible from blocks away.

From left, Alex and Carly Groves with many of the Christmas lights and characters at their home on Shadford Road in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Dec 21, 2024. Over the past 6 years Carly Groves has been putting up Christmas lights at her home and it has become a major attraction with many people and families stopping by to look at it all and take pictures in front of it. Groves says her electric bill goes up $600 during the 6 to 7 week period she turns her Christmas lights on.

When Groves was young, she was inspired by another Ann Arbor house just up the road from where she lives now. The home, owned by a local doctor, would turn into a "magical fairytale home," around the holidays, Groves said. "It looked like a real-life gingerbread house.

"It just was mesmerizing and so I always said, 'Someday I really wanna have a Christmas house.' I was like, 'When I am an adult I am making this come true.'"

So she made it true.

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Years ago, with some help from her stepfather, a "self-made" man who always sought to give back to the community in creative ways around the holidays, Groves began accumulating Christmas decorations. She has a special eye for those in animal form.

To Groves, many animals in the yard have special meaning. The giraffes are an homage to her mother, who loves giraffes. Others pay credit to plays and musicals she has been a part of with the Burns Park Players. The octopus is a reference to her time as Ursula in a musical adaptation of "The Little Mermaid," and the donkey was a gift from a friend who played Donkey in "Shrek."

White Christmas? Will it snow where you live in Michigan this Christmas? Here's what forecasters say

The decorating begins in October, with a lighting ceremony in November which is well attended by neighbors and members of the community.

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When it's not the holiday season, Groves said the decorations live in the attic.

"We like to think that when we close the door, they come to life "Toy Story" style, partying up there and having fun together," Groves said.

Decorating the house is done primarily by Groves and her family, with a little bit of help from friends, especially on the more intricate details, like the lights lining the roof. It takes quite a bit of elbow grease to set it all up.

And it's not just physical energy being spent on decorating the Groves' house. It's a financial commitment, too.

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"The entire time we have this on, (our electric bill) goes up by like $600," Groves said.

But it's all worth the smiles.

"That's the part we love, hearing from these families and their stories," Groves said. "We love to hear kids being like 'That gnome is my favorite!" or, 'What's new this year?'"

Lions WAGs: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer teams up with Lions wives, girlfriends to decorate holiday cookies

Groves said visitors are welcome to come up the archways (of which there are eight, lit up in blue as a nod to Hanukkah) as long as they stay out of the yard. "We don't want anyone to trip and fall, and it's all plugged in like Christmas story style."

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While Groves has a few decorations she likes more than others, she was hesitant to name a favorite.

"You know that's like picking your favorite kid!" Groves said.

News Reporter Liam Rappleye can be reached at LRappleye@freepress.com.

(This story was updated to add photos.)

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ann Arbor Christmas house features hundreds of decorations
Even after an annual increase in aid, developing countries are facing a huge shortfall in the money they need to adapt to the impacts of our overheating planet. The gap is estimated to be as high as over $300 billion.

What's happening?

According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, as of Nov. 1, there have been 24 confirmed weather/climate disaster events whose costs have surpassed $1 billion in the United States. It now appears likely that 2024 will break last year's record of 28 such events. Our country and others around the world are paying the price for a warming world that is exacerbating many extreme weather events.

A new report from the annual UN Environment Programme (UNEP) revealed that underdeveloped countries will come up very short when it comes to covering the costs of adapting to the impacts of an overheating planet. The shortfall comes even after a record funding of $28 billion from the developed world. Despite that aid, there will still be a gap of around $200 billion to $300 billion. The report stated the undeveloped countries need $359 billion a year.

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"Climate change is already devastating communities across the world, particularly the most poor and vulnerable. Raging storms are flattening homes, wildfires are wiping out forests, and land degradation and drought are degrading landscapes," said Inger Andersen, UNEP executive director, in a statement per Reuters. "Without action, this is a preview of what our future holds and why there simply is no excuse for the world not to get serious about adaptation, now."

Why is the finance gap so important?

A UNEP report found the poor are disproportionately vulnerable to the effects of a warming world.

"While Africa has contributed negligibly to the changing climate, with just about two to three percent of global emissions, it stands out disproportionately as the most vulnerable region in the world," the report stated.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Report, the highest 10% of income households release over 45% of heat-trapping gases, but those in the lowest 50% account for 15% at the most.

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Underdeveloped countries are not only disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of our overheating planet, but they are also disproportionately bearing the brunt of their costs.

What's being done about the shortfall in funding?

The UNEP's latest adaptation gap report is calling for nations to step up their aid and adopt stronger adaptation climate pledge components.

"Given the scale of the challenge, bridging the adaptation finance gap will also require innovative approaches to mobilize additional financial resources," read the UNEP report. "Strengthening enabling factors is crucial to unlock innovative adaptation finance. An investment in strategic and transformational adaptation that is harder to finance will also be needed."

As individuals, we can all help by donating to climate causes and organizations that assist underdeveloped countries.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
ANTLERS, Okla. (KFOR)  A man has been arrested following a child abuse investigation in Antlers.

According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Antlers Police Department requested the bureaus help with the investigation on November 13, 2024.

LOCAL NEWS: Couple arrested for allegedly abusing several children

George Pate Jr. Image courtesy OSBI.

Officials say a comprehensive investigation was given to the Pushmataha County District Attorneys Office, who later filed multiple Child Sex Abuse charges against 50-year-old George Allen Pate Jr.

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An arrest warrant was issued for Pate on December 13, 2024. He later turned himself in to the Pushmataha County Sheriffs Office and was booked into the Pushmataha County Jail.

Anyone with more information regarding this case is asked to contact the OSBI at 1-800-522-8017 or tips@osbi.ok.gov.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Dec. 23A state appellate court denied the appeal of a Laflin woman who wanted to withdraw her no-contest plea on a felony assault charge stemming from a stabbing in Harveys Lake in 2020.

Isabella Rosa Sobejano, 24, of Peachwood Drive, claimed she was pressured into signing a no-contest plea agreement to aggravated assault by her lawyer, Ruth K. Lenahan.

Pennsylvania State Police at Wilkes-Barre charged Sobejano after she stabbed Samuel Parente in the neck with a knife inside a boat house on June 15, 2020, according to court records.

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Sobejano, at the time a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, had Parente do jumping jacks before she stabbed him in the neck, court records say.

Parente reportedly was ending the relationship with Sobejano who claimed she was pregnant with his child in order for the relationship to continue. The pregnancy was false, state police stated in court records.

After Sobejano pleaded no-contest to aggravated assault on July 7, 2022, Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas sentenced her to one-year house arrest and 30 months probation.

However, Sobejano listed her permanent address in Laflin but was residing near UPenn where she attended school. The county where she was residing while enrolled at UPenn does not accept transfers of defendants sentenced to house arrest.

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In her petition to Post Conviction Relief, filed by her appellate attorney, Zak T. Goldstein of Philadelphia, Sobejano requested to withdraw her no-contest plea as she claimed she was pressured into the agreement as her attorneys were unprepared.

Sobejano was initially represented by Attorney Mark Mack before she retained Lenahan.

When Sobejano's case was called for trial in April 2022, she had re-retained the Mack Law Firm as she previously testified she believed Lenahan was unprepared. Lenahan was the attorney-of-record on the no-contest plea agreement.

Lupas denied to continue Sobejano's trial in April 2022, which she believed forced her into the no-contest plea agreement. She further claimed her lawyers never fully explained the no-contest plea agreement and was unaware her house arrest sentence would not be accepted in the county where she resided while attending UPenn.

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Sobejano appealed to the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

A three-member panel of the Superior Court in a six-page opinion issued Friday denied Sobejano's appeal, ruling her petition for Post Conviction Relief was untimely filed. The PCRA petition was filed one week and six days too late, the Superior Court ruled.
The Arkansas Capitol on Nov. 14, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

Nearly 18% of 66,000 Arkansas executive branch and higher education jobs remained unfilled this year, according to available data.

The Arkansas Department of Veteran Affairs (ADVA) reported the highest percentage of staff vacancies in a single department, according to the Department of Transformation and Shared Services. Of the agencys 303 total positions, nearly 59% were unfilled as of Dec. 5.

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The vast majority of our vacancies are direct care nursing positions at our two State Veterans Homes, retired Army Maj. Gen. Kendall Penn, the department secretary, said in a statement. However, our veteran residents are still getting exceptional care at both homes through a combination of state government-employed nurses and nurses provided by contracted staffing agencies.

Penn, who was appointed in January 2023, will resign from his position on Dec. 31, 2024. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Dec. 17 named retired Air National Guard Col. Robert Ator II as Penns successor.

[Arkansas] state government continues to face a significant challenge trying to match the market rate for nursing positions, as well as additional ADVA high vacancy and low volume positions, such as those in food service and maintenance, Penn said. These challenged areas artificially inflate our overall department vacancy rate.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Kendall Penn, the state department secretary of Veteran Affairs. (Courtesy photo)

Penn said the department hopes to reduce its vacancy rate in 2025 using a combination of special compensation recruitment and retention bonuses. Penn also noted competitive salary increases may stem from Arkansas Forward  an initiative from the governor that aims to increase government efficiency  which he said could help with vacancies.

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While Veteran Affairs had the highest vacancy rate among departments, the Department of Finance and Administrations Division of Racing reported a 78% vacancy rate with 11 of its 14 positions empty as of Dec. 5.

But DFA isnt planning to hire any additional full-time staff to the three positions it already has filled, spokesperson Scott Hardin said.

The Racing Divisions needs are met in full each year, Hardin said. The Division utilizes seasonal, extra-help positions for those that work in live racing for a certain period each year. It allows the state to meet all needs throughout the live racing season. In addition, three full-time employees oversee the day-to-day operation of the division.

Higher education positions at colleges and universities are also on the state payroll. According to Arkansas Department of Education data from October, Southeast Arkansas Community College reported the highest vacancy rate at 66%. Of the schools 365 available positions, 243 were vacant.

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The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences offers the most positions of any college or university with over 11,000 jobs. Data shows UAMS has one of the lowest vacancy rates among higher education institutions at 8.5%.

Arkansas Forward

In November, Sanders announced a proposed overhaul of the state employee pay plan through the Arkansas Forward initiative, which officials have said aims to improve government efficiency.

The proposed pay plan would cost an estimated $120 million annually and provide pay raises to 14,539 employees. It would also add two pay table distinctions, professionals and law enforcement and safety, to an existing four classifications: general, information technology, medical professional and senior executive.

The pay plan does not propose decreasing any available jobs, though it would consolidate roughly 2,000 job titles into approximately 800, officials said.

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If approved by the Legislature, the pay plan would go into effect in July 2025.

According to a 900-page progress report on Arkansas Forward the governors office released on Dec. 16, the whole initiative could save the state $300 million over the next six years by implementing cost-saving measures.

The report suggests that many Arkansas cabinet-level agencies need to upgrade their salary schedules to compete in the job market.

In addition to the employee pay plan, the initiative also calls for the integration of information technology across all state agencies, a centralized state procurement process and renegotiated contracts, the sale of old state vehicles and a reduction to the governments physical footprint by identifying cost savings in real estate.

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The report provides examples of compensation levers, or instances in which an employee would receive a bonus based on their performance. The report also recommends one-time annual bonuses for people who perform above baseline, and spot bonuses that are awarded outside the normal evaluation cycle to employees meeting their performance expectations.

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Ive made no secret that I believe that Arkansas current state employee pay plan is broken, Sanders said at a November press conference announcing her proposed pay revamp. Its confusing, it doesnt reward hard work and its not recruiting new hires for our most in-demand positions.

The initiative would increase the entry-level salaries of correctional officers, social services employees and Arkansas State Police officers at double-digit percentages. Officials often describe these positions as the states toughest to fill.

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According to data from the state Department of Transformation and Shared Services, the Department of Human Services reported 20% of its positions were vacant.

State Police reported a vacancy rate of about 10%, and spokesperson Cindy Murphy said the agency had 74 vacant officer positions on Dec. 4.

The vacancy rate across all correctional departments and agencies was nearly 30% as of Dec. 5. Shari Gray, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, said 1,010 security positions  including correctional officers  were vacant.

At the Board of Corrections monthly December meeting, members discussed extending shifts of most employees at Community Correction Centers from 8 hours to 12 hours. The change in shifts would both reduce the need to hire more staff and ensure that theres enough around-the-clock supervision to allow more inmates to be moved from county jails to the state-run centers.

Statewide job openings

The roughly 12,000 vacant state jobs are a small portion of Arkansas total job openings. In September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Arkansas had 102,000 job openings. Arkansas tied with Alaska for the nations highest job openings rate at 6.9%, according to the BLS. The national rate was 4.5%.

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According to the most recent BLS data from October, Arkansas total job openings decreased to 82,000 for a rate of 5.6%. The national rate was 4.6%.

Michael Pakko (Arkansas Secretary of State)

Though Arkansas has been at the top of the rankings in recent years, Michael Pakko, chief economist at the University of Arkansas-Little Rocks Arkansas Economic Development Institute, said the inflated rates are a nationwide phenomenon.

On one hand, it means that we have a robust labor market where theres plenty of opportunities for workers and job seekers, Pakko said. On the other hand, it probably does indicate a mismatch that we need to address in order to utilize our full potential.

The BLS defines open jobs as full-time, part-time or seasonal positions that could start within 30 days and an employer is actively recruiting outside workers.

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The number of jobs available can also contribute to a higher quit rate because workers feel comfortable that there are other opportunities out there, Pakko said. The perception, however, puts more constraints on employers, and they may have to offer higher wages to keep staff.

Nationwide, about 1.7 million fewer people were active in the workforce this November than in February 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey of unemployed workers, about half said they are now not willing to take jobs that dont offer remote work. One in three respondents said they were focused on gaining new skills, education or training before reentering the job market, and 17% had retired.

As baby boomers are aging and retiring, were losing a lot of that cohort of workers, and then its a matter of offsetting that with higher participation from younger-aged groups, Pakko said.

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Archaeologists in Denmark were astonished to uncover a massive cache of Iron Age weapons in Denmark at an infrastructure sight in the town of Hedensted, Ancient Origins reported.

The find included over 100 weapons which date back more than 1,500 years. Researchers unearthed a total of 119 lances and spears along with eight swords and five smaller knives. Three arrowheads along with a single axe, bugle, and bridle were also found. The find which most excited researchers was a particularly rare set of chainmail armor. There have only been a handful of chainmail sets from this period discovered in Scandinavia. Also found under the home were bronze oath rings, which served as symbols of power in the Iron Age.

Experts believe that the person who inhabited the home buried the weapons during a post-war period in a symbolic gesture meant to indicate that the community was finally at peace. The character of the deposits suggests the weapons are remnants of ceremonies or sacrificial acts linked to a chieftain's residence. This is not the remains of a weapons workshop, barracks, or similar activities, the archaeolgical team explained in a press release.

Related: Metal Detector Hobbyists Unearth Iron Age Treasure in Wales

"From the very first surveys, we knew this was going to be extraordinary, but the excavation has exceeded all our expectations, Elias Witte Thomasen, the archaeolgist who led the dig, explained in the press release. The sheer number of weapons is astonishing, but what fascinates me most is the glimpse they provide into the societal structure and daily life of the Iron Age. We suddenly feel very close to the people who lived here 1,500 years ago.

The site was a significant settlement, Witte said, explaining that he and his team uncovered a trove of other items, such as pottery and jewelry, which shed light on the daily lives of Iron Age denizens. Denmarks Vejle Museums plans to publish extensive information on each of the discoveries in the near future. The museum will also be putting the physical discoveries on display early next year.
The Archbishop of Yorks response to his handling of a child abuse scandal is insulting and upsetting, a victim claimed, as the Church of Englands second-most senior bishop faced renewed calls to step down.

The anonymous woman questioned the moral compass of the Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, saying the Church of England deserves better.

The Archbishop is under increased pressure after new revelations that the defrocked David Tudor was twice reappointed under him while he was serving as bishop of Chelmsford.

David Tudor was banned from ministry for life over the abuse of two teenage girls - BBC

Tudor was suspended from ministry for five years in 1988 having admitted, according to a tribunal document, having sex with a 16-year-old girl he met when she was a pupil at a school where he was chaplain.

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He returned in 1994 until more abuse claims were made against him in 2019.

Tudor was banned from ministry for life this year after admitting what the Church described as serious sexual abuse involving two girls aged 15 and 16.

The Archbishop, who will become the Churchs most senior figure when the Most Rev Justin Welby steps down as Archbishop of Canterbury in January following criticism of his own handling of an abuse case, said he was deeply sorry that action was not taken earlier.

However, a victim of Tudor told BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Monday: It is quite clear that he knew a great deal and I find it really insulting and upsetting that he has just said, Oh, well, I feel regret, and I feel that he is backtracking considerably.

The Most Rev Stephen Cottrell admitted the abuse scandal could have been handled differently - Max Mumby/Indigo

I would have had more respect for him if he just said after that BBC report last week, Look, Im really sorry, Im really sorry I got this wrong, and I dont believe he did enough.

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The woman said her grandmother lost her faith because of what happened and never stepped foot inside a church again.

She went on: It is a real shame that he hasnt responded to events with that same sense of urgency, showing love and compassion and an internal sense of right and wrong.

Where is his moral compass? I really worry that someone who doesnt have that is waiting in the wings to step in as the figurehead for the Church of England, and I think the Church deserves better.

Asked if the Archbishop should step down, she added: I think he really must now. Its got beyond apologies and sadly I wouldnt have said that a week ago, but Im saying that now.

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He said it was not possible to remove Tudor from office until fresh complaints were made against him in 2019, creating a horrible and intolerable situation when he became Bishop of Chelmsford.

Despite this, Tudors contract as area dean in Essex was renewed in both 2013 and 2018, according to a fresh BBC investigation.

A spokesman for the Archbishop said he acknowledges this could have been handled differently, but insisted all the risks were regularly reviewed.

He is due to take on many of the Archbishop of Canterburys official functions temporarily from Jan 6.

The Archbishop of Canterbury announced last month he would resign, after initially declining to do so, in the wake of the Makin report that concluded John Smyth  the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church  might have been brought to justice had the Archbishop formally reported him to police in 2013.

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CHEROKEE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  One person is dead early Monday morning after an argument led to a shooting in Cherokee County.

The Cherokee County Coroners Office said 40-year-old Christopher Lambert Baker, of Gaffney, was fatally shot before 1 a.m. at his home on Bouvier Way in reference to a domestic incident.

It was reported that Baker was engaged in an argument between his mother and stepfather when the shooting occurred.

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Baker suffered from multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the coroner.

The Cherokee County Sheriffs Office said Baker was shot by his stepfather, who has not been identified or charged in connection with the shooting. Deputies said investigators are waiting for the autopsy results, which will help determine if the shooting will be ruled as self-defense.

The shooting remains an ongoing investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office.

7NEWS will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

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At 58, Frank Barker can say that he has won the fight against the city of New York, almost 15 years after the authorities detained him on the orders of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which led to him being incarcerated much longer than his established release date. He arrived at the age of nine from Barbados, got involved with drugs and finally ended up in prison. On the day in 2008 when he was supposed to have completed his sentence, Barker had to spend another whole year in a detention center. Now, like 20,000 other migrants, he cannot help but feel satisfaction after the class-action lawsuit they filed a decade ago and which was resolved this Wednesday by a judge of the Supreme Court of the State of New York.

As someone who has lived in fear of ICE and lost a year of my life to detention, I applaud this lawsuit and encourage anyone who has experienced similar treatment or has a family member or friend who has been affected by this to take steps to be included in this class action, Barker, a Bronx resident, said in a news release.

Between April 1, 1997, and December 21, 2012, thousands of migrants were held for days, weeks, or months longer than they should have been. New York was not the sanctuary city it later became, and authorities worked hand in hand with ICE, sending people directly from prison to be deported. From October 2012 to September 2013, the Department of Corrections handed over more than 3,000 detainees to ICE.

Some of the migrants involved in the lawsuit  one of the largest against New York City  were in police custody or serving short prison sentences. ICE asked New York City officials to hold them for up to 48 hours while it considered them for deportation proceedings. But time ran out. Reports say the detainees were held in total for more than 166,000 days, or 454 years, from their scheduled release dates. The citys Law Department said in a statement that officials had operated under the assumption that compliance with ICE detainers was mandated under federal law.

Now, under a court settlement, New York City, which had been denying any responsibility, must pay $92.5 million in damages to thousands of illegally detained migrants, some of whom remain in the United States and others have gone on to countries such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Ecuador, Cuba, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras and Guyana.

The settlement comes after Oscar Onadia, an immigrant from Burkina Faso, in Africa, filed a lawsuit in 2010. Two years earlier, Onadia was driving without a license on the streets of New York. He was stopped by authorities and sentenced to five days in jail at Rikers Island. When he completed his sentence and went to post his $1 bail, authorities denied him bail after telling him they had received an ICE detainer. Even though the warrant said Onadia should be held for no more than 48 hours, authorities did not release him until January 23, 2009, 42 days after he was supposed to have been out of jail for driving without a license.

In 2017, Onadias lawsuit became a class-action suit seeking to repair the damages of thousands more migrants. Although Onadia died in early 2024 without being able to see the end of his legal battle, The New York Times reported that his wife will receive $25,000 in compensation from the city.

Debra L. Greenberger, a partner at the law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, which brought the suit, said in the statement that the settlement provides a measure of justice for people who were forced to be incarcerated in often horrific conditions when they should have been allowed to go home. She also said that this settlement should serve as a reminder that all individuals have the right to due process of law. With the settlement, the more than 20,000 affected migrants will be able to seek compensation. Some could obtain tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the length of their detention and the damage caused.

The lawyers have said they face a long road ahead, trying to track down the thousands of migrants involved in the process. Some of them may have already died. Greenberger told The New York Times that his team was aware that it is going to be hard to find people.

Although then-mayor Bill de Blasio signed a law in 2014 that prevents the city from cooperating with ICE, the fear that New York authorities will facilitate the deportation of millions of immigrants that the Trump administration intends to carry out has gripped many families. Even more so since Mayor Eric Adams met with Tom Homan, the next border czar, and promised to go after immigrants who are committing crimes. Several organizations are demanding that the City Council not ignore the city laws that limit the cooperation of the Police Department and the Department of Corrections with ICE agents.

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President-elect Donald Trump is setting the record straight: Hes calling the shots, not Elon Musk.

"No, he's not going to be president, that I can tell you," Trump said with a laugh at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest in Phoenix on Sunday, his first major speech following the November election. "And I'm safe. You know why? He cant be. He wasn't born in this country."

The president-elect made the tongue-in-cheek comment while praising South African-born Musk as a great guy. Musk, along with tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, is set to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, an agency with the goal of shrinking the size of government and cutting spending.

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Trumps comments came as Democrats have sought to use Musk, the worlds richest person, as a foil, accusing him of undermining the incoming president.

Just days before, Trump  along with Musk  intervened in House Republicans initial government spending package, leading to chaos as Congress raced against the clock to avoid a government shutdown.

Some congressional Democrats raised concerns about Musks influence over congressional Republicans, and have taunted Trump by alleging that Musk is the one in charge. The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group, put out a video calling Trump vice president to President Musk.

Republicans have sought to downplay any rift between the two, with Trumps team dismissing those claims as ridiculous. Amid the spending bill debacle last week, Karoline Leavitt, Trumps incoming White House press secretary, said, President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop.

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All the different hoaxes, and the new one is, President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk, Trump said to the crowd on Sunday. No, no. Thats not happening.

Musk has been flexing his political muscles in recent months, including pouring more than $260 million into the 2024 election in support of Republicans. Last week, he said that hes planning to fund moderate primary challengers to incumbent Democrats. Some Republicans have floated him as the next pick for speaker of the House in recent days, as Speaker Mike Johnsons future appears shaky.

The Musk comments came toward the end of Trumps hour-plus-long victory lap of a speech, where he touted winning the popular vote, praised his all-star Cabinet picks and outlined goals for his upcoming term.

Trumps speech was similar to those he delivered on the campaign trail over the 2024 cycle. He made bold claims about lowering taxes, taking back the Panama Canal and vowed not to rename military bases, a nod to his plans to end woke ideology in the military.
BOONEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  A Logan County teenager will spend the next three decades in prison after killing his mother in 2022, according to court documents.

William Frost, 18, pleaded guilty on Dec. 20 to second-degree murder in Logan County Circuit Court in Booneville.

On Aug. 7, 2022, Frost took his mothers .357 caliber handgun into his bedroom and waited there before shooting and killing her. He was 16 years old at the time of the murder, according to court documents.

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Bella Vista man accused of hiding cameras in Rogers womans home

Frost was initially charged with first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty to that charge.

After more than two years of continuances and delays, Frost entered a guilty plea to a second-degree murder charge during a hearing.

Frosts jury trial was set to begin in April 2025 after being pushed back multiple times.

He was sentenced to 30 years in prison and credited with 867 days already served.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  A 38-year-old man was arrested on Monday after allegedly setting fire to a smoke shop in downtown Topeka, according to the Topeka Fire Department (TFD).

Topeka firefighters were called just after 3:30 a.m. to the 500 block of Southwest Sixth Street for reports of a fire. Firefighters arriving at the scene found smoke and fire coming from the business. Fire crews doused the flames and prevented them from spreading to nearby structures.

The 38-year-old was booked on one count of arson and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. The TFD said the total estimated loss with the fire was $7,500.

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Topeka LDS missionaries mock Chinese people on camera

No working smoke detectors were found in the business, according to the TFD.

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The father of Asma al-Assad, the wife of deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, says his daughter is not seeking a divorce, contrary to reports in the Turkish media.

I am able to confirm that the reports are false, Dr. Fawaz Akhras told the Daily Beast in an emailed statement.

Turkish news sites Haberturk and CNN Turk in recent days suggested Assad was determined to leave Russia, where she and her husband are holed up after being granted asylum.

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Haberturk also claimed, citing a report that it did not credit on Dec. 19, that Assad wished to travel to London to pursue treatment for leukemiawhich she was diagnosed with in Maybecause her health condition cannot be adequately monitored in Moscow.

She is receiving the best treatment possible, her father told the Daily Beast.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also denied the Turkish reports of a divorce during a media call Monday. Akhras' comment to the Daily Beast marks a direct rebuke from Assads immediate family.

Peskov also rejected reports that the Assads' movements are restricted to Moscow and that their assets, including several properties in Moscow, had been frozen.

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Asma al-Assad and her dictator husband fled to the Russian capital after a coalition of rebel groups overthrew his government, ending a half century of Assad family and Baath Party rule. Russian President Vladimir Putin is a longtime ally.

President Joe Biden called the fall of Assads regime a fundamental act of justice, while U.K. Prime Minister Kier Starmer welcomed the end of his barbaric regime, which human rights groups have said killed thousands of civilians during a prolonged civil war, including with chemical weapons.

Assad, 49, was born and raised in Britain to Syrian parents, moving to their home country at 25 to marry Bashar shortly after he succeeded his father as president

A former investment banker, she was the subject of a breathless 2011 profile in Vogue magazinesince wiped from its websitethat described her as a rose in the desert and very freshest and most magnetic of first ladies.

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The article, which called the Assads wildly democratic, was published weeks after a crackdown on the Arab Spring uprising that saw government forces murder civilians, including via a shoot-to-kill order on peaceful demonstrators.

Like her husband, she is under sanctions from several countries, including her birth country.

Britains Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said earlier this month that Asma al-Assad is a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK.

Dr. Akhras, her father, is a London-based cardiologist. The Financial Times reported that he and his wife have joined their daughter in Russia.
The Dec. 17 killing of Russian Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov in Moscow  reportedly by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)  is the most high-profile assassination of a Russian military official to date.

It's not the first one, however.

Military officials, propagandists, and those seen as collaborators by Kyiv have been assassinated in Russia or the Ukrainian territories it occupies since the beginning of Russia's all-out war in 2022.

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Analysts say that such assassinations aim to bring war to Russian territory, undermine the enemy's morale, and divert Russian troops and security personnel from the front line.

Another goal is to punish those accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine since it's impossible to use courts to bring them to justice, they add.

In this screengrab from an AFPTV footage, Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces, speaks at a briefing over an alleged chemical attack on the Syrian city of Douma, at the Patriot park in the Moscow Oblast, Russia on June 22, 2018. (AFPTV / AFP via Getty Images)

"These assassinations, particularly just a few kilometers away from the Kremlin, are a humiliation for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin as they demonstrate a failure of Russia's security agencies and that no one in the regime, civil or military, is safe," Jamie Shea, a defense and security analyst at Chatham House, told the Kyiv Independent.

James Nixey, director of the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House, told the Kyiv Independent that such assassinations "put the element of doubt into Russian generals" as "they are not safe either on the front line or in Moscow suburbs."

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The Ukrainian authorities have not officially admitted their participation in the assassinations.

The SBU did not respond to a request for comment, while Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) declined to comment.

Read also: General Igor Kirillov, the Russian chemical weapons chief and propagandist assassinated by Ukraine

Security failure

Most experts who talked to the Kyiv Independent believe Ukraine is indeed behind most of the assassinations of Russian military officials, propagandists, and those seen as collaborators by Kyiv.

"The fact that (Ukrainian) intelligence services can carry out such operations in Moscow severely undermines (Russia's) morale and combat readiness. Every such operation is a failure of their security architecture," Ukrainian military analyst Dmytro Zhmailo told the Kyiv Independent.

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"It means they will keep more forces within Russia and move fewer troops to the occupied territories... It forces them to spend more money on security and take more actions  strengthening protocols, spending more money, moving more troops."

Erik Stijnman, a military expert at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations (Clingendael), said that "senior officials will increasingly feel that they also are not safe from the effects of the war."

"This can have a strong psychological effect on senior Russian leadership and alternatively give a morale boost to Ukrainian citizens," Stijnman told the Kyiv Independent.

"If this happens regularly, this may have an effect on the perceived effectiveness of the counterintelligence apparatus of the Russians. This may prove to be undesirable for the Kremlin, as it fears that opposition, in general, may rise when it is clear that the Russian intelligence community is also not omniscient."

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Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, said that such assassinations "are predominantly aimed at attacking aspects of the Russian military system while increasing the psychological pressure on Russia by bringing the war home to Russians."

"Organizations like the SBU and HUR want to demonstrate their reach and capabilities and divert Russian intelligence efforts into intensive counterintelligence operations on home soil," he told the Kyiv Independent.

Read also: Ukraines SBU assassinates Russian general charged with chemical weapons crimes, source claims

Achieving justice

Another goal is "justice  showcasing that committing war crimes will have repercussions," Stijnman said.

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"Those targeted by Ukraine's SBU are often war criminals who have been indicted by Ukraine's justice system and by other countries," Shea said. "This was the case with General Kirillov, for instance. These people, protected by Moscow, are unlikely to appear before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. So their killing is a form of justice, and very few will mourn their deaths."

Kirillov was the head of the Russian Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces. On Dec. 16, Kirillov was charged in absentia by the SBU for the use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine.

But Kirillov is not the first suspected war criminal to be targeted.

In July 2023, Stanislav Rzhytskyi, a Russian Navy officer allegedly responsible for missile strikes against Ukrainian civilians, was shot dead in Krasnodar, Russia.

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Ukrainian media reported that Rzhytskyi commanded the Krasnodar submarine, which launched Kalibr missiles against Vinnytsia on July 14, 2022, killing 27 civilians, including three children.

Another similar assassination took place in November 2024, when Russian Navy officer Valery Trankovsky was killed in occupied Sevastopol.

Russian Captain Valery Trankovsky. (SBU source)

Trankovsky was the chief of staff of the 41st Missile Boat Brigade and a "war criminal who has ordered cruise missile launches from the Black Sea against civilian sites in Ukraine," an SBU source told the Kyiv Independent.

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He was also reportedly involved in the 2022 attack on Vinnytsia.

Yet another alleged war criminal, Sergei Yevsiukov, was killed in a car explosion in Russian-occupied Donetsk on Dec. 9, 2024.

Yevsiukov is a former head of Russia's Olenivka prisoner of war (POW) camp in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast.

The Olenivka camp, notorious for the torture and abuse of Ukrainian captives, was hit by an explosion in June 2022, killing over 50 Ukrainian POWs and injuring more than 150. Kyiv called this a deliberate Russian war crime.

Read also: Shadows Across the River

Are assassinations effective?

The effectiveness of assassinations for Ukraine's war effort is difficult to determine, analysts say.

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"The question of their effectiveness is harder to discern: while we can expect there to be nervousness in parts of the Russian system as to the extent to which the Ukrainians are able to identify and surveil targets, even in Moscow, and then successfully launch attacks, it isn't clear if they are impeding the Russian war effort," Savill said.

"For example, the Ukrainians have publicly identified personnel they believe are involved in the long-range missile strikes, and last year assassinated a Russian navy officer involved. But these strikes have continued, mostly constrained by production problems rather than anything else."

Shea said that "an assassination even of an important military figure like Kirillov will not change the course of the war."

"Russia has hundreds of generals, as Putin has reminded us since his invasion of Ukraine by firing so many of them for corruption and incompetence," he added.

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"But the targeted assassinations can disrupt Russia's war plans and command and control system even if only temporarily, and they can cause many Russians to question what Putin is doing in Ukraine and his failure to guarantee the safety of Russians, as he has always pledged to do. They also help to boost Ukrainian morale at a difficult time on the battlefield in the Donbas."

Stijnman also argued that "(assassinations) will most likely remain a supportive effect within the frame of the war, as the primary reason for this specific operations will instill a sense of justice to Ukraine, but will not directly contribute to the war effort."

Read also: Washington Post: Ukraine conducts high-value assassinations inside Russia

Legitimate targets?

There is a consensus among experts that Kirillov and other Russian military officials are legitimate targets for Ukraine's special services.

"Kirillov was a legitimate military target, considering the activities he led and oversaw in his official capacity within the Russian military chain of command," Karolina Hird, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, told the Kyiv Independent.

"As head of the Russian Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces, Kirillov was personally responsible and oversaw the use of banned chemical weapons against Ukraine."

Savill also argued that "where these targets are part of the Russian military system or industrial production, they are legitimate targets," and "Kirillov clearly falls into that category."

Stijnman said that "the operation (against Kirillov) seems to have been conducted within the constraints of international humanitarian law, as the attack was discriminatory: the use of a camera to time the attack, thus avoiding collateral damage, indicates as much."

"It seems that the Ukrainian government understands that there is a limit to what actions will be deemed acceptable to the West in order to avoid a decrease in the support for the Ukrainian war effort," Stijnman added.

Shea said that "this practice is more justified, and justifiable, in wartime and in circumstances where the normal course of justice, trials for war crimes and massive human rights abuses, is unlikely to function because of the total non-cooperation and non-compliance of the country responsible, in this case, Russia."

"Russia attacked Ukraine, and Ukraine did nothing to provoke Moscow's aggression," he added. "So Kyiv is entitled to justify its targeted assassinations as legitimate self-defense."

Shea said that it's "noteworthy that Ukraine's targeted assassinations have not provoked criticism from Ukraine's principal supporters and providers of military assistance."

"It is accepted that, as long as the individuals targeted are directly involved in Russia's illegal aggression, this is one way that Ukraine can strike back at an aggressor who has committed thousands of war crimes against Ukraine, especially drone and missile attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure," he added.

Read also: Ukrainian drones strike deeper into Russia, aiming to break war machine, sow discontent

Controversy over other targets

However, there is a discussion on whether some other pro-war individuals, such as Russian collaborators and propagandists, constitute legitimate targets.

Collaborators have often been targeted since the invasion started.

In August 2022, Oleksiy Kovalyov, a former MP from President Volodymyr Zelensky's party who joined the Russian occupation authorities in his native Kherson Oblast, was shot dead in then-occupied Kherson.

Kirill Stremousov, a deputy head of Russia's illegal occupation government in Kherson Oblast, died in a car accident in November 2022. Atesh, a Ukrainian partisan group, claimed responsibility for his death.

In December 2023, Illia Kyva, a notorious Ukrainian lawmaker who sided with Russia, was killed in Moscow Oblast.

Then lawmaker Illia Kyva, member of the now banned pro-Russian party Opposition Platform - For Life, speaks during a rally in Kyiv on Feb. 3, 2021. (Aleksandr Gusev/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Russian propagandists were also targeted.

Russian pro-war propagandist Darya Dugina was killed in a car bombing near Moscow in August 2022. Dugina's father, the Russian ultranationalist Alexander Dugin, is currently wanted by the SBU for promoting genocide against Ukraine.

The Washington Post reported, citing its sources, that Dugina's assassination was conducted by the SBU, but her father was the intended target of the attack.

Russian ultranationalist, Alexander Dugin, speaks at the funeral of his daughter, Darya Dugina, who died in a car explosion, on Aug. 23, 2022. (Evgenii Bugubaev/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Another propagandist, war correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky, was killed in an explosion in a cafe in central St. Petersburg in April 2023. The blast injured 25 other people.

Savill said that "some previous operations have been more dubious in targeting and execution (than Kirillov's assassination)."

"For example, it is harder to make a case that Darya Dugina or Vladen Tatarsky were military targets, and in the case of the latter, he was killed by a bomb in a cafe full of civilians, allegedly delivered by an unwitting courier," he added.

Zhmailo disagreed, saying that "anyone even remotely connected to the war is a legitimate target."

"The people (that Ukraine) has (allegedly) targeted have all been implicated in Russia's illegal war effort, either as military commanders (using illegal tactics such as chemical weapons or the massacres of civilians in violation of the Geneva Conventions), involved in the illegal occupation of sovereign Ukrainian territory, or acting as propagandists for the regime in spreading lies and misinformation," Shea said. "So they can be classified as enemy combatants."

However, such operations could jeopardize Western support in the future, according to Stijnman.

"The more Ukraine will struggle on the battlefield, the more Ukraine may feel the need to continue to counter the Russian threat via such (methods) but ever more via unconventional means," he said.

"The danger is, of course, that the size and scope of these efforts will increasingly create friction with international humanitarian law, possibly degrading Western support... Ukraine will need to walk a tightrope here."

Read also: Kursk incursion breaks Russias attempts to dictate peace terms, boosts Ukraines leverage





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During several campaign rallies this year, Donald Trump denounced the political practice of asylumnamely, the legal status requested by foreigners fleeing political persecution and violence and entering the United States via a port of entry.

Yet, Trump frequently coupled his criticisms of asylum with unrelated comments about mental institutions, creating confusion about his understanding of the issue. In front of a New Jersey crowd in May, Trump claimed that "the mental institution population is down because they're taking people from insane asylums [in foreign countries]" and sending them to the United States.

"You know what the difference is, right?" he asked the crowd. "An insane asylum is a mental institution on steroids."

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Trump's stream of consciousness also roped in Hannibal Lecter, the violent and institutionalized antagonist from The Silence of the Lambs. After singing the serial killer's praises, Trumpnever one for logical transitionslaunched into his traditional anti-immigrant vitriol:

But Hannibal Lecter, congratulations. The late, great Hannibal Lecter. We have people that have been released into our country that we don't want in our country, and they're coming in totally unchecked, totally unvetted. And we can't let this happen. They're destroying our country, and we're sitting back. And we better damn well win this election because if we don't, our country is going to be doomed.

This verbal diarrhea left many observers questioning whether Trump understood asylum or was really confusing the concept of political refuge with mental institutions.

The Etymology of Asylum

Accounts of the word's origin differ. Long before the word became associated with mental health institutions, asylum was more closely aligned with the concept of sanctuary.

The earliest version of the word dates back to the 15th century. From the 1438 long-form poem The Fall of Princes, English poet John Lydgate wrote about "asilum" as, according to one translation, "a place of refuge and succoursto receyue all foreyn trespassours."

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Asylum derives from the ancient Greek word asylos (a- "without" and sylos- "the right of seizure") and was originally defined as a "sanctuary or inviolable place of refuge and protection for criminals and debtors, from which they cannot be forcibly removed without sacrilege." In ancient Greece, places of worship once granted safe harbor to those seeking protection from extrajudicial violence. If the accused made it into the church, it was both taboo and sacrilegious to attempt to extract them.

This practice dates back even further. In first century Rome, several communities allowed temples, altars, and other sacred spaces the privilege of protecting fugitives, including escaped slaves, debtors, and other alleged criminals escaping punishment. The practice became so widespread that the Roman Emperor Tiberius, troubled by the perceived lawlessness, legally confined the practice. Tiberius limited jus asyli"the right of protection"to a select few temples.

Tiberius' inquiry proved to be a legal rabbit hole. Some Greek cities demanded the emperor grandfather-in their legacy asylum practices, claiming their legal prerogative predated the empire's. Circa fifth century B.C., communities like Athens, Sparta, and Macedonia resettled Persian asylees and refugees, afraid to return home for fear of being labeled traitors on the wrong side of the Greco-Persian Wars.

The word asylum didn't connote psychiatric hospitals and mental illness until the turn of the 18th century. Even then, British reformers demanded "moral asylum" and more humane treatment for those suffering from mental illness.

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Over time, asylum replaced more pejorative terminology associated with the hospitals. The change in legal language used to codify Victorian-age institutions demonstrates this pattern. For example, the Madhouse Act of 1774 (which codified the first legal framework for the once-unregulated market for psychiatric hospitals) starkly contrasts with the County Asylums Act of 1808 (which established publicly subsidized asylums as an alternative to incarceration for the mentally ill in the U.K.).

Political Asylum Is Inextricably Linked to American History

Before the American Revolution, commentators characterized the American colonies as a haven for those yearning for liberty. In Common Sense, Thomas Paine wrote about how the American colonies served as "the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe."

In 1783, the last British ship left the New York harbor. Gen. George Washington and his troops celebrated America's independence at Fraunces Tavern, where the victorious general proclaimed, "May America be an Asylum to the persecuted of the earth!"

Washington repeated this line in subsequent communiques. In a letter to Francis Adrian van der Kemp, the first president wrote, "I had always hoped that this land might become a safe & agreeable Asylum to the virtuous & persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong."

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Thomas Jefferson also championed asylum for nonnatives. During his first State of the Union address, Jefferson concluded: "And shall we refuse the unhappy fugitives from distress that hospitality which the savages of the wilderness extended to our fathers arriving in this land? Shall oppressed humanity find no asylum on this globe?"

Even the Republican Party, though increasingly nativist today, openly embraced asylum. Republicans' 1864 party platform stated: "Resolved, That foreign immigration, which in the past has added so much to the wealth, development of resources and increase of power to this nation, the asylum of the oppressed of all nations, should be fostered and encouraged by a liberal and just policy."

Global unrest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries resulted in a significant influx of immigration to the United States. Waves of immigration included Bulgarians, Greeks, Romanians, and Serbs fleeing the Balkan Wars; Jews seeking safety from the antisemitic pogroms of Eastern Europe and the subsequent horrors of Germany's Third Reich; and Russians escaping Bolshevik violence and repression. Though asylum lacked a legal category, many immigrants who arrived at Ellis and Angel Islands during this time could easily meet the modern legal definition.

Unfortunately, these immigration waves also spurred nativist counteractions, prohibitionist bans, and inconsistent enforcement. Legislation like the Immigration Act of 1924 and the Displaced Persons Act of 1948 set strict quotas on origin nations. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 favored family reunification and employment over asylees. The Refugee Act of 1980, which was heralded as a historic victory for asylees, coincided with the federal government's disproportionate treatment of Cuban and Haitian immigrants: The former received a hero's welcome as a way to thumb the American nose at communism and Fidel Castro during the Cold War's zenith, while the latter was intercepted by the Coast Guard and escorted back to Jean-Claude Duvalier's despotic yet American-friendly regime. Finally, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 codified "expedited removal," the fast-tracked process used to deport noncitizens and avoid traditional removal proceedings.

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Despite its turbulent history, asylum remains central to America's identity and immigration policy. Since 1990, the federal government has accepted more than 800,000 asyleesjust slightly more than the population of North Dakotaand a fiscal analysis found they yield far more revenue than public costs, netting $123.8 billion over a 15-year period.

"Our nation is a nation of immigrants," President Ronald Reagan said in 1981. "More than any other country, our strength comes from our own immigrant heritage and our capacity to welcome those from other lands."

Asylum in the Age of Trump

In 2023, 6.8 million people sought asylum globally, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugeesa staggering 28 percent increase from the prior year. Considering the escalation of regional wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe and prolonged drought and famine in Africa, 2024 will likely record an even larger number of displaced asylum seekers.

This burgeoning population of asylum seekers won't find respite with the incoming Trump administration. Instead, Trump will likely up the ante he set during his first term, in which he increased deportation of asylees, imposed excessive application fees, enacted transit bans, limited work permits for asylees seeking appellate review of their cases, and signed a litany of executive restrictions that decimated asylum.

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But before he develops any new draconian, zero-tolerance measures to limit or ban asylum, Trump must reevaluate his understanding (or lack thereof) of the word. Asylum isn't about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecterit's about real families fleeing persecution and seeking safety, freedom, and opportunity. The president-elect must disentangle asylum from its association with mental illness and embrace the vital tradition of offering refuge to the oppressed, which can strengthen our country's legacy and values and make America great again.

The post Asylum Isn't As Crazy as Trump Claims appeared first on Reason.com.
Dec. 23Grady County Sheriff's office will receive grant funding, along with every county in the state, from the Attorney General's Office.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond's office announced $18 million in grant funding for every county sheriff's office in Oklahoma Monday. The grant program was created by the state Legislature this year to enhance law enforcement services, the release said.

The grants range from $150,000 to $300,000 and have been distributed to all 77 counties based on each department's total tangible property valuation, the press release states.

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Grady County was awarded $300,000 from the funding assistance program, which can be used for training, technology, equipment, capital improvements, stipends and more office operations.

"These grants will help strengthen public safety for all Oklahomans," Drummond said. "I appreciate the work of the Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association and sheriff offices to ensure that every county has extra support this year."
AUSTIN (KXAN)  A number of local businesses closed their doors in 2024.

In Memorium, here are a few of the lost local restaurants and businesses.

Austin Antique Mall

The antique shopping destination closed in May after over 40 years in business.

Austin Antique Mall to close after 40 years (KXAN photo/Abigail Jones)

Austin Aeronauts

The hot air balloon business closed in October. The business closed abruptly, and the owner said bookings decreased over 70% this year.

Baby Acapulcos

The Barton Spring restaurant closed in October, but its Riverside Drive and Stonelake Boulevard locations remained open. The Tex-Mex restaurant was known for its purple margaritas.

Baby Acapulcos location on Barton Springs Road (KXAN Photo/Tim Holcomb)

Easy Tiger

The company closed its East Seventh Street location in April, citing increased costs and weather challenges. Easy Tigers other locations remained open.

Foxtrot

Foxtrot closed its coffee shops nationwide in April, which included four Austin locations on Burnet Road, Guadalupe Street, West Second Street and South First Street.

Foxtrot on Guadalupe Street in Austin, Texas on April 23, 2024 (KXAN Photo/John Thomas)

Giddy Ups

The south Austin bar closed in August after a change in lease ownership.

Icenhauers

The Rainey Street bar held its final closing party in November. The bar opened in 2010, according to its social media.

Oat Willies

The smoke shop, which opened in 1968, closed in November. Oat Willies final location was on East Oltorf Street.

Outer Heaven

The nightclub will close in early 2025 when its lease ends. The bar will be replaced by condos, according to owners.

Stars Cafe

The restaurant closed in November to make way for Interstate 35 expansion construction.

South Congress Books

The bookstore, which was previously on South Congress, will close its Kerby Lane shop in January.

Try Hard Coffee

The east Austin coffee shop closed in April. The owners cited growing debt as the cause of the closure.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Australia has agreed to extradite a former Marine pilot whom the U.S. has accused of training Chinese pilots more than a decade ago.

Australian Attorney General Mark Dreyfus confirmed in a statement Monday that the U.S. ally would extradite Daniel Duggan following a more than two-year battle by the former Marine and his family.

In May, a federal court in Sydney ruled that he could be extradited, overruling pleas from Duggan and his family, including his wife and six children in Australia.

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With the attorney generals decision, Duggans family is concerned that he could now be extradited as early as New Years Day.

We are shocked and absolutely heartbroken by this callous and inhumane decision, which has been delivered just before Christmas with no explanation or justification from the government, his wife, Saffrine Duggan, said in a video statement.

Daniel Duggan was arrested in 2022 after the Trump administration charged him in 2017 with violating arms control laws by allegedly training Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012.

Duggan served as a fighter pilot and flight instructor during his 13 years in the military before retiring in 2022. He moved to Australia in 2005 and then to Beijing in 2014. It wasnt immediately clear where he was living when he was arrested.

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His wife has set up funding pages online to raise money to support the legal battles for Duggan.

Now as a single mother of six, I can only work part-time, and we have no funds to fight for Dan, or pay the bills, she said, adding the family had been refused legal aid and claiming the U.S. froze the sale of their home in New South Wales.

Please help support our family to stop this injustice and protect Australian sovereignty.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Australian government is investigating reports that Russian forces captured an Australian citizen fighting for Ukraine, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Dec. 23.

The man, who identifies himself as 32-year-old Australian Oscar Jenkins, is seen in military fatigues being violently interrogated in a video shared on Russian Telegram channels. The interrogator behind the camera is seen hitting the captive over the head while questioning him in Russian about his identity.

The footage was first shared by Russian military correspondent Alexander Sladkov on Dec. 22.

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"Im Australian... Oscar Jenkins, 32 years old. Live in Australia and Ukraine," Jenkins responded in English with a native accent and in broken Ukrainian.

The man introduces himself as a biology teacher who wanted to help Ukraine and is now based near Kramatorsk, a Ukrainian city in Donetsk Oblast, around 700 kilometers (430 miles) east of Kyiv and 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of the front line.

The Sydney Morning Herald confirmed Jenkins' identity as a Melbourne man who studied biology and lived in China since 2015.

Australian officials said they are working to confirm Jenkins's whereabouts and contacting Russian authorities.

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"We urge the Russian Government to fully adhere to its obligations under international humanitarian law, including with respect to prisoners of war," Australia's acting Foreign Minister and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said.

"Our immediate priority is understanding where Mr Jenkins is and confirming his wellbeing."

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the Australian embassy in Moscow is trying to obtain all the details regarding Jenkins but warned that "we know that the Russians often put out information that isnt right."

Russia is believed to focus on capturing foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine, who it presents as "mercenaries" without a right for protection, for potential prisoner swaps. Citizens from dozens of countries have come to Ukraine to help the country resist Russian aggression, mostly joining the International Legion.

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In November, Russian forces captured James Scott Rhys Anderson, a former British soldier fighting for Ukraine in Russia's Kursk Oblast.

Read also: Chinas support keeps Putins army in the field in Ukraine, Australias intelligence chief says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
January 20 will be the starting point for a long list of measures that president-elect Donald Trump has prepared against immigrants, ranging from the mass deportation of undocumented individuals to the withdrawal of citizenship from people who were born in the country. His intentions are clear, but whether he can carry them out is not so evident. The Republican has even said that he would like to be a dictator for a day, and that might in fact be the only way to carry out some of his promises, because many of them challenge laws in force since the 19th century, in addition to the logistical, political and ethical problems that are raised.

Perhaps the most controversial issue of all is the withdrawal of birthright citizenship. In his first interview after the election victory, given to NBC, when asked if he intended to push through the measure on day one, Trump replied: Yes, absolutely. To do so, he would have to bypass the 14th Amendment, which since 1870 grants citizenship to anyone born in the country, with the sole exception of the children of diplomats.

An executive order by the president cannot change the Constitution, although there is the possibility that he could reinterpret the amendment when it says that the right belongs to people who are under the jurisdiction of the State.

Trump would have to justify that, because they are children of undocumented immigrants who are not in the country legally, they are not subject to the jurisdiction of the State. The case would almost certainly end up before the Supreme Court. It would be the most radical thing the Court has done, says Hiroshi Motomura, a law professor at UCLA. The 14th Amendment was passed after the American Civil War and eliminating it would revoke 160 years of history. Its purpose and role in history was to understand the country as a nation of immigrants, which at the time was a very progressive change, he adds.

Trump is favored by the fact that the Supreme Court has a majority of conservative judges (six to three), three of whom he appointed himself. Such a drastic change in the interpretation of the Constitution does not seem very likely, but the Courts jurisprudence raises doubts. We have already seen how the Supreme Court acted in the case of Roe v. Wade. There is uncertainty about what it would do in this case, says Adriel Orozco, a lawyer for the American Immigration Council, an organization dedicated to the defense of migrants.

Another option would be to add a new amendment to the Constitution, but that would require a two-thirds majority in Congress, which is almost impossible to achieve. Republicans hold 220 seats in the House of Representatives, just five more than Democrats.

Sensitive places

Trump hasnt offered many details about how the long-promised largest deportation in history will be carried out, but one clue is that raids will be carried out in places where arrests have previously been prohibited. Schools, hospitals and places of worship were already considered sensitive locations in 2011 by then-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton. Although it is not encoded into law, the recommendation has since been respected and Biden Administration Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expanded the exception to include playgrounds, homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters.

Project 2025, the far-right ideology guided by the Republican, wants to lift that veto and give ICE agents the ability to decide where arrests can be made.

During his first term, Trump continued to apply the Morton Memorandum, yet many parents were detained when they dropped off their children at the doors of schools. The concern is that now ICE agents will be able to enter the schools, there will no longer be that protection, Orozco said.

Several universities and educational institutions have already sent letters to their students to reassure them that they will be protected, after Trumps victory raised alarm among undocumented students. During his first term, almost 4,000 children were separated from their families.

Agents entering schools would raise other legal challenges, including violating the right of all children to receive an education, regardless of immigration status. If it were shown that school enrollment is declining because of fear generated by ICE arrest patterns, that would violate the Supreme Courts 1982 decision in Plyler v. Doe, which established the right, Motomura said. Also, if they start arresting people in certain churches, maybe it could be considered a violation of religious freedom.

Expedited deportations

Another piece of legislation that Trump plans to skip has to do with expedited deportations, which are carried out without the need for a hearing before an immigration judge and were approved by Congress in 1996. Initially, these expulsions were carried out at the border, but the operational space was later expanded to cover up to 100 miles inside the country.

The Republican has already expressed a desire to extend it to the entire country and could do so as of January 20. The legal problem in this case is that for this type of expulsion it is necessary to prove that the detainee has been in the country for less than two years, and in many cases it would not be possible to prove. The other is that the Constitution has made it clear that people who have been in the United States, even for a short period of time, have the right to an immigration hearing, explains Motomura.

Mixed-status families

One of the most controversial policies of Trumps first term was family separations. Images of parents being separated from their children by immigration agents were broadcast around the world and earned him strong international criticism. The people responsible for these deportations, Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, have been chosen by Trump again to lead immigration policy. Homan, who has been given the title of border czar, has warned that, to avoid separation, he will deport entire families, statements that have been confirmed by the president-elect.

In mixed-status families, where at least one member is an undocumented migrant and the rest are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, deportation cannot be done by force, because a U.S. citizen cannot be deported under any circumstances. It would have to be a personal decision. Undocumented parents would have to make the difficult choice of whether to take their children with them or leave them in the care of a guardian.

DACA and TPS

Trumps return to the White House has raised fears among many migrants who, although undocumented, reside in the country lawfully thanks to the protection of programs such as DACA or TPS (Temporary Protected Status). The tycoon already tried to put an end to them in his first term, but the courts prevented him from doing so.

Immigrant advocacy organizations have already begun to prepare for a legal battle, because they expect the Republican to try again. Although Trump has said he will seek an agreement with Democrats to find a solution for DACA beneficiaries (the Dreamers, who arrived as children), not everyone believes he will do so. No court said he could not end the programs, only that the procedure for doing so was not adequate, so it is likely that he will try again.

In addition to the legal and ethical challenges that the new administration would have to overcome to fulfill all of its immigration promises, it will require a significant increase in financial resources and the cooperation of state and local governments. Neither requirement is currently assured.

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Animatronic puffer coats in the windows of the trendy womens clothing store Aritzia in Manhattan appear to be doing the viral Trump Dance  likely unbeknownst to the woke chains higher-ups.

The automated advertising displays shimmying  seemingly a la the president-elects wildly popular moves on the campaign trail  won positive reviews Sunday from passers-by.

Its an attention-getter, said a tourist named Chris who was outside the brands Fifth Avenue shop with his family from West Palm Beach, Fla.

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Chriss wife, Kam, said, And if it is [the Trump dance], its OK.

You can like it or hate it, she said.

Its an attention-getter, a Florida tourist said of the Fifth Avenue animatronics. LP MEDIA

Another bystander said, Theres a new president, so [the display] isnt bad to us.

Maybe it is for some people.

Its unlikely that the Vancouver, Canada-based brand  which donated $100,000 to Black Lives Matter and the NAACP in 2020  is aware that the display harkens to Trump.

A source with knowledge of the companys displays told The Post the chain considers the animatronic gestures definitely just generic dance moves that are not intended to mimic anything or anyone.

But some of the dozens of passers-by who stopped by the Fifth Avenue store to take photos with the displays werent convinced.

President-elect Donald Trumps dance moves went viral on the campaign trail. AFP via Getty Images

I definitely see it, said Ray, a Los Angeles tourist, when a Post reporter pointed out the similarities between the Trump dance and the mannequins.

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Caroline, a Baltimore, Md., resident, said, That is how he dances, before demonstrating the prez-elects iconic to-and-fro wiggle.

It looks like it. But I guess a lot of people dance like that, she added. Trump is just the one thats in front of the cameras all the time.

A source with knowledge of the companys displays told The Post that the brands dancing coats are not intended to mimic anything or anyone. LP MEDIA

Trumps on the move to the White House next month. Getty Images

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The larger-than-life mannequins were set up at Aritzias newest New York locations: in SoHo on Nov. 26 and Fifth Avenue  down the road from Trump Tower  on Dec. 16, a store employee told The Post.

Animatronics striking similar moves at Aritzia stores at the brands Toronto store have also been reported on X.

Aritzia may have less to dance about once Trump is back in the White House next month, according to fashion blogger Antonio Padilla.

He pointed out in a now-viral TikTok video earlier this month that prices of the brands popular clothing could go up under Trump.

The president-elect has said he would impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada as one of his first executive actions, according to The Associated Press.

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Many of these costs will likely be handed off to the US consumer, Padilla said.

For example, Canadian-based brands like Aritzia and LuluLemon will likely see a 25% increase on their items once the new tariffs are implemented.
The 17-year-old girl who was fatally stabbed in Azusa on Friday has been identified by her family, according to reports.

Angelina Gonzales, an Azusa High School student, was the victim in the attack in the 300 block of North Solano Avenue, which is near campus, her family told the Los Angeles Daily News.

Southern California teen girl stabbed to death, suspect in custody

Her school district described her as a cheerleader, wrestler and award-winning artist whose work has been displayed in the U.S. Capitol.

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Her creative talents and vibrant personality enriched our community in countless ways, the district said in a statement.

Gonzales was stabbed multiple times, and an 18-year-old acquaintance of hers was taken into custody after the attack.

His identity, the nature of their relationship and a possible motive behind the attack have not been released.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Gonzalez family.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Russian scientists presented the carcass of a baby mammoth, whose incredibly well-preserved remains were found in the Siberian region of Yakutia in June after more than 50,000 years.

The carcass of the female juvenile mammoth, nicknamed Yana, was discovered by local residents after a permafrost crater expanded, according to Russian state media outlet TASS.

We can say it is one of the best-ever found in the world, Maksim Cheprasov, Laboratory Head of the Mammoth Museum at the North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU) in Yakutsk, told TASS.

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According to Cheprasov, the baby mammoth was about one-year-old when it died and weighed around 397 pounds [180 kilograms]. The geological age, according to the results of radiocarbon analysis, is 50,000 years, TASS wrote.

The researchers believe mammoth juveniles grew faster than the offspring of horses, bison and wolves today due to weather conditions being more severe back then.

They needed to become large in order to endure the harsh winter, Cheprasov said, according to TASS.

The mammoth remains were discovered in the Batagaika Crater, which has steadily expanded since the 1960s, revealing other prehistoric finds including a horse and bison, TASS reported.

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Local residents discovered the carcass after a portion of the crater collapsed, revealing half of the mammoth. The front part of the carcass fell to the bottom of the hole, while the back half including the hind legs were still in the permafrost, Cheprasov said. The back half was later collected by his colleagues.

Researchers Gavril Novgorodov and Erel Struchkov pose for a picture next to the carcass of a baby mammoth, which is estimated to be over 50,000 years old. - Gavril Novgorodov/Reuters

Before this baby mammoth was discovered, a total of six complete mammoth skeletons have been found in the world, five in Russia and one in Canada, according to Cheprasov.

This is a really unique find, not only for our university, and for Russian science, but also for the world, said Anatoly Nikolaev, the Rector of the North-Eastern Federal University, to TASS.

CNNs Svitlana Vlasova contributed to this report.

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Bangladesh's interim government has asked neighbouring India to extradite fugitive former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The request was sent to the Indian government in the form of a verbal note, The Daily Star newspaper and other local media reported on Monday, citing the foreign affairs adviser in Dhaka, Touhid Hossain.

The 77-year-old is accused, among other things, of crimes against humanity.

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The long-standing head of government resigned at the beginning of August after mass protests and serious clashes between demonstrators and security forces, and was taken to India in a military helicopter.

Hundreds of people lost their lives in the protests, which were led by students. The government of the day had tried to crack down on the protesters.

The protests initially focused on the planned reintroduction of a controversial quota system in the civil service. Later, the demonstrators demanded the resignation of Hasina, who had increasingly ruled the country in an authoritarian manner.

After her flight, an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was set up with the support of the military.

A court in Bangladesh issued arrest warrants in October against Hasina and a number of other people, including former party colleagues of the politician. It was initially unclear how India would react to the extradition request.
Bashar al-Assads British-born wife must not be allowed to live a life of luxury in the UK, Sir Keir Starmer was told, after rumours she was seeking a divorce and a return to London.

Asma al-Assad and her husband have reportedly been confined to Moscow and their property assets had been frozen by authorities since seeking asylum there.

Reports in the Turkish media suggested she wanted to move back to the UK, where she holds dual nationality, for cancer treatment.

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No 10 refused to comment on Sunday about whether she should be stripped of her passport.

But Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: It would be an affront to the millions of Assads victims if his wife returned to a life of luxury in the UK.

He added: She has been sanctioned by the UK Government for a reason  the Assad family were responsible for some of the worst atrocities in modern times.

David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, has previously said Mrs Assad was not welcome back in Britain, noting there are still sanctions in place against her.

But when asked on Monday whether she would be stripped of her citizenship, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: I think weve always said that we dont comment on any individuals in relation to this.

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Mrs Assad had her UK assets frozen as part of an EU sanctions programme in March 2012 amid growing protests against her husbands rule.

These sanctions have been upheld since Brexit and in 2021, the Metropolitan Police opened a preliminary investigation into allegations that she incited and aided war crimes committed by the Assad regimes forces during Syrias 13-year civil war.

Notorious war profiteer

The US imposed sanctions on Mrs Assad, her parents and two brothers in 2020. Mike Pompeo, then secretary of state, called her one of Syrias most notorious war profiteers.

On Monday, the Kremlin denied reports that Mrs Assad was attempting to divorce her husband and leave Russia.

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In May, it was revealed she had been diagnosed with leukemia, having previously been treated for breast cancer between 2018 and 2019.

Theoretically, Mrs Assad could still return to London with her children. But if the UK admitted her, she would be forced to leave her husband, who would otherwise be arrested on arrival.

Mrs Assad is the daughter of Fawaz Akhras, 78, a respected Harley Street cardiologist, and Sahar, 75, a former diplomat at the Syrian embassy. Her brothers Feras, 46, and Eyad, 44, are also doctors.

The family, who originally come from Homs, still own the 1 million terrace house just off the A40 where Mrs Assad grew up.

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Mrs Assad, who was called Emma, went from a local Church of England secondary school to Queens College, the private girls school in Marylebone.

She gained a first-class degree in computer science from Kings College London and went into investment banking, joining Deutsche Bank and then JP Morgan, working in New York, Paris and London.

In 1992, she began dating Bashar al-Assad, then second in line to rule Syria, who was studying to be an eye doctor in London. After his brother Bassel died in a car accident in 1996, he became heir apparent.

Publicity blitz

The young couple married soon after the death of his father, Hafez, in 2000. Together, they began courting foreign dignitaries and European royals as they sought to improve Syrias image on the world stage after decades of his fathers brutal dictatorship.

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The new first lady met Queen Elizabeth II during a state visit to Buckingham Palace in 2002 and rubbed shoulders with Hollywood stars, even inviting Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to Damascus in 2009.

Their outwardly innocent and Western-friendly image unravelled during Assads savage repression of the Syrian uprising in 2011, which plunged the country into nearly 14 years of bloodshed and civil war.

The Rose in the Desert, as Vogue dubbed her in 2011, quickly became an international pariah as she stood by her husband and said nothing.

But as the country starved and suffered, leaked emails revealed Mrs Assad was secretly buying top-of-the-range paintings, furniture, jewellery and Christian Louboutin shoes through intermediaries in Paris and London.

Palace and private homes

The Assads claimed to live a middle-class life but the true luxury they enjoyed was exposed when the rebels took Damascus and Syrians looted Assads presidential palace and private homes.

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People were seen walking off with designer clothing, still inside its bags, showing the labels of fashion houses including Dior and Louis Vuitton. In one of their bedrooms, the floor was covered with jewellery, antiques and other opulent goods.

Left on the floor among private family photos were damning bank records in Mrs Assads maiden name that showed the movement of huge sums of money, an indication of wide-scale fraud.

Over the weekend, Dame Angela Eagle, a Home Office minister, also declined to clarify whether Mrs Assad will remain a British citizen.

Not welcome here

Mr Lammy told Parliament: I want it confirmed that shes a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK.

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But in a response to a written question from Blair McDougall, a Labour MP, Dame Angela said she would not be drawn on individual cases.

She went on to say it was standard procedure to deny protection to individuals who had committed crimes against peace, war crimes [or] crimes against humanity.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Tory leader, said on Monday: If theyve got a case against her, they should set it out. If they havent, then they should work on one pretty fast.

Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UKs crisis response manager, called on British authorities to fully investigate any reports of Mrs Assads involvement in human rights violations if she came to the UK.

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Asma al-Assads many appearances in high-profile Western media outlets played a key part in the Assad regimes efforts to whitewash its reign of terror in Syria, Mr Benedict said.

Investigators will surely want to question her about this role and how much she knew about the industrial-scale torture, disappearance and murder taking place on the orders of her husband.

The UK should fully support the mammoth task of bringing high-level Assad-era perpetrators to justice, and where that means criminal cases taking place on British soil then this too should be supported.

War crimes

Alicia Kearns, the shadow security minister, mocked Mrs Assad in response to reports she wanted to flee and return to British soil.

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Please do come to the UK, Ms Kearns said. Prosecution for inciting, aiding and encouraging war crimes awaits you, Asma.

She moved to Syria in 2000 and married Assad, with whom she shares three children.

In May, it was revealed Mrs Assad had been diagnosed with leukemia, having previously been treated for breast cancer between 2018 and 2019.

Bader Mousa Al-Saif, researcher at the Chatham House think tank, highlighted how the UK has stripped citizens of their nationality for joining the Islamic State group.

He told the AFP news agency: If that could be happening to an unknown in an extremist camp, I think the same, if not more, [is warranted in] the case of Asma al-Assad.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Workers at a Beaverton Starbucks location are joining nationwide walkouts over unfair labor practices and stalled negotiations on Monday, Starbucks Workers United announced.

The Beaverton location  at 9350 Southwest Beaverton Hillsdale Highway  is set to begin its walkout at 12 p.m. and joins other locations holding walkouts, including Starbucks locations in the Boston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas.

The walkouts come amid a strike by baristas represented by Starbucks Workers United and are set to last until December 24 amid the coffee chains busiest time of the year, according to the union.

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Trailer theft rocks Tigards family-owned Tamale House

Baristas launched five days of escalating strikes on Friday after the company backtracked on the path forward agreed to with workers and their union over the future of organizing and collective bargaining, Starbucks Workers United said.

The strikes are active over a handful of metro areas including Seattle, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; New York, New York; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Columbus, Ohio.

Nobody wants to strike. Its a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice, Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a 5-year Starbucks barista from Texas and bargaining delegate, said in a statement. In a year when Starbucks invested so many millions in top executive talent, it has failed to present the baristas who make its company run with a viable economic proposal and resolve the pending unfair labor practices. This is just the beginning. We will do whatever it takes to get the company to honor the commitment it made to us in February.

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The union pointed to its post on X  formerly known as Twitter  in February, stating Workers Untied and Starbucks agreed to begin discussions on a framework to achieve collective bargaining agreements for represented stores, a resolution for litigation between the union and Starbucks and a fair process for workers to organize.

As a sign of good faith, Starbucks has agreed to provide workers represented by Workers Untied with credit card tipping and benefits announced in May 2022, the union said in the February post.

In a statement to KOIN 6 News, Starbucks said, Workers United delegates prematurely ended our bargaining session this week. It is disappointing they didnt return to the table given the progress weve made to date. Since April weve held more than nine bargaining sessions over 20 days. Weve reached over thirty (30) meaningful agreements on hundreds of topics Workers United delegates told us were important to them, including many economic issues.

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The company added, We are focused on enhancing the partner (employee) experience, with over $3 billion invested in the last three years. Starbucks offers a competitive average pay of over $18 per hour, and best-in-class benefits. Taken together they are worth an average of $30 per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week. Benefits include health care, free college tuition, paid family leave and company stock grants. No other retailer offers this kind of comprehensive pay and benefits package.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
BEE CAVE, Texas (KXAN)  The city of Bee Cave can see an influx of about 75,000 people during the holiday season, according to the citys communications department. By comparison, the citys population is around 9,000.

While those numbers go for the city as a whole, the Hill Country Galleria draws in a big percentage of those folks.

A lot of people shopping, trying to find their gifts and getting ready for holiday events, said Austin Atchley, whos worked at Gatsbys Clothier at the mall since the store opened there in 2013.

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To keep shops like his safe from retail theft, the Bee Cave Police Department created a bike patrol unit to monitor the mall. These officers also keep an eye on cars in the parking lot.

There are a lot more people here both on foot and in their cars, so the bike is a really good tool for us to use when we have that going on, said Senior Officer Mathew Stevko.

The department said the primary calls they get around the holidays are for retail theft and car burglaries, and BCPD believes proactive patrols help address this issue.

The response times are quicker in a city of Bee Caves size, I would estimate two to three minutes, said Patrol Officer Jonathan Taylor. We have the ability to arrest the vast majority of people who come to Bee Cave to commit retail theft. Part of that is that were not call driven, were encouraged to be proactive and we stay proactive.

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Both officers said staying visible not only helps deter crime but also bolsters their relationship with the community.

This is a great tool being on the bike, it lets us interact with anybody from the businesses to citizens that are shopping or just lost. Ive run into multiple people who just needed guidance on where to go, Stevko said.

While BCPD said it does have the flexibility to be proactive, the agency does still need to hire more officers.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Dec. 23 accused Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of undermining Europe's efforts to become independent of Russian gas and helping Moscow to fund its war against Ukraine.

Fico met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Dec. 22 to discuss gas supplies after Kyiv said it would not extend the deal on transiting Russian gas to Europe past Dec. 31.

Following the visit, Zelensky lambasted Slovakia's prime minister in a long post on social media. He called Fico's pro-Russian energy policy a "big security issue" for Slovakia and Europe, asking: "Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?"

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"It is worth noting that after their meeting in Moscow, Fico and Putin did not issue joint statements or respond to media questions," Zelensky said on X.

"They simply cannot say publicly anything about what they discussed in the meeting. They are afraid of the public's reaction."

Under Fico's leadership, Slovakia took a sharp foreign policy turn, halting military supplies to Ukraine from the Slovak Armed Forces' stocks and adopting more Russian-friendly rhetoric.

Read also: Putin, Slovak PM discuss gas transit, standardizing mutual relations, Fico says after Kremlin meeting

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The prime minister has repeatedly made controversial statements on Ukraine and the war that echo the Kremlin's talking points, gave an interview with Russian propagandist Olga Skabeyeva, and called for the normalization of relations with Russia.

The Ukrainian president said that though Moscow provides significant energy discounts to Fico, such discounts are paid "through sovereignty or murky schemes." Zelensky referred to a recent European meeting in Brussels at which Fico allegedly did not want to participate in a joint effort to find a replacement for Russian gas.

According to Ukraine's head of state, Fico instead wanted to "assist Russia in pushing American gas and energy resources of other partners away from Europe, implying that he wants to help Putin earn money to fund the war and weaken Europe."

"We are losing people as a result of the war that Putin started, and we believe that such assistance to Putin is immoral," Zelensky concluded.

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Fico is yet to comment on Zelensky's statement.

Zelensky also said that Fico refused compensation for the lost profit during the transition period and is "interested specifically in the Russian gas" worth $500 million per year, as well as profits from oil pipe that runs through Ukraine and "gives another $500 million per year."

Fico previously told the media that Zelensky offered him 500 million euros ($520 million) from frozen Russian assets if Bratislava supports Ukraine's NATO membership, an offer the Slovak prime minister said he rejected.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday added another item to his list of to-dos for his first day in the Oval Office after he is inaugurated on January 20. All foreign gang members will be expelled and I will immediately designate the [drug] cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. I will do so immediately, he said during a forum of the ultra-conservative non-profit organization Turning Point in Phoenix, Arizona, which is dedicated to spreading MAGA values in American colleges and universities.

Trump said his administration will unleash the full power of federal law enforcement  ICE, Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA], the intelligence community  and financial sanctions to drive out the foreign drug gangs. Every cartel operating on American soil will be dismantled, deported and destroyed, Trump said in a speech cheered by hundreds of his supporters.

This is not the first time that the president-elect has painted an apocalyptic picture that does not exactly match reality in order to announce a tough line against Mexican drug traffickers and also against the authorities of the neighboring country. In this case, Trump was talking about the case of Aurora, Colorado, which has become an example for Trump of everything that he feels has gone wrong in the United States in terms of security under the presidency of Joe Biden. According to this exaggerated story, Aurora is under the control of the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua.

Amid the usual mix of bluster and disjointed messages, Trump surprised those who follow his rallies with a new announcement. Were going to advertise how bad drugs are for you. They ruin your look, they ruin your face, they ruin your skin, they ruin your teeth, he said, while failing to detail how much the campaign would cost, although he did say that his administration would spend a lot of money, later clarifying that it would not be that much, comparatively.

These statements were reminiscent of the war on drugs launched by President Richard Nixon in the 1970s and which reached its climax in the 1980s and 1990s, with famous slogans such as First Lady Nancy Reagans Just say no.

The hard-liners of the Republican Party have been calling for the designation of organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel or the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel as terrorists for a couple of years, and for applying to them the same medicine that the Islamic State (ISIS) received in the Middle East. These die-hard Trumpists would welcome selective attacks to decapitate these organizations, even though such a thing would run completely contrary to international law, and would leave Mexico in a difficult position as the victim of an invasion of its national sovereignty from which it would be difficult to defend itself without unleashing a serious crisis in the region.

Tariffs

In his speech in Phoenix, Trump also discussed the call he had with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum last November. It was after he threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico unless, in the latter case, more is done to solve the problems of immigration and drug trafficking.

On Sunday, the president-elect described Sheinbaum as a lovely woman, and said that he was very tough on Mexico and that he told Sheinbaum that You cannot do this to our country, he told supporters, in reference to the fentanyl that enters through the southern border, and which in 2023 was responsible for some 70,000 overdose deaths.

It remains to be seen whether Sheinbaum will change the terms of the discussion on fentanyl with the United States compared to her predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who basically just denied that the drug was being produced in Mexico.

Among the litany of other topics that Trump touched on, and which turned his appearance into one of his classic rallies with its dalliances, exaggerations, lies and half-truths, the president-elect referred to the recent crisis that almost ended with a government shutdown on Friday, and in which Elon Musk, the richest man on the planet and one of his most recent allies, played a role. In a series of messages on his social network, X, Musk shot down a bilateral spending deal that had been in the works for months, raising suspicions about his real influence in the Administration and in American politics, and about a possible conflict of egos between these two billionaires.

Trump said the idea that has been floated around that Musk wants the job of president cannot happen because the U.S. Constitution states that only a U.S.-born citizen can run for president. Musk was born in South Africa. Hes not going to be president; that I can tell you. Im safe. You know why? He cant be. He wasnt born in this country.

Trump also weighed in on a debate that had been dormant on Saturday night: the Panama Canal. He threatened, in a message on his social network, Truth, to reassert U.S. control over the infrastructure, and accused the Central American country of charging excessive fees to use the passage, which allows ships to cross between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. He also warned that he would not let the canal fall into the wrong hands, in what could be read as a reference to possible Chinese influence over the canal. The Asian country neither controls nor manages it, although, according to Reuters, a subsidiary of CK Hutchinson Holdings, based in Hong Kong, manages two ports located at the Caribbean and Pacific entrances of the canal, respectively.

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Civil rights groups who were anxiously preparing for the onset of Donald Trumps presidency breathed a sigh of relief on Monday as President Joe Biden announced the largest single-day commutation of federal death row inmates in modern history.

The White House announced early Monday morning that the president would commute the sentences of 37 inmates awaiting execution in the federal prison system. Now, just three people will remain on death row following the commutations: mass murderers Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers.

Much of Washington is now deserted, with the Christmas holidays driving many lawmakers, staffers, and other federal workers out of the city for several weeks. The presidents action Monday came after a weeks-long advocacy campaign launched by the ACLU and other opponents of capital punishment urging Biden in this direction, one that enlisted the aid of both the presidents allies on Capitol Hill, actors such as Martin Sheen (known for his West Wing portrayal of President Jed Bartlett), as well as business leaders including Richard Branson and Sheryl Sandberg.

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The biggest name to back the effort by far was Pope Francis, who noted the issue during his daily address in St Peters Square.

Mondays announcement also followed a move by Biden earlier this month to commute the sentences of hundreds of federal inmates previously shifted to home detention. Similar to his latest decision, the commutation of 1,500 Americans was the largest single-day act of clemency carried out by a U.S. president in modern times.

President Joe Biden announced the commutation of 37 death sentences on Monday, the largest single-day commutation of the federal death row in history. (AP)

The presidents commutation of death row sentences is likely to be received approvingly by his Democratic base, in contrast to the December 12 announcement of clemency which swept up, among others, a former federal judge convicted of sending children to for-profit jail facilities in exchange for bribes. The Kids For Cash scandal is widely considered to be one of the worst black marks on the U.S. judiciary in its history.

The news that Michael Conahan would be among those granted clemency earlier this month drew disgusted condemnations from many in his home state of Pennsylvania including its Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, who was thought to have been runner-up to serve as Vice President Kamala Harriss running mate during the 2024 election.

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By comparison, while MAGA loyalists such as Senator-elect Jim Banks were sounding off about Bidens order on Monday, relieved statements of approval poured in from top Democrats on the Hill who supported the commute the row campaign and others.

By commuting the sentences of 37 individuals on death row, President Biden has taken the most consequential step of any president in our history to address the immoral and unconstitutional harms of capital punishment, said Anthony Romero, the ACLUs executive director.

Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, had been one of the Democrats on Bidens case about death penalty commutations. Durbin was one of the Democrats who offered at least a half-hearted defense of the presidents decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, who was awaiting sentencing on tax and gun charges. Biden had vowed specifically not to pardon his son, a statement he and his aides such as press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeated several times over the course of the 2024 election.

Thank you @POTUS Biden for answering this call to action to address the longstanding injustices faced in our legal system, wrote Rep. Adriano Espaillat. Todays action represents a core tenet of humanity and upholds the moral integrity of our nations justice system.

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Richard Branson, in a Twitter thread, wrote: Commuting these federal death sentences sends an important signal that there are alternatives to state-sanctioned killing. By championing forgiveness and mercy, President Biden has come down on the right side of history.

The death penalty is broken. Its inhumane and unfair. Its costly and wasteful. And it doesnt deliver justice or make communities safer.

The presidents pardon of his son Hunter, despite promises not to do so, racheted up the pressure from Democrats for the administration to leave a serious legacy on the issue of criminal justice reform. (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Civil rights groups had feared a return to the accelerated pace of executions under Trumps first term when the president-elect takes office in January. Federal executions were halted completely before Trump took office, but by the end of his four years in the presidency Donald Trump had overseen more executions than any U.S. president in 100 years. The 13 executions carried out all took place during Trumps final year in office.

Trump himself remains very open about his desire to expand use of the death penalty beyond the standard the Supreme Court established in Coker vs Georgia. Trump has said that he would expand use of capital punishment to those convicted of drug trafficking offenses, possibly including low-level dealers. This would require a major rewriting of legal precedent by the nations highest court.

These are terrible, terrible, horrible people who are responsible for death, carnage and crime all over the country, Trump said in 2022. Were going to be asking everyone who sells drugs, gets caught, to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts.
President Joe Biden on Monday morning commuted the sentences of 37 federal inmates on death row, including a Michigan man who in 1997 killed a 19-year-old woman who had accused him of rape.

Marvin Charles Gabrion II, 71, was convicted of murdering Rachel Timmerman and sentenced to death in 2002, making him the only Michigander on federal death row. Michigan's state constitution prohibits the death penalty; the only other execution of a Michigan resident since it became a state was done by the federal government in 1938, according to the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C.

In 1847, Michigan became the first English-speaking government to prohibit the death penalty.

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Gabrion was charged and sentenced by the federal government because Timmerman's body was found in Oxford Lake, which is in Manistee National Forest in Newaygo County.

Timmerman, who was discovered by fishermen with duct tape wrapped around her face, her hands in handcuffs and her body weighted down by cinder blocks, disappeared days before Gabrion was scheduled to face trial on the rape allegation. Her 18-month-old daughter, Shannon, also disappeared and was never found. An appeals court that reconsidered Gabrion's conviction and sentence found the evidence against him "overwhelming."

Gabrion is being held at a federal facility in Missouri.

Biden, who imposed a moratorium on the federal death penalty upon taking office in 2021, commuted the sentences of Gabrion and the other inmates sentenced to execution to life in prison. Biden will leave office on Jan. 20 as former President Donald Trump is inaugurated.

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Biden has said the U.S. should only use the death penalty at the federal level in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. During his first term in office, Trump's Justice Department resumed the use of federal executions after nearly two decades and he indicated during this year's campaign that he would reimpose and possibly expand the use of the death penalty once reelected.

This month, Biden commuted the sentences of some 1,500 nonviolent federal inmates, including about three dozen who were initially processed in Michigan, allowing them to be released early.

Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Biden commutes death penalty sentence of Marvin Gabrion of Michigan
President Joe Biden announced Monday he was commuting the sentences for nearly all of the inmates on federal death row, including one inmate from Oklahoma.

Of the 40 prisoners that remained on federal death row, Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 to life without the possibility of parole. The move comes after mounting pressure from lawmakers and advocates, who hoped Biden would commute death row sentences to prevent President-elect Donald Trump from issuing executions.

Among the inmates whose sentences were commuted are Edward Leon Fields, Jr., who was sentenced to death in 2005 in The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

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Here's what you need to know.

Oklahoma federal death row inmate Edward Leon Fields, Jr. sentence commuted

Fields plead guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of using a firearm in a violent crime, robbery with a firearm and auto burglary in the 2003 killing of Charles Glen Chick, 47, and his wife, Shirley, 50. The Texas couple were camping in the Winding Stair Mountains in the Ouachita National Forest, south of Poteau.

Fields admitted to police during questioning that he shot and killed them both while watching them at their campground from a distance. Fields was wearing a homemade ghillie suit, a type of camouflage clothing designed to make the wearer blend in with their surroundings.

Prosecutors also said Fields returned to the scene hours later to steal $340 in cash and a credit card from the Chick's.

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Edwards has argued that at his sentencing hearing a former attorney failed to present evidence that organic brain damage impaired his judgment.

More: Who did Biden pardon? Oklahoma woman included in wave of pardons, clemency

Why did Biden commute federal death row inmates?

Biden pledged to end the death penalty during his presidential campaign and had been under pressure from progressive lawmakers and criminal justice activists to commute the sentences of federal death row inmates before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

"Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss," Biden said in a statement.

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But he later added: "I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level."

Trump has said he would seek to expand the death penalty in his second term. During its first White House stint, the Trump administration carried out 13 federal executions, ending a 17-year hiatus.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Biden commutes death sentences including Oklahoma inmate
As Gov. Roy Cooper prepares to leave office, advocates are anxiously waiting to see if he grants more clemency in the final days of his term.

That includes possible additional pardons and commutations for people serving prison sentences, but advocates who have spent years pushing for an end to the states use of the death penalty are hoping Cooper will also commute the death sentences of the 136 people on death row, changing them to prison terms.

The movement to extend clemency to the states death row population has been growing for years, and now, advocates and inmates who have petitioned for clemency or challenged their sentences in court are waiting to see if the outgoing governor will take more action before a new governor is sworn in.

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It comes as President Joe Biden on Monday commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row to life without the possibility of parole, amid calls from religious and civil-rights groups, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss, Biden said in a statement.

But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice President, and now President, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.

North Carolina continues to sentence people to death, including as recently as last year, but hasnt executed anyone since 2006.

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Before that, in the years after Cooper was first elected attorney general and took office in 2001, the state executed 27 people, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

In 2022, the N.C. Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty launched a campaign calling on the Democratic governor to commute all death sentences to prison terms, and use his authority to send the powerful message that North Carolina is turning the page on this archaic practice.

The campaign has included billboards, rallies and a two-week-long, 136-mile walk between Winston-Salem and Raleigh this fall, to raise awareness of the 136 people on death row.

Supporters of the campaign include former prisoners who were exonerated after serving time on death row, and people who have lost family members to murder.

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Its unclear what, if any, additional action Cooper will take before leaving office.





In response to questions from The News & Observer about whether Cooper will grant more clemency, including to any death row inmates, Ben Conroy, a spokesperson for the governor, said the Office of the Governor, including the offices of Executive Clemency and General Counsel, are continuing to review all petitions for clemency, including those seeking commutations of death sentences.

Conroy said that in his eight years in office, Cooper has so far issued 20 commutations and 23 pardons.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper speaks at a press briefing following a shooting that left five dead, including an off-duty police officer, on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, in Raleigh, N.C.

In December 2022, as civil rights groups and advocates were holding rallies outside the governors mansion and marching in downtown Raleigh calling on him to more frequently use his clemency powers, Cooper commuted the sentences of six people in prison, and pardoned four others who were convicted decades earlier.

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He took additional action in December 2023, then issued commutations and pardons this year in July. And in November, he granted a pardon of innocence to a Pitt County pastor who served eight years in prison for a robbery he didnt commit. The pardon made the pastor eligible for $400,000 in state compensation.

NC has fifth-highest death row population in the country

Wanda Bertram, a spokesperson for the Prison Policy Initiative, a think tank that wants Cooper to commute all death sentences, said the end of a governors last term in office presents a slim window during which most outgoing executives will do clemency, since many elected officials continue to see it as a political liability.

Unlike some governors who are potentially closing their political careers, however, Cooper has been considering a run for U.S. Senate in 2026.

Bertram said Cooper has an opportunity to take more action on clemency than most other governors, with North Carolinas death row population being the fifth-highest in the country.

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He has not stuck only to people who were convicted of nonviolent offenses, which is kind of a common tack for particularly liberals to take these days; hes issued some commutations to people convicted of murder, which I think is commendable, Bertram said.

When it comes to clemency, this is supposed to be a form of mercy that is available, theoretically, to anyone, so no ones case should be off the table, she said.

Matthew Charles, a senior policy advisor at Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a nonprofit advocacy group that seeks to reform prison sentences, said clemency is a powerful tool thats rarely used by governors and the president, and the privilege was given to them for a purpose, but they need to start utilizing it.

Whenever you grant somebody clemency, youre saying youre showing this person grace, youre showing this person mercy, youre giving them an opportunity to reunite with their family, Charles said.

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And it is our strong belief that anytime you take a woman or a man away from society and incarcerate them, you need to do it with the best intention in mind, especially if that person doesnt have a life or death sentence, of reuniting this person with his family, with his children, with his spouse, and with his community, he said.

Charles, a North Carolina native, spent 22 years in federal prison for selling crack cocaine and illegally possessing a firearm. He was initially released in 2016, but prosecutors fought his release, saying he did not qualify, and he was ordered to report back to prison. His lawyers finally secured his release in 2018, under the provisions of the federal First Step Act, which had recently been signed into law.

Anytime that you make a person go in and serve their entire sentence, or close to 80% or 85% of their sentence, then that person has no incentive to be rehabilitated, Charles said. He has no incentive to produce any good behavior. So, therefore, that makes for not only a dangerous situation for prisoners and staff behind the walls, but also for society when that person has been released.

Could the Racial Justice Act end up in court again?

Advocates say there is particular urgency to commute death sentences before Cooper leaves office because of the possibility that a 2020 ruling by the N.C. Supreme Court that allowed inmates to challenge their sentences under the Racial Justice Act could be overturned.

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The law, which was passed by Democrats in the General Assembly in 2009, allowed inmates on death row to challenge their sentence if they believed race was a factor in jury selection or sentencing. Inmates who successfully proved discrimination would have their sentences reduced to life.

Four death-row inmates  Marcus Robinson, Tilmon Golphin, Christina Walters, and Quintel Augustine  successfully challenged their sentences under the law in 2012, and had their sentences commuted to life without parole.

Prisoners on the North Carolina death row make their way back to their cell block at Central Prison in Raleigh in 2002, not long after a series of reforms began sharply reducing the number of death-penalty cases in the state. North Carolina has not executed a death row inmate since 2006.

In 2013, the General Assembly, which was then under Republican control, repealed the law. Lawmakers who supported amending and later repealing the law said the death penalty was a necessary deterrent.

After the N.C. House voted to scale back the law in June 2012, Republican Rep. Paul Skip Stam of Apex said doing so was necessary to end the moratorium on the death penalty.

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The death penalty acts as a deterrent only if it is used, Stam said, according to NBC News. The death penalty will obviously not deter if the state only pretends to have a death penalty and never carries out the sentence.

Former Rep. Nelson Dollar, a Cary Republican, said during floor debate that the law was well-intended but was giving convicted killers  regardless of race  an opportunity to try to avoid the death penalty, The N&O reported at the time.

This is about monsters, Dollar said. Monsters. Evil people doing unspeakable, inhuman acts. Thats what this is about.

A door ultimately remained open to Racial Justice Act claims moving forward, when the Supreme Court ruled in June 2020 that inmates who had filed challenges before the law was repealed could still be heard in court.

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Earlier this year, lawyers for Hasson Bacote, a Black man who was sentenced to death in 2009, argued that there was a clear pattern of racial bias in jury selection, and that people of color have historically been excluded from being chosen to serve on capital juries, during a two-week hearing in Johnston County.

The case, which is the first to be heard since the Supreme Courts ruling four years ago, could impact not just Bacote but more than 100 other inmates on death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

But even after Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons reaches a verdict, the case could be appealed and end up at the states highest court, which has had a Republican majority since 2023.

Gretchen Engel, the executive director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, which is part of Bacotes legal team, said that shes hopeful he will prevail with the pending verdict, but said its likely the state would appeal.

That might give them the opportunity to revisit that 2020 ruling, Engel said, referring to the Supreme Court. And obviously the people who were dissenters in that case now command a majority.

The death penalty is not making communities safer

Engel said one of the reasons shes hopeful Cooper will take action on death sentences is because he is a person who really cares about racial justice, and I think the death penalty is a racial justice issue.

She said she has been encouraged by some of the steps Cooper has already taken toward that cause, including appointing more women and people of color to judicial positions, and establishing the Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice in 2020.

He has an opportunity to look at basically 50 years of history of how the death penalty has played out in North Carolina, Engel said. And I think hes somebody that cares about public safety, and cares about evidence-based solutions to problems and serious policy discussions, and can see that the death penalty is not making communities safer.

One of the task forces recommendations was to create the Juvenile Sentence Review Board, which Cooper did through executive order in April 2021.

Rep. Marcia Morey a Durham Democrat, debates a bill that would prohibit transgender females from playing on womens athletic teams, prior to veto override vote in the House at the General Assembly in Raleigh on Wednesday, Aug 16, 2023.

State Rep. Marcia Morey, a Durham Democrat who has chaired the review board since it was formed, said it was a bold move by Cooper.

She said the board has reviewed more than 200 cases, and said Cooper has carefully reviewed its recommendations. Most recently, in November, he commuted the sentences of four people at the recommendation of the board.

Morey, who was a district court judge for 18 years before being elected to the General Assembly, said that whether its a juvenile sentence or a capital case, the conditions that lead to crime are almost always the same.

It involves people who have had mental illness and no treatment, childhood trauma, lack of support, poverty, Morey said. So, when you grow up and have no control over your life in a situation like that, when youre a teenager, bad things happen.

And I think clemency is about looking at the time that has been served, and also some belief in the redemption of people, she said.
President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates on Monday morning, including a man convicted of killing a Columbus police officer during a 2005 robbery.

The 37 people will have their death sentences reclassified from execution to life without parole, according to a statement issued by the White House. One of them is Daryl Lawrence, who was sentenced to death in the killing of Columbus police officer Bryan Hurst.

Hurst, 33, was working special duty at the Fifth Third Bank at 6265 E. Broad St. on Jan. 6, 2005, when Lawrence entered with a drawn handgun and killed the officer during an exchange of gunfire.

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More: President Biden commutes sentences of most federal death row inmates

Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates. The three whose sentences were not commutedwere convicted of terrorism or hate-related mass murder.

Donnie Oliverio, a retired police officer in Columbus, Ohio, who was Hurst's partner and friend, told The Washington Post he supports the decision.

'Putting to death the person who killed my police partner and best friend would have brought me no peace, he said. The President has done what is right here, and what is consistent with the faith he and I share.'

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David DeVillers, a Columbus lawyer and former federal prosecutor who tried Lawrence's case, said he believes Lawrence deserved to remain on death row. He said Lawrence planned to kill Hurst as part of the robbery.

"What we had to prove to get to the death specification is that he didn't rob a bank and happen to kill a police officer," DeVillers said. "He killed the officer with the purpose of going into the back of the bank where the safe was ... and I think that's kind of a big difference."

Hurst has a surviving daughter and a widow.

This is a breaking news post and will be updated.

bagallion@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Biden commutes 37 death sentences, including Columbus cop killer
President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates on Monday morning, including a man convicted of killing a Columbus police officer during a 2005 robbery.

The 37 people will have their death sentences reclassified from execution to life without parole, according to a statement issued by the White House. One of them is Daryl Lawrence, who was sentenced to death in the killing of Columbus police officer Bryan Hurst.

Hurst, 33, was working special duty at the Fifth Third Bank at 6265 E. Broad St. on Jan. 6, 2005, when Lawrence entered with a drawn handgun and killed the officer during an exchange of gunfire.

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More: President Biden commutes sentences of most federal death row inmates

Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates. The three whose sentences were not commuted were convicted of terrorism or hate-related mass murder.

Hurst has a surviving daughter and a widow, Marissa Gibson, who released a brief statement to The Dispatch saying she disagreed with Biden's decision.

"While this is truly distressing news on a personal level for my family, it also feels like a complete dismissal and undermining of the federal justice system," Gibson said. "Lawrence's sentence was imposed by a jury, and it should be upheld as such."

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Donnie Oliverio, a retired police officer in Columbus, Ohio, who was Hurst's partner and friend, told The Washington Post he supports the decision.

'Putting to death the person who killed my police partner and best friend would have brought me no peace, he said. The President has done what is right here, and what is consistent with the faith he and I share.'

David DeVillers, a Columbus lawyer and former federal prosecutor who tried Lawrence's case, said he believes Lawrence deserved to remain on death row. He said Lawrence planned to kill Hurst as part of the robbery.

"What we had to prove to get to the death specification is that he didn't rob a bank and happen to kill a police officer," DeVillers said. "He killed the officer with the purpose of going into the back of the bank where the safe was ... and I think that's kind of a big difference."

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The Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, which represents local law enforcement, expressed outrage in a statement.

"The decision to commute the sentence of Daryl Lawrence is an inexcusable affront to the memory of Officer Bryan Hurst and the law enforcement community as a whole," said Brian Steel, President of FOP Capital City Lodge #9. "Bryan made the ultimate sacrifice, and this decision undermines the justice that was rightfully served for his murder."

This is a breaking news post and will be updated.

bagallion@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Biden commutes 37 death sentences, including Ohio cop killer
President Joe Biden has used his clemency authority to commute the sentences of 37 individuals, out of 40, on death row to sentences of life in prison without parole.

Out of the 37 inmates who were once on federal death row, two Louisiana inmates are now serving life in prison sentences.

Biden commutates two Louisiana inmates from death row to life in prison sentences

President Biden has commutated the death row sentences of Len Davis and Thomas Sanders, who will now both be serving life in prison sentences without parole.

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This action by President Biden is one of the most significant moves taken against capital punishment in recent presidential history.

The only individuals on death row who Biden did not commute the sentences of are the three men who were involved in cases of terrorism or mass murder. This includes Robert Bowers, Dylann Roof and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

President Joe Biden speaks Dec. 16 as he visits the Department of Labor.

Len Davis

The ex-New Orleans Police Department officer, Len Davis, was sentenced to death row for orchestrating the murder of Kim Groves after she filed a complaint against Davis.

Davis received his sentence in 1996 for hiring a hitman to kill Groves, who was 32-years-old and a mother of three, after she had filed a complaint against him for brutality with the New Orleans Police Department's Internal Affairs Division.

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After a fellow officer alerted Davis of the confidential complaint, Davis hired Paul Hardy to kill Groves outside her home in the Ninth Ward in New Orleans.

According to prosecutors on the case, Davis and Hardy's friendship developed by Davis covering up Hardy's tracks after his killings and tipping him off about narcotics investigations against him.

Later on, an undercover FBI narcotics investigation exposed Davis for running a cocaine protection racket. This led to Davis being linked to Groves' murder and uncovered Davis' efforts to shield Hardy during a string of violent drug crimes.

Thomas Sanders

In 2014, a federal jury in Alexandria decided that Thomas Sanders be put on death row for the brutal kidnapping and murder of Lexis Roberts in 2010.

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Sanders kidnapped 12-year-old Roberts, shot her four times and then cut her throat, just days after Roberts watched Sanders murder her mother while on a road trip near the Grand Canyon.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, evidence that was admitted during the trial established that Sanders met Suellen Roberts, Lexis Roberts' mother, in 2010 when she rented a storage unit at a Las Vegas warehouse, which was also where Sander's worked.

Upon meeting, Sanders and Roberts began dating and, two months later, Roberts agreed that she and her daughter would go on a trip with Sanders to a wildlife park near the Grand Canyon.

As they were returning to Nevada, Sanders pulled off the interstate to a remote location and shot Suellen Roberts in the head and forced Lexis Roberts into the car, keeping her captive.

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From here, Sanders drove several days across the country before murdering Lexis Roberts in a wooded area in Louisiana, within Catahoula Parish.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Did Biden commute any death row prisoners in Louisiana? Find out here
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Bidens administration is launching an investigation that will offer President-elect Donald Trump a choice about whether to enact new tariffs on Chinese-made semiconductor chips.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The White House announced Monday it would initiate the inquiry into so-called foundational chips  also known as legacy or mature-node semiconductors  made in China. While not as advanced as the chips driving artificial intelligence, the older technology is ubiquitous across a wide range of applications including autos, airplanes, medical devices and the telecommunications industry.

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The move tees up potential tariffs on a sector that US officials say may pose a national security risk if too heavily concentrated in Chinese control.

We need resilient supply chains for these chips, because we saw what happened during Covid when we needed a chip but we cant have it, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters Sunday. Relying on overseas suppliers snarled production lines and drove up costs of household goods, she said.

Why World Powers Are Sparring Over Computer Chips: QuickTake

Raimondo and other US officials briefing reporters said China has expressed its desire to dominate the global chip market and is unfairly subsidizing the industry, but the investigation is necessary to take legal action.

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Called a Section 301 investigation for the law that authorizes it, the US trade representative would first determine whether Chinas actions have been unreasonable or discriminatory and burden US commerce. If so, the future administration could impose retaliatory tariffs, restrict imports  or recommend further action for the president and Congress.

The probe will take months, leaving any decision up to Trumps administration, which also used the same trade powers to enact wide-ranging levies on imports from China. Trump said he will nominate Jamieson Greer for trade representative, replacing current representative Katherine Tai.

On Monday, a Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson called on the US to stop wrong practices immediately. Beijing would pay close attention to the investigations progress and will take all necessary measures to resolutely defend its rights and interests, the spokesperson added.

WATCH: Trump Is Facing a Losing Tariff War With China

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Biden has moved to bolster the US semiconductor industry, including with a bipartisan subsidy bill. That has included steps to limit the export of advanced technology to China.

US officials worry that China can flood, and corner, the market with older, widely available types of chips and tighten its grip on the sector.

Earlier this year, the White House announced it would increase tariffs on Chinese legacy semiconductors from the current 25% rate to 50% by 2025.

--With assistance from Jenny Leonard.

(Updates with comments from Chinas Commerce Ministry.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
BIG COUNTRY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  In 2024, we experienced a mix of highs and lows, filled with celebrations and heartwarming moments, but also marred by crime, drug-related incidents, and arrests. As we near the end of the year, our BigCountryHomepage team has compiled a list of the crimes that you were most interested in.

A shooting on the 4300 block of Mary Lou Lane took the life of 66-year-old Denise Gray. According to police, a domestic dispute ended with an ex-wife allegedly shot by her ex, who then shot her sister.

(Getty Images)

Narsiso Alamilla, 47, and Baby Constancio, 49, were both found dead from apparent gunshot wounds in the front yard of a home on South 7th Street on July 16. According to police, this is a suspected murder-suicide.

An Abilene mother and her boyfriend are accused of placing a deceased infant into a tool bag after her death and then disposing of her body at a lake days later. Court documents indicate that an unnamed witness reported that baby Peytons remains were kept inside a mobile home for 2 to 4 days before being transported to Lake Fort Phantom Hill.

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Earlier this month, Heather Kennedy, 20, and Donald Schultz, 35, were both indicted for Tampering with Human Corpse in connection to the childs death, and Schultz was also indicted for Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registry.

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It is known that illegal drugs are present on the streets of Abilene, and law enforcement is diligently working to eliminate them from the Key City. In February, a large-scale drug bust took place in Abilene, resulting in the seizure of 29 kilograms of methamphetamine, 721 grams of cocaine, 1,370 grams of fentanyl, and 60 firearms.

Courtesy of the Nolan County Sheriffs Office

Our number one crime story of the year, which also ranks as the runner-up for the top story overall, involves Texas DPS Trooper Christopher Prince. He was stationed in Snyder and was arrested and charged with bestiality following a complaint filed in February 2024.

This year, our community faced heartbreaking crimes, from tragic deaths to disturbing cases of abuse and drug trafficking. These stories reflect the challenges we continue to confront but also highlight law enforcements dedication to keeping us safe. Stay tuned to BigCountryHomepage for updates on the stories that matter most.

Explore our other Big Country 2024 Wraps:

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Big Country Wrap: What captured your attention in 2024

Big Country Wrap: The most watched videos of 2024

Big Country Wrap 2024: The years most inspiring positive news

Big Country Wrap 2024: The weather that captivated 2024

Big Country Wrap 2024: A year of sports triumphs, milestones & unforgettable moments

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
A sprawling bipartisan proposal to rebuild Americas long-ailing shipbuilding industry was introduced by a group of lawmakers last week. Known as the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act, the ambitious bill seeks to overhaul and restore Americas military and civilian maritime capacity and capabilities. These industries have increasingly fallen behind over the decades, and concerns have grown urgent as Chinas shipbuilding capacity continues to dwarf Americas in many respects.

This is the first major piece of maritime reform since the Merchant Marine Act of 1970, Sal Mercogliano, a former Military Sealift Command (MSC) mariner and associate professor of history at Campbell University, told USNI News Mallory Shelbourne this week. So youre talking about 55 years since weve had anything like this.

Bipartisan SHIPS Act Aims to Revitalize U.S. Maritime Industry, Counter China's Dominance



Key Provisions of the SHIPS for America Act



1National Maritime Strategy: Establishes a Maritime Security Advisor within the White House and a Maritime Security Board to coordinate  Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping)      (@mercoglianos) December 19, 2024

By supporting shipbuilding, shipping, and workforce development, it will strengthen supply chains, reduce our reliance on foreign vessels, put Americans to work in good-paying jobs, and support the Navy and Coast Guards shipbuilding needs, one of the bills co-sponsors, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a Navy veteran and the first U.S Merchant Marine Academy graduate elected to Congress, said in a statement.

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Among its many provisions, the SHIPS Act would require the Navy to develop a strategy for a rearm-at-sea capability for the surface fleet. It doesnt specify which platforms would get the capability, but the sea service has already been testing systems for reloading vertical launching system (VLS) missile cells at sea, and did it successfully for the first time in October. In that instance, the MSCs dry cargo ship USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) transferred an empty VLS weapon container to the USS Chosin (CG-65), a Ticonderoga class cruiser, while underway off southern California.

Such a capability would be vital during a war against China in the expanses of the Western Pacific, one that would likely involve a heavy volume of missile fire by Navy warships far from ports. Being able to reload at sea helps mitigate such a challenge.

Sailors change out an empty Vertical Launching System (VLS) weapon container aboard the Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Chosin (CG-65) in October. (U.S. Navy)

The act would also help private shipbuilders to better service military and commercial customers by requiring the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard to assess and integrate commercial best practices for designing, repairing, and building vessels.

As the United States seeks to get its shipbuilding house in order, Chinas Military-Civil Fusion strategy in shipbuilding has already given the country a massive long-term edge in building commercial, naval and support vessels relatively efficiently and cheaply compared to America and its allies.

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Some in the U.S. have started to call for similar integration of commercial and naval shipbuilding.

The United States has substantial latent shipbuilding, sustainment, and repair capacity, including aging but not obsolete capital assets, a strong base of potential skilled-trade labor, and a middle-management and engineering talent base that has become geographically separated from shipyards, McKinsey and Co., a consultancy, wrote in June. Rapidly increasing output requires tapping into this latent capacity quickly and confidently.

The legislation would also mandate a plan for how the Defense Production Act could be used to enhance shipyard infrastructure, the defense shipyard industrial base, and port infrastructure.

It would work to bolster smaller shipyards, providing $100 million annually from Fiscal Year 2025 to 2034. A loan fund would also be stood up for reflagging vessels or converting a vessel to a more useful military configuration.

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The SHIPS Act further seeks to expand the American shipyard industrial base for military and civilian vessels by way of a 25% tax credit for such investments, while establishing other financial incentives to encourage innovation in shipbuilding and repair.

A U.S. Center for Maritime Innovation, with hubs across the country, would work to accelerate next-generation ship design, alternative energy and manufacturing as well.

All these steps seek to help the Navy and American shipbuilding industry that struggles to get new platforms out on time and on budget, while supporting those that are already in the water. The latter has been a massive challenge as the Navys fleet ages while demands for more hulls increase. Crumbling shipyards around the U.S. and a limited number of them that can support mainline military vessels is a huge problem that has led to major delays in maintenance, greatly harming available end strength. It is also of major concern if ships were to get damaged in battle during a conflict and need to be regenerated quickly. While some improvements and investments have been made in upgrading shipyards, it is still a glaring and highly concerning issue.

In the shipyards, Americas shipbuilding capacity was in decline even before the end of the Cold War, and shrunk more afterward. It is at a particularly low point, an ebb helped along by the yards struggle to attract a sufficient workforce.

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Currently, the United States and China have relative parity in overall economic output, retired Marine Corps Maj. Jeffrey L. Seavy, noted in the U.S. Naval Institutes Proceedings publication in April. In terms of shipbuilding, however, China has 46.59 percent of the global market and is the largest builder, with South Korea second at 29.24 percent, and Japan third with 17.25 percent. The United States has a relative insignificant capacity at 0.13 percent.

To offset domestic shortfalls, Navy leaders have been exploring the possibility of repairing U.S. ships in Korean or Japanese shipyards, although by law American warships cant be built outside of the states.

The nations sealift capacity has been deteriorating as well. U.S. Transportation Command leaders told Congress in April that sealift readiness was a primary concern, and that 17 of the 47 Ready Reserve Force ships were more than 50-years-old, which was dragging readiness rates to alarming levels.

To bolster the U.S. sealift fleet, the bill would allow the U.S. to enter into agreements with treaty allies to meet sealift requirements. Already, the Navy is testing the waters for using Pacific allies for such logistics needs.

Various US Navy at-sea-replenishment and sealift ships sail in formation.

The U.S.-flagged international fleet would also grow to 250 ships in 10 years via a Strategic Commercial Fleet Program to establish a fleet of commercially operated, U.S.-flagged, American crewed, and domestically built merchant vessels that can operate competitively in international commerce, according to a summary of the bill provided by Kellys office.

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The United States has fewer than 200 oceangoing vessels of the United States, of which only approximately 80 vessels participate in international commerce, compared with more than 5,500 Chinese documented vessels, the legislation states.

In order to increase the fleet rapidly, carriers may also submit a bid to bring a foreign-built vessel into the fleet and reflag it, the bill states.

In a nod to how U.S. officials view China as a threat beyond its military, the bill also calls for an evaluation of the Chinese government-affiliated National Transportation and Logistics Public Information Platform, or LOGINK.

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission warned in 2022 that LOGINK potentially provides the Chinese Communist Party access to data collected and stored on the platform and could enable the Chinese government to gain insights into shipping information, cargo valuations via customs clearance forms, and destination and routing information. LOGINK, which operates in more than 20 global ports, could undercut U.S. firms economically and expose supply chain vulnerabilities, according to the commission.

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On the personnel side, the bill would give the Navy secretary additional authority to recruit and retain civilian mariners working under the MSC. These mariners would play a vital role manning ships moving troops and materiel in the event of a war with China, but the command has struggled with finding enough people. MSC announced in November that it would sideline 17 support vessels to ease the strain on the civilian mariner workforce amid personnel shortages, USNI News Mallory Shelbourne reported.

Japanese sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer JS Shimakaze say goodbye to civilian mariners aboard the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk following a replenishment-at-sea in September 2024. (U.S. Military Sealift Command)

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To keep such civilian mariners around, the bill would also allow merchant mariners or U.S. shipyard employees to qualify for loan forgiveness if they are employed on an American vessel or shipyard for 10 years. Mariners who have received the Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medal or other mariner medals for service in a designated combat zone would also become eligible for G.I. Bill benefits under the legislation, if they were not already eligible.

To find new talent, the bill would enact targeted recruiting campaigns run by private marketing firms to promote maritime industry careers, and would have military recruiters recommend at-sea or shipyard careers to prospects who dont qualify for military service.

If passed, the bill would also raise the profile of maritime security affairs by creating a maritime security advisor role within the White House that would lead whole-of-government decisions about American maritime strategy.

The SHIPS Act was introduced last week by co-sponsor Kelly and U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a supporter of the plan and President-elect Donald Trumps pick for national security advisor.

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Other sponsors include Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committees Subcommittee on Readiness, and U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.), chairman of the Houses Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee whose home state hosts several major shipyards.

NEW: Today I introduced legislation to revitalize Americas ailing maritime industry. Its one of the biggest problems no one is talking about  and fixing it will create jobs, lower prices, and strengthen our national security. Let me tell you how.   pic.twitter.com/KEXHq90eBg  Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) December 19, 2024

The legislation is paid for via a Maritime Security Trust Fund, similar to existing highway and aviation trust funds. A Kelly spokesperson told TWZ that the bill authorizes $18.1 billion over a decade. The legislation states those funds will come from duties, fees, and penalties imposed on vessels in international commerce, regular tonnage tax proceeds, special tonnage taxes, light money, duties imposed on foreign nations and tariffs, which are all collected by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Industry appears to support the legislation, as its announcement features a bevy of American maritime interests, including shipbuilding associations, shipbuilding corporations, academia and defense groups.

TWZ has regularly reported on the shortfalls of the U.S. shipbuilding industry over the years. A leaked U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence slide revealed in 2023 that Chinas shipbuilders are believed to be more than 200 times more capable of producing surface combatants, support ships and submarines than their American counterparts. This is due to the country being a major shipbuilder globally and the ability to use its yards to build military and commercial vessels as needed. Such a revelation underscored longstanding worries about the U.S. Navys ability to challenge Chinese fleets, or sustain its forces afloat, during a war.

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Reporting at the time explained the significance of that slide:

The most eye-catching component of the slide is a depiction of the relative Chinese and U.S. shipbuilding capacity expressed in terms of gross tonnage. The graphic shows that Chinas shipyards have a capacity of around 23,250,000 tons versus less than 100,000 tons in the United States. That is at least an astonishing 232 times greater than the United States.

A U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence slide showcases the differing shipbuilding capabilities of the United States and China. (U.S. Navy)

At more than 370 ships by the Pentagons latest count, in terms of hulls alone, the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) already exceeds the Navys battle force fleet of nearly 300. The ONI slide revealed that, by 2035, the gap between Chinese ships and U.S. vessels will widen substantially.

Navy leaders have at times in recent years sought to downplay the numeric differential between the rival fleets, as TWZ reported last year.

Much legislation gets introduced with great fanfare and urgency, only to fall by the wayside once the sausage-making commences. Whether the SHIPS Act suffers the same fate remains to be seen. It would seem to be inline with incoming President-elect Trumps general view of the need to revitalize American industrial production. Stabilizing the shipbuilding and vessel support base would seem to be part of that general concept, along with the goal of building a stronger Navy.

Either way, it signals that the U.S. maritime universes long-chronicled deficiencies are now attracting attempts at meaningful higher-level action.

Contact the author: geoff@twz.com
The nerves on display, the backstabbing, the usual representatives seeking the spotlight, the reporters running through the narrow halls, the last-minute commitments and the more or less happy ending Almost nothing that happened in the Capitol on Friday, a frantic day that ended with the approval of a temporary spending measure to avoid a government shutdown, was a surprise for the veteran spectators of the great theatre of Washington. And yet the negotiations between both parties to avoid the spending tap being cut off at midnight  which would have left some 875,000 federal workers without their Christmas pay  offered valuable clues about the difficulties that await Donald Trump and his government of billionaires to push through their agenda in a hurry with a Congress that Republicans control only by a narrow margin.

It also served as a dress rehearsal for the enormous political influence that Elon Musk, the richest man on the planet, is likely to have for at least the next four years, provided he retains the position of Trumps First Buddy. Using nothing more than his expensive toy, the social network X, which he bought in 2022 for $44 billion, the tech tycoon was able to knock down a bipartisan agreement that had been negotiated for months. He did so with online posts, about 150 of them, and threats like this one: Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!

Elon Musk with his son X vU A-Xii on December 5, during a visit to Capitol Hill to speak with Republican lawmakers about his plans to lead the Department of Government Efficiency. JIM LO SCALZO (EFE)

Not only did he cause a legislative nightmare before Christmas and ruin the quiet week that Democrats and Republicans had been counting on, expecting to go home on Thursday as usual; Musk also inaugurated an era in the not-so-new relationship between oligarchy and political power in a country where wealth is usually virtuous in principle. With evident haste to begin governing  the cliche would say from the shadows, if it were not for the fact that he does everything in full view of his more than 200 million followers  Musk pushed the third authority in the country, House Speaker Mike Johnson, to the edge of the abyss and managed to make even Trump dance to his tune.

The president-elect has entrusted the tycoon with the joint leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency. In what could be seen as the first item on the agenda of a job that in theory does not begin until the inauguration on January 20, Musk apparently decided that the bipartisan spending deal was another wasteful expression of what is wrong in Washington, so he forced a review and then another. And all this, while the billionaire showed his support for the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the next elections in that country, and raised questions about whether the success of his investment of more than $260 million in the campaign that brought Trump to the White House will not in fact be the first step in a plan for world domination (and right-wingization).

The watered-down spending text was ultimately supported by 366 of the 435 representatives, and received 34 votes against, all from Republicans. Late on Friday it was approved by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday. It includes, in addition to the guarantee of government funding until March 14 (the day on which a new installment of this recurring drama in Washington is expected to unfurl), the updating of a law to fight poverty and encourage agriculture and a budget of $110 billion in subsidies to farmers and aid to victims of natural disasters.

Along the way, measures to reduce the cost of medicines, money to promote medical research and limits on investments in China were left out. Also, in what was a disappointment for Trump, his express request to take advantage of the opportunity to raise or suspend the debt ceiling had to be sacrificed. In an earlier vote, the unthinkable had happened: 38 Republican representatives, apparently more fanatical about cutting public spending than he was, voted against a deal supported by the president-elect, who may have the GOP at his feet, but is facing an ideologically divided party when the issue is public spending.

Money to fulfill promises

In a desire that may seem paradoxical for someone who campaigned on a promise to slim down government, the president-elect wants to end the spending limit by any means necessary. He needs it to carry out two of his main promises: the mass deportation of illegal immigrants and tax cuts. Extending that ceiling until 2027 is a debate that falls to the new Congress, which will be formed on January 3, but, as with everything else, Trump who has been in practice holding power for weeks, with Biden half gone was in a hurry. The moment he takes office, he will do so with an expiration date; the law, unless he changes it, does not allow him to run again in 2028.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday after passing legislation that averted a U.S. government shutdown. SHAWN THEW (EFE)

The events that transpired last week also indicate once again that there is an unbridgeable discrepancy between the elastic way in which the president-elect interprets reality and reality itself. He clearly won at the polls, in the electoral vote and in the seven decisive states, but it was not the overwhelming victory that he proclaimed on election night, long before the end of the vote count. And it was not, above all, an all-out victory in the House of Representatives, where the Republicans have gone from having 222 seats to 220 (compared to 215 for the Democrats).

Trump said in an interview with Time, in the magazine issue that crowned him Person of the Year for the second time, that he believes he has received a huge mandate from the American people. Republicans control both chambers, albeit with small margins, and in a country that, as seen again in recent days, knows nothing about party discipline, he is not guaranteed smooth governability.

Trumps first big test, which is above all a test of Johnsons leadership, is just around the corner. On January 3, the House will vote to elect its speaker, and the ultra-conservative congressman from Louisiana needs all the votes he can get. Thomas Massie, a libertarian from Kentucky, has already told Johnson not to count on his support. Two years ago, it took 15 rounds of voting and a good handful of concessions to the hardline wing of Trumpism to elect his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy. After going through such humiliation, McCarthy only lasted 10 months in the post, from which he was ousted by a no-confidence vote.

On Friday night, Johnson appeared before Capitol Hill reporters after saving face, unable to contain a chuckle of relief. He was proud of having passed America First legislation and, in further evidence of how quickly the extraordinary is normalized in Trumps America, unabashedly acknowledged that less than an hour earlier he had spoken to Musk about the challenges of his job. We talked about the extraordinary challenges of this job. I said, Hey, you wanna be Speaker of the House? I dont know. He said this may be the hardest job in the world. I think it is.

Chaos and legislative paralysis have defined Johnsons time leading the House Republicans. Its hard to believe that the return of Trump, an unpredictable politician who instigated an insurrection, will change that, coupled with the disruptive element posed by Musk, who recently showed up to meet with conservative senators with his four-year-old son on his shoulders. In the spectacle society of American politics, Capitol Hill has been populated in recent years by quirky figures whose egos are fueled by social media and their presence in the endless news cycle of cable television networks. Many of them are Republicans, and many came to Washington with the mission of containing public debt, which has skyrocketed in the last decade, especially since the pandemic. Such personalities do not guarantee a smooth term, even if this time the president will be enjoying much greater support, at the polls and within his own party, than he had in 2016.

The disputes with Congress were constant during his first term in the White House. The most notorious one led to the longest government shutdown in history in 2018. It was when legislators refused to support him in his efforts to build a wall on the border with Mexico. It lasted 35 days, and ended with the declaration of a national emergency so that the president could find funds through other means. Trump is still obsessed with the wall, although the cost of that project pales in comparison to his star promise on immigration: the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, the cost of which is not yet quantified but could amount to tens of billions of dollars. To pay that bill, he will need the support of Capitol Hill and a Republican Party whose obsession with the border may only be surpassed by the fixation with containing public spending.

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Former US President Bill Clinton wished his supporters a happy and healthy holiday season after being discharged from the hospital.

The former President, 78, was admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, in the Washington area, on Monday after developing a fever, Clintons deputy chief of staff Angel Urena wrote on X, adding that he remained in good spirits.

In an update on Tuesday, Urena said that Clinton had been discharged after being treated for the flu.

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He and his family are deeply grateful for the exceptional care provided by the team at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and are touched by the kind messages and well wishes he received, he wrote. He sends his warmest wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season to all.

Clinton was at home in Washington when he was taken to the hospital, CNN reported previously.

The former president was hospitalized with a non-Covid infection that spread to the blood stream in 2021.

Clinton a has history of health scares since leaving office (PA)

He also has a history of cardiac issues, requiring a stent to open an artery in 2010 and a quadruple bypass heart surgery in 2004.

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Throughout the fall, Clinton campaigned on behalf of fellow Democrat vice-president Kamala Harris in her ultimately unsuccessful race against Donald Trump.

On the trail, Clinton hammered Trump and made the occasional joke about his own age.

Two days ago I turned 78  the oldest man in my family, Clinton told the Democratic National Convention in August. And the only personal vanity I want to assert, is that Im still younger than Donald Trump.

How does Donald Trump use his voice? Mostly to talk about himselfhis vengeance, vendettas, complaints, conspiracies, the former president added. The next time you hear him, dont count the lies, count the Is. Hes like the tenor warming up before the opera: me, me, me, me.

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Clintons name also surfaced during lighter fare this year, when actor Gwyneth Paltrow told the long-running YouTube series Hot Ones that Clinton very publicly fell asleep during a screening of her 1996 film Emma at the White House.

True  he was snoring right in front of me, Paltrow said.

On the 2024 election campaign trail, Clinton hammered Donald Trump and made the occasional joke about his own age (AP)

In November, Clinton published a memoir, Citizen, about his time in public life after leaving the presidency.

He was the 42nd president of the United States, and served two terms, holding the White House from 1993 to 2001.

Clinton, who took office at the end of the Cold War, was the first president from the Baby Boom generation, and the first Democrat to serve two terms since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hes remembered for steering the party towards centrism on issues ranging from the welfare state to criminal justice.

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His time in office was marked by both considerable achievements, including a booming economy, and personal scandals.

Clinton was the second president in US history to be impeached, after lying about the affair he had with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

He was ultimately acquitted in the Senate and remained in office.

After leaving office, both Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton pursued public service.

Hillary Clinton served as a US senator for New York then Secretary of State during the Obama administration, while Bill Clinton remained active as a key figure within the Democratic party, and worked on global affairs through the Clinton Global Initiative.
Actress Blake Lively has sued her costar Justin Baldoni, alleging he and his team pulled off a highly coordinated smear campaign in an effort to tarnish her reputation following the release of their film It Ends With Us. As a result, Lively's lawyers allege, her business ventures have taken a dramatic hit.

Hollywood actress Blake Lively is suing her It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni, as well as senior executives at Wayfarer Studios (which produced the film) for sexual harassment and an alleged smear campaign effort, months after some fans suggested Lively was a bully or difficult to work with.

The rumor mill began back in August when the film adaptation of the smash bestselling book by the same name premiered in theaters. Fans quickly realized Lively, who plays lead protagonist Lily Bloom, didnt do any press alongside Baldoni, who played opposite her as Ryle Kincaid.

Internet sleuths began sharing their theories on sites like Reddit, TikTok, and Instagramand Lively slid quickly into poor favor. Commenters hung onto all kinds of perceived missteps, such as speaking in interviews about the new moviewhich centers on domestic violencewith an uncharacteristically upbeat tone. They also found old interview clips in which Lively appeared standoffish or short-tempered.

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But as new documents unearthed by the New York Times this weekend show, the poor fan perception may not have been entirely organic. NYT reporters, drawing on communications between the talent representatives and crisis PR firms that Baldoni and his team hired during the press tour, said Lively was likely the victim of a highly coordinated online smear campaign. (Baldonis team included Melissa Nathan, a crisis management expert who has represented Drake, Travis Scott, and Johnny Depp, as well as Jennifer Abel, another PR executive.)

Baldoni and Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath, among other executives, also stand accused of harassment on set. Allegations range from Baldoni improvising intimate kissing scenes and barging into her trailer while she was in a state of undress, to discussing his own sex life and pornography, and hiring a friend of his to act as the ob/gyn in a scene in which Livelys characternearly nudewas giving birth.

Bryan Freedman, the attorney for Baldoni, Heath, and Wayfarer Studio, in a statement to the Times, called the allegations against his clients completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.

Representatives for Lively and for Baldoni did not immediately respond to Fortunes request for comment.

Sales of Blake Brown alone may have dropped by nearly 90% in the aftermath, insider says

Livelys court filings called the actions by Baldonis crisis PR firm astroturfing, meant to describe the strategic seeding of negative opinions and content about Lively on online forums.

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Beyond the personal toll the smear campaign took, Livelys business ventures took a big hither new hair care line alone may have experienced a nearly 90% drop in sales in the aftermath.

Drawing on internal sales projections, Livelys lawyers said that the sudden and unexpected negative media campaign depressed retail sales of Blake Brown products by anywhere from 56% to 78%.

Before the "social manipulation campaign started," her lawyers noted that Blake Brownwhich generated $16 million in media impact value within one weekwas "Target's largest hair care launch on record.

According to Puck, in the first three-and-a-half weeks on shelves at Target, sales of Livelys brand came close to $5 million, which they called a strong debut for any beauty brand, celebrity or not.

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Then came the drop-off. Per two internal sources who spoke to Puck, Weekly sales of Blake Brown Beauty at Target dropped more than 87% between Aug. 11, when sales peaked, and Sept. 15.

Thats even more than what Livelys lawyers projected. This dramatic drop was completely at odds with the high satisfaction scores that Blake Brown products received in the significant consumer testing performed before launch or its initial success after launch, they wrote.

Representatives for Target did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment.

Further fallout of the smear: Lively was forced to go dark on social

It's not only public perception that impacted Lively's various business ventures. The backlash also forced the 37-year-old, who is married to fellow actor Ryan Reynolds, into hiding.

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The effects on Ms. Lively's professional life were immediate and substantial, her lawyers wrote. Ms. Lively did not believe she could proceed with public appearances or events without being forced to openly discuss what happened on set.

For example, the lawyer wrote that Lively canceled a corporate event at Target for her new hair care company, and backed out of her booking to host the first episode of the 50th season of Saturday Night Live.

None of Lively's businesses could operate as they ordinarily had before, the lawyers added. Instead, the Baldoni-Wayfarer astroturfing campaign forced each of Ms. Lively's businesses to go dark on social media in August. Ms. Lively did the same, for nearly two months, and during this time was unable to market or promote any of her businesses, all of which rely on her support, causing issues with many business partners and customers.

Looking ahead, it remains to be seen how Livelys businesseswhich also include beverage lines Betty Buzz and Betty Boozewill fare from here. But luckily for Lively, online sentiment since the news of the lawsuit has already swung profoundly in her favor.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Blake Lively sued her "It Ends with Us" costar and director Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment on December 20.

Lively also alleged Baldoni made attempts to damage her reputation.

Here's everyone who's spoken out in support of Lively, including former costars and directors.

Blake Lively sued her "It Ends with Us" costar and director Justin Baldoni on December 20 for sexual harassment and an attempt to damage her reputation.

The news comes months after the movie's promotion leading up to its August release was overshadowed by rumors of a feud between the stars.

In the complaint, obtained by Business Insider, Lively said she met with Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath during production to address the "hostile work environment that had nearly derailed production of the film."

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The meeting resulted in all parties agreeing to a number of stipulations, including "no more showing nude videos or images of women, including the producer's wife," to Lively (who is addressed as "BL" in other parts of the complaint) or her employees.

It also required "no more mention of Mr. Baldoni or Mr. Heath's previous 'pornography addiction' or BL's lack of pornography consumption to BL or to other crew members."

During the movie's late summer press tour, social media users criticized Lively's lighthearted approach to the movie's marketing, which led to a wave of backlash. Reports also began to surface that Lively and Baldoni feuded during production and had made separate cuts of the movie (Lively's ultimately won).

Lively said in the complaint that Baldoni and his team engaged in "social manipulation" to destroy her reputation through a "sophisticated press and digital plan in retaliation for Ms. Lively exercising her legally protected right to speak up about their misconduct on the set, with the additional objective of intimidating her and anyone else from revealing in public what actually occurred."

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Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, said in a statement to BI that the claims made in the complaint were "categorically false" and "intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."

"It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation, which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions," the statement said.

A representative for Lively referred BI to a statement shared with The New York Times on Saturday.

"I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted," the statement said.

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She also told the outlet that neither she nor her representatives ever spread negative stories about Baldoni or Wayfarer Studios.

Since the lawsuit, Lively has received a wave of support from family and people she has worked with in Hollywood.

Here's who has spoken out in support of Lively.

Her "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" costars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel released a joint statement.

Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn attend the world premiere of 'The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 2' in 2008. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Since starring in the 2005 movie "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and its 2008 sequel, Lively, Ferrera, Tamblyn, and Bledel have remained close friends.

In a joint statement released on Instagram, Ferrera, Tamblyn, and Bledel showed support for Lively.

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"As Blake's friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation," the statement reads. "Throughout the filming of 'It Ends with Us,' we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice. Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding."

"We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment," the statement continued. "We are inspired by our sister's courage to stand up for herself and others. For anyone seeking more information or engaging in this important conversation online, please read the full legal complaint in the investigative reporting by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire, and Julie Tate for the New York Times."

So has "It Ends with Us" author Colleen Hoover.

Colleen Hoover and Blake Lively at Book Bonanza in June 2024. Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Sony Pictures

In an Instagram Stories post, the author wrote:

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"@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met."

"Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt."

And Lively's "A Simple Favor" director Paul Feig.

Paul Feig. Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

The "Bridesmaids" filmmaker directed Lively in the 2018 whodunit "A Simple Favor," and the two recently wrapped on a sequel.

"I've now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she's one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I've ever worked with," Feig wrote on X. "She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her. I think it's awful she was put through this."

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Lively's half-sister Robyn also showed her support.

Blake and Robyn Lively. Gotham/GC Images/Getty

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Robyn Lively, Blake's half-sister who also starred in "It Ends with Us," posted on Instagram to show her support.

"She is one of the kindest, most honest and loving humans I know. Blake isn't a villain. She's a mama bear to her core, a loving and supportive wife, a sister, a friend, and someone who worked her ass off on a film in abominable working conditions," she wrote.

Lively's "In Ends with Us" costar Brandon Sklenar has shown support.

Blake Lively and Brandon Sklenar. Eric Charbonneau/Getty

Sklenar, who starred as Atlas in "It Ends with Us," wrote on his Instagram Stories, "For the love of God read this," linking to The New York Times story that highlighted the lawsuit. He also included a heart emoji next to Blake Lively's handle.

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Another of Lively's "It Ends with Us" costars, Jenny Slate, says she stands by her "loyal friend."

Blake Lively and Jenny Slate. John Nacion/Getty

Slate, who plays Allysa in the movie, gave a statement to Today.com supporting her costar.

"As Blake Lively's castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation," Slate said. "Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her."

She continued: "What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side."

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Amy Schumer, who has mocked Lively in the past, has shown support.

Amy Schumer. Dia Dipasupil/Getty

The comic posted on her Instagram Stories the words "I believe Blake."

It's a surprising show of support as Schumer back in 2015 mocked Lively on her show "Inside Amy Schumer."

"Deadpool & Wolverine" director Shawn Levy posted the New York Times article in a show of support.

Blake Lively, Shawn Levy, and Gigi Hadid at the "Deadpool & Wolverine" world premiere. Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Levy, who has worked with Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds multiple times, most recently on "Deadpool & Wolverine" (and gave Lively a cameo in the movie), took to his Instagram Stories to support Lively.

"Proud to call @blakelively a friend," he wrote, and linked to the New York Times story.

Nick Viall supports Lively and said he tried to warn everyone about Baldoni.

Nick Viall. Rachel Murray/GettyImages

The Bachelor Nation alum took to TikTok to show support for Lively. He also noted that he received pushback when he tried to warn his listeners about Baldoni on an episode of his podcast "The Viall Files" back in August.

"I'm not here to gloat; I'm honestly just happy that the truth is out about this guy and, more importantly, how wrong ya'll were about Blake," he said.

Christina Ricci showed her support.

Christina Ricci. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Contributor

Ricci posted an Instagram Story in which she shared a quote about misogyny and tagged the writer Rebecca Woolf.

"Re: Blake Lively (and Amber Heard TBH) misogyny exploits the jealousy women feel for each other  specifically when it comes to beautiful women & girls. The fact that 'mean girls' are always beautiful is no coincidence. The ease in which women are manipulated into hating each other (even feminist women) is something no one wants to talk about. This is (yet another!) reminder to question our willingness to burn ANY woman. That includes beautiful, successful women who dare to have a voice."

So did Kaitlin Olson.

Kaitlin Olson. Gregg DeGuire/WireImage/Getty

Olson stars in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" alongside her real-life husband, Rob McElhenney, who co-owns the soccer team Wrexham A.F.C. with Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds. She posted an Instagram Story supporting Lively, calling her "a kind, lovely, honest and generous person (and an incredible mom) FYI."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Here's a little known fact about the City of Angels: The Blood of Christ - the sacramental wine served during some Eucharist rituals at Catholic Mass - has been made in DTLA for more than a century. It's stronger than most wine with a dash of brandy to help the fermentation and comes in flavors like Angelica, Muscat, Rose (which is the preferred wine of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels) and Port.



And producing it kept DTLA's San Antonio Winery in business throughout the Prohibition, the dynasty's CEO Steve Riboli tells Los Angeles. "My great uncle Santo Cambianica was a devout Catholic. He went to Mass every day," Riboli said of the company's founder, who immigrated to Lincoln Heights (now Chinatown) in Los Angeles in 1914 from the small town of Berzo San Formo in the northern Italian province of Lombardia. At the time, the neighborhood functioned as L.A.'s Little Italy, centered by St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, which is still billed as southern California's National Italian parish.



"When he opened the winery in 1917 he dedicated it to his patron Saint Anthony of Padua, hence San Antonio Winery," Riboli said. "His strong relationship with the church is what saved our company."

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Spoiling Yourself This Holiday Season

Cambianica was a regular at St. Peter's and formed tight bonds with its then-Italian priests. St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things, must have been on his side when, just two years after Cambianaca opened the San Antonio Winery, lawmakers in his adopted country passed the 18th Amendment, known as the Volstead Act of 1919, which prohibited any beverage with more than 0.5% alcohol by volume, including beer, wine, whiskey, and gin. Selling intoxicating beverages was a criminal offense, and Cambianica could have lost his new business as many others did.



But Cambianaca had some high-placed holy sources and soon cut a deal with the Los Angeles Archdiocese to make sacramental and ceremonial wines, which Riboli described this way: "Sort of like the Catholic version of kosher. The wine is slightly sweet with a higher alcohol content because brandy is added as a preservative."

Related: Dine LA Restaurant Week Is Just the Excuse You Need to Explore L.A. Restaurants

San Antonio Winery is named for Saint Anthony and was opened by Italian immigrant Santo Cambianica in 1917 Riboli Family Wines

The holy wine, which according to Catholic doctrine must be made from "fruit of the vine," is offered as part of a Eucharist ritual that represents the love of Jesus Christ, who offered his body and blood at the Last Supper for the salvation of his followers.



However, those sacramental wines were not just altar offerings to represent the Blood of Christ. Under the 18th Amendment, wine could be sold for religious purposes, and soon, parking lots of Catholic Churches were filled with parishioners buying jugs to last them for a week. "That's how we stayed alive," Riboli said.

Related: Danny Masterson Files Appeal In Rape Conviction Case

Legal bootleggers. Selling sacramental wine during Prohibition saved the more than 100-year-old San Antonio winery in DTLA Riboli Family Wines

Before Prohibition, San Antonio Winery catered mainly to local immigrants and a few churches. When they struck a deal with the Archdiocese, the company's family-size, or large jugs, were available for sale after Sunday services for "religious purposes." Today, San Antonio Winery is the largest supplier of sacramental wine in the country, a company that celebrates its history as the Riboli family continues to broaden its reach with the fine wine consumer.
BMW has admitted to selling more than 100 high-end cars to Russians despite international sanctions.

The German carmaker confirmed a report by Business Insider that revealed premium cars had been sold to Russian buyers, despite an embargo on car exports to the country introduced after the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

BMW blamed the sales on staff members at its branch in Hanover. The company said it had sacked all the workers responsible for the irregularities and said it had acted in compliance with sanctions and halted further deliveries.

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The issue lays bare the difficulties companies face in controlling the final destination of the goods they sell.

Western-made products have continued to appear in Russia despite exporters technically complying with sanctions as goods are moved through so-called back door trade routes.

Although direct exports from Europe to Russia have plunged since the sanctions were introduced, exports to countries that have strong trade links with Russia but are not subject to sanctions have surged. Experts say Western goods are passing through these third nations before being re-exported to Russia.

Germanys car industry has been criticised for failing to halt back door exports to Russia as President Vladimir Putin has found new trade routes through Central Asia.

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The Institute for International Finance (IIF) reported last year that Germanys car exports to Kyrgyzstan surged by 5,500pc in the first nine months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2019, for example. Exports of German car parts to Kazakhstan, Armenia and Georgia rose by 720pc, 450pc and 340pc respectively over the same period.

The IIF has also highlighted that German records of exports to some Central Asian nations do not match the corresponding import records, evidence that these states act as a phantom destination.

A BMW spokesman said: In recent months, the products of various companies have been available for purchase in Russia even though the companies themselves have acted in accordance with all the applicable sanctions.

Usually, this is the result of grey market imports. The BMW Group has a range of measures in place to prevent such imports.

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In the case that you mention, our in-house controls revealed irregularities. Further deliveries of vehicles ordered have now been halted, and the decision was taken to dismiss the main employees responsible.

BMW, along with other German carmakers including Volkswagen, Porsche and Mercedes, suspended its business in Russia and stopped direct exports to Russia after the war began in February 2022.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Passengers at Nashville International Airport (BNA) Sunday said theyve had a pretty smooth travel experience overall, with mostly on-time flights and the normal amount of wait times during what is typically one of the busiest holiday travel days of the year.

From Saturday, Dec. 21 to New Years Day, AAA predicts 2.77 million Tennesseans will travel at least 50 miles from home, including 2.58 million by car and more than 75,000 by plane. That total is over 62,000 more than last year, but its also about 62,000 shy of the record high set in 2019.

On a national level, AAA projects there will be 3 million more travelers than last year, with an estimated 119.35 million people  including 107 million by car and 7.85 million by plane  traveling 50 miles or more this year. That would narrowly surpass the previous record set in 2019 by 64,000.

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AAA expects near-record number of Tennessean holiday travelers to close out 2024

Im actually surprised because I was traveling during Thanksgiving and its way less. The line was like way out to here; now its not very much, so I feel like its a lot less than Thanksgiving, so thats good news for us! said Mary Elliott, who is taking an international trip to Turkey for Christmas.

For those flying within the U.S., the average domestic flight ticket price is slightly higher this year at $830, which is about 4% higher compared to last year.

Cindy Bruce and Jessica Beckner, who traveled to Nashville to visit family for the holidays, also said they had smooth experience flying domestically.

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Everything was really manageable, nothing crazy, Bruce told News 2.

Researchers give tips to prevent phantom traffic jams this holiday travel season

For drivers, though, gas prices in Tennessee are cheaper compared to this time last year. During the last two weeks of 2023, Tennessee gas prices averaged $2.78 per gallon, but as of Sunday, Dec. 22, drivers in the Volunteer State are paying an average of $2.71 per gallon for regular gas, based on AAAs gas prices website.

To learn more about AAAs holiday travel data, the best and worst times to travel by car, and travel safety tips, follow this link.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
The Tibetan Alliance of Chicago confirmed to Pioneer Press that a body found in a wooded area in late November by the Evanston and Skokie Police Departments was that of Tsering Dolma Wangyal.

Wangyal was reported missing by the Skokie Police Department in July. The 82-year-old Skokie resident and Tibetan immigrant was last seen at the Levy Senior Center in Evanston on July 15. Evanston Police said a citizen found the body in an area of vegetation near the 2300 block of Oakton Street on Nov. 30.

Representatives from both the Skokie and Evanston police departments do not believe foul play played a part in Wangyals death. An autopsy has yet to be conducted by the Cook County Medical Examiners Office, according to Skokie Police Chief Jesse Barnes.

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Tseten Dorjee, the president of the Tibetan Alliance of Chicago, confirmed to Pioneer Press that the human remains found by the police were positively identified as Wangyal. Dorjee said the Tibetan Alliance of Chicago was notified of the confirmation directly from the Wangyals family.

She was a deeply loved and respected member of the Tibetan community in the region, and her disappearance had left a significant void, Dorjee said.

We are heartbroken by the news, but we take comfort in knowing that Dolma was surrounded by love from the community she cherished, he said.

Wangyals family members did not respond to request for comment.

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The Skokie Police Department led the search for Wangyal when she was reported missing, and the department did search the areas of the Levy Senior Center and James Park. Barnes said the department used canines in its search.

Barnes said it was possible that the citizen found the body because of the wintertime decrease in foliage and vegetation. The Skokie Police Department, along with assistance from the Evanston Police Department, conducted previous searches during the summer and fall months, when there were more leaves, branches and plants in the area where Wangyal was found.

In September, the Tibetan Alliance of Chicago and the Wangyal family held a prayer vigil in honor of Wangyal, who was considered a missing person at that time. The purpose was to refuel efforts for her search, Wangyals daughter said.

A week prior to the September prayer vigil, Skokie Police found the body of 45-year-old Chicago resident Roland Gross in the North Shore Channel, near the 8600 block of McCormick Boulevard. Wangyals daughter said the vigil was done to also encourage the community to continue its search for her mother.

The Tibetan Alliance of Chicago held a dinner and a prayer vigil in honor of Wangyal at its cultural center in Evanston.
A slew of damning texts was included in the House Ethics probe into Matt Gaetz that was made public Monday.

Gaetz, who stands accused of paying women and a 17-year-old high schooler for sex, allegedly messaged about his sordid encounters and went as far as criticizing one woman for giving him only a brief drive-by meeting before ditching him because she was tired.

House investigators also reviewed texts where Gaetz allegedly asked women to bring drugslike marijuana cartridges and rollswith them to their meetings, where hed allegedly reimburse them in addition to paying for sexual favors.

Joel Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector, is serving 11 years in a Florida prison. / Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS/Sipa USA / Alamy

Other texts, between a woman and Gaetzs convicted-sex-trafficker-associate Joel Greenberg, peeled back the curtain on how the two men allegedly found and met with women they paid for sex. In one text thread, which includes a photo of a smiling Gaetz, Greenberg allegedly texted a woman about a $400 meet up that would include himself, Gaetz, the woman he was texting and her friend. He apparently met the woman on SeekingArrangement.com.

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$400 is not a problem, Greenberg wrote. Are you both old enough to drink?

A few messages later, the photo of Gaetz, now 42, was sharedperhaps to get approval that he was attractive enough.

Texts between Joel Greenberg and a woman whom Matt Gaetz is accused of paying for sex. / House Ethics Committee

Oooh my friend thinks hes really cute! the anonymous woman, who was then 20 years old, responded.

Greenberg allegedly wrote back: Well, hes down here only for the day, we work hard and play hard Have you ever tried molly.

The woman involved in those texts later met up with Gaetz, the report alleges. Investigators said Gaetz became a repeat customer, paying her $2,000 over several years. He was still following her on social media at the time of the reports publication.

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In another text exchange viewed by lawmakers, they allege that Gaetz invited a woman on a private plane with him to Key West on May 19, 2017. He said shed be joining an adventurous group of two guys and four girls.

Gaetz and the woman took a photo that same day in Orlando, showing Gaetz in a casual shirt with his arm around her in a dimly lit bar. She was also said to have been photographed in front of a helicopter that day with Gaetz, who had paid her $600 to be there.

Other alleged texts showed that Gaetzs alleged sexual encounters werent limited to Floridathough the report specifies that the majority of his meet-ups occurred with students in the Orlando area. Hes also accused of paying two women to fly to New York to meet him and allegedly asked them to bring party favors with them. The committee said those women were later paid for having sex with him, too.

Gaetz wasnt always so willing to pay, however, according to the report. Texts between women who met with Gaetz and his then-girlfriend suggested that on at least one occasion, he allegedly hoped to receive sexual favors for free. In other texts, a woman complained, Matt never paid me.

More texts from the Gaetz report Appendix B, part 1 pic.twitter.com/ZdJneKFeK4  Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) December 23, 2024

The guys [Gaetz and Greenberg] wanted me to share that they are a little limited in their cash flow this weekend, a text from Gaetzs then-girlfriend read, according to the report. Matt was like, if it can be more of a customer appreciation week

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Later texts included in the report suggested the women agreed to Gaetzs request for a free meet-up.

Btw Matt also mentioned he is going to be a bit generous cause of the customer appreciation thing last time, a text from months later read, according to the report.

Another text showed that Gaetz once cut a check for $1,500 to pay for a students online class.

After the woman explained why she needed the cash, Gaetz allegedly asked, How much is it? and When is it due? before answering succinctly, On it.

You are the best human to walk the earth, the woman responded.

A text exchange between Matt Gaetz and a young woman whose tuition he paid for



"You are the best human to walk the earth. Don't forget it." pic.twitter.com/9uTV4j2Av1  Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) December 23, 2024

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The House Ethics Committee said it found substantial evidence of statutory rape, prostitution, and illicit drug use by Gaetz between 2017 and 2020.

The report was released in full for the first time on Monday afternoon, despite fervent pushback from Gaetz and other Republicans to have it tabled since he was no longer in office.

Gaetz has previously denied many of the allegations levied by the committee, including a claim that he paid to have sex with a minor. The Department of Justice previously investigated that allegation and dismissed the case after a years-long investigation.

House investigators came to a different verdict in their probe, however.

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The record overwhelmingly suggests that Representative Gaetz had sex with multiple women at a 2017 house party in Florida, the report stated, for which they were paid. That was Gaetzs first year in Congress.

Matt Gaetz hit the campaign trail with Donald Trump on a number of occasions in 2024 and spoke at the RNC. / Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Among those hes accused of paying for sex was a 17-year-old girl who had apparently just finished her junior year of high school. She testified that she was handed $400 in cash by Gaetz after he slept with her.

The teenager testified to investigators that she did not tell Gaetz she was a minor and that he never asked for her age.

Gaetz denied having sex with a minor in a written response to the committee and also denied using any illicit drugsdespite investigators finding substantial evidence to the contrary, including bogus email accounts that were set up from his Capitol Hill office for the purpose of purchasing marijuana.

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For a short while, the House Ethics report looked unlikely be released at all, after Gaetz bowed out of Congress last month to be Donald Trumps attorney general appointeea title he held only briefly after GOP Senators signaled they would not vote to confirm him.

With Gaetz no longer an elected official, he argued the Ethics Committee had lost its jurisdiction and that the report should remain under wraps.

Matt Gaetz won re-election in November, but said he doesnt plan to return to the House of Representatives. / Mike Blake / REUTERS

Details about the reports findings began leaking out, however, and pressure was put on the bipartisan committee to make it public. Despite the protestations of some GOP representatives, the committee voted in secret earlier this month in favor of making Gaetzs dirty laundry public.

Gaetz got out in front of the report with a statement last week.

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My thirties were an era of working very hardand playing hard too, he said. Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.

While the report contains damning allegations, many of them had already been made against Gaetz. The report first leaked to CBS News on Monday morning and was made public hours later. You can read the report in full here.

Gaetz did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast, but he took to X to air out his gripes with the reports contents, and with the fact that it was released at all. He was particularly adamant that the report did not include full testimony from his alleged victims, which he claims would have proven he did not pay some women for sex.
The extraordinary power struggle between Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Teachers Union and Mayor Brandon Johnson continued after school board members attended ongoing teachers contract negotiations for the first time in 12 years.

The unusual move to have members of the Board of Education at the bargaining table Monday came days after Johnsons handpicked board voted to terminate CPS Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez at a special meeting on Friday. A lawyer representing Martinez responded by sending a cease and desist email to board members, saying their presence at negotiations usurped Martinezs role as the the current CEO.

Mayor Brandon Johnson faced ethics concerns over ties to Chicago Public Schools and teachers union, according to memo

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We are writing to demand that the Board Member Defendants immediately cease and desist with any such actions, which unlawfully infringe on and interfere with Mr. Martinezs authority, as CEO, to act as the sole representative of the Board in these negotiations, Martinezs lawyer, William Quinlan of the Quinlan Law Firm LLC, wrote.

The decision to bring the board into negotiations was made public on social media by Jackson Potter, CTUs vice president.

Today, for the first time since 2012 when Board president David Vitale joined bargaining to close the deal, we have Board of Education members present helping both sides land an agreement, Potter wrote on X Monday afternoon.

Fridays meeting marked the end of a contentious chapter in CPS history but opened the door to more uncertainty. Because the school board fired Marinez without cause, the CEO will remain in his role for six months, during which time the Chief Executive Officers duties and responsibilities shall be modified by the Board, according to the resolution that passed 6-0.

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That has led to much confusion as to how Johnson and his board members would interact with the outgoing CEO and how he would respond. Members of the Chicago Teachers Union have been pushing for a resolution by Christmas for a new, four-year contract, ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. Some financial analysts say the new board could saddle taxpayers with a fiscally irresponsible contract to reward the union  which funded Johnsons mayoral campaign.

I think theres this reputation right now that the mayor is driving the district to overspend, and if thats the case, there will be less appetite from other politicians to bail (the district) out, Marguerite Roza, a school finance expert and the director of Georgetown Universitys Edunomics Lab, said in a recent interview with the Tribune. These are self-inflicted wounds.

Monday afternoon, school board President Sean Harden and board members Frank Thomas and Olga Bautista left the CTU headquarters near the United Center, where negotiations were ongoing, and declined comment on how Martinezs duties would be modified.

Not at this point, Thomas said, before getting into his car.

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Harden called Mondays meeting incredibly important work. He said the board members who were present wanted to make sure as leaders that the team at the table negotiating understands the importance of this time.

We want to be here to show our support, make sure things move forward, Harden said. Theres no pause in activities. Were stabilized. Taking care of business as it should be.

In September, Martinez refused to take out a $300 million high-interest loan  asked for by the mayor  that the CEO said would saddle the district with debt. The teachers contract expired in June, and the loan would in part cover a new contract with proposals for higher raises and staffing levels. The bargaining team has ramped up negotiations in recent weeks, and is currently meeting six times a week.

Board members Harden, Thomas and Bautista were appointed by the mayor after the previous board resigned en masse under pressure to oust Martinez for not taking out the loan. The mayor is a former teacher and CTU organizer.

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Under the Illinois School Code, the superintendent of a school district shall negotiate contracts with all labor organizations which are exclusive representatives of educational employees employed under the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act.

The CPS CEO negotiates collective bargaining agreements on behalf of the board and submits tentative agreements to the board for adoption and approval, according to district protocol.

Though the board and the CEO have a collaborative relationship, it is uncommon for board members to be involved in negotiations.

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Martinez  like other district superintendents  typically doesnt attend negotiations because he relies on his team of employees with specialties to do so. He did not attend bargaining conversations on Monday. The district did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

The last time a school board president stepped into negotiations, as noted by Potter on X, was David Vitale in 2012. Then-school board President Vitale, an executive in banking and then in trading, maintained a presence in teachers contract negotiations as they were coming to a close during a seven-day strike.
Convicted killer Ramon Rodriguez-Delgado was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Monday in connection with the 2018 murder of 77-year-old Marcelino Perez.

Judge Jackie Cowin handed down Rodriguez-Delgados sentencing in Suffolk Superior Court, District Attorney Kevin Hayden said.

A Suffolk County jury on Friday found Rodriguez-Delgado, of Dorchester, guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of Perez, a Dorchester father and grandfather.

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Perezs family members were in the courtroom on Monday and delivered a victim impact statement.

While no sentence can ever bring him back, this court has honored his life by delivering justice in his name, Perezs granddaughter said. We will remember him for the love he gave, the stories he told, and the kindness he showed to all.

Hayden thanked the jurors for delivering justice in the murder case.

The love and sadness expressed by Marcelino Perezs granddaughter today take on an added poignancy given the holiday season, a time when she and the rest of Mr. Perezs family would like nothing more than to be with the person they clearly adored and admired, Hayden said. I thank the jurors for their verdict and all those who worked to hold this defendant accountable for his heartless action.

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Rodriguez-Delgado lived in a building across the courtyard from Perezs Shandon Road apartment building when he was killed, Hayden said.

At the time of the killing, Rodriguez-Delgado had previously seen a man arrive at Perez apartment in order to deliver prize money from a private lottery in which Perez was involved.

Prosecutors said that on July 26, 2018, Rodriguez-Delgado saw Perez and the man with the money enter 99 Shandon Road together just before 2 p.m.

Video surveillance captured the man who dropped off the money leaving the apartment just after 2 p.m. that day. Then, Rodriguez-Delgado entered and exited 99 Shandon Road three times, each time wearing different clothing, prosecuors said.

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Perez was later found in his apartment with multiple stab wounds, prosecutors said.

Rodriguez-Delgado was later arrested about a month later on Aug. 27, 2018 in connection with the fatal stabbing.

>>PREVIOUS: BPD seeking help in identifying person of interest in fatal stabbing

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Bottega Exchange, in the southwest Las Vegas valley, is continuing to operate in honor of its owner, who passed away from breast cancer

For those who have never heard of Bottega Exchange, its a prominent co-workspace in the southwest valley. Owner, Kelli Despain passed away from breast cancer in early December and now the business is doing all it can to continue on.

Its her legacy so we want to continue that, Heather Maxey, with Bottega Exchange, said. We expanded last year in the thick of Kellis chemo and we opened up another 17 offices so we have 38 offices in total right now and we have no plans in slowing down.

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Bottega Exchange is home to a diverse range of businesses, including a chiropractor, a cleaning company, a jewelry store, and a property management team.

Despains vision was to build a place to help small businesses and promote entrepreneurship. (Bottega Exchange)

Catherine Francisco, with the AAPI Chamber of Commerce, said this was a perfect location for her team to get work done as they just moved in 7 months ago.

We wanted to stay in the southwest part of town. 30% of the AAPI community resides in the southwest valley so when we saw Bottega Exchange, we thought it would be the perfect fit, Francisco shared.

Despains vision was to build a place that would help small businesses and promote entrepreneurship. Her husband, Jared Despain said its not just an office space, but a place to build community. He plans to continue his wifes work the best way he can.

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I feel like I have to carry it through. Through the pandemic, she worked her other job to make sure this stayed afloat. Its important to the people who are here and our family, Jared Despain shared.

Recently Despains family and local businesses rallied together for a celebration of life ceremony in her honor. Kelli was 45 years old.

Just this past year, before Despains passing, Bottega Exchange nearly doubled in size moving into the space next door. The property now spans about 12-thousand square feet.

Open workspaces are still available for those interested.

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CHICAGO  A 16-year-old boy was shot in the head and killed on the citys South Side.

Police said the teen sustained a gunshot wound to the head by an unknown offender around 7:15 p.m. Sunday on the 2300 block of East 93rd Street.

The 16-year-old was transported unresponsive in critical condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

On-duty Chicago Fire Department employees overpower man attempting to rob them on citys South Side, police say

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No one is in custody. Area Two Detectives are investigating.

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A 7-year-old Ohio boy was hospitalized following a shooting that sent a bullet through his apartment wall.

Police told local outlets WOIO, News 5 Cleveland and WKYC that at around 2:45 a.m. local time on Saturday, Dec. 21, officers responded to a call about a shooting in an apartment building located on the 400 block of Wildwood Avenue in West Akron.

The child was injured in the shooting, sustaining a gunshot wound. In a 911 call obtained by WOIO, the boy's mother can be heard asking first responders to arrive as soon as possible and reassuring her son as he cried in the background.

Police vehicle lights (stock image)

Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and transported the boy to a nearby hospital. News 5 reported that he is in "serious but stable condition," and WOIO said that the boy underwent a successful surgery before being transferred to intensive care.

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Officials said that while the shooting is still under investigation, police believe that an upstairs neighbor in the apartment building fired shots, the outlets reported.

According to WOIO, at least one bullet passed through the floor and hit the boy. Police said investigators searched the unit directly above the boy and his mother. While no one was home at the time of the investigation, police found a bullet hole in the floor.

"While the exact circumstances are unknown, preliminary information suggests that an unknown subject fired gunshots inside an upstairs apartment, and at least one of the bullets penetrated the floor and struck the victim, who was inside the residence below," the Akron police department said, per WKYC.

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The Akron Police Department did not immediately reply to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Akron detectives are asking anyone who has information that could help to identify and locate "anyone with knowledge of or responsible" for the shooting to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2TIP.

Read the original article on People
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The boyfriend of a woman who was killed Sunday was booked into the North Las Vegas detention center early Monday morning, according to the North Las Vegas Police Department.

The woman, Renise Wolfe, 33, who the Clark County Coroners office later identified, was found shortly after 10:15 a.m. inside an apartment in the 100 block of E. Rome Boulevard near North 5th Boulevard.

Tattoo artist honored after deadly shooting in North Las Vegas

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Police said the woman had critical injuries and died shortly after medics arrived at the scene.

Detectives identified the womans boyfriend, 29-year-old Markeem Benson, as a suspect and arrested him. According to records, Benson is facing a murder charge with the use of a deadly weapon and a charge for being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm.

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SAO PAULO (AP)  A bridge linking two northern states in Brazil collapsed, killing at least two people and leaving a dozen others missing, police said Monday. A sulphuric acid spill is complicating the rescue operation.

Footage obtained by local residents showed cars and trucks were crossing the Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira bridge when large sections crumbled into a river on Sunday.

Police operating on the border of the northern states of Maranhao and Tocantins said that eight vehicles were missing: four trucks, two cars and two motorcycles. Police and Brazil's road department said they started investigations on the case.

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The 533-meter-long (1,748-foot-long) bridge between the cities of Estreito and Aguiarnopolis was built in the 1960s and located 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) north of the capital, Brasilia.

Magnum Coelho, a colonel at the local firefighters' office, told journalists that sending divers for rescue operations is dangerous because the Tocantins River could be contaminated by sulfuric acid from one of the missing trucks that fell from the bridge.

The bridge collapse was among several tragedies in Brazil over the weekend. On Saturday, a crash involving a passenger bus and a truck killed dozens of people on a highway in Minas Gerais, a state in southeastern Brazil. On Sunday night, authorities confirmed the number of deaths had risen to 41.

Local authorities said Sunday that the truck driver is on the loose and could face criminal responsibility because of allegedly overweight cargo that may have caused the crash.

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The Minas Gerais state's fire department said that several people were taken to hospitals near the city of Teofilo Otoni. The bus had reportedly departed from Sao Paulo and was carrying 45 passengers.

Also on Sunday, at least 10 people died after a small plane crashed in Gramado, a southern town popular with tourists. More than a dozen people were injured on the ground, Brazils Civil Defense Agency said.

The plane was piloted by Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, a Brazilian businessman who was traveling with his family to Sao Paulo State. Brazils Civil Defense Agency said that the plane hit the chimney of a home and then the second floor of a building before crashing into a cellphone store.
BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL)  The City of Bristol, Virginia has been awarded a grant to fund a study that will consider connecting downtown to the Mendota Trail.

According to a news release from Congressman Morgan Griffith, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) awarded the city a $70,000 grant.

Restaurants open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day in the Tri-Cities

The grant will help pay for a study exploring a connector trail linking the 12.5-mile trail to the downtown area, the release states.

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This ARC grant for $70,000 helps the City of Bristol acquire a consultant group to assess the feasibility of a connector trail between State Street and the Bristol trailhead, thereby potentially boosting local tourism and supporting small businesses in the area, Griffith said in a statement.

The Mendota Trail runs from Bristol to Mendota in Washington County, Virginia. According to Griffith, more than 38,000 people visited the trail in 2023.

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By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -A construction executive accused of making illegal contributions to indicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams' campaign plans to plead guilty, court records showed on Monday, as the Democrat braces for an April trial during his re-election campaign.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said in a court filing that businessman Erden Arkan has indicated he wishes to admit to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in funneling "straw" donations, or contributions made in the name of someone other than the true donor, to Adams' successful 2021 mayoral campaign.

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The guilty plea could bolster prosecutors' case, which is scheduled to go to trial starting April 21.

Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Adams, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, declined to comment.

Jonathan Rosen, a lawyer for Arkan, declined to comment.

Adams in September pleaded not guilty to charges he accepted more than $90,000 in discounted luxury hotel stays and flight upgrades from Turkish officials in exchange for pressuring city fire officials in 2021 to let Turkey open its new consulate in Manhattan despite safety concerns.

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Adams was also accused of seeking and accepting illegal contributions from foreign nationals to his campaign.

Prosecutors had previously described Arkan as a prominent member of New York City's Turkish community who made straw donations to Adams at the request of a Turkish official.

President-elect Donald Trump last week said he would consider pardoning Adams after he takes office on Jan. 20. Trump, a Republican, suggested Adams was targeted for criticizing President Joe Biden's handling of migration, one of Trump's signature campaign issues.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Chris Reese and Aurora Ellis)
BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL)  The Bristol, Virginia Police Department (BVPD) is asking the public for help in locating a missing woman who was last seen in early November.

Della Marie Johnson; Photo: BVPD

A release from the BVPD said Della Marie Johnson, 66, was last seen by her family in Bristol on Nov. 7.

Erwin PD: Man dead after officer-involved shooting

Police said Johnson doesnt drive, but she may have left the area with a friend in an unknown vehicle type.

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The release said Johnson has several medical conditions that require daily medication. She is reportedly 55, 150 lbs. and has brown eyes and black hair.

Anyone with information about Johnsons whereabouts is asked to call the BVPD at 276-645-7400. Callers can remain anonymous, the department said.

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CONCORD, Calif. (KRON)  A California restaurant is preparing to close at the end of the year due to the financial burden of a lawsuit it says stems from its Ladies Night deal.

Lima Restaurant, located in the Todos Santos Plaza in Concord, California, took to social media to inform patrons of the closure.

We are deeply grateful to our loyal customers who have supported us throughout the years, the Peruvian restaurant, located about 20 miles outside of Oakland, said in the open letter. Your patronage has meant the world to us, and we are proud of the community we built together.

(Photo by MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)

The eatery cites not being able to fully recover from the recent discrimination lawsuit related to our ladies night discount. Lima Restaurant also mentioned increasing costs for operations being a cause for the closure.

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With several restaurants in the area having closed during the pandemic, Lima was one of the few remaining independent restaurants on the square.

Chef and owner John Marquez told Nexstars KRON that the lawsuit has cost his restaurant tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, effectively eating through Limas winter reserves in cash.

Biden didnt remove these 3 inmates from death row

The discrimination lawsuit stemmed from the establishment having a Ladies Night, where drinks and wine were half-priced for women for three hours every week, according to the restaurant.

The promotion had been going on for years, and Marquez said his family believes they were targeted by people who arent local and want to take advantage of Californias laws meant to promote equity. The states Department of Consumer Affairs even warns businesses against using gender-based promotions as they can be considered discriminatory.

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Additional details about the lawsuit were not immediately available.

Lima is a popular restaurant in the area with lots of regular customers who say it will be missed.

Promoting one gender does not discriminate against one gender, regular John Dias told KRON.

Hello, Im a lady. If I want to go out with the girls, it doesnt seem like a rude thing to do, added Mel Ludehese who was having a last drink at Lima with Dias.

FDA says decongestant in many cold medicines doesnt work  so what does?

Since COVID, this whole square has been kind of shut down, Dias added. Concord is strip malls and this is the only one that is not.

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The Peruvian eaterys last day of business is Dec. 31.

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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  A Campbell man who was found guilty earlier this month in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court of the rape of a child was sentenced Monday to 15 years to life in prison.

Read next: Contractor on probation jailed on domestic violence charge

Samuel Aponte Rodriguez, 26, received the sentence from Judge John Durkin on one count of rape, a first-degree felony; and a single count of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony.

Aponte was found guilty Dec. 12 by a jury following a two-day trial before Judge Durkin.

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Jurors also found Rodriguez not guilty of a second charge of rape.

He is accused of having inappropriate conduct with a child twice in November and December 2022.

Assistant Prosecutor Kevin Day asked for a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. He said the victim was very brave to testify in open court.

Defense attorney Michael Kivlighan asked the judge for a lighter sentence, saying his client has no prior criminal record and had a rough childhood.

Judge Durkin said he could not impose a different sentence because state law requires a life sentence for a victim who is under 13.

Rodriguez is appealing convictions so he did not address the court.

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Extreme weather events in British Columbia have made farming in the region challenging. Some crops were reduced by nearly 90% this year after a brutal cold snap in January devastated peach and wine grape crops. The volatile weather is forcing farmers to scramble to make ends meet.

What's happening?

Temperatures tumbled to nearly minus-50 degrees Fahrenheit in British Columbia last winter. The sudden cold snap devastated tender fruit crops. Buds that should have produced this summer's peach crops were decimated.

One farmer in Kelowna, British Columbia, where temperatures plummeted to minus-18 degrees, lost 60% of the income she makes from farming after just four days of harshly cold weather. The bitter cold impacted her peach, apricot, nectarine, and plum crops.

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Farmers have endured successive years of extreme weather events that threaten their way of life. Frigid temperatures last year wreaked havoc on crops that weren't fully dormant, cutting grape and wine production by more than half.

"As farmers, we understand it's not always going to be a great year," said Sukhdeep Brar, the vice president of the B.C. Fruit Growers Association, per the Vancouver Sun. "What we're seeing now is consecutive years of loss. So for three years, we've been dipping into savings, waiting for next year. It's at the point where we need next year to be a good year."

Why is the loss of staple crops in British Columbia important?

This year's cold snap cost over $180 million in damages. The damage that farmers deal with in extreme weather has a ripple effect that finds its way to their customers as food prices are driven higher and finding certain staple products becomes more difficult.

Extreme weather has been impacting farmers worldwide. Pennsylvania potato farmers recently had to deal with lost crops after a combination of extreme weather events. A drought followed by a freeze hit pecan producers in Texas hard this year, too.

What's being done to help farmers?

In a bid to enhance agricultural sustainability, British Columbia announced a $70 million Enhanced Replant Program in March designed to help tree fruit, berry, and wine grape growers transition to climate-resilient varieties of in-demand crops.

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"There are few things better than locally grown fruit and locally crafted B.C. wine," said Premier David Eby, per a news release summarizing the program. "We're taking action to support farmers who have been hit hard by a changing climate with a new task force and replant program, which will help about 1,000 more growers revitalize their farms and protect their businesses. The security of our food and our economy depend on the strength and resilience of our farmers."

What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home?

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind

Advances in technology are also helping. An innovative way to protect staple crops from heat waves was recently developed by a group of Chinese and U.S. researchers. Scientists have also made a game-changing discovery this year that could help in producing "a food of the future" that could withstand some of the adversities of an overheating planet.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
DENVER (KDVR)  A sedan caught fire in an Aurora garage after an electrical malfunction, Aurora Fire Rescue said.

At around 8:45 p.m. on Sunday, Aurora Fire was called to a garage fire near the intersection of South Flanders Street and East Dartmouth Avenue. The home is in the Seven Hills neighborhood, west of the Plains Conservation Center.

When Aurora Fire Rescue arrived at the home, crews worked to bring the fire under control. The crews were able to contain the fire to the vehicles engine compartment and the home was not damaged.

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U-Haul trailer stolen with $35K worth of Thornton familys items inside

The fire department said one adult and four children were inside the home and evacuated safely. No injuries were reported.

According to fire officers, the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction in the engine of a 2007 Toyota Camry. Officers believe the malfunction was likely due to recent repair attempts made by the owner.

Despite the vehicle not having been driven for approximately 48 hours, it is likely that crossed wires caused the battery to overheat and catch fire, said Aurora Fire Rescue in a press release.

Aurora Fire said older vehicles pose a higher risk of electrical or mechanical malfunction since parts wear out over time and maintenance can be overlooked.

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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A car caught fire in West El Paso on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 22 along a busy stretch of roadway.

The fire happened just before 3 p.m. at Mesa and Resler, El Paso Fire dispatch said.

The fire was quickly put out and there were no injuries, they said.

A car caught fire on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 22 at Mesa and Resler. Photo by Adam Carranco/KTSM

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Think of it as the gold standard of 1950s-era Ferraris. This stunning 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Tour de France (TdF), with its curvaceous aluminum body by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, was the only example of the model that left the factory painted in this shimmering shade of Oro Chiaro gold.

The unique Prancing Horse has a rich racing history and a provenance that includes participation in such high-profile events as the California Mille, Colorado Grand, and Italys Mille Miglia retrospective. In addition, it has maintained a level of maintenance to concours standards. All of these factors combine to make it one of the headliners at the upcoming RM Sothebys auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., on January 24.

More from Robb Report

The 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Tour de France being offered through RM Sothebys on January 24.

This is among the very finest and best-preserved examples of this highly coveted model, says Michael Squire, research specialist with RM Sothebys. Its a car thats been driven to glory and further cherished by some of the marques most significant collectors.

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Known among Ferrari tifosi by its chassis No. 0933 GT, this sleek, two-door hardtop coupe is one of just 77 TdFs built between 1958 and 1959, and is among only 28 examples that came with the desirable covered-headlight configuration. It is also one of 36 featuring a single vent in the B-pillar. As with all TdFs, the car came powered by a throaty 3.0-liter V-12 with triple Weber carburetors, said to produce 260 hp.

Chassis No. 0933 GT was built for two-time Italian National Road Racing Champion, Casimiro Miro Toselli. In October of 1958, just weeks after taking delivery, Toselli drove the car to victory in Italys challenging Aosta-Pila hill-climb contest. A month after his hill-climb victory, Toselli reportedly shipped the car to Venezuela where he competed in the grueling 500-mile Venezuela Grand Prix, run mainly across dirt roads. He finished fourth.

Champion racers Casimiro Toselli and Mauricio Marcotulli both competed behind the wheel of this car in period.

The car stayed in South America, being sold to gentleman-racer Mauricio Marcotulli, of Caracas, who entered the vehicle in at least six top-tier road races, including the 1,000-mile Premio Ciudad de Cabimas. In early 1961, the car was passed on to Lino Fayen, a Venezuela-based French racer who proceeded to ship it back to his native France. Sadly, the Ferraris promising racing career came to a screeching halt when French gendarmes seized the car at the Paris Orly airport parking lotsomething about a dispute between Monsieur Fayen and the French tax authorities. With Fayen having high-tailed it back to Venezuela, the TdF was locked-away in storage for more than five years, eventually being sold at a government auction in October of 1966.

The seizure probably saved 0933 GT from the possibility of another several seasons of competition, preserving its originality and, no doubt, its bodywork, says Squire. It is remarkable that in its 66-year life, the car has not had a single, significant shunt or battle scar.

The car is equipped with a 3.0-liter V-12, said to produce 260 hp.

After the 1966 auction, the car was acquired by renowned Ferrari collector Pierre Bardinon, who had it repainted in classic Ferrari rosso red, to match most of the cars in his private Mas du Clos Ferrari museum in Aubusson, France. In 1975, Bardinon passed the car on to fellow collector, Comte Frederic Chandon de Briailles, of Moet et Chandon fame, but bought it back two years later, keeping it for another six years.

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Over the following decade, a variety of other French collectors owned the car, before it was acquired in 1998 by American David Webb, who had it returned to its original Oro Chiaro paintwork. He marked the occasion by entering the car in that years high-profile Tour Auto road rally through France. In 2004, Webb had the car reupholstered in factory tan-saddle leather, while holding on to the original Rosso Bordeaux seats and trim.

Fast forward to Gooding & Companys Pebble Beach auction in 2006, where it was sold for $1.54 million to well-known California collector, and former owner of the Guitar Center chain of music stores, Ray Scherr.

Chassis No. 0933 GT racing in the 1000 Kilometers of Buenos Aires in 1960.

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After taking delivery, Scherr sent the car to Motion Products, a Wisconsin-based Ferrari specialist, for a full nut-and-bolt restoration. When the work on his car was completed, Scherr and chassis No. 0933 GT became regulars at long-distance road rallies such as the California Mille and Colorado Grand, as well as his local Cars and Coffee events.

My favorite thing to do is to take a spirited drive through the canyons, which are fantastic in Malibu. The car is very fast and has been pleasantly reliable, Scherr told Forza magazine back in 2018.

The only thing that might prevent the Ferrari from reaching an even higher price at auction is that a major engine rebuild back in 2004, by Britains Terry Hoyle Engineering, revealed the cars V-12 engine block didnt come with either an engine number or internal number.

This will be the first time in 18 years that this Prancing Horse has been available for purchase.

According to an in-depth Marcini Report on the car, the original block was likely replaced with an unstamped, factory-supplied unita common occurrence for Ferrari competition carsduring its early racing days. Non-original block, or not, this is still one of the finest Ferrari 250 GT LWB TdFs in existence, and worthy of taking the figurative gold in any concours delegance event around the world. RM Sothebys is estimating its value somewhere between $3.5 million and $4.5 million.

Click here for more photos of this 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Tour de France.

This 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Tour de France will cross the auction block through RM Sothebys on January 24.

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Maasai tribespeople are being uprooted to make way for lucrative carbon credit and conservation schemes, activists say.

Tanzanias government has begun evicting some of the more than 110,000 Maasai from the Ngorongoro conservation area, saying their growing numbers are a threat to the famed savannas and watering holes.

But the tribes people and their supporters say the relocation is the latest example of a government elbowing out locals as they try to secure international money from conservation, tourism and climate initiatives.

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The government is doing everything possible to suffocate local communities in order to earn more money from tourism and trophy-hunting, Moloimet Olemoko, a Maasai herder from Ngorongoro, told the Wall Street Journal.

They are not bothered about the livelihoods of the Maasai.

The tribes people and their supporters say the relocation is the latest example of a government elbowing out locals - Xinhua / Alamy Stock Photo

Human rights groups have warned that international conservation schemes that attract tourism money, or reward governments for preserving biodiversity or reducing climate change, are being pushed through at the expense of indigenous inhabitants.

Ngorongoros wildlife and wilderness are the heart of Tanzanias tourism industry, which attracts high-paying safaris and hunters. The area is also home to Maasai who were forced to leave the Serengeti in the 1950s after it was made into a national park.

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Tanzanias government says it is now issuing relocation orders to protect wildlife and habitat from overgrazing and overpopulation.

Developing countries such as Tanzania are also increasingly attracted to carbon credit schemes. These allow a polluter to offset the production of carbon dioxide or other climate-heating gases by paying a forest owner to capture those emissions through the carbon absorption power of their trees.

South of Ngorongoro, a local company called Carbon Tanzania is selling carbon credits linked to about 273,000 acres of land that the Maasai and other pastoralist communities have also used for grazing and limited cultivation. The project restricts the cutting down of trees as well as cultivation.

Carbon Tanzania insists it respects indigenous peoples rights and revenue from its projects has improved local education, health and infrastructure.

The project restricts the cutting down of trees as well as cultivation - Xinhua / Alamy Stock Photo

Nearby, local authorities in February signed a $120,000 (95,000) deal with a Tanzanian company, Kilombero North Safaris, to run a carbon-credit project in three forests where Maasai communities have grazed their herds, the Journal reported.

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A petition from the Greenpeace campaign group alleges the Maasai are being evicted and their ancestral lands sold off for trophy hunting and carbon credits trading under the guise of conservation.

In November, lawyers accused neighbouring Kenya of evicting Ogiek hunter-gatherers from their ancestral lands to profit from carbon offsetting schemes.

Two years ago, farmers living in the Republic of the Congo said they had been blocked from accessing their land so that the French oil giant Total Energies and the Congolese government could use it for a carbon offsetting project. Total at the time said it would assess the impact of the scheme.

There have also been accusations of similar evictions in Thailand and Cambodia.

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Rob Williams, chair of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Programme at the University of Arizona, told the Journal: These so-called conservation plans are mainly driven by foreign interests, with little regard to the rights of the people.

Earlier this year, tens of thousands of Maasai blocked the Ngorongoro.

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Georgia's providers are hoping a recent pay increase for workers who assist people with disabilities will help address the industry's workforce shortage. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

This story was updated at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.

Workers who assist Georgians with disabilities are starting to see a long-awaited pay-bump, giving providers hope that they can finally compete again with the fast-food and retail jobs that have been eroding their workforce and hamstringing their capacity to function.

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The pay increase is the result of a wage study two years ago that led to a recommended $6-per-hour increase for workers called direct support professionals. Previously, they were on average making $10.63 an hour at a time when fast-food chains and big box retailers were offering higher pay.

That lagging wage has contributed to a workforce crisis that providers say intensified after the pandemic, causing providers to close facilities and scale back services. That workforce shortage continues today, often leaving people with disabilities and their loved ones scrambling to find caregivers.

Thats why increasing the wage for these workers has been a priority issue for advocates who are often at the state Capitol pushing for more funding for Medicaid services meant to keep people with disabilities out of an institutional setting, often referred to as a waiver service.

DArcy Robb, executive director of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, which advocates on behalf of people with disabilities, called the pay increase critically important.

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Its really critical in just stopping the financial bleeding, Robb said.

But getting the funds to service providers is slow-going. This year, the governor and state lawmakers set aside the funding for the $107 million pay increase, and the federal government approved the rate increase on July 1, kicking off a monthslong implementation process that is still ongoing.

Providers were able to start using the higher rate in mid-October.

Implementing the rate increases is a complex process that requires significant time and effort to ensure accuracy and efficiency, said Camille Taylor, communications director for the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. The Department was able to complete these changes and implement the new process in just 3.5 months  in the past these updates have taken more than a year to implement.

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The state also owes providers funding for the wage bump going back to July when the changes became effective. That funding will continue to arrive in phases.

The staggered schedule was designed in coordination with the states providers to cause them the least amount of disruption, Taylor said.

A faster payout would have required a three-week pause in billing, which providers told the state would create significant financial challenges for them, Taylor said. The process is set to wrap up in February.

We couldnt even compete with fast food

Ryan Whitmire, who is the president of the states provider association, said he hopes the increase will help turn around the industrys workforce woes.

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What the governor and the General Assembly did last session was historic in the sense that they truly made an investment to get things back in balance that had been out of balance for over a decade, Whitmire said.

And that leap forward was really just to get it back in balance, to have direct support staff be able to compete with the fast-food industry. Thats not where we want to end, but we were so far out of balance that we couldnt even compete with fast food, he said.

Whitmire said each provider is handling the pay increase differently, including the timing. But his organization, Developmental Disabilities Ministries, was able to start paying the higher rate last month and plans to give workers a special Christmas bonus and an end of year blessings bonus.

The bonuses are possible because the organization has received almost half of the back pay owed to them.

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We really appreciate our employees that have really hung on and stayed at a job that they could have gone anywhere else and been paid more money, but theyre doing it because they love the people that they serve, Whitmire said.

Theyre not just doing it for a paycheck, but its going to greatly help, I believe, recruit new staff, as well as to pay people not what theyre worth because I think they actually deserve to be paid more than the average of $16.70. But it is a giant leap forward from where we were, he said.

Whitmire said he thinks the next six months or so will show whether the new wages are close to where it needs to be. Last year, advocates had pushed for the rate to be closer to about $19 per hour.

If the increase falls short, providers will not have to wait as long for the state to at least take another look. Under a measure passed in 2022, the state is now required to review the reimbursement rates for home- and community-based services every four years.

Some lingering concern

Under the new plan, facility-based group providers who offer what is often known as day services are not eligible for the higher pay rate.

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Robb, with the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, praised these changes. She said the recent changes incentivize best practices over some frankly outdated practices.

What the new rates do is they actually incentivize providers to have people out in the community, she said. Thats what you want for anybody, is to be out and in the community and not spending their lives in a facility, not spending decades in adult daycare.

But Robb said she is hearing grumblings about the changes, and she said she is worried providers will try to pressure state officials to retreat from the changes.

Yes, we need more money for disability services in this state, but we also want to make sure that money is spent on quality services, Robb said.

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Whitmire, the president of Service Providers Association for Developmental Disabilities, acknowledged that some providers have concerns. He said Wednesday the association is working with DBHDD officials to try to work out a solution.

He said during an earlier interview that providers are working to advocate for choice.

SPADDs position is that we truly believe that people have the right to choose services based on the model they want, and individual choices of the people served and their families are important, Whitmire said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the staffing ratio for facility-based groups was recently reduced.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 23, 2024 - 18:47 | All, Japan

Kyushu Railway Co. said Monday it will terminate its ferry service between Fukuoka in southwestern Japan and South Korea's Busan as it was unable to resolve a water seepage issue affecting its Queen Beetle vessel that its subsidiary was found to have concealed.

JR Kyushu will withdraw from on-water transport completely and liquidate the wholly-owned JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Inc., as it deemed it "cannot ensure operational safety" and due to questions over "the sustainability of future business activities," the parent company said in a statement.

Before services were suspended in August over the water leak issue, the unit operated daily return services to the South Korean city on the Queen Beetle high-speed ferry.

An inspection by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in August found that JR Kyushu Jet Ferry falsified the Queen Beetle's logbook to hide that it operated the vessel from February to May despite knowing about the problem.

While JR Kyushu had repeatedly indicated its intention to resume operating the ferry after reinforcing the aluminum alloy bow, the location of the leak, the fix was found to be technically unfeasible.

The decision came amid intensified competition with low-cost airlines offering services between Kyushu and South Korea.

The JR Kyushu group launched the route in 1991 and established the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry subsidiary in 2005. The Queen Beetle, designed and built by an Australian firm, began full service in November 2022 following the lifting of coronavirus border control measures.

Related coverage:

JR East to launch scan-free ticket gates for app users within 10 yrs

JR East to increase fares by 7%, 1st rise since 1987 privatization

China resumes visa-free scheme for short-term Japan visitors
(NewsNation)  Its not just harmless gifts making their way through the ports of entry during the holiday season.

There are little surprises the cartel is taking advantage of in this busy time of year, disguising drugs in packages surrounded by holiday gifts arriving at busy ports.

In Brownsville, Texas, Customs and Border Patrol officers found 245 pounds of cocaine hidden inside a utility trailer driven by a 50-year-old man from Mexico who was attempting to bring it into the United States illegally.

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Mexican, US police deploy more officers at border for holiday travel

Former Homeland Security investigation Special Agent Victor Avila told NewsNation the cartel is also testing any way possible to get their product and their people across illegally ahead of the next Trump administration.

Theyre transitioning right now, and theyre getting ready to make sure that their product, their human beings, their illicit activities, also make it through, Avila said.

Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens said Monday that since October, the agency had seized over 14,000 pounds of cocaine totaling more than $356 million in worth.

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DENVER (KDVR)  After over a year of investigating, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said a comprehensive review of a former forensic scientist has been completed.

In doing so, the agency found that about 1,003 cases were impacted in her nearly 30-year career. The agency previously announced that 652 cases between 2008 and 2023 were identified as being affected by the scientists data manipulation.

Watchdog groups: CBI failed to use federally mandated oversight in forensic testing

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On Nov. 6, 2023, CBI announced that Yvonne Missy Woods, a forensic scientist within the agency for about 29 years, was no longer working there and was subject to internal affairs and criminal investigations because of DNA anomalies in her work.

Over the years, Woods was connected to some high-profile cases, including the Kobe Bryant sex assault case that was eventually dropped, the Susannah Chase murder case and the Alex Ewing hammer killings case. Both cases hinged on DNA evidence presented at trial.

On Dec. 17, CBI provided a brief update on the investigation of Woods work, saying the comprehensive review of all cases in her career was complete. In the review, investigators found 1,003 cases impacted by Woods.

New information, if discovered, will be thoroughly vetted, the agency wrote in the release.

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Man takes murder plea in first Colorado case impacted by embattled DNA analyst

In November, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and the Kory Wise Innocence Project called on CBI to be more transparent about its response to Woods misconduct. The two groups sent a letter to CBI discussing the watchdog organizations investigation into how CBI allowed Woods conduct to go unchecked for almost a decade.

The press release discussing the letters contents said that the investigating groups found that CBI has apparently been out of compliance with requirements of its federal funding, requirements designed to prevent exactly this kind of pervasive and unchecked misconduct.

Some cases have been directly impacted already: In June, a man pleaded guilty in Boulder to lesser charges related to the killing of three people in 2017. The case was widely publicized as the first prosecution in the state believed to be impacted by Woods work.

Internal affairs report shows questions about work in 2014

In June, an internal affairs report on the former state-employed forensic scientist showed no evidence that the analyst crafted fake DNA profiles or matches, but that coworkers had called her work into question several times.

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The report also showed that Woods deviated from standard testing protocols and cut corners in several of her cases, raising concerns about how reliable the DNA testing was that was used to prosecute individuals.

Previous coverage: Report: Ex-CBI scientist cut corners but did not falsify DNA matches

Following the discovery of Woods actions in manipulating DNA analysis data in 2023, CBI is meticulously reviewing all of its testing protocols, CBI Director Chris Schaefer said in a release. Not only is Woods caseload being reviewed, but we are auditing the results of all current and previous DNA scientists to ensure the integrity of the Lab.

According to the report, Woods admitted to deleting some historical data on a DNA instrument but said she was told to do so during quarterly maintenance. However, the manufacturer did not recommend the deletion, according to the internal report.

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Additionally, coworkers had called Woods work into question as long ago as 2014. That year, a coworker allegedly questioned how Woods tested evidence in a case and reported those concerns to a technical leader. In reviewing the incident, one individual said she found a deleted value in one dataset. She told the investigators she felt at the time this was on purpose, but allowed it was possible to accidentally highlight a value and delete it without knowing.

Man dead after jumping on moving vehicle in Aurora

Woods faced similar scrutiny in 2018. She was removed from casework during the investigation but ultimately was reinstated to her original position.

The report detailed numerous examples of how Woods appeared to cut corners in her work, failing to take steps that would allow for more accurate results, but more work for her.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT)  CBS 42 wants to help you and your family stay healthy. Each week, our resident Dr. Celeste Reese-Willis joins us to talk about a timely health issue.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.
CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ)  The Centre County Sheriffs Office announced the arrival of their new humane society officer, Deputy Rusnak.

Photo: Centre County Sheriffs Office

Rusnak was added to the team ahead of the holidays and has successfully completed training at the Pennsylvania Academy for Animal Care and Control, the Sheriffs office said.

We are thrilled to announce the addition of [Rusnak] to our team, the office said in a post.

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Rusnak will be responsible for several things such as investigating animal cruelty cases, enforcing animal protection laws and promoting the humane treatment of all animals.

While Rusnak is here for the animals, the sheriffs office wanted to remind residents that certain matters will still fall under the jurisdiction of animal control or the PA State Dog Warden such as strays, rabies vaccinations, dog licensing, dog bites and dangerous dogs, puppy mills and any pet/animal thefts.

Stay up to date with the latest news in the palm of your hand. Click here to download the WTAJ app for Apple and Android devices.

Together, were committed to making Centre County a safer and more compassionate place for both our residents and our furry friends. Thank you for your continued support as we embark on this important mission, the sheriffs office added.

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In the spring of 2020, amid skirmishes over mask mandates and church closures, a much larger battle was brewing over whats taught in public schools.

By sending students home, COVID-19 made parents newly aware of their childrens assignments  and newly distrustful of what educators were up to.

Parents became more skeptical about whether the public school system actually had their childrens best interests as a priority, said Melissa Moschella, a philosophy professor at the University of Notre Dame.

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Their skepticism deepened after the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020 sparked debates over how to teach kids about slavery and racism.

Suddenly, school boards across the country were weighing concepts like critical race theory, and state lawmakers were facing calls to expand school choice programs.

Nearly five years after the pandemic began, tension remains high between parents and teachers, and its still growing, in part because conflict over issues like gender identity and diversity is ramping up.

Against this backdrop, theres been a surge in interest in a pair of century-old Supreme Court cases on education  and new pressure on the current justices to clarify the reach of parental rights.

The Supreme Court and parental rights

The Supreme Court first recognized parental rights in a case about a German-speaking tutor.

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In Meyer v. Nebraska in 1923, the justices considered a Nebraska law requiring school lessons to be conducted in English.

They ruled the policy was unconstitutional, in part because it interfered with parents ability to direct the education of their children.

They said that, in our scheme of government, parents have primary child-rearing authority, not the state, Moschella said.

The court drove that point home two years later in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, a case about whether Oregon could force all children of a certain age to attend public school.

The justices once again said that state lawmakers were interfering with parental rights. In this case, it was because they were barring families from choosing religious education.

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Typically, Meyer and Pierce are read together. Together, they establish the right of parents to direct the education and upbringing of their children, Moschella said.

Both cases locate that right in the 14th Amendments due process clause, arguing that parental rights, though not explicitly listed in the Constitution, are guaranteed by the clauses general promise of liberty for all.

These cases remain the key cases cited whenever a parental rights claim is raised before the court, Moschella said.

Lingering confusion in courts

As Moschella noted, Meyer and Pierce play a big role in todays legal battles over public education, despite the fact that theyre around 100 years old.

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The rulings clearly establish that parents should have a say in what happens in classrooms. The problem, at least according to some legal scholars, is that they dont articulate a way for judges to balance parents interests against the interests of schools.

Because of the confusion, lower courts have tended to downplay or weaken parental rights claims, Moschella argued, adding that, in one case, a circuit court justified its ruling against parents by saying that they were free to transfer to a private school.

Moschella is among those who want the Supreme Court to revisit Pierce and Meyer to clarify how to determine whether a policy respects parental rights.

Their hope is that the justices would require the use of whats called strict scrutiny, a legal standard under which the government must prove that a policy is narrowly tailored to serve a compelling state interest, and that an effort has been made to reduce the policys interference with fundamental rights.

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But a new Supreme Court case on parental rights would come with some risks.

For one thing, some of the current justices have recently criticized their predecessors use of the 14th Amendment and called for a reconsideration of whats guaranteed by the due process clause.

For another, a new ruling on parental rights would likely lead to a flood of new cases, potentially creating more confusion, rather than reducing the confusion that already exists.

Future of parental rights

Perhaps because of that second possible outcome, the Supreme Court recently turned down an opportunity to consider the scope of parental rights. Six of the nine justices voted not to hear Parents Protecting Our Children v. Eau Claire Area School District, leaving it one vote shy of being taken up.

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Although the case was focused on whether the parents involved had legal standing, it raised questions about whether educators violate parental rights by keeping a students gender identity private.

Justice Samuel Alito wrote a dissent about his colleagues decision not to hear it, arguing that courts are using the issue of standing to avoid contentious debates.

In January, the justices will have another chance to take up the issue. Thats when theyre expected to decide whether or not to hear Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case brought by religious parents who want to be able to opt their kids out of reading books about gender transitioning and some other LGBTQ issues.

The case involves a free exercise claim, not a claim about parental rights. But Eric Baxter, who is representing the parents, said it wouldnt be surprising for the 14th Amendment to come up if the court hears the case.

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The court has leeway to look across both areas of law to reach a decision, said Baxter, a vice president and senior counsel for Becket.

Assuming the Supreme Court does revisit parental rights sometime soon, legal experts generally predict that the justices will confirm and even build on whats laid out in Meyer and Pierce.

But they dont think such a ruling will necessarily turn down the temperature of ongoing debates.

Frederick Gedicks, who retired in 2024 after more than 30 years as a law professor at BYU, described recent education battles as both legal and cultural. You cant fully resolve them as long as some families feel teachers have turned their backs on important values, including faith.

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If you were a Protestant in New Jersey where I grew up in the 1950s and early 1960s, you could send your kids off to school and not worry at all about what would happen there because everything that happened there would be consistent with Protestantism, he said. In recent years, theres been a removal of that kind of implicit cultural privilege, which feels to some like an attack.

You also cant fully resolve the tension between parents and schools without building a shared understanding about what schools are meant to teach, Moschella said.

So long as disagreement over who should control conversations about issues like race, sexuality and gender, theres going to be conflict over parental rights.
Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty to murder charges that could land him in prison for the rest of his life in New York state court on Monday morning, where his lawyers say any potential jury would be prejudiced by the cinematic perp walk to which he arrived in New York City.

Mangione, clad in a maroon sweater, white shirt, khaki pants, and orange shoes with his hands and feet in shackles, announced his intent to enter a not guilty plea to Judge Gregory Carro of Manhattan Supreme Court at his arraignment on state murder charges, which accuse him of committing an act of terrorism.

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Luigi Mangione Luigi Mangione

Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said she is concerned about her client's ability to get a fair trial, after a throng of heavily-armed NYPD and FBI agents escorted the accused killer from a helicopter in a highly choreographed sequence en route to his first arraignment last week.

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I am concerned about my clients right to a fair trial. He is being prejudiced by these statements, and no safeguards are in place," Friedman Agnifilo told Judge Carro on Monday. "Hes a young man being treated like a human ping-pong ball.

The attorney, who called staged perp walks "unconstitutional," took particular aim at Mayor Eric Adams, who attended the perp walk even as he himself faces a federal indictment on bribery and fraud charges.

Curtis Means-Pool/Getty

"It was the biggest perp walk Ive ever seen. What was the New York City mayor even doing there? These staged perp walks are unconstitutional," said Friedman Agnifilo. "The mayor should know about due process, given his own problems. I think he was there to try to take away from those issues. He wanted to show symbolism. But my client is not a symbol."

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has accused Mangione of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a "brazen, targeted" shooting outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4. He faces first and second-degree murder charges, as well as weapons and forgery charges.

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Related: Luigi Mangione Returns to New York to Face Federal Murder Charges that Could Carry Death Penalty

The accused killer also faces federal murder charges that could land him the death penalty. He further faces weapons and forgery charges in Pennsylvania, where he was caught after a five-day manhunt.

He's pled not guilty to the Pennsylvania charges, but hasn't entered a plea to the federal raps.

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty

Mangione is being detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the same federal lockup housing Sean "Diddy" Combs. The two even share a lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, the husband of Karen.

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Besides attorneys and reporters, Mangione was also joined in the courtroom by about two dozen members of the public, mostly young women. He is due back in court on Feb. 21.



Read the original article on People
Luigi Mangione on Monday pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as his attorney protested his treatment, saying in court that her client is being used as "political fodder" by police and the mayor of New York City.

The 26-year-old Mangione entered the Manhattan courtroom in shackles and under heavy guard. He was dressed in civilian clothes, wearing a maroon sweater over a light-colored shirt, and a pair of chinos.

Mangione spoke into a microphone, saying "Not guilty" to the 11 charges in the indictment, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism. Judge Gregory Carro presided over the arraignment.

PHOTO: Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Supreme Court in New York City, Dec. 23, 2024, to face murder charges for shooting UHC CEO Brian Thompson to death. (Curtis Means/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The high-profile defendant appeared to not have family in the courtroom. But about two dozen women, who waited in line in the frigid cold for public seats in the courtroom gallery, said they were there to support Mangione. Most of the women wore face masks and a few appeared visibly emotional as Mangione entered the courtroom.

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"This is a grave injustice, and that's why people are here," one of the women, who said she arrived at the courthouse at 5 a.m., told ABC News.

During the arraignment, prosecutor Joel Sideman said the Manhattan district attorneys office has "primary jurisdiction" over the case and will try it before the federal prosecution against Mangione. The accused killer will likely be returned to federal custody, Sideman said.

During the brief court hearing, Mangione sat stone-faced next to his attorney Karen Friedman Angifilo, who was wearing a sweater and a white collared shirt that almost identically matched what her client was wearing.

PHOTO: Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Supreme Court with attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo to face murder charges for shooting UHC CEO Brian Thompson to death, in New York City, Dec. 23, 2024. (Curtis Means/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Agnifilo immediately raised concerns in court that Mangione's rights were being violated, alleging the case was being politicized.

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"I am very concerned about my client's right to a fair trial in this case. He is being prejudiced by some statements made by public officials," Agnifilo said, calling out New York City Mayor Eric Adams specifically.

Putting her right hand on Mangione's shoulder, Agnifilo prompted a smile from the defendant, saying, "He is a young man, and he is being treated like a human ping pong ball."

PHOTO: Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth Group chief executive Brian Thompson departs after an arraignment hearing, at New York Supreme Court in New York City, Dec. 23, 2024. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Angifilo also slammed last week's extradition of Mangione back to Manhattan to face charges, calling the massive display of force used in the transfer "the biggest staged perp walk I have seen in my career."

She accused the police and Adams of using Mangione as "political fodder."

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MORE: Defense fund established by supporters of suspected CEO killer Luigi Mangione tops $100K

"What was the New York City mayor doing at this press conference -- that is utterly political," she said, before referencing the mayor's own criminal case. "The New York City mayor should know more than anyone the presumption of innocence."

PHOTO: Protestors hold signs outside of Manhattan Criminal Court on December 23, 2024, in New York City. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)

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Following the arraignment, Mangione sat at the defense table conferring with his attorney and a prison consultant hired to be part of his legal team. He signed several forms before officers put him back in handcuffs and led him out of the courtroom.

"We are going to fight these charges, whether it's state or federal," Agnifilo said.

PHOTO: Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth Group chief executive Brian Thompson arrives for an arraignment hearing, at New York Supreme Court in New York City, Dec. 23, 2024. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Judge Carro set Mangione's next court date for Feb. 21.

Outside the lower Manhattan courthouse, dozens of people claiming to be Mangione supporters, chanted, "Free, free Luigi" and "the people united will never go for profit." Mangione supporters also held signs, reading, "Health over wealth," "In Luigi we trust." One protester held a sign reading, "United States healthcare stole my livelihood, prosecute malicious profiteers."

PHOTO: Luigi Mangione sits between his defense attorneys Karen Friedman Agnifilo and her husband Marc Agnifilo during his federal court hearing in New York City, Dec. 19, 2024, in this courtroom sketch. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters)

A Manhattan grand jury upgraded charges against Mangione last week to include first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism.

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He is also charged in New York with two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism; two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree; and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.

He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of the state charges.

PHOTO: People hold placards on the day Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson, consented to be extradited from Pennsylvania, outside a U.S. district court in New York, Dec. 19, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters)

There is a federal case against Mangione as well. One of the charges, murder through use of a firearm, would make Mangione eligible for the death penalty if he's convicted.

Both cases are in addition to the charges brought against Mangione in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested and where he faces charges including forgery and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

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MORE: UnitedHealthcare CEO killing latest: Luigi Mangione faces federal charges including stalking, murder

Mangione was transported to New York on Dec. 19 after waiving his right to an extradition hearing that morning in court in Blair County, Pennsylvania.

PHOTO: Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson, arrives at a helicopter pad after being extradited from Pennsylvania, in New York City, Dec. 19, 2024. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

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Agnifilo said the theories of the two cases appear to be in conflict, noting the state case accused Mangione of terrorizing a group of people while the federal case accused him of stalking an individual.

Danielle Filson, a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, said this week that "the state case will proceed in parallel with any federal case."

Mangiones next scheduled court date for his federal case is Jan. 18.

Luigi Mangione's attorney blasts police, mayor for using the accused CEO killer as 'political fodder' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Christi Cooley, left, and Donnis Hueftle-Bullock work in the office of the Custer County Chief in Broken Bow, Nebraska. (Courtesy of Teri Finneman)

BROKEN BOW, Nebraska  When University of Kansas journalism professor Teri Finneman gives a talk about the survival of rural newspapers, she brings along three items: a bottle of soda pop, a Twix candy bar and a copy of a newspaper.

The soda and the candy bar cost more than twice as much as the newspaper, she explains, and take seconds to produce, unlike the newspaper, which required dozens of hours of work by reporters, editors and press operators.

Teri Finneman, a University of Kansas journalism professor. (Courtesy of Teri Finneman)

In Broken Bow, for instance, subscribers to the Custer County Chief were paying 87 cents a week for local news. Finneman said that in North Dakota, her home state, the cost of one weekly paper had risen by one cent a year since 1930, to now 94 cents an edition.

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When you say it out loud, its insane, the professor said. Tell me any other product on the market that costs that.

Finneman, along with colleagues at universities in Colorado and Missouri, are on a crusade to save rural, weekly newspapers in a period when the United States has seen 3,300 papers close in the past 20 years. News deserts  areas without newspapers  are expanding, raising the risk of an uniformed electorate and one that is more polarized by social media and talking heads.

That crusade brought the professor to this central Nebraska ranching community last summer in an effort to revive the financial fortunes of the Chief, which has chronicled life in this corner of Nebraska since 1892.

Unfortunately, she said, the Chief, like many rural newspapers, was still operating under a financial model that began in the 1800s. Thats when readers could buy a daily paper for a penny  the penny press, it was called  and advertisements for shops, jobs and services provided generous revenue to finance staff and production costs. That revenue has mostly fled to the internet now.

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Andrew Jackson was president back then, Finneman points out, and a whole lot has changed in the newspaper industry  an industry that she said needs to abandon its 1800s business model.

The bread industry has evolved more than the newspaper business in 200 years, she said.

Price, subscriptions are up

The formula followed by Finneman to revive rural newspapers has worked elsewhere in recent years, and it is showing promise in Broken Bow. Six months after the local experiment was launched, subscriptions are up by 70 at the Chief, despite a more than 40% increase in the cost of a yearly subscription.

Donnis Hueftle-Bullock, the general manager of the Custer County Chief, said she is encouraged by the communitys response to changes adopted at the newspaper.

A University of Kansas professor has worked on a project to improve prospects for the weekly newspaper in Broken Bow, Nebraska. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)

We want to make sure that this paper survives. We believe in this paper. We believe in the communities we write about, she said.

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We want to make sure this paper is viable for the next 20 to 30 years, Hueftle-Bullock said.

The Reviving Rural News formula seems simple: Make a stronger connection between the newspaper and its community, adjust coverage of meetings and add regular, emailed newsletters to provide more breaking news. Overall, better explain why readers need to pay more of the cost of producing a news product.

The general public as a whole doesnt understand what we do and why we do it, Finneman said.

In Broken Bow, as with similar revival projects at papers in Eudora, Kansas, and Harvey County, North Dakota, it starts with reaching out to the community, through focus groups and surveys, asking residents what they want in the newspaper and what might be lacking.

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Finneman said her team has discovered that few readers know the reporters and editors at their local newspaper, a connection that is key for subscribers when opting to pay more for a local paper.

Readers, she said, wanted more timely news updates and photos via e-newsletters, calendars of events to keep up with local happenings, social engagement with reporters at events and at members-only press club meetings, fewer opinion pieces and more features about local people and their activities.

The bread industry has evolved more than the newspaper business in 200 years.

 Teri Finneman, Kansas journalism professor

Finneman said her teams research surprisingly found that younger people were more willing to donate to a newspaper if they knew it was struggling financially. That, she said, flies in the face of the approach of many newspapers, which is to cater to their oldest, most long-running subscribers, discounting the younger audience as more interested in social media and cell phones.

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A lot of millennials, she said, feel disconnected from the newspaper and need to be reached via social media and more digital products.

At rural revival projects in Kansas and North Dakota, regular press club gatherings of subscribers brought new ideas and new revenue from sponsorships, Finneman said. Newspaper-organized events were also successful, such as a holiday cookie contest at various businesses in Kansas and a pasta fest in North Dakota that encouraged local chefs to produce inventive dishes.

Its making the newspaper the center of the community again, like it used to be in the old days, she said.

The Custer County Chief, with a circulation of 1,300, has a full-time staff of two and two part-timers, along with several sports moms who contribute photographs of sporting events from the nine high school programs in the Chiefs circulation area.

More coupons, local features

Hueftle-Bullock said that with such a small staff to organize a press club or special events, the Chief has postponed work on those efforts. But it has launched a very popular e-newsletter that promotes stories coming in the print edition, she said. The opinion page was moved farther back into the paper and replaced on Page 2 with more local stories.

The Custer County Chief in Broken Bow, Nebraska, has increased its prices and its circulation in the last six months. (Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)

A local focus group and a survey found that subscribers wanted more coupons from local businesses, more features about local hobbies and people, and some changes in the newspapers layout.

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The experiment in Broken Bow was launched with a front-page story in June written by Finneman entitled, You likely paid 87 cents for this newspaper. Its not enough. Updates on the experiment followed over the next six months.

The paper eventually settled on raising the yearly subscription price to $65  not as high as Finneman said is justified, and less than the $3 a week cost per paper to produce the Chief, but what the newspaper surmised readers would pay.

The result has been a slight rise in subscribers, according to Hueftle-Bullock, and a feeling of optimism.

Finneman said that raising the subscription price is essential for the survival of rural newspapers. Publishers, she said, have to get over the idea that readers will resist. At the Kansas newspaper, the price was more than doubled, yet 90% of readers were retained, she said, which substantially increased revenue.

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The grocery store doesnt melt down when they raise the price of bananas. They just raise the prices, Finneman said. Thats just what you do to stay in business.

Her teams goal now is to expand the reviving rural newspapers model across the upper Midwest, where she has focused much of her work. In Kansas, she said she hopes at least a third of the community newspapers will try the model in the next few years.

Finneman said her team will also focus future efforts on finding ways to improve salaries of community journalists and persuading more young reporters to locate in rural areas.

People really do value the local newspaper, she said. (But) education is critical.

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Correction: This article has been revised to reflect the updated annual subscription price of the newspaper. A previous version misstated the cost.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
By Yuki Yamaguchi, KYODO NEWS - Dec 23, 2024 - 23:05 | All, Japan

TOKYO - Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. said Monday they have agreed to begin talks on merging under a holding company in 2026, which would create the world's third-largest automaker group to compete with U.S. and Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers.

Honda and Nissan, Japan's second- and third-largest carmakers by volume, respectively, aim to conclude negotiations in June 2025, while Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Nissan's partner, will decide by the end of next month whether to join the merger, the automakers said.

Each company would continue operating under its own brand within the holding company, which would be listed in August 2026. Honda would appoint the president and a majority of the board members at the new company, they said.

"The industrial landscape has been changing as new players such as Chinese companies are emerging," Honda President Toshihiro Mibe said at a press conference.

The auto industry sees development costs soaring at a time when vehicles are expected to become more connected, autonomous, shared and electric, known as CASE.

"It has become extremely difficult for one company to bear the burden alone for investment for electrification" and software development, Mibe said.

Honda and Nissan aim to share hefty development costs and reduce production expenses by using common components. They are also considering ways to strengthen their product lineups, such as Honda supplying hybrid vehicles to Nissan and streamlining production operations to cut costs further.

EVs are one of the most critical segments for growth with stricter exhaust regulations requiring more zero-emission vehicles. Honda, Nissan and other Japanese automakers have lagged behind competitors such as Tesla Inc. of the United States and China's BYD Co.

The merger would mark a pivotal moment not only for Honda and Nissan but also for the Japanese auto industry amid a rapidly changing business environment.

Honda has pursued an independent growth path without any major alliances since entering the Japanese auto market as its newest player in the 1960s, while Nissan restructured its decades-old partnership with French automaker Renault SA last year.

The new entity would form one of Japan's two largest auto groups, alongside Toyota Motor Corp.'s group.

Combined sales of Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors topped 8 million vehicles in 2023, compared with 11.23 million vehicles at Toyota and 9.24 million at Volkswagen AG.

The new partnership is critical for struggling Nissan. The automaker will push ahead with its restructuring measures before the two automakers conclude their merger talks, the companies said.

In November, Nissan said it will cut 9,000 jobs worldwide and reduce its global production capacity by 20 percent as it reported a more than 90 percent drop in net profit in the April-September period.

"We hope to grow together rather than one leaning against another," Nissan President Makoto Uchida said at the press conference.

Mibe dismissed the notion that the new alliance is intended to bail out Nissan.

"We will consider how our participation can evolve and maximize synergy among the three companies," Mitsubishi Motors President Takao Kato said.

The Honda-Nissan alliance would be the latest in a series of tie-ups among major automakers seeking to increase competitiveness in the EV business.

Among global automakers, General Motors Co. said in September it would consider a partnership with Hyundai Motor Co. on EVs. Volkswagen said in June it will launch a joint venture with U.S. EV maker Rivian Automotive Inc.

Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, speaking at a separate press conference marking the fifth anniversary of his escape to Lebanon from Japan, said the merger plan "cannot work" due to limited potential for synergy between their operations.

"They are strong in the same fields. They are weak in the same fields," he said. "There is duplication everywhere. So industrially, for me, it doesn't make sense."

The decision to explore the merger comes as Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., is in talks with Renault, Nissan's largest shareholder, to acquire some of the French carmaker's shares in the Japanese automaker. Renault plans to sell part of its holdings as part of a new partnership with Nissan.

Some analysts suggest that Nissan chose to merge with Honda to prevent Foxconn from becoming involved in its management. However, the Nissan top executive denied this at the press conference.

Uchida said Nissan will continue to cooperate with Renault on a project-by-project basis.

In a separate announcement, Honda said it will buy back up to 1.1 trillion yen ($7 billion) worth of its own stock, equivalent to about 24 percent of its outstanding shares.

Related coverage:

Honda, Nissan to consider building vehicles at each other's plants

FOCUS: Honda-Nissan merger could zero in on EV development

Foxconn in talks to buy Renault's stake in Nissan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed criminal charges against the director of a chemical company responsible for a 2022 oil spill in the Flint River.

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According to Nessel, 60-year-old Rajinder Singh Minhas, from Rochester, has been arrested and arraigned. He was the president, treasurer and director of Lockhart Chemical Company.

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He faces more than two dozen criminal charges, including three felonies related to altering and publishing false public records. He also faces 11 misdemeanor charges for violating hazardous waste statutes and nine misdemeanors for violating the states Liquid Industrial Waste law.

Those who run a business have a responsibility to ensure their operations do not jeopardize public health or the environment, especially precious water resources, Nessel said in a statement. Blatant neglect and disregard of this responsibility cannot be tolerated, and I will continue to make sure those who fail in this duty are met with the full force of the law.

MPART to investigate PFAS contamination at Kalamazoos fire training center

Water is a defining feature in Michigan, integral to public health and a clean environment. We should have little tolerance for those who violate the laws designed to protect them, EGLE Director Phil Roos stated.

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Lockhart Chemical Co. was a chemical processing facility in Flint that manufactured rust-preventative additives. According to Nessel, approximately 15,000 gallons of an oil-chemical mixture was released from the companys facility into the Flint River on June 15, 2022. A chemical fingerprinting analysis confirmed the mixture came from the Lockhart facility.

Since the date of the spill, Lockhart has filed for bankruptcy. According to Nessel, Michigan state officials and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are involved in the bankruptcy proceedings to ensure that the facility is managed appropriately to avoid further releases.

Grand Rapids receives EGLE permit for Grand River restoration project

Minhas is next due to appear in court on Jan. 2, 2025.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
This article was originally published in Chalkbeat.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnsons hand-picked school board voted Friday to fire Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, taking a step their predecessors had resisted and capping a months-long campaign by the mayor and teachers union to oust the schools chief.

The board voted unanimously to fire Martinez without cause, which under the terms of his contract means he will stay on the job for six more months  through the end of the current school year  and then receive severance pay of about $130,000.

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Its not right, an angry and emotional Martinez told reporters after the vote.

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Obviously Im disappointed by the boards decision tonight, he said, adding that he would ensure a smooth transition for the next CEO. Leading the system that shaped me has been an opportunity of a lifetime.

The firing was a dramatic culmination to months of turmoil that pitted the mayor and the teachers union  a close ally that catapulted him into office  against Martinez. The unprecedented development comes weeks before Chicagos new, 21-person hybrid school board with appointed and elected members begins work. It also comes as the district enters a decisive phase in its high-stakes negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union over a new contract.

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Martinez made a last-minute legal bid Friday to save his job before the vote. His attorneys filed motions seeking to block his potential firing, alleging board members were appointed to do the bidding of a mayor and teachers union that have scapegoated Martinez.

According to a source close to the CEO, Martinez earlier turned down a settlement offer of more than $500,000 to depart, which would have amounted to salary and benefits owed to him for the remainder of his contract.

CTU issued a statement after the vote saying Martinez was stalling by not agreeing to a new union contract that guarantees every CPS student a quality school day, protects recent academic gains, and provides classrooms with the resources our students and families deserve.

We look forward to the road ahead for CPS, and we urge the board and the mayor to step into the leadership gap that the CEO has created and choose a future candidate who understands the assignment, the statement read.

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Ahead of the vote, incoming elected school board members, education organizations, and former CPS CEOs Arne Duncan and Janice Jackson issued statements in support of letting the new board decide Martinezs fate. That list grew Friday to include U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia and Yesenia Lopez, an incoming elected school board member who was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union  which cast a vote of no-confidence in Martinez in the fall.

At the meeting, a group of principals expressed support for Martinez and raised concerns about CTU proposals that they feel will take away instructional time from children. The principals union has expressed similar concerns over the past several weeks. Meanwhile, Jackson Potter, vice president of the CTU, said the union has made more progress in negotiations this week and wants a swift deal.

More than a dozen elected officials also spoke  both in support of and against Martinez.

Tara Stamps, a Cook County commissioner, former teacher, and CTU staffer, blamed Martinez for schools on her home turf of the West Side that still have chronic underfunding and crumbling infrastructure.

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Pedro Martinezs leadership have left these schools in a drought and our teachers and our students are paying the price for that, Stamps said.

Others called for the board to wait. Jennifer Custer, an incoming elected school board member who was backed by the CTU, asked the board to hold off on a decision. She also criticized the unions contract proposal.

Are you going to condemn the first elected board to serve in a capacity where our sole job for the next two years is not to address student outcomes and making CPS a better place, but to figure out how to steady the ship in the wake of the chaos that is created by the decision to fire a CEO mid year and inevitably agree to a contract that we cant afford, and while the district suffers financially already? Custer said.

After the public comment period, the board met in closed session. After 90 minutes, members emerged and voted Martinez out without comment. The board then left without taking any questions from reporters.

Tensions stem from districts money woes

The conflict between Martinez and the mayors office reflects a fundamental rift over how the district should navigate a time when federal COVID relief dollars are running out and major deficits loom.

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The union and Johnson have argued that the district should add more staff, reduce class size, and agree to a litany of other proposals. The mayors team suggested over the summer that CPS take a high-interest loan to cover the new costs  and then redouble its push to line up new revenue from the state or other sources. The Martinez administration countered that any prospects for new funding are uncertain, and the district should avoid adding to its significant debt burden.

The previous appointed board  under pressure to oust the CEO and take on the loan  resigned en masse in October. While that board had some concerns with Martinez, it wasnt prepared to fire him, sources previously told Chalkbeat.

Johnson appointed seven new members in October. He announced Monday four of them would continue to serve, while three will step down because they are not eligible based on where they live. The mayor announced six other appointments to the new board and has yet to name one more.

More recently, the fate of schools in one of the citys largest charter networks has proven divisive.

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The board and the mayors office criticized Martinez for not acting aggressively enough to find alternatives to planned school closings at Acero charter school network. On Friday, the Board of Education approved a resolution to cover Aceros budget deficit to keep all seven schools open next school year. The board also directed CPS leadership to create a plan to transition five of the campuses into CPS schools for the 2026-27 school year.

Martinez oversaw pandemic rebound, new strategic plan

Martinez was hired in 2021 by Johnsons predecessor, Mayor Lori Lightfoot. He arrived at a turbulent time  as school buildings reopened for full-time in-person instruction after being shuttered during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak  and began the work of addressing the pandemics academic and social-emotional damage.

By some accounts, Martinezs tenure has brought a measure of stability after COVIDs massive disruption. His administration has touted data showing the districts students have recovered in reading faster than most other districts across the country.

During his roughly three years at the helm, Martinez presided over a significant expansion of the districts workforce, using federal pandemic relief dollars to bring on thousands of new teachers and support staff.

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He also oversaw the adoption of a controversial plan to ban campus police and an overhaul of the districts approach to budgeting this spring that de-emphasized student enrollment; instead, the district now provides base staffing positions to all schools and factors in a schools level of student needs in budgeting for additional positions and support.

Martinez was also at the helm when thousands of migrant children from Central and South American countries enrolled in the districts schools, leading to challenges to deliver greater bilingual services for students at many schools, particularly those in low-income, Black communities.

On the day the previous school board passed a new five-year strategic plan  which focuses on Johnsons priority of boosting resources for neighborhood schools  the mayor asked Martinez to resign.

When Lightfoot appointed Martinez, a Chicago native and former CPS chief financial officer, he was the superintendent of the San Antonio Independent School District. Johnson chose to keep Martinez in the role after defeating Lightfoot in the 2023 mayoral election  which teachers union president Stacy Davis Gates said at the start of this school year she requested of the mayor. The union said at the time that the CEO appeared to be ushering in a new era of more collaboration and better rapport between the CTU and district officials.

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But things changed this summer amid contract negotiations over an extensive, costly slate of CTU proposals. Martinez, along with the Johnson-appointed school board, balked at taking on the short-term, high-interest loan. Johnson had urged the district to take out the loan to pay for the contracts costs and cover a $175 million payment to a city pension fund that covers non-teaching staff.

The CTU had lambasted Lightfoot for passing that pension cost on to the school district and argued the city should continue to cover it as it had in the past. The Johnson administration has in part blamed the citys budget woes on that pension payment. On Monday, the Chicago City Council narrowly passed Johnsons $17.1 billion budget plan after a bruising two month budget process during which even his progressive allies criticized his leadership.

Related

Chicagos First School Board Race Brings a Mixed Bag of Ideologies

Martinez said in September that Johnson asked him to resign and he refused, citing a need for stability in a district roiled by frequent leadership turnover in recent years.

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In recent weeks, the teachers union intensified its criticism of Martinez, even as his administration offered educators up to a 5% pay raise in the coming years and benefit increases at no cost to teachers, among other concessions. Union leaders have said Martinez is resisting union staffing, class size, and other proposals that would transform a district historically plagued by inequities in the student experiences among campuses and neighborhoods. They also claimed Martinez didnt lobby for more state funding aggressively enough or make a plan for the expiration of federal COVID relief money.

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.
A child was hospitalized after being hit by one of several drones that crashed into each other during a Saturday night aerial holiday show in Orlando, authorities said.

The boy and his family were watching the holiday drone show when something went haywire and several small drones "collided and fell into a crowd," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

The incident unfolded about 6:45 p.m. Saturday at Orlando's Eloa Lake as thousands of spectators looked on, according to the FAA.

PHOTO: One person was injured when a holiday drone show in Orlando on Dec. 21, 2024, went haywire and several of the unmanned aerial devices crashed into each other and plummeted to the ground, authorities said. (MosquitoCoFl Podcast)

The injured boy's family told ABC News on Sunday that he was hit in the chest by one of the falling drones.

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The boy was taken to a hospital, according to a spokesperson for the Orlando Fire Department.

The incident occurred during one of two free holiday drone shows that had been scheduled for Saturday night. Following the incident, the city canceled the second show due to what it described as "technical difficulties."

So apparently they had to cancel the 2nd drone show at #LakeEolaPark tonight and I wonder if the drones that got knocked out during the 1st show was the cause  #Orlando pic.twitter.com/xxySjbkohy  MosquitoCoFL Podcast (@MosquitoCoFL) December 22, 2024

About 25,000 people were attending the family-friendly event when the incident occurred, officials said.

The city had billed the event as a "dazzling display of synchronized drones flying in formation to create beautiful holiday-themed designs in the night sky."

"Attendees will be able to sit back and watch the 15-minute light show from the comfort of their own blankets and lawn chairs," the city said in an advertisement for the show.

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Bystander video showed more than 200 drones forming a red and green holiday display when several of the bladded devices began falling from the sky, crashing on land and in the water.

PHOTO: One person was injured when a holiday drone show in Orlando on Dec. 21, 2024, went haywire and several of the unmanned aerial devices crashed into each other and plummeted to the ground, authorities said. (MosquitoCoFl Podcast)

"Are they supposed to be falling? Is that good or bad," a child was heard asking in one of the videos that captured the incident.

Fire personnel were already at the park staffing an emergency tent set up about 50 feet from where a drone struck the child, according to a city statement. Following the mishap, paramedics quickly reached the injured boy and began administering first aid, the statement said.

MORE: New Jersey drone mystery: What to know and what can be done

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The event was permitted through the FAA, which the city said was conducting an investigation. Additionally, the National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the incident, as of Monday.

"Our thoughts are with the family and all those impacted by the outcome of this event," the city said in its statement. "The City remains in contact with the vendor and FAA who will conduct a thorough investigation."

The company putting on the drone show was identified by the city as Sky Elements Drones of North Richland Hills, Texas, a Dallas suburb.

The company issued a statement Sunday that said it "wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted."

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Sky Elements Drones said that it follows guidelines established by the FAA to ensure the safety of its shows, which are seen by "millions" annually.

"The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused," the statement continued, adding that Sky Elements Drones was working with officials to investigate the incident.

MORE: High-tech radar used in Ukraine-Russia war to be deployed to crack Northeast drone mystery

Drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulation. Typically, such events require a waiver of a regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time, the agency said.

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"We thoroughly review each drone-show application to make sure the flying public and people on the ground will be safe," the FAA said in a statement.

ABC News' Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.

Child hospitalized after holiday drone show in Orlando goes badly wrong originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
President Biden made what may be his diplomatic curtain call this month with a long-promised trip to Africa, becoming the first president to visit Angola and first since former President Obama to visit the continent  with President-elect Trump in between.

Its unclear whether Trump will pay more attention to Africa this time around, but the stakes of global influence in Africa are rising as the continent becomes an increasingly important part of Chinas geopolitical arsenal.

Trump will face a number of pressing questions in the continent: whether to play a more active role in Sudans civil war, how to use trade as a counterbalance to Chinas massive public and private investments across the continent, and whether to continue some Biden-led initiatives like a $3 billion investment in transcontinental transit routes through Angola, Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Kholofelo Kugler, a scholar specializing in African trade and economy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the U.S. has lost a lot of ground when it comes to strategic opportunities in Africa.

For better or for worse, the Chinese have been a little bit more deliberate and a little bit mindful about fostering relationships with African countries, notwithstanding human rights records or democracy. Its been transactional, she said. China has far stripped the U.S. in the last few years.

The Biden administration has also sought to develop and boost humanitarian efforts, including providing aid in the midst of a historic drought and protecting marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ people in Uganda, some of which is likely to be axed with Trump in the Oval Office and Republicans leading both chambers in Congress.

Cameron Hudson, a senior associate in the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, argues the Biden administration took an overzealous approach toward Africa, resulting in broken promises.

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Biden, fulfilling a promise made at the 2022 African Leaders Summit, this month became the first president to visit Africa since Obama visited Kenya and Ethiopia. Other promises, such as his all in for Africa strategy, Hudson says have left more to be desired.

Hudson noted that the sitting president hosted a notably small number of African leaders for one-on-one meetings, despite promising to accelerate high-level exchanges.

But Kugler and Hudson arent convinced Trump will mark a major shift in U.S. strategy in Africa, though they said he may take a different approach.

Which is worse? Making a promise and then taking no measurable steps to deliver on it or not making the promise at all? Hudson asked. The outcome is gonna be the same for Africa.

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Trump has both talked tough toward China and regularly expressed his appreciation of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with recent reports indicating that Trump extended an inauguration invite to the communist party leader. Trump has promised a series of steep tariffs on China, which Beijing says would spur a destructive trade war.

How much Trump or Xi try to fight that war in Africa is a pressing question for the continent. Kugler said the U.S. may not view Africa as a strategically important enough region to go toe-to-toe with China.

She said one likely possibility is the Trump administration trying to sort of discipline China in terms of bilateral trade with the U.S.

Russia is also increasing its presence on the continent, having long been accused of backing private military companies to undermine democratic efforts, boosting up dictators and engaging in the joint plundering of natural resources.

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Ultimately, Kugler said a mindset change is required for any American administration to truly expand its influence in Africa.

During Trumps first term, he advocated for Congress to reduce developmental investments with his America First mindset, with Africa feeling the brunt of the blow. He did, however, initiate the Prosper Africa strategy to assist U.S. companies seeking to do business in Africa. But he also alienated leaders from the country, referring to shole countries on the continent.

Experts said Trumps transactional approach could open the gate for more U.S. business presence in the area.

I think that Trump is going to take a narrower view, a more defined view of what U.S. interests are in Africa, Hudson predicted. [Trump] will be very clear what he cares about and what he doesnt care about.

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Trumps incoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked about Trumps likely approach to the region, told The Hill that the incoming president would take necessary action to restore peace through strength around the world.

Restoring peace will be a particular challenge in Sudan, where a civil war has been raging since April 2023, when rival military factions  the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces  started fighting.

The Biden administration has taken a largely humanitarian approach to the war, part of an international coalition that has had little success in negotiating a ceasefire. Kugler said Trump may seek to end the war, even if it means entrenching military rule in the country.

Bidens administration was more concerned about how the conflict could be resolved, not that it could be resolved he said. It was important that the right people take power in Sudan, not that the conflict end.

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The Biden administration did not respond to The Hills request for comment.

Hudson said the impact on leaders and communities across the continent will be mixed as the Trump administration reorients its foreign policy priorities.

Hudson said countries that are on a fragile democratic path, such as Ghana and Botswana, may not receive the same attention from Trump that they saw under Biden. Other countries like Uganda, where the government outlawed homosexuality, may see Biden-era sanctions lifted under Trump, among the reasons he may be more popular with some of Africas strongmen.

They see him as an authoritative figure, as somebody who is self-made, Kugler said. As somebody whos not going to sit there and preach to them about human rights and LGBTQIA issues.

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Hudson and Kugler think there is the possibility some of Bidens priorities will carry over in the Biden administration, particularly the Lobito Corridor, a multibillion-dollar investment in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia meant to boost economic competitiveness.

The project has bipartisan support in Congress. Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) issued a statement earlier this month saying, Strategic investments like the Lobito Corridor help us better compete with China and secure access to critical minerals and other important resources that will improve our own economy.

Our national security will be strengthened through continued U.S. investment combined with efforts to bring peace to the region, like our efforts to end the long-simmering conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda through the Luanda Process, they wrote.

The Corridor is largely backed by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, which was formed under Trumps first administration. Trump tapped the first CEO of the federal agency, Adam Boehler, as the hostage affairs envoy in his new administration.

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Other administration picks, such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as secretary of State and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, could signal his competitive stance against China and Russia.

Musk has been involved with African leaders, meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba, and Lesotho Prime Minister Sam Matekane in September of this year to discuss opportunities with his tech empire.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Monday it had provided information and documents for an open investigation into the severing of two Baltic Sea undersea cables, though it and Sweden disagreed over how transparent Beijing had been in the case.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a news briefing in Beijing that China had invited Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to participate in and complete the inquiry.

She spoke about the incident when asked about a Financial Times report that Sweden had criticised China for refusing full access despite an open inquiry, and for allegedly barring a Swedish prosecutor from boarding the Chinese freighter vessel Yi Peng 3 linked to the cable breach.

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Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said China had not heeded the government's request for the prosecutor to be able to conduct the preliminary investigation on board.

"Our request that Swedish prosecutors together with, among others, the police should be allowed to take certain investigative measures within the framework of the preliminary investigation on board remains," Stenergard told Reuters. "We have been very clear about this with China."

Stenergard said Sweden hoped to continue its dialogue with China with the aim of giving the police and prosecutors the possibility to investigate the cable breaches.

On Saturday, the Swedish Coastguard said the bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 had resumed its voyage and was heading to Port Said in Egypt.

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The Chinese foreign ministry's Mao said: "In order to cooperate with the investigation, the Yi Peng 3 was suspended for a long period of time, and to safeguard the physical and mental health of the crew, the shipowner company decided to resume its voyage after a comprehensive assessment and consultation with the parties concerned."

She added that Beijing had notified all relevant countries in advance and was willing to maintain communication and cooperation.

The Baltic Sea cables, one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania, were damaged on Nov. 17 and 18, prompting German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to say he assumed this was caused by sabotage.

Investigators quickly zeroed in on the Chinese ship, which had left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on Nov. 15. A Reuters analysis of MarineTraffic data showed the vessel's coordinates corresponded to the time and place of the breaches.

(Reporting by Ethan Wang and Liz Lee in Beijing, Simon Johnson in Stockholm; editing by Edmund Klamann and Mark Heinrich)
BEIJING (AP)  China said a plan by the Philippines to deploy midrange missiles would be a provocative move that stokes regional tensions.

The Philippines top army official told reporters in Manila earlier on Monday that the military plans to acquire a midrange system to defend the countrys territory amid tensions with China in the South China Sea.

Yes, there are plans, there are negotiations, because we see its feasibility and adaptability, Lt. Gen. Roy Galido said.

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The U.S. deployed its Typhon midrange missile system in the northern Philippines in April and troops from both countries have been training jointly for the potential use of the heavy weaponry. They have agreed to keep the system in the Philippines indefinitely to boost deterrence.

Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that deployment of a midrange missile by the Philippines would intensify geopolitical confrontation and an arms race.

It is an extremely irresponsible choice for the history and people of itself and the whole of Southeast Asia, as well as for the security of the region, she told a daily briefing.

China, which opposes U.S. military assistance to the Philippines, has been particularly alarmed by the deployment of the Typhon system, which can fire the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile. The Tomahawk can travel more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), putting China within its range.

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Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. has strengthened an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter China, including in any confrontation over Taiwan.

The Philippines would not necessarily buy the Typhon system, Galido said.

The army is working not only with the United States but with other friendly countries on a long list of weapons platforms that it plans to acquire, he said.

The Philippines defense plan includes protecting its exclusive economic zone, which reaches 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers).

It is paramount for the army to be able to project its force up to that extent, in coordination, of course, with the Philippine navy and the Philippine air force," Galido said.

___

Cerojano reported from Manila, Philippines.
When Beijing brokered a historic peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year, it was seen as a milestone for China's proactive engagement with the Middle East.

For Tehran, which has been under economic and geopolitical pressure from US President Joe Biden's administration, the deal marked a diplomatic breakthrough and a potential opportunity to end isolation, with Beijing's help.

However, with the downfall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, and the catastrophic loss of Hamas and Hezbollah during its war against Israel, Tehran faces mounting geopolitical threats with splintered regional proxies.

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Experts said that with Donald Trump's hawkish Middle East policy cabinet, China-Iran relations were likely to strengthen under the common pressure.

But China's ability to remain a mediator could be at risk amid the growing risk of confrontation between Tehran and regional powers, which could complicate China's diplomatic legacy in the region.

"It is almost certain that Trump's second term will continue to exert strong pressure on Iran, which, coupled with Israel's pounding and destruction of Iranian-backed forces such as Hamas and Hezbollah over the past year ...[It] will force Iran to opt for closer cooperation with other powers, including China and Russia," said Fan Hongda, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute, Shanghai International Studies University.

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Iran has experienced economic hardship since Trump's first presidency. After withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal - a multipolar framework to negotiate Iran's nuclear issue - Trump imposed harsher economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic, a campaign Washington called "maximum pressure" and whose impact has lasted until today.

On the security front, the Trump administration coordinated the assassination of Qassem Soleimani in 2020, a major Iranian general and commander, dragging US-Iran relations to one of their most dangerous points in decades.

The harsh stance is likely to continue with Trump's Tehran-hawkish Middle East cabinet - including Massad Boulos, the president's Middle East adviser, Steve Witkoff, the special envoy to the Middle East, and Mike Huckabee, the ambassador to Israel.

China's top diplomat Wang Yi was pictured with Saudi deputy foreign minister Waleed Elkhereiji and Iranian deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani, in Beijing in December last year, some months after Beijing brokered a diplomatic agreement between their countries. Photo: XInhua alt=China's top diplomat Wang Yi was pictured with Saudi deputy foreign minister Waleed Elkhereiji and Iranian deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani, in Beijing in December last year, some months after Beijing brokered a diplomatic agreement between their countries. Photo: XInhua>

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This month, Boulous told French media outlet Le Point that Trump would certainly pursue the "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran in the clearest indication yet that the incoming administration would enforce Iran's economic and geopolitical isolation.

Clemens Chay, a research fellow at the National University of Singapore's Middle East Institute said Tehran had two reasons for further strengthening ties with Beijing: "First, to show that little success is achieved from isolating the Islamic Republic. Second, to maintain Iran's economic lifelines".

In contrast to Washington's hostility, China's relations with Iran have grown economically and politically in the past few years, and it has been a major force trying to stop Iran being totally isolated.

China, the world's second-largest economy, is a crucial trading partner and oil buyer for the Islamic Republic, reportedly through trade transit to circumvent sanctions.

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Beijing has invited Tehran to join Brics and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) - two Beijing-led regional blocs - to avoid Tehran falling into further international isolation.

Chay said "this equally reveals the asymmetry in China-Iran ties where a disproportionate relationship is shaped as a result of Tehran's dire needs".

But James Dorsey, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, said Beijing might not be willing to seek closer relations with Tehran if Trump conducts a hawkish stance towards their partnership.

"[Iran] is already quite close to China. I don't think China wants to be closer to [Iran]. China does not want to violate US sanctions," Dorsey said.

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"Sure, China and Iran have common interests, but they also have differing interests ... but finally [the two countries' relations] are depending on what Trump will do [to China and Iran]."

Iran is one of China's Middle Eastern partners in the Belt and Road Initiative, yet it has seen significantly fewer investments over the past decade compared with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring Pakistan.

A landmark 25-year cooperation agreement signed in 2021 between the two countries has also seen little implementation, which even drew arguments inside Tehran.

On the diplomatic front, Iran is still an important pillar for China's ambition as a mediator in the region, especially after Beijing brokered a historic peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran last year.

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However, observers caution that Beijing's growing role as a mediator could be at stake in the next four years, given the changing circumstances of Iran and its regional rivals.

Wen Shaobiao, a Middle East specialist at Shanghai International Studies University, said Trump's unyielding support for Israel and harsh approach to Iran could shrink China's space as a regional mediator.

He predicted that if Trump took a hardline attitude to support Israel, the Gaza war could be ended in a timely manner. Trump would continue to push his diplomatic legacy in the region, the Abraham Accords, which encourages Israel - Iran's biggest rival in the region - to establish diplomatic relations with Arab countries.

Biden's effort to connect Saudi Arabia and Israel last year, reported to be concluded soon, was interrupted by the Israel-Gaza war.

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"China has always insisted that the Palestinian-Israeli issue is the core issue in the Middle East and calls for the 'two-state solution'. The Abraham Accords, however, are trying to marginalise the Palestinian-Israeli problem. The conflict between China and the United States on this issue will become more distinct," Wen said.

Jesse Marks, a non-resident fellow with the Stimson Centre's China programme and a former US defence adviser, said the growing conflicts in the Middle East - especially the recent regime change in Syria - risk further confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Syria has been one of the major battlegrounds for the Saudi-Iran decade-long confrontation. Tehran openly backed Assad's regime with force but Riyadh opposed the regime on the diplomatic front.

Riyadh was seen as one of the major blocks to Syria's full membership of the Arab League. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia resigned from the UN Security Council over China and Russia's veto of Assad sanctions, creating one of China's few diplomatic disputes with the kingdom.

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"China has invested in building stronger engagement between Saudi Arabia and Iran. But the instability and escalation likely to follow in Syria will fuel disagreements and tensions across the region," Marks said.

"Beijing will have to carefully navigate a politically explosive environment as many of its key partners find themselves on opposing sides over Syria's future."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
ST. LOUIS  A defunct Chinese satellite created a dramatic light show across the southern United States Sunday night as it made an uncontrolled reentry into Earths atmosphere. This prompted more than 120 reports of fireball sightings from witnesses who initially believed they were seeing a meteor shower. Some of the reports are from Missouri.

The SuperView-1 02, a commercial imaging satellite that had been inactive since January 2023, was observed breaking up over several states, including Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Missouri around 10 p.m., according to the American Meteor Society.

Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics who tracks spacecraft, confirmed the satellites reentry on social media platform X. While officials knew the space junk would return to Earth on Sunday, they could only estimate the timing within a two-hour window.

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Injured officer recovering after Ted Drewes crash

The satellite, originally launched from Taiyuan, China in 2016, was operated by Beijings Siwei Star Co. Ltd. as part of a four-satellite constellation orbiting at an altitude of 500 kilometers. After being switched off nearly two years ago, the spacecraft had been gradually drifting downward toward Earth.

Multiple witnesses across the southeastern United States observed the satellite as it traveled northbound, creating a spectacular display as it burned up in the atmosphere.

The incident marks the latest example of space debris returning to Earth, highlighting ongoing concerns about the increasing amount of defunct satellites and other objects in orbit around our planet.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A Chinese woman accused of selling machines to make counterfeit pills was arrested in Las Vegas, according to a federal indictment.

Xaiofei Chen was arrested by agents from the Department of Homeland Security at a trade show in Las Vegas on Oct. 29. A criminal complaint said Chen sold pill press machines that can be used with molds, stamps or dies mimicking commonly prescribed controlled substances to produce counterfeit pills that appear indistinguishable from legitimate pharmaceutical drugs, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release on Friday.

A federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas charged Chen on Friday with two counts related to alleged distribution of pill press equipment that can be used by criminals to manufacture illegal drugs laced with fentanyl.

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A federal court in Nevada ordered Chen detained pending her trial in El Paso where the indictment was returned on Nov. 20. If convicted, Chen faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Further information about Chens arrest was not available.

The complaint alleges Chen worked for a China-based company that sold die molds and equipment, and that Chen sold pill press equipment and counterfeit die molds to buyers in the United States.

The complaint alleges that Chen avoided Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) disclosure requirements by dismantling equipment and shipping parts in separate packages into the United States.

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This equipment allegedly included counterfeit dies, including M30 dies meant to mimic a common prescription drug but which are regularly used to make fake opioid pills. The complaint alleges that the packages that Chen sent also were mislabeled to conceal the illegal equipment that they contained, according to the news release.

Fentanyl overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49, according to the Department of Justice. In recent years, more than half of counterfeit pills tested have been found to have a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

The fentanyl epidemic has taken hundreds of thousands of American lives, and this case reflects the departments unwavering commitment to prosecuting every level of the deadly fentanyl supply chain, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Departments Civil Division.

Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection are investigating the case.

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CHIPPEWA FALLS  Chippewa County Administrator Randy Scholz is set to become city manager in a small town in the upper peninsula in Michigan, and will begin his duties there in mid-March, just days after his job ends here.

On Friday, the Ishpeming City Council unanimously approved hiring Scholz after interviewing him twice for the post in recent weeks, and he signed his contract. Ishpeming is located near Marquette, Mich. The 2020 census states the citys population is about 6,100. Details of the contract, such as his salary, were not readily available. Ishpeming fired its last city manager in June and has been using an interim manager since then.

Scholz, 56, announced on Nov. 12 he was going to retire on March 7, 2025. He told the Leader-Telegram he and his wife purchased property up north that is closer to their family members and plan to relocate there upon retiring.

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Scholz did not respond to texts for comment about the new position.

Moving forwardMeanwhile, Chippewa County is moving forward with plans on how to replace him. They hired Public Administration Associates LLC to assist in the search process.

The application deadline for the administrator post is Jan. 27. The salary range is between $150,000 to $170,000, according to the application packet on the countys website.

The county is requiring a bachelors degree in public or business administration, finance, or a related field.

Significant experience in the administration of a complex organization with a minimum of four years in upper-level management is required, as well as a thorough knowledge of local government, the application packet reads. A combination of education and experience may be substituted for a specific degree major. Preferred credentials are a masters degree in a related field. Private sector and military candidates who have led comparably sized, complex organizations are encouraged to apply.

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Scholz became county administrator in February 2018, replacing Frank Pascarella. Scholz is now the longest-serving county administrator in the countys history.

Scholz was selected from among three finalists for the job. Prior to being hired here, he served as Lincoln County administrative coordinator. He attended Mount Senario College, and he earned a bachelors degree in criminal justice from UW-Eau Claire.

Other openingsChippewa County Human Services Director Tim Easker also recently retired. He had been in that role since December 2018. Applications for that job are due Jan. 13.

Deputy Corporation Counsel James Sherman also is retiring, and ads have been placed for that opening as well.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 23, 2024 - 18:58 | All, Japan

Former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who fled Japan while awaiting trial on charges of financial misconduct, said Monday that the Japanese automaker's merger plan with Honda Motor Co. "cannot work," as he sees limited potential for synergy between their operations.

At an online press conference marking the fifth anniversary of his escape to Lebanon, Ghosn, who led Nissan for nearly two decades starting in 1999, criticized the struggling automaker, saying it has "lost sight of what is happening" and "it looks like there is no vision" to revive its slumping sales.

Ghosn held the virtual event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan a few hours before Nissan and Honda said that they will launch talks on a merger that would create the world's third-biggest automaker group by volume.

Ghosn noted that there is "no complementarity" between the two makers. Analysts, meanwhile, have pointed out that Nissan and Honda have similar production lineups and market operations.

"They are strong in the same fields. They are weak in the same fields," he said. "There is duplication everywhere. So industrially, for me, it doesn't make sense."

Nissan asked Honda for help "in panic mode," Ghosn said, adding, "Frankly, I wonder how this is going to work. I mean, it cannot work. This is a situation in which Nissan is finding itself today."

He spoke from Lebanon, where he fled in December 2019 after he jumped bail following his arrest in November 2018.

Ghosn was arrested on charges of underreporting his remuneration and misusing the automaker's funds. However, he has maintained his innocence, claiming he fled to escape what he described as Japan's "rigged" justice system.

Hidden in a box on a private jet, Ghosn fled to the Middle Eastern nation, one of three countries where he holds citizenship and which does not have an extradition treaty with Japan.

The Japanese government has asked the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, to take custody of Ghosn. Despite being a member nation of the organization, Lebanon has refused.

Related coverage:

Honda, Nissan agree to start talks for 2026 merger

1,000 Nissan employees in Thailand to be let go or relocated
Christmas came early for Maryland state employees as Gov. Wes Moore on Sunday declared Christmas Eve a state holiday.

In a news release, Moore said state agencies and offices will be closed Tuesday and workers will have the day off, with Dec. 24 being treated like any other state employee holiday.

Our state employees have worked tirelessly all year long ensuring that Maryland is safer, more affordable, more competitive and the state that serves, Moore said in the news release. We hope that all of our incredible public servants across the state can take a much-needed day to be with their loved ones this holiday season.

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Last week, President Joe Biden gave federal workers the day off on Christmas Eve, closing most federal agencies on Dec. 24 in an executive order he signed Thursday.

Christmas Day is a federal holiday, however the day before is not. Giving workers a holiday on Christmas Eve has had bipartisan appeal for both federal and state governments.

The last time federal employees received Dec. 24 off was under former President Donald Trump, who also allowed it as a holiday in 2018 and 2019.

In Maryland, former Gov. Larry Hogan gave state workers a holiday for Dec. 24 in 2018. In 2022, Hogan gave state employees the day off on Dec. 23, when Christmas Eve fell on a Saturday.

Have a news tip? Contact Michelle Deal-Zimmerman at nzimmerman@baltsun.com.
GEORGETOWN (KXAN) It is a Christmas miracle in Georgetown! A local business owner gathered friends, family, and community members to help bring the gift of transportation to a local family whose life was turned upside down.

Last October, 15-year-old student Rigo Orta from Georgetown ISD, traveled to Harlingen, Texas for his grandfathers funeral. During that time Orta became very ill, he was taken to a hospital where he was diagnosed with Myelitis.

Myelitis is a condition that affects the myelin sheath around the spinal cord, after a few hours in the hospital, Orta became paralyzed from the chest down and was kept on a ventilator. On April 30, Orta was sent home in a power chair and is still on a ventilator.

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Hes a wonderful kid. I mean, talk about perseverance. This sweet boy had his whole life change in a matter of days, and he has shown determination to continue his education and continue learning, said Julia Britt, Ortas School Psychologist.

They had no freedom, the kid was on a respirator, and they just didnt know what they should do. It just tugged my heartstrings, I knew that we had the type of friends who if they knew this was needed and that they could help in some way to take one stress off of this family, they would step up, said Cody Hirt, owner of Mesquite Creek Outfitters in Georgetown.

When Hirt came across the Orta family story, he immediately thought of a plan. He and his entire team would use his restaurant earnings from one night and put it all towards the perfect handicapped van for the Orta family. Hirt sent a text message to 11 of his friends and family sharing his idea, but when the responses came back he was in shock.

I sent out 11 text messages, and the response was, heres how much I want to give. It blew my mind, and when I sent those 11 text messages, we raised all the money that we needed to buy this kid a van for him and his family. So there was no fundraiser needed, which was incredible, Hirt said.

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On Dec. 22 the Orta family gathered at Mesquite Creek Outfitters to receive this gift of a Christmas Miracle from their community.

This is a very great gift for us, it facilitates all the appointments that Rigo has. It gives him a lot more comfort, and we appreciate it because it really helps Rigo in his daily life, said Ortas cousin Jacqulyn Salinas.

The Orta family took home their brand new handicap van suitable for Ortas power chair and spacious enough for him, his parents, and three siblings. Ortas school psychologist says she knows this is one step closer to getting Orta to experience all his community has to offer and celebrate life with his family.

He was really kind of shy, not really wanting to be out in the community, and after really seeing that this was gonna happen for him and his family, he was excited to come out today. This is the first time hes been out of his home in about a year or so, said Britt.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Dec. 23A 41-year-old Cincinnati man was charged in the March death of his Fairfield sister-in-law, who died of a drug overdose.

Auqeith Byner of Michaels Run in Cincinnati, faces involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony, and corrupting another with drugs, a second-degree felony, according to Butler County court records which were sealed on Dec. 10 and unsealed last week.

Family members found 36-year-old Sherry Geis of Seward Road in Fairfield unresponsive in her bed from an apparent overdose, and paramedics determined she was deceased, according to police.

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The Fairfield investigation brought in Fairfield Twp. Police after it was determined Byner had allegedly sold Geis drugs around the corner from Geis' Fairfield home at the UDF on Tylersville Road in Fairfield Twp.

According to the Butler County Coroner's Office, the autopsy showed Geis died from an accidental drug overdose of fentanyl and cocaine.

Byner is in the Kenton County, Kentucky Detention Center after being arrested in September on several charges, including a pair of unrelated drug trafficking charges, one related to cocaine and one related to fentanyl. Kentucky court records show he's charged with promoting contraband and tampering with evidence.

He also faces a fugitive warrant from another state, though the Kenton County Clerk of Courts did not have a record of which state.

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Byner has a $100,000 cash bond related to the fugitive warrant and $50,000 cash bond for the criminal case out of Covington, Kentucky.

He's scheduled to appear in the Kentucky court for a pair of status hearings on Jan. 6 and 8.

Fairfield Twp. Police Sgt. Brandon McCroskey said once Byner can be extradited back to Ohio, he will face the two felony charges in Butler County Court.
The states property insurer of last resort is still the largest in the Sunshine State, according to a third-quarter report issued recently, but the markets movement in the past two months has a three-year-old company vaulting to fifth-largest.

The policyholder count of the largest insurer, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., is closely watched because too much liability at the state-backed nonprofit that insures the states riskiest properties can cost all policyholders throughout the state.

The 2004-05 hurricane season resulted in a surcharge to all insurance premiums paid in the state because of the nonprofits depleted reserves. So the reduction of policyholders at Citizens  21% fewer policies on the books since Sept. 30  is a reason for optimism that the private market is taking on more of Citizens risk and thus the publics, state officials say.

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Slide Insurance, founded in 2021 and the 12th largest in the state as of Sept. 30, 2023, took on more Citizens policies than any other company in October and November. The fledgling company has become the fifth-largest as of the end of November.

Office of Insurance Regulation Commissioner Michael Yaworsky credited changes to tort laws undertaken in 2022 with the improvements in the market.

More: Insurance leaders, observers praise improvements in Florida's market. Will it help policyholders?

Nine new property and casualty insurers have entered Floridas market since historic legislative reforms, a news release from Yaworskys office said Friday, Dec. 20.

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The biggest residential property insurers in the state, according to the latest report from Yaworskys office, with figures from Citizens takeouts since Sept. 30 factored in, are:

Citizens with 1,256,791 policyholders on Sept. 30 and now at 982,892 as of Dec. 13. Policyholders hit an all-time high just a year ago, with 1.4 million policies counted on Sept. 30, 2023. State Farm Florida Insurance Co. with 642,609 policies, increasing its Florida presence by nearly 2% in the past year.

3. Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Co. with 560,227 policies, unchanged since last year.

4. Tower Hill Insurance Exchange with 374,986 policies in force, according to the most recent available data  a 10% increase from 2023.

5. Slide Insurance Co. with 339,089 policies, more than double its policy count since Sept. 30, 2023, when it was at 144,472 policies in force. The latest total includes nearly 66,000 policies added in October and November.

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6. American Integrity Insurance Co. of Florida moved from the states 10th-largest property insurer in 2023 to sixth-largest as of the end of November. Now the company has 325,522 policies after adding more than 61,000 new policies from Citizens in October and November.

7. American Bankers Insurance Co. of Florida with 313,947 policies, a slight decrease from the previous year.

8. First Protective Insurance Co. with 248,081 policies, a miniscule dip from last years count.

9. Florida Peninsula Co. with 197,522 policies, which more than doubled the number counted on Sept. 30, 2023. The company jumped from the states 25th-largest company last year into this years Top 10, counting the addition of more than 50,000 policies in October and November that had been on Citizens rolls.

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10. Castle Key Indemnity, with 195,123 policies in the latest report, which is a 24% drop from the number counted a year earlier.

Anne Geggis is the insurance reporter atThe Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at ageggis@gannett.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Citizens is shedding policies. Here are the Top 10 Florida insurers
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The City of El Paso announced Monday, Dec. 23 that it is offering library and parks and recreation facilities to serve as warming centers to help residents who may need a safe and warm place to stay.

The move is being made to help the most vulnerable who may be looking to save on utility costs, the City said in a news release.

Here is a rundown of locations and their hours:

Library Locations

The community can visit any of the Citys Libraries:

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Armijo Library, 620 E. 7th

Clardy Fox, 5515 Robert Alva

Dorris Van Doren, 551 Redd

Esperanza Moreno, 12480 Pebble Hills

Irving Schwartz, 1865 Dean Martin

Jose Cisneros/Cielo Vista, 1300 Hawkins

Judge Marquez, 610 N. Yarbrough

Memorial Park, 3200 Copper

Richard Burges, 9600 Dyer Ste. C

Sergio Troncoso, 9321 Alameda

Westside, 125 Belvidere

Regular Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 1 to 6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and closed on Sunday.

Holiday Hours (Dec. 23 to Jan. 1): 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 24 and Dec. 31; and closed on Wednesday, Dec. 25 and Dec. 31 and Sundays.

Recreation Centers

The community can visit any of the Citys Recreation Centers:

Valle Bajo, 7380 Alameda

Marty Robbins, 11600 Vista Del Sol

Galatzan, 650 Wallenberg

Nations Tobin, 8831 Railroad

Regular Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and closed Sunday.

Holiday Hours: Closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

Residents are encouraged to take advantage of these warming centers during the winter months. For more information on warming center locations and hours, please contact 3-1-1 or visit ElPasoReady.org.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Two suspects in a series of October burglaries in Wilsonville and West Linn were taken into custody, authorities said.

The first burglary was reported on Oct. 16 at NW Self Storage in West Linn where police said they found thousands of dollars worth of business equipment had been taken from one of the units.

The next morning, police said the same unit was burglarized again resulting in even more equipment being stolen.

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The storage unit belonged to Non-Profit Home Inspections, a charity that helps low-income households by providing home inspections, authorities said.

A few days after the first burglaries on Oct. 20, deputies from the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office said they responded to a burglary in progress at Stafford Beverage in Wilsonville.

Two suspects in a series of October burglaries in Wilsonville and West Linn were arrested in Washington. (KOIN)

According to authorities, suspects had forced entry into the store smashing the glass front door and then they stole thousands of dollars of cash and liquor before fleeing.

Investigators said that they noticed several similarities between the two burglaries including suspect descriptions captured on surveillance videos. In the video taken from the West Linn burglaries, authorities said they also spotted a suspect vehicle leading them to a person of interest in the case.

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Through further investigation, authorities said they found more suspects and the case moved across state lines into Washington where West Linn detectives worked with Clark and Cowlitz counties to secure search warrants which were executed on Dec. 4.

Fire scorches SW Portland dispensary Monday morning

During the warrant searches, police said they found stolen property including items taken during the West Linn burglaries as well a other burglaries across the Portland and Vancouver areas.

Police arrested Kyle Dean Runyon, 35, and Jimmy Cristea, 38, in Washington on Clackamas County warrants related to the burglaries.

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Its great that the police officers working on our case just were able to crack a bunch of different cases that were all apparently involved somehow, said Charles Lewis, the owner of non-Profit Home Inspections.

They burglarize stuff, they steal stuff, they sell it. And thats kind of how, in a lack of a better term, they get their income is through selling stolen property, added Catlin Blythe from the Wilsonville Police Department.

Investigators said they are still seeking information about the burglaries and ask anyone with info to contact the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY)  The Village Square Conference Center hosted the Ohio Valley Reptile Expo and Oddities Exhibit on Saturday and Sunday, giving families the chance to learn and possibly leave with a new family member.

This is the second time the expo has been held in Clarksburg and six will be held next year at the conference center. Expert animal handlers at the expo teach kids and adults about the reptiles and oddities and how to properly care for them in hopes that they will purchase one to take home.

Operator of the Ohio Valley Reptile Expo and Oddities Exhibit Mike Kandis expressed his delight in teaching those in attendance more about how to give the reptiles a good life.

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RGPAC hosts feature film Feast of the Seven Fishes for Christmas

We try to teach him to care for them and to have respect, if youre having a bad day at work, bad day of school, these animals still depend on you, you know what I mean, you can come home theyre not going to back talk ya, theyre gonna love ya to death, Kandis said. So, theyre really cool and the people around here just love holding them, you should see the expression on their faces. the Operator of the Ohio Valley Reptile Expo and Oddities Exhibit Mike Kandis said.

Kandis added that the most popular replies at the show have been the bearded dragons and the snakes. In February, Village Square Conference Center will be hosting the expo for another weekend of shows with the reptiles and oddities.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com.
[Attached video shows previous Fox 8 coverage]

CLEVELAND (WJW)  A Cleveland police officer is now facing additional charges after police say he fired shots outside Riverview Elementary School in Lake County.

A Lake County grand jury indicted Alexander Sinclair Friday on four additional charges, including aggravated robbery. The indictment states Sinclar tried to take a sheriff deputys gun during a struggle outside of the school.

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Alexander Sinclair

He is scheduled to be arraigned on the additional charges Friday.

Sinclar was previously indicted on several charges, including kidnapping, inducing panic, assault and endangering children.

Law enforcement officials say on Oct. 31, Sinclair crashed his vehicle into a car of a woman he shares a child with, and then fired a shot into her car while she and a child were inside.

According to the 9-page indictment, the assault charge states Sinclair did knowingly cause or attempt to cause physical harm to a deputy on Oct. 31 while the deputy was in the performance of his official duties.

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Meantime, Sinclair has previously entered a not guilty plea for the shooting.

Crews investigating cause of Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train derailment

At his first hearing shortly after the incident, he told a Judge I understand this whole situation. If you could just give me an opportunity to talk to the kids at some point? I would just greatly appreciate it.

He also said, I had a mental break.

The full copy of the indictment is below.

Sinclair, a sergeant with Cleveland Police, was relieved of duty and suspended without pay pending the adjudication of the criminal charges. He was hired by Cleveland police in April 2015 and served in the Fifth District.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 23, 2024 - 14:42 | All, Japan

Former Olympus Corp. CEO Stefan Kaufmann pleaded guilty to the charge of buying illegal drugs at his first court hearing in Tokyo on Monday.

Prosecutors demanded a 10-month prison term, while the defense called for leniency. The Tokyo District Court is set to sentence the 56-year-old defendant on Friday.

According to the indictment, Kaufmann allegedly purchased cocaine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy, multiple times in Tokyo between June and November 2023.

"I betrayed the trust of many people. I sincerely apologize," Kaufmann said during the hearing.

Kaufmann was introduced to a drug dealer by his friend and began using illegal drugs to manage work-related fatigue, prosecutors said. The defense argued the dealer threatened to expose Kaufmann if he stopped buying drugs, adding the defendant lost his job after a weekly magazine published an article based on an interview with the dealer.

Kaufmann, originally from Germany, joined the Japanese optical precision equipment maker as an executive officer before being appointed CEO in April 2023. He resigned on Oct. 28 after the allegations surfaced.
HARTFORD, Conn.  Former top Coast Guard officials hid a yearslong investigation into sexual assault and harassment at the services academy from both Congress and the public after leaders debated the fallout from a potential disclosure, according to a U.S. Senate committee report released Friday.

Coast Guard officials also took steps to remove references to the investigation, named Operation Fouled Anchor, from records submitted to Congress, according to the report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The report followed similar findings released last week by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

Todays report confirms and provides additional powerful evidence that the cover-up of sexual assault in the Coast Guard was deliberate and purposeful and longstanding, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who chairs the committee, said Friday. The public deserves an explanation. So do the survivors.

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More former Coast Guard cadets say academy failed to stop sex assault

A Coast Guard spokesperson released a statement Friday evening.

The Coast Guard is keenly aware of and is aggressively responding to the unacceptable activities underpinning the report  namely sexual assault and sexual harassment, the statement said. The Coast Guard is working proactively to prevent and reduce these devastating crimes, secure justice for survivors and provide the care and support victims need and deserve.

Messages to officials at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, were not immediately returned Friday. The Coast Guard previously apologized for how it handled sexual misconduct complaints and said it has made numerous improvements.

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Operation Fouled Anchor ran from 2014 to 2019. The investigation reviewed more than 100 allegations of sexual assault at the academy made from the early 1990s to 2006 and how they were handled. Coast Guard officials, however, did not fully disclose its existence to Congress or the public until last year. The existence of the investigation was first reported by CNN.

The investigation found that dozens of sexual assault and harassment cases involving academy cadets had been mishandled by the school, including the prevention of some perpetrators from being prosecuted.

When the investigation did become public, it sparked calls for reform and accountability for offenders and those who protected them. They also resulted in multiple government investigations and formal complaints by more than 20 former cadets who said they were sexually assaulted.

Fridays subcommittee report alleged that in 2018, Adm. Karl Schultz, the Coast Guard commandant at the time, made the decision to not publicly disclose Operation Foul Anchor, on the grounds that the investigation was not yet complete.

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That decision came after the vice commandant at the time, Adm. Charles Ray, who like Schultz has since retired, discussed the pros and cons of going external.

The subcommittee said a handwritten note by Ray said the pros of disclosing the investigation publicly included rip the band-aid off, being proactive and purging cultural guilt. The cons, Ray wrote, according to the congressional panel, included investigations without end and revictimizing people. Ray also wrote the problem is one of the past, according to the subcommittee.

Other Coast Guard officials presented three scenarios for how to handle Operation Fouled Anchor, with a recommendation to only discuss it if asked by Congress, the subcommittee said.

How a Coast Guard email erupted into a reckoning of sexual assault

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The officials recommended against fully notifying Congress, writing that any affirmative Congressional or external communication, especially if briefed under a singular investigatory moniker with a colorful title, vice separate investigations, will risk the initiation of comprehensive Congressional investigations, hearings, and media interest, according to the subcommittee.

Phone and text messages left at a listing for Schultz were not immediately returned Friday. Contact information for Ray could not immediately be found.

Schultz told CNN in an interview last week that he withheld the investigation from Congress because he was concerned elected officials would not protect victims privacy. He also denied allegations of a coverup and said he believed there was no legal obligation to give the investigation report to Congress.

Schultz and Ray became the top leaders of the Coast Guard in 2018. The previous leaders told the subcommittee that they had intended to disclose Operation Foul Anchor to Congress and the public.

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Fridays report also said the Coast Guard drafted at least 17 versions of a final report for Operation Foul Anchor. The longest, at 26 pages, detailed assaults at the academy. The final version was six pages and omitted much of the information in earlier drafts, the subcommittee said.

The subcommittees report also accused Coast Guard officials of repeatedly failing to comply with the panels investigation including by failing to produce documents, aggressively redacting documents and erroneously claiming some documents were privileged.

The Coast Guard responded that it has undergone an extensive effort to provide requested documents to Congress, including examining more than 1.8 million pages of emails, and has complied with congressional requests for information to the fullest extent.

The Senate subcommittee said its investigation is continuing.

With the decision to keep Operation Fouled Anchor from Congress and the public, the Coast Guard failed itself and its members who survived sexual assault and sexual harassment during their time in the service, the subcommittees report said.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens are among prominent Georgians paying tribute to former state Sen. Vincent Fort who died Sunday night.

Channel 2s Audrey Washington was at the State Capitol, where Fort served the community for many years and spoke to those remembering him in his passing.

Former State Senator, Vincent Fort passed away this weekend after a battle with cancer, his family confirmed. He was 68 years old.

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Fort was at one time the Democratic leader in the Georgia Senate. Those who knew him well remember him as a political giant. Known as a force in Georgia politics, the former state senator was honored by political figures across the aisle for his dedication to helping Georgians.

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A great politician has transitioned to be with the ancestors, Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs said. So, deep sadness.

He was a force in Georgia politics, with Griggs remembering how he grew up looking up to him and to be able to work with him in the movement was one of the great treasures of my life.

Griggs told Channel 2 Action News he last spoke with Fort just two months ago.

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Fort was a champion of liberal causes in Georgia, and was once a candidate for Atlanta mayor and U.S. Congress.

The former senator was known for his booming voice and activism. Fort penned the states first hate crimes law in 2000 and linked with protesters in the Occupy Atlanta movement, including being arrested in 2011.

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Griggs said one of Forts biggest fights and causes was equitable housing.

He was the first one to sound the alarm about rampant gentrification and the need to protect legacy homeowners, Griggs said.

On Monday, various leaders across Georgia reacted to Forts passing, with tributes pouring in.

Gov. Kemp wrote in a statement that Fort was a good man who faithfully served our state for over 20 years in the Georgia State Senate. While we had many political differences and spirited policy debates throughout the years, he was always respectful and wanted to do what was best for our citizens. Rest in peace, Senator.

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Mayor Dickens paid tribute as well, saying Vincent Fort has been my friend colleague, and advisor for nearly 12 years. He will go down in Atlantas history as a hero for civil, housing and human rights for all.

Members of the Atlanta City Council shared a statement saying in part that his legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.

Funeral arrangements for Fort are still being planned.

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(SALIDA)  Perfectly situated with a 360 snow-capped mountain view, the few acres under the leadership of Guidestone Colorado, a non-profit that focuses on farming in Chaffee County and surrounding areas, sit with rows of harvested crops.

Lauren Duncan lives in southern Colorado and used the plot of land and opportunities from Guidestone Colorado, to grow berries earlier this year  a first for her.

Its been a lifelong passion of mine. Just growing food and sharing food is something Ive always been passionate about, Duncan said. My second reason is I truly enjoy the work. My third is our son at home, hes 18 months old, and I really want him to learn that connection with the Earth and with this food.

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On the same land that Duncan grew and harvested berries earlier this year, a greenhouse sits with rows of greens growing. We have some Swiss chard and some lettuces and some strawberries, said Andrew Early Coen the Executive Director of Guidestone Colorado. But the community and school farm, where we are right now, is where we are growing produce for the school district lunch program and for the heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center.

Colorado Landlink is part of Guidestone Colorado, which focuses on ushering in the next generation of farmers.

We really see farming as a public service. Young people are not going into agriculture to make money. Theyre doing it in service to their community. But connecting farmers, heading to retirement, to those behind them. said Emma Litz Bilecky, the director of Colorado Landlink.

Agriculture is a huge part of our history in Colorado, but at the same time, were losing a lot of agricultural land. The purpose of our program is to help honor the legacy of agricultural producers who have stewarded this land for generations to the next generation of land seekers who, for various reasons, including discrimination, have struggled to gain access to land in order to make a livelihood work on the land.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials release 1 of 5 gray wolves onto public land in Grand County, Dec. 18, 2023. This wolf is known as 2302-OR. (Courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife)

Colorado officials have formally urged wildlife commissioners to deny a request to suspend the introduction of gray wolves as the states voter-mandated restoration program enters its second winter release season.

The staff recommendation from Colorado Parks and Wildlife was submitted to the 11 voting members of the Parks and Wildlife Commission on Saturday, ahead of an early January meeting where commissioners will weigh in on the petition, filed in September by a coalition of 26 livestock associations and other agricultural interest groups.

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Despite a tense first year of reintroduction following the release of 10 wolves in Grand and Summit counties in December 2023, officials say the agencys expanded efforts to prevent and manage conflicts with livestock provide a solid foundation for the future of the program.

Weve been listening to and working with all stakeholders in this historic restoration effort all year, CPW Director Jeff Davis said in a statement. The results are evident in our improved Conflict Minimization Program, the addition of new staff to work alongside producers, strengthened partnerships such as the Ad Hoc Working Group and the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and now clear guidelines for producers as it relates to chronic depredation and lethal management considerations.

The states wolf reintroduction program fulfills a voter-approved 2020 ballot initiative to reintroduce the animals in Colorado in the name of restoring ecological balance. The measure, Proposition 114, was passed by a narrow 51% to 49% margin, and though it includes provisions to compensate livestock producers for animals the wolves kill, it has been bitterly opposed by Colorados ranching industry.

CPW officials confirmed the depredations of nine cattle and 15 sheep in 2024, though industry groups claimed in their Sept. 27 rulemaking petition that their undocumented losses are higher. The petition, led by the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association and Club 20, a coalition of Western Slope businesses and county governments, asks CPW commissioners to order a halt to further releases until Colorados wolf management program is equipped to handle the consequences of these introductions.

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Weve had no further wolf releases in the last twelve months, so weve effectively been on pause.

 Rob Edward, president of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project

The request followed on the heels of a controversy over the Copper Creek pack, the first breeding pack to be established in Colorado as part of the states restoration efforts. Following a series of livestock depredations in and around the Middle Park area, the two adults and four pups that made up the pack were captured beginning in late August. The adult male wolf, which CPW officials said had sustained serious injuries prior to its capture, died after several days in captivity.

Given the turbulent start to this program, the program elements described below need to be funded and in place before any additional gray wolves are introduced in Colorado, the petition said.

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But CPW staff say many of those measures have been implemented in the ensuing months, including the creation of a state range rider program that will launch in early 2025. Range riders contracted by CPW and the state agriculture department will receive specialized training in deterrence and conflict mitigation techniques and will be deployed as needed throughout the summer and fall months when the potential for conflicts is highest.

Colorado wolf advocates and environmental groups applauded CPWs recommendation against a pause and efforts to expand its management program.

Weve had no further wolf releases in the last twelve months, so weve effectively been on pause, Rob Edward, president of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, said in a press release. During that time, CPW and the Colorado Department of Agriculture have built out robust livestock conflict minimization programs, and addressed all the points raised in the petition  the CPW staff recommendation puts a fine point on all of that.

Targeting a self-sustaining population

The states reintroduction plan, approved by the CPW commission in May 2023, calls for annual winter releases of 10 to 15 wolves per year in the programs first three to five years, with an initial target of a stable population of at least 50 animals within the state.

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In an Oct. 31 response to the ranchers petition, the agency argued that a pause would jeopardize its ability to meet its obligations under state law as mandated by Proposition 114. Already, despite plans to reduce a total 15 wolves in its first release season last year, the state agreed to reduce the number to 10 in response to pressure from ranching groups, Davis noted.

Ten has become seven, and seven may become five or even four, he wrote. Such a small number of wolves cannot adequately serve as a founding population to a self-sustaining population. Pausing releases for a year would essentially set us back to square one, at considerable cost that will only have to be duplicated as CPW continues to work to meet the mandates of state statute.

CPW announced earlier this year that it had reached an agreement with wildlife managers in the Canadian province of British Columbia to capture and relocate up to 15 wolves to Colorado between December 2024 and March 2025.

The task of sourcing wolves for Colorados reintroduction efforts has been complicated by a lack of cooperation from wildlife agencies in conservative-leaning Rocky Mountain states including Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, and at least one agreement  a deal to capture and relocate wolves from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Nation in the state of Washington  has fallen through.

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Wildlife advocates and CPW officials are also fending off efforts to restrict funding for the reintroduction program at the state Legislature, as lawmakers prepare to deal with a significant 2025 budget deficit.

Colorado has already invested significant resources in planning, public outreach, and initial wolf releases, advocates with a dozen conservation groups wrote to lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee in a Dec. 13 letter. Cutting funding now would waste these investments and potentially require even greater expenditures in the future to restart the program.

Overall, despite a contentious first year and the setback of the Copper Creek packs capture, wolf advocates have praised how CPW officials have navigated the challenges facing the reintroduction program.

No project of this magnitude goes off without a few hiccups and opportunities for improvement, Edward said. We expected some conflict with livestock production. Likewise, that some of the freshman class of wolves perished for various reasons cut us to the core, but didnt come as a surprise.

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Despite these challenges, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has proven themselves a world class wildlife management agency, he added.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  The economic and technological rivalry between the United States and China has come to the drone market, where Chinese-made flying devices are a dominant player.

Lawmakers in Washington are seeking to ban new sales of drones from two dominant Chinese manufacturers, arguing they could be used to spy on Americans and that the low-cost models are hurting the U.S. drone industry.

A defense bill that passed Congress last week would bar new Chinese drones from DJI Technology and Autel Robotics should a review find them to pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security.

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But American users, from police officers to farmers, mappers and filmmakers, have come to rely on Chinese-made drones, especially those by DJI.

Here are things to know about the debate.

Lawmakers say the drones pose a national security threat

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who is President-elect Donald Trumps pick to be U.N. ambassador, has led House efforts to ban new Chinese drones, saying Americans have become too dependent on them.

It is strategically irresponsible to allow Communist China to be our drone factory, she argued.

It was the role of drones in everyday life that drove Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to get Congress to restrict the purchase of Chinese drones by federal agencies. Those restrictions were included in a bill that Democratic President Joe Biden signed last year.

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Scott has compared Chinese drones to spy balloons that could gather data or carry harmful payloads across America, posing risks to military bases, critical infrastructure and natural resources.

Drones made by DJI dominate the US market

DJI, named in the bill, is the best-known Chinese drone brand. The company has the lions share of the global drone market and is a dominant player in the U.S. market. Its drones have been used by first responders to locate disaster victims, mappers to survey roads and utility lines, mosquito control officers to reach swarms of larvae, and filmmakers to capture aerial footage.

Founded in 2006 and based in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, DJI makes devices that are known for their affordability and high performance. They are even used on the battlefield in Ukraine by both sides, even though DJI does not make military drones.

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As U.S.-China relations soured, DJI drones have come under scrutiny. The U.S. government has put the company on several blacklists citing human rights concerns as well as alleged links to the Chinese military. DJI has denied any wrongdoing, and is suing the Pentagon over the designation that it is a Chinese military company.

U.S. customs officials have also blocked some DJI shipments over concerns that the products might have been made with forced labor. DJI has called it a customs-related misunderstanding."

DJI has also expressed concern about the review of Chinese drones included in the defense bill., saying it doesn't allow the company to defend itself. It called for "a fair right of reply to any findings.

Users say Chinese drones can't be easily replaced

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Russell Hedrick, a North Carolina farmer, flies drones to spray fertilizers on his corn, bean and wheat fields at a fraction of what it would cost him to use a conventional ground spreader. A drone spreader costs $35,000, while a ground sprayer would cost $250,000, he said.

As a volunteer rescuer, Hedrick uses thermal drones to search for people trapped by mudslides and cargo drones to send water and baby formula to those who are stranded  something he did after Hurricane Helene.

I am not going to say I wont love to have U.S. drones, but I dont see the American drones as anywhere close to the DJI drones in terms of reliability, ease of use, and just the user-friendly software, Hedrick said. The U.S. drones are not as good as DJI ones but cost twice as much.

At the Interior Department, the ban on foreign-made drones has resulted in a loss of opportunities to collect data on landscape, natural and cultural resources, wildlife and infrastructure, according to a September report by the Government Accountability Office.

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Michael Robbins, president and chief executive officer of AUVSI, an advocacy group for unmanned vehicles such as drones, argues against an immediate ban. Instead, the group has urged the government to support the domestic drone-making industry through investment so it can catch up with its Chinese competitors in both capability and cost.

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NEW YORK (PIX11)  Thousands of first responders who received financial aid from the World Trade Center Health Program were left to fend for themselves.

Congress left the program out of the budget bill last Friday to avoid a government shutdown.

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Just two days before Congress left the program out, first responders had celebrated that the 9/11 health compensation bill was going to be funded until 2040. However, by Friday that celebration turned into outrage.

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There are 130,000 Americans in the WTC health care program this is not a New York City problem, its Americas problem. 9/11 affected everybody in New York immediately but its affected the entire country said FDNY Firefighters Association president, Andrew Ansbro.

Approved 14 years ago, the CDCs World Trade Center Health Program covers medical expenses for first responders and survivors suffering from 9/11-related illnesses.

James Brosi, FDNY Fire Officers Association president says This bill would have been passed so peoples lives could be longer so while they are diagnosed with the most diagnosed with the most horrific cancers, they might have some dignity and quality of life in the process.

Biden signs bill that averts a government shutdown

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Thousands of Americans have been diagnosed with several illnesses after being exposed to the toxic air at ground zero. The programs lack of funding will cause treatments for first responders and survivors to be rationed. FDNY union representatives are asking Congress to take definitive action. We are asking for stability in the government to just get ahead of this and make a stand-alone bill everyone keep your hands off it and stop horse-trading with the lives of New York Citys first responders are not pork to be traded back and forth and bargain with, said Ansbro.



Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in a statement said, Thousands of Americans risked their lives to protect our country in its darkest hour, and it is now our responsibility as members of Congress to be there for them as they continue to battle the horrific health ramifications from that day and the many days after. But for James Brosi, that statement falls short for the two senators who held the majority for the last four years who have worked tirelessly working on this but came up short find the way.

A new Congress will resume in January. First responders say they will continue fighting for permanent funding.

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Dec. 23CONNEAUT  The Conneaut Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for nominees for its Citizen of the Year award.

Chamber Executive Director Wendy DuBey said the award focuses on volunteering and charity.

"[Citizen of the Year is] designed to be awarded to individuals doing activities outside of their employment," she said.

People can submit nominations by stopping by the chamber's office at 929 Broad St., mailing them to P.O. Box 886 in Conneaut or emailing conneautchamber@gwcmail.net.

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Nominations must be submitted by 3 p.m. Dec. 30.

DuBey said people have to submit the person's name and biographical information sourced from the nominee's family and friends.

"We're celebrating so many good things in our community," she said.

Ballots are sent to former award recipients and chamber presidents.

The Citizen of the Year will be announced at the Chamber's Annual Dinner Meeting Feb. 25, 2025 at the New Leaf Event Center.

DuBey said the award has been around as long as she can remember.

"I'm always in awe of what the recipients do for the community," she said.

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At the dinner, the chamber will give out four Chamber Champion awards.

Nominees for the other awards are submitted by chamber members, and the winners are chosen by the chamber board.

In a press release from the chamber, CACC President Lori Riley said the dinner recognizes people who have helped Conneaut "grow and prosper."

The press release from the chamber said the criteria for each award are broad, so civic and economic efforts can be recognized.

Three awards are given our every year to an individual or business:

The Professional Achievement Award is given out for a great career with major contributions to their profession or community.

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The Leadership Award is for major enterprise or job achievements.

The President's Award is for advancing the chamber's work in Conneaut.

The fourth award is the Legacy Award, which is always an option, but is not always given out, DuBey said.

This award is presented to city individuals with extensive careers and focuses on how their work will extend after their departure.

The award was designed when Judge Thomas Harris left Conneaut, she said.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 23, 2024 - 21:28 | World, All, Japan

An organization in Sri Lanka posing as an IT company is recruiting locals who speak Japanese to target Japanese nationals with investment scams, a local who briefly worked there has told Kyodo News.

While the extent of the damage caused by the phone scammers is unknown, the former worker said in an interview last month that he heard that some victims had transferred as much as 30 million yen ($192,000) to the organization's account from Japan.

There have been a series of phone and online fraud committed by Japanese scammers based in Southeast Asian countries, but cases in South Asia involving locals hired to victimize people in Japan appear to be rare.

The Sri Lankan man, who is fluent in Japanese after having worked in Japan, said the organization in Colombo, the capital, appeared to involve more than 100 workers, though apparently without any Japanese among them.

He quit the job as he was hesitant to be engaged in defrauding people in the country he feels gratitude toward for his stay.

The man said he found the job information in a Facebook post, which offered a salary of about 250,000 Sri Lankan rupees ($855). He was given a list of telephone numbers in Japan to call from a room in the building where the company's office is located.

He was instructed to make investment sales pitches in Japanese by phone, using an app to conceal the origin of the call from Sri Lanka.

Related coverage:

Amazon Japan suspected of forcing retailers to cut product prices

Facebook owner Meta faces $2.8 million lawsuits in Japan over fake ads

Japan woman likely swindled out of 100 million yen in marriage scam
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH)  Fire safety is a top priority for firefighters, especially during the holiday season.

Nationwide, fires claim the lives of more than 400 people and injure 1600 more annually, according to the Commission on Fire Prevention and Control.

On Friday, a house fire killed an 81-year-old man in Montville. Later that night in Ansonia, 10 adults and two children were displaced after an apartment fire.

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In Hartford, crews put out a kitchen fire Sunday at an apartment building on West Boulevard. One man did not survive. A little over 24 hours later, a fire broke out at a multi-unit building on Adams Street, displacing 15 people.

It is sad, because it is cold outside, neighbor Phillippa Pratt said. So, I came down to see if theres more people, because my kids have a lot sweats, so I could give it to them so they could warm up.

Crews spend hours in frigid temperatures putting out these fires. Alan Zygmunt, the public information officer for the Connecticut Fire Academy, said fire departments will often call in extra help so crews can limit exposure to the cold.

The water that were using to suppress the fire is freezing on contact with services, so it creates an additional effort, he said.

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Zygmunt added that that kitchen, electrical and HVAC malfunctions are leading causes of home fires and injuries.

One of the best advices we could give people is to always make sure your heating system is inspected annually to make sure its working more efficiently that helps you save money but also ensures that its working properly, he said.

You can also prevent fires by double checking Christmas decorations like lights that could cause an electrical fire. Before you go to bed, its best to unplug lights and blow out candles to keep your family safe.

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(Photo courtesy of San Jose Public Library via Flickr | CC-BY-SA 2.0/The Daily Montanan).

A recent column in the Independent Florida Alligator laments how college professors and other educators who teach disfavored subjects or use certain words are beginning to self-censor.

The headline reads, Think While Its Still Legal.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and his angry regime arent big fans of thinking. Or learning.

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They hate and fear knowledge: How dare these so-called experts with their years of study and their graduate degrees dispute the states most cherished prejudices?

Many Floridians agree: Expertise is for losers.

Dr. Joseph Ladapo is shown with Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sept. 21, 2021. (Photo by Michael Moline/Florida Phoenix)

Thats why the state surgeon general inveighs against vaccines, alters medical reports, and is now having hysterics over fluoridated water.

Thats why the state commissioner of education rejected an Advanced Placement course in African American History as woke indoctrination because it explored the horrors of slavery.

Thats why Florida universities are now under siege from right-wing ideologues  like DeSantis himself  who think Marxist professors seduce innocent undergraduates into becoming trans feminist America-hating DEI activists.

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The result? Our universities are have fallen several places in the rankings for public institutions.

(Yes, Florida is still called one of the best states for higher ed, but that measures level of student debt at graduation, percent who get jobs, etc., not actual intellectual accomplishment).

Our SAT scores are dropping like rocks off a cliff face, too.

Florida now ranks 47th in the nation in K-12 education.

Dedicated teachers have been leaving the profession: Maybe because their pay ranks 50th in the nation  down from 48 last year.

The good news is third grade reading scores are up: 53% can now read at or above grade level.

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The bad news: That just a little over half. On a regular test, thats a D-.

This isnt cheap

The worse news: You, Florida taxpayer, are now shelling out $15.6 million to an education technology outfit in Maryland to put together a statewide, centralized, easily accessible system for anyone from parents to random ideologues to examine materials in Florida libraries and classrooms.

The state pretends this is about transparency; but we all know its about finding books to object to, demanding certain instructional documents be removed, and protesting anything they deem inappropriate.

Its a tool to make it easier to ban books  and Florida already bans more books than any other state in the nation.

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Not a distinction to be proud of.

We shouldnt be surprised: The minute somebody shows up at a meeting and hollers about And Tango Makes Three (the true story of two male penguins raising a chick), or Sold, Patricia McCormicks novel about human trafficking, or George Johnsons All Boys Arent Blue, school boards yank it off the shelf.

Ignorance aint cheap: To give just one example, the Escambia County school board has already spent $440,000 plus another $200,000 on a related lawsuit, defending its book-banning habits against the parents, students, PEN America, Penguin Random House, and others who are quite sure reading a book about gay penguins will not make kids turn gay.

U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II told the school board they should settle asap, given they could end up having to pay all or part of Plaintiffs attorneys fees on top of its own attorneys fees if Plaintiffs prevail in this case.

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Its taxpayer money, but conservatives figure protecting Floridas youth from the painful realities of history and the scary realities of the present day is a great way to spend your hard-earned cash.

Freedom of expression be damned.

Kids arent stupid

This absurd waste of public money may appease Moms for Liberty, neo-Puritan evangelicals, and everybody else terrified of 21st Century realities.

They fear Their Youth will discover that 1. Racism has been part of the fabric of the U.S. since its founding; 2. Slavery was not vocational training; 3. People have sex; 4. Sometimes gay sex.

What this nonsense does NOT accomplish is advancing education in Florida.

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Moreover, these hysterics may deny it, but their children already know about sex.

Their children have cellphones.

Those probably know less about the history of Native American genocide, the slave trade, anti-Asian exclusion laws, lynching, the moral ambiguities of war, and other aspects of our national story that do not proclaim that we are the greatest country in the world.

Their solution? Tell kids they cant read Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and other authors.

Not just their kids  yours, too.

But no matter how much these book-banners try to shield their children from reality. Everyone eventually crashes into it.

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The question is: Will they be equipped to handle it?

Will they know how to interrogate what authorities tell them?

Will they know how to think?

Assuming its still legal.

Theres a world out there in which war is not peace and ignorance is not strength.
A wilderness designation is the right way to protect the Owyhee River corridor, writes guest columnist Zachary Collier. (Courtesy of Zachary Collier)

As President Joe Biden leaves office, a flurry of conservation groups are convincing him to invoke the Antiquities Act to designate national monuments. The original intent of the Antiquities Act was to add protection to federal lands in order to keep people from looting Native American artifacts. This act was signed into law in 1906, and today, it is a tool conservationists use to protect public lands.

When President Barack Obama left office, a similar effort was made to convince him to use the Antiquities Act to designate an Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument. While in office, although he designated 29 national monuments, including Bears Ears, Gold Butte, Basin and Range, and Berryessa National Monuments, he did not protect the Owyhee Canyonlands.

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At the end of President Obamas term, I traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for the Owyhee Canyonlands since we run five-day rafting trips there, and I liked the idea of protecting this place I work at and love. After talking to congressional staffers and members of President Obamas administration, I learned that there was not enough support from Oregons congressional delegation. This surprised me, and after I looked into it further, I learned that Oregonians who lived around the Owyhee River at the time were adamantly opposed to a national monument.

As I thought about this over the next few years, I realized that not designating the Owyhee River Canyonlands as a national monument was the right decision. We were asking President Obama to set aside public lands against the will of the people who lived near those lands. I feel that U.S. Rep. Greg Walden and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, who represented Oregonians, were in touch with the will of those people.

Its not that the people of Southeast Oregon are against protecting the Owyhee River Canyonlands. The Owyhee is in their backyard, and it is a place they love, cherish and respect. They want it protected by the Wilderness Act with legislation, which requires vigorous debate and taking all parties interests into account.

What occurred at the end of President Obamas presidency is happening now. People who dont live in Southeast Oregon are pushing hard for a national monument against the will of those who live there. In 2016, the push for a national monument drove a wedge between conservationists and those who lived and worked in Southeast Oregon. Conservationists lost the trust and respect of those who lived near the Owyhee, making it much more challenging to work on a wilderness designation in the following years.

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In my opinion, a wilderness designation is the right way to protect the Owyhee River corridor. I work as an outfitter on four other rivers that are similar to the Owyhee River. Each of them flows through the wilderness, and I can attest that the Owyhee River has similar characteristics. Wilderness designations require an act of Congress that is much more difficult to obtain than simply the signature of the president required for a national monument. I firmly believe that although it is more difficult to achieve a wilderness designation, it is the right thing to do.

There is reason to be more hopeful than ever for wilderness legislation. Sen. Wydens Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act includes the Mary Gautreaux Owyhee River Canyon Wilderness in honor of a woman deeply committed to protecting the Owyhee River. This bill was written with input from locals, business owners, and the conservation community. U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz represents Eastern Oregon and is also advocating for the Owyhee River with a similar bill in the House. We now have bicameral and bipartisan support for wilderness legislation for the Owyhee River.

I fear that by pushing for a national monument, the conservation community is once again losing the trust of those who live in Southeast Oregon. We made this mistake in 2016, and I dont want to make it again. Sen. Wyden has been dedicated to protecting the Owyhee River, and I humbly ask the conservation community to follow his lead and put our time and energy behind his efforts toward permanent legislative protection for the Owyhee River Canyonlands.

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A heated battle over a close Supreme Court election in North Carolina escalated last week when the trailing Republican candidate asked a court to throw out 60,000 ballots cast in the November election, a move that Democrats and other critics have charged is a product of the modern GOP's increasing hostility to democracy.

The Republican, Appellate Court Judge Jefferson Griffin, had challenged sitting Democratic Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs in the race to sit on North Carolina's highest court. He sued the state board of elections on Dec. 18 after it denied his electoral challenge last week. Griffin then asked the Republican-majority Supreme Court to stop the board from counting more than 60,000 votes, including provisional ballots and those cast overseas, and requested an immediate pause on the certification of the election results. The state board of elections removed the case to federal court the next day.

In an interview with Salon, Justice Riggs said she is "saddened and disappointed" that the effort to contest her narrow victory has reached this point.

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"As a sitting judge, I take a solid oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of North Carolina and the United States  as does every sitting judge or justice in the state court  and we have an obligation, moral and constitutional, to respect the will of North Carolina voters," Riggs said.

Riggs, who was appointed to the Supreme Court seat in 2023, won the November election by just 734 votes out of more than 5.7 million ballots cast. Two recounts  one full machine and one partial hand recount  have since confirmed her slim victory, which isn't unprecedented in the state's Supreme Court elections.

In filing his election challenge, Griffin followed in the footsteps of President-elect Donald Trump and Arizona politician and Trump appointee Kari Lake, who both took aggressive and at times legally dubious actions to overturn their election losses. Griffin's escalation  bypassing state law that says county trial courts should hear appeals to election board decisions  also raises concerns about the precedent the GOP candidate's efforts set for the state's electoral processes going forward and whether it could serve as an election-denial model for others.

In the suit, Griffin's attorneys accuse the Democrat-controlled State Board of Elections of unlawfully and erroneously counting thousands of votes citing, in part, their incomplete voter registration applications  an argument the elections board rejected. Some registrations are incomplete because voters did not provide or were never asked to provide their driver's license or last four digits of their Social Security number.

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A federal court ruling in favor of throwing out those votes would allow Griffin to take the lead in the race. The court, which is already hearing a related lawsuit from the North Carolina Democratic Party, could also rule against Griffin, which would prevent the GOP-led state Supreme Court from deciding in his favor. Indeed, U.S. Chief District Judge Richard Myers, appointed to the bench by Trump in 2019, last week ruled against Griffin's request for a temporary restraining order that would have blocked the certification of his loss.

As a former voting rights attorney and sitting judge, Riggs said she views respecting precedent as an obligation, pointing to North Carolina court, federal court and the state board's bipartisan vote to reject these electoral challenges. She said it's concerning that the suit suggests one can attempt to retroactively change state election rules after an election took place, which would fly in the face of a long-held election law principle prohibiting changes shortly before a race so as not to confuse voters.

Also of concern, she said, are the implications of the challenge on North Carolina's voters and their electoral choices.

"There are real people behind these challenges, and it's not politics  it's people's lives and their rights," Riggs said.

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The attempt to invalidate a broad swath of the votes touches almost every North Carolinian, either because they are on the list or know someone who is. Riggs noted that her own parents' ballots have been challenged and recalled seeing her mother's confusion and father's indignation  producing his military ID, utility bills and other documents  after learning they were included on the list of voters flagged as ineligible.

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"I continue to be distraught about the fact that my parents had about the best advice and insight they could receive because I was in this situation [to help them], and so many other North Carolinians did not," she said.

Riggs urged leaders across the nation to pay attention to the stories of her parents and other North Carolinians swept up in Griffin's legal effort to overturn her victory, "not out of any despair, but a sense of empowerment that we have to be vigilant" in defending democracy.

"We need to remember that this is about voters and their choices," she added. "Sometimes maybe democracy breaks your heart, but if you believe in the institutions and the dream that our founders had, I think you have to be willing to say, 'I am not going to try to burn things down if I don't win.'"
BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN)  A local contractor on probation from three different courts for theft charges is in the Mahoning County Jail on a domestic violence charge.

Read next: Vehicle crashes into utility pole in Youngstown; driver takes off

John Bartos, 42, was booked into the jail Saturday by Boardman police, jail records show.

More information is expected to be available later Monday.

Bartos was sentenced to probation by courts in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties for taking money from clients for work he never completed. He said when sentenced in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court a series of bad decisions and gambling issues were responsible.

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Bartos has made restitution in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, where he was sentenced to probation and a 120-day jail sentence. In May, he was also sentenced to 90 days in jail in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW)  A man convicted of killing two employees at Crescom Bank in Conway in 2017 is among 37 people on death row who had their sentences commuted to life by President Joe Biden.

Donna Major (left) and Katie Skeen (right)

Brandon Council was convicted in September 2019 in the double murders of Donna Major and Katie Skeen after a three-week trial. The next month in federal court, he was sentenced to death.

About a month after he was sentenced to death, Council asked for a new sentencing trial based on contradictory statements regarding Councils motives. A judge denied that request in December 2019.

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Major and Skeens deaths shook the community. Just before Skeen was killed at 36, Pastor David Lyle says she had started a foundation called Miles for Miles in memory of Pastor Kenneth Davis son, who was also shot and killed in October 2016.

She was instrumental and very passionate about having a place for troubled teens to come and to get help and get straightened out and moved in the right direction, and we believe that legacy and that light she started is going to live on, Lyle said.

The city of Conway said in a Facebook post Monday it disagreed with Bidens decision, adding that it only served to reopen old wounds that our community has spent years trying to heal.

The federal court system properly weighed the evidence, ruled on each submission under the backdrop of its constitutional relevance and admissibility, and an impartial jury deliberated and rendered a verdict in keeping with the rule of law, the citys statement said.

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Also Monday, U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, R-7th District, slammed Bidens ruling.

Joe Bidens clemency for death row inmates disgraces victims memories nationwide, like Donna Major of Conway and Katie Skeen of Green Sea, he said in a post on X. This shows shocking disregard for innocent families pain, right at Christmas. Jan. 20 cannot come soon enough.

Biden did not commute the sentences of three others on death row  Dylann Roof, convicted of the 2015 killings of nine Black members of a Charleston church; the 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who shot and killed 11 congregants at Pittsburghs Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history, according to the Associated Press.

Other inmates on death row with Grand Strand connections that were commuted by Biden included Brandon Basham and Chad Fulks. The two were sentenced to death for carjacking and kidnapping a Galivants Ferry woman in 2002.

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In 2002, Basham was serving the final years of a felony forgery conviction sentence at the Hopkins County Detention Center in Kentucky. In October of that year, Fulks became Bashams new cell mate. In early November, Fulks was charged with an additional state offense of first-degree abuse of a child aged twelve years or younger.

On Nov. 4, 2002, Basham and Fulks escaped the detention center together by scaling a wall in the recreation area and leaving the area on foot. That escape led to 17-day crime spree.

Fulks and Basham got the death sentence for the kidnapping and murder of Alice Donovan, 44.

* * *

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.

* * *

Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
Thomas Perez Jr. was hours into an interrogation by police about his missing father when they dropped some devastating news: A body had been found.

Thomas Perez Sr., they told his son, was dead.

The news crushed Perez, but he never considered that the authorities could be lying.

They were. The tale of his father on a gurney in the morgue was a deception used to push Perez to confess to killing him.

Over several more hours, interview transcripts show, detectives shut Perez down when, again and again, he told them he hadnt harmed anyone. Instead, they hammered him with accusations. Exhausted, in despair and desperate to stop the pounding," Perez said later, he finally agreed with police that he had killed his father.

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Then, he tried to hang himself using a shoelace  hours before his father was located, alive and well.

"They were not listening to me telling them the truth," Perez told Times reporters recently, trying to explain why he would falsely confess. "Their continual attack on me came to the point where I no longer wanted to tolerate it. I felt, I have to end this."

In their push to break down a man they suspected of being a killer, Fontana officers were drawing on the playbook of a combative and sometimes deceptive interrogation philosophy that has been widely embraced by police departments across the country for almost 80 years. It is a method that trains detectives to pursue a confession and be unrelenting in their questioning when they believe they have the guilty suspect, and even lie about evidence.

The method is so widespread that it has been glamorized in film and TV procedurals such as "Law and Order": a tough and driven detective goes into "the box," as interrogation rooms are sometimes called, and obtains a confession from a suspect through trickery or sheer force of will. Some policing experts say that, properly used, the method can elicit truth from criminals who are lying.

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But increasingly, critics and criminal justice experts  including both law enforcement leaders and civil rights advocates  have raised concerns that the method, especially if deployed irresponsibly or to excess, can lead to false confessions and fabricated testimony, putting the wrong person behind bars and leaving criminals free to commit more crimes. In recent years, some experts have been pushing a newer method of interviewing suspects, developed by intelligence services in the wake of the 911 terrorist attacks, that discourages lying to suspects and focuses on gaining information and building rapport.

There is no question in my mind that there are innocent people sitting in prison, based on the approach the law enforcement took, said retired Los Angeles Police Department Det. Tim Marcia, who helped the LAPD's elite Robbery-Homicide Division adopt more modern methods of interrogation.

A 2003 photo of Los Angeles Police Department Dets. Rick Jackson, left, and Tim Marcia unpacking evidence related to a 20yearold murder case. (Los Angeles Times)

About 13% of exonerations since 1989  totaling 458 people  have involved false confessions, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, a project of UC Irvine, University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. One 2016 study by the Innocence Project found that about 50% of the time, the real culprits in those crimes were later located through DNA, and had gone on to collectively commit an additional 142 violent crimes.

Amid concerns about the practice, the California Legislature in 2021 passed a law requiring all training for investigators be science-based methods. The law was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who noted the potential costs to the state of making such training mandatory.

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Now, lacking that mandate, there is a culture war within California law enforcement about how suspects should be interrogated. Some have embraced the new approach, among them El Dorado County Dist. Atty. Vern Pierson, who helped write the vetoed legislation. "It's ethical and more effective," he said.

Others say police, when faced with lying criminals out to do harm, must sometimes lie and pressure them in the interests of public safety.

"There are times where it's extremely valuable to solve crimes and to, you know, get to the end of a case," said Fontana Police Chief Michael Dorsey.

Fontana recently paid Perez $900,000 to settle a lawsuit he filed against the department over the 2018 episode, and Dorsey said that his department has instituted some changes in the wake of the Perez case.

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But telling officers not to lie during interrogations is not among them.

For a year, The Times has investigated this divide around interrogations, examining methods as well as multiple cases involving false confessions.

Part One: The wrong guy

El Dorado County Dist. Atty. Vern Pierson has become a leading critic of commonly used police interrogation tactics he believes can lead to false confessions. (Max Whittaker / For The Times)

Pierson, the El Dorado County D.A., is in some respects about as far from a progressive prosecutor as it is possible to be. A former expert marksman in the Army, he is a conservative Republican elected in a deep red county and an author of Proposition 36, the new tough on crime law California voters approved last November.

When he took office in 2007, Pierson was skeptical of reform advocates, such as the Innocence Project, that claimed there were untold numbers of people wrongly locked up in prisons around the country.

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I kind of have a love-hate relationship with the Innocence Project, he said. I appreciate what they do.  But on the other hand, I think sometimes, oftentimes, you know, they're representing people who are factually guilty.

Then, he discovered his office had locked up someone for murder who was, in fact, innocent.

After an investigation prompted by the Northern California Innocence Project, Pierson in 2020 asked the court to exonerate Ricky Davis, who had been convicted of the 1985 murder of Jane Hylton, a newspaper columnist. In 2022, Pierson convicted another man, Michael Green, for her murder, based on new DNA evidence.

Ricky Davis addresses the court at the 2024 exoneration hearing of Connie Dahl. Davis and Dahl were wrongfully convicted of a 1985 murder after Dahl provided a false confession. (Jose Luis Villegas / For the Times)

Earlier this year, Pierson also posthumously exonerated Connie Dahl, who falsely confessed to helping Davis carry out the crime, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and died in 2014 after helping to convict Davis.

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The experience affected Pierson profoundly. He became convinced that Dahl had broken under the relentless questioning of detectives who had been trained to use deception and aggressively pursue confessions once they had identified a suspect. Detectives had falsely told Dahl there was physical evidence linking her to the crime.

Pierson personally went to Davis' cell to tell him he was being freed, and promised Davis he would work to make sure others were not convicted with false confessions gleaned from "guilt-presumptive" interrogations that assumed from the start that detectives had the right person.

"I told him, I'm going to change the way law enforcement is trained, and the way detectives, specifically, do interviews and interrogations," Pierson recalls. "And I, you know, I intend to do that."

But as Pierson would discover, like many reformers before him, that meant changing a mindset that has been entrenched for generations.

Part Two: The third degree

A 1925 photo of prosecutor Buron Fitts, left. As L.A. County's district attorney from 1928 to 1940, Fitts presided over cases in which defendants later said they had confessed after investigators beat them. (Los Angeles Times)

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In the first decades of the 20th century, police officers across the country had an astonishingly effective method of getting suspects they believed guilty of certain crimes to confess.

It was known as the third degree and involved tactics that today would be considered torture: brutal beatings; deprivation of food, water, sleep and toilets; prolonged confinement. Despite being illegal, the approach was widespread, according to a 1931 report from the federal Department of Justice. That report, as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren would later point out, also cautioned that the method involves also the dangers of false confessions and tends to make police and prosecutors less zealous in the search for objective evidence.

But no one could say it didnt work: In some departments, police were clearing huge numbers of homicides.

Still, eventually, the U.S. Supreme Court put a stop to it. In 1936, the court found, in Brown vs. Mississippi, that confessions obtained by use of torture would not be admissible in court. Four years later, in Chambers vs. Florida, the court tossed confessions made after interrogations under circumstances calculated to inspire terror.

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The message got through to law enforcement agencies across the country: Infliction of physical pain and duress was out. But it left many detectives with a pressing question: How were they supposed to solve crimes going forward?

John Reid, a former Chicago police officer and polygraph expert, and Fred E. Inbau, a criminologist and former director of Northwestern Law School's Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory, had an answer.

Rather than beat people suspected of crimes until they confessed, the two developed an interrogation method designed to get people to talk without laying a finger on them.

The Reid Technique, as it came to be known, relies on insights from behavioral science to help police officers determine if a suspect is likely guilty, or if a witness is telling the truth. The three basic steps are to gather evidence; talk to those involved in non-confrontational, fact-gathering interviews; then interrogate those suspected of guilt.

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The interrogation is meant to leave a suspect little room to lie or evade, and detectives are taught that they should do the majority of the talking, according to Joseph Buckley, president of John E. Reid and Associates, the for-profit company that provides training in the method. While investigators are told not to falsely offer leniency, they are taught to present moral or psychological justifications for crimes that could work to put the subject at ease.

"In most instances, it's easier for someone to acknowledge that they've done something if, in their mind, they can kind of minimize their culpability," Buckley said.

You committed the crime  but you had a good reason to do it, the detective might say, for example. A child molester might be told that the victim looked older, or that the investigator, too, finds the child to be attractive.

"The core of the Reid interrogation process is 'theme development,' in which the investigator presents a moral or psychological excuse for the subjects behavior. The interrogation theme reinforces the subjects rationalizations or justifications for committing the crime," Reid and Associates explains in a bulletin titled "Common Erroneous and False Statements About the Reid Technique."

The Reid Technique also condones lying in certain circumstances, as long as it doesn't involve "incontrovertible or dispositive evidence," noting that the Supreme Court in 1969 in Frazier vs. Cupp ruled that police lying to a suspect did not make an "otherwise voluntary confession inadmissible."

Reid trainings were soon used by police departments across the country. Quickly, competitors tweaked the method and opened their own training companies based on similar principles. Today, there are many companies across the U.S. that teach a version of interrogations that includes deception and the notion that, with proper training, officers can detect when someone is lying.

A 2004 photo of Washington D.C. Metro Police Det. Jim Trainum. (James M. Thresher / Getty Images)

It does work, said retired Washington D.C. Metro Police Det. Jim Trainum, who said he embraced the approach when he became a homicide detective in the 1990s after buying and studying a book Reid and Inbau wrote together, "Criminal Interrogation and Confessions.

But Trainum said he soon discovered something else. The method, he said, works too well.

Trainum has since retired and authored his own book: How the Police Generate False Confessions: An Inside Look at the Interrogation Room. He recounted a case he worked in the 1990s, when a man was found savagely beaten to death by the banks of the Anacostia River. The man had been robbed, and his credit card had been used all over town.

Police had a composite sketch of the person using the card, and after it was circulated, a tip led them to a 19-year-old woman living in a homeless shelter. Police obtained samples of her handwriting, and went to a handwriting expert, who declared them to be a match to receipt signatures for charges on the dead mans credit card.

During the first hours of her interrogation, the woman denied all knowledge of the crime. Trainum, unrelenting, continued to deploy tactics he believed would get to the truth.

Finally, Trainum recounted, she tells us that, 'youre right. I signed the credit card slips.'

A breakthrough.

Read more: Pressured by cops, a mom made a false murder confession. Now, her sons can prove she's innocent

The detectives kept at her. After 17 hours, she had confessed that she knew the dead man. He had abused her. So she and some friends had abducted and beaten him. The woman, who had a baby back at the homeless shelter she was anxious to return to, said she hadnt meant for him to die.

She was charged with murder and locked up  away from her baby  to await trial.

Then she recanted.

Trumain decided to gather more evidence against her. He went to the homeless shelter where she lived  which had a strict sign in/sign out policy  to get its logs, to prove she was out at the time of the mans abduction and during the times she had used his credit card.

Papers in hand, he said, he was driving back to the station when he started to glance through them. I about wrecked the car, he said. According to that [log] book, there was no way she could have committed that murder.

In confusion, Trumain went to a second handwriting expert, this one at the FBI, to make sure that evidence, at least, would hold up. Another nasty surprise: The FBIs expert said the handwriting didnt match.

At that point, Trumain realized he had overlooked something big: The woman had an infant. This meant she would have been seven months pregnant at the time of the murder. The suspect they were looking for had not appeared pregnant at all.

He had locked up the wrong person.

(The woman later told the radio program "This American Life" that she had confessed because she was exhausted, police werent listening to her and if she told them something, perhaps they would let her go home.)

Trainum was shaken. I feel bad, he said. But I feel confused. Why would she have confessed?

Buckley, the president of Reid & Associates, said he is not familiar with the details of Trainum's case, but that in most instances of false confessions he has examined, investigators have not followed best practices.

"It's usually that they're engaging in inappropriate behaviors that the courts have long deemed to be coercive," Buckley said.

Part Three: Why do innocent people confess?

Still, the question of why innocent people confess was coming up more and more often in the 1990s, after the introduction of forensic DNA testing that provided hard evidence of innocence or guilt.

The first DNA exoneration happened in 1989, freeing a Chicago man in prison for a rape that never occurred. The alleged teenage victim, frightened that her parents might discover she was sexually active, later admitted she had fabricated the story. After that, DNA exonerations became almost common, and startling similarities between the cases began to emerge.

Richard Leo, a law professor at the University of San Francisco and a leading expert on the topic, said police-induced false confessions are a leading cause of wrongful conviction of the innocent.

Though about a quarter of DNA exonerations involve a false confession, that percentage jumps to more than 34% for those who were under 18 when wrongfully convicted, and 69% for those with mental disabilities, according a 2022 analysis by the National Registry of Exonerations.

The percentage of wrongful convictions that include false confessions also leaped when the crime was a homicide. Sixty percent of wrongful convictions for people found guilty of homicide involved a false confession, according to Saul Kassin, the author of the 2022 book Duped: Why Innocent People Confess and Why We Believe Their Confessions.

One early study in 2004 found that 84% of documented false confessions happened when interrogations lasted longer than six hours.

That was a factor in one of the most notorious false confession cases, that of the Central Park Five, now known as the Exonerated Five.

In 1989, in a crime that transfixed New York City, five teenagers, Black and Hispanic, were convicted of participating in a violent assault on a jogger in Central Park. All five were interrogated for hours by detectives and ultimately implicated themselves. They recanted, but it was too late. They were convicted and spent years in prison before a confession by the real perpetrator and DNA evidence proved they had not been involved in the crime.

When we were arrested, the police deprived us of food, drink or sleep for more than 24 hours, one of the five, Yusef Salaam, now a member of the New York City Council, wrote in 2016 in the Washington Post. Under duress, we falsely confessed."

After spending 17 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit, Lombardo Palacios walks out of the Los Angeles County courthouse a free man with his mother, Claudia Ortiz. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The cases aren't just historical. Last week, Lombardo Palacios and his co-defendant, Charlotte Pleytez, had their murder convictions thrown out by a Los Angeles judge at the request of Los Angeles County Dist. Attn. Nathan Hochman. At 15, after an hours-long interrogation, Palacios falsely confessed to involvement in a 2007 gang shooting in Hollywood. He recanted his statement, but it wasn't until a private investigator recently tracked down other suspects that the case was reopened. They were released this month after 17 years of incarceration.

Despite growing concern from social justice activists and defense teams about guilt-presumptive methods of questioning, serious concerns about interrogation techniques weren't raised by those conducting them until about 2005, after the Washington Post reported that the United States was holding terror suspects in secret overseas prisons where torture was used.

By the time Barack Obama won the White House in 2008, there was momentum not only to repudiate the use of torture by U.S. intelligence agencies, but also to embrace new methods that were deemed more ethical and reliable. In August 2009, Obama ordered the creation of the cross-agency High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, or HIG. Along with handling the interrogation of terror suspects, the HIG was charged with creating best practices for interrogations.

Other countries had already moved away from combative interrogations in their civilian policing. In the 1990s, England and Wales, under pressure over coerced confessions, had pioneered an interrogation method that forbids lying and relies on open-ended questioning. In ensuing years, lying by police would be outlawed in other European countries, Japan and Australia. The HIG studied those models, then created its own protocols.

One of HIG's early partners in turning research into methods was the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division. The LAPD in 2012 sent two homicide detectives to HIG training: Marcia and colleague Gregory Stearns.

Stearns said in a recent interview that one day in the class convinced him of its value.

LAPD Det. Gregory Stearns at police headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

"I bought into it right away," he said. Beyond the open-ended questions, he saw how the techniques encouraged investigators to prepare for interviews, rather than relying on spur-of-the-moment intuition or tricks.

"That's the thing that really struck me at first," he said. "Sometimes we'll spend weeks, months, years, investigating things like homicides, and then if the moment comes when you're actually going to be interviewing a suspect, you know, how much time did you really spend getting ready for that?"

The new ideas, he said, backed by scientific proof that they were effective, were "really knocking down a lot of the myths that have been passed down to generations of investigators."

Marcia worked with HIG to use the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division as a laboratory to study the methods further.

Part Four: The culture war

The approach has been slower to take hold across law enforcement in general.

Still, as evidence mounted that some groups  including young people and people with mental disabilities  were more susceptible to false confessions, legislators began to take notice.

States began to pass laws outlawing the use of psychological pressure or lies in interrogations of minors, starting with Illinois in 2021. California followed suit with legislation, passed in 2022, that took effect last January.

Supporters of that bill argued that "law enforcement's use of deceptive interrogation methods, such as threats, physical harm, deception, or psychologically manipulative tactics ... create an incredibly high risk for eliciting a false confession from anyone, and particularly youth."

"We could be unfairly interrogating people in parts of our state, and I think that is wrong," former state Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), said of his push to make training in new techniques mandatory. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

Then-state Sen. Bill Dodd had also attempted to curtail those types of interrogation methods across the board with 2021 legislation that would have made training in new techniques the mandatory requirement moving forward. Newsom, noting the costs, vetoed Dodd's bill and instead instructed the Commission on Police Officer Standards and Training, commonly known as POST, to develop optional classes.

Undeterred, Pierson has continued to wage his campaign. POST has made the new evidence-based method standard training for detectives who come through its programs. And many training companies operating in California now advise against long interrogations and a reliance on lying and manipulation  though lying still remains a tactic police are allowed to use.

But changing how detectives work inside interrogation rooms is a tougher task, many policing experts said.

The Dodd bill was opposed by the California Statewide Law Enforcement Assn., which represents investigators in a number of state agencies.

This legislation goes too far by prohibiting the use of long-standing interrogation practices, which are only used when an investigator is reasonably certain of the suspects involvement , the association wrote in its formal comments.

It added that by limiting the scope of what investigators can say in the interrogation room, investigations will grind to a halt.

Dennis Gomez, a retired police lieutenant from the city of Orange who recently took over Californias Behavior Analysis Training Institute, a private company that trains police officers how to question people, said he is familiar with the sentiment.

It is a culture, he said. And it is so hard to change that.

He said some detectives come to his courses resistant to the idea that they can solve cases without the tools of lying and pressure many have relied upon for years.

In the early part of the week, they say, This is ridiculous. How are we ever going to get a confession, he said.

But after the course is finished, Gomez said, detectives often tell him they wish they could have learned the newer methods sooner.

Andrew Mendosa, who oversees interviewing and interrogation training for POST, called losing the ability to lie about facts and evidence many officers biggest fear. But Mendosa said that many detectives eventually realize that if they prepare for interviews with suspects by gathering evidence, and take a holistic approach, they dont need to lie to them. Mendosa said he was confident that the new interrogation methods would eventually be adopted across California, though it may take a generational shift.

Pierson wants the state to be more proactive in making training mandatory, and he doesnt accept the governors reasoning that it would cost too much.

I know that a single false confession leading to a conviction is going to cost taxpayers more, he said.

He points to one study that shows California spent more than $200 million between 1989 and 2012 because of wrongful convictions, a sum tied to more than 2,100 years of time spent behind bars by innocent people.

Read more: Three dead girls and a man on death row. Did lies put him there?

Dodd, the former state senator, also questions leaving the decision on training to California's hundreds of law enforcement departments. If the sheriff in your unit doesnt believe in this and doesnt send you to be trained, then you dont get trained, he said. We could be unfairly interrogating people in parts of our state, and I think that is wrong.

In Fontana, Police Chief Dorsey said the Perez case had sparked some changes internally as the department has sought to use the debacle as an opportunity to be better.

For example, he said, the department has ramped up mental health training and launched a collaboration with San Bernardinos Behavioral Health Department. He also said that the length of time that police officers interrogated Perez was excessive.

But Dorsey said he did not conclude from the episode that lying to suspects during interrogations is always problematic. The two detectives, he said, were truly out just trying to do the best they could and had reason to believe, based on their assessment of the Perez home, that a violent crime had occurred.

Were they perfect? No, he said. But, "we've used this as an opportunity to be better.

And while he called the debate over interrogation methods a complex question, he said he remains convinced that theres a point in time to use ruses in interrogation techniques.

"I don't want any contact, ever, with any police officer," Thomas Perez Jr., left, says of his lost faith in law enforcement. "I see a police car, I look the other way." (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

More than five years after his ordeal, Perez says the episode has left him anxious. And he no longer looks upon police as a force for good.

I dont want any contact, ever, with any police officer. I see a police car, I look the other way, he said. I see an officer walking around, I go the other direction.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
TROTWOOD, Ohio (WDTN)  The man found dead inside of a Trotwood apartment complex on Friday has been identified.

According to the Montgomery County Coroners Office, Leo Lucas, 23, was pronounced dead at 3:50 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20.

WDTN.com previously reported that the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office confirmed that an individual inside one of the apartments was found dead. The Sheriffs Office also said authorities did not fire their guns during the incident.

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While officials were at the location to reportedly serve a warrant, a law enforcement officer was shot in the leg. That officer is said to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

As of date, the cause and manner of Lucas death have not yet been determined by the Coroners Office.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.
It was June 2021 when my phone first rang with a call from a Russian number.

I was working from home, seated at my dining room table in the middle of the afternoon, and suspected it was spam.

Instead, it was Paul Whelan.

That phone call was the first of a dozen I would receive from the detained American as he spent more than five years in Russian detention before his release in August as part of a historic prisoner swap. I also received four handwritten letters.

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When I began to cover Whelans case in December 2018, I never expected to be able to speak with him in real-time about his experiences.

I have covered many wrongful detainee cases, but this has been the only one in which a prisoner was able to reach out directly to the media.

I was never the one to call Whelan, a former Marine. His calls  which began after he was sentenced and moved to a remote prison camp in Mordovia, Russia  were never scheduled. Instead, my phone would ring with a number from Russia. They often seemed strategically timed with milestones or major developments that could impact his case.

There was an understanding that I was recording the calls for broadcast  and that the Russians were likely listening.

Paul Whelan stands on the tarmac as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on August 1, 2024. - Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images/File

In some of the calls, Whelan would share a prewritten message before I asked him questions. Others were question-and-answer sessions about his thoughts on recent news and what life was like there. They ranged from six minutes to up to half an hour.

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I wanted to make sure that my story was being told, and I wanted to make sure that people werent forgetting, Whelan, now 54, reflected in a November interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper, about three and a half months after his release. I didnt want it to be put on the back burner and have other affairs of state take over peoples interests.

It was quite important, especially, to speak my own language, to speak to people that understood what was happening. I didnt have to explain it, he added.

On several occasions, I asked Whelan why he thought the Russians let him call journalists, including me. When CNN sat down with Whelan in November, we asked him again.

I think we might give them a lot of credit to say that they were listening and paying attention, Whelan said, noting the prisoners got away with all sorts of things in the labor camp. Whelan had a burner phone, he said in an interview for AC360.

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The Russians also might have wanted the attention, he posited. They might have wanted me to call the media, to call the governments, to move the process along.

The calls and letters described the conditions of his imprisonment, his outlook on the efforts to bring him home, and his mindset as more than 2,000 days ticked by.

They offered me  and our viewers and readers  an extraordinary look at the plight of an American detained during one of the most turbulent times in the US-Russia relationship since the Cold War.

I first started covering Whelans story in December 2018, when he was arrested in Moscow on charges of espionage.

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As a journalist covering the State Department, looking into reports of Americans detained abroad is part of my remit. But beyond that, I have carved out a niche for covering the stories of wrongfully detained Americans.

As I reported on Whelans case, I got to know his sister, Elizabeth. She, along with her brothers David and Andrew, had formed a sort of enterprise to advocate for Paul, trying to hold the strings of (his) life together, as she told me in February 2020.

Whelan, who was declared wrongfully detained by the US State Department, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020 and sent to a prison camp in Mordovia, some eight hours from Moscow.

Elizabeth Whelan told me that her brother enjoyed writing letters  to lawmakers, to officials, to journalists  to pass the time, and asked whether I would be willing to share my address. She also asked whether it would be OK to pass along my phone number, as Paul Whelan had indicated he would like to speak with journalists by phone. Besides me, Whelan spoke with a number of other journalists during his detention.

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That first call in June 2021 came ahead of President Joe Bidens highly anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva later that month. At that time, Russia was holding two Americans whom the State Department considered wrongfully detained  Whelan and Trevor Reed.

In November, Whelan revealed that I was one of the early reporters that (he) spoke to quite clandestinely. In those early calls with reporters, he said he used a burner phone and sometimes called from a closet or small room, with prisoner friends keeping watch so the Russians wouldnt find out.

Greetings from the Boneyard

In June 2021, I was surprised to receive the call. I put it on speaker and began recording, asking Whelan how he was feeling and his thoughts on the upcoming high-stakes meeting. He described having bursitis and a persistent kennel cough from a lack of medical care and working in a clothing factory he called a sweatshop.

I asked him what his message was for the US president  decisive action is needed. Immediately, he said.

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This is not an issue of Russia against me; its an issue of Russia against the United States, and the United States needs to answer this hostage diplomacy situation and resolve it as quickly as possible, he said ahead of the meeting between Biden and Putin.

After the call, to ensure I wasnt getting pranked, I shared part of the recording with Elizabeth Whelan to verify it was indeed her brothers voice. She did  and we broadcast his message to the world.

I received four letters in total, dated June, July, August and November 2021. They arrived to our office mailbox, postmarked from Russia, months after the dates they were written  and it appears that a number of letters never arrived at all. The ones I received did not appear to have been censored or tampered with. The longest letter was four pages long; the shortest, one page. They were written in neat script on notepad paper.

The letters described the bleak existence in his prison camp, which Paul Whelan called Camp Lostinthewoods.

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My cell has rotten wooden floors and black mold on the walls. Mice and cockroaches keep me entertained, he wrote in a July 2021 letter, which he said he penned from solitary confinement.

For the past 30 days, I have only been allowed one call home and one call to a consulate. I should be allowed one call home per day, and unrestricted access to my consulates. Russia tries to block access, he wrote.

In a late June 2021 letter, dated a few weeks after our initial call, Whelan said he had been sent to the prison camps hospital, which he called the Boneyard.

I have been here for 14 days without any medical care being provided, he wrote. There has been no exam, no vital signs recorded, no diagnosis, no medication, and no treatment. Nothing happening!

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He painted a grim picture of the hospital facilities, describing old metal prison beds and thin mattresses, with one sheet and one blanket, not to forget one pillow and pillow case.

There are old broken cabinets next to our beds for personal effects. There are no chairs anywhere here at all, he wrote. An old train car without wheels doubles as a library. A horse brings our meals on a cart from the kitchen to each building.

A risk I am willing to take

As the months and then years passed, I kept in contact with Elizabeth Whelan, emailing her to check in and grabbing coffee or breakfast during her trips to Washington. David Whelan would send periodic updates to journalists with developments of note in his brothers case. But I never got any further letters from Paul Whelan, and I did not receive another call until December 2022.

In that time, a number of events influential to his case happened. In February 2022, Russian detained another American  WNBA superstar Brittney Griner. Her arrest added another complication to US efforts to bring the Americans home.

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About two months later, Reed was released from Russian prison in a swap for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian smuggler convicted of conspiring to import cocaine. Whelan and Griner were not included in that exchange. The Whelan family received little notice of the news, they told me at the time. Whelan found out from Russian television and was very upset to not have learned about it from the US government, his sister said at the time.

Whelan himself, in a statement to his parents and shared with CNN, questioned why he was left behind.

While I am pleased Trevor is home with his family, I have been held on a fictitious charge of espionage for 40 months, Whelan said at the time. The world knows this charge was fabricated. Why hasnt more been done to secure my release?

Then, in the early hours of December 8, 2022, we began to report the news that the US had secured the release of Griner in another prisoner swap, this time for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. Whelan was left out of the exchange once again.

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted to a courtroom for a hearing in Khimki just outside Moscow on July 7, 2022. - Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

A few hours later, as my colleague and I were busy reporting from the State Department on the details of Griners release, my phone rang with a call from a Russian number.

This time when I answered, it was someone saying they were from the US Embassy in Moscow. They said they had Paul Whelan on the line. I rushed to set up my other phone to record the call.

I asked Whelan what was going through his head, and he told me that while he was happy that Reed and Griner had returned home, he was greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure (his) release.

Whelan seemed deeply disappointed. During the nearly 30-minute call, he told me he was surprised not to be included in the swap because I was led to believe that things were moving in the right direction, and that the governments were negotiating and that something would happen fairly soon.

US officials said Russia refused to include Whelan in the deal.

The choice was bringing Brittney Griner home right now, or bringing no one home right now, one senior administration official said at the time.

Whelan said he knew the Russians always considered me to be at a higher level than other criminals of my sort. He also expressed concern that he would not make it out of Russia at all.

To be quite honest, in these conditions, who knows how Ill come back or if Ill come back, he said.

About 12 minutes into the call, Whelan said he would have to call me back. When he hung up, my colleague and I looked at each other astonished.

Holy sh*t, she said. As I was on the phone with Whelan, I had relayed to our team what was happening, and colleagues jumped into action to get sound from the interview ready for television. It was obvious that this was newsworthy and important. CNN was able to report his reaction within an hour of the phone call ending.

When the Russian number called back, I quickly moved into an empty neighboring office to record the call with no background noise.

Whelan told me he wanted to speak with the US president to convey what life was like in prison  so unlike our world that its very difficult for people to understand.

Asked his message to Biden, Whelan said, My bags are packed. Im ready to go home. I just need an airplane to come and get me.

That call was the first correspondence since the start of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Whelan described prisoners at his camp being recruited by a private military company to join the Russian war in Ukraine. He said there was a period when they were not allowed to make calls so people couldnt call their families and say they were going to join this military mercenary unit and for their families to then tell them not to.

There were Russians in the camp, but Whelan said most of the prisoners were from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

For the most part, the prisoners respected me and I respected them. We got along great, he reflected in the recent November interview.

At the time, Whelan said he did not think he would face repercussions for speaking with me or for having the conversation aired on CNN.

If it is a risk, then its a risk I am willing to take because I think the message needs to get out, he added.

Conditions in Russian camp deteriorate

The next time Whelan called me was more than five months later. He would end up calling numerous times that year, especially toward the end of 2023.

The May 2023 call was about two months after the arrest of another American in Russia: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Whelan told me that he felt the wheels are turning toward his release, but he expressed concern he would be left behind again. He also said he saw echoes of his own case in Gershkovichs.

The next call came in October 2023. He described the conditions of the camp having deteriorated throughout his three years of detention.

He said the prison shop no longer carried fresh fruit or vegetables and canned goods have been discontinued.

The food that were provided is watered down. Its onions, potatoes, cabbage, Whelan described. The soups that we have every day are just water  soggy macaroni, stale bread, things like that.

Whelan had spoken with Secretary of State Antony Blinken that August. He told the top US diplomat point blank that leaving me here the first time painted a target on my back and leaving me here the second time basically signed a death warrant, he said, adding that unless they got me back, it could be quite challenging in the future, especially with my age and the sort of work we have to do from a health and safety point of view.

I wanted to make sure that I wasnt being forgotten amid other geopolitical issues, Whelan said.

The secretary of state told me that hes working quite diligently and his team is working quite diligently to find a resolution to this situation, Whelan recounted, and described Blinken as a person who obviously cares and he cares deeply about the situation.

As he had in his past calls, Whelan again expressed a desire to speak with Biden directly to plead his case.

Meanwhile, my colleagues and I were gathering information about US efforts to bring Whelan home  scouring the globe for potential Russian spies to be used in a prisoner swap. The complexities of the eventual deal would not come to light until Whelan, Gershkovich and more than a dozen others were on their way out of Russia in August 2024.

Whelan called again at the end of November to recount being hit in the face by another prisoner. He believed he had been singled out because he is American and due to the US support for Israel amid the war in Gaza. He sustained a minor bruise, but expressed concerns that the cowardly attack could have been much worse.

A disintegrating experience

He called me again two weeks later with a prepared statement, saying he was afraid for his safety after the assault and that he was being targeted by an official at the camp. When he spoke to prison officials about his concerns, Whelan said, they told him he could go to solitary confinement 24 hours a day.

On that call, we also spoke about the upcoming fifth anniversary of his detention in Russia. Whelan expressed concern that he would not see his elderly parents again. His beloved dog, Flora, had already died while he was in detention.

Relatives have passed away. Friends have moved on. Im very concerned that I wont get home to see my parents, he said.

He also told me that as he tried to keep his spirits up, the experience was disintegrating.

I start the day with, you know, singing the national anthem for my four countries, and, you know, things get progressively worse from there, said Whelan, who holds US, British, Irish and Canadian citizenship. But, you know, there are people I speak to, I make calls home, I write letters, I read books, but its extremely difficult being innocent and in prison and waiting for people to help you.

On December 28, 2023  the fifth anniversary of his detention  Whelan called again. He seemed very down. He read a statement marking the grim milestone. I asked whether there was anything he was doing to try to dampen the blow of the painful anniversary.

Its difficult because most of the people in the camp realize that today is the five-year anniversary. And so theyve been asking me questions about what the government is doing or not doing, he told me.

I have photographs of my dog and my family, friends  I took those out. I was looking at them and that, you know, is sometimes bittersweet. Its a typical day here in the slave labor factory, he said.

The next time Whelan called was in March 2024, after the death of Russian dissident Alexey Navalny in a remote Russian prison colony. I asked him his reaction. Extremely troubling, he said, expressing concern that if they can get to him, they can get to me.

Jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, who made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, died February 16 at the age of 47, the Russian prison service said. - Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

He called again in early May, and then in late June, to mark 2,000 days in Russian detention. He called it just an incredible amount of time.

The last time we spoke before his release was on July 19  the day Gershkovichs trial had quickly wrapped up and the journalist was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.

Whelan told me he felt sympathetic and empathetic for Gershkovich  and he sounded much more hopeful than he had in the past.

We think that could be a good sign that the Russians want to actually now start negotiations with the US for his release as well as mine, he told me.

Two weeks later, the US and Russia, with the involvement of half a dozen other countries, completed a historic prisoner swap. Gershkovich and Whelan were heading home.

CNNs Alex Leeds Matthews and Dan Dzula contributed to this report.

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WASHINGTON  Shane Lamond, the former leader of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Departments intelligence division, was found guilty on Monday of obstructing justice and lying to federal investigators about leaking insider information to Henry Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the extremist Proud Boys who is now serving 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy.

The bench trial for Lamond, who was first charged last year, lasted a little over a week before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson delivered the verdict. Lamond had waived his right to a jury trial. Sentencing guidelines for the obstruction charge vary between a minimum of three years and a maximum of 30. The false statement charges carry a penalty of up to five years in prison per charge. Lamond is facing three false statement charges.

The 48-year-old veteran of the police force came under criminal investigation when federal agents were examining phones seized in 2021 from members of the far-right Proud Boys. One message from the leader of the Proud Boys, Henry Enrique Tarrio, suggested that he had a contact on a local police force named Shane.

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The FBI and the Department of Justice began investigating Lamond shortly afterward, attempting to assess whether the head of MPDs intelligence division had spent weeks illicitly disclosing sensitive information to Tarrio about a police probe into the destruction of a Black Lives Matter banner. The banner was stolen from a historic Black church in Washington on Dec. 12, 2020, and set on fire. Tarrio eventually pleaded guilty to the destruction charge and was sentenced to five months in prison.

When Tarrio went on trial and was convicted of seditious conspiracy in 2023, prosecutors said the Proud Boys leader used his connection to Lamond to surveil the progress of the banner-burning probe and ultimately coordinate his arrest on Jan. 4, 2021.

This maneuvering allowed Tarrio to create an alibi for his whereabouts on Jan. 6, 2021, according to prosecutors. Tarrio wasnt on Capitol grounds during the insurrection because he had been ordered to leave Washington two days earlier. He ended up in a hotel room in Baltimore and watched the riot unfold on television while chatting with Proud Boys on and off the scene.

The alibi was not foolproof, though. After Tarrio was indicted for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a jury in Washington last year convicted him of seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent members of Congress from discharging their duties and more.

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Lamond has insisted since he was first indicted that his relationship with Tarrio was professional and that his communications with the far-right leader  the men shared hundreds of texts and voice memos, and they communicated in secret channels on Telegram ahead of Jan. 6  was centered purely on surveillance of a source during a tumultuous period in the nations capital.

Protests following the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020 rocked the city and gave way to pro-Donald Trump rallies that November and December that led to violent clashes between Proud Boys and counterprotesters.

When Lamond took the witness stand on Dec. 6, he said he never supported the Proud Boys organization and was not, as U.S. attorneys argued, a Proud Boys sympathizer or double agent.

The regular contact with Tarrio was critical to get verified intelligence on the activities of these groups, he testified, according to a local CBS affiliate.

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Lamond admitted from the stand on Friday that he had told Tarrio police were looking into whether the destruction of the BLM banner would amount to a hate crime. The former lieutenant conceded that he had also told Tarrio he didnt think the incident should be investigated as a hate crime.

According to prosecutors and witnesses  including Lamonds onetime supervisor, D.C. MPD Police Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll  this was not something Lamond should have shared with a source. Carroll testified that the discussion of law enforcements internal deliberations on how to pursue charges for a suspect is out of bounds because it could cause a whole host of legal issues for the underlying case.

Telling a source who may be involved in a crime how they will be treated can cause that source to flee or destroy evidence, Carroll said.

I just dont think its proper in general, he said.

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Lamond testified that he didnt think telling Tarrio about the possible hate crime enhancement was that big of a deal because it was public information that the banner-burning might be treated as a hate crime.

Lamond and Tarrio met privately at a Washington, D.C., bar just days after the Black Lives Matter banner was burned on Dec. 12, 2020.

Messages presented in evidence show the meeting came about after Tarrio asked Lamond for his insights on how police really viewed the Proud Boys. A daytime pro-Trump rally on Dec. 12, 2020, went over largely without incident, but that night  the same night the banner was burned  Proud Boys and counterprotesters came to blows as multiple fights broke out and people were stabbed, including Proud Boys leaders like Jeremy Bertino. Tensions were extremely high after the stabbing, with Proud Boys offering sharp criticism of local police, who they felt had abandoned them in favor of protecting antifa or leftist protesters.

When Tarrio asked Lamond for his insights, Lamond responded that it was too much to text, and the men agreed to meet at a bar known as The Dubliner on Dec. 15, 2020.

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On the stand, Lamond testified that Tarrio did not confess during that meeting that he had destroyed the BLM banner. The former lieutenant said that he had never tipped Tarrio off about when police ultimately signed off on a warrant for his arrest for the burned banner, either.

Tarrio admitted to destroying the banner on social media sites like Parler and Telegram on Dec. 18, 2020. He did an interview with The Washington Post, saying that he had destroyed the banner but he refused the suggestion that it was a hate crime. Tarrio said he believed BLM had terrorized the citizens of this country and that his actions werent about race, but ideology. He offered to fly himself to Washington to be arrested on his own dime.

When the Proud Boys leader took the stand for a contentious day in court last week, he testified that he was dead set on taking credit for the banner burning because he wanted to create a circus atmosphere and be arrested.

Text messages shown at trial documented Tarrio telling Lamond he was involved in the banner-burning. On Christmas Day 2020, Lamond even told Tarrio that investigators were trying to identify Tarrio in photos and that an arrest might be imminent.

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Under questioning at trial, Lamond admitted that he had never told his supervisors at the department about those messages.

According to The Washington Post, during cross-examination, when prosecutor Joshua Rothstein asked Lamond if he had realized that the discussions with Tarrio about whether a warrant was being issued could potentially impact an arresting officers safety, Lamond replied: Its possible.

Until the 2020 election was called for President Joe Biden, the majority of the communications between Tarrio and Lamond happened in recoverable text channels like iMessage. Then, on Nov. 7, 2020, Lamond told Tarrio they should change to encrypted chats. The men sent hundreds of secret chats and dozens of voice messages on Telegram. The voice memos were deleted, and their contents have not been recovered. Evidence showed that after Jan. 6, Lamond had deleted his communications with Tarrio from his device completely. They were only found because of records left over in other Proud Boys devices reviewed by investigators.

Lamond and his defense lawyers argued he only ever meant to help fellow officers. Lamonds lawyer Mark Schamel pointed to emails, for example, where Lamonds supervisors came to him for help after Dec. 18 seeking to identify Proud Boys  and the man they would come to learn was Tarrio  from the Dec. 12 crime scene. Schamel noted that Lamond gave his colleagues Tarrios phone number. And while Lamond at first said he couldnt see Tarrios face clearly enough in the crime scene photo to ID him, he eventually shared a photo of Tarrio with his colleagues.

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An MPD detective investigating Tarrios case at the time, Franklin Then, testified that the ID wasnt especially helpful, though. Lamond had sent back a photo of Tarrio that had already been circulating in the press, and the lieutenant had failed to tell his colleague that he had only just met Tarrio at a bar a week earlier.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Related...
GAZA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- More than 50 Palestinians were killed or injured in an Israeli military operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run media office on Monday.

The office described the Israeli army's actions as a "horrific, brutal crime," claiming that the camp was stormed by over 17 tanks, bulldozers, military vehicles, and dozens of heavily armed soldiers, supported by drones.

The statement said that the casualties were all civilians, including more than half women and children. It also reported that over 20 housing units were destroyed, as well as significant damage from shelling and explosions.

The Gaza government held both the Israeli military and the U.S. administration responsible for the continuation of these actions, urging the international community to intervene, end the "blatant crimes," and ensure the protection of civilians and infrastructure.

The Israeli army has yet to comment on the incident.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Monday called for an immediate ceasefire, saying it was "long overdue."

In a statement, the UN agency condemned the ongoing violations of wartime laws, stressing that time has been wasted in addressing the humanitarian crisis. It called for an immediate ceasefire to provide respite for civilians and the release of hostages.

UNRWA also pointed out the escalation in violence over the last 24 hours, with civilian deaths and injuries increasing. Attacks on schools and hospitals have become "commonplace," the agency said, urging the international community to act and not remain "indifferent."

Israel has been conducting a large-scale military campaign in Gaza since October 7, 2023, following a Hamas attack in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and took approximately 250 hostages.

The ongoing conflict has led to a sharp rise in Palestinian casualties, with Gaza's health authorities reporting on Monday that the death toll has reached 45,317. 
A tiny band of council officers have issued more Asbo-style bans than some of Britains biggest police forces, The Telegraph can reveal.

Doncaster councils engagement officers issued more than 500 orders banning people from public spaces over the course of 2024.

In comparison, the Metropolitan Police, Britains largest force, issued 522 such bans over a similar period and South Yorkshire Police  covering the same area  issued only 263 orders.

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The use of dispersal orders are normally reserved for police forces but Doncaster council is one of a handful of authorities allowed to give its officers similar powers using Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), which were designed to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Campaigners have called on the council to reconsider its use of dispersal powers, saying that they represent a very serious restriction and does not take into account issues such as freedom of speech.

The Manifesto Club, a civil liberties group, said in a briefing on the issue: The power to bar people from a public space such as a city centre is a very serious power, which should be used rarely if at all.

If somebody is committing a crime, they should be arrested and charged; if they have not committed a crime, they should be allowed to remain.

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The dispersal power certainly should not be invoked by red-jacketed council officers, who suspect that you might be about to annoy somebody.

Hiring more officers

Doncaster councils website shows a team of 10 engagement officers and the authority is currently advertising for a further five officers to address anti-social and unseemly behaviour in the city centre.

The advert states that they are trying to recruit local people who know the city and want to help it reach its full potential.

Applicants are required to have excellent communication skills and must like the outdoors and being highly visible on the street.

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It is one of 28 local authorities known to have granted its officers the power to issue dispersal orders.

Under the PSPO, the current prohibition states: No return within 24 hours if asked to leave. No person shall, after being requested to leave by an authorised officer due to them behaving in a manner causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance to any person within the city Centre without reasonable excuse, remain or return to the city Centre within a period of 24 hours.

Offences covered by the PSPO include loitering and tampering with parking equipment as well as drinking and begging.

Data obtained by the Manifesto Club using Freedom of Information (FOI) laws shows that Doncaster issued 504 dispersal orders using PSPO powers in 2023.

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A breach of the order is a criminal offence which can lead to a fine of up to 1,000.

A similar FOI request to police forces, covering the year to July 2023, shows that under anti-social behaviour powers, a separate 11 police authorities  representing around 30,000 officers  together issued a total of 509 dispersals.

The only forces to respond to the FOI who issued more dispersal orders than Doncaster were the Met at 522 dispersals, Hampshire at 990, Northumbria at 833, and Norfolk at 753.

Very serious restriction

Josie Appleton, the director of the Manifesto Club, said: The power to bar people from public spaces represents a very serious restriction on their freedom and ability to go about their daily lives.

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Its outrageous that a small group of council officers are excluding such large numbers of people from a city centre, on such flimsy grounds.

Almost anyone could fall foul of these officers  and the PSPO doesnt include protections for rights of assembly or freedom of speech, or peoples need to access work or services. We urge the council to reconsider its PSPO and introduce greater protections for residents basic liberties.

Doncaster council did not respond to a request for comment.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Dec. 23SANTA FE  New Mexico county commissioners are wasting little time moving ahead with salary increases for county officials after statewide votes gave them the authority to do so last month.

At least 16 counties, including Bernalillo, Santa Fe and Dona Ana, have approved salary increases for county officials this month. And more counties could follow suit in the coming weeks.

"I think almost all of them are planning to do something by the end of the year," said Joy Esparsen, the executive director of the New Mexico Association of Counties.

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Why the rush to approve pay raises?

Esparsen said any salary increases must be approved before Jan. 1 in order to be applied to officials beginning new terms, as state law bars elected officials from getting mid-term raises.

County officials who have already begun their terms would have to wait until they're elected to a new term to get the salary bump.

However, the push to approve salary increases before January has put some county commissioners in the politically awkward predicament of voting on whether to increase their own salaries.

Bernalillo County commissioners voted 3-2 this month to boost their own pay by 15%, as well as that of the county's clerk, treasurer, sheriff, assessor and probate judge.

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But Commission Chairwoman Barbara Baca said an independent commission should be tasked with the job of determining pay rates for county officers. At least some cities, including Albuquerque, have established such bodies.

"I think that it should be an objective commission that takes into consideration all of these questions, that does the comparison to other similar positions and makes a good recommendation with public discourse, rather than a jump to increase our own salaries," Baca said. "That doesn't feel right to me."

Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, who was among the sponsors of the legislative resolution allowing county commissions to set county officers' salaries, acknowledged commissioners could face public criticism for voting to increase their own pay levels.

"It's fraught with scrutiny, but at the same time there has to be some mechanism to do that," Cervantes told the Journal.

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He also pointed out it's been years since the last time county officials' salaries were adjusted. A 2022 bill that would have increased their salary levels was pocket vetoed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, meaning county officials have not gotten a pay raise since 2018.

"It has been a very long time since some of these salaries were adjusted," Cervantes said. "The Legislature felt confident that local officials should have the authority to set these salaries."

Voter approval and legal concerns

The constitutional amendment shifting the authority for setting county officials' salaries was approved by the Legislature during this year's 30-day session without a single vote in opposition.

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It then appeared on the November general election ballot and was approved with the support of roughly 66% of voters.

After voters ratified the constitutional amendment, some counties reached out to state's central budget agency to make sure they could proceed with approving salary increases.

A legal review determined counties could, in fact, move forward without the involvement of the Legislature or the state agency, according to a state Department of Finance and Administration spokesperson.

A tangled salary structure

The constitutional change approved this year applies to elected county officers, including commissioners, treasurers, assessors, clerks and sheriffs.

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It does not apply to other county employees, as those employees have not been subject to the statutory salary caps that were occasionally adjusted by the Legislature.

That has led, in many counties, to chief deputies making higher salaries than their bosses, according to the New Mexico Association of Counties.

"Why run for office when you're going to take a huge pay cut?" Esparsen said.

However, at least some counties have, by ordinance, set the pay of certain employees to a certain percentage of elected officials' salary levels.

That means that an increase in officials' salaries would also lead to pay raises for other employees, unless those ordinances are amended.
The News

With just weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in for a second term, governments worldwide are scrambling to prepare their economies for a slew of expected protectionist trade measures.

Trump is inheriting a particularly strong post-pandemic economy, meaning he enters office with considerable leverage in trade negotiations, The Wall Street Journal reported. Already, the president-elect has floated a blanket 10% tariff on all imported goods, a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican products, and levies of up to 60% on Chinese goods.

But the Republicans notorious unpredictability means many world leaders are unclear exactly how to prepare for Trump 2.0, with many hoping to score a meeting with him and begin negotiations even before he takes office.

The View From Mexico

After initially threatening retaliatory tariffs, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum later clarified that there will not be a potential tariff war between the US and Mexico after a phone call with Trump  although she denied the incoming US leaders claim that the pair agreed to effectively [close] our Southern border.

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Of particular concern is trade in oil and gas, which accounted for around $70 billion in trade between the two countries in 2023, according to Forbes. Mexico relies heavily on US oil and gas imports because the creaking infrastructure of its state-run oil company leaves it unable to produce enough to meet domestic demand. Texas firms  which supply Mexico with 90% of its natural gas  would be particularly hit if Sheinbaum ordered retaliatory tariffs on US oil.

The View From China

Well-versed in the Trump playbook, Beijing has been preparing for potential tariffs for some time and is moving to impose its own restrictions to get Washington to the negotiating table, Reuters reported. However, a threatened 60% tariff on all Chinese goods would still represent an armageddon announcement for the country, one China researcher said. Still, any tariff would likely hurt Chinas already weakening economy, experts said, particularly if Trump takes aim at Chinas supply chain  like advanced US-made microchips China still relies on for its tech industry.

Chinese leaders are hoping to meet with Trump ahead of his inauguration and offer incentives to perhaps mitigate some of the duties, such as buying more US oil and gas  one of the few commodities not yet targeted by Washingtons export controls. But Beijing also has measures at its disposal to punish US industries and firms that are heavily reliant on China, such as the antitrust probe it launched into chip giant Nvidia earlier this month.

The View From Vietnam

In Vietnam, no one knows what the outcome of Trumps tariffs will be, The New York Times reported.

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During his first term, Vietnam benefited significantly from Trumps tariffs on China as foreign firms scrambled to diversify their supply chains. But outsourcing to Vietnam also had the effect of increasing the countrys trade surplus with the US: It now ranks #3 behind China and Mexico. That has many in Hanoi worried, given that Trump said his tariffs would target countries with which Washington has a significant trade deficit .

The View From The EU

The European Union is looking to diversify its trading partners to make it less reliant on the US: member states are currently debating whether to finalize a free trade agreement with South Americas Mercosur bloc, for example. And, like China, the EU is also hoping to increase US liquid natural gas imports in an effort to reduce its trade surplus with the US.

But the overall picture for the EU is not pretty, Foreign Affairs wrote. No one knows exactly the types of tariffs Trump will impose, and the uncertainty risks further fragmenting the bloc given that each member state has different export and manufacturing strengths. European businesses also stand to be hit if Chinese firms slash prices further and increase exports to the bloc in response to Trumps tariffs on Chinese goods.

The View From India

Trumps nominee for commerce secretary on Wednesday warned New Delhi that the president-elect was debating introducing reciprocal tariffs to counter Indias already-high duties on American imports. How you treat us is how you should expect to be treated, said Howard Lutnick, who is currently the CEO of investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald. US tariffs would likely hit Indias key textile and IT industries  the most vulnerable to US markets  according to business news site Mint.

The one silver lining for India is Trumps close relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi  particularly the leaders common goal of containing Chinas rise in the Indo-Pacific, The Economic Times wrote: A strong US-India partnership in defense and geopolitics could offset some of the trade-related tensions. .
Dec. 23What initially started as an investigation into a possible illegal marijuana grow near Ninnekah resulted in the arrest of a couple on animal cruelty charges.

In a press release earlier this month, the Humane Society of the United States assisted Grady County's Sheriff's Office in rescuing hundreds of animals, including dogs, cats, goats, fish, a pig and birds. Operation Kindness and Black Beauty Ranch, Humane Society of the United States sanctuary, also assisted on-scene.

Boggess told KFOR he connected the narcotics units and asked an agent to go check out the Ninnekah location. Instead, the office would discover hundreds of animals living in "bleak" conditions, many with limited or no access to food or water, and protruding bones.

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"About four acres, is what this whole place was and it was covered in animals," Grady County Sheriff Gary Boggess told KFOR. "Our main concern then was these dogs and these animals being taken care of and it didn't look like they were... The conditions were poor."

Chue Yang and Yer Vang were arrested and face 81 charges, including child neglect, cruelty to animals, facilitating cockfights, keeping equipment and facilities for cockfighting, and owning bird(s) for fighting, according to court documents.

"As different as each of these animals are, when I imagine what their lives have been like, there is something they all have in commonthe koi whose entire world is the bottom of a filthy, murky pool; the parrot in a cramped, barren cage who greets strangers with a 'hello!' but had plucked out his own feathers; and the sweet, attention-hungry dog pacing in circles as far as her chain will allow her it's a bleak existence," Jessica Johnson, senior director of the Humane Society of the United States' animal rescue team, said in a press release. "Between the number of animals and their unique, species-specific needs, this was a complex operation for everyone involved and we are especially grateful to the Grady County Sheriff's Office for intervening for these animals.

A petition for a bond hearing also said 269 animals were seized from the defendant's property. A letter from the Human Society of the United States dated Dec. 11 said 22 dogs, five cats, two goats, one pig, 90 companion birds, 105 chickens, 24 Koi fish, 20 pigeons and more were seized from the property on Dec. 11.

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That same day, Yang and Vang surrendered ownership of all animals except five dogs, two cockatoos, one macaw and one cat.

A bond hearing is scheduled for Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. and a preliminary hearing for Jan. 8.
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  A 51-year-old woman serving at least 9 years in prison for child sex abuse charges had part of her Barry County Circuit Court sentence overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Elva Clairene McClure entered a guilty plea in Barry County Circuit Court to one count of aggravated child sexually abusive activity, one count of second-degree criminal sexual

conduct with a person under 13 years of age (CSC-II), one count of second-degree child abuse, one count of surveilling an unclothed person and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with force or coercion (CSC-III).

She was sentenced to hundreds of months in prison. But during her sentencing, Barry County Circuit Court Judge Michael Schipper entered an order prohibiting her from having contact with anyone other than her attorney, judge from the Michigan Court of Appeals wrote in their Dec. 20, 2024 opinion.

Elva Clairene McClure (Courtesy Michigan Department of Corrections)

The ruling includes this partial transcript from the sentencing hearing held Jan. 19, 2023:

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I also find that [defendant is] clearly, clearly a predator and a danger. Shes already proven that shell violate any court orders rules, to place young kids at risk, by taking young kids to other people, by taking young kids to the prison, by doing all that, by sending pictures to somebody in prison. For that reason, not as a punishment, but for that reason, in addition to the sentence that I will give, she will have no access to J-Pay. She will have no mail, no phone, no social media, no computer access, no visitors whatsoever while shes in prison. . . . Because shes a predator and shes dangerous. The only person she may have any contact with, pursuant to my order, while shes in prison, will be her attorney. No one else. And this is for the protection of society. Transcript of sentencing statement provided in Michigan Court of Appeals ruling in Michigan v. McClure

McClure had been charged for participating in the sexual abuse of her daughter and grand daughter, as well as creating secret video of her daughter while the daughter was naked in the bathroom. Those videos were sent to her husband Allen McClure. The sexual assaults she participated in were done in conjunction with Allen, the court ruling reports.

Read the Opinion

20241220_C367882_32_367882.opnDownload

The Court Register of Actions

Elva McClure court record registerDownload

A three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals reversed the ordered in an unpublished opinion released Dec. 20, 2024.

Accordingly, we conclude that the trial court lacked statutory or inherent authority to impose the no-contact condition, rendering it unauthorized by law.6 We therefore reverse the no-contact condition placed on defendants sentence and remand to the trial court to amend defendants amended judgment of sentence consistent with this opinion. Michigan Court of Appeals Judges Kristina Robinson Garrett, Michelle M. Rick and Philip P. Mariani in Dec. 20, 2024 unpublished opinion in Michigan v. McClure

McClures earliest release date, the Michigan Department of Corrections website reports, is September 18, 2032. She could stay in prison until September 28, 2047.

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More people facing criminal charges in Wisconsin are waiting longer for mental health treatment before they can stand trial, concerning public health and criminal justice officials.

These are usually people with severe mental illnesses, substance abuse disorders or developmental disabilities who have been deemed incompetent to stand trial. That means they cannot understand the charges against them or the court proceedings, cannot assist in their own defense, or are unable to understand their decisions.

Over the past five years, the number of people in Wisconsin who need to be evaluated for competency has increased by 50%, and the number of people who need treatment so they can be restored to competency has nearly doubled, according to state health department data.

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As a result, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski said, people are being left to sit in jails, sometimes for months, while their conditions linger or grow worse.

Its not fair to anybody, Borowski said. Its not fair to the defendant, its not fair to the public, and its certainly not fair to the victims of any alleged crimes.

Under Wisconsin law, if defense attorneys suspect their client may not be competent to stand trial, they are required to raise the issue in court. In turn, a judge will order a psychiatrist to evaluate the client.

Those found not competent are then ordered to go through mental health and other types of treatment provided by the state Department of Health Services until they are able to stand trial.

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Their charges can range from low-level public disturbances to more serious crimes.

From 2019 to 2024, the number of people ordered to be evaluated for competency increased from 1,600 to nearly 2,600, according to the Department of Health Services. Their average wait time is 13 days.

Over those five years, the number of people ordered to undergo treatment to be restored to competency nearly doubled from 467 to 904. For them, the average wait time is 43 days.

Officials in the criminal justice and mental health systems said it is difficult to pinpoint what is driving the surge.

Tom Reed, head of the Milwaukee office of the state public defender, said the jump in competency needs is the result of a "complex set of social and medical deficits that people experience."

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"We have a lot of people in the jail with serious mental illness," Reed said. "That's the problem."

Social support systems, access to housing, and socioeconomic status are all factors that correlate with the likelihood that someone with mental illness, substance use disorder, or developmental disabilities ends up in the criminal justice system, Reed said.

Someone with a support system  who gets encouragement to undergo treatment and has access to housing and resources  is less likely to act out in a crisis and get involved with police, he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic, according to Reed, exacerbated some of those problems.

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"When we went through the pandemic, a lot of people went through a really difficult period for which they may not have fully recovered," Reed said.

Health department is expanding resources, but the waitlist keeps growing

In response to the surge, the Department of Health Services has expanded competency services in other state facilities, as well as jail-based competency treatment and outpatient options.

Traditionally, competency clients have been sent to Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh, or Wisconsin Resource Center in Winnebago. Between 2016 and 2022, the department added a total of 139 more beds at those facilities for people who need competency treatment and people found not guilty "by reason of mental disease or defect."

In February, the department established a 20-bed inpatient unit at Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center, a treatment facility in Mauston traditionally meant for sexually violent persons.

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But despite its efforts, the waitlist keeps growing.

At a meeting of the Milwaukee Community Justice Council this month, Adam Oldenburg, the forensic court liaison for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, said 204 people were on the waitlist for competency evaluations and treatment.

According to Oldenburg, the department admitted 61 individuals for competency services in November, getting them off of the waitlist.

Still, Oldenburg pointed to the department's "constant struggle with the volume of inpatient competency examinations."

"From our end, we need to take a deeper look with regards to how many of those are clinical necessities versus individuals not cooperating with the examiner," he said. "There's a variety of factors that play into the complexities of that number."

Health department also facing challenges with repeat clients

People who have been restored to competency at one point can get worse and may need to undergo treatment again.

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In a September 2022 letter to Borowski, the state health department said the number of people ordered for competency evaluations more than once had increased fivefold from 2016 to 2022, from 111 people to 587.

Meanwhile, the number of people ordered to undergo competency treatment multiple times increased more than tenfold, from 14 people to 163.

In the letter, Department of Health Services attorney Anne Bensky pointed to factors in other systems that may have contributed to the waitlist, such as court backlogs and a shortage of community-based mental health services.

"Addressing the root causes, and in particular, the circumstances that lead to criminality, is critical in keeping mentally ill people out of the criminal justice system, and thus off the (hospital) waitlist," Bensky said.

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Borowski acknowledged the challenges the department faces, but said the state health department has not adequately addressed the long wait for competency evaluations or treatment.

Governor Evers and the Department of Health Services owe it to the citizens across the state to find more beds, to hire more psychologists and psychiatrists, so as not to delay the criminal justice process, he said.

Elizabeth Goodsitt, spokesperson for the Department of Health Services, said behavioral health staffing shortages are a nationwide issue.

In an email, Goodsitt said one of Gov. Tony Evers' top initiatives this year was creating a task force on the health care workforce, which will provide recommendations for the upcoming 2025-27 state budget.

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The governor's past budget requests for more behavioral health services staffing and resources have been blocked by the Legislature, she said.

Goodsitt said expanding inpatient capacity for competency services is an "ongoing, necessary but slow and expensive process" and that the department "is pursuing ways to safely assess and treat patients in outpatient settings."

Incoming Milwaukee District Attorney Kent Lovern recognizes the challenges that health officials face, given the nationwide shortage of mental health professionals.

He, too, said the pandemic contributed to the backlog. He also said more attorneys may be raising competency as a potential issue due to growing awareness about mental health in general.

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According to Lovern, collaboration across different entities will be key.

"Everyone involved in the criminal justice system at the local level and at the state level right now are cognizant of the fact that there are a growing number of people with mental health conditions that are finding themselves in the criminal justice system," he said.

Eva Wen is a data reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Reach her at qwen@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: More Wisconsin defendants are waiting for mental health treatment
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC)  Mayday! Underground Crafts + Art held its Last Minute Holiday Craft Fair Sunday at the Harley School in Rochester. Around 30 local artists came together, selling goods like homemade cookies, to hand-crafted pipe cleaner figurines.

Some of the available figurines and homemade creations during Sundays event. (WROC/Trinity Wilson.)

When talking to these artists, News 8 found that most had unique and colorful childhoods, starting with a passion of creation. One small business owner described work during the holiday season.

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The local business is the person, said Kira Sinclair, owner of KiraArts. Making stuff brings me joy and if the stuff that I make can bring joy to people, like, Ive done my job. If I make you smile with my work, Ive done my job.

Holiday shoppers head to Eastview Mall for last minute gifts

In Addition to artists, students from the Harley School raised money for their spring France trip by wrapping gifts and providing hot chocolate to shoppers!

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At least one person was injured in a wrong way crash on Interstate 291 in South Windsor on Sunday night.

Emergency crews just after 9 p.m. responded to I-291 West between Exits 4 and 5 on the report of a crash involving a wrong-way driver, according to the South Windsor Fire Department.

Fire officials said one vehicle ended up off the right shoulder and into some trees. The other vehicle came to a stop in the left travel lane.

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According to fire officials, at least one person was taken to an area hospital.

The Manchester Fire Department as well as the Ambulance Service of Manchester were the first dispatched to the scene, which was in an area near the Manchester and South Windsor border, fire officials said. South Windsor fire crews responded once the crash was confirmed to be in their town.

Connecticut State Police also responded, fire officials said.

One lane on the westbound side of the highway remained open while crews were at the scene.
NEW DELHI, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Three suspected Sikh militants were killed Monday in a gunfight with police in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said.

The gunfight broke out in Pilibhit district, about 264 km north of Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.

According to the police, the gunfight broke out after a police party from the Indian state of Punjab accompanied by their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh tried to arrest them. However, the police said the militants fired upon the joint police party leading to a gunfight.

"During the standoff, they were critically wounded and after being removed to the hospital, the doctors declared them brought dead," senior police official Avinash Pandey said.

Pandey added two policemen were also wounded in the fight against these suspects. 
LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) Crews battled a fire at a Lebanon County business on Sunday night.

According to Campbelltown Volunteer Fire Company on Facebook, multiple crews responded to a fire at a business in South Londonderry township overnight. The company said crews arrived at the scene to find the business in flames.

It took firefighters three hours to control the blaze in freezing conditions, per the company.

Photo from Palmyra Fire Photo from Palmyra Fire

Images from the scene show smoke and fire emanating from the building.

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Nobody was reported injured in the fire, and the cause appears to be unknown at this time.

This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available

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Former Gov. Roy Cooper, seen here during a briefing in September of 2024, on Monday blasted the effort of Republican Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin to have more than 60,000 ballots cast in the November election thrown out. (Photo: Galen Bacharier)

As Governor Roy Cooper prepares to depart the Executive Mansion, criminal justice advocates are urging him to make use of his broadest set of powers: the ability to grant clemency for state crimes.

While the requests vary from calls for the commutation of all death sentences in the state to individual pardons of North Carolinians found to have been wrongfully convicted, a broad spectrum of attorneys and activists are pushing the outgoing governor to do more while he has the ability to do so.

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In an October letter, researchers from the Families Against Mandatory Minimums Foundation urged Cooper to review as many clemency petitions as possible, with a particular focus on individuals who offended while under the age of 25 and who are currently older than 55 as these populations are more likely to be rehabilitated and less likely to reoffend.

We hope that you will take our recommendations under strong consideration and use your clemency powers to their fullest extent during your remaining time in office, the researchers wrote. Data and evidence show that you can embrace public safety while leading with justice and mercy. These values are not mutually exclusive; rather, they are intrinsically linked.

The push for Cooper to grant clemency mirrors a national effort encouraging outgoing President Joe Biden to do the same. The president issued the largest single-day grant of clemency in U.S. history earlier this month, commuting the sentences of around 1,500 people who had been under home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and were at risk of returning to prison facilities.

Now, all eyes are on Cooper, to see if he takes sweeping action of his own before departing the governorship on Jan. 1.

A justice-minded governor

The first time Gretchen Engel  now the executive director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation  met Cooper was during his tenure as attorney general. His office was investigating a cross burning at a public housing project.

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I think he actually really cares about racial justice, for example, which is a big issue in the death penalty, Engel said. When I first moved here in 1992, I did not imagine that I would ever hear a governor of the state say Black Lives Matter.

Cooper said so in June 2020, as racial tensions exploded across the country in mass protests following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. He subsequently launched the states Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice that year and the Juvenile Sentence Review Board in 2021, the latter of which recommended 13 of the commutations he later approved.

Advocates hope this mindset will lead Cooper to take major action on clemency as he concludes his tenure as governor. Criminal justice reform groups saw his time in office as a moment to prioritize direct advocacy to his office  including a Vigil for Freedom and Racial Justice outside the Executive Mansion each of the past five years and a two-year campaign to commute all death sentences in the state.

I am proud of the way that he has centered the issues of racial injustice and continued to talk about them when it wasnt always the popular thing to do, said Kristie Puckett of Forward Justice, which helps organize the annual vigil. For a southern governor  and the most winningest Democrat in North Carolina  its important that he use his social capital to talk about race.

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After Coopers 2020 pronouncement that Black lives do matter, the vigils response is: Show us that they matter, Puckett said.

The Decarcerate Now NC Coalition began this years vigil on Dec. 10 and will gather on Jones Street each day until the end of Coopers term. Puckett said she hopes to see an announcement from his office on clemency early this week. The previous four years, the vigil was met by commutations or pardons in late December, usually between Dec. 17 and Dec. 21.

After publication of this article, Coopers office announced six commutations, including two recommended by the Juvenile Sentence Review Board, and nine pardons of forgiveness Monday afternoon  the fifth straight year in which he granted clemency during the annual vigil.

While he did not do so prior to his 2020 reelection, Cooper has exercised his clemency powers each year of his second term in office. With 32 pardons and 26 commutations as of Monday, he has made greater use of his clemency powers than any governor since progressive stalwart Jim Hunt, who left office in 2001.

A very expansive clemency power

While the North Carolina governorship is known for having some of the most limited constitutional powers in the country  not gaining the ability to veto bills until 1997  it has substantial latitude in granting clemency.

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It is very expansive as is written in the North Carolina constitutions powers with regard to executive clemency, said Jamie Lau, a law professor at Duke University who supervises the Wrongful Convictions Clinic. That puts quite a bit of power within the executive to take those actions unrestrained from other parts that may check that power within North Carolinas government.

That power includes unconditional pardons, pardons of forgiveness, and pardons of innocence. The latter is required to seek compensation from the state for wrongful conviction. The governors commutation power can be used for individual convicts or categorically, as Biden did when he commuted the sentences of every person who was part of the COVID-19 home release program.

Some advocates are pushing Cooper to enact categorical commutations before he leaves office, something not seen in the state in the 21st century, which has seen less than 40 total commutations.

Members of the Decarcerate Now NC coalition demonstrate on Jones Street in the final days of Governor Roy Coopers second term. (Courtesy of Kristie Puckett.)

In a letter to Coopers office, the Decarcerate Now NC Coalition urged categorical clemency to release the elderly, the ill, and those incarcerated for technical parole violations as well as all children who are incarcerated. The group also supports the commutation of all death sentences.

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Despite the offices expansive clemency powers, from 2001 until the start of Coopers second term, they were seldom unused. Democrat Mike Easley granted just five commutations and five pardons during his eight years in office, while his successor Bev Perdue granted 11 pardons. Republican Pat McCrory granted 10 pardons and commuted one sentence.

An analysis by Lau and colleague Ben Finholt suggests that this turn coincides with a shift in the national political environment toward tough on crime policies, epitomized by President Bill Clinton and the 1994 Crime Bill. As politicians feared the electoral cost of being perceived as soft on crime, grants of pardons and commutations plummeted.

With that in mind, the George Floyd protests and the national reckoning on criminal justice they provoked  prompting Coopers own major actions in that area  could represent another turning point for clemency in North Carolina.

A ticking clock on the death penalty

The death penalty has been on hold in North Carolina since 2006  frozen by legal battles over the manner and method of executions as well as the Racial Justice Act  but observers fear the conservative state Supreme Court could allow executions to resume in the near future.

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Cooper was attorney general at the time of the states last execution. Now, activists are hoping he clears the states death row before the hold on executions is lifted by commuting all 136 death sentences in the state to prison terms  perhaps the most sweeping grant of clemency asked of him.

Noel Nickle, executive director of the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. (Courtesy photo)

We believe that he is listening and paying attention and we also believe that he is a very thoughtful person that proceeds with a great deal of intention, said Noel Nickle, the Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penaltys executive director. What he has done previously in office indicates to us that racial equity is important to him.

North Carolinas death row is disproportionately Black, with 75 Black inmates, 51 white inmates, 6 who are American Indiana or Alaska Native, and 4 who are Asian or Asian American. That disparity is why opponents of the death penalty say race is a major factor in determining death sentences in the state  the crux of the legal battle against it.

Should those claims fail, however, more than 30 inmates in the state could see their executions proceed rapidly, having exhausted all other avenues for relief. That ticking clock is the backdrop for the pressure campaign on Coopers office.

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Members of the coalition have met with Coopers office several times over the past two years, both online and in-person, during which time Nickle said theyve seemed receptive. It is now time for him to act, Nickle said.

While such an act would be unprecedented in North Carolinas history, Governor Kate Brown of Oregon granted clemency to all 17 inmates on the states death row in 2022, commuting their sentences to life without possibility of parole. She also granted more than 47,000 pardons for minor marijuana offenses during her time in office.

Likewise, Biden issued commutations for nearly all federal death row inmates Monday morning ahead of an expected Trump effort to resume executions, only leaving intact the sentences of three men convicted of mass shootings or acts of terrorism. The 37 inmates whose sentences he commuted will now serve life in prison without possibility of parole.

Nickle also pointed to the cases of Glen Edward Chapman and Alfred Rivera, who were exonerated from death row after wrongful convictions but would see their lives greatly improved by pardons of innocence. She also cited the non-death row cases of Michael Parker, who was wrongfully convicted of sexual abuse and has since been exonerated, and James Richardson and Charles McNeair, who she said remain wrongfully incarcerated. The latter two cases were also raised by the Decarcerate Now NC Coalition.

Andre Smith, a death penalty abolition advocate who lost his son to murder, speaks at a rally remembering the 16th anniversary of the last execution in North Carolina. (Courtesy of Noel Nickle.)

For Andre Smith, a practicing Buddhist who lost his son to murder before becoming a board member of CADP, its about a commitment to the ideal that any death is wrong.

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Dont do it in my name, Smith said of the death penalty. Ive never asked you to this for me.

Smith met with Coopers office on two occasions alongside delegations from the CADP and said he appreciated that the staff was actually listening and took their effort seriously. He sought to appeal to them using the governors identity as a man of faith.

This is beyond politics, were talking about a human life. And I think whats required is compassion, and not to use politics as a reason to not do the compassionate thing, Smith said. Hes Christian so therefore, I know that he knows the right thing to do according to religious principles.

An inherently political act

The biggest obstacle some advocates see to action around clemency is the fear of political fallout.

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Since the 1988 presidential race, in which the George H.W. Bush campaign weaponized the escape of convicted murderer Willie Horton against his opponent Michael Dukakis to great success, political strategists have been on constant watch for missteps on criminal justice to undercut their opponents.

Bidens latest grant of clemency, for example, drew backlash after it was reported it included Michael Conahan, a Pennsylvania judge who took bribes in exchange for harsher sentences against juvenile defendants in what became known as a kids for cash scheme.

Puckett, the Forward Justice organizer, said evidence of Coopers political considerations around clemency could be found in the fact that he did not grant any pardons or commutations before his successful reelection in 2020. She speculated that this might have been to help ensure not only his own reelection, but also to avoid provoking attacks on Democrats down the ballot.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told a crowd at Nash Community College in Rocky Mount Were not done. Im not done. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)

While Coopers time in the governorship is coming to an end, few expect him to disappear from North Carolina politics. He is one of the top names being floated to mount a challenge to Republican Senator Thom Tillis in 2026 on the Democratic side, and alluded to future plans in his farewell address when he told a crowd in Rocky Mount, Were not done. Im not done.

Clemency is inherently political because its a single elected official who has through their constitutional authority the power to act, so I think thats a significant consideration, said Lau, the Duke Law professor. I hope that, whatever [Coopers] aspirations might be, that its seen as a positive to exercise mercy on behalf of the state and to articulate the reasons why its important to take these actions.

Matthew Charles, an advisor for Families Against Mandatory Minimums, said his group wrote to Cooper because his last term in office was concluding and he had previously taken positive action on criminal justice reform, pointing to the Juvenile Sentence Review Board.

Oftentimes the governor is the last chance or last opportunity that some people may have to be able to be released, because many states dont have second chance looks, Charles said.

Puckett said she views Cooper as a shrewd politician who has done as much as he thought he could do and continue to win. While she would like to see bolder action in the final days of his term, she appreciates that he has prioritized criminal justice reform in his time in office.

Im an advocate to my heart  Im going to always say he could have went further, Puckett said. But I am deeply appreciative of the relief that he has brought to the people that he has issued pardons to and commuted sentences of.

This story has been updated.
MESA COUNTY, Colo. (KREX)  The Colorado State Patrol and Grand Junction Police Department recently joined forces for a surge enforcement operation to ensure residents are safe this holiday season.

According to CSP, the agencies focused last Friday on Interstate 70B since it is one of the most traveled roadways in the Grand Valley. The road is also the site for many aggressive drivers reported by motorists.

Over the course of the operation, 53 motorists were contacted for a variety of traffic violations and 33 citations were issued, Colorado State Patrol said.

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While holiday traffic continues to be heavy over the next few weeks, we ask that everybody do their part to make the highways safe by driving at a safe speed and never driving impaired. Also, give grace to other highway users as everybody navigates their way through the holiday season, CSP said in the press release.

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)  Three men who are part of an alleged crime ring that placed card skimmers on ATMS in Connecticut are now facing a slew of charges, according to state police.

Liberty Bank alerted troopers on Wednesday that two customers had reported that money had been taken out of their accounts, according to state police. The unauthorized transactions came from the same ATM in Newington. Additional incidents happened in Berlin and West Hartford.

The vehicle linked to the crime had been rented out of the Los Angeles International Airport and was overdue by nine days. GPS tracking on the vehicle tracked it from the Hartford area and into Wethersfield. The vehicle was boxed in at another ATM.

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Tom Uzan, 24, of France, and 23-year-old Ioan Kanalos, of Romania, were arrested at the scene. Tsounis Panagiotis, 26, of France, was taken into custody after running away.

Tom Uzan (Source: Connecticut State Police)

Ioan Kanalos (Source: Connecticut State Police)

Tsounis Panagiotis (Source: Connecticut State Police)

All three have been charged with third-degree identity theft, third-degree computer crime, fourth-degree larceny, illegal use of a scanning device, fraudulent use of an ATM, illegal use of a payment card, illegal reproduction of a payment card and illegal possession of personal identifying information access device. Panagiotis is facing an additional charge of interfering with an officer.

All three are being held on $500,000 bonds.

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(COLORADO SPRINGS)  A woman escaped an attempted sexual assault south of downtown Colorado Springs on Sunday, Dec. 22, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD).

Around 2 a.m. on Sunday, CSPD received a report of an attempted sexual assault in the 1800 block of South Nevada Avenue, near East Cheyenne Road. According to CSPD, the victim reported that she was walking home from the downtown area when an unknown man began to follow her.

CSPD said that the man followed the woman for over half a mile, and then attacked her from behind, forcibly groping her before trying to drag her somewhere. She was able to escape the assault and ran away from him.

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According to CSPD, the suspect is unknown at this time. Detectives with the Adult Sex Assault Unit will continue the investigation. Anyone who was a witness to this incident or has any additional information is asked to contact CSPD at (719) 444-7000, or if they want to remain anonymous, call Pikes Peak Crime Stoppers at (719) 634-STOP (7867).

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City officials in Bristol are hoping to have red light and speed cameras in place by the end of next year at multiple intersections.

The proposed plan, which is in its infant stages, is in response to numerous complaints from residents about motorists who disregard traffic laws and make the roads unsafe, according to Mayor Jeff Caggiano.

Its the number one complaint in city hall, Caggiano said, adding that the city regularly sees two to three people at each Board of Police Commissioners meeting demanding officials take action.

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To address these concerns, Chief of Police Mark Morello approached city leaders and requested they begin the process to install red light and speed cameras in Bristol, Caggiano said. This was made possible when state legislators in 2023 passed a law allowing the automated traffic enforcement devices.

Caggiano said the first step in the process involves adopting a city ordinance in line with the camera use. The matter has been added to the Ordinance Committees agenda for its January meeting, Caggiano said.

The ordinance process alone could take between two to three months, which would include having a public hearing on the issue. The city would also need to put the project out for a bid to determine which vendor would perform the work to install the devices. After that, Caggiano said it would likely take another few months before the state would approve the citys application.

So were talking nine months to a year, Caggiano said.

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Currently, the state has received applications for red light and speed cameras from officials in Washington, New Haven and Stamford, according to Josh Morgan, spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation.

Washington became the first Connecticut town to receive approval for the enforcement devices  a process that was intentionally made out to be thorough and somewhat lengthy to ensure the devices are not abused or used as a revenue-generating mechanism. The legislation also mandates that any money generated from the cameras must be re-invested by municipalities in the program or used for other traffic-related safety improvements.

That was deliberate because this isnt about generating money for the state of Connecticut, Morgan said. Its not about generating revenue for any of the towns or cities. Its about changing driver behavior and improving safety.

Its not a gotcha, money-generating program, Morgan said. Its really to reduce the amount of dangerous behaviors that we see on our roads, reduce the number of crashes and save lives.

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In Connecticut, applications must reviewed by the DOTs Office of the State Traffic Administration within 60 days. They are approved for a period of three years and must be renewed if they are to be used beyond that period.

Any violations that occur within the first 30 days of the devices being installed can result in a written warning.

Any citation beyond 30 days cant exceed $50 for first offense and $75 for each additional offense, according to the DOT.

Morgan said data has shown that automated enforcement devices have proven to be effective in slowing drivers down and reducing accidents.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, controlled studies have found that the devices likely reduce crashes resulting in injuries by 20% to 25% at conspicuous, fixed camera sites.

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According to the U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Highway Administration, fixed unit speed enforcement devices on urban principal arterials have been found to reduce all crashes by 54% and those involving injuries by 47%.

Morgan said the states pilot program using speed cameras in work zones, which was launched in 2023, further demonstrated the devices ability to curb driver habits. Through the pilot program, which has since been made permanent and expanded for regular use in as many as about 15 work locations, drivers were issued a warning for their first violation. Subsequent violations led to a citation.

According to Morgan, about 25,000 warnings went out but only several hundred citations were issued.

That was just another proof-point that people were changing their behavior after they got that warning, Morgan said. These automated enforcement devices have been proven to work.

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Caggiano said the cameras in Bristol would bolster recent efforts by police to increase speed enforcement. Traffic enforcement in the city dwindled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since been stepped up in the form of warnings to exceed pre-pandemic numbers.

According to Caggiano, police in 2024 have already issued more than 1,700 written warnings after issuing a total of 1,452 warnings in all of 2019. Next year, however, he said drivers wont be so fortunate.

A good warning for people is the warnings are done, Caggiano said. If youre violating traffic rules, our police officers are going to write you a ticket.

Though he still has some concerns he would like addressed about speed cameras, Caggiano said he believes this type of enforcement can be effective.

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Its a force multiplier, Caggiano said. Its not going to take away from any of the other stuff that were doing. I think we have 250 miles or so of roads, and its hard to be everywhere at once.

Opponents of speed cameras often point to civil liberty concerns and condemn the big brother approach.

I would invite them to come and see the process to learn how its going to operate, Caggiano said. We still have to uncover that. I have a mindful eye toward that as well, too. I want to make sure that this is the right thing to do.

The mayor noted that each violation captured by the cameras would need to be reviewed by a police officer before someone received a citation. In other words, it is not an automated system that simply sends citations out to each driver who runs a red light or goes over the speed limit. Each instance is decided on a case-by-case basis. Factors like time of day, traffic flow and how egregious the violation is can play a role on whether a motorist is ticketed, Caggiano said.

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Areas where city officials would likely look to put the systems into place would be Shrub Road, Redstone Hill Road and potentially other areas.

We would target the areas where weve had major complaints, Caggiano said.

Caggiano also said he has a simple message for anyone who does not want to see the cameras used in Bristol: Dont speed, dont go through traffic lights.
In Cuba the population is fighting shortages of food, fuel and medicine while a collapsing electrical grid that resulted in three nationwide blackouts this year continues to leave many people in the dark.

In Venezuela, strongman Nicolas Maduro is driving the hemispheres worst migration crisis  nearly eight million people have fled and more are threatening to leave amid economic hardships, human rights abuses and a power grab that has him preparing to inaugurate himself for a third six-year term in January.

And in Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega and his wife have turned the Central American country into a springboard for fleeing Haitians and other migrants, and the United Nations is scrutinizing government crackdowns against opponents, journalists and human rights defenders.

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While none of these countries appear to be in any position financially to help a crisis-wrecked Haiti, the head of its U.S.-backed ruling presidential council, Leslie Voltaire, recently appealed for their help.

In a video addressed to the left-leaning group known as ALBA  the acronym for the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of Our Americas  Voltaire, who took over the rotating presidency of the Transitional Presidential Council in October, asked for security and food assistance on behalf of Haiti, where armed gangs have killed more than 5,000 people this year and forced more than 700,000 to flee their homes.

We are currently facing a problem of violence from armed gangs who are terrorizing the population, Voltaire, an urban planner who studied in Mexico and in the U.S., said in a video address in Spanish to the trade bloc as it met over the weekend in Caracas. That is why we are asking our ALBA brothers for security and food assistance.

Voltaires request to ALBA has caught Haitian and hemispheric observers by surprise, with some questioning if the move is an attempt to raise the stakes with Washington as the U.S. prepares for the Trump administration.

Haiti is a mess

No doubt Haiti is a mess, said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas and an expert on the region.  Ive been calling it a failed state and I believe it to be. But putting the country in the midst of regional political tug-of-war would not be the best way to advance security and prosperity.

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Farnsworth said Voltaires decision is a bad move and its timing rotten and probably intentional, given the pending U.S. presidential transition. He wouldnt put it past ALBA leaders, he added, to be behind the request in order to embarrass the U.S. and polarize the situation.

ALBA has nothing to offer, so their best tried-and-true method is to try to work public opinion against the U.S. and hope to cast attention away from their own failures, Farnsworth said. Lets see what if anything ALBA actually comes up with besides, maybe, a show of support with a planeload of supplies or something that isnt sustained. I doubt that ALBA peacekeepers will be deployed to Haiti any time soon.

So President of Haiti Presidential Council has officially asked ALBA, a trade alliance of socialist leaning countries created by Cuba & Venezuela, for assistance to combat the gangs in . These countries are the friends wants to be closer too but the prevents. A suivre pic.twitter.com/6JsTMIC8KP  Jean Jacques Dessalines (@JeanJacquesDes7) December 19, 2024

In addition to the three countries, ALBA members include Bolivia and the eastern Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The island-nations are also members of the 15-member regional bloc known as CARICOM, which on Monday resumed talks with Haitian political leaders over the troubled transition.

Founded by Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and Cubas Fidel Castro, ALBA is known for its ongoing confrontations with the United States. Haiti isnt a full member, but has observer status. Former President Michel Martelly in 2012 raised the possibility of Haiti permanently joining the alliance.

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In his address, Voltaire said six million Haitians are going hungry and he mentioned past assistance from the bloc. After Haitis deadly 2010 earthquake, Chavez announced the cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in debt the country had accrued and pledged additional assistance.

Voltaire did not respond to a request for comment from the Miami Herald. His outreach to ALBA has been criticized and dismissed in Haiti. Earlier this week Magali Comeau Denis, a leader in the civic group known as the Montana Accord, mentioned the request during a radio interview on station Magik 9. She criticized the lack of leadership from the ruling council, which has been engulfed in a corruption scandal thats threatening to unravel the transition, which her group pushed.

There are concrete measures that can be taken, even regarding food, Denis said, underscoring how gangs control of roads have led to farm products wasting away in parts of the country. If you go to the market in the GrandAnse, there is produce  yam, papaya, pineapple, cassava, avocado. The market is full.

ALBA has no money

After Voltaires request, Maduro called on ALBA to do everything within its power to support Haiti, a nation that has been a victim of aggression, mistreatment, and colonialism in all its forms for centuries.

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Pedro Burelli, a former director at PDVSA, Venezuelas state-owned oil company who closely follows the bloc, said ALBA has no money whatsoever.

The bloc was created back in 2004 when oil prices were above $100 a barrel. Back then Venezuela was governed by Chavez and the South American nation was a huge donor to Haiti, whose close ties with the country dates back to liberator Simon Bolivar.

Chavez used its PetroCaribe oil program, which provided cheap oil to Caribbean nations, not as a sensible energy program but as a political influence gambit.

At one point, the U.S. and Venezuela held three way meetings with the Haitian government. All that is gone and ALBA is but a shell, Burelli said.

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Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba have all been hit with U.S. economic sanctions and are viewed by Washington as repressive regimes. Each, along with Haiti, presents its own challenges for the incoming Trump administration, which campaigned on deporting massive numbers of undocumented migrants from the U.S.

During his first term, Donald Trump took a hard line against Venezuela and was criticized by its supporters within CARICOM.

Its unclear this time around what Trumps approach to Venezuela or any countries in the region will be  although his nominee for secretary of state, Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, has railed against the hemispheres authoritarian regimes. President Biden has tried to generate political change through sanctions and engagement, without much success.

Biden record on Haiti, Cuba and Venezuela

In a call with journalists this week on the administrations foreign policy achievements, Tom Sullivan, the counselor to the State Department, was asked about its record on Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti.

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The U.S. is the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Haiti, he said, while acknowledging that there hasnt been enough progress against gangs by the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission. The U.S. supports the U.N.-approved mission and remains its largest funder, with more than $300 million in assistance that will double before Trump takes office.

The administration is working on solidifying the progress that has been made by turning the force into a formal U.N. peacekeeping mission, Sullivan said..

That will ensure that it has longer-term funding and support and international contribution, he said. That is actively being worked in New York through the [Security] Council and with the secretary-general, and we are hopeful that that might happen by early next year through the Council issuing that mandate. So that is the focus that we have been on.

Sullivan pointed to continuing repression in Cuba and Venezuela.

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The regime of Cubas Miguel Diaz-Canel, Sullivan said, has shown no signs of taking steps that we would deem necessary for there to be any sort of constructive or meaningful engagement, apart from some limited areas on law enforcement cooperation on a few other specific issues.

On Venezuela, the administration has been rallying international support against acknowledging Maduros claim to victory in the presidential elections last July. The Venezuelan people cast their ballots for opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez to be their president, Sullivan said.

We have recognized Edmundo Gonzalez as the president elect, to maintain the sanctions that we have, while signaling to the regime that if it wants [a] relationship with the United States... its not going to be able to just continue to sort of thwart the will of Venezuelan people and to continue on the current course, he said.

El Nuevo Herald reporter Antonio Maria Delgado contributed to this report.
CROSSVILLE, Tenn. (WATE)  Students and faculty at Cumberland County High School have continued to gather donations and make deliveries to areas of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene.

The towns still resemble war zones, Aaron Daenell with the CCHS Future Business Leaders of America club wrote nearly three months after Hurricane Helene devastated East Tennessee and North Carolina.

Cumberland County High School students deliver donations, gifts to flood victims

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Recent community support has allowed students and staff to deliver supplies and toys for families across the region.

A group of 25 students and six teachers travelled to Waynesville, North Carolina over the weekend. They delivered over 800 bicycles toys, clothes, and other items to over 700 families in time for Christmas. After this, they went to Newport to deliver building materials and Angel Tree gifts.

(Photo by Aaron Daenell) (Photo by Aaron Daenell) (Photo by Aaron Daenell) (Photo by Aaron Daenell) (Photo by Aaron Daenell) (Photo by Aaron Daenell)

There are hundreds [of] homes that are in ruins, and so many small businesses are still boarded up, Daenell wrote describing the route between the two towns. We all felt extremely humbled and blessed to have been able to help so many and will continue to support our E. Tennessee neighbors as they work to rebuild their lives.

6 News reporter Dominic Webster spoke with Daenell and the group back in November as they made the nearly three-hour drive from Crossville to Cocke County to distribute aid.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  An East Lansing mom was a bit late to the hospital Monday morning and delivered her baby girl just outside the hospital doors.

Just before 4 a.m., 34-year-old Meghan Clark and her husband Jacob arrived at Sparrow Hospital. However, they couldnt quite make it through the doors before Meghan delivered her baby girl, Ruby James, in the valet drive.

Baby Ruby James and family (UM Health-Sparrow)

Hospital safety officers and emergency department team members immediately rushed to help, transporting the family inside for proper care.

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Ruby was born weighing 8 lbs and 6 oz and was 20 inches long. According to UM Health-Sparrow, both mom and baby are healthy.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.
DAMASCUS, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader, Ahmad al-Shara, held talks on Monday with visiting Qatari Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, with both sides pledging to forge a broad strategic partnership and accelerate Syria's recovery.

During the meeting, al-Shara hailed Qatar's "honorable stance toward the Syrian people" and emphasized Damascus' intention to tap into Qatari expertise across various fields.

"We plan to begin extensive strategic cooperation with Qatar in the coming period," he said, adding that the Gulf nation would play an "effective and significant" role in Syria's future. He also extended an invitation to the Emir of Qatar to visit Syria.

Al-Khulaifi, for his part, underscored Doha's commitment to supporting Syrians during their transition and stressed that "the Syrian people alone have the right to determine their destiny without any external guardianship."

He affirmed that "Qatar will remain by the side of our Syrian brothers, now more than ever."

The visit by the Qatari delegation headed by al-Khulaifi marks the first of its kind in 13 years, according to Qatar's Foreign Ministry.

Meanwhile, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari said on social media platform X that the delegation traveled to Damascus "on board the first Qatar Airways plane to land at a Syrian airport" since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's government.

Qatar officially reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, which was closed in 2011 following the outbreak of anti-government protests in Syria. 
A NPS ranger monitors a packed parking lot at Logan Pass in Glacier National Park. (Image via NPS)

The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously passed one of the largest outdoor recreation packages aimed at supporting public lands and bolstering the nearly $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation industry.

The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, which passed the House in April, includes more than a dozen individual bills that will enact sweeping policy changes around public lands and recreation, including streamlining permitting processes, funding parks and green spaces, and modernizing technology to enhance visitor experiences.

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Among the suite of bills comprising the bipartisan legislation package were several measures championed by Montanas congressional delegation.

Im proud to see my bipartisan bills pass the U.S. Senate and head to the presidents desk to be signed into law, said Montanas soon-to-be-senior Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican. This package includes major wins for Montanas beautiful public lands, and Ill always keep fighting for more ways to protect our outdoor way of life.

One of the bills major policy initiatives is the Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act, which was introduced by Daines in the Senate and cosponsored by Montanas Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican from the western district, in the House.

The measure focuses on gateway communities near popular recreation areas  like the towns near the West Entrance to Glacier National Park  to address increased visitation to national parks and public lands and housing shortages in nearby communities.

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Montanans know how important our gateway communities are, and supporting the areas around our beautiful national parks and public lands is critical to Montanas economy, Daines said in a statement when the bill cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Zinke, who grew up in Whitefish, has been critical of Glacier National Parks ticketed entry system, which requires visitors to reserve a time to enter the Parks most popular locations in advance, for impacting local community economies and made a key part of the bill a requirement for the National Park Service to consult with gateway communities before restricting access to parks.

Glacier National Park recently announced the latest changes to its pilot program of managed access, first enacted in 2021, to handle congestion at the increasingly popular park, and is seeking public feedback on its long-range visitor-use management and public transportation plan.

The bill addresses a lot of the difficulties faced by Flathead County and gateway communities around the U.S. The most important part of the bill is that it requires public land management to consult with locals to address problems of the present and the future, Flathead County Commissioner Randy Brodehl wrote in a column this spring after testifying in favor of the bill in Congress. Our parks are not going away and neither are we, so we need to establish rules of engagement into law with the National Park Service.

Somers Beach State Park on Flathead Lake. (Provided by Montana FWP for the Daily Montanan)

The Gateway Communities bill also establishes a pilot program to provide real-time visitation data for public lands in order to promote lesser known, lesser visited sites during times of high congestion; requires public land management agencies to collaborate with local stakeholders to address economic needs, including housing shortages and infrastructure deficiencies, related to increased visitation; and creates a digital America the Beautiful national park and public lands pass to make visitor access easier.

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The bill solves the longtime issue of unrealized potential in capturing real-time data on trail density and encouraging visitation to nearby, less traveled trails, Zinke said in a statement. If hikers see a trail is crowded and have the option to hike a different route that is low traffic, that helps alleviate congestion and resource strain and also allows land managers to welcome more members of the public without restricting access to parks.

Its a win-win. I am looking forward to this bill being signed into law before peak park season next year.

Another part of the EXPLORE Act, co-sponsored by Daines and Montanas Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, was the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act, aimed at streamlining the permitting process for public lands.

Among the changes to the recreational permitting process are directives for federal agencies to rely on existing environmental reviews for the issuance of permits, develop or expand existing categorical exclusions (or exemptions), and prohibit needs assessments, with exceptions for wilderness, for issuing special recreation permits. Agencies are also urged to eliminate duplicate processes and decrease costs for permits, which Daines said will benefit Montana outfitters and guides who often operate across multiple land agencies.

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To address housing shortages in communities near popular recreation sites, a section of the EXPLORE Act will allow the Department of the Interior to enter into agreements with local governments to develop, construct, rehabilitate, or manage housing in and adjacent to NPS lands for rent to field employees and members of the public.

Additional parts of the EXPLORE Act will enhance veteran and youth access to public lands; boost internet infrastructure at recreation sites; increase watercraft inspections for invasive species; simplify commercial film and photography permits on federal lands; recognize rock climbing as an acceptable activity in wilderness areas, including the use of fixed anchors; invest in long-distance biking trails; and establish an interagency federal council on recreation comprising the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service, Army Corps of Engineers and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law before the end of his term.
DALLAS (NewsNation)  Dallas-Fort Worth malls are encouraging holiday shoppers to stay home and let drones deliver their packages.

Wing Aviation and Doordash have partnered with several malls to allow consumers to shop online and have their purchases delivered by drone.

This launch comes as drones have been spotted on the East Coast, raising concerns.

Holiday goods dropping from the skies

When shoppers order through the Doordash app, they can select drone delivery from over 50 stores. Once an order is placed, a service robotics robot grabs the items and takes them to a nearby Wing Aviation drone.

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The drone then flies up to 150 feet and delivers the package to the doorstep in under 15 minutes.

FAA overseeing regulatory process

The Federal Aviation Administration has been key in overseeing the regulatory process.

With more than 400,000 deliveries worldwide, including in Australia and Ireland, Wing Aviationss proven track record is pushing drone delivery forward in the U.S.

While many embrace the convenience, others remain skeptical or enjoy the chaos of last-minute holiday shopping.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.
12/23 UPDATE:

DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA)  WCIA reported Sunday night that first responders were called to East Voorhees and North Vermilion Streets.

Firefighters were able to contain the flames to one room but thats not where the damage stopped.

The Danville Fire Department said there was smoke and water damage throughout the house. The occupants were outside when firefighters arrived, and no one was hurt.

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Two windows on the second floor of the house are missing glass and charred from the flames. A pipe hangs loose And debris lays on the ground.

Two adults, four kids and two dogs are now without a home. The Red Cross is assisting them in whats next.

We remain ready to respond 24/7. We understand that disasters do not take a holiday, they do not take a day off and neither do the responders at the Red Cross, so most of our disaster responders are actually volunteers that are from the area that dedicate their time and their expertise, Jayce Eustice, Red Cross regional communications manager said.

Along with the Red Cross, a local church is also helping the family recover. Danville Fire Department estimates the flames caused about $40,000 worth of damage.

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The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA)  The Danville Fire Department has shared more details on a residential fire they extinguished Sunday evening.

The fire happened Sunday around 6:40 p.m. at a two-story brick house on Vermilion St. near Voorhees St. When arriving on scene, firefighters saw the fire coming from 2 windows on the second floor.

After making a transition attack to extinguish the flames, firefighters were able to contain the fire to the room where it originated in. There was smoke and water damage throughout the house.

New Illinois law requires interpreters at state agency administrative hearings

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All members of the family at the house two adults, four children and two dogs were outside by the time fire fighters arrived. The American Red Cross and First Baptist Church are helping the family out while they are displaced. No one was injured from the fire.

We remain ready to respond 24/7, Red Cross Regional Communications Manager Jayce Eustice said. We understand that disasters do not take a holiday, they do not take a day off, and neither do the responders at the Red Cross. Most of our disaster responders are actually volunteers that are from the area that dedicate their time and their expertise.

Crews left the scene at 9:15 p.m. The fire department has yet to determine a cause to the fire, but firefighters are continuing to investigate.

The fire department estimates the total dollar loss from the fire is $40,000.

DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA)  The Danville Fire Department responded to a house fire Sunday night.

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The crews were dispatched to the home on North Vermilion Street around 6:45 p.m. The home is located near Schlarman Academy, a Pre-K through 12th grade Catholic school.

Homer FPD extinguishes conveyer fire

The Danville Fire Department said the closest hydrant was across Vermilion Street, causing them to divert traffic for fire response.

No one was injured during the fire, but part of Vermilion Street was closed off as the crews battled the fire. The street was still closed as of 9 p.m. but firefighter crews were clearing the scene to reopen it later in the evening.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Christmas Day is Wednesday, an international holiday celebrated annually on Dec. 25, as well as a U.S. federal holiday.

In observance of Christmas Day, most postal carriers will not deliver mail. Customers can still expect to receive mail and packages on Tuesday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, and services will return to normal on Thursday, Dec. 26.

The United States Postal Service recognizes Christmas Day as one of 11 federal holidays on which mail is not delivered. Post offices will also be closed, with all USPS services returning to normal on Thursday. USPS observes New Years Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

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When you can watch The Grinch, Rudolph, Frosty, more 2024 holiday specials on NBC

DHL, a global logistics company, also suspends operations on all public holidays, including Christmas.

As for UPS, all store locations will be closed and packages will not be delivered. Stores will reopen and deliveries will resume on Thursday. However, UPS Express Critical service is available, customers can call 1-800-714-8779 or visit upsexpresscritical.com.

Central Ohios best holiday displays of 2024

FedEx will also suspend operations on Wednesday. FedEx Custom Critical services are available, however, this is a specialty service that requires a separate account.

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Additionally, Amazon does not deliver on Christmas since it is one of the companys seven observed holidays. According to Amazons website, its same-day delivery is not available to Prime members on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, or New Years Day.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  Detectives in D.C. are investigating a homicide after a man was found shot in Southeast on Sunday morning.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) told DC News Now that on Dec. 22 around 7:20 a.m., officers responded to the 2200 block of Q Street for a shooting. This is near Triangle Park.

Commanders fans celebrate win, react to possible return of team to DC

Once on the scene, officers found a man suffering from gunshot injuries, unconscious and not breathing.

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He died there.

He was later identified as 19-year-old Carmelo Green of District Heights, Md.

Anyone with information about this case is urged to call 202-727-9099 or text MPDs text tip line at 50411.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Observers of the American presidency warn with increasing frequency that the office of the country's chief executive has acquired power more befitting a monarchy than a republic with elected officials. But what if the person holding that office is a placeholder for aides who cocoon the president and who really make the decisions? That is, what if all that growing power is wielded by an unelected and relatively faceless circle of advisers? That brings us to the Biden administration which, in just one term, has powerfully reinforced the argument for making the presidency much less important.

The Walled-In President

"Presidents always have gatekeepers," Annie Linskey, Rebecca Ballhaus, Emily Glazer, and Siobhan Hughes wrote last week for The Wall Street Journal. "But in Biden's case, the walls around him were higher and the controls greater, according to Democratic lawmakers, donors and aides who worked for Biden and other administrations. There were limits over who Biden spoke with, limits on what they said to him and limits around the sources of information he consumed."

In President Joe Biden's day-to-day work, they added, several key aides to the elderly official "were often with the president as he traveled and stayed within earshot or eye distance.They would often repeat basic instructions to him, such as where to enter or exit a stage."

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The New York Times, which has been protective of Biden's tarnished reputation, conceded in a story by Peter Baker and Zolan Kanno-Youngs that "time is catching up with Mr. Biden. He looks a little older and a little slower with each passing day." People who traveled with the president noted that he "maintained a light schedule at times and sometimes mumbled, making him hard to understand."

None of this is especially surprising to the American people at this point. Even before Biden's disastrous debate performance in June, which forced him to surrender dreams of a second term, surveys found overwhelming majorities86 percent in a February 2024 ABC News/Ipsos pollthought he was too old to serve four more years in office. That followed special counsel Robert Hur's decision not to prosecute Biden for illegally retaining classified materials because he "would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."

Major Decisions by Whom?

That's terribly sad. But it's also disturbing given that Biden is still the president of the United States and will remain so until Donald Trump is inaugurated next month. If Biden is too tired, forgetful, and feeble to exercise the powers of the presidency, who is making the decisions that emerge from the White House?

"It's unclear even to some inside the West Wing policy process which policy issues reach the president, and how," Semafor's Ben Smith reported in July, citing "a government official with regular access to the West Wing" as his source. "Major decisions go into an opaque circle that includes White House chief of staff, Jeff Zients (who talks to the president regularly) and return concluded."

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The Times and Journal stories (Linskey and Hughes wrote an earlier take in May for the Journal on the same topic) support Smith's suggestion that policy is being crafted by obscure, unaccountable White House advisers. We've already been down that path, when Edith Wilson stepped in to act as de facto chief executive when her husband, President Woodrow Wilson, suffered a stroke. That was unacceptable and dangerous then, and it's even more so now given the greater power concentrated in the White House.

Asking, and Allowing, Too Much of the Office

"For far too long, Americans have looked to the presidency for far too much," Gene Healy wrote in the new edition of his book, The Cult of the Presidency. "No longer a limited constitutional officer charged with faithful execution of the laws, the federal chief executive has been transformed into a quasi-messianic figure, expected to create jobs, teach our children well, advance freedom worldwide, and serve as a living American talisman against hurricanes, terrorism, stock market turmoil, and spiritual malaise."

Worse, adds Healy, "as our politics took on a quasi-religious fervor, we've concentrated vast new powers in the executive branch" in the form of unilateral power to wage war overseas and set policy at home through executive orders. The process has been accelerated by crises, including the 2008 financial collapse and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch agrees.

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"Since March 2020, we may have experienced the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country," Gorsuch wrote last year about a case that came before the court dealing with pandemic-era executive actions by the president regarding immigration. "Executive officials across the country issued emergency decrees on a breathtaking scale."

"Rule by indefinite emergency edict risks leaving all of us with a shell of a democracy and civil liberties just as hollow," he concluded.

That's bad enough when political figures who campaigned for and won the votes to take office stretch the power of their office beyond its constitutional bounds, as presidents from both major parties have increasingly done. But now we have Joe Biden who, by all accounts, has become a figurehead in his own White House, with much of the serious work done by those around him.

Biden's departure from the scene next month doesn't resolve the issue. At 78, Donald Trump is "young" only by comparison to the octogenarian he'll succeed. While his lapses pale by comparison to Biden's, he's had a few apparent senior moments of his own. Those could worsen over the next four years.

Strip the Presidency of Dangerous Power

But even if Trump retains his health and mental faculties, the precedent of political apparatchiks nudging failing or simply weak elected officials aside in favor of their own judgment is a terrible one. Down that path lies Potemkin elections that have little to do with the people who govern the country and the policies they impose on the rest of us. We'll have rule by anonymous committees with a little democratic window dressing.

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And there's no way to guarantee that presidents won't become enfeebled or sick in the future. If they do, the power of their office will be available for the taking by ambitious White House aides. The only way to prevent the excessive power of the kingly presidency from being hijacked by those surrounding the throne is to remove its monarchical qualities.

To preserve the presidency as an office of a republic, it should be stripped of much of its power.

The post A Decaying Joe Biden Underlines the Need for a Less Powerful Presidency appeared first on Reason.com.
House Democrats have made it clear to Speaker Mike Johnson that they wont launch another rescue attempt to allow him to retain the speakership.

Johnson is set to have the narrowest of majorities in the next Congress and will have little room to maneuver with a caucus in which some members are angling to take him out.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has said that hell vote against Johnson as speaker on January 3. A number of other members of the party have said that theyre undecided, according to Axios.

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Johnson may only be able to lose a single vote with a majority of 219 to 215. Last week, Johnson decided not to push on with the federal funding package he negotiated with the Democrats to instead launch a slimmer version with an extension of the debt limit as demanded by President-elect Donald Trump.

House Democrats accused the speaker of reneging on their agreement, and they chose not to support the bill as a caucus.

While Johnson subsequently succeeded in passing the legislation without raising the debt ceiling, the trust with Democrats had already been broken.

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York made clear during a caucus meeting Friday that relations with Johnson were going downhill, according to Axios.

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He noted that Johnson had gone back on his word on the funding deal and that he had allowed communications to cease at times during the past week, three lawmakers told the outlet.

Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the House Democratic Caucus chair, said that he wont ask members to save Johnson like they did in May.

Appearing on MSNBC on Sunday, Jeffries told host and former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki that theres a real risk that Johnson may be unable to be elected speaker on January 3.

There will be no Democrats available to save him, he said.

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to reporters outside of the House Chambers in the U.S. Capitol on December 19, 2024 in Washington, DC. Hes facing an uncertain future as the trust between the speaker and House Democrats appears broken (Getty Images)

Several House Democrats who voted to save Johnson earlier this year told Axios Sunday that Johnson can no longer rely on them to retain the speakership.

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Centrist Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas said hell follow leadership.

Meanwhile, fellow centrist Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York said he was voting with Jeffries.

Michigan Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens told the outlet that Jeffries is correct.

"Its up to the Republicans to lead on governance now," she added. "If they need us they have to really make it worth our while, but [it] doesnt seem likely that they will.

This comes as Trump is considering attempting to boot Johnson from his post, according to Politico. Trump is reportedly unhappy with the funding deal and that he didnt get the debt ceiling hike he sought.

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The president is upset  he wanted the debt ceiling dealt with, a person in Trumps circle told the outlet.

In the past couple weeks, weve questioned whether [Johnson has] been an honest broker, another person said.

I dont see how Johnson survives, yet another individual told Politico.

But Johnsons bid for the speakers gavel is still officially backed by Trump and the Republican conference, which unanimously nominated him for another term as speaker in November.

However, even if Johnson manages to win the speakership another time on January 3, theres no guarantee that hell last the full two-year term. While the threshold to introduce a motion to remove the speaker has been raised to nine lawmakers, Johnson may still face the boot.

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Johnson is facing outrage from both his partys conservatives and the grassroots activists outside Congress. They are both saying that he needs to do more to cut government spending.

Rep. Troy Nehls, Republican of Texas, remains undecided on whether hell support Johnson. He told Axios last week that Johnson will need Democratic votes to keep the gavel.

A Democrat from a swing district told Axios that they thought they would help Johnson in a tough Speaker vote because he was true to his word even in hard times.

"That has absolutely changed now. Trust is all we have in these negotiations, they added. I thought Johnson was truly different. Hes no better than [former Speaker Kevin] McCarthy. Hes getting no help from me and I know many of my colleagues feel the same."

"He has betrayed our trust and we will never trust him again to hold to any agreement, Vermont Democrat Rep. Becca Balint told Axios. She also voted to support Johnson in May.
DENVER (KDVR)  After a mild weekend, snow showers are moving into the high country for the start of the week. Denvers weather will stay mild, with a slight chance for showers on Christmas.

Weather tonight: Mainly cloudy, mild

Sunday will stay mainly cloudy and mild. Low temperatures will fall to the mid-30s, which is nearly 20 degrees above normal for this time of year.

FOX31 Weather: View the latest Denver forecasts, maps and radar

Weather tomorrow: Partly sunny, mild

Clouds will linger on Monday for Denver, while the high country sees a few light snow showers. High temperatures will climb to the mid-50s, which is nearly nearly 15 degrees above average.

Looking ahead: Chance for a wintry mix on Christmas

Tuesday will be mainly sunny and mild with high temperatures climbing to the mid-50s.

The next big change moves in on Christmas. Snow showers will return to the mountains, then the chance for showers will push down the foothills and into the Denver area by the afternoon. With high temperatures in the 40s, showers are on track to start as cool rain, then briefly mix with snow in the evening.

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FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up for weather alerts from the Pinpoint Weather team

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Thursday will be mainly sunny and mild with highs in the upper 40s.

Then, another system will move in on Friday, giving Denver the chance for a few morning snow showers. By next weekend, sunshine returns and will help to boost high temperatures into the 50s.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
On her first night as a free woman in 17 years, Charlotte Pleytez couldnt sleep.

Pleytez was 20 years old and pregnant when she and another suspect, 15-year-old Lombardo Palacios, were arrested and charged with the killing of Hector Flores in East Hollywood back in 2007. The two were wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder in 2009 and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William Ryan formally overturned the pairs convictions Friday, citing new evidence that pointed to other suspects. Pleytez and Palacios were released from prison that evening.

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I just want to say how truly happy I am and how blessed I am to be standing here free after 17 years spent in a life sentence out in front of me for something I didnt do, Pleytez said at a news conference Monday.

But she also described a nagging fear wrought by years of wrongful imprisonment. On her first night home from prison, Pleytez said, she was consumed by sheer panic and fear that theyre going to come after me again.

Neither Pleytez nor Palacios were at the scene of the crime or involved in any way, and the eyewitness accounts that identified them as suspects were determined to be inaccurate, according to a news release from the district attorneys office.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman apologized to both Pleytez and Palacios on Monday.

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I owe a heartfelt apology to you, Mr. Palacios, and to you, Ms. Pleytez, for what youve gone through, for the suffering youve endured, Hochman said at the news conference. Theres no words that can truly describe what you have gone through.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman apologized Monday to Charlotte Pleytez and Lombardo Palacios, whom he said were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 17 years for the death of Hector Flores. - KABC

Palacios described his release as a miracle before Christmas.

Im still trying to process it, and Im just very happy, he said.

Advocates from the California Innocence Project worked alongside the conviction review unit of the district attorneys office to reassess the case, Hochman said.

When we determine that a conviction no longer has confidence, we need to move as expeditiously as possible to get the people who have been wrongfully convicted out of prison immediately, said the district attorney, who took office at the start of December.

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He said authorities will not rest until the true perpetrators of that murder are brought to justice. New evidence in the case that has also led us in a direction of who the true perpetrators are is currently under investigation.

We will learn from the lessons as best we can from this case to make sure we dont repeat any of the mistakes and have another situation where people get imprisoned who shouldnt, Hochman said.

He noted the district attorneys office is investigating a number of convictions, alongside advocates from the California Innocence Project.

Investigators at the offices conviction review unit work incredibly diligently, and I think you will see in the future more cases coming about like this, he said.

Coercive investigations

Pleytez and Palacios legal nightmare traces back to March 2007, when Flores was fatally shot in a parking lot, according to the news release from Hochmans office.

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Eyewitness identifications and other circumstantial evidence led to the pairs arrest, the news release said.

The district attorneys predecessor, George Gascon, had called for the pairs exoneration, citing coercive investigations of Palacios, CNN affiliate WABC reported. The then-teenager insisted he was innocent for almost two hours before police falsely told him there was a video showing he was the killer, according to WABC.

Lombardo Palacios, left, who was 15 when he was arrested, walks out of court a free man with his mother, Carla Campos, on Friday. - Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Palacios eventually said he was there and that he had fired shots into the air, according to an October news release from the district attorneys office. The statements werent presented to the jury, and Palacios later recanted.

On Monday, Palacios described feeling very alone and abused during his eight-hour interrogation when he was 15.

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They didnt want to believe the truth, that I was innocent, he said.

California has since changed its laws regarding juvenile interrogations, Hochman said. Last year, the state legislature passed a bill that prohibits using deception during interrogations of people under 17 years old.

Still, with the Palacios case, there is no evidence to suggest that any of the investigating officers, responding officers, or prosecutors involved in the case acted inappropriately, unethically, or illegally in performing their duties in the investigation and prosecution of this case given the applicable case law and state of the evidence at that time, the district attorneys office said in its news release.

Pleytez, meanwhile, maintained her innocence throughout the investigation, according to the October news release. She was two months pregnant when she was arrested and gave birth in handcuffs in county jail.

I worry still about the system, exoneree says

Pleytez said she and Palacios were both from poor families with limited resources to fight their legal battles.

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Im sure that someone from a family with resources could have fought it better. That doesnt seem right, she said.

While she was in prison, Pleytez said, whenever she heard about an exoneration, she felt two emotions.

One was frustration: Why them? Why not me? Im innocent. I felt like shouting it, she said.

But the other feeling was hope, hope that maybe one day it could happen. It took a long time. Seventeen and a half years is a long time, but it did happen, Pleytez said.

Its some kind of Christmas miracle, and Im just filled with gratitude that it really did happen to me.

Now, Pleytez hopes other innocent people who might be stuck in prison get to experience freedom soon.

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Im so grateful for the system that exonerated us, but I worry still about the system that convicted us in the first place, she said. There are people deserving of exonerations out there, and I hope they will someday be able to stand here and express their thanks just like I am.

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by Xinhua Writer Yuan Rui

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Serbia and China are not only partners but also friends who trust each other, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric stated in a written interview with Xinhua.

Djuric paid an official visit to China from Dec. 19 to 21 at the invitation of Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and minister of foreign affairs.

Reflecting on Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Serbia in May this year, Djuric said that the trip injected new momentum into bilateral ties. The two leaders announced the establishment of the China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era, marking a historic milestone in their relationship.

"Serbia and China are firmly bound by mutual support and understanding for key state and national interests," said Djuric. He also expressed his gratitude to China for supporting Serbia's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in regard to the Kosovo and Metohija issue.

"We will likewise continue to support our Chinese friends, not only when it comes to the one-China principle, but also in all initiatives that can be beneficial for the peaceful and prosperous future of humanity," he added.

Noting that economic collaboration between Serbia and China has seen record-breaking achievements, with both countries benefiting significantly, Djuric said that the Serbia-China Free Trade Agreement, which officially came into effect in July, "will lead to further growth in our trade and greater balance."

Recent achievements of bilateral cooperation include a China-invested tire factory in Serbia that began mass production in September, joint police patrols in Hainan, and the successful opening of a new bypass road around the municipality of Gornji Milanovac in October, which was constructed by a Chinese company.

Djuric said economic cooperation between the two countries covers many fields such as roads, railways and energy, among others. In particular, many Chinese enterprises have worked with Serbia on tangible joint projects that have enriched bilateral cooperation.

Looking ahead, Djuric expressed optimism about the future cooperation. He said that Serbia actively participates in the China-CEEC (Central and Eastern European Countries) cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative.

At the same time, Serbia is committed to becoming a leader in innovative technologies in the region and looks forward to deepening cooperation with China in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and digital transformation, he said.

"We want to implement a project of great importance for Serbia, the construction of the Serbia-China Industrial Park Mihajlo Pupin, which would also include a high-tech park," he added.

Cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Serbia have flourished, with Djuric highlighting that in the first 10 months of this year, the number of Chinese tourists to Serbia increased by over 70 percent compared to last year. Increased flight connections between the two nations have facilitated not only travel but also educational and technological exchanges.

"There is a great interest in China among the young people in Serbia, both for Chinese culture and for experiences in the transformation of society and high-tech development that is unparalleled in the modern world," he said.

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, held in July, detailed a systematic plan to further deepen reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization, and put forward more than 300 important reform measures. Djuric said the rest of the world can learn from this and promote sustainable development and social progress in line with their own conditions.

"Serbia is very glad to learn from the experiences of our Chinese friends and is creating a knowledge-based economy, as well as an environment for the development of high-tech export-oriented industry." 
To hear David Ellis tell it, when ComEd came to Springfield in 2011 hoping to get some utility-friendly legislation passed, they ran into a brick wall named House Speaker Michael Madigan.

They didnt like anything I was doing, Ellis, a state court appellate judge who used to work for the speakers office, told jurors Thursday in Madigans corruption trial. I wouldnt have expected them to.

Ellis said he was instructed by the speaker to hold ComEds feet to the fire, insisting on job creation for Illinois residents, rate caps and a sunset provision that would ensure the company had to come back to the General Assembly and show it had kept its word.

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Did you give them any choice? Madigan attorney Todd Pugh asked.

No, said Ellis. We were not asking, we were not making suggestions, we were making demands.

After some 50 prosecution witnesses in the blockbuster case against Madigan, the trials spotlight has finally turned to the defense, and several distinct themes of their case have emerged.

Among them: That despite his incredible political power, Madigan had no ability to wave a wand and pass legislation; that he used his reach to rein in greedy corporations and stand up for labor interests and blue-collar families; and that while companies may have made political hiring decisions to keep from rocking the boat, thats just Springfield politics and not any illegal exchange.

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It is an apparent attempt at legal judo, trying to turn prosecutors flood of evidence about Madigans strength into a weakness. To secure a conviction, the government must show not only that Madigan was powerful, but that he used it illegally to enrich himself and his allies on the side.

The racketeering indictment against Madigan, 82, the longtime House speaker who ran the state Democratic Party, and his longtime right-hand man, Michael McClain, 77, accuses them of using Madigans government and political operations to get cushy no-work contracts for loyalists and to drum up business for Madigans private law firm. Both men have denied wrongdoing.

The handful of defense witnesses so far have previewed other potential arguments the defense could make in closings next month.

Also noteworthy, Madigan and McClains defenses have largely been a united front, avoiding what McClains attorneys feared in several pretrial filings would be an attempt by Madigan to throw his old comrade under the bus.

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Madigan and McClains defense began putting on witnesses last week before a long break for the Christmas holiday. Jurors are expected to be back in the box Jan. 2, and Madigans attorneys have said they have enough witnesses to fill the day, though they have not provided names.

Two major defense witnesses have already concluded their testimony, with notably mixed results.

One, former AT&T internal lobbyist Stephen Selcke, repeatedly said the company did not believe there was any expectation that hiring a Madigan ally meant their bill would pass  but also said they were nervous about negative reaction from the speaker if they didnt make the hire.

Another, Andrew Cretal, testified he did not feel intimidated into hiring Madigans law firm for his West Loop real estate development  but also acknowledged it was highly unusual for a public official to ask for a sit-down and that he was so nervous going into the meeting that he brought a colleague along as a witness to what would happen.

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Selcke, called as McClains sole defense witness, testified at length about AT&Ts decision to pay a former Democratic state representative $2,500 per month after getting an email from McClain asking, Is there even a small contract for Eddie Acevedo?

At the time, the telecom giant was deep into its effort to pass legislation to end mandated landline service, commonly referred to by the acronym COLR.

On questioning from McClain attorney John Mitchell, Selcke confirmed that McClain never threatened that Madigan would kill their legislation if Acevedo was not paid. And McClain didnt make any promises about the bills success either, Selcke said.

Did Mike McClain ever promise that if AT&T offered a job to Eddie Acevedo, Madigan would pass the COLR bill? Mitchell asked.

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No, Selcke said.

But the speakers office was certainly part of AT&Ts calculations when it decided to hire Acevedo, as became clear when Pugh questioned Selcke on Madigans behalf.

There was a multipronged effort to get the bill passed, Selcke said, but they certainly had to make sure they werent rocking the boat with the speakers office, a metaphor that quickly went off the rails when Pugh asked perhaps one too many questions about it.

Mr. McClain never told you that the boat was going to be rocked, did he? Pugh asked.

No, Selcke answered.

You didnt even know there was a boat?

No, we knew there was a boat, Selcke said. There was a boat. The boat being the speakers office.

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Selcke tried to expand on that, and Pugh kept interrupting him  earning criticism from the judge.

When prosecutors questioned Selcke, they mined the rock the boat comment for all it was worth, having Selcke reiterate that AT&T knew it was crucial to remain on neutral, if not positive, ground with the speaker.

And with Selcke on the stand, they showed jurors that McClain had asked AT&T to hire other Madigan allies in the past  a practice that Selcke, in an email, referred to as folks crammed back down our throats.

Cretal, meanwhile, was called by Madigans attorneys to discuss a meeting arranged by then-Ald. Daniel Solis, the influential Zoning Committee chairman who was working undercover for the government. Madigan had reached out asking Solis for an introduction to the developers of the Union West project, a luxury high-rise in Solis ward.

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Solis set up the meeting with Cretal at Madigans firm, Madigan & Getzendanner, which ultimately was hired to do some work for Union West. Madigans attorney hired Cretal, the purported victim of Madigans alleged extortion attempt, in anticipation of Cretal telling jurors that he did not in fact feel victimized.

On questioning from Madigans attorneys, Cretal said he never felt intimidated or fearful or thought he had to hire Madigans firm to get what he wanted from Solis, who was not only alderman of the ward where Union West was located but also headed the influential City Council zoning committee.

But on cross-examination from prosecutors, Cretal said that in nearly two decades of experience in real estate he had never had a local official set up a meeting with a private business. He was nervous and apprehensive going into the meeting, and confirmed that he brought a colleague to have, as Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker put it, a second set of eyes and ears.

However, he testified, any nervousness dissipated after having the actual meeting with Madigan and his law partner, whom he found to be professional and knowledgeable.

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Madigans defense also called longtime 13th Ward office employee April Burgos, who handled Madigans email and schedule.

She was, in part, put on the stand to testify that everyone in the ward got services, not just people who supported Madigan and the Democrats. But she also told jurors, in glowing terms, about Madigan the man.

Hes one of the most nicest, genuine people Ive ever met in my life, Burgos said.

Yet to wrap up his testimony is Ellis, formerly a top lawyer at the speakers office who took part in negotiating the 2011 Smart Grid bill, which prosecutors allege was one focus of an overarching bribery scheme by the utility to win the speakers support.

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Madigans priority was on protecting consumers, Ellis said, and he had no compunction about using the influence of the speakers office to put demands on the utility.

Im not going to trust ComEd to write legislation that isnt anything but in their best interest, Ellis said.

When Pugh asked Ellis if the speaker ever asked him to go easy on ComEd during negotiations, Ellis scoffed and said, No, no, no.

If he had ever told me something like that, to go easy on somebody whose bill we were reviewing, I think I would have fallen out of my chair, Ellis said.

Ellis is expected to continue his testimony after the holiday break.

One angle of defense that has not materialized is the idea that Madigan would try to pin any illegal activity on his old friend, McClain, and argue he didnt know what McClain was up to when it came to some of the central allegations in the trial, from directing payments to subcontractors or taking care of a ward employee whod been fired due to sexual harassment accusations.

In the months before trial, McClains attorneys argued he should be severed from Madigans case because of that concern, writing in a motion in July that McClains right to a fair trial was in peril due to a theory that Madigans defense that would essentially make them second prosecutors, putting McClain in the position of having to defend himself not only from government accusations but his co-defendant too.

McClains lawyers even hinted Madigan might try to ambush McClain with evidence of other crimes, wrongs or bad acts hed committed, springing otherwise undisclosed testimony, witnesses and exhibits against him throughout the trial.

So far, though, the jurors have heard none of that, other than some questioning by Madigans defense team trying to cast doubt on whether McClain was honest when he said he was acting on the speakers behalf.

For example, Madigan attorney Tom Breen, when cross-examining former ComEd executive-turned-FBI cooperator Fidel Marquez in November, tried to portray McClains name-dropping as simply an empty attempt to scare ComEd into action.

Breen implied it would be ridiculous to think the states most powerful politician would have been concerned with low-level requests involving entry-level jobs and summer internships or billable hours to a clouted law firm.

The person bringing you the message, hes saying this is the message from the speaker? Breen asked.

Thats correct, Marquez said.

Your perception was that Michael Madigan was actually hands-on in the internships that ComEd provided kids? Do you really think that? Breen asked Marquez.

But jurors have heard plenty of evidence of the closeness of the two men. According to testimony, the long-term relationship dates back to their days as young lawmakers in the 1970s. After McClain lost his House seat in the 1982 election, he went on to become a lobbyist and picked up several major clients, including ComEd, and became a power broker in Springfield largely because of his close relationship with Madigan.

Jurors have heard from a number of witnesses who said McClain was known to be Madigans agent or emissary, delivering sensitive messages directly from the speaker and conveying Madigans wishes. Theyve seen and heard McClain refer to Madigan by thinly veiled nicknames such as our Friend and Himself, monikers that were picked up by otherwise-professional Fortune 500 executives at ComEd and AT&T.

The jury has heard dozens of wiretapped phone calls between Madigan and McClain as well, discussing both sweeping political deals and the minutia of ward politics, plotting the ouster of a longtime House ally, Lou Lang, and joking about the size of the Exelon Utilities corporate jet.

And theyve seen McClains personal note to the speaker when he retired from lobbying in 2016, saying hed still be at the ready for special assignments whenever Madigan beckoned.

I am at the bridge with my musket standing with and for the Madigan family, McClain wrote at the time.

_____
A company called Gameto claims to have successfully matured eggs outside of the female body, a development that could revolutionize the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process. "We are thrilled to announce a medical milestonethe world's first live birth using our product, Fertilo, that matures eggs outside the body," the company posted on X last week.

Gameto's process involves extracting immature eggs from a woman's body and then using "engineered, young ovarian support cells to recreate the natural egg maturation process in a laboratory setting." This process "reduces the duration of treatment cycles to just three days" and "replaces 80% of hormone injections required with traditional IVF," the company says.

Making IVF Better

IVF has helped countless people with fertility issues to start families, but it remains incredibly taxing on the mother's body even before a successful pregnancy starts. In a typical IVF process, eggs mature within a woman's body as they would with a non-assisted conception. In order to ensure that the woman produces at least one and ideally multiple eggs, she's generally given hormone injections for up to two weeks beforehand, in addition to other drugs.

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These hormones and medications can induce a host of side effects. These include headaches, mood swings, insomnia, hot flashes, abdominal pain, pain at the injection site, and, in an estimated 1 to 5 percent of women, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome involves a swelling of the ovaries that can cause mild pain, nausea, and other unpleasant side effects in mild cases and, in severe cases, rapid weight gain, severe pain, shortness of breath, kidney problems, and blood clots. Ovarian stimulation processes can also increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy.

A process to mature eggs outside of a woman's ovaries could be beneficial for avoiding these side effects, and be especially useful for more at-risk populations. It could also significantly decrease the amount of time needed for the IVF process.

'A Turning Point in Reproductive Health'

Gameto claims not only to have successfully matured eggs outside of the body but to have done so for a pregnancy that resulted in a recent birth.

"On Saturday, December 7th, a healthy baby girl was born in Lima, Peru, after using the Fertilo protocol at our partner clinic [Clinica Concebir]," Gameto reported. "This marks the first ever human birth that occurred as a result of" this technology.

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"Fertilo's innovative approach made the physical experience easier and also lightened the emotional burden of many hormone injections," said the unnamed mother of the child in a statement put out by Gameto.

Undoubtedly, some people will balk at this advance, viewing it as unnatural and thus, somehow, suspect. But not so long ago, many people viewed all assisted reproduction with suspicion or doubt; now, it's mainstream and commonplace.

If Gameto's process can help more people who want to have children to do so, and can make the process less physically arduous and time consuming, these are undoubtedly good things.

"By overcoming the major challenges of conventional IVF, such as long treatment cycles, significant side effects, and the emotional and physical strain, Fertilo provides a potentially faster, safer, and more accessible solution for families," said Dina Radenkovic, co-founder and CEO of Gameto, in a statement. "This milestone marks a turning point in reproductive health and highlights the first application of [Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) ] technology in IVF and the immense potential of our technology."

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Gameto says it has gotten approval from governments in Australia, Japan, Argentina, Paraguay, Mexico, and Peru to use Fertilo for IVF patients. "In the U.S., the company is preparing for Phase 3 trials," it reports.

IVFand Beyond

Gameto said its Fertilo process was carried out using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. Using iPSC in reproduction has been a scientific goal for a whileand the potential goes way beyond what Gameto is doing now. Scientists hope to eventually create human egg and sperm cells essentially from scratch.

Using iPSC tech, any basic somatic cell from the human body can generate what's known as a pluripotent stem cell. From there, iPSCs "can self-renew indefinitely in culture and differentiate into all specialized cell types including gametes," as Sharif Moradi and a team of researchers explained in a 2019 article published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy.

This is incredibly cool, and has all sorts of potential applications. "Since they can be generated from any healthy person or patient, iPSCs are considered as a valuable resource for regenerative medicine to replace diseased or damaged tissues," write Moradi and his colleagues.

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The implications for reproduction are also huge.

In May 2023, Eli Adashi, a Brown University reproductive biology specialist, told NPR that developing human egg and sperm cells from iPSCsa process called in vitro gametogenesis (IVG)was still "on the precipice of materialization." NPR cautioned that "the realization of the advance for humans likely is still years away," and "may never happen."

But if/when this advance is realized, "IVG would enable infertile women and men to have children with their own DNA instead of genes from the sperm and eggs or donors. Same goes for women of any age, rendering the biological clock irrelevant.IVG could also enable gay and trans couples to have babies that are genetically related to both partners."

In addition to technological hurdles here, there are regulatory ones, of course.

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Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), told NPR last year that the agency is "very interested in helping [IVG technology] to move it forward." But "this creeps out our attorneys," he said, noting that Congress bans the FDA from giving a green light to proposals that involve genetically manipulated human embryos. Marks notes Congress currently prohibits the FDA from even considering any proposals that would involve genetically manipulated human embryos, and this could seriously hinder the development of IVG technology in the U.S.

Nonetheless, at least two U.S. companiesConception and Ivy Natalhave been working on IVG. "It could lead to so many people being able to have, you know, families and children to be able to have lives," Matt Krisiloff, one of Conception's founders, told NPR last year. "I just think that's a really beautiful thing."

More Sex & Tech News



 Ben Sperry, a senior scholar with the International Center for Law and Economics (ICLE), has a good year-end reflection on international developments related to kids, technology, and "protection."



 The Ohio legislature has passed a bill similar to a Florida measure famously dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill. House Bill 8, which is waiting on Gov. Mike DeWine's signature, would make schools "tell parents about any age-appropriate 'sexuality content' taught and any health care provided to students so parents could opt their children out," reports The Enquirer. "Opponents contend that the billwould allow schools to censor books or classroom instruction and potentially out LGBTQ students to unsupportive or unsafe parents." Ohio also passed a bill that would create the criminal offense of "grooming."

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 Pornhub is now blocking access for residents of Florida, owing to the state's age verification law.

 "A trial in Romania for Andrew Tate, the online influencer who is facing criminal accusations involving human trafficking and sexual misconduct, will not go ahead, at least for now, after an appeals court sent an indictment back to prosecutors," The New York Times reported last week. "The Bucharest Court of Appeal found that the indictment did not meet the requirements for the case to move to a trial."

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Kings Island, Cincinnati | 2024 (ENB/Reason)

The post Disrupting IVF? Baby Born From Egg Matured Outside of Mother's Body. appeared first on Reason.com.
British producer Mark Burnett, who helped Donald Trump reach international fame with the reality TV series The Apprentice, has been appointed by the president-elect as a special envoy to the UK.

It is my great honor to appoint Mark Burnett as the Special Envoy to the United Kingdom, Trump wrote on Truth Social. With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role.

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In his announcement, Trump mentioned Burnetts 13 career Emmy wins, adding that he is known for creating and producing some of the biggest shows in television history including Survivor, Shark Tank, The Voice and, most notably, The Apprentice.

Burnett will continue to enhance diplomatic relations, according to Trump, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities. and cultural exchanges.

The Apprentice ran on NBC from 2004-2016 with Trump hosting from the boardroom of Trump Tower in New York City. The president-elect hosted the program for 14 seasons, including seven runs that featured celebrities competing for charity. Burnett also executive-produced two installments that did not feature Trump: 2005s The Apprentice: Martha Stewart and 2017s The New Celebrity Apprentice.

Burnetts other TV credits include Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, The Contender and Bully Beatdown.

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One of the more annoying conceits of the MAGA cult is its insistence that Donald Trump is some kind of religious figure dedicated to bringing world peace and mutual understanding among all of humankind. They insist that he's been cheated out of his well-deserved Nobel Peace prize. That anyone could believe that about the most hostile, aggressively insulting, vengeance-seeking, demagogue this country has ever elected to high office is enough to make you wonder if there are hallucinogens in the water supply.

Setting aside his promises to wreak revenge on his political opponents and round up and deport mass numbers of people, including American children, there is the simple fact that his first term was not without war or death at the hands of the U.S. military, as he and his acolytes so often claim. Despite his promise to end the "forever war" in Afghanistan, it continued under his watch. It was left to President Biden to do the difficult task of ending it and take the heat that Trump was too cowardly to take. And naturally, Trump criticized him for it.

He bombed Syria, carried out assassinations of foreign leaders and massively escalated the drone war, simply removing all accountability and transparency and creating what the ACLU called "a presidents' unchecked license to kill." He pardoned war criminals (at the behest of the man he now wants to put in charge of the Department of Defense.) He exhorted the heads of the Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security to shoot protesters and migrants. If this is a man of peace, the word has no meaning.

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He's also supposedly an isolationist in the old "America First" tradition. MAGA argues that there will be no more "interventionism" abroad under Trump. It's none of our business what other countries do. If they decide to invade their neighbors and take their land, that's their privilege. We have no stake in any kind of international order or stability. In fact, Trump proposes to build "a great Iron Dome over our country, a dome like has never seen before" to keep us safe from everyone else in the world. Experts told ABC News that "it's unrealistic, unaffordable and unachievable." It's also unnecessary but I don't think anyone will be surprised if Trump's majordomo, Elon Musk, gets a fat government contract to attempt to make it happen.

However, let's not fool ourselves that Trump is actually an isolationist. He never has been, at least in any coherent definition of the term. He generally prefers to use economic threats to bring the rest of the world to heel, but he is all about American dominance. And in his second term, it appears that he has decided that American First means a return to American expansionism.

It's hard to say what inspired him to start threatening to seize other nations' lands. Maybe he's just feeling his oats and thinks he pretty much runs the world like a Roman Emperor now. Or perhaps he's just watching his idol, Vladimir Putin, waging war against Ukraine and feels he should be able to do the same thing. Whatever the reason, Trump's been on a tear in the last month threatening America's neighbors (and some others) in increasingly hostile ways.

We knew that in the first term, Trump had mused about launching missiles into Mexico to "destroy the drug labs." He wanted to keep it on the QT back then, suggesting that "we could just shoot some Patriot missiles and take out the labs, quietly," and "no one would know it was us." But since then he's been openly calling for military action. But then virtually all the presidential candidates in the Republican primary were also slavering over the idea so it's not just one of his rash ideas that nobody took seriously.

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Florida Governor Ron Desantis said he would "do it on day one" when asked if he'd send troops over the border. The allegedly moderate former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley told Fox News that "when it comes to the cartels, we should treat them like the terrorists that they are. I would send special operations in there and eliminate them just like we eliminated ISIS."

That "terrorist" designation is important because that would give the White House quasi-legal authority to send in special forces or possibly even an invasion force. That's not off the table. Here is what Vice President-elect JD Vance said at the time:

"We need to declare the Mexican drug cartels a terrorist organization because that's exactly what they are. It allows our military to go into Mexico, to go on our southern border, and actually do battle with them."

Rolling Stone reported last month that members of the incoming administration have been actively brainstorming "how much" to "invade Mexico."

Recently, Trump has decided that our neighbor to the north also looks mighty tempting. He's been taunting the Canadians with the idea that they should be the 51st state because the U.S. is supposedly "subsidizing" them which is his definition of trade. (He thinks that anything America pays for Canadian goods is a subsidy regardless of what we get in return.) That hasn't gone over very well among Canadians who know they are a sovereign country and are entitled to respect. So far, Trump hasn't threatened them with military action but with the way he's been talking, they probably shouldn't assume it's all just a big joke.

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Over the weekend, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he intends to take back the Panama Canal, which was given by treaty to the Panamanians back in 1977 with a full hand-off finally completely 25 years ago. He lambasted the country for allegedly charging "exorbitant fees" (of course) and said that if they don't change it he would "demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question. When the president of Panama responded by saying, "the sovereignty and independence of our country arent negotiable" Trump posted "Well see about that! and then later posted a picture of the canal with the words, "welcome to the United States canal."

Well see about that!



Donald Trump Truth Social 05:12 PM EST 12/22/24 pic.twitter.com/Vkp8r3iwJg  Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 22, 2024

pic.twitter.com/3xaubgZcrO  Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 22, 2024

On Sunday night the once and future president announced yet another possible conquest. While announcing the nomination of his ambassador to Denmark, he threw in this bizarre statement:

For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.

You may recall it was reported that in his first term, Trump floated the idea of trading Puerto Rico for Greenland. He also believed that it could be bought from Denmark which was, according to Peter Baker and Susan Glasser in their book The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021, an idea he got from billionaire Ronald Lauder. He obsessed about the idea for months, causing much concern among members of his Cabinet. When the Danish Prime Minister called the idea absurd, Trump had a temper tantrum and canceled a planned trip to the country. So this latest declaration may be yet another of his vendettas.

As one BlueSky commenter quipped, "threatening to invade and annex all our neighbors sure does cross off another item on the list for the 'he's not technically a proper fascist!' folks." At the very least it sure does look like "Donald the Dove," as New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd fatuously named him back in 2016, is looking to make American territorial expansion great again. That Nobel Peace Prize is right around the corner.
Dec. 22Donald Trump is no one to emulate. But if a convicted felon can regain the presidency in four years, even Santa Fe politicians should be competent enough to resurrect the shattered Soldiers' Monument in five years.

All they have to do is restrain their egos and end the madness of bowing to lawbreakers.

State District Judge Matthew Wilson has given the politicians a face-saving opportunity to do just that after their four years of fumbling, bumbling and mindless spending regarding the monument.

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Wilson last week ruled Mayor Alan Webber violated state historic preservation law by unilaterally trying to remove the obelisk and concealing what remains of it in a drab brown box. The judge said one option to remedy violations is for the city to rebuild the Soldiers' Monument on the Plaza within six months.

That's the right thing to do. The Territorial Legislature allocated $1,500 for post-Civil War grave enclosures and the Soldiers' Monument. A territorial committee placed the obelisk on the Plaza in 1868. It belongs there, a marker of national significance in the heart of the city.

Webber and the eight city councilors would run a fool's errand by challenging Wilson's ruling. An appeal would be a lawyers' dream but a slap at taxpayers.

The city would throw away another $500,000 or so on outside counsel only to risk failing in another courtroom clash with Union Protectiva de Santa Fe. The Hispanic fraternal organization sued Webber and the city in hopes of restoring the monument on the Plaza.

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Before litigation, the city squandered some $265,000 on consultants who oversaw community gatherings on whether the Soldiers' Monument or another object should grace the Plaza. That exercise wasted time, as well as money.

And silly chatter by councilors and Webber about relocating the monument to Santa Fe National Cemetery must end. The city doesn't own the obelisk and therefore can't give it away. The monument was transferred from the territorial government to the Legislature after New Mexico became a state in 1912.

No government of the people lawfully decided the monument should be moved or smashed to pieces.

Rather, a couple of loud organizations convinced Webber to single-handedly order removal of the monument from the Plaza in the summer of 2020. Webber's attempt to relocate the obelisk failed, but lawbreakers were emboldened that October.

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A pack of yahoos, many from out of town, destroyed the obelisk. Most were too clueless to realize it honored Union soldiers in New Mexico who helped free 4 million slaves.

Had the Confederates reached key shipping ports on the Pacific Coast, Black people might have remained in chains for another hundred years. The Civil War might have splintered the country forever.

History is a pageant of events  great, terrible and tragic. The Soldiers' Monument exemplified those extremes.

Three panels at the base of the obelisk recognized Union soldiers who died to help win the Civil War. A fourth panel was dedicated to soldiers killed in battles with "savage" Indians.

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A man with a chisel scratched out the word "savage" in 1974. A few loud critics continued calling for destruction of the obelisk, calling it racist. More voices spoke against sanitizing what the West was like in the 1800s.

"Proposals to remove the obelisk appear to be based on a desire to rewrite history, removing the more shameful portions," one aspiring politician wrote in 2000.

The author was Peter Wirth, an attorney and history buff. Wirth's advocacy to preserve the Soldiers' Monument wasn't politically correct in certain circles. But his forthright stand made sense to most people. A liberal Democrat from Santa Fe, Wirth is now majority leader of the state Senate.

Vandals ruled the Plaza in 2020 only because Santa Fe police commanders let them. A huge contingent of cops was assembled to counter violent demonstrators. The brass ordered all of them to stand down.

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With no police presence to stop violence, only eight of the lawbreakers were identified and charged with fourth-degree felonies. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies treated them gently.

She shuffled seven into a secret mediation session, a decision that further inflamed residents upset about a mob having its way. The felony charges were dismissed after they paid fines and completed community service.

The eighth defendant pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. He received a deferred sentence and was spared from serving any jail time.

Because law enforcement at all levels was soft on the vandals, certain residents contend the Soldiers' Monument should not be rebuilt. They reason criminals might attack the obelisk again and face no retribution.

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Accepting that position means the extortionists and intimidators win.

If Webber and city councilors claim they believe in the rule of law, they should prove it. They have nothing to fear but damage to their egos if the Soldiers' Monument rises from the dust.

Ringside Seat is an opinion column about people, politics and news. Contact Milan Simonich at msimonich@sfnewmexican.com or 505-986-3080.
The Czech governments decision to wean itself off from Russian energy ensured that "we don't have to grovel before a mass murderer," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on Dec. 22, referring to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Ficos visit to Moscow.

"It was the Czech government that secured independence from Russian energy supplies so that we don't have to grovel before a mass murderer," Lipavsky said on X.

Fico held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Dec. 22, marking the third visit to Russia by an EU country leader since the start of the full-scale war in 2022. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer met Putin in April 2022, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Moscow for talks with the Kremlin's chief in July 2024.

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The Slovak prime minister visited Russia's capital after Kyiv said it would not extend the deal that facilitated the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to European countries like Slovakia past Dec. 31.

Both Fico and Orban have consistently criticized Western support for Kyiv and made statements that echoed pro-Russian talking points, while Hungary and Slovakia are ranked among the top European buyers of Russian fossil fuels.

The visit comes as another hit to efforts by Ukraine and the West to isolate Putin on the international scene after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a call with the Russian leader in November, urging him to call off his invasion.

Lithuanias President Gitanas Nauseda also condemned Ficos visit to the Kremlin.

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"How cheap is your love? There are those who come to Russia with love and feel gassed to meet a war criminal," Nauseda wrote.

"This is not Lithuania's way. We choose energy independence and real market prices  with no political strings attached."

Branislav Grohling, head of the Slovak opposition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), denounced Fico's visit as shameful and said that the Slovak prime minister "does not speak for the whole nation."

"To discuss anything with Putin, whose hands are covered in blood, is a betrayal not only of our country and its foreign policy orientation but also a betrayal of our EU and NATO partners," Grohling said on Facebook.

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Michal Simecka, another opposition leader and head of the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, said Fico should have held talks with Ukraine instead of "making Slovakia into Putin's propaganda tool."

Read also: Putin, Slovak PM discuss gas transit, standardizing mutual relations, Fico says after Kremlin meeting

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  The Kansas Highway Patrol stopped a driver for going 130 mph on a highway.

A trooper in southwest Kansas made the stop and issued a ticket for $828.

(Courtesy: Kansas Highway Patrol  Troop E)

KSN News has highlighted many stories of people traveling at excessive speeds on highways and interstates across Kansas.

Troopers will step up enforcement as travel begins for Christmas and the New Year holiday. They ask that drivers slow down, obey speed limits, and drive sober.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The wrong-way driver who killed a Las Vegas Metro police officer on Interstate 15 was in the country illegally, federal officials said Monday.

Fernando Jimenez, 31, died when he collided with LVMPD Officer Colton Pulsipher, 29, on Dec. 12. Jimenez was driving a truck the wrong way in the northbound lanes near the Valley of Fire.

Jimenez applied for citizenship in 2020, but in 2021, an immigration judge in Texas ordered Jimenez removed from the country, an ICE spokesperson said. Jimenez entered the country illegally twice in 2019. Both times, ICE returned him to Mexico.

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Pulsipher, a husband and father of three, was off-duty and headed home at the time, police said.

LVMPD Officer Colton Pulsipher and his family pose for this family photo. (Credit: Behind the Blue)

Police located several containers of alcohol and marijuana packages in and around, Jimenezs vehicle, they said last week. Toxicology results were pending and it was not immediately clear if Jimenez was impaired.

There was no indication Jimenez had a criminal record in the country before his death. It was not immediately clear why the judge ordered his removal.

Details about how or why Jimenez entered the freeway the wrong way were unavailable on Monday.

Behind the Blue, a non-profit organization that helps the families of fallen and injured officers, was hosting a fundraiser for Pulsiphers family.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Several small drones collided and then fell into a crowd at a holiday drone show in Florida on Saturday night, the Federal Aviation Administration said. CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG reports a 7-year-old boy was injured.

Officials did not identify the person who was hurt during the show at Orlando's Lake Eola Park, but they said paramedics at the scene rendered aid and the injured victim was taken to the hospital.

Detectives with the Orlando Police Department later met with the victim's family at the hospital, officials said.

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Adriana Edgerton and Jessica Lumedge told CBS News the injured person was their 7-year-old son, Alezander, and said he needed emergency heart surgery. They told CBS affiliate WKMG that their son was hit in the stomach by one of the drones.

"The green one went straight at us and I went to the left and my son went to the right and it hit my son," Lumedge told CBS News.

Lumedge said doctors told her the drone shocked his heart, according to WKMG.

"The biggest thing is him right now, and just figuring out what's wrong," Edgerton told CBS News.

Local police will aid the FAA in the collision investigation.

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Saturday's collision happened around 6:45 p.m. local time, officials said. A second light show, scheduled for 8 p.m., was canceled due to what the city of Orlando described as "technical difficulties."

Drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulation, with the FAA "thoroughly" reviewing each drone show application to ensure people in the sky and on the ground are safe, according to the agency.

The FAA reviews a number of areas, including the software controlling the drones, procedures on setting up safe and restricted areas to keep people a safe distance from the drone show, procedures in case a drone or drones fail and procedures if an aircraft gets too close to the show.

About 25,000 people come out to watch the drones, according to Orlando authorities. This was the third year of the holiday drone show, and it was operated by Sky Elements, Orlando authorities said.

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Sky Elements Drones, in a statement obtained by WKMG, said it was working with the FAA and city of Orlando officials to "determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired."

"Sky Elements Drones wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 21. The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused," Sky Elements Drones said. "We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired. Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA."

The Florida drone incident comes on the heels of ongoing mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey and other parts of the eastern U.S.

Sen. Joe Manchin says he believes Senate is "not going to let the filibuster blow apart"

How Israel's Mossad tricked Hezbollah into buying explosive pagers | 60 Minutes

Watch: Luigi Mangione's attorney addresses court during arraignment
BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland. Over the past 25 years, the practice of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics has achieved success widely recognized by the world, showcasing its great vitality and unique charm.

Under the "one country, two systems" policy, Macao has both autonomy and great support from the central government, Jinith De Silva, president of the Sri Lanka China Society, told Xinhua recently.

Macao, one of the fastest growing economies in the world, has witnessed massive changes since its return to the motherland, benefiting from the "one country, two systems" policy, he said.

"What impresses me is people's livelihood in Macao. It sustains an overall unemployment rate below 2 percent for years and provides free medical services to people above 65," said De Silva.

From 1999 to 2023, Macao's per capita GDP more than quadrupled to around 69,000 U.S. dollars. On Forbes magazine's 2024 list of the world's richest places, Macao ranked first in Asia and second globally. It is also one of the safest cities in the world.

Former Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Ante Simonic said he believes that economic growth in Macao is "not just a number" and should be analyzed from the perspective of improving people's well-being and promoting social development.

"Macao's development has promoted employment, improved public services and improved people's living standards, and Macao prioritizes the development of education, health care and social infrastructure to ensure that the fruits of prosperity benefit the people," he said.

Macao has both Chinese and Portuguese as official languages and shares linguistic and legal similarities with Portuguese-speaking countries, which makes it naturally positioned as a service platform for trade cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking world of nearly 300 million people.

"Macao has a connection between Portugal and China, and even I would say between Asia and Europe, and between the East and the West," said Carmen Amado Mendes, president of Macao Scientific and Cultural Center in Portugal, adding that Macao is a very unique place where completely different cultures and civilizations meet and share knowledge and commerce, trade, and ideas.

The city hosts the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, also known as Forum Macao, China's only multilateral platform leveraging linguistic ties. Since its establishment, trade between China and these nations has grown by about 20-fold.

The role that Macao once played as a bridge between different countries and cultures continues to be fulfilled today, as it serves as a platform for connecting China with Portuguese-speaking countries. "And, of course, I do believe that in the future this will still be the case," Mendes said.

Looking into the future, Macao has a critical role to play in initiatives like the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Former Slovenian President Danilo Turk said that the outlined development plan for the Greater Bay Area is "one of the most interesting projects in the world at the moment" because it connects a large area with big economic power and strong economic potential.

Turk added that the vitality of development in Macao in the past 25 years has proved the "one country, two systems" policy to be successful. 
ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA)  A young boy was rushed to the hospital Saturday night after multiple drones unexpectedly fell from the sky during downtown Orlandos holiday drone show.

The 7-year-old boys mother, Adriana Edgerton, told NBC affiliate WESH that she and her family were watching the show at Lake Eola when one of the falling drones struck her son in the chest.

VIDEO: Grinch pulled over for drinking eggnog while driving

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Everyones natural instinct was to duck and scatter, and before we realized it, my daughter found my son on the floor unconscious, Edgerton told WESH. He had blood coming out of his face.

She said Sunday that her son was undergoing open heart surgery due to his injury. There was no further word on his condition.

(Credit: WESH)

This should not have happened, and no family should be going through this, Edgerton said. We were trying to watch a show and have a good time.

As of Sunday, it was still unclear what caused the drones to malfunction. The drones appeared to be lining up to create a holiday-themed design when they started dropping from the sky.

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Videos circulating on social media captured the moment as several drones crashed into the crowd. However, no other injuries were reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Sunday it was opening an investigation into the incident.

According to the FAA, Drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulation. Typically, these events require a waiver to the regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time. We thoroughly review each drone show application to make sure the flying public and people on the ground will be safe.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
The Biden administration has adopted new rules for operating Californias main water delivery systems in the Central Valley, endorsing a plan backed by state officials that aims to strike a balance between ensuring protections for imperiled fish species and providing a reliable water supply for farms and cities.

Federal and state officials said the new operating rules for the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project that were developed over the last three years will bring greater stability to the states supplies in the face of worsening droughts intensified by climate change.

The updated rules mark a new path forward that will provide more certainty for water users, and fish and wildlife, said Karl Stock, the federal Bureau of Reclamations regional director, calling it a durable plan that builds in a great deal of flexibility.

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The rules took effect last week as the federal bureau approved the plan and the supporting biological opinions, which determine how much water can be pumped and how river flows are managed in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The rules govern the operations of dams, aqueducts and pumping plants in the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, two of the worlds largest water systems, which deliver supplies to Central Valley farmlands and about 30 million people.

The staff of several federal and state agencies developed the revised plan after California and environmental groups successfully sued to challenge previous rules adopted during Trumps first presidency. The new framework replaces court-ordered interim plans that were adopted during the last three years, but long-running disputes over California water management are far from settled.

Environmental and fishing groups said the new rules fail to provide adequate protections for threatened and endangered fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Agricultural water districts raised other criticisms. And President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to deliver more water to farms and cities, is widely expected to again seek to revamp California water management.

Having the new plan helps lock things in for the time being, said Greg Gartrell, a former manager of the Contra Costa Water District. If the new administration wants to change it, they're going to have to go through a big process to do it, and that's going to take a few years.

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Gartrell said he expects there will also be a new round of lawsuits.

Read more: Climate change identified as main driver of worsening drought in the Western United States

Some initial legal challenges have already begun. Last month, a group of agricultural water districts sued state agencies to challenge their approval of the rules for the State Water Project and a related permit for the incidental take of threatened species caused by pumping facilities. Westlands Water District, the largest supplier in the Central Valley, said there are unresolved questions about how operations of the state and federally managed systems will be aligned.

We are disappointed by the truncated and incomplete process that led to the rules, said Allison Febbo, Westlands general manager. The process was carried out on a rushed timeline, she said, and failed to address critical issues brought forth by key stakeholders.

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Water from the Delta is pumped to cities throughout Southern California, and the regions largest supplier supported the plan. Deven Upadhyay, interim general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said the plan provides regulatory stability that is crucial for water management.

Federal officials defended their process, saying they met legal requirements, convened many meetings and incorporated extensive input. The plan is based on true collaboration, dialogue and science, said Jennifer Quan, regional administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.

Withdrawals by the massive pumps that feed the water systems have contributed to the ecological degradation of the Delta and San Francisco Bay, where threatened and endangered fish species include steelhead trout, two types of Chinook salmon, longfin smelt, Delta smelt and green sturgeon.

Federal officials said the changes under the new rules include provisions aimed at managing cold-water reservoir releases from Shasta Dam to help endangered winter-run Chinook salmon survive. Other provisions focus on an adaptive management approach that will allow managers to incorporate new scientific findings.

Shasta Dam, part of the Central Valley Project, towers above the Sacramento River near Redding. (Max Whittaker/For The Times)

Deciding how to manage these water systems is among the hardest of natural resource issues west of the Mississippi, said Charlton Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. He said operations of the two systems had been divided in recent years and forced into conflict, but now are closely aligned under the rules.

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Chaos hurts, Bonham said. Avoiding chaos, getting alignment and moving forward together, against the face of a hotter and drier future, is the benefit of doing these operational rules the way we've done them.

He said some screaming and yelling can still be expected over the plan, but that the process was thorough and not rushed.

The reality is its not political, he said, describing the plan as an effort to find the right balance that will be good for both people and for the environment.

Announcing the new rules on Friday, state and federal officials said one key goal was making the management framework flexible to adapt to climate change. Paul Souza, regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, pointed to recent scientific findings that the last 25 years have likely been the driest quarter-century in 1,200 years in the American West, and that global warming is driving more intense droughts .

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We know that our fisheries are in great decline, Souza said. So thinking through how we manage the resources we love with a hotter and drier climate is really important, and this is a step forward.

Souza said the "adaptive management" provisions bring additional flexibility to the operations, and will allow for managers to decide based on the latest science, for example, whether fish populations would benefit from the release of a "pulse of water." He and other officials also touted the inclusion of proposed negotiated agreements in which water agencies have pledged to forgo certain amounts of water while also funding projects to improve wetland habitats in an effort to help fish species and the ecosystem.

Read more: The American West's last quarter-century ranks as the driest in 1,200 years, research shows

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is promoting plans for the construction of Sites Reservoir and a proposed $20-billion water tunnel in the Delta , praised the new framework as an important step toward improving management and making the states water systems more resilient .

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We know what the future has in store for our state: hotter hots and drier dries, Newsom said. That means we have to do everything we can now to prepare and ensure our water infrastructure can handle these extremes.

However, environmental advocates said the protections for imperiled fish species are inadequate.

These rules are somewhat better for the environment than current operations, but not good enough to satisfy legal obligations, let alone allow for species and ecosystem recovery, said Ashley Overhouse, water policy advisor for the group Defenders of Wildlife.

Jon Rosenfield, science director for the group San Francisco Baykeeper, said the federal rules fail to improve conditions for seven fish species that are rapidly declining toward extinction. He said he expects the Trump administration will try to further weaken this very weak set of protections.

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Environmental groups have also been calling for the State Water Resources Control Board to adopt strong regulatory standards as it considers options for updating its plan for managing flows in the Delta.

Read more: Another California fish is added to the federal endangered species list

Trump has said that water in California is horribly mismanaged and has indicated he wants to weaken protections , lamenting that because of a little tiny fish called a smelt, they send millions and millions of gallons of water out to the Pacific Ocean.

Such arguments over water in the Delta have long pitted California farmers and agricultural water districts against environmental groups, fishing advocates and Native tribes.

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Californias coastal fishing industry depends heavily on catching fall-run Chinook salmon . But with the fish population struggling after years of severe drought, officials have shut down the salmon fishing season the last two years.

Those in the fishing industry have blamed water managers for decisions that they argue have deprived rivers of the cold flows salmon need to survive.

Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Assn., said the Bureau of Reclamations actions have had devastating effects on salmon in recent years. While the new plan includes a few modest improvements, he said, its not near enough.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
PARIS  The Royal Netherlands Army plans to equip its soldiers with personal drone-protection gear, including targeting lasers and portable sensors, in an effort to counter the threat of small unmanned aircraft systems that has transformed battlefields.

The war in Ukraine and developments in the Middle East show the drone threat is acute, and Dutch troops currently lack the requisite equipment to effectively protect themselves, State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman wrote in a letter to parliament last week. Given the urgency, the Defence Ministry is looking to buy anti-drone kit in the first quarter of 2025.

Russian and Ukrainian troops battle under a constant buzz of drones that observe any movement, while first-person-view drones target individual soldiers on the move, in foxholes or through the hatches of armored vehicles. While Western armies are unfamiliar with such fighting conditions, they are rushing to adapt.

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Military personnel may increasingly face attacks or unwanted reconnaissance using small unmanned systems, including drones, Tuinman wrote in his letter. The ability to take out UAS is essential to the security of our military and the missions and tasks they perform.

While the Netherlands is turning to layered air-defense systems for larger drones, combating small and inexpensive drones with such systems is neither efficient nor effective, according to Tuinman. Instead, soldiers mostly rely on personal weapons or standard weapon systems, with limited hit probability due to drones small size, high speed and ability to hover, he said.

The Dutch defense department plans to spend between 50 million and 250 million to buy the personal anti-drone kit. Envisioned technologies include electro-optical aiming devices for personal weapons, such as targeting lasers, which would significantly increase targeting accuracy against small drones at a distance of 200 meters.

Other kit includes portable jammers to disrupt drone signals, and portable radio-frequency sensors that allow for earlier spotting of a possible drone threat. Experiments with C-UAS assets show that theres no one single asset that will effectively address the threat of small drones, Tuinman said.

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The higher accuracy using the aiming aids will significantly reduce ammo use to combat drone threats, while portable jammers make it possible to combat the threat by alternative means, according to the letter.

The Dutch plan to buy off-the-shelf equipment, and several suitable systems exist on the market, according to Tuinman. The ministry declined to provide details on which companies might supply the equipment.

The defense department will look at what options are available to acquire the capability as soon as possible, with the aim of signing a contract to buy the equipment in February or March, and the first deliveries in the following months, and continuing through to 2028.

The Netherlands will initially focus on equipping its units deployed near the front, including NATOs eastern borders. Russian drones have violated the airspace of NATO allies several times recently, and soldiers may be confronted with drones conducting attacks or gathering intelligence during missions or exercises, Tuinman said.

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With the rapid development of both drones and countermeasures, the ministry expects any assets its buying for so-called extended all-arms air defense to have an operational lifespan of no more than 10 years, and it plans to keep budget in reserve to replace the anti-drone equipment.

The Netherlands in September organized a NATO counter-UAS exercise , in which 19 allies and three partner nations including Ukraine tested more than 60 systems and technologies to detect and neutralize drones, including jammers and sensors.

The user base of such equipment is growing, with Belgium recently establishing a framework contract through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency for portable jammers and sensors, while Germany and the U.K. are buying electro-optical targeting assets, according to Tuinman.
The December 1994 disappearance of 4-year-old DWan Sims is one of metro Detroits most mysterious unsolved cases. Thirty years later, it still tugs at my heart.

After DWan vanished, reportedly at Wonderland Mall in Livonia, I was left wondering, like many in our area, about the whereabouts of that precious child.

Even now, those of us who remember him are haunted, left without answers about what happened to the boy, who would now be 34.

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Early on, I simply wanted a happy ending: DWans return, a victory not only for his family, but for a region that was taking way too many haymakers in the national media at the time.

Now, its more about some sort of closure, the same way family members seek a final goodbye for a loved one.

Whats shameful is that most of us will likely never know what happened in metro Detroits largest and most prominent missing person case, outside of Jimmy Hoffa.

More from Freep Opinion: As GM prepares to move out, let's be honest: The RenCen is an embarrassment.

A search for answers

It was a wintry day on Dec.11, 1994, when D'Wan's mother, 25-year-old DWanna Wiggins of Detroit (then DWanna Harris) reported her son missing from the Target inside Wonderland Mall during a full day of shopping, a few weeks before Christmas.

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The case took a turn when camera footage showed DWan was never at the mall, which instantly made Harris a suspect.

It caused a fervor in metro Detroit, with a massive search for DWan that lasted months. There were hundreds of tips and sightings of DWan, but nothing materialized.

Detroiters essentially adopted the boy with the huge smile as our own.

DWan became our son. Our little brother. Our nephew. Our cousin. The little boy riding his big wheel down the street. We prayed for a safe return.

Its why many still remember DWan Sims today  30 years later.

Everybody loves you, and we want you to come home, Harris said at an early press conference. Weve got your Christmas ready, and just come home. What Im hoping is someone ran across my child. The type of child he is, hes very friendly, and they are using him for company right now.

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More from Freep Opinion: What it will take to survive a 2nd Trump presidency

'A heartbreaking thing'

But D'Wan never returned home.

It was a heartbreaking thing. And as it went on, you got the impression that something in the milk wasn't clean, says longtime community activist Kenneth Reed, who was among those who searched for DWan in Detroit. So it's just crazy that this child disappeared without a trace, and was never found. We thought that through the searching that there would be some progress. You know what I mean? That just (didnt) happen in Detroit at that time.

It didnt help that around the same time, Susan Smith, a white woman in South Carolina, reported that her children had been kidnapped by a Black man in a carjacking  but nine days later, admitted to drowning them. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

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Harris proclaimed her innocence, and during a news conference, claimed she was treated unfairly.

Im not going to stand (being) accused of hurting my own baby, Sims said during another TV interview. I understand the world is sick and theres a lot of mothers out there (who could do it), but this is not the case this time.

Livonia Police Capt. Greg Yon, who could not be reached for comment, told CBS Detroit earlier this month that he was one of the officers assigned to search metro Detroit communities near the mall that included his neighborhood and Rouge Park.

As a young officer and a parent of young children, Yon told CBS, the incident made him think about your own family and your own kids, and the other people that are victimized by kidnappings and instantaneous tragedies with their children. It weighs on you all the time as a parent. When you see it on a basis like we do, where things can change in a moment, and it definitely weighs on your heart."

D'Wan Sims disappeared on December 11, 1994, while shopping with his mother at the Wonderland Mall. D'Wan was last seen wearing a blue winter jacket over a multi-colored windbreaker, dark blue sweat pants and low top "FILA" brand tennis shoes.

A young reporter with a front row seat

Back in the newsrooms of the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News, it was all hands on deck for this story that had gone national. Reporters chased every lead or tip that could break news.

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I was a young reporter with a front row seat to a major story, clinging to every development, DWan wasnt the first child who had gone missing, just the first who hit this close to home.

As this anniversary approached, I set out to find reporters who covered the story. Because DWan was a young Black Detroiter, it was particularly important to me to hear the perspectives of Black journalists. It took me more than a week to track down a half dozen Black journalists who worked in Detroit in that era, but I couldnt reach anyone who covered the case.

While Black reporters like L.A. Johnson and Cecil Angel at the Free Press had prominent roles in covering DWans disappearance, it was an era in which Black journalists sometimes had to fight for the opportunity to cover major stories.

Greg Bowens, a political consultant who was a reporter on the metro desk at the The Detroit News in 1994, said the case tugged at Detroiters because of the straight-up fear of that being able to happen to anybody.

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It fascinated all of us, in part, because it seemed hard to believe that someone could just disappear like that, especially a child, that we have to look out for in the best of circumstances, recalled Bowens, who did not cover the case.

That same fear that resonates with many in metro Detroit now, Bowens added.

It seemed like that the police would be able to solve this case rather quickly. When that didn't happen, it became more of a mystery, Bowens said. It just doesn't make sense for a kid to be able to disappear off the face of the earth inside of a popular retail store. Thats why, when the anniversary rolls around, we all hug our children a little tighter.

One last, faint hope

In 2019, a man came to the Livonia Police Department, saying he believed he could be DWan Sims.

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DWanna Harris, now remarried and with the last name Wiggins, spoke with the man, asking personal questions about birthmarks and his date of birth.

But DNA proved the man was not DWan Sims.

Ultimately, it was another lead that went nowhere.

After 26 years of tips, clues and failed hopes, Wiggins died in 2020 in North Carolina, where she had relocated.

Making peace with not knowing

DWan Sims case has followed me most of my adult life. When my children were young, I couldnt imagine not knowing where they were at all times, and I worried about how to teach them how, if we were separated, to find their way to safety.

Theyre high school juniors now, but those fears remain. With so many stories now of human trafficking, or teens simply running away, how could I not?

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Media headlines increase our fear. More than 3,100 reports of missing people have been made to the Detroit Police Department so far this year  an 18% increase over 2023, as of Dec. 13, the Free Press reported this month. Teenagers are among the biggest groups.

For many folks in metro Detroit, DWan Sims disappearance just lingers.

As the years go by, some of us wonder what could have been.

Reed, the community activist, said he thinks about DWan quite often.

Anytime you hear about Amber alerts and things like that, and child abductions around here, you think of this kid, Reed said. Well, I'm still hopeful that there will be some closure, and that we know exactly what happened with him. It's our hope that he's still alive, actually mine anyway.

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DWan was just a child with the world in front of him when he got lost in the cold streets.

He is still listed as missing on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website. He was last seen wearing a blue winter jacket over a multi-colored windbreaker, dark blue sweatpants and low-top "FILA" brand shoes.

Finding DWan Sims has lingered with me, like many in metro Detroit.

Thirty years ago, there was optimism of his return. Now  unless some miracle occurs  its making peace with the likelihood well never know DWans fate.

This is real life, not a television show, where the cliffhanger is in the next episode.

Somehow, those who remember will have to find some comfort with that. No matter how long it takes.

Darren A. Nichols is a contributing columnist at the Free Press. He can be reached at darren@dnick-media.com or his X (formerly Twitter) handle @dnick12. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters .

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: D'Wan Sims disappeared in 1994. He's never been found. | Opinion
CONCORD, Calif. (KRON)  An East Bay Peruvian restaurant has announced it will serve its last plate at the end of the year.

Lima Restaurant on Concords Todos Santos Plaza took to its social media to inform its patrons of the closure.

We are deeply grateful to our loyal customers who have supported us throughout the years, the Concord restaurant said in the open letter. Your patronage has meant the world to us, and we are proud of the community we built together.

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Awful, unforgiving job: Oakland bar announces closure, slams everyone while doing so

(Photo by MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)

Thousands of PG&E customers lose power in Pleasant Hill

The eatery cites not being able to fully recover from the recent discrimination lawsuit related to our ladies night discount. Lima Restaurant also mentioned increasing costs for operations being a cause for the closure.

Chef/owner John Marquez says the lawsuit has cost his restaurant tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, effectively eating through Limas winter reserves in cash. With several restaurants in the area having closed during the pandemic, Lima was one of the few remaining independent restaurants on the square.

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The discrimination lawsuit stemmed from the establishment having a Ladies Night, where drinks and wine were half-priced for women for three hours every week, according to the restaurant.

The promotion had been going on for years, and Marquez said his family believes they were targeted by people who arent local and want to take advantage of Californias laws meant to promote equity.

Lima is a popular restaurant in the area with lots of regular customers who say it will be missed.

Promoting one gender does not discriminate against one gender, said regular John Dias.

Hello, Im a lady. If I want to go out with the girls, it doesnt seem like a rude thing to do, added Mel Ludehese who was having a last drink at Lima with Dias.

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Since COVID, this whole square has been kind of shut down, Dias added. Concord is strip malls and this is the only one that is not.

The Peruvian eaterys last day of business is Dec. 31.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Lets stipulate this up front: The Des Moines Registers poll of the presidential race in Iowa that was published just days before the election was miles off the mark.

The poll, overseen by veteran pollster Ann Selzer, shockingly had Democrat Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump by three points in a state everyone assumed Trump would win easily. And, sure enough, once actual votes were tallied, he did indeed win in a breeze, topping Harris by 13 points.

The results were so inaccurate that Selzer retired from election polling afterward, an appropriate move in light of such a high-profile miss.

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Still, despite his easy Iowa win and sweep of every battleground state as he cruised to a second term, Trump has chosen to go after Selzer, the Register and parent company Gannett with a lawsuit alleging the polling error amounted to a violation of Iowas Consumer Fraud Act.

Trump easily could have gotten in some much-deserved verbal digs at Selzer and the Register and then moved on to attending to business that affects Americans actual lives. Instead, the Trump grievance machine keeps humming. Even in victory.

Were confident this lawsuit ultimately will go nowhere, as numerous legal experts predicted in various outlets that covered this news. Indeed, the very idea that a wayward poll amounts to consumer fraud is quite a stretch. The term typically applies to ripoffs of consumers by companies  misleading marketing, bait-and-switch offers and the like. A poll that turns out wrong  even one as off-base as that of the Des Moines Register  hardly amounts to consumer fraud. Thats just common sense.

Theres little doubt that, beyond punishing Selzer and the newspaper, a secondary goal of Trump and whoever is paying his lawyers to bring this frivolous action is to make other publishers afraid to criticize him or reluctant to report negative news on him or his administration. Thats un-American.

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The Des Moines Register is highly respected and venerable, founded in 1860. This front-page poll was an embarrassment to the paper and to Selzer. Both have paid in the court of public opinion for the error. Thats the appropriate level of accountability for what happened. Selzer was so respected a pollster, its inconceivable that she would have falsified or otherwise tampered with her results. We take Selzer at her word that she simply got things wrong. She hardly was alone.

You handily won the election, Mr. President-elect. Congratulations. Even for someone whose impulse long has been to punch back at your foes, real or imagined, theres plenty of room here for you to rise above all petty bids for retribution.

______
Legislators on both sides of the political aisle are celebrating House Republican leaderships decision to split its former education committee in two  one focusing on K-12 and the other on higher education.

Education is often the most discussed topic in a given legislative session. Earlier this year, a discussion over diversity, equity and inclusion programming in higher education took up a lot of the oxygen, and two years ago the debate over alleged Critical Race Theory in K-12 schools roiled Frankfort.

House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, said the split was called for given the volume of legislation and discussion on education. The K-12 and higher education systems are also inherently different from thematic and financial perspectives, he said.

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The main reason is just to allow us to focus on education. There are so many differences between higher education and primary and secondary education. Its all education, obviously, but theyre so, so different, Osborne said.

Rep. Tina Bojanowski, D-Louisville, a working teacher and perhaps the Democrats top public education expert in the legislature, agrees with Osborne.

Im very grateful that its happening because I think we can really focus on K-12 education and not let anything slip, Bojanowski.

But what the split means for state education policy is unclear. Republicans, who rule the roost in Frankfort with four-fifths legislative majorities, are licking their wounds from the blowout 30-point election loss this year of a constitutional amendment that would have allowed taxpayer dollars to help fund private schools.

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For now, at least, the discussion of pushing another amendment on the matter  as the state constitution is clear that public dollars can only go to public schools  is not a live one in the Republican caucus.

But one thing is clear, per Osborne: the move does not mean that more money will be spent on schooling, as Democrats and other advocates have called for.

Accountability was the key word Osborne used when describing the action he expects Republicans to take in the coming year, particularly when it comes to addressing schools the legislature thinks are failing students.

He cited the fact that well under half of all Kentucky students meet the proficient standard in reading and math.

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To continue to allow it, to continue to throw money at it  which is something we have done at record levels  is something that we will not continue to do, Osborne said.

Last session, Republicans increased per-pupil funding by 3% and 6% over the next two years, though total spending is set to increase much more modestly due to decreasing numbers of students. To the chagrin of Democrats like Gov. Andy Beshear and other education spending advocates, the budget did not include a direct raise for teachers.

Osborne said that Rep. Scott Lewis, R-Hartford, is the right man to chair the new elementary and secondary education committee. A former state trooper and educator, Lewis served two six-year stints as superintendent in the districts serving rural Ohio and Hancock counties systems before joining the legislature in 2019.

Hes not averse to doing some pretty dramatic things to change education. He understands accountability and that weve got to do more to reach those kids that are failing. You might see some legislation on those, so Im not going to spoil the suspense, Osborne said.

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Unlike most other Republicans in the House, Lewis voted against the bill that put the school funding amendment on the ballot. He joined a handful of other rural or education-connected Republicans in doing so.

Bojanowski is excited about the prospect of Lewis becoming chair of the new committee given his background. However, shes not certain shell support GOP-backed legislation on accountability for schools falling behind.

She wants to see more teachers in schools  but that requires money.

Bojanowskis wary when she hears of her GOP colleagues wanting accountability for failing schools. She said she likes the basic idea, but is concerned about the metrics that lead to a school being considered failing.

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What it means, to me, is that were judging schools because they have schoolkids who are in a lot of poverty because the correlation between socioeconomic status and test scores is very strong, Bojanowski said.

Whatever policy it leads to, the discussion around it wont take time in meetings away from a bill limiting diversity, equity and inclusion programming and practices in higher education. That effort is widely viewed as a high priority for Republicans in this coming legislative session.

With the new House Higher Education Committee, chaired by former Education Chair James Rep. Tipton, R-Taylorsville, that issue could get even more airtime in the more niche committee.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will contribute troops to an African Union Somalia peacekeeping mission, its foreign minister said on Monday, as ties between the two countries grow closer amid tensions with Ethiopia over recognition of Somaliland.

"Egypt has decided to participate in the mission based on the Somali government's request and welcoming of the African Union's Peace and Security Council," said Badr Abdelatty during a press conference in Cairo to mark a visit by the Somali foreign minister.

The African Union stabilisation and support mission, known as AUSSOM, will replace an anti-terror mission ending this year.

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A dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia broke out this year over Addis Ababa's plan to build a port in the breakaway region of Somaliland, which had drawn in regional powers and threatened to further destabilise the Horn of Africa.

After talks mediated by Turkey, Somalia and Ethiopia said they would work together to resolve the issue.

"We spoke about the situation in Somalia and Egypt's support of Somalia imposing its authority and sovereignty on all Somali national land and the refusal of any directives or unilateral moves that touch the unity, sovereignty and security of Somalia," Abdelatty added.

The spat has drawn Somalia closer to Egypt, which criticised the Somaliland deal and has been at odds with Ethiopia for years over Addis Ababa's construction of a hydro dam on the river Nile.

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Following the signing of a joint security pact, Egypt has delivered weapons and ammunition, including anti-aircraft guns and artillery, to Somalia.

(Reporting by Nafisa Eltahir. Editing by Jane Merriman)
At first glance, this years annual LatinoBarometro report appears to contain good news for Latin America. The survey, which polled citizens in 17 Latin American countries in late 2024, shows that support for democracy has increased, while support for authoritarianism has fallen. Latin Americas publics are slightly more optimistic about their economic prospects, too. More citizens view their democratically elected governments as having delivered for them in 2024 than in recent years. A greater number of families define themselves as middle class and say their family is getting ahead economically.

Going country by country, in most cases, the data matches the conventional wisdom. Uruguayans, who just finished a peaceful election cycle and are in the midst of a normal transition of power, are quite happy with democracy. On the other end of the spectrum, Peruvians feel massive discontent with their countrys democracy amid a spate of scandals that would seem to justify their angerjust last week, it was reported that a member of Perus Congress was running a prostitution ring in a sex-for-votes exchange racket.

Yet, two countries stand out in this years survey because the public perception of their democracies differs markedly from the direction in which analysts see those democracies heading: El Salvador and Mexico. In question after question of the LatinoBarometro survey, respondents from those two countries stand out as being happier with both their governments and the performance of democracy in general. For example, the survey results show that 62 percent of Salvadorans say they are satisfied with democracy in their country, a statistical tie with Uruguay at 63 percent. And in third place is Mexico at 50 percent. The Latin American average on that question is 33 percent, with Bolivia and Peru bringing up the rear with 10 percent each.

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Another example where those two countries stand out is cited by the Economist in its summary of the LatinoBarometro poll: In a region scarred by extreme inequalities of income and wealth, 72% think their country is governed by powerful groups for their own benefit, though that is down from 79% in 2018. El Salvador and Mexico buck this trend, with 62% and 47% respectively agreeing that their countries are governed for the good of all.

To get more in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs from WPR, sign up for our free Daily Review newsletter.

Plenty of other polls as well as this years election results speak to the popularity of the Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October. But popular isnt the same as democratic. So the fact that the LatinoBarometro poll demonstrates that these countries citizens view them as beacons of democratic success is somewhat more troubling.

In El Salvador, Bukele ran for an unconstitutional reelection this year and won 85 percent of the votes as well as a supermajority in the Congress. He did so after jailing nearly 2 percent of the adult population, most of whom are being held in pretrial detention, as part of a gang crackdown. The fact that the gang crackdown dramatically reduced the number of homicides in the country helps explain Bukeles popularity. But he has also cracked down on civil society and independent journalism. In his previous term, he sent the military to Congress to pressure legislators on a funding measure. Bukele has called himself the worlds most popular dictator, and the authors of the LatinoBarometro survey go out of their way to call him an elected autocrat in the introduction to their report.

That Bukele and Sheinbaum are popular is less concerning than the fact that citizens are conflating that popularity with the strength of El Salvadors and Mexicos democracies.

In Mexico, Sheinbaum won 61 percent of the vote in June along with a de facto supermajority in Congress for the Morena party, which was founded by her predecessor and mentor, former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, or AMLO. Since taking office, Sheinbaum has pushed through a wave of reforms that will eliminate some of the countrys key independent regulatory agencies, including the organization that regulates business monopolies and the one that provides access to government records to journalists and citizens who request them. Sheinbaum has doubled down on AMLOs militarized approach to security, while so far making no moves to investigate known networks of corruption within the militarys contracting processes. Meanwhile, in the final scandal of AMLOs administration, it was reported that the governor of Sinaloa, a member of Morena, was incredibly close to the Sinaloa Cartel, a sign of the influence of criminal organizations in Mexicos government.

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That Bukele and Sheinbaum are popular is less concerning than the fact that citizens are conflating that popularity with the strength of their countries democracies. After all, democracy is more than just a popularity contest. A healthy democracy requires norms, rules, checks and balances to maintain limits on power and ensure that individual presidents never become too entrenched. The value of respecting the democratic process, and not just applauding results, is that it prevents leaders from consolidating control while they are popular so they can hang onto power when their popularity inevitably falls.

That more academic view of democracy, however, is not the one captured in the LatinoBarometro survey results. There is a divide between how the average Salvadoran and Mexican citizen views their government and how those governments are seen by the people who run NGOs tracking democracy metrics and write opinion columns about the state of politics in Latin America. Leaders like Bukele and Sheinbaum benefit because they understand that citizens care more about results than process. In fact, as Bukeles occasional half-joking social media nods toward authoritarianism demonstrate, populist leaders benefit specifically from pointing out how their view of governance differs from that of the elites who criticize them.

A similar dynamic occurred in Venezuela in the mid-2000s under then-President Hugo Chavez. In 2006, the year Chavez won 63 percent of the vote in his presidential reelection campaign, the LatinoBarometro poll showed that 57 percent of Venezuelans were satisfied with their countrys democracy, the only Latin American country other than Uruguay to score over 50 percent that year. Chavez took that mandate to press forward with his agenda, mocking the elites who criticized his lack of democratic credentials as being out of touch with the population. Today, with the Chavistas still clinging onto power 18 years later, only 19 percent of Venezuelans say they are satisfied with the countrys democracy.

This is not to say that El Salvador or Mexico are imminently heading down the path of Venezuela, but rather to point out the warning signs. Populism corrodes institutions, and that is especially true when leaders are able to deliver results by going around the processes that check their powerand when they do so to the cheers of the population. Poll numbers like the ones in LatinoBarometro show how populists create the illusion of democracy delivering results, while preparing to pull the curtain away the day their popularity no longer provides them with democratic legitimacy.

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James Bosworth is the founder of Hxagon, a firm that does political risk analysis and bespoke research in emerging and frontier markets, as well as a global fellow at the Wilson Centers Latin America Program. He has two decades of experience analyzing politics, economics and security in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The post In El Salvador and Mexico, Popular Isnt the Same as Democratic appeared first on World Politics Review.
An 81-year-old GOP Congresswoman from Texas, who hasnt voted on the House floor since July and was recently found to be living in a senior care facility is expected to continue drawing a salary into the new year.

Representing Texas 12th Congressional District, Kay Grangers extended absence had reportedly prompted concern among her constituency, Newsweek reported.

The outlet said it was reporters from The Dallas Express who eventually located the 81-year-old in a memory care facility in Fort Worth. The Congresswomans son, however, who told the Dallas Morning News his mother has been experiencing dementia issues, clarified that she is not in memory care, but in an independent living facility.

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The discovery of Grangers living situation comes on the heels of other high-profile politicians suffering age-related issues while on the job.

Representative Kay Granger, a Republican from Texas, departs a House Republican caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, on Oct. 13, 2023. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

For years, conversations about the health of Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, the oldest sitting member of Congress who suffered several serious illnesses, were commonplace until her death at the age of 90.

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, now 82, has suffered injuries from several falls and last year had two very public spells where he froze in front of reporters before being whisked away by staff. Early this month, he fell yet again and sustained cuts to the face and a sprained wrist.

Just days after McConnells fall, 84-year-old Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi fell on a set of stairs during an overseas trip and had to have hip replacement surgery.

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Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is currently the oldest sitting member of Congress at the age of 91.

As for the Texas GOP Congresswoman, CNN reported that she made an appearance in Washington D.C in November to take part in her portrait unveiling in honor of her time on Appropriations Committee.

In a statement to CNN, Granger admitted having some health issues that progressed in recent months.

I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year, the statement said in part. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable.

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Why the 81-year-old, who announced in Nov. 2023 that she would not be running for re-election, did not alert her constituents about her absence is unknown.

The Congresswoman and her staff will continue to remain on the taxpayers payroll until Jan. 3, 2025.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory issued a blue alert on Monday evening for Typhoon Pabuk, which is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the country's southern regions.

Typhoon Pabuk, the 26th typhoon of this year, was located 190 km north of Yongshu Reef, part of the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, at 5 p.m. on Monday.

It is forecast to travel westward and then move southwestward at 5-10 km per hour.

Affected by the typhoon, gales are forecast to sweep parts of the East China Sea, waters east of Taiwan Island, the Taiwan Strait, the Bashi Channel, the Beibu Gulf, the South China Sea, as well as the coastal areas of Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong and Hainan from 8 p.m. Monday to 8 p.m. Tuesday, the center said.

Meanwhile, it said that areas including Xisha Qundao, Zhongsha Qundao and Nansha Qundao are expected to see heavy rainstorms, with precipitation reaching between 50 mm and 80 mm.

The center has urged local authorities to prepare emergency typhoon responses and remain on high alert for possible flooding and geological disasters.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. 
Tech-billionaire Elon Musk has endorsed the German Alternative fur Deutschland party on X, writing: "Only the AfD can save Germany."

The AfD's policies include the closing of the German borders, a ban on full-face veils and preserving unborn children's "right to life."

Factions of the party have been under investigation by the German domestic intelligence services, with one former faction once classified as extremist.



On Dec. 20, 2024, tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk posted (archived) on the site: "Only the AfD can save Germany." Following the post, which had more than 50 million views at the time of this writing, claims abounded about the politics of the political party, whose full name is Alternative fur Deutschland (English translation: Alternative for Germany).

(@elonmusk / X)

Musk doubled down on the claims in the following days, repeating (archived) his support and calling (archived) Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy a "huge liar" after he told news outlets and wrote on X (archived) that the AfD was a "neo-Nazi party".

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According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine, a respected German weekly paper that collated several opinion polls carried out in Germany throughout December, the AfD is currently polling in second place for the country's parliamentary election, expected in February 2025.

The party, currently fronted by federal spokespersons Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel, has 76 seats in the German Bundestag, the country's parliament. It is the largest of the opposition parties.

The Federal Agency for Civic Education, a German federal public authority that promotes awareness of democracy and political participation, described AfD as a "right-wing populist party."

However, factions of the party have battled extremist or, as seen above, Nazi classifications for years. In 2020, the German domestic intelligence services (BfV) declared the party's Der Flugel faction a "proven extremist endeavor." Der Flugel, which translates to "The Wing," had been under investigation for suspected extremism alongside the party's youth faction, Junge Alternative, since 2019, according to the BfV. Following the classification, Der Flugel was dissolved following a vote in AfD in 2020.

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In July 2024 the former leader of the faction, Bjorn Hocke, was ordered to pay multiple fines for using the banned Nazi slogan "Everything for Germany" at an event. This was the second time Hocke was ordered to pay a fine for the use of the slogan. He is appealing one of the fines, according to reports. Hocke was charged under the German Criminal Code's Section 84, paragraph 1, section 4, which prohibits the dissemination of propaganda material "the content of which is intended to further the activities of a former National Socialist organisation."

National socialism is the political ideology practiced by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.

The German Criminal Code includes additional paragraphs specifically about National Socialism (emphasis ours):

(3) Whoever publicly or in a meeting approves of, denies or downplays an act committed under the rule of National Socialism of the kind indicated in section 6 (1) of the Code of Crimes against International Law in a manner suited to causing a disturbance of the public peace incurs a penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or a fine. (4) Whoever publicly or in a meeting disturbs the public peace in a manner which violates the dignity of the victims by approving of, glorifying or justifying National Socialist tyranny and arbitrary rule incurs a penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or a fine.

Aside from Hocke's individual charges, the AfD itself has not been found guilty of breaches of the above sections of the German Criminal Code pertaining to national socialism.

Policies Include Closing Borders, Ban on Full-Face Veils

The AfD was founded in 2013, following the Euro Crisis. The party continues to argue for the withdrawal of Germany from the eurozone (the group of countries that use the Euro as their currency). In 2024, a policy on its website said Germany must "abandon the transfer union and leave the eurozone."

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On immigration, the party wrote: "The borders must be closed immediately in order to immediately put an end to the unregulated mass immigration of predominantly professionally unqualified people into our country and its social systems."

On religion, the party wrote: "The AfD fully recognizes freedom of belief, conscience and religion. However, it demands that laws set limits on the practice of religion." In the policy subsection titled "Islam does not belong in Germany," the party advocated for "a general ban on full-face veils in public and in public service." It is worth noting that this policy was inspired by similar legislation in France, and so not unique to AfD.

On the key issue of abortion, AfD's policy reads as follows:

Unborn children also have a right to life. Far too often, this right is subordinated to self-realization or social fears about the future. The AfD wants to prevent such fears by providing concrete help for families in all situations, in particular by facilitating and promoting the life-saving option of adoption. Conflict counseling must actually serve to protect life. We reject all efforts to declare the killing of the unborn a human right.

Further to this, the party also dismissed "gender research" as "not a serious science," stating that under its policies: "The federal and state governments are no longer allowed to provide funding for "gender research" or to fill "gender professorships."

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Translations in this article are provided by DeepL.com.

Sources:

be. "Euro | Finanzen | EU." Alternative fur Deutschland, 28 June 2017, https://www.afd.de/euro-finanzen-eu/.

---. "Familie | Bevolkerung." Alternative fur Deutschland, 25 June 2017, https://www.afd.de/familie-bevoelkerung/.

---. "Zuwanderung | Asyl." Alternative fur Deutschland, 26 June 2017, https://www.afd.de/zuwanderung-asyl/.

"Deutscher Bundestag - Sitzverteilung des 20. Deutschen Bundestages." Deutscher Bundestag, https://www.bundestag.de/parlament/plenum/sitzverteilung_20wp. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.

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@DrewPavlou. "The AfD Is a Pro-China and pro-Russia Party Intent on Sabotaging and Subverting the West." X, 20 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/DrewPavlou/status/1870046996670660979.

DStatis. "Current Population of Germany." Statistisches Bundesamt, Statistisches Bundesamt, https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Population/Current-Population/_node.html.

dta. "AfD." Alternative fur Deutschland, https://www.afd.de/. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.

Euro-Zone Debt Crisis | Causes, Impact & Solutions | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/euro-zone-debt-crisis. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.

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Franzmann, Simon. "(Die) AfD." bpb.de, https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/lexika/handwoerterbuch-politisches-system/511455/die-afd/. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.

"German Court Convicts a Prominent Far-Right Politician for Using a Nazi Slogan Again." AP News, 1 July 2024, https://apnews.com/article/germany-far-right-politician-conviction-nazi-slogan-ccda2b9beef36efd124c2ae610681bf8.

German Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch  StGB). https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_stgb/englisch_stgb.html#p0013. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Murphy, Chris. "The out of Touch Billionaire Running the Incoming Trump Administration Announced Last Night That He Enthusiastically Supports the Neo-Nazi Party in Germany. ." X, 20 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1870110504821145635.

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Musk, Elon. "Only the AfD Can Save Germany." X, 20 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1869986946031988780.

---. "The Traditional Political Parties in Germany Have Utterly Failed the People. ." X, Dec. 21, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1870488903452676105.

---. "What a Huge Liar. ." X, 20 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1870198951531688200.

Nazism | Definition, Leaders, Ideology, & History | Britannica. 13 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/event/Nazism.

@pesach_lattin. "Musk Just Endorsed the Far Right Party of Germany AfD." X, 20 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/pesach_lattin/status/1870106463324254488.

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@pnwbureblood. "The AfD Looks Pretty Solid. They Want to Leave the EU and the Euro, Both of Which Would Be a Great Things for Germany." X, 20 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/pnwbureblood/status/1870169653571661908.

"Presse." BundesamtfuerVerfassungsschutz, http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/DE/service/presse/presse_node.html. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.

"Sonntagsfrage: Aktuelle Wahlumfrage zur Bundestagswahl 2025." FAZ.NET, https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/bundestagswahl/sonntagsfrage-aktuelle-wahlumfrage-zur-bundestagswahl-2025-19459939.html. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.

Staatsanwaltschaft Halle. Staatsanwaltschaft Halle Erhebt Weitere Anklage Gegen Bjorn Hocke Wegen Verwendens von Kennzeichen Verfassungswidriger Organisationen. https://presse.sachsen-anhalt.de/staatsanwaltschaft-halle/2024/04/03/staatsanwaltschaft-halle-erhebt-weitere-anklage-gegen-bjoern-hoecke-wegen-verwendens-von-kennzeichen-verfassungswidriger-organisationen. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.


NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. (WFLA)  An employee at a shelter for runaway and at-risk youth is being accused of having sex with a minor who was staying there, the Hernando County Sheriffs Office announced Monday.

Ryan Dunn, 29, was an employee at the RAP House in New Port Richey, where the 15-year-old victim had been staying since June. The shelter is for children ages 10 through 17.

Gaetz Ethics report finds substantial evidence of statutory rape, drug use

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According to deputies, Dunn picked up the girl in front of her Pasco County school on three separate occasions earlier this month.

On Dec. 12 before the childs classes began, Dunn picked her up and brought her to the Quality Inn, located at 9373 Cortez Boulevard in Brooksville, where he tried to engage in intercourse with her. Officials said he then drove the victim back to school.

The following day, the victim was once again picked up by Dunn before classes began and was driven back to the same hotel. The victim told detectives they engaged in intercourse and she was driven back to school afterward.

On Dec. 16, Dunn picked the girl up a third time and drove her to a Walmart parking lot in New Port Richey where they had intercourse in the backseat of the car.

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Woman accused of punching child during Pinellas County school conference

The sheriffs office said Dunn received a call from an unknown number saying the girl was reported missing from the RAP House by other employees. He then dropped her off near a business next to her school, where law enforcement found her walking as she was heading back to class.

Pasco County detectives met with Dunn that day, who admitted to picking the girl up but denied any sexual encounter with her. However, on Dec. 19 when questioned again, he confessed to the offenses.

Dunn was taken to the Hernando County Detention Center on charges of three counts of sexual battery on a child, older than 12 but younger than 18, by a person in familial or custodial authority. He is being held on a $45,000 bond.

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Officials are still seeking additional information on this case. Anyone who can provide more information is asked to contact Hernando County Crime Stopper online or by calling 1-866-990-8477. Callers can remain anonymous and be eligible for a $5,000 cash reward.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
A protest took place in front of the Slovak government building in Bratislava on Monday in response to Prime Minister Robert Fico's trip to Moscow, where he met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Source: Slovak publication Aktuality, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The protest, called Enough of Russia, was organised by the public association Peace for Ukraine in response to Fico's meeting with Putin in the Kremlin.

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The organisers said Sunday's meeting between the Slovak prime minister and Putin strengthens Russian influence and promotes cooperation with Russia through the issue of gas transit.

At the protest, the crowd shouted "traitor" at Fico.

Former prime ministers Igor Matovic and Eduard Heger, as well as opposition leaders, artists, and Ukrainian refugees attended the protest.

Representatives of the public association Peace for Ukraine report that Fico may have violated the law with his trip, as he is cooperating with Russia. Today, they will file a complaint with Slovakia's Prosecutor General's Office.

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After the protest, the crowd chanted "Enough Fico" and "Glory to Ukraine".

Background:

It was reported earlier that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was in the Kremlin on 22 December for talks with Vladimir Putin.

The talks discussed issues on the international agenda, as well as the transit of Russian gas.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised Fico's visit to Putin.

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini waits for more information from Robert Fico about the results of his meeting with Putin.

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Methane, a potent greenhouse gas and characterized as a major contributor to climate change, is both naturally occurring and a result of human activity.

It has long been a target of federal regulatory agencies who seek to rein it in and a call for environmental groups to reduce it as well because of its harmful health and environmental effects.

But there is good news from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys greenhouse gas reporting program, as reported by Energy Indepth and reiterated by the Utah Petroleum Association.

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Methane emissions from the countrys top oil and gas-producing basins have fallen 44% percent since 2011, the article said.

It added that what is even more stunning is that the decline in greenhouse gas emissions has happened even as the country has managed to shatter energy production records  the United States produced more crude oil than any nation at any time for the past six years in a row.

The Energy Information Administration reports that this trend has continued for six years.

The crude oil production record in the United States in 2023 is unlikely to be broken in any other country in the near term because no other country has reached production capacity of 13 million barrels per day. Saudi Arabias state-owned Saudi Aramco recently scrapped plans to increase production capacity to 13.0 million barrels per day by 2027.

The major basins being examined

The data looked at the seven top oil and gas producing basins in the United States: Williston, San Juan, Permian, Anadarko, Gulf Coast, Arkoma and Appalachian. It did not look at eastern Utahs Uinta Basin because it is not in the same league as those others in terms of production.

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The EIA says three basins saw their methane emissions fall by more than half from 2019 to 2023  Williston Basin (which covers parts of Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota), Appalachian Basin (which spans a long stretch down nine eastern states including Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia) and Arkoma Basin (covering parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma). Arkoma Basin emissions plummeted most drastically  declining 87%.

DN-methane

In the Permian Basin, which spans West Texas and eastern New Mexico, total methane emission fell 32% between 2019 and 2023, or by 2.4 million metric tons. Annual reporting from Texans for natural gas has shown an ongoing decline in methane intensity in the Permian over those years as well  from 0.29% in 2019 to 0.12% in 2022.

Permian production increased 51%, from nearly seven million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2019 to 10.6 million barrels in 2023. Whats more, those production numbers are only set to rise.

Why the decrease?

Rikki Hrenko-Browning, president of the Utah Petroleum Association, said it is a combination of factors.

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I think its a mix operators have taken on  a mix of both voluntary and new regulations that are driving that reduction in methane emissions, she said.

New rules adopted by the Harris-Biden administration are helping to drive emission reductions for operators.

Operators, particularly here in Utah and the basin, have taken a lot of initiative to get in front of this issue, and have made a lot of changes and investments in infrastructure and operational practices that are significantly reducing emissions as well, she said.

She added that the American Petroleum Institutes environmental partnership has made a voluntary commitment in which producers reduce emissions with routine venting and flaring.

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Locally, the Utah Petroleum Association has its latch the hatch program in which there is a voluntary but what she described as a firm commitment to reduce emissions that go beyond federal regulatory requirements.

Franque Bains, the director of the Sierra Club in Utah, acknowledged the declines, but said more needs to be done.

One of the quickest, most cost-effective ways to help combat the climate crisis is to reduce methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. The oil and gas sector is one of the largest sources of methane in the country, and through a combination of technological innovation and protective federal safeguards, weve seen noted declines in methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure in the last few years, she said. However, much more is needed for our country to meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets and to achieve a pathway toward climate stabilization. Thats why the Biden Administration finalized the strongest-ever methane standards for the oil and gas sector last year and approved legislation requiring companies to pay for their waste emissions.
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY)  The historic Epworth United Methodist Church in downtown Norfolk is set to close in January after 130 years of service.

During a charge conference in November, Epworth UMC officials voted to close the church. It will officially hold its final worship service Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.

The Virginia Conference will maintain ownership of the church building. The conference leadership plans to prioritize listening to the communitys needs and identifying spaces in Norfolk where the United Methodist mission and ministry would best serve in the future.

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The Epworth United Methodist Church was founded in 1850 as Granby Street Methodist Episcopal Church, South, per the churchs website. It was composed of members of Cumberland Street Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and was initially located on the corner of Granby and Freemason Streets.

In 1890, the church decided to build a new sanctuary to minister the needs of the growing congregation and community. Three years later, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to select the name of the new building.

On Jan. 19, 1986, the new church was dedicated with the name Epworth, honoring the boyhood home of John Wesley, founder of Methodism.

Epworth has served as a landmark structure in downtown Norfolk, providing nurturing, outreach and witness to the community.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
A bombshell report from the House Ethics Committee reveals damning new details about the long-running investigation into Matt Gaetzs alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.

The former Republican representative, who was Donald Trumps first choice for attorney general of the United States, is accused of paying thousands of dollars to more than a dozen women  including a 17-year-old girl  for sex.

Gaetz is also accused of using illegal drugs, including in his office on Capitol Hill, according to the report. He is accused of violating Floridas statutory rape laws, among others, the report found.

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The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress, the report states.

He filed a federal lawsuit against the committee on Monday alleging the the unconstitutional publication of potentially defamatory statements against a now-private citizen.

Former congressman Matt Gaetz is accused of paying a 17-year-old girl for sex at a party where he also was using drugs (Reuters)

He paid more than $90,000 to women through a series of Venmo and PayPal payments transactions, often arranged on the website SeekingArrangements.com with his now-imprisoned former ally Joel Greenberg, according to the report.

The panels report alleges Gaetz sent such payments to more than a dozen women while he was a member of Congress.

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Greenberg  who has been cooperating with investigators since pleading guilty to sex trafficking  told the committee that Gaetz was aware that the women they had sex with and paid had met Mr. Greenberg through the sugar dating website, according to the report.

The committee heard testimony from a woman who said she had sex twice during a party Gaetz attended, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees, the committee wrote.

She receieved $400 in cash from Gaetz, which she understood to be payment for sex, accorrding to the report.

At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school, the report said.

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The then-17-year-old did not tell Gaetz she was a minor at the time, and he did not ask her age, according to the report. There is no evidence that Gaetz was aware of her age.

She told congressional investigators she was under the influence of ecstasy at the time and saw Gaetz use cocaine, the report found.

The former congressman has sued the committee, alleging its unconstitutional publication of defamatory statements (Reuters)

During a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with multiple women, including one who described the trip itself as the payment for sex on the trip. He also took ecstasy during the trip, one woman told the committee.

In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated  even some I never dated but who asked, Gaetz said in a statement last week, following news of the reports imminent release.

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I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18, he added. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court  which is why no such claim was ever made in court.

The 42-year-old former congressman said his 30s were an era of working very hard and playing hard too.

Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life, he said. I live a different life now.

Gaetz was also the subject of a Department of Justice investigation, though prosecutors ultimately never brought charges against him.

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Following news that the report would be published after all, Gaetz claimed he was FULLY EXONERATED after federal prosecutors declined to charge him.

Ive had no chance to ever confront any accusers. Ive never been charged. Ive never been sued, he said. Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body.

The House Ethics Committees bombshell report follows a lengthy investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct while in office, among other accusations (Getty)

The publication of the report marks a stunning reversal of the committees November decision against its release, which House Republicans also successfully blocked in a series of party-line votes in the chamber earlier this month.

The committees report follows a lengthy probe into allegations against the Republican, including whether he also shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gifts, according to the committees announcement last year.

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Gaetzs abrupt resignation from Congress effectively ended the House investigation, though committee members weighed whether to force the House to release a report.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters last month that he strongly requested that the panel not make a report public, arguing that the committee no longer has jurisdiction over the now-former congressman.

But there is precedent for releasing such a report after a lawmaker leaves office. In 1987, former congressman Bill Boner was the subject of an ethics report two months after leaving office. The committee released its report into former congressman Buz Lukens the same day he left office in 1990.

Still, Johnson argued that releasing the report would open a Pandoras box.

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If its been broken once or twice, it should not have been, he said.

Attorneys for witnesses who spoke to the panel also urged lawmakers to release its findings.

Gaetzs former ally Joel Greenberg reached a deal with prosecutors in May 2021 to plead guilty to six federal crimes, including underage sex trafficking, after he was initially charged with 33 counts. He is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence.

Greenberg also admitted introducing a minor to other adult men who engaged in commercial sex acts with her, according to court documents.

Following his resignation, Gaetz announced he would be joining right-wing media outlet One America News Network, where he will anchor a one-hour political talk show every weeknight on the networks prime-time lineup starting in January.

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In remarks from Arizona on Sunday, Gaetz suggested that he would next try to run for Senate.

Many have asked which perch I will be fighting from, he said. Maybe Ill just run for Marco Rubios vacant seat in the United States Senate and join some of those folks.
A yearslong House Ethics Committee investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz found substantial evidence that the Florida Republican committed statutory rape, solicited prostitutes and used illegal drugs, according to a copy of the report obtained by POLITICO.

The report's most explosive allegation, which Gaetz has long denied, is that he had sex twice with a 17-year-old girl at a party in July 2017, when he was 35 and serving in the House. Ethics Committee investigators found that he later paid the girl  part of a trend laid out in the report of him paying women after sexual encounters.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied that he broke any laws. These claims would be destroyed in court  which is why they were never made in any court against me," he told POLITICO Friday morning.

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But the committee's 37-page report, which it decided to release in a secret vote earlier this month, alleges several instances of illegal conduct by President-elect Donald Trump's one-time pick to serve as attorney general. Gaetz withdrew from consideration as Trump's AG last month as the potential public release of the investigation weighed on his chances of Senate confirmation.



The Committee concluded there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress, the ethics panel said in its report, adding that he knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct the investigation.

The findings are poised to trigger shockwaves in Republican politics, in part because of Gaetz's close ties to Trump. Gaetz, who resigned from Congress when Trump tapped him to lead the Justice Department, has been floated as a potential Florida governor candidate in 2026, and some Republicans believe he could still win an appointment in the second Trump administration. Gaetz on Sunday also publicly mulled running for Sen. Marco Rubios (R-Fla.) likely soon-to-be vacant seat. The reports findings could make Gaetz's political future difficult, though Trump has a history of dismissing accusations of criminal behavior against his allies.

The Ethics Committee investigation did not find "sufficient evidence" to show that Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws  an accusation that the Justice Department had also investigated. The DOJ did not charge Gaetz.

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Gaetz has expressed regret that he once partied heavily and mistreated women and has said he's a different person now. In response to accusations that he slept with someone under 18, he has said unequivocally no.

In addition to allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use, the Ethics investigation found that Gaetz violated House rules by accepting excessive gifts, including transportation and lodging, in connection with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas. It also alleges that Gaetz violated another ethics rule in 2018 when he arranged for his top staffer to assist a woman with whom he engaged in sexual activity in obtaining a passport, falsely indicating to the U.S. Department of State that she was a constituent."

The Ethics Committee's decision to release the report  a move that required a majority vote by a panel split evenly between Republicans and Democrats  is controversial within the House. Members of the committee and other lawmakers, including Speaker Mike Johnson, argued that the panel shouldnt break with its regular practice of ending an inquiry after a member leaves the House. But a majority of panel members concluded it was still in the public interest to release its findings.

The release of the report means at least one Republican on the panel sided with Democrats in a secret vote. Gaetz has a number of enemies in the chamber, particularly after he spearheaded the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Gaetz blamed the former speaker for the Ethics probe that launched in April 2021, though the Floridian has denied thats why he moved to boot McCarthy. And McCarthy, at the time, argued he had no control over the internal probe.

The statutory rape allegations

At a party in July 2017 at a Florida lobbyists home, Gaetz had sex twice with a 17-year-old, who had just completed her junior year of high school, according to the report. Floridas age of consent is 18.

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In the testimony of the now 24-year-old woman, referred to as Victim A, she said that she had sex with Gaetz at least once in the presence of other party attendees and that she received $400 in cash from Gaetz, which she understood as a payment for sex. The woman also testified that she had ingested ecstasy before the sexual encounter and said that Gaetz used cocaine that same night as well.

Ethics investigators received evidence that Gaetz was unaware that Victim A was underage until more than a month after their first sexual encounters but noted that statutory rape is a strict liability crime  meaning its illegal whether he was aware of her age or not. Even after he learned that she was a minor, Gaetz kept in contact with her and then again met up with her again for commercial sex less than six months after she turned 18, the report alleges.

Investigators said they heard from the 17-year-old girl in question as well as multiple individuals corroborating the allegation, including some who have testified under oath. And it found that while Gaetz has denied wrongdoing, he has also refused to answer specific questions relating to his interactions with Victim A.

The panel also notes that while the statute of limitations to bring state law charges against Gaetz has passed, those same time limitations do not apply to the panels findings.

Prostitution accusations

Gaetz later boasted that he had slept with multiple women at the same party where he allegedly had sex with the 17-year-old girl, according to testimony the panel received from Joel Greenberg, one of Gaetzs associates at the time. And it was not the only instance when he paid women after sexual encounters, according to the report.

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Greenberg would meet younger women on SeekingArrangement.com, a site multiple women told the committee was used to connect with potential clients who would pay for companionship or sex. The women would then typically attend parties at Greenbergs invitation and often engage in sex, getting compensated afterward.

The Committee heard testimony from over half a dozen witnesses who attended parties, events, and trips with Representative Gaetz from 2017-2020. Nearly every young woman that the Committee interviewed confirmed that she was paid for sex by, or on behalf of, Representative Gaetz, the report reads.

Some women also testified that they witnessed Gaetz take illicit drugs, including cocaine or ecstasy.

In one case, the report details a woman asking Gaetz for financial help paying her tuition when she was 21. Gaetz agreed and asked her to meet him at a hotel room so he could hand her a check, which she found interesting because he had normally used Venmo. When she arrived, Gaetz was there with Greenberg and a 20-year-old woman, who she had not expected to be there. She testified that there was an expectation of a sexual encounter, and the four of them had sex. Afterward, Gaetz handed her a $750 check with tuition reimbursement written on the memo line.

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The 21-year-old woman told the Committee she believed that the encounter could potentially be a form of coercion because I really needed the money, the report reads.

The report states that all the women who testified described their sexual encounters with Gaetz as consensual, but the panel adds that there was an exploitative power imbalance at times. Investigators accused him of taking advantage of the economic vulnerability of young women to lure them into sexual activity for which they received an average of a few hundred dollars after each encounter. And the women said that Gaetz guilted them into sleeping with him or Greenberg at various times. One woman testified that she feels violated when she reflects on their encounter.

The committee also had documented evidence that Gaetz paid the women, including from various peer-to-peer electronic payment services, like Venmo, as well as checks and cash. It also found that Greenberg would sometimes pay the women for having sex with Gaetz and Gaetz would later reimburse him. The committee found Gaetz paid over $90,000 to 12 women between 2017 to 2020, not including his payments to Greenberg.

In one case, one of the women Greenberg met on SeekingArrangement.com and introduced to Gaetz in or around March 2017 later became Gaetzs girlfriend. The report said they had an open relationship, and that she not only participated in sexual encounters with other women involved in sex-for-money arrangements, but she also acted as an intermediary between Representative Gaetz and the women he paid for sex.

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This then-girlfriend invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to several questions, including the purpose of specific payments and whether Gaetz ever paid her money for sex. She was paid more than $60,000 dollars throughout their relationship, but the panel notes this does not include the $50,025 Gaetz paid her attorneys at the outset of the Justice Department's investigation.

The committee noted that some of the payments to this one individual may be legitimate in nature, but based on assertion of her rights to other evidence received from other sources, the Committee found substantial reason to believe that most of these payments were for such activity.

The panel notes it was unable to interview every woman who received payments and was suspected of being part of the pay-for-sex arrangements. Some expressed fear of retaliation or were unwilling to voluntarily relive their interactions with Representative Gaetz.

The Bahamas Trip

A trip to the Bahamas, where Gaetz joined two other men who were reportedly linked to the medical marijuana industry and six women, was a focus of the Justice Departments investigation into human trafficking. While the Ethics Committee report didnt find evidence of those accusations, investigators found other issues with the trip.

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The panel accused Gaetz of evading sharing documentation to prove he paid for his part of the lodging and a private flight for the September 2018 trip. Accepting any of that as a gift would violate House rules.

Contrary to Representative Gaetzs claims that he provided substantial evidence to the Committee demonstrating his innocence on this allegation, he provided no evidence showing how he paid for any travel costs other than his flight to the Bahamas, despite being given multiple opportunities to do so, the report reads.

This was one of multiple cases where the committee said it found Gaetz uncooperative. The report says he provided minimal documentation in response to its record requests and blew off requests for both a voluntary interview and a subpoena for his testimony on July 11.

The committee concludes that Gaetzs attempts to mislead and deter the Committee from investigating him implicated federal criminal laws relating to false statements and obstruction of Congress. Even if Representative Gaetzs obstructive conduct in this investigation did not rise to the level of a criminal violation, it was certainly inconsistent with the requirement that Members act in a manner that reflects creditably upon the House.

Blaming the Justice Department for delays

The panel noted its report was delayed because Justice Department attorneys asked them to defer to their criminal probe, as is standard practice. After prosecutors concluded their probe with no charges, the Ethics Committee said they then failed to cooperate with any information requests.

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DOJs initial deferral request and subsequent lack of cooperation with the Committees review caused significant delays in the investigation; those delays were compounded by Representative Gaetzs obstructive efforts, the report reads.

The panel spends multiple pages of the report detailing its efforts to get the DOJ to turn over information. But despite multiple requests and even a subpoena seeking what the committee described as particularized demands  including any exculpatory evidence  they say prosecutors kept citing a non-legal basis that it does not release non-public information about law enforcement investigations that do not result in charges.

The panel typically doesnt release its findings after a member leaves the House, as it noted in the report. But leaning on past precedent, the panels report said it determined that it was in the public interest to release its findings even after a Members resignation from Congress, while noting it did not do so lightly.
Europe is ready to stop the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine from 1 January 2025. Besides, the European Commission does not comment on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's visit to Moscow.

Source: spokesperson for European Commission, as reported by Ukrinform

Quote from EU Commission spokesperson: "The cessation of the flow [of gas] through Ukraine from 1 January is an expected event, and the EU is ready for it."

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Details: The spokesperson reminded that the European Commission, in coordination with member states, had been working for more than a year to prepare for a scenario in which Russian gas would not be supplied through Ukraine from 1 January 2025 and to provide alternative gas supply routes for member states that could be affected by such a transit interruption.

"The European gas infrastructure is flexible enough to ensure that non-Russian gas supplies to Central and Eastern Europe can be delivered via alternative routes. Since 2022, it has been significantly strengthened by new LNG [liquefied natural gas - ed.] import capacities."

In addition, the spokesperson said, the security of gas supplies to the EU has been significantly improved over the past few years thanks to measures to ensure efficient use of energy and the development of renewable energy sources.

"The negative impact of the end of [gas] transit through Ukraine on the security of EU supply is limited."

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At the same time, the spokesperson noted that the European Commission will not comment on the Slovak Prime Minister Fico's visit to Moscow at this time.

Background: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that his Sunday meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was a response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement about suspending Russian gas transit.

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In a report released today, the House Ethics Committee says it found "substantial evidence" that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (RFla.), President-elect Donald Trump's first pick for attorney general, paid women thousands of dollars for sex, used illegal drugs, committed statutory rape, and accepted gifts that violated the chamber's rules. Gaetz concedes that he "probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life" and that he gave money to women he "dated." But he insists that he never did anything illegal, never exchanged money for sex, and never had sex with an underage girl.

Gaetz resigned his seat in Congress when Trump announced his nomination, which he evidently hoped would prevent the release of the ethics report because it meant the committee no longer had any jurisdiction over him. But the widely reported sex and drug allegations were a key factor in sinking his nomination. He withdrew his name just eight days after Trump's announcement, saying he did not want to be "a distraction [from] the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition."

Given his scant legal experience, Gaetz was manifestly unqualified to be attorney general. It did not help that he was unpopular with his Republican colleagues in Congress, where he had a reputation as a vain and vindictive showboat fond of divisive political stunts. He might nevertheless have survived the confirmation process were it not for the salacious claims about his recreational habits.

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The most serious allegation is that Gaetz twice had sex with a 17-year-old girl during a July 2017 "house party" in Florida. Since the age of consent in Florida is 18 and Gaetz was older than 23 at the time, that would have been a second-degree felony under state law, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. According to the House Ethics Committee, which heard testimony from the alleged victim and "multiple individuals corroborating the allegation," the girl did not volunteer her age and Gaetz did not ask. The committee "did not receive any evidence indicating that Representative Gaetz was aware that Victim A was a minor when he had sex with her." But although it may seem counterintuitive, ignorance of that point is no defense to a statutory rape charge under Florida law.

The Justice Department investigated Gaetz for possible sex-related violations of federal law and decided against pursuing charges, reportedly because prosecutors worried that jurors would not consider the witnesses credible. As Gaetz tells it, that means he was "FULLY EXONERATED." But a decision against prosecution, which hinges on whether the government can prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, is not the same as exoneration, and the bipartisan ethics committee, which did not have to meet that burden, believed the testimony about Gaetz's alleged sexual encounters.

If the party described by those witnesses had happened in a jurisdiction with a lower age of consentsay, Texas, Pennsylvania, or the District of ColumbiaGaetz's alleged conduct would not have been a crime. But given the law in Florida, incuriosity about the age of a sexual partner would have been reckless, to say the least.

Gaetz insists that the incident described by the committee never happened. He also maintains that his payments to adult sexual partners were gifts rather than compensation for their services. "In my single days," he says, "I often sent funds to women I datedeven some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years."

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According to the House Ethics Committee, Gaetz paid a dozen women and an intermediary a total of nearly $90,000 from 2017 to 2020, often via Paypal, Venmo, or CashApp. The committee notes that Gaetz paid most of that money, some $64,000, to a "former girlfriend," and it concedes that "some of the payments may have been of a legitimate nature." But it notes that the former girlfriend "asserted her Fifth Amendment right when asked whether the payments to her from Representative Gaetz were for sexual activity and/or drugs, or for her to pass on to others for such purposes." Based on that lack of cooperation and "evidence received from other sources," the committee "found substantial reason to believe that most of these payments were for such activity."

Gaetz "regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him," the report says. Although Gaetz "did not appear to have negotiated specific payment amounts prior to engaging in sexual activity with the women he paid," it says, "the women had a general expectation that they would typically receive some amount of money after each sexual encounter."

The nexus that the committee perceives is a matter of interpretation that underlines the arbitrariness of laws against prostitution. There is nothing illegal about giving money to a sexual partner, provided there is no quid pro quo. Gaetz insists there never was.

In support of his characterization, Gaetz cites the testimony of a woman who said, "I never charged anyone anything. It was just given to me.It was all their choice to give me whatever they wanted." He also cites testimony that "we never discussed money" and that at least one woman did not view herself as engaged in "sex work." She said there were "a lot of times" when "I did not get paid for being there," adding, "I thought a lot of these people were my friends."

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Gaetz, in short, concedes that he gave money to a bunch of women who had sex with him but rejects the portrayal of those payments as commercial transactions. That might seem like absurd hair splitting, but this is precisely the sort of silly distinction that the criminalization of sex work demands. Standing alone, the allegations about sex and money seem like much ado about private behavior that would be none of the government's business under a saner legal regime.

The same could be said about the allegations that Gaetz used illegal drugs. "Representative Gaetz denied using illicit drugs in written correspondence

to the Committee," the report says. But the committee found "substantial evidence," including testimony from people who said they had witnessed Gaetz's drug use, that he lied about that.

"Representative Gaetz used illegal drugs on numerous occasions between 2017 and 2020, in violation of state laws," the report says. "During the period 2017 to 2019, Representative Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions.The witnesses interviewed by the Committee consistently testified that Representative Gaetz was a frequent user of marijuana."

This is obviously not a good look for a legislator, let alone an attorney general charged with enforcing federal drug laws. But this conduct, like Gaetz's alleged payments for sex, violated no one's rights and therefore is not properly treated as a crime.

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Depending on exactly when he used drugs, Gaetz might be charged with hypocrisy. As a Florida legislator in 2012, he supported a bill requiring random drug testing of state employees. As of November 2016, when he first ran for Congress, he opposed marijuana legalization. But he had changed his public position on cannabis by 2019, when he supported a bill that would have repealed the federal ban. The following year, Gaetz was one of five Republicans who voted for that bill when the House approved it. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he complained that "the federal government has lied to our country for a generation about marijuana." And for what it's worth, Gaetz was one of 25 representatives, including more than a dozen Republicans, who voted against a 2018 bill aimed at suppressing online speech related to prostitution.

Unlike paying for sex and using illegal drugs, Gaetz's alleged receipt of improper gifts would not have been a crime. But the committee says it violated House ethics rules.

"There is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz received impermissible gifts in

connection with his travel to the Bahamas in September 2018," the report says. "Specifically, Representative Gaetz accepted travel via a private plane and other travel costs. Contrary to Representative Gaetz's claims that he provided 'substantial' evidence to the Committee 'demonstrating his innocence' on this allegation, he provided no evidence showing how he paid for any travel costs other than his flight to the Bahamas, despite being given multiple opportunities to do so."

The committee says Gaetz violated another House rule by "us[ing] the power of his

office to assist a woman with whom he was engaged in a sexual relationship in obtaining an expedited passport." The woman "was not his constituent, and the case was not handled in the same manner as similar passport assistance cases."

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Finally, the report says Gaetz "engaged in obstructive conduct with respect to the Committee's investigation." Gaetz "continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead the Committee in order to prevent his actions from being exposed. This was most notable with respect to the Committee's specific requests regarding the Bahamas trip."

The committee also notes that Gaetz "declined to provide testimony voluntarily and did not appear when subpoenaed." It says he "routinely ignored or significantly delayed producing relevant information requested by the Committee." Although Gaetz's "obstructive conduct in this investigation did not rise to the level of a criminal violation," the report says, "it was certainly inconsistent with the requirement that Members act in a manner that reflects creditably upon the House."

In a dissenting statement, committee Chairman Michael Guest (RMiss.) and some of his colleagues object to the release of the report, which they say should have been precluded by Gaetz's resignation. "The decision to publish a report after his resignation breaks from the Committee's long-standing practice, opens the Committee to undue criticism, and will be viewed by some as an attempt to weaponize the Committee's process," Guest writes. But the dissenters "do not challenge the Committee's findings."

It is not hard to see why those findings would have given pause to senators charged with considering Gaetz's nomination. Senators presumably would have viewed the allegations of criminal conduct as a drawback for someone nominated to run the Justice Department. And if the senators credited those allegations, as the House Ethics Committee did, they would have had to view his defenses as flagrantly dishonest. But with the notable exception of the statutory rape claim, Gaetz's alleged criminality hinges on laws that wrongly treat private, peaceful behavior as a matter of public concern. And given Gaetz's lack of relevant legal experience, the question of whether to confirm him should have been easy to answer without delving into his sex life or his other recreational choices.

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Trump's decision to nominate Gaetz in spite of the widely publicized ethics charges against him nevertheless remains a puzzle. It resulted in an early, embarrassing defeat that could have been easily avoided by nominating a better-qualified loyalist, which is what Trump ended up doing. Contrary to the theories that credit Trump with a Machiavellian motivation, there was no obvious upside to this doomed nomination, and the most plausible explanation is a combination of arrogance and impulsiveness that, depending on your perspective, is either alarming or reassuring.

The post Even Without the Sex and Drug Allegations, Matt Gaetz's Nomination Should Have Been Doomed appeared first on Reason.com.
When 4-year-old Audrey Park energetically dragged a chair next to her mother, Maria, to do some cooking and baking, her family cheered, and her father, Kyle, called it a "little hope."

Audrey, who is language delayed because she has autism, cannot always express through words how sick or uncomfortable she is feeling. But on Dec. 12, Audrey had some of "her spunk" back, Kyle said.

Audrey pulls up a chair  nearly every time  when her mother starts to cook or bake. This time her mother was making lobster mac and cheese, and she gave Audrey a big spoon. Audrey enthusiastically put cheese in the bowl and started mixing. She even had the "Oh, come on" look when it was baking. Audrey hates it when things simmer and bake; she wants to be active, said Maria.

Audrey, a 4-year-old girl from Sussex, loves to bake and cook with her family. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 diffuse anaplastic Wilms tumor with lung metastasis on Nov. 22.

"Audrey is obsessed with cooking and baking," her mother explained.

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The Sussex family  Audrey's parents and her 6-year-old sister Charlotte  are doing everything possible to make sure many, many of these fun days will keep on coming.

On Dec. 7, Audrey started chemotherapy for an aggressive kind of cancer which left her very fatigued.

Fifteen days earlier, on Nov. 22, Audrey had been diagnosed with Wilms tumor kidney cancer that affects children. Audrey has the most aggressive kind  Stage 4 diffuse anaplastic Wilms tumor with lung metastasis.

4-year-old Audrey Park is pictured before a chemotherapy treatment. Audrey has the most aggressive kind of Wilms tumor  Stage 4 diffuse anaplastic Wilms tumor with lung metastasis. She was diagnosed Nov. 22 and will need 42 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation.

Her mother was devastated by her prognosis: Audrey has a 30 to 40% chance of being cured, her mother told the Journal Sentinel.

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If she achieves the five-year mark of being cancer-free, Audrey will be considered cured, her mother said. Audrey has to go through 42 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation, which should be completed next fall. She will then have scans regularly to make sure there is no evidence of the disease.

If the cancer comes back before five years, her mother said, "It would be a really, really hard to treat" and called it "uncharted waters."

"We need to make sure she is in that 3 to 4 out of 10," her father added.

'All we want is to be together' for Christmas

When Audrey's medical team was scheduling her next chemo appointment, they initially wanted to do it on Christmas Eve. Her parents did everything they could to prevent this, because they wanted the family to be together for Christmas, so it was scheduled for the day after Christmas. While Audrey will be in the hospital from Dec. 26 to Dec. 30, the family will still be together on Dec. 25.

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"We are a tight-knit family," her father said. "We do a lot of things together."

"Usually, Christmas is about the hustle and bustle as we always try to do as much as we can," said Maria Park. "But this Christmas, all we want to do is to be together."

Maria said it was especially hard because Audrey was separated from her 6-year-old sister, Charlotte, for most of the 15 days while Audrey was recently in the hospital. Charlotte often cannot be with Audrey at the hospital because the cutoff age for visitors is 12, although the hospital does sometimes make exceptions.

The Park family from Sussex is excited about being together for Christmas and they have a fun holiday planned. Audrey Park, left, was diagnosed with cancer on Nov. 22 and is undergoing 42 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation. With Audrey, from left, are her mother Maria, father Kyle and sister Charlotte.

Maria said this Christmas can be lovingly referred to as a "living room Christmas." She said they will work in some of their favorite Christmas traditions such as seeing the Christmas Carnival of Lights in Caledonia before the holiday. She said she is looking forward to doing some of the family's Christmas favorites such as going to church on Christmas Day at CrossWay Church in Germantown.

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If Audrey is not well enough to attend, the family will watch the service on livestream at home. And of course, they plan on opening presents on Christmas Day and visiting with other members of their family on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If they cannot visit, they will FaceTime, Maria said.

One of the family's most enjoyable activities is baking soft gingerbread cookies and then pancakes on Christmas morning.

"It is really the best to be together," Maria said.

'I love her,' said Audrey's 6-year-old sister, Charlotte

When Audrey was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, her parents said Charlotte was the "best, most supportive big sister." But it is also important that Charlotte does not "feel invisible" her mother said. When Charlotte attended a cheerleading competition in Wisconsin Dells Dec. 14, both of her parents joined her and turned it into a special event for her.

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Charlotte told the Journal Sentinel that she "had fun," everyone on the team got a pin for making no mistakes in their routine, and she and her dad both fell off the waterslide at Wisconsin Dells. "It was a Char Day," her mother said.

But at the end of "Char Day," Maria said Charlotte put everything in perspective. "This was a fun Charlotte Day, but I really miss my sister," Charlotte told her mother on the car ride home.

Audrey Park, left, and her sister Charlotte are shown with two identical teddy bears provided by the Child Life program at Children's Wisconsin. When Audrey, 4, is in the hospital for her cancer treatment, Charlotte's and Audrey's teddy bears will keep them connected.

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What is especially hard is that Charlotte may not always be able to visit her sister when she has extended chemo treatments and other cancer-related treatments. To help, the Child Life program at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, where Audrey is getting her treatments, gave Charlotte and Audrey each a stuffed teddy bear.

"When they are apart, they hug the bear, and it is like hugging your sister," explained Kyle.

This is so the sisters can always feel together when they are not physically together, their father said. "(Charlotte) sleeps with it every night," said her father.

"It is really soft and is really cute," Charlotte added.

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The twin bears mean the sisters will always be together, Kyle said.

"I share with my sister, and I play with her. I try to help her (at the hospital)," Charlotte said. "I love her."

Audrey Park is 'a tough resilient kid'

When Audrey had surgery Nov. 25, three days after her diagnosis, it was supposed to be a 5- to 7-hour surgery. The goal was to fully remove the tumor in her kidney.

But at 5:30 p.m., Maria Park felt cold all over. She said she had a mother's instinct.

"I don't think it is going well," she said. "My daughters are a part of me. I know. My girls and I are so close."

She told her husband, "You can try to stop me, but I am going to the operating room, close to the door so she knows I am there."

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Maria is currently a physician's assistant at Froedtert Hospital, but she worked at Children's for about seven years and has strong relationships with members of the medical team responsible for Audrey's care.

Audrey Park, pictured, is called a "tough, resilient kid" by her father as Audrey recovered after a 13-hour surgery to fully remove a cancerous tumor from her kidney.

At 8 p.m., the surgeon came to Kyle and Maria and told them Audrey lost a lot of blood, and she needed multiple transfusions. Another member of the medical staff confirmed that Maria Park's "mother's instinct" was spot on.

At 5:30 p.m., when Maria had the bad feeling, is when a medical staff member said Audrey started bleeding, Maria said.

Audrey has since recovered from her surgery. It took a team of six surgeons to fully remove the tumor. The largest vein in her body had to be repaired in surgery, and her right kidney was removed, her mother said.

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"She is a tough, resilient kid," Kyle said.

Audrey 'keeps a positive attitude,' her parents say

As soon as Audrey was diagnosed, her parents marveled at how positive she has been.

"She is better than a lot of adults would be," said Kyle Park. Her mom said she is very brave when inserting a needle for her port. She looks forward to getting a free toy from Children's Hospital. She especially loves the Slinky toys.

She also loves collecting beads for the Beads of Courage  an incentive program which allows Audrey to get a bead to mark a treatment or procedure milestone.

In addition to a harsh regimen of chemo, Audrey takes multiple other medicines, one for nausea and another to protect her heart and bladder. "She took it all like a champ," Maria said. "The big thing is the fatigue; sometimes, she just wants to be held."

As a Christian family, Maria said she prays all the time and gets solace in reading the Bible. "We just have to make sure we will and are doing everything, and to make sure she is loved."

Being resilient, having family support, being positive and being surrounded with the medical staff at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin are definitely helpful, Maria said.

Park family asking for support from the community

But Kyle Park said that the family needs more. "With the support of our neighbors, we believe we can make a meaningful difference for Audrey during this difficult time," he said.

If people are not into praying, Kyle said they can just send positive thoughts Audrey's way.

"We just want our girl healthy," said Park. "We need everyone's help."

A 4-year-old Sussex girl, Audrey Park, is going through 42 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation to treat her aggressive cancer. Her parents are asking everyone to pray and send positive thoughts for Audrey.

Audrey's GoFundMe page

The Park family has a GoFundMe page to cover any treatment not covered by insurance, gas and other incidentals of going for treatment and Maria Park's loss of wages due to her being with Audrey during treatments. Maria said if any funds are left over, she wants it to go to Wilms tumor research so more research can be done.

As of Dec. 20, the Park family had raised more than $40,000 of its $50,000 goal.

To support Audrey's GoFundMe page, visit www.gofundme.com/f/support-audreys-fight-against-cancer

To see updates on Audrey

To see updates on Audrey's fight against cancer, visit https://bit.ly/Audreyscaringbridge.

More: 'I am pretty positive.' Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow talks about cancer treatment

More: Here are places in the Milwaukee area where you can meet Santa Claus this holiday season

Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @kozlowicz_cathy.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Audrey Park, 4, of Sussex, is fighting cancer. Here's how you can help
ISTANBUL, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police detained five people in Istanbul on Monday on suspicion of financing Islamic State (IS), state broadcaster TRT reported.

Acting on an investigation by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, authorities identified seven suspects allegedly involved in sending funds to IS members in conflict zones, TRT said.

Arrest warrants were issued on charges of "membership of an armed terrorist organization" and "violating the Law on the Prevention of Terrorism Financing."

Police conducted simultaneous raids at seven addresses across Istanbul, detaining five suspects, TRT reported, adding that efforts to apprehend the remaining two were underway.

During the raids, 55,000 euros and various organizational documents were seized.

Turkiye designated IS a terrorist organization in 2013 and has been targeted by the group in several attacks. Ankara has conducted counter-terrorism operations both domestically and abroad in response. 
A former US Marine accused of training Chinese military pilots will be extradited to face charges in the United States, Australias Attorney General confirmed Monday, dealing a blow to supporters who have mounted a public campaign for his freedom.

Daniel Duggan, a naturalized Australian, was arrested in the state of New South Wales in 2022 based on a 2017 US grand jury indictment that accuses him of training Chinese military pilots in violation of a US arms embargo.

Duggan denies the charges, claiming that US officials knew about his activities and that he was only training civilian pilots as Chinas aviation sector boomed.

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Attorney General Mark Dreyfus confirmed that Duggan should be extradited to face prosecution for the offences of which he is accused.

Mr Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me, Dreyfus said in a statement Monday.

His decision follows court approval for Duggans extradition by a magistrate in May.

In a statement, the pilots wife, Saffrine Duggan, said she and their six children were shocked and absolutely heartbroken by this callous and inhumane decision which has been delivered just before Christmas with no explanation or justification from the Government.

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We feel abandoned by the Australian Government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family. We are now considering our options, she said.

If convicted, Duggan faces a prison sentence of up to 65 years.

Argument against extradition

Duggan has been in custody since his arrest in October 2022, just weeks after returning to his family in Australia from six years working in China. He was detained by Australian police acting on the request of US authorities.

The 2017 indictment filed in the District of Columbia says that as early as 2008, Duggan received an email from the US State Department telling him he was required to register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and apply for permission to train a foreign air force.

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Instead, it claims he conspired with others  including the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA)  to export defense services in violation of an arms embargo on China.

In a statement to CNN in 2023, TFASA said it complies with the laws of every jurisdiction in which it operates.

The statement said Duggan undertook one test-pilot contract for the company in South Africa between November and December 2012, and never worked for TFASA on any of its training mandates in China.

Duggan moved to China in 2013 and renounced his US citizenship at the US embassy in Beijing in 2016, though it was backdated on a certificate to 2012 to reflect when he became an Australian citizen, according to his lawyers.

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In an 89-page submission filed to Dreyfus office in August, Duggans lawyers alleged the former US serviceman had become a political pawn during a time of heightened US-China tensions.

It said that his case had been used to send a message to Western pilots that any dealings with China will not be tolerated by the US, or its allies.

The extradition request is a brutal response to US Sinophobia, his lawyer Bernard Collaery wrote in a cover letter attached to the submission.

While scapegoating Daniel Duggan may please some, his extradition into a baying political environment and semi-lawless prison system may also constitute a profound moral and foreign policy failure by Australia, he wrote.

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Duggans arrest two years ago came as the US, the United Kingdom and Australia formed a stronger security bond under AUKUS, a deal they signed in 2021 to join forces in the Pacific to counter an increasingly assertive China.

Since then, the UK and Australia have tightened their laws surrounding former military personnel and their post-service activities.

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The city of Miami could either see a political shakeup in 2025  or a revival of the old guard.

For the first time in eight years, Miami residents will elect a new mayor. They will also vote on at least two  but possibly three  City Commission seats. That could mean a major shift in the political dynamics of a city where just three votes on the five-member commission constitute a majority. Voters appeared ready for a change last year, when Miamians voted in two candidates who ran on reform platforms, Miguel Angel Gabela and Damian Pardo.

But in a town where members of political dynasties tend to cycle through elected office like a revolving door, multiple open seats arent necessarily a harbinger for change.

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I think one of the open questions now is, are voters going to continue down that path of reform and try and make the city work more for their interests, or are they going to throw their hands up and just continue rubber-stamping these dynastic politicians and the progeny of dynastic politicians and, you know, continue making the city of Miami a punchline? said Miami pollster Fernand Amandi.

Heres what we know so far about the year ahead in Miami politics.

Mayoral race

After serving eight years, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez will be termed out at the end of 2025. That means for the first time in nearly a decade, the city will have a new representative in the ceremonial part-time position.

Some familiar faces are considering succeeding him.

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Current Miami City Commissioner Manolo Reyes has already announced that he plans to run for mayor next year. He has not officially filed for the race yet.

Commissioner Manolo Reyes speaks during a City Commission meeting on Thursday, June 27, 2024, at Miami City Hall.

Former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez  who resigned from his role as the citys top administrator in January 2020  left the door open to the possibility of running, saying hes honored by the overwhelming encouragement and support Ive received regarding a potential mayoral candidacy.

People are tired of the same names, same politics, same outcomes. I deeply care about Miamis future: Miami isnt just where Ive served  its where our family has built our life and our future, Gonzalez said in a statement. ... For now, Im focused on my family and my job. When theres news to share about 2025... our Miami community will be the first to hear!

Former Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez testified in the 2023 civil court trial of Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo, who was accused by two Little Havana businessmen of using his influence in a campaign of harassment against several businesses they have an interest in.

For months, political insiders have chattered about the possibility of two candidates who previously faced off in 1997 returning to the ballot: City Commissioner Joe Carollo and Xavier Suarez, who is the father of the current mayor and himself was the first Cuban-born mayor in Miami, serving from 1985 to 1993 and again from to 1997 to 1998. Carollo also served as mayor between 1996 and 1997 and again from 1998 to 2001.

In a photo from Oct. 24, 1997, the two main candidates for Miami mayor, Xavier Suarez, left, and Joe Carollo, right, shake hands while avoiding each others eyes.

Despite those rumors, neither political powerhouse has indicated on the record that they intend to run.

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As you may have read, I am under a permanent injunction not to run for anything and it can only be waived by my wife, the elder Suarez joked in a text message Friday.

And Carollo, whose District 3 commission term ends next year, has continued to leave the door open for the past few months about his intention to run for mayor again.

My intentions are to go to Shangri-La, Carollo said Friday when asked about his plans for next year. Then he added: If God has other plans for me, Ill see if, you know, he reveals them to me.

Another familiar face has also weighed a return to office: Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who was cleared of money laundering and bribery charges last month when the Broward State Attorneys Office dropped them.

Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla attends a meeting at the Miami City Hall in Coconut Grove on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020.

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Diaz de la Portilla previously told the Herald in September that he was weighing a run for mayor, as well as one of the open City Commission seats. But in a statement Friday, the former District 1 commissioner appeared to have narrowed his focus.

I will be the next Mayor of my city, Diaz de la Portilla said.

So far, only three candidates have officially filed to run for the mayoral race: Maxwell Martinez, Michael Hepburn and June Savage.

Open City Commission seats

At least two, but possibly three, City Commission seats will be open in next years election.

The District 3 seat currently held by Carollo will be vacated due to term limits. While no candidates have formally filed to run in that race, a few are considering throwing their hats in the ring.

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Former District 3 City Commissioner Frank Carollo, the younger brother of Joe Carollo, is among that group.

He said in a statement to the Herald that, although I am presently not a candidate, I have been observing.

Former Miami City Commissioner Frank Carollo

Frank Carollo added that the possibility of returning to office in District 3 and focusing on life-safety issues, like completing the construction of two additional Fire-Rescue stations, is very enticing to me.

However, as recent past election results have demonstrated that the first few candidates to announce and file are not necessarily the winners, and with the qualification period being September 2025, he said, I should make an announcement next year, around the time my daughter finishes the school year.

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Frank Carollo could face opposition from Alfie Leon, an attorney who lost to Joe Carollo by about 250 votes in 2017.

Its been humbling to receive so much encouragement to run for office to serve the community I love. So many are tired and done with the culture of chaos and Im ready to bring purposeful leadership to city hall, Leon said in a statement. Over the next few weeks Ill be with family, friends and neighbors reflecting on the path forward and prepare a final announcement in the new year.

Alfie Leon at Jose Marti Park in Miamis Little Havana neighborhood on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017.

The District 5 seat will also be open, with Commissioner Christine King finishing out her first term next year.

Asked whether she intends to run for reelection next year or if shes considering a run for mayor, Kings spokesperson said that, at this this time theres no comment.

Commissioner Christine King presides over the last commission meeting of the year on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, at Miami City Hall.

One candidate has filed to run for the race: Marion Brown, who owns a construction business that specializes in work at landfills.

In addition, the District 4 seat  currently occupied by Reyes  will be open if the commissioner officially files to run for mayor. Under Floridas resign-to-run law, Reyes would need to forfeit his current seat despite being just halfway through his term.
Dec. 22As energy giant AES Corp. pitches its ambitious solar and battery storage development known as Rancho Viejo Solar south of Santa Fe, it continues to draw scrutiny amid concerns about fires from lithium-ion battery storage.

The massive project's supporters say it could play a role in the state's efforts to slow climate change and would be an economic win for the region. But people who live in neighborhoods south of the city  fearing the possible effects on their property values and the potential for dramatic fires that local first responders might be unable to contain  remain vocally opposed.

Experts, meanwhile, say the risk of such fires is low as battery storage technology improves, with incidents occurring only rarely at facilities in the U.S. and no reported fatalities.

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At a meeting earlier this month, residents of Eldorado and San Marcos assailed the proposed development as they relayed often-repeated concerns about the risk of "thermal runaway"  a chemical reaction causing a quick rise in temperature and pressure  as well as fires.

They cited problems reported at comparable solar power storage facilities in other states, including one at an AES development that injured several firefighters. Some have labeled Rancho Viejo Solar a "power plant" in terms of its size.

"To me, it's ludicrous to consider something like this in the middle of all of this fire risk, groundwater risk, the air quality [risk]," said Camilla Brom, who lives near the proposed AES site. "It's a wildlife corridor; that's going to be messed up."

The response to the AES project underscores the challenges of getting clean energy projects on the power grid as climate change worsens.

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One of the owners of the 800-acre property eyed for the development, Warren Thompson, observed the busy scene of a Santa Fe County land use hearing Dec. 4 at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, as 100 people registered their opposition to the project.

"If we're going to meet these energy goals, we need to build these types of facilities," said Thompson, a resident of the Rancho Viejo subdivision, which lies several miles north of the project site. "We've been working on this, I think, for 11 years now. They are not easy to get done."

Failure rates '1 in 10 million'

The project's opponents frequently note three fires in recent years at facilities associated with AES in Chandler and Surprise, Ariz., and Escondido, Calif.

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Lithium-ion batteries contain a large amount of energy in a very small space, converting chemical energy to electrical energy under normal operation, according to EV Fire Safe, an Australian group that researches electric vehicle battery fires and emergency response.

"These lithium cells can experience thermal runaway which causes them to release very hot flammable, toxic gases," the Federal Emergency Management Agency's website notes.

While there are reports of lithium-ion battery storage facilities smoking, researchers say they are safe.

"Failure rates for 18650 cells are less than 1 in 10 million," Ray Byrne, manager of the energy storage technology and systems department at Sandia National Laboratories, wrote in an email. "Because large numbers of cells are used in grid energy storage systems, there will be some failures. Fortunately, codes and standards combined with design techniques address the problem of thermal runaway ... and limit the potential for spread to adjacent cells."

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According to the American Clean Power Association, no deaths have resulted from incidents at energy storage facilities in the United States.

Recently, there have been two to four incidents annually in the U.S., Byrne wrote.

Explosion leaves 9 injured

An April 2022 fire at an AES facility in Chandler smoldered for days, prompting evacuations and road closures, with the local fire department recommending businesses within a quarter-mile evacuate, Fox 10 Phoenix reported.

The April 2019 explosion in Surprise was one of the most serious incidents related to lithium-ion battery storage facilities, causing injuries to firefighters and a police officer.

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KNXV-TV, an ABC affiliate in Arizona, reported that eight firefighters were rushed to a hospital. Family members arrived with "tears streaming down their face," the news station reported.

Four firefighters from Peoria, Ariz., were the most seriously injured, the Arizona Republic reported, sustaining chemical burns and chemical-inhalation burns. They were all eventually discharged from the hospital.

AES developed the Surprise facility for Arizona Public Service, the state's largest utility, which in 2020 released a report about the explosion at the McMicken Battery Energy Storage System. According to the report, the storage system was commissioned and integrated by AES and assembled with lithium-ion batteries manufactured by LG Chem, a chemical company headquartered in South Korea.

The report says a fire was reported first and then an explosion several hours later that injured the firefighters.

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"On April 19, 2019, 25 months after the [battery energy storage system] was placed into service, a suspected fire was reported at the BESS. At 17:48 local time (PST), first responders arrived to investigate," the report states. "Several hours later, at approximately 20:04, an explosion occurred from inside the BESS. The explosion injured several firefighters and essentially destroyed the BESS and its container."

The fire was "actually an extensive cascading thermal runaway event, initiated by an internal cell failure within one battery cell" in the energy storage system caused by "an internal cell defect," according to the report.

It outlines five factors that contributed to the explosion:

* The internal battery cell failure that initiated thermal runaway.

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* A fire suppression system incapable of stopping thermal runaway.

* Lack of thermal barriers between cells.

* Flammable off-gases concentrated without a means to ventilate.

* An emergency response plan that lacked an extinguishing, ventilation and entry procedure.

Today's standards better address hazard assessment and training for first responders, the report concludes, although it states, "the industry expectation should go even further and require that hazard assessments and training take place before and during the commissioning of energy storage systems."

A Sept. 5 fire in San Diego Gas and Electric's Northeast Operations Center in Escondido, Calif., was limited to one of 24 battery storage containers and caused no injuries, according to NBC 7 San Diego. It prompted the evacuations of more than 500 businesses and 1,500 homes. While the facility was operated by the utility, it was developed by AES, said Joshua Mayer, senior development manager for AES.

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"At no time during the incident did the levels of Oxygen deviate from 20.9 percent which is considered normal atmospheric level," states a report from the city of Escondido.

'Increased standards of code'

Mayer maintains internal estimates on the probability of a fire at one of AES' battery storage facilities is "less than one in every 3,000 plant lifetimes."

"None of these incidents are in any manner desirable or acceptable for the industry, and the industry and AES [have] taken lessons learned from them," he said.

He cited "increased standards of code, including a new testing regime that is making projects safer. He called the regime, known as UL9540, "a substantial evolution" in code and requirements and design features.

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"You actively test your facility for all failure possibilities prior to its installation and determine that you can successfully prevent and ultimately mitigate any occurrence of thermal runaway," Mayer said.

But opponents still worry the technology poses a risk to their communities. Groups like the Clean Energy Coalition of Santa Fe County also worry about the county's ability to respond to a large hazmat incident.

"More than 20 minutes from adequate fire response and hazmat personnel, the worst-case consequences of locating a utility-scale battery facility here are terrifying," the coalition's website states.

"Nobody is against solar, but if you put industrial facilities like this with faulty technology  because a lot of accidents happen  this close to residential areas, it's a time bomb waiting to go off," Selma Eikelenboom, who lives about a quarter-mile from the proposed facility, said earlier this month.

Residents also have voiced concerns about the potential use of firefighting foams containing PFAS to battle any chemical fire that might emerge at the proposed battery storage facility.

These per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances  often called "forever chemicals" because they break down so slowly in the environment  already have been detected in residential wells in La Cienega and La Cieneguilla. The chemicals, used in a wide range of household products, pose health risks.

Mayer downplayed the threat of PFAS contamination from AES' development. "We do not believe there is a justifiable PFAS concern with this project," he said.
Birds take flight over the Great Salt Lake, with downtown Salt Lake City visible in the background, on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

This month the California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency after epidemiologists confirmed the spread of bird flu in 34 people. Louisiana also reported one serious case, causing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and others in the health community to closely monitor the outbreak.

As of Friday there were 64 human cases throughout the country, and none in Utah, according to the CDC.

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For some, the announcement made four years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown can be anxiety-inducing. Experts from Utah say that this is a very different landscape than COVID.

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The outbreak of H5N1, most commonly known as bird flu, isnt as novel as the coronavirus was during its peak, Dr. Ben Bradley, assistant professor at the University of Utah and medical director at Salt Lake City-based ARUP laboratories, said in a virtual call with reporters on Friday.

Weve been much more proactive in addressing this outbreak, Bradley said, in part because weve been able to monitor it more quickly.

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Theres already the capacity to detect the flu in laboratories across the country with seasonal influenza virus testing  though it wouldnt be able to make the distinction of the H5 virus, Bradley said. In fact, commercial labs and device manufacturers received funding to expand the capacity to test the virus.

Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration has loosened some of its regulations to expedite testing capacity.

Mutations in the H5N1 virus can result in different symptoms across the flu cases. There is still a small amount of data, Dr. Bobbi Pritt, chair of the College of American Pathologists Council on Scientific Affairs said on Friday. But the D1.1 genotype is the one seen in the human cases in the U.S. and Canada that have been severe, she said. Thats also a genotype seen in wild birds.

The B3.13 strain, often seen in dairy herds, is mostly associated with milder symptoms like conjunctivitis, Pritt said. However, when these types of viruses are replicating within a person or animal, it could have ongoing mutations that can be easily transmitted.

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At this point, the B3.13 strain doesnt seem to be associated with severe disease, but well have to keep an eye on that, she said.

Bird flu red flags

If you are looking for red flags that may indicate an outbreak may be more serious, search for mystery cases, Bradley said.

Most of the human cases reported since the spring happened among poultry and dairy workers, according to the CDC. However, two cases dont have a clear link to dairy cattle or poultry exposure.

Those things are certainly concerning for me, because we would like to see that theres a clear epidemiological link to a bird or poultry or something like that, he said. So if we would be seeing more of those cases, thats something that would lead me to be concerned.

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While there are over 60 confirmed cases among humans, the total number of those infected is still uncertain. Not knowing the full picture is also concerning for Bradley. And one big challenge to monitoring the outbreak is the livelihood of those who are most vulnerable to the virus.

We are dealing with kind of marginalized populations here, folks whose livelihood depends on them going to work and not being sick. So that also raises challenges for testing this kind of vulnerable population, he said. And thats something else that weve really needed to, from a public health standpoint, make efforts towards testing.

There arent any mutations that make Pritt worry about a potential wider spread between humans. However, there are many animals infected, and with every host, the possibility of mutations expands, she said.

She also remains watchful of some other mammals, including domestic cats and, especially, pigs, since they can get infected with both bird and human influenza viruses.

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And then you kind of have like this mixing pot where the two viruses can share genetic material and create new viruses. So thats always a concern as well, hence the need for continued monitoring, she said. Even though at this point were saying, no need to panic.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
By Sarah Morland

(Reuters) - Latin American leaders on Monday rallied to Panama's defense after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to reimpose U.S. control over the Panama Canal, a key global shipping route located in the Central American nation.

WHAT IS THE PANAMA CANAL?

The Panama Canal is an 82-km (51-mile) artificial waterway that connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans through Panama, saving ships thousands of miles and weeks of travel around the stormy, icy southern tip of South America.

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The journey for ships traveling from Los Angeles to New York is close to 8,000 miles (around 22 days) shorter via the canal compared to traveling through the Strait of Magellan off Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago that embraces southern Chile and Argentina.

The canal transports ships through the Gatun Lake, some 26 meters (85 ft) above sea level, via a series of interconnecting locks. Each ship's transit requires some 200 million liters (53 million gallons) of fresh water.

BUILDING THE CANAL

Spanish colonizers began studying the construction of an inter-oceanic canal cutting through the isthmus at its narrowest point, in southern Central America, as early as the 1530s. But it was not until 1878 that Colombia - which then counted Panama as a province - signed a concession with French engineers.

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The French effort was ultimately a failure, going bankrupt in 1899. Around 22,000 workers lost their lives on the project, many from disease and accidents.

In 1903 the U.S. sought a permanent concession for a canal from Colombia, which rejected the proposal. In response, the U.S. supported Panama's independence, which was declared on Nov. 3.

Three days later, Panama's ambassador to Washington signed a treaty granting the U.S. rights to build and indefinitely administer the canal. The U.S. paid Panama $10 million and later a $250,000 annuity for the rights. Many Panamanians condemned the treaty as an infringement on their newfound sovereignty.

The U.S. construction was largely carried out by Afro-Panamanian and Caribbean workers, over 5,000 of whom died before the canal finally opened in 1914.

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THE HANDOVER

During the 20th century, U.S.-Panama tensions worsened and there were growing protests against U.S. control of the canal, notably after the Suez Canal crisis in 1956, when British and French plans to invade Egypt after it nationalized the Suez Canal were halted after U.S. pressure.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty with Panamanian military leader Omar Torrijos that granted Panama free control over the canal and guaranteed the waterway's permanent neutrality.

This took effect on Dec. 31, 1999. The canal has since been administered by the Panamanian government's Panama Canal Authority, and remains a key source of income for the country.

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RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Climate change has contributed to increasing droughts that have impacted water levels in the lakes feeding the canal, forcing the canal authority to limit transits as it balances Panamanians' water needs.

On Sunday, Trump threatened to reimpose U.S. control, citing what he said were excessive fees to use the canal and a risk of Chinese influence. A subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has long managed two ports near canal entrances.

"It was given to Panama and the people of Panama, but it has provisions," Trump said of the canal.

"If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, quickly and without question."

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PANAMA'S RESPONSE

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino rejected Trump's threat. He said the canal's tariffs were carefully and transparently evaluated, and that these maintain the canal and helped expand it in 2016, boosting traffic and global trade.

"Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue to do so," he said in a statement on Sunday. "Our country's sovereignty and independence are not negotiable."

"The canal is not under any direct or indirect control from China, the European community, the United States, or any other power," Mulino added.

(Reporting by Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Elida Moreno in Panama City; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
A U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet was conducting a refueling mission over the Red Sea when it was downed in a friendly fire incident this past weekend. The Ticonderoga class USS Gettysburg fired on the jet for reasons that are now under investigation. That cruiser also happens to be the first of its class to have gone through a deep modernization program that includes significant upgrades to its air defense suite, making it the most advanced operational example of its dwindling class.

Authors note: We have new information on this event that you can check out in our latest post here after getting up to speed with the current article you are reading.

The [F/A-18F] aircraft is part of Carrier Airwing (CVW) 1 and was performing a refueling mission, the Navys Naval Air Force Atlantic (AIRLANT) said in a statement to TWZ earlier today. We have reached out for further clarification about whether the two-seat Super Hornet was acting as the tanker and/or whether it was linked to another aircraft at the time of the shoot down.

The Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Gettysburg. USN

USS Gettysburg engaged and brought down the F/A-18F on Dec. 22 local time, according to a previously released statement from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Gettysburg and CVW-1 are both currently assigned to the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group.

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Truman, its air wing, and its escorts had just entered the Red Sea last week. The strike group is currently supporting operations to protect friendly military assets from attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, including strikes ashore.

CENTCOM Conducts Airstrikes Against Iran-Backed Houthi Missile Storage and Command/Control Facilities in Yemen



TAMPA, Fla.  U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by pic.twitter.com/YRWWQJIweP  U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 21, 2024

Both pilots were safely recovered, CENTCOMs prior statement added. Initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries. This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.

Pilots here looks to be a misnomer. The individual flying in the backseat of an F/A-18F is typically a Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), not a second pilot, and this was reportedly the case in this instance, according to The Washington Posts Dan Lamothe.

Lamothe also reported, citing an anonymous military official, that a Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) was the weapon Gettysburg fired that brought down the Super Hornet, two crew members had both suffered minor injuries, and the Navy is considering whether or not to recover the wreckage.

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3) Navy was assessing Sunday whether to salvage any of the downed jet, and how.



4) The two aviators are back aboard the aircraft carrier Truman with minor injuries. Those would not be uncommon after an ejection.  Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) December 22, 2024

The SM-2 family is a key element of the Navys arsenal of ship-launched surface-to-air missiles. Since October 2023, SM-2s have been weapons of choice for U.S. naval forces in the Middle East for engaging Houthi missiles and drones. In addition, Ticonderoga class cruisers currently act as the central air and missile defense node for the Navy carrier strike group.

Whether or not to attempt to retrieve any portion of the downed F/A-18F will be an important question for the Navy. As TWZ has highlighted many times in the past, adversaries could try to do the same and glean useful intelligence from whatever they recover.

When it comes to refueling missions, F/A-18 Super Hornets are currently routinely employed as tankers for other aircraft in Navy carrier air wings, typically flying stable orbits relatively close to the strike group for recovery operations, but are also used to refuel jets after launch or on their way to their objectives. They execute this in the 5-wet configuration, with four 480-gallon fuel tanks and a centerline hose-and-drogue refueling pod.

The services plans to supplant Super Hornets in this role with a new fleet of MQ-25 Stingray aerial refueling drones, which will also have secondary intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities and could take on other missions in the future. Unfortunately, the MQ-25 program has been beset by delays and other issues, and Stingrays are not expected to begin flying operational missions until at least 2026. Land-based tanker aircraft also regularly support Navy carrier-based aircraft.

While few other details regarding this past weekends friendly fire incident have emerged, a lot of things can go wrong and cause fratricide in such an environment, according to Bradley Martin, a retired surface warfare officer (SWO) who spent two-thirds of his 30-year Navy career at sea.

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Aircraft might not have had its identification on, he told TWZ Monday. The profile that was being reported in the Aegis system might have looked like a threat, so the operators are looking at it and trying to determine what theyre seeing and make a decision in fairly short order.

Battle management combat systems like Aegis are not perfect, Martin said. They occasionally misreport things or cause dual tracks, or theyll not correctly identify something, he continued, adding that sometimes its a combination of equipment and operator error.

Near-misses happen all the time, Martin added, where an operator is looking at a screen and trying to figure out what they are seeing in a very short period of time.

Especially when youre dealing with a wartime environment, he noted. The Navys fired a lot of missiles in the last year, more than it has in decades.

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TWZ has previously noted how the Houthis very active campaign targeting ships in and around the Red Sea, combined with the congested nature of the operating environment in the region, raises the risks of accidental shootdowns. Just in February, a German Navy warship sailing in the Red Sea fired on a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone, but did not bring it down, in a case of mistaken identity.

There are many other instances of aircraft being accidentally damaged or shot down, especially in the midst of active conflicts. The now-decommissioned Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Vincennes was involved in a particularly infamous incident in the midst of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988 where it shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing everyone onboard. Issues with the Aegis Combat Systems user interface at the time, as well as stress, timing, and confusion, have been cited as contributing factors.

Thanks to a major upgrade program, the Aegis system on Gettysburg is one of the most modern currently in service, as you can read more about here. Unlike Vincennes in 1988, the cruiser also has the benefit of a much more advanced overall sensor suite with deep networking and sensor fusion capabilities on top of its far more advanced Aegis system. Decades of evolutionary enhancements have made it a very different combination of capabilities than it was nearly four decades ago.

That the Super Hornet was apparently in the midst of a relatively low-performance and predictable refueling mission and the Gettysburgs capabilities, coupled with the ships key air defense command and control role for the strike group, makes this shootdown all the more puzzling. At the same time, we dont know what systems were operating on the ship at the time of the friendly fire incident this weekend or what other sources of data, such as from an E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft and other ships in the region, might have been available to feed into the crews overall picture of the battlespace.

E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft. Northrop Grumman

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As the retired SWO Martin highlighted, the current situation U.S. forces are contending with in the Red Sea is an extremely high-threat environment with multiple layers of threats, some of which can be very hard to detect and categorize. The Houthis are actively targeting American warships, as well as commercial vessels, with various aerial drones, cruise missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles and unmanned surface vessels, often simultaneously. The available time in which to make potentially serious decisions can be measured in seconds.

The friendly fire incident also shined a new and unwelcome light on the Ticonderoga classs woes, including when it comes to the much-maligned modernization program for a handful of the remaining ships. The original plan had been to substantially upgrade 11 of the cruisers, which would serve in the 2030s.

The Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Chosin seen in the process of being upgraded. USN

However, as it stands now, only three Ticonderogas will be modernized  USS Gettysburg, USS Chosin, and USS Cape St. George  and they may only deploy once more each before their scheduled decommissioning dates in the coming years. A report from GAO, a Congressional watchdog, published earlier this month, described the cruiser modernization effort as a poster child for how not to run such an effort, saying that around $1.84 billion had been wasted on modifications to ships that never returned to sea.

The report also highlighted issues with Gettysburg, specifically, post-modernization and in the run-up to its current deployment.

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USS Gettysburg completed its modernization, including sea trials, in February 2023. The Navys Board of Inspection and Survey determined the ship meets the minimum standard to get to sea, according to GAO. However, in January 2024 the Navys Board of Inspection and Survey identified several outstanding issues during an inspection of the ships condition. For example, several elements of the weapons systems were inoperable or degraded and there were structural issues throughout the ship. Since the inspection, the Navy has addressed several of these issues and the ship completed 18 days at sea in June 2024 in preparation for deployment. During this time at sea, USS Gettysburg completed a successful missile launch and intercept using its updated combat systems software.

The Navy deployed USS Gettysburg in September 2024 with its carrier strike group. Prior to the deployment, the ships crew told us that parts continued to be a problem, including steering gears and hydraulic power unit solenoid valves, among others, GAOs report added. To address this problem, the Navy used parts from the decommissioned cruisers. According to the ships crew, propulsion plant and electric system failures were key concerns for the USS Gettysburg deployment.

A view of USS Gettysburg from the ships bow in October 2024. USN Petty Officer 2nd Class Kaitlin Young

GAO said the Navy was looking to see how Gettysburg performed on its latest deployment before making any decisions about whether to send it out again before decommissioning it. The service has long said now that the Ticonderoga class as a whole has become increasingly unreliable and the ships have been suffering from hull cracking and other structural issues for years already.

It is important to stress again that the chain of events that led to Gettysburg bringing down the Super Hornet over the Red Sea remains unknown, including whether or not any issues with the ship itself played a role.

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This kind of mistake sadly is almost inevitable, Martin, the retired SWO, told TWZ. A sky full of aircraft, some friendly, a lot not friendly, ships trying to sort out occasionally ambiguous situations under a great deal of time pressure. These things will almost inevitably occur.

Martin said everyone should recognize these things can and do happen in an intense-enough combat environment, and that the Navy needs to be transparent about what happened.

The public, the media, me, would be willing to accept that these things happen, this was an accident and [the Navy] has done something to prevent it, he said. Fortunately, in this case, it wasnt a tragedy, it was just a loss of an expensive airplane.

The Navy is just at the start of its investigation into the friendly fire incident and more details about exactly what happened could emerge as that effort gets more underway. As Martin notes, in this instance, thankfully the two aviators onboard the F/A-18F were able to safely eject.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com
This article is made possible through Spotlight PAs collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. Sign up for Votebeats free newsletters here.

After Donald Trump lost Pennsylvania in 2020, he used Twitter to direct his fury straight at Al Schmidt, then a Philadelphia city commissioner, prompting a deluge of threats. Photos of Schmidts home were emailed to his family along with threatening messages, and they had to temporarily relocate for their safety.

The events around the 2020 election came to define Schmidts public persona. President Joe Biden went on to award him the Presidential Citizens Medal, Gov. Josh Shapiro selected him to oversee the states elections as secretary of the commonwealth, and Schmidt would spend the four years following the 2020 presidential contest defending the integrity of elections against attacks from Trumps allies.

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Earlier this month, Schmidt certified Trumps victory in the 2024 presidential election, and on Tuesday he presided over the ceremony that formally handed the states Electoral College votes to Trump.

Schmidt, who has a background in government auditing and more than a decade of experience in elections, can talk at length about the minutiae of election data analysis and the complexities of the law, but shies away from discussing his personal life.

While that life was arguably upended by Trumps tweet in 2020, he had no qualms certifying Trumps 2024 victory.

Im not a robot, he said in an interview after certifying the election. Im well aware of what my family went through in 2020, but that doesnt have any impact on my professional responsibilities to make sure that voters can make their voices heard in every election.

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In recent weeks, appointees to the incoming Trump administration, particularly prospective FBI director Kash Patel, have suggested investigating those who challenged Trumps claims about the 2020 election or testified before the committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack. Asked if he was concerned about facing threats or investigations during a second Trump term, Schmidt expressed no concerns.

Im confident that the 2020 election in Pennsylvania was as free, fair, safe, and secure as the 2024 election, he said. When youre on the right side of the law, you really have nothing to be concerned about.

Pennsylvania returns to a tradition of routine elections

Pennsylvanias election was not as hectic, or close, as had been expected. Trump won the state by a 1.71% margin  the largest since Barack Obamas 2012 reelection victory over Mitt Romney.

Because of that margin, Tuesdays Electoral College vote was a muted affair, unlike four years ago when alternate electors for Trump met to cast their votes in several swing states as part of an alleged effort to overturn his loss.

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Tuesdays proceeding suggests 2020s event was an aberration, not the new norm.

The commonwealth has participated in every Electoral College since the first one in 1789. The 10 participating states unanimously elected George Washington, the nations first president, said Schmidt, who holds a doctorate in history from Brandeis University. While such unanimity is rare today, Schmidt said, most people agree that preserving democratic traditions is a sacred responsibility.

Electors for Donald Trump certify the results of the 2024 presidential election during Pennsylvanias 60th Electoral College in Harrisburg.

This year, Pennsylvania returned to that tradition. The most dramatic moment of the Electoral College vote was the replacement of an elector who needed to attend the birth of his child. That happened without fanfare. Because Shapiro was running late, Schmidt was forced to read the governors intended speech. He thanked himself, therefore, for a well-run election, leading to laughs from attendees.

Many administrators and election observers were prepared for various worst-case scenarios, on Election Day and the following weeks, that did not materialize. Counties increased security measures for staff to cope with hostility directed toward election workers in the past few years. The state Supreme Court shortened timelines for court cases so that protracted disputes would not interfere with election deadlines. Outside groups, like Informing Democracy and Protect Democracy, warned of the risks of county officials declining to certify results, a scenario the Department of State had prepared for as well.

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Turnover among county-level election administrators also raised concern that the loss of institutional knowledge would lead to administrative errors that could be used to sow doubt in the results.

I wouldnt be doing my job if I werent anxious about everything, Schmidt said. But he said that anxiety is a good thing  it focuses his attention.

Few of his worries materialized. Counties and the state certified the election well ahead of the federal deadline. Post-election litigation popped up  mostly surrounding the close U.S. Senate race  but it was quickly resolved. Local election administrators mostly avoided making errors.

More smoke than fire

Election Day did see some uncertainty. Cambria County in central Pennsylvania discovered that its tabulators couldnt scan the countys ballots, which had been misprinted; in southwestern Fayette County, a local polling place worker said they would hand-count ballots, which would have delayed results; and bomb threats were called into several counties around the state.

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Imagine you are a firehouse, receiving lots of fire calls, Schmidt said on election night between updates to the public. Youve got to figure out which one is real and which isnt quickly.

When the smoke cleared, no real fires were revealed.

A county judge barred the Fayette poll worker from hand counting. The bomb threats, while they caused some delay, did not prove legitimate or significantly hamper county operations.

In Cambria County, voters continued to cast ballots, and more votes were cast there in the presidential contest than in any other presidential election in the past two decades.

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Election Day is always bumpy, Schmidt said. But the election was free, fair, safe and secure.

I think that was a real success, especially given the amount of turnover among election administrators in Pennsylvania and across the country.

Secretary of State Al Schmidt delivers remarks at the start of Pennsylvanias 60th Electoral College meeting in Harrisburg.

Signs of growing trust in the election

Polling from the Pew Research Center released earlier this month showed that nearly 9 in 10 U.S. voters felt the election was run very or somewhat well, which represents a 30% gain over a similar study done after the 2020 election.

Repeating an oft-used saying by election officials, Schmidt said before Election Day that administrators will pray for high turnout and wide margins, so that disputes can be avoided.

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But he also credits election officials for making themselves available to the public to explain the process and answer questions when they arose.

Schmidt has made clarifying the election process for the public a main focus of his job. In the months leading up to the election, he did dozens of interviews with print, radio, and broadcast media, and participated in public forums where any citizen was free to ask questions.

How many people are you convincing? I dont know, he said. But what I do know is you have a professional obligation to answer peoples questions, to not run and hide when the truth is on your side.

The duty goes beyond just answering questions, Schmidt said. Every election official he has encountered understands the sacred responsibility they have to run fair elections and takes care to separate their personal and political opinions from that responsibility. And if they cant do that, he said, then you really have no business being involved in election administration.

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Whether the increased trust in elections sticks is still an open question. While the publics confidence may have increased, there were still pockets of doubt in the post-election period that raise concerns. Republicans pointed to votes taken by boards of elections to count undated mail ballots as an attempt to steal the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania; some liberals turned toward conspiracy theories to explain Kamala Harris loss; and Trump and his allies havent abandoned the notion that the 2020 election was stolen.

I think everyone, including myself, took for granted the stability of our electoral process in the United States, and that was shaken a little bit in 2020, Schmidt said. We should be grateful to see the resurgence in confidence in our democratic process. But we shouldnt take it for granted. We saw just several years ago that that can be easily shaken.

Carter Walker is a reporter for Votebeat in partnership with Spotlight PA. Contact Carter at cwalker@votebeat.org.

BEFORE YOU GO If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
Claim:

A screenshot authentically shows a post by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that begins, "Let me clear something up right now: I am the President-elect of the United States. Not Elon Musk."

Rating:

Rating: Fake

In December 2024, as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump addressed AmericaFest in Phoenix, an alleged screenshot (archived) of a Truth Social post circulated online, gathering more than 300,000 views.

(X user @iamchanteezy)

The post read:

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Let me clear something up right now: I am the President-elect of the United States. Not Elon Musk. Not anyone else. I know the media (the FAKE NEWS) and even some of you out there keep saying things like "Elon's really running the show," but let me tell youthis is MY vision, MY leadership, and MY America we're talking about. Now, I'll admit it, Elon was helpful during the campaign. He donated a lot of money HUGE sums. And I appreciated it, I really did. But lately, it feels like he's forgotten one thing: I'M the guy in charge. Not him. Sure, he's great at rockets, cars, maybe even X (well, sort of), but politics? That's MY game, folks. The constant confusion, people joking about him being "President" while I'm just the Vice President? NO. Wrong. Totally wrong. It's a distraction, and frankly, it's disrespectful. This is about the American people, not about Elon Musk's ego. So, Elon, I'll say this: thank you for the support, but it's time for you to stay in your lane. I'm focused on making this country greater than ever before. The world will see who's in charge on January 20th. MAGA!

However, as acknowledged by one X user who shared the supposed screenshot, the post is fake. A search on Trump's Truth, a site that archives all posts on Truth Social by the president-elect, showed no genuine version of the post. The post was also not found in searches on Trump's Facebook and or accounts.

Discussion about the power balance between Musk and Trump had been ongoing since at least the end of November (archived). In early December (archived), various (archived) posts (archived) featuring the phrase "President Musk" circulated online.

The phrase was picked up by the likes of Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman (archived) and former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger (archived).

Indeed, Trump addressed the discussion during his AmericaFest speech on Dec. 22 (at the 1:02:39 mark in the video).

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We will create the new Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk. And no, he's not taking the presidency. I like having smart people. You know, they're on a new kick: Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, all the different hoaxes and the new one is: "President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk." No. No. That's not happening. But Elon's done an amazing job. Isn't it nice to have smart people that we can rely on?

After further praising Musk for his work supplying Starlink to disaster-hit areas of the U.S., Trump added: "But no, he's not going to be president, that I can tell you. And I'm safe, you know why? He can't be, he wasn't born in this country."

Sources:

@AdamKinzinger. Oh the Battle We Fought over the Debt Ceiling. And All We Needed to Do to Pass One Is Have Vice President Trump and President Musk Ask for It. 19 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/AdamKinzinger/status/1869742257039098241.

@iamchanteezy. "Maybe Not a Real Post, but Still Speaks Some Truth about His Ego Being Tainted." X, 22 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/iamchanteezy/status/1870668649813426611.

---. "Somebody's Ego Has Been Plucked ." X, 21 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/iamchanteezy/status/1870599806760198174.

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@MartinNZ1969. "So Now That JD Vance Appears to Have Disappeared down the Side of the Couch, so to Speak. Does Trump Officially Become VP, or Do You Think President Musk Will Appoint Somebody Else." X, 7 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/MartinNZ1969/status/1865521066069946859.

President-Elect Trump Speaks at Turning Point Action Conference in Arizona | Video | C-SPAN.Org. https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/president-elect-trump-speaks-at-turning-point-action-conference-in-arizona/653788. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

@ProteinProsecco. "Hearing That under President Musk and Co-President Trump, All Weird Climate Air Numbers Will Be Removed from Flight-Booking Apps. ." X, 30 Nov. 2024, https://x.com/ProteinProsecco/status/1862849924490035506.

@RepDanGoldman. "President Musk and Vice President Trump Directed House Republicans to Kill a Bipartisan Deal That Would Have Enabled New York to Refund SNAP Theft Victims." X, 20 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/RepDanGoldman/status/1869931881484927045.

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@RobertJMolnar. "President Musk Had an Excellent Meeting with the President of Georgia." X, 8 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/RobertJMolnar/status/1865545368475468010.

@Rt_Sports_Tv. "Senator Trump ." X, 9 Dec. 2024, https://x.com/Rt_Sports_Tv/status/1866113911294181495.

"Trump's Truth." Trump's Truth, https://trumpstruth.org/search?end_date=&per_page=25&query=president-elect&sort=relevance&start_date=. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.


On the second weekend after Hurricane Helene, Swannanoa Christian Church held its first Sunday service since the storm battered western North Carolina. The sanctuary was piled high with clothes, water, and food, so everyone gathered outdoors. Out in the yard, beneath a clear blue sky and uphill from devastation wrought by the flood, the congregation interspersed prayer with the testimonies of congregants who had pulled people from the water or been pulled from it themselves.

After the service, as congregants lingered to chat or sort donations, Elder Gordon Dasher recounted his churchs mission following the storm. Our goal is to be the kingdom of God here on Earth, the pastor said. Were getting into the filth, getting dirty, getting sewage and mud on our feet and hands and helping people in the darkest moment of their life. Thats number one.

And number two, what we want to see come out of that is we want people to see at least a glimmer of a light to come on that says God is real, because here are his people right here, side by side with us in our suffering.

A group of people sit in folding chairs under a blue sky with mountains in the background. Their heads are bowed. A man in a blue shirt and glasses is standing with his head bowed.

Dasher and his ministry in Swannanoa are part of a teeming community of faith-based organizations using their deep roots, vast networks of the faithful, and financial means to help in whatever way they can. Beyond the local congregations, Presbyterians, Catholics, Baptists, and many other other denominations rushed in to help, as they so often do after floods and hurricanes and wildfires everywhere. Almost three months later, the sight of church volunteers clearing away rubble, handing out water, or gathering in prayer remains as common as the sight of damaged homes and washed-out roads.

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Those who descend on such places are eager to help, and many hope to realize their dreams of a different, better world. They often glimpse a chance to create from the wreckage an ideal based on their aspirations or ideologies. Right-wing militias see in post-disaster chaos ripe opportunities to recruit and fulfill their goal of undermining trust in the state. Those on the other end of the political spectrum often see a chance to build a more egalitarian society. Dozens have gathered each week at the anarchist bookstore in Asheville to read A Paradise Built in Hell, which explores how communities restructure and establish small utopias in the wake of disaster.

Read Next

illustration of hurricane damage to trees, power lines, house, and car, with a FEMA worker and Oath Keeper viewed from behind

When disaster strikes, far-right groups see an opportunity to gain trust

Zoya Teirstein

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But none of them match the people of faith in scale, ambition, or determination to do good. Churches, synagogues, mosques, and other houses of worship are well positioned to gather resources and mobilize quickly. In rural communities in particular, local churches are natural communal focal points, providing social structure and a trusted information network.

Many denominations, especially within Christianity, also feel divinely called to this work  they undertake it with the belief that they are building the Kingdom of God, a world theyre working toward in both the act of disaster relief and, for many, the act of proselytizing. This belief is particularly strong among the evangelically-driven Protestantism of the American South, where, in the aftermath of Helene, faith organizations have been on the ground doing both.

Strangers, complete strangers, just showing up to help because they love Jesus has been really inspiring, Dashers daughter Jessica said.

Churches and faith-based organizations can be nimble responders. As roads throughout the region became passable, churches opened their doors to receive donations and organized volunteers, some of whom came from as far as California, to deliver them.

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Their efforts have expanded beyond serving immediate needs like providing food and water and clothing to more ambitious efforts like repairing homes, donating campers and tiny cabins, and providing a bit of financial assistance. The decline in tourism has hit the city of Asheville hard, leaving Buncombe County with the highest unemployment in the state. Even before the countys rent relief program got started, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church was cutting thousand-dollar checks for residents desperate to avoid eviction.

Theyre so nimble, in fact, that federal and state relief agencies, mired in the bureaucracy of their work  and whose jobs do not include mucking out or repairing houses, but rather providing the money needed to do so  have come to lean on them. The Federal Emergency Management Agency directs disaster survivors to, and works alongside, long-term recovery groups, which is the governments name for the churches, nonprofits, and businesses that provide the backbone of relief efforts. They are marshaled by what are called voluntary organizations active in disasters. In addition to providing and coordinating boots on the ground, they play key roles in long-term planning and recovery. Churches are so central to this work that the Obama administration established the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to train and prepare emergency management officials and congregants to collaborate in the field. (President Trump shuttered the program in 2017; President Biden resurrected it in 2021.)

Jars of peanut butter, boxes of granola bars, and other food, are stacked in a messy pile in a gymnasium

Although most everyone in western North Carolina is grateful for the help, several people expressed reservations about depending so heavily upon the faithful. Others recalled being surprised when volunteers showed up eager to help but wanted to give thanks to God first.

They started out by holding a prayer circle, and I guess it made me uncomfortable, said one resident of Zionville, which is about 100 miles from Asheville. This person, who did not want to give their name for fear of antagonizing those helping the community, is not opposed to prayer, but felt uncomfortable doing something so intimate with strangers. Still, they relented. I was worried they werent gonna fill my driveway if I didnt participate.

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The emphasis on faith and conversion can sometimes feel out of sync with peoples real needs. Mikaela Curry, a storm survivor and volunteer in Watauga County, North Carolina, recalled church groups offering to cook meals for flood victims and leaving stacks of Bibles behind. Generally people arent taking them, she said. Its kind of this weird dynamic.

Curry has preferred to work with those who dont place so great an emphasis on faith and proselytizing, and has made a particular point of avoiding Samaritans Purse. The organization, founded by the Reverend Billy Graham, makes clear in its foundational statement of faith, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female. That leaves Curry and others wondering if the group is truly interested in helping everyone.

Such a question can be fraught, because in some rural counties, Samaritans Purse is essentially the only charitable organization providing vital help like rent relief assistance.

[Need help with rent or housing post-Helene? Grist has a guide for finding resources.]

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Shannon Daley, who leads U.S. disaster relief for the international organization, conceded that its volunteers must sign that statement of faith, but said they do not discriminate against anyone needing help. Still, they are, she said, always wanting to share that message, and about how we can have a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe through his Son.

Helpers may be told not to pass judgement, but thats not to say they dont, said Valentine Reilly. She helps coordinate volunteer efforts in Trade, a small town in the easternmost corner of Tennessee, and recalled instances in which she felt volunteers questioned the morality of some victims, or set to work without finding out what was needed. These people are all coming out here to help, she said. Theyre all coming out here to do good work. And thats a valuable thing. But some groups do more good work than others.

On a blustery afternoon in November, Sarah Ogletree made tea and reflected on her experience coordinating relief efforts among churches with different social values and priorities. Ogletree lives in Bakersville and has spent more than a decade working at the intersection of faith and environment  a role that has included bringing congregations throughout the region into the fight for climate justice.

Ministries and churches have many reasons to feel called to serving others in times of crisis, she said. She pointed out that the Bible commands it in Matthew 25: For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Its a verse that many denominations take as an instruction from Christ to help the poor and oppressed.

A blonde woman in jeans and a blue t-shirt stands in a bare forest in front of a pile of sticks and debris.

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Its that identification with those who are marginalized or who are in need. And I think different traditions within Christianity understand that passage differently, she said. While some see their role as filling this directive through volunteering and community service, others see it as a way of bringing people to God. Some of the more evangelically minded organizations take the lessons a step further, believing that people are more reachable and more receptive to hearing the Gospel during a disaster  a point Fritz Wilson, the former executive director of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, has made in the past. Meeting a familys physical needs with practical help starts their healing process, which leads to a sense of hope that things will be better, he has said. This gives us the opportunity to share a different type of hope that is only found in a relationship with Jesus.

Ogletree has been working with Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Mennonites and other denominations to secure money, building supplies, and other necessities for her neighbors while following her vision of Christian service that overcomes ideological and denominational boundaries in times of crisis. She sometimes worries that faith-based organizations focus too much on the pitch  evangelizing and converting  to their detriment, alienating survivors who just want a roof over their head. I wish more churches showed up in communities simply to be a loving presence, she said.

Even as a religious person, shes not always sure how to navigate that post-disaster dynamic, recalling an instance in which an organization that arrived from out of town with supplies asked to pray before delivering them. It felt like it was the currency with which this transaction was allowed  like, its free, but you gotta pray with me. And that felt unfair. The prayer, she said, was sweet, but she found the encounter difficult to process because she knew the prayer was meant to comfort flood survivors, not surprise or shock them.

Helpers that come into crisis situations, whether you are faith based or religious or not, you have a lot of power in that situation, Ogletree said. And you are dealing with people that have just been through something super traumatic.

Visible through a small window with the word Welcome above it, a woman stands in a kitchen behind an array of food including a loaf of bread, boxes of crackers, and Ziploc baggies.

Not all interactions are transactional, of course, and some people truly are there only to help. For many people in the region, the support of church volunteers and local parishes has anchored them in these hard times.

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Ogletrees experiences working with churches in the wake of Helene has been largely positive. In helping people through their trauma, shes found the kind of community shes long dreamed of building, one that overcomes political fractures to assist people in need and meet them where they are. In the South and Appalachia, the church is not only an essential part of many peoples social life, but a trusted source of information and direction, making it particularly effective at disaster response. Theyre at the front lines, Ogletree said. People know where they are. She dreams of ensuring churches have backup generators, solar power, even Expo markers and whiteboards, to be better prepared for next time. Because theres always a next time.

Read Next

Bottled water and a toilet paper roll sit on a small box near a house

Some towns still dont have drinkable water months after Hurricane Helene. A full recovery could take years.

Katie Myers

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Thats a point Zach Dasher, pastor Gordons son, made back in September as he preached to congregants still reeling from the devastation Helene brought. It is not unusual in such times for people to struggle with faith, and he clearly hoped to set their minds at ease. Why all the evil in the world, he asked. Why all the natural catastrophes and devastation. Where is God in that?

His answer provided congregants with a framework for understanding what had happened to them. The kingdom of God is here, he said. Everything we build can be washed away. Everything can be gone, wind and water can wash it away, picking up whole houses and soil. But the kingdom is far more durable and eternal than that. The Kingdom of God cannot be shaken.

Before ending his sermon, he asked his flock to please treat volunteers from out of state with kindness and respect, and expressed hope that those with damaged homes would take time to rest and let the helpers do their work.

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Faith organizations have a complex relationship to disaster relief on Dec 23, 2024.
An exhibition featuring lifestyle aesthetics of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) was staged at Changzhou Art Museum. A group of foreigners visited the museum on Friday to experience Chinese culture. #GLOBALink




A Holiday Drone Show in Orlando was canceled after some drones fell into the crowd during Saturday's performance, seriously injuring a 7-year-old boy.

Two performances were scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 21. The second was canceled "due to technical difficulties," the City of Orlando posted on Facebook.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

Here's what we know.

What is the Holiday Drone Show in Orlando, Florida?

The Holiday Drone Show is "a dazzling display of synchronized drones flying in formation to create beautiful holiday-themed designs in the night sky," according to the city of Orlando's website.

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The 15-minute light show was scheduled at Lake Eola Park, with performances at 6:30 and 8 p.m.

What happened at Florida drone show?

At the 6:30 p.m. light show at Lake Eola Park Saturday, multiple drones fell from the sky, according to WESH2.

The Orlando Fire Department said one person was injured during the event and sent to the hospital.

The victim was later identified as a 7-year-old boy.

Boy hit in chest by falling drone during Orlando, Florida, performance malfunction

The mother of the boy said the falling drone hit her son in the chest, leaving an imprint. A blade also cut his mouth, she said.

He underwent open-heart surgery. His mother said the drone hit his chest with such force it damaged one of his heart valves, according to a story posted by WESH2.

Why did the drones fall into a crowd?

It's unclear at this time what caused the drones to fall. The city of Orlando canceled the night's second performance, citing "technical difficulties."

FAA investigating drone accident in Florida

Several small drones collided and fell into a crowd during a holiday drone show over (Lake Eola) in Orlando, Florida," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement to WKMG and picked up by CNN.

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The agency will be investigating the incident.

Sky Elements Drones releases statement after accident

Sky Elements Drones later released the following statement, according to a story by FOX 35:

"Sky Elements Drones wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 21. The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused.

"We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired. Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA."

Social media videos, reactions to accident at Orlando drone show

This is a holiday #Drone show that goes wrong.



As many watched the show, the drones in the "act" began to fall crashing below.



Adriana Edgerton, that she and her family were watching the show at #LakeEola when one of the falling drones struck her son in the chest. Knocking pic.twitter.com/CQgMW9XiXT  Ms_Harmony  (@Ms_Harmony58) December 23, 2024

Florida:



A family holiday turned to tragedy in Orlando when a malfunctioning drone show sent several unmanned aerial vehicles plummeting into the crowd, critically injuring a seven-year-old boy. pic.twitter.com/PbnzwJuKka  Smriti Sharma (@SmritiSharma_) December 23, 2024

Curious to learn the root cause was.



Sky Elements drones also malfunctioned in an episode of Skinwalker Ranch.



It sounds like they have experience, followed FAA guidelines and took safety precautions, but safety measures tragically fell short of protecting spectators. pic.twitter.com/vfJPIeux1r  Chris (@ChrisCYVR) December 23, 2024

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Florida Drone Show Horror: 7-Year-Old Critically Injured in Orlando Disaster



A festive drone show in Orlando turned tragic when malfunctioning drones crashed into the crowd, leaving a 7-year-old boy critically injured. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating pic.twitter.com/m53CWU2Cyl  Live Updates (@LiveupdatesUS) December 23, 2024

Where is Lake Eola, Florida?

Lake Eola Park is located in the heart of downtown Orlando. A sidewalk surrounds the lake.

Activities available at the park include renting swan-shaped paddle boats and feeding live swans. Concerts and plays take place in the Walt Disney Amphitheater, according to the City of Orlando's website.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Orlando drone show accident injures boy who required surgery
MADISON, Wis. (WFRV)  A family of five, along with their family dog, has been displaced after a structure fire just days before Christmas.

According to a release from the City of Madison Fire Department, a large fire had engulfed an attached garage, located on Knollwood Way, spreading to the living spaces of the home.

The fire department states that they were able to retrieve Christmas gifts and other belongings for the family, as well as the family dog.

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Acuity Insurance distributes over $500k to Mental Health America Lakeshore in Wisconsin, along with five other charitable organizations

After the family safely evacuated the home, firefighters stated they went back inside to rescue their dog, who was found unresponsive on the first floor.

The dog was resuscitated by first responders and transported by its owners to a local emergency vet where the dog is currently in stable condition.

The American Red Cross is providing additional assistance for the family.

The MFD Fire Investigation Team is still investigating the cause of the fire. No additional information has been provided at this time.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
MILFORD, Conn. (WTNH)  The family of a man who was fatally shot by a state trooper in 2020 has reached a partial settlement in a civil lawsuit against police agencies, according to the familys attorney on Monday. The details of the settlement were not immediately available.

The family of Mubarak Soulemane filed a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit against Connecticut State Police troopers and West Haven Police Department officers after the 19-year-old was fatally shot by Trooper Brian North in January 2020. The civil lawsuit has been settled with the state and state troopers. The West Haven portion is ongoing.

Soulemane was boxed in by police cruisers and had a nine-inch knife when North fired seven rounds through the cars window.

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North has said he was protecting officers on the other side of the car. However, the states inspector general determined that the shooting was not justified.

Norths trial, which began on March, lasted for two weeks. He was found not guilty of first-degree manslaughter with a firearm, along with two other charges the jury was asked to consider  second-degree manslaughter with a firearm, and criminally negligent homicide.

Jury acquits Connecticut State Police Trooper Brian North

Soulemanes family has said he had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and was in an episode on the day of his death.

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North returned to duty and was promoted to a sergeant in September, according to state police. He is currently assigned to the emergency services unit.

When contacted by News 8, a Connecticut State Police spokesperson said the agency cannot comment on civil litigation.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE)  While on a walk with her children in Santa Fe, Monique Maes was killed in a hit and run. Now her family is relieved to hear, the suspected driver is behind bars. JD Maes remembered his sister, and said she was headed for retirement and eager to spend time with her two children before she was struck by a car two months ago.

Suspect in fatal Santa Fe hit and run arrested in Texas

Monique was a great person. She was beautiful inside and out. She loved her kids. Her kids were her life. She was a single mother co-parenting with her ex-husband. And they did a great job just taking care of these kids and doing the best they could for them. She loved life. She loved to laugh. She worked hard. said JD Maes.

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The Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office said the man suspected of killing Monique Maes and injuring her two children on Paseo De Nopal in October is now in custody.

Police said Mario Israel Mendez was found in El Paso, Texas and after a multi-agency effort, he was arrested Friday evening.

It was just an overwhelming sense of relief and really happiness for the two kids. Theyve been wondering when hes going to be caught for two months already. And just the fact that we know that hes in custody, the fact that we know hes going to face justice, its really healing for everybody involved, said Maes.

JD Maes is grateful to the Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office and other law enforcement agencies for their response to his sisters case. The charges Mendez is facing include two counts of child abuse, duty to give information and render aid, as well as tampering with evidence.

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Mendez was booked into the El Paso county jail while awaiting transfer to New Mexico.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
Stu Whitney

South Dakota News Watch

WAGNER, S.D.  Federal officers used pepper spray and shot and killed a young man with a criminal history moments after he livestreamed himself brushing his teeth in the basement of a tribal housing unit on the Yankton Sioux Reservation.

Zander Zephier, 23, died Nov. 27 just north of this southeast South Dakota town, about 40 minutes after the U.S. Marshals Service arrived to arrest him on an outstanding warrant.

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What is not clear from the live video feed and additional security footage outside his family's house is why deputy marshals used force to apprehend Zephier, especially when his wheelchair-bound, 90-year-old great-grandmother was still inside.

Federal officials haven't responded to News Watch inquiries about the timing of the operation and what circumstances led to Zephier being shot and killed.

Portraits of Zander Zephier are surrounded by lit candles during a vigil held Dec. 11, 2024, by friends and family in the tribal housing community just north of Wagner, S.D. (Photo: Stu Whitney / South Dakota News Watch)

A retired chief inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service interviewed by News Watch raised questions about the use of pepper spray and the decision to enter the house without more attempts at negotiation, possibly involving tribal police.

"Tactically, it gives the impression of deputy marshals operating in the wild, wild West," said Jason Wojdylo, who worked for the agency for nearly 25 years and now lives in Tampa, Florida.

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"If the fugitive is holed up in the house, our procedures were always to back out, set up a perimeter and contain the fugitive in the residence, not just lob munitions into the house."

The U.S. Marshals Service, an enforcement arm of the federal judiciary, is primarily responsible for locating and arresting federal suspects and carrying out fugitive operations.

A United States deputy marshal emerges from the house after Zander Zephier was shot and killed Nov. 27, 2024, near Wagner, S.D., and talks with his fellow officers. Are you all good? he is asked. Yeah, Im good, he replies. (Photo: Screenshot from Zephier home security footage)

Based on text messages from neighbors and interviews with family members, the law enforcement team arrived at 8:37 a.m. the day before Thanksgiving and began lobbing gas grenades into the basement at 9:11 a.m.

Shots were fired five minutes later, after at least one deputy marshal entered the house. At 9:46 a.m., Zephier was pronounced dead at Wagner Community Memorial Hospital.

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Zephier's great-grandmother was on the main floor of the residence when the gas grenades were tossed into the basement.

The sound of canisters crashing into the basement through windows is heard on a livestreamed video that Zephier made of himself that morning.

Much of the law enforcement activity and conversation outside the house was also captured on motion-activated security footage that was obtained and analyzed by News Watch, shaping a basic timeline of events.

In the livestreamed video, Zephier brushes his teeth as officers call for him to give himself up. The sound of breaking glass is heard, after which Zephier says "Oh s!" and eventually begins coughing and holding a rag to his nose and mouth.

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"Come out with your hands up, Zander!" an officer calls out in the video. "We have all day. I have 10 more of these (gas grenades)."

'Good guys or bad guys?'

Minutes later, at least one deputy marshal enters the front door with a protective shield, gas mask and gun. The remaining officers complain about how long it's taking the family to get Zephier's great-grandmother, Conceta Zephier, out of the house.

Then one of the deputy marshals in the driveway says, "Shots fired!" to a fellow officer. The other officer replies, "Good guys or bad guys?"

"We've got to get him out of there," an officer says later.

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Video footage shows Zephier being wheeled down the driveway on a gurney, shirtless and in jeans with bandages on his chest.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital by Charles Mix County coroner Chad Peters, who told News Watch that he transported the body to Sioux Falls for an autopsy to be performed by forensic pathologist and Minnehaha County medical examiner Kenneth Snell.

Zane Zephier, a University of South Dakota employee and Zander's older brother, said his family wants to see the autopsy report to determine how many times Zander was shot and the location of the bullet wounds.

"We will not be silenced, and we will not back down," said Zane Zephier.

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In interviews with News Watch, the family also accused deputy marshals of turning off their body cameras when discussing the operation, based on the home security footage. They want to see body cam footage from inside the house to see if Zephier was armed or threatening the officers at the time he was shot.

An FBI agent left behind a list of items seized from the home, including a knife, 9 mm shell casings, a bullet, spent gas grenades and clothing.

A receipt of items seized by U.S. Marshals at the Zephier household on Nov. 27, 2024, near Wagner, S.D., included a knife, shell casings and spent pepper spray grenades. (Photo: Courtesy of Zephier family)

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Wojdylo said that the presence of an FBI agent at the scene after an operation typically means an officer-involved shooting, as opposed to self-inflicted wounds.

Officers discussed body cams

The Zephier family does not dispute Zander's lengthy criminal record and fugitive status.

At the time of his death, he was considered an escaped inmate from Charles Mix County Jail in Lake Andes because he was granted furlough in July to attend a family funeral and never returned.

Zander was also on the federal sex offender registry after pleading guilty in 2023 to abusive sexual contact with a minor, for which he was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

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Despite his checkered past, family members are calling for an independent investigation into the 23-year-old's death. They said they dont trust law enforcement to conduct an impartial inquiry, especially when it comes to operations on tribal land.

The security camera footage reviewed by News Watch shows the following:

A deputy marshal approaches the front door of the house, hears something over his radio and then appears to say, Shoot him. Faint shots can be heard from the house in the video.

A deputy marshal emerges from the house and says Little spicy down there! to another officer in the driveway, referring to pepper spray. Who was involved? the other officer asks, to which the deputy marshal responds, Me. Are you all good? he is asked. Yeah, Im good, he replies.

Moments later, the deputy marshal involved in the shooting says, Are you still live? to another officer in the driveway. He then points to the man's body camera and repeats the question.

After Zander Zephier is wheeled down the driveway by medical personnel, a deputy marshal calls for his fellow officers to huddle up by saying USM, for U.S. Marshals. Before conversing, the officers discuss who still has their body cams active. Im on, says one.

News Watch has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to the Marshals Service through the Department of Justice to obtain body cam footage from the operation, noting that officers spoke of their cameras being active.

A response from the agency's general counsel in Washington indicated that "due to a substantial backlog of (FOIA) requests, it is estimated the processing of your request may be significantly delayed."

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U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell, the chief federal law enforcement officer in South Dakota, did not respond to an interview request for this story.

Zephier sought for state, federal crimes

Zander Zephier's federal 2023 conviction for abusive sexual contact with a minor stemmed from a crime two years earlier involving a 14-year-old girl when Zephier was 20.

In January, he was granted a reduced sentence based on new sentencing guidelines and was released in February for time served. His sentence included supervised release for five years, which meant registering as a sex offender, checking in regularly with his probation officer, avoiding drugs and firearms and other provisions.

Zephiers sex offender status was listed as non-compliant dating back to Aug. 20, according to court documents, and his residence was listed as unlocatable.

A sign on Highway 46 east of Wagner, S.D., signifies the home of the Yankton Sioux Reservation in Charles Mix County. (Photo: Stu Whitney / South Dakota News Watch)

That alone could have triggered the involvement of marshals as part of the National Sex Offender Targeting Center, which supports law enforcement in identifying, locating and apprehending noncompliant sex offenders.

Wojdylo, the former chief inspector, said the operation could have been sparked by a combination of Zephier's federal probation and a bench warrant stemming from his furlough violation and failure to appear for an arraignment in Charles Mix County for simple assault against a police officer.

Court documents show that Zephier was arrested June 29 after police were called for a report of a female being pulled by the hair and assaulted in Lake Andes at 4 a.m.

When a sheriff's deputy arrived, Zephier attempted to run away but later returned and entered a vehicle. The deputy pulled his Taser and got Zephier out of the vehicle, but Zephier head-butted the officer after being handcuffed.

He ended up pleading guilty to misdemeanor simple assault on July 12 and was held in jail.

'Unfortunate and tragic incident'

Zephier's lawyer requested that he be allowed a one-day furlough July 15 to attend the funeral of his uncle, Charles World Turner, noting that Zephier's family would "pick him up and drop him off at the jail."

He never returned, triggering a charge of second-degree escape.

Zephier's absence at his Aug. 16 arraignment for the simple assault charge led Circuit Court Judge Bruce Anderson to issue a bench warrant directing law enforcement to arrest Zephier "at any time of the day or night, weekends or holidays, and bring the Defendant before this Court."

Zane Zephier, of Harrisburg, S.D., poses Dec. 11, 2024, with portraits of his late brother, Zander, in the tribal housing community just north of Wagner, S.D. (Photo: Stu Whitney / South Dakota News Watch)

It's common for the U.S. Marshals Service to collaborate with local law enforcement to launch fugitive task force operations.

Charles Mix County Sheriff Randy Thaler did not respond to an interview request regarding his office's involvement.

Wagner Police Chief Damon Griffith said his office was not involved in the operation but "assisted after the incident occurred" by having an officer follow the ambulance to the hospital and stay there until Zephier's body was released to the coroner.

Griffith said his office has been busy with phone calls from media and concerned citizens because of inaccurate "active shooter" social media reports that indicated the Wagner Police Department was involved.

This occurred within tribal jurisdiction," Griffith said of Zephiers death, adding that it was "an unfortunate and tragic incident that shouldnt have happened."

'Puddle of blood' in basement

On Dec. 11, two weeks after the death of her grandson in the tribal neighborhood outside Wagner known as North Housing, Jennifer Zephier sat in the front room of the Pine Avenue house in which he was killed.

There were tables set up outside the ranch-style house for a candlelight vigil that night to celebrate Zander's life and call for justice among the Dakota people of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, known internally as the Ihanktonwan Nation.

Jennifer was surrounded by sewing materials and framed portraits of Zander, which were displayed at his funeral at the National Guard Armory in Wagner on Dec. 4 amid a chaotic series of events following his death.

The family was relocated to the tribal-owned Fort Randall Casino in Lake Andes following the shooting so law enforcement could secure the scene, followed by cleanup and repairs by the family and Yankton Sioux Housing Authority.

The stairs leading to the basement where Zander Zephier was killed Nov. 27, 2024, near Wagner, S.D., while being apprehended by law enforcement. (Photo: Stu Whitney / South Dakota News Watch)

"There was a puddle of blood below the basement steps," said Jennifer Zephier, pointing to stairs on the east side of the house. "Basement windows were broken. They kept us up there for a week."

It's not clear whether the marshals used cellphone "pings" or other information to confirm that Zander was in the house the morning of Nov. 27. But they arrived with a sense of purpose, she said.

"They had a job to do, and they were here to do it," Jennifer said. "They had an attitude since they first walked in the door."

The officers quickly got her and other family members outside. But her 90-year-old mother was still in a back room in her wheelchair when Jennifer said she heard one of the deputy marshals on the front porch mention Zander in the basement.

"Gas that f--!" he told his fellow officers, according to Jennifer, who still can't comprehend why the standoff couldn't have been settled without bloodshed.

"Why shoot him?" she asked. "Why can't you tase him, you know, or find some other way of getting him to where you can handcuff him and take him to jail?"

Brother overcomes odds on reservation

Zane Zephier, who lives just south of Sioux Falls in Harrisburg, returned to his tribal home in Wagner for the Dec. 11 candlelight vigil. He greeted his grandmother and then paused in the front room to observe a portrait of him and Zander as children.

In the photo, Zane is holding the younger Zander in his arms with a combination of fondness and concerted effort, as if his brother could slip away at any moment.

Zane Zephier (left) is pictured with his younger brother, Zander, in a family photo. Zander Zephier was killed during a law enforcement operation Nov. 27, 2024, just north of Wagner, S.D. (Photo: Courtesy of Zephier family)

The boys faced challenges that are common for children raised in Native American reservation communities, which have poverty, suicide and incarceration rates much higher than the national average.

Their mother left when the boys were young. Their father, Alexander Zane Zephier II, is currently incarcerated in Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield.

Zane Zephier, 29, has overcome the odds.

He graduated in 2013 from Wagner High School and participated in the Upward Bound program, which supports high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree and prepares them for college.

Zane graduated from the University of South Dakota in 2017 with degrees in criminal justice and political science. He currently works for Upward Bound, hoping to use his life experience to brighten the futures of low-income and first-generation students.

Zander Zephier (left) is pictured with his brother, Zane, on the day of Zane's graduation from the University of South Dakota in 2017. (Photo: Courtesy of Zephier family)

Among his regrets was the inability to keep a firm grasp on his younger brother, Zander, who loved art and music and hanging out with nieces and nephews but pursued a path that his family feared would lead to a violent end.

"I saw my brother's death in dreams and nightmares throughout my life," said Zane.

"He had a good heart. He just got caught up with a group of people and got into crime and drinking. But anyone who knew him will tell you about his smile and how kind he could be. You can tell by the amount of support we've gotten from everywhere that he's been in his life. People are feeling the loss.

'Human beings deserve dignity'

As darkness arrived in North Housing and the Dec. 11 vigil began, framed photos and mementos of Zander were illuminated by candles, flickering in the frigid air.

Justice for Zander was printed on posters that bordered the tables where soup and fry bread were later served in front of the house. A fire blazed in a steel container for warmth.

When a reporter asked Zane Zephier if there was a timetable of events for the vigil, he allowed himself a grin and said, Come on. You know how we roll around here.

Robin Bair (left) of the Yankton Sioux Tribe sings a calling song at a candlelight vigil held Dec. 11, 2024, for Zander Zephier in the tribal community just north of Wagner, S.D. (Photo: Stu Whitney / South Dakota News Watch)

It didnt take long, though, for Robin Bair of Wagner, a longtime advocate of tribal rights, to break into a calling song in honor of Zander, with several members of the tribe joining in.

We are a sovereign nation! Bair said loudly, breaking the silence following the song. They can't just come in and enter our homes and kill our people. We always let it go because thats our character. Were humane people. So we accept it, and every time we accept it, they come onto our land and enter our homes and kill our people!

Later in the vigil, it was Zanes turn to speak. It was hard to hear him at first because his voice and presence were not as boisterous as Bair's. But his words gained strength as he spoke of his brother and the lack of accountability so far from federal law enforcement in the aftermath of Zander's death.

He deserved better than what happened to him here, said Zane. Our people deserve better, and I want you all to know I'm not leaving any stone unturned. We're going to find the truth, and we're looking at every option until we find it. They will come to know that we as a people stand up for our families. And they will know that we will fight against injustice when it shows itself in our home. Human beings deserve dignity in life and in death. They gave my brother none."
The political fallout from the deadly car attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, where five people were killed on Friday, continued over the weekend, as the far-right party and its adversaries plan rallies on Monday.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) plans to hold a rally in the east German city's Domplatz followed by a mourning march on Monday evening. The party's chancellor candidate for the expected February election, Alice Weidel, and several state AfD politicians are expected to attend. The AfD's invitation stated that the dreadful act dramatically highlights the dangers of current immigration policy.

A parallel event - "Give Hate No Chance" - has called for a human chain around the Old Market. That's where the perpetrator Taleb A. drove through the Christmas market with a car, killing five people, including a child, 9, and injuring 200.

Social Democrat takes swipe at other parties

Meanwhile Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) suggested in a Spiegel interview after the attack that outstanding legislation on domestic security should be approved immediately. She noted that after an Islamist attack in Solingen in August that killed three and injured eight, the government tightened gun laws and strengthened the powers of the security authorities.

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But the SPD minister said further legislative changes have mainly been blocked by the SPD's former coalition partner, the Free Democrats (FDP) and the opposition conservative Christian Democrats (CDU). For example, the CDU in the upper house of parliament or Bundesrat, halted the new federal police law intended to strengthen the federal police, or the introduction of biometric surveillance.

"All these bills from us could be passed immediately if the Union and FDP do not refuse," said Faeser.

The centre-left coalition no longer has a majority in the Bundestag following the FDP's departure and a new parliament and chancellor are expected to be elected on February 23.

FDP: Don't politicize Magdeburg tragedy

Warnings against symbolic politics and hasty conclusions came from FDP General Secretary Marco Buschmann, who cautioned against such actions.

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"Our task is to support the victims and their families. Competing for symbolic measures would not do justice to the terrible situation," he told Spiegel.

SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch also called for calm: "Instrumentalising or making hasty conclusions helps no one and only divides our society," he told Spiegel.

"Instead, we should draw the necessary lessons after a thorough evaluation - both for the security architecture and for societal cohesion."
The Food and Drug Administration has upgraded the alert level of Costcos recent egg recall over fears of salmonella.

The FDA revealed on Monday that the recall is now Class I, meaning this is a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.

This is the most serious risk level that an FDA recall can be, with the classification change coming one month after 10,800 retail units of organic eggs were recalled from Costcos across the southern United States.

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According to the FDA, the eggs were in 24-count cartons with the Kirkland Signature branding. The product was recalled by Handsome Brook Farms in New York because these eggs have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria thats found in the intestines of animals and humans and can cause food poisoning. The highest-risk foods tend to be animal products, such as raw meat, unpasteurized milk, undercooked poultry and eggs, but salmonella can also contaminate fruit and vegetables through fertilizer used on crops.

The cartons included in Handsome Brook Farmss recall were sold at 25 Costco stores located in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee beginning on November 22. Units with Julian code 327 and a use by date of January 5, 2025, are included under the recall.

10,000 units of eggs using the Kirkland Signature branding were recall in November (Getty Images)

The FDA said in the press statement that the recall was launched after officials at Handsome Brook determined that eggs not meant for delivery to markets had accidentally been packaged and distributed to retailers.

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No known illnesses have been connected to the affected products. Consumers who are in possession of one of the affected cartons should return the eggs to their local Costco store to receive a full refund, or dispose of the eggs.

There has been an unexplained rise in food recalls over the last year. Earlier this month, Frito-Lay recalled a limited number of Lays Classic Potato Chips because they may contain undeclared milk, which Frito-Lay learned after being alerted through a consumer contact.

This poses the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction for customers who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk.

The FDA also recently issued a Class I recall for dog treats sold by Carolina Prime Pet, Inc., both online and in stores across 19 states. Some 400 bags of dog treats were recalled on November 22 due to potential salmonella contamination.

In September, Lactaid Milk was recalled in 27 states due to concerns about possible allergen contamination. That same month, a popular macaroni and cheese brand, Resers Fine Foods, recalled two products sold across five states over concerns of potential bacteria contamination.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office are asking the public to help solve Jaworski JoJo Williams murder.

Williams was killed in Jasper, Florida on Dec. 30, 2017, and the cold case investigation is still active.

The Hamilton County Sheriffs Office and the Williams family are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest, indictment and conviction of the person(s) responsible for his death.

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On Dec. 30, 2017, Williams was found deceased at his residence at 310 4th St NW, Jasper, Florida.

He was just 44 years old. An autopsy revealed the cause of death was from a gunshot wound.

A search of his residence located two fired projectiles appearing to match those recovered during the autopsy.

FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said, FDLE is committed to solving JoJos murder and we are asking anyone to come forward with any little bit of information that can help solve this case. His family deserves to know whos responsible so they can start the healing process.

Hamilton County Sheriff J. Harrell Reid said, As Sheriff, I would like to ask anyone who knows to please reach out to us. Your information will not be public. Please help us solve this homicide.

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Williams was last spotted in Live Oak at approximately 2:30 p.m. He was known to have ties to Lake City.

If you have information, please contact Hamilton County Sheriffs Office Lieutenant Joseph Tony McKire at 386-792-1001 or FDLE Special Agent April Glover at 1-800-226-5630.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.




The Garland County Library in Hot Springs on August 7, 2024. The library's executive director, Adam Webb, was one of 18 plaintiffs that challenged Arkansas' Act 372 in federal court on First Amendment grounds. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)

A federal judge on Monday permanently blocked portions of Arkansas law that would have changed how librarians handle challenged materials and given elected officials the final say over what books are available to the public.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks of the Western District of Arkansas agreed with the 18 plaintiffs that two of the five sections of Act 372 of 2023 violate the First Amendment. The law would have altered libraries material reconsideration processes and created criminal liability for librarians who distribute content that some consider obscene or harmful to minors.

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Brooks previously blocked the challenged sections on a temporary basis in July 2023, days before the law went into effect. He wrote in his 49-page ruling at the time that the challenged text was too vague and could lead to arbitrary interpretation and content-based restrictions.

Who challenged Act 372 in federal court?

Central Arkansas Library System Fayetteville Public Library The Eureka Springs Carnegie Public Library Garland County Library executive director Adam Webb CALS executive director Nate Coulter Arkansas Library Association Advocates for All Arkansas Libraries The Authors Guild, the oldest and largest professional organization for writers in the United States The American Booksellers Association The Association of American Publishers The Freedom to Read Foundation The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund WordsWorth Books, an independent bookstore in Little Rock Pearls Books, an independent bookstore in Fayetteville Olivia Farrell, an adult CALS patron Leta Caplinger, an adult Crawford County Library System patron Madeline Partain, a Crawford County Library System patron who was 17 upon joining the case Miel Partain, Madelines mother

He made the same points in Mondays 37-page ruling, stating that the law did not provide specific enough criteria for compliance in order for librarians to avoid prosecution.

The State has made no attempt to tailor Section 1 based on the Arkansas Supreme Courts interpretation of harmful to minors, Brooks wrote. Similarly, Section 5 contains multiple undefined terms that invite censorship decisions on the basis of content.

He added that Arkansas law already forbade librarians from providing obscene materials to minors unless they were acting within the scope of [their] regular employment duties. A portion of Act 372 that was not challenged in court removed this exemption from state law.

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Up until the passage of Act 372, it appears that Arkansass more pressing concern with respect to librarians was that they be insulated from meritless claims and time-wasting prosecutions, Brooks wrote. Times have changed.

Supporters of Act 372, both in public and in the Arkansas Legislature, said the policy is necessary to keep pornographic content out of childrens reach. Opponents of the law said it would be used to reduce access to content that reflects the general public, such as the LGBTQ+ community.

The 18 plaintiffs in the case included libraries, bookstores, advocacy groups and individual library patrons. The defendants were Arkansas 28 prosecuting attorneys, Crawford County and its county judge, Chris Keith.

The two Crawford County defendants, along with the county quorum court and library director, lost a separate First Amendment lawsuit in September. U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes ruled in favor of three parents who claimed the Crawford County Librarys segregation of LGBTQ+ childrens books into separate social sections violated the First Amendment.

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The case against Act 372 was initially scheduled for trial in October and later postponed to this month, but Brooks canceled the trial on Oct. 29. Both sides in the case previously petitioned the court for summary judgment, rendering a trial unnecessary for Brooks to make a decision.

Attorney General Tim Griffin plans to appeal the ruling, he said through a spokesperson Monday. The state argued in 2023 that the plaintiffs claims were merely speculative or hypothetical, claims with which Brooks disagreed.

Nate Coulter, a plaintiff in the case and the executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System, praised the ruling as a significant milestone on a long, sometimes rocky road we were obligated to travel after the passage of Act 372.

This ruling by Judge Brooks affirms the values that CALS librarians and, I believe, most of our citizens hold dear  namely that our Constitution does not deputize city boards or quorum courts, or librarians like me for that matter  to be the agents of government censorship by allowing any of us to remove or restrict access to books when some people in our community find the content or ideas in those books objectionable, Coulter said in a statement.

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Act 372 decision

Harmful to minors

Section 1 of Act 372 would have made furnishing a harmful item to a minor a Class A misdemeanor. The law did not clarify what furnishes, presents, provides, [or] makes available means in terms of what books are on library shelves and how they are displayed, Brooks said.

While the State helpfully offers the dictionary definitions of these terms, those definitions provide no additional insight into the actions required of Plaintiffs to conform their conduct to the law, he wrote. If a book with some sexual content were placed on a shelf or otherwise displayed in the teen or adult section of the library or bookstore, the librarian or bookseller could reasonably be accused of furnishing a harmful item to a minor if a younger minor could access it.

A 2003 state law banned displays of reading material deemed harmful to minors, a phrase included in Act 372. Then-Gov. Mike Huckabee signed the 2003 law; his daughter, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, signed Act 372 about 20 years later.

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The Arkansas Supreme Court struck down the previous law in 2004, partially basing the ruling on the fact that the law did not differentiate based on childrens ages. Brooks upheld this precedent in last years temporary injunction ruling and again on Monday.

It follows that to avoid criminal prosecution, librarians and booksellers will have no other choice but to burden older minors and adults access to books that contain even a modicum of sexual content; they will be required to place such books in areas where younger minors cannot see or reach them, whether on high shelves or in locked rooms, Brooks wrote Monday. The State offers no legitimate governmental reason why such burdens on public access to speech are necessary or narrowly tailored to a particular purpose.

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The unconstitutional overreach of Act 372 should not come as a surprise to its drafters since the 2004 precedent meant it was up to the General Assembly to write a narrowly tailored law [but] that did not happen, Brooks wrote.

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State Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, was the laws primary sponsor in 2023 and has said the Legislature should eliminate all the funding for public libraries that have the American Library Association in their policy in 2025. ALAs Library Bill of Rights states that access to libraries should not be restricted based on a persons age.

Appropriateness and elected officials authority

Section 5 of Act 372 would have required a committee of library staff, selected by head librarians and representative of diverse viewpoints, to be the first to review library materials challenged on the basis of appropriateness.

If a challenger disagreed with the library committees decision, city or county elected officials would have had the final say on where material is placed.

Material subject to challenge is not limited to sexual content, and the law does not define appropriateness at all, Brooks wrote. Instead, a book challenger may target any expression of ideas that he or she personally deems inappropriate.

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The section does not require a challenger to be a patron of the library in question or even a resident of Arkansas, Brooks wrote. Libraries often have these requirements in place, which Brooks called reasonable limits.

Act 372 did not pass the House Judiciary Committee in 2023 until it had been amended to say library materials would be relocated to an area inaccessible to minors, not removed from the premises, if elected officials find them to be obscene.

However, Section 5 provides libraries no guidance on creating an area that minors cannot access, and it does not limit challenges based on appropriateness for minors; instead, any book geared for any age reader could be challenged, Brooks wrote.

Since anyone  whether an Arkansan or an out-of-state interest group who is affected by a book may raise a Section 5 challenge, libraries are likely to face exponentially more challenges than they do currently, he wrote. Book challenges now are resolved by professional librarians, but Section 5 challenges may be appealed to elected officials with discretion to decide whether a book is appropriate without the benefit of procedural requirements or standards. They dont even have to read the books first.

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As a result, local governments could allow the views of a vocal few [to] dictate what is generally available to the public and decide on any basis they choose whether to relocate or remove a book without providing any justification to the public at large, Brooks wrote.

Act 372 contains language creating a similar process as Section 5 pertaining to school libraries, giving school boards the final say on the location of a challenged book. This section of the law was not challenged in court and has been in effect since August 2023.

A Democrat-sponsored bill introduced in November for the 2025 legislative session would repeal the entirety of Act 372.

Up until the passage of Act 372, it appears that Arkansass more pressing concern with respect to librarians was that they be insulated from meritless claims and time-wasting prosecutions. Times have changed.

 U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks

Crawford County

The Crawford County Library System moved childrens books with LGBTQ+ topics to segregated social sections, accessible only to adults, at all five branches between December 2022 and January 2023 after county residents objected to their availability at multiple quorum court meetings. County officials later cited Act 372 as a reason to keep the books segregated.

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On Sept. 30, Holmes ordered the defendants to return the materials in the social sections to appropriate sections in general circulation without consideration of  whether the viewpoints expressed in such materials are unpopular or controversial.

The case was reassigned to Brooks on Oct. 15, and the defendants have not appealed Holmes ruling.

Twice, the defendants asked Brooks to dismiss them from the Act 372 lawsuit. Brooks denied the first motion, ruling that the county and Keith, the county judge, would be responsible for implementing Act 372 if it went into effect and if appeals of challenged material reached the county government.

He noted in Mondays ruling that Keith testified in his deposition [in the other case] that he did not know what appropriate meant in the context of Section 5 but guessed it could mean different thing[s] for different people.

The Court is not picking on County Judge Keith here, Brooks wrote in a footnote. He is by no means the only county or city official who will have no clue what appropriate means if Section 5 takes effect.

The Crawford County Library System returned the segregated books to their original sections in October in compliance with Holmes ruling. The library and the quorum court have since been embroiled in a dispute over who will be responsible for the plaintiffs legal fees, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

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BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes U.S. deployment of Mid-Range Capability missile system in the Philippines, and urges the Philippines to correct its wrongdoings as soon as possible and quickly pull out the Typhon missile system as publicly pledged, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said here Monday.

It was reported that the Philippines' military said Monday that it plans to acquire the U.S. Typhon missile system to protect its maritime interests. In response, Mao told a daily news briefing that China firmly opposes U.S. deployment of Mid-Range Capability missile system in the Philippines, and has made clear this opposition more than once.

She said the Philippines, by bringing in this strategic offensive weapon, is enabling a country outside the region to fuel tensions and antagonism in this region, and incite geopolitical confrontation and arms race.

Such a move is provocative and dangerous, and it is an extremely irresponsible choice to its own people and people of all Southeast Asian countries, to history, and to regional security, she said.

"What the region needs is peace and prosperity, not the missile system or confrontation. We once again urge the Philippines to heed the call from regional countries and their peoples, correct its wrongdoings as soon as possible, quickly pull out the Typhon missile system as publicly pledged, and stop going further down the wrong path," Mao said. 
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.  A federal judge overturned two key provisions of an Arkansas law meant to restrict what librarians could provide.

The ruling by Judge Timothy L. Brooks overturns sections one and five of the 2023 law. Section one of Act 372 establishes the guilt of a librarian knowingly furnishing harmful material to a minor, and section five establishes how to challenge a librarians decision.

Central Arkansas Library System looking to file lawsuit against new law in Arkansas

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The Monday ruling permanently enjoined sections one and five of Act 372 from being enforced.

Brooks cited the vagueness of the wording of the two sections, making them unconstitutional.

Brooks writes in his conclusion:

Here, it is clear that there is no set of circumstances under which Sections 1 and 5 would be valid. The State has made no attempt to tailor Section 1 based on the Arkansas Supreme Courts interpretation of harmful to minors, though the State has been on notice of the broad sweep of this definition since 2004. Similarly, Section 5 contains multiple undefined terms that invite censorship decisions on the basis of content. Plaintiffs are therefore entitled to a declaratory judgment that Sections 1 and 5 of Arkansas Act 372 are unconstitutional, void, and of no effect. Judge Timothy Brooks, Dec. 23, 2024

CALS, local libraries, ACLU suing Arkansas over new obscenity law, claiming censorship

Before Act 372, librarians were exempt from prosecution, which Brooks summarized as that they be insulated from meritless claims and time-wasting prosecutions.

Brooks then added: Times have changed.

The judges issue with section five was granting anyone authority to challenge a librarys decision, including out-of-state interest groups, about what was appropriate and adding an appeals process full of vague language and a poorly defined process.

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Brooks wrote that the way section five was written would invite content-based restrictions on public access to library materials without regard to the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

Arkansas ACLU executive director speaks out on obscenity law legal challenge

The 18 plaintiffs in the suit included public libraries, booksellers, publishers, political advocacy groups and individuals.

Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement that his office would appeal the Monday ruling.

The judges opinion is available at this link.

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Kash Patel, President-elect Trumps pick to lead the FBI, told Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) in their meeting that he would not target President-elect Trumps enemies if confirmed to the post by the Senate, according to the Pennsylvania senator.

In an interview on ABC Newss This Week, Fetterman told Jonathan Karl that, in his meeting with Patel this week, Patel said to him that he does not plan to target Trumps enemies  despite past remarks Patel has made to the contrary.

Fetterman declined to go into detail about their meeting, noting they were all off the record. Still, Fetterman said, Absolutely  thats never going to happen, when asked about Patels past remarks that he would target Trumps enemies.

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Thats not it, Fetterman added. Thats what he claims.

Fetterman, one of the few Democratic senators willing to meet with Trumps pick for the top post when hes sworn into office next month, said he learned more about Patels familys origin story of immigration to the U.S. Fetterman also said he never knew Patel was a public defender.

Asked whether he likes Patel more than he expected and whether he could see himself supporting Patel, Fetterman said, I mean, how much can you absorb in 30 minutes.

He said, however, he does not regret meeting with Trumps picks.

I have learned things, and I have heard things, and I have no regrets for having these. I never left any of those interviews saying, well, that was a waste of time, or I regret that.

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The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry accused Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of posing a threat to Europe through his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a statement issued on Dec. 23.

The criticism followed Fico's meeting with Putin in Moscow on Dec. 22 to discuss gas supplies after Ukraine announced it would not extend its transit deal for Russian gas beyond Dec. 31.

The ministry warned that Russia has long weaponized energy as a political tool, describing it as a source of corruption, dependence, and blackmail against sovereign nations.

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The weakness, dependence, and short-sightedness of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's energy policy pose threats to the whole of Europe, the statement read.

Ukraine criticized Ficos actions as undermining European Union efforts to diversify energy supplies and reduce dependence on Moscow.

The Foreign Ministry argued that Slovakia should have collaborated with EU partners to address energy challenges instead of pursuing policies reinforcing reliance on Russian resources.

The statement also underscored Ukraines sacrifices in defending against Russian aggression, protecting European security, and shielding Slovak homes from Moscows actions.

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We will not accept the shameful policy of appeasement, which has already proved to be a mistake in the last century. The Slovak side should remember this better than anyone else, the ministry said, in a reference to the events leading up to the World War II.

President Volodymyr Zelensky echoed these concerns in a social media post on Dec. 23, accusing Fico of undermining Europes energy independence and helping Moscow fund its war against Ukraine.

Zelensky criticized Fico's pro-Russian energy policy as a big security issue for Europe, questioning Ficos motives: Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?

Since taking office, Fico has shifted Slovakias foreign policy, halting military aid to Ukraine and adopting rhetoric more aligned with Russia, raising concerns among Kyiv and European partners.

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Read also: What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?  Zelensky blasts Fico after Moscow visit

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SPENCER, Mass. (WWLP)  Two homes were destroyed and a third was damaged in a fire in Spencer on Sunday.

Crews put out two-alarm barn fire in Pittsfield

Fire Chief Robert Parsons said that the fire started in a home at 4 East Ave and fireworks began shooting off shortly after fire crews arrived. The fire then spread to the home of Justin Peck, with flames coming out of the roof and destroying his shed.

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The main challenge in putting the fire out was water as 85 percent of Spencer has no hydrants, stated NBC Boston. The chief also said that firefighters had to deal with frigid temperatures and lots of ice.

No one was in any of the homes at the time and no one was injured.

Local News Headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Crews battled a fire at a marijuana dispensary in Southwest Portland early Monday morning, authorities said.

According to Portland Fire & Rescue, multiple community members reported the fire at Attis Trading Company on Southwest Barbur Boulevard.

When crews first arrived at the scene, authorities said there was heavy fire and smoke coming from the building and there was some difficulty finding a water supply at first so they could only battle the flames from the outside.

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Eventually, a water supply was established and crews were able to tackle the fire, cutting down any hotspots.

It is unknown at this time what caused the fire.

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The cause of a dramatic house fire that turned explosive in Spencer is under investigation.

Firefighters said the preliminary investigation indicates that the flames started outside of a home on East Avenue.

Fast-moving flames burned that home to the ground, leaving the structure unrecognizable.

A stash of fireworks and propane tanks that were inside the home exploded and caused some tense moments.

There were rockets and everything going off, said Spencer Fire Chief Robert Parsons. We were just making sure we werent getting hit by the bottle rockets!

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The flames spread to a neighboring home and caused extensive damage.

The homeowner told Boston 25 News he was visiting his wife in the hospital when he received an urgent phone call from a neighbor.

It just sucks about the holidays and the memories that are gone that we cant get back, said homeowner Justin Peck.

Peck believes the home where theyve lived for more than two decades is a complete loss.

He said his wife was hospitalized with severe health issues two weeks ago.

Youre trying to live and do what you need to do, and it keeps pushing you down. All you can do is stand back up, said Peck.

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The destructive flames also burned the siding of a third home.

Firefighters said an elderly man who owns the home where the fire started was out with a neighbor when it happened.

Crews struggled to get water on the burning home in bitterly frigid conditions and brought in tanker trucks to provide water.

Neighbors in the area lost power for most of the night due to damaged equipment.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  According to a National Guard release, a new era has officially arrived at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith.

Monday, the first pair of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets, which will be used to train Polish fighter pilots, arrived at the base. That training will begin in January 2025.

The arrival of Polands first F-35s is a significant milestone for our state, the nation, and our allies who will train on this fifth-generation fighter at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, said Brigadier General Chad Bridges, Arkansas adjutant general.

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Im extremely proud of the whole team in the 188th Wing, and the staff at Razorback Range and Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center for the planning and work that has resulted in the sound of freedom returning to the River Valley today.

The Air Forces 85th Fighter Group will conduct F-35 pilot training for the Foreign Military Sales program.

Fort Smith Air Base to host military pilot training

The Republic of Singapore Air Force delegation and U.S. Air Force personnel toured several different military facilities in 2020. The Air Force selected Ebbing in 2023 over bases in Texas and Michigan to host the FMS pilot training mission.

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Ebbing ANGB will also host a Republic of Singapore F-16 squadron.

Looking ahead, Ebbing is scheduled to host F-35 pilots from Finland, Germany, and Switzerland, as well as Singapore.

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The first unit of the Ukrainian Legion, a volunteer brigade being formed and trained in Poland, has departed for Ukraine, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Dec. 23.

Bodnar didn't clarify how many troops were sent.

The initiative aims to bolster Ukraines Armed Forces by recruiting Ukrainian men living in Poland and other EU countries.

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The training of the first legionnaires will continue at Ukrainian military grounds, according to Bodnar. The next group of volunteers is scheduled to sign contracts with Ukraine's Armed Forces on Jan. 10 and begin training in Poland.

The ambassador described the project as a "success story" despite challenges and criticism from Russian propaganda.

Our citizens who join it will have the satisfaction of good training, he said, emphasizing the units voluntary nature.

Since its unveiling in July, the Ukrainian Legion has attracted over 1,000 applicants. The first recruitment center opened in October at the Ukrainian consulate in Lublin, Poland.

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The unit is trained by the Polish Armed Forces as part of a joint effort between Kyiv and Warsaw to address Ukraine's manpower shortages.

Ukraine recently reformed its domestic mobilization policies and is in talks with foreign partners to facilitate the return of thousands of draft-eligible citizens who fled abroad.

The formation of the Ukrainian Legion reflects Kyiv's broader efforts to replenish its military ranks as the war is in its third year.

Read also: Poland and Ukraine to form a military unit from Ukrainians in Europe. Will it be effective?

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The first unit of the Ukrainian Legion, formed in Poland, has already left for Ukraine.

Source: Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Bodnar in interview with Radio Liberty, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Vasyl Bodnar adds that training of the first volunteer legionnaires would continue on Ukrainian training grounds.

On 10 January, the next batch of volunteer troops will sign contracts with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and go to a training facility in Poland.

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Quote from Vasyl Bodnar: "This is actually a success story, which some politicians or Russian propaganda are attempting to spin as a negative fact. Of course, we'd prefer the process to move faster, but it's going as is. We are striving to make this information available to the public in all EU countries, as well as potentially beyond."

More details: Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland emphasised that the only way to stimulate them is through voluntary incentives, as this is a completely voluntary unit.

The ambassador did not name the number of volunteers.

It was reported that the Ukrainian Legion in Poland received more than 500 applications from 30 countries in early November.

Background:

On 2 October, Polish Defence Minister Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the number of Ukrainians who had joined the Ukrainian Legion in Poland was extremely small .

By the end of the month, Piotr ukasiewicz, Poland's Charge d'Affaires in Ukraine, said that his country is ready to train Ukrainian recruited soldiers, but Ukraine must first gather enough people.

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SYDNEY, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- An Australian man has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty offenses after 98 kangaroos were found dead north of Sydney.

Police found the kangaroos dead on federal government-owned land in the town of Singleton, about 140 km north of Sydney in the east coast state of New South Wales (NSW), along with ammunition and two cartridges on Oct. 8.

In a statement issued on Monday, NSW Police said that a 43-year-old man has been charged with six crimes over the incident following an investigation.

The man was arrested during a raid on a property in Williamtown, almost 70 km east of Singleton, on Friday.

While executing a search warrant, NSW Police said that officers found and seized three firearms. A number of firearms were also seized from a second property in the area.

The man has been charged with committing an act of aggravated cruelty upon an animal, harming a protected animal, trespassing on Commonwealth land and firearm offenses.

Kangaroos are protected native animals in every Australian state and territory.

Anyone found guilty of harming a protected animal in NSW faces a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment for each offense. 
The trawl deck of the Alaska Warrior is seen on March 28, 2008, in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. (Photo by Petty Officer Sara Francis/Coast Guard)

An advertiser-sponsored article in the Seattle Times gushed Wild Alaska pollocks fishing fleet is based right here in Seattle although all of the fish are caught in U.S. waters off of the coast of Alaska. This fishery benefits the economic growth of the entire region, including the North Pacific Fishing Fleet.

That includes 300 commercial fishing vessels of which 226 fish in Alaska.

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Tribal groups, seeking restrictions on Alaskas Bering Sea trawlers, get day in court

Many of the boats are huge catcher-processors  factory trawlers  that target pollock, cod, rockfish, flounders and other groundfish species. Alaska pollock alone is a 3 billion-pound fishery worth roughly $2 billion. And every year, the Seattle trawlers take home up to 76% of the value of ALL groundfish caught in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.

Its not a new scenario.

Starting in 1885 and until Alaska became a state in 1959, Seattle companies used big traps to catch salmon throughout the territory.

In an economic model likened to colonialism, the largest slice of the profit pie went south, to cannery owners in the lower 48, wrote James Mackovjak in Alaska Salmon Traps.

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The exclusion of local fishermen enraged Alaskans as much as the waste of the captured fish, which the cannery owners decided not to can if they didnt need to, wrote David Policansky.

William Selzer, the first congressman to visit Alaska in 1893, called the traps the most murderous and iniquitous instrumentalities that were ever devised by the human brain to destroy natural life. Salmon production peaked in 1936 at 130 million fish. Then came a steady decline until the 1950s when the salmon runs were declared a disaster. Lax federal management and lack of basic research were cited as factors.

History repeats.

As it was with salmon, Alaskas federally managed fisheries are ruled by powerful fishing interests from down south who were able to influence regulations, and they made sure they did not interfere too seriously with their ability to catch as many fish as they wanted, wrote Mackovjak.

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Since the 1980s, those influencers comprise the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, a federal advisory body that is top-heavy with trawl interests and has a track record of finding ways not to take meaningful action that could affect their profits, says Tim Bristol of SalmonState.

As the profits from Alaskas largest fisheries head south, theres little sense of partnership when it comes to ecosystem restraints and protections. That falls mostly to all other commercial, sport and subsistence users.

Some examples?

Along with the profits, Seattles iniquitous instrumentalities also take the most bycatch, which they are required by law to throw overboard. From 2011-2021, that topped 1 billion pounds.

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Since 2020, Western Alaska Natives have been banned from catching salmon for subsistence while pollock trawlers take hundreds of thousands as bycatch. The NPFMC has proposed a bycatch cap on chum salmon. The pollock trawlers say we will not accept it. 

When Bering Sea crabbers petitioned the NPFMC for a six-month closure on trawling during the mating/molting season, as they do in Canada, it was denied because it did not meet the requirements for emergency rulemaking,

Trawlers can take and dump more Bering Sea crab as bycatch than the crab fleet is allowed to catch.

The Pacific halibut stock is at the lowest level since the 1970s. A new rule puts a limit on trawl halibut bycatch by a fleet of 19 Seattle bottom trawlers whose limits are more than halibut fishermen are allowed to catch in nearly every fishing region.The fleet immediately sued NOAA for more bycatch. They lost.

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The NPFMC continues to quibble about the definition of pelagic  mid-water  fishing nets after findings in 2022 revealed that catcher processors using mid-water gear averaged 85% on the bottom.

In 2023, Seattle trawlers caught 10 killer whales in their massive nets. Nine died.

Alaskas seafood industry has been hit recently with unprecedented changes that include eco-effects from an off-kilter climate. Losses between 2022 and 2023 are estimated at $1.8 billion to the Alaska economy, says a NOAA report.

Those impacts extend to Seattle. The report shows that total output in non-Alaska regions decreased by $680 million and employment declined by 3,770 jobs.

History repeats.

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Mari Moriarty and Justin Elizabeth Sayre were engaged to be married in June. But when Donald Trump was elected president, everything changed. Now, instead of having wedding parties in Vermont and New York, theyll be living overseas, first in Amsterdam and then, if Sayres artist visa comes through, London. They took care of the marriage part just nine days after the election, rushing to New York City Hall and gathering whatever friends were available to celebrate with them on short, panicked notice.

It threw almost all of our plans up in the air, says Moriarty, a 30-year-old theater professional, about Trumps win. Thats because she, a transgender woman, and Sayre, a nonbinary TV and theater writer, believe that staying in the U.S. would mean living in enemy territory, putting their health and freedom at risk.

On Sunday, while speaking at a rally in Phoenix, Trump vowed to end transgender rights. "With the stroke of my pen on day one, were going to stop the transgender lunacy, he said. He added, Under the Trump administration, it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female. Doesnt sound too complicated, does it?

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Trump and his incoming administration have made no secret of their intention to restrict and dismantle transgender rights, particularly as they relate to accessing healthcare in the form of gender-affirming carea range of services that can affirm gender or treat gender dysphoria, which is the psychological distress resulting from an incongruence between ones sex assigned at birth and ones gender identity.

Such services can include one or a mix of the following: mental health counseling; hormone replacement therapy (HRT); puberty blockers for minors (just banned indefinitely in the U.K.); and gender-affirming surgeries (rare for minors), which can range from facial feminization surgery and voice surgery to feminizing vaginoplasty or masculinizing chest or top surgery (a double mastectomy).

Despite being controversial, gender-affirming care is considered a medically necessary, evidence-based system of care thats supported by every major U.S. medical associationlargely because such interventions have been associated with lower odds of depression, anxiety, and suicidality.

Mari Moriarty and Justin Sayre at their hasty but happy City Hall wedding in November. Trump's win, they say, "threw almost all of our plans up in the air."

Still, 26 states have passed bans on minors receiving gender-affirming care. Some states have considered banning such care for transgender adults up to age 26, and several states prohibit public funds from being used to provide transgender health care to individuals of any age, meaning those who receive healthcare through Medicaid, work in the public sector, or are incarcerated, will be left with no options for care.

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To get a sense of how transgender people are planning for life under Trump, Fortune spoke with several across the country: an 18-year-old Texan transgender woman who is resolved to stay and fight; a young transgender man in Rhode Island who is stockpiling his testosterone while preparing for various scenarios; and Moriarty and Sayre, who feel, with heavy hearts, that theyve got no choice but to leave.

A rising panic

Approximately 1.3 million adults and 300,000 youths identify as transgender in the U.S., and among them and their loved ones, its clear that a level of panic is ensuing.

LGBTQ youth calls to mental health crisis lines spiked by 700% right after election day. And in the first study to assess post-election transgender mental healthby University of Utah psychology researcher Lisa Diamond and the National LGBTQI+ Cancer Networkanxiety was shown to have increased 45%, depression by 19%, and feelings of dread by 30% among trans Americans from the month before the election until the week afterward.

November 5th was not just a political eventit was a public health event for LGBTQ+ individuals, especially trans individuals, said Diamond in a press release.

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Carolyn Jones is program manager at the Trans Youth Emergency Project in North Carolina, which provides care information and support to families in response to the gender-affirming care bans. The reality of the situation on the ground is in a lot of ways the same as it was a month agowhich is really bad, she tells Fortune. The fear that this presidency is striking into people, she adds, has been extreme.

Adding to that was when, earlier this month, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the first case to challenge the constitutionality of one of the state bans, in Tennessee. Its stoked fears that a decision upholding the states restrictions could pave the way not only for more state bans, but a federal one, too. Were preparing for the worst, says Jones.

So, too, are many transgender individuals.

Rose: I have fought very hard to be who I am

Rose, 18, is a high school senior in Houston. She tells Fortune she was in third grade when she finally learnedthrough an older transgender cousinthat there was a name for what she knew she was. I was like, oh my god, you can do that. Wow, she recalls.

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She came out in sixth grade, which got her promptly kicked out of her private Christian schooland led to the firing of her mom, who worked at the school as a therapist. They told me, God does not love people like you, says Rose. After some false starts in a couple of other schools due to bullying, Rose has found a safe place, both physically and mentally, in a private high school.

Rose, 18, is a mentor to many younger transgender Texan teens. "I'm in the position where I can help people," she says.

About six months after coming out, she met with a doctor about gender-affirming care, eventually going on puberty blockers and then HRTsomething she was lucky enough to continue even after Texas passed its 2023 ban on such treatment for minors. That, she explains, was due to receiving a charity flight to New York, where she met with a doctor who prescribed her enough estrogen to last until she turned 18.

Now, as an adult, she can receive her care in Houston. But since election day, she admits, her mental state has been shaky.

I used to be like a very gloomy kid, right? And then in the past, Id say, two years, finally being in an environment where I'm safe at home and safe at school, Ive really become very, very bubbly, very outgoing, she says. But since November,when the election represented her first time votingI've kind of been in a slump, and I can't seem to find my footing.

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Its because Rose is carrying not only her own fears about the future, but those of about 45 other transgender youthyounger Texas teens who have adopted her as a mentor through the local LGBTQ community center, where she is president of the youth group. And it's through her role there that she vows to continue to be a visible, outspoken example for others, despite how rough it can be.

Its very dire, she says, and difficult to project like Ive got it together in front of the other kidssome of whom have been forced off of HRT, but many of whom never got the chance to try it because of the expense.

The politicization of transgender rights weighs heavily on Rose. My life and the lives of the people that I care about have been used as tools and a political gameand I'm not a political point to make in your speech. I am a teenager who goes to school who gets homework done. Like, I have a life, and my life is in danger because people refuse to have empathy.

It all feels dehumanizing, she adds, but only makes her more resolved to fight.

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I think that wanting to leave [the country] is a very common sentimentand it's completely understandable, as well, she says. I think the reason for me standing my ground is I have fought very hard to be who I amIve fought for my basic life, so Im not ready to leave it.

Further, she believes that being lucky enough to have come out so early in life makes her less worn down by the pressure than older transgender peopleand that its therefore her responsibility to speak out and do the work here at home.

I'm in the position where I can help people, so I think it's wrong to not do that, says Rose, who hopes to head to college next year. I can't always be there for everybody, but sometimes it feels like if I'm not, I don't know if anyone else will. So I have to be.

Sam: You become your own doctor and your own pharmacist

Since the election, Sam (whose name has been changed to protect his safety), a transgender man and full-time activist on the East Coast, has been doing his weekly injections of testosterone just a little bit differently than usual: Hes been rationing it, giving himself a bit less than the prescribed dose, so he can make it last in the event that hes cut off.

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Its just one of a dizzying array of preparations he is making for the near futurewhen, he fears, transgender people may not only be cut off from gender-affirming care, but medical care in general, as physicians could be concerned about repercussions.

Instead of doctors saying, Okay, I'm going to be your provider, but I cannot provide you hormones any longer, they are using these new laws as a blanket excuse to be like, sorry, I can't take care of you. Care is not covered, so goodbye, he tells Fortune, based on real-life situations hes already witnessed as an activist. (Many expect these cases to be litigated, as the Affordable Care Act contains non-discrimination protections, meaning medical treatment must be given regardless of gender or sexual orientation.)

Fearful physicians denying care could in turn drive people to turn to other ways of procuring hormone therapy, including non-U.S. sources and veterinary sources, both common but risky responses, safety-wise, to issues of access. You become your own doctor and your own pharmacist. And that's, of course, not a great situation, Sam says.

Hes also been trying to get a swirl of official identification cards in orderincluding changing the gender marker on his birth certificate, something recently allowed in his birth state. Thats because many of the newly proposed state laws would prevent trans people from doing things like accessing public restrooms or using domestic violence shelters unless they do so according to their sex assigned at birth.

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Further, he aims to update his drivers license, passport, and Global Entry cardall of which have gender marker X, meaning a gender identity that is unspecified or different from M or F. And while being given the X option, under the Biden administration, was considered a victory for gender-divergent people, some, like Sam, are starting to worry it will be used against them. Especially when it comes to accessing necessary medical care.

I'm taking the steps to minimize my risk of being caught up in a large data-set dragnet, he says, where having his information stored in a database could present a snag to using his IDs.

But leaving the country altogether, Sam says, is also not off the table.

This is certainly the first time in my life when I have realized I absolutely need a fully-baked exit plan in my pocketincluding one that potentially adds the option of an undocumented border crossing, he says. To that end, hes been downloading maps of the more porous ends of the U.S. borders, where hed get dropped off with nothing but a backpack.

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Hed also consider doing long stays in more trans-friendly countriesPortugal, Sweden, and the Netherlands, for exampleand moving around like a nomad, for my mental health, he says. You can't be living in the dumpster as its set on fire, right? So occasionally Id go somewhere else, and maybe come back when the flames settle down.

Moriarty and Sayre: We just went into a panic

Moriarty and Sayre spent election night in Vermont, tuning out political news. But when they eventually heard news of Trumps win, says Sayre, We just went into a panic.

The couple started making all of their planscontacting a real estate agent to rent out their place in Brooklyn, consulting with a lawyer over how Sayre could get an artists visa in Europe, figuring out how to bring their cat with them to Amsterdamimmediately. Still, Sayre admits, leaving all that you know and love is a tough pill to swallow.

Its like, well, don't you want to stay and fight? I'm always going to use my voice to fight, they say. But I don't know that I can be on the frontlines of it all the time, because I really don't go to a great place [mentally]. And that's not sustainable.

Moriarty, who has decided not to start hormone therapy until shes abroad so her treatment isnt interrupted here, says she has been experiencing more street harassment than ever. Ive felt the temperature rising, even in New York, for years now, she says, referring to being jeered, followed, laughed at, and having her photo taken without consent. Its all prompted fears for her safetyand that, combined with anxiety over how both of their rights will be scaled back, has led to their decision.

I just feel like there's no one looking out for us. Nobody, Moriarty says. No one's going to come to save us.

She explains that the conversation she keeps having in her head is less about fighting and more about surviving and taking care of each other, and that is where the priority will be, she says. I think we're trying to put our oxygen masks on first.

More on health and politics:

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  The owner of a Flint chemical company is facing criminal charges after a two-year investigation into a chemical spill in the Flint River.

Genesee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel held a news conference Monday regarding pressing charges against the owner of Lockhart Chemical for their role in poisoning the Flint River.

Flint chemical company owner facing charges for polluting river. (WJRT) Flint chemical company owner facing charges for polluting river. (WJRT) Flint chemical company owner facing charges for polluting river. (WJRT) Flint chemical company owner facing charges for polluting river. (WJRT) Flint chemical company owner facing charges for polluting river. (WJRT) Flint chemical company owner facing charges for polluting river. (WJRT) Flint chemical company owner facing charges for polluting river. (WJRT) Flint chemical company owner facing charges for polluting river. (WJRT)

On June 15th of 2022, approximately 15,000 gallons of an oil chemical mixture were released from Lockheed into the Flint River, said Nessel.

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This incident forced crews from local, state, and federal agencies to rush to the site to contain the spill, but it shut down the area to all fishing and recreation for weeks right at the beginning of summer.

The spill also poisoned animals for along more than 20 miles of the river.

We had waterfowl, we had aquatic animals that were contaminated. We had young turtles that were contaminated, that our our friends and volunteers came and picked up, said Swanson.

Clean-up crews traced the source of the pollution upstream and through the storm drains until they reached Lockhart Chemical Company, a factor located less than a mile away from the river.

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This facility had no safety managers on-site daily. The only person in charge was Rajinder Minhas, said Nessel.

Minhas is the owner of the company, and when investigators approached him after the spill, he tried to cover his tracks by claiming that the factory was up to code and leak-proof.

Police and the Environmental Protection Agency both say that was a lie.

Investigators say when they got full access to the facility, they found out how bad the problem really was.

They had spills that were not cleaned, they had drains that instead of fixing, cement product was poured in As we excavated this entire site, we saw one after another example of premeditation, Many times, its a cover-up. These are ticking time bombs for a community, said Swanson.

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Shortly after the spill, the company filed for bankruptcy protection. Normally, companies are only fined after a spill, but the attorney general says the severity of this case warranted criminal charges.

Minhaus was arrested at his home in Rochester and arraigned last Wednesday, Dec. 18.

He was charged with 39 separate counts, and he faces 14 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines if he is convicted.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.
ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA)  A young boy required open heart surgery after multiple drones at a holiday show in Orlando, Florida, unexpectedly fell from the sky. The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating.

Adriana Edgerton, the 7-year-old boys mother, told local news outlet WESH that she and her family were watching the holiday drone show at Lake Eola. Suddenly, according to video obtained by the outlet, several drones collided and crashed into the crowd.

Another person in attendance told Orlando outlet WKMG that roughly a few dozen drones crashed in the incident. Video viewed by the Orlando Sentinel showed swans, famous in Lake Eola, having to quickly move out of the way as the drones fell from the sky.

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Authorities said one person was hospitalized. According to Edgerton, it was her son, who appeared to have been struck in the chest by one of the drones.

174 people rescued after gondola malfunction in Colorado

Everyones natural instinct was to duck and scatter, and before we realized it, my daughter found my son on the floor unconscious, Edgerton told WESH. He had blood coming out of his face.

She said Sunday her son was undergoing open heart surgery due to his injury but there was no further word on his condition.

In a post to Facebook, Edgerton shared a photo of her son, writing, [The City of Orlando] and Sky Elements Drone really have some explaining to do. They will be held accountable for what was done to my son. I pray he makes it out of this!

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In a statement Sunday, the FAA said it was investigating the incident.

Drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulation, the statement read. Typically, these events require a waiver to the regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time. We thoroughly review each drone show application to make sure the flying public and people on the ground will be safe.

Woman found on fire aboard subway dies, person of interest in custody: NYPD

A cause for the apparent drone malfunction has not been released. Texas-based Sky Elements, which organized the show, said in a statement shared with the Orlando Sentinel that it is committed to upholding the highest safety standards.

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Sky Elements Drones wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery for those impacted at our Lake Eola show.

The City of Orlando said it was working with the FAA and Sky Elements, and that police detectives were in contact with the boys family.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Lauren Korniyenko was devastated when her 70-year-old mother died in a Brevard County hospital two days after hip surgery. Her anguish worsened with a subsequent discovery: Florida law essentially blocked her from suing doctors and the hospital alleging shoddy medical care.

Now, shes part of a network of families pushing to repeal a state statute critics have dubbed the free kill law. Often, Floridians discover that law only when a loved one dies, and no attorney will take their case because of the sharp limits it places on medical malpractice suits, Korniyenko said.

In any other industry, if somebody is so negligent that it costs somebody else their life, there are means and measures to hold them accountable, and yet in this particular aspect, theres nothing, she said. And for us, its very deeply, deeply angered us.

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Korniyenkos mother, Lynn McGuill, falls into the category of Floridians whose families are ineligible to collect damages beyond direct economic loss. A 1990 law states that if someone 25 or older dies because of a doctors mistake in Florida, only a spouse or a child under 25 can sue for pain and suffering.

Because McGuill was widowed and her children were over 25, Korniyenkos lawsuit would have been limited to funeral and burial costs and final medical bills, resulting in a payment too minimal to justify an attorney taking on the case.

No other state has such a law.

The issue is opening up a broader debate that could affect the states health care landscape for years to come. Medical groups are pushing for a cap on pain-and-suffering damages in exchange for ending the limits on who can sue for pain and suffering. They say those caps are needed to control rising malpractice insurance premiums that hurt the states ability to recruit and retain physicians.

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State Sen. Clay Yarborough said he plans to refile a free-kill repeal bill that sputtered earlier this year. The state statute he is targeting affects a vast swath of Floridians  from single adults to widowed seniors.

We do not want to see increased costs, but we fail in our duty if we leave a law like this on the books that places the value of some Floridians lives beneath others, said Yarborough, R-Jacksonville.

Hell face an uphill climb. Five total or partial repeal bills were proposed in the 2024 legislative session, but all failed to gain traction. Yarborough agreed to put a cap on pain-and-suffering damages into his repeal bill in hopes it could help it pass, but it failed to get to the Senate floor for a vote. The addition also drew complaints from families who said it put a price tag on their loved ones life.

That cap would have limited noneconomic damages to a maximum of $500,000 from a doctor and $750,000 from a medical facility.

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Despite momentum, free kill malpractice repeal fails in Florida this year

State Rep. Johanna Lopez, D-Orlando, is the first lawmaker to file a bill for the 2025 session that starts in March, her third attempt to end the restrictions. Lopez said she was inspired by the story of Keith Davis, a 62-year-old Navy veteran who died in 2020. His daughter, Sabrina Davis, was unable to sue, despite the Florida Department of Health alleging her dads doctor failed to diagnose a blood clot that ultimately killed him.

Doctor and hospital groups, though, argue Florida physicians face a tough environment with their already high malpractice insurance premiums. About 30 other states have capped medical malpractice payouts.

The current malpractice climate is hostile for our ability to be able to take care of patients, Dr. Jason Goldman, an internal medicine physician and former president of the Florida Medical Association, told lawmakers in a hearing earlier this year. If we dont have caps on noneconomic damages  we will not be able to get physicians to come to the state of Florida and practice.

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Korniyenkos mother underwent surgery at Health Firsts Viera Hospital to repair a broken hip, but she died two days later on Aug. 4, 2023, according to a complaint the family filed with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. A private autopsy showed McGuill had an infection that progressed to septic shock and caused a gastrointestinal hemorrhage, Korniyenko said.

A third-party review, limited to McGuills medical records, concluded she was at a high risk of infection, and found that a physician did not appropriately evaluate her change in condition. But the review said that the care provided by the general hospital staff was appropriate, and the services met all applicable professionally recognized standards of care.

A hospital spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment. In a response provided to Korniyenko, the hospitals internal review concluded the care provided was safe and appropriate.

Korniyenko has filed complaints with state agencies, but those are still pending months later. Getting accountability through the state can be difficult, according to a 2018 investigation by the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The papers review of hundreds of disciplinary cases found Floridas system is often slow to punish doctors and quick to let them settle charges without accepting responsibility.

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There is no reason that citizens in a democracy should be denied the right to the judicial system, Korniyenko said. Its a public health issue if there is no meaningful accountability. That means negligent and reckless doctors are free to practice with absolutely no consequences and that makes the health care system less safe for all of us.

Korniyenko isnt alone. Attorneys routinely turn away families alleging medical malpractice because of the restrictions on pain-and-suffering damages, said Jack T. Cook, a medical malpractice attorney with the Morgan & Morgan law firm.

Turning down cases because there is no surviving spouse or children under age 25 is a weekly occurrence for us  multiple times a week, he said.
ORLANDO, Fla.  Lauren Korniyenko was devastated when her 70-year-old mother died in a Brevard County hospital two days after hip surgery. Her anguish worsened with a subsequent discovery: Florida law essentially blocked her from suing doctors and the hospital alleging shoddy medical care.

Now, shes part of a network of families pushing to repeal a state statute critics have dubbed the free kill law. Often, Floridians discover that law only when a loved one dies, and no attorney will take their case because of the sharp limits it places on medical malpractice suits, Korniyenko said.

In any other industry, if somebody is so negligent that it costs somebody else their life, there are means and measures to hold them accountable, and yet in this particular aspect, theres nothing, she said. And for us, its very deeply, deeply angered us.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Korniyenkos mother, Lynn McGuill, falls into the category of Floridians whose families are ineligible to collect damages beyond direct economic loss. A 1990 law states that if someone 25 or older dies because of a doctors mistake in Florida, only a spouse or a child under 25 can sue for pain and suffering.

Because McGuill was widowed and her children were over 25, Korniyenkos lawsuit would have been limited to funeral and burial costs and final medical bills, resulting in a payment too minimal to justify an attorney taking on the case.

No other state has such a law.

The issue is opening up a broader debate that could affect the states health care landscape for years to come. Medical groups are pushing for a cap on pain-and-suffering damages in exchange for ending the limits on who can sue for pain and suffering. They say those caps are needed to control rising malpractice insurance premiums that hurt the states ability to recruit and retain physicians.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

State Sen. Clay Yarborough said he plans to refile a free-kill repeal bill that sputtered earlier this year. The state statute he is targeting affects a vast swath of Floridians  from single adults to widowed seniors.

We do not want to see increased costs, but we fail in our duty if we leave a law like this on the books that places the value of some Floridians lives beneath others, said Yarborough, R-Jacksonville.

Hell face an uphill climb. Five total or partial repeal bills were proposed in the 2024 legislative session, but all failed to gain traction. Yarborough agreed to put a cap on pain-and-suffering damages into his repeal bill in hopes it could help it pass, but it failed to get to the Senate floor for a vote. The addition also drew complaints from families who said it put a price tag on their loved ones life.

That cap would have limited noneconomic damages to a maximum of $500,000 from a doctor and $750,000 from a medical facility.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

State Rep. Johanna Lopez, D-Orlando, is the first lawmaker to file a bill for the 2025 session that starts in March, her third attempt to end the restrictions. Lopez said she was inspired by the story of Keith Davis, a 62-year-old Navy veteran who died in 2020. His daughter, Sabrina Davis, was unable to sue, despite the Florida Department of Health alleging her dads doctor failed to diagnose a blood clot that ultimately killed him.

Doctor and hospital groups, though, argue Florida physicians face a tough environment with their already high malpractice insurance premiums. About 30 other states have capped medical malpractice payouts.

The current malpractice climate is hostile for our ability to be able to take care of patients, Dr. Jason Goldman, an internal medicine physician and former president of the Florida Medical Association, told lawmakers in a hearing earlier this year. If we dont have caps on noneconomic damages  we will not be able to get physicians to come to the state of Florida and practice.

Korniyenkos mother underwent surgery at Health Firsts Viera Hospital to repair a broken hip, but she died two days later on Aug. 4, 2023, according to a complaint the family filed with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. A private autopsy showed McGuill had an infection that progressed to septic shock and caused a gastrointestinal hemorrhage, Korniyenko said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

A third-party review, limited to McGuills medical records, concluded she was at a high risk of infection, and found that a physician did not appropriately evaluate her change in condition. But the review said that the care provided by the general hospital staff was appropriate, and the services met all applicable professionally recognized standards of care.

A hospital spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment. In a response provided to Korniyenko, the hospitals internal review concluded the care provided was safe and appropriate.

Korniyenko has filed complaints with state agencies, but those are still pending months later. Getting accountability through the state can be difficult, according to a 2018 investigation by the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The papers review of hundreds of disciplinary cases found Floridas system is often slow to punish doctors and quick to let them settle charges without accepting responsibility.

There is no reason that citizens in a democracy should be denied the right to the judicial system, Korniyenko said. Its a public health issue if there is no meaningful accountability. That means negligent and reckless doctors are free to practice with absolutely no consequences and that makes the health care system less safe for all of us.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Korniyenko isnt alone. Attorneys routinely turn away families alleging medical malpractice because of the restrictions on pain-and-suffering damages, said Jack T. Cook, a medical malpractice attorney with the Morgan & Morgan law firm.

Turning down cases because there is no surviving spouse or children under age 25 is a weekly occurrence for us  multiple times a week, he said.
This holiday season, thousands of foreign-born religious workers find themselves unsure whether they'll be allowed to continue serving their communities in the coming years thanks to a backlog in green card applications. Religious leaders are pushing for solutions as the Trump administration prepares to take office next month.

Many churches and other places of worship rely on foreign-born religious workers to provide services, particularly as fewer native-born Americans enter the vocation. "From 1970 to 2020, the number of priests in the U.S. dropped by 60%, according to data from the Georgetown [University Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate]," reported the Associated Press in 2021. "This has left more than 3,500 parishes without a resident pastor."

Foreign religious workers come to the U.S. on R-1 visas, which provide a temporary pathway for "ministers and non-ministers in religious vocations and occupations." The R-1 visa is valid for five years, at which point the holder must either petition for permanent residence status or leave the country for at least a year and apply for a new R-1 visa.

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Following a spring 2023 State Department change in green card allocation, religious workers began facing long wait times. The Biden administration started processing neglected and abused immigrant kids in the same green card queue as religious workers, meaning they were competing for the same limited number of green cardsjust 10,000 per year. Roughly 100,000 immigrant kids joined the pool. As of this August, the A.P. noted, the backlog "stands at more than 3.5 years and could increase"potentially up to a decade or more.

Five foreign-born priests and the Catholic Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, sued the federal government in August over the 2023 change and the long wait times it created. Without relief, the lawsuit argued, the priests would have to "remain unlawfully in the United States" or leave the country and "abandon thousands of Roman Catholics that each Individual-Plaintiff spiritually guides." They would then have to "wait years, if not decades, outside of the United States" before seeking another R-1 visa "to return to their religious calling."

Earlier this month, several anonymous sources told The Pillar, a news site that covers the Catholic Church, that "bipartisan legislation is in the works to address the problem, and is expected to be introduced early next year." An interfaith group listed several potential fixes in a letter to the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security last year, such as increasing the number of available visas, reducing the amount of time an R-1 holder must spend outside the U.S. before applying for a new R-1 visa, and extending the term of an R-1 visa beyond five years. The letter also called for Congress to exempt neglected and abused immigrant kids from visa limitations.

"Religious workers provide innumerable services to American communities, including culturally competent religious instruction and rituals, as well as direct social services to those in need," wrote Rev. Mark J. Seitz, bishop of El Paso and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, in a letter to Congress last summer.

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"Unfortunately," he continued, "the current situation violates both Congress' intent to provide religious organizations and our communities with needed workers and its express desire to protect vulnerable immigrant youth."

The post Foreign-Born Religious Workers Are Trapped in a Green Card Backlog appeared first on Reason.com.
This time of year depictions of the Baby Jesus in a manger are everywhere as a commercial cue, an object of worship, as a depiction of the essence of innocence. That biblical diorama with the Christ Child at the radiant center, surrounded by Joseph and Mary, then the three wise men with the shepherds on the periphery, represents a concentric circle of care so many of our worlds children suffer for the lack of.

From the killing fields of Gaza to the shooting galleries that can be any American elementary school, dead children are seen as justifiable collateral casualties to a worthy military objective or hapless incidental victims of a society that worships guns.

Yes, tens of millions of Americans just voted to return a man to the White House who implemented a policy as president that separated thousands of infants and children from their migrant parents exposing them to prison-like conditions, sexual abuse and generational trauma. Days before Christmas, Republicans in Congress tried to ram through a spending bill that strips childhood cancer research from the federal budget.

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Inflicting maximum pain on them was the point and millions of Americans evidently embrace that. In the turbulent days ahead of promised partisan retribution we will no doubt all have the option to choose just what kind of America we want to live in, one of faith and abundance or fear and scarcity.

Objectively, a family, a nation, even a civilizations measure of enduring success has to be the survival and nurturing of its progeny. And yet, even here in the United States, the worlds wealthiest of nations, we are coming up very short.

As a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open last month found, one in four child deaths after an emergency room visit in the U.S. were preventable because they resulted as a consequence of the reality that 80 percent of the nations hospitals were poorly equipped to handle pediatric cases. As New York Times reporter Emily Baumgaertner noted, the study found that for just an $11.84 or less investment per child in making the E.R. more child-centered thousands of young lives could be saved every year.

A few weeks later, Baumgaertner reported yet another alarming trend"from 2019 to 2021, the [U.S.} child death rate rose more steeply than it had in at least half a century adding that came despite all of the medical advances and public health gains made over that same period.

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Dr. Coleen Cunningham, the chief pediatrician at Childrens Hospital of Orange County, told the Times that digging deeper into this data, the uptick was composed of cases in which the deaths were almost always preventable.

Deadly car accidents among tweens and teen climbed nearly 16 percent, the Times reported. Murders went up 39 percent. Fatal overdoses more than doubled. New patterns emerged with race and gender, Black and Native children dying at much higher rates than white children. And the disparities  which had been narrowing  were now widening again. Black kids were mostly shot by other people. Native American kids mostly shot themselves.

The Times continued. But guns were at the center of it all, replacing car crashes as the leading killer of kids. Gun deaths alone accounted for almost half of the increase in young people. They are now equivalent to 52 school buses of children crashing each year.

And things are deteriorating for millions of children that are living in the United States where overall childhood poverty spiked from 5.2 percent in 2021 to 12.4 percent in 2022 and then hit 13.7 percent. This unprecedented spike was a direct consequence of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WVA) and all of the Congressional Republicans refusing to renew the Expanded Child Tax Credit, consigning millions of children back into poverty after briefly lifting them out of it briefly during COVID.

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Newsweek reported, that in addition to the southern and some western states, that have all traditionally had elevated child poverty rates, we saw a 14 percent rate or higher in states with high levels of wealth like Texas, California, New York and Florida.

Digging deeper into county-by-county level data compiled state by state by the United Way that looks at households that live nominally above the outdated federal poverty measure but struggle month to month to survive, we see a dystopian picture of a 21st-century feudalism taking hold.

In the Bronx, 54 percent of the households live below poverty or struggle to cover essentials. In Claiborne Parish, Louisiana 72 percent cant get by without deprivation. In Hudspeth County, Texas its 75 percent, according to the United Ways Asset Limited-Income Constrained-but Employed matrix.

Unlike the federal poverty measure conceived in the 1960s, the United Ways ALICE data points includes the local costs of housing, childcare, energy, transportation, food and other living expenses.

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This stress at the bottom was happening as wealth concentration at the very top was accelerating. Inequality.org reports that four years ago, the U.S. had 614 billionaires with an aggregate wealth of $2.947 trillion. By March of this year, there were 737 billionaires with a combined wealth of $5.529 trillion, an astounding 87.6 percent jump.

Meanwhile, the incoming Trump appointees vow to shred the already anemic social safety net through which too children are already falling through.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.
Shane Lamond, the former head of the Metropolitan Police intelligence unit in Washington who was indicted last year for feeding information to a Proud Boys leader, was found guilty on Monday.

Proud Boys chief Enrique Tarrio is serving 22 years after being convicted of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

U.S. Judge Amy Berman Jackson returned the verdict on Monday finding Lamond guilty of four counts, including obstruction of justice and three counts of lying to investigators, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office said. The verdict followed a bench trial which featured contentious testimony from Tarrio, who insisted that he'd been contemporaneously lying to his fellow Proud Boys about receiving information from a source in the Metropolitan Police Department.

Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio at a rally in Portland, Ore., in 2020.

Prosecutors argued during the trial that Lamond had become a "double agent" for the Proud Boys, saying he had tipped off Tarrio that there was a warrant out for his arrest in connection with the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner during Tarrio's prior trip to Washington with the Proud Boys.

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I cant tell you I wanted to go to D.C. to get arrested; that sounds weird, Tarrio said on the stand, but explained he wanted to travel to Washington two days before Jan. 6 to "get this over with and to set up a circus tent to use his arrest as a marketing ploy.

Matthew Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said federal prosecutors proved at trial that Lamond "turned his job on its head  providing confidential information to a source, rather than getting information from him  lied about the conduct, and obstructed an investigation into the source." Lamond, Graves said, was supposed to play a critical role in keeping the community safe, and his "violation of the trust placed in him put our community more at risk and cannot be ignored."

David Sundberg, FBI assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office, noted that Lamond took an oath to faithfully execute the law.

"Instead, he broke the law by providing confidential information to a source, obstructing an investigation into that source, and lying to federal investigators," Sundberg said. His conviction is a testament to the FBIs work to bring public officials to justice for abusing their positions of power and trust."

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Donald Trump has vowed to begin pardoning Jan. 6 defendants when he takes office in less than a month. It is unclear if Tarrio is among the more than 1,500 defendants charged and more than 1,100 defendants convicted who could receive a pardon, and sources in both the Jan. 6 and law enforcement communities told NBC News that it's clear Trump is not read in on the details of the cases.

Lamond's defense said that his communications with Tarrio were a part of his job, but prosecutors produced evidence in which Lamond wrote of his affinity for the Proud Boys, even after the Jan. 6 attack.

"Of course I cant say it officially," Lamond wrote, according to prosecutors, "but personally I support you all and dont want to see your groups name or reputation dragged through the mud."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
BAGHDAD, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani stressed on Monday the importance of unifying Arab efforts to support the Syrian people during the country's transitional process.

Al-Sudani made the remarks in a phone call with the President of the United Arab Emirate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during which they also discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations, according to a statement from al-Sudani's media office.

On regional developments, Al-Sudani reiterated Iraq's commitment to peace and stability initiatives, highlighting the necessity of intensifying efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, ending the "aggression" against the Palestinian people, preventing further escalation of conflict in the region, and consolidating the ceasefire in Lebanon, it said. 
INTERLACHEN, Fla. (WFLA)  A former teacher was arrested after he was found in possession of one of his former students nude photos, according to the Putnam County Sheriffs Office.

Gus Devereaux, 54, of Interlachen, was arrested as he was going to work, at Lawtey Correction Institution, where he teaches GED classes to adult inmates in Bradford County.

Woman accused of punching child during Pinellas County school conference

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According to deputies, the investigation began in November when a family member discovered disturbing images of a former student of Devereaux on his laptop.

Devereaux was a teacher at Interlachen Junior-Senior High School, located just east of Gainesville, but left the school on Feb. 2, 2023, in lieu of termination in another schools investigation.

Detectives met with the former student, who confirmed the images were of her and said they were taken a few years back when she was a minor. She told officials the photos were not sent to Devereaux and that he did not take the images.

Putnam County Sheriffs Office

It was determined that the student was in Devereauxs 9th-grade class and that he knew she was a minor in the photos.

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Devereaux was arrested on three counts of possession of obscene material depicting a child in sexual conduct and taken to the Bradford County Jail. He is being held on a $300,000 bond and is set to be extradited to Putnam County.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
WASHINGTON  Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., sought an eleventh-hour restraining order Monday against the House Ethics Committee in an unsuccessful effort to halt the panel's release of a final report summarizing its investigation into him.

The court filing accused the committee of an "unconstitutional" attempt "to exercise jurisdiction over a private citizen through the threatened release of an investigative report containing potentially defamatory allegations, in violation of the Committees own rules.

Gaetz's lawyers said in the complaint, submitted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, that the committee's intention to release the report about him "represents an unprecedented overreach that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections" after the panel acknowledged that "it lacks jurisdiction over former members."

Matt Gaetz in 2020.

The complaint argued the report would irreparably hurt Gaetz's reputation, saying that the threatened release "concerning matters of sexual propriety and other acts of alleged moral turpitude constitutes irreparable harm that cannot be adequately remedied through monetary damages."

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The court challenge was filed in the morning, and the clerk's office soon informed Gaetz's attorneys that there were paperwork errors made in the complaint that needed to be corrected before any action could be taken. Later on Monday, after the committee released the report, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta asked Gaetz why his lawsuit should not be dismissed as moot and gave him until 5 p.m. ET to respond.

Attorneys for Gaetz agreed it should be tossed, and said the damage had already been done.

"Due to the Defendants unprecedented and procedurally defective decision to publicize the Report that was the subject of Plaintiffs Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order without notice to Plaintiff and while Defendants knew or reasonably should have known of this pending action, Plaintiff has now suffered irreversible and irreparable harm," their filing said.

NBC News reported last week that the House Ethics Committee had voted to publicly release the panels report detailing its investigation into Gaetz. The yearslong probe examined allegations that Gaetz had engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, gave special favors to people with whom he had personal relationships, and obstructed the House investigation.

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Gaetz has denied any criminal wrongdoing and said in a post on X last week that in his single days, he paid women he dated, but said he NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. ... My 30s were an era of working very hard  and playing hard too.

Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life, he said. I live a different life now.

The Department of Justice had investigated Gaetz for sex trafficking, but ultimately decided not to charge him.

Concerns about the allegations against Gaetz caused him to withdraw his name from consideration to be President-elect Donald Trumps attorney general. He resigned from the House last month after Trump picked him.

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While Gaetz has asserted that it's against the committee's practices to release ethics reports about former members, there is precedent for it. Two months after Bill Boner, D-Tenn., resigned from the House in 1987, and on the day Buz Lukens, R-Ohio, resigned from the House in 1990, the committee released reports into them.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)  A former Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans employee accused of misrepresentations concerning benefits has been arrested.

President Joe Biden commutes sentence of former New Orleans police officer

The Office of Attorney General Liz Murrill reported that 44-year-old Ederik Trask was arrested on Friday, Dec. 20, after an investigation into allegations that a former employee may have knowingly committed Workers Compensation Fraud.

Ederik Trask (Courtesy: Office of Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill)

The attorney generals office stated that agents launched the investigation in August and allegedly found evidence that Trask was working for a rideshare company while getting workers compensation benefits.

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Trask reportedly surrendered to agents on Friday and was booked into the Orleans Parish Jail. He faces a charge of misrepresentations concerning benefits over $10,000.

Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO.
By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said on Monday he had approved a United States extradition request for former U.S. Marines pilot Daniel Duggan, who faces charges including breaking U.S. arms control law by training Chinese military pilots to land on aircraft carriers.

Duggan, 55, a naturalised Australian citizen, was arrested by Australian Federal Police in a rural town in New South Wales state in October 2022, shortly after returning from China, where he had lived since 2014.

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Duggan's lawyers have argued in court there is no evidence the Chinese pilots he trained were military, and he was no longer a U.S. citizen at the time of the alleged offences. He renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2016 at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, backdated to 2012 on a certificate, they said.

Dreyfus said he had determined Duggan should be extradited to the United States to face prosecution, after a New South Wales magistrate in May found him eligible for surrender.

"Mr Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me," Dreyfus said in a statement.

Duggan, who has six children in Australia and has been held in prison since his arrest, was not available for comment.

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Duggan's family was "devastated" by the decision, after receiving a letter from the government saying he will be extradited between December 30 and February 17, his wife Saffrine said in a statement.

"The family and Dan's lawyers are now considering their legal options, including requesting specific reasons for the governments decision," the statement said.

The allegations centre around a flying school in South Africa where Duggan worked part time as a flying instructor more than 12 years ago, the statement said.

"Dan maintains his innocence and denies the allegations made against him, which were not considered a crime in Australia," it added.

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An indictment unsealed by the District of Columbia court showed Duggan faces four charges, and alleges he travelled between Australia, the U.S., China and South Africa between 2009 and 2012, when he was contracted by a Chinese national to provide services to a Chinese state owned company, including evaluations of Chinese military pilot trainees and instruction on landing on aircraft carriers.

U.S. authorities found correspondence with Duggan on electronic devices seized from Chinese hacker Su Bin, who Duggan knew as an employment broker for Chinese state aviation company AVIC, his lawyers previously said.

Convicted hacker Su Bin is one of seven co-conspirators in the U.S. indictment, although Duggan's lawyers argue the hacking case is unrelated.

Duggan's arrest came the same week Britain warned dozens of former military pilots to stop working for China or face prosecution.

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Australia toughened laws stopping former defence staff from training "certain foreign militaries" in response to the case and an investigation into another pilot who worked at the South African flying school.

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by Michael Perry)
Former Volkswagen Group chief executive Martin Winterkorn has accused the judge leading a criminal trial into the 77-year-old's alleged role in the diesel emissions scandal of bias, dpa learnt on Monday.

In a letter to the Braunschweig Regional Court in central Germany seen by dpa, Winterkorn's defence lawyers say the former executive has lost faith in the impartiality of the presiding judge in his case.

Winterkorn's trial - on charges of commercial fraud, market manipulation and making false statements in connection with the so-called Dieselgate scandal - originally began in September, but was delayed on medical grounds after he suffered an accident.

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Last week, the court rescheduled the trial for February 2025, before a court-ordered assessment of Winterkorn's health could take place.

In response, Winterkorn's lawyers have filed a motion to challenge the judge for fear of bias.

The allegations date back to the 2015 discovery by US regulators that some Volkswagen diesel engines had been intentionally programmed to fake the results of emissions testing.

Once Germany's highest-paid business executive, Winterkorn stepped down in the wake of the scandal but denied any personal culpability in the scheme. His trial has been repeatedly delayed by health concerns.
PARIS  Frances womens ready-to-wear federation decried former French ministers signing on to Sheins strategic committees intended to support its approach to social responsibility.

This initiative, claimed as a step toward a more sustainable model, raises strong questions and deep indignation, La Federation Francaise du Pret a Porter Feminin wrote in a statement released Monday.

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On Dec. 6, the fast-fashion giant revealed it had set up an external ESG board, as well as regional strategic and corporate responsibility committees to advise Shein leadership. Among the advisers recruited to Shein were Christophe Castaner, a former Minister of the Interior and deputy, and Nicole Guedj, a former minister.

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The commitment of those public figures to a company whose environmental and social impacts are unanimously denounced constitutes an alarming signal at a time when concrete measures are expected to counter the excesses of ultra-fast fashion, the federation wrote.

On March 13, Frances lower house of parliament unanimously green-lighted a bill that seeks penalties on ultra-fast fashion with the goal of helping to offset its environmental impact. That bill is meant to go before Frances senate next, before becoming law. A date for the Senate vote has yet to be set.

The French Federation of Womens Ready-to-Wear strongly deplores the explicit or implicit support provided to Shein by former political leaders, the federation stated. This alignment demonstrates a clear attempt at greenwashing by this company, which is flooding the market with poor quality clothing and lobbying aimed at curbing ongoing legislative efforts.

The federation called Shein a threat to the economy, environment and jobs.

Shein

The facts are clear: Shein attracts more than 3 million users in France every day. The brand has 30 percent growth forecast for 2024, destroying thousands of jobs in the fashion sector in the process, the federation wrote. It releases unsustainable clothing onto the market, contributing to massive overconsumption and alarming pollution.

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The federation asked how Castaner and other political figures could lend themselves to such an approach, when they are fully informed of the disastrous consequences of this economic model? A firm and collective response is necessary.

The federation called for a large mobilization of players in the sector, citizens, and French and other European parliamentarians to counter this attempt to sabotage the anti-ultra fast-fashion law and to promote brands that manufacture in virtuous social and environmental conditions.

We cannot let the interests of companies like Shein trample the efforts of an entire industry to adopt responsible practices, said Yann Rivoallan, president of the federation, in the statement. These shameful partnerships between politicians and a destructive giant must not influence or common future.

Shein is eyeing an initial public offering in London, but is still awaiting regulatory approval after filing a preliminary prospectus in November 2023.

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Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, presents his school "guardian" bill to the House Education Committee, March 26, 2024. Wise is the Kentucky Senate's incoming majority floor leader. (LRC Public Information)

FRANKFORT  Sen. Max Wise said putting his name in the hat to become Kentucky Senate majority floor leader was an opportunity he could not pass up.

Last month, Senate Republicans elected Wise to be their next floor leader over former Republican Caucus Chair Sen. Julie Raque Adams of Louisville. Outgoing Floor Leader Damon Thayer did not seek reelection to the legislature this year.

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Wise, a Campbellsville Republican, will begin his 10th year in the Senate as the 2025 legislative session begins in January. He said in a recent interview with the Kentucky Lantern that throughout his time in the Senate, hes had the chance to carry big policy bills for his fellow Republicans and other senators encouraged him to consider a leadership position.

I didnt want to challenge a sitting member of leadership, Wise said. I kind of wanted to play a long game and see what may open up.

Wise said that he felt that some of his own attributes  being able to communicate and work with others, trying to stand for integrity and being a champion fighter  would match those needed to be the next floor leader. He began considering seeking the role after Thayer announced he would leave the Senate.

I did not want to have a regret in life of looking back and not running and wishing, I wish I had tried that, because you never know, and Ive always carried on the belief of you cant be afraid to lose in life, Wise said. You got to take chances. And I just felt like this was an opportunity I couldnt pass up. And at the same time, Im humbled, Im excited and Im really looking forward to the 2025 session.

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In the Lantern interview, Wise discussed the past legislation hes carried, his expectations for the upcoming session and what he plans to bring to his new role within his caucus.

A great opportunity

Wise represents the 16th Senate District, which includes the counties of Adair, Allen, Metcalfe, Monroe and Taylor as well as part of Warren County. Hes also previously served as chair of the Senate Education Committee.

Many Kentuckians may know him as the running mate of former U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft in last years gubernatorial election They were defeated in the Republican primary by former Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who later went on to lose to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in the general election.

Sen. Max Wise, left, was on stage with Kelly Craft as she conceded defeat in the Republican primary for Kentucky governor, May 16, 2023, in Lexington. Her husband, coal executive Joe Craft, is on the right. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Abbey Cutrer)

However, Wise said that was a great opportunity. He called the experience unique in that he was not running at the top of the ticket, but he still had the chance to meet Kentuckians across the state.

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Yep, we lost the race, but I learned more from a loss than I probably would have ever gotten if I had not been the lieutenant governor nominee with her, Wise said. And I really, really appreciated that opportunity. And once again, I was in places of Kentucky Id never been to before. I may have passed through some of those counties, but never really had stopped and listened  (and had) conversations.

As a lawmaker, Wise has carried a variety of bills in different policy areas. Some of his highest profile bills include the hotly debated Senate Bill 150 from the 2023 legislative session, which ultimately established a ban on gender-affirming medical care for Kentuckys transgender youth among other changes in school policies regarding gender and sex education. During the 2024 legislative session, Wise carried a successful bill that would allow schools to hire armed guardians to fill vacant law enforcement positions. That aimed to build on a bipartisan school safety law Wise also carried after a 2018 shooting at Marshall County High School.

Wise said that some of the bills hes carried in the past may be considered controversial by some and common sense by others. However, he could not choose one that was his favorite, comparing it to choosing a favorite child as every bill has been rewarding or its been in an area that has been for different causes or different issues.

Wise predicts that as majority floor leader he will file fewer bills than he has in the past, though he noted he has not been one thats ever filed 10-plus bills in a session.

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Its a lot of work to work your bill, and I dont think in my new role as floor leader, its going to be about myself with legislation, Wise said. Im going to want to help members achieve success in their roles as legislators.

Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, addresses a rally in the Capitol Rotunda supporting anti-transgender legislation, March 2023. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)

As for whats on the table when the legislature convenes Jan. 7, Wise said he expects Republicans to move quickly to lower the state income tax rate another half-percent from 4% to 3.5%  following half-percent reductions in 2022 and 2023. He said the Senate will likely receive the House bill within the first week of the session. Revenue bills must originate in the House.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has signaled he plans to sign the legislation when it comes to his desk, but remains cautious about the feasibility of ever entirely eliminating the states personal income tax, a goal embraced by many Republican lawmakers and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. However, Wise said Republican lawmakers have enacted the tax cuts in a very smart way and showed taxpayers they are putting more money back into their pocketbooks.

Wise also expects some cleanup bills to be filed on past laws, as well as legislation on issues discussed during the interim session, such as workforce attraction, housing, child care, artificial intelligence, school efficiency and more. He said every session takes on its own identity.

Frankfort has not changed me

In an interview earlier this month, Thayer told the Lantern managing the expectations of the 111 Republicans in the General Assembly will be a challenge for the party in the future. Wise also noted that managing expectations of members will be a challenge for him as majority floor leader while also keeping the Republican supermajority moving forward on tax reform, economic growth and being conservative.

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I think those are the types of things that our voters right now put us into these positions that they want to continue to see us doing those type of policy decisions, Wise said.

Wise did commend Thayers time in leadership, saying he took a lot of arrows that have came his way and made the role his own. As for his own leadership style, Wise said, youre not going to see me be quiet as a mouse on legislation the Republican caucus is unified in backing. Wise added that he wants to be very transparent with members of the caucus and explain the reasoning behind decisions.

Frankfort has not changed me, and I dont intend to change who I am, of working with others and taking stances that (are) what I believe in just because Im now going to be a floor leader, Wise said.

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PANAMA CITY, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Panama's president Jose Raul Mulino said Sunday that the canal will "continue to be in Panamanian hands" after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to retake it.

Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama and "will remain so," and "the sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable," Mulino said in a social media video post.

Trump on Saturday called the Panama Canal "a VITAL National Asset for the United States," threatening to retake the canal, citing "exorbitant prices" on U.S. ships.

Mulino said he hopes to maintain a "respectful" relationship with the next U.S. government. He also pointed out that security issues such as illegal migration, drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime should be a priority in the two countries' bilateral agenda.

He recalled that according to the Torrijos-Carter Treaties signed in 1977 by the then-Panamanian president Omar Torrijos and then-U.S. president Jimmy Carter, Panamanians recovered their sovereignty over the canal on December 31, 1999.

Mulino added that the Torrijos-Carter Treaties established the permanent neutrality of the Panama Canal, "guaranteeing its open and safe operation for all nations. (...) any position to the contrary is invalid."

"(The tariffs) are established based on an open hearing, considering market conditions, international competition, operating costs and the maintenance and modernization needs of the interoceanic waterway," said Mulino.

"The Canal will continue to be in Panamanian hands as an inalienable patrimony of our nation and guaranteeing its use for the peaceful and uninterrupted transit of ships of all nations," said the Panamanian president. 
UPDATE: Judge rules Martinez has legally protected interest to continue CTU contract talks



CHICAGO  An attorney for CPS CEO Pedro Martinez on Monday sent a cease-and-desist letter to members of the Chicago School Board, arguing they dont have the legal standing to push him out of bargaining sessions with the teachers union.

Mayor Brandon Johnsons hand-picked School Board voted unanimously to fire Martinez on Friday, but Martinez contends his contract keeps him on the job until the end of the school year.

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On Monday, some of the same board members who fired Martinez attended a bargaining session with the Chicago Teachers Union. Martinezs attorney, William Quinlan of the Quinlan Law Firm, wrote in the letter to the School Board that their actions unlawfully infringe on and interfere with Mr. Martinezs authority, as CEO, to act as the sole representative of the Board in these negotiations.

Martinez filed suit against the board, asking a judge to rule that he remains the districts CEO.

A late Monday statement from the CTU read, in part: CEO Martinezs decision to try to tell his bosses  the Chicago Board of Education  what to do sets a dangerous new precedent in our school district. It is just another example of how the CEO fails to understand what his job is and who he works for.

Johnsons office has not responded to WGNs repeated request for comment, but there is speculation he could name a co-CPS CEO and change Martinezs duties.

READ MORE: Reaction pouring in after Board of Education votes to fire CPS CEO Pedro Martinez

In a press conference Friday after the School Board voted to fire him, a visibly angry Martinez vowed hell keep doing his job and will stay involved in contract talks with the CTU.

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Im not looking for any personal gain. I love this district, Martinez said to reporters Friday night. This is my home district. Im from Chicago. This is about: Operate in good faith, follow the contract, lets not play any games.

Martinez repeatedly emphasized that hes a product of CPS.

This is a CPS kid, CPS kid (who) graduated (in) 1987 in Pilsen, he said. Not going to one of our selective enrollment schools. A neighborhood school in an under-funded community.

Like, who do they think theyre talking to?

The mayors newly-appointed School Board terminated Martinez without cause during the special meeting Friday, which took place after students went on winter break and weeks before the new partially-elected School Board takes over.

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The School Board currently consists of seven members, all appointed by the mayor, but will soon increase to 21, with 10 members elected in November to two-year terms. Earlier this week, Johnson announced his additional appointees to the board, which will be seated in January.

Johnson, a former CPS teacher and CTU activist, reportedly asked Martinez to resign in September, but Martinez refused to. Martinez has opposed the mayors proposal to cover the school districts budget deficit with a $300 million high-interest loan.

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates, who worked with Johnson while he was with the union, has also been critical of Martinez, calling him an impediment to CTUs ongoing contract negotiations.

Martinez hired a law firm to help avoid the citys alleged attempts to fire him. His Friday lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court asked for a temporary restraining order against the School Board, but it was too late to get the request before a judge. In his motion, Martinezs lawyer wrote: Board members were appointed to do the bidding of the mayor, as well as the Teachers Union, which have scapegoated the plaintiff.

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Martinezs contract runs through June of 2026. Under the terms of the contract, Martinez will be paid his current salary for 180 days, if fired without cause. After that, he will also receive 20 weeks of severance pay.

In a letter sent to the School Board ahead of Fridays vote, Martinezs attorney said any attempt to reassign him would constitute a breach of contract.

In September, hundreds of CPS administrators sent a letter to the School Board urging them to retain Martinez at the helm of one of the nations largest school districts, but to no avail, as proven Friday.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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G train riders are on track to catching a break.

The crosstown is the next subway line to get the European-style train treatment  and straphangers on the isolated outer borough line are eager to take what they can get after a summer shutdown and subsequent evening repairs.

The reliability thing is more of a draw to me, 44-year-old G train rider Chris Schillinger told The Post. It used to be that the G was not super reliable. Improving that sounds great to me.

The G train is the next subway line getting the European-style train treatment. Dorian Geiger/NY Post

At least two five-car open gangway trains will be transferred from the C to the G line in the first quarter of 2025  and riders will have about a 1 in 5 chance of riding an open gangway car, the MTA said.

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This summers months-long shutdown to modernize the lines 90-year-old signals promised to make service more reliable by installing a new signal technology, though those hi-tech systems are only scheduled to go live in 2027.

That sounds really nice, 38-year-old coffee shop worker Jenny said of the open-gangway G train plan. With the G train, they were doing a lot of work over the summer, and I thought after that, the signal modernization would be better  but they keep closing part of the tracks and are still working on it.

Ill take it, G train rider Nolan Johnson, 35, told The Post. Theres more space for people to stand on. You can move between cars easier.

The antiquated system is now past the end of its useful life, the MTA has said  with some riders even calling the line the ghost train due to a perceived lack of reliable service for its 160,000 daily riders.

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The new R211T cars, however, are slated to provide faster, more frequent and reliable service, according to NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow, who said wider doors, better signage and LED displays as just some of the perks G train riders can look forward to.

At least two five-car open gangway trains will be transferred from the C to the G line in the first quarter of 2025  and riders will have about a 1 in 5 chance of riding an open gangway car, the MTA said. MTA

Theres more space for people to stand on, G train rider Nolan Johnson, 35, said of the European-style train cars. You can move between cars easier. Dorian Geiger/NY Post

All open-gangway cars are also equipped with video cameras to improve the safety of our customers and employees, Crichlow added.

Some straphangers told The Post that the gangway cars could prevent disorderly and disobedient commuters from unsafely going car-to-car or smoking in between cars while the train is in motion. Some also wondered if limiting outdoor access would perhaps even deter would-be subway surfers.

As a New Yorker, I like to have an easy way to move out of a certain situation, Bed-Stuy resident Selina Josephs, 40, told The Post. So just the fact that I can and if somethings going on in my car, I can just move over without having to open the door.

The antiquated system is now past the end of its useful life, the MTA has said  with some riders even calling the line the ghost train due to a perceived lack of reliable service for its 160,000 daily riders. Dorian Geiger/NY Post

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I like that the doors light up, showing you what side of the train the doors are going to open, Josephs added. Also I noticed that before you even leave the train, you can see where those stairs are at or if theres an elevator  in other countries you see that, but, here its like, Good luck: Leave and try to find the stairway or elevator.

Old train cars also break down six times as frequently as new ones, according to the MTAs Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, who argues replacing them is more than just a matter of aesthetics.

This latest purchase will help us get the next generation of rolling stock on the rails sooner so we can keep making the system more reliable and dramatically upgrade the passenger experience, the MTA CEO said in a statement.

As a New Yorker, I like to have an easy way to move out of a certain situation, Bed-Stuy resident Selina Josephs, 40, told The Post. Dorian Geiger/NY Post

The G will only be the second subway line to get the doorless R211T cars, which historically have yielded mixed reviews from riders  some of which say the trains leave them feeling vulnerable to commotion happening in another car.

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Whether youre a fan or not, New Yorkers will be sure to see many more of the new R211 cars in the next few years, with the MTAs Monday announcement of a $1.27 billion purchase of 80 open-gangway and 355 regular train cars due by 2027.

Those accordion-style cars are slated to eventually replace all R44 trains on the Staten Island Railway and the orange-and-yellow R46 subway cars used for decades on the A, C, N, Q, R and W lines, as well as usher in the replacement of the R68s used on the B, D, N and W lines.

The G will only be the second subway line to get the doorless R211T cars, which historically have yielded mixed reviews from riders. MTA

This latest order is putting the MTA closer towards its goal of fully modernizing the system, MTA Chief of Rolling Stock Tim Mulligan said in a statement. The R211s are state of the art and less prone to breakdowns, which means smoother trips for tens of thousands of New Yorkers and more reliable service for decades to come.

One skeptical G train rider, however, said its going to take a lot more than just a few new trains to improve the crosstown line.

New trains are useful  its cleaner, its good, the rider, named Steve, told The Post, but it needs more work.
A Walton County couple will spend the rest of their lives in prison after they were convicted for adopting two young boys, then sexually abusing them.

Deputies arrested William and Zachary Zulock in 2022 at a home in unincorporated Loganville.

Last week, a judge sentenced them to 100 years in prison. Neither defendant is eligible for parole, according to the DAs office.

These two Defendants truly created a house of horrors and put their extremely dark desires above everything and everyone else. However, the depth of the Defendants depravity, which is as deep as it gets, is not greater than the resolve of those that fought for justice and the strength of the victims in this case. The resolve I have seen from these two young victims over the last two years is truly inspiring, District Attorney Randy McGinley said in a statement.

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As Channel 2 Action News previously reported, the Walton County Sheriffs Office raided a home after they learned a man named Hunter Lawless was downloading child pornography.

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After interviewing him, Lawless said hed been collecting those materials and identified another suspect living in Oxford.

Lawless also told deputies that suspect hed mentioned was making child pornography with a child living at their home, leading the sheriffs office to get a search warrant for the Zulock household.

Following the investigation, Lawless pled guilty to sexual exploitation of children and agreed to cooperate in the prosecution of the Zulocks.

When deputies got arrest warrants for the men living at the house in Oxford, they identified the Zulocks a suspects and worked with the Georgia Division of Family and child Services to protect the children in the home.

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Investigators found at the time that both Zulocks, who were the adoptive parents of brothers living there, had been recording themselves committing sexually abusive acts against both boys.

Additionally, investigators found evidence that a man named Luis Vizcarro-Sanchez had received messages from Zachary Zulock about abuse of one of the child victims. He later pled guilty to pandering for a person under 18 and multiple counts of computer theft.

On Aug. 20, William Zulock entered a guilty plea for multiple charges, including aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, incest and sexual exploitation of children.

On Oct. 21, Zachary Zulock pled guilty to charges of aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, sodomy, sexual exploitation of children and pandering for a person under 18, but pled not guilty to two counts of incest. A judge later found him guilty of the incest charges following a brief bench trial, according to a release from the DAs office.

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The House Ethics Committee found substantial evidence that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) paid a 17-year-old high school student for sex when he was 35, used illicit drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, and obstructed Congresss investigation into his conduct.

Those conclusions come in a highly anticipated report released Monday that capped the panels years-long, on-and-off investigation into the former Florida congressman.

The committee concluded there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress, the report says.

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Gatez has repeatedly denied having sexual contact with a minor and other wrongdoing. Last week, in anticipation of the reports release, Gaetz said he had engaged in embarrassing, though not criminal past behavior.

On Monday, he filed a last-minute lawsuit to block the Ethics Committee from releasing the report.

These claims would be destroyed in court  which is why they were never made in any court against me, Gaetz told The Hill on Monday ahead of the reports release, in reference to the Department of Justice declining to file charges after investigating Gaetz for similar matters.

Interest in the Ethics panels investigation reached its peak after President-elect Trump picked Gaetz to be attorney general, leading him to abruptly resign from Congress just before the panel was due to release the report. Amid opposition from GOP senators, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for AG the following week.

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His exit from the House set off a debate about whether it was appropriate for the panel to take the rare, but not unprecedented, step of releasing its findings on a former member.

House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-Miss.) led dissenting members in an unusual statement criticizing the panels decision to break with long-standing practice and release the report on Gaetz.

But a source familiar confirmed that Reps. David Joyce (R-Ohio) and Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) voted with Democrats in favor of the reports release. Axios was first to report that detail.

The report gives substantially more detail and documentation about accusations that have swirled around Gaetz for years, including testimony from the woman who was 17 years old at the time of the alleged 2017 sexual encounter with Gaetz.

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The report did not find that Gaetz had engaged in sex trafficking, even though it said that Gaetz traveled with women that he paid for sex on several occasions.

Allegations of statutory rape

A woman identified only as Victim A told the committee she had sex with Gaetz twice at a July 15, 2017, party when she was 17 and Gaetz was a 35-year-old first-term congressman, though the committee said it had no evidence that Gaetz was aware of the girls age.

Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school, the report said. Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age. The Committee did not receive any evidence indicating that Representative Gaetz was aware that Victim A was a minor when he had sex with her.

Victim A said that she was under the influence of ecstasy during the encounter, and recalled Gaetz using cocaine at that party, but was certain about her encounter with Gaetz.

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The report said that while Gaetz denied engaging in sexual activity with a minor, he refused to answer specific questions relating to his interactions with Victim A.

ABC reported that part of the reason the DOJ declined to file charges against Gaetz had to do with concerns that a jury would not convict him if prosecutors could not demonstrate Gaetz knew the girl was 17.

But the Ethics report said Gaetzs knowledge of the girls age does not matter under Floridas statutory rape law.

Under Floridas statutory rape law, it is a felony for a person 24 years of age or older to engage in sexual activity with a 16- or 17-year-old, the report said. A person charged with this offense may not claim ignorance or misrepresentation of the minors age as a defense.

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When news first broke about Gaetz being investigated by the DOJ over alleged sexual contact with the minor, Gaetz had told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the 17-year-old doesnt exist.

Allegations of drug use

The Ethics Committees report into Gaetz also detailed the former congressmans alleged use of drugs, including marajuana, ecstasy and cocaine. Gaetz is a longtime supporter of cannabis legalization, which was legalized for medical use in Florida in 2016 but is still illegal for recreational use. He was a co-sponsor of legislation in 2022 that pished to legalize marijuana on the federal level.

The panel said it identified at least 20 instances between the beginning of 2017 and the middle of 2020 with substantial evidence that Gaetz met with women who were paid for sex and/or drugs, and said it received testimony about multiple additional events, trips, or parties where Gaetz may have paid women for sex and drugs, but the panel could not determine the specific dates or locations for them all.

One woman who spoke to the committee said she witnessed Gaetz taking cocaine or ecstasy on at least five occasions, and the panel said nearly every witness interviewed observed Representative Gaetz using marijuana.

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On some occasions, the committee alleged, Gaetz would ask women he had sex with to bring drugs to their meetings, such as marijuana cartridges, vitamins and rolls. Gaetz would sometimes repay the women directly, the panel said, noting that the Florida Republican sent one woman several hundred dollars for marijuana cartridges.

Former Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, who is currently in prison for charges including sex trafficking of a minor and fraud, and had cooperated with the DOJ matter as part of a plea agreement, told the panel that he would typically provide drugs at events that he attended with Gaetz, then the former congresswoman would pay him back in cash.

The panel outlined evidence relating to a number of trips Gaetz took with women that involved the use of drugs.

In 2018, for example, Gaetz traveled with two other men and six women to the Bahamas, during which several of the women recalled that Representative Gaetz appeared to be under the influence of drugs and that they took ecstasy during this trip, according to the report. One of the women said she saw Gaetz taking ecstasy.

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The panel also documented a January 2019 occasion when Gaetz paid two women to travel with him to New York City to meet with him and his girlfriend at the time. The committee said it reviewed text messages where Gaetz asked the women about obtaining drugs in advance of the trip.

[w]ho can help w[ith] party favors? Gaetz asked, according to the panel.

The committee said at least one woman who spoke to the panel thought that the use of drugs at parties and events they went to may have impair[ed their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent.

Indeed, nearly every woman that the Committee spoke with could not remember the details of at least one or more of the events they attended with Representative Gaetz and attributed that to drug or alcohol consumption, the committees report reads.

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Gaetz responded to allegations of drug use in a statement he publicly posted in September responding to the committee, writing I have not used drugs which are illegal, absent some law allowing use in a jurisdiction of the United States.

Committee finds other violations and obstruction

The committee alleges that Gaetz accepted improper gifts in the form of transportation and lodging related to a 2018 trip to the Bahamas that included sexual encounters and drug use, according to testimony given to the committee. While Gaetz has denied that charge, the report said Gaetz provided no evidence showing how he paid for any travel costs other than his flight to the Bahamas, despite being given multiple opportunities to do so.

In a finding that says Gaetz dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with him he had a personal relationship, the report says that Gaetz used the power of his office to assist a woman with whom he was engaged in a sexual relationship in obtaining an expedited passport, despite that woman not being his constituent.

The committee also found that Gaetz obstructed the panels probe, noting that he declined to provide testimony voluntarily and did not appear when subpoenaed, and charging that he routinely ignored or significantly delayed producing relevant information requested by the Committee.

Gaetz denies wrongdoing

Gaetz has vigorously denied having sexual contact with someone under the age of 18 and other wrongdoing, including in the Monday court filing that aimed to block the reports release. Gaetzs attorneys said the report contains untruthful and defamatory information that would significantly damage his reputation.

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The Department of Justice had looked into whether Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws related to the 17-year-old and traveling with her across state lines, but in 2023 declined to charge Gaetz with a crime.

When the DOJ probe ended, however, the Ethics Committee booted up its investigation into Gaetz. The House Committee is empowered by the House to investigate whether representatives or staff have violated the rules and standards of the House, and has much different standards than federal law enforcement agencies.

Gaetz has noted the different standards of the internal Ethics committee versus a court when defending himself, saying in a post last week: I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court  which is why no such claim was ever made in court.

Reports release marks end to drama on Capitol Hill

Mondays release of the report marks the end of a weeks-long drama surrounding whether the panel, which typically conducts its work in secrecy would release its findings.

The panel had been investigating Gaetz since 2021. But interest in the probe reached a fever pitch in November after Gaetz was nominated by President-elect Trump to be attorney general and resigned from the House that day  a one-two step that came days before the committee was scheduled to meet and vote on whether to release its report into the Florida Republican.

Gaetz ultimately withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general days later amid opposition from GOP senators, then said he would not take the oath of office for the 119th Congress.

Some in both parties argued the committee should still release the report, especially in light of his Cabinet nomination  and Democrats pushed for it even after he withdrew from consideration  while other Republicans contended that the nearly-finished report should never be released since Gaetz was no longer a member of Congress.

The Ethics Committee does not have jurisdiction over former members of Congress. While rare, however, the panel has a few times released findings on former members  most recently in 2006, when the panel released the results of its investigation into former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), focusing on the conduct of House Republican leaders.

The debate over releasing the report divided the Ethics Committee. While Democrats were firm in their belief that the body of work should go public, Guest, the panels chairman, publicly said the findings should not see the light of day. In November, after Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration from attorney general, Guest said I think that this should end the discussion of whether or not the Ethics Committee should continue to move forward in this matter.

He stood firm in that position in the final report, writing an unusual dissenting statement that criticized the panels decision to release the report on Gaetz. He said he was writing on behalf of panel members who do not support the release of the report, but did not disclose who is included in that group.

While we do not challenge the Committees findings, we take great exception that the majority deviated from the Committees well-established standards and voted to release a report on an individual no longer under the Committees jurisdiction, an action the Committee has not taken since 2006, the statement said.

Guests statement noted that Gaetz has said he will not return for the 119th Congress, which starts on Jan. 3, arguing that the break from long-standing practice, opens the panel to undue criticism and will be viewed by some as an attempt to weaponize the Committees process.

The panel took a vote to release the report in November, which failed. Then a pair of House Democrats forced votes in the House on resolutions that would have compelled the Ethics Committee to publish its body of work on Gaetz, but the chamber voted to refer the measures back to committee  torpedoing the effort to reveal the findings.

Updated at 12:04 p.m.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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(Bloomberg) -- House investigators found substantial evidence former Representative Matt Gaetz paid several women  including a 17-year-old girl  for sex and bought and used illegal drugs while in Congress, according to a bipartisan committee report released Monday.

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Gaetz, who President-elect Donald Trump initially nominated to be his attorney general, had asked a court to prevent the reports release, but his paperwork was filed incorrectly.

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The committee wrote there was ample evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.

In addition to the sexual misconduct, the committee found evidence that Gaetz used illicit drugs and created a fake email from his Capitol Hill official congressional office for the purpose of purchasing marijuana. The report also accuses Gaetz of accepting excessive undisclosed gifts, including a 2018 Bahamas vacation.

Gaetz, a Florida Republican who has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing, in November resigned his congressional seat and bowed out of consideration to be Trumps attorney general amid opposition to his confirmation from GOP senators. But the details in the report still raise questions about his political future, including a possible run for governor of Florida.

Gaetzs lawyers did not respond to requests for comment Monday. Gaetz dismissed the allegations in a series of posts on X Monday.

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Last week, Gaetz posted that a Justice Department investigation into the same allegations, which didnt result in charges, exonerated him. He added that the Ethics Committee relied on witnesses that federal prosecutors concluded were not credible. In the report Monday, the panel said it found testimony from witnesses it heard credible.

Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now, he wrote.

Gaetz, 42, was always a controversial choice for the top job at Justice, not only because of the lingering ethics questions surrounding him. He also spearheaded efforts in October 2023 to topple then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over passage of a short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.

That move left the House without a speaker  and unable to pass legislation  for about three weeks as various Republicans failed to win enough votes to secure the job. The GOP caucus ultimately elected the current speaker  Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson  as McCarthys replacement.

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The bipartisan Ethics Committee had initially voted to keep the report under wraps after Gaetz resigned from office. The decision to release the report shows that at least one Republican joined with Democrats to vote for its publication.

Its unusual  but not unprecedented  for the committee to put out a report about a former member.

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A House ethics panel found substantial evidence that former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl, used illegal drugs and paid thousands of dollars to women he met through disgraced Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg, according to an investigative report released Monday.

The congressional probe emerged from the federal prosecution of Greenberg, who is now serving an 11-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to several crimes, including sex trafficking of a minor.

Gaetz, a Panhandle Republican, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has never been charged criminally.

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But the ethics panel for the House  where Gaetz served nearly eight years  found substantial evidence that he violated Floridas statutory rape law, engaged in commercial sex and broke House rules. Most of the sex-for-money encounters occurred in Florida, particularly around Orlando, and several of the women involved were students based in that area, the committee said.

Though the allegations have followed Gaetz for years, the committees report marks a first public finding of fault against the former firebrand congressman and loyalist to President-elect Donald Trump.

The committee authorized 29 subpoenas, reviewed nearly 14,000 documents and contacted more than two dozen witnesses, according to its nearly 40-page report.

Trump had picked Gaetz to become U.S. attorney general, but Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration while facing scrutiny from the ethics probe. Gaetz resigned his seat in Congress last month to pursue the attorney general post.

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House investigators wrote that evidence showed Gaetz regularly paid women for sex from at least 2017 to 2020, engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old in 2017 and used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions. The panel also found Gaetz accepted gifts in excess of permissible amounts, including transportation and lodging for a 2018 trip to the Bahamas.

Representative Gaetz has acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the

House, the panel concluded.

The committee said it did not find conclusive evidence that Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws.

View this document on Scribd

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Asked about the reports findings that Gaetz violated Florida laws, Nick Cox, statewide prosecutor in Florida Attorney General Ashley Moodys office, said any allegations of criminal wrongdoing would be investigated by a local police department, sheriffs office or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The FDLE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesman for the Seminole County Sheriffs Office  Seminole was the site of a house party mentioned in the report  said it started the investigation into Greenberg but turned the case over to federal authorities when it became clear more serious federal charges could be pursued.

Deputies would have needed a sworn statement or affidavit from a victim to start an investigation into any sexual crimes that might have happened in Seminole, the agency said.

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No one has come forward with allegations relating to this report, it said in an emailed statement. By the time federal investigators had a verbal conversation with the SCSO regarding their findings and decision not to pursue federal charges, the states statute of limitations had long expired, it added.

Gaetz, 42, sued the House Ethics Committee in federal court Monday to try to block it from releasing the report, arguing it had no authority over a private citizen. In a social media statement, he denied having sex with a 17-year-old.

My 30s were an era of working very hard  and playing hard too, he wrote on Wednesday. Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.

Gaetz has acknowledged he paid for flights, hotel rooms and expensive dinners for women he dated, though he has maintained it wasnt illegal. I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it is not, Gaetz said in an Axios interview in 2021.

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The report details Gaetzs relationship with Greenberg, whom he befriended shortly after Greenberg took office in January 2017.

Gaetz and Greenberg frequently attended parties with young women in attendance, many of whom were initially contacted by Greenberg via a dating website, according to the report.

While all the women that the Committee interviewed stated their sexual activity with Representative Gaetz was consensual, at least one woman felt that the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have impair[ed their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent, the report states.

The women also discussed instances where Representative Gaetz would try to convince them to have sex with him or Mr. Greenberg, the report states. The ethics panel quoted one of the women as saying, [H]e would make me feel bad about not having sex with him or Joel Greenberg and that he would say, Why dont you want to have sex with me or [Mr. Greenberg] looks very sad over there  make him happy.

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The report references a July 15, 2017, house party that Gaetz attended at the Heathrow home of developer and former state Rep. Christopher Dorworth. The party was also attended by Greenberg, Gaetzs then-girlfriend and several others, including a 17-year-old girl referred to in the ethics report as Victim A, the committee said.

The record overwhelmingly suggests that Representative Gaetz had sex with multiple women at the party, including the then-17-year-old, for which they were paid, the report states.

The ethics committee received testimony the girl and Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other attendees, according to the report. The girl, who had just finished her junior year of high school, recalled receiving $400 in cash from Gaetz, which she understood as payment for sex, the report states.

The girl acknowledged that she was under the influence of ecstasy during her sexual encounters with Gaetz at the party and recalled seeing Gaetz use cocaine, the committee said.

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The ethics committee did not receive any evidence indicating that Gaetz was aware the girl was under 18 when he had sex with her, according to the report. The committee noted in the report that a person charged with statutory rape in Florida may not claim ignorance or misrepresentation of the minors age as a defense.

In a deposition in a related lawsuit, Dorworth denied being at his home during the party.

Dorworth called the report total garbage on an X post on Monday. Youve heard of Fake News, he wrote. This is fake Congress.

In a letter to the committee from his attorney, he issued a demand for a correction for demonstrably false statements included in the report.

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Several of your reports findings about my client are inaccurate, and we demand a retraction as soon as possible, wrote Alex Andrade, Dorworths attorney and a state lawmaker, in a letter Monday.

The women who provided crucial testimony to the ethics committee did so at significant personal cost, said Joel Leppard, an Orlando lawyer who represented two witnesses.

Their testimony, supported by extensive documentation and corroborating witnesses, has now been validated through this comprehensive investigation, he said.

For two years, the U.S. Department of Justice investigated the allegations but ended its probe without filing criminal charges against Gaetz. The House Ethics Committee, which has jurisdiction over the conduct of members of Congress, started its probe in April 2021.

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The panel concluded that Gaetz did not violate federal sex trafficking law because although Representative Gaetz did cause the transportation of women across state lines for purposes of commercial sex, the Committee did not find evidence that any of those women were under 18 at the time of travel, nor did the Committee find sufficient evidence to conclude that the commercial sex acts were induced by force, fraud, or coercion.

Political analysts said the reports findings would traditionally spell doom for a politician, but in todays environment, his future isnt clear cut, particularly if Gaetz continues to have Trumps backing. Gaetz has been mentioned as a potential candidate for Florida governor in 2026.

In any healthy representative democracy, that would be the end of Matt Gaetz politically, said Mac Stipanovich, a Tallahassee consultant and anti-Trump Republican-turned-Democrat. I believe, as difficult a situation in which we find ourselves, that we are still healthy enough as a country and as a state for that to still be true.

Aubrey Jewett, a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida, said that in a different era, the reports findings would be disqualifying. Now, in todays era, its hard to say for sure.

Gaetz hasnt announced his next political step. He is launching a show on the pro-Trump One America News Network in January.

Orlando attorney John Morgan, a prominent Democratic fundraiser who left the party to become independent, has been in talks with Gaetz about joining his firm Morgan & Morgan. He wrote in an e-mail he was unfazed by the report.

Many people have used cocaine and smoked dope, Morgan said. So what. I dont care.

Morgan said Gaetz assured him that the reports finding of sex with a 17-year-old was a lie.

My firm is a big tent, and I value mercy most, Morgan said.
The bipartisan House Ethics Committee on Monday released a scathing report concluding its yearslong investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, finding "substantial evidence" that he had sex with a 17-year-old in 2017 in violation of Florida's statutory rape law, and engaged in a broader pattern of paying women for sex.

The report also detailed evidence of illegal drug use, acceptance of improper gifts, granting special favors to personal associates, and obstruction, after Gaetz refused to comply with subpoenas and withheld evidence from the committee.

A woman testified to the committee that Gaetz had sex with her in 2017, when she was 17 and had just completed her junior year of high school, and Gaetz was in his first year in Congress. Identified only as "Victim A" in the report, the woman told investigators she received $400 in cash from the then-congressman that evening, "which she understood to be payment for sex," according to the report.

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MORE: Woman testified to House Ethics Committee that Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17: Sources

"The Committee received credible testimony from Victim A herself, as well as multiple individuals corroborating the allegation," the report says. "Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age."

While many of the allegations in the committee's report have been previously reported, this is the first time the woman's direct testimony about Gaetz having sex with her when she was a minor has been made public, along with corroborating testimony from others.

Investigators noted that while the former Florida congressman has "suggested that the allegations against him have been manufactured" and had called into question Victim A's credibility, "the Committee found no reason to doubt the credibility of Victim A."

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The report details that between 2017-2020, records obtained by the committee show Gaetz paid nearly $100,000 dollars to 12 different women and to Joel Greenberg, his one-time close friend who in 2021 pleaded guilty to numerous crimes, including sex trafficking Victim A.

PHOTO: Former Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks ahead of a visit by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during the AmericaFest 2024 conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Dec. 22, 2024. (Cheney Orr/Reuters)

While all the women who testified to the committee described their sexual encounters with Gaetz as consensual, according to the report, one woman raised concerns that drug use at the parties and events may have "impair[ed their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent." Another woman told the committee, "When I look back on certain moments, I feel violated."

The report alleges that Gaetz "took advantage of the economic vulnerability of young women to lure them into sexual activity for which they received an average of a few hundred dollars after each encounter."

"Such behavior is not 'generosity to ex-girlfriends,' and it does not reflect creditably upon the House," the report reads, referencing the former congressman's previous statement dismissing the allegations as someone "trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward."

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"Based on the above, the Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress," the report says.

Following the release of the report, Gaetz shared on X what appears to be a message he received from President-elect Donald Trump, though it is unclear when the message was sent.

"I got a great note from President Trump!" Gaetz wrote alongside a photograph showing what appears to be a brief message from Trump, saying, "Matt very unfair!"

Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. The Justice Department declined to charge him last year after a yearslong investigation into similar allegations.

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Last month, Trump tapped Gaetz to serve as attorney general in the incoming administration, and Gaetz resigned his congressional seat shortly after. Gaetz subsequently withdrew his name from consideration for AG, saying his confirmation process was "unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition."

MORE: Gaetz allegedly flew 2 women to New York, paid them for sex: Attorney

The Ethics Committee was in the final stages of its probe into Gaetz when Trump tapped him for attorney general. The committee generally drops investigations of members if they leave office, but Gaetz's resignation prompted a fiery debate on Capitol Hill over whether the panel should release its report to allow the Senate to perform its role of vetting presidential nominations.

Following indications last week that the committee would release its report, Gaetz took to X in a lengthy post, writing in part that when he was single he "often sent funds to women" he dated and that he "never had sexual contact with someone under 18."

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"It's embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now," he posted. "I've never been charged. I've never been sued. Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body."

In its report, the committee concluded that it did not find substantial evidence that Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, finding that while Gaetz "did cause the transportation of women across state lines for purposes of commercial sex," investigators did not find evidence "that any of those women were under 18 at the time of travel, nor did the Committee find sufficient evidence to conclude that the commercial sex acts were induced by force, fraud, or coercion."

MORE: Matt Gaetz withdraws from consideration as Donald Trump's attorney general

According to the report, the committee conducted over two dozen interviews, issued 29 subpoenas, reviewed nearly 14,000 documents, and requested information from multiple government agencies as part of its extensive investigation into the allegations.

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The committee received written testimony from Greenberg but, due to credibility concerns, investigators said they would "not rely exclusively on information provided by Mr. Greenberg," according to the report.

The committee also accused Gaetz of obstructing its investigation by ignoring subpoenas, withholding documents, and declining to answer questions about the allegations.

"Representative Gaetz continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead the Committee in order to prevent his actions from being exposed," the report reads. "His actions undermine not only his claims that he had exculpatory information to provide, but also his claims that he intended to cooperate with the Committee in good faith. It is apparent that Representative Gaetz's assertions were nothing more than attempts to delay the Committee's investigation."

The committee had been investigating allegations that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift, according to sources.

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Earlier this year, the committee released a statement that it would continue its probe but would no longer pursue allegations that Gaetz "may have shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe or improper gratuity."

According to the report, while several committee members did not support its release, a majority of its members voted in favor of its release on Dec. 10. In a statement at the conclusion of the report, House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest reiterated his stance against the release of the report on behalf of the dissenting members while acknowledging that he and other members do not dispute the report's findings.

"We believe and remain steadfast in the position that the House Committee on Ethics lost jurisdiction to release to the public any substantive work product regarding Mr. Gaetz after his resignation from the House on November 14, 2024," Guest wrote.

Earlier Monday Gaetz filed a lawsuit against the Ethics Committee in an effort to stop the committee from releasing its report.

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"This action challenges the Committee's unconstitutional and ultra vires attempt to exercise jurisdiction over a private citizen through the threatened release of an investigative report containing potentially defamatory allegations," the filing from Gaetz said.

MORE: House Ethics Committee expected to release Gaetz report: Sources

Gaetz in the filing asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to block the release of the report or any findings, which he says would cause "damage to his reputation and professional standing" that would be "immediate and severe."

"The threatened release of information believed to be defamatory by a Congressional committee concerning matters of sexual propriety and other acts of alleged moral turpitude constitutes irreparable harm that cannot be adequately remedied through monetary damages," the filing stated.

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"After Plaintiff's resignation from Congress, Defendants improperly continued to act on its investigation, and apparently voted to publicly release reports and/or investigative materials related to Plaintiff without proper notice or disclosure to Plaintiff," the complaint said.

Following the report's release Monday, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta gave Gaetz until 5 p.m. ET to show why the suit shouldn't be dismissed with prejudice for lack of jurisdiction, given "this case appears to be moot in light of the House Ethics Committee's public disclosure of the report."

In a subsequent filing, attorneys for Gaetz acknowledged that their lawsuit is now "mooted" following the release of the report -- a move they said has caused Gaetz "irreversible and irreparable harm."

The filing said the committee's decision to release the report was "unprecedented and procedurally defective," and reiterated their claim that it was released without notifying him.

House Ethics report finds 'substantial evidence' Gaetz violated Florida statutory rape law originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell

CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Gaps between Israel and Hamas over a possible Gaza ceasefire have narrowed, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials' remarks on Monday, though crucial differences have yet to be resolved.

A fresh bid by mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the fighting and release Israeli and foreign hostages has gained momentum this month, though no breakthrough has yet been reported.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said progress had been made in hostage negotiations with Hamas in Gaza but that he did not know how much longer it would take to see the results.

During a speech in Israel's Knesset, Netanyahu said Israel had made "great achievements" militarily on several fronts and that military pressure on Hamas had led its leaders to soften their previous demands.

A Palestinian official familiar with the talks said while some sticking points had been resolved, the identity of some of the Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in return for hostages had yet to be agreed, along with the precise deployment of Israeli troops in Gaza.

His remarks corresponded with comments by the Israeli diaspora minister, Amichai Chikli, who said both issues were still being negotiated. Nonetheless, he said, the sides were far closer to reaching agreement than they have been for months.

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"This ceasefire can last six months or it can last 10 years, it depends on the dynamics that will form on the ground," Chikli told Israel's Kan radio. Much hinged on what powers would be running and rehabilitating Gaza once fighting stopped, he said.

The duration of the ceasefire has been a fundamental sticking point throughout several rounds of failed negotiations. Hamas wants an end to the war, while Israel wants an end to Hamas' rule of Gaza first.

"The issue of ending the war completely hasn't yet been resolved," said the Palestinian official.

Israeli minister Zeev Elkin, a member of Netanyahu's security cabinet, told Israel's Army Radio that the aim was to find an agreed framework that would resolve that difference during a second stage of the ceasefire deal.

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Chikli said the first stage would be a humanitarian phase that will last 42 days and include a hostage release.

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The war was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 45,200 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-run enclave. Most of the population of 2.3 million has been displaced and much of Gaza is in ruins.

At least 24 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday, medics said.

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Among the dead were four Palestinians killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a group of Palestinians tasked with protecting aid trucks into Gaza, medics said.

Later on Monday, the Israeli military published evacuation orders to residents of several districts in the Shejaia neighbourhood of Gaza City, citing rocket firing from the area.

One of Gaza's few still partially functioning hospitals, on its northern edge, an area under intense Israeli military pressure for nearly three months, sought urgent help after being hit by Israeli fire.

"We are facing a continuous daily threat," said Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital. "The bombing continues from all directions, affecting the building, the departments, and the staff."

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The Israeli military did not immediately comment. On Sunday it said it was supplying fuel and food to the hospital and helping evacuate some patients and staff to safer areas.

Palestinians accuse Israel of seeking to permanently depopulate northern Gaza to create a buffer zone, which Israel denies.

Israel says its operation around the three communities on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip - Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia - is targeting Hamas militants.

On Monday, the United Nations' aid chief, Tom Fletcher, said Israeli forces had hampered efforts to deliver much-needed aid in northern Gaza.

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"North Gaza has been under a near-total siege for more than two months, raising the spectre of famine," he said. "South Gaza is extremely overcrowded, creating horrific living conditions and even greater humanitarian needs as winter sets in."

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell. Additional reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, William Maclean)
Ernie Giannecchini grew up in the Central Valley town of Stockton and wanted to give something back to his community by lowering gas prices before the holidays, when fuel costs generally spike

The former attorney has owned the store and gas station for more than 45 years, and he says his customers tell him the discounted prices really help them out around the holidays

Some of them say it really helps them out to buy some extra gifts for their kids or something a little bit nicer, he tells PEOPLE

Ernie Giannecchini is doing more than helping fill gas tanks, hes also fueling the holiday spirit in his community.

While on the phone to PEOPLE, hes working the counter and getting verbal and physical high-fives from his customers, thanking him for helping them out during the holidays.

I just decided to try to lower my prices as low as I could in the spirit of gratitude for all my loyal customers of the last 45 years, says Giannecchini, 76. Ive had customers throughout the year saying thank you, up to that customer who was here just a few minutes ago.



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Related: Deacon Says His Dazzling Christmas Light Display Has Led to 82 Marriage Proposals and Even a 'Miracle' (Exclusive)

Located in the Central Valley farmlands, about the midpoint between Sacramento and San Francisco, his customers often commute between the larger cities for work. A few coins difference between Ernies prices and corporate gas stations make a big impact on their bottom line.

The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of peace and giving and positive thinking, Giannecchini says. And when we can do that, that's what it's all about. You see smiles on kids' faces, it is great to see them happy.

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He says he used to play Santa every Christmas until I didn't need a pillow anymore to play Santa, he says with a jolly chuckle. I also played Santa for family and friends for their kids. It was always fun to see their reaction. And in a sense, I see the same reaction right now by somewhat playing Santa," he adds.

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The popular Ernies Country Store has been known for generations as the place to go for gas, groceries and a great Italian deli. Giannecchini, who is fluent in both Italian and Spanish, easily transitions between different languages in his multi-cultural community  and his Italian-inspired store offers pastas, sauces and, during the holidays, panettone, the traditional Christmas bread.

Courtesy of Ernie Giannecchini A jolly Ernie Giannecchini outside his Ernie's General Store in Stockton A jolly Ernie Giannecchini outside his Ernie's General Store in Stockton

He says his family didnt have very much growing up, so the little Italian chocolates and amaretto cookies were special to them during Christmas.

We didnt get them other times of the year, he says.

So it warms his heart to see his customers at his best deli west of Italy spend their gas savings on something special at his old-fashioned country store. They feel like theyve got it for free because right across the street, its sometimes a dollar more a gallon, Giannecchini says.

Courtesy of Ernie Giannecchini Ernie Giannecchini at the pump with his sign showing his low gas prices Ernie Giannecchini at the pump with his sign showing his low gas prices

He says the price gap varies, and depends a lot on his gas suppliers, who have tried to cut him a break to pass on to his customers. Currently, he sells regular gas at $3.49 a gallon, compared to the close by Chevron station at $4.39 and Shell station at $4.30.

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Its been like being Santa Claus in a sense, or the turkey for Thanksgiving, he says. It feels really good to be able to do that.

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The son of Italian immigrants says he knows full well the financial pinch that happens during the holidays.

Some of them say it really helps them out to buy some extra gifts for their kids or something a little bit nicer, Giannecchini says. And if they are (commuting) back and forth to the Bay Area, they are saving quite a bit of money.

He says a couple of people have told him theyve had some medical expenses and this has helped them out tremendously. Thats very touching to know that while people are hurting because of additional expenses, this has saved them a bit, Giannecchini says.



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Related: College Student Once Got Christmas Wishes Fulfilled Thanks to 'Angel' Donors. Now Shes Paying It Forward (Exclusive)

And he says owning his general store has given him much more pleasure than his days as a public defender. He grew up locally, attended college at UC Davis and graduated from their Italian campus before attending law school.

I didnt like the justice system, so I decided to quit, Giannecchini says. I took over my cousins business right before the gas crunch.

So in 1979, he lowered his prices and got more customers. And loyal customers. His parents are gone now and he says he feels his employees and his customers are his family now.

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People ask when are you going to retire. Well, people keep me going and make me feel young, Giannecchini says. I could have retired several years ago and then I think, what am I going to be doing if I retire? After this, I almost felt like putting on my old Santa outfit.



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SYDNEY, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- A police manhunt is underway for two people after a woman was shot dead in Australia's state of Queensland.

The Queensland Police said in a statement on Sunday that they were called to a Railway Parade address at Caboolture, a town about 45 km north of Brisbane, at around 12.10 a.m. on Sunday where they located the woman unconscious and unresponsive. She was declared dead later.

Initial investigations indicate the 23-year-old woman was assaulted by two males and sustained a gunshot wound outside the Railway Parade property.

Detectives believe this is not a random attack and have launched a homicide investigation. 
Dec. 23WARDEN  Grant County Fire District 4 Fire Chief Kevin Whitaker has been placed on unpaid administrative leave. Grant County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman confirmed there is an ongoing investigation for malfeasance through GCSO which began in late November.

"The Grant County Sheriff's Office is conducting an investigation into a complaint regarding malfeasance and while the investigation is underway, we would not be able to release any information," Foreman said.

The Grant County Fire District 4 Board of Commissioners told Acting Chief Dan Bates they would not be issuing a statement in regard to the matter.

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"I was hoping we would meet with the (Grant County Fire District 4 Board of) commissioners at the regular meeting here," Bates said. "I requested a statement. We were going to put one together and then on the advice of their attorney, he advised not to release one."

Whitaker began at the volunteer fire department around 2008, according to Bates. The role of chief is the only paid position in the station and the department is currently looking for his replacement.

"I've definitely not been promoted," Bates said. "I'm still just the Assistant Chief, so I'm just the next highest-ranking officer. The command falls to me until they replace somebody else. But I already have a full-time job. I'm not looking for another one."

Foreman said once the investigator submits his report any needed recommendations of charges to the prosecutor's office and becomes public record in Washington more information can be shared with the public.

Correction: Kevin Whitaker is the chief under investigation. Randy Wiggins is not being investigated.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC)  Geneva Police are looking for your help locating a car that may be connected to a shots fired call.

Around 2 a.m. on Saturday, Police were called to Castle Street between Main Street and Dorchester Avenue.

Investigators discovered that five shots were fired toward the Geneva Public Library. No one was hit.

Geneva PD looking for car that may have been involved in shots fired call near library.

Police are looking for a black four-door sedan that was traveling on Castle Street and may have been involved.

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Contact Detective Lieutenant John Van Savage 315-828-6779 jjv@geneva.ny.us if you have any information.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst.
The Georgia Secretary of States Office issued an emergency cease and desist order against a cryptocurrency firm accused of engaging in unregistered securities offerings.

According to the Sec. of States office, Trage Technologies Limited is accused of violating the Georgia uniform Securities Act and offering fraudulent investment schemes using cryptocurrency trading programs to the harm of its investors and the public.

State officials said the firm, operated by principals Graeme Gary Hearn, Michael Holloway and Georgia resident Eric Ture Muhammad, have marketed an automated cryptocurrency trading program to Georgia investors while falsely claiming to be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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However, Georgia officials said Trage has never been registered with the SEC or with the Georgia Sec. of States Office.

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Using aggressive marketing tactics, the individuals allegedly boasted unrealistic returns, including daily profits of $120 and annual returns of $43,800 on a $10,000 investment, misleading investors into believing the program was a fail-safe investment, the Sec. of States Office said.

An investigation into the accusations further supported allegations that investor assets were being misappropriated and transferred to undisclosed recipients rather than being used for legitimate trading activities, officials said, to a total of $79 million to-date, raising concerns of fraud.

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The Sec. of States Office said Muhammad was also already the subject of an active emergency cease and desist order from January, where he was barred from broker-dealer activities in the state, but continued to promote investment schemes, including those from Trage.

Muhammads promotion included false claims regarding regulatory settlements and misleading representations to investors, the office said.

As a result, officials determined that immediate action was needed to stop more harm being done, and moved to remove Trages website and block investor account access through the emergency order.

This Emergency Order reflects our commitment to protect Georgias investors from fraudulent and unregistered securities schemes, said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. These individuals have jeopardized the financial well-being of Georgians and lied to the public. We urge anyone affected to come forward and seek assistance.

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Anyone who may have been impacted by Trage are encouraged to contact the Georgia Securities Division at 470-312-2640.

The investigation into Trage remains ongoing, officials said.

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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has warned of the fallout of a possible war between Turkey and Kurdish forces in Syria.

"This must not happen," Baerbock said on Germany's Deutschlandfunk radio on Monday. "It would help no one if the Islamic State terrorists were the ones to benefit from a conflict with the Kurds. This would pose a security threat to Syria, Turkey and Europe."

According to Kurdish sources, Turkey and its allied militias are preparing to launch an offensive on the northern Syrian border town of Kobane. Heavy fighting has been going on around Kobane and in areas of northern Syria for some time.

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Turkey has repeatedly carried out military operations against the Kurdish militia YPG in northern Syria, which it sees as an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) and therefore a terrorist organization, and is occupying border regions there with the support of rebels.

The United States supports the Kurdish forces in northern Syria, viewing them as an important partner in the fight against the extremist militia Islamic State in the country.

Baerbock also recalled that it was primarily Kurdish forces that pushed back Islamic State.

Turkey "naturally" has legitimate security interests, Baerbock said, and like every country wants to be free of terrorism. But this should not be used "to expel the Kurds again, to cause more violence," she added.
Two German parliamentary committees are to interrupt the Christmas recess to hold special sessions following the deadly attack on a Christmas market in the central city of Magdeburg, dpa learnt from parliament sources on Monday.

The Internal Affairs Committee and the Parliamentary Oversight Panel responsible for oversight of the country's intelligence agencies will meet on December 30, it said.

The meeting of the oversight committee, which will be held behind closed doors, is scheduled to start at 10 am (0900 GMT).

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It will be followed by the meeting of the Internal Affairs Committee, which is expected to begin at around 12 pm.

Members of both committees will attend the respective meetings in person, not via video link.
The alleged perpetrator of the deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market last week in Germany had been contacted by police just weeks before the incident, authorities said on Monday.

The attack in the central city of Magdeburg on Friday, which killed five people and injured 235 others, is believed to have been carried out by a Saudi national identified only as Taleb A according to German privacy laws.

Investigators have been searching for a motive since the incident, amid suggestions that authorities failed to heed warnings about the man.

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Tamara Zieschang, the interior minister of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, on Monday told lawmakers in Magdeburg that police met the man twice - in September 2023 and October 2024 - to warn him about his behaviour.

The first conversation was held at the police station in Salzlandkreis, near Magdeburg, while the meeting this year took place at the suspect's workplace.

Zieschang did not comment publicly on the background to the meetings, but told members of the state parliament that she would present relevant context in the confidential part of the parliamentary session.
By Miranda Murray and Kirsti Knolle

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany searched on Monday for answers on possible security lapses after a man drove his car into a Christmas market, killing at least five people and casting a renewed spotlight on security and immigration ahead of a snap election.

The possible motive of the arrested suspect, a 50-year-old psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia with a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric and a sympathy for the far-right Alternative for Germany Party, remains unknown.

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The man, identified only as Taleb A., had left video messages on his X social media account on the day of the attack.

In rambling commentary, he variously blamed Germany's supposed liberalism for the death of Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher, and accused police of stealing a USB stick from him and destroying a criminal complaint he had filed.

The Welt newspaper said he had undergone psychological treatment.

As a nation mourned, with citizens leaving flowers and lighting candles in Magdeburg where the incident took place on Friday, questions swirled about whether more could have been done and whether the authorities could have acted on warnings.

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Around 3,500 people attended a rally of the anti-migrant AfD on Magdeburg's cathedral square late on Monday where co-leader Alice Weidel called for change "so we can finally live once again in security". Cries of "deport them" erupted from the crowd.

About 4,000 candle-carrying counter-demonstrators, according to a police estimate, formed a human chain to protest against what they called the political use of a horrible incident and hate.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called for tougher internal security laws to be adopted, including a new act to strengthen police forces as well as the introduction of biometric surveillance.

"It is clear that we must do everything to protect the people of Germany from such horrific acts of violence. To do this, our security authorities need all the necessary powers and more personnel," Faeser told Spiegel news magazine.

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The deputy head of a security committee in the Bundestag (parliament) announced he would convene a special session asking why previous warnings about the danger posed by Taleb A. were not acted upon. Taleb A. has lived in Germany since 2006.

The attack occurred two months before a snap election in February where the AfD is polling in second place and is particularly strong in eastern Germany, where Magdeburg is located.

Everyone deals with this situation in their own way, some are grieving, others are angry," said Andreas Bohs, who was passing the Magdeburg attack site where mourners laid flowers, candles, teddies and other stuffed toys.

"Everyone has the right to express their opinion and this should not be used for any political purposes here. But I know that every political party somehow does it."

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A local hospital said it was still treating 72 injured people, of which 15 were in severe condition.

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Germany's main opposition Christian Democratic Union, which polls indicate will form the next government, called for the strengthening of intelligence services.

Holger Muench, president of the federal criminal police office (BKA), told public broadcaster ZDF during the weekend that Germany was reviewing security measures at Christmas markets and addressing any vulnerabilities.

Muench said Germany had received a warning from Saudi Arabia as far back as 2023 about the suspect, which German authorities investigated but found vague.

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"The man also published a huge number of posts on the internet. He also had various contacts with the authorities, made insults and even threats. But he was not known for acts of violence," Muench said.

Taha al-Hajji, a Saudi lawyer in exile and the legal director for the Berlin-based European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, said most Saudi opposition activists did not have a good relationship with the suspect.

He made problems with everyone always ... He was really isolated," said al-Hajji.

"He felt that he was the only one right and people were wrong, he felt he was the centre of everything, he was important. He always had problems with everyone."

(Reporting by Miranda Murray, Pesha Magid, Kirsti Knolle, Andrey Sychev, Sarah Marsh and Matthias Williams; writing by Matthias Williams; editing by Mark Heinrich and Rod Nickel)
Berlin supplied Ukraine with 15 Leopard 1A5 tanks, one short-range and one medium-range IRIS-T air defense system with missiles, two Patriot air defense launchers, and other aid in its latest delivery, the German government said on Dec. 23.

With these deliveries, Germany has delivered on its promise to supply Ukraine with two additional IRIS-T systems before the end of the year as the country braces for intensified Russian aerial strikes during winter.

Germany has also handed over a self-propelled Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzer, two Gepard anti-aircraft guns, 30 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP), seven Caracal air assault vehicles, and 12 Kinetic Defense Vehicles.

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The latest assistance also includes dozens of reconnaissance drones, including 30 Vector drones, 24 RQ-35 Heidrun drones, and 14 Hornet XR drones.

Ukraine further received 52,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition, shells for Leopard drones, radars, small arms, and other weapons, vehicles, and equipment.

Initially criticized for its sluggish delivery of military aid to Ukraine following the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Berlin has become the second-largest provider of military equipment after the U.S.

Read also: Germany to deliver 2 IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine by years end, ministry says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
36,706 people played the daily Crossword recently. Can you solve it faster than others?

36,706 people played the daily Crossword recently. Can you solve it faster than others?
PHNOM PENH, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has seen a 54.5 percent surge in the number of Chinese tourists during the first 11 months of 2024, said a Cambodian Ministry of Tourism's report released on Monday.

A total of 769,775 Chinese visitors traveled to the Southeast Asian country during the January-November period this year, up 54.5 percent from 498,250 over the same period in 2023, the report said.

The number of Chinese tourists accounted for 12.8 percent of the total 6 million international tourist arrivals to Cambodia during the first 11 months of this year, the report said, adding that China was the third-biggest source of foreign holidaymakers to the kingdom after Thailand and Vietnam.

Cambodia's Tourism Minister Huot Hak said the growth of Chinese tourists is an important opportunity, not only to boost the development of the tourism industry, but also to create investment opportunities in other sectors.

"The future of Cambodia's tourism industry is inseparable from the inflows of Chinese tourists and investors," he said.

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy, in addition to garment, footwear and travel goods export, agriculture, and construction and real estate.

The country received 5.45 million international tourists in the entirety of 2023, generating a gross revenue of 3.08 billion U.S. dollars, according to the Ministry of Tourism. 
The floor of Nebraska's unique Unicameral Legislature. (Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examiner)

As members of the Nebraska Legislature pack their bags for next months annual government gathering at the Capitol, each surely will have a to-do list in tow: bills or brainstorms or big ideas they hope the other 48 souls in the chamber will find palatable. More important, however, is whether said lists solve problems and enhance the quality of life for Nebraskans.

Finding traction in the Legislature can be a Sisyphean slog these days, with a hill at every stop in process. If recent years provide a road map, its dotted with ditches where some good ideas end up. Thats because some inside the chamber prefer to perpetuate the culture wars, those inflated set-tos designed to ratchet up the drama in the Unicameral but which, alas, have very little real meaning in the lives and times of Nebraskans.

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Senators will also need to convince the governor, whose signature completes the process by which the Legislature chooses whats important. The hope for the rest of us is that what the senators draft, debate and eventually forward to the governors desk for passage is also what is top of mind for us constituents, too.

Which brings us to the oft-cited but difficult to define values, a fuzzy term attached to politics to produce  among other indeterminate phraseology  something called a values voter. To which wags, wits and unreconstructed wiseacres might ask, Is there any other kind?

Values made Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillens own laundry list, his roster of wants for the first session of the 109th Legislature scheduled to begin Jan. 8. He told the Nebraska Examiner he was focusing on kids, taxes, agriculture and values in the upcoming session. One translation reads more like the red meat selections on a conservative menu, including kindling for culture throw downs, not a list of solutions to overwhelming problems  unless one includes a potential impending budget deficit to which one cannot disconnect the subject of taxes.

His focus, according to the list, includes gender issues, high school locker rooms, burger building and design, the price tag of an educated populace and the process by which Nebraskans choose the president. You can throw in some help for ag producers, and his more recent pledge to be onboard with the president-elects plan to mass deport immigrants, despite, as economists have warned, the hit it would have on the states economy.

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The intertwining of property taxes and public school funding remains a conundrum, despite a special session last summer, which produced a nearly imperceptible ripple, and multiple bills every regular session, which usually end up in the aforementioned ditches. Meanwhile, school districts have difficulty planning because of the ebbs and flows of the formula by which schools receive state aid, a calculus that can produce dramatic swings. School financing must include fairness and equitability, but attempts to hamstring schools to achieve some artificial balance should remain nonstarters.

The winner-take-all in presidential races will show up on the docket this session. Like Maine, Nebraska splits its Electoral College votes. But winner-take-all is a structural solution to the political problem of one partys inability to win the hearts, minds and votes of a majority of what most refer to as Nebraskas Blue Dot, its 2nd Congressional District. Rather than coming up with better ideas (being like other states is not one of them), winner-take-all simply changes the rules.

Not making the governors cut, the hope is that housing is atop the lists of some individual senators. The lack of affordable housing has replaced jobs as the number one reason for outmigration, according to the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. A July 2024 report by the states own Legislative Research Office indicated that finding adequate and affordable housing, especially for those below the median wage marker, has become increasingly difficult in the last five years. Yes, we can spend time and energy debating high school locker rooms where a policy is already in place and seems to be working or whether that double cheeseburger had parents. But while we do, one more best and brightest mind may leave the state because affordable housing is scarce.

The list could go on, including affordable quality child care and what guardrails are in place  or should be built  to handle a possible budget deficit.

If youre keeping score at home (and you should be), watching how the Legislature decides to spend its time and, eventually, taxpayers money, says a lot about who we are and what we think is important. You know, what we value.
By itself, the outcome of the 2024 election in Wisconsin tells us very little about which party has the upper hand in Americas most persistent battleground.

Wisconsin was the closest state in the country this fall.

Republicans won the presidential contest by a hair. Democrats won the U.S. Senate race by a hair.

But under the surface, theres a political trend line thats quite troubling for one side (Democrats) and tantalizing for the other (Republicans).

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And that involves the changing partisan makeup of this famously purple state, which has shifted steadily in a Republican direction during the Trump era.

As recently as 2016, Democrats enjoyed a 6-point edge in partisan identification in Wisconsin, according to extensive polling by the Marquette University Law School.

During Donald Trumps first term, however, that morphed into a 2-point Republican advantage.

And during Joe Bidens presidency, it has grown to a 4-point GOP edge. Over the past two years of Marquettes polling in Wisconsin (based on almost 8,000 interviews), 46% of registered voters identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, and 42% identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party.

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This is a pretty remarkable eight-year shift. But it has been largely obscured by the perpetual closeness of statewide elections here, and the fact that Democrats have been winning them more often than losing them.

Weve grown very used to thinking of Wisconsin as a pure 50/50 battleground, and it certainly keeps voting like it. It has now seen six races for president, governor and U.S. Senate decided by a point or less in the past eight years.

But right now, Wisconsin is not a 50/50 state in its partisan makeup. Over the past decade, it has undergone a net shift of 10 points in party ID from a Democratic-leaning electorate to a Republican-leaning one.

The confidence of thinking youre the majority party should not belong to Democrats, says Marquette pollster Charles Franklin, noting that Democrats havent enjoyed an edge in party ID in Wisconsin since 2016.

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The GOPs growing partisan advantage here (which mirrors a nationwide shift toward Republicans) raises all sorts of political questions.

What kinds of voters in Wisconsin have moved away from the Democratic Party?

How have Democrats remained as competitive as ever in statewide races while fewer and fewer voters identify with the party?

How durable is the GOPs current edge in party ID?

And at what point will it translate into more Democratic losses and more Republican victories at the polls?

Lets take these one at a time.

First, an explanation of the underlying poling data, which Franklin pulled together for this story. The Marquette Law School Poll has been around since 2012, conducting more than 80 statewide surveys and interviewing more than 70,000 Wisconsin voters. Since there is no registration by party in Wisconsin, polling provides our best measure of the states partisan makeup, and the Marquette survey is by far our biggest and oldest polling resource.

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Every Marquette survey asks registered voters, Do you usually think of yourself as a Republican, a Democrat or an independent? If they answer independent or dont know, voters are asked if they think of themselves as closer to the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, or neither.

For this analysis, Franklin counted as Republicans people who called themselves Republicans in response to the first question, as well as self-described independents who answered the second question by saying they were closer to the Republican Party. He did the same with Democrats.

Here are the partisan breakdowns of the Wisconsin electorate since the poll began in January 2012, combining all the surveys within each election cycle to get larger and more reliable samples. (Each set of numbers below is based on at least nine polls in that cycle and interviews with at least 7,000 registered voters):

 2012: 43% Republican, 48% Democratic, 8% independent (5-point Democratic edge). 2013-14: 42% Republican, 47% Democratic, 9% independent (5-point Democratic edge). 2015-16: 42% Republican, 48% Democratic, 9% independent (6-point Democratic edge). 2017-18: 45% Republican, 45% Democratic, 9% independent (no edge for either party). 2019-20: 46% Republican, 44% Democratic, 9% independent (2-point Republican edge). 2021-22: 46% Republican, 43% Democratic, 10% independent (3-point Republican edge). 2023-24: 46% Republican, 42% Democratic, 12% independent (4-point Republican edge).

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As these numbers show, Democrats had a steady advantage in party ID of 5-6 points from 2012 through 2016, the last five years of the Obama presidency. They lost that advantage during Trumps presidency and fell further behind during Bidens presidency. Since 2012, there has been a 6-point drop in self-identified Democrats, a 3-point increase in Republicans and a 4-point increase among pure independents.

These are not trivial, snapshot-in-time changes. Party identification is a pretty stable fact, says Franklin. People dont just wake up every morning and reconsider their party ID as if they never had one. There is a real stickiness to it.

The polling also shows that these shifts have been unusually big among certain segments of the electorate. In demographic terms, the GOPs biggest gains by far have been with non-college white men, who have gone from 50% Republican/41% Democratic in 2012 to 57% Republican/32% Democratic in 2024.

Non-white voters without college degrees have also shifted in a GOP direction, especially men. (Non-white combines a lot of different groups, but because Wisconsin is overwhelmingly white, we dont have samples big enough to break out specific data here for Black or Hispanic voters).

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In geographic terms, the biggest shifts have happened in the states western and northern counties  basically, the parts of Wisconsin that lie outside the states three big media markets of Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay. Collectively, these mostly rural areas have gone from 43% Republican/47% Democratic in 2012 (a 4-point Democratic edge) to 50% Republican/37% Democratic in 2024 (a 13-point GOP edge).

Unsurprisingly, these are the same regions where Republican candidates have made their biggest election gains in the past decade.

More: Donald Trump took Wisconsin in 2024 presidential election by scoring broad gains, and by stemming Republican bleeding in suburbs

Democrats' victories obscure voter shift in Wisconsin

But on a statewide level, the relationship between Wisconsins growing Republican edge in party ID and its actual voting history is a bit of a puzzle.

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In fact, since the Democrats lost their edge in party ID during the 2018 election cycle, they have won both races for governor (2018 and 2022); won two out of three U.S. Senate races (winning in 2018 and 2024 and losing in 2022); and split two presidential contests (winning in 2020 and losing in 2024). Republicans have enjoyed a measurable and increasing edge in party ID since the 2020 election cycle but have continued to struggle in big statewide elections to reach or exceed 50% of the vote.

Why havent these changes in the states partisan makeup translated into more, and bigger, GOP victories (or Democratic defeats) in major statewide contests?

One way to think about this is that when a partys voters are outnumbered in the electorate, it is essentially swimming upstream. It can only overcome that disadvantage in partisanship in a handful of ways at election time. It can turn out a higher share of its own voters than the other party. It can be more unified than the other party (for example, if the Democratic candidate wins 95% of Democratic voters but the Republican candidate wins only 90% of Republican voters). Or it can win independent voters.

This is actually how Republican Scott Walker won three elections for governor in 2010, 2012 and 2014, back when Democrats enjoyed an edge in party ID in Wisconsin. Walker was very good at mobilizing Republican turnout. He mostly unified Republican voters. And exit polls suggest he won the independent vote. As a result, he not only carried what was a Democratic-leaning state, but he won by bigger margins (5 to 7 points) than any Republican has in the Trump era.

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Something similar appears to be going on with Democrats now that they face a deficit in party ID in Wisconsin.In the 2020 presidential race in Wisconsin, won by Biden over Trump, the Democratic vote was more unified than the Republican vote. Fewer Democrats defected to vote for Trump than Republicans defected to vote for Biden, according to pre-election polls and election-day exit polls. Polling also suggests Biden won the independent vote that year.

In the 2022 race for governor, Democrat Tony Evers won the independent vote over Republican Tim Michels, according to the polling.

And in 2024, Baldwin narrowly survived her race against Republican Eric Hovde by winning independent voters and by keeping her own party base a little more unified than Hovde did, polls suggest.

More: Gilbert: Wisconsin's Donald Trump-Tammy Baldwin split election explained

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Given the Democrats growing disadvantage in partisan identification in Wisconsin, you could argue theyve over-performed in statewide races (not down-ballot) in the past three election cycles, either thanks to the strength of their own candidates, the weakness of their opponents, or their ability to organize and turn out their voters.

A growing problem for Democrats means opportunities for Republicans

But the 2024 election also points to why this is a serious ongoing challenge, and why the states shifting partisan makeup poses obvious problems for Democrats and opportunities for Republicans.

First, the GOPs edge in party ID has continued to grow over time, Marquettes polling suggests. This really sunk in for me when Marquette released its final pre-election poll this year. It showed Vice President Kamala Harris with a tiny 1-point lead in Wisconsin, not far off her tiny losing margin of nine-tenths of a point.

But the eye-opener was the party breakdown in Marquettes final Wisconsin sample: Republicans had a 4- to 5-point edge in party ID, which is considerably different from the 1- or 2-point GOP edge in party ID we were used to seeing in the 2020 and 2022 cycles.

Could the pre-election polling have overstated the Republican edge in party ID? Maybe. But several things argue against it.

One, Republicans actually did slightly better  not worse  on Election Day than they did in Marquettes pre-election polls. Two, you also find a 4-point GOP edge in party ID if you combine all the Marquette polling in the 2023-24 cycle. Three, the final Wisconsin exit poll of actual voters (done for the networks) showed a similar 3-point GOP edge in party ID. And finally, numerous other pollsters have found a marked national shift in party ID toward the GOP.

So, the polling evidence is pretty strong that the electorate has become more Republican in Wisconsin and elsewhere.

This means that all things being equal (the two parties are equally unified, equally effective at turning out their voters and equally effective at winning independents), Democrats are now disadvantaged in statewide elections here.

Does that mean the Republican-backed candidate in the huge state Supreme Court election this coming April is destined to win? No. Democrats have had a lot of success mobilizing their vote in recent court elections, and turnout will be a huge factor in that contest.

Does it mean Republicans are likely to win the governors race in 2026? Not necessarily. Mid-term elections are often challenging for the party in power in Washington (Republicans). In fact, if Trumps popularity suffers, that might start to reverse his partys gains in party ID.

But we dont know how the Trump presidency will fare.

We do know that over time, Wisconsins political make-up has gradually shifted in a Republican direction. And while the states partisan makeup doesnt dictate the outcome of any single election, it determines the playing field on which candidates compete.

And as long as the GOPs current edge in party ID in Wisconsin endures, its hard to imagine that Democrats wont begin to pay a bigger price for that in big elections.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gilbert: The Wisconsin polling data that should trouble Democrats
Authorities in Florida are searching for a man dressed as Santa Claus after they say he fled from troopers after being accused of speeding on a motorcycle over the weekend.

Troopers began pursuing the suspect around 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, after they alleged he was traveling at 120 mph in Beverly Hills, Fla., which is located about 80 miles north of Tampa, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a statement obtained by the Miami Herald, WTSP and ABC Action News.

In a video shared on X, formerly Twitter, the suspect can be seen allegedly fleeing from authorities by cutting through a gas station before continuing down a road.

The sleigh must be in the shop, but last night Mr. Claus didn't pause for any cause. Anyone that recognizes ol' St. Nick please feel free to call *FHP (*347) and let us know! pic.twitter.com/UXB9M8qGaM  FHP Tampa (@FHPTampa) December 22, 2024

The sleigh must be in the shop, but last night Mr. Claus didn't pause for any cause, the FHP said in the post. Anyone that recognizes ol' St. Nick please feel free to call *FHP (*347) and let us know.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

PEOPLE reached out to the Florida Highway Patrol for comment on Monday, Dec. 23 but did not hear back in time for publication.



Read the original article on People
If it looks like the Gold Dome on top of the state capitol is extra shiny these days, thats because it is.

For the first time in 25 years, workers and artisans replaced the gold leaf that lines the dome and only Channel 2 Action News got access to the project.

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For nearly four months, a complex scaffolding wrapped one of the most iconic symbols of the State of Georgia: the Gold Dome.

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Hidden inside, dozens of artisans, like Anne Domenech, stripped off and then reapplied the 40 ounces of real 24-karat gold leaf to the underlying backing.

It comes in either sheets that are pressed on wax paper. Its painstaking, laborious work only done once every 25 years, she told Channel 2s Richard Elliot.

Weve been needing to have the Capitol regilded for about four years. Had some deterioration on there. The golds kind of dissipated, very thin layer of gold, said Gerald Pilgrim with the Georgia Building Authority. But the gold dome hasnt always been gold.

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Check out a picture from the early 1950s and youll see the dome was more of a dull gray.

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But lawmakers decided they could gild it with gold from Dahlonega, site of the first gold rush in America. That first job needed seven pounds of gold.

With advances in technology, they only need 40 ounces now for the whole job.

So its a very delicate process and so they have to do it, and they apply it on there, and its thinner than a sheet of paper, Pilgrim told Elliot.

Domenech demonstrated how she applies the strip of gold leaf, then peels it away, leaving the gold behind. She then uses a brush to smooth it out and whisk away any leftover gold.

This whole process takes about four months, including the two months it takes to both build and then dismantle this very complicated scaffolding.

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But when its done, Pilgrim says the Gold Dome will shine like it hasnt since 1999 and be that symbol of Georgia that hes always looked up to.

I hope its a symbol that shows, you know, we honor our heritage. We honor the past in Georgia. Were looking forward to the future and the state of Georgia has a bright future ahead of it, he said.

The projects price tag is about $5 million. It is part of a general Capitol renovation project that has been going on for over a year and will take more than a year to complete.

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GOODMAN, Mo.  A new way to publicly honor heroes is in the works in the city of Goodman.

A new veterans memorial park will be constructed in the communitys downtown area.

Its an idea by Goodman resident Raymond Villa, who served in the U.S. Army from 1976 to 1996.

Hes a member of the Goodman Betterment Club, the group responsible for the memorials creation.

Goodman welcomes new businesses with patriotic gift

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Villa says the land for the memorial was donated by First Community Bank of Goodman.

Theyre also donating a flag pole, which previously belonged to the bank, but was salvaged after the Goodman tornado in April 2017. Villa says that pole will bear the American flag.

Other flag poles will showcase the flags of each branch of the military.

Memorial bricks will also be laid down, bearing the names of military veterans, first responders, and even community members.

We have a lot of great citizens that have made this town what it is and that, you know, and their family wants to honor them with a brick  were going to have a civilian and business side of the memorial  and then all the veterans on another side. So, we want everybody to be, you know, because weve got great community members here, you know, and ones that have passed  but we still want to honor them. So, the more, the merrier. Well take anybodys brick that wants to put it in here, said Raymond Villa, Goodman Betterment Club member.

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No word yet on a date to break ground for the project.

If youre interested in purchasing a brick for the memorial, visit the link, here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, on Sunday compared tech mogul Elon Musk to a prime minister, praising Musk for speaking out against an early version of a stopgap funding bill last week.

Its kind of interesting, Gonzales said during an interview on CBS News Face the Nation. We have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker. It feels like as if Elon Musk is our prime minister.

Gonzales added that he spoke with Musk a couple of times during a chaotic week for House Republicans as GOP leadership scrambled to pull together a package to fund the government that would garner support from a majority of the House GOP caucus.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, during a press conference on the U.S. southern border at the Capitol on Jan. 29, 2024.

Gonzales voted against the final version of a continuing resolution that passed the House late Friday night and was later signed Saturday by President Joe Biden. The package funds the government at current levels through March 14 and includes a one-year farm bill and $100 billion in disaster aid.

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Gonzales continued to praise Musks influence on the funding process, even as moderator Margaret Brennan pointed out that Musk has not been elected to any formal position in the U.S. government.

Well, unelected, but, I mean, he has a voice, and I think a lot of large part of that voice is a reflection of the voice of the people, Gonzales said.

Musk was one of President-elect Donald Trumps biggest supporters ahead of the November presidential election, spending a quarter of a billion dollars on outside efforts to boost his campaign.

Last week, Musk was outspoken against a government funding deal negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., days before a Dec. 20 deadline to avert a government shutdown.

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Musk called the bill one of the worst bills ever written, wrote this bill should NOT pass and called for Republicans to shut down the government instead of voting for the continuing resolution.

In a span of two days, he voiced his opposition to the bill more than 100 times on X, the social media platform he owns.

Shortly after Musk started speaking out against the bill, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance released their own statement against the bill, tanking already wavering support for the bill among congressional Republicans.

And days later, when GOP congressional leaders released the text of a new continuing resolution one-tenth the size of the first bill, Musk praised the size of the second bill in a post that Gonzales himself reshared.

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At a Turning Point USA event in Arizona, Trump downplayed concerns that Musk is usurping control from the president-elect.

No, hes not going to be president, that I can tell you, Trump said.

And Im safe. You know why he cant be? He wasnt born in this country, Trump added about Musk, who was born in South Africa.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) was criticized after he suggested on Sunday that Elon Musk is the countrys unelected prime minister  and not in a bad way.

Its kind of interesting, Gonzales said during an appearance on CBS News Face the Nation. We have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker. It feels like as if Elon Musk is our prime minister.

I spoke with Elon a couple of times this week, he continued, as host Margaret Brennan interrupted to note that Musk is unelected.

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Well, unelected, but, I mean, he has a voice, and I think a lot of, large part of that voice is a reflection of the voice of the people, Gonzales added.

It feels as if Elon Musk is our prime minister, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) says about the billionaires influence on the vote for a bill to avert a government shutdown



Gonzales adds that he supports House Speaker Mike Johnson ahead of the next vote for the speakership, noting pic.twitter.com/cIfR9IZyJp  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) December 22, 2024

Musk on Wednesday effectively tanked a bipartisan spending deal by posting about it incessantly on his social media platform X. President-elect Donald Trump then chimed in to criticize the bill as well, sending GOP lawmakers scrambling to renegotiate and avert a government shutdown.

A pared-back spending bill was passed late Friday and signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday. It did not include a debt limit extension that Trump had demanded. Gonzales voted against the measure.

Musks effective pressure campaign led Democrats and other critics to brand him Trumps shadow president or co-president. Trump on Sunday reacted to that claim, calling it a hoax and saying: No, thats not happening.

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The SpaceX and Tesla CEO, who is the richest person in the world, donated more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help elect Trump.

Last week, Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said shed overheard some Republican colleagues privately fuming about Musk inserting himself into discussions about government spending. Hes been elected to nothing, she said.

Critics took issue with Gonzales prime minister assertion and said the right-wing billionaire does not represent them.

Gonzales office did not immediately return HuffPosts request for comment.

See some of the reaction to the congressmans remarks below.

Normally a prime minister is appointed (voted on) by a parliament. We don't have a parliament. No one voted for Elon Musk. The people of his district should toss Gonzales since he doesn't seem to understand basic U.S. Civics. How is a billionaire the voice of the people? https://t.co/aDhrjWH01F  Decoding Fox News (@DecodingFoxNews) December 23, 2024

Wait. This guy is saying thats a GOOD thing?  Lincoln Bio (@lincoln_bio_) December 23, 2024

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We don't have a prime minister. If you're thinking someone feels like that then he's doing a job that's not a job in America  Gregory (@Gregory1371) December 23, 2024

They aren't even trying to hide it anymore... the incoming administration is an oligarchy of billionaires.



These people will not be changing the U.S. government in ways that benefit the poor or middle class. Good luck.   Dave the Blind Guy (@DaveWarnedYou) December 23, 2024

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Control of the Minnesota House is now in the balance after a judge ruled that a winning DFL candidate was ineligible due to residency requirements, potentially giving the Minnesota GOP a chance at having a temporary 1-seat majority.

On Friday, a Ramsey County judge ruled that DFL Rep.-elect Curtis Johnson did not meet the residency requirements to represent District 40B in the House. It comes after legal challenge was brought by his Republican opponent Paul Wikstrom, who accused Johnson of not living in the apartment he had rented in the district.

It means that Johnson, despite winning the district covering Roseville and parts of Shoreview and Arden Hills by a margin of more than 30%, will not be sworn in next month. The House  which was head for a 67-67 split after November's elections  could temporarily have a 67-66 split in favor of the GOP.

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Johnson can appeal the decision, but if it's ultimately confirmed, the judge's ruling required the seat be filled via a special election, which FOX 9 reports could be held in February.

In the meantime, the Minnesota GOP is expected to take advantage of its temporary majority to election a House Speaker and committee chairs, giving it the edge over the DFL for the next two years despite what will almost certainly be a 67-67 split once the special election is held.

GOP Speaker-designate Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) said: "With the overwhelming evidence we heard during the trial that the Democrat candidate in Roseville never lived in the district, I applaud the courts decision to grant the election contest and look forward to ensuring that a valid candidate represents District 40B during the upcoming legislative session. This is a clear reminder that laws matter, and integrity in the election process is non-negotiable."

Current DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman argued that "the court erred as a matter of law in not dismissing this case."

"A residency issue must be resolved before an election and is not an appropriate basis for an election contest," she argued. "We will appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court, and expect the Supreme Court will dismiss the case. The Republicans are seeking to do in court what they were unable to do at the ballot box. Curtis Johnson won District 40B by 7,503 votes, and no court should lightly overturn the will of the voters."
IRVINE, California  The resistance isnt dead. Its doing deep-breathing exercises in California.

Not long after the election, a group of Orange County Democrats invited a therapist to help them process Donald Trumps return to power. She clicked through topics ranging from stages of grief to how to increase distress tolerance and how to self-soothe.

And if the Irvine Democratic Clubs particular approach to coping with a second Trump administration positively screamed California, it seemed to fit the mood in this state  a fortress of progressive politics that served as an antithesis to Trump in his first term.



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This is a safe place, the therapist, Rachel ONeil, told the group of about two dozen Democrats as she put up her slides. Then, by show of hands, she asked how many people felt sad, or scared, or exhausted. She talked about mindfulness, micro-dosing hope and radical acceptance.

Holding space for our feelings right now is very important, she said.



It didnt take long after Trumps election to figure out that the Democratic resistance to him will be different from when he took office in 2017. Across the country, fewer Democrats are preparing to march. Some are tuning out from the news entirely. In Washington, Democratic lawmakers are recalibrating, with some progressives embracing some of Trumps populist policy proposals  if also expecting him to fail.

And in California, Democrats are finding not only that the nature of the resistance is changing, but that the state itself may be, too. The state certainly looks a lot different than it did when Trump was first elected eight years ago  when Elon Musk was calling Trump not the right guy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was living here in relative obscurity and Kamala Harris, then the state attorney general, had only just won election to the Senate. Today, after the November election, it appears in some ways more conservative. And Democrats are confronting, if not an identity crisis, a studied reassessment of their partys  and their states  place in the political landscape.



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Harris this year still easily won California, beating Trump by about 20 percentage points. But that marked about a 9 percentage point shift toward Trump from 2020. Trump flipped 10 counties that had voted for Joe Biden and made gains across the map. He reduced his loss margin in heavily Democratic Los Angeles County by more than 11 percentage points. And here in Orange County, a Republican stronghold before Hillary Clinton flipped it in 2016, Trump lost, but by nearly 7 percentage points less than in 2020.



And thats just at the presidential level. When I called Gray Davis, the former governor, he began ticking through the lefts losses across the state.

Look at what happened in San Francisco, he said, where the mayor, London Breed, was ousted by a moderate Democrat who blamed her for the city's homelessness and drug problems. Or in Oakland, where the citys mayor and progressive district attorney were both thumped in recall elections. In Los Angeles, a Republican-turned-independent ousted another progressive district attorney, George Gascon.

And then there were the ballot initiatives. A decade after Californians voted to reduce penalties for some drug and property crimes, they approved a tough-on-crime ballot initiative calling for more stringent penalties. They rejected a ballot measure that would have banned forced prison labor. They defeated a measure to raise the minimum wage, and another to expand rent control.



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Everyone ought to look in the mirror, Davis said, because theyre working for voters who are marching to a different drummer.

Davis, who was ousted in the 2003 recall election that put Arnold Schwarzenegger, the last Republican governor of California, in office, knows as much as anyone about how quickly political winds can shift. California isnt turning red. But even after all the Democratic Partys gains here in recent decades, he said, the fight is never fully won.

In Irvine, Democrats werent planning to riot at the Capitol, as Republicans did when they lost four years ago. They werent lying that the election had been stolen. They were listening to a therapist, and then handing out cards with a hotline for immigrants to call if they are in trouble.

Walking out of the meeting, I caught up with Florice Hoffman and Lauren Johnson-Norris, two Democratic Party of Orange County officers, and Tammy Kim, a now-former Irvine city council member who had just lost her race for mayor. Standing in the parking lot, the resistance felt different.

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In 2016, we went right to the streets, Hoffman said. This year, Johnson-Norris said, we got something wrong  I think we just missed what people care about.



Eight years ago, in the run-up to the 2016 election, 54 percent of Californians said things in the state were generally heading in the right direction, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll. The same time this year, the same survey put that number at 38 percent. They are down, especially, on the economy, with nearly two-thirds of Californians  62 percent  saying they expect bad economic times over the next year. Thats a reversal from 2016, when far more Californians held an optimistic outlook.

Today, home values in California are more than double the national average, with high rents and low homeownership rates  and the number of homeless people is growing. In part because of devastating wildfires, insurance companies keep dropping those who can buy homes from their policies.

After cruising to reelection in 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsoms approval rating is underwater, with a majority of California adults  53 percent  disapproving of the way he is handling his job.

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That might help explain why even in this Democratic stronghold, and even after California Democrats flipped three House seats in November, the posturing ahead of Trumps return to office has been disjointed. Fearful of Trumps agenda on everything from abortion rights to electric vehicles and immigration, Newsom called a special session of the legislature to bolster the states legal defenses, saying California wont sit idle.

But he also promised to approach the administration with an open hand, not a closed fist. And he embarked on a post-election jobs tour that took him through some of the states more conservative reaches. It was a tacit acknowledgment by Newsom of his partys losses with working class voters.

Elizabeth Ashford, who was a senior adviser to two former governors and chief of staff to Harris when she was state attorney general, told me Newsoms jobs tour has a lot of humility in it.



Californians are miffed about the cost of living, affordability issues and the direction the state is going, she said. What it means to be a Democrat in the state is going to shift  not toward the extremist and racist views of the Trump administration, nobody is going to stop resisting those. But it definitely is going to be a time to reflect on what does it mean to be a Democrat.

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And while Republicans are nowhere near competitive in California  a state where Democrats hold supermajorities in both houses of the Legislature and where no Republican presidential candidate has won since George H.W. Bush in 1988  it is not inconceivable that even here, if Democrats do not correct course, things could change.

It wouldnt be shocking, Ashford said, if we returned to more of a purple look.



Jerry Brown was eating half a muffin when we met at a coffee shop in Sacramento earlier this month. Californias governor the last time Trump took office in 2017, Brown had cast California, the nations most populous state, as a beacon of hope to the rest of the world.

As Trump abandoned the Paris climate agreement, promoted coal production and otherwise worked to undo progress on climate change  a chief cause of Browns, both then and now  he positioned California as something of a sub-national alternative to Trumps Washington, marshalling states and regional governments abroad to embrace their own programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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When I asked him about the states preparations for a second Trump administration, he suggested it wasnt complicated.

Whatever he does that we dont like, thats the dispute, he said. Just write your damn brief and get going, thats what the attorney general does.

But what is different this year, he said, is that Trump is more prepared  hes going to be more extreme.

During our chat, Brown saw the same problems everyone did for Democrats in the election results. He pointed to Imperial County, a high-unemployment, agriculture-heavy swath of California bordering Mexico, where Biden won by nearly 25 percentage points but where Trump beat Harris this year.



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When you see Imperial County going for Trump and Orange County going for Harris, he said, it reflected a party that was winning wealthier, coastal Californians, but that had lost a percentage of the working families.

Democrats, he said, need to get their act together, he said, focusing on the basic stuff  the economy, the environment.

But he also predicted Trump might offer them an opening. Brown was talking about climate change. If the assault on the environment is as extreme as expected, then I believe the fervor for protecting the environment will increase far beyond what it is today, he said. Other Democrats here apply the same reasoning to any number of other issues.

During Trumps first administration, the state attorney general, now-Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, sued more than 100 times on subjects ranging from immigration to health care and the environment. In Sacramento today, some lawmakers and activists are pushing for even more money than Newsom has requested to prepare for legal battles with the incoming administration.

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It seems likely that, after Trump takes office, California will assert itself again as a prominent alternative to him. Newsom is ambitious, and he is a potential contender for president in 2028. Harris is, too. In her first major speech since conceding the election, she urged Americans to stay in the fight. And once Trump takes office and begins implementing some of the policies reviled by the left in California  especially around immigration and climate change  its hard to imagine he wont be met by an uproar.



Its not that California Democrats are in the fetal position as they try to figure out their next steps. On a Sunday morning last month at First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles, one of the most prominent Black churches in the city, the Rev. Robert Shaw II called for a new generation of civil rights leaders in the mold of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. And, invoking the Montgomery bus boycott, he suggested congregants boycott Amazon, after billionaire Jeff Bezos Washington Post controversially announced it would not endorse a presidential candidate, and Tesla, after Musk spent more than $250 million to help Trumps campaign.



We were looking for America the beautiful, but instead we got the explicit version, he told the crowd. Not A-M-E-R-I-C-A. But we got A-M-E-R-I-KKK-A.

Its time for us to stand up and do something, he said.



That same weekend, outside a nonprofit in South Los Angeles, a coalition of advocacy groups gathered to begin discussing Californias role in the next Trump era. They did breathing exercises here, too. But across the street from a Church of Scientology, there was also talk of going on the offensive, finding our community and discussing how do we protect each other.

Daniel Jimenez, a community organizer, said Californians were about to be facing a very challenging moment in history, but that, in response, they could ignite the movement. On a big screen, the labor icon Dolores Huerta called the activists Marines in the struggle. And as a plane landing at Los Angeles International Airport flew overhead, one of those activists, Agustin Cabrera, told me, Today is about expressing the real California, the ones who want more progressive policies. Thats the real California.



It has been, certainly, and in many ways still is. But that isnt so obvious after November.

On the same day this month that the California legislature convened its special session, I met in suburban Los Angeles with the states former Assembly speaker, Anthony Rendon, who had just termed out of office days before. When I told him about the therapist in Orange County, he rolled his eyes.

Thats so us, he said, Its new age crap. (He texted me later that what the Democratic Party really needed was something edgier. Its punk, he wrote. Thats the answer.)

One problem with California Democrats, he said, is that it seems like all we do is preach to the choir.

On one hand, he said, political observers can draw too many conclusions from a swing in either direction of a relatively small share of the vote. Trump, after all, won the popular vote nationally by less than 2 percentage points. But even if he hadnt won, Rendon said, If you dont realize now that theres a huge part of this country who doesnt care about democracy, dedicated to a strongman model, whether you call that fascism or whatever, that wouldnt have changed if Kamala Harris had won the election.



He said, were not where I thought this country was 15, 20 years ago.

California might not be, either. Following Trumps election in 2016, Rendon and Kevin de Leon, the president of the state Senate at the time, had released a statement saying they woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land. California, they wrote, was not a part of this nation when its history began, but we are clearly now the keeper of its future.

But in 2024, Rendon was thinking differently about the nation and about Californias place in it. We were talking about our children, and Rendon joked that by the time they are of voting age, Maybe California wont be part of the republic.

We think of nation-states as geographically bound, he said, adding that he now wonders how much longer thats going to make sense. The idea of having a collective sense of identity in such a sprawling country, he said, is kind of weird.



My wife and I will go to Tokyo or Mexico City and well wander into a cool craft bar scene and feel like we have more in common with those people than we do with some NASCAR, evangelical kid from Mississippi  Weve gotten sort of nostalgic in and around ideas of the U.S. I mean, the country started as a small little thing and now its 300 million people.

No, Rendon said he wasnt thinking about secession, a fantasy that has percolated on the fringes for years in various forms  and on both the left and right  in California and elsewhere. But he was thinking about the connective tissue between his own reality and the one much of the rest of the United States perceives. And he was thinking about alternatives: Its not time to be nostalgic.

The nation-state, he told me, is an outdated idea. California had once been the locus of the resistance. But here was Rendon telling me he wasnt sure what it meant when people talked about the American spirit or the American dream.



He picked a red state, Idaho, to illustrate the point  and what he said had less to do with the idea of resistance than the idea of separation.

I was in Idaho recently, Rendon said. I dont know that they want to be with us any more than we want to be with them.



CORRECTION: A previous version of this report included a caption that misidentified Lauren Johnson-Norris.
California has already established requirements that will go into effect in 2026 to ban single-use plastic bags and foodware in eateries, and Napa County has gotten a head start on the eco-friendly initiative.

As reported by CBS News last month, the Napa County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that requires dine-in restaurants to use reusable foodware. Under the new guidelines, take-out businesses must also use certified compostable foodware.

The ordinance applies to restaurants, grocery stores, farmers markets, food trucks, hotels, movie theaters, catering kitchens, commissaries, and other businesses with a food permit. They will have 12 months to comply with the new rules.

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The goal is to reduce the reliance on single-use plastics that contain fluorinated chemicals, also known as "forever chemicals." Per CBS News, Consumer Reports noted that these chemicals "are often used in disposable foodware for heat and grease resistance, can persist in the environment and in the human body for extended periods and pose potential health risks."

California is one of 12 states with some type of plastic ban in place, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has been fighting plastic pollution for quite some time. He signed the nation's first plastic bag ban in 2007 when he was the mayor of San Francisco, according to CBS News.

The state first passed a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery store checkouts in 2014. However, plastic producers found a loophole by creating thicker plastic bags that they argued could be used multiple times. Thankfully, state Sen. Catherine Blakespear passed a bill in September to end that practice, CBS noted.

As part of the new ordinance in Napa County, businesses will be required to charge 25 cents per bag, with the exception of customers who use food assistance programs. Customers who bring their own foodwares can receive discounts.

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The county has plans for outreach and education efforts like a multilingual FAQ with a list of resources, such as compostable foodware vendors.

News of Napa County's single-use plastic ban was well-received online by residents who appreciate the positive environmental impact.

"Most paper bags were made out of recycled, but they banned them because they thought we were killing trees and they came up with plastic which actually kills the planet now we're going back to recycled paper, might be a good thing," a commenter wrote on Facebook.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
HOUSTON, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Over 250 million U.S. dollars have been generated since 2000 through wage garnishments from prisoners leased to private companies in Alabama, a southern U.S. state where the prison system is among "the most violent, overcrowded and unruly" in the United States, the AP reported on Saturday.

According to a two-year investigation by the AP, "no state has a longer, more profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies than Alabama," which has a convict leasing history spanning more than 150 years.

Since 2018, over 10,000 inmates have logged 17 million work hours outside Alabama's prison walls in entities like city and county governments, and businesses. Burger King and Walmart are among the over 500 businesses to lease incarcerated workers, including major car-part manufacturers, meat-processing plants, and distribution centers for large retailers, said the report.

Though the prisoners make at least 7.25 dollars an hour, the state siphons 40 percent off all wages and levies fees, including 5 dollars a day for rides to their jobs and 15 dollars a month for laundry, according to the investigation.

If they refuse, the report said, they risk punishment, including being denied family visits or transferred to high-security prisons. Refusing to work can also jeopardize their chances of early release.

However, such free labor can offer a reprieve from the "excessive violence" inside the prison, said the report. In 2023 and the first half of 2024, an inmate in Alabama died nearly every day behind bars, a rate five times higher than the national average.

"It is a symptom of a completely, utterly broken system," said Chris England, an Alabama lawmaker pushing for criminal justice reform. 
NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI)  Nick Sarazen has an impressive resume as a music producer and songwriter.

Hes worked with the likes of Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Snoop Dogg to name a few.

Ive been very lucky, Sarazen told 12 News.

Now he has a vision: bring more mainstream-level music to the Ocean State.

This is the place I am inspired most, he said. Its kind of like a magnet to me.

While moving to Newport over the summer of 2024, he started working on a country-dance collaboration with DJ Tiesto and Alana Springsteen. The song, Hot Honey, made it to number one on the radio dance charts.

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Sarazen said it was produced almost entirely from his couch in his apartment in Newport.

(Sarazen working with 1/2 of the musical duo Sofi Tukker. Courtesy: Nick Sarazen)

I really just had my laptop and headphones, he recalled. I think a lot of how the song came out was just getting inspired by being back in the place that I love the most.

Sarazen grew up in North Kingstown and graduated from Brown University in 2017. He moved to Los Angeles for a few years to kick off his career, but he missed his home state.

Thats one of my dreams, Sarazen says, To share Rhode Island with my collaborators and artists I am working with, and also just artists around the world that I have no association with. I would love to show artists how beautiful and amazing the state is hopefully will be able to draw them here with a studio here.

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He is currently building that studio inside the Belcourt Mansion  a historic gilded age summer cottage in Newport.

Rhode Island itself, it already has the beauty and the inspiration there, Sarazen told 12 News. The studio itself is really what I hope will be a rock to really kind of draw people in.

(Courtesy: Nick Sarazen)

Sarazen hopes to open the studio before the summer of 2025. He says the possibilities for music production in Rhode are endless, and hopes to be a guiding hand in developing the scene.

I really feel like the energy that Rhode Island has lends itself to such a creative atmosphere, Sarazen says. I would love to just connect with the community here and the greater music community to start focusing on Rhode Island.

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While he works on opening the studio, Sarazen says he is also doing work on upcoming albums for rapper Jack Harlow, and fellow Brown alum Sofi Tukker.

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Almost a century ago, American archaeologists working near the Pyramids of Giza made an incredible discovery: a secret burial chamber littered with gilded treasures. Theyd just uncovered the tomb of Queen Hetepheres I, the mother of King Khufu, along with a suite of royal bedroom furniture. The items inside were over 4,600 years old.

Through painstaking restoration work, the queens bed, throne, and belongings were carefully restored to their former glory. The Hetepheres collection now sits among the thousands of incredible artefacts at the newly-opened Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Cairo.

The display, which included a baldachin frame that once draped luxurious fabrics, transported me back to a royal life thousands of years ago and made history feel strikingly tangible. For me, this was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my visit to the GEM.

The Grand Egyptian Museum is framed by the Great Pyramids of Giza (Jack Lawes)

Read more: The ultimate city guide to Cairo

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Touted as the worlds largest archaeological museum, the GEM has been in the making for almost two decades. While its been gradually opening since 2022, the main attractions  believed to be as many as 100,000 archaeological artefacts  have been kept under wraps until recently.

To the delight of history buffs, 12 of the museums galleries were finally opened to the public in October 2024. Having been based in Dahab for a number of years, Im among many ancient Egypt fans who have eagerly counted down the days to the grand opening. Though still a soft opening (as some areas had yet to be unveiled), I was still excited see what treasures were in store.

But is visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum before its fully open worth it?

The museums sheer size, framed by the Great Pyramids of Giza, create an impressive backdrop. Designed by an Ireland-based architecture firm, the vast triangular geometry and motifs across the building appear to cleverly blend with the 4,000-year-old architecture of the pyramids beyond. The work put into curating the GEM experience clearly shows, and its unsurprising the building has already been named among the most beautiful museums in the world.

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I stepped through security, purchased a ticket (1,200 Egyptian pounds, or 19 GBP), and continued toward the galleries, wary that the last entry was at 4pm.

The striking gallery entry  lined with electric blue lights (Jack Lawes)

Worlds apart from the chaos of the old Egyptian Museum, I was welcomed by peaceful water features, an ancient hanging obelisk, and very few tourists in sight. Upon entry, the first thing I saw was the famed 83-ton Ramses II statue that guards the vast grey interiors of the GEM atrium. Everything, from the information centre and gift shop to the fancy cafes, bears the hallmarks of a highly prized and carefully maintained project.

Next came the museums Grand Staircase, which guides visitors to the galleries. The ascent invites you on a journey through ancient Egyptian belief systems, showcasing an impressive display of statues and ancient facades based on the themes of Kings and Gods and the Journey to Eternity. At the top, visitors are greeted with a panoramic view of a pharaohs final resting place  the pyramids, which I thought was a fitting, well-curated end to my climb.

The beautiful gallery entry, lined with electric blue lights, was particularly striking; you really felt the magnitude of the room and the history it held inside. The 12 open galleries cover ancient Egyptian life from the prehistoric and early Dynasties to the Late Period. Each enormous room is carefully divided, loosely based on the themes of beliefs, kingship and society across each period.

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Visitors can spend hours meandering through the carefully looked-after displays, catching glimpses of hieroglyphs hand-painted by Egyptians thousands of years ago and artefacts that have previously been sat in storage.

A mummified crocodile is housed in the museum (Jack Lawes)

A papyrus collection in one corner of the museum detailed the everyday stories of people communicating with their family members. Another display showcased an ancient chess-like board game called Senet, where the players pieces pass through the underworld and into the afterlife. Intricate jewellery, beautifully decorated pots, and a wealth of household objects paint a vibrant picture of ancient Egyptian life.

The multimedia displays dotted among the vast limestone artefacts are also pretty impressive. Virtual reconstructions and immersive displays documenting the regions changing political landscape helped bring history into the present. As in the old museum, most people congregated around the mummies in Gallery 10. Although most of Egypts royal mummies are housed in the civilisation museum, GEMs collection had plenty of highlights: the gold-plated remains of a young girl, beautifully decorated shrouds and even a mummified crocodile.

Despite the grandeur of the artefacts and displays, there are also signs that the museum is still in the making. After all, GEMs most prominent attraction  Tutankhamuns treasures  is still closed to the public. As I tried to scan my ticket through turnstiles that werent operational yet I was further reminded that the museum is yet to reach its prime.

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And while the galleries were impressive, some might say the experience feels disjointed. The flow between each area is slightly disorienting, as there wasnt a single path through all the displays. An Egyptologist I spoke to also observed the museums current collection: Statues, statues, statues.

Theres no shortage of statues in the GEM (Jack Lawes)

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Storytelling is just as important as a museums artefacts. But in some cases, accompanying descriptions (written in both Arabic and English) felt too matter-of-fact, needing a deeper narrative that connects visitors to the stories behind the ancient objects. I found myself asking: Who was this person? Where was this artefact discovered? What does it tell us about life at the time? Its hard to connect with the humanity behind history without these answers. For this reason, I suggest joining one of the tour guides at GEM to better understand the context.

But is GEM still worth a visit? I believe so. If anything, immersing yourself in an afternoon at the GEM is the perfect respite from the bustle of Cairos other sights.

As the galleries closed and I bid farewell to Ramses II one final time, I reflected on the incredible artefacts Id just come face to face with  and the few I hadnt. No wonder the GEM didnt feel complete.

The Rosetta Stone, for example, which still sits in the British Museum, should be here. If anything, the Grand Egyptian Museums incredible facilities and state-of-the-art technology prove that Egypt is more than equipped to finally reclaim its historical treasures. Seeing historic artefacts stolen centuries ago on display in their rightful home would solidify GEM as a true celebration of Egypts incredible history.

Read more: Where to travel for winter sun, stunning beaches and no jet lag
Dec. 23GRAND FORKS  The board governing Grand Forks Air Force Base's sole school is seeking a new member in light of an expected vacancy.

Arielle Neumann, one of the five members of the air base's School Board, submitted her resignation effective Dec. 31, ahead of an expected transfer to Colorado Springs Air Force Base in March.

The base district is now seeking someone to fill her seat for the remaining six months of her term.

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"We have a short term to fill in before June 30, and the sooner we get that done, the better," Business Manager Brandon Baumbach said at a board meeting Tuesday.

While Grand Forks Public Schools administers and staffs the air base school district's sole school, Nathan Twining Elementary and Middle School, the base district is a legally separate entity and has its own board.

The air base School Board, unlike the elected Grand Forks School Board, is appointed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with input from the base commander and approval from the State Board of Public School Education.

Baumbach said the district is seeking applications to fill Neumann's position through Jan. 15.

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Applicants must be an active or retired service member who is currently serving or has served on Grand Forks Air Force Base, or a spouse of an active or retired service member assigned to the base, and reside on the base or within 20 miles of the base, and within North Dakota.

Whoever fills Neumann's position for the remainder of her term will require approval from the rest of the board as well as the base commander.

That person will also be eligible to apply for a full three-year term when Neumann's term ends in June. Board President Michelle Shepperd's appointed term will also end in June.
A Grand Rapids couple is accused of inflicting long-term abuse on their young daughter, including severe beatings and withholding food and access to the bathroom as punishment, new criminal charges allege.

Warning: This story contains upsetting details.

Prosecutors in Itasca County last week charged Vivian Rose Wahlstrom, 24, and Jaymeson Patrick Wahlstrom, 27, each with one count of torture of a child in connection with the investigation.

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A lengthy criminal complaint filed against the Wahlstroms details disturbing abuse, which Jaymeson Wahlstrom allegedly admitted began over one year ago.

According to the complaint, Jaymeson Wahlstrom said their daughter  one of three children  has "significant needs", including a history of self-harm, and was in the process of being evaluated for autism and placed in therapy.

The charge alleges Vivian Wahlstrom had sent text messages regarding her daughter stating: "I [f***ing] hate her" and "I don't want anything to do with her."

A Google Nest camera in the home allegedly captured the abuse.

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According to the complaint, the child's room in the basement consisted of a "bare, urine-stained mattress on the floor, one blanket, a pile of dirty dishes with moldy food on them, and a TV."

Itasca County Jail

Charges state the girl is "often deprived of having a blanket at night as a form of punishment" and "endures extensive belittling and dismissal" by both parents.

"She is confined to her room, often from the time school ends until the time she goes to school the next day," the complaint reads.

Charges state the girl is often told to "lie right", which means on her back with her arms and hands at her sides and her legs straight.

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"The videos show that if [the child] lies in any other position, such as on her side or with her legs crossed, she will be yelled at and told to lie right."

The complaint continues: "She has no toys, and at times can be seen playing with an empty McDonald's Happy Meal box to occupy her time."

Charges allege the Wahlstroms required their daughter to ask permission to do basic tasks, such as using the bathroom and blowing her nose, and such requests from their daughter were often ignored.

The complaint details numerous instances of disturbing physical abuse captured on camera, including instances where the girl is stomped on, punched, slapped, pulled by the hair, thrown and body slammed, dangled by her legs and hit, smothered with a blanket, slammed into a wall, grabbed by the throat and more.

If convicted of child torture, the Wahlstroms each face up to 25 years in prison.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  The state has given its stamp of approval to the longtime effort to restore the rapids to the Grand River.

The whitewater rapids, which the city of Grand Rapids was once named for, were removed in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Organizers have spent the last 15 years trying to bring them back.

After years of setbacks, Grand Rapids has cleared a pivotal hurdle in finally restoring the rapids to the Grand River. The city said Monday the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has issued a permit for the restoration project.

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Commissioner cynical about latest rapid restoration plan

Its huge, said Mike Staal, a project director with the city of Grand Rapids. We have been working tirelessly on this for a number of years.

In March 2023, EGLE rejected a plan that would have restored the whitewater rapids. Project leaders withdrew their application and went back to the drawing board.

We basically started over again, said Matt Chapman, the executive director for Grand Rapids WhiteWater. Ended up doing 10 years worth of work in a year and a half.

The revised application, submitted by the city and Grand Rapids WhiteWater in May, modified the design for the lower reach of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids. The new plan would still create fast-moving parts of the river 300 feet upstream of Bridge Street down to Fulton Street. Crews will remove four low-head dams and install natural rocks and boulders, allowing for recreation like tubing, kayaking and canoeing.

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The river will be a lot more accessible for a lot more people, Chapman said.

Moving mussels a key step to make way for Grand River rapid restoration

Blue Bridge Boulder Field River rendering of the restored rapids in Grand Rapids. (Courtesy of the city of Grand Rapids) Gillett Street Whitewater River rendering of the restored rapids in Grand Rapids. (Courtesy of the city of Grand Rapids) Pearl Street Riffle River rendering of the restored rapids in Grand Rapids. (Courtesy of the city of Grand Rapids)

A September estimate put the project cost at more than $18 million. Most funding has already been secured through public and some private dollars, Chapman said. Before the project is officially a go, support is needed from federal regulators.

The design team is awaiting approval from the United States Department of Agricultures Natural Resources Conservation Service. That will determine the amount of federal funding that NRCS provides to the project. A public comment period is expected this winter and a decision is expected to be announced in the spring.

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If everything goes well, construction should begin in the river in July. The restoration is expected to finish by 2026 if weather permits.

We have a really unique opportunity that flows right through the heart of our city to get people connected to the Grand River that our city was named after, Chapman said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Dec. 23Kate Lemos McHale grew up in Damariscotta Mills in a house built in 1840 by a ship captain. Even at 8 years old, she had an appreciation for its original materials and character.

"I think I was a preservationist from a young age," she said. "My parents put vinyl siding on the house when they bought it, and I was just like, what?"

She turned her childhood interest into a career. Lemos McHale is the new executive director of the nonprofit Greater Portland Landmarks. She came back to Maine after more than 20 years in the historic preservation field in New York City. She also started her job just weeks after Greater Portland Landmarks sued the city to prevent the Portland Museum of Art from tearing down a 19th-century building on Free Street and building a new wing in its place. That lawsuit is pending.

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"It's hard to come into a role in the midst of that in a city that you really want to get and make connections with and work with meaningfully," Lemos McHale said. "But I think the lawsuit is necessary, and what I have advocated for is really just to find a solution, regardless of the results of the lawsuit."

Lemos McHale said she hopes she can help broker that solution while also broadening the public understanding of Greater Portland Landmarks beyond this one hot-button issue.

"What I'd really love is for our organization to be seen as a valuable ally, and that getting our involvement and our support is important," she said. "That's what I would love to build toward or build back to. An ally to architects, to developers, to property owners who need some guidance to get grants or tax credits, but also an ally to the city's historic preservation and planning programs and to the Maine Historic Preservation Commission."

A TIME OF TRANSITION

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Greater Portland Landmarks started in 1964 in response to the demolition of Union Station a few years earlier. The nonprofit does advocacy and education for anyone from major developers and individual homeowners. It also manages the Portland Observatory, the signal tower built in 1807 on Munjoy Hill and owned by the city.

In recent years, the organization has seen staff turnover and long vacancies. Four key employees, including the former executive director, left Greater Portland Landmarks in 2023. Part-time staff and volunteer board members kept the organization going, and the board hired consultants to lead fundraising efforts. When Lemos McHale started in July, she was the only full-time employee.

It has also seen financial strain. Greater Portland Landmarks relies on donations and grants and had an average budget of $500,000 in recent years. Annual tax reports show the organization has reported an overall loss for eight out of the past 10 years, including a deficit of more than $90,000 in 2020. In 2023, the nonprofit sold the Safford House on High Street at a loss of nearly half a million dollars on its value. Greater Portland Landmarks had owned that building for years, located its office there and rented space to tenants. But Lemos McHale said the management of the property had become a drain on the organization's time and resources, and the income from the $1.6 million sale went to an endowment.

"Like many nonprofits in the culture sector, we really struggled through the pandemic and are rebuilding," she said.

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That process has started with staff. Lemos McHale has already hired a director of advocacy and a director of development, both are scheduled to start in January. She hopes to add another support person to the team.

Linda Whitten, vice president of the board of trustees, said Greater Portland Landmarks is also in the midst of a strategic planning process. She described this as "a pretty vibrant time."

"We really wanted to start with a new page," she said. "That's what makes it exciting, to look at what can we be and how do we get there? And that's where Kate will help to guide us."

A WELCOMING PRESENCE

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Whitten said the board wanted to find an executive director who could build relationships and foster an inclusive environment at Greater Portland Landmarks. Lemos McHale stood out in part because of her experience working with many partners on preservation issues.

"She has a way about her that is very welcoming and just invites people to be part of what she's doing," Whitten said.

Most recently, Lemos McHale was the director of research at the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. She oversaw the complex process for the designation of landmarks and historic districts. In that role, she worked with property owners, government officials and community and preservation advocates. She also created interactive educational tools that highlight diverse histories in the city.

Before that, she worked at an architecture firm and as a preservation consultant.

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"I really got into how important it is that the history of buildings and of places is accessible, that preservation isn't just seen as this regulatory arm and to find ways that it can be meaningful to people," Lemos McHale said. "People appreciate the historic character of where they live, but they may not know all of the history."

She said she had long been impressed by the work of Greater Portland Landmarks. She saw the nonprofit doing more than advocating for the preservation of historic buildings, and she wanted to be part of those projects. Greater Portland Landmarks has developed a library of its research and created self-guided walking tours of area neighborhoods. The nonprofit is thinking about climate change and created resources for property owners in flood zones. It has an online directory of preservation professionals and works with architects on new designs. She joined the organization as the city completed the first major overhaul of its land use ordinance since the 1970s, a process in which Greater Portland Landmarks was an active participant.

Lemos McHale said she wants to build on all that work and help people become more aware of all Greater Portland Landmarks has to offer.

"I'm excited for Greater Portland Landmarks to be a connector, to not just be part of the architecture and development community, but also to help connect property owners to grants or low-interest loans or tradespeople," she said.

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LAWSUIT IN LIMBO

Lemos McHale kept an eye on her home state from afar. So she watched as the Portland Museum of Art pursued its expansion. She even went to see the finalists in the museum's design competition and agreed with the choice of Lever Architecture. She described their plan as "exciting" because of its use of mass timber and its reference to Wabanaki culture. However, she also said she thinks the museum could have integrated the building at 142 Free St. into the design, and she is concerned about the policy implications if that building is ultimately demolished.

"I think there was a way that could have been done that wasn't done," she said. "That's ultimately what leads us here, which is really too bad, because all the goals for it and the design team are great."

The Portland City Council voted in May to remove the historic classification that protected the former Children's Museum and Theatre of Maine from being torn down. Greater Portland Landmarks challenged that decision in June in a lawsuit against the city that named the Portland Museum of Art as a party in interest. (The organization fundraised to cover the legal costs.)

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All three parties have now filed briefs in the Cumberland County Superior Court, and are waiting for a judge to consider their arguments. It is not yet clear whether the court will require a hearing in the case, and it could take months to reach a decision.

Marcie Parker Griswold, a spokesperson for the Portland Museum of Art, said the plan for the new wing has not changed. The design process is moving forward, she said, but the museum doesn't have a definitive timeline for the project right now. The Portland Museum of Art has raised $48.4 million for the project as part of a $100 million capital campaign.

"As we continue to navigate the legal process regarding the expansion, we remain confident in our adherence to an extensive and challenging eight-month civic process, compliance with all regulations, and our strong support for the decision made by the Portland City Council," Griswold wrote in an email. "We are committed to upholding the integrity of this process and working with Greater Portland Landmarks on future advocacy projects, while always seeking to serve our community by fostering greater access to art, culture, and education for all."

Lemos McHale said she remains hopeful that the two institutions will find common ground.

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"In a small city like this, the Portland Museum of Art is so important, and our organization and theirs have always been aligned, and working together would be the positive outcome," she said.

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Not content with trying to incorporate Canada, President-elect Donald Trump has set his sights further north to Greenland. Too bad its not for sale.

Greenlands Prime Minister Mute Egede told Trump Monday to back off his outlandish bid to control the worlds biggest island. Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom, Egede said in a written comment.

In a post on Sunday, the president-elect announced that Ken Howery, co-founder of PayPal and former ambassador to Sweden during Trumps first term, would serve as the ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark, which holds control of the semiautonomous Greenland. He also re-upped a bid to take Greenland off its hands.

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For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump previously floated the idea of the U.S. buying Greenland in 2019, which the Danish prime minister at the time called absurd. His megalomaniacal musings never came to anything, and likely wont this time around either.

Greenland is home to the U.S.s Pituffik Space Base that, among other things, detects and reports attack assessments of sea-launched and intercontinental ballistic missile threats in support of strategic missile warning and missile defense, according to its website.

Greenland is strategically significant to the U.S because it sits between Russia and the eastern coast of the United States, and is the fastest way from Europe to New York. Its also located beside the Norwegian Sea, which connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Arctic Ocean and the Barents Sea, where the Russian navys northern fleet operates.

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U.S. expansion seemed to be on Trumps mind Sunday, and the geopolitical mastermind also threatened to take control of the Panama Canal, which has been the property of Panama since 1999. Welcome to the United States Canal! Trump captioned a photograph of the canal in a post on Truth Social Sunday.

Earlier this month, when facing criticism about his plan for harsh tariffs on Canadian imports, Trump made a crack about Canada becoming the 51st state. The last time the U.S. tried to make a play for Canada, the British burned down the U.S. Capitol.

Its difficult to consider Trumps latest imperialist dreams as anything other than a distraction from his sinister plans statesidewhich include violently rounding up undocumented immigrants into camps and deporting them en masse.


COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Greenland is not for sale, its elected leader said on Monday, responding to comments made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump regarding the "ownership and control" of the vast Arctic island that has been part of Denmark for over 600 years.

"Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom," the island's Prime Minister Mute Egede said in a written comment.

Trump on Sunday announced that he had picked Ken Howery, a former envoy to Sweden, as his ambassador to Copenhagen, and commented on the status of Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark and host to a large U.S. Air Force base.

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"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, did not elaborate on the statement.

Denmark's foreign ministry and the prime minister's office were not immediately available for comment.

The Danish government must state in clear terms that control over Greenland is not up for discussion or negotiation, member of parliament Rasmus Jarlov of the opposition Conservative Party said on social media platform X.

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"To the extent that U.S. activities aim to take control of Danish territory, it must be prohibited and countered. Then they can't be there at all," said Jarlov, who heads parliament's defence committee.

The island, whose capital Nuuk is closer to New York than the Danish capital Copenhagen, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth. But development has been slow, leaving its economy reliant on fishing and annual subsidies from Denmark.

With its Pituffik air base, Greenland is strategically important for the U.S. military and its ballistic missile early-warning system, since the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the island.

During his previous term in office, Trump in 2019 expressed interest in buying Greenland, but the proposal was promptly rejected by Denmark as well as by the island's own authorities before any formal discussions could take place.

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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the time labelled Trump's offer as "absurd", leading him to term her dismissal of the idea as "nasty" and to subsequently cancel a visit to Copenhagen.

Frederiksen remains in her role of Danish prime minister.

Since 2009 Greenland has held the right to declare independence from Denmark. The island of some 56,000 inhabitants, which relies on significant budget transfers from Copenhagen each year, has so far refrained from doing so.

Separately on Sunday, Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage and drawing a sharp rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.

(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen and Isabelle Yr Carlsson, editing by Terje Solsvik and Sharon Singleton)
The leader of Greenland has flat-out rejected President-elect Donald Trumps renewed interest in purchasing the massive Arctic island from Denmark, insisting that the territory is not on the market.

Greenland is ours, the territorys prime minister Mute Egede said in a statement on Monday. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.

Egedes comment comes after the incoming president announced that he wanted to revisit the idea of buying the semi-autonomous land from Denmark. During his first term in the White House, Trump expressed a desire to make a large real-estate deal because strategically it would be very nice.

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Naming Paypal co-founder and former envoy to Sweden Ken Howery as his ambassador to Copenhagen, Trump declared in a Truth Social post on Sunday that the United States would once again look at snapping up Greenland from Denmark.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest. During the event, he proposed taking back the Panama Canal (Getty)

For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity, he wrote.

In 2019, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen swiftly rejected Trumps initial proposal to buy Greenland, calling it absurd. The then president reacted by calling her nasty and canceling a state visit to the Danish capital. It was later reported that cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder had planted the notion in Trumps head; Trump then floated the idea of swapping Puerto Rico for Greenland.

Less than a month before Trump takes office for a second time, the president-elect has made waves and sparked international backlash with his threats to either retake former U.S. territories or annex sovereign countries.

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Over the weekend, he went on a social media tirade in which he threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal following his complaints about the ridiculous fees being charged to shipping companies by the Panamanian government for the right to use the waterway. The canal, built by the United States in the early 20th century, was ceded to Panama in 1999 under the terms of a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978.

If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question, Trump grumbled. To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!

Responding to Trumps threats, which the incoming president doubled down on during a speech on Sunday at a right-wing gathering, Panamas conservative president Jose Raul Mulino posted a video saying that every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to his country.

Well see about that! Trump replied on Truth Social, adding another post with an AI image of a United States flag over the canal zone and a caption reading Welcome to the United States Canal!

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Additionally, the president-elect has spent the past few weeks trolling Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau with the idea of making Canada an American state.

No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense! Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State, Trump declared last week in a 3 a.m. post on his social media site. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!
BELGRADE, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Heavy snowfall has hit western and southwestern Serbia, prompting authorities to warn of potential disruptions to transportation and electricity supply on Monday.

The Serbian Hydrometeorological Institute (RHMZ) issued an urgent weather alert, forecasting intense snowfall from today through Wednesday with the heaviest snow expected in the western regions.

The Ministry of Interior's Sector for Emergency Situations has advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and stay indoors. Residents have been urged to prepare for possible power outages.

To ensure timely communication, RHMZ has activated an emergency SMS notification system to inform the public of the severe weather conditions and provide necessary instructions.

Snowfall is expected to persist over the next two days, with emergency services on standby to clear roads and assist affected areas.

By Wednesday, between 20 and 40 cm of snow is forecast for lower areas, while mountain regions could receive over 50 cm, according to RHMZ. 
If President-elect Donald Trumps assertion that the United States should have control of Greenland sounds familiar, thats because hes said it before  during his first term as president.

Back in 2019, Trumps call caused a brief diplomatic tiff with Denmark, under whose sovereignty the vast island falls. Then as now, the suggestion was met with derision in some quarters, but it spotlighted serious questions about the icy territorys strategic significance in an era of accelerating climate change.

Trumps commentary also pointed up a quandary faced by U.S. allies, which will become more pressing within a few weeks, when the Oval Office changes hands: whether smaller and less powerful states ought to greet startling declarations from Washington with silence, conciliation, throat-clearing obfuscation or clearly stated opposition  especially since the issue in question might simply go away anyway.

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Sometimes, Trump ultimately defuses such flaps by saying he was only joking. At other times, he hints that those who defy him might face consequences later. Denmark is a member of the European Union, which is already preparing for a potentially tense relationship with the incoming president.

Here is some background about Greenland, why the president-elect is raising the topic again, and what might come next.

What is this place?

Greenland is an Alaska-sized, self-ruling Danish territory off North America, between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. It is the worlds biggest island that isnt a continent, about two-thirds of it lying within the Arctic Circle. It is largely ice-covered and sparsely populated: Fewer than 60,000 people live there. With the exception of foreign nationals, those living there are full citizens of Denmark.

How did this idea even come up?

The president-elects unexpected comment came Sunday as he was announcing his choice for U.S. envoy to Copenhagen, PayPal co-founder Ken Howery. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared that America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity, citing purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World.

How did Greenlands government respond?

Somewhat crisply. On Monday, its elected leader, Prime Minister Mute Egede, said in a statement that Greenland is not for sale and will never be for sale. But the prime minister also said Greenland must continue to be open to cooperation and trade with the whole world, especially our neighbors.

How did Trumps 2019 idea play out?

When Trump made his initial real-estate overture, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed Trumps offer as absurd. The then-president termed that response nasty and called off a planned state visit to Denmark.

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Still, the idea of such a purchase was not unprecedented. The United States had made several similar forays, dating to the 1860s, all of them short-lived.

This time around, any headaches for Denmark could be longer-lasting. Trump was already 19 months into his first term when he floated the purchase notion. With his swearing-in still four weeks away, there will be a full four years for the issue to simmer.

Is territorial expansion a theme for Trumps second presidency?

In this postelection, pre-inauguration phase, Trump has already made waves by musing about the status of Canada, suggesting, in an apparent jab at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, that the United States' sovereign northern neighbor could become a 51st state. Also over the weekend, he hinted that Washington could move to seize control of the Panama Canal, ceded back to Panama a quarter of a century ago, over what Trump termed excessive fees to transit the vital waterway.

There has been no indication the president-elect intends to follow up on any of these territorial propositions, or what would be the mechanism for doing so.

Why is Greenland strategically significant?

The island is home to a large U.S. military base. The melting of Greenlands ice sheet, documented for years and known to be speeding up, could lead to the opening of previously blocked international shipping passages, spurring great-power competition in the Arctic. In addition, Greenland possesses immense mineral riches  gold, silver, copper and uranium  whose potential extraction would be complicated by harsh weather and lack of road access, as well as environmental concerns.



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Peru's national polices Green Squadron unit arrested suspected drug traffickers over the weekend as part of a new operation during the Christmas season.
Observer journalist Carole Cadwalladr has had her contract cancelled by the Guardian following the Sunday newspapers controversial sale to Tortoise Media.

Ms Cadwalladr, an investigative journalist who has written several high profile stories on Brexit, wrote on social media site X that the Guardian was cancelling my contract after 19 years continuous employment with no pay-off.

It comes after the Scott Trust, the 1.3bn fund that owns both The Guardian and The Observer, closed a deal before Christmas to sell the Sunday title to loss-making start-up Tortoise despite widespread opposition from staff.

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Ms Cadwalladr is among several freelancers and casual staff who have been contacted by senior management to say their current contracts will end once the Observer is formally sold. She is understood to be considering legal action alongside dozens of casual staff.

She said: The Guardian professes to be a liberal, progressive organisation. But when you look at its actions and its disregard for workers rights, it tells a completely different story.

There is such anger across the workforce at the way that journalists have been treated, especially at the decision to totally ignore the opinions of 93pc of the workforce who voted for industrial action.

Unionised Guardian staff have vowed to carry out more industrial action in opposition to the sale of The Observer - Lucy North/PA Wire

Ms Cadwalladr is among the most high-profile writers for the Observer, whose investigation into Cambridge Analytica earned her a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize in 2019.

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The journalist is also well known for her long-running legal row with Brexit campaigner Arron Banks.

Mr Banks sued Ms Cadwalladr for libel after she suggested he had a covert relationship with the Russian government, something he said was false and defamatory.

Mr Banks won a partial victory in the Court of Appeal last year, with Ms Cadwalladr ordered to pay legal costs. Her legal team said in November 2023 they intended to challenge the verdict at the European Court of Human Rights.

An email sent by Guardian director Robert Hahn to freelancers on Dec 18, said affected freelancers would be offered a new one-year contract with Tortoise Media with the same pay.

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The email said: Freelance contracts with GNM will end once the Observer is formally transferred to Tortoise Media, which we expect to be in spring 2025.

At the same time, Tortoise Media will offer Tortoise contracts to all contracted freelance contributors on the same basis as current GNM agreements insofar as remuneration and contributions are concerned. These contracts will all have an end date of March 31, 2026, at which point they will be reviewed in the normal way.

A union spokesman said they were supporting casual and freelance staff, adding: We dont have a further update to share at this time.

A Guardian spokesman declined to comment.

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Another journalist at the paper lamented the mad situation facing staff, who are threatening further industrial action in an attack on editor Katharine Viners authority after the Tortoise deal was finalised.

Guardian journalists will also boycott news meetings and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has warned bosses that it plans to take part in disruptive industrial action in the new year in protest against the Observer sale.

The source said: I think the quote goes something like: never work for a liberal paper, dear boy. Theyll sack you just before Christmas.

A third journalist said the changes were nuts.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
A Guatemalan migrant has been arrested for allegedly lighting a sleeping subway rider on fire in Brooklyn on Sunday morning  then watching as his innocent victim burned to death in what the police commissioner called one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit.

The savage killing  which happened at about 7:30 a.m. on an idling F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station  shocked commuters, MTA workers and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who said Sunday that the heinous crime took the life of an innocent New Yorker.

A suspect was arrested in connection with the deadly subway fire attack Sunday. G.N.Miller/NYPost

Officials said the 33-year-old suspect came to the US in 2018 from Guatemala. Instagram/coronavirusny

As the train pulled into the station, the suspect calmly walked up to the victim, who was in a seated position at the end of a subway car  and used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victims clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, Tisch said at a press conference.

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Patrolling cops smelled and saw the smoke, then followed it to the flame-covered woman, the commissioner said.

They extinguished the blaze, but the victim died at the scene.

Follow the latest on the migrant accused of burning a woman to death on the subway:

Officials said the 33-year-old suspect came to the US in 2018 from Guatemala. He was detained by border patrol agents in Arizona in June of that year, sources said. His legal status wasnt immediately clear Sunday night.

He received a transit summons in May 2023, but his criminal record in New York City was largely clean otherwise, sources said. He was living at a shelter on Randalls Island at the time of the infraction.

Horrifying video obtained by The Post showed the suspect calmly looking on as flames consumed the still-unidentified woman, who stood inside the open subway car door.

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A transit cop walked by, and seemed to pull out a radio and say something as they continued down the platform.

After the cop passed, the suspect got up as if to walk away  then the clip cut off.

Cops detained the suspect Sunday morning. Instagram/coronavirusny

In another video, cops yelled to the gathered crowd, Did anybody see anything? Did anybody see anything? as smoke poured from inside the subway car.

The suspect brazenly sat on a nearby bench as cops huddled around, pulling his hood up at one point just before an officer spoke to him.

Do me a favor? Walk down there, the cop said, motioning down the platform with his radio. I need this space cleared up.

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The man stood up, then left the scene.

Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car, Tisch said.

The suspect allegedly sat and watched the victim after the gruesome assault. Obtained by the Post

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The body-worn cameras on the responding officers produced a very clear, detailed look at the killer.

Later in day, three high schoolers called police to say they saw the man pictured in images released by the NYPD at the Jay and York Street station on the F line, according to Tisch and the NYPDs Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta.

When transit officers responded to that call, they found the suspect already on another train leaving the station  and wearing the same gray hoodie, wool hat and paint-splattered pants hed been wearing when he allegedly torched the woman.

The suspect brazenly sat on a nearby bench as cops huddled around, pulling his hood up at one point just before an officer spoke to him. Instagram/coronavirusny

Cops called ahead and halted the train at Herald Square. Then, they went from car to car until they found the suspect and arrested him, police officials said.

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Tisch said the suspect had a lighter in his pocket when he was picked up.

I want to thank the young people who called 911 to help, Tisch said. They saw something, and they said something, and they did something.

Gulotta echoed her comments, calling the arrest amazing work done by the public and the police working together.

The victim died at the scene. Gregory P. Mango

Police dont believe the migrant and the victim knew each other before the killing, Gulotta added.

Earlier in the morning, cops, firefighters and medical examiner personnel clad in white Tyvek suits combed the tracks for evidence after they cordoned off the area.

Around 1 p.m., authorities carried a body bag containing the womans corpse out of the train and placed it on a gurney. Then they wheeled it over to a medical examiner van and moved it inside.

The woman has not yet been identified.
Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The readiness of the Navy's fleet of 32 amphibious warfare ships, which are deemed crucial in quickly projecting U.S. power around the world, is in dire shape, according to a scathing report issued this month.

The Government Accountability Office said the rapid deployment force used by the U.S. Marine Corps to quickly reach and come ashore in global hot spots is so compromised by a backlog of maintenance that fully half of its ships were in poor operating condition as of March.

The GAO's report, issued Dec. 5 under the requirements of the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, pulled no punches in warning that the Marines' ability to carry out such missions is under compromise.

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"Amphibious warfare ships are critical for Marine Corps missions, but the Navy has struggled to ensure they are available for operations and training," the report found. "In some cases, ships in the amphibious fleet have not been available for years at a time."

The report comes after Marine Corps leaders issued repeated warnings over the condition of the fleet and the Navy authorized spending nearly $10 billion on replacement ships -- but at the same time deferred maintenance on existing craft, the GAO reported.

Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit bear crawl during a squad competition as part of a black belt Marine Corps Martial Arts course held aboard USS Pearl Harbor on Dec. 25, 2017. The Pearl Harbor is one of 10 LSD-class "small deck" amphibious vessels in the Navy fleet, of which only one was in satisfactory material condition as of March, according to a Government Accountability Office report released this month. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. F. Cordoba.

Unique capabilities

The amphibious ships are battle-force vessels, meaning they count toward the quoted size of the Navy and its force-level goal.

The U.S. Navy is spending $5.8 billion for three new "small-deck" amphibious transport dock, or LPD, ships from Huntington Ingalls Industries as it faces questions this month over the readiness of its existing fleet of such craft, which are designed to quickly transport U.S. Marines into trouble spots around the world. Rendering courtesy Huntington Ingalls Industries

The primary function of Navy amphibious ships is to transport U.S. Marines and their weapons, equipment and supplies to distant operating areas, enabling them to conduct expeditionary operations ashore.

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Although amphibious ships can be used to support Marine landings against opposing military forces, they also are used for operations in permissive or benign situations in which no opposing forces exist.

The U.S. Navy in September awarded contracts totaling more than $9.4 billion to procure four new amphibious assault ships capable of quickly transporting Marines to hot spots around the world. This month the Government Accountability Office reported the Navy's existing fleet of such ships is in dire condition. Rendering courtesy U.S. Navy

Because of their large storage spaces and their ability to use helicopters and landing craft to transfer people and equipment from ship to shore without need for port facilities, amphibious ships are deemed essential for a wide range of combat and noncombat operations.

Some of the Navy's contingent of amphibious ships are forward-deployed to various overseas operating areas at any given time, typically in multi-ship formations called amphibious groups, or ARGs.

A chart provided in a report issued this month by the Government Accountability Office on the state of the U.S. Navy's 32-ship amphibious assault fleet shows only half of its ships were in satisfactory operation condition as of March. Image courtesy Government Accountability Office

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The Navy's current amphibious ship force is made up entirely of large craft, including the so-called "big-deck" amphibious assault ships, designated "LHA" and "LHD," which look like medium-sized aircraft carriers, and relatively smaller ships designated "LPD" or "LSD," sometimes called "small-deck" amphibious ships.

Federal law requires the Navy to include at least 31 operational amphibious warfare ships, consisting of at least 10 LHA/LHD-type "big-deck" vessels, with the remaining ships to be LPD/LSD-type.

San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Somerset is seen anchored at Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on June 3, 2023. The U.S. Navy has ordered three new such small-deck amphibious vessels under a $9.4 billion contract approved in September. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI

Critical to deterrence

Thirty-two ships are in the fleet -- the "absolute minimum" needed, former Marine Corps Commandant David Berger told the Senate Armed Forces Committee during testimony in April 2023.

The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, shown here departing San Diego for deployment May 1, 2019, was out of service for nearly five years for repairs and rehabilitation, coming to symbolize issues facing the readiness of the Navy's crucial fleet of amphibious warfare craft. U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Spec. 2nd Class Jesse Monford

Calling the amphibious ships "critical to crisis response," he warned that their poor condition is imperiling the U.S. ability to project its power when needed the most.

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"They're critical to deterrence," he said. "That's how we evacuated citizens out of Lebanon. That's how the U.S. made our initial entry into Afghanistan in 2001 -- all from the sea."

The fleet now is tasked to do all those things "plus deterrence, plus integrated deterrence and campaigning," Berger said. "And my concern here is, the first time this nation can't respond to a crisis and someone else does, is the last time they trust us."

Navy/Marine ARGs have been in action several times in recent months, demonstrating what military officials say is their usefulness in many different kinds of situations.

For instance, sailors assigned to the America Amphibious Ready Group and Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in Papua New Guinea after the eruption of Mount Bagana on July 31, 2023.

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And following the surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, a Navy/Marine ARG led by the USS Bataan immediately responded to provide support for the U.S. Central Command in the Red Sea.

"Their rapid response demonstrated the ARG/MEU's ability to provide expeditionary sea-based contingency response packages during times of crisis without the constraints and restraints of access, basing and overflight," current Marine Commandant Eric Smith testified to Congress in April.

GAO: Half of fleet in substandard condition

Given the crucial role they play in the United States' ability to quickly send Marines into rapidly emerging threat zones, it may seem essential to keep all of the amphibious assault fleet in top operating condition.

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But that is hardly the case, the GAO report found.

"Amphibious warfare ships are critical for Marine Corps missions, but the Navy has struggled to ensure they are available for operations and training," it stated.

"In some cases, ships in the amphibious fleet have not been available for years at a time. The Navy and Marine Corps are working to agree on a ship availability goal but have yet to complete a metrics-based analysis to support such a goal.

"Until the Navy completes this analysis, it risks jeopardizing its ability to align amphibious ship schedules with the Marine Corps units that deploy on them. As of March 2024, half of the amphibious fleet is in poor condition and these ships are not on track to meet their expected service lives," the GAO found.

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Furthermore, the audit agency said this state of affairs has impaired the Marine Corps' ability to train for amphibious assault missions.

The Navy, it found, is also facing problems with procuring spare parts, testing the reliability of ship systems and performing maintenance in a timely manner. For example, the GAO found that the Navy canceled maintenance for aging amphibious ships it plans to retire, even though it had not yet completed the steps required for their necessary divestment waiver processes.

The report said Navy officials have since halted the practice of canceling such maintenance prior to getting divestment waivers, but the have yet to update their official policy to reflect that decision, which the GAO said is needed to ensure these ships remain functional should Congress restrict funding for expected replacement vessels.

Meanwhile, the statutory requirement that the Navy have no less than 31 operating amphibious assault vessels available at any given time could pose problems for the service.

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While it is considering extending the service life for some ships to meet the requirement, "these efforts will require up to $1 billion per ship, according to the Navy, with six ships needing service life extensions in the next three decades amid rising ship construction costs and maintenance backlogs," the report found.

Four new amphibious ships coming under $9.4B contract

After many months of debate over the future of program, the Navy on Sept. 24 announced its had awarded a $5.8 billion "block buy" contract for the construction of three San Antonio-class small-deck ships and a modification to a separate, $3.6 billion contract for the construction of a big-deck ship.

Both types are built by Huntington Ingalls Industries/Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss.

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The service has traditionally been tight-lipped when responding to reports about the operating condition of its fleet, citing security concerns. Its reaction to the GAO report was similarly muted.

In a statement issued to media outlets Dec. 3, a spokesman for Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said "the Department of the Navy remains committed to building and maintaining 31 amphibious warships, as mandated by Congress.

"We look forward to working with Congress and our partners in industry to find innovative ways to meet that requirement, such as the block-buy of three LPDs and one LHA we announced in September. We, alongside the Navy and Marine Corps team, are focused on ensuring we have the fleet and the force our nation needs."

USS Boxer: Long stint out of action

Perhaps no one ship symbolizes the troubles facing the amphibious assault fleet more than the USS Boxer, an 840-foot, big-deck amphibious assault ship that was stuck pier-side at Naval Base San Diego for five years for a lengthy process of costly overhauls and repairs.

After finally returning to service in April, it was immediately sidelined again for emergency repairs to its rudder. The 30-year-old vessel was back in service again by July and has since been deployed in the Indo Pacific region on an abbreviated mission ahead of yet more upcoming assessments of its seaworthiness.

The ship's high-profile problems in some ways have come to symbolize the disconnect between the Navy's operations and the needs of the marine expeditionary units.

The issue was addressed publicly earlier this month by Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy's chief of naval operations, during a forum held by the Stimson Center, a foreign affairs think tank focusing on international security.

The maintenance of the amphibious fleet is "a big focus area for us," she said, as top officers ask themselves questions such as "Where are we in the maintenance of all the ships? And then also, what are all the Marine Corps training requirements?"

How the Navy has handled the USS Boxer is illustrative of the approach it is taking, Franchetti said.

"Boxer had a rudder maintenance issue, and it needed to be fixed. It took a lot longer than we planned, and that was going to impact the Marines' ability to deploy," she said. "But together, we work through it. We work through how could the Marines still get their training and certification that they needed to do.

"As the Boxer was still delayed in her deployment, we got the other two ships out there. They were on deployment, a part of her ARG crew. And then we were able, once the Boxer got underway, to get her trained, certified quickly get her over there and have the deployment even extended beyond the original plan, so we could continue to provide more options to our nation's leaders."

During its brief deployment this summer, the Boxer was able to render humanitarian and disaster relief after a typhoon in the Philippines, she noted, adding, "So she was there when she needed to be" to provide a capability "that we need all around the world every single day."
It was another Sunday morning of sometimes heated but always civil political debate on Hancock and Kelley for Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024.

Republican consultant John Hancock and Democratic consultant Michael Kelley discuss several topics in the political newsphere.

Its turning out to be a very bad end of the year for those in power in St. Louis City and County.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page runs into big problems in court when trying to name the countys next prosecutor.

Mayor Tishaura Jones cannot dodge the ongoing issues at the St. Louis Jail, as the person she appointed to straighten things out is now out of the job.

Republicans in the Missouri Legislature are also drawing attention, starting with their proposal to lift the ban on gun silencers.

Congress approves a new spending bill to keep the federal government running after President-elect Donald Trump and his spending advisor, Elon Musk, trashed an earlier version put forth by the House of Representatives.

In our Quote of the Week, Missouri politicians are calling to name some state highways after Donald Trump.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
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(NewsNation)  Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, takes place this year from December 25 to January 2.

I spoke to Uri Goldflam, an expert in the history and ancient religions of Israel, about the holiday and its significance as the Israel-Gaza war continues. Goldflam is a licensed guide and serves as an elected member of the Tzur Hadassah town council where he resides with his family in the mountains outside of Jerusalem. He served in the IDFs Paratrooper Reserves for over 20 years.

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Susie Pinto: Can you describe the spiritual significance of the Hanukkah?

Uri Goldflam: Hanukkah is a holiday commemorating the liberation of Judea from the oppression of the Assyrian Greeks in the 2nd century BC, and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. (Hannukah=dedication). Its a celebration of the victory of the few against the many, the weak against the strong, light over darkness, the believers in the One God against the pagans. It was so revolutionary that it echoed throughout the ancient world. No one, especially not a small tribe from a small mountainous region, has ever defeated the empire nor rejected its values and principles. Once again the Jews were set apart from the rest of the world. It is a testament to the Jewish spirit, faith and unwavering steadfast loyalty to the Land of Israel and the God of Israel and of Gods loyalty to the nation of Israel.



In later years, repeated attempts by Jewish rebels to overthrow Roman oppression resulted in tragedy. First the destruction of the 2nd Temple and of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD by Emperor Titus and later, the complete destruction of Judea, a genocide and the enslavement and exile of Jewish survivors by Emporer Hadrian in 135 AD who also renamed Judea and called it Provincia Palestina. The calamity was so great that rabbis of the 2nd century preferred to emphasize the miracle of Hanukkah, a small pot of oil that lasted for 8 days instead of just 1, as divine intervention rather than the military success of the Maccabee.



In exile, this has been the emphasis in celebrating Hanukkah by Jews around the world for almost 2000 years. Today, in Israel, many Jews return to the original historical events and commemorate both the heroism of the Maccabees, vanquishing darkness and Gods love for Israel, bringing light to the world.

Jesus also visited the Temple for Hanukkah. John 10: 22: Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter.

Christians in Syria mark countrys transformation with tears as UN envoy urges an end to sanctions

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SP: This will be the second Hanukkah since the Israel-Gaza war began. How will you and your family observe the holiday this year?

UG: We will light candles every night and enjoy our family time together. Whether permitting we will spend time outdoors, enjoying the crisp air, Hanukkah is often an opportunity for my teens to go hiking with their youth movement and immerse themselves in the historical landscape of Israel. We often join with grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts for an evening of candle lighting, songs, exchanging gifts, and eating latkes (shredded and deep-fried potato patties, with sour cream, apple sauce and sugar) and jam-filled, sugar-sprinkled doughnuts. Its the festival at the peak of the oil harvest, and it shows. One of our favorite family traditions is a doughnut-tasting tour at Jerusalems colorful Mahne Yehuda market. A feast for the eyes and taste buds, mostly the sweet ones.

Yes, it is especially significant and filled with gratitude. Celebrating our history and our freedom, our lives and family, at a time of war when so many have lost so much, is truly miraculous and uplifting.

SP: How has the war impacted how Israelis celebrate Jewish holidays?

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UG: Jews have been celebrating Hanukkah for more than 2,000 years, through pogroms and expulsions, from crusader slaughter to Nazi concentration and death camps. The Menorah has been a symbol of hope and light in the darkest of hours. Over the past year Israel has undoubtedly seen some of its darkest hours. Especially after Oct. 7th last year that triggered Jewish historic memories from the Holocaust and medieval barbarism. The difference now is that the State of Israel exists with a strong army that can defend our people and vanquish our enemies. Its a unique phenomenon in Jewish history, for Jews have been defenseless for the past 2,000 years. I believe that this year, especially after the military success the IDF has achieved, Israelis will feel deeper feelings of gratitude and hope. We have witnessed true heroism since Oct. 7th, with civilians and soldiers alike. We have seen true life-saving miracles and miraculous recoveries.

We have also witnessed unimaginable horror and suffering. This year Hanukkah candles will symbolize the very real redemption Israelis feel from the dangers that surround us, achieved with the sacrifice, blood and selflessness of so many. For many Israelis, none of these could have been achieved without the real and loving hand of God. I feel there is an awakening and newfound awareness to Gods presence, or in secular terms a move to strengthen Jewish identity, belonging and values. This awareness is not necessarily expressed in the synagogues but in art, music and culture as well as in politics and public discourse. This year the lights of Hanukkah will pierce the darkness that surrounds us. As I am writing these words there are still 100 people, alive and dead, Jews and non-Jews, Israelis and other nationalities, being held in darkness in Gaza. I pray the light of Hanukkah reaches them and they too come from darkness to light.

Pope Francis to open Jubilee on Christmas Eve

SP: Can you tell us about your religious community and the mood this year as Hamas still holds hostages captive?

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UG: Our community has suffered losses in the war. A son, who was a young officer in the IDF who was killed in the early battles of October 7th while protecting the lives of young IDF recruits and nearby civilians, a father who was killed later in the war in Gaza, a reservist who left two small children orphaned and another beloved teacher in our local high school who was also killed in the war as a soldier in reserves. Many fathers, sons and daughters are serving in the IDF which leaves their families in emotional turmoil, stress and often also in single parenthood distress for months at a time. More specifically to your question, we are also in pain and stand in support of the family of Eliya Cohen, who are members of our community. He was kidnapped from the Nova dance party and is still being held hostage in Gaza. Eliyah hid with his girlfriend under a pile of dead bodies until he was discovered, shot and kidnapped. We do not have information about his well-being or whereabouts.

While the mood is heavy, we also maintain a routine. Kids go to school and life goes on. We have seen an outpour of support and solidarity in addition to unparalleled resilience within our community. Israeli society, and especially the younger generations (millennials) at whom we so often like to poke fun, born in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s have shown a level of selflessness, sacrifice, courage and dedication that may even surpass Israels founding generation. Yet it is still a society in trauma, not post-trauma because the events are still unfolding and the hostages are still in captivity. It will take years to truly understand the impact on the kids growing up today.

Get fact-based, unbiased news coverage 24/7 with the NewsNation app. Download it here.

SP: You just got back from a speaking tour in the U.S. What do you speak about and what is the main goal of your tour?

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UG: In normal times I work as a tour guide in Israel, telling Israels story to delegates, church groups, families, business people and everyday tourists. Since the war began, and tourism is no longer a viable industry, Ive taken Israels story abroad, across the US and Canada. My presentation offers an educational perspective on Israel and Gaza, providing knowledge and tools that foster informed discourse. The discussion highlights historical, religious, cultural, and geographical contexts and their profound impact on geopolitical dynamics, as well as the rise of antisemitism. My lecture is tailored for members of faith communities, business leaders, elected officials, and students, aiming to demystify the complexities surrounding Israel and antisemitism. It offers insights that transcend headlines and stereotypes. My objective is to cultivate a space for learning, dialogue, and understanding, to empower audiences to develop their informed perspectives on events that now have far-reaching effects in their lives.



SP: You aim to demystify the complexities surrounding Israel  what reaction do you receive?

UG: The reactions are overwhelmingly positive. My main takeaway is that most Americans intuitively understand what is at stake and they support Israel. However, many lack the confidence, knowledge, and tools to defend their understanding against false narratives and the demonization of Israel. That is what I do. My mission is to engage, educate, and equip audiences with the information and ability to stand up for their beliefs and to support Israel.

SP: Have you interacted with any college students during your time in the US  and if so, how did they react to your point of view?

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UG: Only a few, those that come to my events that are often private and self-selecting. However, I have spoken to many concerned parents who wish to have a conversation with their kids who are in college but lack the necessary language to do so. These conversations sometimes become emotional given the circumstances. I offer talking points and information in a Q&A format that can help with such conversations. I encourage your readers to download for free: How To Talk About The Conflict  Travel Trailer Israel.



As this is a growing concern among many communities, Jewish and Christian alike, my next speaking tour will focus on this issue: How to speak about the conflict. I would be more than happy to speak with student groups who are willing to listen and have a real conversation.

SP: Israel and the war in Gaza make headlines every day. Do you think the American media is covering the conflict fairly?

UG: Generally speaking, no. And, as stated above, I think most Americans intuitively know this.

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There are many problems with news coverage and we can go into many examples in detail but I would start with this: for the past 57 years there has been a very specific media paradigm when reporting about Israel: Its a David and Goliath story in reverse. That is an amazing story! Since 1967 Israel has come to be seen as the strong military power (bad), and the Palestinians as the weak underdog (good). (This also fits well into classic antisemitic tropes without being anti-Jewish, only anti-Israel.) If a news item filed from Israel doesnt fit this paradigm, it doesnt make the cut and never gets reported.

With decades of reporting through this paradigm, it became easy to adopt a more radical (and erroneous) position, first propagated by the Soviet Union, its Arab and Western allies alike, but mostly ignored by the West: Israel has been labeled as colonial, and the occupying power.

Zionism has been hijacked and rebranded by detractors of Israel as a Jewish supremacist ideology rather than the truth, simply the right of self-determination for Jews. Colonization and occupation were now viewed as the source of the conflict. History, religion and ideology became irrelevant to the journalistic narrative. These ideas seemed to have gained momentum as Western civilization carried more and more guilt over its own colonial past, while postmodern and neo-Marxist ideas began spilling out of university campuses to the mainstream media and politics. Vilification and delegitimization became the next steps in order to roll back Israels very existence. False accusations of genocide, apartheid and colonialism (there are more, but I call these The Big 3) are used to excuse the calls for Israels destruction or at the very least, its deconstruction. Much of this has been done subtly over the years but since October 7th, 2023, it has become commonplace.

The media is complicit in the vilification of Israel for promoting these narratives that are demonstrably false and can be easily rejected with simple fact-checking; except for the fact that doing so will not fit the paradigm and decades of narrative will have to be scrapped.

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SP: What do you want Americans to know about the conflict that doesnt get covered?

UG: This war should not be viewed through the narrow prism of the Israel-Palestinian conflict or even the Israel-Iran conflict. Rather, this is the first open battle of the clash of Civilizations. We are seeing a realignment of the global order. The real question is what world we wish to leave our children and grandchildren. Is it a world where the despots, tyrants, dictators and jihadists of the world are setting the tone? Countries that suppress speech, liberty and freedom? Subjugate women and minorities (religious, ethnic or other), that promote war, terrorism and chaos? Or, as flawed as they are, Western democracies and their allies, who truly strive towards liberal values of equality, freedoms and liberties based on our shared Judeo-Christian value system? A global order that promotes and protects life and prosperity and peace? This is the battle that is already at your shores. Americans cant afford to sit on the sidelines or remain silent.

SP: What do you want Americans to understand about Israel and its position?

UG: Israel after Oct. 7th is a different country. Israel is fighting for its very existence and will not tolerate the presence of Jihadi elements hellbent on destroying Israel on its borders. Appeasement and containment have only brought us more war and bloodshed. Israelis are well aware they are shouldering the burden of the war on the West. They dont expect any boots on the ground but they do expect moral and diplomatic support for a fair chance at winning.

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SP: As an expert on Israels history and religious sites, you have spent a lot of time with pilgrims in the Holy Land as they have a profound spiritual experience. Whats that like and how does it affect you?

UG: I love it. Its an incredible gift to be able to travel through the land that I love and experience its incredible landscape through the eyes of pilgrims. The Holy Land is often called The 5th Gospel and its true. Once you understand the geography of the Holy Land, you will read the Bible with a new layer of understanding and clarity.

I love connecting Christians to the Jewish roots of their faith. I feel blessed to be able to provide that clarity to my clients and strengthen their faith. Its a calling that unfortunately I had not been able to fulfill for more than 14 months. The war has had a dramatic and devastating effect on our industry. I pray for peace and the return of tourism to Israel. Until then, I invite your readers to access Travel Trailer Israels video collection to see what the fuss is all about. Whether as an individual or a church group, I invite you to contact me to plan your next pilgrimage to Israel or book a speaking event on my next speaking tour.

You can follow Uri Goldflam at @urigoldflam on Instagram or @UriGoldflam on X, or visit https://www.traveltrailerisrael.com/uri/

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.
NEW YORK, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Police in New York City apprehended a man on Sunday for setting a female subway rider on fire.

The man walked toward the victim and set her on fire at around 7:30 am (1230 GMT) as an F train arrived at the last stop of Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station, according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch in a press conference.

The victim was pronounced dead after the flames were put out. The suspect remained at the scene and sat on a bench outside the train as the victim burned, said Tisch.

The arrest was made with tips from other subway riders later Sunday.

The names of both the suspect and the victim have not been released. The suspect emigrated from Guatemala to the United States in 2018, according to Joseph Gulotta, the chief of transit for the New York City Police Department.

Investigators do not believe the suspect and the victim knew each other, and the suspect's motivation is still under investigation.

The shocking crime captured widespread attention, highlighting the ongoing problems with crime in New York City's subway system. 
A shocking and tragic incident occurred on a New York subway when a woman was set on fire by a man, leading to her death. The brutal attack, which took place early in the morning, has left many shocked and horrified. As the investigation unfolds, many are wondering about what happened.

Here are more details.

Suspect arrested after woman set on fire and killed in NY subway

A man has been taken into custody following the tragic death of a woman who was set on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn. Authorities have called the incident one of the most heinous acts of violence. It occurred early on a Sunday morning at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station. The woman was seated on a stationary F train when a man approached her and ignited her clothing with a lighter, causing the flames to quickly engulf her. Despite the quick response from officers who tried to put out the fire, the woman tragically passed away at the scene. (via CNN)

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Surveillance footage and police body cameras were crucial in identifying the suspect. After setting the woman on fire, the assailant remained on the platform. He sat on a bench, where officers captured clear images of him. Later, three teenagers recognized him on another train, leading to his arrest at Herald Square station in Manhattan. The suspect, an immigrant from Guatemala, was apprehended with a lighter in his possession.

While police have not identified a clear motive, they do not think that the victim and the suspect had any prior relationship or connection. There was seemingly no previous exchange between the suspect and the victim before the attack occurred. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), New York City Mayor Eric Adams wrote, Grateful to the young New Yorkers and transit officers who stepped up to help our NYPD make a quick arrest following this mornings heinous and deadly subway attackMy prayers are with the family of the victim in this senseless killing.

The post What Happened to the Woman Set on Fire in New York Subway? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
A Hastings man who threatened to kill a police officer in August, repeatedly emailing and texting the man profane threatening messages, has been sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Nathan Ray Justice, 30, was sentenced in Dakota County Court last week after pleading guilty to a felony count of threats of violence.

Authorities said he threatened to kill the Hastings police departments deputy chief in October because he was upset his cellphone had not been returned to him after he was charged with pointing a gun at a neighbor in August. In addition, Justice called a woman who worked in the electronic crimes unit of the department and spoke in a profane manner to her before also contacting her through her private LinkedIn account.

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Justice previously was charged threats of violence in August after pointing a gun at his neighbor during a dispute over dog feces, prosecutors say.

According to the latest criminal complaint:

Hastings police seized Justices cellphone as part of its investigation into the alleged Aug. 23 gun-pointing incident. The phone was given to the countys electronic crimes unit for forensic examination.

Beginning on Sept. 6, Justice repeatedly emailed and texted the deputy chief about the cellphone. Officers told Justice it would likely take several weeks to process, but he continued to contact the police department, particularly the deputy chief.

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(Justices) communications throughout the month of September became increasingly profane, the complaint says.

Justice called the deputy chief Oct. 22 and demanded his phone be returned. During the conversation, Justice told the deputy chief he was going to kill his (derogatory term) ass, the complaint alleges.

Justice then called a civilian employee of the electronic crimes unit on her direct line. (Justice) was profane and demanded his phone back, the complaint says. He later left the employee a profane voicemail and contacted her through her private LinkedIn account.

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He also tagged the City of Hastings in numerous Facebook posts, writing that this didnt have to come to this and that he was on my way.

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Justice has a third open case in Dakota County. He was charged in November 2023 with fleeing police in a motor vehicle and third-degree driving while impaired.

Justice was convicted in Dakota County of misdemeanor driving under the influence of an intoxicating substance in October 2021. He later violated terms of probation by failing to complete a chemical assessment and a victim impact panel, court records show.

He was convicted of motor vehicle theft in Aitkin County in June 2021 and disorderly conduct in Washington County in October of that year.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)  In todays health headlines, how to keep kids healthy and out of the emergency department over the holidays.

Dr. Marc Auerbach, pediatric emergency medicine physician and professor at Yale School of Medicine, discussed this topic on Good Morning Connecticut.

Watch the video above.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
In just two short weeks, attorney Tony Buzbee found out just who Jay-Z is. Ever since the 99 Problems rapper was named in one of the many civil suits against Sean Diddy Combs, the two have engaged in a pretty public back and forth in both the courts and online, leading various allegations and stories about Buzbee to come to light in the wake of their legal battle.



As we reported, Buzbee is representing Sean Diddy Combs accusers, including one Jane Doe who alleges the disgraced rapper and Shawn Jay-Z Carter raped her in 2000. Since then, Jay-Z has been aggressively fighting back against the claims, as the two have gone back and forth with each other in a very public manner.

The day after Jay-Z was named in the suit, he fought back in a statement via Roc Nation, alleging that his legal team received a blackmail attempt from Buzbee. What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle, the statement read, with Jay-Z adding that it had the opposite effect, with him aiming to expose Buzbee for the fraud he believes him to be.

From then on, the two hit each other back and forth in the press, with Buzbee going to news outlets with his own sequence of events and allegations that Jay-Z and his legal team were the ones trying to intimidate him, by contacting family members and former clients. Just last week, Buzbee filed a lawsuit against Roc Nation, claiming that the rappers attorneys allegedly offered a former client money in exchange for turning on Buzbee, per TMZ,

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A spokesperson for Roc Nation naturally denied this, calling it a baloney lawsuit and a pathetic attempt to distract and deflect attention, all while Jay filed a motion to speedily extract his name from the headline-making Jane Doe lawsuit completely, citing the accusers recent TV interview in which she acknowledged inconsistencies in her story, as we reported.

Just when you thought things couldnt get messier between the two, on Friday, Buzbee got hit with a separate lawsuit against him in which a Jane Doe alleges that Buzbee knowingly gave her an STI. The lawsuit claims that Buzbee offered her free legal advice in exchange for silence on the issue, and also alleges he assaulted her with a champagne flute.

Doe is suing the attorney for legal malpractice, violation of judiciary law, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent misrepresentation, and tortious interference. Buzbee of course is denying the allegations, calling the lawsuit frivolous, laughable and ridiculous and will be dismissed along like the others while once again pinning these allegations to an alleged smear campaign from Roc Nation.

Once again, Roc Nation was not having any of this. Catching a pattern here? They replied in a statement denying the claims that that reads, We are not the source of every sunlight you get but Roc sunshine is coming your way Mr. 1800. Shameful.

Regarding the baloney accusations against Roc Nation pic.twitter.com/618YUl7SgN  Roc Nation (@RocNation) December 20, 2024

Weve got our eye on this situation as it gets messier and messier, but we cant imagine this attorney expected to be thrust into the public eye quite this way when representing these various accusers. Either way, hes in the spotlight now.

For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
A Miami police lieutenant  formerly an assistant chief of the department  was arrested on a domestic violence charge on Saturday.

Around 9:35 p.m., Thomas Carroll, 47, was handcuffed after an incident at his home earlier that day. According to his arrest report, two witnesses saw Carroll slap his wife twice and spit at her around 10 times during a heated argument.

Carrolls wife, the report says, ran outside and called police for help. The lieutenant faces a domestic violence battery charge and has since been released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

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Assistant Chief of Police Armando Aguilar said in a statement Carroll, who has been a lieutenant since 2023, has been relieved of duty, pending further investigation.

When acts of domestic violence are perpetrated by law enforcement officers, they are especially disheartening, as they represent a breach of the sacred trust placed in us by the people we serve, Aguilar said in the statement. ...We are committed to ensuring that a thorough investigation is conducted and that the victim receives all necessary support throughout this process.

Carroll was recently mentioned in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by former police officer Weslyne Lewis Francois, who is Black, and reported by the Miami Herald. Lewis Francios stated that Carroll acknowledged that Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales had a vendetta against her due to her race.

This report will be updated as more information becomes available
For one high school student in New Jersey, a single computer science competition fueled a mission to get more teenage girls interested in artificial intelligence, or AI.

Ishani Singh, now 17, was a freshman at High Technology High School in 2021 when she attended a state computer science competition, where she noticed she was only one of a few female students competing.

When Singh went onto compete in the regional competition, she said she was "shocked" to see that she was the only female student competing.

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"I looked around and there were, like, zero girls, and I was like, 'OK,'" Singh told ABC News in an interview airing on "The Year: 2024," an annual special airing Dec. 26 on ABC. "That felt a little weird."

The experience inspired Singh, now a high school senior, to launch Girls Rule AI, which aims to empower young women to learn about AI, a term that, according to NASA, "refers to computer systems that can perform complex tasks normally done by human-reasoning, decision making, creating, etc."

PHOTO: Ishani Singh founded Girls Rule AI after attending a computer science competition where she was the only girl. (ABC News)

Since the start of the organization nearly three years ago, Girls Rule AI has taught free courses on AI to over 200 girls in 25 states and six countries around the world, including Kenya and Afghanistan, according to Singh.

Gloria Mwangi, a Girls Rule AI instructor in Kenya, said she believes women working in AI-related fields could be transformative.

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"In Kenya, the interest in tech and AI is definitely growing," Mwangi told ABC News. "I think AI has a lot of potential to make a difference for young women here."

Singh added that the success of her company, she believes, has been in making AI more accessible to more girls.

Apple rolls out new 'Genmoji' feature powered by AI

"I think it's just because girls are a little afraid to just start on this journey in the first place," Singh said of the gender difference in AI. "So, I think by creating this community, I was able to make girls feel a little more more comfortable and just get them more confident in this field."

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Even with the progress, Singh said she feels there is a lot of work to do when it comes to getting girls interested in AI so they can go onto careers in the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, industries.

According to the American Association of University Women, women currently make up 34% of the STEM workforce and are particularly outnumbered by men in fast-growing and high-paying fields like engineering and computer science.

"We're not at the level that we should be," Singh said. "I think there should be more women in the tech field."

Could your job be replaced by AI?

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Singh added that she believes the more young girls who become interested in AI, the greater the experience will be for all people who use the technology.

"If we have this growing surge of interest among girls and women in the field ... they'll be able to provide valuable input into the AI models that we're putting out into the world these days," she said. "So, it's great to see that people have the same passion that I do."

Tune into "The Year: 2024" on Thursday, Dec. 26, at 9 p.m. EST on ABC, and stream it on Hulu starting Friday, Dec. 27.

High schooler didn't see enough girls studying AI, so she built her own company originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Authorities say a Maine man was rescued from a New Hampshire mountain after finding himself with extreme hypothermia while stuck in deep snow.

Patrick Bittman, 28, of Portland, was on a solo hike on Franconia Ridge when he called for help on Thursday, Dec. 19, according to a news release from New Hampshire Fish and Game.

The Maine man began his hike the previous evening so that he could watch the sunrise from Mount Lafayette, but then encountered deep blowing snow near the summit of Little Haystack.

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During his descent, Bittman could not find the trail and "ended up heading into the Dry Brook drainage, where he became stuck, according to authorities.



Related: Hiker Found Alive After Texting Girlfriend for Help. When Authorities Reached Him, He Was Out of Water and Food

Bittman called 911 around 8:15 a.m. local time to report that his limbs were frozen, he was hypothermic, and could no longer move through the several feet of snow," officials aid in the news release.

Temperatures on the mountain were in the 20s, but felt even colder with winds blowing consistently above 30 miles an hour, Fish and Game said.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

It took over an hour for crews to reach the hiker, who was located around 1 p.m., according to the department.

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Crews battled extremely thick vegetation and steep terrain to reach Bittman, who was located about 1,000 feet off trail at 4,300 feet in elevation.

Related: 3 Teens Among Group of Hikers Rescued from N.H. Mountain Trail, Officials Say: 'Dangerous Decision'

Bittman was extremely hypothermic when he was found, so crews placed him in a Bothy Bag and given warm, dry clothing and warm fluids.

The Army National Guard eventually airlifted the man from the mountain and transported him to Littleton Regional Healthcare around 3:30 p.m.

Authorities have not released information about Bittmans current condition.

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This aerial rescue saved a multi-hour carry out through rugged terrain and is a testament as to how search and rescue works in New Hampshire with several different groups working together for a common goal, Fish and Game said in the news release.



Related: Hiker, 64, Found Alive After Screaming for Help. Why Authorities Say Shed Previously Been 'Undetectable'

FIsh and Game encouraged hikers to be prepared for any trek they may embark on in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

They recommend packing the following ten essential items: map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jackets and pants, and a knife.



Read the original article on People
Editors Note: This story originally published on December 23, 2024. It has been updated to reflect recent developments.

President-elect Donald Trump is not letting up on his suggestions that the US should retake the Panama Canal, an idea that has been rejected by the government of Panama, which has controlled the passage for decades.

In social media posts and remarks to supporters, Trump has accused Panama of charging the US exorbitant rates to use the canal and hinted at growing Chinese influence over the crucial waterway. And at an hour-long news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, he said the nearly half-century-old decision by the US to hand over control of the canal was a terrible thing to do.

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The US-built canal was opened in 1914 and controlled by the United States until a 1977 agreement provided for its eventual handover to Panama. The canal was jointly operated by both countries until the Panamanian government retained full control after 1999.

Speaking to a crowd of young conservatives in Phoenix last month, Trump said if the spirit of that agreement is not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States. So, to the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly.

Its not clear how seriously Trump is taking his threat to reclaim control over the canal. The president-elect has not clarified how he would force a sovereign, friendly country to cede its own territory, and declined on Tuesday to rule out military force to regain control of the canal.

And the Panamanian government wants nothing to do with Trumps suggestion.

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As President, I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to PANAMA, and will continue to be, President Jose Raul Mulino said in a statement last month.

The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable, he added.

Ricaurte Vasquez Morales, the administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that Trumps claims of Chinese influence on the canal are unfounded and denied that US ships are charged higher rates.

Rules are rules and there are no exceptions, Vasquez Morales said. We cannot discriminate for the Chinese, or the Americans, or anyone else. This will violate the neutrality treaty, international law and it will lead to chaos.

A fraught and deadly history

Before the canals completion, ships traveling between the east and west coasts of the Americas would have to sail around Cape Horn, on the southern tip of South America, adding thousands of miles and several months to their journeys.

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Creating a passageway that would shorten that trip had been an elusive goal of several empires that had colonies in the Americas.

In the early 20th century, President Theodore Roosevelt made the completion of a passageway a priority. The territory was at the time controlled by the Republic of Colombia, but a US-supported revolt led to the separation of Panama and Colombia and the formation of the Republic of Panama in 1903. The US and the newly formed republic signed a treaty that year that gave the US control over a 10-mile strip of land to build the canal in exchange for financial reimbursement.

The canal was completed in 1914, cementing the US status as an engineering and technological superpower, but it came at an enormous human cost. About 5,600 people were estimated to have died during US construction of the canal.

The canals practicality was demonstrated during World War II, when it was used as a critical passageway for the Allied war effort between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. But the relationship between the US and Panama slowly disintegrated over disagreements about control over the canal, treatment of Panamanian workers, and questions about whether the US and Panamanian flags should be flown jointly over the Canal Zone.

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Those tensions reached a peak on January 9, 1964, when anti-American riots led to several deaths in the Canal Zone and the brief severing of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Years of negotiations for a more equitable agreement led to two treaties during the administration of President Jimmy Carter. The agreements declared the canal neutral and open to all vessels and provided for joint US-Panamanian control of the territory until the end of 1999, when Panama would be given full control.

Because we have controlled a 10-mile-wide strip of land across the heart of their country and because they considered the original terms of the agreement to be unfair, the people of Panama have been dissatisfied with the treaty, Carter said in remarks to Americans after the treaties were signed. It was drafted here in our country and was not signed by any Panamanian.

The then-president added: Of course, this does not give the United States any right to intervene in the internal affairs of Panama, nor would our military action ever be directed against the territorial integrity or the political independence of Panama.

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Not everybody supported Carters plan. In a 1976 speech, then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan said that the people of the United States are the rightful owners of the Canal Zone.

Tensions over the canal deteriorated again in the late 1980s under the rule of Manuel Noriega, who was removed from power after the US invaded Panama as part of the war on drugs.

Modern troubles

Shortly after the Panamanians retained full control of the canal in 2000, shipping volume quickly exceeded the waterways capacity. A massive expansion project began in 2007 and was completed nearly a decade later.

But the area around the canal has been experiencing severe droughts, leading to lower water levels that hindered its ability to function properly. Canal authorities have set restrictions on traffic and imposed higher fees to traverse the canal.

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Those fees appear to form one part of Trumps issue with the canal. The president-elect last month described them as ridiculous and highly unfair, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama, I say, very foolishly, by the United States.

Trumps other claim, that China is seeking to exert more control over Panama and the Canal Zone, is not without merit. In 2017, Panama signed a joint communique that stressed it would not maintain any official ties with Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that Chinas ruling Communist Party claims as its own territory. Since then, Chinas influence in the area around the canal has grown.

Responding to Trumps remarks at the time, Mulino, the Panamanian president, said, Rates are not a whim. He also dismissed the idea that China exercised overt control over the canal.

The Canal has no control, direct or indirect, neither from China, nor from the European Community, nor from the United States or any other power, Mulino said in his statement.

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Trumps remarks are the latest example of the president-elect expressing his desire to obtain, or threatening to take or encroach on, territory belonging to a friendly foreign power.

Since his election in November, Trump has taunted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by suggesting his country should be made the 51st US state.

During his first term, Trump repeatedly floated the idea of the US buying Greenland from Denmark. The islands government said it is not for sale.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
PANAMA CITY (AP)  Teddy Roosevelt once declared the Panama Canal one of the feats to which the people of this republic will look back with the highest pride. More than a century later, Donald Trump is threatening to take back the waterway for the same republic.

The president-elect is decrying increased fees Panama has imposed to use the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He says if things don't change after he takes office next month, "We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.

Trump has long threatened allies with punitive action in hopes of winning concessions. But experts in both countries are clear: Unless he goes to war with Panama, Trump can't reassert control over a canal the U.S. agreed to cede in the 1970s.

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Here's a look at how we got here:

What is the canal?

It is a man-made waterway that uses a series of locks and reservoirs over 51 miles (82 kilometers) to cut through the middle of Panama and connect the Atlantic and Pacific. It spares ships having to go an additional roughly 7,000 miles (more than 11,000 kilometers) to sail around Cape Horn at South America's southern tip.

The U.S. International Trade Administration says the canal saves American business interests considerable time and fuel costs and enables faster delivery of goods, which is particularly significant for time sensitive cargoes, perishable goods, and industries with just-in-time supply chains.

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Who built it?

An effort to establish a canal through Panama led by Ferdinand de Lesseps, who built Egypt's Suez Canal, began in 1880 but progressed little over nine years before going bankrupt.

Malaria, yellow fever and other tropical diseases devastated a workforce already struggling with especially dangerous terrain and harsh working conditions in the jungle, eventually costing more than 20,000 lives, by some estimates.

Panama was then a province of Colombia, which refused to ratify a subsequent 1901 treaty licensing U.S. interests to build the canal. Roosevelt responded by dispatching U.S. warships to Panama's Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The U.S. also prewrote a constitution that would be ready after Panamanian independence, giving American forces the right to intervene in any part of Panama, to re-establish public peace and constitutional order.

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In part because Colombian troops were unable to traverse harsh jungles, Panama declared an effectively bloodless independence within hours in November 1903. It soon signed a treaty allowing a U.S.-led team to begin construction.

Some 5,600 workers died later during the U.S.-led construction project, according to one study.

Why doesn't the US control the canal anymore?

The waterway opened in 1914, but almost immediately some Panamanians began questioning the validity of U.S. control, leading to what became known in the country as the generational struggle to take it over.

The U.S. abrogated its right to intervene in Panama in the 1930s. By the 1970s, with its administrative costs sharply increasing, Washington spent years negotiating with Panama to cede control of the waterway.

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The Carter administration worked with the government of Omar Torrijos. The two sides eventually decided that their best chance for ratification was to submit two treaties to the U.S. Senate, the Permanent Neutrality Treaty" and the Panama Canal Treaty."

The first, which continues in perpetuity, gives the U.S. the right to act to ensure the canal remains open and secure. The second stated that the U.S. would turn over the canal to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, and was terminated then.

Both were signed in 1977 and ratified the following year. The agreements held even after 1989, when President George H.W. Bush invaded Panama to remove Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega.

In the late 1970s, as the handover treaties were being discussed and ratified, polls found that about half of Americans opposed the decision to cede canal control to Panama. However, by the time ownership actually changed in 1999, public opinion had shifted, with about half of Americans in favor.

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What's happened since then?

Administration of the canal has been more efficient under Panama than during the U.S. era, with traffic increasing 17% between fiscal years 1999 and 2004. Panama's voters approved a 2006 referendum authorizing a major expansion of the canal to accommodate larger modern cargo ships. The expansion took until 2016 and cost more than $5.2 billion.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said in a video Sunday that every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to. He added that, while his country's people are divided on some key issues, when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.

Shipping prices have increased because of droughts last year affecting the canal locks, forcing Panama to drastically cut shipping traffic through the canal and raise rates to use it. Though the rains have mostly returned, Panama says future fee increases might be necessary as it undertakes improvements to accommodate modern shipping needs.

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Mulino said fees to use the canal are not set on a whim.

Jorge Luis Quijano, who served as the waterways administrator from 2014 to 2019, said all canal users are subject to the same fees, though they vary by ship size and other factors.

I can accept that the canals customers may complain about any price increase, Quijano said. But that does not give them reason to consider taking it back.

Why has Trump raised this?

The president-elect says the U.S. is getting ripped off" and Im not going to stand for it.

It was given to Panama and to the people of Panama, but it has provisions  youve got to treat us fairly. And they havent treated us fairly, Trump said of the 1977 treaty that he said foolishly gave the canal away.

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The neutrality treaty does give the U.S. the right to act if the canal's operation is threatened due to military conflict  but not to reassert control.

There's no clause of any kind in the neutrality agreement that allows for the taking back of the canal, Quijano said. Legally, there's no way, under normal circumstances, to recover territory that was used previously."

Trump, meanwhile, hasn't said how he might make good on his threat.

Theres very little wiggle room, absent a second U.S. invasion of Panama, to retake control of the Panama Canal in practical terms," said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.

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Gedan said Trumps stance is especially baffling given that Mulino is a pro-business conservative who has made lots of other overtures to show that he would prefer a special relationship with the United States. He also noted that Panama in recent years has moved closer to China, meaning the U.S. has strategic reasons to keep its relationship with the Central American nation friendly.

Panama is also a U.S. partner on stopping illegal immigration from South America  perhaps Trumps biggest policy priority.

If youre going to pick a fight with Panama on an issue, Gedan said, you could not find a worse one than the canal.

___

Weissert reported from West Palm Beach, Florida, and Fields from Washington. Amelia Thomson-Deveaux contributed to this report from Washington.
CHONBURI, Thailand, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- A traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) free clinic event was held on Sunday in Chonburi province in eastern Thailand. During the event, 16 TCM experts from China and Thailand provided free consultations and treatments to over 150 local residents.

The seventh "Traditional Chinese Medicine Health and Wellness in Thailand" was jointly organized by the Confucius Institute at Burapha University in Thailand and the Thai Traditional Medicine Association, with support from Chonburi Technological College and the Thai-Wenzhou Trade Association.

A-chara Banditnurak, Chonburi provincial secretary general, highlighted the long history and global reputation of the TCM, saying the event aimed to promote TCM knowledge, broaden healthcare options, and improve the health of the Thai people.

Xiang Zhiyong, director of the Confucius Institute at Burapha University, pointed out that this year marked the first participation of an expert team from Wenzhou Medical University, reflecting the growing collaboration between China and Thailand in the medical field.

"The event was an important example of deepening cultural and medical exchanges between the two nations," Xiang said.

Lin Danqian, president of the Thai Traditional Medicine Association, said the purpose of the event was to promote TCM knowledge and its therapeutic methods to enhance the health of local people, further invigorating the cooperation in the healthcare sector between China and Thailand.

The event, organized annually since 2016, has received widespread attention from various sectors of Thai society. 
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now)  With just two days before Christmas and a few days until the New Year, the holiday travel rush continues with more than 100 million people expected to hit the roads and skies this holiday season.

On Monday morning, lines wrapped around the corner and down the hall, as many airline passengers waited to go through TSA at the Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Its beginning to look like another record for holiday travel

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I know its the holiday weekend but I think they should have more lanes open, said passenger Rod Fisk.

A little nerve-wracking, I travel a lot and this is a lot longer than Im used to seeing, added passenger Annie Piper.

AAA predicts 119 million people will drive or fly at least 50 miles for the holiday.

For those hitting the highways this holiday, delays are expected to go up 30% more than normal and Sunday could have the heaviest traffic, especially in the Washington, D.C. area.

The trade group Airlines for America expects a 6% increase in airline passengers compared to last year, which means 54 million passengers will travel by air between Dec. 19 and Jan. 6.

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TSA expects to screen about 40 million passengers until Jan. 2.

Maryland State Police boost patrols for holiday travel

Many people got to the airport early on Monday in hopes of avoiding the long lines.

The roads were empty [Were] early for the flight, but we wanted to board the boat earlier too, said Patrick Connor, right before he left for his cruise.



Im glad we got here two hours so that my plates running up, so we prepared a little bit, but not for this, said Fisk.

While traveling during the holiday season, officials encourage passengers to pack smart, arrive early to the airport, ensure liquids, gels and aerosols in your carry-on bags are 3.4 ounces or less, and if you plan to bring a firearm ensure its in your checked luggage.

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To make your travel experience smooth heres a list of items you can not bring through TSA:

Firearms

Ammunition

Fireworks

Knives (including pocket knives and Swiss Army knives)

Box cutters

Utility knives

Razors

Tools that could be used as weapons

Flammable liquids like gasoline

Aerosols

Large quantities of liquids exceeding the 3.4 oz limit per container, and any items that could potentially be used to harm others or disrupt the flight

For more information from TSA, click here.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) Pinellas County homeowners who were affected by the hurricanes can now get up to $30,000 for hurricane repairs through the county.

The Hurricane Home Repair Program covers everything from insurance deductibles to direct repair costs with a priority for special needs or lower-income households, according to Pinellas County.

The program is available for residents in unincorporated Pinellas and most cities. Clearwater, Largo, and St. Petersburg have their own funding to help homeowners.

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According to Pinellas County, applicants must show both homeowners insurance information and a FEMA award of denial letter before being potentially approved.

This program is available for households that earn less than 120% of the area median income which is $80,280 for an individual and $114,600 for a family of four.

The home must be the primary residence and its assessed value cannot exceed $375,000 as determined by the Pinellas County Property Appraiser. Mobile homes built since 1994 also qualify, according to Pinellas County.

Required documents are:

FEMA award letter

Insurance reimbursement letter

Income documents (pay stubs, Social Security award letter, pension statement, tax statements if self-employed)

Bank Statement ( two months checking, one month savings)

Photo ID for all adults

Birth certificates for all minors

Social Security cards for all household members

Anyone interested in the program must apply for FEMA individual assistance before Jan. 7, 2025, if they have not done so already.

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Pre-screening applications can be found on their website.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Project Summary:

This story is part of KXANs Preventing Disaster investigation, which initially published on May 15, 2024. The project follows a fatal car crash into an Austin hospitals emergency room earlier that year. Our team took a broader look at safety concerns with that crash and hundreds of others across the nation  including whether medical sites had security barriers  known as bollards  at their entrances. Experts say those could stop crashes from happening.

AUSTIN (KXAN)  A new law sparked by a KXAN investigation into a deadly emergency room crash is now in effect. The new ordinance is aimed at making Austin hospitals safer and more secure.

Absolutely, this will save lives, said Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who introduced the resolution in July after watching KXANs investigation into the Feb. 13 crash at St. Davids North Austin Medical Center.

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Under the citys new law, crash-rated security barriers, called bollards, are now required at new hospitals, urgent care clinics and stand-alone ERs. Existing facilities that expand in the future will have to take those same safety steps. The ordinance officially took effect Monday, according to the city clerks office, 11 days after it was approved.

Editors Note: The above video is KXANs previous coverage of Austin City Council approving the ordinance.

St. Davids HealthCare installed bollards at all of our hospitals prior to the Austin City Council approving the ordinance, the hospital group said, and we will work with policymakers to ensure compliance with any new legal or regulatory requirement.

The new ordinance follows months of policymaking and a last-minute attempt to postpone a vote by Council Member Zo Qadri, which failed. Qadri, who is exploring a separate measure to require bollards downtown, cited concerns from the Austin Planning Commission that the measure wasnt broad enough to protect other types of businesses beyond.

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It received unanimous approval during the Dec. 12 council meeting  the last meeting before Kellys term ends.

A great day for Austin

This comes 10 months after a driver  who autopsy records show was intoxicated at the time  crashed into the ER lobby of St. Davids NAMC, killing herself and injuring five others.

The Bernard family, who were badly injured that day and shared their story exclusively with KXAN, filed a $1 million gross negligence lawsuit against the hospital for not having bollards at the time  a security feature in place at its other hospitals.

After the deadly crash, the hospital initially credited a lobby fish tank for absorbing the impact of the vehicle. Levi and Nadia Bernard were staring at the fish with their two toddlers when they were run over, according to surveillance video obtained by KXAN through a public records request.

St. Davids North Austin Medical Center added a dozen bollards outside its ER after the fatal crash on Feb. 13. (Courtesy Howry, Breen & Herman)

Following our questions, the hospital installed a dozen bollards after the incident. It has not said if they are crash-rated.

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The hospital would not say if the dozen bollards it installed after the deadly incident are crash-rated.

Due to the ongoing litigation surrounding this issue, we will not provide any additional information, St. Davids HealthCare said.

The Bernard family shared their story with KXAN out of a desire that no one else will have to go through what were going through, Nadia previously said. The family is absolutely enthused to see the new law go into effect, their attorney said.

And very grateful that the city council acted appropriately and quickly here. This is a great day for Austin, the familys attorney, Sean Breen, said after the councils vote. It doesnt help the Bernards but it will help other families not have to go through what theyve gone through.

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EXPLORE: KXANs Preventing Disaster investigation uncovers 400+ medical center crashes

Planning Commission withdraws from weighing in

Before the bollard requirement was approved, the Austin Planning Commission opted to postpone recommending it over concerns, in part, that the measure  which only applies to medical facilities  was too narrow and didnt go far enough to protect other types of businesses. The APC voted to take the issue up again on Jan. 28.

The item will still be on the agenda but will be indicated as withdrawn since it already passed, said APC Chair Claire Hempel.

It will be up to Council to pass a resolution expanding the scope of the original item to cover more places like daycares, etc, as was going to be the discussion at next months meeting, Hempel said in an email to KXAN.

Levi and Nadia Bernard with their toddlers, Sunny and Rio, left, before being run over by a car in the lobby of St. Davids North Austin Medical Center. (Source: Austin Police Department)

KXAN finds 400+ medical crashes

The new law comes as a response to 10 months of KXAN investigations. Following the incident at St. Davids NAMC, our team collected and analyzed data from the Storefront Safety Council  a nonprofit that tracks vehicle crashes along with TxDOT crash data, police and news reports and built our own database.

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Since our initial investigation, we have found more than 400 crashes at, or into, medical centers nationwide in the last decade. When we combined data from the SSC with crash data from TxDOT, we found more than 100 crashes in Texas since 2014.

In response to our findings, a handful of other cities, including Cedar Park, and College Station, expressed interest in a similar ordinance to strengthen security at area hospitals.

My hope is that other communities can use this as a framework to get it passed in their jurisdictions, Kelly said.

Last Thursday, State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, filed a bill that would require crash-rated bollards at existing emergency rooms if they are located near near an area with vehicular traffic. In October, following our investigations, West pledged to do everything in his power to prevent another tragedy and make sure what happened at St. Davids NAMC doesnt happen again.

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In recent days and weeks, there have been crashes at medical centers in Fort Worth, California, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Congressman Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, previously sent letters to the General Services Administration requesting a review of all federally owned and leased buildings in the southwestern U.S. He cited the in-depth investigative reporting of KXAN along with growing security concerns in recent years.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Trump said the US should take control of Greenland, reigniting an old position of his.

This came shortly after he also suggested the US could take over the Panama Canal.

In 2019, Trump said the US should buy Greenland, an idea swiftly rejected by the island and Denmark.

President-elect Donald Trump has resurfaced an old position of his, that the US should take over Greenland, just hours after also threatening to take over the Panama Canal.

Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday that "for purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."

He made the comments in a post announcing the PayPal cofounder Ken Howery as his choice for US Ambassador to Denmark.

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Greenland, the world's largest island, is an autonomous dependent territory of Denmark, which is a US ally and NATO member.

The town of Kulusuk in East Greenland. Bob Strong/Reuters

Trump's pronouncement came just hours after he threatened to take control of the Panama Canal, the man-made waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday that "the fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the US."

He added, "This complete 'rip-off' of our Country will immediately stop."

In a separate post, Trump wrote: "If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question."

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"To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!" he added.

The US transferred control of the canal to the Panama Canal Authority in 1999 under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.

Panama charges fees for each vessel going through the canal, making it an important economic driver for the country.

Greenland, too, has strategic value. In addition to its own natural resources, it has proximity to the Arctic, where countries such as Russia are vying to gain resources and control.

Trump expressed an interest in the US buying Greenland in 2019, during his first term in office. Greenland's government quickly rejected the idea, saying that it wasn't for sale.

Read the original article on Business Insider
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House Ethics Committee on Monday accused Matt Gaetz of regularly paying for sex, including once with a 17-year-old girl, and purchasing and using illicit drugs as a member of Congress, as lawmakers released the conclusions of a nearly four-year investigation that helped sink his nomination for attorney general.

The 37-page report by the bipartisan panel includes explicit details of sex-filled parties and vacations that Gaetz, now 42, took part in from 2017 to 2020 while the Republican represented Florida's western Panhandle.

Congressional investigators concluded that Gaetz violated multiple state laws related to sexual misconduct while in office, though not federal sex trafficking laws. They also found that Gaetz knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct the committee's work.

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The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress, the report said.

Before the report came out, Gaetz denied any wrongdoing and criticized the committee's process.

Giving funds to someone you are dating  that they didnt ask for  and that isnt charged for sex is now prostitution?!? he posted on X, the website formerly known as Twitter. There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses.

Gaetz, who was first elected in 2017, spent the majority of his time in Washington enmeshed in scandals that ultimately derailed his selection by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Justice Department. Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress last month. His political future is uncertain, although Gaetz has indicated interest in running for the open Senate seat in Florida.

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The committee painted a damning portrait of Gaetz's conduct, using dozens of pages of exhibits, including text messages, financial records, travel receipts, checks and online payments, to document a party and drug-fueled lifestyle. The committee said it compiled the evidence after issuing 29 subpoenas for documents and testimony and contacting more than two dozen witnesses.

In addition to soliciting prostitution, the report said Gaetz accepted gifts, including transportation and lodging in connection with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, in excess of permissible amounts.

That same year, investigators said, Gaetz arranged for a staffer to obtain a passport for a woman with whom he was sexually involved, falsely telling the State Department that she was his constituent.

In some of the text exchanges made public, he appeared to be inviting various women to events, getaways or parties, and arranging airplane travel and lodging. At one point he asked one woman if she had a cute black dress to wear. There were also discussions of shipping goods.

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One of the exhibits was a text exchange that appeared to be between two of the women concerned about their cash flow and payments. In another, a person asked Gaetz for help to pay an educational expense.

Regarding the 17-year-old girl, the report said there was no evidence Gaetz knew she was a minor when he had sex with her. The woman told the committee she did not tell Gaetz she was under 18 at the time and that he learned she was a minor more than a month after the party.

But Gaetz stayed in touch with her after that and met up with her for commercial sex again less than six months after she turned 18, according to the committee. Florida law says it is a felony for a person 24 or older to have sex with a minor. The law does not allow a claim of ignorance or misrepresentation of a minor's age as a defense.

Joel Leppard, who represents two women who told the committee that Gaetz paid them for sex, said the findings vindicate the accounts of his clients and demonstrate their credibility.

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We appreciate the Committees commitment to transparency in releasing this comprehensive report so the truth can be known, Leppard said in a statement.

At least one Republican joined all five Democrats on the committee earlier this month in voting to release the report despite initial opposition from GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, to publishing findings about a former member of Congress.

While ethics reports have previously been released after a members resignation, it is extremely rare.

On behalf of the Republicans who voted against making the report public, the committee chairman, Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, wrote that while the members did not challenge the findings, we take great exception that the majority deviated from the Committees well-established standards, to drop any investigation when a person is not longer a member of the chamber.

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Guest added that releasing this report sets a precedent that is a dangerous departure with potentially catastrophic consequences.

But Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey, a Democratic member of the committee, said that for transparency, it was crucial for the public and Congress as an institution to read the findings.

"I think thats important for my colleagues here in the House to know how the committee reviews certain acts," he told The Associated Press. "Some of these were obviously conduct that crossed the line, but some of them werent.

Mounting a last-ditch effort to halt the publication of the report, Gaetz filed a lawsuit Monday asking a federal court to intervene. He cited what he called untruthful and defamatory information that would significantly damage his standing and reputation in the community. Gaetzs complaint argued that he was no longer under the committees jurisdiction because he had resigned from Congress.

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The often secretive, bipartisan committee has investigated claims against Gaetz since 2021. But its work became more urgent last month when Trump picked him shortly after the Nov. 5 election Day to be the nation's top law enforcement officer. Gaetz resigned from Congress that same day, putting him outside the purview of the committee's jurisdiction.

But Democrats had pressed to make the report public even after Gaetz was no longer in the House and had withdrawn from consideration for Trump's Cabinet. A vote on the House floor this month to force the reports release failed; all but one Republican voted against it.

The committee detailed its start-and-stop investigation over the past several years, which was halted for a time as the Justice Department conducted its own inquiry of Gaetz. Federal prosecutors never brought a case against him.

Lawmakers said they asked the Justice Department for information about its investigation, but the agency refused to hand over information, saying it does not disclose information about investigations that do not result in charges.

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The committee then subpoenaed the department for records. After a back-and-forth between department officials and the committee, the department only handed over publicly reported information about the testimony of a deceased individual, according to the committee's report.

The report said Gaetz was uncooperative" throughout the committee's investigation. He provided minimal documentation in response to the committees requests, it said. He also did not agree to a voluntary interview.

___ Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  The House Ethics committee released its report on former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz Monday morning.

The report accuses him of paying women for sex, including a 17-year-old, using illegal drugs and more.

The bipartisan House Ethics committee started investigating Gaetz in 2021. The panels 37-page report says it found substantial evidence against him.

The committee alleges Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women, likely in connection to sex and/or drugs, between 2017 and 2020.

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The report writes he, violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use.

The committee says Gaetz paid a 17-year-old after having sex at a party. It also says he used cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana.

Gaetz denies all wrongdoing.

He posted on X last week, Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life.

He filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block the release of the report, calling it defamatory.

Gaetz also argued it should not be released since hes no longer a congressman under the committees jurisdiction.

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Some lawmakers, like Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, criticized the committee.

If theyre going to be picking and choosing which reports theyre releasing, I think thats extremely hypocritical, said Greene.

This all comes after President-elect Donald Trump nominated Gaetz for attorney general.

Gaetz then resigned from Congress and withdrew his name for consideration when it became clear he wouldnt have the votes to be confirmed.

I wanted quite badly to be your next Attorney General, and to be nominated by President Trump for that position was indeed the honor of my professional life, said Gaetz.

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The Department of Justice did investigate Gaetz but never filed any charges against him.

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The House Ethics Committees final report on its investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., found that he engaged in a long list of conduct that violates House Rules and some actions that could be criminal offenses at the state level.

The committee released its 42-page report Monday morning after a lengthy investigation.

The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress, the report reads.

Matt Gaetz at the Capitol in 2023.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and in a series of posts Monday on X, he denied having paid for sex. The committee said in its report that he didnt cooperate with its investigation and that he routinely ignored or significantly delayed producing relevant information requested.

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Gaetz vacated his seat last month, days before the report was expected to be made public and after President-elect Donald Trump announced him as his pick for attorney general. Gaetz withdrew his bid after more details about the Ethics Committee investigation and other allegations were reported.

Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, R-Miss., said Monday in a statement after the report was released that while he doesnt challenge the Committees findings, he didnt vote to release the Gaetz report.

The decision to publish a report after his resignation breaks from the Committees long-standing practice and is a dangerous departure with potentially catastrophic consequences," he said.

Trump's transition team and the office of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

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A Democratic member of the Ethics Committee, Rep. Glenn Ivey of Maryland, said in an interview Monday on MSNBC that the committee's purpose is "to make sure our members know what they can do, what they cant do, what crosses the line and what doesnt. And so I think issuing the report certainly provides guidance on that front."

"Weve got a lot of people who are concerned about Congress, cynical about Washington and the like," he continued. "I think its important for us to be able to show that we are trying to keep our own House in order in this way."

The committee outlined a significant amount of evidence that it says shows Gaetz, as a member of Congress, regularly engaged in sexual activity with women whom he was also paying substantial sums of money. Committee investigators said they tracked more than $90,000 to 12 women over a four-year period from 2017 to 2020. The committee concluded the payments were most likely connected to sexual activity and or drug use.

The committee said that while Gaetz has repeatedly denied ever having paid for sex, when he was given the opportunity to put that claim in writing, Gaetz refused to respond, asserting that asking about [his] sexual history as a single man with adult women is a bridge too far.

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The committee said that it heard testimony from more than a half-dozen witnesses who attended parties, events and trips with Gaetz from 2017 to 2020 and that nearly every young woman that the Committee interviewed confirmed that she was paid for sex by, or on behalf of, Representative Gaetz."

While all the women that the Committee interviewed stated their sexual activity with Representative Gaetz was consensual, at least one woman felt that the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have impair[ed her] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent, the report said. Indeed, nearly every woman that the Committee spoke with could not remember the details of at least one or more of the events they attended with Representative Gaetz and attributed that to drug or alcohol consumption.

Two women told the committee that Gaetz had paid them for sex, including a woman who said he paid a woman for sex at a small, invitation-only party in Florida, where prostitution is illegal, in 2017 while he was a member of the House, their lawyer told NBC News. Those women were of age at the time.

My clients provided crucial testimony to the House Ethics Committee at significant personal cost," attorney Joel Leppard, who represents the two women who testified to the committee, told NBC News in a statement, "The Committees thorough investigation and detailed findings vindicate their accounts and demonstrate their credibility. Their testimony, supported by extensive documentation and corroborating witnesses, has now been validated through this comprehensive investigation. We appreciate the Committees commitment to transparency in releasing this report so the truth can be known."

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The report also details a sexual encounter Gaetz was alleged to have had with a woman who was a junior in high school at the same party. The woman testified before the committee that she had sex with Gaetz twice at the party in 2017, when she was 17. She also claimed to have received money from Gaetz, then in Congress, that she perceived to be a payment for sex.

The Committee received testimony that Victim A and Representative Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees. Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school, the report reads.

The woman acknowledged that she was under the influence of ecstasy during her sexual encounters with Representative Gaetz at the July 15, 2017, party, and recalled seeing Representative Gaetz use cocaine at that party, the committee said.

The woman told the committee that she didnt tell Gaetz she was underage, and the committee also said it didnt discover any evidence that Gaetz knew he was having sex with a minor.

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While the committee concluded that Gaetz may be in violation of several state laws, it said that it didnt obtain substantial evidence that he violated federal sex trafficking laws. Gaetz was the subject of a lengthy criminal investigation by the Justice Department, but prosecutors chose not to bring charges.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the committees report. Gaetz has claimed that the Justice Department exonerated him, but declining to bring charges isnt the same as exonerating someone.

A senior Justice Department official told NBC News that the decision not to bring charges was made by career prosecutors, not Attorney General Merrick Garland or other Justice Department leaders.

The official pointed out that bringing charges and prosecuting and proving a case in court is much different from a committee investigation. Addressing the federal sex trafficking allegations, the senior official said the Justice Department would have brought charges if it thought it had a winning case.

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Florida Statewide Prosecutor Nick Cox declined to comment on the allegations and referred NBC News to local enforcement authorities.

Allegations of violations of state criminal law would be investigated by law enforcement in the appropriate jurisdiction, such as a local police department, sheriffs office or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement," Cox said. "To determine if the agencies in the relevant jurisdictions have received information from the House Ethics Committee or have initiated investigations, you would need to contact those law enforcement agencies directly. Single-circuit crimes would be prosecuted by the state attorney where the crime occurred."

A spokesperson for Washington, D.C, Attorney General Brian Schwalb declined to comment.

The report goes into detail about a trip Gaetz took to the Bahamas with two men and six women in 2018. The committee said it believed the trip violated House gift rules, citing the testimony of a woman who described it as payment for sex. The committee said that Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with several women on the trip and that several women on the trip recalled that he appeared to be under the influence of drugs and that they took ecstasy.

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The committee said it found that Gaetz used cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana and says there was ample evidence that Gaetz appeared to have set up a pseudonymous e-mail account from his House office in the Capitol complex for the purpose of purchasing marijuana.

The panel said he also used the power of his office to assist a woman he was engaged in a sexual relationship with to obtain an expedited passport, with his chief of staff falsely claiming she was his constituent.

Earlier Monday, in an attempt to prevent the reports release, Gaetz sought a temporary restraining order against the committee and its chair, calling for an injunction that would prevent its release.

The Committees apparent intention to release its report after explicitly acknowledging it lacks jurisdiction over former members, its failure to follow constitutional notions of due process, and failure to adhere to its own procedural rules and precedent represents an unprecedented overreach that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections," his lawyers said.

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Before the report was released, Gaetz had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, noting that a separate Justice Department probe into allegations of sex trafficking ended with no charges.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied paying for sex or having sex with anyone underage.

In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated  even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years, Gaetz wrote in a lengthy post on X last week. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court  which is why no such claim was ever made in court. My 30s were an era of working very hard  and playing hard too.

Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now, he added.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The House Ethics Committee found evidence that former Rep. Matt Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex or drugs on at least 20 occasions, including paying a 17-year-old girl for sex in 2017, according to the panels report on the Florida Republican released Monday.

The committee concluded in its bombshell document that Gaetz violated Florida state laws, including the states statutory rape law, as the GOP-led panel chose to take the rare step of releasing a report about a former member who resigned from Congress.

The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress, panel investigators wrote.

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The panel investigated transactions Gaetz personally made, often using PayPal or Venmo, to more than a dozen women during his time in Congress, according to the report. Investigators also focused on a 2018 trip to the Bahamas  which they said violated the House gift rule  during which he engaged in sexual activity with multiple women, including one who described the trip itself as the payment for sex on the trip. On the same trip, he also took ecstasy, one woman on the trip told the committee.

Earlier this month, the House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release its report after initially voting against doing so. The vote to put out the report  which was opposed by panel Chairman Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican  was the culmination of a yearslong probe into allegations surrounding Gaetz. He was President-elect Donald Trumps first pick to be attorney general but dropped out amid opposition from GOP senators and after CNN reported key details of this same ethics report.

And its a political jolt that could have reverberations for years to come, as the Capitol Hill panel takes aim at a longtime Trump loyalist and now conservative anchor at One America News Network.

Gaetz filed a civil complaint in federal court Monday morning unsuccessfully seeking to halt the reports release, claiming he was not notified of the panels plans to release the report  as required by House rules  nor was he provided copies of the materials.

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As such, Plaintiff has been afforded no opportunity to respond to any report or investigative conclusions of Defendants, the complaint reads. Plaintiff has frequently and vehemently declared his innocence regarding the alleged misconduct, and requested Defendants cease their investigation and provide him appropriate due process rights.

Gaetz claimed the panel has been unresponsive to those demands. Gaetz wrote in the lawsuit that he told the committee in writing in May that allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, misuse of campaign funds and other actions were all false.

The lawsuit serves as a route for Gaetz to formally claim in writing that the committees findings are false, that he believes his privacy has been invaded and that the committee is defaming him.

But his unusual ask of a federal court to block congressional action is now essentially moot because the report has been released publicly. Gaetz said in a court filing Monday afternoon that the lawsuit he brought against the House Ethics Committee to block the release of its report is now moot, due to the committees unprecedented and procedurally defective decision to publish the report.

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CNN has reached out to Gaetz and his lawyers for comment.

The committee posted the report on its website Monday morning while noting in a statement the significant and unusual amount of reporting about the panels probe of Gaetz. Without identifying specific stories, the committee stated that some reporting about its probe had been inaccurate. The committee condemned any potential unauthorized disclosures but emphasized that committee witnesses are permitted to disclose information about their interactions with its investigators. The panel also released appendices with its evidence, including financial documents and text messages cited in the report.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has pointed to the Justice Department declining to bring charges against him in 2023.

In a statement Gaetz released on X last week after CNN reported that the committee had voted to release the report, Gaetz denied having sex with a minor or paying women for sex.

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In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated  even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years, Gaetz said. Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz departs following meetings with Republican senators at the US Capitol on November 20, 2024. - Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Although the committee alleged that Gaetz violated state laws, the panel wrote that it did not find he violated federal sex-trafficking laws, writing that although Representative Gaetz did cause the transportation of women across state lines for purposes of commercial sex, the Committee did not find evidence that any of those women were under 18 at the time of travel, nor did the Committee find sufficient evidence to conclude that the commercial sex acts were induced by force, fraud, or coercion.

Florida statewide prosecutor Nick Cox declined to comment on the allegations in the report. He referred CNN to state and local enforcement officials. CNN has reached out to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and state attorneys offices for comment.

Women told committee they were paid for sex

The report documents the evidence the committee gathered of Gaetzs numerous interactions with women who say they were paid for sex by Gaetz and his friend, Joel Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector who is serving an 11-year prison sentence and cooperated with federal investigators.

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The committee wrote that it spoke to more than half a dozen witnesses who attended parties, trips and events with Gaetz between 2017 and 2020. Nearly every young woman that the Committee interviewed confirmed that she was paid for sex by, or on behalf of, Representative Gaetz, the panel wrote.

One of the sexual encounters involved a 17-year-old girl, the committee said. The woman told the committee she had sex with Gaetz twice at a July 2017 party when she was 17. CNN first reported on the second sexual encounter last month.

The Committee received testimony that Victim A and Representative Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees, the committee wrote. Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school.

The then-17-year-old did not tell Gaetz she was a minor at the time, and he did not ask her age, the committee found. The committee did not receive any evidence Gaetz was aware of her age. The woman told congressional investigators she was under the influence of ecstasy at the party and that she recalled seeing Gaetz use cocaine at the party.

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Gaetz has denied having sex with a minor. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18, the Florida Republican wrote on X last week. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court  which is why no such claim was ever made in court.

Committee cites online payments and text messages in report

The committee found that the sexual encounters were often organized by Greenberg through a website, SeekingArrangement.com. Mr. Greenberg told the Committee that Representative Gaetz was aware that the women they had sex with and paid had met Mr. Greenberg through the sugar dating website, the panel wrote.

Congressional investigators found that Gaetz made payment to women using multiple platforms, including PayPal, Venmo and CashApp. The committee listed payments Gaetz made to 12 women, including his former girlfriend, as well as to Greenberg.

Joel Greenberg gives an interview in Lake Mary, Florida, in 2019. - Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

The committee wrote that Gaetz did not appear to negotiate specific payment amounts for sex with the women he paid. Many of the women interviewed by the Committee were clear that there was a general expectation of sex, investigators wrote.

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One woman who was paid more than $5,000 by Representative Gaetz between 2018 and 2019 told the Committee that 99 percent of the time that (Representative Gaetz and I) were hanging out, there was sex involved, the panel said.

Gaetzs then-girlfriend appeared to act as an intermediary between Gaetz and women he paid for sex, the committee found, citing text messages it obtained. The committee said it found evidence that Representative Gaetzs then-girlfriend sometimes participated with him in sexual encounters with other women who were active on the website or otherwise involved in sex-for-money arrangements.

The committee bolstered its findings by citing those text messages, including when Gaetzs then-girlfriend wrote to women that the guys (Representative Gaetz and Mr. Greenberg) wanted me to share that they are a little limited in their cash flow this weekend  (M)att was like(,) if it can be more of a customer appreciation week .

In another text message exchange cited by the committee, Greenberg exchanged messages with a woman in September 2018, writing, If you have a friend that is down, perhaps all four of us can meet up later.

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The woman responded she did have a friend who could meet up, adding, I usually do $400 per meet.

Greenberg responded by sending a photo of Gaetz holding out a phone and taking a selfie. Oooh my friend thinks hes really cute! the woman responded.

Well, hes down here only for the day, we work hard and play hard, Greenberg wrote. Have you ever tried molly.

The panel wrote that several women told the committee they would not voluntarily participate in the investigation, and some were clear at first contact that they feared retaliation or were unwilling to voluntarily relive their interactions with Representative Gaetz.

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While all the women that the Committee interviewed stated their sexual activity with Representative Gaetz was consensual, at least one woman felt that the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have impair(ed their) ability to really know what was going on or fully consent, the panel wrote. One woman said, I think about it all the time  . I still see him when I turn on the tv and theres nothing anyone can do. Its frustrating to know I lived a reality that he denies.

Report alleges Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs on multiple occasions

Committee investigators concluded that between 2017 and 2019, Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions.

There is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz used cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana. At least two women saw Representative Gaetz using cocaine and ecstasy at different events, the committee wrote. Additionally, nearly every witness interviewed observed Representative Gaetz using marijuana.

The committee wrote that Gaetz appeared to set up a pseudonymous e-mail account from his House office in the Capitol complex for the purpose of purchasing marijuana.

Gaetz denied using illicit drugs in his correspondence with the panel, the committee said.

Rep. Matt Gaetz attends a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, DC, in December 2019. - Zach Gibson/Getty Images

The committee investigation also focused on other violations of House rules. That included a September 2018 trip to the Bahamas where the committee found that Gaetz accepted gifts of transportation and lodging in excess of permissible amounts.

Gaetz traveled to the Bahamas with two other men and six women. He flew to the Bahamas on a commercial airline but returned on a private plane, the committee found.

The attendees stated that this was a social trip  they sunbathed, chartered a boat, and went to dinners and to a casino as a group. Representative Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with at least four of the women on the trip, the committee wrote.

The Justice Department had investigated whether the Bahamas trip was part of an effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, CNN previously reported.

The House Ethics Committee probe also found that Gaetz helped a woman he met through Greenberg and had sex with to obtain a new passport. Committee investigators wrote that Gaetz connected the woman with his chief of staff, and Gaetzs top aide helped the woman get an appointment at a Miami passport office, saying she was his constituent even though she lived outside Gaetzs district.

Committee resumed investigation following closure of federal case

The committees investigation into Gaetz began in 2021 but was put on hold while a separate, yearslong federal sex-trafficking investigation into the former congressman was underway. The federal investigation closed in February 2023 without any charges being filed against Gaetz.

Once the federal case closed, the House Ethics Committee resumed its work.

When Gaetz resigned from Congress last month during his failed bid to become Trumps attorney general, the committee initially voted not to make public its final report on the former congressman. Weeks later, after the drafting of the report was officially complete, the panel reversed its decision.

Gaetz was Trumps first pick to lead the Justice Department, but the ephemeral campaign to convince senators the MAGA firebrand should helm the department ended in late November after it became clear Gaetz did not have the votes to get confirmed.

In a dissenting statement included in the report, Guest, the committee chair and a Mississippi Republican, wrote that he and a minority of other members on the panel opposed the release of the report because Gaetz was no longer a member of Congress.

The decision to publish a report after his resignation breaks from the Committees long-standing practice, opens the Committee to undue criticism, and will be viewed by some as an attempt to weaponize the Committees process, Guest said.

Gaetz is now set to join the right-wing One America News Network as an anchor in January.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had said he did not think the report should be released because Gaetz was no longer a member of Congress, while some lawmakers believed his resignation was an attempt to bury the investigation. It is rare for an ethics report to be released after a member has left Congress, though it has happened on a couple of occasions in the past.

The committee noted that Gaetz did not answer most of its questions even as he corresponded with the panel over the course of its probe.

In addition to alleging that the Committees process was being weaponized against him, Representative Gaetz repeatedly alleged that the Committee Members and staff were leaking information to the press, that the Committees non-partisan staff were actually acting as Democrats, or that the Committee was working on behalf of former-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the committee wrote.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNNs Holmes Lybrand, Paula Reid, Casey Gannon, Annie Grayer, Hannah Rabinowitz, Katelyn Polantz and Carlos Suarez contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
The House Ethics Committee found former Rep. Matt Gaetz paid a 17-year-old girl for sex in 2017, concluding that he violated Floridas statutory rape law. This was one of 20 instances where he paid for sex or drugs, according to the final draft of the panels report, which was obtained by CNN and subsequently published online by the committee.

Gaetz was initially President-elect Donald Trumps pick to be attorney general, but he withdrew amid opposition from some Senate Republicans  as well as controversy over whether the ethics committee would or wouldnt release its investigative report into Gaetz.

Through looking at tens of thousands of dollars of the Florida Republicans personal transactions from his time in office, including on Venmo and PayPal, the committee found that he had paid more than a dozen women. The committee said that Gaetz violated the House gift rule during a 2018 trip to the Bahamas where he had sex with multiple women and took ecstasy. One woman told the committee that the trip was actually a payment for sex. The report identified multiple instances where he used ecstasy, cocaine, or cannabis.

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Nearly every young woman that the Committee interviewed confirmed that she was paid for sex by, or on behalf of, Representative Gaetz, they wrote.

The panel found that he had likely violated a variety of rules: The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress, panel investigators wrote.

The ethics committee investigated the allegations that he had sex with a 17-year-old. The victim told them that Gaetz paid her $400 for having sex twice at a party in 2017. At the time, she had just finished her junior year of high school. The committee found that he did not ask her age and she did not tell him.

There is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl, reads the committees report, which adds that evidence suggests Gaetz did not know her age at the time. However, the report continues, After he learned that Victim A was a minor, he maintained contact and less than 6 months after she turned 18, he met up with her again for commercial sex.

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The committee found that Gaetz violated multiple state laws pertaining to sexual misconduct. However, it found that he did not violate federal sex trafficking laws. While he did transport women across state lines for sex, the committee found that none were under 18, and none were forced or coerced. He had previously faced a sex trafficking probe by the Department of Justice  which Trump initially wanted him to lead. The investigation did not end with any charges against Gaetz.

The investigation encountered several women who were clear at first contact that they feared retaliation or were unwilling to voluntarily relive their interactions with Representative Gaetz. One woman said: I think about it all the time  . I still see him when I turn on the TV and theres nothing anyone can do. Its frustrating to know I lived a reality that he denies.

One woman said that the use of drugs could have impair(ed their) ability to really know what was going on or fully consent.

On Monday, Gaetz filed to obtain a restraining order against the House Ethics Committee in the hopes that it would stop the panel from releasing the report. He accused the committee of an unethical probe into the life of a private citizen. He said the report included potentially defamatory allegations. It is rare for the House Ethics Committee to release a report about a former member of Congress, but the committee did so Monday.

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Gaetz has denied the allegations, including that he had sex with a minor. In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated  even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years, Gaetz posted on X last week. Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank, and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.

The former congressman is set to join the conservative One America News Network as an anchor next month.

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A man who drove a car into a crowd in Changde City, central China's Hunan Province, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Monday for endangering public safety by dangerous means. #XinhuaNews
Congressional investigators found evidence that former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida regularly paid women for sex; had sex with a 17-year-old, breaking Floridas statutory rape laws; and frequently used illegal drugs, among other violations of House ethics rules.

The House Ethics Committee on Monday released its highly anticipated report from its investigation into allegations of sex trafficking and other improprieties by Gaetz, who was President-elect Donald Trumps first pick for attorney general.

Gaetz resigned from the House in mid-November. He argued that because he was no longer a member of the House, the committee did not have jurisdiction to release the report. Gaetz withdrew from consideration to lead the Justice Department on November 21 amid mounting scrutiny into his past from Republican senators.

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Gaetz has long been dogged by allegations of illicit drug use and sexual misconduct, though he has never been charged. On Monday, he filed a federal lawsuit in a last-ditch effort to block the Ethics reports release, arguing it contains untruthful and defamatory information that would significantly damage his reputation.

The release of the report, the lawsuit says, represents an unprecedented overreach that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections.

The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress, the report said.

A criminal investigation into onetime Gaetz political ally Joel Greenberg sparked two major probes, one by congressional investigators and one by the Justice Department, into whether Gaetz committed statutory rape and paid for a 17-year-old girl to travel with him across state lines  a violation of federal law that Gaetz denies.

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The secretive House Ethics panel had been investigating allegations of impropriety by Gaetz since 2021 as the Justice Department was pursuing its sex trafficking probe. The DOJ ended its investigation in 2023 without bringing charges against Gaetz. Congressional investigators said that while they found evidence that Gaetz paid for adult women to travel across state lines for sex, they did not find sufficient evidence that he engaged in sex trafficking of minors.

The House investigation also found evidence that Gaetz used illegal drugs while in office and sent payments arranging for the procurement of drugs, including by creating an email account from his congressional office specifically to obtain marijuana. It also explored accusations that Gaetz abused state identification records, misappropriated campaign funds for personal use, improperly accepted gifts in violation of House rules and showed colleagues explicit photos of women on the House floor. Gaetz and his representatives have strenuously denied those allegations.

In a Wednesday post on X, Gaetz said he had been EXONERATED by the DOJs probe and cast doubt on the integrity of the House Ethics report. The report includes documentation of payments, including Venmo transactions, totaling over $90,000 between Gaetz and a dozen women that, the committee said, were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use. Gaetz acknowledged in the post that he sent payments to women but denied any wrongdoing or having sexual relations with a minor.

In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated  even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years, he said. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court  which is why no such claim was ever made in court.

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Gaetz, who is 42 and married, said on X that his 30s were an era of working very hard  and playing hard too.

Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life, he wrote. I live a different life now.

On Monday, he continued to post snippets of depositions from committee witnesses he said refuted claims he paid for sex.

Giving funds to someone you are dating  that they didnt ask for  and that isnt charged for sex is now prostitution?!?, he posted Monday on X. There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses.

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Its rare, though not unprecedented, for a House Ethics report to be released after a member of Congress leaves office. CNN first reported that the Ethics panel had secretly voted earlier this month to release its report after deadlocking on the release along party lines in November.

The committees investigation found substantial evidence that Gaetz had sex with a then-17-year-old, referred to in the report as Victim A, twice at a party in 2017  including one time in the presence of witnesses. She testified to the panel that Gaetz paid her $400 that night, which she understood to be payment for sex, the report said.

Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age, the report said.

The allegations surrounding Gaetz and sexual encounters with a then-minor also came to light in a civil case brought by Florida lobbyist Chris Dorwoth, who had previously sued Greenberg and others in an effort to distance himself from the controversies involving Gaetz. Dorworth has since dropped the lawsuit, but in court filings made public earlier this year, three eyewitnesses testified that Gaetz had sex with the 17-year-old at a July 2017 party at Dorworths house that included alcohol; cocaine; middle-aged men; and young attractive females, one witness stated.

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Lawyers John Clure and Joel Leppard, who represent women who had testified before the House Ethics panel, had publicly called for the reports release.

Two Democrats, Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois, also put forth privileged motions to compel the reports release, citing past precedent of House Ethics reports being made public after a member left the body. The full House voted down both motions.

The post House investigators find evidence Matt Gaetz paid for sex, frequently used illegal drugs appeared first on The 19th.

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ZAGREB, Croatia (AP)  Hundreds walked in silence in Croatia's capital on Monday, seeking action after a pupil was killed and three other children were wounded in a knife attack at a school in Zagreb.

Organized by teachers' unions, the march asked authorities do more to ensure that schools in Croatia are safe for children. Similar events were held in other cities and towns.

"We need support from government institutions, school teams, media, civil society organizations and all the people who are involved," about 50 teachers' groups and other organizations said in a joint statement.

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Croatia's ministry of education said it has held meetings of expert teams tasked with finding ways of improving school security. Minister Radovan Fuchs said measures could include locking school doors or entry control.

Officials said the suspected attacker was a 19-year-old former student of the primary school in Precko and still lives in the neighborhood. The young man was cutting himself when police apprehended him.

School attacks are rare in Croatia and in the Balkans as a whole. In May 2023, a teenager in neighboring Serbia opened fire at a school in the capital, Belgrade, killing nine fellow students and a school guard.
Every family has their own traditions at Christmastime, from the handmade ornaments on the tree, to special recipes on the table.

But there are some Christmas traditions that are synonymous with Oklahoma, or that many Oklahomans do year after year.

Here's just a few we thought of.

Singing BC Clark's anniversary jingle

First written and debuted to the public in 1956 was the BC Clark anniversary sale jingle, which has aired every year since to promote its anniversary sale ahead of Christmas.

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Except one year, in 1961, when the company produced a new jingle, assuming the original was outdated. "It was replaced with the old familiar one within hours, after a barrage of complaints," according to BC Clark's website.

More: Holiday dishes Oklahomans grew up with (and don't you dare make fun of them)

The jingle has taken on "a life of its own," the company said, and for many Oklahomans the Christmas season isn't complete without it.

Sipping some Braum's Egg Nog

It may only be October but its never too early to break out the Eggnog! Go and grab yours at your neighborhood Braums Fresh Market  Posted by Braum's Ice Cream & Dairy Stores on Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Stores are largely found in Oklahoma, but the chain also has locations in Texas, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas.

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Many Oklahomans eagerly look forward to the day when Braum's Premium Egg Nog is back in stores for the holiday season.

Made with Braum's whole milk, cream, egg yolks and spices, this creamy drink is the perfect thing to sip on cozy winter evenings or on Christmas morning while the family opens gifts.

Attending the Nutcracker ballet

Hans the Nutcracker Prince (principal dancer Alejandro Gonzalez) and Marie (corps de ballet dancer Erina Tanaka), center, perform with the Flower Corps in Act II of Oklahoma City Ballet's new production of "The Nutcracker."

While not unique to Oklahoma, many Oklahoma families make it an annual tradition to attend a performance of The Nutcracker, which is put on by both the Oklahoma City and Tulsa ballet companies.

There's something about getting dressed up in your nicest clothes, immersing yourself in the magical story, sets and costumes.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: These are some of Oklahoma's favorite Christmas traditions
ROCK VALLEY, Iowa (KCAU)  The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) board has awarded a Rock Valley company $11 million to help them expand.

According to a release from the IEDA, Kooima Company, LLC in Rock Valley received the $11 million in capital investment project tax benefits through the High-Quality Jobs program.

Le Mars woman maps out the best Christmas lights destinations in Siouxland

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The company plans to lease a 82,000-foot facility in Rock Valley and install automated systems and equipment.

The program will also create 11 jobs, according to the release.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports.
ILLINOIS, Ill. (WCIA)  Beginning in 2025, property owners in Illinois will be required to disclose new information to potential tenants.

Property owners will be required to inform prospective renters if a property is located in a FEMA Flood Hazard or if a specific unit has flooded previously.

New IL pay stub requirement will begin in 2025

The legislation was passed by State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid (D-Bridgeview) who said it will help renters be more protected from flooding.

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Even one flooding event can be financially catastrophic to a family, Rashid said. With climate change making floods much more common and extreme, this is one important step we can take to protect working families.

Senate Bill 2601 will help prospective renters make informed decisions about if they should purchase flood insurance, which is not typically included in renters insurance.

This bill is a crucial step toward ensuring the safety and wellbeing of tenants across the state, Senator Mike Porfirio, who introduced the legislation in the Senate, said. By requiring landlords to disclose flood hazards, we are arming renters with the knowledge they need to protect themselves and their families from potential harm.

For a full list of laws beginning in the new year, click here.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
As a sitting member of Congress, Matt Gaetz paid for sex with a 17-year-old high school student, used cocaine and ecstasy, and spent thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled partying, according to a bombshell report from the House Ethics Committee.

The report found substantial evidence the now-former Republican congressman regularly paid for sex and met women through a sugar dating website through a former associate who has since pleaded guilty to sex trafficking.

The report determined Gaetz likely violated rules of conduct for the House of Representatives that prohibit prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.

Matt Gaetz is accused of paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl and using illicit drugs while a member of Congress (Getty Images)

Ethics committee members paint a damning portrait of a four-year span, in which Gaetz allegedly paid tens of thousands of dollars to young women for sex  a period when Gaetz emerged as a far-right bulldog for Donald Trumps agenda and a prominent figure in right-wing media.

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The president-elect named Gaetz as his first choice for the next U.S. attorney general, overseeing the Department of Justice as the nations top law enforcement official. Gaetz resigned from the House following that nomination, and then withdrew his name from consideration amid mounting scrutiny of the allegations at the center of the committees years-long investigation.

The former congressman has since taken a job with One America News Network and hinted at another run for public office.

He has vehemently denied allegations of wrongdoing. He filed a federal lawsuit against the committee to block the public release of its findings, which he claimed contained defamatory information.

Statutory rape involving 17-year-old girl

Shortly after he entered office in 2017, Gaetz and his associate Joel Greenberg attended a party where Gaetz had sex with multiple women, including a 17-year-old girl, who were paid, according to the report.

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Gaetzs then-girlfriend also attended the party, which was allegedly at the home of Christopher Dorworth, a prominent lobbyist in Florida.

Then-congressman Gaetz and the girl, identified as Victim A, had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees.

Gaetz was 35 years old at the time.

Matt Gaetz allegedly had sex with a high school student while he was 35 and a newly sworn-in member of the House of Representatives (AP)

Victim A testified to the committee that she was under the influence of ecstasy and recalled receiving $400 in cash from Gaetz, which she understood to be payment for sex

She did not disclose her age, nor did he ask. The committee did not find evidence that Gaetz was aware she was a minor.

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After later learning she was a minor, he maintained contact less than [six] months after she turned 18 year old, and then met up with her again for commercial sex, according to the report.

When Greenberg was prosecuted for sex trafficking that same victim, Gaetz publicly stated that Victim A doesnt exist and that he has not had sex with a 17-year-old since I was 17, the report noted.

The committee found his statements untrue and his alleged actions were in violation of Floridas statutory rape law.

Tens of thousands of dollars for sex

Gaetz became friends with Greenberg  who had recently taken office as a tax collector in Floridas Seminole County  shortly after Gaetz was sworn into Congress in 2017, according to the report.

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Greenberg would contact women through SeekingArrangement.com  now Seeking.com  which had billed itself as a sugar dating website to connect financially well-off men with younger women for transactional relationships.

Greenberg would show the website to Gaetz and give him his login credentials, and the men would then split the costs of drugs, hotels and girls they would invite to parties and travel destinations, according to the report.

Gaetz and his associate Joel Greenberg allegedly met women through a sugar dating website and paid them tens of thousands of dollars for sex (AP)

Gaetz would often pay women through PayPal and Venmo, as well as cash and with paper checks, or Greenberg would pay women to have sex with Gaetz, who then reimbursed Greenberg, the report found.

Sometimes a lump sum would be sent to one woman, who would then distribute the cash to others who attended their parties, according to the report.

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The report lists payments totaling more than $90,000 to 12 different women between 2017 and 2020.

Text messages obtained by the committee appear to show that Gaetz and the women understood the nature of the payments as transactions for sex.

Representative Gaetz did not appear to have negotiated specific payment amounts prior to engaging in sexual activity with the women he paid, according to the report. Instead, the women had a general expectation that they would typically receive some amount of money after each sexual encounter.

One woman told the committee Gaetz paid her more than $5,000 between 2018 and 2019, and 99 percent of the time that Gaetz and I] were hanging out, there was sex involved.

Gaetz is also accused of routinely using drugs including cocaine and ecstasy (REUTERS)

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A 21-year-old woman Greenberg met on SeekingArrangement.com eventually became Gaetzs girlfriend when he was 35. Their relationship continued for more than two years, though they were not exclusive; she sometimes participated with him in sexual encounters with other women who were active on the website or otherwise involved in sex-for-money arrangements, according to the report.

She invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to several of the committees questions, including whether Gaetz had ever paid her for sex and if she was aware Gaetz had ever paid anyone for sex.

There is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz paid women for sex, and had others pay women for sex on his behalf, the report concluded. Nearly every young woman that the committee interviewed confirmed that she was paid for sex by, or on behalf of, Representative Gaetz.

While some women characterized their relationship as a date-for-hire arrangement where sex was not necessarily expected, Gaetz still spent tens of thousands of dollars on other women with whom he had a shared understanding that they would be compensated for sexual activity with him, according to the report.

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There were potentially additional amounts spent on commercial sex that could not be specifically identified either because payments were made in cash or through intermediaries, the committee added. The Committees record thus indicates that Representative Gaetz enticed and procured women to engage in sexual activity for hire and purchased the services of women engaging in sexual activity for hire, in violation of Florida state law.

Use of marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine

Text messages obtained by the committee include Gaetzs requests for a full compliment [sic] of party favors, as well as vitamins or rolls. Greenberg asks one woman if she had ever done molly, while women testified that Gaetz routinely was under the influence of marijuana, cocaine or ecstasy.

Gaetz sent one woman several hundred dollars to buy marijuana cartridges, while another woman said she and Gaetzs then-girlfriend brought drugs on a trip to the Bahamas, the report found.

A years-long House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations surrounding Matt Gaetz concluded with a sweeping report published December 23 (Getty Images)

Another woman said that she brought cocaine to at least one event with Gaetz and that she witnessed him taking cocaine or ecstasy on at least five occasions, according to the report. Nearly every witness interviewed observed Representative Gaetz using marijuana, the report stated.

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Greenberg also testified that he would typically provide drugs and Gaetz would pay him back in cash.

Questions of consent and coercion

All of the women interviewed by the committee said their sexual relationship with Gaetz was consensual, but at least one woman said the use of drugs at the parties they attended with him may have [impaired their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent.

Indeed, nearly every woman that the Committee spoke with could not remember the details of at least one or more of the events they attended with Representative Gaetz and attributed that to drug or alcohol consumption, according to the report.

Women also testified to moments where Gaetz tried to convince them to have sex with him or Greenberg. Women described being made to feel bad about not having sex with the men, and being asked to make them happy.

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Another woman said that their relationship at some point was a loving friendship, but over time came to feel like a task, according to the report.

When I look back on certain moments, I feel violated, one woman said.

I think about it all the time. ... I still see him when I turn on the TV and theres nothing anyone can do, said another. Its frustrating to know I lived a reality that he denies.

The committees report suggests women may not have been able to fully consent to sex with Gaetz while they were under the influence of drugs and alcohol (AP)

In one instance, a 21-year-old woman who joined Greenberg and Gaetz at a Florida hotel, along with another 20-year-old woman Gaetz regularly paid for sex, had asked Gaetz for help with her tuition payments, according to messages included in the report.

When she arrived to pick up the check in a hotel room, she found Greenberg and the 20-year-old woman, with the expectation of a sexual encounter in exchange, according to the report.

The four of them had sex and afterwards Representative Gaetz gave her a $750 check made out to cash with tuition reimbursement in the memo line, the report found.

The 21-year-old woman told the committee she believed that the encounter could potentially be a form of coercion because I really needed the money.

While the committee did not find evidence that Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, the report noted that the youngest person who joined the Bahamas trip was 18 years old at the time, and that while his relationship with the women involved an exploitative power imbalance, the Committee does not have reason to believe that he used force, fraud, or coercion as those terms apply under the applicable laws.

Abuse of office

In early 2018, Greenberg paid a woman who had sex with Gaetz the night they met, according to the report.

During that encounter, the woman told Gaetz she needed a new passport, and Gaetz connected her to his chief of staff, who then worked with the State Department to secure an appointment days later, the report found.

She said the $1,000 she received from Greenberg was to assist her with transportation costs to go to the Miami passport office from Orlando, according to the report. The woman said she continued to meet with Gaetz for sex.

Obstruction and tampering

The committee found evidence of Gaetzs obstruction of the probe, pointing to his refusals to answer committee questions while publicly attacking the report and denying allegations that the committee was asking for information about.

Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress after Donald Trump nominated him for US attorney general. He then withdrew his name from consideration following reports that an ethics probe could soon publish its findings (REUTERS)

The committee also was investigating allegations that Gaetz may have sought to tamper with witness testimony in connection with its investigation or the DOJs investigation. Prosecutors refused to provide a copy of an audio recording in which Representative Gaetz discussed the DOJs inquiry with one of the women he paid for sex, according to the report.

The committee did not find documentary evidence that Representative Gaetz directly acted to prevent any woman from testifying for either of those probes, but some women cited a fear of retaliation from the congressman when declining to speak on the record with the Committee.

No evidence of sex trafficking

In 2021, Greenberg pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor, among other charges, and agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department in the prosecutions of other persons, and to testify in related proceedings, if necessary.

He admitted to introducing a minor to other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts with her, according to a plea agreement.

The Ethics Committee found substantial evidence that Gaetz violated state and federal laws and congressional rules surrounding prostitution and statutory rape, among other allegations, but investigators ultimately did not find that Gaetz violated a federal sex trafficking statute.

Although Representative Gaetz did cause the transportation of women across state lines for purposes of commercial sex, the Committee did not find evidence that any of those women were under 18 at the time of travel, nor did the Committee find sufficient evidence to conclude that the commercial sex acts were induced by force, fraud, or coercion, the report concluded.
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO)  It will be easier to cancel a gym membership come Jan. 1.

Starting in the new year, Public Act 103-0838 requires gyms and fitness centers to accept multiple ways for people to cancel their membership, including by email or online.

The current law allows gyms to require their customers to cancel only in writing via certified or registered mail.

Other laws gong into effect in Illinois on Jan. 1, 2025

Minimum wage

Starting on Jan. 1, the minimum wage in Illinois will go up again, thanks to a law passed in 2019.

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The minimum wage was $8 an hour when the law was passed, with the rate of pay increasing each year until it reaches the final scheduled increase of $15 an hour in 2025.

Tipped workers will also see a minimum wage increase, from $8.40 an hour to $9 an hour. Thats thanks to a state law that says tipped workers must earn at least 60% of the states minimum wage.

Workers under the age of 18, working less than 650 hours per year, will see an increase from $12 to $13 an hour.

Elimination of sub-minimum wage for disabled workers

Disabled Americans living in Illinois will be allowed to earn a minimum wage, thanks to the Dignity in Pay Act, which eliminated Illinois 14(c) certificate program, which allowed employers to pay people with disabilities a sub-minimum wage.

Employers are required to post salary and benefits on job listings

Starting Jan. 1, most employers in Illinois will have to disclose pay and benefits information on job postings, thanks to a new law.

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The change is mandated by an amendment to the Equal Pay Act of 2003 that Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law last year.

The law requires that all employers with 15 or more employees include the pay scale and benefits on job postings, both internal and external.

It will apply to positions that will be performed in Illinois, including remote work.

Companies will have 14 days from the start of the year to add salary and benefit information to job postings or face a $500 fine.

Illinois will allow digital drivers licenses on your phone

The law allows governmental agencies and businesses to accept either digital IDs or physical versions, but says upon request by law enforcement, a credential holder must provide the credential holders physical credential.

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The state can charge a maximum of $6 for a smartphone application that registers the digital ID or drivers license.

Allow qualified applicants an eight-year drivers license

A new 2025 law will order the Secretary of State to offer qualified applicants to be issued a drivers license that will be good for eight years, instead of the current four. The Secretary of State must submit rules for the program to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules no later than Jan. 1, 2027.

Employees can skip mandatory work meetings where political or religious matters are shared

The Worker Freedom of Speech Act bans employers from disciplining employees who fail to attend mandatory meetings where opinions on political or religious matters are shared.

According to the National Labor Relations Board, 89% of all employers hold mandatory meetings as a response to unionizing efforts, causing union election victory rates to drop to 47%.

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The law prohibits employers from threatening, disciplining, firing, or otherwise retaliating against workers who refuse to attend mandatory workplace meetings where company views on politics or religion are espoused, but it does not prevent employers from holding such meetings.

Under the law, an employer can face a $1,000 penalty for each violation.

Illinois employers are prohibited from checking to verify if applicants can legally work in the United States

A new Illinois law prohibits Illinois employers from voluntarily enrolling in the E-Verify program or similar Electronic Employment Verification System unless they are required to by federal or state law.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, E-Verify is an electronic system that compares a workers Form I-9 information with government databases to verify employment eligibility to legally work in the United States.

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The Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act requires that employers follow certain steps if they believe that an employees employment verification information is inaccurate, which includes providing the employee with specific information about the claimed discrepancy and allowing the employee to correct the discrepancy (if required by law). An employee has the right to representation during any meetings or discussions regarding employment verification information.

Limit employers from using predictive AI in hiring practices

Employers will be restricted from considering an applicants race or zip code when using artificial intelligence-powered predictive analytics to reject an employee in its hiring or firing practices.

New predictive human resource analytics can use artificial intelligence to predict which employees are more likely to quit within a certain timeframe, which candidates will be the most successful, and which employees will be top performers.

Illinois law makes predictions based on a persons race, or zip code when it is used as a proxy for race, a civil rights violation for discrimination.

Crime victims DNA cannot be entered into a database

HB 1168 prevents a crime victims DNA profile, when collected as part of a law enforcement investigation, from being entered into any DNA database, with certain exemptions made for certain medical examiner or coroner investigations, but without contradicting rules developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Require police to undergo autism-awareness training

People with autism can sometimes be nonverbal or easily agitated, making stressful situations  like encounters with law enforcement  especially dangerous.

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The new law, SB 3201, will require the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to develop and approve a course to assist police officers in identifying spectrum disorders. The training will be required every three years.

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board will have two years to approve an autism-informed training program once the new law goes into effect on the first of the year.

The state must conduct a Property Tax Study

SB 3455 requires the Department of Revenue to conduct a study to evaluate Illinois property tax system. The law provides that the Department may also determine whether the existing property tax levy, assessment, appeal and collection process is reasonable and fair and may issue recommendations to improve that process.

Illinois homeowners currently pay the second-highest property tax rate in the United States. A study by ATTOM found that Illinois topped the state with the highest property tax rate, with 1.86%. New Jersey (1.73%), Connecticut (1.67%), Vermont (1.55%) and Pennsylvania (1.37) have among the highest in the country.

Catalytic converter recyclers must record donor vehicles VIN

House Bill 4589 requires recyclable dealers to keep track of vehicle identification numbers (VIN) of the vehicles from which the catalytic converter was removed and make a copy of the certificate of title or registration showing the sellers ownership of the vehicle.

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The bill would make it illegal to sell or buy a catalytic converter unless those conditions are met.

Data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) showed that Illinois was in the top five states in the country for catalytic converter thefts between 2020-2022.

While State Farm said thefts of the device declined in Illinois in 2023 vs 2022, the state still ranks #3 for the most catalytic converter thefts, behind California and Texas.

A catalytic converter filters fumes from a vehicles exhaust system and reduces harmful emissions. The device uses elements of platinum, palladium, and rhodium, which can be sold for profit.

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Since 1975, all gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States have been equipped with catalytic converters to comply with federal EPA regulations.

Require drivers to yield right of way to emergency vehicles

HB 5370 requires that drivers who are approaching an emergency scene or a stopped emergency vehicle, or a construction zone, must make a lane change to yield the right of way if it is possible. If not, the driver must reduce speed.

Post instructions on how to report child abuse at businesses

A new law requires certain businesses, bus stations, hospitals, and doctors offices, hotels, motels, and tattoo and body piercing establishments, to post signs in a conspicuous place that informs children under 18 what physical and sexual abuse is and how to report it.

Replace the term offender with justice impacted individuals in Illinois Crime Reduction Act

An amendment to the Illinois Crime Reduction Act of 2009 will change references to offenders to justice-impacted individuals. The law also creates an Adult Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board to oversee a plan to redeploy convicts into public life once they are no longer incarcerated.

Law helps juveniles clear their criminal record

The Juvenile Court Act has been amended by a bill that mandates state courts to expunge the records of individuals charged as juveniles, two years after they have completed their sentences.

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The bill also speeds up the expungement process by scheduling expungement hearings when they are released.

Creation of an Illinois Pretrial Services Director

Following the passage of the SAFE-T Act, which abolished cash bail, the state has ordered the judicial branch of government to create an Office of Statewide Pretrial Services and install a director, appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, to oversee it.

Bans hotels from using single-use plastic bottles

A new law will ban hotels with 50 rooms or more from providing guests with single-use plastic bottles and provide civil penalties for operators who violate the rule.

In 2026, hotels with less than 50 rooms will also be banned from offering single-use bottles to guests.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA)  People needing English language interpreters will now be required to get help at Illinois agency hearings, thanks to a new law.

An initiative spearheaded by State Senator Karina Villa to secure competent and accurate language assistance during state agency administrative hearings was signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker Friday.

The law requires state agencies to provide interpreters for self-represented and low-income individuals with limited English proficiency during all stages of a substantive administrative hearing.

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New Illinois laws going into effect Jan. 1, 2025

State administrative hearings are utilized by everyone  from parking tickets to regulation disputes, said State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago). This law ensures that everyone can access the resources our state government offers without facing a language barrier.

Substantive administrative hearings determine a ruling under the authority of state agencies, which can be very consequential. Villa said its important for individuals who need language assistance to be properly informed and understand the government procedures they are undergoing.

Language access in government procedures is necessary to ensure our communities benefit equitably from state services, said Villa. Thousands of people across Illinois prefer to communicate in a language other than English. This will help these individuals receive critical support and information.

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The full language of the law can be found on the Illinois General Assemblys website. It goes into effect July 1, 2025.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
MUNCY, LYCOMING COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  A death investigation is underway at SCI Muncy after an inmate was found dead in her cell.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, 41-year-old Lisa Stavish, an inmate at the State Correctional Institution at Muncy was found unresponsive in her cell on December 22.

Death Investigation after burn victim found in Luzerne County

Prison staff responded and gave life-saving measures but Stavish was pronounced dead at 6:00 a.m.

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Officials stated Stavish was serving a 7-to-20-year sentence for murder of the third degree on a Monroe County conviction.

The Lycoming County Coroners Office will determine the cause of death.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
A poster marking the 110th anniversary of the Panama Canal is pictured near Panama City, Panama, Aug. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

"I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama, and will continue belonging to Panama," Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino said.

PANAMA CITY, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino on Sunday dismissed recent threats made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to retake control of the Panama Canal, reaffirming that "the sovereignty and independence" of Panama are not "negotiable."

"I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama, and will continue belonging to Panama," Mulino posted on social X.

"Every Panamanian, here or anywhere in the world, carries it in their heart, and it is part of our history of struggle and irreversible conquest," he added.

The Panama Canal, an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic with the Pacific, was completed by the United States in 1914 and returned to Panama in 1999 under a treaty signed by then U.S. President Jimmy Carter and then Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos. The deal relinquishes American control over the canal by year 2000 and guarantees its neutrality.

A drone photo shows a cargo vessel sailing on the Panama Canal near Panama City, Panama, Aug. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

A "MADE" NATION

In 2019, the U.S. documentary "Panama Canal" premiered. While the film showcases the canal's global significance, it skips a key chapter: U.S. intervention in Panama's secession from Colombia, which secured American control of the canal for nearly a century.

"To build the canal, the United States had helped Panama gain independence from Colombia, thereby dismembering a sister republic to secure a canal treaty that secured U.S. interests," Panamanian historian Marixa Lasso, wrote in her book "Erased: The Untold Story of the Panama Canal."

In 1821, Panama declared independence from Spain and became part of the Republic of Gran Colombia. By the mid-19th century, its strategic location attracted U.S. interest, particularly as the country sought a transoceanic canal. In 1903, the Herran-Hay Treaty was signed, granting the U.S. rights to construct a canal. However, it was rejected by Colombia's legislature over sovereignty concerns.

Then U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt hinted backing Panama's independence in a letter to his friend Alber Shaw, "Privately, I freely say to you that I should be delighted if Panama were an independent state, or if it made itself so at this moment."

On Nov. 3, 1903, U.S. warships supported a revolt that led to Panama's secession. Within days, the U.S. recognized the new nation and quickly secured the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, granting it "the use, occupation and control" of the canal zone in perpetuity for a modest payment.

"I made Panama," Roosevelt said.

Construction of the Panama Canal began under U.S. control in 1904 and was completed in 1914.

The surrounding Panama Canal Zone, a 16.09-kilometer-wide strip covering 1,432 square kilometers, operated as a "state within a state" under U.S. jurisdiction. It had its own governor, administration, and military command, with the American flag flying over the zone.

Between 1913 and 1916, the U.S. forcibly relocated indigenous residents, dismantling Panamanian towns and displacing about 40 thousand people without adequate compensation.

A letter preserved in U.S. National Archives, signed by various victims and sent on Sept. 30, 1914, stated the inhabitants of the zone were treated even worse than "ferocious criminals." They had been denied "a place to live and eat, our lands and houses being taken from us without paying us justly what they are worth."

In the 1920s, the United States tried to establish the failed Kellogg-Alfaro treaty, which was rejected because it aimed to legalize the presence of U.S. troops on Panamanian soil.

"That treaty completely turned Panama into a U.S. military base, that is, a military springboard for the rest of Latin America," said Julio Yao, former foreign policy advisor and honorary president of the Center for Asian Strategic Studies of Panama.

A drone photo shows vessels sailing on the Panama Canal near Panama City, Panama, Aug. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

"WORLD HAS VETOED U.S."

Panama's decades-long struggle to reclaim sovereignty over the Panama Canal reached a boiling point in the 1960s. Escalating protests and international diplomacy ultimately reshaped the country's relationship with the United States.

Inspired by Egypt's 1956 nationalization of the Suez Canal, Panamanians intensified calls to revise the Panama Canal Treaty.

On Jan. 9, 1964, the "Flag Protests" escalated into violent clashes after U.S. residents in the Panama Canal Zone tore a Panamanian flag, recalled Federico Alvarado, now 78, who was among the protesters. Over four days, U.S. forces opened fire on demonstrators, leaving more than 20 dead and several hundred others seriously injured.

The violence prompted Panama to appeal to international bodies. In 1973, the United Nations Security Council held a rare session in Panama City, with the late Panamanian leader General Omar Torrijos delivering a blistering speech condemning U.S. colonialism.

"We have never been, we are not, nor will we ever be, an associate state, colony or protectorate, nor will we add another star to the flag of the United States," Torrijos declared.

A draft resolution supporting Panamanian sovereignty won the backing of 13 out of 15 Security Council members, with Britain abstaining. However, the United States exercised its veto power, blocking the resolution despite its broad support.

"The United States has vetoed Panama's resolution, but the world has vetoed the United States," said then Panamanian Foreign Minister Juan Antonio Tack.

The veto galvanized international sympathy for Panama's cause. The world finally understood Panama's struggle, Yao said.

In September 1977, the Torrijos-Carter Treaties were signed by Torrijos and then U.S. President Jimmy Carter, establishing that the Panama Canal would be turned over to Panamanian control on Dec. 31, 1999.

A cargo vessel sails through the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal near Panama City, Panama, Aug. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

INDEPENDENCE STILL ELUSIVE

"The Americans always deceived Panama with a later date and never left Panama," Yao said.

Even after the signing of the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties, the United States continued to assert its strategic dominance over the Panama Canal.

The U.S. invasion of Panama, dubbed "Operation Just Cause" by Washington, began on Dec. 20, 1989, and continued until January 1990, with the stated objective of capturing Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.

Trinidad Ayola, now 68, whose husband was killed by U.S. invasion forces, said the pain and injustices of the 1989 military incursion will always haunt her.

Before Ayola returned home and learned of the loss of many Panamanian lives, she had been searching for her husband at the airport, where she encountered U.S. soldiers who "loaded their weapons."

"It will always feel like it was yesterday. I have to live with that pain all my life," said Ayola, president of the Association of Relatives and Friends of the Fallen on December 20.

More than 26,000 American troops participated in the operation, which resulted in Noriega's arrest and the dissolution of the Panamanian Armed Forces. The invasion significantly impacted the history of the Central American country, causing an undetermined number of victims and political fallout.

"According to the United States, the purpose was to remove Noriega ... but in reality, what they wanted was to destroy the defense forces," said Sebastian Vergara, who presided over the association from 1996 to 2001, whose father, a civilian, was one of the many innocent casualties of the invasion.

Rolando Murgas, president of the December 20 Commission, a group investigating the truth behind the invasion, believes that "the invasion ... aimed to crush all of our past demands and national dignity."

The commission documented over 400 victims, ranging from a one-month-old infant to an 84-year-old.

In 2022, the Panamanian government declared December 20 a National Day of Mourning.

Vergara also seeks to educate future generations about the invasion. "If it is taught as a subject in schools, young people will be aware that these situations should not be repeated," he said.

"Forgetting is forbidden," Ayola said.

Visitors watch a cargo vessel sailing on the Panama Canal near Panama City, Panama, Aug. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

PANAMA FOR PANAMANIANS

It was a rainy day. On Dec. 30, 1999, the U.S. flag was lowered for the last time, replaced by Panama's flag. The transfer, made official on Dec. 31 under the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, marked the start of a new era for Panama.

"And then, after the transition, only the Panamanian flag, and a huge flag, went up," said Jorge Luis Quijano, former Panama Canal administrator from 2012 to 2019.

"For the world, it was just another day, but for Panamanians, it was monumental," he said.

With full control of the canal, Panama introduced police stations, courts, and civil law in the canal zone, with Panamanians replacing U.S. personnel in managing operations.

Under Panama's administration, significant efforts were made to expand the canal to accommodate modern shipping needs, especially as older locks struggled to handle larger vessels. The canal's expansion, completed in 2016, was pivotal in positioning Panama as a key player in global trade.

Today, the canal handles roughly 5 percent of global maritime trade, cementing Panama's role as a hub for logistics, trade and finance.

Panama's Colon Free Trade Zone is one of the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The country's Tocumen International Airport is a vital transit hub connecting the Americas. Panama City has also become a financial center for Latin America, hosting major banks from the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

The canal's importance transcends commerce. At the Panama Canal Museum, a restored flag torn during the 1964 "Flag Protests" reminds visitors of the sacrifices made for sovereignty. The inscription, "Who sows flags, reaps sovereignty," underscores its display.

"We belong to those patriots who do not want to be forgotten," said Joaquin Vasquez, a representative of the Canal Sentinel Association.

For Yao, the nation's journey mirrors broader struggles in the Global South. Yao draws parallels with regions like Africa and the Middle East, noting that shared histories of domination and resilience shape their paths forward.

"That is a great awakening for a region that has been very impoverished, very dominated, very interfered with, and very manipulated. I think there is a reason to feel optimistic," Yao said.

"I believe very firmly in the Global South," Yao added. "It is the right path."
Blake Livelys legal action against her It Ends with Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, has reportedly been carefully planned for quite some time, according to a source close to the actress.

The complaint, which serves as a precursor to a discrimination lawsuit in California, accuses Baldoni of multiple instances of misconduct during the films production. Among the allegations are claims that Baldoni showed Lively explicit images and videos, asked invasive questions about her personal sex life, and attempted to include intimate scenes in the movie that had not been part of their original agreement.

Not long after Blake Livelys brother-in-law suggested that her complaints were raised during filming, another insider reinforced those claims.

Blake Lively Has Allegedly Planned The Lawsuit For Months

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The legal filing reveals that a meeting was convened to discuss Justin Baldonis alleged behavior and the hostile work environment that had nearly derailed production. Multiple producers, including Blake Livelys husband, Ryan Reynolds, attended the gathering.

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Blake, along with her team, have been working on this for months. Its truly been so ugly for her. And insanely stressful, the insider told People Magazine. Shes never dealt with anything like this before.

Among the key demands addressed during the meeting were safeguards, including the presence of a full-time intimacy coordinator on set to ensure a safe and professional working environment.

Following the news of the lawsuit, Blake Lively released a statement to the New York Times where she expressed, I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.

Blake Lively Is Receiving Hate From Social Media Users

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Livelys legal team is also accusing Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios of retaliation, claiming they launched a sophisticated press and digital plan to punish her for speaking out about misconduct on set and to intimidate others from coming forward, according to the filing.

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Clearly the smear campaign is still working even after all the details were revealed, the insider also told People. The amount of people, and mostly women, that are leaving nasty comments about Blake on social-media mentions is truly appalling, the insider adds.

Who Has Shown Support For Blake Lively Amid Allegations?

MEGA

Amid Blake Livelys legal filing against Justin Baldoni, several well-known figures have voiced their support. Among them are her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn, It Ends with Us author Colleen Hoover, and A Simple Favor director Paul Feig.

Throughout the filming of It Ends with Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice, Ferrera, Bledel, and Tamblyn said in their joint statement.

Her sister, Robyn Lively, and brother-in-law, Bart Johnson, have also shown their support for the actress.

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Her complaints were filed during the filming. On record. Long before the public conflict. The cast unfollowed him [Baldoni] for a reason, Johnson wrote in the comments section of an Instagram post about the news from The New York Times. His PR team was stellar. Gross and disgusting but highly effective. Read the article, their text message exchanges and his PR campaign strategy to bury her by any means necessary. No one is with out [sic] faults. But the public got played.

Justin Baldoni Wanted Blake Lively Smeared Online

MEGA

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According to the newly filed complaint from Blake Livelys legal team, Justin Baldoni allegedly cited a negative social media post about Hailey Bieber as an example of how he wanted his PR team to execute a retaliatory smear campaign against Lively.

The complaint references private text messages and emails included as evidence in Livelys sexual harassment lawsuit, allegedly showing Baldoni in communication with PR executive Jennifer Abel and crisis management expert Melissa Nathan. The messages suggest the trio strategized a campaign that Lively claims was intended to destroy her reputation.

Justin Baldoni Used Hailey Bieber As An Example For His Alleged Plan

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In an August 4 exchange, detailed in a complaint obtained by PEOPLE on December 21, Justin Baldoni allegedly shared a screenshot of an X post, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, titled Hailey Biebers history of bullying many women.

This is what we would need, Baldoni wrote in the text message, per the complaint. Abel replied, Yes I literally just spoke to Melissa about this on the break about what we discussed last night for social and digital. Focus on Reddit, TikTok, [Instagram].
Bellinghams Sehome Arboretum has fewer invasive plants in its forest this winter after a newly launched Western Washington University club began the process of removing them.

The Students for Ecological Restoration Club aims to get students involved in boots on the ground restoration work in the local community to help preserve ecosystems for current and future generations.

The clubs first effort began as a work party in the Arboretum in November, with more than a dozen club members removing invasive ivy and holly. Ivy can block sunlight from reaching the native plants and lead to their eventual death, according to the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.

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It was really great work and it made a very noticeable, visible difference, said the clubs co-founder Caleb Barville. Theres a hell of a lot more work to be done.

Barville is a third-year Environmental Science student at Western who grew up very involved in restoration work and land stewardship. He said he hopes the club brings together like-minded, passionate individuals to get some significant work done.

WWU ecological restoration club members joined a work party with the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association and Whatcom Land Trust this fall at Terrill Creek in Blaine.

Ecological restoration is a growing field and very, very important for the future, Barville told The Bellingham Herald. Over the last 200 years since settler colonialism started to occur, a lot of damage has taken place on the land. Its now a time where we need to correct that in order to preserve our planet for future generations.

Barville said work like this doesnt happen overnight. Club members removed about four cubic yards of invasive plants near the southern entrance of the Jersey Street trail in the Sehome Arboretum at its first work party.

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Id say thats less than one percent of the total ivy and other invasive species that are in the Arboretum, Barville said. These invasive species have been left relatively unmanaged since they were introduced 80 years ago, so its a problem.

The club plans to do all of the Sehome Arboretum restoration work by hand, without the use of pesticides. The club also plans to plant additional native plants in the Arboretum in the spring to restore the ground cover and prevent the ivy from returning.

Barville estimated the project could take three to five years.

Any roots that are left over will come back. Then you have to go back in again, pull out all of the ivy, and do that again every year for a couple of years, Barville said.

More than 30 students gathered for a meeting of the newly started Students for Ecological Restoration Club at Western Washington University.

The club is also focused on education, hosting a biweekly speaker series featuring ecological restoration specialists.

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They talk about the work they do, ongoing projects they have, and how they got there, Barville said. Being that most of the club members are students, theyre looking for ways in which they can make restoration their life and actually get paid to do it. Right now, all of the work we do with the environment is unpaid, volunteer work.

Barville started a fundraiser for the club to help support its efforts. The funding would support the clubs restoration projects, reimburse students for the cost of gas to attend work parties, provide food for the volunteers, compensate speakers and fund research.

As federal funding for environmental causes becomes more inconsistent, local initiatives and grassroots support is vital, the fundraiser webpage states.

As of Friday, Dec. 20, the fundraiser had raised nearly $2,400 with a total goal of $10,000.

The clubs next work party is planned for Jan. 17.
A member of Tui cabin crew was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after she was injured at East Midlands Airport.

The Tui cabin crew member sustained injuries as the plane was preparing to depart on Monday, 16 December at around 4.30pm.

The East Midlands Ambulance Service said in a statement that it received a call at 4.31pm on 16 December to a medical emergency at the airport.

"We sent a paramedic in a solo response car and an ambulance. The air ambulance was also in attendance.

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"One patient was taken by ambulance to Queens Medical Centre."

The condition of the unnamed flight attendant is unknown.

East Midlands Airports operations director Simon Hinchley also confirmed the incident: "As first medical responders on site, our fire crews attended an incident on Monday, when a member of Tui cabin crew sustained injuries as an aircraft was preparing to depart."

"We wish her a speedy recovery and will assist all parties with the investigation," he added.

The incident is now under investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, a government department that looks into aircraft-related injuries.

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A spokesperson for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) told The Independent: "An investigation has been launched, and inspectors have visited the airport to gather evidence and make inquiries to understand more about the circumstances."

The incident comes only weeks after an investigation found Tui plane carrying 193 people failed to pressurise because crew members did not realise a switch had been left off by maintenance workers, forcing the pilots to abort the flight.

The Boeing 737-8K5 took off from Manchester Airport for Kos, Greece, on 17 October 2023, but only got as far as northern Lincolnshire before having to return.

The investigation found that six crew and 187 passengers were at risk of oxygen deprivation after the major error was made by both pilots.

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The AAIB found the pilots had failed to spot that switches that controlled the engine air bleed systems had been left off by maintenance workers. The aircraft failed to pressurise and a cabin altitude warning sign turned on.

The jet returned to Manchester, with no injuries reported, but investigators said that the crew and passengers were exposed to the risk of hypoxia.

The Independent has contacted Tui for comment.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calders podcast
DENVER (KDVR)  After being diagnosed with cancer twice, this Christmas, a 12-year-old boy dealing with the lingering side effects of the disease will get a little help from a stranger.

Last December, FOX31 first introduced you to Amner.

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At age nine, Amner went into remission from brain cancer, but the cancer came back.

Amner was diagnosed with brain cancer at age nine in March 2021, he went through treatment for almost seven months. He recovered and rang the cancer-free bell in Sept 2021. In July 2023, Amner relapsed and the cancer came back. He went through three cycles of high-dose chemo and two Stem Cell transplants, plus six weeks of radiation.

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His mom, Judith Baires, said that after a rough radiation, he was in an Arizona hospital for a whole month.

He had a really, really rough fight with this relapse. It was a really hard chemo that he stayed in the hospital for a whole month each chemo. He had three chemos, said Baires.

Amner Santos (Judith Baires) Amner Santos and his family (Judith Baires) Amner Santos beat brain cancer at 9 years old, but now at the age of 11, he relapsed and is fighting for his life for a second time.. (Judith Baires)

Amner is once again in remission. He was recovering, but around July, his parents started noticing that he was having trouble walking. It turns out he has necrosis  a side effect of the treatments.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, necrosis is the death of the cells in body tissues. After necrosis, experts said dead body tissue can be removed, but it cant be brought back to good health.

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Because of necrosis, Amner is having trouble walking and talking.

Its like it keeps eating from the brain so it damages all the healthy tissues, the cells the brain has, and it kills the veins on the brain, said Baires. So, until hes done with therapies and how he recovers, they dont know exactly what kind of damage it caused and is going to be permanent. But for right now, they said that they dont think its going to cause him like really bad damage because hes walking, hes starting to walk, take steps and talking better, moving better.

Man runs Ironman races to honor, raise money for Amner

After FOX31 aired Amners story, a friend shared it with a man named Matt Conahan.

Conahan had taken it upon himself to run Ironman races and raise money for strangers  which now included Amner.

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Santa, Mrs. Claus visit Colorado NICU to spread holiday cheer

An Ironman race is a triathlon that spans over 140.6 miles. Competitors swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles.

Id always heard its the hardest thing, the hardest race that anybody can do. It was something that was so unfathomable in a lot of ways to me, Conahan said.

When Conahan raced in honor of Amner, he explained what was going through his head.

Why am I doing this? And thats when you really dig deep. I always say, you really come to know yourself in these races. Anybody can walk off that course. No one really would say anything. Oh, youre competing in Ironman. You make up whatever excuse, no one really knows. You come to find yourself and you do. You really know who you are and the warrior that you are and the spirit that youre made of and the cloth that youre cut from and, there are many times that I thought about, you know, my mom, Amner, his family, said Conahan.

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Following that race, he raised $10,000 for a young mom, Katie Feaster, whom he never met and then $5,000 for Amner.

We met with Matt. That was the first time we met him and he said that he had a surprise for him, and it was a really big surprise for him, said Baires. So, when he got there, Amner was surprised. He started crying because he was super happy because Matt gave us a check.

He didnt know me from anybody. He looked at me and I told him, I said, I just want you to know how proud I am of you,' Conahan said.

This summer, Amner and his family received a $5,000 check from a complete stranger, and since then, that complete stranger  Conahan  has had a big impact on Amners life.

I have this mission thats tattooed on my heart

Swimming, biking and running 140.6 miles is no easy feat, but Conahan said his motivation is his own mom. She was diagnosed with cancer a while back and is now a survivor.

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It goes all the way back when I was in high school. My mom got diagnosed with breast cancer. It was an intense time period in my entire familys life, Conahan said.

African penguin chick hatches at Denver Zoo, to be introduced to public in early January

He said he prayed and made a pact.

I remember just getting down on my knees and saying, God, please, you know, if you can do anything, I promise you Ill be indebted to you,' Conahan said. Just please let my mom live.

Conahan continues that pact today by raising money for people like Amner.

He raised money by running back-to-back half-Ironman races for Amner just like his back-to-back bouts of brain cancer. He participated in the Iron Man races in Galveston, Texas in April and in Panama, Florida in May.

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You can still support Conahan on his mission to raise awareness for Amners battle with brain cancer by donating to his GoFundMe.

I got to be about 30 years old and I said, I still have that pact. I still have that debt that I have to pay, he said. I have this mission thats tattooed on my heart.

Now, they have an unbreakable bond. Conahan even gifted Amner an Ironman mask for Christmas.

Remember youre the Ironman, Conahan said. Youre the superhero.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Americans who were eligible for  but didn't claim  a certain tax credit will receive a payment in the coming weeks, the Internal Revenue Service announced this month.

The Recovery Rebate Credit was available to taxpayers who did not receive one or more stimulus payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the IRS found that one million taxpayers, including in Wisconsin, did not claim this credit when they were eligible.

To minimize headaches and get this money to eligible taxpayers, were making these payments automatic, meaning these people will not be required to go through the extensive process of filing an amended return to receive it," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in the announcement.

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Here's what to know about the payments, including who's eligible and how to claim your check.

How much will the payments be?

Amounts will vary, but eligible people could receive up to $1,400 each. In total, the IRS is issuing about $2.4 billion in payments.

Who is eligible for the payment?

The IRS will send payments to people who were eligible for the Recovery Rebate Credit but left this field blank or wrote $0 on their 2021 tax returns.

Find more information about eligibility for the Recovery Rebate Credit here.

How can you get the payment?

If you're eligible, you don't need to take any steps to get the payment. The money will go out automatically in December, and most people should receive it by late January 2025, the IRS said.

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Taxpayers will either receive their payment by direct deposit or by paper check.

What if you haven't filed your 2021 taxes?

You must file your tax returns to receive the Recovery Rebate Credit.

However, if you have not yet filed your 2021 tax returns, you can still get the refund if you file and claim the credit by the April 15, 2025 deadline, the IRS said.

More: Some Milwaukee residents have higher property taxes this year. Heres why

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: IRS sends stimulus to those who didn't claim Recovery Rebate Credit
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has responded to the execution of Ukrainian soldiers, noting that Russian commanders are condoning these executions, which is a clear violation of international law.

Source: ISW

Details: Russian troops have recently executed more Ukrainian prisoners of war on the battlefield.

A video with geolocation data posted on 22 December shows Russian troops executing five Ukrainian prisoners of war on the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in Blahodatne (south of Velyka Novosilka).

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ISW assesses that Russian commanders are either complacent or conniving with their subordinates in participating in the executions of prisoners of war, in clear violation of international law.

Background:

In October, ISW pointed to an increase in executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war which are condoned and encouraged by Russian commanders.

Ukraine's Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reported that the number of cases of executions of Ukrainian soldiers by the Russians in 2024 was nearly double that of the preceding two years of the war.

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MILAN (AP)  Italian Premier Giorgia Melonis government vowed on Monday to open controversial migrant processing centers in Albania that have remained dormant after Italian courts refused to validate the transfer of the first two groups of migrants.

Government ministers repeated the firm intention to continue to work  on so-called innovative solutions to the migration phenomenon, Melonis office said in a statement. It gave no timeline.

The statement cited a court ruling last week by Italy's highest court that said Italian judges could not substitute for government policy on deciding which countries are safe for repatriation of migrants whose asylum requests are rejected.

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The decision does allow lower courts to make such determinations on a case-by-case basis, short of setting overall policy.

Meloni told reporters in Finland over the weekend that the high court ruling had substantially proved the Italian government was correct.

Italy has earmarked 650 million euros ($675 million) to run the centers over five years. The centers opened in October ready to accept up to 3,000 male migrants a month picked up by the Italian coast guard in international waters.

But two groups of migrants who were brought to Albania by an Italian coast guard ship were instead routed back to Italy after courts refused to validate their transfer.

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The Italian courts both asked the European Court of Justice to determine a list of safe countries for repatriation. The timing of the European court decision was not clear, but was expected to take months.

The statement from Meloni's office said the plan to process migrants outside EU borders in Albania had received strong backing from other leaders on the sidelines of last week's EU summit in Brussels.

A hard-line approach to migration got another boost last week when Italian Vice Premier Matteo Salvini was acquitted of a charge of illegally detaining migrants whom he blocked from disembarking in Italy while he was interior minister in August 2019.

___

Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
TOKYO, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Major Japanese carmakers Honda Motor and Nissan Motor are aiming to conclude their merger talks in June 2025, local media reported Monday.

The two companies are expected to strike a basic agreement on Monday to open full-fledged talks on a merger, which would form the world's third largest automaker group by volume after Toyota Motor and Volkswagen AG, Kyodo News reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Honda and Nissan, Japan's second- and third-largest automakers by volume, respectively, are considering to operate under a holding company with Mitsubishi Motors, a Nissan partner, the report said.

Sources said the majority of the holding company's internal and outside directors are expected to be nominated by Honda, adding that the president of the holding company is likely to be a Honda-appointed director.

The move is aimed at improving cost competitiveness and making inroads into the electric vehicle market dominated by competitors from the United States and China, it added.

Honda and Nissan agreed in March this year to commence a feasibility study on a strategic partnership in EV production and software technologies to cut costs and improve competitiveness, with Mitsubishi Motors joining the talks in August. 
JACKSON HEIGHTS, Queens (PIX11)  On Sunday, Jackson Heights, Queens celebrated Christmas early with a festive event at the intersection of 90th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, the same location where community leaders recently rallied for increased public safety.

The celebration featured Santa Claus distributing gifts to local children, along with food and presents for hundreds of families.

Your 2024 NYC Holiday Events Guide

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Toni Diaz, a 50-year resident of the neighborhood, expressed her joy at the transformation. I am very, very proud. Very happy to see for the first time that we have a Christmas tree, uh, the children are able to celebrate Christmas, have a, a beautiful Christmas, she said.

Diaz reflected on the neighborhoods recent challenges, describing it as a nightmare with brothels, prostitution all over, illegal vendors that made the area so dangerous, you couldnt walk.

District Leader Hiram Monserrate highlighted the significance of the event. This is the first time that you ever saw a Christmas tree on this triangle. This is the first time that Santa Claus and mariachi bands are coming to this community, he stated. Monserrate, along with the Lets Improve Roosevelt Avenue coalition, had previously demanded increased public safety measures in the area.

The communitys efforts appear to have yielded results. Ramon Ramirez-Baez, Director of Lets Improve, noted the positive changes: We come to celebrate every single year in the triangle because it was disgusting, a lot of garbage, a lot of prostitution, and right now, its clear.

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Protesters demand end to sex trafficking task force in Queens

Monserrate expressed his emotional response to the events success. This morning I shed a tear because when I saw what we were gonna do here today, I was happy, he said. He emphasized the communitys determination, stating, We dont have to accept crime as a standard operating procedure in any community. Were here because were saying today we turn the page.

Looking to the future, Diaz hopes this event will become an annual tradition. We are gonna continue celebrating here, were gonna do the same, uh, activity every year. And, we are going to beautify the community. cause we want everybody to be safe, she said.

Monserrate announced plans for future events, including a Three Kings celebration on January 6th, aiming to continue the positive trajectory of the neighborhood.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Jewish leaders say their top priority in New York next year will be to push Albany to pass a law to prevent most mask-wearing in public to thwart hate-spewing bigots and other criminals.

Theres not a First Amendment right to harass people and commit serious crimes, said state Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), who is co-sponsoring a bill calling for such a mask ban.

We will make it unlawful to hide ones identity to harass, occupy and menace people with impunity, said Dinowitz, saying such a measure is overdue, given the level of hatred, vandalism and intimidation waged against Jews after the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.

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Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, told The Post, Its our top priority in the legislative session in Albany.

Im optimistic it will pass, but its going to take work, he said. Its going to take work to make sure legislators understand, on both sides of the aisle, that theres nothing political about prejudice.

Its our top priority in the legislative session in Albany, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League told The Post. Getty Images for Anti-Defamation League

Greenblatt, speaking at a Post editorial-board meeting, said civil libertarians such as the New York Civil Liberties Union have claimed such a ban would stifle the free speech of protesters and dissenters, including opponents of Israel.

But at least some mask-wearing protesters and vandals are emboldened to propagate hate because their identities are cloaked, supporters of the bill say.

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Theres freedom of expression. But intimidating people because of their ethnic or religious or any other type of identity is wrong, Greenblatt said.

The proposed bill would exempt individuals who need to wear masks for health or for their religious faith or safety on the job.

Penalties for those who flout the measure and intentionally wear masks during hate-filled protests, acts of vandalism and other crimes would range from a violation to aggravated harassment, a Class A misdemeanor that could result in one year imprisonment, Dinowitz said.

Jewish leaders plan to push Albany to pass a law to prevent most mask-wearing in public to thwart hate-spewing bigots and other criminals. REUTERS

Long Islands Republican-run Nassau County approved such a ban in August, and the measure has been upheld in court, at least thus far.

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The ADL is part of the #UnmaskHateNY coalition, which is backing the campaign to outlaw masked intimidation with intent to harass and terrorize Jews, blacks and other Americans.

The NAACP and National Urban League are among the civil-rights groups that are part of the coalition.

Such bans on hood- and mask-wearing helped expose Klu Klux Klan members who terrorized blacks in the South, supporters noted.

But such face-covering restrictions were repealed, including in New York, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when face coverings were considered essential in curbing the spread of the deadly disease in the peak of the outbreak.

Bans on hood- and mask-wearing helped expose Klu Klux Klan members who terrorized blacks in the South, supporters noted. Getty Images

Now, escalating antisemitism in New York has reached a breaking point  with some comparing the city to the 1930s and the rise of Nazism, Jewish leaders told The Post.

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For example, hateful vandals splattered red paint on the home of the Brooklyn Museum director and Jewish board members, and at least two homes were also scribbled with a red triangle symbol that Palestinian Hamas terrorists use to denote targets marked for death.

Many other antisemitic crimes have been committed by masked vandals or harassers traveling in groups spreading their hate-filled terror, including in the subway and even Ivy League campuses such as Columbia University in Manhattan.

There is no constitutional right to intentionally conceal your identity while conducting a Jew-hunt inside of a New York City subway, destroying college property while chanting, Death to Jews! or vandalizing the home of a Jewish museum director with antisemitic graffiti solely because of her identity, said Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.

These chilling actions hearken back to the intent behind the passage of anti-mask laws at the turn of the 20th century, which was to provide law enforcement the tools they need to hold hate groups such as the KKK accountable.

The proposed bill would exempt individuals who need to wear masks for health or for their religious faith or safety on the job. Getty Images

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In October, the ADL issued a shocking report revealing the number of antisemitic attacks in the US soared 200%, to more than 10,000 incidents, this past year  the most ever recorded by the group tracking Jew hatred and largely fueled by a massive jump on college campuses.

This legislation is overdue at this point and is needed ASAP. Its a very high priority, said Dinowitz, a close ally of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a fellow Bronx Democrat.

Hudson Valley Sen. James Skoufis (D-Cornwall), who is vying to become the next Democratic National Committee chairman, is pushing the bill in the upper chamber.

As we craft this important bill, I am grateful to have the partnership and support of the giants of New Yorks civil rights and faith communities, Skoufis said in a statement.

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Its critical that theres broad buy-in for this public safety measure to ensure we dont go another year during which people are attacked by individuals who cover their faces to evade accountability.

Hochuls office, asked about the push, referred The Post to the governors comments in June, when she expressed support for a mask ban, as has state Attorney General Letitia James.

People have a right to be safe on our public transportation, walking down the streets in their places of worship, the governor said at the time.

And no one should be able to hide under the cover of almost a full-face mask to commit these atrocities against fellow New Yorkers. Thats where we have to draw the line.

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A spokesman for #UnMaskHateNY, a coalition led by civil-rights and faith leaders supporting a reinstatement of New Yorks mask ban, said in a statement, In 2024, the safety situation on campuses, streets and subways deteriorated to a point where masked individuals harassing New Yorkers became an everyday occurrence.

We need accountability and relief.
DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Qatar is ready to invest in Syria's energy sector and ports, the de facto Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said after meeting a senior Qatari official in Damascus on Monday, as his new Islamist-led administration widened contacts with Arab states.

Sharaa also received Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, the first Arab foreign minister to visit Damascus since the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago. Safadi said Jordan was ready to help Syria rebuild.

The meetings further widen the diplomatic contacts of the new administration established after Sharaa's HTS, a former Al Qaeda affiliate, led a decisive rebel offensive that overthrew Assad after more than 13 years of war.

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The end of Assad's rule has upended the geopolitics of the Middle East, dealing a major blow to his ally Iran and paving the way for other states to build new ties to a country at the crossroads of the region.

Turkey, which long backed the Syrian opposition, was the first state to send its foreign minister to Damascus.

Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi flew into Damascus on Monday aboard the first Qatar Airways flight to land there since Assad was toppled.

Sharaa, speaking to reporters as he stood next to Khulaifi, said that they had discussed the challenges of the coming period, and that he had invited Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to visit Syria.

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"The Qatari side expressed its readiness for wide investments in Syria in many sectors, chief amongst them the energy sector in which they have great experience ... as well as the ports and airports," Sharaa said.

Khulaifi said Qatar, a wealthy Gulf emirate and the world's third largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), would continue to "stand alongside our brothers in Syria at this time more than any other time".

"Syria and its people need support during this crucial phase which requires the concerted efforts of everyone, especially concerning the lifting of sanctions and the upcoming developmental projects," he said.

JORDAN WILL PROVIDE AID

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Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has donned increasingly formal attire. He wore a blazer and open shirt in meetings with visiting officials last week and added a tie this week.

Syria's stability is a key security concern for Jordan, a U.S. allied Arab state which borders the country to the south.

Safadi said he agreed with Sharaa on cooperating to counter the smuggling of drugs and weapons from Syria to Jordan - a problem for years under Assad.

Safadi also noted that Islamic State, with which Sharaa's group clashed earlier in the Syrian war, remained a threat.

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"Our brothers in Syria also realize that this is a threat. God willing, we will all cooperate, not just Jordan and Syria, but all Arab countries and the international community, in fighting this scourge that poses a threat to everyone," he said.

"I focused on reconstruction efforts and Jordan will provide aid," Safadi said, adding that the new Syrian administration must have the opportunity to develop its plans.

There was no immediate statement from the Syrian side on the meeting.

Sharaa, who met senior U.S. diplomats last week, severed ties with Al Qaeda in 2016. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.

(Reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Clauda Tanios in Dubai and Tala Ramadan; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Sharon Singleton, William Maclean)
Jordanian and Qatari diplomats met with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday, the latest delegations to visit Damascus for talks about the country's political transition after the fall of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi led a delegation to the Syrian capital, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said.

"It was a frank and positive meeting with al-Sharaa," al-Safadi told broadcaster Al Jazeera after the meeting, adding that the two agreed to cooperate on fighting terrorism as well as combatting the smuggling of weapons and drugs from Syria to Jordan.

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Jordan stands by Syrians in the new phase "towards rebuilding their free, safe, independent and sovereign homeland, where there is no terrorism, exclusion or danger under a regime formed by all Syrians and that protects the rights of all Syrians," al-Safadi added.

Qatari Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed al-Khulaifi also held talks with al-Sharaa in Damascus, after a 13-year rift between Doha and the former regime. The visit underscores Qatar's keenness to support Syria to move forward, the Foreign Ministry said.

On Sunday evening, the Al Arabiya broadcaster said that a Saudi delegation led by an advisor at the Royal Court had visited Damascus and met with al-Sharaa, but there has been no official confirmation from Riyadh.

In recent days, delegations from the United States, Turkey and European countries have met with al-Sharaa in Damascus, as the new leader presses for lifting sanctions that were imposed on Syria during al-Assad's rule.

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Al-Assad, who ruled Syria for more than two decades, fled the country for Russia earlier this month after a rebel alliance led by al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group launched a rapid offensive making major territorial gains until they captured Damascus.
In April, Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer called a press conference in front of a Planned Parenthood office in northern New Jersey to announce new legislation designed to protect women.

Gottheimer, who was widely known to be planning a run for governor, said the bill was in response to a push by anti-abortion groups to use the 151-year-old Comstock Act to ban the mailing of mifepristone  a drug used to induce abortions and treat miscarriages.

Lets be clear: without access to safe and legal reproductive health care, women will die, Gottheimer said at the time.

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But eight months later, the congressmember, who formally launched his gubernatorial campaign last month, has still not introduced the legislation, the Protecting Personal, Private Medical Decisions Act. And the draft that his office provided to POLITICO is a non-binding resolution  an expression of sentiment that has no force of law.

Gottheimers office told POLITICO that the delay is due to the complexity of the court fights around abortion access.



Josh has been working closely with legislative counsel on technical aspects of this legislation, and plans to introduce it when its fully ready, Gottheimer Communications Director Zachary Florman said in a statement.

The fact that Gottheimer has yet to introduce the bill after publicly saying he has comes amid an intensifying gubernatorial race with six declared Democrats. Hes been a leader of moderates in Washington and, while it will be an advantage in a general election for governor, hes coming up against more liberal Democrats and will need to appeal to a more progressive voting bloc.

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It also comes as Gottheimer grapples with the fallout of a viral scandal over his publishing a fake screenshot purporting to be his Spotify Wrapped for 2024  a summary of his most-listened to songs. His fabricated Wrapped showed his top five songs as hits from Bruce Springsteen. But his admission that it was faked led to widespread mockery.

Gottheimer  one of Congress most active stock traders  also promised in 2022 to put his assets in a blind trust. That has yet to happen, though Gottheimers office said they long ago submitted blind trust proposals to the House Ethics Committee, which they said has repeatedly delayed approving it.

Gottheimer touted his introduction of the abortion-related bill several times in fundraising emails and referred to his new legislation to stand up for a womans right to choose  including protecting access while promoting his upcoming appearances on social media.

When I first ran for Congress, I ran against an anti-choice extremist with a promise to always defend reproductive freedom, a Gottheimer gubernatorial campaign fundraising email from this month said. Ive introduced legislation like the Protecting Personal, Private Medical Decisions Act to condemn restrictions on reproductive health care.

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In a September voter guide on NJ Spotlight News, Gottheimer wrote: I have introduced two pieces of legislation, the Freedom to Decide Act and the Protecting Personal, Private Medical Decisions Act, both of which protect access to Mifepristone and support telemedicine across state lines, so doctors can prescribe it wherever women are in need of care.

The April 9 press conference in Hackensack attracted attention across the region, earning him coverage on most New York City television news stations. That helped him burnish his pro-abortion rights bona fides ahead of his expected run in the Democratic primary for governor.

Josh has also helped introduce other legislation protecting Mifepristone, including the Freedom to Decide Act, Florman said. Because of whats on the line for womens health care, and the ongoing court battles, we want to make sure we get all choice-related legislation exactly right. We can never do enough to protect reproductive freedom, and Josh has a long record of standing with pro-choice groups to take on the radical right in defense of reproductive freedom.



The Freedom to Decide Act  a concurrent resolution that would also be non-binding  was introduced by Gottheimer along with two other members on April 13.

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Gottheimer does have a long record on other abortion issues, including a 2023 campaign to shut down anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers that he alleges pose as legitimate health care centers. And he has co-sponsored dozens of bills and resolutions aimed at protecting or expanding access to abortion and reproductive care since taking office.

The push to protect mifepristone likely lost some urgency following the Supreme Courts June decision to throw out a lawsuit seeking to roll back access to the drug, though the decision was procedural and did not address the merits of the case. Some pro-abortion rights advocates have expressed concerns that attempting to repeal parts of the Comstock Act could raise its profile and undermine the Biden administrations legal argument that its unenforceable.

A spokesperson Planned Parenthood New Jersey did not respond to a phone call seeking comment.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP)  A federal judge on Monday struck down key parts of an Arkansas law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing harmful materials to minors.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks found that elements of the law are unconstitutional.

I respect the courts ruling and will appeal, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement to The Associated Press.

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The law would have created a new process to challenge library materials and request that they be relocated to areas not accessible to children. The measure was signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2023, but an earlier ruling had temporarily blocked it from taking effect while it was being challenged in court.

The law deputizes librarians and booksellers as the agents of censorship; when motivated by the fear of jail time, it is likely they will shelve only books fit for young children and segregate or discard the rest, Brooks wrote in his ruling.

A coalition that included the Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock had challenged the law, saying fear of prosecution under the measure could prompt libraries and booksellers to no longer carry titles that could be challenged.

This was an attempt to thought police, and this victory over totalitarianism is a testament to the courage of librarians, booksellers, and readers who refused to bow to intimidation, said Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas.

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But supporters of the law, known as Act 372, say they will continue to fight for its implementation.

Act 372 is just common sense: schools and libraries shouldnt put obscene material in front of our kids, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement to KATV-TV. I will work with Attorney General Griffin to appeal this ruling and uphold Arkansas law.

The ruling comes as lawmakers in some conservative states are pushing for measures making it easier to ban or restrict access to books.

Laws restricting access to certain materials or making it easier to challenge them have been enacted in several other states, including Iowa, Indiana and Texas.

-

This story removes a sentence in the penultimate paragraph of outdated material.
It started with him.

Amid Blake Livelys claim that her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni sexually harassed her and waged a campaign to destroy her reputation, a video from Baldonis wedding has resurfaced.

In 2013, when he married his wife, Swedish actress Emily Baldoni, Baldoni, 40, told her that he was sorry for anything Ive ever said or done that has hurt you.

According to the Daily Mail, in the video, the Jane the Virgin star also proceeded to apologize to his new bride for his faults, shortcomings, insecurities and my ego.

Justin and Emily Baldoni in an Instagram photo. Instagram/justinbaldoni

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in It Ends With Us. GC Images

Emily Baldoni and Justin Baldoni at the It Ends With Us New York premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on Aug. 6, 2024. Variety via Getty Images

Emily shares two children with Justin, and she also made a cameo in It Ends With Us, as a nurse giving a scan to Lily (Lively) when Lily was pregnant.

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On Saturday, news broke that Lively, 37, had filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, who not only co-starred in It Ends With Us but also directed it.

The film is about a domestic violence relationship between their characters and its based on a best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover.

Livelys lawsuit alleged that Baldoni sexually harassed her on the set of their hit film.

According to the legal docs, the actress further accused Baldoni of a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation following the movies release.

She says the alleged smear campaign caused harm to her business and led to her family experiencing severe emotional distress.

Justin Baldoni with his wife Emily and children. Facebook / Justin Baldoni

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Justin Baldoni attends Variety Faith and Spirituality In Entertainment Honors presented by CFAM at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on Dec. 4, 2024. Variety via Getty Images

Justin Baldoni kisses his wife Emily Baldoni as they attend the New York premiere of It Ends With Us at AMC Lincoln Square in New York City, Aug. 6, 2024. AFP via Getty Images

The hit movie premiered over the summer, grossing over $300 million on a $25 million budget.

At the time, rumors abounded of a feud between Lively and Baldoni, who refused to appear together to promote the flick.

Lively also suffered a barrage of bad publicity upon the movies release, and was dubbed a mean girl after a journalist claimed an uncomfortable interview with the star led her to quit her job.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni on the set of It Ends With Us. Christopher Peterson / SplashNews.com

Blake Lively at a screening of Wicked on Dec. 3, 2024. GC Images

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Baldonis lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has lashed out at Livelys new lawsuit, telling The Post: It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to fix her negative reputation.

According to the legal docs, however, Lively alleges it was Baldoni who made things untenable on set.

The former Gossip Girl star alleged in the suit that things got so bad during filming, there was an all-hands-on-deck meeting to address what she claims was a hostile work environment.

Her husband, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, 48, was also at that meeting.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are seen on Oct. 11, 2024, in New York City. GC Images

Blake Lively at the 2024 Beauty Inc Awards held at the Rainbow Room on Dec. 11, 2024. Beauty Inc via Getty Images

As part of the tense sit-down, Lively and Reynolds demanded there would be no more showing nude videos or images of women to Lively, no more mention of Baldonis alleged previous pornography addiction, and no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Lively.

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They further stipulated that Baldoni should not make inquiries about Livelys weight and make no further mention of her dead father.

Additionally, Lively demanded there be no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing outside the scope of the script she approved when signing onto the project.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actress also claimed that Baldoni and his allies engaged in a social manipulation campaign to destroy her reputation.

As evidence, she included texts from Baldonis publicist to a studio publicist saying the actor wants to feel like [Ms. Lively] can be buried.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are seen on Oct. 24, 2023, in New York City. GC Images

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in It Ends With Us. Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

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Justin Baldoni with his wife, Emily, in 2021. emilybaldoni/Instagram

These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media, Baldonis lawyer told The Post in a statement.

In the wake of the news, Livelys former Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel released a statement supporting the actress.

As Blakes friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation, the joint statement read.

Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice, Livelys Sisterhood co-stars continued. Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  K-State Research Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent Abigail Gettinger joined the 27 News Morning Show to discuss the Topeka Farm Show happening early next year.

Gettinger said the K-State Research and Extension Office will be holding clinics at the farm show teaching how to perform cattle body condition scoring for cattle and forage sampling.

Topeka LDS missionaries mock Chinese people on camera

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The Topeka Farm Show will be held from:

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 7.

9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Jan. 8.

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 9.

For more information about the farm show, click here. You can watch the full interview above.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
This undated photo shows John Flower (L, rear) leading his students in rebuilding a wooden structure known as the China Folk House in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, the United States.(Xinhua)

Editor's note: The hope for the China-U.S. relationship lies in the people, with grassroots connections as its foundation. While the two countries have experienced ups and downs in their bilateral ties, it is the enduring friendship between their peoples that has consistently infused warmth and momentum into this relationship. As Jan. 1 marks the 46th anniversary of the normalization of China-U.S. relations, Xinhua is releasing a series of stories highlighting Americans who deeply appreciate Chinese culture and work actively to bridge the differences between the two nations.

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- "Almost heaven, West Virginia..." decades after John Denver's iconic song introduced the Appalachian beauty to Chinese audiences, an American educator has brought a traditional Chinese house to Harpers Ferry, offering locals a glimpse into the enchanting landscapes of southwestern China.

This two-story wooden house, adorned with distinctive ethnic designs, intricate carvings and ornate patterns, was once a rural home in southwest China's Yunnan Province. It now stands amidst the woods of Harpers Ferry in West Virginia.

"A house is like a book that you can walk into. It's like a text of everyday life that you can experience," said John Flower, who moved the house all the way from China to the United States. "I want to use it to tell stories and show people that China is an amazing place."

Reflecting on the journey of discovering, dismantling, shipping and reconstructing the house, he highlighted the collaborative efforts of people from both countries that turned his "crazy idea" into a reality.

A CRAZY IDEA

Flower used the Chinese word "yuan fen" (karmic tie) to describe his initial encounter with the house.

It happened years ago when Flower, working as a history teacher and the director of Chinese Studies program at Sidwell Friends School, took a group of students to Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan, as part of a study program.

They arrived at Cizhong, a village nestled along the banks of the Lancang River, where they met villager Zhang Jianhua who warmly invited them into his home for tea.

The village had a power supply, but it was unreliable during inclement weather. The local government planned to build a power station on the river, and a new dam would cause the river to flood large swathes of land, including the area where Zhang's home stood.

"I said to him, your house is beautiful, and it's a pity that it's going to be flooded. I wish I could just take it home with me," recalled Flower, noting that Zhang promptly agreed to the "crazy idea."

The structure, built in 1989, appeared no different from any other farmhouse in the village. Yet, Flower felt it was exactly what he wanted -- an ordinary dwelling that could offer Americans an authentic glimpse into real Chinese life.

"Houses are great ways of learning about the culture and the history of people, and people's lives are inscribed in their homes," he said.

In the summer of 2017, Flower arrived at Cizhong with a colleague, two students and a guitar maker. Together, they meticulously examined the house, from the peak of its roof to its foundation, mapping it out and creating a 3D model.

After weeks of preparation, Flower and his team, joined by a group of local carpenters of Bai ethnicity, carefully dismantled the house piece by piece. With the support of his Chinese friends, Flower obtained the necessary permissions to export the house's components out of China.

Packed into a shipping container along with traditional furniture, the structure embarked on a long journey to the United States.

The rebuilding project began in 2019, with volunteers from the West Virginia Timber Framers Guild lending their expertise to reconstruct the frame.

"They volunteered for two weeks, but they were thanking me the whole time for bringing them such a cool kind of project," Flower said.

Once the frame was in place, Flower's students swung into action. "Most of the work, honestly, was done by these young people," he said. "It's great for them to do something with their hands, and they get to be part of something bigger than themselves."

"All together about 22,000 hours of volunteer labor have gone into the house," Flower said.

A BRIDGE OF FRIENDSHIP

Now known as the China Folk House, the house serves as both a museum and a venue for cultural exchange, education and music, bringing together Flower's students, local residents and the Chinese-American community.

The house serves as both an effective teaching tool and a bridge of friendship. "Without this house, I could only take a handful of students to China, but now, I can bring hundreds of students to see a part of China that was brought back to the United States," Flower said.

According to him, some visitors from the countryside have been surprised to discover many commonalities between themselves and rural Chinese in terms of house-building traditions and ways of life, thus creating a connection between local communities in both countries.

"The house offers Americans a more tangible experience of China," Flower said. "When you think about something as an abstraction, it's easy to project negative connotations on it, but when you see something real and reliable, you will have a more nuanced understanding."

The passion for the house is shared on both sides of the Pacific. Last year, Flower received more than 14,000 roof tiles donated by Kunming University of Science and Technology in Yunnan to help complete the building.

Wu Zhihong, dean of the school of architecture of the university, said, "The reconstruction of a Chinese building was no easy job for Flower and his students who are from such a different cultural background."

"By giving the tiles, we want to show our appreciation for what Flower has done in promoting cultural exchange," Wu said. "China-U.S. relations have been strained for a while, but people-to-people exchanges have the potential to gradually dispel misunderstandings."

Zhang Jianhua, the former owner of the house, now lives in a larger home with better access to water and electricity.

"I feel so proud that my former home has been appreciated internationally," he said. "Hopefully it will introduce more and more Americans to Chinese culture and history."

A LOVE THAT BLOSSOMS

Flower first encountered Chinese culture as a college student majoring in philosophy in the late 1970s. "My introduction to the Chinese language was reading The Analects of Confucius," he said.

It was also the era of normalization of China-U.S. relations, which opened up opportunities for mutual visits.

Flower first visited China in 1991 and later spent several years living in the countryside of the southwestern Sichuan Province with his wife. During this time, his understanding of Chinese culture deepened, and he developed a strong interest in exploring rural China.

"What I appreciate most about Chinese culture is the close bond between people, which plays a big role in Chinese society, especially in the rural areas," he said.

In 2007, he resigned from his tenured position as a university professor of East Asian history and began teaching at Sidwell Friends, where he introduced high school students to the richness of Chinese culture.

Over the past decade, Flower has taken his students to rural Yunnan for experiential learning projects.

"Yunnan has the perfect combination of biodiversity and cultural diversity and traditional practices that are still part of everyday life," he said.

Comparing Yunnan with West Virginia, Flower said the two places share "a lot of common values and common folkways."

One reason Flower chose West Virginia as the location for the folk house is that from the Himalayas and Lancang River to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River -- two places that are far apart -- there are many striking similarities, he explained.

"They're both really beautiful places. Almost heaven." 

This undated photo shows a wooden structure known as the China Folk House in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, the United States.(Xinhua)
TOPEKA (KSNT)  An official with the State Treasurers office is helping explain how people can stake a claim on some of the more than $600 million in unclaimed property residing in Kansas.

27 News reached out to Tom Treacy with the Kansas State Treasurers office to give people tips on how to go about claiming some unclaimed property. He said there is around $616 million in unclaimed property waiting for people to claim in Kansas as of Dec. 19, 2024.

What counts as unclaimed property?

The Kansas State Treasurers office describes unclaimed property as mostly consisting of money on its website. However, it can also be any financial asset which has yet to be claimed by its owner or hasnt been used by its owner for a long period of time, usually consisting of around one to five years. Real estate is not counted as unclaimed property.

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Typically, Unclaimed Property is generated when people lose or fail to cash a check or forget to alert their bank or stockbroker when they move. Any company or organization that writes checks, drafts or warrants, has the potential to possess unclaimed property. Kansas State Treasurers website excerpt

How many centenarians live in Kansas?

Unclaimed property can also consist of the following:

Insurance proceeds.

Stocks and bonds.

Safety deposit box contents.

Payroll checks.

Money orders.

Refunds and overpayments.

Bank accounts.

How do you complete an unclaimed property claim?

People looking to search for unclaimed property with the Kansas State Treasurers office can get the ball rolling by heading to the agencys website. A section on this website has boxes for you to fill out for your name, city, ZIP code and property ID. You can also use this website to check the status of previous claims.

Do you still have to slow down for work zones on the weekend in Kansas?

Treacy said another section on the Kansas State Treasurers website, found by clicking here, will also help you get a search started for unclaimed property tied to your name. Staff will investigate your claim and match your information to details like your address or Social Security numbers. If the owner of the unclaimed property is dead, the process can become more complicated.

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If we are holding any property with the criteria you entered a list of properties with owners will display, Treacy said. If you are the person listed, click claim to the left of the property list. Once you have went through the entire list and selected the properties to claim, select continue at the bottom of the page to file claim. You will then be prompted to select the relationship you are to the owner. If the property is listed in your name you will select owner. If the owner is your business you will select business.

Does it cost anything to claim unclaimed property?

Treacy said it is a completely free process for people to stake a claim on unclaimed property.

How rare is the Kansas state quarter in your pocket and is it worth more than $0.25?

Can people claim a finders fee if they turn over unclaimed property?

There is no finders fee for turning over unclaimed property to the state, Treacy said. It is State Law holders must report unclaimed property to our office.

What common mistakes should people try to avoid when claiming unclaimed property?

Treacy said one common pitfall during the process of trying to get unclaimed property occurs after someone has entered their information online. For most people, the Treasurers office wont need anything else.

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However, if we need additional information to finish the process, you will receive an email from us with the documentation that is needed to finish the claim, Treacy said. A lot of time the claimant believes they are done once they have entered all their information online.

What are sovereign citizen license plates and are they legal?

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A federal grand jury has charged a Kansas City Veterans Affairs hospital nurse after investigators say he received and distributed child pornography.

According to the Western District of Missouri United States Attorneys Office, 56-year-old Paul Robert Wyatt is facing one count of receiving child pornography in October 2023, one count of possessing child pornography that involved a child under the age of 12 in November 2023, and one count of distributing child pornography over the internet in September 2023.

Former Olathe teacher charged with unlawful sexual relations with student

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Originally, Wyatt was charged under a sealed, three-count federal grand jury indictment on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Six days later, on Dec. 23, the charges were unsealed and made public.

Wyatt was a nurse at the V.A. Medical Center on Linwood Boulevard, and the DAs office says his charges are simply accusations and not evidence of guilt.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen A. Brackett and was investigated by the FBI.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Kate Middleton had an extra set of hands working on her Together at Christmas carol service this year.

The Princess of Wales, 42, wanted the fourth annual service to be focused around love, kindness and empathy  and she asked Lady Gabriella Kingston (nee Windsor) to join her team to help, PEOPLE confirms.

Gabriella, the only daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, played an advisory role around the music performances featured in the Dec. 6 service, PEOPLE understands.

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And the 43-year-old royal, who works as a freelance journalist, enjoyed her role and was excited to be a part of the service, a source tells PEOPLE.

Kate was incredibly grateful for her contribution, the insider adds.

Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Lady Gabriella (middle) arriving at Kate Middleton's Christmas carol service on Dec. 6, 2024 Lady Gabriella (middle) arriving at Kate Middleton's Christmas carol service on Dec. 6, 2024

Related: Kate Middleton Personally Records Special Christmas Message Voiceover for TV Special of Her Carol Concert

Gabriellas role in the service was fitting for the royal, who previously showed off her musical chops in 2020, when she released two songs to benefit music nonprofit Playing for Change Foundation.

In addition to her role in planning it, Gabriella also attended the festive, candle-lit event  which was held at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6 and airs on Christmas Eve on ITV1 and ITVx in the U.K  along with Princess Kate, Prince William, and their kids, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.

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The royals gathered at the London church to watch traditional hymns and songs and readings led by the Prince of Wales, Richard E. Grant and more stars, as well as musical performances by guests including Olivia Dean and Paloma Faith. The event also featured a piece by pianist Rosey Chan and a performance by two soloists from The Royal Ballet and students from The Royal Ballet School.

Set to air on Christmas Eve, the Together at Christmas service  which welcomed a total of 1,600 guests, including members from both sides of Kates family  marks the end of a difficult year for Princess Kate, who announced she was undergoing treatment for cancer in June.

Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Kate Middleton during Kate's 'Together At Christmas' carol service on Dec. 6, 2024 Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Kate Middleton during Kate's 'Together At Christmas' carol service on Dec. 6, 2024

Related: Kate Middleton and Prince William Share Poignant Christmas Card with George, Charlotte and Louis After 'Hardest' Year

In September, Kate shared that she had completed chemotherapy, and the Dec. 6 Christmas concert was her most notable appearance following the news.

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For Lady Gabriella, the event marked her first Christmas without her husband, Thomas Kingston, who died in February at age 45. Following the financiers death, a statement was released on behalf of Gabriella, as well as Martin and Jill Kingston, Joanna Connolly and Emma Murray.

"It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the death of Thomas Kingston, our beloved husband, son and brother, the statement read. Tom was an exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him. His death has come as a great shock to the whole family, and we ask you to respect our privacy as we mourn his passing.

Earlier in December, a source assured that, though Princess Kate stepped out alongside her family to host Together at Christmas, she is taking a slow, intentional approach while navigating her return to public life amid her cancer recovery.

ISABEL INFANTES/POOL/AFP via Getty Kate Middleton at her Christmas carol service on Dec. 6, 2024 Kate Middleton at her Christmas carol service on Dec. 6, 2024

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

She is focused on herself and her family right now, rightly, a source close to the palace told PEOPLE at the time.

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Other friends and sources emphasize that the princess' experience has changed her perspective forever, with an insider close to the royal household telling PEOPLE, Life-threatening illnesses bring a reconsideration of priorities. She and William have always made it clear that family is the most important thing.

You cant go through something like that and come out the other side unchanged, the source added. She is a different person now.

Royal Carols: Together at Christmas airs on ITV and ITVX on Christmas Eve in the U.K. and streams on Britbox in the United States and Canada.



Read the original article on People
Kate Middleton tapped some special helpers for her Together at Christmas carol service  children from the Scouts group she backs as president!

On Dec. 23, Princess Kate's team posted photos taken by Scouts during her fourth annual Together at Christmas concert at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6. The Princess of Wales, 42, supports the scouting association as Joint President and welcomed scouts from around the U.K. to the carol service as volunteers this year.

"We gave our @scouts volunteers a camera for the day of the Together at Christmas Carol Service...This is how they captured it," Princess Kate's team wrote on X on Dec. 23, sharing photos snapped from behind the scenes and a handwritten thank you card starring one of the shots.

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"Tune in to the Together at Christmas Carol Service on @ITV and @ITVX this Christmas Eve," a second message said, along with pictures of guests in attendance and a Christmas tree.

We gave our @scouts volunteers a camera for the day of the Together at Christmas Carol Service...



This is how they captured it  pic.twitter.com/5gMK2oHf74  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) December 23, 2024

Related: Kate Middleton and Prince William Share Poignant Christmas Card with George, Charlotte and Louis After 'Hardest' Year

Like last year, the Scouts supported Princess Kate's holiday concert at Westminster Abbey earlier this month, where over 30 scouts and volunteers came together from Bury, Belfast, Surrey, London and Manchester. A statement shared to the Scouts' website said the young people "had special responsibility for candle lighting (perhaps because of our reputation as skilful fire lighters) as well as for taking photos of the event from a young persons point of view." A volunteer named Paul said the snaps were captured with "old fashioned film cameras"  a choice potentially connected to Princess Kate's personal photography hobby.

"This was a very memorable and enjoyable event. Our Scouts appreciated being involved in this service, and all of us were treated almost like royalty by the Palace staff. We were led directly into the Abbey, where Scouts were encouraged to take photos using old fashioned film cameras. Well hopefully see the results of our photographers efforts! Thanks to all the staff who were very kind and accommodating," Paul, a volunteer with the 1st Byfleet, was quoted as saying.

Tune in to the Together at Christmas Carol Service on @ITV and @ITVX this Christmas Eve pic.twitter.com/U6QhVs3Vq0  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) December 23, 2024

Groups included in the holiday concert were the 44th Bury (R.O.B.O.T.) Scouts from the Bury and Ramsbottom District and the 1st West Byfleet Scout Group in Surrey, which are celebrating their centenaries. A few national volunteers also attended the event, and Michael Marks, General Secretary for the International Forum of Jewish Scouts, said the service left an impression.

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"It was a wonderful occasion and a real honor to be there," Marks said.

Princess Kate was a Brownie alongside her sister Pippa Middleton when she was a young girl, and her relationship with the Scouts came full-circle when she became the organization's joint president in 2020. The Princess of Wales shares the royal role with Queen Elizabeth's cousin, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, and previously mentioned that she'd like her kids to get involved with the group, too.

Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Prince Louis and Kate Middleton at Together at Christmas on Dec. 6, 2024. Prince Louis and Kate Middleton at Together at Christmas on Dec. 6, 2024.

The Princess of Wales also sent the Scouts home from the fourth iteration of her Together at Christmas carol service home with a little something special  Christmas trees that were brought in to decorate the ancient abbey.

"Several of the Christmas trees from Westminster Abbey were gifted to [Scout] Groups on a first come, first served basis, and delivered after the service in time for end of term Christmas celebrations," the statement explained.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Kate Middleton and The Very Reverend Dr. David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, at Together at Christmas on Dec. 6, 2024. Kate Middleton and The Very Reverend Dr. David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, at Together at Christmas on Dec. 6, 2024.

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Related: Inside Kate Middleton's Carol Service, According to an Attendee: 'After a Hard Year, She Put on a Brave Face' (Exclusive)

The festive firs weren't any regular evergreens, either, as the concert's Order of Service revealed that they were donated by King Charles from Windsor Great Park, home to Windsor Castle and near where Princess Kate, Prince William and their kids Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, live.

Continuing tradition, several members of the royal family were among the 1,600 guests in attendance at Princess Kate's Together at Christmas concert. The Princess of Wales launched the event with The Royal Foundation in 2021 as a way to thank those across the U.K. who went the extra mile for the communities during the COVID pandemic and has held it ever since.

Kensington Palace previously said that the carol service would again welcome those who went above and beyond for their communities and others who experienced difficult times this year. Kate poignantly invited families and survivors from Southport, the site of a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July which three children were killed. She and Prince William later visited the grieving community, and PEOPLE understands the trip emphasized that those affected are not forgotten.

Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty The Wales family at Together at Christmas on Dec. 6, 2024. The Wales family at Together at Christmas on Dec. 6, 2024.

Princess Kate emotionally chose love and empathy as the themes for the latest iteration, and the service was especially memorable as her most major event since she shared on Sept. 9 that she completed chemotherapy. The Princess of Wales was outside of the limelight for almost the entirety of 2024 to prioritize her health after sharing in March that she was undergoing treatment for cancer, which followed the February announcement that King Charles was receiving cancer treatment. (The King's treatment is thought to be ongoing, and palace sources confirmed that it will continue into 2025.)

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The Together at Christmas concert featured performances from Paloma Faith, Gregory Porter, Olivia Dean, Royal Ballet dancers and more, plus a reading from Prince William. The service was filmed for the broadcast Royal Carols: Together at Christmas, which will air on ITV and ITVX on Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, at 7:30 p.m. in the U.K.

In a further personal touch, Princess Kate recorded a voiceover to introduce the TV broadcast.

It is love which is the greatest gift we can receive. Not just at Christmas, but every day of our lives



Watch Royal Carols: Together at Christmas on @ITV and @ITVX on Christmas Eve at 7:30pm@KensingtonRoyal pic.twitter.com/YAwixhS1EV  ITV (@ITV) December 22, 2024

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

"Welcome to our Together at Christmas carol service here at Westminster Abbey. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a time for presents, tinsel and mince pies, but it's also a time to slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all," she said in audio revealed over the weekend. "It is when we stop and take ourselves away from the pressures of daily life that we find the space to live our lives with an open heart, with love, kindness and forgiveness, so much of what the Christmas spirit is all about."

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Step inside the royals' holiday traditions with PEOPLEs Special Edition: Christmas at the Palace: A Royal Family Album.



Read the original article on People
Just as democracy means a system of government ruled by the demos, or the common people, gerontocracy refers to rule by the elderly. It was coined in the 19th century as a pejorative to describe the aged French parliament, but it can refer to any government whose leaders are of sufficiently advanced age.

While being long in the tooth does not automatically indicate diminished mental faculties, it's enough of a concern that many jobseven those without the ability to deploy troops or launch nuclear weaponshave maximum age limits.

It's a concept on full display during the latter days of President Joe Biden's term in office. Last week, The Wall Street Journal detailed the tactics used by Biden's staff and inner circle "to adapt the White House around the needs of a diminished leader." Advisers acted as go-betweens, keeping the elderly Biden at arm's length from lawmakers and Cabinet officials.

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"The system put Biden at an unusual remove from cabinet secretaries, the chairs of congressional committees and other high-ranking officials," the Journal authors wrote. "It also insulated him from the scrutiny of the American public."

But there is now another prominent example of a diminished elderly politician absent from the public sphere.

"Where Is Congresswoman Kay Granger?" asked an article by Carlos Turcios of The Dallas Express. Granger, a Republican representing portions of Fort Worth, is 81 years old and was first elected to Congress in 1996. She is also a no-show at her day job, having not voted on a single piece of legislation since July 24; CBS News further reports that "between April and June of this year, Granger missed 107 of 231 eligible votes, or about 46%." (The Dallas Express CEO Chris Putnam ran against Granger unsuccessfully in the district's 2020 Republican primary.)

Granger announced in November 2023 that she would not seek reelection after her current term. Turcios notes that Granger's district office is already packed up, and calls go straight to voicemail.

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As it turns out, Turcios discovered, Granger "has been residing at a local memory care and assisted living home for some time after having been found wandering lost and confused in her formerneighborhood." Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reported on his Substack that on July 9, Granger transferred away the deed to her home in that area.

Over the weekend, Granger's son confirmed to The Dallas Morning News that his mother was "having some dementia issues late in the year" and that while she was in an independent living facility, she was not in memory care.

In a statement, Granger acknowledged "navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed, making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable." Last week, Granger did attend a ceremony at the Capitol in her honor, receiving an official portrait to commemorate her tenure as chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee. (She stepped down from the position in March.) The congresswoman's X account posted a picture of her at the ceremony.

Anyone who has dealt with an ailing elder can sympathize with both Granger and her family as they navigate an inevitable but no less painful chapter in one's life. But that doesn't make her immune from criticism, especially as she continues to draw a salary on the taxpayer's dime.

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"Although I am not running for re-election," Granger said when announcing her impending retirement, "I plan to serve out the remainder of my term and work with our new Speaker and my colleagues to advance our conservative agenda and finish the job I was elected to do."

Indeed, even though Granger has not voted on legislation in five months, she is still a member of Congress drawing an annual salary of $174,000. Even though she was in D.C. on December 18, she did not participate in the vote two days later to pass a continuing resolution keeping the government open.

As one congressional watcher noted on social media, House rules dictate that "Every Member shall be presentunless excused or necessarily prevented, and shall vote on each question put." In the event of an unexcused absence, the U.S. Code states that House leadership "shall deduct from the monthly paymentsof each Member or Delegate the amount of his salary for each day that he has been absent from the House."

"Decades ago, an absent Member was fined by the House unless he or she was granted a Leave of Absence," the House website notes, before adding, "that is no longer the case." It does allow, though, that "members may choose not to request a Leave of Absence if he/she believes it would draw unnecessary attention to his/her absence."

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Sources told CBS News that Granger moved to the facility "around July," which is also when she both stopped showing up for votes and ceded ownership of her house. According to Legistorm, Granger paid her staff nearly $360,000 between July and Septembera period in which she did not vote.

Granger did at least step down from her post atop the House Appropriations Committee, which drafts the bills that fund the federal government. Before she died in office at age 90, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (DCalif.) served for years as the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee even amid accusations of cognitive decline.

Still, it's a damning indictment of the current crop of elected officials that even amid debilitating health issues that prevent them from doing their jobs, some politicians would still rather hold onto power than give it up.

The post Kay Granger, Like Joe Biden, Is a Symptom of America's Gerontocracy appeared first on Reason.com.
KANSAS CITY, Kan.  Family members are still searching for answers three years after a Kansas City, Kansas teen was shot and killed.

I miss him and love him so much, said Carlos Garcias mother, Amapola Garcia.

Loved ones honored Carlos Garcia on the third anniversary of his death with a balloon release and memorial on Sunday.

His homicide remains unsolved, but his family is still fighting for justice. On Sunday, they wanted to focus on keeping his memory and spirit alive.

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He was just very, very warm-hearted, had a beautiful smile, his heart was very contagious, and we miss him so much, his sister Itati Becerra said.

PHOTOS: Lawrence man arrested after carrying gun downtown, pursuit

A small group gathered at the Highland Park Cemetery on Sunday to honor and remember Garcia. At the time of his death, Carlos was a sophomore at Wyandotte High School.

He was my first-born son, and I miss him and love him so much. Everything has not been the same ever since he left us, Amapola said.

Its very important for us to keep him alive and just keep him in our hearts. At first, there were a lot of people here, but little by little, everybody else forgets. But I mean, as his mother, I will never forget my son. I loved him, and I miss him so much.

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Carlos was shot to death on December 22, 2021, in a northwest KCK neighborhood near Parallel Parkway and 27th Street.

Gifts to Heal: KC nonprofits way of giving back to homicide victims

We come out here to honor my son Carlos and to try to get some justice for my sons death. Nothing has been done about that, Amapola explained.

For the last three years, Amapola has been fighting for justice for her son and hoping that someone will come forward with information that will lead to an arrest.

If anyone knows anything, call the tips hotline, Amapola said.

There is a reward of up to $7,000 for information that leads to an arrest. If you have information about the case call the TIPS at 816-474-8477. Web tips can be submitted by visiting KCcrimestoppers.com.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
A 36-year-old metro Atlanta man is behind bars after deputies said he led them on a chase early Monday morning.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Around 12:23 a.m., Habersham County deputies stopped a blue Infinity on Georgia 365 southbound near Cody Road.

Officials said, as the deputy exited his patrol vehicle, the driver, Steven Kristopher Wilke, 36, of Kennesaw, drove away, initiating a chase.

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The sheriffs office said, Wilke turned around and began speeding north on Georgia 15. He then turned left onto Talmadge Drive in Hollywood and then turned right onto Old Historic 441.

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At the intersection of Old Historic 441 at Ga. 15 and US 441, he apparently wasnt familiar with the area and continued across and crashed into the guardrail on the northbound side, said Special Operations Lt. Travis Jarrell.

Wilke was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville for treatment. He then was arrested and booked into the Habersham County Detention Center.

The 36-year-old is charged with two counts of driving under the influence, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, driving while license suspended or revoked, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug-related objects, too fast for conditions, failure to maintain lane, failure to obey a stop sign, headlight requirements, and giving the wrong signal.

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On October 6, 2023, the Islamic Republics supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, could have done a tour dhorizon of the Middle East and been proud. His anti-Israeli/anti-American battle plan was working. An array of Shiite and Palestinian Sunni Islamist militiasthe Houthis in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and a smorgasbord of militant groups in Iraqhad effectively given Iran imperial reach at relatively little cost.

Through this Axis of Resistance, the clerical regime could harass Americans in Iraq and Syria. Ever fearful of escalation, Washington never took the fight back to Iran directlywith the exception of President Donald Trumps decision in 2020 to kill in Baghdad Qassem Suleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force and the operational mastermind behind Iranian strategy. The axis was designed to keep America fatigued in the Middle East, to keep it leery of deeper intervention. Similarly, the alliance intended to complicate Israeli calculations, to keep Jerusalem from mowing the lawnthe routine pummeling of Israels nearest foesfor fear that military escalation against one party might trigger a wider conflict. With time, the axis would only get stronger; the Zionists and Americans weaker. For years, this approach worked.

The key component in Iranian calculations was Tehrans decision over the last 10 years to enhance Hezbollahs already large stockpile of missiles. It gave the clerical regimein the eyes of the Iranians, the Hezbollah leadership, and many Israelis and Americansa check on Jerusalem and Washington. Its not clear how much Khamenei feared an Israeli preemptive strike on Irans nuclear sites before October 7; even under President Joe Biden, the potential of American power probably still made Khamenei worry about the possibility of U.S. preemption. Its a good guess that his decision in the last four years to increase substantially uranium enrichment and undertake other experiments key to constructing an atomic device, but not rush toward a nuclear test, reflected his concern about too much provocation too quickly. Hezbollahs missile stockpilesalong with the entire Axis of Resistance and the mayhem it could causegave Iran some leverage in its test of wills with Washington and Jerusalem.

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Beyond the Levant, the success of Irans axis was enormous, especially in the Gulf. The Saudi kingdoms vast oil infrastructure and the massive development plansthe NEOM projectsof the Saudi crown prince, Muhammad bin Salman, were wide open to the missiles and drones that Iran had spent vast sums on. Houthis, increasingly well-armed by the Islamic Republic, had often taken great pleasure in attacking Saudi Arabia. The Iranian-led attack on Gulf shipping and the Saudi oil facilities at Khurais and Buqayq in 2019, which Trump declined to respond to militarily, undermined MBS confidence in U.S. security guarantees. President Bidens flip-flops on Saudi Arabiathe pariah state becomes an allyfurther encouraged MBS to assume a more skeptical approach to the United States. With Irans axis appearing ever stronger, the kingdom hedged its bets even before October 7 and the destruction of Gaza, and became wary of the Abraham Accords. Riyadh gladly accepted Chinese intercession to restore diplomatic relations with Tehran in March 2023.

The Muslim Middle East is often defined by its biting ironies. That a Sunni Islamist, renowned for his anti-Zionist and antisemitic rhetoric and his dogged support of Hamas  would prove to be a pivotal player in gutting the Iranian position in the Middle East, is among the best.

And the axis rise directly led to the Russians and the Chinese becoming Irans great-power patrons. Even before October 2023, the Islamic Republic had become the unavoidable power that the Americans and Israelis seemed unable to check. Saudi Arabia has vastly more money than Iran, which attracted both the Russians and the Chinese; Iran, however, had real muscle and a proven capacity to pressure America in the Middle East, diverting its attention from Europe and East Asia. For revisionist powers, anti-Americanism is the binding agent. The Islamic Republic, which had repeatedly sought great-power friends since Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeinis death in 1989, proved its worth on the ground, starting when Suleimani went to Moscow in 2015 and made the case for direct and immediate Russian intervention to save their mutual ally, Syrias Bashar al-Assad. As Russian and Chinese animosity toward the United States intensified, having a reliably anti-American ally who could also intimidate the oil-rich Gulf states, thereby making Russian and Chinese involvement with Tehran more valuable, changed the strategic calculations of Moscow and Beijing. And for China there was the added benefit of enjoying deeply discounted Iranian oil and flipping the bird at extraterritorial U.S. sanctions.

All of this came undone when the Israelis proved, even against American resistance, that they still retained the capacity and fury to obliterate Hamas and neuter Hezbollah at stunning speed, leaving the groups vaunted missilery of near zero strategic use against the Jewish state. We dont know yet the extent of Iranian-Hamas joint planning for October 7, though captured Hamas documents make it clear coordination was growing. Did Khamenei agree with the Hamas chieftain Yahya Sinwars optimistic assessment of October 7s cataclysmic possibilities for Israel? Khamenei had said repeatedly that he wanted to bleed Israel out slowly. Had he changed his mind? Khamenei is a devout antisemite, who alternatively sees Jews as an all-powerful global menace and as an enemy that can be buried by faithful Muslims. His antisemitism may have altered his calculations, tempting him toward greater audacity. In any case, he egregiously misjudged Israeli resolve after the horrors of October 7.

Israels bold covert actions in Iran, the deeply embarrassing failures of Irans missile barrages against Israel in April and October 2024, and then Jerusalems counterstrike inside Iran on October 26, left the clerical regime increasingly vulnerable. For the first time, after Israels last reprisal, Iranian VIPs began openly speculating that the Zionists might have the capacity to off the Islamic Republics senior officials whenever they wanted. The nuclear discussion in Tehran exploded when all realized that only a nuke could restore Iranian deterrence against Israel and the United States, and yet, despite the tens of billions of dollars spent to develop a nuclear weapon, the clerical regime still didnt have the bomb. Fingers started pointing toward Khamenei for his slow chess-game approach to obtaining an atomic arsenal.

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With the collapse of Syria absolutely everything came undone. To give Khamenei some credit, he may have realized that the Assad regime needed more active support. The Alawites, a heretical Shiite sect, made up the majority of the political and military leadership but only about 10 percent of Syrias population. They had lost the Sunni elites years ago and could no longer play divide-and-conquer effectively within Syrian societythey just didnt have the numbers. Throughout the most brutal period of the Syrian civil war (2012-2016), the Iranians sometimes trenchantly discussed Alawite inadequacy. Khamenei wanted to establish large bases in Syria, well-stocked with missiles and Revolutionary Guards, but Israel aborted those plans through constant air raids.

And what Israel set in motion, the Turks capitalized on. The Muslim Middle East is often defined by its biting ironies. That a Sunni Islamist, renowned for his anti-Zionist and antisemitic rhetoric and his dogged support of Hamas, who was initially viewed by many in the Islamic Republic as an ally against Israel and the West, would prove to be a pivotal player in gutting the Iranian position in the Middle East, is among the best. Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan proved a patient foe of Assad and Iran. He didnt tremble before Vladimir Putin. He knew the advantages he had in a deeply fractured Syria where Assads forces, even with Iranian and Russian support, were never able to oust his military or his local Syrian allies. He correctly assessed Russian and Iranian weakness. Most decisively, he did what no one else in the Sunni world had been able to do: He successfully used insurgent warfare against Shiites.

Its a very good guess that neither the supreme leader nor his senior commanders in the Revolutionary Guards envisaged that a rampant Israel in a de facto alliance with Erdogan would crash the Shiite crescent throughout the Middle East.

Khamenei has always had an internal struggle between his caution and his audacity. The latter, always encouraged by his beloved Gen. Suleimani, certainly had the high ground the last several years, even after Suleimanis death. And after the generals passing, lesser men, like Ismail Qaani, attempted to fill the void. The 85-year-old supreme leader is now flailing, unable to give speeches that arent immediately dismissed. Unforgivably for an Islamic revolutionary, he misjudged the Jews and he was too clever with the regimes nuclear ambitions. In retrospect, he should have put aside his concerns about latent American power and pushed the envelope during Bidens presidency as there was likely nothing there that would have pushed back. If the Islamic Republic had had the bomb on October 6, its likely Israeli actions would have been significantly different, perhaps sufficiently different to save Hezbollah, which in turn might have saved Syria.

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Failure abroad always sends shock waves home. Khamenei, who has so far never failed to crush all those aligned against him, is now likely obsessed with how his foreign mistakes may embolden his enemies, both foreign and domestic.

Read more at The Dispatch

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Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii started erupting on Monday following a three-month pause, the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said.

Kilauea began erupting around 2:30 a.m. local time at the base of the Halemaumau Crater within the summit caldera after elevated seismic activity was detected overnight, the USGS said.

Officials said the "dynamic" volcanic activity is currently confined to the summit caldera.

From the closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists documented the new eruption within Kalupele that started this morning at 2:20 a.m. HST. / Credit: U.S. Geological Surgey

Webcam imagery showed lava fountains as high as 262 feet with molten material, including lava bombs, being ejected from the vents on the caldera floor. An estimated 400 acres of the caldera floor was covered in lava by 5:30 a.m., according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

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About four hours later, around 6:30 a.m. local time, the eruption had "stabilized" within the crater and there were no immediate threats to infrastructure.

Short video of the current Kilauea eruption from the west caldera wall. pic.twitter.com/A3kBpJTeUl  USGS Volcanoes (@USGSVolcanoes) December 23, 2024

Ken Hon, the head USGS scientist in Hawaii, told CBS affiliate KGMB that it was a "fairly rapid onset for one of these eruptions," adding that it had been the fifth eruption at Kilauea since December 2020.

"There's some very large fountains playing in the southwest corner of Halemaumau Crater, which is in the southern half of Kaluapele, or the summit caldera of Kilauea Volcano up here and near the entrance of Volcanoes National Park," he added.

Another view of the new eruption within the summit caldera of Kilauea Volcano that began on Dec. 23, 2024. Lava is erupting from vents on the west part of the caldera wall, feeding lava flows that cover the area of Halemaumau crater. / Credit: U.S. Geological Surgey

The USGS said the primary concern is high levels of volcanic gas  primarily water vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide  that could have "far-reaching effects down-wind."

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"The plume of volcanic gas and fine volcanic particles is reaching elevations of 6,000-8,000 feet above sea level (2,000-4,000 feet above ground level) and winds are transporting it to the southwest, within the closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park," the USGS said.

The volcanic observatory also warned that strong winds could carry smaller particles of volcanic fragments coming from the lava fountains downwind, potentially over great distances, and urged residents and visitors to "minimize exposure to these volcanic particles, which can cause skin and eye irritation."

The Kilauea volcano eruption on Dec. 23 released a cloud of

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They said the hazards will be reassessed as the eruption progresses.

The last eruption on Kilauea was in June 2024 and lasted about five days. The volcano also erupted in September 2023 and lasted for a week, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

It was not clear how long Monday's eruption would last.

Investigation underway after body found in wheel well of United Airlines plane in Maui

Popular cat food recalled after death linked to bird flu

Extended interview: Robert Eggers
FUZHOU, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's top procuratorate said procuratorial technologies have played an increasingly prominent role in the case-handling of procuratorates, as the number of cases handled with the support of the technologies continues to rise.

From January to November this year, procuratorates nationwide handled over 130,000 cases involving the application of such technologies, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said at a recent meeting held in east China's Fujian Province.

According to the SPP, procuratorial technologies include those related to forensic medicine, physical evidence, digital evidence, judicial accounting and other areas. With recent sci-tech developments, those concerning environmental damage, along with the examination and authentication of food and drugs, have also been added to the list.

An authentication and technological support system covering all categories of judicial authentication has been established. So far, 280 authentication agencies and 513 quick examination labs for public interest litigations have been set up at procuratorates, according to the meeting.

In recent years, procuratorial technologies have provided well-rounded support for the case-handling of procuratorates, and the successful handling of many major cases relied on the discovery of key clues and the acquisition of crucial evidence through these technologies, the SPP said.

It called on procuratorial bodies at all levels to attach great importance to the accumulation and application of sci-tech elements and integrate procuratorial technologies into all aspects of their case-handling work.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China's procuratorial technology system. 
King Charles III is switching things up this Christmas by filming his traditional holiday message in a completely new location.

For the first time in over a decade, the monarch chose not to record his speech at a royal residence. Instead, he filmed it at Fitzrovia Chapel in London, a former hospital chapel now serving as a venue space for weddings and such.

This year, The Kings Christmas Broadcast was filmed in the Fitzrovia Chapel, London, the official royal family's Instagram shared, adding that it connects diverse communities from all faiths or none.

The chapel holds significant history, as in 1928, King Charless grandfather, King George VI, laid its foundation stone, the post elaborated, adding that the Christmas tree featured in the broadcast was donated to the Croydon BME Forum and Macmillan Cancer Supports Can You C Me? project, and it will later be displayed at the Royal Trinity Hospice in Clapham, the oldest hospice in the UK.

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This marks King Charless third Christmas message since becoming king, following previous broadcasts filmed at St Georges Chapel in Windsor and Buckingham Palace. Its also the first time in over 18 years that the message hasnt been recorded at a royal estate. The last time this happened was in 2006 when Queen Elizabeth II recorded her Christmas message at Southwark Cathedral.

According to The Telegraph, the chapel was chosen for its deep ties to healthcare, reflecting two important themes for the King: healthcare and community support. These issues are especially personal for Charles, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and continues to undergo treatment. A royal source also tells the outlet, that the King wanted the message to have a more modern, fresh feel, showing his desire to reach out into communities rather than bringing them into him.

But despite the serious themes, King Charles hasnt lost his sense of humor. Just last week, while at a reception with Queen Camilla at Waltham Forest Town Hall, he cracked a joke about his health. When a guest asked how he was doing, he smiled and replied, Im still alive. His resilience and humor are a reminder that even in difficult times, hes staying positive.

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Buckingham Palace Shares King Charles Footage from Solo Outingand I Noticed a Major Shift in His Body Language
King Charles will deliver his Christmas Day message from a church with links to the medical community, Buckingham Palace said Monday, in a break with tradition amid his continued cancer treatment.

The 76-year-old monarch revealed in February that he was battling an unspecified cancer and returned to public duties in April. Last week, a palace source told CNN that his treatment has been moving in a positive direction and will continue into next year.

The annual festive broadcast is normally recorded at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. But the British monarch opted to film this years message at Fitzrovia Chapel in central London, which was previously a hospital chapel before it was demolished in 1924.

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Buckingham Palace confirmed the location on Monday afternoon after it was first reported by The Daily Telegraph.

Charles decision marks the first time in over a decade that the address has not been recorded on the royal estate. The last message filmed outside a royal residence was in 2006 when the late Queen Elizabeth II recorded her message at Southwark Cathedral.

Fitzrovia Chapel  a beautifully ornate Grade II-listed building featuring Byzantine-inspired architecture  is now a space for quiet reflection, discovery and celebration, connecting diverse communities from all faiths or none, according to Buckingham Palace.

The venue also boasts unique royal links as King Charles grandfather, the Duke of York  later George VI  laid the foundation stone when it was rebuilt in 1928 and returned to help open the building when it was completed in 1935. The chapel was restored between 2013 and 2015.

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The choice of location reflects the Kings deep spirituality and will be seen as an apt selection in a year when both he and his daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, faced their own health challenges.

The annual speech from the monarch is traditionally recorded earlier in December and broadcast on television and radio at 3 p.m. (10 a.m. ET) on Christmas Day.

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King Charles III has ended royal warrants for Cadbury and Unilever, which owns brands including Marmite and Ben & Jerrys, in a blow to the household names.

Charles announced the second set of warrants of his reign late last week, recognizing the included brands and companies as royal suppliers and allowing them to feature the Royal Arms on their packaging.

But the list did not include British chocolatiers Cadbury, which had held a warrant since Queen Victorias reign in the 19th century, or UK consumer goods giant Unilever (UL).

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No reason was given for the discontinuation of the pairs warrants, as per royal protocol.

Both Unilever and Cadburys parent company Mondelez (MDLZ) had been criticized by Ukraines government for continuing dealings in Russia after Mo scows full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Charles decision was announced six months after campaigners wrote an open letter to the monarch urging him to revoke their warrants, though there is no indication this was the reason for the move.

The warrants system began in the 15th century, as a way of celebrating suppliers of goods and services to Britains royal households.

More than 500 brands and companies now hold warrants, according to the Royal Warrant Holders Association. They are issued for a five-year period at a time, and each warrant is reviewed in the year before its expiration.

Cadbury manufactures chocolate products including Creme Eggs. - Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Mondelez said in a statement: Whilst we are disappointed to be one of hundreds of other businesses and brands in the UK to not have a new warrant awarded, we are proud to have previously held one, and we fully respect the decision.

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Unilever, meanwhile, said: We are very proud of the long history our brands have supplying the royal household and of the warrants they have been awarded during this time, most recently by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

According to the royal familys website, warrants may not be renewed if the quality or supply for the product or service is insufficient, as far as the relevant Royal Household is concerned.

Charles renewed warrants for firms including Heinz, Nestle and John Lewis, and Queen Camilla appointed seven new warrant holders, including hairdresser Jo Hansford and hat designer Philip Treacy.

Activist group B4Ukraine wrote an open letter addressed to Charles in June, urging him to drop companies including Mondelez and Unilever from the royal warrants list. The group said the continued presence and financial support of these companies in Russia only serve to prolong the brutal war against Ukraine.

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Unilever said in October that it had concluded the sale of its Russian subsidiary to the local manufacturer Arnest Group, ending its presence in the country.

Mondelez has three factories in Russia and sells its cookies and snacks there despite boycotts and calls for it to stop from employees, investors and activists. Last year the company said it would make its business in Russia standalone, by establishing a self-sufficient supply chain.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Since coming to the throne in 2022, King Charles has carried out the tradition of delivering the monarch's Christmas broadcast to the nation. However, this year he has changed things up and taken the unconventional decision to film his broadcast in a former hospital chapel instead of a royal residence.

Buckingham Palace released an image today of the King delivering his pre-recorded Christmas Day broadcast and announced that it was filmed in the Fitzrovia Chapel. The Fitzrovia Chapel is a jewel of Byzantine-inspired architecture located in central London. Formerly the chapel of Middlesex Hospital, it is now a space for quiet reflection, discovery and celebration, connecting diverse communities from all faiths or none, the Palace said in a statement.

This is not the first time that the sovereigns message has been filmed outside a working royal residence, but it is rare. In 2010, Queen Elizabeth filmed her message from Hampton Court Palace, which is a former royal residence. In 2006, the message was filmed at Southwark Cathedral.

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Sky News produced this years broadcast. In a post on X, ITVs royal producer Lizzie Robinson credited the Sky team with coming up with the location. She cited the fact that the Kings wish list was a spiritual community space with a health and royal connection. In 1928, King Charless grandfather, who would later become King George VI, laid the foundation stone for the building. The chapel was preserved when the Middlesex Hospital was demolished in 2008.

The King is understood to have been absolutely bowled over by the beauty of the tiny @Fitzroviachapel nestled in the heart of central London where he recorded his Christmas Broadcast https://t.co/WDz6c7Qj4h  Lizzie Robinson (@LizzieITV) December 23, 2024

The actual text of the Kings Christmas speech is not released until it is delivered at 3 p.m. on Christmas Day in the UK T&C understands that this years speech will reflect on international, national and personal challenges and how they can be overcome by communities supporting one another.

In 2022, the King's message was filmed from St George's Chapel, Windsor and reflected on losing loved ones in the year that his mother died. In 2023, the message was recorded at Buckingham Palace and shone a spotlight on carers and volunteers.

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Two King County Metro bus drivers helped lead to the arrest of the man accused of murdering their coworker last week.

On December 18, 59-year-old Shawn Yim was attacked while driving in the University District.

Seattle police say 53-year-old Richard Sitzlack stabbed him multiple times in the chest, before running away.

Three days later, while driving a northbound RapidRide E Line bus on the morning of December 21, King County Metro says its bus operator Anthony A.J. Ross spotted a passenger that looked similar to the photos of Sitzlack that police released to the public.

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After his shift, King County Metro says Ross saw the same rider change into shoes matching the police description, and he called the King County Sheriffs Office right away.

Metro says the man then boarded another bus headed southbound. However, Ross was able to provide an updated description and help police narrow down which bus he was on.

A short time later, Southbound RapidRide E Line bus operator Timmothy Nelson says he received a call from the Transit Control Center asking him whether a passenger meeting the description was on board.

Metro says Nelson was able to confirm that the passenger was, indeed, on board, and flagged down police.

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Officers boarded Nelsons bus at Third Avenue and Main Street in downtown Seattle and arrested Sitzlack.

King County Metro extends its profound appreciation to Anthony A.J. Ross, Timmothy Nelson, and all of our employees  as well as to Metro Transit Police, the Seattle Police Department, and our Transit Security Officers, Metro wrote in a news release. The family of Shawn Yim similarly shares their thanks for the arrest of the suspect.

Sitzlack remains in the King County Jail.

He faced a judge for the first time early Monday afternoon and was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree assault for the pepper spray used against Mr. Yim before the stabbing, and third-degree assault for the kick to Mr. Yim before the stabbing. His bail was set at $5 million.

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Transit drivers are dedicated public servants who provide a critical service to the people of King County, and this kind of violence is unacceptable, King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said. Shawn Yims death is heartbreaking, and he will not be forgotten. We want clear accountability at each step of the court process.

Seattle police released body-worn video of the arrest. You can watch it here:




Four women and a 9-year-old boy were killed and 200 people were injured when a man drove into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers in the German city of Magdeburg  an attack that has left Germans mourning the victims and with a shaken sense of security.

How did the attack unfold?

At first, Thi Linh Chi Nguyen thought the loud bangs were fireworks. The 34-year-old manicurist from Vietnam, whose salon is near the Christmas market, was on the phone during a break when she heard the noise just after 7 p.m. on Friday. Then she saw a car drive through the market at high speed. People screamed and a child was thrown into the air by the car.

The woman recalled seeing the car bursting out of the market and turning right onto Ernst-Reuter-Allee street and then coming to a standstill at a tram stop where the suspect was arrested.

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The Christmas market was surrounded by concrete barriers designed to prevent attacks, but there was a gap left for emergency access, wide enough for a car to speed through.

The market area reopened Sunday, and residents walked slowly amid the shuttered food, drink and craft stands. Nearby, people stopped to light candles or leave flowers at a growing makeshift memorial.

Who are the victims?

Police say the dead are four women, aged 45, 52, 67 and 75, and a boy, aged 9. He was named as Andre Gleissner by fire department officials in the Elm-Asse region west of Magdeburg, where he was a member of the childrens fire brigade.

Authorities said 200 people were injured, including 41 in serious condition. They were being treated in multiple hospitals in Magdeburg, which is about 130 kilometers (80 miles) west of Berlin, and beyond.

Who is the suspect in the attack?

Prosecutors said the suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, is under investigation on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and bodily harm. In a closed-door hearing on Saturday evening, a judge ordered that he be kept in custody pending a possible indictment.

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Several German media outlets identified the suspect as Taleb A., withholding his last name in line with privacy laws, and reported that he was a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. He has lived in Germany since 2006, practicing medicine in Bernburg, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Magdeburg.

The suspects X account describes him as a former Muslim. It is filled with tweets and retweets focusing on anti-Islam themes and criticism of the religion, while sharing congratulatory notes to Muslims who left the faith. He was critical of German authorities, saying they had failed to do enough to combat the Islamification of Europe. He has also voiced support for the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

What was the motive?

Investigators are analyzing the suspects computers, mobile devices and other evidence, trying to understand what motivated him to drive his black BMW into a crowd in the eastern German city. Prosecutors said the motive may have been dissatisfaction with the treatment of Saudi refugees in Germany.

Intelligence agencies say that increasingly they are seeing attackers with a confusing mix of beliefs and motivations. The head of Britains domestic intelligence agency MI5, Ken McCallum, said in October that straightforward labels like Islamist terrorism or extreme right-wing dont fully reflect the dizzying range of beliefs and ideologies we see.

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There are unanswered questions about what the authorities knew about the suspect. The head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Munch, said the agency  Germanys equivalent of the FBI  received a warning from Saudi Arabia in November 2023, but that the information was unspecific.

Munch said the suspect published a huge number of posts on the internet, was in contact with various authorities and made insults and even threats  but was not known to be violent.

Germanys Federal Office for Migration and Refugees also acknowledged it had received a warning about the suspect last year.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is facing criticism about security lapses that allowed the attack to happen, and was heckled by some bystanders during a visit to Magdeburg on Saturday.

A string of attacks

The violence shocked all of Germany, prompting several other German towns to cancel their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution, and out of solidarity with Magdeburgs loss. Berlin kept its markets open but increased the police presence.

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Germany has suffered several extremist attacks in recent years, including a knife attack that killed three people and wounded eight at a festival in the western city of Solingen in August. Fridays attack came eight years after an Islamic extremist drove a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 13 people and injuring many others.

Those attacks have led cities to beef up security at Christmas markets and other events.

The horror triggered by yet another act of mass violence in Germany makes it likely that migration will remain a key issue as Germans head toward an early election on Feb. 23.

It is the latest in a string of incidents around the world in which vehicles have been used as weapons by jihadi attackers, far-right extremists and others whose motives were unclear.

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NEW YORK (AP)  New York City officials are using forensics and video surveillance to identify the woman who burned to death on a subway car in Brooklyn, while the man accused of lighting her on fire was indicted by a grand jury on state charges, prosecutors announced Friday.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is accused of setting the woman's clothing ablaze aboard a stopped train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station on Sunday morning.

He has been indicted on murder and arson charges, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said after a brief court hearing Friday. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, he added.

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Attorneys for Zapeta, who federal immigration officials said is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally, declined to comment.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Sunday described the case as one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.

Here's the latest in the case:

What do we know about the suspect?

Zapeta was taken into custody on Sunday, hours after police disseminated images of a suspect in the woman's death.

Police said three high schoolers called 911 after recognizing the person in the image, and officers found him on another subway train in the same gray hoodie, wool hat, paint-splattered pants and tan boots.

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Jeff Carter said Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after previously being deported in 2018. It is unclear when and where he reentered the U.S., Carter said.

At an arraignment in Brooklyn criminal court earlier in the week, a prosecutor alleged Zapeta approached the woman on the train and set her clothing on fire. He waved a shirt at her to fan the fire, causing her to become engulfed in flames, then sat on a bench and watched, prosecutor Ari Rottenberg said during the Tuesday court appearance.

The prosecutor said Zapeta claimed he didnt know what happened, noting that he consumes alcohol. But he alleged that Zapeta identified himself in images of the attack to investigators.

Zapeta hasnt yet entered a plea in the case. His indictment will be unsealed in January, Gonzalez said.

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A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a service center for Samaritan Daytop Village, which provides housing and substance abuse support. The organization did not respond to a request for comment.

What do we know about the victim?

As of Friday, police have only described the victim as a woman.

Gonzalez said officials were making progress on identifying her through fingerprints, DNA, and video surveillance of her movements before the attack.

Just because someone appears to have been living in the situation of homelessness does not mean that theres not going to be family devastated by the tragic way she lost her life, he said.

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Tisch said Sunday that the victim was in a seated position at the end of the train car when she was set on fire. NYPD transit chief Joseph Gulotta said police do not believe the suspect and the victim knew each other and they did not interact before or during the incident.

On Thursday, Rev. Kevin McCall led community leaders in a prayer vigil for the victim at the Coney Island station.

What kind of police presence is there on the subway?

Police patrol the New York City subways, and there is a vast network of cameras in stations and all subway cars.

But the sheer size of the subway system  472 stations with multiple entry points and millions of riders each day  makes policing it logistically difficult.

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On Sunday, officers were at the station but were patrolling a different platform. They responded after seeing and smelling smoke coming from the fire.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this year directed members of the state's National Guard to assist with random bag checks at certain stations.

Is crime up on the subways?

Violent incidents on the subway and in stations often put people on edge, partly because many New Yorkers take the train multiple times a day and often have their own experiences with uncomfortable interactions in the system.

Broadly, crime is down in the city transit system this year compared to the same period in 2023. Data compiled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shows a 6% decline in what the agency calls major felonies between January and November of this year and 2023.

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At the same time, murders in the transit system are up, with nine killings this year through November compared to five during the same time frame last year.

High-profile incidents on the train often attract national attention and further unnerve passengers. Daniel Penny, a military veteran who placed an agitated subway rider in a chokehold, was acquitted of homicide this month. In September, two bystanders and an officer were hit when police opened fire on a man holding a knife in front of a train.

When you have these incidents, it overshadows the success and it plays on the psyche of New Yorkers, said New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a Monday interview on PIX 11, noting that many high-profile incidents in the transit system involve people with mental health issues.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE)  A man facing charges in connection to a fatal Knoxville shooting was taken into custody in Nashville on Sunday.

Kevin Martinez was arrested in Nashville as he was boarding a Greyhound Bus, a Knoxville Police Department spokesperson said. He is set to be transported back to Knoxville in the coming days.

State audit finds $132,000 of questionable spending by Sweetwater officials

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Martinez, 21, has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in connection to a December 19 shooting in Knoxville that left one dead and another hospitalized.

Knoxville Police responded to the North Hills Apartments on Orchard Avenue around 3:40 a.m. for a report of a gunshot victim. While responding to that call, officers spotted a car that had crashed into a fence in the 2900 block of Washington Pike.

The driver, identified as 38-year-old Ernest Glenn, was found unresponsive and suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Responding personnel attempted life-saving care but Glenn was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers who responded to the North Hills Apartments located another gunshot victim who was transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Investigators said that the shooting is believed to be targeted.

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According to officials, the Metro Nashville Police Department worked with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) on Saturday, Dec. 21 and Sunday, Dec. 22 to locate Martinez before he was ultimately found at the Greyhound station. Undercover detectives from MNPDs TITANS Unit and Central Precinct officers reportedly apprehended him when he walked outside to smoke a cigarette.

A Knoxville Police Department release thanked the Metro Nashville Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for their assistance in apprehending Martinez.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Undercover detectives took a Knoxville murder suspect into custody Sunday evening outside Nashvilles Greyhound station, where he reportedly planned to board a bus to California.

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) asked for help finding 21-year-old Kevin Martinez, who was wanted in connection with a deadly shooting in Knoxville on Thursday, Dec. 19.

1 seriously injured, 3 sought following North Nashville shooting

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According to KPD, officers were responding to a report of a gunshot victim at the North Hills Apartments on Orchard Avenue at approximately 3:40 a.m. on Thursday when they spotted a car that had crashed into a fence on Washington Pike.

Authorities said the driver  identified as 38-year-old Ernest Glenn  was found unresponsive with at least one gunshot wound. Personnel tried to provide life-saving care, but he was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene.

Meanwhile, the officers who continued to the scene of the initial call found another shooting victim, who was transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he is in critical but stable condition as of Friday, Dec. 20, KPD said.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

According to officials, MNPD worked with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) on Saturday, Dec. 21 and Sunday, Dec. 22 to locate Martinez before he was ultimately found at the Greyhound station. Undercover detectives from MNPDs TITANS Unit and Central Precinct officers reportedly apprehended him when he walked outside to smoke a cigarette.

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KPD said Martinez  who will be extradited back to Knoxville in the coming days  has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault following Thursdays shooting.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
BUCHAREST, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Both chambers of Romania's Parliament elected new leaders on Monday.

Ciprian Serban, a deputy from the Social Democratic Party (PSD), was elected speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Parliament, with 195 votes in favor and 86 against.

Ilie Bolojan, interim president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), was elected president of the Senate, the upper house, with 70 votes in favor, defeating Mircia Chelaru from the Save Romania Union (AUR) and Nadia-Cosmina Cerva from S.O.S. Romania, who received 29 and 14 votes, respectively.

Earlier in the day, the PSD, PNL, the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), and national minorities signed a political agreement to form a governing coalition. The coalition aims to implement a reform and investment-focused program to ensure macroeconomic stability, addressing the needs of citizens, businesses, trade unions, and civil society. 
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Monday rejected Turkish media reports which suggested that Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, wanted a divorce and to leave Russia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also rejected Turkish media reports which suggested that Assad had been confined to Moscow and had his property assets frozen.

Asked on a conference call if the reports corresponded to reality, Peskov said: "No they do not correspond to reality."

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Turkish and Arabic media reported on Sunday that Asma al-Assad had filed for divorce in Russia, where the Assad family were granted asylum this month after rebels took control of Damascus following a lightning advance.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
Parents of a teen are speaking out after what they call excessive force was used on a 13-year-old boy.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

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

According to a police report, back in September of 2024, officers stopped the boy in his neighborhood because his bike had no lights. When the boy tried going over to his home, officers threw him to the ground.

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After his mother arrived on the scene, the boy eventually escaped officers and ran to the back of his home. Shortly after, his parents filed a complaint against the department.

However, on Saturday, December 21, the Brunswick Police Department released a statement on Facebook discussing the situation, as well as clearing the officer of any wrongdoing, saying in part

We acknowledge the department should have been more diligent in communicating with the complainants...policy changes will be implemented to ensure officers properly identify themselves upon approaching our citizens.

Ryan Gordon, the boys father, had this to say about the statement:

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It really was just a vague statement that lacked accountability and action and an apology.

The boy was charged with traffic violations and construction of an officer, but a judge dropped all charges against him. The mayors office is now reviewing the body camera footage for further access. Action News Jax requested the footage as well, but has not yet received.

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Ollie, a labradoodle, died when he was 9 months old, two months after being mauled at a pet care facility in Massachusetts. He was the inspiration for Ollies Law, a new state statute designed to protect pets in kennels. Business owners worry the regulations may be too expensive. (Courtesy of Amy Baxter)

The death of Ollie, a 9-month-old labradoodle mauled at a Massachusetts pet care facility in 2020, led the state this October to enact the stringent Ollies Law, tightening regulations on the care and housing of pets at boarding and training kennels.

The new Massachusetts law mandates the timely reporting of such incidents to local authorities. It also empowers state regulators to come up with new rules that may require that dogs be housed with similarly sized animals and not be left without human supervision, as Ollie was, according to his owner.

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A few other states  including Colorado and Iowa  have regulations in place, but most states rely on local rules or have no regulations at all for pet care facilities, according to Jeremy Cohen, an attorney who founded Boston Dog Lawyers. His firm represents pet owners in cases ranging from custody in a divorce, to injury and wrongful deaths, to defense of dogs that bit someone. (He did not represent Ollies owner, who did not file a suit.)

Opponents of new regulations say the rules may make it more expensive to operate the facilities and could hurt small businesses. Facing such opposition, recent legislative efforts to tighten rules have failed to advance in other states, including Kansas and Washington.

That leaves some pet owners without assurances that the facilities they trust to care for their pets are operating under certain standards, said Cohen, who pushed for the new Massachusetts law.

Pet owners dont know until something happens, he said. And they are shocked to find out there are no regulations. [Pet care facilities] can stay under the radar until something happens.

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That was the situation facing Ollies owner, Amy Baxter. She dropped off Ollie, who was 7 months old, at a doggie day care center in East Longmeadow and later received a call that her pet had been hurt in a dog fight, she said in an interview.

The center, which she said was unlicensed and which has since closed, did not notify local authorities of the incident nor immediately take Ollie to a vet. He died two months later after multiple surgeries.

Baxter, a former legislative aide in New York state, gathered a coalition of pet owners, kennel operators and animal protection groups and spent several years lobbying the Massachusetts legislature for new rules. Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey signed Ollies Law in October.

The law, which goes into effect Thursday, limits the number of dogs that can be cared for in a single facility and requires recordkeeping, inspections and reporting of pet injuries and deaths. The precise rules on staff-to-animal ratios, dog group sizes and supervision, emergency planning, minimum housing and care requirements, and staff training and insurance will be written by the states Department of Agricultural Resources over the next 18 months.

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The National Humane Education Society said the Massachusetts law sets a new standard in kennel regulation and safety for pets.

Its an animal protection issue, its a consumer protection issue, its also an employee protection issue.

 Amy Baxter, whose dogs death inspired Ollies Law

In an interview, Baxter said the most important part of the new law is that pet injuries are now required to be reported to the local licensing authority and that investigation results be made publicly available if enforcement action is taken.

If I hadnt gone to the police, no one would have heard of Ollie, she said.

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There should never be just one employee at a facility, she argued. If one worker is at the front desk taking payments, whos in the back taking care of the animals? Its an animal protection issue, its a consumer protection issue, its also an employee protection issue.

Extra staff and precautions cost money, and pet kennel owners are concerned about how the new rules will affect them, said Linda Wood, owner of Pawsitively Pets boarding and day care center in Bolton, Massachusetts.

Wood, who has owned her business for 20 years, said she fully supports the new law because it will give animal control officers better guidance on how to inspect facilities, as well as require training for kennel employees, such as the courses she provides her own workers.

Linda Wood, operator of Pawsitively Pets, a pet care facility in Bolton, Mass., and Emmet, a mini-labradoodle she cares for. (Courtesy of Linda Wood)

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Kennels that dont measure up are dangerous, she said. She limits the number of animals she takes at one time.

But, she added, the extra steps will be costly for pet boarding facilities and owners.

They are going to have to hire more employees. This will make it difficult for business. The prices are going to have to go up. Its necessary, but how is the public going to handle it?

Breeder concerns

The American Kennel Club, which represents dog breeders, is skeptical of new regulations such as the Massachusetts law, which it says would impede breeders. The bill originally included new rules for breeders, but after pushback from the group, lawmakers stripped that part and the organization dropped its opposition to the legislation.

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Kennels care for customers dogs intermittently, while breeding operations raise puppies to be sold.

In a statement to Stateline, Phil Guidry, the American Kennel Clubs director of policy analysis, said that while it is important that pets in day cares and kennels get proper care, including personal breeder kennels under the bill was unnecessary and went too far. The original legislation could have allowed inspectors into breeders homes and attempted to limit the number of dogs breeders own, he said.

In Colorado, state regulations set cage dimensions and worker-to-dog ratios and requires facility license holders to be trained, among other provisions.

The Iowa kennel regulations require specific recordkeeping on all animals housed at the kennel and lay out standards of cleanliness. For dog day care centers, the rules require, among other things, that dog owners sign a waiver acknowledging that grouping dogs together involves inherent risks.

Safety costs

Recent efforts to tighten pet boarding regulations failed in other states.

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Argo, Wallaby and Paluka check out the snow from the windows at Pawsitively Pets in Bolton, Mass. (Courtesy of Linda Wood)

In Washington state, the cost of the new safety measures was one of the issues raised at a legislative hearing on a bill that would have required a fire alarm system or a sprinkler system in kennels but that didnt make it out of committee this year. The bill had been filed after two separate fires at Seattle dog day care and boarding facilities in 2023, during one of which a dog died after it ran from the burning kennel and into traffic on Interstate 5.

Fire safety experts and animal activists supported the bill. But Sam McEntire pointed out at the hearing that the fires happened at two locations of the same business, and suggested that the problem is not widespread.

I dont think anyone would oppose having some standards and safety measure systems, but some of these would devastate small-business owners having to implement hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of systems to these buildings, he testified, adding that while the state doesnt have a lot of regulation of this industry, cities and counties do.

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The bill died in committee in January. Its lead sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Darya Farivar, may reintroduce it next year.

In Kansas, a 2022 bill that would have regulated dog kennels and breeders died in committee.

This year, the Kansas Pet Animal Advisory Board, an arm of the state Agriculture Department, considered new safety regulations designed to make pet boarding and day care facilities safer. A family in Olathe had lost both their dogs while boarding them at a kennel called Lucky Paws KC. In that case, two small dogs, a Pomeranian mix and a mini-labradoodle, were killed after being put in an outdoor area with more than a dozen large dogs. An employee was inside the facility with a door propped open to monitor conditions outside, according to KCTV.

Instead of passing new rules, though, the advisory board instead decided to increase education efforts on the current rules, said Heather Lansdowne, communications director for the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

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The concerns would best be addressed by increased education and enforcement, Lansdowne said. Thats better than additional regulations, which can sometimes be burdensome in a way that backfires and causes problems for the good facilities.

She said the department would be sending out reminders to kennels that they should house dogs of similar sizes together and monitor their behavior.

A lot of that is, how do you help those facilities work through decisions about which pets can be housed together? she said. You have to understand animal signs and signals.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

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Hawaiis Landon McNamara captured the iconic Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational on Sunday at Waimea Bay.

For just the 11th time in its 40-year history, the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational was held as Oahus North Shore delivered massive 40-plus-foot waves, drawing an estimated 25,000+ spectators to witness the pinnacle of big wave surfing.

Often referred to simply as The Eddie, the event has built a reputation as the most iconic and prestigious surf competition in the world. Held only when the conditions meet the rigorous standards of enormous, consistent swells, the phrase The Bay Called the Day brought out some of the best and most courageous surfers in the world, who tackled monstrous waves, resulting in unforgettable rides and spectacular wipeouts.

This years champion, McNamara of Oahus North Shore, etched his name into history alongside legends of the sport with an epic performance that created a number of moments that will certainly live on in surfing lore. McNamaras winning three wave total was 135.80 which included a 50 point ride in the second round. Fellow Hawaii surfer Mason Ho finishes second with a 120.9 score.

With the victory, McNamara earned $50,000.00 for first place to go with 350,000 Hawaiian Airlines miles.

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McNamara, who is also a musician had his debut album, A Dollar Short and a Minute Late, reach #1 on iTunes and #5 on Billboards reggae charts in 2016. Since then, he has released two more albums over the years.

The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is named in honor of Hawaiis own, the late great Eddie Aikau, a legendary big wave surfer and Waimea Bay lifeguard known for his selflessness and bravery.

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Final Results of the 2024 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational:

Landon McNamara  135.80 Mason Ho  120.90 Billy Kemper  119.90

All-Time winners of The Eddie:

1985: Denton Miyamura

1986: Clyde Aikau

1990: Keone Downing

1999: Noah Johnson

2001: Ross Clarke-Jones

2002: Kelly Slater

2004: Bruce Irons

2009: Greg Long

2016: John John Florence

2023: Luke Shepardson

2024: Landon McNamara

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  More than a year after a 50-year-old man was shot and killed inside his vehicle in a possible road rage incident, a 20-year-old faces an open murder charge in his death, police said.

On Oct. 29, 2023, at around 4 p.m., officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to a shooting near Escondido Street and Cactus Avenue.

Arriving officers found a man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound inside a vehicle.

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Medical personnel took the man to a local hospital. Several days later, he succumbed to his injuries and hospital staff pronounced him dead.

The Clark County Coroners Office identified the victim as Yilmaz Ogur, 50.

Investigation showed the Ogur was driving north on Escondido from Cactus, following a white sedan when gunshots were fired.

Through the investigation, police identified Jaxsyn Bunker, 20, as the suspect in the case. Bunker was already in custody at the Clark County Detention Center for unrelated charges.

On Dec. 21, 2024, police rebooked Bunker on a charge of open murder. His first appearance was scheduled for Dec. 24.

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Anyone with information is asked to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section at 702-828-3521, or via email at homicide@lvmpd.com. Additionally, those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or via the organizations website.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Ten Tennessee residents have been sentenced in connection to a drug trafficking scheme that shipped methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana from California to Tennessee.

Brantley Miller, 39, of Humboldt, was sentenced Friday to six years in federal prison. Miller pleaded guilty Sept. 24, Miller to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Tennessee said Miller was the final defendant in the case. The FBI along with other state and federal agencies began their investigation in 2019.

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Throughout the investigations course, law enforcement agents seized over 32 pounds of methamphetamine and over 101 grams of fentanyl in the Western District of Tennessee.

Along with Miller, these were the other defendants who pleaded guilty in the case, along with their sentences:

Kendall Young, 32, Humboldt, TN: 188 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Cortez Jackson, 29, Humboldt, TN: 134 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Vanessa Umanzor, 28, Huntingdon, TN: 43 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Tristen Teague, 28, Paris, TN: 100 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Orlando Sangster, 35, Humboldt, TN: 24 months in prison and 2 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Jonathan Sandoval, 31, Chula Vista, CA: 120 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Dejahn Jarrett, 31, Spring Valley, CA: 72 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Ronnie Young, 69, Humboldt, TN: 120 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Jaycent Montrell Pankey, a/k/a Jaycent Montrell Cox, 28, Jackson, TN: 42 months in prison and one year of supervised release for use of a telephone device to aid the distribution of methamphetamine.

Devon Avery Landers, 53, Jackson, TN: 36 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Joel Lynn Arnold 45, Lexington, TN: 84 months in prison and 4 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.



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Ukraine has turbo-charged its long-distance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), making rocket-drones to compete with cruise missiles or save the trouble of asking for more Western-made ranged weapons.

President Volodymyr Zelenskys administration has been showing off the latest results, with videos of the Peklo and Palianytsia missile-drones, which Ukrainian soldiers have begun deploying.

The rocket-drone project has become a key goal for Zelensky in 2025. In November, he told the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraines parliamentary body, that he wanted to see Ukraine produce 30,000 long-distance drones, and 3,000 cruise missiles or missile-drones over the next year.

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These missile-drones are a new genre of weapons that Ukraine is pioneering.

Deploying new weapons to offset the lack of traditional ones isnt a new move for Ukraine. Just as Ukraine has deployed UAVs to take on roles traditionally reserved for an air force, such as aerial surveillance and targeted bombing, the rocket-drones are evolving to perform functions of cruise missiles, which Ukraine doesnt produce.

They are basically the next evolution step of long-range deep-strike suicide UAVs, says Fabian Hinz, a research fellow with the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies who specializes in missiles. As with so many things, because of technology, the lines are blurring.

Ukraine really is able to develop these small missile systems that are rather cheap, relatively easy to produce, but are still good enough to pack quite a punch and destroy some high-value targets, also deep inside enemy territory, says Fabian Hoffmann, a doctoral research fellow at the University of Oslos nuclear project, similarly specialized in missiles.

What is a drone missile?

Missiles and drones. A combination of words that until recently was something from fantasy. But today, a reality, Zelensky said in a Dec. 10 speech, highlighting that the Palianytsia had gone into production and the first Peklos had gone to the front. He also revealed that a mysterious analog called the Ruta had just passed testing.

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These missile-drones are mostly an evolution from Ukraines existing arsenal of long-range drones into something resembling a small cruise missile. In that metamorphosis, the key is speed.

Some long-range drones that Ukraine uses can already theoretically make it thousands of kilometers. The evolution of these newer models is primarily one of speed. Palianytsia, Peklo and Ruta tout max speeds of, respectively, 500, 700 and 800 kilometers per hour.

That is largely thanks to jet motors, which allow the newer models to outfly the 200 or so kilometers per hour that the piston engines on most existing long-range drones offer. Even the Iranian Shaheds  remarkably good long-range kamikaze drones  typically max out in the 300 kilometers per hour range.

When you have a jet-powered UAV or a cruise missile you can simply buy engines off the shelf. So a lot of these systems probably use commercial off-the-shelf engines which you can just buy, says Hinz, naming various German, Dutch and Czech manufacturers as likely candidates.

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As the speed has grown between these three models, so too has the sophistication of their engines.

Based on the government diagrams, Hoffman says theres no sign of a true turbojet engine on the Palianytsias.

Meanwhile, with the Peklo, the engine is actually top-mounted, says Hoffman. The engine is outside the fuselage. And that makes manufacturing easier because it's not as sophisticated, but a problem with that approach is that it creates a massive, massive radar cross section.

A jet engine needs a fast stream of air to provide oxygen to its fuel supply. Other engines either work slower or require an oxidizer to accompany the fuel itself  a major add-on in weight for a rocket that needs to go hundreds of kilometers.

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Other than the set-up of their propulsion, these rocket-drones are structurally almost identical. Based on the government-released diagrams, the Palianytsia is a slight standout in having much larger winglets  to compensate for less updraft as a result of going slower, says Hoffman.

Some of Ukraines models are touching down on the battlefield for the first time. The Peklo and Palianytsia have been causing a particular stir across social media amid recent Ukrainian attacks on Taganrog and Bryansk.

The actual deployment of these drones is tough to confirm. They seem to show up in swarms alongside foreign missiles like U.S.-made ATACMS in a barrage on an airfield in Taganrog, east of Mariupol.

A popular Russian news Telegram channel identified wreckage in a village in Kursk as tentatively one of these Palianytsias in September, based on the fact that it had a jet engine.

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After a recent attack on Taganrog, a Russian military-tied Telegram channel Rybar roundly denied that the attack involved a Palianytsia or Peklo, or any other kind of drone, saying it was only six ATACMS missiles. That channel claimed that the one Peklo in the air for that attack was shot down by a Russian MiG-29 over the Black Sea.

Another popular channel tied to the Ukrainian military wrote at the end of the day, theyll say they were ATACMS to avoid shaming themselves by pronouncing Palianytsia.

The rocket-missiles name is a type of Ukrainian bread that Russians find famously difficult to pronounce. The Peklo is a Ukrainian word for hell.

The Ruta is similarly patriotically named, dubbed in honor of an herb from one of Ukraines most famous songs, Chervona Ruta, so popular its often mistaken for a folk song.

The mysterious new drone, Ruta

Based solely on Ukrainian government statements, the Ruta is the most mysterious of the drones under testing.

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While Zelensky acknowledged testing a drone by that name, it may not be, strictly speaking, a Ukrainian project.

Destinus, a company with registrations in Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands, was showing off a drone called RUTA with a structure almost identical to the other newly rocket-drones and stamped with a Ukrainian flag at a weapons conference in France this summer. Destinus founder and CEO, Mikhail Kokorich, posted pictures of the drone at the conference on his LinkedIn.

The Ukrainian government stays quiet about the producers of, particularly, its deep-strike drones. But fuselages from the Destinus Lord, a drone with an advertised range of 750 to 2,000 kilometers and a distinct resemblance to a Cessna with a square head, have turned up in social media posts purportedly from deep within Russia.

Its a source of potential controversy. Kokorich is an EU-based Russian national who posted that he renounced his citizenship at the start of 2024 based on fundamental disagreement with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the policies of the Putin government, after the U.S. government stopped contracting with his aerospace company, Momentus, due to its foreign ties back in 2021, sending its value plummeting from a peak of over $1.5 billion. The current French corporate registration for Destinus lists his citizenship as Grenadian, which sells citizenship in exchange for $200,000 in local investment.

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French business magazine Challenges wrote a profile on Kokorich, focusing heavily on death threats from Russian leadership.

Most information available about the Ruta is on Destinus site, which lists primary advantages of combination of low cost, payload size and speed. It includes specifications for a low-cost and lightweight jet turboengine.

Destinus did not respond to a request for comment.

Among the new rocket-drones, Hoffman, for one, is most impressed with the Ruta.

For the Ruta, in terms of the engine, it's the most sophisticated one because it has a bottom-mounted air inlet, according to the pictures that we've seen, said Hoffman. Thats similar to the (American) Tomahawk, for example. The engine is inside the fuselage and it only has an air inlet that sucks in the air, which is then compressed and mixed with the fuel inside the engine and then ignited to create the exhaust stream.

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He added that Ruta has advantages when it comes to stealth.

If there's some radar close, it will definitely pick (the Peklo) up because the radar waves get scattered by the turbine engine blades at turning, Hoffman said. That creates a massive return to the radar. So these things are not very stealthy. And if you compare it to the Ruta, where the engine is inside and you only have a small air inlet, that thing is a lot stealthier.

Smaller payload, smaller price

The concept of rocket-drones is novel. These new weapons split the difference between drones and traditional cruise missiles.

As with much of Ukraines drone developments, these are economical solutions. But that would be true on either side  if Kinzhals were free, Russia would never launch another Shahed.

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Among major distinctions is that these rocket-drones hold much less explosive charge than traditional cruise missiles. Tomahawks and Storm Shadows, for example, carry around 450 kilograms of charge each. The new Ukrainian rocket-drones mostly feature payloads of around 100 kilograms.

But possibly a bigger weakness of these newer rocket-drones is that they are less stealthy and more vulnerable to electronic and navigational interference than more classical cruise missiles. But at the same time, they are significantly less expensive than traditional cruise missiles. The price per piece on these projects is somewhere under $300,000, which makes them significantly more disposable than, for example, the $1-million-a-piece Storm Shadows.

Its a market that Hinz sees catching on.

These type of longer-range suicide drones are a completely new thing, which we forget a lot, says Hinz. If you would have asked three years ago, what was the American equivalent to the Shahed  there was none.

Ukraine is walking into a space where theres not really a lot of other states producing these types of systems, says Hoffman. This is actually something that the U.S. wants to do, but they haven't done until now.

Note from the author:

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A federal decision on a proposed highway in Washington County blatantly disregards Utah voices and the law, Utahs congressional delegation says.

The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Friday they are amending an incidental take permit for the Northern Corridor Highway and instead endorsing the Red Hills Parkway Expressway alternative. The agencies said in a statement the alternative "represents the lowest impact to the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area and is predicted to best resolve east-west traffic congestion in Washington County."

A statement from Sen. Mike Lee, Reps. John Curtis, Blake Moore, Burgess Owens, Celeste Maloy and Representative-elect Mike Kennedy says the agency's decision "blatantly disregards local voices and the law."

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The Utah members of Congress said the county's permit for the Northern Corridor Highway was "negotiated in good faith" and has been part of the county's transportation management plan for several years.

"The directive in the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act is clear: Find a Northern Corridor route that balances conservation and supports growth. The BLM's permitted alternative, a slight extension of the Red Hills Parkway, does nothing to address the short and long-term traffic relief goals of Washington County, and it fails to protect the prime desert tortoise habitat," the statement says.

"Unelected bureaucrats have repeatedly undermined long-standing efforts from state and local leaders and demonstrated an unwillingness to partner with local governments. We look forward to working with the incoming Trump administration to review this decision and its compliance with federal law," the legislators' statement concluded.

Friday's decision from the BLM and Fish and Wildlife Service was announced a month after the BLM released a final supplemental environmental analysis on the proposed Northern Corridor highway in Washington County. The highway, along with a habitat conservation plan and incidental take permit for the Mojave desert tortoise, was approved in January 2021.

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The right-of-way grant, obtained by the Utah Department of Transportation, calls for the construction of a multilane, divided highway north of the city of St. George on BLM-managed and nonfederal lands within the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area and the overlapping Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.

The November supplemental analysis came on the coattails of a settlement agreement reached in August 2023 after a lawsuit from environmental groups was brought against the Interior Department over the January 2021 decision. The analysis offered six alternatives for establishing new roads located solely in the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area.

In reviewing public comments and analyzing data, the BLM and Fish and Wildlife Service in November identified the Red Hills Parkway Express as the BLM's preferred alternative. This pathway would involve improvements to the existing Red Hills Parkway to convert portions of the roadway to a limited-access expressway directly connecting to I-15.

The Red Hills alternative will require further design, analysis and public input before a final decision is made, BLM's statement said Friday. The Bureau of Land Management said it analyzed alternatives for a northern transportation route in Washington County and found Red Hills Parkway to be the "most effective solution to alleviate traffic congestion" while still protecting the conservation area.

In alignment with this decision, the Fish and Wildlife Service amended the Washington County incidental take permit for the Mojave desert tortoise, allowing the county to capture tortoises in the planned construction area for relocation by the state of Utah to other places in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, the agency statement says.
There are many reasons to oppose the construction of a cryptocurrency mining operation. Chief among them is that these operations suck up massive amounts of energy and create massive amounts of planet-overheating air pollution solely for their own gain.

Lawmakers in Arkansas recently found another reason when they moved to block a company by the name of Interstate Holdings Blockchain from constructing a crypto mine five miles from an Air Force base in the city of Cabot, with State Senator Ricky Hill calling the location "a national security concern," THV11 reported.

Other Arkansas politicians had more things to say about the proposed mine  none of them positive.

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"These centers cause loud noise to surface and pollution that produces negative effects on our people, pets, wild animals, nature, and overall wellbeing. We will not stand for this," Cabot Mayor Ken Kincade said, adding, "We will [...] legally do anything within our power to remove this from our community."

"[Interstate Holdings Blockchain] had to follow certain guidelines which have not been fulfilled at this point," said Lonoke County Judge Doug Erwin, who served the company with a cease-and-desist order.

"We must ask ourselves, is it worth jeopardizing our safety, our economy, and our reputation to host a facility that brings no benefits to this area whatsoever?" said State Senator Hill.

In addition, it should be noted that critics of cryptocurrency have pointed out that the entire industry operates essentially as a series of Ponzi schemes with the sole purpose of separating people from their (real) money.

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The environmental toll of crypto mining cannot be overlooked  both broadly, in terms of excessive power usage, and specifically, for the people unlucky enough to live in the immediate vicinity. In Granbury, Texas, residents near a crypto mine reported experiencing permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, and severe cases of vertigo from the constant noise.

It is good news for the residents of Arkansas that their elected officials are joining them in fighting back against this harmful, wasteful, invasive, and ultimately useless project.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China held a national meeting on Monday on intangible cultural heritage (ICH) preservation. At the meeting, individuals and groups were honored for their outstanding work in this regard.

Among them was Yang Changqin, a craftswoman and representative inheritor of Chishui bamboo weaving craftwork, a provincial-level ICH in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

The craftwork features around 20 procedures, including stripping, dyeing, weaving and using bamboo threads to form pictures of various designs or making them into items such as bags or parts of cups and vases.

"Bamboo weaving is my lifelong passion, and I hope it can be continuously passed on for generations to come," Yang said.

Yang is among the over 90,000 ICH representative inheritors of different levels in China who are working to keep the country's intangible cultural treasures alive.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of China joining UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Over the past two decades, China has made remarkable achievements in preserving and promoting the development of ICH.

The country in 2011 enacted a law on ICH, and provincial-level regions nationwide have also issued their local regulations on ICH protection.

To date, China has over 100,000 ICH items of various levels, including 1,557 featured on the national list. A total of 3,056 people are recognized as national-level ICH inheritors.

Chinese central authorities have also conducted training programs for the inheritors, providing relevant training for over 40,000 people over the past 10 years.

Earlier this month, UNESCO inscribed the Spring Festival, the social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional new year, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, bringing the number of intangible cultural heritage items in China on the UNESCO list to 44, the most of its kind worldwide. 
Oklahoma legislators and Governor Kevin Stitt passed seven bills into law during this previous legislative session, which will go into effect at the top of the year.

These bills will impact elections, healthcare and insurance, income tax and workers compensation throughout Oklahoma. When the clock strikes midnight on New Years Day, all seven laws will be effective and the new reality for Oklahomans.

Heres everything you need to know about each soon-to-be law.

House Bill 1629: Felons right to vote

House Bill 1629 amended Oklahoma Statute 26 to allow persons convicted of a felony the ability to register to vote in elections. The new phrasing allows for registration if the individual had their sentence discharged, received a pardon or received a commutation.

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The commutation can be filed according to federal or state law, which would need to reduce the sentence of any active felony conviction or per state statutes that reclassify the felony to a misdemeanor. In the latter case, the individual must have no remaining time to serve.

More: Oklahoma Gov. Stitt issues order requiring state employees to return to the office in 2025

House Bill 2872: Out-of-Network Ambulance Service Provider Act

HB2872 establishes rules and procedures for paying for ambulance care when the provider operates outside of its network. Under the act, all ambulance-related costs shall be set at rates approved by contract, ordinance or local government. If no established rate is available, payment will either be 325% of the current published rate for ambulance services or the providers billed charges.

The Act also prohibits ambulance service providers from overcharging the enrollee beyond the health care insurer's pay.

House Bill 3190: The creation of Ensuring Transparency in Prior Authorization Act

House Bill 3190 establishes the Ensuring Transparency in Prior Authorization Act. This act requires insurance companies to post online requirements for prior authorization of medical treatments and use licensed medical professionals to decide whether to deny care.

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Under this Act, insurance companies' authorization systems will be forced to modernize, making the information more transparent for patients and prospective clients.

Senate Bill 1334: Creation of Corinnes Law

Senate Bill 1334 requires that health plans and employers provide coverage for standard fertility preservation services, such as cryopreservation of ovarian tissue, sperm or oocytes. However, this service would only be available to people who are also undergoing a medically necessary treatment that may cause infertility or impair fertility.

Religious employers may request to be exempted from this coverage if Corinnes Law conflicts with the employer's religious beliefs and practices. If an employer is exempt, employees can still purchase supplemental insurance policies through their own expenses.

Senate Bill 1401: Income tax credit

Senate Bill 1401 amends some language in Section 1 Chapter 340 of Oklahoma Statutes regarding income tax credits. The new law establishes that eligible entities do not have to be business properties and no longer require them to receive an allocation of tax credits.

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The bill also eliminates certain credit limits while expanding authorization to assign certain unused credit.

Senate Bill 1429: Waterway Infrastructure

Senate Bill 1429 amends Section 1141 of Oklahomas statutes to change the revolving fund previously for the Oklahoma Department of Treasurys McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) to the Oklahoma Ports Infrastructure Revolving Fund (OPIRF). Under this new distinction, any dollars collected by the Department of Transportation can be allocated toward MKARNS or to the state waterway ports.

In these situations, projects will be developed in consultation with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and all Indian tribes with an ownership interest in the riverbed of the Arkansas River when necessary. The DoT can still grant or loan funds under certain prerequisites.

Senate Bill 1457: Workers compensation and health benefits for first responders

Prior to Senate Bill 1457, first responders needed to experience a physical injury to qualify for workers' compensation for a mental injury or illness. Now, under new revisions, law enforcement officers, EMTs, and paid and volunteer firefighters can qualify for workers' compensation without needing a physical injury.

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The new law further lays out that post-traumatic stress disorder does not require physical injury and can receive medical treatment, and employers shall pay to maintain health insurance coverage.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What laws go into effect January 1? Oklahoma introduces 7 new laws
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati visited military posts in the south of the country on Monday for the first time since the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel came into force last month.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," Mikati said, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA). The most important point is the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, he added.

Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia agreed to a ceasefire at the end of November. The agreement stipulates, among other things, that Israeli ground troops must withdraw from Lebanon in stages within 60 days.

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In accordance with UN Resolution 1701, Hezbollah is to withdraw to behind the Litani River, about 30 kilometres north of the Israeli-Lebanese border.

The Lebanese army is to monitor compliance with the agreement. Since the ceasefire came into force, there have been repeated violations by both Israel and the Hezbollah militia, resulting in several deaths.

Lebanon is facing a difficult test, Mikati said after a meeting with army chief Joseph Aoun in the town of Marjayoun, near the Israeli border.

However, Mikati said that he has full confidence in the Lebanese army, which will prove it is able to fulfil all the tasks required of it.
By Laila Bassam

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday Lebanon will cooperate with an Interpol request to arrest former Syrian intelligence officer Jamil Hassan, accused by U.S. authorities of war crimes under the toppled Assad government.

Last week, Lebanon received an official notice from Interpol urging judicial and security authorities to detain Hassan, whose whereabouts remain unclear, if he is found on Lebanese soil, three Lebanese judicial sources told Reuters.

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"We are committed to cooperating with the Interpol letter regarding the arrest of the Director of Syrian Air Force Intelligence, as we continue to cooperate on all matters related to the international system," Mikati told Reuters.

The directive also called for Hassan's arrest if he enters Lebanon, with the ultimate aim of extraditing him to the United States, the sources said.

On Dec. 9, a U.S. indictment unsealed charges against Hassan, 72, with war crimes, including the torture of detainees, some of them U.S. citizens, during the Syrian civil war.

Hassan is also one of three senior Syrian officials who were found guilty by a French court in May of war crimes over their involvement in the disappearance and subsequent death of a French-Syrian father and his son.

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According to Lebanese judicial sources, the Interpol arrest warrant accuses Hassan of involvement in "crimes of murder, torture, and genocide."

Hassan is also allegedly responsible for overseeing the deployment of thousands of barrel bombs against the Syrian population, leading to the deaths of countless civilians, the sources said.

The Interpol request was circulated among Lebanons General Security and border control authorities.

Up to 30 lower-ranking former intelligence and Fourth Division army officers under the Assad administration are now in police custody in Lebanon following their arrest by Lebanese authorities, two security sources told Reuters.

(Reporting by Laila Bassam; Additional reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Writing by Riham Alkousaa, Editing by William Maclean)
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  One of Colombias legendary drug lords and a key operator of the Medellin cartel has been deported back to the South American country, after serving 25 years of a 30-year prison sentence in the United States.

A short while later, Fabio Ochoa was again a free man.

Ochoa arrived in Bogota on a deportation flight on Monday afternoon, wearing a modest grey sweatshirt and carrying his personal belongings in a plastic bag. After stepping out of the plane, Ochoa was met by immigration officials in bullet proof vests. There were no police on site to detain him.

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Immigration officials took his fingerprints and confirmed through a database that Ochoa is not wanted by Colombian authorities. The country's immigration agency said on the social media platform X that Ochoa was freed so that he could join his family.

I was framed, Ochoa claimed as reporters at Bogotas El Dorado Airport asked if he regretted his actions.

The former cartel boss smiled as he hugged his daughter, whom he had not seen in seven years, and said he would go to Medellin to live with his family.

The nightmare is over said Ochoa, 67.

Ochoa and his older brothers amassed a fortune when cocaine started flooding the U.S. in the late 1970s and early 1980s, according to U.S. authorities, to the point that in 1987 they were included in the Forbes Magazines list of billionaires.

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Living in Miami, Ochoa ran a distribution center for the cocaine cartel once headed by Pablo Escobar. Escobar died in a shootout with authorities in Medellin in 1993.

Ochoa was first indicted in the U.S. for his alleged role in the 1986 killing of Barry Seal, an American pilot who flew cocaine flights for the Medellin cartel, but became an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Along with his two older brothers, Juan David and Jorge Luis, Ochoa turned himself in to Colombian authorities in the early 1990s under a deal in which they avoided being extradited to the U.S.

The three brothers were released from prison in 1996, but Ochoa was arrested again three years later for drug trafficking and was extradited to the U.S. in 2001 in response to an indictment in Miami naming him and more than 40 people as part of a drug smuggling conspiracy.

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He was the only suspect in that group who opted to go to trial, resulting in his conviction and a 30-year sentence. The other defendants got much lighter prison terms because most of them cooperated with the government.

Ochoas name has faded from popular memory as Mexican drug traffickers take center stage in the global drug trade.

But the former member of the Medellin cartel was recently depicted in the Netflix series Griselda, where he first fights the plucky businesswoman Griselda Blanco for control of Miami's cocaine market, and then makes an alliance with the drug trafficker, played by Sofia Vergara.

Ochoa is also depicted in the Netflix series Narcos, as the youngest son of an elite Medellin family that is into ranching and horse breeding and cuts a sharp contrast with Escobar, who came from more humble roots.

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Richard Gregorie, a retired assistant U.S. attorney who was on the prosecution team that convicted Ochoa, said authorities were never able to seize all of the Ochoa familys illicit drug proceeds and he expects that the former mafia boss will have a welcome return home.

He wont be retiring a poor man, thats for sure, Gregorie told The Associated Press earlier this month.
In September, former Milwaukee resident Todd Elliott introduced the world to his Brewers Famous Racing Sausages Lego set.

The set  which Elliott intends to become an official Lego product with the help of online voters  was such a hit that he decided to create another Milwaukee icon using Lego bricks: the Milwaukee Art Museum's Quadracci Pavilion and Calatrava-designed "wings."

The design is about 9 inches long and features working wings that open and close. Elliott actually created it a few years ago, and it's sat on his office shelf ever since. However, it was only in November that he chose to share the step-by-step instructions for the Lego art museum after the sausages received so much attention.

Former Milwaukee resident Todd Elliott designed this Lego model of the Milwaukee Art Museum, complete with working "wings," seen here in a digital rendering. Elliott's design was based on an earlier model by Vida Andras of Budapest.

"With the sausages and how much people in Milwaukee just love that idea, I thought they would probably like this, as well," he said.

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Elliott posted the instructions for the 775-piece art museum design to Rebrickable, a website that lets Lego enthusiasts share their designs and connects users with resellers, allowing them to smoothly obtain the necessary bricks to re-create designs that aren't official Lego sets.

The art museum instructions, which Elliott made available for free, have been downloaded over 1,000 times, he said, after he shared them on the r/Milwaukee subreddit and the design was posted on the museum's official social media accounts.

A digital rendering of Todd Elliott's Milwaukee Art Museum Lefo set design, shown here with the "wings" closed.

Lego declined to produce a fan-favorite Milwaukee Art Museum set in 2021

Elliott isn't shy to admit that he wasn't the first person to design a Lego Milwaukee Art Museum. There have been multiple attempts to create one  including a much-celebrated design by a 3D artist from Budapest in 2019, which received local media attention and nearly became an official Lego set.

The designer of that model, Vida Andras, posted his creation to Lego Ideas, a Lego-run online community where users can share their ideas and potentially have them turned into official Lego sets. If a design receives 10,000 votes from Lego Ideas users, Lego reviews it for consideration as an official product. Andras' art museum hit 10,000 votes, but, in 2021, Lego announced it wouldn't produce the design.

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"I was really bummed because I wanted to buy one," Elliott said. "So, a couple of years ago, I sat down and tried to figure out how he built it based on the pictures he had submitted. I kind of reverse-engineered it" using Studio by BrickLink  a software that allows Lego fans to virtually design almost anything they can imagine using unlimited brick styles and colors.

Todd Elliott's LEGO Bratwurst sits next to his LEGO Milwaukee Art Museum on his office shelf.

Elliott said Andras' design was about 2 feet long and 1.5 feet wide. Elliott is unsure if Andras built that art museum model in real life or only rendered it virtually, but, when Elliott attempted to build it, the wings were "so heavy that they drooped and sagged, so it didn't look good," he said.

Elliott said he attempted to reach out to Andras on social media but received no response, so he went "back to the drawing board" and developed his current version of the museum. It's about half the size of Andras' model. "Now, it works perfectly," Elliott said.

When asked why he posted his Lego art museum instructions for free, Elliott said he didn't feel it would be fair to profit from the design because it's "heavily influenced" by Andras'.

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"But, I feel like it should be out in the world because I wanted one, and I'm sure a lot of people would love to build this," he added.

Todd Elliott designed these Famous Racing Sausages "BrickHeadz" as an addition to his full-size Racing Sausages Lego figurines. The BrickHeadz can be built with existing Lego bricks while the full-size sausages can't.

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Famous Racing Sausages Lego set continues moving closer to reality

In addition to the art museum project, Elliott continues to work on his Brewers Famous Racing Sausages Lego set. Over the summer, he virtually designed Lego replicas of each of the team's five Famous Racing Sausages  Bratwurst, Polish Sausage, Italian Sausage, Hot Dog and Chorizo  as well as mascot Bernie Brewer. Each figurine is comprised of about 500 LEGO bricks and is about 9 inches high and 4 inches wide.

As of Friday, Elliott's sausages have 3,130 votes on Lego Ideas. They have just under 500 days to get 5,000 total votes. If they do, they'll have an additional six months to hit 10,000 votes. Anyone is welcome to vote; you just need a free Lego Ideas account. Click here to cast your vote online.

Milwaukee Brewers Famous Racing Sausages and Bernie Brewer Lego set idea designed by former Milwaukee resident Todd Elliott.

Because some of the bricks Elliott used to design his sausages in the Studio software don't exist in the real world, he has only been able to build Bratwurst and Italian Sausage IRL. However, since he last spoke with the Journal Sentinel in October, Elliott added miniature versions of each sausage to his extensive Brewers Lego lineup.

These square versions of the sausages are about half the size of Elliott's original figurines and are designed to fit into Lego's BrickHeadz line. And, unlike the full-size sausages, all of Elliott's BrickHeadz can be built with existing Lego bricks. In fact, the mini sausages are currently on his desk.

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Elliott said he's reached out to the Brewers' social media team multiple times to promote the sausages. With attention from the team, he said he believes the design would reach 10,000 votes "pretty quickly."

"One other thing I'm thinking of doing is maybe  myself and my son come back to Milwaukee this summer and attend some Brewers games and walk around the parking lot as people tailgate with a big sign saying, 'Please vote,'" Elliott said.

"I'll bring the actual models with so people can see and touch them, and that'll hopefully get people interested."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here's how you can build a Lego Milwaukee Art Museum
LEHI, Utah (ABC4)  A Lehi man has been sentenced to serve nearly five years in federal prison for his role in an $8 million credit card fraud scheme and making false statements to a bank.

Timothy Gibson, 48, previously pleaded guilty in Trenton, N.J., federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in the $8 million scheme that occurred in New Jersey. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements to a bank as part of a scheme that took place in Utah.

PREVIOUS STORY: Utah man charged, lied on PPP loans and advised others to

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Judge Georgette Castner sentenced Gibson to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Gibson was also ordered to pay an undisclosed amount in restitution.

According to court documents, Gibson and his co-conspirators solicited personal information from victims and credit card applicants so they could submit falsified credit card applications and obtain the cards.

These cards were then reportedly used to make purchases and earn rewards for those purchases. However, those purchases were then canceled after the rewards points were posted but before the credit card payments for the purchases were due. Prosecutors say other purchases made on the cards were also sham transactions run through Gibsons business merchant account.

The conspiracy reportedly involved more than 8,000 fraudulent accounts in the names of more than 1,500 straw cardholders. Gibson and his conspirators were reportedly able to obtain more than 800 million in rewards points which prosecutors say were worth more than $8 million.

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Utah woman charged with felony after allegedly abusing woman in her care

In addition to the credit card fraud, Gibson also pleaded guilty to lying to banks regarding federal COVID relief programs. Court documents indicate Gibson falsely reported the number of employees and the average monthly payroll of a business for which he was acquiring a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). He also reportedly taught multiple businesses how to do the same.

Prosecutors say charges remain pending against Gibsons co-conspirator, Aahron Lev, 37, of Lakewood, N.J. The charges against Lev are allegations and he is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Warning: Discussion of sexual abuse and harassment.

This weekend, news emerged that Blake Lively is reportedly suing It Ends with Us costar and director Justin Baldoni for alleged sexual harassment. People began comparing the situation with that of Amber Heard  and the actor herself issued a statement.

Person in elegant attire on red carpet at Beauty Inc Awards 2024 event

Person with wavy hair sits on stage, wearing an elegant black dress, smiling and holding a microphone

Katie Jones / Beauty Inc via Getty Images, Ernesto Ruscio / Getty Images

According to the New York Times, Lively claimed that Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath "had repeatedly violated physical boundaries and made sexual and other inappropriate comments to her." The legal complaint subsequently claimed that, fearing public fallout from the allegations, their PR effort created a smear campaign "to harm Ms. Livelys reputation instead."

An attorney for Wayfarer, the company cofounded by Baldoni and Heath, denied Lively's claims and told the NYT that neither the studio, its executives, nor its PR representatives did anything "proactive nor retaliated against her. Sony Pictures Releasing / courtesy Everett Collection

In August, speculation was already rife that there had been some kind of on-set rift. Amid this, Baldoni hired crisis public relations expert Melissa Nathan, who was already famed for working with Johnny Depp during his defamation trial with Heard. According to texts seen by the NYT, Nathan texted a publicist working with Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, "You know we can bury anyone."

Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman alleged to the NYT that Lively planted negative and completely fabricated and false stories with media against him, sparking the decision to hire a crisis PR expert. NILS MEILVANG / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

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Let's take a moment to remember Depp v. Heard. In 2020, Depp lost his UK defamation trial against the Sun in which the tabloid called him "a wife beater." The judge said that the words were "substantially true," noting, "I have found that the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms Heard by Mr Depp have been proved to the civil standard."

John Phillips

Notably, things fared differently in the US trial, which was in front of a jury. As international media lawyer Mark Stephens told the BBC, "Amber Heard has comprehensively lost in the court of public opinion and in front of the jury." Some experts estimated that more than half of the negative tweets about Heard were from "inauthentic accounts," including bots and trolls.

As the Independent put it, "The truly shocking revelation...is just how vast and complex the disinformation movement against Heard was. This was not one single campaign, but multiple, hybrid attacks." Steve Helber / POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Perhaps it's no surprise then that Amber herself issued a statement on the It Ends with Us allegations: "Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.' I saw this firsthand and up close. Its as horrifying as it is destructive.

Win Mcnamee / Getty Images

Blake Lively, Amber Heard, Megan Thee Stallion, it goes on. How many more women would you like to keep adding?

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If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.
Only weeks away from his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump continues to tack on unqualified nominees, including Kash Patel, who if confirmed by the Senate as head of the FBI, could be Trumps most dangerous nominee of all.

Trump could have nominated an FBI director who would prioritize protecting Americans. Instead he nominated a MAGA loyalist. Patel is an extreme and unqualified individual who met the only qualification that mattered to Trump: unquestionable allegiance to him over the American people. Trump would direct the Patel-led FBI to use the nations law enforcement apparatus to enable his self-centered agenda and protect his billionaire friends.

Patel is motivated by political revenge, not delivering justice. He authored a book naming an enemies list, signaling a focus on personal and political vendettas. Patel has reiterated his blind loyalty, implying hed use the FBI to prosecute perceived enemies and publicly threatened media figures and journalists with jail time. Patel could steer the FBI to deem progressive organizations and certain progressive leaders as terrorists, target marginalized communities, and strike at those who dont align with MAGA views.

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He promotes extreme ideas that could undermine institutional integrity and public trust. Patel has no experience managing anything like the FBI, which employs 35,000 employees in 55 field offices throughout the country and more than 60 offices overseas.

Sens. John Fetterman and David McCormick must vote against Patel.

Phila BackKutztown
The Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy at Wayne State University in Detroit has awarded U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, its annual award for effective legislative oversight.

The center, which announced the award named for Levin, who was Michigan's longest-serving U.S senator, in December, noted Ossoff's efforts in leading investigations into questions of poor management at federal prisons, and legislation that resulted in creating an independent ombudsman to investigate complaints regarding the health and safety of inmates and staff.

Ossoff, as chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, headed an investigation beginning in 2022 into complaints of understaffing, abuse, misconduct and other problems in the federal prison system and later continued that work on the Senate Judiciary Committee by looking into the treatment of incarcerated pregnant women. Ossoff sponsored the ombudsman bill, with bipartisan support, and it was passed and signed into law by President Joe Biden in July 2024.

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Senator Ossoff started looking at allegations of serious problems in the federal prison in his home state of Georgia. He then expanded the probe to include the operations of the Bureau of Prisons throughout the country, said Jim Townsend, director of the Levin Center. We are proud to present the Carl Levin Award to Senator Ossoff and thank him for his good work.

Ossoff, who joined the Senate in 2021  the same year Levin died  said he was appreciative of the recognition. Levin left the Senate in 2015, having chosen not to run for a seventh 6-year term the previous year.

I came to the U.S. Senate with a background leading investigations of human rights abuses and war crimes and I took office intent on exposing the abuse of Americans who have no power, said Ossoff, a former legislative aide and executive with a documentary and investigative journalism company based in London. These bipartisan investigations of the federal prison system revealed corruption, abuse and misconduct and the urgent need to overhaul federal prison oversight."

The Levin Center, which also has an office in Washington, was established after Levin left Congress to continue and recognize efforts to support bipartisan, fact-based legislative oversight. The award was first given in 2018 and past award winners include South Carolina state Rep. Weston Newton, Oregon state Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin and, in 2019, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, and Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, for work looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

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Ossoff was presented the award at a ceremony in Washington earlier in December.

Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Levin Center in Detroit gives oversight award to Georgia Sen. Ossoff
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati receives a media interview while inspecting the damage caused by Israeli attacks in Khiam, Lebanon on Dec. 23, 2024. Mikati said on Monday that the Lebanese army will carry out its full duties in southern Lebanon after Israel withdraws from the area. (Photo by Taher Abu Hamdan/Xinhua)

BEIRUT, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday that the Lebanese army will carry out its full duties in southern Lebanon after Israel withdraws from the area.

"We have many tasks ahead of us, the most prominent of which is the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from all the lands it penetrated during its last aggression," Mikati said from the army barracks in Marjeyoun, the first stop on his southern tour, according to a statement released by the Lebanese Council of Ministers.

Mikati also visited the headquarters of the eastern sector of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the town of Ibl al-Saqi, stressing the priority of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

He said: "We look forward to long-term stability in the south through the army carrying out its tasks in full in cooperation with UNIFIL."

A ceasefire, brokered by the United States and France, went into effect on Nov. 27, aiming to halt nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The terms of the ceasefire agreement include Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory within 60 days, with the Lebanese army deploying on the Lebanese-Israeli border and in the south, taking over security there, and banning any presence of weapons and militants. 
For 28 years, the Redwood Swap Meet in West Valley City has been a home away from home for Iris Liliana Frantz.

She sells purses and other items at the open air market along with her husband Sherrel Frantz, helping the couple cobble together a living. At the same time, she's developed a strong sense of camaraderie with other vendors and customers. "This has been my family," she said.

The swap meets last day was Sunday. The new plan is to turn the 26-acre site into a housing development.

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This has been my life. Im nostalgic, sad. I have conflicting emotions, Frantz said Saturday.

The future of the swap meet, which also doubles as the Redwood Drive-In, has been focus of intense public debate since at least last June as a developer has pursued a rezone of the land to develop homes, townhomes and condominiums. West Valley City officials last September approved the plans despite the strong opposition of vendors like Frantz. Now the day looms for the swap meet to shut its doors so redevelopment can proceed, seen by boosters as a step forward in efforts to bolster Utah's housing stock.

Some vendors  many of them Latin American immigrants, like the customer base  are misty-eyed like Frantz, originally from Chile. "There are many people, older people, they can't work. They come here and sell. Many of them are going to be left with nothing," said Dinazar Carbajal, originally from Mexico, who has sold clothing at Redwood for 12 years.

Iris Liliana Frantz and her husband Sherrel Frantz, vendors at Redwood Swap Meet in West Valley City, on Saturday, a day before its planned closure. | Tim Vandenack, KSL.com

Others are more matter-of-fact. Some 500 vendors in all operate at the swap meet, which has operated year round, typically on Saturdays and Sundays. They rent the stalls they use.

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"I'm not sad, but I'm not happy about it," said Freddy Cid, helping sell peanuts at a stand his father has operated for 20 years. The Redwood operation helps supplement the family income, he said, but they'll manage after the swap meet closes.

Lidia Agustin, a fruit and vegetable vendor at Redwood for the last five years, takes the change in stride. One door closing, she reasons, means another one opens. "You have to think that way," said Agustin, originally from Mexico.

Dinazar Carbajal, a vendor at Redwood Swap Meet in West Valley City, on Saturday, a day before its planned closure. | Tim Vandenack, KSL.com

Whatever the outlook of individual vendors  nostalgic or nonchalant  change is coming. Sunday's closure of Redwood precedes planned demolition of the screens and other structures at the site beginning in mid-January to make way for the new 300-unit housing development called Woodstone. "We anticipate starting development on the first phase in April of 2025," the developer, Draper-based Egdehomes, said in a statement.

Meantime, Cristian Carbajal Gutierrez, a vendor and Dinazar Carbajal's son, said plans are coming together to move the swap meet at 3688 S. Redwood Road to the grounds of the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in West Valley City, previously known as the USANA Amphitheatre. He's been publicly advocating for the vendors, first to get the redevelopment plans halted and more recently to find another space where they can sell their goods.

Misabel Sanchez, a vendor at Redwood Swap Meet in West Valley City, on Saturday, a day before its planned closure. | Tim Vandenack, KSL.com

"It would be able to fit all the vendors," Carbajal Gutierrez said. He's been working with amphitheater representatives to finalize the plans and said one of the remaining issues is scheduling when vendors can operate around event dates at the facility.

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Vendors, generally speaking, are happy about the possibility, he said. At the very least, the prospect of a new location tempers the closure of Redwood. "We're very sad but, at the same time we have hope, we have hope for the West Valley," Carbajal Gutierrez said.

Aside from the financial implications of Redwood's closure, some of its aficionados are sad to see the loss of what has been a community gathering space, particularly for the Latino community.

Misabel Sanchez, originally from Mexico, first started going to the Redwood Swap Meet 40-plus years ago when she was a teen. When she had children, she'd bring them and now she's a vendor, selling health supplements. Back when Utah's population was much more homogenous "this is where you could find Latinos," she said.

Now as a vendor, the weekend marketplace still has a social aspect to it that shell miss. This is my party time. This is fun, she said.
Christmas is almost upon us, and if you choose to use spirits to manage the in-laws, you may want to stock up before holiday.

If you don't manage get to purchase any wine or liquor before Christmas Day, your only option will be beer.

Tennessee is among 21 states that have a full or partial alcohol ban on Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas . On these holidays, only beer or wine is typically sold  if all alcohol is not outright banned.

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Here are some of the rules regarding the sale of alcohol on holidays in Tennessee.

Can you buy alcohol on Christmas in Tennessee?

The short answer is probably not.

In Tennessee, the sale of wine and liquor is prohibited on on Christmas Day.

According to the Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association and the Nashville Beer Board, beer is still up for sale in stores that are open on Christmas Day. But there are municipalities that may choose to prohibit the sale of beer.

There was an attempt in 2021 to allow all alcohol to be sold on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it hasn't been signed into law.

During a regular week, alcoholic beverages can be purchased in Tennessee from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and after 11 a.m. on Sundays.

What holidays can you not buy alcohol on in Tennessee?

There are three holidays where alcohol of any kind is not allowed to be sold in Tennessee, As you've probably guessed, Christmas is one of those holidays. The other two days are Thanksgiving and Easter. The other 362, or 363, days of the year, you are able to buy alcohol.

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This law, which used to be more restrictive, changed in 2018. Before that, Tennesseans could not buy alcohol on New Year's Day, Easter, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day.

What states limit alcohol sales on holidays?

The sale of alcohol is prohibited or limited in the following states on Christmas Day:

Alabama allows beer and wine on Christmas, but no liquor.

Connecticut does not allow alcohol of any kind.

Delaware does not allow alcohol of any kind.

Idaho, depends on the city or county.

Kansas does not allow alcohol of any kind.

Kentucky, depends on the county.

Louisiana, depends on the parish.

Massachusetts does not allow alcohol of any kind.

Minnesota does not allow alcohol of any kind.

Montana allows beer and wine on Christmas, but no liquor.

New Hampshire allows beer and wine on Christmas, but no liquor.

North Carolina allows beer and wine on Christmas, but no liquor.

North Dakota does not allow alcohol of any kind.

Ohio allows beer and wine on Christmas, but no liquor.

Oklahoma allows beer and wine on Christmas, but no liquor.

Pennsylvania state owned liquor stores are closed.

Rhode Island does not allow alcohol of any kind.

Tennessee allows beer, but not liquor or wine.

Texas prohibits retail liquor sales.

Utah does not allow alcohol of any kind.

Virginia closes liquor stores on Christmas.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: A guide to buying alcohol, liquor on Christmas in Tennessee
NEW MEXICO (KRQE)  With another year coming to a close, heres a look back at the most viewed New Mexico news stories in 2024 based on KRQE News 13s data.

Las Vegas snow courtesy of Mark Montoya 11-7-2024

A major snowstorm caught many residents in Las Vegas, New Mexico, by surprise when it dumped over 30 inches of snow on parts of the city. The early November storm was one for the record books, as the city saw nearly eight times the normal amount of snow they typically get in November.

KRQE News 13 Investigative Reporter Ann Pierret learned that the former president of an Albuquerque homeowners association was suspected of mishandling the HOAs finances by paying herself a monthly salary.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park Sign (Getty Images)

In April 2024, the Eddy County Sheriffs Office launched an investigation after remains believed to be human were found in Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

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A survey from Preply.com listed Albuquerque as the 11th rudest cuty in the U.S. based on responses from participants in 46 of Americas largest cities. The Duke City was determined to have a rudeness score of 8.11, behind Miami, Florida, which was ranked #1 with a rudeness score of 9.88.

Atrisco Heritage High School

A video of a performance at Atrisco Heritage Academy High Schools senior prom was shared online and sparked outrage from parents. The video taken in April showed an individual in drag dancing provocatively in front of students. Many parents said it was highly inappropriate. Albuquerque Public Schools said they launched an investigation into what happened and how students were impacted.

Rio Grande at White Rock Overlook Park, Los Alamos, New Mexico | Adobe Stock

The small Northern New Mexico town of White Rock was named The Happiest Small Town in America by online adventure website The Travel. The quiet town of about 7,000 residents is nestled just down the hill from the neighboring town of Los Alamos.

New Mexico State Capitol Roundhouse in Santa Fe. | KRQE File

In the start of 2024, state lawmakers passed a handful of new laws, many of which went into effect in May. Here is a brief summary of some of those laws:

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Texas National Guard places razor wire and fencing in El Paso facing New Mexico. (Credit: KTSM)

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In September, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham responded to the Texas National Guard installing razor wire along the Rio Grande facing New Mexico. This came a few days after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted on X that the state would triple its razor-wire border barriers to deny illegal entry into our state and our country.

Kroger & Albertsons logos.

In July, Albertsons and Kroger announced that multiple stores would be sold across the county, including nine stores in New Mexico. The offloading of stores was announced before the merger between the two companies was killed in December.

New Mexico saw some big names take the stage in 2024, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers Hozier, Limp Bizkit, NKOTB, Pitbull, and more. Local and smaller acts from across the country also drew crowds to venues like Launchpad, El Rey Theater, and Revel. There is still time to attend a concert in 2024. Find out what performances are happening here.

To see what concerts are coming to New Mexico in 2025, click here.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
GREENWICH, CT  Marcia O'Kane, the longtime president and CEO of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce, recently announced her plans to step down after over 13 years in the position.

In a Chamber email newsletter to the community, O'Kane highlighted several accomplishments over her tenure. She helped reimagine over 300 events, attracted hundreds of new members to the organization, branded "Women Who Matter" events, and supported the local business community through the dark times of the COVID-19 pandemic, among many other achievements.

"It has been a privilege to serve our local business community through these and many other milestones, but it is now time to turn the page and focus on my own entrepreneurial endeavors as I step down from my Chamber position," O'Kane said. "Every day during my tenure I have worked passionately to show everyone that our Chamber matters. I am confident that my goal of being an advocate and connector of local business has been reached. Without a doubt, I have been the biggest cheerleader of our organization and its value."

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O'Kane went on to say she's "immensely grateful" to have served in the leadership position for Greenwich.

"You have supported me over the many years, and from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank you for such generosity," O'Kane added. "Please say hello when you see me around town; I will be the one beaming with pride to have been part of our Chambers 107-year legacy."

O'Kane became the leader of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce in September 2011 following the resignation of Mary Ann Morrison.

Longtime Greenwich Chamber Of Commerce President And CEO Steps Down originally appeared on the Greenwich Patch
Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Police in Colorado said a baby Jesus statue reported stolen from a nativity scene was anonymously returned to a fire station with an apology note.

The Fort Collins Police Department originally posted on social media that the baby Jesus statue was taken from the nativity scene at Old Town Square.

Police shared a security camera image of the "Grinch" absconding with the statue.

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The department said in an update that the statue was anonymously dropped off at Poudre Fire Authority Station 1 in Fort Collins four days after the theft.

The statue had a note taped to its face, reading: "I am really sorry. I made a dumb mistake in the moment. It won't happen again."

Police said the businesses that own the nativity scene are not seeking to press charges against the contrite thief.
Kansas law prohibits landlords from retaliating against tenants for reporting poor living conditions. But it lacks enforcement and leaves tenants compromising their health and safety to avoid eviction, a new survey shows.

Many low-income renters in Kansas live in decaying homes with health hazards and believe there is little they can do to improve their situation, a new survey shows.

Some renters avoid submitting maintenance requests or reporting their poor living conditions to authorities because they fear retaliation  like an eviction  from their landlords. Experts say state law does not provide enough protection to vulnerable renters in those scenarios.

A University of Kansas survey shows that low-income renters in Douglas County were more likely to feel the risk of eviction than higher-income renters  with more than half of those who report fear of eviction earning less than $35,000 a year.

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The renters reported difficulty finding affordable housing without compromising their personal safety, according to the survey. They endured living in homes that landlords have neglected and are not regularly inspected for code violation by authorities. Those issues include mold, broken appliances and pests.

Researcher Christina Holt, assistant director of the Center for Community Health and Development at the KU Life Span Institute, said a majority of the renters submitted maintenance requests are ignored by landlords. Thats led to another third of renters who never submit maintenance requests because they dont think their landlords or authorities will take their concerns seriously.

Renters also reported living under a power imbalance with their landlords. Some renters said that they faced physical assault and harassment from their landlords.

Holt said these issues result in low-income renters believing that authorities dont conduct enough inspections or enforce code violations. She said they feel stuck in their poor living conditions because they know their landlords can easily evict them and find a new tenant  even if its technically illegal.

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Its not worth it to them to lose their housing altogether, Holt said, even if the conditions arent great.

Mike Hoheisel, a Wichita City Council member, said the study highlights some of the issues renters in his community face. He recently told lawmakers his district covering parts of southern Wichita has some of the highest poverty rates in the state. He said affordable housing and rental assistance were top priorities for his constituents.

While state law prohibits landlords from evicting tenants for reporting problems, it does not include a mechanism to enforce it. Experts say that leaves renters susceptible to retaliation.

Hoheisel, who is an advocate for affordable housing, said some landlords take advantage of renters who dont know their rights and use intimidation tactics to evict them.

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These landlords rely on ignorance of the system, Hoheisel said, in order to move through the process in what I view as an unfair manner.

The Wichita City Council has tried to remedy that with its own local ordinance that provides enforcement of the state law. Under the ordinance, a tenant can report a landlords retaliation to the city. If a court finds the landlord guilty of retaliation, the city can issue fines.

The ordinance also requires mediation with landlords and tenants. Hoheisel said the ultimate goal is to create healthy relationships between them.

KMUW reports that Shawn Land, a representative for a group of landlords in Wichita, said the ordinance would not have a major impact on landlords who operate legally and fairly.

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For landlords who dont operate under a slumlord or as a slumlord, I dont see this being anything that should be a concern for them, Land said. Thats my personal opinion on this.

The city of Topeka established a similar ordinance . Hoheisel said the ordinances may not result in many fines, but they do put landlords on notice.

(Were) saying to landlords that we are taking this seriously, Hoeheisel said. They need to rethink how they do things.

Dylan Lysen reports on social services and criminal justice for the Kansas News Service. You can email him at dlysen@kcur.org.

The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.

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Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
(Getty Images)

More people have been disenrolled from the states Medicaid program as a result of the unwinding process that began after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic than previously expected.

Matt Cooper, assistant secretary for health care data at the state Agency for Health Care Administration, said 478,940 fewer people are enrolled in the safety-net health care program than had been predicted.

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Cooper told members of the states Social Services Estimating conference, a panel of economists from the Legislature and governors office, that an eligibility group lost more than we anticipated.

Medicaid, which is paid by both the state and federal government, is one of the largest components of Floridas nearly $119 billion state budget. During the pandemic, Florida received extra federal money but was not allowed to remove people from the Medicaid rolls, a requirement that ended last year. Advocates for the poor and those who receive government services have criticized how Florida has reevaluating who is eligible for services.

The Department of Children and Families qualifies people for Medicaid in Florida. The exception is people who are Social Security Income (SSI) eligible. SSI eligibility is determined by the federal government. People who are SSI eligible are either aged, blind, or have a disability that prevents them from working. SSI eligibility triggers Florida Medicaid eligibility.

Applied behavior analysis

The lower-than-anticipated Medicaid enrollment, Cooper said, means the Legislature appropriated more money than necessary to provide the health care services. But while there was a dip in enrollment overall, state officials are worried about the growing costs of a therapy known as applied behavior analysis.

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Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is based on the science of learning and behavior, according to Autism Speaks, an advocacy and education group that supports research into care for autistic individuals and their families, according to the groups website.

To date, the state has not required ABA services to be provided through Medicaid managed care plans. Instead, they have been paid for on a fee for service basis, with payment paid for service provided.

Cooper said the Legislature anticipated spending $1.52 billion on ABA services but that economists later predicted it will cost closer to $1.63 billion. And thats just for services between July 1 and February 2025.

The later date is when the state expects new statewide Medicaid managed care contracts to take effect. The new contracts require these plans to provide ABA services.

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Economists predict it will cost the plans another $1 billion to provide ABA services to the enrollees who require the care for the remaining five months of the fiscal year.

In all, that brings the overall costs of ABA closer to $2.62 billion state in the current year, or about $1 billion more than included in the budget.

No shortfalls

Despite that, there arent any overall projected shortfalls.

What that tells you is theres another counterweight, another factor that is bringing that projection down further.  And that is really due to the decline in caseload from the unwinding, specifically the SSI eligibility group lost membership more than we anticipated, he said, adding that the decrease in enrollment outweighs the increased costs for ABA.

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Cooper said there also were some cost increases in the states long term care prepaid health program. The state needed to dig into the specifics to determine whats happening, he said.

As of October 31, the lastest available data, 4,351,012 people were enrolled in Medicaid in Florida.
The LSU Student Union sits in central campus on Monday, March 20, 2023, on Highland Road in Baton Rouge, La. (Matthew Perschall for Louisiana Illuminator)

One avenue for workers who believe they face discrimination on the job is to file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which could potentially launch an investigation into the workplace in question.

EEOC complaints could result in a fine or lawsuit against an employer if federal authorities find evidence of wrongdoing. Given their sensitive nature, the complaints are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, a federal law that provides public access to government records. This confidentiality protects the employee from retaliation and spares employers from stigma when complaints are unfounded.

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This is report was collaboration between Louisiana Illuminator and Tiger Rag.

Yet when the Illuminator and Tiger Rag posed questions to LSU regarding allegations of a toxic work environment at its Division of Engagement, Civil Rights and Title IX, the universitys spokesman responded with an unusual offer.

If a reporter provided the name of an anonymous source, LSU Vice President for Communications Todd Woodward said in a text message the university would provide its response to an employees EEOC complaint. The Illuminator and Tiger Rag declined.

An employee at LSUs Division of Engagement, Civil Rights and Title IX confirmed with a reporter that she filed the EEOC complaint against LSU. The woman asked that her identity not be revealed because she fears retaliation as she is currently a student at the university.

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Scott Sternberg, an attorney with expertise in public records law, said that while EEOC complaints are technically not exempted under Louisianas public records law, state custodians of public records treat them like they are.

Every time Ive seen [requests for EEOC complaints] come up in the past, the state has claimed that FOIA exemption applies, Sternberg said.

Todd Woodward (LSU photo).

Woodward was asked if LSUs response to the EEOC complaint is a public record.

We can provide, he responded via text message. Its not public yet but I got legal to bend on this one.

Legal refers to LSUs Office of Legal Affairs and General Counsel, headed by Winston DeCuir, who was criticized for his handling of a campus scandal that broke in 2020 after USA Today reported how the university mishandled sexual misconduct allegations.

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When the Illuminator and Tiger Rag made a public records request for the information Woodward offered, that same office denied the request.

LSU associate general counsel Johanna Posada wrote in an email that the records are not subject to public release or disclosure. Any submission by LSU in response to an EEOC charge is part of the charge file.

Moreover, the submission by LSU to the EEOC in response to an employee complaint to the EEOC contains information in which the employee has a privacy interest protected by the right of privacy, Posada added.

Sternberg said LSUs offer is a significant breach of its standard practices.

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The idea that this information would be sort of exchanged and traded in the same way  any other piece of information is so out of the norm that I dont know what to call it other than disturbing, Sternberg said.

LSU terminated the employee Aug. 14, a few weeks after she lodged her complaint with the EEOC. Her firing date was confirmed through a copy of her personnel file, which the employee shared with the Illuminator and Tiger Rag.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Julie O'Donoghue/Louisiana Illuminator

A top LSU official told a Board of Regents panel earlier this month that the states flagship university can take anywhere from 67 to 222 days to bring a Title IX investigation to completion.

Nearly four years after a USA Today investigation found major faults in LSUs Title IX office, advocates for students want LSU to do better. But some workers within the office, which is responsible for investigating complaints about sexual harassment and misconduct as well as other discrimination claims, arent surprised at the length of investigations.

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This is report was collaboration between Louisiana Illuminator and Tiger Rag.

This is a good example, said Anne LaHaye, a retired FBI investigator who quit investigating Title IX complaints at LSU after less than a year due to what she described as a hostile work environment. It was a sexual assault case  I finished that final investigative report and it took [my supervisor], if Im not mistaken, one-and-a-half to two months to approve that report.

Despite LSU leaderships promised reform, some employees in the Division of Engagement, Civil Rights and Title IX say its become a toxic and dysfunctional environment, evidenced by significant employee turnover and lags in completing investigations. A university spokesman, however, pushed back on those claims, saying the office has been properly staffed and worked to increase awareness and training on Title IX issues.

The Louisiana Illuminator and Tiger Rag interviewed three former employees and two former student workers and obtained documents through public records requests for this report.

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Earlier this month, Todd Manuel, LSUs vice president over the Division of Engagement, Civil Rights and Title IX, told the Power-Based Violence Review Panel, a public body under the Louisiana Board of Regents that advises state colleges and universities, that it can take LSU more than seven months to complete investigations into Title IX complaints. While Manuel said 222 days was an outlier, LSUs average length of investigation is still longer than its peers, generally between 60 and 90 days.

According to the University of Louisiana System, investigations take between 45 and 60 days on average at its nine universities. The Southern University System reported a 60-day average, and Louisiana Community and Technical College System investigations take between 60 and 90 days. An administrator for LCTCS explained their investigations take longer than its peers because they primarily serve a nontraditional student population.

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Borderline unacceptable

When he took the top job in 2022, Manuel had no prior experience working in higher education and his hiring raised red flags from the start for some critics. Before coming to LSU, Manuel was a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) executive at Entergy, an electric utility company. He held a similar role with the Edison Electric Institute, an organization for investor-owned utility companies. Manuel worked with a Baton Rouge law firm for 14 years before moving to the utilities industry.

Todd Manuel. (LSU photo)

I found Manuel to be borderline unacceptable, one administrator who took part in Manuels interview wrote on a feedback form. The forms, a standard part of the hiring process for any administrator, were obtained through a public records request. This feedback process is almost always anonymous to encourage honesty.

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He lacks any experience working in higher education and lacks fundamental understanding of how higher education institutions operate, another staff member wrote. He is grossly unqualified for the position.

Another staff member wrote that his lack of experience in Title IX is worrisome as to how he will be able to understand the support that is needed for that office.

State Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, led the legislative fight for Title IX reform at Louisiana colleges after the USA Today report. When she met Manuel shortly after his hiring, she thought he was a nice enough man, but his lack of experience with Title IX was a concern, she said in an interview.

I didnt get the feeling that this was his crusade, and we really need somebody who sees this as their crusade, Mizell said. Because, my God, thats the only way youre gonna have to really, I hate to say, shake the tiger loose, but youre gonna really have to shake it loose to fix it.

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Mizell said LSU made her aware of a complaint that had been filed against the university from within the Title IX office, but said university officials declined to share details. An employee interviewed for this report confirmed she filed a formal grievance with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that details what she described as a toxic workplace environment. She shared a copy of the complaint with the Illuminator and Tiger Rag.

Throughout my employment I have been experiencing discrimination based on my disability, the employee wrote to the EEOC. [My supervisor] is responsible for creating a hostile work environment that is ongoing.

Manuel did not respond to an interview request. After the Illuminator and Tiger Rag asked for the interview, LSU spokesman Todd Woodward said in an email that Manuel directed him to reach out and solicit questions. Woodward declined to answer most of the questions submitted to him for this report.

Woodward said Manuel has successfully staffed his office.

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He is now up to 54 confidential advisors and is fully staffed as defined by both Husch Blackwell and Baker Tilly, Woodward said, referring to the two law firms LSU hired to guide its Title IX reforms.

A confidential supporter or adviser is a faculty or staff member who receives additional training to support someone who has experienced sexual misconduct. They can help students and employees with the Title IX process or with identifying resources without being required to report any allegations.

Woodward said Manuel has also expanded Title IX outreach and increased student and employee completion of power-based violence training.

The toxicity of the office, youve got two or three in that office that kind of stick together. And then you've got everybody else who's  the receivers of the wrath of whatever they want to come up with.

 Anne LaHaye, former LSU employee

However, six employees within the Division of Engagement, Civil Rights and Title IX, which usually has around 20 employees, have left their position soon after taking a job in the division since Manuel took over, according to university records.

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One of those employees identified the toxic environment as the reason for her departure.

As a result of this position, my mental and emotional health has rapidly declined, and my experience in this department at LSU has been anything but enjoyable, the employee wrote in her resignation letter.

Productivity suffers in toxic workplace

LSU is required to compile data on how it handles Title IX complaints and how many are found to be valid. Publicly available reports show most hit a dead end after complainants dont respond when the university reaches out to them.

Some current and former employees in LSUs Title IX office said the work environment hurts the ability to investigate abuse, assist complainants and take corrective action.

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LaHaye, who went to work for LSU after more than 20 years as an FBI investigator, left the Title IX office after less than a year. Among the procedural policies she questioned was a prohibition against talking to other investigators about her work.

Other former and current employees from the division described emotional abuse at work. They asked for their names to be withheld, fearing possible retribution from LSU.

The toxicity of the office, youve got two or three in that office that kind of stick together, LaHaye said. And then youve got everybody else whos  the receivers of the wrath of whatever they want to come up with.

At the root is a lack of leadership, LaHaye said, pointing to Manuel and her direct supervisor, Arlette Henderson, who she described as a dictator. Henderson, who is currently on unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, confirmed that shes absent from work to the Illuminator and Tiger Rag but declined to speak further, citing a fear of retaliation.

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LaHaye said the workplace was experiencing some of the same behavior the office is tasked with preventing on campus.

Its not healthy. Its a toxic environment, LaHaye said.

Umbrella approach in question

An expert on how universities crack down on sexual assault and harassment on campus says an oversight system like the one LSU has in place is prone to interoffice turmoil and letting transgressions go unpunished.

Nicole Bedera is a Minnesota-based sociologist, author and sexual assault prevention and response consultant. More than a decade of her work has focused on college campuses and the LGBTQ community.

Have an LSU news tip? Email phutchinson@lailluminator.com

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Her research into Title IX enforcement at the college level has given her insight into how various schools handle allegations of gender- and power-based violence as well as discrimination complaints. However, LSU has not been a subject of her research.

When universities place their Title IX, civil rights and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices under the same roof, toxic environments are not unusual, Bedera said she discovered in her research. Bederas book, On the Wrong Side, details the internal actions of college Title IX offices.

You end up with a lot of behavior in these types of umbrella offices that doesnt match up with the legal responsibilities that are placed on the school by the law or the federal government, Bedera said. The other issue is that once you have [a] hostile environment within these offices, that hostility [can] grind absolutely all work in the office to a halt.



If employees dont feel safe and comfortable within an office that deals with such difficult topics, the work doesnt get done, Bedera said, adding that having one office that handles a broad variety of complaints often means employees in that office have nowhere else to turn if they experience the misconduct they are supposed to investigate..

The larger these offices are, the greater the likelihood of abuse, and the greater the likelihood that once they have this sort of umbrella approach, theres no one else to go to, Bedera said.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
HONG KONG, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- In a global economy beleaguered by alarming anti-globalization sentiment, rising protectionism and unilateralism, openness and cooperation are of vital significance and in dire need of fresh vitality.

In the year 2024, China has consistently endeavored to foster broader space for cooperation in Asia-Pacific, ensuring that the region remains a driving force for economic globalization.

CONNECTIVITY

Connecting towns, cities and countries with improved roads, railways and ports has long been a focus of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region have witnessed the tremendous changes brought about by upgraded transport infrastructure on people's livelihood.

In Indonesia, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, a landmark project as Southeast Asia's first high-speed rail built in cooperation with China, has transported a total of 5.79 million passengers since it was officially put into commercial operation on Oct. 17, 2023.

Affectionately called "Whoosh" for its remarkable speed, the rail has inspired profound changes in the towns and cities along the route. Businesses are thriving with more people coming to enjoy the ease of traveling between the country's two major cities at a speed of 350 km per hour.

Another transformative infrastructure project, the China-Laos Railway, linking Kunming of Southwest China's Yunnan Province and the Laotian capital of Vientiane, has significantly enhanced regional connectivity.

Three years into its operation, more goods, especially machinery, electronics and farm products, are moving across the border, thanks to a significant reduction of time and cost for freight transportation through the rail. "The railway connects Laos more directly with China, which is one of the world's largest consumer markets," Somsavanh, a fruit vendor in Vientiane, told Xinhua.

Chen Yunya, from a Chinese travel agency, said the railway has built a bridge of cultural exchange between China and neighboring countries. "An increasing number of travelers from Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, and Laos are taking the China-Laos Railway into China to visit Xishuangbanna," Chen noted, referring to a tourist spot in China's Yunnan Province.

As part of its efforts to facilitate global exchanges and mobility, and reaffirm its commitment to greater openness as the world's second-largest economy, China has expanded its unilateral visa-free arrangement to include more countries in 2024, including Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan in the Asia-Pacific region.

Meanwhile, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore have agreed with China respectively to waive travel visa requirements for each other's citizens, welcoming a travel boom driven by Chinese tourists in the Southeast Asian countries.

INNOVATION

Over the past decade, China has made strides in technology development, ranking 11th on the Global Innovation Index in 2024, and remains the only middle-income economy in the top 30.

As it reaches out to cultivate an open and innovative ecosystem in the region, China is contributing to the shaping of a green and digital Asia-Pacific, creating new engines for economic growth for the coming decades.

In Thailand, a key automotive production hub in Southeast Asia, Chinese carmaker BYD's factory was completed and began production in July, with an annual capacity of about 150,000 vehicles.

From exporting complete vehicles to building local factories, China's electric vehicle (EV) makers are venturing further, benefiting the local automotive industry and consumers while reducing carbon emissions and facilitating the energy transition.

China's leadership in the EV market not only fosters production collaboration between Thai automotive companies and Chinese manufacturers but also accelerates the growth of supply chain industries such as batteries and charging stations, supporting Thailand in building a full-fledged EV ecosystem, said Rachanida Nitipathanapirak, vice president of the Strategic Department at the Thailand Automotive Institute.

The Binh Duong factory in Vietnam was TCL's first completely self-built overseas factory and one of the largest digital production bases established by a Chinese TV brand in Southeast Asia. Following a "Made in Vietnam" strategy, TCL has invested over 100 million U.S. dollars in Vietnam, creating more than 10,000 jobs for the locals.

"As we gradually release production capacity, many of our domestic supply chain partners have followed us to Vietnam," said Xu Linjun, general manager of the Vietnam Base of TCL's Pan-Smart Screen BU Manufacturing Center. "Currently, nearly half of our raw materials are sourced locally, and in the future, we plan to build a comprehensive support center to establish a complete supply chain, creating a more robust upstream and downstream industrial chain."

TCL's founder and chairman, Li Dongsheng, emphasized the need to deepen the supply chain, saying, "We cannot just be a local assembling factory."

He believes the globalization of Chinese enterprises should shift from exporting products only to co-building industrial capabilities with local partners. That goal is to be achieved "by deeply rooting in the local economy and contributing to local development," Li said.

INCLUSIVE GROWTH

"This place was once barren, with nothing but dust blowing around all day," said 57-year-old Muhammad Iqbal, referring to a vibrant forest just a few yards away from the bustling Gwadar Port in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province.

"One day, a Chinese manager from China Overseas Port Holding Company told me that they were going to transform this land into a forest, and that is how it all began."

With joint efforts from both sides, more than 4,000 trees have been planted in the friendship forest in Gwadar. The once-empty plot has now blossomed into a lush sanctuary, providing beautiful scenery and fresh air to the people of Gwadar.

As a key component of the Chinese Ambassador's Green Employment Plan Project, the forest has also helped promote local employment and increased farmers' income in Gwadar.

Allah Buksh, another forester in the forest, said the trees and shrubs planted in the forest have provided a large amount of feed for the sheep farm. "Chinese staff has also taught local farmers techniques such as cuttings, grafting, scientific weeding, and fertilization to increase crop yields," he added.

Stepping up support for developing economies and disadvantaged groups to allow more economies and people to benefit from development has been China's vision for starting a new era of Asia-Pacific development.

Seruwaia Waiti Kabukabu, a 48-year-old Fijian woman, recalled clearly that she earned 2,500 Fijian dollars (around 1,120 dollars) from the first batch of mushrooms she grew, and bought appliances, mats, a cooking pot, food, and clothes for her family.

Sharing her story of learning mushroom farming through a decade-old China-aided technical project in the island country, Kabukabu said she was proud of being able to support her family by growing mushrooms and embracing the concept of sustainable development.

"We never thought this encounter would provide so many new opportunities for me and the women's group," said Kabukabu, who was a member of the Naitasiri Women in Dairy Group and now is chairwoman of the Fiji Mushroom Farmers Association. "It has changed the lives and careers of me and other women and made our dreams come true." 
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a busy sidewalk in Midtown Manhattan, was escorted into a New York courtroom Monday where he pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges.

The hearing marked Mangiones first opportunity to formally address the accusations brought by the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.

The 26-year-old faces 11 counts in New York, including one of murder in the first degree and two of murder in the second degree, along with other weapon and forgery charges, according to the indictment.

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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office confirmed to CNN it is coordinating with federal authorities for Mangiones arraignment on the state charges.

Prosecutors said they would do everything possible to expedite the discovery process, sharing information with the defense.

I have never seen a case with such volume of evidence, aside from the issue of the quality of the evidence, prosecutor Joel Seidemann said during the hearing. This is not a usual case in terms of the thousands of hours of video.

Luigi Mangione listens to his attorneys during a court hearing on the state charges against him. - Curtis Means/Pool/Getty Images

Mangiones attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, expressed concerns during the hearing about her clients ability to obtain a fair trial, specifically citing Mayor Eric Adams presence last week among the dozens of heavily armed law enforcement officials as he was extradited to Lower Manhattan from Pennsylvania.

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Hes a young man and hes being treated like a human pingpong ball by two warring jurisdictions here, she said. Theyre treating him like a human spectacle.

Judge Gregory Carro told Agnifilo her clients trial will be fair, adding we will carefully select a jury. The next court date has been set for February 21.

Mangione appeared calm following the hearing as officers escorted him slowly down a long hallway in shackles. He was dressed in khakis and a maroon sweater with a white collared shirt underneath.

Members of the public  including two dozen women and six men  filled four rows of the courtroom to watch the hearing unfold. Meanwhile, outside the courthouse, protesters rallied in support of Maginone. The crowd waived posters that read people over profit and chanted health care is a human right.

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Mangione has been made into something of a macabre folk hero online after Thompsons murder exposed deep anger and resentment toward the US health care system and insurers like UnitedHealthcare.

The public was captivated by the weeklong manhunt for Thompsons alleged killer which ended earlier this month when a customer and a worker at a Pennsylvania McDonalds reported Mangione to the police.

Protestors hold signs outside of Manhattan Criminal Court on December 23, 2024 in New York City. - Adam Gray/Getty Images

A federal criminal complaint was unsealed on Thursday, in which Mangione was charged with murder through use of a firearm, two stalking charges and a firearms offense.

He could face the death penalty if found guilty of the federal murder charge, while the state charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors have not indicated whether they will seek the death penalty, and the decision would ultimately need to be approved by the US Attorney General.

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He also faces charges in Pennsylvania in connection to the 3D-printed firearm and false ID allegedly in his possession when he was arrested. Now, the state and federal trials will work in parallel, according to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office and the state trial will come before his federal trial, prosecutors said.

The push for federal charges came from the US Attorneys office, multiple law enforcement sources told CNN. Because the FBI was already involved in the investigation assisting the NYPD with out-of-town leads, FBI agents were asked to draw up the federal complaint based on evidence collected by NYPD detectives working on the state charges and police in Pennsylvania who arrested Mangione.

Federal prosecutors say they have jurisdiction in the case because Mangiones travel in interstate commerce  taking a bus from Atlanta to New York prior to the killing  as well as use of interstate facilities by allegedly using a cell phone and the internet to plan and carry out the stalking, shooting, and killing of Thompson in broad daylight on a Manhattan sidewalk.

Mangiones notebook helped federal prosecutors build their case

Mangione was arrested on December 9 at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania, managing to evade capture for days after Thompson was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan as he walked toward the hotel hosting the companys annual investor conference.

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Police found a black 3D-printed pistol with a loaded Glock magazine and a black silencer, also 3D-printed, in his backpack, according to the criminal complaint. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters Mangione was found with a gun and a suppressor both consistent with the weapon used in the murder, referring to a device designed to muffle the sound of a firearm.

The gun taken from Mangione upon arrest matches three shell casings found at the crime scene and marked with deny, defend and depose  words similar to those used to criticize insurance industry practices  top NYPD officials said last week. Mangiones fingerprints match those on items he was captured on surveillance video buying shortly before the homicide and found after it nearby, the police commissioner added.

Mangione was also found with fake IDs and a three-page claim  which indicated no specific threats but only ill will towards corporate America, according to the New York City Police Departments chief detective.

Investigators believe Mangione, a former high school valedictorian and Ivy League graduate born into a well-to-do family, appeared to be driven by anger against the health insurance industry and corporate greed, according to a NYPD intelligence report obtained by CNN.

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The intelligence report said Mangione appeared to view the targeted killing of the companys highest-ranking representative as a symbolic takedown.

The killing unleashed what some observers describe as Americans pent-up anger and frustration with the nations health insurance industry.

Writings laid bare in a notebook found in Mangiones possession, authorities said, helped investigators build the federal case against him, a well-planned homicide involving stalking the movements of his alleged victim.

An entry dated August 15, reads: the details are finally coming together, according to the federal complaint unsealed Thursday. Im glad  in a way  that Ive procrastinated, Mangione allegedly wrote, saying it gave him time to learn more about the company he was targeting, whose name was redacted by prosecutors.

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The target is insurance because it checks every box, the notebook read, according to the complaint, which said the notebook also contained several handwritten pages that express hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.

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NEW YORK  The man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a busy Manhattan street was scheduled for arraignment Monday on state murder charges just days after a dramatic return to the city to face federal counts in the case.

New York state prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione, 26, with one count of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, two counts of second-degree murder, including a count of murder in the second degree as an act of terrorism, and several weapons charges related to the Dec. 4 shooting. If convicted of the state charges he could face life in prison without parole.

The federal charges announced Thursday, however, mean Mangione could receive the death sentence if found guilty of murder in federal court. Those charges, unsealed Thursday, include murder using a firearm, two counts of stalking and an additional firearms offense. A preliminary hearing on the federal charges was scheduled for Jan. 18.

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Mangione also faces weapons and related charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested at a McDonald's restaurant following a five-day manhunt. Mangione appeared in a Blair County courtroom Thursday, waived his right to an extradition hearing and was immediately swept back to New York via plane, helicopter and SUV for his federal arraignment hours later. He arrived to dozens of heavily armed officers, a swarm of media members and Mayor Eric Adams.

'The target is insurance': Shooting suspect Luigi Mangione's notebook shows plan, feds say

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson, arrives at a helicopter pad in New York after being extradited from Pennsylvania on Dec. 19, 2024.

Defense lawyer calls charges \'very confusing\'

Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said the federal charges were an attempt to "pile on top of an already overcharged" state case. She said she thought even state prosecutors were surprised by the move.

"Over three decades of prosecuting and defending criminal cases in New York, frankly, I've never seen anything like that what is happening here," Friedman Agnifilo said in court, also calling it "very confusing, highly unusual."

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Federal charges: Suspect faces federal murder, stalking charges

Prosecutors look for motive in killing

Entries in a handwritten notebook seized from Mangione when he was arrested reflected his "hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular," according to the federal criminal complaint. Mangione methodically planned the killing for months in an attempt to spark debate over insurance industry practices, federal prosecutors said in a statement.

Mangione has his supporters. Andrea Aye said she traveled from northern Ohio to the Pennsylvania courthouse for his hearing there.

"We feel his anger, his frustration," said "It has definitely woke people up. We hear him."

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Victim mourned: CEO Brian Thompson was a local farm boy

Brian Thompson remembered: \'A friend to all\'

Thompson, 50, was raised on a farm between the small town of Jewell, Iowa, and the smaller town of Stanhope and graduated from South Hamilton High School in 1993. He departed for the University of Iowa and began working for UnitedHealthcare in 2004. He ascended through the ranks to head the Minneapolis-based health insurance company, one of the largest in the nation and was named CEO in April 2021.

"He was one of the smartest kids, if not the smartest, and I would say the smartest person I've ever known," childhood friend Taylor Hill said. "He was probably smarter than half our teachers. And the thing with our teachers is they knew it, too."

He had multiple leadership positions at UnitedHealthcare over the years, having last held the title of chief executive officer of government programs, including overseeing the company's Medicare and retirement and community and state businesses.

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"Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him," UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of United Healthcare, said in a statement.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci and Judy Ellich

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luigi Mangione, charged with killing insurance CEO, in court today
In 2016, Luigi Mangione took to the stage to deliver his high school valedictorian speech.

The world needs thinkers, leaders, and doers, he told his classmates at the $40,000-a-year Gilman School in Baltimore. Lets be all three.

He received a standing ovation.

Now, less than a decade later, Mr Mangione has been charged as a suspect in the high-profile killing of a UnitedHealth executive in New York City  a brazen shooting that set off a tense five-day manhunt that culminated in his capture.

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He could now face the death penalty if he is found guilty after he was hit with a federal murder charge by New York prosecutors. The move is unusual because murder is normally charged at the state level.

It is yet unclear whether federal prosecutors intend to seek death penalty charges, and a decision on capital punishment would fall to the attorney general.

Luigi Mangione studied computer science at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most prestigious universities in America

Luigi Mangiones manifesto

The 26-year-old was eating in McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania, when a staff member recognised him and tipped off the authorities.

He was found with a three-page manifesto, a ghost gun  a homemade firearm  and a silencer. He also had his passport and the fake ID the suspect used to check in at a hostel on Manhattans Upper West Side.

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He had a mask on him which appeared to match the one used by the suspect. He was wearing clothing that matched the suspect. His manifesto showed he had ill will towards corporate America and is said to have listed grievances with the healthcare industry.

Luigi Mangione was carrying a weapon and multiple fraudulent IDs, say police - UNPIXS

What remains unclear is how Mr Mangiones life of privilege led him to be accused of the cold-eyed murder of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare.

Mr Mangione grew up in Maryland and comes from a prominent family whose businesses include a country club and nursing homes, it has been reported.

They also owned a conservative radio station, while a cousin, Nino Mangione, is an elected member of the Maryland House of Delegates.

The branch of McDonalds where Mr Mangione was arrested - CAMERON CROSTON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

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His familys business interests, as well as its charity work, make it a well-known name in Baltimore, according to The New York Times.

As a high-achieving mathematical talent with family connections, Mr Mangione appeared set to make his mark on the world.

In one social media post, he said he used to get bummed out in maths class because all the low-hanging fruit has been solved before I was born.

Fox News

He added he was now grateful for his 21st-century education and he would focus on issues including evolutionary psychology, primitive neuroscience, and information networks.

After becoming valedictorian, Mr Mangione went on to study computer science at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most prestigious universities in America.

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A friend at the school described him as being a super normal and smart person.

The university said a person named Luigi Mangione graduated in 2020 with a master of science in engineering, majoring in computer and information science.

Social Media | X/@CollinRugg

Stanford University also said a person by the same name was employed as a head counsellor under the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies programme between May and September of 2019.

Mr Mangione went on to work as a data engineer for TrueCar living in California and later Honolulu, Hawaii, according to his LinkedIn.

His online persona shows him as an outgoing young man. Hes seen posing shirtless on a beach, hanging out with friends and family, or kicking back in his sunglasses  often smiling broadly for the camera.

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But dig deeper, and his online activity paints another picture.

Mr Mangione is a high-achieving mathematical talent with family connections

Social media photos paint a picture of a happy and sociable man

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According to his Goodreads account, Mr Mangione was sympathetic towards Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, who he described as a mathematical prodigy.

In his review of Industrial Society and Its Future, also known as the Unabomber Manifesto, Mr Mangione wrote: Its easy to quickly and thoughtless[ly] write this off as the manifesto of a lunatic, in order to avoid facing some of the uncomfortable problems it identifies. But its simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out.

He was a violent individual  rightfully imprisoned  who maimed innocent people. While these actions tend to be characterised as those of a crazy Luddite, however, they are more accurately seen as those of an extreme political revolutionary.

Police in Pennsylvania had released images of Luigi Mangione appealing for information - PA State Police

Mr Mangione went on to share an online take he said was interesting, which read: When all other forms of communication fail, violence is necessary to survive. You may not like his methods, but to see things from his perspective, its not terrorism, its war and revolution.

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It went on to criticise fossil fuel companies, adding: They have zero qualms about burning down the planet for a buck, so why should we have any qualms about burning them down to survive?

Were animals just like everything else on this planet, except weve forgotten the law of the jungle and bend over for our overlords when any other animal would recognise the threat and fight to the death for their survival. Violence never solved anything is a statement uttered by cowards and predators.

Police in Pennsylvania had released images of Luigi Mangione appealing for information - PA State Police

Mr Mangiones social media accounts are filled with comments about the state of society and mental health.

In one post on X, formerly Twitter, he shared an analysis of the declining birth rate in Japan, criticising sex toys which he described as custom pornstar pocket p----- and maid cafes where lonely salarymen pay young girls to dress as anime characters and perform anime dances for them.

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Mr Mangione reposted comments about a book titled The Anxious Generation and the impact of seasonal and circadian rhythms on mental health.

Luigi Mangiones booking photo - HANDOUT

It has been reported that Mr Mangiones family owns businesses including a country club and nursing homes

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X posts from two years ago include critiques of artificial intelligence, reposts of commentaries against diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and remarks on how smartphones harm children and the damage caused by commercial agriculture.

A 2022 post discusses his senior high school speech on topics ranging from AI to human immortality. The posts seem to question some of the technology Mr Mangione appeared in awe of in high school.

A banner on Mr Mangiones X page, which says he lives in Honolulu, includes an X-ray image of what appears to be screws and plates inserted into someones lower back.

It is still unclear what led to the assassination of health insurance boss Brian Thompson

Grievances with the healthcare industry is one key line of inquiry on account of the victim of the shooting being a prominent health insurance executive.

But it is still unclear what set Mr Mangione on the path that led to his arrest.

The New York Times reports that he inexplicably stopped communicating with his friends and family six months ago. Friends, the publication reports, said he had been suffering from a painful back injury before going dark.

Those six months will likely form a key part of the investigation as police try and piece together a motive for his alleged crime.

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The attorney for Luigi Mangione, who has been accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, slammed New York City officials for what she referred to as a staged perp walk for her client last week.

Karen Friedman Agnifilo said during Mondays hearing, where Mangione pleaded not guilty to the state charges he is facing, that she is concerned about Mangiones ability to receive a fair trial. She said officials have been treating Mangione like he is a spectacle and political fodder.

He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk Ive ever seen in my career, Friedman Agnifilo said. It was absolutely unnecessary.

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Mangione was taken through a widely publicized perp walk on Thursday when he was brought from Pennsylvania to New York to face state and federal charges over Thompsons killing. He was taken into custody five days after Thompson was shot and killed following a manhunt that ended in Mangione being arrested at a McDonalds in Altoona, a town located in central Pennsylvania.

During the perp walk, Mangione was surrounded by heavily armed officers during a slow escort. It also featured New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), who said he attended the perp walk because he wanted to look Mangione in the eye and send a strong message.

Friedman Agnifilo said Mangione has been cooperative with law enforcement, waived extradition and had already been in custody for more than a week before the perp walk occurred.

There was no reason for the NYPD and everybody to have these big assault rifles that frankly I had no idea was in their arsenal and to have all of this press there, the media there, it was perfectly choreographed, she said. And what was the New York City mayor doing at this press conference? That just made it utterly political.

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The mayor should know more than anyone of the presumption of innocence that he too is afforded when dealing with his own issues, Friedman Agnifilo continued, referring to the charges Adams is facing in his corruption case, in which he has pleaded not guilty.

Kayla Altus, Adamss press secretary, said in a statement responding to the criticism that the mayors priority is public safety. She said the shooting has been sickeningly glorified online, and Adams has repeatedly spoken out about social media radicalizing young people.

Critics can say all they want, but showing up to support our law enforcement and sending the message to New Yorkers that violence and vitriol have no place in our city is who Mayor Eric Adams is to his core, Altus said.

If convicted on the state charges he faces, Mangione could receive up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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He is also facing federal charges in the case, including murder through use of a firearm. That could potentially put the death penalty on the table if he is convicted.

Updated: 3:12 p.m. ET

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Luigi Mangiones lawyer slammed Mayor Eric Adams during a hearing Monday, after the embattled New York politician made public statements about her client.

Im very concerned about my clients right to a fair trial in this case, said Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangiones lawyer. Hes being prejudiced by some statements that are being made by government officials.

Friedman Agnifilo said that her client was being used as political fodder when New York officials on Thursday made a theatrical show of transporting him from Pennsylvania to New York, where he will face state and federal charges.

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He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk Ive ever seen in my career, Friedman Agnilio said. It was absolutely unnecessary.

She argued that it was also illegal, given that a perp walk is unconstitutional if not used for a legitimate law enforcement objective, citing a Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruling, Lauro v. Charles.



Luigi's lawyer is explicitly calling out Eric Adams being at the perp walk. Incredible stuff. pic.twitter.com/01hIYairJ5  Read Abolish Rent (@JPHilllllll) December 23, 2024

Mangione was escorted away from a helicopter surrounded by a massive entourage of more than 15 people, including some heavily armed New York Police Department officers, and one special guest.

And what was the NYC mayor doing at this press conference? That just made it utterly political, Friedman Agnifilo said.

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted on federal corruption charges in October, inexplicably loomed behind Mangione.

There was absolutely no need for that whatsoever, and frankly, your Honor, the mayor should know more than anyone of the presumption of innocence that he too is afforded when he [is] dealing with his own issues, Friedman Agnifilo said. And frankly, I submit that he was just trying to detract from those issues by making a spectacle of Mr. Mangione.

In an interview with Pix11 News Thursday, a transcript of which Friedman Agnifilo read out for the record, Adams had explained why he wanted to be present for the stunt.

I wanted to send a strong message with the police commissioner that we are leading from the front, Adams said. Im not going to just allow him to come into our city. I wanted to look him in the eye and state that, You carried out this terrorist act in my city, the city that the people of New York love. And I wanted to be there to show the symbolism of that.

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Agnifilo pointed out that Adams was missing a crucial allegedly in there. Your Honor, hes not a symbol. He is somebody who is afforded the right to a fair trial, hes innocent until proven guilty.

Mangione pleaded not guilty to the murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Last week, Mangione was indicted on several charges, including murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism.
NEW YORK (AP)  Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state murder and other charges in the killing of United Healthcares CEO.
NEW YORK (AP)  The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty on Monday to murder and terror charges in a state case that will run parallel to his federal prosecution.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was shackled and seated in a Manhattan court when he leaned over to a microphone to enter his plea. He was formally charged last week by the Manhattan district attorney with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.

His initial appearance in New Yorks states trial court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting. The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole.

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Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

Bloomberg via Getty Images

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.

NEW YORK (AP)  The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare is expected to be arraigned in a Manhattan court Monday on murder and terror charges in a state case that will run parallel to his federal prosecution.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was formally charged last week by the Manhattan district attorney with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism. His initial appearance in New York State Supreme Court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting.

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The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges are life in prison without parole. Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

Authorities say Mangione gunned down Brian Thompson as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan on the morning of Dec 4.

Mangione was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonalds after a five-day search, carrying a gun that matched the one used in the shooting and a fake ID, police said. He also was carrying a notebook expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and especially wealthy executives, according to federal prosecutors.

At a news conference announcing the state charges last Tuesday, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said the application of the terrorism law reflected the severity of a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.

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In its most basic terms, this was a killing that was intended to evoke terror, he added. And weve seen that reaction.

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, an attorney for Mangione, has accused federal and state prosecutors of advancing conflicting legal theories. In federal court last week, she called their approach very confusing and highly unusual.

Mangione is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean Diddy Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.

Mangione was extradited from Pennsylvania on Thursday and quickly rushed to New York City, where he was seen wearing an orange jumpsuit as he was led away from a helicopter by heavily armed police officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

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Adams said he was hoping to send a message to the suspect: I wanted to look him in the eye and say you carried out this terroristic act in my city  the city that the people of New York love, the mayor told a local TV station. I wanted to be there to show the symbolism of that.

An Ivy-league graduate from a prominent Maryland family, Mangione appeared to have cut himself off from family and friends in recent months. He posted frequently in online forums about his struggles with back pain. He was never a UnitedHealthcare client, according to the insurer.

Thompson, a married father of two high-schoolers, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.

The killing has prompted some to voice their resentment at U.S. health insurers, with Mangione serving as a stand-in for frustrations over coverage denials and hefty medical bills. It also has sent shockwaves through the corporate world, rattling executives who say they have received a spike in threats.This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges Monday.

Mangione, 26, replied "not guilty" as he was presented the 11 charges in connection with the shooting, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.

If convicted of the state charges, Mangione faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Manhattan District Attorney's office said he has been working with federal authorities to make the arraignment happen even though a time has not been set.

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Prosecutor Joel Saidman said the Manhattan district attorney's office will try the case before Mangione faces federal charges as it has "primary jurisdiction" in the case.

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, an attorney for Mangione, said she was concerned the spectacle surrounding her client's case, including New York Mayor Eric Adams joining law enforcement that ushered Mangione along during his extradition could harm his ability to receive a fair trial.

If convicted of the state charges, Luigi Mangione faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Pool Photo by Curtis Means/UPI

"He's a young man and he's being treated like a human ping pong ball by two warring jurisdictions here," Agnifilo said. "They're treating him like a human spectacle."

Mangione could face the death penalty from the federal murder charge but it would have to be signed off on by the attorney general. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York did not indicate last week if he will seek the death penalty.

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, an attorney for Mangione, said she was concerned the spectacle surrounding her client's case could harm his ability to receive a fair trial. Pool Photo by Curtis Means/UPI

"This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said last week. "It occurred in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike, commuters and business people just starting out on their day."
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleaded not guilty Monday to state murder and terror charges in New York City.

Mangione, 26, is accused of fatally shooting Thompson in midtown Manhattan on the morning of Dec. 4. Mangione was indicted by a New York grand jury on 11 counts last week, including three counts of murder, two of which brand the shooting as an act of terrorism.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a news conference last week that the attack was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.

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In a New York courtroom Monday, Mangiones attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, expressed concern over her clients ability to obtain a fair trial. She pointed to Mangiones public perp walks  including the massive law enforcement escort for him after he waived extradition and arrived in New York on Thursday  and bristled at his treatment by state and federal prosecutors.

Hes a young man, and hes being treated like a human pingpong ball by two warring jurisdictions here, she said in court. Theyre treating him like a human spectacle.

Mangione was expected to be arraigned in state court upon his arrival to New York, but he was instead taken to federal court to face charges  including murder and stalking  that U.S. prosecutors unsealed that same day.

Mangione could face the death penalty if convicted on the federal charges. The maximum sentence on the New York state charges is life in prison without parole.

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Mangione also faces two felony and three misdemeanor charges in Pennsylvania. His attorney there, Thomas Dickey, has said Mangione will plead not guilty to those charges as well.

Mangione will remain in federal custody for now. His next court date in the New York state case is scheduled for Feb. 21.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
TOKYO, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Japan's weather agency on Monday urged people to exercise caution as heavy snow is forecast to hit mainly northern to western areas along the Sea of Japan through Tuesday.

In the six hours through 6 a.m. local time on Monday, snowfall reached about 20 cm in Hirakawa City in Aomori Prefecture, Minamiaizu Town in Fukushima Prefecture, and Minakami Town in Gunma Prefecture, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

In the 24 hours through Tuesday morning, up to 60 cm of snowfall is forecast in the Hokuriku region and 50 cm in Hokkaido and the Tohoku and Kanto-Koshin regions, due to a powerful winter pressure pattern, the JMA said.

Weather officials urged people primarily in northern through western regions along the Sea of Japan to be vigilant against avalanches and snow accumulation on electric wires and trees. 
Luigi Mangione arriving in Manhattan Criminal court for his arraignment on state murder and terror charges on Dec. 23, 2024. - Credit: AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges tied to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, The New York Times reports.

Mangione appeared in Manhattan court Monday, Dec. 23, to enter his pleas to the 11 charges against him, including first-degree murder as an act of terrorism. Hes also facing two second-degree murder charges, as well as several weapons charges. If convicted, he could face life in prison without parole

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During the hearing, Mangiones lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, raised concerns over her clients treatment and right to a fair trial. His rights are being violated, she said. Hes a young man, and he is being treated like a human ping pong ball.

Agnifilo specifically took issue with Mangiones perp walk last week after his extradition to New York from Pennsylvania, with Mayor Eric Adams also making an appearance. Agnifilo called the scene unnecessary and utterly political and questioned Adams appearance, especially since he faces a federal indictment of his own.

What was the New York City mayor doing at this press conference, she asked, adding that Adams should know more than anyone about the presumption of innocence.

Outside the courtroom, per reports, a handful of spectators gathered, including some supporting Mangione and protesting the American health care system. One sign read, United States Healthcare Stole My Livelihood; another said, Murder for Profit is Terrorism; and another read, Deny, Defend, Depose  an obvious allusion to the words written on the shell casings of the bullets that killed Thompson.

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Along with the state case against him, Mangione is facing federal murder and stalking charges. He appeared in Manhattan federal court last week, where he pleaded not guilty to those charges as well. Mangiones state case is expected to go to trial before the federal one.

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Eric Adams, the New York mayor, has made a spectacle out of Luigi Mangione to distract from his own legal woes, the murder suspects lawyer has claimed.

Mr Mangione pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges on Monday after allegedly shooting dead Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, in Manhattan earlier in December 2024.

He was extradited to New York last week and brought to a courthouse in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, accompanied by armed guards and Mr Adams.

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The mayor, a former police captain who came to office pledging to clean up crime, later told an interviewer: I wanted to look him in the eye and say you carried out this terroristic act in my city  the city that the people of New York love.

At the hearing at Manhattan criminal court, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mr Mangiones lawyer, accused Mr Adams of using the perfectly choreographed, utterly political scene to distract from his own corruption charges, and cast doubt on whether her client would receive a fair trial.

Luigi Mangione appeared in court on Monday - Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

She said: [Mr Mangione] was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk [where a suspect is taken by police through a public area] Ive ever seen in my career. What was the mayor doing at this press conference? she said.

The mayor should know more than anyone about the presumption of innocence that he, too, is afforded when he is dealing with his own issues. And frankly, I submit that he was just trying to detract from those issues by making a spectacle of Mr Mangione.

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Mr Adams has been charged with bribery and fraud in a federal corruption investigation, accused of accepting illegal gifts from Turkish nationals and a government official in return for political favours. He denies the charges.

Gregory Carro, the presiding judge, said he was unable to control what happened outside court but vowed that Mr Mangione would receive a fair trial.

Mr Mangione entered the court under heavy guard. He was dressed in a red jumper over a white shirt for the short hearing.

He pleaded not guilty to 11 state charges including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and two counts of second-degree murder, one of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism.

Federal prosecutors have brought a separate case against the 26-year-old which could see him face the face the death penalty if convicted of using a firearm to commit murder and interstate stalking resulting in death.

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However, Joel Sideman, a prosecutor with the Manhattan district attorneys office, said New York had primary jurisdiction over the case and would try it before the federal prosecution.

Mr Mangiones family, who live in Baltimore, did not appear to be present in the courtroom.

About two dozen women queuing for the public seats said they were there to support the murder suspect and were visibly emotional when he walked in, according to ABC News. Several of them wore face masks.

This is a grave injustice, and thats why people are here, one of the women, who said she arrived at the courthouse at 5am, told the broadcaster.

Demonstrators gathered outside the court in Manhattan on Monday - Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

Last week, Ms Friedman Agnifilo suggested that the terror charges brought by New York conflicted with the claims of federal prosecutors. The state charges accusing him of seeking to intimidate or coerce a civilian population  a precondition for a terror offence in New York  while the federal charges focus on crimes against an individual, she said.

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Alvin Bragg, the New York district attorney, has previously said Mr Mangiones intent was to sow terror.

When arrested, Mr Mangione was carrying a handwritten letter that called health insurance companies parasitic and complained about corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by the Associated Press.

Ammunition found near of Mr Thompson was inscribed with the words delay, deny and depose, mimicking a phrase used by critics of the health insurance industry.

The other charges against Mr Mangione include four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree.

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Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Monday to New York state charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as his defense complained about police parading him in perp walks that are perfectly choreographed, utterly political.

Mangione wore a white shirt under a maroon sweater and light-colored pants in his arraignment before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro. Supreme Court is the top trial court in New York.

Manhattan prosecutors last week unsealed an 11-count indictment charging Mangione with a host of crimes connected to the Dec. 4 slaying.

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The allegations include first-degree murder, an act of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon and forgery by using a fake ID in the days before the murder.

Mangione pleaded not guilty to all charges during the short hearing, at which he conferred with defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo and prison consultant Craig Rothfeld, who works with defendants on confinement issues.

Mangione appeared to be fully engaged with his attorneys as they signed papers pertaining to his current federal incarceration at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Supreme Court in New York on Monday.

Carro ordered Mangione to remain in custody, in lieu of $1 symbolic bail. Mangione is being held in federal custody without bail and has no realistic chance of freedom until trial.

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Friedman Agnifilo said she is worried about the high publicity that she accused law enforcement of stoking by presenting Mangione in public during trips to courtrooms and police stations.

I am very concerned about my clients right to a fair trial, she said.

Friedman Agnifilo blamed the "perp walks" on Mayor Eric Adams, calling the public parades "absolutely unnecessary" and "perfectly choreographed, utterly political."

The mayor should know more than anyone about the presumption of innocence, she said of Adams, a former New York police captain who is accused of federal corruption charges.

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When Mangione waived extradition from Pennsylvania last week, he was quickly moved to New York City, arriving by plane and then helicopter on his way to face federal charges.

Heavily armed police met Mangione when he stepped off the helicopter, and his walk to a nearby van was in clear view of TV news cameras, making for an unusually high-profile transfer.

The judge said he has little power to control what happens outside his courtroom.

A representative of Adams didn't directly answer Friedman Agnifilo's allegations of showboating Mangione's arrest  but he said no one should be glorifying the suspect.

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"The cold-blooded assassination of Brian Thompson  a father of two  and the terror it infused on the streets of New York City for days has since been sickeningly glorified, shining a spotlight on the darkest corners of the internet," spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus said in a statement.

"Mayor Adams priority is  and always has been  public safety, and he has repeatedly spoken about how social media is fueling the radicalization of our youth," she said. "Critics can say all they want, but showing up to support our law enforcement and sending the message to New Yorkers that violence and vitriol have no place in our city is who Mayor Eric Adams is to his core."

Mangione's next New York City court date was set for Feb. 21.

Mangione, 26, was arrested at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a five-day search in the wake of Thompson's slaying.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
NEW YORK (NewsNation)  The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare is set to be arraigned Monday in a New York City court on state murder and terror charges.

The Manhattan district attorney formally charged Luigi Mangione last week with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.

His initial appearance in the New York State Supreme Court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting.

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Whats next for the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcares CEO?

The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole. Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

The district attorneys office told NewsNation that its working with federal authorities to coordinate Mondays arraignment, but has not yet confirmed a specified time for Mangiones court appearance.

CEO killing intended to evoke terror: DA Alvin Bragg

Mangione is accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan on Dec 4.

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He was arrested in Pennsylvania after a five-day search and was extradited to New York City on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg announced Mangione is now being indicted on one count of first-degree murder in the furtherance of terrorism, arguing the killing was intended to evoke terror.

Mangiones defense questions fed charges

Meanwhile, Mangiones defense team appears taken aback by the federal charges, which were introduced late last week.

Federal investigators argue Mangione meticulously planned the murder, alleging the 26-year-old expressed hostility toward the insurance industry and wealthy executives.

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Karen Friedman Agnifilo, an attorney for Mangione, has accused federal and state prosecutors of advancing conflicting legal theories. In federal court last week, she called their approach very confusing and highly unusual.



Prosecutors have said both cases will be worked on simultaneously, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.

Mangione is set to return to court next month for the federal charges, which could carry the death penalty.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Luigi Mangione's lawyer said her client's criminal case was being politicized.

She criticized NYC Mayor Eric Adams' presence at Mangione's perp walk from a Manhattan helipad.

Mangione pleaded not guilty to both state and federal murder charges.

A lawyer representing Luigi Mangione said law enforcement was politicizing her client's arrest and prosecution, pointing to Mayor Eric Adams of New York City's attendance at Mangione's first perp walk in the state.

"Frankly, your honor, the mayor should know more than anyone of the presumption of innocence," the attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said at a Monday-morning hearing.

Mangione pleaded not guilty at the proceeding, which took place in the courtroom of Justice Gregory Carro of the New York Supreme Court, a trial judge in Manhattan's state-level criminal court.

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He was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following a five-day hunt for the person who killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk. At Monday's hearing, the Ivy League graduate looked polished, wearing a maroon sweater over a white collared shirt. His wrists were bound with heavy shackles as he walked into the courtroom.

Mayor Eric Adams of New York City on the helipad for Mangione's New York arrival. XNY/Star Max/GC Images

Adams, alongside Commissioner Jessica Tisch of the New York Police Department, stood for dramatic photos at the Manhattan helipad where Mangione was flown in on Thursday.

A large group of police officers walked Mangione from the helicopter, making for images that went viral on social media.

"I wanted to look him in the eye to say that, 'You carried out this terrorist act in my city, the city that the people of New York love,' and I wanted to be there to show the symbolism of that," Adams later said.

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A grand jury has indicted Adams on federal corruption charges alleging he took bribes from the Turkish government. He's pleaded not guilty.

"Frankly, I submit that he was trying to detract from those issues by making a spectacle of Mr. Mangione," Friedman Agnifilo said at Monday's hearing, according to the Courthouse News reporter Erik Uebelacker.

Mangione previously appeared in Manhattan federal court Thursday afternoon on charges brought by the US Justice Department. He has been in federal custody in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.

The Manhattan district attorney's office accused Mangione of first-degree murder "in furtherance of terrorism."

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Federal prosecutors brought additional murder charges that, if Mangione is convicted, are death-penalty-eligible.

The district attorney's case will go to trial first, the Justice Department announced. A trial date has not yet been set.

Read the original article on Business Insider
LYON COUNTY (KSNT)  The Lyon County Sheriffs Office (LCSO) is warning residents of a scammer impersonating one of its sergeants.

The LCSO shared on social media on Dec. 23 that a person is calling residents and claiming to be Sergeant Zach Shafer. The scammer is calling people and telling them they need to call back due to a legal matter.

While we do have a Zach Shafer employed by the Sheriffs Office, these specific calls are an attempt at a scam, the sheriffs office wrote on social media.

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Kansas audit questions alternative fuel tax credit

The sheriffs office reminded residents that it will never contact you over the phone for warrants or to pay for legal matters. The sheriffs office will also never ask for gift cards or cryptocurrency.

For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

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A lot of people flying out of Logan Airport this weekend had to reschedule their flights after Fridays snowstorm.

Im very upset, I hope I can go today, said Rosa Dasilva.

The Dasilvas are trying to get to Colorado to see their children and grandchildren for Christmas, but their flight was canceled on Saturday.

Jet Blue stated there was no pilots, because of the storm, the snowstorm, but mind you the ground was clear, said Dalton Dasilva.

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And its not just me, it was a lot of people almost 3 hours in the line for everyone and some people not going to get there before Christmas, they offered me to go there on Christmas Eve, said Rosa Dasilva.

So they decided to book a whole new flight to get out on Sunday.

Now we ended up purchasing another ticket for today and we paid $2,700, almost $2,800 rather just one way so I can get together with my sons, said Dalton Dasilva.

Massport says Fridays storm brought more snow than expected, causing lots of delays and cancellations.

A spokesperson says on Friday, 188 flights were canceled at Logan Airport on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

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Maddi Gonte was on one of those delayed flights to Michigan.

It kept getting delayed and then we boarded around 11:30 PM or 12 AM and then it stayed at the gate for another hour and a half, said Gonte.

They needed to de-ice for an hour and a half, and you would hope that somehow they could do that beforehand or coordinate better, but weathers weather, its those mechanical things I think thats frustrating for people, said Michael Pogoda.

Flights were running more smoothly on Sunday while the airport was still packed.

Many travelers hoping to just make it to their destination before Christmas.

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I feel like its a stereotype of the holidays that this is kind of what happens, said Pogoda.

MASSPORT says anyone traveling this holiday season should be patient and always check with your airlines for any delays or changes to your flight.

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(Bloomberg) -- President Emmanuel Macron appointed Eric Lombard as Frances finance minister, tapping an experienced finance professional as part of a new cabinet that also returned two former prime ministers to government.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Lombard, who currently heads the Caisse des Depots Group  a two-century old financial institution that answers to parliament  is tasked with urgently repairing the countrys finances after the collapse of the previous administration in a battle over next years budget.

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The incoming minister will be a key part of French premier Francois Bayrous new government that will aim to quickly pass a 2025 budget and survive any no-confidence motions tabled by the opposition.

Finding support for the legislation will be difficult in the National Assembly, where Macrons lawmakers are in the minority and opposition forces have shown little desire for compromise.

France has been in political turmoil since June, when Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called elections. The ballot returned a lower house split among three feuding blocs: the leftist New Popular Front alliance, Marine Le Pens far-right party and centrists that largely support the president.

The previous government fell over a budget dispute after the French far right and left joined forces to topple Michel Barniers government.

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Still, Macron reappointed several of Barniers team, including Bruno Retailleau as interior minister and Jean-Noel Barrot for foreign affairs. The president also brought in two former prime ministers with Elisabeth Borne returning with the education portfolio and Manuel Valls as minister for overseas territories.

Frances finances are in disarray after Marine Le Pens nationalist lawmakers joined with leftists and greens in the National Assembly to oust Bayrous predecessor, leaving the country without a budget. From January, the state will be reliant on emergency legislation promulgated on Saturday and decrees that permit only vital spending and unchanged taxation.

Frances political and budget difficulties have sparked selloffs in the countrys debt in recent months, driving up the countrys borrowing costs compared to European peers. Bayrou has said he aims to finalize the budget by mid-February.

This situation is exceptional and grave, its numerous effects will be visible and tangible in every sector in France, outgoing Finance and Economy Minister Antoine Armand told a committee of lawmakers.

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To deliver on any new investment or spending pledges, Lombard must quickly navigate a fractured National Assembly without a majority of lawmakers backing the government. That proved too much for Barnier when opposition parties balked at 60 billion ($62.9 billion) of tax increases and spending cuts he proposed in a stringent plan to rein in the runaway deficit.

Bayrou said on Thursday he aims to deliver a new full-year budget by mid-February after consultations with different groups on how they consider the state should be financed. He will lay out his policy agenda in a speech to the National Assembly Jan. 14 after a first meeting of the new cabinet Jan. 3.

Lombard has been chief executive of the Caisse des Depots Group since 2017 and was re-appointed by Macron for a second five year mandate in early 2023. The institution is designed to serve public interests, combining asset management, financing of social housing and management of the states strategic holdings.

Lombard, 66, has spent most of his career in the financial sector, with stints at BNP Paribas and Generali France. In the early 1990s, he briefly served as an advisor to Socialist Finance Minister Michel Sapin, who himself returned to the same post during Francois Hollandes presidency 2012 to 2017.

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Lombard has argued that Frances fundamental economic challenges stem from too-high real interest rates that favor the wealthy and make it hard to reduce inequality and finance the climate transition.

We are pleased that income inequality is better managed in France than elsewhere, but wealth inequality is abyssal, he said at an economics conference in Aix en Provence in July.

Bayrou is counting on Lombards credentials in helping get the 2025 budget over the line.

Hes someone whos had a very long career in business, insurance and banking, and is respected, I think, by everyone, the premier said in an interview on BFMTV late Monday.

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Success for Lombard will depend for a large part on Bayrous political agility in ensuring some opponents at least agree not to censure the government. The 73-year-old premier, who has cordial relations with both the center-left, the right and even Le Pens far-right, has said he aims for reconciliation.

So far, the Bayrous efforts have done little to assure French voters. According to a poll by Ifop for Le Journal du Dimanche, 66% are unhappy with the new premier  the worst performance on record for a prime minister.

After Bayrous nomination, Le Pen and some members of the NPF said they would not censure the government outright, so long a there are changes in policy.

Initial reactions from opposition figures however point to potential trouble for the French premier.

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Shortly after the new cabinet announcement National Rally President Jordan Bardella tweeted on X that Bayrou had put together a coalition of failure.

Senior members of the left were also unimpressed by Bayrous cabinet, with Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure saying on X that the new team is a provocation. Ecologist party leader Marine Tondelier said the outcome is imbalanced with too much influence given to the right.

The same causes will have the same effects and Bayrou is following the same path as Barnier and its unlikely he doesnt share the same destiny, she said on BFM TV.

Lombard will have little to give by way of concessions on the budget given the scale of the challenge to reduce a deficit that has swollen to around 6.1% of economic output this year instead of narrowing to the 4.4% initially targeted.

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Barniers plan aimed to bring the gap to 5%, an unusually sharp reduction by historical standards for France.

Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on Thursday that to remain credible France must still deliver a significant improvement that brings the deficit closer to 5% next year than 6%.

We are at risk of gradually sinking as little by little we lose weight in Europe and the world and we lose our margin for maneuver, he said on France 5 television.

--With assistance from Benoit Berthelot.

(Adds details on cabinet appointments starting 2nd and 6th paragraph)

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Less than a week after winning a second term, Donald Trump published an odd item to his social media platform. The president-elect realized that Democrats might continue to confirm judicial nominees during the lame-duck session after the election, but he wanted the world to know that as far he was concerned, this would be NOT ACCEPTABLE.

Evidently, the Senates outgoing Democratic majority didnt much care. NBC News reported:

The Democratic-led Senate confirmed the 235th federal judge nominated by President Joe Biden, marking a milestone for the outgoing occupant of the White House by giving him one more than former President Donald Trump secured. The latest confirmation Friday could be Bidens last, meaning he will leave office having secured one Supreme Court justice, 45 appeals court judges, 187 district court judges and two judges on the U.S. Court of International Trade.

The majority has now confirmed more judges under President Biden than any majority has confirmed in decades. This is historic, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer declared Friday night. The New York Democrat, who spent four years prioritizing this issue, added, We have confirmed more judges than under the Trump administration, more judges than any administration in this century, more judges than any administration going back decades.

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The boast was rooted in fact: The record for the most judicial appointments in a single four-year term was set by Jimmy Carter, who had 262 judges confirmed to the federal bench before his defeat in 1980. Trump came close, with 234, but Biden and his partys narrow, four-year majority in the Senate ended up confirming 235 judges.

In addition to the raw numeric totals, Democratic leaders took pride in the ways in which these nominees have changed  and will continue to change  the face of the federal judiciary. Of the 235 confirmations, for example, 150 were women and 139 were people of color.

Whats more, Schumers office confirmed that the Democratic-led Senate confirmed more Black judges, more Hispanic judges, more women of color and more openly LGBTQ+ people than any other presidents full time in office.

The breakthroughs also included the first Black woman confirmed to the Supreme Court, the first Muslim Americans on the federal bench, the first open lesbian to serve on any federal circuit court, the first Navajo federal judge ever confirmed, and the first Native Hawaiian woman ever confirmed.

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This took a sustained, four-year effort. Just 10 days after Bidens inauguration, NBC News reported that the new White House team and Senate Democrats were embarking on a mission to shape the courts after Republicans overhauled them in the last four years.

Nearly four years later, its fair to describe the mission as a success.

At this point, I know what some of you are probably thinking. Sure, Steve, Democratic celebrations about this are understandable, but wont Donald Trump and the Republican-led Senate simply add another 230 or so judges of their own?

The answer, interestingly enough, is no. In fact, The Washington Post reported last month noting, Even some Republicans acknowledge Trump probably wont be able to confirm as many judges in his second term.

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Ive studied the data and, realistically, that 108 number that we had in 2017 is probably pretty close to the number of nominations President Trump will be able to make over the entirety of his term if the Republicans keep the Senate in the 2026 midterms, Robert Luther III, who worked on judicial nominations as an associate counsel in the White House Counsels Office during Trumps first term, told a Federalist Society conference [in mid-November]. Maybe a few more, maybe 120 in total.

Its a detail to keep in mind as Biden, Schumer and their allies take a victory lap of sorts on one of the partys top priorities.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's corruption investigative body said Monday that impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol defied its second request to appear for questioning over his martial law imposition.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said in a short notice that both the presidential office and residence had yet to receive the second request by mail and e-mail to appear on Dec. 25 for questioning, which was sent on Dec. 20.

Yoon reportedly had yet to submit documents for the appointment of his defense counsel.

The joint investigation unit, composed of the CIO, the police and the defense ministry's investigation headquarters, will allegedly review whether to send the third request for questioning or seek an arrest warrant.

Yoon said in a televised address on Dec. 12 that he would not avoid his legal and political responsibility for the martial law that was declared by Yoon on the night of Dec. 3 but was revoked by the National Assembly hours later.

The impeachment motion against Yoon was passed in the National Assembly on Dec. 14 and was delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate it for up to 180 days, during which Yoon's presidential power will be suspended. 
The House Ethics Committee first launched a probe into then-Rep. Matt Gaetz more than three years ago, and the panels members publicly acknowledged the severity of the allegations surrounding the Florida Republican. It was an open question, however, whether the public would ever see the findings of the investigation.

Gaetz was unsubtle in his efforts to keep the information under wraps. Last month, for example, Gaetz quickly resigned from Congress, prompting speculation that he was walking away in hopes of short-circuiting the ethics process. Soon after, House Republicans rejected a Democratic effort to bring the findings to light, at which point the Floridian probably breathed a sigh of relief.

If so, it was premature. NBC News reported last week that members of the House Ethics Committee had voted to publicly release their report on Gaetz. It represented a reversal from last month, when the same panel, divided evenly among Democrats and Republicans, deadlocked on whether to issue its findings.

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The Floridian tried and failed to get a restraining order to halt the release of the committees report, and soon after, the awaited document reached the public. My MSNBC colleagues Hayley Miller and Clarissa-Jan Lim reported:

The House Ethics Committee found that then-Rep. Matt Gaetz bought illegal drugs, paid multiple women for sex and had sex with a 17-year-old while he was serving in Congress, according to a final draft of the committees report released Monday. The committee found substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress, the report says.

MSNBC has published the entirety of the 42-page document online, and it paints a rather brutal picture of a Republican who regularly paid women for sex during his tenure on Capitol Hill. The same report accuses Gaetz of using or possessing illegal drugs, including cocaine; accepting improper gifts; and helping a woman he was having sex with obtain an expedited passport.

In anticipation of this outcome, the Floridian, who has long denied any wrongdoing, issued a written statement last week, conceding that he probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have when he was younger, adding: In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated  even some I never dated but who asked.

He nevertheless insisted he never had sexual contact with minors and that the federal criminal investigation he faced had not led to any charges.

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So, what happens now? A few questions hang overhead.

1. Did Donald Trump not know about this or not care? In case anyone has forgotten, it was just last month when the president-elect announced his intention to nominate Gaetz to lead the Justice Department as the nations next attorney general. The result was a fiasco  Gaetz withdrew from consideration after just eight days  and evidence of a shambolic transition process.

But in light of the new allegations, Trumps decision is even tougher to defend: He chose Gaetz to serve as the nations chief law enforcement official, despite the House Ethics Committees investigation. Did the president-elect not know about the probe and the possibility of brutal findings, or did he simply not care?

2. Will Gaetz retaliate? As recently as last week, the former GOP congressman suggested in an online statement that he was prepared to take steps to expose every me too settlement paid by members of Congress. Its not yet clear how or whether Gaetz will follow through on this, or whether there are lawmakers who have reason to worry about such disclosures.

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3. Will the House Ethics Committees report derail Gaetzs future ambitions? The day before the panels findings reached the public, the Florida Republican, whos set to begin hosting a show on One America Now next month, spoke at a conservative event and said hes eyeing a bid for statewide office in 2026. Trump spoke at the same gathering and said that Gaetz still has a big career ahead of him.

In theory, given the scandalous allegations surrounding the former congressman, its difficult to imagine Gaetz launching a successful campaign for governor or senator. In practice, Florida shrugged off unrelated scandals surrounding Trump and Republican Sen. Rick Scott  across multiple election cycles  so it seems difficult to rule out the possibility.

4. Why did House Speaker Mike Johnson try to keep the ethics committees report from the public? While the ethics panel has traditionally operated independently, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters in mid-November that he would strongly request that the committee keep its findings under wraps. The Louisiana Republican added that he was concerned about setting a terrible precedent by releasing a report on a former member of Congress.

In reality, however, Congress has already released ethics reports about former members  in both the House and the Senate  prompting questions as to why the incumbent House speaker was so adamant about shielding Gaetz.

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Taken together, theres no reason to believe the release of the House Ethics Committees findings will necessarily end the larger controversy.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Todays installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

* Lara Trump, Donald Trumps daughter-in-law and a former Republican National Committee official, announced over the weekend that she no longer wants to be considered for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to soon choose a successor to Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, wholl be nominated to serve as the next secretary of state.

* Speaking of the Sunshine State, former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz appeared at a conservative event over the weekend and said hes eyeing a bid for statewide office in 2026.

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* In Minnesota, will Democrats lose their narrow majority in the state House because one legislator failed to meet the residency requirements for his district? Its a distinct possibility.

* After making massive investments on Republicans behalf in the 2024 election cycle, billionaire Elon Musk last week also announced plans to invest in Democratic primary candidates in upcoming races.

* In Arizona, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes recently suggested that he was considering a primary challenge to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, but he told The Washington Post that he will instead seek a second term in 2026.

* After two failed U.S. Senate campaigns  one in Massachusetts, the other in New Hampshire  former Republican Sen. Scott Brown is apparently eyeing a comeback bid. Is there another run? Yeah, I think so, he told WMUR last week. Im obviously looking at it.

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* And in Texas, Republican Rep. Chip Roy easily won another term last month, but Trump wants his next campaign to be far more difficult: After Roy defied the president-elects wishes last week, Trump called for the congressman to face a primary challenger in 2026, adding that Roy is just another ambitious guy, with no talent.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
If there were any doubts about Elon Musks political influence in the contemporary Republican Party, they were largely erased last week. After all, the worlds wealthiest individual managed to play a leading role in derailing a bipartisan spending bill negotiated by the GOPs own elected congressional leaders.

Whats more, as the process unfolded, Republicans made no secret of the fact that they were in frequent communication with Musk  keeping him in the loop and updating him on the granular details, as if he were the president-elect  despite the fact that hes heading up a powerless advisory panel that doesnt have any real, statutory authority.

But as odd as it was to see the process unfold this way as actual policymakers raced to prevent a government shutdown, the GOPs line on the controversial billionaire keeps getting stranger.

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On Friday night, for example, Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma appeared on CNN and boasted about Musk and Donald Trump working together as a team ahead of the shutdown deadline, as if the billionaire were somehow the vice president-elect.

Two days later, Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee also appeared on CNN and declared, in reference to the bipartisan spending bill that his party rejected a few days earlier, Thank God Elon Musk bought Twitter, because thats the only way wed even know whats in this bill.

Perhaps the senator shouldve thought this through a bit more. For one thing, Musk didnt help lawmakers know whats in this bill; he effectively did the opposite by peddling misinformation about the legislation that fell apart under scrutiny. Even Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana publicly conceded, Elon was saying things that frankly werent true.

Whats more, the idea that false tweets from a billionaire were the only way for senators to know what was in the legislation is belied by the fact that senators and their aides could simply read the bill. Indeed, Hagerty is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The idea that he, of all people, was dependent on bogus claims from Musk suggests that the Tennessean and his office werent doing their jobs especially well ahead of an important deadline.

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But around the same time as Hagertys appearance on CNNs State of the Union, another congressional Republican was going even further. NBC News reported:

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, on Sunday compared tech mogul Elon Musk to a prime minister, praising Musk for speaking out against an early version of a stopgap funding bill last week. Its kind of interesting, Gonzales said during an interview on CBS News Face the Nation. We have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker. It feels like as if Elon Musk is our prime minister.

In context, as a video clip of the comments makes clear, Gonzales comments were not a complaint. Rather, the Texas Republican made the observation as if it were a positive development. The congressman added that he spoke with Musk a couple of times last week, amid the unexpected Capitol Hill drama.

When CBS News Margaret Brennan reminded the lawmaker that Musk isnt an elected official, Gonzales, after suggesting that the billionaire is effectively our prime minister, went on to say that Musks voice is a reflection of the voice of the people.

So, a couple of things.

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First, while parliamentary systems around the world vary, prime ministers invariably need to win some kind of election before claiming power. Being pals with a president-elect isnt supposed to be enough to serve in a position of authority  in this country or any other.

Second, while Gonzales might see the worlds wealthiest individual as the voice of the people, theres compelling evidence to the contrary. In fact, the latest public opinion research suggests that the American people arent altogether comfortable with an unelected billionaire exerting governmental influence.

The more Republican officials shrug their shoulders in response to such evidence, the more they invite a backlash.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
As a rule, when it comes to Donald Trumps policy visions and governing plans, its unwise to look for consistency and core principles. The Republican tends to vacillate based on all sorts of things, including random television segments he happened to catch.

That said, the president-elect tends to have a reputation as a relative isolationist, skeptical of international alliances, partnerships and commitments, and generally reluctant to use U.S. power to shape developments abroad.

That reputation continues to be tested in new and unexpected ways.

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In the seven weeks since Election Day, for example, Trump and his team have reportedly taken an interest in deploying U.S. forces into Mexico and joked about annexing Canada. More recently, the president-elect appears to have taken a keen interest in the Panama Canal  its unclear why  publishing online items and making public comments about Panamanian control of the canal.

In fact, over the weekend, the Republican complained about Panamas shipping fees and said that without a change in policy, his administration will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States. The New York Times report on this added, He did not say how that would happen, given that the canal was returned to Panamanian control through a treaty signed by both countries.

And then, of course, theres Greenland.

In an item published to his social media platform, the president-elect announced his intention to nominate Ken Howery, the former U.S. ambassador to Sweden, to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Denmark. The statement probably wouldnt have generated many headlines, were it not for one related point Trump added in the online announcement:

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For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.

Yes, were apparently back to the whole lets buy Greenland thing again.

If this sounds at all familiar, its because this is the sequel to an odd story from Trumps first term.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in August 2019, and NBC News soon after confirmed, that the then-Republican president held multiple discussions about the prospects of the United States buying Greenland. Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff who became a fierce Trump critic, later told MSNBC that in 2018, the then-president even explored the possibility of swapping Greenland for Puerto Rico.

None of this sat well with Danish officials  Greenland is an autonomous Danish territory  who explained to the White House that Greenland is not actually for sale and the idea was absurd. Around the same time, officials in Greenland made clear they werent altogether pleased, either.

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True to form, Trump responded to the reactions with a predictable tantrum. As the New York Times reported several years ago, Mr. Trump, angered at the Danish response to his idea, abruptly canceled a diplomatic visit to Denmark. The then-U.S. leader soon after described Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, as nasty, sparking a minor international incident.

Within months of President Joe Biden taking office nearly four years ago, Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Greenland after attending a meeting of the Arctic Council in Iceland. The American diplomat said the trip reflected the Biden administrations intention to enhance its relationship with our Arctic partners, including Greenland.

Blinken added that, as far as the Biden administration was concerned, the United States was not interested in trying to purchase Greenland.

About a month from now, that will apparently change.

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Its not altogether clear why, exactly, Trump sees owning Greenland as an absolute necessity. It might have something to do with oil, or perhaps the president-elect has some other undisclosed motivation.

Regardless, the morning after the Republicans online statement reached the public, Trump confronted news he probably didnt want to see. Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom, the islands Prime Minister Mute Egede said in a written comment.

If recent history is any guide, Trump will probably ignore the statement. Watch this space.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)  For generations, rural residents in Northwest Louisiana have claimed that during the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 the Red River flowed backward, flooded Native American villages, and created at least one lake in the area. But is there proof to back up ArkLaTex folklore?

To find out, we must look at evidence from the early 1800s and explore the possibilities.

What was the New Madrid earthquake?

New Madrid (Nuevo Madrid) in modern-day Missouri was named after the capital of Spain and first settled by Spanish explorers in 1789. But after the Louisiana Purchase, the settlement became the property of the United States.

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It was two oclock in the morning on Dec. 16, 1811, less than a week before Christmas, and many homesteaders new to the frontier in the Louisiana Purchase were fast asleep in the new American frontier.

They were suddenly awakened, as if with the Trump of God; for the earth reeled to and fro like a drunken man. Our houses seemed to jump and skip; the cattle and the other beasts ran and roared; the birds on their roosts screamed and fell to the ground; the trees trembled, as with fear, clasping each other in the arms of their long branches as if trying to lean on each other for help, wrote Reverend William Stevenson, a circuit-riding Methodist minister who lived in Missouri during the quakes and later moved to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.

Why a circuit-rider preached with his fists in 1814 Louisiana

Stevensons account of the first New Madrid earthquake in 1811 shows how he perceived the first in a series of quakes that began in the wee hours on Dec. 16, 1811. The Methodist minister was near New Madrid for one of the most powerful earthquakes in U.S. history.

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Possibly as a result of the experience, Stevenson later moved southward and preached the first-known Protestant sermon in the state of Texas. He was also instrumental in establishing the Methodist faith in Arkansas and Louisiana.

But Stevensons is certainly not the only account of the devastating quakes in December 1811.

Missouri Gazette and Public Advertiser, St. Louis, Missouri, Sat., Dec. 21, 1811

The Charleston Daily Courier from South Carolina reported on Dec. 17, 1811, Yesterday morning four shocks of an Earthquake were felt in this city. The first, and most severe, occurred at five minutes before 3 oclock, and was a minute and a half in duration. It was preceded by a noise resembling the rattling of a carriage over a pavement. The air was calm and cold, and the atmosphere cloudy. The vibration was so great as to set the house-bells and the bell of St. Philips Church ringing, and the furniture in motion, some of which, in several houses, was thrown down. The pendulums of the house-clocks stopped, and in some houses, the glasses in the pictures which were hanging against the wall were broken. In many persons the motion produced nausea at the stomach.

The Charleston Daily Courier, Dec. 17, 1811

The Richmond Enquirer in Virginia had a similar report.

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A little after eight this morning, I thought I perceived signs of an earth-quake in every object about me. Still, I mistrusted the testimony of sensations so often illusive. Upon mentioning this to others, I hear that not only at the above time, but in the course of last night, similar symptoms of a general concussion have manifested themselves. If you think it worth while, enquire into this phenomenon, which, perhaps, you have yourself remarked. Yours very respectfully, L. H. G.

The Richmond Enquirer answered L. H. Gs inquiry with We understand that this phenomenon was witnessed by many people in the Citythat about 3 oclock in the morning there were three successive shocks; another about 6; and again about 8. Several persons were under a persuasion that thieves had broken into their houses; and in one of the most elevated houses of the city, the bells, both above and below, were set a-ringing.

But the earthquake experiences of people living in portions of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase were quite different than mild bell-ringing and suspicions of theivery.

Women and children, arising from sleep, fled to affrighted husbands and fathers for safety, while an awful sound of a subterranean thunder rumbled beneath the ground, seeming to warn the unbelievers that hell was moving from beneath to meet them at their coming, wrote Stevenson after the event. They cried aloud for God to have mercy on them Some ran, like the trembling jailer, falling on their knees crying out loud, Oh Father, pray for me.'

The Richmond Enquirer, Dec. 17, 1811, pp. 3

Stevenson explained that the next morning was awful, with aftershocks constantly striking. He described the solid ground running in waves, resembling those on the face of the lake, in time of high winds. It really appeared as if the ground must be split and torn asunder by the dreadful convulsions that passed one after another; but God was with us, and I felt assured that we had a building eternal in the heavens that could not be shaken.

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He then described how around New Madrid, the earthquake shocks tore the earth asunder raising lakes to dry land and timbered lands becoming wet and swamp lands

Several days later, The Pittsburgh Gazette in faraway Pennsylvania published the following, seemingly unaware of the destruction that occurred along the Mississippi River on the 16th of December: On Monday morning last, about three oclock, the citizens of this town were greatly alarmed by the shock of an Earthquake; a number of persons from the shaking of their houses, were so much alarmed as to jump out of bed. About 7 oclock the same morning, there was another shock, though not so violent as the first.

Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette, Dec. 20, 1811

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A Jan 20, 1812 article in the Louisiana State Gazette stated that men on a large barge on the Mississippi River, on the night of the 15th of December, felt the barge run aground, but found that they were still in water. The article explained that the river rose several feet, and the trees on the shore shook the banks in large columns tumbled in; hundreds of old trees that had lain perhaps half a century at the bottom of the river appeared on the surface of the water. They also described that birds began flying and the sky was covered with geese, ducks, and other birds. A nitrous and sulplhereous smell was in the air, according to the article.

The editor of the Missouri Gazette and Public Advertiser in St. Louis gave one of the most detailed newspaper account from the time:

As we were all wrapt in sleep, each tells his story in his own way, I will also related by simple tale. At the period above mentioned, I was roused from sleep by the clamor of windows, doors, and furniture in tremulous motion, with a distant rumbling noise, resembling a number of carriages passing over pavementin a few seconds the motion and subterraneous thunder increased more and more: believing the noise to proceed from the N. or N. W. and expecting the earth to be relieved by a volcanic eruptin, I went out of doors & looked for the dreadful phenomenon. The agitation had now reached its utmost violence, I entered the hose to snatch my family from its expected ruins, but before I could put my delign in execution, the shock had ceased, having lasted about one and three fourth minutes. The sky was obscured by a thick hazy fog, without a breath of air. Fahrenheit thermometers might have flood at this time at about 35 or 40 degrees. At forty-seven minutes past two, another shock was felt, without any resembling and much less violent that the first, it lasted near two minutes. At thirty four minutes past three, a third shock nearly as tremulous as the first, but without as much noise, it lasted about fifty seconds, and a slight trembling continued at intervals for some time after. A little after day light, a fourth shock was felt, but with less violence than any of the others, it lasted nearly one minute. About 8 oclock, a fifth shock was felt; this was almost as violent as the first, accompanied with the usual it lasted about half a minute At half past eleven, a slight shock was felt, and about the same hour on Tuesday a smart shock was feltseveral gentleman declare, they felt shocks at other intervals. No lives have been lost, nor has the houses sustained much injury, a few chimneys have been thrown down, and a few houses

Was the New Madrid earthquake of Dec. 16, 1811, felt in Northwest Louisiana?

Reverend William Stevenson died in the Arizona Community outside of Homer, Louisiana, in March of 1857. He was buried in Dyer Cemetery, but his account of the New Madrid quakes of 1811 is portrays the fear that early settlers felt. He described a revival that swept through the New Madrid region during 1811-1812 as the aftershocks continued.

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Photos: Historic rock chapel in northwest Louisiana built for monks in 1800s

At the time of the quakes, no known American settlers were living in what is now Northwest Louisiana. The region was known as the Great Swamp as a result of a log jam that fully occupied a massive stretch of the Red River. Water that could not pass beneath the log jam created, or at the very least raised water levels on, bayous connected to the Red River in NWLA. It has long been rumored that the log jam was formed by previous earthquakes, though such has never been confirmed.

Native Americans living in NWLA at the time did not have written language when the New Madrid earthquakes struck. That makes researching the effects of the New Madrid earthquakes of Dec. 16, 1811, very difficult.

But it is possible to look at early American settlements that surrounded NWLA and determine if they experienced quakes.

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On Dec. 19, 1811, The Philadelphia Aurora and General Advertiser published a story about an earthquake in Natchitoches, Louisiana, that was felt on Dec. 16, 1811:

On the 16th instant, about 2:00 AM we experienced a considerable shock of the earth, which excited great alarm, and was the cause of many ludicrous circumstances. We had two other shocks less severe, one about sunrise the same morning, and the other about noon the next day; the first shock agitated exceedingly, it vibrated from one side to the other near four feet in height, on each bank above its common level. We have not heard its extent, but suspect it was very partial, as it was not felt thirty miles above or below this post.

Louisiana State Gazette, New Orleans, Louisiana, Dec. 26, 1811, pp. 2

On Dec. 26, 1811, the Louisiana State Gazette in New Orleans, Louisiana, published the following: A letter from Fort Stoddert mentions that on the morning of the 16th inst. two shocks of an earthquake had been feltThis is precisely the time it was felt at Natchez. It is evident that our being an island and resting as it were on the water, prevented us from feeling part of the shock.

The above statements prove that the first New Madrid quake was felt in Natchez, Mississippi a settlement along the Mississippi River across from what is now Northeastern Louisiana.

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The Louisiana State Gazette recorded further confirmation of the New Madrid earthquake being felt in Natchez.

Louisiana State Gazette, New Orleans, Louisiana, Jan. 14, 1812

The earthquake that was felt at Natchez on the 6th of December has been severely felt above an below the mouth of the Ohiowe may expect detailed accounts of the damages soon. Travelers who have descended the river since, generally agree that a succession of shocks were felt for six days; that the river Missippi was much agitated, that it frequently rose 3 and 4 feet, and fell again immediately, and that whole islands and parts of islands in the river sunk.

The New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 were also felt in New Orleans. An article from The Louisiana State Gazette, New Orleans, printed on Oct. 8, 1812, describes the complete destruction of the citys Powder Mills in an explosion, stating There were three distinct shocks which succeeded each other at intervals of about one second and which shook the buildings in this city and neighborhood more violently than any of the late earthquakes

The first newspaper in Arkansas wasnt published until 1819 (The Arkansas Gazette), so no newspaper in the area could have described the New Madrid earthquakes. The first newspaper printed in Texas was not printed until May 1813, after the New Madrid earthquakes. And the first newspaper in Mississippi didnt begin publishing until 1839.

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It is impossible to find an account of the New Madrid earthquake(s) being felt in Shreveport. In 1817, years after the New Madrid earthquakes, James Coates built the first known American settlement (and Native American trading post) along the Red River. In the early 1800s, the settlement was known as Coates Bluff, but today, the location is known as Shreveport.

However, by understanding that the New Madrid earthquakes were felt in Natchitoches and New Orleans, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi, we can form an educated guess that the quakes were like in Northern Louisiana.

It was later determined that the New Madrid earthquakes centered around New Madrid in what is now Missouri. At the time, New Madrid was the largest settlement on the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri and Natchez, Mississippi.

Lost graves in abandoned Shreveport cemetery tell story of South Highlands

A report out of Natchez, Mississippi, on Dec. 18, 1812, stated that A pretty strong shock of an Earthquake was felt in this city, about two oclock on Monday morning last, a slighter one between day-light and sun-rise on the same morning, and another slight shock about noon on the next day, stated The American Republic, a newspaper in Frankfort, Kentuck, on Jan. 10, 1812. The probable distance from the producing cause of these shocks, gives room for entertaining, fearful and melancholy apprehensions that the effects, where they have been most severely felt, have been dreadful and desolating indeed.

It is believed that Native Americans were the only people living in NWLA during the earthquakes of 1811 and 1812.

The USGS projects a 28-46% chance there will be a New Madrid Zone quake that measures between 6.0 to 7.0 on the earthquake magnitude scale within the next 50 years. (Source: St. Charles County Missouri website)

The New Madrid earthquakes began in Dec. 1811 and stopped in Feb. 1812. They are believed to be some of the most intense earthquakes in American history. It is estimated that the historic quakes could have reached 7.7 on the earthquake magnitude scale.

The Lexington American Statesman printed the following on March 31, 1812: An account received at New York, says that a severe shock of an Earthquake was felt at New Orleans on 7th Feb.

There is also evidence that the quakes of 1811-1812 were not isolated. Studies have shown that large earthquakes likely occurred in the New Madrid zone around 2240 B.C., 1600 B.C., 900 A.D., and 1450 A.D. The U.S. Geological Survey has shown that prehistoric earthquakes caused severe and widespread ground failures in the New Madrid region.

The USGS has concluded that the geologic record and continuing seismic activity in the area shows compelling evidence that the New Madrid region has high earthquake hazard. The organization projects that there is a a 28-46% chance that in the next 50 years, the United States will experience a New Madrid Zone quake that rates between 6.0-7.0 on the earthquake magnitude scale. There is a 7-10% chance that a New Madrid Zone earthquake between 7.5  8.0 will occur in the next 50 years.

The New Madrid Fault Line, which slices through five states, is 150 miles long. The USGS states that Many structures in Memphis, Tenn., St. Louis, Mo., and other communities in the central Mississippi River Valley region are vulnerable and at risk from severe ground shaking.

The USGS has created a computer simulation for a modern-day 7.7 earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

A catastrophic New Madrid earthquake could have consequences that extend far beyond the NMSZ region.

Those curious about what caused the New Madrid Seizmic Zone earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 may enjoy reading Will Levandowski, Oliver Boyd, and Leonardo Ramirez-Guzmans 2016 paper Dense lower crust elevates long-term earthquake rates in the New Madrid seismic zone.

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A male pedestrian in his 60s was killed Friday night after being struck by a vehicle at 11 p.m. at the intersection of Makaha Valley and Kaulawaha roads.

Honolulu Emergency Medical Services attempted to revive the victim but his injuries were too severe and EMS assisted with the death pronouncement.

His identity was not immediately released.

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DENVER (KDVR)  A man accused of masturbating at several local coffee shops and previously facing 14 charges in the case pleaded guilty to three charges in September and was sentenced Friday to serve three years in prison.

According to the 8th Judicial District Attorneys Office, Stephen Masalta pleaded guilty in September to one count of attempted sexual assault on a child, a felony, and two counts of indecent exposure, which are misdemeanors.

Police: Man arrested for narcotics distribution, 2nd time within months

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He was sentenced to three years in the Department of Corrections, which will come after he serves a year in the Larimer County Jail.

Masalta was arrested in March after a series of masturbation incidents at local coffee shops, including an incident involving a juvenile. After his arrest, police began to review his digital devices and found videos of other criminal acts. According to police, in one such video, Masalta can be seen in a Safeway bakery contaminating multiple items of food with bodily fluid where he was employed. Detectives say they were able to locate and notify all impacted victims in the case.

The depravity of Mr. Masaltas actions cannot be understated. His actions were shocking and left a considerable mark on our community, said District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin in a release announcing the sentencing. Everyone who worked on this case, detectives, officers, victim advocates, and multiple members of our team, worked incredibly hard and I am grateful for their dedication. Ultimately, we worked creatively within the law to maximize the length we could ensure the public would be safe from Mr. Masalta.

Simply put, his actions were so horrific that our current law has not contemplated it, and I hope that we can work with the legislature to ensure crimes like this will be fully covered by the law in the future, McLaughlin concluded.

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Under the agreement, Masalta will be required to register as a sex offender in Colorado, have no contact with anyone under the age of 18, and will not be allowed to have unsupervised internet access.

This case had a great impact on the community as a whole and its unprecedented nature will leave a mark on the victims for years to come, the Judicial District said in a release. Unfortunately, this is a case where the resolution cannot fully encompass the depravity of Mr. Masaltas crimes.

Man dead after jumping on moving vehicle in Aurora

The office release stated that multiple misdemeanor counts cannot be run consecutively, and Masalta will also be serving the maximum for those misdemeanor charges, and the felony charge.

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I understand that this sentencing may not align with public expectation, and I share the view that this mans actions were unimaginable. Unfortunately, things dont always unfold the way we hope. Hearing about todays sentencing wont likely repair the trauma Masalta imposed on his victims, and I trust they are supported by family, friends, and resources available as they navigate the emotions that may arise, said Assistant Chief Kristy Volesky, who oversees the Criminal Investigation Division at Fort Collins Police Services, in a release.

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The suspect arrested for setting fire to a homeless woman, killing her inside an F train stopped at a Coney Island subway station, was charged Monday for her gruesome murder.

Sebastian Zapeta, a 33-year-old Guatemalan migrant who lives in Brooklyn, was charged with murder in the first and second degree and arson, officials said. He was nabbed Sunday afternoon at the 34th St.-Herald Square subway station in Manhattan by cops after three high school students saw him on a train and called 911.

The suspect appears to have only one transit summons on his record but was busted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection when he entered the country in 2018.

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The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe on our subways, and we will do everything in our power to ensure accountability in this case.

Disturbing video obtained by the Daily News shows the woman, whose identity has not yet been determined, standing near the door of a stopped subway car at the Coney-Island-Stillwell Ave. station just before 7:30 a.m. Sunday with her clothes ablaze  while a man sits on a bench on the platform a few feet away and casually watches her burn to death.

Police said the man in the video is the suspect, who stayed on the scene after setting the victim on fire with a lighter inside the subway car.

The woman and the suspect had taken the train to Coney Island and did not know each other, cops said.

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Officers who were on patrol on an upper level of that station smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate. What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Sunday afternoon press conference. With the help of an MTA employee and a fire extinguisher, the flames were put out. Unfortunately, it was too late, and the victim was pronounced [dead] on the scene.

Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform, just outside the train car, Tisch added.

Police body cameras captured crystal clear images of the suspect, which were then released to the public.

Zapeta eventually rode an F train into Manhattan, officials said. Three teenagers recognized him as the man from the photos as the train passed through York St. station in Brooklyn and called 911, enabling NYPD and transit officers to hold the train at 34th St. in Manhattan and arrest him, Tisch said.

Police found a lighter in Zapetas pocket that they think he may have used to start the fire.

With John Annese
A West Virginia man has been charged with two murders related to a fire he allegedly set in his home earlier this month.

Britney Brown, 34, and her mother, 57-year-old Erma Brown, were killed in a fire in a Wayne County, W. Va., home in a suspected arson on Dec. 15, the West Virginia State Police said in a statement.

Police did not name the victims, but they were identified in a GoFundMe by their family, as well as several news outlets including FOX 11, WSAZ and MetroNews.

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A 15-month-old child was briefly missing from the residence, but has since been found safe, per police, FOX 11 and WSAZ reported.

Police have arrested Joshua Russell Morrow, 42, in connection with the killings and arson, per their statement. A criminal complaint obtained by FOX 11 and WSAZ alleges the remains of Britney and Erma were found in Morrows home.

Both women appeared to have been stabbed multiple times, authorities said and the local medical examiners office confirmed, per FOX 11, WSAZ and MetroNews.

West Virginia State Police Joshua Russell Morrow Joshua Russell Morrow

Morrow could be seen on security footage entering the residence on the evening of Dec. 15, and leaving a short time later, per the complaint, FOX 11 reported. Soon thereafter, the house appeared to have a glow of light around it, indicative of the increasing intensity of the structure fire, the complaint stated.

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About an hour later, Morrow allegedly dropped the 15-month-old child, whom he shared with Britney, at a residence in Hamlin, about 30 minutes from the location of the killings, per the complaint; he allegedly asked the residents to take care of the child.

The childs disappearance sparked an Amber Alert, but she was located the next day in Hamlin, FOX 11 and WSAZ reported.

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A GoFundMe set up by Britneys brother claims Morrow was her fiance. The family is seeking help covering cremation and funeral costs, as well as a trust fund for Britney's two daughters.

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Morrow is charged with two counts of first and second degree murder and one count of first-degree arson, per court records reviewed by PEOPLE. He is being held on $500,000 bond; plea and attorney information were not available in court records.

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.



Read the original article on People
SUVA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- With the expected increase in traffic in light of the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations, the Fijian police are intensifying efforts to ensure the safety of all road users during the festive season.

Emphasizing the critical need for heightened vigilance, Fijian Police Chief of Operations Livai Driu said the public will experience more checkpoints.

He added that the measures are vital for reducing road accidents, which have killed 63 people this year.

Driu stressed that the police are not only focusing on traffic management but are also increasing their visibility in communities across the country.

He urged drivers to drive safely, obey traffic laws, and prioritize the safety of passengers. 
CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS)  A Huntington man was arrested for First-Degree Murder and First-Degree Arson in Wayne County.

According to a press release, 42-year-old Joshua Russell Morrow, of Huntington, was arrested at around 2:00 a.m. on Friday, December 20, 2024 for two counts of First-Degree Murder and one count of First-Degree Arson.

Officials reveal connection between Amber Alert and fatal Wayne County fire

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Members of the West Virginia State Police responded to part of Wayne County on Monday, December 16, 2024 to help the West Virginia State Fire Marshals Office with a fatal fire where two people died.

The press release stated that the Kenova and Ceredo Fire Departments responded to a structure fire earlier on Monday, December 16, 2024, where two victims were discovered after the fire was put out. The victims were taken to the Chief Medical Examiners Office in Charleston for an autopsy and identification.

On Tuesday, December 17, 2024, autopsies revealed that homicide was the victims, identified as 34-year-old Britney Brown and 57-year-old Erma Brown (Britneys mother) both of Huntington, cause of death.

Morrow, who was Britney Browns fiance, was identified as a suspect in the incident after an investigation.

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Michigan man sentenced for federal drug crime in West Virginia

Warrants were gathered for Morrows arrest on Thursday, December 19, 2024 after members of the West Virginia State Police and the West Virginia State Fire Marshals Offices investigation. Morrow was arrested by law enforcement at an apartment in Huntington on Friday, December 20, 2024 at around 2:00 a.m.

According to the press release, Morrow was taken to Western Regional Jail awaiting arraignment. The West Virginia State Police stated that the investigation is still active and ongoing at this time.

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OGDEN, Utah (ABC4)  A man was arrested after he allegedly fired a gun into an Ogden bar and struck a patron inside, according to documents.

Carlos Mendez, 40, was arrested on two counts of felony discharge of a firearm, one count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, and one count of property damage/destruction causing a loss of $1500 to $4999.

2 teens arrested for aggravated robbery of SLC convenience store

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According to an affidavit of probable cause, Mendez went into the bar around 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, sat at the bar, and stared at another man inside. After some time, Mendez left the building, and documents said he reportedly asked the bars staff to turn off the cameras.

Mendez stayed outside and looked through the front window of the bar before shots were fired, documents said.

A few minutes later, it is reported that a suspect opens the back door, and fires 2 rounds into the bar, striking the victim that [Mendez] is seen staring at in footage, the affidavit reads.

Documents said the suspect ran out of the back of the bar and broke through a wooden fence. Officials recovered two .22 shell casings at the scene, and said the suspect was described to be wearing the same clothing Mendez was seen wearing in the footage.

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Mendez was located at a gas station and was arrested just before 3 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21. He was booked into the Weber County Jail on the aforementioned charges.

Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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HARTSELLE, Ala. (WHNT)  The Hartselle Police Department says a man was arrested Sunday for shooting his wife.

According to HPD, Lt. Parker arrested Jerry Oneal Hutto, 75, of Hartselle, for first-degree domestic violence.

Albertville Police investigating body found in trailer park

Authorities said officers received a call about a shooting at 1623 Barkley Bridge Road. Police said Hutto left the scene before officers arrived.

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HPD said officers issued a BOLO and Hutto was caught by the Lawrence County Sheriffs Office and taken to the Morgan Country Jail.

Huttos bond was previously set at $200,000, but police say he is now being held without bond due to Aniahs Law.

Witnesses told authorities that Hutto shot his wife in the back. HPD said a family member may have prevented Hutto from firing another round by intervening.

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HPD said Huttos wife is receiving medical attention and there is no sign this is a life-threatening situation. Investigators were on the way to Huntsville Hospital to gather more details.

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Prosecutors on Sunday charged an Englewood man with beating a woman to death in the abandoned house where she and her teenage son were living earlier this month.

Antwon Chambers met Terryn Winters, 34, a few weeks before he allegedly killed her, Assistant States Attorney Eugene Wood said. Chambers, 32, had been living in an Englewood halfway house a few blocks from Winters and her son following a 12-year prison sentence for criminal sexual assault. State prison records show that he was paroled in March. Chambers is also listed on the Illinois State Polices registry of sex offenders.

Winters 14-year-old son, Daryn Stanton, had been the first to call for help on Dec. 8 when he couldnt find his mother in the vacant home where theyd been living on the 7000 block of South Normal Boulevard. Police found Winters dead in the houses attic the next day.

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On Sunday afternoon, Daryn sat wedged between his aunt and uncle with his hands in his lap as a prosecutor read out murder charges against Chambers during his first appearance at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.

As Wood spoke, Winters twin brother wrapped his arm around Daryn and rested a hand on his head in the back row of bond court.

Police found a pipe wrench next to Winters body and a gray hat and blood splatter in her bedroom, Wood said. Chambers appeared on surveillance footage from nearby buildings wearing the hat as he entered the house with Winters the morning of Dec. 8, and later leaving alone and without the hat.

Wood said police found Winters phone in a nearby alley two days after her death. The phone contained two pictures of her body, a $7 cash transfer from Winters to Chambers and Chambers contact information had been deleted, he said.

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Wood said Winters phone had been found with a purple case. On Thursday, the day police arrested Chambers, Daryn stared at his new phone, facedown on the table in his uncles Near South Side condo. Hed gotten a purple case to be like Winters, he said.

He was blunt about what he needed right then: My mom, he said. I feel like Im not really feeling my true scope of emotions, like Ive dissociated from them.

Winters was kind and always laughing, he said. She had a quick temper, especially if you acted pretentious, and loved multicolored hair and eyelashes and makeup. She usually wore a purple cross around her neck. She was a morning person. Daryn said they went almost everywhere together, though he was more of a homebody than she was.

He estimated they stayed in the abandoned house for about three months after Winters lost her job. They had to be careful about parts of the house crumbling, especially when it rained. Theyd wash up and charge their phones at friends houses, her son said.

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Winters had been pulling the materials together to apply for an apartment in Indiana, he said. He was eager to get out of there but hadnt been worried about their safety.

Winters older sister Tanika Jackson, who also attended the court hearing with her brother and his wife, had been concerned. Winters had always bumped heads with people, but Jackson, 45, was worried about the two of them riding out Chicagos winter in the abandoned building.

I begged her to come stay with us, she said. She said, No, Im OK. Were fine.

Jackson plans to take Daryn, whos in the middle of eighth grade and wants to be a veterinarian, to live with her in Moline. Daryn said that plan suited him.

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I dont want to be in Chicago anymore, he said. The bad memories suppress the good memories.

Judge Shauna Boliker on Sunday ordered Chambers held pending trial, citing the brutality of the circumstances and the short time between when Winters and Chambers met and her death. Chambers is next set to appear in court Tuesday.

Daryn put his hood up as he left bond court. He walked separately with his head bowed as his family talked quietly with a victim witness. His aunt reached over and put her arm around him. He kept his hood up.
A Cincinnati man is facing charges in Butler County for allegedly supplying the drugs that led to a womans overdose death earlier this year.

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Auqeith Byner, 41, was indicted earlier this month on involuntary manslaughter and corrupting another with drugs, according to Butler County Common Pleas Court documents.

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In March, family members of Sherry Geis, 36, found her unresponsive in her bed from an apparent overdose. First responders arrived at the scene and pronounced her deceased. Her cause of death was later confirmed to be an accidental drug overdose of fentanyl and cocaine.

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An investigation uncovered that a drug transaction happened at a United Dairy Farmers that was just around the corner from Geis home, according to the Fairfield Township Police Department.

During the investigation into her death, detectives identified Geis brother-in-law, Byner, as the person who sold her the drugs.

Byner is currently incarcerated in the Kenton County, Kentucky jail on unrelated drug charges. Once hes extradited back to Ohio, he will face the new charges in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

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Detectives arrested a suspect in a Rowan County murder early Monday morning at a motel in Statesville.

The Rowan County Sheriffs Office said Chadrick Dekeith Robinson has been charged with the murder of Elliott Rudolph Wilds.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Homicide investigation underway after shooting in Woodleaf

Deputies said Robinson, 38, shot and killed Wilds, 45, at a home on Hardy Lane Saturday afternoon.

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The scene unfolded just off Highway 801, in Woodleaf, police said. Woodleaf is about 10 miles northwest of Salisbury.

Police said Robinson shot Wilds multiple times.

Robinson is in the process of being taken back to Rowan County. Investigators have not said what led up to the murder.

Chadrick Dekeith Robinson

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

(VIDEO >> Its just crazy: Victims in Salisbury double-homicide shot at each other)
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  A man accused of shooting deer from his vehicle in a Hendersonville neighborhood while intoxicated was arrested by Sumner County deputies Sunday night, according to officials.

James Boyce, 46, was arrested in connection to the incident shortly after the first call to law enforcement was received.

Just after midnight on Sunday, a resident in the area of Curtis Crossing and Riverwood Drive called authorities to report that they heard shots fired nearby. A large gray pickup truck reportedly stopped the vehicle and fired gunshots before continuing to drive again, and had repeated this several times, according to the caller. The caller reported about five to six rounds in total were fired from the truck.

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Trailer stolen from Clarksville nonprofit that helps empower women

According to court documents, a deputy patrolling the area saw a truck matching the callers description facing horizontally in the roadway before turning onto Walton Ferry Road. The driver reportedly turned into a subdivision and almost struck a parked vehicle, prompting the deputy to carry out a traffic stop.

Boyce was seated in the drivers seat alongside a front-seat passenger. Court documents indicated a strong smell of intoxicants was present in the vehicle.

The men informed the deputy that there were weapons in the vehicle, including a handgun near Boyces knee in the center console. During a search, authorities found a 9mm Glock handgun, a .22 rifle and other weapons. The Sumner County Sheriffs Office shared photos from the arrest on social media.

(Courtesy: Sumner County Sheriffs Office) (Courtesy: Sumner County Sheriffs Office)

According to officials, Boyce was instructed to exit the vehicle, at which point he was discovered to have fresh blood on his shirt, pants, shoes and skin. Blood was also found on the back of the truck.

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Out of precaution, the deputy retrieved the handgun from the center console and discovered four used shell casings for a .22 rifle in the drivers side floorboard and one in the drivers side door, according to court documents.

The truck passenger reportedly told law enforcement that the men went duck hunting early that morning, which officials claim did not explain the wet blood found on Boyce during the traffic stop.

Officials said while speaking with Boyce, deputies reported that he had a strong odor of intoxicants on his breath, slurred speech and watery, bloodshot eyes. Additionally, he refused to partake in a field sobriety test. Boyce was placed under arrest for driving under the influence.

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According to reports, Boyce refused to consent to a blood draw and Sumner County officials were required to apply for a search warrant. The warrant was granted shortly after and the blood draw was completed by nursing staff at Sumner County Jail just after 3:15 a.m.

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Officers with the Hendersonville Police Department arrived at Boyces residence just after 3 a.m. and discovered three deer described as warm and freshly killed in court documents.

James Boyce (Courtesy: Sumner County Sheriffs Office)

Boyce faces multiple charges including reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, driving under the influence and possession of a handgun while under the influence.

Authorities reported that Boyce is a convicted felon previously charged with second-degree forgery in Alabama in 2005. Additionally, he has prior misdemeanor charges out of Alabama including reckless endangerment-assault.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) told News 2 that the agency is actively investigating this case with the SCSO. Additionally, the TWRA is looking at pending wildlife charges for anyone that could be involved with this case.

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The SCSO asked anyone with additional information about this incident to contact the Emergency Communications Center at 615-451-3838.

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NEW YORK (PIX11)  Police charged a man after a woman was lit on fire and burned to death on the subway in Brooklyn over the weekend.

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, was charged on Monday with murder in the first and second degree and arson, police said.

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The NYPD is still working to identify the victim. She was burned so severely that she will likely be identified through dental records, according to authorities.

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The gruesome attack happened on an F train near the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, police said.

A man lit the sleeping womans clothing on fire, according to the NYPD. The man then left the subway car when the train pulled into the station and sat on a platform bench nearby, watching the woman burn to death before leaving the station, according to authorities.

Investigators dont believe there were any verbal exchanges or interactions before the attack. The crime was caught on surveillance camera, according to the MTA.

After the NYPD released photos of the suspect, three high schoolers called 911 after spotting Zapeta-Calil on another F train at the York Street station in Brooklyn, police said. Officers stopped the train at Herald Square in Manhattan and took him into custody, according to authorities. He had a lighter in his pocket, police said.

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Authorities said Zapeta-Calil came to the U.S. from Guatemala in 2018. He lives in a shelter and has no known criminal record in New York, according to the NYPD.

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ICE spokesperson Marie Ferguson said immigration authorities deported Zapeta-Calil in 2018, but he reentered the country illegally again at an unknown date and location.

Lauren Cook is a digital journalist who has covered local news in the New York City area for over a decade. She has been with PIX11 since 2020. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter.

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DHAKA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi to send back the country's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka from India.

Bangladeshi interim government's foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain made the announcement here Monday, saying "We've sent a note (verbal diplomatic message) to the Indian government saying that the Bangladesh government wants her (Hasina) back here for judicial process."

Hossain shared the information hours after the country's home affairs adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that his ministry had sought the foreign ministry's support in this regard.

According to local media reports, Hasina fled to India on Aug. 5 after the collapse of her government.

Hasina resigned following nationwide anti-government protests. She immediately left Dhaka in a military helicopter and stayed in India since then. 
A man has been formally charged in connection to stabbing at a library in Northeast Ohio.

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Roy Lee Fennell, 44, of Lorain was indicted on charges of attempted murder, felonious assault, resister arrest, and tampering with evidence, according to CBS affiliate WOIO.

Lorain police were called to the library on Nov. 18.

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Officers said when they arrived, they found a 23-year-old man bleeding heavily from a stab wound and a library security officer restraining Fennell.

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The 23-year-old man had been stabbed once in the neck and is in stable condition, police told WOIO.

According to police, they believe the attack was unprovoked and no argument took place before the stabbing.

Police added it is believed Fennell was familiar with the victim, but the extent of their relationship is not known.

Police said Fennell does have a criminal history, but almost entirely of trespass and theft-related incidents.

We will continue to follow this story.

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Four Indiana men are under arrest in the death of a man missing for nearly two months whose decomposing body was found in a wooded area of New Jersey, authorities announced Sunday.

An investigation had been underway since hunters found the body of a man in an advanced state of decomposition on Dec. 14.

The Ocean County Prosecutors Office on Sunday identified the man as Kuldeep Kumar, 35, of India, and announced the arrests of four suspects. The victims relatives in Ozone Park, Queens, had reported him missing on Oct. 26, authorities said.

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Sourav Kumar, 23, Gaurav Singh, 27, Nirmal Singh, 30, and Gurdeep Singh, 22, all of Greenwood, Ind., were charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder, the prosecutors office said in a statement.

The Ocean County Medical Examiners Office said an examination of Kuldeep Kumars body determined his death was a homicide from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.

Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the NYPD, and the City of Greenwood Police Department in Indiana, worked with New Jersey authorities to determine the alleged killers acted together and in support of one another in carrying out the murder of Kuldeep Kumar, the prosecutors office said.

The suspects were arrested Friday and brought to Johnson County Jail in Franklin, Ind., pending extradition to New Jersey.

Authorities did not release information as to a motive or how the men knew each other.
ALBERTVILLE, Ala. (WHNT)  The Marshall County Coroner said the man who was found dead at a mobile home park in Albertville Sunday died due to a dog mauling.

At around 11:00 a.m. Sunday, the coroners office said it responded to the mobile home park located at 100 Greenwood Drive in Albertville and found 40-year-old Francisco Batz-Lux, of Albertville, dead outside.

Man arrested for shooting wife, Hartselle Police say

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According to the coroner, evidence on the scene along with trauma to Batz-Lux led investigators to reach out to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science for an autopsy to be performed.

The Marshall County Coroner said that based on the findings of the medical examiner and evidence on the scene, Luxs death was ruled accidental and it was determined he died as a result of a dog mauling.

The incident is still under investigation by the Albertville Police Department.

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A man has been sentenced in connection with the death of a woman that occurred while they were on a motorcycle the man was operating recklessly.

According to a press release from the Huntington Beach Police Department, officers responded to a fatal traffic collision on Pacific Coast Highway south of Wagner Avenue on Sept. 11, 2021, at 8:17 p.m.

Upon arriving, officers located a motorcycle that had collided with an SUV. The passenger on the motorcycle, 22-year-old Meghan Wautlet, died at the scene.

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The motorcycle driver, another 22-year-old named John Murray III, was found in the roadway with significant injuries but survived the crash.

The HBPD Major Accident Investigation Team responded and conducted an exhaustive investigation into the circumstances which concluded that Murray was at fault for the collision and had been performing dangerous stunts, riding recklessly and excessively speeding just prior to the impact, the press release said. Further investigation revealed that, in the seven months leading up to the crash, Murray had been arrested or cited at least five times for various traffic violations, including speeding and reckless driving.

19-year-old fatally shot near his Los Angeles home after dropping sister off at work, family says

He was also involved in three at-fault motorcycle accidents during the same time period, HBPD continued. Despite numerous warnings and advisements from law enforcement, family members and friends about the dangers of his reckless behavior, Murray continued to endanger both his life and the lives of others by recklessly operating his motorcycle on public roadways.

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As a result of the investigation, Murray was arrested in February 2022 and the Orange County District Attorneys Office subsequently filed murder charges.

After a three-week trial this month, Murray was found guilty of murder by a jury on Dec. 19. A judge immediately sentenced him to 15 years to life in prison.

This case was not typical and required extensive analysis and in-depth follow-up by our investigators to ensure the appropriate charges were filed, HBPD Chief Eric Parra stated. Reckless driving is a serious issueroadway deaths are fully preventable, and we enforce violations of the law related to these senseless deaths to the fullest extent allowable.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)  A Watertown man has been indicted on four charges in connection with an officer-involved shooting in the parking lot of the Yankton High School earlier this month.

Noem wants to cut $3M from $5M in tobacco prevention

Andrew Jondahl was indicted on two felony counts of Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, one misdemeanor count of Possession of a Firearm While Intoxicated and more.

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An investigation by the South Dakota DCI found that two Yankton Police Officers were justified in shooting Jondahl who demonstrated a clear and present danger to law enforcement and the public.

Jondahl received four non-life-threatening gunshot wounds and was hospitalized.

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A South Carolina man has been arrested and charged with murder after allegedly fatally shooting another man during an armed robbery outside of a motel in New Castle, Delaware.
TERREBONNE PARISH, La. (WGNO)  Troopers with the Louisiana State Police are investigating a crash that left a man dead in Terrebonne Parish on Sunday, Dec. 22.

The LSP reported the crash happened on Louisiana Highway 24 near Terminal Road around 9 a.m.

Will garbage be collected on Christmas Day in my Southeast Louisiana parish?

LSP officials said an initial investigation shows a 25-year-old was driving a Ford north on Louisiana Highway 24 while 35-year-old Yassir Parrales was driving a Nissan south.

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The Ford then reportedly crossed the centerline while entering a curve, hitting the Nissan head-on.

$40K Mega Millions lottery ticket sold in Lacombe

Parrales suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Ford was taken to a hospital with critical injuries.

LSP officials said the investigation is ongoing, and routine toxicology samples were collected.

Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.

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KUNIA, Hawaii (KHON2)  A motor vehicle crash in Kunia claimed Oahus 50th traffic fatality of 2024, leaving one male motorcyclist dead.

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The crash happened shortly before 9 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 22 when an unidentified driver, who was traveling southbound on Kunia Road, struck the motorcyclist.

Police asking for publics help in fatal hit and run in Makaha

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As a result of the collision, the motorcyclist veered off the road into the grassy shoulder before coming into contact with a telephone pole.

Honolulu Police said the unidentified driver failed to stop to render aid or provide information.

Paramedics arrived at the scene at 8:52 a.m. and pronounced the man dead at the scene.

HPD has launched an investigation. Anyone with any information should contact HPDs Traffic Division at (808) 723-3413.

Check out more news from around Hawaii

This is the 50th Traffic Fatality of 2024 as compared to 54 at the same time in 2023.

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Students and teachers attend a Chinese bike and school bag donation ceremony at the Balaing Khang Lech Primary School in Kampong Thom province, Cambodia, Dec. 23, 2024. Chinese charities on Monday donated 2,000 bicycles and 12,000 school bags from the Panda Pack project to primary schools in Cambodia. A ceremony under the theme "Hearts Connect along the Silk Road" was held at the Balaing Khang Lech Primary School in central Kampong Thom province's Stung Sen town. The bikes were donated by bike-sharing service provider Hello Inc. and shipped to Cambodia by the COSCO Shipping Charity Foundation. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)

KAMPONG THOM, Cambodia, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese charities on Monday donated 2,000 bicycles and 12,000 school bags from the Panda Pack project to primary schools in Cambodia.

A ceremony under the theme "Hearts Connect along the Silk Road" was held at the Balaing Khang Lech Primary School in central Kampong Thom province's Stung Sen town.

The bikes were donated by bike-sharing service provider Hello Inc. and shipped to Cambodia by the COSCO Shipping Charity Foundation.

In Cambodia, the China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD), through the Civil Society Alliance Forum (CSAF), handed out the bikes and bags to underprivileged students in 130 schools across nine provinces in the Southeast Asian country.

Speaking at the event, Kemreat Viseth, secretary of state at Cambodia's Council of Ministers, and also CSAF's chairman, praised Chinese charities for their contributions to supporting the educational sector in Cambodia's rural areas.

He said that since 2018, the CFRD has donated a total of 5,026 bicycles and 167,534 school bags to rural students in 22 Cambodian provinces.

"This mission has not only contributed to deepening the bond of friendship between the peoples of Cambodia and China, but also encouraged students to study hard," he said.

Im Vanny, deputy director of Kampong Thom Provincial Department of Education, Youth and Sports, expressed his sincere gratitude to the Chinese charities for donating the bicycles to primary schools in Cambodia, saying that they were crucial for poor students to ride to school.

CFRD's representative Zhang Shenyue said the organization was pleased to help rural students in Cambodia, hoping that the bikes and bags would motivate them to study hard for themselves, their families and the society.

"These bikes not only carry love and care, but also symbolize our pursuit of a better life and persistence in public welfare undertakings," said representative of Hello Inc. Zhang Rong. 

Students receive bikes donated by Chinese Hello Inc. at a primary school in Kampong Thom province, Cambodia on Dec. 23, 2024. Chinese charities on Monday donated 2,000 bicycles and 12,000 school bags from the Panda Pack project to primary schools in Cambodia.

A ceremony under the theme "Hearts Connect along the Silk Road" was held at the Balaing Khang Lech Primary School in central Kampong Thom province's Stung Sen town.

The bikes were donated by bike-sharing service provider Hello Inc. and shipped to Cambodia by the COSCO Shipping Charity Foundation. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Dec. 23, 2024 shows bikes donated by Chinese Hello Inc. at the Balaing Khang Lech Primary School in Kampong Thom province, Cambodia. Chinese charities on Monday donated 2,000 bicycles and 12,000 school bags from the Panda Pack project to primary schools in Cambodia.

A ceremony under the theme "Hearts Connect along the Silk Road" was held at the Balaing Khang Lech Primary School in central Kampong Thom province's Stung Sen town.

The bikes were donated by bike-sharing service provider Hello Inc. and shipped to Cambodia by the COSCO Shipping Charity Foundation. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)

A primary school student cleans her bike donated by Chinese Hello Inc. in Kampong Thom province, Cambodia on Dec. 23, 2024. Chinese charities on Monday donated 2,000 bicycles and 12,000 school bags from the Panda Pack project to primary schools in Cambodia.

A ceremony under the theme "Hearts Connect along the Silk Road" was held at the Balaing Khang Lech Primary School in central Kampong Thom province's Stung Sen town.

The bikes were donated by bike-sharing service provider Hello Inc. and shipped to Cambodia by the COSCO Shipping Charity Foundation. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)  A man has pled guilty to making multiple bomb threats, including one against a Cumberland County school in retaliation against a minor with whom he had an inappropriate online relationship.

The United States Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Nathaniel Sean Deleon, 20, of Tulare, California, pleaded guilty on December 18 to a two-count criminal information charging him with distributing child pornography and making a bomb threat hoax, in connection with a campaign of retaliation against the minor in 2023.

According to the Justice Department, Deleon met the then-16-year-old victim on the gaming platform Roblox and began an online relationship. After the relationship ended, the Justice Department says between June and November 2023 Deleon caused law enforcement in Cumberland County to respond to 23 swatting incidents.

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On November 30, Deleon identified himself as the minor to a suicide prevention worker and claimed to have placed a pipe bomb in classrooms and bathrooms at Big Spring High School while sitting outside with a shotgun.

The incident caused over 600 Big Spring High School students and staff to evacuate. No bombs were found and the building was cleared.

Deleon is also accused of distributing sexually explicit content on two occasions involving the minor victim.

The maximum penalty for the offenses is 25 years in prison. Deleon also agreed to pay restitution.

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A 67-year-old man who was arrested in the German port city of Bremerhaven after threatening to attack people at the city's Christmas market in a TikTok video has been released following a psychiatric examination.

A psychiatrist found that the man did not represent a danger to others, broadcaster Radio Bremen reported on Monday.

In a video posted on TikTok on Sunday evening, the man said he would "stab everyone who looked Arab or southern" at the Bremerhaven market on Christmas Day. "Everyone. I'll take enough knives with me," he added.

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Several TikTok users flagged the video to the police, who said they were able to identify the suspect "very quickly" and provisionally detained him the same night.

According to investigators, the man had not previously attracted attention with such statements.

The man admitted to having drunk alcohol before publishing the video and said in a statement that it was complete nonsense, investigators added.

A spokesman for the public prosecutor's office said the man is now being investigated for disturbing public peace. If found guilty, he would face a fine or imprisonment for up to three years.

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News of the TikTok threat came just days after a 50-year-old man drove a car through the crowd at a Christmas market in the central German city of Magdeburg on Friday evening, killing five, including a 9-year-old child, and wounding more than 200.

Crime experts have often warned of so-called "copycat" events following a serious crime.

The Bremerhaven Christmas market runs until December 30, but is not open on Christmas Day.

Ulrich Maurer, the state interior minister, said the police would significantly increase their presence at the Christmas markets as a precaution.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now)  Police in Alexandria are investigating after a man was shot Sunday night.

Details remain limited, however; in a post on X at 9:16 p.m., the Alexandria Police Department (APD) said officers were in the 300 block of Wythe St. after a man was shot there.

2 men shot after altercation at bar in Manassas, police say

Police noted that responders took the man, who was seriously injured, to the hospital.

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Officers also took a person of interest into custody.

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A man in a pickup truck being chased by police drove through the doors of a Texas mall over the weekend, injuring five people before being shot and killed by officers.

According to a statement shared on Facebook by police in Killeen, located north of Austin, 911 operators in Temple, about 30 miles away, received a call about a man driving erratically in a black pickup truck at around 5 p.m. local time on Saturday, Dec. 21.

Police believe that the driver was intoxicated, Texas Department of Pubic Safety Sgt. Bryan Washko said during a press briefing, per CBS News, local affiliate station KXAN and NBC News.

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A DPS trooper spotted the car and a chase quickly ensued, with the driver taking off west on I-14, Killeen police said.

By 5:30 p.m., the man  identified by Washko as 53-year-old Darrel Schultz  pulled off the highway and drove his truck into the parking lot of the Killeen Mall. As the DPS trooper and a Killeen police officer pursued him, he drove through the front glass doors of a JCPenny store, officials said.

Schultz allegedly continued driving through the store, running over people on his way, before he stopped several hundred feet inside the store.

Killeen PD Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Bryan Washko gives a press conference outside the Killeen Mall. Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Bryan Washko gives a press conference outside the Killeen Mall.

"The trooper and the Killeen police officer continued on foot after this vehicle, which was driving through the store actively running people over," Washko said during the briefing, per CBS News.

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The trooper and the officer  as well as off-duty officers from three other agencies  followed Schultz through the store and opened fire, killing him, Washko said.

Daniel Bartlett, a JCPenney employee who was working at the time of the incident, told KXAN that he was in a back room of the store when he heard gunshots ring out.



"It's only four days till Christmas. And so theres a lot of shoppers and, you know, there's a lot of people that are running," Bartlett said, recalling the incident. "There's only two entrances to get out, and so people are running out the salon entrance. I go and I hold the door open to help people out because people are panicking."

A total of five people, ranging in age from 6 to 75, were injured, with four of them taken to nearby hospitals. One person drove to the hospital on their own, Fox 7 Austin reported.

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"Thankfully he was stopped when he was, because it could have been so much worse," Washko said of the driver. "This mall is pretty busy this time of year."

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He also said that despite reports circulating on social media, there was never an active shooter situation in the mall.

"It's not an active shooter, as was reported," the sergeant said. "But other than somebody who was running from the law, decided to drive through the Killeen Mall at Christmastime, running over four people, hopefully we don't have any other deaths. To those who were involved, prayers are with them, of course, and their families, especially at Christmastime."



Texas Rangers and DPS are still investigating the incident, officials said.

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CHICAGO  Chicago police are searching for a man who reportedly sexually assaulted a minor in Austin early Saturday morning.

Police said the incident happened at 5:50 a.m. in the 1000 bloc of South Cicero Avenue.

The suspect allegedly threatened the victim with a knife and forced the victim, a male juvenile, to perform a sex act on him, according to investigators.

Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines

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Police described the suspect as a man between the ages of 30 and 35 with dreadlocks. He stands about 505-506 tall, has a medium build and was last seen wearing a black coat, black pants, a black ski mask and white Air Force One gym shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call Area Four Detectives at 312-746-8251 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com and use reference #JH550716.

Additional tips from CPD:

Always be aware of your surroundings.

Walk in pairs or groups.

Dial 911 to report suspicious activity immediately.

Never pursue a fleeing assailant, provide the information to the police.

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NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY)  A man will spend 32 years behind bars in connection with a recently solved cold case dating back to 1992.

According to officials, thanks to DNA testing provided by the Virginia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), on Sept. 26, 2024, 56-year-old Vernon Gay was found guilty of rape and armed burglary with intention to commit rape for a 32-year-old cold case.

Cold case solved: Man found guilty in 32-year-old rape case

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A release states that on May 5, 1992, Gay went into the residence of the victim through one of her childrens bedroom windows while armed with a knife. Gay then found the victim in her bed room, where he then proceeded to rape her.

On Friday, Dec. 20, Gay was sentenced to an active 32 years in prison with another 13 years suspended on the condition that Gay be of uniform good behavior, comply with supervised probation for 10 years and have no contact with the victim.

Todays sentencing is a significant event for SAKI and a tremendous victory for the victim, the first jury conviction of its kind after having reopened and closed a 32-year cold case, Attorney General Jason Miyares said. Criminals should know that time is no deterrent in the face of justice. Our office is committed to seeing justice served.

The sentencing also marks Virginias first jury conviction in a SAKI case.

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I am proud that Norfolk has secured Virginias first jury conviction in a SAKI case, thanks to the hard work of the investigators and prosecutors, Commonwealths Attorney Ramin Fatehi said. I ama even more proud of the survivor of this crime, who after decades of uncertainty has come to court, shared her story, and seen her abuser held accountable. I thank the Attorney General for his commitment to the SAKI initiative, and we will continue to charge and prosecute SAKI defendants. In Norfolk, we do not shy away from tough cases. We welcome them.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  One man is dead and another man is in custody after a fight led to a stabbing at an apartment complex in a south Las Vegas neighborhood.

The stabbing occurred inside an apartment in the 1400 block of E. Pebble Road, west of the 215 freeway. According to Las Vegas Metropolitan police, officers responded to the complex around 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 22, and found the stabbing victim and 81-year-old Juan Garcia-Hernandez.

An argument led to the stabbing, police said, and Garcia-Hernandez was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center for a murder charge.

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A Missouri man has been arrested after handing himself in over the murder of his 75-year-old father, according to police.

Jeffrey Goedde, 41, arrived at the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office in Hillsboro at around 11:40 am on Wednesday, Dec. 18, where he allegedly told police, I made a mistake. I committed a crime, and I want to turn myself in.

An autopsy conducted on his father Edward Goedde, later showed that he had been stabbed "approximately 50" times and suffered "broken bones, strangulation, and blunt force trauma to head, face and back," according to a complaint filed by the authorities on Dec. 19.

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Goedde added that his dad was unconscious in the kitchen while bleeding from his face and back after being struck by weapons, according to the complaint.

He also added that he may have used a kitchen knife but couldnt remember.

St. Louis County Justice Center Jeffrey Goedde Jeffrey Goedde

Related: 'Proud' Mom Fatally Run Over by Shoplifters Just Weeks Before Christmas, Leaving Behind 2 Daughters

Manchester police noticed a strong smell of bleach when they approached the father and sons home in the 100 block of Baxter Heights during a welfare check, according to the file.

Officers gained access to the home via a basement window and were told by the murder suspect that he knows he was not free to leave because he accidentally killed someone.

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Related: California Father, 28, Accused of Beheading 1-Year-Old Son Days Before Christmas: The Family's 'World Is Shattered'

A kitchen knife was then located in a trash can near the 75-year-olds lifeless body in the kitchen as they searched the property.



Officials allege that Jeffrey Goedde then requested an attorney and refused to answer any further questions.

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First Alert 4 reported that Goedde is now being held at the St. Louis County jail without bond, having been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

He will face a preliminary hearing in court on Jan. 16, according to Law & Crime.



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A man and a woman who spent more than 17 years in prison for an East Hollywood murder had their convictions vacated, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Monday.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William C. Ryan also ordered the immediate release of Charlotte Pleytez and Lombardo Palacios who were imprisoned for the 2007 murder.

I want to extend my deepest apologies to Ms. Pleytez and Mr. Palacios for the years of hardship they endured due to these wrongful convictions, Hochman stated. I also want to recognize the tragic loss of Hector Luis Flores and share my heartfelt condolences with his family. His death is a painful reminder of the heavy responsibility we bear to ensure justice not only holds the right people accountable but also honors the lives of victims and their families.

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Flores was fatally shot during a verbal altercation in a shopping center parking lot in the 5200 block of Sunset Boulevard on March 28, 2007.

Pleytez and Palacios were arrested following eyewitness identifications and other circumstantial evidence, the DAs Office stated.

Palacios and Pleytez were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison but years later, the DAs Office was asked to revisit the case.

We are reluctant to say justice has been done, because the injustices our clients have suffered for nearly two decades are unfathomable, but this is definitely a cause for celebration, said attorney Matt Lombard.

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The District Attorney said that there was no evidence to suggest that law enforcement or prosecutors acted inappropriately during the case. The request for relief in this case was based entirely on new evidence uncovered by the joint CRU and defense investigation, Hochman stated.

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A 35-year-old Norcross man is being sought by authorities after a 31-year-old woman was found shot inside a Gwinnett County home.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Victor Jose Yaraure Morillo, 35 of Norcross, is wanted on charges of malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felon in the killing of 31-year-old Jackmerly Jouselis Hernandez-Rodriguez, of Norcross.

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According to Gwinnett County police, officers were called to a person shot call at a home on Creeldale Drive in unincorporated Norcross.

When officers arrived, they found Hernandez-Rodriguez suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers said the victim and Morillo were divorced and living at the home.

After the shooting, Morillo drove away in a 2016 black Toyota Corolla. He is described as four feet and 11 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds.

His current whereabouts are unknown. The black Toyota Corolla is missing a passenger-side hubcap, and the temporary license plate is S2110371.

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Family members spoke with Channel 2s Courtney Francisco on Sunday evening.

Rodriguez celebrated her 31st birthday earlier this month. She had a 10-year-old son. She moved to Gwinnett County from Venezuela less than a year ago. Her family members received a call just after 7 p.m. on Saturday that something was wrong at her house.

Rosa, a family friend who did not want to share her last name out of fear of retaliation, spoke with Channel 2.

The little boy suffering, this is kind of difficult for us, Rosa said. Im a woman. It could happen to me. It could happen to you. It could happen to somebody else.

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Anyone with information regarding Morillos whereabouts is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.

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MOSCOW, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and four others injured in an explosion at a former mechanical plant in Russia's Khakassia region, local media reported Monday, citing regional authorities.

According to preliminary information, the incident may have occurred due to a breach of safety regulations, Russia's state-run news agency RIA reported, citing the press service of the Khakassia government.

Rescuers and law enforcement officers are currently working to determine the cause of the incident, local governor Valentin Konovalov said. 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)  Not feeling great and need to get medical care this holiday season? You may want to consider urgent care centers.

Many urgent care centers are open on Christmas and New Years with most medical offices closed.

Dr. Syed Hussain, the medical director of Hartford Healthcare Urgent Care, joined Good Morning Connecticut to discuss more.

Watch the video above.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
Sergeant Jamar Rowden, a Marine based at Camp Mujuk in South Korea, surprised his family during a visit on on Friday, Dec. 20, thanks to the American Red Cross and United Airlines, which partnered together to bring him home

Making the moment even more meaningful, the visit coincided with his parents' 20th wedding anniversary and took place shortly before Rowden's dad is set to retire from the Army after 22 years of service

This has been a long time coming," Rowden told the American Red Cross, adding that he was "extremely grateful" for the opportunity to reunite with his loved ones



A United States Marine recently reunited with his family after not seeing them in nearly three years.

Sergeant Jamar Rowden, who is based at Camp Mujuk in South Korea, surprised his family in South Carolina on Friday, Dec. 20, thanks to the American Red Cross and United Airlines, which partnered together to bring him home  and PEOPLE has a first look at the heartwarming moment.

The reunion took place at High Hills Elementary School in Sumter, where his mom, Lindsey Breeden, works as a fifth-grade teacher and his sister, Hannah Breeden, works as a school custodian while attending college.

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Little did Jamar know, the date he returned home had extra special significance: it marked his parents' 20th wedding anniversary. This was the biggest surprise, said his dad, Staff Sergeant Edward Breeden.

Related: Soldier Surprises Stepdaughter Onstage Before Christmas Performance: 'A Memory That Well Never Forget'

Jamar said he was extremely grateful that the Red Cross and United Airlines stepped in to help make the reunion happen.

I'm excited, he remarked. This has been a long time coming."

"These are things you see happen on TV that you don't expect are going to happen to you," added his mom, Lindsey Breedman.

American Red Cross Sgt. Jamar Rowden (second from left) receives the message from his command team at Camp Mujuk in South Korea that he will be returning home to reunite with his family for the holidays. Sgt. Jamar Rowden (second from left) receives the message from his command team at Camp Mujuk in South Korea that he will be returning home to reunite with his family for the holidays.

Making things even more meaningful, the happy reunion took place the month before Jamars father retires from the Army after 22 years of service.

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Although Jamar wont be able to attend his fathers retirement ceremony, he said he was thankful to see his dad before he retires  and for that matter, his dad was just as happy.

This is about the best Christmas present that we can give our family this time of year, Edward told the Red Cross. It's always kind of rough not having the family together. So this being the first time in a long time that we'll actually have everyone together is outstanding.

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The visit also marked the first time Jamar has seen his sister since she graduated high school. As for his younger brother? Well, he "was in middle school the last time they saw each other in person, according to Jamar.

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It's tough, you get used to FaceTiming and texting a lot, Jamar explained. It's harder in the beginning, but you get used to it throughout the years.

"I've missed him a lot," added his sister Hannah.

Nick Gibson/American Red Cross Sgt. Rowden with mom Lindsey (R) and sister Hannah (L) Sgt. Rowden with mom Lindsey (R) and sister Hannah (L)

Related: Astronauts Whose Return to Earth Was Delayed Make the Most of Their Holiday Season with Festive Photo from Space

Asked if anybody in the family had an inkling that something was up before the big reveal, the answer was no.

"I knew nothing absolutely they kept it completely under wraps," said his mom who shared that it was just a regular workday for her and her daughter.

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However, Lindsey said that she had fussed at her son earlier because he usually texts her in the morning, but she "hadn't heard from him in a couple of days." When she sent her a message, he was actually already on the plane home, but had to pretend he was about to have dinner overseas.

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Nick Gibson/American Red Cross Sgt. Rowden hugging mom Lindsey Sgt. Rowden hugging mom Lindsey

Although Jamar won't be home for that long, the family is savoring every moment of their time together.

As Edward noted, it's not so much those events that you miss, but rather learning to appreciate those moments when you are together and make those specials.

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You may not be there for a specific day a specific holiday, he added. So when you do get that time together you make it as special as you can.



"It feels good," Jamar continued. "It's perfect."



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Markham Mayor Roger Agpawa is seeking a pardon from President Joe Biden in an attempt to clear a 1999 federal fraud conviction that initially made the mayor ineligible for office.

It took a change in state law before Agpawa could officially hold office, and he said he believes having closure is the right and fair thing to do as far as clearing his record.

Agpawa was elected to his first term in 2017, but at the time he was ineligible to serve due to state law that prohibits felons from holding municipal office. Agpawa pleaded guilty in federal court to mail fraud in 1999 for his role in an insurance scheme.

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Agpawa served 300 hours of community service, three years probation and paid $20,000 in restitution.

He said Monday that although his right to hold office was restored, that did not clear the federal conviction from his record.

The sentence seems to go on in a society until we get this additional document, of a pardon or clemency, said Agpawa, 63. I still have something overshadowing me.

He said under his leadership we have improved the quality of life for the people of Markham, including new infrastructure work and city services.

Agpawa said when he was first elected the city had a deficit of $11 million, but now we have balanced budgets.

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The Illinois General Assembly in May 2021 approved changes to state election law. The changes revised qualifications to hold municipal office by amending the Illinois Election Code and was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Agpawa had been permitted to take office after former Gov. Bruce Rauner, in September 2018, signed a Restoration of Rights of Citizenship certificate. He had the title of mayor-elect before formally being sworn in after Rauners action.

In the interim, before the governors action, Ernest Blevins, Markham senior trustee, served as interim mayor.

The restoration of rights made me whole in Illinois but not the rest of the country, Agpawa said Monday. With the felony conviction for instance, he cannot carry a gun.

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Three Markham residents sued to challenge Agpawas eligibility to hold office.

A lower court upheld Agpawas right to serve as mayor, but an April 2021 state appellate court ruling determined that Rauner lacked the authority to overrule state election law when he restored Agpawas citizenship rights.

In the 2-1 decision, the appeals court found that Agpawa is not eligible to seek or hold municipal office in Illinois.

Agpawa received more than 80% of the vote in his bid for a second term in April 2021.

In August 2021, the state Supreme Court ruled Agpawa was eligible to be mayor.

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The Supreme Court cited the legislation approved that May regarding the eligibility of felons to hold municipal office and that Pritzker signed the measure into law that June.

Agpawa needed a presidential pardon or a change in state law to undo the consequences of his federal mail fraud conviction, as far as his eligibility to hold office. He said the pardon is the only real way to get completion and have his record cleared.

You are really not complete or whole until that process is done, he said.

Agpawa said he has been in the fire service for 49 years, including 30 years in Markham, and was fire chief in the city and in Country Club Hills. He continues to be an assistant chief in Country Club Hills, but said he plans to retire in the coming year.

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He intends to seek a third term as mayor next year and is so far unopposed.

Agpawa said he has not actively sought out letters of support for his pardon from area mayors but reached out to congressional leaders, including U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly.

He said should his attempt at gaining a pardon from Biden fall short, he would seek it from Donald Trump once he takes office.

This would be ongoing for me, Agpawa said.
A married father who threatened Tommy Robinson, the far-Right activist, with a deactivated AK-47 assault rifle in a video has been jailed for 27 months.

Habeeb Khan also threatened to blow away the English Defence League in the inflammatory video, filmed in his living room in Birmingham.

The video of the 49-year-old was widely shared on far-Right social media accounts, gaining 1.4 million views on a single extreme Right-wing account on X, formerly Twitter.

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Birmingham crown court was told that Khan was arrested on Aug 7, two days after serious disorder erupted following the Southport knife attack.

His identity was confirmed after a T-shirt he was seen wearing in the video was found on a washing line, the court heard.

The 11-second long video clip, played to the court, showed Khan fitting a magazine to the Kalashnikov and saying: EDL, were coming to f---ing blow you away.

Other parts of the viral video in which threats were made to Robinson, the 41-year-old former leader of the now defunct EDL, were not played at the sentencing hearing. In that section of the video, however, the masked man says: Hey, Tommy Robinson. You want to play rough, hey? OK, come on! You want to play rough? Ill blow you away!

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Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is serving an 18-month jail sentence after admitting contempt of court in October.

Laurie Scott, prosecuting, told the Birmingham crown court that the inflammatory video was shared by numerous accounts on X. One account shared the clip alongside a message saying: The most serious threat to protesters everywhere. This Muslim has an automatic assault rifle and says hes coming for the EDL. All mosques need raiding now.

Ms Scott said the decommissioned rifle, which was recovered by police on Aug 7, was incapable of firing live rounds and was in effect ornamental.

During his arrest, the court heard that Khan told officers all I have done is make a little video before playing up for a crowd that had gathered.

Khan said all I have done is make a little video during his arrest - West Midlands Police/PA Wire

Khan, of Sparkbrook, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to making threats of death or serious harm contrary to the Online Safety Act. He also admitted threatening behaviour relating to homophobic and abusive comments made after he was taken to hospital by police on the day of his arrest.

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The court heard that Khan has 11 previous convictions for 15 offences, including racially aggravated public order offences in 2009 and 2013.

He was also jailed for 12 months in 2019 after being convicted of possessing an imitation handgun with intent to cause fear of violence to a delivery driver outside a pizza shop.

Sunit Sandhu, the defence counsel, said Khan had health problems including bipolar disorder and cellulitis. He said a friend of Khan had uploaded the video online.

Mr Sandhu told the court: He pleaded guilty at trial on the basis of being reckless and he himself not uploading the video. He realises the consequences of his actions and is genuinely remorseful.

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Passing sentence on Monday, Judge Melbourne Inman KC told Khan he had made the video at a time of extremely heightened social tension, adding: Sadly, this is one of a number of cases that this court has had to deal with which arise out of civil unrest, which itself followed from the very tragic events in Southport on July 29.

In October, a childminder married to a Conservative councillor was jailed after calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire on the day of the Southport killings. Lucy Connolly, 41, received a 31-month prison sentence after calling for mass deportation now.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Designer and tastemaker Hiroshi Fujiwara is once again teaming up with Maseratithis time on a bespoke supercar thats part of an exclusive collection.

Inspired by the Trident customization program, the Fuoriserie By is a new series from Maserati that invites the automakers past collaborators to reimagine one of its famous signature models (h/t Hypebeast). In this case, that model is the MC20 Cielo but with a range of customization options that allow drivers to make theirs singular.

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Our wish here is for clients to express their personality and passion by creating their very own Maserati, Klaus Busse, Maseratis head of design, said in a statement. Just like Hiroshi, everyone can choose from a wide range of personalization features from our Fuoriserie collections or take more individual journeys to design true one-of-a-kind rolling sculptures.

This latest collaboration between Fujiwara and Maserati is the most customizable yet.

Practically every element of the Cielo has been reconfigured, including the tonneau cover at the rear, which is emblazoned with the lightning bolt symbol of Fujiwaras Fragment Design agency rather than Maseratis trident, a first for the company. The monochromatic interior is as luxurious as youd expect. Each six-way power seat comes clad in smooth black leather with white contrast stitching at the seams and the trident logo embroidered into the headrest. For added authentication, a commemorative plate set between the two seats celebrates the unique collaboration, and every driver has the option of opening up the cabin thanks to a retractable smart glass roof. Under the hood, this Cielo retains its F1-inspired V6 Nettuno engine, so its performance remains as exceptional as its design.

Fujiwara has a long history with Maserati having teamed up with the carmaker more than once. But the Japanese multi-hyphenate  who alternates between being a DJ, musician, streetwear designer, and product designer  has an influence that defies traditional categorization. Fujiwaras description of the vehicle resulting from this partnership as tailor-made garments to be proudly worn along the streets of the world, might best express his integrated point of view.

The Maserati MC20 Cielo Fuoriserie by Hiroshi Fujiwara comes in two editions, matte black (nero essenza) car and a matte white (bianco audace), with price available upon request.

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KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (WHTM)  A huge, multi-level Italian marketplace will soon be opening its first-ever Pennsylvania location inside the King of Prussia Mall.

The King of Prussia Mall shared earlier this week on Facebook that they would soon be welcoming a large Italian Marketplace called Eataly to their store line up starting in the Fall of 2025.

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For those who may not know, Eataly is a global Italian marketplace and retail concept that currently boasts 12 North American destinations and over 50 stores worldwide.

RELATED: King of Prussia Mall announces 10 new store & restaurant openings

To date, Eataly has North American locations in New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas, Nevada, California, and New Jersey.

According to Patch News, the new Italian Marketplace opening soon at the King of Prussia Mall is going to be a multi-level store that will span across 23,000 square feet of space.

It is going to occupy a section of the mall previously occupied by RiteAid and Rue 21.

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Eataly opened the doors to its first location in Torino, Italy back on January 27, 2007. According to their website, the marketplace was founded by Oscar Farinetti who first dreamed up the concept back in 2002.

There is still no word on when the new Eataly will officially open its doors.

abc27 news will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
Embattled former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz  who is selling videos on Cameo after withdrawing his name from consideration to become Donald Trumps attorney general  is now eyeing a Senate run.

Gaetz told the crowd at Turning Point USAs event in Phoenix Sunday ahead of an appearance byTrump that he was considering running for the seat of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Trumps nominee for secretary of state.

Many have asked which perch I will be fighting from next, he said.

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It seems I may not have had enough support in the United States Senate, he noted, referring to lack of backing to become the nations next attorney general. Maybe Ill just run for Marco Rubios vacant seat in the United States Senate and join some of those folks, Gaetz added.

Gaetz resigned from the House shortly after being nominated after he was met with mounting concerns in the Senate over wide-ranging allegations, including sexual misconduct and illicit drug use claims. He has denied all wrongdoing. The Florida Republican ultimately withdrew his name from consideration after he realized he wouldnt have enough support to be confirmed by the Senate.

The former Florida congressman floated his latest idea ahead of the release of the highly-anticipated House Ethics Committees report into sex-trafficking allegations against him.

The House panel quietly voted earlier this month to release the report, which is expected to be made public Monday, CBS News reported.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks ahead of an appearance Sunday Donald Trump at the AmericaFest 2024 conference sponsored by conservative group Turning Point in Phoenix, Arizona. (REUTERS)

A woman reportedly testified to the committee that she had sexual encounters with Gaetz at a party in 2017  when she was just 17 years old. Records also show that Gaetz paid more than $10,000 to women, ABC News reported. Gaetz allegedly labeled these Venmo and Paypal payments to women for being awesome and being my friend, but some of them were allegedly used in transactions for sex.

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Earlier this week, Gaetz admitted that he probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than he should have in his 30s and that he sent money to women he dated. However, he said that he NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18.

Gaetzs suggestion that he may make a run for the Senate comes as Lara Trump, the former Republican National Committee co-chair and the president-elects daughter-in-law, said she was dropping her bid for Rubios seat.

After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate, she wrote Saturday in a post on X.

At the Phoenix conference, Gaetz revealed other suggestions that people had for his political future.

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Some people have suggested he eye the governors mansion in Tallahassee while still others urged him to become special counsel to go after the insider trading for my former colleagues in Congress, Gaetz revealed.

While Gaetz has spent recent weeks making videos on Cameo for $325 a pop, One America News Network (OAN) announced in December that Gaetz will be joining the conservative channel in January. He will be hosting The Matt Gaetz Show, a one-hour political talk show every weeknight at 9 p.m. E.T., the network said in a release.

In yet another occupation Gaetz is considering, the controversial Republican has been talking with John Morgan, the founder of law firm Morgan & Morgan about a potential new job, Politico first reported.
The U.S. House Ethics Committee found "substantive evidence" that former Rep. Matt Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to a dozen women for sex or drugs, used or possessed cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana, and accepted a gift of a trip to the Bahamas, in a highly controversial report released Monday.

Gaetz also allegedly helped a woman out of his district get a passport, and worked to obstruct investigation into these events, the report said.

Gaetz sought a restraining order in federal court Monday morning to prevent the report's official release but the House Ethics Committee posted the report, including supporting documents, to its website.

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One of the people Gaetz reportedly had sex with was 17 and a high school junior at the time, the report found. Gaetz was 35.

Matt Gaetz House Ethics report: Read the complete report here

The Committee received testimony that Victim A and Representative Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees, the committee wrote in the bombshell report. Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school.

The minor, referred to in the report as Victim A, did not tell Gaetz she was underage at the time, the committee said, based on witness testimony, and he didn't ask. But that would still be a violation of Florida state law.

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For years, Gaetz has repeatedly and voraciously denied all the allegations, saying his "generous" gifts to women were being misconstrued for political gain and that he was never allowed to confront his accusers.

"In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated - even some I never dated but who asked," Gaetz posted on X last week. "I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court - which is why no such claim was ever made in court."

Gaetz was President-elect Donald Trump's first choice for his U.S. attorney general. Gaetz resigned from his congressional seat after he was nominated, two days before the ethics report was scheduled to vote on the report's release, but later withdrew from the nomination following the media firestorm over the report's likely contents.

What is Florida's statutory rape law?

Under Florida law, a person who is 24 years old or older who has sex with a person 16 or 17 years of age has committed a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

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"A person charged with this offense may not claim ignorance or misrepresentation of the minors age as a defense," the report pointed out. State law also prohibits consideration of the minor's previous sexual conduct as relevant.

The Hose Ethics report added that "it is also a criminal offense under Florida state law to solicit, induce, entice, or procure another to commit prostitution, or to 'purchase the services of any person engaged in prostitution,' or to 'aid, abet, or participate' in such actions."

Can Matt Gaetz be charged with statutory rape in Florida?

Potentially yes, although it could be a hard case to prove.

The Justice Department previously investigated Gaetz for potential sex trafficking but closed the inquiry without charges, his lawyers told USA TODAY in February 2023.

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In 2021, a former friend of Gaetz, disgraced former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg, pleaded guilty to six federal counts including, among other things, sex trafficking of children. He admitted to making more than 150 transactions totaling more than $70,000 to arrange liaisons with young women. He admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old girl and said in his plea agreement that he introduced her to other adult men who also had sex with her.

An investigation was launched to discover if Gaetz was one of those men, but the Justice Department leadership decided in 2023 not to pursue charges against Gaetz after investigators recommended not moving forward. The investigators had warned that two key witnesses were unreliable. The House Ethics Committee also noted that the DOJ repeatedly refused to share information from its investigation.

In his post on X, Gaetz claimed he had been fully exonerated but federal authorities never explained why charges were not filed.

According to a lawyer for two of the women who testified in the House Ethics Committee investigation, Gaetz dropped his sexual relationship with the girl once he learned she was a minor.

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"Her understanding was that Matt Gaetz did not know that she was a minor and that when he learned that she was a minor, that he broke off things and did not continue a sexual relationship until she turned 18," Florida attorney Joel Leppard told ABC News.

The report indicates that "the Committee did not receive any evidence indicating that Representative Gaetz was aware that Victim A was a minor when he had sex with her" but that he renewed their transactional relationship "less than 6 months after she turned 18."

Is Matt Gaetz married? Who is Matt Gaetz's wife?

Gaetz married his girlfriend Ginger Luckey in 2021 when they eloped to Southern California where she's from for a small ceremony.

Ginger Gaetz has steadfastly defended Gaetz during the years of investigations. When he quit his congressional seat and then withdrew from the attorney general nomination, ending his time in politics, she posted a picture of the two of them on the Capitol steps with the words, "The end of an era."

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(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida age of consent: What is considered statutory rape?
DAMASCUS/AMMAN, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held talks with Ahmad al-Shara, head of Syria's de facto governing group, in Damascus on Monday, with discussions focusing on Syria's political transition and broader regional security concerns.

According to Sham FM, a Syrian media outlet, Safadi reaffirmed Jordan's support for Syria's transition, which includes forming an inclusive government and drafting a new constitution.

During the meeting, Safadi also highlighted the need for the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees, stressing Jordan's readiness to facilitate the repatriation process in collaboration with Syria's new leadership.

Additionally, Safadi reiterated Jordan's commitment to aiding Syria's reconstruction efforts, emphasizing that Jordan would encourage both regional and international partners to engage with Syria's emerging leadership, Sham FM reported.

A statement posted by Jordan's Foreign Ministry on social media platform X further underscored Safadi's remarks, stressing that Syria's reconstruction is of strategic importance to both Jordan and the broader region.

The statement also noted that Arab countries are united in their support for Syria's recovery, free from external interference.

In the context of regional security, Safadi emphasized the significance of securing the 386-kilometer border shared by Jordan and Syria. He pointed to the ongoing challenges posed by terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons smuggling along this frontier, stating, "We want that border to be stable and secure."

The foreign minister also condemned the recent Israeli incursion into Syrian territory, according to the statement.

A militant alliance led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group waged a major military operation from northern Syria on Nov. 27. It swept southwards, captured the capital Damascus, and overthrew former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government within 12 days. 
The House Ethics Committee's bombshell report about former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz was obtained and published by CNN and CBS News, among other outlets, on Monday. A final draft of the report alleges that the Republican firebrand and short-lived attorney general nominee spent tens of thousands of dollars on drugs and sex, including with a 17-year-old high school student.

The 37-page report concludes that Gaetz violated state laws in Florida, which include the statutory rape law for the state, which defines the age of consent as 18, CNN reported.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty US Representative Matt Gaetz US Representative Matt Gaetz

"The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress," the report says in its conclusion, according to CBS News.

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Gaetz filed a lawsuit to block the release of the report on Monday, citing his resignation from Congress and current status as a private citizen.

The long-awaited report on Gaetz's conduct comes after years of whiplash surrounding the status of the House investigation and whether the public would ever see the Ethics Committee's findings. Along the way, Gaetz repeatedly maintained his innocence.

Related: Matt Gaetz Bought Sex with His 'Son' Nestor's PayPal Account, Women Reportedly Told House Investigators

ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz campaigns for Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in Atlanta on Nov. 4, 2024 Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz campaigns for Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in Atlanta on Nov. 4, 2024

The Ethics Committee first announced it had begun an investigation into Gaetz in April 2021 over allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use; shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor; misused state identification records; converted campaign funds to personal use; and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift.

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The committee then revealed in a later report that it had deferred an investigation into the lawmaker following a request from the Department of Justice, which was conducting its own investigation.

Then, in June 2023, reports surfaced that the committee was re-examining the allegations surrounding the controversial lawmaker after the Justice Department declined to charge him. The committee's investigation reportedly heated up early in 2024 as new witnesses were called in to testify.

Related: Matt Gaetz, the House GOPs Token Troublemaker, Caught in Escalating Ethics Probe That Could Lead to Expulsion

Drew Angerer/Getty Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz leaves a closed door meeting with former White House counsel Don McGahn at the U.S. Capitol in 2021 Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz leaves a closed door meeting with former White House counsel Don McGahn at the U.S. Capitol in 2021

In the leaked report findings, the drug-fueled parties and luxury travel rumors are outlined. According to CBS News, on one such trip in 2018 to the Bahamas  which was allegedly gifted to him against House Ethics guidelines  multiple witnesses saw Gaetz take ecstasy. During that same trip, witnesses alleged he had sex with four women.

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The report also says that at a 2017 party, per witness testimony, Gaetz had sex twice with "Victim A," who was then 17 years old and had not yet begun her senior year of high school.

"Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex," the committee noted, according to CBS News. "Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age."

Though the women who testified all noted that the sexual encounters with Gaetz were consensual, one witness suggested that the drug use involved may have impaired their "ability to really know what was going on or fully consent," according to CBS News. Another woman testified: "When I look back on certain moments, I feel violated."

Gaetz, who married Ginger Luckey in 2021, released a statement on X prior to the report's release in which he said: In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated - even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. ... Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.

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Related: Cassidy Hutchinson Denies Matt Gaetzs Claim That They Once Dated: I Have Much Higher Standards in Men

According to outlets that reviewed the final report draft, the House Ethics Committee additionally concluded that Gaetz set up a fake email in his congressional office that was used for purchasing marijuana, and that he directed his chief of staff to deceitfully work with the State Department to obtain a passport for one of the women with whom he had sexual relations.



SMG/Shutterstock President Donald Trump and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz at a campaign event Nov. 26, 2019 President Donald Trump and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz at a campaign event Nov. 26, 2019

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In November, Gaetz became the center of the national conversation when he was named President-elect Donald Trump's surprise nominee for attorney general despite only briefly practicing law before entering politics and still being under investigation by House Ethics.

As Gaetz's controversies dominated the news cycle and senators on both sides of the aisle expressed hesitance about confirming his nomination, murmurs arose that the Ethics Committee was thinking about finally releasing its report on the lawmaker given the strong public interest.

Related: Donald Trump's Final Cabinet Picks: Everyone He Tapped to Join His Administration

Gaetz quickly resigned from Congress and, not long after that, withdrew his nomination for attorney general, which weakened the argument for publicizing the results of the investigation. The Ethics Committee  which consists of five Republicans and five Democrats  voted in late November to not release the report.

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But more recently, CNN revealed that the committee secretly met again in early December and held a new vote on the matter, in which the 10 members came to a different conclusion: that the public deserved to see the information they had on Gaetz.

Related: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz Eloped amid Scandal and Sex Trafficking Investigation

Alex Wong/Getty Matt Gaetz speaks at the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024 Matt Gaetz speaks at the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024

During the separate, earlier criminal probe into Gaetz  which did not result in any charges against him  a federal grand jury investigated whether the Florida Republican had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid her to travel with him.

Related: Matt Gaetz Allegedly Asked Donald Trump for a Pardon Before He Left the White House

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News of the federal investigation into Gaetz first broke in March 2021 and, according to The New York Times, was opened in the final months of the Trump administration under then-Attorney General Bill Barr.

Sources told NBC News at the time that Gaetz was being investigated for three separate alleged crimes: sex trafficking a 17-year-old; violating the Mann Act by taking a woman or women across state lines for prostitution; and obstruction of justice.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.

The probe involving Gaetz reportedly spun out of a separate investigation into his friend Joel Greenberg, a former GOP official from Seminole County, Fla.



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Greenberg was indicted on a range of charges, including sex trafficking of a child, in 2020. In May 2021, he pleaded guilty to multiple charges including sex trafficking a minor and was believed to be cooperating with authorities.

Read the original article on People
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) of Florida was found by a House Ethics Committee probe to have paid a 17-year-old for sex and consumed illegal drugs while in office.

Gaetz, the sex-scandal-plagued Republican who recently dropped out as President-elect Donald Trumps pick for attorney general, violated several state laws relating to sexual misconduct while in office, according to the committees report published Monday.

Details of the reports final draft were published earlier in the day by CBS News and CNN.

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The investigators found substantial evidence that Gaetz violated House rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.

The panel listed over $90,000 in payments to 12 women  including a 17-year-old  that the committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.

The report found that Gaetz allegedly twice had sex with the 17-year-old, described as Victim A, at a 2017 party. She had just completed her junior year in high school.

Victim A recalled receiving $400 on the night in question which she understood to be payment for sex, the report found. Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age, the committee wrote.

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The report states that it is a felony for someone aged 24 or older to engage in sexual activity with a 16- or 17-year-old under Floridas statutory rape law.

The committee noted that all the women who gave evidence said the sexual encounters with Gaetz were consensual. But one woman told investigators, When I look back on certain moments, I feel violated.

The panel wrote that it did not find Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, writing that although Representative Gaetz did cause the transportation of women across state lines for purposes of commercial sex, the Committee did not find evidence that any of those women were under 18 at the time of travel, nor did the Committee find sufficient evidence to conclude that the commercial sex acts were induced by force, fraud, or coercion.

The committee claimed to have seen texts in which Gaetz made references to drugs as party favors, vitamins, or rolls, and the report also accused him of setting up a fake email account from his Capitol Hill office for the purpose of purchasing marijuana.

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Details of the report come days after media stories emerged that the committee held a secret vote to reverse course and make its report public on the accusations of sex trafficking, illicit drug use and other misconduct by Gaetz, who denies all the allegations. Earlier this month, a full House vote on whether to make the report public failed, largely along party lines.

In a statement Gaetz released last week the committee voted to release the report, he emphasized how he has never been charged over the alleged crimes.

In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated  even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years, Gaetz said. Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.

The committee said Gaetz refused to participate in sworn testimony, but he did submit written answers to some of their questions, including denying having sex with a minor.

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On Monday, Gaetz submitted a restraining order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in a failed bid to halt the congressional committee releasing its findings.

Trumps choice of Gaetz upended the Republicans career as he knew it. When he accepted the nomination last month, he resigned his House seat, for which hed just won reelection, saying it would allow Florida to name his replacement in time for the next Congress. Notably, giving up his seat also meant the House committee could no longer continue its ethics investigation into him.

But his plans began to unravel almost immediately as Republicans began openly questioning his eligibility for the job leading the Department of Justice.Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) offered perhaps the most blunt answer when HuffPost asked for his initial reaction to the Gaetz nomination: Are you shittin me?

Just over a week after Trump announced him as his attorney general pick, when it became clear that senators were increasingly unlikely to confirm someone dogged by so many accusations, Gaetz rescinded his acceptance of the nomination. His upcoming confirmation process, he claimed, was unfairly becoming a distraction to the Trump transition teams work.

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The next day, Gaetz said he wouldnt be returning to Congress.

By then, reports had emerged that the House committees investigation had wrapped up and that it had been days away from voting on whether to release a report on its findings when he dropped out. Top members of the Senate quickly called on the committee to release the results of its investigation anyway.

Then-Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks at the Republican National Convention in July. Leon Neal via Getty Images

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a high-ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters Thursday that the committee should absolutely release its report, adding he didnt want there to be any limitation at all on what the Senate could consider when weighing Gaetzs nomination.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Senate majority whip, said the circumstances around Gaetzs resignation raise suspicion.

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The sequence and timing of Mr. Gaetzs resignation from the House raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee report, he told reporters. We cannot allow this valuable information from a bipartisan investigation to be hidden from the American people.

Public scrutiny around Gaetzs possible criminal activities first arose after the Justice Department opened an investigation into him in 2020 for allegedly sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl in 2017 and asking women to recruit others for sex. Gaetz denied all of the accusations. The Justice Department ultimately decided against pursuing charges against the congressman.

But a simultaneous House investigation remained ongoing. That probe was examining the possibility that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift, the committees announcement in 2021 said.

Amid the fallout from Gaetz, Trump nominated Pam Bondi, a longtime ally who represented him at one of his impeachment trials, as his new pick for attorney general.

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Matt Gaetz violated Florida laws by paying a 17-year-old girl $400 (319) for sex, according to a long-awaited House of Representatives report.

The former Florida congressman, whom Donald Trump nominated as his attorney general before he dropped out of consideration, probably paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for drugs and sex, the US House ethics committee found.

It also stated that Mr Gaetz, who has consistently denied wrongdoing, sought to obstruct its investigation to prevent his actions being exposed.

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The committee heard credible testimony from the girl, who had just completed her penultimate year of secondary school, that she had sex with him twice at a party in 2017.

Named as Victim A in the report, she said she had received $400 from Mr Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex.

The committee said there was substantial evidence that this was the case. Mr Gaetz denied the allegation but declined to testify under oath.

The former congressman would have violated Floridas statutory rape law, the report noted, which sets out that it is a second-degree felony for an individual aged 24 years or older to engage in sexual activity with a 16 or 17-year-old.

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Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age, the report said.

Mr Gaetz is said to have paid more than $90,000 (72,000) to 12 different women between 2017 and 2020 on at least 20 occasions, most probably in connection with sexual activity or drug use.

He is said to have made the payments using a pseudonym or another individuals account, and at other times allegedly used his own name and an innocuous description.

In one account, he allegedly had sex with a 21-year-old in a hotel room who had contacted him for help with her university fees, giving her a $750 cheque for tuition reimbursement.

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The woman told the committee that their encounter could potentially be a form of coercion because I really needed the money.

Although all the women who testified before the ethics committee said their encounters with Mr Gaetz were consensual, one said the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have impaired their ability to really know what was going on or fully consent.

Another woman said: When I look back on certain moments, I feel violated.

Mr Gaetz also allegedly arranged for his chief of staff to help a woman he had sex with obtain a passport, falsely indicating to the US Department of State that she was a constituent of his.

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The committee found substantial evidence that Mr Gaetz used cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana at multiple events, citing the testimony provided by multiple women.

It also said he appeared to have set up a fake email account from his House of Representatives office at the US Capitol for the purpose of buying marijuana.

Matt Gaetz has denied wrongdoing - Alex Brandon/AP

He is said to have repeatedly sought to obstruct the ethics investigation into his conduct and continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead its members to prevent his actions from being exposed.

He allegedly did not comply with a subpoena to testify that was issued in July 2024, and in requests for evidence produced documents that were largely irrelevant to the investigation.

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When the committee sent him a list of questions, he allegedly issued a public letter mischaracterising its requests and declaring he would no longer cooperate with it despite his uncooperative approach throughout the review.

He was also accused of accepting gifts of luxury travel in excess of the Houses limits with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, then withholding information from the committee about it.

On Monday Mr Gaetz, who has consistently denied the allegations, unsuccessfully sought to block the release of the report with a court submission in which he argued that the damage to his reputation and professional standing would be immediate and severe.

Giving funds to someone you are dating  that they didnt ask for  and that isnt charged for sex is now prostitution?! he later wrote on social media, when the challenge failed.

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There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses.

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Now that the House Ethics Committee probe into Matt Gaetz has been made public, MSNBC is breaking down the former Florida congressmans potential political future  if he even has one.

While host Christina Ruffini and her guests didnt directly question why Gaetz is not currently facing legal ramifications for purportedly paying thousands of dollars for drugs and sex  including his statutory rape of a 17-year-old girl in 2017, as the findings stated  they did describe the report as scathing for the man who was nearly President-elect Donald Trumps Attorney General.

Its obviously been long-anticipated, Ruffini said of the Monday report. Is it about what we expected  is it better, is it worse  and what does this mean for Goetzs potential political future, if he even has one?

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Its worse because its real, The Grio White House correspondent April Ryan replied. When you think it vs. when you know it, thats the whole piece. For those who support transparency in government, this is a win for them. But its definitely not a win for Matt Gaetz, who Donald Trump did not vet for the office to be in a Cabinet position as the head of the Department of Justice  this is scathing for Matt Gaetz.

Meanwhile, former Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy, who overlapped with Gaetz during her time as a representative, also pointed out the apolitical nature of the report being released to the public, even after Gaetz resigned.

We hold members of Congress to the highest standards of conduct. Unlike other committees, this one is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. So the fact that this committee voted to make the report public means there were Republicans who voted with Democrats to issue this report, so this was quite a bipartisan effort to ensure that there was transparency, she said. I think the American people deserve to know that no one in elected office is above the law or beyond accountability.

Ruffini then highlighted some of the figures that went into the Ethics Committees investigation: 29 subpoenas, nearly 14,000 documents and over two dozen witnesses.

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Fellow former Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, who once chaired the House Ethics Committee, then offered his opinion on the report, tying it back to a similar 1990 case where late Ohio Rep. Buz Lukens was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor after allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old.

The ethics committee staff is nonpartisan, theyre very professional  they released this because there has been a precedent for releasing reports after members of Congress have resigned, particularly in matters of sexual misconduct, which was obviously the case here, Dent noted.

This is really damning. What I want to know, was the committee going to recommend an expulsion because theres sex, drugs, money? The committee is saying he supposedly may have violated Florida state law, so Im wondering if the committee actually referred this matter to to the Florida Attorney General, which they can do, he continued. Matt Gaetz has suggested, or implied, that he might be sworn in in January. I dont think thats going to happen now, because should he get sworn in, I suspect there would be an immediate motion to expel him.

In addition to the allegations of drug use, prostitution and statutory rape, Ruffini further noted that Gaetz allegedly took gifts and lodging for a 2018 trip to the Bahamas well above the permissible monetary value, per the ethics report.

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Check out the entire MSNBC segment with NBC News correspondent Ryan Nobles from Capitol Hill, above.

The post Matt Gaetzs Political Future Questioned by MSNBC Hosts After House Ethics Report Release | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Ginger Gaetz beams as she stands beside her husband in loved-up photos curated on her Instagram page.

The 30-year-old wife of the former Florida congressman and Donald Trumps original pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, proudly describes herself as his wifey in her profile bio.

Her supportive posts about Gaetz, 42, signaled an intent to stand by him as he battled resurfaced sexual allegations from his past.

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She also stood by him after he announced he was withdrawing from the process of becoming Trumps next attorney general.

It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition, Gaetz wrote in a post on X in November.

The end of an era, Ginger quickly posted on Instagram, minutes after her husbands announcement.

Sharing a photo of the couple walking hand in hand up the steps of the Capitol, she added: No one loves America more than this guy.

Just days before, Ginger had asked her followers, Who else is excited for January? with a throwback 2020 photo with Gaetz at a White House event.

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As the backlash against Gaetz began to mount, Ginger wrote: Attorney General will look great on you my love.

Ginger recently reshared this picture with Gaetz at the White House in December 2020 and captioned it: Who else is excited for January (@gingergaetz/Instagram)

While the vast majority of her followers posted supportive messages, she ignored one comment. Him behind bars will be better, one person retorted.

Before he resigned from Congress following Trumps nomination to head up the Justice Department, Ginger wrote how Floridas 1st congressional district is truly blessed to have you representing us.

Congratulations to the sweetest, hardest-working, and most talented man in the world, she gushed.

In another snap with Gaetz on the steps of the Capitol, she said: Happiest by your side.

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Two days after Gaetz was nominated by Trump, Ginger posted the message, Strong men create good times on her X profile accompanied by a photo of her husband with right-wing Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk and Argentinian President Javier Milei.

The storm that engulfed Gaetz is not the first time Ginger  the sister of Republican donor and entreprenuer Palmer Luckey  has stood by him.

The couple first met at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in early 2020 when she was 26.

Ginger attended Trumps Madison Square Garden rally with her husband (gingergaetz/Instagram)

The next night he reportedly took her to a birthday party for Donald Trump Jr.s then-girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle.

After a whirlwind 8-month romance, Gaetz, then 38, popped the question at Mar-a-Lago in December 2020, the Daily Mail reported. It didnt come as a surprise, I had sort of seen it coming, Ginger told the paper at the time.

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At the same time, the Justice Department was investigating Gaetz for allegations of sex trafficking a minor. No criminal charges were brought against him and he has repeatedly denied the allegations.

The investigation was opened in Trumps final months in office under Attorney General Bill Barr, the New York Times reported at the time, and it bubbled away until the DOJ ended it last year. The House Ethics Committee was also running a separate probe into the allegations, which included the accusation that Gaetz had sex with a minor, which he vehemently denies.

Apparently undeterred by the accusations, Ginger accepted Gaetzs proposal and they got married in a small ceremony in Southern California in 2021.

Speaking at the time when she worked as a food analyst, Ginger, a former Harvard Business School student, told the Mail she could work remotely in order to follow her husband wherever he went. I am his travel buddy, she said.

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Since they wed, her social media profile has become a homage to her husbands political career and shows her socialising with some of Trumps most vocal allies.

Matt Gaetz, Ginger Gaetz and Robert F Kennedy Jr at The America First Policy Institute Gala At Mar-A-Lago last week (Getty Images)

Elon Musk branded her cool for a video where she sang the Star Spangled Banner across the Capitol Rotunda.

Last summer, she appeared on Steve Bannons War Room podcast to lambast the Barbie movie for completely miss[ing] an opportunity, saying it was everything BUT female empowerment.

She is also frequently in photographs with MAGA firebrand Lauren Boebert, known for her controversial takes and comments, including enthusiastic remarks about the QAnon conspiracy theory.

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As some of the most damning alleged evidence against Gaetz is made public, Ginger continues to be his biggest cheerleader.

Among the latest is a bombshell leaked document from the Justice Department investigation alleging there was a web of payments between the former congressman and friends and associates said to have been with him at drug-fueled sex parties.

He vehemently denies the accusations. This purposeful leaking of classified investigative materials is the sort of politicized D.O.J. weaponization that Matt Gaetz will end, Trumps communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement before Gaetz announced his withdrawal.

The Justice Department investigated Gaetz for years, failed to find a crime and are now leaking material with false information to smear the next attorney general.

On Monday, the House Ethics Committee finally released its report on Gaetz, accusing him of paying thousands of dollars to more than a dozen women  including a 17-year-old girl  for sex.
Dec. 23A Chickasha man pleaded guilty Monday to killing three members of his family earlier this year.

Jacob Mayhugh, the 22-year-old suspect, was charged with three counts of first degree murder in the shooting deaths of his mother, father and sister in May.

According to court documents, Mayhugh pleaded guilty to all three counts and his plea agreement said he will serve three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

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"I killed my mom, dad and sister intentionally on (May 10). Their names were James Mayhugh, Patty Mayhugh, and Shayla Mayhugh," Mayhugh wrote as the factual basis of his guilty plea, according to court documents.

According to News9, over a dozen witness statements were read in court.

With the plea agreement, Mayhugh was waived all rights to an appeal, commutation and speaking with the media, News9 reported.

At a hearing earlier this month before Judge Regina Lowe, Mayhugh waived his right to a preliminary hearing, meaning the State does not have to prove that a crime was committed or have probable cause to believe the defendant committed said crime(s).

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When waiving his right to a hearing, court documents asked Mayhugh if he has been abused, mistreated, treated, coerced or promised anything to waive a preliminary hearing  routine questions asked on the waiver form. The word's "promised anything" were underlined.

"We have been promised an offer (of) LWOP (life without parole) in exchange for the state not filing a bill of particulars," a handwritten note on the court document stated.

In court documents filed Dec. 23, the State of Oklahoma agreed to not seek the death penalty as part of the plea agreement.

Background

On May 11, Chickasha Police received a call around 11:25 a.m. about shell casings outside 1008 6th Street. When officers arrived on scene, the bodies of Jacob Mayhugh's father, James Mayhugh; his mother, Patty Mayhugh; and his sister Shayla Mayhugh, were discovered with gunshot wounds, according to a court affidavit.

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Upon entering the house, police said they observed an AR-15 rifle on the floor near the entry way. The serial number matched that of an AR-15 purchased by Jacob Mayhugh on April 25. Several shell casings were also found on the ground near the residence, they said.

One of the officers on scene said he knew the Mayhugh family also owned the house at 1002 S. 6th street where Jacob lived with his sister, Shayla. Jacob could not be located, nor could his gray GMC Yukon.

Jacob Mayhugh was named a person of interest in the case shortly after the bodies were discovered. Officers had learned that Mayhugh had informed his girlfriend on May 10 that he was going to eat pizza at his parents' house, leaving his girlfriend's house shortly before 5 p.m.

Three days later, security cameras helped the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation identify Mayhugh on a bench in the Bricktown area of Oklahoma City.

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According to court records, Oklahoma City Police Department Violent Criminal Apprehension Team used Flock cameras in the OKC area to help identify a gray GMC Yukon with a license plate matching that of Jacob Mayhugh. The vehicle was observed several times in the area on May 10 and May 11 before being parked and a male, later identified as Mayhugh, walked away.

The GMC was searched and a black cellphone, a wallet with Mayhugh's identification, over $700 in cash, vehicle keys and two AR-15 magazines with ammunition with white markings were discovered, authorities said.

The magazine located in the GMC has white markings similar to those on the magazine located in the AR-15 at the crime scene, they said.

Mayhugh had preliminary hearing scheduled on June 26, Aug. 14 and Sept. 11 but all were continued until he waived his right to a hearing on Dec. 11. On Sept. 11, Grethen Mosley and two other's from the Capital Trial Tulsa Division of the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System joined Mayhugh's legal team.
THOMSON, Ga. (WJBF)  On Wednesday, December 18th, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit arrested and charged Harold Ryan, age 42, of McDuffie County with four counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children.

An investigation into Ryans illicit online activity began in September 2024 after receiving numerous CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children involving possession of child sexual abuse material. The investigation led to a search warrant at Ryans home and his subsequent arrest. The Thomson Police Department aided the GBI CEACC unit in the execution of this search warrant.

Ryan was booked into the McDuffie County Jail.

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Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870 or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
Former Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gives remarks at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel on Aug. 23, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona.(Photo by Rebecca Noble | Getty Images)

The availability of safe, effective covid vaccines less than a year into the pandemic marked a high point in the 300-year history of vaccination, seemingly heralding an age of protection against infectious diseases.

Now, after backlash against public health interventions culminated in President-elect Donald Trumps nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the countrys best-known anti-vaccine activist, as its top health official, infectious disease and public health experts and vaccine advocates say a confluence of factors could cause renewed, deadly epidemics of measles, whooping cough, and meningitis, or even polio.

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The litany of things that will start to topple is profound, said James Hodge, a public health law expert at Arizona State Universitys Sandra Day OConnor College of Law. Were going to experience a seminal change in vaccine law and policy.

Hell make America sick again, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of public health law at Georgetown University.

State legislators who question vaccine safety are poised to introduce bills to weaken school-entry vaccine requirements or do away with them altogether, said Northe Saunders, who tracks vaccine-related legislation for the SAFE Communities Coalition, a group supporting pro-vaccine legislation and lawmakers.

Even states that keep existing requirements will be vulnerable to decisions made by a Republican-controlled Congress as well as by Kennedy and former House member Dave Weldon, should they be confirmed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, respectively.

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Both men  Kennedy as an activist, Weldon as a medical doctor and congressman from 1995 to 2009 have endorsed debunked theories blaming vaccines for autism and other chronic diseases. (Weldon has been featured in anti-vaccine films in the years since he left Congress.) Both have accused the CDC of covering up evidence this was so, despite dozens of reputable scientific studies to the contrary.

Kennedys staff did not respond to requests for comment. Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaigns national press secretary, did not respond to requests for comment or interviews with Kennedy or Weldon.

Kennedy recently told NPR that were not going to take vaccines away from anybody.

Its unclear how far the administration would go to discourage vaccination, but if levels drop enough, vaccine-preventable illnesses and deaths might soar.

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It is a fantasy to think we can lower vaccination rates and herd immunity in the U.S. and not suffer recurrence of these diseases, said Gregory Poland, co-director of the Atria Academy of Science & Medicine. One in 3,000 kids who gets measles is going to die. Theres no treatment for it. They are going to die.

During a November 2019 measles epidemic that killed 80 children in Samoa, Kennedy wrote to the countrys prime minister falsely claiming that the measles vaccine was probably causing the deaths. Scott Gottlieb, who was Trumps first FDA commissioner, said on CNBC on Nov. 29 that Kennedy will cost lives in this country if he undercuts vaccination.

Kennedys nomination validates and enshrines public mistrust of government health programs, said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.

The notion that hed even be considered for that position makes people think he knows what hes talking about, Offit said. He appeals to lessened trust, the idea that There are things you dont see, data they dont present, that Im going to find out so you can really make an informed decision.

Targets of Anti-Vaccine Groups

Hodge has compiled a list of 20 actions the administration could take to weaken national vaccination programs, from spreading misinformation to delaying FDA vaccine approvals to dropping Department of Justice support for vaccine laws challenged by groups like Childrens Health Defense, which Kennedy founded and led before campaigning for president.

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Kennedy could also cripple the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which Congress created in 1986 to take care of children believed harmed by vaccines  while partially protecting vaccine makers from lawsuits.

Before the law passed, the threat of lawsuits had shrunk the number of companies making vaccines in the United States  from 26 in 1967 to 17 in 1980  and the remaining pertussis vaccine producers were threatening to stop making it. The vaccine injury program played an integral role in keeping manufacturers in the business, Poland said.

Kennedy could abolish the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, whose recommendation for using a vaccine determines whether the government pays for it through the 30-year-old Vaccines for Children program, which makes free immunizations available to more than half the children in the United States. Alternatively, Kennedy could stack the committee with allies who oppose new vaccines, and could, in theory at least, withdraw recommendations for vaccines like the 53-year-old measles-mumps-rubella shot, a favorite target of the anti-vaccine movement.

Meanwhile, infectious disease threats are on the rise or on the horizon. Instead of preparing, as a typical incoming administration might, Kennedy has threatened to shake up the federal health agencies. Once in office, hell give infectious disease a break to focus on chronic ailments, he said at a Childrens Health Defense conference last month in Georgia.

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The H5N1 virus, or bird flu, that has spread through cattle herds and infected at least 55 people could erupt in a new pandemic, and other threats like mosquito-borne dengue fever are rising in the U.S.

Traditional childhood diseases are also making their presence felt, in part because of neglected vaccination. The U.S. has seen 16 measles outbreaks this year  89% of cases are in unvaccinated people  and a whooping cough epidemic is the worst since 2012.

So thats how were starting out, said Peter Hotez, a pediatrician and virologist at the Baylor College of Medicine. Then you throw into the mix one of the most outspoken and visible anti-vaccine activists at the head of HHS, and that gives me a lot of concern.

The share prices of drug companies with big vaccine portfolios have plunged since Kennedys nomination. Even before Trumps victory, vaccine exhaustion and skepticism had driven down demand for newer vaccines like GSKs RSV and shingles shots.

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Kennedy has ample options to slow or stop new vaccine releases or to slow sales of existing vaccines  for example, by requiring additional post-market studies or by highlighting questionable studies that suggest safety risks.

Kennedy, who has embraced conspiracy theories such as that HIV does not cause AIDS and that pesticides cause gender dysphoria, told NPR there are huge deficits in vaccine safety research. Were going to make sure those scientific studies are done and that people can make informed choices, he said.

Kennedys nomination bodes ill for the development of new vaccines and the use of currently available vaccines, said Stanley Plotkin, a vaccine industry consultant and inventor of the rubella vaccine in the 1960s. Vaccine development requires millions of dollars. Unless there is prospect of profit, commercial companies are not going to do it.

Vaccine advocates, with less money on hand than the better-funded anti-vaccine advocates, see an uphill battle to defend vaccination in courts, legislatures, and the public square. People are rarely inclined to celebrate the absence of a conquered illness, making vaccines a hard sell even when they are working well.

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While many wealthy people, including potion and supplement peddlers, have funded the anti-vaccine movement, there hasnt been an appetite from science-friendly people to give that kind of money to our side, said Karen Ernst, director of Voices for Vaccines.

Hes Serious as Hell

RFK Jr. was a punch line for a lot of people, but hes serious as hell, Ernst said. He has a lot of power, money, and a vast network of anti-vaccine parents wholl show up at a moments notice. Thats not been the case with groups like hers, Ernst said.

On Oct. 22, when an Idaho health board voted to stop providing covid vaccines in six counties, there were no vaccine advocates at the meeting. We didnt even know it was on the agenda, Ernst said. Mobilization on our side is always lagging. But Im not giving up.

The kaleidoscopic change has been jarring for Walter Orenstein, who persuaded states to tighten school mandates to fight measles outbreaks as head of the CDCs immunization division from 1988 to 2004.

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People dont understand the concept of community protection, and if they do they dont seem to care, said Orenstein, who saw some of the last cases of smallpox as a CDC epidemiologist in India in the 1970s, and frequently cared for children with meningitis caused by H. influenzae type B bacteria, a disease that has mostly disappeared because of a vaccine introduced in 1987.

I was so naive, he said. I thought that covid would solidify acceptance of vaccines, but it was the opposite.

Lawmakers opposed to vaccines could introduce legislation to remove school-entry requirements in nearly every state, Saunders said. One bill to do this has been introduced in Texas, where whats known as the vaccine choice movement has been growing since 2015 and took off during the pandemic, fusing with parents rights and anti-government groups opposed to measures like mandatory shots and masking.

The genie is out of the bottle, and you cant put it back in, said Rekha Lakshmanan, chief strategy officer at the Immunization Partnership in Texas. Its become this multiheaded thing that were having to reckon with.

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In the last full school year, more than 100,000 Texas public school students were exempted from one or more vaccinations, she said, and many of the 600,000 homeschooled Texas kids are also thought to be unvaccinated.

In Louisiana, the state surgeon general distributed a form letter to hospitals exempting medical professionals from flu vaccination, claiming the vaccine is unlikely to work and has real and well established risks. Research on flu vaccination refutes both claims.

The biggest threat to existing vaccination policies could be plans by the Trump administration to remove civil service protections for federal workers. That jeopardizes workers at federal health agencies whose day-to-day jobs are to prepare for and fight diseases and epidemics. If you overturn the administrative state, the impact on public health will be long-term and serious, said Dorit Reiss, a professor at the University of Californias Hastings College of Law.

Billionaire Elon Musk, who has the ear of the incoming president, imagines cost-cutting plans that are also seen as a threat.

If you damage the core functions of the FDA, its like killing the goose that laid the golden egg, both for our health and for the economy, said Jesse Goodman, the director of the Center on Medical Product Access, Safety and Stewardship at Georgetown University and a former chief science officer at the FDA. It would be the exact opposite of what Kennedy is saying he wants, which is safe medical products. If we dont have independent skilled scientists and clinicians at the agency, theres an increased risk Americans will have unsafe foods and medicine.

Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illness could be alarming, but would they be enough to boost vaccination again? Ernst of Voices for Vaccines isnt sure.

Were already having outbreaks. It would take years before enough children died before people said, I guess measles is a bad thing, she said. One kid wont be enough. The story theyll tell is, There was something wrong with that kid. It cant happen to my kid.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFFan independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.
Hundreds of swans have returned to the Kaidu River in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for their winter stay.

Thanks to years of ecological improvement, this stunning scene has become an annual tradition, with swan numbers growing every year.
Under a curtain of rain Tuesday morning, a man dressed in black crouched by a series of rotting pilings on the Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma. From his backpack he drew a folder of paper collages, a small bottle of glue and a paint brush. Quickly, hidden from public view, he laid a collage on the damp wood and brushed it with paste until it stuck, fogging the image with wheat glue.

The street artist known as Criminal Sage has tagged Tacoma with more than 150 pieces of art, mostly around the Dome District, near railways or bus stations, in parks, or on utility boxes, docks and street lights. An Instagram page run by Criminal Sage provides near-daily updates, documenting places hes hit around the Puget Sound, including Seattle and Everett.

Although hes amassed about 200 followers, one user on Tacomas Reddit thread dubbed him an underappreciated Northwest Banksy for his avant-garde style and political messaging. Even though he agreed to be interviewed on camera, Criminal Sage asked The News Tribune to remain anonymous in this article to protect his identity and focus the attention on the art itself.

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The idea behind the moniker is to avoid personalizing. The idea [is] that the gallery is the street and to not center it so much on myself and center it on the idea of community and community engagement, that art is for everybody, he said. Art doesnt belong in a bougie laundromat, art belongs in the streets, where everyone can see it. Where a person who doesnt have a home can walk by and see interesting and engaging pieces of art and find meaning in that.

Much of Criminal Sages art around Tacoma explores themes of class, self, blight, authority and beauty. Blocky letters and cut-out text often spell poetry against black and white photographs and inked faces. Some poems are longer (so quiet/the silence/it had a sound/it sounded like gasses escaping a pinch point/or cicadas in harmony/it sounded like the bouncing echo of a rattlesnakes tail/off the walls of a canyon) and others short and to the point (let the intrusive thoughts win or eat LSD/disrespect authority).

Criminal Sage, age 37, said his goal isnt to vandalize but to improve the urban landscape by bringing beauty to blighted areas perceived as ugly. Inspired by his surroundings, trash and antiques, Criminal Sage said all his art is made from recycled and repurposed materials, like old playbills, paper, plastics, wrappers, plaster, wallpapers, paint and wood.

A self-portrait of street artist Criminal Sage is one of his favorites, he says, seen here on an old piling along the Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma, Washington, on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.

Originally from Tacoma, Criminal Sage lives part-time here and has seen the city change since the 1980s. He has been a fine-art painter for several decades and dabbles in a variety of mediums, including miniature and large sculptures, photography, mixed media, writing and poetry. Criminal Sage said hes been a street artist for 20 years and has art pasted in cities like Minneapolis; Austin, Texas; Houston; Boulder, Colorado; Ellensburg; Fort Collins, Colorado and Duluth, Minnesota.

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Criminal Sage said it became apparent to him at a young age that the most skilled, expressive and soulful artists arent necessarily the ones that end up in galleries.

Some of the most talented and amazing people and the most incredible musicians Ive ever heard are people that play in the streets, he said. Classism is largely reflected in the pieces that I make because of the intense contrast that we see day to day. Just from where I put up my art pieces is an intense contrast of the extremely wealthy and the extremely poor. Its in your face every day, and its everywhere. So its very important to me to reflect that in my art, and again, give access to the people that by class are excluded from experiencing the arts.

Most of the pieces he makes survive Tacomas wet weather. This city is a good one for artists, he said. People dont tear down his posters in Tacoma like they do in other cities, and many people send him messages saying theyre on the lookout for his art and appreciate his work.

Ive been doing street art for a long time, and so with that, in other states that Ive lived, in other places that Ive lived, people were pretty aggressive against street art, and would take it down quite quickly, he said. Here in Tacoma, theres a lot of support for the arts and people really seem to appreciate it and enjoy it, especially the locals immediately seem to take notice.

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City of Tacoma spokesperson Maria Lee said its hard to tell if the city has received any complaints about Criminal Sages art because they track complaints based on address location alone, not monikers. Tacoma police spokesperson Shelbie Boyd said the department had no information related to this alias as of Tuesday.

Under Tacomas city code, citizens report concerns about graffiti or neglected buildings to TacomaFIRST 311, and code-compliance inspectors check out the area of concern. If there are violations to the city code observed, property owners are informed, and code compliance works with them to correct those violations, according to the citys website.

As reported by The News Tribunes Craig Sailor earlier this year, the Washington State Department of Transportation spent over $815,000 on graffiti removal statewide in 2023.

Street artist Criminal Sage looks for a space to a affix his artwork to the old pilings along the Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma, Washington, on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.

Inspiration on your commute?

Criminal Sage said he often scouts locations for his art in the early morning and often feels like a ghost walking around the city unnoticed. Hell usually spend his free time making four to five pieces of art a day and keeps his tools ready in his backpack when he scouts places in case the mood strikes him.

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A commuter, Criminal Sage said he travels a lot by rail so youll likely find some of his pieces at the King Street Station in Seattle, as well as Post Alley near Pike Place Market. In Tacoma he also targets the train depot and bus stops, where he knows other commuters will be.

I think that people going to the grind in our modern world, its a quiet death. And a lot of people go about their day quite unhappy, he said. Perhaps, you know, on their way to work today, they see something that is whimsical and funny to them, or beautiful to them, that they might enjoy and improve their day.

When asked how he feels that some call him Tacomas Banksy, Criminal Sage said its been really cool and exciting for street artists to be seen as sources of inspiration for people.

I think whats really cool about street art is that there is a community kind of feel to it, he said. Theres no gatekeeping and theres no competitiveness, really. I mean, people are really respectful, especially in this area, with each others art. People dont really paste or post or even do tags onto each others tags, because theres kind of a communal thing to it.
Meta  the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more  drew significant criticism recently over a move that some critics have categorized as hypocritical.

Just one day after vowing to work to install nuclear mini plants on facility sites to help reduce the company's carbon pollution from its electricity needs, the tech giants announced their largest-ever data center powered by dirty energy, according to The Register. Making matters worse, the construction of the center is directly in line with the time frame Meta provided for its plans to pivot power for its data centers to nuclear energy.

The new facility will be powered by three natural gas-powered turbines to produce 2,262 megawatts of energy, a colossal amount of power that will require a colossal supply of natural gas to produce. Energy services company Entergy said the facilities would be able to operate at up to 30% hydrogen co-fired to reduce carbon pollution and that it could upgrade the facilities to renewable power in the future, but that was not presented as a commitment, and it was unclear whether Meta was planning to maximize hydrogen usage in the meantime or whether it would source that hydrogen through renewable-powered electrolysis.

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Given that natural gas is one of the primary producers of planet-warming carbon pollution, this move drew ire from a number of groups, most notably the Southern Renewable Energy Association.

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"SREA is concerned about the large amount of greenhouse gas emissions these three new gas plants will produce, and the unproven nature of the technology Entergy is proposing to install 'in the future' to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions that will be produced by these gas power plants," regulations director Whit Cox said.

The amount and type of power used by big tech companies has come under increasing scrutiny recently. Google's new data center in Malaysia is expected to face strict regulations about where its power can come from, while the company's proposed facility in Uruguay has drawn substantial blowback from the local populace. Amazon hasn't been immune either, as its claim to have reached its renewable energy goal was deemed misleading by environmental groups.

Commenters in the r/energy subreddit were quick to call out Meta for the perceived hypocrisy.

"Lol. Now that is a dirty trick," one said.

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"This has been the very very very obvious motivation behind a the nuclear for AI hype the entire time," another replied. "It's not even really a trick, Russians have a word for it. 'Vranyo': A lie so obvious and stupid that the intent behind it is to insult the listener and demonstrate the power of the speaker over them."

"My son worked at Meta and looked into joining the team to make the company green," said a third. "He determined it was a joke and the company had no intention of being green."

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(NewsNation)  Officials on the southern border are warning that there will be major traffic in the area as thousands of people across the United States travel to see their families in Mexico this holiday season.

In Laredo, Texas, the police department say lines of congestion can cause people to wait for hours. Officials in Eagle Pass, Texas are also reporting long lines of congestion on International Bridge One and International Bridge Two that could affect commerce. Some of the traffic on those bridges being rerouted to different roads.

That journey to see loved ones can take up to two weeks for some  and lately, its been much more dangerous to travel to Mexico, because of drug cartels working along the southern border.

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Travel tracker: What you should know as you prepare for holiday travel

In recent years, hundreds of police officers have been monitoring roads and assisting travelers. To facilitate the holiday travel, Mexican officials have stepped up security on their side even more. For instance, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, police say theyve deployed an additional 400 officers.

On the American side, the Texas Department of Public Safety deployed additional officers as at least 9.1 million Texans will be hitting the skies and roads this year. In total, an estimated 119.3 million Americans will travel during the year-end holidays, according to the American Automobile Association.

Officials are recommending that all those who head into Mexico look on social media for any statements from local law enforcement that come in.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.
The Senate Chambers inside the Roundhouse on Jan. 10, 2024. (Photo by Anna Padilla for Source NM)

Among the first items on the New Mexico Senates agenda when the Legislature meets in the new year will be choosing whether to confirm the governors picks to lead state agencies.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, will likely see her nominees approved because her party holds a majority in the Senate.

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Lujan Grisham has designated five people since the last legislative session to serve in her Cabinet:

Manny Barreras is the secretary-designee for the Department of Information Technology.

Rob Black is the secretary-designee for the Economic Development Department.

Emily Kaltenbach is the secretary-designee for the Aging and Long-Term Services Department.

Melanie Kenderdine is the secretary-designee for the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.

Mariana Padilla is the secretary-designee for the Public Education Department.

Two additional agency leaders are in acting roles, but Lujan Grisham has not officially nominated them to the Cabinet:

Gina DeBlassie is the acting secretary for the Department of Health. She replaced former secretary Patrick Allen last month.

Anna Silva is the acting secretary for the General Services Department. She will replace outgoing secretary Robert Doucette, who steps down at the end of the year.

Three other high-ranking state official appointments that are not Cabinet positions are also in the queue for Senate confirmation: Heather Jordan is the director of the Workers Compensation Administration, Chris Hefner is the state mine inspector and Elizabeth Anderson is the state engineer.

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In total, there are 27 positions in the governors Cabinet.

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Cabinet secretaries are considered for confirmation by the nine-member Senate Rules Committee, and if they get voted in, their nominations go to the full Senate for a vote.

The Rules Committees staff initiates background checks for all appointments, said Chris Nordstrum, a spokesperson for the Senate majority.

A private vendor will verify the nominees identity, credit and loan information, liens and judgements, court records and property ownership, Nordstrum said

The New Mexico Department of Justice checks for criminal records, he said.

Of the 42 members of the Senate, 16 will be newly elected. That means all of the legislative committees in the upper chamber are expected to change membership, Nordstrum said.

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Committee assignments will be announced as soon as the Committees Committee meets and then the full Senate approves their decisions, Nordstrum said. The Committees Committee is an administrative panel that picks the leadership and members of all committees in the Senate.

That typically occurs on the sessions first day, Jan. 21.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn.  An apartment complex caught on fire Sunday night in the University area.

Memphis Fire crews responded to an apartment fire at Bloom Gardens on Southern Avenue near Patterson Street just before 10 p.m. Five to six apartment units were left damaged.

The fire is under investigation, but residents say the blaze started in a second-floor corner apartment, though there had been no electricity in the apartment.

I got up and I heard some screaming, but were used to screaming over here, resident Tiffanie Boyer said. Something told me to open the door. I opened the door and black smoke came in and I yelled, fire, fire.'

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The windows over there blew out. We were out here from 9:30 to 4 in the morning, Boyer said. Our whole apartment is black inside. Like, stuffs not salvageable.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Despite being monitored for alcohol and/or drug use, a Miami doctor intentionally skipped tests and ignored a request that he stop practicing almost two years ago, a state complaint says.

However, in emails to the Miami Herald, Baptist Health Dr. David Barkoe denied some of the contents of the Nov. 26 Florida Department of Health administrative complaint against him before saying, Unfortunately, I cant discuss my case anymore right now...not until a final decision is made.

Administrative complaints start the professional discipline process. Barkoes online Department of Health license profile shows no disciplinary final orders since getting his Florida license in 2008. The 50-year-old is board certified by the American Board of Surgery in surgery and surgical critical care.

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And Barkoe entered a monitoring contract with an agency that provides support and monitoring for impaired healthcare officials.

Contracts and urine?

Administrative complaints, emergency restriction orders and emergency suspension orders often include references to the medical professional being monitored or evaluated by the Professional Resource Network (PRN), a non-profit organization that works with the Department of Health and the Department of Business & Professional Regulation.

PRN is an alternative to the DOH/DBPR disciplinary process, the organizations website says. Due to increased education of licensed health care practitioners, hospitals and other employees, health care practitioners participating in PRN do so voluntarily instead of being reported to or by DOH/DBPR.

The complaint says Barkoe entered into a five-year monitoring contract to end on June 5, 2019. Then, in 2015, Barkoe signed an addendum with PRN which increased his contract length from five years to licensure long.

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The add-on included a possible exit after evaluation after five years of complete compliance.

The contract required Barkoe refrain from using alcohol; and/or submit to urine, hair or blood drug testing.

But, the complaint noted, Barkoe knowingly missed urine drug tests on July 17, 2017 and March 12, 20219 and tested positive for phosphatidyl ethanol, a blood alcohol biomarker on Nov. 28, 2022.

The complaint said, As a result of his material noncompliance, PRN requested that [Barkoe] refrain from practice and undergo a multidisciplinary recovery status evaluation with a deadline of Jan. 4, 2023.

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Barkoe, the complaint said, missed a required check-in and drug test on Jan. 9, 2023. PRN began the contract termination process. The next day, Barkoe informed PRN that he was separating from the contract. So, PRN terminated Barkoes contract on March 24, 2023.

The complaint added, Barkoes monitoring contract was terminated due to material noncompliance.

When asked if this was accurate or if inaccurate, how so, Barkoe answered, I completed my PRN contract, but when it was time to exit officially, certain terms of my particular contract came to light of which I was unaware. I hired an attorney to settle these issues with PRN.

My relationship with PRN is a good one, we just disagree on something. This all occurred in January 2023. I have been practicing all this time without a response from the Department of Health until just now with their recent filed complaint.

So, it will all have to be decided through the courts and/or legal dealings. I cannot get more specific about the nature of my and PRNs discrepancy. Its a private matter.
John Steinbecks classic novella Of Mice and Men will no longer be studied in Wales at GCSE level because of the books racial slurs.

WJEC, the Cardiff-based Welsh exam board, said it has instead selected a wide range of appropriate and inclusive texts for students.

The 1937 book by the American author focuses on the friendship of Lennie and George as they try to find work during the Great Depression.

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However, from September the book will no longer be studied in classrooms due to concerns about racism and its impact on school children.

Rocio Cifuentes, the Childrens Commissioner for Wales, backed the move, saying the book had been psychologically and emotionally harmful to black children who had discussed it in class.

She said that while researching racism in school many black children specifically mentioned this text and the harm that it caused them.

Not censorship

Ms Cifuentes welcomed opportunities for positive, constructive, informed discussions on race and racism, adding that there were alternative texts available, which could still offer the same opportunities but in a less directly harmful way.

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She added: Its not censorship. This is safeguarding the wellbeing of children who have told us how awful those discussions have made them feel in those classrooms.

Theyve very often been the only black child in that classroom when discussions all around them are focusing on very derogatory, negative depictions of black people.

WJEC said it was merging English language and literature into one GCSE and had employed an anti-racism consultant while choosing which books would be appropriate.

Lon Chaney Jr and Burgess Meredith starred in a 1939 film adaptation of John Steinbecks book - Entertainment Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo

The exam board said the work was undertaken to help us ensure our qualifications reflect a modern and inclusive Wales and had been carried out in consultation with a broad range of organisations.

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A spokesman added: We have provided a choice of work from writers of diverse backgrounds, nationalities, genders and communities.

We believe this new selection will enrich the educational experience by providing a choice of texts that explore themes that will resonate with learners.

Other authors more relevant

Rhian Evans, an English teacher, said the book would be missed as it presented an opportunity to discuss how we treat each other in general in our societies.

Ms Evans, who teaches at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin in Carmarthen, told the BBC they would never repeat the use of the N-word when discussing the book in class.

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She said: We always discuss why we dont use it and I think it does allow for that discussion.

But I think the truth is that as a white woman, I will never know what it feels like to be a child of colour in a classroom where they are forced to encounter that word as part of their GCSE education.

She said that although the book would be missed there were other authors who come from all sorts of backgrounds and who would perhaps also introduce the same kind of themes, but in a more relevant and a more modern way to pupils of today.

The book was dropped from GCSEs in England in 2014 when Michael Gove, the then education secretary, called for more works by British authors to be studied.

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Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2015. The Free Press is republishing it, slightly updated, after Michigan's only federal death row inmate recently had his death sentence commuted by President Joe Biden. Michigan has a long history of outlawing the death penalty at the state level.

Michigan lawmakers 178 years ago voted to put down the death penalty, becoming the first state to ban capital punishment -- indeed, it was the first English-speaking government in the world to outlaw executions.

On May 18, 1846, the Legislature passed an act banning capital punishment, setting the maximum penalty for murder in Michigan at "solitary confinement at hard labor ... for life." Yet many of those serving that sentence went insane in solitary, leading to a new law in 1861 that gave greater leeway in sentencing murderers.

So who was the last person executed in Michigan?

Well, not counting federal executions, that would be on Sept. 24, 1830, when Michigan was still a territory. Detroit was a dusty town of only about 2,200 people. The killer was Stephen Simmons, a tavern keeper who had been convicted of murdering his wife during a drunken quarrel. He was sentenced to die.

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Within days, gallows were erected not far from Campus Martius, near Farmer Street and Gratiot, by the downtown library and the Compuware Building. There was a viewing section for the execution, a stage for a band and even a concession area. Detroit, it seemed, was throwing a party for the occasion.

As Simmons stood on the gallows, he was asked whether he had any final words. Instead of speaking, or so the story goes, he sang "Show Pity, Lord, O Lord, Forgive":

"Show pity Lord, O Lord forgive/Let a repenting rebel live."Are not thy mercies full and free?/May not a sinner trust in thee?"My crimes are great, but cannot surpass/The power and glory of thy grace."Great God thy nature hath no bounds/So let thy pardoning love be found."

Whether moved by the hymn, the distaste for the spectacle that accompanied the hanging, or the sight of him swinging from the noose, a big push soon began in the territory to do away with capital punishment. Religious leaders in Detroit decried executions as being un-Christian. Newspapers sounded off on the barbarism. Then, a few years later, it was learned that a Detroit man had been executed in Windsor for a crime he didn't commit. Another man confessed to the crime after the innocent man had been put to death.

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All of this helped lead the Legislature to pass the law outlawing capital punishment in the newly minted state. The law took effect March 1, 1847, 10 years after Michigan had joined the union.

In 1881, a movement to reinstate the death penalty grew. That June, abolitionist Sojourner Truth, who lived in Battle Creek, spoke to the Legislature: "It shocked me worse than slavery. I've heard that you are going to have hanging again in this state ... Where is the man or woman who can sanction such a thing as that? We are the makers of murderers if we do it."

The last person executed in Michigan under the federal death penalty was Anthony Chebatoris, who was hanged July 8, 1938, at the federal prison in Milan after he was convicted of killing a bystander during a bank robbery in Midland.

Staff writer Zlati Meyer contributed to this report.

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Dan Austin was assistant editor for opinion digital/interactive at the time of this article's original publication.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan was 1st state to outlaw death penalty
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS)  A Michigan man was sentenced for a drug crime that involved fentanyl in Raleigh County.

According to a press release, on Thursday, December 19, 2024, 37-year-old Mannie Lamar Terry, also known as Primo and J, of Ypsilanti, Michigan, was sentenced to two years and one month in prison, followed by three years of parole, for distribution of fentanyl.

Inmate sentenced for malicious assault in Fayette County

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The press release stated that according to court documents, Terry sold around 4.5 grams of fentanyl for $300 to a confidential informant in the Beckley area of Raleigh County on February 27, 2023.

Terry revealed his involvement in the sale, and that on March 13, 2023 he sold around 4.5 grams of fentanyl for $300 to the confidential informant in Beckley.

Multiple controlled substance possession offenses, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and carrying a concealed weapon make up Terrys prior convictions that are a part of his criminal history.

Kentucky nurse pleads guilty to opioid diversion scheme in West Virginia

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The announcement was made by United States Attorney Will Thompson, who thanked the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit for their work on the investigation.

Members of the Beckley Police Department, the Raleigh County Sheriffs Office, and the West Virginia State Police make up the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
SUVA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Legislative Assembly of Tonga has received two nominations for the country's prime minister-designate, according to a statement on Monday.

The names will be revealed on Tuesday, when the 26 members of the Legislative Assembly meet to elect the new prime minister through a secret ballot.

The Lord Speaker has issued a notice calling a meeting of the 17 Peoples' Representatives and nine Nobles Representatives on Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time.

The representatives will then vote for a new prime minister to replace Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, who resigned on Dec. 9. 
Several inches of wet snow are expected accumulate across parts of Michigan through Monday night, according to the National Weather Service, with some areas possibly experiencing more than 6 inches of accumulation of wet snow.

While the southern Lower Peninsula is expected to receive a mix of rain and snow early in the week, the highest snowfall totals are expected north of M-46.

Christmas Day, however, could look a little different, according to the NWS office in Detroit/Pontiac, as warmer weather moves in and rain by the weekend.

With lake effect snow, western Michigan could experience accumulation Monday with 2 to 4 inches of snow with temperatures in the high 30s.

Expected snowfall totals for southeast Michigan on Dec. 23, 2024.

Roads could become slippery and messy early this week, and NWS offices across the state are encouraging Michiganders to leave extra travel time for commutes.

How much snow is expected in west Michigan?

The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids issued a winter weather advisory through Monday.

"Low pressure will bring snow and mixed precipitation today with 2 to 4 inches of snow north of I-96 and snow, sleet and freezing rain to the south. Highs will be in the lower 30s," the weather service said. "Wintry weather today will feature a mix of sleet, snow, and freezing rain across southern Lower Michigan, while 2 to 4 inches of snow is expected in central and northern Lower Michigan. The precipitation will taper off to snow flurries this evening."

Northern Michigan expected to see gradual warming before Christmas

A winter weather advisory is in effect for northern Michigan and parts of the UP today, the National Weather Service in Gaylord said.

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"Snow will continue to spread across the area this morning. Heavier, wet snow will be seen over eastern upper for this mornings commute. This heavier, west snow will show up over northern lower a few hours later  more around the mid-morning hours. Drive carefully today, as wet snow leads to slushy and slipper roads," the weather service said.

After today, the National Weather Service in Gaylord is predicting a warmer Christmas this year.

"Skies will be mostly cloudy for the majority of the week with temperatures becoming mild, said the weather service in a statement on X.

Northern Michigan could see a clipper system

Areas in Northern Michigan could see wet snowfall today, thanks to lake effect snow off Lake Michigan and a clipper system, an area of low pressure that usually forms in the southern provinces of Canada, and quickly drops southeast into the eastern U.S., bringing a shot of cold, arctic air with it.

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The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for Monday.

"A system moving through the Great Lakes will produce widespread light, wet snow today across south central Upper Michigan," the weather service said.

Expected snowfall through Dec. 24

In the Lower Peninsula, the weather service predicted lower snowfall totals for areas farther south. Here's a look at some expectations:

Detroit: 1 inch

Grand Rapids: 1 inch

Big Rapids: 2 inches

Cadillac: 6 inches

Clare: 4 inches

Bad Axe: 6 inches

Kalamazoo : 1 inch

Muskegon: 1 inch

Lansing: 1 inch

Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Widespread light snow in Michigan through Monday night, NWS says
Rebel forces in Syria are building a transitional government after toppling the regime of President Bashar Assad in a lightning-quick advance across the country.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group. The Israel Defense Forces continues its intense airstrike and ground campaigns in Gaza.

Tensions remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides. The IDF and the Yemeni Houthis also continue to exchange attacks.





Latest Developments





Dec 24, 1:48 PM

Negotiation team returning after 'significant week': Israeli PM office

The Israeli negotiation team will return to Israel from Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday after a "significant week of conducting negotiations" regarding a ceasefire and hostage deal, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said in a statement.



"The team returned for internal consultations in Israel regarding the continuation of negotiations for the return of our hostages," the statement continued.



-ABC News' Anna Burd





Dec 24, 4:35 AM

IDF 'besieging' 3 Gaza hospitals, health ministry says

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said in a statement Tuesday that Israeli forces are "intensifying" their attacks on three hospitals in the devastated and depopulated northern portion of the strip.

PHOTO: This photo shows damage inside Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 18, 2024. (Stringer/Reuters)

Israeli troops, the ministry in the Hamas-run territory said, are "besieging and directly targeting the Indonesian Hospital, Kamal Adwan Hospital and Al-Awda Hospital during the past hours and insisting on putting them out of service."



The ministry said Israeli troops were "forcing the wounded and patients to evacuate the Indonesian Hospital," while bombing "all departments of Kamal Adwan Hospital and its surroundings around the clock without stopping."



"Shrapnel is scattered inside the hospital yards, causing terrifying sounds and serious damage," the ministry said.



"We appeal to all international and UN institutions and concerned parties to urgently intervene to protect the health system in the Gaza Strip," the ministry wrote.



On Monday, Palestinian officials said 20 people were injured when Israeli forces detonated a "robot bomb" in the vicinity of Kamal Adwan Hospital.



The IDF has not commented on the latest developments around Kamal Adwan or the other north Gaza hospitals.



-ABC News' Nasser Atta





Dec 24, 3:52 AM

3 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces said Monday that three soldiers were killed in combat in northern Gaza.

PHOTO: Israeli tanks are pictured as smoke from an airstrike rises over Gaza, as seen from Israel on Dec. 22, 2024. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)

Cpt. Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, 22, Staff Sgt. Netanel Pessach, 21, and Sgt. First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, 21, were all killed by an explosion during an operation in the Beit Hanoun area, which has been a focus of Israel's intense recent offensive in the northern part of the strip.



Israel's toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and the border zone is now 391.



Health officials in the Hamas-run territory say more than 45,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.



-ABC News' Dana Savir and Ellie Kaufman





Dec 24, 3:46 AM

20 injured after bomb detonates near Gaza hospital

Twenty people were injured among the medical staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza Monday evening after a "robot bomb" was detonated in the hospitals vicinity, according to medical sources.



ABC News has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for a comment.



-ABC News' Samy Zyara





Dec 23, 1:35 PM

Israeli forces kill Hamas operative in Gaza City, IDF says

Israeli forces killed the head of the national security directorate of Hamas' security mechanism during an attack on Sunday in Gaza City, the Israel Defense Forces said.



The Hamas operative, Tharwat Muhammad Ahmed Albec, was "operating in a command and control center" that was embedded in a "compound that previously served as the 'Musa bin Nusayr' school" in a neighborhood in Gaza City, the IDF said in a statement on Monday.



Hamas has yet to comment on the IDF's statement.



-ABC News' Dana Savir





Dec 23, 12:46 PM

'Certain progress' made in hostage negotiations: Netanyahu

"Certain progress" has been made in ongoing hostage and ceasefire negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a speech at the Israeli parliament on Monday.

PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the fifth day of testimony in his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 23, 2024. (Debbie Hill/AP)

"I can carefully say there has been a certain progress" made in the ongoing negotiations, Netanyahu said, adding that he "doesn't know how long it's going to take."



"We will continue to operate in any way and without a pause until we bring them all back home from the enemy's land," he said.



-ABC News' Dana Savir





Dec 23, 7:33 AM

Hamas reports Israeli attack on Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp

Hamas on Monday said the Israel Defense Forces killed or wounded at least 50 people in an air and ground assault on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

PHOTO: Bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat camp arrive at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Dec. 21, 2024. (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

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An IDF airstrike was followed by an incursion into the camp supported by 17 heavy vehicles, among them tanks and bulldozers, Hamas said.



Israeli forces also attacked Nuseirat camp two weeks ago, killing at least 33 people according to the Gaza Government Media Office.



The IDF is yet to comment on Monday's operation.



-ABC News' Diaa Ostaz and Tomek Rolski





Dec 23, 3:16 AM

Netanyahu says Israel will act against Houthis after missile strike

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his nation would "act forcefully" against the Houthis in Yemen after a weekend missile attack on Tel Aviv injured 16 people, according to Israeli emergency authorities.



"Just as we acted forcefully against the terrorist arms of Iran's evil axis, so we will act against the Houthis -- the result will be the same," Netanyahu said in a statement posted to X.

PHOTO: Israeli emergency services work at the scene of a missile strike that Israel's military said was launched from Yemen, south of Tel Aviv, Israel, on Dec. 21, 2024. (Stringer/Reuters)

Since October 2023, the Houthis have been launching attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, as well as long-range drone and missile attacks towards Israel.



On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces said it intercepted a Houthi missile but that debris destroyed a school building in Tel Aviv.



The Houthis -- which have close ties with Iran and are part of the Tehran-led "Axis of Resistance" -- are demanding an end to Israel's war in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, infiltration attack into southern Israel.



The U.S. and U.K. -- supported by other allies -- have launched a series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen since January. Israel has also launched significant strikes in Yemen in recent months, most recently on Thursday.





Dec 23, 3:16 AM

At least 7 dead after IDF strikes humanitarian area in Gaza

At least seven people were killed after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, which is located in the southern Gaza Strip.



The strike hit a collection of tents within what had been designated a humanitarian area, where displaced people were sheltering.



The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged the strike on Sunday, saying in a statement it was "an intelligence-based strike on a Hamas terrorist."



"Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence," the IDF said.



- ABC News' William Gretsky





Dec 23, 3:16 AM

21 killed in Gaza, IDF northern offensive continues

The Gaza Ministry of Health said Saturday that 21 people were killed and 61 injured in three separate Israeli attacks over the last 24 hours in the Hamas-run territory.



A total of 45,227 people have been killed since the start of the war, health officials said.



PHOTO: Men pray over the bodies of victims of an Israeli airstrike outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Dec. 21, 2024. (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)



Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces continued intense operations in northern Gaza, particularly around the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia.



The director of the hospital said there is shooting "around the clock" nearby, adding that on Friday the third floor and the hospital entrance were shelled.



The director said the IDF is blocking the entry of all requested medical supplies. Nine people need urgent evacuation for surgery in Gaza City and the hospital is currently treating over 70 people, he said.



-ABC News' Samy Zyara and Victoria Beaule
Guest Opinion. As the end of the year approaches and the holidays distract us, the government continues to promulgate regulations. The flood of regulations that come at the end of a four or eight year term of a Presidency have earned the moniker, midnight regulations, as they are pushed out for publication in the last hours of the Administration.

These are typically regulations that have been in development over months and years, and so as not to potentially lose the momentum on these rules, the Administration needs to push them out before they go. This is a non-partisan practice  both Republican and Democrat Administrations do this.

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It also makes these regulations a bit more fragile. The incoming Administration has traditionally taken aim at these midnight regulations and withdrawn them in the first thirty days of the new Administration. Since the new Administration is setting policy for the next four years, this has become an accepted practice, although any case may bring controversy. In 2016, a bill was introduced in Congress to allow Congress to recall any and all regulations in a block that have been published in the last 60 days of an outgoing Administration.

The Midnight Rules Relief Act was moved to the House calendar as of December 11, 2024 and passed. It would expand the proposed bill of 2016 from the last 60 days of rulemaking to the last year of rulemaking that is subject to rollback as a package.

Why?

The regulations are completed because it is a way of saving all the government hours of work that went into their promulgation. By some estimates this amounts to $1 trillion dollars for the Biden Administration for this calendar year. There is also a reason to wait until you are going out the door because the regulations you publish may be controversial and likely to be challenged in judicial review, and you want to leave that to the next team. It could also mean that you know these regulations will be withdrawn by the next Administration and just need to make a statement or act in a way that shows you kept a campaign or policy promise. It is a little hollow, but sometimes that is the best one can do.

Its a mixed bag

Regulations that you push out the door on the last day, may just signal they were not regulations the Administration cared to defend. So some of these will have to go; but that said, I am glad to see at least one group of them that I hope will stay around.

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I am happy to see the proposed listings under the Endangered Species Act. These continue to be highly controversial with calls to give more power to the states by opponents. States having more power is the very reason that federalism is important in Constitutional law, as species do not recognize jurisdictional borders, nor do air or water. This is the reason that the 1970s ushered in a suite of environmental regulation that exercised the federalism aspect of the Constitution that called for federal regulation for those things that affect interstate commerce. Sure, it would be more straightforward if we had a Constitutional text that listed environmental regulation along with the Post Office and other enumerated tasks of Congress to which it is limited. But because we have a conservative document that limits the power of the federal government and reserves all other powers to states and citizens, it means that each situation has to be analyzed for its effect on interstate commerce to determine over which the federal government has clear authority and jurisdiction.

The Monarch Butterfly Proposal

The listing of the Monarch Butterfly as threatened is one of the proposals made this month, December 10, 2024. Threatened is one of the two categories that can be designated as a protected species, the higher level of protection is endangered. The Monarch Butterfly is a long focus of unintended consequences, and the listing process and science are analyzed in November 2022 and February 2024. It will be scrutinized by the incoming Administration and hopefully recognize its importance.

The midnight release of this proposal is the result of a long process of rule proposal, notice and comment, then judicial review and then back to the Executive Branch for proposal again. The Monarch was a candidate since December 2020 for listing, based on a finding by the Dept. of Interior that it warranted listing as a threatened species. But it was not listed at that time, with the reason given that other species were more important. In response to this action by the Department of Interior not to proceed with the listing, the Center for Biological Diversity challenged this decision in federal court. The Center for Biological Diversity challenged their warranted but not  as arbitrary and capricious which means the agency has no legal basis or even reasoned basis in law for the decision. This resulted in a settlement with DOI requiring them to submit a proposal to list the Monarch by publication in the Federal Register by December 2, 2024.

Final thoughts

There will be more to come, but this one for the beleaguered Monarch butterfly has been a long time in coming. The status of a rule making orders through judicial review should ensure its finality. Implementation depends on the incoming Administration and it should be reviewed and implemented consistent with its threatened status in the coming year.

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To read more articles by Professor Sutton go to: https://profvictoria.substack.com/

Professor Victoria Sutton (Lumbee) is a law professor on the faculty of Texas Tech University. In 2005, Sutton became a founding member of the National Congress of American Indians, Policy Advisory Board to the NCAI Policy Center, positioning the Native American community to act and lead on policy issues affecting Indigenous communities in the United States.

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
A Minnesota man has been charged in a shooting that occurred this weekend involving Chicago police.

Tiresias Young, 45, of Duluth, Minnesota, was arrested minutes after the shooting on the 1500 block of North Massasoit Avenue and is now facing two counts of first-degree attempted murder, police said.

The shooting took place around 12:45 am Saturday on the 5700 block of West North Avenue where Young shot a 36-year-old man and then fired shots at two Chicago police officers, striking their squad car, police said. One officer returned fire, however, no officers were injured, police said.

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Three firearms were recovered at the scene, police said.

Officers gave the victim first aid, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, police said. His condition is unknown.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the incident, and the officers involved will be placed on routine administrative duties.

Young is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
Gov. Mike Parson speaks to Republican members of the Missouri Senate at the GOPs annual caucus in Branson in November 2020. (Photo courtesy of Missouri Governors Office)

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson commuted the prison sentence of a former Kansas City police officer who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a Black man

Parson announced his decision to free former police detective Eric DeValkenaere from prison in a press release Friday afternoon that included numerous other individuals receiving a commutation or pardon. He did not explain his reasoning, but has long hinted he planned to make the controversial decision before he leaves office next month.

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DeValkenaere, who is white, was serving a six-year prison sentence. He was convicted in 2021 of killing 26-year-old Cameron Lamb.

On the morning of Dec. 3, 2019, DeValkenaere responded to a request over his police radio to check out a driver who had been speeding through city streets. The driver, Lamb, had pulled his pickup truck into a driveway and was backing into a garage.

DeValkenaere, who was not in a police uniform, knocked down a makeshift fence to enter the property. Nine seconds later he shot Lamb, who was sitting in his pickup and had just placed a phone call.

DeValkenaere said he fired when Lamb pointed a gun at his partner. Police reportedly found Lamb in his truck, hanging out the drivers side window and a handgun on the ground near his left hand.

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Prosecutors have contended the gun was planted.

Jackson County Judge J. Dale Youngs convicted DeValkenaere of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. The officer had no legal right to enter Lambs property, he ruled, and the shooting was unconstitutional.

Since then, an appeals court panel has upheld the verdict. The Missouri Supreme Court refused to review the case. A federal judge ruled in a civil case that DeValkenaere violated Lambs constitutional rights.

DeValkenaeres official commutation document, signed by Parson, places him on parole, subject to the conditions imposed by the Parole Board

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Critics of Parsons decision noted he has routinely refused to intervene in wrongful conviction cases involving Black men.

While Eric DeValkenaere gets to spend Christmas with his family, the three children of Cameron Lamb will never see their father again, said House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat. There is no justice here.

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Missouri Gov. Mike Parson commuted the prison sentence of a former Kansas City police officer who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a Black man.

Parson announced his decision to free former police detective Eric DeValkenaere from prison in a press release Friday afternoon that included numerous other individuals receiving a commutation or pardon. He did not explain his reasoning, but has long hinted he planned to make the controversial decision before he leaves office next month.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson answers questions after speaking at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce's annual State of the State at Great Southern Bank Arena on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

DeValkenaere, who is white, was serving a six-year prison sentence. He was convicted in 2021 of killing 26-year-old Cameron Lamb.

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On the morning of Dec. 3, 2019, DeValkenaere responded to a request over his police radio to check out a driver who had been speeding through city streets. The driver, Lamb, had pulled his pickup truck into a driveway and was backing into a garage.

DeValkenaere, who was not in a police uniform, knocked down a makeshift fence to enter the property. Nine seconds later he shot Lamb, who was sitting in his pickup and had just placed a phone call.

DeValkenaere said he fired when Lamb pointed a gun at his partner. Police reportedly found Lamb in his truck, hanging out the drivers side window and a handgun on the ground near his left hand.

Prosecutors have contended the gun was planted.

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Jackson County Judge J. Dale Youngs convicted DeValkenaere of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. The officer had no legal right to enter Lambs property, he ruled, and the shooting was unconstitutional.

Since then, an appeals court panel has upheld the verdict. The Missouri Supreme Court refused to review the case. A federal judge ruled in a civil case that DeValkenaere violated Lambs constitutional rights.

More: Gov. Mike Parson focuses on 'putting people first' in final State of the State address

DeValkenaeres official commutation document, signed by Parson, places him on parole, subject to the conditions imposed by the Parole Board."

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Critics of Parsons decision noted he has routinely refused to intervene in wrongful conviction cases involving Black men.

While Eric DeValkenaere gets to spend Christmas with his family, the three children of Cameron Lamb will never see their father again, said House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat. There is no justice here.

This story was first published at missouriindependent.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri governor frees former officer convicted of killing Black man
Editor's note: The video above shows an interview with Dwayne Tucker who is on leave as CEO of LEAD Public Schools. Tucker is currently serving as interim Tennessee State University president.

The battle between public charter schools and traditional public schools has become one of the hottest political debates in our city and our state.

While there was a point in time when Metro Nashville Public Schools was supportive of charter schools in Nashville, the political tides have turned and MNPS is making their anti-charter stance clear at any cost  even against the best interest of students and families.

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The latest example of MNPS strategy to ice charters out of Nashville was when the board unanimously voted in November to rezone LEAD Cameron Middle, a zoned charter school in South Nashville. The approved plan claims to enhance educational experiences for all students but instead intentionally rezones LEAD Camerons entire enrollment  more than 500 students  to a lower performing middle school, Margaret Allen Middle.

Given that this plan will move all students from LEAD Cameron  a public charter school that consistently outperforms neighboring Margaret Allen Middle and Wright Middle  to a district-run school that is on the priority school list, its hard to not interpret this decision as anything other than a political maneuver in the continuous battle between MNPS and charters.

Rezoning goes against the vision MNPS and LEAD created together

LEAD Cameron is unlike any charter school in Nashville.

Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Gov. Bill Lee visited LEAD Cameron, a charter middle school in Nashville, on April 1, 2019.

Amidst threat of state take over in 2010, MNPS actively sought LEAD as a partner to engage in a joint venture that would allow LEAD to operate Cameron Middle, with MNPS as the authorizer, in what would become the first turnaround school in Tennessee.

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A key element of this partnership is that LEAD Cameron serves a zoned population of students, which means any middle school student living in the zone attends Cameron, unless the student decides to opt-out for another school.

News story: Lawsuit: Nashville school rezoning will cause 'irreparable harm' to LEAD Cameron Middle

The vision for this unique partnership between MNPS and LEAD was to provide a high-quality neighborhood school in the South Nashville community.

LEAD Cameron's performance shows its students are served well

Over the last 13 years, LEAD Cameron has delivered on its promise by providing the best middle school option for families living in that community.

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LEAD Cameron has earned a Level 5 in Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) every year of its existence.

During the 2023-24 school year, LEAD Cameron earned a full school letter grade higher than Margaret Allen Middle and outperformed the school in every subject area.

High-quality public schools are important for all communities, and we strongly encourage MNPS to reconsider their decision to move students from the high-quality neighborhood school we built together to a priority school that needs a boost in enrollment.

Rick Gibbs II

Its time for MNPS to return their focus to providing excellent educational experiences for all public school students in Nashville, regardless of the type of public school they attend.

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Dr. Ricki Gibbs II is head of schools at LEAD Public Schools.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville school politics punish LEAD Cameron Middle | Opinion
After nearly three years of lobbying by politicians, models and other supporters, the Fashion Workers Act has been signed into law by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

When it goes into effect in June, it will strengthen the labor rights of models, content creators and other freelance talent in New Yorks fashion industry. Hochul made it official Saturday. More than anything, the new law will hold modeling agencies and management companies accountable for certain contractual requirements just as talent agencies have enforceable labor protections.

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The legislation will regulate management agencies and provide oversight in the industry. The aim is to ensure workers receive contracts, payment within 45 days and that they are protected from harassment, discrimination and unsafe working conditions. With Hochuls signed approval, agencies will have a fiduciary responsibility to models, industry hairstylists, content creators, makeup artists and other creatives. It is also designed to prohibit any unreasonably high commissions and fees. Supporters have claimed it would deter predatory behavior by management agencies in New York that operate without oversight in the $2.5 trillion fashion industry.

Hochul said that she fully supported the goals of the legislation to provide protections for fashion workers who have too often been subject to unfair working conditions, or [have] been exploited in the workplace. However, changes are necessary to clarify the duties of model management companies and brands to ensure they engage in contract transparency, as well as provide a safe and non-exploitive working environment for models.

The fashion industry is an economic engine in New York State, with the semiannual New York Fashion Week generating about $600 million in revenue each year. About 180,000 people work in New Yorks fashion industry, which amounts to nearly $11 billion in total wages.

The legislation was sponsored by State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and is meant to be more than a reminder that workers across the industry have labor rights. Well-known models like Karen Elson, Carrie Otis, Coco Rocha and others helped to champion the legislation. The Model Alliances founder Sara Ziff was a diehard proponent, and her organization touted the news Monday via its social media channels. The Model Alliance has staged various rallies to draw attention to the legislation including one with Amazon whistleblower Chris Smalls in April and another one with models at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the day before The Met Gala in May.

Coco Rocha

The legislation moved to Hochuls desk in June, after the New York Assembly and Senate both passed it.

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In addition to safeguarding models from abuse and prohibiting any retaliatory action for filing complaints, the new law calls for written consent for the creation or use of a models digital replica, and highlighting the scope, purpose, rate of pay and duration of such use. In addition, agencies can no longer charge models interest on the payment of their earnings.

The law will mandate that model management companies in New York be registered with the state for the first time. That aims to protect aspiring models from fraudulent predators, a decades-old problem that has been amplified by social media, which some imposters use to contact models directly to avoid any contact with their agencies.

Going forward, management companies have a legal obligation to act in the best interests of the people they represent, as noted by the Ziff on Monday. Notably, models will also have first-ever protections against the misuse of artificial intelligence, she said.

In a message on the Model Alliances site and Instagram, Ziff said that passing the Fashion Workers Act is, in some ways, the culmination of her career in the industry, which started in New York when she was just 14. She continued, I saw up close the way in which the massive power imbalance between models and their management agencies led directly to sexual abuse. When I started speaking out and organizing my peers, I was treated like a pariah. We had a lot of structural sexism to overcome, but I knew we were right, and our concerns were legitimate.

Sara Ziff

Thanking all the participants in the alliances campaign, especially its Worker Council, Ziff said, Whether you spoke out at a press conference, rode the bus to Albany [New York], or called your elected officials, you did this. Its no small thing to risk your livelihood to stand up for whats right. In an industry that often left us feeling mute and isolated, we raised our voices collectively. I feel proud to have accomplished this together.

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She saw firsthand some of the potential hazards that models can face. Last spring Ziff filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court alleging that the former head of Miramax in Italy, Fabrizio Lombardo, raped her when she was a 19 years old. In the complaint, Lombardo is accused of assaulting Ziff in a New York City hotel room in 2011. A working model and an aspiring actress at the time, Ziff alleged that Lombardo invited her to join him and brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein for a drink, but the Weinsteins were not there when she arrived.

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Moldova enacted a state of emergency, as the country gears up for an energy crisis at the start of 2025 following the end of Ukraine's obligations to transport Russian gas through its territory.

Moldova, and especially the country's breakaway region of Transnistria, will be hit the hardest following the end of the decades-long agreement.

Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said that the country has enough gas, bought on the international market, to keep the right bank of the Dniester (Nistru) River warm throughout the winter ahead.

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But, he added, some 360,000 citizens on the left bank of the river, in the Russia-controlled region of Transnistria, "are still dependent on one source of import  Gazprom."

Read also: Putin, Slovak PM discuss gas transit, standardizing mutual relations, Fico says after Kremlin meeting

Russia's blackouts

The leader of the Russian-controlled Transnistria declared a state of economic emergency on Dec. 6. Heaters, as well as basic goods like rice, grains, matches, salt and so on, have disappeared from shops, hoarded by the local population in anticipation of the crisis ahead.

Following decades of relying on free Russian gas, the Moscow-controlled region will now need to pay market prices, lowered by energy bill relief schemes provided by the Moldovan government.

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Authorities in Chisinau and experts expect that Russia will eventually cover Transnistrian gas needs, however, ensuring transport via the Trans-Balkan pipeline, to keep the region afloat.

They add that the rest of the country will most likely be cut off from future cheap Russian gas imports in order to stir dissatisfaction with rising prices ahead of the 2025 parliamentary elections.

Transnistria, on the left bank, and the rest of Moldova, on the right bank, divided by the Dniester, are interdependent, as Moldova relies on cheap electricity produced by the Russian-owned MGRES, a company based in the town of Dnestrovsk, de facto controlled by Transnistria.

The interdependence is greater since Moldova stopped importing electricity from Ukraine, following Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.

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The energy plant can switch to produce electricity with coal rather than gas but the transition may involve a 10 hour blackout, according to Transnistria's self-declared Economy Minister Serghei Obolonik. "That is dangerous and many things could happen (during that window)," said journalist Irina Tabaranu, who runs the media outlet Zona de Securitate, focused on Transnistria.

Read also: What danger does Transnistria pose to Ukraine, Moldova?

Shorter blackouts may also affect both parts of the country in 2025, according to the government, as there haven't been any official announcements concerning the use of the Trans-Balkan pipeline yet.

By cutting off Moldova from gas imports, Russia is giving up the leverage it had on the country, said former Energy Minister Victor Parlicov, who was dismissed from his post on Dec. 5.

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Moldovan pro-Kremlin forces, as well as some pro-European opposition voices, meanwhile, place the blame on the Chisinau government for this new energy crisis. Among the main faults cited was the lack of clarity about the country's future energy policy and little action to stock up while gas for the country was still cheap.

As a result of the shortcomings, Parlicov, together with Victor Binzari, head of state energy provider Energocom, and Sergiu Tofilat, who served as a board member of the Gazprom subsidiary MoldovaGaz were dismissed in early December.

Parlicov, Binzari, and Tofilat claim to be mere scapegoats.

Vadim Ceban, the interim head of MoldovaGaz, who was involved in the gas acquisitions, is also to leave his job.

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Taking responsibility for Moldovan citizens in Transnistria and attempting to ensure cheap electricity for all of its population, Chisinau carried direct negotiations with Gazprom on behalf of the breakaway region, claiming an economic and political necessity. The step was unpopular with some parts of Moldovan society. Parlicov went to Saint Petersburg to negotiate with the Russian company's CEO, Alexey Miller, on Nov. 25, where they differed on a disputed debt unrecognized by a Chisinau-commissioned international audit.

Moldovan Energy Minister Victor Parlicov poses for a photo during Istanbul Energy Forum, in Istanbul, Turkey on Nov. 22, 2024. (Hakan Akgun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"It looks stupid to ask for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria and meanwhile request Russia to continue to give free gas to the region," Tabaranu from Zona de Securitate said. According to the journalist, this crisis could have been an opportunity to reintegrate the country.

"Why do we ask for help from international partners to subsidize our bills year on year rather than asking them to contribute to the reintegration of 11% of our country?" she asks.

"Steps towards reintegration cannot be made at the moment due to the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria," Oleg Serebrian, deputy prime minister for reintegration, told Kyiv Independent, referring to the 2,500 soldiers stationed there.

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"But we are closing the gap with people on the left bank (of the river) and showing them that Chisinau cares about citizens" there. "They feel the dependence on the Moldovan government."

Meanwhile, Russia accused Chisinau that it coins a plan for a military operation in Transnistria. The Moldovan government rejected the accusations, saying it only relies on peaceful solutions in the reintegration of the country. Experts argue that the Russian disinformation campaign aims to distract from the energy crisis, sow further panic, as well as the grounds for possible provocations in the occupied region.

Read also: How Russia attempted to steal Moldovan election, referendum, and what comes next

Elections ahead

The government in Chisinau is dealing with the looming energy crisis in the backdrop of the upcoming elections set for July.

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Prime Minister Recean, who has taken over the energy portfolio, said the authorities have reassured citizens they won't pay higher bills than last winter, although the needs-based subsidy mechanism has been changed from being calculated automatically to a cash-in-hand scheme, generating further distress.

A recent sociological study by Zona de Securitate and the think tank Watchdog shows that there is more openness towards reintegration in Transnistria after the start of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A bust of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin in front of the House of Soviets building on Sept. 1, 2023 in Tiraspol, Transnistria, Russian-occupied part of Moldova. The de-facto administration of Transnistria is supported economically, diplomatically, and militarily by Russia, which is believed to have 1,500 soldiers stationed there. (Peter Dench/Getty Images)

According to the poll, 45% of people would vote for reintegration with Moldova, while 38% would vote against it, and 17% are undecided, would not answer, or would not vote.

Furthermore, 25% of voters from the Russian-occupied left bank voted to entrench the country's path toward the EU into the constitution during the October referendum.

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Only 5% voted in favor of the EU in the southern autonomous region of Gagauzia, controlled by Chisinau but having a largely pro-Russian elite and population.

Harsh winter

It is clear that Moldova cannot rely on Russian gas for its electricity. "We are paying the cost for 30 years of 'comfort'," Serebrian said.

According to the International Energy Agency, interconnections with Romania are particularly important for Moldova's energy security.

Chisinau is currently able to import some electricity from Romania via the Vulcanesti-Isaccea electric line, as well as several smaller lines. Three further 400 kilovolt (kV) electric lines are due to be built by the end of 2025, 2026, and 2029.

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Green energy may provide some relief and independence.

Moldova has tripled its solar capacity in the past year, according to the National Centre for Sustainable Energy.

But "every country could be doing more to deploy clean energy technologies," including Moldova, said Tim Gould from the International Energy Agency, "especially since a growing number of these technologies are cost-competitive with fossil fuels and can bring important benefits for energy security."

But market prices may be a lot higher than what Moldovans pay now. "Independence has a cost," Serebrian said.

Read also: Serbia claims US plans to sanction Russian-backed energy firm

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Agents with the Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigations have arrested a Moline woman on two class X felonies regarding child pornography and sexual assault, according to a news release from the Illinois State Police.

ISP agents executed a search warrant on June 18 as part of an ongoing investigation into the dissemination of child pornography, the release said. Over the next several months, agents identified Shanna L. Miller, 46, as a suspect in that investigation. ISP agents arrested Miller on December 21 near the 4000 block of 11th Avenue in Moline on charges of manufacturing child pornography (a class X felony) and predatory criminal sexual assault of a child (a class X felony).

Shanna Miller (Illinois State Police)

Miller was taken to the Rock Island County Jail, where she awaits an initial hearing.

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The Illinois State Police offers resources for parents and the public to report crimes against children, as well as for survivors to start their path toward healing and recovery. Anonymous child pornography tips can be reported through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Childrens (NCMEC) cyber tip line. Learn more about keeping kids safe online here.

Click here for resources for survivors of sexual abuse.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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PANAMA CITY, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino on Sunday dismissed recent threats made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to retake control of the Panama Canal, reaffirming that "the sovereignty and independence" of Panama are not "negotiable."

"I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama, and will continue belonging to Panama," Mulino posted on social X.

"Every Panamanian, here or anywhere in the world, carries it in their heart, and it is part of our history of struggle and irreversible conquest," he added.

The Panama Canal, an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic with the Pacific, was completed by the United States in 1914 and returned to Panama in 1999 under a treaty signed by then U.S. President Jimmy Carter and then Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos. The deal relinquishes American control over the canal by year 2000 and guarantees its neutrality.

A "MADE" NATION

In 2019, the U.S. documentary "Panama Canal" premiered. While the film showcases the canal's global significance, it skips a key chapter: U.S. intervention in Panama's secession from Colombia, which secured American control of the canal for nearly a century.

"To build the canal, the United States had helped Panama gain independence from Colombia, thereby dismembering a sister republic to secure a canal treaty that secured U.S. interests," Panamanian historian Marixa Lasso, wrote in her book "Erased: The Untold Story of the Panama Canal."

In 1821, Panama declared independence from Spain and became part of the Republic of Gran Colombia. By the mid-19th century, its strategic location attracted U.S. interest, particularly as the country sought a transoceanic canal. In 1903, the Herran-Hay Treaty was signed, granting the U.S. rights to construct a canal. However, it was rejected by Colombia's legislature over sovereignty concerns.

Then U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt hinted backing Panama's independence in a letter to his friend Alber Shaw, "Privately, I freely say to you that I should be delighted if Panama were an independent state, or if it made itself so at this moment."

On Nov. 3, 1903, U.S. warships supported a revolt that led to Panama's secession. Within days, the U.S. recognized the new nation and quickly secured the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, granting it "the use, occupation and control" of the canal zone in perpetuity for a modest payment.

"I made Panama," Roosevelt said.

Construction of the Panama Canal began under U.S. control in 1904 and was completed in 1914.

The surrounding Panama Canal Zone, a 16.09-kilometer-wide strip covering 1,432 square kilometers, operated as a "state within a state" under U.S. jurisdiction. It had its own governor, administration, and military command, with the American flag flying over the zone.

Between 1913 and 1916, the U.S. forcibly relocated indigenous residents, dismantling Panamanian towns and displacing about 40 thousand people without adequate compensation.

A letter preserved in U.S. National Archives, signed by various victims and sent on Sept. 30, 1914, stated the inhabitants of the zone were treated even worse than "ferocious criminals." They had been denied "a place to live and eat, our lands and houses being taken from us without paying us justly what they are worth."

In the 1920s, the United States tried to establish the failed Kellogg-Alfaro treaty, which was rejected because it aimed to legalize the presence of U.S. troops on Panamanian soil.

"That treaty completely turned Panama into a U.S. military base, that is, a military springboard for the rest of Latin America," said Julio Yao, former foreign policy advisor and honorary president of the Center for Asian Strategic Studies of Panama.

"WORLD HAS VETOED U.S."

Panama's decades-long struggle to reclaim sovereignty over the Panama Canal reached a boiling point in the 1960s. Escalating protests and international diplomacy ultimately reshaped the country's relationship with the United States.

Inspired by Egypt's 1956 nationalization of the Suez Canal, Panamanians intensified calls to revise the Panama Canal Treaty.

On Jan. 9, 1964, the "Flag Protests" escalated into violent clashes after U.S. residents in the Panama Canal Zone tore a Panamanian flag, recalled Federico Alvarado, now 78, who was among the protesters. Over four days, U.S. forces opened fire on demonstrators, leaving more than 20 dead and several hundred others seriously injured.

The violence prompted Panama to appeal to international bodies. In 1973, the United Nations Security Council held a rare session in Panama City, with the late Panamanian leader General Omar Torrijos delivering a blistering speech condemning U.S. colonialism.

"We have never been, we are not, nor will we ever be, an associate state, colony or protectorate, nor will we add another star to the flag of the United States," Torrijos declared.

A draft resolution supporting Panamanian sovereignty won the backing of 13 out of 15 Security Council members, with Britain abstaining. However, the United States exercised its veto power, blocking the resolution despite its broad support.

"The United States has vetoed Panama's resolution, but the world has vetoed the United States," said then Panamanian Foreign Minister Juan Antonio Tack.

The veto galvanized international sympathy for Panama's cause. The world finally understood Panama's struggle, Yao said.

In September 1977, the Torrijos-Carter Treaties were signed by Torrijos and then U.S. President Jimmy Carter, establishing that the Panama Canal would be turned over to Panamanian control on Dec. 31, 1999.

INDEPENDENCE STILL ELUSIVE

"The Americans always deceived Panama with a later date and never left Panama," Yao said.

Even after the signing of the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties, the United States continued to assert its strategic dominance over the Panama Canal.

The U.S. invasion of Panama, dubbed "Operation Just Cause" by Washington, began on Dec. 20, 1989, and continued until January 1990, with the stated objective of capturing Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.

Trinidad Ayola, now 68, whose husband was killed by U.S. invasion forces, said the pain and injustices of the 1989 military incursion will always haunt her.

Before Ayola returned home and learned of the loss of many Panamanian lives, she had been searching for her husband at the airport, where she encountered U.S. soldiers who "loaded their weapons."

"It will always feel like it was yesterday. I have to live with that pain all my life," said Ayola, president of the Association of Relatives and Friends of the Fallen on December 20.

More than 26,000 American troops participated in the operation, which resulted in Noriega's arrest and the dissolution of the Panamanian Armed Forces. The invasion significantly impacted the history of the Central American country, causing an undetermined number of victims and political fallout.

"According to the United States, the purpose was to remove Noriega ... but in reality, what they wanted was to destroy the defense forces," said Sebastian Vergara, who presided over the association from 1996 to 2001. His father, a civilian, was one of the many innocent casualties of the invasion.

Rolando Murgas, president of the December 20 Commission, a group investigating the truth behind the invasion, believes that "the invasion ... aimed to crush all of our past demands and national dignity."

The commission documented over 400 victims, ranging from a one-month-old infant to an 84-year-old.

In 2022, the Panamanian government declared December 20 a National Day of Mourning.

Vergara also seeks to educate future generations about the invasion. "If it is taught as a subject in schools, young people will be aware that these situations should not be repeated," he said.

"Forgetting is forbidden," Ayola said.

PANAMA FOR PANAMANIANS

It was a rainy day. On Dec. 30, 1999, the U.S. flag was lowered for the last time, replaced by Panama's flag. The transfer, made official on Dec. 31 under the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, marked the start of a new era for Panama.

"And then, after the transition, only the Panamanian flag, and a huge flag, went up," said Jorge Luis Quijano, former Panama Canal administrator from 2012 to 2019.

"For the world, it was just another day, but for Panamanians, it was monumental," he said.

With full control of the canal, Panama introduced police stations, courts, and civil law in the canal zone, with Panamanians replacing U.S. personnel in managing operations.

Under Panama's administration, significant efforts were made to expand the canal to accommodate modern shipping needs, especially as older locks struggled to handle larger vessels. The canal's expansion, completed in 2016, was pivotal in positioning Panama as a key player in global trade.

Today, the canal handles roughly 5 percent of global maritime trade, cementing Panama's role as a hub for logistics, trade and finance.

Panama's Colon Free Trade Zone is one of the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The country's Tocumen International Airport is a vital transit hub connecting the Americas. Panama City has also become a financial center for Latin America, hosting major banks from the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

The canal's importance transcends commerce. At the Panama Canal Museum, a restored flag torn during the 1964 "Flag Protests" reminds visitors of the sacrifices made for sovereignty. The inscription, "Who sows flags, reaps sovereignty," underscores its display.

"We belong to those patriots who do not want to be forgotten," said Joaquin Vasquez, a representative of the Canal Sentinel Association.

For Yao, the nation's journey mirrors broader struggles in the Global South. Yao draws parallels with regions like Africa and the Middle East, noting that shared histories of domination and resilience shape their paths forward.

"That is a great awakening for a region that has been very impoverished, very dominated, very interfered with, and very manipulated. I think there is a reason to feel optimistic," Yao said.

"I believe very firmly in the Global South," Yao added. "It is the right path." 
Monarch butterflies may soon get federal protections after nearly a decade-long effort to preserve the species.

The monarch's eastern migratory population has fallen about 80% in the past couple of decades, with the western populations declining by more than 95%, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

These drops put both populations at risk for extinction.

Monarch butterflies face loss and degradation of habitat, exposure to insecticides and the effects of climate change. The government cited these factors when proposing a new rule to protect the butterflies under the Endangered Species Act.

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The rule proposes listing the migrant butterfly as a threatened species. This designation allows exceptions to some activities that the Endangered Species Act prohibits. The proposed rule would fall under a section of the act that would allow the federal agency greater flexibility to limit what actions would be prohibited.

Aaron Stump with the Indiana Wildlife Federation said conversations around protecting the monarch have been going on for a while now, and a decision always boils down to how the rule will impact farmers and other stakeholders.

Strict rules apply when a species is listed as endangered, but for a migratory insect with such a wide range, a threatened status may work a little better, Stump said. Typically, an endangered ruling would prohibit taking, or killing, members of the protected species. Such a designation also requires federal agencies to ensure their actions do not destroy critical habitat.

Indiana has lost a significant amount of monarch habitat, such as grassland and open wetland habitats that normally support the butterfly. Much of that land has been turned into housing.

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Monarchs require milkweed as part of their lifecycle, but the plant is considered an agricultural pest, so chemicals are used to eradicate it. A blanket ruling that would outlaw killing any milkweed would affect farmers, so the Fish and Wildlife Service hopes to fine-tune the ruling to protect agricultural interests while ensuring the health of monarch populations.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will take comments on the rule through March 12.

This is such a big and complicated topic that we need to hear from people before we can write something that truly makes sense for the species and the economic nexus monarchs have with agriculture, transportation and other land uses, said Wendy Caldwell, executive director of the Monarch Joint Venture, which focuses on protecting monarchs through habitat conservation, education and science.

Scrub Hub: Monarch butterflies are in trouble, but Hoosiers can help them survive

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Monarchs represent what Caldwell and other experts call a flagship for broader conservation efforts.

They inspire people to care about the natural world, Caldwell said. Just as they are pollinators that we rely on for food security and diversity, the habitats they use have other benefits for water quality and soil health.

In the mean time, Stump said there are other ways people can help protect monarchs. Green thumbs can plant milkweed at home, and people can push legislators to support conservation efforts.Increasing places where monarchs can live is key, Caldwell agreed.

We need habitat everywhere we can get it that contains milkweed and wildflowers to support pollinators, Caldwell said. First and foremost, help us get more habitat out there anyway we can.

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A "charismatic" species, monarchs may help people make personal connections with wildlife, Stump said.

If we have high-level public efforts to say, monarchs are amazing, that will spark a lot of peoples interest in wildlife conservation in general, Stump said.

Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk or BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social

IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: USFWS proposes rule to protect Monarch butterflies
Staff at a Colorado ski resort had to rescue more than 170 skiers and snowboarders from a lift after it broke down mid-ride up a mountain.

174 people using the ski lift at the Winter Park Resort in Winter Park became stuck just after 12 p.m. local time on Saturday, Dec. 21, according to The Guardian and The Colorado Sun.

Resort spokesperson Jen Miller told The Colorado Sun that the machine stopped automatically after it detected a crack in a structural piece of the lift. She referred to the crack as an "operational malfunction."

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Ski patrollers quickly got to work rescuing each person by entering the individual gondolas from the top of the cabin and lowering them down to the ground using a rope with a seat. The passengers' equipment also was taken out of each cabin and lowered to the ground, Miller told the Associated Press.

Ski patrol has trained extensively for this," she told The Colorado Sun, noting that this is the first time the ski lift  which opened in December 2018  had been evacuated. "It's a very rare thing to have to evacuate a lift at all."

Getty A ski lift (stock image) A ski lift (stock image)

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The evacuations began at around 1 p.m., local affiliate station Fox 31 reported, and members of the ski patrol continued working until everyone had made it safely to the ground at 6 p.m. No one was injured, the outlets reported.

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Videos shared on social media by bystanders and skiers stuck inside the cabins show the lift at a standstill as the local ski patrol entered each cabin and used the ropes to lower passengers dozens of feet to the ground.

One TikTok video shows the beginning of the incident, when a resort employee called out to a cabin full of skiers and snowboarders from the ground to ask if anyone was injured.

"Ski patrol has started a lift evacuation," the employee yelled out to the skiers, before asking if there were any injured, elderly or disabled guests in the cabin.

Related: Colo. Girl, 4, Approached Animal She Thought Was Dog. It Was Actually a Coyote, Who Attacked Child

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"Is everyone feeling good?" one member of the ski patrol can be heard telling the gondola passengers in another TikTok video, before beginning to escort them to the ground. "We're slowly gonna lower each one of you out. We're gonna leave gear and take the gear out at the very end."

The outlets reported that Winter Park Resort has since closed that particular lift and workers began replacing the section that was cracked on Sunday. State regulators including the Colorado Tramway Safety Board and the U.S.-based manufacturer Leitner Poma are set to inspect the lift once it has reopened as well as investigate what caused the crack, per Fox 31.

Miller told The Colorado Sun that the crack was "part of the malfunction," and said the cause is still being investigated. "We are working with the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board, the manufacturer, all of the authorities," she said.

"The gondola did what it was designed to do and once the malfunction happened, it stopped," she added.

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Winter Park Resort did not immediately reply to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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Miller noted that Winter Park  a more than 3,000-acre resort operated by Alterra Mountain Company  still has 21 operational ski lifts, and the park did not have an estimate as to when the construction would be completed.

"It's a bummer for sure," she told The Colorado Sun. "But malfunctions do happen, and our teams are trained. Its not an overnight fix. We're not sure how long it's going to take to fix it."

Read the original article on People
An old dump site on city-owned land will undergo an environmental cleanup in Hollywood, clearing the way for a new mixed-use community with 618 rental apartments and space for new businesses.

The property spans about 34 acres, at 1600 S. Park Road, on the northwest corner of Pembroke Road and South Park Road.

Show Caption1 of 8

This is an artist rendering for new buildings with 618 rental apartments on an old dump. (City of Hollywood/Courtesy)

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Broward County commissioners have unanimously approved a land-use plan amendment that would allow residential construction, with some of the units set aside for workforce housing. The site plan calls for 618 units, although 740 units is the theoretical maximum per Broward Countys land use policies, said developer Eric Metz in an email.

Metz, who is working with developer Louis Birdman, said the project will be made up of five buildings that are five stories each. The approvals also allow for office space and general retail.

Metz said the proposed commercial site plan is a gas station with convenience store, a drive-thru restaurant, and office. We anticipate that the office will have medical tenants given the proximity to the hospital, he said in an email.

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The construction timing is dependent on permits, which will come after site plan and other governmental approvals in 2025.

This is a great example of repurposing an old and derelict city property that was an ash dump decades ago to instead provide much needed housing to serve the families of our community, Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy said. It will be a great complement to the neighboring Hillcrest and Parkview communities.

Today the site is a brownfield, which is a designation for a contaminated piece of land on industrial sites that have the potential to be reused.

In 2018 the city requested proposals from developers for redevelopment of the property, which was historically used as a landfill and for Public Works operations, according to a May 2024 consultant report.

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Idelma Quintana, the commissioner who represents that part of the city, said the land has been sitting fallow all of these years. It needs to be remediated before anything can be done with it.

I see it as a positive, Quintana said.

She said the proposed height of the buildings was smaller than the buildings nearby, and will create some walkable amenities to the community. Thats a good thing.

About 15% of the homes will be set aside as affordable housing for moderate-income households at 120% of the area median income for at least 30 years. Today that translates to an income of $126,000 for a family of four or less to qualify for that housing, according to county records.

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In 1985, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared the area, known as the Hollywood Incinerator Ash Dump, a hazardous site.

According to a 2008 news article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the southern section of the site was home to an incinerator between 1958 and 1973. A rock quarry company mined the northern end of the property, creating a lake. The city bought the property in 1963 and filled the lake with trash and downed trees, then topped it with the ash from the incinerator.

The city also used part of the property as a trash dump in the 1970s. It had recently been used as a dumping ground for hurricane debris, the news article said.

In 1996, the site opened as compressed natural gas fueling station.

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A study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted in 1997 yielded inconclusive results, but federal officials determined that the site didnt pose a large enough health risk to declare it a high priority, according to a Sun Sentinel news article in 2006. Another study in 2008 showed unsafe levels of contaminants in soil and groundwater samples taken from property, according to a past Sun Sentinel news article.

The area will be remediated and brought up to environmental standards, he said.

Metz said the developer, Park Road Development, LLC, is handling the remediation process and all costs associated with it.

Broward County is the regulatory agency for the project, which requires extensive environmental engineering and testing prior to approving the remediation methodology. During and after construction, there is environmental monitoring that will be required to meet Browards requirements, Metz said.

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash
Morning Joe panelists on Monday predicted when Donald Trumps alliance with Elon Musk will fracture. (Watch the video below.)

The president-elects weekend speech reassuring that he was in charge, not Musk, showed he was feeling insecure, host Jonathan Lemire said. Trump gave a mostly lighthearted response to talk of Musk being the shadow president. Musk appeared to scuttle a bipartisan spending bill on his own by tweeting objections and threats to any GOP lawmaker who approved it. Trump joked that Musk couldnt be president anyway because he wasnt born in the United States.

The fact that he had to point to the Constitution as an example of Hey, no. Elon Musk actually cant be president. He wasnt born here shows you how much this is getting under his skin, Lemire said.

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The subject then turned to what it would take to break up their political bromance.

Panelist Sam Stein, a former HuffPost politics editor, suggested their bond is more out of convenience because Trump appreciates the wealth Musk devoted to his campaign and that he has the megaphone of X, which he owns, at his disposal.

But Trump wont play second fiddle on the attention front, Stein assured.

The problem is, of course, is that if Elon starts stealing his thunder, the spotlight, and it becomes apparent that Elon is actually more powerful than Trump, that will not go over very well for the president-elect, soon-to-be-president, Stein said. I think thats when you start seeing friction between the two.

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Lemire riffed on the kind of moment that could prompt a breakup: When the Time Magazine cover drops suggesting that Elon Musk is actually running the show, that may be it.

Stein noted that Musk had mentioned on social media not wanting the Time Person of the Year cover that went to Trump this month.

DOGE would have been done before it began, had that occurred, Lemire joked, referring to the leadership post Trump assigned Musk in the new Department of Government Efficiency.
Donald Trump lashed out this weekend at those referring to Elon Musk as President Musk, but the hosts of Morning Joe dont think Trump is quite ready to fully dump the billionaire just yet. According to the MSNBC hosts, itll probably require a bigger hit to Trumps ego.

During a rally on Sunday, Trump said Elons done an amazing job, but no, hes not going to be president. That, I can tell you. And Im safe, you know why? He cant be, he wasnt born in this country. And using that logic particularly amused host Jonathan Lemire.

We know Donald Trump hates it when anyone challenges him for the spotlight. The fact that he had to address it over the weekend shows that clearly getting under his skin, he said. The fact that he had to point to the Constitution as an example of Hey, no. Elon Musk actually cant be president. He wasnt born here shows you how much this is getting under his skin.

That said, panelist Katty Kay doesnt think this will be the thing to break Trumps bond with Musk (and Musks financial backing).

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Trump still seems to need or want Elon around. I dont know how long that lasts, but at the moment, that still seems to be the case, Kay said. He seems to appreciate the amount of money that Elon poured into states like Pennsylvania to get him reelected. And I dont see Elon disappearing from the scene as quickly as some other people have suggested.

Panelist Sam Stein agreed, arguing that isnt sure Trump needs and wants Musk himself, but rather just his bank account. For Stein, the more likely breaking point comes if Musk actually starts having more influence and pulling attention in the media.

The problem is, of course, is that if Elon starts stealing his thunder, the spotlight, and it becomes apparent that Elon is actually more powerful than Trump, that will not go over very well for the president elect, soon-to-be-president, he said. I think thats when you start seeing friction between the two.

Lemire readily agreed, joking that when the Time Magazine cover drops suggesting that Elon Musk is actually running the show, thatll be it. At that, Stein jumped back in, noting that Musk made sure to post on social media about Trumps Time cover previously, saying he didnt want the cover himself.

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DOGE would have been done before it began, had that occurred, Lemire joked.

You can watch the full discussion from Morning Joe in the video above.

The post Morning Joe Predicts What Itll Take for Trump to Dump Elon Musk | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Russia has begun providing electricity aid to Georgia's Russian-held Abkhazia region amid a major energy crisis, local authorities told the Russian TASS news agency on Dec. 23.

The press service of the Abkhaz energy company Chernomorenergo reported that a schedule from Nov. 1, under which electricity will be unavailable for four hours per day, is in effect.

The region has previously faced energy shutdowns for nine-to-11 hours per day, prompting its acting head, Badra Gunba, to appeal to Russia for support on Dec. 21.

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The crisis was aggravated by a spat between Abkhazia and Moscow that broke out after the local council voted against a controversial investment agreement with Russia following popular protests.

Soon after, Russia cut almost all funding to Abkhazia, including money crucial for the region's energy sector. The region lost all electricity for a day on Dec. 11 after the Enguri hydroelectric power station shut down due to a low water level in a nearby reservoir.

Russia has occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia after a war with Tbilisi in 2008, backing local breakaway leadership. Both regions are internationally recognized as Georgia's sovereign soil.

Read also: Despite popular uprising, Kremlins grip on occupied Abkhazia runs supreme

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More than a month after voting by mail in the presidential election, South Los Angeles resident Taylor Johnson learned that his vote had not been counted because election workers had taken issue with the way he signed his name on the ballot envelope.

The elections office told Johnson that his ballot signature didn't match another signature they had on file. Johnson wasn't sure which signature that was, but he knew it would have looked different: After printing his name for years, he perfected his cursive signature only a few months ago.

"Most people my age just kind of scribble," said Johnson, 20, who works as an administrative assistant at a medical imaging clinic.

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For young Americans who rarely sign anything beyond a paper receipt or a coffee shop iPad, a written signature just doesn't mean much anymore  except when voting by mail, when a signature is crucial to determining whether a mail ballot is counted.

Read more: Learning cursive in school, long scorned as obsolete, is now the law in California

In California, voters younger than 25 made up 10% of the November electorate, but had nearly 3 in 10 of the ballots set aside for signature issues, according to an analysis by voter data firm Political Data Inc. More than half of the state's ballots with signature issues were from voters younger than 35.

California generally verifies the identities of mail-in voters through their signatures. As many as three election workers scrutinize each ballot envelope to ensure the signature matches the voter's registration paperwork or driver's license, and set aside envelopes with missing or mismatched signatures.

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Election officials are required to notify those voters and give them an opportunity to fix the error.

In the November election, nearly 200,000 ballots were flagged for signature issues across California's 58 counties. Nearly 6 in 10 were eventually counted through a process known as curing, in which a voter can fill out a form to attest that the flawed ballot was theirs, while more than 83,000 were not counted.

In a survey of voters whose ballots were flagged because of signature problems, 40% of respondents said their signature looked different than it used to, another 40% said they used a sloppy, incomplete or casual signature, "like one I use signing a restaurant bill," and 12% said they forgot to sign the envelope.

"When you're dealing with a state with 22 million voters, and 16 million sending their ballots in with signatures, there's a multitude of ways that some little nonsensical thing can create a problem," said Paul Mitchell, a vice president at PDI who conducted the survey.

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Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page recommended that voters look at the signature on their driver's license before signing their ballots and should consider sending in a new registration form if their signature has changed. He said Orange County plans to send forms to 12,000 voters in hopes of getting a new signature on file.

"We know that signatures change over time," Page said. "And we know that the way people sign at the little pad with their finger at the DMV is not how they really sign their names."

Mitchell's analysis found that in the state's six most competitive congressional races, 85% of Republicans and Democrats whose ballots were flagged for signature issues were able to cure their ballots and have their votes counted, a 25-point jump over statewide averages.

The Republican and Democratic parties had armies of volunteers and staff members to go door to door in the most competitive U.S. House of Representatives districts.

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Read more: A bright spot for Democrats as voters shifted right: Flipping 3 House seats in California

In the Central Valley, where Democrat Adam Gray narrowly bested GOP Rep. John Duarte, the number of ballots cured by Democrats and Republicans far outstripped the 187-vote margin of the race.

Campaign volunteers and workers went door to door in the districts, trying to talk to voters in person and explaining how to complete the ballot paperwork, in some cases helping them navigate scanning in, printing out and returning the forms.

Mitchell found that voters with no party preference had a far lower rate of return than voters affiliated with the Republican and Democratic parties in competitive swing districts, suggesting that each party was focusing on their most loyal voters first.

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In less competitive districts, voters were more on their own.

Cassidy Crotwell, 22, registered to vote during an economics class in her senior year at El Toro High School in Orange County. Everyone in the class registered on their phones, she said, and she didn't sign anything.

Crotwell learned about the issue with her November ballot signature through a text message from the Orange County Registrar's office. Republican Rep. Young Kim, who represents her Congressional district, easily won reelection, and neither party mounted a meaningful curing operation there; no other groups or campaigns contacted Crotwell, she said.

She assumed the elections office had a signature on file from when she got her driver's license at age 16, but her signature is "a little more defined now," she said  the result of a job in human resources where she signs a lot of paperwork. She didn't end up fixing her ballot but plans to update her signature the next time she goes to the DMV.

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Johnson, the South L.A. voter, did not fix his ballot, either. By the time he learned his vote hadn't been counted, the presidential election had been over for weeks.

In the 2026 midterms, Johnson said, he's going to vote in person  no signature required.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Getty Images released its top 100 most powerful news photos of the year.

Photos show key moments in the 2024 presidential election and conflicts in the Middle East.

Photographers captured the aftermath of natural disasters and phenomena like the solar eclipse.

Getty Images released a compilation of the most powerful news photos taken by their photographers in 2024.

Throughout the year, photojournalists captured the defining images of the biggest news stories related to politics, military conflicts, natural disasters, and other global issues.

"Regardless of the assignment, Getty Images photographers and videographers produced honest, moving, and gripping images of humanity at its highest and lowest moments and painted a picture of the world in all of its complexity without bias or manipulation, producing a trusted and memorable historic document of 2024," Sandy Ciric, senior director of news photography at Getty Images, told Business Insider.

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Here are 30 of the best news photos of the year.

On January 10, Ukrainian soldiers fired an 82mm mortar in Kreminna.

Kreminna, Ukraine. Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images

Mortar platoon soldiers endured temperatures of -15 degrees Celsius while holding their positions.

Palestinian children played in the ruins of Rafah in Gaza on January 31.

Rafah, Gaza. Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

Mahmoud Al-Durra and his children were displaced from Gaza City amid the Israel-Hamas war.

On February 8, Pakistani citizens attended an event at the Pakistan Muslim League party office ahead of the general elections.

Lahore, Pakistan. Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

The elections were held two years after Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote.

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San Francisco Drag Laureate D'Arcy Drollinger officiated the wedding of a same-sex couple on Valentine's Day at San Francisco City Hall.

San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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The event marked 20 years since the first same-sex marriages in San Francisco.

Multimillion-dollar mansions were left precariously perched on a cliff on February 27 after a landslide in Dana Point, California.

Dana Point, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images

On February 4, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties after heavy rainfall caused flooding and mudslides.

Around 65 migrants crossed the English Channel on an inflatable dinghy on March 6.

The English Channel. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

According to data released by the UK's Home Office, 33,684 migrants arrived in the UK on small boats in 2024 as of December 1.

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A cargo ship struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, causing it to collapse.

Baltimore. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Six maintenance workers died as a result of the bridge collapse.

On April 8, a solar eclipse was visible above the Washington Monument in Washington, DC.

Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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Many traveled to watch the solar eclipse in the "path of totality" in parts of the US, Mexico, and Canada.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators barricaded themselves inside a building at Columbia University amid rising campus tensions on April 30.

New York City. Alex Kent/Getty Images

In April, Columbia University's then-president Nemat Minouche Shafik announced that the institution would not divest from Israel and said students remaining in a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus would be suspended. Student protesters then barricaded themselves inside the university's Hamilton Hall, resulting in 300 arrests.

Employees at the Hidden Sanctuary Resort in the Philippines dumped blocks of ice into the water during a heat wave on May 4.

Marilao, Bulacan province, Philippines. Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Temperatures in the Philippines hit 53 degrees Celsius, or around 127 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Mourners attended the funeral of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran on May 22.

Tehran, Iran. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Raisi died in a helicopter crash in the mountains near the border with Azerbaijan. Iran's foreign minister and a provincial governor also died in the crash.

A wind turbine in Prescott, Iowa, lay toppled after tornadoes ripped through the area on May 22.

Prescott, Iowa. Scott Olson/Getty Images

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Iowa experienced a record-high number of 122 tornadoes in 2024.

The Sundhnukur volcano near Grindavik, Iceland, erupted on May 29.

Grindavik, Iceland. John Moore/Getty Images

Iceland's famous Blue Lagoon was evacuated ahead of the eruption.

June 6, 2024 marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Ver-sur-Mer, France. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The Normandy British Memorial hosted an installation titled "Standing with Giants" as part of the official D-Day commemoration.

On June 27, President Joe Biden faced off against former President Donald Trump during the first presidential debate in Atlanta.

Atlanta, Georgia. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The presidential debate proved disastrous for Biden. His poor performance panicked Democrats, ultimately leading to his withdrawal from the 2024 election.

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On July 13, former President Donald Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Butler, Pennsylvania. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

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Photographers on the campaign trail captured images of Trump's bloodied face as he held a fist in the air, which quickly became iconic photos.

Oil slick from the sunken tanker MT Terra Nova muddied the waters of Manila Bay in the Philippines on July 29.

Bulacan province, Philippines. Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

The oil tanker was carrying 1.4 million liters, or around 400,000 gallons, of fuel when it sank during Typhoon Gaemi.

One year after the Maui wildfires, damage remained visible in an aerial photo taken of Lahaina on August 4.

Lahaina, Hawaii. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Maui wildfires killed 102 people.

A firefighter battled flames from the Park Fire in Mill Creek, California, on August 7.

Mill Creek, California. Ethan Swope/Getty Images

The Park Fire, the fourth-largest fire in California's history, burned over 400,000 acres.

Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden embraced at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19.

Chicago. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Biden endorsed Harris after he dropped out of the race.

In his speech at the Democratic National Convention, Biden spoke highly of Harris, saying that choosing her as his vice president was "the best decision" he's made in his career.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my career, but I gave my best to you," he said in his speech.

Debris from Chimney Rock, North Carolina, littered the shores of Lake Lure in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 28.

Lake Lure, North Carolina. Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, left 3 million homes in five states without power and caused widespread flooding and damage.

Israelis marked the first anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attacks in which Hamas militants killed around 1,200 people and took 254 hostages.

Re'im, Israel. Leon Neal/Getty Images

Around 60 hostages remain in Gaza, though it is unknown how many are still alive.

Israel's counteroffensive airstrikes and military actions in Gaza have resulted in over 45,000 Palestinian fatalities, according to figures provided to the United Nations by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces reported that 17,000 of these fatalities were Hamas militants.

Two weeks after Hurricane Helene, another storm pummeled the region when Hurricane Milton made landfall on October 9.

Punta Gorda, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Hurricane Milton slammed into southwest Florida with winds of up to 120 mph and left 3.3 million homes and businesses without power.

Trump worked the drive-thru at McDonald's on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania on October 20.

Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Pennsylvania was a crucial battleground state in the 2024 election where both Harris and Trump campaigned heavily.

October 31 was the latest date in 130 years that Japan's Mount Fuji had not received any snowfall.

Yamanakako Village, Japan. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

Mount Fuji's snowless top raised concerns about the impact of the climate crisis on weather patterns.

Trump won the 2024 election and declared victory in the early hours of the morning on November 6 in Palm Beach, Florida.

Palm Beach, Florida. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Trump won 312 electoral votes to Harris' 226. Republicans also won majorities in the House and the Senate.

Harris delivered her concession speech at Howard University on November 6.

Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

"In our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party but to the Constitution of the United States," Harris said in her speech. "And loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign."

A door at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, was damaged when South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on December 3.

Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

Members of South Korea's Parliament convened for an emergency vote to reverse Yoon's declaration, barricading themselves inside the National Assembly as soldiers forced their way in.

Lawmakers voted to end martial law, and Yoon relented after six hours of chaos.

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appeared in court in Pennsylvania on December 10.

Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania and agreed to be transferred to New York, where he faces federal charges of stalking, murder through the use of a firearm, and a related gun charge.

On December 11, a woman took a selfie in front of a destroyed tank after Syrian rebels deposed longtime ruler Bashar Assad.

Damascus, Syria. Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Assad fled Syria and has reportedly taken refuge in Moscow.

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Oh, the weather outside is frightful. But dont head to the multiplex to stay warm. Not if youre seeing Nosferatu, anyway. Bring your hand warmers, toe warmers, heart warmers and soul warmers  this update of the 1922 silent vampire classic will chill you to the bone.

But it may not terrify you. Everything in Robert Eggers faithful, even adoring remake, from his picturesque 19th century German town to those bleak mountain snowscapes leading to that (brrr) imposing castle in Transylvania, looks great. But with its stylized, often stilted dialogue and overly dramatic storytelling, it feels more like everyone is living in a quaint period painting rather than a world populated by real humans (and, well, vampires) made of flesh and, er, blood.

Eggers, who writes and directs here, has described being haunted since youth with F.W. Murnaus 1922 Nosferatu, starring Max Schreck (which borrowed so much from Bram Stokers 1897 novel Dracula that the authors estate sued for copyright infringement). Eggers has said he wanted to present a true vampire, meaning the original folk variety  the horrifying, ugly, venal sort. Not the seduce-you-in-a-dinner-jacket kind.

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And certainly not the veggie vampire who drinks only animal blood (think Twilight). No, Eggers vampire, Count Orlok, wants only human blood  preferably from a lovely damsel.

The damsel here would be young wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), the focus of Orloks obsessive desires. In a nod to changing times, Eggers brings the character to the forefront and suggests that in 19th century society, she was unfairly seen as hysterical when actually, she was, you know, possessed. The lovely Depp fully commits to the high drama  but we don't learn much about what's in her head. Like everything here, it's a stylized performance that feels like a piece of art but keeps us at a distance.

After a prologue in which Ellens spiritual connection to Orlok is established, we begin our story in fictional Wisborg, on the Baltic coast. Ellen has just been married to handsome, fresh-faced Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult, giving his all), who aims to gain employment with a real estate firm.

But first, Thomas is told by the shady-looking boss, he must undertake an out-of-town assignment, traveling into the Carpathian mountains to obtain the signature of a shadowy client on the deed for a local fixer-upper. And he sets off, to the protestations of Ellen, who has been having some truly terrible dreams.

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Note to self: When accepting job assignments, maybe think twice if your boss is sending you, solo, deep into wintry Transylvania? But if Thomas had used his noggin and sat home by the fire with his bride, we would have no movie.

Waiting for Thomas in the dark, lonely castle  the exteriors of which were actually filmed in Transylvania  is Orlok himself (Bill Skarsgard, truly unrecognizable in heavy, ugly makeup). They get down to business, but Thomas unfortunately cuts his finger, and his blood awakens a thirst in Orlok. Thomas soon realizes he's in a very bad place and needs to get back to his wife forthwith.

Back in Wisborg, Ellen is staying with the couples friends, the Hardings (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corrin, not given much to work with), and suffering from seizures and spells. Orlok is calling to her, staking his claim. The friends are trying to help, and when traditional medicine fails they turn to a specialist in the occult  and a gift to the rest of us, because hes played by Willem Dafoe.

Dafoes naturally witty presence gives us a sense of relief from the stylized dialogue as the movie travels to its inevitable conclusion, and surely what true horror fans are waiting for: Orloks climactic confrontation with Ellen.

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For such fans, the frightening tableau of a skeletal Orlok lying atop a drained Ellen will be satisfying enough to make the experience worthwhile. The rest of us might leave with the same feeling we had in the beginning: a deep but distant chill.

Nosferatu, a Focus Features release, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association for bloody violent content, graphic nudity and some sexual content. Running time: 133 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
HANOI, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's agro-forestry-aquatic product exports are projected to surpass 62 billion U.S. dollars this year, marking a new milestone, Vietnam News Agency cited the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as saying on Monday.

The country is forecast to post a record trade surplus of 18.6 billion dollars in this sector, said the ministry.

Do Ha Nam, chairman and general director of Intimex Group, said the achievement was largely driven by record-setting exports of rice, coffee, and fruits. The key contributors to this growth included coffee exports (up 56.9 percent); pepper (up 53.3 percent); rubber (up 24.6 percent) and rice (up 10.6 percent).

Vietnam set unprecedented records in both rice export volume and value, with approximately 9 million tons worth 5.7 billion dollars, he said.

According to the industry insider, the sector's export turnover of over 62 billion dollars far exceeded the government's target of 54-55 billion dollars. The promising achievement signals the potential for even stronger agro-forestry-aquatic growth in 2025. 
MAPUTO, Mozambique. (AP)  Mozambique's highest court on Monday upheld the governing party's win in the October presidential election following weeks of opposition protests in which more than 100 people have died.

The court, called the Constitutional Council, said irregularities in the election did not substantially influence the results and that Daniel Chapo with the governing party, Frelimo, won with 65.17% of the vote, while opposition politician Venancio Mondlane had 24.29%. The court revised the initial results that said Chapo received 70%.

Soon after the announcement of the results, Mondlane's supporters again took to the streets in the capital of the southern African nation, Maputo, burning tires and blocking roads.

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Mondlane had challenged the election results, accusing Frelimo of rigging the vote.

He threatened chaos if the Constitutional Council declared Chapo the winner and has called for a shutdown starting Friday.
By Custodio Cossa and Manuel Mucari

MAPUTO (Reuters) -Mozambique's top court on Monday confirmed the victory of ruling party Frelimo in the October election, which has sparked massive protests by opposition groups who say the vote was rigged.

The Constitutional Council has the final say over the electoral process and its ruling is likely to spark further protests in Mozambique, a Southern African country of close to 35 million people that Frelimo has governed since 1975.

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Western observers said the election was not free and fair, and the post-election period has seen the biggest protests against Frelimo in Mozambique's history.

The U.S. State Department said it was concerned by the announcement from the Constitutional Council on Monday while also urging "serious electoral and institutional reforms."

The State Department statement cited assessments of observers, including those from the U.S., saying there were irregularities in the tabulation process and a lack of transparency in the election period.

At least 130 people have been killed in clashes with police, according to the civil society monitoring group Plataforma Decide.

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Outside the conference centre in the capital Maputo, where a senior Constitutional Council judge announced that Frelimo's Daniel Chapo was president-elect and the party had retained its majority in parliament, the streets were deserted amid a heavy police presence.

But footage on local broadcaster TV Sucesso Moz showed protesters had taken to the streets in the northern city of Nacala-Porto within an hour of the announcement and in other areas of the capital.

In its final tally, the Constitutional Council said Chapo had secured about 65% of the vote, lower than the figure of more than 70% given by the electoral commission in late October. It also gave Frelimo fewer seats in the parliament than the commission did, without explaining why it had made those changes.

Frelimo has consistently been accused by opponents and election observers of rigging votes since it first allowed elections in 1994, although it has repeatedly denied those accusations. The electoral commission has not commented on allegations of fraud in this election.

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Chapo told a Frelimo gathering that as president he would work to improve the lives of Mozambicans.

A representative of opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who the Constitutional Council said came second in the presidential election with about 24% of the vote, rejected the results announced on Monday.

"We never thought that the electoral truth would be trampled. The will of the people was obliterated," Judite Simao said.

The post-election unrest has already affected the operations of foreign companies including the Australian mining firm South32 and led to the temporary closure of the main border crossing with neighbouring South Africa.

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A senior International Monetary Fund official told Reuters Mozambique's 2024 economic growth would likely be below a previous 4.3% forecast because of the unrest and the impact of this month's Cyclone Chido.

(Reporting by Custodio Cossa and Manuel Mucari; additional reporting by Nellie Peyton and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Writing by Bhargav Acharya;Editing by Alexander Winning, Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo, Kevin Liffey, Sharon Singleton and Matthew Lewis)
Multiple people were rescued while canoeing on a lake in western Pennsylvania.

PHOTOS: Multiple people rescued while canoeing on western Pa. lake

The Conneaut Lake Volunteer Fire Department said at around 5:30 a.m., crews were dispatched for a reported water rescue in the area of Lake Front Street just south of Hotel Conneaut in Conneaut Lake, Crawford County.

The initial report said three people were in a canoe and one person was in the water, officials said. The person in the water was able to get back onto the canoe.

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The scuba team utilized the hovercraft to reach the people on the water and bring them back to shore safely, with the last rescue happening at 6:36 a.m.

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What a bipartisan group of legislators hammered out over months, Elon Musk destroyed with a tweet.

Or rather, with dozens of posts on his social media site X, sent at a furious pace over the course of 12 hours last week. In post after post, Musk hammered at the budget deal with a flurry of false claims and threats of electoral retribution against any Republican who dared support the legislation brokered to prevent a government shutdown. And it worked. Republican lawmakers turned on the bill, citing overwhelming pressure from constituents spurred on by Musks posts. My phone was ringing off the hook, Republican Rep. Andy Barr told The Associated Press. The people who elected us are listening to Elon Musk.

The specter of voters whipped into a frenzy by an outsider with a megaphone should feel familiar for Republican politicians. For three decades, right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh bent the party to his will by dangling the threat of his millions of loyal listeners  and reliable voters  over their heads. As Musk tests the power of X to discipline Republican lawmakers, he is also testing whether he can replicate Limbaughs singular influence over the GOP  and whether he can use his power to both amplify Donald Trumps political will and assert his own as well.

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Early in his days as a nationally syndicated radio host, Limbaugh showed the power of the microphone over the power of the purse. The Rush Limbaugh Show, which began to air across the country in 1988, transformed both talk radio and political communication. He quickly built an audience of millions of devoted listeners who waited on hold for hours just for the chance to talk to Limbaugh on air. By 1992, he had two bestselling books, a nightly television show in the works, and the ear of the president of the United States.

President George H.W. Bush, locked in a tough re-election campaign that year, had come to see Limbaugh as a sort of base-whisperer. Even after eight years as Ronald Reagans vice president and four years as president, Bush had never won over right-wing Republicans, who flocked to right-wing populist Pat Buchanan during the 1992 Republican primaries. Limbaugh, who had supported Buchanan over Bush, received a personal invitation from the president to spend a night at the White House, an evening Bush used to try to woo the radio host. Limbaugh readily agreed, piling praise on Bush in the closing months of the campaign.

Limbaugh failed to translate his support into electoral success  Buchanan lost the primary, Bush lost the election  but his prominence during the campaign elevated him as a power player in national politics. Two years later, when Republican politicians sought to kill an anti-lobbying bill, they asked Limbaugh to attack the bill and the Republicans who supported it. Limbaugh did; the bill died.

Republican lawmakers continued to partner with Limbaugh over the coming decades, seeing him as both a powerful ally and a potential threat. After all, they could encourage his efforts but not control them, and when Limbaugh broke with party leaders, his words cut a path of chaos and destruction through Congress. This often came in the form of listeners overloading congressional switchboards with phone calls and emails, on issues from immigration to health care. Whether Republicans were cowed by the calls or just used them as cover to break with party leaders wasnt always clear. But each episode helped secure Limbaughs legacy as a bill killer.

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Limbaugh had the power to destroy but not create, something Musk is beginning to learn about his own posting politics. Hours into Musks online tirade, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance joined in, pressuring Republicans to oppose the deal. They did, scuttling the bipartisan agreement and substituting a Musk-Trump alternative that went up for a vote the next day. That bill, too, failed. A government shutdown was only avoided with hours to spare  and without a debt ceiling hike, Trumps chief demand.

Musk does diverge from Limbaugh in important ways. While the radio host built his audience, Musk bought his. He may be able to amplify a message, but theres no evidence that he can build a political movement. He does, however, have something Limbaugh didnt: billions of dollars to burn. Limbaugh could only bully politicians; Musk can buy them.

The other major difference between the two men: the Trump factor. Since Reagan left the White House, no Republican politician had found a way to build a worshipful following. That created a vacuum for Limbaugh to fill. In 2009, conservative magazine National Review even dubbed Limbaugh the Leader of the Opposition, even though the party had two actual opposition leaders, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, in Congress. But Trump filled that power void. Which means if Musk wants to be more than Trumps ventriloquist, he would have to go up against someone who has an audience of millions, a net worth of billions, and the power of the U.S. federal government at his command.

But Trump will not be in power forever. One of the keys to Limbaughs success was his longevity: His influence stretched across five presidential administrations. The second Trump administration may not be the apex of Musks political influence but just the beginning. And so Republican legislators may want to think twice before handing their power over to an antidemocratic and unpredictable billionaire. Though given their track record on that front, Musk may not have much to worry about.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
With Christmas landing this week, there are fewer concerts taking place, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday.

However, there are also quite a few "hometown shows" taking place with beloved local groups playing throughout the week, including Soul Asylum, Tommy Stinson, The New Standards, Kiss the Tiger, The Mary Cutrufello Band, The Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead, and others.

Here's what's happening this week.

The Bad Plus

Wednesday, Dec. 25Saturday, Dec. 28 at The Dakota (seven shows)

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The Bad Plus just released its second album with the relatively new four-piece lineup. Complex Emotions features founding members Reid Anderson on bass and Dave King on drums, along with guitarist Ben Monder and saxophonist Chris Speed.

With this new album and this new batch of music, were planting a flag to say that this version of the band has really come into its own, Anderson said of the new recording. They'll make a four-night, seven-show stand at The Dakota starting on Christmas.

Soul Asylum w/ Tommy Stinson

Saturday, Dec. 28 at First Avenue

Soul Asylum, which released Slowly But Shirley earlier this year, hits the First Avenue main room almost every December. This will be the second year in a row that they'll be joined by Tommy Stinson of The Replacements.

DeVotchKa

Sunday, Dec. 29 at First Avenue

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The Colorado-based group is celebrating the 20th anniversary of How It Ends, their third album. The long-running indie group continues to meld sweeping pop melodies with Eastern European influences, broad instrumentation, and the ability to seamlessly draw in a diverse array of musical interests. Superior Siren opens.

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The New Standards

Sunday, Dec. 29Monday, Dec. 30 at The Dakota

With their annual holiday shows in the rearview mirror, The New Standards dive back into their genre-hopping, frequently humorous live sets, transforming familiar songs into an imaginative, fun, and surprising jazz cabaret.

Related: Replacements guitarist and Minneapolis music mainstay Slim Dunlap dies at 73

Concerts on Monday, Dec. 23:

Concerts on Wednesday, Dec. 25:

The Bad Plus at The Dakota

The Mary Cutrufello Band at White Squirrel Bar

Concerts on Thursday, Dec. 26:

Concerts on Friday, Dec. 27:

Concerts on Saturday, Dec. 28:

Concerts on Sunday, Dec. 29:

Just announced concerts:

Related: Blue Ox Music Festival unveils 2025 lineup, including Orville Peck and Greensky Bluegrass
A "devastating" fire broke out at a Shahed drone warehouse at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia's Tatarstan, destroying drone parts worth $16 million, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Dec. 23.

The Alabuga Special Economic Zone hosts the Yelabuga drone factory that produces Shahed-type drones for the Russian military, located more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border.

According to HUR, the affected warehouse stored 65 drone attack fuselages, as well as engines, navigation systems, and thermal imaging cameras for the production of 400 Shahed-type drones.

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"Everything burned down," the agency said without explicitly claiming responsibility for the "mysterious, devastating fire." Ukrainian intelligence agencies have been previously linked to a number of assassinations and sabotage operations deep in the Russian rear during the full-scale war.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.

"HUR reminds that there will be fair retribution for every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people," the intelligence agency said in a statement.

Local authorities did not report any fire or similar incident in the Alabuga zone overnight on Dec. 23. Drones struck Kazan, Tatarstan's regional center, on the morning of Dec. 21, damaging several buildings but reportedly inflicting no casualties.

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The Yelabuga drone factory was launched in July 2023, aiming to produce not only Russian equivalents of Iranian-made Shahed drones but also the Albatross reconnaissance drones. Russia regularly employs Shaheds and its domestic-made variants like Geran for strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Ukrainian long-range drones previously struck the Yelabuga facility in early April.

Read also: Oil depot in Russias Oryol Oblast targeted by massive Ukrainian drone strike, governor says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A massive Chinese cargo ship suspected of intentionally severing a pair of fiber optic cables in the Baltic Sea has left the area amid an ongoing international investigation. Cables like these, which are the veins connecting the global internet, have been at the center of suspicious maritime activity in recent years that has resulted in an uptick of outages. In this case, the ship had remained motionless in the Kattegat strait between Sweden and Denmark for months as investigators from multiple countries boarded it to search for clues. That changed on Saturday as satellite photos showed the vessel heading north and exiting the straight. Swedish authorities, who were spearheading the investigation, told The Guardian this week that Chinese officials denied their recent request to let prosecutors board the ship despite previously agreeing to fully cooperate. Chinese officials, meanwhile, now say the ship left to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of the crew.

Investigators claim ship dragged anchors for more than 100 miles

On November 17, a major internet link connecting Finland and Germany suddenly went offline. Another nearby connection linking Sweden to Lithuania reportedly went down just one day later. Swedish investigators quickly attributed the outages to a pair of severed subsea fiber optic cables. There are hundreds of these cables lining sea beds around the world. Collectively, they are what underpins the global internet and are responsible for facilitating an estimated $10 trillion in daily global financial transactions.

Its not uncommon for these cables, some of which are nearly four decades old, to sustain damages. This can happen as the result of neutral wear and tear, natural disasters, accident anchor drops from ships, or even shark bites. But, almost immediately, investigators suspected this particular case wasnt an accident. Officials from Sweden and Denmark set their sights on a massive Chinese bulk ship transporting Russian fertilizer called the Yi Peng 3. The 225 meter long vessel, operated by a company called Ningbo Yipeng Shipping, reportedly left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on November 15. It then travelled nearly the full length of the Baltic Sea at the exact time the two cables were severed. The ship was ordered to stop to allow a team of investigators from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Germany to board it.

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An initial investigation by Swedish officials, first reported on by The Wall Street Journal, claims the ships transponder allegedly shut off around the same time as the internet outages. The ship then allegedly dragged its anchor for 100 miles across the seabed. During that time, the ship kept traveling even as the anchor slowed down its speed considerably, a point they say makes an accidental anchor drop unlikely.

Nobody believes that these cables were severed by accident, Germany Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, said last month, according to The New York Times.

Instead, investigators suspect the ships captain may have allegedly taken directrice from Russian intelligence officers. A Kremlin press office spokesperson refuted that theory last month calling the accusationsabsurd, [and] unsubstantiated. The ship shocked investigators when it left the strait this weekend after cooperating for weeks.

Mysterious cable damage is on the rise

The cable severing comes on amid a reported uptick in suspicious activity near subsea cables in recent years. Last spring, Taiwan officials accused China of intentionally directing ships to sever two submarine cables connecting the Mastu Islands to the rest of the world. China has denied those allegations. Not long after that, Estonian prosecutors claim a Hong-Kong registered container called the NewNew Polar Bear damaged a pair of subsea cables connecting them to Finland. An investigation uncovered an anchor found on the sea bed, which officials say belonged to the Chinese ship.

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Whether intentional or not, the damages have sparked renewed interest from countries around the world to bolster cable security. Sixteen countries, including the US, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, and Japan, signed onto a joint United Nations statement earlier this year calling for a shared global approach to improving subsea cable reliability, interoperability, and repairability. Denmark added its name to that statement just days after the most recent severed cables.

Those efforts could help prevent future damage, but the Yi Peng 3s abrupt departure from the Baltic Sea means we may never know, for sure, whether or not this most recent cable fiasco was intentional or not.
With the risk of a travel ban on the horizon, New York colleges and universities are urging international students to cut short their winter breaks and return to campus before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Cornell University, The New School and the University of Rochester are among the schools in the Empire State set to kick off the spring semester in the days immediately following Trumps inauguration on Jan. 20. In recent weeks, because of concerns over the incoming administration, all three universities have alerted students to possible consequences of waiting until the first days of classes to travel back to the United States.

A travel ban is likely to go into effect soon after the inauguration. The ban is likely to include citizens of the countries targeted in the first Trump administration, Cornells Office of Global Learning told students. It is a good idea for international students, faculty and staff from the above countries to be back in the U.S. in advance of the semester.

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Cornell included on its list 13 countries that were previously subject to travel bans, plus predicted others, including China and India, that could soon be added. International students from 131 countries make up 26% of Cornells student body, according to university data.

Exactly how the new presidential administration will enact travel restrictions remains to be seen. On the campaign trail, Trump said he could reestablish travel bans and even extend them to more countries. During his last administration, the president-elect restricted entry from several predominantly Muslim countries that left some international students stranded and prompted hundreds of college presidents to sign an open letter against the ban.

Amid last years pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations, Trump also floated the idea of revoking the visas of student protesters, whom he described as radical anti-American and antisemitic foreigners.

Toward the end of the previous semester, The New School recommended that international students strongly consider returning to the United States prior to the start of classes, which coincides with the presidential Inauguration Day of Jan. 20, 2025.

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The New School, based in Greenwich Village near Union Square, enrolls more than 3,500 international students and researchers from upward of 100 countries, university data show. While the new head of the university stopped short of predicting what next year will hold, he said his team is getting ready.

Given what is currently known, it is reasonable to prepare for the possibility that the incoming administration will seek to implement immigration policy that may well target people from specific countries or undocumented members of our community, Joel Towers, who became president of The New School this fall, told students.

If that is the case, we will respond, as we have in the past, to threats to our international and undocumented students, with access to support and resources, collective advocacy to oppose actions that threaten higher education, and programming to help our community stay abreast of the issues.

New York University hosted more than 27,200 international students last school year, according to a new report. But NYU, also located in Greenwich Village, where Donald Trumps son Barron is a freshman, did not respond to questions from the Daily News over the past week.

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Other New York colleges have encouraged international students to return early, though their communications did not explicitly reference the presidential transition. Those included some SUNY campuses, collectively serving some 20,300 international students, including the University at Buffalo and Binghamton University.

At Columbia University, which resumes classes for the spring semester the day after the inauguration, two senior officials sent a yearly email encouraging international travelers to return to Columbias campus in advance of this semesters start date to avoid any potential travel delays. The university, based in Morningside Heights, is home to more than 23,200 international students from 162 countries.

According to college newspaper the Columbia Daily Spectator, at a meeting last week with faculty, staff and students, President Katrina Armstrong said the university is forming at least 13 working groups to respond to challenges that could arise under Trump, including one related to international students.
Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Space missions to the moon, Mars and beyond often get the most attention, but NASA's Near Space Network does a lot of heavy lifting for humankind's reach for the stars.

NASA announced on Monday that it has chosen multiple companies to expand what it calls NSN's commercial "direct-to-Earth capabilities services," which allow spacecraft to transmit data directly to ground stations on Earth.

It's a system used by the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope and many Earth-observing missions, especially ones focused on climate and weather topics. It also is envisioned by NASA as being a major supporter of its long-range Artemis program.

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The NSN system supports missions within one million miles of Earth with what the agency calls "robust communications" services. It's comprised of global ground stations and NASA's Tracking Data and Relay Satellite system in geosynchronous orbit. The system is serviced by government agencies and commercial companies, and it supports an array of science missions both manned and unmanned.

In the announcement on Monday, NASA said the new work contracts being awarded are "firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts." The project timelines span from February 2025 to September 2029.

The awarded contracts went to:

Intuitive Machines of Houston will receive two task order awards to support NASA's Lunar Exploration Ground Segment, providing additional capacity to alleviate demand on the Deep Space Network and to meet the mission requirements for unique, highly elliptical orbits.

Kongsberg Satellite Services of Troms, Norway, will receive two task order awards on its contract to support science missions in low Earth orbit and NASA's Lunar Exploration Ground Segment, providing additional capacity to alleviate demand on the Deep Space Network.

SSC Space U.S. Inc. of Horsham, Penn., will receive contract awards to support science missions in low Earth orbit and to meet the mission requirements for unique, highly elliptical orbits.

Viasat, Inc. of Duluth, Ga., will be awarded a task order on its contract to support science missions in low Earth orbit.

In October, NASA announced that it was transitioning to commercial systems to support its future near-Earth space missions while continuing use an existing Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system for existing missions.

At the time, the agency said advancements in commercial satellite capabilities have enabled NASA officials to make the transition, saying "tremendous advancements in commercial innovation" have paved the way for the change.
Multiple shots were fired at a Wendys in Duval County.

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JSO confirmed that officers responded to a shooting at a Wendys located on the 9000 block of New Kings Road. Upon arrival, officers found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

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The victim appeared to meet up with one of the suspects, andhile parked an additional suspect appears and the shooting occurs. The suspects then fled the area in a white Kia sedan northbound on US-1 towards Nassau County.

The suspects fled the vehicle, but are still at large.

First suspect is a black male wearing a beige hoodie and black pants. Second suspect is described as a black male wearing a black hoodie and orange pants. Third suspect is wearing a camouflage hoodie with black pants.

Multiple businesses around the area have closed for the day.

Stay tuned to Action News Jax for more details.

UPDATE 5:23 p.m.: Charlton County Sheriffs Office shared the following:

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Visitors view Chinese-branded electric vehicles at a Christmas motor show in Yangon, Myanmar, Dec. 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)

YANGON, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brands such as JMEV, BAIC and LEAP Motor took center stage at a Christmas motor show in Myanmar this year.

The event, held in conjunction with a real estate exhibition in Yangon, from Dec. 20 to Dec. 22, welcomed Christmas with a showcase that drew crowds of visitors eager to explore the latest EV models.

"We organized the motor show to welcome Christmas," said Si Thu Aung, the event's organizer, who is also a manager from an auto company in Myanmar. "Most of the vehicles featured here are EVs from China. The brands included JMEV, BAIC and LEAP Motor," he said.

Regarding the larger percentage of EVs at the motor show and the use of Chinese EVs in Myanmar, Si Thu Aung said, "More people are using EVs in Myanmar. Chinese EVs are gaining popularity in Myanmar as they are affordable and do not require fuel."

He also said that most of the EVs entering Myanmar are from China, saying, "Chinese brands like BYD lead the market in terms of quality and technology, making them increasingly popular among consumers."

While the adoption of EVs in Myanmar is on the rise, Si Thu Aung also acknowledged the challenges of developing the necessary infrastructure, such as charging stations. "It will take time, but many companies are working on building the required infrastructure," he added.

Visitors at the event showed great interest in the displayed EVs. Ma Zar, a woman in her 20s, shared her excitement, saying, "I'd like to buy an EV. I came here to learn more about them." She added, "I have never driven an EV. I really like this pink one," pointing to a JMEV EV3 model.

U Kyaw Than, 66, attended the show with his wife and test-drove a LEAP Motor electric car. "I think it's suitable for older people like us. It's easy to handle and comfortable," he said.

Similarly, Han Yun Long, 41, spent time observing the LEAP Motor T03 model on display. "I want to buy an electric car because EVs are quiet, environmentally friendly, and eliminate the hassle of buying fuel," he said.

Ko Zay, a salesperson representing BAIC at the event, highlighted the popularity of certain models. "We're exhibiting both EVs and gasoline cars here. Visitors seem particularly interested in the ARCFOX Alpha T5 EV we displayed because its features include a karaoke system and a cold storage box," he said.

The EV market in Myanmar continues to grow since the Southeast Asian country implemented a one-year pilot project for electric vehicles in 2023, according to official reports.

According to Myanmar's Road Transport Administration Department, as of October 2024, the country had registered 5,816 electric cars, including three passenger buses. 

Visitors view Chinese-branded electric vehicles at a Christmas motor show in Yangon, Myanmar, Dec. 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)
National Service would help cut youth crime in Britain, SAS veteran Billy Billingham has claimed.

The SAS: Who Dares Wins instructor said a paid two-year National Service for 16-year-olds would greatly reduce the levels of anti-social behaviour seen in towns across the country.

Billingham, 59, told the Headliners podcast: You as a parent arent going to worry has my child just been stabbed out on the street, is he missing or she missing, is he caught in drugs, you know where they are for two years: theyre living a half-decent good life.

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The veteran also claimed the military is currently recruiting the wrong people and that the return of National Service would change this.

Engineering, communications and medics

Billingham said he believes there is too much of an emphasis on the combat side of military service and not enough focus on engineering, communications and medics.

He hopes the armed forces can target a new demographic of recruits and give teenagers an alternative route out of education.

Billingham said: The wrong people are being recruited for the wrong reasons. As soon as you say military, most peoples vision and perspective is conflict and war.

The war fighting side is [a tiny proportion] but we have the best engineers, the best communications, the best medics, the best animal vets; that is such a great opportunity so I think young kids who are leaving school, and not going to further education or a proper job, should go into the national service.

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It shouldnt be run as the infantry side, the war-fighting side, it should be the trades so its no different to school, really.

Earlier this year, Rishi Sunak announced plans to reintroduce National Service. The former prime minister pledged during the election to revive the programme through Army enrolment or community volunteering in a plan opposed by Labour.

After Labour won the election, a report by the Centre for Social Justice think tank said an optional military scheme would give youngsters a sense of active citizenship and belonging.

In the paper, Sir Keir Starmer was urged to introduce an army short service limited commission that would be based on an existing programme for Norwegian teenagers.

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Under the plans, some 15 to 20 per cent of all 18-year-olds would take part in 12 months military service, in return for apprentice-level pay.

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told President Volodymyr Zelensky that his sometimes "harsh criticism" of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is unfair, Rutte told the German news agency DPA in comments published on Dec. 23.

In the interview, Rutte said that Scholz's contributions to Ukraine are commendable. The chancellor ensured that Germany ranks second after the U.S. in military support for Ukraine, something Kyiv should also be grateful for, Rutte noted.

The NATO chief nevertheless voiced support for supplying Germany's Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine without any restrictions on their use, a bone of contention between Kyiv and Berlin.

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Calls for Germany to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles were renewed once the U.S. authorized Ukraine to use its ATACMS long-range missiles against targets in Russia in November.

Scholz, who is adamant about not providing Taurus to Ukraine, also recently made headlines by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time after over two years, leading to criticism from Kyiv.

"In Europe, it may happen that after one call, there may be a second, third, fourth, fifth... Because sometimes leaders want to (wrestle for) leadership. After that, there may be a wave of actual recognition of Putin," Zelensky said at the time.

"I believe that this does not strengthen Ukraine."

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Germany, Ukraine's main European backer, is currently facing internal turmoil after Scholz lost a confidence vote in the Bundestag on Dec. 16. This paved the way for early parliamentary elections scheduled for Feb. 23.

Scholzs opponent, center-right CDU/CSU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, has expressed openness to the delivery of Taurus missiles.

Trump pushing higher defense spending

In the interview, Rutte also said he expects U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to pressure its allies and NATO countries to increase their defense spending.

NATO allies reportedly plan to agree on an increase in their defense spending target from 2% to 3% of their gross domestic product (GDP) before their leaders convene for a summit in June 2025.

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Taking office in January 2025, Trump had hinted at plans to reduce aid for Ukraine and incentivize European countries to pay more for their protection.

The Financial Times recently reported that while the incoming U.S. president told European partners he would not abandon Ukraine, he also called for raising the defense spending benchmark to 5% of GDP.

Some European NATO countries have yet to reach 2%, while Poland, the biggest spender, is expected to invest 4.7% of its GDP in defense in 2025.

Read also: Trump plans to continue US military aid to Ukraine after inauguration, FT reports

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte currently does not see any danger of a Russian attack on the defence alliance's territory, but looks to the future with concern.

"No fear for now," he said in an interview with dpa when asked whether NATO countries should be afraid of Russia, but added: "If we do not spend more and produce more, we have a serious problem in four or five years."

Russia massively expanded its defence production due to Moscow's war against Ukraine. According to Rutte, NATO allies are not yet doing enough to counter this.

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"We have to ramp up defence production, the defence industrial base," he said. "They have to put in extra production lines, extra shifts, because we are not producing enough military stuff to protect ourselves longer term."

Rutte also expects pressure from US President-elect Donald Trump, who threatened to withdraw from NATO during his first term in office if allies did not spend 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence.

"He will want us to do more. And he is right. We have to do more," said Rutte.

NATO allies are committed to invest at least 2% of GDP in defence. And many European allies have now reached that goal, Rutte said.

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In four to five years, however, there will be a problem with deterrence against Russia if defence spending is not increasing further, he said.

Rutte did not say whether NATO allies should aim to spend 3% of GDP or even more.

A decision on new spending pledges is expected to be made at the alliance's summit next June.

During the US election campaign, Trump had announced that he considered it necessary to increase the NATO defence pledge to 3%. There have recently been reports that Trump could even call for 5%.

Germany is expected to spend around 2.1% of GDP on defence this year.
The new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte currently does not see any danger of a Russian attack on the defence alliance's territory, but looks to the future with concern.

"No fear for now," he said in an interview with dpa when asked whether NATO countries should be afraid of Russia, but added: "If we do not spend more and produce more, we have a serious problem in four or five years."

Russia massively expanded its defence production due to Moscow's war against Ukraine. According to Rutte, NATO allies are not yet doing enough to counter this.

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"We have to ramp up defence production, the defence industrial base," he said. "They have to put in extra production lines, extra shifts, because we are not producing enough military stuff to protect ourselves longer term."

Rutte expects new demands from Trump

Rutte also expects pressure from US President-elect Donald Trump, who threatened to withdraw from NATO during his first term in office if allies did not spend 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence.

"He will want us to do more. And he is right. We have to do more," said Rutte.

NATO allies are committed to invest at least 2% of GDP in defence. And many European allies have now reached that goal, Rutte said.

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In four to five years, however, there will be a problem with deterrence against Russia if defence spending is not increasing further, he said.

Rutte did not say whether NATO allies should aim to spend 3% of GDP or even more.

A decision on new spending pledges is expected to be made at the alliance's summit next June.

During the US election campaign, Trump had announced that he considered it necessary to increase the NATO defence pledge to 3%. There have recently been reports that Trump could even call for 5%.

Germany is expected to spend around 2.1% of GDP on defence this year.

Clear words on Germany's support for Ukraine

In the controversy over German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's continued refusal to deliver long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, Rutte made it clear that he would personally make a different decision and would not place any restrictions on the use of the weapons.

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"We know generally () this type of capability is very important to Ukraine," said the former Dutch prime minister.

However, it was not up to him to decide what allies should deliver, he added.

Nevertheless, Rutte firmly defended the German chancellor against criticism.

"We can commend him for the fact that Germany is now second to the US in providing 28 billion ($29.1 billion) in military aid to Ukraine, and in some calculations, even 34 billion. This is a huge amount and a street length ahead of many others, including some very big economies in Europe."

This is an achievement for which Kiev can be grateful, he added.

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Rutte also considers the sometimes harsh criticism of Scholz by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be unjustified.

"I have said many times to Zelensky 'Stop criticizing Olaf Scholz' because I think it is not fair," he said.

Zelensky had recently criticized Scholz for having spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone against his will. He has also repeatedly expressed his lack of understanding for Scholz's refusal to deliver the German-made Taurus missiles that could strike deep into Russian territory.

Scholz has ruled out their delivery regardless of decisions taken by fellow NATO allies, arguing that it would pose a major risk of escalation.

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Rutte said that it was important for Germany to realize however that its own values and security were at stake when it comes to the country's Ukraine policy.

"If Ukraine would lose, we have to spend much, much, much more than we are spending currently on defence to make sure that the Russian threat is countered," he stated.

Conflict in Ukraine will be a problem for the US, Rutte says

Rutte said he makes a similar argument in conversation with Trump.

Concerns in Europe are rising that Trump could reduce military support for Ukraine - even if this would mean that Russia can ultimately present itself as the winner of the war.

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Russia's cooperation with North Korea, Iran and China makes the conflict a threat to the US, the NATO secretary general said.

This means that Ukraine needs further military support before any potential peace negotiations, according to Rutte.

"What we are focussing on now is to make sure Ukraine enters any negotiations from a position of strength," Rutte said.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte considers the sometimes harsh criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be unjustified.

"I have said many times to Zelensky 'Stop criticizing Olaf Scholz' because I think it is not fair," Rutte told dpa in an interview.

What Scholz has done for Ukraine is impressive, Rutte said.

Scholz had helped to ensure that Germany was second only to the United States in terms of military support for Ukraine, the NATO boss said. This is an achievement for which Kiev can be grateful, he added.

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At the same time, Rutte made it clear that, unlike Scholz, he would supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus cruise missiles and would not place any restrictions on their use.

"We know generally () this type of capability is very important to Ukraine," said the former Dutch prime minister.

However, it was not up to him to decide what allies should deliver, he added.

Zelensky had recently criticised Scholz for having spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone against his will. He has also repeatedly expressed his lack of understanding for Scholz's refusal to deliver the German-made Taurus missiles that could strike deep into Russian territory.

Scholz has ruled out their delivery regardless of decisions taken by fellow NATO allies, arguing that it would pose a major risk of escalation.
Mountain Valley Pipeline's right of way, seen from Boones Mill on July 25, 2023. (Scott Yates for the Virginia Mercury)

Virginias booming data center industry is driving unprecedented energy demands, straining the states natural gas infrastructure and prompting calls for new pipelines. A Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) report warns that expanding pipeline capacity may be necessary to meet the surge, bringing with it additional logistical and environmental challenges.

Some efforts to expand pipeline capacity are already underway. In October, Williams Companies filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for its Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP), which would add about 55 miles of pipeline  mostly in Southwest Virginia  to the existing 10,000-mile Transco Pipeline stretching from Texas to New York.

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This follows the companys approval last year for its Commonwealth Energy Connector Project in Southside, designed to link in Greensville County with the Columbia Gas Virginia Reliability Project. That initiative, now under construction, will deliver natural gas to the Hampton Roads region, addressing growing energy needs in that part of the state.

The Southgate extension project, an effort to extend the Mountain Valley Pipeline from Pittsylvania County into North Carolina, began consultations with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality this year for permit reviews.

In October, Balico, the Herndon-based developer previously associated with the canceled Atlantic Coast Pipeline, proposed a massive data center campus with 84 buildings and an on-site natural gas plant for power. However, strong community opposition forced the company to scale back its plans.

Mike Atchie, director of community and project outreach for Williams Companies, emphasized the importance of the SSEP, which seeks to expand natural gas infrastructure across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.

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It ensures that infrastructure exists to support the rapid economic and population growth in the southeast, Atchie said, adding that it also meets the regions growing demand for stable and reliable energy to heat homes and power essential services..

The recent pipeline developments have drawn sharp criticism from environmental groups, who warn about the potential impact on waterways the projects may need to cross and the continued reliance on carbon-emitting fossil fuels. Scientists link these emissions to worsening climate change, including more frequent and intense storms.

Basically, were looking at two co-located projects, said Jessica Sims, a field coordinator for Appalachian Voices. You have two projects, co-located in Pennsylvania County, approximately [that] could be built at the same time.

The Southeast Supply Enhancement Project

Williams Company plans to add about 55 miles of pipeline in Virginia and North Carolina through a series of loops  parallel pipes designed to increase carrying capacity along existing lines.

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In Virginia, the Eden Loop would include about 30.8 miles of 42 inch-diameter pipeline running from Pittsylvania County into Rockingham County, NC. The loop also includes two 33,000-horsepower electric-powered compressor stations, in addition to others in North Carolina.

Williams has requested approval for the project by February 2026, with an in-service date set for Nov. 1, 2027. Among the gas recipients are the City of Danville and Southwest Virginia Gas, which would take 1,500 and 5,000 dekatherms, respectively.

Without new capacity, there is a risk of repeating past shortages and power outages, Atchie said. The expansion taps into established pipeline corridors to minimize environmental and landowner impacts and will be built and maintained using Williams industry-leading safety standards, including 24/7 monitoring and rigorous maintenance.

Southgate extension

The SSEP pipeline is planned to follow a similar route to the 31-mile Southgate Extension project, which Mountain Valley Pipeline announced last year it would be reviving.

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Since then, the company has engaged with federal and state regulatory agencies, including the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), to discuss the permits required for the projects revised scope, spokesperson Shawn Day said.

But Sims of Appalachian Voices raised concerns during a State Water Control Board meeting last month about Virginia code provisions that allow the DEQ to waive the requirement for a Section 401 permit under the federal Clean Water Act if the pipeline is below 36 inches.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline right of way and some piping is visible beside Rt. 460 Sunday, July 16, 2023, in Elliston. (Scott P. Yates for the Virginia Mercury)

The revised plans reduced the Southgate pipeline from 75 to 31 miles, eliminating the need for a controversial compressor station, but increased the pipeline diameter from 24 and 16 inches to 30 inches, still under the threshold allowing the DEQ to waive the need for a water permit.

The cumulative impacts from two major construction projects is one reason to give South gain more scrutiny than last time, Sims told the board, pointing to its proximity to the SSEP project.

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When asked by the Mercury if the DEQ would waive any permits for the Southgate Extension project, DEQ spokesman John Giese said the agency has not received formal plans. Southgate/Equitrans has informed [the] DEQ of their intent to move forward on a project and has discussed their general layout and timing of design, Giese said. However, no formal plans or permit application(s) have been submitted to [the] DEQ for review.

The project is aiming to be operational by 2028, to provide PSNC Energy and Duke Energy with an affordable, reliable and resilient natural gas supply to meet residential and business demand and generate electricity, MVP Southgate spokesman Day said, adding the project will secure all necessary permits and authorizations.

Balicos data center

The JLARC report highlighted natural gas as the most viable option for onsite power generation, a necessity for many large-scale projects in Southwest Virginia.

Of the current technologies available, only natural gas appears viable for on-site generation, and it can be deployed only close to pipeline infrastructure that has sufficient capacity to serve generation needs, the report stated.

A engineering plan for the data center campus and onsite power generation source. (Courtesy of Pittsylvania County)

In Pittsylvania County, Balico initially proposed a 2,300-acre data center campus with a 3,500-megawatt natural gas plant, but withdrew the plan after significant community pushback. In November, the company submitted a scaled down application for a project requiring more than 760 acres and rezoning land for private electric power generation, with a letter of intent from Mountain Valley Pipeline owner, EQT, for the supply of a sufficient volume of natural gas to fuel the power plant proposed for the campus.

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The proposal is expected to be reviewed next year. Nearby, the town of Hurt passed a resolution supporting the project, agreeing to provide 2 million gallons of water per day through the construction of a new water plant. Community opposition to the original proposal had largely centered on the water demands of the project.

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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN)  In a historic move early Monday, President Joe Biden commuted the federal death sentences of 37 people, leaving only three people on federal death row.

I think its a really, really important moment, Bryan Stevenson said.

Stevenson is the founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a group that works with wrongly incarcerated people, and just one activist reacting to the news.

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READ MORE: Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates

He says its a step in the right direction.

Were now at a moment where were really going to have to reevaluate this longstanding ill-fated, troublesome, costly relationship with the death penalty, Stevenson said.

Those in favor of the death penalty have widespread fears, though, the commuted sentences will send a message that these heinous crimes are okay. Stevenson says thats not what President Bidens move does. Every sentence commuted now turns into life in prison without parole.

I think it would be a real mistake to imagine that someone is getting off or being spared, there may even be people who would prefer execution to decades of incarceration, but that punishment is a very real one and a very serious one and it doesnt justify or minimize the crimes that have been committed or the violence that has resulted, Stevenson said.

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North Carolina has not executed anyone on death row since 2006, when Samuel Flippen was put to death for murdering his step-daughter. The pause on executions is multi-faceted and full of legal challenges, including dozens of lawsuits under the Racial Justice Act. Earlier this year, Hasson Bacote was the first person in North Carolina to challenge his sentence under the Racial Justice Act.

PREVIOUS: Historic Racial Justice Act hearing to begin in Johnston County for man on death row

Stevenson says this major shift in federal policy could force movements in states, including North Carolina.

Particularly in states like California, North Carolina, Oregon, and other places where we could see a dramatic reduction in the number of people facing the death penalty in this country, he said. I do think this is going to be a time where executives and governors are going to have to become more active.

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Stevenson says its an opportunity to look at moral challenges to the practice, too.

To say to someone, Were going to kill you every day, year after year, decade after decade, is a pretty abusive thing to do, its a pretty horrific thing to do, and I just think we should be better than that, he said.

He also says its time to take a hard look at mistakes made in the practice that have cost innocent lives.

Weve made so many mistakes, this year the 200th person was released after being convicted and sent to death row, after they proved their innocence, Stevenson said. For every eight people weve executed in the United States, weve identified one innocent person on death row. Its a shocking rate of error.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS17.com.
Though most Americans oppose Donald Trumps plan to pardon January 6 rioters charged with a crime, more than 4 in 10 said they support the decision, according to a new poll.

President-elect Trump has promised to issue pardons for those charged or convicted of a crime related to their actions on January 6, 2021, on his first day in office  a move that would validate his narrative of the day.

Despite the images, videos and convictions that show the tragic results of the attack on the Capitol, 43 percent of Americans said they support Trumps decision to pardon rioters, according to the CNBC All-America Economic Survey.

Donald Trump, pictured on January 6, 2021, held a Stop the Steal rally in which he spread false claims of election fraud (REUTERS)

Four people died on January 6 after a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol while Congress was certifying 2020 election results. A fifth person, a Capitol police officer, died the following day.

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The mob was inspired to stop the certification in part due to lies about mass voter fraud after Trump lost the election. He claims Democrats stole the election from him.

The president-elect did not direct his supporters to storm the Capitol, but evidence through congressional testimony indicates he also did not stop his supporters from doing so.

At least 1,500 rioters have been charged with a crime.

Scenes from the Capitol on January 6, 2021 showed a violent mob of supporters storming the Capitol and entering while Congres was trying to certify election results (REUTERS)

But 43 percent of the public say they support the president-elects move to pardon the rioters  though it is not without controversy.

The issue of pardoning rioters is where Republicans deviate from Trump the most, according to survey results. Among the 50 percent who said they oppose the decision, 18 percent are Republicans, 46 percent are independents and 87 percent are Democrats.

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On other issues such as the economy, immigration or government reform, Republicans are largely aligned with Trump.

Over the last four years, Trump has attempted to re-write history by calling January 6 a day of peace and love and claiming those who are charged were targeted for political reasons.

He has suggested those who investigated the day, including Special Counsel Jack Smith and members of the House Select Committee to Investigate January 6, should be jailed.

The survey of 1,000 people was conducted December 5  8, 2024.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen is recovering from serious but non-life-threatening injuries after being bucked off a horse, his office said Monday.

The incident happened when the Republican leader was riding on horseback with family members near Columbus on Sunday.

MORE: How Nebraskas 'blue dot' could prove pivotal in the Electoral College

The governor was thrown from a new horse, his office said. His injuries included "minor lacerations to his spleen and kidney, seven broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung resulting from the rib damage, and a minor fracture in one of his vertebrae," his office said in an update on Monday.

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"In summary, the Governor's injuries were serious but not life-threatening and could have been much worse," the statement added.

PHOTO: 2024 Republican National Convention TW (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag)

Pillen, 68, was initially transported to Columbus Community Hospital before being sent to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha "out of an abundance of caution," his office previously said.

The governor is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days for observation and plans to work from his hospital room, his office said Monday.

MORE: 4 children, 3 adults wounded in Nebraska home after neighbor opens fire: Police

"The Governor looks forward to returning to his office soon after Christmas and wishes a blessed and safe holiday to all Nebraskans," his office said in the statement.

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Pillen, who played football at the University of Nebraska under legendary coach and former Rep. Tom Osborne, took office in January 2023.

ABC News' Darren Reynolds and Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.

Nebraska governor recovering from serious injuries after being bucked off a horse originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Gov. Jim Pillen (R-Neb.) was hospitalized Sunday after being bucked off a horse, according to his office, which said he is alert and is in continuous touch with his team.

In a Sunday press release, Pillens office said he and family members were on horseback when he was bucked of a new horse.

Pillen was transported to Columbus Community Hospital, then later  out of an abundance of caution  was taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

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The Governor is expected to remain at UNMC for several days, Pillens office added.

Pillen began serving as governor last year. In the 2022 Republican primary, he toppled a candidate backed by President-elect Trump.

Gov. Pillen and his family are very appreciative of the thoughts and prayers given to them by Nebraskans and they wish all Nebraskans a very merry Christmas, Pillens office said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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SANAA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group said they attacked Israel with two drones on Monday, targeting military sites.

"The first attack targeted a military target of the Israeli enemy in the occupied Ashkelon area. The other hit a military target of the Israeli enemy in the occupied Jaffa area," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement.

"These operations will not stop until the Israeli aggression on Gaza is stopped and the siege is lifted," he added.

There has been no comments yet from the Israeli side.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have been carrying out rocket and drone attacks on Israeli cities and disrupting "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas conflict there.

In response, the U.S.-led navy coalition stationed in the area has been conducting regular air raids on Houthi targets since January in a bid to deter the armed group.

The Houthi group has been controlling much of northern Yemen since late 2014, forcing the internationally recognized Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa. 
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pellen is in the hospital after getting injured horseback riding.

The first-term Republican governor, 68, was bucked off a new horse and injured while out riding with members of his family over the weekend, the governors office said in a statement released on Sunday, Dec. 22.

Pillen was transported to Columbus Community Hospital and then to Omaha's University of Nebraska Medical Center where he is expected to remain for several days and possibly over Christmas, his spokeswoman Laura Strimple shared in the statement.

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The governors injuries were not disclosed, however, his office said he was taken to the hospital "out of an abundance of caution.

The Governor is alert and is in continuous touch with his team, Strimple said.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Pillen pictured in July Pillen pictured in July

Related: Former N.Y. Congressman Is Paralyzed from Chest Down After Getting Thrown Off Horse During Polo Game: Report

The incident occurred in Northeast Nebraska, according to the Nebraska Examiner.

An update on Pillens treatment status and recovery will be given by doctors at Nebraska Medicine in a news conference at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 23, Strimple announced, per the outlet.

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PEOPLE has reached out to the governors office for further comment at this time.

Conservative Republican Pillen began his position as governor in January 2023.

Before entering politics, he worked as a veterinarian for several decades having graduated as a doctor of veterinary medicine from Kansas State University, per the governors website.

The Nebraska-born governor was raised on a farm in Platte Country and returned to the farm business as he established Pillen Family Farms while working alongside his family in 1993. He and his wife Suzanne share four children and seven grandchildren.

Related: 2024 Elections: Every Senate, House and Governor Race Americans Should Follow  Like Nebraska's Surprise Battleground

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Pillens predecessor, U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts wrote on X (formerly Twitter), Nebraskans, please join Susanne and I in praying tonight for a speedy recovery for Governor Pillen.

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The Nebraska Republican Party added on X, We extend our prayers for Governor Jim Pillen and his family.

The governor's office added in their statement following the incident, Pillen and his family are very appreciative of the thoughts and prayers given to them by Nebraskans.



Read the original article on People
Editors note: Video is from coverate of runoff elections on Dec. 14.

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The City of El Paso will hold a swearing-in ceremony for newly elected City officials.

The ceremony will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6 at the Plaza Theatre, 125 Pioneer Plaza.

The event is open to the public, and free parking will be available at the El Paso Convention Center garage.

Following the ceremony, a public reception will be held in the theaters lobby, offering an opportunity for family, friends, and community leaders to mingle and celebrate.

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The City of El Paso announces the following newly elected officials who will be sworn in during the event:

CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS:

Mayor-Elect:

Renard U. Johnson

District 1 Rep-Elect:

Alejandra Chavez

District 2 Rep-Elect:

Josh Acevedo

District 3 Rep-Elect:

Deanna Maldonado Rocha

District 4 Rep-Elect:

Cynthia Boyar Trejo

District 5 Rep-Elect:

Ivan Nino

District 7 Rep-Elect:

Lily Limon

MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGES:

Court 1 Judge-Elect:

Michelle Morales

Court 2 Judge-Elect:

Kristin Romero

Court 3 Judge-Elect:

David A. Bonilla

Court 4 Judge-Elect:

Samuel Flores

Court 5 Judge-Elect:

Mike Herrera

Court of Appeals Judge-Elect:

Maria B. Ramirez

This is an exciting time for the City of El Paso, City Manager Dionne Mack said. The newly elected officials bring diverse experiences and perspectives that will enhance our mission to serve the community. We look forward to working collaboratively to continue advancing El Paso as a vibrant and thriving community.

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The newly sworn-in Council members will begin their official duties the next day, with their first City Council meeting scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7 at City Hall, 300 N. Campbell.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Mondays Top Stories

Mondays Five Facts

[1] Two arrested after string of armed robberies, shooting with police  An investigation is underway after an Albuquerque officer shot an armed robbery suspect. According to APD, there were two armed robberies officers responded to early Sunday afternoon in northwest Albuquerque. APD said two men were seen one of which had a gun. A few hours later, officers say they found the suspects near Carlisle and Montgomery. When they approached, police say one of them surrendered while the suspect with a gun, fled. He was ordered to drop the weapon, when an officer fired at least one shot, striking him. That man was taken to the hospital. APD said they are working to confirm the identities and criminal history of the suspects.

[2] Family relieved to hear suspected Santa Fe hit-and-run driver is behind bars  The suspected driver in a Santa Fe hit-and-run is waking up behind bars. While on a walk with her children in Santa Fe, Monique Maes was killed. The Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office said Mario Israel-Mendez is suspected of killing Maes and injuring her two children on Paseo de Nopal in October. Police say Israel-Mendez was found in El Paso, Texas, and arrested. He faces two counts of child abuse, duty to give information and render aid as well as tampering with evidence.

[3] Some Christmas snow but mostly dry across New Mexico  Sporadic light rain showers with wet snow flurries are falling across New Mexico or theyre not even reaching the ground because of dry-enough air lingering beneath the clouds as temperatures are starting off relatively mild for most with clouds absorbing infrared radiation from escaping into space with westerly down-sloping winds in The East Highlands mixing the air around, a process thats also creating a relatively mild start, but calm conditions with high humidity in The Permian Basin have led to a cold fog for a few in those areas. Air temperatures are in the upper teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, and even lower 50s from northwest to southeast from high to lower elevation, but some of that cooler air is settling down to some of the valley floors.

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[4] Old Town Card shop thanking community; speaking out after suspected burglar is let out  The owners of an Old Town store are thanking the community for helping the police find a suspected thief but are disappointed hes back out on the street. Old Town Hobbies and Games was burglarized on December 8. Police say 33-year-old Brian Bettis broke in and stole thousands of dollars worth of Pokemon cards. Bettis was arrested but has since been released on his own recognizance because prosecutors did not file for pretrial detention.

[5] ABQ BioParks naughty or nice list features Triton the tiger and Wilson the turtle  The ABQ BioPark has added two more animals to its annual naughty or nice list. Triton the Malayan Tiger is on the naughty list this year. BioPark staff say Triton thinks the pool in the Asia tiger habitat is for two things, swimming and pooping in. Officials add they are confident Triton can turn it around near year and be on the nice list. Wilson the alligator snapping turtle is on the nice list this year. They say Wilson has settled in nice to her temporary home while her habitat undergoes renovations.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56)  A Nicholasville man is facing charges after reportedly dragging a woman by her hair and preventing her from calling for help.

According to an arrest citation, at 3:07 a.m. on Sunday, Danny Sandifer, 43, was at the Homeplace Inn on Imperial Way.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

The woman, 46, told the police that Sandifer dragged her by her hair into a hotel room and wouldnt let her leave. She said he took her phone from her so she couldnt call for help.

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At 3:30 a.m., the police arrested Sandifer and charged him with second-degree unlawful imprisonment and fourth-degree assault.

He is due to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2025, and is being held in the Jessamine County Detention Center on a $25,000 bond.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
As it passed above the Niger Delta in 2021, a satellite took an image. It showed acres of land, scraped bare. The site, outside the city of Port Harcourt, was on a cleanup list kept by the United Nations Environment Programme, supposed to be restored to green farmland as the Delta was before thousands of oil spills turned it into a byword for pollution. Instead the land was left a sandy moonscape unusable for farming, according to U.N. documents.

That failed cleanup was not an exception, records obtained by The Associated Press show. Previously unreported investigations, emails, letters to Nigerian ministers and minutes from meetings make clear that senior U.N. officials were increasingly concerned that the Nigerian agency in charge of cleaning up crude oil spills has been a total failure.

The agency, known as Hyprep, selected cleanup contractors who had no relevant experience, according to a U.N. review. It sent soil samples to laboratories that didn't have the equipment for tests they claimed to perform. Auditors were physically blocked from making sure work had been completed.

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A former Nigerian minister of the environment told the AP that the majority of cleanup companies are owned by politicians, and minutes show similar views were shared by U.N. officials.

It wasnt supposed to be this way.

Thousands of oil spills in Nigerias Niger Delta

There have been thousands of crude oil spills in the tidal mangroves and farmlands of the Niger Delta since oil drilling and production began in the 1950s. Reports and studies document what is widely known here: People often wash, drink, fish and cook in contaminated water.

Spills still occur frequently. The Ogboinbiri community in Bayelsa state suffered its fourth spill in three months in November, harming farm fields, streams and the fish people rely on.

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We bought the land in 2023; we have not harvested anything from the farmland; both the profit, our interest, everything is gone, said Timipre Bridget, a farmer in the community. No way to survive with our children again.

Many of the spills are caused by lawbreakers illegally tapping into pipelines to siphon off crude oil they process into gasoline in makeshift refineries.

After a major U.N. survey of spills more than a decade ago, oil companies agreed to create a $1 billion cleanup fund for the worst affected area, Ogoniland, and Shell, the largest private oil and gas company in the country, contributed $300 million. The Nigerian government handled the funds and the U.N. was relegated to an advisory role.

To oversee the work, the government created the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, or Hyprep. It first addressed sites that were supposed to be easy to clean, like the one outside Port Harcourt. Then it would move on to complex ones, where oil had sunk more deeply into the ground.

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But a confidential investigation by U.N. scientists last year found the site outside Port Harcourt was left with a complete absence of topsoil and almost seven times more petroleum in the subsoil than Nigerian health limits.

The company that performed that work has since had its contract revoked, Nenibarini Zabbey, the current director of Hyprep, who took over last year, told the AP.

The head of operations when the contract was awarded, Philip Shekwolo, called allegations in the U.N. documents baseless, mischievous and cheap blackmail.

Shekwolo, who used to head up oil spill remediation for Shell, said by email he knows more about tackling pollution than any U.N. expert and insists the cleanup has been successful.

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But the documents show U.N. officials raising the alarm about Hyprep with Nigerian officials since 2021, when Shekwolo was acting chief.

Systemic issues with contractors

A January 2022 U.N. review found that of 41 contractors allowed to clean up spill sites, 21 had no relevant experience. Not one was judged competent enough to handle more polluted sites.

They include Nigerian construction companies and general merchants. The websites of two construction firms, for example, Jukok International and Ministaco Nigeria, make no mention of pollution cleanups.

In the minutes of a meeting with U.N. officials and Shell, Hypreps own chief of communications, Joseph Kpobari, is shown to have said bad cleanups happen because his agency hired incompetent companies. The U.N. delegation warned that despite their inadequate work, these companies were being rewarded with contracts for tougher sites.

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Zabbey denied in an email this admission took place. The cleanup of the simple sites was not a failure, he insisted, because 16 out of 20 had now been certified as clean by Nigerian regulators and many returned to communities. Hyprep always complied with guidelines when issuing contracts, Zabbey said, and their monitors were U.N.-trained.

Questionable lab tests

Two sources close to the cleanup efforts in the Delta, speaking anonymously for fear of loss of business or employment, said test results held up by Hyprep as proof of cleanup could not have been real because when officials visited the laboratories, they found they did not have the equipment to perform those tests.

In a letter to its customers, one laboratory in the U.K. frequently used by Hyprep acknowledged its tests for most of 2022 were flawed and unreliable. The U.K. laboratory accreditation service confirmed the labs authorization to carry out the tests was suspended twice.

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Zabbey defended the cleanup agency in a statement to the AP, saying it monitors contractors more closely now. Labs adhere to Nigerian and U.N. recommendations and are frequently checked, he said, and the U.N. could have trained local lab staff if it chose to.

The U.N. cited another problem  contractors were allowed to assess pollution levels at their sites. No government agency was setting a baseline for what needed to be cleaned up at oil-damaged sites. This meant companies were monitoring their own progress, effectively handed a blank check, U.N. Senior Project Advisor Iyenemi Kakulu is recorded as having said in minutes of a meeting in June of last year between the U.N., Hyprep and Shell.

No audits of Nigerian cleanup agency accounts

The U.N. warned the Nigerian government in an assessment in 2021 that spending at the cleanup agency was not being tracked. Internal auditors were viewed as the enemy and demonized for doing their job. Shekwolos predecessor as head of Hyprep blocked new financial controls and physically prevented auditors from seeing if work had been performed properly before paying contractors, according to the U.N. assessment.

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Zabbey said this too, has changed since that assessment: The audit team is now valued, he said, and accounts are now audited annually, although he provided only one audit cover letter. In it, the accounting firm asked what steps had been taken to correct the identified weaknesses.

Shekwolo referred the AP to the office of Nigerias president, which did not respond to a request to show how funds are being spent. Environment Minister Iziaq Salakos office declined an interview.

An environment minister tries to act

Sharon Ikeazor was born in Nigeria, educated in Britain, and spent decades as a lawyer before entering politics. In 2019, she was appointed environment minister of Nigeria. She was well aware of Hypreps alleged failings and determined to address them.

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There wasnt any proper remediation being done, she told the AP in a phone interview. The companies had no competence whatsoever.

In February 2022, she received a letter from senior U.N. official Muralee Thummarukudy, with what experts say is unusually strong language in diplomacy. It warned of significant opportunities for malpractice within the contract award process, in the Nigerian oil cleanup work. Ikeazor removed Shekwolo as acting chief of Hyprep the next month, explaining that she believed he was too close to the politicians.

The majority of cleanup companies were owned by politicians, she said. The few competent companies wouldnt get the big jobs.

One of Shekwolos roles, Ikeazor said, was to deem who was competent for contract awards. Ikeazor said Shekwolos former employer Shell and the U.N. warned her about him, something Shekwolo says he was unaware of.

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When she hired a new chief of Hyprep was, she had him review every suspect contract awarded over the years and investigate the cleanup companies.

That sent shockwaves around the political class, said Ikeazor. They all had interests."

"That was when the battle started, she said.

It was a short battle, and she lost. She was replaced as environment minister and Shekwolo was rehired. He had been gone for two months.

Shekwolo says the only politicians he was close to were the two environment ministers he served under. He was never given a reason for his removal, he said, and suggested Ikeazor simply didnt like him.

U.N. breaks ties

Last year, the U.N. Environment Programme broke ties with the Nigerian oil spill agency, explaining its five-year consultancy was over. The last support ended in June.

Ikeazor said the real reason U.N. pulled out was frustration over corruption. The two sources close to the project concurred the U.N. left because it couldnt continue to be associated with the Nigerian cleanup organization.

Zabbey responded that he believes the U.N. merely changed its goals and moved on.

___

Associated Press reporters Taiwo Adebayo and Dan Ikpoyi contributed from Abuja and Bayelsa, Nigeria.

___

The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
CHICAGO RIDGE, Ill.  A prank is believed to have caused reports of a shooting at Chicago Ridge Mall Sunday evening, according to Chicago Ridge Police.

Police said officers were sent to the mall at around 7:20 p.m. Sunday to investigate multiple reports of shots fired. When officers arrived, they did not see any signs of a shooting and no injuries were reported.

Witnesses at the mall said they heard one loud boom and then saw several people running toward the exits. After conducting an initial investigation, the police department said it appears the incident was caused by a prank that was initiated by a group of people inside the mall.

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Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines

There was no indication that any gunfire was involved in the incident, according to investigators.

Police said there is no ongoing threat to the public.

The Chicago Ridge Police Department is continuing its investigation into the incident and is working to identify those responsible for the prank.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police department at 708-425-7831.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
By Sudip Kar-Gupta and Gabriel Stargardter

PARIS (Reuters) -France unveiled a new government on Monday composed of former ministers and senior civil servants that Prime Minister Francois Bayrou will hope can oversee the passage of a 2025 budget and prevent a deepening of the country's crisis.

Eric Lombard, 66, the head of Caisse des Depots, the investment arm of the French government, became finance minister, working with Amelie de Montchalin as budget minister.

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They will need to begin work immediately with Bayrou on passing a 2025 budget bill after parliamentary pushback over the proposed legislation led to the toppling of Bayrou's predecessor, former Prime Minister Michel Barnier.

Bayrou's new team will be under immediate pressure to slim down a deficit expected to end the year at above 6% of gross domestic product.

Parliament is in recess until January 13. Once lawmakers return, however, Bayrou and his team will likely be living day-to-day, under the constant threat of no-confidence motions.

French President Emmanuel Macron will hope Bayrou can stave off no-confidence votes until at least July, when France will be able to hold a new parliamentary election.

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Bayrou had struggled for 10 days to put together a government as he looks to stave off potential no-confidence votes from the far right and left.

In his other appointments, Conservative Bruno Retailleau remained interior minister, while Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu also remained in their posts.

Elisabeth Borne, who stepped down as prime minister in January, became education minister, while former interior minister Gerard Darmanin will lead the Justice Ministry.

IMMEDIATE PRESSURE

France's failure to pass a belt-tightening 2025 budget has spooked investors and ratings agencies, but the savings needed to get France's public finances in line have proven too much for lawmakers in the deeply divided parliament.

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Bayrou has had a rough start since he was named prime minister on Friday, Dec. 13.

He came under fire for flying on a private jet to the southwestern town of Pau, where he remains mayor, to attend its council meeting, while leaving his interior minister to fly to the storm-ravaged overseas territory of Mayotte.

An opinion poll published on Dec. 19 found 64% were dissatisfied with his appointment as prime minister.

Last week, he invited all mainstream parties for talks to form a government, excluding the far-right National Rally and hard-left France Unbowed.

The offer, combined with a proposal to unions to jointly come up with a new version of a much-contested pension reform passed in 2023, has received only lukewarm support from parties ranging from the Socialists to the conservatives.

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Green party leader Marine Tondelier, who has been pushing for the left to be given the opportunity to govern since snap elections delivered a hung parliament this summer, said the left would remain in opposition. The Socialists and Communists also turned down the offer to join his cabinet.

LOMBARD TOO CLOSE TO MACRON?

Bayrou's choice of Lombard could also prove problematic.

Before joining the CDC, Lombard was a senior banker at BNP Paribas. Between 2013-17, he worked at Generali France, ending up as the chief executive of the insurance firm.

He is seen as an impressive technocrat with deep experience in the upper echelons of the public sector and private financial institutions. However, he may be vulnerable to accusations that he leans too far left politically, and that he is too close to the deeply unpopular Macron.

(Reporting by John Irish and Elizabeth Pineau; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Alison Williams, William Maclean)
There are currently no prerequisites for arranging a meeting between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President-elect Donald Trump.

Source: Russian state agency TASS, citing Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Peskov stated that "there has been no real momentum so far" in response to a question on whether a meeting could take place before Trump's inauguration or there are no specifics or conditions yet for in-person talks.

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Donald Trump claimed on Sunday, 22 December, that Vladimir Putin had expressed a desire to meet with him as soon as possible to discuss the war in Ukraine.

Last week, during his annual press conference for media representatives, Putin stated he was "ready" for potential talks with Trump.

It is worth noting that during his election campaign, Trump frequently boasted about his good relationship with Putin. He also repeatedly promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours if elected.

Background:

In November, Russian media outlet Verstka reported that Putin informally congratulated Trump on his victory in the presidential election, allegedly "through mutual acquaintances".

There were also reports of a phone call between Trump and Putin after the US election, though the Kremlin denied these claims.

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Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus lane! If NORAD had a holiday theme song, that would be it.

If Google had a most popular searches list on Christmas Eve, one might question, what time does Santa Claus arrive? When does Santa land in Florida?

Lets look to NORAD for that. After all, the North American Aerospace Defense Command's Santa Tracker has been an annual holiday tradition since 1955, tracking Santa's flight around the world every year. Its website says more than 1,250 Canadian and American uniformed personnel and DOD civilians volunteer their time on Christmas Eve to answer the hundreds of thousands of phone calls and emails that come in from around the world, its website says.

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Here's what to know about the military's long-running tradition of tracking Santa Claus and his trusty reindeers trip around the world.

Did the government shutdown impact NORAD's Santa Tracker?

Thankfully, not even a government shutdown could stop NORAD from tracking Chris Kringle this Christmas Eve, the Associated Press reported Dec. 20.

We fully expect for Santa to take flight on Dec. 24 and NORAD will track him," the U.S.-Canadian agency said in a statement to the AP.

What is NORAD Santa tracker? Is there a Google Santa tracker?

The Santa trackers from NORAD and Google are radars.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Google have already powered up their radars for the 2024 holiday season, ready for Santa Claus' annual flight around the world.

How to find NORAD's Santa Claus Tracker

For the 69th year in a row, NORAD is using its tracking capabilities to follow the progress of Santa Claus and his reindeer as he takes flight on Christmas Eve to deliver toys around the world.

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The NORAD Tracks Santa website launched Dec. 1, 2024, featuring Santas North Pole Village. The website includes a holiday countdown, games, movie theater, holiday music, web store, and more. Its available in these languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.

On social media, the hashtag is #NoradTracksSanta

In addition to the website, children and those interested in tracking Santa Claus around the world can do so via apps, social media (see below), Bing, OnStar, phone calls, email, and Amazon Alexa devices.

When will Santa get to Florida? What time does Santa Claus arrive Christmas 2024?

Have a question? Like when will Santa make his way to Florida?

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Trackers can also follow Santa on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and its YouTube channel. The official NORAD Tracks Santa app is also in the Apple App and Google Play stores, to count down the days until Santas journey on mobile devices.

Click here to visit NORAD's Santa Claus Tracker in another browser.

What is NORAD Santa Tracker phone number? Can you call NORAD on Christmas?

On Christmas Eve, trackers worldwide can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to ask live operators about Santas location from 6 a.m. to midnight MST. Also on Dec. 24, website visitors will see Santas flight from 4 a.m. to midnight MST.

If callers are unable to reach a live volunteer, a recorded update on Santas location will be available, according to the website.

Can you ask Alexa to track Santa? Does NORAD Santa tracker work on Amazon Alexa?

Yes, NORAD Santa tracker works on Amazon Alexa devices. And its a popular tool, too: According to a post on NORADs military site, from Nov. 25, 2022, to Jan. 1, 2023, there were 9.7 million utterances on Amazon Alexa.

Can you ask OnStar to track Santa? Does NORAD Santa tracker work on my cars GPS navigation system?

NORAD Santa tracker works on OnStar. A post on NORADs military site states that from Nov. 25, 2022, to Jan. 1, 2023, there were 12,000 requests to locate Santa using the location-finder OnStar.

How to find Google's Santa Claus Tracker

Google's Santa tracker is newer to the scene, making its debut the first time in 2004.

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Google operates the actual Santa tracker on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25. This year, thats Tuesday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve and Wednesday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day.

Google has calculated that Santa Claus Christmas Eve journey takes 25 hours to get the job done. "He makes his first stop just after 10 p.m. local time in far eastern Russia, when its 5 a.m. in New York and 11 a.m. in Paris," Google says.

Throughout December, trackers can head to the website to explore "Santas Village." There is a countdown clock to Santa's arrival, as well online holiday games and educational activities for kids of a variety of ages.

Click here to visit Google's Santa Claus Tracker in another browser.

Where does Santa leave from?

Santa Claus begins his journey at his home in the North Pole.

What time will Santa come to the U.S.?

According to NORAD, it seems Santa arrives between 9 p.m. and midnight on Christmas Eve. This year, thats between 9 p.m. and midnight Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. If children are still awake when Santa arrives, he moves on to other houses.

How fast does Santa have to travel to deliver presents?

While we all know the big man is magic, how does he get it done so fast?

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In a Forbes piece from 2018, experts did the math and found that "with 500 million households to visit and 42 hours to do it in, that means Santa has a total of just 300 microseconds (0.0003 seconds) to accomplish everything he needs to accomplish per household."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NORAD Santa tracker phone number, website: When does he get to Florida
ABU DHABI, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, held a phone call on Monday with Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, Syria's interim foreign minister, to discuss the recent developments in Syria and ways to strengthen bilateral ties, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

Sheikh Abdullah emphasized the importance of safeguarding Syria's unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty, and reiterated the UAE's commitment to supporting efforts for an inclusive transitional phase that aligns with the aspirations of the Syrian people for security, development, and dignity, the WAM reported.

Their conversation also focused on enhancing bilateral relations and fostering collaboration in areas of mutual interests, it added. 
When does Santa arrive on Christmas?

Depending on whom  and how  you ask, youll likely get an answer. (Isnt that cool?)

Thanks to the North American Aerospace Defense Command's Santa Tracker, asking when jolly old St. Nicholas will get to Melbourne, Florida, or Boulder, Colorado, (or wherever youre from!) has been an annual holiday tradition since 1955. The Department of Defense has made tracking Santa Claus and his reindeers flight around the world every year part of its mission. Its website says more than 1,250 Canadian and American uniformed personnel and DOD civilians volunteer their time on Christmas Eve to answer the hundreds of thousands of phone calls and emails that come in from around the world.

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NORAD, Google Santa Tracker in Florida: What time does Santa Claus arrive on Christmas?

In this digital and social media-crazy age, there are many ways to track Santas path. For example, theres an app for that. Ask Alexa. Google it. Speed dial. Email. Turn on the radio.

Below is a NORAD guide to help you track Santa Claus, Rudolph, Donner, Blitzen and the rest of the reindeer just in time for Christmas.

What is NORAD Santa tracker? How did a newspaper ad help kickstart NORAD Santa tradition?

In 1955, after seeing an ad in the local newspaper, a child wanting to talk to Santa Claus accidentally called the unlisted number of CONAD (Continental Air Defense Command) or what is now NORAD Command. The operations center director, Col. Harry Shoup, assured the child that Santa Claus would make it to his destinations safely, according to a story on defense.gov.

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NORAD is using its tracking capabilities to follow the progress of Santa Claus and his reindeer as he takes flight on Christmas Eve to deliver toys around the world. This year, the NORAD Tracks Santa website launched Dec. 1, 2024, featuring Santas North Pole Village. The website includes a holiday countdown, games, movie theater, holiday music, web store, and more.

Trackers can also follow Santa on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and its YouTube channel. The official NORAD Tracks Santa app is also in the Apple App and Google Play stores, to count down the days until Santas journey on mobile devices.

Click here to visit NORAD's Santa Claus Tracker in another browser.

Interestingly, NORAD Santa tracker was created, thanks, in part, to a local newspaper (a mistake in an ad, if were being accurate). To this day, local newspapers around the world report about the NORAD Santa tracker.

When does Santa arrive in Florida on Christmas 2024?

Santa Claus begins his journey from the North Pole with his trusty reindeer pulling his sleigh. According to NORAD, it seems Santa arrives between 9 p.m. and midnight on Christmas Eve. This year, thats between 9 p.m. and midnight Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. If children are still awake when Santa arrives, he moves on to other houses.

What is NORAD Santa tracker phone number? Can you call Santa Claus?

On Christmas Eve, trackers worldwide can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to ask live operators about Santas location from 6 a.m. to midnight MST. Also on Dec. 24, website visitors will see Santas flight from 4 a.m. to midnight MST. If callers are unable to reach a live volunteer, a recorded update on Santas location will be available, according to the website.

NORAD Santa tracker apps for iPhone, Android

Got an Android? NORAD Santa tracker app on Google Play store

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Got an iPhone, iPad or Apple computer? NORAD Santa tracker app for Mac devices

NORAD Santa tracker on Twitter

The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter and owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, tracks Santa via the Department of Defense (@deptofdedense) and @noradsanta handles. The official tweets have the blue checkmark.

If youre doing a hashtag search, try #NoradTracksSanta and #WeHaveTheWatch

NORAD Santa tracker on Facebook

Like!  NORAD Santa tracker has its own Facebook page with 2 million fans, as of Monday, Dec. 23, 2024.

Like or follow or browse NORAD Santa tracker on Facebook

NORAD Santa tracker on Instagram, NORAD Santa Reels

If you want to keep up with NORAD Santa tracker on Instagram, click on the heart and paper airplane emoji on the official profile. NORAD will post Reels with Santa Claus whereabouts. The Department of Defense will update Santas location via posts and Instagram Reels. Youll also learn fun facts about NORAD and its rich history.

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NORAD Santa tracker on Instagram

NORAD Santa tracker on YouTube

NORAD Santa tracker has a YouTube Channel.

Fans can watch videos about the NORAD Santa tracker, how it got its start, what the NORAD Santa tracker command center looks like, and what pilots see.

NORAD Santa tracker using Amazon Alexa

NORAD Santa tracker is on Amazon Alexa, too.

If you have an Amazon Echo or Amazon Alexa device, ask: Alexa, when does Santa arrive on Christmas? or, specifically, Alexa, when does Santa arrive in Rochester Hills, Michigan?

According to norad.mil, there were 9.7 million utterances of the NORAD Santa tracker on Amazon Alexa from Nov. 25, 2022, to Jan. 1, 2023. ICYMI, 9.7 million queries like, Alexa, where is Santa? in just over one month during the 2022 holiday season.

NORAD Santa tracker using OnStar

If you are a subscriber to OnStar location services, you can ask, OnStar, where is Santa?

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According to norad.mil, there were 12,000 requests to locate Santa via the NORAD Santa tracker system on OnStar from Nov. 25, 2022, to Jan. 1, 2023.

NORAD Santa tracker on SiriusXM

Listening to SiriusXM in the car, home or at a Christmas gathering? Search for the Kids Place Live channel for the NORAD Santa tracker.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NORAD Santa tracker for iPhone, Android, Amazon Alexa, OnStar, YouTube
Congress has long been home to aging politicians facing serious health woes. But the case of retiring Rep. Kay Granger is the latest evidence that a new generation of Washington players are growing fed up with the tradition of shielding officials infirmities from the world.

Reporting by a conservative activist on Friday about the 81-year-old Texas Republican  who until last April chaired the powerful Appropriations Committee  prompted her family to reveal that she has been struggling with dementia and residing in an assisted-living facility, despite continuing to hold office. Granger hasnt cast a vote in Congress since July.

The revelations are sparking a bipartisan backlash and drawing scrutiny to other elderly lawmakers. Some of the toughest comments have emerged from the right, with the Granger news prompting Elon Musk to float cognitive tests for elected officials and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky saying hes more concerned about the congressmen who have dementia and are still voting.

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Congress should do its job, and if you can't do your job, maybe you shouldn't be there, 44-year-old Rep. Tony Gonzales, another Texas Republican, said on CBS Face the Nation.

The Granger episode caps off a year in which weaknesses that come with age played a major role in accelerating the ouster of senior officials in Washington, including President Joe Bidens withdrawal from the 2024 campaign and a more recent move by House Democrats to force out older members trying to hold on to top committee posts. It sets the stage for lawmakers to take a harder line, with the next Congress poised to include 10 senators and 24 House members older than the average U.S. life expectancy of 77.5 years.

We need to do some norm changing at a minimum, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), 60, said in an interview Monday. It should really be unacceptable for members to be completely missing from communications with the public and with their own colleagues for months at a time.

He added: Loyalty is a super important part of the work we do, but there is a point at which that becomes detrimental to the institution and to our democracy  and I think we do need to have a conversation about that.

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Another extreme case played out just last year: The late Sen. Dianne Feinstein was absent for months before public pressure forced her to return to the Senate, where her mental and physical deterioration was on full display. She died while still serving in the Senate, at age 90.



Top party leaders have had various problems, too; Mitch McConnell, 82, had to deliver his parting speech as Senate Republican leader in an arm cast and with a visible face bandage after the latest in a series of falls. He had at least two incidents last year in which he took lengthy pauses in the middle of public speeches, which his office blamed on lightheadedness, though he announced shortly after hed be stepping down from the Senate GOP leader role. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 84, broke her hip and had to undergo surgery while on official travel overseas this month.

There are some signs of limited movement  in what was considered a shocking move earlier this month, House Democrats started taking steps toward confronting their aging committee leadership. They ousted ailing Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) from his top spot atop the Agriculture Committee after months of shaky attendance  and saw Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) step aside from their posts atop the Judiciary and Natural Resources committees, respectively, to make way for younger successors. (House Republicans have term limits on their committee heads, which typically prevents older members from holding gavels into the twilights of their careers.)

The Senate does not have the same history. After years of issues with Feinstein that staffers and lawmakers refused to talk about, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer eventually privately asked her to cede the Judiciary Committee gavel she held, as she struggled with rampant memory issues. Before that, the late Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), who needed the help of aides to maneuver around the Capitol and suffered obvious short-term memory difficulties while chairing the Appropriations Committee, had also been suffering health issues for years before giving up his gavel.

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Still, it is precisely because so many politicians are of advanced age that lawmakers can generate little momentum or energy with any attempt to alter the status quo. Most lawmakers who publicly weighed in on Granger have expressed regret or anger about her specific situation, without proposing wider solutions.

The public is entitled to far greater transparency about the health of the elected officials who represent them, said 36-year-old Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) of the Granger situation. The incapacitation of an elected official is a material fact that should be disclosed to the public, rather than concealed by staff. Transparency, not cover-ups, should be the norm.

It may become an even more salient issue for the parties in the next Congress. Republicans will hold a narrow 53-47 advantage in the Senate and just an effective 217-215 majority to start in the House. Dozens of lawmakers commonly miss votes for various issues; for example, 29 House members didnt vote on legislation to keep the government funded just last Friday.

Four House Democrats  the late Reps. Donald McEachin (Va.), Donald Payne Jr. (N.J.), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas) and Bill Pascrell (N.J.)  and Feinstein died before or during the current Congress alone.



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Its a sad and quiet ending for Granger, a towering figure in modern Texas politics. She became the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Texas in 1996 after serving as mayor of Fort Worth. She rose up the ranks throughout her time in Washington and eventually became the first GOP woman to lead the Appropriations Committee in 2023.

But there were signs she and her staff knew her health challenges were becoming more pronounced. She gave up her gavel atop the Appropriations Committee in April and announced she would not run for reelection. She very visibly struggled to deliver remarks on a spending bill package on the House floor in March, shortly before she relinquished her Appropriations gavel.

Her son, Brandon, told The Dallas Morning News that his mother is experiencing dementia issues that have kept her away from Washington and have her residing in a senior living facility. The acknowledgement only came after The Dallas Express, another publication, reported the congresswoman was residing in a memory care facility, which her family subsequently denied.

Still, her staff was not transparent about her status, posting pictures and issuing a press release after she was able to make it to Washington for a portrait unveiling  with quotes from GOP luminaries like Speaker Mike Johnson and current Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.). Her account on X, purporting to be the congresswoman, thanked a series of interns on Dec. 20.
South Korea's military has reported that North Korea is likely preparing to deploy additional troops and military equipment to Russia, potentially including kamikaze drones, in support of Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Source: South Korean news agency Yonhap with reference to South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)

Details: Such an assessment comes amid reports that North Korea has sent thousands of troops to fight alongside Russia in the war against Ukraine, with casualties estimated by South Korea's intelligence agency to be around 1,100.

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Quote from JCS: "A comprehensive assessment of multiple intelligence shows that North Korea is preparing to rotate or increase the deployment of troops [in Russia], while currently supplying 240 millimetre rocket launchers and 170 mm self-propelled artillery."

"There are also some signs of [North Korea] moving to manufacture and supply suicide drones, first unveiled during Kim Jong Un's on-site inspection in November."

Details: The JCS explained that this move reflects North Korea's efforts to gain practical combat experience and modernise its conventional weapons systems.

North Korean state media reported last month that Kim Jong Un observed tests of various types of kamikaze drones and called for their large-scale production, emphasising the growing importance of this cost-effective weapon in modern warfare.

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The JCS added that they have not detected any specific signs of provocations from North Korea as the country focuses on expanding military cooperation with Russia and maintaining internal stability ahead of a key party congress at the end of 2024.

Nevertheless, South Korea's military has acknowledged the possibility of an unforeseen provocation by North Korea, potentially aligned with a major political event, such as the test launch of a medium-range ballistic missile featuring a hypersonic warhead.

Quote from JCS: "As the North has to concentrate on supporting Russia next year, it is likely to feel burdened by [the possibility of] causing military tension or conflicts that could lead to the creation of a new war front."

Previously: Ukraines Special Operations Forces (SOF) reported that documents seized from three North Korean soldiers killed in Kursk Oblast display signs of forgery. Documents like these are likely being used by Russia to conceal the presence of North Korean military personnel.

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Background:

On 7 November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast, Russia, had already suffered losses.

US officials confirmed that North Korean troops had been involved in combat operations in Russia's Kursk Oblast for the first time.

The New York Times reported that 50,000 Russian and North Korean soldiers were preparing to launch a large-scale counteroffensive in Russias Kursk Oblast.

On 15 December, the Ukrainian military posted photos and videos showing Russian and North Korean soldiers killed in assaults in Kursk Oblast.

Later, The New York Times, with reference to a senior US Department of Defense official, reported that Ukrainian forces might have killed or wounded "hundreds" of soldiers sent by North Korea to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.

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North Korea is preparing to deploy additional troops and weapons, including kamikaze drones, to aid Russia in its full-scale war against Ukraine, the South Korean military said on Dec. 23.

Thousands of North Korean personnel are already stationed in Russia. In recent days, North Korean soldiers have begun engaging in assault operations alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) believe that Pyongyang is now planning to send additional military support, the Yonhap news agency reported.

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"A comprehensive assessment of multiple intelligence shows that North Korea is preparing to rotate or increase the deployment of troops (in Russia), while currently supplying 240 millimeter rocket launchers and 170 millimeter self-propelled artillery," the JCS said.

"There are also some signs of (the North) moving to manufacture and supply suicide drones, first unveiled during Kim Jong Un's on-site inspection in November."

By deepening military cooperation with Moscow, Pyongyang hopes to gain practical battlefield experience and the ability to modernize its weapons systems, the JCS said.

North Korea has emerged as Russia's leading ally in the full-scale war against Ukraine, providing not only ballistic missiles and artillery ammunition but also soldiers. The two nations signed a defense treaty in June, requiring either state to render military aid to the other in the event of an attack.

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After reporting initial but limited clashes with North Korean troops in the fall, Ukraine in December announced that Russia had begun using North Korean units in ground assaults.

South Korean officials have reported that at least 100 North Korean soldiers have been killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine. According to lawmaker Lee Sung-kwon, North Korean troops are suffering high casualty rates in part due to their inexperience with drone warfare.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is attempting to hide information about North Korean casualties.

Read also: North Korean troops in Kursk Oblast boost Russias manpower, despite vulnerabilities

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Satellite imagery indicates that North Korea increased its arms production and is boosting supplies to Russia for its war against Ukraine. Approximately 200 ammunition factories in North Korea are currently operating at full capacity.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Quote: "Recent satellite images show that North Korea is shipping more munitions to Russia and is expanding arms production at home Assistance from North Korea is allowing Russia to press its advantage against exhausted Ukrainian troops and could help it resist pressure from the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump to end the conflict [war  ed.]."

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Details: Officials from Washington and Seoul indicate that North Korea has sent around 20,000 containers of ammunition to Russia. These shipments range from lower-quality ammunition such as 122 mm and 152 mm artillery shells to the newer Hwasong-11 class ballistic missiles.

WSJ notes that "Ukrainian officials say the provision has amounted to more than five million artillery shells and dozens of rockets, including more than 100 Hwasong-11 class missiles."

Recently, Pyongyang also sent 170-mm self-propelled howitzers and 240-mm long-range multiple-launch rocket systems to Russia.

The report points that earlier suspicions about North Korea offloading old weapon stockpiles have shifted, with evidence now indicating Pyongyang is supplying newly manufactured weapons to Russia.

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For instance, the 240-mm multiple-launch rocket systems were recently equipped with new guidance and control systems.

Additionally, North Korea's 600-mm KN-25 rocket launchers were upgraded earlier this year with the support of Russian technicians. "The weapon, first tested in 2019, blurs the distinction between a multiple launch rocket system and a short-range ballistic missile," the publication highlights.

Quote: "More weapons are coming, by ship and train, to resupply Russian troops burning through huge quantities of arms, U.S. and South Korean officials say. Around 200 munitions factories in North Korea are operating at full capacity to produce weapons, and Russia is transferring fuel and equipment to support Pyongyangs arms manufacturing, Seoul officials said."

More details: Satellite images show an expansion of North Korea's short-range ballistic missile production facilities. The Hwasong-11 missiles, also known as KN-23 and KN-24 in the West, are being produced at a factory on North Korea's eastern coast.

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SI Analytics indicates that rapid construction at the site includes new buildings, likely intended to conceal loading operations. Kim Jong Un has visited the facility multiple times, issuing orders for serial production of tactical missiles.

Satellite images show a factory on the east coast of North Korea that produces the Hwasong-11 class missiles.

Photo: Airbus satellite imagery/SIA SuperX

This year, rail shipments of weapons reached record levels at the Tumangang-Hasan crossing on the North Korea-Russia border. Train traffic has reportedly tripled since Kim's meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in September last year.

A satellite image of rail traffic at the border crossing between North Korea and Russia.

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Photo: Airbus satellite imagery/SIA SuperX

A South Korean official told The Wall Street Journal that the cooperation is reciprocal, with Russia providing North Korea with air defence systems and sending technicians to support its satellite reconnaissance programmes.

Quote: "Pyongyangs outdated air defence system needs significant improvements to match Seoul and Washingtons superior air forces, weapons experts say. South Korean officials said North Korea is likely also seeking help from Russia on intercontinental ballistic missile technology."

Experts cited by The Wall Street Journal estimate that North Korea may have earned up to US$5.5 billion through its arms deals with Russia.

Background:

On 7 November, Zelenskyy reported losses among North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia in the Kursk Oblast.

The US confirmed North Korean troops were involved in combat operations in Kursk.

The New York Times reported that a 50,000-strong force of Russian and North Korean soldiers is preparing for a major counteroffensive in Kursk.

On 15 December, Ukrainian forces released photos and videos of killed Russian and North Korean soldiers in Kursk following the assaults on 14 December.

Later, The New York Times, citing a senior US Department of Defense official, reported that Ukrainian forces may have killed or injured "several hundred" North Korean troops sent to assist Russia in the war.

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The suggestion to deploy North Korean troops to support Russias war against Ukraine came from Pyongyang, not Moscow, U.S. intelligence sources told the New York Times, it reported on Dec. 23.

While some Western officials initially viewed the arrival of North Korean soldiers in Russia as evidence of the Kremlins desperation, U.S. agencies now reportedly believe the idea was North Koreas initiative, quickly embraced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since August, approximately 12,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Kursk Oblast, where they are fighting alongside Russian forces.

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On Dec. 23, President Zelensky said that over 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed or injured in the region, significantly surpassing earlier estimates.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of the global risks posed by increasing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, including the transfer of advanced warfare technologies.

These concerns align with U.S. reported assessments that Russia is relying on North Korea and Iran to sustain artillery operations and drone strikes targeting Ukraines infrastructure.

North Korea has become a key ally of Russia, supplying ballistic missiles, artillery ammunition, and soldiers.

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The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 23 that Pyongyang is preparing additional arms shipments to Russia following the delivery of about 20,000 containers of weaponry.

Ukraine reported that North Korean troops had been involved in ground assaults in Russias Kursk Oblast in December.

South Korea has also observed preparations for further troop and weapon transfers from North Korea to aid Russias ongoing war.

Read also: Over 3,000 North Korean troops killed, wounded in Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says

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NORWEGIAN TWP.  The Schuylkill County Coroners Office was dispatched for a fatality to the scene of a working structure fire Sunday night in Norwegian Twp.

Schuylkill County Coroner David Moylan III said the Schuylkill County Communications Center notified him at 7:30 p.m.Two deputies, Albert T. Barnes and Erin Cuff, were on scene in the 300 block of Minersville St. as of 8 p.m.

Firefighters battle a blaze at a home along Minersville Street in Seltzer on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (DAVID McKEOWN/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER)Moylan did not have the name of the victim. He said a post-Mortem CAT Scan will be done at the Simon Kramer Forensic Center likely Monday, Moylan said.

Firefighters from numerous departments fought the fire that was called in after 5 pm.

This story will be updated as information is available.
The number of people injured in the car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in the central German city of Magdeburg has risen to 235, prosecutors say.

Five people were killed, including a nine-year-old boy and four women aged between 45 and 75, when a man drove a car through the crowd at the Christmas market on Friday evening.

Authorities had previously reported that 200 people were injured in the incident.

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The suspect, a Saudi national identified only as Taleb A according to German privacy laws, has been living in Germany since 2006 and was granted political refugee status in 2016. He was most recently working as a doctor in the town of Bernburg, south of Magedeburg.

He was detained at the scene and is being held in police custody.

Magdeburg, a city of some 237,000 to the west of Berlin, is the capital of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

The Interior Ministry of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern said on Monday that Taleb A became known to authorities as a potential suspect in 2015.

Regional authorities had informed the Federal Criminal Police Office at the Joint Counter-Terrorism Centre, which is supported by Germany's federal and regional government, about the man's possible intention to carry out an attack on February 6, 2015, it said.

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The report concerned threats to carry out actions that would attract international attention against a medical association in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in April 2013 and one year later against a local authority in the northern German city of Stralsund.

The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern interior minister, Christian Pegel, said the 50-year-old suspect had lived in the state from 2011-16 and had completed parts of his specialist medical training in Stralsund.

He said the man had been involved in a dispute with the medical association about the recognition of examination results and had later threatened the social services in Stralsund in an attempt to obtain assistance with living costs.

A district court fined Taleb A for threatening the medical association, Pegel said.

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However, he added, the previous investigations had not revealed any evidence of real preparations for an attack or Islamist connections.

The man was warned by the police and told that he would be monitored more closely, but was not been classified as a threat, Pegel said.
The number of US troops in Syria has regularly surged higher than the Pentagon has publicly disclosed since at least 2020, and in recent months increased to more than double the roughly 900 troops the US has long said are in Syria, multiple defense officials familiar with the matter told CNN.

The Pentagon said last week that the additional troops beyond the 900 are temporary. But on Monday, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, acknowledged that the numbers of forces in Syria in general have increased over time as the threat has increased to baseline forces.

Ryder first revealed on Thursday that the number of troops in Syria is around 2,000, significantly higher than what weve been briefing in recent months and years. He also said that he only found out about the larger footprint there in recent days.

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The Armys director of plans, operations, and training distributed the true number internally earlier this month, two officials told CNN. It is not clear when exactly the troop numbers reached their current peak, but the US surged additional assets and personnel to the Middle East following last years October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.

On Monday, the Pentagon issued a new statement attempting to clarify the long-standing discrepancy about the number of troops in Syria.

In addition to the approximately 900 baseline troops, there are also approximately 1,100 U.S. military personnel in Syria that deploy for shorter durations as temporary enablers in support of force protection, transportation, maintenance, or other emerging operational requirements, Ryder said.

The numbers of these additional temporary forces have fluctuated over the past several years based on mission needs but in general have increased over time as the threat has increased to baseline forces, he added.

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Defense officials have long been reluctant to reveal the true troop numbers in Syria because it could risk angering neighboring partner countries, particularly Iraq, sources told CNN. When the Pentagon first acknowledged the larger troop presence, Ryder said there are diplomatic and operational security considerations oftentimes with our deployments.

Syria isnt the only country where the Pentagon has more troops deployed than it has previously said. In its statement Monday, the Pentagon acknowledged there may be more than 2,500 troops in Iraq, the baseline number the military has used for its military footprint in the country. But the Pentagon did not provide any additional details on how many more troops are in Iraq, only saying there are some additional temporary enablers deployed on a rotational basis.

However, due to operations security and diplomatic considerations, we do not have any more specifics to provide, Ryder said in the statement. The vague reference to additional troops in Iraq leaves open the possibility of a significantly larger presence than was previously acknowledged, just as in Syria.

The US military presence in Iraq is a sensitive issue for Iraqi officials, who have said publicly they want US troops out of the country. If the Iraqis saw the number of troops increasing in Syria, theyd fear the US was doing so in Iraq as well, officials explained, which it now appears may be the case. It is particularly delicate in the midst of negotiations about the future US military footprint in Iraq.

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For more than a year, Washington and Baghdad have engaged in a series of talks about the future of the US military presence in the country. In January, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani made the goal of the discussions clear when he said the aim was to end the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently. The US military footprint in Syria relies on support from US troops in Iraq, and a larger presence in the former could necessitate more troops in the latter.

Defense officials insist the Pentagon has not misled the public about the core number of troops in Syria, which they have said since 2020 is around 900. Most of those are special operations forces, one defense official said, and the military rarely acknowledges changes to special operations troop levels. Officials say the additional 1,100 or so that have been stationed there in recent months are temporary enabling forces, primarily with the Army, that are meant to augment the core presence with logistical and defensive help.

But those troops are typically replaced as soon as they finish their rotations, which are frequently three months or less, so the total number has consistently surged above 900 over the years, officials said.

Concealing the true number of US troops in Syria dates to Donald Trumps first administration. In 2020, the outgoing US envoy to Syria, Jim Jeffrey, acknowledged that his team routinely misled senior military leaders about troop levels there, which suggests it was not exclusively military officials keeping the number under wraps.

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We were always playing shell games to not make clear to our leadership how many troops we had there, Jeffrey told Defense One at the time. Trump in 2019 had agreed to keep roughly 200 to 400 US troops in Syria, but the actual number was a lot more, Jeffrey said.

There are even more civilian contractors in the country. A report from the Congressional Research Service said there were more than 5,400 contractors in Iraq and Syria in the second quarter of 2024.

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JERUSALEM, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that "there has been progress" in efforts to secure a ceasefire-for-hostages deal with Hamas, but cautioned that the timeline for reaching an agreement remains unclear.

Speaking before the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, Netanyahu said, "I do not know how long it will take," while vowing to "continue to act in every possible way until we bring everyone home."

Earlier on Monday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar outlined parts of the deal during a closed meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, describing it as "a phased, gradual framework."

Israeli and Palestinian media reported that efforts led by Qatari, Egyptian, and U.S. mediators have shown progress, though a breakthrough remains elusive.

Israel's Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli told Kan Reshet Bet public radio that there had been "some" progress toward an agreement, adding that the sides are closer to a deal than in recent months. He said the initial phase would be "a humanitarian phase," involving a 42-day ceasefire and the release of some hostages.

"This ceasefire could last six months or 10 years, depending on the dynamics that develop on the ground," Chikli said.

The length of the ceasefire has been a key sticking point in previous failed negotiation attempts. Hamas seeks to end the war entirely, while Israel insists on removing Hamas' control over Gaza before any resolution and maintaining a military presence in the Palestinian enclave even after the ceasefire.

Hamas launched an assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping approximately 250 others. About 100 Israeli and foreign hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, and dozens of them are believed to be dead, according to Israeli estimates.

Israel responded with an extensive military campaign, reducing much of the Gaza Strip to rubble. At least 45,317 people have been killed by the Israeli strikes in Gaza, according to an update released on Monday by the Gaza-based health authorities. 
Congestion pricing moved back to the express lane on Monday after a Manhattan federal judge declined a request for a preliminary injunction to stop the controversial tolling plan, which is slated to go into effect early next month.

Judge Lewis Liman didnt rule on a motion to dismiss a legal challenge to the plan altogether.

Instead, he denied a request to tap the brakes on the measure after hearing arguments against the plan Friday from four different groups, including Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew and the Trucking Association of New York, a trade group representing delivery companies.

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A group called New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax is also trying to derail the measure.

We are disappointed, but not that surprised, that the judge denied our request for an injunction in our lawsuit against congestion pricing, with less than two weeks to spare before the program begins, Fossella said in a statement.

That means the MTA measure that would charge most drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th St. remains on track for a Jan. 5 start.

After scrapping the plan in June out of concern for the wallets of everyday people, Gov. Hochul put it back on the table with a lower price tag.

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Instead of charging drivers $15 as originally planned, the new toll would collect $9 from motorists with a goal of reducing traffic and pollution while funding improvements to New York Citys mass transit system.

Supporters say the clock is ticking, because President-elect Donald Trump, whose Midtown tower sits within the congestion pricing zone, has vowed to derail the toll once he is back in the White House.

But that wont happen until Jan. 20, by which time supporters hope congestion pricing would be well underway.

Meanwhile, New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler has promised to back legislation denying the MTA federal funds while the toll collection plan is in effect.

Opponents argue that the toll is a financial burden for commuters, hurts small businesses and shifts traffic and pollution to other parts of the city and region.
The citys firefighter unions slammed Sunday a decision by lawmakers two days earlier to strip vital health care funds for 9/11 first responders from the federal budget after Elon Musk and Donald Trump nuked a stopgap spending plan, threatening a government shutdown.

The one thing we were able to fall back on was people wouldnt forget and they would always stand beside us, said James Brosi, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association. Unfortunately twenty-some-odd-years later, people are starting to forget. It is unimaginable that we would have to come down here and ask Congress to do the right thing.

After two failed votes by the GOP-led House of Representatives, Congress passed a stopgap bill to fund the government Friday, but it removed legislation that would have fully funded the World Trade Center Health Program through 2040, 9/11 advocates said.

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Part of what was left on the table was the bill that would provide the health care and the compensation for the sick and dying New York City firefighters, police officers, and first responders and civilians that were affected by what happened down there, said Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro.

Ansbro stood in front of Engine Co. 10/Ladder Co. 10 in the bitter cold, across the street from the World Trade Center.

The incoming politicians and those returning were given a mandate to make America great again, he said. We know that you cannot make America great again if you leave behind those that are sick and those that are dying that answered the call on 9/11.

The World Trade Center Health Program was created in 2011 as part of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. It initially was supposed to run for five years, but was extended until 2090 as more people were sickened with 9/11 illnesses.

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As of September, more than 130,000 first responders and survivors have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program. Just over 7,000 people enrolled this year alone, according to the programs website.

Republicans abandoned Wednesday a bipartisan plan to prevent a government shutdown after Musk took to his social media platform X demanding the bill fail, and Trump followed his lead. That led House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to essentially rip up the deal days before a shutdown deadline.

On Sunday, Brosi kept his criticism of the stopgap bill nonpartisan.

This is not a Republican or Democratic problem. This is a United States problem, he said. We restored stability, we restored hope, and we did the job very few people were willing to do.  It is unthinkable at 23 years later that we should all be here on a 17-degree day standing outside this memorial begging for the funding to recognize the people who did the work.

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When asked if he had reached out to Trump, Ansbro said hes currently not in power and we did not expect that tweets from him and Elon Musk would derail the bill, but we look forward to sitting down with him and making our case and letting him know that New Yorkers expect him to remember New York.

He added, Well see you next year.  Were not here to point a finger at anyone for what happened that day. Were here to let everyone know that were not going away.
(Bloomberg) -- A Turkish-born businessman tied to the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams plans to plead guilty to an illegal campaign contribution charge, federal prosecutors disclosed in a court filing.

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Erdan Arkan, who was previously identified only as Businessman-5 in the indictment against Adams, will be charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud through the collection of straw-man campaign contributions, according to a letter filed Monday to two judges involved in the case.

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Arkan has indicated that he wishes to plead guilty, prosecutors said in the letter.

Arkan would be the latest defendant to plead guilty to breaking campaign finance laws to provide funds to Adams 2021 campaign for mayor. A spokesman for Acting US Attorney Edward Kim in Manhattan declined to say whether Arkan has agreed to cooperate in the prosecution of Adams, who has denied wrongdoing.

We know from the governments own interviews that Mr. Arkan repeatedly said that Mayor Adams had no knowledge of his actions, Alex Spiro, the lead lawyer for the mayor, said in response to the court filing. Mr. Arkans conduct will have no bearing on the Mayors case whatsoever.

Arkans lawyer didnt immediately respond to voicemail and email messages seeking comment.

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Mayors Indictment

Adams was charged in September with accepting illegal campaign donations and taking luxury travel upgrades from the government of Turkey in exchange for pressuring officials to permit the opening of a new Manhattan tower consulate without a proper fire inspection.

Adams, the first New York mayor to be indicted while in office, faces charges of bribery, fraud, conspiracy and soliciting illegal campaign contributions. Hes pleaded not guilty and refused to step down.

Arkans planned guilty plea is the latest in a drumbeat of charges and investigations targeting the mayor, his closest associates and people tied to his 2021 campaign. Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a former top adviser to the mayor, was charged last week with bribery and money-laundering.

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In the Adams indictment, prosecutors said the mayor sought and accepted straw donations from Businessman-5, who was identified in Mondays letter as Arkan. The businessman is a prominent member of New York Citys Turkish community and operated a construction company in the New York area, prosecutors said.

Arkan worked to recruit other construction executives and people in the Turkish community to donate to the Adams campaign, holding a fundraiser at his companys offices in May 2021, according to prosecutors. Before the fundraiser, Arkan allegedly gave $1,250 to each of 10 employees, who then donated the money to the campaign.

Eight of the alleged straw donations, made in the names of New York City residents, improperly triggered the payment of matching funds from the city, according to the indictment.

The case is US v. Adams, 24-cr-00556, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

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(Updates with comment from Adams lawyer, background on case.)

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The Broadway of the Bronx is a drug-ridden wasteland, where hordes of zonked-out junkies openly buy dope, shoot up and overdose in broad daylight  despite city officials years-old pledge to end the ceaseless squalor.

The Post spent several days in The Hub  the commercial area between Melrose and Mott Haven that encompasses Roberto Clemente Plaza  and found scenes of drug-fueled depravity and an ever-present unwelcome haze of crack smoke.

Two addicts were seen suffering apparent overdoses and dozens more nodded off or involuntarily contorted their bodies into the telltale fentanyl fold.

A man injecting a woman with drugs in broad daylight on a sidewalk in The Hub in the Bronx on Nov. 27, 2024. James Keivom

A drug user hunched over in The Hubs Roberto Clemente Plaza on Nov. 13, 2024. James Keivom

New York City Department of Sanitation workers clear an encampment used by drug addicts on Melrose Avenue in The Hub. James Keivom

One potential overdose victim lay face down on the sidewalk for 10 minutes until a fellow addict gave him doses of life-saving Narcan. A few feet away, a haggard man nonchalantly injected a syringe into a womans neck.

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These streets are full of zombies, said Emilio Morales, general manager of the landmark Opera House Hotel, a 3-star inn on East 149th Street. It has never been as bad as it is now.

Morales concerns arent new  he and other local business leaders in 2021 sent a letter to then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, pleading for action on the drug-dealing, homelessness and crime consuming The Hub.

Theyre still waiting.

The Broadway of the Bronx has been plagued by open-air drug markets and zombie addicts for years. NYPJ

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Syringes and drug paraphernalia seen on the ground near a subway track in The Hub on Dec. 15, 2024. James Keivom

A man leaned over near discarded syringes next to an elevated subway. James Keivom

Efforts by City Hall and the NYPD to permanently clamp down on the open-air drug markets have been unsuccessful, said frustrated locals and elected leaders.

Its very bad, very bad, very bad, said Siraj Bhaiyat, the owner of local variety store Willis Discount. Its been like this for three years, but its getting worse and worse.

You cant walk through it

A cadre of local leaders cut the ribbon on Roberto Clemente Plaza in 2018, with hopes of turning it into the Herald Square of the Bronx.

But local after local said that sunny vision for the plaza  and The Hub as a whole  quickly became eclipsed by darkness.

Drug addicts sleeping on the ground and on a bench in Roberto Clemente Plaza on Nov. 13, 2024. James Keivom

A woman attempting to wake up a man on a bench while another person lies down on the ground in The Hub on Nov. 27, 2024. James Keivom

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When they opened the plaza, they had jazz music and everything, it was very nice, said Morales, the hotel manager. Now you cant walk through it and you cant sit there.

The drug use is out in the open and its rampant.

By 2021, The Hub became so crime- and drug-ridden that leaders with the Third Avenue Business Improvement District wrote a desperate letter to de Blasio pleading for the city to protect our neighborhoods and the small business lifeblood of our community.

After the letter and a face-to-face earful from business owners, de Blasio promised to conduct walkthroughs and dedicated $8 million to fight the opioid epidemic in the Bronx.

Emilio Morales, general manager of the Opera House Hotel, said the plaza was nice when it opened, but its now impossible to walk through because of the zombies. James Keivom

Mayor Eric Adams administration continued efforts to scrub The Hub, launching what City Hall calls a comprehensive, multi-agency approach against drug activity and associated problems.

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But even as City Hall-driven efforts  including an October-to-November targeted enforcement sweep  cleaned up thousands of syringes, handed out overdose reversal kits and led to dozens of arrests, the dismal conditions keep coming back.

The Hub remains at the frontlines of New York Citys opioid crisis, with nearly 139 overdose deaths per 100,000 residents in the surrounding neighborhood  more than three times the citywide rate in 2023, according to health department data.

NYPD officers patrolling Roberto Clemente Plaza on Nov. 27, 2024. James Keivom

Police officers arrest a man for fare evasion and resisting arrest at the 149th Street station in The Hub on Dec. 13, 2024. James Keivom

Crime in the 40th Precinct covering the corridor is up nearly 4% so far this year compared to last  and up 94% since 2010, NYPD data shows.

Much of the problem with The Hub is Roberto Clemente Plaza itself has become a hub for New Yorkers struggling with addiction, said Pedro Suarez, the executive director of the Third Avenue BID.

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Its been difficult for us as a community to reclaim that space, he said.

A man injecting drugs into the neck of a woman in The Hub on Sept. 10, 2024. James Keivom

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A man who overdosed and was later revived with Narcan in The Hub on Nov. 13, 2024. James Keivom

People sitting by a wall at the intersection of East 149th Street and Third Avenue on Nov. 12, 2024. James Keivom

The dealers are everywhere

The addicts deadly habit is fed by a bevy of brazen dealers peddling a litany of drugs in Roberto Clemente Plaza and surrounding streets, calling out with impunity: Methadone, methadone, methadone. I got K. Klonopin. Singles.

The dealers also hawked a menu of other drugs, from crack cocaine to synthetic marijuana.

Their illicit wares are also strewn on the pavement, as used syringes and thousands of orange safety caps cover every street branching out from the crossroads.

A chart of drugs and their street names at a St. Anns Corner of Harm Reduction needle exchange tent. James Keivom

Volunteers with St. Anns Corner of Harm Reduction passing out clean needles, naloxone kits to reverse an overdose and other supplies in The Hub on Dec. 13, 2024. James Keivom

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A litter of used glassine bags can also be seen, many stamped with narcotic brand names, including Passion, Prada, La Sabrosura, Bugatti and Hummer  and containing a potent combination of heroin and synthetic opioids fentanyl, xylazine and carfentanil, according to chemical testing by outreach group St. Anns Corner of Harm Reduction.

Drug deals in Roberto Clemente Plaza are not subtle either. The same dealer takes the cash, rustles around in their pocket and hands over the drugs, completely out in the open.

The Post watched as dealers took money for pills that they dispensed directly in buyers hands, sold syringes from freshly opened boxes and  in the most discreet hand-off  pulled yellow bags from a shoe after palming bank notes.

A man passed out on the sidewalk by a bus stop on Dec. 13, 2024. James Keivom

Used syringes seen discarded on a sidewalk of The Hub on Aug. 31, 2024. James Keivom

A man leaning against a parked car with a syringe sticking out of his leg on Aug. 30, 2024. James Keivom

Filth, human waste and bombed-out addicts also litter the ground  sometimes all at once.

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Many addicts nodded out under trees in Roberto Clemente Plaza with overdose-reversing Narcan kits hanging from the branches.

The Post watched as a middle-aged man clad in Jets gear passed out cold into a flower bed and was only revived when a friend punched his chest repeatedly. A few minutes later, he vomited into a flyer reading Prepare to meet God.

A man leaning against a bus stop shelter at Roberto Clemente Plaza next to a woman and a child on Nov. 13, 2024. New York Post

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A man sleeping on the floor of an ATM vestibule in The Hub on Aug. 29, 2024. James Keivom

Drug addicts sitting outside a nail salon on Melrose Avenue on Aug. 30, 2024. James Keivom

Paramedics checking a passenger who was unresponsive on the back of an MTA bus near The Hub on Sept. 7, 2024. James Keivom

Pigeons ate the vomit at his feet while he lit and smoked a cigarette.

This area is garbage, but nobody cares, lamented Halima Akter, manager at Shurovi beauty spa, near where the pigeons feasted.

Its been like this all the time ever since they opened [Roberto Clemente Plaza]. But its getting worse. More and more people come here to use drugs.

One such addict is Edwin Gonzalez, 43, who injected heroin as he spoke to The Post on a rocky outcrop in St. Marys Park.

Edwin Gonzalez told The Post he buys drugs at The Hubs subway station multiple time a week. James Keivom

Paramedics and NYPD officers performing CPR on a man who reportedly went into cardiac arrest in The Hub on Aug. 30, 2024. James Keivom

A man leaned over in a fentanyl fold in The Hub as an ambulance transports another drug addict to a hospital. James Keivom

Surrounded by bright orange syringe safety caps, Gonzalez outlined his daily regimen of 10 to 12 John Doe bags of heroin, a speedball and K2 at night to help him sleep  all of which he buys from dealers on The Hubs Third Avenue subway station.

I buy there at least three times in a week, he said. The dealers are everywhere.

I go through 10 or 12 bags (of heroin) a day and a speedball. A speedball is $20 because youre buying the dope and the coke.

New York City Department of Sanitation workers clearing out a drug addict encampment on Melrose Avenue in The Hub on Sept. 6, 2024. James Keivom

A man using a syringe to inject drugs in his arm outside a business on Melrose Avenue on Aug. 30, 2024. James Keivom

A homeless man named Jose sitting by a fire at night on Dec. 13, 2024. James Keivom

Homeless people and addicts gathered outside a subway station on Nov. 12, 2024. James Keivom

City Hall spokesman William Fowler pointed to the ongoing efforts to clean up The Hub.

In addition to deploying additional police officers, our health partners have cleaned up and safely disposed of more than 7,300 syringes, engaged more than 860 people to initiate addiction treatment, and referred 89 people to additional services, Fowler said.

Weve also distributed more than 13,000 overdose reversing naloxone kits in the surrounding Hunts Point-Mott Haven neighborhood. We will continue to vigilantly address the issues in the area to ensure community members feel safe walking down their streets and those suffering from a lack housing, employment, and health care are connected to the support and services they need to get well.
NEW YORK -- A man faces first-degree murder charges for allegedly setting a sleeping woman on fire on the New York City subway.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was charged Monday with first- and second-degree murder and arson in the wake of the shocking crime on an F train in Coney Island, Brooklyn over the weekend, police said.

Zapeta, who sources said could be arraigned Monday evening, was taken into custody the day of the fire on the subway after police said three teenagers recognized him from photos released by the NYPD. Police said body camera footage and cameras inside the subway cars spotted him sitting on the platform watching the woman burn to death.

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Zapeta is in New York illegally, according to immigration officials. He reentered the U.S. sometime after being sent back to Guatemala in 2018, they said.

Woman set on fire on subway in Brooklyn

An image from New York City police of a man suspected of lighting a woman on fire as she slept in a subway car and killing her on Dec. 22, 2024. / Credit: NYPD

Zapeta did not know the woman who was set on fire and there was no interaction between them before the attack, according to investigators.

The unidentified woman was ignited while she was asleep on an F train at around 7:30 a.m. Sunday at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station, police said.

"The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Sunday evening.

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Officers at the station smelled smoke and saw her standing engulfed in flames inside the subway car. With the help of a transit worker, they grabbed a fire extinguisher, but said the woman died at the scene.

"Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car, and the body worn cameras on the responding officers produced a very clear, detailed look at the killer," Tisch said. "Three high school age New Yorkers called 911 to say that they recognize the suspect. They saw something and they said something, and they did something.

After getting the tip, detectives said they arrested Zapeta at the 34th Street-Herald Square station a few hours after the incident. He was wearing the same clothes as the person Tisch described and had a lighter in his pocket, officials said.

U.S. immigration officials sent suspect back to Guatemala in 2018

The NYPD released this photo of a person of interest after a woman was set on fire and died on the subway in Brooklyn. / Credit: NYPD

Zapeta was handcuffed as officers walked him out of the 60th Precinct in Brooklyn on Monday. Police said he lives at a shelter for men in East New York. The shelter did not immediately respond to CBS News New York's request for comment.

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According to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials, Zapeta is an "unlawfully present Guatemalan citizen who entered the United States without admission by an immigration official" in 2018 and returned to Guatemala less than a week later.

ICE officials said they do not know when or where Zapeta reentered the U.S. and the agency will launch an immigration detainer against him with NYPD.

"The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice. This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe on our subways, and we will do everything in our power to ensure accountability in this case."

Sen. Joe Manchin says he believes Senate is "not going to let the filibuster blow apart"

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Watch: Luigi Mangione's attorney addresses court during arraignment
Shes giving them the heave ho-ho-ho!

New York Citys newly minted top cop Jessica Tisch has wasted no time cleaning house at 1 Police Plaza, bouncing brass and nixing cushy perks for others not even a month into the job.

Tisch, the second woman to lead the countrys largest police force, has spent much of December breaking up the so-called boys club within the NYPD  forcing out the head of its Internal Affairs Bureau for his shoddy handling of ex-Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddreys torrid sex scandal, stripping two high-ranking officials of their overtime-greedy drivers and removing a foul-mouthed spokesperson who once called a Post reporter a fking scumbag.

Just one month after taking over, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has rattled the frat house culture at the department. James Keivom

She is in charge and she wants to put an end to the out-of-control frat house atmosphere that was running rampant in the NYPD, one police source told The Post.

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Things are different now than they were under commissioners [Keechant] Sewell, [Edward] Caban and [Thomas] Donlon, the source added. The mayor is not going to protect anyone and no one is safe.

Tisch, the citys former sanitation commissioner, has been busy taking out the trash at the NYPD since she was sworn in on Nov. 25.

On Friday, she forced out IAB Chief Michael Iglesias for ignoring her requests to investigate Maddrey for the huge amount of overtime he was doling out  most notably to a subordinate from whom he repeatedly demanded sex.

The alleged victim, Lt. Quathisha Epps, filed a Equal Employment Opportunity discrimination complaint against the city, claiming Maddrey, formerly the NYPDs highest ranking uniformed officer, demanded sex of all sorts in exchange for giving her exorbitant overtime.

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The tawdry scandal  which allegedly involves other women  prompted Mayor Eric Adams to launch a department-wide personnel review.

NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, the departments highest ranking uniformed cop, was forced out amid allegations that he forced a female officer into a sex-for-OT arrangement. Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Iglesias also had a reputation for disrespecting Tisch, and was often confrontational with NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Management and Budget Kristine Ryan  even though both are three-star brass, sources said.

In one encounter, Iglesias, who would hang up on Ryan during phone calls, allegedly stormed into her office and chewed her out after she cautioned him about the cost of outfitting his new office, sources said.

Meanwhile, Tisch has also pulled drivers and stripped down security details for Chief of Patrol John Chell, Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry and First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella  who had an astonishing 18-member detail, three times that of her predecessor.

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Chell and Daughtrys drivers were both on the top 400 overtime list, and both high-ranking cops had been warned to put a lid on it but apparently ignored the notice, the sources said.

Tisch also bounced Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard from the public affairs office after he called a Post reporter a fking scumbag in September and publicy tussled with then-Interim NYPD Commissioner Donlon during a photo op.

The Post broke the story of the sex-for-OT scandal that cost NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey his job.

Sources said Sheppard lost favor with Adams, who was angry over his sophomoric scumbag tirade.

Tisch, a Harvard University graduate, is looking to restore law and order to her rank and file. She recently redeployed 600 patrol cops and detectives who were essentially doing busy work back to the streets  fulfilling Adams desire to bolster the ranks.

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The commissioner is trying to restore decorum to the NYPD and she wants to make sure every officer is accountable, said a source.

Tisch hinted at her take-no-prisoners approach in a Post interview just after she was sworn in.

I think New York City is exceptional, said the mom of two boys. I dont think New York Citys exceptionalism means accepting the status quo when the status quo doesnt serve New Yorkers.

Recently booted NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, center, and Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters Michael Gerber at a recent City COuncil hearing. Stefano Giovannini

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I care less about the palace intrigue and more about the substance of the work, she added.

Tisch is the fourth police commissioner under Adams at the NYPD in under three years.

She took over as Hizzoner faces historic federal corruption charges that have already claimed several connected City Hall insiders  including his longtime top aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who surrendered to authorities last week on state bribery charges.

Mayor Adams put Commissioner Tisch at the helm of the NYPD to continue our administrations success in driving down crime, while looking at the department with a fresh set of eyes and making the necessary changes to improve the NYPD, City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak told The Post Sunday.

The mayor is working in close coordination with the police commissioner to better the lives of our officers and all New Yorkers, Mamelak said.

Additional reporting by Carl Campanile
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners at its December meeting unanimously re-elected Chairman Kevin OToole to his eighth one-year term.

The former Republican state senator joined the bi-state agency in 2017, appointed by Gov. Chris Christie, and was later elected chairman that same year, the authority said in a release. OToole will have served through both terms of current New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat.

The agency oversees the Port of New York-New Jersey, the second-busiest U.S. container port after the Los Angeles-Long Beach complex, which includes four marine terminals, as well as three rail freight facilities and four airports.

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Also unanimously re-elected were Vice-Chairman Jeffrey H. Lynford, Executive Director Rick Cotton, an appointee of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Secretary James E. McCoy, General Counsel Amy H. Fisher, Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth M. McCarthy, Comptroller Daniel G. McCarron, and Treasurer Sherien N. Khella.

OToole joined the Port Authority board in July 2017, resigning his state Senate seat from Essex County, N.J. He was first elected as the 20th chairman of the agencys board in August 2017. He is a founding and managing partner of law firm OToole Scrivo.

Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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The post OToole re-elected NY-NJ Port Authority chairman appeared first on FreightWaves.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP)  A police officer responding to a report of a man with a gun inside a North Carolina supermarket was fatally shot Monday and a suspect was later taken into custody, authorities said.

Police announced the death of Greensboro police officer Michael Horan at a news conference, saying Horan was responding to the report when he was shot shortly before midday at a Food Lion store in Greensboro in the central part of the state.

Ramona Miller told WGHP-TV she was shopping with her 6-year-old granddaughter when she heard shots being fired.

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We were on our way out and I was purchasing a lottery ticket and I was just sitting there and heard a pop-pop and then pop-pop-pop. I think I heard five shots, Miller said. At first I didnt know it was a shooting ... but an employee yelled out, Shooting! Shooting! 

Miller said she and her granddaughter left the store and that police arrived soon afterward.

There was no immediate report of any injuries elsewhere in the store.

Authorities said Monday afternoon that the circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation and they did not immediately release further details about how it unfolded or identify the person taken in custody. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the state's lead law enforcement agency, is continuing the investigation.

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Horan was hired in 2017 and became a sworn Greensboro Police Department officer in early 2018, Assistant Police Chief Milford J. Harris said. Horan served in the departments patrol bureau. He also was a U.S. Coast Guard member since 2000, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He was an excellent officer. He had an outstanding reputation inside the department and in the community, Harris said at the news conference.

Gov. Roy Cooper said on X later Monday that he extended his condolences to Horan's family and his fellow officers, saying the fallen officer was courageously doing his duty protecting Greensboro when he became the victim of a senseless act of violence. He added that he was grateful for Horan's brave, dedicated service.

Earlier in the day, Cooper had posted on the social media platform that he had sent a significant number of state law enforcement officers to aid the emergency response in Greensboro, where a heavy police presence was apparent outside the store soon after the shooting.

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The store will remain closed while authorities continue their investigation, Food Lion said in a statement, adding it was providing resources to its affected workers. It directed all questions to local law enforcement and said it was cooperating with the investigation.

The shooting was another reminder that state lawmakers should strengthen resources and improve safety for law enforcement officers, said Democratic state Sen. Michael Garrett, who represents part of Guilford County where Greensboro is located.

During what should be a time of joy and celebration, another brave officer has been shot in the line of duty. Another familys holiday season forever changed, Garrett said in a Facebook statement.
CAIRO, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi stressed on Monday the importance of supporting Syria and respecting its sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.

During a phone conversation, they highlighted the need for enhanced coordination between regional and international actors to support Syria's reconstruction efforts, according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

They said this should be achieved through a comprehensive political process led and owned by the Syrians themselves, calling for ensuring the people's participation and protecting their rights.

The two ministers also reviewed the latest developments in Syria, with the Jordanian foreign minister briefing his Egyptian counterpart on the outcomes of his visit to Syria earlier in the day.

On Monday, Safadi held talks with Ahmed al-Sharaa, head of Syria's de facto governing group, in Damascus, with a focus on Syria's political transition and broader regional security concerns.

Safadi reiterated Jordan's commitment to aiding Syria's reconstruction efforts, emphasizing that Jordan would encourage both regional and international partners to engage with Syria's emerging leadership, Syrian media outlet Sham FM reported.

A militant alliance led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group waged a major military operation from northern Syria on Nov. 27. It swept southwards, captured the capital Damascus, and overthrew former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government within 12 days. 
A North Carolina police officer was fatally shot while responding to a report of a person with a gun inside a supermarket, authorities said.

The shooting occurred Monday morning at a Food Lion in Greensboro, police said.

Greensboro officer Michael Horan was fatally injured after responding to the call about a "man with a firearm" inside the store, police said.

PHOTO: Police respond to a deadly shooting at a Food Lion in Greensboro, North Carolina, Dec. 23, 2024. (WXLV )

MORE: Texas police officer fatally shot during traffic stop 4 months after joining department

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"The circumstances of what led to the shooting are currently being investigated," Greensboro Assistant Police Chief MJ Harris said during a press briefing on Monday.

The shooting suspect fled the scene and was taken into custody following a high-speed chase, the Duplin County Sheriff's Office said. There is no threat to the public, Harris said.

No further details on the suspect have been released.

PHOTO: Greensboro officer Michael Horan, who was killed in the line of duty on Dec. 23, 2024. (Greensboro Police Department)

Horan had been a sworn officer with the Greensboro Police Department since early 2018.

"He was an excellent officer," Harris said. "He had an outstanding reputation inside the department and the community."

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Horan previously served for 18 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, during which he received an award for rescuing a father and son from rip currents, according to the police department.

"Simply put, we are heartbroken," Greensboro City Manager Trey Davis said at the briefing.

PHOTO: Authorities apprehend a shooting suspect on I-40 in Duplin County, North Carolina, Dec. 23, 2024. (WTVD)

The Greensboro Police Department requested the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to take the lead on the investigation into the shooting.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said that "significant state law enforcement personnel" were sent to help with the response.

MORE: Off-duty Detroit police officer who was 'asking for suicide by cop' shoots 2 fellow officers: Chief

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A Food Lion spokesperson said they are cooperating with authorities and the store will remain closed amid the investigation.

"Food Lion is deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred at our store," the spokesperson said. "We express our deepest condolences to the officer's family and friends."

"We are providing resources to support our associates during this difficult time," the spokesperson added.

ABC News' Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

Officer fatally shot at North Carolina supermarket, suspect in custody: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
CHIPPEWA FALLS  Authorities say one person was killed Saturday as officers returned fire from a man who fled from the site of a domestic abuse report.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) issued a press release Sunday about the incident.

At approximately 11:31 pm, Chippewa County Sheriffs Office deputies responded to a domestic abuse incident in the Town of Lafayette, the press release states.

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The subject fled the scene in a vehicle prior to law enforcements arrival. Deputies later located the subjects vehicle and attempted to stop the vehicle as part of the domestic abuse investigation.

The subject fled law enforcement, and later crashed their vehicle near the intersection of County Highway K and 50th Avenue in the Town of Lafayette. Following the crash, the subject fired a weapon at law enforcement, striking at least one squad car from the Chippewa County Sheriffs Office. The Eau Claire Regional SWAT Team was called in to assist and upon their arrival, the subject continued firing at law enforcement, striking an armored vehicle. Two Regional SWAT Team operators discharged their weapons. EMS was contacted and law enforcement attempted life saving measures, however the subject was pronounced deceased on scene.

The persons name has not been released.

Involved law enforcement officers will be placed on administrative leave, per agencies policies, the DOJ reports.

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DCI is leading this investigation and are assisted by a DCI crime response specialist, Wisconsin State Patrol and the Chippewa County Sheriffs Office. All involved law enforcement are fully cooperating with DCI during this investigation, the press release states.

Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes sent out a press release Saturday night, asking the public to stay away from the area and find alternate travel routes.

DCI is continuing to review evidence and determine the facts of this incident and will turn over the investigative reports to the Chippewa County District Attorneys office when the investigation concludes, the press release states.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A strong Pacific storm, brewing over 700 miles offshore, could bring another round of powerful winds to portions of the Oregon and Washington coastline Monday night.

This storm is classified as a bomb cyclone, a rapidly intensifying storm with a pressure drop of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.

This bomb cyclone follows the historic storm that developed in the Pacific on Nov. 19 of this year. While significant, it wont be as intense as the November storm, which reached a central pressure of 942 millibars at its peak. This storm is expected to bottom out at 963-969 millibars by late Monday evening.

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HIGH SURF WARNING: Stay away from Oregon, Washington beaches Monday, NWS warns

High-resolution models bring southerly wind gusts up to 35 to 45 mph for some locations along the Oregon coastline by 9 p.m. Monday. Winds gusts from the east might ramp up to 50 to 60 mph for some isolated coastal locations and in the foothills of the Washington Cascades this evening.

Since the bomb cyclone will be so far offshore, there are few impacts expected in the Portland metro area. Winds will be breezy through the evening from the east with gusts up to 30 mph, then turn southerly overnight. Few to no power outages are expected.

Instead, the breezy in Portland will be paired with widespread rain arriving this evening. Expect soggy conditions overnight with scattered showers continuing into Christmas Eve day.

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Stay up to date with the latest forecast with the KOIN 6 Weather Team.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
OGDENSBURG, N.Y. (WWTI)  A Connecticut man is facing multiple drug charges after an alleged burglary in St. Lawrence County.

Ogdensburg Police said that they responded to a reported burglary that was in progress at 401 State Street. Authorities executed a search warrant and arrested Anthony Pope of West Haven, Conn.

NYSP warns public of potential holiday scams

A subsequent investigation revealed that Pope as charged with a pair of counts of felony second-degree criminal possession of cannabis.

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Pope was arraigned in the Ogdensburg City Court and was released on his own recognizance.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWTI - InformNNY.com.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted during their victory party for Ohio's gubernatorial race at the Ohio Republican Party's election night party at the Sheraton Capitol Square on November 6, 2018. (Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images)

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted visited Mar-a-Lago to meet with President-elect Donald Trump and VP-elect JD Vance ahead of the governor making an appointment to the U.S. Senate.

Its one of the most important decisions DeWine has to make soon.

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I continue to interview people in regard to their interest in going to the United States Senate, DeWine told reporters Friday.

Current Ohio Senator J.D. Vance will need to resign by inauguration day, opening up his coveted seat.

Previously, the governor said he wants someone who can win not just the primary and general elections of 2026 but can hold onto the seat in 2028.

This has to be someone who really wants to do the job and do the work and who we think has the ability to do it, he said, adding that the Senate appointment would also be able to stay in the seat for a long time.

The person needs to also care about their role, he continued.

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It takes someone who really will focus on the state of Ohio, will focus on national issues  someone who will really work hard DeWine said after the Nov. election. This is not for the faint-hearted, this is not for someone who just wants to get a seat.

At a breakfast the governor hosted for journalists earlier this month, he added a new consideration.

You particularly make a difference when the numbers are going to be, I guess, 53-47, DeWine said. Every vote matters.

When asked if the razor-thin majority in the U.S. House of Representatives would play a role in his decision, he said it was a factor in his decision.

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Its a reality, the governor said. Its where we are today after the president took a few.

This means he will likely not appoint a sitting member of Congress.

We spoke with more than three dozen Republican strategists, consultants, lobbyists and campaign staffers over the past week.

When it came down to it, the vast majority saw Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted as the frontrunner. Weve been trying to nail down DeWine on Husted for weeks now.

At breakfast, invited Statehouse journalists sat with the governor, First Lady Fran, and the lieutenant governor, as well as members of their communications team. After eating, DeWine stood up and took around 30-45 minutes of questions.

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Unsurprisingly, the first question asked was for an update on the Senate pick. He explained his criteria and danced around the probing questions.

Does the candidate happen to be in the room at a different table? we asked. His name might rhyme with Ron Rusted.

Through laughter and attempts to deflect, the governor said, no comment on that. Husted laughed and seemed to blush.

At the press conference Friday, we attempted again.

How have your conversations with Lt. Governor Jon Husted been about his possible candidacy for U.S. Senate? we asked the governor.

Well, Im not going to  look, the governor said with a seemingly amused (or annoyed) smirk for less than a second. Im not gonna discuss anything in regard to that.

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However, the governor and LGs team confirmed exclusively to us that the pair were in Mar-a-Lago recently to meet with Trump and Vance, but they would not comment on their conversation.

However, at the breakfast a week before, DeWine said he had spoken with Trump and Vance about the appointment.

Husted has only been the frontrunner in recent days, strategists told me. This is because the LG has always wanted to be governor and is endorsed by DeWine for governor.

But a U.S. Senate seat does seem valuable  especially when the fate of the 2026 gubernatorial race isnt clear.

Husted has been expected to run for governor against Attorney General Dave Yost. But in the past few months, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has shown interest.

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Ramaswamy, from Cincinnati, is now chair of the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency under Trump but had expressed a desire to be appointed to the Senate.

Trumps decisive victory on Tuesday opens up a lot of possibilities to change the country, Ramaswamy responded to us when we asked about his interest in the seat right after the election. Were obviously having discussions and theyre not going to be sorted out in the press.

Strategists believe that Ramaswamy would be a threat to Husted, considering he is a well-known multi-millionaire and could fund his own campaign.

After DeWine ended the question portion of the breakfast, we asked if we could ask one final question to Husted.

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If you had a choice, would you rather be a senator or governor? we asked.

He didnt respond, but both he and the governor laughed. DeWine then shut down the gaggle.

But if it isnt Husted, there are other names that strategists spoke highly of.

Onto the names

This list is not exhaustive and only reflects the views of more than three dozen Ohio political insiders in different offices and professions. This is an updated list from my version directly after the election.

To prevent being swindled by politicos trying to plug their clients or friends, we created restrictions. Each of the individuals on this list has been mentioned to us more than ten times.

Jane Timken

Jane Timken, of Northeast Ohio, was one of the most popular names referenced.

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She is a Trump ally who ran for U.S. Senate in 2022 and is currently the RNC Committeewoman for Ohio. She also has a good relationship with institutional Republicans like Rob Portman.

She would be the first female U.S. Senator in Ohio history.

I would be honored to serve Ohio in the U.S. Senate, Timken told me. Of course the decision is up to Governor DeWine.

More than a third of the politicos we spoke to said Timken. She makes sense for a variety of reasons, including DeWines legacy, strategists said. She has a disposition similar to that of the governor, some added.

Robert Sprague

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague was also floated consistently.

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He has been working in politics for years. He previously was a member of the state House, representing parts of Northwest Ohio. Prior to that, he served as the Findlay auditor and treasurer.

The Treasurer is a two-time statewide winner, has never lost an election, and has served Ohioans with integrity in the Treasurers office, Spragues campaign spokesperson Dalton Throckmorton said. He deserves to be a part of the conversation.

Sprague would be a smart pick for DeWine since he shares a similar temperament but is more conservative and could get the Trump endorsement, politicos said.

Jay Edwards

State Rep. Jay Edwards name popped up within the last two weeks but continues growing.

Edwards serves as the chair of the House finance committee. He represents Southeast Ohio. He is the youngest on this list and would be the youngest senator if appointed. That could be good, strategists say because he would get to spend years there and earn seniority.

The lawmaker continues to be one of the strongest fundraisers of the entire General Assembly.

Edwards declined to comment.

Frank LaRose

Sec. of State Frank LaRose was mentioned as a possibility.

He ran for U.S. Senate in 2024. He was a U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret before representing parts of Northeast Ohio in the state Senate.

Secretary LaRose has always answered the call of duty. Hes been a soldier, a senator, and a statewide officeholder, so he has a lot to offer Ohioans in the U.S. Senate if the governor asks him to serve there, LaRoses spokesperson Dan Lushek said. For now, hes focused on the current mission, which is wrapping up one of the smoothest and most successful presidential elections in state history and preparing for the next election cycle.

However, over half of the politicos we spoke to said LaRose is gunning for a spot in Trumps administration.

Matt Dolan

State Sen. Matt Dolan was an early frontrunner. Strategists say that faltered when realizing he would likely not win Trumps endorsement.

Dolan, one of the most moderate Republicans at the Statehouse, serves as the chair of the Senate finance committee. He represents Northeast Ohio.

DeWine endorsed Dolan in the last U.S. Senate Republican primary, but he finished second to Bernie Moreno. Politicos offered that if Dolan doesnt get the appointment, DeWine will likely help support him in another role, including possibly LG if Husted gets the seat.

His team declined to comment.

Lydia Mihalik

Lydia Mihalik is the Director of the Ohio Department of Development and a close ally to the governor. She had popped up, like Edwards, over the past week.

She was previously the mayor of Findlay before DeWine chose her to lead the dept. Under her watch, Intel, Honda, GM and Ford chose to invest in the state.

She would be a great pick, but probably wouldnt be a rubber-stamper for Trump, many strategists said.

Either way, she seems to not want it.

I am focused on state government and that is where I plan to stay involved, Mihalik said.

Honorable mentions

Before DeWines comments about likely not picking from Congress, strategists floated U.S. Reps. Mike Carey, Warren Davidson and Dave Joyce.

DeWines Timeline

DeWine has some time to think.

My understanding is that Senator Vance is not going to resign until after the first of the year, the governor said. So its unlikely we will have anything before that.

To be clear, it is possible that all of these politicos were wrong and that DeWine is going to appoint a dark horse.

This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.

Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.

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An Ohio man was arrested after he shot at an Indiana police officer Saturday night.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Around 11:00 p.m. Saturday, officers from the Union City Police Department responded to the 1100 block of W. State Road 28 in Union City, Indiana on reports of gunfire in the area.

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Upon arrival, officers located a woman who said she heard several gunshots and screaming from across the road near the bridge of the Little Mississinawa River an hour prior.

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She contacted police again when she heard more shots and screaming around 11:00 p.m.

An officer approached the bridge and announced their presence before being met with gunfire from an unidentified male.

According to a release, multiple rounds were fired at the office, with bullets passing dangerously close.

The officer did not return fire and was unable to immediately locate the suspect who had fired.

Later, a suspect identified as 45-year-old Michael Fisher of Union City, Ohio was located.

He reportedly had a 9mm handgun with an empty magazine and a locked-back slide.

Officers also located a vehicle in the river, which contained multiple firearms, including a long rifle, ammunition, and two dogs that belonged to the suspect.

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During the shooting, a nearby house was struck by the gunfire. A bullet consistent with a 9mm round, penetrated the exterior wall of the home and was found in the bedroom.

Fisher initially claimed he had been shot multiple times but officers determined he was uninjured.

He was taken into custody without further incident and was charged with the following offenses:

Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon  Level 5 Felony

Pointing a Firearm  Level 6 Felony

Criminal Recklessness  Level 6 Felony

Attempted Murder  Level 1 Felony

Unlawful Carrying of a Handgun  Felony (prior conviction with a sentence exceeding 12 months)

Criminal Mischief  Level 6 Felony

The case remains under review.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  An Ohio Supreme Court ruling threatens a $650 million judgment two counties won from pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart for their role in creating an opioid epidemic.

The states highest court ruled last week that lawsuits in Ohio cannot claim pharmaceutical chains caused a public nuisance by selling opioids due to a state law called the Ohio Product Liability Act. The law aims to hold manufacturers responsible for harm that arises from flaws in their products.

What to know about parking at John Glenn International ahead of holiday travel

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Writing for the majority, Justice Joseph Deters said an amendment to act that was adopted in 2007 barred all public nuisance claims that arise from the sale of a product and seek compensation.

Deters was joined by Justices Sharon Kennedy, Patrick DeWine and Jennifer Brunner. Justices Melody Stewart and Michael Donnelly agreed with the majority in part but stated that the counties were not asking for compensatory damages but rather equitable relief and so the claim was not prohibited by the law.

The decision comes after Lake and Trumbull counties, both located in northeast Ohio near Cleveland, were awarded a $650 million judgment by a federal judge in 2022 over their allegations that pharmaceutical companies created and maintained an opioid epidemic in the region.

The devastation experienced by these private citizens, individually and collectively, undoubtedly has far-reaching consequences for their communities and for the State as a whole, Deters wrote. Creating a solution to this crisis out of whole cloth is, however, beyond this courts authority.

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Columbus afterschool program organizes coat drive to keep students warm this winter

After the judgment, the pharmacies appealed the decision, disputing the courts reading of the Ohio Product Liability Act and prompting the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court to ask the Ohio Supreme Court to review the matter. The companies argued the dispensing of opioids lies outside the scope of the law, which focuses on the design, manufacture, marketing and advertising of products.

Peter Weinberger, an attorney for the counties, said the courts ruling is not the end and that his team would continue to fight through other legal avenues.

This ruling will have a devastating impact on communities and their ability to police corporate misconduct, Weinberger said in a statement. We have used public nuisance claims across the country to obtain nearly $60 billion in opioid settlements, including nearly $1 billion in Ohio alone, and the Ohio Supreme Courts ruling undermines the very legal basis that drove this result.

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CVS and Walgreens said in a statement that they are pleased with the supreme courts ruling. Walmart said it is proud of its pharmacists, who are dedicated to helping patients in the face of a tangled web of conflicting federal and state opioid guidelines.

How a simple misspelling cost an Ohio city $722,000 in a cyberheist

The Ohio Supreme Court is the latest court to correctly reject plaintiff-lawyers efforts to radically expand public nuisance law to sue companies over lawful products that are already regulated, Walmart said in a statement.

In his 2022 ruling, U.S. District Judge Dan Polster said the money awarded to Lake and Trumbull counties would be used to fight the opioid epidemic. Lake County was set to receive $306 million over the course of 15 years and Trumbull $344 million over the same period.

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A jury ruled in favor of the counties in 2021 after a six-week trial. Representation for the counties convinced the jury that CVS, Walgreens and Walmart played a large role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
On Dec. 13, it was publicly learned that Enbridge Energy's Line 6 spilled nearly 70,000 gallons in the Town of Oakland in Jefferson County.

Here's what we know, and what we don't know.

An oil spill is shown December 16, 2024, at Enbridge's Cambridge Station in the Town of Oakland in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. The nearly 70,000-gallon spill was first reported to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on November 11. But it was reported then as a two-gallon spill.

What did Enbridge initially report?

Enbridge first issued a report to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Nov. 11, stating that two gallons of crude oil spilled at its Cambridge Station due to a faulty connection. On Nov. 14, Enbridge revised the estimated spill to 126 gallons. A month later, on Dec. 13, that number was revised again, to 69,300.

Why didn't the public know the extent of the spill right away?

In Wisconsin, neither the responsible party nor the DNR are required to inform the public of an oil spill, Nobile said, unless there is imminent risk to the public, according to Trevor Nobile, a field operations director with the DNR's Remediation and Redevelopment program.

What is frustrating to people concerned about oil spills?

There are concerns about the time it took to report the spill, and the credibility of the initial reporting.

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Further, the DNR announced it had approved a controversial Enbridge project  the reroute of Line 5 in northern Wisconsin three days after Enbridge first reported the Town of Oakland spill. Enbridge has proposed to reroute Line 5 around the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewas land. To some, that showed a lack of overall concern about spills.

What don't we know yet?

The ultimate size of the spill isn't necessarily known yet. It may change yet again as Enbridge continues to take samples.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Enbridge oil spill raises safety concerns. What we know, don't know.
Epic Charter School co-founders David Chaney, left, and Ben Harris, right, attend a preliminary hearing March 27 at the Oklahoma County Courthouse. Completion of the hearing has been on hold for several months. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)

Editors note: This story is part of Oklahoma Voices Whatever Happened To  end-of-year series that provides updates to some stories that captured the interest of Oklahomans in 2023 and 2024.

OKLAHOMA CITY  The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denied a third and final request to remove a judge from the major embezzlement case against the co-founders of Epic Charter School, potentially ending a dispute that has sidetracked the proceedings for months.

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The appeals court decided Friday that it wouldnt consider the request from defense attorney Joe White to disqualify Oklahoma County District Judge Susan Stallings because it wasnt filed in the appropriate timeframe.

White, representing Epic co-founder Ben Harris, filed on Nov. 8 an uncommon third attempt to kick the judge off the case, accusing Stallings of unfairly favoring the prosecution. His disqualification requests had been denied twice in district court before he took the matter to the Court of Criminal Appeals.

The Attorney Generals Office on Dec. 13 said the case has become unusually protracted and urged the appeals court to dismiss Whites request.

There is no opportunity for further appeal beyond this stage, the attorney generals spokesperson, Phil Bacharach, told Oklahoma Voice.

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We look forward to proceeding with the prosecution, Bacharach said after the appeals court decision Friday.

White did not return a request for comment.

Most judge recusals are resolved in private. Few of these disputes reach a public hearing, let alone a second appeal. The Court of Criminal Appeals hasnt ruled on a judge disqualification in the past three years at least, records of the Courts decisions show.

Oklahoma County District Judge Susan Stallings faced three attempts to disqualify her from a criminal case against the co-founders of Epic Charter School. (Photo provided)

White accused Stallings of being an advocate for the prosecution and contends her work history is disqualifying. Stallings worked in the Oklahoma County District Attorneys Office while then-DA David Prater was investigating the Epic case.

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The Epic co-founders, Harris and David Chaney, were charged in 2022 with designing a scheme to enrich themselves with millions of taxpayer dollars intended for the public virtual charter school.

Harris and Chaney deny any wrongdoing and contend their business practices were legal.

Stallings, the former head of the DAs Domestic Violence Unit, said she was unaware of the Epic investigation until four years after she left the DAs office to become a judge.

White said Stallings should have disclosed her work history sooner and accused her of being partial to her former colleague, Jimmy Harmon, who is now the attorney generals lead prosecutor on the case.

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White told the judge that her demeanor left him with the feeling that he is fighting two fights while in her courtroom.

He also contended Stallings should not preside over court proceedings in which her former boss, Prater, might testify as a witness. Stallings has said she would treat the former district attorney like that of any other witness that comes into this court.

On Aug. 15, Stallings denied Whites request that she step down from the case. White then appealed to the countys chief judge at the time, District Judge Richard Ogden, who declined to remove her. Ogden said in an Aug. 30 hearing that he saw nothing that shows Stallings is unable to be impartial.

When White took the matter to the criminal appeals court, the AGs office responded on Stallings behalf, contending the third disqualification request has no merit and was filed too late to be considered.

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These trivial grievances simply do not support (Whites) claim of judicial partiality, and they certainly do not mandate judicial disqualification, the AGs response states.

Two significant questions went unanswered in the case while the disqualification matter was pending.

First is whether prosecutors have established enough probable cause to take the Epic co-founders to trial. A preliminary hearing to review evidence and determine probable cause has been on hold since March.

Second is whether Chaneys attorney, Gary Wood, will be removed.

Former Epic Charter School chief financial officer Josh Brock waits in the Oklahoma County Courthouse on May 7. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)

The prosecutions star witness, former Epic chief financial officer Josh Brock, has said Wood used to be his lawyer, too, and cant cross-examine a former client. Brock filed a motion in May to have Wood and his law firm, Riggs Abney, kicked off the case.

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Resolution of the judge dispute was the first step toward broaching the remaining uncertainties in the court battle.

The case against Brock, though, has progressed further than Harris and Chaneys. Brock, who faces many of the same charges of financial crimes as Harris and Chaney, waived his preliminary hearing, was formally arraigned in April and entered a plea of not guilty.

Despite his initial not-guilty plea, Brock said he accepted a bargain with the prosecution that would guarantee him no prison time in exchange for his testimony against Harris and Chaney. Brock would later plead guilty and be a convicted felon under the agreement, he said.

The former CFO testified during the first week of Harris and Chaneys preliminary hearing that he falsified invoices at Epic to justify the amount of money the school paid to the co-founders company, Epic Youth Services. He said some of these invoices charged the school for services the company never provided.

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Brock said he and the co-founders followed a mantra of minimize expenses, maximize profit as they leveraged Epic to expand their business. That included relying on school employees to do work their company was being paid to do, he said.

He also agreed with prosecutors that he, Harris and Chaney took advantage of money that was not theirs to spend freely from the Learning Fund, a multi-million-dollar bank account intended to help Epic students pay for their online classes, technology and extracurricular activities.

The school paid into the account so the Learning Fund could dedicate $800 to $1,000 per student for learning or extracurricular needs.

Brock and the co-founders used the Learning Fund to make personal purchases, give political donations and fill their companys operating account when it ran low, investigators and state auditors reported.

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Harris and Chaney contend the Learning Fund could not be embezzled because it was an account that their private company owned.

The co-founders and Brock havent been affiliated with Epic since May 2021, when the schools governing board cut all ties with them.

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Editors note: This story is part of Oklahoma Voices Whatever Happened To  end-of-year series that provides updates to some stories that captured the interest of Oklahomans in 2023 and 2024.

OKLAHOMA CITY  The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denied a third and final request to remove a judge from the major embezzlement case against the co-founders of Epic Charter School, potentially ending a dispute that has sidetracked the proceedings for months.

The appeals court decided Friday that it wouldnt consider the request from defense attorney Joe White to disqualify Oklahoma County District Judge Susan Stallings because it wasnt filed in the appropriate timeframe.

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White, representing Epic co-founder Ben Harris, filed on Nov. 8 an uncommon third attempt to kick the judge off the case, accusing Stallings of unfairly favoring the prosecution. His disqualification requests had been denied twice in district court before he took the matter to the Court of Criminal Appeals.

The Attorney Generals Office on Dec. 13 said the case has become unusually protracted and urged the appeals court to dismiss Whites request.

More: Preliminary hearing in Epic Charter Schools case is on hold

There is no opportunity for further appeal beyond this stage, the attorney generals spokesperson, Phil Bacharach, told Oklahoma Voice.

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We look forward to proceeding with the prosecution, Bacharach said after the appeals court decision Friday.

White did not return a request for comment.

Appeals for judge recusals are rare

Most judge recusals are resolved in private. Few of these disputes reach a public hearing, let alone a second appeal. The Court of Criminal Appeals hasnt ruled on a judge disqualification in the past three years at least, records of the Courts decisions show.

White accused Stallings of being an advocate for the prosecution and contends her work history is disqualifying. Stallings worked in the Oklahoma County District Attorneys Office while then-DA David Prater was investigating the Epic case.

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The Epic co-founders, Harris and David Chaney, were charged in 2022 with designing a scheme to enrich themselves with millions of taxpayer dollars intended for the public virtual charter school.

Harris and Chaney deny any wrongdoing and contend their business practices were legal.

Stallings, the former head of the DAs Domestic Violence Unit, said she was unaware of the Epic investigation until four years after she left the DAs office to become a judge.

White said Stallings should have disclosed her work history sooner and accused her of being partial to her former colleague, Jimmy Harmon, who is now the attorney generals lead prosecutor on the case.

Advertisement Advertisement

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White told the judge that her demeanor left him with the feeling that he is fighting two fights while in her courtroom.

He also contended Stallings should not preside over court proceedings in which her former boss, Prater, might testify as a witness. Stallings has said she would treat the former district attorney like that of any other witness that comes into this court.

On Aug. 15, Stallings denied Whites request that she step down from the case. White then appealed to the countys chief judge at the time, District Judge Richard Ogden, who declined to remove her. Ogden said in an Aug. 30 hearing that he saw nothing that shows Stallings is unable to be impartial.

When White took the matter to the criminal appeals court, the AGs office responded on Stallings behalf, contending the third disqualification request has no merit and was filed too late to be considered.

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These trivial grievances simply do not support (Whites) claim of judicial partiality, and they certainly do not mandate judicial disqualification, the AGs response states.

More: Layoffs, pay cuts affect hundreds of Epic Charter School employees

Unanswered questions

Two significant questions went unanswered in the case while the disqualification matter was pending.

First is whether prosecutors have established enough probable cause to take the Epic co-founders to trial. A preliminary hearing to review evidence and determine probable cause has been on hold since March.

Second is whether Chaneys attorney, Gary Wood, will be removed.

Advertisement Advertisement

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The prosecutions star witness, former Epic chief financial officer Josh Brock, has said Wood used to be his lawyer, too, and cant cross-examine a former client. Brock filed a motion in May to have Wood and his law firm, Riggs Abney, kicked off the case.

Resolution of the judge dispute was the first step toward broaching the remaining uncertainties in the court battle.

The case against Brock, though, has progressed further than Harris and Chaneys. Brock, who faces many of the same charges of financial crimes as Harris and Chaney, waived his preliminary hearing, was formally arraigned in April and entered a plea of not guilty.

Despite his initial not-guilty plea, Brock said he accepted a bargain with the prosecution that would guarantee him no prison time in exchange for his testimony against Harris and Chaney. Brock would later plead guilty and be a convicted felon under the agreement, he said.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

The former CFO testified during the first week of Harris and Chaneys preliminary hearing that he falsified invoices at Epic to justify the amount of money the school paid to the co-founders company, Epic Youth Services. He said some of these invoices charged the school for services the company never provided.

Brock said he and the co-founders followed a mantra of minimize expenses, maximize profit as they leveraged Epic to expand their business. That included relying on school employees to do work their company was being paid to do, he said.

He also agreed with prosecutors that he, Harris and Chaney took advantage of money that was not theirs to spend freely from the Learning Fund, a multi-million-dollar bank account intended to help Epic students pay for their online classes, technology and extracurricular activities.

The school paid into the account so the Learning Fund could dedicate $800 to $1,000 per student for learning or extracurricular needs.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Brock and the co-founders used the Learning Fund to make personal purchases, give political donations and fill their companys operating account when it ran low, investigators and state auditors reported.

Harris and Chaney contend the Learning Fund could not be embezzled because it was an account that their private company owned.

The co-founders and Brock havent been affiliated with Epic since May 2021, when the schools governing board cut all ties with them.

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions:info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice onFacebook andTwitter.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Court denies 3rd attempt to remove judge from Epic Charter case
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday expressed "deep concern" over the deteriorating crises in Haiti, condemning the continued gang violence and calling for solidarity with the Haitian people.

In a press statement, the members of the Security Council reiterated their deep concern over the ongoing and deteriorating political, economic, security, human rights, humanitarian and acute food insecurity and nutrition crises in Haiti, as well as restrictions on humanitarian access, and reaffirmed the commitment of the international community to continue to support the people of Haiti.

The council members strongly condemned the continued destabilizing criminal activities of armed gangs and stressed the need for the international community to redouble its efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the population and to support the Haitian National Police, including building its capacity to restore law and order through the Multinational Security Support Mission.

In particular, they strongly condemned the reports that an armed gang has killed at least 184 people between Dec. 6 and 8 in the Wharf Jeremie neighbourhood in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

The council members emphasized the need to create security conditions conducive to an inclusive political process and free and fair elections in Haiti and encouraged the mission to accelerate its deployment, as well as support for the mission.

The council members reiterated their condemnation and deep concern over the serious gravity and rising numbers of abuses committed against children in Haiti, recalled the importance of ensuring the protection of children and urged all actors, especially gangs and criminal networks, to immediately end and prevent all abuses against children.

Moreover, the council members expressed concern on the slow progress on Haiti's road map for restoring democratic institutions. They emphasized the importance of urgent progress in the political transition and urged all political actors to engage constructively to facilitate and progress the holding of free and fair legislative and presidential elections and restore democratic institutions as soon as possible.

The council members also expressed grave concern at the continued illicit flow of arms and ammunition to Haiti that remains a key factor of instability and violence, and called for necessary measures to implement the arms embargo. 
ROME, Pa. (WETM)  A Rome, Pa. man was arrested in early December after troopers said he was caught trying to steal various items from a church.

On Dec. 7, Pennsylvania State Troopers were sent to the Rome Presbyterian Church at 939 Main St. for a reported burglary.

When troopers arrived, an on-scene investigation was done and a 26-year-old suspect was identified. Troopers were able to locate the man and take him into custody.

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One dead, one injured after single-car crash in Bradford County

Troopers report the following items were taken from the church during the burglary :

Hohner guitar 12 string, $750

Godin guitar, six string.

JBL Flips 6, $130

iPod with the dock, $95

Musical keyboard, $400

Coffee canister, $35

HP 150 wired mouse and keyboard combo, $16

The items belonging to the church were found and charges were filed against the man, but his identity was not released by troopers.

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BROKEN BOW, Okla. (KFOR)  One person was arrested following a fatal shooting in Broken Bow on December 18.

According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, McCurtain County deputies responded to a home near Slater Rd. and Rock Hill Cemetery Rd. regarding a shooting.

Christopher Thomas. Image courtesy OSBI.

LOCAL NEWS: Antlers man arrested after child abuse investigation

Upon arrival, they found 57-year-old John Elkins with an apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Officials say the investigation led agents to 26-year-old Christopher Lee Thomas. He was interviewed and based on the information gathered, Thomas was arrested and booked into the McCurtain County Jail on First Degree Murder.

The OSBI says the investigation is still ongoing.

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WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB)  The Walton County Sheriffs Office is assisting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in a hunting incident on Eglin Range in Freeport on Sunday afternoon.

Authorities confirmed one person is dead. All parties believed to be involved remained on the scene and are cooperating with the investigation.

Early evidence gathered indicates a tragic hunting accident, authorities wrote.

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Multiple agencies have responded to assist.

News 13 will provide additional information if it becomes available.

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UPDATE (9:01 p.m.)  One man is dead after a shooting Sunday night on Peorias East Bluff, police said.

Officers were called to the 300 block of East Arcadia Avenue just before 7:50 p.m. for the shooting, said Semone Roth of the Peoria Police Department.

She said they found a man with a gunshot wound inside a home. The age of the victim has not been released at this time.

He was brought to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

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Officers are continuing to investigate and there is still a heavy police presence in the area. No suspect information has been released.

Almost a dozen police cars were at the scene. Neighbors were out in the streets. Some were crying. Others were comforting each other. The entire street was illuminating red and blue off the houses.

Police crime scene tape marked off areas of interest for the investigators.

More information on the victim is expected to be released by the Peoria County Coroner.

The deadly shooting is the citys 22nd homicide of 2024 .

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)  There is a heavy police presence in the East Bluff late Sunday night.

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The area of the 300 block of East Arcadia Avenue near the intersection of North Peoria Avenue, about a block from the McDonalds on Knoxville was blocked off with caution tape.

Dealerships in Illinois forced to pay $20 million settlement for defrauding customers

Neighbors gathered on porches and outside the caution tape to try and get a view of the scene.

WMBD has a reporter on the scene and this story will be updated.

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Prices for mobile homes have shot up more than prices for newly built single-family homes in recent years, according to a study by LendingTree. Demand for mobile homes has surged amid the affordable-housing crisis.

Home prices have soared amid tight supply and high demandincluding prices for mobile homes, which have been one of the last affordable-housing options.

According to a study from LendingTree earlier this month, the average sale price of new mobile homes, or manufactured homes, jumped 58.3% between 2018 and 2023.

Some states experienced even bigger surges. In Kansas, Connecticut, and Georgia, prices spiked 84.9%, 83%, and 79%, respectively.

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By comparison, the average sales price of new single-family homes, excluding land, rose 37.7% over the same period.

To be sure, mobile homes were still much cheaper last year than new single-family homes were$124,300 on average versus $409,872and the one-year span between 2022 and 2023 saw a 2.4% dip in prices for mobile homes.

But prices can be volatile, and it's unclear if the decline marks a pivot away from the long-term trend of rising prices, LendingTree added.

While manufactured homes, which are built in factories and delivered to customers, suffer from a "trailer park" stigma, they were once a mainstay in American housing. In fact, they were so popular that in 14 states during the early 1970s, at least half the homes were manufactured.

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Experts believe manufactured homes could be a solution to the housing crisis if federal law is amended to boost their appeal. LendingTree also said broader acceptance of mobile homes could help improve the situation.

"A mobile home can provide a good blend of affordability, convenience, safety, and shelter if buyers understand what theyre getting," the report said.

Meanwhile, demand is rising, and shipments of new manufactured homes climbed 16% in the first nine months of this year from the same period last year. They can even be ordered online via Amazon and Facebook Marketplace.

The rising price of manufactured homes also adds to the growing overall cost of living in them. For example, owners who live in mobile-home parks must often pay rent to use the underlying land they're on. And those rent prices are also surging as investment banks, hedge funds, and other big investors buy up mobile-home parks.

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The trend in rents caught the attention of Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker, who pointed out in a September note that buyers don't qualify for traditional mortgages because they don't own the land underneath them.

"More often, they rely on personal property loans, which face less regulation and come at higher costs," he warned. "For some, that creates a perfect storm of unaffordability in a segment that traditionally was heralded for its affordability."

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
X / @SOF_UKR

North Korean troops are being hunted and killed by Ukrainian kamikaze drones on the front line in Russias Kursk region.

Several videos have emerged online of soldiers who appear to be North Korean fighting on the front lines. In the latest batch of footage, Ukrainian kamikaze drones can be seen circling troops before flying directly at them.

The footage cuts moments before the drones were probably detonated.

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South Korea has claimed that one in 10 North Korean soldiers sent to Ukraine were killed or wounded in their first weeks of fighting.

The statistic was shared on Monday by Seouls Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) group, which said there were signs that Pyongyang was preparing to send more troops to Russia.

Last week, Seouls spy agency said at least 100 North Korean soldiers had been killed since starting combat in December.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to reinforce the Russian military, including to the Kursk border region where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year.

Through various sources of information and intelligence, we assess that North Korean troops who have recently engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces have suffered around 1,100 casualties, the JCS said in a statement.

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The JCS added that Pyongyang was preparing for the rotation or additional deployment of North Korean soldiers to aid Russias war effort.

Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, inspecting troops in March this year - KCNA/Reuters

Intelligence suggested that the nuclear-armed North was producing and providing self-destructible drones and supplying 240mm rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled artillery for the Russian army, the JCS said.

Seouls military noted that North Korea was aiming to modernise its conventional warfare capabilities based on combat experience in the Russia-Ukraine war. This could lead to an increase in the Norths military threat toward us, it said.

The latest findings align with a report by the National Intelligence Service, which informed politicians that Russia might offer reciprocal benefits for North Koreas military contributions, including modernising North Koreas conventional weaponry.

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North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military ties since Moscows invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

A landmark defence pact between Pyongyang and Moscow, signed in June, came into force this month.

Experts have said that Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, is keen to acquire advanced technology from Russia  and battle experience for his troops.

Pyongyang on Thursday hit back at what it called reckless provocation by the United States and allies, after they issued a joint statement criticising North Korean support for Russias war in Ukraine, including the deployment of troops.

South Korea and Ukraine announced last month that they would deepen security co-operation in response to the threat posed by the deployment of North Korean troops, but there was no mention of potential arms shipments from Seoul to Kyiv.

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Yoon Suk Yeol, South Koreas president, said earlier in November that Seoul was not ruling out the possibility of providing weapons to Ukraine. That would mark a significant shift in its long-standing policy of not selling weapons to countries in active conflict.

South Koreas intelligence agency says its northern neighbour has been increasing fencing on the border - Kim Hong-ji/Reuters

North Koreas military was also seen constructing a new fence stretching 40km (25 miles) along the border with the South and testing electric barbed-wire fences with animals.

A photo provided by the JCS showed a North Korean soldier holding what appeared to be a goat in front of a fence.

The Norths border security reinforcement had been underway for eight months with as many as 10,000 soldiers mobilised a military official told reporters.

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The stepped-up security measures were intended to prevent defections by North Korean civilians and soldiers southward, the JCS said.

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Over his long and storied career, Joe Biden has consistently led with compassion, empathy, and a willingness to consider new information and changed circumstances in furtherance of Americas best interests. All of these defining qualities were manifest when he took the historic action of commuting the death sentences of nearly everyone on federal death row to life in prison.

With this courageous action, President Biden has lived up to his promise as the first president to openly oppose capital punishment and secured his legacy as a champion of racial justice, compassion, and fairness.

We have seen stark evidence of the many reasons why capital punishment is an inherently flawed system and a failed public policy. Two recent state cases provide examples  that of Marcellus Williams, who was executed in Missouri despite the opposition of the victims family (who supported a life sentence) and the prosecuting attorneys grave doubts about his guilt, and Robert Roberson, whose case in Texas remains tangled in both litigation and politics despite overwhelming evidence that his case involved no actual crime.

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President Biden has shown clear moral leadership by commuting these 37 federal death sentences. Not only does this action effectively fulfill his 2020 promise to end the death penalty at the federal level, it should also serve as a model and an incentive for state leaders to follow suit..

Indeed, contrary to popular misconception, the federal death penalty has been just as arbitrary, unfair, and excessive as we see in the states. In particular, it is marred by the same stark racial disparities. Before the presidents commutations, a majority of those on federal death row were people of color. Just as in the states, federal defendants in cases with white victims have been more likely to receive death sentences.

Those whose sentences were commuted included Black men who were convicted by all-white juries. Especially in cases where the crime occurred in a city, the mere fact of federal prosecution has had a demonstrated bleaching effect on the jury pool, which is drawn from a majority-white federal district instead of the more diverse county where a crime took place. The presidents commutations are an important recognition of and step towards remedying this systemic racial discrimination.

In 2020 and 2021, the federal government carried out an unprecedented killing spree, executing 13 prisoners at a blistering pace over the final months of the Trump administration. Six of the 13 people executed were Black; a seventh was Native American and was executed over the Navajo Nations vehement opposition. One of those Black men had been sentenced to death by an all-white jury. Two were diagnosed as intellectually disabled by experts. At least two of the people executed suffered from such severe mental illness that their competence to be executed was in serious question.

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Several had significant claims that their convictions or sentences were infected by prosecutorial misconduct, racial bias, the use of flawed forensic evidence or ineffective defense counsel. Many of these people never had their claims heard in court.

Lower courts entered a total of 22 stays in these 13 cases  a stunning number, based on determinations that further review was needed before executions could proceed. Every one of those stays was lifted, mostly by the Supreme Court. Many of the prisoners sought clemency from then-President Trump.

Victims family members, trial judges, prosecutors, jurors, faith leaders, mental health and disability advocates, correctional officers, and others urged Trump to stop these executions, but he did not grant any of the prisoners clemency requests.

During his time in office, Biden has taken a different approach to justice, pursuing policies that make Americans safer, not just those rooted in tough on crime rhetoric. His Justice Department imposed a moratorium on executions and has exercised restraint in capital prosecutions, seeking death sentences only in a small number of extreme cases. In fact, under the Justice Departments current standards, it would today seek the death penalty for almost none of the men who were on federal death row.

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By now commuting nearly all federal death sentences to life in prison, these measures cannot be quickly reversed by the incoming Trump administration. Those still on federal death row are still pursuing appeals, making it virtually impossible that we would see another horrifying spate of federal executions any time soon.

President Bidens death row commutations will also bring important collateral benefits. The significant public funds that have been devoted to prosecuting capital cases and maintaining death row can be reallocated to evidence-based community violence prevention programs and, in particular, to the kinds of trauma-informed services that so many families find it difficult or impossible to access when they have lost loved ones to homicide.

The president has exercised his constitutional power to make a historic and courageous decision to move this country towards justice and humanity. I commend him for doing so.

Russ Feingold served Wisconsin in the United States Senate from 1993 to 2011. He is the president of the American Constitution Society.

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If literary and cinematic Christmas characters were in politics or current affairs, what roles would they have? We offer our suggestions.

Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol: He knows how to make money and, eventually, how to give it away  perfect for Secretary of the Treasury.

Marley brothers, A Muppet Christmas Carol: It almost doesnt feel like a joke because it is so accurate. Still, the similarities between Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and these lovable curmudgeons are almost uncanny. Marley and Marley would be co-directors of the Department of Government Efficiency. They have a breadth of experience criticizing others from the gallery.

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The Grinch, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!: Were unsure about what kind of creature he is, but he possesses the qualifications needed to serve as a border czar. His credentials include building a fortress, impenetrable to perceived undesirables, the Whos from Whoville, until he met a well-intentioned, heart-of-gold intruder  Cindy Lou Who, who softened his stance on outsiders.

Ralphie Parker, A Christmas Story: The boy is passionate about guns and has real-world experience with gun safety. Who better to head up the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives?

Frosty, Frosty the Snowman: Intolerant to warm weather, a jovial, always polite demeanor and a magic hat (needed to raise tariffs) makes him the perfect candidate for ambassador to Canada.

Clark Griswold, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation: Congress is known to be rowdy, full of strong personalities, diverse priorities and an almost zoo-like atmosphere. Clark would be a strong candidate to serve as the U.S. House of Representatives speaker. Hes dedicated to bringing people together in the name of magical family holiday togetherness.

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Buddy the Elf, Elf: The exact opposite of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Buddy would be a bold pick for Health and Human Services Director. He promotes the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup. This is a candidate the sugar industry lobbyists and many soda-loving Utahns would support.

Rudolph, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: His years of experience flying through turbulent airspace and navigating aircraft defects qualify him to lead the Federal Aviation Administration.

Santa Claus (of every movie): Directs an army of elves, traverses the globe campaigning to keep approval ratings high and oversees the manufacturing behemoth that powers the thriving economy of Christmas. There is no question Santa would serve as commander in chief.

Mr. Potter, Its a Wonderful Life: A shrewd miser of funds, Mr. Potter would easily assume the most depressing, thankless job of chairman of the Federal Reserve.

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Mogwai, Gremlins: A perfect profile for whatever shady character is operating all those drones in New Jersey.

Santas elves: Leadership in the Department of Labor, protecting domestic manufacturing, ensuring the Keebler elves abroad are not making cheaper products and importing them, thus taking jobs from hardworking domestic elves.

Burgermeister Meisterburger, Santa Claus Is Comin to Town: Well-suited to fill the role of authoritarian leader of any country antagonistic to the U.S.

John McClain, Die Hard: A militant figure with the experience of battling the stateless villains of the 21st century as secretary of defense. And yes, Die Hard IS a Christmas movie!

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George Bailey, Its a Wonderful Life: A man dedicated to serving his community and providing pathways to achieve the American dream, an obvious candidate for Housing and Urban Development secretary.

Kevin McCallister, Home Alone: No one has more credentials to create a fortress of security, anticipate adversaries moves, and take down bad guys intent on infiltration. He would be a shoo-in for the Homeland Security director.

Cindy Lou Who, The Grinch: The epitome of class and grace, especially when facing an entrenched opponent. Her cordiality and decorum can melt the heart of any stonewalling adversary. Cindy would be an excellent first lady.

Frank Cross, Scrooged: Selfish to his core, Frank Cross would need no audition to assume the on-camera roles of ambitious, ruthless, heartless media moguls that inspire bipartisan hate.

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The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, A Christmas Carol: A natural role for special interest activists ranging from climate change to national debt alarmists, professing dystopian predictions of humanity-ending outcomes if the nation does not change.

Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Christmas: Appropriations chairmen are known for creating Christmas tree bills for others to hang their financial requests on. Charlie Brown may have selected the humble tree, but his cohorts made it an opulent conifer.

Wallace and Davis, White Christmas: These famous performers know it takes more than a song and dance to care for veterans, who deserve top-notch care and dignity. They are an easy pick for managing Veterans Affairs.

Kris Kringle, Miracle on 34th Street: The elderly, kind gentleman who the U.S. Postal System acknowledged as Santa Claus will make a very popular postmaster.

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Conductor, Polar Express: This famous train enthusiast adheres to a rigid schedule. He would be perfect for secretary of transportation.

We want to give a special thanks to Holly Meagher for inspiring this weeks column. If you have ideas for topics you want to see us cover, please send us an email. We wish you a happy holiday season!
After Syrian rebels toppled Bashar Assads regime, President-elect Donald Trump asserted that the U.S. will stay out of the civil war. He wanted to end wars, he said, not start them.

In reality, Trump will have a full plate of challenges early on in his administration to avert armed conflicts from spreading in the Middle East, Europes East and East Asia.

They are promoted by an anti-American axis, whose weakest link is Iran. If Tehran loses Syria, it will lose the land route to resupply Hezbollah and its coveted access to the Mediterranean. Trump also benefits from Israels decimation of Hamas and Hezbollah and Turkeys support for anti-Assad forces to constrain the Iranian regime without going to war.

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The new U.S. administration will have to face wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and will need to prevent a third one, with China. In Europe, the Trump White House has to make a choice: either to support Ukraine with more firepower so that it is in a stronger position if ceasefire talks are to proceed or push Kyiv to surrender territory to Russia. It can consolidate a coalition of NATO countries to provide more significant volumes of weapons to Kyiv and pressure Moscow toward a ceasefire without legitimizing Russias seizure of Ukrainian territory.

Prevention of a war over Taiwan is also a high priority for Washington, both strategically and economically. The U.S. certainly does not want the islands massive chip manufacturing capacity falling into Beijings hands. However, Americas military may lack long-fire capabilities and navy vessels to bring overwhelming force against Chinas navy threatening Taiwan.

China also possesses nuclear-armed ballistic missiles that are likely to overwhelm Americas anti-missile batteries. Therefore, U.S. economic pressures, such as tariffs and trade sanctions, followed by a negotiation process may actually reduce tensions.

And then there is Iran. One significant difference between the outgoing and incoming U.S. administrations is that President Biden was not feared in the region. In contrast, the Trump national security team has an opportunity to demonstrate its determination in dealing more resolutely with Americas adversaries and cannot exclude military force to undercut Irans destructive policies.

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However, as Trump believes in low oil prices to propel economic growth, he will seek to avoid an expanding war. If conflict embroils the Persian Gulf, Tehran is capable of mining the Strait of Hormuz and blocking the shipments of up to 30 percent of the worlds oil supplies and 20 percent of its LNG.

While Trump has also asserted that he will not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons, he is likely to try a negotiated approach first. For that, he needs intermediaries who know the region and the players well.

Trumps second term is viewed among several Arab states as an opportunity for conducting more transactional relations with the U.S. that will benefit the region and curtail Iranian interference. Qatar is a pertinent example, with which Trump has a constructive history. Qatar helped former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to negotiate a deal with the Taliban that ended the Afghanistan quagmire.

The Trump team has already reached out to Qatar for help in returning American and Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. Qataris and Egyptians are the only ones with access to Hamas, not because of any political support, but because every U.S. administration since President G.W. Bush  as well as Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  has asked the Qataris to act as go-betweens.

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And to prevent Gaza and southern Lebanon from becoming wastelands with hundreds of thousands of radicalized Arabs, Qatars financial muscle will also be needed to rebuild the infrastructure and rehabilitate the population. Qataris helped in the past, and it is time for them to step up now. In Trumps second term, he will need both allies and capable intermediaries to help Washington to overcome mounting foreign policy challenges.

The anti-American axis is closely interconnected, whether in victory or defeat. Iran is already losing two allies in the Middle East with the ouster of Syrias Assad regime by rebel forces and a beaten Hezbollah that will lack a land resupply route. Further reducing Tehrans negative influence will also undercut Irans and Russias military support for Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, diminish the Kremlins diplomatic, economic and security backing for Iran, and reverse Moscows attempts to pose as a pro-Arab and pro-Muslim power countering the U.S. throughout the region.

Russias loss of allies such as Syria and the diminishing of Iran will also weaken Chinas Middle Eastern and global ambitions and its pressures against Taiwan.

Janusz Bugajski is a Senior Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, D.C. and author of two new books: Pivotal Poland: Europes Rising Power and Failed State: A Guide to Russias Rupture.

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JERUSALEM, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military and Shin Bet security agency announced on Monday that they had killed Muhammad Ahmed Albec, the head of the National Security Directorate of Hamas' Security Services, in an airstrike on a school in Gaza.

At least eight people were killed in the strike Sunday on the Musa bin Nusair school in Gaza City's Daraj al-Tuffah neighborhood, which was sheltering displaced people, according to Palestinian health officials.

The Israeli military and Shin Bet claimed in a joint statement that a Hamas command center was located within the school compound, which was struck by the Air Force.

"The Security Directorate of Hamas produces intelligence assessments that aid in Hamas' decision-making, and is also responsible for the security of senior Hamas members, providing them with hideouts to ensure the continuation of their military activities," the statement said. It described Albec as "a central figure" in Hamas' security apparatus. 
Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz has just received a very unwelcome Christmas present with the release of the House Ethics Committee report.

A few weeks ago, the committee voted not to release the draft report along partisan lines. But the about-face is a welcome decision, highlighting that lawmakers are taking their accountability role seriously. Clearly, at least one Republican member of the evenly divided 10-member House Ethics Committee voted with Democrats to release the report.

As both lawmakers and journalists rush to read and reread the committees findings, we can expect more than a little schadenfreude. Gaetz is disliked by politicians on both sides of the aisle, and his many detractors will no doubt place the report at the top of their Christmas reading lists. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas will have to wait.

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The report found that while Gaetz was a member of Congress, he purchased and used illegal drugs and regularly paid multiple women for sex. In 2017, the committee says, Representative Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl. The committee concluded that there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress.

Gaetz told the committee that he denied any wrongdoing.

To recap, Gaetz has been working under the shadow of various investigations for some time. A lengthy Department of Justice investigation ended in 2023, with no charges filed (and the department did not provide the Ethics Committee a reason why they didnt bring charges). Gaetz has always denied the allegations and used the DOJ decision to argue that he had been fully exonerated.

Against this backdrop, the House Ethics Committee investigation has infuriated Gaetz, who claims former Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been pushing it forward behind the scenes. It seems that the Ethics Committees interest in me waxes and wanes based on my relationship with the speaker, Gaetz said in 2023. McCarthy, meanwhile, claims Gaetz pushed to oust him as speaker because he refused to quash the committees investigation.

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As a former chairman of the House Ethics Committee, I highly doubt McCarthy had anything at all to do with this or any other congressional ethics investigation. House Ethics Committee members, based on my experience, must make investigatory decisions on their own and in a bipartisan manner, free of any undue influence or conversations with congressional leaders.

It would be highly improper for the committee to seek direction from party leaders on these matters, and congressional leaders, frankly, would likely not want to inject themselves into the complexities and minutia of ethics investigations. They have enough headaches. Better to have their colleagues deal with such delicate issues with the appropriate discretion.

To mitigate damage and prebut the ethics reports release, Gaetz acknowledged potential embarrassment and expressed some measure of regret, posting on X that he had partied, womanized, drank, and smoked more than I should have earlier in life.

But carousing by overexuberant, indiscreet young men does not warrant congressional ethics investigations.

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In fact, Gaetz was investigated for, among other things, allegations of having sex with a minor and paying her  while a sitting member of Congress. Thats the key point: Gaetzs alleged conduct here happened while he was in office. The DOJs decision not to charge Gaetz criminally has little bearing on whether his alleged behavior was compliant with standards of conduct for a serving lawmaker. The ethics probe was not a criminal investigation. The House Ethics Committee cannot charge anyone with a crime (although it can make referrals to the DOJ in the event potential criminal wrongdoing is exposed during its investigation).

As I stated in a previous column, it is unusual, though not unprecedented, for the House Ethics Committee to release a report or take further action after a member of Congress has resigned. Ordinarily, representatives who resign from office because of scandal usually do so abruptly  and then quietly work to reconstruct relationships with family, rebuild their lives and repair their reputations. They dont get high level nominations to Cabinet posts like U.S. attorney general. In this case, of course, President-elect Donald Trump tapped Gaetz for attorney general while the House investigation was ongoing, leading Gaetz to resign from Congress. After a firestorm of backlash, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration just eight days after it was announced.

The circumstances of the Gaetz matter warrant, in my view, some degree of transparency and justify the reports release post-resignation.

The imposition of most sanctions against a sitting member of Congress requires a vote by the full House of Representatives. Because Gaetz has departed Congress, there will likely be no further action by the House  unless Gaetz rescinds his resignation, which seems unlikely given he has already accepted a new gig as an anchor for the conservative One America News network.

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In any case, the speculation is finally over. Grab some eggnog, find a comfortable seat, read the report for yourself, and make your own judgments. Merry Christmas.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Over the past three months, the world has witnessed the tectonic disintegration of the Iranian axis of resistance. The swift fall of the brutal Assad regime  which killed over 500,000 civilians in the 13-year Syrian civil war and displaced half of the countrys 23 million population  was precipitated by the collapse of Hezbollah in Lebanon as a true fighting force against Israel and as the protector of the Syrian regime. Hamas in Gaza has been decimated, and there is an expectation of a ceasefire deal and the return of at least some Israeli hostages by Jan. 20, 2025. The Biden administration has also moved more forcefully against the Houthis in Yemen.

At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his minions continue their assault on democratic norms in Israel  particularly Israels independent judiciary  even in the face of a criminal arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. While the ICC warrant has been derided by Israel and the U.S., most European countries have vowed to abide by it, meaning that Netanyahus foreign travel is severely restricted  reportedly causing the prime minister to cancel a visit to Poland to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Notwithstanding that Israels judicial independence was the best argument against the ICC indictment, Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin are steadily returning Israel to the Oct. 6, 2023 state of affairs, whereby Israel was in a state of near-civil war. The 10-month long protests against Netanyahus judicial coup (calling it judicial reform wildly understates the intended impact) ended immediately after the brutal Hamas massacres of Oct. 7.

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Netanyahu appears bent on returning Israel back to Oct. 6 and internal civil war  with no real concern for the hostages nor with the basic concepts of civil society  that kept Israel distinct from its neighbors.

It is important to recall that during the first few weeks of the Gaza war, the Netanyahu government was inept and paralyzed in the aftermath of the brutal Hamas attack. It was the protest movement that held Israel together, mobilizing civil society to provide food, clothes and shelter for Israelis who had been living near Gaza and in the north.

It should also be recalled that members of the Netanyahu government called the anti-judicial coup protestors traitors, called for air force pilots leading the protests to be shot (37 of the 40 pilots in the Israeli Air Forces 69th Air Force Squadron refused volunteer reserve duty during the protests) and even called leaders of the protests the antichrist. It was, however, those antichrist pilots  the 69th Squadron  that flew the missions that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

In the immediate aftermath of the ICC warrants, I wrote in The Hill that Netanyahu could be saved by the very judiciary whose independence he was trying to destroy. Now it would appear he will count on the incoming Trump administration get the ICC warrants dismissed  a dubious proposition  and in the interim he can move to destroy the independence of Israels judicial system.

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Remarkably, even in the face of the ICC warrants and Netanyahus ongoing corruption trial, he and Justice Minister Levin have reinvigorated their relentless assault on the judicial system. Levin has delayed for over 10 months the appointment of a president of the Israeli Supreme Court and four additional justices. The court is now operating with 11 of 15 justices. In the past, the president had always been the most senior member of the court.

Levin has refused to convene the judicial nominating committee for any judicial vacancy. He continues to push controlling the judiciary by changing the mechanism by which judges are appointed  to be controlled by the government not by a panel with legislative, judicial and bar association representatives (the advantage of the Israeli judicial selection system was that it was less controlled by politics  though it was not perfect). He wants to withdraw from the judiciary the power to review acts of the government and legislature. Levin has ignored rulings of the Supreme Court ordering him to convene the appointment committee and to appoint a president.

By returning to his coup, Netanyahu seeks to control not just the executive branch  which means the legislative branch too, since as a parliamentary system, the government only serves as long as it has a majority in the Knesset  but the judicial branch as well.

Jonathan D. Strum is an international lawyer and businessman based in Washington and the Middle East. From 1991 to 2005, he was an adjunct professor of Israeli law at Georgetown University Law Center.

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On Nov. 13, President Biden welcomed Donald Trump to the White House, marking the resumption of a longstanding practice. There was no White House meeting after Biden defeated Trump in 2020.

Before an assembly of reporters and photographers, Biden congratulated the president-elect and promised a smooth transition. He added, We will do everything we can to accommodate you.

Fox News quotes political scientist Wayne Lesperance: President Bidens decision to welcome President-elect Trump to the White House is a tribute to normalcy in the presidential transition process. He called it a remarkable gesture in that it legitimizes Trumps return to power by the nations leading Democrat and, hopefully, will be met with a commitment to orderly transitions in the future.

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A week earlier, the day after the election, Biden spoke to the American people, assuring them there would be a peaceful and orderly transition. He continued, We accept the choice the country has made.

I will do my duty as president. I will honor my oath. On January 20, he repeated, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.

On neither occasion did Biden refer to what had unfolded after the 2020 election. He didnt have to.

It was, many believe, an unprecedented event. As an article in National Geographic observes, prior to Trump, No presidential candidate ha(d) ever refused to concede defeat once all the votes were counted and legal challenges resolved.

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But a look at our history shows that what Biden did was not just another chapter in the story of the peaceful transfer of power. History shows that transfers of power at the federal and state levels have not always been smooth, peaceful and models of correct democratic behavior.

The start of the peaceful transition of power in this country can be traced back to 1801 when, for the first time, the leader of one political party handed the reins of government to his opponent. In the election of 1800, John Adams, the second Federalist president of the United States, lost to the Democratic-Republican candidate, Thomas Jefferson.

As Sarah Pruitt explains, During Adamss presidency, Democratic-Republicans and Federalists clashed over everything from taxes to religion, but especially over the main policy dilemma facing the nation: how to deal with the ongoing French Revolution. What Pruitt calls bitter differences were front and center during the 1800 presidential campaign.  Federalist newspapers and propaganda materials, she observes, branded French sympathizers as dangerous radicals, while Democratic-Republicans accused the Federalists of wanting to reestablish a monarchy.

Sound familiar?

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After Adams lost, the bitterness continued, and the threat of violence was real. Troy Smith reminds us that rumors swirled of Federalist plots to prevent Jefferson from taking office, and the governors of Pennsylvania and Virginia prepared their militias to resist such efforts.  (But) President Adams committed to following the elections outcome, undercut Federalists schemes and rejected multiple opportunities to interfere with constitutional processes.

However, he did not transfer power with anything like the grace being displayed by Biden. He left Washington, D.C. under cover of darkness and did not stay to attend Jeffersons inauguration. But neither did he contest the election result nor try to prevent Jefferson from taking power.

Pruitt credits him with setting an important precedent. His departure from office marked the first peaceful transfer of power between political opponents in the United States, now viewed as a hallmark of the nations democracy.

What Adams did was all the more remarkable since there is nothing in the Constitution and founding documents that require it or lays out what a departing president owes to their successor. The only relevant provisions are Article II (that) provides that the president shall hold his office for the term of four years. The Twentieth Amendment says that the presidents and vice presidents terms shall end at noon on the 20th day of January  and the terms of their successors shall then begin.'

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From Adams in 1801 to Trump in 2020, as the story goes, the transfer of power was always peaceful, if not always gracious. Adams and Trump were not the only presidents who refused to attend their successors inauguration. Others who dd so include John Quincy Adams, who did not attend Andrew Jacksons first inaugural in 1829, and Andrew Johnson, who was not present at the inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant as his successor in 1869.

Beyond that, the peaceful transfer of power dictates that no matter how close the outcome or bitter the campaign, no matter how apocalyptic the forecasts made by the losing side or how much personal enmity the candidates felt for each other, the loser put on their big-kid pants and turn over the keys to the White House.

As The Washington Post tells it, For well over a century, defeated candidates have swallowed raw feelings, publicly acknowledging their loses and congratulated the winners, a visible first step in the process of national healing.

But that account neglects the messiness that has accompanied transfers of power in many places and at many times since the founding of Americas constitutional republic. We can tell the comforting story about the peaceful transfer of power only by narrowing what counts as a transition and ignoring the violence that has been a way that some presidents have been removed from office.

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Recall that of the 45 people who have served in that office, four had their terms cut short and their power transitioned to a successor by an assassins bullet. In a couple of cases, the person who became president might as well have been from a rival power, as they took the nation in a direction radically different from the person they replaced.

That is exemplified in the first non-peaceful transfer of power, which happened in April 1865 when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and replaced by Vice President Andrew Johnson. And Lincoln himself was installed as president in a peaceful way only if you ignore that his election led to secession by southern states and contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.

At the state level, there are many examples of governors who, like Trump, tried to hold onto power by claiming that the election in which they were defeated was fraudulent or in some other way unfair.

This more complicated history is a reminder that what Trump did in 2020 is not the only reason Americans should not take the peaceful transfer for granted. Unfortunately, his refusal to give up power without a fight or without violence has many antecedents.

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By undermining domestic tranquility, refusing to take care that the laws be faithfully executed (as Article II requires), and calling into doubt our continued existence as a republic, as law professor John Greabe argues, a presidents refusal to recognize and honor the election results would constitute an egregious violation of the Constitutions implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

That fact also makes Bidens commitment to the peaceful transfer of power and his graciousness to the president-elect all the more remarkable and important.

Austin Sarat is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College. His views do not necessarily reflect those of Amherst College.

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Perfumes. Watches. Digital trading cards. Sneakers. Guitars.

President-elect Donald Trumps tasteless merchandise roll-outs are relentless  and show no signs of slowing as he prepares to begin a second term. Trump has long cashed in on his celebrity name with licensing deals, but the implications are different as he fuses his return to office with a freight train of personally branded products. Trumps merchandise roster is expanding the ever-widening array of avenues through which Trump can be politically influenced by his businesses. And Trumps flaunting of it is further fueling his degradation of what it means to be a political leader in a democracy.

As my colleague Steve Benen has noted, Trump unveiled a raft of outlandish products during his 2024 presidential campaign, including silver Trump commemorative coins, a cryptocurrency project and Trump-endorsed Bibles. At the time, it seemed plausible to think that he was trying to cash in while he had the chance: There was a possibility that Trump, already cash strapped, might lose the election, limiting his money-making opportunities, Benen wrote. "Now that Election Day has come and gone, it stands to reason that his sole focus would be on his return to the White House, not merchandising. And yet, here we are.

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Whats striking is not just the unabated torrent of post-election products like perfumes and watches, but also the opaque business arrangements behind them. As The New York Times recently reported, unlike some of Mr. Trumps earlier efforts, the identities of his current merchandise business partners are shielded through the creation of limited liability companies, which are structured to allow those partners to remain anonymous. According to the Times, reporters who have tried to track down the Wyoming address of a couple of these LLCs have found rural strip malls or buildings populated by unrelated businesses.

Trumps emerging infomercial presidency tracks with his intensifying disregard for conflict of interest. As I recently wrote, Trumps first presidential term was corrupted by many conflicts of interest, and he used the presidency to enrich himself by doing things that included hosting official presidential business at properties he owned. But, at least rhetorically speaking, he put an emphasis on his independence from monied interests, and he did take at least some steps  even if purely nominal in some cases  to ostensibly reduce his conflicts of interest, such as selling his stocks, limiting lobbyist access to his transition team and handing over the running of the Trump Organization to his sons.

This time around, he has dropped all pretense of government ethics drain the swamp rhetoric. And he has become far easier to influence than during his first term, in particular due to his ownership of Truth Social, a publicly traded company that he has promised he wont sell. Trumps expanding roster of merchandise through nebulous business partnerships only adds to the access points for influencing Trump; pay-to-play opportunities abound through investment in or mass purchases of Trump products  or pitching him on a new line of tacky products he can slap his name on.

On one level, Trump merch is extremely funny; the products are absurd, and he repeatedly demonstrates that even as a billionaire he isnt above desperately raking in a little more cash, and in the corniest ways possible. What makes it not so funny is that there are a lot of people in America who dont see through it. Trump is socializing huge parts of the electorate to think that its normal for a politician to monetize their public office and signal that government policy is potentially for sale to the highest bidder.

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The irony of all this is that much of Trumps political strength lies in capitalizing on widespread beliefs that the government is corrupt. But his solution to the trust crisis is not to abide by a code of principles which immunize the government's vulnerability to the interests of the rich. Instead he's going the opposite way: leaning so far into disregarding the distinction between the public interest and private power that the very notion of selling out becomes obsolete.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now)  Alexandria City High School (ACHS) said it would implement several changes in the new year after a series of student altercations led to classes being moved online abruptly last week.

When school resumes on January 6, 2025, we will use this opportunity to start fresh. In order to ensure that our students feel welcomed, supported and safe, additional Central Office staff will be present at both the King Street and Minnie Howard campuses, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt wrote in a letter.

In regard to addressing disruptive and violent student behavior, Kay-Wyatt said students would face immediate and significant consequences, including placement in a different educational setting or expulsion.

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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Alexandria high school cancels in-person classes due to student altercations

In some cases, she said students may face legal consequences. Such was the case for two students allegedly involved in the altercations last week.

On Wednesday, School Resource Officers responded to reports of physical altercations in school hallways and the cafeteria at ACHSs King Street campus, resulting in injuries to students and staff.

As a result, the Alexandria Police Department (APD) said two students were charged with assault and battery.

To further strengthen school safety and security, Kay-Wyatt said students should expect the following:

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Additional Security Personnel: We are adding additional School Security Officers (SSOs) at Alexandria City High School (ACHS) to provide extra coverage and support.

Changes and Updates to Our Security Protocols: We are reviewing our current security protocolsincluding camera positioning, weapons abatement screening process, etc. If adjustments are needed, they will be made to support improved security.

Hall Sweeps and Duty Stations: We will conduct increased hall sweeps at both campuses. Additionally, staff will be assigned duty stations in high-volume areas to maintain a visible, supportive presence.

Elevated Lunch Supervision: Lunch blocks will have increased oversight, including the use of MINGA ID check-ins and control access to meal areas.

Staggered Dismissal and Transition Process: The staggered dismissal process currently in place will continue, along with additional detention sessions during lunch and after school to hold students accountable for infractions.

Staff Hallway Monitoring: Our staff has worked with the ACHS administration team and has agreed to contribute portions of their planning time to provide additional monitoring and support during high-traffic times, and as needed.

Student Movement Compliance: There will be no tolerance for students that are found to not be in their assigned location, and disciplinary actions will be imposed.

She noted that they would be working with the City of Alexandria to provide resources to students and their families, focusing on the underlying issues that lead to similar incidents.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: It was kind of scary: 2 students charged, classes moved online after several fights at Alexandria City High School

The following would also begin when students return from break:

Review Disciplinary Process: We will review and improve our disciplinary process to ensure consistent, fair and standardized disciplinary practices across all campuses. This change will ensure that each disciplinary infraction leads to a clearly defined consequence. Per the School Boards request, we have also begun reviewing relevant policies, specifically School Board Policy JGD/JGE Student Suspension/Expulsion.

Targeted Family Meetings: We will expand our efforts to identify and meet with families of students who have academic, behavioral and attendance needs. Using the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework, developing Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) that focus on career and academic planning as part of all student reentry meetings, and connect families to comprehensive services in partnership with the City of Alexandria.

Behavioral Expectations and Clarity: When students return on January 6, 2025, we will reiterate behavioral expectations in multiple ways to ensure our students fully understand what is expected of them and the consequences for failing to meet those expectations. This will include assemblies and social-emotional learning lessons.

Frequent Check-Ins: We will determine meeting frequency with students and their families to consistently monitor progress, provide additional resources and ensure accountability.

Focused Community Partnerships: We will seek the help of local organizations to provide additional enrichment activitiesarts, sports, job trainingand academic tutoring, either in-person or online.

Implementation of Revised Cell Phone Regulation: The revised, adopted Student Use of Personal Mobile Devices Regulation IIBEA-R3 will go into effect after Winter Break.

Student Leadership Social Media Campaign: Student leaders will be engaged to promote a social media campaign that will stress the importance of positive behaviors and a safe and welcoming school environment.

This has become an inflection pointa moment to reflect, reset and strengthen our commitment to each other and to the core values that guide our work as educators and as a community. I firmly believe that if we come togetherstudents, staff, families and community memberswe will rise above these challenges and restore a calm, respectful and vibrant learning environment for all of our students where they feel valued, respected and ready to thrive, Kay-Wyatt stated.

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Kay-Wyatt spoke at a school board meeting last week, describing her intent to improve the safety measures at the high school.

We will be continuing our practice of providing fair hearings to our students, but imposing severe consequence for those students who exhibit such behaviors, she said. I was really sad to see such intolerable behavior from our students. It is not reflective of this community that I have come to know and come to love.

At the school board meeting, student representative Nixon Perez Orozco spoke about the desire to improve the safety within the school.

This is my personal opinion  We dont feel safe at the school, he said.

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Dec. 23A New Mexico-based labor union violated federal labor law by demanding the firing of three drivers hired by a television production in 2020, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled this month.

The firings were among several practices by International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 492 that violated federal labor laws, Administrative Judge Dickie Montemayor ruled. He ordered the union to compensate the three drivers and other actions.

The three drivers were hired in November 2020 with the permission of a union official to work for a production company filming the sci-fi Western television series "Outer Range," the Dec. 4 order said. The same union official later demanded the termination of the drivers.

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Montemayor also found that Local 492 illegally charged "referral fees" to special equipment operators, such as food-truck drivers, without providing job referral services for those drivers.

The wide-ranging order prohibits a number of union practices and clarifies the relationship between the union and production companies that hire drivers.

The order allows certain non-union drivers to solicit work directly from production companies and prohibits the union from charging fees from non-union special equipment drivers.

The film and television industry operated 62 productions and spent an estimated $740.4 million in New Mexico in the year ending June 30, according to the New Mexico Film Office.

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James Montalbano, an Albuquerque attorney representing Local 492, did not respond to messages seeking comment about the order. Local 492 President David Trujillo referred questions to a second union official who did not return phone messages.

Montemayor found that Local 492 operated an "exclusive hiring hall" that made it the sole source of referrals for production companies seeking drivers and wranglers for New Mexico film and television productions.

The production companies sign memorandums of agreement, or MOAs, with the union that allow them to access workers from the hiring hall. "By signing these MOAs the companies agree that (Local) 492 will be the exclusive source of employee referrals," he wrote.

However, the union also maintains a second list of non-union drivers who the productions can hire when there aren't enough union drivers available, the order said.

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In November 2020, the transportation captain for the "Outer Range" production received permission from a Local 492 official to hire three non-union drivers, the order said.

About six weeks later, the captain received a call from the union official "demanding that he terminate the employees that she had previously approved to be hired," Montemayor wrote.

The drivers were fired after the filmmakers temporarily halted production for the Christmas holiday. The transportation captain testified that employees laid off during the holiday typically were recalled after the break.

The union responded that its agreement with the production company allowed the firings because the employees had been laid off for more than three days, the order said.

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Montemayor found that the union official "intruded into the employment relation and directed the termination of the employees who were working in an approved work status having committed no violation of any company rules."

Montemayor ordered the union to provide back pay to the affected workers and to end the practices. The judge issued the order after holding a series of hearings from March 2023 to September 2024.
An Oregon City, Oregon couple spent $45,000 on the truck of their dreams only to find out later that the dealer they purchased the vehicle from was fake and the truck was stolen. April and Jamie Correa paid for the vehicle with cash. Unfortunately, it was their entire savings.

April told KATV ABC News, Everything we had we put into this vehicle and didnt expect to be scammed the way that we were. They had been looking for a truck to buy for some time before settling on a 2023 GMC advertised on Facebook Marketplace.

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After negotiating with the seller, they were asked to visit a local dealership to complete the sale. They signed paperwork and drove away from the lot with the vehicle, assuming all was well. But they later found out they had fallen victim to a scam.

How they lost $45K

The Correas say they didnt notice any red flags while at the dealership.

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Everything seemed to check all the boxes, and it seemed like any dealership that weve ever been to, April told reporters.

The couple completed paperwork and drove away from the lot, assuming all was well. But days later, when they needed the vehicle title, Jaime contacted the dealership. His calls went to voicemail and were not returned and when he showed up at the dealership, no one was there. They contacted the Oregon City police immediately.

The Correas were alerted to the fact that the vehicle identification number (VIN) printed on the truck was tied to a different truck. It turns out the truck they were in possession of was stolen near Dallas, Texas, months prior. The Correas had to turn the vehicle over to the police.

When they asked what would happen next, they received heartbreaking news. April asked the police officer, Well, what does that mean for us? What does that mean? Weve just paid $45,000 for this truck; what does that mean we're supposed to do at this point? The officers told them that nothing else could be done  their money was gone.

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The Oregon City police department continues to investigate. April says that she knows of at least nine other victims. Unfortunately, no suspect has yet to be caught, and the Correas are now without the $45,000 they originally had.

There's no happy ending. Theres no solution, April said. Its a really tough place to be in.

Read more: I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement  what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 3 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast)

Protect yourself from buying a stolen vehicle

Vehicles are expensive, and the last thing you need when shopping for one is to fall victim to a costly scam. If youre considering buying a vehicle, its in your best interest to take extra precautions so you dont lose your hard-earned money to a fraudster.

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Here are some red flags to be alert to during your vehicle buying search:

Price too good to be true.: If the pricing feels too good to be true, it probably is. Beware of sellers with vehicle listings below MSRP. You can better protect yourself by only considering vehicles priced at or above market value.

Suspicious vehicle report. Its a good idea to purchase a vehicle history report before buying a car. CARFAX is one company that provides this service. Vehicle history reports provide insight into the vehicles history based on the VIN. You can ask the seller for paperwork from past services and repairs. Their records should align with what is listed on the vehicle history report.

Altered VIN. While physically inspecting the car, check the VIN listed on the vehicle. You can usually find this on the dashboard or the inside of the drivers side door. If the VIN looks altered, is scratched out, or doesnt match the VIN on the registration documents, its likely stolen.

What to read next

A near-record number of Americans are grappling with $1,000 car payments and many drivers can't keep up. Here are 3 ways to stay ahead

Are you rich enough to join the top 1%? Here's the net worth you need to rank among Americas wealthiest  plus 2 ways to build that first-class portfolio

5 ways to boost your net worth now  easily up your money game without altering your day-to-day life

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  An injured great-horned owl was rescued from the shoulder of I-5 south of Albany, Ore. on Dec. 20, Oregon State Police say.

An OSP Sergeant found the owl suffering from an injured wing and a missing eye near Diamond Hill Road. The owl was unable to fly and was likely hit by a car.

We dont know how he lost his eye or ended up on the freeway, but we are glad the sergeant was able to capture him and take him to the Chintimini Wildlife Center for care, Oregon State Police shared on social media on Dec. 22.

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HIGH SURF WARNING: Stay away from Oregon, Washington beaches Monday, NWS warns

An injured great-horned owl rests in an Oregon State Police cruiser. (OSP)

The owl is recovering at the animal hospital in Lewisburg and is expected to survive.

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CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo.  An Osage Beach woman is in jail after going to some trouble to avoid law enforcement and keep a child from their parents.

A probable cause statement from the Camden County Sheriffs Office (CCSO) says the childs parents asked Melissa Lynn Walker to watch the child. Walker picked up the child on Dec. 14, 2024 and was to stay with her until Dec. 19.

Melissa Lynn Walker, courtesy of the Camden County Jail.

Due to a conflict, the parents couldnt pick the child up on the appointed day, and arranged to pick them up the following day, documents state. The parents were involved in a domestic disturbance in Dallas County that further delayed pickup but spoke with Walker and made arrangements to pick up the child on Dec. 21.

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Documents say the parents reached out to Walker as early as 6 a.m. on the 21st, communicating when the parents would be picking up the child. Walker responded to messages saying the child should just stay with her and to call. Documents say Walker didnt answer the phone when the parents attempted to call, and had since not had any contact with them.

Holiday shoppers scramble for last minute gifts

Deputies, along with the Missouri Department of Social Services Childrens Division, attempted to contact with Walker at her residence in Osage Beach but were unable to locate her. CCSO attempts to reach Walker via phone went directly to voicemail, documents say, leading deputies to believe her phone had been shut off.

CCSO contacted the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) and entered the child and Walker as endangered missing persons, documents say, and a ping was started on Walkers phone.

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According to documents, Walker was at her workplace, despite not being scheduled to work that week. When deputies arrived at her location and arrested her, documents say they smelled intoxicants on Walkers person.

Court records show Walker is charged with third-degree kidnapping and is being held in the Camden County Jail on a $150,000 bond. Shes due in court later today, Dec. 23, 2024.

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OSCEOLA, Iowa  An Osceola woman who was injured in a shooting last week has died.

On Tuesday at around 6:15 a.m. the Osceola Police Department responded to a 911 call requesting help to a home in the 1000 block of Lakeshore Drive. According to police, when first responders arrived at the home they found an adult male and adult female suffering from gunshot wounds inside.

OBrien County teen killed in overnight crash

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The adult male victim was transported via air ambulance to a Des Moines hospital, but later died from his injuries. Police announced that on Friday night the adult female succumbed to her injuries. The victims have been identified as married couple Dr. James and Mary Ellen Kimball.

According to police, the shooting appeared to be a murder-suicide. No additional information has been released.

Iowa News:

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TEHRAN, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with visiting Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Transport Vitaly Savelyev here on Monday to discuss the implementation of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project.

Pezeshkian said Iran is determined to complete the construction of the INSTC, a transport route linking South Asia to Northern Europe, according to a statement from his office.

He highlighted the construction of a railway in northern Iran as a priority of his administration, saying this railway between the Iranian cities of Rasht and Astara bordering Azerbaijan is an integral part of the INSTC as per an agreement signed with Russia in May last year.

He added that the Russian side could begin land surveying and preliminary work for the implementation of the railway project.

For his part, Savelyev called for accelerating the construction of the railway line in northern Iran, adding that upon completion, the railway would help increase annual goods transport capacity between the two countries to 15 million tons in the first phase.

At the meeting, Savelyev also extended an invitation to Pezeshkian for a visit to Russia early next year, during which Savelyev said the two sides are expected to hold negotiations and sign agreements. 
More often than not, Ohio consumers don't save money when they pick an electricity choice plan, rather than the standard electricity offer, according to a study from Ohio State University.

Instead, they pay more, the study found.

Noah Dormady, an OSU associate professor in the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, said: "The bulk of the offers provided to Ohio consumers are way above what those consumers would pay if they did nothing."

A study from researchers at Ohio State University found that most consumers who pick an electricity choice plan end up paying more than if they just stuck with the standard electricity offer from established utility companies.

Dormady, lead author of the study, found that 72% of the most popular retail offers over the past decade have been more expensive than the default price.

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In 1999, state lawmakers deregulated the energy market, allowing consumers to buy electricity from outfits other than the established companies, such as AEP Ohio or Duke Energy. The idea was that market competition would help consumers trim their utility costs.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio certifies about 50 different power suppliers across the state. Retail choice only covers power generation; customers can't shop for different prices on distribution or transmission costs.

Over the past two decades, alternative power supplies have pitched different plans to consumers via mailings, phone marketing and even door-to-door sales calls. Dormady said consumers are often overwhelmed with choices.

Dormady and his team examined every electricity offer made to Ohio consumers by retail marketers from 2014 to 2023  more than 2 million records. Some offers are gimmicky deals that have deceptively low initial costs, high monthly fees and consumption caps, his study found.

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Residential customers who sought a 12-month fixed rate deal from an alternative supplier got rates above the default rate 72% of the time, the study said.

Dormady said that it looks like the current setup is too complex for most consumers to figure out the best deals for them.

We need to make it easier for consumers to identify the electricity offers that will save them money and that are right for them, Dormady said. Unfortunately, it is too easy to confuse consumers in a complex market like this.

The Ohio Consumers' Counsel, which represents residential customers in utility matters, agreed with Dormady's analysis.

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"There are too many stories of energy marketers using deceptive practices and charging Ohio consumers unconscionable prices," said J.P. Blackwood, spokesman for the consumers' counsel. "If you are going to choose a marketer for your energy, the worst way to do that is on your doorstep or by talking to a marketer who has rented space at a big box retail store."

Careful research and regular follow-up checks are crucial if picking a marketer for energy, he said.

Ohio consumers can also pick a natural gas supplier other than the established utility company. Dormady's study didn't examine how consumers fare in the deregulated natural gas market.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This story was updated to add a gallery.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Study finds Ohio consumers don't save money through electricity choice
The number of killed and injured North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Russia's Kursk Oblast has surpassed 3,000, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement shared on Telegram on Dec. 23.

Russia has reportedly deployed about 12,000 North Korean troops to help oust Ukrainian troops fighting in Kursk Oblast since early August.

Zelensky warned of the global risks posed by deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, including the transfer of modern warfare experience and advanced military technology.

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There are risks of North Korea sending additional soldiers and military equipment to the Russian army, and we will have tangible responses to this, Zelensky said.

He added that increased collaboration between Russia and North Korea threatens to destabilize the Korean Peninsula and nearby regions.

Zelensky's estimation, that he said comes from Ukraine's intelligence, is a significant increase from other recent reports about the North Korean casualties.

South Korean MP Lee Sung-kwon told reporters on Dec. 19 that at least 100 North Korean troops have been killed and 1,000 injured, with casualties linked to their lack of experience with terrain and modern drone warfare.

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Reports of North Korean troops fighting in Kursk Oblast emerged earlier in November, but Russia reportedly started using them in ground assaults in December. Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder confirmed on Dec. 16 that North Korean soldiers had sustained their first casualties during combat in the region.

Ukrainian officials note that while North Korean forces are particularly vulnerable to drones, their presence has enabled Russian troops to make limited territorial gains in the oblast, retaking some of the land held by Ukrainian troops.

The deployment of North Korean forces follows Ukraines surprise cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August, marking an escalation of the war into Russian territory.

Read also: North Korean troops in Kursk Oblast boost Russias manpower, despite vulnerabilities

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  The annual Toys for Tots gift giveaway has concluded its 77th year of helping families.

The Marine Corps has been collecting brand new toys in the box to give away to families who need a little extra help during the holiday season.

They begin collecting toys in October and continue through December .

The troops and volunteers organize and separate them for families to take home just in time for Christmas.

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Local nonprofits help Topeka wrap up holiday shopping

The Northeast Kansas coordinator, Brett Peterson, told 27 News its a heartwarming experience to be apart of every year.

I just love putting smiles on the families faces when you hand them their toys, its just very heartwarming, Peterson said.

If families would like to be involved for the next year visit their website at toysfortots.org .

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

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As the international legal consensus builds that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, some Palestinians around the world are using legal means to hold it responsible for alleged war crimes. MSNBCs Ayman Mohyeldin is joined by Ahmed Moor, a Palestinian-American who is one of the plaintiffs in a newly-filed lawsuit against the U.S. State Department, and Sarah Leah Whitson, the Executive Director of DAWN, a group supporting that lawsuit.
For more than a week, the sprawling Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank has echoed to the sound of heavy gunfire  with masked snipers on roof tops and muffled explosions within its warren of alleyways.

But the combat has not involved the Israeli military, which has launched countless raids in recent years against what it calls terrorists in the camp, a stronghold of resistance to the Israeli occupation.

This fight is between Palestinians: the security forces of the Palestinian Authority and militant groups aligned with Hamas who say the PA has sold out to Israel.

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The authority, which is supported by the West, launched its largest security operation in years to dislodge the militant groups in an attempt to show that it can handle the security situation in the West Bank as it eyes control over a post-war Gaza.

But the operation appears only to have stiffened resistance and alienated many of the thousands of civilians who live there. And they have gained little ground, with militants still in control of much of the camp.

People hold Palestinian flags during a demonstration against the shooting between the authority's security forces and militants in Jenin camp. - Raneen Sawafta/Reuters

The authoritys security forces have tried to arrest dozens of men they describe as outlaws trying to hijack the camp, which was established for Palestinians uprooted from their homes after Israels creation in 1948 and is now a built-up area that is home to some 25,000 people.

Hamas describes the fighters in the camp as the resistance  a coalition of militant groups that sees the authority and its security forces as doing Israels bidding.

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The militant factions include the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Qassem Brigades, who fight under the banner of the Jenin Battalion.

The authority says that its forces have advanced in very important ways in the camp. But they have little of the technology and weaponry the Israeli military can bring to bear, and on Sunday a member of the Palestinian Presidential Guard was killed by militants gunfire.

Then on Monday, a member of the Palestinian Security Forces was killed, according to a spokesperson. A police sergeant was killed by gunfire from outlaws in Jenin camp, according to Brigadier General Anwar Rajab.

A journalist at the entrance to the camp told CNN that the area was reverberating Monday to the sound of heavy gunfire and explosions.

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The PSF had blocked all entrances to the camp, according to the journalist, who added that even paramedics were unable to get into the camp. Social media video showed diggers piling earth across streets leading from the camp.

One militant leader was also killed, as have three teenagers, the youngest of them 14. Each side blamed the other for their deaths.

The flare in violence caps off a deadly year in the area. Israel conducted a days-long raid in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas, in the northern West Bank, in September, killing at least 39 people and leaving widespread destruction, according to the authoritys health ministry and United Nations. Among them were at least nine militants, according to public statements from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

A litmus test for Gaza

The Palestinian Authority is nominally in charge of security in much of the West Bank under the Oslo Accords, signed in the 1990s with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state. But in the years since, Israel has extended its control of the occupied territory, expanded settlements and carried out frequent raids against militant Palestinian groups.

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If the authority wants to take on a broader role in administering Palestinian areas or seek a return to Gaza  something that Israeli government has persistently ruled out  Jenin is a litmus test.

A member of the Palestinian Authority's security forces fires tear gas towards a protest against its security operation in Jenin. - Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty Images

One of the militant commanders, Qais al Saadi, told CNN in an interview deep inside the camp: Israel is giving the authority a chance in Jenin, essentially saying, If you can prove that you can control Jenin, a small city, then well consider handing you Gaza.

Events in Jenin are also a bellwether for Iranian influence among the militants. Al-Saadi acknowledged that help was coming from Iran, a growing concern to the Israeli security services.

We receive support from Iran and from anyone willing to help us, but we do not belong to Iran or to any external entity outside Palestine, he said.

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The extent and type of Iranian backing for the militants is hard to assess. But the Israeli security forces said in November they recovered large amounts of Iranian-supplied weapons near Jenin.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on a recent visit to the West Bank that Iran will not succeed in establishing an Iranian octopus arm in the refugee camps, and a new fence on the border with Jordan would prevent Iranian plans to smuggle weapons into Israel through Jordan.

A spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, Brigadier General Anwar Rajab, told CNN that by financing the militants, Iran was seeking to spread chaos and corruption and weaken the Palestinian Authority, something that serves the interests of its projects in the region.

The Jenin Battalion is entrenched in the camp, the nerve center of a new wave of Palestinian militancy in the occupied territories.

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The militant groups growing use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) has added a layer of complexity for Israeli and the Palestinian authoritys efforts to combat them.

Qais Al-Saadi told CNN that IEDs had done severe damage to Israeli military vehicles, and he warned the security forces: If you come into our area, youll face the same fate.

Urban warfare is our expertise, and its a game-changer, he added.

The security forces maintain the militants are endangering innocent lives by planting explosive mines in the streets and in residences.

The confrontation in Jenin has polarized Palestinian opinion. Assad Aqel, a 27-year-old fighter who was seriously injured in an Israeli drone attack last year, told CNN that the people of the camp needed protection from the Israeli military  which was not being provided by the Palestinian Authority.

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Aqel and other Jenin residents said the authoritys security operation had made life much more difficult  and dangerous in the camp, with some suggesting that it amounted to collective punishment. By the end of last week, much of the camp was without water and electricity. Garbage was piling up and children were unable to get to school.

Smoke rises following an explosion amid clashes between the authority's security forces and militants in Jenin. - Zain Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said last week it had suspended its services to the camp, which include education and healthcare, amid the fighting. The agency condemned the occupation of its health center in Jenin camp by Palestinian armed actors last week.

Residents of the camp who spoke to CNN blamed the security forces for the latest violence.

Umm Hani, 74, who lives in the camp and has a vegetable store, said no one dared to step outside and described the Palestinian Authority as criminals. The gunfire by the Palestinian Authority is random and they fire at everything, she told CNN, saying she had narrowly missed injury from a bullet.

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At a small protest against the operation last week, Nour Abdel Hadi, 29, told CNN: We refuse the idea that the Palestinian Authority should spill the blood of one person. You cant be a proxy for the occupation against the resistance.

Local resident Ihab Saadi urged fresh dialogue between the Palestinian Authority and the militants.

Rajab, the security forces spokesman, said the Palestinian Authority had tried to negotiate with the factions  but its efforts had been ignored.

He said the militants action spreads chaos in the West Bank and aids the Israeli occupation, he said.

Amid the fighting and the sealing of exits from the camp, the mood among residents has grown more desperate.

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Mahmoud al-Ghoul said his home had not received water for three weeks and was one of several residents to allege that the security forces had shot out water tanks. CNN has reached out to the Palestinian Authority about the claim.

We dont feel safe here, we cant walk in the street, and we cant go on a roof top. Life is almost paralyzed, he said.

Ahmad Tubasi told CNN his children had been locked inside the house for two weeks and were traumatized. He was unable to get medicine for his 60-year-old mother.

He added that the authority should give us the names of the ones you claim are outlaws and the entire camp will hand them over. The outlaws are inside the presidential compound, referring to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas residence in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Palestinian officials have frequently complained that they dont have the equipment they need to confront the militants. The authority also appears to have little support in areas like Jenins refugee camp which for now remains firmly under the control of the Jenin Battalion.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Palm Beach Police have arrested a Georgia man employed by a luxury yacht docked in West Palm Beach on a charge of sexual battery, with officers telling a judge that the man has a history of similar incidents at popular high-end destinations in the U.S. and abroad.

Officers took James "Jack" Robert Magruder, 33, whose address is listed on an arrest report as Safe Harbor Rybovich marina with a permanent address in Millen, Georgia, into custody Nov. 25. He pleaded not guilty and is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail without bail, according to court records.

Citing in part Magruder's ability to travel overseas for work and a pattern of reckless behavior with women extending from New Zealand to Rhode Island that could pose a danger to the community, the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office asked Circuit Judge James Nutt to hold Magruder in jail until trial.

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Nutt approved that request during a Dec. 2 hearing, a decision that could keep Magruder in custody for months. Magruder's attorney, Robert Malove, has asked Nutt to reconsider his decision, records show. As of Thursday, Dec. 19, Malove had not responded to a request for comment.

Sexual battery followed three dates and a kiss, woman tells police

According to Magruder's Palm Beach arrest report, the woman who reported that she was raped first matched with Magruder on a dating app Nov. 10. After talking, the pair agreed to meet for a date the next day at Benny's on the Beach restaurant in Lake Worth Beach, the report said.

The woman and Magruder had another date Nov. 15, where they met at Kapow Noodle Bar on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach and then went for a ride on Magruder's motorcycle before kissing at the end of the night, the woman told police.

During a third date Nov. 18, the woman and Magruder went to Ocean Reef Park in Riviera Beach and had dinner at Elisabetta's restaurant in West Palm Beach, where Magruder booked a hotel room at The Ambassador Palm Beach Hotel & Residences on South Ocean Boulevard, police said.

Palm Beach Police arrested a Georgia man Nov. 25 on a charge of sexual battery. The man works on a luxury yacht that was docked at the Safe Harbor Rybovich marina in West Palm Beach.

When Magruder and the woman arrived in the room, they began to be intimate, the woman told police. When the woman asked Magruder to get a condom  she showed text messages to police where the two talked about using protection  he refused, and told her that they would "lose the connection," the arrest report said.

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At one point, the woman said, Magruder grabbed the woman's throat and started to choke her, adding that he loosened his grip when she told him to stop.

Magruder later told the woman to turn onto her side so they could cuddle, the arrest report said. The woman told police that when she did, Magruder began to assault her and continued, even though she told him to stop. Afterward, she took a shower and Magruder accused her of having "a mental breakdown," the report said.

The next morning when they woke up, Magruder once again assaulted the woman, the report said.

Woman reported incident to Butterfly House, recorded call with accused

That day, the woman contacted Wellington Regional Medical Center's Butterfly House, a certified rape crisis center. There, the woman met with a sexual assault nurse examiner and an advocate from Palm Beach County's Victim Services department, the report said.

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Two days later, the woman called Magruder while the call was recorded via phone and audio by investigators, records show. During that call, the woman confronted Magruder and told him she didn't feel comfortable not using protection, the arrest report said.

Magruder apologized to the woman, telling her he could sense she was uncomfortable, the report said. The woman continued to confront Magruder, telling him she had never had a man "not stop when I've asked him to stop," the report said.

Police alert court to past incidents involving women in U.S., abroad

Police noted that during a previous conversation, Magruder told the woman he was leaving soon as the yacht on which he worked was preparing to travel to Saint Kitts in the West Indies, an island 1,300 miles southeast of Miami.

During a check of Magruder's criminal history, police found that he had been arrested in Statesboro, Georgia; Newport, Rhode Island; Los Angeles, California; and Aspen, Colorado. The arrests took place from 2017 to 2019, according to court records.

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A 2019 report from Aspen Daily News shows that he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of posting a private image for harassment and violation of a protection order. Magruder received concurrent 60-day jail sentences with credit for 24 days of time served, in addition to three years of probation to be served in New Zealand.

Records of the outcomes of the cases from Georgia, Rhode Island and California weren't immediately available.

Police also found YouTube videos that detailed allegations against Magruder from other women who said he abused and raped them, the arrest report said.

The report included screenshots of posts from LinkedIn in 2022, where members of the yachting community warned others about the allegations against Magruder. Anyone with information about Magruder may call the Palm Beach Police Department at 561-838-5454.

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People who feel they are victims of sexual battery can call the Palm Beach County Victim Services 24-hour helpline at 561-833-7273.

Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Police: Luxury yacht employee sexually battered woman
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB)  An early morning house fire in Panama City destroyed one apartment and damaged a second.

Panama City Police and Panama City Firefighters arrived at the home on Lake Avenue to find the front apartment completely engulfed in flames and an apartment behind it getting a lot of smoke and heat damage.

Police were told by bystanders that the couple who owned the apartments were not home at the time and were renovating the front apartment. The couple did tell friends that there two dogs were inside the back apartment.

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When firefighters arrived they located the dogs and were able to safely remove them unharmed..

The state fire marshals office will be conducting an investigation as to what caused the fire.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com.
(Bloomberg) -- Panamas president rebuffed Donald Trumps threat to reimpose US control over the Panama Canal, saying its shipping tolls arent inflated and that sovereignty over the waterway isnt negotiable.

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Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zones is part of Panama, and it will continue to be, President Jose Raul Mulino said Sunday in a video statement on X, the social platform.

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Mulinos defense of Panamanian control over the key commercial waterway shows how Trump is already exerting global influence after he brought control over the canal into play over the weekend, decrying ridiculous transit fees for US vessels and alleged Chinese encroachment.

Trumps diplomatic hardball  just less than a month before his inauguration  represents a new front in his attempt to ratchet up pressure on trading partners. After Mulinos retort about continued Panamanian control, Trump said, Well see about that! on his Truth Social platform.

China doesnt control the canal, though a Chinese company  a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd.  has two of the five ports adjacent to the canal, one on each side.

Under Panamas constitution, the canal is managed by the Panama Canal Authority, with some of the tolls going into the national treasury. The authority said last week that it had deposited almost $2.5 billion in the last fiscal year.

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And Chinas influence has been growing in the region. In 2017, Panama severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan and declared that there was only one China.

After raising the issue on his social platform, Trump claimed Sunday that the canal was falling into the wrong hands.

Its not for China or any other country to manage, he told a conservative audience in Phoenix. You see whats going on there? China.

In a post on his Facebook account later Sunday, Trump posted an image of a US-flagged vessel on a body of water with the caption Welcome to the United States Canal!

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said later that the canal is not directly or indirectly controlled by any major power.

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China will, as always, respect Panamas sovereignty over the canal and recognize it as a permanently neutral international waterway, she said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Monday, according to a video clip posted online by state broadcaster China Central Television.

Its unclear what circumstances would allow Trump to invoke control over the canal, which the US built at the start of the last century before returning it to Panamanian control 25 years ago under a set of 1977 treaties signed by then President Jimmy Carter.

However, a US-Panamanian treaty establishing the canals permanent neutrality for transit by all nations remains in effect  a fact cited by Mulino on Sunday. That treaty also says the US could use military force to defend the canals neutrality.

The 51-mile (82-kilometer) canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans is a major strategic asset  and has been a choke point for global trade as Panama has suffered a prolonged drought that has impeded crossings.

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The Six Choke Points That Can Upend Global Trade: QuickTake

Mulino said the canals tolls arent excessive. Citing the US-Panamanian treaties, Mulino said the canal is controlled exclusively by Panama and isnt influenced by China, Europe or the US.

Our countrys sovereignty and independence are not negotiable, he said. Canal tolls are established transparently, based on operating costs and market conditions, he said.

While not making any specific demands, Trumps statement served as a warning that the US reserved the right to demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question.

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Mulino suggested that Trumps comments were out of line.

Panama respects other nations and demands respect, he said. The canal will remain in Panamanian hands as an inalienable patrimony of our nation.

--With assistance from Qianwei Zhang and Philip Glamann.

(Updates with comments from Chinas Foreign Ministry.)

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MAPUTO, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Mozambique's Constitutional Council (CC), the body in charge of constitutional and electoral affairs, on Monday proclaimed Daniel Chapo the winner of the Oct. 9 general elections.

Chapo will take the baton from the incumbent president Filipe Nyusi to become the fifth president of the Republic of Mozambique.

As the presidential candidate of the ruling party Frelimo, Chapo has won 65.17 percent of the votes, less than the 70.67 percent announced on Oct. 24 by the National Electoral Commission (CNE), according to the data released by President of the CC Lucia Ribeiro in Maputo, the Mozambican capital.

Venancio Mondlane, supported by the extra-parliamentary Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique or Podemos, obtained 24.19 percent of the votes, higher than the 20.32 percent announced by the CNE.

Ossufo Momade from the main opposition party Renamo secured 6.62 percent and Lutero Simango, president of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), captured 4.02 percent.

Ribeiro said that several irregularities were found during the electoral process, but not enough to invalidate the elections.

According to the CC, Frelimo also won an absolute majority in the parliamentary elections, winning 171 of the 250 seats in the Assembly of the Republic. The Podemos party finished second with 43 seats in the parliament, followed by Renamo with 28 seats and the MDM with 8 seats.

Local media reported that more than 100 civilians have died in the post-election chaos, and hundreds have been injured. 
PARK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD)  Park Township in Ottawa County has secured more than $826,000 in grants from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve two local parks.

Community Park will receive $500,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to add new parking and restrooms near its pickleball complex on the parks east side. The parking lot will have at least 100 spaces, while the number of restrooms is still being finalized.

Winstrom Park will get the remaining $326,000 to fund trail and boardwalk renovations, environmental education signage, and sensory-friendly features. The nonprofit Outdoor Discovery Center is partnering with the township to tackle invasive species and plant wildflowers in parklands, while another nonprofit, Benjamins Hope, will help design sensory-friendly features, such as indicators for transitions or elevation changes to assist visitors with sensitivity challenges.

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How do we create opportunities for individuals who dont see as well or dont process information as well so that they can interact with the trail system? So, maybe we think about ways of identifying leaves or identifying trees, Howard Fink, Park Township manager, said.

Park Township Supervisor Steve Spoelhof praised the partnerships that make these improvements possible.

We have many acres of parks  some natural, some very refined and some like pickleball courts  so, we have a wide breadth of park property. Theyve been a good partner for us to understand what we have, how to properly manage it, (and) also to address the invasive species, he said.

Work on both parks is expected to begin next fall and take about six months to complete.

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It takes a lot to shock the TSA, but one traveler managed to pull it off when agents found dozens of fireworks and weapons in her carry-on luggage.

The womans bag was flagged for search at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)s terminal 4 on December 15 when a screener saw suspicious items on the X-ray machine.

Inside were 82 fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms and a canister of pepper spray.

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The sheer number of prohibited items discovered in a single carry-on bag is extremely concerning, LAX TSA Federal Security Director Jason Pantages said in a press statement.

Let this incident serve as a reminder to all travelers to double-check the contents of your bag prior to coming to the airport.

According to the TSA, the woman was carrying consumer-grade fireworks, which are generally weaker in explosiveness than fireworks used in professional displays.

Regardless, explosives such as fireworks are never permitted in luggage  whether checked or carried on.

Knives, replica firearms, and small amounts of pepper spray can be put in checked bags for domestic flights.

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The passenger, who was flying to Philadelphia, was interviewed by police while the LAX bomb squad confiscated the fireworks.

And the explosives-toting traveler isnt the only passenger who has tried to bring contraband through LAX in recent weeks.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a California man allegedly attempted to check two suitcases filled with 70 pounds of meth-soaked clothing  including a cow onesie.

The man, who was booked on a United flight to Sydney, was arrested at LAX after customs officers detected irregularities in his luggage and searched the bags.

The TSA reports that 2.6 million people passed through airport security checkpoints across the United States on December 15, up from 2.5 million on the same date in 2023.

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President-elect Donald Trump's closing remarks at AmericaFest 2024 included an emotional moment when he invited a grieving mom named Patricia "Patty" Morin to come on stage.

Morin, who got a standing ovation from fellow attendees, said she was thankful to the incoming president for extending his support to her family after her daughter, Rachel Morin, was killed in August 2023, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador.

"I am so honored to know this man," Morin said looking to Trump while on stage.

Who is Angel mom Patty Morin?

Patricia Morin is the mother of Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old woman who was killed in August 2023 while on a popular hiking trail in Bel Air, Maryland.

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Patty Morin, who lives in Maryland, has referred to herself as an Angel Mom, a term often used by mothers who have lost a child to violence.

Since the tragedy, the Morin family has advocated for immediate reforms to address the ongoing border crisis and the threat posed by crimes committed by individuals in the country illegally.

Morin has appeared before Congress twice, speaking with members of the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Judiciary Committee in September 2024.

During her testimony to the House Committee on Homeland Security, Morin said more needs to be done to secure the southern border.

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"This issue is bigger than people think, and it's not just the southern border. It's every state, every county, every city," Morin said.

Trump met with Morin during the 2024 presidential campaign. She appeared at various Trump campaign stops where she shared her familys story, including at the Arizona border in Cochise County in August, about a year after her daughters death.

After Trumps reelection, the Morin family told Fox News they were thankful for his support.

We believe Rachels story played a role in highlighting the urgent need for reforms that will make America safer, the family said in a written statement.

Who is Rachel Morin and what happened to her?

Morin, a 37-year-old Maryland mother of five, left home for a run on Aug. 5, 2023, and never returned. She was reported missing and her body was found the following day on the Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County.

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Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, was arrested in June after a 10-month manhunt across the country. He was found in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and extradited to Maryland, where he was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree rape.

Martinez-Hernandez, an El Salvadoran citizen, also is accused of murdering a young woman in El Salvador in January 2023, according to Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler. Investigators believe he fled the country and entered the U.S. without authorization in February 2023, the sheriff said.

What are Angel moms?

The term Angel Moms has come to represent two distinct groups, both of which support mothers who have lost children.

Originally, AngelMoms.com was founded in 2000 as a support group for mothers who have lost children to any cause. The organization has emphasized that it is not affiliated with political movements.

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In recent years, however, the term has also been associated with the Remembrance Project, a Texas-based nonprofit founded in 2009 by Texas couple Maria Espinoza and Tim Lyng.

The group claims to serve as a voice for the voiceless  Americans killed by illegal aliens, individuals who should not have been in the country in the first place, according to the organizations Facebook page.

For the Remembrance Project, Angel Moms refers specifically to mothers who have lost children in such incidents.

The group aims to raise awareness about violent crimes linked to undocumented immigrants and has featured prominently in Trumps immigration policies and rhetoric.

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Trump says Rachel Morin's murder is an example of the violence caused by U.S. border policy, though Democrats have said that immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, are no more likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens.

In a fact check of Trump's comments about immigration, The Marshall Project in October cited a 2018 study published in the journal "Criminology" that showed immigration, including illegal immigration, does not increase violence.

Republic reporter Stephanie Innes contributed to this report

Have any news tips or story ideas about the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona? Reach the reporter at rromeroruiz@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @raphaeldelag

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here's what you need to know about Angel Mom Patty Morin
McCormick, S.C. (WJBF)  The Paul Dennis Center is a special place for kids in McCormick, South Carolina.

It was named after my father. I am originally from McCormick, South Carolina, born and raised here and my fathers name is Paul Dennis and no one loved McCormick or kids more than him. He passed away about 17 or 18 years ago, so when the opportunity came along to have a center, of course we had to name it after him, said President/CEO, Roshunnia Dennis.

The center is the home to T.R.U.T.H Youth Services, a non profit program where kids ages 11 through 18 come and participate in activities, mentorship programs, help with school work, field trips and more.

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Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. our kids come and hang out with us. Were big on experiential learning, so teaching them through exposure and education. They come for free, they get a meal for free, they participate in activities outside of the center for free, said Dennis.

Recently, the center held its holiday party where kids, parents and volunteers all gathered for a good time.

Today, we go through the whole thing of giving them gifts but we also have family fun.

Parent Nakosua Morgan has one child in the program.

Since shes been here, Ive seen a lot of growth in her attitude, her wanting to get up on a Saturday and actually do something. She is always eager to come to the center.

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Hopefully, what shes doing here can migrate to different communities, other small counties like McCormick, Abbeville, Edgefield, other surrounding counties as well, said Parent Ena Payton.

I think its really important to have these kinds of places for kids, especially in small towns, because in small towns they have less to do, and less opportunities to find out whats out there, said Officer of Operations, Theodosha Love.

The kids gave the program high praise as well.

First, before I started coming here I was flunking in school, and when I started coming here and they helped me, said JaQuarius Parks.

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I was struggling a lot in math but then they taught me how to understand it, now Im making good grades, said Riley Gilchrist.

The Paul Dennis Center is only two years old and they need help from the community.

Currently we are not grant funded, so everything that we do for our young people is through donors, and out of our pockets, so any grant writers if you are willing to barter service or work pro bono we would absolutely love to partner with you, said Dennis.

For now, though, theyre thankful for the volunteers, the donors, and everyone that makes the center special.

To follow or contact the Paul Dennis Center, reach out to them on social media.

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A state trooper was hit by a vehicle in Somerset County.

Somerset County District Attorney Molly Metzgar said the trooper was trying to help a disabled vehicle on Route 31 westbound when they were hit on Saturday.

According to our partners at WJAC, the trooper suffered injuries to their head, leg and pelvis.

The trooper has been released from the hospital.

This is a stark reminder of the dangers that our first responders face on a daily basis. I encourage everyone to life the trooper and his family up in their thoughts and prayers, Metzgar said.

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Officials said the trooper still has a long way to go before returning to duty.

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PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)  Peoria Friendship House had a line out the door today for its 4th annual Christmas Ham giveaway.

More than 100 community members received a full holiday dinner, including their choice of ham or turkey, complete with peas and Mac n cheese.

Friendship House is also making sure they are set for the winter by giving out winter coats, gloves, hats, socks, and a stocking filled with toiletries.

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Friendship House CEO and president Marcellus Sommerville said its the perfect time of year to give back to the community.

To have to not go purchase some food and maybe grab a quick gift for your little loved ones. It means everything. So we just want to be there to support you, want to be there to help aid and not just give a hand handout, but a hand up, said Sommerville.

Any remaining meals will be donated to local food pantries.

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NEW YORK (PIX11)  A person of interest is in custody in connection to the death of a woman on the subway in Brooklyn Sunday morning, according to the NYPD.

The woman was asleep on a stopped F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station around 7:30 a.m. when a stranger lit her on fire, police said.

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Officers at the station reportedly smelled and saw smoke and observed the victim in the train car fully engulfed in flames, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The fire was extinguished, and the woman was pronounced dead.

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Police say the suspect stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform outside the train car. Body-worn cameras from responding officers provided a detailed look at the suspect.

Police shared images of the man accused of setting a woman on fire. (NYPD)

After police released pictures of the suspect, three high school-age New Yorkers called 911 saying they saw and recognized him on a train at the York Street station, according to the NYPD. Officers stopped the train at Herald Square and took the person into custody.

The suspect had a lighter in his pocket, police say.

Allegations against Maddrey are extremely concerning: Mayor Adams

This person carried out one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being, Tisch said Sunday afternoon.

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Officials said the suspect arrived in the U.S. from Guatemala in 2018.

Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here.

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PHILIPPI, W.Va. (WBOY)  A woman has been charged after allegedly crashing her car in Barbour County while under the influence of drugs and with a child in her care.

On Oct. 12, deputies with the Barbour County Sheriffs Department were dispatched to a vehicle accident at the intersection of WV 119 and Maxson Camp Road, according to a criminal complaint.

When deputies arrived, they saw troopers with the West Virginia State Police already on the scene and aiding a child who had sustained a large laceration to [the] arm. Troopers also told the deputies that the child had to kick out the window and crawl out of the vehicle after the crash, according to the complaint.

Courtney Alkire

Troopers also relayed concerns about the driveridentified as Courtney Alkire, 31, of Philippipossibly being under the influence of alcohol or drugs due to her exhibiting several signs of impairments, the complaint said.

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Deputies spoke with witnesses who confirmed that a child had crawled out of the window and said that there was a bottle of prescription medication at the scene, which Alkire had taken from the witness and placed in her purse prior to law enforcement arriving, deputies said.

22-year-old Roanoke County man missing, last seen in West Virginia

When deputies asked Alkire about the pills, she consented to a search of her purse, which resulted in deputies locating nine alprazolam pills located in a prescription bottle for a different medication. Alkire then admitted that she buys alprazolam because her prescribed medication does not last long enough, according to the complaint.

Deputies then asked Alkire to perform a series of field sobriety tests, and the strongly suggested that Alkire was impaired. Deputies said that Alkire initially admitted to taking alprazolam but later changed her story, stating that she had not taken any medication that day. She also told deputies that she takes methadone, but denied taking it on the day of the crash, the complaint said.

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After speaking with deputies, Alkire was transported to Broaddus Hospital for a voluntary blood draw. On Dec. 20, deputies received the results of the blood draw, which showed that during the time Alkire had been driving on Oct. 12, she was under the influence of alprazolam, methadone, THC, trazodone, and other medications, according to the complaint.

Alkire has been charged with child neglect with risk of death and DUI with injury and is being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $35,000 bond.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA)  State Police gathered in Springfield late last week to spread holiday cheer for those in need.

The Illinois State Police Division of the Academy and Training held a basic needs gift drive for the Contact Ministries Shelter in Springfield. On Dec. 19, they presented the items to Cindy Drum, executive director of Contact Ministries.

Springfield Fire Department hosting open house for new station

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Photos courtesy of Illinois State Police

Contact Ministries is a faith-based, social service organization that provides resources to families in need. They also manage a womens emergency shelter which offers women and women with children support when displaced due to domestic violence and other incidents.

State police donated clothing, diapers, paper towels, hygiene products and more. To donate to Contact Ministries, click here. To find out more about the organization, visit their website.

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A pickup truck driver fleeing police careened through the doors of a JCPenney store at a busy Texas mall, injuring five people before he was fatally shot by officers, authorities said.

A 53-year-old man identified as John Darrel Schultz of Kempner drove a truck and crashed into the department store in Killeen, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of the state capital Austin, on Saturday afternoon and continued into the building, striking people as he went, according to Sgt. Bryan Washko of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Emergency medical services transported four victims from the mall to area hospitals and another traveled to a hospital separately. They ranged in age from 6 to 75 years old and their conditions were not immediately known, he said.

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The chase began around 5 p.m. on Interstate 14 in Belton, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Killeen, after authorities received calls about an erratic driver in a black pickup, Ofelia Miramontez of the Killeen Police Department said.

Schultz then pulled off the road and drove into the parking lot of the mall.

The suspect drove through the doors and continued to drive through the JCPenney store, striking multiple people, Washko said. The trooper and the Killeen police officer continued on foot after this vehicle, which was driving through the store, actively running people over. He traveled several hundred yards.

Officers from the state public safety department, Killeen and three other law enforcement agencies engaged in gunfire to eliminate this threat, Washko said.

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One of the officers who traded gunfire with the suspect was working as a security guard at the mall and others were off duty, he said.

Witnesses interviewed by local news outlets outside the mall said they heard multiple gunshots and saw people fleeing through the mall.

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Marcel Ciolacu takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest, Romania, on Dec. 23, 2024. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

BUCHAREST, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Romania's new government, headed by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, was sworn in on Monday shortly after securing a vote of confidence in Parliament.

The pro-European coalition government, comprising the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) and the national minorities, ends a month of political uncertainty marked the annulment of presidential election results.

"I ask you to succeed for Romania and for Romanians. People expect solutions, stability, and a government that firmly maintains Romania's pro-European trajectory," President Klaus Iohannis said after the swearing-in ceremony at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

Iohannis mentioned two major challenges for the new government: preparing the "complicated" 2025 budget and setting the electoral calendar for the presidential election.

Earlier in the day, the coalition cabinet was validated with 240 votes in favor and 143 against at a joint plenary session of the 450-seat bicameral legislature, surpassing the 233 votes required for approval.

Despite the difficulties ahead, Ciolacu expressed confidence in his government's potential. "I trust all the members of this team. They are people with great experience and solid professional expertise," said Ciolacu, who also leads the PSD.

He emphasized the benefits of political stability, noting that Romania's borrowing rates on international markets had already begun to drop following the parliamentary vote.

Ciolacu's cabinet consists of the prime minister, 16 ministers, and three deputy prime ministers -- one from PSD without portfolio, and two with portfolios from PNL and UDMR. 

Marcel Ciolacu takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest, Romania, on Dec. 23, 2024. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

Marcel Ciolacu (L) gives his signed oath to Romanian President Klaus Iohannis during a swearing-in ceremony at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest, Romania, on Dec. 23, 2024. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

Members of Romania's new government headed by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu attend a swearing-in ceremony at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest, Romania, on Dec. 23, 2024. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

Members of Romania's new government headed by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu attend a swearing-in ceremony at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest, Romania, on Dec. 23, 2024. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

Marcel Ciolacu (1st R) and members of Romania's new government attend a swearing-in ceremony at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest, Romania, on Dec. 23, 2024. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)
CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 06: An activist fights the wind as while walking along Flag Road in Oceti Sakowin Camp as blizzard conditions grip the area around the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 6, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Native Americans and activists from around the country have been at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The owner of the Dakota Access Pipeline last week became the latest party to join the defense in the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes new lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The lawsuit, filed in October, accuses the Army Corps of illegally allowing the Dakota Access Pipeline to operate without an easement, an environmental impact study or robust emergency spill response plans. The tribe wants a federal court to order that the pipeline be shut down.

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Dakota Access LLC asked to join the lawsuit to protect its private business interests in the pipelines operation. Dakota Access spent billions developing the pipeline and has standing contracts requiring DAPL to continue transporting oil, the company wrote in a brief filed in court.

Since 2017, the more than 1,000-mile pipeline  also known as DAPL  has safely transported more than 1.4 billion barrels of oil, the company wrote.

Dakota Access remains willing to consider other mitigation measures that the Corps or this Court believe would be appropriate, the company said.

U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg approved Dakota Access request to join the suit.

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In the brief, the company also accuses the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes legal challenge of rehashing old ground. The tribe previously sued the Army Corps over the pipeline in 2016, seeking to stop DAPL before it finished construction.

That case was also assigned to Boasberg. Boasberg in a 2020 concluded that the Army Corps had erred in granting the pipeline an easement to pass underneath Lake Oahe without a full environmental impact study, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. He revoked the easement and instructed the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct the study, which is still in the works.

Boasberg ordered the pipeline to be drained of oil until the environmental review was completed, though that demand was ultimately overturned by an appellate court.

The higher court found that shutting down the pipeline was not warranted because the tribe at the time did not have enough evidence that DAPL posed an immediate threat of irreparable harm.

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In its latest suit, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe seeks to present new evidence raising questions about the pipelines construction under Lake Oahe.

Standing Rock has long opposed the pipeline, saying it violates the tribes sovereignty, has damaged sacred cultural sites and poses a pollution threat to the tribes water supply.

The Army Corps of Engineers regulates a section of the pipeline that passes underneath Lake Oahe, a reservoir on the Missouri River, less than a half-mile upstream from the Standing Rock Reservation.

The Corps has failed to act and failed to protect the tribe, Standing Rock Chairwoman Janet Alkire said in an October press conference announcing the lawsuit.

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The pipeline carries oil from northwest North Dakota to southwest Illinois. Its path includes unceded land recognized as belonging to the Sioux Nation under an 1851 treaty with the U.S. government.

North Dakota and 13 other states have also intervened in the case on the side of the Army Corps of Engineers.

The 13 states that joined the lawsuit are Iowa, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia.

The states have argued shutting down DAPL would disrupt the regional economy, violate state sovereignty, and make road and rail transit more dangerous.

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The pipeline has provided tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue to North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois.

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(Bloomberg) -- Talks on a plan by wealthy nations to throttle tens of billions of dollars in public support for oil and gas projects have broken down without agreement, weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

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The EU, UK, US and other countries had sought the deal to limit export-credit agency finance for global fossil-fuel projects under the umbrella of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, a group of market-based economies. While improving transparency in export financing remains a target, the likelihood of a broader deal to curb support for hydrocarbon projects is now remote, said senior US officials, who asked to speak anonymously as the deliberations are private.

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The failure is a blow for climate activists, who saw the proposed finance curbs as a critical way to free up funding for emission-free energy projects around the globe. Where the US under departing President Joe Biden had rallied behind additional restrictions, these are unlikely to win support under Trump, who has campaigned on promises to unleash American oil and gas development and is pushing allies to buy more US energy.

Transparency measures are not good enough, said Adam McGibbon, a campaign strategist at the Oil Change International advocacy group. We cannot afford another penny for fossil fuel expansion if we want to preserve a liveable planet.

Although the EU advanced a plan last year, talks only began in earnest on a new, US-proffered compromise approach in November, after Trump won the presidential election. The negotiations had previously stalled for months because of concerns from the US Export-Import Bank, an independent agency whose charter prohibits denying financing against any particular industry, sector or business.

During a meeting in Paris in November, the US proposed incorporating a technology-neutral, emissions-based threshold for financing that was seen as compatible with the charter. That policy innovation allowed the US to support the EU proposal while still maintaining fidelity with the statutory constraints imposed on the US bank, one of the officials said.

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Troubled talks

But it wasnt enough. Weeks of frenzied negotiations  including a session in Paris and subsequent virtual meetings  couldnt overcome concerns about national security, competition and emissions accounting advanced by South Korea and Turkey. Countries also wrestled with technical questions around the appropriate methodologies for calculating the emissions of various energy projects, necessary to ensure transparency and national-level compliance, one of the officials said.

OECD members have a longstanding agreement that effectively allows them to use export-credit agencies to give preference to domestic companies in international deals without running afoul of World Trade Organization rules. The clubs 38 countries have an incentive to abide by OECD policies governing the practice since they help ensure a level playing field. For years, the group has precluded support for unabated coal projects; the latest effort would have put most oil and gas limits off limits too.

Export-credit agencies in OECD countries financed an average of $41 billion annually in oil and gas projects, according to data compiled by environmental advocates.

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Even in the US, that finance has continued to flow, despite Bidens pledges to cut it off. Seven days into his presidency, Biden directed US agencies to promote ending international financing of carbon-intensive fossil fuel-based energy. And in December 2021, the US signed onto an international declaration committing to end new direct public support for the international unabated fossil fuel energy sector, except in very limited circumstances.

Just this week, the US export-import bank is set to vote to approve a loan potentially worth $527 million to help Guyana develop a natural gas project. Corporate beneficiaries identified by the bank include the energy company Lindsayca Inc., the engineering firm CH4 Systems and oil major Exxon Mobil Corp.

Environmentalists want the administration to keep trying for the OECD deal. Negotiators are planning to continue trading messages until early January, at least, one of the officials said.

The Biden administration needs to use these last few weeks to increase pressure on Korea and Turkey, the final hold outs, said Kate DeAngelis, international finance program manager for the environmental group Friends of the Earth. Its not over until Trump officially takes power. A failure to continue to fight and negotiate will be a tremendous loss for Bidens legacy and the climate.

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About one year ago, we published a story detailing the hunt for an absolutely giant typical whitetail buck that had been killed in Ohio. According to CJ Alexander, 28, he had been hunting his sisters small property when he heard a loud buck grunt. Not long after, a massive deer  that hed never seen before  walked to within seven yards of his stand.

As the story goes, Alexander made a bad shot but was able to recover the deer with the help of a buddy the next day. The deer was a true giant, and a member of Ohios Buckeye Big Buck club went on to score the rack at 206 7 / 8 inches, which would have made it the biggest typical buck ever taken in Ohio and one of the biggest typical bucks ever taken by a hunter.

But over the weeks and months of OL coverage that followed, Alexanders initial story began to unravel. As documents from the poaching investigation would show, Alexander had, in fact, illegally shot the deer on private land that he had trespassed on. And its clear his motivation for shooting the deer was fame and fortune. You can read the details of how he poached the deer here. You can read about how he pleaded guilty to 14 charges here, and you can read about how he was sentenced to 90 days of jail time and fined $43,000. Listen to the full backstory of the CJ Alexander buck here.

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But now that the case is closed and the story is told, I think its worth reflecting on what should be learned from this crime and how it was covered in hunting media. Because sadly, the CJ Alexander buck wont be the last high-profile poaching case we cover.

Hunting Podcasts and Youtube Can Be Unreliable

Shortly after the Alexander buck story blew up online, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced that it had confiscated the buck and opened an investigation into the hunt.

A short press release from the agency stated: An investigation was launched by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources after information was provided alleging that Alexander failed to obtain the lawfully required written permission prior to hunting on private property. While the investigation continues, Ohio wildlife officers have seized the antlers, cape, and hunting equipment associated with the alleged unlawful taking of the deer.

But no charges had been filed against Alexander  yet. Usually, when folks are under investigation, they go quiet (because their lawyers tell them to). However, Alexander went on podcasts and took to social media to claim his innocence and to accuse the Ohio DNR of corruption. A podcast called Hunters Advantage did a lengthy interview with Alexander after the investigation was opened and gained 122,000 views on YouTube.

During that podcast, Alexander spun his story as the tale of a blue-collar hunter up against a corrupt legal and political system. He worked in ideas about how hunting is increasingly easy for the rich and more difficult for the working man.

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His message hit home as many commenters showed empathy and support for him.

I wish people could just be happy for other people, one commenter wrote. I blame the hunting industry as a whole for the jealousy. The average hunter is being priced out. If youre not a (sponsored pro hunter) that shoots a monster like this buck,  you dont get a fair shake. And I completely agree that politics in hunting is ruining hunting. I hope everything works out for this young man.

There was even a GoFundMe page set up to help pay for Alexanders legal fees. A lot of the support within the hunting community was generated by podcast content, social media comments, and hunting forum threads that told a false narrative about Alexander being innocent.

Much of the podcast world today is framed around the idea of just having open conversations. The premise is that more ideas and perspectives (even potentially inaccurate ones) will lead us all to a greater understanding. After all, you dont have to believe what the podcast guest says.

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This is a fine framework for conversations about deer hunting tactics or habitat management philosophies, but it is not ideal for criminal investigations. When a suspect in a crime is given a platform to tell their full story before the investigating agency presents its facts, well, we as a hunting community are bound to hear false narratives. And many folks will end up believing those false narratives.

In most hunting podcasts, there is no fact-checking or journalistic standards to uphold. And, for the most part, there are no repercussions for publishing incorrect information.

Investigations Can Take a Long Time

Alexanders agency corruption narrative took hold, partly because it took months before he was charged. The Ohio DNR confiscated the rack and some of his gear and then went quiet.

Alexander leaned into the fact that he was not charged, saying it was proof that investigators had nothing on him. Meanwhile, all sorts of conspiracy theories swirled around the internet.

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But the reality is that poaching investigations can take a long time to unfold. We often cover poaching cases a year or more after the crime was committed. The wheels of justice turn slowly, as the ancient Greeks once said.

Its just that in this case, there was so much attention on the buck and on Alexander that the seemingly slow investigative and charging process felt suspicious, even though it was pretty standard compared to other investigations weve covered.

Investigators and Prosecutors Dont Comment

The other reason the whole thing smelt fishy to some readers was that the Ohio DNR didnt say much after the initial press release about the confiscation. Many readers wondered, if they had real proof of poaching, wouldnt they say more?

The answer is no. They wouldnt and wont. Its standard operating procedure for investigators and prosecutors not to comment during an open investigation.

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Its incredibly rare for them to make comments until the case is over. After all, their job is not to control public opinion, but to obtain a conviction or guilty plea.

The Agency Is Usually Not Corrupt

Journalists love nothing more than a story exposing government corruption. Im not sure if this instinct gets infused during J School or if the field of journalism simply attracts the kind of people who want to take down The Man (or, in this case, the DNR). But the point is, if we feel like we have a legitimate story about a wildlife agency abusing its power, were going to run with it.

But these stories are rare, because in the vast majority of cases, wildlife agencies are not corrupt. In my experience, most agencies are staffed by people who really do love fish and wildlife, and many of them are hunters and anglers. Most game wardens are good. Most biologists want more habitat and game on the landscape, just like we do. Plus, much of the investigative process becomes public information at some point during or after the case.

And yet, many hunters in every state Ive visited think that their department of natural resources is the worst. So when Alexander started making allegations of DNR corruption, a lot of folks were all too willing to believe him.

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The fact is that most wildlife agencies are anything but perfect. They are often underfunded, too slow to implement changes, and are usually not the best at communicating with the hunting public. But thats far different from framing a young man for poaching a world-class deer.

I hope the hunting community can remember that for the next big controversy.
A police chase ran through Aliquippa and ended in a crash in Hopewell Township.

The Aliquippa Police Department said an officer saw a white BMW traveling at a high rate of speed on Kennedy Blvd. near Grand Avenue on Dec. 22.

The vehicle was reportedly swerving in and out of lanes without using a turn signal and was cutting other drivers off.

Police tried to pull the BMW over but said it continued to flee at a high rate of speed. Aliquippa officers chased the vehicle, which they said was still speeding, up Main Street from Franklin Avenue, onto Knoll Street and right onto Wade Street.

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The BMW turned left onto Maratta Road and took off. It crashed into a utility pole near Euclid Road in Hopewell.

Police said the driver was Emmanuel Gyadu Mantey, 22, of Aliquippa. He was not hurt and was taken into custody without incident.

Some community members lost power because of the damage done to the pole. A stop sign was also damaged.

Mantey had no reported criminal history before this incident.

He now faces charges of fleeing or attempting to elude police and multiple summary traffic and driving violations.

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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Oklahoma City Police have identified the victim and suspect in a shooting that happened on Friday, December 20.

According to the Oklahoma City Police Department, officers responded to a domestic disturbance in the 6600 block of Bayberry Dr. around 1 p.m. Upon arrival, the suspect, 43-year-old Jerry Yang, began shooting at officers as well as two children inside the home.

UPDATE: Two people killed, two others injured after NW OKC shooting

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Officials say both kids were hit by gunfire, resulting in one being injured and the other, 15-year-old Abel Her, being killed. An officer was also hit and injured.

Both the injured officer and juvenile are expected to recover.

According to OKCPD, Yang then shot himself and died.

Police tell us this started as a domestic dispute. Court documents reveal Yang never should have been at the home.

A protective order was filed against him in Tulsa County in June and hed been ordered to stay away from his family.

Court records also show in September, Yang pleaded guilty to meth charges in Rogers County.

He faced a three year prison sentence. Instead, he was given DA supervision, community service and ordered to pay fines.

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The officers involved have been placed in administrative leave as the investigation continues.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support the victims family. If you would like to help, click here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. (WWLP)  A gunshot victim is recovering in a hospital after they were shot Sunday morning on Cole Avenue in Williamstown.

Man sentenced for drugs and firearm charges in Northampton

According to the Williamstown Police Department, the victim was shot at 10 a.m. The victim was brought to Berkshire Medical Center and is expected to survive.

Police have determined the shooting to be a targeted incident and the public is not in danger.

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The Williamstown Police Department and Massachusetts State Police are investigating the shooting.

This is a developing story and 22News will update it with more information as soon as it becomes available.

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WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP)  A Greensboro police officer was involved in a shooting that took place at a Food Lion in Greensboro on Monday, according to the Greensboro Police Department.

At 10:45 a.m., Greensboro police say they got a report about a possible person with a handgun inside the Food Lion on Lawndale Drive.

Watch: Witness recounts officer-involved shooting in Greensboro Food Lion

Greensboro City Councilmember Zack Matheny was the first to confirm to FOX8 that there was a shooting. Police say the shooting took place inside the Food Lion.

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In a statement on social media, Gov. Roy Cooper said, I am in contact with local and state law enforcement regarding the shooting involving a Greensboro Police Officer. We have sent significant state law enforcement personnel who are helping with the response.

A Food Lion spokesperson said in a statement:

Food Lion is deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at our store located at 4709 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. As this is an active investigation, we are directing all questions to local law enforcement. Food Lion is cooperating with authorities and the store will remain closed while the police investigation continues. We are providing resources to support our associates during this difficult time.

GPD will be holding a press conference at 3 p.m. to share more information on the officer-involved shooting. That press conference will be streamed live here on MyFOX8.com

This is a developing story.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP.
DENVER (KDVR)  The Greeley Police Department SWAT team arrested a man for the second time in months on Nov. 7 for suspected distribution of narcotics and also found multiple firearms at a residence hes associated with, some of which police suspect were stolen.

Jade Mikel Shane, 46, was arrested in October this year after a Weld County Drug Task Force investigation into a residence in the 3200 block of 11th Avenue in Evans.

Police served a search warrant at the residence two months before the October arrest, when officers found over a half pound of methamphetamine, counterfeit M-30 pills suspected of containing fentanyl, psilocybin mushrooms, and 12 firearms, including one stolen out of Greeley.

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Man dead after jumping on moving vehicle in Aurora

Shane was arrested that day, but bonded out of custody, according to the Greeley Police Department. Its not his first interaction with the department: Shane was convicted of felony narcotic charges dating to 2013 and 2014 and served approximately seven years of a 14-year prison sentence.

The Greeley Police Department shared this image of confiscated weapons found during a search warrant in Evans. (Greeley Police Department) The Greeley Police Department shared this image of confiscated drugs and paraphernalia found during a search warrant in Evans. (Greeley Police Department)

On Nov. 7, the Greeley SWAT team secured the residence in the 3200 block of 11th Avenue once again and served a search warrant. Officers say they found large distribution amounts of narcotics inside the house. In total, investigators found:

About 460 counterfeit M-30 pills suspected of containing fentanyl

User amounts of methamphetamine

12 firearms, including five that were stolen from Colorado, California and Wyoming

Bulk amounts of ammunition

Shane is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 21. for a status conference. He also bonded out of custody in this matter, according to online Greeley police records.

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Anyone with information about this case who has not yet been interviewed by police is asked to contact Greeley Police Department Commander Scott Smith at 970-351-5211.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
A man has been charged in connection with the overdose death of his sister-in-law at her Fairfield Township home in March.

A Butler County grand jury on Dec. 10 indicted Auqeith Byner, 41, of Cincinnati, on felony charges of involuntary manslaughter and corrupting another with drugs. He is accused of selling a lethal dose of fentanyl and cocaine to his sister-in-law, 36-year-old Sherry Geis, on March 27.

In a press release issued Monday, Fairfield Township police said first responders were sent to Geis' home on Seward Road when family members found her unresponsive in her bed from an apparent overdose. Paramedics pronounced her dead on the scene.

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An autopsy performed by the Butler County Coroner's Office later confirmed she died from an accidental drug overdose of fentanyl and cocaine.

Investigators learned a drug transaction had taken place at a United Dairy Farmers near Geis' home and identified her brother-in-law, Byner, as the person who sold Geis the drugs.

Byner is currently incarcerated at the Kenton County Jail on unrelated drug charges. Police said will be extradited back to Ohio and charged in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Fairfield Township woman's overdose death linked to her brother-in-law
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A 23-year-old man was shot and killed while trying to intervene in a fight at a Northeast El Paso apartment complex over the weekend, El Paso Police said.

Jose Rufina Melendez, 23, was identified as the person who was shot and killed late Saturday night, Dec. 21 at 9435 Diana at the North Mountain Village Apartments.

UPDATE: 1 dead, 2 hurt after fight escalates into shooting in Northeast El Paso

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Police said they were called out to the apartment complex at about 11:35 p.m. Saturday on reports of a shooting.

When officers arrived, they found a man who had been shot. He was transported to a local hospital where he died, police said.

The Crimes Against Persons Unit is leading the investigation.

During the preliminary investigation, police learned that a fight occurred between two groups of people in the complexs parking lot. During the altercation, the victim, Melendez, tried to intervene and was shot, police said.

The shooter fled the scene before officers arrival.

Police said in their original release to the news media that two other people were transported with injuries but did not say if they were shot.

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Police are asking for the communitys help. Anyone who has information on this crime are asked to call police at (915) 832-4400 or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at (915) 566-8477 (TIPS).

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
JERUSALEM, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israel has signed a 582-million-U.S. dollar deal to sell an advanced air defense system to Slovakia, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Monday.

The deal, the largest defense export deal between the two countries, "will further strengthen the bond between the two nations and enhance Slovakia's defense capabilities," the ministry said in a statement.

Under the contract, Israel will provide Slovakia with the Barak MX Integrated Air Defense System. Manufactured by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, the system is designed to counter "current and future aerial threats," including warplanes, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles.

The system features three interceptors with operational ranges of 35, 70, and 150 km, each equipped with an active radar seeker, dual-pulse engine, and powerful warhead.

Israeli defense exports have expanded since the onset of Israel's multi-front fighting in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, and Syria in October 2023, according to Eyal Zamir, director-general of the Defense Ministry. He attributed the growth to Israeli technologies "demonstrating their effectiveness on the battlefield."

Zamir described the defense exports as key to Israel's security and economic strength. "They enable us to keep developing the next generations of the world's most advanced combat systems," he said. 
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP)  Police: Officer fatally shot in a North Carolina grocery store, and a suspect is in custody.
MERIDEN, Conn. (WTNH)  Police are searching for four men that ripped an ATM out of a gas station in Meriden Sunday morning.

The robbery took place at the Valero Gas Station at 369 Cook Ave. Suspects had fled the scene by the time police arrived.

In surveillance video, a green 2008 Honda CRV with the CT tags reading 4615CP can be seen smashing through the front window of the business.

The video shows four men inside the car. After smashing the window, they wrapped a chain connected to the Honda around the ATM.

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The machine fell apart as the suspects tried to leave the scene. They grabbed the cash box and left the rest of the machinery.

The same Honda is believed to have been involved in a similar attempt to steal an ATM in Branford later the same day.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
Two police union bosses in Fort Lauderdale got head-turning raises in January that took both city leaders and the police chief by surprise.

The raises, done outside the union contract, only came to light in August after City Hall got a public records inquiry about them. Together, they amount to more than $105,000 for one year alone.

After looking into the matter at the commissions request, Fort Lauderdales city auditor now says the union  not taxpayers  should pay for the raises, according to a report dated Oct. 25.

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The raises were approved neither by the commission nor members of the union, city officials say. And that means they were given in violation of the required process, the report says.

Now the city wants its money back, Mayor Dean Trantalis told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Monday.

Its up to the union and the union president as to how its paid back, he said. But we do expect them to pay the money back.

Trantalis could not say when that might happen.

We didnt give them a deadline, he said.

The salaries of Officers Scott Moseley and Scott Hoffer increased significantly after they paid a visit to then-City Manager Greg Chavarria to ask for a pay bump.

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Before the pay hike, Moseley and Hoffer earned $112,923 a year. After Chavarria intervened, Moseley, the unions president, saw his salary zoom to $179,524, a 59% raise. Hoffer, the unions vice president, saw his salary jump to $151,548, a 34% bump.

The raises were rescinded at the end of August after Chavarrias successor became aware of them.

Moseley defends the raises he and Hoffer negotiated for themselves.

I disagree with the (city auditors) report, Moseley told the Sun Sentinel via text. The (union) has a binding agreement with the city, and we intend to enforce it. We bargained the benefit with the city manager, and it was implemented and openly complied with by the city for several months with no issues.

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Moseley argues he and Hoffer did nothing wrong by going directly to Chavarria to ask for a pay increase.

The city manager is our point of contact for contract matters, Moseley said by text. Thats who we are required to deal with, and thats what we did. We relied on the city manager and expected the city to live up to its agreement.

Chavarria, who resigned as city manager in May, told the Sun Sentinel in mid-September that he ordered the raises to bring parity between leaders of the citys police and fire unions.

Chavarria directed the Human Resources director to increase the salaries of Moseley and Hoffer in January 2024.

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The Human Resources director requested justification for the raises from Chavarria, but failed to inform him that the raises needed approval from union members and the city commission, City Auditor Patrick Reilly said in a report dated Oct. 25.

Acting City Manager Susan Grant rescinded both raises Aug. 30 on grounds they did not adhere to the unions collective bargaining agreement.

Grant told the mayor and each commissioner about the raises that same day.

In his Oct. 25 report to the commission, Reilly wrote: The mission of the (union) president and vice president is to represent (union) members during bargaining agreement negotiations with the city. Therefore, services performed by the (union) president and vice president for its members should perhaps be paid for by the FOP. City taxpayers pay for policing services and police officers, not (union-related) duties.

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The report went on to question whether the taxpayers should be paying their salaries in the first place when both men work full time for the union.

Most importantly, it appears to be a conflict of interest when the city is paying the full-time salary of police officers when they are elected and working full-time for the (union) and are directly negotiating against the citys positions related to labor/management issues, Reilly wrote. Therefore, the creation of the two police officers assigned full-time to the FOP in which the City pays their salary (implemented in April 2022) should also be revisited.

Trantalis said he was alarmed to learn that another former city manager agreed in 2022 that the president and vice president of the police union didnt have to perform police work to collect a paycheck.

They only had to perform union duties, Trantalis said. Going forward, they should not be getting paid by the city for performing union duties. Only if theyre doing police work should we be paying them.

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Making that change would require commission approval, the mayor said.

The city auditors office interviewed Moseley and Hoffer on Oct. 2. They turned over a memo of understanding dated Jan. 5 to justify their raises, but the memo was signed only by Moseley. The city managers signature was missing and the memo was not reviewed by the city attorney, Reillys report says.

Commissioner John Herbst, who was endorsed by the police union during his recent election campaign, seems to be squarely on the side of the union leaders.

When the Sun Sentinel broke the story in early September, Herbst said he had only found out about the raises days earlier.

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We should have a thorough investigation that brings all the facts back to us, Herbst said at the time. This merits an investigation. I think everybody deserves an answer. The taxpayers, the union members and the commission. Lets investigate this. Lets get to the bottom of this.

But in a Sept. 7 letter to Moseley, Herbst claimed the article took his comments out of context, making it appear that he believed Moseley and Hoffer acted inappropriately.

That is absolutely false, Herbst wrote. For the record, I do not believe for one second that either of you did anything improper. I think that the City Auditor should review how the memo of understanding was processed by staff on the citys side to ensure that it was handled appropriately by them and is legally valid. If it needs commission approval, then I will be the first to propose that the commission ratify the memo of understanding to clear up any ambiguity.

Reillys report argues that Moseley and Hoffer should reimburse Fort Lauderdale taxpayers for the increased salary payments for the period from January 2024 through August 2024.

In addition, all pension contributions related to the raises should be reversed, Reilly wrote.

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis delivers the 2024 State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature in the House chamber at the Colorado Capitol in Denver, on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (Hyoung Chang, pool/The Denver Post)

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday granted 22 pardons and four commutations to people convicted of various crimes in the state, including two people sentenced to life in prison for murder.

Rudy Giron, who was convicted of first-degree murder in 1993, and Ronald Janoushek, who was convicted of first-degree murder in 1992, both received life sentences without the possibility of parole. Polis commuted their sentences so they will both be eligible for release in January 2033.

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In Girons case, Polis noted that he was offered a plea deal of 32 years, but Giron went to trial and received a harsh sentence. The victims family in his case also supported his clemency application, Polis said in his letter granting Girons commutation.

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Polis said Giron and Janoushek both committed to rehabilitation while in prison and have shown remorse for their actions.

Polis also granted commutations to Victor Clark and Travis Colvin.

Clark was one of several people convicted in relation to a series of bank robberies, but Polis said his co-defendants received less severe punishments for the same crimes. Polis commuted his 66-year sentence to make him eligible for parole in January 2030. Clark has already served nearly 13 years of his sentence and lives in a prison unit designed for individuals showing dedication to bettering themselves.

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Colvin has served 36 years of a 154-year sentence for sexual assault and attempted murder charges. Polis made him eligible for parole in January 2028 citing changes to laws around mandatory consecutive sentences since his conviction.

Many of the people Polis pardoned for drug charges are now sober and help others with substance abuse disorders. Others pardoned included veterans, people who started their own businesses, and others who worked for local government and agencies including the U.S. Postal Service and the Regional Transportation District.

Polis pardoned Mary Arneson, Cheryl Mohan-Athey, Isaac Badgerow, Wayne Balis, Johnny Bishop, Rachel Byers, Jeffrey Davies, Darrell Drewer, Kent Frisbie, Shawn Gilley, Buck Glanz, Gregory (Clay) Gordon, Tyler Green, Randy Guthridge, Christopher Hall, Ryan Hanscom, Michael Lovette, Steve Salazar, Brian Valish, Steven Venable, Ronnie West Jr., and Mark Young.

Glanz, whom Polis granted clemency for a 2011 charge of racketeering, became a public defender.

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Polis granted Davies clemency for a 1986 marijuana charge, and noted in his letter that the attitude surrounding marijuana possession has changed immensely since your convictions.

Balis, whom Polis granted clemency for a 1994 theft charge, volunteers with the Colorado Department of Corrections to help incarcerated individuals develop skills that will help them once they are released from custody.

Young runs an organization that leads mission trips to help children living in conflict zones. Polis granted him clemency for a 1986 trespassing and menacing charge.

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There is substantial evidence that former congressman Matt Gaetz regularly paid women, including a high school student, for sex and spent tens of thousands of dollars on sex- and drug-fueled parties and travel, according to a damning report from members of Congress.

The long-anticipated report from a House Ethics committee investigation finds that Gaetz likely violated state laws against statutory rape and illicit drug use, as well as House rules against misconduct and abuse of office.

Between 2017 and 2020, Gaetz regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him, including making payments to a 17-year-old girl, the report says.

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Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions, according to the report, which was released Monday.

The former Republican representative was Donald Trumps first choice for attorney general of the United States, the most powerful law enforcement official in the country.

He resigned from Congress after he received the nomination, then dropped his name from the running for the top job at the Department of Justice amid renewed scrutiny and imminent release of the report.

Gaetzs nomination for US Attorney General was announced by Donald Trump on November 13. He later withdrew following scrutiny into allegations against him (AP)

The committee had been set to release the findings of its years-long probe last month, two days after Trump nominated Gaetz on November 13. His resignation effectively killed the investigation.

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But lawmakers ultimately voted to release the report after all. The former congressman, who has denied all misconduct allegations, raged that the people investigating me hated me and gave him no chance to ever confront any accusers.

A former attorney in northwest Florida, Gaetz styled himself as a fighter for a more open and transparent government. In 2010, he was elected to serve in the Florida House of Representatives to represent portions of Okaloosa and Santa Rosa county.

His father, Don Gaetz, is an influential political powerbroker and state lawmaker who once served as president of the Florida Senate.

Don Gaetz returned to the state legislature after winning a state Senate seat in November.

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His son was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016, quickly earning a reputation as an outspoken far-right firebrand defending Trumps first-term agenda.

He staunchly defended Trump during investigations into the Trump campaigns alleged ties to Russia, which he described as a hoax, and during Trumps two impeachments.

Alongside Trump cheerleader Marjorie Taylor Greene, Gaetz embarked on a nationwide America First Tour in 2021, in which the pair repeated debunked claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election and attacked Trumps critics.

Along with fellow Trump cheerleader Marjorie Taylor Greene, Gaetz embarked on a nationwide America First Tour in 2021 (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Such devotion earned nicknames such as the Trumpiest Congressman in Trumps Washington by GQ magazine and the Trumpiest Congressman by Rolling Stone, which he reportedly considers badges of honor.

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He spearheaded the push to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was among a handful of GOP figures who taunted Gaetz over the allegations against him.

Gaetz also spent his time in office raging against special counsel Jack Smiths investigations into the former presidents attempts to subvert the 2020 election and his possession of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

His loyalty paid off. On November 13, Trump nominated Gaetz for US attorney general, sending shockwaves through Washington.

Meanwhile, Gaetz remained under investigation with the House Ethics Committee, and had previously been under investigation as part of a sex trafficking probe at the Justice Department.

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That investigation targeted Gaetz and a former associate, Joel Greenberg, and allegations that the pair were part of a group of Florida Republicans who reportedly attended parties where participants used drugs and paid women for sex.

Greenberg later pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor, among other charges.

No criminal charges were ever brought against Gaetz.

No criminal charges have ever been brought against Gaetz, and he has denied all allegations against him (AP)

The House inquiry included interviews with witnesses from the federal probe. New details about the committees work emerged following Gaetzs nomination.

Joel Leppard, a lawyer representing two women who testified over the summer in front of the committee, shared new details about the damning evidence his clients gave.

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The attorney said their testimony included claims that one of the women saw Gaetz have sex with the 17-year-old girl, which he vehemently denies. My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz having sex with a minor, Leppard told ABC.

Leppard also told the network that the women testified that Gaetz paid them to cross state lines in January 2018 and have sex with him on at least two occasions.

The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes.



I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me.



Then, the very witnesses DOJ deemed not-credible were  Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 18, 2024

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A bombshell document from the Justice Department investigation also alleged a web of payments between the former congressman and friends and associates said to have been with him at drug-fueled sex parties.

The document alleges that Gaetz and associates, including Greenberg, sent thousands of dollars by Venmo and PayPal to women who were reportedly involved in the sex parties between 2017 and 2020.

Separately, former Trump administration aide Cassidy Hutchinson claimed in a memoir Gaetz groped her on two occasions and tried to make a pass at her at Camp David. Gaetz has also denied those allegations but claimed the pair had once dated, which Hutchinson denies.

Despite maintaining his innocence in all matters, Gaetz ultimately bowed to the pressure and announced he would not seek the nomination to be attorney general, writing online that the media storm around the announcement was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.

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There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus Ill be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trumps DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1, he wrote in a post on X.

The former Congressmans wife, Ginger Gaetz (left), has supported him despite the barrage of allegations against him (gingergaetz/Instagram)

Gaetzs wife Ginger Gaetz called his decision the end of an era, and wrote that no one loves America more than this guy.

On December 18, as news emerged that the House Ethics committee had secretly voted to release its report, Gaetz admitted to have probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life as he blasted the committees decision.

In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated - even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years, he wroteon X. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court  which is why no such claim was ever made in court.

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The 42-year-old Republican said his 30s involve working very hard and playing hard too.

Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life, he said at the time. I live a different life now.
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(NewsNation)  This week, as millions of Christians around the world mark the birth of Jesus Christ, Pope Francis will open a special year in the Catholic Church known as the Jubilee. He will commence the year-long event by opening the Holy Door of St. Peters Basilica on Christmas Eve.



The Jubilee is a holy year set aside for prayer, forgiveness, and pilgrimage. The theme is hope  with the motto spes non confundit or hope does not disappoint. The Catholic Church encourages people to foster hope and to work for peace and justice in a special way during the year.

What will become of Christians in the new Syria?

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According to the Vatican, the tradition began in 1300 when Pope Boniface VII announced the first Jubilee. Later, Jubilees came to be celebrated every 25 years.

The Holy Door is a powerful symbol of the Jubilee, the Vatican says. When pilgrims pass through the door, they are reminded of St. Johns gospel: I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and find pasture.

On December 26, the pope will say Mass in a Roman prison to open the only Holy Door not in a papal basilica. The gesture is in keeping with key themes in Francis pontificate, emphasizing Gods mercy and ministering to the most vulnerable in society.

Get fact-based, unbiased news coverage 24/7 with the NewsNation app. Download it here.

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Catholics who visit Rome  or their local cathedral  during the Jubilee can obtain a special grace known as a plenary indulgence, which removes all temporal punishment for sin if all the requirements are met.

The pope says the Jubilee year is an opportunity to rediscover joy. Christian life is a journey that requires special moments to nourish and strengthen hope, an indispensable companion that helps us glimpse the goal: the encounter with the Lord Jesus, writes Francis.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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A part of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed Monday afternoon during a high-surf warning, with authorities confirming two people had to be pulled from the water.

The collapse of the municipal wharf was just one of multiple impacts in the weather-battered region as high surf and flooding led to multiple road closures and some coastal evacuations in Capitola.

A portion of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapses during high surf. / Credit: Santa Cruz Fire Department

Santa Cruz officials later said that the collapse happened at around 12:45 p.m.

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The National Weather Service Bay Area X account posted information and video from an X user about the collapse at 1:1:18 p.m. Monday.

KPIX First Alert Weather: Current conditions, alerts, maps for your area

"A portion of the Santa Cruz pier has collapsed, and is floating away," the post read. "Look at the ominous wave action on the horizon. You are risking your life, and those of the people that would need to try and save you by getting in or too close to the water."

A portion of the Santa Cruz Pier has collapsed, and is floating away. Look at the ominous wave action on the horizon. You are risking your life, and those of the people that would need to try and save you by getting in or too close to the water. #CAwx  https://t.co/5vCNQogvtI  NWS Bay Area  (@NWSBayArea) December 23, 2024

Santa Cruz Fire confirmed two people needed assistance being pulled from the water by life guards and a third person was able to get out of the surf on their own without help. The Santa Cruz Police Department was also at the scene.

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The Santa Cruz Wharf has been closed until further notice, officials said. The public is being asked to stay away from the area.

Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley and other city officials spoke about the incident shortly before 2:30 p.m. Keeley noted that the part of the pier that collapsed "was a portion of the municipal wharf that has already been determined to need to be taken down and repaired over time."

It included the Dolphin restaurant and one of the public bathrooms on the wharf. Keeley also confirmed that the people who fell into the water were city personnel who were working on the wharf at the time, but said that there were no injuries and all people were accounted for. The area of the wharf that washed away has been closed to the public since January of this year, officials said.

The mayor noted that in the collapse, they lost "many pilings, a lot of the deck of the wharf itself, as well as the restroom and what remained of the Dolphin restaurant."

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The public restroom had already washed ashore on the beach, but the mayor said that the rest of the debris that remained in the water presented "serious hazards for people and for any kind of navigation" and asked that people stay out of the water and off the beach for their safety and keep "their vehicles, their boats or other devices out in the water."

The mayor said city personnel were "assessing...the structural integrity of the wharf" given the incoming storm that would likely have additional impacts.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office confirmed the governor was briefed on the damage and said the California Office of Emergency Services was coordinating with local officials to help provide support.

As of Friday, clean-up efforts in the area around the Santa Cruz Wharf continued. The wharf itself and a number of Santa Cruz beaches remain closed due to safety issues. Santa Cruz officials are continuing to assess the damage as they try to determine when the remaining section of the wharf might reopen.

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The collapse of the pier comes after the National Weather Service issued a high surf warning that remains in effect through noon Tuesday for San Francisco, the North Bay coast including Point Reyes National Seashore, the Peninsula coast, the Monterey Bay, and Big Sur Coast. Breaking waves of 30 to 35 feet are expected along the coast.

Further south from the wharf, Santa Cruz County authorities confirmed to KPIX that a man died at Sunset State Beach after a large wave trapped him underneath washed-up debris. A second person remained missing after going into the water at Marina State Beach in Monterey County Monday afternoon.

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk announced the closure of the Boardwalk, the Casino Arcade and Neptune's Kingdom due to the weather current conditions shortly after 1:30 p.m. for the remainder of the day Monday. However, the Boardwalk Bowl remained open.

The pier was also damaged during the powerful bomb cyclone that caused extensive damage in Santa Cruz, Capitola and other coastal towns in January of 2023.

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The high surf was having additional impacts Monday as the day wore on. The Santa Cruz office of the CHP confirmed shortly after 3 p.m. that flooding had closed East Cliff at 9th Ave., East Cliff at Moran Lake, Marina Ave. at Aptos Beach Dr., Moosehead Dr., and Rio Del Mar at Aptos Beach Dr.

 **IMPORTANT ALERT** 



Heads up! East Cliff Dr is CLOSED between 26th Avenue and Palisades Avenue due to significant flooding.  Please do not attempt to drive across flooded areas or ignore road closuresits crucial for your safety.  pic.twitter.com/hLH84VuQ27  CHP Santa Cruz (@CHPscrz) December 23, 2024

There were also some evacuations in Capitola after the Capitola Village was closed by the flooding from the high surf, with waves pushing seawater into the area. Village residents were advised to shelter in place and the Capitola Venetian Hotel was evacuated.

This is a developing news story. Additional information will be included as it becomes available.

Investigation underway after body found in wheel well of United Airlines plane in Maui

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Popular cat food recalled after death linked to bird flu

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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)  The Louisiana State Police is investigating after a Prairieville man was killed in a crash in Ascension Parish Saturday night.

Troopers responded to a fatal crash involving a single vehicle on LA 42 at LA 929 in Ascension Parish just before midnight on Dec. 21. Richard Creel, 57, of Prairieville, was killed as a result of the crash.

According to state police, Creel was driving a 2000 Ford F-250 west on LA 42 near Hornsby Road. LSP said the truck failed to navigate a left curve, went off the road to the right and hit a tree.

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LSP said Creel was wearing his seatbelt but suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Although impairment is not suspected, a routine toxicology test was taken. The crash is still under investigation.

Troopers wish to remind motorists to always make good decisions while in a motor vehicle. Never drive impaired, fatigued, or distracted; follow all traffic laws, and always ensure every occupant is properly restrained. While not all crashes are survivable, taking simple precautions such as these can often mean the difference between life and death, LSP said.

Man sent to hospital after shooting in Baton Rouge Saturday night

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Crews will start surveying the Patapsco River and the land near the fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge in January to collect data for designing a new bridge, Maryland officials confirmed Monday.

The pre-construction work starting in January will include activities such as topographic surveys, underwater surveys and soil sampling, said Bradley Tanner, a Maryland Transportation Authority spokesperson.

A Coast Guard notice obtained by The Baltimore Sun alerts mariners to construction activity in the Patapsco River starting Jan. 7 through the states estimated completion of the new bridge in October of 2028.

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The notice also mentioned bridge demolition activities, though Tanner noted demolition wasnt expected until spring of 2025.

Tanner noted, though, that the schedules for work performed by Kietwit Infrastructure is still being refined. Kiewit, a Nebraska-based construction giant, was picked by state officials in August to build the new bridge.

Scott Petrie, a Kiewit project manager listed on the Coast Guard notice, acknowledged that the company was working on the replacement bridge project but referred further questions to the companys public relations department.

A spokesperson for the construction firm referred questions to the transportation authority. The Coast Guard did not immediately return requests for comment.

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The spending bill approved last week by a frenzied Congress authorized a commitment by the federal government to cover the cost of replacing the Key Bridge after it collapsed in March, killing six construction workers who were filling potholes.

Maryland officials say the rebuild could cost up to $1.9 billion, though at least some of the costs will be recouped through insurance payouts and litigation involving the Dalis owners.

Baltimore Sun Assistant Metro Editor Carson Swick contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Dan Belson at dbelson@baltsun.com, on X as @DanBelson_ or on Signal as @danbels.62.
BALTIMORE  Crews will start surveying the Patapsco River and the land near the fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge in January to collect data for designing a new bridge, Maryland officials confirmed Monday.

The pre-construction work starting in January will include activities such as topographic surveys, underwater surveys and soil sampling, said Bradley Tanner, a Maryland Transportation Authority spokesperson.

A Coast Guard notice obtained by The Baltimore Sun alerts mariners to construction activity in the Patapsco River starting Jan. 7 through the states estimated completion of the new bridge in October of 2028.

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The notice also mentioned bridge demolition activities, though Tanner noted demolition wasnt expected until spring of 2025.

Tanner noted, though, that the schedules for work performed by Kietwit Infrastructure is still being refined. Kiewit, a Nebraska-based construction giant, was picked by state officials in August to build the new bridge.

Scott Petrie, a Kiewit project manager listed on the Coast Guard notice, acknowledged that the company was working on the replacement bridge project but referred further questions to the companys public relations department.

A spokesperson for the construction firm referred questions to the transportation authority. The Coast Guard did not immediately return requests for comment.

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The spending bill approved last week by a frenzied Congress authorized a commitment by the federal government to cover the cost of replacing the Key Bridge after it collapsed in March, killing six construction workers who were filling potholes.

Maryland officials say the rebuild could cost up to $1.9 billion, though at least some of the costs will be recouped through insurance payouts and litigation involving the Dalis owners.

-------

Baltimore Sun Assistant Metro Editor Carson Swick contributed to this article.
RAMALLAH, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) warned on Monday about the impact of Sweden's decision to cut its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

During a meeting with Swedish Consul General Julius Liljestrom in Ramallah, Ahmed Abu Houli, a member of the PLO Executive Committee and head of the Department of Refugee Affairs, said that Sweden's decision would have serious and immediate effects on UNRWA's operations, including its ability to pay the salaries of its employees, according to a PLO statement.

Abu Houli urged the Swedish government to reconsider its decision and lead European efforts to support UNRWA politically and financially, stressing the need to protect UNRWA's mandate to uphold the rights of Palestinian refugees and ensure a fair solution in line with international law and UN resolutions.

He stressed that UNRWA's presence and ongoing services in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan are crucial for regional stability, serving as a lifeline for Palestinian refugees who depend on the agency's services, including food and cash assistance.

The Swedish consul general expressed understanding of the Palestinian concerns and reaffirmed his country's commitment to supporting the Palestinian cause and pursuing fair and comprehensive solutions.

He added that Sweden would review the concerns and submit recommendations to its government in line with its international and humanitarian obligations.

On Friday, Swedish media reported that Sweden had decided to stop funding the UN agency and instead plans to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza "through other channels." 
Princess Beatrices plans for the holidays have changed.

The 36-year-old royal  who is currently pregnant with her second child  was going to spend Christmas with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and his parents in Italy.

However, multiple outlets reported Sunday that Beatrice canceled the overseas trip because of medical advise that she received.

Princess Beatrice at the royal family Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 19. Getty Images

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at Cheltenham Racecourse in England on March 14, 2024. Getty Images

The princess was reportedly advised to not travel long distances due to her pregnancy. She is due to give birth in early spring.

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Beatrice, her husband, and their daughter Sienna, 3, will now be joining the royal family at Sandringham on Christmas.

Princess Beatrice with her husband at Kate Middletons Together At Christmas service on Dec. 6. Getty Images

Beatrices sister, Princess Eugenie, 34, is still expected to miss the festivities in favor of spending Christmas with her husband Jack Brooksbanks family.

The siblings both missed the royal familys Christmas gathering only once in the last decade. That was in December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Princess Beatrice at the The 10th Annual Lady Garden Foundation Langans Ladies Lunch. Dave Benett/Getty Images

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Princess Beatrice at the Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Dinner with Harrods in October. Dave Benett/Getty Images for Estee Lauder

Beatrice and her immediate family will be among over 40 people celebrating the holiday at King Charles IIIs Sandringham estate later this week.

The guest list includes Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton and their kids Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6

Well be 45 for Christmas. It wont be quiet, it will be noisy, William, 42, said about the holiday gathering during a recent visit with soldiers and their families in Bulford, Wiltshire.

Am I ready for Christmas? No, no way am I ready, he joked.

Kate Middleton and Prince William welcome the Emir of Qatar to London on Dec. 3. UK Press via Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who are both estranged from the royal family and now live in California with their two kids, were reportedly not invited to the celebration. The Sussexes have not spent Christmas with the royals since 2018.

Meghan Markle at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills on Dec. 4. FilmMagic

Prince Harry at the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit in September. REUTERS

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Beatrice and Eugenies parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, also wont be at Sandringham for Christmas.

The Duke of York, 64, decided to honorably withdraw from the annual celebration amid his connection to the Chinese spy scandal.

According to the Independent, Ferguson, 65, encouraged Andrew to bow out of the Christmas party, and gave up her own invitation.

Prince Andrew leaving King Charles coronation at Westminster Abbey in May 2023. REUTERS

Andrew and Ferguson are expected to remain home at Royal Lodge in Windsor Park  the palatial estate Andrew has fought to remain in after King Charles attempted to evict him.

The former couple was at Sandringham at Christmas last year. They were expected to attend the gathering again this year, but that changed due to the controversy over Andrews ex-staffer who has been accused of being a Chinese spy.

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Businessman Yang Tenbo, also known as Chris Yang, has denied the accusations of espionage leveled against him.

Court documents have reportedly revealed that Yang had an unusual degree of trust with Andrew and was authorized to act on his behalf in business dealings with Chinese investors.

The prince has also pushed back on the accusations and said he ceased all contact with the alleged spy.
Premature babies are among those at risk of dying if one of the remaining hospitals in northern Gaza follows Israeli orders to evacuate, the facilitys director warned Monday.

But even staying put poses a risk to 400 people, including patients, medics and sheltering civilians, who are in Kamal Adwan Hospital, according to its director, Dr. Husam Abu Safiya.

Abu Safiya said that, over the weekend, tanks and bulldozers encircled the hospitals western gates, with heavy gunfire continuously aimed at the facility in Beit Latiya.

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Bullets had penetrated the intensive care unit, the maternity department and the specialized surgery department, he said in a statement issued via WhatsApp.

A baby is treated at Kamal Adwan Hospital on Nov. 15.

On Telegram, Gazas Health Ministry also stated that the hospital was being attacked with explosives.

There are 91 patients hospitalized, including women in the neonatal unit of the hospital, according to Abu Safiya.

All types of weapons, including sniper fire, tank shells and quadcopters have been used to target the hospitals nursery, maternity ward and various other departments, he added.

By then, thankfully, patients had been moved to the hospitals internal corridors, Abu Safiya said.

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The Israeli military declined to respond on the record to Abu Safiyas allegations, but on Friday it told Reuters it had sent food and fuel to the hospital and helped evacuate "more than 100 patients" and others.

In October, Israeli forces stormed and then withdrew from Kamal Adwan Hospital, leaving a trail of destruction after a dayslong siege and overnight airstrikes that killed dozens. The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, labeled the offensive one of the darkest moments in the conflict.

Since October, Israel has renewed its military campaign in northern Gaza, predominantly in the areas of Beit Latiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia, describing its efforts as a way to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping.

Kamal Adwan Hospital, damaged after Israeli army attacks on Oct. 27.

Abu Safiya told Reuters in a text message on Sunday that shutting down the hospital would be next to impossible, as there are not enough ambulances to get patients out. We cannot evacuate these patients safely without assistance, equipment and time, he said.

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Aid agencies warn that the Israeli militarys latest order risks the lives of patients, amid an apparent increase on attacks on civilians.

The Israeli Militarys decision to resume attacks on an already damaged and under siege hospital whilst 400 civilians remain trapped inside, including babies in neonatal care, is a further violation of international law, said Mahmoud Shalabi, Medical Aid for Palestinians deputy director in northern Gaza.

Announcing a forced evacuation order whilst refusing aid in or patients and staff out leaves little option to obey, even if patients could be safely moved, he added.

Phillipe Lazzarani, the head of the U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees, wrote in a post on X: More civilians are reported killed and injured. Attacks on schools and hospitals have been commonplace.

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According to UNICEF estimates, at least 4,000 babies in the Gaza Strip have been completely cut off from newborn care in the past year due to sustained attacks on hospitals, especially deadly in the north.

The war that followed the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 and saw 250 taken hostage has decimated Gaza. Israeli forces have since killed some 45,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and destroyed much of the enclaves health system.

Amid the collapse of the health care system, Kamal Adwan Hospital has become a critical provider of essential services for pregnant women and children in northern Gaza.

Before the war, eight neonatal intensive care units were in operation across the Gaza Strip. By November this year, three of those units had been completely destroyed in the north, with the number of incubators plummeting from 105 to just nine  all at Kamal Adwan Hospital, according to UNICEF.

Ambulances transport victims of an Israeli airstrike on Kamal Adwan hospital on Nov. 23.

After the heavy attacks sustained by the hospital, it is unclear if the [incubators] remain functional, said Adele Khodr, UNICEFs Middle East and North Africa regional director.

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She added, Any newborn baby fighting to sustain its breaths from inside a hospital incubator is entirely defenseless and entirely reliant on specialist medical care and equipment to survive.

Doctors have floated that the Indonesian Hospital, located just outside the Jabaliya refugee camp, could serve as an alternative for transferring patients from Kamal Adwan. But they added that transporting patients and providing the necessary resources there would prove difficult.

The Indonesian Hospital has nonoperational generators, and there is also an oxygen station that is not functioning, Abu Safiya said.

Over the past several months, doctors and aid workers at Kamal Adwan Hospital have repeatedly issued appeals for immediate action to safeguard Gazas health care system.

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We have urgently called on the world to intervene and protect the health care system, and we continue to plead for immediate action to safeguard it from this ongoing attack, Abu Safiya said in his latest statement.





This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
President-elect Donald Trump has once again suggested he wants to revert the name of North Americas tallest mountain  Alaska's Denali  to Mount McKinley, wading into a sensitive and decades-old conflict about what the peak should be called.

Former President Barack Obama changed the official name to Denali in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents. The federal government in recent years has endeavored to change place-names considered disrespectful to Native people.

Denali is an Athabascan word meaning the high one" or the great one. A prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak Mount McKinley after President William McKinley, who had never been to Alaska. That name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until Obama changed it over opposition from lawmakers in McKinley's home state of Ohio.

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Trump suggested in 2016 that he might undo Obama's action, but he dropped that notion after Alaska's senators objected. He raised it again during a rally in Phoenix on Sunday.

McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president, Trump said Sunday. They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? Thats what they do to people.

Once again, Trump's suggestion drew quick opposition within Alaska.

Uh. Nope. Its Denali, Democratic state Sen. Scott Kawasaki posted on the social platform X Sunday night.

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who for years pushed for legislation to change the name to Denali, conveyed a similar sentiment in a post of her own.

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There is only one name worthy of North Americas tallest mountain: Denali  the Great One, Murkowski wrote on X.

Various tribes of Athabascan people have lived in the shadow of the 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) mountain for thousands of years.

McKinley, a Republican native of Ohio who served as the 25th president, was assassinated early in his second term in 1901 in Buffalo, New York.

Alaska and Ohio have been at odds over the name since at least the 1970s. Alaska had a standing request to change the name since 1975, when the legislature passed a resolution and then-Gov. Jay Hammond appealed to the federal government.

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Known for its majestic views, the mountain is dotted with glaciers and covered at the top with snow year-round, with powerful winds that make it difficult for the adventurous few who seek to climb it.

___

Rush reported from Portland, Oregon.
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)  A former New Orleans police officer is among 37 people on federal death row whose sentence is being commuted by President Joe Biden on Monday, Dec. 23.

According to the White House, Biden is reclassifying the sentence of former New Orleans Police Department officer Len Davis to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Will garbage be collected on Christmas Day in my Southeast Louisiana parish?

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In a statement, Biden said he is commuting the sentences ahead of President-Elect Donald Trump taking office, saying, In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.

Davis was convicted in the death of Kim Groves in 1996 and sentenced to death. He was convicted and sentenced to death again in 2005 after his initial conviction was thrown out.

Louisiana State Police investigates fatal Tangipahoa Parish deputy-involved shooting

Davis hired a hit man to kill Groves after she filed a civil rights complaint, stating she saw Davis beating a man in 1994.

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Its just so disheartening, and it hits close to home, said Kirschelle Williams, the deputy police monitor with the New Orleans Office of the Independent Police Monitor.

Williams says this is yet another blow for Groves family.

The pain that Len Davis has caused and the trauma he has caused these families, and the City of New Orleans will never be undone, explained Williams. They live with this pain, and they have to deal with this every day.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement on the commutation, saying, We cant trust the Feds to get justice for victims of heinous crimes, so its long past time for the State to get it done.

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The state hasnt executed any of their death row inmates since 2010.

According to a White House spokesperson, Biden believes the United States must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder, which is why only three prisoners remain on federal death row.

Mondays commutations follow Bidens Dec. 12 pardoning of 39 people and commutation of 1,499 sentences.

Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.

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Opinion. In late October 2023, after the Road to Healing tour's stop at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, around 500 Alaska Natives gathered to witness the raising of a healing totem pole, created to honor those who attended Indian boarding schools.

Among the attendees were U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community), and other Interior Department staff. Both Haaland and Newland participated in the totem-raising ceremony. Haaland, accompanied by a group of Alaska Native youth, placed cedar on the pole as a blessing, while Newland, braving the cold Alaskan October air, assisted in carrying the pole alongside a group of Alaska Native men.

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The totem pole, conceived as a symbol of healing, was envisioned by Haida elder Norma Jean Dunne (Haida/Tsimshian). It was carved at the Alaska Native Heritage Center by Haida master carvers Gidaawaan Joe Young and Sgwaayaans T.J. Young.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland helped to bless the healing totem pole with Alaska Native youth.

An inscription for the healing totem pole reads: The healing totem depicts Bear mother who can be seen clutching her two cubs while the father (in human form) sits above her, embedded in a ravens tail. Above him, the raven is mid-transformation, at a place in between a human and a raven form. Two children rest comfortably in ravens ears.

The raising of the healing totem pole was part of a deeply moving event that blended song, dance, and cultural ceremony. The totem was finally raised just before sundown, honoring the thousands of victims of Indian boarding schools. It stands as the only totem pole in the United States dedicated to those who endured the boarding school system.

The sight of so many people coming together to remember the victims was profoundly impactful. The ceremony was especially powerful because the painful history of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse suffered by Native students at these schools has left a lasting, traumatic legacy that continues to affect Native communities today.

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After the totem was raised, I was driven to the airport for a red-eye flight back to Michigan. As I left Anchorage, I carried with me a renewed sense of hope. The totem pole stands as a powerful symbol that healing is possible for our tribal communities, who have endured so much suffering for so long.

After the completion of the Road to Healing tour, which consisted of 12 stops across various regions of Indian Country, in July 2024, the Interior Department released the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report, Volume II that contains eight recommendations to help heal the aftermath of Indian boarding schools. One recommendation called for a national monument to acknowledge and commemorate the experiences of Indian Tribes, individuals, and families within the Federal Indian boarding school system.

Two weeks ago, at the 2024 White House Tribal Nations Summit, President Biden took another step in response to the findings of the investigative report by announcing the establishment of a national monument at the site of the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School.

The new monument will be located on 24.5 acres of what is now the U.S. Army's Carlisle Barracks, one of the countrys oldest military installations. The designated monument area will include the historic buildings and structures that once made up the Carlisle School campus, including the School Road Gateposts, which were constructed by Native American children and youth who were forced to labor at the school.

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About 7,800 children from more than 140 tribes were sent to Carlisle  stolen from their families, their tribes and their homelands. It was wrong making the Carlisle Indian school a national model, Biden told the White House summit. We dont erase history. We acknowledge it, we learn from it and we remember so we never repeat it again.

The president emphasized the significance of the new monument, which will stand as a reminder of the dark chapter in American history when Native Americans were forcibly taken from their homes and placed in Indian boarding schools. Many of these students endured physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

This proclamation builds on President Bidens historic apology at the Gila River Indian Community on October 25, 2024, further acknowledging the lasting harm caused by the boarding school system.

Tens of thousands of Native children entered the system, nearly 1000 documented Native child deaths, though the real number is likely to be much, much higher, Biden said at Gila River.Lost generations, culture and language, lost trust. It's horribly, horribly wrong, its a sin on our soul.

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A national monument at Carlisle has the potential to play a vital role in the healing that is so urgently needed in Native communities. The progress made under the Biden-Harris administration toward addressing the legacy of Indian boarding schools must continue into the next administration.

Having witnessed the power of the healing totem pole in Anchorage, I believe a national monument at Carlisle will aid in this healing process and serve as a powerful reminder to both Native and non-Native Americans that we cannot erase historyespecially this dark chapter of our nation's past.

Thayek gde nwendemen - We are all related.

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
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino shot back Sunday after President-elect Trump suggested the Panama Canal return to U.S. control.

As president, I want to express clearly that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama, and will continue to do so, Mulino said in video statement, according to an English translation. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.

The canal is not under direct or indirect control, neither by China, nor by the European community, nor by the United States, nor by any other power, Mulino said. As a Panamanian, I strongly reject any manifestation that distorts this reality.

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Panama respects other nations and demands respect, he added.

Trump, on Sunday, suggested to a conference of his supporters that the Panama Canal be returned to U.S. control, vowing swift action over the matter after he takes office in less than one month.

It was given to Panama and to the people of Panama, but it has provisions. You got to treat us fairly and they havent treated us fairly, Trump said at Turning Points American Fest.

If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question, Trump added.

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When an audience member yelled, take it back, Trump replied, Thats a good idea.

Trump also accused the Central American country of charging excessive fees for ships that use the canal to cross between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Panama charges tariffs for boats and ships to make use of the canal. Fees can vary based on the size and purpose of the vessels, ranging from $0.50 to $300,000. The U.S. handed Panama control of the canal in 1999.

Has anyone ever heard of the Panama Canal? Trump told the crowd at America Fest. Because were being ripped off at the Panama Canal like were being ripped off everywhere else.

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The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair, Trump said.

In the video statement, Mulino pushed back at Trumps attack on the fees, noting that the Panama Canal has grown since Panama has overseen its management and that the rates were fair.

Rates are not a whim, Mulino said. They are established publicly and in an open hearing, taking into account market conditions, international competition, operating costs and the maintenance and modernization needs of the interoceanic route.

This is how we achieved the expansion of the canal in 2016, which today represents greater economic and commercial growth, generating more wealth and opportunities throughout the world and its trade, he added.

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Mulino said he hopes to maintain a strong relationship with the incoming Trump administration and noted several issues he hopes to collaborate on.

With the new U.S. government, I hope to preserve and maintain a good and respectful relationship. Security issues such as illegal migration, drug trafficking and organized crime must be a priority on our bilateral agenda, as they are a real threat that should concern us greatly, he said.

He said the interests of his own country will always come first.

We Panamanians may think differently on many issues, but when it comes to our canal and our sovereignty, we all unite under a single flag, that of Panama, he said. We are a country open to dialogue, today and always, to investments and good relations, but with the clear motto that the country comes first.

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That, for this Panamanian president, is not negotiable.

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PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)  About three-quarters of registered voters in Peoria County and McLean County cast their ballots in this years presidential election, according to local election commissions.

Voters in Peoria County and Bloomington preferred Kamala Harris, while McLean County voters chose Donald Trump. Bloomington has its own election commission separate from the county.

From the get go, right out the gate. We were averaging around 300 voters a day here in Peoria County, said Elizabeth Gannon, executive director of Peoria County Election Commission.

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The massive turnout was boosted by record early voting.

Dealerships in Illinois forced to pay $20 million settlement for defrauding customers

The biggest turnout weve ever seen in early voting and vote by mail. Ive been in office 14 years. Ive never seen such a big turnout, said McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael.

Illinois 19 electoral votes went to the vice president, who won 55% of the statewide vote. But Donald Trump ultimately won enough electoral votes to secure the presidency for a second time. Hes the first person elected to non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s.

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The Cook Political Report rated the 17th Congressional District race as lean democrat by two points. It was billed as the most competitive congressional race in the state.

But that prediction was way off.

Incumbent Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), comfortably won a second term with 54.4% percent of the vote. His Republican opponent Joe McGraw got 45.6%.

The real nail-biter? The race for 10th Judicial Circuit Judge of Peoria County.

For days, the results were too close to call. But in the end, lawyer John Spears, a Democrat, beat Judge Frank Ierulli, a Republican, with a razor-thin margin of just 67 votes.

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Just goes to show, every vote counts, especially in local races.

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Minnesota music icon Prince will be among the artists honored with a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2025.

The 67th Annual Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 2nd, but the Recording Academy will honor multiple artists at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony the day before.

The honorees announced on Friday also include Frankie Beverly, The Clash, Dr. Bobby Jones, Taj Mahal, Roxanne Shante and Frankie Valli.

Scott Penner, Flickr

Prince won seven Grammys during his 40-year career and three of his albums - 1999, Purple Rain and Sign o' the Times - have been inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame.

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The Special Merit Awards Ceremony will be held at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. Trustees Awards will also go to Erroll Garner, Glyn Johns, and Tania Leon, while the Technical GRAMMY Award honors Dr. Leo Beranek.

"It's an amazing privilege to honor this eclectic group of music icons during the year's biggest week in music," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement.

"Each of this year's Special Merit Award recipients has left an indelible mark on music, from paving the way for others to innovation that forever has changed the trajectory of the musical landscape," he continued. We can't wait to celebrate this group and their achievements in February."
Source: Interpol



By Exec-Edge

The government of Uzbekistans ongoing investigation into the attempted murder of former presidential press secretary Komil Allamjonov has widened to include two Russian men with ties to Chechnya.

Last week, Uzbekistan charged Bislan Rasaev, 36, and Shamil Temrihanov, 31, with weapons, smuggling and illegal border crossing charges related to the late-October attempt on Allamjonovs life near his home in Tashkent. The government has asked Interpol for assistance in locating the suspects.

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Uzbekistan officials say that the suspects were promised $1.5 million from an unidentified source to kill Allamjonov and Dmitry Li, the head of Uzbekistans National Agency for Prospective Projects, which is responsible for regulating crypto currency, capital markets, insurance, e-commerce, lotteries and gambling activities.

Uzbek authorities said one of the suspects illegally crossed the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border and the other came through a checkpoint on the border between the two countries.

Rasaev is known to international law enforcement officials. In 2021, he and seven other men were arrested in Turkey on suspicions of plotting attacks against critics of Chechen leadership. In raids on two apartments in Turkey, officials found weapons and ammunition.

According to the Turkish National Intelligence Organization at the time, Rasaev was acting on orders of Chechen politicians and Chechen boxer Kazbek Dukuzov, who has been linked to the killing of American journalist Paul Klebnikov. Though questioned by Turkish authorities, there is no record of a conviction against Rasaev.

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Allamjonov was being driven home in the early hours of October 26, when two men on a motorcycle fired several shots into the vehicle he was traveling in. Neither Allamjonov nor the driver were injured. Several suspects were soon apprehended, but one, who has ties to a late Uzbekistan ambassador South Korea, fled to Seoul, where he was eventually caught and returned to Uzbekistan. In the wake of the attack, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev fired several top government security officials, including the Head of State Security Service Abdusalom Azizov, and his deputy Otabek Umarov, the presidents son-in-law.

Allamjonov left political office in September. During his time in government, he was part of Mirziyoyevs efforts to reform the former Soviet republic into a freer, Western-facing democracy. He helped lead the 2023 constitutional reform that enshrined personal freedoms in the country for the first time. He unblocked citizens access to outside and independent news sources and urged Uzbekistan journalists to hold government officials to account. He worked closely on reform efforts with Saida Mirziyoyev, the presidents oldest daughter and No. 2 in the government.

Contact:

Exec Edge

Editor@executives-edge.com
NEW DELHI, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government Monday confirmed it received a note verbale from Bangladesh in connection with an extradition request for Sheikh Hasina, the former Bangladeshi prime minister and Awami League chief.

India's foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal disclosed the development and said currently New Delhi has no comment to offer on this matter.

"We confirm that we have received a note verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today in connection with an extradition request. Currently, we have no comment to offer on this matter," Jaiswal said during a media briefing. The Bangladeshi interim government's foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain announced earlier Monday that his country has sent a diplomatic note to the Indian government, requesting that Hasina be sent back "for judicial process".

According to Bangladeshi media reports, Hasina fled to India on Aug. 5 after the collapse of her government.

Hasina resigned following nationwide anti-government protests. She immediately left Dhaka in a military helicopter and has stayed in India since then. 
A fitness influencer in Southern California who owned of a chain of fitness centers has died three months after he was shot in a robbery attempt.

According to KTLA 5, the Los Angeles Police Department say that Self Made Training Facility CEO Miguel Angel Aguilar, 43, was approached by four men in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sept. 13. The men allegedly demanded his property, though what property is unclear, before firing several shots at Aguilar and hitting him multiple times.

Aguilar was hospitalized in critical condition, and at the time, a post on the Self Made Training Facility Instagram page said that he had been involved in a "serious incident" and was "currently fighting bravely in the intensive care unit." Unfortunately, the company said in an update on Sunday that Aguilar had succumbed to his injuries and had "peacefully passed away on Dec. 21 surrounded by his loved ones."

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"Miguel was more than just a leader; he was a visionary, an inspiration, a mentor, a father, a husband, family, and a dear friend to many," the post read. "His unwavering dedication to Self Made Training Facility, his passion for the fitness industry and entrepreneurial spirit have left an enduring legacy."

Aguilar had been married to celebrity hair extensionist Priscilla Valles and the couple shared two daughters.

Founded by Aguilar, Self Made Training Facility is a chain of fitness centers geared towards athletes and personal trainers, which also provided mentorship to trainers to help them grow their businesses and earning potential. The chain boasts 26 locations across the country with 20 in California alone, and also sells apparel, supplements, equipment and its own line of bottled water.

Three men have since been charged with murder and robbery in the case, but a motive is unclear or if Aguilar was specifically targeted in the attack.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  The family of a Shelby County woman allegedly killed by her own son is speaking out.

65-year-old Rochelle Hill was found dead in her backyard two months ago.

As Hills family continues to mourn the loss of the beloved matriarch, WREG spoke with her other son who said hes still trying to make sense of what happened.

Its hard to put  to talk about a person thats no longer here, a family friend said of Hill during Saturdays memorial.

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ORIGINAL STORY: Womans body found in wooded area; neighbors claim son responsible for her death

A video shared with WREG showed family and friends saying their final goodbyes to Rochelle Hill affectionately known as Shelly.

She wasnt a friend. She was family, a loved one said. Im going to miss her dearly.

During her lifetime, the family says Hill wore many hats.

She was a friend, a daughter, a sister, and even an esteemed dental hygienist.

Rochelle Hill. (Photo provided by family)

But the title she held closest to her heart was her role as a mother.

A lot of people, they see me and they think Im just toughing it out but they dont realize that it hits, Wesley Hill-Miller said.

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Wesley Hill-Miller was Rochelle Hills older son and said his mother was a fierce lioness who did everything she could to protect her sons.

Very beautiful, strong, independent woman that just loved to bring the whole community together, Hill-Miller said.

However, to his surprise, when his mother went home at night she had to protect herself.

She didnt deny it but she would just downplay it because I would always ask whats going on, Hill-Miller said. Im finding out stuff that I didnt even know about. She used to have to sleep with the door locked.

On October 20, Shelby County deputies made a shocking and ghastly discovery on the property of Hills Southeast Shelby County home.

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She had been brutally killed, and the suspected killer is her youngest son, 24-year-old Tevon Rose.

Tevon Rose (SCSO)

Wesley, who lives in California, says when he learned the details of her death, he wasnt surprised that his baby brother was the accused killer.

I know my brother is not mentally all the way with us, Hill-Miller said. I didnt realize he was that dangerous, though.

He said his brother suffers from mental illness and often spoke about hearing voices.

Welsey said his brothers mental state worsened over the years.

Close family friends said Hill relentlessly sought help for her son whom she deeply loved but could never find the right fit for his specific needs.

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He went to a few institutions, but she always would end up getting him out, Hill-Miller said. She couldnt do it herself.

Rose is charged with murder, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, and resisting arrest.

Even in his grief, Wesley said he does not harbor animosity towards his brother.

I have no ill will towards him because I know hes not right mentally, Hill-Miller said.

Man charged with murder after mothers body found

Its unclear what may have happened leading up to Hills death.

According to court records, Rose is currently undergoing a mental evaluation.

Wesley says he hopes his brother can finally get the help he needs and that their mother wouldve wanted.

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I just hope he gets the right treatment, Hill-Miller said. The penitentiary wont be good for him. Hes probably going to need an institution, but either way, its going to be a long road for him.

Family and friends say while this tragedy leaves a stain on their hearts, Hill will forever be remembered as the loving, caring woman they knew.

Wesley says he hopes that sharing her story will bring more awareness to mental illness and the toll it can take on a family if not properly treated.

Im just proud of her, where she came from, and what she came through because I know it was rough, Hill-Miller said.

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Rose is due back in court on January 21st.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
I learned something shocking about Arizonas public school teachers recently.

Several things, actually.

Arizona State Universitys Morrison Institute for Public Policy surveyed more than 7,500 Arizona teachers, and the most astonishing revelation (among many) is that only 7% of our teachers  7%  felt they were supported by the policies of our Legislature.

That completely blew me away. I was sure the percentage would be way, WAY lower.

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And for good reason.

Arizona makes it hard for teachers to teach

The salaries for school teachers are not nearly good enough, which perhaps explains why so many of our teachers take external jobs. The health insurance isnt great. The support system stinks.

Teachers take on all kinds of unpaid duties and often end up purchasing stuff for their classrooms or students out of their own pockets.

Meantime, the Legislature seems hellbent on destroying the public education system by cutting budgets while handing out taxpayer money for private school vouchers to people rich enough to pay for such expenses on their own with little accountability.

Its our Republican-controlled Legislatures way of making sure public schools are underfunded and understaffed, allowing lawmakers to condemn them for not adequately serving our children.

Many teachers have reason to leave. Most don't

All of which at least partially explains an Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association survey showing that roughly 25% of teacher vacancies across the state remain unfilled, and a number of positions are filled by teachers who dont meet the states certification requirements.

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It also explains why the Morrison Institute study found that nearly two-thirds of Arizona teachers have considered leaving their jobs.

Opinion: Phones in schools are dangerous. Ban them

Kristi Eustice, the institutes assistant research director, told KTAR, In our focus groups and interviews, we heard explicit mentions of things like anxiety and depression. Theres just kind of an overwhelming feeling of theres too much to do and not enough time to do it.

And yet, in spite of all those good reasons to get out of Dodge, the vast majority of Arizonas teachers do not leave.

Teachers are dedicated. They make a difference

They return to their classrooms, year after year.

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They put up with the low pay and lack of support and idiotic legislative attacks.

And according to the survey, the reason they do so is fairly simple. Arizonas public school teachers are suckers  for your kids.

A whopping 92% of Arizonas teachers said they stay on the job because they feel like they are making a difference in the lives of their students.

Did you find it in your heart, hopefully, to gift your kids teacher a little something before Christmas break?

Because not only must educators deal with hostile lawmakers unwilling to fund education at a level they deserve, but they often dont even receive that most-precious non-monetary compensation:

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Respect.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

For more opinions content, please subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona teachers think about quitting. Here's why they don't | Opinion
Bonnetta Adeeb sighs heavily when she hears the term cowpea. Seconds pass while she decides how to respond. Will it be the modulated, kind but firm response of the former teacher of 37 years she is? Or will she show some of her vexation at that word, which she avoids as if it leaves an unpalatable aftertaste on her tongue?

On this day, Adeeb, the 73-year-old president and founder of the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, chooses playful but pointed rhetorical violence. She declared, Im not going to allow you to use that word in front of me anymore because Id have to fight you, with a chuckle. There is no real danger of fisticuffs here; within agriculture circles, Adeeb is known for her extreme affability and willingness to talk and partner with just about anyone. But shes making it clear just how much the name angers her and how irked she gets when she hears Black people, in particular, use the term.

In her work with Ujamaa, the Maryland resident promotes seed biodiversity and diversity among seed farmers, connecting growers of color and selling those communities valued seeds. And shes now campaigning to rename cowpeas African peas. Such a rebranding, she argues, is a long-overdue recognition that the black-eyed pea and its many cousins came from the African continent, which doesnt get its due for its contributions to global agriculture.

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Cowpea is the common name for the legumes known to botanists by the scientific name Vigna unguiculata. But theyre also called field peas or Southern peas for the U.S. region where they are legendarily beloved.

In the United States, the black-eyed pea is the most commonly known and available member of the family tree, which is entirely distinct from green peas of English peas-and-mash or Jolly Green Giant fame. The cowpea umbrella stretches far and wide, with multiple sub-categories such as crowder peas (named for how the peas grow crammed chockablock in the pods); lady peas (named for their small and delicate nature); and a plethora of heirlooms that have largely fallen out of commercial production and mainstream memory, and therefore off our plates.

Cowpea is the common name for the legumes known to botanists as Vigna unguiculata. The black-eyed pea is the most commonly known and available member of the family tree, but many us just call them field peas or Southern peas. (Courtesy of Bonnetta Adeeb)

As Adeeb advocates to get more cowpeas back into circulation and foodways, (Ujamaa regularly sells varieties like the Pinkeye Purple Hull and Blue Goose), shes proselytizing to make sure the peas African origins are also known and not forgotten.

Its hit or miss whether many American students learn about the Columbian Exchange  the movement of plants, animals, and people set a-traveling by European exploration and exploitation of the Western Hemisphere. Legend has it that, in 1493, Christopher Columbus sailed back across the ocean blue with kernels of corn in his pocket. This movement set the stage for todays tomato-sauce nationalism by some Italians and why tobacco use is a global health crisis: All of those crops are native to the Americas. Yet, the Columbian Exchange was never a simple two-way swap between Europe and the places they dubbed the New (to them) World. Africa and Asian actors were also at the literal and metaphorical trading tables.

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As scholars Judith Carney and Richard Rosomoff wrote in their seminal 2009 book, In the Shadow of Slavery: Africas Botanical Legacy in the Atlantic World, Africans have contributed more than 100 species to the global food supplies. The plants they gave the world include pearl (bulrush) millet, sorghum, coffee, watermelon, black-eyed pea, okra, palm oil, the kola nut, tamarind, hibiscus and a species of rice. Widely known consumer products  Coca-Cola, Palmolive soap, Worcestershire sauce, Red Zinger tea, Snapple and most soft drinks  rely in part on plants domesticated in Africa. African contributions to global plant history, however, are largely unacknowledged and seldom appreciated. In the popular image, Africa is a place of hunger and starvation.

Cowpeas traveled to the Caribbean and the Americas via slave ships, where they were used to feed captive Africans on the Middle Passage. Ever concerned with their margins and documenting the business of global human trafficking, slavers routinely listed peas picked up in African ports in their inventories.

But the cowpeas history begins many centuries before. Archaeologists Amanda Logan and Derek Watson have uncovered traces of 4,000-year-old charred cowpeas in central Ghana. But in ancient times, they dispersed throughout the world  a diaspora evidenced by, for example, the presence of black-eyed pea fritters called acaraje in Brazil and akara in West Africa, and sold as popular street food. Cowpeas landed as far away as present-day India and China. In fact, the existence of Asian long beans, which share the same Vigna species classification as black-eyed peas, convinced agricultural scientists in the 1920s that their origins lay in China or India.

But modern scientific advancements have bred scientific consensus. In addition to those ancient cowpea remains in West Africa, scientists have found wild cowpeas only on the continent, where they are grown in 45 of its more than 50 nations and territories. The sheer diversity of varieties supports the conclusion that Africa was the botanical mothership of cowpeas, which cowpeas were probably domesticated at multiple sites across Africa.

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Sharing this African ur-story is important to Adeeb, who grew up in a family active in the anti-apartheid movement and who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana. Shes likely to be carrying sorghum seeds on a given day, as shes collecting endangered grains from around the world. On a recent trip to Cameroon, she gloried in the sight of cowpeas drying on tarps in tropical sun. Publicly asserting the African origins of cowpeas is an intellectual and activist project, and one shes proclaiming at agricultural conferences far and wide.

But the anger behind her push also comes from a careless comment of a U.S. Department of Agriculture staffer who allegedly told an Ujamaa partner that cowpeas werent fit for human consumption. Of course, Adeeb and partners knew that cowpea leaves and beans are important, protein-rich staples in many developing countries and culturally important among Black Americans, respectively. Just recounting that statement, Adeeb switches to the third person: Now Bonnetta got mad and says that such provocation unleashed her inner angry granny.

She has a theory: that the term cowpea puts livestock over Black people and is, in fact, a coded way of rejecting Black humanity. In this country, African Americans were treated as chattel [under slavery], and cattle ate some of the same things Black folk ate, she said. I will not allow one of the important crops in the world to be defined by its lowest common denominator.

She spent years trying to integrate Africa into pre-college school curricula, and shes taken her cowpea crusade to a different educational stage: speaking about it at agricultural conferences and changing how Ujamaa refers to them in its own publications.

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Carney, whose book remains the seminal source on the African crops global odysseys, found the idea that the term cowpea might be a racial insult intriguing and possible. She also mused about whether the name black-eyed pea was not so much a descriptor of its appearance, but a sly way that Africans in the Americas referenced themselves and Blackness, rather than the surrounding light color of the pea and the whiteness that encircled them.

By seeking to rename black-eyed peas African peas, Bonnetta Adeeb wants to make sure the plants African origins are not forgotten. (Courtesy of Bonneta Adeeb)

Yet the origins of the term cowpea, the word that so draws Adeebs ire, are not entirely clear. Benjamin Torke, a tropical legume specialist who works at the New York Botanical Society, has written a three-part series on cowpea history. In his research, he noted 18th-century sources that talk of horse beans or legumes that, like guinea hens, came to the Caribbean via Africa. And according to The National Research Councils Lost Crops of Africa, across Spanish-speaking America, different vegetables bore the names frijol de vaca (literally, cow bean in translation) or chicaro de vaca and judia de baca; some of those vegetables seem to be cowpeas and others not. Trying to connect a modern plant to an older one on the basis of fragmentary records  a short passage in a letter here, naturalists illustrations there and sometimes centuries-old botanical samples preserved in herbariums  is risky business.

I asked B.B. Singh, a renowned scientist who was one of the worlds most experienced cowpea breeders, for insights about the name. Singh had written a book about cowpea history, after decades developing varieties, including a much-celebrated 60-day cowpea that only took two months to mature. Hed studied cowpeas in the United States, his native India, and at Nigerias International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, which has a gene bank of more than 15,000 cowpea samples. When we spoke, he was retired and overseeing a farm in his Indian hometown (he died several days later).

During our WhatsApp conversation, Singh observed that naming practices of crop families usually dont mention locations: Traditionally, common names of crops have not been given after the place of origin, but based on physical and culinary properties selected for in different regions. For example, maize is not called Mexican maize, but yellow maize, white maize, popcorn and sweet corn, etc.

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There is, however, a notable exception, in a different but adjacent realm. Adeeb is talking about replacing a common name of the vegetable, but theres an ongoing movement to change scientific names that are rooted in racism. In July 2024, the International Botanical Congress, which oversees official scientific names, voted to revise species names that included the prefix caffra-, a variation of kaffir, a racial epithet for Black people in Arabic-speaking countries and Southern Africa. That prefix was often used to indicate that a plant  say, the coast coral tree (Erythrina caffra)  came from Africa; it will be replaced by affra.

Singh was skeptical of the assertion that cowpea could be a subtle anti-Black insult. In fact, he considered the idea slander against a plant that has saved lives across the world. Cowpeas are high in protein. Their leaves, beans and hay feed millions of people and animals in places often stricken with hunger; the plants abilities to capture nitrogen enriches soil and makes it a reliable and beneficial crop to plant in arid and hostile conditions.

He recounted that in northern Nigeria where he was posted as a researcher starting in 1978, herders rolled cowpea hay into big, wispy balls. Theyd stash the bundles on their roofs to dry for animal feed. Sometimes the most obvious explanation trumps the complicated, and he insisted the name was just that simple, just as passionately as Adeeb insisted on her racial reading.

A man tends to a crop of peas in this undated photo in Nigeria. (Library of Congress)

She says the answer is rarely that simple. Theres what people say officially and what people think and feel privately. Adeeb argues that skeptics should consider how comprehensively and casually Eurocentric cultures have smeared Blackness and how even some well-informed scholars have suggested that cowpea leaves are just last-resort or famine food, when they are choice ingredients in dishes such as East Africas kunde. Shes not here for cowpea slander, either, and associating them with only with food insecurity is one that she cant abide.

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The answer is likely not either-or, but that context matters. In a West African pastoralist society, naming something after livestock might not be an insult, given the valued place of animals in such cultures. In an American context  or in the context of global white supremacy or the African diaspora  its not far-fetched to see race and racism in plant or food names. Negro Wonder was an old type of oats, Brazil nuts have been vulgarly and colloquially called n-     toes and across the Atlantic, desserts that once got their sweetness from slave-made sugar sometimes come with similar names.

Researching this story, I came across Charles Pipers 1912 Agricultural Varieties of the Cowpea and Immediately Related Species, published for the federal governments Bureau of Plant Industry. Inside was a long list of cowpea names, complete with details of their speckles, degree of mushiness, opinions about taste and market potential, and how their vines creep. It included the n-     pea, mentioned in a 1902 agricultural bulletin from Kansas with a scant blurb: seeds, black small.

The post The Push to Rename Black-Eyed Peas and Reclaim African Heritage appeared first on Capital B News.
A 22-year-old female sheriffs deputy became the target of a 62-year-old male deputys sexual comments, she told her supervisor four months after she started.

The man was fired, she was told. Then he walked into the courthouse where she worked, still wearing a Rowan County Sheriffs Office uniform.

She went to the sheriff for answers. She got them  and more.

Sheriff Travis Allen told the deputy he believed her, but his response to her questions landed him under scrutiny when an audio clip of their conversation was posted on social media.

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If youre gonna be a patrol officer, youre gonna have to sometimes put your big girl pants on he told the female deputy. You cant be offended of anybody, because if you do, youre gonna have a very short career in this field.

The female deputys documentation of her experiences  from stares, comments and texts to Allens responses  offers a look into how a small-town sheriff handled reports of sexual misconduct. Survey data suggests her experiences are not isolated.

The female deputy confirmed to The Charlotte Observer that she made a written complaint and the recording, both of which were originally posted to social media without her knowledge. She said she put in her two weeks notice the day after her conversation with the sheriff. Before joining Allens office as a 21-year-old, she said, she had only ever worked as a camp counselor.

The female deputy declined to do a full interview and asked to remain anonymous.

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Rowan County, about 40 miles northeast of Charlotte, is small, she said. Most people in the sheriffs office and the courthouse already knew about her complaint and conversation with Allen  a first-term sheriff elected in 2022.

But she found a new job in law enforcement, she said, and she doesnt want her name to be publicly associated with the incident.

The Charlotte Observer reviewed the July report she turned in to her supervisor detailing what happened with the deputy, Coyt Karriker. The Observer also obtained a recording of her full conversation with Allen and later interviewed both him and Karriker.

In a phone call with the Observer, Karriker said the female deputys claims were unfounded and did not tell the whole story. They were a personal attack just on me, he said without elaborating.

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Allen, in an early December hour-long interview with the Observer, reflected on the conversation.

Its wrong, you know, I shouldnt, he said. I dont know if youd say wrong is the right word. I think Ive learnt my lesson now: Dont be nobodys dad. You know what I mean? Dont try to be somebodys parent.

Complaint alleges sexual comments, unwanted hugs in office

It all started when Karriker, a part-time deputy making $24 an hour, asked for the female deputys number shortly after she joined the force in April, according to her complaint.

He had worked there since March and was previously chief at the Rowan County Rescue Squad.

According to the female deputys complaint, Karriker started messaging her at 11 p.m., but shed ignore it. He routinely asked her for a hug, and shed quickly wrap and unwrap one of her arms around him.

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When she needed a new uniform, Karriker was tasked with finding one that would fit her. Inside that uniform room, according to the deputys complaint, Karriker unleashed a wave of sexual comments:

I was trying to be nice and keep it professional but Coyt kept making comments saying if I was his, I wouldnt have to work, and didnt I want him to take care of me and pay my bills, the deputy wrote.

He then kept mentioning that if I would say yes to him that I could be going to vacation with him and that he had a place at the beach and a timeshare in the mountains.

Coyt told me [he] had ladies that wanted him both [in] civil and criminal clerks office but that he was holding off waiting for me.

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The deputy wrote that she repeatedly mentioned that she had a boyfriend, changed the topic and asked for the uniform. When Karriker  who was nearly three times her age  finally gave her one, he lingered in the room.

He just kept looking at me and said that he could stay in the room to help me change, the deputy wrote in her complaint.

He eventually stepped out. When he returned, according to the complaint, he said Your ass looks good in those pants. Then he tried to put a new belt around her waist and a tie around her neck.

I told him that I can do it and that I got it, she wrote.

He reportedly insisted that he adjust the belt and button her top.

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He didnt let go, the deputy wrote. He looked at me and stated I hope me being this close to your neck doesnt get you too excited.

She turned away. He left again. And when he came back he stopped me and asked me if he could give me a kiss. She declined, repeating that she had a boyfriend. He asked for a hug instead and told her she smelt good.

She left the room trying not to cry, her complaint said. She wrapped up some work, according to the complaint, then sat in her car.

Tears ran down her face. A stress rash crawled up her chest and neck. She could smell Karrikers cologne on her.

She had a panic attack, she wrote. Later that night, the deputy told her boyfriend what happened. After continued comments from Karriker, she submitted her complaint to her supervisor, who worked below the sheriff.

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Allen, talking to the female deputy in his office, said Karrikers actions were a non-assaultive offense.

I mean, he didnt force himself onto you. He didnt grab you or anything like that, he said.

He buttoned my shirt, he put his hands around my waist, the deputy replied.

OK, Allen said. You consider that a sexual assault? I guess you could but that would mean you having to go to the magistrate.

Allen later told the female deputy he has no tolerance for sexual behavior in his office and likened her experience to that of his own daughter, who works in a similarly male-dominated field as an airline pilot. He said: Ladies, they have to be tougher than men and I hate that.

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I dont want to be inappropriate either, Allen said, but youre not an ugly person, right? Youre an attractive young lady. You carry yourself well. Youre a professional lady. So youre going to attract attention and youre going to get good attention and bad attention.

So you need to prepare to do exactly what youve done report it, but be stronger than it is I aint your daddy, I dont know how to tell you this stuff but you, youre gonna have to guard yourself against it to make yourself stronger.

Rowan County sheriff responds to deputys questions about discipline

The sheriff told the female deputy that he let Karriker keep his uniform but took him off the payroll and took his gun and access to the office.

About halfway through the female deputys recorded 30-minute conversation with Allen, she lays out her grievance with how the sheriff handled the situation:

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Allowing him to wear that uniform, the female deputy told Allen during the September meeting in his office, youre allowing him to represent you and this place, even though he has this history and this pattern It shows to the other females it brushes off what he did.

Allen earlier in the recorded conversation acknowledged that other women had made complaints against Karriker. Those women, according to Allen, later said the complaints were minor to them.

Allen also explained that Karrikers status was similar to that of a retired officer, meaning he could keep his uniform.

Someone could have at least communicated with me to tell me, Hey, hes gonna be here, the female deputy told Allen.

I hear what youre saying, alright, Allen replied, but if youre gonna be a patrol officer, youre gonna have to sometimes put your big girl pants on.

And I understand that, the deputy started.

Cause you know how many times youre gonna be called a slut and a bitch and everything else out on the street? Allen continued. Youre gonna be talked about. Theyre gonna grab you. Theyre gonna talk about your body. You realize thats coming?

And I understand that, she said again.

You cant run from that. You cant be afraid, Allen said.

And Im not, she said.

You cant be offended of anybody, Allen told her. Because if you do, youre gonna have a very short career in this field.

Allen had read the deputys July complaint before the meeting, he told her. In it, she wrote: I didnt want to bring any negative light my way I didnt want this to affect my career negatively. So I kept it to myself.





Sheriffs explanation for his comments

In his interview with the Observer, Allen said he felt 90% of this conversation is an encouraging conversation and that 90% of my comments to this young lady are positive. He was trying to encourage her to be strong, to be tough, he said.

When Allen told the deputy youre going to have to put your big girl pants on, he said he was referring to being out on the street, not about sexual harassment in the workplace.

My heart and my intention is to always protect my people, he said. And I do have a soft spot for our young officers. I want them to survive this career.

Karriker told the Observer he made the decision to retire in October. When asked in a second phone call how he retired, who he spoke to or who he sent a message to announcing his resignation, Karriker hung up.

Allen told the Observer that Karriker was removed from paid duty in July, 24 hours after the young deputy reported him, and he never worked another day in a paid capacity. Rowan County Human Resources records show Karrikers last day worked was July 26, but he was not separated from his employment until October 17.

It took away something that he ... had pride in, Allen told the female deputy, explaining that Karriker had no gun, car or building access  only the uniform. He hates me now. His family hates me nowSo Im getting it from both ends now, because you aint happy, and he aint happy.

Allen told the deputy Karriker did not work for the sheriffs office in any way. He was removed from paid duty, but he still had his certification as a deputy. That allowed him to keep his uniform.

If he would have admitted to it and I could prove it 100%, [the uniform] would be gone as well, Allen told the female deputy. But I felt that that was a good compromise I had two people saying opposite things though I believe one and I dont believe him so I went 90% on punishment and 10% on leniency.

Deputies retrieved Karrikers uniform, said Allens chief deputy, Jason Owens, after Allens meeting with the female deputy.

According to a 2021 U.S. Department of Justice survey, 71% of female law enforcement officers and 41% of male officers experienced non-physical workplace sexual harassment and sexual assault. A 2022 NBC News report revealed that officer-on-officer abuse lawsuits cost taxpayers more than $40 million in payouts in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Chicago sheriffs offices and police departments.

Allegations first unraveled on Facebook

A series of October Facebook posts made by Josh Harrington, a Rowan County police dog breeder, originally posted the deputys report and the clip of the recorded conversation. In recent months, Harrington has continued posting a variety of complaints about what he says is misconduct in the sheriffs office.

The series prompted Allen in October to issue a unique and religion-rooted public statement on the sheriffs office Facebook page.

In it, Allen said: I dont usually comment on negative hate speech from individuals on facebook after much prayer i have decided how to respond.

I am not a crooked Sheriff nor is my administration. I will never tolerate criminal activity in my office ever! Allen wrote in response to Harringtons social media posts. I live my life to try and honor my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I have thought about how to respond to your false claims against me Should I sue for slander? Should I blast you online? That is what my flesh wants to do. However, that is not what the Holy Spirit is impressing on me to do.

I have simply decided to say that I forgive you. I forgive you. I pray that God gives you peace and contentment. I pray that He helps and gives you wisdom to see and tell the truth in all things.

I know you will some how twist this to use against me but the Lord has pressed me to relay this message to you so do with it as you wish. I will go to sleep tonight with peace in my heart knowing I have done as he has instructed me to do.

Observer staff writer Jeff A. Chamer contributed to this story.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Days after a heated Memphis-Shelby County School board meeting, a state representative is responding to a problematic comment made after he expressed his views on the session.

On Tuesday, MSCS called a meeting to discuss whether they should terminate Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins contract.

However, the school board meeting quickly became unruly, with some attendees being escorted out by security.

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State Representative Antonio Parkinson took to Facebook to express his concerns about Representative Mark Whites presence at the meeting.

MSCS board postpones vote on Feagins future until January

Just so Im clear, you have an internal family disagreement (Black folks) about the direction of MSCS. And you go and get the white Republican who is leading the complete decimation of MSCS? Am I the only one confused about this, Parkinson said.

Parkinson is calling for the board to handle their issues internally without relying on state representatives.

The board is predominantly African-American. The people that were disrupting the meeting are predominantly Black and brown people. So those are the people that Im talking to, and let me be clear, because I have a great relationship with State Representative Mark White. Its no slight against him. Theres nothing against him at all, Parkinson said.  I know he was called because Mark White, who is from Germantown, does not routinely just hang out in Hyde Park. But he was there, and its nothing against him. He is not the issue. This is an issue within the Black family. You got a disagreement with another Black person. You dont go out there and get the law to put on that Black person. Solve it. Fix it internally.

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However, Parkinsons post sparked a disturbing comment from someone who suggested that Parkinson should be put down like a dog.

Antonio Parkinson is the epitome of a lost soul of a human being that has never accomplished ANYTHING in his life. He has NEVER EARNED an honest dollar a day in his sad life. He should be put down like a dog but then again a dog has more redeeming qualities than this leech that has lived off the tax payer tit. the post said.

While speaking with WREG about the post. Rep. Parkinson said it was clear that the commenter did not know anything about his background.

Tired of all the bull crap: MSCS Board split on delaying superintendents contract vote

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To me, it doesnt get any more vile than that, Parkinson said. Im an individual that came from being homeless three times before the age of 17. I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. I became a firefighter, retired after 25 years, and was a lieutenant in the fire department for half of my time that I was in the fire department. I became a state legislator. Im one of the highest output state representatives  Democratic state representatives in the Tennessee legislature. Those are my accomplishments.

Rep. Parkinson added that the comment could also inspire someone to do something dangerous.

Im a father. I got I have two girls and I know that he has children and a wife, Parkinson said. And I would, but I would never, ever, ever say that somebody needs to kill him like a dog. He has a wife and children. Now, what if some crazy individual decides to take him up on that act? Thats irresponsible.

Rep. Parkinson said the individual has been reported to the police and district attorney. Hes also calling for the school board to handle their internal issues without relying on state representatives.

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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed gas transit, the war in Ukraine, and standardizing "mutual relations" between Russia and Slovakia during their meeting on Dec. 22, Fico said.

Fico held talks with Putin at the Kremlin on Dec. 22 during a visit to Moscow.

The meeting with Putin was "a response" to President Volodymyr Zelensky's refusal to extend the transit of Russian gas supplies to the European Union via Ukraine, Fico said in a Facebook post following the meeting.

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"Putin confirmed the readiness of the Russian Federation to continue supplying gas to the West and Slovakia, which is practically impossible given the position of the Ukrainian president after Jan. 1, 2025," Fico wrote.

An agreement to allow the transit of gas from Russia to Europe via Ukraine is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2024. Zelensky confirmed on Dec. 19 that Kyiv will not extend the deal.

"We will not engage in extending the transit of Russian gas. We will not give (Russia) the opportunity to earn additional billions on our blood," Zelensky said.

Fico criticized the decision, warning of a looming gas crisis. Within days, he traveled to Moscow in his first visit since his 2023 reelection. His trip represents the third time a European leader has visited Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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In his comments following the meeting, Fico also criticized Zelensky's support for sanctions against Russia's nuclear program.

"With such positions, (Zelensky) is financially damaging Slovakia and threatening the production of electricity in nuclear power plants in Slovakia, which is unacceptable," he said.

According to Fico, he and Putin went on to discuss the war in Ukraine and relations between Moscow and Bratislava.

"In a long conversation ... Putin and I exchanged views on the military situation in Ukraine, the possibilities of an early peaceful end to the war, and on mutual relations between the Slovak Republic and the Russian Federation, which I intend to standardize," he wrote.

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Fico, who heads the Slovak government for the fourth time in his political career, has been a vocal opponent of military aid for Ukraine and has close ties to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, another Central European populist leader with friendly attitudes toward Putin.

Slovakia and Hungary are both heavily reliant on Russian gas, despite the EU's efforts to wean itself from Russian fossil fuels amid the full-scale invasion.

Ukraine's decision to let the transit agreement expire prompted the state-owned energy companies of Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, and Austria to issue a joint declaration calling for the continuation of gas transit.

Slovakia has a long-term contract with Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom and estimates alternative arrangements could cost an additional 220 million ($228.73 million) in transit fees.

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Fico said in October that he hopes to resume "economic and standard relations" between Russia and Slovakia after the war in Ukraine ends.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: For the first time, Ukraine attacks Russian positions using solely ground, FPV drones

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 22 threatened Ukraine with "more destruction" after drones struck several buildings in the Russian city of Kazan the previous day.

Drones hit residential buildings in Kazan, located in Russia's Tatarstan region, the morning of Dec. 21. The strike shattered windows in a high-rise apartment complex, but there were no reported casualties.

Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

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"Whoever, and however much they try to destroy, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they are trying to do in our country," Putin said in a video address to the local leader of Tatarstan on Dec. 22.

The comment comes a few days after Putin on Dec. 19 threatened to launch Russia's Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) at Kyiv to test Western air defenses.

Previously, Putin claimed Russia planned to target "decision-making centers" in Kyiv with Oreshnik missiles.

The drone attack on Kazan, which lies about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the Ukrainian border, prompted school evacuations and temporary suspension of flights at nearby airports.

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Officials in Tatarstan reported that of the eight drones that attacked Kazan, six struck luxury apartment buildings, one hit an industrial facility, and one was shot down.

Kyiv has targeted military and industrial facilities in Russia with drone strikes in an attempt to reduce Moscow's capacity to launch long-range weapons and finance its full-scale war against Ukraine.

Russian aerial attacks against Ukrainian cities escalated sharply in the fall of 2024. Drone strikes surged to record levels in October and November, and Russia dropped at least 100 guided bombs per day nearly every day between Nov. 1-20.

Civilian casualties from Russian missiles and aerial bombs increased significantly in 2024 compared to the previous year, the U.N. reported.

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A Russian guided aerial bomb struck an oncology center in Kherson overnight on Dec. 21. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack "a heinous act of cruelty."

Read also: Ukraine war latest: For the first time, Ukraine attacks Russian positions using solely ground, FPV drones

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
In 2006, Queen Elizabeth broke precedent and invited Kate Middleton  then Prince Williams girlfriend  to Christmas at Sandringham.

Understood protocol dictated that partners of royals abided by the no ring, no bring rule  that they didnt attend official royal family gatherings like the traditional Christmas at Sandringham unless they were married. Because William and Kate werent even engaged yet  and wouldnt be for four more years, until 2010  Queen Elizabeths invitation was a monumental one. But Kate, then 24, politely turned the Queen down.

Indigo/Getty Kate Middleton and Prince William attend day 1 of the Cheltenham Horse Racing Festival on March 13, 2007 in Cheltenham, England

Related: The Royal Family's Christmas Morning Walk in Sandringham: Look Back at the Most Memorable Moments

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The Queens 2006 invitation to Kate was the first time shed invited a girlfriend to Sandringham, The Daily Mail reported. In a surprise twist, the outlet wrote, Kate politely declined the offer, opting to stick with tradition and wait until she could attend as a married woman  with the ring to prove it.

It was evidence, The Daily Mail wrote, that Kate valued the importance of tradition and patience.

In his 2020 book Battle of Brothers: William and Harry  The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult, royal biographer Robert Lacey wrote, By 2006, the couple had been dating seriously for the best part of five years. Yet when William invited Kate to join him that year at Sandringham for the royal familys traditional Christmas lunch, she refused.

Pool/Anwar Hussein Collection/WireImage Prince William walks with his girlfriend Kate Middleton after his graduation ceremony at RAF Cranwell on April 11, 2008 in Cranwell, England

It was the first time the Queen had extended such an invitation to an unregistered girlfriend, but Kate had her own take on that break with tradition: she would go to Sandringham on Christmas Day only when she was engaged and had a ring to prove it, Lacey continued. The strong-willed no from Kate showed she was willing to abide by tradition and wait until the time was right. She was not prepared to stamp over history in her rush to marry into the royal family.

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Instead of going to Sandringham, Kate traveled to Scotland to spend the holiday with her parents and family, as both of her grandmothers had recently died.

Kate was incredibly saddened to lose both her grandmothers, and this will be the first time the family will have gathered since their deaths, a friend said at the time, per The Daily Mail. Its a bit of a Middleton Christmas, and theres no way Kate would not be part of it.

Pool Photograph/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Kate Middleton, Prince William's girlfriend, with her parents Carole and Michael at the Sovereign's Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy to watch the passing-out parade Kate Middleton, Prince William's girlfriend, with her parents Carole and Michael at the Sovereign's Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy to watch the passing-out parade

With Kate away in Scotland and William at Sandringham, it appeared William seemingly regretted her decision, and on the traditional royal shooting party over the festive season, the prince was pictured glued to his phone, The Daily Mail wrote. The lovesick future king was in a world of his own, keeping his gun tucked under his arm but his mobile phone firmly in his hand.

As his uncles and grandfather enthusiastically took aim and proudly collected their kill, the then 24-year-old was texting (presumably Kate) furiously, the outlet continued.

Indigo/Getty Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Queen Elizabeth listen to a speech as they, accompanied by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visit Leicester on the first date of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee tour of the U.K. on March 8, 2012 in Leicester, England

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Related: Queen of Christmas! See All of Kate Middleton's Holiday Looks Through the Years

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Sticking true to her values, Kate didnt attend Christmas at Sandringham until 2011, the Dec. 25 after she married William at Westminster Abbey on April 29 of that year, nearly a decade after they first met as first-year students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Read the original article on People
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)  Quentin Anthony Anderson plans to announce his candidacy for a Louisiana Senate seat in a special 2025 election.

Anderson, a Democrat, will formally announce his candidacy for District 14 in the state Senate on Sunday, Jan. 5. He previously ran for Louisianas 6th Congressional District, a new majority-Black district. According to the Secretary of State Office, Anderson received 23,811 votes in the fall election.

The District 14 seat was left vacant by Democrat Cleo Fields, who won the congressional seat in Novembers election with 150,323 votes.

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A special election is set for Feb. 15, 2025. Qualifying for candidates running for state Senate seats will be from Jan. 7-9.

Louisiana needs leaders who will fight for meaningful progressnot rubberstamp a far-right agenda or settle for business as usual. Our district deserves a senator who will tackle the big challenges head-on, from raising wages and investing in North Baton Rouge to ensuring every child has access to a world-class education. Im ready to roll up my sleeves and deliver real results for my community, Anderson said.

Others planning to run for the District 14 seat are State Rep. Larry Selders and former Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member Carolyn Hill.

This Week in Louisiana Politics: A year in review

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NAIROBI, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) missions in South Sudan called on Monday for the parties in the transitional unity government to prioritize the implementation of pending peace tasks within the 2018 revitalized peace agreement in 2025, ahead of the 2026 elections.

The AU Mission in South Sudan, the UN Mission in South Sudan, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an East African bloc, acknowledged the progress made by the government and parties to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) in 2024.

The missions, in a joint statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, emphasized that 2025 will be a pivotal year to prioritize the remaining tasks required for the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement.

"We recognize the peace achieved through the sustained ceasefire and encourage the immediate completion of the deployment of the remaining necessary unified forces as well as the broader transitional security arrangements to maintain stability," said the statement.

The missions also welcomed the goodwill demonstrated by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir in seeking the assistance of Kenyan President William Ruto on the stalled mediation with the holdout groups, leading to the Tumaini Initiative.

"We also commend President Kiir's endorsement of the inter-party dialogue to review the Roadmap and determine a refined approach to the overall implementation of the R-ARCSS. We urge that follow-up negotiations yield constructive consensus in both processes," the missions said.

The trio also called for expanded civic education and engagement with stakeholders, including political parties, civil society, media, and the broader community of South Sudan, regarding the timeline and other implementation challenges.

"We underscore that it is crucial to establish clarity at the start of the year to enable realistic plans that will allow for elections in December 2026," said the statement. 
Donald Trump has an outstanding tax evasion case in Panama, the same country hes just publicly accused of financial wrongdoing, according to Newsweek.

Trump railed against Panamas commerce policies while speaking at the Turning Point USA conference in Arizona on Sunday, threatening to take over the Panama Canal.

The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair. Especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama, I say very foolishly, by the United States, the president-elect told the conference crowd. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.

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Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, himself a conservative, rebuked Trump.

As president, I want to express clearly that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama, and will continue to do so, he said in a video statement. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.

Every analysis of this new Trump threat should come with a reminder: In 2019, the owners of a Panama City hotel tower that was previously managed and operated under the Trump brand, accused Trump Panama Hotel Management LLC and Trump International Hotels Management LLC, of not paying the required 12.5 percent taxes to the Panamanian government. Instead, the lawsuit alleges, the companies simply kept the money, intentionally evading taxes and leaving the new owner liable for millions.

A tax audit of the hotels submitted as evidence found massive inconsistencies. The case is still pending in New York District Court.


President-elect Donald Trump has tapped multiple people for overlapping foreign affairs posts. Get ready for turf battles and confusion over whos in charge.

The positions include special envoys whose exact responsibilities are unusually vague and that echo roles traditionally played by ambassadors, assistant secretaries of State and National Security Council staffers.

Theres a nominee for special envoy for the United Kingdom whose job description sounds similar to the ambassadors. There are multiple special envoys or advisers for the Middle East, as well as one for all of Latin America. Theres even an envoy for special missions with a mandate that could be  anything.

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There may be a strategy behind this approach. Many special envoys now require Senate confirmation, but they also can be placed in the role temporarily without such approval  for up to nearly a year, so long as Trump properly notifies key congressional committees. That means Trump could put the envoys in place faster than the traditional players, even if lawmakers are not certain about the exact duties involved.

What hes basically doing is putting in one-year poison pills that will carry out his shock and awe agenda, said John Feeley, a former U.S. ambassador to Panama who quit during Trumps first term over what he said were differences in values. Feeley called the appointments part of Trumps war on the so-called deep state.

Its possible some of the envoys roles will be more clearly defined down the line. And some of the envoy positions could be purely ornamental, given as rewards to loyalists who wind up with little authority. But even so, the appointments so far suggested crowded rooms that could complicate how Trump and his team make policy and interact with global counterparts.

Foreign capitals, as well as people inside the U.S. government, may struggle to nail down who is truly in charge of what and for how long. That uncertainty could prove damaging when trying to coordinate during crises ranging from natural disasters to wars in Ukraine or the Middle East  or during complicated trade negotiations.

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Trump is setting up a labyrinth of competing portfolios, one U.S. official familiar with the appointment process said. The official warned it would produce little in the way of results but lots more when it comes to palace intrigue. Like others interviewed, he was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.

Democrats may try to slow down the confirmations of some of the president-elects choices, especially ambassadors. But Trumps fellow Republicans have a comfortable Senate majority and will likely eventually help him push through languishing nominees.

So there could fairly quickly be people in the administration tackling similar files.

On Sunday, Trump named Mauricio Claver-Carone as the State Departments special envoy for Latin America, suggesting Claver-Carone, whos held related roles before, would help restore order to the region. But it was not clear how the role would differ from that of the assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, which Trump has not filled.

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Trump on Saturday named The Apprentice producer Mark Burnett as special envoy to the United Kingdom, even though hed already nominated banker Warren Stephens to serve as ambassador there. Trump, who starred on The Apprentice, said Burnett will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges, duties similar to the ambassadors.

Trump has named several people to Middle East focused posts, including a senior adviser and a special envoy. Presumably, these are on top of traditional positions at the State Department and the White House-based NSC.

Perhaps the most intriguing position Trump has handed out has been to Richard Grenell, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany, who will serve as a presidential envoy for special missions.

Trump said in a social media post that Grenell will work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea. Its unclear how Grenells duties would intersect with those of others  such as Claver-Carones in Latin America.



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One Latin American official questioned whether the many appointments would undercut the authority of Trumps nominee for secretary of State, Marco Rubio.

It either duplicates or short-circuits the secretary of States authority by creating a direct link to or reporting to the White House, the official said of some of the appointments.

Ultimately, foreign officials will need to talk to as many of the relevant people as they can  or try to go to Trump if you can, the Latin American official said.

Asked for comment on the implications of overlapping positions, the Trump transition team avoided specifics.

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President Trump will continue to appoint highly-qualified men and women to critical foreign policy positions who have the talent, experience, and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again, spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a tweaked version of a standard statement the transition has been handing out in response to requests for comment on filling administration jobs.

Special envoy roles  sometimes called special representatives, special coordinators or similar monikers  have proliferated in recent decades under presidents of both parties. The first Trump administration had many special envoys, although Trumps first secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, tried to trim down the numbers.

Usually, however, the jobs are tailored to deal with concrete issues or certain conflicts, and they are meant to ease the burdens of ambassadors, assistant secretaries and others who have numerous other duties.

The U.S. has had special envoys who dealt with resolving the war in Afghanistan, engaging in nuclear talks with Iran, and pursuing climate change talks with other nations. Some have even more focused tasks, such as implementing initiatives from a major conference or trying to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

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The envoys need to coordinate across whats known as the interagency  which includes the State Department and other Cabinet agencies  in a process overseen by the officials at the NSC.

Such coordination is a challenge under any president. The NSC in particular is often accused of micromanaging policymaking or even sidelining various agencies involved, and often it is NSC officials who are the most influential voices on any particular policy.

In recent decades, presidents have appeared to rely more on special envoys because partisan gridlock made it harder to get Senate approval for ambassadors and other posts.

Lawmakers took umbrage to that workaround, so they imposed rules a few years ago that now mean many special envoys require confirmation. How an envoys duties are defined could affect whether they need confirmation, so its still possible not all of Trumps envoys will ultimately require Senate approval

Eric Bazail-Eimil contributed to this report.
A Georgia woman tried to move back into her own home, but when she arrived, she found an alleged squatter on the property and all hell broke loose.



According to WSB-TV, Loletha Hale was charged with criminal trespass and sent to jail when police officers arrived to her Clayton County home on Dec. 9. Hale, the homeowner, had reportedly arrived at her house to clean the place following a months-long battle with Sakemeyia Johnson, the alleged squatter.

But when Hale arrived, Johnson was still inside and had even brought somebody to allegedly intimidate Hale. I returned on Monday to start painting and she had broken the locks at my property, Hale told WSB-TV. Johnson was never a tenant of Hales;according to officials, Johnson was merely related to an evicted tenants partner.

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The tug-of-war over the house first began in August when Hale discovered Johnson had made herself comfortable in the house. Eventually, Johnson received a squatting citation, but a judge ruled Sakemeyia Johnson is not a squatter because shes related to the evicted tenants partner, according to the New York Post.

After a series of hearings and appeals, Hale continued to fight the decision and on Nov. 18, Johnson was officially sent an eviction notice, which she has ignored, according to the Post. She just caught up out of nowhere. She had this guy with her, and I locked the door. I locked the screen door, and he forced himself in telling us to get out, Hale said of the Dec. 9 incident.

Thats when Hale called the cops. Body cam footage from the incident has been released, and in the recordings, a responding officer can be heard telling Hale to see everything from the squatters side of things. Just think of it from this perspective, though, he reportedly said. Everybody isnt as fortunate as you to have a bed. All the little things, a bed in their house, food in the kitchen.

Despite the officer trying to diffuse the tensions between the two women, Hale reportedly refused to back down, so with that, the homeowner was arrested. According to her arrest report, Hale reportedly executed an illegal eviction and forcibly removed Ms. Johnsons belongings. The report even said at one point, Hale threatened for Johnson to leave before I get my gun.

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She was charged with a misdemeanor count of terroristic threats and criminal trespassing, but Johnson has received no charges, according to WSB-TV. I spent the night on a mat on a concrete floor in deplorable conditions. While this woman, this squatter slept in my home, Loletha Hale told WSB-TV.

Officers on the scene confirmed that Hale has not obtained a signed writ of possession in order to legally evict a tenant, which is why she is facing these charges, according to WSB-TV. Since her arrest, Hale has been released from jail.

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The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has released a new set of standards for schools, and Will Flanders and Kyle Koenen of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty have questions ("DPI lowered state school standards, keeping parents in the dark," Nov. 24).

One question in particular stands out. They wonder why, under these new standards, some schools with low rates of student achievement are given passing grades.

Perhaps there is an answer in a recent piece by James E. Causey ("The truth is more mentors are needed to help Black boys succeed," Nov. 24). In it he talks about the multiple traumas so many students have experienced.

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Opinion: Instead of politicizing test scores, we must fight for public school funding

Things like trauma can affect learning. Kids who live in poverty, kids who are homeless, kids who have lost friends and family to violence will have a harder time doing well in school.

Perhaps the new DPI standards are just an acknowledgment of this reality. Some students need a lot of help to succeed academically. Schools that take on the challenge shouldn't be downgraded.

Howard Hoffman, Milwaukee

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: DPI school report cards fit reality of what students face | Letters
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  From high-speed pursuits on the interstate to high-profile murder cases, 2024 had plenty of crime stories that KNWA/FOX24 covered.

Here are three of the biggest local crime stories KNWA/FOX24 covered in 2024.

Shawna Cash

Shawna Cash was found guilty of first-degree murder in September for killing Pea Ridge Police Officer Kevin Apple in June 2021 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

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The trial began in February and lasted multiple days before the jury found Cash guilty of striking and killing Apple with her vehicle.

Dash camera footage released in May shows the pursuit after Cash killed Apple.

Video from the White Oak Gas Station shows Cash hitting and killing Apple was not available. That video is protected from Freedom of Information requests by Arkansas law.

Judge sentences Shawna Cash to life in prison without parole

Cash and her passenger Elijah Andazola were eventually arrested after a lengthy pursuit.

Andazola pleaded guilty in March to hindering apprehension, accomplice to breaking and entering, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was sentenced to 15 years of probation and required to complete an 18-month rehabilitation program.

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Click here for our full reporting on the case.

Former Washington County deputy charged with murder pleads not guilty

Robert Mercier & Trenton Johnson

Two Michigan men were arrested in February after a high-speed chase through two counties.

Robert Mercier, 21, and Trenton Johnson, 21, were arrested on three counts of aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy, possession of destructive devices, felony fleeing, 2nd degree battery, four counts of criminal mischief, resisting arrest as well as multiple felony charges from other agencies, according to a press release.

The Locust Grove Police Department in Oklahoma pursued the driver of an alleged stolen U-Haul cargo van, chasing the suspects east on U.S. Highway 412.

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Tontitown police joined the pursuit and Chief Corey Jenison took the lead in the chase. Jenison decided to use his vehicle to end the chase and executed a tactical vehicular intervention, commonly referred to as a pit maneuver.

Tontitown police chief relives high-speed chase, flipping crash

Jenisons vehicle right rear fender of the U-Haul van then slid sideways and barrel-rolling after hitting the grass beyond the interstate shoulder.

The two in the U-Haul were then arrested.

Authorities later found firearms and improvised flammable devices, commonly referred to as Molotov cocktails, inside the U-Haul van.

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Johnson and Mercier have both pleaded not guilty to their charges and a hearing has been set for Feb. 4, 2025.

19-year-old arrested in connection to Lake Fayetteville shooting

Amber Waterman

A federal judge sentenced Amber Waterman to two life sentences in October for the 2022 murder of Ashley Bush of Benton Count and her unborn child.

Waterman is also facing charges in Benton County. After receiving her federal sentence, Waterman was moved to the Benton County Detention Center to face her state charges.

In August, Watermans attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charges on the grounds of double jeopardy. However, the judge ruled that double jeopardy does not apply to the two capital murder charges. The judge also ruled the states kidnapping case will be dismissed due to double jeopardy.

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Amber Waterman sentenced to life in prison without parole for kidnapping, murdering Arkansas woman, unborn baby

Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Robinson said Waterman pleaded not guilty to those charges.

She is scheduled to appear in court again on April 7, 2025.

Robinson said Waterman will remain at the Benton County Jail and not return to federal custody. He previously told KNWA/FOX24 that the state is seeking the death penalty against Waterman.

Her husband, Jamie Waterman pleaded guilty to being an accessory of kidnapping resulting in death in Missouri federal court.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  Reems, a popular Arab street food restaurant with two locations in San Francisco, announced Monday that it would be closing its SF Ferry Building location. Reems, which opened at the Ferry Building in 2022, posted on Instagram that it would be shuttering that location at the end of January.

We have some sad news. We are sad to announce that Friday January 31 will be our last day of service at the Ferry Building, the post read.

According to Reems, the closure is the unexpected result of the Ferry Building choosing not to renew their lease in order to make way for construction.

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East Bay restaurant announces closure amid Ladies Night discrimination lawsuit

When the opportunity arose to build permanent space in the Ferry Building two years ago, we jumped at the chance, opening our corner kiosk and dreaming of one day building out a kitchen where we could bake bread on-site on a beautiful central saj (a domed griddle used to bake Middle Eastern flatbread) for everyone to see, the post read.

However, last month, we learned property ownership had other sudden plans, it continued. We were informed that our current space would be needed for reconstruction and that our lease would not be renewed. With no viable alternative space available, this chapter of our story has come to an end.

The post went on to impart a few words on the challenges of operating a small business in the current market.

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Every week we open our feed to see another beloved small business closing its doors due to unsustainable conditions, the post read. The closure of our Ferry Building store will impact our Reems team and operations as a whole. If we are to survive as a small business, we need our community to continue showing us love by dining and getting takeout from our restaurant, ordering our catering, buying our products at grocery stores, and attending our special events like Sunday Suppers.

Reems opened to some fanfare, when it took over the kiosk formerly occupied by Cowgirl Creamery in November of 2022. The restaurant was launched by chef Reem Assil who operates another Reems location in SFs Mission District.

KRON4.com has reached out to the SF Ferry Building for comment. We have not heard back yet.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  A Spartanburg County woman reportedly returned home from a trip to the happiest place on Earth to find her apartment had been broken into and ransacked.

According to a media report from the Spartanburg County Sheriffs Office, on Saturday a deputy was called to an apartment on Bryant Road in reference to a burglary. At the apartment the deputy spoke to a woman who said she left last Monday to visit Disney with her son.

According to the report, the woman said she returned home to find her back door standing open and her home in a mess.

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The woman told the deputy whoever broke into her home stole two televisions and a PlayStation 5 from the apartment. They also rifled through her sons drawers and dumped his clothes on the ground, and went through cabinets in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry room.

The report said in each room multiple cabinets were left open and items had been thrown on the ground. In the laundry room detergent had been thrown on the washer, dryer and walls, and in the kitchen eggs had been thrown on the wall.

According to the report the deputy called someone to come process the scene inside the home, and the break in is under investigation.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
Politicians from Greenland gave mixed responses on Monday after US President-elect Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social network that he would like to own and control the Arctic territory.

"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," Trump wrote in a post on Sunday evening.

In the post, Trump also announced the former US ambassador to Sweden, Ken Howery, as his pick for US ambassador to Denmark.

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This was not the first time Trump had shown interest in Greenland. In the summer of 2019, during his first term in office, Trump proposed to buy the world's largest island and annex it to the United States. The response from Denmark, to which Greenland is politically connected, was clear: No, thank you.

Greenland's foreign representative Vivian Motzfeldt dismissed Trump's latest comments on the Danish television channel TV2 as "nonsense."

Prime Minister Mute B Egede also emphasized that Greenland is not for sale, but said it should be open to economic cooperation "because all cooperation and all trade cannot go through Denmark."

The responses from two Greenlandic members of the Danish parliament took a different tone. Aaja Chemnitz from the party Inuit Ataqatigiit said her party was "open for business" and would like to see greater engagement from the US in Greenland, particularly in the areas of education and economic development.

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Aki-Matilda Hegh-Dam of the Siumut party also said she was open to dialogue. Trump understands the strategic and global importance of Greenland, she told the Danish DR radio station. "But it is important to emphasize that Greenland is not a commodity or a geostrategic trophy."

The country of Greenland, with around 56,000 inhabitants, is largely autonomous. The island is considered highly strategic due to its location in the Arctic, its proximity to Russia, its mineral wealth and its important US military base.

Trump threatens to retake control of the Panama Canal

In an earlier post on Sunday, Trump threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal, a key shipping passageway, prompting a sharp rebuttal from Panama's president.

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Trump, in a post on his Truth Social network, claimed former president Jimmy Carter "foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar" after being built "at HUGE cost to the United States in lives and treasure."

He said Panama was charging the US "exorbitant prices and rates of passage" and that granting Panama sovereignty over the canal was "not given for the benefit of others but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama."

"This complete 'rip-off' of our Country will immediately stop," the soon-to-be president wrote. If it doesn't, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question."

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino immediately rejected Trump's statements regarding the Panama Canal - without naming the president-elect by name - in a video statement.

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"Every square metre of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will continue to do so," said Mulino. "The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable."

The canal connects the Atlantic with the Pacific and is one of the world's most important trade routes. In the early 20th century, the US carried out the construction of the major project and controlled the area for decades after that. Control was then gradually transferred to Panama.

The fees charged by Panama are considered standard market rates, as they are based on the size and tonnage of the passing ships. There are no provisions that - as Trump demands - grant the US preferential treatment solely due to their historical role as builder.

"The fees are not arbitrary," emphasized Mulino. "They are set in a public manner and in a public hearing."
After Atlanta police officer Marquee Kelley fatally shot local activist Oscar Cain Jr. in the back in March 2019  with his dashboard and body cameras turned off  the department sought ways to bring more transparency and accountability to policing in the city.

The Atlanta Police Department had first deployed body cameras in 2016, however a report from the city auditors office found that the cameras only captured about 33% of calls to which officers were dispatched between November 2017 and May 2018. Cains killing helped spur stricter regulations regarding body-worn cameras for police.

Today, Atlanta Polices standard operating procedures require officers to activate their body cameras in most situations where the officer is interacting with a member of the public in an official capacity. APD officers must also turn on their body camera upon request or during any interaction with a juvenile. (Officers are expected to turn off their body cameras in settings with a reasonable expectation of privacy, like a locker room, dressing room, or public restroom.)

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Body camera footage can be a key safeguard for Black Atlanta residents, who make up a disproportionate share of the citys police brutality victims, according to the Atlanta Police Departments use of force tracker.

If you feel you have been mistreated by a police officer, heres everything you need to know about how to procure footage of your experience so justice can be served.

How has body camera footage impacted policing outcomes?

While some studies have found improvement in policing outcomes after the introduction of body cameras, others have found no impact  or a negative effect  on police-community interactions.

In 2022, the National Institute of Justice did a review of 70 studies on body camera use nationwide and found that there were no consistent nor statistically significant effects on use of force or assaults on police officers. They concluded that more studies needed to be conducted to fully understand their efficacy.

In what scenarios should I request body camera footage?

Police brutality or misconduct often lead victims to seek body camera footage. But these recordings can also be useful if an officer is present for interaction between two or more citizens that has escalated to legal proceedings. Similarly, if an officer were present for a car accident, the footage could serve as an objective account of what happened and help determine who was at fault.

How do I begin the process?

In Georgia, you can request records orally or in writing  but only written requests can be enforced in court.

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The Atlanta Police Department has an online portal where you can submit a records request form. You can also reach out via email at openrecords-police@atlantaga.gov.

What if I would like to request body camera footage from another metro-Atlanta police department?

While Georgia State Police officers are not required to wear body cameras, officers at all the metro Atlanta police departments are mandated to do so. That includes Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, and MARTA police departments. Some of these departments have their own portals; here are the email addresses for each.

Clayton County Police Department: david.ricks@claytoncountyga.gov

Cobb County Police Department: poro@cobbcounty.org

DeKalb County Police Department: dkpdopenrecords@dekalbcountyga.gov

Fulton County Sheriff: orr@fultoncountyga.gov

Gwinnett County Police Department: tysh.coleman@GwinnettCounty.com

MARTA Police Department: wdavenport@itsmarta.com

How long do police in Georgia store their footage?

That depends on how long ago the interaction took place and what the footage shows. All Georgia law enforcement departments that use body-worn cameras must retain video recordings, dash cameras, and drones for 180 days.

Any video that is part of an ongoing criminal investigation or contains footage of a vehicular accident, an individual being detained or arrested, or use of force by an officer must be kept by the department for 30 months.

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Video footage from an investigation that is still active and ongoing can be withheld. Once the investigation is complete, the footage becomes public record, after which the department cannot legally refuse to turn over the recording.

How do I make the request?

You can begin a request for body camera footage by citing the following Georgia law before including the public record youre seeking: Pursuant to the Georgia Open Records Act O.C.G.A  50-10-70 et, seq

Here is a template that you can follow to effectively format your request.

While the template and the citation can be useful to signal to the open records custodian that you are aware of your rights to public information, neither are necessary to have your request fulfilled.

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The person who is fulfilling your request will need basic information to get you the footage you are looking for, like the date, your name, and the names of any officers who were involved and/or present.

How long will it take for my request to be fulfilled?

Georgia law gives the agency three business days to process and respond to requests, either with the video or with a timetable for how long it will take them to release the video.

The agency then has up to 90 days from the date of the request to produce the video.

What can I do once I have the footage?

If you have had a negative interaction with an Atlanta police officer, you can report it directly to the department or to the Atlanta Citizens Review Board, with or without the body camera footage of the incident.

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Once you have obtained footage of an incident, you can also consult a lawyer about legal action that you might want to take against the officer. However, its important to note that officers are often granted qualified immunity for actions taken while on the job. It is difficult  and potentially costly  to win these cases.

The post How to Request Body Camera Footage from Atlanta Police appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP)  A snowstorm across the Balkans brought traffic chaos, closed schools and left thousands of homes without electricity in Croatia and Bosnia on Monday, while the weather hampered efforts in Slovenia to reach two hikers stranded in the Alps.

The hikers from Hungary  a man and a woman  got lost Sunday in poor weather in the mountains north of the capital, Ljubljana, the STA news agency reported. One has a broken leg, it said.

The report said a rescue mission that was suspended overnight due to high winds and avalanche risk resumed Monday, but a helicopter could not take off in bad weather to reach the pair at an altitude of 1,700 meters (5,600 feet), officials and media said.

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Rescuers by mid-afternoon reached the woman but were unable to immediately locate the injured man, said Jernej Lanisek, who leads the rescue mission.

In Bosnia, a Turkish woman and her daughter got their car stuck in snow on Prenj mountain in the south and were pulled out by a mountain rescue team.

In Croatia, traffic was banned on most roads in the central Lika region and along some sections of motorways. Storms along the Adriatic Sea coastline shut down ferries to the islands and halted traffic on roads toward central areas.

All bus departures from the coastal town of Split toward the capital, Zagreb, were cancelled Monday, regional N1 television reported.

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Authorities in Croatia and Bosnia urged citizens to avoid travel.

Bosnia's government suspended classes Monday in schools in the northwest due to heavy snow. Nearly 200,000 homes faced power outages, while trucks and other heavy vehicles were banned from roads in many areas.

The snowstorm is forecast to move to Serbia, where meteorologists warned people in the west to avoid travel and prepare for possible power cuts.
KAMPALA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Uganda commissioned eight multi-million-U.S. dollar Chinese-invested factories, providing direct employment opportunities to thousands of Ugandan people, a top official said here on Monday.

David Bahati, minister of state for trade, industry and cooperatives, made the remarks while addressing at the Uganda Media Center on the progress of the industrial sector.

Among the eight factories, four, including Unisteel Investment Uganda Limited, were commissioned by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, said the minister. "This [is] the new steel factory in the sector with a total investment of 100 million U.S. dollars and employs over 500 people," he said.

Besides, over 250 micro and small processing plants were established by organizations and cooperatives in the private sector, according to Bahati.

The contribution of Uganda's industry sector to gross domestic product (GDP) stands at 27.4 percent. "This growth is attributed to an increase in manufacturing activities which grew by a substantial 11 percent in the last quarter of 2023/2024," said Bahati.

He added that manufacturing is the largest sub-sector within the industry, contributing 16.5 percent of GDP and providing direct employment to over one million people. 
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)  Sioux Falls Fire rescue said residents were displaced after a structure fire Saturday morning on the 4400 block of South Louise Avenue.

How to keep your pets healthy this holiday season

The fire was reported at 9:55 a.m. at an individual apartment in an apartment building. Firefighters found an apartment filled with smoke but found no occupants. The fire was under control in about five minutes.

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The residents were displaced as a result of the fire and are being assisted by the Red Cross, SF Fire Rescue said in a Saturday news release.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.
Hundreds of people in Magdeburg formed a human chain on Monday to remember the victims of the attack on a Christmas market in the city, and to stand against right-wing extremists seeking to exploit the killings.

The crowd lined up around the Alter Markt where a man drove his car through the Christmas market on Friday, killing five people and injuring 235.

The initiative Don't Give Hate a Chance called for the human chain, with the diocese of Magdeburg participating in the event.

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Organizers said thousands took part, with people of all ages standing together in dense crowds. They held candles in their hands, applauded the emergency services and shouted "thank you" to them.

"These are lights for a cosmopolitan city," said Oliver Wiebe, one of the organizers.

At the same time, supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) held a rally on the cathedral square, with repeated chants of "Deport! Deport! Deport!"

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said that people finally want to live in safety. Referring to the alleged perpetrator, she said that anyone who despises the citizens of the country that granted him refuge "does not belong to us."

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Shortly after her speech and a minute's silence, a funeral march took place.

Meanwhile, authorities in the state of Saxony-Anhalt have warned of an escalation of threats as a result of the attack being exploited by right-wing extremists.

The state network of migrant organizations in Saxony-Anhalt spoke of a dangerous situation. It strongly advises people with a migrant background not to move around the city alone and in the hours of darkness.

On Friday evening, the suspect - known as Taleb A under Germany's strict privacy laws - allegedly drove a car through the packed Christmas market. He was arrested at the scene and is in custody.

People hold candles as part of a human chain in memory of the victims and those affected by the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market. On December 20, 2024, a driver drove into a group of people at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. Sebastian Willnow/dpa
Thousands of people in Magdeburg formed a human chain on Monday to remember the victims of the attack on a Christmas market in the central German city, as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) held a rival rally.

The crowd lined up around the Alter Markt square where a man drove his car through the Christmas market on Friday, killing five people and injuring 235.

The initiative Don't Give Hate a Chance called for the human chain, with the diocese of Magdeburg participating in the event.

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Police said 4,000 people took part. Organizers said people of all ages stood together in dense crowds. They held candles in their hands, applauded the emergency services and shouted "thank you" to them.

"These are lights for a cosmopolitan city," said Oliver Wiebe, one of the organizers.

AfD supporters at separate rally urge deportations

At the same time, the AfD organized a rally on the cathedral square, with repeated chants of "Deport! Deport! Deport!"

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said that people finally want to live in safety. Referring to the alleged perpetrator, she said that anyone who despises the citizens of the country that granted him refuge "does not belong to us."

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The AfD in its invitation stated that the Magdeburg incident dramatically highlights the dangers of current immigration policy.

Shortly after her speech and a minute's silence, a funeral march took place.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) suggested in a Spiegel interview after the attack that outstanding legislation on domestic security should be approved immediately.

But the SPD minister said further legislative changes have mainly been blocked by the SPD's former coalition partner, the Free Democrats (FDP) and the opposition conservative Christian Democrats (CDU).

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Warnings against symbolic politics and hasty conclusions came from FDP General Secretary Marco Buschmann, who cautioned against such actions.

"Our task is to support the victims and their families. Competing for symbolic measures would not do justice to the terrible situation," he told Spiegel.

SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch also called for calm: "Instrumentalizing or making hasty conclusions helps no one and only divides our society," he told Spiegel.

"Instead, we should draw the necessary lessons after a thorough evaluation - both for the security architecture and for societal cohesion."

Authorities warn of 'dangerous situation'

Meanwhile, authorities in the state of Saxony-Anhalt have warned of an escalation of threats as a result of the attack being exploited by right-wing extremists.

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The state network of migrant organizations in Saxony-Anhalt spoke of a dangerous situation. It strongly advises people with a migrant background not to move around the city alone and in the hours of darkness.

On Friday evening, the suspect - known as Taleb A under Germany's strict privacy laws - allegedly drove a car through the packed Christmas market. He was arrested at the scene and is in custody.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP)  The Piedmont Triad is mourning the loss of a Greensboro officer who was killed in a shooting at a Food Lion on Monday afternoon.

At 10:45 a.m., Greensboro police say they got a report about a possible person with a handgun inside the Food Lion on the 4700 block of Lawndale Drive. At about 11 a.m., shots were fired in the store, killing Horan.

Live Updates: Greensboro police officer killed in shooting at Food Lion on Lawndale Drive

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A little after 1 p.m., the suspect was located in Johnston County driving a vehicle, according to the State Bureau of Investigation.

Deputies with the Johnston County Sheriffs Office began a pursuit and were joined by deputies from the Sampson County Sheriffs Office when he entered Sutton Town until the North Carolina State Highway Patrol took over and initiated a PIT maneuver.

The vehicle was stopped on I-40 near mile marker 360 at the Duplin County line, and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. Charges are pending

Greensboro City Councilmember Zack Matheny was the first to confirm to FOX8 that there was a shooting. Police say the shooting took place inside the Food Lion.

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Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan released the following statement on social media on Monday afternoon.

My thoughts are with the family, friends, and loved ones of Officer Michael Horan during this incredibly difficult and painful time. We are committed to offering all the support, resources, and assistance they need in the coming days. My sympathy extends to all of our first responders  Greensboro Police, Greensboro Fire, and Guilford Metro 911  as they mourn the loss of a colleague and a friend. This tragedy affects not only those who knew Officer Horan personally, but our entire City. We have lost someone who served with distinction, and his dedication to keeping our community safe is a loss that resonates with all of us. The Greensboro Police Department will continue to provide updates as appropriate, and we ask that you respect the privacy of Officer Horans family and our officers during this time of mourning. This is an incredibly difficult time for our department. However, we are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from the community. We will stand strong together as we honor Officer Horans legacy. GPD continues to serve with the same dedication he demonstrated every day.

The Winston-Salem Police Department released the following statement on Monday afternoon:

Our deepest condolences go out to the family, both blood and blue, of the Greensboro Police Department as they mourn the loss of Officer Horan  a loving father and husband. The loss of a fellow officer is a powerful reminder of the sacrifice made in the line of duty. Once an officer takes the oath, the commitment to protect and serve never ends, on or off duty. Rest easy, Officer. Weve got the watch from here.

High Point Police Chief Curtis Cheeks released the following statement on social media:

On behalf of the High Point Police Department, I extend my deepest condolences to the loved ones and colleagues of Officer Horan of the Greensboro Police Department, who courageously gave his life in the line of duty today. This tragedy is yet another solemn reminder of the sacrifice men and women in law enforcement make each day when they wear the uniform and badge, not knowing if theyll come home to their families at the end of their shift. Officer Horans ultimate sacrifice in service of his community will never be forgotten by the men and women of the High Point Police Department.

The Thomasville Police Department also released a statement:

Our hearts and prayers are with the Greensboro Police Department following the tragic loss of Officer Michael Horan. A dedicated law enforcement officer, husband, and father, Officer Horans sacrifice will never be forgotten. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time. This senseless act serves as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers our officers face every day while protecting and serving our communities. We stand united in support of Officer Horans memory.

The Randleman Police Department said, Please keep Greensboro Police Department and their families in prayer.

Likewise, the Randolph County Sheriffs Office commented on a GPD press conference announcing Horans death, by saying, Sending our sincere condolences and sympathy to the Greensboro Police Department law enforcement family and the officers family. Thank you to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for your actions and swift apprehension of the suspect.

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The Graham Police Department also offered its condolences on social media with the following statement:

It is with heavy hearts that we extend our deepest condolences to the Greensboro Police Department and the family of the officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty earlier today. This devastating loss is felt not only within Greensboro but across the entire law enforcement family and our community. As we approach Christmas, a time meant for togetherness and celebration, we are reminded of the profound sacrifices made by those who serve and protect. This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the dangers faced daily by police officers and the courage it takes to answer the call. To the family, friends, and colleagues of the fallen, please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. We stand with you in grief and in solidarity. Rest in peace, hero. Your service will never be forgotten.

Watch: Witness recounts officer-involved shooting in Greensboro Food Lion

In a statement on social media, Gov. Roy Cooper said, I have spoken with Greensboro Police Chief Thompson to give him my deepest condolences on the tragic shooting death of Officer Michal Horan. The officer was courageously doing his duty protecting Greensboro when he became the victim of a senseless act of violence. I extend to his family and friends my sympathy and a grateful heart for his brave, dedicated service.

North Carolina Governor-elect Josh Stein also released a statement on social media:

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Im heartbroken for the family and fellow officers of Greensboro Police Officer Michael Horan. Ive been in touch with Greensboro Police Chief Thompson to express my condolences and offer any support his team needs. Officer Horan died while responding to a call today. Law enforcement officers run into danger to protect us. We must let them know how grateful we are and do more to support them.

A Food Lion spokesperson said in a statement:

Food Lion is deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at our store located at 4709 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. As this is an active investigation, we are directing all questions to local law enforcement. Food Lion is cooperating with authorities and the store will remain closed while the police investigation continues. We are providing resources to support our associates during this difficult time.

Law enforcement agencies outside of the Piedmont Triad have also released messages of support for the GPD.

The North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police released the following statement on social media on Monday afternoon:

Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the tragic loss of Officer Michael Horan, a police officer in Greensboro. This senseless act of violence is a stark reminder of the dangers that law enforcement officers face every day while protecting our communities. We extend our deepest prayers and condolences to the officers family, friends, and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time. As we reflect on this tragedy, let us also recognize the bravery and dedication of all officers who put their lives on the line to serve and safeguard us. We must continue to support them in their vital work, advocating for their safety and the resources they need to carry out their duties effectively. Together, we can honor their sacrifices and strive for a future where our communities are safe for all.

The Raleigh Police Department offers our deepest thoughts and prayers to the family of fallen Officer Horan, the members of the Greensboro Police Department, and the Greensboro community. RPD stands with our brothers and sisters in blue as they navigate the challenging days and weeks ahead, the RPD said in a statement released on social media on Monday afternoon.

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The Hillsborough Police Department also shared its condolences. Our hearts go out to Greensboro Police Department following the loss of Officer Horan. We send our deepest condolences to you all. We are truly sorry for your loss, a statement released by the HPD reads.

Our prayers go out to the family and colleagues of Greensboro Police Officer Michael Horan who was shot and killed when he responded to a call this morning. The most tragic of scenarios in this holiday season, the Pitt County Sheriffs Office said in a statement released on social media on Monday afternoon.

About Officer Horan

Greensboro Officer Michael Horan Greensboro Police Department highlights Officer Michael Horan on Coast Guard Day (GPD) Greensboro Police Department highlights Officer Michael Horan on Coast Guard Day (GPD) Greensboro Police Department highlights Officer Michael Horan on Coast Guard Day (GPD) Greensboro Police Department highlights Officer Michael Horan on Coast Guard Day (GPD)

Officer Michael Horan worked for Greensboro police for seven years, starting in September 2017. He also served 18 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and was an active reservist.

According to GPD, while serving with the U.S. Coast Guard, Horan conducted New York City and Washington D.C. harbor defense operations in the days following the Sept. 11 attacks. He was part of the first Coast Guard Counter-Terrorism unit in Seattle. He has been stationed in North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, St. Thomas US Virgin Islands, New York and New Jersey where he conducted counter-terror, counter-narcotics and counter human trafficking missions.

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Horan has also received a lifesaving award for rescuing a father and son from rip currents while on vacation with his family in Emerald Isle.

Michael was sitting on the beach while vacationing on Emerald Isle with his family when he heard a male voice shouting for help, according to Beach Haven Beach Patrol, of which he was formerly a member. Mikes training took over and he immediately identified that not one but two victims were caught in the deadly vice of a rip current. Michael sprang into action immediately and swam to the victims  Michael brought both victims back to shore completely ignoring the enormous danger to himself. The man and his 12-year-old son are [alive] today due to Mikes truly heroic efforts. For his heroism, Michael received the Greensboro Police Departments Medical Life Saving Award for 2018. Congratulations Mike, your daughter was lucky enough to see how courageous her father really is in action and should be as proud of you as we all are. Well done Mike!

During the Monday news conference, Greensboro Patrol Bureau Assistant Chief MJ Harris said, He was a husband, a father, a son, a friend and much more to his family. . He was an excellent officer. He had an outstanding reputation inside the department and in the community.

Greensboro City Manager and former Greensboro Office Trey Davis said, In a word, were heartbroken.

A Help A Hero fundraiser has been set up in Horans memory.

Additionally, businesses wanting to help the Horan family with their services or anyone wishing to donate money should contact Watch Operations at (336) 373-2287.

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Newest Restaurant Report Card | If you want the latest Shelby County restaurant scores sent directly to your inbox, sign up for it today on WREGs Newsletter here.

Each week WREG is rounding up the highest and lowest scores from Shelby County restaurant inspections. Find more restaurant scores from Shelby County and other Tennessee counties here.

Lowest Scores:

Shogun Japanese Steak House

2324 N. Germantown Pkwy. Cordova, TN 38016

Score: 65

Violations include: Black build-up inside of ice machine; black and pink build-up inside of ice dispenser on drink machine; microwave and prep cooler dirty on the inside; no thermometer in freezer and prep cooler; missing dumpster lid; and build-up on cooking equipment, prep tables, walls, floors, and ceilings. Full report

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Arbys

1860 N. Germantown Parkway Cordova, TN 38018

Score: 70

Violations include: Manager can not demonstrate knowledge; chemical bottle stored on a rack next to food; employees not wearing hair nets; no paper towels at the sink; no thermometer in the walk-in freezer; and dumpster door left open. Full report

Coltons Steak House & Grill

8030 Hwy 64 Bartlett, TN 38133

Score: 79

Violations include: Pink slime in the ice machine; sanitizer not dispensing in the dishwasher; food uncovered in the walk-in cooler; proper hair restraints not worn while handling food; gray residue in the walk-in cooler; washing sink has a slow drain and leak; water is collected by the grill with missing floor tiles; ceiling tiles have dust/stains; and vents have grease residue. Full report

Dixie Queen

1884 Germantown Pkwy Cordova, TN 38016

Score: 79

Violations include: No paper towel at the hand sink; raw hamburgers stored next to jalapenos in the sandwich cooler; raw shell eggs stored above ham in the bottom of the sandwich cooler; dirty dishes on air dry rack; garbage around dumpster on the ground; and large opening in the shed walls and the back door to the kitchen. Full report

The BEP Teahouse

2200 N Germantown Pkwy STE 14 Memphis, TN 38016

Score: 79

Violations include: Fresh shell eggs stored over avocados; the ice machine has a yellow substance where the ice is dispensed; hand sinks in the kitchen are without paper towels; an open bag of flour is stored on the floor near the hand sink; and dirty curtains leading to the kitchen. Full report

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Howards Donuts

8130 Bellevue Pkwy Cordova, TN 38016

Score: 80

Violations include: Black substance on top of the deep freezer; ice build-up in the deep freezer; no paper towels at the front hand sink; uncovered flour container next to the rollout counter; dirty dough mixer, cardboard under fryer, and icing station; ceiling tiles in the kitchen are dirty; and light fixtures in the kitchen are dirty. Full report

Waldos Chicken and Beer

2200 N Germantown Pkwy Memphis, TN 38016

Score: 82

Violations include: Tablet left on cutting board of prep coolers; frys in water in nonfood grade trash can and uncovered; unlabeled chemical bottle hanging on hand sink; no thermometers in prep coolers; and unlabeled containers of chicken breading and beans in dry storage. Full report

100s

The Pumping Station, 1382 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN 38104

La Salvadorena, 4057 Willowview Ave Memphis, TN 38111

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Retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, a Fort Worth Republican, is experiencing health challenges, the longtime congresswoman said in a Sunday, Dec. 22 statement.

The statement follows a Dec. 20 article from the website The Dallas Express reporting that Granger, 81, is in memory care. A spokesperson for Grangers office said the congresswoman is not in memory care.

Reached by the Star-Telegram, Grangers son Brandon Granger in a text declined to comment beyond what he told The Dallas Morning News in an interview.

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Brandon Granger told The Dallas Morning News on Sunday that Rep. Granger has been having some dementia issues late in the year. He said she is residing at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth but is not in memory care. The luxury senior apartments have independent, assisted and memory care living options. Granger is in the independent living facility, her son told the Dallas Morning News.

Granger moved to be in a more active community of other older people, Brandon Granger said, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Theres nothing wrong with someone wanting to live in a community with other folks their age, he said. Shes in a building with a lot of other folks her age that are super active that she really loves. She has exercise classes, she gets to be around people all the time, its wonderful for her for this point in life.

Rep. Granger in a written statement said shes grateful for the outpouring of care and concern over the past several days.

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As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year, Granger said. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years.

Grangers other son JD Granger, the former head of the Panther Island Project, confirmed that shes not in a memory care facility.

She enjoys the company, and shes been doing well there, he said in a brief call.

Granger announced in Nov. 2023 that she was not seeking reelection. Incoming Rep. Craig Goldman, a Fort Worth Republican, won the election to her District 12 seat, which includes parts of Tarrant and Parker counties.

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She became the first Republican woman to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives when elected in 1997, and previously served as House Appropriations Committee chair. After rising the ranks, she was tapped for the appropriations chair role in January 2023 and announced in March she was resigning from the leadership post.

Granger previously served on the Fort Worth City Council and as Fort Worths first woman mayor.

Granger said she returned to Washington in November for meetings, to thank her staff and to oversee the closure of her Washington office. She has not voted on bills in recent months.

Rep. Kay Grangers full statement

Read Grangers full statement:

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I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of care and concern over the past several days.

As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years.

In November, I was able to return to DC to hold meetings on behalf of my constituents, express my gratitude to my staff, and oversee the closure of my Washington office. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the city of Fort Worthas a city council member, as mayor, and as a Member of Congress.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support that you have extended to me.
Retiring Sen. Joe Manchin Monday trashed the Democratic Party as toxic in an interview timed to his departure from Washington D.C.

The moderate lawmaker, who won two terms as senator in deep-red West Virginian, told CNNs Manu Raju that the national party has moved too far from its working-class roots.

The (Democratic) brand has been so maligned from the standpoint of  its just, its toxic, Manchin said.

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He explaining his decision to register as an independent earlier this year, saying he could not stick with his lifelong party in the form of what Democratic party has turned itself into.

Manchin, 77, a wealthy coal baron with a populist streak, sipped a beer during the interview as he slammed his former party colleagues for taking political correctness way too far.

They have basically expanded upon thinking: Well . were going to tell you how you should live your life, Manchin said.

He said Democrats should focus on keeping the economy humming and prices lower instead of pushing causes like LGBTQ rights.

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Manchin was one of the last outspoken moderate Democrats to serve in Congress. He considered running for a new term as an independent but ended up deciding to retire in the face of polls showing he had no path to victory in a state that voted for President-elect Trump by more than 40%.

Republicans won the Senate seats held by Mancin and two other red-state Democrats to grab a 53-47 edge for the next two years.

The outgoing lawmaker said he personally likes Trump and hopes he succeeds in his second stint in the White House.

Every red-blooded American should want your president to succeed, whether you vote for him or not, whether the same party or not, whether you like him or not, Manchin said.

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He decried both parties for moving to the political extremes, noting that Democrats and Republicans have ignored obvious solutions to issues like gun violence.

Theyre too extreme  its just common sense, Manchin said. The Democrats go too far, want to ban (guns). The Republican says: Oh, let the good times roll. Let anybody have anything they want.

Manchin was long a thorn in the side of liberal Democrats by blocking changes to the filibuster, which effectively mandates 60 votes in powerful chamber to achieve major legislation.

He also regularly tapped the brakes on what he calls Democratic big spending and climate change laws, angering progressives.

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Manchin scoffed at the suggestion by Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), the incoming chair of the progressive caucus, that moderates like Manchin prevented Democrats from winning the 2024 election.

Theyve got to be completely insane, Manchin said with a shrug.
U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kansas, addressed the U.S. House for the final time before leaving Congress in January. He chose not to seek reelection in 2024 in the Second District of Kansas. (Kansas Reflector screen caputure of the U.S. House's YouTube channel)

TOPEKA  U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner marked final preparations for departing Congress with a speech connecting his rise in Kansas politics to a family legacy of resilience and featuring a special request that colleagues aid children suffering extreme malnutrition.

LaTurner, a Republican who served in the Kansas Senate and as state treasurer before entering the U.S. House, declined to seek reelection to a third term in 2024. He was elected in 2020 by 2nd District voters eager to replace troubled GOP U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins.

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He said in April the requirements of serving in Congress and running for reelection every two years had taken a toll. He has four young children and wanted to be more present for them.

I want to thank my friends both at home and my colleagues here, my supporters who helped me get here, and my family, LaTurner said. To my kids, the best title Ive ever had is dad. And that title is about to get my full attention.

In remarks offered on the House floor ahead of his January exit, LaTurner requested Congress and the White House approve $300 million in funding for a global health initiative making use of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods or RUTF. It would expand the reach of this U.S.-made, medical-grade, nutrient-dense paste given to children suffering severe malnutrition.

That increase should be realized. It is the right thing to do, LaTurner said.

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LaTurner said starving children consuming RUFT  at a cost of about $1 per day  had a survival rate near 90%. The nutritional product could be made with ingredients from 28 states, including peanuts, dairy, soy, sugar and micronutrients.

He recalled entering the House in 2021 and speaking with U.S. Rep. Don Young, who became the longest-serving Republican in House history. Young represented Alaska until his death in 2022.

He told me when he arrived in 1973, it was customary for freshmen members to wait six months before speaking on the House floor, LaTurner said. To his surprise, I adopted this tradition. I did so partly out of deference to the dean, but mostly because it showed respect for this institution.

LaTurner said it was the responsibility of people serving in Congress to preserve an institution and a system of government that our founders painstakingly designed to safeguard against human nature.

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The departing Republican originally from southeast Kansas said he followed a path carved through sacrifice and tenacity of his family.

LaTurner said his single-parent father worked long hours managing a Sonic restaurant while putting himself through college. His dad became the first in the family to earn a college degree. He was as an educator and mayor of Galena.

His grandmother dropped out of school in the ninth grade because she had only one dress and couldnt endure ridicule by her classmates. She raised six children and earned a G.E.D. before working as a nurse. LaTurners grandfather was the first in the family to graduate high school. He lost sight in one eye while serving in Korea. Unable to pass a physical, he worked odd jobs until he found his calling as a lay judge.

His grandfathers father was killed in the mines at the age of 41 and left behind a widow and six children. They endured hardships most people cannot fathom, LaTurner said.

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Yet, three short generations later, his great-grandson was called the gentleman from Kansas on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, LaTurner said. I share these stories because they remind me every day that I did not get here on my own. What a country this is. But its not just my story. Its the American story.

LaTurner, 36, entered the Kansas Senate in 2012. He was appointed state treasurer by GOP Gov. Sam Brownback. In 2020, he briefly sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate before winning the 2nd District House race.
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, the retiring Fort Worth Republican who has been frequently absent from Congress for months, said in a statement Sunday she has been facing health challenges.

"As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year, she said. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my incredible staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years."

Granger, 81, was the first Republican woman elected to represent Texas in Congress, where she has served since 1997. In her statement, she said she was able to return to Washington, D.C. in November to attend meetings and oversee the closure of her office as her final term in office reaches an end. She also attended a ceremony in which her portrait was unveiled to celebrate her 25-year tenure on the House Appropriations Committee.

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Granger did not run for reelection this year. She will be replaced by state Rep. Craig Goldman, a Republican who won the race for her seat in November. His term starts when Congress returns to session on Jan. 3.

Granger did not say what her health issues were. Her staff did not immediately respond to questions about why Grangers health issues were not previously disclosed to the public.

Grangers last vote in Congress was in July. She was among 29 representatives who did not vote Friday on a critical spending bill to keep the government open, but the measure overwhelmingly passed the House. The Senate gave it final passage Saturday.

The Dallas Morning News reported Sunday that Granger's son, Brandon Granger, said his mother is living in a senior-living facility in Fort Worth and experiencing dementia issues.

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Its been a hard year, he told the News.

Brandon Granger denied previous reports that his mother was residing in a memory care facility.

Granger previously served as Fort Worth mayor. In Congress, she has served on the influential House Appropriations Committee since 1999. She became chair of the committee in 2022 before stepping down from the role earlier this year.

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Days before he retires as chairman of the influential U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democrat Ben Cardin acknowledged worries about human rights being less of a U.S. priority during President-elect Donald Trump's second term.

"I don't want to prejudge, but I am very concerned that protecting human rights may not be as important as other objectives he's trying to get done," Cardin told Reuters in an interview, when asked about Trump, a Republican, who returns to the White House on Jan. 20.

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Cardin, 81, is leaving Congress at the end of this month after nearly 60 years in public office, the last 18 as a U.S. senator from Maryland. Cardin became chairman of the foreign relations panel unexpectedly in September 2023, after he had announced his retirement, replacing fellow Democrat Bob Menendez, who faced felony bribery charges and was later convicted.

"I didn't expect that, and I was looking forward to my last two years for many different reasons," Cardin said.

Cardin is best known as a human rights advocate, notably for co-authoring the Global Magnitsky Act, named for a lawyer who exposed corruption in Russia before dying in prison after being beaten and denied medical care.

Cardin said the Senate, which is about to shift from a thin Democratic majority to Republican control, will have to push back against Trump, as it has in the past, and noted Trump's willingness to impose Magnitsky sanctions during his first term.

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Enacted in 2012, the Magnitsky Act mandated that the U.S. government restrict travel and freeze assets of individuals who committed gross violations of human rights in Russia. In 2016 it became the Global act, extended to rights violators worldwide.

"It's hard to predict. But Donald Trump, in his first presidency, he used the Magnitsky sanctions quite frequently and that was helpful," Cardin said.

DEALS OR VALUES?

Cardin said Trump could be too eager to establish relations with autocratic leaders or cede too much in ending Russia's war on Ukraine. During his successful campaign for re-election this year, Trump vowed to swiftly end the conflict, without giving details on how he might do so.

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"So I recognize that Donald Trump likes to think of himself as a deal maker," Cardin said. "And to me, I want to make sure that we don't try to get an immediate deal that doesn't represent our values. So I am concerned that he will look for a shortcut to foreign policy that could compromise some of our values."

Cardin said he hoped the Senate, where Republicans will have a narrow 53-47 seat majority starting next month, could act as a balance to the incoming president. Trump, in his first term, had sought to slash foreign aid by 50%, but dropped the idea after both Republicans and Democrats pushed back.

A staunch supporter of Israel who has faced protests himself during the 14-month-long war in Gaza, Cardin acknowledged that Trump's second presidency could complicate efforts toward Middle East peace and the eventual creation of a Palestinian state.

But he said the desire of the U.S. and its partners for an alliance to isolate Iran and recent changes in Syria were causes for optimism. "There's a lot of things happening in the region to give us optimism that we can move past Gaza," he said.

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Trump in his first term, from 2017-2021, pulled the United States out of the U.N. Human Rights Council, praised autocrats such as Hungarian nationalist leader Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and spoke out against funding humanitarian aid in major conflicts.

Cardin said he was confident Global Magnitsky would continue long after his retirement, noting that 30 countries are using it and it is the only major sanctions regime targeting individuals.

"It really puts the fear in the hearts of oligarchs. They don't want to get on these lists," Cardin said.

"It's here to stay, and it's solid," he said.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; editing by Don Durfee and Leslie Adler)
ISLAMABAD, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir said on Sunday that the country's army and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) have been working towards eliminating terrorism and extremism in all their forms, ensuring the restoration of lasting peace and stability in the South Asian country.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said the army chief visited South Waziristan district of northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where he underscored that the resilience and determination of Pakistan's security forces to eliminate terrorism are the cornerstone of the nation's sovereignty.

Terrorists and extremists would continue to be hunted down till their elimination along with facilitators, abettors and financiers, Munir said, adding that the terrorists will be made to pay the price for their nefarious activities against the state.

According to the ISPR, the army chief described the soldiers of the Pakistani armed forces and LEAs as the true heroes of the nation, whose bravery and selfless dedication inspire the entire country. 
Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver addresses the Senate at the beginning of the 2024 legislative session Jan. 8, 2024. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

The special election to replace now-Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer in the Iowa Senate will be Jan. 28, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Monday.

The LeClaire Republican resigned from her seat representing Senate District 35 last week as she took the office of lieutenant governor. Reynolds appointed her to serve in the position after former Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg resigned from the seat in September. Cournoyer will hold the position for the rest of the governor and lieutenant governors term of office  until 2026.

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Cournoyer won reelection in 2023 to a second term in Senate District 35, which encompasses Clinton County and some parts of Scott and Jackson counties. The seat was previously held by Democrat Rita Hart.

Even with Cournoyers resignation, Republicans still hold a supermajority at 34-15 in the Iowa Senate  in addition to having won a 67-33 supermajority in the Iowa House. But Iowa Democrats say winning the special election for the eastern Iowa seat could help send a message that enough is enough, according to a news release from the Iowa Senate Majority Fund, Iowa Senate Democrats campaign arm.

This election allows voters to demand bold leadership and real solutions to move Iowa forward, the Iowa Senate Majority Fund said in a statement. Its about electing a Senator who will fully fund our schools, grow Iowas middle class, and fight for a fair deal for every family  not just the wealthy few.

With the governors proclamation of a special election, the County Commissioners of Elections in the three counties in Senate District 35 have been tasked with providing official notices of the election. Additionally, the state Democratic and Republican parties will convene at district nominating conventions ahead of the special election for delegates to select their party candidates for the seat.

The special election will take place just over two weeks after the Iowa Legislature convenes Jan. 13 for the 2025 session. The candidate who wins will serve in the state Senate through 2026, the remainder of Cournoyers term.
Dec. 23Amid a challenging national landscape for higher education enrollment, Riverland Community College has experienced what college leaders are describing as "exceptional growth."

For fall semester 2024, which concluded last week, Riverland's enrollment was nearly 10 percent higher than the same date last year, currently at 1,094 full-year equivalent (FYE) compared to 995.05 FYE on Dec. 2, 2023, according to a press release. This growth significantly surpasses the Minnesota State system's overall increase of 5.64 percent.

Enrollment figures for the spring semester that begins Jan. 13 are equally encouraging. While Riverland is still enrolling students, the total as of Dec. 2 is 752.07 FYE, an 8.86 percent increase compared to this time last year. These gains align with the Minnesota State system's strong performance, which is currently seeing a 12.51 percent system-wide increase.

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Minnesota State Chancellor Scott Olson of Minnesota State attributed the system's success to its commitment to affordability, accessibility and community engagement.

"We believe the increase in enrollment was driven by a number of factors," Olson said. "Quality academic programs; keeping our colleges and universities the most affordable, most accessible higher education options in the state and outstanding relationships with the communities we serve were clearly among the keys."

The impact of Riverland's growth is felt across its various campuses and learning platforms. Online learning continues to be a significant driver, with over 741 FYE enrolled across summer, fall and spring semesters, showcasing the flexibility Riverland offers its students. Additionally, specialized programs such as Farm Business Management and partnerships with 29 area high schools contribute to its broad appeal and growing enrollment figures. This growth places Riverland among the top-performing colleges in the state.

This success is also reflected in statewide data. According to a November report by Ethan Nelson of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Riverland has grown its enrollment by 18.5 percent since 2020, ranking among the top Minnesota State colleges for growth.

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Riverland changed leadership during the period of enrollment increase. In 2023, following the retirement of longtime president Adenuga Atewologun, Kathleen (Kat) Linaker became Riverland's president.

Linaker attributes this success to a combination of innovative strategies and a commitment to excellence.

"Our faculty, staff and community partners have worked tirelessly to create accessible, high-quality educational opportunities," she said. "This growth reflects our desire to meet students where they are  whether online, on campus or in their communities."

As Riverland Community College continues to expand its reach and impact, its success stands as a testament to the power of innovation, collaboration and a deep-rooted commitment to educational excellence. Riverland remains a vital contributor to the state's educational and economic landscape, according to the release.

Riverland Community College, a member of the Minnesota State system, is a community college that strives to transform lives through excellence in service, education and career training. Approximately 4,775 students are served annually through a wide range of credit-based educational opportunities. Riverland is an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), with campuses located in Albert Lea, Austin and Owatonna, Minnesota, and online at www.riverland.edu.
UPDATE: All lanes of traffic along Interstate 10 at Mile Marker 101 have reopened after a rollover crash Monday morning, Dec. 23, TxDOT said.

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  If you are heading out across Texas for the holidays, a rollover crash is impacting traffic Monday, Dec. 23 along Interstate 10 near Fort Hancock, the Texas Department of Transportation said.

A rollover crash happened along I-10 East at Mile Marker 101 in the center median, TxDOT said.

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Law enforcement, including Texas Department of Public Safety and Border Patrol, are on scene, TxDOT said.

Inside lanes going west and east are impacted. There are no reported injuries.

Clearing time is until further notice.

We will update this story when we learn more.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  Romanian lawmakers on Monday voted narrowly in favor of a new pro-European coalition government led by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

The move could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election by a top court. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in Romania's 466-seat legislature.

The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party, or PSD, the center-right National Liberal Party, PNL, the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. It caps a month-long period of turmoil in which far-right nationalists made significant gains in a Dec. 1 parliamentary election, a week after a first-round presidential race saw the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerge as the front-runner.

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It will not be an easy mandate for the future government, Ciolacu, whose PSD party topped the polls in the parliamentary election, said in a statement Monday.

We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis," he said. "It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.

Romani's 16 ministerial positions will be shared among the parties, which will hold a slim majority in the legislature. It's widely seen as a tactical partnership to shut out far-right nationalists whose voices found fertile ground amid high living costs and a sluggish economy.

Ciolacu, who came third in the first-round presidential ballot despite polls indicating he would win the most votes, has served as prime minister since June 2023.

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After parliaments approval, President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government and warned the new Cabinet that it's entering a difficult new period in which for many Romanians, there are major concerns.

Romania was plunged into turmoil after Georgescus surprise success in the presidential race, after allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Days before the Dec. 8 runoff, the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race.

We go through complicated times, but I think we all learned from mistakes of the past, Ciolacu said. I hope that together with my colleagues in the coalition, well find the best solutions to get past the challenges we have in front of us.

Ciolacu said that the new government would aim to quickly organize the rerun of the presidential election in which the new coalition has agreed to put forward an agreed common pro-European candidate.

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Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said that the new government made up of the same political parties will likely embrace soft populist rhetoric such as economic patriotism, anti-austerity, and a peace solution in neighboring Ukraine to counter the rise of far-right populism.

This will be a way to answer the concerns of many Romanians who voted for populists  but will not solve the fundamental problem of trust, he said. The only decisive factor now will be who and how convincing the pro-European candidates will be against this popular revolt.

George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which came second in the parliamentary election, said that all lawmakers from his party on Monday would vote against the Ciolacu government.

In 2021, the PSD and the PNL also formed an unlikely but increasingly strained coalition together with UDMR, which exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute.

___

Stephen McGrath reported from Warwick, England.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Monday said he has tasked incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu with forming a new government, as Bucharest reels from a deep political crisis.

Ciolacu - who has been prime minister since 2023 - is to lead a pro-European coalition of his Social Democrats (PSD), the centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL) and the UDMR/RMDSZ party representing the country's Hungarian minority.

Following parliamentary elections on December 1, eight ministers are to come from the PSD, with six from the PNL and two from the UDMR.

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The coalition partners also agreed to nominate PNL politician Crin Antonescu as their joint candidate for the next presidential elections, after the Romanian Constitutional Court earlier this month annulled the result of the first round of the presidential election.

The vote on November 24 saw the far-right and pro-Russia candidate Calin Georgescu unexpectedly take first place, prompting a major political crisis.

Georgescu had come under scrutiny by the judiciary due to possible illegal financing of his campaign.

The far-right candidate, who was largely unknown, mainly used the online platform TikTok to promote himself.

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Romania's foreign intelligence service assumes that Russian-controlled manipulation contributed to Georgescu's success.

A date for the re-run of the presidential election has not yet been set.

In the parliamentary elections on December 1, ultra-right and far-right parties also made strong gains, together winning almost a third of the vote.

The strongest of them, the far-right AUR, increased its share of the vote from 9 to 18% compared to 2020.
By Joshua McElwee

ROME (Reuters) - Rome has completed the most ambitious of thousands of construction works that have disrupted daily life in the Eternal City in preparation for the millions of tourists expected during the 2025 Catholic Holy Year that starts this week

Mayor Roberto Gualtieri opened a major new road junction near the Vatican on Monday, marking completion of an 85 million euro ($88.4 million) centrepiece project among 3,200 public construction works ahead of the Holy Year, otherwise known as the Catholic Jubilee.

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The new underpass near the medieval Castel Sant'Angelo redirects traffic underground and creates a pedestrian zone from the Tiber River toward St. Peter's Basilica, the centre of Catholicism and one of the world's most visited tourist sites.

The frenzy of work, however, has infuriated residents and left some visitors feeling short-changed in recent months because many tourist attractions have been behind scaffolding.

The Vatican expects 32 million tourists to descend on the Italian capital for the Holy Year, which will be opened by Pope Francis during Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's on Tuesday and will run until Jan. 6, 2026.

The first Holy Year was proclaimed in 1300 as an opportunity for pilgrims coming to Rome to obtain special indulgences, or remission of their sins. The event now normally occurs every 25 years and is considered a time of peace, forgiveness and pardon.

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Gualtieri said construction workers, who started the underpass in August 2023, worked 24 hours a day for 450 days to win a "race against time" to complete it on schedule.

"The Jubilee will now give Rome a new beautiful public square," he told reporters.

Under the new layout, much of the Via della Conciliazione, the central boulevard leading toward the Vatican, will become a traffic-free "pilgrims' path" expected to be walked by up to 100,000 tourists per day.

Beyond the new road construction, Rome has pooled 3.7 billion euros of state and European funds to overhaul tourist sites, parks and even rubbish bins.

The Trevi Fountain has also been restored and was reopened on Sunday.

($1 = 0.9620 euros)

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Gavin Jones and David Goodman)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (NewsNation)  In Santas workshop at the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, volunteers build bikes, wrap presents and cook meals for families spending their holidays away from home while their children receive medical care.

The charity, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, provides accommodations and support services to families with seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. With 180 locations across the United States, the organization offers a refuge during difficult times.

Our families are going through some of the hardest times of their lives, said Kristen Young, a representative from the Charlotte chapter. Were here to provide those comforts of home  a meal, a hot shower, a laundry room.

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Nonprofit Lukes Wings helping veterans be with loved ones

This holiday season, the Charlotte facility has transformed its basement into a free gift shop where families can select up to eight presents for their children.

The shop features popular items including Legos, magnet tiles, sporting goods, board games and Barbie dolls. Volunteers wrap all gifts at no cost.

Members of Mecklenburg EMS are among the volunteers lending their time to the cause. One medic was spotted assembling a pink Barbie bicycle, while others prepared breakfast for resident families.

I love that I get to make a difference while Im on and off duty, said one EMS volunteer while cooking bacon for breakfast. Anything that I can do to put a smile on someones face, I can do it.

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Another volunteer, Trent, found joy in seeing childrens reactions to their morning meals. I love to see the childrens faces as soon as they come down and have a good breakfast, he said. Even though its just holiday season, its good to give back.

Families seeking assistance can access Ronald McDonald House services through referrals from their hospital social workers.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.
Monday morning will be icy cold with temps in the twenties and wind chills in the single digits and teens! We do welcome lots of sunshine with high pressure in control helping us warm up into the upper 30s. A few spots may try to hit 40 degrees by the afternoon if we can melt some more snow. Winds are relatively calm out of the southeast 5-10mph so a brisk feel with wind chills in the low 30s all day.

Monday night, we begin mostly clear but clouds will be on the increase through the overnight into the pre-dawn hours of our Tuesday. We look to stay dry for those hitting the roads late, but rain, freezing rain, and wet snowflakes are expected just in time for sunrise. Overnight lows dip into the 20s for many but hold steady with the extra blanket of clouds.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY: Beginning at 5am Tuesday, December 24th through 7pm, a winter weather advisory for Northwestern Pocahontas County goes into effect. Light freezing rain accumulations will make for some difficult travel on untreated roads. Light snow showers, off and on, totaling up to 1 inch will also add some difficulty. Use caution while driving.

Christmas Eve, Tuesday starts with snow and freezing rain for the western facing ridgelines through Pocahontas, Nicholas, and western Greenbrier counties. A weakening system is expected to scoot through early morning with sleet and rain for the lowlands. Southern counties will likely escape with little to no rain at all with the system falling apart as it dives south. Minor travel impacts for the early morning, especially for the mountain roads and highways. Otherwise, we look to have a gloomy day with highs in the low 40s.

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Christmas Eve Night, Santa will be making his rounds with the help of Rudolph and his nose as thick clouds hang tough all night. While most are dry, light snow flakes still fly for place like Snowshoe and those on the western side of the mountain ridgeline through Pocahontas County. About the only place in our region that stands a chance at 1 inch of fresh snow by Christmas morning. The rest of us simply deal with low clouds and fog in the valleys as lows dip back into the upper 20s and low 30s.

Christmas Day, Wednesday, will be a gloomy day as well with stubborn clouds. We are looking dry for most of the morning and afternoon making travel to and from family and friends easier. Highs once again move into the 40s. A little sunshine may try to peek through the thinning clouds in the early afternoon but those clouds thicken up again heading into Christmas night.

Wednesday night, a few light showers, mainly drizzle, tries to move into the region. A little icy mix for a few high ridgelines above 3,000 feet but no real accumulations expected. Lows do dip close to the freezing mark, so wet untreated roads my develop some ice for late night travelers to watch for. Hannukah begins at sundown which occurs at 5:12pm.

Thursday, the first day of Kwanzaa unfolds with sunshine and warming temps. Itll take a few hours in the mornings to move the thermometers from the 30s into the 50s in the afternoon. Still, a quite day to enjoy or for those traveling, easier conditions to move around with. A few pesky clouds from time to time, but building high pressure ensures we stay dry. Overnight lows dip back into the low 30s.

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Friday, the last of 2024 starts dry with sunshine to help temps move into the upper 40s for the afternoon. Just about when clouds start to increase as our next system approaches. A few light showers are possible late evening with with temps well above freezing, should remain rain. A fair exception for the highest of mountain tops in Pocahontas county. Lows dip a few degrees warmer than freezing for most.

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Saturday will be a gloomy day with off and on showers. Soggy at times may lead to standing water on roadways but otherwise, no real travel impacts expected. Temps are much to warm for anything other than rain with highs in the low 50s. Overnight lows remain mild with south winds and extra clouds in the low 40s.

Sunday gets some help with warmer morning temps so well reach the low 50s in the afternoon with little issue. Rain still hit and miss with steadier showers for the late afternoon and early evening. Thanks to a stubborn ridge building towards our west in our jet stream, we wont see temps move much after a cold front slides through. Overnight lows still mild for late December in the upper 30s.

Monday will be a clearing day but itll take all of it before the risk of showers come to an end. A few passing showers from time to time are expected, but less in coverage than what we see on Sunday. Highs still manage the low 50s as sunshine tries to sneak a peek through broken clouds. With clearing skies at night, overnight lows cool quickly back into the upper 30s.

In your extended forecast, New Years Eve is looking mild with highs in the 50s and sunshine. We are expecting a cold front to move in for New Years Day, with some scattered showers. We should be able to bring in the new year in Welch with the Coal Drop, Bluefield with the Lemon Drop, or New York City in Time Square with no issues. Well, of course, be ringing in the new year from all over the world via our social media pages so be sure to check in on December 31st, to track midnight around the globe!

MONDAY

Cold sunshine, building clouds late tonight. Highs in the upper 30s/low 40s.

TUESDAY  CHRISTMAS EVE

Morning rain/ice/snow, mostly cloudy day. Highs in the 40s.

WEDNESDAY  CHRISTMAS DAY / 1ST DAY OF HANNUKAH

Gloomy day, light rain late night. Highs in the mid 40s.

THURSDAY  KWANZAA BEGINS

Sun & clouds, cold morning, mild afternoon. Highs near 50.

FRIDAY

Building clouds, rain late. Highs in the upper 40s.

SATURDAY

Gloomy day, off & on showers. Highs in the low 50s.

SUNDAY

Off & on showers, some breaks. Highs in the low 50s.

MONDAY

Morning showers, slow clearing. Highs in the low 50s.

TUESDAY  NEW YEARS EVE 2024

Sun & Clouds, mild. Highs in the low 50s.

WEDNESDAY  NEW YEARS DAY 2025

Increasing clouds, passing showers. Highs in the 50s.

THURSDAY

AM sprinkles then clearing. Highs in the low 40s.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A popular general store in rural Missouri burned down overnight.

Scotts Iconium Store, which is about a two-hour drive from Kansas City, caught fire around 2 a.m. Sunday.

The Iconium Fire Protection District said the store was built in 1896 but has had several additions since then. While the roof still stands, the stores interior is gutted.

PHOTOS: Lawrence man arrested after carrying gun downtown, pursuit

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Seven fire departments, including Sac-Osage, Lowry City, Deepwater, Roscoe, Wheatland, Weaubleau and Warsaw, helped battle the flames for several hours.

In a Facebook post, the fire district said an investigator for the State Fire Marshals Office was at the site Sunday morning but could not determine a cause. The investigator said its possible it started from an electrical malfunction or in the fireplace.

The couple who run the store have owned it since 2012 after purchasing it from its previous longtime owners. Firefighters returned to the scene nine hours after the fire originally started due to rekindled flames.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe launched hours after the fire broke out and has already generated more than $7,000.

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JAKARTA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Floods and landslides have been hitting several regions in the Southeast Asian archipelago in the past week, as millions of travelers began to hit the road and flock to popular tourist sites for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

More than 55,000 residents living in the region of Barru in the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi have been affected by floods reaching a depth of up to 1.2 meters and landslides in several areas since last week. The country's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) also reported that one has been killed in the disaster in the region.

"The flood-affected areas include several villages in seven sub-districts," said Abdul Muhari, BNPB spokesperson, on Monday, adding that some major roads were closed in landslides, hampering accessibility for those affected residents.

The regional authorities, Muhari said, have conducted emergency response efforts, including providing temporary shelters for those in need.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, more than 10,000 residents living near the northern coastline have been affected by tidal floods since Friday. The floodwaters reached a depth of up to 1 meter in some areas, causing traffic and train service disruptions.

The city administration and the central government have been developing more than 20 km of sea dike in the city's northern area in the past few years to prevent coastal flooding.

The tidal flooding has reportedly also hit Banyuwangi in the province of East Java since Sunday, inundating 1,200 homes.

Floods triggered by heavy rains also hit the country's popular holiday island of Bali, where a number of major roads have been inundated. Some tourists were reportedly evacuated using rescue boats. Local authorities were also forced to carry out suction with water pumps and regulate traffic flow to manage the situation.

Torrential rains continued to hit some regions despite the country's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) along with relevant stakeholders having carried out weather modification efforts to reduce rain intensity over the past two weeks.

The BMKG has warned that most of Indonesia is entering the rainy season, with rainfall intensity expected to increase by 20 percent due to a weak La Nina, which typically brings wetter conditions.

The rainy season is projected to peak in late December for most of Sumatra and southern Java, while central and northern Java will likely see the peak in January. 
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 Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown.

Emergency dispatchers in rural Tioga County typically get 75 to 100 calls a day.

But when the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby brought a daylong deluge to parts of Pennsylvania and New York in early August, they fielded more than 500 requests for help and dispatched assistance 311 times in roughly seven hours.

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The heavy rain started in the morning, quickly overwhelming local waterways. Floods washed out roads, swept away cars, poured into basements, and knocked houses off their foundations. Most of the calls came from people who couldnt escape their homes. In some situations, first responders couldnt reach them. Tioga County reported one fatality.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, proclaimed a disaster emergency for 28 counties after the storm.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $12 million in relief funding so far to people in Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, and Union Counties, which were hit hard by heavy rains and floods. The Small Business Administration has also offered loans to others affected by the storm throughout the state.

A FEMA spokesperson told Spotlight PA that applicants most commonly reported furnace damage when requesting funds. The average amount given to those in need was $7,969. Applications for aid from Tioga County totaled 457.

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Federal dollars have helped some people get back on their feet in the four months since the storm. However, Tioga County officials are looking for long-term solutions to help prevent  or mitigate  such damage the next time theres heavy rain.

Flooding is common in rural Tioga County, said 911 Director Lisa Rice. However, it was unusual for the water to concentrate in one spot  in this case, Westfield Borough  and for it to rise so fast, she added.

It was like a snap of the finger, Rice told Spotlight PA. I was out in the field over the course of the next several weeks, and I dont know how many people told me, I opened the door to get out of the house to leave, and it was a wall of water coming down the street or down the road.

Flooding in Westfield, Tioga County, during Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024. Courtesy of Andrea DeSera / AD Photography.

Rice was stationed in Westfield for about a month after the Aug. 9 storm. She helped with recovery efforts and property assessments, often working lengthy hours and sleeping in a trailer.

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There were people who couldnt go home, and that was the part that really had a huge impact on me, she said. I would get home at the end of the day and think, I can lay my head on my own pillow. Many of these people  not only did they not have the big things that they lost  but they dont even have their own pillow.

Terry VanDusen, a 71-year-old Tioga County resident, estimated $75,000 in property losses  including a garage apartment, farm animals, and agricultural equipment  during the storm. He successfully applied for federal relief, but he told Spotlight PA that the roughly $6,000 in aid barely made a dent in necessary repairs. A small insurance policy also helped.

It took us two months to get cleaned up, he said. We just kept working and working. Were back to pretty much normal.

The Westfield Child Development Center, which didnt have flood insurance, was surrounded by thigh-high water during the storm.

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The day care lost its hot water tank from flooding in the basement, and director Renee Shantz said community volunteers did most of the work to clean up. She didnt request federal assistance because it was limited to residential properties, and Shantz didnt want to take out a loan to support repairs.

The parking lot at the facility is still slightly in shambles, she told Spotlight PA.

It wouldve been nice to have some grant dollars for repairs, but the government has its limitations, Shantz added. The day cares losses were minimal compared to others in the area, she said. All but one employee lost their vehicle. Two staff members had significant flooding in their houses, and another completely lost their home.

The storm didnt just damage properties. In Tioga County, officials are worried about debris and gravel that streamed into waterways. The three-member Board of Commissioners hopes the federal and state emergency management agencies can help fund cleanup efforts in the Cowanesque River. Without it, they fear the debris will cause severe flooding all over again, which would undercut current recovery efforts.

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Spokespeople for the agencies told Spotlight PA that theyre working with Tioga County to assess damage and identify eligible projects. Existing programs could help alleviate some cleanup costs, they said.

If it doesnt get cleaned up, were in the same boat, Tioga County Commissioner Marc Rice told Spotlight PA. We have communities flooded because debris blocked a bridge, and now were flooding the locals out again. We want to make sure we do everything to prevent this.

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.

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Logistics problems caused by the emergency reorientation of trade to the East are only getting worse. This year, at least a quarter less imports than planned were brought to Russia by rail from the Far East.

Source: Moscow Times

Details: Due to problems with rail exports, Russia was unable to import about 80 million tonnes of freight in January-October 2024, which exactly coincides with the decrease in exports from Far Eastern ports as compared to the expected figures.

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All this time, Russian Railways has been lagging behind its own monthly traffic schedule by at least 25%. As of December, the gap remains, so the result for the year will be the same: minus a quarter.

Due to massive locomotive breakdowns, the number of abandoned trains increased 2.4 times to 42,600 in 2023.

In addition, the company is experiencing an acute staff shortage. According to freighters, Russian Railways most frequent problem, in addition to the lack of locomotives, has been a shortage of personnel. The monopoly lacks locomotive crews and almost all technical staff.

Background: Russia is facing growing difficulties in delivering goods to China via its eastern railway network, a sign of wider economic problems caused by the war and sanctions, despite the Kremlin's assurances that everything is fine.

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UK Defence Intelligence has analysed Russia's use of drones against Ukrainian regions throughout November.

Source: UK Defence Intelligence update dated 23 December on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: Russia launched approximately 2,300 one-way attack unmanned aerial systems of various types across Ukraine in November 2024, exceeding the total from the previous month.

The UK Defence Intelligence report emphasised that the monthly number of drones launched steadily increased throughout 2024, with a notable riseover 200 additional launchesbeginning in July. However, the growth rate slowed from October to November. Early data for December indicates around 850 launches.

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The report indicates that weather conditions likely impacted operations in December, as evidenced by periods of low activity followed by nights with significantly larger waves of launches.

UK intelligence assesses that, barring disruptions to launch sites or production facilities, Russia is likely capable of maintaining a monthly launch rate of at least 1,500 drones.

Russian air defence systems provide target coverage across Ukraine, enabling continued pressure while replenishing stocks of long-range aviation missiles, the report noted.

Russian attack UAVs provide target coverage across Ukraine, enabling continued pressure while replenishing stocks of long-range aviation missiles, the report noted.

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Between September and November 2024, up to 50-60% of all drone launches were likely "decoy launches", the report suggests.

These systems, smaller and cheaper than Shahed-class drones, are designed to complicate Ukrainian defences by saturating or confusing radar picture, forcing air defence units to engage and potentially leading to fatigue over time.

Despite their primary role as decoys, some of these systems likely carry small explosive payloads, making them no less dangerous if they reach their targets, the analysts noted.

Background:

In October, UK intelligence reported that Russia had launched approximately 2,000 drones at Ukrainian regions that monthan increase of about 700 compared to September.

On 28 November, UK intelligence noted that Russia experienced a record single-day loss of 2,030 personnel, marking the first time daily losses exceeded 2,000.

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Russia is increasingly using decoy drones with little or no explosives in an effort to overload Ukraine's air defence systems, the British Defence Ministry said on Monday.

Between September and November, some 50% to 60% of Russian drones were merely decoys, the ministry said on X.

The decoys are smaller and cheaper than the Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones that Russia uses extensively.

Their deployment is intended to saturate and confuse Ukrainian radar, exhausting the country's air defences.

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"Some of the decoy systems still likely carry a small payload (up to 5 kg) of explosive, ultimately making them no less dangerous should they reach a target," the British ministry continued.

In November alone, Russia deployed a total of 2,300 drones against Ukraine. The number has increased significantly every month since July.

It is likely that Russia will be able to continue to deploy at least 1,500 per month.

The British Defence Ministry has been regularly publishing information on the course of the war since Russia's war of aggression began in February 2022. Moscow accuses London of spreading disinformation.
Equipment belonging to a business in Khmelnytskyi Oblast was damaged during a nighttime attack by the Russians, injuring one person. A power transmission line was damaged in Kyiv Oblast.

Source: Ruslan Kravchenko, Head of Kyiv Oblast Military Administration; Serhii Tiurin, Head of Khmelnytskyi Oblast Military Administration; Kyiv Oblast Police

Quote from Tiurin: "As a result of the attack, equipment belonging to a company was damaged and one person who was injured is in a satisfactory condition.

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Windows in residential buildings and a car were also damaged."

Details: Tyurin added that air defence forces destroyed five Russian Shahed UAVs over the oblast at night.

Air defence forces were also responding in Kyiv Oblast overnight. There are some downed Russian targets but no civilian casualties.

The aftermath of the Russian attack

Photo: Kyiv Oblast Police

As a result of the falling debris of downed Russian targets, a power transmission line was damaged in one of the districts. Kravchenko said that the power supply has been restored.

Four residential buildings, a garage and three cars were damaged in another district of Kyiv Oblast. Windows were smashed, doors and facades were broken and roofs were damaged.

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Kravchenko said that no critical or residential infrastructure had been hit.

The Kyiv Oblast Police added that three investigative teams, teams from the Kyiv Oblast patrol police response team and bomb disposal experts from the police were involved at the scene.

The aftermath of the Russian attack

Photo: Kyiv Oblast Police

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Russian attacks against Ukraine killed at least three civilians and injured at least three others over the past day, regional authorities reported on Dec. 23.

The Russian military attacked Ukraine with 72 Shahed-type drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles overnight on Dec. 23, Ukraine's Air Force reported on Telegram.

Ukrainian air defense shot down 47 drones over nine oblasts while 25 drones were lost in the airspace, the Air Force said.

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A 56-year-old man was injured in a drone attack on Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on this Telegram channel. The victim was in a serious condition.

Three people were killed, and one was injured after the Russian military attacked 28 cities and villages in Kherson Oblast, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on his Telegram channel. A gas pipe, shops, and cars were also damaged.

One person was injured in Khmelnytskyi Oblast following an attack by Shahed drones, regional authorities reported.

Read also: Putin threatens more destruction for Ukraine after Kazan drone strike

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hackers could have used phishing or bribed employees to breach Justice Ministry registers during a Russian cyberattack last week, Oleksandr Fedienko, head of the parliamentary subcommittee on cybersecurity, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Dec. 23.

Phishing is a technique that enables hacking by prompting an employee of the targeted organization to click on a link or download a malicious file disguised as harmless, among others.

Behind the scenes of the fierce battles on the front line, Russia and Ukraine are waging a cyberwar, targeting government institutions and strategically important businesses.

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Fedienko said that the recent cyberattack appeared well-organized, that the attackers had knowledge of the servers' internal architecture, and that the breach occurred at a top-level account.

The lawmaker added that the targeted databases had backups and the registers could, therefore, be restored "in a week or two."

First Deputy Justice Minister Mykola Kucheriavenko said on Dec. 22 that the Justice Ministry has faced "serious challenges" after the largest cyberattack in months targeted state registries.

Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna said the cyberattack on Dec. 19 targeted several government services, including state registers overseen by the Justice Ministry. Officials say the cyberattack had been prepared for months.

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The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) suggested on Dec. 20 that Russia's military intelligence agency (GRU) could be behind the cyberattack on Ukraine's government services.

Former Justice Minister Denys Maliuska told Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda that most of the information Russia stole was "already freely available," though closed registers were also affected.

Read also: Full restoration of state registries expected within weeks, Justice Ministry says after major cyberattack

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DUBAI (Reuters) -A Russian delegation met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on Monday, Iranian news agencies said, as the two countries prepared to sign a comprehensive cooperation agreement.

The Russian delegation invited Pezeshkian to visit Russia early in 2025, the media reports said. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei earlier said the deal was set to be signed during a bilateral visit in January.

Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran and other countries hostile towards the United States, such as North Korea, since the start of the Ukraine war.

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The country's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in October that Moscow and Tehran intended to sign a deal which would include closer defence cooperation.

The Russian delegation to Iran is headed by deputy prime ministers Alexei Overchuk and Vitaly Savelev, according to Russia's Interfax news agency.

"The parties are expected to discuss the joint work of Iran and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) within the framework of a full-fledged agreement on a free trade zone," Interfax said on Monday.

The United States accused Tehran in September of delivering close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, and imposed sanctions on ships and companies it said were involved in delivering Iranian weapons. Tehran denies providing Moscow with the missiles.

(Writing by Felix Light and Dubai newsroom; Additional reporting by Elwely Elwelly ; Editing by Mark Trevelyan, Ed Osmond and Bernadette Baum)
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia said on Monday the situation with European countries that buy its gas through a transit deal via Ukraine was very complicated and needs more attention, a day after talks between President Vladimir Putin and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Ukraine has said it will not be renewing a five-year deal to pipe Russian gas to Europe, which is due to expire at the end of the year, as it does not want to aid Moscow's military effort.

The flow accounts for around half of Russia's total pipeline gas exports to Europe, with Slovakia, Italy, Austria and Czech Republic set to be most affected if it ends.

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Kremlin-controlled Gazprom also exports gas to Europe via the TurkStream pipeline on the bed of the Black Sea.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he could not give more details about Sunday's talks between Putin and Fico, which also touched on bilateral relations and the Ukraine conflict.

Fico said that Putin had confirmed Russia's willingness to continue to supply gas to Slovakia, although this was "practically impossible" once the Ukraine transit deal expires.

It was not clear what potential solution the two leaders might have discussed.

Slovakia has said the loss of supplies from the east would not hit its consumption and it has diversified supply contracts. However, it would drive up its costs and the country sought to preserve the Ukraine route to keep its own transit capacity.

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Slovakia's main gas buyer SPP has contracts for the purchase of gas from a non-Russian source with BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, Eni and RWE.

The benchmark front-month contract at the Dutch TTF gas hub rose by 1.52 euros to 45.33 euros per megawatt hour (euros/MWh) by 1443 GMT, LSEG data showed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday criticised what he said was Fico's lack of desire to end his country's dependency on Russian natural resources as a "big security issue" for Europe and Slovakia.

Hungary has also been keen to keep the Ukrainian route, although it will continue to receive Russian gas from the south, via the TurkStream pipeline.

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Zelenskiy said last week it might be possible to renew the transit deal, but only if Russia was not paid for the gas until after the war is over, a condition Moscow is unlikely to accept.

"You heard the statement from the Ukrainian side, and you know about the positions of those European countries that continue to buy Russian gas and that consider this necessary for the normal operation of their economies," Peskov told reporters.

"Therefore, there is now a very complicated situation here that requires increased attention," Peskov added.

Putin said last week it was clear there would be no new deal with Kyiv to send Russian gas through Ukraine to Europe.

(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov, additional reporting by Jason Hovet; writing by Mark Trevelyan and Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Alexander Smith)
A cargo vessel, Sparta, sent by Russia to evacuate its military equipment and weaponry from Syria, has broken down on the way and the Russian crew is adrift in the open waters near Portugal.

Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU)

Quote: "The cargo vessel Sparta, dispatched by Russia to evacuate military equipment and weaponry from Syria, has reportedly broken down at sea due to a fuel line malfunction in its main engine. The Russian crew is drifting in open waters near Portugal while attempting repairs.

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Meanwhile, remnants of the Russian contingent in Syria have completed their withdrawal from remote areas and concentrated in two locations: the Khmeimim Airbase and the Tartus Naval Base."

Details: Russia has begun transferring part of its military equipment and weaponry from the Tartus port to Libya by sea.

Russian forces in Syria are also actively discussing the possibility of a complete withdrawal from Syrian territory, including the bases in Khmeimim and Tartus, by no later than 20 February 2025.

This move is reportedly linked to efforts by the new administration in Damascus to secure the lifting of international sanctions.

Background:

Assads regime ruled Syria for 24 years before its collapse following a 12-day offensive led by rebel forces spearheaded by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Levant Liberation Organisation). The offensive ended with the capture of Damascus, the countrys capital, on 8 December.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that losing military bases in Syria could severely impact the Kremlins ability to conduct operations in Africa. It would weaken Russias position in Libya and sub-Saharan countries and undermine its influence on authoritarian regimes in Africa.

Russian state agencies TASS and RIA Novosti reported that deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family are in Moscow, where Russia has granted them asylum.

On 10 December, Ukrainian intelligence reported that Russian forces were using ships and military transport aircraft to load troops, weapons and equipment, returning them from Syria to Russia.

On 12 December, Bloomberg reported that Russia is nearing an agreement with Syria's new leadership to retain its bases at the naval port of Tartus and the Khmeimim airbase.

Following negotiations with Syria's new leadership, Russia has evacuated at least 400 soldiers from the Damascus region. A representative of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stated that discussions are ongoing regarding the evacuation of additional soldiers across Syria.

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SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Three people were injured in an explosion accident at a military unit in southeast South Korea, multiple media outlets said Monday. 
Russian forces are attempting attacks across all fronts in eastern and southern Ukraine, with the number of clashes rising to 164 since the beginning of the day.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, situation update as of 16:00

Quote: "The occupiers continue to use aviation, including guided aerial bombs (KAB) and are conducting attacks on all eastern and southern fronts of our country. Defence forces are holding the lines and taking necessary measures to prevent any breaches of the defence."

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Details: The General Staff reported that Russian forces attacked 17 times on the Lyman front. Eight assaults were repelled on the Siversk front, with five clashes still ongoing.

Seven Russian offensives were conducted on the Kramatorsk front on Monday, 23 December. On the Toretsk front, 13 attacks took place, while 21 were carried out on the Pokrovsk front. On the Vremivka front, 7 of the 18 initiated assaults are still ongoing.

On the Huliaipole front, Ukrainian forces repelled one Russian assault. On the Orikhiv front, the Russians made four unsuccessful attempts to dislodge Ukrainian forces from their positions.

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Following a Russian large-scale cyberattack, Ukraines Ministry of Justice plans to validate the backups of state registers and start filling them in on Tuesday, 24 December.

Source: First Deputy Justice Minister Mykola Kucheriavenko on air of the national 24/7 joint newscast

Quote: "Today, we have started restoring the infrastructure of the registry system. Tomorrow, the backups will be validated and the restoration is expected to begin according to the agreed plan. That is, the platforms have already been formed and we are starting to fill them directly."

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Details: Kucheriavenko acknowledged that the ministry had been subjected to a particularly devastating cyberattack, but noted that the Ministry of Justice has backups and "no information has been lost". He emphasised that the Ministry of Justice was working around the clock.

According to logistics, the Unified Register of Powers of Attorney, the Register of Special Forms and Notarial Documents, and the Inheritance Register will be restored first, followed by the State Register of Civil Status Acts, the Unified State Register, and the State Register of Property Rights.

Background:

On 19 December, Ukraine suffered the largest cyberattack on government registers in recent times. The operation of key Ministry of Justice systems has been temporarily suspended as a result of the attack conducted by Russian hackers. The hackers claimed to have destroyed all data they gained access to, including backup copies stored on servers in Poland.

The State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection did not confirm the leak after the Russian cyberattack.

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Russias threat to Europe extends beyond defense to illegal immigration and cybersecurity, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Dec. 22 during an international meeting in Finland.

"It's about our democracy, it's about influencing our public opinion, it's about what happens in Africa, it's about raw materials, it's about the instrumentalization of migration. We need to know it's a very wide idea of security," Meloni was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Russia and Belarus have been orchestrating an influx of migrants since 2021, letting thousands of asylum seekers to the European Unions eastern borders with a pledge of safe entry into the EU.

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In November 2021, Belarusian troops escorted thousands of asylum seekers to the Polish border, cutting through the wire fence to allow refugees to cross. Most of them were violently pushed back by Polish border guards who set up a no-access zone at the border for nine months.

Italy's right-wing prime minister urged the EU to view migration as a distributive problem as well as a security one.

"Security also means critical infrastructure, it means artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, raw materials, supply chains. It means a new and more effective foreign and cooperation policy, it means migration," Meloni said.

Meloni cautioned against complacency in the EU, adding that even after Russias war in Ukraine ends, its security challenge will not go away.

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"We have to understand the threat is much wider than we imagine," Meloni said.

Tensions between Europe and Moscow have surged after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The EU imposed 15 packages of sanctions against Russia, and most of its members provided military support to Kyiv.

In turn, Russia has been accused of carrying out sabotage operations and hybrid attacks across the continent to disrupt defense assistance to Ukraine and spread chaos and unrest.

Read also: Orban says Hungary proposing trick to keep Russian gas shipments via Ukraine

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RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN)  After a deadly officer-involved shooting in West Tennessee last weekend, Rutherford County authorities decided to pool their money to help the fallen sergeants family.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), members of the Selmer Police Department responded to a report of a suspicious person outside a home in the 100 block of New Bethel Road just after 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Police said they were told a man had tried to force his way into a home, fired several shots into the door, and ran off before law enforcement arrived. After authorities learned the man was across the street, Sgt. Rick Finley from the McNairy County Sheriffs Office  who was reportedly working part-time with the Selmer Police Department at the time  found him in a driveway.

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Middle TN authorities, first responders share condolences after deadly officer-involved shooting in West TN

When Finley got to the scene, he encountered 39-year-old Daniel Jeremiah Holmes, who allegedly attacked Finley before firing several shots and fatally wounding him. A second officer arrived and returned fire, striking Holmes, who was pronounced dead at the scene, the TBI said.

Law enforcement and emergency response agencies across Middle Tennessee turned to social media following the shooting to share their prayers and condolences. However, some organizations took their support a step further.

Since Finley is survived by his wife, Amber, along with three children and a baby expected in March, the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office announced on Sunday, Dec. 22 that Finleys family received a donation from the Secret Santa fund.

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Law enforcement is, really, one big family: Spring Hill Police Department collects items for fallen West Tennessee deputys family

Secret Santa and Mrs. Claus share the Christmas spirit by donating money annually to sheriffs deputies who give the cash to deserving people, the sheriffs office explained.

Patrol Sgt. Robert Horne said fellow day shift Patrol Sgt. John Wauchek proposed the idea for day shift deputies to pool their share of the money and donate it to Finleys family.

According to officials, Horne delivered the money to Selmer Police Department Lt. Ted Roberts  a former officer for police departments in Eagleville and La Vergne  who accepted the donation on behalf of Finleys family.

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An MS-13 gang member wanted for murder in El Salvador has been arrested in New Jersey and is set for deportation, authorities announced Monday.

Johnathan Stanley Garcia-Vasquez was captured Friday outside his home in West New York, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement said Monday in a press release.

The United States is not a safe haven for international fugitives seeking to exploit our immigration laws to evade justice in their home countries, Newark ICE agent John Tsoukaris said in a statement.

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Garcia-Vasquez was captured by Border Patrol agents on June 9, 2016, outside Hidalgo, Texas, according to the feds. He was held until Jan. 27, 2017, when he was released from immigration court on bond.

When a Salvadoran judge issued an arrest warrant for Garcia-Vasquez on Aug. 7, 2018, he could not be located by American authorities. The feds did not say how they finally tracked down Garcia-Vasquez more than six years later.

Our officers diligence and commitment to public safety allowed them to safely apprehend this international fugitive before he could cause harm to the citizens and residents of New Jersey, Tsoukaris said. I am also grateful to the FBI for their support with the arrest of this transnational criminal.

Garcia-Vasquez is wanted in El Salvador on charges of homicide and belonging to a terrorist organization. He did not face any charges in the U.S. but was in the country illegally.
CENTRAL ILLINOIS, Ill. (WCIA)  In the final days of bell-ringing, the Salvation Army is asking Champaign County residents to help them meet their goal.

The Salvation Army Red Kettles bell ringing season finishes up on Christmas Eve, and the organization is hoping they will raise enough money to meet the needs of the community. At this time, the Salvation Army said that donations are still greatly needed to meet the increasing need for social services in Central Illinois.

PREVIOUSLY: Champaign Co. Salvation Army kicking off its Red Kettle Campaign

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The money donated to the Red Kettle campaign funds resources like groceries, emergency rental and utility assistance, Veterans services, homeless outreach services, emergency disaster response, and more for people in the community in need.

The Salvation Army said that there are a couple of ways to help before Christmas Eve.

You can donate at Red Kettles locations with cash, coins, and checks. Theyll also accept donations made through Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Venmo.

Make an online donation or signing up for a monthly gift of $25 at Give.SalvationArmyUSA.org. All online donations will stay local to the donors zip code.

Sign up to ring the bells at your local Red Kettle. Shifts last for two-hours and can have a significant impact in the final days of fundraising. Red Kettles with volunteers can raise between $80-$100 more in a two-hour shift than a stand-alone kettle. To sign up for a time at an open Red Kettle location, visit RegisterToRing.com.

In Champaign County, Red Kettles can be found at Sams Club, Schnucks, Walmart, Blains Farm & Fleet, and other businesses in the area.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
The Biden-Harris Administration awarded Samsung Electronics up to $4.745 billion in CHIPS and Science Act funding to support the companys investment and expansion in central Texas.

According to a news release about the award, the funding will support Samsungs $37 billion investment in central Texas to turn the area into a comprehensive ecosystem for the development and production of leading-edge chips in the United States.

With the funding, Samsung plans to have two new logic fabs  fabrication plants where microchips are made  and a research and development fab in Taylor, as well as expansion of Samsungs Austin facility. According to the release, the U.S. Department of Commerce will distribute funds based on Samsungs completion of project milestones.

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Last year, the American-Statesman reported that mass production of semiconductor chips at the facility in Taylor  which has about 17,000 residents in eastern Williamson County  would be delayed by at least half a year, until 2025. The 6 million-square-foot plant sits on more than 1,000 acres, near U.S. 79 and County Road 401, and is expected to employ about 2,000 people.

The Commerce Department originally intended to award Samsung $6.4 billion, but the company dialed back its plans, saying in a statement to Bloomberg that its mid-to-large-term investment plan has been partially revised to optimize overall investment efficiency.

When Samsung announced the facility in Taylor, the company said it planned to invest $6 billion in buildings and property improvements and $11 billion in machinery and equipment. The semiconductor manufacturing plant is expected to be the companys most advanced to date.

In the first 10 years of the project, Samsung is expected to receive about $680 million in total tax breaks and other incentives from Taylor, Williamson County, the Taylor school district and the state.

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Samsung has had a presence in Austin, where it has an operational facility, since 1997. But the company could add as many as 11 more chip production facilities in Central Texas in the coming decades, according to tax incentive filings.

We are proud and grateful for the long-standing relationships we have established with our American partners and customers, as well as communities across Texas, said Young Hyun Jun, vice chairman and CEO of Device Solutions Division at Samsung Electronics, in the statement. Our agreement with the U.S. Government today under the CHIPS and Science Act represents another milestone as we continue to invest and build a state-of-the-art semiconductor ecosystem in the U.S. We look forward to further collaboration with our American partners to meet the evolving needs of the upcoming AI-driven era.

The release read that the funding from the CHIPS Act would support the creation of about 12,000 construction jobs and more than 3,500 manufacturing jobs within the next five years.

The Commerce Department also awarded Texas Instruments $1.61 billion to support the $18 billion the company plans to invest on projects like two wafer fabs in Texas and one in Utah. The Department also announced smaller awards, like $407 million in funding to Amkor Technology, an Arizona-based company that tests and packages chips for companies like Apple.

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U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) called the CHIPS Act a win for America in a Friday statement following the finalizing of the deals.

Having joined the Chamber of Commerces successful effort long ago to encourage Samsung to bring its first American fab to Austin, I have appreciated Samsung as a creator of great products and great jobs, wrote Doggett. Now, through this significant federal investment, Samsung is expanding in both Austin and Taylor.

President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS Act in 2022, setting aside $39 billion in grants, loans and loan guarantees worth $75 billion, and 25% tax credits. The act was created to boost American semiconductor production. So far, the Commerce Department has awarded over $32 billion in funding as of Friday across 21 states with the expectation to create over 125,000 jobs. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is racing to finish deals before leaving office in January. The American-Statesman previously reported that Central Texas is among a handful of regions expected to see a boost from the CHIPS and Science Act.

Much of the Commerce Departments latest awards are focusing on local production of semiconductors: Texas Instruments is the largest maker of analog chips and embedded processors and Samsung is the top memory chip maker and a major provider of outsourced production for other companies.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Samsung awarded $4.7B through CHIPS Act to support Texas expansion
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  Months after a fatal collision claimed the life of San Diego Police Officer Austin Machitar, his partner Officer Zachary Martinez who was critically injured in that crash, is back to work and on patrol.

Officer Martinez returned to work after months of hospital care and physical therapy. In late August he suffered from brain bleeds, broken bones and burns to his hands after a suspect fleeing a police pursuit crashed into their patrol car going 90 mph in Clairemont. Both that driver and Officer Machitar were killed.

Truly a miracle: SDPD officer severely hurt in deadly Clairemont crash returns to duty

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Im truly grateful to get a second chance to do it again, said 27-year-old Zachary Martinez.

Martinez doesnt remember before or after the accident and spent several days in a coma. The one thing he does recall is a memory of him saying a prayer asking for a second chance.

During the coma, I didnt know it was coma, but I remember there was a mixture of dark and light, and I was on the ground and I was saying a prayer. And at the end of my prayer I woke up, and I woke up in the hospital, said Martinez. I prayed to God above and I asked can I have a second chance, and at the end of Amen that prayer was answered right away.

His survival has boosted his faith and he feels overwhelmed by all the support he was given along the way.

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Officer Martinez parents speak on his recovery at home after fiery pursuit crash

From the Mayor, citizens of San Diego, the Chief of Police and below, it felt great. The outpouring of support was amazing. When I was in the hotel they had a meal train and would bring us food every day and the random letters from the community and the Mayor himself, he gave me a hand written letter. It shows you that you arent alone in battles like this, Martinez explained.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
(Bloomberg) -- Liberal San Francisco is eyeing at least one patch of common ground with President-elect Donald Trump.

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Top officials in the city  long a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants  have embraced a Biden-era crackdown on fentanyl dealers that has sent scores of migrants to deportation proceedings since last year. Now the incoming mayor and other local leaders say theyre open to maintaining the program under Trump as they look to tackle the citys drug markets.

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Believe it or not there may be some things that we agree on here, Matt Dorsey, a member of San Franciscos Board of Supervisors, said of the incoming administration. Fentanyl dealing and fentanyl addiction may be an area where there is some agreement.

The deportations have sparked outrage from immigrant-rights advocates who say local law enforcement is working with federal authorities to circumvent the citys sanctuary policy. While targeting convicted drug dealers is far more limited than the mass deportations that Trump has proposed  and that San Francisco is likely to resist  the actions show how a resurgent tough-on-crime tone in Democratic strongholds is opening up rare chances for agreement with the GOP president.

A similar recalibration is percolating around the country as cities prepare to navigate Trumps upcoming second term. In New York, Mayor Eric Adams has said hes open to deporting immigrants accused of crimes. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has said that undocumented violent criminals should be deported.

Its unclear if Trump, who is expected to appoint a new US attorney for Northern California, will continue the cooperation with San Franciscos district attorneys office. But the president-elects campaign focus on tackling fentanyl aligns with the citys crackdown.

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President Trump will lever every power necessary to secure the border and stop deadly drugs from illegally entering our country, said Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump-Vance transition team.

That sets up a delicate balancing act for local officials in San Francisco. Driven by fentanyl, overdoses killed 810 people in the city last year, although drug deaths have fallen sharply in recent months.

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement that shes willing to continue working with federal authorities to ensure dignified, safe neighborhoods that are not held hostage by unrepentant drug traffickers although she added any cooperation with Trump remains uncertain and would not violate the citys sanctuary protections.

Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie echoed that sentiment, saying US prosecutors have that right to continue the program, which has led to around 120 convictions and dozens of additional charges since its inception.

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They deport them, he said in an interview. That has gone on for the last year and they have that right. And if they continue to do that, they have that right.

Lurie added that he supports the citys sanctuary policies, which are backed by state ordinances. The measures bar local law enforcement from working with immigration authorities in most cases.

Plenty of drug dealers are US citizens, and San Francisco has been touting its broader efforts to crack down on them, too. But the fentanyl deportations typically involve young Honduran migrants who are arrested by local police and then charged by US prosecutors.

Once in federal court, most defendants accept plea deals under a program called Fast Track, which results in one-day prison sentences that lead to the person being handed over to immigration authorities.

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Critics argue that the system pressures accused migrants into plea deals and glosses over issues like human trafficking that force some migrants into drug dealing. A coalition of 32 advocacy organizations said in a November letter that the crackdown singles out and scapegoats the immigrant community for the fentanyl crisis.

The District Attorneys ongoing collusion with the federal government to funnel people into immigration detention and deportation is especially unconscionable in the face of threats of mass deportation and openly racist and xenophobic targeting of immigrants by President-elect Trump, said Angela Chan, an assistant chief attorney in the San Francisco public defenders office.

Among the recent cases is a Honduran man who crouched behind a wall with an undercover police officer and sold him $40 in fentanyl, according to a criminal complaint. The 21-year-old came to the US for the first time in recent months and is not a sophisticated drug dealer, his public defender said in a court document.

As part of his plea agreement he will be rendered permanently inadmissible to the US, meaning that he will be barred from reentry for the rest of his life, the lawyer said.

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The federal crackdown also ensnared a 9-months-pregnant woman who faced a surprise arrest in October when she appeared for a local court hearing on drug-sale charges. The woman was held overnight before being released, the public defenders office said.

In another case, a San Francisco jury in September acquitted a Honduran man accused of drug dealing after finding he had been coerced into selling narcotics.

At the political level, the Board of Supervisors overwhelmingly rejected an effort by Dorsey in 2023 to amend the citys sanctuary policy to permit the deportation of convicted fentanyl dealers.

While Dorsey has been among the most vocal advocates for deporting the citys convicted drug dealers, his common ground with Trump is unlikely to extend much further. Dorseys boyfriend is a Brazilian immigrant with a pending asylum case, and hes been clear that most migrants should be shielded from Trumps broader deportation campaign.

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Its going to be a tightrope to walk for the new mayor, said Dorsey. Its going to be a tightrope for all of us on the Board of Supervisors.

--With assistance from Marie Monteleone.

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Defiant sanctuary cities and states such as New York are acting like Confederate rebels and should lose all of their federal funding if they refuse to deport illegal migrants, ex-Gov. George Pataki said Sunday.

No more business as usual, Pataki said on WABC 770 AM radios Cats Roundtable program. If youre going to have a country based on the rule of law, it has to apply equally everywhere.

Cities and states that pretend that the federal rules dont apply to them are just violating the constitution, violating our freedom, the ex-New York gov said. I would hope that President Trump with this Congress will just defund any city or state that refuses to follow the federal laws.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki compared sanctuary cities to Confederate rebels. Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park

Trump must make them follow the law or cut off all federal funding. I think that would be a very positive step to bring America together.

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Pataki said New York and other local and state elected officials who defy immigration laws are acting like Confederacy-backers who provoked the Civil War in the 1800s by trying to secede from the Union.

Today, so-called sanctuary jurisdictions refuse to honor or limit US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests to turn over illegal migrants.

Pataki, the three-term Empire State governor from 1995 to 2006, told host John Catsimatidis, We had a civil war over this kind of thing.

The South lost, he said. It became plain that under the Constitution, every city, every state has to follow the law of this country. New York City is not right now. San Francisco, Los Angeles, California  other places arent.

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He noted that the New York City Council approved sanctuary laws that restrict local law enforcement and jail officials from cooperating and turning over even undocumented criminal migrants.

Pataki called on Congress and President-elect Trump to defund cities that defy federal laws. Allison Robbert/Pool Photo via AP, File

During a recent meeting with Trumps border czar Tom Homan, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was eyeing an executive order to unravel the local confusing rules and policies for how the Big Apple can work with federal immigration authorities.

Im going to use my executive power to go after dangerous people who are committing violence acts as migrants and asylum seekers, he said.

On Sunday, a City Hall rep, asked about Patakis comments, referred The Post to Adams prior statements criticizing aspects of the citys sanctuary laws that make it difficult to deport migrants who are repeat violent offenders. The mayors legal staff has followed up with Homans team to craft ways to bolster cooperation to deport migrant criminals.

Demonstrators at a Los Angeles City Council meeting calling for the city to pass a sanctuary city ordinance on Nov. 19, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole

Its a privilege to be in America. If you violate [the law], you shouldnt be in this country, Adams said on the Fox News Channel last week, referring to migrants committing crimes.

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The Empire State became an illegal-migrant sanctuary based on a Sept. 15, 2017, executive order signed by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, which covers state agencies but not local law enforcement.

Current Gov. Kathy Hochul has continued the sanctuary policy.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was planning to unravel some sanctuary city laws. Robert Mecea

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New York also approved a law in 2019 allowing illegal migrants to obtain drivers licenses.

We need Trump, we need Washington to step in and say, This is wrong,  Pataki said. I think [Mayor] Adams would go along with that. I think he agrees that being a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, including thousands of criminals, just doesnt work, and its got to stop.

Hochul last month said she would help federal authorities deport migrants who commit crimes.
ISLAMABAD, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Four troops were killed and 15 others injured during a clash between security forces and terrorists in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, official sources said.

The incident happened on Sunday in the rugged Tirah Valley area of Khyber tribal district of the province, where security forces conducted a search operation, and intermittent exchanges of fire were reported throughout the day, the sources told Xinhua on anonymity.

Immediate medical assistance was provided to the injured people at the site before they were sent to a nearby military hospital, the sources added.

The Pakistani military has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.

The Tirah Valley, situated along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, has long been a focus of counterinsurgency efforts due to its strategic location and history of militancy. 


North Korea appears to be preparing to supply more arms to Russia on top of some 20,000 containers it had already sent, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Dec. 23 based on its analysis of satellite images.

It follows a statement by the South Korean military, which said earlier the same day that North Korea prepares to send more troops and weapons to aid Russias war against Ukraine.

Seoul officials told WSJ that approximately 200 munitions factories in North Korea are running at full capacity to produce weapons, with Russia providing fuel and equipment to assist Pyongyang's arms production efforts.

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Satellite images analyzed by WSJ show that some of these factories are being expanded. In return for its arms and ammunition sent to Russia, North Korea might have received as much as $5.5 billion, an analyst told WSJ.

By deepening military cooperation with Moscow, Pyongyang hopes to gain practical battlefield experience and the ability to modernize its weapons systems, said.

North Korea has emerged as Russia's leading ally in the full-scale war against Ukraine, providing not only ballistic missiles and artillery ammunition but also soldiers. The two nations signed a defense treaty in June, requiring either state to render military aid to the other in the event of an attack.

After reporting the first clashes with North Korean troops in the fall, Ukraine in December announced that Russia had begun using North Korean units in ground assaults in Russias Kursk Oblast.

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South Korean officials have reported that at least 100 North Korean soldiers have been killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine. According to lawmaker Lee Sung-kwon, North Korean troops are suffering high casualty rates in part due to their inexperience with drone warfare.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is attempting to hide information about North Korean casualties.

Read also: North Korean troops in Kursk Oblast boost Russias manpower, despite vulnerabilities

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Update: The Sayre Walmart in Athens Township announced just after 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 23 that the store is open for business and power is restored.

ATHENS TWP, Pa. (WETM)  Residents in the valley are left to shop at other locations on Monday after a power outage temporarily shut down the valley Walmart just days before Christmas, according to information from Penelec and Walmart.

The Sayre Walmart in Athens Township temporarily closed its store after a power outage in the morning of Monday, Dec. 23. The announcement was put on Facebook at 6:29 a.m. saying the store is looking forward to opening as soon as possible.

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Waverly man sentenced for July Sayre police chase

An outage map for Penelec shows that one of the reasons for the outage is emergency equipment repair and that the restoration time is set for 11 a.m.

Crews are working to bring power back to the area; this story will be updated when the power has been restored and the store is open.

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An Oklahoma Senate bill that would curtail school districts use of virtual instruction days is expected to make a comeback in the 2025 legislative session.

The bill would forbid public schools from scheduling at-home, online learning days except in cases of inclement weather, staff shortages, illnesses, building maintenance issues, or if school administrators deem it necessary and the Oklahoma State Department of Education approves.

Last sessions version, Senate Bill 1768, passed the Senate but failed to get a hearing on the House floor.

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One of the bills authors, Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, is now the Senates top lawmaker.

Paxton and co-author Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, announced on Thursday their plans to refile the bill for next session, which begins Feb. 3.

We continue to see the disastrous and inefficient effects virtual learning is having on our children, Paxton said. We also continue to see school districts across the state plan their calendars for next year that include even more virtual days. Children learn best when they are in the classroom.

Some school districts replicate four-day school weeks by scheduling a virtual school day once a week throughout the academic year, totaling 20 or more days of at-home learning. Many districts, though, use them sparingly on days of staff training, parent-teacher conferences or emergency situations.

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Virtual school days detract from educational quality and strain working parents, Paxton and Thompson said.

The legislation would impact only traditional brick-and-mortar schools. Schools that primarily conduct online education, like virtual charter schools, would be unaffected.

Schools that use a virtual instruction day would have to notify the state Education Department within 72 hours, according to the text of the previous bill. The state agency would be responsible for reviewing whether the school did so for a permissible reason, and if the school had not, it would have to schedule an extra day of in-person classes.

This is necessary legislation to ensure students are getting the best education possible, which is in-person and in the classroom, Thompson said. I have seen firsthand the lack of quality instruction that occurs on a remote learning day. We have a responsibility to our children that they get the best education possible. I look forward to filing this measure again.

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Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma senators file bill aimed at curtailing virtual school days
The Supreme Court has turned down a case challenging a COVID-era admissions policy meant to racially and geographically diversify three highly selective Boston public schools.

While the policy has since been replaced, a group of white and Asian parents sued the district, claiming that although it appeared to be race neutral, in practice it disproportionately harmed them and violated their rights under the Equal Protection Clause. The families were seeking damages, as well as spots at the schools for five students who argued they would have been accepted under the pre-COVID policy.

The decision, handed down earlier this month, lets stand a lower courts ruling that the policy did not violate the rights of white and Asian students. It was closely watched for signs of how eager the high court might be to apply to K-12 admissions elements of its landmark 2023 decision overturning affirmative action in higher education.

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In a five-page dissent, justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said that in declining to hear the case, the court refused to correct a glaring constitutional error that threatens to perpetuate race-based affirmative action in defiance of that earlier case, Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and SFFA v. University of North Carolina.

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U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Use of Affirmative Action in College Admissions

Writing in favor of the decision, Justice Neil Gorsuch said the fact that the policy is no longer in place at least partially convinced him it was unnecessary to hear the case. That being said, he cautioned against reading into his reasoning an approval of the lower courts decision and encouraged future judges to consider the concerns raised in his fellow justices dissent.

Advocacy organizations in favor of race-conscious policies considered the courts decision a victory.

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in the Harvard affirmative action case, right-wing groups have unsuccessfully tried to extend its reach to challenge diversity, equity, and inclusion, Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, said in a statement. But todays action by the Supreme Court sends a clear signal: theres no appetite for extending the affirmative action decision beyond its narrow scope in college admissions.

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Bethany Li, executive director of The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, was part of a multi-racial coalition of community organizations and families that joined Boston Public Schools in defending the policy. She felt it was particularly important for her organization to get involved to signal that the Asian community is not a monolith and that many support affirmative action.

Bethany Li is the executive director of The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. (LinkedIn)

Asian Americans wanted to very visibly show that we were standing in solidarity with the Black and Latino community on this issue, she said in an interview with The 74. I think theres always this story thats told that Asian Americans, for example, arent as supportive of affirmative action, or arent supportive of policies that increase diversity  and thats actually not the case.

Li also argued that the challenge should have been dismissed long ago, since the policy is no longer in place. Under the new policy, students receive an admissions score  their GPA accounts for 70% and a standardized test for the remaining 30%. Students may be eligible to receive additional points if they meet specific criteria, like living in public housing or attending a school with an enrollment of 40% or more economically disadvantaged students.

Boston Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment.

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Christopher Kieser, a senior attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, which represented the plaintiffs, pushed back on the defunct-policy argument.

It was unfortunate to see that that was cited as a reason not to take the case, he said, adding that actually this is a really good vehicle to address this question, because its a really concrete thing. Theres no future moving parts that are going to be coming up. We already know what happened, and all were asking for is to send it back and for the district court to be able to give a remedy to these five kids.

Historically, the three schools  Boston Latin Academy, the John D. OBryant School of Mathematics and Science, and Boston Latin School  solely considered a students grades and a single standardized test score to determine admissions. Critics had long argued this criteria meant few Black and Latino students were selected for the coveted positions, and the Boston School Committee  the governing body for Boston Public Schools  began considering amendments to the policy in 2019.

These changes came to fruition in the 2021-22 school year, when Boston Public Schools temporarily suspended the entrance exam, and instead prioritized grades and geography. Under the new, two-part policy, one-fifth of seats were given to the top academic students across the city. For the remaining 80% of the entering class, geography was included in admissions criteria: each of the citys zip codes had the opportunity to send their students with the highest GPAs, a move meant to diversify the schools.

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Advocates say the policy was a success: between the 202021 and 202122 school years, Black students increased from 14% to 23% of total enrollment and Latino students grew from 21% to 23%, while white students decreased from 40% to 31% and Asian students shrank from 21% to 18%. A lower court ruled that this did not disproportionately harm Asian and white students, since they were still overrepresented in the sought-after schools compared to their numbers in Boston Public Schools overall enrollment. In his dissent, Alito wrote, This reasoning is indefensible.

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Supreme Court Wont Hear Challenge to Admissions Policy at Elite Va. High School

This type of case is not unique: earlier this year the firm representing the Asian and white families in Boston asked the high court to hear a similar one surrounding an admissions policy at a prestigious magnet school in Fairfax County, Virginia. The court ultimately denied that request as well, but the Pacific Legal Foundation is currently litigating other cases against admissions policies in Marylands Montgomery County Public Schools and in New York City.

Christopher Kieser is a senior attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation. (Pacific Legal Foundation)

New York Citys eight specialized high schools  including Stuyvesant High School and The Bronx High School of Science  are of particular prominence. They almost exclusively only look at a students score on a single standardized test to determine admissions, which critics say drives lopsided demographics. Last spring, just 4.5% of offers went to Black students and 7.6% went to Hispanic students. In 2024, only 10 Black students were admitted to Stuyvesants first-year class of 744 in Lower Manhattan, according to reporting by Gothamist.

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In attempting to bring this latest batch of cases to the Supreme Court, plaintiffs were hoping to establish a similar precedent in K-12 schools as was laid out in Students for Fair Admissions.

Overall the precedent we want to set is that you cant make race-based decisions in K-12 admissions  whether you do it through a proxy or you do it explicitly, its the same, said Kieser.

Were going to keep going as much as we can, he added. Like I said, weve had issues where its taken us 10, 12 times to ask the court to hear a case before theyve done it. So its not over.
The clock is ticking for the Justice Department and federal prosecutors trying to resolve civil rights investigations and complaints against law enforcement agencies accused of mistreating Black and brown communities.

This form of accountability can produce a court-ordered agreement  a consent decree  to enforce departments to overhaul their policing practices that Black Americans have been protesting to end for decades.

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, the Justice Departments focus could shift, as his allies have formulated and distributed a plan, called Project 2025, that advocates eliminating those investigations.

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In the final days of President Joe Bidens administration, federal prosecutors are racing to complete and release the findings of those investigations.

Since Trumps victory, the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division has announced the conclusion of investigations into four police departments: Trenton, New Jersey; Memphis, Tennessee; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Mount Vernon, New York. In each case, federal investigators found there was credible evidence of systemic misconduct within those departments and their jurisdictions.

The division also announced the conclusion of their federal oversight of two separate consent decrees with the Yonkers, New York, and Baltimore police departments. Each consent decree was enforced for eight years.

Four more investigations, including the Rankin County, Mississippi, Goon Squad case, are still in progress, but its not clear whether the probes will be completed before Trump takes office.

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The Civil Rights Division is run by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, the first Black woman to lead it.

U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in March 2022 in Washington. The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on combating the rise in hate crimes. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Ensuring lawful, non-discriminatory, transparent and effective policing is a top priority for the Justice Department, said Clarke in remarks following the release of the findings against the Memphis police department.

We stand ready to continue working with the city, she said. The people of Memphis deserve fair, transparent, non-discriminatory constitutional policing  nothing less.

If the Trump administration eliminates the investigations, the courts will become the primary venue where the victims of police misconduct can air their complaints. But legal experts said it is harder to achieve systemic reform through the courts.

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George White, a scholar of race and public policy at the City University of New York at York College, said eliminating the Civil Rights Divisions investigations would be a significant step backward in the quest for greater equity.

If you dont have that kind of external pressure in place to make sure that these actors are actually doing the right thing  creating equity, and creating fairness  theyre not going to do it, said White, the interim dean of the colleges School of Arts and Sciences. He added that he believes there are going to be a lot of communities that are left adrift for the next four years, or until we get a completely different administration in place.

Federal prosecutors can be a bulwark against the hostility

Under Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Justice Department launched a dozen pattern or practice investigations into law enforcement agencies across the country, including Phoenix, Minneapolis, and Louisville, Kentucky. Two of those investigations stemmed from police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Another one, in Memphis, came after the murder convictions of six Black former police officers for the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop.

In Black communities, fatal police encounters continue to rise. An average of about 250 Black people have been killed in encounters with the police in each year since 2021, according to an analysis by the Mapping Police Violence website.

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Although federal prosecutors conduct their work independently of the White House, its particularly difficult to do that when the administration is quite hostile to the work that youre doing, said Christy Lopez, a former deputy chief in the special litigation section of the Civil Rights Division who now teaches at Georgetown Law.

Lopez said the expected antipathy of the Trump administration to the Justice Departments work might prompt some prosecutors to continue working in the department while he is in office.

Those prosecutors may hope to be a bulwark against the hostility and the undermining of the work that theyve invested in, Lopez said, adding that, What you often hear is, Im not going to leave and clear a seat for somebody whos actually hostile to this work to come in.

One of the four investigations that may not be completed before Trump takes office is an investigation into Rankin County that only launched three months ago. Six white law enforcement officers from two separate departments were convicted of abuse and assault, after they tortured Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker, two Black men, who told Capital B about their nearly two-hour ordeal.

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In addition to opening and closing investigations, federal officials have been actively monitoring 18 pattern or practice investigation settlements, according to information provided to Capital B by the Justice Department.

A call to arms to U.S. attorneys

During Trumps first term, federal officials launched and released their findings in only one pattern or practice investigation that looked into alleged misconduct. This investigation focused on the Springfield, Massachusetts, Police Department in 2018. Before Trumps first Attorney General Jeff Sessions left office, he urged limiting the use of consent decrees.

After the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Taylor, and Floyd in 2020, Trump did not direct Sessions replacement, William Barr, to investigate the police departments or local government agencies involved.

Trump has been vetting replacements for Garland, Clarke, and their teams. One candidate is Harmeet Dhillon, a conservative and Trump loyalist, that has raised concern from advocacy leaders.

George White is the interim dean of the City University of New Yorks York College School of Arts and Sciences in Queens, New York. (Courtesy of George White)

White said that in the interests of fairness and equality, its essential that local federal prosecutors continue their efforts to investigate allegations of misconduct.

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We really do need to issue a call to arms to a number of U.S. attorneys around the country to continue to do pattern and practice investigations, White said, adding, Partly because I do think that leadership is going to completely de-emphasize that, so theyre going to have to work on their own.

In response to the dearth of pattern or practice investigations during the first Trump administration, U.S. attorneys in local Justice Departments  Illinois, California, and Colorado  were involved in their own investigations of local police departments. It doesnt matter whether the pattern or practice investigations are launched locally or in Washington, D.C.

If the Trump administration stops conducting the investigations all together in his second term, Lopez said that anyone can request injunctive relief  which, in a police-related case, is asking the court to stop law enforcement from engaging in certain patterns of discriminatory behavior.

You can often get accountability thats very meaningful to the individuals who are harmed by bringing a civil suit for money damages, Lopez said.

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Taylors family filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Louisville, Louisville Metro Police, and officers involved in her March 2020 shooting death while executing a no-knock warrant. Among the terms of the settlement was an agreement from the department to limit the use of no-knock warrants.

However, achieving reform through civil litigation as a private citizen can be challenging because of a 1976 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that raised the bar for who can request such reforms through a civil lawsuit. In that case, a police chokehold survivor sought to end the practice in Los Angeles, but was denied.

The bigger deterrent against police misconduct is when a department, city, or county gets hit with multiple multimillion-dollar police brutality settlements, Lopez said. But those dollars are usually paid out by insurance companies, police unions, city budgets, and ultimately taxpayers. And police officers are often shielded by qualified immunity, where they cannot be held personally liable for what occurs while theyre on the job.

Jenkins and Parker have filed a federal lawsuit demanding $400 million in damages in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.

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The Justice Department has been conducting pattern or practice investigations into police misconduct since 1995.

It was an authority the Justice Department gained after public outrage over the March 1991 beating of Rodney King, a Black motorist in Los Angeles, by four white police officers. Riots ensued around the country, prompting federal prosecutors, led by Barr in 1992, to bring federal civil rights charges against the officers. Two of the officers were later convicted.

When the Justice Department conducts an investigation, the Civil Rights Division releases public reports of their findings. Then, if an agreement is reached, the parties negotiate the terms of a consent decree. And, depending on the terms, a federal judge or court-appointed monitor is assigned to investigate the agency.

The longer theyre not in compliance, the longer the monitor stays in place.

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White said, So much of the kind of neoconservative movement that we see really is about erasure and erasing people, erasing histories.

He added: And so, it remains very, very important, vitally important, to have really good data and information to demonstrate that racism is still alive and well in this country, sexism is still alive and well, and it has real world impacts.

The post What a Second Trump Presidency Could Mean for Pending DOJ Investigations appeared first on Capital B News.
The West should expect dangerous storm conditions in the days leading up to Christmas.

A series of storms will continue to pound the West Coast with heavy rain, gusty winds, giant ocean waves and accumulation of snow in the mountains, forecasts show.

MORE: While most of US to be dry, a 'white Christmas' is forecast for some mountain regions

A new storm will move into the Pacific Northwest on Monday afternoon before shifting into California on Christmas Eve, bringing heavy rain and mountain snow.

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Heavy rain is forecast in the Bay Area, on Tuesday morning. Some of that rain will move into Los Angeles late Tuesday afternoon and evening.

PHOTO: Western rain and snow. (ABC News)

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather warning for the Sierra Nevada mountains, where locally, more than 1 foot of snow is possible.

A high surf warning was also issued up and down the West Coast from Washington to Southern California.

MORE: Its cold outside, what happened to global warming? Meteorologists explain climate versus weather.

The highest waves will be from Northern California to Oregon, where they could reach up to 40 feet. Conditions will be "life-threatening" at some points, with long periods of westerly swell and large breaking waves making areas around the bays, ocean and beaches dangerous in the coming week, according to the National Weather Service.

High Surf Warning is in effect from 4 PM Sunday-Noon Tuesday for all Pacific Coast beaches. Long period westerly swell and large breaking waves will bring life-threatening conditions to the bays, ocean, and beaches this upcoming week. Never turn your back on the ocean! #CAwx pic.twitter.com/tyCYDD4wZZ  NWS Bay Area  (@NWSBayArea) December 22, 2024

Unsettled weather will continue from Northern California to Washington as a new storm moves in on Wednesday afternoon.

PHOTO: A winter swell builds up, with huge waves crashing on the shore. Manhattan Beach Pier, Dec. 22, 2024, in Manhattan Beach, Calif. (Marcus Ubungen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

In the East, Ice and snow will also cause some slick roads in the days before Christmas.

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On Monday morning, ice and snow fell in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region.

PHOTO: A view of big waves in Pacific Ocean at Municipal Pier of Pacifica, Calif., Dec. 22, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Snow and ice conditions are expected to continue throughout Monday along the I-90 and I-94 corridors, impacting travelers from Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

The highest snowfall will be in lower Michigan, where some areas could see between 3 and 5 inches of accumulation.



MORE: How climate change contributes to the atmospheric river slamming the West Coast

The ice and snow will move into the Northeast Monday night into Tuesday morning.

Winter weather advisories have been issued for Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, where a glaze of ice and a dusting of snow is forecast for Tuesday morning.

PHOTO: Children use sleds on fresh snow in Central Park in New York, Dec. 21, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

A band of snow will move into New York City by 7:30 a.m. and into Boston by 9 a.m., creating slick roads.

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Elsewhere in the country, temperatures will remain relatively mild for the holiday. Christmas is expected to be chilly in the Northeast, but the Arctic conditions the region experienced in the last several days will subside. High temperatures are expected to be in the 30s, closer to normal for this time of year.

The Midwest will experience mild temperatures  near 50 degrees in Kansas City and in the 40s in the Chicago region. In Florida and the Gulf Coast, temperatures in the 70s are expected.

Series of storms could bring life-threatening ocean waves to the Pacific Northwest leading up to Christmas originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The report released Monday by the House Ethics Committee on former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz found it had substantial evidence that he had sex with a 17-year-old, often paid women for sex and frequently did illicit drugs in violation of Florida laws.

Backed up by text messages, Venmo receipts, checks and testimony, the report details Gaetzs practice of paying women after sexual encounters.

Gaetz, who was President-elect Donald Trumps initial pick to be the next Attorney General before dropping out in the face of resistance from the U.S. Senate, has defended himself, saying he didnt pay for sex but simply gave money to women he dated.

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In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated - even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court  which is why no such claim was ever made in court, Gaetz posted on X last week.

But the report states that while Gaetz never had a prearranged amount of money with the women involved, some of them viewed their relationship with Gaetz as transactional and expected to be paid.

Many of the women interviewed by the Committee were clear that there was a general expectation of sex, the report states. One woman who was paid more than $5,000 by Representative Gaetz between 2018 and 2019 told the Committee that 99 percent of the time that [Representative Gaetz and I] were hanging out, there was sex involved.

Moreover, the report found Gaetz took advantage of the economic vulnerability of young women to lure them into sexual activity for which they received an average of a few hundred dollars after each encounter."

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Here are five glaring details of the report:

Sex with a minor allegations

The report alleged Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old, referred to as Victim A, during a party on July 15, 2017, at the home of Chris Dorworth, a former state representative and lobbyist.

The Committee received testimony that Victim A and Representative Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees, the report states. Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school.

The victim, though, didnt tell Gaetz she was underage, and the committee didnt find any evidence Gaetz knew she was under 18.

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For his part, Dorworth has said he didnt attend the party at his home and claimed the testimony by Victim A and other witnesses are lies. Dorworth had sued the underage victim in federal court for defamation, alleging she tried to extort money from him. He dismissed the suit in August, saying she agreed not to bring a lawsuit against him.

First things first: these people tried to shake us down for money, Dorworth posted on X on Monday. Thats why I sued them in the first place and why this whole thing even started. Ive never met these women, and Ive taken three polygraph tests to dispute their baseless lies.

But the report notes cell phone records indicate Dorworth was in fact at his residence during the party and that Dorworth didn't respond when asked for clarification on his whereabouts during the party. Dorworth disputes that, stating in an X post he was never confronted with the cell phone records and that his attorney submitted evidence in September but the report doesn't mention it.

Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg.

Dorworth also filed suit against Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County Property Appraiser who pled guilty to six federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, after being arrested in 2020. He was initially charged with 33 counts of various fraud and corruption charges, but received a 12 year sentence after cooperating with federal law enforcement on a probe into Gaetz' sex trafficking allegations.

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The Department of Justice, though, looked into the allegations of Gaetz sexual activity with Victim A but opted not to pursue charges.

Gaetz met women in Tallahassee, other Florida cities

A couple of Florida cities are name-dropped in the report, including the states capital city, Tallahassee.

Exhibit 5 includes text messages between Gaetz and a woman who is traveling to San Francisco.

You flying to tally Sunday? Monday? Need me to get you a flight? Gaetz wrote in a text message.

The woman responds and says she has a flight on Monday at 5 p.m. And Ill go straight to hang with you!Thats awesome! Gaetz texts back.

Gaetz also meets with the woman in Orlando and tells her he is staying at a Marriott Hotel in Lake Mary.

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In Exhibit 6, Gaetz texts a woman he knew through Greenberg and asks her if she would be interested in a trip to the Florida Keys from May 19-21, 2017 with 2 guys, 4 girls. A very high-quality, adventurous group.

As is true with all time you spend w[ith] me, itll be fun and very chill, Gaetz writes in a text message.

In Miami, Gaetz, Greenberg and others rented a place in July 2017 in the Brickell neighborhood. According to the report, this trip was an example of an instance when Gaetz and Greenberg would split the costs of drugs, hotel[s], and girls.

Most of the sex-for-money encounters that the Committee reviewed occurred in Florida, particularly around Orlando. Several of the women involved were students based in that area, the report says.

Women say drugs and alcohol impaired their ability to consent

According to the report, some of the women felt like they had been taken advantage of and misled by Gaetz and Greenberg.

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While all the women that the Committee interviewed stated their sexual activity with Representative Gaetz was consensual, at least one woman felt that the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have impair[ed their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent, the report says.

Almost every woman the committee spoke to said they couldnt remember all the details of their encounters with Gaetz because of drugs and alcohol.

The report says Gaetz would also try to convince the women to have sex with him or Greenberg.

According to Victim A, the 17-year-old, Gaetz would say Why dont you want to have sex with me or [Mr. Greenberg] looks very sad over there . . . . Make him happy, the report says.

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One woman said she felt violated, and another said she still thinks about her encounters with him all the time.

Then U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Attorney General Matt Gaetz attends the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 14, 2024. Carlos Barria, REUTERS

I still see him when I turn on the tv and theres nothing anyone can do. Its frustrating to know I lived a reality that he denies, said the woman in the report.

In Exhibit 2, texts from Woman 4 to Greenberg say she is over it after she argues with Gaetz over not getting enough money.

Greenberg responds: Itll be ok [redacated] I promise Ill make him be nice to you.

Gaetz is in her phone as Marissa for discretion, according to the report.

Woman 4 sends a screenshot of her conversation with Gaetz to Greenberg, in which Marissa writes: Last week you gave me a driiiivvveee byyyyy.

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Its not fair to be unappreciated when I try, Woman 4 texted Greenberg.

I dont care anymore, she adds.

Gaetz helps with tuition and buys a hula hoop

The exhibits include text messages that show women asking Gaetz and Greenberg for money for tuition. But on some occasions, Gaetz doesnt follow through.

Woman 5 asks Gaetz for a huge favor, according to Exhibit 5.

I hate asking for help honestly, but if anyone in this world I feel comfortable asking its you lol, writes Woman 5, who asked for $1,500 for a class she couldnt get financial aid or loans to cover.

On it, replied Gaetz.

In Exhibit 2, a woman texts someone else saying Matt hasnt paid her and laments she is broke.

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In response, another person texts: "Don't ask just say it to him on Friday," adding "Before you have sex w him for sure."

Another text exchange includes a screenshot of someone asking Greenberg for clarification on payments.

And thanks for sending what you did this morning. But I was under the impression you were sending more to me, the screenshotted text reads. Especially since you asked how much my classes cost and said that youll take care of it.

According to Exhibit 4, text messages say the guys, Greenberg and Gaetz, are a little limited in their cash flow this weekend.

Lol matt was like.. If it can be more of a customer appreciation week.. LOL

Its not limited to school funds. In one text exchange, a woman posts a screenshot of the purchase of a pricey hula hoop, a light-up Futurehoop Pro that costs $419.

The text after the screenshot reads: What did I do to deserve him? with a crying face and a heart eyes emoji.

In the report, the committee said Gaetzs behavior with women did not reflect creditably upon the House.

Representative Gaetz took advantage of the economic vulnerability of young women to lure them into sexual activity for which they received an average of a few hundred dollars after each encounter. Such behavior is not generosity to ex-girlfriends, the report says.

Gaetz disputes the committees findings. In a post on X on Monday morning, Gaetz wrote: Giving funds to someone you are dating  that they didnt ask for  and that isnt 'charged' for sex is now prostitution?!?'

Gaetz asks women for THC cartridges

The committee said that in multiple interviews witnesses said they saw Gaetz using marijuana.

But Gaetzs drug use isnt limited to just marijuana. According to the report, between 2017 and 2019, he used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions.

In text messages included in the exhibits, Gaetz asks women for cartridges, which are filled with THC and used with a vape pen.

He also asks for party favors, vitamins or rolls. According to the report, Woman 5 said rolls referred to ecstasy.

One woman said she brought cocaine to at least one event Gaetz also attended and she witnessed him using cocaine and ecstasy at least five different times, the report said.

The committee said Woman 4, in an interview, said Gaetz on one occasion was talkative, sexual . . . he stayed up late, like probably the whole night with everybody and that the appearance of his face, eyes were indicators of his having taken ecstasy.

Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Inside Matt Gaetz ethics report: Sex payments, drugs, text messages
SHARON, Pa. (WKBN)  The Jan. 6 closure date is looming for Sharon Regional Medical Center, which would leave a community without life-saving services.

As holidays near, many employees are concerned about the security of their jobs and are scared for the future of the community if the closure happens.

What the community is going to be like without this hospital  100% its going to be devastating, said Dr. Chinedu Igwe, director of Structural Heart Disease and program vice chair of Medicine.

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The loss will impact those seeking health care services, nearby hospitals and the hundreds of those still employed at the hospital.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nick Abbott says if the closure happens, the gap will not be filled by another local hospital.

They will not expand services to provide something like that. So, the closest intervention that someone could have is 30 minutes away, which literally would be life or death of lot of the times, Abbott said.

Sharon Regional is the only accredited cardiac and stroke center in Mercer County, and any delay in care is putting lives at risk.

Heart disease is still the number one killer of Americans today, and that is what we specialize in at Sharon Regional for sure. In addition to that, we have a whole cadre of services that would be impactful for the community, said Brandon Mikolich, director of cardiology.

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Igwe saved one mans life days ago by giving him an emergency cardiac stent, and he would not have survived the transfer to another facility. EMS responders and an ambulance company have also expressed their concern over the communitys need for the hospitals heart services.

Igwe says one advantage of Sharon Regional is the history the hospital has with the community.

Theyre not coming from far away. You already know their back story, so that makes it a to easier to treat them. Now, if we get all these patients down an hour away to other hospitals, these records are going to get lost, Igwe said.

Sharon Regional is also the only hospital that offers inpatient and outpatient psychological and behavioral services for adults and adolescents in the area  serving hundreds in outpatient services and an average of 25 people in the inpatient facility.

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Dr. Wally Novero says the lack of services will hurt the community mentally and economically.

People with mental illness, you know, a lot of bad things can happen through that. Itll increase crime, itll increase homicidality, increase suicidality, increase people being unable to go to work, Novero said.

The plan to save the hospital fell through when Meadville Medical pulled out from the deal, citing the Buhl Foundation. Chief of Medical Staff Dr. Sheetal Nijhawan said the Buhl Foundations lack of financial support has been disappointing.

Theyre in a very good position to help us out now at this time to buy back the hospital, put it back on the right track, and it was very disappointing to me that they were unable to put this money in or they felt unable or unwilling to put this money in for the sake of the hospital, Nijhawan said.

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According to Nijhawan, Tenor Health Partners is interested in taking over operations and will be making a case to the Commonwealth on Monday.

Nijhawan also gave First News two letters on behalf of the staff at Sharon Regional, one written by herself and another by TJ Hudock, senior director of Behavioral Health Services at Sharon Regional Hospital. The letters can be read below.

Nijhawan-letterDownload

Hudock-letterDownload

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
MADISON - Family and friends came together on Monday to remember the life of Erin West, 42, the teacher killed in the Abundant Life Christian School shooting on Dec. 16 in Madison.

Snow fell outside the Madison church where the service was held, and inside, Christmas trees stood alongside flowers sent to the mourning family. Attendees sat silently, listening to stories from friends and family about how kind, generous and empathetic West was. They also spoke of how she touched so many lives, and would be remembered for her common refrain of "love y'all."

West was one of two victims killed in the tragic incident when a 15-year-old student pulled out a gun in a study hall and began firing.

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West's funeral took place at Doxa Church in Madison at noon Monday. Hundreds attended the service, which was also livestreamed by the church , where West and her family are members. A smaller, graveside service for family followed.

Pastor Rob Warren called West a "wonderful, godly woman" and discussed her strong Christian faith and passion for sharing the gospel of Jesus. He and his worship team shared West's favorite songs at the service including "In Christ Alone," "Forever and Ever Amen" and "All Hail King Jesus."

"The reason that we're here today is because something absolutely horrific has occurred," Warren said. "And if you're anything like me, there are so many thoughts, so many emotions, so many questions just swirling around my mind right now, where I'm still just trying to make sense of everything and just kind of put the pieces together, and it doesn't make sense."

Nate Kaloupek, a friend of Erin West, speaks at the funeral service for Erin West, a substitute teacher at Abundant Life Christian School, on Sunday December 23, 2024 at Doxa Church in Fitchburg, Wis.

Erin West looked forward to her 20th anniversary and taking her daughters to Disney

Nate Kaloupek, a friend and member of West's small group at Doxa, spoke about how West met her husband, Jack, in a Christian chat room  before Jack was a Christian and before meeting someone online was commonplace. This May would have been their 20th anniversary.

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"Let me tell you about my friend, Erin," Kaloupek said. "What was abundantly clear was that Erin loved Jesus. She loved her husband, Jack. She loved her girls, and she loved us and her church family."

Kaloupek said West was excited to take her daughters to Disney World in the spring and "showed her Georgia roots" every time she shared a genuine "love y'all."

"There's so much we're all going to miss," he said and spoke about how involved Erin was in her church. She and her daughters helped with children's services on Sundays.

He also shared how West volunteered to help watch his children, and that she planned to get specific medical training to better do so.

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"My family has gone through a medical issue with our baby over the last couple of months, and Erin led the charge," Kaloupek said. "She organized the meal train. She dropped everything to babysit. I found out at a group recently we were at that she was going to learn whatever medical stuff she needed to, to be able to watch our baby."

Warren said that, talking to others in his congregation, he heard stories of how loved West was.

"She was a light, a friend, caring, trustworthy, empathetic, devoted, faithful, generous, kind, passionate, authentic, helpful, supportive, prayerful, thoughtful," he said. "And the truth is, there's so much more we could say about Erin's life, her story, her personality, her character."

Erin West was one of two victims killed in the Abundant Life shooting

Rubi Vergara, 14, and 42-year-old West were the two victims killed in the school shooting, which occurred when 15-year-old Abundant Life student Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow pulled out a gun in a study hall and began firing.

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West, of DeForest, was a substitute teacher coordinator at Abundant Life Christian School.

West was born on Sept. 10, 1982, in St. Charles, Mo., to Larry and Teresa Etherton. West graduated from Harrison High School in 2000 and Kennesaw State University in Georgia in 2005. She married Jack West in 2005. They had three daughters Emery, Laurel and Adleigh.

Family and community members leave flower arrangements for Erin West, a substitute teacher at Abundant Life Christian School, during the funeral service at Doxa Church on Sunday December 23, 2024 in Fitchburg, Wis.

Erin worked as a teacher at Abundant Life Christian School for four years. She enjoyed family camping trips, attending school sporting events, serving at Doxa Church, and spending time with her daughters and the rest of her family, her obituary states.

Vergara was laid to rest Saturday in Madison.

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Police dont know if Rupnow was targeting anyone specific, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told the Journal Sentinel.

Six other students were injured  two with life-threatening injuries  before Rupnow killed herself with her own gun.

Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Family, friends remember Erin West after Madison school shooting
KAMPONG THOM, Cambodia, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Due to the distance of her home from school and lack of transportation, Ly Arina, a 12-year-old underprivileged student here in central Cambodia, had wanted to quit school for many times. But she changed her mind after receiving a bicycle donated by a Chinese company on Monday.

Living in a village in Santuk district, roughly 6 km from the Snorkhley Primary School, the sixth-grade student has to walk to school every day because her single father, who is a buffalo herder, could not afford a bike for her.

"Now, I no longer need to walk to school," she told Xinhua after receiving the donated bike. "Thank you, China, for this generous donation."

Arina said she used to walk or ask her friends for a ride to school before having the bike.

"I feel elated because this bike will help relieve my hardship and enable me to ride to school in time," she said. "I promise to study hard and take good care of it for longer use."

Arina is one of the 2,000 underprivileged primary school students in Cambodia to receive the third batch of bicycles donated by bike-sharing service provider Hello Inc. and shipped to Cambodia by COSCO Shipping Charity Foundation.

In Cambodia, the China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD), through the Civil Society Alliance Forum, handed out the bikes to underprivileged students in 130 schools across nine provinces in the Southeast Asian country.

Chea Leakhena, a 13-year-old underprivileged student at the Kampong Thmor Primary School in Kampong Thom province, said it took her at least 15 minutes to walk from home to school every day.

"It's really difficult to walk to and from school because the weather is hot," the sixth-grade student told Xinhua. "With this bike, I will reach my classroom quickly and safely."

Chum Simontha, principal of the Balaing Khang Lech Primary School in Kampong Thom province, said it was common to see students taking long walks from home to school in rural areas due to poverty and lack of transportation.

"I believe the bikes will help change the lives of poor students in rural areas, encouraging them to come to school in a timely and regular manner," she told Xinhua.

Im Vanny, deputy director of Kampong Thom Provincial Department of Education, Youth and Sport, expressed his sincere gratitude to the Chinese charities for donating the bicycles to primary schools in Cambodia, saying that they were crucial for poor students to ride to school.

Zhang Rong, a representative of Hello Inc., said the company has donated a total of 5,024 bicycles to Cambodia in three batches since 2022.

"These bikes not only carry love and care, but also symbolize our pursuit of a better life and persistence in public welfare undertakings."

CFRD representative Zhang Shenyue said the organization was pleased to help rural students in Cambodia, hoping that the bikes would motivate them to study hard. 
Russia sent a ship to evacuate soldiers from its bases in Syria, Ukrainian intelligence said.

But it broke down en route in the open sea near Portugal, Ukraine said.

Russia is trying to secure a deal with Syria's new leadership to keep the bases, per reports.

A ship sent to evacuate Russian troops and equipment from Syria broke down while in the open sea off Portugal, Ukrainian intelligence said.

In a Telegram post on Monday, Ukraine's main intelligence directorate said that the Sparta cargo ship's engine failed and that the crew was trying to fix the problem while the ship was drifting in the high seas.

Since the fall of Bashar Assad, Syria's longtime ruler, earlier this month, the future of Russia's two military bases in the country  the Hmeimim air base and the Tartus naval base  has been under threat.

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Russia struck a 49-year lease with Assad's government for the bases, which it has used since 2017 to project power in the Mediterranean and into Africa.

But Syrian rebels, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overthrew Assad earlier this month after a rapid two-week campaign.

Last week, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there were "no final decisions" about Russia's bases in Syria but that Moscow was in contact with "representatives of the forces that currently control the situation" in the country.

Earlier this month, Ukraine said the Russian Sparta and Sparta II cargo ships had left Russia and were heading to Tartus to transport military equipment from the Russian base on Syria's Mediterranean coast.

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The journeys required the ships to sail along stretches of the European coastline to access the Mediterranean.

Russian state media said earlier this month that Syrian rebel forces now controlled Latakia, the province where the Russian bases are.

Images taken in mid-December by Maxar Technologies showed that Russian aircraft were still present at the base in Hmeimim but that warships were no longer stationed at the nearby naval facility in Tartus.

Maxar satellite images captured on Tuesday showing dozens of Russian military vehicles assembled at the Tartus port. Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies

Last week, analysts from the Institute for the Study of War said Russia was probably taking this "tentative" stance and removing some assets in case HTS decided to deny Russia a sustained military presence in Syria.

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Obeida Arnaout, the spokesperson for Syria's new transitional government, told The Associated Press last week that Russia should reconsider its presence and interests in Syria.

"Their interests were linked to the criminal Assad regime," he said.

"They can reconsider and take the initiatives to reach out to the new administration to show that they have no animosity with the Syrian people," he added, "and that the era of Assad regime is finally over."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Newly introduced legislation designed to revitalize American shipbuilding could change the nature of howand how manyChinese goods are imported into the U.S.

The bipartisan Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act is primarily a national security and maritime policy bill aimed at reducing reliance on foreign vessels, particularly as China has significantly surpassed the U.S. in shipbuilding.

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But one section of the proposed legislation could shift the tides of U.S.-China trade, if the bill is passed in Congress.

Section 415 establishes a commercial cargo preference, which requires that within 15 years, 10 percent of all cargo imported into the U.S. from China must be imported on U.S.-flagged vessels that are also and built in the U.S. and staffed by American crews.

A requirement of 1 percent of Chinese cargo on a U.S. vessel would begin five years after the bill is enacted, and would escalate another percentage point every year after.

Any individual shippers that dont comply with the requirements would be subject to a fine. Although it is currently unclear whether freight forwarders or other logistics providers would be tagged with a fine for non-compliance, the bill states that a final ruling four years after the bills enactment would determine the parties that are subject to the requirement.

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Chinese-owned or -operated vessels will be penalized, said Lars Jensen, CEO of container shipping consultancy Vespucci Maritime in a LinkedIn post. This impacts not just the Chinese carriers but also carriers who are in alliance or [a vessel-sharing agreement] with Chinese carriers such as CMA CGM and Evergreen on Ocean Alliance. But also, ONE and HMM on the Atlantic now operating together with Ocean Alliance. Presumably will also impact other carriers chartering Chinese owned vessels.

Another section, Section 411, raises the percentage of U.S. government cargo that must sail on U.S.-flagged vessels from 50 percent to 100 percent.

There are fewer than 200 oceangoing commercial vessels that are U.S.-flagged, -owned and -crewed, the bill states, with only roughly 80 of them participating in international commerce, compared with more than 5,500 Chinese-documented vessels.

Weve always been a maritime nation, but the truth is weve lost ground to China, who now dominates international shipping and can build merchant and military ships much more quickly than we can, said Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz), a U.S. Navy veteran and the first U.S. Merchant Marine Academy graduate to serve in Congress, in a statement. The SHIPS for America Act is the answer to this challenge. By supporting shipbuilding, shipping and workforce development, it will strengthen supply chains, reduce our reliance on foreign vessels, put Americans to work in good-paying jobs, and support the Navy and Coast Guards shipbuilding needs.

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Given that none of the major ocean carriers are headquartered in the U.S., the field of vessels that are currently qualified to answer the calls of this bill is sparse.

According to Jensen, Matson, the largest container shipping firm in the U.S., would benefit. The ocean carrier currently has 16 U.S.-flagged container vessels, with three more on order.

The American subsidiaries of Maersk (Maersk Line, Limited) and CMA CGM (APL) would also be favored.

If this is applied as proposed it will increase shipping costs for U.S. importers and exportersexcept those exporters who are slated for government subsidies, said Jensen. More importantly it will create significant supply chain headaches for individual U.S. shippers needing to clearly measure the share of cargo moved on U.S. ships, especially if much of their cargo is from origins not necessarily served by such U.S. vessels.



Jensen also speculated that transshipment hubs in Singapore and Busan would likely gain more traffic as shippers race to shift Chinese goods into U.S. vessels to meet the 10 percent quota.



The port preference for U.S.-flagged ships in ports could result in worsening congestion problems rather than alleviating them in times of tight port capacity, Jensen said.

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The bill was proposed Thursday by Kelly, alongside Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.).

The legislation throws another wrench in an already complicated trade relationship between the U.S. and China, which has been defined by a series of tariffs that escalated in President-elect Donald Trumps first tenure in the Oval Office and further expanded during President Joe Bidens term.

With Trump announcing that he intends to levy an additional 10 percent tariffs on China-made products in his second go-around as president, the new bill doubles down on the hawkish policies expected to be put in place by the incoming administration.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  A man was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly threatened to shoot employees at Opry Mills Mall.

According to an arrest report, officers with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) were sent to Opry Mills Mall on Saturday, Dec. 21 to respond a call about an individual acting disorderly.

Woman charged with attempted murder after fight in North Nashville

When police arrived, security reportedly informed them that a man was threatening employees at the movie theater and at Dave and Busters.

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The man identified as a 43-year-old  spoke with officers outside and told them that he wanted a refund at the movie theater, but he had lost his ticket.

An arrest report described the man as having slurred speech, watery eyes and being noticeably intoxicated.

When officers asked the man to leave the property, he reportedly refused, telling them he was going to walk back into the movie theater and get his refund. The 43-year-old was then taken into custody and charged with criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

Woman charged with stealing Grinch decorations from Nashville Home Depots

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Two victims at the theater said the man threatened to shoot them unless he got a refund. Police said another victim reported the 43-year-old pushed her as she was standing at the entrance, checking for tickets.

Meanwhile, an employee at Dave and Busters allegedly told officers that the man was asked to leave and threatened to come back and shoot you all up. All three victims wanted to press charges, according to MNPD.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime-related reports from across Middle Tennessee

The 43-year-old man was charged with a slew of misdemeanor charges, including three counts of assault with fear of bodily injury, assault of an officer with fear of bodily injury, public intoxication, disorderly conduct and trespassing.

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Court records show the man is being held in Metro Jail on a $21,500 bond.

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Editors Note: The headline for this article has been edited to clarify the facility was an independent Living Facility.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  Authorities responded to Oak Park Independent Living Facility in San Diego Saturday night after receiving calls reporting that a man had been shot, the San Diego Police Department announced in a press release.

The victim, 49, was found inside the building, located in the 3100 block of 54th Street, around 10:30 p.m. with an apparent gunshot wound to his torso. He was given first aid at the scene before being transferred to a nearby hospital. Police said the man did not survive his injuries. His identity is not being released at this time.

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At least nine people were inside the facility at the time of the incident, police confirmed. Detectives are now working towards interviewing them all and identifying exactly where the shooting took place. Investigators will also collect and review security video from the area. No suspect information is available at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Police are investigating a suspected arson after a fire broke out at a supermarket as a result of a car being set alight and rammed into a building.

More than 50 firefighters were called to tackle the fire on Stratford Road, in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham in the early hours of Monday morning.

The fire, which is now under control, spread from the supermarket to flats above, with residents reporting a loud explosion shortly before 5am.

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West Midlands Fire Service said five people left their properties and were checked by paramedics, but there were no casualties or injuries reported.

Isaac Zintaan, a property developer, said residents told him they had heard a noise like a bomb going off before the fire erupted. [When I arrived] everyone was coughing due to the intensity of the smoke, said the 28-year-old.

Mr Zintaan said it appeared a car had rammed into the Foodworld Supermarket on the ground floor of the building.

Footage shows a Land Rover on fire with its rear to the property as if it had reversed into the supermarket.

Scene of fire on Stratford Road in Sparkhill, Birmingham - Isaac Zintaan/PA

A West Midlands Police spokesman confirmed that they were treating the fire as suspected arson. They said: We were called at around 4.50am to reports of a fire at a shop. Its understood a vehicle hit the building. It was set alight, causing the shop and flats above to catch fire.

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Residents from the flats have been evacuated. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported. We are working alongside West Midlands Fire Service colleagues to investigate the circumstances.

The fire has since been brought under control, although crews are still working to stop it spreading. The spokesman added: Police colleagues are in attendance. Stratford Road is closed in both directions from Formans Road to Nansen Road.

On the Sparkhill Neighbourhood page on Facebook, Abdul Khan, the administrator, urged people to plan their journeys accordingly. Buses operated by National Express West Midlands have also been diverted.

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ATHENS, Ohio (WCMH)  The city of Athens is investigating and suing an unknown thief after it lost $722,000 in a cyberheist.

According to court documents, cyber criminals contacted the city by email and impersonated Pepper Construction Group, which the city has been working with to renovate an old National Guard Armory building into a mixed-use office and event space. The city believed it paid the construction group in November, but just days later a city attorneys office employee discovered the theft, launching both a civil and criminal investigation.

According to court documents, the electronic payment was routed to a bank account in Louisville, Kentucky, through a fraudulent email where construction in the domain name had a slight misspelling, with the second c and u swapped, and the username matched that of an employee whose name can be found on the firms LinkedIn page.

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Columbus invests in new eviction prevention programs

Using this email, Athens authorized a $721,976.26 payment. Chief Nick Magruder said the investigation is still in its early stages and involves both Athens police and federal law enforcement. He said the city is unsure if the funds are still in the same account they were transferred to, adding that its possible there are multiple banks or layers involved.

We will not know what the transaction flow looks like until responses to subpoenas are filled, Magruder said. It will take time between when those responses are returned and if additional subpoenas need to be filed based on the responses.

On Dec. 4, the city filed a lawsuit against John and Jane Doe, as the thieves identities remain a mystery, seeking damages. Magruder said in addition to the lawsuit and investigation, the city is also investing in a complete review of its financial controls, conditions for contract invoicing and an independent cyber investigation to protect against future potential crime.

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Indoor go-kart track opens at Mill Run

Magruder also said the city has cyber insurance, but it is unknown how much of the losses can be recuperated. He said like any claim, how much is covered will depend on the results of the investigation and who is found liable.

First discovered by the Athens County Independent, a bulletin from the Ohio Auditor of State released in April said employee error or failure to follow guidance laid out by the auditors office could mean the employee is at fault. The statement said in some cases, the employee is considered liable as a result of negligence or performing duties without reasonable care.

Magruder also said the city is providing additional training for staff on wire transfers and handling money. He confirmed city employees are all required to complete training against cyber crime, and that Athens IT department regularly conducts phishing scam and email link tests for staff awareness.

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU)  During the overnight hours Sunday into Monday, the Sioux City Police Department and Sioux City Fire rescue responded to a fire at a red-tagged building.

According to an officer with SCPD, authorities received a call about someone breaking into the former Jewish Community Center at 14th and Nebraska Streets.

Le Mars Police Department launches online reporting

When officials arrived at the scene, they could see and smell smoke coming from the building.

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Fire officials were able to get the fire put out and clear the building not too long after they arrived, officials said.

The officer told KCAU 9 that no one was injured.

The incident is still under investigation.

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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  Zachary Frishckorn was a great big brother.

Read next: Contractor on probation jailed on domestic violence charge

His sister, Paige Frischkorn, said despite the 10-year age difference between herself and her brother, he always had time for her.

He always included me in everything he did, said Paige, who is 27, the same age her brother was he was found shot to death early July 28, 2014, when his body was found about 1 a.m. in a vacant lot in the 300 block of Carroll Street.

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His case remains unsolved.

If I wanted to play Barbies, he would play Barbies with me, she said.

Her brother was a graduate of United Local High School and was in the band, Paige said. She said his smile was infectious.

If he was smiling, you were smiling, she said.

Zachary was found with a gunshot wound to the chest. A couple of hours after he was discovered, police pulled over Frischkorns car and the man driving it was charged with gun and drug crimes after police found a loaded semiautomatic handgun and heroin inside.

The man was questioned but never charged with Zacharys death.

Paige said her brother did have a drug problem before he died. She said living without her brother has been difficult.

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He missed out on a lot and I missed out on a lot, Paige said. I feel guilty. I got to live my life and experience things he never got to.

Paige said she reached out to a reporter about her brothers case because I want closure for my brother and my family.

He was a great person, she said.

Anyone with information on Zacharys case can call the Youngstown Police Detective Bureau at 330-742-8911 or CrimeStoppers Youngstown at 330-746-CLUE.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
Combat situation on the Vremivka front is challenging, but it is currently premature to talk about a potential encirclement of Ukrainian troops, Defence Forces of Ukraine's South have stated.

Source: Ukrinform, citing Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for Defence Forces of Ukraine's South

Quote: "Over the past several days, the enemy has carried out over 40 assault operations daily on the Vremivka front: 47 yesterday and 44 today. They are attempting to bypass [Velyka - ed.] Novosilka from the eastern flank and even from the north.

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However, the Defence Forces of the South are aware of these plans, actively defending and implementing stabilisation measures. Therefore, it is too early to talk about any potential encirclement at this stage."

Details: Voloshyn added that the Russians are suffering significant losses, with around 200 soldiers being killed and dozens of vehicles being destroyed daily by Ukraines Defence Forces.

Voloshyn reported that 8 tanks and up to 15 armoured vehicles were destroyed yesterday, while 4 tanks and up to 5 armoured fighting vehicles were wrecked today.

Ukraine's defenders are crushing Russian soldiers attempting to breach Ukrainian lines and, when possible, actively engage in combat to regain their positions.

Background:

Analysts from the DeepState project reported that the Russians continue to cut through the Vremivka ledge on Donetsk front, which poses a threat of encircling Ukrainian forces in the area of Velyka Novosilka, Donetsk Oblast.

DeepState also reported that the Russians had occupied the village of Hannivka in Donetsk Oblast.

UK Defence Intelligence believes that Velyka Novosilka has become vulnerable to Russian attacks following the loss of Vuhledar, located 30 kilometres to the east, in early October 2024.

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Emergency workers operate at the site of a highway accident in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 23, 2024. At least four people have been confirmed dead following a tragic highway accident on Monday afternoon in the Indonesian province of East Java, local authorities told local media. (Photo by Bayu Novanta/Xinhua)

JAKARTA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least four people have been confirmed dead following a tragic highway accident on Monday afternoon in the Indonesian province of East Java, local authorities told local media.

The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. local time on a highway in the city of Malang, involving a touring bus and a truck.

According to Malang Police Chief Putu Kholis, the bus was carrying a group of senior high school students from Bogor in West Java. The crash was likely caused by the truck, which experienced brake failure while navigating an uphill section. As a result, the truck suddenly reversed and sped out of control, colliding with the rear of the bus.

Kholis further said that the bus was fatally damaged and rescuers continued to evacuate other victims still trapped inside the bus.

"The injured were immediately taken to the nearby hospital," he said, adding that an investigation is underway for the cause of the accident.

Deadly road accidents are common in the Southeast Asian country due to overloading, poor road conditions, and reckless driving. 

Emergency workers operate at the site of a highway accident in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 23, 2024. At least four people have been confirmed dead following a tragic highway accident on Monday afternoon in the Indonesian province of East Java, local authorities told local media. (Photo by Bayu Novanta/Xinhua)
Four firefighters and two other people were injured in a house fire Sunday morning east of Kansas City in Sugar Creek, firefighters said.

The Sugar Creek Fire Department was called around 7:30 a.m. to the area of South Forest Street and Henry Avenue, where victims were reported trapped inside a burning house. The responding rescue crew then called the Independence Fire Department for aid, according to an Independence Fire Department news release.

Firefighters were told one victim had escaped, but another was still inside. During the rescue, four Independence firefighters were injured. One was treated on scene, and three others were taken to an area hospital with burn injuries, according to the release.

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Of the three firefighters taken to the hospital, one had a shoulder injury, along with his burns, and was released. The other two were expected to be released later Sunday.

The two other people injured were also taken to an area hospital, where one is listed in critical condition.

Officials said the cause of fire is still under investigation.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Slick road conditions have caused several crashes across Calhoun County on Monday.

Winter weather advisory active on Monday, slippery travel conditions possible

Michigan State Police say they are investigating multiple crashes along I-69 near F Drive, involving at least 12 vehicles. I-94 near M-66 has also been a hotspot for crashes.

Calhoun County Dispatch says Verona Road was closed between Wattles Road and Bellevue Road due to a crash. It has since reopened.

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A mix of precipitation triggered a winter weather advisory for most of West Michigan, including a range of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow. MSP says the conditions in Calhoun County make it clear that drivers need to be extra cautious.

We have to slow down significantly, increase following distance, and go easy on braking, the agency said on X.

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The winter weather advisory remains in effect until 7 p.m. for the region between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. It is slated to expire at 4 p.m. for southern counties, and is expected to remain in effect until 11 p.m. for areas north of Grand Rapids.

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Storm Team 8 will be following the system as it makes its way through West Michigan. Tune in on air and online for the latest Christmas travel conditions.

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Slovakias prime minister held surprise talks with Vladimir Putin on Sunday amid a stand-off with Ukraine over gas supplies.

The Kremlin said the Russian president and Robert Fico were meeting one-on-one and were expected to discuss the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine.

It comes after Mr Ficos own showdown talks with Volodymyr Zelensky over the Ukrainian presidents plans to cut off the gas supply.

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Kyiv has decided against the renewal of a transit contract with Moscow, which expires at the end of the year.

Slovakia is dependent on supplies of Russian gas transiting through neighbouring Ukraine, and has appealed for the deal to be extended into 2025.

Mr Zelensky said on Monday: Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?

The Ukrainian president later said in his evening address that Ukraine had offered Slovakia compensation for losses from the expiring gas transit deal.

We gave him an offer for possible compensation for the Slovaks ... for losses from Russian transit, and for transit alternatives  any other gas, not Russian, at the request of the European Commission, Mr Zelensky said.

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He has previously accused Mr Fico of profiting from the $500 million (400 million) of Russian gas which Slovakia imports annually.

The Slovakian has argued it would cost his country $229 million extra to buy the same amount of gas from elsewhere.

Robert Fico and Vladimir Putin were expected to talk about Slovakias potential gas supply crisis - Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters

Russian state television broadcast footage of Putin and Mr Fico shaking hands at the start of their talks.

Mr Fico said he and Putin exchanged opinions on the military situation in Ukraine, chances of a peaceful end to the war and bilateral relations which I intend to standardise.

He is only the third European Union leader to visit Putin in Moscow since the Russian leader ordered the invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago.

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In May, pro-Russia Mr Fico survived a politically motivated assassination attempt. He wants to end weapons donations to Ukraine.

His visit to the Kremlin follows Karl Nehammer, Austrias chancellor who visited in April 2022, and Viktor Orban, Hungarys prime minister, who went to Moscow last July.

Both meetings were met with sharp criticism from their fellow EU leaders, who have almost entirely severed diplomatic ties with Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.

Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, also faced criticism from his EU colleagues after speaking to the Russian over the telephone in November.

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Mr Orban has also revealed he plans new talks with both Putin and Mr Zelensky over the gas transit deal.

One plan that has been floated by Budapest is to relabel any gas exports from Russia as Hungarian by the time it reaches Ukrainian territory.

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Dec. 22ALBANY  At 12:43 p.m. Friday, a Beechcraft Travel Air twin-piston aircraft made an emergency landing on the New York State Thruway northbound near Exit 23 in the city of Albany. The pilot realized he wouldn't make the runway due to mechanical issues and instead decided to land the aircraft on the Thruway.

The pilot, Logan M. Steed, age 19 from Winnsboro, South Carolina, and two passengers, Steven D. Strunk, 54, and April D. Strunk, 52, both from Mount Perry, Ohio, were not injured.

The plane departed from Fairfield County Airport in Winnsboro, South Carolina at 8:35 a.m., and was headed to Bennington, Vermont. The pilot was attempting to land at Albany International Airport due to mechanical issues. The aircraft is registered to a flight training school in Winnsboro.

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Northbound traffic on the highway was reduced to one lane as authorities tried to figure out how to best remove the airplane.

State police and the Federal Aviation Administration continue to investigate the incident.
Thomasville Regional Medical Center, a brand new hospital in Thomasville, Ala., closed in September after fewer than five years in operation. Town leaders are hoping new owners will reopen it and help it become a regional health care hub. (Anna Claire Vollers/Stateline)

THOMASVILLE, Ala.  It was a moonshot effort for a small Southern town: Open a brand-new rural hospital in the poorest region of one of the poorest states in the nation.

Thomasville, which has fewer than 4,000 residents, sits in the middle of Alabamas Black Belt, so named for its rich, black soil. The rural, southern swath of Alabama is steeped in history and culture, and home to the most economically disadvantaged counties in the state.

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The nearest interstate to Thomasville is almost 70 miles away. Harper Lees 1960 book To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired by Monroeville, one county over. To the northeast, across the Alabama River, the famed quilters of Gees Bend craft their works of art. Roads are lined with pine forests and farmland.

Thomasvilles energetic, gravel-voiced mayor is a man named Sheldon Day. Hes been mayor for the past 28 years, and hes passionate about health care. As rural hospitals around the country faced declining reimbursements, workforce shortages and rising costs, Day and other Thomasville leaders laid careful plans to open a hospital that would provide the care that was disappearing in communities like theirs.

They partnered with a Birmingham investor who believed in the project. They secured millions in federal grants and loans. Residents voted for a half-cent sales tax to support it.

We didnt want it to be a doc-in-the-box, a stop on the way to a larger hospital, Day said. What we were trying to do here in Thomasville is to be transformational.

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The hospital was intended to improve access to care for the entire region. It would treat Black Belt residents who had been driving 100 miles or more just to see a pediatrician. It was supposed to defy the odds that shuttered half a dozen other rural hospitals in Alabama in recent years and left even more at the brink of closure.

The new Thomasville Regional Medical Center opened on March 3, 2020.

It turned out to be the worst possible timing.

The hallways are quiet at the Thomasville Regional Medical Center, which closed in September after opening to much fanfare just four and a half years ago. (Anna Claire Vollers/Stateline)

Four and a half years later  battered by a worldwide pandemic, a series of financial missteps and a health care landscape increasingly hostile to rural hospitals  the facility closed.

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But maybe not for good. A court-appointed receiver is overseeing the shuttered medical center, and Thomasville has limited control over who might buy it. City officials dont know whether the new owners might share the towns vision of being a regional health care hub. And they have limited influence on state lawmakers decisions about Medicaid expansion and health care funding.

And yet Day and the town remain cautiously hopeful. Their $40 million, 29-bed facility is dormant but practically brand new  a far cry from the decades-old hospitals common in rural America. The towns leaders are focused on leveraging any political power they can muster to make their case to state lawmakers and potential investors. And theyre armed with hard-won lessons learned over the past four years.

The health of their families and neighbors hangs in the balance. Losing the hospital would mean longer drives for care, missed treatments and riskier health outcomes, especially for the communitys most vulnerable. It would mean fewer local health care jobs. For the Black Belt at large, it would mean one more hospital gone, one more failed attempt to persuade state leaders to prove they care about the health of rural and poor people.

In the health care debate in this state, I wish everybody could come down here and see the void, Day said, but also the opportunity and the possibilities.

A long drive for care

These days, Day cant go anywhere  not church, not the grocery store, not even the mens room  without getting asked by residents about the hospital and when it might reopen. Hes weathered criticism from some.

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On a recent Thursday afternoon, the mayor was in his office at City Hall, not far from Thomasvilles downtown strip, preparing for a court hearing. He didnt expect it to take long; the judge just wanted an update on the hospitals foreclosure and receivership proceedings. Also on Days schedule was a call with an attorney for the bank that currently owns the hospital. Earlier in the week, hed given hospital tours to two different prospective buyers.

A few streets over, not far from the shuttered hospital, Angie Wise was at Family Medicine Pharmacy, preparing for her husband Marks retirement party. The couple opened the independent pharmacy in Thomasville 41 years ago, where Mark has been the pharmacist ever since.

Theyre looking forward to retirement. But Angie is worried about the dwindling health care options left in her community. She worked as a nurse at the old Thomasville hospital in the early 1980s. Back then, it provided a wide range of services, from labor and delivery to intensive care.

Most patients were treated in Thomasville, which made it easier for the patient and their family, she said. Now, most specialized services require a long drive out of the Black Belt, a hundred miles down to Mobile on the Gulf Coast, or 77 miles west to Meridian, Mississippi. Many people just cannot miss time from work for a three-to-five hour visit to a specialist, so they postpone appointments or cancel appointments.

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There arent any pediatricians in Clarke County, nor in most of the counties surrounding it. The nearest hospital that delivers babies is 60 miles away.

As a nurse, said Wise, I feel that no matter where you live, you should have access to quality health care.

Like an oncoming train

Day compares the hospitals closure in September to spotting a car sitting on a railroad crossing in the distance, watching a train speeding toward the car, and being unable to reach the car in time to save it.

The hospitals financial trouble started within weeks of its opening in March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns began. Through April, hospitals werent allowed to perform elective procedures or diagnostics  the kind of services that typically make money. Out-of-town specialists whod agreed to provide treatment at the hospital were no longer able to do so.

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In a particularly hard blow, Thomasvilles hospital was one of just three hospitals nationwide that lost out on millions in federal pandemic relief funds because it was so new that it didnt have the required number of yearly financial statements. The hospital received $1 million, far short of the $8 million leaders thought it deserved. Day took several trips to Washington, D.C., to try to convince federal officials to change their rules. By the time they did, the funding had run out.

Meanwhile, the hospitals private owners had plunged the facility further into debt in an effort to keep the doors open. Day characterizes many of the choices as financial miscalculations. The hospital eventually defaulted on $35 million in loans and went into foreclosure.

In the final days before the hospital closed, employees had been working for two weeks without pay.

We had doctors who were working in the ER who offered to put in tens of thousands of dollars to help make payroll, Day said. Eventually, after a judge assigned a receiver to take control of the hospital and its assets, the hospital was able to pay all of its employees for the weeks they had worked.

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We had our legs kicked out from under us, pretty much from Day 1, and things went downhill from there, Day said. Thats why Im telling all these folks visiting who are looking at purchasing the hospital that youre not looking at a turnaround  youre looking at a startup.

A crisis getting worse

Medicaid expansion is a dirty expression in the halls of Alabamas Republican-dominated statehouse.

Business executives, advocacy groups and medical associations have begged state lawmakers for years to let Alabama join the 40 other states that have taken federal funding under the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid to cover people making up to 138% of the poverty line. Its a move that experts say would also bring much-needed funding to struggling hospitals. Expansion could push an estimated half a billion dollars into the state, but for opponents, it also carries the Obamacare stigma.

So instead, leaders like Day often talk about taking advantage of the federal dollars available to us when asking lawmakers to consider Medicaid expansion.

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Hes a pragmatic Republican in a conservative-leaning county in a solidly Democratic congressional district in a ruby-red state. Hes accustomed to treading political tightropes.

Obama hasnt been in office in how many years? We need to quit beating that horse, get rid of those political blinders we have on and figure out what is affordable for us to do, Day said. Because this is a crisis, and the crisis is getting worse.

Sheldon Day has been the mayor of Thomasville, Alabama for 28 years. He wants to see the state take advantage of federal funding for Medicaid to improve health care in rural communities like his. (Anna Claire Vollers/Stateline)

In the past 20 years, 109 rural hospitals have closed around the country, while another 84 have been converted to other types of facilities such as nursing homes, according to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Alabama has lost six rural hospitals in that time, plus two more that converted.

Nationally, operating margins for rural hospitals in non-expansion states such as Alabama are consistently lower than those in states that expanded Medicaid, according to an analysis by health policy and research organization KFF.

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Rural health care is an existential crisis, and the only thing thats going to fix that is everybody sitting down in a full understanding.

 Sheldon Day, mayor of Thomasville, Alabama

Half of Alabamas hospitals were operating in the red as of 2022, according to the Alabama Hospital Association. In August, Grove Hill Memorial Hospital, about 15 miles south of Thomasville, became the fourth Alabama hospital in a year to close its labor and delivery services. Its also one of at least four hospitals around the state that have recently announced plans to halt all inpatient services and convert to Rural Emergency Hospital status, under a new federal program designed to save dying rural hospitals by paying them millions to focus on emergency care.

Day said the program isnt a good fit for Thomasville Regional because the facility is brand new and outfitted to provide a variety of inpatient and surgical services. Plus, he said, becoming a Rural Emergency Hospital would mean a much smaller staff. Before it closed, Thomasville employed around 110 people, Day said.

Day has spent many hours in Montgomery, meeting with state legislators and with Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who grew up in neighboring Wilcox County. The state lawmakers who represent Days town are Democrats, elected by majority-Black districts. Alabama Democrats support Medicaid expansion. But in a state where Republicans control every branch of state government and fill every statewide office, Democrats wield little political power.

Day is pragmatic. He argues that expanding Medicaid is not only a moral imperative, but also would be good for the economy. He points out that rural communities  Black and white, Democratic and Republican  already have opened their wallets to support health care facilities.

Ive told the folks at the governors office and others that its not communities and counties that arent stepping up to do what they can, he said. Every city I know of in these rural areas  us, Grove Hill, Jackson, Evergreen, Monroeville  all of us have passed local taxes to go toward our health care facilities over the last five or six years.

He hits his steering wheel for emphasis as he drives his SUV on the way to an appointment.

Im as Republican as anybody, but we have passed taxes to get this done. And now we need the state to take advantage of the federal funding that would cover 90% of the cost of Medicaid expansion, and all theyve got to do is come up with that last 10%.

Alabama Republican House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter has said hes willing to have a conversation about expansion, and lawmakers have held joint committee sessions to study the issue. But Ivey and others, particularly some hardliners in the state Senate, remain publicly skeptical and question the long-term costs of expansion.

Day refuses to be put off.

Im encouraged that it appears that the legislature and the governors office and others are, at least as a whole, seriously looking at the status of health care in the state and what we can do to fix the problem, he said. Nobody wants to see dozens of hospitals close under their watch.

Stocked and ready

In the quiet hallways and exam rooms at the Thomasville Regional Medical Center, cabinets are stocked and equipment stands at the ready. At a nurses station, charts and other paperwork still lie on the desks as though someone has only momentarily stepped away.

Stacey Gilchrist is one of the few people who currently work in the building, overseeing the facility and helping the court-appointed receiver with administrative tasks. Gilchrist, a nurse whos spent her 40-year career in Thomasville, was the operations manager for the hospital when it was still open.

The hospital saved dozens of lives, she said, even when people needed services the hospital didnt offer. It doesnt have a labor and delivery unit, but more than once, women in labor who werent able to make it to the nearest delivering hospital showed up at Thomasvilles ER.

We dont have incubators, but we had a staff that was out of this world, and they made it work, she said, recalling how nurses warmed IV bags to try to raise the temperature of a newly delivered baby while they waited for neonatal specialists to arrive by ambulance. It would give you chills to see what all they had to do. They had to get inventive, but they worked their fannies off and that baby and mama both survived.

As Day and Gilchrist stand in the hospitals airy atrium, they talk about their hopes that the hospitals buyer  whoever it might be  will work not just to bring back specialties that were lost but also invest in new services that could be located on the hospitals 40-acre campus, such as a long-term care facility or a cancer treatment center.

There are at least four prospective buyers interested in the hospital; three have signed non-disclosure agreements to begin negotiations, according to Day. He tells people he doesnt yet have a concrete timeline, but he does believe the city has a seat at the table.

The final decision on who buys the hospital will rest largely with the bank, North Avenue Capital, and must be approved by the judge.

The only money the banks gotten out of this has been the tax dollars the citys put in, so theyre listening closely, and I think they genuinely want us to be part of that process, he said.

Rural health care is an existential crisis, and the only thing thats going to fix that is everybody sitting down in a full understanding.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Dec. 23THOMASVILLE, Ala.  It was a moonshot effort for a small Southern town: Open a brand-new rural hospital in the poorest region of one of the poorest states in the nation.

Thomasville, which has fewer than 4,000 residents, sits in the middle of Alabama's Black Belt, so named for its rich, black soil. The rural, southern swath of Alabama is steeped in history and culture, and home to the most economically disadvantaged counties in the state.

The nearest interstate to Thomasville is almost 70 miles away. Harper Lee's 1960 book "To Kill a Mockingbird" was inspired by Monroeville, one county over. To the northeast, across the Alabama River, the famed quilters of Gee's Bend craft their works of art. Roads are lined with pine forests and farmland.

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Thomasville's energetic, gravel-voiced mayor is a man named Sheldon Day. He's been mayor for the past 28 years, and he's passionate about health care. As rural hospitals around the country faced declining reimbursements, workforce shortages and rising costs, Day and other Thomasville leaders laid careful plans to open a hospital that would provide the care that was disappearing in communities like theirs.

They partnered with a Birmingham investor who believed in the project. They secured millions in federal grants and loans. Residents voted for a half-cent sales tax to support it.

"We didn't want it to be a doc-in-the-box, a stop on the way to a larger hospital," Day said. "What we were trying to do here in Thomasville is to be transformational."

The hospital was intended to improve access to care for the entire region. It would treat Black Belt residents who had been driving 100 miles or more just to see a pediatrician. It was supposed to defy the odds that shuttered half a dozen other rural hospitals in Alabama in recent years and left even more at the brink of closure.

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The new Thomasville Regional Medical Center opened on March 3, 2020.

It turned out to be the worst possible timing.

An empty hallway inside Thomasville Regional Medical Center The hallways are quiet at the Thomasville Regional Medical Center, which closed in September after opening to much fanfare just four and a half years ago. (Anna Claire Vollers/Stateline)

Four and a half years later  battered by a worldwide pandemic, a series of financial missteps and a health care landscape increasingly hostile to rural hospitals  the facility closed.

But maybe not for good. A court-appointed receiver is overseeing the shuttered medical center, and Thomasville has limited control over who might buy it. City officials don't know whether the new owners might share the town's vision of being a regional health care hub. And they have limited influence on state lawmakers' decisions about Medicaid expansion and health care funding.

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And yet Day and the town remain cautiously hopeful. Their $40 million, 29-bed facility is dormant but practically brand new  a far cry from the decades-old hospitals common in rural America. The town's leaders are focused on leveraging any political power they can muster to make their case to state lawmakers and potential investors. And they're armed with hard-won lessons learned over the past four years.

The health of their families and neighbors hangs in the balance. Losing the hospital would mean longer drives for care, missed treatments and riskier health outcomes, especially for the community's most vulnerable. It would mean fewer local health care jobs. For the Black Belt at large, it would mean one more hospital gone, one more failed attempt to persuade state leaders to prove they care about the health of rural and poor people.

"In the health care debate in this state, I wish everybody could come down here and see the void," Day said, "but also the opportunity and the possibilities."

A long drive for care

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These days, Day can't go anywhere  not church, not the grocery store, not even the men's room  without getting asked by residents about the hospital and when it might reopen. He's weathered criticism from some.

On a recent Thursday afternoon, the mayor was in his office at City Hall, not far from Thomasville's downtown strip, preparing for a court hearing. He didn't expect it to take long; the judge just wanted an update on the hospital's foreclosure and receivership proceedings. Also on Day's schedule was a call with an attorney for the bank that currently owns the hospital. Earlier in the week, he'd given hospital tours to two different prospective buyers.

A few streets over, not far from the shuttered hospital, Angie Wise was at Family Medicine Pharmacy, preparing for her husband Mark's retirement party. The couple opened the independent pharmacy in Thomasville 41 years ago, where Mark has been the pharmacist ever since.

They're looking forward to retirement. But Angie is worried about the dwindling health care options left in her community. She worked as a nurse at the old Thomasville hospital in the early 1980s. Back then, it provided a wide range of services, from labor and delivery to intensive care.

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"Most patients were treated in Thomasville, which made it easier for the patient and their family," she said. Now, most specialized services require a long drive out of the Black Belt, a hundred miles down to Mobile on the Gulf Coast, or 77 miles west to Meridian, Mississippi. "Many people just cannot miss time from work for a three-to-five hour visit to a specialist, so they postpone appointments or cancel appointments."

There aren't any pediatricians in Clarke County, nor in most of the counties surrounding it. The nearest hospital that delivers babies is 60 miles away.

"As a nurse," said Wise, "I feel that no matter where you live, you should have access to quality health care."

Like an oncoming train

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Day compares the hospital's closure in September to spotting a car sitting on a railroad crossing in the distance, watching a train speeding toward the car, and being unable to reach the car in time to save it.

The hospital's financial trouble started within weeks of its opening in March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns began. Through April, hospitals weren't allowed to perform elective procedures or diagnostics  the kind of services that typically make money. Out-of-town specialists who'd agreed to provide treatment at the hospital were no longer able to do so.

In a particularly hard blow, Thomasville's hospital was one of just three hospitals nationwide that lost out on millions in federal pandemic relief funds because it was so new that it didn't have the required number of yearly financial statements. The hospital received $1 million, far short of the $8 million leaders thought it deserved. Day took several trips to Washington, D.C., to try to convince federal officials to change their rules. By the time they did, the funding had run out.

Meanwhile, the hospital's private owners had plunged the facility further into debt in an effort to keep the doors open. Day characterizes many of the choices as financial miscalculations. The hospital eventually defaulted on $35 million in loans and went into foreclosure.

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In the final days before the hospital closed, employees had been working for two weeks without pay.

"We had doctors who were working in the ER who offered to put in tens of thousands of dollars to help make payroll," Day said. Eventually, after a judge assigned a receiver to take control of the hospital and its assets, the hospital was able to pay all of its employees for the weeks they had worked.

"We had our legs kicked out from under us, pretty much from Day 1, and things went downhill from there," Day said. "That's why I'm telling all these folks visiting who are looking at purchasing the hospital that you're not looking at a turnaround  you're looking at a startup."

A crisis getting worse

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"Medicaid expansion" is a dirty expression in the halls of Alabama's Republican-dominated statehouse.

Business executives, advocacy groups and medical associations have begged state lawmakers for years to let Alabama join the 40 other states that have taken federal funding under the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid to cover people making up to 138% of the poverty line. It's a move that experts say would also bring much-needed funding to struggling hospitals. Expansion could push an estimated half a billion dollars into the state, but for opponents, it also carries the Obamacare stigma.

So instead, leaders like Day often talk about "taking advantage of the federal dollars available to us" when asking lawmakers to consider Medicaid expansion.

He's a pragmatic Republican in a conservative-leaning county in a solidly Democratic congressional district in a ruby-red state. He's accustomed to treading political tightropes.

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"Obama hasn't been in office in how many years? We need to quit beating that horse, get rid of those political blinders we have on and figure out what is affordable for us to do," Day said. "Because this is a crisis, and the crisis is getting worse."

Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day points down a hallway in the lobby of Thomasville Regional Medical Center. Sheldon Day has been the mayor of Thomasville, Alabama for 28 years. He wants to see the state take advantage of federal funding for Medicaid to improve health care in rural communities like his. (Anna Claire Vollers/Stateline)

In the past 20 years, 109 rural hospitals have closed around the country, while another 84 have been converted to other types of facilities such as nursing homes, according to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Alabama has lost six rural hospitals in that time, plus two more that converted.

Nationally, operating margins for rural hospitals in non-expansion states such as Alabama are consistently lower than those in states that expanded Medicaid, according to an analysis by health policy and research organization KFF.

Rural health care is an existential crisis, and the only thing that's going to fix that is everybody sitting down in a full understanding.  Sheldon Day, mayor of Thomasville, Alabama

Half of Alabama's hospitals were operating in the red as of 2022, according to the Alabama Hospital Association. In August, Grove Hill Memorial Hospital, about 15 miles south of Thomasville, became the fourth Alabama hospital in a year to close its labor and delivery services. It's also one of at least four hospitals around the state that have recently announced plans to halt all inpatient services and convert to Rural Emergency Hospital status, under a new federal program designed to save dying rural hospitals by paying them millions to focus on emergency care.

Day said the program isn't a good fit for Thomasville Regional because the facility is brand new and outfitted to provide a variety of inpatient and surgical services. Plus, he said, becoming a Rural Emergency Hospital would mean a much smaller staff. Before it closed, Thomasville employed around 110 people, Day said.

Day has spent many hours in Montgomery, meeting with state legislators and with Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who grew up in neighboring Wilcox County. The state lawmakers who represent Day's town are Democrats, elected by majority-Black districts. Alabama Democrats support Medicaid expansion. But in a state where Republicans control every branch of state government and fill every statewide office, Democrats wield little political power.

Day is pragmatic. He argues that expanding Medicaid is not only a moral imperative, but also would be good for the economy. He points out that rural communities  Black and white, Democratic and Republican  already have opened their wallets to support health care facilities.

"I've told the folks at the governor's office and others that it's not communities and counties that aren't stepping up to do what they can," he said. "Every city I know of in these rural areas  us, Grove Hill, Jackson, Evergreen, Monroeville  all of us have passed local taxes to go toward our health care facilities over the last five or six years."

He hits his steering wheel for emphasis as he drives his SUV on the way to an appointment.

"I'm as Republican as anybody, but we have passed taxes to get this done. And now we need the state to take advantage of the federal funding" that would cover 90% of the cost of Medicaid expansion, "and all they've got to do is come up with that last 10%."

Alabama Republican House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter has said he's willing to have a conversation about expansion, and lawmakers have held joint committee sessions to study the issue. But Ivey and others, particularly some hardliners in the state Senate, remain publicly skeptical and question the long-term costs of expansion.

Day refuses to be put off.

"I'm encouraged that it appears that the legislature and the governor's office and others are, at least as a whole, seriously looking at the status of health care in the state and what we can do to fix the problem," he said. "Nobody wants to see dozens of hospitals close under their watch."

Stocked and ready

In the quiet hallways and exam rooms at the Thomasville Regional Medical Center, cabinets are stocked and equipment stands at the ready. At a nurses' station, charts and other paperwork still lie on the desks as though someone has only momentarily stepped away.

Stacey Gilchrist is one of the few people who currently work in the building, overseeing the facility and helping the court-appointed receiver with administrative tasks. Gilchrist, a nurse who's spent her 40-year career in Thomasville, was the operations manager for the hospital when it was still open.

The hospital saved dozens of lives, she said, even when people needed services the hospital didn't offer. It doesn't have a labor and delivery unit, but more than once, women in labor who weren't able to make it to the nearest delivering hospital showed up at Thomasville's ER.

"We don't have incubators, but we had a staff that was out of this world, and they made it work," she said, recalling how nurses warmed IV bags to try to raise the temperature of a newly delivered baby while they waited for neonatal specialists to arrive by ambulance. "It would give you chills to see what all they had to do. They had to get inventive, but they worked their fannies off and that baby and mama both survived."

As Day and Gilchrist stand in the hospital's airy atrium, they talk about their hopes that the hospital's buyer  whoever it might be  will work not just to bring back specialties that were lost but also invest in new services that could be located on the hospital's 40-acre campus, such as a long-term care facility or a cancer treatment center.

There are at least four prospective buyers interested in the hospital; three have signed non-disclosure agreements to begin negotiations, according to Day. He tells people he doesn't yet have a concrete timeline, but he does believe the city has a seat at the table.

The final decision on who buys the hospital will rest largely with the bank, North Avenue Capital, and must be approved by the judge.

"The only money the bank's gotten out of this has been the tax dollars the city's put in, so they're listening closely, and I think they genuinely want us to be part of that process," he said.

"Rural health care is an existential crisis, and the only thing that's going to fix that is everybody sitting down in a full understanding."

YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
Oregon officials have condemned a racist letter that has been circulating in various communities throughout Lincoln County. According to a Dec. 19 Facebook post by the sheriffs office, the letter entitled The Brown Round Up, Part 1" encouraged residents to track and report information regarding people of color.

There was a particular emphasis placed on community members that are believed to be undocumented. If you see a bunch of brown folks getting in a car, write down the plate number, the letter stated according to KGW8.

Starting the last part of January 2025, this nation will commence the largest roundup of brown illegals in our history. It then told readers to send the collected information to the Department of Homeland Security after President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration.

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This type of behavior is harmful, divisive, and inconsistent with the values we uphold as public servants and community members, Curtis Landers said in a statement about the letter.

This is the full letter being distributed around Lincoln County Oregon pic.twitter.com/VlvbzFldzZ  Rachel Bitecofer  (@RachelBitecofer) December 20, 2024

Targeting individuals in this manner erodes trust and undermines the sense of safety and inclusion that we strive to maintain in Lincoln County.

Sanders encouraged community members to do the right thing and approach such messages with compassion. He also advised folks to not engage in the activities outlined in the letter.

The disturbing message comes after Trumps promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in American history. His newly selected border czar, Tom Homan, estimated that immigration detention centers would soon need 100,000 beds.

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Im telling you, at the minimum we need 100,000 beds because weve got a big population to look for ... 700,000 criminals alone, Homan told CNN earlier this month.

The landing teams have just started working with the agencies and departments. Well be gathering information, a lot of information in the next couple weeks, which will help me in my planning process.

According to The Washington Post, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in a statement racist letter writing campaigns had absolutely no place in the state.

It is time to rise above these despicable tactics and demonstrate the true spirit of inclusivity and compassion that defines the Oregon way, Rosenblum said.

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Pranks on social media are all fun and games until the police get an idea of what youre doing and it leads to your arrest.

Charles Smith, who goes by the username @WolfieKhaletti on TikTok, is accused of spraying a can of bed bug killer on groceries at a Walmart in Arizona, according to the Mesa Police Department (MPD). The 27-year-old filmed the incident and shared it with his more than 350,000 followers on his TikTok account.

Last week, in the now-deleted video, Smith was seen grabbing a can of Hot Shot Ultra Bed Bug and Flea Killer and spraying the pesticide on several groceries including potatoes, lemons, green apples, tomatoes, squash, and even bananas at a Walmart in the Phoenix area.

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Watch the video below:

reddit-thread-ImTheMainCharacter-1hiaz44

Thankfully, no customers were harmed and a Walmart spokesperson told the local news outlet that all the groceries that were sprayed were removed from the store.

After an investigation was started by the Tempe Police Department and they discovered who Smith was, he turned himself in and was charged with introducing poison, criminal damage, endangerment, and theft, according to the MPD.

While criminal damage, endangerment, and theft are all misdemeanors, introducing poison is considered a Class 6 Felony in the state of Arizona.

Although it may seem like Smith is just a prankster who loves to cause trouble, he says that these social media stunts make money.

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In court paperwork obtained by CBS 5 News, he calls himself a troll, and says that stunts like the one he was arrested for help him make $6,000 to $10,000 a month.

Despite his intent to be humorous, shoppers at the Walmart werent happy. Pranks should be actually funny, one customer told CBS 5 News. Like if its hurting others in the process, why would you do that?

Another person added, I think social media has got people doing crazy things out here. Its unfortunate that somebody would mess up their whole life, potentially, for something on social media for views.

For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Sociologist and leading expert on marriage, family and fatherhood Brad Wilcox has accepted one of the top academic honors at the University of Virginia.

Wilcox, a Deseret News contributor, was named the Melville Foundation Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished University Professor at the University of Virginia, one of the schools most prestigious academic titles. The new appointment will allow Wilcox to continue his work at UVA, where hes the director of the National Marriage Project, a research initiative focused on studying the state of marriage and family life in the United States.

Dr. Wilcoxs decision to remain at UVA represents a tremendous win for the university, said Jimmy Wright, president of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation, in the announcement of Wilcoxs appointment. His research tackles some of the most critical social questions of our time, and retaining a scholar of his caliber ensures UVA will remain at the forefront of these vital discussions.

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In his work, Wilcox bridges rigorous research with public policy, advocating for family stability as a solution to major cultural and economic challenges. Wilcox is the author of six books, most recently Get Married: Why Americans Should Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization, which was recently named book of the year in the nonfiction category by WORLD magazine.

His findings have sparked widespread discussion, particularly on topics related to gender roles, socioeconomic inequality and shifting societal norms around relationships. His work was also published in leading academic journals like The American Sociological Review and The Journal of Marriage and Family, as well as publications like The New York Times and The Atlantic, offering insights into cultural and policy-related issues that impact families. Wilcox is also a senior fellow of the Institute for Family Studies at BYU.

As a Deseret News contributor, he has consulted for the past 10 years on the American Family Survey, has made the case for marriage and family from a data-based perspective, and has worked as a leading voice with Utahs Office of Families, created under Gov. Spencer Cox.

It is an honor for my research and teaching to be acknowledged in this way, Wilcox told the Deseret News. My elevation, in part, is a reflection of UVAs desire to spotlight more intellectually diverse scholars, who are on the faculty at UVA, he said. The appointment holds personal significance for Wilcox, who was a Jefferson Scholar as an undergraduate student at UVA. It also marks a milestone for UVA as Wilcox becomes one of UVAs first fully endowed University Professors, a prestigious role reserved for scholars of exceptional distinction. Wilcox will now report directly to the provost and university president.

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With additional resources for the National Marriage Project, Wilcox hopes to expand its event programming on marriage and family life at the university. On April 8, the program will host its signature event, titled In Pursuit: What Do Marriage and Motherhood Have to Do with the Happiness of Women?, featuring female scholars and public intellectuals from across the ideological spectrum, reflecting on the meaning of marriage and motherhood in the United States. The speakers will include Jenet Erickson, family life professor from Brigham Young University, journalist Michelle Goldberg from The New York Times, and Michel Martin from NPR, and others.

Although marriage has declined in the United States  Wilcox describes it as the closing of the American heart from the perspective of a social scientist, he says, its not all bad news. Abundant research shows how marriage benefits children, adults and the common good, Wilcox said. And whats particularly striking about the research is that were seeing more evidence that not just marriage matters for kids and adults, but that it matters more than ever for kids and adults when it comes to outcomes, such as college graduation and adult financial well-being, Wilcox said.

On another hopeful note, family stability for children has increased in America. In the past decade, Wilcox noted, theres been a slight uptick in kids raised in stable and married families. Thats good news and Im trying to draw peoples attention to that news as well, Wilcox said.

Other scholars have highlighted the significance of Wilcoxs work and his new professorship title. This kind of research is not just, well, academic research, Nadya Williams, a UVA graduate and author of Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic: Ancient Christianity and the Recovery of Human Dignity, wrote on X. These are key conversations about quality of life for everyone, and I am grateful to see (Brad Wilcox) continue these conversations in a setting filled with young people.
Soldiers facing often-expensive flights for emergency travel will soon be able to get more financial help from their services official nonprofit organization.

Army Emergency Relief has changed its policy to provide 100% grants for airfare, with dollar caps, for qualifying active duty soldiers who need to travel because of an emergency such as a death or sickness in their family. The policy takes effect Jan. 1.

The services military relief societies provide financial assistance for a variety of situations.

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These grants are up to $2,000 per request for round-trip domestic travel and up to $4,000 per request for round-trip overseas travel. If the travel costs exceed that amount, the remaining costs may qualify for interest-free loans. Airfare is the most expensive aspect of emergency travel.

This changes the policy from the current mix of 50% grant and 50% interest-free loan for airfare specifically. Now, qualifying soldiers will be able to receive a 100% grant, which means they dont have to pay it back.

This applies only to airfare. Qualifying expenses for other emergency travel, such as gas for personal vehicles, food and lodging are still eligible for the 50% grant and 50% interest-free loan. But depending on the soldiers financial circumstances, the interest-free loan portion could be converted to a grant.

The policy change is expected to double the amount of emergency travel assistance provided to soldiers and their families. Its expected to cost about $5 million, said retired Army Col. Sean Ryan, spokesman for the nonprofit. Through the end of November 2024, AER provided 4,327 soldiers with nearly $4.6 million in assistance for emergency travel. Soldiers in the ranks of E-3 to E-7 used the program the most, he said.

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Army Emergency Relief Director and CEO Tony Grinston, who assumed the helm of the organization in January, felt soldiers should be able to attend funerals or visit hospitals with immediate family without the financial burden, Ryan said.

The discussion about the expansion started in March, Ryan said, with soldiers concerns about being able to afford to bring their family members if a direct family member died. This was among the issues AER officials heard while visiting installations earlier this year, Ryan said.

As always, soldiers AER funding requests are considered on an individual basis. Army Emergency Relief funding is provided by donations.

For more information or to request assistance, soldiers may visit the local installation AER office or visit the Army Emergency Relief website.
BUCHAREST, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Former National Liberal Party (PNL) leader Crin Antonescu has been officially designated as the coalition candidate for Romania's presidency, interim PNL president Ilie Bolojan announced Monday.

The decision was reached by consensus among coalition leaders from the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the PNL, the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), and representatives of national minorities.

Antonescu, who withdrew from politics nearly a decade ago after leading the PNL and co-founding the Social Liberal Union, said extraordinary political and social circumstances led him to accept the nomination.

He stressed the need to hold presidential elections "as quickly as constitutionally and legally possible" to restore political stability.

The coalition parties intend to rally behind Antonescu to address the country's challenges, including stabilizing government operations and advancing reforms, according to Bolojan. 
(Bloomberg) -- South Africa will retain its preferential access to the US markets for its goods in 2025 despite strained relations between the countries.

Most Read from Bloomberg

After undertaking an annual review of which nations are allowed to enjoy duty-free access to the worlds biggest economy under its African Growth and Opportunity Act, Washington left its list of eligible and ineligible nations unchanged for next year, the Office of the US Trade Representative said in a statement Sunday.

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South Africas increasingly close ties with China, refusal to condemn Moscows invasion of Ukraine and its anti-Israel stance have raised concern in the US.

While President Joe Bidens administration has sought to build ties with the country to counter Russia and Chinas influence, US lawmakers have been highly critical of Pretoria after it took Israel to the International Court of Justice over accusations of genocide amid the war in Gaza.

As a result, the US House in June passed a key annual defense policy bill with an amendment calling for a review of South Africas national-security risks to the US. The bill still needs approval from the Senate and the White House.

If passed, it could complicate the status of thousands of South African products. They enter the worlds biggest market duty free under AGOA, and the so-called Generalized System of Preferences.

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The US is South Africas largest trading partner after China. Maintaining favorable commerce ties between the two countries is key to the newly formed South African coalition governments efforts to bolster an economy thats barely grown over the past decade.

AGOA is set to expire in 2025. Senators in April introduced a bill to extend the trade program with about 40 sub-Saharan African nations until 2041, but beneficiaries of the agreement are still awaiting formal guidance about its future.

Among the 17 African nations that arent eligible for preferential access to the US market are Ethiopia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

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RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV)  The Rankin County Sheriffs Department arrested a South Carolina man who led officers on a multi-city chase across the metro.

According to the Rankin County Sheriffs Department, a deputy located a semitruck weaving through multiple travel lanes on I-20 westbound and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The truck driver failed to stop the 18-wheeler and a motor vehicle pursuit began.

Laurel police charge two after man shot in head

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Officers with the Pearl Police Department were able to deploy spike strips at the 52-mile marker which were then struck by the 18-wheeler.

As the pursuit continued, it traveled through the City of Jackson and began entering the City of Clinton before finally coming to a stop.

David Sergey Pozdnyakov of Duncan, South Carolina initially barricaded himself inside the cab of a semitruck which led officers to break the drivers window before he could be arrested.

Pozdnyakov was arrested for Felony Fleeing, DUI, Disobeying a Police Officer, and Careless Driving.

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By Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's military said on Monday it has detected signs of North Korea preparing to send more troops and weapons, including suicide drones, to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

Pyongyang has already provided 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers to Russia, and was seen preparing to produce more suicide drones to be shipped there after leader Kim Jong Un guided a test last month, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

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"Suicide drones are one of the tasks that Kim Jong Un has focused on," a JCS official said, adding that the North had expressed its intention to give them to Russia.

Such drones have been widely used in the Ukraine war, and Kim ordered a mass production of the aerial weapons and an update of military theory and education, citing intensifying global competition, state media reported.

Seoul, Washington and Kyiv have said there are around 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia. The JCS said at least 1,100 of them had been killed or wounded, in line with last week's briefing by South Korea's spy agency which reported some 100 deaths with another 1,000 wounded in the Kursk region.

Pyongyang's growing military ties with Moscow could pose greater threats to Seoul as it modernises its conventional forces, which are deemed inferior to the South's, and gains combat experience, the official said.

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Along the heavily fortified Korean border, the North has dispatched up to 10,000 soldiers to turn the area into a wasteland and install barriers and barbed wire in recent weeks, though the numbers fell to several hundred over the weekend, the JCS said.

The JCS released photos that it said showed a group of North Korean troops testing the electrified wire fence using a goat.

There is also a possibility, the JCS said, that the North will test-fire an intermediate-range hypersonic missile around year-end ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, while sending more garbage balloons to the South.

North Korea has launched thousands of balloons with bags of trash attached to them since late May, saying it was responding to balloons carrying propaganda leaflets flown by South Korean activists.

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"With the backing of Russia, they'll likely try to stage various strategic provocations next year, such as launching intercontinental ballistic missiles and conducting a nuclear test to enhance its negotiating power with the U.S.," the JCS official said.

On Monday, South Korea's acting president Han Duck-soo had a telephone call with new U.S. Forces Korea commander Xavier T. Brunson.

Han emphasised the importance of South Korea and the U.S. jointly maintaining a thorough security posture, as North Korea might "misjudge" Seoul's "serious situation" and commit various provocations such as firing ballistic missiles, Han's office said in a statement.

Brunson stressed the importance of action, not words, and said they would ensure a posture to respond to any threat through practical joint exercises, Han's office said.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Joyce LeeEditing by Ed Davies)
Milwaukee County, along with most of Wisconsin, is under a Winter Weather Advisory on Monday due to freezing drizzle in the forecast, which is expected to create hazardous road conditions.

The advisory is in effect from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Sauk, Iowa, Dane, Lafayette, Green and Rock counties. It is in effect from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. in Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha, Jefferson, Marquette, Green Lake, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Columbia and Dodge counties.

During the advisory, slippery travel conditions are possible, especially on untreated roadways. Bridges and overpasses are especially likely to become "slick and hazardous," the National Weather Service warns.

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Initially, the Winter Weather Advisory was scheduled to begin at 3 a.m. in the Milwaukee area, but Milwaukee-Sullivan NWS meteorologist Marcia Cronce said the weather service decided to delay it due to a change in conditions.

"There is more dry air ... than we were originally anticipating," she said. "We thought (precipitation) would start much earlier in the day, but it looks like it'll be the middle of the day when the peak time for a wintery mix comes through  drizzle, freezing drizzle and even light snow mixed in."

Due to the delay, Cronce said the morning commute in the Milwaukee area is unlikely to be affected. Temperatures are expected to warm to the mid-30s by the early afternoon, possibly sparing the evening commute from icy conditions as well, she said.

Communities north of the Milwaukee area  including Sheboygan and Fond du Lac counties  could see light snow accumulations of less than an inch, potentially affecting the evening commute, Cronce continued.

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NWS advises people traveling during the Winter Weather Advisory to slow down and use caution, prepare for possible power outages, and monitor the latest road conditions by calling 511 or visiting 511wi.gov.

A light wintry mix of freezing drizzle and snow is expected today. Slick spots are possible on untreated roads. Christmas Eve and Day will be cloudy with temperatures at or above freezing during the day and just below freezing at night. #swiwx #wiwx pic.twitter.com/KBTOIQWKiC  NWS Milwaukee (@NWSMilwaukee) December 23, 2024

Milwaukee Christmas forecast

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are expected to be mild and cloudy, with "very light rain or drizzle" possible on Christmas Day, Cronce said.

Temperatures should be "just above freezing" during the day and around freezing at night. There is a high of around 34 degrees in the forecast on Tuesday and around 36 on Wednesday.

Wisconsin weather warnings

Wisconsin weather radar

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee under Winter Weather Advisory for freezing drizzle, icy roads
The leader of U.S. Space Operations Command is hopeful the Space Force can meet its goal of delivering a command-and-control platform that allows operators to see a common picture of the domain by the end of next year.

The software for that baseline capability, known as the Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System, or ATLAS, is being developed by L3Harris and is in the final stages of testing.

Lt. Gen. David Miller, who leads Space Operations Command, told reporters that while he knows delivering that system is a big lift, having a single platform that units can use to train, plan and fight from is at the top of his must-have list.

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Thats where Id like to be in 2025, he told reporters earlier this month at the Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Florida. I want to be done with it, Ill be honest with you. Im impatient.

ATLAS will provide the foundational software for a broader modernization program known as Space Command and Control. Its analysis and data processing capabilities are what will allow the Space Force to decommission its 1970s-era Space Defense Operations Center, known as SPADOC. The system manages the Space Forces fleet of radars and sensors that track objects in space.

Its replacement will be able to merge data from a range of systems, giving operators a more wholistic understanding of whats happening in orbit.

The operational transition between the two systems was supposed to happen in 2022 but has been delayed largely do to software integration challenges between L3Harris and Space Systems Command, which is serving as the prime integrator for the program.

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Charles Clarkson, vice president and general manager of the space superiority and imaging division at L3Harris, told Defense News the government-industry team has found a cadence over the last 18 months. As of November, L3Harris has delivered 95% of the software needed for ATLAS and expects to finish the rest in the first quarter of next year.

Right now, were focused on finalizing the software, and then increasingly, as we get closer to this being real, were getting more and more involvement from the ops community, he said in an interview. Then we get that increased scrutiny, which we certainly welcome, so that we can kind of find bugs early and address them. And thats all going well.

Once testing is done and the ATLAS minimum viable product is delivered, the program will go through a trial operations phase, which should wrap up next year.

Clarkson said that with testing mostly complete and operators starting to get their hands on the system, the remaining transition risks are less technical and more about helping users shift to a new platform.

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Its getting people familiar with it, trained on it, he said. Theyre going to do their job differently than they did before. And so, one of the big focuses that we have over the next two quarters is the training piece.

Meanwhile, Miller said his team at Space Operations Command has been working to ensure that when ATLAS is ready, they have a set of space domain awareness applications ready to integrate into the platform. Partnering with the intelligence community, commercial firms and other offices within the Space Force, the command is experimenting with potential tools derived from existing software.

He wouldnt share details about the applications, but said he expects to be able to field a few of them in the coming year.

What Ill say is, Im interested in maintaining awareness of anything that is on orbit thats a risk to operations, safety, operations proximity or allows you to track potential threats, Miller said.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting high levels of COVID-19 in wastewater samples in Shawnee County.

Communities can track the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19 through wastewater samples, according to the CDC. When the levels are at 0% it means its the lowest theyve ever seen at the site.

Of the four wastewater sheds that monitor the levels in Shawnee County, three had levels between 60-70% and Sewershed 833 had levels from 80-100%. Sewershed 833 serves a population of 40,000, according to the CDC. The four wastewater sheds serve a total population of 270,000 in Shawnee County.

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With all of the wastewater sheds combined, Shawnee County has a virus concentration level of 66.67%, according to the CDC.

Topeka LDS missionaries mock Chinese people on camera

When virus levels are rising in your community, the CDC recommends checking your countys respiratory illness levels and following the recommendations.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)  The Springfield Police Division has received federal funding for traffic safety improvements.

According to the Division, it has received $53,594.38 to improve traffic safety in the city.

It is reported that the funding will help with the following:

Lower alcohol-related deaths, serious injuries and traffic-related deadly crashes

Improve community engagement

Improve safety belt usage through enforcement

We are grateful to be awarded this grant funding through the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, said Allison Elliott, police chief for Springfield Police Division. This funding will enable us to carry out data-driven enforcement initiatives while increasing our visibility throughout the community, making Springfield streets safer for everyone.

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The funding will be available to the Division until September 2025.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.
St. Petersburg police have arrested a teen accused of fatally shooting a 15-year-old boy last week.

Detectives arrested Zymere Darden-Williams, 17, Monday on a charge of second-degree murder, according to a news release from St. Petersburg Police Department.

He is accused of killing 15-year-old Tomohnd Newkirk, who was found with a gunshot wound Wednesday about 6 p.m. at TGM Bay Isle apartments, located at 11850 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N.

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Tomohnd was taken to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

An arrest report for Darden-Williams was not immediately available, and no further information was released.
The ongoing Starbucks union workers' strike has now expanded to a dozen states, union representatives confirmed to USA TODAY on Monday.

The five-day strike began Friday and initially shut down Starbucks locations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle before spreading to cafes in New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Denver, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio, according to Starbucks Workers United.

Labor representatives told USA TODAY on Monday morning that union members in Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Portland, Oregon also joined picket lines.

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Starbucks spokesperson Phil McGee said the "few disruptions" have not had a significant effect on the business' operations because only a small handful of locations have been impacted.

"We respect our partners' right to engage in lawful strike activity, and we appreciate the thousands of partners across the country who are continuing to support each other and deliver the Starbucks experience for our customers," McGee released in a statement obtained by USA TODAY Monday.

Why is Starbucks on strike? Strike could reach 'hundreds of stores' by Christmas Eve

Union representatives said 98% of union partners recently voted to protest low wages, staffing issues and benefits.

The business operates more than 11,000 stores across the nation, according to Reuters, and employs close to 200,000 people.

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Late last week, Starbucks Workers United cautioned the strike could reach "hundreds of stores" by Christmas Eve.

According the union, its representatives said they are ready to return to the bargaining table to discuss their complaints.

"The holiday season should be magical at Starbucks, but for too many of us, there's a darker side to the peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes," said Arloa Fluhr, a bargaining delegate from Illinois who has worked off and on at Starbucks for 18 years.

Dallas-Fort Worth joins national Starbucks strike

Monday marked the third of the five-day strike planned by Starbucks Workers United, and it has officially reached Texas. Dallas-Fort Worth employees have joined, along with those in Boston, Massachusetts and Portland, Oregon.

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Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a 5-year Starbucks barista from Texas, expressed her frustration in a statement released by the union.

"Nobody wants to strike. Its a last resort, but Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice," Alhadjaboodi said. "In a year when Starbucks invested so many millions in top executive talent, it has failed to present the baristas who make its company run with a viable economic proposal and resolve the pending unfair labor practices. This is just the beginning. We will do whatever it takes to get the company to honor the commitment it made to us in February."

The union reported nearly 50 stores across the country had shut down Sunday, with more planned as the Christmas holiday draws closer. This is among the busiest times of the year for the Seattle-based coffee chain.

Which Starbucks stores have unionized in Texas?

A total of 23 Texas Starbucks locations have unionized, according to Starbucks Workers United.

Argyle (407 & McMakin): 3012 E FM 407 Arlington (Collins & Lamar): 2100 N Collins St Austin (45th & N. Lamar): 4400 N Lamar Blvd, Ste 104 Austin (W .24th & Nueces "White House"): 504 W 24th St, Ste B Dallas (Mockingbird Station): 5331 E Mockingbird Ln, Ste 150 Denison (Hwy 75 & Regency Lane): 3121 Regency Ln Denton (Hwy 380 & Hinkle): 1445 W University Dr Denton (Loop 288 & I-35): 2300 S Loop 288 Denton (Rayzor Ranch): 2320 W University Dr Farmers Branch (I-35 & Valley View): 2425 Valley View Ln Flower Mound (FM 2499 & Dixon): 5871 Long Prairie Rd Fort Worth (Boat Club & Robertson): 7017 Boat Club Rd Houston (Cambridge Medical Plaza - Pick): 6400 Fannin St, Ste 104 Houston (Shepherd & Harold): 2801 S Shepherd Dr Hurst (Pipeline & Hwy 820): 1324 W Pipeline Rd Kingwood (Hwy 59 & Northpark): 30130 Rock Creek Dr, Ste 100 New Braunfels (I-35 & Walnut Ave): 697 S Walnut Ave Plano (Preston & Old Shephard): 1709 Preston Rd, Ste B San Antonio (410 & Vance Jackson): 2639 NW Loop 410, Ste 106 San Antonio (Blanco & Wurzbach): 12711 Blanco Rd San Antonio (Houston & St. Mary's): 200 E Houston St San Antonio (W Hildebrand & Fredericksburg): 2202 Fredericksburg Rd Shavano Park (1604 & NW Military): 16852 NW Military Hwy

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Starbucks strike in Texas, other states: See list of unionized stores
MOSCOW, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The transit of Russian gas to European countries is currently "very difficult" and requires attention, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Peskov made the remarks after a meeting between Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sunday where the parties discussed the transit of Russian gas as Ukraine declined to renew a gas transit deal with Russia.

"You have heard the statement from the Ukrainian side, and you know about the position of those European countries that continue to buy Russian gas and that consider it necessary for the normal operation of their economies," Peskov said, noting it is a very complicated situation that requires attention.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday at a European Union Summit that he will not extend Ukraine's five-year gas transportation deal with Russia, which expires at the end of 2024.

The move has raised concern for Slovakia, which has a long-term contract with Russian energy giant Gazprom. Although Putin confirmed Russia's readiness to continue supplying gas to the West and to Slovakia, Fico said this was "practically impossible" once the gas transit agreement expires at the end of the year. 
Starbucks union workers are striking in 12 major cities across the U.S. in what one employee calls a "last resort" to get the coffee chain to reach a contract with better wages and scheduling.

Today might not be the best day to stop at Starbucks to fuel up for your last-minute holiday shopping.

Starbucks workers are striking in a dozen cities, according to the union representing more than 10,000 baristas. The five-day strike began on Dec. 20, amid the height of holiday-shopping season.

Starbucks workers are striking in response to an insulting economic package with no immediate wage increases, according to Starbucks Workers United.

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The strike started in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, and has added New York, Pittsburgh, and St. Louisa dozen U.S. cities in total. Walkouts are expected to continue surging through Christmas Eve, according to a statement from the union, which represents employees at more than 500 of Starbucks 10,000-plus stores in the U.S.

The cities where Starbucks workers are currently striking include:

Boston

Dallas

Fort Worth

Portland

Chicago

Columbus, Ohio

Denver

Los Angeles

New York City

Pittsburgh

Seattle

St. Louis, Mo.

Ed Gainey, the mayor of Pittsburgh, announced his solidarity with the Starbucks workers, declaring on X that his city is a union town.

When a company refuses to bargain in good faith, we show up in solidarity with the workers who deserve a fair contract, Gainey wrote. Now its time for Starbucks to fulfill their promises.

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Starbucks didnt immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune about the strike.

Picket line is strong at 16th & Walnut Philly Starbucks, come help us shut this store down! pic.twitter.com/noIZSmRd8q  Philly Workers United (@PJBWU) December 23, 2024

Since December 2021, union workers have been fighting for better pay, schedule, and hours. And although Starbucks and the labor group resumed bargaining earlier this year, the union said the company has yet to bring a comprehensive economic package to the bargaining table. The union also alleges Starbucks has engaged in unfair labor practices that remain unresolved.

The holiday season should be magical at Starbucks, Arloa Fluhr, who has worked at Starbucks on-and-off for 18 years, said in a statement. But for too many of us, theres a darker side to the peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes.

The union and Starbucks have yet to agree on issues related to wages as well as scheduling and staffing. Fluhr said she knows what its like to panic because my hours were slashed and cant pay for her bills.

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However, Starbucks said in a statement on Dec. 20 the demands made by union workers are not sustainable. Workers United proposals call for an immediate increase in minimum wage of hourly partners by 64%, and by 77% over the life of a three-year contract, according to Starbucks.

These proposals are not sustainable, especially when the investments we continually make to our total benefits package are the hallmarks of what differentiates us as an employer, according to Starbucks.

Another Starbucks barista whos worked with the company for five years and serves as a bargaining delegate said the strike is a last resort.

Nobody wants to strike, Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi said in a statement. But Starbucks has broken its promise to thousands of baristas and left us with no choice.

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The reveal of new Starbucks CEO Brian Niccols pay package also ruffled feathers with the union. In his first year as chief executive, Niccol could make more than $100 million and didnt have to move from his California home to Seattle, where the coffee giant is based. That major payday feels like a slap in the face to frontline Starbucks workers.

In a year when Starbucks invested so many millions in top executive talent, it has failed to present the baristas who make its company run with a viable economic proposal and resolve the pending unfair labor practices, Alhadjaboodi said.

Bernie Sanders, the independent senator and one-time presidential candidate from Vermont, has also voiced his support for the union strike.

This year, Starbucks signed a $113 million contract to hire 1 CEO. In 3 years, it has failed to sign a fair contract with nearly 12,000 of its union workers, Sanders wrote in a post on X on Saturday. This is what corporate greed is all about.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
SWEETWATER, Tenn. (WATE)  A state investigation found that City of Sweetwater officials spent at least $132,000, including tens of thousands of dollars on food purchases, using city credit cards over a nine-year period.

An investigation by the Tennessee Comptrollers Office found questionable credit card purchases totaling at least $132,680.03 from December 2014 through June 2023.

Shoppers flock to Turkey Creek shopping center for last-minute gifts

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More than half of the spending in question involved food purchases. Investigators wrote that city officials frequently dined at restaurants or food trucks in Sweetwater or nearby cities and the city did not have an established policy governing such expenses.

Over $36,000 of purchases lacked written approval, receipts or invoices, and other relevant documentation such as packing slips.

Officials spent over $10,000 on items such as a knife, personalized stationary, decorative wooden serving boards, and essential oils and diffusers. Investigators also highlighted $9,843.38 in questionable planning, development, or tourism expenditures, a purse, a necklace, boutique items, gift cards, tickets to events, and hotel stays in Sweetwater.

More than $4,000 of spending coded to the mayors contingency account or commissioners contingency accounts was described as questionable gift purchases.

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Taxes and fees associated of all purchases totaled $2,615.99, according to the report.

List: Which grocery stores will be open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day 2024?

Investigators also questioned the citys employee payback policy, which allows employees to purchase items they want for their job and then pay back the city through authorized payroll deductions. The report said this account, nicknamed the gun pay account, included questionable purchases totaling at least $34,165.66 during the same period.

Our investigators have noted multiple deficiencies within they citys financial and business operations that must be addressed, said Comptroller Jason Mumpower. The city should ensure it has adequate procedures to ensure all purchases are approved, documented, and appropriate. Sweetwater officials must also establish adequate written policies for items like food and gifts.

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The results of the investigation have been communicated with the Office of the District Attorney General of the 10th Judicial District. See the complete State Comptroller report here.

 See more top stories on WATE.com

The City of Sweetwater issued a statement to WTVC in response to the audit.

As a result of a comprehensive investigation over the scope of nearly nine years, the Comptrollers Office of the State of Tennessee is releasing a report spanning from 2014 to 2023. And while the report makes only two findings, neither of which are criminal, the City of Sweetwater takes this review very seriously. The report recommends a few internal control policy changes, several of which have already been implemented and adopted by the City of Sweetwater. We will now take time for internal review on additional procedures and policies to ensure continued public confidence. We want to continue to sharpen and improve our internal controls to benefit the citizens of Sweetwater. We are grateful to see this matter closed, and appreciate the diligence the staff and state personnel provided throughout the course of this thorough investigation. City of Sweetwater statement

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.
The Kentucky State Police Henderson post was called in to investigate an officer-involved shooting by the Owensboro Police Department.

The state police were dispatched around 4 a.m. Saturday to the 500 block of Orchard Street. Troopers and detectives responded and are processing the scene.

Early investigation by state police shows that Owensboro officers responded to a 911 call of a disturbance. They encountered a man at the home who had a knife and threatened officers and others in the house.

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Multiple Owensboro officers fired their agency-issued firearms, striking the the man. Life-saving measures were performed on the scene. State police did not identify the officers involved in the shooting.

The man was transported to Owensboro Health ICU, where he is in critical but stable condition, according to state police. No other injuries were reported. The mans name was not released.

The Owensboro police are investigating the disturbance/domestic violence call, and KSP troopers are investigating the officer-involved shooting.
Rep. Harold Love, a Nashville Democrat, far right, with interim Tennessee State University President Dwayne Tucker next to him, opposes the sale of TSU properties to rectify school funding issues.(Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout 2024)

Democratic state Rep. Harold Love Jr. is resisting pressure from Republican state leaders for Tennessee State University to sell properties to bolster the universitys financial standing.

Love, a Nashvillian who holds bachelors and doctoral degrees from TSU, wrote a letter to the university community this week discussing TSUs challenges and describing public discussion about the university as surprising, painful or even inaccurate. He said the university can acknowledge past wrongs while also holding ourselves accountable as we work toward a stronger future.

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Love said he will continue a legacy of fighting for TSU, working with university leaders, lawmakers and other stakeholders to stabilize the universitys finances while pushing back against harmful rhetoric, and holding decision-makers accountable.

Let me be clear: this commitment includes opposing the sale of any university-owned properties, including the Avon Williams Campus, Love said in his letter.

His statement applies to the airport property as well, he said.

Loves opposition conflicts with the stance of Comptroller Jason Mumpower, who is urging TSU to sell the Avon Williams Campus in downtown Nashville as well as property the university owns at John C. Tune Airport, which he said has a $9 million offer to purchase.

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Mumpower, who has criticized former TSU President Glenda Glovers financial decisions, said Friday the university needs to make tough choices because taxpayers cant continue propping up the universitys operations at a cost of $30 million a month.

Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower: TSU needs to sell property. (Photo: John Partipilo)

TSU needs to reorient and right-size which means taking advantage of the opportunities they have by either entering into a sale or long-term lease of these underutilized properties, he said in response to questions from the Tennessee Lookout. The downtown campus is costing the university money to operate while taking away from the core operations of the TSU main campus.

Mumpower said the airport property is being used to store junk cars. He also said recently the Avon Williams Campus, which is located on 10th Avenue North, just three blocks from the State Capitol, is not being used properly and surrounded by fencing, even though only a small part of an adjacent parking lot was fenced in, according to a Tennessee Journal report.

The campus, once the focal point of a desegregation lawsuit filed against the state, was built in 1967 to create a University of Tennessee presence in Nashville. TSU professor Rita Sanders Geier filed suit claiming a UT campus would squeeze out TSU and cause discrimination.

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Eventually, the historically Black university took over the downtown campus during litigation, and the legislature named it for Avon Williams, one of the attorneys who represented TSU in the case  and a longtime state senator. A court-approved agreement was reached in 2001.

The university offers a variety of programs at the Avon Williams Campus, including distance learning, continuing education, evening and weekend college, a masters of business administration, urban studies and biological sciences.

Love headed a legislative committee that found the state had shorted TSU by as much as $554 million since its inception, and the legislature followed up by approving $250 million for campus improvement projects. Last year, the federal government found TSU, one of the states two land grant institutions, had been shorted by as much as $2.1 billion, leading university supporters to say the state should recoup TSU for decades of lost funding.

State leaders permitted TSU to use about $43 million in campus construction funds and an advance on state funding to make payroll this fall after a dip in enrollment hindered its finances.

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Mumpower and members of the State Building Commission, which have held hearings on the matter twice this fall, believe TSU should take up an emergency plan to cut personnel and academic programs with low enrollment.

The legislature replaced the TSU Board of Trustees earlier this year, and Ronald Johnson took the post as interim president when Glover stepped away June 30. But Johnson resigned last week in an apparent disagreement with the new board over contracts with Glover totaling $1.7 million to serve as a university consultant.

Dwayne Tucker, who left the board to become new interim president, said Johnson signed the contracts without the boards authorization. The matter is likely to wind up in litigation, TSU officials said.

TSU ran into problems in fall 2022 when it conducted an aggressive scholarship program, using $37 million from a federal grant to fund students as enrollment jumped to more than 8,000. The universitys financial shortfall stems, in part, from increases in daily operating expenses as tuition and fee revenue declined.

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TSU failed to sustain the scholarship program, and enrollment dipped to about 6,300 this fall as only 1,000 freshmen opted to attend, putting the university in an even more precarious position.

The former interim president told state officials last month that 114 people were laid off and expenses were cut, saving some $24 million. Yet the university needed a financial boost from the state to continue operations, and another one might be necessary in April or May if TSU cant meet its $18 million payroll.

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The state of California is suing the former nonprofit owner of a long-troubled housing development for low-income senior citizens in Chinatown, Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced Monday.

The suit alleges that Chinese Committee on Aging Housing Corp. and its chief executive and president Donald Toy, mismanaged operations at Cathay Manor Apartments, a 16-story, 268-unit property, and breached their fiduciary duties by failing to ensure basic health and safety conditions. In recent years, city code and building inspectors have found faulty fire-safety systems and elevators inoperable for months at a time, effectively trapping many elderly and disabled residents inside.

CCOA Housing Corp. completely failed in their mission, Bonta said. It's wrong. They misused the money. People, seniors, vulnerable populations were hurt.

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Read more: Feds urged to reject plan to sell troubled Chinatown building for low-income seniors

The suit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday. The state is seeking a judges order to dissolve CCOA Housing Corp. and the appointment of a receiver to manage its assets.

An attorney for Toy could not immediately be reached for comment.

Mondays litigation is the latest in a battery of court actions facing the nonprofit and the building, which was hailed as a haven for aging Chinatown residents when it opened in 1984 as the first federally subsidized low-income development in the neighborhood. But residents' complaints about conditions have persisted for decades, with protests intensifying in 2021.

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That year, 186 residents filed a lawsuit against the owner seeking repairs to the buildings two elevators and laundry facilities, and the city of Los Angeles filed 16 misdemeanor criminal charges against CCOA Housing Corp. and Toy alleging failures to maintain the property. The nonprofit and Toy have denied the civil allegations and criminal charges. Both cases remain pending.

Read more: Low-income seniors 'essentially trapped' in Chinatown building as owner is charged for inoperable elevators

In early 2023, the owner agreed to pay $1.5 million in civil penalties and sell Cathay Manor Apartments following a habitability investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the state suit filed Monday. A Washington-based nonprofit, House of David Preservation Inc., purchased the building for $97 million in mid-2023. Terms of the deal called for $27 million paid to the owner on the closing date with the remaining $70 million due in June 2025.

The state's case will ensure proper management of the nonprofit's funds including the pending payment, Bonta said. The suit alleges that Toy handpicked board members who wouldnt challenge his decisions and exploited the lack of oversight to transfer money to nonprofits he also controlled. The case alleges that seven years of federal tax forms signed by Toy under penalty of perjury listed a board member of the nonprofit who was deceased.

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"We have no faith in the board  Mr. Toy or the other board members  to be able to make payments that are consistent with the mission," Bonta said.

Besides the appointment of a receiver, the lawsuit seeks the transfer of the proceeds from the sale to another charity and an accounting of all CCOA Housing Corp.s transactions with Toy, other directors and related entities.

CCOA and its board members demonstrated a complete and total disregard for the Chinatown community and the seniors who resided at Cathay Manor, said Los Angeles City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who respresents the area. They cannot be allowed to benefit from the sale of the building that they so woefully mismanaged and neglected."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD)  State Farm is giving Illinois State University $3 million to help fund their new data science program.

Illinois State received the money commitment on Dec. 19 and the money will go to help support recruitment of students and faculty.

$1 million worth of the fund will go to the recruitment of faculty as well as paying for faculty research, projects, equipment and other needs for the program.

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$2 million of the fund will go to scholarships to help students from underserved backgrounds by mitigating financial obstacles to enrollment. 

The interdisciplinary data science bachelors degree program is new to the University and will hold its first class of students in the fall of 2025.

Dealerships in Illinois forced to pay $20 million settlement for defrauding customers

I am thrilled to announce State Farms generous gift, which will help us continue to lead in this dynamic and rapidly evolving field, said Illinois State University President Aondover Tarhule. State Farms commitment is an investment in the next generation of leaders, who will learn to harness and interpret big data for the public good. We are deeply grateful for this incredible support and look forward to our continued partnership.

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The new bachelors program was announced by the Illinois State University Board of Trustees in May 2023 due to the growing demand for data scientists. Students in this path will learn how to analyze and interpret big data through machine learning, algorithms, data visualization and statistical models.

For more information, click here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com.
The Stoneham Fire Department battled a two-alarm structure fire amidst the freezing-cold temperatures on Sunday.

Fire crews were dispatched around 1:35 p.m. to 39 Tamarock Terrace when a caller alerted authorities of a fire inside their home.

Upon arrival, heavy fire was pouring from the garage of the home, which prompted the two residents to evacuate on their own. The fire then spread into the attached home.

Fire crews immediately upgraded the response to a two-alarm, requesting mutual aid.

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Crews began stretching two hose lines inside the home and began attacking it. Crews were able to extinguish the fire in 30 minutes.

This was a tough fire and the freezing weather conditions made it even more challenging, but all the firefighters on scene worked hard and did a great job, said Stoneham Fire Chief Grafton. Id also like to recognize our dispatchers for doing great work today.

Crews from Woburn, Wakefield, Melrose, Reading, and Winchester provided mutual aid at the scene. Coverage of Stoneham Fire Station was provided by Saugus, Medford, and Malden. Stoneham Police Department, Stoneham Department of Public Works, and Armstrong Ambulance also assisted at the scene. Representatives of Boston A10 also responded to the scene to rehabilitate firefighters

One Woburn firefighter was treated for overexertion, but no other injuries were reported. Companies remained on the scene until 4 p.m. to survey for hotspots.

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The two residents of the home were displaced but are staying with family in the area.

The initial investigation of the fire appeared to be accidental but remains under investigation.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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It's the most wonderful time of the year!

With Christmas upon us, it's good to note that many stores and services will be closed for the holiday. Several are either closed or operating at reduced capacity forChristmas Eve as well.

If you need to go to the store, stop by the bank, or manage mail around the holiday, we recommend checking your local amenities online before leaving home. But we've gathered information on the larger corporations to get you started.

When is Christmas Day 2024?

Christmas is always on Dec. 25, which this year falls on a Wednesday.

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See live countdown: How many days until Christmas Day 2024?

Are banks closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day 2024?

Most banks should be open on Christmas Eve but will be closed Christmas Day for the federal holiday. This is true for Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Capital One and PNC Bank.

Truist will close bank offices at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve and remain closed on Christmas Day. Citibank will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Online and mobile banking, as well as bank ATMs, will remain available, though some transactions may not be completed until Dec. 26. Regular banking operations also resume on Thursday, Dec. 26.

Is Walmart closed on Christmas?

Yes. Walmart will close early on Christmas Eve at 6 p.m. and remain closed for Christmas Day. The retail giant will resume normal operations on Dec. 26.

Is Target closed on Christmas?

Yes. Like Walmart, Target will close its doors early at 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve and stay closed for Christmas Day. Target will reopen on Dec. 26.

Are Costco and Sam's Club closed on Christmas?

Costco will be open for Christmas Eve but close on Christmas Day. Some locations may also have different hours on Christmas Eve.

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Sam's Club will close early at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and remain closed on Christmas Day.

Is H-E-B open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day?

On Christmas Eve, H-E-B will close stores early at 8 p.m. and halt home delivery at 6 p.m. All store operations will be closed for Christmas.

Stores will be operating during normal hours on Dec. 26, and curbside and home delivery services will resume at 9 a.m.

Is the post office open on Christmas? Will mail be delivered?

Post offices will be closed on Christmas, and the U.S. Postal Service will not be delivering mail, though Priority Mail Express will continue to operate. Post offices will be open and mail will be delivered on Christmas Eve.

Are UPS and FedEx closed on Christmas?

UPS Air and International Air services will only operate on Christmas Eve if prearranged prior to Dec. 19, but ground services will not be available. All other services and stores will operate as usual on Dec. 24. For Christmas Day, there will be no UPS pickup and delivery services, and stores may be closed. Only the UPS Express Critical services will be operating.

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Beginning Saturday, Dec. 21, some FedEx services will be closed for the Christmas holiday. FedEx Freight will be closed on Christmas Eve, and FedEx Express and FedEx offices will have modified services and hours. All of FedEx operations, with the exception of FedEx Custom Critical, will be closed on Christmas Day.

What other chains are open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day 2024?

Academy Sports + Outdoors : Many stores will operate at usual hours on Christmas Eve. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Barnes & Noble : Most Barnes & Noble stores will have limited hours on Christmas Eve (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Many locations will operate on extended hours in the days leading up to Christmas. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Best Buy : Most stores will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Its best to check in with your local store to verify these times. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Big Lots : Most Big Lots locations will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

BJs Wholesale : Many BJs Wholesale Club stores will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Dicks Sporting Goods : Dicks Sporting Goods is open on Christmas Eve from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Dollar General : Many Dollar General locations will close at 10 p.m. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Food Lion : Food Lion typically closes at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Hobby Lobby : Hobby Lobby is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

JCPenney : Stores will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Kohls : Store locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Christmas Eve. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Macys : Stores are open on Christmas Eve, but will be closing early (at 6 p.m.) at many locations. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Michaels : The arts and crafts chain will be open on Christmas Eve from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Office Depot and OfficeMax : Office Depot and OfficeMax will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

PetSmart : The pet store is expected to operate regular hours on Christmas Eve. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

RiteAid : RiteAid stores will be open on Christmas Eve, but hours vary by location. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Sprouts : Sprouts will be open between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Staples : Staples is expected to operate under normal opening hours (which vary by location) on Christmas Eve, though some stores may close early. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Whole Foods - Most stores are open on Christmas Eve, though many will operate on modified hours. Check your local Whole Foods for details. All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

Which convenience stores are open on Christmas 2024?

Albertsons: A handful of Albertsons are open on Christmas Day, but most will close early and have modified hours. Pharmacies will also have modified hours. It's a good idea to check with your local store to verify its holiday hours.

7-Eleven: While some locations may have different hours of operation, most 7-Eleven stores tend to be open 24/7  including on Christmas Day.

CVS: While many CVS Pharmacy locations will be open on Christmas, some may be closed or operate on reduced hours. Customers are encouraged to confirm their local pharmacy's hours over the holidays.

Cumberland Farms: Stores are open on Christmas Day but may be operating on reduced hours.

Giant: Many Giant locations are open on Christmas Day. However, select stores and pharmacies will be closed.

Rite Aid: Most Rite Aid stores are open 24/7, including on Christmas Day.

Safeway: While some Safeway stores will be open on Christmas with reduced hours, many will be closed. Select pharmacies will also be closed or have adjusted hours during those days. It's a good idea to check with your local store to verify its holiday hours.

Starbucks: Many Starbucks locations are open on Christmas, but store hours vary by location, and stores may occasionally adjust their hours. Hours of a local store can be confirmed with the Starbucks app.

Walgreens: Most Walgreens stores will be open with adjusted operating hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The 24-hour Walgreens locations and 24-hour pharmacies will remain open.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What's open on Christmas 2024? Walmart, H-E-B, banks closed in Texas
I can never resist a stunning royal portrait, and fortunately for me, I've seen my fair share of them in the past few months. Among my personal favorites? A gorgeous pic of Queen Camilla posing with dozens of students in Cape Town and a shot of Prince William standing solo under a circular light fixturewhich made for a fascinating optical illusion. Now, yet another striking royal photo has been unveiled, and it features none other than King Charles.

This weekend, the 76-year-old monarch attended his final Advent service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate, and photographers captured a memorable snap of the king departing from the morning event. For the occasion, he donned a gray suit and a camel wool coat, and I can't get over this black-and-white photo of the king departing from service.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

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In the pic, the royal looks ahead with a small smile as he walks in his full winter attire. Meanwhile, a few rays of sunlight are cast behind him, creating a bit more depth while giving him a warm and pleasing glowdespite the chilly weather.

In another snap, King Charles's facial expression can be seen a bit more clearly as he glances at the camera. Judging by the slight smile and relaxed posture, he appeared to be in good spirits.

Queen Camilla did not join her husband for the Advent service, and according to Hello! magazine, it's not due to her recent chest infection. (FYI, the queen has fully recovered after dealing with this condition last month, which caused her to miss out on a few royal engagements.) Rather, she stayed home to focus on preparing for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham.

This year, the king and queen are planning to host their loved ones at Sandringham, which will mark their first intimate holiday gathering since the King ascended the throne. Despite a rough 2024with Charles's cancer diagnosis and Camilla's pneumoniait's good to see that they're still committed to carrying out their royal duties and, more importantly, that they're in the holiday spirit.

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King Charles Was a Total Jokester When Asked for Health Update
Dec. 23New Mexico hit major milestones at its largest airport and in cannabis sales recently.

Last week, city of Albuquerque officials welcomed the opening of the first phase of the Albuquerque International Sunport's "Dream of Flight" renovation project  a years-long, nearly $90 million construction project that includes an upgrade to the food hall and concession stands.

The food hall opened just in time for the holiday rush. Dunkin', Rush of Prana, Panda Express and Flavor of New Mexico are open inside the food hall, and a local bar should be up and running by now.

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The restaurants are operated by Fresquez Companies, a local family business that has carved out a niche of operating restaurants inside airports across the country. We have a story about the family in this week's edition of Outlook.

CEO Lenny Fresquez and his daughter, LeeAnna Fresquez, the president of the company, explained the added logistics that go into operating within a secure airport. There's a reason that I paid $20 for a bloody mary on my way back home for Christmas.

Fresquez's products are inspected by drug sniffing dogs and security. They receive the same scrutiny as luggage. That means added costs, which is why we have sticker shock when we purchase bottle water or headphones at airports.

The recent opening of the food hall is just the first part of the ongoing construction project. More restaurants and bars  the vast majority of them local  will be rolling out in the coming months.

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City officials said that it's important to have a nice and relaxing airports. The Sunport is essentially the front porch of Albuquerque. It's the first thing visitors see when they arrive and the last thing they experience when they leave. That makes it an important symbol for a state where tourism and outdoor recreation are primary industries.

New Mexico also hit a milestone with cannabis sales, topping $1 billion in sales since selling recreational cannabis to adults became legal in 2022.

It's not the usual green plant we associate with Christmas, but it turns out the substance is proving popular in New Mexico. However, in the story we talked to a cannabis expert who predicts that the popularity of marijuana may be plateauing in New Mexico.

We'll be following our airport and the marijuana industry next year.
BARCELONA, Spain, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Hydrogen-powered trains are proving to be a "viable alternative" to fossil fuel-driven locomotives following the successful completion of the first hydrogen train trials in Spain and Portugal, Beatriz Nieto, head of the Engineering Unit at the National Hydrogen Center, said on Monday.

"The tests have confirmed that the technology is viable, and in the future, we may see hydrogen trains running across Spain, aligning with the goals set out in the country's hydrogen roadmap," said Nieto.

The Spanish commuter train, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, is the centerpiece of the FCH2Rail project backed by a consortium of European companies from Spain, Belgium, Germany, and Portugal. The consortium includes major industry players such as CAF, DLR, Toyota, Renfe, Adif, CNH2, IP, and Stemmann-Technik.

"Hydrogen is an exceptional energy carrier - not only for the rail sector but for industry as a whole - playing a key role in decarbonization and supporting sustainability targets," Nieto added.

Testing of the hydrogen train began in mid 2022, initially on closed tracks to optimize the new system and equipment, before the project was authorized for testing on the Spanish national rail network.

The bulk of the trials took place in Spain's northern regions of Aragon and Galicia, with a significant milestone reached when the train crossed into Portugal for testing on its national rail network.

According to Nieto, hydrogen is "a perfect alternative" for rail routes that are not yet electrified.

"While many sections of railway in Spain and Europe are electrified, there are areas where, for technical or economic reasons, electrification is difficult or impossible. In such cases, hydrogen presents a highly viable replacement for diesel," Nieto explained.

Beyond decarbonization, Nieto highlighted hydrogen's environmental benefits, emphasizing its ability to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.

Despite the positive results, Nieto cautioned that significant development is still required before hydrogen trains can become widespread. One of the primary hurdles is the need to establish refueling infrastructure across the rail network. 
By Jack Queen and Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally gunning down health insurance executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street, pleaded not guilty on Monday to New York state murder charges that brand him a terrorist.

Mangione, 26, was escorted into Judge Gregory Carro's 13th-floor courtroom in the New York state criminal courthouse in lower Manhattan with a court officer on each arm, and a procession of a half dozen officers following him. He was in handcuffs and shackles, and wore a burgundy sweater over a white-collared shirt.

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Mangione leaned into a microphone and said "not guilty" when Carro asked how he pleaded to the 11-count indictment charging him with murder as an act of terrorism and weapons offenses.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group's insurance unit UnitedHealthcare, was shot dead on Dec. 4 outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan where the company was gathering for an investor conference.

The brazen killing and ensuing five-day manhunt captivated Americans. While public officials have condemned the killing, some Americans who decry the steep costs of healthcare and insurance companies' power to deny paying for some medical treatments have feted Mangione as a folk hero.

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Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9. After deciding last week not to fight extradition, he was transferred to New York, where he was led off a helicopter in lower Manhattan by a large phalanx of police officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

That spectacle and other statements by public officials suggest Mangione may not be able to get a fair trial, his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said at Monday's hearing.

"They are treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, some sort of spectacle," Agnifilo said. "He is not a symbol, he is someone who is afforded a right to a fair trial."

Several dozen people gathered outside the courthouse in freezing temperatures to express support for Mangione and anger at healthcare companies.

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One person held a sign with the words "DENY, DEFEND, DEPOSE," a phrase that echoes tactics some accuse insurers of using to avoid paying out claims. Authorities say the words "deny," "delay," and "depose" were found written on shell casings at the crime scene.

Kara Hay, a 42-year-old schoolteacher, said she believed it was wrong for Mangione to be charged with terrorism.

"Shooting one CEO does not make him a terrorist, and I do not feel terrorized," said Hay, who held a sign reading "innocent until proven guilty."

After the 30-minute hearing, officers once again shackled Mangione and led him out of the courtroom. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal lockup in Brooklyn.

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Carro set Mangione's next court appearance for Feb. 21.

DUAL STATE, FEDERAL CASES

Monday's arraignment was the second court appearance in New York for Mangione, who also faces a four-count federal criminal complaint charging him with stalking and killing Thompson.

He has not yet been asked to enter a plea in that case. U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker ordered Mangione detained at a Dec. 19 hearing in Manhattan federal court.

The federal charges would make him eligible for the death penalty, should the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan decide to pursue it.

The separate federal and state cases will proceed in parallel. The state case is currently expected to go to trial first, federal prosecutors said.

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At the hearing, Friedman Agnifilo said it was difficult to defend her client in dual state and federal cases.

"He is being treated like a human ping-pong ball between these two jurisdictions," Friedman Agnifilo said.

She also said the Manhattan District Attorney's office, which brought the charges, has not handed over any evidence to the defense to help prepare for trial, a process known as discovery. A prosecutor responded that the office would begin handing over evidence soon.

According to the federal criminal complaint, the police who arrested Mangione found a notebook that contained several handwritten pages that "express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular."

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A notebook entry dated Oct. 22 allegedly described an intent to "wack" the chief executive of an insurance company at its investor conference.

(Reporting by Jack Queen and Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Lisa Shumaker, Noeleen Walder, Alistair Bell and Rod Nickel)
Accused killer Luigi Mangione on Monday said he was not guilty of murder and terror charges stemming from the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson  as his lawyer condemned law enforcement as irresponsible for making a spectacle out of a defendant still innocent in the eyes of the law.

The 26-year-old Maryland man was hauled into Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carros 13th-floor courtroom at 100 Centre St. with his wrists handcuffed and chained to his waist at around 9 a.m. for his first plea tied directly to the high-profile hit on Thompsons life on Dec. 4 outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown.

Dressed in a maroon sweater, a white collared shirt and khaki pants, Mangione said nothing at the hearing except not guilty when asked how he wished to plead to first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism, an additional count of murder and eight other charges.

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If convicted of the most serious allegations levied in the indictment brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office, Mangione could spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Mangione has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyns scandal-plagued federal jail, since his extradition to the city Thursday. Carro ruled Monday that he would remain in the feds custody until the DAs office and the feds worked out an arrangement.

After spending more than a week in jail in Pennsylvania, where hes pleaded not guilty to carrying a firearm without a license, forgery and giving a fake ID to cops, Mangione waived his extradition Thursday and was unexpectedly transferred to the feds custody  and not state authorities  en route to New York.

He was charged in an FBI complaint with murder with the use of a firearm, which is death penalty-eligible, stalking, and a firearm offense. Mangione has not yet entered a plea in the federal matter. Prosecutors from the Manhattan U.S. attorneys office have yet to secure an indictment from a grand jury, and its unclear if they plan to pursue the most severe form of punishment.

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Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann said the state has primary jurisdiction and that Mangione wouldnt be tried federally until the DAs case had concluded. Any federal case would proceed under the management of incoming president Donald Trumps Department of Justice.

They intend on allowing us to try our case first, Seidemann said Monday of federal authorities. The trial and sentencing would take place here prior to anything that takes place in the federal system.

Mangiones attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, slammed the cases brought back-to-back as overly aggressive and said they had clashing facts, with one alleging Mangione committed terrorism to influence a group of people and the other alleging he stalked someone.

Hes a young man and he is being treated like a human ping pong ball between two warring jurisdictions here, Friedman Agnifilo said.

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They have conflicting theories in their indictments, and they are literally treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, like some sort of spectacle.

In what is typically a covert arrangement hidden from the public, dozens of armed law enforcement agents awaited Mangiones arrival at the Wall Street heliport Thursday, along with Mayor Adams and throngs of photographers tipped off by the cops.

Friedman Agnifilo, a former prosecutor who was former Manhattan DA Cyrus Vances top deputy, cited established precedent holding perp walks with no legitimate law enforcement purpose unconstitutional in criticizing the perfectly choreographed arrangement.

He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk Ive ever seen in my career. It was absolutely unnecessary, Friedman Agnifilo said.

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The mayor should know more than anyone of the presumption of innocence that he, too, is afforded dealing with his own issues, she said, referring to Adams corruption indictment.

Carro said he had little control over the discourse outside the courtroom but would ensure Mangione gets a fair shake in Manhattan.

The University of Pennsylvania computer science graduate was arrested at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pa., on Dec. 9, more than 200 miles from the scene of Thompsons killing, after authorities say a patron recognized him from widely circulated stills from surveillance footage surrounding the shooting.

Federal authorities and local law enforcement in New York and Pennsylvania have alleged he had a 3D-printed ghost gun, accompanying silencer and ammunition matching that which was recovered at the scene.

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They say he also had fake IDs and personal writings critical of the health care industry, including sketched-out plans documented months before the killing to wack a CEO at the annual investor conference that Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two teen boys, was heading to when he was gunned down.

In court filings in the DAs case, prosecutors said two discharged shell casings at the scene of Thompsons killing bore the words deny and depose, and a bullet featured the word delay, in an apparent reference to the health insurance industry routinely denying claims for medical care coverage to maximize profits.

Mangione, the grandson of a wealthy Maryland real estate developer, worked as a data engineer for TrueCar in California and spent some time living in Hawaii, where he suffered an injury while surfing that worsened chronic back issues he posted about online that saw him undergo spinal fusion surgery last year.

The steady stream of details to emerge about Mangiones personal experiences with the health insurance industry and his criticisms have led to a significant outpouring of support and Mangione being seen as a folk hero amid near-universal displeasure with expensive U.S. health care.

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More than two dozen protestors demonstrated outside the courthouse Monday to support him, bearing placards with messages like: Deny Defend Depose and United States Healthcare Stole My Livelihood. Prosecute Malicious Profiteers.

A 42-year-old school teacher who spoke to the Daily News condemned the charges.

One CEO gets shot, everybody is calling [Mangione] a terrorist, said the teacher, who didnt give his name. And the real terrorism is in our classrooms. Not one single school shooter is called a terrorist, he said.

I dont feel terrorized by Luigi Mangione. I dont think any American will feel terrorized.

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Zam, a 33-year-old who asked to be identified only by his first name, said his support for Mangione stemmed from his experiences with health insurance after he suffered an electrical injury in 2021 and ended up with two herniated discs.

He said he lost his job with Verizon and his medical coverage and has since drained his Affordable Care Act coverage to keep up with treatments.

Ill start with murder is wrong, Zam said. But I also think he brought us to a point that needed to happen.
NEW YORK  Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and terror offenses in Manhattan Supreme Court Monday stemming from the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Wearing a burgundy sweater, white collared shirt, and khaki pants, a handcuffed Mangione, 26, entered his first formal plea to charges linked to the high-profile hit before state Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro.

He pleaded not guilty to all allegations in the 11-count indictment brought last week by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office  first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism, an additional count of murder and eight other counts.

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If convicted of the top counts, he faces a potential sentence of life without parole.

Following his Thursday extradition to New York from Pennsylvania Thursday  where he was arrested at a McDonalds on Dec. 9 after a nationwide five-day manhunt Mangione was taken into federal authorities custody and charged with murder with the use of a firearm, stalking, and a firearm offense.

The maximum potential sentence in Mangiones federal case is the death penalty, though its not clear prosecutors would pursue that punishment. State and federal authorities have said the cases will proceed in parallel.

Mangione was detained on the eighth floor of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after appearing in federal court in Manhattan. His continued detention there or transfer to a city jail facility is expected to be discussed at Mondays arraignment.

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The Ivy League computer science graduate who comes from a prominent family in Towson, Md., is accused of fatally shooting Thompson in the back and leg on Dec. 4 as the health care executive arrived at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown for an annual investor conference.

When he was spotted at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pa., on Dec. 9, police took him into custody and recovered on his person a 3D-printed ghost gun, silencer, and ammunition matching that which was recovered at the scene, according to state and federal authorities.

He was also in possession of fake IDs and writings critical of the health care industry, according to court docs, and sketched-out plans documented months before the killing to wack a CEO at the conference.

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An area of Folkston, Georgia is on lockdown. Officers are searching for three suspects connected to a shooting in the Dinsmore area earlier today.

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It took place at a Wendys off News Kings Road.

One man in his early 20s was shot in the chest and the suspects reportedly fled towards Nassau County and then ditched the car in Folkston.

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Action News Jax caught video of the white Kia sedan being transported back to Jacksonville.

Action News Jax Shanila Kabir spoke to both witnesses in Folkston who saw the police chase and witnesses who saw the shooting.

A nearby employee said at least three businesses near the scene were closed off.

JSO officers said the victim was a man in his early 20s who was waiting to meet one of the suspects when another man showed up and started shooting.

One customer at the Wendys drive-thru told Action News Jax he saw the whole thing unfold. He asked to remain anonymous for his safety.

It looked like an older guy came up and started shooting into the car. It looked like they shot back at him. It was kind of surreal. It seemed like it was, but it was seconds.

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Officers said the victim was shot once in his chest and his injuries are life-threatening.

One Folkston resident, Richard Lafferty, said he saw the police chase as he was driving to work. He said the white car the suspect was driving was racing close to 90 mph.

The investigation is ongoing. Officers stress- if you have any information on this case, you are encouraged to call law enforcement immediately.

Again, officers ask all Folkston residents to stay at home while the shooters remain at large.

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The Supreme Court last month declined to hear a case from an elderly woman whose house was destroyed by a SWAT team, leaving open the question of whether or not innocent people are constitutionally entitled to compensation when law enforcement lays waste to their property in pursuit of public safety.

In July 2020, while chasing a fugitive, police arrived at Vicki Baker's home in McKinney, Texas. They threw dozens of tear gas grenades inside, used explosives to break the front and garage doors, and drove a tank through her backyard fence, although Baker's daughter, Deanna Cook, had supplied them with a key to the home, a garage door opener, and the back gate code.

The suspect, Wesley Little, had previously worked for Baker as a handyman and barricaded himself inside her home while on the run from police. He had kidnapped a teenage girl, whom he released after the cops arrived. But Little himself refused to exit, prompting law enforcement to ravage the house. (He ultimately killed himself.)

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Baker, who was in Montana when her house was destroyed, never contested that police acted in the best interest of the community when it sought to extract Little from her home. She took issue, however, with the subsequent response from the government, which refused to compensate her for the more than $50,000 in damages. Her homeowners insurance likewise declined to pay, as many policies explicitly do not cover damage caused by the government.

"I've lost everything," she told me in 2021. "I've lost my chance to sell my house. I've lost my chance to retire without fear of how I'm going to make my regular bills." Baker, who was undergoing treatment for stage 3 breast cancer when we spoke, had been preparing to retire with her husband in Montana. After the house was ruined, a buyer predictably withdrew. The government said she did not qualify as a "victim."

She is not the only person with such a story. At the core of the case and those like hers is whether or not the Constitution legally obligates the government to repay people who are not suspected of criminal wrongdoing but whose property is nevertheless destroyed by police in an attempt to protect the community. The Takings Clause of the 5th Amendment promises that private property cannot be taken for public use "without just compensation," though some lower courts have ruled that actions taken by police in stories like these operate under an exception to that rule.

Baker's case has slogged through the courts for years. A federal judge rejected the city's attempt to have her lawsuit dismissed, describing the interpretation of the 5th Amendment that would prevent her from suing as "untenable," and in 2022 a jury awarded her $59,656.59 in damages. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reversed that judgment last year, ruling there was a "necessity" exception to the Takings Clause that foreclosed relief under federal law.

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Some previous decisions suggest that such an exception may exist, wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a statement, joined by Justice Neil Gorsuch, concerning the Court's denial of certiorari. In Bowditch v. Boston (1879), for example, the high court said that the government did not have to pay a building owner after firefighters destroyed his structure in order to stop a fire from spreading. Yet the rulings on the books are not really analogous to Baker's "because the destruction of her property was necessary, but not inevitable," Sotomayor said. "Whether any such exception exists (and how the Takings Clause applies when the government destroys property pursuant to its police power) is an important and complex question that would benefit from further percolation in the lower courts prior to this Court's intervention."

In 2020, the justices declined to hear a similar case concerning a Colorado family who had to demolish their home and take out a $390,000 loan after a SWAT team blew up the house while seeking to apprehend a fugitive.

So for now, other victims will continue to meet a similar ending. In 2022, police ravaged Carlos Pena's California printing business and equipment after a fugitive barricaded himself inside; that same year, Amy Hadley's home in Indiana was ruined after a botched police investigation led them to her house in search of a suspect who had never been there. The government left them with nothing.

The post A SWAT Team Destroyed an Innocent Woman's House. The Supreme Court Won't Hear Her Case. appeared first on Reason.com.
ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland adopted the latest EU sanctions package on Russia and Belarus, the government said on Monday. The move came one week after the European Union targeted Moscow's vessels and Chinese entities found to have traded with the Russian military.

The Swiss government listed 54 persons and 30 companies and organisations, freezing their assets as of Dec. 24, and banned 52 ships from providing services.

"These are mainly tankers that are part of Russia's shadow fleet and are circumventing the price cap on Russian crude oil and petroleum products or transporting military goods for Russia or stolen grain from Ukraine," the Swiss statement said.

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The sanctioned individuals will be barred from entering Switzerland.

In line with EU policy, Switzerland also adopted financial and travel sanctions against 26 individuals and two organisations from Belarus.

(Reporting by Ariane Luthi, Editing by Miranda Murray)
Syrians are marking the fall of Bashar al-Assad and his regime by putting the boot in his mouth as they destroy countless propaganda images of the former dictator.

The demonstrations of anger are part of a wave of protests and celebrations using shoes to express displeasure.

When Russian forces withdrew from bases across the country last week, rebels lined the roads, waving shoes at their vehicles as they went.

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Shoes have been shoved in the mouths of defaced Assad posters, and statues and portraits have been kicked, stamped on and beaten with shoes.

Assad posters have been defaced, and statues and portraits have been kicked and stamped on - Chris McGrath/Getty Images

During a visit to Damascuss notorious Saydnaya prison last week, a woman waved her shoe at Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria.

She was reportedly searching for her missing brother and two cousins and wanted to denounce perceived inaction by the UN over Syrian suffering during almost 14 years of conflict.

In Arab cultures, shoes can be used as an insult as they touch dirt and are put on the foot, the lowest part of the body.

To be under a shoe means that you are lower than dirt and it is a practice that dates back to Biblical times.

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Showing the bottom of your shoe when sitting with legs up on a chair and facing another is also considered a grave insult and belittling to the other person.

Politicians in Arab countries have often found themselves on the wrong end of a flying shoe, with perhaps the most well-known incident involving Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi reporter, who threw his footwear at George W Bush during a 2008 news conference in Baghdad.

The shoe is also considered unclean in the Muslim faith - Chris McGrath/Getty Images

This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog! he shouted, expressing the deep-seated anger and resentment felt by many Iraqis towards US policies.

When protests swept the Middle East in what became known as the Arab Spring, the practice was widespread among anti-government demonstrators.

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During the 2011 protests in Syria that spiralled into civil war, statues of Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad, were beaten with a shoe.

In 2013, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president, was greeted by a group of men hurling shoes at him on a trip to Egypt, while a Bahraini delegation was met by raised shoes in Gaza in 2018.

It was a signal of contempt and a rejection of the delegations efforts to improve Palestinian relations with Israel.

After one of the most well-known moments of modern Middle Eastern history, the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdads Paradise Square in 2003, jubilant onlookers rushed to beat it with shoes and stamp on it.

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The City of Tacoma is preparing to lose more than 350 homeless shelter beds in 2025 due to a funding deficit. City officials say the only hope to keep some of the beds is to receive money from the state Legislature.

Caleb Carbone is the homeless strategy, systems and services manager with the City of Tacomas Neighborhood and Community Services Department.

On Dec. 10, Carbone briefed the City Council on the anticipated loss of a collective 379 beds at seven different homeless shelters.

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The shelters are:

Bethlehem Baptist Church - 40 beds set to be lost in June 2025

Altheimer Memorial Church - 32 beds set to be lost in June 2025

Shiloh Baptist Church - 40 beds set to be lost in March 2025

Tacoma Emergency Micro-Shelter Site No. 3 - 60 beds set to be lost in June 2025

Holy Rosary Safe Parking - 40 units set to be lost in June 2025

Forging Path Community - 135 beds set to be lost in June 2025

Freedom Project - 32 beds set to be lost in June 2025

In an interview with The News Tribune, Carbone said the citys reduction of the shelters is not a surprise.

When Tacomas homelessness strategy was drafted in 2022, it was anticipated that there would be a funding gap of roughly $12 million to maintain the shelters at the end of 2024. Part of the citys plan included helping to increase the inventory of permanent affordable-housing units to provide housing opportunities for those living in shelters.

The challenge has been that the demand for temporary shelter beds has exceeded the initial expectations, Tacomas deputy city manager Sonja Hallum told The News Tribune in an interview. So the stand down is not happening at the pace that the city had originally expected and hoped would occur.

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Hallum said the nearly 400 beds set to disappear in 2025 represents a significant portion of the citys roughly 900 shelter beds. With Tacoma hosting what Hallum said was about 80% of Pierce Countys shelter capacity, she said the loss of shelter would have county-wide implications.

So the impact isnt just for the city, its for the entire region, she told The News Tribune. We are greatly concerned about the ability to provide for this very vulnerable population.

Carbone said that during the pandemic, one-time funding opportunities, like those through the American Rescue Plan Act as well as resources from the state, were used to support the operation of the shelters. During that time the city significantly increased its homeless-shelter capacity at a time when it was needed.

Now, city officials say, the upcoming legislative session will be the last opportunity to keep the just over 300 shelter beds in operation. Regardless of state funding, the city says shelter at Altheimer Memorial Church and Shiloh Baptist Church is set to close  accounting for about 72 beds to be lost.

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On Dec. 10, Carbone told the City Council that the city found $3 million to maintain most of the shelters through the first half of 2025, giving the city an opportunity to request funding from the Legislature.

He told The News Tribune that the shelters would require a collective $6 million annually to stay operating.

I want to stress that this is a very important priority for the council and for the city and the city manager, Hallum told The News Tribune. We will be using every means possible to try to secure state funding to keep these shelters open.
NEW YORK, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty to New York state murder charges over the shooting of a top UnitedHealth Group executive, as his lawyer expressed concern about getting a fair trial in the high-profile case.

Mangione appeared handcuffed and shackled in a Manhattan court on Monday to be arraigned on multiple counts, including first- and second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and possessing a forged driver's license.

"Not guilty," the 26-year-old Maryland native, wearing a maroon sweater over a white shirt, Bloomberg News quoted him as saying when he was asked to enter his plea.

Mangione allegedly waited outside a midtown Manhattan hotel before shooting Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealth's insurance unit, outside an investor meeting on Dec. 4 with a 3D-printed ghost gun, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Mangione then fled, touching off a five-day manhunt that ended with his arrest at a McDonald's in western Pennsylvania. 
(Bloomberg) -- Taiwans government said a legal change to budget rules could derail its 2025 spending plan, underscoring challenges the opposition is posing to the new leader of the democracy at the core of China-US tensions.

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An amendment passed by the opposition that reduces the share of tax revenue allocated to the central government, directing it instead to cities and counties, may mean the budget is seriously impacted, and even has to be redone, Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee said Monday at a briefing in Taipei.

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The legal changes cloud the outlook for Taiwans 2025 spending plans, which include a record amount in military funding aimed at deterring China. The budget is in the final stages of a legislative review and had been expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.

One specific issue with the new budget rules is that while money was shifted to local governments, the responsibility for providing certain public services remained at the central level. That meant it was unclear how some services would be funded should the changes go into effect.

If the funding is transferred to the local governments, the business originally undertaken by the central government should be returned to local governments, Chen Shu-tzu, head of the statistics bureau, said at the same briefing.

President Lai Ching-te can send the amendment back to the legislature so it can reconsider, though lawmakers would likely approve it again fairly quickly.

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He could then send it to the Constitutional Court for review, a process that can take months. That move could be complicated by the fact that also on Friday opposition lawmakers passed a legal change that requires more justices on that court to make a decision than are now in place due to retirements.

Lai has faced a series of challenges from the Kuomintang-led opposition since he took office in May. Shortly after he became president, the opposition tried to change the law to expand the power of the legislature that it controls. That move spurred some of the biggest protests in years and was ultimately blocked by the Constitutional Court.

The latest legal changes sought by the opposition have also been controversial, prompting a few thousand protesters to gather outside the legislature on Friday.

The KMT has said budget rules needed to be revamped because funding was concentrated at the central level and local governments needed more fiscal independence. The ruling DPP has said the changes mean more money would go to cities and counties controlled by the KMT and less to those led by the ruling party.

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At the same time, China has pressured Lais government by holding major military drills around the archipelago of 23 million people in May and October. It also sent a large number of military vessels near Taiwan earlier this month after Lai stopped in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam during a trip to visit Pacific nations.

Finance Minster Chuang Tsui-yun said the changes to budget rules could affect policies related to economic development and defense and national security, though she didnt go into detail.

Chuang said the central government would need to release an extra NT$375.3 billion ($11.5 billion) to local governments after the new rules take effect, a change that could require it to increase borrowing.

The amendment would not affect the governments bond issuance plan for the first quarter of next year, National Treasury Administration Director General Chen Po-cheng told Bloomberg News in a phone interview.

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Also on Monday, the Ministry of Finance said it would hold 17 bond sales next year, compared with the 19 sales in 2024.

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You might have heard of Lise Meitner. A native of Austria, she was the first woman to become a full professor of physics in Germany. She also helped discover nuclear fission. Yet the 1944 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for that accomplishment went solely to her longtime collaborator, Otto Hahn.

Meitner battled misogyny and sexism at every stage of her illustrious career. But growing antisemitism and the 1933 Nazi takeover of Germany were an even higher-order problem. Although she was a convert to Lutheranism, her Jewish heritage endangered her. With the help of friends, she was able to flee in 1938 to neutral Sweden, where she was safe but scientifically isolated. I can never discuss my experiments with anyone who understands them, she wrote to fellow physicist Hedwig Kohn.

In Sisters in Science, Olivia Campbell tells the intertwined stories of Meitner and three other notable, but lesser known, women physicists from Germany: Kohn, Hertha Sponer and Hildegard Stucklen. Only Kohn was Jewish, but the Third Reichs hostility to women academics cost the other two jobs as well.

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All three eventually made it to the United States, where they pursued their careers and continued to support one another (and Meitner too). Kohn, the last to escape, didnt make it out of Europe until 1940. She endured two months of arduous travel through the Soviet Union and Japan and across the Pacific Ocean, barely surviving the ordeal.

Theirs is an inspiring tale, and well worth telling  all the more so because, as Campbell notes in her dedication, so many other women academics were murdered by the Nazis. Their absence haunts this book; the rippling impact of their loss affects us all, she writes.

But its intrinsic interest notwithstanding, Sisters in Science is a sometimes frustrating read. Part of the problem is its ambitious scope. Group biography is a tricky genre. Campbell has to meld four narrative arcs: parallel at times, overlapping at others, but also divergent. A more elegant stylist, or a true adept of narrative nonfiction, might have managed to integrate these stories more seamlessly. It doesnt help that Campbell refers to her protagonists by their first names  and three of the four begin with the letter H.

Read more: A much-maligned German chancellor punches back, in understated Merkel style

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Explaining the physics to a lay audience is another challenge, perhaps an insuperable one. Campbell attempts it only nominally. The idea of fission, the splitting of atomic nuclei and resulting production of vast amounts of energy, is more or less intelligible. But the accomplishments of the other three physicists, who worked in spectroscopy, optics and astrophysics, are harder to grasp.

The book also would have benefited from better copy editing and fact-checking. Whatever her bona fides as a science journalist, Campbell is not at home in Holocaust history. One example: Campbell locates Dachau, the Nazis first concentration camp, in Oranienburg, a suburb of Berlin. Dachau opened in 1933 in the town of Dachau, near Munich. Oranienburg was actually the site of another eponymous camp and then, in 1936, Sachsenhausen.

There are other errors and infelicities. Campbell continually refers to Kristallnacht, the November 1938 Nazi pogrom, as the Kristallnacht. A more serious lapse is her anachronistic suggestion that, in 1938, Meitner feared being deported to a death camp. Camps such as Dachau and Sachsenhausen were brutal, often murderous places, but in the 1930s, they mostly housed Nazi political opponents (some of them Jewish). Jews were not yet being deported from Germany, and the six death camps dedicated to their extermination  places such as Sobibor, Treblinka and Auschwitz-Birkenau, all in Poland  did not become operational until the early 1940s .

Read more: Japanese Americans' pain over their mass incarceration has been minimized. New essays let them speak

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It is also somewhat crude, and arguably inaccurate, to say that Kristallnacht exposed the Nazis true agenda for the Jewish people: they wanted them all dead. Despite the growing virulence of anti-Jewish persecution, that goal was not yet clear, and not yet official policy. In fact, though some were killed, most of the 30,000 or so Jewish men rounded up and taken to concentration camps during Kristallnacht were released on the condition that they emigrate.

Presumably Campbell is on firmer ground elsewhere  in noting, for instance, the difficulties that women scientists faced in Germany, including fights for pay, lab space and recognition; and in emphasizing the ways that they, and a few sympathetic male colleagues, helped one another endure, flourish and eventually escape.

When she first became Hahns assistant in Berlin, for example, Meitner was exiled from the main lab and stuck in a basement workshop with no nearby restroom. She ultimately rose to head the physics department at Berlins Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry, a post she retained even after her Nazi-era dismissal from the University of Berlin.

Read more: Were Joan Didion and Eve Babitz really two sides of the same coin?

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Some male scientists were dead set against women. Others, such as Max Planck, welcomed collaboration from only the most exceptional of their female peers. One heroic supporter of women in science was the Nobel laureate James Franck. A German Jew, he resigned his post at the University of Gottingen before he could be fired, immigrated to the United States via Denmark, and was later instrumental in aiding colleagues, including women, who remained behind.

Franck and Sponer, his onetime assistant, were especially close  both friends and scientific collaborators. After a stint at the University of Oslo, Sponer accepted a position at North Carolinas Duke University in 1936, and began working with Edward Teller, the eventual creator of the hydrogen bomb, on the vibrational excitation of polyatomic molecules by electron collisions.

Only after Francks wife died in 1942 did his long-germinating romance with Sponer come to fruition. He remained at the University of Chicago, and she at Duke. But in 1946, they married, and in Campbells sympathetic telling, experienced true happiness amid the sorrows around them.

Julia M. Klein is a cultural reporter and critic in Philadelphia.



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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Scientists have discovered that commercially available teabags release millions  and billions  of nanoplastics and microplastics, which are then absorbed into intestinal cells.

When these tea bags are used to prepare an infusion, huge amounts of nano-sized particles and nanofilamentous structures are released, says a press release on the study, which was conducted by the Autonomous University of Barcelona and published in the journal Chemosphere.

The brands of tea used in the study were not named, but were described as "commercially available." When simulating tea preparation, scientists found that the polymers used in the teabags release millions and billions of various microscopic pieces of plastic. Specifically, polypropylene releases 1.2 billion particles per milliliter, cellulose releases 135 million particles per milliliter, and nylon-6 releases 8.18 million particles per milliliter.

Getty Stock image of a woman holding a cup of tea. Stock image of a woman holding a cup of tea.

Related: Plastics from Bags and Bottles Found in Every Human Placenta, New Scientific Study Reveals

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The microparticles were stained and then observed as they interacted with mucus-producing intestinal cells. Researchers found that the particles were not only absorbed, but "the particles even [entered] the cell nucleus that houses the genetic material.

It is critical to develop standardised test methods to assess [micro and nanoplastic] MNPLs contamination released from plastic food contact materials and to formulate regulatory policies to effectively mitigate and minimize this contamination. As the use of plastic in food packaging continues to increase, it is vital to address MNPLs contamination to ensure food safety and protect public health, the release quotes the researchers as saying.

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Getty Stock image of tea bags. Stock image of tea bags.

Related: Microplastics Found in Brain After Only 4 Weeks of Exposure

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Microplastic contamination is an ongoing concern: They've been found in testicles, hearts, and this year, scientists found a scary amount in brain tissue. Researchers who examined microplastic contamination in commercially available bottled water said theyd stop drinking it after discovering millions of microscopic particles in each bottle.

One researcher told PEOPLE that a "concerning question is where exactly in the body are these particles going, how long do they stay there, and what are they doing while theyre there?"

As the teabag study states: "The potential health implications of environmental micro/nanoplastics (MNPLs) are increasingly concerning."

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A former Tennessee teacher who got pregnant after raping a 12-year-old boy pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to 25 years in prison with no parole.

On Dec. 20, Alissa McCommon, 39, of Covington, pleaded guilty to a host of charges including one count of rape of a child, two counts of statutory rape by an authority figure, three counts of aggravated statutory rape and three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means, according to a statement from Tipton County District Attorney Mark Davidson.

McCommon's trial was supposed to start in January 2025 before her guilty plea.

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She was also sentenced to community supervision for life on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry as a violent sex offender and was ordered to have her teaching license revoked.

Covington Police Department Facebook Police arrest Alissa McCommon in Sept. 2023 Police arrest Alissa McCommon in Sept. 2023

She was ordered to have no contact with any of her victims or "with the infant child fathered by her 12-year-old victim, WMC reports. The mother of the 12-year-old victim has custody of the baby, ABC 24 reports.

Related: Teacher Accused of Raping Boy, 12, Rearrested While Out on Bond After Stalking, Harassing Victim: Police

Prosecutors believe the former English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Charger Academy in Covington had as many as 21 victims between the ages of 12 and 17, investigators said, Fox 13 Memphis reports.

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Some of the alleged victims were her students. She met one minor at a party and one while playing Fortnite, Assistant District Attorney Joni Reagan said during the trial, WMS reports.

One mother grew emotional in court, saying, I loved you like family, opened my doors to you, WREG reports. You used our friendship to hurt me and the people I love in this world, took innocence from my son before puberty, took what was supposed to be a great experience and tainted it . Your mind is sick and twisted for looking at a child and being turned on.

The innocent child will be loved and raised without your influence, the mother continued. Theres no amount of time they can give you that will equal what God will give you. You will burn in hell.

As PEOPLE reported previously, Covington police began investigating McCommons in August 2023 when they received information from the Tennessee Department of Children Services about possible sexual misconduct involving a teacher and a former student, police said in an earlier statement.

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Multiple juveniles then came forward alleging they were befriended by their former teacher, McCommon, who began playing video games with them, and then further engaged with them through mobile phone social media apps, which led to her allegedly sending inappropriate photographs and requesting sexual relations with the victims, police said in the statement.

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The statement added McCommon told one victim he would regret going to the authorities. police said in a statement.

In other texts with the 12-year-old boy who impregnated her, she threatened to kill herself if he ended their relationship, police said, WREG reports.

His paternity was confirmed by a DNA test, police said, WREG reports.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

Read the original article on People
Family and friends will pay tribute on Monday to a teacher who was killed in a Wisconsin school shooting.

The funeral services for Erin West will be held at 12 p.m. central time at Doxa Church in Madison.

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West died in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School on Dec. 16. Police say a 15-year-old student opened fire inside the school, killing West, a 14-year-old student and injuring six others. The suspect then shot and killed herself.

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West graduated in 2000 from Harrison High School in Cobb County and later earned her Bachelors degree in education at Kennesaw State University.

Channel 2s Courtney Francisco spoke to Wests former classmate Tara LaPorte, who shared an old photo of the two of them.

Erin loved the Lord, her husband, and her girls. She was a precious soul, cared about everyone, lived like Jesus, with kindness, compassion, and empathy, LaPorte said. She would reach out if she thought anyone was having a tough time or a bad day to provide encouragement or prayers for them. This is a horrible, awful tragedy.

West is survived by her husband Jack and their three daughters and her parents and sister.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Wi-Fi cameras are at the top of some peoples wish lists this holiday, but tech experts say you might want to rethink giving them as gifts because of one small device.

It just takes a flick of a switch, and it can make your Wi-Fi camera stop working and miss the crucial video you need. Justin Ayers, the president and founder of Grand Rapids Tech, said the illegal devices are called Wi-Fi jammers and have been around since the inception of the Internet. However, he didnt hear about them being used in crimes until around seven years ago.

Typically, you know, you just flip a switch and its on, Ayers said. If theres no ability to connect to Ring servers because their connection type is down, then theyre pretty useless at that point.

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Both the Grand Rapids Police Department and Kent County Sheriffs Office said they have not seen any evidence or encountered Wi-Fi jammers in their jurisdictions. They also added that car thefts have been on the decline, with only 94 reports to Grand Rapids police in November, compared to 358 in September.

However, there have been several people in West Michigan who say their cameras usually pick up everything, but when they needed them most, the cameras mysteriously recorded nothing.

Carolyn Koepke and Steve Roche have lived on the northwest side of Grand Rapids in a quiet neighborhood for around five years. When they moved in, Koepke said her neighbors warned her that every five years, there were break-ins, so she decided to get Wi-Fi cameras just in case.

Her neighbors were right, when in November, Koepke said multiple cars on their street were broken into, including her sons cars on the street and their car in the garage.

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I had no idea that this would happen, Koepke said.

When they checked their cameras, there was no recording, which Koepke said was strange.

We see every car that drives by, every time the dog walks by the cameras, we see every delivery person, so it was very strange to have no footage in the middle of the night, Koepke said.

The couple did not report the break-ins to the police, so it cannot be confirmed if a Wi-Fi jammer was used. The devices are illegal but can be found easily online. Ayers said the best way to avoid this issue is to get wired cameras.

Wi-Fi cameras are fine if thats your budget, but if you want to actually make sure that you can keep an eye on things, Wi-Fi jammer or not, then you want a wired camera system, Ayers said.

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We reached out to Ring and Google to see if they have anything put in place to stop the jamming devices. Ring said they do not wish to comment. We are still waiting on a response from Google.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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BURLINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56)  A juvenile was arrested Saturday night in Boone County after he reportedly shot a man during a suspected drug deal.

According to the Boone County Sheriffs Office, it happened around 10:15 p.m. in the 3100 block of Featherstone Drive in Burlington, where deputies found an 18-year-old man shot in the forearm.

Detectives said they learned the man and his 16-year-old friend met the suspected shooter, 17, for a drug transaction. Following a dispute, the juvenile allegedly shot at the victim multiple times as he ran away from the suspects vehicle.

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The man was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Florence with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriffs office.

Read more of the latest Kentucky news

Investigators said they quickly identified the suspect, and the countys SWAT team served a search warrant at his Burlington home. Law enforcement reportedly found the gun buried in the backyard as well as marijuana, other THC products, and paraphernalia in his bedroom.

The juvenile was charged with first-degree assault, first-degree wanton endangerment, possession of a handgun by a minor, and trafficking in marijuana, according to authorities.

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The sheriffs office said the teen was booked into the Campbell County Regional Juvenile Detention Center.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. (WFLA)  A street racing incident in Wesley Chapel Saturday night resulted in the arrest of a 16-year-old boy, with a second suspect still on the run.

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) released a video showing the 16-year-old driver and his 17-year-old buddy performing stunts in the middle of an intersection.

Drones fall from sky; Florida boy undergoing open heart surgery after being hit

(Credit: Florida Highway Patrol) (Credit: Florida Highway Patrol) (Credit: Florida Highway Patrol)

Troopers said the 16-year-old from Wesley Chapel found out the hard way that street racing is illegal in Florida. However, as of Sunday, they were still looking for his alleged accomplice.

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The 17-year-old was reportedly driving a silver Corvette with a Vermont tag.

Anyone who has any information is asked to report it to authorities by dialing *FHP.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Police are working to learn the identity of the teenager they believe shot themselves while mishandling a gun at the Dayton Mall.

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Miami Township police and several other agencies were called to the Dayton Mall on Miamisburg Centerville Road at approximately 3:07 p.m. on Sunday on reports of a person who had been shot. The incident placed the mall on lockdown.

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I heard a gunshot. Everyones running, one 911 caller told dispatchers.

>> PHOTOS: Shots fired at Dayton Mall

When officers got to the scene, the mall was placed on lockdown, a parameter was set up, and it was determined that there was no threat to the public.

911 callers told dispatchers that the teen involved was inside The Buckle, but had reportedly left the scene before police arrived.

On Monday, police shared two security photos of a group of males inside the mall and said they believed one of them was the one who was injured. Theyre asking for help identifying those in the photos.

As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, concerned shoppers wont be surprised if security is raised at the mall.

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Theres no metal detector, so maybe its gonna come to that, Dan Myers, of Miami Twp., said.

Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to contact Detective Johnson at (937) 531-4064.

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A 17-year-old girl was stabbed to death in Azusa by her ex-boyfriend just days before Christmas, according to her family.

The Azusa Police Department responded around 10 p.m. Friday to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon on North Soldano Avenue, according to a police news release.

Officers found the girl at the scene suffering from stab wounds; she was taken to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, police said.

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The 18-year-old suspect is in custody, officials said. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office for the consideration of criminal charges.

The victim's family has identified her as Angelina Camillia Gonzales.

Read more: In the Mojave Desert, a gold rush sparks a mini real-estate boom for old mines

Robert Caraballo, Angelina's stepfather, told ABC7 that the suspect picked up Angelina from a cheerleading banquet and took her to his home. The family was eventually able to find Angelina's location by tracking her cellphone.

"When I got there, there was already crime scene tape up and forensics and all kinds of stuff. And I ran up to the officers like, 'Hey, my daughter's in there. You know, my daughter is in there. I'm trying to find her. She's not home.' And that's when they told me, 'Sit aside for a minute,'" Caraballo said.

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Caraballo told the outlet that he had previously told Angelina to stay away from her ex.

Angelina's family is raising money via GoFundMe to help pay for funeral costs.

"She had a heart of gold. She was my perfect gorgeous Angel baby. I don't even have the words to say. I can't even cope. I need her. Our family is devastated," Angelina's mother, Leticia Pimentel Caraballo, wrote on the page.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Scouts watching the ceremony at the memorial (Baumholder Cub Scouts)

On Veterans Day this year, the Baumholder Cub Scouts proudly played a significant role in honoring those who have served. The Cubs led the community in the Pledge of Allegiance, a meaningful moment that united attendees in gratitude and reflection. This heartfelt ceremony allowed both young and old to join together in remembering the sacrifices made by veterans, and the Cubs participation was a powerful reminder of the importance of honoring those who have served our country.

In addition to leading the Pledge of Allegiance, the Cubs showed their appreciation by creating and distributing heartfelt, handwritten cards to veterans, which were later shared through the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). These personal tokens of gratitude were a tangible expression of the Cubs respect and admiration for the veterans. The Scouts also took time to connect with the veterans by taking selfies with them, offering personal thanks and building lasting connections across generations.

Tradition of Service

The Cub Scouts involvement in the Veterans Day event was part of a larger tradition of service and community engagement that has become a hallmark of their activities. This years event was particularly special, as it marked a collaboration with the Baumholder High School Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC). The Cub Scouts were inspired by the leadership and dedication displayed by the JROTC cadets, and they look forward to continuing their work together in the future. The partnership with JROTC is just one example of how the Cubs are learning from others in their community and using those lessons to grow as young leaders.

Scouts in the Exhcange parking lot, looking onto the ceremony at the memorial (Baumholder Cub Scouts)

Veterans Day provided the perfect opportunity to highlight the Cubs ongoing commitment to service. Last year, the Cubs also participated in a thank-you cadence during a coin recognition ceremony with the Exchange, showcasing their dedication to expressing gratitude in creative and meaningful ways. This years Veterans Day involvement continued to build on that tradition, with the Cubs actions inspiring the community and reinforcing the value of service and respect for our veterans.

Cub Scouting, at its core, is about developing character, building leadership skills, and fostering strong community connections. Through events like these, Scouts learn the importance of gratitude, teamwork, and selfless service. They also gain hands-on experience in citizenship activities and develop a deeper understanding of the role they can play in shaping their community and society as a whole.

Reviving the Baumholder pack

Baumholder, a military community with a strong history of camaraderie and service, once had an active Cub Scout Pack that was beloved by its members. In the 1960s, Cub Scouting was an integral part of life here, and it continued to foster young leaders for decades. However, the pack eventually became inactive in 2013, leaving a gap in the community for almost a decade.

But in 2023, a renewed spirit of Scouting returned to Baumholder, as efforts to revive the Cub Scout Pack began. Since its resurgence, the Pack has worked diligently to strengthen its presence in the community, providing a safe space for young girls and boys to learn, grow and serve. The enthusiasm and hard work of the new leaders and families involved have been inspiring, and the Pack is quickly becoming an important part of the Baumholder community once again.

Picture of a wounded service member at the memorial ceremony (Baumholder Cub Scouts)

Its always wonderful to see different parts of our community come together. Working with groups like the VFW, Girl Scouts and JROTC to honor our veterans is especially meaningful. It not only strengthens community bonds but also teaches our Cubs the value of service and respect. These collaborations provide valuable learning experiences for the Scouts, reinforcing the importance of working together and contributing to the well-being of the entire community.

The Cubs participation in the Veterans Day ceremony was more than just a way to honor veteransit was also a lesson in the power of community. In Baumholder, Scouting provides a unique opportunity for young people to connect with veterans and their families, strengthening the bond between generations. Through these interactions, the Scouts gain not only a sense of pride in their country but also a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices made by those who have served.

The impact of the Cubs service extends far beyond the events themselves. The Scouts are not only learning about the importance of giving back, but they are also building valuable relationships with veterans, military families and other community members. These friendships and connections help to create a supportive network that benefits everyone involved. The Cubs efforts to honor veterans and engage in community service set an example for their peers, inspiring others to follow their lead and contribute to the well-being of those around them.

New Initiatives

The Baumholder Cub Scouts are also working to make a lasting impact in the community in other ways. Recently, the Pack began a local tradition by introducing live Christmas tree sales to Baumholder for the first time, which has been met with enthusiasm. This new initiative, along with their participation in community clean-ups, showcases the Cubs dedication to being responsible and active members of their community. Whether theyre honoring veterans or caring for the environment, the Cubs are always looking for ways to give back and make a positive difference.

Faces of our Heroes collage by the Cub Scouts (Baumholder Cub Scouts)

Through these experiences, the Cubs learn valuable lessons about leadership, compassion and the importance of service. They understand that even small acts of kindness, like rescuing an injured animal or helping a classmate, can have a big impact on the world around them. These acts of service not only help the Cubs grow as individuals, but they also foster a greater sense of responsibility and community connection.

Many parents have shared how the Cub Scouts have positively influenced their families, particularly in strengthening bonds between service members and their children. Scouting has helped foster a deeper connection between parents and kids, providing a supportive environment for families navigating the challenges of military life, including deployments and relocations.

Looking ahead, the Baumholder Cub Scouts are excited to continue their tradition of community service and involvement. They remain committed to honoring veterans, supporting military families and fostering a spirit of gratitude and kindness among their members. The Cubs are eager to continue building bridges across generations, fostering leadership and inspiring others to give back to their communities.

For more information about Cub Scouting in Baumholder, contact baumholderscouts96@gmail.com.
Sara Bseiso was showing her new haircut to her older sister, enjoying the compliments and, for a moment, forgetting about the sound of bombings in the distance.

Then her brother Ahmed called to her, asking that she help her little brother, who was terrified of the booming sounds. Thats when the bomb struck.

I had just stepped into the kitchen to get Mohammed when suddenly everything went black, Bseiso said in September at Stony Brook Medicine. I was screaming. I couldnt walk because my feet were burning. Ahmed was killed immediately. My other brothers and I were caught in the middle of the fire.

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My father brought me out," she said. "Thats when our suffering began.

Sara Bseiso, one of thousands of children injured in Gaza, is receiving medical care in the United States. She is pictured with her sister, Siham, in a photo taken before the war.

The airstrike on Dec. 7, 2023, killed Ahmed, 15, and their little brother, Mohammed, 8, who died five days later in their damaged home in Gaza City. Israeli forces had put the neighborhood under siege, preventing them from leaving for three weeks. Bseiso watched her little brother die slowly, as she herself suffered the immense pain of burns that covered three-quarters of her body.

When she finally got out, she was given a 20% chance of survival. Bseiso, 18, has defied odds with help from HEAL Palestine, which arranged for a medical flight out of Egypt in February. She spent three months in the ICU burn unit at Staten Island University Hospital, where she was given lifesaving, pro bono care.

This year, she was one of 27 young people from Gaza whom HEAL Palestine, an Ohio-based nonprofit, has brought to the United States for medical care. They include children who are missing arms, legs and eyes and who, like Bseiso, suffered severe burns.

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On the day of her release, Bseiso danced out of the hospital, smiling as staff danced alongside her, cheered her on and gave her flowers, in a joyful moment shared on social media.

Steve Sosebee, the nonprofits founder, praised the hospital staff and volunteers who have cared for Bseiso, but his highest praise was reserved for Bseiso herself.

Thanks to her courage and her resilience, she danced out of the hospital in May, Sosebee said at a fundraiser they both attended for HEAL Palestine in Teaneck in October. An entire department were cheering her and clapping for her and so proud of her. And here she is today.

She is ready to take on a new future of education and independence," Sosebee said. "These are the children that no matter how you try to subject them to this genocide and kill the Palestinian people, you can never defeat the Palestinian spirit.

A 'beacon of light'

Sara Bseiso, one of thousands of children injured in Gaza, is receiving medical care in the United States. She was burned on three quarters of her body after a bomb struck their home on Dec. 7, 2023. She is pictured with her brothers Abode and Mohamed, 8. Mohammed died from his injures five days after the bombing.

When Sadeaqah Adi, a nurse at Staten Island University Hospital, first met Bseiso in her hospital bed in Egypt on Jan. 21, she was shocked.

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Her burns were far more extensive that the local hospital staff had indicated. In a full body cast, she was essentially mummified and could not move her arms and legs, while sweating constantly. Her dressings were changed every two to three days, not often enough to ward off infection.

She was dying in this bed in the hospital, Adi said.

Adi had to break distressing news to her parents. She could not bring their daughter home on a commercial plane as planned; her injuries were too severe. Adi returned to New York, while HEAL Palestine worked to arrange a medical plane so she could travel safely.

On Feb. 6, Adi greeted Bseiso at Teterboro Airport after her flight landed and accompanied her to Staten Island University Hospital, where Northwell Healths Center for Global Health had taken on her case. An extensive team, including doctors, nurses, nurses aides, and speech and occupational therapists, worked around the clock to treat Bseiso.

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During her time there, Adi learned more about the teens harrowing ordeal. After the bombing, family members with medical training gave her limited care, but she needed critical care and medications.

When Israeli forces finally allowed movement out of their neighborhood, overwhelmed hospitals said they could not give her the critical care she needed. She was taken to Egypt and treated there until the medical evacuation plane arrived.

Despite the trauma she has faced, Bseiso is like a "beacon of light," Adi said.

"Shes always positive, always smiling, always has something nice to say about everyone, always looking at the brighter side of the picture," she explained. "Even now, a year later, she never says 'why me.' I've never heard her say 'why has this happened to me?'

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"She is always thanking God," Adi said. "Her beliefs, her aura, her vibes are something we all can learn from."

Dream of a normal life

Bseiso said that life before the war was normal. She enjoyed playing volleyball and horseback riding and school.

I had just started my last year of school and was thinking about what I want in the future, she said in a speech at Stony Brook University.

She lived with her family in Rimal, an upscale neighborhood in Gaza City that housed shops, residential towers, hotels, restaurants, banks, schools and offices for media and nonprofits. Thousands of airstrikes have turned the area into fields of rubble.

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Now living in South Bound Brook with her mother and sister, Bseiso is continuing her recovery. She has had skin grafting procedures and surgeries on her face, neck and fingers. She has more surgeries and physical therapy ahead. She is also studying for her GED and dreams of going to college.

Sosebee said some of the children have gone back to Egypt after getting medical treatment in the U.S. For others with family in Gaza, the goal is to return when the border reopens.

More: Head of aid nonprofit stays in Gaza because 'my life does not have more value'

Thanks to everyone who helped HEAL Palestine raise the $ to hire an air ICU to fly Sarah to NY after she was burned in a home bombing last December. Two of her brothers were killed. HEAL Palestine brought her and her sister Siham. Please support: https://t.co/7Yam1DSwAz  pic.twitter.com/12TcjalMQ4  Steve Sosebee (@Stevesosebee) February 19, 2024

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He has traveled around the country fundraising and speaking about HEAL Palestines work. It needs support  both financial and logistic. An online page for HEAL Palestine includes photos and information about each child, with a link to a fundraising page.

Volunteers can also help by getting the children to their appointments, securing housing, and befriending them and taking them out.

The nonprofit also provides services to Palestinians on the ground in Gaza, including health care, education and food. Their services are desperately needed as the war takes a tremendous toll on children.

Since the start of the war, at least 17,000 children in Gaza have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. Thousands more are critically injured, with many facing lifelong disabilities, and at least 19,000 have been orphaned, the U.N. has reported. Food insecurity and malnutrition are rampant.

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In Israel, 40 children were killed in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas that triggered the current war, human rights investigators say.

Even as the situation worsens, it has become tougher for children to leave. Israel captured and closed the Rafah border with Egypt in May, and travel must go through Jordan. Both Israel and Jordan have to give permission, and only about half of the cases are approved, Sosebee said.

He said it was hard to reconcile "that our country is providing weapons that are killing children and injuring children."

"We are doing our best to help these kids, but there are thousands and thousands more that need care," he said.

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At the Teaneck fundraiser at Al Ummah Community Center in October, Sosebee pleaded for compassion and for support to help HEAL Palestines mission and the children it serves.

The world has dehumanized the Palestinian people and the children of Palestine to the point where a genocide can be committed in real time in 2024, he said. What do we do? We help these kids walk again. We help these kids heal. There are thousands more like them. Its our responsibility.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: HEAL Palestine helped teen to recovery after Gaza attack
It takes my brother four hours to get to an in-person doctors appointment. He has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is in a wheelchair, and uses a feeding tube to eat and a ventilator to breathe. To get to the doctors office, he needs the assistance of a caregiver and at least one family member in order to pack up and drive his custom-designed wheelchair van and to make sure hes traveling with everything he needs: backup equipment, supplies, batteries, and medication. If his ventilator or other breathing machines fail, he will die, so this gear is critical. It is in every definition an ordeal.

By contrast, it takes him approximately five minutes to sign on to a telehealth visit on his computer, which he can do from his bed.

The ability to see doctors virtually has been a silver lining of the pandemic. Its gone a long way to making health care more accessible to those who are too disabled or too vulnerable to go to the doctor, as well as making things much more convenient for everyone elseespecially those living in underserved rural areas. It is perhaps the only improvement to the health care industry in recent years.

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Telehealth funding for Medicare patientssome 66 million Americans, which includes seniors as well as many with long-term disabilitieswas enacted in March 2020 but was set to expire at the end of December 2024 if Congress did not act. In its current state of dysfunction, multiple bipartisan bills oriented at extending telemedicine floundered in committee all year, only for parts to end up hastily shoved into a continuing resolution that lawmakers had actually, somehow, agreed uponjust days before the government was set to run out of funding. That initial deal was better than expected for health care; it included an extension for telehealth, continued community health care center funding, and measures to both lower prescription drug prices and (mostly) reverse a pay cut to Medicare providers.

But that plan fell apart for a familiar reason: Republican Party nonsense, with a new disturbing twist. On Wednesday, Elon Musk and Donald Trump trashed the continuing resolution, causing an epic meltdown as House Speaker Mike Johnson attempted to come up with a new bill that could be passed in two days, under threat of government shutdown. The bill that ultimately passed is a stopgap measure, extending telehealth for Medicare for three months but leaving out pharmacy benefit manager reforms and maintaining the Medicare provider pay cut.

If extending telehealth was the low bar to clear, Congress managed to do even less. Though the measure, in theory, has bipartisan support and may be extended further in the next congressional session, we can be pretty certain that the next bill wont be increasing pay for Medicare doctors.

While most of the expanded social safety net measures granted in the early days of Covid have become vestiges of the past, in this case lawmakers did choose to continue it, but its long-term future remains uncertain. Ahead of Trumps daunting threats to cut Medicaid, continuing telehealth services remains an urgent necessity for health care access, especially for disabled people, seniors, and rural populations.

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Telehealth access changed healthcare for the better, narrowing the gaps in health disparities between different populations, stated a recent press release from Peoples CDC, a public health advocacy organization. Ending telehealth would force disabled, terminally-ill, high risk, immunocompromised people into in-person visits for services that absolutely dont require in-person exams.

People with chronic health issues, who have more appointments generally, face challenges in accessing in-person care. Plus, avoiding going to the doctor while actively ill helps protect other patients and staff at health care facilities and avoid forcing themselves out of the house when they feel unwell. Among older Medicare beneficiaries, nearly 20 percent reported difficulty getting to appointments, which for people over 65 averaged about 17 visits per year, as Judy Stone reported in Forbes.

People eligible for Medicare due to long-term disabilities report higher use of telemedicine37 percent versus 23 percent of those who qualify due to age, according to KFF. But telemedicine is popular overall. In the early pandemic, nearly half of Medicare patients used telehealth. While this number dropped to around 13 percent by the end of 2023, that is still a significant chunk.

Telehealth can also help bridge disparities in access among people of color, who disproportionately report difficulty accessing necessary health services, as Dr. Tem Woldeyesus, a clinical assistant professor at Stanford Medicine who works as a primary care provider at Roots Community Health in Oakland, California, noted. He told The New Republic that telehealth, and especially phone-based telehealth, has significantly helped his patient population, who are primarily Black and on Medicare or MediCal (Californias version of Medicaid).

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A lot of our patients have difficulty with taking time off from work, traveling to our clinic. Thats all costs that they incur, whether its from time paid off at work versus the Uber costs or childcare costs they would have to pay for, he said. Not only does telehealth increase the clinics capacity, it also helps us advance their care along and save lives down the road.

Research suggests that this increased access to preventative care also helps improve patients ability to adhere to patient plans and reduces emergency department visits.

Dr. Woldeyesus has found that phone appointments are especially beneficial in tackling access gaps for patients. Oftentimes the folks that are the sickest and have the highest needs may be the ones that have the most limited digital literacy and ability to connect over video, he said. So, phone appointments actually become the lowest-tech but highest-impact mode of communication.

Unfortunately, he noted, the expiration of the Affordable Connectivity Program in June, which discounted broadband internet access for eligible households, will make it more difficult for some low-income patients to conduct video appointments. Seeing some of the support that made [health care] accessible now start to diminish, whether its funding or reimbursement or affordability of broadband, is kind of an unfortunate story thats unfolding, he said.

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These concerns speak to the importance of pay paritythat doctors get paid the same amount from insurance for in-person and telehealth visits, including audio-only. The telehealth policy changes introduced at the beginning of the pandemic guaranteed this, and must continue for safety net clinics like Dr. Woldeyesuss to continue providing this service. Though the stopgap bill does include a measure to bill audio services at the same rate as video or in-person, it also upholds a pay cut for Medicare providers, and left out $4.6 billion toward community health center funding, which was included in the original version.

Telemedicine coverage is also crucial for increasing health care access for people who live in rural communities. Leigh Boyd, a Medicare patient who lives in the 300-person town of Irwin, Idaho, said that taking away telemedicine coverage would be a disaster. Where she lives, there is no mass transit or Uber, so transportation can be an issue, especially in inclement weather. The closest medical hub is an hour away in Idaho Falls, she said, but for more complex care, people might have to travel over four hours to Salt Lake City.

Its not like a post-Covid leftover, she said. Its become a real thing for people to be able to do to continue to get good medical care. Taking away telehealth access, she continued, would feel like discrimination against people living in rural communities.

Since the end of the state of emergency in May 2023, several bills have circulated in the House and Senate to extend the coverage, which advocate either for a permanent extension or a two-year extension to the benefit.

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One that has gained traction is the Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024, introduced in the House by Representative Earl Buddy Carter, a Republican from Georgia, and in the Senate by Florida Senator Rick Scott in March. The bill proposes a permanent expansion of telehealth benefits for Medicare patients.

In every congressional district in America, there are patients who rely on telehealth for quality medical care, said Representative Carter to The New Republic. We must ensure that this critical access point remains available to seniors, especially those who may live hours away from the nearest health care provider.

Though the bill had dozens of sponsors from across the political spectrum, it has not been brought to a vote, nor have the other similar bills introduced in Congress. Perhaps it will gain more traction under the next congressional session and pass on its own, outside of an omnibus legislation bill.

But theres always the possibility that a critical window has now closed. Momentum had been building in the lead-up to the end of the year. In early December, dozens of industry leaders sent a letter to Congress imploring them to extend the telehealth benefits folded into last years appropriations. A letter from 100 legislators advocating for an extension, led by Senators Brian Schatz and Roger Wicker, followed.

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In addition, an online petition garnered nearly 18,000 signatures, while leading industry associations such as the American Medical Association also voiced their support. Insurance companies like Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield have also lobbied for the bills, indicating a financial benefit to all stakeholders involved.

The initial bill included substantial reforms and guardrails on pharmacy benefits managers, or PBMs, middlemen who notoriously jack up drug costs. PBM reforms are a part of the Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act, Representative David Schweikerts bill.

Representative Carter also supported PBM reform as a way to offset telehealth expenses, he told The New Republic. But because PBM reform was slashed from the final bill, it is unclear how telehealth benefits will continue to be funded in the long term.

As the end of the year drew closer (and closer), extending telehealth for Medicare patients seemed like a no-brainer. But the intervention by Elon Musk disrupted that plan, which was already beset by the now-familiar sight of lawmakers making last-minute scrambles through their incompetence. After the administration and government ignored health care issues all year, things like disaster relief, telemedicine benefits, and pediatric cancer research were at stake in the omnibus bill, not to mention funding the government period. But Musk and Trump decided to go scorched earth, consequences be damned.

Ahead of the specter of the next Trump presidency, with cuts to Medicare and Medicaid hanging in the balance as well as the omnipresent threat to repeal the Affordable Care Act, all we can hope for is that the next administration realizes just how unpopular that would be, and shifts course. Not to mention whatever RFK Jr. plans to do to health care policy, if confirmed. While patients dont have to worry about losing telemedicine benefits in a week, their respite may prove to be terribly temporary.
A new television advertisement airing across the state features Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee promoting his proposal to expand school vouchers statewide.

In the new 30-second ad launched Monday by the American Federation for Children, Lee pushes his 2025 Education Freedom Act and touts record investment in public schools.

"Freedom is at the core of being a Tennessean, so when it comes to education, more freedom is what our children need, Lee said in a statement. The Education Freedom Act empowers parents with school choice, supports our teachers, and further invests in our public schools. Tennessee can have the best public schools and ensure every child gets the education that fits their needs. There is no question that now is the time to bring universal school choice to Tennessee by passing the Education Freedom Act.

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Lee is seen speaking into the camera with a classroom in the background. Lee is then seen in the ad speaking and interacting with children in classrooms and education personnel in hallways.

The governor ends the video giving high-fives to students while saying the state needs to pass the Education Freedom Act.

Expanded school vouchers in Tennessee will be one of Lee's top legislative priorities when the 114th Tennessee General Assembly convenes in January.

Voters in Colorado, Kentucky and Nebraska voted against ballot measures to funnel public money into private education during the Nov. 5 election.

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Republican lawmakers in Tennessee proposed a new plan the next day to expand the state's controversial program that gives public funds to families of K-12 students to offset private school costs.

A similar push to expand the program failed in the state legislature during its regular session earlier this year. Despite the proposal's failure, $144 million in recurring funds for the expansion passed with the state budget. Lawmakers, backed by Lee, have so far been unified in their latest plan.

Proponents of the plan say school vouchers are another way to empower families seeking quality education options for their children.

Lee pushed for the limited Education Savings Account Program, which passed in 2019 and is now in effect after a series of legal challenges. The program applies to Shelby, Davidson and Hamilton counties to allow families who meet income restrictions apply.

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The Education Freedom Act of 2025 is Lee's latest attempt to expand the program, seeking to open the program to 20,000 families, half of whom are under income restrictions and half who are not.

Opponents of Lee's program argue school vouchers divert funds that could be used to better public schools in Tennessee, saying vouchers have led to budget-busting spending in other states.

Reporter Rachel Wegner contributed to this story.

Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on X @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee school vouchers: Bill Lee touts legislation in new ad
A two-vehicle injury collision on a Kentucky bypass in Adair County resulted in the death of a child and the arrest of two Tennessee men.

Kentucky State Police were dispatched to an intersection near Pelham Branch Road around 4:30 p.m. Saturday. They said Joel Hammack, 46, of Crossville, Tennessee, had been traveling south on KY 55 Bypass in a 2016 Ford F-150 at a high rate of speed.

Hammack approached a 2018 Kia Sorento traveling south being driven by Townya Ritzie, 62, of Columbia. Hammocks speeding vehicle collided with Ritzies SUV and forced it off the roadway, where it overturned.

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A child in Ritzies vehicle died at the scene, according to state police. No identifying information about the child was released.

Two passengers, Susan Morgan, 66, of Columbia, and another child were transported to a hospital with serious injuries. A third child and Ritzie were transported to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Hammack and a passenger in his vehicle, Walter Nichols, 45, of Bean Station, Tennessee, were treated and released.

Hammack was charged with vehicular homicide under the influence of alcohol, fourth offense or greater, first-degree assault and three counts of second-degree assault.

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First responders were confronted by Nichols, who was unruly as they tried to help others. Nichols was charged with third-degree assault (EMS, Fire, Rescue Squad), fourth-degree assault, third-degree terroristic threatening, disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

Both men are in the Adair County Detention Center.
She gives 1,500 Appalachian kids Christmas gifts every year. Increasing that number to 10,000 at the last minute might seem crazy, but this TikTok influencer took on the challenge after seeing the devastation from Hurricane Helene.

Mariah Walker watched from her home in Jonesborough as the hurricane's after-effects brought out stories of strength and suffering to rebuild.

As a mother of four, she knows the pure joy of Christmas morning, and she couldn't accept that kids might not feel that happiness as their parents work to rebuild.

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"Everything's just ripped from them at one point," Walker told Knox News. "It was really important to (help them)."

Walker is used to helping children through Operation Joy, the nonprofit she started in 2020. Operation Joy gives gifts to students at schools that receive federal funding in high-poverty areas.

Elementary school students get a toy and a book, and middle and high school students get $10 gift cards.

Walker knew much, much more was needed this year.

Helene killed 18 Tennesseans and left survivors in eight counties in turmoil. According to U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, 14,742 households in East Tennessee have initiated applications for federal disaster relief, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has distributed over $21 million in aid.

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The Appalachian region's median household income is $61,688 while the country's is $75,149, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Walker, as she does every year, began her gift-giving process in August. Just over a month into the gift collection process, Hurricane Helene hit on Sept. 27. She quickly pivoted to a goal of 10,000.

"There was a huge need  way greater than there's been before  to get Christmas (gifts) and for families to feel supported and loved and joy after all this terror," Walker said.

Walker turned to TikTok for help and started receiving shipments and donations from across the country. The community she had created by sharing her experiences as a mother of four became an important asset as she sponsored victims of the 1-in 5,000-years flood.

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"(I'm) just trying to see a need and fill it," Walker said.

Walker said her efforts were met with optimistic skepticism. It seemed too good to be true.

"Everybody just thinks I'm crazy when I say, 'We can sponsor the whole school,'" she said.

Hampton High School in Carter County is one. It was hit especially hard by Helene. Floods destroyed the high school building, and the students are now attending classes in an old elementary school.

There are many others.

As exciting as it is to give out the gifts, the behind-the-scenes work of Operation Joy is "kind of boring," Walker said. She makes a donor wish list on Amazon every year, and the popularity of this year's mission has forced her to branch out.

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"(People are) messaging me on Facebook saying, 'I have gifts for you, where do you live?'"

She's had volunteers from Missouri and Ohio bring toys for students.

The biggest challenge is finding space to store the gifts until she can hand them out. She's constantly opening boxes and reorganizing items by age group and destination.

When it's time to deliver gifts, Walker likes to dress up as Santa or Mrs. Claus. One time when she was dressed as Santa, a student excitedly told her a lady had brought in gifts for students "just because."

The student didn't realize he was talking to the mastermind behind the gifts. "I'm obviously not Santa-like at all," she said, laughing. "It was so sweet that he was like 'this lady.'"

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Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee TikTok user collects 10,000 gifts for Appalachian kids
KANGPOKPI, India (AP)  Phalneivah Khonsai ran for her life when violence struck her neighborhood in India's restive northeast, carrying just the bare essentials in the hope that she and her family could return soon.

Khonsai, her husband and three children left behind their house, which was torched by a mob, and made for the hills, where thousands of people from their community headed for safety.

That was in May last year. Almost 19 months later, Khonsai, 35, is still away from home, living in a government building that was turned into a relief center with squalid conditions and little privacy.

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The relief camp is in Kangpokpi, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Imphal, the capital of India's northeastern Manipur state, which has been wracked by ethnic violence since last year. In the buildings damp and dark interior, fabric partitions separate at least 75 families like hers driven away from their homes.

It is very difficult to live here, Khonsai said, as women went about their daily chores such as washing clothes and dishes.

The violent ethnic clashes erupted last year between the majority Meitei community and the minority Kuki-Zo tribes in Manipur. The conflict has claimed more than 250 lives and displaced at least 60,000 people.

The state remains divided into two ethnic zones, one controlled by the Meiteis and the other by the Kuki-Zo community. The factions have formed armed militias that patrol roads checking for signs of their rivals. Borders and buffer zones guarded by security forces separate the two regions. Youths spend nights guarding vulnerable villages.

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Khonsai, a Kuki, said the struggles of living in a relief center are taking a toll on the family's health but they can't go back home because they fear for their lives.

If we go back, they will kill us. There is no hope for going back, she said.

The Meiteis, who are predominantly Hindus, live in the Imphal Valley and nearby districts, while the Kuki-Zos live in hilly areas. The violence began last year when Meiteis demanded that they be listed by the government as a Scheduled Tribe, which would bring them more benefits such as quotas in jobs and educational institutions. That categorization would also bar non-Meiteis from buying land in the Meiteis' strongholds in the Imphal Valley.

The Kukis opposed this, saying such benefits should be given only to tribal groups that are less developed economically and less educated.

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Soon, protests by both sides turned violent. Each side rampaged through villages, torching houses, massacring civilians and driving tens of thousands from their homes. Violence had receded in recent months, except for occasional flareups, but returned in November when 10 people were killed by paramilitary soldiers.

The Kuki-Zo community has been particularly hit hard by the violence. They accuse state Chief Minister N. Biren Singh of siding with the Meiteis and have sought his removal. They now seek federal rule over the state and administrative autonomy for the community.

Singh, a Meitei, has denied the accusations. His administration says people from the hill tribes  who share ethnic lineage with Myanmars Chin tribe  are using illegal drugs to finance a war against the Hindu community. Manipurs government is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

The displacement crisis has, however, impacted both communities. While most of the displaced from the Kuki-Zo community have gone to the hills, the Meiteis have taken shelter in refugee camps in Imphal. The mistrust between the two communities is far from over, with people from each side unable to venture into the others zone.

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Yengsom Junksom Memi, a Meitei, used to live in Kangpokpi until attackers rampaged her home and forced her family to run for their lives. Memi first took refuge in a police station before moving to a relief center in Imphal where she lives with 600 other displaced Meiteis. She said her house has been taken over by the attackers.

We have no future left. It is difficult to even manage food in the morning and evening, Memi said.

Ngamminlun Kipgen, spokesperson for the Committee on Tribal Unity, which represents Kukis, blamed the federal government for failing to end the violence.

I think the prime minister needs to intervene," Kipgen said.

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India's opposition parties have been urging Modi to visit Manipur. Modi has not visited the state since the violence started but has instructed his home minister, Amit Shah, to find a solution.

Kipgen said a division of the state into two separately administered parts, one for the Kukis and the other for Meiteis, could calm the situation.

The nation must understand that the Kukis and the Meiteis for the time being are not able to live together, so the state or the central government should not force both communities at this critical juncture to come together, Kipgen said.
His tight grip on power has been challenged by weeks of street protests led by university students and the rally at Belgrade's Slavija Square was one of the largest in recent years. It was part of a wider movement demanding accountability over the Nov. 1 collapse of a canopy at a railway station in the country's north that killed 15 people.

Smaller rallies were also held in the cities of Nis and Kragujevac. The rally in Belgrade started with a 15-minute silence for the victims, and later chants of You have blood on your hands! were heard.

People attend a protest against the Serbian authorities in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) - Darko Vojinovic/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved

Many in Serbia blame the collapse on widespread corruption and sloppy work on the railway station building in the city of Novi Sad that was twice renovated in recent years as part of questionable mega projects involving Chinese state companies. Protesters demand that Vucic and those responsible face justice.

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Serbia's popular theatre and movie actors joined the protest, with actor Bane Trifunovic describing Sundays rally as a festival of freedom.

In a show of confidence, the Serbian president on Sunday inaugurated a section of a newly built highway in central Serbia. Vucic said he wouldn't budge on opposition demands for a transitional government and accused his opponents of using students to try to seize power.

We will beat them again, said Vucic.They (the opposition) don't know what to do but to use someone's children.

Prosecutors have arrested 13 people over the Novi Sad tragedy, including a government minister whose release later fuelled public scepticism about the honesty of the investigation.

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The weeks long protests reflect wider discontent with Vucic's rule. Vucic formally says he wants to take Serbia into the European Union but has faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms rather than advancing them.

People attend a protest against the Serbian authorities in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) - Darko Vojinovic/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved

Opposition parties have said a transitional government that would prepare a free and fair election could be a way out of the political tensions as ruling party also have been accused of rigging past votes.

Serbias government has extended school winter holidays by starting them nearly a week earlier to grapple with widening student protests.

Classes at universities throughout the Balkan country have been suspended for weeks with students camping inside their faculty buildings. In recent days, more high school students have joined the movement. Occasional violence has erupted when pro-government thugs tried to disrupt the protests.

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A group of farmers said on Sunday that police took away the tractor which they drove into central Belgrade ahead of the protest. In addition to the farmers, Serbias students also have received nationwide support from all walks of life including their professors, media personalities, lawyers and prominent individuals.

Vucic initially accused the students of launching protests for money but later said he has fulfilled their demands, including publishing documentation relating to the renovation work at the Novi Sad station.
When Nathan Hecht ran for the Texas Supreme Court in 1988, no Republican had ever been elected to the states highest civil court. His election foreshadowed a coming transformation of the court, civil legal procedure and Texas itself.

Hecht is the longest tenured Supreme Court justice in Texas history. He won six reelections and led the court as chief justice for more than a decade. He heard more than 2,700 oral arguments, authored 7,000 pages of opinions, and retires now not because hes had enough, but because state law requires him to.

Late on a Friday afternoon, just two weeks before he hung up his robe, he was still in his office, his mind mired in the work that was left to be done.

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This is always a really busy time for us, because the opinions are mounting up to be talked about, he said. Itll be busy next week.

Hecht began as a dissenter on a divided court, his conservative positions on abortion, school finance and property rights putting him at odds with the Democratic majority and some moderate Republicans. But as Texas Republicans began dominating up and down the ballot, his minority voice became mainstream on one of the countrys most conservative high courts.

In his administration of the court, Hecht has been a fierce advocate for the poor, pushing for more Legal Aid funding, bail reform and lowering the barriers to accessing the justice system.

"If justice were food, too many would be starving," Hecht told lawmakers in 2017. "If it were housing, too many would be homeless. If it were medicine, too many would be sick.

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Hechts departure leaves a vacancy that Gov. Greg Abbott, a former justice himself, will get to fill. He may elevate a current justice or appoint someone new directly to the chief justice role. Whoever ends up in the top spot will have to run for reelection in 2026.

In his typical understated manner, so at odds with the bombast of the other branches of government, Hecht told The Texas Tribune that serving on the court has been the honor of his life.

I have gotten to participate not only in a lot of decisions shaping the jurisprudence of the state, but also in trying to improve the administration of the court system so that it works better and fosters public trust and confidence, he said.

So I feel good about the past, he said. And I feel good about the future.

A sea change

Born in Clovis, New Mexico, Hecht studied philosophy at Yale before getting his law degree from Southern Methodist University. He clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and returned to Texas, where his reputation preceded him.

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As a young lawyer, Tom Phillips, a former chief justice and now a partner at Baker Botts, reached out to a Dallas law firm that had promised to hire him the next chance they got.

I called them a few months later and said, So I assume you never got a vacancy, Phillips recalls. And they said, Well, we did, but we had a chance to hire Nathan Hecht, so youll understand why we went ahead and did that.

From left, pictured are Texas Supreme Court Justices Craig Enoch, John Cornyn, Nathan Hecht, Raul Gonzalez, Tom Philips and Jack Hightower in the Texas House chamber in 1993. Credit: Bob Daemmrich

Hecht was appointed to the district court in 1981 and quickly made a name for himself, pushing the court to modernize their stenography practices and taking the unusual step of writing opinions as a trial judge. He was elected to the court of appeals in 1986, and ran for Texas Supreme Court two years later.

This race came at a low point for Texas judiciary, after a string of scandals, ethics investigations, eyebrow-raising rulings and national news coverage made several sitting Supreme Court justices household names  and not in a good way.

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Seeing an opportunity, Hecht challenged one of the incumbents, a Democrat whod been called out in a damning 60 Minutes segment for friendly relationships with lawyers who both funded his campaigns and argued before the court.

Hecht teamed up with Phillips and Eugene Cook, two Republicans who had recently been appointed to the court, and asked voters to Clean the Slate in 88, separating themselves from the Democrats by promising to only accept small donations.

Party politics were changing in the state at the same time, but the broader issue on our court at the time was to ensure that judges were following the law, Hecht said. That was a driving issue.

Since Phillips and Cook were incumbents, Hecht was the only one who had to take on a sitting Supreme Court justice. And he won.

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It really was a sea change in Texas political history, Phillips said. He was the first person ever to do that in a down ballot race, to defeat a Democrat as a Republican.

Political changes

Republican dominance swept through the Supreme Court as swiftly as it did Texas writ large. The last Democrat would be elected to the court in 1994, just six years after the first Republican. But even among Bush-era Republicans filling the bench, Hechts conservatism stood out.

In 2000, he wrote a dissent disagreeing with the majority ruling that allowed teens in Texas to get abortions with a judges approval if their parents wouldnt consent, and a few years earlier, ruled in favor of wealthy school districts that wanted to use local taxes to supplement state funds. His pro-business bent stood out next to the courts history of approving high dollar payouts for plaintiffs.

Alex Winslow, then the executive director of Texas Watch, a consumer advocacy group, told the New York Times in 2005 that Hecht was the godfather of the conservative judicial movement in Texas."

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"Extremist would be an appropriate description, Winslow said. He's the philosophical leader of the right-wing fringe."

The only other justice who regularly staked out such a conservative position, according to the New York Times, was Priscilla Owen, who President George W. Bush appointed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2005. Hecht and Owen, who now goes by her maiden name, Richman, wed in 2022.

Wallace Jefferson, Hechts predecessor as chief justice, said Hechts sharp intellect and philosophical approach to the law improved the courts opinions, even when he ultimately didnt side with the majority.

He was a formidable adversary, said Jefferson, now a partner at Alexander Dubose & Jefferson. You knew that you would have to bring your best approach and analysis to overcome Nathans approach and analysis  You had to come prepared and Nathan set the standard for that.

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Hecht briefly became a national figure in 2005 when he helped Bushs efforts to confirm Harriet Miers to the U.S. Supreme Court. As her longtime friend, Hecht gave more than 120 interviews to bolster Miers conservative credentials, jokingly calling himself the PR office for the White House, Texas Monthly reported at the time.

This advocacy work raised ethical questions that Hecht fought for years, starting with a reprimand from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Hecht got that overturned. The Texas Ethics Commission then fined him $29,000 for not reporting the discount he got on the legal fees he paid challenging the reprimand. He appealed that fine and the case stretched until 2016, when he ultimately paid $1,000.

Hecht has largely stayed out of the limelight in the decades since, letting his opinions speak for themselves and wading into the political fray mostly to advocate for court reforms. While Democrats have tried to pin unpopular COVID and abortion rulings on the justices in recent elections, Republicans continue to easily win these down-ballot races.

Hecht is aware of the perception this one-party dominance creates, and has advocated for Texas to turn away from partisan judicial elections. In his 2023 state of the judiciary address, Hecht warned that growing political divisions were threatening the judicial independence essential to the rule of law, pointing to comments by both Democratic politicians and former President Donald Trump.

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But in an interview, Hecht stressed that most of the cases the Texas Supreme Court considers never make headlines, and are far from the politics that dominate Austin and Washington.

There's no Republican side to an oil and gas case. There's no Democrat side to a custody hearing, he said. That's the bread and butter of what we do, and that's not partisan.

Hechts reforms

Unlike its federal counterpart, the Texas Supreme Court is often a temporary port of call on a judges journey. Many, like Abbott, Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, leave for higher office. Others, like Owen and 5th Circuit Judge Don Willett, leave for higher courts. Most, like Phillips, leave for higher pay in private practice.

But Hecht stayed.

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I didnt plan it like this, Hecht said. I just kept getting re-elected.

Hecht had been considering retirement in 2013, when Jefferson, the chief justice who replaced Phillips, announced he would be stepping down.

He wanted me to consider being his successor, Hecht said. So I did, and here I am. I didnt say, Let's spend 43 years on the bench, but one thing led to another.

Nathan Hecht is sworn into office by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in the House Chamber on Nov. 11, 2013. Hecht's sister Helen is holding the Sam Houston Bible. Credit: Bob Daemmrich

In 2013, Hecht was sworn in as chief justice by then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, another great dissenter whose views later became the majority.

While the Texas Supreme Courts political makeup has changed largely without Hechts input, the inner workings of the court have been under his purview. And that, many court watchers say, is where his greatest legacy lies.

Hecht ushered in an era of modernization, both to the technology and the rules that govern justice in Texas. He led a push to simplify the appellate rules, removing many of the trapdoors and procedural quirks that led to important cases being decided on technicalities. The court scaled back how long cases could drag on by limiting discovery, including how long a deposition can go. And he ensured every case was decided before the term ended, like the U.S. Supreme Court.

I think people generally don't understand the impact the rules can have on the equitable resolution of disputes, but they're enormous, Jefferson said. Nathan recognized that at an early juncture in his career.

Hecht pushed Texas to adopt e-filing before many other states, which proved prescient when COVID hit. Hecht, who was then president of the national Conference of Chief Justices, was able to help advise other states as they took their systems online.

Hecht also dedicated himself to improving poor Texans access to the justice system, pushing the Legislature to appropriate more funding for Legal Aid and reducing the barriers to getting meaningful legal resolutions. He helped usher through a rule change that would allow paraprofessionals to handle some legal matters like estate planning, uncontested divorces and consumer debt cases, without a lawyers supervision.

Some people call it the justice gap. I call it the justice chasm, Hecht said. Because its just a huge gulf between the people that need legal help and the ability to provide it.

Hecht said hes glad this has been taken up as a bipartisan issue, and hes hopeful that the same attention will be paid even after he leaves the court.

No judge wants to give his life's energy to a work that mocks the justice that he's trying to provide, he said. For the judiciary, this is an important issue, because when the promise of equal justice under law is denied because you're too poor, there's no such thing as equal justice under the law.

What comes next

Despite the sudden departure of their longtime leader, the Texas Supreme Court will return in January to finish out its term, which ends in April.

Among the typical parsing of medical malpractice provisions, oil and gas leases, divorce settlements and sovereign immunity protections, the high court has a number of more attention-grabbing cases on its docket this year.

Earlier this year, the court heard oral arguments about the Department of Family and Protective Services oversight of immigration detention facilities, and in mid-January, theyll consider Attorney General Ken Paxtons efforts to subpoena Annunciation House, an El Paso nonprofit that serves migrants. Theyll also hear arguments over Southern Methodist Universitys efforts to cut ties with the regional governing body of the United Methodist Church.

Other cases will be added to the schedule before April.

Phillips, who has argued numerous cases before the Texas Supreme Court since leaving the bench, said Hechts loss will be felt, but he expects the court to continue apace.

Its not a situation like it might have been at some point in the past where if one justice left, nobody would know what to do next, he said. Its an extremely qualified court.

As for Hecht, hes tried to put off thinking too much about what comes next for him. He still has opinions to write and work to finish. He knows he wants to stay active in efforts to improve court administration nationally and in Texas, and hes threatened his colleagues with writing a tell-all book, just to keep them on their toes. But beyond that, hes waiting for the reality of retirement to sink in before he decides on his next steps.

Weve got 3,200 judges in Texas, plus adjuncts and associate judges and others, he said. I really think its such a strong bench, and I am proud to have been a part of it. I look forward to helping where I can.

Supreme Court of Texas Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht laughs during a question and answer session after hearing two civil cases at the University of Houston Law Center on Oct. 29, 2024. The court travels twice per year to hold oral arguments in different areas of the state. Credit: Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribune

Correction, Dec. 27, 2024 at 10:37 a.m. : A previous version of this story misspelled the last name of 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge Priscilla Richman.
Texas, Florida, Arizona and Idaho are likely to gain House seats after the 2030 census, according to consulting firm Election Data Services.

A gain of two congressional seats would be seen in Texas and Florida, and one seat each in Arizona and Idaho, if congressional reapportionment were being held today, the firm said in a Friday press release. That is based on population estimates for 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau.

California would lose two seats, while Illinois, Minnesota, New York and Oregon would see the loss of one seat in the case of apportionment being held right now, according to those population estimates, the firm said.

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Seats being lost in places like New York and California, some of the biggest states in the U.S. by population, could also be a risk for Democrats. The Empire State and Golden State are currently considered left-leaning strongholds that have been key to Democratic victories and power in recent years.

The increase in seats in the commonly right-leaning four states would be beneficial for Republicans, who have a narrow majority in the House. At the beginning of next year, the House is set to be almost evenly divided between Democrats and the GOP, with Republicans only leading by two seats, 217-215.

In an interview with Fox Newss Bret Baier that aired earlier this month, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was asked about a report from The New York Times about the Speaker soon having to deal with a slim Republican majority in the lower chamber.

Look, were excited about this. Weve demonstrated already that we can govern with a small majority, Johnson responded. And, Im very confident that we can check the boxes and get this agenda done, and [itll be] very aggressive beginning right out of the gate.

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Many young adults are beginning to explore the world of investing and seeking advice online on various forums. A 19-year-old college student has also turned to Reddit for direction on building financial security.

The 19-year-old business major has amassed $70K in a checking account by working as a server during the summer and managing a reselling business during the year.

With so many options available, the server-turned-reseller mentioned he feels stuck as his parents cannot advise him since they arent familiar with stock investments.

Don't Miss:

I just turned 19 years old and have very little financial knowledge. Ive had a credit card for a year now, stayed up-to-date with the payments and have a credit score in the 700s. Im a business major and a sophomore in college. My parents sadly dont invest and dont have much advice to give, he said.

While he has researched, the many options available confuse him.

I feel completely stuck in taking the first step in investing and would love some insight and advice, the 19-year-old said.

Several Redditors have jumped into the comment section of the r/FinancialPlanning community thread, where the confused young man sought guidance and advised him on what they considered the best.

See Also: This Jeff Bezos-backed startup will allow you to become a landlord in just 10 minutes, with minimum investments as low as $100 for properties like the Byer House from Stranger Things.

Lets see what the Redditors have recommended to the young investor.

Redditors Top 3 Suggestions For First-Time Investing

VOOs S&P 500

Several Redditors have advised the 19-year-old college student that investing in VOOs S&P 500 is the best long-term strategy.

At the end of the day, the best long-term strategy is a low-cost S&P 500 index fund, a comment reads.

Another Redditor was on the same page, recommending the poster read up on Vanguards VOO because it is the lowest-cost S&P 500.

I want you to read up on Vanguard's VOO, which is the lowest-cost S&P 500 Exchange Traded Fund. Learn the difference between an ETF and a mutual fund and why an ETF is better (lower fees and no capital gains distributions), the Redditor said.
FILE - Arizona Diamondbacks' Joc Pederson smiles while at bat during the third inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sept. 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash, File)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)  The Texas Rangers and free agent designated hitter Joc Pederson have agreed on a contract, a person with knowledge of the deal said Monday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement is pending a physical.

The Rangers will be the third team in three years for Pederson, who rebounded from a sub-par 2023 season with San Francisco to hit a career-best .275 with 23 homers and 64 RBIs last season with Arizona.

The deal with Pederson could be another step toward Texas making slugging corner infielder Jake Burger the club's primary first baseman.

The Rangers acquired Burger, who has experience at DH, from Miami this month. The deal with Pederson comes a day after Texas traded Nathaniel Lowe, the club's first baseman the past four seasons, to Washington for left-handed reliever Robert Garcia.

The 32-year-old Pederson spent his first six full big league seasons as an outfielder with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was an All-Star as a rookie in 2015. The Rangers have some uncertainty in their outfield.

Pederson struggled in his final season in LA, when the Dodgers won the neutral-site World Series at the home of the Rangers in 2020, before signing with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent.

The Cubs traded Pederson to Atlanta during that first season, and he signed with San Francisco as a free agent each of the next two offseasons before joining the Diamondbacks last January.

Pederson had career bests of 36 home runs and 74 RBIs with the Dodgers in 2019. His best OPS of .908 came last season in Arizona.

The Bay Area native is a career .241 hitter with 209 homers and 549 RBIs. His second All-Star appearance came with the Giants in 2022.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
AUSTIN (KXAN)  Have you been victim to porch pirates this holiday shopping season? Youre not alone.

A new study ranked the Lone Star State as the worst state for porch pirate thefts.

The study from The Action Network found that 5% of Texans had a package theft in the last three months.

RELATED: Austin homeowner finds empty, dumped Amazon boxes behind home

Following Texas, the next worst states for porch pirates include North Carolina, Florida, California, New York, South Carolina, Washington, Virginia, Kentucky and North Dakota.

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According to security research company SafeWise, package thefts cost Americans about $16 billion in 2023. In Texas, there were over 1.5 million thefts in Houston last year and over 1.1 million thefts in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Texas is among the states with legislation to deter porch pirates. Package thefts can be charged as felonies with six months to 10 years of jail time, according to SafeWise.

A disease out there: Texas man hopes product stops porch pirates

The Better Business Bureau suggests using these strategies to deter porch pirates:

Try to schedule a delivery when you know you will be home

Consider shipping items to retailers with physical locations nearby

Install a home security system with a video doorbell to deter thefts

Set up a camera to alert when a package is delivered

Use the option to require a signature before a package is delivered

Opt-in to notifications for when a package is delivered

The Action Network study used data from Google, the FBI Crime Data Explorer and Security.org. The SafeWise study used FBI data, a third-party safety survey and its own survey data to calculate metro area porch thefts.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
It's been nearly four months since one Texas congresswoman has cast a vote.

U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, has missed votes in Congress and has been "having some dementia issues late in the year," her son told The Dallas Morning News. Granger, 81, last cast a vote on the morning of July 24.

Kay Granger's son Brandon Granger, 52, opened up to the Morning News about his mother's health.

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The congresswoman now resides in a Fort Worth senior living facility called Tradition Senior Living. There are two locations on the same property, but Brandon Granger confirmed it is not the memory care facility, as some media outlets have reported. Granger said his mother is staying in the independent living facility to be around other seniors.

"Theres nothing wrong with someone wanting to live in a community with other folks their age," he told the Morning News. "Shes in a building with a lot of other folks her age that are super active that she really loves. She has exercise classes; she gets to be around people all the time; its wonderful for her for this point in life."

The Dallas Morning News obtained a statement from Granger's office, thanking the public for its concern. The congresswoman said that, beginning in early September, regular travel to Washington has been "both difficult and unpredictable" due to her health issues.

As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year, the statement said.

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Granger also said she successfully traveled to Washington in November to hold meetings and oversee her office's closure. She also attended the unveiling of her portrait in the House Appropriations Committee chamber. Granger was the first Republican woman and the fourth Texan to chair the committee.

After entering office in 2023, her term will end Jan. 3. She announced her plans to retire in November 2023.

"Its time for the next generation to step up and take the mantle and be a strong and fierce representative for the people," Granger said in her retirement announcement. "Although I am not running for re-election, I plan to serve out the remainder of my term and work with our new Speaker and my colleagues to advance our conservative agenda and finish the job I was elected to do."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: US Rep Kay Granger in senior living facility, hasn't voted since July
(NewsNation)  U.S. Rep Kay Granger, R-Texas, has been residing at a senior living facility, and a family member says she has been experiencing some dementia issues, according to media reports.

Kay Granger announced last November she would not seek re-election, and in March of this year she resigned from the House Appropriations Committee. However, she has been missing votes in Washington, D.C. since the summer. Her roll call vote page shows her last vote being on July 24.

Her son, Brandon Granger, told the Dallas Morning News that his mother is at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth. While the Dallas Express was first to report that she was living such a facility, Brandon Granger pushed back on the outlets assertion that she is in memory care.

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What is the Project Blue Beam drone conspiracy theory?

Tradition does have a memory care community, but Kay Granger is in the independent living facility, her son said.

Tradition, when asked for comment by NewsNation, stated it does not release the names of our residents.

Brandon Granger said the representative did this because she wanted to be in a more active community with other older people.

Shes in a building with a lot of other folks her age that are super active that she really loves, Brandon Granger told the Dallas Morning News. She has exercise classes, she gets to be around people all the time. Its wonderful for her for this point in life.

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However, he did also say to the Dallas Morning News that Kay Granger started having some dementia issues late in the year.

Drones over New Jersey: Mystery continues month after first sightings

In a statement to NewsNation partner The Hill, she acknowledged that since early September, health issues have made travel to Washington, D.C. both difficult and unpredictable.

As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year, Kay Granger said in the statement. In November, I was able to return to DC to hold meetings on behalf of my constituents, express my gratitude to my staff, and oversee the closure of my Washington office. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the city of Fort Worth  as a city council member, as mayor, and as a Member of Congress.

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Granger became the first Republican woman from Texas elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. Before that, she served for five years as Fort Worths first female mayor.

Social media users have criticized the representative, and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of Philadelphia said on X that her long absence reveals the problem with a Congress that rewards seniority and relationships more than merit and ideas. Granger has not voted on the House floor since July and missed last weeks vote on the spending bill needed to avoid a government shutdown.

Granger wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson in March that her goal was to work as an educator over her final nine months in Congress.

She said he would remain as the Chair Emeritus of the House Appropriations Committee.

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We need term limits, Khanna wrote. We need to get big money out of politics so a new generation of Americans can run and serve.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.
A Texas woman was arrested after she allegedly tied up a 7-year-old, locking the child inside a dog cage next to a Christmas tree for multiple hours without access to food or water, according to authorities.

Police say that while the young child was locked in the dog cage, constrained by zip ties, the woman kicked her and duct taped her mouth shut, according to court documents viewed by PEOPLE. The documents also allege the child urinated on herself because she was left without access to a bathroom for several consecutive hours.

The suspect, 55-year-old Rose Anderson of Houston, appeared before the Harris County Magistrate on Sunday, Dec. 22, where she was charged with injury to a child and unlawful restraint.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

The womans bond was set at $10,000, court documents indicate.

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The woman is currently being held at Baker Street Jail in Houston, according to court records. She is set to next appear in court on Jan. 6.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



Read the original article on People
WESTPORT, Conn. (WTNH)  A victim whose Bentley was stolen while running in their Westport driveway may have been followed home, according to police.

CSP: Men placed skimmers on Connecticut ATMs

The 2020 Bentley was taken from the driveway on Sunday and tracked to Elmhurst, New York, where it was recovered. New York police have arrested two people who were in a different stolen vehicle, according to Westport police. Those suspects have not been named.

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Westport police think the victim was followed due to the price of the vehicle.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  It has been three years since the tragic passing of a CMPD officer, mother, and wife of a firefighter who was struck and killed while responding to a scene just days before the Christmas holiday.

Around 3:40 a.m. on Dec. 22, 2021, Officer Mia Goodwin just returned from maternity leave when she was struck and killed by a passing tractor-trailer while responding to another crash on Interstate 85 in Charlotte. Three other officers were injured during the incident.

Pain is very deep: Man pleads guilty to charges in CMPD officers death

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Goodwin was a six-year veteran of CMPD and part of the 172nd Recruit Class. She is originally from New Jersey and a graduate of High Point University.

A bridge along W.T. Harris Boulevard over I-85 was dedicated in honor of Goodwin in 2023. Goodwin was the first fallen female officer in the departments history.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  For more than 15 years, the Jump family has run the Tamale House, their small Mexican restaurant in Tigard. For many, tamales on Christmas is a tradition, and a tradition that is good for business. The Tamale House has a long list of orders for the holiday.

Recently, owner Tony Jump told KOIN 6 News, they bought a trailer to put all our stuff in because obviously we dont have a big restaurant.

But when they came in to the restaurant around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Jump said he noticed our trailer was gone.

Surveillance footage captures a trailer being stolen from outside the Tamale House in Tigard on Dec. 22, 2024. (Courtesy: Magdalena Jump)

Surveillance video from around 3 a.m. shows two people walking around the trailer. Then a truck pulls up to the trailer, hitches it up and drives off.

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Large water main break floods Southwest Portland street, prompts traffic closures

Somebody drove up, Jump said. Took a while because it wasnt easy. And they were able to drive away.

He said there were thousands of dollars worth of product and materials inside the trailer.

Tony Jump, the owner of the Tamale House in Tigard, December 22, 2024 (KOIN)

Lard is up to, like, $70, $80 a box. We had a lot of those masa, up to like $35 (each). We had at least 30 bags in there, so we had a lot of masa, he said.

These necessary supplies are low in the area right now because of the holiday. So the Jump family is driving all over the state to replace the goods.

So we had to use the money to go buy all the stuff and we still cant find everything, Jump said. So tomorrow morning, gotta get up early. And I gotta go everywhere in the world looking for stuff and pray to God somebody has it.

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There were also several personal items in the trailer.

My wife is very sad, he told KOIN 6 News. Im a little stronger. But let me tell you, Ill cry on cue if I have to. I was, like, trying to hold it back.

Known open drug use spots lead to 13 arrests in Portland

Tigard police confirmed theyre investigating the theft.

Tony Jump and his family are dealing with this loss as they simultaneously try to fill the holiday orders and keep their business running.

Tamales are prepared at the Tamale House in Tigard, December 22, 2024 (KOIN)

Its like breaking into your house. Its going to happen. Its the same thing, you know? It just happens to be a restaurant, he said. This, hopefully, everybody will understand if we cant get to somebodys order. But right now, were just going to do the best we can.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
TikTok creator Charles Smith is facing felony charges for allegedly spraying bug killer on grocery store produce in a now-deleted video.

The 27-year-old online prankster, also known as Wolfie Khahletti to his followers, was taken into custody on December 21, days after allegedly dowsing Walmarts fresh food in Hot Shot Ultra Bed Bug & Flea Killer in Mesa, Arizona. He was arrested and charged with a class 6 felony (introducing poison) and two misdemeanors (criminal damage and endangerment).

According to the Mesa Police Department, Smith traveled to a Walmart on South Stapley Drive on December 19 around 8:30 p.m.. There, he filmed himself grabbing a can of bug killer and spraying it on fruit, vegetables and cooked chicken. He didnt pay for the chemical spray or the contaminated food estimated to have a total value of $931, per court documents obtained by The Independent.

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Once he left, he began to see comments online saying how horrible the act was, and he decided to return and collect the items, the police statement claims.

Speaking to Arizona Republic the day before charges were filed, Smith said the fresh food was thrown away right after, and no one was poisoned in the process.

The defendant then returned about 10 minutes after he sprayed the items and attempted to collect the items he had sprayed, placed them in a shopping cart, and wheeled them back to the rear of the store, to try and prevent people from taking the contaminated items, police said.

Charles Smith, 27, was charged with introducing poison, criminal damage, and endangerment on December 21 (TikTok/@wolfiekahletti)

Through investigative means, and with assistance from the Tempe Police Department, detectives were able to identify Smith as the suspect, Mesas Detective Richard Encinas added. Mesa Police contacted Smith and he turned himself in voluntarily. During the interview, Smith admitted to the theft and spraying of the pesticide.

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In a statement to People magazine, Walmart assured customers that the Mesa store has since cleared out the contaminated food and cleaned the entire store.

The health and safety of our customers and associates is always a top priority. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers as we work to resolve this issue, Walmart stated. We will continue to work closely with law enforcement during their investigation.

According to the court documents, Smith stated he does these types of pranks as a troll for social media.

The defendant admitted he can earn between 6 to 10 thousand dollars a month for doing acts like these and posting them on social media, it continued.

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His recent pranks have included him locking customers inside a 7-Eleven store by wrapping the door handles with a bungee cord, filling a strangers dryer full of clothes with raw bacon and eggs, and walking into a fast-food restaurants kitchen to submerge a pumpkin in their frying oil.

Though Smith has amassed over 345,000 followers on TikTok, his comments section is typically filled with disapproving people. Several individuals have written, This one is too far or Bro, this is wrong. And the Mesa Police Department agrees.

This incident underscores the potential dangers of reckless actions disguised as social media pranks, Mesa Police Department added.

Smith has yet to comment publicly on his arrest.
Tinley Park officials will consider plans next month for a retail shopping center that would include a grocery store, AutoNation car dealership and Gas N Wash gas station.

The village needs to annex property now in unincorporated Will County for the project, which is partially on a site once considered by Lincoln-Way High School District 210 for a school, and had over the years been proposed as as site for retailers including Walmart and more recently a Woodmans Food Market.

Brookside Creek would be built southwest of Harlem Avenue and 191st Street, directly south of the Brookside Marketplace shopping center. It would be to the north and east of the Brookside Glen subdivision.

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A coffee shop with a drive-through window is planned along with a McDonalds, according to the village.

Items including site plan approval, special use permit and annexation will be considered by the Village Board at 6 p.m. Jan. 7 at Village Hall, 16250 S. Oak Park Ave.

The overall site is more than 72 acres, and 55 acres on the west side that is in Will County would need to be annexed to Tinley Park.

Gas N Wash would be on an outlot closest to 191st, according to plans submitted to the village. The Tinley Park Plan Commission recommended approval Dec. 5.

A grocery store would anchor the development but hasnt been identified, official said. Lots would be developed individually, and all seven developable lots are under contract to tenants including Gas N Wash and AutoNation.

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Gas N Wash has several locations in the Chicago area, including in Tinley Park and Mokena.

In Tinley Park, it recently opened a location at the northeast corner of La Grange Road and 183rd Street, and also has stores at 7451 183rd St. and 19420 Harlem Ave. Gas N Wash also has a location in Mokena at the northwest corner of 191st and 88th Avenue.

AutoNation, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, sells both used and new vehicles. In October, it reported third-quarter revenue of $6.6 billion.

The property owner, GSP Development, applied to annex to the village in July.

Under the annexation agreement, Tinley Park would foot the bill to install a four-way intersection with stoplights at Market Place Drive, which is west of Harlem and east of 76th Avenue.

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The village would also pay for widening 191st to add turn lanes.

The Brookside Creek development doesnt include the hard corner of Harlem and 191st, which is owned by Webster Property Group.

The property was zoned and approved in 2016 for a nearly 20,000-square-foot retail center, although plans never advanced.

The property owner indicated the site is under contract with Quick Trip for a gas station and convenience store.

In December 1996, Lincoln-Way acquired the parcel where Brookside Creek is planned for $2.9 million with plans to put Lincoln-Way North there.

In early 2022, Tinley Park paid $1.5 million to District 210 for the property, which in the past had been eyed for large-scale commercial development.

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In a sale approved by Tinley Parks Village Board in April 2022, GSP Development paid the village $1.7 million for the land where Brookside Creek is planned.

An 2020 appraisal of the property for District 210, by Chicago-based Appraisal Associates, noted 23 of the 72 acres of the site are considered developable, and estimated the market value for the 72 acres at $1.55 million.

The firm noted that the future development potential of the site is negatively impacted by a pipeline easement, flood plan and stormwater requirements.

The firm also noted not all 23 acres that are considered developable are contiguous.

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In plans under review by Tinley Park, GSP has said that about 22 acres of the site will be built on.

The retail development would be about 400 feet from the closest homes in Brookside Glen, and the company is proposing landscape buffers to screen buildings from the subdivision.

The sale to GSP was the latest in a long line of transactions for the property, directly south of the Brookside Marketplace shopping center.

District 210, in June 2017, approved a sale agreement with the Wisconsin-based retailer to sell the property for about $4.6 million, which planned a 240,000-square-foot store as well as ancillary uses such as a gas station and car wash.

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In May 2018, however, the company walked away from the purchase after determining the site couldnt yield the developable property it needed.

Anticipating a major boost in enrollment due to housing development, Lincoln-Way acquired the parcel for $2.9 million with plans to put Lincoln-Way North there.

After residents objected to having a school on the busy commercial intersection, North was built at 199th and Harlem. The school was closed at the end of the 2015-16 school year.
By Jesus Aguado

MADRID (Reuters) -BBVA said on Monday that Mexico's competition authority had given its approval for the Spanish bank to take indirect control of Sabadell's Mexican businesses.

BBVA had already secured clearance from the European Central Bank and authorities in several countries where its smaller Spanish bid target Sabadell has a presence, including Britain, the United States, France, Portugal and Morocco.

Spain's second-largest bank makes around half of its overall profit in Mexico, where it said the competition authority concluded that the deal "would have low probability of impacting the competition process and free economic activity".

Combining the two lenders would create a bank with more than 1 trillion euros ($1.04 trillion) in total assets and mark the latest consolidation move in Spain's banking industry.

BBVA is working on concessions after Spain's competition watchdog said that its Sabadell bid, initially valued at 12.28 billion euros ($13 billion), must undergo a longer review.

Shares in BBVA have fallen around 15% since it announced its offer on April 29, now valuing it at around 10.25 billion euros.

The acquisition, which the Spanish government opposes, also requires authorisation from Spain's stock market supervisor.

Sabadell rejected the all-share offer in May, prompting BBVA to go hostile in a second attempt to buy the country's fourth-largest lender, after a failed 2020 bid.

($1 = 0.9615 euros)

(Reporting by Jesus Aguado; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Alexander Smith)
Tom Hanks has sparked fresh health concerns among fans following his appearance on Saturday Night Live over the weekend.

The Academy Award-winning actor, 68, appeared on the show to support host Martin Short alongside stars Scarlett Johansson, Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Wiig and John Mulaney.

But soon after coming out during the shows Five-Timers Club segment, fans were quick to spot the Forrest Gump actors shaking hands.

Tom Hanks has sparked fresh health concerns among fans following his appearance on Saturday Night Live over the weekend. YouTube/Saturday Night Live

Viewers rushed to social media to raise concerns about Hanks health, with one fan writing, Is Tom Hanks hand shaking?

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Another added, I also noticed it!!! And now I am concerned, while a third wrote, Is Tom Hanks ok?

He was on The Graham Norton Show a while back and I noticed it there too, another fan wrote, while a fifth jumped to the actors defense, writing, Considering hes almost 70! Yeah older people hands tends to shake a little.

The Post has reached out to Hanks reps for comment.

Its not the first time the actors trembling hands have sparked fan concerns on social media.

The Academy Award-winning actor (left), 68, appeared on the show alongside several stars, including Paul Rudd. YouTube/Saturday Night Live

In June 2022, a video showing Hanks hands shaking onstage during the Australian premiere of Elvis went viral on social media.

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In the video footage, the Hollywood stars hands were seen trembling as he appeared to struggle to keep a steady hold on a microphone.

Hanks  who went public with his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2013  moved the mike back and forth between his shaking hands before attempting to hold the device with both hands as he spoke to the audience.

Fans were quick to spot the Forrest Gump actors shaking hands. YouTube/Saturday Night Live

However, fans flocked to social media at the time to shut down speculation about the actors health.

Hes still one of the best actors left  his health is his business, one fan wrote on X.

Another fan added that the stars unsteady hands could likely be due to his diabetes and shouldnt be cause for alarm.

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Hes diabetic. This happens to my mom when she gets low blood sugar, they wrote.

Hanks went public with his diabetes diagnosis during an interview on the Late Show With David Letterman back in 2013.

I went to the doctor and he said, You know those high blood sugar numbers youve been dealing with since you were 36? Hanks said at the time. Well, you graduated! Youve got Type 2 diabetes, young man.

The actor previously sparked health concerns after fans noticed his trembling hands in 2022. Getty Images

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In a later interview with the Radio Times, Hanks said he was a total idiot about his self-care prior to the diagnosis.

Im part of the lazy American generation that has blindly kept dancing through the party and now finds ourselves with a malady, he said. I was heavy. Youve seen me in movies, you know what I looked like. I was a total idiot. I thought I could avoid it by removing the buns from my cheeseburgers.
Tom Hanks worried some fans after he appeared a bit shaky during his recent Saturday Night Live appearance.

The 68-year-old Forrest Gump star and five-time SNL host made a surprise cameo during the latest episode of NBCs hit sketch comedy series to celebrate the holidays as well as Martin Shorts fifth time hosting the show.

Joined by other five-time hosts, including Emma Stone, Scarlett Johansson, Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, John Mulaney and Alec Baldwin  whos hosted the show a jaw-dropping 17 times  the group threw an induction ceremony for Short.

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During the cold open sketch, SNL cast member Bowen Yang brought out a tray of cocktails. As Hanks picks up one of the drinks to hand to Short, whos standing beside Fey, he quips: May I offer you our signature cocktail, the Marty Tina.

While holding the drink, Hanks hand appears visibly shaky.

Numerous people pointed out his trembles on social media, with one tweeting: Did anyone notice Tom Hanks hands shaking unnaturally in this sketch?

A second on Threads added: I also noticed it!!! And now I am concerned.

Tom Hanks was just on SNL and he looked ROUGH and I noticed his hands now have the same shake that Bill Clinton has acquired, a third wrote.

Tom Hanks appeared shaky while handing Martin Short a drink on SNL (NBC)

Former President Bill Clinton, 78, whos for years had a hand tremor, previously denied having Parkinsons disease, saying in 2013 that his little tremor was just a sign of aging.

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The Independent has contacted Hankss representative for comment.

Elsewhere during the SNL sketch, the hosts went in a circle to boldly make false claims about themselves, with Hanks chiming in to add that hes never had Covid.

In 2020, the Saving Private Ryan actor and his wife Rita Wilson both tested positive for Covid while they were in Australia where Hanks was filming Baz Luhrmanns Elvis.

Hanks, who was hospitalized with the virus, said at the time that he had bad body aches and was very fatigued, and he was exhausted after just 12 minutes of exercise.

I was wiped, he said on The National Defense Radio Show. Whoever it was, a doctor or nurse, would come into our air-pressurized isolation rooms. She said, How are you feeling? and I said, I just had the weirdest thing. I just tried to do basic stretches and exercises on the floor and I couldnt even get halfway through.

And she looked at me through her glasses like she was talking to the dumbest human being. And she said, You have Covid-19.
The Pennsylvania House chamber. (Capital-Star photo by Peter Hall)

In their second year controlling the Pennsylvania House of Representatives after more than a decade as the minority party, Democratic lawmakers had some success.

That included tackling maternal morbidity among women of color, finally banning texting while driving and shifting the states energy economy toward renewable sources.

Get on the Momnibus

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The Black Maternal Health Caucus built on a $2.3 million investment in the 2023-2024 state budget by advancing policies to address alarming disparities in maternal morbidity among women of color.

In a package of legislative proposals dubbed the Pennsylvania Momnibus, members of the caucus sought to expand insurance coverage to support expectant and new mothers. Two bills made it to Gov. Josh Shapiros desk and became law to require Medicaid coverage for doula services and expand care and screening for postpartum depression.

Paul Millers law

Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks with Eileen Miller on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, after signing a distracted driving law Miller championed. Millers son Paul Miller Jr., died in 2010 when a distracted tractor trailer driver crossed a highway median in Monroe County and slammed into his car. Eileen Millers husband Paul Miller Sr. is in the background. (Commonwealth Media Services photo)

Nearly 12 years after a grieving mother approached her state representative with a plea to ban texting while driving, Shapiro signed Paul Miller Jr.s law, which makes it a primary offense for motorists to use handheld electronic devices while driving.

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The law, which is the 29th such measure in the nation, also requires state police and municipal police in towns of 5,000 people or more to gather data on the race, ethnicity, gender and age of a driver and other details during a traffic stop.

Blue-Green progress

Labor unions and environmentalists seemingly have opposing interests in the energy economy. But a group of state House lawmakers set out to prove that doesnt have to be the case.

The Pennsylvania House Blue-Green Caucus launched its agenda in April with an 11-bill package that had the support of the Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council. Ultimately, the only bill to become law was a grant program for public schools to install solar energy arrays using federal money, but the effort marked an improvement in labor support for environmental legislation.

Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council President Robert Bair speaks at a news conference where lawmakers in the House Blue-Green Caucus announced a legislative agenda. (Capital-Star photo by Peter Hall)

Special elections

House Democrats hung on to their one-seat majority through four special elections in 2024. Although the stakes remained the same, this years crop of mid-session elections were less nail-biters with all four falling into safe Democratic or Republican districts.

Kevin Boyle

A state representatives struggle with mental illness blew up into a Democratic Party scandal this spring as Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasners office issued and then retracted a warrant for Rep. Kevin Boyles arrest.

Rep. Kevin Boyle (Commonwealth Media Service)

Boyles issues reemerged publicly in February when video circulated on social media showing him drunkenly threatening to have a suburban Philadelphia tavern closed after he was asked to leave. Two months later, Philadelphia police announced Boyle was wanted for violating a restraining order obtained by his ex-wife but later admitted the restraining order had not been in effect and that an arrest warrant was issued in error.

In the meantime, Philadelphia Democrats quickly recruited a primary challenger to prevent Boyle from seeking reelection. The situation raised questions about House voting rules that allow lawmakers to designate their votes when absent and prompted House Republicans to call for another investigation of Krasner.
20 years after the Indian Ocean tsunami, a boy found in the mud embraces being known as 'Baby 81'

KURUKKAL MADAM, Sri Lanka (AP)  Pulled from the mud as an infant after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, and reunited with his parents following an emotional court battle, the boy once known as Baby 81 is now a 20-year-old dreaming of higher education. Jayarasa Abilash's story symbolized that of the families torn apart by one of the worst natural calamities in modern history, but it also offered hope. More than 35,000 people in Sri Lanka were killed, with others missing. The 2-month-old baby was washed away by the tsunami in eastern Sri Lanka and found some distance from home by rescuers.
Pecking Order

Donald Trump is starting to sound markedly testy about people insinuating that his "First Buddy" Elon Musk is the real one running the show.

During an appearance on Sunday at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, the Republican president-elect mocked the idea that he's "ceded the presidency" to Musk as just the latest "hoax" that his opponents are trying to smear him with.

"No, he's not taking the presidency," Trump told his audience of supporters.

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Moments later, he doubled down with a smug-sounding jab at Musk about his birthplace  with perhaps a little too much zest.

"No, he's not going to be president, that I can tell you," Trump repeated. "And I'm safe. You know why he can't be? He wasn't born in this country," he added, giggling.

Twitter Tantrum

It's true that Musk, having been born in South Africa, is disqualified from literally heading up the Oval Office. But Trump's comments do little to convince critics that the world's richest man, who donated over $200 million to get Trump elected, isn't the one calling the shots from behind the scenes. They only demonstrate that the "President Musk" jokes are living in his head.

And the critics have a point. Musk made one of his most blatant displays of power last Wednesday when he essentially commanded Republicans to kill a bipartisan spending bill that would prevent a government shutdown.

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While Trump was probably still in bed, Musk was up at 4:00 am lambasting the funding resolution on his website X-formerly-Twitter, posting over one hundred times within the day. Any Republican that didn't oppose the bill, Musk threatened to unseat with his own candidate.

It worked. Even before Trump belatedly issued his decree in the afternoon to finish the bill off, its support had already crumbled. And there was Musk triumphantly straddling the ruins, declaring the battle won.

Opti-Musk Prime

Trump has since claimed that he told Musk to publicly put pressure on the bill. Even if that's true, his fellow Republicans are crediting Musk's leadership for the victory, Axios reports.

"It's kind of interesting, we have a president, we have a vice president, we have a speaker," observed Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) in an interview Sunday on CBS News, per Axios. "It feels like Elon Musk is our prime minister."

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Meanwhile, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) even floated the idea of making Musk Speaker of the House.

"Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk," Paul posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.

More on Trump: Elon Musk Bullies Congress Into Cutting Funding for Child Cancer Research
Boston police advised the public of a water main break that occurred Sunday night.

According to authorities, a water main broke on High and Oliver Streets in Bostons Financial District.

Because of the water main break, High Street is closed between Pearl and Oliver Street.

It will almost certainly freeze over due to the recent arctic breeze that Massachusetts has been experiencing, especially with an upcoming snowstorm on Tuesday.

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Boston police are advising people to find an alternate commute, as traffic conditions will be impacted.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Conn. (WTNH)  Whether youre traveling by car, train or plane, getting there hasnt been easy. Highways, trains and airports have been full of people trying to reach their final destination.

AAA says about 90% of Americans are driving to their destination this week.

At Bradley International Airport on Monday morning, the lines are moving and flights are on time.

AAA expects air travel to set a new record this year with almost 8 million passengers flying nationwide, about 300-thousand people more than last year.

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Families at Tweed New Haven Airport were waiting in long security lines on Sunday. AAA expects air travel to set a new record this year with almost 8 million passengers flying nationwide, about 300-thousand people more than last year.

I love flying but this is crazy, said Ruth Meoli from Guilford. Everybody wants to get some place and this is overwhelming.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day, minimal traffic is expected those days but if youre not traveling those days, we recommend leaving as early as possible because were expecting a lot of congestion in the afternoon and evening hours, said Lauren Fabrizi, a AAA spokesperson.

Gifts of Love provides for Connecticut families in crisis

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At a rest stop in Branford on Sunday, Abhi and his son took a break from the long trip to Massachusetts.

Generally, 95 driving north is always full of back-to-back all the way until we enter Massachusetts, he said.

Samantha Scoco and Eduardo Rodriguez were on their way home from a holiday weekend in New York City.

At first getting out from New York, it was a little tight, but we made it, said Rodriguez.

At Union Station in New Haven on Sunday, people traveling by rail said the trains were more crowded than usual.

Always budget more time than you expected, said Julia Cerio, who lives in New York City. It took me 30 minutes to travel less than a mile from my apartment to Grand Central so give yourself the extra time.

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I love flying but this is crazy, said Ruth Meoli from Guilford. Everybody wants to get someplace and this is overwhelming.

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Strictly winner Chris McCausland has called on people to treat those with disabilities in the same way that he treats different types of mince pies  without discrimination.

The blind comedian will deliver Channel 4s Alternative Christmas Message this year, which is occasionally aired at the same time as the monarchs official address.

In his speech, McCausland will reference his Strictly win and say that disabled people are some of the most resilient, creative and determined people you will ever likely meet.

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The comic will begin by apologising to viewers for being caught with a mouthful of mince pie, before using his love for the festive treat as a metaphor for equality.

I dont care if theyre the posh ones or the cheap ones, I dont care if theyre the big ones or those tiny little dinky ones, whether its got a solid top or a lattice crown, he will say.

I will never discriminate against any sort of mince pie, all of them are equal to me and will no doubt meet the same undignified end as I try and fit it all in my mouth in one go.

He will add: Discrimination is never a good thing. Well, I mean, sometimes I suppose. Many, many years ago  before I got into comedy  I applied to be a spy for MI5.

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I got down to the last 30 out of 3,000 applicants. The top 1 per cent of potential spies that this country had to offer before they decided no, a blind spy wasnt what they were looking for, but you know, I think they had a point.

I think sometimes discrimination can be vital for the safety of the nation, but usually, we can do better.

Chris McCausaland became the first blind winner of Strictly Come Dancing after he lifted the glitterball with partner Dianne Buswell - Guy Levy/BBC

According to the Government, the disability employment rate in the UK was 53 per cent in the second quarter of 2024, compared to 81.6 per cent for non-disabled people.

In reference to these figures, McCausland will say: Is that discrimination? Well, I would argue it is, so lets try and fix it, eh? I think the Government can commit to something better than what they already do.

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Access To Work is a vital Government service that provides workplace support and access technology to disabled people.

It is wonderful that it exists, but I believe its under-resourced.

Ive heard too many stories of disabled people securing employment, to then only have to wait far too long to obtain the support that they need.

Delays to service strip away our confidence

McCausland will also argue that the waiting time for Access To Work, a Government support scheme that helps people with health conditions into employment, needs to be shorter.

Delays to this service strip away our confidence, our dignity, and our purpose in the workplace and I think, probably, also risk an employers desire to recruit anybody else in the future who may require adjustments, he explains.

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Disabled people are often some of the most resilient, creative and determined people you will ever likely meet.

We have to be in daily life and that makes us valuable people to have on the team. We can even win national dance competitions, just saying.

McCausland will add that disability is everywhere, before saying: There are only really two types of people in this world. Those of us that are disabled, and those of us that arent disabled... yet.

Raising a toast, he will then say Merry Christmas and ask viewers to treat everyone equally, the way I do my minced pies.

First airing in 1993, the channels annual broadcast has served as an alternative to the monarchs televised Christmas address and aims to bring viewers a message about the years events.

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The message has been delivered by a varied selection of presenters in previous years, including Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, Stephen Fry, the actor and TV presenter, Edward Snowden, the whistleblower, John Bercow, the former speaker of the House of Commons, and Danny Dyer, the actor.

In 2022, one of the worlds most advanced robots delivered a speech entirely generated by AI.

McCauslands Alternative Christmas Message will air on Channel 4 at 4.50pm on Christmas Day.

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PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ)  After an announcement that President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, a Pennsylvania man will still face execution.

Robert Bowers, of Baldwin, was charged in June of last year after storming a Pittsburgh synagogue and killing 11 congregants in an act of antisemitic terror, according to the Associated Press. The shooting happened in Oct. 2018 at the Tree of Life synagogue, marked as the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.

Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates

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Jurors decided that Bowers, 50 at the time of sentencing, should be sentenced to death for his crimes. He was convicted of all 63 criminal counts he faced, including hate crimes and obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death.

Bowers was noted to rage against Jews online and at the synagogue, according to AP. He had posted antisemitic and white supremacist content multiple times on a social media platform that is notably popular with the far right. Bowers also praised Hitler and the Holocaust, telling police that all these Jews need to die.

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While Biden commuted most of the sentences of those on federal death row, Bowers was just among two other men who will still be facing death. Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are the others still on death row.

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HARTINGTON, Neb. (KCAU)  A woman charged with murder as part of a 2022 quadruple homicide case in Laurel, Nebraska, has had her trial moved from Cedar County.

According to a Friday court order, the trial for Carrie Jones will be moved to Madison County. This comes after Jones lawyer filed a motion to change venues. The judge said there is no question that the potential jury pool will be affected in this case due to the charges, the size of the community, and the publicity of the case. The judge added that the fact that Jason Jones trial recently with significant publicity also played a part.

In determining to move the case to Madison County, the judge considered distance, a larger population, and that Madison County has multiple courtrooms, so other business would be minimally interrupted.

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The order also revealed that the trial is expected to last three weeks and happen sometime during the summer months of June or July 2025.

Carrie Jones husband, Jason Jones, is accused of killing four people at two homes in Laurel on Aug. 4, 2022, and then setting fire to the homes. The victims were identified as Michele Ebeling, 53, Gene Twiford, 86, Janet Twiford, 85, and Dana Twiford, 55. He was found guilty on four counts of first-degree murder on Sept. 26.

Carrie Jones herself was charged with the murder of one of the victims, along with tampering with physical evidence and accessory to a felony. She pleaded not guilty in May 2023.

On Dec. 13., Carry and Jason Jones were ordered to pay $1 million in a lawsuit for the wrongful death of one of the murder victims after the judge issued a default judgement.

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A pretrial conference for Carrie Jones is scheduled for March 24, 2025.

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Since 2015, Mexico-based technology startups have attracted almost $10 billion in venture capital backing. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Cross-border trade helping Mexico narrow gaps in technology; Investment firm acquires 2.3M-square-feet of logistics space in Houston; CJ Logistics America leases 1M-square-foot facility near Dallas; and Texas car hauler acquires three logistics firms.

Cross-border trade helping Mexico narrow gaps in technology

While Mexico continues to grow as a critical hub in global supply chains, more technological investments need to be made for the country to unlock its full trade potential, said Fernando Correa, CEO and cofounder of Cargobot.

Correa believes that by addressing technology challenges between shippers, trucking companies and logistics professionals, Mexico could be well-positioned for even more trade growth in 2025.

Mexico is currently the top U.S. trade partner, with cross-border commerce totaling $798 billion in 2023. This year, U.S.-Mexico trade is on pace to surpass 2023, with trade totaling $706.9 billion from January through October.

From my perspective, Mexico is very key for the future of the next three, four years in shipping, because we have a lot of traffic, Correa told FreightWaves in an interview. We need to attend to that traffic. We have to organize the traffic. Because in between Mexico and the U.S., were moving 13,000 shipments every day.

Founded in 2016, Miami-based Cargobot is an international freight technology firm that connects shippers and carriers via its platform for managing truckload, less-than-truckload and partial truckload freight across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Cargobot recently released Planimatik, a planning tool aimed at simplifying onboarding carriers and streamlining day-to-day logistics operations for shippers. The software also includes tools to connect shippers with customs brokers.

I think technology is facilitating the way that you can verify the profile of the carrier, Correa said. The carriers are all different. You want to have a reliable network of carriers. But the truth is, the ease that you can move your shipment in Mexico is a little more complicated than we have in the United States. You believe in the network of the carrier in the United States. In Mexico, it is more complicated because you need to verify the network of carriers for security reasons and technology is facilitating this.



From my perspective, Mexico is very key for the future of the next three, four years in shipping, because we have a lot of traffic, Fernando Correa, CEO and cofounder of Miami-based Cargobot. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)



Since 2015, Mexico-based technology startups have attracted almost $10 billion in venture capital backing, according to research and communication firm Quanticos 2024 Venture Capital Report for Mexico.
Dec. 23Two men were arrested Friday in Troy after a long-term drug trafficking investigation.

Crews seized fentanyl, methamphetamine and marijuana during the raid in the 900 block of Garfield Avenue, said Miami County Sheriff Dave Duchak.

Investigators serving a search warrant also found several baggies containing suspected narcotics that were prepackaged for sale, he said.

Jonathan I. Reineke, 34, of Troy and Jonathan R. Rivers, 38, of Piqua were arrested and taken into custody.

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Reineke's arrest warrant was for a probation violation from a previous drug offense, while River's arrest warrant was for non-support of dependents.

"Detectives will be conferring with the Miami County Prosecutor's Office reference trafficking in narcotics charges," Duchak said. "The investigation is ongoing."

Miami County Children's Services also responded because two children, ages 1 and 12, were at the house. They were taken to a family member's residence.

Both men remain in custody at the Miami County Jail.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP)  First it was Canada, then the Panama Canal. Now, Donald Trump again wants Greenland.

The president-elect is renewing unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U.S. to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allied countries with which he's picking fights even before taking office on Jan. 20.

In a Sunday announcement naming his ambassador to Denmark, Trump wrote that, For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."

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Trump again having designs on Greenland comes after the president-elect suggested over the weekend that the U.S. could retake control of the Panama Canal if something isn't done to ease rising shipping costs required for using the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

He's also been suggesting that Canada become the 51st U.S. state and referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as governor of the Great State of Canada.

Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, said Trump tweaking friendly countries harkens back to an aggressive style he used during his days in business.

You ask something unreasonable and its more likely you can get something less unreasonable, said Farnsworth, who is also author of the book Presidential Communication and Character.

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Greenland, the worlds largest island, sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. It is 80% covered by an ice sheet and is home to a large U.S. military base. It gained home rule from Denmark in 1979 and its head of government, Mute Bourup Egede, suggested that Trumps latest calls for U.S. control would be as meaningless as those made in his first term.

Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale, he said in a statement. We must not lose our years-long fight for freedom.

The Danish Prime Ministers Office said in its own statement that the government is looking forward to welcoming the new American ambassador. And the Government is looking forward to working with the new administration.

In a complex security political situation as the one we currently experience, transatlantic cooperation is crucial, the statement said. It noted that it had no comment on Greenland except for it not being for sale, but open for cooperation.

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Trump canceled a 2019 visit to Denmark after his offer to buy Greenland was rejected by Copenhagen, and ultimately came to nothing.

He also suggested Sunday that the U.S. is getting ripped off at the Panama Canal.

If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question, he said.

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino responded in a video that every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to, but Trump fired back on his social media site, Well see about that!

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The president-elect also posted a picture of a U.S. flag planted in the canal zone under the phrase, Welcome to the United States Canal!

The United States built the canal in the early 1900s but relinquished control to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.

The canal depends on reservoirs that were hit by 2023 droughts that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships, administrators also increased the fees that shippers are charged to reserve slots to use the canal.

The Greenland and Panama flareups followed Trump recently posting that Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State" and offering an image of himself superimposed on a mountaintop surveying surrounding territory next to a Canadian flag.

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Trudeau suggested that Trump was joking about annexing his country, but the pair met recently at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida to discuss Trump's threats to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods.

Canada is not going to become part of the United States, but Trumps comments are more about leveraging what he says to get concessions from Canada by putting Canada off balance, particularly given the precarious current political environment in Canada, Farnsworth said. Maybe claim a win on trade concessions, a tighter border or other things.

He said the situation is similar with Greenland.

What Trump wants is a win," Farnsworth said. "And even if the American flag doesnt raise over Greenland, Europeans may be more willing to say yes to something else because of the pressure.

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Associated Press writers Gary Fields in Washington and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
President-elect Trump on Sunday night revealed several new nominees for senior Pentagon roles, including his pick for the Defense Departments No. 2 civilian.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said he was naming a slate of America First Patriots to work with his Defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth, including investor Stephen Feinberg as the next deputy secretary of defense.

Feinberg would help Make the Pentagon Great Again, Trump wrote, adding that the extremely successful businessman graduated from Princeton University before founding investment firm Cerberus Capital Management in 1992.

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A billionaire who supported Trumps presidential campaign, Feinberg currently serves as co-CEO of Cerberus. During Trumps first term, he served as head of the Presidents Intelligence Advisory Board, which provides the commander-in-chief with independent advice on effectiveness of the intelligence community.

The chief job of the deputy secretary is to be in charge of day-to-day business, managing the Pentagon budget and working with the defense industry on programs and innovation.

Feinbergs nomination is expected to face scrutiny on Capitol Hill for his lack of experience in running one of Washingtons largest agencies  which oversees some 3 million military and civilian personnel  as well as conflict of interest questions due to Cerberuss investment in defense firms working on hypersonic missiles.

Over several more Truth Social posts on Sunday, Trump named Elbridge Bridge Colby as his pick for undersecretary for policy, Michael Duffey for undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, Emil Michael as undersecretary for research and engineering, Keith Bass as assistant secretary for health affairs, and Joe Kasper as chief of staff for the secretary of Defense.

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Trump called Colby, who served as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for strategy and force development in his last administration, a highly respected advocate for our America First foreign and defense policy.

Bridge will work closely with my outstanding Secretary of Defense Nominee, Pete Hegseth, to restore our Military power, and achieve my policy of PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, Trump said, noting that Colby graduated from Harvard University and Yale Law School.

Elbridge is most notable for being a lead architect of the 2018 National Defense Strategy, a document that called for far more emphasis on deterring and defeating China. He also has been vocal in pressing Taiwan to spend more on its defenses.

Duffey, meanwhile, served in the Office of Management and Budget in Trumps first term and was at the center of the effort to freeze $250 million in military aid for Ukraine after Trump over the phone pressured President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the family of President Biden. Duffey asked the Pentagon to hold off on the aid after the call, which led to Trumps first impeachment.

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Mike will drive change at the Pentagon and, as a staunch proponent of an America First approach to our National Defense, will work to revitalize our Defense Industrial Base, and rebuild our Military, Trump said of Duffey.

Michael, a former executive at the ride-sharing company Uber, helped the business raise billions of dollars from investors but faced scandal in 2014 after he reportedly supported hiring opposition researchers meant to target journalists who wrote articles critical of the company.

He eventually left Uber in 2017, after reports emerged that he visited an escort business in South Korea while on a business trip.

Trump said Michael would ensure that our Military has the most technologically sophisticated weapons in the World, while saving A LOT of money for our Taxpayers, noting he was a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School.

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And Bass, a retired Navy commander up for assistant secretary for health affairs, will ensure our Troops are healthy, and receiving the best Medical Care possible, Trump said.

Trump pointed to Basss more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, including work with the medical departments of the DOD, CIA, and the White House.

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Jennifer Meyers, a 29-year-old business owner from Scottsdale, cried in sadness when Republican Donald Trump won in 2016 but has since switched from Democrat to Republican.

She loved the camaraderie and energy of the pro-Trump celebration called AmericaFest in downtown Phoenix, which she attended all four days, she said.

"I felt guilty about it (supporting Trump) at first," Meyers said. "It's a journey. I'm not saying this is where I'll be for the rest of my life. Right now, the energy feels right for me."

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Meyers, who owns an energy bar business, said she has friends who live in their cars and friends who are millionaires who support Trump. "He's blunt and honest and we're sick of career politicians," she said.

Part of the reason she attended AmericaFest, put on by the groups Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action, was to "check my vote" and she found everyone "full of happiness."

Jeremy Payne, 45, a Montana resident, also was among the thousands in attendance on Sunday, the day President-elect Trump addressed the gathering.

"This event has been a little bit of a culture shock, in a good way. People are so nice and friendly," he said. "I find it refreshing to be with like-minded conservatives and I'm very grateful to the Lord God Almighty."

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Jimmie Guy, 23, a Glendale resident who works in industrial irrigation, wore a red sweatshirt that said "Make America Godly Again." He attended with his two brothers, Caleb and Braden.

Jimmie said the highlight was seeing Trump in person.

"He's so willing to connect with people on their level," Jimmie said of Trump. "He's not trying to talk over your head so that you miss something."

Jimmie Guy (center), a 23-year-old Glendale resident, attended AmericaFest 2024 with his brothers Caleb (left) and Braden (right)

Retiree Jeanne Smith of Walkertown, North Carolina, attended with her husband, Frank. Their son lives in Phoenix with their two grandchildren. She wore one of the $5 red Make America Great Again caps with a hairpiece on top resembling Trump's hair that was being sold at the event

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"Trump has given up everything. He could have a wonderful life. He doesn't have to be doing this," Smith said. "Trump I think more and more is a man of faith. I don't know where his energy comes from."

Here are what some of the other AmericaFest attendees told The Arizona Republic:

Roxanne Bellows is a 60-year-old resident of Dallas who works in the construction industry. "The highlight was to be around all of these people," Bellows said of AmericaFest. "It's like everybody can breathe now."

Julie Harden is a precinct committee person in Casa Grande and an emergency department registered nurse.

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Closing the border is one of the most important issues for her because, she said, treating undocumented people makes the emergency room too full for others. Wait times are long, she said.

We take care of five and six and 12 ICE patients. We take care of prisoners that come directly from the prison. We see a lot of folks using resources for free," she said. "And then our small community hospital is backed by a larger corporation but at some point, there is a drain on the system.

Hadassah Patel is a 42-year-old speech-language pathologist from Denver. She is not a U.S. citizen, so therefore does not vote but shes very excited about the Trump movement.

Patel migrated to the U.S. in 2009 from Canada and said she had been "brainwashed" into socialism.

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In 2020, she met people who were doing underground work for Trump and she ultimately determined the Republican Party is most closely adhering to the principles of God and being able to uphold the true Constitution, which is based on biblical values. She believes Trump brings an element of "moral and ethical practice" through his leadership.

Thats what our country has been missing, most recently is a real adherence to true moral and ethical values," she said. "I think Trump really has his heart and his mind and his hands, and the work of his hands, and his walk in the right place that provides us with the leadership that says we want to do whats right and we want to be able to contribute to whats right and heres the opportunity to do that."

Rachel McGill, 38, is from Surprise. Being there live was just amazing," McGill said. He said so many things. One of the things that resonated with me the most was the border and making sure that it is shut down. Making sure it is secure and locked."

McGill said she was a Democrat for a long time.

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More: Why more Arizona Democrats are switching parties than Republicans

More registered Democrats in Arizona dropped their party affiliation than Republicans over the past four years.

Although both parties lost people, Republicans recovered by attracting new voters and people previously registered Democratic or affiliated with no party or third parties. Democrats did not.

Though most people who left the party went nonpartisan, about 37,000 voters who were registered Democrats at the end of Donald Trump's presidency are now registered Republicans. About 19,000 former Republicans became Democrats in the same time frame, according to an analysis by The Arizona Republic.

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"After Obama, I was like no. It was all this brainwashing," said McGill, who is Black. "Like 'Hey this is the first black man to actually come into the White House. Vote for him, vote for him, vote for him.' That was really the basis of my vote."

She didn't point to any specific things that disappointed her about Obama but said there were "all these lies. Things they said they would do that they didn't do."

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump supporters find community, connection with AmericaFest attendees
Whether Elon Musk is the real president, merely the prime minister or just Donald Trumps multibillionaire enforcer, hes carving out an unprecedented role that could raise conflicts of interest for the new administration.

The dust is still settling following the Tesla and SpaceX pioneers role last week in sabotaging a year-end House spending package, which was eventually replaced by a smaller stopgap law to keep the government open until March.

Republican lawmakers on Sunday raced to praise and defend the X owner  perhaps not surprisingly since the richest man in the world has threatened to finance primary challenges to members of Congress who defy Trumps orders.

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Thank God Elon Musk bought Twitter, because thats the only way wed even know whats in this bill, Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty told CNNs Dana Bash on State of the Union. The comment might seem strange since lawmakers ought not to need a social media network to be able to read a bill before they vote. But Hagerty also revealed Musks hold on the GOP base when he said that every one of our offices was inundated with calls from our constituents after the billionaires complaints that the bill was full of bloated spending.

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, meanwhile, described the incoming dynamic in Washington. We have a president. We have a vice president. We have a speaker. And it feels  as if Elon Musk is our prime minister, he said on CBS Face the Nation.

Democrats see opening to finally go on offense

Democrats are trying to tweak Trumps vanity, mockingly suggesting that even after winning a second term, he is still not as powerful as the South Africa-born tech mogul whom he put in charge of slashing the size of government once the president-elect takes office.

Delaware Sen. Chris Coons conjured up a scenario on State of the Union of Musk doubling the chaos that characterized Trumps first term. This is a predictor of whats likely to happen. Were not just going to have President-elect Trump as a billionaire rage-tweeting at 4 a.m. Were going to have Elon Musk also injecting instability into how we tackle very complicated and important issues for our country, he said.

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Coons comments came after multiple Democrats spoke of President Musk as the country wobbled on the brink of a government shutdown last week.

On Wednesday morning, Elon Musk proved that he is the real leader of the Republican Party, because over the course of about four or five or six hours, he tweeted nonstop against the deal that had been negotiated and agreed to by all sides, Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania told CNNs Jessica Dean on Saturday.

The gambit, a welcome opening for a party that struggled to fashion a convincing message in the election and that has been flailing ever since, seems to have worked, as Trump brought up the issue himself Sunday.

No, hes not taking the presidency, Trump told conservative activists at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix. The president-elect insisted he liked having smart people around and accused his opponents of launching a new kick after he suggested they tried to delegitimize his first term over Russia, Russia, Russia. Trump added: No, hes not going to be president, that I can tell you. And Im safe, you know why? He cant be  he wasnt born in this country.

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Trumps comments suggested at the very least that the constant coverage of Musks role has caught his eye and that he resents the idea that his new best friend is the power behind the throne. They will also stoke fresh speculation over how long the president-elect, who doesnt normally like to share any spotlight, will tolerate Musks soaring profile  even if both men have huge incentives to continue a friendship that has seen the tech pioneer almost constantly at Trumps side at Mar-a-Lago since the election.

A visionary who is turning his vast power toward politics

Musks innovation has revolutionized the e-commerce, electric vehicle and space industries and is leading the US push to put humans on Mars. Hes seen as a hero to many Americans. And his increasingly right-wing, populist political views and capacity to mobilize people behind him since he bought X have made him a talisman for grassroots Trump voters who believe government has failed them.

Technically, theres no doubt who has the most power. Trump will be sworn in as president on January 20 and will command the worlds most powerful military and a vast arsenal of nuclear weapons. He will also be bolstered by a Supreme Court ruling arising from one of his legal cases that expanded the scope of executive authority. Musk, the co-chair of Trumps new Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, likely wont have any real power outside the new presidents continued patronage.

Owing to his extraordinary wealth, the megaphone granted by ownership of one of the biggest social media networks, as well as vast international interests, global companies and contacts, Musk is an example of a rare kind of non-state power. He has the capacity to influence governments, elections, economies and even the conduct of wars. He could therefore be an asset to Trump and America if he works in the national interest.

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But Musks presence at the center of the US government also raises the possibility of staggering potential conflicts of interest, especially since his firms benefit from billions of dollars in government contracts. Musk will be in a position to streamline regulations at DOGE to directly benefit his own businesses. And hell be wielding vast unelected power far beyond the reach of almost every other American after bankrolling Trumps campaign to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.

And perhaps more than any other recent president, Trump seems susceptible to the magnetism of someone as accomplished and charismatic as Musk, and to the status symbol of having the worlds richest man as a subordinate in his court.

How Musk humiliated the House speaker

Musks power was on display last week when he crushed House Speaker Mike Johnsons initial stopgap spending bill with a blizzard of posts on X  which got out ahead of the president-elect, prompting questions about whether he was freelancing.

Trump later caught up by forcefully coming out against the bill himself and demanding the governments borrowing authority be raised before President Joe Biden leaves office. His piling on raised speculation over whether the president-elect was trying to go further than Musk to highlight his own authority. Regardless, Musks initial defenestration of the spending bill and the way he immediately was able to exert power over Johnson, who is in the constitutional line of succession behind only the vice president, was extraordinary.

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Sen. Markwayne Mullin insisted in an interview with CNNs Kaitlan Collins on Friday that Musk was working closely with the president-elect. You saw Elon and President Trump working together as a team. I promise you, they were visiting the whole time, the Oklahoma Republican said. Elon was taking one task that President Trump wanted. And President Trump was taking the other task.

Still, Musks prominent role might open another line of attack for Democrats  especially if Musk and his DOGE co-chair, Vivek Ramaswamy, a former GOP presidential candidate, start recommending the culling of programs relied on by working Americas, whom Trump vowed during the campaign to help. There is already a thematic disconnect between the president-elects bond with blue-collar workers and his choice of a Cabinet packed with millionaires and billionaires who are all likely to disproportionately benefit from the huge tax reductions hell propose next year.

There will also be complications over Musks role and potential conflicts over foreign policy. The Tesla owner is active in almost every country in the world and plenty of global hotspots. His Starlink internet service, for instance, is vital to Ukraines war effort following Russias illegal invasion over two years ago. Trump has vowed to quickly end the war when he takes office and on Sunday hinted at the possibility of early talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As Trump manages US relations with other nations, he may come up against a backlash from Musks attempts to shape politics around the world. His new friend has, for example, criticized the new British government of Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer. And last week he endorsed Germanys far-right party as the country struggles through a political crisis. Only the AfD can save Germany, Musk wrote on X on Friday. Its one thing for him to express his free speech rights as an individual. But given Musks proximity to Trump and the quasi-official role he will play in the incoming administration, his comments could cause confusion about US policy and the views of the new president.

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Then there is the risk of ethical conflict between Musks domestic political activity and his international ventures. Last week, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, wrote a letter to congressional leaders claiming Musk had worked to derail a provision in the original funding bill that would screen investments in China, suggesting he was protecting his Tesla plant in Shanghai. Musk responded to DeLauros criticism of his role in the government shutdown drama by calling for the Connecticut lawmaker to be expelled from Congress.

Musks growing prominence is fueling debate over how long Trump will tolerate what often seems to be the brightest star in his orbit. Any schism between the pair could be painful for both since the spaceflight visionary has substantial interest in prolonging his US government contracts. And Trump might worry about fueling a backlash from a friend-turned-foe who controls X.

But former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie  who was once friendly with Trump before being elbowed out of his inner circle  predicted that Musks status as the president-elects right-hand man wont last.

When you initially begin in that role, you have enormous influence, Christie said on ABC News This Week on Sunday. And he loves having you around and he loves listening to you, and youre the best thing in the world. It will always decline. And thats what happens. And youll see it. It will happen with Elon Musk too.

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For years, Donald Trump used television and tabloids to build his personal brand. He leveraged Twitter to propel his run to the White House and, for his first four years in office, to maintain the countrys attention. But he won a second term by taking his message straight to podcasts and online influencers  and for much of his transition, hes simply iced the press out.

Last week showed that for all the ways that Trumps approach to the media has evolved, some of the old rules still apply.

With Washington suddenly up in arms over the sudden prospect of a government shutdown, the president-elect called four journalists, all from major news networks. Speaking to reporters from NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox News  on the record  in a single morning would not have been considered unusual given Trumps obsessive focus on media coverage that characterized his first term.

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The Thursday talk-a-thon showed that, while an emboldened Trump may be more determined than ever to punish more independent members of the press in this second term, he still needs the mainstream media, at least when hes under pressure.



He wants to impose his will, and the election has led some in the media to recognize that their being so anti-Trump is hurting them more than it is him, said one person in the president-elects orbit who was granted anonymity to speak freely. But there are going to be times where he decides he needs to get a message out and that the traditional press offer a good way to do that.

The spate of TV interviews was something of an aberration for this transition, during which the president-elect has mostly remained in the sunny seclusion of his Palm Beach club, largely ignoring the rotating cast of reporters flying in to cover him. The sudden outreach was driven by Trumps need to make clear that he, not Elon Musk, was the one who blew up a spending compromise.

Eight years ago, Trump paraded Cabinet hopefuls before a pool of press gathered outside his home. This time around, his staff have yet to sanction an official transition press pool, leaving the reporters taking part in an unofficial version organized by the White House Correspondents Association with little to do or report after arriving in West Palm Beach.

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The organization is treading lightly, continuing quiet negotiations with Trumps team and avoiding public criticism, according to three people familiar with the discussions. Thats a shift from 2016, when its then-president, Jeff Mason of Reuters, blasted the president-elect for ditching the protective pool and taking Mitt Romney, then a contender to be secretary of State, to dinner.

It is unacceptable for the next president of the United States to travel without a regular pool to record his movements and inform the public about his whereabouts, Mason said in a statement at the time.

Back then, Trump mostly adhered to the agreement, hammered out between WHCA and a communications team overseen by former RNC officials. But since winning the presidency for the second time, Trump and a team of dyed-in-the-wool loyalists havent given an inch to the press corps. Beyond the matter of not agreeing to the long-standing protocol and allowing a small pool of reporters to shadow the president and president-elect at all times, some of Trumps aides have pushed to go further, suggesting, among other things, a reorganization of the briefing room seating chart to benefit more Trump-friendly correspondents, according to two people familiar with internal conversations.

There are a lot of normies on the press team who will deal with us, but there are also a few folks who see everything as a fight, said one veteran Trump reporter who was granted anonymity to describe their interactions with the transition. And you dont always know which side is in charge.

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Unlike eight years ago, there are scant signs of mainstream media outlets girding for battle, no clear audience of determined resistance to capitalize on.

It feels like the people who were up in arms about Trump eight years ago are just worn out, said one veteran White House reporter who was granted anonymity to describe the fatigue inside their newsroom. Stories that have new, vivid details that we can work all day long to get arent landing like they used to. Everyone is used to the Trump chaos after almost a decade of this, and a lot of people seem to be deciding theyre just not going to let the news dominate their day-to-day lives.

If anything, many power brokers in the industry appear to be moving in the opposite direction, preemptively and publicly demonstrating an eagerness to work with the returning president and atoning for past sins by parroting his critiques or, in ABCs case, paying to resolve a lingering legal dispute.

Nearly two weeks ago, the network agreed to pay Trump $15 million to resolve a lawsuit charging that anchor George Stephanopoulos libeled Trump by saying on air that hed been found guilty of rape.

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Two of Trumps most prominent and vehement critics, Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, met with the president-elect in Florida just days after the election in hopes of engineering something of a reset.

Patrick Soon-Shiong, the publisher of the Los Angeles Times, killed the newspapers planned October endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris by the editorial board, most of which has since resigned. He has made a show of adding Scott Jennings, a prominent Trump defender, to what he says will be a more fair and balanced board and touted a plan to include a bias meter on political stories.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post who similarly prevented his paper from endorsing in the presidential race, gave $1 million to Trumps inauguration fund and dined with him and Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago last week.

EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND! Trump wrote on social media following the meeting.

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Given their other business interests, Soon-Shiong and Bezos are hardly the first billionaire entrepreneurs seeking to curry favor with a president-elect. But their outreach has cost them with readers, as both the Times and Post have seen hundreds of thousands of subscriptions canceled by readers angry to learn about their interference on Trumps behalf. That said, both men have indicated that they want to regain the trust of more right-leaning voters whove lost faith in traditional media.

Jay Rosen, a professor of journalism at New York University, says most of these actions seem driven by the same thing: fear.

I'm not inside newsrooms, but I can feel it, Rosen said. From getting kicked out of the White House entirely, to fears of violence against journalists as a hate object. From having the tools of government turned against you, to getting sued for doing what used to be your job. There's all the ways big media companies can be harrassed by the state, and the effect these have on newsrooms as the bosses try to play it safe.

Several journalists experienced retribution during Trumps first term, including CNNs Jim Acosta and Brian Karem, who covered the White House for Playboy, both of whom had their hard passes revoked after tough exchanges with the president (courts ordered the passes restored in both cases). Some correspondents anticipate even more of that in a second term, and more lawsuits, which, however frivolous, could cost cash-strapped news organizations to significantly fight.

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Earlier this month, Trump sued The Des Moines Register for running a poll by Ann Selzer over the final weekend of the election that showed him trailing Harris by three points in Iowa.

At a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump said he had no choice but to sue. We have to straighten out the press, he said.

The comments, of course, were made to a room full of reporters and photographers, who were able to ask the president-elect questions on a number of topics. Any irony in that gets at the larger paradox of a media-obsessed politician who has made a career of attacking the press in public while courting them in private, calling reporters on the phone and frequently inviting them into the Oval Office or the executive cabin aboard Air Force One for long off the record conversations.

That paradox still holds.

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He believes he is owed positive coverage and has endured so much coverage that has been critical, said the person in Trumps orbit. So he will do what he has to do to bend coverage his way. But he still cares about it a lot.

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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Dec. 22 said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to hold a meeting with him "as soon as possible."

Trump delivered the remarks to conservative activisits at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, where he celebrated his victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election.

"President Putin said that he wants to meet with me as soon as possible," Trump claimed.

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"So we have to wait for this. But we need to end that horrible, horrible war."

Trump emphasized the heavy military losses incurred in the war and repeated his claims that Russia would not have launched the full-scale invasion if he had been president in 2022.

"Millions of soldiers have died," he said.

"We've got to stop it, it's ridiculous. That war would have never happened if I was president."

Earlier this week, Putin on Dec. 19 said that he was prepared to meet with Trump at "any time" to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

Trump will take office on Jan 20, 2025. His return to the White House is expected to mark a significant shift in U.S. policy on Ukraine, with a focus on pressuring Kyiv to make a deal with Moscow.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump on Dec. 7 in Paris, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, in the leaders' first in-person meeting since the election. Zelensky reported that he praised Trump during the meeting, telling him he was the only one Putin feared.

Following the meeting with Zelensky, Trump said the Ukrainian president appeared ready "to make a deal and stop the madness" and that Putin should do the same after incurring staggering losses in Ukraine.

Trump has nominated retired general Keith Kellogg as his special Ukrainian peace envoy, tasked with leading negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. Kellogg is expected to visit Ukraine before Trump's inauguration.

Kellogg previously co-authored a peace plan that would freeze the front line in Ukraine, take NATO's accession off the table for an extended period, and partially lift sanctions imposed on Russia. The plan would also cut off military aid to Ukraine unless Kyiv agreed to enter negotiations.

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The Financial Times reported on Dec. 20 that despite these proposals, Trump intends to continue sending U.S. weapons to Ukraine when he becomes president.

Read also: Putin says full-scale invasion of Ukraine should have been earlier, expresses willingness to meet Trump

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Donald Trump today told a crowd of supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, that he plans to stop the transgender lunacy once he returns to the White House. Trump spoke at the Turning Point Action event at AmericaFest 2024, which also featured Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, Matt Gaetz and Sen. Ted Cruz.

With the stroke of my pen on day one, were going to stop the transgender lunacy, Trump said. And I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high schools.

And we will keep men out of womens sports, he continued. And that will likewise be done on day one. Should I do day one, day two, or day three? How about day one, right?

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Under the Trump administration, it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female. Doesnt sound too complicated, does it? Trump concluded.

On Wednesday the Senate passed a defense spending bill that included a ban on coverage of gender-affirming care for the transgender children of military members. Over 20 Democratic senators attempted to override the language that would ban Tricare from covering medical treatment for military dependents under the age of 18 who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

Far-right Republicans have repeatedly bashed gender-affirming care as radical woke ideology. In 2022, Columbia Universitys Department of Psychiatry published a report by Kareen M. Matouk and Melinda Wald that noted gender-affirming care greatly improves the mental health and overall well-being of gender diverse, transgender, and nonbinary children and adolescents.

According to The Trevor Projects 2020 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, 54 percent of young people who identified as transgender or nonbinary reported having seriously considered suicide in the last year, and 29 percent have made an attempt to end their lives. In contrast, numerous research studies have found that gender-affirming care leads to improved mental health among TGNB youth, the authors of the report also shared.

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Trump also promised to take immediate steps to end migrant crime and repeated his threat to take over the Panama Canal. The latter prompted Panamas President Jose Raul Mulino to write in part on X, As President, I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone is Panamas and will continue to be so. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.

Trump additionally promised, I will end the war in Ukraine. I will stop the chaos in the Middle East, and I will prevent, I promise, World War III and that the United States will enter a golden age.

The President-elect said that mass deportation is still a key part of how his administration will handle immigration. On Dec. 8, he told Meet. the Press host Kristen Welker of the plan, I think you have to do it and its a hard  its a very tough thing to do. But you have to have rules, regulations, laws. They came in illegally.

He added that were going to make it very easy for people to come in in terms of they have to pass the test. They have to be able to tell you what the Statue of Liberty is. They have to tell you a little bit about our country. They have to love our country. They cant come out of prisons.

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Before someone can become a naturalized citizen of the United States they are already required to take a naturalization test. The test evaluates an applicants English language proficiency and their knowledge of U.S. history and government.

You can watch Trumps entire speech in the video above.



The post Trump Says He Will Stop the Transgender Lunacy His First Day in Office | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Donald Trump has, again, floated the notion that Greenland should be controlled by the United States. Greenland is a territory of Denmark, which is unlikely to just give it away. It is not clear whether Trump is serious. He has trolled the leaders of Canada and Panama with various threats in recent days.

The prime minister of Greenland has unsurprisingly rejected President-elect Donald Trumps statement late last night that the countrya Danish territorybe controlled by the U.S.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.

In an apparent response, the prime minister of Greenland said on Facebook this morning, Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. Two members of the Danish parliament that represent Greenland also said the island is not for sale, according to the Sermitsiaq newspaper.

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There has not yet been an official response from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. She previously opposed Trump's overtures for owning Greenland in 2019, and Trump cancelled a visit to Denmark in response.

Greenland is of strategic importance to Denmark, Europe, and the U.S. because of its access to the Arctic and, because of global warming, the increasing ease of shipping around its coast.

Trump has trolled several world leaders recently. He said in early December that Canada should be a U.S. state with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as its governor.

Trump also demanded on Saturday the return of the Panama Canal, which he believes charges excessive fees for U.S. shipping. This complete rip-off of our Country will immediately stop, he wrote on Truth Social. Panama President Jose Raul Mulino responded, The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.

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The demand for Greenland came in a statement officially appointing Ken Howery as U.S. ambassador to Denmark. Howery was a cofounder of PayPal and later served as U.S. ambassador to Sweden in the first Trump administration.

Trump's press team declined comment when contacted by Fortune.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
(Bloomberg) -- Chinese automakers captured their smallest share of Europes electric-vehicle market in eight months, after new tariffs added as much as 35% to the cost of importing cars to the region.

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Manufacturers such as BYD Co. and SAIC Motor Corp.s MG accounted for 7.4% of EV registrations across Europe in November, down from 8.2% in October, according to automotive researcher Dataforce. Thats the lowest level since March.

The European Union imposed the added tariffs at the end of October, after an investigation found that state aid had provided Chinas EV industry with an unfair advantage. Months of talks failed to resolve the trade dispute, leading Brussels to tack the new fees onto an existing 10% import duty.

While all EVs produced in China are subject to the tariffs, including ones made by Western brands like BMW AG and Tesla Inc., the amounts vary depending on how much support an automaker received and whether it cooperated with the EUs probe.

MGs state-owned parent SAIC was hit hardest, with tariffs that now total 45%. Long the top-selling Chinese carmaker in Europe, the once-British sportscar brand has faltered recently, logging a 58% drop in registrations last month from a year earlier, based on data provided by Jato Dynamics, another research firm.

Amid MGs retreat, BYD has pressed ahead, with registrations across Europe more than doubling in November to 4,796 vehicles.

BYD is taking over the market while MG is taking major setbacks, said Julian Litzinger, an analyst with Dataforce. BYDs growth is healthy, he added, with nearly 80% of its registrations attributed to private and fleet customers.

Chinese carmakers, eager to expand to major global markets, have hit resistance in Europe after being effectively shut out from the US. The countrys worldwide EV exports fell 19% in November from a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data released on Monday, including a 23% drop to the EU.

Lower battery costs have given Chinese firms a price advantage, but the issue has stirred protectionist impulses as officials in the US and EU work to shield local automakers. The industry, which employs hundreds of thousands of workers in Germany, France and Italy, is struggling with the transition away from combustion-powered cars.

While the EU tariffs have blunted Chinas push in the region, their introduction generally led to a smaller-than-expected setback, Litzinger said.
The News

US President-elect Donald Trump apparently plans to pull the country out of the World Health Organization on day one.

Health experts told the Financial Times that they had been warned by members of Trumps transition team of the decision, adding that a withdrawal would have catastrophic impacts on global health.

The US is the WHOs biggest backer, providing 16% of its funds. But Trump has long been a skeptic: He began withdrawing the country during his first administration, saying it had done too little to slow the spread of COVID-19, although the process was unfinished.

Trumps planned appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary suggests that his contrarian attitude to mainstream health and science positions remains.
President-elect Donald Trump said he has not ceded the presidency to billionaire Elon Musk, calling that accusation a hoax.

No, hes not taking the presidency, Trump said Sunday at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

You know, theyre on a new kick, Trump continued. All the different hoaxes. The new one is that President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. No, no, thats not happening.

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He added that Musk couldnt even be president because he wasnt born in America; he was born in South Africa.

Musks relationship with Trump has become a concern after Trump tapped Musk to co-lead the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency, an effort to cut federal spending. Musks role has drawn complaints considering his companies  like Tesla, tunnel construction services company Boring Co., and rocket-launcher SpaceX  are federally regulated. Musk also helped stop the bipartisan budget proposal this week by constantly posting about it on X, the social media platform he owns, formerly known as Twitter.

Musks involvement in the government has led Democrats to suggest that Musk is Trumps shadow president.

We need to face the reality: Right now, we have President Elon Musk, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said Friday on MSNBC. And Donald Trump, maybe hes vice president. I guess vice presidents dont do much, so that makes sense. He might be the chief of staff.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during Turning Point's annual AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday. JOSH EDELSON via Getty Images

Along with addressing the President Musk accusations at the conservative conference in Phoenix, Trump also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to meet with him as soon as possible, and Trump wants to end the war between Russia and Ukraine quickly.

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Trump also defended Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leading the Health and Human Services. He said he would let Kennedy look for links between vaccines and autism, an unfounded conspiracy theory that Kennedy has touted for years.

Together, were going to make America healthy again, Trump said. Something bad is happening.

Trump also said that he wanted to restore North Carolina Fort Libertys old name, Fort Bragg, named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg. The name was changed in 2023 to get rid of the Confederate meaning. Trump also said Mount Denali should be restored to its old name, Mount McKinley, named after President William McKinley.

Woke has to stop. Because along with everything else, its destroying our country. Were going to stop woke, Trump said. Woke is bullshit.

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On the topic of TikTok, Trump said he was open to keeping TikTok because the social media app allowed him to reach young voters.

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Donald Trump made clear on Sunday: Elon Musk may be the worlds richest man, but hes never going to be its most powerful politician.

No, hes not gonna be president, that I can tell you, the president-elect told a crowd in Arizona. And Im safe, you know why? He cant be, he wasnt born in this country.

Trump: [Elon Musk] is not going to be president. That I can tell you. Im safe. You know why? He cant be. He wasnt born in this country pic.twitter.com/YpgcGZ0jF4  Acyn (@Acyn) December 22, 2024

Trump added an explicit ha ha ha after his comment and raised his arms, which elicited applause from the conservative crowd at TPUSAs AmericaFest conference.

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That marked the first time Trump directly addressed Democrats latest attack line that Muskor, President Musk, as hes been nicknamedhas usurped Trumps power a month before inauguration day.

Elon Musk stands between Donald Trump and J.D. Vance inside a suite at last weekends Army-Navy game. / Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

Musks new moniker emerged this week after he took a hard-line stance against a stopgap government funding bill he felt had too wide of a scope. Musk made his opposition public hours before Trump followed suit, with a number of lawmakers pulling their support for the bill off of Musks threats alone.

The bill was killed entirely after Trump chimed in with the same criticisms as his billionaire buddy. The move threatened to shut the federal government down just days before Christmas, but the crisis was averted with the passing of a new budget on Friday.

The President Musk nickname has stuck, however, highlighting just how much sway Musk now holds in contemporary GOP politics.

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Democrats have since used Musks influence as a way to mock Trump, who is widely known to hate playing second fiddle.

Elon Musk was a regular fixture at major Donald Trump rallies on the home stretch of his 2024 campaign. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) pondered this week if Musk was kind of cosplaying co-president here, adding, I dont know why Trump doesnt just hand him the Oval Office.

Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) also declared that the leader of the GOP is Elon Musk.

While Musk is constitutionally barred from being president because he was born in South Africa, as Trump reminded everyone on Sunday, hes enjoyed an outsized role in the soon-to-be-presidents inner circle.

In recent months, hes been permitted to listen in on calls with foreign leaders and to jet around the country to events of all types alongside Trump.

 | Trump issues response to the idea he has "ceded the presidency to Elon Musk":



 "I'm safe, you know why? He wasn't born in this country." pic.twitter.com/80ITlFMUx5  VOZ (@Voz_US) December 22, 2024

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Musks rising political power culminated with Trumps decision to addressand partially dismisshis pals growing power on stage this weekend, albeit doing so after he showered Musk with praise for his contributions to him and the country.

We will create the new Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, Trump said to cheers on Sunday. And no, hes not taking the presidency...Theyre on a new kick, Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, all the different hoaxes. The new one is, President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. No, no, thats not happening.
(Bloomberg) -- President-elect Donald Trump suggested hes open to meeting Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine sparked by Russias 2022 invasion.

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The Russian president offered on Thursday to hold talks with Trump, saying, Ill be ready to meet if he wants. Speaking at his annual news conference, Putin said he doesnt know when theyll meet because Trump doesnt say anything about it and he hasnt spoken to the former and future president in more than four years.

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Trump cited the comment during a speech Sunday as part of his campaign pledge to end the fighting in Ukraine, which he said has claimed millions of soldiers lives.

President Putin said he wants to meet with me as soon as possible. So we have to wait for this, Trump told a conservative conference in Phoenix. But we have to end that war.

He didnt elaborate and didnt specifically commit to meeting Putin. Trump has downplayed the value of land seized by Russia, signaling he would be open to a deal that allows Russia to keep some seized land.

Trumps election victory in November has raised questions about the future of US military support for President Volodymyr Zelenskiys effort to defeat Russia and reclaim occupied Ukrainian lands. Last week, Trump said Zelenskiy should be prepared to make a deal.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday named Katie Miller, who served in Trump's first administration and is the wife of his incoming deputy chief of staff, as one of the first members of an advisory board to be led by billionaire allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy that aims to drastically slash government spending, federal regulations and the federal workforce.

Miller, wife of Trump's designated homeland security adviser Stephen Miller, will join Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an informal advisory body that Trump has said will enable his administration to "slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies."

"Katie Miller will soon be joining DOGE! She has been a loyal supporter of mine for many years, and will bring her professional experience to Government Efficiency," Trump posted in a message on his social media platform Truth Social.

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Musk and Ramaswamy recently revealed plans to wipe out scores of federal regulations crafted by what they say is an anti-democratic, unaccountable bureaucracy, but have yet to announce members of the DOGE team. Musk has said he wants to slash the number of federal agencies from over 400 to 99.

Katie Miller had served in the first Trump adminstration as deputy press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security and as press secretary for former Vice President Mike Pence.

She is currently a spokesperson for the transition team for Trump's designated Health and Human Services secretary, Robert Kennedy Jr.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Trump announced Michael Kratsios and Lynne Parker to key tech roles Sunday, bringing two veterans of his first administration to join other tech appointees working on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency.

Together, we will unleash scientific breakthroughs, ensure Americas technological dominance, and usher in a Golden Age of American Innovation! Trump wrote in a statement accompanying the appointments.

Who the appointments are: Kratsios will advise AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks as the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Kratsios previously served as Trumps chief technology officer and oversaw tech policy on the transition team, together with Gail Slater who will head antitrust at the Justice Department. Before that, Kratsios served as managing director of the Scale AI company.

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Parker will advise Kratsios as the executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology  a council Sacks will chair. Parker previously served as deputy CTO under Trump and as the founding director of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office.

Sriram Krishnan was named as OSTPs senior policy advisor for AI. He is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, and before that worked at Microsoft, X, Meta and Snap.

Trump named a second Andreessen Horowitz employee, managing partner Scott Kupor, as director of the Office of Personnel Management. Marc Andreessen has said he has spent a large part of his time at Mar-a-Lago since the election, according to the Honestly with Bari Weiss podcast.

The president-elect also announced a Crypto Council  officially called the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets  also chaired by Sacks. Bo Hines will serve as the councils executive director. Hines was backed by Trump in his unsuccessful run for a North Carolina congressional seat in 2022, losing to Wiley Nickel, a Democrat.
President-elect Donald Trump drew cheers from the crowd at AmericaFest in downtown Phoenix on Sunday when he spoke about a border crackdown, including a "historic slate of executive orders" that will surpass the scope of mass deportation efforts in the 1950s.

He pledged to seal the border and remove criminal elements who he says are smuggling drugs, fostering gang violence and endangering communities across the country.

"We will stop illegal immigration once and for all," Trump told the enthusiastic standing-room-only crowd gathered at the Phoenix Convention Center on Sunday morning. "We will not be occupied. We will not be overrun."

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Trump delivered his first rally-style speech since his election victory, closing the conservative AmericaFest conference 2024 in downtown Phoenix with a speech that lasted slightly more than an hour.

Returning to Arizona for the first time since his 2024 election win, Trump delivered a speech outlining his plans for when he takes office  including his administrations immigration and border enforcement policies.

Trump said Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025, will effectively launch a removal program for undocumented immigrants called "Operation Aurora," and referenced an Eisenhower-era deportation program that used military-style tactics to remove illegal immigrants and included raids on cities as far north as St. Louis, the Los Angeles Times reported.

We will begin the largest deportation operation in American history, larger even than that of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Trump said. We will get them out fast, and we have no choice.

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The last day of the conference featured speakers who largely focused on border and immigration enforcement, including Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, and Thomas Homan, Trumps pick for border czar.

Both speakers lambasted President Joe Biden and his administration for walking back Trump-era policies on the border.

Joe Biden is the first president in the history of this nation who came into office and unsecured a border on purpose: not by mismanagement, not by incompetence, Homan said. They unsecured a border by design.

'Border czar' to target sanctuary cities

Homan said "Shame on you" in reference to so-called sanctuary cities that don't cooperate with the federal government in enforcing immigration law and vowed to aggressively target sanctuary cities and localities that limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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"If I offend anyone, I don't care," Homan said of his border strategy.

He suggested that jurisdictions refusing to grant ICE jail access would see more at-large sweeps in neighborhoods and workplaces.

If you knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien from ICE, that is a felony, Homan said. Well find (them) in the community if local authorities wont grant us access to jails.

Homan singled out Chicago, criticizing Mayor Brandon Johnson for reaffirming the citys sanctuary stance, particularly its refusal to let local police serve as ICE agents in schools or workplaces.

The mayor of Chicago, not a real bright guy, says Tom Homan isnt welcome, he said. Well, guess where Tom Homan is going to be day one: Chicago, Illinois.

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Johnson appeared on CNN last week where he vowed to protect residents from federal overreach.

What the Trump administration has called for is for local police departments around the country to behave as ICE agents, the Chicago mayor said. In sanctuary cities, that is not permissible.

Sanctuary policies, upheld as lawful by courts, allow local governments to set their own level of cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

But as noted by the American Immigration Council, there is no one clear definition of what it means for a state or local government to adopt sanctuary policies.

Homan has said that more cooperation between federal and local law enforcement is needed to address violent crime and narcotics flow.

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Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals, Homan said in a February roundtable on Fox News.

A study published in 2020 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that "sanctuary policies  had no detectable effect on crime rates."

What I found is that sanctuary policies really do protect immigrants, and they also dont do any harm to public safety, Stanford University researcher David Hausman told the Stanford Immigration Policy Lab in 2020. In fact, the data show that sanctuary policies have no measurable effect on crime.

Trumps critique of Hobbs border policies

Branding Arizonas political leadership as ineffective, Trump singled out Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs for reportedly failing to prevent a surge of migrants from entering the U.S. He described Arizonas border management as a disaster and promised to straighten it out once in office.

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You have a governor that doesnt know what the hell shes doing, Trump said. Were going to change it because your border is a disaster.

Though he did not specify which aspects of Hobbs policy he opposed, Trump has repeatedly highlighted his intention to halt what he calls an "invasion" of migrants, accusing local and federal leaders of lax enforcement and inadequate deterrence.

Hobbs has insisted she is willing to collaborate with the incoming Trump administration to secure additional federal resources for the states border region while cautioning against misguided policies that harm residents.

Border security was a core issue of the Trump campaign. I look forward to having conversations with the incoming president about Arizonas needs  but I wont tolerate attacks on Arizona families, she said in November at a Nogales port of entry.

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Hobbs sent about 40 National Guard members to Nogales to assist CBP with traffic direction at secondary search lanes, dismantling vehicles with contraband at the Mariposa border crossing, and supporting rail operations at the Dennis DeConcini crossing a few miles east.

Though he lives in Montana, 45-year-old AmericaFest attendee Jeremy Payne said Trump and Homan's comments about the border resonated with him.

"I believe in having a strong and honorable border," Payne said. "Immigrants should honor their host country by abiding by our rules and laws. We love immigrants but we want them to be legal. We don't want them to break laws."

Payne said he wishes the mainstream media would be more precise about characterizing Trump's stance on the border, which is similar to a homeowner who wants visitors to respect their rules.

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Similarly, 23-year-old Jimmie Guy, a Glendale resident who works in industrial irrigation, said he works with a lot of people from Mexico who went through legal routes to be able to work in the U.S. Guy, who attended the event with his two brothers, said he doesn't think it's fair that people try to flout the law.

Dallas resident Roxanne Bellows, 60, said "it's despicable" what is happening on the border. "We are in danger," said Bellows, who works in the construction industry and is currently working in San Diego.

Marc Mahler, a 54-year-old Phoenix resident, said he agrees with Trump on the border, too. And he doesn't believe Hobbs has been effective on border issues.

"Other than the National Guard, she hasn't been very vocal," said Mahler, who works in the health industry. "She hasn't said anything substantive."

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Mahler is a U.S. citizen now but he is originally from Canada.

"I did all the things you are supposed to do," he said. "I am offended people are trying to jump the line. I have patriotism for this country and you should be vetted if you want to move here."

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Have any news tips or story ideas about the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona? Reach the reporter at rromeroruiz@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @raphaeldelag.

Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @stephanieinnes.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump and border czar promise major crackdown on illegal immigration
Donald Trump said he will reverse President Obamas decision to rename North Americas highest mountain.

The peak was officially known as Mount McKinley from 1917 until 2015, when then-President Barack Obama renamed it Denali, as the mountain was known by indigenous Alaskans.

Now Trump says he plans to revert the name to honor William McKinley, Americas 25th president.

They took his name off Mount McKinley, thats what they do to people, he said.

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McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president, the president-elect told supporters at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest in Phoenix on Sunday, adding that the statesman helped raise a vast amount of money to help pay for the Panama Canal and other projects.

Thats one of the reasons that we are going to bring back the name of Mount McKinley, because I think he deserves it.

There are lots of things we can name but I think he deserves it. Thats not very gracious for somebody who did a great job, he told the right-wing convention in a thinly-veiled swipe at Obama.

The U.S. Department of the Interior order signed by Obama to change the name to Denali noted that McKinley had never visited the mountain and had no significant historical connection to the mountain or to Alaska.

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The Republican Alaska senator, Lisa Murkowski, was quick to oppose Trumps proposal, posting a photo of the summit on X, formerly known as Twitter, and writing: There is only one name worthy of North Americas tallest mountain: Denali - the Great One.

There is only one name worthy of North Americas tallest mountain: Denali - the Great One.https://t.co/eT248xLxJC  Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) December 23, 2024

A gold prospector came up with the name originally in 1896 after hearing that McKinley had won the Republican presidential nomination and it was made official 21 years later.

The state of Alaska changed the name to Denaliwhich means the Great One in the native Kokuyon languagein 1975 and spent decades pressing the federal authorities to follow suit.

McKinley served as president from 1897 until his assassination in 1901.
JOSH EDELSON/Getty Images

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President-elect Donald Trump doubled down on anti-trans rhetoric during a lengthy speech on Sunday, declaring that it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.

AmericaFest is an annual event held by Turning Point USA, an organization for students in right-wing activism. Trump spoke at this years event in Phoenix, Arizona over the weekend, repeatedly lashing out at trans people while outlining his vision for his impending second term. As he put it to the crowd, we are going to end the transgender lunacy.

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Trump pledged to sign a series of executive orders targeting the trans community on the first day of his presidency. The President-elect launched into his two genders tangent after telling the AmericaFest crowd that he would sign an executive order to keep men out of womens sports. This gender binary rhetoric echoes Trumps 2023 pledge to implement a proposed bill that would make male and "female, as assigned at birth, the only legally recognized sexes in an attempt to effectively erase trans identity at the federal level.

He indicated that another one of these executive orders would fulfill one of his campaign trail promises, banning gender-affirming care for minors at the federal level. Trump falsely described gender-affirming care for trans youth as child sexual mutilation, language commonly used by the anti-trans Right. Meanwhile, the President-elect said that he would also sign executive orders to get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high schools.

How Viable Are Trumps Anti-LGBTQ\+ Threats? We Asked Legal Experts

Trump has vowed to end gender-affirming care for trans youth, ban trans kids from playing sports, and erase trans people from public life. Can he really do it?

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Trump is in fact planning an executive order that would lead to the removal of all trans members of the U.S. military. According to the outlet, there are about 15,000 active service personnel in the military who are trans. Under this order, they would be deemed unfit to serve and, according to sources who spoke to London-based outlet The Times, would be medically discharged from service.

Although its not totally clear how exactly Trump plans to get transgender out of schools, his previous comments about queer and trans rights in education offer some hints. When TIME magazine recently asked him whether he would repeal President Joe Bidens trans-inclusive changes to Title IX, which he previously committed to doing, Trump replied that he would look at it very closely. These comments could also be a reference to Trumps 2024 campaign platform, which included federal Dont Say Gay policies limiting LGBTQ+ discussions in schools.

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Originally Appeared on them.
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  President-elect Donald Trump is previewing whats to come in his second term at the White House.

He gave a robust speech over the weekend to young supporters at the Turning Point USA conference.

President- elect Trump is promising what he calls a common-sense revolution when he takes office next year.

He detailed an extensive of list of familiar priorities like rolling back federal regulations and leaning into culture war issues in the military and outlining his plans on transgender policy.

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Jan. 20 will truly be liberation day in America, said Trump.

President-elect Trump is counting down the days until he takes back the White House.

He pledged to enact a sweeping agenda starting at the southern border.

On my first day, I will sign a historic slate of executive orders to close our borderwe will begin the largest deportation operation in American history, said Trump.

He told the crowd he will make it official U.S. policy to have just two genders.

Get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high schools, said Trump.

He vowed to dismantle diversity equity and inclusion policies in the public and private sector.

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In America, we believe in the merit system, said Trump.

Democrats are gearing up for Trumps return to Washington.

I think were in for some really rough sailing, said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.).

Senator Chris Coons said Trump could have a difficult time getting his agenda through.

 Its going to be difficult for them to pass much of the President-elect Trumps ambitious agenda, on straight party line votes, said Coons.

Last week House Republicans, unable to unite behind a spending plan were forced to work with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. That comes even after Trump and Elon Musk publicly pressured House Republicans to ditch a bipartisan spending deal. The short-term plan keeps the government funded until March. Democrats expect a grueling inner party fight among Republicans when that deadline approaches.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
(Bloomberg) -- Mary Daly was a young economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco in the late 1990s when she helped then-Chair Alan Greenspan identify the last great surge in US productivity. Shes starting to think its happening again, driven this time by artificial intelligence.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Were seeing it everywhere, Daly, now president of the San Francisco Fed, said about companies putting AI to work, in an interview for Bloombergs Odd Lots podcast with Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway.

Its really about machine learning. Its about robotic processing, automation, just people, businesses doing things, she said. I dont think well see it in measured productivity right away, and you shouldnt expect to, but the impetus of change is there.

Measured productivity has actually jumped in the US in recent years, though economists havent agreed on what factors are contributing to that, or whether it will persist. But a long-run increase in productivity could have a significant benefit.

Productivity refers to the amount of labor  or labor plus capital  required to produce a good or service. Higher productivity means you can make more without working more. As such, its the crucial ingredient for raising overall living standards. But its also notoriously hard to measure.

As economist Robert Solow famously wrote in 1987, You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics.

In the late 1990s, as the information technology revolution began to alter businesses, Greenspan believed the same dynamic was at work, so he wanted economists to gather examples of how companies were applying technology on the ground. The results helped convince the Fed chair that productivity was, indeed, surging, a conclusion that helped guide monetary policy.

Sure enough, he turned out to be right, Daly said. Productivity was all over the place, and eventually when the data got revised and we got better at figuring out what was going on, we saw that we had a computer revolution. The same thing appears to be happening with AI.

Daly is trying to repeat the kind of research Greenspan sought a generation ago through the San Francisco Feds Emerging Tech Economic Research Network.

Were spending a lot of time with researchers, but were also spending a lot of time with CEOs and CIOs, and were asking them, what are you doing? Daly said. And it is astounding how many companies in the United States, probably the globe  were focused on the United States first  are using these things.
The News

Theres an unusual tradition in Florida courts: a judge deciding on a motion will sometimes ask each party to submit their own version of the ruling. Then, the judge will simply sign one. Thats how Judge Robert Peggs July ruling against 20 of Americas leading journalists imported the unusual capitalization that is part of the House Style of Trump lawsuits, in this case repeated, deadpan references to the Russia Collusion Hoax.

In the two years since it was filed, the defamation lawsuit has gone from a curiosity to a source of real concern in some of the countrys top newsrooms. On Sept. 30, 2021, President Donald Trump wrote to the Pulitzer Prize Board with an unusual demand. The former president asked the board to strip the 2018 national reporting prize from the Washington Post and New York Times, which had been honored for their relentlessly reported coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the President-elects transition team and his eventual administration, according to the citation at the time of the award.

The then-former president added in black Sharpie under his signature: P.S. Our country has been hurt so badly by this criminal scam. Please do the right thing.

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It wasnt the first complaint about that award. In 2019, the Pulitzer board, a volunteer body of 20 of Americas best-regarded journalists, had quietly commissioned a review of the coverage, which concluded the reporting was fine. But the stakes felt higher this time.

Because of his standing in America and the likelihood of this could turn to litigation, we thought we should, with an open mind, look at it all again, a board member, the veteran AP editor John Daniszewski, later said, according to the transcript of his deposition.

The board launched a second review whose author and substance, like the first one, remain confidential. But it, likewise, found no flaws in reporting which preceded and then covered Robert Muellers investigation of those subjects, stories on subjects like Trump aide Michael Flynns conversation with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak about sanctions, and Donald Trump, Jr.s meeting with a Russian lawyer who claimed to have dirt on Hillary Clinton.

In November 2021, the board drafted a statement responding to Trump, according to Katherine Boo, the board member and investigative journalist who, with Daniszewski, took the lead on the project. (Daniszewski, Boo, and other board members declined to speak about the lawsuit, and their views and correspondence are drawn from depositions.) They sent the draft to the lawyers for Columbia University, which houses but does not run the Pulitzers, and then waited.

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On May 31, 2022, Daniszewski sent then-Columbia President Lee Bollinger an impatient email: We have a statement we wish to release, saying we have investigated his grievance thoroughly and we are denying his request to rescind the prizes, he wrote. We have held off with our answer because the counsel for Columbia wanted to review it. But we have not heard from them in some time despite repeated inquiries.

Finally, on July 18, the Pulitzer Board released its statement: The separate reviews converged in their conclusions: that no passages or headlines, contentions or assertions in any of the winning submissions were discredited by facts that emerged subsequent to the conferral of the prizes. they wrote. The 2018 Pulitzer Prizes in National Reporting stand.

That statement is now the cause of action for the strangest and most interesting piece of litigation in President Donald Trumps effort to literally relitigate the journalism of the last decade. And to be clear, I am not re-reporting or resuscitating any of the claims against Trump or his 2016 campaign here: I am reporting on this lawsuit that he filed, identifying himself as President Trump, which raises the issue of whether views that were, arguably and in the views of many, reasonable in 2018 could be found to be defamatory in 2022.

Know More

The December 2022 lawsuit, which pleads defamation by implication among other claims, is nominally directed at the 20 board members. They include leading figures in American journalism: New Yorker editor David Remnick, Boston Globe editor Nancy Barnes, the former Los Angeles Times editor Kevin Merida, The Atlantics Anne Appelbaum, the New York Timess Gail Collins and Carlos Lozada, as well as the poet Elizabeth Alexander and the novelist Viet Than Nguyen. (Semafor executive editor Gina Chua currently sits on the board, but joined after the events in question and is not involved in the suit.)

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The suit takes advantage of what lawyers allied with Trump and independent media lawyers alike say was a major error by the Pulitzer Board. Publishing a new statement, with reference to new, anonymous reporting, gave Trump a cause of action within the statute of limitations that would otherwise have protected both the underlying reporting and the prize. The Pulitzer Board, eschewing the transparency its members usually advocate, is fighting in court to keep the names of the reviewers and content of the review secret. A spokesperson also declined to say who is paying for the defense, though two people involved said Columbia is covering the costs.) The case has been moving at a leisurely pace over Zoom calls with Judge Pegg, a senior judge and the third assigned to the case, which was filed in Okeechobee, Florida, between Tampa and Miami.

But the real target of the lawsuit (written in a particularly high Trump Style) appears at times to be less the defendants, or any particular factual claim, and more the theme or gist of the coverage. The word narrative appears 11 times in the original filing. (A sample from paragraph 46: The lies were so maliciously fabricated to the point that many actually believed the disgustingly fake narrative that President Trump was a Russian asset.)

The suit targets the center of the long war between Trump and much of the media, the heated Russia investigation that consumed the first years of his first term. The defendants are currently appealing the judges denial of their motion to dismiss the case  they argue that the 19 defendants with no particular connection to Florida should be struck, and that the statement was merely opinion that cant be the basis of a defamation claim. Trumps filing, meanwhile, has the curious feature that it doesnt cite any particular factual errors, and argues instead that defamation emerges from the theme established by and pervading the Awarded Articles is that the now irrefutably debunked Russia Collusion Hoax was, in fact, real.

The suit also argues that it is ultimately immaterial whether the Times and Post journalists were in on what Trump sees as a plot against him. What matters instead, Trump argues, is that the board affirmed the prize particularly when many of the key assertions and premises of the Russia Collusion Hoax that permeated the Awarded Articles had been revealed by the Mueller Report and congressional investigations as false after the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting had been awarded.

Bens view

The Pulitzer lawsuit is worth considering because, behind the bluster about hoaxes and the arguments about whether an obscure Florida court is the right arbiter for this issue, it reveals two questions that neither Trump nor the media have been eager to address.

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First, in my trade, journalism, we have a formula that corrects errors of fact, no matter how minor  but no real mechanism for correction when we get the whole gist of the story wrong, as of course regularly happens when youre a reporter on deadline with the first draft of inscrutable, too-soon-to-tell history.

The pursuit of tantalizing hints of collusion between Trumps campaign and Russia was, in my view, honest and legitimate, and I edited stories on that hunt when I was leading BuzzFeed News  breaking factual news about a Russian approach to Carter Page, about Trumps Moscow real estate aspirations, and about a certain unverified  but widely circulated  dossier. Its also worth noting that the stories in the Pulitzer package reported accurately and with caveats on contact between Trump aides and Russian officials. One key Times story, in February 2017 for instance, reported on an investigation of whether the Trump campaign was colluding with the Russians and said that officials interviewed in recent weeks said that, so far, they had seen no evidence of such cooperation.

And yet: Journalists who covered the story should acknowledge that this high-stakes line of reporting, with its breathless cable news and social media cheerleading, did not seriously bear out. The Mueller report concluded that investigators did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.

And in retrospect, some of that reporting (like similar reporting after the 2016 election on Facebook) was powered by a delusion: That Trumps election must be the result of some trick, and wasnt otherwise possible. That reaction to losing an election is a particularly ugly feature of contemporary politics, and worth disclaiming.

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The journalistic pursuit of alleged collusion was not, in my view, a hoax. But it was, perhaps, something a little like this months drone hunt in New Jersey, which Washington figures have variously, confidently declared the spawn of an Iranian mothership and an obvious Chinese plot. Take some curious observable facts and real adversaries, add some whispers from Washington national security figures and statements from members of Congress, and journalists eager to feed a hungry audience, and you can produce a proper mass delusion.

You dont need to go around revoking prizes for solid reporting in real time to consider the central question that Trumps lawsuit asks: Even if it was reasonable for us in 2017 to chase the connections between Trump and Putin, and even if that reporting was accurate in its details, was it still reasonable to celebrate that reporting today?

***

Trumps case, meanwhile, contains its own tacit concession. The Russia Hoax has quietly become The Russia Collusion Hoax. This an unstated acknowledgement of Robert Muellers other conclusion, that The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion. That included the stunning Wikileaks operation, as well as the Internet Research Agencys social media mischief. And its no longer in dispute  embarrassing as it is those it was intended by the Russians to benefit.

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Trump and his supporters sought, for a time, to conflate those facts with the shaky collusion allegations, and to dismiss them. The lawsuit filed by President Trump, helpfully, separates them again.

The View From Media Lawyers

Three lawyers deeply familiar with the case whom I spoke to  two sympathetic to the defendants and one to Trump  said they believed the Pulitzer Board had blundered badly in issuing its statement. Had it simply stayed silent, or simply offered its opinion that the 2018 prize was sound, the stories and the prize would have remained safely outside the statute of limitations for defamation. The statement, Trump now argues, gives him a target because it isnt just opinion  its disclosing and relying on new, anonymous and opaque reportage, in the form of the boards review.

This lawsuit is about intimidation of the press and those who support itand we will not be intimidated, the board said in a statement through a spokesperson.

Trumps top legal adviser, Boris Epshteyn, declined to comment on the case, but Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said the president-elect is committed to holding those who traffic in deception and fake news accountable and that we look forward to seeing this case through to a just conclusion.

Notable
President-elect Donald Trump shared his renewed interest Sunday in the U.S. controlling the autonomous territory of Greenland, which is owned by Denmark.

"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," Trump wrote in a statement announcing that he had chosen Ken Howery to serve as ambassador to Denmark.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks on Dec. 22, 2024 in Phoenix.

Greenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, has already rejected Trump's remarks, saying in a statement: Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom," according to Reuters.

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Trump floated purchasing Greenland during his first term as president on multiple occasions.

He told reporters in 2019 about the island, Strategically its interesting, and wed be interested, but well talk to them a little bit.

First we have to find out whether or not they have any interest, he added. Theyre losing a tremendous amount of money, so well see what happens.

Icebergs drift by in Disko Bay at Ilulissat, Greenland, on July 15.

At that point, Denmark said that Greenland was not for sale, which caused Trump to cancel a trip he had scheduled to the country. He said in a tweet that Denmark is "a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksens comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time.

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Miles Taylor, who was chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration, told MSNBC in 2020 that Trump had asked him and other officials in 2018 whether the U.S. could swap Greenland for Puerto Rico because, in Trumps words, Puerto Rico was dirty and the people were poor." He said the conversation occurred before DHS officials traveled to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, to help with the recovery from Hurricane Maria.

Greenland, between the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean, is technically part of North America and is the largest island in the world. While a majority of Greenland is covered in ice, about 57,000 people live there.

The U.S. has considered purchasing Greenland at least twice, including in 1867 and then in 1946, when President Harry S. Truman proposed buying it for $100 million. Denmark rejected the offer.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
US President-elect Donald Trump has suggested that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that Washington "foolishly" ceded to its Central American ally.

Speaking at his first post-election rally in Arizona, Trump complained that canal authorities are collecting "ridiculous" fees from ships that pass through the vital channel that links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

"Our Navy and commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way," Trump told his supporters.

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"The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama. It's going to stop. The United States has a big and vested interest in the secure, efficient and reliable operation of the Panama Canal."

The US relinquished control of the waterway to Panama in 1999 under a treaty signed in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter.

The canal is crucial for Panama's economy and generates about one-fifth of the government's annual revenue.

The canal depends on reservoirs to operate its locks. It was heavily affected by droughts in Central America in 2023 that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships.

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With fewer ships using the canal each day, administrators also increased the fees that are charged to all shippers for reserving a slot.

With weather returning to normal in the later months of this year, transit on the canal has normalised but price increases are still expected for next year.

Trump said that when he's president, "This complete rip off" of the US "will immediately stop."

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at AmericaFest in Phoenix, 22 December, 2024 - Rick Scuteri/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved

If not, he said, the waterway could "be returned to the United States of America in full and without question," but did not explain how that would be possible.

But Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino roundly rejected the suggestion that Washington could try to regain control of the canal.

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"Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its surroundings belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama. The sovereignty and independence of our country are non-negotiable," he said on Sunday night.

The Republican president-elect used his first major rally since winning the White House in November to bask in his return to power as a large audience of conservatives cheered along.

Addressing supporters at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in Arizona, Trump pledged that his "dream team Cabinet" would deliver a booming economy, seal US borders and quickly settle wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

"I can proudly proclaim that the Golden Age of America is upon us," Trump said.

"There's a spirit that we have now that we didn't have just a short while ago."
President-elect Donald Trump spent a good chunk of his Sunday musing on whether the United States should take back control of the Panama Canal.

He even picked a fight with the countrys presidentwriting We will see! and calling it the United States Canal after the Central American leader asserted that he would resist Trumps demands to cede control over the waterway, which is critical to global trade.

Trumps main beef with the countrys management of the canal seems to be what he claimed were exorbitant fees for American ships crossing the waterway.

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Has anyone ever heard of the Panama Canal? Trump asked an audience of supporters at a Turning Point USA conference in Arizona. Cause were being ripped off at the Panama Canal like were being ripped off everywhere else.

The president-elect accused Panama of charging Americans exorbitant prices for ships passing through the trade lane, and accused China of exerting influence over the trade lane.

The United States is the No. 1 user of the Panama Canal, with over 72 percent transit heading to or from US ports, Trump said. Think of thatso we built it, were the ones that use it. They gave it away.

The Panama Canal was finished in 1914, and the U.S. controlled the Panama Canal Zone for decades after its completion. The territory was returned to Panama after President Jimmy Carter signed two treaties with the Central American nation in 1977, which handed the territory over in 1999.

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On Sunday, Trump implied that Panama was not upholding their end of the deal. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly and without question.

Trump criticized Carters decision to return the Canal Zone to Panama, and suggested foreign adversaries were trying to gain control of the trade lane. When President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave it awaygave it away for $1, $1during his term in office, it was solely for Panama to manage and not for China or any other country to manage, you see whats going on there. China!

The canal is currently managed by the Panama Canal Authority, a Panamanian government agency. China does not directly manage the shipping lane, but a Hong Kong-based company, CK Hutchison Holdings, manages two ports at its entrances, Reuters reported.

 Mensaje del Presidente Jose Raul Mulino  pic.twitter.com/DMXU8qAuNT  Jose Raul Mulino (@JoseRaulMulino) December 22, 2024

On Sunday, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino slammed Trumps comments in a video message posted on X . I want to clearly state that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjoining zone is Panamas and will remain so, Mulino said, later adding the sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.

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Mulino also rejected Trumps assertion that China or any other nation other than Panama was controlling the canal, and defended the fees charged for passage.

In response, Trump took to his Truth Social app once again to taunt the Panamanian president, writing Well see about that! In a second post, the president-elect showed an image of a large American flag planted in the center of a shipping lane, dubbing it the United States Canal.

Its not the first time Trump has floated the idea of expanding U.S. borders or acquiring foreign territory. In 2019, the Wall Street Journal first reported Trump was interested in acquiring Greenland, the Danish autonomous territory in the north Atlantic.

Since his re-election in November, Trump has also repeatedly joked about making Canada the 51st state, even reportedly joking about the proposal to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Trump transition team did not immediately return a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
In Donald Trumps post announcing his pick for ambassador to Denmark on Sunday, the president-elect again suggested he wants the U.S. to buy and control Greenland.

The president-elect said he was choosing Ken Howery, co-founder of PayPal and Trumps former ambassador to Sweden, for the role.

As a Co-Founder of PayPal and venture capital fund, Founders Fund, Ken turned American Innovation and Tech leadership into Global success stories, and that experience will be invaluable in representing us abroad, Trump posted on Truth Social.

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For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity, he continued. Ken will do a wonderful job in representing the interests of the United States.

He did not elaborate further on the Greenland comment, but Trump has previously expressed interest in purchasing the autonomous Danish territory located between the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans.

In 2019, he characterized a potential purchase of Greenland from Denmark as essentially a large real estate deal, arguing that the territory was hurting Denmark very badly because ... they carry it at great loss, and that it would be nice strategically for the U.S. to buy it.

Greenland officials at the time slammed the proposal, saying the island, home to approximately 56,000 people, was not for sale. Danish officials also balked at the idea. Mette Frederiksen, who is still Denmarks prime minister today, called it absurd and said, Thankfully, the time where you buy and sell other countries and populations is over.

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The U.S. has long viewed Greenland as strategically important. In 1946, the U.S. proposed buying Greenland for the price of $100 million in gold.

Greenlands leader, Prime Minister Mute Egede, responded promptly to the latest development.

Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom, he said in a statement reported by The Guardian.

In a statement provided to HuffPost by Denmarks Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Danish prime ministers office said it looked forward to welcoming the new U.S. ambassador and to working with the Trump administration.

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In a complex security political situation as the one we currently experience, transatlantic cooperation is crucial, the statement said.

The Danish premiers office said it had no comment on the Greenland matter other than to reference the Greenland leaders statement about Greenland not being for sale, but open for cooperation.

This was not the only controversial foreign policy idea Trump floated over the weekend. He also threatened to take control of the Panama Canal from the Central American country, drawing a rebuke on Sunday from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, who said, The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.

Related...
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed support for Panama's government on Monday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal on Sunday.

"Indeed, the Panama Canal belongs to the Panamanians," Sheinbaum said, speaking during her regular morning press conference.

Sheinbaum's comments came one day after Trump accused Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage while speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona. After the event, he posted an image on Truth Social of an American flag flying over a narrow body of water, with the comment: "Welcome to the United States Canal!"

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Trump's comments were an exceedingly rare example of a U.S. leader saying he could push a sovereign country to hand over territory.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino swiftly denounced Trump's comments.

"Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue belonging (to Panama)," Mulino said in a statement released on X.

(Reporting by Raul Cortes; Writing by Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle)
The fast-approaching holiday respite hasnt slowed President-elect Donald Trumps seemingly unrelenting campaign to gin up controversy with international trade partners.

At a Sunday event, the incoming Commander in Chief suggested that the U.S. should take back control of the Panama Canalthe foremost conduit for maritime cargo between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

More from Sourcing Journal

Were being ripped off at the Panama Canal like were being ripped off everywhere else, he said at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest in Phoenix, Ariz. In a lengthy post on Truth Social that followed, Trump detailed the importance of the waterway and its critical role to Americas Economy and National Security.

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A secure Panama Canal is crucial for U.S. Commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to U.S. ports, he wrote.

Trump intimated that Chinas growing influence over the Panama Canal presents a danger to American interests. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Canal accounts for 46 percent of the total market share of containers moving from Northeast Asia to the East Coast of the U.S.

While China doesnt control the Canal, Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has operated pivotal ports at the Caribbean and Pacific entrances to the Canal for 27 years. The U.S. Southern Command, a branch of the Department of Defense, has warned officials about Chinas growing influence within Latin Americas industries and logistics infrastructure.

The president-elects ire also likely stems from new reservation fees and tariffs set to come into play in the new year.

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Last week, the Panama Canal announced that it would implement changes to its reservation system designed to provide a better experience and convenience for customers while ensuring the efficient use of Canal resources, upping fees by amounts ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 depending on the type of service and cargo. This will pay for Long-Term Slot Allocation (LoTSA), allowing carriers to secure transit slots up to a year in advance.

The Canal said it will also implement harsher penalties for no-shows; vessels that dont arrive within seven days of their bookings will be slapped with penalties of up to 250 percent.

Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, he added. We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands! the president-elect wrote.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino quickly released a statement pushing back on Trumps tenuous claims to the Canal.

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Rates are not a whim, he wrote. They are and will be established, publicly and in an open audience, considering market conditions, international competition, operating costs and the maintenance and modernization needs of the interoceanic waterway.

The Canals recent history

The Panama Canal has seen major transit fluctuations over the past two years due to dry conditions and low water levels. A months-long drought persisted throughout 2023, slowing cargo traffic to a relative trickle during an especially inopportune time for global logistics. Traffic moving through the Suez Canal in the Red Sea was also drastically disrupted as ships were besieged by Houthi rebels, forcing ships to reroute around Africas Cape of Good Hope.

The confluence of chaos at both gateways through a wrench into the international flow of goods. Panama has scrambled to address the issue, though conditions still have not normalized. The Panama Canal Authority (PCA) is working through plans to build a new $1.6 billion reservoir to lubricate the Canal during dry periods. In November, it also proposed the building of a land bridge that it said would allow the Canal to move at least 5 million more containers per year by 2045. Its seeking between $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion to fund the project.

Built by American workers over a century ago during President Teddy Roosevelts administration, the U.S. signed over control of the Canal to Panama in 1999 under the provisions of a 1977 treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter.

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Since that time, the Gateway to the Pacific has come to see up to 14,000 ships sail through annually, accounting for some 40 percent of U.S. cargo traffic and about 2.5 percent of global maritime trade. It serves over 144 maritime routes connecting 160 countries reaching 1,700 ports across the globe, the International Trade Administration (ITA) estimates.

The Panama Canal has become an essential transitory tool due to its ability to save ships time and miles by circumventing a trip around South America. Its estimated that ships traveling from San Francisco to New York shave about 7,875 miles off their journeys by cutting through the waterway.

When President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar, during his term in Office, it was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else. It was likewise not given for Panama to charge the United States, its Navy, and corporations, doing business within our Country, exorbitant prices and rates of passage, Trump wrote Sunday.

Panamanian leader Mulino isnt backing down in the face of Trumps intimidation tactics.

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As President, I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to PANAMA, and will continue to be, he said. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable. Every Panamanian, here or anywhere in the world, carries it in their heart, and it is part of our history of struggle and an irreversible conquest.

Mulino pointed to the recognition of Panamanian sovereignty and the full transfer of the Canal to Panama in 1999, saying the agreement established the permanent neutrality of the Canal and guaranteed its open and safe operation for all nations.

Any contrary position lacks validity or support on the face of the earth, he wrote. Panama respects other nations and demands respect. With the new United States government, I aspire to preserve and maintain a good and respectful relationship.

While Mulino said the country is open to dialogue, he reiterated that his country comes first. That, for this Panamanian President, is not negotiable.

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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday lent her voice to the growing mix of global leaders weighing in on issues of Western Hemisphere trade.

Our solidarity, our support for the President of Panama, for the people of Panama, she said.

Trump recently threatened Mexico with tariffs of up to 25 percent if it doesnt address the flow of fentanyl and dangerous drug precursors into the U.S., along with mass migration. He extended the threat to Canada, kicking off a maelstrom of political turmoil in the country in recent weeks.
President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal, a key shipping passageway, prompting a sharp rebuttal from Panama's president.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social network, claimed former president Jimmy Carter "foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar" after being built "at HUGE cost to the United States in lives and treasure."

He said Panama was charging the US "exorbitant prices and rates of passage" and that granting Panama sovereignty over the canal was "not given for the benefit of others but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama."

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"This complete 'rip-off' of our Country will immediately stop," the soon-to-be president wrote. If it doesn't, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question."

Immediate rebuttal from Panama

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino immediately rejected Trump's statements - without naming the president-elect by name - in a video statement.

"Every square metre of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will continue to do so," said Mulino. "The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable."

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The canal connects the Atlantic with the Pacific and is one of the world's most important trade routes. In the early 20th century, the US carried out the construction of the major project and controlled the area for decades after that. Control was then gradually transferred to Panama.

No special US rights at the Panama Canal

The fees charged by Panama are considered standard market rates, as they are based on the size and tonnage of the passing ships. There are no provisions that - as Trump demands - grant the US preferential treatment solely due to their historical role as builder.

"The fees are not arbitrary," emphasized Mulino. "They are set in a public manner and in a public hearing."

Greenland once piqued Trump's interest

During his first term, Trump indeed once seriously courted the territory of another country. In the summer of 2019, he proposed to buy Greenland and annex it to the US. The response from Denmark, to which the world's largest island is politically connected, was clear: No, thank you.
President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal, a key shipping passageway, prompting a sharp rebuttal from Panama's president.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social network, claimed former president Jimmy Carter "foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar" after being built "at HUGE cost to the United States in lives and treasure."

He said Panama was charging the US "exorbitant prices and rates of passage" and that granting Panama sovereignty over the canal was "not given for the benefit of others but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama."

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"This complete 'rip-off' of our Country will immediately stop," the soon-to-be president wrote. If it doesn't, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question."

Immediate rebuttal from Panama

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino immediately rejected Trump's statements - without naming the president-elect by name - in a video statement.

"Every square metre of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will continue to do so," said Mulino. "The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable."

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The canal connects the Atlantic with the Pacific and is one of the world's most important trade routes. In the early 20th century, the US carried out the construction of the major project and controlled the area for decades after that. Control was then gradually transferred to Panama.

No special US rights at the Panama Canal

The fees charged by Panama are considered standard market rates, as they are based on the size and tonnage of the passing ships. There are no provisions that - as Trump demands - grant the US preferential treatment solely due to their historical role as builder.
US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal, a key shipping passageway, prompting a sharp rebuttal from Panama's president.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social network, claimed former president Jimmy Carter "foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar" after being built "at HUGE cost to the United States in lives and treasure."

He said Panama was charging the US "exorbitant prices and rates of passage" and that granting Panama sovereignty over the canal was "not given for the benefit of others but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama."

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"This complete 'rip-off' of our Country will immediately stop," the soon-to-be president wrote. If it doesn't, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question."

In a separate post on Sunday evening, Trump also said he wants to own Greenland, which he had already proposed during his first term in office.

"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," he wrote on Truth Social.

In the post, Trump announced the former US ambassador to Sweden, Ken Howery, as his pick for US ambassador to Denmark.

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In the summer of 2019, Trump proposed to buy Greenland and annex it to the US. The response from Denmark, to which the world's largest island is politically connected, was clear: No, thank you.

Denmark has not yet responded to Trump's most recent comments.

Immediate rebuttal from Panama

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino immediately rejected Trump's statements regarding the Panama Canal - without naming the president-elect by name - in a video statement.

"Every square metre of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will continue to do so," said Mulino. "The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable."

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The canal connects the Atlantic with the Pacific and is one of the world's most important trade routes. In the early 20th century, the US carried out the construction of the major project and controlled the area for decades after that. Control was then gradually transferred to Panama.

No special US rights at the Panama Canal

The fees charged by Panama are considered standard market rates, as they are based on the size and tonnage of the passing ships. There are no provisions that - as Trump demands - grant the US preferential treatment solely due to their historical role as builder.

"The fees are not arbitrary," emphasized Mulino. "They are set in a public manner and in a public hearing."
BEIJING, Dec. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- JA Solar, a global leader in the PV industry, recently joined forces with Huawei, UNESCO, and Thailand's Ministry of Education to launch a green education initiative at the Banna District Learning Encouragement Center in Nakhon Nayok Province, Thailand. The project aims to provide clean energy solutions and digital education opportunities to 11 schools and community centers, fostering a new generation equipped with green skills and digital literacy.

As a key component of this initiative, JA Solar donated its high-efficiency n-type PV modules, DeepBlue 4.0 Pro, to schools, deeply engaging in the construction of a green school education system by installing solar PV and energy storage equipment in multiple middle schools, and providing training on the application and management of green energy for teachers and students to help them understand the practical value of clean energy. DeepBlue 4.0 Pro, renowned for its high conversion efficiency and high reliability, enabling schools to achieve a sustainable clean energy supply.

Moreover, JA Solar is committed to enhancing vocational education by helping schools establish dedicated training bases for solar PV system installation. Through comprehensive practical courses, students gain vital skills in installation, maintenance, and operation of PV systems, preparing them for future careers in the burgeoning renewable energy sector.

One of the project's first implementation sites, Kanchanapisek Vocational Training College, is integrating the donated solar PV system into its teaching curriculum. Students benefit from simulated real-world installation and maintenance scenarios, gaining key employability skills. Meanwhile, at the Banna District Learning Encouragement Center, JA Solar and its partners installed solar energy storage systems for the community library and learning center. In addition, a "Digital Bus" was introduced to offer mobile digital education, providing free training on telecommunications, cybercrime awareness, and green energy to local residents and students. These efforts not only improve the community's energy efficiency but also create valuable learning and development opportunities.

With plans to extend this program to additional schools and communities, JA Solar and its partners aim to maximize the dual benefits of green energy and digital education, contributing significantly to sustainable development in Thailand and globally.

"We are honored to contribute to Thailand's green education project," said Aiqing Yang, Executive President of JA Solar. "Upholding our mission of 'Developing Solar Power to Benefit the Planet,' this initiative not only accelerates Thailand's energy transition but also empowers students with practical knowledge to build a sustainable future. Looking ahead, JA Solar will continue to deliver green energy solutions and educational resources to more regions, advancing together toward a low-carbon, sustainable future."
PHOENIX (AP)  Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States foolishly ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged ridiculous fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Panama's conservative president Jose Raul Mulino, who was elected in May on a pro-business platform, roundly rejected that notion as an affront to his country's sovereignty.

The Republican president-elect's comment came during his first major rally since winning the White House on Nov. 5. He also basked in his return to power as a large audience of conservatives cheered along. It was a display of party unity at odds with a just-concluded budget fight on Capitol Hill, where some GOP lawmakers openly defied their leader's demands.

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Addressing supporters at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest in Arizona, Trump pledged that his dream team Cabinet would deliver a booming economy, seal U.S. borders and quickly settle wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

I can proudly proclaim that the Golden Age of America is upon us, Trump said. Theres a spirit that we have now that we didnt have just a short while ago.

His appearance capped a four-day pep rally that drew more than 20,000 activists and projected an image of Republican cohesion despite the past week's turbulence in Washington with Trump pulling strings from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as Congress worked to avoid a government shutdown heading into the holidays.

House Republicans spiked a bipartisan deal after Trump and Elon Musk, his billionaire ally, expressed their opposition on social media. Budget hawks flouted Trump's demand that they raise the nations debt ceiling, which would have spared some new rounds of the same fight after he takes office on Jan. 20, with Republicans holding narrow control of the House and Senate. The final agreement did not address the issue and there was no shutdown.

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Trump, in his remarks in Phoenix, did not mention the congressional drama, though he did reference Musk's growing power. To suggestions that "President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon, Trump made clear, No, no. Thats not happening.

Hes not gonna be president, Trump said.

The president-elect opened the speech by saying that "we want to try to bring everybody together. Were going to try. Were going to really give it a shot." Then he suggested Democrats have lost their confidence and are befuddled after the election but eventually will come over to our side because we want to have them.

Atop a list of grievances  some old, some new  was the Panama Canal.

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Were being ripped off at the Panama Canal, he said, bemoaning that his country foolishly gave it away.

The United States built the canal in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.

The canal depends on reservoirs to operate its locks and was heavily affected by 2023 Central American droughts that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships using the canal each day, administrators also increased the fees that are charged all shippers for reserving a slot.

With weather returning to normal in the later months of this year, transit on the canal has normalized. But price increases are still expected for next year.

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Mulino, Panama's president, has been described as a conservative populist who aligns with Trump on many issues. Panama is a strong U.S. ally and the canal is crucial for its economy, generating about one-fifth of that governments annual revenue.

Still, Trump said, that, once his second term is underway, "If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.

Im not going to stand for it," Trump said. "So to the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly.

He did not explain how that would be possible.

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Shortly after Trump's speech, Mulino released a video declaring that every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to his country.

Without mentioning Trump by name, Mulino addressed Trump's complaints over rising fees for ships crossing the canal, saying they are set by experts who take into account operational costs, and supply and demand factors.

The tariffs are not set on a whim Mulino said. He noted that Panama has expanded the canal over the years to increase ship traffic on its own initiative, and added that shipping fee increases help pay for improvements.

Panamanians may have different views on many issues Mulino said. But when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.

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Trump then took to his social media site to offer in response, We'll see about that!" He also posted a picture of a U.S. flag planted in the canal zone under the phrase, Welcome to the United States Canal!

The canal aside, Trumps appearance at Turning Points annual gathering affirmed the growing influence the group and its founder, Charlie Kirk, have had in the conservative movement. Kirks group hired thousands of field organizers across presidential battlegrounds, helping Trump make key gains among infrequent voters and other groups of people that have trended more Democratic in recent decades, including younger voters, Black men and Latino men.

You had Turning Points grassroots armies, Trump said. Its not my victory, its your victory.

Trump on Sunday also announced several new members of his incoming administration, most notably:

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-Stephen Miran, who worked at the Treasury Department in Trump's first term, to lead the Council of Economic Advisers, an executive branch agency charged with providing objective economic advice to the president.

Callista Gingrich to be the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland. Gingrich was U.S. ambassador to the Holy See in Trump's first term. She is married to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Separately, Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt announced he was donating $1.1 million to Trumps inaugural fund to complement the $14 million that he said he already had given to the Make America Great Again Inc. super political action committee  making him one of the president-elects top donors.

Pratt is chairman of Pratt Industries, which uses recycled paper and boxes as a raw material in a process that produces new cardboard.

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___

This story has been corrected to reflect that Panama's president Mulino was elected in May, not April.

___

Weissert reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press writer Manuel Rueda in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.
Dec. 23President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday said he wants to change the name of the highest mountain in North America from Denali back to Mount McKinley.

Alaska's two Republican U.S. senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, immediately pushed back, saying they support the Koyukon Athabascan place name for the mountain. Denali was long favored by many Alaskans and used by Indigenous people here for centuries.

Trump made the suggestion Sunday in a speech to supporters in Phoenix at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest. He mentioned former President William McKinley of Ohio as a supporter of protective tariffs, which Trump has embraced.

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"William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States...the vast sums of money that he brought into our country," Trump told the crowd. "The person really who got us the money that President Theodore Roosevelt used to build the Panama Canal and a lot of other things. McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president. They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That's what they do to people....But President McKinley was the president that was responsible for creating a vast sum of money in the United States that Teddy Roosevelt then spent. So let's say that they were both excellent presidents, but McKinley did that, and that's one of the reasons that we're going to bring back the name of Mount McKinley because I think he deserves it. I think he deserves it. There are lots of things we can name, but I think he deserves it. That was not very gracious to somebody that did a good job."

Trump offered no more specifics.

The mountain, the highest in North America at 20,310 feet, was named Mount McKinley by the federal government in 1896 but was renamed Denali in 2015 by the Interior Department on the eve of then-President Barack Obama's visit to Alaska. It followed many years of efforts by Alaska officials and Native groups to rename the mountain. It was renamed by then-Interior Secretary Sally Jewell under a federal law that allows the secretary to make changes to geographic names through the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, according to the department.

[Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal. Panama's president balks at the suggestion.]

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The park was originally named Mount McKinley National Park in 1917. Its name was changed in 1980 with the creation of Denali National Park and Preserve. McKinley died without ever setting foot in Alaska, assassinated in 1901 at the start of his second term in office. Jewell's 2015 order changing the name of the mountain notes, "President McKinley never visited, nor did he have any significant historical connection to, the mountain or to Alaska."

The name "Denali" is derived from the Koyukon name and is based on a verb theme meaning "high" or "tall," according to linguist James Kari of the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, in the book "Shem Pete's Alaska."

Both Alaska senators immediately pushed back on Trump's remarks Sunday.

"Sen. Sullivan like many Alaskans prefers the name that the very tough, very strong, very patriotic Athabaskan people gave the mountain thousands of years ago  Denali," Sullivan aide Amada Coyne wrote in a text message. Sullivan has been a supporter of the president-elect.

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Murkowski, on social media, said, "There is only one name worthy of North America's tallest mountain: Denali  the Great One."

Trump suggested changing the name back when he was president in 2017 and both Murkowski and Sullivan objected, Sullivan said in remarks to the Alaska Federation of Natives annual conference, according to an ADN article at the time. The senators met at the White House with Trump and then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to discuss Alaska issues, Sullivan said, including reversing Obama executive actions the senators had opposed.

At the end of the meeting, Sullivan said, "He looked at me and said, 'I heard that the big mountain in Alaska also had  also its name was changed by executive action. Do you want us to reverse that?'"

He and Murkowski "jumped over the desk  we said, 'no! No. Don't want to reverse that,' " Sullivan said.

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Sullivan said he told the president Denali was the name given to the mountain by the Athabascan people more than 10,000 years ago. And Sullivan's wife is Athabascan. If "you change that name back now, she's going to be really, really mad," he said he told the president.

"So he's like, 'all right, we won't do that,' " Sullivan said.

U.S. Rep.-elect Nick Begich couldn't immediately be reached on Sunday, and a spokesman for Gov. Mike Dunleavy had no immediate comment.

Watch Trump's remarks on Mount McKinley:
NEW YORK (AP)  The immigration officers sat in their vehicles before dawn near a two-story building. A New York subway line rumbled overhead, then an officer's voice crackled over the radio.

After watching for about two hours, he said, I think that's Tango, using a term for target. Gray hoodie. Backpack. Walking quickly.

The immigration officers surrounded and handcuffed a 23-year-old man from Ecuador who had been convicted of sexually assaulting a minor.

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Kenneth Genalo, head of Enforcement and Removal Operations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York, said a popular misconception is that officers can sweep into a community and pick up a wide swath of people who are in the United States illegally and send them to their home countries.

Its called targeted enforcement, Genalo said. We dont grab people and then take them to JFK and put them on a plane."

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there is intense interest in how the Republican will carry out his immigration agenda, including a campaign pledge of mass deportations. His priorities could run into the realities faced by agents focused on enforcement and removals, including the unit in New York that offered The Associated Press a glimpse into its operations: The number of people already on its lists to target eclipses the number of officers available to do the work.

The Biden administration had narrowed deportation priorities to public safety threats and recent border crossers. Trump's incoming border czar, Tom Homan, says officials in the new administration also will prioritize those who pose a risk, such as criminals, before moving on to immigrants whom courts have ordered removed from the U.S.

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But Homan also has signaled that enforcement could be wider: If youre in the country illegally you got a problem, he said recently on Dr. Phils Merit TV.

It's a tall order.

Deportation orders far outnumber staff

About 1.4 million people have final orders of removal, while about 660,000 under immigration supervision either have been convicted of crimes or are facing charges. But only 6,000 officers within ICE are tasked with monitoring noncitizens in the country and then finding and removing those not eligible to stay.

Those staffing numbers have largely remained static as their caseload has roughly quadrupled over the past decade to 7.6 million. About 10% of that workforce was pulled from their regular duties last year to go to the U.S.-Mexico border at times when immigration spiked.

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Jason Houser, ICE chief of staff earlier in the Biden administration, said the number of officers needed to pursue those deemed a public safety threat are at direct odds with the goal of deporting people in large numbers.

You're not going to be able to do both of those with the resources you have, with the deportation officers you have, Houser said. Just the arithmetic, the time-intensive nature of those sort of arrests will overwhelm any ability to get to those large scale numbers.

Genalo said the officers in charge of individual cases have to get a lead, ensure they have the legal authority to arrest someone and then track the person down. They generally aren't allowed to enter a residence, so they want to catch people outside.

How immigration removals work in the field

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On this recent operation, about a dozen officers gathered before 5 a.m. at a White Castle parking lot in the Bronx. After putting on their body armor and checking their equipment, they circled around for a briefing.

Besides the 23-year-old Ecuadorian man, they were going after a 36-year-old Mexican man convicted of forcibly touching a young girl and another Ecuadorian also convicted of sexual abuse of a minor.

The first target, the 23-year-old man, who pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl, was believed to usually leave the apartment building around 7 a.m. or 7:30 a.m. Sometimes he was with a woman and child.

Light came on in the first floor of the apartment, an officer waiting outside said over the radio. Then later: Someone came out of the basement, but its not our target.

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They finally spotted him, swept him into the back of a vehicle and quickly left the neighborhood.

Inside, the man's 22-year-old wife didn't know what had happened until he called later from detention.

In an interview, she said they met in Ecuador and had a child  a bubbly 3-year-old girl with braids  and she was pregnant with their second. He worked construction while she was a manicurist.

She said she knew why her husband had been arrested but felt there were important mitigating factors. She said they knew it was possible her husband could be sent back to Ecuador after his criminal case wrapped up but that it was still a shock.

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ICE deported more than 270,000 people over a recent 12-month period, the highest annual tally in a decade, the agency said in a recent report. But it also said it made fewer arrests of noncitizens, in part because of the demand of sending staff to the border. Of those arrested, a greater proportion had serious criminal histories.

Working with local law enforcement

Some cities and states work with ICE to turn over people in their custody who aren't U.S. citizens.

But many left-leaning states and cities have so-called sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. In New York City, for example, ICE used to have an office at the jail to easily take custody of noncitizens. In 2014, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation kicking out ICE and restricting police cooperation.

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His successor, Eric Adams, has shown willingness to revisit some of those policies. He recently met with Homan and told reporters they agreed on pursuing people who commit violent crimes.

Genalo said agents spend time and resources picking up immigrants few would argue should have the right to stay in America.

How can you state that sanctuary policies help the community when youre releasing all these criminals right back into the community? he said. Were safer when we collaborate.

Staffing is also an issue. He said he's supposed to have about 325 officers, but in recent years, the number has been about 30% lower.

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Many immigration advocates have long-standing concerns about ICE's tactics, and those concerns are deepening with Trump's return to office in January.

Advocates say the incoming administration's position of going after public safety threats is already longtime policy. They object to rhetoric they say paints immigrants as people to be feared. They say there can be nuances in some cases: Maybe someone committed a crime a long time ago and has been rehabilitated, or someone facing a final order of removal moved and never got the notice.

During Trump's first term, there were a lot of collateral arrests where immigration officers would detain others besides those being targeted, said Jehan Laner, a senior staff attorney for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. That destabilizes communities, she said, adding, We saw them go after everyone.

Genalo said he couldnt comment on the incoming administrations plans but stressed that officers are going after specific targets with criminal histories. He said he has a docket of about 58,000 people who either have criminal convictions or pending charges.

Im pretty sure were going to be tied up for a while dealing with the criminal population," Genalo said.

___

Associated Press reporter Cedar Attanasio contributed to this report.
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  Austintown trustees have agreed to table a motion to rezone a property where what they described as a nuisance club has been operating.

Read next: $1M Mega Millions ticket sold in Pa.

The motion to rezone the property has been tabled indefinitely in exchange for the landlords written promise to remove the tenant from the facility.

What I can confirm is that we have a signed letter from the ownership of the property and building that that liquor license will not continue with the current tenant of the Zodiac Club, said Austintown Trustee Bruce Shepas.

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Trustees said they have been keeping an eye on the Zodiac Lounge and Grill at 169 S. Four Mile Run Rd. for a while now, but after gunfire there this month, it was the last straw.

Officers recovered a total of 26 bullet casings and one live round of ammunition as evidence from the parking lot following a report of shots fired there earlier this month.

Trustee Bruce Shepas called the business a nuisance.

Trustees say the current liquor license for the property is under review by the state. Officials hope if the owner is able to maintain that permit, another business will eventually move into the property.

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Check back here for updates on this developing story.

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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  One person died from mushroom poisoning in Utah after buying what they thought were psychedelic mushrooms  now, experts are offering advice on how to avoid consuming potentially fatal fungi.

Aimee Nguyen, the president of the nonprofit organization Mushroom Society of Utah, told ABC4.com that, while there isnt much advice for buying mushrooms from other people  aside from not to do it, she said  there are some precautions to take before eating wild mushrooms.

Nguyen said the first step when considering eating unknown mushrooms would be to evaluate the mushroom and its habitat, as well as the mushrooms spore print. She also encouraged consulting literature about mushrooms specific to your location, including region-specific books and websites like MushroomExpert.com.

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Is one of the worlds deadliest mushrooms found in Utah?

Mushrooms are much more difficult to identify once dried, especially for a person without experience identifying various species, Nguyen said. It should also be noted that Psilocybe (the genera of most psychoactive mushrooms) has not been confirmed to grow here naturally, so any claim of someone having foraged these should raise suspicion.

The person who died from mushroom poisoning in Utah suffered severe symptoms, including nausea, diarrhea, and liver failure. Officials with the Utah Poison Control Center said psychedelic mushrooms dont cause liver damage.

The Poison Control Center also said it is highly unusual for hepatotoxic mushrooms to be confused with psychedelic mushrooms. Nguyen encouraged people to get as many identification options as they can for their mushrooms.

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Some options for identifying mushrooms are using region-specific social media groups, or submitting a request through the contact page for the Mushroom Society of Utah. Other options include online resources such as iNaturalist or Mushroom Observer for further assistance in identifying the mushrooms.

Only forage/eat fresh mushrooms from natural habitats, Nguyen said. One can easily get sick from microbes on a non-poisonous mushroom that has been rotting, or from chemicals absorbed from tainted soil/wood.

Nguyen also advised against eating uncooked mushrooms, as many can be toxic when consumed raw. Mushrooms should be cooked thoroughly and eaten in small amounts at first  Nguyen recommended eating two teaspoons of cooked mushrooms and waiting at least a day (or several) to check for possible symptoms.

Are there poisonous mushrooms in Utah?

The Poison Control Center said several mushroom species contain the toxins that were believed to be linked to the death of the individual, and one of those species  Galerina  is known to grow in Utah.

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Bryn Dentinger, an associate professor in the plant biology department at the University of Utah, previously told ABC4.com that Galerina mushrooms could have the same poisonous effects as some of the deadliest mushrooms in the world.

An image of the mushroom Galerina autumnalis, which is a deadly mushroom found in Utah. (Courtesy: Bryn Dentinger)

Specifically, Dentinger said Galerina autumnalis could cause effects similar to a death cap mushroom. Dentinger provided an example of what that mushroom may look like (seen in the photo above).

While some deadly and poisonous mushrooms are found in the Beehive State, Dentinger said those mushrooms are something that people are unlikely to collect and eat.

Anneka Johns contributed to this report.

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NEW YORK  Erden Arkan  whose Brooklyn-based and Ankara-linked construction firm was searched by the FBI as part of a federal probe into Mayor Eric Adams  pleaded guilty to federal charges Monday.

Prosecutors had accused Arkan of making false campaign contributions to the Democratic mayor's 2021 account.

The plea is another blow to Adams, who is set to begin trial in April on federal bribery charges that he's pleaded not guilty to. Prosecutors allege individuals connected with the Turkish government funneled illegal campaign contributions and bribes to Adams in exchange for influence in City Hall. Adams is charged with wire fraud, bribery and soliciting contributions from a foreign national.

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Adams, who is running for reelection, contends the charges are political retribution for his public criticism of President Joe Biden's handling of the migrant crisis.

Arkan is listed in the 59-page indictment against Adams under the alias Businessman-5, and prosecutors allege Adams sought and accepted straw donations from Arkan.

His guilty plea comes one year after a POLITICO report detailed how Arkan listed his 19-year-old daughter as the COO of one of his companies and a donor to Adams reelection campaign in campaign contribution records. When contacted by POLITICO, Arkan's daughter denied making any donations to Adams and said the title was false.

Arkans construction company KSK, which has ties to Turkey, has faced intense scrutiny ever since the facts of the federal probe against Adams emerged.

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In November 2023 the home of Adams campaign fundraiser Brianna Suggs was searched by federal agents  the first of a long string of federal raids in connection with the mayors dealings with the Turkish government. The search of Suggs home was believed to be connected to KSK, according to multiple reports at the time.

In connection with this case, Arkan has indicated that he wishes to plead guilty, the filing states.

"We know from the governments own interviews that Mr. Arkan repeatedly said that Mayor Adams had no knowledge of his actions," the mayor's attorney, Alex Spiro, said in a statement. "Mr. Arkans conduct will have no bearing on the Mayors case whatsoever.

Joe Anuta contributed to this report.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM)  Two men have been banned from Pennsylvania casinos for leaving multiple children unattended.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says the two men were placed on the Casino Involuntary Exclusion list after separate incidents where children were left unattended in vehicles.

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One man left a 6-year-old unattended in the vehicle in the Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia parking lot for six minutes while gambling at the sportsbook.

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The second man left three minors under the age of 9 unattended in a vehicle at the Rivers Casino Pittsburgh parking garage for 16 minutes while he gambled at the sportsbook.

Biden commutes death row sentence for Pennsylvania man convicted of 12 murders

Adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in parking lots, garages, hotels, or other venues at a Pennsylvania casino.

Additionally, 13 people were placed on the Casino Involuntary Exclusion List for various offenses, including two people who gambled on multiple accounts.

More than 1,200 individuals have been placed on Pennsylvanias Involuntary Exclusion List.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A man is dead and two men are in police custody after a deadly Hickory Hill shooting on Sunday, Memphis Police confirm.

At 3:05 p.m., officers responded to a shooting in the 4400 block of Crescent Park Drive.

Officers found a male victim who was pronounced deceased on the scene.

Police said that while they have two men detained, this is still an ongoing investigation.

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A Chicago podiatrist who fatally shot a patient who was cooperating in a federal fraud probe of his Medicare billings was among 37 people who had their federal death sentences commuted by President Joe Biden.

In January of 2002, Ronald Mikos, 76, called Joyce Brannon days before she was scheduled testify before a federal grand jury and tried to convince her to reconsider, according to Tribune archives. Three days later, federal prosecutors said, Brannon, a handicapped church caretaker, was shot in the head and back at close range in a North Side church where she lived and worked.

With about a month left in office, Biden made the announcement on Monday to convert dozens of death sentences to a term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Also among them is a former Lake County man who received a federal death sentence for the murder of a Navy petty officer in Virginia.

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Authorities had been investigating Mikos for fraud. They alleged in a 25-count indictment that he defrauded Medicare of more than $1.25 million by falsely claiming to have performed thousands of surgeries and that he obstructed justice by recruiting patients to lie to investigators about the fraud. In Brannons case, authorities said, Mikos fraudulently billed Medicare for 85 nonexistent surgeries on her feet.

Brannon, 54, worked at Bethany Lutheran Church in the Edgewater neighborhood and used canes or a wheelchair to get around because of severe asthma.

Three days before her slaying on Jan. 27, 2002, Brannon told a sister and a friend that Mikos called her that day to try to talk her out of testifying. She said she believed she had to do the right thing, according to Tribune stories.

In 2005, a federal jury imposed the death penalty after defense attorneys unsuccessfully tried to spare his life by arguing that his judgment was affected by mental illness and abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs and that he had three young children.

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After deliberating throughout parts of three days during the punishment phase of the trial, some jurors told the Tribune the decision to impose the death penalty had been a difficult one.

It wasnt an open-and-shut case, one juror said. We tried to put our emotions to the side as best we could.

Mikos is held in the federal prison in Terre Haute.

Jorge Torrez, 36, a former Marine who grew up in Zion, was convicted of murder in the slaying of Amanda J. Snell in July 2009 at a Washington-area military base. Torrez, though, was also linked by DNA to the notorious stabbing deaths of 8-year-old Laura Hobbs and 9-year-old Krystal Tobias in Zion in 2005.

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Lake County prosecutors later charged Torrez with the murders and released Lauras father, Jerry Hobbs, who spent five years in jail awaiting trial before he was cleared of the crime and released.

After he already received the death penalty in the Virginia case, Torrez in 2018 pleaded guilty to murdering the girls and was sentenced to 100 years in prison.
KBS Builders, Inc.

SOUTH PARIS, Maine, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KBS Builders, Inc. (KBS or the Company), the leading modular manufacturer in New England, announced it has signed a $2.1 million contract for multifamily apartments in Randolph, Vermont. Per the contract, KBS will manufacture 16 modules for the construction of 12 apartments across 3 buildings. Manufacturing is expected to commence in February, with delivery to be completed in the second quarter of 2025.

KBS selection for this project demonstrates the Companys strong reputation in the New England construction market, particularly in regard to commercial projects. Modular manufacturing offers customers the ability to complete high-quality, custom projects on an accelerated basis, and KBS continuously proves to be the regions modular manufacturer of choice.

Thatcher Butcher, President of KBS, noted, We are proud to announce yet another large commercial contract in the New England area, which exemplifies our strong reputation for high-quality and efficient work. This $2.1 million contract for multifamily apartments follows the two contracts totaling $4.6 million we recently announced for affordable housing projects in Maine, and represents the diversity of our expertise in the commercial construction market. We are encouraged by the recent momentum shift we are seeing from customers who are now releasing projects which were put on hold earlier in the year. We continue to enhance our capabilities in custom, affordable, and timely construction for projects in the commercial space, and look forward to strengthening our already robust position in this market.

About KBS Builders, Inc.

KBS designs and manufactures modular structures with a commitment to residential housing, net-zero design, commercial, and mixed-use buildings. KBS works hand-in-hand with developers, general contractors, architects, and builders to customize and produce the exact type of modular structure they are seeking. The Companys main office and factory are located in South Paris, Maine, while a second factory is located a short distance away in Oxford, Maine. To learn more about KBS, please visit kbsbuildersinc.com.

For more information, contact:

KBS Builders, Inc.

Matthew Sullivan

VP, Business Development

617-820-3677

msullivan@kbs-homes.com




Dec. 22MASSENA  The village board welcomed two new members during Tuesday's monthly meeting.

David Broadbent and Rebecca Violi were sworn in and sat for their first meeting as village trustees.

Broadbent was the top vote-getter in November's election. He replaces Shelyn K. Peets, who did not seek another term on the board.

Violi, a math teacher in the Massena Central School District, was appointed by Mayor Gregory M. Paquin to replace Christine M. Winston, who resigned from the board effective Nov. 30.

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Paquin said Violi would serve the board well.

"They raised their two children here, Chloe and Jack. Each graduated from Massena Central, so it's obvious that she has a vested interest in the community," he said. "She's a past member of the Trinity School Board as well."

He said she was initially reluctant to commit to a village board seat.

"I have asked Becca before. She turned me down a year or two ago. I asked some other individuals. They turned me down. So, I went back and begged Becca one more time," Paquin said. "We're very happy to have you aboard."

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Violi will need to run in November's election to fill out the remainder of Winston's four-year term.

Cody Wilson was also sworn in as Massena's new police chief.

During their November meeting, trustees had approved the retirement of Jason M. Olson effective Nov. 29 and, following an executive session, appointed Wilson as his replacement effective Nov. 30 at a salary of $100,000.

Wilson had been hired in 2012 following his graduation from the police academy in mid-May. He then started a 20-week field training program, during which he was assigned to ride with a senior officer. He was appointed as a lieutenant in the department in December 2020.

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Paquin also announced his committee assignments for trustees.

Chad L. Simpson will continue as deputy mayor; Violi and Broadbent will serve on the Audit Committee; Kenneth J. McGowan will serve on the Code Enforcement/Code Book Committee; Broadbent will serve on the Department of Public Works Committee; Simpson will serve on the Emergency Services Committee; Paquin, Simpson and McGowan will serve on the Employee Contracts and Insurance Committee; and Violi will serve as the village liaison to the Massena Joint Recreation Commission.

The full board will participate in the Budget Committee, Economic and Community Development Committee, and Personnel Committee.

"I've assigned committees and I've kind of streamlined them," Paquin said.

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For instance, he said, McGowan was appointed to the Code Enforcement/Code Book Committee because of his experience with code enforcement issues.

"He'll still be our liaison to the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals. Chad's still going to help with that subject," Paquin said.

He said, if someone is unable to make a meeting and they're the only representative on the committee, they can ask another trustee to fill in.

The dates were also established for the board's 2025 meeting. They will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 21, Feb. 11 (one week earlier than normal), March 18, April 15, May 20, June 17, July 15, Aug. 19, Sept. 16, Oct. 21, Nov. 18, and Dec. 16.
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)  Two Ohio residents are dead after their Toyota minivan went off the road and struck a tree early Saturday morning, according to officials.

Sadly, pronounced deceased at the scene were mom and daughter, 41-year-old Leila Mohamad, and 15-year-old Zilan Sino, both of Columbus, Ohio. According to the family, they were traveling to Iowa to visit family, according to a Facebook post from Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood.

According to the Illinois State Police, the crash happened at 4:22 a.m. on westbound Intestate 74 near the intersection with Bell School Road. Thats in Brimfield Township which is in the western portion of Peoria County.

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For an unknown reason, the 2005 Siena XLE with five people inside went off the road, hit a tree, and caught fire. Two of the passengers  Mohamad and Zino  were pronounced deceased on scene.

Dealerships in Illinois forced to pay $20 million settlement for defrauding customers

The driver, a 48-year-old man from Des Moines, Iowa, and the other two passengers, a 15-year-old girl also from Des Moines and a 16-year-old girl from Columbus, were also taken to an area hospital with serious injuries, according to the state police.

Harwood said in his post on Monday that they were transported to OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in serious but stable condition.

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Jayme Bufford with the Illinois State Police said the driver was cited for improper lane usage. It was not known if the people inside the van were using seatbelts, Bufford said.

The state police did not release any more information.

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NORWALK, Iowa  Two family pets died in a house fire in Norwalk over the weekend.

On Sunday at around 11:46 a.m. the Norwalk Fire Department responded to a report of a house fire in the 1500 block of Holly Drive, according to a post on Facebook. While enroute to the house firefighters saw smoke in the area.

The Norwalk Fire Department said when firefighters arrived at the house there were flames coming from the living room and front entrance. An aggressive interior attack was made to bring the fire under control.

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Osceola woman injured in shooting has died

Norwalk house fire. Photo courtesy of the Norwalk Fire Department. Firefighters respond to house fire in Norwalk. Photo courtesy of the Norwalk Fire Department. Photo courtesy of the Norwalk Fire Department.

While searching the home, firefighters found two dogs inside. The dogs were removed from the home and were provided with life support care, however it was unsuccessful, the fire department said.

One resident was inside the home when the fire started, but was able to safely evacuate after hearing the smoke alarms go off, the fire department said. No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported.

According to the fire department, damage is estimated to be about $175,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The American Red Cross is assisting the family affected by the fire.

Metro News:

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Two teenagers have been charged with murder after a 19-year-old man was stabbed to death outside a village railway station.

Tawana Choruma died following the incident in Station Road, Netley, Hampshire at 6.26pm on Dec 18.

The teenager was found injured and pronounced dead at the scene.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said that Dominic Adeyemi, 18, of Holmes Close in Netley Abbey, and Jack Hibberd, 18, of no fixed address, have been charged with murder. The pair are set to appear at Southampton magistrates court later.

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A 51-year-old man from Southampton arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender has been released on conditional bail, and an 18-year-old man also from Southampton, who was arrested on suspicion of murder and possessing stolen property, has been released on police bail.

A 36-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender will face no further action for this offence.

The force spokesman said that she had been released on conditional bail after also being arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class B and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

A 15-year-old boy who had been previously arrested on suspicion of murder was also released with no further action, the spokesman said.

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THORNTON, Colo. (KDVR)  A Thornton family is hoping to recover a U-Haul trailer after it was stolen from outside their home near East 104th Avenue and Steele Street early Saturday morning.

Ally, who wished to only use her first name, said she and her husband with in the process of moving with their young son. They had packed up everything in their U-Haul trailer and she and her child and flown out to Utah where they were going to meet her husband, who was going to be driving out.

174 people rescued after Winter Park Resort gondola malfunction

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He had been up since five oclock in the morning. Had checked the U-Haul. Everything was good, was just getting a few last-minute things ready to go from our road trip out to Utah for the holidays, Ally said.

He went inside, and when he came back out, the trailer was gone.

I was staying with a friend for two days, Ally said. My friends husband came in the room at about 6:30 in the morning and was like, Westons trying to get ahold of you. You need to call him. So I call him and yeah, my husband was just in tears.

When Ally realized they had taken almost everything they had, totaling $35,000 worth of stuff and keepsakes, she was in shock.

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I started crying immediately. And the first thing that came to mind wasnt the $35,000 worth of items that were stolen. It was those keepsakes, she said.

She said those things are irreplaceable.

Our wedding book, everything from my sons birth, you know, polaroids from my pregnancy, items from, you know, my great grandparents in Romania, my Italian grandmothers cookbook filled with generations of recipes, she said.

African penguin chick hatches at Denver Zoo, to be introduced to public in early January

Her only hope of recovering all those items comes down to the truck that took them, which thankfully multiple cameras around the neighborhood caught on camera.

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According to the ring footage throughout the neighborhood, what appears to be a white Ram with an extended bed, black handles, black wheels, a chrome bumper and a black bed box for tools mounted to the bed, Ally said.

They are also hoping someone might recognize the U-Haul trailer. She said the graphic on the side is of a mountain lion and it has a Pennsylvania plate with a license number of XLX4411. She said Thornton police told her there might be a chance whoever took the trailer would rifle through it to see what they could sell or take, and leave the keepsakes somewhere.

Thieves caught on camera stealing more than $10k worth of belongings from Wash Park garage

Were hoping, she said. That would be kind of a best-case scenario.

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In the meantime, Thornton police are investigating and anyone with information is asked to give them a call at 720-977-5150.

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The Biden administration has launched an investigation into Chinas alleged anticompetitive and non-market chip industry practices as it prepares to pass power to President-elect Donald Trump.

The investigation is initially focused on Chinese-made foundational chips  also called legacy or mature node semiconductors, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

Legacy chips are critical for many industries including autos, defense, and telecommunications, but are not as advanced as semiconductors needed to develop artificial intelligence. A U.S. Department of Commerce report earlier this month found that more than two-thirds of U.S. companies products use Chinese-made chips.

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China allegedly seeks to dominate domestic and global markets in the semiconductor industry and undertakes extensive anticompetitive and non-market means, including setting and pursuing market share targets, to achieve indigenization and self-sufficiency, the Biden administration said. The probe will be carried out under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

The Biden administration also alleges acts, policies, and practices by Chinas chip industry appear to have and to threaten detrimental impacts on the U.S. and other economies, undermining U.S. competitiveness, supply chains, and economic security.

This investigation underscores the Biden-Harris Administrations commitment to standing up for American workers and businesses, increasing the resilience of critical supply chains, and supporting the unparalleled investment being made in this industry, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement.

The USTR is seeking public comments on the investigation, and will hold a public hearing on it.

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Earlier this month, the Biden administration introduced more restrictions on the sale of high-bandwidth memory and chipmaking tools to China, including tools produced by U.S. companies abroad.

The new rules include controls on 24 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, as well as on three types of software tools that can be used to develop or produce chips, the Commerce Departments Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) said. Another 140 unnamed Chinese entities  including semiconductor fabs, tool companies, and investment firms  accused of working on behalf of the Chinese government were also added to the U.S. trade blacklist.

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(Bloomberg) -- UK opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed the threat of her political rival Nigel Farage securing party funding from Elon Musk, saying it could be counterproductive with British voters.

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Politics in the US is very different from politics in the UK. People in this country dont necessarily like to see politics being bought, Badenoch told BBC Radio 4. I think it would be potentially counterproductive.

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Farages right-wing Reform UK has dominated political discourse in recent weeks at least in part due to the apparently close links the former Brexit campaigner is forging with Musk, and reports that the X social media owner is preparing to donate to Reform on a scale that could upend British politics.

A resurgent Reform UK poses a threat to Keir Starmers Labour government but especially for Badenochs Tories, who lost votes to Reform in the July general election and slumped to an historic defeat.

But Badenoch, who has been accused of taking too long to announce policies to win over voters, accused Reform of offering only easy answers. She said she would welcome competition posed by any Musk funding for Reform.

I think that if Elon Musk is giving a party, a competitor party money, then that is a challenge for me to make sure that I raise the same, she said. I dont believe that he is going to give that money, but it doesnt matter if he does.

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The Conservative leader said she expected Mays local elections would be very difficult and the scale of the partys defeat last July  when it lost more than 250 parliamentary seats  meant there was no quick fix to turn its fortunes around before the next general election. But she also said she wasnt prepared to set out positions that may need to change before Britons next go to the polls.

Reform is saying stuff because it hasnt thought it all through, she said. You can give easy answers if you havent thought it all through.

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The entire year 2024 saw Ukrainian troops on the back foot, losing territory to the advancing Russian troops in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast and eastern Donetsk Oblast.

Russia captured Avdiivka  an industrial city in Donetsk Oblast  in February, kickstarting Moscow's offensives all across the region.

Taking advantage of a poorly conducted rotation of Ukrainian units, Russian troops launched a push toward Toretsk and Niu-York, towns in the mid-part of Donetsk Oblast that used to enjoy little engagement.

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Russia continued to gain ground on the eastern part of the region over the summer, gradually approaching Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Vuhledar.

Vuhledar was captured in October. Experts say that Russia could capture Pokrovsk within "months."

North of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, Russia launched a surprise offensive in May, further stretching Ukrainian troops who had already struggled to hold onto the current lines.

The country is now ending the year with an unsolved manpower shortage, a looming defeat in several key battles, and little prospect of changing the situation on the battlefield.

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Despite being outmanned and outgunned across the front, Ukraine boldly launched a cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August. As of December, Ukraine controls less than half of the territory initially gained and is preparing for a looming Russian counteroffensive that will involve North Korean troops.

Kursk Oblast

Up north, Ukrainian troops are continuing to hold ground in Russia's Kursk Oblast. Meanwhile, Russian troops have conducted a few attempts to retake the parts of the region held by Ukraine since Aug. 6.

Some of the roughly 12,000 North Korean troops deployed in Kursk Oblast have participated in assault missions, according to a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the intelligence.

A senior General Staff official told Reuters in late November that Ukraine had lost over 40% of the territory it previously captured in Kursk Oblast.

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Forcing Ukrainian troops out of the narrow foothold they control in Kursk Oblast remains Moscow's focus, the Ukrainian official briefed with intelligence said.

A Ukrainian drone Unit commander with the call sign Boxer (R) stands in front of Ukrainian vehicles parked at a Ukrainian military position and former Russian military position in the Ukrainian-controlled territory of Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, Russia, on Aug. 18, 2024. (Ed Ram/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Ukrainian soldiers walk in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, Russia, on Aug. 18th, 2024. (Ed Ram/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Russian troops' proximity to the town of Sudzha, which is an important supply hub for Ukrainian troops in the area is "concerning" due to rising logistic and encirclement threats, according to John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Russian troops are merely a few kilometers from Sudzha, according to the Ukrainian crowd-sourced monitoring website DeepState.

With the Ukrainian-occupied Kursk Oblast foothold being "fairly narrow," the toll of Russian glide bombs and artillery are having an effect, and casualties could increase over winter when it becomes easier to be spotted from above, Hardie said.

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As of December, Ukraine controls less than 500 square kilometers of Kursk Oblast, which is roughly the size of Chicago, according to Paroinen from the Black Bird Group.

Read also: Destroying us little by little: Ukrainian troops worried about fate of Kursk operation

Kharkiv Oblast

Northeastern Kharkiv Oblast is torn by a major battle north of Kharkiv, the second largest city in the country, and another one surrounding the city of Kupiansk, in the eastern part of the region.

The front line north of Kharkiv stabilized in the summer after Russia launched an offensive in May in an attempt to capture the city of Vovchansk, held by Russia for six months in 2022. While the initial pace was quick, Moscow was unable to fully recapture the town of Vovchansk and advance toward Kharkiv.

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Paroinen from the Black Bird Group said that he doesn't expect Russia to make significant advances in the Vovchansk axis in the coming months since it would likely want to dedicate more resources to Donetsk Oblast, located east. He added that Russia had also allocated a substantial number of troops from the area to defend Kursk Oblast further north in Russia.

Battle for Vovchansk, Kharkiv Oblast. (Nizar Al Rifai / The Kyiv Independent)

Battle for Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast. (Nizar Al Rifai / The Kyiv Independent)

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About a two-hour drive southeast of Vovchansk lies the city of Kupiansk, which was also under Russian occupation in 2022. The front line there has remained stable for months, before Russia intensified its push in late November  in what Ukrainian soldiers described as a tactic to prevent Ukraine from deploying units elsewhere.

Russian troops briefly entered the town's outskirts before being pushed back days later.

Russia has only managed to secure "minimal gains" toward Kupiansk, according to the expert.

Paroinen said that a more concerning situation in Kharkiv Oblast is unfolding around the town of Borova in the southeastern part of the region and close to Donetsk Oblast. Russia has begun new attacks from the Russian-occupied town of Svatove across the Oskil River.

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"I would watch the direction of Borova very closely, and also, if the Russians are able to restart any sort of major push towards Kupiansk," he added.

Read also: Russias use of unidentified gas surges on the front line, Ukraine lacks detectors

Donetsk Oblast

In the northern part of Donetsk Oblast sits the Serebryansky forest, largely charcoaled and severely ruined after years of heavy fighting in the area. Russia has held the initiative on the front line near the Russian-occupied town of Kreminna in the nearby Luhansk Oblast and continues to pressure the Ukrainian defense there.

Roughly 50 kilometers south of the forest rages on the battle for Chasiv Yar, a hilly town now partially occupied by Russian troops. Ukraine is trying to hold onto it at all costs after it was forced to withdraw from the ruins of Bakhmut  about 10 kilometers eastward  in May 2023.

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Russian forces have advanced past the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal, which is running through the city this autumn. They are trying to surround the town from the north and the south.

Chasiv Yar is connected to another important city in Donetsk Oblast, Pokrovsk, via the T0504 highway. This highway has long been a key logistic route connecting the upper and lower parts of Donetsk Oblast until an unexpected Russian breakthrough in the southwestern part of the city made the highway obsolete.

Pokrovsk, a city that spent most of the war being a logistics hub in the rear, is now the main focus point of advancing Russian troops. After capturing the village of Shevchenko, Russian troops are standing 3-4 kilometers east and south of the city, once home to over 60,000 people.

A unit of miners is carrying out a combat mission to mine the territory between Ukrainian and Russian positions with remotely controlled mines in Pokrovsk, Ukraine on Nov. 17, 2024. (Kostya Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)

Ukraine's National Guard 'Bureviy' 1st brigade fires from an infantry assault vehicle on Russian positions in Serebryansky forest, in Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine on June 19, 2024. (Pablo Miranzo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Russian troops appear to be trying to "wrap around" Pokrovsk from the southwest to cut the roads entering the city, according to Hardie, the deputy director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

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"That's often how they try to take some of these cities in the past basically by gulping it and avoiding a head-on assault," Hardie said, adding that Pokrovsk's possible fall is a matter of months, not weeks.

"Russians would likely advance westward on the lower flank of Pokrovsk and capture the Kurakhove area to build "a wide enough position to truly start attacking toward Pokrovsk," Paroinen said, adding that he expects the battle for Pokrovsk to start mid or late January.

The Kurakhove axis just south is key for Moscow to prepare for the battle for Pokrovsk, where Russian troops are pressing from three sides.

Russian troops often semi-encircle Ukrainian troops to capture certain land, which is usually enough to cause significant problems because it becomes difficult to bring in supplies, reinforce the positions, and evacuate the wounded, Paroinen said.

Russian offensive in Donetsk Oblast. (Nizar Al Rifai / The Kyiv Independent)

"Ukrainian forces are refusing to pull back like they are fighting for every inch of the terrain, that means that they are constantly fighting from very disadvantageous positions," he added.

The situation around the town of Velyka Novosilka, 55 kilometers south of Pokrovsk, is getting worse as well, according to experts. If Russia manages to advance from the village of Staromaiorske to the south and Rivnopil to the southwest, it could "isolate the village from pretty much all sides," according to Paroinen.

Velyka Novosilka is Russia's main target in the southern part of the region following Moscow's capture of Vuhledar, a mining town that has been a Ukrainian stronghold since 2022.

Read also: How will Russia-Ukraine war end? The good, the bad, and the ugly scenarios

Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Much like Kharkiv Oblast, the front-line situation in southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast remains rather stable despite the Ukrainian military's repeated warnings about a potential new Russian push in the area.

In the areas further west of Donetsk Oblast where Ukraine attempted to wage a counteroffensive in 2023 on the Orikhiv axis, Russian troops are unlikely to commit to a larger operation, according to Paroinen.

Front-line situation in Zaporizhzhia Oblast as of December. (Nizar Al Rifai / The Kyiv Independent)

Kherson Oblast

Further south, Russia has increased its aerial attacks against the Ukraine-controlled part of Kherson Oblast, including the regional capital. Yet, divided by Dnipro River, which is kilometers wide, there's no signs that either side would dare to conduct a river-crossing operation.

Ukraine is trying to hold onto its limited foothold in the Dnipro River islands. Both sides have been willing to continue fighting over this difficult terrain in the Dnipro River delta, which has little strategic value. The battle is "a bizarre aspect of this war."

Front-line situation in Kherson Oblast as of December. (Nizar Al Rifai / The Kyiv Independent)

In the winter of 2023, Ukrainian soldiers spoke up to the Kyiv Independent about how a number of their comrades were killed in a mission they believed had no prospects. Severely lacking crucial resources from ammunition and drones to boats, the Ukrainian soldiers crossing the river called the mission "suicidal."

It is unlikely that Russia would launch an offensive across the Dnipro to get to the Ukrainian-controlled western bank of the river because it would be "a very big gamble," in a similar way Kyiv's troops suffered heavy casualties in 2023, according to Paroinen.

Note from the author:

Hi, this is Asami Terajima, the author of this article.

Thank you for reading our story. 2024 was a bloody and tough year for Ukrainian soldiers on the front line. Everywhere I went, I saw exhaustion and pain, and the least I can do is write about the men and women at the front and every aspect of this war.

To help the Kyiv Independent tell more stories that would otherwise not be told, please consider supporting us by becoming our member.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Lux interior

The Luxembourg regulator is set to relax transparency requirements for active ETFs by allowing managers to publish holdings with a one-month lag.

In a move designed to attract active ETFs to domicile in the country, updated Q&As published by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) declared that actively managed UCITS ETFs should publish the full portfolio holdingsat least on a monthly basis with a maximum time lag of one month.

Active managers will have to justify the chosen frequency of portfolio publication but are allowed to take into account the need to protect proprietary information."

With many active mutual fund managers hesitant to launch ETFs given the transparency requirements, the move from the watchdog is a clear attempt to steal a march in the race to become the leading domicile in Europes burgeoning active ETF market.

A Euro Divergence Is Occurring

It means the CSSF will have a divergent stance from the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) on disclosure requirements, with the latter still requiring daily publication of portfolio holdings.

The Irish watchdog may soon review its transparency rules, however, with CBI deputy governor Derville Rowland saying in October that the regulator recognizes the importance of the protecting IP in relation to further active ETF innovation.

As a leader in Europe for ETFs, the central bank is open to engaging with industry to develop a proportionate and effective approach to different models of portfolio transparency in our domestic framework, Rowland said.

We are likely to settle on a principles-based approach rather than focusing on one particular model.

The two regulators have been in a battle to attract active ETFs in recent months, with the CBI expected to converge to the CSSFs stance on the use of the UCITS ETF identifier at the share class level of existing mutual funds.

This makes it more realistic for active managers looking to enter the ETF market as by launching listed share classes of existing mutual funds they are spared having to build a separate platform for their ETF offering.

Last week, active managers received another boost from Luxembourg lawmakers, with parliament endorsing a subscription tax exemption for active ETFs aligning them with the tax treatment afforded to passive funds.

Jean-Marc Goy, chairperson of the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI), said, The new transparency and tax regime applicable to Luxembourg domiciled ETFs provides asset managers with a uniquely attractive framework in Europe. He added, "the active ETF market continues to grow rapidly, and Luxembourg, Europes largest cross-border investment fund domicile, is well-positioned to capitalize on this momentum.
The 45th aid package from Poland is currently being delivered to Ukraine.

Source: Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine's ambassador to Poland, in a comment to Radio Liberty, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The diplomat stated that "deliveries are ongoing" and described the package as "extremely important and necessary for us".

Quote: "We are grateful to the Polish side and continue to work on forming the 46th package."

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More details: He added that either the Ukrainian or Polish side will announce the completion of the delivery of the 45th aid package.

"This will be done by either Ukraine's Ministry of Defence or the Polish side currently facilitating these deliveries," Bodnar noted.

The ambassador explained that the specific contents and quantities of the aid remain classified.

Background: On 17 December, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Warsaw is preparing the next aid package for Ukraine. That day, Tusk arrived in Lviv to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers are believed to have been killed or wounded fighting for Moscow in Russia's western Kursk region.

Zelenskyy posted to Telegram on Monday following a briefing by Kyiv's top commander -- Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi -- on the ongoing battle in Kursk, underway since Ukrainian troops launched a surprise cross-border incursion there in August.

"There are risks of sending additional soldiers and military equipment to the Russian army from North Korea," Zelenskyy said, vowing "tangible responses" to any such move. "According to preliminary data, the number of killed and wounded North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region already exceeds 3,000 people."

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Ukrainian special forces claimed on Monday to have inflicted more than 100 casualties among North Korean forces over three days of operations.

PHOTO: Korean People's Army soldiers are pictured at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea on Dec. 17, 2019. (Kim Won Jin/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces branch claimed in a post to its official Telegram channel that 77 North Koreans were killed and 40 wounded in recent fighting.

On Sunday, the SSO posted photos of what it said were North Korean troops killed in Russia's western Kursk region. The SSO also uploaded photos of purportedly fabricated Russian military identity cards. ABC News was not immediately able to independently verify the images.

"Russia is trying to hide the presence of military personnel from North Korea by issuing them with fake documents," the SSO wrote.

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MORE: Ukrainian forces claim 'significant' casualties among North Koreans in Kursk

It added that the documents "do not have all the seals, photographs, the patronymics are given in the Russian manner and the place of birth is signed as the Republic of Tuva," the home region of Sergei Shoigu -- formerly Russia's defense minister and now the secretary of the Security Council.

The SSO said the signatures of the document owners were written in Korean, which it said "indicates the real origin of these soldiers."

U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian officials have said there are currently up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers inside Russia, deployed there primarily to help push Kyiv's forces out of positions taken in Kursk.

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Ukrainian military sources told ABC News in November that North Koreans were expected to be among the 50,000 troops arrayed for a major counter-offensive in Kursk.

MORE: North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk adapting after 'serious losses,' Ukraine says

The deployment of troops marks a new milestone in North Korean support for Russia's war, Pyongyang already having supplied Moscow with ammunition and weapons -- including ballistic missiles -- since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month that Kyiv has "preliminary data that the Russians have begun to use North Korean soldiers in their assaults -- a significant number of them."

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The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence, meanwhile, has reported "significant casualties" among North Korean troops deployed on the front lines alongside Russian units.

PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a ceremony in North Pyongan Province, North Korea, on Dec. 21, 2024 in this photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (Kcna/via Reuters)

MORE: Russia prepares counteroffensive with 50,000 troops, potentially including North Koreans, sources say

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Monday that Seoul expects Pyongyang to send more troops and equipment to Russia.

"North Korea is preparing to rotate or increase the deployment of troops [in Russia], while currently supplying 240mm rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled artillery," said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, as quoted by Yonhap.

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"There are also some signs of [the North] moving to manufacture and supply suicide drones," the JCS said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a drone production and test facility in November. Then, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said Kim "underscored the need to build a serial production system as early as possible and go into full-scale mass production."

Ukraine's Zelenskyy says 3,000 North Koreans killed or wounded in Russia fighting originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Key developments on Dec. 23:

Over 3,000 North Korean troops killed, wounded in Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says

Satellite imagery suggests North Korea to supply more arms to Russia, WSJ reports

'Mysterious' fire engulfs Russian Shahed warehouse, Ukrainian intelligence claims

First Ukrainian Legion unit trained in Poland deployed to Ukraine, ambassador says

'What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?'  Zelensky blasts Fico after Moscow visit

NATO chief defends Scholz, calls Zelensky's criticism 'unfair'

47% of Ukrainians back NATO accession even while territories stay occupied, survey shows

The number of killed and injured North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Russia's Kursk Oblast has surpassed 3,000, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement shared on Telegram on Dec. 23.

Russia has reportedly deployed about 12,000 North Korean troops to help oust Ukrainian troops fighting in Kursk Oblast since early August.

Zelensky warned of the global risks posed by deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, including the transfer of modern warfare experience and advanced military technology.

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There are risks of North Korea sending additional soldiers and military equipment to the Russian army, and we will have tangible responses to this, Zelensky said.

He added that increased collaboration between Russia and North Korea threatens to destabilize the Korean Peninsula and nearby regions.

Zelensky's estimation, that he said comes from Ukraine's intelligence, is a significant increase from other recent reports about the North Korean casualties.

South Korean MP Lee Sung-kwon told reporters on Dec. 19 that at least 100 North Korean troops have been killed and 1,000 injured, with casualties linked to their lack of experience with terrain and modern drone warfare.

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Reports of North Korean troops fighting in Kursk Oblast emerged earlier in November, but Russia reportedly started using them in ground assaults in December.

Read also: North Korean troops in Kursk Oblast boost Russias manpower, despite vulnerabilities

Satellite imagery suggests North Korea to supply more arms to Russia, WSJ reports

North Korea appears to be preparing to supply more arms to Russia on top of some 20,000 containers it had already sent, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Dec. 23 based on its analysis of satellite images.

It follows a statement by the South Korean military, which said earlier the same day that North Korea prepares to send more troops and weapons to aid Russias war against Ukraine.

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Seoul officials told WSJ that approximately 200 munitions factories in North Korea are running at full capacity to produce weapons, with Russia providing fuel and equipment to assist Pyongyang's arms production efforts.

Satellite images analyzed by WSJ show that some of these factories are being expanded. In return for its arms and ammunition sent to Russia, North Korea might have received as much as $5.5 billion, an analyst told WSJ.

By deepening military cooperation with Moscow, Pyongyang hopes to gain practical battlefield experience and the ability to modernize its weapons systems, said.

North Korea has emerged as Russia's leading ally in the full-scale war against Ukraine, providing not only ballistic missiles and artillery ammunition but also soldiers. The two nations signed a defense treaty in June, requiring either state to render military aid to the other in the event of an attack.

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After reporting the first clashes with North Korean troops in the fall, Ukraine in December announced that Russia had begun using North Korean units in ground assaults in Russias Kursk Oblast.

South Korean officials have reported that at least 100 North Korean soldiers have been killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine. According to lawmaker Lee Sung-kwon, North Korean troops are suffering high casualty rates in part due to their inexperience with drone warfare.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is attempting to hide information about North Korean casualties.

Read also: North Korean troops deployed to aid Russia were Pyongyangs idea, NYT reports

'Mysterious' fire engulfs Russian Shahed warehouse, Ukrainian intelligence claims

A "devastating" fire broke out at a Shahed drone warehouse at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia's Tatarstan, destroying drone parts worth $16 million, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Dec. 23.

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The Alabuga Special Economic Zone hosts the Yelabuga drone factory that produces Shahed-type drones for the Russian military, located more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border.

According to HUR, the affected warehouse stored 65 drone attack fuselages, as well as engines, navigation systems, and thermal imaging cameras for the production of 400 Shahed-type drones.

"Everything burned down," the agency said without explicitly claiming responsibility for the "mysterious, devastating fire." Ukrainian intelligence agencies have been previously linked to a number of assassinations and sabotage operations deep in the Russian rear during the full-scale war.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.

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"HUR reminds that there will be fair retribution for every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people," the intelligence agency said in a statement.

Local authorities did not report any fire or similar incident in the Alabuga zone overnight on Dec. 23. Drones struck Kazan, Tatarstan's regional center, on the morning of Dec. 21, damaging several buildings but reportedly inflicting no casualties.

The Yelabuga drone factory was launched in July 2023, aiming to produce not only Russian equivalents of Iranian-made Shahed drones but also the Albatross reconnaissance drones. Russia regularly employs Shaheds and its domestic-made variants like Geran for strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Ukrainian long-range drones previously struck the Yelabuga facility in early April.

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Read also: Assassinations of pro-war figures seek to demoralize Russia, punish war criminals

First Ukrainian Legion unit trained in Poland deployed to Ukraine, ambassador says

The first unit of the Ukrainian Legion, a volunteer brigade being formed and trained in Poland, has departed for Ukraine, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Dec. 23.

Bodnar didn't clarify how many troops were sent.

The initiative aims to bolster Ukraines Armed Forces by recruiting Ukrainian men living in Poland and other EU countries.

The training of the first legionnaires will continue at Ukrainian military grounds, according to Bodnar. The next group of volunteers is scheduled to sign contracts with Ukraine's Armed Forces on Jan. 10 and begin training in Poland.

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The ambassador described the project as a "success story" despite challenges and criticism from Russian propaganda.

Our citizens who join it will have the satisfaction of good training, he said, emphasizing the units voluntary nature.

Since its unveiling in July, the Ukrainian Legion has attracted over 1,000 applicants. The first recruitment center opened in October at the Ukrainian consulate in Lublin, Poland.

The unit is trained by the Polish Armed Forces as part of a joint effort between Kyiv and Warsaw to address Ukraine's manpower shortages.

Ukraine recently reformed its domestic mobilization policies and is in talks with foreign partners to facilitate the return of thousands of draft-eligible citizens who fled abroad.

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The formation of the Ukrainian Legion reflects Kyiv's broader efforts to replenish its military ranks as the war is in its third year.

Read also: Poland and Ukraine to form a military unit from Ukrainians in Europe. Will it be effective?

'What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?'  Zelensky blasts Fico after Moscow visit

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Dec. 23 accused Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of undermining Europe's efforts to become independent of Russian gas and helping Moscow to fund its war against Ukraine.

Fico met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Dec. 22 to discuss gas supplies after Kyiv said it would not extend the deal on transiting Russian gas to Europe past Dec. 31.

Following the visit, Zelensky lambasted Slovakia's prime minister in a long post on social media. He called Fico's pro-Russian energy policy a "big security issue" for Slovakia and Europe, asking: "Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?"

"It is worth noting that after their meeting in Moscow, Fico and Putin did not issue joint statements or respond to media questions," Zelensky said on X.

"They simply cannot say publicly anything about what they discussed in the meeting. They are afraid of the public's reaction."

Under Fico's leadership, Slovakia took a sharp foreign policy turn, halting military supplies to Ukraine from the Slovak Armed Forces' stocks and adopting more Russian-friendly rhetoric.

Read also: Putin, Slovak PM discuss gas transit, standardizing mutual relations, Fico says after Kremlin meeting

The prime minister has repeatedly made controversial statements on Ukraine and the war that echo the Kremlin's talking points, gave an interview with Russian propagandist Olga Skabeyeva, and called for the normalization of relations with Russia.

The Ukrainian president said that though Moscow provides significant energy discounts to Fico, such discounts are paid "through sovereignty or murky schemes." Zelensky referred to a recent European meeting in Brussels at which Fico allegedly did not want to participate in a joint effort to find a replacement for Russian gas.

According to Ukraine's head of state, Fico instead wanted to "assist Russia in pushing American gas and energy resources of other partners away from Europe, implying that he wants to help Putin earn money to fund the war and weaken Europe."

"We are losing people as a result of the war that Putin started, and we believe that such assistance to Putin is immoral," Zelensky concluded.

Fico is yet to comment on Zelensky's statement.

Zelensky also said that Fico refused compensation for the lost profit during the transition period and is "interested specifically in the Russian gas" worth $500 million per year, as well as profits from oil pipe that runs through Ukraine and "gives another $500 million per year."

Fico previously told the media that Zelensky offered him 500 million euros ($520 million) from frozen Russian assets if Bratislava supports Ukraine's NATO membership, an offer the Slovak prime minister said he rejected.

Read also: Ficos energy policy poses a threat to Europe  Ukraine criticizes Slovak PM after Russia visit

NATO chief defends Scholz, calls Zelensky's criticism 'unfair'

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told President Volodymyr Zelensky that his sometimes "harsh criticism" of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is unfair, Rutte told the German news agency DPA in comments published on Dec. 23.

In the interview, Rutte said that Scholz's contributions to Ukraine are commendable. The chancellor ensured that Germany ranks second after the U.S. in military support for Ukraine, something Kyiv should also be grateful for, Rutte noted.

The NATO chief nevertheless voiced support for supplying Germany's Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine without any restrictions on their use, a bone of contention between Kyiv and Berlin.

Calls for Germany to supply Ukraine with Taurus missiles were renewed once the U.S. authorized Ukraine to use its ATACMS long-range missiles against targets in Russia in November.

Scholz, who is adamant about not providing Taurus to Ukraine, also recently made headlines by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time after over two years, leading to criticism from Kyiv.

"In Europe, it may happen that after one call, there may be a second, third, fourth, fifth... Because sometimes leaders want to (wrestle for) leadership. After that, there may be a wave of actual recognition of Putin," Zelensky said at the time.

"I believe that this does not strengthen Ukraine."

Germany, Ukraine's main European backer, is currently facing internal turmoil after Scholz lost a confidence vote in the Bundestag on Dec. 16. This paved the way for early parliamentary elections scheduled for Feb. 23.

Scholzs opponent, center-right CDU/CSU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, has expressed openness to the delivery of Taurus missiles.

Trump pushing higher defense spending

In the interview, Rutte also said he expects U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to pressure its allies and NATO countries to increase their defense spending.

NATO allies reportedly plan to agree on an increase in their defense spending target from 2% to 3% of their gross domestic product (GDP) before their leaders convene for a summit in June 2025.

Taking office in January 2025, Trump had hinted at plans to reduce aid for Ukraine and incentivize European countries to pay more for their protection.

The Financial Times recently reported that while the incoming U.S. president told European partners he would not abandon Ukraine, he also called for raising the defense spending benchmark to 5% of GDP.

Some European NATO countries have yet to reach 2%, while Poland, the biggest spender, is expected to invest 4.7% of its GDP in defense in 2025.

Read also: Trump plans to continue US military aid to Ukraine after inauguration, FT reports

47% of Ukrainians back NATO accession even while territories stay occupied, survey shows

Nearly half of Ukrainians, 47%, support Ukraine joining NATO even if some of its territories remain under Russian occupation at the time of accession, according to a survey by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Razumkov Center, published on Dec. 22.

In case of such an accession, the alliances umbrella of protection may be extended to occupied territories only after liberation.

This represents a 14-percentage-point increase from a similar poll in June 2023.

The poll comes as U.S. President-elect Donald Trumps hesitance to sustain long-term support for Ukraine adds urgency to defining Ukraine's post-war security architecture.

The poll was conducted face-to-face among 1,518 respondents in Ukraine-controlled areas.

It also found that 36% opposed NATO accession under such conditions, down 16 percentage points since June 2023.

The strongest opposition to the idea of such limited accession to NATO came from respondents over 50, those from eastern, central, and southern oblasts, and individuals living below the poverty line or without ties to occupied territories.

The findings come as Ukraine faces limited battlefield success and growing discussions on security arrangements.

While 55% of respondents view NATO membership as Ukraine's best security option, 60% believe it is the only way to prevent future Russian aggression.

Other options, such as neutrality with international guarantees, garnered only 12% support, while non-alignment was favored by just 3%.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 1 that NATOs Article 5 might not immediately apply to active conflict zones, signaling a shift in Kyivs stance.

Zelensky also recently acknowledged that liberating some occupied territories, such as Crimea, might require diplomatic solutions, not military ones.

This pragmatic approach aligns with NATO pathways resembling West Germany's phased accession during the Cold War, an idea supported by 70.3% of Ukrainians in a Dec. 10 survey by the New Europe Center.

Read also: More than two-thirds of Ukrainians favor idea of restoring nuclear arms arsenal, poll shows

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The 3rd Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has released an investigation exposing war crimes committed by Russian troops in the village of Nevske, Luhansk Oblast.

Source: investigation titled Crimes on the Phone: The 3rd Assault Brigade Gathers Evidence of Russian Soldiers Killing Civilians in Luhansk Oblast

Details: Soldiers from the brigade retrieved video evidence from the phone of a Russian serviceman. The footage shows Oleg Igorovich Rudakov, who went by the alias Rudik, issuing criminal orders over the radio. The video documents one of the days when Russian forces entered the village of Nevske. It captures the Russians admitting that their command falsely declared the occupation of Nevske before it actually occurred.

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Rudakov attempted to contact a soldier who went by the alias Yurist (Lawyer), stationed closer to the front line. The subordinate was ordered to shoot at local vehicles, kill civilians and subject them to torture.

In addition to the video, the brigade intercepted radio communications from Rudakov's group during their entry into Nevske. One recording included an order for "security operations" in the village, euphemistically referred to as a "clean-up" of civilians, which implied killing them.

The investigation reveals that Rudakov had a prior criminal record. The brigade contacted his father, who stated that his son had been out of contact for three months since being redeployed to Ukraine.

The 3rd Assault Brigade also obtained intercepted communications revealing inhumane treatment of Russian soldiers within their own ranks.

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The brigade emphasised that the published investigation could serve as evidence in international courts, providing a basis to prosecute war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

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Ukraines Foreign Ministry has stated that the weakness, dependence and short-sightedness of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's energy policy pose threats to the whole of Europe.

Source: The ministry's response to Fico's talks with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted that Russia has been using energy as a weapon for many years, so the current European trend is to abandon Russian energy carriers and increase energy independence.

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Against this backdrop, the ministry is surprised by the Slovak prime minister's persistent attempts to maintain energy dependence on Moscow, despite EU policy and European countries' joint efforts to diversify energy supplies.

Quote: "During the year, his [Ficos  ed.] actions were actually aimed at helping Russia oust American and other gas from the European market, deepening Europe's dependence and weakening our continent," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

Instead, Slovakia could have used this time to resolve all existing problems and find mutually acceptable solutions in coordination with its European partners and neighbours.

Quote: "Ukraine has repeatedly emphasised its readiness to consider relevant requests from the European Commission, but the prime minister of Slovakia charted a different course. Ukraine is paying the highest price  the price of human lives  for deterring Russian aggression and protecting European homes, including Slovak ones, from Russian murderers," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

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The ministry stressed that it would not accept the "shameful policy of appeasement", which had already proved to be a mistake in the last century.

Quote: "We call on all European partners to work together to reduce dependence on Russian energy supplies and strengthen Europe's energy security," the Foreign Ministry said.

Background:

It was reported earlier that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico visited the Kremlin on 22 December for talks with Vladimir Putin.

The talks discussed issues on the international agenda, as well as the transit of Russian gas.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised Fico's visit to Putin.

On Monday, a protest was held in Bratislava in connection with Fico's trip to Russia.

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Fighters from the 8th Separate Special Operations Regiment have killed 77 North Korean soldiers in Russias Kursk Oblast over the past three days.

Source: Ukrainian Special Operations Forces on Telegram

Quote: "Kursk Oblast. Fighters from Special Operations Forces have killed 77 and injured over 40 North Korean soldiers in three days with a single crew."

Details: Ukrainian defenders also destroyed 12 vehicles, three quad bikes and an armoured combat vehicle.

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Background: Ukraines Special Operations Forces (SOF) reported that they had killed three North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast and documents seized from the North Korean soldiers displayed signs of forgery.

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Russian forces have attacked Ukraine with 72 Shahed loitering munitions and other types of drones. Ukrainian air defence units have destroyed 47 Russian drones, while others have disappeared from radar.

Source: Ukraine's Air Force on Telegram

Quote: "As of 09:00, 47 Shahed attack UAVs and other types of drones are confirmed to have been shot down in Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi and Odesa oblasts. A further 25 enemy decoy drones disappeared from radar (without any adverse effects) due to active countermeasures by the defence forces."

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Details: The Russian attack reportedly damaged the premises of businesses and residential buildings in Khmelnytskyi and Kyiv oblasts. Early reports indicate no casualties.

The Russians launched drones from the directions of the Russian cities of Bryansk and Oryol.

The aerial attack was repelled by anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and mobile fire groups from Ukraine's Air Force and defence forces.

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Ukrainian Air Assault Forces units, alongside other servicemen from Ukraine's defence forces, have been successfully repelling Russian assaults in Kursk Oblast.

Source: press service for the Command of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Details: Released footage shows one of many instances of Russian equipment and personnel attempting an assault.

The paratroopers reported that the Russians had been launching attacks on Ukrainian positions from early morning, but all assaults were successfully repelled.

Quote: "The enemys armoured vehicles were destroyed before their troops could land. Other vehicles were destroyed using anti-tank weapons, drones and artillery. Russian infantry suffered losses in nearby forest belts and hiding places."

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Following three months of harrowing legal proceedings, Gisele Pelicots ex-husband  and 50 men he recruited to sexually abuse her over the course of a decade  were this week sentenced for their crimes.

In a case that has shocked the world, Dominique Pelicot, dubbed the Beast of Avignon, was found to have spent a decade drugging his wife and organising for strangers he met online to rape her unconscious body.

An electrician nearing retirement, Pelicots crimes were discovered when he was caught up-skirting a woman in a supermarket, leading police to find his catalogue of more than 20,000 videos documenting the abuses he facilitated at their home in southeastern France.

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On Thursday, he was jailed for 20 years as five judges returned their verdicts at Avignons Palais de Justice.

Of the 50 men who stood trial alongside him  three quarters of whom had families of their own, and worked in roles such as firefighters, journalists, nurses, and prison guards  47 were found guilty of rape, two of attempted rape, and two of sexual assault. They were jailed for a total of 428 years.

Here are some of the questions that remain unanswered following this weeks verdict.

Could Gisele Pelicot return to the courtroom?

Having spent three months in court facing down the men who abused her, the 72-year-old has become an icon and symbol of courage to many, with scores of supporters waiting outside the court to applaud her each day.

(AFP/Getty)

Following the verdict, her lawyer Stephane Babonneau said: At the start of the trial she said: If I last two weeks, that will be a lot. In the end, she made it to three and a half months. Now, she is at peace, and relieved its all over.

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However it remains unclear whether Gisele could return to court if a number of those convicted are to appeal.

On Friday, French media reported that the lawyer for Redouan El Farihi, 55, and Ahmed Tbarik, 54, had lodged appeals after they were each found guilty of rape and sentenced to eight years in prison. Dominique Pelicot is also said to be considering appealing against his jail sentence.

While those convicted will have 10 days to lodge an appeal, Ms Babonneau told France Inter radio: In any case, she has no fear of it [another trial], that is what she told us.

Is Dominique Pelicot guilty of further crimes?

Investigators are now formally probing whether Pelicot could have been a serial offender prior to the crimes he committed against his wife between 2011 and 2020.

(Handout)

Two cold cases  the 1991 rape and murder of an estate agent in Paris, and the attempted rape of an estate agent in 1999  have now been reopened, and Pelicot could potentially face trial in the future.

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While he has admitted to assault and attempted rape in the 1999 case, after DNA testing following his arrest found his blood matched that found on the victims shoe, Pelicot has denied any responsibility in the 1991 case, although prosecutors argue the two cases are too similar to be coincidental.

What happened to Pelicots daughter?

In November 2020, as she and her brother were urgently moving their mother out of her family home after her fathers crimes were discovered, Caroline Darian was summoned to return to the police station to hear something that officers could only tell her in person.

Already reeling from the devastating revelations of her fathers actions, Ms Darian was shown two photographs among her fathers catalogue of a young woman on a bed dressed in lingerie. While she initially did not recognise the woman, the truth dawned on her as an officer pointed out she and the woman in the pictures both shared the same mole on their cheek.

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How could he have photographed me in the middle of the night without waking me? Did he also drug me? Worse still, did he abuse me? Ms Darian later wrote in a memoir Et jai cesse de tappeler papa (And I stopped calling you father).

Despite also being found guilty of this act, as well as taking indecent images of his daughters-in-law, Aurore and Celine, Pelicot insisted during the trial that he did nothing to his daughter, who was heard shouting to him: Ill never see you again! Youll die alone like a dog!

Gisele Pelicot (R) sits beside her daughter Caroline Darian (C) and her son (L) at the courthouse during the trial (AFP via Getty Images)

Despite his denials, the question remains over how far Pelicots abuse of his daughter went. Ms Darian remains convinced that her father not only looked at her with incestuous eyes, but also drugged her and may have physically abused her.

In court, she described herself as the trials forgotten victim, with no record of the abuse she believes took place.

How do Gisele Pelicots rapists view their crimes?

During the trial, many of the dozens of men found to have raped Gisele gave a multitude of attempts to justify their actions  insisting either that Pelicot had given his consent for them to rape his wife, that they were in fact also Pelicots unwitting victims, or that they had too much testosterone.

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She was waiting for the explanations, some kind of exchange, and she has not had that, Giseles lawyer Antoine Camus told the court.

(Reuters)

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Describing their excuses as evidence of a societal culture of rape, Mr Camus later told The Guardian: These absurd suggestions, prejudices, hypotheses, preconceived ideas  all deployed before our very eyes, and all at the expense of Gisele Pelicot.

It remains unclear why not a single man confronted with Giseles unconscious and clearly drugged body would raise the alarm to the police.

The question is not why you went there, but why you stayed, Mr Camus told the court.

How could the trial impact societys culture of rape

Ms Pelicot has said that she made her momentous decision to waive her anonymity in order to allow the proceedings and evidence to be heard in open court so that shame changes sides.

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It is a decision that has fuelled a national conversation in France, which campaigners hope will help to change attitudes towards rape and sexual violence.

The trial has also highlighted how French law and those who uphold it treat survivors of sexual violence and questions around consent.

While rape in France is defined as sexual penetration, committed against another person by violence, constraint, threat or surprise, with Giseles rapists prosecuted under the latter category, the trial has intensified discussions around whether France should add a clause explicitly around consent.

Marion Dubreuil, a court correspondent for radio station RMC who covered the trial near-daily, told The Guardian: Rape is the most absolute crime; the most banal and the most common. Now we are speaking about it, people realise it is happening all the time. I see this in those around me. The trial has made them think.
The Air Force will set a new path for how it will fight air wars during the first year of the next Donald Trump presidency, which will have ramifications for decades to come.

The Air Force struggled for much of 2024 to figure out how  and even whether  to proceed with its planned sixth-generation fighter, known as Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD.

But NGADs original anticipated cost  which came in at about three times as much as an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, or in the neighborhood of $250 million to $300 million  derailed the Air Forces plans to proceed. This summer, the service put the programs planned contract award on hold and launched a review of NGAD, and its air superiority strategy as a whole, to find out if there is a way to achieve its goals more affordably.

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The Air Force originally intended to make a decision on NGAD by the end of 2024. But in December, after President-elect Trumps victory, the service announced it would defer that choice to the new administration.

The service sees the advanced fighter, which would replace the F-22 Raptor, as a critical part of the Air Forces ability to fight a future war against China in the Indo-Pacific region. It would be part of a family of systems, including autonomously driven drone wingmen known as collaborative combat aircraft, and be powered by an advanced adaptive engine that could shift to the ideal configuration for its current flight conditions.

The technologies and capabilities both competitors for NGAD  widely expected to be Boeing and Lockheed Martin  are proposing are incredible, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Allvin said Dec. 7. But before the service commits itself to a course, he said, it has to make sure its moving in the right direction.

Were about to go through a one-way door, Allvin said at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California. Before you go through that one-way door, we thought it prudent that we look at the arc of the threat, how this [NGAD] platform integrates with the rest of the capabilities of the Air Force, and whether that integrated set of capabilities was going to meet the threat and be able to exceed the threat.

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Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on tactical air and land forces, said the Air Force is right to ask those tough questions before it moves too far along on NGAD, and to give the incoming administration its chance to chart a path forward.

That will help avoid creating an NGAD platform that isnt properly set up to tackle the threats it will face in years to come, he said.

Whats happened in the past is, we make decisions [on platforms], and the operationalization of that capability sometimes doesnt occur for years, Wittman said. By the time it gets operationalized, the threats changed.

The Air Force is also putting thought into how NGADs platform would work with CCAs and a future tanker called NGAS, or next-generation aerial refueling system, Wittman said.

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Since the election, prominent Trump advisers Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have disparaged the idea of building more crewed fighters, and said the military should instead concentrate on drones.

Crewed fighters will be necessary for the military in the near-term, Wittman said. But in the long term, he said, uncrewed platforms will take on a greater role  particularly as technology advances at a rapid pace.

The question will always be, how does that transition take place? Wittman said. We are not going to go from a fleet of F-35s, B-21s, B-52s [and] F-15EXs to tomorrow, everything unmanned.  [Going] completely from crewed to uncrewed, I think, is still years in the future. But the learning curve is going to be, how do we incorporate uncrewed aircraft.

Allvin agreed drones will play a key role in future warfare, and he feels the military needs to strike a balance between crewed and uncrewed platforms such as CCAs.

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The future is really about the most effective human-machine teaming, Allvin said. One can take the idea of drones or uncrewed warfare  to the extreme, and if you take the human out of this very human endeavor, which is warfare, then it becomes too easy to do. Warfare is always a human endeavor.

Noah Robertson contributed to this report.
BANGKOK (AP)  Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the worlds third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels.

The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company.

Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry.

An industry shakeup

The ascent of Chinese automakers is rattling the industry at a time when manufacturers are struggling to shift from fossil fuel-driven vehicles to electrics. Relatively inexpensive EVs from China's BYD, Great Wall and Nio are eating into the market shares of U.S. and Japanese car companies in China and elsewhere.

Japanese automakers have lagged behind big rivals in EVs and are now trying to cut costs and make up for lost time.

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi announced in August that they will share components for electric vehicles like batteries and jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to dramatic changes in the auto industry centered around electrification. A preliminary agreement between Honda, Japan's second-largest automaker, and Nissan, third largest, was announced in March.

A merger could result in a behemoth worth about $55 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers.

Joining forces would help the smaller Japanese automakers add scale to compete with Japan's market leader Toyota Motor Corp. and with Germanys Volkswagen AG. Toyota itself has technology partnerships with Japan's Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp.

What would Honda need from Nissan?

Nissan has truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda doesn't have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions.

Nissan also has years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybird powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said.

Nissan does have some product segments where Honda doesnt currently play, that a merger or partnership could help, said Sam Abuelsamid, a Detroit-area automotive industry analsyt.

While Nissan's electric Leaf and Ariya haven't sold well in the U.S., they're solid vehicles, Fiorani said. They haven't been resting on their laurels, and they have been developing this technology, he said. They have new products coming that could provide a good platform for Honda for its next generation.
As investigators continue to determine the motives and mindset that allegedly prompted Luigi Mangione to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York nearly three weeks ago, there is concern among some criminologists about the long-term impacts that public assassination could cause.

"This is a unique event," Timothy Clancy, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland's National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), told ABC News. "It brings together many things: the targeting of a singular individual; the combined anger and grievances that people have with the health care industry; the sensationalism of the manhunt."

PHOTO: Luigi Mangione is led into the Blair County Courthouse for an extradition hearing Dec. 10, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

That combination of factors, as well as ongoing coverage of the investigation and the suspect, could contribute to other people resorting to violence for similar grievances, Clancy and other criminology experts told ABC News. While experts said such potential radicalization is a rare occurrence for shootings involving lone actors, they also noted that there are proven strategies to prevent so-called copycats and to address the concerns of those who may be considering such action.

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MORE: UnitedHealthcare CEO killing latest: Luigi Mangione faces federal charges including stalking, murder

"We cannot use the police to fight the grievances. You have to do this right way to mitigate the violence," Clancy said.

Concerns over a lone actor whose actions may resonate with others

Mangione, 26, was charged Thursday in Manhattan federal court with four federal charges, including stalking, a firearms offense involving a silencer, and murder through use of a firearm, a charge that makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

On Monday, Mangione pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan court to 11 state charges, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism. A New York grand jury upgraded charges against Mangione last week to include the latter charge. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of the state charges.

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Mangione has not yet entered a plea in response to the federal charges and has been remanded to custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York until his next scheduled court appearance in January.

Judge Gregory Carro set the next hearing on the state charges for February 21. Mangione is also facing charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested, including forgery and allegedly possessing an unlicensed firearm.

Mangione's New York lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Thursday that her client was prepared to appear in state court and that the federal charges were unexpectedly introduced first, calling it "highly unusual."

On Monday following Mangione's plea, Agnifilo raised concerns that her clients rights are being violated, alleging that the case is being politicized and that Mangione's right to a fair trial was "being prejudiced by some statements made by public officials, calling out statements made by New York Mayor Eric Adams specifically, who called Thompson's murder an "act of terrorism."

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Based on what investigators say they know about Mangione's alleged actions and motivations, he was a "lone wolf" similar to other shooting suspects who were not connected to domestic terrorist groups or other organized groups, according to ABC News contributor Donald Mihalek, a former senior official with the United States Secret Service.

Mangione was intelligent  a high school valedictorian who earned an Ivy League master's degree. However, investigators say he appeared to have deep-rooted anger, according to Mihalek.

MORE: What we know about Luigi Mangione, Ivy League grad charged in CEO's murder

"They will take on the identity of a warrior," Clancy said of the mindset of some lone actors. "They say, 'I'm going to do what society wants to do and what state actors can't do.'"

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This mentality is far more dangerous in the aftermath of Thompson's murder, warned Clancy and other experts with whom ABC News spoke.

John Cohen, an ABC News contributor and former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, said that one of the biggest red flags in his assessment was what authorities have described as the suspect's alleged withdrawal from society in the months before the incident.

Mangione's family and friends said they lost contact with him earlier in the year, according to authorities. His mother filed a missing persons report in November with the San Francisco Police Department, seeking information on her son's whereabouts, two law enforcement sources told ABC News.

"We often hear they aren't on the radar screen," Cohen said of suspects in similar shootings. "The thing is, they are on the radar screens  law enforcement and the public aren't looking at the right radar screen."

Fuel for a shared anger

The Thompson shooting stands out from other high-profile assassinations, Clancy said, in that a single person was allegedly targeted because of the shooter's alleged anger toward an industry that authorities have said the victim symbolized to Mangione.

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The public's fascination with Mangione has grown. A defense fund established in his name collected over $100,000 donations within days of his arrest, with the total nearing $190,000 as of Monday. Dozens of supporters gathered outside of the Manhattan court on Monday where Mangione pleaded not guilty state charges, many of them holding what appeared to be homemade signs that bore messages of support for Mangione and messages critical of the health care industry.

PHOTO: Luigi Mangione is seen in multiple views in an approximately 1015-minute interim between his two hearings at Blair County Court in Hollidaysburg, Pa., Dec. 19, 2024, in a courtroom sketch. (Emily Goff/Reuters)

Cohen said that law enforcement had already been on high alert prior to Thompson's murder due to the increased violent online rhetoric over a wide variety of topics such as politics, men's rights, race and income inequality.

"We have a growing number of people who believe that violence is the only way to express their beliefs," Cohen told ABC News. "The reaction is not unexpected. An increasing number in our society are mistrustful of government, businesses and other institutions. They believe they are the victims of inappropriate behavior."

Cohen said it is not out of the question that other lone individuals would want to replicate Thompson's murder and subsequently may feel validated by those who share their stated beliefs  a scenario that is one of the biggest challenges facing law enforcement.

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"Law enforcement is pretty good at detecting and stopping threats by groups, whether they be a terrorist group or domestic violence extremist group. What's more difficult is an individual with underlying issues that connect with an underlying cause and independently makes a decision to carry out an attack," he said.

Mihalek said the problem is compounded by online discourse, which can add more vitriol to people's frustrations.

"The dark corners of the internet have become a tool for people who have negative mindsets that support their negative mindset," he said. "The internet can support or embolden people, because of the information put on the internet  often false information."

Clancy added that the positive attention directed toward Mangione's physical appearance, the media coverage during the manhunt and when he was apprehended, and his outburst during an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania last week will only fuel the online fascination with the suspect.

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"It's hyper-social media. It's instantaneous, within hours and minutes," he said.

PHOTO: A poster depicting Luigi Mangione hangs outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel on Dec. 12, 2024, in New York. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

"The challenge with law enforcement today is the use of violence to express one's ideological views or sense of disagreement is becoming fully baked in our society," Cohen said.

Recontextualizing a sensational narrative

Experts with whom ABC News spoke said it's possible to address the issue of potential copycats before others take direct inspiration from Thompson's murder. The first step, Mihalek said, is for prosecutors and law enforcement to stress that killings and shootings are immoral and detrimental to society.

While there may be some who may feel that Thompson's killing was justified because they believe they were hurt by the health insurance industry, the reality is that a person was murdered and others could have been injured or killed in the process, according to Mihalek.

PHOTO: The New York City Police Department is asking for the public's help to identify this person wanted for questioning in the Midtown Manhattan murder of a CEO on Dec. 4, 2024. (NYPD)

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"It's hard to fight because of the celebrity thing. The only way is to point out the facts and keep the eye on the ball," Mihalek said. "He allegedly committed a cold-blooded murder in Manhattan in the middle of the day."

Elected officials, law enforcement and other leaders have publicly condemned Thompson's murder and pushed for a thorough prosecution of his alleged shooter.

Clancy said Mangione's trial, particularly if it's lengthy, could create a repeating glamorization cycle for as long as the trial goes on. He also noted that prosecutors who have won convictions against school shooters and others in the past have often been successful in stripping the allure from a suspect during their trials.

"Failure notoriety is something we can increase," he said.

Addressing underlying anger

Overall, what needs to be addressed is the increased anger being expressed in society against corporate entities, especially the health care industry, the experts told ABC News.

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Mihalek said that both law enforcement and the general public will need to keep an eye out for anyone who seems in distress and shares angry rhetoric against health care companies and CEOs, and act if they encounter it.

"Concerning behaviors should not be ignored: They need to be reported and addressed. If somebody says something, don't be afraid to be the someone to raise the flag about it," he said.

MORE: UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect inspired by Unabomber: NYPD analysis

PHOTO: A poster accusing the Aetna insurance company of genocide on a lamppost in New York, Dec. 13, 2024. (Richard B. Levine/Newscom)

Clancy reiterated that the grievances felt by many when it comes to the health care industry, or capitalism in general, are rooted in legitimate concerns expressed by a large majority of people. He stressed that sincere, open communication between the public and the people in power, including emphasis on non-violent responses, is the first step to lowering the temperature.

"If you can find you can off-ramp people at the early stage by saying, 'Hey, you know, you're right, the corporations are greedy, and they are too powerful. We should do something, here's what we can do,' then you can lead to long-term solutions," he said.

UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting prompts questions about how to prevent copycats originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The diagnosis shattered the young mothers world.

At 36, Heather Tubigan of west suburban Chicago discovered an avocado seed-sized lump in her left breast. It was a malignant tumor. The cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes.

Terrified, the patient almost reflexively asked her surgeon to remove both of her breasts, even though the cancer afflicted only one side.

I just want to get rid of them both, Tubigan, now 40, recalled. I just wanted them out.  When you have cancer, you just want to get rid of it.

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Yet the surgeon urged her to reconsider. While the breast with the tumor had to be removed, the physician explained that there were many benefits to keeping the healthy breast intact  including preserving feeling on one side of the chest, which would be gone on the other side after surgery.

That loss of sensation is often more profound than many breast cancer patients can initially comprehend while grappling with a life-changing illness. From the warmth of a hug to sexual arousal, modern medicine is just beginning to appreciate the various functions of the breast as well as how lack of sensation post-mastectomy can alter the lives, intimacy, sexuality and emotions of breast cancer survivors.

I was going back and forth for so long. Do I keep it? Or do I not? Tubigan recounted. Because just the thought of not having my breast and not being able to feel, that was very, very difficult to me. I couldnt really understand it. You cant wrap your head around it, to not have any sensation or any feeling.

In a groundbreaking project, University of Chicago-led researchers are working to restore that sense of touch for patients who have undergone mastectomy. The team of doctors, neuroscientists and bioengineers is building an implantable device dubbed the bionic breast, which will be designed to revive feeling post-mastectomy and reconstruction.

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Our surgical approach to reconstructing breasts after cancer treatment has been focused heavily on the appearance, the form of the breasts, rather than the functions, said Dr. Stacy Tessler Lindau, principal investigator of the Bionic Breast Project and UChicago Medicine gynecologist. And were trying to change that understanding with our work.

The first clinical trial to test a key component of the device is expected to start early 2025, Lindau said.

There are more than 4 million breast cancer survivors in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society; more than 100,000 patients undergo mastectomy each year nationwide.

The bionic breast project received a $3.99 million grant from the National Cancer Institute in summer 2023 to begin clinical trials. The implantable device is partly based on the work of University of Chicago neuroscientist Sliman Bensmaia, whose research helped develop prosthetic limbs that restored a realistic sense of touch to patients who were paralyzed or had amputation.

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Lindau and Bensmaia partnered for about seven years to work toward applying a similar technology to restore a sense of feeling in the breast post-mastectomy, until Bensmaias sudden and unexpected death at age 49 in August 2023.

While breast reconstruction can cosmetically rebuild the look and form of the chest, Lindau said many mastectomy patients still experience a sense of physical and psychological loss akin to that of a person who loses a limb.

Some women describe the loss of their breasts as  the loss of their identity, the loss of their femininity, she said. And it is an existential loss. It calls into question, for some people, their humanity.

Connection with your child

After much contemplation, Tubigan had a unilateral mastectomy in 2020 and kept her right breast.

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Shes grateful her surgeon, Dr. Nora Jaskowiak, surgical director of the UChicago Medicine Breast Center, took the time to counsel her through the decision, weighing the risks and benefits of removing one breast versus both.

The bionic breast project is intriguing to Tubigan: The possibility that an implantable device could one day return a sense of touch to her left side is exciting, she said.

Id actually be interested in doing it, Tubigan said. To not have that sensation, Ive learned life without it. But of course, Id be open to (restoring) it as well.

Now in remission, Tubigan said having a sense of touch in her remaining breast can be incredibly comforting, particularly when embracing her 9-year-old son Ryker.

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When I hold him on my right, I can really feel him, Tubigan said. On my left side, I dont really feel anything. I only feel pressure, is the best way to explain it. Theres no sensitivity to it.

Her surgeon stressed that each breast cancer case is different; Jaskowiak said she tries to help patients better understand their options and what the long-term ramifications of different treatment paths might be.

But sense of touch in the breast is one important factor that patients might otherwise overlook.

We spend tremendous time talking people through it, really having them informed about these choices, she said. When you hug someone, if you have a bilateral mastectomy, youre not going to have that sensation on your chest wall. Or when you hold your grandchild  youre not going to have that feeling of a child sitting against your chest when your breast is completely numb.

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These lifelong consequences can be hard to take into account as women are making treatment choices in a moment of fear and anxiety, Jaskowiak added.

Theres all kind of stuff about breast and chest sensation that we just dont think about, she said. But then, it can be lost.

Throughout her battle with breast cancer, Tubigan and her husband longed to have another child.

And we didnt know if cancer took that away from us, she said.

Prior to undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy, she had her eggs harvested to safeguard her fertility. But earlier this year, she and her husband conceived on their own.

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We miraculously got pregnant naturally, she said.

On Nov. 8, Tubigan gave birth to a girl. Shortly after delivery, she nursed her newborn on her right breast, feeling her daughter suckle and snuggle against her chest during the feeding.

For me, when breastfeeding, you share this connection with your child. And its a beautiful thing, she said. Its not easy. Its not for everyone. But I think its an amazing thing that the human body can do. You can produce a life  but being able to produce food and nutrition for your child, it just shows another sense of love.

Faith rewarded

For more than 14 years, Lindau has specialized in the field of onco-sexuality, helping cancer patients recover their sexual function during and after treatment.

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While she cares for patients with all types of cancer, more than half have breast cancer.

I came to appreciate how loss of sensation of the breast  and even pain and sometimes itching and other symptoms in the breast  really interferes with sexual function, she said. The breast is a very important sexual organ for most women.

Lindau explained that the nipple-areolar complex has an erection function, a similar physiology to the penis and clitoris. And for many women, if they lose the nipple, theyre not able to have an orgasm; this can be a particularly difficult problem for women who have had double mastectomy.

One day, a patient turned to Lindau and asked, What are you going to do about this?

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Around the same time, the physician became familiar with the work of Bensmaia, an international expert in the neuroscience of touch, whose lab and research partners at the University of Pittsburgh developed a robotic prosthetic device that restored a realistic sense of touch and allowed the patients thoughts to control the prosthetic arm and hand.

A 28-year-old man who was paralyzed used that prosthetic to fist-bump President Barack Obama in 2016, an iconic moment Obama invoked during his farewell address in Chicago in 2017.

Ive seen our scientists help a paralyzed man regain his sense of touch, the president had said, remarking on the wonders hed witnessed throughout his eight years in office. So that faith that I placed all those years ago, not far from here, in the power of ordinary Americans to bring about change  that faith has been rewarded in ways I could not have possibly imagined. And I hope your faith has too.

Bensmaia had explained to the Tribune in 2011 that the usefulness of a prosthetic is limited without tactile feedback. For example, when lacking a sense of touch, patients cannot distinguish between the textures of corduroy and silk, similar objects such as a pen and a pencil, or even the feel difference between a poke compared to a punch.

People take (their sense of touch) for granted more than vision or hearing, he had said at the time.

Lindau approached Bensmaia and asked if he thought his work on the prosthetic hand could be translated to the breast.

And he said, yes, I agree with you that thats a viable concept, she recalled. He was exceptionally excited because, although its very meaningful work to be able to restore sensation to a prosthetic hand, the number of people with that kind of an amputation injury who would be eligible for sensory restoration was small.

In comparison, the number of breast cancer survivors who might benefit from a bionic breast was orders of magnitude greater, Lindau said. In August 2023, Lindau and Bensmaia received the multimillion dollar National Cancer Institute funding for the clinical trial.

And he passed away a few days later, she said. I felt an immense sense of loss due to the tragedy. And a double-down commitment to bring the bionic breast project to life.

Experiments, bold vision

For the first clinical trial, the project will recruit participants who are already planning to undergo a two-stage double mastectomy with breast reconstruction procedure.

When the mastectomy is performed, the breast tissue will be taken out like it normally is; the breast portion of the intercostal nerves, which run along the ribs in the chest and provide sensation to the breast, will also be removed during this process, Lindau said.

To the cut nerves, the reconstructive surgeon will attach small electrodes connected to tiny electrical leads, which look similar to an old-fashioned coil telephone cord but are about as thin as coarse strands of hair; those electrical leads will travel out of the skin under the arm. The mastectomy incision will then be closed and the patient will heal, Lindau said.

About six weeks later, the participant will come into the clinical research center and the project team will connect the leads coming through the skin with an energy source.

And those experiments will help us identify and answer the question  can we deliver energy to these nerves in a way that restores sensation? Lindau said. Were having participants do that with us using very similar protocols that have been used in people with limb amputation to demonstrate that delivering electricity can indeed restore sensation.

The patients will report back describing the sensation, intensity, and whether the feeling is natural or painful, to help researchers better design the device; the electrical leads and electrodes would later be removed from those participants during breast reconstruction.

The team will later test the whole bionic breast device: This will involve implanting a flexible sensor underneath the patients skin that will be able capture the pressure of a hug or the sensation of a gentle touch, Lindau said.

The sensor would take in the mechanical information of touch and transmit it to a processor in the chest that can convert that information into electricity, which would then be delivered to the nerves, Lindau said.

This would all occur through a closed system thats implanted in the breast, Lindau said.

She said this implantable device would be designed to be compatible with the widest range of procedures mastectomy patients can elect.

Some patients decide to undergo reconstruction with breast implants; some opt to remain flat with no reconstruction. Others choose to have whats called flap reconstruction, a procedure that uses tissue from another part of the patients body to rebuild the form of the breast.

So in one case, (the device) might be fully integrated with an implant, Lindau said. In another case, it might operate without any implant at all.

Even with an ambitious timeline, Lindau estimated the technology wouldnt be available to the public for at least five years, and thats if the trials go as expected.

But we are working with urgency, recognizing how many women are suffering with loss of sensation after mastectomy, she added. And we are working with a big, bold vision.

A need to feel touch

Breast sensory function is often overlooked by medical practitioners caring for breast cancer patients, Lindau said. But she and her colleagues are trying to change that.

A few years ago, she launched the FEEL Project in collaboration with the Bionic Breast research group, to inform the public about the impact of mastectomy on sensation. That work included interviews with breast cancer survivors and medical providers about loss of feeling after surgery, which were compiled in a video.

These narratives were intended to give patients an idea of what to expect after mastectomy, as well as provide a guide for surgeons to discuss breast sensation with patients.

You know if you sit on your leg for too long and it falls asleep and finally, when youre trying to get sensation, it aches a little bit but yet you cant feel anything? Thats how it felt, one unilateral mastectomy patient said in the video. Around the nipple itself? Absolutely nothing. I think one day I pinched as hard as I could. Nothing.

You never think about, what does your breast mean for you during sex. It just happens, another breast cancer survivor commented during the video. But when youre going to lose your breast, and you do, then youre like yeah, that really was important to me.

A psycho-oncologist explained during the video that loss of breast sensation can be very distressing, but will vary from person to person.

We all have a need to feel touch, which can be a source of pleasure, as with intimacy, but also a source of comfort, as with a hug, she said.

One of the patients interviewed was Tubigan, who described the change post-mastectomy.

Its just different now, she said in the video. Even my son knows, if were cuddling and watching a movie, hell put his head on my right side versus my left side.

During the interview, Tubigan also expressed gratitude for her surgeon, Jaskowiak, who removed one breast to help save her life and encouraged her to keep the other one, preserving a sense of feeling on one side, a piece of her identity as a woman and her ability to breastfeed her daughter.

What helped me get through it was, my surgeon just provided space and really was open to hearing my concerns, Tubigan said in the video. And she didnt see me as a number.

If she hadnt gone to Jaskowiak, she wonders if she would have undergone a double mastectomy, losing all feeling in her chest as well as the chance to nurse her new baby.

She named her daughter Nora, after the surgeon.

_____
Two weeks before the 119th U.S. Congress began, a story began to circulate online that U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, a Republican from Texas who had missed votes since July 2024, had been "found" in a dementia care facility. For example, the conservative X account Libs of TikTok posted the rumor on Dec. 21, 2024 (archived):

JUST IN: Missing Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX) who hasnt been seen for 6 months, was found living in a dementia care facility.



Shes been in office since 1997. Shes 81 years old.



TERM LIMITS. pic.twitter.com/fw2aJUCM1m  Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 21, 2024

As of this writing, the post had gained more than 37 million views and 60,000 likes. Many people appeared to take the claim at face value. "How is it not a crime to have not disclosed her situation," an X user asked in response. "How could she be reelected to office if she couldn't even be found?"

The claim also appeared on Reddit, in a post that suggested a cover-up, and on Facebook. Further, Snopes readers searched "Is Kay Granger in a memory care facility?"

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The rumor originated with The Dallas Express, a conservative website that was launched in 2021 using the name of an historically Black-run newspaper and that publishes "pink slime" news  news of poor quality. In 2020, the newspaper's CEO, Chris Putnam, unsuccessfully tried to unseat Granger in the Republican primary election.

The Dallas Express reported that Granger's team "had packed up and closed the office before Thanksgiving." The report cited an unnamed "constituent" who said Granger was living at a memory care and assisted living home "after having been found wandering lost and confused in her former Cultural District/West 7th neighborhood."

The outlet accurately reported that Granger cast her last vote on July 24, 2024, according to the Office of the Clerk and her own website, which included a voting records page that has since been taken down (archived).

However, the report of where she was living was soon contradicted by Granger's son Brandon Granger in an interview he gave to The Dallas Morning News. He acknowledged that his mother, 81, had dealt with "dementia issues," but that she had been living at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth, a facility that includes independent living and memory care facilities. Granger, he said, was in independent living.

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Granger, who served 14 terms in Congress, did not seek reelection in 2024. In a written statement released to CNN, her office said she had indeed been struggling with health issues for a few months:

I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of care and concern over the past several days. As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years.

However, Granger visited Washington in November 2024 to attend a celebration of her leadership in the Appropriations Committee. We have contacted her office asking for more details and will update this report should we receive a response.

Sources:

A Particular Kind of Disinformation: Pink Slime Journalism. 14 Oct. 2024, https://www.library.pima.gov/blogs/post/a-particular-kind-of-disinformation-pink-slime-journalism.

'Chris Putnam - Chief Executive Officer Archives'. Dallas Express, https://dallasexpress.com/guest-authors/chris-putnam-chief-executive-officer/. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

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Dallas Express. 'EXCLUSIVE: Where Is Congresswoman Kay Granger?' Dallas Express, 20 Dec. 2024, https://dallasexpress.com/tarrant/exclusive-where-is-congresswoman-kay-granger/.

Fossum, Sam. 'Retiring Texas Congresswoman, Who Has Missed Votes since July, Experiencing "Dementia Issues," Son Says | CNN Politics'. CNN, 22 Dec. 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/22/politics/kay-granger-congresswoman-dementia-issues/index.html.

Members Celebrate "Texas Tough" Kay Granger | House Committee on Appropriations - Republicans. 19 Nov. 2024, http://appropriations.house.gov/news/blogs/members-celebrate-texas-tough-kay-granger.

Monacelli, Steven. 'The "Dallas Express": Your Go-To Source for Right-Wing, Astroturf News'. The Texas Observer, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.texasobserver.org/the-dallas-express-your-go-to-source-for-right-wing-astroturf-news/.

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'Retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger Experiencing "Dementia Issues," per Family'. Dallas News, 23 Dec. 2024, https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2024/12/22/republican-rep-kay-granger-texas-missed-votes-dementia/.

Rogers, Tim. "Dallas Express, Historic Black-Owned Newspaper, Has Become Dubious News Site." D Magazine, 13 Jan. 2021, https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2021/01/dallas-express-historic-black-owned-newspaper-has-become-dubious-news-site/.

Sparber, By Abby Livingston, Juan Pablo Garnham, Kiah Collier and Sami. 'U.S. Reps. Kay Granger and Henry Cuellar Claim Victory in Congressional Primary Races'. The Texas Tribune, 4 Mar. 2020, https://www.texastribune.org/2020/03/03/texas-congressional-primary-results/.

Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154, and DC 20515-6601 p:225-7000. 'Roll Call 390 Roll Call 390, Bill Number: H. R. 8998, 118th Congress, 2nd Session'. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, 24 July 2024, https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024390?Page=14.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA)  The holidays bring cheer for many people but for others, it can be very challenging.

Dr. Andrew Albano, a physician at Greenville Free Medical Clinic, told 7NEWS this is the time of year he sees most patients suffer from seasonal affective disorder and dysthymia. He said the signs shouldnt be ignored.

We know with seasonal affective disorder, its very transient, and more prevalent in the winter months, but that doesnt mean it needs to go unattended and folks need to suffer with it when there are options to address it readily available, said Albano.

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Albano explained people dealing with seasonal affective disorder and other mood disorders may have feelings of guilt or hopelessness, and get upset doing mundane activities. They may also experience headaches, crave sweet or starchy foods and have an increased sensitivity to rejection.

What were looking for is to say, when was the onset of your symptoms, how pervasive are they, how much do they impact your life, is it hard for you to get out of bed in the morning? Is it hard for you to engage in activities that you normally would engage in?, Albano added.

Albano explained that depressive disorders usually pass when winter is over, and recommends cognitive behavioral therapy to deal with it.

If you are going through something thats posing a challenge from a behavioral health or mental health side, seeking care is important, and I would encourage folks to do that, just like youd seek care for a respiratory infection, or a sprained ankle, Albano also said.

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Albano went on to say that self-care with a holistic approach can help families to keep their mental health in check. He advised getting 150 minutes of exercise a week, balancing nutrition, and maximizing exposure to sunlight.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
The New York Times reported that US intelligence believes that Pyongyang was the first to suggest that North Korean troops participate in the war on the side of Russia, not the Kremlin.

Source: European Pravda with reference to The New York Times

Details: When North Korean troops began arriving in Russia this autumn, some Western officials saw it as a sign that the Kremlin desperately needed more soldiers, the newspaper writes.

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"But US intelligence agencies have now assessed that the deployment was North Koreas idea and not Russias, though President [sic] Vladimir V. Putin quickly embraced it, American officials say," the publication reports.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent at least 10,000 troops to Russia, according to Ukrainian and Western estimates. The North Koreans are mostly part of the Russian units that are leading a counter-offensive against Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast.

US officials do not believe Kim has received anything immediate from Russia in response to the troops "assistance".

Instead, they said, the DPRK leader seems to be hoping that Russia will repay him in the future by offering support in diplomatic struggles, assistance in case of crisis and the provision of technology.

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US officials have said that it is important for Russia to enlist the support of North Korea and Iran, which provided military assistance during the war. This has allowed Russia to maintain intense artillery shelling on the front line and put pressure on Ukrainian cities by attacking critical infrastructure with drones.

Background:

Following massive assaults on Saturday, 15 December, Ukrainian forces posted images and videos of Russian and North Korean soldiers killed in Kursk Oblast.

The Pentagon predicts an increase in casualties among the North Korean military, which continues to take part in the fighting in Kursk Oblast.

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Learning to read can become exponentially more difficult for older students and adults who have fallen behind, creating grave concerns as the number of individuals struggling with literacy into high school and adulthood is increasing.

Data released in recent months shows K-12 schools are seeing more older students who cannot read at their grade level, coupled with an international study showing an increase in U.S. adults who cannot read past simple sentences.

We are really taking a family literacy approach to understand this issue and to recognize that this is a multi-generational challenge. If the parents and caregivers struggle with literacy, the children are more likely to also struggle with literacy, said Sarah Cacicio, the director of Adult Literacy and Learning Impact Network, which was convened by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.

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Socioeconomic status and parents literacy levels are bigger [] indicators for how well a child is going to do, even more so than quality instruction. Although quality instruction is super important, Cacicio added. Thats why its so important to address this issue of literacy at multiple generations.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the Department of Education, released data earlier this month showing 28 percent of adults in the U.S. ranked at the lowest levels of literacy, compared to 19 percent in 2017.

NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr said in a news conference the increase was substantial.

Studies have shown that low literacy rates exacerbate everything from poverty and health care to low civic engagement. And while there are programs to help adult learners, concerns about time and money can prove problematic.

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We connected with individuals who could enroll in adult education services but have not, and what we found is that 80 percent of the adults surveyed didnt know about available programs in their area, but 84 percent said they would like to continue learning and enroll in a program. So, what that tells us is its less about time and more about awareness. We really think that lack of awareness about free programs and access to resources and services is the No. 1 barrier, as well as perceived costs, Cacicio said.

Federally funded adult education programs are only serving, really, fewer than 10 percent of all of those who need literacy services, she added.

Adult literacy problems are tricky to resolve and lack a one-size-fits-all solution. When adults join reading programs, they can be at literacy levels ranging from those of third graders to high school seniors.

I think one of the interesting things about adult learning is that you cant really design a standard curriculum, Cacicio said.

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Some people are more looking for work-based learning, or if theyre an English learner, theyre trying to learn specific language and vocabulary that connects to their workplace, she added.

And the problem isnt limited to adults.

Earlier this year, a study was released by the Educational Testing Service and the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund showing more than 20 percent of students in fifth through seventh grades stumble over words they cant recognize or sound out. Experts aim to have children reading proficiently at their own level by third grade.

Over the summer, education firm NWEA published data showing eighth graders are a full year behind in reading and math.

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So, fourth grade is when you start to see significant gaps in reading, and many times, these comprehension gaps are actually due to more foundational skills, so something that students didnt get either in phonics instruction or theyre lacking vocabulary or background knowledge to be able to comprehend the text, or they just havent been taught comprehension strategies, said Erin Bailey, vice president of literacy and content at Reading Is Fundamental.

Students struggling with reading have become a top concern, with multiple states switching to the science of reading for young students in an attempt to help them meet standards before leaving third grade.

Part of the difficulty once a student falls behind is teachers in higher grades havent been trained to help students with the building blocks of reading.

For most students, in most places around grade six, definitely by grade eight, students no longer have a reading teacher unless theyre in an intervention or theres some data that indicates they need some additional services, but your majority of kids, theyre not in a reading class anymore, said Miah Daughtery, NWEA vice president for content advocacy.

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Your average English teacher is no more prepared to teach reading than your average physics teacher. Your English teacher does not go to school to learn how to teach reading; they go to school to learn how to teach the humanities in English, Daughtery said.

This leads to a common reading problem between older students and adults, which is lacking context or background knowledge to understand the text in front of them.

We have adolescents, young adults and adults who are still growing in their reading journey, either from being nonreaders to rudimentary readers to readers, even readers like me, who are good readers but really still need help with technical text and science text. The brain is such a phenomenal organ you can really learn how to read, for most people, throughout the course of your life, Daughtery said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The U.S. is planning to impose additional sanctions on Russian oil by the end of the year, particularly targeting Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian presidents commissioner for sanctions, told public broadcaster Suspilne on Dec. 23.

Over 100 oil tankers part of Russia's shadow fleet, meant to evade sanctions, are expected to be affected, Vlasiuk said.

"There are high expectations from this package," Vlasiuk told Suspilne in response to the anticipated sanctions. "This will significantly influence the willingness of counterparties to work with Russian suppliers."

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Vlasiuk added that the EU and U.K. are also looking to place additional sanctions on the so-called shadow fleet.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen previously told Reuters in an interview on Dec. 13 that Washington is considering more sanctions on shadow fleet tankers and has not ruled out targeting Chinese banks if they are found to be involved in Russias war effort.

Recent U.K sanctions and the EU's 15th sanctions package have already targeted Russia's shadow fleet, in an attempt to punish Russia's economy for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's shadow fleet intends to avoid a $60 per barrel price cap imposed by the G7 on Russian oil to diminish Russia's ability to fund its war against Ukraine.

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Vlasiuk's comments follows speculation that the Group of Seven (G7) is considering lowering the price cap, or outright banning Russian oil. Sanctioning Russia's shadow fleet would make existing and future sanctions on Russian oil more effective.

Targeting many of these ships in one sanctions package means Russia will be unable to replace these ships fast enough to service its export routes, Yuliya Pavytska head of the sanctions faculty at the Kyiv School of Economics, said in an interview with Suspilne on Dec. 23.

The U.K. sanctioned 20 ships on Dec. 17 and the EU banned 52 Russian ships from accessing EU ports on Dec. 16.

Read also: G7 discusses slashing Russian oil price cap, complete ban, Bloomberg reports

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The holidays are a special time of year for many Americans. The music, lights, and giving radiate warm feelings of cheer.

However, the Christmas spirit lasts all year long for those who live in towns named after the holiday, like North Pole, Alaska; Christmas, Florida; and Garland, Texas. These towns pull out all the stops when it comes to the holidays, with amusement parks, huge light displays, and a winter wonderland made fully out of ice.

Arizona has its fair share of unique place names, but there are even two towns with Christmas or winter-inspired names: Snowflake and Santa Claus.

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Here's a round-up of United States cities and towns named after Christmas, including the stories of Arizona's towns on the list.

US cities and towns with Christmas names

USA TODAY's 10Best highlighted the top 10 United States cities and towns with holiday-themed names:

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Santa Claus, Indiana

North Pole, New York

North Pole, Alaska

Donner Lake, California

Christmas Cove, Maine

Christmas Valley, Oregon

Christmas, Florida

North Pole, Colorado

Garland, Texas

There are a handful of other cities named after Christmas, including:

Eggnong, Utah

Evergreen, Alabama

Holly Springs, Mississippi

Mount Holly, North Carolina

Noel, Missouri

Rudolph, Wisconsin

Santa Claus, Arizona

Snowflake, Arizona

Santa Claus: The story of Arizona's Christmas ghost town

Arizona once had a town that celebrated Christmas all year round, 12 miles north of Kingman on US 93.

Ninon Talbot, a former Los Angeles real estate agent turned kitchen whiz, started serving holiday-themed meals at The Christmas Tree Inn.

The inn was the centerpiece of a roadside attraction called Santa Claus, Arizona, which was started in 1936 when the Hoover Dam was built.

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Despite the Talbot's best efforts, Santa Claus ran into water issues, eventually dooming the town.

Talbot sold Santa Claus in 1950, and it was sold again eight more times. Over time, the popular roadside attraction deteriorated.

Arizona erased Santa Claus from the official state map in 1991, and the Christmas Tree Inn closed two years later. The ghost town's buildings fell apart and became a hot spot for graffiti. They were razed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Snowflake: This Arizona town wasn't really named after weather

Believe it or not, Snowflake, Arizona, was named after its founders, Erastus Snow and William Flake, rather than the winter weather phenomenon.

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In the late 1870s, William Flake was sent by Brigham Young of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help the Mormon colonies settle in Arizona, which was at the time just a U.S. territory rather than a state.

After selling his land in Beaver, Utah, Flake moved his family to Arizona and wished to settle on the Silver Creek, a 45-mile-long stream located in the White Mountains.

James Stinson sold his ranch to the Flake family for $11,000 in cash in 1878, and Mormon settlers began to move to the new settlement.

Some settlers wanted to name the town after Flake, while others wanted to name it after Erastus Snow, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Snow visited the settlement and, two days after sent back a message naming the new Silver Creek settlement Snow Flake.

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Arizona Republic special contributor Douglas C. Towne contributed to this article.

How did Arizona towns get their names? Here's the story behind 12 places

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: These US cities and towns are named after Christmas
By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S., UK and EU criticized Pakistan's military courts on Monday over the sentencing of 25 civilians in connection with attacks on military facilities in 2023 after the arrest of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The civilians were sentenced by a Pakistani military court to periods of two to 10 years in a ruling that underscored concerns among Khan's supporters that military courts will play a bigger role in cases related to the former leader.

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Washington "is deeply concerned that Pakistani civilians have been sentenced by a military tribunal for their involvement in protests on May 9, 2023," the U.S. State Department said.

The British government's foreign office added that "trying civilians in military courts lacks transparency, independent scrutiny and undermines the right to a fair trial."

The European Union said the sentences were "inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."

Khan supporters attacked military installations to protest his arrest by paramilitary soldiers.

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The ruling on Saturday came days after Khan was indicted by an anti-terrorism court. After his arrest in May 2023, Khan was briefly released before being arrested again in August that year and he has since been in jail.

He has faced dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022, after which he launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Khan says cases against him, which disqualified him from contesting the 2024 elections, are politically motivated. He had a fallout with Pakistan's military that he blames for his ouster.

Candidates whom Khan backed secured the highest number of seats in the elections. However, his rivals formed a coalition government. A U.N. human rights working group has said Khan's detention violates international law.

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The military denies political interference. Pakistan's government denies being unfair in the treatment of Khan or his supporters. The Pakistani embassy in Washington had no immediate comment.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Rod Nickel)
The party is coming to an end at Party City. The retailer, which emerged from a previous bankruptcy last year, has again filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The New Jersey-based company filed early Saturday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. In the filing, Party City Holdings Inc. will "implement an orderly wind down of its business and liquidation of its assets."

The company will put its assets up for bidding or, if there's no sale, "initiate store closing sales to liquidate all of the Party City Group Companies retail and wholesale inventory and locations," according to the filing.

Party City, which operated about 750 stores, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2023 and emerged from the process in October 2023 with $1 billion less in debt. It also named a new CEO, Barry Litwin, who joined the company in August 2024.

But the retailer evidently didn't emerge on solid enough financial footing. Bloomberg recently reported the company was considering a sale or second bankruptcy.

In its bankruptcy filing Saturday, Party City reported assets of between $1 billion to $10 billion, along with liabilities of $1 billion to $10 billion  the company said it has between 10,000 and 25,000 creditors.

Litwin told corporate employees in a meeting Friday that Party City is "winding down" operations immediately and that today will be their last day of employment, CNN reported Friday.

USA TODAY has reached out to Party City to confirm its plans.

"That is without question the most difficult message that I've ever had to deliver," Litwin said on the videoconference call, which CNN reported it watched. Party City's "very best efforts have not been enough to overcome" its financial challenges, Litwin said, according to CNN.

Signs outside Party City at 2010 S.W. Westport Drive in Topeka on Sept. 20, 2024 announce the store will be closing. Items were marked at discounted prices for the upcoming closure.

Costco: Warehouse retailer opening new store locations in early 2025: See the list

Party City closing: Retailer attempted a comeback

Like many other retailers, Party City marked down prices in September  on more than 2,000 items by an average of 20%  to attract skittish customers and drive sales. Consumers continue to feel pressure on their budgets in an environment of uncertainty, sometimes making joyous occasions feel stressful due to affordability, Litwin said at the time.

Still, several stores had reported closures in recent months, including those in Topeka, Kansas, and Wichita Falls, Texas.

Party City had 18 confirmed closings, with one more planned closing in 2024, according to Coresight Research. That comes after 65 confirmed closures in 2023, the research firm says.

Other retail chains have faltered, too, recently, with Macy's last week announcing accelerated store closures and Big Lots, which announced earlier this week that it would go out of business.So far this year, there have been 7,327 store closings and 5,919 openings in the U.S., according to Coresight Research. That far outpaces closures in 2023, when the research firm tracked 5,473 closings (and 5,751 openings)  and is the highest number of store closures since 2020 when the pandemic shutdown of physical stores and the resulting fallout caused mass closures, Coresight Research CEO Deborah Weinswig told USA TODAY.

"We started off 2024 believing this was going to be a strong year with store openings outpacing closings. However, 2024 has proven to be a challenging year for brick-and-mortar retailers," she said.

"Consumers have little patience for long lines, out of stocks, and poorly merchandised stores. Party City has suffered from all three of these issues and has paid the ultimate price," Weinswig said.

Party City closing: Past signs of trouble

In October 2024, several former Party City employees filed a class-action lawsuit against the company over September layoffs, alleging that they were not given the legally required notice before their positions were abruptly terminated.

The state of New Jersey had promised Party City a $10 million tax break in 2021 when it moved its headquarters to Woodcliff Lake, an affluent Bergen County suburb just south of the border with New York State.

However, after the company declared bankruptcy state officials said the company hadn't yet gotten any funds from tax breaks and wouldn't until it proved it had created the jobs as promised.

Contributing: Katie Landeck, Keishera Lately, Saleen Martin and Lynn Walker, USA TODAY Network.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Party City closing: Company files for second bankruptcy in two years
The U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced two separate recalls for pork products, both raw and ready-to-eat, sold in four states across the U.S. The first recall impacts Oklahoma shoppers who have purchased Ralphs Circle R brand ready-to-eat bologna products. The second recall affects Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania retailers and restaurants that are selling Old World Italian Sausage.

Ralph's Recalls More Than 3,000 Pounds of Bologna

In Oklahoma, Ralphs Packing Company is recalling 3,132 pounds of its ready-to-eat pork and bologna products because the meat may contain milk, but a milk allergen is not listed on the packaging. The recalled meat is Ralphs Circle R brand Garlic Bologna and Garlic Bologna with Jalapenos, which has been produced since September 2022 and FSIS is concerned they may still be in some people and establishment's refrigerators or freezers.

To identify the recalled bologna, look for the establishment number EST. 51557 inside the USDA mark of inspection, as well as the following lot codes:

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Ralphs Circle R Brand Garlic Bologna: 0093, 0654, 0804, 1074, 1153, 1224, 1374, 1774, 1924, 2572, 2974, 3132, and 3483

Ralphs Circle R Brand Garlic Bologna with Jalapenos: 0804, 1074, 1224, 1233, 1354, 2184, and 3374

You can view label photos of the recalled bologna on the USDAs site.

The recalled bologna was sold in 16-ounce or larger vacuum-sealed chubs to both retailers and food service locations. The USDA also says the recalled bologna might have been sliced and served at deli counters.

There havent been any reports of allergic reactions or adverse effects caused by eating the bologna, but Ralphs recalled the products out of an abundance of caution because the undeclared milk allergen can cause serious or life-threatening reactions in those with milk allergies or sensitivities. The USDA has also urged retailers, deli counters, and food service locations to stop selling the recalled meat.

If you have a milk allergy or sensitivity, you should not consume the bologna. Instead, throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a refund.

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If you dont have a milk allergy or sensitivity, you dont have to stop eating the bologna. The meat was recalled for a misbranding error and not because anything is inherently unsafe about the products.

For questions about the recall, you can contact Ralphs Packing Company at 405-547-2464 or jake@ralphspacking.com.

Impero Foods & Meats, Inc. Recalling More Than 7,000 Pounds of Raw Pork Sausage

The Baltimore-based company Impero Foods & Meats, Inc. is recalling 7,485 pounds of raw pork sausage products that were produced without the benefit of federal inspection.

FSIS was notified of a company producing products on a suspended grant of inspection. FSIS performed an inspection at the retailer and after review, determined that the Old World Italian Sausage links and ropes produced by Impero Food & Meats Inc. were not inspected by FSIS and initiated the recall.

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The Old World Sausage links and ropes were shipped in 10-pound cardboard boxes to retailers and food service locations in Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. And, the USDA says, the sausage may have been sold in deli counters without labels or identification.

Food service locations and retailers can determine if they have the recalled sausage by looking for the establishment number EST. 10827 on the cardboard box. The USDA is urging retailers and food service locations to stop selling the meat and instead throw it away.

If you are a customer who has purchased Old World Sausage with an undisclosed brand from a deli counter between Oct. 2, 2024, and Dec. 19, 2024, you should not consume it. Instead, throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

There havent been any reports of illnesses or adverse reactions caused by eating the sausage, but if you have any health-related questions, you should contact your healthcare provider.

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For questions regarding the recall, you can contact Impero Food & Meats directly at 443-695-5750 or jerry@imperofoods.com.

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NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY)  The Arleigh-Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Cole returned from a more than seven-month deployment Monday morning as hundreds of excited, and festive, families were overwhelmed with joy to welcome their loved ones home the day before Christmas Eve.

After a 224-day deployment, Commanding Officer Matthew Faulkenberry said it was a huge morale boost to get the sailors home in time.

It was a huge lift, I think, Faulkenberry said. Whenever youre inside that kind of 30 day countdown zone, its really the right time to lift the spirits and be happy to get back to homeport.

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While overseas, Faulkenberry said USS Cole sailors kept the waters safe in the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Gulf.

The USS Cole was used in the response by the U.S. after Iran launched missiles at Israel, firing a dozen interceptors in October.

He said they were providing deterrence and defense to U.S. allies and partners. The ship served as an air defense unit for strike group forces in the Red Sea. They completed a variety of missions, contributing to stability in the region.

The crew was well trained and ready to answer the call for multiple fleets in dynamic and kinetic environments, and they performed expertly, Faulkenberry said. Im very proud of this team.

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Focused on the mission, but missing home, crews got the news around Thanksgiving that they would be back with their families in time for Christmas.

Overjoyed, super excited  it makes you very proud and scared, said Andi Cruthirds, a sailors mother. A lot of emotions.

She and other family members quickly changed their Christmas plans and flew to Norfolk from Mississippi to be here for the homecoming.

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HILDALE, Utah (ABC4)  A Hildale woman is now facing felony charges after videos were uncovered showing what police called intentional abuse of a vulnerable adult.

Myra Jean Barnes, 62, was charged with one count of third-degree felony aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult as well as misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Barnes was originally taken into custody on an unrelated outstanding warrant. However, according to court documents, detectives uncovered videos that showed Barnes abusing an elderly female who was in her care.

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Court documents say Barnes could be seen in the videos yelling cuss words and leaving the victim on a floor covered in animal fecal matter. The victim, who was unable able to get up on her own, could reportedly be heard asking for help but Barnes would allegedly refuse to render any assistance.

Man arrested after shooting into Ogden bar, striking patron

When Myra decided to finally help in another video, she screamed at the elderly female and cussed at her then put her back on the fecal matter-covered floor leaving her, court documents allege.

While being placed under arrest, police say they found multiple straws and pens which were made into snorting utensils. Police also allegedly found a clear plastic baggie containing mushroom stems which she claimed were used to help her calm down and mellow out while in the hospital.

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Barnes was ordered to be held on a $5,000 bail, pending a pretrial hearing, with several conditions for release should she post bail. According to the Washington County Jail Roster, Barnes remains in custody as of Thursday, Dec. 23.

Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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UTICA, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY)  A woman was arrested in Utica on Friday night after a high-speed chase and foot pursuit around the city.

Police with the Crime Prevention Unit  along with Oneida County Sheriffs  attempted to stop a vehicle on Court Street near Schuyler Street at approximately 7:30 pm on Friday, December 20. Police say that when they attempted to stop the vehicle by flashing their lights, the operator  later identified as 28-year-old Kendra Kenyon  immediately fled from officers.

Officers attempted to pursue Kenyon; however, due to her vehicle reaching reckless speeds, the pursuit was terminated a short time later.

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Some time later, officers say they witnessed Kenyons vehicle near Parker Street. Officers then attempted another stop, at which point Kenyon allegedly pulled into a driveway and fled on foot. Officers then gave chase, catching up with her a short distance later.

Kenyon then began to physically fight with officers, but they were eventually able to detain her and take her into custody. Upon trying to identify her, Kenyon allegedly provided false information to officers. When they were eventually able to identify her, it was learned that she had outstanding warrants from Oneida County Sheriffs.

Following the pursuit, Kenyon complained of ankle pain and was transported to the Wynn Hospital. When she was being escorted to a patrol car after her discharge, Kenyon fled from an Oneida County Sheriff on foot in an attempt to escape custody. She was apprehended again a short distance away and eventually transported to the Utica Police Department.

Kenyon was ultimately charged with:

second-degree Escape, a Class E Felony,

Resisting Arrest, a Class A Misdemeanor,

second-degree Obstruction of Governmental Administration, a Class A Misdemeanor,

Aggravated Unlicensed Operation,

a violation of a probation warrant, and

Multiple New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law violations.

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A simple sign with black printed text hangs from a cross outside the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City. Due to the current situation there are no holiday celebrations, with respect, it reads.

Since Oct 7, Wael Salem has slept inside the ancient walls of the church, believed to be the third oldest in the world, crammed in amongst 300 of the roughly 1,000 Christians who remain in the Gaza Strip.

It is the second Christmas he has spent inside the Greek Orthodox church and the second without celebrations.

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Seeking shelter, safety and community, most of Gazas Christians have taken refuge in the enclaves last three churches  Saint Porphyrius, the Holy Family Church and the Gaza Baptist Church  to live where they hoped the bombs would not fall. But none have survived the war unscathed.

Life inside the church is nothing like before, Mr Salem told The Telegraph. It is crowded with displaced people, there are not enough places to sleep. We lack food and many of us have suffered from malnutrition.

The 40-year-old added: We miss our lives, we do not sleep well, we used to visit the church for happy occasions, for Christmas celebrations, now it houses us in very difficult conditions.

The Church of Saint Porphyrius managed to hold an Easter service several months after it was hit by an Israeli missile - AFP

Plenty of buildings near the church have been reduced to rubble.

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In October, the UN estimated that up to 70 per cent of Gazas buildings, including 227,000 houses, had been damaged.

Palestinian authorities reported that 611 mosques had also been destroyed as well as its three churches damaged.

Despite the chaos and Israeli bombing campaign, Mr Salem said that the parishioners had fallen into a familiar routine. In the mornings, the focus is on securing enough water for the day, which they get from the Kateb Wilaya Mosque next door.

Beautiful state of solidarity

The church, which dates back to the earliest days of Christianity in 400 AD, helps by providing an electric motor to pump water to fill the tanks.

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About 15,000 people benefit from that, and we also try to offer food, he said, adding: We live in a beautiful state of solidarity with our Muslim brothers.

Next, they wait for the motor to be turned on again so they can charge their phones and use the internet to contact friends and family abroad.

Remembering past Christmases, he said: We used to go to church for the tree lighting and decorating celebrations, but last year and this year there were none. We only pray in the hope that this holiday will bring peace and security, we celebrate the birthday of Jesus, the messenger of peace and love.

Children carrying candles during a service at Gazas Holy Family Church on Sunday - OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP

The once flourishing Christian community in Gaza has shrunk to a seventh of its size 60 years ago due to successive conflicts; some have left for the West Bank, while others emigrated to the West or nearby Arab countries. Those that remain now represent a blend of Orthodox and Catholics.

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On the day of Hamass attacks on southern Israel, Ramez Suhail al-Suri took his wife Helen and their three children Suhail, 18, Julie, 12, and Majd, 11, to Saint Porphyrius, in anticipation of the war that would come.

At the start, the bombing was random and very violent but they believed they would be safe because we knew that international and humanitarian laws prohibit the bombing of churches and mosques, the 47-year-old said.

I tried to save my children ... they died quickly

Their illusion of safety was quickly shattered. Twelve days later, Mr al-Suris three children were killed when an Israeli missile hit the church.

The building collapsed, recalled Mr al-Suri, who had been visiting his elderly father in an outbuilding next door. I tried to save my children, but they were in a very critical condition and died quickly.

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At least 18 people were killed by the strike on Oct 19, including a three-month-old baby, according to authorities in Gaza.

Israels military said the church was not the target of the strike and at the time said they were investigating the reports of casualties. This year, a legal filing was submitted to the International Criminal Court calling for the strike to be investigated as a war crime.

Since that day until now, I have lost my entire life. I lost three children in a few seconds and left me and their mother alone. This is what the war on Gaza did to me. I lost my children, my home and my place of work, I lost everything, Mr Suri said.

We are a sect that calls for peace and love, but unfortunately our churches are being bombed, he said.

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On Saturday, as Gazas Christian community celebrated a pre-Christmas mass, Pope Francis criticised the cruelty of Israels latest strikes and accused the country of barring the Catholic bishop of Jerusalem from entering.

It pains me to think of Gaza Yesterday children have been bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war, he said in his annual Christmas address.

The Vatican envoy was later allowed to enter and visit those at the Holy Family Church  the only Catholic church in Gaza  two miles north-east of Saint Porphyrius.

I want to say, to tell you, that all the world, not only the Christian world, all the world is with you, he told the congregation.

The Holy Family Church in Gaza has tried not to let the conflict disrupt services - OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP

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Salwa Ayyad is among 500 Gazans who for 14 months have lived inside the church in the neighbourhood of Rimal. Its name has immense spiritual meaning for Christians in Gaza as the Bible says Jesus, Mary and Joseph rested there on a journey to and from Egypt.

The 52-year-old grandmother said she took her family there to keep them safe. I pray to God to protect them and save us from this war. I feel that the lucky ones are those who have survived.

In the early weeks of the war, two women were reportedly killed and seven injured by Israeli snipers inside the churchs complex. Many more have died of a lack of food, drinking water and proper medical care.

We lived through a great and harsh famine We witnessed different types of death. We lost our normal life before the war, the life of joy and celebration of happy occasions, she said.

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Ms Ayyads memories of decorating the house, bragging over whose tree was the most beautiful and putting gifts under childrens pillows now seem a long time ago, but still present.

She hopes that the war will end soon and that Christmas will help to bring about a ceasefire and end the suffering in Gaza.

We were created in the land of peace and light, and we will one day live safe days again, she said.

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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  Police are looking into a crash involving a stolen vehicle on Youngstowns East Side.

Read next: Wintry mix could cause travel issues Christmas Eve

It happened Monday morning along Lansdowne Boulevard, near East High Avenue, just before 10 a.m.

When police arrived, they said the driver was nowhere to be found and the car was believed to be stolen.

The crash took down a utility pole, and Youngstown police had Lansdowne blocked off at East High while they waited for utility crews to clean up the mess.

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They were still looking for the driver on Monday morning.

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The residence of the Argentine ambassador in Caracas, Venezuela, is mostly silent these days. Rather than diplomatic chatter or Christmas carols at this time of the year, the only noise is that of a small diesel power generator the residents turn on twice a day to charge their phones.

The rest of the time, the mansion sits almost still, the occupants busy with their own solitary tasks, like an oversized prison with few inmates.

There are no diplomats inside the compound  the Venezuelan government kicked out the ambassador shortly after President Nicolas Maduro proclaimed himself the winner of Julys contested presidential election and Buenos Aires cried foul.

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Instead, five political asylum seekers  all members of the Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machados team  have been sheltering here for more than nine months. Now, they say, they are under siege by Venezuelan security forces.

The pressure from the government has been escalating in the last few weeks. Psychological torture, we are under constant surveillance, and nobody can visit us without authorization  the spiritual damage we are subject to is tremendous, one of them, Omar Gonzalez, told a virtual press conference earlier this month.

Following Julys election, the opposition campaign released tens of thousands of voting receipts that they said showed their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, had won the contest. Independent observers and electoral experts told CNN that the receipts appear authentic and have questioned the electoral authoritys decision to announce Maduro as the winner.

Edmundo Gonzalez has since fled the country and is now living in exile in Spain, while Maduro is preparing to begin a new presidential term on January 10. Gonzalez has publicly pledged to return to Venezuela in January to inaugurate his own government, although its unclear how he could enter the country without facing prosecution himself.

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In March, six opposition members were accused of terrorist activities and treason for working with Machado, who went into hiding shortly after the election for her own safety. While Maduros government has at times denied that the diplomatic residence is under a blockade, it has also said the group will end up behind bars before long.

Machados team says they have done nothing wrong, but they have no doubt they would be arrested if they were to leave the building.

Its important to point out that there are six civilians, political activists that the only crime they committed is fighting for a free Venezuela, and we are threatened and in isolation, every day it gets worse, Omar Gonzalez said.

One of the six, Fernando Martinez Mottola, left the embassy on Thursday, sources told CNN. It is unclear under what terms Martinez  who had also been housed in the embassy since March  left the building.

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A day later, Martinez went to the Attorney Generals office voluntarily to provide statements related to the accusations he faces and has agreed to collaborate actively with authorities, says a statement from the countrys Attorney General Tarek William Saab.

CNN has reached out to Venezuelan authorities to comment on Martinezs current legal situation.

Under watch and running out of water

The groups decision to speak to the media on the record was prompted by the tightening of the security measures imposed on the residence, which has been under the diplomatic custody of Brazil since the Argentine diplomats were expelled.

The green and gold Brazilian flag now flies above the residence, but there are no officials to keep the guests company. Venezuelan security forces have set up a series of checkpoints on the street outside to control who enters and leaves the building, but have not entered the residence itself.

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Pressure is growing on their hideaway. On November 26, Venezuelas state-run power company cut off their electricity. The security forces have also taken control of the surrounding buildings, and last week the Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro posted a photo of someone appearing to spy on the building from a tree nearby  with a snipers rifle in their hands.

A sniper from the Venezuelan security forces overlooking the Argentine embassy. The photo was tweeted by Luis Almagro on Dec. 13, 2024 - From Luis Almagro

Drones routinely fly overhead and Venezuelan police units have threatened to break in several times, mostly at dawn, according to Gonzalez and the rest of the group, who are calling on other countries to intercede.

Argentina granted all six asylum in March, but the five who remain in the building have no means of getting there without risking arrest along the way.

CNN has reached out to Venezuelan authorities to inquire if Martinez will be allowed to leave Venezuela.

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Under international law, citizens granted political asylum by other countries should be allowed to leave their home country unharmed if they are under diplomatic custody.

CNN has contacted Venezuelas Ministry of Information and power company for comment.

In a series of one-on-one interviews with CNN, the besieged opposition members painted a dire picture of their lives now.

Omar Gonzalez, 74, has been married to his wife for 53 years. She is now living abroad, and this is the first time the couple will spend Christmas apart, he said.

Power is our biggest issue: its not like we can go out to charge our phones, or go to the toilet we are isolated, said Magalli Meda, 56, Machados campaign manager.

The campaign of Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado tweeted this photo saying electrical fuses were stolen at the Argentine embassy in Venezuela. - From @ComandoConVzla

Water is supplied by a small tank, the group said, but can only be pumped across the house with the power plant: when the plant is off, theres no running water either.

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Meda, a designer by trade, tries to shake off the tension by painting. I like to paint wild horses, or birds flying away, open cages everything I feel: sometimes I paint the pain of being locked up. This embassy has become a prison, she said.

Her latest paintings, shared with CNN, are mostly of animals  a pig on its way to the slaughterhouse, a small fish in a bowl looking upward, with the word horizon written underneath.

Paintings made by Venezuelan opposition politician Magalli Meda while sheltering in the Argentine ambassador's residence in Caracas in 2024. - Courtesy Magalli Meda

One of Magalli Meda's latest paintings depicts a small fish in a bowl looking upward, with the word horizon written underneath. - Courtesy Magalli Meda

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Coping with isolation

On June 28, the 100th day of their confinement in the residence  back when they still had access to water and power  Pedro Urruchurtu published a short video diary on his Instagram account showing him running in the front yard and reading: at that time, diplomatic personnel were allowed to go in and out the residence, providing the group with books and other items from friends and families.

Urruchurtu, 34, Machados adviser on international relations, told CNN he still runs 8,000 steps every day to keep his focus but that the tension and stress of continuous isolation have taken a toll  a feeling all six shared.

Each of us has a different coping mechanism, but mostly alone: its not like were here eating together and happy all the time its tough, said Claudia Macero, 32, Machados spokesperson.

Macero, Meda and Urruchurtu still try to work as regularly as possible for Venezuelas opposition movement, which often means speaking with the relatives and friends of political activists held in the countrys notorious prisons. In the immediate aftermath of the election, security forces detained thousands of opposition activists, many of whom worked on the Machado campaign. Many remain behind bars.

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The group tries to maintain optimism  and avoids speculating over how long they can hold out with the little fuel and food that remains.

When they entered the residence in March, none of the six believed they would still be here by Christmas. Its as if time halted, said Urruchurtu, who in October celebrated his birthday with a video call to his family.

Keeping a habit is very important dividing work time and leisure, as we all learned during the pandemic lockdown. Under siege and with no power, everything basically runs out when the power generator does, he told CNN.

Meda is more sanguine, sharing her disappointment toward international institutions that, she believes, should do more to help but end up being so slow and inefficient.

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Last week, the Associated Press reported that a senior adviser to the International Criminal Court resigned over the prosecutors inability to go after Maduro, who has been under investigation for crimes against humanity since 2021 but maintains a tight grip over his country.

At night, the group goes to bed early. Sunset in Caracas is at 6 pm and, with the power cut off, the only light is provided by candles and battery torches.

Macero admits she often finds it hard to fall or stay asleep.

Sometimes I wake up and I dont even remember what day of the week it is, because they are all the same, Macero added. Then work starts and we are constantly working its more like sheltering in your office without power and water, she quipped.

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The Vermont attorney general says state troopers were justified in shooting at a Rhode Island man who is accused of leading them on a chase and opening fire on troopers with an automatic weapon last summer.

Brenden Sackal, 30, of Hopkinton, was shot in the chest but survived and is facing multiple charges, including attempted aggravated murder, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and possession of large-capacity ammunition feeding devices.

Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark announced Friday that her review concluded that the use of force by Sgt. Joshua Mikkola and Trooper Richard Berlandy was "objectively reasonable and justified."

Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark.

"Under the totality of the circumstances, Sergeant Mikkola and Trooper Berlandy reasonably believed that they, and other officers, were in imminent danger of being killed or suffering great bodily harm at the hands of Mr. Sackal, and that they used necessary and appropriate force to defend themselves and others," Clark said in a press release.

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The search for Sackal started July 12 when police in Rhode Island obtained an arrest warrant for him after finding several guns, ammunition, high-capacity magazines, a heavy-duty Kevlar vest and a Kevlar helmet in Sackal's home, the police said previously.

The police searched the home after a bullet was discovered in an interior air-conditioning unit of a neighbor's house on Spring Street, Hopkinton Police Chief Mark Carrier said in July.

Learning that Sackal might have gone to northern New England and could be heading for Canada, the Hopkinton police notified authorities in northern New England, Carrier said.

On July 14, U.S. Border Patrol agents tried stopping Sackal's pickup truck in Pittsburgh, New Hampshire, but Sackal wouldn't stop and led authorities on a chase into Vermont, according to Clark. In Vermont, troopers joined the chase, with Sackal driving on tire rims after agents flattened his tires with spikes, Clark said.

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Troopers used a rolling roadblock to try stopping Sackel, but he struck two of the cruisers, pinning one of the troopers inside his car, according to the attorney general.

"After ramming Trooper Berlandys drivers side door, Mr. Sackals car became inoperable and seemed to be stuck in a ditch. Mr. Sackal immediately exited his vehicle, wearing a tactical helmet and brandishing an automatic weapon," Clark said.

"Trooper Berlandy discharged his firearm as Mr. Sackal fired an 'automatic' weapon towards the officers. Sergeant Mikkola fired at Mr. Sackal and Mr. Sackal fired at Sergeant Mikkola," Clark said. "After this exchange, Mr. Sackal, seemingly out of ammunition, surrendered and was taken into custody. Mr. Sackal was later treated for a non-fatal gunshot wound to the chest."

Clark said Vermont law allows an officer to "use deadly force to repel an imminent threat to cause death or serious bodily injury when the officer objectively and reasonably believes that a person has the present ability, opportunity, and apparent intent to immediately cause death or serious bodily injury."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Vermont attorney general: Troopers justified in shooting at RI man
PARK CITY, Utah (ABC4)  A woman who was killed in an auto-pedestrian crash in Park City Thursday morning has been identified, according to the Utah Dept. of Public Safety.

The deceased has been identified as Catalina Alvarado Lopez, 55, of Park City, Utah.

At around 7:15 a.m. on Dec. 19, a Chevrolet pickup truck was heading eastbound on Kearns Blvd. near Cooke Dr. in Park City. At the same time, a woman  later identified as Lopez  was crossing the street.

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Lehi man sentenced nearly 5 years for $8M credit card fraud scheme

Lopez was struck by the pickup and taken to an area hospital, where she was then flown by medical helicopter to a Salt Lake Valley hospital and pronounced deceased.

The driver of the pickup remained on scene after the crash and is cooperating with the investigation, according to DPS. Lopez was reportedly not crossing in a marked crossing zone when she was struck.

No further information is available at this time.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A Kent County man said he doesnt disagree with President Joe Bidens decision to commute the death sentence of his daughters killer.

But, the father of 1997 murder victim Rachel Timmerman, whose infant daughter was never found, said hes angry it couldnt wait until after the holidays.

Tim Timmerman (Dec. 23, 2024)

We thought the timing was despicable, Tim Timmerman told News8 on Monday, the day after learning Marvin Gabrions death sentence had been commuted.

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Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates

I offered to speak with you today because Im the family of a victim, and I think President Biden offered a Christmas gift to the perpetrators of murder, but he offered only pain to the victims, the families of the victims, Tim Timmerman said.

He said the U.S. Attorneys Office in Grand Rapids called him Sunday night to tell him that Biden had commuted Gabrions death sentence, which means Gabrion will serve life with no chance of freedom.

Biden said the commutations were consistent with his administrations moratorium on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.

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He issued the commutations just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.

You couldnt imagine someone that deserved it more than Mr. Gabrion, Tim Timmerman said. He killed at least five people. Wheres the justice in just giving him a prison bed to die comfortably in?

An undated photo of Rachel Timmerman and her 11-month-old daughter, Shannon Verhage. (July 26, 2019)

Gabrion was convicted of killing Rachel Timmerman in 1997  throwing her into a lake weighted down and alive  to keep her from testifying against him in a rape trial.

Her body surfaced in Oxford Lake in the Manistee National Forest, giving the federal government jurisdiction.

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A federal jury sentenced Gabrion to death in 2002. Hes run out of appeals.

The Michigan Constitution banned the death penalty in 1847.

It wasnt me that gave Gabrion the death penalty, Tim Timmerman said. It was the jury, and I always think its important to point that out, that the jury are the people who sentenced Gabrion to the death penalty. It was the consensus of the jury and not any one person.

The body of Rachels 11-month-old daughter, Shannon Verhage, was never recovered, despite repeated searches of the lake.

From the get-go, we offered to trade the death penalty for information regarding my granddaughter, Tim Timmerman said. We offered that from the very get-go. Gabrion was unwilling to tell us what he did with Shannon, so thats always remained an open hole in our heart.

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I think weve accepted that were not going to see Shannon again. Weve accepted that, so that bargaining chip is really irrelevant, he added.

Biden didnt remove these 3 inmates from death row

He said he believes her body is in the lake.

Tim Timmerman, who co-authored a book on the case, The Color of Night, said hed accepted, even before the commutation, that Gabrion would likely die a natural death in prison. Gabrion is now 71.

Actually, I never really felt that Gabrion would be put to death by the federal government. We felt that the best case would be locked in a very small cage and not allowed to hurt anyone else. That was our best-case scenario.

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Rachel would be 46; Shannon would be 28, both probably spending Christmas at Grandpas home in northern Kent County.

Its just crazy, he said. Its hard to believe that many years have gone past and its still an open wound.

Gabrion is serving his sentence at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.

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A fund that tracks Nvidia stock is one of the most popular leveraged ETFs. Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for The New York Times; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI

A risky corner of the stock market has boomed in 2024 amid another year of stellar gains.

Traders have piled into leveraged single-stock ETFs, seeking to amplify returns on popular names like Nvidia.

These types of ETFs have attracted more than $20 billion in assets in 2024.

While the stock market was an early frontier of the gambling craze that gripped America in 2024, investors have driven a boom in a relatively new kind of investment product that can amplify gains  and losses  in a single name.

Enter leveraged single-stock exchange-traded funds.

Since their introduction in the early 1990s, ETFs have been groundbreaking in offering the characteristics of a mutual fund  owning a basket of diversified stocks  but offering the daily trading liquidity of a single stock.

But even after 30 years, the humble ETF is seeing fresh updates that cater to investors with a strong appetite for risk.

Instead of owning a basket of stocks, single-stock ETFs track the price of one stock, which the fund will try to juice returns on by levering up.

"These are vehicles that mass retail has never had the ability to trade before, until now," Todd Sohn, an ETF specialist at Strategas told Business Insider.

The GraniteShares 2x Long NVDA Daily ETF seeks to deliver double the move of Nvidia's daily price fluctuations.

On Friday, Nvidia stock jumped about 2.5% amid a broader market rebound, while shares of the 2x Nvidia ETF returned nearly 5%. Year-to-date, the 2x Nvidia ETF is up 346%, compared to a 170% gain for the stock.

"Traders are looking to implement high-conviction ideas through them," Sohn said.

Investors are pouring billions of dollars into these funds, making for some highly successful ETF launches in recent months.

That 2x Nvidia ETF has attracted more than $5 billion in assets, while other popular leveraged ETFs tracking stocks like MicroStrategy and Coinbase have each attracted well over $1 billion in assets.

That's a big deal for the ETF space, where the breakeven point for most ETF products is around $50 million in assets, according to white-label ETF provider Alpha Architect.

Year-to-date, more than 60 ETFs have launched catering to single-stocks, attracting a combined $23 billion in assets, according to data provided by Sohn.

While that amounts to relative peanuts in the $10 trillion universe of ETFs, it's still notable, and the funds are seeing a lot of use.

"They do pop up quite often on the most traded ETFs list," Sohn said, adding that ETFs linked to Nvidia, Tesla, Coinbase, and MicroStrategy are the most popular.
SEAL BEACH, Calif. (KTLA)  Family, friends and colleagues gathered Sunday in Seal Beach to honor the life of Connor Lees, a firefighter with the Los Angeles Fire Department who died earlier this month during a recreational free dive.

The Dec. 4 incident occurred when Lees, 29, and three other divers in their 20s went for a free dive, which entails a person holding their breath for as long as they can while diving without scuba gear, in the waters off Long Beach, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Long Beach Fire spokesperson Brian Fisk told The Times one of the men was presumably piloting the small watercraft while the others were free diving, adding that only two of the three returned from the dive.

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The three men called for emergency help just before 10 p.m., launching a multi-agency search with divers from the U.S. Coast Guard, LAFD, L.A. County Fire, LBPD and the L.A. Port Police.

Search and rescue operations for Connor Lees, lost at sea during a free dive off Long Beach on Dec. 5, 2024. (KTLA) A vigil in Seal Beach to honor the life of Connor Lees, lost at sea during a free dive in waters off Long Beach on Dec. 5, 2024. (KTLA)

More than 19 hours after the search began, officials made the difficult decision to transition from a search and rescue mission to a recovery mission.

The decision to transition operations to a recovery mission is not taken lightly, LBFD said in a post to Instagram. As we make this transition, our thoughts and prayers continue for the family of the missing diver and for our brothers and sisters at the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

Pilot, passenger unscathed in golf course crash landing in Southern California

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Officials told The Times that investigators did not suspect foul play, and that Lees was believed to be lost at sea.

Lees, who grew up in Seal Beach and was a six-year veteran of LAFD, was remembered Sunday night as something of an institution in the community, one whose untimely and tragic death has affected so many that knew him.

Friends said the 29-year-old loved the ocean and the beach and that the place he grew up was the perfect spot to honor lasting memory.

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Dec. 22WATERTOWN  Residents have started voting on whether to form a water district for the Lettiere Tract housing subdivision.

So far, about six or seven residents have come into the Town Hall to sign a petition that would allow the town to purchase the Lettiere Tract's troubled water system and expand it.

The town would pay owner James V. Lettiere $500,000 to purchase the water system.

The petition process began on Dec. 12 and will continue through Feb. 10.

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According to the town, 51% of 147 property owners and 51% of the assessed valuation needs to sign the petition for the water district to move forward.

Of those 147, 119 residents live in the Lettiere Tract and 17 own vacant lots, Town Clerk Pamela D. Desormo said.

The expansion of the water system would include a section of Ives Street and a handful of properties on Holcomb Street.

If the 51% mark is achieved, the town would move forward with bonding for the $1,263,000 project. Only property owners, not renters or tenants, are allowed to vote.

Lettiere, 70, who wants to retire and is the sole employee of the water system, has been working on the town taking over the water system for about a decade.

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Those efforts now hinge on whether residents support the plan.

"I'm hoping to get enough signatures," he said. "Some say they support it. I've heard a few are against it.

One woman is in her 70s and doesn't want to pay for the debt, he said. Otherwise, he doesn't know why they would be against it.

Lettiere believes they would "be better off" if the town purchases it.

Water users in the new district would pay $489 a year on the debt for the 30-year bond. They also would pay $8.02 per 1,000 gallons of water.

For years, the 60-year water system was the subject of much discussion over its fate. Lettiere formally approached the town with the proposal in February 2023.

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Town Supervisor Joel R. Bartlett thinks that the water system has a "very good" chance of finally being resolved.

The successful petition means that the water district will be formed. The Town Council would then have to approve the bonding, which also would be subject to a permissive referendum.

The project would go out to bid in the spring.

The town would be obtaining a water system in good condition, Lettiere said. The water system has been appraised at $641,000.

The system consists of 12,000 feet of six- and 8-inch piping and six fire hydrants, he said.

Lettiere's father installed the system when the father built the neighborhood during the 1960s.
Why would any sane political party want $100 million dollars from Elon Musk?

(In asking this question, I leave aside several secondary objections, such as that I doubt the money will be forthcoming; that, even if it were, its sudden arrival would cause immense waste and corruption; and that it would compromise Mr Musks new job as head of President Trumps proposed Department of Government Efficiency.)

The reason why no party should accept such money ought to be obvious: the voters would hate it.

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The initial excitement of Nigel Farage being a buddy of the richest man in the world may briefly enthuse his supporters and make his party look like a winner. But once that has calmed down, we shall be left  if the money shows up  with the fact that a British political party will in effect be owned by one foreign billionaire, and not any old foreign billionaire, but a foreign billionaire who has already funded the campaign of a foreign presidential candidate and remains closely linked with the coming government of a foreign power.

This is exactly what voters hate. Our alienation from modern politics is closely related to the idea that our vote makes no difference because politics is really controlled by other forces. Foreign billionaires  though not nearly as powerful as home-grown bureaucracies in controlling our lives  come into that category.

Consider the decades-long fuss about the anti-Brexit, pro-Democratic Party influence of the Leftish billionaire George Soros. Mr Musk is so rich that he makes Mr Soros look like a shoeless street urchin, but the principle is the same.

Is it just fine to have Mr Musk financing our politics simply because he has the right opinions? (And by the way, who imagines that whatever opinions he currently has will last? Look how he moved over Ukraine. Look how he shifts on China.)

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Just suppose that Mr Musk had waved his millions in front of any other British political party. It would have taken Mr Farage about 15 seconds to launch a savage denunciation of how the global elites were corrupting our proud democracy. But because the offer (if offer it is) is for Reform, there he goes, dancing attendance on Musk/Trump in Mar-a-Lago, like an eager waiter looking for a big tip.

So, from the story so far, we have already learnt that Reform is a party that is longing to be bought. That puts it  glaringly, blatantly  in the category in which many voters place the Conservatives and  especially since the business of Taylor Swift concerts and Lord Allis tailoring services  the Labour Party.

Instinctively, all those on the Left who dislike Mr Musk, including the Electoral Commission, are starting to say that a new law should be passed to prevent such a donation. I do not see why; and it should be noted, in passing, that the Electoral Commissions should be a neutral body which ensures the integrity of elections, not one that lobbies for or against legislation.

No blame should attach to Mr Musk if he does want to spend a tiny fraction of his vast pile of crypto-Muskbucks on Reform. It is simply that Reform (or any other British party that might take his passing fancy) should, say No, thank you. If they do not, voters will punish them.

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The only role for the law here is one it already fulfils, which is to insist that all donations to a political party over a certain sum be openly registered under the name of the donor. Then the electorate has what it needs to know.

I thought Kemi Badenoch was brave and right to say in her BBC interview today that, if Mr Musk does hand over his largesse to Reform, that should be a spur to her party to match it.

Any party that seeks to win the support of the electorate should not be state-funded and thus subject to state power. It should be capable of raising its own money by persuading supporters. Big, named donors should not be banned, but the party will be more honest and have a better long-term future if it gets hundreds of thousands of small donations rather than relying on a handful of large ones.

If Mrs Badenoch could say at the next general election that her party was financed by the freewill offerings of party members, whereas Reform was a UK franchise of X (formerly known as Twitter), she would be on to a winner.

Polands shameful banning of the Israeli PM

The Polish government, led by the former president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has told Benjamin Netanyahu that he should not come to Poland. If he comes, it says, it will be compelled to arrest him because the International Criminal Court (ICC) has put out a warrant out for his arrest for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

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This is factually inaccurate. Several countries that recognise the ICC  France, for example  have nevertheless made it clear that they are under no such obligation.

And why was Mr Netanyahu hoping to go to Poland next month? Because, on January 27, it will be the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the most murderous of Hitlers concentration camps which  through no fault of the Poles  was built on Polish soil. The leader of the Jewish national home wishes to commemorate the suffering of the Jewish people but is banned. We in the West claim to weep for the Holocaust, but then acquiesce in this studied exercise in bogus legal and moral equivalence.



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A widow whose husband died defusing a Taliban bomb in Afghanistan has avoided jail for attacking her second husband in a drunken tirade.

Christina Schmid, 49, was previously convicted of two counts of assault for hitting, kicking and biting Adam Plumb, 41, at her 1.5 million eight-bed mansion in Devon.

She physically and verbally abused him during a late night row, following him upstairs and hitting him in the balls.

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On Monday, she was given a suspended jail sentence of 12 weeks for the assault and a restraining order was put in place for two years.

In a statement read to Newton Abbot Magistrates Court, Mr Plumb said: This has completely destroyed my life. Christina has showed no remorse.

Mrs Schmid became a figurehead for bereaved war widows and widowers after Staff Sgt Schmid died during his final day of duty in the war-torn country in 2009.

Olaf Schmid on duty in Afghanistan - ANDREW CROWLEY

She received a George Cross on his behalf after his death and campaigned for better pensions for war widows and higher salaries for soldiers.

In 2020, Mrs Schmid married Mr Plumb, 41, a property developer and divorced father-of-one, in a ceremony at Bovey Castle, Devon.

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The following year, they bought an eight-bedroom detached property in the village of Ivybridge, Devon, set in 5.2 acres for 1.3 million.

The trial heard that she physically and verbally abused Mr Plumb while under the influence of alcohol during a late night row on Sept 17 2023.

Mr Plumb told the court: I was trying to sleep and she was poking me with her nails. I got out of bed and tried to sleep in another bedroom.

She was grabbing me and putting her cold feet on my back. I told her to leave me alone.

Adam Plumb outside of Newton Abbot Magistrates Court - SWNS

Mr Plumb then went to a dressing room, where he said Mrs Schmid kept shouting at him.

She trapped me in the corner of the dressing room, he said. She was literally just going at me. She was just attacking me. Hitting me in the balls. Kicking me. I could not get her off of me.

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The dressing room is about 4ft wide so its not very wide. When I went to leave she bit me in the middle of my back.

Footage of the altercation shown to the court showed Mr Plumb saying: Get off me. You are a disgusting woman.

He was later heard saying: You f---ing bit me. You f---ing b---h. You horrible woman.

The court heard that Mr Plumb escaped to another room and shut himself in before calling the police.

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Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has reported that a warehouse containing parts for Shaheds used by the Russian military to attack Ukraine has burned down in the Russian special economic zone Alabuga.

Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) on Telegram

Quote: "There were 65 attack drone fuselages, as well as engines, navigation systems, thermal imaging cameras for the production of 400 Shahed-136 pieces in the room - everything was burnt.

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The aggressor's losses caused by the destruction of the Russian warehouse are estimated at US$16 million."

Details: DIU did not specify when the fire occurred or what caused it, but reiterated that Russia will have to pay for all its crimes against the Ukrainian people.

Background: On the morning of 2 April 2024, drones struck two businesses, Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk, in Tatarstan. Local authorities stated that there was no serious damage, and the technological processes of the companies were not disrupted. An Ukrainska Pravda source in DIU said it was a special operation by Ukrainian intelligence. Drones attacked a plant that assembles Iranian Shahed drones and labels them Geran-2 (Geranium-2).

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Among a raft of water-infrastructure-focused legislation, Georgia U.S. Sens. Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff announced a major investment in DeKalb County would help upgrade drinking water and wastewater systems in DeKalb and Cobb counties.

The Water Resource Development Act of 2024 passed the U.S. Senate on Dec. 20, heading to the desk of President Joe Biden to approve or veto.

Thanks to our bipartisan efforts, I am proud to have advanced efforts to expand the Port of Savannah to accommodate larger vessels that will lead to a greater economic impact for Georgia. This is a testament to the good we can get done when we center the people in policymaking, Warnock said in a statement.

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According to the legislation, the bill would authorize $40 million for infrastructure projects in DeKalb County and another $5 million for Cobb County.

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On top of the provisions for Cobb and DeKalb counties, another $75 to $100 million was appropriated for the City of Atlanta to help provide funding to address Junes catastrophic water system failure.

Clean, safe, healthy drinking water is not a luxury  its a necessity. For families, for seniors, and for businesses in the community, any interruption of safe drinking water is an emergency, Ossoff said. Thats why after disruptions in Atlanta earlier this year, Senator Reverend Warnock, Congresswoman Williams, and I introduced and have now passed this legislation to help upgrade Atlantas water infrastructure.

TRENDING STORIES:

Additional projects in the metro Atlanta area that received funding through the bill include:

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Atlanta Environmental Infrastructure : This provision increases the authorization for Atlantas environmental infrastructure authority from $75 million to $100 million. This request follows the catastrophic failure of Atlantas drinking water system in June 2024. This provision authorizes additional funding for a program that Atlanta intends to use to help repair and replace its aging water infrastructure. Following the June water main breaks, Senator Warnock secured nearly $1 million in funding to help Atlanta partner with the Corps to begin a federal review of its water infrastructure with a focus on long-term upgrades.

DeKalb County Environmental Infrastructure: This provision authorizes $40 million for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects in DeKalb.

Cobb County Environmental Infrastructure: This provision authorizes $5 million for the Corps to provide drinking water and wastewater infrastructure assistance in Cobb County.

Porterdale Environmental Infrastructure: This provision authorizes $10 million for drinking water and wastewater projects, including environmental restoration, in Porterdale.

Camp Creek Tributary Study: This provision authorizes a flood risk management and ecosystem restoration feasibility study along the Camp Creek Tributary in Fulton County.

College Park Flood Risk Study: This provision authorizes a flood risk management study for College Park, Georgia.

Proctor Creek Study: This provision authorizes a flood risk management study for Proctor Creek in Smyrna, Georgia.

Outside of the metro area, funding for work at the Port of Savannah and other parts of coastal Georgia include:

Savannah Harbor Deepening Feasibility Study : Senator Warnock secured a provision directing the Corps to study further deepening and widening the Port of Savannah. With GDOTs decision to raise the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, Savannah can now accommodate significantly larger vessels, which will require further expansion of the harbor. This request marks the first step in securing USACE approval and support for harbor deepening. In January 2024, Senator Warnock led the entire Georgia delegation in a letter to key leaders requesting support for this study authorization. Senator Ossoff also pushed for this provision.

Coastal Georgia Environmental Infrastructure: This provision, led by Senator Ossoff and joined by Senator Warnock, authorizes $50 million for the Corps to provide drinking water and wastewater infrastructure assistance in Georgias coastal communities, providing those most impacted by climate change and sea level rise with another tool to address their water infrastructure needs. Assistance under this authority would be authorized for Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, and McIntosh counties.

The threat of climate change is very real in Georgia, where sea levels along the coast have risen nearly 12 inches since 1950 and where rising seas and severe storms are endangering 18,000 homes, nearly 200,000 acres of land, and water infrastructure along the coast. All told, nearly $400 million in infrastructure and assets along Georgias coast are threatened by climate change, not to mention continued operations at the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick and their significant economic contributions to the state.

City of Tybee Island Shoreline Feasibility Study: This provision authorizes the Corps to study the federal interest in a new beach nourishment project along Tybee Island.

In WRDA 2022, Tybee Islands federal sand replenishment project was extended until 2036. Following the completion of this newly authorized study, Tybee will be able to reference the full scope of the shorelines benefits, including all other social, environmental, and economic benefits, when the time comes to extend federal assistance. Beach nourishment is an expensive process that, without federal assistance, is often impractical for smaller communities. Regular replenishment provides both flood protection and recreation benefits for Georgians and tourists alike.

New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam (NSBLD): Directs the Corps to fully repair the NSBLD to ensure it can maintain the pool at a desired level, as well as construct an off-channel rock ramp fish passage structure.

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WASHINGTON, Ill. (WMBD)  A Washington veteran is raising money to help his fellow veterans while spreading holiday cheer.

Mike Rodcay started setting up the 17,000 Christmas light display that takes over his home in October. Red and white lights surround the home, while lighted reindeer fill the lawn.

Dealerships in Illinois forced to pay $20 million settlement for defrauding customers

The army veteran says hes raised $3,300 in the last five years for the Wounded Warrior Project.

The nonprofit helps service members with mental and physical injuries from war.

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The rewarding part is helping out the Wounded Warrior Project because any funds or any donations we receive in kind penny for penny go to the project. I keep absolutely nothing, said Rodcay.

You can catch the light show at 511 James Parkway in Washington until New Years Day.

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By Rishav Chatterjee and Shivangi Lahiri

(Reuters) -Singapore Post said on Sunday it had dismissed its chief executive and two other senior managers after an internal investigation found they had mishandled whistleblower allegations about misconduct by company employees.

The firm's shares slumped by the most in over four years as the city-state's bourse opened for trading. The stock plunged as much as 11.6%, marking its biggest intraday loss ever.

The alleged misconduct reported by the whistleblower related to several employees who worked in the company's international e-commerce logistics parcels business, the company said in a statement, without giving further details.

The firm had received a whistleblowing report alleging that three unnamed employees had either approved or manually updated a "delivery failure" status code for parcels, even though no delivery was done, the statement said.

CEO Vincent Phang, the chief of the company's international business unit Li Yu, and Chief Financial Officer Vincent Yik had been dismissed after the company found they had been "negligent" in handling the case and misrepresented it before an audit committee, it added.

Chair Simon Israel will oversee senior management of Singapore Post in the interim. The company said it planned to announce a new CEO in due course.

Singapore Post also said it will pay a settlement to the customer, whose details the firm did not disclose.

Phang and Yik have indicated they will "vigorously contest the termination of his employment, both on merits and on the grounds of procedural unfairness," the company said.

The firm has been undergoing a strategic review under which it is selling its Australian assets to private equity Pacific Equity Partners for A$1.02 billion ($638.21 million).

Analysts at Maybank said they believe that the firm's "end-game remains unchanged" and they expect the Australia business sale to likely proceed, with more asset sales going forward.

($1 = 1.5982 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee and Shivangi Lahiri in Bengaluru; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Helen Popper, Janane Venkatraman and Tasim Zahid)
WAIMEA, Hawaii (KHON2)  It could have turned into total destruction in Waimea but the Hawaiian Water Patrol was there.

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With big waves come big responsibilities that only the most experienced waterpeople would know how to handle.

One incident saw a large wave flip a ski and send it tumbling across the shoreline. Lifeguards and the Hawaiian Water Patrol were able to right the ski, get it turned around in seconds and held it steady as waves continued to roll in. When the timing was right, a group pushed the ski back into the water.

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Later, another incident saw ski operators bucked off by the water as the ski beached itself. Lifeguards and Hawaiian Water Patrol rushed over to grab the ski, got it turned around, the operators back on and right back out into the surf.

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TUMACACORI, Ariz.  The Santa Cruz River is not like most American rivers.

If some of its admirers get their wish, it might also become a wildlife refuge unlike any other.

Much of its 184-mile length in southern Arizona  with an elbow dipping into northern Mexico  is dry seasonally or routinely, rarely hinting at the cultural and ecological heavy lifting it does for the Sky Islands region. From the air, stretches of the riverbed look more like a geological fault line than a northbound stream flowing to Tucson and beyond, a dry cutbank in scrublands dividing cultivated grids of nut trees from waves of tiled rooftops and cul-de-sacs.

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The banks below the Santa Rita Mountains once teemed with runoff and springs fed by winter storms and summer monsoon rains, only to be pumped mostly dry by the mid-20th century.

The Santa Cruz River and Sahuarita (foreground) on Sept. 24, 2024, south of Tucson.

In patches between Tubac and Tumacacori and the border at Nogales, though, lush canopies of native cottonwoods shade a shallow, sparkling stream where dragonflies, flycatchers and swallows dart above pools harboring a native fish that was absent for a century but has returned. These oases and some renewed urban marshes in the channel at Tucson are thriving because of recycled sewer water now coursing through modernized treatment plants.

What once was dead is now coming back to life, Mike Quigley, the Wilderness Societys Arizona director, said during an aerial tour of the river flown by EcoFlight.

Quigley is part of a coalition of private and government partners in the Tucson area hoping the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will designate the river as a new urban wildlife refuge. Such a refuge, with backing from city and county governments, could unlock funds to protect lands from development. Pima County is considering a gift of several hundred acres for the project. Additional treated wastewater could add to the flows, a counterintuitive benefit of population growth in the region.

Reviving the Santa Cruz is an important safeguard for one of the nations most biologically diverse regions, Quigley said. The Madrean Sky Islands, a smattering of tall borderlands ranges that rise where the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts meet, are critical stepping stones for migrating birds and some of Americas rarest mammals, who rely on the forests, springs and prey to survive their journeys.

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River corridors can provide safe passage between them, but most of them, save for a trickle in the San Pedro, farther east, have essentially dried up. With that river under increasing stress from growth around Sierra Vista, the Santa Cruz becomes all the more important for wildlife.

Hopefully nothing will happen to (the San Pedro), Quigley said. But if we can bring back the Santa Cruz, its insurance.

A living landscape: Arizona's Sky Islands are a 'treasure' that warming climate and mining threaten to bury

'True river cats' and seven species of dragonflies

The Center for Biological Diversity this fall released automated trail camera footage from late July of an ocelot prowling an undisclosed Sky Island range east of the river, presumably the Patagonias near the border or the Santa Ritas farther north. It was the seventh confirmed ocelot to roam Arizona over the last two decades, perhaps wandering north out of Mexico.

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Another ocelot has continued to trip cameras farther east, in the Huachucas, for years. All of the sightings in recent decades have been lone cats, showing no evidence of a pairing that could lead to a breeding population.

The latest ocelots spots and stripes gave it away as the same cat that was photographed west of the river, in the Atascosa Highlands, by a Phoenix Zoo research camera earlier this year. That means it would have crossed the river, as well as Interstate 19, to reach the second camera. In doing so, it also traversed the ancestral homelands of the Tohono Oodham tribe, which welcomed them back.

The Sky Island Mountains are not just beautiful landscapes; they are living parts of our culture and identity, Chairman Austin Nunez of the tribes San Xavier District said in a statement. The ocelots survival is intertwined with ours, and we must ensure that this species endures for future generations.

University of Arizona ecologist Michael Bogan (right) shocks the water in a pool in the Nogales Wash while University of Arizona biologist Peter Reinthal and retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Doug Duncan net stunned fish for a study of their abundance in the Santa Cruz River watershed.

The Sonoran Institute monitors conditions along the river and reports on them yearly. This years report on the sections in and around Tucson notes that radio-collared bobcats are frequenting the revived river habitats, with some spending nearly all their time there and raising kittens as true river cats. The report documents 235 bird species in those reaches and 39 dragonfly species.

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Observers found seven species of dragonflies last spring during a bioblitz count at the other stretch with regular water, downstream from Nogales. Throughout the river, ammonia has been down dramatically since upgrades to sewage treatment plants. The improved quality is a more recent development in this stretch, since the U.S. government funded improvements to a treatment plant handling water from both Nogales, Mexico, and Nogales, Arizona in 2009.

It takes time for dragonflies to find a newly hospitable waterway and then pair up, said University of Arizona aquatic ecologist Michael Bogan. Some must drift in from dozens of miles away, from the San Pedro River, or the Gila, which both rivers drain toward. Bogan studies the dragonflies and helps with other surveys led by the Sonoran Institute, and he sees new species on the river every year.

Like Quigley, he said the river's improvements will give migrating birds an additional avenue through the Sky Islands.

The more dragonflies and other important insects you have, the more bird food you have, he said.

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Wildlife corridors: A bobcat can pass through the border wall, but most larger species can't, study finds

Cleaner flow, a gush of runoff invigorate fish population

The cleaner Nogales sewage appears to be saving the patches of cottonwood forest extending to the Tumacacori Mission, a national historic site. Before, nutrients in the water created an algal slick that kept water from seeping into the ground and watering the trees. A mass die-off was underway but suddenly stopped with the cleaner flows.

A Gila topminnow, scooped from the Santa Cruz River near Tumacacori, is evidence of the river's improving ecology since upgrades to an international wastewater treatment plant near the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales.

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Something borderline miraculous happened next. An active Pacific hurricane season in 2014 brought big monsoon rains and floods across the border. The next year, fish samplers netted the endangered Gila topminnow in the river, which had evidently washed downstream from refugia in Mexico or in Sonoita Creek. The fish had effectively died out of these waters years earlier, but have since persisted in the clean water.

At first, it was just a hundred or so, but it was cause enough for celebration. And in 2015, Tucsons mayor helped the Arizona Game and Fish Department plant more topminnows into a marshy area also restored by recycled wastewater.

The Gila topminnow is playing an important role by gobbling up mosquito larvae and helping to reduce mosquito populations around the city, the department said in a news release hailing the water upgrades and river restoration.

The fishery has remained, but with some surprising and possibly troubling twists.

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In November, the Sonoran Institute, state and federal biologists and volunteers returned to the river to check on the topminnows status  and on the pervasiveness of nonnative lookalikes. They waded the shallow river at the edge of Tumacacori National Historical Park, with one biologist waving an electrified wand in the water to stun the fish and others in the group netting them into buckets to count them and collect some specimens for research.

In a 100-meter stretch, they counted 763 fish, each about the length of a pinkie toe. It was not immediately clear how many were topminnows.

Nonnative Western mosquito fish, perhaps dumped in the river by someone who thought they were helping, have thrived alongside topminnows in the newly clean water, and outnumbered them in this stretch of river during last years count. They look similar to the untrained eye and require close inspection to distinguish even by experts. And they are not the only potential competitors now in the river.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation biologist Betsy Hedden (left)and Arizona Game and Fish topminnow and pupfish specialist Brett Montgomery (2nd from left) inspect their tiny catches during a survey of fish in wastewater-supplied wetlands in Tucson's Santa Cruz River channel.

Somehow, a species called monacha from farther south in Mexico has reached the Santa Cruz and mixed with the topminnow to create an all-female hybrid. The livebearing fish require male topminnow coupling to stimulate reproduction but do not pass on any of its genes. Some specimens from this years sample will go to research labs to help determine how large the hybrids contingent has become. The fish surveyors said theyre hopeful it wont overtake and eliminate the topminnow.

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Its a concern, Sonoran Institute ecologist Claire Zugmeyer said, but also, they need the male topminnow, so you would assume they would not get rid of the native topminnows.

As the crew worked, a gray hawk screeched overhead. Its a species that formerly was rare in Arizona but has expanded northward out of Mexico and is making use of the cottonwoods along the river. Those trees had suffered in the die-off before the sewage upgrade. Now, like the fish, they are flourishing.

The surveyors also found 190 fish farther south at a Rio Rico sampling site, and 10 at Nogales Wash. But the days real haul was its last: 1,559 in the in pools at the wastewater-fed marsh in the hemmed-in channel near downtown Tucson. These are not full population numbers  only indicators of the broader health of the river  and what they indicate is that things are getting better.

University of Arizona ecologist Michael Bogan dips Gila topminnows from a wetland in Tucson's Santa Cruz River channel during a survey of the endangered species. Treated wastewater from the city and from Nogales has helped return the fish to the river.

This fish, the Gila topminnow, is the canary in the coal mine, said Luke Cole, the Sonoran Institutes Santa Cruz River program director. It cannot hack poor water quality. It needs a lot of oxygen. It needs really good, clear water.

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In the Sky Islands: 'Rarer creatures': Elegant trogons, hummingbirds alter flight paths as drought persists

Why a refuge designation could help the Santa Cruz

Theres still work to do, Cole said, and some of it will likely involve adding new sources of treated water. In Tucson, that could include the water now perched under an old landfill, waiting to be cleaned. But the work so far is worth celebrating, he said, and he hopes it will prod the federal government to designate the proposed wildlife refuge, which would enable land purchases from willing sellers. It also would enable the Fish and Wildlife Service to help leverage grants to further the cleanup.

This river system is so important and so storied, Cole said. And it's the reason that southern Arizona has had such prolific and long-lived human history here. We're so early on in our restoration, but we're seeing so much good coming of the recovery here of the Santa Cruz River that federal ownership, federal recognition, federal funding would really go a long way towards at least keeping this river system as it is now.

Attendees share current and future work on maps during a Tucson/Santa Cruz Region Wildlife Partnership Workshop at the Pima Community College Desert Vista Campus on Sept. 24, 2024, in Tucson.

A wildlife refuge extending for much of the U.S. length of the river could also attract new visitors who may not otherwise know about the Santa Cruz River because it had been pretty much gone for a century, he said. Just getting more people familiar with this river system, walking along the river, looking at the dragonflies, the fish, the huge trees that we have down here, achieves the mission of this reintegration of the Santa Cruz River with the people, the history and the ecology of southern Arizona.

On Nov. 21, Pima and Santa Cruz counties, with population centers in Tucson and Nogales, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Fish and Wildlife Service to create a Santa Cruz River Wildlife Partnership. The commitment to work together on wildlife conservation and environmental education is a first for Arizona and could be a precursor to refuge designation. Both counties and Gov. Katie Hobbs have supported the refuge proposal.

If Fish and Wildlife does create a new refuge, it will be part of its effort to expand on a fledgling program to conserve more wildlife habitat where the most people can enjoy it. The river is under consideration for urban refuge designation, generally applied to places with high wildlife and cultural values within 25 miles of a city with 250,000 people.

Twelve years ago the agency created an urban partnership program. Its manager, Nancy Brown, traveled to Tucson this fall to meet with community members who back the refuge. For the government to reach its conservation goals, she explained then, it has to meet people where they live. Her agency is now developing a conceptual land protection plan laying out what it would take to make a refuge happen, and a decision is expected in the new year.

The restored river already is making an imprint on the community. Alton Livingstone, a Tucson high school science teacher who helped with the Sonoran Institutes fish survey, said he sometimes brings his students to see the restoration and learn about the challenges for native species. It helps them relate broader lessons about human impacts and conservation if they can see it in their own community, he said. Its important to see water in the desert.

It's also just fun for him, a self-described desert fish nerd with the life stages of the Grand Canyons humpback chub tattooed on his arm, to get up close with the topminnows.

Anytime we can get hands on fish is a good day, Livingstone said.

Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at brandon.loomis@arizonarepublic.com.

Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

Sign up for AZ Climate, our weekly environment newsletter, and follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: An Arizona river looked dead. Sewage fix bring talk of refuge instead
Dec. 23Having grown up in New Mexico, Courtenay Eichhorst was present when the multinational technology company Intel Corp. started building a facility in Rio Rancho. While the company brought thousands of jobs, Eichhorst was skeptical  even fearful  that Intel's presence would damage water quality in Albuquerque and surrounding communities.

Today, his Corrales well water is fantastic.

Eichhorst, the president of the New Mexico Building and Construction Trade Council, gave the anecdote at a water conference held at the Pueblo of Pojoaque Thursday by Sen. Bobby Gonzales, D-Ranchos de Taos. The senator gathered environmental, economic and workforce experts at the daylong event for panels all focused on water.

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Water is important for economic development, said Rob Block, Economic Development Department secretary-designate, who was moderating the panel Eichhorst and others spoke on.

"It's an important part of this broader economic development conversation," Black said.

Intel uses a lot of water, Black pointed out, but also recycles most of it, cleaning it up for other purposes or sending it back into the river.

Black asked what jobs come with water development projects in general, to which Eichhorst said construction, maintenance and operation jobs. He brought up the Los Lunas Facebook facility as an example, where construction is anticipated to continue through 2026, maintaining a high demand for contract workers.

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Black added that there are other economic results of facilities like that, like restaurants and stores and parks opening.

At one point, Eichhorst said, Intel employed more than 2,000 craftspeople, from construction workers to painters. And the company isn't even done expanding in New Mexico, he added, bringing up this year's Fab 9 expansion.

Black said in the last three weeks, he's talked to six different developers and data centers interested in coming to New Mexico.

"Think about that sort of economic development in your county, (and) what it would mean," Black said.

To get there, he said, the state needs to be creative in finding new sources of water. That drew the conversation back to the introductory remarks he made upon starting the panel discussion.

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"We're going to have 25% less water in 50 years than we have today," he said, referring to the state's 50-year water plan. "And when you think about that, you think about the need to grow to make sure that we're keeping our current industries resilient, but also being able to grow jobs so that our kids can stay here in New Mexico."

He asked audience members to raise their hands if they were from Rio Rancho. Why? That's one of the few places in New Mexico that repurposes sewer water into potable, drinking water.

"Part of why we're having this conversation, and a big part of that 50-year strategy, talks about the need for new water and specifically calls out the idea of a strategic water reserve," he said.

It's a proposal from the Governor's Office, commonly known as a strategic water supply, that would set aside funding to propel water reuse, specifically the treatment of brackish and produced water. Legislation failed to garner enough support to pass through the Legislature this year, and the bill is expected to come up again in 2025 with a $75 million request.

Last year, policymakers didn't introduce a strategic water supply bill until the final days of the session, after funding was stripped out of the capital outlay package. For the 2025 Legislature, lawmakers can start introducing bills as early as Jan. 2.
This year, USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN debuted its largest Student of the Week initiative yet. Now, we need your help to keep it going.

Student of the Week celebrates deserving high school students. School faculty, staff, youth organizations and others who work with teens can nominate students, and then we release a poll with two finalists for our readers to decide. For the first time ever, we took the initiative statewide this year.

We started out strong with nominations, but now we're running low. To keep the initiative going, we are calling on Wisconsinites who work with high-school-aged students to tell us about teens they're proud of. Local schools and youth organizations received an email near the start of the school year with instructions. If you did not receive that email, please reach out to Debi Young, our statewide education editor, at debi.young@jrn.com.

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For those who don't qualify to nominate students, be sure to vote in our weekly poll. If you know a teen that is deserving of the honor, reach out to your school's principal, guidance counselor or leader of your favorite youth organization and ask them to submit nominations.

Here's some more information about Wisconsin's Student of the Week:

Who is eligible to be a Student of the Week?

High school students, whether they attend a public or private school, can be named Student of the Week.

Its not just about academics. Maybe theres a student who is always kind, no matter the circumstances. Or one who has a unique hobby worth showcasing. Maybe our next Student of the Week will be the leader of a volunteer organization, or have started a club of their own. They could be an unsung hero of the theater department, managing props or lights. Maybe they have a work ethic unlike any other student at the school. There are any number of reasons a student deserves a little recognition.

How can I help choose the Student of the Week?

Vote in our weekly poll to decide who should be Wisconsin's Student of the Week.

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Each Monday, we'll introduce the finalists and an online poll at jsonline.com, postcrescent.com and greenbaypressgazette.com.

Voting will close at noon Thursday.

When and where will Wisconsin Student of the Week results be announced?

Results will be announced online and in print in each of the three sponsoring media outlets. Winners will be announced online every Friday and in print every Sunday.

A certificate will be mailed to each winner at their school.

Madison Lammert covers child care and early education across Wisconsin as a Report for America corps member based at The Appleton Post-Crescent. To contact her, email mlammert@gannett.com or call 920-993-7108. Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to Report for America by visiting postcrescent.com/RFA.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: We're looking for Wisconsin's next Student of the Week. Do you have a teen in mind?
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore received a Bronze Star on Friday night for his military service in Afghanistan nearly two decades after he was deployed overseas.

The governor received the belated honor at a private ceremony at the governors mansion on Friday, during what The Washington Post reported was an emotional ceremony.

Moores former commander, Lt. Gen. Michael Fenzel, pinned the Bronze Star on the governor at the ceremony and said, Im so happy to be in a position to right a wrong, according to the Post.

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The ceremony came just a few months after The New York Times reported that Moore, in 2006, had written on an application that he received a Bronze Star for his service when, in fact, he never received it.

Moore said after the revelation in August that he made an honest mistake for not correcting the application. He said, however, that his deputy brigade commander had recommended him for the Bronze Star  and told him to include the award on his application after confirming with two other senior-level officers that they had also signed off on the commendation.

Fenzel said Friday that the Times report in August was the first time that he learned Moore never ended up receiving the Bronze Star, according to the Post, which reported that Fenzel recommended Moore again for the honor and walked the paperwork through the necessary steps himself this time around.

In an interview with the Post, Fenzel pushed back against the suggestion that Moore received special treatment, saying Moore spent months in the combat zone putting himself at risk. So, if this is special treatment, it is the treatment that he deserves.

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Hes earned it. It should have happened 20 years ago, Fenzel said.

The governors office confirmed the Bronze Star in an emailed statement but declined to provide further comment.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A West St. Paul man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the fatal 2020 stabbing of David Eugene Rahn at a state-run group home.

John C. Adams II, 43, was sentenced to 367 months in prison in Dakota County court on Friday. He was convicted of intentional 2nd-degree murder in the death of Rahn, who was 68, in September.

According to the criminal complaint, a staff member at the West St. Paul group home where the two men lived called 911 in the early hours of Feb. 17, 2020, to report a disturbance between two clients.

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The staff member said she heard Rahn screaming for help from his bedroom. When she attempted to go inside, the door was blocked, and she heard another person say it was ok.

Once at the scene, a West St. Paul police officer saw a man later identified as Adams run from a place of worship across the street and into the home.

Officers found Rahn suffering from multiple stab wounds to his neck and back. They attempted CPR until medics arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Adams later claimed that Rahn had busted into his room and attacked him. He said the two had begun wrestling and that he had gotten a knife from the kitchen to defend himself.

Officers later found the knife and bloody gloves in a garbage can in the parking lot at the place of worship Adams was seen leaving.
BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP)Ten land trust organizations and municipalities across the state will be receiving funding for the protection of forest reserves. Several are in western Massachusetts.

The grants were awarded through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Acquisitions for Forest Reserves Grant Program. The program was created as part of the Forest as Climate Solutions Initiative, which will set aside 10-percent of Massachusetts forests as reserves, allowing the land to return to its natural state with limited management.

Caring Health Center of Springfield receives $100,000 gift from Florence Bank

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The benefit of permanent forest conservation is to provide wildlife habitats for flora and fauna, and slow the impact of climate change.

Forests are our best natural carbon sinks, said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. As trees age, they absorb and store more carbon dioxide  crucial in helping us fight climate change. By supporting community and land trust efforts to limit land conversion and increase permanent land conservation, we are preserving forests for generations to come.

Few things are more important than protecting our environment, and Im elated that our state is preserving these beautiful pieces of land in Ashland and around the entire Commonwealth, said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). Im grateful to the Healey Administration for dispensing these funds, and I look forward to visiting the expanded town forest.

As State Representative for the 5th Barnstable District, I am deeply grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for awarding this significant grant to the Bourne Conservation Trust. This $1,051,380 investment will help permanently protect 30 acres of rare pine barrens habitat, expanding the Town Forest and safeguarding a precious ecosystem for generations to come, said State Representative Steven Xiarhos (R-5th Barnstable). Protecting our forests is essential to preserving the unique natural beauty of Cape Cod, combating climate change, and ensuring opportunities for recreational and healthy outdoor activities. I applaud the Bourne Conservation Trust and the Town of Bourne for their partnership and dedication to protecting our environment while enhancing the quality of life for our community.

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The following grantees were awarded funding through EEAs Acquisitions for Forest Reserves Grant Program:

GRANTEE PROJECT NAME PROJECT DESCRIPTION GRANT AWARD Bourne Conservation Trust Town Forest Expansion The Bourne Conservation Trust and Town of Bourne have partnered to permanently protect 30 acres of uncommon pine barrens habitat (pine oak habitat) within 470+ acres of protected Town Forest land that supports a network of walking trails. $1,051,380 Town of Ashland Ashland Town Forest Expansion The town of Ashland will permanently protect 52 acres adjacent to the Ashland Town Forest with well-developed walking trails throughout. This purchase will expand the town forest and create a contiguous span of 700+ acres of protected forest within the Sudbury River Watershed. The Sudbury Valley Trustees are partnering with the Town to protect of this oak/hickory forest. $605,750 Trustees of Reservations Southeastern Bioreserve/ Copicut Wood Expansion The Trustees of Reservations will permanently conserve 200+ acres adjacent to The Trustees Copicut Woods Reservation and the Southeastern MA Bioreserve, a network of 16,000 acres of protected open space in Fall River and Freetown. This forest is important for the protection of drinking water supply, as well as Bread and Cheese Brook, which flows to the Westport River. This grant will protect a mixed age oak-pine forest with swamps and wetland forest composed of red maple and potentially white cedar. $580,000 Native Land Conservancy Hawks Nest East Forest Reserve Project The Native Land Conservancy will permanently protect 16 acres in Harwich that will conserve pine barrens habitat and complement DCRs Hawksnest State Park within the Six Ponds Special District. This parcel also contributes to a DEP Zone II Wellhead Protection Area. $500,000 Metacomet Land Trust White Barn Farm Forest Reserve The Metacomet Land Trust will permanently conserve 16 acres of forested land associated with the White Barn Farm, a third-generation family farm in Wrentham. The forested portion of the property is identified as prime forest land and is adjacent to 200 acres of town-owned open space. $480,250 Kestrel Land Trust Dudleyville Forest The Kestrel Land Trust will permanently protect 200+ acres of white pine and mixed hardwood forest in Shutesbury designated Critical Natural Landscape and mapped for regional connectivity. This forest will continue to contribute to carbon sequestration and protect several substantial wetlands. $327,000 Berkshire Natural Resource Council Blue Hill Road The Berkshire Natural Resource Council will permanently conserve 65 acres of forest habitat in the Berkshire-Taconic landscape and the Staying Connected Initiative Berkshire Linkages region; a critical forest linkage within the Appalachian Mountain range. The property is NHESP designated Critical Natural Landscape. $300,250 Berkshire Natural Resource Council Appalachian Trail Protected Corridor Expansion The Berkshire Natural Resource Council will permanently conserve 110 acres in Tyringham adjacent to Beartown State Forest that will support protection of the larger Appalachian Trail corridor. The property is designated Critical Natural Landscape and supports the Merry Brook which provides a spawning habitat for native brook trout. $286,275 Mass Audubon Richardson Brook Mass Audubon will permanently protect 275+ acres of designated Critical Natural Landscape that complement Mass Audubons Wildlife Sanctuary in Tolland. The acquisition of a CR on this property will protect land that adjoins a 1,300 acre corridor of protected land in the Farmington River watershed. $261,500 Metacomet Land Trust Forest Heights The Metacomet Land Trust will permanently conserve 100+ acres of mixed oak/hardwood/pine forest in Upton within the Miscoe, Warren, Whitehall Watersheds Area of Critical Environmental Concern and adjoining over 500 acres of permanently protected forested open space. The property is designated forest habitat as well as home to local rare species, including Eastern box turtles and supports several vernal pool obligate species. $220,400 Mass Audubon Taylor Brook Mass Audubon will permanently protect 250+ acres in Tolland near the Richardson Brook property with NHESP designated Critical Natural Landscape and Core Habitat. This CR acquisition will also contribute to a corridor of protected land in the Farmington River watershed. $176,500 Hilltown Land Trust Middle Branch Hilltown Land Trust will permanently conserve 95 acres of forest along the Middle Branch of the Westfield River in Chester, a federally designated Wild and Scenic River. This property is proposed for protection under a CR to permanently protect NHESP designated Rare Species Core Habitat adjoining a corridor of 3,000+ acres of protected forest. $143,000 Town of Easton Keach Land Preserve The town of Easton will permanently protect 15 acres within the Canoe River Area of Critical Environmental Concern and federally designated Canoe River Sole Source Aquifer in coordination with the purchase of adjacent land in the town of Mansfield. This acquisition will create a 75-acre corridor of protected space with mixed-age, mixed oak and white pine forest.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Its the first full week of winter! We kick off this holiday week with temperatures about 10-15 degrees above average.

The bottom line? Get ready for the possibility of a white Christmas! Multiple waves of slushy wintry weather will impact the state this week.

Northern Utah will have daytime highs reach the upper 40s and low to mid-40s in higher terrain. Central and southern Utah will run warmer with highs in the low to upper 50s. Apart from a few morning valley sprinkles and mountain flurries in the north, we are looking at partly cloudy skies as high pressure builds back and brings quiet weather  but not for long.

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By late Christmas Eve on Tuesday, well start seeing moisture fill in across the region and a cold front will drop temperatures. Itll be a race between the cold front and Santa Claus as both are forecasted to reach the Beehive State at midnight on Christmas Day. This is set up to be a valley rain mountain snow event at first, but theres a decent chance it transitions to valley snow for Christmas morning. As of Sunday night, theres roughly a 50/50 chance that valleys will see measurable snow.

At the end of Christmas Day valleys could get 0-2 inches of snowfall, slightly more for the benches, two to six inches for the Wasatch Back, and about eight to 16 inches for mountains. The storm is still a bit far out, so these numbers are prone to change. Just because valleys could get up to two inches of snow doesnt mean therell be 2 inches on the ground. The last couple of weeks have been abnormally warm, so accumulation will be limited. The heaviest precipitation from this upcoming storm will likely be Christmas morning before clearing Christmas afternoon and evening.

We wont be done with the soggy weather just yet. Another storm is hot on the heels of this one and is expected to arrive by Thursday. The door stays open after that with rain and snow showers lingering into the weekend, mostly in northern and central Utah.

Holiday travel impacts will be mild for most travelers, but mountain passes will be a little more hazardous. As long as youre equipped for slushy roads you should be fine  but still practice caution.

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Well keep you updated on your holiday forecast in our 4Warn Weather forecast both on-air and online, we are Good4Utah!

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Need to run a last minute errand on Christmas Eve? Many stores and services will be open on the day before Christmas, but expect reduced hours.

Here's what's open and what's not:

Banks

Many banks will be open, including Huntington Bank and Wells Fargo, though expect some locations to close early.

Post offices

Post offices should be open on Christmas Eve. Check a specific location here.

Mail at Blue Collection Boxes will also be picked up earlier than normal on Christmas Eve, so plan to drop mail off before noon.

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Most FedEx and UPS services will also be operational.

Transit

Metro Transit will operate on reduced hours on Christmas Eve, while the Northstar will not run its afternoon service.

Grocery stores

Most grocery stores will be open on Christmas Eve, but expect reduced hours at many locations. Most Hy-Vee locations will close at 5 p.m., while Cub Foods will close at 4 p.m.

Target stores will close at 8 p.m.; Walmarts will close at 6 p.m.; and Costco stores close at 5 p.m.

Most Whole Foods locations will also be operating on modified hours. And Lunds and Byerlys will close its stores at 4 p.m.

Check out our full listings below.

Related: When do grocery stores close in the Twin Cities on Christmas Eve?

Malls

Both the Mall of America and Ridgedale Center in Minnetonka will close at 6 p.m., while the Southdale Center in Edina, Rosedale Center in Roseville and the Eden Prairie Center will all close at 5 p.m.

Liquor stores

You'll have to check your local store for hours, but liquor stores are required by Minnesota law to close by 8 p.m. at the latest on Christmas Eve.

Pharmacies

Many CVS locations will be open, though some will close early. Check your location here.

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Walgreens will vary by location, but expect 24-hour locations to remain open, according to the Pioneer Woman. Find your local store here.

Movie theaters

Most chain movie theaters will be running regular hours.

Libraries

Most are closed.

Garbage pickup

In cities including Minneapolis and St. Paul, garbage collection will run on a normal schedule if your pickup day is Tuesday.

Parking

City-run parking meters will be enforced as usual on Christmas Eve in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Merry Christmas, Minnesota!

Here's a look at what's open and closed in the state this December 25.

Public buildings and schools

State, local and federal offices are closed on Christmas Day, as are school buildings.

Police and emergency services

These are unaffected by the holiday.

Grocery stores

Expect most grocery stores to be closed, including HyVee, Lunds and Byerlys, Cub Foods and Whole Foods. The same goes for Costco and Sams Club.

Retail stores

Target, Best Buy and many other retailers will be closed on Christmas Day. Walmart will also be closed, per the Pioneer Woman.

Related: What major retailers are open on Christmas Eve and Day in Minnesota

Pharmacies

Walgreens will be open on Christmas Day, though some may close earlier. Some 24-hour locations will also remain open all day. Check your location here.

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Many CVS locations will close its pharmacies on Christmas Day, but its stills will remain open for limited hours. Check your location here.

Liquor stores

Minnesota law requires liquor stores to close on Christmas Day.

Movie theaters

Most movie theaters will be open for regular showings. This includes large chains, like AMC, as well as local theaters like Riverview in Minneapolis and Highland 1&2 in St. Paul.

Restaurants

Most restaurants will be closed, but check with specific ones for their hours. Some will also be offering takeout and delivery options.

Banks

Banks are closed on Christmas Day. That includes U.S. Bank, Huntington Bank, Wells Fargo and others. Most ATMs remain open, however.

Post offices

Post office locations will be closed, and no regular mail will be delivered or picked up. USPS only will deliver priority mail express.

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Both FedEx and UPS will only offer critical shipping services on Christmas Day.

Transit

Metro Transit will operate its holiday service on Christmas Day, which means reduced rides and non-rush hour fares. Northstar trains will not run.

Southwest Transit will not operate, while Duluth Transit will run on a limited schedule.

Garbage collection

In most cities, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, garbage collection will be pushed back a day for residents the week after Christmas.

Parking meters

Parking meters won't be enforced Christmas Day in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. Parking will also be free on the University of Minnesota campus.
(Reuters) -Starbucks workers have expanded their strike to four more U.S. cities, including New York, the union representing over 10,000 baristas said late on Saturday.

The five-day strike, which began on Friday and initially closed Starbucks cafes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, has added locations in New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis, Workers United said in a statement. It did not specify in what New Jersey city the walkout was occurring.

Starbucks said the disruptions from the strike have no significant impact on its operations because only a small handful of U.S. stores have been impacted.

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"Workers United proposals call for an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64%, and by 77% over the life of a three-year contract. This is not sustainable," the coffee chain said.

The union is striking in 10 cities, also including Columbus, Ohio, Denver and Pittsburgh, during the busy holiday season that may impact the company's Christmas sales.

The group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the number of stores on strike on Monday.

The company operates more than 11,000 stores in the United States, employing about 200,000 workers.

Talks between Starbucks and the union hit an impasse with unresolved issues over wages, staffing and schedules, leading to the strike.

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Workers United warned on Friday that the strike could reach "hundreds of stores" by Tuesday, Christmas Eve.

Starbucks began negotiations with the union in April. It said this month it had conducted more than eight bargaining sessions, during which 30 agreements had been reached.

(Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Nilutpal Timsina; Editing by William Mallard and Leslie Adler)
If youve heard the nickname Cream City thrown around for Milwaukee, you might be surprised to know it isnt in honor of Wisconsins many dairy products  or beers.

Its actually a homage to the light-colored, yellowish bricks  dubbed cream city bricks  that make up countless buildings throughout the city.

In a sense, it's really Milwaukee's first product that was exported nationally and internationally, said Steven Schaffer, archivist at the Milwaukee County Historical Society.

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Even though production halted nearly a century ago, the bricks have had a lasting impact on the city in countless ways, including the many local businesses that have taken on an iteration of the nickname.

Its still part of the active identity of Milwaukee, said John Gurda, Milwaukee historian.

The Journal Sentinel spoke with three experts on the history surrounding one of the citys many nicknames  and the bricks that inspired it for our What the Wisconsin? series, where reporters take on questions large and small about our state, our communities and the people in them.

How long has Milwaukee been called the Cream City?

The nickname is almost as old as the cream city bricks themselves.

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The name came into popular use in the 1850s, Gurda said.

What are cream city bricks?

The bricks that made up so many of Milwaukees buildings come from lacustrine clay, which is high in calcium and magnesium. These minerals' high concentration is what's responsible for the bricks' color.

Such clay deposits were found throughout Milwaukee County, but the Menomonee River Valley had the most easily accessible supply, according to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukees Encyclopedia of Milwaukee.

Not only was the clay readily available, it was cost-effective, Schaffer said. "Most of the buildings in early Milwaukee were built with this cream city brick because it was right there," he said.

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The river valley was also home to the Burnham Brickyard, per UW-Milwaukee, which was the citys largest and longest running manufacturer of the bricks.

Although the bricks are Milwaukee's signature, they were also exported to various cities across the U.S., some even making it as far as Europe.

It did not take Europe by stormbut there was a market that was well beyond the Milwaukee area, Gurda said.

The light-colored cream city bricks are the main material in a number of old buildings across the city. The material came from a clay found in the Menomonee River Valley filled with magnesium and lime.

Who made Milwaukee's cream city bricks?

Though many firms manufactured the building supply, brothers George and Jonathan Burnham are most well-known for Milwaukee's bricks. The brothers began brick-making in the state after moving in 1843, according to Wisconsin Historical Society records.

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Schaffer said the brothers very quickly became leading brick producers in the city after starting business in 1844. In fact, their yard became kind of synonymous with cream city brick, he said.

The business continued to boom  even after it became George Burnham & Sons in 1870  with brickyards producing 15 million bricks annually by 1881, according to the WHS.

Plus, Schaffer said an MCHS record indicated the company was valued at $1.2 million in 1892. "It was a large operation," he said.

Are cream city bricks still made?

Production of the bricks slowed down around 1900, including for the Burnhams, when clay deposits were generally depleted and brickyards began closing, Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission Senior Planner Andrew Stern told the Journal Sentinel in an email.

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Competition from larger brick-producers also spelled trouble, as the manufacture of cheaper red bricks became commonplace, per UW-Milwaukee.

"There were some smaller yards still operating in Bay View into the 1910s," Stern said.

Stern, who dedicated his masters thesis to cream city bricks, said the Burnham children continued in the brick-making business with spots in Bay View, South Milwaukee and Wauwatosa until 1929.

Turner Hall, built downtown in 1883, is among the historic MIlwaukee structures made with cream city brick.

Were cream city bricks only made in Milwaukee?

No. Despite their connection to the city, the bricks were manufactured in other parts of Wisconsin and even some other states, according to Washington Countys Tower Heritage Center.

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"Because Milwaukee was the commercial leader, it was called Milwaukee brick in those early years," Gurda said. "Later on cream city brick."

How many buildings in Milwaukee were built with cream city bricks?

Stern said the city does not maintain an inventory of buildings constructed with the brick, adding that an architectural survey of surviving structures was completed decades ago.

To my knowledge, that survey is the most recent attempt at comprehensive documentation, Stern said.

A record from MCHS indicates the survey was a countywide collection. Schaffer said it was compiled from 1978-1984 by MPS high school students under Robert Roesler, who was a teacher at Milwaukee's Hamilton High School.

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The results of the survey are not publicly available.

Stern said an updated citywide survey is something the HPC is interested in pursuing in the future.

What are famous Milwaukee buildings made with cream city bricks?

Even though the total number of buildings made with the bricks is unknown, countless residential properties and city staples remain today. Some include:

North Point Water Tower, 2288 N. Lake Drive

Old St. Marys Church, at 844 N. Broadway

Pritzlaff Building, at 315 N. Plankinton Ave.

St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, at 524 W. Historic Mitchell St.

Turner Hall Ballroom, at 1040 N. Phillips Ave.

Walkers Point Center for the Arts, at 839 S. Fifth St.

Can you still get cream city bricks today?

Stern said some companies create bricks similar to the cream city variety, but they differ in hardness and appearance from the original.

One of which is Belden Brick, according to Stern, an Ohio-based company that manufactures five kinds of cream-colored bricks.

Some brickyards also sell salvaged cream city bricks, Stern said.

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One Milwaukee-based business that sells such bricks can be found in Bay View. According to its website, The Brickyard Inc., at 3352 S. Clement Ave., has the largest inventory of reclaimed bricks in the Milwaukee area.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why is Milwaukee called Cream City?
(NewsNation)  A Democratic National Committee finance committee member told NewsNation Sunday she received a friendly threat from the White House before publicly discussing President Joe Bidens cognitive decline.

Lindy Li, who had raised millions for Bidens campaign, said on NewsNation Prime, that a White House official called her the night before her scheduled appearance on Fox News Sunday in July.

According to Li, the official told her, Youre one of the Presidents most loyal supporters. We know youre going to stay loyal.

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It was the friendliest threat possible, Li said, comparing the exchange to dialogues from The Sopranos and The Godfather.

Texas US Rep. Kay Granger in senior living facility: reports

Lis comments come amid a Wall Street Journal report that sheds light on the 46th presidents challenges, citing interviews with nearly 50 sources.

Li said she observed concerning changes in Biden during fundraising events, noting an incident at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., in May where Biden declined to take questions or work the rope line after a $1.1 million fundraiser.

The DNC finance committee member also described increasingly restrictive practices at fundraising events, including pre-approved questions printed on note cards for donors to read. At some events, she said, no questions were permitted at all.

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While Li maintained she saw no signs of cognitive decline during the 2020 campaign, she said she noticed significant changes beginning in 2023. She characterized the current administration as a shadow presidency run by Bidens inner circle.

Trump pushes back on President Musk claims

President Biden, as a human being, is no longer capable of executing the duties of the commander in chief, Li said.

She added that she faced significant backlash for speaking out, including losing tens of thousands of social media followers.

I dont want to get crucified again, but there are certain people around him, his senior advisors, who are essentially running the country, Li told NewsNation.

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Li said she decided to come forward after feeling lied to at worst and manipulated at best about campaign prospects and fundraising efforts, citing $2.5 billion in campaign spending that she helped raise.

GOP lawmaker says Johnson made spending fight way too complicated

Bidens decline widely reported in final days of presidency

In the WSJ report, White House aides admitted to Biden having good days and bad days and making attempts to manage his cognitive limitations while in office.

The report details accounts from administration officials who say Biden would grow tired if meetings went long and occasionally make mistakes. Aides often repeated instructions, even for tasks like entering or exiting a stage.

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The report further claims that Bidens inner circle has implemented stricter controls than in past administrations, limiting his interactions, information flow and conversations.

The administration has denied any decline in the presidents abilities.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.
This article originally appeared in Global Sisters Report, a project of National Catholic Reporter. It is reprinted with permission.

Chris Herlinger

Global Sisters Report

NEAR OSSINING, New York  In late August, when the cooler afternoons of autumn would soon beckon, 10 members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians in Wisconsin, eight of them young people, stood in shady, forested land in the Hudson River Valley that once nurtured their ancestors.

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"I can breathe," said Janiyakuha Webster, 23, marveling at the cool expanse of trees, hills and trails. "It feels like home."

Shawn Stevens, an adult chaperone on the trip, pulled out a wooden flute, sat down on a rock and began playing a soulful melody. He said it felt right.

"This was the land of our ancestors," he said, recognizing the return to the land as happy and joyful  but also tinged with hurt and pain.

It is difficult, he said, "not to be bitter about the history"  a history of forced removal following the American Revolution in which tribal communities from the Hudson River Valley eventually ended up in different parts of the United States, including what would become the state of Wisconsin.

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The dialogues with Catholic sisters come amid a moment when numerous Native tribes have sought to reacquire control over their ancestral lands, known as the land back movement. In September, Onondaga County, in upstate New York, signed documents to transfer 1,000 acres of land to the Onondaga Nation, in line with a 1794 treaty. A similar return was reached in California with the Shasta Indian Nation, and the U.S. Interior Department transferred nearly 3 million acres in 15 states back to Native tribes over the past decade.

The weeklong homelands immersion to the Ossining, New York, area was shepherded by the Dominican Sisters of Hope, whose sponsored ministry, the Center at Mariandale, hosted the visitors and are engaged in efforts to promote land justice: the process of what one advocate calls "centering racial and ecological justice" in how land is used and loved, owned and governed.

Partners also helped: The New York Community Trust funded the Aug. 26-Sept. 3 visit. The Aug. 30 afternoon outing was spent in nearby Chappaqua in Buttonhook Forest, a private initiative to preserve the forest as a space where Indigenous practiced sacred rituals, said Carl Procario-Foley, Mariandale's executive director.

The retreat  which also included a visit to the National Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan  began with an opening ceremony overlooking the Hudson River in which congregational members, associates and Mariandale staff joined the visitors in a circle.

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The group acknowledged past pains but also spoke of hope for future healing.

"We know that these two groups haven't had a good relationship in the past," said Wanonah Kosbab, another chaperone. "I can imagine my ancestors being proud to see the healing between us in this circle now."

Healing between Christian religious communities (whose often expansive property sits on what was once Native land) and Native peoples is a long process, said Procario-Foley. But it is one that religious congregations like the Dominican Sisters of Hope take seriously.

"The healing power of an ancestral visit  to see and feel the land  is so important," he said.

Congregations facing the 'cry of the Earth'

The congregation's openness to dialogue and hospitality is part of a wider initiative by Land Justice Futures, formerly known as the Nuns and Nones Land Justice Project.

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The Dominican Sisters of Hope are one of 14 congregations "seeking to build land justice into their property plans," as described by Land Justice Futures.

Working toward "right relationship" with Native communities is just one of several efforts sister communities are engaged in as part of land justice efforts  but it is an important element, Brittany Koteles, the co-founder and director of Land Justice Futures, told Global Sisters Report.

Land justice, Koteles said, is about "protecting the land, regenerating its health and expanding governance, access, care and ownership to the people who have been most harmed by colonization."

She noted that nearly 98 percent of land in the United States is owned by White people or White-led institutions, and that an important starting point for those seeking land justice is asking, "How did this come to be?"

Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, New York, join members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation during a reburial ceremony of Shinnecock remains at the congregation's cemetery, on June 5, 2019. (Photo courtesy of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, New York via Global Sisters Report)

Underlining the eventual conquest of Native peoples, Koteles said, is an 1823 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Johnson v. McIntosh, which became the foundation for United States private property law.

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The court ruled that the "discovering European nation" became sovereign over what was once Native American land: "Discovery is the foundation of title, in European nations, and this overlooks all proprietary rights in the natives."

This is often troubling for sisters "who care so much about racial justice and climate justice," Koteles said, and for land-owning congregations that are making decisions about the future of the lands they love.

With many congregations engaged with themes of "integral ecology, cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor," she said, sisters are making decisions about land that involve building healing relationships with "those around them," including those who have been disenfranchised.

Sisters, Koteles said, "are the leading edge of the world's largest private landowner, the Catholic Church. And so the decisions that they make, they have the power to really change culture and set precedent for a deepening of relationship and a healing of a wound that has been unfolding for 500 years."

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She added: "They are a prophetic voice in the church and they are the natural leaders on this issue. They are the ones with whom this is resonating. They're the ones who are moving it forward."

The Dominican Sisters of Hope welcoming the Wisconsin visitors to their campus is a telling and significant example of that. Another is the growing relationship between the sovereign Shinnecock Indian Nation on Long Island and the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, New York, another of the congregations involved in Land Justice Future's pilot project.

With a charism centering love of God and neighbors, and with increasing interest in environmental ethics and Earth protection, the congregation has become a Shinnecock ally.

On their website, the sisters acknowledge that their 200-plus-acre campus in Brentwood  about 50 miles east of New York City  sits on "occupied Indigenous land." (The Shinnecock say that White settlers stole their land on what became Long Island beginning in the late 1850s.)

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More broadly, the congregation's land ethic statement says that the sisters "acknowledge our responsibility to balance our communal needs and the needs of Earth now and into the future."

A series of events has nurtured the relationship between the congregation and the Shinnecock. One was a series of demonstrations in 2019 and 2020 about overdevelopment in the Hamptons area that threatened sacred burial grounds. The St. Joseph sisters showed up at an encampment to support the Shinnecock.

Another is supporting Shinnecock members in a kelp farming project on Shinnecock Bay in eastern Long Island, where the congregation owns shoreline property. The sisters' ties with the Shinnecock kelp farmers are an essential part of building the relationship, said Sister Karen Burke, one of the sisters involved in land justice efforts.

By providing the space to operate a Shinnecock kelp hatchery and support the kelp farming efforts, the sisters are ensuring that they and the Shinnecock kelp farmers are "working together to restore the marine ecosystem of the area," Burke said. (The Shinnecock kelp farmers, incidentally, hosted the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation visitors for a day visit during their stay.)

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A third initiative came in June 2019, when the congregation hosted a ceremony of reburial in the southwest corner of the congregation's three-acre cemetery. The ceremony came after a visit to the cemetery grounds to determine whether the space "felt right," Burke told GSister

It did. And the Shinnecock remains were buried in an unmarked area between a burial space for former congregational superiors and priests who had served on the campus.

Some 70 people (sisters and Shinnecock members) attended the ceremony, which sisters called a healing milestone in a burgeoning relationship.

"We hope they know that we'll be there for them," Burke said in an interview on the Brentwood campus, joined by her colleague, Heather Coste, the congregation's director of environmental sustainability.

Show what youve done

Coste said it is essential for the congregation to show that its commitment to Shinnecock is concrete. "You have to show what you've done," Coste said.

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And what they'll keep doing: Per the request of Shinnecock Nation members, a new initiative involves storage of sacred tribal cultural items that have been returned to the nation, to which the sisters have agreed.

Burke said they've prepared a large room in Our Lady of Grace building, the former novitiate site on the Brentwood campus. The sisters expect to have the sacred items moved into the building after the start of the new year.

Burke and Coste said the growing relationship is unanimously welcomed by congregational members.

Heather Coste, left, the director of environmental sustainability for the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, New York, is joined by Sister Karen Burke at the reburial site of remains of members of Shinnecock Indian Nation on Long Island at the congregation's cemetery. (Photo by Chris Herlinger, courtesy Global Sisters Report)

Some of the St. Joseph sisters have expressed amazement and some incredulity that it took so long for the congregation to recognize its obligation to the Shinnecock. "Some sisters have said, 'How did we not know our neighbors? How did we miss this?' " Burke said.

For her part, Rebecca Genia, a Shinnecock reburial activist, said a tribal responsibility  in addition to protecting and preserving land, and promoting environmental justice  is to "protect the sacred burials of our ancestors, since so many have been desecrated and destroyed."

This was done under the guise of science or research, Genia told GSR, or to "make way for the modern world. So if there's an Indian burial in your way, you just take out the remains and go on to build whatever you have to build: your house, your stores, your hospitals, whatever. It doesn't matter."

"This is what we're up against on a daily basis," she said. She added that different tribal nations on Long Island have "teamed up" for the mission of grave protection, which is trying to stop physical desecration of burial sites but also spiritual desecration.

Genia recalled that a representative of the Peconic Land Trust suggested the tribal representatives contact the Sisters of St. Joseph about the possibility of a burial site and that the sisters said, "We'd be honored to have your ancestors buried here."

"Over and over, they've just shown their commitment to humanity and dedication to expanding their Indigenous education," Genia said, adding that the support for the kelp farming has been a key element in strengthening ties.

"When you find like-minded people, that's your team, that's your army."

For sisters involved in land justice work, such alliances are welcomed at a pivotal time.

"At this transitional moment in the history of religious life, we need to explore other ways to engage in decisions regarding land that are contemplative, creative and just," said Sister Joan Gallagher, a St. Joseph sister.

Similarly, Sister Lorelle Elcock of the Dominicans said her community "has been very involved in looking at our legacy for the future."

"As our numbers diminish, we feel we want to pass on this sacred land in a way that is consistent with our values," she added.

As the Dominican Sisters of Hope seek ways to protect their land from development while "looking at their legacy," as Procario-Foley put it, the decision to invite Stevens and Kosbab and the young people came after congregational representatives met Stevens and Kosbab during an October 2023 land justice conference.

Procario-Foley said the congregation felt it was important for young people to "see and feel the land, to experience" in the face of forced removal from the area  "a history of trauma."

"The future involves reconciliation with the people whose ancestors were forced to leave the land." The late summer visit, he said, offered promise for future relationships and partnerships. "We'll see where it takes us."

The congregation and Mariandale, he said, are making plans to expand these ancestral visits to include the Lenape tribes, who were also forcibly removed from their lands due to colonization.

Wanonah Kosbab, left, and Shawn Stevens, are chaperones for a group of young people from the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians in Wisconsin during a visit Aug. 30, 2024, to the Buttonhook Forest property in Chappaqua, New York. (Photo by Chris Herlinger, courtesy of Global Sisters Report)

On the afternoon the Mohican visitors explored the land  and in the process found stone walls of onetime tribal encampments before the Shinnecock left the area in the 1820s  Stevens, 54, said experiences like the immersion visit allow for "connection to our culture, our heritage."

When Stevens was young, he mused, there were no such outings.

Stevens paused in the forest land and savored the stillness and quiet.

"It's so important to have this connection," he said. "Everywhere I walk here, it feels special. You feel like our ancestors are watching and are happy."

As she looked up to a clear sky, past a canopy of trees gently swaying in the wind, Webster echoed that sentiment. She feels her ancestors who once roamed, hunted and lived in the forested areas of the Hudson River Valley knew something essential that has been lost in an industrialized and colonized world.

"It's important for all of us to take care of the land," she said, "because the land takes care of us."

At the wooded campus in Brentwood, Burke said a similar awareness learned from the Shinnecock has proven to be a gift to the St. Joseph sisters, deepening their individual and collective spiritual journeys.

As she walks "these lands, inch by inch, foot by foot," Burke said, she is grateful to Shinnecock for their example and their reverence of land, water and air.

"It gives me life."

Chris Herlinger is New York and international correspondent for National Catholic Reporter's Global Sisters Report. He has authored five books, most recently "Solidarity and Mercy: The Power of Christian Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine." For his New York-area coverage, Herlinger has written extensively on Catholic sisters and land justice issues, particularly from the Hudson River Valley.
The royal family of Norway is the latest to unveil their Christmas wishes, but speculation has sparked around why Crown Princess Mette-Marit's sons aren't in the picture.

On Dec. 22, the Royal House of Norway shared the 2024 Christmas photo of the royal family to social media. The shot showed King Harald and Queen Sonja seated while Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and their daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, smiled and stood behind the King and Queen, with a Christmas tree to their left and chandeliers behind them.

"Season's greetings," said a message shared to the royal family's website with the picture. "Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja, and Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Ingrid Alexandra wish everyone a very happy Christmas."

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The formal portrait was taken on Dec. 19 in the Red Salon at the Royal Palace in Oslo, where King Harald and Queen Sonja live, but the picture differed from years past because their grandson Prince Sverre Magnus wasn't in it. PEOPLE has contacted the Royal House of Norway for further comment.

STIAN LYSBERG SOLUM/NTB/AFP via Getty (From left) Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princes Ingrid Alexandra and King Harald for the Christmas photo in Oslo on Dec. 19, 2024. (From left) Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princes Ingrid Alexandra and King Harald for the Christmas photo in Oslo on Dec. 19, 2024.

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, both 51, are parents to Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20 (who follows her father in the direct line of succession to the throne), and Prince Sverre Magnus, who turned 19 on Dec. 3. Crown Princess Mette-Marit is also the mother of an older son, Marius Borg Hiby, who she welcomed before her marriage to Haakon and who does not hold a royal role.

Hello! reported that the new Christmas picture was the first that Prince Sverre Magnus wasn't featured in, which the Norwegian palace's communications chief said was for a simple reason.

"The prince lives in Trondheim and was therefore not present when the picture was taken," Guri Varpe, the Head of Communications for the Royal House of Norway, told Dagbladet in an update published on Dec. 22.

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Prince Sverre Magnus graduated from Elvebakken Upper Secondary School in the spring, and his royal bio outlines that he moved to Trondheim this fall. Trondheim is about six hours from Oslo, meaning that it would have been a long trip for him to be in the picture.

CORNELIUS POPPE/NTB/POOL/AFP via Getty (From left) Princess Ingrid Alexandra, King Harald, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princes Mette-Marit, Queen Sonja and Prince Sverre Magnus at Princess Martha Louise's wedding to Durek Verrett on Aug. 31, 2024. (From left) Princess Ingrid Alexandra, King Harald, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princes Mette-Marit, Queen Sonja and Prince Sverre Magnus at Princess Martha Louise's wedding to Durek Verrett on Aug. 31, 2024.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit's son Marius, 27, was also missing from the frame, but that is not unusual. Dagbladet reported that Marius hasn't been featured in the Norwegian royal family's Christmas picture since 2015, when he was 18. In that image, Marius stood next to his stepfather Crown Prince Haakon as Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus and Queen Sonja sat on a couch together, with King Harald perched beside.

Marius turned 19 the following January, which may have meant that he no longer had to pose for the family's Christmas picture.

LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP via Getty Marius Borg Hoiby (far right) poses with family at the gala dinner for Princess Ingrid Alexandra's 18th birthday in Oslo on June 17, 2022. Marius Borg Hoiby (far right) poses with family at the gala dinner for Princess Ingrid Alexandra's 18th birthday in Oslo on June 17, 2022.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit welcomed her son Marius during a previous relationship in 1997, and she married Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne, in 2001. Marius does not hold a royal title or obligation to future duty like his siblings, and it was announced in 2017 that he would lead a largely private life.

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In an open letter published before her son's 20th birthday, Crown Princess Mette-Marit said, "Marius has always had a role that has been difficult to define in the public sphere. He is and will be an exceptionally important part of our family. Marius became a symbol of the unusual choice we made when we got married, at the same time he will not carry public duties like his siblings. He will not have a public role and is not a public figure."

LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP/Getty Marius Borg Hoiby and Crown Princess Mette-Marit on June 16, 2022. Marius Borg Hoiby and Crown Princess Mette-Marit on June 16, 2022.

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Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Marius has navigated serious allegations in recent months, and was reportedly arrested in early August after allegedly acting violent toward an ex-girlfriend at her apartment. Two months later, he was arrested on Nov. 18 on suspicion of violating the criminal code "which concerns sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or for other reasons unable to resist the act," a statement said.

He spent a week in police custody before being released, and authorities said then that they were investigating three alleged sexual offenses. No further information has been released.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.



Read the original article on People
Even as a kid, I knew we had weather to beat if we wanted a good harvest. So when the tractor hit the straightaway in our valley  where our family had plowed a living for four generations  I always popped it up a gear. The dust flew and I was dog tired, but smiling.

Harvest time holds both hope and exhaustion for farm families. An entire year of work, making or breaking our finances. And each year gets harder.

Hicks: We lost Trumps first trade war. Well lose the next one, too.

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Now, as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to remake the American economy with massive tariffs, he has a central challenge coming from the heartland that gave him so much support: Get tough on trade, without finishing off farmers. The reality is, after losing 70% of our farms in the past century, today were at a troubling tipping point  for the first time, at risk of wiping out our domestic food supply within a generation. We can also revive it.

Killing off American family farms

Luke Dougherty, left, and Jud Vaught climb down from the combine on Vaught's farm in Franklin in a Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, file photo.

The current situation is shockingly dystopian: Were killing off Americas family farms while becoming over-reliant on foreign food. In 2025, were projected to have a record agricultural trade deficit  importing $42.5 billion more than were exporting, when we should be supplying Americas food and selling excess abroad.

To be clear, one of the many problems driving rural decline  after a century of economic, technological and political reasons under both parties  is unfair trade. Letting it go for decades left farmers in an anti-competitive environment against countries with cheaper labor. And China became a massive customer willing to suddenly drop purchases, depressing prices while holding America hostage.

The last Trump administrations policies led to a farmland reaction that puzzled many, but shouldnt have. Polling showed 56% of farmers supporting tariffs, even though far more (80%) reported harm as retaliatory tariffs from other countries made their goods more expensive abroad and sent sales plummeting. The reason: Farmers knew theyd been getting screwed for decades, so they viewed it as short-term pain for long-term gain.

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Today both parties have backed off new markets, while blaming the other. Regardless, the even more fragile state of American farming and tangle of global trade problems  both unfair standards hurting farmers, and a drop in trade hurting farmers  mean America needs a policy that toughens standards while simultaneously encouraging more trade.

How? Threaten the sledgehammer, but use the scalpel. Trump is in the unique position of the world already taking his tariff threats seriously. He should use it as leverage, but in a targeted trade strategy that knocks down trade barriers without accepting the false choice between the freewheeling trade of the 1990s or destroying struggling farmers income. We can both draw a hard line and protect farmers from foreign retaliation.

One part of a targeted trade strategy is pursuing narrower deals where America can better exert its leverage. Stephanie Mercier, an economist with the Farm Journal Foundation, told me deals around a specific product in a specific country can open markets for farmers, with fewer trade-offs than deals involving many products across multiple countries.

The other part of targeted trade is demanding accountability, including removing inconsistent trade policies  a task thats also easier if America uses leverage to negotiate targeted deals with individual countries.

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One example is inconsistent seasonal restrictions. Michigan farmers arent allowed to sell asparagus into foreign markets during those countries prime season. But the same isnt required of those countries, meaning Michigan farmers compete with foreign asparagus all year, as Jamie Clover Adams of Michigan Asparagus told the Business of Agriculture podcast. Why shouldnt both countries be required to import only part of the year?

We must get trade right

If America pursues a targeted strategy, we can emerge with a tougher trade stance and a large number of small trade deals with clearer benefits for America. Alternatively, if America loses control of negotiations, retaliation against American exports will wipe out more struggling farms.

We must get this right, now. More Americans than ever care about where their food comes from, meaning theres an opportunity for new markets in the U.S. But that will take time and a lot of change, and continuing the current trend  45,000 lost per year on average for a century  means wiping out most of our remaining family farms in 40 years.

Looking back, the best part of harvest was sunset, gold settling into oranges and purples, signaling the last few hours of work. But part of the reason was I thought it would always give way to a new day  the sun also rising, as Ernest Hemingway wrote.

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The problem is the sun setting on the American farmer has long been threatening permanent black night. Lets make sure it rises again.

Brian Reisinger is a writer who grew up on a family farm in Sauk County, Wisconsin. He writes for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where this column first appeared, and is the author of Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Familys Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why farmers support tariffs despite harm to sales | Opinion
Gov. Tony Evers has extended the order for flags in Wisconsin to fly at half-staff until sunset Monday out of respect for the victims of a shooting last week at a Christian school in Madison.

"As a father, a grandfather, and as governor, it is unthinkable that a kid or an educator might wake up and go to school one morning and never come home. This should never happen, and I will never accept this as a forgone reality or stop working to change it," Evers said in a statement on X about his original order.

When Evers extended the order, he wrote in a social media statement, "We are keeping Rubi [Vergara] and Erin [West] and their families, friends, and loved ones in our hearts."

Why are the flags at half-staff in Wisconsin on Monday?

Three people, including the shooter, died Dec. 16 in a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School where Vergara was a freshman and West was a substitute coordinator.

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The shooting occurred around 11 a.m. Monday when 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who went by Samantha, opened fire in a study hall inside the school.

How long will flags be at half-staff?

Gov. Evers ordered flags to be flown at half-staff starting Dec. 16 through sunset Monday, Dec. 23.

When do flags fly at half-staff?

Flags are usually flown at half-staff after national tragedies or deaths of government officials, military members or other first responders. Flags can also be at half-staff for Memorial Day or other national days of remembrance, according to Usa.gov.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why are the flags at half-staff today in Wisconsin?
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  A Wichita man who pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping and aggravated indecent solicitation was sentenced to 34 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections, plus lifetime post-release.

Last month, Damien Henderson, 45, pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping and three counts of aggravated indecent solicitation. Police say the incident happened in January 2023 and involved three girls, ages 7 to 13. A family member of one of the girls flagged officers down near Yale and Dunham and made the report.

Search operations for missing Reno County man shut down

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According to the Wichita Police Department, the family member told officers that the girls were walking in the neighborhood together when a man walked up to them and allegedly solicited them for sex. The girls fled and told their parents. The girls were not injured.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
MERCER COUNTY (WKBN)  The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a winter weather advisory for a local county due to a storm system that will bring a wintry mix Monday night into Tuesday morning.

Winter weather advisory issued for Mercer County until 5:00 a.m. (Storm Team 27)

The advisory is in effect until 5:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve morning. The NWS is not concerned about the amount of snow, but they are concerned about the rate of snowfall and the fact that ground temperatures are still below freezing in many areas. There could also be periods of freezing rain and sleet that mix in. All of this could produce travel hazards through Christmas morning.

Wintry mix shown on the future tracker (Storm Team 27).

Once again, the overall snow totals are not going to be impressive. Most of the Valley will receive anywhere between a coating to 2. Some locations in eastern Mercer County could receive up to 3, but it will be isolated.

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The main timing for the wintry precipitation will be between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. That is when there could be travel issues around the area.

Local road impact timeline for Monday night into Christmas Eve (Storm Team 27).

The precipitation is already starting to move into Ohio. Follow along with where the snow is by using the Youngstown weather radar.

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LAFAYETTE, Wis. (WFRV)  The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is leading an investigation into an officer-involved shooting that occurred late Saturday evening in the town of Lafayette.

According to a release, deputies from the Chippewa County Sheriffs Office responded to a domestic abuse incident shortly after 11:30 p.m. The subject fled the scene in a vehicle before law enforcement arrived.

Oshkosh man arrested for alleged string of construction site burglaries

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Deputies later located the subject and attempted a traffic stop as part of the investigation. The subject fled, eventually crashing near County Highway K and 50th Avenue.

After the crash, the subject allegedly fired a weapon at law enforcement, striking at least one squad car. The Eau Claire Regional SWAT Team was called to assist, and upon their arrival, the subject continued shooting, reportedly hitting an armored vehicle.

Two SWAT members returned fire, hitting the subject. Despite life-saving efforts by law enforcement and emergency medical services, the subject was pronounced dead at the scene.

Per standard policy, the officers involved will be placed on administrative leave.

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Wisconsin man charged after Sunday stabbing leaves one hospitalized

DCI is conducting the investigation with assistance from the Wisconsin State Patrol, Chippewa County Sheriffs Office, and a DCI Crime Response Specialist. All involved officers are cooperating fully.

The DCI will turn over its findings to the Chippewa County District Attorneys Office for review upon completion of the investigation. No additional details have been released.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
By Chandini Monnappa and Lawrence White

LONDON (Reuters) -British insurer Aviva could cut up to 2,300 jobs as it takes over smaller rival Direct Line in a 3.7 billion pound ($4.65 billion) cash-and-stock deal, the companies said on Monday, creating the UK's largest home and motor insurer.

The deal, which was first announced earlier this month, will see Direct Line shareholders receive 0.2867 new Aviva shares, 129.7 pence in cash and up to 5 pence in the form of a dividend, Aviva said.

The takeover represents Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc's biggest acquisition to date, as she tries to expand in the company's core markets of Britain, Canada and Ireland after selling a series of overseas assets to simplify the business.

The combined company will shed between 5-7% of its total workforce as it eliminates overlapping roles, putting up to 2,300 jobs at risk, with the cuts spread over three years, the companies said.

Aviva had just over 23,000 employees at the end of 2023 while Direct line had just over 10,000, according to the companies' annual reports.

Analysts said the terms of the deal were in line with expectations, and Aviva shares rose 0.5% on Monday following the announcement of the agreement.

"Christmas has come early for Direct Line investors," Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown said in a note.

Aviva and Direct Line reached a preliminary agreement in early December. Aviva had until Christmas Day to make a formal offer or walk away under UK takeover rules.

Aviva aims to save 125 million pounds annually in pre-tax costs within three years after completion.

Realising the cost savings from the deal will result in one-off integration costs of approximately 250 million pounds, the companies said.

The deal will also allow Aviva to increase its dividend after completion, by a "mid single digit percentage", it said, but the company will no longer launch a share buyback next year while it completes the transaction.

Direct Line, under CEO Adam Winslow who joined the company from Aviva in March, has made efforts to energise a business hurt by an underperforming motor insurance arm.

The company missed expectations for half-year operating profit in September.

It has implemented aggressive price hikes to mitigate the rising costs of claims and announced plans in November to cut 550 roles, or about 5% of its global workforce.

($1 = 0.7957 pounds)

(Reporting by Chandini Monnappa and Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru and Lawrence White in London; Editing by Varun H K, Mrigank Dhaniwala, Kirsten Donovan and Tomasz Janowski)
PRAIRIE FARM, Wis. (WFRV)  A 44-year-old woman from Downing died following a single-vehicle rollover crash Sunday morning west of Prairie Farm.

The Barron County Sheriffs Office reported that deputies received a call about the crash on 2 3/4 Avenue shortly after 7:30 a.m. Multiple first responders, including a medical helicopter, were dispatched to the scene.

Sheriff: Submerged airboat in Lake Butte Des Morts likely to remain there until later in the week

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Preliminary findings indicate the vehicle was traveling west on 2 3/4 Avenue when it left the road and rolled over.

Two people arrested on drug-related charges following traffic stop in Wisconsin

The driver was airlifted to a hospital in Minnesota, where she succumbed to her injuries.

The crash remains under investigation by the Barron County Sheriffs Office. No further details were released.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
The government's corruption case against now-retired Navy Adm. Robert Burke may be dealt a heavy blow in the coming weeks as lawyers for both the officer and the company he's alleged to have taken bribes from have filed motions to dismiss any evidence gathered from a key witness.

The witness in question is a woman with whom Burke was having an affair and who, according to court filings, went to officials with the bribery allegations after their relationship ended. The filings argue that the woman has a documented history of lying to the courts and that prosecutors failed to offer any of that information in requests for two search warrants used to gather evidence against Burke and the executives of the company that eventually hired him.

Outside legal experts say that, while the loss of a key witness may not mean an outright end to the trial, the legal framework around bribery will still make it incredibly challenging for prosecutors to get a conviction. Moreover, the case is highlighting a deeper problem within top military leadership circles, where close relationships with companies looking to do business with the Pentagon lead to problematic, if not illegal, results.

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Read Next: Tricare Patients Fear Losing Preferred Health Care Providers Amid Contract Transition

The case against Burke, who was once commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa and the Navy's second-highest ranking officer, as well as Charlie Kim and Meghan Messenger of the company Next Jump, began in late May 2024, when the trio was arrested over allegations that Burke directed a lucrative Navy contract to the firm, which specializes in leadership training, in 2021 while serving as a four-star admiral.

Next Jump later hired him in 2022 for a starting salary of $500,000 per year after he left the Navy.

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However, by summer, the judge overseeing the case split Burke's case off from the pair of executives after they argued that they were deceived by Burke and that the large, $100 million contract they spent years pursuing with the Navy never materialized. Instead, the company got a far smaller $355,000 contract.

Since then, while the retired admiral and the two executives appear to be at odds about some of the details of their relationship and offered different arguments as to their innocence through court filings, they have been in agreement over their belief that evidence provided to prosecutors by Burke's former lover needs to be excluded from the case.

While officially unnamed in court documents, the woman has been described as a top civilian official working in the Office of the Under Secretary of the Navy.

A filing error on behalf of prosecutors, however, briefly made the woman's name public. Since she has not been charged with a crime, Military.com is choosing not to reveal her identity but has repeatedly reached out to her to see whether she is interested in offering her side of the story.

Witness 1

In the court documents, the former lover is referred to as "Witness 1," and lawyers for Kim and Messenger argued in a filing aimed at excluding her evidence that "a trial court judge in Virginia found that Witness 1 had lied extensively about her ex-husband in contentious divorce and child custody proceedings."

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Burke's attorney went even further.

"This entire case rests on the credibility of Witness 1, a known liar and perjurer" and "the search warrants issued in this investigation relied almost entirely on Witness 1's statements to investigators," he wrote in a filing.

Citing the same divorce case, Burke's lawyer said that the woman made unfounded allegations of sexual abuse against her now-ex-husband, and "the court found that Witness 1 manipulated the child into making false disclosures of sexual abuse, using tactics such as sleep deprivation and promises of rewards."

"Witness 1 also fabricated allegations that her ex-husband possessed child pornography, but a forensic evaluation found no evidence to support these claims," the motion went on.

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Attorneys for both Burke and the Next Jump leaders also noted that federal investigators should have known about this glaring issue with Witness 1's credibility and informed the judge who was signing off on the warrants that were used to gather the evidence that would, in turn, lead to the indictments.

"It is not plausible that the case agents did not run a background check or even internet search on the government's key witness, review her security clearance materials (which disclose the adverse credibility finding), or otherwise inquire into her prior court proceedings," the lawyers for Kim and Messenger wrote.

Meanwhile, Burke's attorney also noted that, "despite the actual knowledge of these two agencies who participated in the preparation of the warrant application, they inexcusably failed to disclose this to the court."

The judge in the case has yet to rule on the argument to dismiss any of the evidence tied to Witness 1 but, even if the motions succeed, it may not mean an immediate end to the case.

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Todd Huntley, the director of the National Security Law Program at the Georgetown University Law Center and a retired Navy captain and judge advocate, told Military.com in an interview last week that in a case like this, "especially if the main witness has such credibility problems, you would think [prosecutors] must have some other documentary evidence."

"The problem with almost any criminal prosecution is really all you see, outside of the indictment from the prosecutors, is what the defense presents," Huntley added.

Instead, Huntley said that the bigger hurdle for prosecutors is not whether the evidence from Witness 1 stays in but if Burke and Next Jump's actions -- hiring a man who had just been a point person while they were trying to secure government contracts -- count as bribery at all.

The McDonnell Decision

In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court found that then-Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell didn't engage in bribery when he hosted events promoting a tobacco extract company at the governor's mansion after receiving gifts from the company's CEO.

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The Supreme Court decided that the bribery law's meaning of "official act" did not include things like setting up meetings, making phone calls or hosting events -- even if, when done by top officials or executives, those acts can carry significant connotation and importance.

Both Huntley and Burke's attorney pointed to that case as the reason why the bribery charges against the former four-star admiral may not stick.

In his motion to dismiss the bribery charges against Burke, his lawyer argued that, "aside from the nonsensical math of offering a $500,000 job as a bribe to obtain a $350,000 contract, the allegations in the indictment demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding of the Navy's contracting procedures."

The motion goes on to note that "Burke did not have the power to grant" the contract in question because "the process is designed to ensure that no single person, regardless of rank, makes decisions on contract approvals."

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"In this quid pro quo, the alleged official act is one that applicable laws and regulations make clear that Defendant Burke did not have the power to grant," Burke's lawyer wrote, before adding that if the bribery count is dismissed then his remaining charges "similarly fall away when analyzed under the applicable law."

However, what Burke's arguments leave out is, as a four-star admiral, he had significant influence on the people who would then "officially" approve those contracts.

"A four-star makes an off-handed comment ... subordinates take that as a direction," Huntley said.

Moreover, Burke was operating in a revolving-door climate notorious for top admirals and generals leaving the service only to take lucrative jobs on the boards of top defense contractors.

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"On one end, there's the very clear bribery -- quid pro quo; at the opposite end, you have basically what happens to every three- and four-star admiral, just like Aquilino joining the board of Lockheed Martin last week," Huntley said.

Adm. John Aquilino, a fighter pilot who rose through the ranks and retired after serving as the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, has been on the Lockheed Martin board since Dec. 11, according to the company website.

Lockheed Martin has billions of dollars in Navy contracts including for F-35 Lightning II jets, CH-53 helicopters and hypersonic missiles.

"That is perfectly normal," Huntley said, speaking of Aquilino's new job, "and so you have this huge gray area in between ... and the talk that happened between senior officials, admirals and defense contractors happens hundreds of times a day.

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"Proving where that crosses the line is very difficult," he said.

The law, as it stands now, doesn't take into account a world that speaks in code. It demands an official act and, as Huntley said, something "substantial in return -- directly in return -- and not just: 'Oh, you know, you retire, let's talk.'"

Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect Associated Press style in references to the witness.

Editor's note: The description of Military.com's efforts to reach a source was updated.

Related: Rare Criminal Trial of a 4-Star Admiral Heats Up with Allegations of Lies, Affairs and Competing Stories
Shots fired at the Dayton Mall caused the mall to be under heavy security and many stores closed as police investigated the situation, as News Center 7 reported earlier Sunday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

As reported on News Center 7 at 11, The gunshot that prompted the lockdown was from a teen mishandling a gun and shooting themself, according to Miami Township Assistant Police Chief Jason McCarty.

TRENDING STORIES:

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Mindy Meltzer heard the gunshot as she was leaving Macys. She says that mall employees started asking people to leave.

I need to get everybody out. I need everybody to leave, Meltzer said.

Outside the mall, officers were everywhere.

Meltzer said she couldnt imagine how people were feeling watching the police enter the mall in search of the shooter.

Children dont know whats going on, but they see their parents getting upset and that makes them upset, so it makes them all the more scared, Meltzer said.

Police have not located the shooter at this time.

Jason Rhein who was at the mall believes the shooting wont stop people from shopping.

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You cant really predict it. You cant do anything to make yourself safer from it, Rhein said. You just hope youre not there when it happens.

News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.

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MIDTOWN, Manhattan (PIX11)  A 76-year-old woman was assaulted at a Manhattan subway station on Dec. 22, according to the NYPD.

It happened on the southbound No. 6 train platform at the 51st Street station in Midtown around 2:30 p.m.

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A man was accused of approaching the woman and punching her in the head, causing her to fall to the ground, police said. The suspect then fled the station on foot, according to authorities.

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The woman was taken to NewYorkPresbyterian Hospital by EMS.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  A woman charged with stabbing the father of her child in the thigh early Sunday morning is expected to be arraigned later Monday in municipal court.

Read next: Contractor on probation jailed on domestic violence charge

Janell Dozier, 28, is in the Mahoning County Jail on a charge of felonious assault, a second-degree felony. She was arrested about 12:25 a.m. Sunday after police were called to St. Elizabeth Health Center on Belmont Avenue for a report of a stabbing victim.

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The victim told police he and his girlfriend earlier went to an East High Avenue home where Dozier lives to drop off the child he had with Dozier. The man told officers Dozier came out of her house with a can of mace and tried to spray mace at him, and he was able to take the can from her and push her to the ground.

Dozier went back inside, got a knife and chased the mans car as he was leaving, reports said, and at one point hit his car with the knife.

The man drove to a home on Cassius Avenue and Dozier followed him there with a knife, reports said. Reports said the man still had the mace and sprayed her with it but she continued attacking him and stabbed him in the thigh with the knife. She also stabbed him in the finger when the man grabbed the knife, reports said.

The man drove himself to the hospital, reports said. Reports said police arrested Dozier at her home.

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WARREN, Ohio (WKBN)  A suspect is facing a felonious assault charge after police were called to investigate a reported stabbing.

Read next: Wintry mix could cause travel issues Christmas Eve

An officer was sent to Insight Hospital and Medical Center Trumbull on Sunday after a man came into the Emergency Room with a stab wound on his arm.

The man told police that he was visiting his children at his ex-girlfriends house when he and his ex-girlfriend got into an argument as he was leaving. He said the woman, 27-year-old Lashonda Wade, stabbed him in the arm as he was walking out. He said he then drove himself to the hospital for treatment, according to a police report.

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Police found Wade in an upstairs bedroom of the home after trying to contact her multiple times, according to the report. She denied that the man was at her home earlier, the report stated.

Police reported finding a knife submerged in soap and water in the home, and it was unclear if the knife was used in the stabbing.

Police took Wade to the Trumbull County Jail on the felonious assault charge. She pleaded not guilty to the charge in Warren Municipal Court on Monday, and bond was set at $75,000 with the condition that she have no contact with the man.

Wade is set to appear in court again on Dec. 31.

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Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A woman is dead after intentionally being set on fire in a Brooklyn subway station Sunday, police said. A suspect is in custody.

Police said the woman was sleeping on a stationary train scheduled to travel to Brooklyn when she was approached by the suspect who used a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, according to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who described the incident as "one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being."

The police apprehended someone they believe "carried out one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being, and it took the life of an innocent New Yorker," Tisch said.

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Police have arrested a Guatemalan migrant in connection with the crime, local media reported. Cell phone Video taken by a bystander shows the suspect appearing to watch the woman burn after he set fire to her and officials rushing into the train car.

Police officers and a Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene, the police said.

The suspect exited the train as police officers on patrol in the subway station rushed to extinguish the fire.

"What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames," Tisch said of the officers who went on the train to extinguish the fire.

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The suspect was detained on another subway train and taken into custody. Officials identified the suspect using office body camera footage, according to police. They said the incident happened on an unoccupied train, and that there were no other eyewitnesses.

The female victim, whose identity has been withheld, was sleeping in a subway car at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn at about 7:30 EST when a man approached her inside the train car.

There was no interaction prior to the attack, the man is not believed to have known the woman, police said.

Crime on New York mass transit has become of increasing concern recently. A gunman fled into a nearby subway station on the Upper West Side after a shooting in the city last month. Panicked commuters took shelter and trains were delayed while police searched for the shooter.

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In February, transit employees stopped working after an overnight slashing attack on a subway train injured a conductor during the morning commute, disrupting train traffic. Weeks later, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reported that she was assigning 1,000 members of the state police and National Guard to the transit systems in response to the uptick in crime.

The governor's office announced last week that crime is down 42 percent since 2021 while ridership has increased 148 percent.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  The NYPD is working to identify a woman who died after she was lit on fire on an F subway train in Brooklyn on Sunday.

The victim was burned so badly that teeth will likely be needed to identify her, according to authorities. It happened near the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station around 7:30 a.m. A man lit the sleeping womans clothing on fire, police said.

Police shared images of the man accused of setting a woman on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn on Dec. 22, 2024. (Credit: NYPD)

The man then left the subway car when the train pulled into the station and sat on a platform bench nearby, watching the woman burn to death, according to authorities.

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Investigators dont believe there were any verbal exchanges or interactions between the suspect and the victim before the attack. The crime was caught on surveillance camera, according to the MTA.

This person carried out one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Sunday afternoon.

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Later in the day, three high schoolers called 911 after spotting the suspect on another F train at the York Street station in Brooklyn, police said. Officers stopped the train at Herald Square in Manhattan and took a person of interest into custody, according to authorities.

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The suspect had a lighter in his pocket, police said.

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It remained unclear what led to the attack. The person of interest has not been identified, but police said he came to the U.S. from Guatemala in 2018, lives in a shelter, and has no known criminal record in New York.

Charges are pending as of Monday morning, according to authorities.

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
NEW YORK (WPIX)  A woman is dead after police say she was lit on fire while riding a New York City subway on Sunday and a person of interest has been taken into custody.

The woman was asleep on a stopped F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn at around 7:30 a.m. Sunday when a stranger allegedly lit her on fire, police said.

Woman who died on subway was so badly burned, only teeth can ID her: NYPD

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Surveillance video from the subway car showed the man calmly walk up to the victim, who was seated motionless, possibly sleeping, and set her clothing on fire with what appeared to be a lighter. The womans clothing then became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Officers at the station reportedly smelled and saw smoke and observed the victim in the train car fully engulfed in flames, according to Tisch. The fire was extinguished and the woman was pronounced dead.

The woman has not yet been identified. Authorities said Sunday that investigators may have to rely on her teeth to identify the woman, who they say was badly burned.

Police say the suspect stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform outside the train car. Body-worn cameras from responding officers provided a detailed look at the suspect.

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After pictures of the suspect were released, three high school-age New Yorkers called 911 saying they saw and recognized him on a train at the York Street station, police say. Officers stopped the train at Herald Square and took the person into custody.

The individual had a lighter in his pocket, police say.

There must be strong, swift consequences on this person, and I use that term lightly, who committed this brutal, brutal homicide, MTA Security Chief Michael Kemper said during a Sunday press conference. There is no room in civilized society for people like him to be walking around.

Virginia woman faces jail time after practicing illegal dentistry

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When questioned about the suspect, officials said he arrived in the U.S. from Guatemala in 2018. No additional information was made available.

The case marked the second fatality on a New York subway Sunday.

At 12:35 a.m., police responded to an emergency call for an assault in progress at the 61st Street-Woodside Station in Queens and found a 37-year-old man with a stab wound to his torso and a 26-year-old man with multiple slashes throughout his body. The older man was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital while the younger man was in stable condition, police said.

An investigation was continuing.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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(Reuters) -The asset management arm of U.S. insurer giant MetLife has agreed to buy PineBridge Investments from Hong Kong billionaire Richard Li's Pacific Century Group (PCG) in a deal valued at up to $1.2 billion, the companies said on Monday.

The acquisition will enable MetLife to expand its asset management capabilities, reflecting an emerging trend among insurers looking to leverage their assets for developing tailored investment platforms.

MetLife Investment Management's assets include public fixed income, private capital and real estate investments. As of Sept. 30, it managed $609.3 billion in total assets.

Following the completion of the PineBridge acquisition, its assets under management (AUM) are expected to exceed $700 billion.

The acquisition excludes PineBridge's private equity funds group and its joint venture in China.

PineBridge was established in 1996 as AIG's investment advisory and asset management business and was acquired by Li's PCG in 2010 for $277 million.

Reuters reported in February that PCG was seeking to sell its majority stake in the asset manager and had hired JPMorgan to run the process.

The deal includes an $800 million upfront cash payment, with up to $400 million in additional payments based on meeting 2025 financial targets and a multi-year earnout structure, the New York-based company said.

PCG said it will concentrate on enhancing its core strengths through the development of Huatai-PineBridge, a joint venture in China, and a "uniquely positioned private fund business."

"With MetLife Investment Management's extensive platform and longstanding history, PineBridge is well-positioned to broaden its offerings and continue delivering value to clients worldwide," PCG said.

(Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
NEW YORK -- A woman died after she was set on fire while sleeping on a New York City subway car Sunday morning in Brooklyn, according to police.

A person of interest was taken into custody later in the day, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at an early evening news conference.

Police said the person of interest came to the U.S. from Guatemala in 2018. He was later charged with first degree murder and arson, but investigators did not immediately reveal a possible motive.

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"I want you to know that this apprehension was another in what has become a series of joint efforts involving different crimes between the police and the public we serve," Tisch said. "In today's case, we were able to get incredibly clear and detailed images of the suspect from the initial incident. Then, we asked the media to broadcast those images far and wide so we could use the viewing public as a force multiplier  and New Yorkers came through again."

Watch: NYPD press conference on woman lit on fire on subway train in Brooklyn

Using images obtained from security cameras on the train, police and the public had a very clear picture of the man they were looking for. Tisch credited three high school-aged New Yorkers for seeing the person of interest and calling 911, leading to his capture.

The NYPD had been offering a $10,000 reward for information on the incident.

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Police have not yet been able to identify the victim.

NYPD describes the F train attack

An image from New York City police of a man suspected of lighting a woman on fire as she slept in a subway car and killing her on Dec. 22, 2024. / Credit: NYPD

Tisch said the person of interest was on an F train as it pulled up to the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn at around 7:30 a.m. She said he approached the sleeping woman, and then lit her on fire with what was believed to be a lighter. She added the victim's clothes became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds.

Police said there appeared to be no interaction between the victim and her attacker before she was lit on fire.

Tisch said nearby officers saw and smelled smoke and immediately went over to investigate and, with the help of an MTA worker, used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. EMS arrived shortly thereafter and pronounced the woman dead on the train.

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Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the person of interest stayed at the scene and was spotted sitting on a bench on the platform just outside the train car. He was later apprehended without incident on another train that was stopped at Herald Square, Tisch said.

The person of interest was wearing the same clothes and was found with a lighter in his pocket, police added.

"This is amazing work done by the public and the police working together. Once again, someone saw something, we got it out through technology in numerous ways, and we were able to make a quick arrest on this nothing less than heinous crime that occurred in our subway system," NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta said.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.

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Sen. Joe Manchin says he believes Senate is "not going to let the filibuster blow apart"

How Israel's Mossad tricked Hezbollah into buying explosive pagers | 60 Minutes

Watch: Luigi Mangione's attorney addresses court during arraignment
The House Ethics Committee released its final report on the investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz. NBC News Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainsley, NBC News senior national political reporter Jonathan Allen and Washington Post congressional investigations reporter Jacqueline Alemany join Richard Lui to discuss the findings.
Dec. 23QUINCY  State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, said the Washington Legislature has some big decisions to make, which he expects will result in a turbulent legislative session.

"I think it's going to be a big fight over there. I think there are going to be a lot of twists and turns," Ybarra said. "But it's going to be really, really interesting."

Ybarra was reelected to his 13th District seat in November. He said legislators face a challenge with the 2025-27 biennial budget, with a projected deficit estimated at $12 billion.

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Along with a likely battle over the budget, Ybarra said he will be focusing on addressing energy and postsecondary education. He's the ranking Republican member on the postsecondary education and workforce committee, and the assistant ranking Republican member on the environment and energy commission.

Outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee released a budget proposal earlier this week; he asked for an increase in state spending from about $72 billion currently to about $79 billion in the next biennium. Inslee proposed new taxes on businesses and individuals making more than certain income thresholds to pay for the increases.

Inslee leaves office Jan. 15, and Ybarra said he's unsure what incoming governor Bob Ferguson will do with Inslee's proposal.

"I think he's going to do the middle-of-the-road thing," Ybarra said.

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Ferguson might propose some tax increases, but not as much as Inslee's proposal, he said, and he might be willing to make some cuts. The new governor might be more flexible than Inslee has been, Ybarra said.

The Republican position is that the legislature needs to focus on spending, Ybarra said.

"I think they've overspent," he said. "They've created too many projects and programs that are not doing what they need to be doing. I don't think we have to spend all that money."

The Republican argument will be that the state should stay within its means, although Ybarra said that as the minority party their impact is limited.

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"I think that's the message we're going to send  spend what you have, and not any more, and put money in the bank," Ybarra said.

Overspending has been a persistent challenge in the legislature during his time there, he said. That has led to programs and projects that were started but can't be maintained without additional spending, he added.

Washington has a "rainy day" fund, which sets aside money for those times when the state is having financial challenges. Ybarra said legislators allocated money from the rainy day fund by what he called a "legal maneuver," which left the state facing even more budget challenges.

Whatever happens with the budget debate, Ybarra said he's got some issues he wants to focus on. As an engineer and a 17-year veteran of the Grant County Public Utility District, Ybarra said the debate over energy and transitioning to new sources has been marred by unrealistic expectations and assumptions.

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The existing electricity distribution system is not built to handle the demands that will be placed on it, he said. With that in mind he plans to introduce a bill to require an analysis of the existing system, what will be needed to upgrade it  and how long that will take. Ybarra said some legislators don't have a clear idea how the legislation they support will affect the state's energy generation capacity and the transmission system.

"I tell them, 'Guys, you can't build transmission in two or three years.' And they say, 'Oh yeah, we can, we've got a new bill.' And I said, 'I don't care how many bills you (pass), you can't build transmission in less than about 10 years.'" he said.

Increasing electrical demand without adequate generation sources or distribution system will lead to blackouts, Ybarra said, with the potential to last for days. Some of his colleagues didn't understand the implications of that, he said, but the experience of a recent storm in Western Washington may have changed some minds.

"What happened when that storm hit is that people didn't have electricity for five days. All the people who had (all-electric) homes, they went to their neighbors who had natural gas," Ybarra said. "They figured out, 'Without electricity, I can't heat my house, I can't do anything.' I think that was a real eye-opener for a lot of people."

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Ybarra said he's working on a lot of energy issues and may introduce multiple legislative proposals, although he's not sure how many yet.

As a member of the postsecondary education committee, Ybarra said he wants to work on ways to increase options for people looking for additional training.

"We support apprenticeship (programs). We're trying to make it more streamlined so more folks can get into that world," he said. "We're trying to make the pathway quicker."
She arrived in London with just one suitcase, full of mostly childrens clothes, and her young daughter in tow. Her home engulfed by war, Ukrainian mother Yana Felos found herself in the United Kingdom in April 2022 with no friends, no family and no community.

I just started a new life from scratch, recalled Felos, 34, who fled Russias full-scale invasion to come live with a host family  strangers at the time  who offered to take in Ukrainian refugees.

After close to three years of war, the situation has flipped. Felos says she has nothing to return to in Ukraine.

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Originally from a Russian-speaking area of eastern Ukraine, the war broke up what little community she had left. Her grandmother had temporarily moved to Belarus before the war, then stayed when the invasion happened. Her parents passed away years ago. And some friends from home have gone down a concerning pro-Russian political path, she told CNN in an interview in London.

Felos last connection to Ukraine was her husband  but he could not leave and after she was abroad for so long, they recently finalized their divorce.

He kept saying that the war would be over wait a little, wait a little. The war will be over soon, and we will be together, Felos said. But she gave up hope a long time ago that Ukraine would ever be safe enough to raise a family there.

Felos and her daughter are among the 6.8 million Ukrainian refugees who remain abroad, mostly in Europe, their lives mired in uncertainty.

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Every day, she thinks about what will happen if the British government doesnt extend her refugee visa in 2025. There is no such thing as a backup plan, she said.

Yana Felos and her 6-year-old daughter Alisa pictured in London, where they are building a new life after fleeing Ukraine shortly after the Russian invasion. - courtesy Yana Felos

Meanwhile, she has been building a life in London  securing her own apartment and a job teaching English at a lifelong learning center. Post-divorce, she has no intention of returning to Ukraine and wants to focus instead on opportunities to give her 6-year-old daughter Alisa a brighter future.

As communities become more fragmented, and the economy struggles, the Ukrainian government wants to encourage those who fled as refugees, most of them women and children, to return. Its setting up a Ministry of National Unity tasked with creating programs and incentives to encourage people overseas to come home.

We cant pressure, push people to come back. I can give very loud message to Ukrainians who are abroad to come and help, to work in defense industry, to help our soldiers, to pay taxes, to support Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an October press conference.

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It comes as Ukraine grapples with boosting national morale, among both civilians and troops on the frontlines, many who have been unable to rotate out to have time off.

Last month, Zelensky spoke about the need to end the conflict in 2025, saying, from our side, we must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means. Incoming Trump administration officials in the United States have also been weighing proposals to stop the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference during a European Union leaders' summit in Brussels, Belgium, on October 17, 2024. - Johanna Geron/Reuters

As it drags on, though, Ukraine appears increasingly concerned about the economic consequences of a hollowed-out population, and the future ramifications of a brain-drain.

Every month of the hot phase of the war leads to more people adapting abroad and more destruction here, so fewer people will return, said Ella Libanova, an economics professor and director of the Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

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And in the nearer term, its possible that more Ukrainians could leave.

If things get really bad, we may see another wave of migration after martial law is lifted  men will go to their wives and children, Libanova told CNN. Under martial law, most men aged 18 to 60 are barred from leaving Ukraine. Military mobilization was expanded this year.

The overall security situation remains difficult, with Ukraine hit by a recent surge in Russian ballistic missile strikes, and drone attacks increasing each month. Russia launched 2,434 drones in November alone.

On one of her return visits to see her former husband in Ukraine, Felos recalls telling her daughter that the sounds of nearby explosions were fireworks.

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Russia also continues to bombard Ukraines energy infrastructure as winter arrives and residential areas are regularly hit. The Kyiv School of Economics estimates that as of January 2024, almost 250,000 buildings had been damaged and destroyed, including 222,600 private houses and 27,000 apartment buildings. In a significant number of cities, more than half the housing stock has been damaged.

Even so, many Ukrainians are aching to go back.

For some, the life they once built in Ukraine feels too substantial to simply abandon. People saved their whole lives to buy homes, build businesses and get professional qualifications there.

Maryana Voronovych, a volunteer helping Ukrainians resettle in Austria, told CNN that among the new arrivals, 80% of Ukrainian refugees have higher education, university degrees.

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Its been called the most professional refugee wave in recent (history), Voronovych said, adding that most are now underemployed, working low-paid jobs that dont match their capabilities.

For some Ukrainians, the decision to return has less to do with economics or government incentives, and everything to do with the practicalities of everyday life  mothers are waiting for schools to reopen, or for schools operating underground to protect students from Russian attacks to return to normal.

Victoria Rybka, 40, from the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, spent the first few weeks of the war sheltering in a basement with her two young children, before fleeing with them to Europe. But in Germany, one of her daughters struggled to communicate in school, and her other daughter developed a skin condition, believed to be stress-related.

Just two months later, Rybka decided to return, feeling a pull to return to her job in the police force and to her family.

Victoria Rybka, 40, returned to the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv with her two daughters after only two months in Europe at the start of the war. - courtesy Victoria Rybka

I cant leave my husband. Weve been through a lot together, Rybka said.

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Kharkiv was eerily empty at the time, with mostly men and elderly people who stayed behind, she said. Only one other mother in their block of flats came back in the early days of war, but more have since trickled home as schools reopened underground.

Everyone makes their own choice, she acknowledged. I made my choice  this is my home.

CNNs Lauren Kent reported from London and Maria Kostenko from Kyiv.

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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)  One of the nine YMCA locations in the Baton Rouge area is closing on Feb. 1, 2025.

The YMCA Board of Directors decided to close the C. B. Pennington Jr. YMCA at 15550 Old Hammond Highway due to financial factors. The YMCA cited increases in insurance, staff costs, and since COVID, a loss of revenue.

The YMCA made attempts to avert the closing. Among other things, they tried to reduce expenses and raise new money. Over $4 million was invested in the facility and the nonprofit shifted its prices to bring in new members.

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We fully understand the impact of these actions and we want to ensure our community and our members that they are being taken with the greatest care and concern for those affected, Interim President/CEO of YMCA of the Capital Area Josh Landry said. Our volunteers and staff will continue to explore the opportunities for new partnerships and new opportunities to continue to support the community.

Restaurants open New Years Day in Baton Rouge

A decision has not been made on what will happen to the C. B. Pennington Jr. YMCA building and property in the future.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to BRProud.com.
 This story first appeared in New York Focus, a non-profit news publication investigating New York state politics. Sign up for their stories at nysfocus.com/newsletter.

With its affluent waterfront along Chautauqua Lake, the Bemus Point Central School District rarely qualifies for federal financial assistance. So when an opportunity arose to apply for a rebate from the Environmental Protection Agency to help finance new electric school buses, district administrators jumped at the chance. In May, the EPA awarded Bemus Point $400,000 for two electric buses.

Two years ago, New York passed a law mandating that all new school bus purchases must be electric starting in 2027. The district reasoned that the rebate could provide a head start, while easing the financial burden on local taxpayers.

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We never get this, said Superintendent Joseph Reyda. This was a rare, rare occurrence.

Including bus chargers and upgrades to the bus garage, the full project would cost about a million dollars. The rebate and additional state incentives meant the district would be responsible for less than a quarter of that. To cover the local share, the school board asked the community to approve a proposition to take out a temporary loan for $236,000.

VOTED DOWN

The district campaigned hard this summer, publishing several articles in the local newspaper, posting regularly on social media, holding three public meetings, and even bringing in an electric school bus for the community to tour.

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On Sept. 5, the community voted  and rejected the proposition by just 11 votes, effectively turning down about $800,000 in financial incentives and the chance to get ahead of the state mandate.

Of the states 31 districts that tried to pass propositions this year specifically to purchase an electric bus, 10 had their measures rejected by voters, according to data compiled by the New York State School Boards Association.

Districts can also try to include the buses in their annual budgets. About 80 percent of those attempts have been successful this year, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, the agency charged with assisting districts with the transition.

Many district leaders, especially those in rural areas, say their communities believe the state is rushing the transition to electric. They say schools have limited resources to buy the buses  which are about double the cost of a diesel bus  and the electric infrastructure necessary to operate the vehicles doesnt yet exist.

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NOT ACHIEVEABLE

The transition as currently proposed is not achievable, three state educational associations declared in a joint letter sent to policymakers last year.

In order to comply, districts may be forced to reduce educational opportunities for students, increase taxes, and spend exorbitant sums, wrote the New York State School Boards Association, the Council of Superintendents, and the Association of School Business Officials.

In Bemus Point, once all of the financial incentives, rebates, and state aid kicked in, Reyda said the project would not have resulted in a local tax increase. But that didnt seem to matter.

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They felt that by voting no, they were sending a message to the state that the district was not going to purchase these things because we do not agree with the political rationale behind that, he said.

Over half of the states 731 school districts are developing fleet electrification plans, NYSERDA said. But when voters reject the proposals, school district leaders are at a loss.

What if my community keeps saying no? Reyda said. I dont have a lot of options with this, because the state says you have to buy them, and if my community says, Well, were not going to buy them, Im in a bind.

After the failed proposition, Bemus Point received a 45-day extension from the EPA to secure local funding. The district would like to put the proposition to another vote, Reyda said, but the earliest it can do so is March 18  which means it will need another extension.

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Our concern is that theyre going to say, Your community already voted no  were not going to waste our time on you again, Reyda said. There may be another community out there in the nation that would be willing to take this money.

BUS BENEFITS

Electric buses present a range of benefits. A recent Harvard University study found that switching to electric buses reduces greenhouse gas emissions, adult mortality, and childhood asthma, particularly in densely populated areas. Theyre also much quieter than diesel buses. A University of Michigan study found that moving away from diesel buses to clean options, including electric or natural gas, is linked to a modest increase in student attendance.

Across the country, nearly 5,000 electric school buses currently serve more than 250,000 students, according to recent data from the World Resources Institute. More than 7,000 additional purchases are planned or in progress.

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New York is one of seven states that have passed laws requiring school districts to make the transition. New Yorks deadline is the earliest, and if districts can meet it, the state may be the first in the nation to complete the transition.

Governor Kathy Hochul has been supportive, advocating for the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, which included $500 million for the transition through the New York School Bus Incentive Program.

The Empire Center, a nonpartisan think tank based in Albany, estimates that the states mandate will cost at least $8.9 billion for the buses alone.

Then there are infrastructure challenges. Four in 10 school districts report that their electricity systems need updates in order to charge the buses, according to an October report from the state education department.

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School districts may apply for a two-year extension to meet the 2027 deadline, according to NYSERDA. By 2035, all of the states roughly 45,000 diesel school buses must be zero-emission. The agency did not answer a question about whether there is a penalty for districts that do not meet the deadlines.

PUMP THE BRAKES

Bob Vecchio, the executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association, isnt opposed to an eventual transition, but said the state should delay both deadlines. He pointed to another obstacle: the states cap on property tax levies, which limits the revenue districts can raise locally to cover expenses like electric buses.

We are calling on the legislature to literally pump the brakes on the electric bus mandate, he said, until the state addresses districts infrastructure and financial concerns  and until the question gets answered about, If you go out for capital improvement to meet the mandate, and its rejected by your voters  then what?

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In a recent state-commissioned report assessing the states primary school funding formula, the Rockefeller Institute of Government noted the enormous costs to school districts of the electric bus mandate and recommended that the state fully underwrite the costs.

Administrators in the Newfield Central School District, just outside Ithaca, believed applying for federal funding for the school buses was a responsible financial choice. They need 12 to 14 buses daily for the districts 636 students, according to Superintendent Eric Hartz.

The district received a $1.2 million grant from the EPA to purchase three buses. The remote district doesnt have good internet service, so initially there was some trouble getting the bus chargers synced up to WiFi, but theyve been running without incident since October 1.

Ive been on them a couple times  I think theyre awesome, Hartz said.

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In May, the district proposed buying another bus, stipulating that it would only purchase an electric bus if rebates made its cost equal to or less than a diesel bus. The proposition was rejected by 18 votes.

Hartz said that the number of districts rejecting these propositions should be a signal to state officials that the deadline to transition is far sooner than communities are ready for.

You can put all the mandates in the world out there, Hartz said. But if your community votes it down, how are you making it a mandate?

 Update 12/18: After this article published, NYSERDA informed the New York State School Boards Association of another successful ballot proposition for an electric bus.
YAKUTSK, Russia (Reuters) - Researchers in Siberia are conducting tests on a juvenile mammoth whose remarkably well-preserved remains were discovered in thawing permafrost after more than 50,000 years.

The creature, resembling a small elephant with a trunk, was recovered from the Batagaika crater, a huge depression more than 80 metres (260 feet) deep which is widening as a result of climate change.

The carcass, weighing more than 110 kg (240 pounds), was brought to the surface on an improvised stretcher, said Maxim Cherpasov, head of the Lazarev Mammoth Museum Laboratory in the city of Yakutsk.

He said the mammoth was probably a little over a year old when it died, but tests would enable the scientists to confirm this more accurately. The fact that its head and trunk had survived was particularly unusual.

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"As a rule, the part that thaws out first, especially the trunk, is often eaten by modern predators or birds. Here, for example, even though the forelimbs have already been eaten, the head is remarkably well preserved," Cherpasov told Reuters.

It is the latest of a series of spectacular discoveries in the Russian permafrost. Last month, scientists in the same vast northeastern region - known as Sakha or Yakutia - showed off the 32,000-year-old remains of a tiny sabre-toothed cat cub, while earlier this year a 44,000-year-old wolf carcass was uncovered.

(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
Russias efforts to curb YouTube access appear to be taking effect, as traffic to the platform has plummeted to 20% of normal levels, the Moscow Times reported on Dec. 23, citing experts.

The ongoing slowdown, reportedly implemented by Russian regulators to restrict access to the service, has made the platform nearly unusable in the country.

Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, began throttling YouTube speeds in July, initially blaming technical issues caused by wear and tear on Googles servers.

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Google dismissed the claim, while Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein later confirmed the slowdowns were intentional.

Khinshtein, head of the State Duma's Information Policy Committee, said the measure targets YouTubes administration for allegedly ignoring Russian legislation.

By September, YouTube's loading speeds in Russia had dropped significantly, with the average video start time for fixed networks increasing nearly tenfold, from 1.21 seconds in June to 11.01 seconds, the Moscow Times claims.

In December, operators extended the slowdowns to the mobile version of the platform, further hindering access.

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During his annual press conference on Dec. 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the restrictions, claiming that YouTube's declining performance was the result of the platforms own actions.

He argued that Roskomnadzors complaints against YouTube were justified, insisting the platform must adhere to Russian laws to operate effectively in the country.

The move follows escalating tensions between Google and Russian authorities. In April, a Moscow court upheld nearly $50 million in fines against Google for refusing to remove content deemed by Russia as discrediting its military and promoting extremism.

On Oct. 29, a Russian court fined the tech giant $2.5 decillion for allegedly blocking pro-Kremlin propaganda on YouTube.

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A 100,000-ruble fine (now $960) was originally imposed in 2020, and under Russian law, the penalty has been multiplied weekly.

Read also: Russian cyberattack: Breach occurred at top-level account, MP says

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(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed and wounded in Russia's Kursk region and warned that Pyongyang could send more personnel and equipment for Moscow's army.

"There are risks of North Korea sending additional troops and military equipment to the Russian army," Zelenskiy said on X after receiving a report from his top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi.

"We will have tangible responses to this," he added.

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The estimate of North Korean losses is higher than that provided by Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), which said on Monday at least 1,100 North Korean troops had been killed or wounded.

The assessment was in line with a briefing last week by South Korea's spy agency, which reported some 100 deaths with another 1,000 wounded in the region.

Zelenskiy said he cited preliminary data. Reuters could not independently verify reports on combat losses.

Russia has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Koreans on its side. Pyongyang initially dismissed reports about the troop deployment as "fake news", but a North Korean official has said any such deployment would be lawful.

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According to Ukrainian and allied assessments, North Korea has sent around 12,000 troops to Russia.

Some of them have been deployed for combat in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine still holds a chunk of land after a major cross-border incursion in August.

JCS added that it has detected signs of Pyongyang planning to produce suicide drones to be shipped to Russia, in addition to the already supplied 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers.

Kyiv continues to press allies for a tougher response as it says Moscow's and Pyongyang's transfer of warfare experience and military technologies constitute a global threat.

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"For the world, the cost of restoring stability is always much higher than the cost of effectively pressuring those who destabilize the situation and destroy lives," Zelenskiy said.

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Sharon Singleton)
JAKARTA, INDONESIA / ACCESSWIRE / December 23, 2024 / V-GREEN and PT Xanh SM Green and Smart Mobility Indonesia (Xanh SM Indonesia) today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lippo Karawaci, a prominent Indonesian real estate development company. This strategic partnership aims to leverage Lippo Karawaci's established reputation and extensive real estate network to develop a green ecosystem that integrate seamlessly into the daily lives of Indonesian citizens. The primary goal of this collaboration is to significantly accelerate the adoption of electric transportation across the region.





Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh - Global CEO of GSM (left), Mr. Marlo Budiman - President Director of PT Lippo Karawaci Tbk (center),

and Mr. Nguyen Thanh Duong - CEO of V-GREEN (right).

Under the MoU, the three companies will engage in cooperative research and development initiatives to expand the EV ecosystem and promote a green transformation within Indonesia's transportation sector. These collaborative efforts will include the operation of V-GREEN EV charging stations and Xanh SM Indonesia taxi stands at properties developed and operated by Lippo.



The partnership will also explore investment and business models for future collaboration. All parties are committed to supporting promotional, marketing, and sales programs related to this agreement, aligning with sustainable development goals in accordance with ESG standards.



Mr. Marlo Budiman, President Director of PT Lippo Karawaci Tbk. stated: "Lippo is proud to join V-GREEN and Xanh SM Indonesiaas a pioneering strategic partner in building a greener future for Indonesia. We recognize the critical importance of ESG standards in sustainable business practices and value V-GREEN's expertise in deploying charging infrastructure. Together, we aim to create a green transportation ecosystem that delivers tangible benefits to the Indonesian people and contributes to a cleaner future for all."



Mr. Nguyen Thanh Duong, CEO of V-GREEN, remarked: "This strategic collaboration with Lippo will leverage the company's extensive real estate portfolio to establish a robust foundation for V-GREEN's development of a comprehensive electric vehicle charging station network throughout Indonesia. This joint effort will facilitate the creation of a seamless EV ecosystem, designed for integration into the daily lives of Indonesian citizens. This significant partnership plays a vital role in realizing our shared mission of 'For a Green Future', actively pursued by VinFast, V-GREEN and Xanh SM within the Indonesian market."



Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, CEO of GSM, added: "The growing demand for sustainable and smart mobility solutions in Indonesia presents a compelling opportunity for Xanh SM to advance our mission of pioneering the regional electric transportation revolution. With the signing of this MoU, Xanh SM Indonesia aims not only to provide convenient and efficient transportation experiences, but also to contribute to the development of a comprehensive EV ecosystem, fostering a more sustainable future for Indonesia and the region."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday sharply criticized Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico for his visit to Russia.

Zelensky accused Fico of having personal motives for the trip and of being dependent on Moscow. Fico has also been heavily criticized by the Czech Republic and Lithuania for the visit.

"Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?" Zelensky wrote on X.

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Fico described his visit to Russia as a response to Zelensky's refusal to continue to transport Russian gas to Slovakia.

Slovakia continues to purchase Russian gas despite Moscow's war of aggression against Ukraine.

Zelensky countered that while Fico himself benefits from the Russian gas discount, Slovakia does not.

"Such discounts are not free - payments to Russia are made through sovereignty or murky schemes. This should be a matter of concern for Slovakia's law enforcement and special services."

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky also denounced Fico's visit on X: "The Czech government has been working to achieve independence from Russian energy supplies so that we don't have to grovel to a mass murderer."

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Meanwhile, several hundred people gathered in front of the government office in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava for a protest rally following the visit. The demonstrators waved the flags of Slovakia, Ukraine and the European Union.

The small liberal opposition party Freedom and Solidarity has said it is considering a motion of no confidence in parliament against Fico.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's desire to do business with Russia is a security issue for both Slovakia and the whole of Europe.

Source: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: Zelenskyy noted that Moscow provides significant discounts for Fico, but Slovakia pays for them.

"Such discounts are not freepayments to Russia are made through sovereignty or murky schemes. This should be a matter of concern for Slovakia's law enforcement and special services," he wrote.

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Zelenskyy said that the details of such financing were disclosed during a recent meeting of European leaders in Brussels.

The leaders noted that Fico does not want to participate in joint European efforts to achieve energy independence or find a replacement for Russian gas, but rather wants to back up Russia in pushing American gas and other partners' energy resources out of Europe, indicating, as Zelenskyy suggested, that he wants to help Putin finance the war and weaken Europe.

"We are losing people as a result of the war that Putin started, and we believe that such assistance to Putin is immoral," he noted.

Zelenskyy stressed that Fico even refused compensation that would have eased the transition period and helped him get rid of his countrys reliance on Russian gas. Zelenskyy said that this meant that this is not a security issue for Fico.

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Quote: "That is why his key goal is to deal with Russia, and this is what benefits him. This is indeed a big security issue  both for Slovakia and the entire Europe. Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?"

Background:

On Sunday, 22 December, Robert Fico arrived in Moscow to meet with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin. He said he had informed EU leaders about his visit.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda criticised Fico's visit, and Czechia also reacted negatively.

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Claim:

A photograph authentically shows a dinosaur limb with intact skin.

Rating:

Rating: True

An image shared to Reddit in October 2024 claimed to show the hoof of a dinosaur found "with fully intact skin." The post had been upvoted more than 49,000 times at the time of this writing.

The photograph is authentic. The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources' paleontology program posted it on the group's X profile on Oct. 17, 2019.

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"Many of you may have seen this image spread across social media last night. This is indeed a portion of 'Dakota' the Dinomummy, which is part of the North Dakota State Fossil Collection," NDGS wrote.

Many of you may have seen this image spread across social media last night. This is indeed a portion of "Dakota" the Dinomummy, which is part of the North Dakota State Fossil Collection. We are currently working on cleaning this specimen for a new exhibit to open Feb 2020. 1/x pic.twitter.com/aJiPerpsId  NDGS Paleontology (@NDGSPaleo) October 17, 2019

"Dakota the Dinomummy" went on exhibit in February 2020. The image shows the right manus, or hand, of an Edmontosaurus, a species of the duck-billed hadrosaur.

According to the State Museum at the North Dakota Heritage Center, where Dakota is housed, the mummified hadrosaur is "one of only a handful"  if you will  in the world, unique due to its "rare skin preservation."

"Unlike previous dinosaur mummies, which typically show skin impressions in rock, Dakota's skin appears mostly intact with visible scales. This makes Dakota one of the most scientifically important dinosaurs ever found," the museum says on its website.

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Dakota was discovered in 1999 on a ranch in the southwestern corner of North Dakota, according to the State Historical Society of North Dakota. In a 2021 blog post, the organization wrote:

Dakota is an adolescent Edmontosaurus, one genus in a larger group of duck-billed dinosaurs called hadrosaurs. Dakota died in the swampy environment that was ancient North Dakota during the Late Cretaceous epoch, which lasted from about 100 to 66 million years ago. The carcass remained exposed long enough for the skin to dry, then the remains were buried in sedimentary material allowing for the preservation of some of the soft organs and skin. They have since become stone, but their distinctive mass and textures remain. The muscles and tendons are particularly recognizable in the tail section.

Becky Barnes, a paleontologist with the North Dakota Geological Survey, published photos of Dakota's skin and fingernail-size scales in 2019. The images show skin near the "dinomummy's" elbow, with small scales and wrinkles to accommodate movement (left), and skin on the mid-forearm, an area between joints and without movement, with fingernail-size scales (right).

(State Historical Society of North Dakota)

With a "horny beak and 1,000 grinding cheek teeth," the National History Museum in the U.K. describes the "Edmonton lizard" as a nearly 40-foot-long dinosaur found in Canada during the Late Cretaceous period, roughly 70 million years ago. Mummified specimens have been found with preserved skin and stomachs filled with food, such as conifer needles and seeds.

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Dakota is "an exceptionally preserved specimen," the National History Museum told Snopes.

A 2013 study analyzing the sediment that once entombed Dakota noted that the specimen "is remarkable in having exceptional three-dimensional preservation of soft tissues around the skeleton, indicating rapid burial." Dinosaurs with soft-tissue preservation are rare in the fossil record because of decay and scavengers that deteriorate a carcass before it's buried and fossilized. Based on sediment and plant remains found along Dakota, scientists were able to recreate the dinosaur's ancient habitat, consisting of a "forest with a canopy of evergreen conifers."

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(Cretaceous Research)

But as researchers wrote in 2022 in an analysis of Dakota's soft tissue preservation, the term "mummy" has become an "informal catch-all for fossils exhibiting extremely well-preserved skin and sometimes other soft tissues." Study authors argued that natural mummies may be preserved in different pathways that may inform future research.

One method, desiccation and deflation, refers to the long-term exposure of remains in a terrestrial setting whereby the animal loses gases and fluids, decomposes over time, and, though preserved, lacks organs and exhibits a deflated appearance.

A second explanation, rapid burial, preserves a mummy in three dimensions  often in sediment  to protect its decomposition from scavengers and bacteria.

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Finally, aqueous anoxia describes mummies preserved after being placed in a no- or low-oxygen water environment that experiences no scavenging and very little microbial activity.

Sources:

Becky Barnes | State Historical Society of North Dakota Blog. https://blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/user/10. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.

Dakota the Dinomummy Makeover | State Historical Society of North Dakota Blog. https://blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/blog/dakota-dinomummy-makeover. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.

Dakota the Dinomummy: Millenniums in the Making | State Historical Society of North Dakota Blog. https://blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/blog/dakota-dinomummy. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.

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Drumheller, Stephanie K., et al. "Biostratinomic Alterations of an Edmontosaurus 'Mummy' Reveal a Pathway for Soft Tissue Preservation without Invoking 'Exceptional Conditions.'" PLOS ONE, vol. 17, no. 10, Oct. 2022, p. e0275240. PLoS Journals, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275240.

Edmontosaurus | Natural History Museum. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/dino-directory/edmontosaurus.html. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.

Paleontology | Department of Mineral Resources, North Dakota. https://www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/paleontology. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.

Skylight Icons | North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum. https://statemuseum.nd.gov/exhibits/corridor-history/skylights. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.

Vajda, Vivi, et al. "A Snapshot into the Terrestrial Ecosystem of an Exceptionally Well-Preserved Dinosaur (Hadrosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of North Dakota, USA." Cretaceous Research, vol. 46, Nov. 2013, pp. 11422. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2013.08.010.
One woman's mission to solve Kansas City's trash problem has turned into an innovative solution for better streets, and she's doing it by turning waste into roads, reported Fox 4 Kansas City.

The lightbulb moment came when Olivia English spent countless hours picking up litter at her landscaping jobs. "Every job I went to, before we could start, it was picking up all of this trash," she told Fox 4. She kept wondering where it all went.

The answer? Landfills. And they're filling up fast.

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"The faster that the landfill fills up, the quicker we're going to have to build another landfill," said Rody Taylor, who runs a facility processing hard-to-handle consumer trash.

After deep research, English landed on an unexpected solution: using plastic waste and old tires in road paving.

"Plastic is actually very complementary to road paving," she explained. "You can take a lot of waste out with just a small percentage of what you put into a road."

She teamed up with University of Missouri scientist Bill Buttlar to prove her idea could work.

"Why not use tires from Kansas City or plastics from Kansas City on Kansas City roads?" Buttlar asked.

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The team tested three road sections near 113th and State Line, using ground tires in one, plastics in another, and a mix of both in the third. The results? You can't tell the difference from regular roads, and they're holding up beautifully through Missouri winters.

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Even better, this method uses less traditional materials.

"You need a lot less rock and you need a lot less asphalt, so it's so much better for the environment," Buttlar said.

This approach tackles two problems at once: keeping non-biodegradable waste out of landfills and building stronger roads. It's a perfect example of how creative thinking can turn trash into treasure and save money doing it.

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The University of Missouri continues monitoring these test roads using AI software to track their performance. If the success continues, this could become a new standard for road construction, giving communities a smart way to handle waste while building better infrastructure.

"My life goal is to leave this place better than I found it," English told Fox 4. "To help our community, our society, our planet, to see it come to life."

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
By Jaspreet Singh and Aditya Soni

(Reuters) -Office equipment manufacturer Xerox has agreed to buy Chinese-owned printer and printing software maker Lexmark International in a $1.5 billion deal to expand its presence in Asian markets and better compete in an industry upended by the digital age.

The purchase from Ninestar, PAG Asia Capital and Shanghai Shouda Investment Centre will bring Lexmark back to U.S. ownership. Formed out of IBM in 1991, Lexmark was sold to a group of Chinese investors in a $3.6 billion deal in 2016.

Xerox, a household name globally, has posted revenue declines for five straight quarters as demand for printing equipment sputtered and it faced tough competition from HP and Canon.

Its shares, down more than 50% this year, jumped 7% on Monday.

Lexmark, already a Xerox supplier, will boost its presence in the A4 color printing segment, one of the few expanding areas in an industry facing challenges due to the shift to digital documents.

The combined company is expected to serve more than 200,000 clients in 170 countries and have a market share among the top five firms globally in various print segments.

Xerox expects the deal to immediately aid profit and deliver more than $200 million in annual cost savings by helping reduce marketing and real estate expenses, among others.

"That money can be reinvested for the future. Xerox has set themselves up for the future," said Zeus Kerravala, principal analyst at ZK Research.

In 2020, Xerox had made a $35 billion hostile bid for HP before the COVID-19 pandemic hampered its plans. Its market value has since shrunk to about $1 billion from around $8 billion that year.

Xerox expects to finance the Lexmark deal, likely to close in the second half of 2025, through cash on hand and debt. To help with the financing, it is reducing annual dividend to 50 cents per share from $1.

The company said it does not expect any regulatory challenges for the deal, which would need approvals from countries, including China.

(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
State lawmakers are considering making it a traffic violation to operate a vehicle in Arizona with an animal on the drivers lap. The violation would come with a fine. Do you agree?

You voted:
Jazz holds a special place among the many genres that thrive in Budapest, a city that hums with music. Whether youre a seasoned aficionado or just dipping your toes into the world of jazz here, the Hungarian capital offers a vibrant scene with intimate clubs and an array of talented jazz musicians.

As an expat, exploring the citys jazz culture is not just about music; its also a way to immerse yourself in the local lifestyle and connect with an international community of jazz lovers. So without further intro, heres a quick guide to exploring the local jazz scene.



Where to Hear Live Jazz in Budapest

Budapests numerous music venues form the beating heart of the citys music culture, but not all offer jazz options, and so this guide can save you time by pointing you in the right direction.



All the following places bring together a mix of local talent, international stars, and music lovers from all over the world. Each spot has its unique vibe, offering something for every kind of jazz enthusiast.



1. Budapest Jazz Club (BJC)



Address: Hollan Erno u. 7, 1136 Budapest



Situated in the city center, Budapest Jazz Club is a cornerstone of the citys jazz community. Known for its welcoming atmosphere, the club showcases performances by Hungarian and international artists, offering everything from traditional standards to modern compositions.

Website: www.bjc.hu



2. A38 Ship



Address: Petofi Bridge, Buda side



Anchored on the Danube, A38 Ship is one of Budapests most iconic cultural venues, regularly hosting a diverse lineup of international and local jazz acts. Its industrial-chic atmosphere and riverside setting provide a distinctive backdrop for high-quality performances.

Website: www.a38.hu



3. Potkulcs



Address: Csengery u. 65/b, 1067 Budapest



Tucked away in a basement, Potkulcs (Spare Key) is a hidden treasure. This venues informal and relaxed atmosphere makes it a favorite for impromptu performances, where musicians and listeners converge in a celebration of improvisation.

Facebook page: www.potkulcs.hu



4. Szimpla Kert



Address: Kazinczy u. 14, 1075 Budapest



Budapests most renowned ruin pub occasionally transforms into a jazz venue. The eclectic decor and informal vibe make it a great spot to enjoy live music and engage with both locals and fellow expats.

Website: www.szimpla.hu



5. Hungarian House of Music



Address: Olof Palme setany 3, 1146 Budapest



This relatively newly opened architectural marvel in Budapests City Park offers a unique blend of music education, exhibits, and live performances. While not exclusively a jazz venue, it does hosts jazz concerts and events, just look online for when.

Website: www.zenehaza.hu



Introducing 5 Top Hungarian Jazz Stars



Hungarian jazz artists bring a distinctive touch to the genre, blending traditional influences with modern styles, here are 5 of the most popular:



1. Dresch Vonos Quartet



A standout group in Hungarys jazz scene, the Dresch Vonos Quartet seamlessly blends Hungarian folk music with jazz improvisation. Their performances highlight a unique cultural fusion that pays homage to Hungarys rich musical traditions while pushing the boundaries of modern jazz.

Facebook: www.dreschquartet.hu



2. Gabor Cseke Trio



This trio is renowned for its innovative approach, seamlessly blending bebop, fusion, and modern jazz. Their performances highlight the creativity of Budapests jazz scene.



3. Budapest Jazz Orchestra



Led by Robert Sarkozi, this big band is celebrated for its dynamic concerts that merge classic swing with contemporary arrangements. Collaborations with international artists further enhance their appeal.

Website: www.budapestjazzorchestra.com



4. Marton Juhasz Quartet



This group brings a fresh perspective to Hungarian jazz, incorporating elements of contemporary jazz with traditional rhythms. Their intricate compositions and impressive technical skills have earned them acclaim both locally and internationally.

Website: www.martonjuhasz.com



5. Borlai Gergo



Known for his extraordinary drumming skills, Borlai Gergo often collaborates with various Hungarian jazz ensembles. His performances are marked by virtuosity and an infectious energy that captivates audiences.

Facebook page: www.borlaigergodrums.com



Connecting with Budapests Jazz Legacy



Jazz in Budapest is deeply intertwined with the citys cultural DNA. From the classical innovations of Bela Bartok to the cutting-edge work of modern artists, the citys jazz scene reflects its dynamic history.



Located in the Buda Castle District within the Erdody Palace, the Museum of Music History explores Hungarys musical heritage, from the 18th century to the present. While obviously not focused exclusively on jazz, it offers valuable context for understanding the evolution of Hungarian music and local jazz.

Website: www.btm.hu



Finding Your Groove in Budapest Jazz Scene



Budapests jazz scene is as diverse as its audience. So whether you fancy savoring the atmosphere of an intimate club or exploring the work of Hungarian jazz groups at a bigger concert, the city offers various ways to experience the vitality of jazz.



Exploring this dynamic jazz culture as an expat provides a great opportunity to connect with Budapest on a deeper level. So step out, embrace the music, and let Budapests jazz rhythm become part of your story in Hungary.



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Balaji Jayanti, also known as Tirupati Balaji Jayanti, is a significant Hindu festival celebrating the birth anniversary of Lord Balaji, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Marked by special prayers and rituals, devotees gather to seek Lord Balaji's divine blessings for happiness, prosperity, and salvation.

Lets delve into this revered festival's date, significance, and rituals.

When Is Tirupati Balaji Jayanti in 2024?

In 2024, Tirupati Balaji Jayanti will be celebrated on Monday, 23rd December. According to reports, Ashtami Tithi begins at 2:32 PM on 22nd December and ends at 5:08 PM on 23rd December. Devotees across India, particularly in Southern states, observe this sacred day with great devotion.

Significance of Tirupati Balaji Jayanti

Balaji Jayanti holds immense spiritual importance as it commemorates the day Lord Balaji descended to Earth to uplift humanity and rid the world of evil. Known as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Lord Balaji is revered for his grace and blessings. The celebrations are most prominent at the Tirupati Balaji Temple, a spiritual hub believed to be the celestial abode of Lord Vishnu.

Devotees worship Lord Balaji, also called Lord Venkatesh, with rituals and prayers, expressing their faith and devotion. It is believed that observing Balaji Jayanti brings peace, prosperity, and divine grace into ones life.

Rituals and Celebrations of Balaji Jayanti

Balaji Jayanti is marked by grand festivities, including:

 Temple Rituals: Devotees rise early, bathe, and visit temples to perform rituals like Angapradakshina (circumambulating the temple by rolling on the ground) as an act of surrender and devotion.

 Maha Aarti: The Tirupati Balaji Temple conducts a grand evening aarti, attended by thousands of devotees. The temple is adorned with flowers, and Lord Balaji is dressed in new clothes and jewellery.

 Offerings and Prasad: Sacred offerings such as kumkum, garlands, and sweets are made to Lord Balaji. Prasad is distributed to devotees after the ceremonies.

 Chanting of Vedic Mantras: Reciting mantras like Om Namo Narayana is considered highly auspicious and purifying on this day.

 Devotional Acts: Many devotees offer their hair to Lord Balaji as a symbol of humility and surrender, ridding themselves of ego and negative emotions.

Spiritual Essence of Balaji Jayanti

The rituals and devotion associated with Balaji Jayanti are believed to bring the soul closer to the divine. By worshipping Lord Balaji, devotees seek his blessings for a fulfilling and prosperous life. Preparations for the festival begin days in advance, with temples being thoroughly cleaned and beautifully decorated.

Balaji Jayanti exemplifies the enduring faith in Lord Balajis blessings, inspiring millions to partake in this sacred celebration with devotion and love.
Union Budget 2025: Stock exchanges in India will be open for trade on Budget Day 2025, despite being a Saturday, NSE and BSE shared in two different notifications. Markets will remain open for equity from 9 am to 3:30 pm and for commodities it's 5 pm. As is the convention, the Budget for 2025-26 will be tabled on February 1, 2025.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has so far held a series of meetings with various stakeholders, including MSMEs, farmers' associations, and economists. On Friday, the finance minister chaired a meeting with States and Union Territories. The Finance Ministry conducts several pre-budget consultation meetings annually with experts, industry leaders, economists, and state officials.

The formal exercise to prepare the annual Budget for the next financial year has already begun.The 2025-26 Budget will mark Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's eighth. All eyes will be on the key announcements and the government's forward-looking economic guidance for the remainder of the Modi 3.0 tenure.
A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her school teacher in Rajasthan's Sikar district, police said on Sunday. The incident was reported from Dantaramgarh where the accused government school teacher allegedly took the girl to his room and raped her, police said. He later dropped the girl at her residence late on Saturday night and fled, they added.

"The victim's family members lodged a complaint on Sunday. We have launched a probe after registered a case against the accused teacher," Dantaramgarh police station SHO Bhawani Singh said. The girl will be sent for a medical examination on Monday after which further action will be taken," Singh said.

More details awaited.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday that twenty-two Bangladeshis, including five children, have been apprehended by state police in two different operations for entering Indian territory illegally. Further speaking on this matter, he said that sixteen Bangladeshis were apprehended in inter-state movement following their arrival at Guwahati railway station from Bengaluru. They were moving towards South Salamar district.

The Assam CM further stated that the nationality of the apprehended was established to be Bangladeshis on investigation. The apprehended include seven males, four females, and five children, and these people are being pushed back across the border, he said.

''Inter-state movement of infiltrators busted; 16 Bangladeshis nabbed. In an excellent op carried out by @SSalmaraPolice, 16 illegal Bangladeshis who travelled from Bengaluru to Guwahati Railway Station and moved towards South Salmara Mankachar dist were apprehended, and upon investigation, their nationality as Bangladeshis was confirmed. These people are being pushed back across the border'', the chief minister posted on X.

Earlier in the day, six Bangladeshis had been apprehended by the Assam Police for entering Indian territory illegally and handed over to the authorities of the neighbouring country, Sarma said. He, however, did not mention the sector of the India-Bangladesh border where they were held.

''No place for illegal infiltration in Assam; carrying out their strict monitoring against infiltration attempts, @assampolice apprehended 6 Bangladeshi nationals and pushed them across the border," the chief minister posted on X.

More than 192 people have so far been apprehended in Assam for illegally entering India and pushed back to Bangladesh since the turmoil broke out in the neighbouring country in August. BSF has intensified its vigil along the 1,885 km-long India-Bangladesh border in the northeast region since the disturbances began in the neighbouring country. The Assam Police are also maintaining a high alert along the international border to ensure that no person can enter the state illegally, Director General of Police G P Singh had earlier said.
Telugu superstar Allu Arjun has found himself at the center of controversy after reportedly refusing to leave a movie theatre during the screening of Pushpa-2 on December 4, even as a stampede claimed the life of a woman, according to police officials. Speaking at a year-end press conference on Sunday, City Police Commissioner C.V. Anand unveiled a video compiled by the police, showcasing the chaos that unfolded during the tragic incident. The video, pieced together from news footage and mobile phone recordings, revealed that Arjun remained in the theatre until midnight despite being informed of the situation.

While Anand refrained from directly commenting on the video, he said, The media can draw its own conclusions.A police official detailed the sequence of events leading up to the stampede. According to him, police officers informed Allu Arjuns manager about the womans death and urged the team to have the actor leave the theatre to prevent further crowding. However, the officials were reportedly denied direct access to Arjun.

We requested the actors team to convey the gravity of the situation, but there was no immediate response, the official said.

When the police eventually managed to reach Arjun directly, they informed him about the tragedy and offered to arrange a secure exit. However, the actor allegedly insisted on finishing the screening before leaving, the official added.

The situation escalated further as bouncers hired by Arjun reportedly clashed with both fans and police during the stampede. Commissioner Anand warned that stringent legal action would be taken if allegations of misconduct by the bouncers proved true.

VIPs will be held accountable for the behavior of the bouncers they employ, Anand stated firmly.

Asked about the interim bail granted to Allu Arjun, Commissioner Anand declined to comment, saying only that the matter was under investigation. Speculations also arose about threats made to the family of the deceased, but Anand refrained from addressing those claims.

Meanwhile, state Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy criticized Arjun for his delayed response to the incident and demanded an apology. This government has always supported the film industry by approving benefit shows and ticket price hikes. The actor should show respect to the government and the Chief Minister, Reddy said.

On the other hand, Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar came to Arjuns defense, accusing Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of making defamatory remarks about the actor in the Assembly. Such comments hurt the Telugu film industry and amount to character assassination, Kumar alleged in a statement.

Kumar later visited the family of Revathi, the woman who lost her life in the stampede, and expressed his condolences. He assured support to Revathis husband and prayed for the speedy recovery of their injured son, SritejState DGP Jitender, speaking from Karimnagar district, reminded film personalities of their responsibility to prioritize public safety. The safety and security of citizens should always come first. Everyone, including celebrities, must conduct themselves accordingly, he said.
Continuing its agitation against Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking his resignation and a public apology over his remarks on BR Ambedkar in Parliament, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress on Monday announced an "Ambedkar Samman March" on Tuesday in Jammu to press for the demands.

"We demand the resignation of Shah, besides a public apology, for his remarks on Ambedkar in Parliament. We will continue to fight for it," the Congress' Jammu and Kashmir working president, Raman Bhalla, told reporters, as quoted by news agency PTI.

The march is part of a nationwide protest to demand accountability from the home minister, he added. Bhalla accused Shah of making remarks that hurt the nation's sentiments. "The entire country is outraged... Despite widespread protests, the prime minister remains silent. The derogatory comments reflect the BJP's true intentions and mindset. Amit Shah must immediately resign," he asserted.

The party's chief spokesperson, Ravinder Sharma, said, "Instead of honouring his (Ambedkar's) immense contributions, Shah chose to insult this great personality. This is unacceptable." The leaders of the grand old party claimed the home minister's words caused widespread unrest. The protest march will serve as a reminder of Ambedkar's invaluable legacy and the Congress' commitment to safeguarding his ideals, Sharma said.

(With PTI Inputs)
The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of former IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who has been accused of cheating and fraudulently availing benefits under the OBC and disability quotas to qualify UPSC exam.

The bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh rejected the anticipatory bail plea of the former IAS officer, noting that the UPSC is considered a prestigious examination. The court further observed that the incident in question constitutes a fraud not just against an organization, but against society as a whole. It stressed the need for interrogation to uncover the conspiracy involved.

As a result, the court dismissed the plea and revoked the interim protection granted to Khedkar.

The court observed that, prima facie, the actions in this case seemed intended to deceive the organization. It noted that the individual was not a legitimate candidate for the benefits and had been acquiring them through forged documents.

The court also pointed out that the father and mother held prominent positions, raising the possibility of collusion with influential figures.

On the other hand, Khedkar thought advocate Bina Madhvan said that she is willing to cooperate with the investigation and submitted that custodial interrogation is not necessary.

However, Delhi Police, represented by Special Public Prosecutor Advocate Sanjeev Bhandari, informed the court that the investigation is ongoing and custodial interrogation may be necessary to uncover the larger conspiracy, noting that certain aspects still need examination.

Meanwhile, the UPSC withdrew its perjury applications, stating that it would file a separate, independent application.

The UPSC accused Khedkar of attempting to manipulate the judicial system, alleging that Puja Khedkar committed perjury by submitting a false affidavit. It further stated that the intention behind making such a blatantly false statement appeared to be an attempt to secure favorable orders based on the falsehood.

(With ANI inputs)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to visit the United States from December 24 to 29, Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Monday. The EAM will be meeting counterparts to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues. During the visit, EAM will also chair a conference of the Consul Generals of India in the USA. This is the first high-level official visit to the US following Donald Trump's victory in the presidential polls.

The EAM will be meeting counterparts to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues. During the visit, EAM will also chair a conference of the Consul Generals of India in the USA: MEA December 23, 2024

In a statement, the MEA said, "He will be meeting counterparts to discuss key bilateral, regional, and global issues. During the visit, EAM will also chair a conference of the Consul Generals of India in the USA." However, it is pertinent to mention that there is no update on whether he will be meeting US President-Elect Donald Trump or not.

Earlier on December 19, US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, highlighted the potential of the US-India partnership, emphasizing the need to lower tariffs and increase trade and make it more fair and equal.

While addressing an event organized on Thursday by the US-India Business Council (USIBC), Garcetti said, "We need, together, to lower tariffs, not to see them go up. We need, together, to increase trade and to make it more fair and equal. We need to, together, make sure that there's training and talent that meets the needs of companies on both sides of the Indo-Pacific."

He further said, "We have to protect our trademarks and our intellectual property, and we have to make sure that transportation and infrastructure exist for India to reach its goals more quickly; that is in the American interest, and vice versa, in the Indian interest as well. So let us renew our commitment to being more ambitious, to not settling for what is and what is good, but reaching for what can be and what will be great."

The US Ambassador further praised India's workforce, calling it the "most extraordinary resource that humanity has on its planets."

Garcetti said, "And to realize these ambitions, we must recommit ourselves to a mutual path of trust and transparency so that people know what to expect. India's workforce, which numbers more than a billion people, is one of the most extraordinary resources that humanity has on its planet. They are builders, thinkers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. The Indian dream is the flip side of what we used to call the American truth. In some ways, you see it even more optimistically sometimes than our own country. And we can leave inspired when we work together about what's possible."

Garcetti also called for merging "American scientific and financial acumen" with "India's grassroots ingenuity." He said, "The US and India can create ecosystems that tap into this human capital to merge American scientific strengths in research, our financial acumen, and business strategy with Indians' jugaad, finding a solution to everything, your deep talent pools, your grassroots ingenuity, and your readiness to scale solutions on a massive level."

(With ANI Inputs)
In a significant breakthrough against the Pakistan-sponsored Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror module, a joint operation by Uttar Pradesh and Punjab police led to an encounter in Pilibhits Puranpur area early Monday. Three suspects involved in the recent grenade attack in Gurdaspur were killed, marking a major victory in the fight against cross-border terrorism. The suspects, identified as Gurvinder Singh (25), Virender Singh alias Ravi (23), and Jaspreet Singh alias Pratap Singh (18), all hailed from Gurdaspur, Punjab.

Police Operation Leads to Gunfight

Amitabh Yash, Director General (Law and Order) of Uttar Pradesh Police, confirmed that the suspects were cornered during a coordinated operation. "The three sustained serious injuries in the encounter and were immediately rushed to CHC Puranpur for treatment," Yash said. The police seized a significant cache of weapons from the suspects, including two AK-47 rifles, two Glock pistols, and a large quantity of ammunition.

VIDEO | Pilibhit SP Avinash Pandey informs about an encounter of Punjab Police, and UP Police with three criminals who threw grenades at Bachhowal police post earlier, "Early morning today, Punjab Police's Gurdaspur team informed at Puranpur PS that some days back a grenade was pic.twitter.com/QdUjcVDFkh  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 23, 2024

"The situation on the ground is under control, and legal proceedings are underway," Yash added, emphasizing that the joint operation was a major step in neutralizing criminal activity in the region.
Germany Christmas Market Attack: The Indian Embassy in Berlin on Monday said it has been in "close contact" with all the seven Indians who sustained injuries in an attack at the Magdeburg Christmas market in Germany last week.

In a post on the social media platform X, the Indian Embassy said, "@EOIBerlin has been in close contact with all the seven Indians injured in the attack at the Magdeburg Christmas Market on Dec 20, 2024. Three of the Indians have been discharged, while the remaining are under treatment. Mission is in regular touch with them and actively providing requisite support. Mission is also in touch with their families. @PMOIndia @DrSJaishankar @MEAIndia @diaspora_india @IndianDiplomacy.

At least seven Indians were injured in the deadly car-ramming attack in the eastern German city of Magdeburg, and the Indian Embassy in Berlin was providing them all possible assistance, news agency PTI reported on Saturday night, citing official sources.

According to German authorities, a 50-year-old man drove his car into the crowd at the Christmas market on Friday evening, leaving at least five people, including a nine-year-old, dead and nearly 200 injured.

The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Saturday, "We condemn the horrific and senseless attack." "Several precious lives have been lost, and many have been injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims," it further stated.

(With PTI Inputs)
J&K News: A unique protest took place outside the CM residence over the controversial reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir, where NC MPs joined the students in the protest against their own government. National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mahdi led the students' protest against the reservation policy of Jammu and Kashmir and walked about a kilometer with the students to stage a massive protest in front of the CM residence.

Ruhullah had already given an ultimatum to his government till December 22 to act on the reservation policy, and as no concrete steps were taken by the government, he announced the protest in front of the CM residence. Hundreds of students joined him in the protest and praised the parliament's stand for the students. Ruhullah said that the fight will continue until a decision is taken on this. He said that this is not politics; it is a fight for the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said, The students have apprehensions, so I am with them so that they can be heard. I will speak on their behalf, and I want the government to listen to them, and they are being heard. It is a matter of justice; now there is more than 70% interest. We all should speak to correct this injustice. We are not against anyone. We want rationalization. This is a right demand. It feels good if everyone comes together, keeping politics aside. It is my responsibility to fight for the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and this will continue.

Later, Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti and MLA Pulwama Waheed Ur Rehman Para and AIP MLA Sheikh Khurshid joined the protest along with their other activists and gathered with the students outside the official residence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at Gupkar Road, Srinagar, to protest the reservation policy implemented in Jammu and Kashmir. PDP leader Iltija Mufti, adding her voice to the demand for the time-bound repeal of the policy, stressed that merit should not be compromised. She said that we must rise above politics and fight for our people.

Iltija Mufti, PDP leader, said, "Our future has pulled me in; politics will keep happening, Article 370 and other issues will keep going on, but we are forgetting the issues of our UA. There should be a rationalization of these; will they study or fight? so we are here to fight for them and not to do politics."

The gathering outside the Chief Minister's residence is a significant moment in the pressure to change reservation policies in Jammu and Kashmir. The current policy introduced by the Lieutenant Governor-led administration ahead of the assembly elections has drawn significant criticism for disproportionately giving preference to reserved categories while limiting opportunities for the general category. The students are demanding a change in the reservation policy. The protest march started from Burn Hall School and reached the CM residence, where a sit-in was held for hours.

Dr. Mohammad Umar Mir: We came to the streets because our place is not here. Our purpose of coming here is to rationalize the reservation system. We are not against any category; we just want it to be rationalized. We thank the politicians who stood with us today.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed solidarity with the protesters, saying he would join them if allowed by the authorities. He emphasized the need for justice and fairness in addressing reservation issues, arguing that the current situation undermines the interests of open merit candidates. In a post on X, he urged immediate attention to the concerns raised by the students and called for a balanced approach that protects all sections of society.

Outside the CM residence, Agha Ruhullah announced that a delegation of five students representing different areas of Jammu and Kashmir will go to meet the Chief Minister directly to put forward their demands, and when this delegation came out, they said that they talked to the CM, and he said that whatever is in his power, he will do it immediately, but he asked for six months' time, which the students do not seem to accept. The students say that they will talk to everyone and then a decision will be taken.
As Uttar Pradeshs Prayagraj gears up for Mahakumbh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday reviewed the arrangements for the mega event at the Prayagraj airport and directed that the work must be completed by the first week of January. The preparations are being carried out on a war footing. The UP CM made the inspection of the airport during his visit to Prayagraj to review preparations for the Mahakumbh-2025, the UP government said in a statement.

While crossing the Subedarganj flyover, he stopped at the airport to carry out a thorough inspection and provided necessary guidance to the officials, the statement said. He expressed satisfaction with the progress and instructed that all work at the airport must be completed by the first week of January.

As the much-awaited Mahakumbh 2025 approaches, preparations are underway to ensure that pilgrims have access to every facility and encounter no obstacles during the holy event. In today's episode of DNA, ZEE News analyzed Yogi Adityanath's visit to Prayagraj amid preparations for the grand celebrations and what all the devotees can expect from the event. The UP CM is personally overseeing the arrangements in a bid to ensure that the grand religious congregation is a success.

Watch Full Episode Here

Yogi Adityanath made a visit to Prayagraj today to take stock of the ongoing work. His first stop was the Dashashwamedh Ghat, where he participated in the Ganga Aarti, followed by a visit to the Mahadev Temple at the same ghat for prayers.

Afterward, he reviewed the newly constructed tent city for the Mahakumbh, which is being set up to accommodate millions of devotees. The CM also set deadlines for the completion of various tasks to ensure timely preparations. During his visit, CM Yogi highlighted the unique features of this year's Mahakumbh.

Devotees will have the opportunity to visit significant sites such as the Shri Bade Hanuman Temple Corridor, Akshayavat, Patalpuri, Bharadwaj Ashram, and Saraswati Koop Corridor. The sacred site of Lord Ram and Nishadrajs meeting place, Shringverpur Dham, will also be a major attraction. In a first, pilgrims will get to experience the Ganga Riverfront at the Sangam.

This Mahakumbh promises to be grand and divine, with a special highlight being the Dome City, which is being constructed for the first time ever at the Kumbh Mela. Spanning over 1400 square feet, this Dome City is being developed along the lines of luxury hotels. This addition to the Mahakumbh will offer pilgrims a unique and luxurious experience. Stay tuned for a special report on the features of this innovative Dome city.
In a shocking incident that unfolded in Punjab, a woman in Firozpur district fought off a masked robber who made an attempt to snatch her purse. She displayed enough strength to hold on even as the robber dragged her along with his motorcycle.

The incident took place in Tuli Wali Street at around 4 PM last week on Friday. was caught on CCTV and has since gone viral.

Punjabi Women Flights off Robber #viralvideo

Asha Bindra, a resident of #Punjabs #Firozpur district, bravely fought off a masked robber who attempted to snatch her purse in Tuli Wali Street yesterday. Incident caught on CCTV#AntiFarmerBJP#Terroristattack#MPPSC_ pic.twitter.com/ueg92H396K  Taj INDIA (@taj_india007) December 21, 2024

The woman was identified as Asha Bindra. According to an India Today report, she was on her way to a religious site with another family member when she had an encounter with the robber.

The robber tried to grab her purse, which contained a mobile phone and other valuables, but Asha was adamant enough to not let it go.

While struggling to hold on to the purse, Asha sustained injuries. She said that she was determined not to let the thief succeed.

I was going to the camp with a family member when this masked robber tried to snatch my purse. I didnt let go, and he eventually ran off. I did get injured, but I wasnt going to give up, she said, India Today quoted her as saying.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday visited the family of Somnath Suryavanshi, who died in judicial custody following violent clashes in Maharashtra's Parbhani earlier this month. Gandhi's visit brought fresh attention to the December 10 violence that erupted after a glass-enclosed replica of the Constitution near Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's statue outside Parbhani railway station was vandalized.

Suryavanshi, a resident of Shankar Nagar in Parbhani, was among more than 50 individuals arrested in connection with the unrest. On December 15, he died at a state-run hospital after experiencing chest pain and uneasiness while in judicial custody at the Parbhani District Central Prison.

Rahul Gandhi met the grieving family to express his condolences and solidarity. Speaking after the meeting, Gandhi reportedly criticized the handling of the incident and raised concerns about accountability in such cases.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a judicial probe into the Parbhani violence. Fadnavis, addressing the state assembly, stated that Suryavanshi had informed a magistrate that he was not tortured while in custody. He also mentioned that CCTV footage from the prison showed no signs of brutality.

State BJP President and Revenue Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule dismissed Gandhis visit as drama, accusing him of politicizing the issue. "Rahul Gandhi's visit is nothing but a staged act to gain political mileage," Bawankule said.

The incident has sparked debates across Maharashtra, with opposition parties questioning the state governments response to both the violence and Suryavanshi's death.

The December 10 violence in Parbhani broke out after the replica of the Constitution near Dr. Ambedkars statue was vandalized, leading to widespread anger and clashes. More than 50 arrests were made, including Suryavanshi, whose death in custody has added a new layer of controversy to the case.
In a tragic incident, a speeding dumper crushed two toddlers and a man to death and left six others critically injured in Wagholi near Pune early Monday. The accident occurred around 1 a.m. near Kesnand Phata when the vehicle veered onto the footpath, mowing down nine pavement dwellers sleeping in makeshift shanties, police said. The victims were identified as one-year-old Vaibhavi Ritesh Pawar, her two-year-old brother Vaibhav Ritesh Pawar, and 30-year-old Rinesh N. Pawar. All three were sleeping side by side when the dumper, reportedly owned by Buildwell Enterprises, ran over them. The six injured individuals, whose condition remains critical, were rushed to Sassoon Hospital for treatment.

Driver Allegedly Drunk

Preliminary investigations indicate that the dumper driver was allegedly intoxicated and lost control of the vehicle while traveling from Pune to Wagholi. Authorities are probing further to confirm the cause of the accident. Locals reported that the victims were part of a group of laborers who had arrived from Amravati just a day earlier to work at nearby construction sites.

Eyewitnesses described the accident site as a grim and chaotic scene, with bodies of the victims, blood stains, and the scattered belongings of the laborers strewn across the area. "It looked like a war zone," said a local resident who rushed to help. Social media platforms were flooded with outrage over the incident, with calls for stricter enforcement of road safety laws and accountability for negligent driving.

Police officers reached the scene shortly after the accident, moved the damaged dumper, and conducted formalities to clear the area. An official statement confirmed that an investigation has been launched to determine the exact sequence of events.
Six individuals arrested for storming actor Allu Arjun's residence in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, were granted bail by a city court on Monday. The accused, members of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OU-JAC), were taken into custody on Sunday following a protest linked to the Sandhya Theatre stampede issue. The Jubilee Hills police produced the accused before a magistrate at his residence in Vanasthalipuram. The court granted bail on the condition that each individual provides two sureties of 10,000.

The protestors stormed Allu Arjuns house on Sunday evening, raising slogans of We want justice. They demanded the actor pay 1 crore as compensation to the family of a woman who tragically died during a stampede at Sandhya Theatre during the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule.

According to the police, members of OU-JAC arrived with placards, scaled the compound wall, and threw tomatoes into the premises. Security staff intervened, leading to a heated altercation. The protestors reportedly manhandled the security personnel and damaged flower pots near the entrance ramp before continuing their sloganeering.

Jubilee Hills Police arrived promptly and took six individuals into custody. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) S.M. Vijay Kumar confirmed the arrests and announced that a case had been registered against the six and others involved. "Such lawless behaviour will not be tolerated, and stringent legal action will be initiated against anyone taking the law into their hands," Kumar stated.

The arrested protestors claimed they were voicing concerns for the victims family and seeking financial assistance from the actor. Despite their intentions, the aggressive protest led to property damage and disrupted public order. The case against the accused includes charges of trespassing, vandalism, and disrupting peace. Police assured that further investigations would be conducted to identify others involved in the incident.
Namo Bharat Train Tickets Through RRTS Mobile Application: Namo Bharat train commuters can avail a 10% discount on tickets purchased through the RRTS Connect mobile application as part of the "loyalty points program" launched by NCRTC, an official statement said. Under the loyalty points program, passengers will earn one point for every rupee spent on Namo Bharat train tickets. Each loyalty point is valued at Rs 0.10 (10 paise) and will be credited to the passenger's account. These points can be redeemed for ticket purchases.

This initiative will not only benefit passengers monetarily but also encourage the use of digital QR tickets through the RRTS Connect app, simplifying travel through paperless ticketing, National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) said in a statement.

"Every new user will receive Rs 50, which is equivalent to 500 loyalty points, upon downloading the app. They can earn an additional 500 loyalty points by referring the RRTS Connect app to other users. Both the referrer and the referee will receive Rs 50, equivalent to 500 loyalty points each, which will be credited to their respective accounts," the statement said.

All accrued loyalty points will remain valid for one year from the date of credit, encouraging frequent, sustainable travel and ongoing app engagement.

National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) Managing Director Shalabh Goel launched the initiative at the Sahibabad Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) station on Saturday and also unveiled the first edition of Namo Bharat Times, a bi-monthly commuter newsletter.

The newsletter will keep Namo Bharat commuters informed about new initiatives and recent developments, enhancing their connection with the service and providing valuable updates.
Mumbai: The tragic events surrounding the Hyderabad theatre stampede during the premiere of Pushpa 2 have escalated tensions, culminating in protests and vandalism at Allu Arjuns home. The actors children, Allu Arha and Allu Ayaan, were immediately relocated to ensure their safety after members of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OU-JAC) damaged the property, demanding justice for the woman who died in the stampede.



A video of the children leaving the premises with family members has surfaced online, showing a visibly worried Allu Arha in the car surrounded by media.

AA Is Not There In Home

Ayaan & Arha Went To Their GrandFather's Home



StopCheapPoliticsOnALLUARJUN pictwitter.com AlluArjun CareOfAlluArjun December 22, 2024

Allu Arjuns kids Arha Ayaan whisked away from the house after attacks today pic.twitter.comiu idlebrain.com idlebraindotcom December 22 2024



While Allu Arjun has yet to comment publicly, his father, producer Allu Aravind, condemned the attack during a media briefing. He urged restraint and emphasized that the law would take its course, stating, Incidents like these should not be encouraged. Now is the time to practice restraint.

The stampede, which occurred on December 4 at Sandhya Theatre, led to the death of a 35-year-old woman and critical injuries to her son. Following the tragedy, cases were filed against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management. The actor was briefly arrested on December 13 but was granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court the next day.

As of now, six protesters have been arrested in connection with the vandalism, and authorities are continuing their investigation into the tragic events and the ensuing unrest.


New Delhi: Actor Ishwak Singh has been getting rave reviews for his performance in movie 'Berlin'. The film has been widely acclaimed for its in-depth, and masterful storytelling, making it a standout success both domestically and globally.

2024 has been a game-changer for him with the release of Berlin hence we asked how it feels to have pulled off such a fabulous project this year. He replied, Berlins a very special film, its been written and made with a lot of sensitivity, awareness, and skill. Atul Sabharwal is a masterful writer and director, and to collaborate with him was hugely satisfying. He dared to write a very difficult film and a challenging character and Im glad that we could pull it off. I pulled all the stops to get the performance right.

To prepare for his role, Ishwak left no stone unturned. He shared, From learning sign language to interacting with people from the community and believing in the roadmap that Atul laid out.

The success of Berlin has been surreal for the actor. Im still pinching myself to believe that its struck a chord the way it did globally, he says. Its not every day that Hollywood and Bollywood stalwarts reach out to appreciate your work" .

With Berlin, Ishwak Singh has not just delivered a standout performance but also underscored his ability to take on complex roles and deliver with finesse. 2024 has undoubtedly been a game-changer for the actor, setting a high benchmark for the future.
Mumbai: Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, known for acclaimed films like Ankur, Nishant, and Manthan, passed away on Monday at the age of 90, his daughter Pia confirmed.

The filmmaker passed away at Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital due to chronic kidney disease, Pia Benegal told PTI.

"He passed away at 6.38 pm at Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central. He had been suffering from chronic kidney disease for several years but it had gotten very bad. That's the reason for his death," she said.

Wockhardt Hospital sources said Benegal had been admitted in the ICU.

In his prolific career, Benegal made films on diverse issues, documentaries and television serials, including "Bharat Ek Khoj" and "Samvidhaan". He had celebrated his 90th birthday just 10 days ago on December 14.

The director told PTI on the occasion that he had to frequently visit the hospital and was on dialysis.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences on Monday following the death of renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal, offering heartfelt sympathy to his family, friends, and admirers.

Describing the 90-year-old Benegal as a "pillar of Indian cinema," Banerjee paid tribute to his significant contributions, stating, "Saddened by the demise of our iconic filmmaker Shyam Benegal. A pillar of Indian parallel cinema, he was loved and admired by all connoisseurs. My condolences to his family, friends, and followers," she posted on X.

Take A Look:

Saddened by the demise of our iconic filmmaker Shyam Benegal. A pillar of Indian parallel cinema, he was loved and admired by all connoisseurs.



My condolences to his family, friends and followers.  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 23, 2024

Benegal is survived by his wife, Nira Benegal, and daughter. His body of work includes other celebrated films like Bhumika, Junoon, Mandi, Suraj Ka Satvaan Ghoda, Mammo, and Sardari Begum, all of which have become classics in Hindi cinema. His most recent project was the 2023 biographical film Mujib: The Making of a Nation.

(Inputs From PTI)
The legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal left this world on Monday, December 23, 2024, after battling chronic kidney disease for years. He breathed his last at Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital after remaining unwell for days. Benegal was 90.

The torchbearer of the 'new wave' in Indian cinema during the 60s-70s, Shyam Benegal became a stalwart in the world of movies with his body of work which not only mirrored the society but also questioned the socio-political scenario in the country. From starting his career as a copywriter at Mumbai-based advertising agency, Lintas Advertising, Benegal made his first documentary in Gujarati, Gher Betha Ganga (Ganges at the Doorstep) in 1962.

Born in Hyderabad to renowned photographer Sridhar B Benegal, the veteran moviemaker was honoured with Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards in 1991 and 1976 respectively.

Benegal was battling chronic kidney disease and had to frequently visit the hospital for dialysis, yet his spirit to make magic on the big screens was undeterred, as he once told news agency PTI about working on 2-3 projects.

"He passed away at 6.38 pm at Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central. He had been suffering from chronic kidney disease for several years but it had gotten very bad. Thats the reason for his death, his daughter Pia told the agency.

PIONEER OF PARALLEL CINEMA

From the repertoire of Benegal's work, his first four feature films including Ankur (1973), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977) made everyone sit back and think about the times we lived in. And this gave rise to the 'new wave' of Indian cinema.

His later works Mammo (1994), Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001) also came from the same 'parallel' world of movie making. With his power of writing and direction, the world got to witness the likes of the late Om puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Farida Jalal, late Surekha Sikri, late Smita Patel and the likes. The creme de la creme of Indian Parallel Cinema - these artistes and many others got a platform and the filmmaker behind their success story stood silently watching them tell his stories.

He made documentaries, short films, and TV series including 21 film modules for the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), sponsored by UNICEF.

BHARAT EK KHOJ...

When most of his films couldn't get big screen releases, Benegal moved to television with series like Yatra (1986), for the Indian Railways, and the 53-episode television serial Bharat Ek Khoj (1988) based on Jawaharlal Nehru's book, Discovery of India.

He also served as the Director of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) from 1980 to 1986.

SHYAM BENEGAL'S OTHER NOTABLE WORKS

Besides a plethora of hard-hitting projects. His other great works include Mandi (1983), Trikal (1985), Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1992), Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001). He made Welcome to Sajjanpur, Well Done Abba among other notable outings.

NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR

Not one or two but 7 times his movies have won the prestigious National Film Awards respectively. He also received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 'Overall Contribution to the Indian Cinema' and Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero).

Shyam Benegal is survived by his wife Nira Benegal and daughter Pia.

The world of 'realism' in celluloid will never be the same again. The iconic Shyam Benegal's demise leaves behind a huge void which none can ever fill.
Mumbai: Varun Dhawan recently opened up about the emotional impact of losing his driver, Manoj, who had been by his side for 26 years. In a candid conversation with Ranveer Allahbadia on his YouTube channel, Varun shared how Manojs sudden passing profoundly altered his perspective on life.

Varun, fighting back tears, revealed that the tragedy made him realisethat he had been living in a bubble and that his previous understanding of life was superficial. "For the longest time, I was living in a bubble," he admitted. He explained that before the age of 35, he had seen himself as an idealistic person, even a hero, partly due to his roles in films. "There is a Varun Dhawan before and after 35, he reflected. He recalled the day of Manojs death with immense pain: I used to see myself in an idealistic waythat Im a hero, and I can save the day. But on that day, I failed myself."

The loss hit Varun hard, especially since he had been very close to Manoj, who had passed away unexpectedly while they were working together. Varun even performed CPR and rushed him to the hospital, believing they had saved him. However, Manoj passed away in his arms, leaving Varun devastated by how suddenly and casually life can be taken.

The emotional toll of this loss extended into Varuns professional life. He admitted that his work had suffered in the aftermath, mentioning that his upcoming film Baby John is releasing after a gap of two years. "It definitely hit me hard," he said.

To deal with the grief and gain clarity, Varun turned to spiritual texts like the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, and Ramayana. He explained, "I began reading the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, and Ramayana just randomly because I had so many questions."This journey of self-reflection and spiritual exploration has helped him cope with the loss and continue moving forward, despite the emotional upheaval.
New Delhi: Infosys founder Narayan Murthy recently raised alarms about the escalating climate change concerns in India, warning that it could trigger mass migration to major cities like Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad. Speaking at an event in Pune on Friday, the IT industry veteran pointed out that countries like India, along with several African nations, are especially vulnerable to the effects of rising temperatures.

He highlighted predictions suggesting that in the next 20 to 25 years, some regions in India may become uninhabitable, potentially leading to migration from these areas. Narayan Murthy also emphasized that cities like Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad already face significant challenges, including traffic congestion and pollution, which could worsen as migration increases.

"We in India, particularly the corporate sector, have to cooperate with politicians and bureaucrats and ensure that there is no mass migration," Narayana Murthy was quoted as saying.

Tech pioneer Narayan Murthy expressed confidence that the corporate sector, along with politicians and bureaucrats, will ultimately address the issue. While acknowledging that Indians often tend to work at the last minute and that there may not be much immediate action on the matter, he remains optimistic about significant progress by 2030.

Earlier in November, Murthy reiterated his skepticism about the concept of work-life balance and voiced his disappointment with the idea of a five-day workweek. He firmly stated that this view was something he would "take to the grave."

According to the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index report from May, Bengaluru ranked higher than other Indian cities. In the overall rankings, Mumbai placed 427th, Delhi 350th, and Bengaluru 411th.
In a bizarre and eyebrow-raising case of online fraud, a man from Chhattisgarh managed to dupe the state government by registering under the Mahatari Vandan Yojana with the fictitious names "Sunny Leone" and "Jonny Sins." This audacious act allowed him to receive Rs 1,000 monthly for ten months, amounting to Rs 10,000 in total.

The scam came to light during a routine audit of the Mahatari Vandan Yojana website, where officials stumbled upon a suspicious entry. The application listed "Sunny Leone" as the beneficiary and "Jonny Sins" as her husband. Shockingly, the application had been verified at multiple levels, including by Anganwadi staff and supervisors in the Talur sector of Bastar district.

Scheme Exploited

The Mahatari Vandan Yojana, aimed at providing financial assistance to pregnant women, was exploited through this fraudulent registration. The beneficiary had been receiving monthly payments from March to December without raising any red flags, a glaring oversight in the verification process.

Official Response

Bastar Collector Haris S confirmed that the matter is under investigation. We are looking into the matter, he stated, indicating that corrective action would be taken to prevent such lapses in the future.

A senior police official from Bastar added that appropriate action would follow if a formal complaint is filed by the district administration.

While the fraudsters antics may have amused the internet, the incident highlights the need for stricter checks and accountability in disbursing public funds.

As authorities delve deeper into this unusual case, it serves as a stark reminder of how innovative mischief can exploit systemic loopholesand why vigilance is key to safeguarding public resources.
Bangladesh has officially requested India through a "note verbale" to send back former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on August 5 after a student-led movement ousted her from power.

"We have sent a note verbale to India requesting to send Sheikh Hasina back," Bangladesh's Interim government's Foreign Affairs Adviser, Touhid Hossain said, ANI reported.

On August 5, a student-led movement in Bangladesh led to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after weeks of intense protests and violent clashes, which resulted in more than 600 deaths.

Hasina On December 9 accused the Chief Adviser to Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus, of being the "mastermind" behind the student protests that led to her ouster, while further alleging that the protest was "meticulously designed" to overthrow her government.

Hasina stated that even though all the demands of the protesters had been met, the unrest persisted nationwide, suggesting that it was part of a well-planned conspiracy.

"Yunus himself said that the student protest that started on July 7, 2024, was not student-initiated but a meticulously designed protest to overthrow me...He was the mastermind who started this conspiracy because all the demands were met, and there was no scope for protest, despite there being protests across the nation...It was a meticulous conspiracy," Hasina claimed, ANI reported.

MEA On Sheikh Hasina's Extradition Request

The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed receiving a Note Verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission regarding an extradition request for ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but declined to comment further.

"We confirm that we have received a Note Verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today in connection with an extradition request. At this time, we have no comment to offer on this matter, " said the spokesperson of the MEA, ANI reported.
Putin says Russia does not lose desire to improve ties with US Moscow, Dec 23 (IANS) Russia has not lost the desire to improve its relations with the US, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview. "Everything can be done if there is a desire. We have never lost this desire," Putin told Pavel Zarubin on Sunday, a journalist of Russia's state TV and radio company VGTRK, while answering a question about the prospects for improving Russia-US relations, reports Xinhua news agency. The Russian President was responding to a question about the possibility for Russia and the United States to normalise their relations, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.

Putin said Russia is ready to build relations with other countries, provided that such efforts do not compromise Russian interests. "If we establish relations with someone, we will do so only based on the interests of the Russian state," he said. Putin drew from the 19th and 20th centuries to emphasise the changes in international relations and recalled that after the Crimea War of 1853-1856, when a series of restrictions were imposed on Russia, then-Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire Alexander Gorchakov sent out a letter with the following words:

"Russia is not angry. Russia is concentrating." "Gradually, as Russia was concentrating, it returned all its rights in the Black Sea as well, grew stronger and so on," said Putin. Last week, Russia had issued an advisory for its citizens warning them not to travel to the US and other western countries claiming they could be "hunted" by the authorities in those states, Al Jazeera reported. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was cited by the outlet as describing the US-Russia relations as "on the verge of rupture".
If You Go

Wagon Trail Mercantile is located at 355 N. Ellicott Highway.

The store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed Mondays.

Check the store's Facebook page for updates about operating hours, specials and other information.
After child sexual abuse allegations against a father surfaced, El Paso County child protective services officials placed two children back with their estranged mother, who was living with a boyfriend with a violent past.

Another child eventually ended up with an aunt, who was living with a registered sex offender.

In their mothers home, one of the children  a boy now 10 years old  suffered sexual abuse and physical abuse so extensive he likely will need to wear orthopedic inserts in his shoes for the rest of his life to correct a deformed tendon due to an untreated broken bone in a leg, according to court records.

When he and his siblings were rescued from their mothers home, tests found meth in the boys system, according to court records. He also allegedly had an untreated broken arm, a fractured rib and numerous bruises and abrasions across his body, including indications of strangulation of his neck and excoriation to his groin. In all, doctors found more than 30 points of trauma on his slender body.

Underweight and the size of a child nearly half his age due to a genetic disorder, the child now is in foster care, where he has continued to self-disclose abuse alleged to have occurred in his mothers home, according to El Paso County child-protective services records.

His mother tried to explain away the childs injuries when confronted by Manitou Springs police officers, according to a police report. She came up with various fraudulent excuses for the childs trauma, ranging from claiming her child was clumsy to alleging he had been hit by a car door or had injured himself falling when at a pool, police contend.

He has become obsessed with expressing what occurred, child-protective records further state, adding that the child repeatedly asks his foster mother to ensure his protection. His three siblings have been placed together in another foster home.

The mother and her boyfriend also forced one of the daughters to provide them nude cellphone photos of herself, and the mother asked her if she wanted to engage in sex with them and one of the other children, a police report further alleges.

One of the children provided police a written statement alleging extensive abuse, adding that the mothers live-in boyfriend threatened them that they better not tell the truth about doing drugs or else he would hire a hit man to come and beat us up.

County officials appear to have missed warning signs suggesting the home of the mother, Ila Frost, would not be a safe environment for the children, raising questions over whether they negligently placed the children in peril when they placed them with the mother in 2022.

James R. Walter Jr., who was Ila Frosts live-in boyfriend, had been sentenced to one year probation in 1996 after he pleaded guilty of assault and was sentenced to another one-year probation in 1999 after he pleaded guilty of criminal mischief.

Before Walter moved in with Ila Frost, another woman had expressed fears in court filings over his alleged proclivity to violence. In 2017, his wife, now separated from him, reported in one filing that she was scared of him having no respect for human life when she accused him of violating a permanent protection from abuse order.

A judge had granted the permanent protection order barring Walter from having any contact with his then-wife or their 9-year-old son after the wife documented a pattern of violence and abuse. She alleged in one court filing two incidents of choking her as well as physical abuse of their child, cruelty to animals, threats of self-harm and a punching incident along with three shoving incidents.

She reported resorting to calling the police for protection nine times in 2017, in her court filing for the protection from abuse order, which a judge granted the same month that she filed it in the El Paso County District Court.

In one clash with two Colorado Springs police officers, Walter taunted the officers, telling them he was a Navy SEAL who knew the Sons of Silence outlaw motorcycle gang, which law enforcement has tied to murders, drug trafficking, witness intimidation, extortion and prostitution, according to her account as detailed in court records.

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Walters estranged wife has since moved away from Colorado Springs with their son.

After separating from his wife, Walter, 57, would go on to move in with Ila Frost, 39, who was estranged from her husband, Richard Frost, 69, and two of their children  two boys, now ages 10 and 16. The Frosts oldest daughter, now 18, and another daughter, now 13, already were living with the mother at the time when child-protective services removed the boys from Richard Frosts care.

Child-protective services removed the boys from the fathers care on June 30, 2022, after the oldest daughter alleged the father had molested her, records show. In less than three months, on Sept. 20, 2022, a hotline call came in alleging an abusive and dangerous environment in their new placement at their mothers home, which ultimately led to child-protective services placing the children in foster care and criminal charges being filed against the mother, Ila Frost, and her live-in boyfriend, Walter.

Why El Pasos child-protective services officials allowed vulnerable children to be placed in a home Walter was living in, despite past court filings alleging he was violent and unstable, isnt entirely known. Child-protective officials with the county noted when they moved to remove the children from the father that the mother was an alcoholic and there was possible drug use in her home.

El Paso County officials said the countys Department of Human Services, the agency in charge of child-protective services, could not, by law, give details about specific cases.

Removal and/or placement recommendations are made with careful consideration guided by a comprehensive assessment process and specific criteria, said Natalie Sosa, a county spokeswoman, in a prepared statement. DHS conducts background checks on all known individuals over the age of 18 residing in the home where children may be placed. DHS does not make removal or placement decisions, itself; instead, DHS is authorized to initiate a legal process to have a child paced in protective custody or placed outside the home.

Richard Foster, the father of the children, said he warned a child-protective services official about his estranged wifes home. He said he had concerns about excessive drinking and marijuana use there, and his oldest son had expressed fears about going over there. He said, Papa, I dont ever want to go back there. I feel afraid, and I just dont want to go back, Foster said his son told him.

When DHS placed my children there, he (Walter) was living with her, and they did absolutely no investigation before placing my children, he said.

A self-proclaimed practitioner of Messianic Judaism who adheres to Christian beliefs while engaging in Hebraic practices, Foster denies his daughters allegations of molestation and argues child-protective services is complicit in placing them in harms way at their mothers home.

Court records state the criminal case against Richard Foster was dismissed, with the records sealed from public view. He said in an interview that police arrested him in May 2022, and that he spent 13 days in custody at the El Paso County Detention Center before he was released after prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges because they did not find the allegations of molestation his daughter lodged against him believable.

The childrens mother has relinquished her parental rights, and El Paso County District Court Judge Robin Chittum terminated the fathers parental rights last week despite the support of his therapist and seven acquaintances who wrote letters to the court backing his efforts to have his children returned to him.

The mother, Frost, formerly of Manitou Springs, pleaded guilty of a felony count of solicitation to commit felony aggravated incest in February. El Paso County District Court Judge William Moller initially sentenced her to 10 years to life on sex offender intensive supervised probation after she claimed the abuse in her home stemmed from what she said was an uncharacteristic lapse in sobriety and an abusive relationship.

In August, Moller revoked her probation and resentenced her to four years to life in prison after finding that within a month of her original sentence she had started violating the terms of her probation.

She had gone back to having contact with her co-defendant, Walter, who still faces multiple criminal charges of sexual abuse of her children, probation officials reported to the judge. She also had begun drinking alcohol excessively again while having sex with multiple men and had ignored court orders that she refrain from having contact with minors, according to their report.

Walter still faces an 11-count felony indictment. He is charged with seven counts of child sexual assault, two crimes of violence, an assault charge and an aggravated incest charge. His two-week trial is scheduled to begin March 10. He has been released from custody, pending his trial, after posting a $50,000 bond.
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that defendants serving lengthy sentences under the state's "three strikes" law, and whose convictions have been final for years or decades, do not have the opportunity to argue their punishments are excessive under current standards.
Colorado Court of Appeals Judges Stephanie Dunn, Neeti V. Pawar and Grant T. Sullivan listen to the case of People v. Dooley at Fort Lupton High School on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 in Fort Lupton, Colorado. The Colorado Court of Appeals and Supreme Court hold "Courts in the Community" events for students to learn about the justice system and hear real cases. (Rebecca Slezak For The Denver Gazette)
Although members of the Colorado Supreme Court appeared wary on Tuesday of finding a large swath of the government can be deemed a "criminal justice agency," they also recognized lawmakers used broad language to seemingly sweep public entities into that category.
Top: Chris Wright, Donald Trumps pick for energy secretary; bottom row, left to right, the Coloradans whove served in presidential Cabinets since 1980: James Watt, Gale Norton, Jim Nicholson, David Bernhardt, Federico Pena and Ken Salazar.
A man was arrested last week on suspicion of attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend in the Rockrimmon area in north Colorado Springs.
The Venezuelan gang that infiltrated and terrorized tenants at three apartment complexes in Aurora used similar tactics to seize control of a San Antonio apartment complex, highlighting the increasingly disparate strategies employed by police in these cities.

In both instances, Tren de Aragua (TdA) appeared to have gained a foothold in buildings largely occupied by Venezuelan nationals who arrived in both cities after illegally crossing the southern border.

Law enforcement in San Antonio responded to the gangs presence with handcuffs, while Aurora police countered with eviction notices.

A gang expert called that strategy of shutting down a building very rare, while at least one local official is worried it would only encourage TdA members to set up shop in another complex.

Its not to say it wont work; its just not on the list of strategies known to disrupt gang activity, said David Pyrooz, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. But unique problems may call for unique solutions.

Pyroozs field of study includes gangs, criminal networks, incarceration and reentry.

In a pre-dawn sweep in October dubbed Operation Aurora, the San Antonio Police Department descended on the Palatia Apartments, arresting more than 20 individuals  at least four of whom were confirmed TdA gang members taken into federal custody.

Undercover officers discovered TdA had taken over vacant apartments and were engaged in illicit activities, San Antonio officials said

Following the raid, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said in a news conference that the operation was in response to multiple complaints of drug and human trafficking, as well as threats against apartment personnel.

San Antonio police cleared nearly 300 vacant apartments.

McManus had a message for TdA.

We are on to you, and were coming for you, the police chief said. We know where you, are and were coming for you.

San Antonio police said TdA was involved in prostitution, selling of cocaine, and other violent crimes.

John Barker, owner of Palatia Apartment Homes, declined to comment but has told Texas media that the Aurora similarities struck him.

We turned a blind eye

The authorities in Aurora took a different tack.

City officials moved to shut down Aspen Grove, a 99-unit complex, citing health and safety issues. The closure in August left about 300 people homeless.

Now, the city is looking to close a second apartment complex owned by the same Brooklyn-based company, CBZ Management. A criminal nuisance case filed against The Edge at Lowry, a 72-unit complex, is proceeding through court. Officials do not expect any movement in the case until mid-January. Tenants will have 30 days to vacate.

Earlier this week, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain revealed the citys tactic to combat TdA includes shutting down apartment complexes operated by the gang.

Its definitely a strategy because, again, the problem is complex in that particular complex that I think it has to be broken up, Chamberlain said.

Court and other documents show the owners have either requested or supported the closure.

Typically, law enforcement does not shut down an apartment complex as part of a strategy to target gangs. Doing so in Aurora appears to be a move to disrupt the gangs illicit activities.

Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky worries that the strategy will only force TdA gang members out of one location and into another.

Jurinsky, one of the first to point to the gangs tentacles in Colorado, said the issues at The Edge at Lowry and Whispering Pines worsened after the city boarded up Aspen Grove in August.

The city shut them down and pushed them further into other properties, said Jurinsky, chair of the citys public safety committee.

Jurinsky said she was the first to speak publicly about the gang.

Some federal, state and city officials  including authorities in Aurora  downplayed, and in some instances denied, the gangs existence.

In September, U.S. Rep. Jason Crow posted on X, There is no gang take over in any part of Aurora. In response to a video of armed men barging into an apartment unit, Gov. Jared Polis said the state was ready to support the local police but also added, According to police intelligence, this purported invasion is largely a feature of Danielle Jurinskys imagination.

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We essentially enabled them, Jurinsky said of the gang. We didnt try to disrupt their operation. We turned a blind eye and welcomed them in.

Originally a prison gang in Aragua, Venezuela, TdA has expanded its tentacles into the western hemisphere, including the metro Denver region, where local law enforcement has arrested gang members on various charges.

A transnational gang unlike we have ever seen before

The latest string of arrests came this week, when Aurora police received a 911 call for a kidnapping and home invasion.

On Monday, a Venezuelan couple were kidnapped from their Aurora apartment at The Edge at Lowry, one of three troubled apartment complexes that the owners have claimed were taken over by TdA.

The couple was bound, pistol-whipped and tortured for hours, begging for their release, the Aurora police said.

The male victim, a former Venezuelan police officer, was stabbed in the leg multiple times, while gang members ripped the female victims fingernails out using pliers, Jurinsky said.

This is a transnational gang unlike we have ever seen before, Jurinsky has said. The Aurora police officers have made it clear that they are more dangerous, more violent and more organized than MS-13, and this is what were dealing with.

At a news conference announcing the arrests last week, Chamberlain declined to say what he believed the motive was for the attack.

Jurinsky said the woman had been posting online about the gangs activities.

And while Chamberlain praised the couples courage in stepping forward, Jurinsky said police initially believed the 911 call was a swatting incident  or a prank phone call, in which bad actors report a fictitious crime. That was because the victims hid from the police.

Gangs with members from a particular racial or ethnic background frequently prey on victims with the same identity largely because gangs tend to operate within their neighborhoods and social circles.

TdA is no exception.

After months of denials that shifted the blame on the apartment owners, Jurinsky applauded Chamberlain for owning the problem he inherited from his predecessor, Interim Chief Heather Morris, who held the post for less than a year.

Before the arrests last week, Aurora police had identified and arrested about 10 TdA gang members.

Theyve made more arrests in 24 hours than they have in the last five months, Jurinsky said.

A whack-a-mole mentality

In July, the Biden Administration sanctioned the Venezuelan gang, believing it was behind a spree of kidnappings, extortion and other crimes tied to immigrants from South and Central America.

In announcing the ban, the governments action underscores the escalating threat TdA poses to Americans.

The gang has a diverse portfolio of criminal activities that includes human trafficking, particularly immigrant women and girls; drug trafficking; kidnapping; extortion; and, money laundering.

The move meant Tren de Aragua joined other transnational criminal organizations, such as The Camorra from Italy and Mara Salvatrucha that have been banned from doing business in the U.S.

Commonly known as MS-13, Mara Salvatrucha is perhaps the most notorious street gang in the West. While formed in Los Angeles in the 1980s by an El Salvadoran immigrant, the gang has now extended its reach from Central America to Europe.

MS-13 is also one of roughly two dozen gangs operating in Aurora.

Aurora residents who live near the apartment complexes overtaken by the Venezuelan gang have been desperate for city officials to respond and address the growing crisis.

I do think that there is a whack-a-mole mentality, said Stephen Elkins, a member of the Mabry Safety Collective.

Formed over the summer, the Mabry Safety Collective is a neighborhood group that seeks to address the citys pressing safety issues in northwest Aurora, with the Edge as a focus.

Residents want to be kept apprised of the gangs activities.

Were not set up for a crisis, Elkins said.
Syria and Western Indifference Loom Over Christmas for Chaldean Patriarch

Milan -- Iraqi Christians are preparing for a Christmas of 'expectation and concern' for the regional situation, from Syria to Lebanon passing through the Holy Land in a crescendo of bloodshed and violence that is burning large areas of the Middle East.

The Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, Card. Louis Raphael Sako, is experiencing an eve characterised by alternating sensations: on the one hand there are fears for what is happening across the border, from Damascus to Aleppo, from Homs to Hama, where 'nothing is certain' and there seems to be a lack of 'clarity of vision and a lucid strategy' for the future; on the other hand there is the 'scandal' caused by the 'religious and human indifference' of a West that flaunts 'rights' but is 'absent'.

At the same time, he tells AsiaNews, there is a strong desire to spend 'a day of joy and normality' enjoying the decorations in many large cities, from the capital Baghdad to Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan. Streets and squares, he adds, have been 'decorated [also] with the contribution of Muslims', as well as homes and churches 'for a Christmas of prayer, hope, peace and stability'.

Syria: surprise and fear

One of the most critical factors of the last period came from neighbouring Syria, which 'came as a surprise to everyone,' says the cardinal, due to the sudden collapse of the regime and doubts about the future and the reassurances provided by the leadership of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (Hts). 'Expectations,' he continues, 'are of real change after years of poverty, sectarianism, and tension.

In recent days, Card. Sako has been able to speak with the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch, the Greek Catholic Patriarch, and the Chaldean Bishop Mgr. Antoine Audo himself. 'The prevailing approach is one of expectation,' says the Chaldean primate, 'because there is no security in a serious and positive evolution: everyone is waiting for actions and not words.

Meanwhile, there is a widespread feeling of 'fear' even within the country because, explains the Chaldean Patriarch, 'the perception is that Iraq is also a target. I have spoken with government leaders,' he adds, "and the will is to launch a joint initiative to find an internal solution and eliminate the danger".

"Many steps have been taken [in recent years],' he says, 'but the first remains the sovereignty of the Iraqi state. The fight against widespread corruption and weapons is essesntial to ending this. We need collaboration between the head of state, the prime minister and the government forces, you cannot leave the militias alone."

Thoughts return unbidden to the events of 10 years ago, between the summer and winter of 2014, with the rise of the Islamic State (IS, formerly Isis), which in a short time came to conquer up to half the territories of Syria and Iraq.

He warns: "The danger is that history will repeat itself because the background, the "background' from which these groups come is very similar even if the evolution and the discourses [so far] are very different, and this gives us hope. But, I repeat, we have to be cautious and wait for the facts."

Christians and citizenship

In his Christmas message, the Chaldean Patriarch recalled the 'exceptional' situation that the nations of the region are going through, with their citizens experiencing a mixture of 'anxiety and fear'.

In this climate they 'prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, of the values of fraternity, love, peace and security'. The Chaldean Church, he continues, expresses 'its solidarity with all those living in difficult circumstances and with the humanitarian needs in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria'.

Therefore in an appeal to world leaders, the ancient Church asks them to 'show responsibility and courage in finding peaceful solutions' to put an end to the conflicts in the region.

With regard to Iraq, the request is to 'maintain a national identity' and to 'build a State based on citizenship' on 'modern foundations' that can guarantee 'the equality of all Iraqis, limit weapons, fight corruption and reject sectarianism and revenge'.

These words recall the warning issued by the Shiite leader, the great Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and go on to recall that Christians are 'among the founders' of Iraq and loyal to the nation. A bond that has not been enough to spare them two decades of suffering due to 'the conflicts, the increase in hate speech', which he blames mainly on al-Qaeda and Isis, as well as the seizure of property and marginalisation, which have caused massive migration.

Against all sectarianism

'Equal citizenship for all, an end to sectarianism and the dream of an Islamic state are the solution,' explains the cardinal, according to whom 'Islam is a religion linked to the individual and must not prevail at the level of state order. And the same,' he adds, "applies to Christianity and Judaism" according to the principle whereby "faith and politics do not mix" while safeguarding "the values of religions".

The cardinal attacks the 'sectarian and tribal' logic that leads to reasoning in terms of belonging: Christians, Shiite Muslims, Sunnis, Kurds are 'diversities to be respected' because they do not constitute 'a loss of unity, on the contrary, they strengthen it'. Hence the wish for a 'civil and non-sectarian Constitution: today,' he warns, 'we cannot speak of a religious State as in the Middle Ages' and the same 'theocratic States have no future'.

The partisan logic is also present among Christians and, here too, must be opposed, as must the 'nationalist' project that cannot be the Church's paradigm, but 'the task of the laity. The Church must be open to all and visible to all, as is the case for the Christmas celebrations that will be broadcast on national TV,' he emphasises, "and will also be followed by Muslims".

Finally, there is a reference to the document on 'human brotherhood' signed in Abu Dhabi by Pope Francis and the Imam of al-Azhar, which marked a turning point with the Sunni world. The hope, he warns, is that a similar understanding can also be reached with the Shia universe by involving 'the supreme authorities of Iraq and Iran'.

'The message to Christians in the world, and to the West,' the Chaldean primate concludes, 'is that we must return to human and spiritual values. The international order, as we have known it, is over. Each nation pursues its own interests, without thinking of the others. On the contrary, we must return to the basics, respect for life, human rights and solidarity between nations, putting aside selfishness and indifference, starting with religious indifference, which is a source of scandal'.
A Widefield School District 3 employee has been placed on administrative leave as the district conducts an investigation with law enforcement.

Terrance Stanley, who works as armed safety and security in the district, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of felony child abuse. He posted a $10,000 bond to be released from custody the same day. His next court date is scheduled for Dec. 26.

In a message sent out to district families, D-3 officials said Stanley, 43, has been employed with the district since Nov. 28, 2016. It was not specified at which schools he worked.

The message fell in accordance with Colorado state law, requiring the district to notify appropriate parties, regardless of whether the alleged actions occurred "within the scope of his or her school district employment."

District officials have provided no further comment on Stanley or the ongoing investigation.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, listens as former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney speaks during a campaign event at New Vintage Place in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Oct. 28.
Always prioritizing patient experience, Dr Karthik maintains a personal touch with his patients by spending at least 5-10 minutes with each of them whenever he goes on rounds

Dr Karthik continuously integrates the latest advancements into his practice to achieve the best outcomes for his patients. One such innovation is transplant oncology, a cutting-edge approach for treating complex liver cancers, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma often poses significant challenges for transplantation not merely due to the presence of cancer, but because of its advanced stage and aggressive biological behavior, which contribute to a high risk of recurrence and make transplantation very complex. Dr Karthik adopts a multimodal strategy, collaborating with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, surgical oncologists, and transplant surgeons. This approach not only makes patients eligible for transplantation but also ensures excellent survival rates with minimal chances of recurrence.Reminiscing one of the most challenging cases of his career, Dr Karthik recalls, A 32-year-old female doctor from European Union diagnosed with advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma affecting both lobes of her liver. After being denied a transplant across Europe, she discovered Liver India online and reached out for help. We adopted a multimodal approach, beginning with radioembolization of the lesions in the right lobe, followed by the left lobe. This was complemented with a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. After six months of rigorous observation, there were no signs of progression or new lesions. Confident in her recovery, we even performed a successful liver transplant, marking a transformative moment for the patient. This case remains close to my heart, not only because of its complexity but also due to the positive outcome. I had the privilege of presenting this case at a consensus conference in Valencia, highlighting the possibilities that a multi-disciplinary approach can achieve.Dr Karthik has been an integral part of 2,000+ liver transplants as a core team member and has successfully performed numerous transplants independently, demonstrating his expertise in complex procedures. His pioneering work in the field of liver transplantation includes several groundbreaking achievements such as first liver transplant using a Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion (HOPE) pump on an end-stage liver disease patient, Asias first living donor liver transplant for acute liver failure in a SARS-2 Covid positive recipient, worlds smallest liver transplant on a recipient weighing just 2.1 kg, Indias first successful Intestinal Transplant, South Indias first combined Cardiac bypass & living donor liver transplant in a 70-year-old lady, and many others.Owing to such exceptional track record, Dr Karthik is also a member of several professional organizations such as International Liver Transplant Society, Liver Transplant Society of India (Founding Member), and Association of Surgeons of India, and many others. He has also been conferred with numerous awards & accolades such as Outstanding Community Awareness & Selfless Service Award (Liver Health & Transplant) by Dr Sangeetha Health & Educational Group in 2022 and Most Trusted Liver transplant Surgeon - Chennai by the Golden Aim Conference & Awards for Excellence & Leadership in Healthcare in 2023. Also, as the founding member of the Liver Transplant Society of India, Dr Karthik is currently engaged in developing a liver registry, which is the first of its kind in India, and is also providing transplant training through numerous fellowship programs with accreditation from the society.Dr Karthik believes in combining skill with compassion to create meaningful change in patients lives. Sharing advice for aspiring medical professionals, he says, Liver transplantation offers a unique opportunity to transform lives. Always remember, its your compassion and empathy that distinguish an extraordinary doctor from an ordinary one. Treat every patient with the same level of care and respect, regardless of their socioeconomic background. And most importantly, extend help to those in need, especially the underprivileged, whenever possible.
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For many parents in middle age and beyond, the prospect of having grandchildren awaits as one of life's undisputed joys. What could be controversial about wanting to deepen familial ties and savor spending time with one's adorable progeny  this time without middle-of-the-night feedings?

Yet the longing for grandchildren became cannon fodder recently on social media. In posts that ranged from funny to outraged, millennials and Gen Zers scoffed at the notion, described in a recent New York Times story, that a growing number of aging parents of adult children were experiencing "unspoken grief" about the possibility that they would never become grandparents as their own children opt out of parenthood.

While some posters empathized with their elders' disappointment, they also rejected the idea that they might be selfishly depriving their parents of a cherished life stage.

These frustrated millennials and Gen Zers have an important message. They entered adulthood at a time when conditions could hardly be less welcoming for young families. The cost of raising children  especially for child care and housing  has skyrocketed, while the demands of a well-paying career make it hard to imagine how to fit children into the picture.

So it's hardly surprising that American women are having fewer children. The fertility rate hit a record low in 2023. Women are having an average of 1.62 children, down from 2.12 births in 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fewer children ultimately means fewer grandchildren. The number of aging parents who become grandparents dropped to 50% in 2023 from 58% a decade earlier, according to an analysis by the National Center for Family & Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University

The United States already is regressive when it comes to parental leave, and one of only a few nations without a national paid maternity leave policy. (The Family Medical Leave Act offers job security but is unpaid.) Paid leave is essential, for fathers as well as mothers. Unfortunately, policymakers don't have a strong history of leading by example. Representative Colin Allred, a Texas Democrat, was the first man in Congress to take paternity leave back in 2019.

One glimmer of hope is that three states on Election Day passed ballot measures guaranteeing most workers paid sick leave. Notably, all three  Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska  are red states. They join 18 others and the District of Columbia requiring at least some paid sick leave for workers. While the possibility of a federal law mandating meaningful sick leave appears remote, the Election Day successes show the possibility for more action at the state level, including paid parental leave.

We might not see policies that make parenthood feasible for more people anytime soon. But whatever happens at the political level, parents of adult children need to make peace with their children's decisions around family planning. That doesn't have to involve lengthy conversations proselytizing the benefits and virtues of becoming a parent. Nor does it need to become an investigation into whether the way an adult child was raised is the reason they don't want children. In fact, it doesn't need to be a conversation at all. A person's family-planning choices should only be discussed if the prospective parent initiates the conversation.

Millennials and Gen Z need to do everything possible to push for more family-friendly policies. While paid leave would be a good start, it only affects the earliest weeks of the child's life. Affordable child care and housing along with access to public education are just as vital for parents.

It will fall to the youngest voting-eligible adults to put pressure on the government to enact change that will set up future generations of parents. Shouldn't parents hope that their own children have an easier time if they choose to become parents?

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Erin Lowry is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering personal finance. She is the author of the three-part "Broke Millennial" series.
Four and a half years after protests over George Floyd's killing at the hands of a Minnesota police officer resulted in clashes between marchers and law enforcement officers in Nebraska, lawsuits filed over injuries continue to work through the courts.

In one, a hearing is set next month on a motion to dismiss. Another, is set for trial in federal court in Omaha in May. A third, already thrown out, is fighting for reversal. A fourth has been settled.

At a hearing in Lincoln this week in a fifth case, the Lancaster County Attorney's Office argued a motion for judgment be entered in favor of Sheriff Terry Wagner in a case where a Lincoln man was struck in the face by a projectile on May 31, 2020, while outside the U-Stop across the street from the Hall of Justice.

"This is an issue I have not had come up before," said Dan Zieg, chief deputy of the Lancaster County Attorney's civil division.

Kevin Marshall Scott's lawsuit alleged he needed two operations and suffered a broken jaw and a complex cut to his lower lip and lost two teeth when he was shot in the face with a rubber bullet or other projectile fired by a Lincoln Police officer, Lancaster County Sheriff's deputy or Nebraska State Patrol trooper.

His medical bills had added up to nearly $95,000 by the suit's filing.

Because Scott didn't know who shot him, the lawsuit named a number of Jane and John Does, essentially a placeholder for the law enforcement officer who shot him.

"Typically, we can find out pretty quickly who was at fault or who should be named. This is one that we are really no closer to it. And ... I don't think it can be fixed at this point," Zieg said.

He said that leaves only the conspiracy theory, which he said was basically an argument to extend the liability to the governmental entities for allegedly directing law enforcement to detain protestors and bystanders exercising their First Amendment rights.

Zieg argued that because the Jane and John Does procedurally have to be dismissed, the complaint can't go forward because the government entities have immunity.

Scott's attorney, Vince Powers, said they did do discovery and did not identify the individual who shot his client. And he agreed that the civil conspiracy goes to the governmental immunity.

But he disagreed that entitled the county to a dismissal.

"It's really just a motion to dismiss that you've already overruled," Powers said.

He pointed to a similar case where a federal magistrate in 2021 allowed Elise Poole's case to go forward against Sheriff Terry Wagner and then-Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister for her injuries after she was struck in the face by a projectile fired by an unknown officer trying to disperse the crowd by using rubber bullets on May 31, 2020.

The city ultimately paid $497,500 to settle the case.

Powers mentioned a Sarpy County case, where Adam Keup was shot in the shoulder and right eye by pepperballs and now is blind in one eye.

Although, in that case they were able to identify the law enforcement officer (a Sarpy County Sheriff's deputy) who fired the shot, he said.

Zieg said the distinction here is they don't have a shooter. So, even if there were a conspiracy, they can't prove a constitutional violation without knowing an employee acted in furtherance of it.

The City Attorney's Office and Nebraska Attorney General's Office are expected to file a motion asking for summary judgment in the case yet this month.

As for Keup's case, dismissed by U.S. District Judge Brian Buescher a year ago, a three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in St. Paul, Minnesota, in October.

Keup's attorney, Robert Futhey, argued there were questions of fact that should be answered by a jury, among them whether Keup was engaged in protected newsgathering activity when he was shot in front of a Walgreen's parking lot near 72nd and Cass streets in Omaha.

Keup was there as an observer and to help his partner photograph the protest by carrying lenses and batteries and acting as a spotter.

Futhey said circuit courts currently are split on whether there is a clearly established right to observe and record police activity.

"I'm not saying that it's a slam dunk one way or another. I'm just saying we need to have a jury sort this thing out. And district court didn't let us do that by saying no reasonable jury could find that Deputy Palmer was engaged in an apprehension, that he was only engaged in a dispersal," Futhey said.

On the other side, attorney Jeff Kirkpatrick, who represented the deputy and Sarpy County, argued the decision should be affirmed.

"When you look at what his intent was, what the intent was of all the officers there that night it was very clear," he said.

Kirkpatrick said their job was to try to disperse the crowd as safely as they could.

"And that's why they used the pepperballs," he said.

The three judge panel hasn't yet ruled.
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Almost every story in the news boils down to the same story: Man is on the endangered species list.

Say what you like about Germany but their crack police investigators are second to none:

Prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens said on Saturday that the investigation was ongoing but suggested one potential motive for the attack "could have been disgruntlement with the way Saudi Arabian refugees are treated in Germany".

Gotcha. So, two months before the federal election, the German state's message to voters is: It's all your fault and nothing's gonna change. Nothing against the nine-year-old boy who's dead or the four ladies - aged 75, 67, 52 and 45 - but that's just the way it is. There will be a few empty chairs at the Christmas table, but diversity is our strength and a well-integrated psychiatrist driving a BMW is just the kind of high-skilled newcomer Mutti Merkel promised us. He could have gone to Canada or Ireland. To modify George W Bush, we need immigrants to do the jobs that Germans won't do ...like, er, psychiatry.

Are they putting this kind of bollocks in the Covid boosters? Not so long ago the most famous terrorist killer on the planet was a high-value German immigrant. At least a few readers I've had occasional email exchanges with over the decades may recall him flying through the window of their office building on a Tuesday morning in September: Mohammed Atta, the man who pulled off what they used to call "the day the world changed" ...and a postgraduate student of the Hamburg Institute of Technology.

If you've been enjoying the expert class's bewilderment at the citizenship and professional status of the perp, well, way back when, the grandparents of the current crop of media experts were all over the airwaves explaining why the real threat came from well-travelled middle-class westernised Muslims and that Mr Atta had become "radicalised" when he moved to Hamburg.

It certainly was "the day the world changed" - if by "changed" you mean accelerated Islamic migration to the west: Twenty years ago there were half-a-million Muslims in Canada; now there are two million. As to the "disgruntlement" of Saudis at the way they're treated in the west, seventeen of Mohammed Atta's accomplices were Saudi nationals who'd been admitted to flight school in America, where they told their instructors that they didn't need to do the bit about learning how to land. Which raised not an eyebrow. To channel P G Wodehouse, few people have so much cause to be gruntled.

By the way, how did Mr Atta wind up at the Hamburg University of Technology? Because a nice tourist couple from Germany were visiting Cairo and, at a restaurant one night, struck up a conversation with Mohammed's dad and said they ran an exchange programme for foreign students back in der Vaterland and would Mo like to come and live with them. Aw, that's heart-warming. And, despite the three thousand deaths directly arising from that virtue-signalling, I'm sure they'd do it all over again.

In other words, this is where we came in: all the elements the cable experts profess to find "puzzling" we knew back on Day One of the soi-disant "War on Terror". Even the allegedly newest wrinkle is not new:

BREAKING: Saudi-Arabian terrorist Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen appeared on the BBC in 2019. He's an activist who brings migrants into Germany. The BBC are sickening.  pic.twitter.com/EByCNtFVny  Inevitable West (@Inevitablewest) December 21, 2024

Oh, my. But, as a fellow Tweeter points out, the BBC airwaves are mostly given over either to paedophile "national treasures" such as Huw Edwards and Jimmy Savile or to jihadists who have yet to self-detonate:

As well as being a nonce factory, there seems to be a correlation between the BBC & hosting Islamic terrorists a few years before they carry out an attack. Axel was on Dr who & Taleb was interviewed by them in 2019. We need to shut it down til we can figure out what's going on.  Nadine Jasper  (@nadine_jasper) December 21, 2024

The Axel mentioned above is the famous rugby-loving Welsh boyo who stabbed the little girls in Southport. Ms Jasper might also have mentioned Khuram Butt from the 2017 London Bridge attack, who only the year before had appeared on a Channel Four documentary amusingly called The Jihadi Next Door.

There is nothing new to "investigate". I see that my own summer diversion from last year - Out of Time - featured a "rehabilitated" terrorist who, at his own awards ceremony, decides to de-rehabilitate. This actually happened: see Usman Khan, who aced the Cambridge University rehabilitation programme and promptly killed two of his instructors.

There is nothing to be gained from failing to see the forest because you are fascinated by the detail of the bark of an emaciated branch of a particular tree. Nadine Jasper, in wanting to close down the Beeb till "we can figure out what's going on", is channelling a famous Trump line from exactly nine years ago:

Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.

Mr Trump offers no pretence to the highly valued expertise of the Beeb yak-fests. A candidate still derided as a joke by US media had noted the core facts of the San Bernadino Christmas office-party slaughter and made a rational decision. A decade on, while Magdeburg's Christmas market is now cancelled, across the border in Poland Yuletide revellers promenade around their own unbollarded markets as they once did in Germany. Forty years ago, Poland and East Germany were both Soviet satellites. But, in the decades since, Poland has not imported millions of persons who, to put it at its mildest, despise its traditions. Hence no Christmas dinners at which the seat where the nine-year-old boy used to be is empty.

If "motive" remains mysterious to the media experts, that's because motive is for Agatha Christie and (less satisfactorily, according to many listeners) Jefferson Farjeon. When it comes to our new December tradition of Christmas atrocities, they do not arise from motive but from the logical consequence of public policy. Instead, the cable yakkers profess mystification that the Saudis are mixed up in this. Why? Twenty years ago (here it comes), I observed that few countries on earth were as hostile to Christmas, and channelled the opening lines of John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" - a song almost as bad as "Imagine", but with its uses:

Saudis diss Christmas

And what have you done?

Nothing. For two decades, nothing. Except import more and more and more people who want to rape you and run you over.

I'm getting the feeling the psychoses of post-Christendom are so far gone it's hardly worth getting up in the morning. Maybe I could use some analysis. Book me that guy in Magdeburg, will you?

No developed nation needs mass migration. That used to be a given: Sweden was the land of Swedes, Slovenia the land of Slovenes. Once upon a time, that was the abiding principle of even Woodrow Wilson. So end mass migration now, or prepare to end your days as a foreigner in your native land.

Bollard the border not the Christmas market - and we won't even need to "figure out what the hell is going on".

Mark's international bestseller America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It. If you haven't read the book during its first seventeen years, well, you're missing a treat. It's still in print in hardback and paperback. (Buy it at a 77% discount by clicking here or order in KINDLE edition at a 47% discount by clicking here. Sales help fund JWR)

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Mark Steyn is an international bestselling author, a Top 41 recording artist, and a leading Canadian human rights activist. Among his books is "The Undocumented Mark Steyn: Don't Say You Weren't Warned". (Buy it at a 49% discount by clicking here or order in KINDLE edition at a 67% discount by clicking here. Sales help fund JWR)
Bosingak (Photo courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization)

Did you know that Koreans celebrate the New Year twice? The first is marked Jan. 1 according to the solar calendar and its celebrated in most other countries. The second celebration, Seollal, happens later depending on the lunar calendar. Usually, Seollal takes place at the end of January or early February. So, the entire month of January is a festive one for Koreans.

Below are some of the fun activities youll find happening in Korea on or around New Years and Seollal.

WATCH NEW YEARS BELL RINGING CEREMONY

On Dec. 31, similar to how Americans watch the ball drop live from Times Square, Koreans countdown and watch a bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno, Seoul. The mayor of Seoul, government officials and citizen representatives are invited to toll the bell 33 times to wish for peace and luck of the nation and its people in the new year. The ceremony is streamed live on TV and YouTube, so many Koreans tune in from home while enjoying delivery food like fried chicken and pork feet with their families.

Famous spots for bell ringing

You dont have to head to Seoul for the bellringing as there are a lot of New Years Eve bell-ringing events all over the country. Here is the list of the most famous spots to (literally) ring in the new year!

Seoul: Bosingak Pavilion in Jongno

Gyeonggi-do: Peace Bell Pavilion in Imjingak

Daegu: National Bond Compensation Movement Memorial Park

Busan: Jonggak Pavilion in Yongdusan Park

Bosingak (Photo courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization)

ADMIRE YEARS FIRST SUNRISE

On the first morning of the New Year, many Koreans head to the mountains or to the seaside to wish for a prosperous year with their loved ones. To catch the sunrise, people usually leave home at 3 or 4 a.m. to make it on time to their destination.

Mt. Bukhansan, Seoraksan, and Jirisan are the famous mountains to see the sunrise, but because the weather at the top can change unpredictably, going to the sea is preferred. The most famous sunrise seaside attractions have festivals serving free New Years foods and playing traditional instruments.

(Graphic illustration by Stripes Korea)

Ganjeolgot Cape (Photo courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization) Seongsan Ilchulbong (Photo courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization) Homigot Sunrise Square (Photo courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization) Jeongdongjin Beach (Photo courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization) Jeongdongjin Beach (Photo courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization)

EAT TTEOKGUK

Tteokguk is a traditional rice cake soup eaten during both New Years and Seollal. The soup features long rice cakes meant to represent long life and health, which are sliced during the cooking process to look like coins and represent wealth. In other words, tteokguk can be seen as a food eaten while wishing for longevity, health, and good fortune in the new year.

According to the Korean age system, everyone turns one year older on Jan. 1 instead of on their actual birthday. For that reason, Koreans say that if you eat tteokguk, youre becoming one year older. From June 2023, the Korean government has decided to use only international standards instead of the Korean age system.

Tteokguk (Photo courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization)

GO TO A BATHHOUSE

During the New Years season, Koreans go to the local bathhouses to enjoy a long bath and start the year with a fresh, clean body. By scrubbing the body to get rid of the old dead skin and completing the body care ritual, Koreans believe it can refresh the old mentality and mindset. Visiting a bathhouse once a month or every other week is a common activity for many Koreans.

During Seollal, many Koreans head to bathhouses with their family and enjoy chatting in the hot tubs, sauna and help scrub each others backs. This is especially true for the families with senior parents or elderly grandparents who need extra help washing up.

Bath House (Photo courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization)

VISIT A FORTUNE TELLER

Its true that the season is one full of hope and well wishes, but some worry about what the new year will bring. What if you could figure it out early in the year? Many Koreans seek out shamans or psychics to ask for their yearly fortune at the beginning of the year.

Despite some difference between shamans who claim to have spiritual power by serving spirits and psychics who study the fortune-telling theory, they both use four pillars of destiny (Saju ) as fortune tellers. According to this belief, the fate of a person can be predicted by reading the combination of various factors such as the time, day, month and year of birth, current age and the year of the Chinese zodiac animal. From ancient times until now, many Koreans rely on fortune tellers to solve their life problems instead of going to an expert with scientific knowledge.
The News in Brief Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Lithuanian MEP Rasa Jukneviciene has called President Salome Zurabishvili the "only legitimately elected leader of Georgia" in a post on the social platform X, emphasizing the need for urgent international action to address the country's democratic challenges."This coalition of MPs and experts from Europe and the US is united to help Georgians reclaim their democratic voice and European path. Time to act is now! President Salome Zurabishvili is the only legitimately elected leader of Georgia. Experts have noted that there is a serious risk: the president controlled by oligarchs could impose martial law, arrest and suppress people. Urgent international action is needed before December 29 to support Georgians against the creeping dictatorship," she wrote.Jukneviciene outlined steps the EU should take, including rejecting the results of the October parliamentary elections, declaring the parliament illegitimate, and recognizing Zurabishvili's legitimacy until new elections can be held. "Pushing for free, fair and credible elections, sanctioning Bidzina Ivanishvili and those who are destroying democracy; organize visits by state leaders to Georgia to push for new elections. Georgians are rising, and the regime is weak," she added.Germany has suspended development projects in Georgia valued at Euro237 million, according to a statement by Peter Fischer, the German ambassador to Georgia.In a social media post, Fischer outlined the projects affected, including green hydrogen initiatives, energy infrastructure, and water infrastructure financing in Batumi. He attributed the decision to Georgia's departure from the EU path and harsh measures taken against protests."Germany has, with regret, suspended projects worth Euro237 million with Georgia," Fischer stated. "We stopped the financing of green hydrogen, energy grid, water infrastructure in Batumi. Support for civil society and rule of law stays."President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, has expressed his support for dialogue between political forces in Georgia to secure the country's European path.Rinkevics shared his thoughts following a phone call with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili regarding the ongoing situation in Georgia. He emphasized the importance of resolving the current crisis through political dialogue and condemned the threats made against President Zurabishvili."I support the proposal to launch a dialogue between political forces to ensure the European path of Georgia and the resolution of the current crisis. Threats expressed against the President are unacceptable," Rinkevics stated.Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margus Tsahkna, has called for accountability following the release of the OSCE/ODIHR report, which confirmed serious violations during the recent elections in Georgia.Tsahkna highlighted that the report points to significant flaws in the election process, urging Georgian authorities to address the recommendations made by the OSCE/ODIHR. He also emphasized that those responsible for human rights violations must be held accountable."I also emphasize that threatening statements from the Georgian authorities are not acceptable," Tsahkna wrote on social media.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,

Jack Frost nipping at your nose

This classic song written by Bob Wells and Mel Torme in 1944 has long brought to mind the image of Christmas for generations of Americans.

At one time, the American Chestnut was among the most common and largest trees in the eastern United States. The wood was used to cover the walls of homes and schools. The leaves helped add nutrients to the soil. And men on street corners sold chestnuts cooked on open fire.

However, in the late 19th century, some East Asian varieties of chestnut trees brought to the U.S. carried a fungus that killed almost all American chestnuts.

Efforts to bring back the chestnut

The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is a non-profit organization based in the eastern state of North Carolina. It has been working with researchers for over 30 years to bring the trees back to eastern U.S. forests.

American chestnuts now exist mostly as huge root systems that grow into small trees. The fungus harms them when the small trees start to develop fully. East Asian varieties, like those that brought the fungus in the first place, are resistant to the fungus.

Researchers have tried to save American chestnuts by cross-breeding, or mixing, them with one kind of Chinese chestnut that can fight off the fungus. Progress has been slow, however. The trees the researchers have grown could not resist the fungus well enough to become large and healthy trees.

That is why scientists are now trying to combine two methods: cross-breeding and genetically modifying, or changing, the genes of American chestnut trees. They hope this will improve the trees ability to resist attack from the fungus.

But, progress was delayed by a recent mix-up involving two varieties of genetically modified American chestnuts. Scientists at the State University of New York (SUNY) had hoped to get approval for the new seed this year.

Possible effects of climate change

A changing climate and warmer temperatures may also make restoring the chestnut difficult in some areas.

A team at Virginia Tech University published a study this summer about this issue. They looked at projected future climates and then measured the shortest distance the trees would have to move to survive well in a new climate.

For now, researchers know their work might not be successful in their lifetimes. The process has been slow. And two of the first chestnut restoration experts, Bill Powell and Chuck Maynard, both died in the past 13 months.

Linda McGuigan helped support Powells and Maynards research for years at SUNYs College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

The project moves on, lives on. And we honor their memory, McGuigan said. I want to do something good for the future, for my children.

Im Andrew Smith.

Marina Walling wrote this story for The Associated Press. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English. _______________________________________________

Words in This Story

variety -n. a kind or type of something

fungus -n. a mushroom or other plant that has no flowers, leaves, or green coloring

restoration -n. the bringing back of something to its former condition
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23:56 Delhi polls: Cong releases 2nd list, Farhad Suri to take on Manish Sisodia The Congress Tuesday released its second list of 26 candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls, fielding Farhad Suri against AAP's Manish Sisodia from Jangpura while also giving tickets ex-AAP MLAs Asim Khan and Devender Sehrawat. With this list, the Congress has declared a total of 47... Read more >

23:52 Indian consulate in Afghanistan attacked, staffer hurt File image An Afghan national working at the Indian consulate in Jalalabad sustained injuries on Tuesday when unidentified persons opened fire at his vehicle, people familiar with the matter said. India had closed operations at the consulate around three-and-a-half years back but a number of local... Read more >

23:47 Punjab police arrests 'serial killer' who murdered 11 men in 18 months The police in Punjab's Rupnagar have arrested a man for allegedly killing 11 persons in the past 18 months, officials said on Tuesday. The accused, identified as Ram Saroop alias Sodhi of village Chaura in Hoshiarpur district, was arrested on Monday in another case and during interrogation... Read more >

23:08 Condition of boy injured in 'Pushpa-2' theatre stampede improving: Father Allu Arjun arrives at Sandhya theatre in Hyderabad December 4, 2024/ANI on X The condition of the eight-year-old boy, who was injured in the stampede during the screening of Pushpa-2 in Hyderabad on December 4, is improving, his father said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters at the hospital, Bhaskar said the child was taken off oxygen and ventilator support two days... Read more >

23:01 Telangana may lift 2-child policy for rural polls File image The Telangana government is likely to decide on a proposal to lift the restriction barring individuals with more than two children from contesting rural local body polls, after deciding on quotas for the elections.... Read more >

22:34 Officials examine Banke Bihari temple in Sambhal File image Acting on a representation regarding the Banke Bihari temple in Sambhal, the district administration on Tuesday reached the spot to determine the age of the structure and to investigate facts related to symbols of deities found on the walls. Earlier, the Shri Kartik Mahadev temple (Bhasma... Read more >

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22:12 Two arrested for vandalising Ambedkar statue in Ahmedabad The Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Tuesday arrested two persons for allegedly vandalising a statue of Dr B R Ambedkar in Khokhra locality of the city. Members of the Dalit community had staged protests after the incident came to light on Monday morning. Protesters forced shops in... Read more >

21:51 Hotelier duped of Rs 4.87 cr in name of high returns on investment A Mumbai-based hotelier was allegedly cheated of Rs 4.87 crore by a businessman and his son under the pretext of offering high returns on his investment in textile and film industries, the police said on Tuesday. An FIR was registered against Jugraj Shah and his son Parag Shah, residents of... Read more >

21:25 Tigress at Mangaluru Zoo gives birth to two cubs File image A 14-year-old tigress at Pilikula Biological Park here gave birth to two cubs recently, officials said on Tuesday. Both the mother and the cubs are reported to be in good health, they added. Rani gave birth to five healthy cubs in 2016 and three in 2021, officials said. Rani was... Read more >

21:11 Stray dog attack claims life of elderly woman in Kerala's Alappuzha An elderly woman died after being attacked by a stray dog in Kerala's coastal district of Alappuzha on Tuesday, the police said in Alappuzha. The incident occurred earlier in the day at a village under Arattupuzha police station limits, they said. The stray dog is said to have bitten... Read more >

21:01 Over 60 NCC cadets hospitalised after food poisoning at Kerala camp Representational image As many as 60 NCC cadets were hospitalised following a suspected case of food poisoning at a camp held at a college in Kerala, creating an anxious situation, officials said.The incident was reported on Monday during the 10-day Combined Annual Training Camp organised by the 21 Kerala Battalion NCC... Read more >

20:35 Police to man Delhi churches on Christmas A view of the Sacred Heart Cathedral Church on the eve of Christmas in New Delhi/ANI on X The Delhi traffic police on Tuesday said it has made adequate arrangements to deal with the unruly elements during the Christmas celebrations in the national capital. An officer said deployments have been made near churches, malls, and markets. Apart from this, a drive against drunken... Read more >

20:11 Rupee falls 9 paise to close at fresh record low of 85.20 against US dollar The rupee extended the slide for the second straight session and depreciated 9 paise to settle at a fresh all-time low of 85.20 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday, dragged by a strong greenback against major crosses overseas and subdued domestic equities. According to analysts,... Read more >

19:51 5 soldiers killed in accident in Poonch File image Five soldiers lost their lives after an Army vehicle met with an accident in the Poonch sector, said White Knight Corps. Rescue operations are ongoing, and the injured personnel are receiving medical care, said White Knight Corps. The accident took place when the vehicle carrying... Read more >

19:40 After Q2 slowdown, economy on recovery path: RBI The Indian economy is recovering from the slowdown in momentum witnessed in the September quarter, driven by strong festival activity and a sustained upswing in rural demand, according to a Reserve Bank of India bulletin released on Tuesday.An article on the 'State of the Economy' in the December... Read more >

19:16 7 more arrested in Sambhal violence case Seven men were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the November 24 Sambhal violence that left four people dead, police said. So far 47 people have been arrested in the case and 91 people identified, additional superintendent of police Shrish Chandra told reporters in Sambhal. Those... Read more >

19:09 Snake in Mumbai courtroom disrupts proceedings File image A snake was found on a heap of files in a courtroom in Mumbai on Tuesday, disrupting the proceedings for about an hour. It was business as usual in room number 27 of the magistrate court in Mulund till noon when a policeman spotted a 2-foot-long snake while going through files. A lawyer... Read more >

18:59 American Airlines grounds all US flights due to glitch File image/Reuters American Airlines grounded all its flights in the US due to an unspecified technical issue, according to the company and a regulatory notice, disrupting the travel plans of thousands of passengers set to fly out for Christmas Eve, said an ANI report quoting Reuters. More details soon. -- ANI Read more >

18:40 DGCA fines Akasa Air Rs 10L over compensation delay Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation slapped a Rs 10 lakh penalty on Akasa Air for failing to provide compensation on time to some passengers who were denied boarding at the Bangalore airport in September, according to a source. In recent months, the more than... Read more >

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18:07 Ten Bangladeshi nationals held in Navi Mumbai for illegal stay The Navi Mumbai police arrested ten Bangladeshi nationals, including eight women and two men, for staying in India illegally without documents, an official said on Tuesday.The action followed the raids conducted by the crime branch's anti-human trafficking unit over the weekend in Vashi and... Read more >

17:51 Job scam: No HC bail for Bengal ex-minister Partha West Bengal ex-education minister Partha Chatterjee/File image The Calcutta high court on Tuesday rejected the bail petition of former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee and four other ex-public servants in a Central Bureau of Investigation case over an alleged school jobs recruitment scam. Besides Chatterjee, Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty... Read more >

17:34 BSE Sensex top losers today Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty ended on a flat note in a volatile trade on Tuesday, as investors preferred to stay on the sidelines awaiting further triggers amid persistent foreign fund outflows. After gyrating between highs and lows, the 30-share index declined 67.30 points or... Read more >

17:24 Saurashtra Express derails near Surat, no one injured File image The Dadar-Porbandar Saurashtra Express derailed on Tuesday afternoon at Kim station, 27 km from Surat in Gujarat, said an official. Four wheels of the non-passenger coach next to the engine derailed at 3.32 pm as the train (number 19015) was leaving the station on its way to Porbandar, said... Read more >

17:10 I cannot go to school because of trolling: Spiritual content creator Abhinav Spiritual content creator Abhinav Arora/ANI Photo Abhinav Arora, a 10-year-old spiritual content creator said that currently he is unable to attend school because of the trolls and cyber bullying. In an interview with ANI, he opened up about his schooling and education. Arora, who claims to have embarked on his spiritual journey at... Read more >

16:46 Two hurt in stone-pelting during clash between groups in Bhopal File image At least two persons were injured in a clash between groups over a dispute in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal on Tuesday, the police said. The incident occurred in Jahangirabad locality of the city. It was a fallout of the fracas that took place on Sunday between the two groups, they... Read more >

16:31 Delhi police arrest 5 Bangladeshi nationals, crack down on illegal immigration File image The Delhi police arrested 11 persons, including five Bangladeshi nationals, in connection with an illegal immigration racket, making counterfeit Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and other forged documents via a fake website. According to the police, one of the accused facilitated Bangladeshi... Read more >

16:10 Shyam Benegal cremated with full state honours Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, the pioneer of the parallel cinema movement in Indian cinema in the 1970s and 1980s, was cremated on Tuesday with full state honours and a three-gun salute in Mumbai.Benegal, known for films such as Ankur, Mandi, Nishant, and Junoon, died on Monday at a hospital... Read more >

16:05 No arbitrary changes in Maha voters list: EC to Cong Amid concerns flagged by the Congress, the Election Commission on Tuesday said there were no arbitrary additions or deletions of voters in Maharashtra where assembly polls were held recently.In its response to the Congress, the poll authority said it would not be correct to compare 5 pm voter... Read more >

15:10 Odisha CM recalls being duped by chit fund firms Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday claimed that he was also a victim of chit fund scams and urged people to be aware of the activities of ponzi firms to save their hard-earned money.Majhi said this while addressing a function to celebrate the State Level National Consumers Day in... Read more >

15:07 Money transfer under Ladki Bahin scheme resumes The disbursement of monthly instalments to beneficiaries of the Maharashtra government's Ladki Bahin scheme resumed from Tuesday after a break due to the model code of conduct, state minister Aditi Tatkare said.The instalments will be disbursed in phases, the women and child development minister... Read more >

14:35 Cong challenges amendments to election rules in SC The Congress on Tuesday filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging the recent amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 and expressed hope that the apex court will help restore the 'fast eroding' integrity of the electoral process.The government has tweaked an election rule to... Read more >

14:31 Budaun court to decide on hearing mandir-masjid plea on Jan 18 A court will on January 18 decide whether it will hear a plea claiming the existence of Neelkanth temple at the Jama Masjid Shamsi mosque site in Budaun.Civil judge (senior sivision) Amit Kumar posted the matter of January 18, 2025 when it will decide whether the matter would be heard or not,... Read more >

13:26 Israel's big admission: Killed Haniyeh, will hit... Ismail Haniyeh In the first acknowledgement of Israel's involvement in the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday, issued a stern warning to the Houthi rebels from Yemen of destroying their infrastructure and 'decapitating' its leaders.Hamas leader Hanieyh's... Read more >

12:20 Landowners demolish 'mazaar' in Muzaffarnagar, FIR lodged A group of landowners allegedly demolished an old 'mazaar' in Budhana town of Muzaffarnagar, promoting police to register a first information report (FIR) in the matter and launch an investigation, an official said on Tuesday. The accused include Gulzar Uddin, a resident of Chhota Bazaar,... Read more >

11:33 Now, plaints against Pushpa 2 actors, director Congress MLC Chintapandu Naveen, popularly known as Theenmar Mallanna, has lodged a complaint with the Rachakonda Police against the actors, director, and producers of the movie Pushpa 2, alleging it contains scenes that insult police officials.The complaint, filed on Monday, cites specific... Read more >

10:51 Navi Mumbai man arrested 33 yrs after wife's murder The Navi Mumbai police have arrested a 70-year-old man absconding since the last 33 years after allegedly killing his wife, an official said on Tuesday. The accused, Babu Gudgiram Kale, was apprehended on Sunday near Mulund suburb in neighbouring Mumbai, where he had been working as a... Read more >

10:48 Bangladesh launches graft probe against Hasina An anti-graft panel in Bangladesh has launched an investigation against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family in connection with the allegations of embezzling $5 billion in the Rooppur nuclear power plant, according to a media report.Indian companies are participating in constructing... Read more >

09:52 Last rites of Shyam Benegal today The last rites of legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who died on Monday, will be held at Shivaji Park crematorium in Mumbai today.Benegal died at Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital where he was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).He passed away at 6.38 pm at Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central. He... Read more >

09:43 Rupee hits all-time low of 85.16 against US dollar The rupee fell 5 paise to hit a new all-time low of 85.16 against the US dollar in early trade on Tuesday, amid strengthening American currency and sustained outflow of foreign capital.Forex traders said higher dollar demand as well as an upward momentum in crude oil prices due to volatile... Read more >

09:32 Fire in Mumbai highrise; elderly woman hospitalised Image only for representation A fire broke out at an apartment in a 15-storey building in Mumbai's Bandra area in the wee hours of Tuesday, civic officials said.An 80-year-old woman was found unconscious in the premises following the incident and was hospitalised, while fire personnel rescued nine persons from the building... Read more >

08:54 Owaisi gets court notice for 'Jai Palestine' slogan A Bareilly Court has issued a notice to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi, instructing him to appear in court.The notice pertains to an incident where Owaisi raised pro-Palestine slogans while taking his oath as a Member of Parliament.The court has asked... Read more >

08:31 Clinton in hospital with... Bill Clinton is in a Washington, DC, hospital.In a statement on X on Monday, Angel Urea, Clinton's deputy chief of staff, said he was 'admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital for testing and observation after developing a fever.' 'The former president will be fine,' an insider... Read more >

08:22 New IPOs add 3% to India's market cap in 2024 New listings through initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2024 contributed nearly 3 per cent (Rs 14 trillion) to India's market capitalisation, surpassing last year's contribution of 1.4 per cent (Rs 5 trillion).According to Motilal Oswal, this year's absolute contribution is the highest ever,... Read more >

01:41 Theatre stampede: Cops to quiz Allu Arjun tomorrow The Hyderabad police issued a notice to Pushpa actor Allu Arjun, asking him to appear before them in connection with the Sandhya theatre incident that occurred during the premiere of Pushpa 2 movie on December 4, sources said on Monday. According to sources, Allu Arjun has been... Read more >

01:21 Man held for stealing gold bars worth Rs 2.4 cr in Mumbai A man was arrested for allegedly stealing gold bars worth Rs 2.40 crore from an office in Girgaon in south Mumbai, a police official said on Monday. The accused was identified as Chandrabhan Patel (36), a resident of Uttar Pradesh, the official said. The incident had came to light on... Read more >

00:57 Prevent enrolment of illegal Bangladeshi migrants: DoE to Delhi schools The directorate of education on Monday asked schools in Delhi to prevent the enrolment of illegal Bangladeshi migrants by ensuring a strict document verification process during admission. Schools must ensure strict admission procedures, verification of students' documentation to prevent... Read more >
China News Service: On December 21, the Foreign Ministry announced on its website the decision to take countermeasures against certain Canadian institutions and personnel. Could you brief us on the background of this decision?

Mao Ning: Recently, the Canadian side sanctioned Chinese personnel citing so-called human rights violations. In accordance with the Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Countering Foreign Sanctions and for the purposes of safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests and protecting the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens and organizations, China decides to take countermeasures against relevant Canadian institutions and personnel.

We once again strongly urge the Canadian side to stop interfering in Chinas internal affairs in any form and stop its political manipulation on human rights issues.

EFE: US President-elect Donald Trump said recently that the Panama Canal is considered a vital national asset for the US, and he threatened that they will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us. Does China have any comment on this?

Mao Ning: We noted Panamas President Jose Raul Mulino has issued an open statement on this. He stressed that every square of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama and the sovereignty and independence of the country are not negotiable. He added that rates are not a whim and the Canal has no control, direct or indirect, from any power.

The Panama Canal is a great creation of the people of Panama. It is a golden waterway for connectivity among countries. China has always supported the people of Panama in their just cause for sovereignty over the Canal. Dating back to the 1960s, large-scale demonstrations took place across China, which had been vocal in supporting the people of Panama in their struggle to regain their sovereignty over the area of the Canal. China will as always respect Panamas sovereignty over the Canal and recognize the Canal as a permanently neutral international waterway. We believe the Canal will continue to make new contributions to facilitating integration and exchanges between people of different countries and enhancing humanitys well being.

Global Times: Its reported that on December 20, the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) released the 2024 Annual Report, accusing the Chinese government of increasingly interfering with the affairs of Hong Kong and Macao in violation of the One Country, Two Systems principle. Whats your comment?

Mao Ning: There is nothing credible about the commission you mentioned which keeps attacking and smearing China for political agenda. It releases the so-called report year after year to mischaracterize the human rights conditions and the practice of One Country, Two Systems in Hong Kong and Macao. China deplores and firmly opposes this.

Since the return of Hong Kong and Macao to the motherland, the systems for implementing the policy of One Country, Two Systems have kept improving, economic and social development has seen a historic leap in the two regions, the rights and freedoms of residents in Hong Kong and Macao have been fully protected, and they enjoy a much stronger sense of gain, happiness and security. This has proven to the world that the cause of One Country, Two Systems, with its distinctive institutional strengths and strong vitality, is a good system that sustains the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao. It is a good system that facilitates endeavors to build China into a great country and achieve national rejuvenation, and it is a good system for ensuring peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit between different social systems. So we must stay committed to this cause in the long term.

With the full support of the central government and collective efforts of people from all sectors in Hong Kong and Macao, the cause of One Country, Two Systems will be further advanced and the future will shine even brighter for both regions.

CCTV: The Group of Friends for Peace on the Ukraine crisis recently held a meeting again in New York and a press release was published after the meeting. Can you share more information on that?

Mao Ning: The Group of Friends for Peace on the Ukraine crisis recently had the second meeting in New York. Representatives from 17 Global South countries, including China, Brazil, Algeria, South Africa and Turkiye attended the meeting. A press release was published after the meeting, which spoke positively about the Ministerial Meeting in September and the joint communique issued after the Ministerial Meeting, noting that the joint communique was the first time that countries which predominantly represent the Global South voiced their concerns about the Ukraine crisis. The participants reviewed the current situation of the conflict in Ukraine and potential developments, expressed concerns at the escalation of the conflict, and reaffirmed the key principles, including respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, respecting the legitimate concerns of states, and the importance of peaceful solutions for all international conflicts. They also recalled the need to observe principles for de-escalation and the importance of non-expansion of the battlefield and non-intensification of fighting, called for support for a comprehensive and lasting settlement by the parties to the conflict through diplomacy and political means based on the UN Charter and international law, and supported countries from the Global South in playing a constructive role to this end. China stands ready to work with other members of the group to make positive effort for an early realization of peace.

AFP: The Financial Times has reported that Sweden has criticized China for refusing to allow the Swedish public prosecutor aboard the Yi Peng 3, the Chinese vessel suspected of severing two Baltic Sea cables right before it sailed away on Saturday. Does China have a comment on this?

Mao Ning: As I have learned, China has invited Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to participate in and complete a joint fact investigation and has shared documents and information. To cooperate with the investigation, Yi Peng 3 has been anchored for a long time. For consideration of the crew members physical and mental health, the owner company decided to let the vessel resume its voyage after a comprehensive assessment and consultation with relevant parties. The Chinese side has notified relevant countries in advance. China stands ready to maintain communication with relevant countries and continue working together to handle the matters related to the incident afterwards.

AFP: The Philippines military said today that it plans to acquire the US Typhon missile system to protect its maritime interests. Does China have a comment on this?

Mao Ning: China firmly opposes US deployment of Mid-Range Capability missile system in the Philippines. We have made clear this opposition more than once. Let me stress again that the Philippines, by bringing in this strategic offensive weapon, is enabling a country outside the region to fuel tensions and antagonism in this region, and incite geopolitical confrontation and arms race. Such a move is provocative and dangerous, and it is an extremely irresponsible choice to its own people and people of all Southeast Asian countries, to history, and to regional security. What the region needs is peace and prosperity, not the missile system or confrontation. We once again urge the Philippines to heed the call from regional countries and their peoples, correct its wrongdoings as soon as possible, quickly pull out the Typhon missile system as publicly pledged, and stop going further down the wrong path.

AFP: The Sri Lankan president has said that he will travel to China mid next month. Can China confirm this and provide any more details?

Mao Ning: China and Sri Lanka are strategic cooperative partners who help each other with sincerity and enjoy ever-lasting friendship. The two countries have close high-level interactions. China stands ready to maintain the momentum of high-level interactions with Sri Lanka, carry forward traditional friendship, and expand exchange and cooperation in various fields to deliver more tangibly for the two peoples.

On the specific visit you mentioned, we will release information in due course.
Chadian Head of State General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno was officially promoted Marshal over the weekend, during a ceremony granting him the same rank held by his late father and predecessor, Idriss Deby Itno.

This marks the second time in Chads history that someone has been bestowed with the Marshals cape, sabre, and baton, the symbolic attributes of the rank. The occasion was marked by a special session of the National Transitional Council, held at the presidential palace. The council, dominated by the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement, had overwhelmingly approved the presidents promotion. The council is set to be replaced following legislative elections scheduled for December 29, which are being boycotted by opposition parties.

According to the councils resolution, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno was elevated to the rank of Marshal for services rendered to the nation and numerous military victories won both domestically and abroad. The decision comes just weeks before legislative and local elections, Chads first since 2011.

His father, Idriss Deby Itno, was similarly honored in 2020 after leading a victorious campaign against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region. The elder Deby, a seasoned military leader who commanded operations on the ground, ruled Chad for three decades before being killed in 2021 during a rebel confrontation.

Following his fathers death, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, then a general, assumed power with the backing of a military junta. He was declared president of the Transitional Military Council and later president of the transition. After amending the constitution, he was confirmed as head of state in a contested election last May.

The younger Deby, at just 40, has actively engaged in military operations, including a recent offensive against Boko Haram in October after an attack on a garrison in the Lake Chad region. He personally directed air and ground operations for two weeks, with updates shared on the presidencys social media platforms, depicting him in full military attire.

Despite these efforts, a subsequent ambush by Boko Haram claimed the lives of several soldiers, including high-ranking officers. In response, Deby has since suspended long-standing military agreements with France, calling the texts obsolete.

The shift in Chads relationship with France has led to a significant drawdown of French forces. A unit of 120 French soldiers departed Chad on Friday, following the earlier withdrawal of Mirage 2000 fighter jets. Chad is the last Sahel country to host French troops, marking a new chapter in its post-colonial military ties.
French military base in Djibouti may assume a greater role, Frances president suggested last week, as its troops are asked by Chadian authorities to speed up their withdrawal from the base in NDjamena with the deadline set for December 31.

Its been a tumultuous month for France and its relationship with its former African colonies after Senegals president Faye asked Paris to remove some 350 French troops stationed on his countrys soil and Chads government announced on its Independence Day it was ending defense cooperation with France to redefine its sovereignty. Then last Friday, authorities in Chad, considered as Frances most stable and loyal partner in Africa, demanded the total withdrawal of all French personnel from its base in NDjamena by December 31. But Chadian officials have stressed that, unlike the situation in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), the troop withdrawal from Chadian soil does not imply a breakdown in relations with France.

This is yet another setback for Paris that was already devising a new military strategy in Africa, aiming to sharply reduce its permanent troop presence on the continent, as its influence on the continent faces the biggest challenge in decades.

Faced with these challenges in the Sahel region in West Africa, Frances president has said that its military base in Djibouti would be reinvented to assume a great role. While the airbases main focus is currently on the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Indo-Pacific, President Emmanuel Macron proposes assigning a bigger role in restructuring French approach on the African continent. Our role is changing in Africa, but thats what we wanted because the world is changing in Africa, because public opinion is changing, because governments are changing, Macron said during his visit to French airbase in Djibouti, which recently renewed its defense cooperation treaty with Paris.

After being successively pushed out of junta-ruled Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger between 2022 and 2023, Djibouti is now home to Frances largest military contingent aboard.
King Mohammed VI chaired, Monday at the Royal Palace in Casablanca, a working session devoted to the revision of the Family Code, during which he insisted that the new family code needs to ensure justice, equality, and harmony with Islamic precepts and universal values

King Mohammed VI made clear directives for the revision of Moroccos Family Code, underlining the need for a balanced and holistic reform that aligns with the countrys religious precepts and contemporary social needs.

This session was held after the Entity in Charge of Revising the Family Code submitted to the King its report, which includes over 100 proposed amendments, and after the Supreme Council of Ulema provided a legal opinion on some specific proposals concerning religious texts, as requested by the Monarch, Commander of the Faithful, the Royal Office said in a statement.

The session also comes after the King made the necessary arbitrations on issues on which the entity issued more than one opinion, or where revisions required recourse to Sharia. These Royal arbitrations have given priority to choices that are in line with the guidelines and objectives outlined in the Royal Letter addressed to the Head of Government, as well as those set by the norms governing the Bodys work, mainly the norm of not prohibiting what is authorized, nor authorizing what is prohibited.

During the session, the King stressed the need to keep in mind his desire for reform and openness to progress, through the launch of this promising reform initiative, twenty years after the implementation of the Family Code in 2004, and to guarantee the protection of the family on legal, social and economic aspects.

The Sovereign also stressed the need to perceive the content of the reform within a framework of complementarity, in the sense that it does not favor one party to the detriment of the other, but concerns the Moroccan family, which constitutes the basic cell of society. This implies ensuring that all the above is drawn up in the form of clear and intelligible legal rules, in order to avoid contradictory judicial readings and cases of conflict in their interpretation.

Likewise, the Monarch urged that the legislative process, including parliamentary debates, should be permeated by the principles of justice, equality, solidarity, and harmony, in line with Islamic precepts and the universal values in keeping with the international agreements ratified by Morocco, said the royal office statement.

The King also drew attention to the mandatory need to give the necessary attention to all the prerequisites supporting and strengthening the Family Code revision. This includes consolidating the experience of family justice, and revising the relevant legislative and regulatory texts in light of the new constitutional provisions.

In this regard, the King instructed the cabinet members in charge of the reform to communicate with citizens and explain to them the new reform in addition to raising the publics awareness to their rights under the new code.

During this session, Minister of Justice Abdellatif Ouahbi, as a member of the Entity in Charge of Revising the Family Code, made a presentation on the Entitys participatory approach and working methodology, in particular the hearing sessions organized, as well as the most important proposals made during these hearings that are included in the report submitted to the King.

The Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq, as a member of the Supreme Council of Ulema, presented the conclusions of the Councils Opinion, which established the essential legal basis for some of the Entitys proposals, and took into account the principle of Maslaha (interest) to find Sharia-compliant solutions regarding other proposals. This provided an opportunity to highlight the capacity of constructive Ijtihad in deducing Sharia rules, the middle ground and moderation of the Moroccan School of Fiqh, which draws its foundations from the Kingdoms religious constants.

In this connection, the King called on the Supreme Council of Ulema to pursue reflection and adopt constructive Ijtihad on the issue of the family, by creating an adequate framework within its structure, in order to deepen research into Fiqh issues linked to the evolutions experienced by the Moroccan family, and which require innovative responses in phase with the demands of the present day.
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Mifepristone tablets are seen in a Planned Parenthood clinic Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. Credit: AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File

Opponents of abortion are increasingly focusing on restricting access to pills, which are the most common way to end a pregnancy in the U.S.

This month, the Texas attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against a New York doctor, saying she violated Texas law by prescribing abortion pills to a patient there via telemedicine. The suit represents the first lawsuit of its kind and could lead to a legal test for the New York law designed to protect providers there who prescribe the drugs to patients in states with abortion bans.

Anti-abortion officials are taking other steps, too, through legislation and lawsuits.

Abortion rights advocates are also concerned that President-elect Donald Trump's administration could take action to restrict access if it chose to.

Pills are the most common means of abortion

By the time the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and opened the door for states to ban abortion, over half of all abortions were obtained using medication, usually a combination of the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol.

The drugs are different than Plan B and other emergency contraceptives that are usually taken within three days after possible conception, weeks before women know they're pregnant. Studies have found they're generally safe and result in completed abortions more than 97% of the time, which is less effective than procedural abortions.

By last year, nearly two-thirds of abortions were from medications, according to a tally by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion access.

Much of the growth has been through abortion pills prescribed via telehealth and mailed to patients. A survey conducted for the Society of Family Planning found that by the first half of 2024, such prescriptions accounted for about one-tenth of abortions in the U.S.

That number has risen rapidly since 2023 when some Democratic-controlled states started adopting laws that seek to protect medical providers in their borders who prescribe abortion pills via telehealth to patients in states where abortion is banned.

"Telehealth for abortion has been a huge success," said Ushma Upadhyay, a professor at the Center of Health and Community and the University of California San Francisco. "It has helped people in an incredible way."

Texas is going after a New York doctor despite a law intended to protect prescribers

A patient prepares to take the first of two combination pills, mifepristone, for a medication abortion during a visit to a clinic in Kansas City, Kan., Oct. 12, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton rolled out a new strategy in the fight over pills this month when he sued Dr. Maggie Carpenter, who is based in New York, alleging she prescribed and sent pills to a Texas woman.

New York is one of at least eight states with a law intended to protect medical providers who prescribe abortion pills to patients in states with bans.

If Texas prevails upon a judge to block Carpenter from prescribing in the state, it's unclear what would happen next. New York's shield law would bar it from being enforced in New York, said David Cohen, a professor at Drexel University's Thomas R. Kline School of Law.

Cohen said he expects any ruling would not have a major chilling effect on other doctors who prescribe out-of-state patients. "They certainly seem undeterred by legal risk," he said.

And, he said, like illegal drugs, they'll continue to be available if there's a demand for them. Cohen said Paxton "is going to plug one hole if he succeeds. There's no way he plugs them all."

Another lawsuit from states is trying a different way to restrict pills

Pill prescribing has already withstood one key effort to block it. The U.S. Supreme Court this year ruled that a group of anti-abortion physicians and organizations that represent them lacked the legal standing to force the undoing of federal approvals for mifepristone.

The state attorneys general from Idaho, Kansas and Missouri responded in October with a legal filing contending that they can make such an argument. Instead of focusing on the drug's initial approval in 2000, they're looking at later changes from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that allow its use for the first 10 weeks of pregnancy and telemedicine prescriptions.

There hasn't yet been a ruling on their case. When there is, it will likely be appealed to a higher court.

States are also considering laws aimed at abortion pills

This year, Louisiana became the first state with a law to reclassify both mifepristone and misoprostol as "controlled dangerous substances." The drugs are still allowed, but medical personnel have to go through extra steps to access them.

Some doctors said in a legal challenge that the change could cause delays in administering them in emergencies, such as when a woman is hemorrhaging after giving birth.

People march through downtown Amarillo to protest a lawsuit to ban the abortion drug mifepristone, Feb. 11, 2023, in Amarillo, Texas. Credit: AP Photo/Justin Rex, File

Dr. Jennifer Avengo, director of the New Orleans Health Department, said that in the first few months of enforcement, she did not hear of any cases where the drugs could not be accessed in time.

Additional states are considering ways to restrict abortion pills in their 2025 legislative sessions.

In Tennessee, a Republican state lawmaker has proposed creating a $5 million civil liability against those who deliver or help access abortion pills with the intent of helping someone end a pregnancy.

Rep. Gino Bulso said he filed the bill after learning that abortion pills were being sent to Tennessee despite state law prohibiting such actions. "I began to think about how we might be able to both provide an additional deterrent to companies violating the criminal law and provide a remedy for the family of the unborn children," he said.

A proposal in Missouri would make it a crime to deliver mifepristone or other drugs with the intent of causing an abortion. In November, the state's voters adopted a constitutional amendment to allow abortion until fetal viabilitywhich is somewhere past 21 weeks into a pregnancy, though there's no fixed timeframe.

The federal government could take steps to regulate the pills, too

Trump's administration also could take action on the pill policy.

One approach that abortion rights advocates have warned aboutand which some abortion opponents have suggestedincludes enforcing an 1873 law against pills that bans mailing medications or instruments used in abortion. President Joe Biden's administration has declined to do so.

The FDA could also change its approvals of the drugs, even without being forced to do so by a court ruling.

During his campaign, Trump flip-flopped on abortion policy and at points attempted to distance himself from abortion opponents. Since he won the election, though, he has nominated abortion opponents to administration posts.

In an interview with Time magazine published this month, he gave rambling answers to questions about pills. He said he intended to maintain access but also left the door open to changing his mind.

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

One might argue that one of the primary duties of a physician is to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate the odds: What are the chances of a medical procedure's success? Is the patient at risk of developing severe symptoms? When should the patient return for more testing?

Amidst these critical deliberations, the rise of artificial intelligence promises to reduce risk in clinical settings and help physicians prioritize the care of high-risk patients.

Despite its potential, researchers from the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Equality AI, and Boston University are calling for more oversight of AI from regulatory bodies in a commentary published in the New England Journal of Medicine AI (NEJM AI) after the U.S. Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a new rule under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

In May, the OCR published a final rule in the ACA that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex in "patient care decision support tools," a newly-established term that encompasses both AI and non-automated tools used in medicine.

Developed in response to President Joe Biden's Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence from 2023, the final rule builds upon the Biden-Harris administration's commitment to advancing health equity by focusing on preventing discrimination.

According to senior author and associate professor of EECS Marzyeh Ghassemi, "the rule is an important step forward."

Ghassemi, who is affiliated with the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health (Jameel Clinic), the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), and the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES), adds that the rule "should dictate equity-driven improvements to the non-AI algorithms and clinical decision-support tools already in use across clinical subspecialties."

The number of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved, AI-enabled devices has risen dramatically in the past decade since the approval of the first AI-enabled device in 1995 (PAPNET Testing System, a tool for cervical screening).

As of October, the FDA has approved nearly 1,000 AI-enabled devices, many of which are designed to support clinical decision-making.

However, researchers point out that there is no regulatory body overseeing the clinical risk scores produced by clinical-decision support tools, despite the fact that the majority of U.S. physicians (65%) use these tools on a monthly basis to determine the next steps for patient care.

To address this shortcoming, the Jameel Clinic will host another regulatory conference in March 2025. Last year's conference ignited a series of discussions and debates among faculty, regulators from around the world, and industry experts focused on the regulation of AI in health.

"Clinical risk scores are less opaque than AI algorithms in that they typically involve only a handful of variables linked in a simple model," comments Isaac Kohane, chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School and editor-in-chief of NEJM AI.

"Nonetheless, even these scores are only as good as the datasets used to train them and as the variables that experts have chosen to select or study in a particular cohort. If they affect clinical decision-making, they should be held to the same standards as their more recent and vastly more complex AI relatives."

Moreover, while many decision-support tools do not use AI, researchers note that these tools are just as culpable in perpetuating biases in health care, and require oversight.

"Regulating clinical risk scores poses significant challenges due to the proliferation of clinical decision support tools embedded in electronic medical records and their widespread use in clinical practice," says co-author Maia Hightower, CEO of Equality AI. "Such regulation remains necessary to ensure transparency and nondiscrimination."

However, Hightower adds that under the incoming administration, the regulation of clinical risk scores may prove to be "particularly challenging, given its emphasis on deregulation and opposition to the Affordable Care Act and certain nondiscrimination policies."

More information: Marzyeh Ghassemi et al, Settling the Score on Algorithmic Discrimination in Health Care, NEJM AI (2024). DOI: 10.1056/AIp2400583
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

As parents rush into malls for the final days of Christmas shopping, many will be armed with wish lists full of beauty products for their children.

Skin care is a fast-growing phenomenon among Gen Alpha, typically defined as those born from 2010 and on. Dubbed "Sephora kids," the tweens and teens have been buying up products from buzzy brands including Drunk Elephant, Bubble and Glow Recipe and diligently following multistep, antiaging skin care routines popularized on social media.

With kids becoming a powerful segment of the booming $164 billion global skin care industry, brands have been catering to them with new products packaged in colorful, eye-catching bottles and jars.

Dermatologists say getting children into the habit of taking care of their skin is a good thing, but they're urging parents to exercise caution as they splurge on holiday gifts.

"For pediatric dermatology, we always say to be very mindful and wary of active ingredients that are in products," said Dr. Jayden Galamgam, a pediatric dermatologist at UCLA Health. "A lot of the time, simple is better."

What products are OK for a kid to use?

A gentle cleanser, a hydrating moisturizer and a good sunscreen are recommended and appropriate for any age.

"You don't need to be using all these products; you don't need a 10-step routine," Galamgam said. "Use three products. Most don't need anything more than that."

Look for broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher; it should be worn daily and reapplied every couple of hours.

What products should be avoided?

Anti-wrinkle serums, exfoliants and peels are not appropriate for children. Avoid products containing potent alpha hydroxy acids, beta hydroxy acids and retinol, Galamgam said.

"I would definitely try to stay away from those, because they can cause a lot of irritation for kids," he said.

Social media trends often encourage tweens to experiment with cosmetics that are inappropriate for their skin type or age, so parents need to look carefully at ingredient labels before buying, said Sam Cutler, founder of Beverly Hills-based tween skin care brand Petite 'n Pretty.

"We want to caution parents about the growing trend of products marketed as 'kid-friendly' due to their bright, playful packaging, which can be misleading," she said. "Many of these products are formulated for adults and contain harsh ingredients, such as hydroxy acids, retinoids and artificial fragrances, which are too aggressive for young, delicate skin and can cause irritation or long-term damage."

My kid wants antiaging products anyway: What should I say?

You can talk to them about the potential harmful side effects, and about the risks of following the advice of online "skinfluencers."

"There are a lot of teens that are using these products inappropriately due to misinformation or wanting to fit in with their friends based on what they're seeing on TikTok," said Dr. Carol Cheng, a pediatric dermatologist and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at UCLA.

"They're easily susceptible. A lot of them don't realize that these influencers are probably being paid to promote certain products."

Is anything being done to protect kids from potentially harmful skin care products?

In February, California Assemblymember Alex Lee introduced legislation to ban the sale of antiaging products to kids under the age of 13, but the bill failed to pass in the California Legislature.

2024 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Credit: Alexander Zvir from Pexels

Experts from an international brewing and distilling center are warning people to watch out for counterfeit and illicit alcoholspiritswhether they're traveling abroad over the festive season or celebrating at home.

Academics from Heriot-Watt University's International Center for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD), have warned people to not be complacent about the risks of counterfeit and illicit alcohol. It is not just a problem in far away countries; lots of alcohol sold in the U.K. is also counterfeit.

The warning comes following recent cases in Istanbul, where toxic alcohol-related deaths have reached 37, amidst a major crackdown on bootleg alcohol by the Turkish authorities on illegal producers.

Over the past few months there have also been fatalities and serious illness due to contaminated alcohol in Laos and Fiji.

Only a problem abroad?

In the U.S., EU and U.K. there is a relatively low rate of counterfeit spiritslow but not zero. But the bottles that are being sold outside of normal channels such as shops and off licenses, certainly should be treated with caution.

Counterfeit spirits are emphatically not only a problem affecting tourists in "far-flung" destinations. Counterfeit spirits, accounting for 25%40% of consumption in some areas, cost the EU 3 billion annually.

As recently as September, warnings were issued in Jersey after the authorities discovered a batch of counterfeit vodkaimitating a popular Scottish brandcontaminated with chemicals dangerous to human health.

And several years ago, researchers found that 33% of tested old and rare Scotch whisky was found to be fake.

Telltale signs

The ICBD academics are urging people to take care and always follow the advice given by the Food Standards Agency, namely to monitor the four P's: the product (is it an unknown brand?); the price (is it too good to be true?); the package (is the bottle properly sealed or does the label look suspect in some way?) and finally the place of purchase (is it a normal shop?).

Speaking about the warning, Michael Bryan, a Post Graduate Researcher at The International Center for Brewing and Distilling in Heriot-Watt's School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, who is developing a global database, said, "Alarm bells should ring if a deal seems too good to be true.

"Ask yourself: is the shop an authentic one or is it potentially dodgy? Is the price you'd expect to pay? Is there any evidence of tampering with the closure? Does the label and barcode look authentic?"

The cost of not being vigilant

Bryan knows to his personal cost the dangers of not being vigilant. He said, "I personally have been drugged and robbed from material put into spirits, so I know how easy it is. In my case, a bar worker offered a free drink of something I would never consume generallyvery out of the ordinarybut in the moment it seemed ok, but it was not. As we travel to exciting and far-flung places, it pays to be extra vigilant.

"I would like to say this is not a 'first world' problem, but that is not the case. The point is, counterfeit and illicit alcohol is everywhere, howeverthankfullythe chances of truly poisonous spirits is much less in the first world because we have more rigorous supply chain control.

"Nevertheless, we should always be on guard. If something does not taste right or smell right or is not priced right, be suspicious. Look online to see if there is a recall, or just return the item you've bought to the shopas defective.

"And definitely never buy alcohol 'under the counter' or from the boot of someone's car! Always buy from a reputable supermarket or off-license."

Database of chemical fingerprints of authentic spirits being built

Along with colleagues in the ICBDand working with Process NMR Associates in the U.S.Michael Bryan is leading a project to build a database to test, compare and log alcoholic spirits.

The team have spent the last 12 months using lab-based analytical techniques to detect the chemical fingerprint of hundreds of authentic, international spirits, including whisky, tequila, mezcal, and bourbon.

They've used advanced analytical tools, including near infrared spectroscopy (NIR), ultra-violet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to create the chemical fingerprints.

This approach aims to replace costly, bulky equipment with comparative mathematics, enabling faster, cheaper authenticity tests without opening bottles.

The database could curb counterfeit trade, protecting consumers and manufacturers alike.

Professor Annie Hill from Heriot-Watt University is the academic supervisor for the database project. She said, "Our continuing research aims to further increase awareness and to develop accessible and affordable methods to enable wider detection and identification of illicit distilled spirit products."
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: CC0 Public Domain

It seems simple: Require hospitals and insurers to post their negotiated prices for most health care services andbingocompetition follows, yielding lower costs for consumers.

But nearly four years after the first Trump administration's regulations forced hospitals to post massive amounts of pricing information online, the effect on patients' costs is unclear. And while President Joe Biden added requirements to make pricing information more user-friendly, Donald Trump's imminent return to the White House has raised questions about what's next, even though posting prices is an area of rare bipartisan agreement.

The uncertainty of what might happen next led some proponents to lobby Congress to include hospital and insurer price transparency in must-pass legislation before Trump takes office. That would turn both his and Biden's regulations into law, making them less susceptible to being weakened or repealed by a future administration. But that effort failed.

The legislative step could also help protect against legal challenges in the wake of a Supreme Court decision that limited government agencies' regulatory authority.

Employers are using transparency data to try to slow growth of their health care costs, and "the last thing you want to do is start over," said James Gelfand, president and CEO of the ERISA Industry Committee, which represents large employers who finance their own health plans. His group is among the organizations pressing Congress to act.

"Congress' failure to act is deeply disappointing, but employers and other advocates will redouble our efforts," Gelfand said. "This will get done."

While there are reports that many hospitals are not fully complying, federal regulators have sent thousands of warning letters to hospitals and fined just over a dozen.

The transparency rules require hospitals to list the prices they accept from all insurers for thousands of items and services, from stitches to delivery room costs to X-rays.

For consumers, hospitals must also provide a list of 300 "shoppable" services, including bundled prices accepted for common services such as having a baby or getting a hip replacement. Insurers in July 2022 were similarly required to list their negotiated prices, not only for care at hospitals, but also surgery centers, imaging facilities, laboratories, and doctors' offices.

It's a massive and often confusing amount of data that has drawn interest from researchers and commercial outlets like Turquoise Health, which has sought to organize the information to better help ordinary consumers shopping for medical services or employers overseeing workers' health plans.

The data shows a huge variation in prices, both in what hospitals charge and what insurers pay for the same services. But the result of making those prices public is so far hard to quantify.

A recent study by Turquoise looked at negotiated rates in the nation's 10 largest metro areas for a set of common health care services. It found that rates in the top quarter tierthe most expensive categorydeclined by 6.3% from December 2021 to June 2024, during the time the transparency rules were in place. But negotiated rates for the lowest-cost tier of services rose by 3.4%.

That may indicate hospitals and insurerswho can now see what rivals are charging and payinghave either cut prices or demanded better rates, at least for the costliest services.

Even so, Gerard Anderson, who oversees research into the data as a professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, said the changes Turquoise noted were small and are not reflective of what his team has seen in their own studies.

"So far we have not detected any impact of this data on behavior, of where insurers decide to go or what hospitals do to change prices once they realize what others are charging," Anderson said.

Some health policy experts think it's unlikely the incoming Trump administration would reverse its prior commitment to price transparency.

"I don't see a world where he tanks his own regulations," said Joe Wisniewski, an associate vice president at Turquoise Health. "There is also so much broad bipartisan support on the Hill."

The current price-posting rules began with requirements in the Affordable Care Act, which the initial Trump administration more fully defined. The hospital industry failed in a legal challenge to block those rules, and the Trump-era requirements became effective in January 2021.

But even after the Biden administration made the data more user-friendly, it's still not very helpful to consumers, Anderson said.

"This data is not telling them the price they will pay. It's telling them the average price people paid last month or last quarter for a similar type of service," he said.

More useful, Anderson and other experts say, are requirements in the price transparency rules that demand insurers offer online calculators for hundreds of nonemergency services. The detailed cost estimates must take into account how much patients have paid toward annual deductibles.

For uninsured consumers or others who don't have access to online calculators, it remains difficult to piece together how much a service might cost from the information hospitals post online. For one thing, not every hospital has posted its negotiated rates.

The Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general said in November an audit of 100 hospitals found that 63 complied with the price transparency rule, while the rest failed to meet one or more requirements.

The advocacy group Patient Rights Advocate, which looked at a sample of 2,000 hospitals, says that only 21% were fully compliant, although it used broader measures for compliance than the inspector general.

"By keeping their prices hidden, hospitals continue to block American consumers from their right to compare prices and protect themselves from overcharges," said Cynthia Fisher, founder and chairman of the group, which has called for stricter rules and enforcement.

2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Legionella sp. colonies growing on an agar plate and illuminated using ultraviolet light to increase contrast. Obtained from the CDC Public Health Image Library. Credit: CDC/James Gathany (PHIL #: 7925)

Traces of Legionella were discovered in three courthouses in Baltimore City, the latest in a series of downtown public facilities where the bacteria has been detected.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott's office reported that precautionary testing at the Baltimore City District (People's) Courthouse, the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse and Elijah E. Cummings Courthouse showed elevated levels of Legionella bacteria this month.

Due to the elevated levels of bacteria, Baltimore City has recommended the immediate closure of those facilities to conduct cleaning, system maintenance and other mitigation efforts to deal with the Legionella bacteria.

"The recommended closure is not related to a public health or safety concern," the mayor's office said in a press release. "While the Maryland Department of Health does not require closure, the City is making this recommendation out of an abundance of caution. District Judge leadership and the Court Administrator responsible for operating the impacted courthouses will make the ultimate decision regarding closure."

The Baltimore City Health Department has not received any reports of confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease. One individual has experienced symptoms and sought testing for potential impact associated with Legionella bacteria.

"The Health Department will continue to monitor for relevant reports and work in coordination with the Maryland Department of Health to address any concerns as they arise," the mayor's office said.

Legionella is the bacteria responsible for causing Legionnaires' disease, "a type of severe pneumonia," according to the CDC. Infection can occur when people "breathe in mist" with Legionella bacteria in it, its website says. One in 10 people who get Legionnaires' disease dies, the CDC states.

On Dec. 6, the Maryland Department of General Services discovered Legionella bacteria in two Baltimore district courts.

In addition, four office buildings in the State Center office complex downtown were found to have the bacteria since DGS began regular testing in mid-October, according to DGS spokesman Eric Solomon.

The State Center office complex, which houses agencies including the Maryland Department of Health and the Department of General Services, tested positive for higher-than-normal levels of Legionella bacteria for the second time since the bacteria was discovered in November.

The Cummings MECU building was also tested on Dec. 12, and results showed "extremely low levels" of Legionella. As a result, the building did not receive a closure recommendation.

Precautionary testing is also being conducted at other major downtown city government facilities. The Abel Wolman building on Holliday Street was tested on Dec. 12, and results are expected on or before Dec. 29. Tests were done at the Benton Building on East Fayette Street and City Hall on Wednesday. The results of those tests are expected by Jan. 5.

"The safety and well-being of our staff, the public, and everyone who relies on the services of the Circuit Court must always be our top priority," Clerk of the Circuit Court Xavier Conaway said in a statement.

"While the decision to close the affected courthouses lies outside the authority of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, I strongly support the closure of the Elijah E. Cummings and Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouses on Friday  to begin immediate remediation of the water systems. Swift and decisive action is the only acceptable response to these findings."

While there is no requirement for a public water system to test for Legionella, the Department of Public Works has been conducting tests on the level of chlorine in the system in the impacted areas for the past several weeks to entirely rule out concern about the city's system. The chlorine levels signify whether Legionella can grow.

"So far, the chlorine residual levels in the surrounding areas have been tested and are sufficient," the city said in a statement.

2024 The Baltimore Sun. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
By Qaiser Nawab

COP 29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, was not just another chapter in the climate discourse; it was a game-changer for global climate policy. This year, the spotlight was on two intertwined issues that are crucial for a sustainable future: the global shift to renewable energy and the urgent need to address the escalating loss and damage caused by climate change. These discussions werent just about policiesthey were about justice, equity, and securing a future that doesn't leave the most vulnerable communities in the dust.

One of the key takeaways from COP 29 was the establishment of a global climate fund for loss and damage, marking a historic step forward. For decades, developing nationsmany of which contribute the least to global emissionshave been bearing the brunt of climate disasters, from extreme floods to prolonged droughts. At the same time, they have often lacked the resources to cope and recover. The new fund is a lifeline, providing financial support to these nations, enabling them to rebuild and adapt in the face of mounting challenges. While this step was monumental, it's important to remember that this fund is only one part of the equation. Stronger commitments from developed nations to curb emissions and invest in renewable energy are equally essential to prevent further damage.

Heres where the renewable energy revolution comes in. As the climate crisis accelerates, the need for clean, resilient energy infrastructure has never been more urgent. Renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydropower are not only the key to reducing global carbon emissions, but they also offer a robust solution to the energy crises exacerbated by climate change. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), transitioning to renewable energy could cut global carbon emissions by 70% by 2050an ambitious but achievable goal. However, for this transition to succeed, we need more than just technological innovationswe need policies that foster global cooperation, break down trade barriers, and facilitate access to affordable clean energy worldwide.

At COP 29, significant strides were made in these areas. A key focus was the reduction of tariffs on renewable energy technologies like solar panels and wind turbines. Such tariffs, often imposed by high-emission countries, hinder the global spread of clean energy technologies, particularly in developing nations. The International Trade Centre estimates that reducing these tariffs could open up a $1 trillion market for clean energy over the next decade. This shift is critical because as renewable energy costs plummetsolar photovoltaic prices have dropped by over 80% in the last decadetrade barriers remain a significant bottleneck. Reducing these barriers would allow technologies to flow freely across borders, bringing down costs and accelerating the global transition to clean energy.

But renewable energy is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Many developing countries are still grappling with the infrastructure needed to harness these resources. COP 29 discussions emphasized the importance of integrating renewable energy with broader climate resilience efforts, ensuring that the most vulnerable nations can tap into these technologies. Investment in local infrastructure, financial incentives, and knowledge transfer programs will be crucial in making this a reality. Only by building local capacity and reducing energy poverty can we ensure that no nation is left behind in the renewable energy revolution.

Another exciting development at COP 29 was the vision for a global clean energy grid. Imagine a world where energy generated by solar and wind farms in sun-drenched deserts and windy coastal regions can be transmitted across borders to power cities and industries far beyond. This idea isnt just a pipe dreamits a feasible solution that could transform the global energy landscape. According to the World Bank, renewable energy could account for 40% of global energy needs by 2030 if governments commit to reducing trade barriers and increasing investment in clean energy infrastructure. This interconnected grid would help ensure energy security, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and provide clean, affordable power to all.

But the clean energy transition isnt just about powering homesit's about decarbonizing sectors that have long been heavy emitters, such as transportation, industry, and agriculture. A pivotal discussion at COP 29 was the need to decarbonize high-emission sectors, starting with transportation. The International Transport Forum estimates that transportation accounts for 14% of global emissions. By electrifying transportation systems and coupling them with renewable energy sources, we can dramatically reduce this figure. Meanwhile, green hydrogenthe clean fuel that could revolutionize sectors like steel and cementhas been gaining traction, with investment in this sector expected to grow rapidly in the coming years.

Ultimately, the conversation at COP 29 boiled down to one essential message: the energy transition cannot happen in isolation. It must be paired with a recognition that those who have contributed the least to the climate crisis are often the ones suffering the most. The loss and damage fund is a step in the right direction, but its only part of the solution. While renewable energy plays a vital role in mitigating future climate impacts, we must also ensure that financial flows, technological innovation, and international cooperation are aligned to create a truly sustainable future.

The road ahead is clear. By breaking down trade barriers, investing in renewable energy infrastructure, and supporting vulnerable communities through the loss and damage fund, we can set the stage for a cleaner, more equitable world. But its not just about energy; its about global cooperation, shared responsibility, and climate justice. COP 29 has shown that we have the tools to build a sustainable future, but now its up to us to act. The world is watching, and the time to act is now.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Athiriver are investigating a shocking robbery where a gang posing as Good Samaritans stole over Kes.409,000 and valuables from two passengers.

The victims, a man from Kiambu town and a woman from Mombasa, fell prey to the gang while waiting for a Mombasa-bound bus in Mlolongo.

The incident occurred on Saturday, December 21, when a private vehicle, seemingly carrying three other passengers, offered the duo a lift amid nationwide transport challenges. However, upon reaching the Simba Cement area, the occupants revealed their true intentions. Armed with daggers, the gang blindfolded the passengers, restrained them with ropes, and ransacked their belongings.

The male victim lost Kes. 340,000 from his bank accounts via mobile banking apps and Kes.20,000 from his M-Pesa account. The robbers also stole his Samsung Galaxy phone and power bank, worth Kes. 75,000. Meanwhile, the female victim was stripped of valuables and Kes.49,000 from her M-Pesa account.

After robbing them, the gang abandoned the victims in Ngarariga, Limuru. Good Samaritans assisted the distressed passengers and directed them to Ngarariga Police Station, where they reported the crime. Fortunately, neither victim suffered severe injuries.

The DCI Athiriver has taken up the case as authorities ramp up patrols to counter seasonal crime surges. Police urge citizens to remain vigilant, report suspicious activities, and prioritize safety during the festive season.

This incident underscores the need for heightened awareness and caution, especially during holidays when criminals exploit vulnerabilities.

As police heighten patrols and crackdowns on such criminal elements who are taking advantage of the season to reign terror on Kenyan citizens, we call upon members of the public to be security cautious and to report any suspicious persons or activities around their neighbourhoods, so that we can all enjoy the true meaning of a happy festivity, the DCI implored.
President William Ruto has called on parents to actively instill moral values in their children, highlighting this as a critical step in curbing rising insecurity, criminal activities, and social vices across the country.

Speaking at AIC Kipkorgot Church in Uasin Gishu County on Sunday, December 22, 2024, Ruto linked the surge in crime to a failure by parents and religious leaders to impart strong moral principles to the younger generation.

The government of Kenya cannot parent your children. Every parent must do their job and look after their children. The government cannot preach to our children, teach them the word of God, or show them what is good for them, Ruto stated, urging parents to embrace proactive parenting and mentorship.

The President emphasized that the governments role is to enforce laws and address criminal activities. However, he noted that preventing crime starts at home through proper guidance and moral upbringing by parents and religious leaders.

I urge religious leaders to preach to our children, teach them the word of God, and mentor them. The government cannot preach in church. Our job is to deal with criminals, but these criminals emerge because parents fail to mentor their children, and churches fail to instill good morals, he said.

Ruto dismissed the effectiveness of blame games, calling on both parents and the church to take responsibility.

Finger-pointing and blame games will not solve these issues. The church blames the government, and parents blame the government for responsibilities that are theirs. It is the responsibility of parents and the church to instill morals and good manners in our children, he stated.

He also addressed public calls for the government to take harsher action against criminals, pointing out the root cause of the problem.

Many people are encouraging us to arrest these people, must jail these people, and it is okay but the time we jail these people and arrest them. We are dealing with a very bad situation the criminals in all these places are our children coming from our homes and it us to stop them from being criminals by mentoring them, parenting them teaching them the word of God, he added.
The Ministry of Health has urged Kenyans to prioritize their safety and exercise caution when consuming alcohol during the festive season. This directive follows the tragic deaths of three people in Nakuru after consuming illicit alcohol in Lanet, Bahati, Nakuru County.

In a statement released on Sunday, Public Health and Professional Standards PS Mary Muthoni expressed concern over the risks posed by unregulated alcoholic beverages.

Police have raised fears that more people may be affected as they continue to search for the source of the deadly liquor.

Nakuru County Teaching and Referral Hospital Medical Superintendent James Waweru confirmed that two victims, aged 37 and 41, died while receiving treatment at the hospital. A third individual was brought to the morgue on Saturday morning. Officials revealed that one of the deceased had brought the illicit alcohol and shared it with friends. The source of the alcohol remains unknown.

To prevent further tragedies, Muthoni emphasized the importance of public vigilance. She outlined three key safety measures to protect consumers:

Ensure all alcoholic beverages are legally registered and meet government safety standards. Avoid purchasing alcohol from unknown or untrustworthy sources and be cautious of suspiciously cheap or counterfeit products. Practice responsible alcohol consumption, particularly during the festive season. Avoid excessive drinking, Muthoni urged.

Muthoni also highlighted the dangers of illicit alcohol, which is often contaminated with harmful substances like methanol. Methanol can cause severe health issues, including blindness, organ damage, and even death.

The Ministry of Health reiterated its commitment to public awareness, with nationwide campaigns led by the Division of Drug and Substance Abuse Control. These efforts aim to educate the public on the dangers of illicit substances, including emerging tobacco and nicotine products.
Police arrested 78 teenagers on Saturday, December 21, for allegedly smoking marijuana at a house party in Kisumus Mountain View estate, which had over 100 youths in attendance.

Kisumu Central Sub County Commander Peter Mulai confirmed the arrests, stating that the 68 boys and 10 girls, all minors aged 18 and below, were smoking cannabis when officers arrived at the scene.

We found the teenagers sitting in groups, smoking bhang in a house, the owners of which are still unidentified, Mulai said.

Some of the minors fled the scene by scaling the wall as the others were being arrested. The detained teenagers were taken to the Obunga police post. Authorities acted on a tip-off from a concerned neighbor who noticed the large number of youths arriving at the house and the loud music coming from the venue.

Further investigation revealed that the party had been organized by one of the teenagers living in the house. We are informed that the minors received an invitation via Instagram from the party organizer, who had anticipated over 200 attendees, Mulai explained.

However, the organizer was among more than 30 individuals who managed to escape by jumping over the perimeter wall. Mulai added, We have started investigating the social media platform used to mobilize the youths and are tracking the whereabouts of the party organizers.

At the police station, all the minors were reprimanded, and their parents were later contacted to pick them up. A junior officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, shared that many parents were shocked to learn their children had been involved in the party.

Some parents couldnt believe their children were smoking bhang. Like their kids, we also gave the parents a lecture before releasing the minors into their care, the officer said.

Mulai confirmed that only three minors remained at the police station due to their failure to provide contact details for their parents. He urged any parents with missing children to contact the police station.

Additionally, Mulai appealed to parents to closely monitor their children during the festive season. He warned that this period could expose children to harmful activities, such as drug abuse, sexually transmitted infections, or even unwanted pregnancies.

The festive season brings a lot of influence. This is when some children are introduced to drug abuse, contract STIs, or young girls get pregnant. Lets stay aware of what our children are doing, Mulai advised.
by Dr Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan

IT seems that rapidly changing global geopolitics may have direct impact on Pakistans economy, society, security and politics, pulling towards sanctions and tough times ahead. The US Trump Administration signalling has already alarmed the policy makers of Pakistan on numerous issues mainly politics and security. The US emerging slant depicts a pro-Imran, demanding his release or some political reconciliation in the days to come. Additionally, Pakistans Foreign Office strongly criticized the USA for imposing new sanctions against its long-range ballistic missile program, labelling the move as double standards and discriminatory practices.

Most recently, the US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller announced the measures saying they were imposed under an executive order that targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. Miller said the sanctions cover Pakistans state-owned National Defence Complex and three entities collaborating with it in the development of long-range ballistic missiles, including the Shaheen series of missiles. Pakistans Foreign Ministry rejected the move as unfortunate and biased. The ministry statement said Islamabads defence capabilities are aimed at safeguarding Pakistans sovereignty and preserving peace in South Asia.

Moreover, it seems that the latest US installment of sanctions defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries. It fears that such biased policies will have dangerous implications for the strategic stability of South East Asia and beyond. Resultantly, Pakistans strategic program would be in the line of fire. The accompanying US State Department factsheet said the Islamabad-based National Defence Complex has worked to acquire items intended to be used as launch support equipment for ballistic missiles and missile testing equipment to advance the countrys missile development program. The other companies hit by the US sanctions are Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Ltd., and Rockside Enterprise, all located in Karachi. Pakistans Shaheen surface-to-surface rocket is capable of carrying nuclear warheads to a range of approximately 2,750 kilometres, with experts saying the range enables the solid-fuelled, multistage missile to reach targets anywhere in India and parts of the Middle East.

Comparative studies reveal that both India and Pakistan oppose and refuse to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, an international agreement aimed at curbing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. However, it is unfortunate that the United States has imposed these sanctions on a close and longstanding strategic partner like Pakistan. The move appears one-sided, discriminatory, and targeted, pressuring Pakistans policymakers to align with U.S. interests. Therefore, fostering national unity, ensuring political stability, achieving economic sustainability, and promoting social cohesion are essential strategies for navigating imminent diplomatic pressures and geopolitical manoeuvrings.

The Syrian fall has opened a new hot debate in the Middle East speculating a grand bargain providing a walk-over to Israel inching towards normalization and ultimately recognition. Sequence of events clearly indicates a secret compromise among the various regional power brokers in Syria giving a comparative advantage to Israel against its competitors. Unfortunately, Iran has emerged as the biggest loser of this sudden shifting of regional and global geopolitics ranging from Lebanon to Yemen, Syria to Iraq marginalizing its geostrategic axis of resistance.

It is feared that spillover geopolitical and geostrategic ramifications of Syria and emerging Middle East has direct and indirect policy readjustments for Pakistan in the days to come aligning with the Saudis next step for Israel. It seems that Asia Pacific is inching towards New Ukraine compelling all main stakeholders to secure their socio-economic, geopolitical and geostrategic vested interests. The deployment of latest ballistic missiles, building of new military bases, joint drills, military alliances, army supplies and close cooperation on security, nuclear submarines, space, satellite cooperation and last but not least, trying to change the current status quo of the South China Sea all may force Pakistans policy makers to change its Look East Policy in the days to come.

The emerging diplomatic wisdom speaks loud and clear that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is going to be settled very soon. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy changing stance to compromise with Russia and latest statement of the Russian President Vladimir Putin showing his readiness to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks with US President-elect Donald Trump on ending the war and had no conditions for starting talks with the Ukrainian authorities is a welcome move. Thus Trump: The Art of the Deal, seems to be once again in action.

In summary, the policy makers of Pakistans military and civilian should chalk out a holistic and comprehensive foreign and security policies tackling with the imminent fallout of Trumponomics and Trump-Geopolitics start consulting with iron-clad brother China because expected high tariffs and militarization of Asia & Indo Pacific and forceful encircling of the South China Sea have many common strategic points of collaboration and cooperation.

The author suggests that close liaison with Saudi Arabia must be established seeking some essential strategic cushions for the country in the Middle East. Increasing diplomatic ties with Turkiye and Iran would also be beneficial for Pakistan for a joint response. Economic ties with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan would further diversify the countrys trans-regional connectivity, exports, economic integration and, above all, political bargaining in the future. Safety, security of the Chinese and CPEC projects would be game changer encouraging its private companies to invest more and more in the country gearing towards greater progress and prosperity. Economic self-reliance, security sovereignty and political stability must be pursued by rising above self-perceived indispensability and civil disobedience, working collectively for the nation and its people.

The writer is President, Pak-China Corridor of Knowledge, Executive Director, CSAIS, regional expert: China, CPEC & BRI.
By Elnur Enveroglu

Armenia's unstable political structure and internal conflicts always make it a dangerous source of disaster for foreign and domestic opposition groups in the South Caucasus. Since the contradictions are mostly focused on territorial claims and ethnic minorities, the topic is constantly interpreted in different forms on the agenda, and even at the international level, unjust and groundless accusations of different parties cause serious agitation.

The coincidence of such a trend with the progress of peace processes also increases the possibility that it could cast a shadow on the security of the region.

The Armenian community, which once attacked leaders who took steps towards neighbourly principles, is now trying to create an opposition front in Armenia and threaten peace processes in the region.

Interestingly, such groups are mostly attracted by former Armenian government representatives and leaders of organizations and institutions. Former Armenian ombudswoman Larisa Alaverdyan recently popped out in top stories and news headlines with her unquestionable lies. She simultaneously called the Pashinyan government a regime and harshly criticized the steps taken towards peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Having read the nonsense and fables that the former Armenian ombudswoman utters in a revanchist spirit, one can once again conclude that the lady continues to poison the Armenian society with Turkophobic poison in the hope that she will be able to turn history around. If such statements by Alaverdyan are calculated to deceive the Armenian people and the world community with disinformation under the guise of alleged historical truth, calculated to show that there are no more witnesses to the bloody events of late 1987-early 1988, then she is deeply mistaken. The former human rights official brazenly lies when talking about the number of the Azerbaijani population of Armenia and that they allegedly voluntarily left their places of residence. Sticking to her strong revanchist character, she blabbers about the city of Shusha and spreads hatred and xenophobia in all directions, which serve to prevent the conclusion of a peace agreement and reconciliation of the two peoples.

To believe the nonsense of Larisa Alaverdyan simply requires being a person of a different breed, that is, a person with a true nationalist and revanchist spirit. It is obvious that her ideas are distorted and not the product of rational thinking.

Her claims also pose a serious threat from the point of view of the development of regional relations. The former head of the ombudsman, who tries to portray Turkiye and Azerbaijan as "occupiers" with her lies, does not hesitate to call even her head of government a traitor. Those who try to influence the minds of society with such lies serve no other purpose than to harm their own people.

She interprets international law and the Almaty Declaration in a distorted form, counting on the fact that at one time, being an ombudswoman, she made the necessary connections among biased Western NGOs, which have never been objective in relation to Azerbaijan and Turkiye. After all, hatred for all Turks arose in her back in those distant years, when, being a native of Baku, she spread Dashnak propaganda among the Armenian population of Azerbaijan, sowing the seeds of discord, which manifested themselves with the beginning of the conflict in early 1988. It would be worth reminding Ms Alaverdyan that the first victims of the conflict were the Azerbaijani residents of Armenia, who were brutally killed as a result of pogroms, as well as two young residents of Aghdam, killed by separatists in early February 1988.

Now the question arises: who is responsible for the failure in the normalisation of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations and the impasse in peace talks to this day?
New leader promises all weapons under state control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Damascus on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Sunday that weapons in the country, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, would come under state control.



Sharaa spoke alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, after earlier meeting with Lebanese Druze leaders and vowing to end "negative interference" in the neighbouring country.



Ankara-backed rebels played a key role in supporting Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which headed a rebel alliance that seized Damascus on December 8, toppling long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad.



During a press conference with Fidan, Sharaa said Syria's armed "factions will begin to announce their dissolution and enter" the army.



"We will absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control, whether from the revolutionary factions or the factions present in the SDF area", he added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.



Sharaa also said "we are working on protecting sects and minorities from any attacks that occur between them" and from "external" actors exploiting the situation "to cause sectarian discord".



"Syria is a country for all and we can co-exist together," he added.



Syria's nearly 14-year civil war killed more than half-a-million people and displaced more than half its population, with many of them fleeing to neighbouring countries, including three million in Turkey.



Turkey has maintained strong ties with Syria's new leaders, and has continued military operations against Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria. (AFP)
Global perception indices have often been called into question for the data sources used to arrive at their conclusions. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) people are being largely influenced by data that these machines are trained on. These are often the outputs of such Global perception indices resulting in dissemination of seemingly flawed data points to all. Sanjeev Sanyal -Member, Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council has drawn attention to the problems with various Global perception indices, questioning their conclusions. He says that with AI pushing data based on questionable indices it leads to a manipulation of narratives. In an interview with ANI, Sanjeev Sanyal says that AI could now hardwire in the default narratives underscored by these indices. "The systematic use of layers of referencing to build up credibility is similar to how money is laundered using layers of accounts. Only the determined will follow the trail," says Sanyal. "In the past, we just ignored these global rankings, ratings, and indicators. However, we should recognise that they have real world impact through regulations, credit ratings and academic narratives. AI will now hardwire it in all default narratives," he adds. Sanjeev Sanyal has been a long-standing critic of certain perception indices. His argument is that in a world where the flow of information can no longer be controlled, some powers are trying to get control of the second and third order by controlling the kind of Data that is being released and controlling its authentication. One such index that comes into question was the World Happiness Index. In March this year the Happiness Index ranked India at a low 126 in the rankings by Life Evaluations 2021-2023. India was placed below countries like Ukraine, the State of Palestine and even Myanmar all of which have been in the throes of conflict and even lower than its neighbour Pakistan. This despite the fact the IMF World Economic Outlook released in October 2024 pegged India as one of the fastest growing economies with a projected GDP of 6.5 for 2025. Sanyal in a post on X on December 18, took a dig at the findings of the World Happiness Index "As we enter 2025, a quick reminder at how unhappy we Indians were a year ago. Palestine, Ukraine, Myanmar etc. were already much happier and their rank will presumably now be even better. After recent regime change and violence, Bangladesh too will probably now be rated happier. The outbursts of happiness in Canada, Germany and France mean that they no longer have functioning governments. Meanwhile, let me wish fellow Indians a prosperous and unhappy 2025. Stay healthy, stay unhappy," he posted. A glaring contradiction in the World Happiness Index is the strange correlation between countries that rank at the top of the Index to those that also rank among the top users of anti-depressants. According to Data website Statista as of 2022, among select OECD countries, Iceland was one of the biggest consumers of antidepressants. Iceland also ranks number 3 on the World Happiness Index. Earlier, a study by Sweden's Lund University in March 2024 argued that the question at the center of the World Happiness Report known as 'The Cantril Ladder' which asks respondents to evaluate their lives in terms of a ladder numbered 0-10. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life and the bottom the worst. The analysts conducted an experimental study involving 1,500 adults in the UK and examined how people interpret that question. The researchers said that the results showed that it often brings to mind concepts of wealth and power. This the analysts argue might not be how most people would define happiness and well-being. To change such narratives, Sanjeev Sanyal argues that independent Indian think-tanks should be encouraged to do similar perception-based indices for the World. "There are three levels of response. First recognise the problem of legitimacy laundering. Second, intellectually deconstruct the biases and expose them. Finally, build alternatives that are based on better methodologies and data sets. Other than India, no country is the Global South has the capacity to do the third step credibly," says Sanyal. As the year closes out 2025 will once again bring a host of Global surveys with severe perception biases that need to be examined and debated about and not just taken at face value. (ANI)
The IPO markets this year made remarkable strides as the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) initial public offerings (IPOs) (SME IPOs) have delivered impressive returns, outperforming large-cap and mid-cap stocks since their listing, according to a report by Motilal Oswal. The report highlighted a significant 31 per cent increase in the aggregate market capitalization of SME stocks compared to their listing day prices. In contrast, the market capitalization of Main Board stocks has risen by just 10 per cent during the same period. It said, "SME IPOs have outperformed since their listing. The aggregate market capitalization of all SMEs has increased by 31 per cent from the listing day, while Main Boards have risen by 10 per cent." The report also noted that the Small-cap stocks have also shown robust performance, gaining 15 per cent since their listing. This growth surpasses the 6 per cent and 14 per cent returns recorded by large-cap and mid-cap stocks, respectively. The report also delved into sector-wise performance, revealing that 70% of the sectors are trading above their listing day prices. Consumer Durables led the way with a remarkable 77 per cent increase, followed by Logistics (+57 per cent), Capital Goods (+51 per cent), Chemicals (+35 per cent), and Metals (+32 per cent). Conversely, sectors such as Oil & Gas (-29 per cent), Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs, -17 per cent), Hotels (-9 per cent), Retail (-8 per cent), and Private Banks (-6 per cent) have underperformed. The year has been dominated by Real Estate, Utilities, Automobiles, Metals, and Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) Banks, which together contributed to 57 per cent of the total Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) issuances so far. The report further highlighted that this year more than two-thirds of the listed IPOs have delivered positive returns against their issue prices. Among the 78 Main Board IPOs listed so far, 54 (69 per cent) are trading at a premium to their offer prices. Notably, 11 of these IPOs are trading at a premium exceeding 100 per cent of their offer prices. The strong performance of SME and small-cap stocks underscores their growing appeal among investors, who are actively seeking opportunities beyond traditional large-cap investments. The report recommends keeping an eye on sectoral trends and focusing on quality stocks for sustained returns in the evolving market landscape. (ANI)
Projections indicate equity investments may touch USD 10-11 billion by year-end, with increasing interest in tier-II and tier-III cities.Delhi-NCR led with a 26 per cent share of total investments, followed by Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Land development and the office sector accounted for 70 per cent of total investments, while residential projects secured 64 per cent of land-related inflows. Foreign investors, primarily from North America and Singapore, contributed USD 3.1 billion, underscoring India's global appeal.

Industrial and logistics leasing activity reached 27.5 million square feet in the first nine months of 2024, with Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, and Bengaluru accounting for 61 per cent of the total.

The third-party logistics (3PL) sector dominated, while demand from engineering, manufacturing, and retail sectors diversified the landscape.Emerging tier-II cities like Chandigarh, Hosur, and Jaipur also gained traction due to improved infrastructure and rising disposable incomes. Warehousing rental values rose by 2-14 per cent year-on-year, driven by advanced facilities and escalating land costs.

Retail leasing totalled 4.5 million square feet in 2024, with the fashion and apparel segment contributing 38 per cent of the activity. Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO - India, South-East Asia, Middle East & Africa, CBRE, said, "This year is set to be a landmark year, marked by record-breaking office leases, a decade-high in residential sales and launches, and soaring consumer confidence in the residential segment. Significant foreign investments and expansions by multinational corporations are further fuelling the sector's growth trajectory."

The office real estate market recorded historic highs, with 53.3 million square feet of leasing activity from January to September 2024. Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune dominated new office space additions, contributing 66 per cent of the 36.2 million square feet completed during the period.

Global capability centres (GCCs) drove 38 per cent of the leasing activity, while domestic companies contributed 42 per cent, showcasing India's balanced appeal to both global and local businesses.

With robust demand across office, residential, industrial, and retail segments, India's real estate sector is set to maintain its growth trajectory. Sustainability, technological innovation, and expansion into tier-II and tier-III cities will likely define the industry's future. (ANI)
NewsVoir Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 23: In a landmark move to revolutionize the state's educational system, the Himachal Pradesh government formalized its partnership with the Piramal Foundation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This collaboration is set to align with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, focusing on fostering 21st-century skills, strengthening leadership, and enabling systemic change. At its core, the initiative aims to cultivate Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning (SEEL) among the students of HP, paving the way for a future-ready and compassionate generation of learners. Piramal Foundation and the Himachal Pradesh government had signed a Letter of Intent earlier in May 2024 and have now formalized their commitment by signing a 5-year MoU. The SEE Learning Program developed at the Compassion Centre, at Emory University, USA, was implemented in India through a partnership between Piramal Foundation and Emory University in 2019. This program enables students to strengthen themselves from within through a scientifically robust curriculum that teaches Compassion in the same way as one would teach Geography and Mathematics. Over the past five years, Piramal Foundation has successfully implemented the SEE Learning program in 6 states across 100,000+ schools across India. "Every child deserves the opportunity to grow into a good human being, but achieving this is no simple task. It requires a well-structured system to instill these values in our schools. And SEE Learning is perhaps the only solution that we can see. We were genuinely excited when this idea was first introduced. I see this as a valuable opportunity, and we are committed to making the most of it to ensure that every child in Himachal Pradesh benefits from this program," said Rakesh Kanwar, Secretary of Education, Government of Himachal Pradesh. "This MoU holds great significance not just for the Piramal Foundation and the Government of Himachal Pradesh but, most importantly, for the children of Himachal Pradesh. Through this partnership, they will gain access to Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning (SEEL). At Piramal Foundation, we are committed to ensuring that SEEL reaches every child, in every classroom, leaving no one behind," said Saurabh Johri, Co-founder & Director, SOESC, Piramal School of Leadership. "Integrating Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning (SEE Learning) within education is essential for shaping a society rooted in compassion and strength. We are committed to embedding these transformative principles into the heart of India's school system, nurturing academic growth along with empathy, ethical values, and emotional resilience among students. I believe this partnership with the Himachal Pradesh government is a significant step towards integrating SEE Learning into the state's educational framework and paving the way for a more inclusive, compassionate, and future-ready education system for students across the region," Monal Jayaram, Co-founder & Director, SOESC, Piramal School of Leadership. "The critical need for compassionate education has never been more relevant, and we are taking this forward through SEE Learning. We deeply appreciate the profound support of Piramal Foundation in this endeavour," said Dr. Lobsang Tenzin Negi, Executive Director, the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics, Emory University. Other distinguished dignitaries present at the occasion included: Chhime Regzing Chhoekyapa, Senior Secretary at Office of the His Holiness Dalai Lama; Anshu Dubey and Ghanshyam Soni, Core Team Members, Piramal School of Leadership (PSL); Seema Verma, Coordinator, SPD Office, Samagra Shiksha; Maulshree Kalothia, Program Director, PSL; and Rajender Kumar, Program Manager, PSL. This partnership between Piramal School of Leadership and the Himachal Pradesh Government marks a significant step towards creating a more equitable, innovative, and impactful education system. Piramal School of Leadership (PSL) is dedicated to leadership development through personal transformation in public systems. Designed for government sector middle managers and senior leaders, PSL operates across four schools: School of Education and Systems Change, School of Climate and Sustainability, School of Health, and School of Inclusion. PSL is aligned with national priorities and emphasises 'Sewa Bhaav' and innovation to address complex challenges in public systems. Through rigorous training and strategic partnerships with state governments and other organisations, PSL empowers leaders to drive meaningful change in public systems. The School of Education and Systems Change at PSL nurtures students with self-agency and compassion, preparing them for the workforce through 21st-century education. We address the future-readiness gap by instilling 'Sewa Bhaav' in learners and middle managers, fostering a transformative shift in the public education system towards compassion and resilience for the future. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
The placement season at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi for the academic year 2024-25 has begun on a high note, with students receiving more than 1,200 job offers, including pre-placement offers (PPOs). According to the Office of Career Services, IIT Delhi, about 1,150 unique students have already been selected, showcasing the institute's reputation as a hub for top-tier talent. A host of leading recruiters have made significant contributions to this year's placements, with several extending double-digit offers. Prominent names include American Express, Barclays, BCG, BlueStone Jewellery & Lifestyle Private Limited, Deutsche India Pvt Ltd, Goldman Sachs, Google, Graviton Research Capital, Intel India, Meesho, Micron Technology, Microsoft, OLA, Oracle, PayU, Quadeye, Qualcomm, Robust Results Private Limited, Shiprocket, Squarepoint Capital, Texas Instruments, Trident Group, and Turing Global India Pvt. Ltd. Adding to the excitement, IIT Delhi students have received over 50 international offers from more than 15 esteemed organizations operating in regions such as Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan, the UAE, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Commenting on the progress of the placement season, Prof. Naresh Varma Datla, Professor-in-Charge of the Office of Career Services (OCS), expressed optimism. He said, "IIT Delhi had a very good start and has been doing very well so far. We believe that a similar trend will continue in the upcoming days as well. The Office of Career Services is focused on expanding the range of companies and job profiles in the coming days to cater to the students appearing for placements." Echoing this sentiment, Prof. Suresh Neelakantan, Co-Professor-in-Charge, OCS, commended the efforts of students and recruiters alike. "We sincerely appreciate our recruiters for recognizing the talent and potential of our students, and we congratulate the students for their perseverance & outstanding efforts," he said. The placement season, which spans till the end of the next semester, caters to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The seamless execution of the placement process is attributed to the collaborative efforts of the OCS team, including staff, student coordinators, and volunteers, as well as the continued partnership with industry leaders across diverse sectors. (ANI)
BusinessWire India New Delhi [India], December 23: TECNO, an innovative technology brand and globally recognized innovator, has once again underscored its prowess in designing excellence by securing two prestigious "Excellent Product Design" awards at the esteemed German Design Awards 2025. The TECNO PHANTOM V Flip2 5G and PHANTOM V Fold2 5G were both honored in the Computer and Communication category, reflecting the brand's unwavering commitment to harmonizing cutting-edge technology with unparalleled fashionable designs. The German Design Awards (https://www.german-design-award.com/en/) are the premium prize of the German Design Council. With its global scope and international appeal, it is one of the most prestigious awards in the design landscape across all industries. The German Design Awards have been identifying key design trends, presenting them to a broad public and honoring them since 2012. This year's competition was particularly intense, featuring submissions from 59 countries vying for the top accolades. The TECNO PHANTOM V Fold2 5G, a standout winner at the German Design Awards for its innovative design, impressed the judging panel with its revolutionary foldable technology. It seamlessly integrates a compact 6.42" outer screen with an expansive 7.85" main 120Hz LTPO display, all powered by a robust 5750mAh Aircell battery with rapid 70W charging. The FreeForm imaging system elevates its functionality and creativity to new heights. The Rippling Blue edition, a collaboration with German high-end TV and audio brand LOEWE., embodies sophisticated elegance while upholding sustainable design principles. Its eco-friendly packaging, crafted from plant fibers and recycled materials, further underscores TECNO's dedication to sustainability. Equally impressive, the TECNO PHANTOM V Flip2 5G, an icon of sleek and flowing design, captivated the panel of judges with its revolutionary ThruPool Cover Screen, inspired by infinity pools. This stylish creation features a 3.64" screen seamlessly integrated with the slightly curved main body, with a suspended camera lens immersed in flowing pixels. Its ultra-slim flagship 120Hz main screen balances aesthetics with functionality. With AI-enhanced features like the advanced Gemini-integrated Ella AI Assistant and AI Artboard, the user experience is further elevated. The foldable design flips traditional shooting on its head, enabling creative imaging experiences with FreeCam, which allows hands-free shots at any angle from 30-150. The judges of the German Design Awards 2025 commended TECNO for its dedication to design excellence. Regarding the PHANTOM V Fold2 5G, the jury remarked, "The TECNO PHANTOM V Fold2 5G exemplifies the seamless integration of innovative technology and sophisticated design. The device's foldable screen, coupled with its potent AI features and refined aesthetics, sets a new benchmark in the smartphone market." TECNO's success at the German Design Awards 2025 builds upon the brand's impressive legacy in design. Last year, the TECNO PHANTOM V Flip 5G received a Special Mention at the German Design Awards 2024 for its distinctive circular outer screen, themed 'The Planet,' and its cosmic-inspired aesthetic. This year, however, the TECNO PHANTOM V Flip2 5G has achieved an even higher honor at the GDA 2025, further cementing TECNO's status as an innovator at the forefront of the design landscape and marking consecutive victories at the prestigious awards. "We are honored to receive these awards, as they signify the recognition of TECNO's steadfast commitment to design excellence," said Jack Guo, General Manager of TECNO. "Guided by our 'Stop At Nothing' ethos, we relentlessly push the boundaries of design and technology to deliver cutting-edge, stylish innovations to our global audience. Our continued focus on the foldable market highlights our dedication to pioneering design. Looking forward, we are poised to further strengthen our position as a leader in AI-driven innovation, bringing even more transformative technologies to our users around the world." As an innovative technology brand operating in over 70 markets, TECNO has been dedicated to revolutionizing the digital experience in emerging markets worldwide. Through its unwavering pursuit of design excellence and the seamless integration of contemporary aesthetics with the latest technologies, TECNO is poised to continue making a significant impact on the global design landscape. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
PRNewswire Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 23: The 13th Convocation of Alliance University, Bengaluru, saw a total of 1,145 students receive UG and PG degrees and PhDs in multiple streams. The ceremony was graced by distinguished dignitaries. PS Sreedharan Pillai, Governor of Goa, was the Chief Guest at the ceremony. Guests of Honour included Basavaraj Shivalingappa Horatti, Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council; Priyank Mallikarjun Kharge, Minister for Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, IT & BT, Govt. of Karnataka; and Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy, Chairman, Aeronautical Development Agency. Chief Guest, PS Sreedharan Pillai, Governor of Goa, said, " Education is not just a pathway to a career but a foundation for a meaningful life." Honorary doctorates were conferred upon PS Sreedharan Pillai; Padma Bhushan Dr. VK Saraswat; Padma Shri Anju Bobby George, and Prakash Rao, acknowledging their exceptional contributions to their respective fields. Addressing the audiences, PS Sreedharan Pillai, Governor of Goa, said, "Alliance University exemplifies academic excellence and innovation, rooted in holistic education and fostering critical thinkers prepared for a dynamic world." He emphasized that their success reflects not only personal effort but also the unwavering support of mentors and families. He urged them to uphold the university's values of integrity, resilience, and lifelong learning as they navigate a rapidly evolving landscape. "Education," he noted, "is not just a pathway to a career but a foundation for a meaningful life. With adaptability and a commitment to learning, graduates are poised to shape a brighter future." Priyank Mallikarjun Kharge, Minister for Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, IT & BT, Govt. of Karnataka, said: "Karnataka has undergone a remarkable transformation from an IT services hub to a global technology leader, now ranked as the world's fourth-largest tech cluster. Our state's leadership in electronics, aerospace, and biotechnology is a testament to our innovative spirit. To the graduates, remember that failure is not the end, but a stepping-stone to success. Embrace lifelong learning and adaptability to shape a brighter future for yourselves and for the world." "Education is a transformative tool for shaping individuals and society. Graduates must see their degree as a starting point, embracing lifelong learning, adaptability, and courage to drive change and leave a lasting impact," said Shri Basavaraj Shivalingappa Horatti, Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council. G. Satheesh Reddy, Chairman, Governing Body, Aeronautical Development Agency, said: "India is going through an evolutionary phase, with positive changes all around. About 4.38 crore students are pursuing higher education today in the country, and 14 lakh engineers graduate every year. India is number 3 globally in the number of PhDs being produced annually. Over 75% of IIT graduates today prefer to stay back in India, rather than go abroad. In 2016, India had just 458 startups, in contrast to 150,000 today. We are now self-reliant in a range of weapon systems. In FY 2023-24, we exported Defence equipment worth Rs 21,000 crore, and are targeting Rs 50,000 crore in next three years. India can become a world-leader in Defence with in-depth innovation and research. India's universities have a big role to play in this by producing great leaders strong on research and scientific talent." Dr. Priestly Shan, Vice Chancellor, Alliance University, added: "Our 13th Convocation celebrates not only the academic achievements of our students but also their resilience, creativity, and determination. As they embark on their professional journey, I am confident they will continue the university's legacy of excellence and contribute significantly to the nation. Looking ahead, Alliance University is committed to advancing academic innovation through new programs, research excellence, and skill development initiatives while investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure and international partnerships. I encourage students to lead with integrity, learn relentlessly, innovate boldly, and contribute meaningfully to society." The prestigious Bank of Baroda Gold Awards were presented to students excelling across various disciplines. University officials also took pride in the university's exceptional placement record, with 100% placement assistance in top companies, such as Accenture, JP Morgan & Chase Co, IDFC FIRST Bank and Deutsche Bank. The ceremony highlighted the extraordinary accomplishments of the graduating batch, showcasing their innovation and excellence across fields like space research and eco-friendly advancements. Among the notable achievements was a patent for the 'Design of Eye Sensory Helmet Mounted Display System for UAVs and Drones', developed collaboratively by the faculty and students. Graduates also received recognition for their 'Comprehensive Study of Space Debris', presented at international conferences. Additionally, several students earned prestigious scholarships for higher education at renowned institutions, such as Imperial College London and the State University of New York (SUNY) Albany. About Alliance University Established in 2010, Alliance University is South India's first private institution, located in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The university fosters a community of lifelong learners and global citizens. Since its inception, Alliance University has expanded its offerings, establishing the Alliance College of Engineering & Design and the Alliance School of Law in 2012. The institution emphasizes experiential learning, renowned faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities. Alliance University's mission is to provide a high-quality environment for teaching, research, and service, facilitating global collaboration to transform lives through innovation and excellence in higher education. Its motto, 'A World of Opportunities', reflects a commitment to empowering individuals academically and personally. For more information, please visit: www.alliance.edu.in/ Media Contact: Merin Mariyamerin.mariya@alliance.edu.in+91-6282805595 Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2586694/ALLIANCE_UNI_Convocation.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2353585/5090287/AU_Logo.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)
PNN Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], December 23: In an era where creativity meets functionality, the demand for skilled interior designers has skyrocketed. JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), School of Design, Media, and Creative Arts (SDMCA), Bangalore, offers a dynamic Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Interior Design program that blends artistic expression with technical expertise. As one of the top BSc interior designing colleges in India, this program equips students with the tools to redefine majestic spaces and create environments that harmonize aesthetics and functionality. Program Overview: Transform Your Passion into a Profession The BSc Interior Design course at JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) is designed to inspire and nurture future designers. Recognised as one of the best BSc interior design colleges in Bangalore, the program offers a comprehensive curriculum, including well-curated BSc interior design syllabus and interactive studio experiences. These elements provide students with the foundation to develop their unique design styles and creative solutions for transforming spaces. Major Dr. Rekha Sinha, Program Director of Interior Design- JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), remarks, "Our B.Sc Interior Design program is tailored to cultivate the next generation of design leaders. We focus on fostering creativity, technical expertise, and industry readiness." Students can explore their personal design preferences while engaging in live projects that reflect real-world scenarios. These immersive experiences prepare graduates for the diverse scope of BSc interior designing, enabling them to thrive in roles ranging from residential and commercial design to set and event planning. Why Choose JAIN for Interior Design? * Comprehensive Curriculum: The program offers an enriched syllabus with a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application. * Immersive Learning Environment: Students work on real-life projects and hone their skills in professional studio settings. * Customised Educational Journey: The flexibility to tailor the program based on individual interests makes it one of the top BSc interior design colleges in Bangalore. * Industry-Oriented Training: Faculty with extensive industry experience guide students in mastering contemporary design practices. Ravindra Bhandary, Vice President- Jain Group of Institutions, emphasises, "Our focus is to provide students with the skills and confidence to navigate the competitive design industry. As one of the top BSc interior designing colleges in India, we deliver an education that is both innovative and transformative." Program Highlights * Hands-on Studio Experience: A professional environment that mirrors industry standards. * Creative Exploration: Encourages students to discover and refine their design paths based on personal interests. * Live Projects: Students engage in practical assignments, offering a glimpse into real-world challenges and opportunities. * Global Perspective: The program fosters a mindset equipped for the global market, making JAIN one of the best BSc interior design colleges in Bangalore. * Career Opportunities: Where Creativity Meets Reality Graduates of this program have access to diverse career paths, including roles such as: * Interior Designer * Spatial Engineer * Urban Planner * Design Curator Additional opportunities include specialisations in furniture design, retail space design, and exhibition planning. The extensive scope of BSc interior designing ensures that students can explore multiple avenues to unleash their creativity. Affordable and Accessible JAIN's BSc Interior Design fees are structured to make quality education accessible to aspiring designers from diverse backgrounds. The program is not only affordable but also delivers unmatched value, further establishing JAIN as one of the BSc in interior design colleges in Bangalore. Eligibility Criteria Aspiring students must have passed the 10+2 examination in Arts, Science, or Commerce from a recognised board. Candidates meeting the BSc interior design eligibility requirements are encouraged to apply and embark on a transformative educational journey. Take the First Step Toward Your Dream Career As one of the best BSc interior design colleges in Bangalore, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) offers a program that is both comprehensive and forward-thinking. With expert guidance, real-world exposure, and a curriculum that inspires innovation, this program sets the stage for success in the dynamic field of interior design. Contact Information Website: www.jainuniversity.ac.inEmail: enquiry.ug@jainuniversity.ac.in (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
NewsVoir Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 23: Jain University, in collaboration with Jain School of Design and Shantamani Kala Kendra, successfully commenced the JU 2024 National Art Exhibition and Camp, a groundbreaking initiative celebrating the transformative power of art. The camp is underway at 24 Divine Live Art Gallery, School of design, media and creative arts, JAIN (Deemed- to-be- University), Bengaluru from 22nd to 24th December. Bringing together 60 artists from various corners of India, the event will feature 100 unique art forms and numerous live art demonstrations across three days of artistic immersion. The thematic focus on Karnataka will emphasise art's role in uniting communities and fostering cultural and economic development. The day one of the event was graced by luminaries like Vijay Achrekar, Renowned Artist from Mumbai; Krishna Setty, Eminent Artist from Bengaluru; Srinivasulu IFS, Commissioner, Ayush Department; and Pa Sa Kumar, Senior Artist and Chairman, Karnataka Lalita Kala Akademi. Highlighting the initiative's purpose, Dr. Chenraj Roychand, Chancellor of Jain (Deemed-to-be-University) said, "This initiative marks a significant step in strengthening the relationship between art, society and economic growth, establishing Jain University as a beacon for cultural innovation." Avinash D Kate, Dean of Art and Design at Shantamani Kala Kendra, said, "The JU 2024 National Art Exhibition and Camp is a milestone in our commitment to fostering creativity. By showcasing Karnataka's rich artistic heritage and including participants from the North East, we celebrate India's cultural diversity and artistic brilliance." Inaugurating the camp, C.S. Krishna Shetty, a National Award-winning artist and former Chairman of the Central Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi, emphasized the transformative power of art in fostering unity and bridging societal divides. He highlighted the importance of students harnessing their innate artistic talents to express their emotions and showcase their creativity. One of the standout participants at the Art Camp is Rajendar Amkam from Solapur, celebrated for his distinctive weaving art that transforms into mesmerizing portraits. A self-taught artist, Amkam has received a National Award, two Maharashtra State Awards, and six district-level honours. His exceptional work has been exhibited internationally in Australia and France, as well as at the prestigious "Make in India" initiative, where it garnered acclaim from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of Sweden. The event will not only celebrate artistic heritage but also empower artists through recognition and economic opportunities. Attendees left inspired by the unique cultural and artistic narratives presented. Shantamani Kala Kendra is envisaged as the fulcrum for liberal education in the University offering educational programmes in Fine Arts, Design, Media, Creative Ars and Performing Arts, besides promoting and amalgamating various traditional and modern art forms. From time immemorial, these forms have been referred to as Lalit Kala. Shantamani Kala Kendra derives its name and inspiration from the former Chief Mentor of the JAIN Group of Institutions, the late Professor Shantamani, who was instrumental in developing and instituting the Ph.D. and post-graduate programmes in Performing Arts. In addition, Dr. Shantamani designed a unique course relating to Mind Management and Human Values, which is today being offered to all undergraduate students of the University. To know more visit www.jainuniversity.ac.in/finearts/#shantamani. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
The Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS held an award ceremony to honor young researchers for their outstanding contributions to archaeological fieldwork and public activities during 2024, Azernews reports.

The event, led by the institute's director, Doctor of Philosophy in History, Associate Professor Farhad Guliyev, highlighted the institutes commitment to fostering a new generation of archaeologists in Azerbaijan.

Guliyev emphasized the importance of engaging youth in the fields of archaeology and anthropology, ensuring their active participation in field research to enhance their scientific expertise. He noted that creating opportunities for young researchers to contribute to the institute's public life is equally essential.

"One of our main priorities is to recognize and reward the efforts of young people in scientific research and public activities. This year, several young employees stood out through their dedication to fieldwork, including expeditions in the liberated territories of Garabagh and East Zangezur, as well as international archaeological projects across various regions, including the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic," Guliyev stated.

He expressed optimism about the increasing involvement of young researchers in the institutes activities in the coming years and pledged his continuous support.

As part of the recognition, the institute awarded letters of appreciation and cash prizes to outstanding young employees, funded by extrabudgetary resources. The management also plans to sustain this tradition, aiming to support distinguished researchers by financing their participation in international conferences and advanced scientific training programs abroad.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of awards to the young archaeologists, celebrating their achievements in both field research and public engagement throughout 2024.
VMPL New Delhi [India], December 23: In just a year, Arnifi has reached an incredible milestone: helping over 150 businesses establish their roots across seven global markets. This achievement isn't just a number--it reflects Arnifi's dedication to make business growth simpler, smoother, and more accessible for entrepreneurs and enterprises. As a comprehensive corporate solutions provider, Arnifi specializes in more than just setting up businesses. From navigating complex market entry processes to providing long-term operational support, Arnifi has become a trusted partner for CEOs and founders. Backed by a team of experienced professionals and led by Manu Midha, CEO & Founder - Arnifi who is committed to fostering business success through innovation, transparency, and expertise. The Vision Behind the Success One of the major reasons behind Arnifi's rapid growth is Manu Midha's vision of creating an ecosystem where starting and running a business is as seamless as possible. Manu's extensive experience in the technology and services industries has been pivotal in shaping Arnifi's offerings, focusing on efficiency, transparency, and client empowerment. Arnifi's success is not just about numbers--it's about building relationships, solving challenges, and enabling businesses to thrive. The trust Arnifi has earned from its clients is a direct result of our team's forward-thinking approach. Empowering Diverse Industries Arnifi's milestone is set by the work with businesses from diverse industries, each driven by innovation and a commitment to growth. Whatever domain you choose--be it logistics, education, digital services, or others--Arnifi's tailored support empowers businesses to navigate market entry challenges and streamline operational complexities effectively. Companies Supported by Arnifi: * Shipsy - A leading logistics and supply chain company expanding operations across the Middle East, supported by Arnifi's seamless market entry and compliance solutions. * Physics Wallah - India's top ed-tech platform expanding into the Gulf with Arnifi's support, successfully launching its first offline center in Riyadh while ensuring full regulatory compliance. * Moglix - An industrial supply and procurement platform that relied on Arnifi for efficient accounting services and market entry in the KSA. Trusted Partner in Business Solutions Arnifi's rise as a leader in business services hasn't gone unnoticed. Industry experts recognize Arnifi for its innovative approach to simplifying business operations. From handling regulatory compliance, and visa services to post-setup support Arnifi offers end-to-end solutions that focus on all the crucial aspects of the business. Arnifi's reputation is built on trust, transparency, and reliability. For businesses looking to expand into new markets, We provide: * Accounting & Tax Services - Professionals at Arnifi have a deep understanding of tax regulations and leverage advanced technology to deliver exceptional value in accounting and taxation. Arnifi, in partnership with reputed and experienced professionals, offers a comprehensive tax compliance package designed to streamline your business operations and ensure peace of mind. * Visa & Immigration Services - Their visa and Immigration Services, cater to work, family, and business visa needs. Also includes expert guidance on visa applications, renewals, and compliance, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free process. Trust us to simplify your immigration journey with efficiency and professionalism. * Post-Setup Compliance - At Arnifi, we specialize in establishing Post-Setup Compliance services globally, ensuring seamless operations for your business. Our offerings include HR services, office setup, and tech infrastructure development. With our expertise, we streamline these critical processes, allowing you to focus on growth while we handle the essential operational requirements. Shaping a Vision for the Future Arnifi's journey of 150+ business setups is just the beginning. As more entrepreneurs and enterprises look to expand, Arnifi will continue to be the partner they can rely on. With a focus on resilience, innovation, and trust, Arnifi is transforming how businesses approach global markets. For any entrepreneur or business leader ready to take the next step, Arnifi makes growth simple, efficient, and impactful. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same
SMPL New Delhi [India], December 23: Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (SIMS), Constituent of Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, organized its 15th Annual International Research Conference (SIMSARC'24) from 16th to 18th December, 2024 on the theme "Technology and Beyond: Business Solutions for One World, One Future." The conference comprised a faculty development programme, plenary sessions and research paper presentations. The Chief Guest of the inaugural function was Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman & MD, Persistent Systems. His address focused on five guiding principles of life: dream big, be persistent, networking, continuous learning and developing core values. Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar, Hon'ble Pro-Chancellor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University) presided over the function while Dr. Ramakrishnan Raman, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University) graced the occasion with his esteemed presence. Brig. (Dr.) Rajiv Divekar, Dean, Faculty of Management, Symbiosis International (Deemed University) and Director, SIMS delivered the welcome address while Dr. Pravin Kumar Bhoyar, Deputy Director, SIMS proposed the vote of thanks. SIMS in-house journal, JIDNYASA and SIMSJMR, 2024 edition were released during the occasion. During the conference plenary sessions, academia and industry experts shared their valuable insights related to the theme. A notable highlight of SIMSARC'24 was the discussion on role of artificial intelligence in different business domains, challenges in implementation and future potential. The conference concluded with the valedictory function on 18th December, 2024. graced by Atul Kharate, Chief Operating Officer, IndianOil Adani Ventures Limited. Kharate highlighted the role and importance of sustainable technologies in harnessing country's growth potential. During the valedictory function, the awardees of paper presentations were announced. Dr. Komal Chopra, Convener, alongside Dr. Pravin Dange and Dr. Smita Mehendale as Co-Conveners organized the conference and ensured that the participants gained valuable learnings through insightful sessions, engaging paper presentations and interactive discussions. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by SMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Taylor Swift surprised a teenage fan named Naya during a recent visit to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, on Dec. 12. Swift, 35, who is known for her generosity, spent the day spreading holiday cheer to young patients. According to PEOPLE, a video that has since gone viral, show Swift signing an Eras Tour book for Naya, a teen patient. The two shared a light-hearted moment when Naya complimented Swift's outfit as "tea," explaining that it was a high compliment. Swift smiled and replied, "You made my day with that." However, the surprise didn't just end there. According to PEOPLE, Naya, on Sunday, shared another video showing a special Christmas gift that she received from the pop star. The gift was the exact tartan outfit Swift had been wearing during their meeting--a $4,500 Miu Miu ensemble, including a $2,250 pleated skirt and matching $2,250 button-down top. "She is soo amazing, I'm soo blessed, I love you Tay Swizzle, you're literally the bes," Naya captioned her video, showing herself unwrapping the gift. Swift also sent a handwritten note to Naya, which read: "When you asked where I got it, I purposely didn't tell you because I had a plan :) Picked you up a few things I hope you'll think are tea. Ha....Merry Christmas! Love, Taylor." Swift has a history of kind gestures toward her fans. In 2019, the popstar donated $10,000 to help a teenager with stage 4 cancer. That same year, she sent $5,000 to a Canadian fan struggling to pay tuition fees, reported PEOPLE. After wrapping up her record-breaking Eras Tour, Swift's thoughtful visit to the hospital has once again shown her dedication to her fans and her ability to brighten their lives in remarkable ways. (ANI)
Blake Lively's 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' co-stars--America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel--have publicly voiced their support for the actor following her allegations of sexual harassment and a smear campaign by 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star Justin Baldoni. The trio shared a joint message on Instagram on Sunday, a day after Lively filed a formal complaint detailing her experiences during the filming of 'It Ends With Us'. The complaint accuses Baldoni of creating a hostile work environment and orchestrating a coordinated effort to damage her reputation. "As Blake's friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation," they wrote. "Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice. Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding." "We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment. We are inspired by our sister's courage to stand up for herself and others," they added. The post was signed by Ferrera, Tamblyn, and Bledel. Ferrera and Tamblyn also shared the message on their individual Instagram accounts. Check out her post https://www.instagram.com/p/DD5oh80OduT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link According to Lively's complaint, filed last Friday, the actress raised concerns during an all-hands meeting on set, which was attended by her husband, Ryan Reynolds, reported The Hollywood Reporter. As per the publication, Lively alleged that Baldoni engaged in inappropriate behaviour, including showing her nude images and videos of women, discussing his past "pornography addiction," making remarks about cast and crew genitalia, and commenting on Lively's weight. The complaint also alleges that Baldoni's team engaged in a "social manipulation" campaign to discredit her, citing text messages from Baldoni's publicist about wanting to ensure Lively was "buried." Justin Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, has strongly denied the allegations. "It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its representatives," Freedman said in a statement. He accused Lively of attempting to fix her "negative reputation" with baseless claims. Following the allegations, Baldoni was dropped by his talent agency, WME, which also represents Lively and Reynolds. (ANI)
Denzel Washington, the legendary two-time Oscar-winning actor, has taken a significant step in his spiritual journey. The Gladiator II star has been baptised and received a certificate of baptism, along with a minister's licence, enabling him to pursue ordination. The ceremony was held at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ, located in Harlem, New York City. The First Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ Eastern New York live-streamed the service on Facebook. The actor, who is set to turn 70 years old in one week, expressed his joy at receiving the licence. He said: "In one week I turn 70. It took a while, but I'm here." Denzel also thanked his wife, Pauletta Washington, after the baptism. The two-time Academy Award winner has previously been open about his faith. In an interview with Esquire, as reported by Deadline, the actor acknowledged that while discussions about religion may be uncommon, he remains resolute in sharing his beliefs and experiences. "I'm unafraid. I don't care what anyone thinks. See, talking about the fear part of it--you can't talk like that and win Oscars. You can't talk like that and party. You can't say that in this town," he wrote in an essay published by the magazine. He continued: "It's not fashionable. It's not sexy. But that doesn't mean people in Hollywood don't believe. There's no such thing called Hollywood anyway. What does that even mean? That to me means a street called Hollywood Boulevard. It's not like we all meet somewhere and discuss what we believe. So I don't know how many other actors have faith. I didn't do no poll. How would I find that out? I mean, there's no Church Actor Meetings I've been to." Meanwhile, Denzel Washington is currently enjoying the success of Ridley Scott's Gladiator II. Alongside him, the film features Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Joseph Quinn in lead roles. The Oscar winner also revealed that he will appear in Black Panther 3, with director Ryan Coogler writing a role specifically for him. In an interview reported by Deadline, Denzel spoke candidly about his current career priorities, focusing on working with top-tier filmmakers and taking on challenging roles. "At this point in my career, I'm only interested in working with the best. I don't know how many more films I'm going to make, probably not that many. I want to do things that I haven't done," said Denzel. He went on to share details of his upcoming projects, including portraying Othello at the age of 70, playing Hannibal, and collaborating with director Steve McQueen on a future film. However, his comment about Black Panther 3 garnered the most attention. Washington added: "After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next Black Panther. After that, I'm going to do the film Othello. After that, I'm going to do King Lear. After that, I'm going to retire." Denzel Washington has won Academy Awards for his roles in Glory and Training Day. (ANI)
Harry Potter actor Ralph Fiennes reminisced about King Charles visiting the set of the James Bond film No Time to Die in 2021, as reported by People. "The atmosphere changes when royalty visits a film set," Fiennes said, adding, "Even if they don't literally button themselves up, there's a bit of internal buttoning up that might go on." He continued, "Royalty provokes a spectrum of responses," ranging from "people who say, 'Oh... The Prince of Wales is coming. What a pain,'" to others who excitedly ask, "'Did you see him? What's he like?'" Fiennes described King Charles as "warm" and "charming to meet" during the royal's visit to the Bond film set, where Fiennes played the character "M." He noted that their conversation was "easy." King Charles later attended the London premiere of the film in September 2021, alongside Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, as reported by the outlet. No Time to Die was the third Bond film in which Fiennes portrayed M, the head of MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service. The film follows Bond, who has retired from active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. However, his peace is disrupted when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA seeks his help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be more treacherous than anticipated, leading Bond to confront a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. The film was released in India on September 30, 2021. Fiennes recently starred in Conclave and The Return, which premiered in October and December, respectively. The actor is set to appear in the horror-thriller 28 Years Later, alongside Cillian Murphy and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, scheduled for release on June 20, 2025, according to People. (ANI)
Following the attack at Allu Arjun's Hyderabad residence, the legal team of the 'Pushpa' actor was seen entering his residence at Jubilee Hills on Monday evening. In visuals circulating on the internet, a group of lawyers was seen entering Allu Arjun's home with bags and folders in hand. According to DCP West Zone, Hyderabad, on the evening of December 22, several individuals holding placards suddenly rushed to the actor's residence in Jubilee Hills. They began shouting slogans, and one person climbed onto the compound wall and started throwing stones. Security staff intervened, resulting in an altercation as they attempted to persuade the protestors to get down from the wall. The individuals eventually climbed down, but they manhandled the security staff and damaged flower pots placed along the ramp. Six individuals, who claimed to be part of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OU-JAC), were taken into custody. The six accused involved in vandalising Allu Arjun's residence were granted bail today. The controversy stems from an incident on December 4, when Allu Arjun attended the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule at the Sandhya Theatre. A massive crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of the actor, and chaos ensued when he waved to fans from the sunroof of his car. This led to the tragic death of a woman named Revathi and injuries to her child. Following the incident, Allu Arjun was arrested and later released on bail after furnishing a Rs50,000 bond. In the latest development, Pushpa 2 producers Naveen Yerneni and Ravi Shankar handed over a Rs50 lakh cheque to Revathi's family in the presence of Telangana Minister for Roads & Buildings and Cinematography, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, at KIMS Hospital, Hyderabad. The cheque was received by Revathi's husband, the father of Sri Tej, who is undergoing treatment at the hospital. Producer Naveen Yerneni stated, "This is a very unfortunate incident. We have been deeply saddened since the day it happened. We cannot express our feelings. Revathi's death is a significant loss for the family. We visited the boy in the hospital, and he is recovering. The doctors are doing their best. We want to support the family, and this cheque is part of that effort." The incident has sparked political controversy, with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy blaming Allu Arjun for the tragedy. Addressing the Assembly, Reddy revealed that police had denied permission for any event at Sandhya Theatre due to safety concerns. "On December 2, Akbaruddin Owaisi requested arrangements for the cast and crew of Pushpa 2 to attend the premiere at Sandhya Theatre on December 4," Reddy said. "However, on December 3, the Chikkadpally Circle Inspector rejected the request in writing, citing the theatre's location in a congested area with only one entry and exit point, making it difficult to ensure safety. Despite this, the actor attended the event, climbed onto his car roof, and conducted a roadshow, worsening the situation." The Chief Minister further elaborated on how the police intervened during the stampede. "The ACP initially requested the actor to leave to control the crowd, but he refused, stating he would leave after watching the movie. The DCP later had to intervene, warning that he would be arrested if he didn't comply. Even while leaving, he repeated the act of climbing onto the car roof and waving to fans." Reacting to the December 4 incident, Allu Arjun expressed his condolences. "It was a tragic accident, and my heart goes out to the family. I've been monitoring the condition of the injured child, and I'm relieved to hear he is improving. There has been a lot of misinformation and false allegations. I do not wish to blame any department or politician. This is deeply distressing for me." The actor dismissed allegations of misconduct, describing them as an attempt at "character assassination." He added, "I have worked in the film industry for 20 years, and this incident has been devastating. I haven't even watched my film in the theatre despite working on it for three years. I deeply apologise for the incident but want to clarify that I had no direct involvement in the unfortunate events." Allu Arjun was last seen in Pushpa 2, directed by Sukumar. (ANI)
Shri Panch Dashnam Avahan Akhada reaches Prayagraj for Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 and made an official entry into the Sangam city here on Sunday. Escorted by scores of seers and saints, including Mahant, and Malamandleshwars, were welcomed with flowers by the Kumbh Mela administration at various places. On the other hand, the Maha Kumbh 2025 will feature a vibrant display of India's cultural diversity from January 10 to February 24. The Uttar Pradesh Culture Department is finalizing preparations to present the rich folk arts of India during this period, a press release said on December 21. The Culture Department will set up 20 small stages at key locations across Prayagraj, allowing tourists, devotees, and locals to experience the country's diverse cultural heritage for 45 days. Folk dance forms from various states across India will be performed on these stages. Additionally, a special cultural stage will be erected in the Nagvasuki area, where Kalpvasis and devotees will be treated to spiritually enriching Ramlilas, adding a unique spiritual dimension to the cultural festivities. Apart from this, UP government will establish a 300-bed deluxe dormitory in Prayagraj to accommodate pilgrims and tourists, officials said on December 19. According to officials, the Uttar Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (UPSTDC) will enhance its tent-based deluxe accommodation facilities by establishing a 300-bed deluxe dormitory within the Maha Kumbh Mela area, it added. This large-scale project, soon to be launched, aims to provide premium lodging options for visitors. The dormitory will feature a total of 50 tents, divided into three categorised: 20 tents with 4 beds each, 10 tents with 6 beds each, and 20 tents with 8 beds each. The government has set up tent cities being constructed and operated in the Mahakumbh Mela area designed to meet the needs of international tourists, VIPs, and general pilgrims. Each tent in this deluxe dormitory will range in size from 250 to 400 square feet. These tents will be developed and operated to the same high standards as the villas and super deluxe tents already established by UPSTDC in Arail. with the same standards as the villas and super deluxe tents already set up by UPSTDC in Arail. (ANI)
Talking to Roshan Dhasmana, who won the election for the post of president, and Gajendra Bhandari, who was elected unopposed to the post of General Secretary, the Chief Minister congratulated them over the phone.

He expressed hope that the new executive of Akhil Garhwal Sabha will work to take forward the cultural heritage of the state.

The Chief Minister said that the rich culture of the state is seen in the Kauthag organized by Garhwal Sabha. Local folk artists get a platform. Garhwal Sabha is doing commendable work towards the preservation of Garhwali literature, dialect, language.

Garhwal Sabha is doing important work towards connecting the new generation with its culture, dialect, language and said that all possible support will be provided to Akhil Garhwal Sabha by the state government. (ANI)
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday criticized the then previous left government for its failure to resolve the 23-year-long Bru Reang issue in the state, stating that the dedicated efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have finally addressed the longstanding problem. "The problem of Bru-Reang internally displaced people remained unresolved for 23 years during the Left rule, which spanned almost 35 years. However, with the dedicated efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, this long-standing problem has been resolved. Along with this, the Central and State governments are taking the right steps to ensure the proper rehabilitation of the refugees," said CM Saha. The Chief Minister made these remarks during the inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony for several development projects in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Ambasa subdivision of Dhalai district on Sunday. At the event, the Union Home Minister formally inaugurated six development projects worth about Rs 668.39 crore and laid the foundation stone for seven development projects. During his speech, the Chief Minister stated, "We endured almost 35 years of Left Front rule here. But the Bru people lived in miserable conditions for 23 years. With the dedicated efforts of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, this long-standing problem has been resolved. I thank the Union Home Minister, who is present here, and express my gratitude to the Prime Minister for resolving this problem." CM Saha mentioned that the government has made arrangements for the rehabilitation of Bru IDPs in 12 locations across the state. "Work has been completed in 11 locations, and the remaining work in Shantirbazar is on the verge of completion. Every aspect of the agreement between the Central Government, Tripura Government, Mizoram Government, and Bru representatives will be fully implemented as stated. The state government is fulfilling the directives of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister," he said. The Chief Minister further elaborated that 1,754 acres of land have been used for resettlement. "Out of this, a total of 6,935 families comprising 37,584 individuals have been rehabilitated so far. Facilities such as electricity connections, brick-paved roads, deep tube wells for purified drinking water, ration shops, Anganwadi centres, schools, and primary health centres have been provided. Initially, Rs 500 crore was allocated for this purpose, but with the intervention of the Union Home Minister, Rs 821.98 crore has been spent so far," he added. The event was attended by MP Biplab Kumar Deb, MP Kriti Singh Debbarma, MLA Chittaranjan Debbarma, Union Home Secretary Gobinda Mohan, Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha, Director General of Police Amitabh Ranjan, Revenue Secretary Brijesh Pandey, Dhalai District Magistrate Saju Wahid A, and other high-ranking officials from the Central and State administrations. (ANI)
A charity fair held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, showcased the cultural and culinary heritage of Azerbaijan, among contributions from other participating diplomatic missions, Azernews reprots.

The event was opened by Tajikistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, who delivered a speech and visited the pavilions representing various countries. Azerbaijan's pavilion, organized by the Azerbaijani embassy, attracted significant attention.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Tajikistan, Alimirzamin Askerov, briefed Minister Muhriddin on the items displayed at the pavilion. These included Azerbaijani national art, crafts, industrial products, samples of traditional cuisine and sweets, souvenirs, books translated into Tajik by the embassy, and information about Azerbaijans tourism opportunities.

The event served as a platform to strengthen cultural ties and promote Azerbaijans rich heritage to an international audience.
Participating in Rudrabhishek programme in Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said, now Indians don't need to have to give the Taj Mahal (replica) to foreign guests anymore instead we gift Geeta, Ramayan, Mahabharat, and the holy texts of Sanatan dharma. Yadav was speaking at Jarrapur village under Budhni Tehsil of the district when he said, "India has gained respect on international level and it feels good that we don't have to give the Taj Mahal (replica) to foreign guests anymore, we gift them the Geeta, Ramayan, Mahabharat, the holy texts of Sanatan dharma..." Yadav's statement came while he was assuring saints of providing permanent space in Ujjain for the construction of Dharamshala, halls for religious gatherings and other infrastructure for religious purposes. Yadav also said that the government is going to give "legal permission" for the same. Earlier on Saturday, CM also performed the bhoomi pujan of an IT Park worth Rs46 crores in Ujjain, underlining the state government's commitment to fostering industrial and technological growth. Sharing the development on social media X (formerly known as X), the Chief Minister said, "Our endeavour is to pave the way for industrial development by creating favourable conditions for investment in Madhya Pradesh, along with promoting technology and innovation through entrepreneurship, thereby increasing employment opportunities in the field of technology." Meanwhile, addressing the Yuva Udyami Manch Summit 2024, CM highlighted his government's achievements in promoting investment in the state. "Ever since our government was formed, we have made efforts to encourage investments by making sure that our investor summits are available even at the smallest level... In metros, we organised roadshows to promote the businesses of Madhya Pradesh," he said. (ANI)
Addressing the Mahanubhav Ashram Shatakpurti Samaroh, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat urged different sects to work and explain their religion to its followers as misunderstanding of religion leads to atrocities in the world. "There have been atrocities in the world due to misunderstanding of religion. It is necessary to have a society that interprets the religion correctly. Religion is very important, it should be taught properly. Religion has to be understood, if it is not understood properly then half knowledge of religion will lead to 'Adharma'," said RSS chief. "Improper and incomplete knowledge of religion leads to 'Adharma'. All the oppression and atrocities happening in the world in the name of religion have happened due to misunderstandings about religion. That is why, it is required for the sects to work and explain their religion," he said further. Earlier as well, the RSS chief urged for unity and harmony in the country, stressing that divisive issues should not be raised to create enmity, even as he highlighted the importance of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya as a symbol of Hindu devotion. Speaking at the inauguration of the Hindu Sewa Mahotsav in Pune on Thursday, Bhagwat said, "Coming to the question of devotion. There should be a Ram temple, and it indeed happened. That is a site for the devotion of Hindus." However, he cautioned against creating divisions. "But raking up new issues every day for disdain and enmity should not be done. What is the solution here? We should show the world that we can live in harmony, so we should have a little experiment in our country," the RSS chief added. Highlighting India's diverse culture, Bhagwat said, "We have ideologies of different sects and communities in our country." Bhagwat also spoke about Hinduness as an eternal dharma, stating that the Acharyas of this eternal and Sanatan dharma follow the "sewa dharma," or the dharma of humanity. Addressing the audience, he described Sewa as the essence of Sanatan Dharma, transcending religious and social boundaries. He urged people to embrace service not for recognition but for the pure desire to give back to society. The Hindu Sewa Mahotsav, organised by the Hindu Adhyatmik Sewa Sanstha, is being held at the Shikshan Prasarak Mandali's college ground and will continue until December 22. (ANI)
Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday spoke to the family of the deceased police constable who was found hanging from a tree in Rajnandgaon district on Saturday and said that the victim's family has raised "discrepancies" and has demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter. "I spoke to the family members today. They said that there were discrepancies... The system has collapsed... All the agencies are under suspicion. The families are demanding a CBI inquiry and it should be done..", Baghel told ANI. When asked SIT has been constituted in the case, Baghel said, "Who has allegations on their hand if they will investigate then what will be the results. It's an attempt to cover up the matter." The police constable, identified as Anil Ratnakar was facing a probe in connection with an alleged police recruitment scam. He was posted in Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district and placed on duty during the procedure of ongoing police recruitment exercise. His body was found hanging from a tree at Ghorda village. Earlier on Sunday as well Bhupesh Baghel has raised suspicion on the death and termed it as the fallout of alleged irregularities in the recruitment drive. In an X post, Baghel asked CM Vishnu Deo Sai to ensure a CBI probe into it. "The police recruitment scam of Rajnandgaon seems to be a serious matter. What constable Anil Ratnakar wrote on his hand before his death by suicide shows its seriousness. The meaning of 'employees are being framed, officers are being protected. All officers are involved' is clear @vishnudsai ji. Corruption has definitely taken place. Officials also have a role to play," said former CM in a post on X. "Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai ji should get this scam and murder investigated by CBI," the former CM wrote in another post. (ANI)
Following the arrest of two suspected terrorists linked to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh by Assam STF in Murshidabad, West Bengal, BJP leader Arjun Singh alleged that 90 per cent of the civic volunteers in the state are Jamaat supporters. "You will find a Jamaat terrorist in every police station. 90 per cent of the civic volunteers who check our passports are Jamaat supporters... It's unfortunate that the Assam police are capturing terrorists in West Bengal. They work for the country while the West Bengal police only work for the state and the party," Arjun Singh told ANI. Notably, in a joint operation, the Assam STF and West Bengal STF arrested two suspected terrorists - Abbas Sheikh and Minarul Sheikh - in Murshidabad's Hariharpara on December 19. Earlier, Javed Munshi, a suspected member of the outlawed 'Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen' outfit in Kashmir, was granted transit remand till December 31 by the Alipore Court on Sunday. Munshi was arrested on Saturday in a joint operation by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police. The transit remand was sought by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for further investigation. Munshi, 58, was apprehended near the Indo-Bangladesh border in the Canning area of West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district. According to Public Prosecutor Vikash, Munshi was allegedly working to revive the Muslim League. The Srinagar police travelled to West Bengal to secure the transit remand for further inquiries. The prosecutor stated that during Munshi's arrest, police seized a book, a CD, a plastic bag, and several documents. "From Srinagar, police came here to get a transit remand. One person, named Javed Ahmed Munshi, 58 years old, was working with the purpose of reviving the Muslim League... He was arrested in the Canning PS area. From his possession, one book, one CD, a plastic bag, and several documents were seized by the police... The court allowed transit remand up to 31st December," Vikash said. The police reported that Munshi had arrived in the Canning area a few days before his arrest, allegedly planning to exfiltrate into Bangladesh under instructions from Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives. Javed Munshi, an expert in IEDs and weapons handling, is associated with the banned terrorist organisation Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM). He has a history of involvement in terror-related activities, including his alleged role in the 2011 murder of Shaukat Shah, a leader of the Ahl-i-Hadith. Munshi has also served multiple jail terms for terrorism-related charges. During preliminary interrogation, Munshi admitted to having visited Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan multiple times using fake Pakistani passports, acting on instructions from his handlers. (ANI)
Hitting back at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over his remarks on the electoral process, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, Praveen Khandelwal said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) transparently conducts elections and the statements of Kharge are completely baseless. Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Khandelwal emphasised that the ECI is an independent and unbiased unit. "It transparently conducts elections. The government under the leadership of PM Modi encourages democracy and makes efforts to make elections convenient for the people. The statements of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge are completely baseless...Congress always loses the election, and then they blame the government. Such allegations are baseless and it is just an effort to weaken the democracy," the BJP MP said. Earlier on Sunday, Mallikarjun Kharge strongly criticised the Union Government's recent amendment, based on a recommendation from the ECI, to the Conduct of Election Rules, accusing it of undermining the integrity of the Election Commission. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kharge highlighted previous actions, such as the removal of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) from the ECI selection panel, and claimed that the government is now stonewalling crucial electoral information despite a High Court order. "Modi Government's audacious amendment in the Conduct of Election Rules is another assault in its systematic conspiracy to destroy the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India. Earlier, they had removed the Chief Justice of India from the Selection panel which appoints Election Commissioners, and now they have resorted to stonewall electoral information, even after a High Court order," he said. This came in the wake of a recent Punjab and Haryana High Court directive in the Mahmoud Pracha vs ECI case, where the court ordered the sharing of all documents related to the Haryana Assembly elections, including CCTV footage under Rule 93(2) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. The amendment by the Centre now restricts public scrutiny of certain electronic documents, including CCTV footage, based on a recommendation from the ECI. The Union Law Ministry recently amended Rule 93(2) to specify which documents are open to public inspection. However, a senior ECI official clarified to ANI that the candidate already has access to all the documents and papers, and no amendments have been made to the rules in this regard. (ANI)
During Monday's Bhasma Aarti at the Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple, Lord Mahakal was adorned in the form of Lord Hanuman to celebrate Hanuman Ashtami with devotion and grandeur. This unique celebration, held in Ujjain, is the only one of its kind in India. The temple was filled with joy as devotees witnessed both Baba Mahakaleshwar and Lord Hanuman's divine presence during the Aarti. Devotees offered prayers, seeking blessings from Baba Mahakal, Lord Ram, and Lord Hanuman. It is believed that Lord Hanuman resides in the Mahakaleshwar Temple and blesses his devotees. This belief added to the festive spirit as devotees celebrated Hanuman Ashtami with enthusiasm. Priest Mahesh Sharma explained that Lord Hanuman is an incarnation of Lord Shiva, born as a result of Mata Anjani's penance. In Ujjain, both Hanuman Jayanti and Hanuman Ashtami are celebrated with great fervor. He further stated that the Mahakal Temple follows traditional rituals for all festivals tied to Sanatan Dharma. On this special occasion, the symbolic adornment of Lord Hanuman on Mahadev highlights the divine blessing devotees receive. Witnessing Lord Hanuman on Hanuman Ashtami is believed to grant them the devotion of Lord Ram, Lord Shiva, and Lord Hanuman. Meanwhile, Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu also visited the Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple on Sunday. Speaking to ANI, he said, "I am here for the first time to witness the darshan of Baba Mahakal, and it feels wonderful. For a long time, I wanted to visit this holy place and seek Baba's blessings. I am grateful to our MP Anil Firojiya and Shankar Lalwani for encouraging me to visit and making this possible." He added, "The entire temple complex, developed under the leadership of Shivraj Singh Chauhan (the former Chief Minister), is exceptionally well-maintained. Efforts by the MPs and the local administration have created a beautiful and serene environment for devotees. I come from Andhra Pradesh, where many people travel here daily to seek Baba Mahakal's blessings." Naidu also highlighted the potential for further development, particularly the proposal for an airport near the temple. He said, "The Chief Minister, along with MPs like Anil, has actively advocated for it. We will work closely with the state government to expedite this project." He concluded by assuring that the central government will provide full support to enhance connectivity and facilities for devotees. "This will allow them to pray and seek Baba's blessings with peace of mind," he added. (ANI)
The Ayodhya Municipal Corporation has made arrangements for the devotees, setting up shelter places and ensuring the availability of drinking water. The shelter places set up by the Ayodhya Nagar Nigam will provide devotees relief from the cold weather. The efforts being made by the local administration will ensure that devotees don't face any trouble, especially those who are visiting Ayodhya after Kumbh. Ayodhya Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi said that the devotees were expected to visit Ayodhya to get a glimpse of the Saryu River and Ram Lala after enjoying the Kumbh. "According to mythological belief with regards to Maha Kumbh, people who take a bath in Prayag usually try to visit Saryu to bathe in it and to get a glimpse of Ram Lala. A huge number of devotees are expected to visit here (in Ayodhya). We are serving around one lakh devotees daily, anyway. We are trying to make arrangements for a shelter for the safety of the devotees. The municipal corporation is also arranging for safe drinking water, toilets, and bonfires at several places so that they have a smooth experience after visiting Prayagraj," Tripathi said. Meanwhile, the Peshwai procession of Awadh has reached Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj ahead of the upcoming 'Maha Kumbh Mela' scheduled to be held from January 13 to February 26, 2025. The Peshwai is a ceremonial procession that marks the arrival of sadhus and other members of an akhara or sect at the Kumbh Mela. It is a grand tradition that takes place before the Kumbh Mela and is considered a display of the akharas' power. Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government made special security arrangements for the devotees, deploying mounted police with horses to ensure crowd control. The American Balm Blood and England's Thro breed horses along with the 'desi' Indian breed are being brought in Prayagraj to work for crowd control. This is being done for the ease of devotees since the mounted police will be effective in managing situations and crowds during the Kumbh. Prem Babu, Inspector Kumbh Mela mounted police, told ANI that these horses undergo six months of rigorous training to prepare for deployment in crowded places. "These horses undergo six months of rigorous training to be deployed in crowded places such as melas and traffic control. The horses of foreign breed can see long distances and are (sharp) minded. It also helps the rider to surveil the area," Babu added. The use of mounted police will be crucial for crowd control and patrolling, helping to maintain discipline and security for devotees during the Maha Kumbh. Specially trained mounted police will be deployed for the event. (ANI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala's village in Sirsa today to pay tributes and express his condolences to the bereaved family. Indian National Lok Dal Chief Om Prakash Chautala passed away on December 20 at his residence in Gurugram. His last rites were performed with full state honour at the Tejakhera farmhouse on Saturday. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini described INLD leader Prakash Chautala as a visionary leader and stated that he will always be remembered for his contribution to the politics of the state. Paying his tribute, CM Saini said, "I express my deep condolences on the demise of senior leader Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala ji. With his demise, a chapter of Haryana politics has come to an end. His contribution to Haryana politics will always be remembered. Chautala ji's personality was a symbol of simplicity and struggle." Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge highlighted how the INLD leader had made a significant contribution to serving Haryana and the country. "The news of the demise of former Haryana Chief Minister and senior leader Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala is sad. He made a significant contribution to the service of Haryana and the country," he said in his X post. Former Haryana CM and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda recounted Chautala's tenure as CM, while he was Assembly's LoP, referring to him as like an 'older brother.' "When Om Prakash ji was the CM, I was the LoP...We had good relations. He served people...He was still active. It didn't feel that he would leave us so soon...He was a good person and like an older brother to me," Hooda told reporters. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi condoled the death of former Haryana chief minister Prakash Chautala. Paying his tribute in a post on X, the Congress MP said, "Extremely saddened to hear the news of the demise of former Chief Minister of Haryana, Om Prakash Chautala ji. I pay my humble tribute to him and express my deepest condolences to his family and supporters." (ANI)
A case of alleged gang rape has been registered against BJP MLA Harish Shakya, his brother Satendra Shakya, among 16 others, in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh. The Civil Lines Police Station filed the case following a court order. The allegations include sexual assault, land grabbing, and other offenses. The victim's family, residents of a village in the Ujhani Kotwali area, owns 25 bighas of land valued in crores. The MLA, who represents Bilsi and is a former district president of the BJP, allegedly wanted to purchase this land at a very low price. When the family reportedly refused, they claimed they faced threats and harassment. The victim alleged that a fake rape case was filed against her husband, who was abducted and tortured. She was allegedly lured to the MLA's camp office under the pretext of resolving the matter but was sexually assaulted there by the MLA, his brother, and others. They also allegedly forced her to sign three agreements related to the land. The family approached the MP/MLA Special Judge, Leelu Chaudhary, who directed the police to register a case and investigate. The police have now filed an FIR against the MLA and the other accused. The victim's complaint details a pattern of alleged threats and harassment. She alleged that her cousin, Rohit, was kidnapped, beaten, and forced to persuade her family to sell their land. Following the ordeal, Rohit allegedly died by suicide in August 2022. Furthermore, the family claimed that their attempts to seek justice were met with inaction from the authorities. The victim also alleged that the accused destroyed their standing crops and used pressure tactics to force them to sell the land at a lower price. However, MLA Harish Shakya has denied the allegations, calling them baseless. The BJP leader claimed it to be a conspiracy to tarnish his image and added that he has full faith in the police and judiciary. Meanwhile, the case has raised serious concerns, and the police have initiated an inquiry. The victim's family has demanded a thorough investigation, including polygraph and narco tests. (ANI)
The Manipur security forces conducted search operations and area domination in the vulnerable hill and valley districts, following which they recovered a large weapons cache. These operations were carried out to maintain order and prevent any escalation in the region, said the Manipur Police in an official statement on Sunday. According to the Manipur Police, during the search operations in Phayeng Porom Hill and the K Songlung area under Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts, the security forces recovered several items. These included 11 live rounds of SLR ammunition, one magazine of SLR, 66 empty cartridges of SLR, a radio set battery and antenna, one misfired AK round, 102 empty AK cartridges, two empty SLR cartridges, one 12-bore cartridge, and one locally made bomb. These items were found as part of the ongoing operations to maintain peace in the region. In a follow-up to an incident that occurred on October 1, in which armed miscreants had forcibly snatched an SUV (Fortuner) from a civilian in Imphal West, it was discovered that the stolen vehicle had been used by an AT member, Asem Kanan Singh (50), from Uripok Sorbon Thingel, Imphal West, and his associates, the police statement added. Meanwhile, on Sunday, a combined team of security forces raided the residence of Asem Kanan Singh but was unable to locate the accused or his associates, said the Manipur Police. However, during the raid, several items were seized, including a DVD machine of a CCTV camera, an i-20 vehicle, three olive-green bags, a yellow life jacket marked SDRF, an air gun (Hurricane MOD-18), and two bulletproof jackets with metal plates. In another development from yesterday, the Manipur Police arrested Khumbongmayum Abhijit Singh (26), an active cadre of PREPAK, from the Kakching Chumnang area in Kakching District. Furthermore, the press release added that the movement of 371 vehicles carrying essential items along NH-2 had been ensured under strict security measures. Security forces are providing convoy protection in sensitive areas to ensure the safe passage of these vehicles. As per the official statement, "A total of 106 Nakas/Checkpoints were installed in different districts of Manipur, both in the hill and the valley, and no one was detained by the police in connection with violations in different districts of the state." The Manipur Police have also appealed to the public to refrain from believing rumors and to verify any false videos. The public has been urged to confirm the authenticity of any circulated videos with the Central Control Room at the rumour-free number, 9233522822. Additionally, the Manipur Police said, "An appeal is made to the public to return the looted arms, ammunition, and explosives to the police or nearest security forces immediately." (ANI)
Azerbaijan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Yashar Aliyev, has urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to address the critical issue of large-scale mine contamination in Azerbaijans libeated territories.

This appeal, detailed in a letter dated December 12, 2024, underscores the severe threat mines pose to civilians, infrastructure restoration, and the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Aliyev highlighted the devastating legacy of Armenias decades-long occupation. He revealed that over 1.5 million mines and explosive devices have been discovered, endangering civilians, military personnel, peacekeepers, and humanitarian workers.

"As a result of Armenia's military aggression, tens of thousands of Azerbaijani citizens have been killed, more than 700,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, and a large part of the country's sovereign territory has been illegally occupied for almost 30 years," Aliyev stated.

The diplomat shared grim statistics: during the conflict, 3,461 Azerbaijanis, including 359 children and 38 women, were mine victims. Since the conflict's end, an additional 382 people have been affected, with 70 fatalities and 312 serious injuries. The widespread presence of mines complicates critical infrastructure projects and delays the return of approximately 700,000 IDPs.

Aliyev stressed that mines were planted not only near former frontlines but also in residential areas, cemeteries, and cultural sites, maximizing harm to civilians. He condemned Armenia's refusal to provide accurate mine maps, calling it a violation of international humanitarian law, including the right to life and freedom of movement.

To address the crisis, Azerbaijan has included humanitarian demining as Goal 18 in its National Sustainable Development Goals framework. Aliyev called on the international community to exert pressure on Armenia to disclose minefield information, ensuring civilian safety and sustainable development in liberated regions.

Notably, on December 20, Yashar Teymur oglu Aliyev was recalled from his position as Azerbaijan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
The Uttar Pradesh Police and Punjab Police successfully carried out a joint operation, leading to an encounter with three members of a Pakistan-sponsored Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror module. The suspects fired at the police party during the operation, which took place in the Puranpur area of Pilibhit district. The three ''terrorists'', believed to have been responsible for the grenade attack on a police station in Gurdaspur, were identified as Gurvinder Singh, Virendra Singh alias Ravi, and Jaspreet Singh alias Pratap Singh. Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, confirmed the ''breakthrough'' in a post on X, stating, "In a major breakthrough against a #Pak-sponsored Khalistan Zindabad Force(KZF) terror module, a joint operation of UP Police and Punjab Police has led to an encounter with three module members who fired at the police party." Yadav further explained that the terror module is involved in grenade attacks at police establishments in the border areas of Punjab. https://x.com/DGPPunjabPolice/status/1871038117735702901?t=-o8TFMBRMf7RbqMsD4imcA&s=19 The encounter occurred within the jurisdiction of Puranpur Police Station, Pilibhit, and involved joint police teams from Pilibhit and Punjab. The three suspects were reportedly involved in a grenade attack on a police post in Gurdaspur. Following the encounter, the injured individuals were taken to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Puranpur for urgent medical treatment. Investigations into the terror module are ongoing, with authorities working to uncover more details about the group''s operations. Further, as per the Punjab DGP, during the operation, the police recovered two AK rifles and two Glock pistols, believed to have been used in the attacks. Meanwhile, on Sunday, two gangsters were arrested, and four magazines and 14 cartridges were recovered as Punjab Police''s Counter Intelligence team busted a major gangster module in Pathankot.The Punjab DGP confirmed the arrests on Saturday. The arrested individuals have been identified as Sunil Kumar alias Ashu, a resident of Rauwal in Batala, and Dilpreet Singh alias Dil, a resident of Raimal in Batala. Accused Sunil alias Ashu has a criminal history, including a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. He was released on bail from Gurdaspur Jail on February 27, 2024, according to a release. Yadav said that preliminary investigations revealed that the accused had received the consignment of weapons from the Ajnala area of Amritsar following instructions from their handlers and were directed to deliver it to an unknown party. Further investigations are underway to uncover the source of the weapons and identify more suspects involved in the network. Sharing details of the operation, AIG CI Pathankot, Sukhminder Singh Mann, said that secret information was received indicating that accused Sunil Kumar and Dilpreet Singh were in contact with unknown gangsters and had recently received a consignment of arms and ammunition. Based on this information, the CI Pathankot team laid a trap and arrested both accused individuals after recovering the arms and ammunition from their possession. He further stated that efforts are underway to track previous consignments retrieved and delivered by the accused. In this regard, an FIR (No. 71 dated 21.12.2024) has been registered under Section 25 of the Arms Act and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Amritsar. The arrested accused will be produced in court to obtain police remand, the statement added. (ANI)
A case has been registered against individuals who attempted to attack BJP MLC CT Ravi on December 19 at Belagavi Suvarna Soudha. The complaint was filed at the Hirebagewadi police station in Belagavi, alleging that CT Ravi's life was threatened and that the attackers intended to kill him. The complaint was registered under various sections of the law, including BNS 189(2), 191(2), 190, 126(2), 352, and 351(2). The incident allegedly occurred in response to CT Ravi's objectionable statement againstSecretary Lakshmi Hebbalkar. Notably, BJP leaders, including MLC D.S. Arun and Prof. S.V. Sankanura, had previously complained to the Home Department Secretary after Ravi's initial complaint was not accepted. The case was ultimately filed based on a complaint by Kishora B.R. On Sunday, CT Ravi questioned the rationale behind his recent arrest and multiple transfers across four districts. Expressing confidence in public support, he raised concerns over the security arrangements, criticizing the government's claim of "security reasons" for his relocation. "The public is in our support...They are standing with me...Why was I arrested? Why was I continuously shifted to four districts? CM says that due to security reasons they did this...Giving security in PS is difficult for them, but giving security at an isolated place is easy for them," the BJP leader said. The case against Ravi was filed by Karnataka Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar who alleged that the former used derogatory words against her in the Legislative Council. The Karnataka High Court issued an interim order for his release. Ravi was welcomed by BJP workers at the party office in Bengaluru on Saturday. He asked for government support as he claimed that he still has a life threat and demanded a judicial inquiry. Ravi claimed that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar have planned something against him. Addressing a press conference, Ravi said, "I still have a life threat, that's why I'm asking the government to provide me adequate support. If something happens to me, the government will have to take responsibility. DK Shivakumar and Lakshmi Hebbalkar planned something which will be a threat to me." (ANI)
The drone visuals from the banks of 'Triveni Sangam' (confluence) of Ganga and Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj showcase the arrangements made by the state government for the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela scheduled to be held from January 13 to February 26, 2025. The tents have been set up for the devotees and temporary bridges have been built over the holy river in Prayagraj. Moreover, the Peshwai procession of Awadh has reached Prayagraj ahead of the upcoming 'Maha Kumbh Mela'. The Peshwai is a ceremonial procession that marks the arrival of sadhus and other members of an akhara or sect at the Kumbh Mela. It is a grand tradition that takes place before the Kumbh Mela and is considered a display of the akharas' power. Meanwhile, the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation has geared up to receive devotees from Kumbh. They have made arrangements for the devotees, setting up shelter places and ensuring the availability of drinking water. The shelter places set up by the Ayodhya Nagar Nigam will help devotees escape the cold weather. The efforts being made by the local administration will ensure that devotees don't face any trouble, especially those who are visiting Ayodhya after Kumbh. Ayodhya Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi said that the devotees were expected to visit Ayodhya to get a glimpse of the Saryu River and Ram Lala after enjoying the Kumbh. "According to mythological belief with regards to Maha Kumbh, people who take a bath in Prayag usually try to visit Saryu to bathe in it and to get a glimpse of Ram Lala. A huge number of devotees are expected to visit here (in Ayodhya). We are serving around one lakh devotees daily, anyway. We are trying to make arrangements for a shelter for the safety of the devotees. The municipal corporation is also arranging for safe drinking water, toilets, and bonfires at several places so that they have a smooth experience after visiting Prayagraj," Tripathi said. Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government made special security arrangements for the devotees, deploying mounted police with horses to ensure crowd control. The American Balm Blood and England's Thro breed horses along with the 'desi' Indian breed are being brought in Prayagraj to work for crowd control. This is being done for the ease of devotees since the mounted police will be effective in managing situations and crowds during the Kumbh. Prem Babu, Inspector Kumbh Mela mounted police, told ANI that these horses undergo six months of rigorous training to prepare for deployment in crowded places. "These horses undergo six months of rigorous training to be deployed in crowded places such as melas and traffic control. The horses of foreign breed can see long distances and are (sharp) minded. It also helps the rider to surveil the area," Babu added. The use of mounted police will be crucial for crowd control and patrolling, helping to maintain discipline and security for devotees during the Maha Kumbh. Specially trained mounted police will be deployed for the event. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid tribute to former PM and Bharat Ratna awardee Chaudhary Charan Singh on his birth anniversary. In a post on X, PM Modi praised Chaudhary Charan's unwavering commitment to the welfare of the poor and farmers. "Humble tribute to former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Chaudhary Charan Singh ji, a true well-wisher of the poor and farmers, on his birth anniversary. His dedication and service to the nation will continue to inspire everyone," the Prime Minister said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also posted on X and paid his tribute to the former Prime Minister. "Chaudhary Charan Singh Ji, who dedicated his entire life for the rights of farmers and the underprivileged, fought bravely against the anti-democracy forces during the Emergency. Through his life, he showed that even a common man can reach the highest post in the country by making service his resolution. His personality and deeds are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for every social worker," Shah said. "On the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister and great farmer leader of the country, Bharat Ratna Chaudhary Charan Singh ji, I remember and pay my tribute to him," he added. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while paying his tribute said that Chaudhary Charan worked for the welfare of the poor and farmers throughout his life. "I pay my tribute to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh on his birth anniversary. He worked for the welfare of the poor and farmers throughout his life. When democracy in the country was under threat, he fought with all his might to protect it. Despite travelling from land to sky, Chaudhary sahab never left his land. His contribution to India's development journey will always be remembered," Rajnath Singh posted on X. "Today the whole country is celebrating the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh Ji as 'Kisan Diwas'. I wish all the farmer brothers of the country a Happy Kisan Diwas. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many welfare measures have been taken for the farmers from seed to market. With the inspiration of Chaudhary sahab, our resolve for farmer welfare will continue to strengthen," he added. Chaudhary Charan Singh was born in 1902 at Noorpur in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh, in a middle-class peasant family. He shifted to Meerut in 1929 and later joined the Congress. He was first elected to the UP Legislative Assembly in 1937 from Chhaprauli and represented the constituency in 1946, 1952, 1962, and 1967. He became Parliamentary Secretary in Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant's Government in 1946 and worked in various departments such as Revenue, Medical and Public Health, Justice, Information, etc. He was a pivotal figure in the Janata Party. He was not only a seasoned politician but also a prolific writer. His literary works, which include writings on land reforms and agricultural policies, reflect his commitment to societal welfare and economic reforms. He was renowned as the chief architect of land reforms in Uttar Pradesh. His efforts led to the enactment of crucial land reform bills, such as the Department Redemption Bill of 1939 and the Land Holding Act of 1960, which aimed to address issues of land distribution and agricultural sustainability. (ANI)
Several MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the national capital approached the Delhi High Court, seeking directions to the Delhi Government to forward 14 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports to the Speaker of the state Legislative Assembly in a time-bound manner. The MLA further sought a directive for the Speaker to take all necessary actions under Article 151(2) of the Constitution of India, 1950, to convene a special sitting of the Legislative Assembly and table the reports at the earliest. The petition emphasized the need for timely fulfilment of constitutional obligations related to the presentation of CAG reports in the Assembly. The plea stated that after conducting its audit, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) promptly submitted its reports to the Secretary of the Department of Finance, who subsequently forwarded them to the Hon'ble Chief Minister/Finance Minister. Notably, some reports remained with the Chief Minister/Finance Minister for 490 days, while one report was pending for 497 days. Due to the delay in placing the 14 CAG reports before the Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor by the Chief Minister/Finance Minister, the Lieutenant Governor was unable to fulfil his constitutional duty of ensuring these reports were laid before the Legislative Assembly. The matter was mentioned before the bench of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru on Monday. After hearing the submissions of Senior Advocate Jayant Mehta, the bench agreed to list the case for Tuesday before the appropriate branch. The plea stated that the petitioners had made multiple concerted efforts both inside and outside the Legislative Assembly to address the issue. Inside the Assembly, they moved motions such as Calling Attention (Rule 54), Short Duration Discussion (Rule 55), and Notice for Adjournment (Rule 59). Outside the Assembly, they sent communications to the Hon'ble Speaker and raised the matter publicly through protests outside the residence of the Hon'ble Chief Minister/Finance Minister. The petitioners have consistently called for a special sitting to discuss and deliberate on the CAG reports. The plea further stated that on December 19, 2024, the petitioners protested against the unconstitutional and undemocratic functioning of the Legislative Assembly. They highlighted the non-submission of the CAG reports and the failure to convene a special sitting, despite the Government of NCT of Delhi's statement before the Hon'ble High Court on December 16, 2024. On the same day, the petitioners met with the Speaker, and the Delhi Government submitted a memorandum to the Speaker. The memorandum emphasized the GNCTD's commitment to sending the CAG reports to the Speaker within two or three days and urged the Speaker to convene a special sitting of the Assembly to table the CAG audit reports. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court has extended the interim bail of Kuldeep Singh Sengar, convicted in the Unnao rape case, for one more month. Sengar had approached the court requesting a five-month extension of his bail on medical grounds. The court had previously granted him interim bail on December 5, 2024, for a health evaluation by the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). After reviewing the medical report from AIIMS, the court granted a one-month extension of his interim bail, while imposing several conditions. Sengar is required to remain at his residence, details of which have been shared with the CBI, and may only leave for medical visits to AIIMS. He will also be under constant surveillance by a Delhi Police constable, with a limit of two visitors at a time, and will be contacted daily by a competent CBI officer. Additionally, the bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Amit Sharma also allowed Sengar to hire one attendant and directed him to surrender before the jail superintendent on January 20, 2025. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on January 27, 2025. Considering the overall medical condition of the Appellant, this Court is of the opinion that the period for which the suspension is being sought along. However in order to enable the Appellant to recover from his eye surgery, scrotal pain and the bleeding issues that he is facing while defecating, the extension of interim bail for a period of one month is directed, said the bench. (ANI)
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday took a dig at the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, saying that they are together for political power and not because of ideological similarities. He also said they focus on fulfilling their party's financial needs and then only come together to form the government. "No matter how much those in the coalition government say that they are together because of ideological reasons, it is not like that. They come together for political power. They focus on fulfilling their party's financial needs and then come together to form the government," Raut told reporters in a press conference. Speaking on the ongoing discussion regarding allocation for guardian ministership, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said that this process will remain ongoing, pointing out the delay in portfolio allocation even after forming the government a month ago. "First the government was not formed and once they formed the government, portfolio allocation happened after a month, yesterday only. Now there is a discussion regarding the Guardian minister post. Nothing will happen from this...this will continue till the end..." Raut said. He further said that the appointment of guardian ministers was of no use since they only serve their interests and it was another way to maintain power, Raut added. "Munde (either Pankaja or Dhananjay) might be the guardian minister of Beed, will Santosh Deshmukh get justice? Whoever becomes the guardian minister for Parbhani, will Somnath Suryavanshi who was killed in police custody get justice? Whoever becomes the guardian minister of Thane, will the Marathi family get justice against the injustice they faced in Kalyan? This has no use. This is just another way to maintain power for oneself. Those who become the Guardian Minister of Gadchiroli don't work towards finishing Naxalism. The ministerial position is required for the mining companies worth crores. This is my assessment," Raut said in Marathi. Taking a dig at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, Raut said that his party was working with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which considers Devendra Fadnavis, Narendra Modi, and Amit Shah as their "ideals". However, the Shiv Sena MP said his party's position on the three BJP leaders was clear that they were the "enemies" of Maharashtra. "If the Thackeray brothers come together, the people of Maharashtra will cherish it. People have an immense connection with the Thackeray family...Both brothers have different parties. Raj Thackeray established his own party (MNS) but works with the BJP. Devendra Fadnavis, Narendra Modi, and Amit Shah are their ideals. But our party doesn't work like this. We have a clear position that these people are enemies of Maharashtra. These three are responsible for looting Maharashtra and Mumbai," Raut said. Speaking on the changes in election conduct rules, Raut declared that it was the murder of democracy. "This is the murder of democracy. The rule that has been made is that we cannot go to the Election Commission and ask for information. Now we cannot ask for any kind of information from the Election Commission. This is a dictatorship. Why can't we ask? If you want that we don't ask for information from you, then first of all you should remove EVM and conduct elections on ballot paper," Raut said. He accused the Election Commission of changing the rules after it was asked for CCTV footage and election documents. "We will not ask for any information. What do you want to hide from the public? Advocate Mohammad tried to ask for documents. He asked for CCTV footage. After this, the Election Commission changed the rule. What kind of dictatorship is this? There is democracy in the country. That is why we say that these people are against the Constitution written by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar...We have the right to know what has happened to our votes. Where did the vote we gave go?" Raut remarked. These changes come in the wake of a recent Punjab and Haryana High Court directive in the Mahmoud Pracha vs ECI case, where the court ordered the sharing of all documents related to the Haryana Assembly elections, including CCTV footage under Rule 93(2) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. (ANI)
The Maha Kumbh Mela being organised by the Uttar Pradesh government in Prayagraj has brought many employment opportunities, especially for the artisans and skilled labourers. The banks of 'Triveni Sangam' transform into a temporary city for a brief time during the Kumbh which opens up employment opportunities for the locals. This year the 2025 Maha Kumbh is being organised from January 13 to February 26, 2025. A large number of skilled and efficient artisans have come to the Maha Kumbh area to participate in different kinds of work. "We have been doing this work (setting up straw huts). All artists and workers are locals and from the Kewat community. Our work is inspired by the ancient ways of living where sages used to live in such huts...This (work) provides opportunity for employment. We have 150 labourers enrolled for this. We get employment for two to three months," Uma Shankar Pandey of Geeta Press told ANI. "We are making a bungalow made entirely out of straw huts. We do this once every year in Magh and Kumbh mela. We do this work only. This is an opportunity for employment for us. No employment after this," Ganga Prasad Nishad, a labourer, said. "These huts are made only during the Melas, but not otherwise. This is the only employment we have now," Mohan Lal Nishad said. The drone visuals from the banks of 'Triveni Sangam' (confluence) of Ganga and Yamuna showcase the arrangements made by the state government for the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela, with the tents ready to receive the devotees and temporary bridges have been built over the holy river. Moreover, the Peshwai procession of Awadh has reached Prayagraj ahead of the upcoming 'Maha Kumbh Mela'. The Peshwai is a ceremonial procession that marks the arrival of sadhus and other members of an akhara or sect at the Kumbh Mela. It is a grand tradition that takes place before the Kumbh Mela and is considered a display of the akharas' power. Meanwhile, the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation has geared up to receive devotees from Kumbh. They have made arrangements for the devotees, setting up shelter places and ensuring the availability of drinking water. The shelter places set up by the Ayodhya Nagar Nigam will help devotees escape the cold weather. The efforts being made by the local administration will ensure that devotees don't face any trouble, especially those who are visiting Ayodhya after Kumbh. Ayodhya Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi said that the devotees were expected to visit Ayodhya to get a glimpse of the Saryu River and Ram Lala after enjoying the Kumbh. "According to mythological belief with regards to Maha Kumbh, people who take a bath in Prayag usually try to visit Saryu to bathe in it and to get a glimpse of Ram Lala. A huge number of devotees are expected to visit here (in Ayodhya). We are serving around one lakh devotees daily, anyway. We are trying to make arrangements for a shelter for the safety of the devotees. The municipal corporation is also arranging for safe drinking water, toilets, and bonfires at several places so that they have a smooth experience after visiting Prayagraj," Tripathi said. Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government made special security arrangements for the devotees, deploying mounted police with horses to ensure crowd control. (ANI)
Former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Lakshmi Puri has moved the Delhi High Court against TMC leader Saket Gokhale, accusing him of failing to comply with a court order that required him to issue an apology on social media and pay Rs 50 lakh in damages in a defamation case. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora issued a notice on Puri's plea, which seeks the enforcement of the judgment passed on July 1, 2024. Additionally, the court directed Gokhale to submit an affidavit disclosing all his assets, properties, and bank accounts within the next four weeks. The court has scheduled the next hearing for February 5, 2025. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh (Former ASG) appeared on behalf of Lakshmi M. Puri in the case. In July's Order, the Delhi High Court had directed AITMC MP Saket Gokhaleto to pay Rs 50 lakh damages to Lakshmi Puri in her defamation suit against him. The court also asked Gokhale to post an apology in the Times of India and on his Twitter handle. "The apology on the Twitter handle should stay for six months," the court added. This suit arises from defamation against plaintiff Lakshmi Puri, wherein defendant Saket Gokhale published defamatory tweets or posts regarding the plaintiff's integrity. The court while passing judgment, said, "The plaintiff has suffered irreparable harm on account of Defendant No. 1, i.e., Saket Gokhale's defamatory statements and is directed to give an apology to the plaintiff, which shall be published on Defendant No. 1's X account and in Times of India." Further, the tweet published on the defendant X account shall be retained for a period of 6 months. "Gokhale is restrained from publishing further defamatory content against the plaintiff. Damages to the tune of Rs 50,00,000 are awarded to the plaintiff for the harm caused to her reputation," the court added. The bench of Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani while passing the Judgement observed that no amount of monetary award can truly compensate for damage to reputation, however upon a balance of all considerations, Sanket Gokhle is directed to pay to the plaintiff damages in the sum of Rs 50 lakhs within eight weeks. According to Puri's petition, in a series of tweets dated June 13, 2021 and June 23, 2021, defendant Gokhale made false and scurrilous allegations against plaintiff Puri along with her husband they they had purchased a "house" in Geneva, Switzerland in the year 2006 with "black money". Defendant, Gokhale, in one of his tweets has referred to "Swiss bank accounts" and "foreign black money" and tagged the Union Finance Minister to order a money-laundering inquiry by the Enforcement Directorate against the plaintiff and her husband, the petition said. (ANI)
In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court of India has recently declined to interfere with a second First Information Report (FIR) filed against Pawan Kumar Ahluwalia and other directors of KJS Cement (I) Ltd. The case, which involves serious allegations of financial misappropriation, continues to attract significant public and legal attention. The controversy surrounding KJS Cement (I) Ltd. escalated when Himangini Singh, the daughter of the company's late founder, KJS Ahluwalia, filed a second FIR. In her complaint, Singh accused Pawan Kumar Ahluwalia and other directors of misappropriating company funds for personal use, resulting in substantial financial losses for the firm. This second FIR followed an earlier one filed in connection with the company but with a different set of allegations. While the first FIR centred around financial irregularities, the second FIR uncovered new details and accused the directors of additional misconduct. On October 29, 2024, the Delhi High Court refused to quash the second FIR, ruling that it was based on new facts that emerged after the filing of the first FIR. The court noted that the two FIRs addressed different aspects of alleged misconduct and did not violate the principle of "double jeopardy," which prohibits multiple charges for the same offence. Pawan Kumar Ahluwalia challenged the High Court's decision before the Supreme Court. A bench consisting of Justice Bela Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma heard the case. However, the Supreme Court dismissed the challenge, effectively allowing the second FIR to stand. Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, representing Pawan Kumar Ahluwalia, argued that the second FIR was an abuse of the legal process. He contended that the allegations in the second FIR could have been addressed under the scope of the first FIR. On the other hand, Advocate Ayush Jindal, representing the complainant Himangini Singh, defended the second FIR. He argued that the new FIR was distinct and necessary to address the fresh facts and allegations that had surfaced. Jindal also pointed out that the Delhi High Court had thoroughly considered the petitioners' arguments and found no grounds for quashing the FIR. The Supreme Court's decision to allow the investigation into the second FIR to proceed has important legal implications. It underscores the principle that separate FIRs can be filed if new facts or evidence come to light, even if they involve the same parties. This ruling sets a precedent for future cases where new allegations emerge after an initial FIR is filed, and it will be crucial in shaping the legal landscape for corporate governance and accountability. The findings of the ongoing investigation could have significant repercussions for KJS Cement (I) Ltd. and its directors, potentially altering the company's future trajectory. (ANI)
Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran, Ali Alizadeh, held discussions with Iranian Vice President and Chairwoman of the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization, Shina Ansari, focusing on climate and environmental protection collaboration, Azernews reports.

The Azerbaijani embassys press service highlighted the meeting, stating: Ambassador Ali Alizadeh met with Iranian Vice President and Head of the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization, Shina Ansari, and discussed cooperation in the field of climate and environmental protection. The ambassador also got acquainted with the 22nd International Environment Exhibition held in Iran.

Notably, Shina Ansari visited Azerbaijan last month to participate in the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29).
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that two persons, working as contract labourers with the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) died due to electrocution while repairing a high-tension overhead power line near Olaiyur Ring Road in KK Nagar on December 18. According to an official release, the Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, indicate gross negligence on the part of the electricity department resulting in the death of two labourers. The Commission has also noted that such incidents have occurred earlier too in the state. This is a serious human rights violation and a matter of concern for the Commission. Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks. It is expected to include the status of the FIR registered in the matter and compensation, if any provided to the next of kin of the two victims. The Commission would also like to know the steps taken/proposed by the State government and Tangedco to ensure that such incidents do not recur, the release said. The release also mentioned that according to the media report, as per the preliminary investigations, the power supply to the cable was not fully turned off during the repair work. The workers were on the job without any protective gear. In a similar incident, a worker was electrocuted to death while repairing a transformer in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu last year. Last month, a migrant worker was reportedly electrocuted during the Cyclone Fengal and his body was found near an ATM in Muthialpet. (ANI)
The ED's action follows a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Lokayukta's Special Police Establishment (SPE) in Bhopal. During the investigation, the SPE recovered assets worth crores from the residences of the accused.

ED filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the PMLA to probe the extent of alleged money laundering activities.

The agency took action after the Lokayukta carried out search operations on December 19 and 20 and uncovered significant assets suspected to be disproportionate to Saurabh Sharma's known sources of income. As per an official statement from the SPE on Saturday, Sharma has been charged with amassing wealth beyond his financial capacity.

At Sharma's residence, authorities seized vehicles, household items, jewellery, and cash worth approximately Rs 3.86 crore. Meanwhile, assets found at his shared office with Chetan Singh Gaur, including silver and cash, were estimated at Rs 4.12 crore. The total value of assets recovered from both locations stands at around Rs 7.98 crore.

Sharma, who voluntarily retired from the Madhya Pradesh State Road Transportation Department a year ago after serving for 12 years, has since shifted his focus to real estate. Authorities revealed that Sharma began investing in properties during his tenure in government service. Currently, Sharma is reportedly living in Dubai with his family. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Praveen Khandelwal on Monday said that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal cannot work as the Chief Minister unless the Supreme Court amends or withdraws its order. He said that the apex court while granting bail had instructed Kejriwal that he cannot work as the Chief Minister or sign any file. "When Supreme Court granted bail to Arvind Kejriwal, it was clearly stated that he cannot work as a Chief Minister, go to the office or sign any file...Until and unless the Supreme Court withdraws or amends its orders, Arvind Kejriwal cannot work as a Chief Minister. This is a fact," Khandelwal, who is the Lok Sabha MP of BJP, told ANI. His reaction comes after Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Sunday claimed that Kejriwal cannot assume the role of Chief Minister of Delhi, citing the Supreme Court's bail conditions. According to Dikshit, while Kejriwal may be released from jail, he is prohibited from signing any official documents, rendering him "unfit to hold office." Speaking to ANI, Dixit claimed that Kejriwal if becomes CM and signing files would risk a violation of his bail conditions and potential re-incarceration. "Arvind Kejriwal cannot become the Chief Minister of Delhi... The Supreme Court has clearly said that they will allow him to come out of jail, but he cannot sign any file as the Chief Minister of Delhi... This means that the Supreme Court has said that he is not capable of becoming the Chief Minister of Delhi. It has become his compulsion to make someone else the CM of Delhi... Even if he becomes the CM of Delhi and signs any document, it will be a violation of the bail conditions and he will have to go to jail again," he said. On Saturday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena granted permission to the ED to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. This came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought permission for sanction of prosecution against Kejriwal. This development follows months of investigations into the Delhi government's excise policy, which has been at the centre of controversy and allegations of corruption. The Supreme Court after granting bail to Kejriwal in Delhi Excise Policy set certain limitations like barring him from entering the CM office and signing files. Kejriwal's lawyer Rishikesh Kumar, while speaking to ANI, listed out the bail condition set by SC. "Conditions given are the furnishing of a surety bond of Rs 10 lakh each has to be submitted. This is being done. The second condition imposed is that he will join the trial on each date unless an exemption is moved by him," Kumar said. He further added that some other conditions imposed by the court are similar to those when he was granted bail in ED arrest. (ANI)
Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti on Monday provided clarity on the incident involving BJP MLC CT Ravi, stating that no proof was presented by the legislative council's media regarding the issue. Horatti revealed that he personally reached out to both CT Ravi and Congress leader Lakshmi Hebbalkar to discuss the matter, underlining that both sides stood firm on their positions. Horatti said, "We have not received any proof from our council media... So I first called CT Ravi and asked if he wanted to compromise, he said 'no' and then I called her (Lakshmi Hebbalkar), she said 'no, we are bent upon our statement.'" Horatti further explained that a thorough discussion was held with the council's secretary and other officials. "We discussed thoroughly with the secretary and other people, studied all the books, and gave our ruling," he added. A case has been registered against individuals who attempted to attack BJP MLC CT Ravi on December 19 at Belagavi Suvarna Soudha. The complaint was filed at the Hirebagewadi police station in Belagavi, alleging that CT Ravi's life was threatened and that the attackers intended to kill him. The complaint was registered under various sections of the law, including BNS 189(2), 191(2), 190, 126(2), 352, and 351(2). The incident allegedly occurred in response to CT Ravi's objectionable statement against Secretary Lakshmi Hebbalkar. Notably, BJP leaders, including MLC DS Arun and Prof SV Sankanura, had previously complained to the Home Department Secretary after Ravi's initial complaint was not accepted. The case was ultimately filed based on a complaint by Kishora B.R. On Sunday, CT Ravi questioned the rationale behind his recent arrest and multiple transfers across four districts. Expressing confidence in public support, he raised concerns over the security arrangements, criticizing the government's claim of "security reasons" for his relocation. "The public is in our support... They are standing with me... Why was I arrested? Why was I continuously shifted to four districts? CM says that due to security reasons they did this... Giving security in PS is difficult for them, but giving security at an isolated place is easy for them," the BJP leader said. The case against Ravi was filed by Karnataka Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar, who alleged that Ravi used derogatory words against her in the Legislative Council. The Karnataka High Court issued an interim order for his release. Ravi was welcomed by BJP workers at the party office in Bengaluru on Saturday. He asked for government support, claiming that he still faces a life threat and demanded a judicial inquiry. Ravi claimed that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar have planned something against him. Addressing a press conference, Ravi said, "I still have a life threat, that's why I'm asking the government to provide me adequate support. If something happens to me, the government will have to take responsibility. DK Shivakumar and Lakshmi Hebbalkar planned something which will be a threat to me." (ANI)
Out of the 1,984 recruits who began training, 1,946 recruits are passing out. The basic training for Manipur Police recruits commenced at the Assam Police Lachit Barphukan Police Academy (LBPA) on 29th January 2024. A total of 1,984 recruits reported for training at the Academy.

LBPA was chosen for this program due to its successful track record in training recruits over the past two years, where nearly 7,000 recruits were effectively trained included those of Forest.

Since 2022, the training methodology at LBPA has been revamped to incorporate scientific and practical approaches in line with contemporary policing requirements. The initial training period was 44 weeks, but this was extended due to a two-week midterm break in June 2024 & bulk of recruits reporting two weeks late from the midterm break. The recruits were drawn from 9 x IR (India Reserve) Battalions and 6 x Manipur Rifles Battalions.

The comprehensive training program included physical fitness, proficiency in handling small arms, unarmed combat (UAC), crowd control, disaster management, law and policing, soft skills development, and tactical training.

Given the ongoing law and order challenges in Manipur and the likelihood of deployment in high-risk environments post-training, additional emphasis was placed on endurance training, including long-distance speed marches, firing proficiency, tactical training, and intensive unarmed combat (UAC) training.

To foster mental robustness and unit cohesion, special focus was given to national integration training, building esprit de corps, and enhancing cohesiveness among the riflemen. (ANI)
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Monday expressed disappointment over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's unwillingness to apologise for his "disrespectful" remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to distract the country's attention by spreading propaganda. "The entire INDIA bloc is united in demanding Amit Shah's resignation for making "insulting" remarks in the Parliament," he added. "We (Congress) have organised press conferences and demanded the resignation of Amit Shah. He should apologise for his remarks and express regret. It is unfortunate that he is not ready to apologise. They (BJP) are trying to distract the country's attention through propaganda and false FIRs. The entire INDIA Alliance is united and demanding that Amit Shah resign from his post and seek an apology for the insulting remarks he made in context with Dr BR Ambedkar. It is unfortunate that the Union Home Minister used disrespectful and insulting words during a debate on the Constitution in Parliament. These eleven seconds will cost him in the coming time," Gogoi told ANI. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Awadhesh Prasad on Sunday said that Shah's remarks in Parliament against Dr Ambedkar were not an insult to Babasaheb only, but also to the Constitution. "The comment made by the Home Minister of the country Amit Shah is against the honour of Baba Saheb. It is an insulting comment. He has not only insulted Baba Saheb but also insulted the Constitution. Our Home Minister must take his words back in front of the country and clarify his ideology," Prasad said. Following the remarks made by Shah, the Parliament witnessed parallel protests from both the Treasury and Opposition benches outside the parliament last week, which led to a huge scuffle between the two sides with two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput sustaining injuries. The ruling BJP MPs were protesting in the Parliament's premises against the Congress party for "insulting" Babasaheb Ambedkar. INDIA Bloc MPs led by Rahul Gandhi held a protest in the Parliament premises and demanded the resignation of Shah over his remarks on Ambedkar. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also alleged that he was pushed by BJP MPs while he was trying to enter Parliament in what turned out to be a face-off between Congress and BJP MPs during their protests. Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress were "two sides of the same coin," alleging that both of the parties have been engaged in politics in the name of Babasaheb Ambedkar. (ANI)
Former Chief Minister and BJP MLA Vasundhara Raje, on Monday, visited those hospitalised in the December 20 fire incident in Jaipur's Bhankrota area. Raje also commended the efforts of the medical team. On Friday a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway hit a truck coming from the opposite direction. The fire caused by the collision spread rapidly and engulfed many other vehicles in the flames. Following the tragic incident, Sawai Mansingh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur reported 13 fatalities, while 23 patients are currently receiving treatment. Hospital officials revealed that eight of the injured sustained burns exceeding 50 per cent and three of them remain on ventilators. Speaking to mediapersons, Vasundhara Raje stated, "We enquired about the condition of the injured who are undergoing treatment at hospitals and interacted with their family members to see if we can do something for them... it is a very horrible accident. I want to thank the doctors and attendants." Dr. Deepak Maheshari, Principal of SMS Medical College, confirmed, "Twenty-three patients are currently undergoing treatment at Sawai Mansingh Hospital, where three patients are on ventilators. Eight patients have burns exceeding 50 per cent and their treatment is ongoing. It is worth noting that 13 people have died in the accident so far, of which 11 have been identified." Dr. RK Jain, Head of the Burn Ward Department at SMS Hospital, provided further details, stating, "Among the 23 patients admitted, three are on ventilators, and the rest are also critically ill. Patients have burns ranging from 35 per cent to 60 per cent. However, some with lower percentages are in comparatively better condition." He added that four to five patients showed improvement and are expected to be discharged soon, with plans for follow-up care for the more critical cases. Jain also highlighted an innovative treatment effort, saying, "For two patients with burns covering sixty per cent of their bodies, we performed cadaveric skin transplants in the operating theatre. This procedure aims to increase their chances of survival and reduce the risk of infection." Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP Hanuman Beniwal also visited the SMS Hospital. "The accident is sad and emphasises the need for preventive measures to avoid such tragedies. He demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident, alleging an increase in such cases since the BJP government came to power," he said. Beniwal also announced a contribution of Rs 50 lakh to the hospital's burn ward from his MP quota, adding that the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) would take to the streets to protest against the current system. Commenting on the uproar in Parliament and allegations against the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Beniwal said that the BJP and Congress continue to engage in political gamesmanship. He also criticized the BJP government in Rajasthan, calling its first year in office a failure, citing the recent tragic accident as an example. (ANI)
The Frontier Headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Punjab's Jalandhar recently hosted the 'Rozgar Mela 2024', organised by the Union Ministry of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged the newly selected candidates to contribute in the prosperity and development of India. PM Modi, during his virtual address, further said, "The right to provide jobs to the youth in the Government of India is continuously progressing at a fast pace with complete transparency." The event, held on December 23, marked the 14th tranche of handing over appointment letters to newly selected candidates. The Rozgar Mela was organised at 45 locations across India, with over 71,000 youth receiving appointment letters. BSF was assigned to conduct the event at 16 locations across the country. The event in Jalandhar was presided over by Dr Atul Fulzele, IPS, Inspector General of BSF Punjab Frontier. He was accompanied by other BSF officers of Punjab Frontier and dignitaries of various other organisations. The appointment letters were given to a total of 231 candidates for various posts in BSF, CRPF, SSB, EPFO, and other civil departments. Dr Fulzele distributed the letters to the selected candidates, congratulating them on their hard work. He encouraged them to play a role in nation-building while highlighting the 'Rozgar Mela' as a vital step towards fulfilling PM Modi's vision of providing employment opportunities to youth and ensuring progress. The event saw great enthusiasm among the newly appointed candidates, who celebrated the occasion by taking selfies and interacting with the media. (ANI)
A Rozgar Mela was organised at the new auditorium of Border Security Force Academy Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district on Monday in which 350 appointment letters were distributed to newly appointed recruits of government departments and organisations. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia attended the program as the chief guest and handed over the appointment letters to the newly recruits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also joined the program virtually. Under the Rozgar Mela, 71,000 appointment letters were distributed to youths at 45 locations across the country. Addressing the program, Union Minister Scindia said that the central government was continuously working towards betterment under the leadership of PM Modi and providing employment to the youth. In the series of the development works, the Rozgar Mela was organised in the district. "Today, the 14th edition of Rozgar Mela was organised by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It has been an important yojana for the young generation and for the youth of the country. India is reaching the pinnacle of the world under the leadership of PM Modi and in the same context the contribution of our younger generation is also very important. In today's edition of Rozgar Mela, 71,000 youth got appointment letters," Scindia told ANI. The Union Minister further expressed confidence that the young generation would make the nation proud across the globe in the future. Addressing the gathering virtually, the Prime Minister extended greetings to all the newly recruits and said that the outgoing year of 2024 brought new happiness to them. "Today marks a new beginning for thousands of youth in the country. Your years of dreams have come true, years of hard work have paid off. This outgoing year of 2024 is bringing new happiness to you. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you and your families," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister emphasised that the government was prioritising the full utilization of India's youth talent through initiatives like Rozgar Melas. Over the past 10 years, there has been a concerted effort to provide government jobs across various ministries and departments. Today more than 71,000 youth have been handed their appointment letters, the Prime Minister highlighted. PM Modi underlined that in the last one and a half years, around 10 lakh permanent government jobs were offered, setting a remarkable record. These jobs were being provided with complete transparency, and the new recruits were serving the nation with dedication and integrity. (ANI)
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday distributed job appointment letters for government positions during the 14th edition of Rozgar Mela held at the BSF campus in Gandhinagar. Speaking to the mediapersons, the Union Minister said, "Under the leadership of PM Modi, a new India is emerging, with new employment opportunities being created in both the government and private sectors and job placements being done. I am happy that in the 14th edition of Rozgar Mela, 8.5 lakh job appointment letters have been given." Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed more than 71,000 appointment letters to newly appointed recruits through video conferencing.Addressing the occasion, PM Modi extended wishes to the new recruits."I have had many professional discussions with the youth of India in Kuwait. After coming here, my first program is with the youth of the country. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the youth and their families," he said.He emphasized that the government's top priority is to make full use of the potential and talent of India's youth."Through Rozgar Mela, we are continuously working in this direction. "For the past 10 years, there has been a campaign in various government ministries, departments, and institutions to provide government jobs. Even today, over 71,000 youth have been appointed. In the last 1.5 years, our government has provided permanent government jobs to nearly 10 lakh youth. This is a massive record in itself," PM Modi said. "In previous governments, no such initiative to provide permanent government jobs to youth in mission mode existed, but today, not only are millions of youth getting jobs in the country but these jobs are being provided with complete honesty and transparency," he highlighted. The Prime Minister also mentioned that the development of any country happens through the strength and leadership of its youth. "Everyone has taken a pledge to build a developed India by 2047. We believe in this pledge because at the heart of every policy and decision in India is the talented youth of the country. Look at the policies of the past decade--Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Startup India, Standup India, Digital India--each of these programs was designed with the youth at the centre. India has changed its policies in the space sector, boosted manufacturing in the defence sector, and the biggest beneficiaries of these changes are the youth," PM Modi said. Rozgar Mela is a step to provide meaningful opportunities to the youth for their participation in nation-building and self-empowerment. (ANI)
On December 22, participants of the Forum of Religious Figures of Azerbaijan, held under the theme "Actual Issues of Religious Enlightenment: Tradition, Experience and Perspectives," paid their respects at the Alley of Honor in Baku, Azernews reports.

According to the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, the Forum participants laid a wreath at the grave of Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader and architect of modern independent Azerbaijan, honoring his memory with deep respect.

They also commemorated Zarifa Aliyeva, an esteemed ophthalmologist and the lifelong companion of Heydar Aliyev. Fresh flowers were laid at her grave in tribute to her contributions and legacy.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid tribute to the former Haryana Chief Minister Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala in Sirsa on Monday. Speaking to the media, Singh said that he had good relations with the former CM and his work inspired a lot of people. "I had very good relations with him. I and several other people were inspired by the kind of work he had done. He served the people of the state and the farmers and was the Chief Minister of Haryana for five terns. His loss will effect me personally. I pray that his soul rests in peace," Singh said speaking to the media. In a post on X, Singh wrote that Chautala was a strong pillar of Haryana politics and would be remembered for his outspokenness, hardwork and commitment towards the farmer's welfare. "Om Prakash Chautala ji has been a strong pillar of Haryana politics who will always be remembered for his outspokenness, hard work and commitment towards farmer welfare," the post read. Further, the Defence Minister added that Chautala was the son of a stalwart Chaudhary Devi Lal but had created his own distinct identity. "Chautalaji was the son of a stalwart like Chaudhary Devi Lal ji but he created his own distinct identity. In my political life, I got the opportunity to work with Om Prakash Chautala ji many times. The conversations I had with him on many occasions will always remain fresh in my memory. He was a true soldier of the politics of non-Congressism. I salute his memory,' the post further read. OP Chautala passed away on December 20 at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. Earlier on December 21, the Haryana Chef Minister Nayab Singh Saini described INLD leader Prakash Chautala as a visionary leader and stated that he will always be remembered for his contribution to the politics of the state. Paying his tribute, CM Saini said, "I express my deep condolences on the demise of senior leader Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala ji. With his demise, a chapter of Haryana politics has come to an end. His contribution to Haryana politics will always be remembered. Chautala ji's personality was a symbol of simplicity and struggle." (ANI)
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday accused the Congress party of hypocrisy regarding the legacy of former Minister of Law and Justice BR Ambedkar and the protection of SC/ST communities. Shankar slammed Congress for forcing Ambedkar to resign during elections and preventing him from building a memorial, while now holding a press conference in his name. The BJP leader also raised concerns about the lack of proper safeguards for SC/STs, claiming that only Muslims have received adequate protection. Prasad said, "Congress's love for Ambedkar is overflowing. The Congress party had forced Ambedkar to resign during elections, and they made sure he couldn't build a memorial. Now, Congress is holding a press conference in Ambedkar's name." He further criticized Congress for not allowing Ambedkar to speak when he was resigning, adding, "When Ambedkar was resigning, he wasn't even allowed to speak." The BJP leader also expressed concern over the lack of proper protection for SC/ST communities. He said, "SC/STs have not been given proper protection. Only Muslims have been given safeguards." Prasad questioned the Congress for not making Ambedkar's resignation public, saying, "Congress should explain why Ambedkar's resignation was never made public." He also praised the Modi government for honoring Ambedkar with a memorial. "Ambedkar was honored by the Modi government with a memorial," he added. Prasad then pointed out that streets have been named after former leaders Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi but no such recognition has been given to Ambedkar. Further, the BJP MP demanded an apology from Congress for mistreating Ambedkar, "The BJP demands that Congress apologize for the mistreatment of Ambedkar, which is also documented in papers. Kajaralkar was honored with an award, and this was done by Congress. Ambedkar was never in favor of partition. There is a significant difference in the thinking of the BJP and Congress. We believe in respecting even our staunchest opponents, and we have honored our opponents with awards as well." Meanwhile, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh criticised the Congress party, stating that it has disrespected Ambedkar since the tenure of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, while asserting that only the BJP has accorded due respect to the father of the Indian Constitution. "From the time of Pandit Nehru until now, the Congress has disrespected BR Ambedkar. It is the BJP that has given Babasaheb the respect he deserves," the Union Minister said. (ANI)
Attacking Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over the ruckus created in the Parliament, Union Minister Sanjay Seth on Monday called the Congress leader a "bouncer," and asked for Rahul Gandhi's resignation. "What Rahul Gandhi did in the Parliament would not have been done by any responsible MP... It was planted to enter the crowd... It seemed as if Rahul Gandhi isn't LoP, but a bouncer who pushed an old MP and Mukesh Rajput, and abused a tribal woman from Nagaland... They (Congress) have been defeated for the third term, but still, they did not learn because they have to sit like this (in opposition) for a long time... We have always respected the Constitution and Babasaheb Ambedkar. It is Rahul Gandhi who should resign," Sanjay Seth said. The Delhi Police registered an FIR against Rahul Gandhi, in connection to a scuffle that took place in Parliament. The tensions erupted when members of the opposition and the ruling parties held parallel protests. During the protests, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that he was pushed, and two BJP members were injured during the incident. Multiple Congress leaders have condemned the FIR against Gandhi, calling it a diversionary tactic from Shah's comments. Two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput were injured during a scuffle in Parliament. Sarangi had alleged that he was injured after Rahul Gandhi pushed another MP, who then fell on him. Sarangi claimed that he was standing near the stairs when another member of Parliament (MP) fell on him, leading to an injury on his head. The winter session of the Parliament concluded on December 20. Both Houses were adjourned sine die after uproarious scenes. (ANI)
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Monday inspected the quality of road construction in Krishna district's Kankipadu Mandal, a project expected to benefit approximately 21,000 residents, according to a press release. The road from Kanikapadu Bus Stand through Godavarru to Royyuru in the Penamaluru constituency has undergone significant transformation. Just two months ago, the road's condition was so poor that even walking on it was difficult. Now, it is nearing completion, promising smooth travel. During the Palle Panduga (village festival) two months ago, Penamaluru MLA Bode Prasad informed Pawan Kalyan about the dire state of the Godavarru-Royyuru road, emphasising that residents were unable to use it for basic commuting. The issue was brought to the Deputy Chief Minister's attention, prompting immediate action. Pawan Kalyan assured residents during the event that the road construction would be completed promptly and allocated funds for the project without delay. In just two months, 5 kilometres of road have been constructed, providing much-needed relief to residents of the Kanikapadu, Royyuru, and Godavarru panchayats. On Monday, Pawan Kalyan visited Godavarru village to inspect the quality of the construction work. The 5-kilometre stretch from Kanikapadu Bus Stand to Godavarru was funded under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Approximately 3.63 kilometres were built using NREGS funds, with the remaining section completed using SDRF funds, at a total cost of Rs 3 crore. The road construction involved laying a CC road up to Godavarru, followed by a BT road. Officials stated that the final phase of the work is underway and is expected to be completed by Sankranti. During his visit, Pawan Kalyan thoroughly examined the progress, questioned officials about the project's benefits and criteria, and reviewed photographs of the road's previous condition. Officials assured him that the road was being constructed in three layers with no compromise on quality. Pawan Kalyan instructed officials to ensure proper preparation by removing old layers, levelling the base with rollers, and then proceeding with the layering process. He stressed that this method would guarantee durability and insisted on strict adherence to standards. Residents of Royyuru shared their grievances with Pawan Kalyan, describing years of hardship due to the road's poor condition. Pregnant women faced severe risks while travelling to hospitals, with bumps and potholes causing discomfort and sometimes premature deliveries. Farmers struggled to transport their produce and goods, and previous governments had failed to take action despite repeated appeals. The residents expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Pawan Kalyan for not only approving the project immediately but also for closely monitoring its progress. They commended his proactive approach and dedication to the community. During the Palle Panduga event, Pawan Kalyan personally inspected the road construction process. He asked workers to dig approximately half a metre deep to check the layers and ensure the gravel and tar were proportionally mixed. He emphasised that there should be no compromise on quality and encouraged the public to monitor development projects and report any discrepancies. Pawan Kalyan reiterated that every rupee spent from the public treasury must benefit the people for a long time. His hands-on approach and meticulous attention to detail have brought satisfaction and relief to the residents of Kanikapadu, Royyuru, and Godavarru. (ANI)
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, chaired a review meeting on centrally sponsored schemes on Monday and directed officials to expedite ongoing projects across various departments to ensure maximum benefits reach the people of the state. He also emphasized the importance of conceptualizing and prioritizing new projects for the state's welfare. During the meeting, the Chief Minister assessed the implementation and progress of schemes related to social welfare, backward class and tribal development, women's welfare, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), and agriculture, an official release said. He underlined the necessity of completing these projects within stipulated timelines to prevent cost escalation and to accelerate the state's development. The Chief Minister reiterated the government's commitment to delivering top-notch facilities to citizens at their doorsteps and urged officers to adopt a proactive approach to serve targeted groups effectively. He emphasized the importance of raising awareness about government policies and programmes to ensure public participation and access to these benefits, the release said. He highlighted the significant progress achieved by the state in the last two years, marked by the launch of several innovative initiatives aimed at public welfare. He asked the departments to generate awareness about the policies and programmes of the State Government among the public so that they can benefit from these schemes, the release mentioned. Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi, PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Onkar Chand Sharma, Principal Secretary Devesh Kumar, Secretaries C. Paulrasu, Rakesh Kanwar, Ashish Singhmar, Rajesh Sharma, Rakhil Kahlon and Chief Minister's OSD Gopal Sharma were also present on the occasion while Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena and Secretary Abhishek Jain joined the meeting virtually, the release said. (ANI)
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday expressed his gratitude to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for facilitating Institutional Review Board training saying that the old relation between the two states is again taking pace. N Biren Singh attended the passing out parade at Assam Police Lachit Barphukan Police Academy (LBPA), Dergaon in Assam's Golaghat district. "Assam and Manipur's old relation is again taking pace... Since the situation is not good there in Manipur, IRB training wasn't possible there and when I asked Assam CM- he immediately agreed (to facilitate training in Assam) for this, I am extremely grateful to him, his colleagues in the government and the DGP of the state," he said. "Today, I attended the passing out parade and it is such a good feeling... The situation in Manipur is complex, it will take time but gradually it's getting better," Singh added. After attending the passing out parade at LBPA, Manipur's Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya congratulated all the officials and trainers of the police academy and the DGP. "Lachit Barphukan ji has a glorious history and the academy built in his name, I hope the recruits will take inspiration from him and will strengthen the security of the country. I congratulate all the officials and trainers of the police academy and the DGP," he said. Out of the 1,984 recruits who began training, 1,946 recruits passed out. The basic training for Manipur Police recruits commenced at the Assam Police Lachit Barphukan Police Academy (LBPA) on January 29, 2024. A total of 1,984 recruits reported for training at the Academy. LBPA was chosen for this program due to its successful track record in training recruits over the past two years, where nearly 7,000 recruits were effectively trained including those of Forest. Since 2022, the training methodology at LBPA has been revamped to incorporate scientific and practical approaches in line with contemporary policing requirements. The initial training period was 44 weeks, but this was extended due to a two-week midterm break in June 2024 & bulk of recruits reporting two weeks late from the midterm break. The recruits were drawn from 9 x IR (India Reserve) Battalions and 6 x Manipur Rifles Battalions. The comprehensive training program included physical fitness, proficiency in handling small arms, unarmed combat (UAC), crowd control, disaster management, law and policing, soft skills development, and tactical training. Given the ongoing law and order challenges in Manipur and the likelihood of deployment in high-risk environments post-training, additional emphasis was placed on endurance training, including long-distance speed marches, firing proficiency, tactical training, and intensive unarmed combat (UAC) training. To foster mental robustness and unit cohesion, special focus was given to national integration training, building esprit de corps, and enhancing cohesiveness among the riflemen. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday stated that his government acted promptly on complaints about collections at toll barriers, ensuring that all such activities were halted across the state. CM Yadav further stressed that his administration is committed to zero tolerance for corruption and would take necessary action at any level to combat it. "With the formation of our government in Madhya Pradesh, we have taken several tough and significant decisions. Complaints regarding collections at toll barriers were addressed immediately, and we stopped all such activities. Our commitment is clear--corruption will not be tolerated under any circumstances. We are prepared to take action at any level required," CM Yadav told ANI. The Chief Minister also highlighted that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government would continue to focus on development initiatives while fostering progress nationwide. "Today, as part of the 'Jan Kalyan Parv' fortnight, I am visiting the Sagar district to inaugurate development projects alongside Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and our Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla. These efforts will bring transformative changes to Sagar, Datia, and the entire Bundelkhand region in the coming days," CM Yadav added. The 'Jan Kalyan Parv' is being observed from December 11 to December 26 to mark the completion of one year of the BJP government in the state. During this period, numerous development projects are being inaugurated across Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, CM Yadav also announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit the state on December 25 to inaugurate the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project. "It is a matter of great fortune for us that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be among us on December 25 to unveil the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project. This ambitious initiative will have a significant impact, and I warmly welcome him to Madhya Pradesh," he said. (ANI)
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) DIG (Ops) Shrikant Kishore on Monday stated that there was "no lapse" on the part of the CISF regarding the December 19 clash outside Makar Dwar in Parliament, adding that "no weapons were allowed inside." "There was no lapse on the part of CISF. If by lapse, you mean that weapons were allowed inside--no weapons were allowed. If Honourable members make allegations, we remain silent," DIG Kishore said during a press conference. On December 19, Rahul Gandhi and other MPs from the INDIA alliance staged protests in the Parliament complex, demanding an apology and resignation from the Union Home Minister over his remarks about former law minister BR Ambedkar. During the scuffle in the Parliament premises, two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput, sustained head injuries. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that he was pushed during the protests, while Congress leaders condemned the FIR registered against Rahul Gandhi, describing it as a diversionary tactic to shift focus from the Union Home Minister's remarks. Pratap Sarangi alleged that he was injured after Rahul Gandhi pushed another MP, who then fell on him. Sarangi claimed he was standing near the stairs when the MP's fall caused a head injury. Both the BJP and the Congress have accused each other of misconduct. An FIR was filed against Rahul Gandhi by Delhi Police, citing various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 109 (abetment), 115 (abetment of an offence punishable with death or life imprisonment), 117 (abetment involving more than ten persons), 125 (endangering life or personal safety), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (common intention). The winter session of Parliament concluded on December 20, with both Houses adjourned sine die amid uproarious scenes. (ANI)
Police used water canons to disperse Youth Congress workers protesting against Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on BR Ambedkar in Chhattisgarh's Raipur on Monday. A police official was heard asking, "Do not break the barricade", Sit down," as the protesters raised slogans hailing Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai has demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah amid protests over alleged remarks against BR Ambedkar. "He should resign as he has insulted Baba Bhimrao Ambedkar, or (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji should sack him," Rai told ANI on Monday. "He (Amit Shah) has insulted Ambedkar ji across the country. A movement is ongoing nationwide. He should apologise and step down," the Congress leader added. Opposition parties have accused Amit Shah of showing disrespect towards Ambedkar, a charge denied by the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, speaking on Monday, accused the Congress party of hypocrisy regarding the legacy of former Law and Justice Minister BR Ambedkar and the protection of SC/ST communities. Prasad criticised the Congress for forcing Ambedkar to resign during elections and preventing the construction of his memorial, while now using his name for political purposes. "The Congress's love for Ambedkar is overflowing. They forced Ambedkar to resign during elections and ensured he couldn't build a memorial. Now, they're holding a press conference in his name," Prasad said. He further alleged, "When Ambedkar was resigning, he wasn't even allowed to speak. "Prasad also raised concerns about the lack of proper safeguards for SC/ST communities, accusing the Congress of prioritising Muslims over marginalised groups. He said, "SC/STs have not been given proper protection. Only Muslims have received adequate safeguards. "Shah had reportedly remarked in the Rajya Sabha, "If they (the opposition) had taken the name of God as many times as they take Ambedkar's name, they would have attained heaven for seven lives. "Following Shah's remarks, Parliament witnessed parallel protests from both the Treasury and Opposition benches last week. The demonstrations culminated in a scuffle between the two sides, leaving two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput, injured. (ANI)
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara emphasized the role of the police department in ensuring peaceful New Year and Christmas celebrations in Bengaluru. He assured citizens that all necessary measures are being taken to facilitate a safe and joyous celebration. "People celebrate New Year and Christmas in Bengaluru also. Our job and responsibility as the police department is to facilitate them to celebrate New Year and Christmas peacefully," Parameshwara said during a media interaction. He also addressed past instances where Bengaluru gained significant attention during the festive season and highlighted the proactive steps taken by the Bengaluru City Commissioner. "There were instances through which Bengaluru got a lot of attention earlier... Bengaluru City Commissioner has taken all the steps to facilitate people," he added. The Home Minister also acknowledged the importance of regulating traffic to ensure smooth celebrations and safe movement during the holiday season. "We need to take steps to regulate traffic," Parameshwara concluded. Meanwhile, on December 21, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi attended the annual Christmas and New Year celebration held at the Delhi Assembly complex on Friday. Speaking at the event, CM Atishi said, "Our culture is one of unity in diversity. We may differ in language, religion, attire, but in our hearts, we are all Indians, and we respect everyone." She added, "Every religion in India gives the message of working for the last person in the line. For the past 10 years, our government has been striving to realize this message and dream across all religions." While extending Christmas greetings at the event, CM Atishi shared a personal memory, saying, "My parents taught at Delhi University, and we lived on campus. As children, we didn't know what our religion was. We didn't know whether we were Punjabi, Gujarati, or Malayali. Every festival was celebrated on that campus. Diwali was celebrated with as much enthusiasm as Christmas, Eid was celebrated with as much grandeur as Onam. Growing up on that campus, we never felt that I belong to one religion and my neighbour belongs to another." She continued, "The greatest tragedy of our country today is that we have built walls of religion, caste, and language among ourselves. But the core of our country's culture is not this. Our culture is one of unity in diversity. We may differ in language, religion, attire, but in our hearts, we are all Indians, and we respect everyone." (ANI)
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Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has embarked on a business trip to the Republic of Serbia, Azernews reports, citing the Foreign Ministry.

The Ministry noted that during the visit, Minister Bayramov will deliver a speech at the Ambassadors' Conference of the Republic of Serbia. This important diplomatic event will provide a platform for discussing bilateral relations and regional cooperation between Azerbaijan and Serbia.

Additionally, Minister Bayramov is scheduled to meet with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, among other high-level officials.
Led by West Bengal Minister Shashi Panja, ruling Trinamool Congress workers staged a protest, asserting that disrespect towards BR Ambedkar is unacceptable. Speaking to ANI, Minister Panja said, "Under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, you will see protests being held across West Bengal". "We are unsettled, Union Home Minister Amit Shah who is responsible for the security of the nation, showing disrespect Constitution and its architect, BR Ambedkar, is unacceptable. BJP is against Dalits, and Adivasis and ridicules them. They have insulted even BR Ambedkar," the TMC leader said. "We want to demonstrate that we take people of every caste, language and religion along with us," the TMC leader said taking potshots at Amit Shah over his remarks on Ambedkar. "It is very sad. We protest against it. Replying to a query, she said, "The BJP can attempt to smokescreen their mistake a thousand times. This party is so selfish and lies frequently. We do not have any faith in them". On December 20, CM Mamata Banerjee said in a post on X, "BJP has been systematically demolishing our constitutional ethos, tearing apart the values that define our democracy and the principles that bind us as a nation. Their VITRIOLIC remarks against the Father of our Constitution, Babasaheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, are a reflection of the culture of HATE and INTOLERANCE that is being incubated." Opposition parties have accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of showing disrespect towards Ambdedkar, a charge denied by the senior BJP leader. Shah had reportedly said in Rajya Sabha, "If they (opposition) had taken the name of God so many times instead of Ambedkar, they would have got heaven for seven lives." Following the remarks made by Shah, the Parliament witnessed parallel protests from both the Treasury and Opposition benches outside the parliament last week, which led to a huge scuffle between the two sides with two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput sustaining injuries. (ANI)
Calling the Parbhani violence a "government-sponsored incident," Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole on Monday stated that the party will move a privilege motion against Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the Assembly. "It was a government-sponsored incident, and they (the government) lied in the Assembly to protect themselves. After coming here, we uncovered the truth. Today, we will move a privilege motion against the Maharashtra CM in the Assembly," Patole told ANI. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole, and other Congress leaders visited violence-hit Parbhani and paid homage to the victims. The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, alleged during his visit that a victim was "murdered" because he was a Dalit and was "protecting" the Constitution. "I have met the family and those who were killed and beaten up. They showed me the post-mortem report, videos, and photographs. This is 100 per cent a custodial death. He was murdered, and the Chief Minister lied in the Assembly to send a message to the police. This young man was killed because he was a Dalit and was protecting the Constitution," Gandhi told reporters. Rahul Gandhi accused the RSS ideology of aiming to "destroy" the Constitution and demanded immediate resolution of the matter. "We want this issue resolved immediately, and those responsible should be punished. No politics is being played here. The ideology is responsible because the Chief Minister made this statement. The Chief Minister is accountable, those who killed him are accountable, and swift action is needed," he added. Violence erupted in Parbhani on December 10 following the alleged vandalism of a replica of the Indian Constitution. Special Inspector General of Nanded, Shahaji Umap, previously confirmed that around 50 people had been arrested and eight cases registered in connection with the violence. The family of the deceased, Somnath Suryawanshi, has demanded the death penalty for the police officer under whose custody Suryawanshi died. (ANI)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal announced that under the Sanjeevani Yojana, the Delhi government will provide free treatment for senior citizens aged 60 and above. Kejriwal stated that registration for the Sanjeevani Yojana has commenced in the Jangpura assembly constituency, where the AAP has fielded former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia for the upcoming assembly polls. "Under the Sanjeevani Yojana, if elderly individuals above 60 years of age fall ill, whether they visit a government hospital or a private hospital, the Delhi government will cover the entire cost of their treatment," Kejriwal told reporters on Monday. The AAP leader noted that there are an estimated 20-25 lakh senior citizens in the national capital. Kejriwal further revealed that approximately 2.5 lakh women have registered for the Mahila Samman Yojana within "just a few hours" since its launch earlier in the day. The Mahila Samman Yojana aims to provide women residing in Delhi with a monthly allowance of Rs 2,100. He also mentioned that the scheme will extend to every household in the city, adding, "This will prove to be a game changer in people's lives," when asked about the potential impact of the schemes in the lead-up to the polls. Earlier, on Saturday, Kejriwal announced the Dr Ambedkar Scholarship, aimed at supporting the higher education of Dalit students. AAP has introduced a series of schemes in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, which are likely to take place in 2025. On Monday, the BJP criticised AAP following these announcements. BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla told ANI, "They have been in power for 10 years but failed to make Delhi pollution-free. They couldn't clean the Yamuna by 2025. They used to talk about good hospitals and schools but didn't deliver. Now they are making new promises. What were they doing for 10 years? These are just election promises made to the public with elections in mind." In the 2020 Assembly elections, AAP secured 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP won eight. The upcoming Delhi Assembly elections are expected in early 2025. (ANI)
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Monday firmly denied any shortcomings in handling the December 19 scuffle that occurred inside Parliament near the Makar Dwar gate resulting in injuries to BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput. CISF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Shrikant Kishore stated that the force had acted appropriately and in accordance with established protocols during the incident. "There was no lapse on the part of CISF when the clash happened," he asserted. He also categorically informed the media during a briefing that "no any inquiry" regarding the incident is being conducted by the CISF nor the force has been asked to do so. Sarangi suffered a deep cut on his forehead, while Rajput fell unconscious due to elevated blood pressure during the confrontation. The ruckus unfolded at the Makar Dwar entrance just before the Houses were set to convene at 11 am. A group of BJP MPs had gathered to protest Congress's alleged disrespect toward the architect of the Constitution Dr BR Ambedkar. As Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi approached, he attempted to walk through the gathering, leading to a scuffle. Sarangi, the 70-year-old MP from Balasore Odisha, claimed that Rahul shoved Mukesh Rajput, causing both MPs to fall. Sarangi sustained injuries to his forehead and knee during the incident. They were later admitted to ICU in Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of physical aggression, calling his actions "goonish." In response, Congress MPs filed complaints, alleging that Rahul was manhandled by three BJP MPs. (ANI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday expressed his gratitude to the Central Government for approving 6.5 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). He also announced plans to increase this number by an additional 13 lakh houses for the state. Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis described the initiative as "historic," stating that 26 lakh people have registered for the scheme, of whom 20 lakh will be provided houses. "Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, this year the Central Government approved six and a half lakh houses, with plans to increase the allocation by another 13 lakh houses for the state. This is a significant gift to Maharashtra from the Central Government. So far, 26 lakh people have registered, and 20 lakh will be given houses. This is a historic achievement," he said. Fadnavis also shared a letter from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on X (formerly Twitter), expressing his appreciation: "Heartfelt thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ji for approving 20 lakh new houses for Maharashtra under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana!" In the letter, Chouhan described the move as a step towards fulfilling the Government of India's commitment to "Housing for All" in rural areas. "As you are aware, the Ministry of Rural Development is implementing the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), a flagship scheme of the Government of India effective from 1 April 2016. Its objective is 'Housing for All' in rural areas, assisting eligible households to construct pucca houses with basic amenities. The Union Cabinet, in its meeting on August 9, 2024, approved the continuation of the scheme for five more years until March 2029 to address the rising housing demand in rural areas. For FY 2024-25, a target of 6,37,089 houses was allocated to your state based on the finalised Awaas+ 2018 survey lists," the letter stated. Chouhan added: "I am pleased to inform you that the Ministry of Rural Development has approved an additional target of 13,29,678 houses for Maharashtra during FY 2024-25 under the PMAY-G, based on the Awaas+ 2018 survey. This brings the cumulative target for FY 2024-25 to 19,66,767 houses for the state. This is a significant step towards achieving the Government of India's commitment to 'Housing for All' in rural areas." The Union Minister also reaffirmed the Ministry's dedication to ensuring the scheme's successful implementation in Maharashtra. Speaking to reporters, Chouhan said, "More than 13 lakh pucca houses are being provided in Maharashtra. Prime Minister Modi has pledged to provide permanent housing for the poor. Two crore pucca houses will be built in villages and one crore in cities. In Maharashtra, over six lakh permanent houses have already been provided, and more than 13 lakh additional houses are now being sanctioned." (ANI)
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday called the death of Somnath Suryawanshi "government-sponsored" and alleged that the people who "believed in Manusmriti have taken their lives." "The murder of Somnath Suryavanshi is government-sponsored. He was a Dalit and was defending the Constitution. People who believed in Manusmriti have taken their lives," Rahul Gandhi posted on X. Rahul Gandhi, state Congress President Nana Patole and other Congress leaders visited Maharashtra's violence-hit Parbhani and paid homage. Meanwhile, Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad held Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responsible for the Parbhani violence. "The CM is responsible for all this as he could have controlled the situation in Parbhani but he was busy with the cabinet... The post-mortem report of the deceased says that multiple injuries led to death," Gaikwad said. Congress MP Praniti Shinde said that the government is "misleading and hiding facts." "The government is misleading and hiding facts... His (deceased) family was also informed after the death while it should have been done after the police arrested him. A lot of loopholes are there and we are demanding a judicial inquiry of it," Praniti Shinde said. After meeting the victims, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the victim was "murdered" because he was a Dalit and was "protecting" the Constitution. "I have met the family and those who have been killed and beaten up. They showed me the post-mortem report, videos, photographs. This is 100 per cent a custodial death. He has been murdered and the Chief Minister lied in the Assembly to give a message to the police. This young man was killed because he was a Dalit and was protecting the Constitution," Rahul Gandhi told reporters. Violence erupted in Parbhani city on December 10 following the alleged vandalism of a replica of the Indian Constitution. Special Inspector General of Nanded, Shahaji Umap, earlier stated that around 50 people had been arrested, and eight cases registered in connection with the violence. The family members of deceased Somnath Suryawnashi have demanded a death sentence for the accused police officer under whose custody Suryawanshi died. (ANI)
In a country where police stations play a vital role in ensuring safety and security, Surat's Ichhapore Police Station has emerged as a shining example of efficiency, community involvement, and excellence in law enforcement.This police station has been ranked the best in India for its outstanding efforts to maintain law and order while fostering trust among the people. Ichhapore Police Station received the prestigious Best Police Station Award from Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the DGP Conference held in Bhubaneswar. The award is part of an initiative by the Ministry of Home Affairs, aimed at recognizing and celebrating outstanding police stations that go above and beyond in ensuring public safety and fostering strong community ties. Commissioner of Police, Surat, Anupam Singh Gehlot said Ichhapore police station ensures a proper response to the people. "In a police station, the way crime patterns are handled, how crimes are dealt with, the timely submission of chargesheets, and the occurrence of convictions are all important. No negative activities are happening within the police station, the service of warrants and notices is being done in a timely manner," he said. "Additionally, efforts to maintain cleanliness in the police station and law and order are crucial. The CCTV network set up in the station is used to monitor and maintain security, ensuring that everything is functioning properly. The police station also ensures a proper response to the public; when people visit, how they are treated all are monitored. The National Crime Bureau (NCIB) data is analysed to track and assess crime trends," he added. Ichhapore Police Station has transformed the traditional perception of police stations, fostering a strong, positive relationship between the police and the public.Citizens expressed their satisfaction with the approachable and supportive attitude of the police at Ichhapore. They highlighted how the police have consistently met their expectations, making them feel safe and valued. Shravan Kumar Maheshwari, a resident, said, "Their work is very good. If we have any problem, we go to the police station. They are always there for us. They support us immediately. Their work is very good". Another resident, Aastik Babu Bhai Patel said there is significant awareness, thanks to the government's efforts on cybercrime, fraud, and ATM fraud. "The police station, in collaboration with villages and society, proactively raises awareness about these issues. Their efforts have resulted in widespread awareness in the community," he said. Ichhapore Police Station has set a remarkable standard in law enforcement with its exceptional track record in solving serious crimes like murder, robbery, and rape.Its use of advanced technology, including CCTV surveillance and efficient crime detection, has greatly improved public safety. By prioritizing citizen-centric services and swift justice, the station has earned widespread admiration, becoming a model for police stations nationwide. (ANI)
https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1871167576224702959

In a post on X, PM Modi said, "In a short while from now, at around 6:30 PM, I look forward to joining the Christmas programme hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India in New Delhi"

The celebrations will be hosted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) at its Centre premises.

Prime Minister will interact with key leaders from the Christian community, including Cardinals, Bishops and prominent lay leaders of the Church, his office said in a release on December 22.

This is the first time a Prime Minister will attend such a programme at the Headquarters of the Catholic Church in India, the statement added.

Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) was established in 1944 and is the body which works closest with all the Catholics across India. (ANI)
The Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta has issued summons to Saurabh Sharma, a former constable of the State Road Transportation Department, along with his wife, mother, and associates Sharad Jaiswal and Chetan Singh Gaur, for questioning in connection with a corruption case, according to an official release issued on Monday. A case has been registered against Sharma under sections 13(1)B and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as stated in the release. Following a complaint, the Lokayukta conducted search operations on December 19 and 20, uncovering assets suspected to be disproportionate to Saurabh Sharma's known sources of income. Assets worth several crores were recovered from two residences linked to the accused, located at E-7/78 and E-7/657 in Arera Colony, Bhopal. At the E-7/78 residence, authorities seized vehicles, household items, jewellery, and cash amounting to approximately Rs3.86 crore. From the shared office at E-7/657, which is jointly held with Chetan Singh Gaur, additional assets, including silver and cash, were valued at Rs4.12 crore. The total value of assets recovered from both locations is estimated to be around Rs7.98 crore. In a related development, Bhopal police and Income Tax (IT) officials recovered 52 kg of gold worth over Rs40 crore and Rs9.86 crore in cash from an abandoned car. The car, bearing a number plate registered as MP 07 (Gwalior RTO) under the name of Chetan Singh Gaur, was discovered late at night on December 19 near Mendori-Kushalpur Road under Ratibad police station limits. Upon receiving information, officials seized the car and its contents. The Lokayukta has requested information from the IT Department regarding the cash and gold recovered from the abandoned car registered in Gaur's name. This evidence will be incorporated into the ongoing investigation, as per the release. Additionally, property records retrieved during the searches at the accused's house and office will undergo detailed scrutiny to determine investment amounts and identify the involvement of other individuals in the case. Further investigation into the matter is underway. (ANI)
The Delhi government Directorate of Education has directed that schools ensure strict admission procedures, and verification of students' documentation to prevent illegal Bangladeshi migrants' enrollment. A circular issued on Monday stated that every year, several lakh students apply for admission to Government Schools. "Schools must ensure strict admission procedures, verification of students' documentation to prevent illegal Bangladeshi migrants' enrollment, implementation of greater scrutiny to detect and prevent unauthorized admissions of illegal Bangladeshi migrants in particular," as per the circular. "All the heads of government, government-aided and unaided recognized private schools of DoE are directed to ensure that when admitting migrant children into schools, it is essential to follow a thorough careful process to ensure that all necessary documentation is submitted, verified and handled properly," it added. They are further directed that in case of any doubt, the matter must be referred to the local police and revenue authority, it mentioned. Schools have been directed to submit a weekly report. Earlier in the month, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) issued an order to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrant children in schools and to ensure that no illegal Bangladeshi migrants are issued birth certificates. Union MoS Harsh Malhotra on Saturday alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party is giving patronage to Bangladeshi Migrants just for the sake of votes. "The BJP has been saying that the leaders of AAP are giving patronage to illegal Bangladeshi migrants just for the sake of a vote bank. Now when the public of Delhi has become aware of it, they are raising this issue," Malhotra told ANI. Meanwhile, in a decisive step to curb the rising number of illegal Bangladeshi intruders in the capital, Delhi Police conducted a comprehensive operation in the E-44 Jhuggis of New Seemapuri on December 12. Acting under the directives of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, who has set a two-month timeline to identify and expel illegal intruders, police teams visited multiple slums, verifying residents' identity documents. (ANI)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not even realize how he blocked all opportunities for Armenians to return to Azerbaijan. As is well known and has already been accepted as a fact, Azerbaijan is ready to discuss this issue, but only in parallel with resolving the matter of the return of Azerbaijani refugees to their lands in Armenia. However, in his latest interview with the media, Pashinyan made it clear that Azerbaijanis should not even think about returning. This means only one thingthe road to Karabakh for Armenians is closed.

After President Ilham Aliyevs interview with Russia Today CEO Dmitry Kiselyov, Pashinyan decided to respond by giving an interview to an Armenian publication in order to "debunk" the arguments of the Azerbaijani side with his remarkable "intelligence."

"I will win with my intellect... Ill run... Ill win... Ill use my brains, in short," Pashinyan thought, echoing the self-confident hero of the famous cartoon. And he rushed into battle.

Although President Ilham Aliyev did not mention Western Azerbaijan in his interview with Russian media, it is clear from Pashinyan's responses that he had been waiting for an opportunity to address it and demonstrate his erudition. Its evident that Nikol had been preparing for a long time, searching for potential answers so that he could immediately respond. And, as he seems to believe, he found it. Accusing the Azerbaijani Constitution of having territorial claims against Armenia, he stated that if this were not the case, then "Western Azerbaijan should be understood as Gazakh, Tovuz, Aghstafa, Gadabay, Dashkesan, Kalbajar, Lachin, Gubadli, and Zangilan regions." Therefore, the return of people there is an internal matter of Azerbaijan, and the Armenian government has nothing to do with it or discuss it, except for the issues it is already discussing with Azerbaijan. I mean the establishment of normal relations that will, among other things, ensure the security of the western borders of Azerbaijan and the eastern borders of Armenia.

Now, lets recall what President Ilham Aliyev said in his interview with Kiselyov.

The Head of State spoke about the reintegration program developed for the Armenians of Karabakh, which they have not accepted, and also emphasized the rights of Azerbaijanis deported from Armenia to return to their lands.

"The fact that they were deported from there in the early 1990s does not mean that they have no right to return. We still have not received a response from the Armenian leadership on how they envision the process of reintegrating Azerbaijanis into their historical lands. I believe that if these two processes follow parallel courses, it will create an even better social atmosphere for the world. Because peace is not only a signature on a peace treaty; it is also a social consensus. And the wounds that we, as they say, received during the years of occupation have not yet healed, despite 30 years. That is, it takes time. And for this, we need a public foundation, we need communication, we need to speak the language of humanity," President Ilham Aliyev said.

Unfortunately, the language of humanity in Yerevan is not understood, and they do not know how to speak it, which was once again confirmed by Nikol Pashinyan in his interview. He probably thinks he has found a witty and lethal way to respond to Baku. We will hear these phrases from his lips more than once, including from international platforms. Nikol is a populist, and his political image is based on populism. He invents ideas and runs around with them everywhere, testing them on various audiences. In order to show off his "wit," this time he had to memorize the correct names of Azerbaijani districts.

Yerevan resolutely refuses to discuss the return of Azerbaijanis to Armenia, hoping that it will be possible, through international pressure, to return Armenians to Karabakh without the need for mutual steps. The Armenian side has certain grounds for such hopes, as their European partners have repeatedly given them reasons to persist. It is worth recalling once again the very characteristic statement of the former EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, Toivo Klaar, who stated in a farewell interview with the Armenian media that the return of Armenians to Karabakh and the return of Azerbaijanis to Armenia were "completely different issues that should not be confused." "The first one is to facilitate the return of Karabakh Armenians to their ancestral homes, which is an obligation of Azerbaijan. The second is the issue of Armenians who used to live in other parts of Azerbaijan, including Baku, or Azerbaijanis who used to live in Armenia. Naturally, they should also be able to visit the places where they or their families lived, or even return there if they so wish, and this should also be a consequence of normalization. But this is a completely different issue from the specific issue of Karabakh Armenians."

Hearing this, Yerevan calmed down, seeing in the words of the European official a promise to apply pressure on Baku to the end. Pashinyan is absolutely confident that the issue of the return of Armenians will never be considered in international forums in conjunction with the return of Azerbaijanis. In principle, he is right in some ways. The fate of about 300,000 Azerbaijanis who were subjected to ethnic cleansing in Armenia has never been of interest to the world, and, moreover, it does not concern anyone today, 35 years after the tragedy. However, the relevance of the issue of the rights of Azerbaijanis in Armenia does not depend on the statements of EU officials or the wit of Nikol Pashinyan.





West Azerbaijan is a historical fact that cannot be erased from history. No one intends to bring it back into today's realities. In any case, the Azerbaijani side has no such intentions so far. When Baku talks about the return of Azerbaijani refugees, it refers to the return of people who were forcibly expelled and lost everything, to their ancestral lands, the restoration of their rights, their reintegration into Armenian society, and ensuring their safe and decent living. Baku expects an answer to these questions from Yerevan, and Pashinyan should not pretend to be an expert in geography. This is not a topic for witty remarks. It is better for him to think about how he might avoid having to memorize the correct names of his own districts in the future. For example, Zangezur, Zangibasar, Geyche, Basarketer, and so on...
Following the issuance of threats earlier this month, the SIA launched an investigation.

https://x.com/JmuKmrPolice/status/1871202979824443595

The chargesheet was submitted to the 3rd Additional Sessions Judge in Jammu on Monday.

In a statement posted on its social media platform X, the J&K police said: "In a significant stride in the fight against cyber-terrorism, the State Investigation Agency (SIA), Jammu, has filed a chargesheet against key operatives behind the notorious 'Kashmir Fight,' a social media handle."

The statement added that the platform, operated by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proscribed terrorist organisation, was used to issue chilling online threats to migrant Kashmiri Pandit employees with the aim of spreading fear and unrest. "In February 2024, a series of threatening posts were published on social media by the terror outfit's handle, prompting an investigation by SIA Jammu," the police noted.

During the investigation, SIA apprehended Farhaan Muzaffar Mattoo, a Srinagar resident, for allegedly gathering and sharing sensitive information about targeted employees, according to the police.

The probe revealed that Mattoo acted as a conduit, using encrypted communication platforms to transmit critical data about migrant employees to handlers based in Pakistan, who then issued threats through the "Kashmir Fight" platform.

The chargesheet also names Sheikh Sajjad Ahmad, alias Sajjad Gul, a Srinagar resident now operating from Pakistan, as the "mastermind of this plot." Sajjad is accused of orchestrating the campaign to intimidate migrant employees and disrupt communal harmony in the Union Territory.

"The exposure of terror plans aimed at disrupting peace underscores the Jammu and Kashmir Police's commitment to protecting its citizens and ensuring a peaceful environment for them," the police said. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday stressed on the need to broaden the Intelligence Bureau's concept of security and prepare for the challenges of the future. Delivering the 37th Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture' here in the national capital, Shah said the Intelligence Bureau must prepare itself to become a cutting-edge intelligence agency and that young officers must step forward to achieve this goal. The Home Minister also highlighted the need to build a robust ecosystem to counter misinformation and stressed that to reduce the spread of propaganda to zero, we need to have a strategy, technology, and readiness in place. "In today's era, the scope of sovereignty is no longer limited to territorial boundaries. If we do not include innovation, technology, the economy, resources, and research and development processes within the definition of sovereignty, we cannot ensure the safety of the country. Even the slightest lapse in securing these areas would harm our sovereignty, and therefore, it is our duty to protect them," Shah addressed the gathering that included the presence of Union Home Secretary, Director of the Intelligence Bureau, former Directors of the Intelligence Bureau, Directors General of Central Police Forces and Central Armed Police Forces, and senior officials from the Intelligence Bureau and the Ministry of Home Affairs. He further explained that security is no longer just about the protection of borders and citizens; the definition of security should be expanded to include new dimensions. "With just one click of a computer, any country's critical and digital infrastructure can be damaged. So, we need to broaden the Intelligence Bureau's concept of security and prepare for the challenges of the future," the Home Minister said. He emphasized increased vigilance regarding the rapid changes happening in areas like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and cyberspace. The Minister focussed that simply being alert to anti-national elements causing physical damage is no longer sufficient. In today's context, the meaning of vigilance must evolve. He highlighted that information and data are powerful tools for development, and must be protected by making radical changes to traditional methods, modes, and mechanisms. Shah further mentioned that in the coming days, the responsibility of preparing and equipping the Intelligence Bureau with the necessary technology will fall on young officers. Noting that India will become the world's third-largest economy by 2027, Shah pointed out that as we progress, competition intensifies, threats increase, and obstructive forces emerge. "Building a robust infrastructure to counter these threats, from headquarters to police stations and constables, with a unified sense of purpose is the responsibility of young officers. In line with Prime Minister Modi's vision, to achieve a fully developed India by 2047, we must visualize all potential threats and prepare a comprehensive roadmap to safeguard the nation from them.," he said. He remarked that inclusive development, along with peace and stability in the country, is only possible if we reshape our work in accordance with this expanded definition, prepare anew, and remain vigilant. He highlighted that over the past 10 years under the Modi government, significant successes have been achieved in combating terrorism, Naxalism, insurgency, narcotics, and anarchic elements. "Since 2014, the Central Government has enhanced and strengthened anti-terrorism capabilities through a "Whole of Government Approach," he further said. He noted that the Modi government has undertaken numerous initiatives to empower agencies and expand their capabilities. "A major focus has also been placed on improving coordination between states and agencies. The government has strengthened these agencies by providing them with the backing of the law and amending several legislations to enhance their effectiveness," Shah added. Pointing that divisive forces are still "active" in the country today, Shah emphasized that disinformation, misinformation, mal-information, and fake news have such power that they are always ready to disrupt the social fabric of our society with the help of new technology. The Home Minister remarked that a country where social unity does not exist cannot progress in any meaningful way. He added that the responsibility of addressing these challenges and preparing the entire police force to tackle them now lies with the country's information warriors. Shah noted that attacks on critical infrastructure, cyberattacks, information warfare, psychological warfare, chemical warfare, and the radicalization of youth have emerged as intensified challenges. The Home Minister expressed confidence that, just as the country's security agencies have faced all challenges until now, they will be able to confront these threats with the same readiness and vigilance. (ANI)
Congress leader Sama Ram Mohan Reddy on Monday said that there was "no interaction" between AICC in-charge for Telangana Deepa Dasmunsi and Allu Arjun's father-in-law Kancharla Chandrasekhar Reddy in the Gandhi Bhawan. "There was no interaction between AICC in-charge for Telangana Deepa Dasmunsi and Allu Arjun's father-in-law Kancharla Chandrasekhar Reddy. So meanwhile, when he changed the sofa from the second one to the first one which was closer to Deepa Dasmunsi ji all that media came in after seeing that the media, he simply told Deepa Dasmunsi ji that I will come and meet you, and he simply left. That is what happened. That was the only conversation that happened. There wasn't any meeting. There wasn't any conversation happened between Deepa Dasmunsi and Kancharla Chandrasekhar Reddy. I don't know for what reason he came to Gandhi Bhawan because he's also a Congress leader. But as we all know what's happening in and around and what are all the politics happening in the state, so definitely might be something about that or some personal reasons, but the interaction didn't happen here," Sama Ram Mohan Reddy said. This comes after a stampede controversy outside Hyderabad's Sandhya Theatre on December 4, during the premiere of the Telugu superstar's latest blockbuster, "Pushpa 2." The Congress leader also condemned the stone-pelting incident at the 'Pushpa' actor Allu Arjun's residence. "We strongly condemn the attack. Congress party never encourages such attacks. We never encourage any violence and as it was very much clarified by none other than our honourable chief minister in the assembly itself you know this is a transparent government and we are not going to see any profiles whether they are big or small, but you know law will take its own course of action," he added. Reddy said that Telangana CM Revanth Reddy directed the DGP to initiate action against the accused. "And there we have strongly condemned it and our honourable CM in his official Twitter directed the DGP to initiate action against them. Those people were arrested and you know, the case was booked and the bail was also granted for them. So there is transparency, but why BRS is indulging in propagating lies, saying that, you know, it is a conspiracy made by the Congress party that those people who were seen on cameras? Those were very close to KTR too. We have released several images that, you know, when those students joined into BRS party. See, if we just connect the dots, this is nothing but an attempt to blemish the image of our government, but you know, once again BRS has failed," the Congress leader said. Earlier on Sunday, the Hyderabad residence of 'Pushpa' actor Allu Arjun was pelted with stones following allegations that he was responsible for the chaos at Sandhya Theatre, which led to the death of a woman on December 4. The tensions heightened after public statements were exchanged between the actor and the government. According to Jubilee Hills Police, members of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OUJAC) staged a protest outside Allu Arjun's residence on Sunday, holding placards and chanting slogans. (ANI)
Kotputli Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Brajesh Choudhary confirmed the incident, stating, "A 3.5-year-old girl fell into a borewell in the Kiratpura village of Kotputli district. The administration and medical team have reached the spot. Rescue operations are underway..."

Teams from the district administration, along with medical personnel, have been working at the scene since the accident was reported. Local authorities have cordoned off the area to ensure the safety of both the rescue workers and the villagers.

Rescue operations often face immense challenges, especially in cases involving borewell accidents, as the narrow, deep shafts can be difficult to navigate. Authorities have called in specialized teams and equipment to assist with the operation, which involves carefully digging and securing the area around the borewell to prevent further complications. (ANI)
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking review of the order granting bail to Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji in a money laundering case related to the cash-for-jobs scam. A bench of Justices AS Oka and Augustine George Masih also rejected the prayer for an open court hearing of the review petition. The review petition sought a review of the judgment granting bail to Balaji on September 26, 2024. "Having gone through the review petition and the connected papers, we do not find any ground to review the order sought to be reviewed. There is no error apparent on the face of the record. An application for recall of the same order is pending which is being heard by the Court. Review Petition is dismissed," the bench stated in its order on December 17. The same bench is also hearing an application seeking recall of the bail order Balaji on the ground that witnesses would be under pressure since Balaji was appointed minister after his release. The apex court will hear that application in January 2025. On December 2, the bench was surprised after knowing that Balaji was appointed as Minister in Tamil Nadu soon after he was granted bail in the money laundering case. "We grant bail and the next day you go and become Minister. Anybody will be bound to be under the impression that now with your position as a senior cabinet minister witnesses will be under pressure. What is this going on?" the top court had said. The bench had earlier said that it would not recall the judgment but it would limit the scope of enquiry to whether the witnesses were under pressure. By September 26 judgment, the apex court granted bail to Balaji, despite finding that there was a prima facie case against him, on the ground of his long incarceration, since June 2023, and the unlikelihood of the trial commencing soon. On September 29, Balaji took oath as the minister. Balaji, was arrested on June 14, 2023, in connection with a money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam when he was the Transport Minister during an earlier AIADMK regime. The ED had arrested Balaji in connection with an Enforcement Case Information Register (ECIR) filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2021. The ECIR was registered on the basis of three FIRs lodged against him by the local police in 2018 for his alleged involvement in a cash-for-job case when he was the Transport Minister in Jayalalithaa's Cabinet in 2015. The charges date back to his tenure as transport minister during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government from 2011 to 2015. He joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in December 2018 and assumed office as the Electricity Minister after the party came to power in May 2021. (ANI)
Goa Congress President Amit Patkar along with South Goa MP Capt. Viriato Fernandes OBC Chairman Nitin Chopdekar and others met Prakash Ambedkar, a distinguished leader and the grandson of Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar, a press release said on Monday. According to the release, the discussion revolved around the current political landscape and the ongoing challenges that threaten the principles of social justice, equality, and democracy that Dr. Ambedkar stood for. Prakash Ambedkar, known for his relentless commitment to upholding his grandfather's legacy, shared his insights on the prevailing political scenario and the urgent need to protect the constitutional rights of marginalized communities, the release said. We deliberated on the role of opposition parties in uniting against divisive forces, ensuring accountability in governance, and reinforcing the ideals enshrined in the Indian Constitution. The meeting highlighted the importance of inclusive development and policies that prioritize the welfare of every section of society, especially the underprivileged, it added. "Ambedkar's vision continues to inspire us to work tirelessly for a just and equitable society. Congress remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the constitutional values of liberty, equality, and fraternity, as envisioned by Babasaheb," the release added. This meeting marks the collaborative effort to address the pressing issues faced by the people of Goa and to reaffirm our collective resolve to uphold the ideals of one of India's greatest visionaries, Ambedkar. Meanwhile, opposition parties have accused Home Minister Amit Shah of showing disrespect towards Ambedkar, a charge denied by the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. Following the remarks made by Shah, the Parliament witnessed parallel protests from both the Treasury and Opposition benches outside the parliament last week, which led to a huge scuffle between the two sides with two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput sustaining injuries. The ruling BJP MPs were protesting in the Parliament's premises against the Congress party for "insulting" Babasaheb Ambedkar. INDIA Bloc MPs led by Rahul Gandhi held a protest in the Parliament premises and demanded the resignation of Shah over his remarks on Ambedkar. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also alleged that he was pushed by BJP MPs while he was trying to enter Parliament in what turned out to be a face-off between Congress and BJP MPs during their protests. (ANI)
BRS leader K Kavitha launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Telangana, accusing it of diverting the people's attention from real issues. "The Congress party in Telangana is at its best in diverting people's attention from their real issues and raising frivolous issues like filing cases against film stars. Congress has miserably failed in fulfilling its six guarantees. Bharat Rashtra Samithi has exposed them," Kavitha said at a public event. "So to hide their failures, now they are bringing up new issues and trying to divert the attention of people. They have now understood this very clearly and have started questioning this government and they will continue to do so". Meanwhile, amid a controversy over the Sandhya theatre incident in Telangana, Congress leader Anirudh Reddy on Monday accused actor Allu Arjun of using the public's excitement for his own commercial gain. "What happened at the Sandhya theatre was an unfortunate incident due to the visit of actor Allu Arjun...What he is doing is business, he is an actor, if the public comes, he will get more movies and money...but today it is a very serious issue, a mother died and the son is battling for his life but when he (Allu Arjun) got bail, so many actors came to his residence and they were hugging him and smiling, that was not a good scene...whoever has done wrong, has to be sent to jail and action has to be taken so the law is taking its course," the Congress leader said. The tragedy occurred on December 4 when Allu Arjun attended the premiere of 'Pushpa 2: The Rule.' (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the teachings of Jesus Christ celebrate love, harmony, and brotherhood and it is important that people work to make this spirit stronger. PM Modi participated in the Christmas celebrations hosted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) at the CBCI Centre premises here. This is the first time a Prime Minister has attended such a programme at the Headquarters of the Catholic Church in India. The Prime Minister also interacted with key leaders from the Christian community, including Cardinals, Bishops and prominent leaders of the Church. Wishing Merry Christmas to the citizens of the country and the Christian community worldwide, the Prime Minister stated that a few days ago he had attended Christmas celebration at Union Minister George Kurian's residence and today, he is honoured to join all for this event organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI). "This occasion is particularly special as it marks the 80th anniversary of the CBCI," he said. PM Modi congratulated the CBCI and everyone associated with it on this remarkable milestone. He reminisced that he celebrated Christmas with CBCI at the Prime Minister's residence, and today all are gathered at the CBCI campus. "I have also visited the Sacred Heart Cathedral Church during Easter, and I am grateful for the warmth I receive from all of you. I feel the same affection from His Holiness Pope Francis, whom I met earlier this year during the G7 summit in Italy--our second meeting in three years. I invited him to visit India," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister said that during his trip to New York in September, he had met Cardinal Pietro Parolin. These spiritual encounters inspire and strengthen the commitment to service, he said. The Prime Minister recalled his recent meeting with Cardinal George Koovakad, who was recently conferred the title of Cardinal by Pope Francis. The Prime Minister said that the Indian government, led by Union Minister George Kurian, sent a high-level delegation to this event. "When an Indian achieves such success, the entire country takes pride. I once again congratulate Cardinal George Kwakad on this remarkable accomplishment," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister also recollected many memories, particularly the fulfilling moments when Father Alexis Prem Kumar was rescued from war-torn Afghanistan a decade ago. He highlighted that Father Alexis Prem Kumar had been held hostage for eight months, and despite the difficult situation, the government made every effort to bring him home safely. "I will never forget the joy in his family's voices when we succeeded. Similarly, when Father Tom was taken hostage in Yemen, we also worked tirelessly to bring him back, and I had the honour of inviting him to my home. Our efforts to rescue nurse sisters in crisis in the Gulf were equally relentless and successful," the Prime Minister said. He reiterated that these efforts were not just diplomatic missions but emotional commitments to bring back family members. Today's India, no matter where an Indian is, considers it its duty to rescue him or her in times of crisis. The Prime Minister emphasised that India's foreign policy prioritizes human interests alongside national ones, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many countries focused on their own interests, India selflessly helped over 150 countries, sending medicines and vaccines. This had a positive global impact, with nations like Guyana expressing deep gratitude. Many island nations, Pacific nations, and Caribbean countries also praise India for its humanitarian efforts. India's human-centric approach is set to elevate the world in the 21st century. The Prime Minister underscored that the teachings of Lord Christ emphasize love, harmony, and brotherhood. And it saddens him when violence and disruption spreads in society, as seen recently at a Christmas market in Germany and during the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka. PM Modi stated that this Christmas is more special. "The Holy Bible sees hope as a source of strength and peace. We are also guided by hope and positivity. Hope for humanity Hope for a better world and Hope for peace, progress and prosperity," he said. The Prime Minister highlighted that in the past 10 years, 250 million people in India have overcome poverty, fueled by the hope that victory over poverty is possible. India has also risen from the 10th to the fifth largest economy. This period of development has brought new hope for the future, with opportunities for youth in various fields such as start-ups, science, sports, and entrepreneurship. "The self-confident youth of India are driving the country toward progress, giving us hope that the dream of a developed India will be realized," the Prime Minister added. He emphasised that in the past 10 years, women in India have achieved remarkable empowerment, excelling in fields such as entrepreneurship, drones, aviation, and the Armed Forces. Their progress highlights that no country can advance without empowering women. He said as more women join the workforce and professional labour force, it brings new hope for India's future. The Prime Minister stressed that in the past 10 years, India has made significant progress in under-explored sectors like mobile and semiconductor manufacturing, positioning itself as a global tech hub. He said the country is empowering the poor through technology and fintech while building infrastructure at an unprecedented pace, with new expressways, rural road connections, and metro routes. These achievements inspire hope and optimism for India's future, and the world is now viewing India with the same confidence in its rapid growth and potential. The Prime Minister said that the Bible teaches people to carry each other's burdens, "encouraging us to care for one another and take responsibility for each other's well-being". "With this mindset, institutions and organizations play a crucial role in social service, whether through establishing new schools, uplifting communities through education, or implementing health initiatives to serve the public. He said these efforts are seen as collective responsibilities. The Prime Minister reiterated that Jesus Christ showed the world the path of compassion and selfless service. "We celebrate Christmas and remember Jesus so that we can incorporate these values into our lives and always prioritize our duties," he said, adding that this is not only our personal responsibility but also a social duty. "Today, the nation is advancing with this spirit, through the resolution of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas'. There were many subjects that were never thought of before, but they were the most necessary from a human perspective. We made them our priority. We took the government out of rigid rules and formalities. We set sensitivity as a parameter. Ensuring every poor person gets a permanent house, every village gets electricity, removing darkness from people's lives, providing clean drinking water, ensuring no one is deprived of treatment due to a lack of money. We created a sensitive system that can guarantee such services and such governance," PM Modi added. He said initiatives like promoting millets (Shree Anna), supporting local artisans, and the "Ek Ped Maa ke naam" campaign, which honours "both Mother Nature and our mothers", are gaining momentum. Many from the Christian community are also active in these efforts. These collective actions are essential to building a developed India. The Prime Minister said that he is confident that the collective efforts will propel the country forward. "A developed India is our shared goal, and together, we will achieve it. It is our responsibility to ensure that we leave a brighter India for future generations," he said. (ANI)
"Why are you calling Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar"?, Elangovan said, referring to Amit Shah's remarks in Rajya Sabha during the debate on 150 years of the Constitution.

He alleged that Ambedkar stood against the policies of RSS and BJP.

"How can the people of India forget BR Ambedkar? He was against the policies followed by RSS and BJP. Union HM Amit Shah insulted BR Ambedkar...He (BR Ambedkar) is compared to Karl Marx...He (BR Ambedkar) fought for the self-respect of the people of the country...," Elangovan told ANI.

Opposition parties have accused Amit Shah of showing disrespect towards Ambedkar. BJP has denied the allegations and hit back at Congress and other opposition parties.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday said that the entire country has been witnessing outrage against the remarks made by Amit Shah.

"There is outrage in the whole country against the statement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The country has understood the real intentions of the BJP and their thinking is against the Constitution and Dr BR Ambedkar. Union Home Minister should apologize for insulting Dr BR Ambedkar. There has been a demand in the entire country that Amit Shah must resign on moral grounds," Pilot alleged. (ANI)
BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha accused the Congress government in Telangana of functioning under the BJP's influence, alleging collusion between the two parties to target regional forces and suppress opposition voices. Addressing the media at Telangana Bhavan, on Monday, Kavitha highlighted a pattern of political conspiracy. She claimed that recent cases against BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) were politically motivated and part of a vendetta campaign orchestrated after Chief Minister Revanth Reddy met with BJP leaders in Delhi. She noted that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) case against KTR was swiftly followed by Enforcement Directorate (ED) action, all occurring immediately after CM Revanth Reddy's Delhi visit. "This sequence of events exposes the Congress-BJP nexus aimed at eliminating regional leaders like KCR, who continue to fight for the people," she asserted. The daughter of BRS Supremo, Kavitha accused CM Revanth Reddy of unleashing "vendetta politics" and prioritising opposition crackdowns over governance. She alleged that "controversy surrounding actor Allu Arjun was deliberately stirred to distract the public from the government's failures". Further, labelling the Congress administration a "10 per cent commission government," former MP from Nizamabad Kavitha charged it with "favouring corporate interests while neglecting welfare programs". The BRS leader criticised the clearance of bills worth thousands of crores for companies like Megha Krishna Reddy while withholding funds for crucial welfare schemes. During her media address, highlighting the tragic deaths of 57 children in Gurukuls due to food poisoning, Kavitha demanded Rs 25 lakh compensation for each affected family. Kavitha also slammed delays in loan waivers, leaving farmers in distress. She accused the Congress government of mortgaging Telangana's interests to the World Bank, undoing KCR's decade-long efforts to keep the state financially independent. She criticised the silence of Communist parties on this issue, calling their inaction hypocritical. Kavitha accused the "Congress government of failing to launch a single new development project in its first year". She pointed out that critical projects like the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme remain incomplete due to lack of funding, despite promises to prioritize them. The BRS leader also slammed the government for failing to implement the Mahalakshmi scheme, which promised Rs 2,500 monthly assistance to women. "Women are owed Rs30,000 each, yet the government has turned its back on them," she stated. She further criticized the reduction in buses for women's free transport, leaving women and students stranded. While sharing the way forward to respond to Congress's misgovernance in Telangana, Kavitha announced an action plan to expose the Congress government's failures and pledged to oppose its policies that harm Telangana's identity. She vowed to install Telangana Talli statues in every village as a symbol of the state's resilience. When asked about contesting from Jagityal, Kavitha emphasized her commitment to addressing issues state-wide, asserting that Telangana Jagruthi and BRS remain united in their mission to protect Telangana's interests. "The Congress government has betrayed Telangana's aspirations. We will not allow them to destroy the state's identity and progress," Kavitha asserted in her media interaction. (ANI)
Macron is no longer joking; quite seriously, they say that he is ready to change prime ministers as easily as changing gloves. Another such "worn-out" servant of the people, Michel Barnier, was sent to "dry out" after parliament passed a vote of no confidence in his government.

Barnier, who served for only 90 days and became the shortest-serving prime minister in the history of France, is leaving his post, and a new "temporary" prime minister, Francois Bayrou, is already stepping into the role.

The only question is: how many more "gloves" can France withstand?

Or perhaps its time to suspend Macron himself?
President Droupadi Murmu on Monday expressed her condolences to the family of renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal following his death, referring to it as the "end" of a glorious chapter in Indian cinema. Benegal, a pivotal figure in Indian cinema, passed away on Monday at the age of 90 at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central, where he had been undergoing treatment for chronic kidney disease. In a post on X, the President wrote, "The passing of Shri Shyam Benegal marks the end of a glorious chapter of Indian cinema and television. He started a new kind of cinema and crafted several classics. A veritable institution, he groomed many actors and artists. His extraordinary contribution was recognised in the form of numerous awards including Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Padma Bhushan. My condolences to the members of his family and his countless admirers." Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar also expressed his grief over the loss of the veteran filmmaker, saying, "Saddened by the demise of Shri Shyam Benegal Ji. A Padma Bhushan recipient and a visionary filmmaker, his pioneering works greatly enriched the landscape of Indian cinema." "Shri Benegal's pathbreaking films addressed social realities with unmatched depth and sensitivity. His contribution to art, culture and storytelling will always be remembered with deep respect. My heartfelt condolences to his family and admirers in this difficult hour," he wrote in a post on X. Lok Sabha speaker OM Birla called Benegal's death an irreparable loss to the art and film world. In a post in Hindi on X, he said, "I express my condolences on the demise of renowned film director, screenwriter and producer Shri Shyam Benegal ji. Shyam Benegal ji played an important role in establishing Indian cinema on the world stage. The demise of Shri Benegal, a recipient of many prestigious national and international awards, is an irreparable loss to the art and film industry. May God give peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family and fans. Om Shanti." Benegal's demise evoked heartfelt tributes from celebrities, politicians, and admirers nationwide, all mourning the loss of a visionary director who played a key role in reshaping Indian cinema. Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan also condoled the demise of Shyam Benegal, expressing profound sorrow over the passing of veteran filmmaker, director, and screenplay writer. In his condolence message, the Governor wrote, "Shri Shyam Benegal belonged to the rare league of exceptionally brilliant filmmakers who made an indelible mark on the world of cinema through his pioneering contributions to parallel cinema. His masterpieces like Ankur, Nishant, and Manthan showcased his courage in portraying social realities. He also gifted the nation the iconic television series Bharat Ek Khoj, which beautifully connects the viewers with our glorious past. With his demise, India has lost a genius filmmaker who inspired generations of storytellers. I pay my homage to Shri Shyam Benegal and convey my deepest condolences to his family and admirers." Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also expressed his condolences over the death of the veteran director, saying "Padma Shri Shyam Benegal, who presented the struggles and questions of the common man through films, has created a huge void in the film industry, which made films while maintaining social bonds." In his condolence message, Shinde said, "Shyam Benegal was known as a director who commented on the social situation of the time without showing any fuss in his films. The stories and issues he presented in his films were really thought-provoking and numbing. The whole world had to take notice of the film 'Ankur' directed by him. The film industry has lost an artist who effectively commented on social issues through films." "He not only made films but also made serials like 'Bharat Ek Khoj', all of which received a great response from scholars. Shyam Benegal's name is considered among the directors who started the movement of parallel films in the Indian cinema. His death has brought an era of parallel cinema to an end," Dy CM Shinde said. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan also expressed grief over the demise of Benegal. "May the Soul of Shyam Benegal Rest in Peace. I am deeply saddened to learn about the passing of renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal. I pray to God for his soul to rest in peace. Shyam Benegal was a visionary director who brought realistic stories to life on the silver screen. The characters he portrayed reflected the true conditions of society. I was amazed to learn that in 1976, he funded his iconic film Manthan through crowd-funding, collecting Rs2 each from Amul dairy farmers. With masterpieces like Ankur, Nishant, Bhumika, Manthan, and Mandi, he established a unique style in Indian cinema. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of Shyam Benegal," Pawan Kalyan said. Bollywood star Akshay Kumar also mourned the demise of the veteran filmmaker and wrote, "Pained to know of Shyam Benegal ji's demise. One of the finest filmmakers in our country, truly a legend. Om Shanti" Benegal's films, including Ankur, Nishant, Manthan, and Bhumika, established him as a pioneer of the Indian parallel cinema movement in the 1970s and 1980s. Benegal was honoured with the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi seven times and received the V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. Born on December 14, 1934, in a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family in Hyderabad, Benegal collaborated extensively with actors from FTII and NSD, including Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Amrish Puri. His films left an indelible impact on audiences, addressing relevant socio-political themes with remarkable depth. (ANI)
As the verdict in the Al-Qadir Trust case approaches, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has renewed corruption allegations against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Dawn reported. The case, centred around a GBP 190 million payment involving Al-Qadir University, is set to have its decision announced on Monday, December 23. In December 2023, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a corruption reference against Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and several others. The case involves allegations that the couple obtained billions of rupees and hundreds of kanals of land from Bahria Town in exchange for legalising PKR 50 billion that had been returned to Pakistan by the UK during the PTI government's tenure. Asif, speaking from London, stated that the four years of Imran's governance were marked by unprecedented levels of corruption. "There has been a lot of corruption in the last 75 years, but Imran Khan broke all records," Asif said, adding that Imran and those around him were deeply involved in corrupt activities, as per reports by Dawn. He further contrasted Imran with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, praising Nawaz's commitment to Pakistan's atomic program despite offers of foreign monetary bribes. "If Imran were in the same position, he'd forsake the national interest and take the USD 5 billion for himself," Asif remarked. Asif also addressed rumours circulating on social media regarding the Al-Qadir Trust case, specifically the claim that the GBP 190 million involved was deposited into the Supreme Court's accounts. "That is not true. The money went into Malik Riaz's accounts," Asif clarified. According to him, when the Supreme Court intervened, a discrepancy of PKR 600 billion between the value of the land and the amount paid by Malik Riaz became evident. Asif emphasised that this was public money, and "it belonged to the people." Asif further alleged that Imran Khan "obliged" Malik Riaz by accepting 400 acres of land and a position on the board of Al-Qadir Trust University. He stressed that Imran, his wife, and associate Farah Gogi were all board members. "The people of Pakistan need to know the truth," Asif added. The Defence Minister also accused Imran of misappropriating funds from the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital. He claimed that Imran moved USD 7 million abroad, investing half of it in a company in Muscat that later failed, and the rest in France, Dawn reported. "This money belonged to Shaukat Khanum, it belonged to a good cause," Asif said, asserting that the funds were meant for charitable purposes but were instead siphoned off by Imran. Asif concluded with a vow to bring these allegations into the public sphere. "This man is a thief and I will prove it," he declared. "I will write a white paper on Imran and Malik Riaz so that his supporters can no longer say the money went into the Supreme Court." The Defence Minister promised to raise these issues in parliament and through press conferences, stating, "The people will learn the truth." (ANI)
US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday in a strong-worded statement threatened Panama to give the canal back to them, and said that it was a vital asset of the US. Trump said that the Panama Canal was not China's and that it should not fall into the "wrong hands". https://x.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1870617419695452346 "The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States, due to its critical role to America's Economy and National Security. A secure Panama Canal is crucial for US Commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to US ports. The United States is the Number One user of the Canal, with over 70 per cent of all transits heading to, or from, US ports," Trump said in his statement. Trump further said that the canal came at a high cost for the Americans and that it was 'foolishly' given away by ex-US President Jimmy Carter. He warned of Chinese influence in the region. "Considered one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the Panama Canal opened for business 110 years ago, and was built at HUGE cost to the United States in lives and treasure - 38,000 American men died from infected mosquitos in the jungles during construction. Teddy Roosevelt was President of the United States at the time of its building, and understood the strength of Naval Power and Trade. When President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar, during his term in Office, it was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else," he said. Trump added that the canal was to be managed by Panama. He criticised Panama for charging "exorbitant prices" from the US. "It was likewise not given for Panama to charge the United States, its Navy, and corporations, doing business within our Country, exorbitant prices and rates of passage. Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the US. This complete "rip-off" of our Country will immediately stop," he said. The US President-elect said that the US will never let Panama Canal fall in "wrong hands". "The United States has a vested interest in the secure, efficient, and reliable operation of the Panama Canal, and that was always understood. We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands! It was not given for the benefit of others, but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question. To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!" he said. Completed in 1914, the Panama Canal symbolized US technological prowess and economic power. Although US control of the canal eventually became an irritant to US-Panamanian relations, at the time it was heralded as a major foreign policy achievement, as the US constructed the canal. (ANI)
Pakistan Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Division Syed Sajid Mehdi on Sunday suggested that Pakistanis "use the internet less" and restrict usage to "important matters only" to address frequent slowdowns in internet speed across the country, Dawn reported. His comments come amid mounting frustrations over sluggish connectivity affecting users nationwide. Pakistan has faced persistent connectivity issues, including slow download speeds on platforms like WhatsApp and intermittent internet outages. The disruptions have sparked criticism from IT professionals, who are concerned about the broader implications of these problems on the country's technology sector. IT industry representatives have highlighted the financial ramifications of such disruptions. "A one-hour internet slowdown might not have any significant impact on people, but disturbed services to a client in any stock market, airport service, bank, etc., in advanced countries would eventually lead to loss of confidence in Pakistan's IT sector," Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) Chairman Sajjad Mustafa Syed said earlier this month. The IT sector has reported losses exceeding USD 1 million for each hour of internet disruption, particularly affecting export-driven businesses. Addressing the issue during a DawnNews TV program, Mehdi compared the internet infrastructure to an overcrowded road, stating, "There are large loads on our internet, [just] like on a congested road. Cars move slower if there is congestion. If 10 people use a road meant for five, it will slow everything down." He attributed the internet slowdowns to Pakistan's underdeveloped fibre-optic network, which has only 15 per cent of the capacity available in India. Mehdi reassured that work was underway to expand the network and resolve the issue "very quickly." When asked whether population growth contributes to internet slowdowns, he agreed, saying, "If more people use the roads then of course it will slow down. Like I said, this would be fixed within three to four months." The parliamentary secretary emphasized the need to reduce "unnecessary" internet usage to improve performance. "I'm not saying stop using it, but use it only for important purposes like work, and not for unnecessary purposes," he said. When asked about misuse, Mehdi added, "It will be beneficial if people don't use the internet too much or for negative thinking." Mehdi also dismissed claims of significant financial losses caused by the slowdowns. Responding to reports by P@SHA, he stated, "We have not been told officially that the shutdown has caused financial losses. Nobody has filed any requests or complaints about financial losses. If anyone has suffered personal losses, then that is a different matter entirely." As per reports by Dawn, the Pakistan government has reportedly been testing a firewall system that monitors online platforms and has the capacity to block content, such as images or videos from protests shared on social media. Digital analysts have linked these measures to the ongoing slowdowns. (ANI)
In the Kurram district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the severe winter has worsened an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Earlier this month, seven-month-old Syed Rohan Shah succumbed to pneumonia after his family was unable to secure critical medication from hospitals in Parachinar, Geo TV reported. "We couldn't find the medicines or even the injections we needed anywhere," his grandfather, Syed Ajbar Hussain, told The News. "Not even Panadol to reduce his fever." Kurram's healthcare system is grappling with acute shortages, worsened by escalating sectarian violence and road blockades. The district, home to over 600,000 residents, has seen over 200 deaths in clashes since July. In October, a provincial government decision to shut down the main highway leading into Kurram has left the area isolated, triggering a severe shortage of medical supplies and essential goods. Local doctors report that the unavailability of basic medicines has significantly raised the death toll, particularly among children. Hameed, a physician in the area, identified pneumonia as the leading cause of child mortality. "We simply don't have the resources to treat them," he said, adding that many children have died due to untreated infections. Shujaat Hussain shared similar concerns, stating, "Something as simple as Panadol syrup has not been available for months." Rescue service Edhi reported that at least 50 children have died due to lack of medical treatment, with 31 of these deaths occurring at the DHQ Hospital in Parachinar. Provincial authorities have denied a direct link between the crisis and recent child deaths. At a press conference on December 18, KP Chief Minister's Advisor Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said, "I can assure you that these deaths were not due to lack of facilities. There may be other maternity-related issues. Misunderstanding is being spread." However, doctors caution that the real toll could be higher, as many children may have died at home without receiving medical care, reported Geo TV. Efforts by the provincial government to address the crisis have included sending medicines worth over Rs60 million via helicopters. Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur acknowledged the severity of the situation, stating, "The provincial government is utilising all available resources to alleviate the hardships faced by the people of Kurram." However, local leaders have criticised the aid, claiming it does not address the immediate needs of residents. Haneef Hussain, president of the local drug association, remarked, "They sent malaria medication and doctor's gloves. That is useless stuff. What we need are medicines to treat common illnesses like chest infections and pneumonia." Meanwhile, citizens have continued a sit-in outside the Parachinar Press Club, protesting the prolonged road closures. Social activist Asadullah described the crisis as dire, noting, "Shops are empty, and markets are shuttered due to a critical shortage of food, gas, and essential supplies." He emphasised that food stocks have been exhausted, leaving many residents at risk of starvation, Geo TV reported. Philanthropist Faisal Edhi, who recently visited Kurram by helicopter, warned of worsening conditions. "Hospitals are running out of oxygen tanks, fuel, and medicines," he told The News. "For a population of 400,000, sending one or two helicopters won't solve the problem. The roads need to be reopened immediately to allow goods and medicines to reach the people." As authorities continue airlifting stranded residents and dispatching limited supplies, protesters vow to persist until transport routes are restored. "The sit-in will not end until transport routes are restored," said a protest leader, underscoring the urgent need for a sustainable resolution to Kurram's crisis. (ANI)
US President-elect Donald Trump has called Taiwan "a major issue for world peace" during a meeting with Akie Abe, the widow of the late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Taipei Times reported. The discussion took place on December 15 at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the two discussed a variety of global issues, including the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war and tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Trump's comments on Taiwan's importance highlighted the significance of the potential Taiwan-China conflict and its broader implications for world peace. This indicates his administration's stance of placing high priority on addressing the situation in Taiwan. "We want to create an opportunity to exchange opinions as soon as possible and at a mutually convenient time," said Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya, as he discussed possible diplomatic engagements between Trump and Japanese officials. During the meeting, Trump also presented a book of photos with the word "peace" written inside, which was given to Akie Abe to pass on to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Although Trump has not yet met with Ishiba, Japanese media reported that Ishiba may visit the US next month before Trump's inauguration, with the aim of holding discussions on issues of mutual interest, reported Taipei Times. This indicates that Taiwan and related security concerns could feature prominently in the US-Japan agenda once the new administration takes office. In related news, Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC), commented on the latest US arms sale to Taiwan. The US approved the sale of USD 265 million in military equipment, which includes 309 Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio Systems Variant 5. The deal also includes assistance in integrating these systems into Taiwan's Patriot and other missile defence systems and F-16 Block 20 jets. This arms sale marks the 19th approved by the Biden administration to Taiwan and is part of the broader US strategy to support its allies and partners, including Israel and Ukraine, Taipei Times reported. Hammond-Chambers stated that while the flow of arms support provides material and political benefits, it remains a narrow response to the full extent of the threat posed by China's growing military power. "While the constant flow of support has material and political benefits, it has, regrettably, been overly narrow in response to the totality of the threat posed by China's military forces," he said. Looking ahead, Hammond-Chambers noted that Taiwan President Lai Ching-te is likely to be proactive in seeking further security assistance. "Lai will likely present the incoming Trump administration with an ambitious agenda, including increased spending, requests to purchase new platforms and systems, and expanding resources available for the coast guard sustainment and training," he added. This suggests that Taiwan will continue to press for greater defence capabilities, as tensions in the region persist. (ANI)
Taiwan is set to construct a large uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) testing facility in Chiayi County, aimed at boosting its drone manufacturing capabilities and establishing a stronger presence in the global market, said Industrial Development Administration (IDA) Deputy Director-General Tsou Yu-hsin, Taipei Times reported. The new facility is expected to play a crucial role in enhancing Taiwan's growing drone ecosystem. The Taiwanese government, through the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), launched an uncrewed aircraft system development program in Chiayi at the end of 2023. The program's goal is to create a hub for the drone industry, facilitating the growth of drone-related businesses. This initiative includes an office located in the Asia UAV AI Innovation Application R&D Centre, which assists companies in the drone sector. Currently, around 50 companies are based in the drone research and development centre, and a small testing facility allows these businesses to conduct immediate product testing. Tsou emphasised that Chiayi's existing infrastructure provides a strong foundation for manufacturing, making it an ideal location for a major drone hub. "Chiayi is ready to act as a hub for the drone industry as it has a good foundation for manufacturing," Tsou said. However, to fully support the industry's growth, there is a need for a larger testing venue. "Now, we need a huge facility with larger runways for testing," he added. Plans are underway to build a larger testing venue that will help scale up Taiwan's drone production capacity. In addition to the new testing facility, the MOEA is planning an aerospace and drone industrial park that will house approximately 100 companies. The industrial park is expected to be completed by 2028. The development comes at a time when global attention on drone technology has grown, especially with the increased use of drones in military applications following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, reported Taipei Times. Currently, China leads the global drone market, with Shenzhen-based DJI holding a dominant 74 percent share of the global consumer drone market. Tsou acknowledged this dominance and the growing concerns among democratic nations about China's control over the drone supply chain. This has created an opportunity for Taiwan to establish a "non-red drone supply chain," which could help Taiwan carve out a significant share of the global market. To further strengthen Taiwan's position in the international drone market, the MOEA established the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance (TEDIBOA) in September. Led by Aerospace Industrial Development Corp., the alliance has more than 120 members specialising in areas such as drone system integration and critical component development. "The move to form the TEDIBOA is the most efficient way to help Taiwanese drone developers seize on global business opportunities," Tsou said. In addition to business development, the Taiwanese government is actively supporting the local drone industry. Recently, the Ministry of National Defence awarded contracts to four Taiwanese companies--Taiwan UAV, Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp, MiTAC Information Technology Corp, and Coretronic Intelligent Robotics Corp--to supply the military with 3,422 drones over the next five years. Furthermore, the MOEA has allocated NTD 110 million (USD 3.36 million) in funding to support drone AI imaging and low-cost flight control dashboard development, with the budget pending approval from the Legislative Yuan, Taipei Times reported. The production value of Taiwan's drone industry is projected to reach NTD 5 billion this year, with expectations to grow to NTD 40 billion by 2030. (ANI)
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) said that 2 Chinese military aircraft and 7 naval vessels were detected operating around Taiwan until 6 am (local time) on Monday. Of the 2 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, no aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait. https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1870997755583500435 Taiwan MND shared the details on X along with the map and wrote, "2 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly." On Sunday, Taiwan detected 11 Chinese military aircraft and 6 naval vessels operating near its territory. "11 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. Eight of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern and southeastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," said MND in a post on X. These repeated patterns of escalated manoeuvres by China around Taiwan have raised concerns over regional stability as Beijing continues to assert its claims over the island. Recently, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also criticised China's stance towards Taiwan and said that "China is bullying Taiwan, and pursuing access to critical infrastructure in ways that could cripple societies." He said, "We need to be clear-eyed about China's ambitions. China is substantially building up its forces, including its nuclear weapons - with no transparency and no limitations. From 200 warheads in 2020, China is expected to have more than 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030. Its space-launch investments are skyrocketing. China is bullying Taiwan, and pursuing access to our critical infrastructure in ways that could cripple our societies." Meanwhile, Taiwan received 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks from the United States, marking the first US tank delivery to the island in 23 years, Radio Free Asia reported. According to Radio Free Asia, this shipment is part of a larger order of 122 tanks expected over the next two years. While the M1A2T is regarded as one of the most advanced main battle tanks globally, some experts have raised concerns about its suitability for Taiwan's mountainous terrain and dense urban areas. However, the tanks are seen as a major boost to Taiwan's defence capabilities, especially considering the ongoing tension with China. The M1A2T Abrams, an advanced version of the M1 Abrams produced by General Dynamics, is equipped with a 120mm smoothbore gun capable of penetrating armour up to 850mm thick. Its formidable firepower, enhanced armour, and speed make it a powerful asset for Taiwan's military. The Taiwan-China issue is a complex and longstanding geopolitical conflict centred on Taiwan's sovereignty. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and insists on the "One China" policy, which asserts that there is only one China, with Beijing as its capital. Meanwhile, Taiwan, supported by a significant portion of its population, continues to maintain its independence. So far in December, Taiwan detected 331 Chinese military aircraft and 220 ships, Taiwan News reported. Since September 2020, China has intensified its use of gray zone tactics by increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan. (ANI)
Chinese hackers launch an average of 900,000 attacks on Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (LY) each month, Taipei Times reported citing legislature's information technology (IT) department's statement. The Legislative Yuan, is the highest legislative organ,whicb exercises legislative power on behalf of the people. Cheng Hui-pin, the head of the IT department, revealed this information in response to questions from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chung Chia-pin. Chung asked questions about the security and quality of the legislature's wifi during a review of the LY's budget by the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee last Thursday, as per Taipei Times. The Legislative Yuan's network is connected to devices with sensitive information that could harm national security if the system is compromised, Chung said, adding that the legislature's wifi is slow and experiences frequent outages. Further, he added, some of the microphones utilised by the legislature's committees were so loud that they could damage hearing and make business impossible to conduct in adjoining rooms, adding that he emphasised that the IT department should submit a report on these problems. The IT department must submit a report on these problems within three months or its budget could be suspended, Chung said. While addressing the question, Cheng noted that cybersecurity is a top priority and that IT technicians have been detecting a high number of cyberattacks of Chinese origin targeting the legislature each month. He said, the department routinely reviews the legislature's cyberdefenses as required under the Cyber Security Management Act, adding that the detailed report on the issues raised by the committee would be compiled and submitted when ready. According to Taipei Times, after negotiations between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members of the committee, lawmakers issued a resolution requiring the IT department to address the issues without freezing its budget. The IT department has been instructed to test all devices connected to the legislature's network for security and to check the audio equipment. Lawmakers also recommended installing soundproofing in the chambers (ANI)
The European Union (EU) on Sunday voiced concerns over the sentencing of 25 people by a military court after it found them guilty of targeting army installations. The EU stressed that the decision was inconsistent with Pakistan's commitments to ensure a 'fair and public' trial of each person, The Express Tribune reported. In a statement, the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels said, "The European Union notes with concern the sentencing of 25 civilians by a military court on December 21 in Pakistan." The statement of EU came after military courts sentenced 25 people to prison terms ranging from two to 10 years for targeting military installations during protests which erupted after former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested in May last year. In a statement, the Pakistan military stated that the country on May 9 saw tragic incidents of "politically provoked violence and arson at multiple places, marking a dark chapter in the history of Pakistan" when, building on a sustained narrative of hate and lies, politically orchestrated attacks were conducted at the army installations, The Express Tribune reported. Terming the action of protesters "blatant acts of violence," the Pakistan military said, "These blatant acts of violence not only shocked the nation but also underscored the necessity of checking this unacceptable attempt of political terrorism to impose own perverted will through violence and coercion." A field general court martial sentenced 25 people in the first phase after reviewing evidence and the completion of proper legal procedures, according to the statement released by Pakistan military. However, EU has expressed concerns over the verdicts announced by military courts. In a statement, EU statement said, "These verdicts are seen as inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)." It further said, "In line with article 14 of ICCPR, every person is entitled to a fair and public trial in a court that is independent, impartial and competent, and has the right to adequate and effective legal representation. It also stipulates that any judgement rendered in a criminal case shall be made public." According to the EU statement, under the EU's generalised scheme of preferences plus (GSP+), beneficiary countries, including Pakistan, have voluntarily agreed to implement effectively 27 international core conventions - including the ICCPR - to continue benefitting from GSP+ status. The GSP+ gives tariff preferences for imports to the EU from vulnerable developing nations to support poverty eradication, sustainable development and their participation in the global economy as well as reinforce good governance. Eligible nations like Pakistan can export goods to the EU market at zero duties for 66 per cent of tariff lines. This preferential status remains conditional for GSP+ nations showcasing tangible progress on the implementation of 27 international conventions on human and labour rights, environmental protection, climate change and good governance, according to The Express Tribune report. GSP+ status has been beneficial for Pakistan's business increasing their exports to the EU market by 65 per cent since the country became part of GSP+ in 2014. The European single market with over 440 consumers is Pakistan's most important destination. (ANI)
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has sent his heartfelt congratulations to His Holiness Pope Francis and the global Christian community on the occasion of Christmas.

The letter reads:

Your Holiness,

I am delighted to offer my most sincere congratulations and best wishes to you, and through you, all your fellow Christians on the occasion of Christmas.

This radiant holiday, which brings a renewed spirit and symbolizes pure sentiments such as mercy and benevolence, embodies mutual understanding, support, and unity among people in its very essence. As an inseparable part of the Azerbaijani society, the Christian communitys celebration of this holiday, as always, with particular enthusiasm and excitement, is a vivid testament to the ethnic and cultural diversity and rich traditions of multiculturalism that prevail in our country.

Azerbaijan is one of the unique destinations where different civilizations converge, and where, for centuries, a national and cultural mosaic, along with an atmosphere of tolerance, have thrived. Representatives of various nationalities and faiths have coexisted in peace, safety, mutual trust, and respect. We take pride in all of this and cherish these values as national treasures. It is no coincidence that, alongside being aligned with the policies pursued by the Azerbaijani state, the preservation of friendship between peoples, interfaith harmony, and traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance are, first and foremost, the natural way of life for our people.

The Christian community holds a distinctive place in modern Azerbaijani society. Our Christian citizens, who have settled in Azerbaijan and lived here as a family for hundreds of years, play a significant role in the public, political, social, and cultural life of our homeland, contributing greatly to the prosperity of our beloved country. Ancient Christian heritage, shrines, churches, and other places of worship across our territory are protected equally alongside mosques and synagogues by the Azerbaijani state. In the meantime, our country plays an active role in preserving Christian monuments that are considered gems of world cultural heritage, thus promoting intercultural dialogue.

We are pleased with the established relations between Azerbaijan and the Holy See. Our bilateral ties are marked by numerous reciprocal visits, constant contacts, and significant milestones. It is with satisfaction that I note the upcoming construction of a second Catholic church in our country, to be built in honor of Pope John Paul II. This project demonstrates great attention and care toward our countrys Catholic community and symbolizes the high level of relations between Azerbaijan and the Holy See.

Your Holiness,

I want to thank you for contribution to solidification of the relationship between Azerbaijan and the Holy See, and express my gratitude for your continued high appreciation of our countrys traditions of multiculturalism and tolerance.

I am confident that the productive cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Holy See will continue to promote interfaith and intercultural understanding worldwide, serving the cause of safeguarding universal values and ensuring solidarity among people.

I seize this pleasant opportunity to offer my most heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of your birthday and the upcoming New Year 2025, and wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your noble and sacred mission.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 18 December 2024
Following the White House announcement of arms sales and assistance to Taiwan, China's foreign ministry said that the "Taiwan issue" is the core of China's interests and the "first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations," Taiwan News reported. Further, the ministry also accused the US of "playing with fire." A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned the latest US arms package to Taiwan, stating that it "seriously violates the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, especially the 'August 17' communique, seriously infringes on China's sovereignty and security interests, and seriously violates the US leaders' commitment not to support 'Taiwan independence." The spokesperson claimed that Washington's actions sent a "seriously wrong signal to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces." Highlighting the severe consequences, the ministry said Washington's use of force to support Taiwan's independence "will only backfire, and its 'using Taiwan to contain China' is doomed to fail." Beijing called on the US to immediately stop arms shipments to Taiwan "stop its dangerous actions that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait." The ministry emphasised that China would take all necessary measures to protect its national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, as per Taiwan News. In the communique issued on August 17, 1982, the US committed that its arms sales to Taiwan "will not exceed, either in qualitative or quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in recent years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China," adding that Washington intends to gradually reduce its arms sales to Taiwan. However, in an internal memo on the same day, former President Ronald Reagan stated that the discussions leading up to the communique were "premised on the clear understanding that any reduction of such arms sales depends upon peace in the Taiwan Straits." According to Taiwan News, he emphasised that US policy on arms sales to Taiwan would be contingent upon China's commitment to a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue. On Friday, the White House announced USD 571.3 million in military weapons and training for Taiwan, while the Defense Security Cooperation Agency reported the sale of USD 265 million worth of command, control, communications, and computers (C4) modernization and related equipment to Taiwan. In response, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Saturday thanked the US government for "continuing to resolutely fulfill its security commitments to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act and the 'Six Assurances.'" The ministry pointed out that this was the 19th time the Biden administration had announced arms sales to Taiwan. (ANI)
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has strongly condemned the Chinese government's recent decision to impose sanctions on the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP) and its leadership, including former WUC Director of the Legal Committee, Mehmet Tohti, along with 14 of its staff members and experts. According to a press release by the WUC, the Chinese government has also sanctioned Samphe Lhalungpa, Chair of the Canada Tibet Committee, and four other members. "These retaliatory sanctions are a typical response from the Chinese Communist Party, aimed at punishing those who stand up for human rights. However, they also clearly indicate that the impactful work of URAP is resonating globally," said WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun. On December 22, a Chinese state-run media outlet stated that, these sanctions follow Canada's decision to sanction eight current and former Chinese government officials, including Chen Quanguo, Erkin Tuniyaz, Shohret Zakir, Peng Jiarui, and Wu Yingjie, for their involvement in orchestrating the Uyghur genocide in East Turkistan. According to the press release, the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project plays a vital role in resettling 10,000 Uyghur refugees from high-risk countries. Due to China's extensive influence, over 300 Uyghurs have been deported in recent years, making this initiative crucial for protecting Uyghur rights. Despite facing significant pressure and ongoing attempts to disrupt its work, URAP has made notable progress. This month, URAP Executive Director Mehmet Tohti, alongside MP Sameer Zuberi who introduced the M-62 motion in the House of Commons celebrated the arrival of the first Uyghur refugee in Canada. Beyond its resettlement efforts, URAP has been a leading voice in raising awareness about Uyghur forced labour in Canada, actively advocating for comprehensive legislation to address the issue. The WUC stressed that these sanctions are clearly a retaliatory act targeting organizations and individuals who are actively supporting Uyghur and Tibetan rights. The aim is to intimidate and silence human rights defenders working to expose the CCP's repressive policies. In its press release, the WUC said it stands in full solidarity with the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project and the Canada Tibet Committee, and condemns all forms of transnational repression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The WUC calls on the international community to take strong and decisive action against such repression and to implement concrete measures to protect at-risk communities, particularly those under the CCP's colonial regime. The WUC further urged the Canadian government to take immediate steps to safeguard these organizations and individuals, who are lawfully and peacefully operating within Canada. (ANI)
An Islamabad accountability court on Monday postponed its verdict in the 190 million GBP Al-Qadir Trust corruption case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, Dawn reported. The court had reserved the verdict on December 18 and said that it would be announced on December 23. While presiding over the hearing today, judge Nasir Javed Rana said, "The verdict will not be announced today; [winter] vacations are coming and there is also a course at the high court," according to Dawn report. The winter vacation in court is scheduled to start tomorrow and will continue till January 1. The judge made the announcement after former Pakistan PM Imran Khan's lawyer Khalid Chaudhry said his team was expecting the verdict today. Judge Rana stated the new date for the verdict's announcement would be issued soon. PTI founder and his wife were indicted in the case on February 27. The case alleges that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi received billions of rupees and hundreds of kanals of land from Bahria Town Ltd for legalising Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 50 billion that was identified and returned to Pakistan by the United Kingdom during the previous PTI government. In December, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had registered a corruption case against PTI and seven others, including his wife, in connection with the Al-Qadir University Trust. The case filed by NAB alleged that Imran Kjhan played a "pivotal role in the illicit transfer of funds meant for the state of Pakistan into an account designated for the payment of land by Bahria Town, Karachi". It also claimed that the accused, despite given multiple opportunities deliberately, with mala fide intention, did not share information on one pretext or another. The suspects in the reference include property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain and his son Ahmed Ali Riaz, Mirza Shehzad Akbar, and Zulfi Bukhari. However, they instead of cooperating in the probe and subsequent court proceedings, they absconded and were subsequently declared proclaimed offenders (PO), Dawn reported. Farhat Shahzadi, a close friend of Bushra Bibi, and Ziaul Mustafa Nasim, a legal expert for the PTI government's Assets Recovery Unit, were also declared POs. The properties of all six accused had been frozen. While testifying before the accountability court on December 10, Imran Khan denied the corruption charges, calling them "politically motivated" orchestrated by his opponents allegedly with the support of state institutions. He further said, "My political rivals have weaponised institutions to crush dissent and curb democracy." Imran Khan has been incarcerated in Adiala jail since his arrest last year based on several cases. Following his arrest in 2023, PTI's ties with the government and establishment have been strained. Since his arrest, the PTI has held several protests calling for his release over the last year, majority of which escalated into violence after facing state repression. After PTI's power show in November, tensions increased as there were renewed calls to ban Imran Khan's party and task forces established against an alleged "malicious campaign" as the PTI claimed that dozens of party supporters were killed during the march, the claim denied by the government, Dawn reported. After Imran Khan constituted a five-member committee to hold talks, the government reciprocated by forming its own negotiation committee comprising members of the ruling coalition. The two sides are set to meet today, where they are expected to discuss their demands. (ANI)
Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), has successfully concluded a series of engagements across the US, reinforcing the Tibetan cause and promoting unity within Tibetan communities. According to information provided by CTA, Tserings recent tour, spanning Santa Fe, New Mexico; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Portland, Oregon, involved a packed schedule where he interacted with Tibetans of all ages, emphasising the importance of collective effort and solidarity in the struggle for Tibetan freedom. In Santa Fe, on December 17, Sikyong addressed the local Tibetan community, discussing key issues such as the Middle Way Approach and the debate over Tibetan independence. He called for unity among Tibetans, stating that internal divisions would not advance the cause. His message was clear: only through collaboration and shared vision can Tibetans hope to secure their rights and freedoms. This aligns with the CTA's commitment to seeking genuine autonomy for Tibet within China, while maintaining a nonviolent stance. On December 18, in Salt Lake City, Sikyong engaged with Tibetan youth, encouraging them to actively participate in global advocacy efforts like the Lobby Day initiative, which seeks to raise awareness about Tibet in the US Congress. He also recommended key resources such as the Tibet Brief 2020 and Professor Lau's academic book on Tibet to deepen understanding of Tibet's political and human rights situation. Sikyong was joined by prominent figures, including Gomo Tulku and Seymo Khando Chagzoetsang, reinforcing the importance of collective Tibetan leadership. The tour culminated in Portland, Oregon, on December 19, where Sikyong visited the Jangchup Choeten (Stupa) with Representative Namgyal Choedup, highlighting Tibet's cultural and spiritual heritage. During an evening address, he underscored the importance of both cultural preservation and active engagement in the Tibetan cause. Sikyong also honoured Tibetan youth with the President's Volunteer Service Award, acknowledging their contributions to the community and emphasizing the role of youth in advancing the Tibetan movement. (ANI)
Tel Aviv [Israel], December 23 (ANI/TPS): Israel and Slovakia signed a 2 billion shekel (USD 582 million) agreement on Monday to boost the European country's air defense systems, in the largest defense export deal ever between the two. The centerpiece of the deal is the BARAK MX air defense system, a state-of-the-art platform designed to counter aerial threats, including missiles and aircraft. Produced by Israeli Aerospace Industries, the system's versatility allows it to address threats from fighter jets, helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles. Its three different interceptor rockets range from 35-150 km. "The expansion of Israeli defense exports in parallel with the war is a direct continuation of the achievements of Israeli technologies on the battlefield. We see growing interest from additional countries in the extraordinary performance of the IDF and Israeli combat systems, both in defense and offense," said Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir. "Defense exports are a central component of our security and economic resilience. They are what allow us to continue to develop the next generations of the most advanced combat systems in the world." In November, Israel Aerospace Industries reported a record-breaking order backlog of approximately USD 25 billion and a 74 per cent increase in net income in its third-quarter earnings report. The growth was driven by IAI's Missile and Space Systems Division, with USD 1.87 billion in sales for the first nine months of 2024, up from USD1.63 billion in 2023. The Arrow missile system earned global acclaim, supported by increased R&D investment of USD 81 million in Q3, up from USD 65 million. IAI also reported a record-breaking USD 25 billion order backlog as of September 30, 2024. This represents a USD 7.22 billion increase from the previous year and secures 3.5 years of operations at current sales volumes. International demand for Israel's military technology has surged as European countries increased their defense budgets in response to Russia's war in Ukraine. Israel is developing a multilayered aerial defense system that has drawn global attention. (ANI/TPS)
Protests against the prolonged road closures in Kurram persisted on Sunday, as residents held a sit-in outside the Parachinar Press Club, braving freezing temperatures. The blockade has caused severe shortages of food, medicine, and essential goods in the region, Dawn reported. Philanthropist Faisal Edhi said that more than 50 children had died due to a lack of medical facilities, with some sources suggesting the death toll could be even higher, as per the Dawn report. Tehsil Council Chairman Agha Muzammil Hussain condemned the government for "besieging" Parachinar, worsening the humanitarian crisis. Member of Provincial Assembly Ali Hadi Irfani also criticised the government's "unnecessary actions" and called for immediate relief efforts. Local businesses have been forced to close due to food shortages, and the district administration is negotiating to reopen roads. Despite these dire reports, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government recently rejected claims that deaths in Upper Kurram were caused by a shortage of medicines. Local chemists and drug associations had reported a lack of supplies due to the ongoing road closures. The adviser to the Chief Minister on Health, Ihtesham Ali, stated that no deaths had occurred due to medicine shortages and insisted that the government was ensuring uninterrupted medical aid. He mentioned that medical supplies, including vaccines and essential medicines, worth Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 30 million had been sent to Kurram, with medicines being delivered by helicopter and distributed by local health authorities. Ali also acknowledged the logistical challenges, including delays in clearing medicines at airports, but assured that they were being managed efficiently. Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif urged armed groups in the region to voluntarily surrender their weapons, warning that the government may take action if the situation does not improve. He emphasised that road access would be restored immediately once weapons were surrendered. The ongoing crisis has been further complicated by sectarian tensions, with the government seeking a long-term resolution through dialogue with local leaders. (ANI)
A group of retired judges, bureaucrats, Army officials and other civil society members have penned an open letter to the "people of Bangladesh" expressing their "increasing alarm" and "deep concern" over the deteriorating situation in the neighbouring country. The letter was sent in the "sincere hope" that this will help the Bangladesh people and India to continue together along the path of peace, friendship and understanding. Further, the open letter called for an "immediate end" to attacks on minorities, their properties, adding that this situation is "intolerable and unacceptable" to the people of India. The letter was sent to the Bangladesh High Commission on Monday morning and bore a total of 685 signatories. These include 19 retired Judges,139 Rtd Bureaucrats including 34 Ambassadors, 300 Vice Chancellors, 192 Rtd Armed forces officers and 35 persons from Civil Society. 192 armed forced official signed the open letter, which includes: Lt Gen- VK Chaturvedi, Lt Gen- Arvind Sharma, Lt Gen- Arun Sahni, Air Marshal- SP Singh, Air Marshal- R C Bajpai, Maj Gen - Dhruv Katoch, Maj Gen - Arun Khanna and many others. Some of the names of judges, who signed the letter are: Former Judge, Rajastan High Court- RS Rathore, Former Judge Delhi High Court- SN Dhingra, Former Gujarat High Court Judge and Lokayukta, Gujarat- S M Soni, Former Chief Justice Sikkim High Court and Chairman CAT- Permod Kohli, Former Chief Justice Rajasthan High Court- Anil Deo Singh and,many others. 34 Ambassadors includes the names of, Former Foreign Secretary-Kanwal Sibal, Former Ambassador- Bhaswati Mukherjee, IFS, Former Ambassador- Shyamala B. Cowsik, IFS, Former Ambassador- Lakshmi Puri, IFS and 30 more people. "We are addressing this Open Letter to you, the People of Bangladesh, in the sincere hope that this will help the people of both Bangladesh and India to continue together along the path of peace, friendship and understanding," the open letter reads. "The people of India view with increasing alarm and concern the deteriorating situation in Bangladesh. The worst brunt of the chaotic situation prevailing in Bangladesh is being borne by the 15 million strong minority communities of Bangladesh, including Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, as well as the Shias, Ahmadiyyas and others. The agenda of the Islamists appears to be to terrorize and drive the religious minority population out of Bangladesh. Hindus and other minority communities across Bangladesh are stoutly resisting such attempts by Islamist groups. They are seeking protection of their rights as citizens of Bangladesh, as assured through the nation's Constitution," it added. Further the letter also mentioned about the arrest of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, who has been arrested on charges of sedition, denied bail without a hearing and his lawyers are facing organized intimidation. He is being denied a free and fair trial. According to the open letter, "The attacks on minorities in Bangladesh have aroused deep concern in India, which has a long border with Bangladesh. The volatile situation in Bangladesh could spill across borders, disrupt communal harmony and create serious law and order problems in India." Mentioning about the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which resulted in the independence of the People of Bangladesh, the open letter highlighted that both nations have strong cultural relations. "Bangladesh and India have strong cultural affinities, arising from our shared Bengali cultural, linguistic and civilizational heritage. Following the horrifying genocide of the Pakistani army on citizens of erstwhile East Pakistan, regardless of their religion, including on women and children, the people of India fully supported the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. 10 million refugees were hosted by India during that time without any external aid. Indian soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder with the people of Bangladesh. It resulted in the creation of the nation state of Bangladesh based on the belief that Bengali language, culture and civilization was the only bond that mattered to the people of that newly liberated nation," the letter reads. "In independent Bangladesh, the Constitution adopted in 1972 is built on the four pillars of democracy, nationalism, secularism, and social justice. We, the people of India, urge all individuals and institutions in Bangladesh to work towards restoring democracy and secularism, including the rights of Hindus and other religious minorities," it added. "This crisis facing Bangladesh can only be overcome through early free, fair and inclusive elections. We call for an immediate end to attacks on minorities, their properties, business establishments and coercion to force them to leave. This situation is intolerable and unacceptable to the people of India," the letter further said. (ANI)
The Ukrainian military said that North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were given fake military documents with Russian names and birth places, CNN reported. The statement comes amid claims from Ukraine that Russia is trying to not disclose the presence of foreign fighters in the conflict. In a statement issued on Sunday, Ukraine's special forces said that they had killed three North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk region and seized their documents. The statement said that their military identification documents "lack all the stamps and photos, the patronymic names are given in the Russian manner, and the place of birth is signed as the Republic of Tuva," referring to a Russian region in southern Siberia bordering Mongolia, according to CNN report. According to the statement, the signatures mentioned on the documents are in Korean, which "indicates the real origin of these soldiers." The statement said, "This case once again confirms that Russia is resorting to any means to hide its losses on the battlefield and conceal foreign presence." US, Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence estimates indicate that the number of North Korean soldiers in Russia are between 11,000 to 12,000, some of whom have already engaged in combat operations alongside Russian forces to assist in recovering parts of Kursk that were taken during Ukrainian offensive in August, CNN reported. According to US and Ukrainian officials, North Korean soldiers seem to have suffered heavy losses in the region. A senior US official said North Korea has seen "several hundred" casualties, both killed and injured, in Kursk since October. Citing data from country's intelligence agency, a South Korean lawmaker said about 100 North Korean soldiers are believed to have been killed and almost 1,000 others were injured since being deployed to Kursk. On December 17, Ukraine's special forces said that 50 North Korean soldiers were killed and 47 others were injured in three days while fighting alongside Russian soldiers in Kursk. One Ukrainian unit reported that North Koreans, wearing different uniforms from the Russians, had launched infantry attacks using the "same tactics as 70 years ago", in an apparent reference to the Korean War, according to CNN report. However, Russia and North Korea has not acknowledged the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of trying to hide the losses of North Korean troops on the battlefield, trying to use extreme tactics to disguise the identity of North Korean soldiers killed on hte battlefield. In a statement shared on December 17 on X, Zelenskyy wrote, "Russians are trying... to literally burn the faces of North Korean soldiers killed in battle." Alongside the statement, he shared a video purportedly showing Russian soldiers setting fire to the bodies of North Korean soldiers. On December 15, a Ukrainian frontline drone unit shared a video purporting to show the bodies of more than 20 North Korean soldiers lined up in an icy field. The video's quality was not good enough to verify the identity of bodies shown in the video. (ANI)
Bangladesh has officially requested India to send back former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on August 5 after a student-led movement ousted her from power. The request was made through a "note verbal" to the Indian government, Bangladesh's Interim government's Foreign Affairs Adviser, Touhid Hossain said, according to local media reports. "We have sent a note verbal to India requesting to send Sheikh Hasina back," Touhid Hossain told reporters. On August 5, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh's Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600 people. Hasina, 76, fled to India and an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed. Earlier on December 9, Sheikh Hasina accused the Chief Adviser to Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus, of being the "mastermind" behind the student protests that led to her ouster, while further alleging that the protest was "meticulously designed" to overthrow her government. While addressing a virtual meeting of the United Kingdom Awami League, Hasina claimed that despite all the demands of the protesters being met, the unrest continued across the nation, suggesting that it was a planned conspiracy. Hasina accused Yunus of being the "mastermind" behind the protests that led to her removal, alleging that the protests were "meticulously designed" to overthrow her government. "Yunus himself said that the student protest that started on July 7, 2024, was not student-initiated but a meticulously designed protest to overthrow me...He was the mastermind who started this conspiracy because all the demands were met, and there was no scope for protest, despite there being protests across the nation...It was a meticulous conspiracy," Hasina claimed. She further criticised the interim government for its handling of the situation in the country, calling it "fascist" and saying that the people of Bangladesh were being "deprived" of their rights. "Today Bangladesh is going through a tough time. Under a fascist government, the people of Bangladesh have been deprived of their rights. The whole of Bangladesh is burning...Today, Bangladesh is being destroyed," she added. The ousted Prime Minister further noted the recent arrest of former ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das over the alleged charges of sedition by the Bangladeshi government, stating that he couldn't have any lawyer to defend Das against the charges and claimed that this was proof that Bangladesh does not have any law and order. "They arrested Chinmoy Krishna Das and said there couldn't be any kind of lawyer defending him. What kind of justice is this?...This proves that Bangladesh doesn't have law and order," she added. The situation in Bangladesh remains tense, with Hasina criticizing the interim government for its handling of the situation, calling it "fascist" and claiming that the people of Bangladesh are being deprived of their rights. The international community is watching the developments closely, with many concerned about the implications of Hasina's potential extradition. (ANI)
Pakistan's federal government has sought a charter of demands from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as the first round of talks between the two sides concluded in the National Assembly, ARY News reported. The meeting presided over by Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had the participation of representatives of the government and PTI. During the meeting, PTI and the federal government held talks on the current political situation. For the meeting, the government committee included Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Irfan Siddiqui, Aleem Khan, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, and Farooq Sattar. The opposition committee comprised Asad Qaiser, Hamid Raza, and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur could not attend the meeting between PTI and the federal government due to his engagement in a cabinet meeting. Furthermore, Opposition leader Omar Ayub could not attend the meeting due to his court appearance. The next round of talks between PTI and the federal government is scheduled to be held on January 2, ARY News reported. During the meeting, Ayaz Sadiq welcomed the committee members from both the government and PTI and stressed the importance of negotiations in strengthening democracy. He stated that the dialogue process is a positive omen and necessary for the progress of Pakistan. He further said, "Democracy thrives on negotiations, and the collective efforts of the government and opposition are necessary to address the challenges facing the nation," according to ARY News report. Sadiq said that the parliament represents 240 million people of Pakistan and called it the responsibility of public representatives to resolve problems faced by the citizens. He noted that the economic growth of the country is closely related to political stability. He emphasised that the current situation in Pakistan demands the promotion of political harmony, and added that the government and opposition must work together to address the issues faced by the nation. (ANI)
Chinese lawmakers are deliberating a draft of the country's first basic law specifically focused on the development of the private sector, Azernews reports, citing Xinhua.

The law will be conducive to creating a law-based environment that is favorable to the growth of all economic sectors, including the private sector, said He Rong, minister of justice, while explaining the draft on Saturday during the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the national legislature.

The draft private sector promotion law covers areas such as fair competition, investment and financing environments, scientific and technological innovation, regulatory guidance, service support, rights and interests protection and legal liabilities.

Lawmakers agreed that the law will be of great significance for further optimizing the environment for private sector development, accelerating the formation of a new development paradigm and driving high-quality growth.

The draft has incorporated suggestions solicited from representatives of the private sector, experts, scholars and the general public, He said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit the US from December 24-29 to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues. He will also chair a conference of the Consul Generals of India in the US. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "He will be meeting counterparts to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues. During the visit, EAM will also chair a conference of the Consul Generals of India in the USA." Earlier on December 19, US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, highlighted the potential of the US-India partnership, emphasising the need to lower tariffs and increase trade and make it more fair and equal. While addressing an event organised on Thursday by the US-India Business Council (USIBC), Garcetti said, "We need, together, to lower tariffs, not to see them go up. We need, together, to increase trade and to make it more fair and equal. We need to, together, make sure that there's training and talent that meets the needs of companies on both sides of the Indo-Pacific." He further said, "We have to protect our trademarks and our intellectual property, and we have to make sure that transportation and infrastructure exists, for India to reach its goals more quickly, that is in the American interest, and vice versa, in the Indian interest as well. So let us renew our commitment to being more ambitious, to not settling for what is, and what is good, but reaching for what can be and what will be great." The US Ambassador further praised India's workforce, calling it the "most extraordinary resource that humanity has on its planets." Garcetti said, "And to realise these ambitions, we must recommit ourselves to a mutual path of trust and transparency so that people know what to expect. India's workforce, which numbers more than a billion people, is one of the most extraordinary resources that humanity has on its planet. They are builders, thinkers, innovators and entrepreneurs. The Indian dream is the flip side of what we used to call the American truth. In some ways, you see it even more optimistically sometimes than our own country. And we can leave inspired when we work together about what's possible." Garcetti also called for merging "American scientific and financial acumen" with "India's grassroots ingenuity." He said, "The US and India can create ecosystems that tap into this human capital to merge American scientific strengths in research, our financial acumen and business strategy with Indians' jugaad finding a solution to everything, your deep talent pools, your grassroots ingenuity and your readiness to scale solutions on a massive level." (ANI)
Normal life in Gwadar remains severely impacted as workers and supporters of the All Parties Alliance continued their sit-in at Marine Drive for over a week. The protesters are demanding the reopening of the Iranian border for trade in oil and other goods, which has been shut for several months, as per Dawn. Dawn's report indicates that protest leaders emphasised that border trade is the main source of livelihood for Gwadar's residents, many of whom have lost their jobs due to the extended closure. They criticised the introduction of a token system at the Kantani Hor border, calling it a significant barrier to trade that has worsened unemployment in the region. The protesters have called for the immediate removal of the token system and the restoration of unrestricted border trade. As per reports by Dawn, the protesters pointed out the dire state of essential services in Gwadar, a city central to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. They condemned the lack of electricity and clean water, calling the situation an injustice to the local population. The protesters also accused the Pakistan Coast Guard of blocking oil trade vehicles owned by locals at the Talaar checkpoint, leaving them stranded on highways for weeks. They claimed these restrictions are worsening the area's economic and social conditions, driving many into extreme hardship. Rehmat Saleh Baloch, a central leader of the National Party, expressed support for the sit-in and criticised government policies that have deprived the Makran division--comprising Turbat, Gwadar, Panjgur, and other areas of their livelihoods. He accused the authorities of causing a financial crisis by imposing restrictions on border trade and limiting the movement of goods and vehicles, as per Dawn. Baloch stated that the restrictions on trade with Iran have plunged the region into economic turmoil. He further noted that vehicles from Panjgur are being denied entry into Turbat and Gwadar. He urged the government to reopen the border and lift trade restrictions, allowing locals to resume their livelihoods. The protesters have vowed to continue their sit-in until their demands are met, including the reopening of the Iranian border, the removal of the token system, and solutions to the chronic issues of electricity shortages and lack of drinking water in Gwadar. (ANI)
Former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri, said on Monday, that she and other former Indian officers have written a letter to the people of Bangladesh to recall the age-old ties shared by two nations, to highlight the situation in Bangladesh, which includes the condition of minorities, and media being fully controlled in neighbouring nation. In an interview with ANI, Sikri called the fair, inclusive and free elections as the only solution to the situation in Bangladesh. She said that India has enjoyed the "closest relationship" with the people of Bangladesh and they are concerned about the situation in the country. She called the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh a "matter of concern" and worry for the people of India. Veena Sikri said, "I think first and foremost, our appeal on behalf of the people of India to the people of Bangladesh is one of friendship because we have recalled that the people of India, the people of Bangladesh for the last 50 years since 1971 and before that even, we have enjoyed the closest relationship with the people of Bangladesh based on friendship, peace, and understanding, and we want to continue that. So, this is the first and most important thing that we want to continue the friendship between the peoples of India and Bangladesh. So, that is the message we have." "Secondly, we are very concerned. What is happening in Bangladesh today? This is the second most important aspect that what is happening in Bangladesh since July, August, and beyond is a matter of great concern to us because we see that the situation is deteriorating and we see that there is in every area, it may be the situation within Bangladesh, it may be the situation of the economy, and more than anything else it's the situation of the attacks against the minorities. That is a matter of great concern and worry for the people," she added. She said, "We are worried because, in the beginning, everybody was saying, oh this is a student uprising, this is a student revolution, spontaneous, and so on. But, then we saw that the Chief Adviser Professor Mohammad Yunus speaking in New York in September 2024 and he said at the Clinton Global Initiative that this is not spontaneous. This is meticulously planned and introduces the mastermind behind the whole series of events. And this mastermind is now an adviser in the interim government and the special assistant to Professor Mohammad Yunus, and we are seeing that, you know, the attacks on the minorities which started from the very afternoon of 5th of August and have continued till today." A group of retired judges, bureaucrats, Army officials and other civil society members have penned an open letter to the "people of Bangladesh" expressing their "increasing alarm" and "deep concern" over the deteriorating situation in the neighbouring country. The letter was sent in the "sincere hope" that this will help the Bangladesh people and India to continue together along the path of peace, friendship and understanding. Further, the open letter called for an "immediate end" to attacks on minorities, and their properties, adding that this situation is "intolerable and unacceptable" to the people of India. Veena Sikri mentioned the statement given in the Indian parliament, where it was mentioned that over 2000 such attacks have taken place against Hindus, Buddhists and Christians. Speaking about the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, the former Indian High Commissioner said, "I think we saw recently a statement given even in the Indian parliament where more than 2000 such attacks on the Hindus, on the Buddhists, on the Christians, and absolutely no let-up of any kind. They have included rapes and lynchings and destruction of property, you know, seizing of property, destruction of business establishment, forcing individuals to leave their jobs, whether they are professors in the university, whether they are Hindu teachers, and we saw the attacks on the Buddhists in Khagrachari again, such brutal attacks and in fact the people of Khagrachari, the Buddhist community, they could not even celebrate their major festival and we saw even during the Durga Puja festival in Bangladesh recently in the month of October, the golden crown of a deity of Jeshoreshwari was stolen, and this was a crown gifted by Prime Minister Modi when he was there. Although everything was on CCTV, no action was taken." Veena Sikri recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message to Bangladesh Interim government's chief adviser on August 8, where he mentioned about early return to normalcy and expressed concern about the situation of minorities in the neighbouring country. Speaking on how Indian government engaged with Bangladesh since Muhammad Yunus took over, Sikri said, "In keeping with the feeling of friendship and concern about Bangladesh, we saw that our Prime Minister right on the 8th of August itself when he sent his message of solicitation to Professor Mohammad Yunus, wished him the best and also spoke about an early return to normalcy, and he expressed his concern about the situation of the Hindus and other minorities. On 16th of August, President Muhamma Yunus telephoned our Prime Minister, assured him that I will give the highest priority to, you know, the security of the Buddhist and Hindus and Christians and other minorities in Bangladesh. But this has not happened and till today, there was not only the attacks continuing, but there was complete denial." "Then on 9th of December when our Foreign Secretary Vikram Mishri went there for the Foreign Office consultations, and he explained in everything, he said that these talks were frank, candid, and constructive. So, he explained the situation very clearly on the situation of the minorities. The very next day we saw before that, we, you know, the media had been saying no, there is no such thing happening, you know, the Indian media is making propaganda and so on, and we saw that, you know, even, even though the media now is completely gagged in Bangladesh, that is the third reason why we have addressed this letter to the people of Bangladesh because we feel they may not know much of what is going on," she added. Veena Sikri said that media in Bangladesh was fully under control and they are not allowed to express freely. She stated that newspapers have been attacked in Bangladesh and called it a matter of concern. She said, "The media is fully under control. The media is not allowed to express freely what they want to say. They cannot report on the situation in Bangladesh. If they are reporting, then they are stopped. Then even the major newspapers had been attacked and surrounded and so this is a matter of great concern, to make the people of Bangladesh informed about it, we are telling them about this. So even though the previous week before Vikram Misri went, the media had been saying nothing is happening Indian media propaganda. But the day after Vikram Misri was there, the government in Bangladesh announced that instances have been found and 70 people have been arrested. So all this shows that the situation is serious and we are seeing that even the newspaper owners Association of Bangladesh, as we have mentioned in the letter, has expressed its concern about the mob violence, about the mobocracy." Stressing that there is no rule of law and the interim regime is not constitutionally valid, she also talked about mobocracy in Bangladesh. She called free and inclusive elections the only solution for the situation in Bangladesh. She said, "There is no rule of law, even this interim regime is not constitutionally valid because although they are sworn in on this present constitution of Bangladesh, the constitution does not allow any interim government. Then we saw that even the actions that they had taken, mobocracy surround the judges asked them to leave, surround the teachers asked them to resign and new people are being appointed under what basis, under what authority. So, all this complete, absolutely illegal action, this is very worrisome to us. Even all communities in India are worried." "The Citizens of Fraternity led by Yakub Qureshi, who is my batchmate, they have expressed their concern and as Indian Muslims, they are saying they are deeply concerned at these attacks on the minorities. which is against the tenets of Islam. So to bring all this attention to the people of Bangladesh, we have said that we want the attacks to stop, and we feel the only outcome, the only possible solution is free, fair and inclusive elections as early as possible," she added. The letter was sent to the Bangladesh High Commission on Monday morning and bore a total of 685 signatories. These include 19 retired Judges,139 Rtd Bureaucrats including 34 Ambassadors, 300 Vice Chancellors, 192 Rtd Armed forces officers and 35 persons from Civil Society. The open letter reads, "We are addressing this Open Letter to you, the People of Bangladesh, in the sincere hope that this will help the people of both Bangladesh and India to continue together along the path of peace, friendship and understanding." "The people of India view with increasing alarm and concern the deteriorating situation in Bangladesh. The worst brunt of the chaotic situation prevailing in Bangladesh is being borne by the 15 million strong minority communities of Bangladesh, including Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, as well as the Shias, Ahmadiyyas and others. The agenda of the Islamists appears to be to terrorize and drive the religious minority population out of Bangladesh. Hindus and other minority communities across Bangladesh are stoutly resisting such attempts by Islamist groups. They are seeking protection of their rights as citizens of Bangladesh, as assured through the nation's Constitution," it added. (ANI)
Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz filed pleas in the anti-corruption court via their lawyer Amjad Pervaiz. Pervaiz demanded acquittal of the father and son duo in the case citing absence of proof of alleged corruption, ARY News reported.

The Ramzan Sugar Mills case was shifted to anti-corruption team after amendments in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws.

The NAB arrested Shehbaz on October 5, 2018, and the Lahore High Court released him on bail on February 14, 2019, as per ARY News.

The NAB alleged that when Shehbaz Sharif was the Chief Minister, he alongwith his son Hamza caused a loss of PKR (Pakistani Rupees) 213 million to the national exchequer by committing the offence of misuse of authority, ARY News reported.

As per ARY News, Shehbaz Sharif issued a directive for the construction of a drain in Chiniot district primarily for the use of Ramzan Sugar Mills owned by his sons - Hamza and Suleman.

Earlier on October 17, the Lahore Accountability Court (AC) transferred the Ramzan Sugar Mill reference against Shehbaz Sharif and former Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz to anti-corruption courts, ARY News reported.

The decision was announced by AC judge Zubair Shehzad Kayani. The accountability court transferred the case to Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) in light of the amendments. During the proceedings, the NAB prosecutor requested that the reference be transferred to the Anti-Corruption Court, and stated there was no objection to moving the NAB reference there, ARY News reported.

On September 23, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reopened the reference against PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif.

The NAB sent back 116 corruption references against prominent personalities to the accountability courts in Lahore including Ramzan Sugar Mills case against Shehbaz Sharif.

On September 15, the Supreme Court of Pakistan struck down amendments made to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws as it announced its reserved verdict on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman's plea.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked Shehbaz, Hamza, and Salman Shehbaz in November 2020 for financial fraud, impersonation, and forging of the Pakistan Penal Code and 5(2) and 5(3) - criminal misconduct -- of Prevention of Corruption Act and r/w 3/4 of Anti Money Laundering Act, as per ARY News. (ANI)
On the 4th death anniversary of human rights activist Karima Baloch, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) released a documentary titled "Brave Baloch Women" on its official YouTube channel. According to a post by BYC on X, this documentary highlights the powerful and inspiring stories of Baloch women who have been at the forefront of social and political movements, challenging traditional norms and reshaping their roles in history. It serves as a tribute to their resilience, courage, and unwavering commitment to justice and equality. BYC's post stated, "Honouring the legacy of Karima Baloch and other iconic figures, Brave Baloch Women shines a light on their enduring contributions and the strength they bring to the contemporary struggles for rights and recognition." The committee also urged people to watch the documentary available on its YouTube channel. Karima Baloch, who was the first female chairperson of the Baloch Students Organisation, fled Pakistan in 2015 and sought refuge in Canada after facing threats to her life for speaking out against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by the Pakistani military. On December 22, 2020, her body was found submerged in Toronto's waterfront under suspicious circumstances. Her family, as well as numerous politicians and activists, including the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), have claimed that she was murdered by the Pakistani state. Despite Canadian authorities ruling her death as "non-criminal," her passing has sparked significant concerns and demands for further investigation. According to reports, Karima was last seen alive on December 20, 2020, and her body was found submerged in the Toronto waterfront on December 22, 2020. Initially, the Toronto Police Service reported her body was found near Lake Ontario, but offered no further details. However, there were suspicions surrounding the circumstances of her death, as she had received threats prior to her death. Protests demanding a thorough investigation into Baloch's death took place both in Balochistan and Canada. Various ethnic groups, including Baloch, Pashtun, and Sindhi minorities, issued statements in support of the call for justice. Despite these concerns, Canadian authorities concluded that there was no evidence of foul play and deemed the death "non-criminal." The situation surrounding Baloch's death raised alarm, especially given the context of her activism, the threats she had received, and her outspoken criticism of the Pakistani government. (ANI)
The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday confirmed that it received a Note Verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission in connection with an extradition request of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. However, it offered no comments on this matter. "We confirm that we have received a Note Verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today in connection with an extradition request. At this time, we have no comment to offer on this matter, " said the spokesperson of the MEA. Earlier in the day, Bangladesh officially requested India to send back former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on August 5 after a student-led movement ousted her from power. The request was made through a "note verbale" to the Indian government, Bangladesh's Interim government's Foreign Affairs Adviser, Touhid Hossain said, according to local media reports. "We have sent a note verbale to India requesting to send Sheikh Hasina back," Touhid Hossain told reporters. On August 5, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh's Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600 people. Hasina, 76, fled to India and an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed. Earlier on December 9, Sheikh Hasina accused the Chief Adviser to Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus, of being the "mastermind" behind the student protests that led to her ouster, while further alleging that the protest was "meticulously designed" to overthrow her government. While addressing a virtual meeting of the United Kingdom Awami League, Hasina claimed that despite all the demands of the protesters being met, the unrest continued across the nation, suggesting that it was a planned conspiracy. Hasina accused Yunus of being the "mastermind" behind the protests that led to her removal, alleging that the protests were "meticulously designed" to overthrow her government. "Yunus himself said that the student protest that started on July 7, 2024, was not student-initiated but a meticulously designed protest to overthrow me...He was the mastermind who started this conspiracy because all the demands were met, and there was no scope for protest, despite there being protests across the nation...It was a meticulous conspiracy," Hasina claimed. She further criticised the interim government for its handling of the situation in the country, calling it "fascist" and saying that the people of Bangladesh were being "deprived" of their rights. "Today Bangladesh is going through a tough time. Under a fascist government, the people of Bangladesh have been deprived of their rights. The whole of Bangladesh is burning...Today, Bangladesh is being destroyed," she added. The ousted Prime Minister further noted the recent arrest of former ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das over the alleged charges of sedition by the Bangladeshi government, stating that he couldn't have any lawyer to defend Das against the charges and claimed that this was proof that Bangladesh does not have any law and order. "They arrested Chinmoy Krishna Das and said there couldn't be any kind of lawyer defending him. What kind of justice is this?...This proves that Bangladesh doesn't have law and order," she added. The situation in Bangladesh remains tense, with Hasina criticizing the interim government for its handling of the situation, calling it "fascist" and claiming that the people of Bangladesh are being deprived of their rights. The international community is watching the developments closely, with many concerned about the implications of Hasina's potential extradition. (ANI)
Opposition leader in Pakistan's Punjab Assembly, Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar on Monday, raised concerns regarding the recent visit of the Chief Minister of Pakistan's Punjab, Maryam Nawaz to China and said the government should tell what outcomes were achieved during this visit, ARY News reported. Bhachar raised concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the province and noted that Maryam Nawaz and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appear to be discussing the situation in Punjab as if everything is satisfactory, ARY News reported. He added that if the conditions in the province were indeed comfortable, the current law and order situation would not be as it is. He further commented that the visit to China resembled a 'fashion show' rather than an official visit, ARY News reported. Additionally, he indicated that ongoing discussions with the federal government are motivated by a desire to ensure the effective functioning of the country's system. Bhachar criticised the dialogues with the government, asserting that it is impossible to engage in meaningful conversation while atrocities are being committed in Punjab, as per ARY News. He said that police are harassing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers, and are raiding their homes. Moreover, warned that the incident at D-Chowk could pose significant challenges for the government in the future. Earlier, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited China from December 8 to 15. Meanwhile, All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners and ironclad friends, China and Pakistan seem to be drifting away after Beijing's ambassador to Islamabad raised concern over the security of its nationals working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. In a rare public response to security for Chinese nationals in Pakistan, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday described a recent statement by Beijing's ambassador to Islamabad as "perplexing" and a departure from the longstanding diplomatic norms between the two nations, Dawn reported." The statement from the Chinese ambassador is perplexing, especially considering the positive diplomatic traditions between Pakistan and China," she said during the weekly media briefing. (ANI)
The Indian Embassy in Berlin has confirmed that three Indian nationals injured in the Magdeburg Christmas Market attack on December 20 have been discharged from the hospital, while the remaining four individuals are still receiving treatment. The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation and providing necessary assistance to those affected. In a post on X, the embassy said, "Embassy of India in Berlin has been in close contact with all the 7 Indians injured in the attack at the Magdeburg Christmas Market on 20 Dec 2024. 3 of the Indians have been discharged, while the remaining are under treatment. The mission is in regular touch with them and actively providing requisite support. Mission is also in touch with their families." https://x.com/eoiberlin/status/1871169925374521497 Earlier on Sunday, India condemned the car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, which claimed five lives and injured dozens, with numbers showing more than 200 injured. In an official press release, the MEA expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, stating, "We condemn the horrific and senseless attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany. Several precious lives have been lost, and many have been injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims." The statement confirmed that the Indian Mission in Germany is in contact with the injured Indian nationals and their families, providing all possible assistance. "Our Mission is in contact with Indians who are injured, as well as their families, and rendering all possible assistance," the statement read. The attack unfolded on Friday evening when a car deliberately ploughed into a crowd at the bustling market, causing widespread devastation. According to local authorities, among the five fatalities were an adult and a toddler, while the injured included over 200 people, of whom 15 sustained serious injuries, 37 moderate injuries, and 16 minor injuries confirmed. The suspect, identified as a Saudi national residing in Germany since 2006 and working as a doctor, has been apprehended. Saxony-Anhalt Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff confirmed the arrest and stated, "According to the current information, it is an individual perpetrator, so there is no longer any danger to the city because we were able to arrest him." (ANI)
US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday posted a cryptic message on his social media platform- Truth Social about the Panama Canal. Trump posted a picture with the flag of the US flying above the Panama Canal, resonating with his threat to Panama that he will not let the canal fall into "wrong hands". He said in a post on Truth, "Welcome to the United States Canal!" Trump on Sunday in a strong-worded statement threatened Panama to give the canal back to them and said that it was a vital asset of the US. Trump said that the Panama Canal was not China's and that it should not fall into the "wrong hands." https://x.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1870617419695452346 "The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States, due to its critical role in America's Economy and National Security. A secure Panama Canal is crucial for US Commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to US ports. The United States is the Number One user of the Canal, with over 70 per cent of all transits heading to, or from, US ports," Trump said in his statement. Trump further said that the canal came at a high cost for the Americans and that it was 'foolishly' given away by ex-US President Jimmy Carter. He warned of Chinese influence in the region. "Considered one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the Panama Canal opened for business 110 years ago, and was built at HUGE cost to the United States in lives and treasure - 38,000 American men died from infected mosquitos in the jungles during construction. Teddy Roosevelt was President of the United States at the time of its building and understood the strength of Naval Power and Trade. When President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar, during his term in Office, it was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else," he said. Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino responded to Trump on Sunday, as per Al Jazeera. "Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue belonging so," Mulino said in a recorded message posted on social media. He further denied that China or any other country has direct or indirect influence over the canal. He added that fees were not decided on a "whim", Al Jazeera quoted. The canal is key to Panama's economy and generates about one-fifth of the government's annual revenue. Earlier, Trump has also said that it would be a "great idea" for Canada to become the 51st state of the US, as Canadian leader Justin Trudeau faces a domestic political crisis linked to fears over a potential tariff war with Trump. "Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. "They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!" he added. (ANI)
The United States (US) has expressed concern over the sentencing of 25 people by a military court in Pakistan's Islamabad after it found them guilty of targeting army installations. "The United States is concerned by the sentencing of Pakistani civilians in a military tribunal and calls upon Pakistani authorities to respect the right to a fair trial and due process," US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a post on X on Monday. This comes a day after the European Union (EU) voiced similar concerns. On Sunday, the EU European expressed concerns over the sentencing of 25 people by a military court, noting that the decision was inconsistent with Pakistan's commitments to ensure a 'fair and public' trial of each person, as reported by The Express Tribune. In a statement, the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels said, "The European Union notes with concern the sentencing of 25 civilians by a military court on December 21 in Pakistan." The EU's statement came after the military court sentenced 25 people to prison terms ranging from two to 10 years for targeting military installations during protests which erupted after former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested in May last year. In a statement, the Pakistan military stated that the country on May 9 saw tragic incidents of "politically provoked violence and arson at multiple places, marking a dark chapter in the history of Pakistan" when, building on a sustained narrative of hate and lies, politically orchestrated attacks were conducted at the army installations, The Express Tribune reported. Terming the action of protesters as "blatant acts of violence," the Pakistan military said, "These blatant acts of violence not only shocked the nation but also underscored the necessity of checking this unacceptable attempt of political terrorism to impose own perverted will through violence and coercion." A field general court martial sentenced 25 people in the first phase after reviewing evidence and completion of proper legal procedures, according to the statement released by the Pakistan military. However, the EU has expressed concerns over the verdicts announced by military courts. In a statement, the EU statement said, "These verdicts are seen as inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)." It further said, "In line with article 14 of ICCPR, every person is entitled to a fair and public trial in a court that is independent, impartial and competent, and has the right to adequate and effective legal representation. It also stipulates that any judgement rendered in a criminal case shall be made public." According to the EU statement, under the EU's generalised scheme of preferences plus (GSP+), beneficiary countries, including Pakistan, have voluntarily agreed to implement effectively 27 international core conventions - including the ICCPR - to continue benefitting from GSP+ status. The GSP+ gives tariff preferences for imports to the EU from vulnerable developing nations to support poverty eradication, sustainable development and their participation in the global economy as well as reinforce good governance. Eligible nations like Pakistan can export goods to the EU market at zero duties for 66 per cent of tariff lines. This preferential status remains conditional for GSP+ nations showcasing tangible progress on the implementation of 27 international conventions on human and labour rights, environmental protection, climate change and good governance, according to The Express Tribune report. GSP+ status has been beneficial for Pakistan's business increasing their exports to the EU market by 65 per cent since the country became part of GSP+ in 2014. The European single market with over 440 consumers is Pakistan's most important destination. (ANI)
Shanghai Port sees annual container throughput exceed 50 million TEUs

Xinhua) 08:11, December 23, 2024

An aerial drone photo shows a panoramic view of Yangshan Port of Shanghai Port, east China, Dec. 18, 2024. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

SHANGHAI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Port became the first in the world to see the annual container throughput exceed 50 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) on Sunday.

The port has ranked first globally for 14 consecutive years in terms of annual container throughput.

According to Yang Yanbin, deputy general manager of the production and business department of the Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd (SIPG), the growth of container throughput indicates that China's complete industrial system and manufacturing capability continue to empower global trade.

Seen as a window of China's opening up and collaboration with the world as well as an engine boosting trade and exchanges, Shanghai Port saw its annual container throughput top 1 million in 1994.

Yang noted that the growth in container throughput at Shanghai Port was driven not only by the rise in export-heavy containers but also by an increase in international transfer containers and ship-to-ship transfer volumes.

"The port's robust functionality and high-quality services attract large cargo ships from around the world," he said, adding that the proportion of ship-to-ship transfers at the port is expected to reach a record 60 percent in 2024, which highlights the continued enhancement of Shanghai Port's role as a global hub.

At present, the Shanghai Port boasts nearly 350 international ship routes reaching more than 700 ports in over 200 countries and regions around the world.

The development of Shanghai Port reflects the broader transformation of Shanghai as a whole.

The eastern Chinese metropolis has once again secured third place in the 2024 Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Center Development Index Report, demonstrating that its status as an international shipping center of great significance has been continuously consolidated.

According to Shanghai Customs, the daily import and export value of goods handled by Shanghai Port averages 29.8 billion yuan (about 4 billion U.S. dollars), about 1.24 billion yuan per hour.

In recent years the application of science and technology has greatly improved the efficiency of terminal operations.

In 2017, the Yangshan phase IV automated terminal became operational, helping Shanghai Port surpass the 40 million TEU container throughput milestone that year. With a 70 percent reduction in workforce, the terminal's overall efficiency increased by 30 percent, while per capita labor productivity reached 213 percent of that at a traditional terminal.

"The ITOS intelligent control system is China's first successful effort to break the foreign monopoly on port software technology," said Huang Heng, general manager of the Nezha Intelligent Technology Company with SIPG, noting that these smart ports not only play a key role in advancing China's shipping industry but also draw interest from foreign ports looking to collaborate.

The Chancay port in Peru is a prime example, where Chinese technologies have helped establish South America's first intelligent port and create a new land-sea transport corridor between Latin America and Asia.

Shanghai Port is also actively pursuing a green transformation. Since last year, it has signed agreements with the ports of Los Angeles and Hamburg to jointly develop green shipping corridors. In April, the Shanghai Port successfully completed its first ship-to-ship synchronous green methanol fueling operation for large container ships.

Luo Wenbin, general manager of SIPG energy, noted that the next step would be to transform Shanghai Port into a "green energy fueling center."

"By 2030, we aim to achieve the 'double 100' goal, with liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling capacity reaching one million cubic meters and green methanol and biofuels fueling capacity reaching one million tonnes," he said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia is open to normalizing relations with the United States and other Western nations, provided that such efforts do not compromise Russian interests, Azernews reports.

In an interview with VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin, Putin emphasized Russia's willingness to improve international relations: "Everything can be done if there is a desire. We have never lost this desire," he remarked when questioned about the possibility of reestablishing Russian-American relations.

Putin underscored that while international dynamics may evolve, Russia's core interests remain constant, particularly those concerning the nation and its citizens. He stated, "If we see that the situation is changing in such a way that there are opportunities and prospects to build relations with other countries, we are ready for this. The question is not ours, but theirs. But only not to the detriment of the interests of the Russian Federation."

This statement comes amid ongoing tensions between Russia and Western countries over various geopolitical issues, including the conflict in Ukraine. Notably, President Putin has expressed readiness to discuss a Ukraine ceasefire deal with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, though with significant conditions, such as Ukraine abandoning its NATO membership aspirations.
Jewish children in Irish schools hide their heritage from their fellow pupils because anti-Israel sentiment is so strong in the country, the Chief Rabbi of Ireland said.

Yoni Wieder said that many of the roughly 3,000 Jews in Ireland no longer felt safe enough to wear signs of their identity, such as skullcaps or the Star of David, on the streets.

He said there had been a significant rise in anti-Semitism since the Oct 7 terror attacks and Israels war in Gaza.

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Irelands support for the Palestinians and fierce criticism of Israel has seen it clash with Benjamin Netanyahus government, which closed its Israeli embassy in Dublin this week.

Gideon Saar, Israels foreign minister, accused taoiseach Simon Harris of being an anti-Semite after the Irish premier said the embassy closure was to distract from the killing of children in Gaza.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Rabbi Wieder said: Of late, many Jews are not comfortable to display signs of their Jewish identity outside their homes as is traditional, or to wear things like a Star of David or a Jewish skullcap when walking in the street.

What Im most upset and concerned about is the number of school children who have told me in recent months that they feel afraid because they are Jewish, or that they avoid talking about being Jewish in front of their non-Jewish peers.

Irelands unwavering support for Palestine has seen it clash with the Israeli government since the Oct 7 attack - Anadolu

He added: The vast majority of Jewish people in Ireland would say that this is a wonderful place to be Jewish. Generations of Irish Jews have thrived here and have contributed so much to so many parts of Irish society.

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Older Irish Jews, especially those not on social media and without children in school, mostly do not feel the same levels of hatred directed towards them, he said.

But, he added, there is no doubt in my mind that the inflammatory rhetoric by Irish political leaders against Israel over the past year has contributed to hatred against Jews in this country.

There have been instances of swastika and kill Jews graffiti, as well as a violent attack on a Jewish student in a nightclub. Some community members had told their Rabbi they wished their children or grandchildren could grow up elsewhere because of the current climate.

Political leaders have shown little or no interest in the impact of this situation on the Jewish community, Rabbi Wieder, 28, added.

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Dublin is an outlier among European governments after it formally recognised Palestine earlier this year. Last week it said it would support an International Court of Justice petition accusing Israel of genocide.

Simon Harris, centre, was accused of being an anti-semite after he said the closure of the embassy was to distract from the killing of children in Gaza - Shutterstock/TOLGA AKMEN/EPA-EFE

Tensions were further exacerbated because Irish UN peacekeepers were posted in Lebanon during Israels attack on the country.

Ireland has historically felt a deep sense of kinship with Palestinians, with the two places sharing the experience of the British colonial role.

Irish people identify with their struggle for independence from a larger, belligerent neighbour, drawing parallels between Britain and Israel.

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Irish support for the Palestinian cause is not new, although many, many people have told me that the anti-Israel sentiment in this country has never been as strong and as nasty as it is today, the Chief Rabbi, who moved to Ireland from London, said.

The feeling of isolation was exacerbated because all of the major political parties share similar views on Israels war in Gaza, he said.

The fact that weve reached the point where Israel has felt it right to close the embassy is very upsetting, Rabbi Wieder, who became the eighth Chief Rabbi in July 2023, said.

He said it was not anti-Semitic to challenge or criticise Israels actions in Gaza and Lebanon but added that Ireland had shown double standards in its rhetoric against Israel.

Personalised and false attacks

The Jewish community in Ireland has a strong affinity with Israel, and hearing all the hatred directed against Israel has been painful, Rabbi Wieder, who is based in Dublin, said.

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Most Jewish people here strongly oppose Irelands hostile anti-Israel stance, and many are downright ashamed of their government because of it.

After he was accused of anti-Semitism Mr Saar, Mr Harris office released a statement.

The taoiseach will not be responding to personalised and false attacks and remains focused on the horrific war crimes being perpetrated in Gaza, standing up for human rights and international law and reflecting the views of so many people across Ireland who are so concerned at the loss of innocent, civilian lives, it said.

Anti-Semitism was already on the rise across Europe last year before surging after the Oct 7 terror attack.

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The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights annual survey found that 96 per cent of Jews had faced anti-Semitism in the past year with 70 per cent, saying they occasionally hid their Jewish identity.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Lebanon's leader on Monday toured southern parts of his country amid large Israeli gains of Hezbollah weapons. Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for Israel's military to exit the region after a recent cease-fire agreement.

Mikati toured the eastern sector in the southern part of the country with Army Commander General Joseph Aoun to inspect army units and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon in the town of Khiam, which has been destroyed after recent military campaigns.

Mikati announced Lebanon "will definitely" have a reconstruction plan in place for its war-torn parts and said the country will seek help from the World Bank, European Union and other Arab countries to establish a "trust fund" for the effort.

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Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants are expected to withdraw from the region under the month-old ceasefire agreement that calls for Lebanese troops to deploy in southern Lebanon with Israeli and Hezbollah forces to leave.

The IDF in recent days and weeks seized some 86,000 pieces of weaponry in south Lebanon during military operations as part of its broader goal to secure relative calm in northern Israel by siphoning off weapons from the terror syndicate Hezbollah, according to reports.

Part of the IDF display of captured Hezbollah armaments include fake rocks that are explosive IEDs or roadside bombs and an Arabic copy of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf next to an image of a Swastika. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI

     ""                          #UNIFIL @UNIFIL_ pic.twitter.com/FN1OTy3Bl5 Najib Mikati (@Najib_Mikati) December 23, 2024

The IDF put on display some 86,000 items captured in Southern Lebanon, south of the Litani River, during the fighting against the Hezbollah forces which began the first day of October. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI

Israeli troops marched in at the end of September in its offensive to push back Hezbollah from the border.

On Monday, Mikati, 69, praised the UNIFIL's role after meeting with U.N. force commanders and underscored the need for IDF troops to withdraw out of Lebanon so its own military can carry out its mission.

Female Israeli fighting soldiers review small rockets on Monday. Officials say the Israeli army previously located warehouses which contained scores of rockets, mortars, explosives and anti-tank missiles the IDF then confiscated. They added some of the uncovered rocket launchers were used to launch attacks at Israeli settlements in the Galilee panhandle region. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI

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Mikati has lead the Middle Eastern country north of Israel off-and-on since 2005.

Officials say the Israeli army previously located warehouses which contained scores of rockets, mortars, explosives and anti-tank missiles the IDF then confiscated. They added some of the uncovered rocket launchers were used to launch attacks at Israeli settlements in the Galilee panhandle region.

A large amount of assault rifles and shotguns and communication equipment are shown part of the enormous display of captured Hezbollah arms. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI

On Sunday, it was likewise announced that Israel military forces uncovered and destroyed a massive underground complex in southern Lebanon. Israeli authorities said the complex was used by Hezbollah and contained a trove of weapons, such as anti-tank missiles, explosives, as well as computers, communication devices and electrical systems.

Military forces also located a firing position aimed at Israeli settlements to its north with additional weapons, Israeli authorities said.

The Israeli Defense Forces in recent days and weeks seized a large swath of some 86,000 pieces of weaponry in south Lebanon during military operations as part of its broader goal to secure relative cam in northern Israel by siphoning weapons off the terror syndicate Hezbollah. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI

Meanwhile, Israel has continued its military exercises in the plagued Gaza Strip, too. Medics in Gaza said Monday that Israeli airstrikes killed at least 20 people overnight, Voice of America reported.

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Current figures indicate more than the 45,200 people have so far been killed in Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, according to the Gaza-run health ministry. However, it does not differentiate between civilians and Hamas fighters in its count.

Various size anti-tank mines are part of the enormous display of some 86,000 items that that have captured in Southern Lebanon, south of the Litani River, during the fighting against the Hezbollah forces. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI

Tom Fletcher, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief, added how Israel continues to strike in densely populated areas, "including on areas where Israeli forces have ordered people to move, causing destruction, displacement and death," he said.
The U.S. House Ethics Committee found "substantial evidence" that former Rep. Matt Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to a dozen women for sex or drugs, used or possessed cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana, and accepted a gift of a trip to the Bahamas, in a highly controversial report released Monday.

Gaetz also allegedly helped a woman out of his district get a passport, and worked to obstruct investigation into these events, the report said.

Gaetz sought a restraining order in federal court Monday morning to prevent the report's official release but the House Ethics Committee posted the report, including supporting documents, to its website.

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One of the people Gaetz reportedly had sex with was 17 and a high school junior at the time, the report found. Gaetz was 35.

Matt Gaetz House Ethics report: Read the complete report here

The Committee received testimony that Victim A and Representative Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees, the committee wrote in the bombshell report. Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school.

The minor, referred to in the report as Victim A, did not tell Gaetz she was underage at the time, the committee said, based on witness testimony, and he didn't ask. But that would still be a violation of Florida state law.

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For years, Gaetz has repeatedly and voraciously denied all the allegations, saying his "generous" gifts to women were being misconstrued for political gain and that he was never allowed to confront his accusers.

"In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated - even some I never dated but who asked," Gaetz posted on X last week. "I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court - which is why no such claim was ever made in court."

Gaetz was President-elect Donald Trump's first choice for his U.S. attorney general. Gaetz resigned from his congressional seat after he was nominated, two days before the ethics report was scheduled to vote on the report's release, but later withdrew from the nomination following the media firestorm over the report's likely contents.

What is Florida's statutory rape law?

Under Florida law, a person who is 24 years old or older who has sex with a person 16 or 17 years of age has committed a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

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"A person charged with this offense may not claim ignorance or misrepresentation of the minors age as a defense," the report pointed out. State law also prohibits consideration of the minor's previous sexual conduct as relevant.

The House Ethics report added that "it is also a criminal offense under Florida state law to solicit, induce, entice, or procure another to commit prostitution, or to 'purchase the services of any person engaged in prostitution,' or to 'aid, abet, or participate' in such actions."

Can Matt Gaetz be charged with statutory rape in Florida?

Potentially yes, although it could be a hard case to prove.

The Justice Department previously investigated Gaetz for potential sex trafficking but closed the inquiry without charges, his lawyers told USA TODAY in February 2023.

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In 2021, a former friend of Gaetz, disgraced former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg, pleaded guilty to six federal counts including, among other things, sex trafficking of children. He admitted to making more than 150 transactions totaling more than $70,000 to arrange liaisons with young women. He admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old girl and said in his plea agreement that he introduced her to other adult men who also had sex with her.

An investigation was launched to discover if Gaetz was one of those men, but the Justice Department leadership decided in 2023 not to pursue charges against Gaetz after investigators recommended not moving forward. The investigators had warned that two key witnesses were unreliable. The House Ethics Committee also noted that the DOJ repeatedly refused to share information from its investigation.

In his post on X, Gaetz claimed he had been fully exonerated but federal authorities never explained why charges were not filed.

According to a lawyer for two of the women who testified in the House Ethics Committee investigation, Gaetz dropped his sexual relationship with the girl once he learned she was a minor.

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"Her understanding was that Matt Gaetz did not know that she was a minor and that when he learned that she was a minor, that he broke off things and did not continue a sexual relationship until she turned 18," Florida attorney Joel Leppard told ABC News.

The report indicates that "the Committee did not receive any evidence indicating that Representative Gaetz was aware that Victim A was a minor when he had sex with her" but that he renewed their transactional relationship "less than 6 months after she turned 18."

Is Matt Gaetz married? Who is Matt Gaetz's wife?

Gaetz married his girlfriend Ginger Luckey in 2021 when they eloped to Southern California where she's from for a small ceremony.

Ginger Gaetz has steadfastly defended Gaetz during the years of investigations. When he quit his congressional seat and then withdrew from the attorney general nomination, ending his time in politics, she posted a picture of the two of them on the Capitol steps with the words, "The end of an era."

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(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida age of consent: What is considered statutory rape?
Giorgia Meloni accused Russia of orchestrating illegal migration into Europe to destabilise the bloc as she called for stronger defence of the regions eastern and southern flanks.

We have to understand the threat is much wider than we imagine, the Italian prime minister said on Sunday, during a North-South security summit of the leaders of Italy, Greece, Sweden and Finland.

We want to defend external borders and we dont want to allow Russia or criminal organisations to undermine our security, added Ms Meloni, a hard-Right politician who leads a conservative government coalition.

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Some EU members, including Finland and Estonia, have previously accused Russia of allowing illegal migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere to enter the EU via Russia without proper checks. Russia is also said to use proxies in Africa to encourage migration into Europe across the Mediterranean.

Moscow has denied deliberately pushing migrants into the EU to undermine security.

Finland has an 830-mile land border with Russia to patrol, while Italy and Greece face threats at sea.

What we understood in this meeting is our borders are very different, so they need different tools. What happens here in Finland, where a fence is useful, cannot be done in the Mediterranean, Ms Meloni said at the summit in Lapland.

Ms Meloni discussed border security with Ulf Kristersson, Swedens prime minister (L) and Petteri Orpo, Finlands prime minister - Antti Aimo-Koivisto

The northern and southern EU states have an important task in common, said Petteri Orpo, Finlands prime minister, as in both cases we are working to protect our external borders as well as those of the European Union as a whole.

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He called the threat on Finlands border an existential question for EU members and Nato allies.

While Nato remains the cornerstone of European security, Ms Meloni said, attention must also be paid to critical infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cyber security, raw materials, supply chains  and especially migration, which demands a united, yet geographically tailored approach.

Ms Meloni also said she was working with Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, to help African nations combat illegal migration to the EU.

She reaffirmed that she believes using third countries outside the EU to manage asylum requests remains a viable approach, despite initial obstacles Italy encountered with its processing centres in Albania.

The summits guests met Laplands famous resident, Father Christmas - JUHA KAUPPINEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Meloni said the EU had been wrong in dealing with the issue of immigration over the years simply in terms of how to share the burden.

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Tackling the issue of illegal immigration solely as a solidarity-based debate was a mistake, she said. The result is that we have been unable to protect our borders.

On Friday, Italys deputy prime minister was acquitted of kidnapping more than 100 migrants aboard a boat he had blocked at sea for nearly three weeks in 2019.

After a three-year trial, judges rejected a prosecutors request to hand a six-year jail term to Matteo Salvini, the leader of the far-Right League party, who is serving as transport minister in Melonis government.

The verdict came against a backdrop of tensions between the government and the judiciary over migration after a court questioned the legality of the plan to send asylum seekers to Albania.

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YOKOHAMA, Dec 23 (News On Japan) - Japan's largest event for castle enthusiasts was held in Yokohama on the weekend, drawing castle fans from all the country, featuring PR teams dressed as samurai and celebrity appearances.

The event, now in its ninth year, featured a record 114 participating groups, making it the largest gathering of its kind. The venue was abuzz with excitement, with samurai-themed PR teams and appearances by celebrities adding to the vibrant atmosphere.

A key attraction is the promotional booths set up by municipalities with castles, offering visitors insights for planning castle tours and an array of themed merchandise. On the special stage, celebrity and castle enthusiast Atsushi Tamura shared his unique perspective on enjoying castles, emphasizing the experience from a foot soldiers viewpoint rather than that of a feudal lord. Tamuras talk, complete with self-made slides, captivated the audience, who praised his depth of knowledge.

Children had the chance to experience ninja skills at a dedicated booth, learning stealth walking techniques. While many found the task challenging, they enjoyed the hands-on experience, describing it as both fun and difficult. Another highlight of the event is the opportunity to collect limited-edition castle seals, which attracted long queues of visitors eager to add these special souvenirs to their collections.

For the first time, castles from Ishikawa Prefecture, which suffered significant damage from recent earthquakes and flooding, were represented at the event. Organizers hope the expo will offer something for everyone, likening it to a department store of castle culture, where visitors can take their time to explore and enjoy the various attractions.

Source: FNN
OSAKA, Dec 23 (News On Japan) - Winter break will begin on December 24th. On December 23rd, many public elementary schools in Osaka City held their closing ceremonies.

At Kami-Nambu Elementary School in Osakas Hirano Ward, the principal reflected on the second semester and encouraged students to prepare for the new year: "Set a goal and welcome the new year with determination."

Back in their classrooms, students received their second-semester report cards along with messages from their teachers.

At Kami-Nambu Elementary School, the third semester will begin on January 9th.

Source: MBS
Dec 24 (NHK) - Former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn says if Nissan and Honda Motor integrate their businesses, the outcome would not be successful.

Ghosn was speaking from Lebanon during an online news conference with the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Monday.

Ghosn was at the helm of Nissan for about 20 years from 1999 to turn around the automaker until he was arrested and indicted for financial misconduct in Japan. He fled to Lebanon while on bail and has lived there since.

Ghosn said, "The first thing that you look at when you want to envision an alliance or a partnership is the complementarity between the two partners." He said he sees no complementarity between Nissan and Honda.

Ghosn also said that both are Japanese companies and are strong in the same fields and weak in the same fields. He added that from an industrial point of view, there is duplication everywhere between them.

He went on to say that if they merge or form an alliance, he personally does not think the merger is going to be successful.

Ghosn said, "The people who really follow thoroughly on the electric car are winners." He cited US maker Tesla and Chinese electric vehicle makers as winners.

He predicted that a potential alliance or partnership between the two companies will be fighting for survival but that they would have a tough time against other major automakers.
Ishikawa, Dec 24 (News On Japan) - Nearly a year has passed since the Noto Peninsula earthquake struck on New Years Day, leaving the region grappling with recovery efforts and compounding challenges. In Suzu Citys Otani district, residents began moving into temporary housing earlier this month, following 11 months of hardship, including additional damage from Septembers torrential rains.

For many, it marks a bittersweet milestone after prolonged uncertainty. "We were worried we wouldnt move in before the years end, but being here before New Years brings relief," said one couple.

Disaster-related deaths, caused by the stress of life changes such as extended evacuation shelter stays, have now reached an estimated 276, surpassing the 228 deaths directly caused by the earthquake. Meanwhile, the population decline, a pressing issue even before the disaster, has worsened. Over the past ten months, six heavily affected cities and towns in Noto have collectively lost around 6,300 residents.

In Wajima Citys Monzen district, the historic Sojiji Soin Temple has been deeply affected. Once home to over ten monks, the majority were forced to evacuate, leaving only three to maintain the temple on a rotational basis. The traditional New Years Eve bell-ringing ceremony, a cherished event, will not take place this year. "It feels lonely and surreal not to have the events we once took for granted," said Deputy Abbot Hironari Takashima.

Residents plan to gather at the temple on New Years Day for a memorial service to reflect on the earthquake and strengthen their sense of community. "Coming together helps us regain our strength. I hope it becomes a day to feel the bond we share," said Anri Miyashita of the Sojiji Street Cooperative.

As debris from the earthquake has gradually been cleared, the region continues to transform. Residents are using the approaching New Years Day to honor those lost while reaffirming their determination to rebuild. One resident reflected, "Unless our spirits are lifted, we cant call it recovery. I wonder what the future holds for us."

Source: TBS
A stampede during a food distribution event in various cities in Nigeria has claimed more than 50 lives. The incident was reported by the Nigerian "Arise News" TV channel, Azernews reports.

At least 10 people died in a stampede during a food distribution at a church in the Maitama district of the capital, Abuja. Over 40 others lost their lives in a similar tragedy during a humanitarian aid distribution at a stadium in Okija, Anambra State.

Nigeria's police chief, Kayode Egbetok, has ordered a thorough investigation into the incidents in the capital and Anambra State.

In response to the tragedy, President Bola Tinubu has canceled all upcoming celebrations.

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labor Party in the 2023 elections, attributed the tragedies to mass poverty, high food prices, and government missteps.
Nigerians deported from Libya

By Matthew Atungwu

Cross River State Police Command has arrested one Victor Eyop for alleged trafficking of girls from Nigeria to Libya.

The State Police Commissioner, Gyogon Grimah, confirmed this on Monday at a news conference in Calabar, the state capital.

Grimah noted that on November 9, one Mr Chidi Samuel, in Calabar, reported a case of human trafficking against the suspect.

According to him, on that date, Samuel claimed that the suspect and his wife, Mrs Esther Eyop, allegedly recruited Ms Deborah Nyong.

They also recruited two others, Ms Anita Lawrence, 25, and Ms Mabel Tom, 16, for human trafficking to Libya after they were tested for the Human Immune Virus, HIV, and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases, STIs.

After the test, the suspect took them to his house and the next day gave them a substance they were to mix in their bath water for cleansing before embarking on the journey.

On November 12, the suspect and his wife drove the girls to Bogobiri Street in Calabar, where they booked tickets and transported them to Kaduna with arrangements with one Hajiya (names unknown) to receive the girls in Kaduna, he said.

The police boss explained that while in Kaduna, a taxi driver was sent to pick up the girls and transport them to Katsina, but along the road to Katsina, the vehicle developed a fault.

Grimah said it was at this point that the victims realised that they were being trafficked, started contacting people for help and the complainant, Samuel, sent money to them through a Point of Sale, POS, operator along the road.

He said with that money, the victims boarded a taxi back to Kaduna and found their way back to Calabar on November 15.

He said the suspect would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation.
At least 94 people have been killed in landfalls in Mozambique following the devastating Cyclone Chido, the countrys disaster management agency said.

The cyclone, with winds reaching 260 km/h and heavy rainfall, has also injured 768 individuals and affected over 622,000 people in various capacities

The northern provinces of Cabo Delgado, Niassa, and Nampula were particularly hard hit, with significant damage to homes, schools, and healthcare facilities.

The IMF plans to revise downwards its 2024 economic growth forecast due to the impact of the cyclone and post-election civil unrest.

The same storm has hit the archipelago of Mayotte leaving 35 dead. Mayotte is one of Frances poorest overseas territories.
In joining Moroccos Atlantic initiative and the gas pipeline project, Mauritania has expressed full support for regional economic integration and taken its distances vis-a-vis Algerias schemes aiming to isolate Morocco in its neighborhood.

The recent meeting between King Mohammed VI and Mauritanian President V Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani in Casablanca sent a reassuring message with regards to the strong ties based on trust between the two neighbors.

A statement by the royal office issued after the meeting underscored Mauritanias support for the royal initiative to help landlocked Sahel states access the Atlantic and the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline that is designed to enhance the regional integration of energy markets.

Mauritanias support is vital for both initiatives. The countrys location make it a bridge between Morocco and the rest of Africa.

Mauritania is also poised to become the fourth largest gas producer in Africa. Hence the need for infrastructure such as the gas pipeline that will help Mauritanian gas reach new markets.

Morocco has already announced that the pipeline will be built through stages including a first phase of connecting the Senegalese and Mauritanian gas fields to Morocco, which has an existing pipeline with the European market.

For decades, Mauritania has been a market as well as a passage of Moroccan fresh produce to other Sahel nations. Its support for the Atlantic initiative sends a strong message of Mauritanian solidarity with its landlocked neighbors and its willingness to cooperate with Morocco on a project that will help improve the economies of the region, and consequently the living standards.

The royal office statement mentioned enhancing connectivity between the two countries. A vow that promises closer ties between the two neighbors on the basis of win-win partnerships and mutual respect.

Worth mentioning that Mauritania refused to join an Algerian attempt to create a new Maghreb Union, which was joined by Algerian proxy president Kais Saied of Tunisia and a fraction of Tripoli represented by Mohamed Younes el-Menfi whose legitimacy is often questioned.
Nigers military government has accused its neighbor Nigeria of acting as a base for destabilizing actions by terrorist groups or French military and of being implicated in sabotaging its pipeline.

Relations between Niger and neighboring Nigeria have soured after the formers foreign minister, Bakary Yaou Sangare, summoned the Nigerian embassys charge daffaires, accusing his country of serving as a base to destabilize Niger with the help of former Nigerian government officials and outside forces. Niamey also alleged that Nigeria was involved in the recent pipeline vandalism it suffered. Recent revelations point to a certain complicity of the Nigerian security apparatus in the pipeline attacks, the foreign minister said.

However, Nigerias government has firmly denied accusations of involvement in the 13 December attack on the Niger-Benin oil pipeline in the city of Gaya in Nigers Dosso region. A spokesperson for Nigerias foreign affairs ministry expressed over the weekend sympathy to the Niger government for the tragic attack on the oil pipeline, but it also made it clear that Nigerian authorities did not support or aid the Lakurawa terrorist group or whoever the attackers were. The Government of Nigeria is strongly committed to the fight against terrorism and will not condone or support the activities of such groups, it added. The spokesperson also refuted claims about French military involvement, stating that there are no French military troops in the northern part of the country preparing to destabilize the Government of Niger.
The Grand Mufti of Al-Quds and the Palestinian territories, the Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Muhammed Hussein, commended on Sunday in Ramallah, Moroccos support to the Palestinian people, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee.

Sheikh Muhammed Hussein, who was received by Moroccos ambassador to Palestine, Abderrahim Meziane, paid tribute to the efforts made by Morocco, King, government and people, in supporting the unalienable and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and welcomed the solid ties binding the Moroccan and Palestinian people.

During the meeting, the Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque dwelt on the difficult conditions facing the Palestinian people in general, and the City of Al-Quds and its Holy Sites in particular, as well as the transgressions targeting the Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling on the international community to act to put an end to the war against the Palestinians, reported the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

For his part, Moroccos ambassador to Palestine said that the Kingdom, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, shall spare no effort in supporting the Palestinian people, underlining Moroccos tireless efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the populations of Gaza and Al-Quds.

The diplomat also highlighted Bayt Mal Al Qods Asharif Agencys ongoing action to support the Palestinian people and the preservation of the Holy Citys historical and civilizational character, as well as in the fields of health, education and support for social projects and for youth and children.

Meziane expressed his desire to develop bilateral cooperation between the Dar Al-Iftaa institution and other religious institutions in Palestine and their Moroccan counterparts, in order to raise it to the level of the privileged relations linking the two brotherly peoples, in the service of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and for the preservation of the Holy Citys religious sites.
King Mohammed VI has announced clear directives for the revision of Moroccos Family Code, underlining the need for a balanced and holistic reform that aligns with the countrys religious precepts and contemporary social needs.

In a meeting held at the Royal Palace in Casablanca this Monday, the king instructed the government to communicate the details of the revision to the public and ensure that the reform process is carried out within a reasonable timeframe, adhering to constitutional guidelines.

Here follows a statement by the Royal Office:

His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, chaired, Monday at the Royal Palace in Casablanca, a working session on the revision of the Family Code.

This session follows the submission by the Body in Charge of Revising the Family Code of a report to His Majesty the King, marking the completion of its mission within the designated timeframe. This report includes over 100 proposed amendments. It also follows the referral by His Majesty the King, Commander of the Faithful, of some specific proposals concerning religious texts to the Supreme Council of Ulema, which has since provided a legal opinion.

It also comes after HM the King, may God glorify Him, made the necessary arbitrations on issues on which the Body issued more than one opinion, or where revisions required recourse to Sharia. These Royal arbitrations have given priority to choices that are in line with the guidelines and objectives outlined in the Royal Letter addressed to the Head of Government, as well as those set by the norms governing the Bodys work, mainly the norm of not prohibiting what is authorized, nor authorizing what is prohibited.

During this session, Minister of Justice Abdellatif Ouahbi, as a member of the Body in Charge of Revising the Family Code, gave a presentation before His Majesty the King on the Bodys approach and working methodology, in particular the listening and hearing sessions organized by the Body, as well as the most important proposals arising from them, which it included in its aforementioned report, in addition to the expected objectives of these proposals.

The Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq, as a member of the Supreme Council of Ulema, presented the conclusions of the Councils Opinion, which established the essential legal basis for some of the Bodys proposals, and took into account the principle of Maslaha (interest) to find Sharia-compliant solutions regarding other proposals. This provided an opportunity to highlight the capacity of constructive Ijtihad in deducing Sharia rules, the middle ground and moderation of the Moroccan School of Fiqh, which draws its foundations from the Kingdoms religious constants.

In this respect, HM the King, Commander of the Faithful, called on the Supreme Council of Ulema to pursue reflection and adopt constructive Ijtihad on the issue of the family, by creating an adequate framework within its structure, in order to deepen research into Fiqh issues linked to the evolutions experienced by the Moroccan family, and which require innovative responses in phase with the demands of the present day.

In order to clarify the main contents of the revision of the Family Code, the Sovereign instructed, during this session, the Head of Government and the Ministers to communicate with the public and keep it informed of the latest developments in this revision, which the government will ensure is drawn up and devised within a reasonable timeframe as part of the legislative initiative, in line with the relevant constitutional provisions.

As for the legislative phase of the Family Code revision, and the ensuing discussions and votes within the two Houses of Parliament, HM the King, May God preserve Him, recalled the guidelines and foundations that should frame it, as contained in the aforementioned Royal Letter. These are the principles of justice, equality, solidarity and coherence advocated by the Holy religion of Islam, as well as the universal values enshrined in the international conventions ratified by Morocco.

HM the King also stressed the need to keep in mind the Sovereigns desire for reform and openness to progress, through the launch of this promising reform initiative, twenty years after the implementation of the Family Code, and to guarantee the protection of the family on legal, social and economic aspects.

The Sovereign also stressed the need to perceive the content of the reform within a framework of complementarity, in the sense that it does not favor one party to the detriment of the other, but concerns the Moroccan family, which constitutes the basic cell of society. This implies ensuring that all the above is drawn up in the form of clear and intelligible legal rules, in order to avoid contradictory judicial readings and cases of conflict in their interpretation.

His Majesty the King, may God assist Him, also drew attention to the mandatory need to give the necessary attention to all the prerequisites supporting and strengthening the Family Code revision. This includes consolidating the experience of family justice, revising the relevant legislative and regulatory texts in the light of the new constitutional provisions, or devising awareness-raising programs enabling citizens to access the law and better assimilate their rights and obligations.

This working session was attended by Head of Government, Mr. Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Justice, Mr. Abdellatif Ouahbi, Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Toufiq, and Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family, Ms. Naima Ben Yahia.
King Mohammed chaired on Monday a new working session to follow up on the reform of the family code. Building on the achievements of the 2004 code, the King urged that the adoption of the new family law should be permeated by justice, equality, solidarity and harmony with the percepts of Islam and universal values.

The session was attended by members of a committee that submitted to the King a first draft of the code, including amendments with a religious character, that required the arbitrage of the Monarch and the opinion of the supreme religious council, said a statement of the Royal Office.

The new code, with 100 amendments, had been submitted within deadlines to the King, who asked for the opinion of the supreme religious council concerning issues with a religious aspect.

The King urged the council to further examine some issues of Islamic jurisprudence in line with constructive ijtihad to keep pace with the development of the Moroccan family, and to provide innovative answers that meet contemporary requirements.

In September 2023, the King, who has the title of the Commander of the Faithful, made it clear that the new code should not forbid what is lawful not prohibit what is permitted.

Once ready, the new draft family code will be submitted to the Parliaments approval.

In this respect, the Monarch urged that the legislative process, including parliamentary debates, should be permeated by the principles of justice, equality, solidarity, and harmony, in line with Islamic precepts and the universal values in keeping with the international agreements ratified by Morocco, said the royal office statement.

Twenty years after the latest family code reform (2004), the King said this new review should be tailored to ensure the legal, social, and economic protection of the familythe basic unit of society

This requires ensuring that all the aforementioned points are reflected in clear and understandable legal rules to overcome conflicting judicial interpretations and disputes over their interpretation, the king said.

In this regard, the King instructed the cabinet members in charge of the reform to communicate with citizens and explain to them the new reform in addition to raising the publics awareness to their rights under the new code.

The new law was elaborated following a participatory approach during which hearing sessions and proposals were submitted by societys stakeholders including political parties, and civil society associations.

In addition to the Head of Government, the working session was attended by Justice Minister, who made a presentation before the King in his capacity as a member of the committee responsible for the revision of the code and as the minister in charge of engaging with members of parliament during the legislative phase.

The meeting was also attended by Islamic affairs minister, as a member of the Supreme Ulema Council, who presented the councils conclusions regarding certain proposals with a religious character, in addition to Solidarity, Social Integration, and Family, minister Naima Ben Yahia.
Photo-Illustration: Illustration by Tyler Comrie/PHOTOGRAPH: DEA PICTURE LIBRARY/De Agostini (SOURCE IMAGE)

Everyone has so much going on at the turn of the year  family trips punctuated by someone getting a funny cough, New Years regrets and resolutions, the agonizing stretch between January 6 and Inauguration Day through which to remain medicated. Many of us put up buffers to make it. But into your carefully guarded cone of quiet may come a news item with a whiff of terror. The eggs are suddenly expensive or have gone missing from the stores. Your local geese are wheezing themselves to death. You may hear the troubling phrase a rare flu coupled with the more disturbing in a child.

This shiver of deja vu is brought to us by the current avian-influenza outbreak. Since March, when the H5N1 virus was discovered in a single cow in Texas  the first time that a strain of the bird flu had ever been seen in cattle  it has popped up with increasing frequency, like jump scares in the haunted house of our food system: at poultry and dairy farms, in beef cattle, at meatpacking plants, in bottled raw milk. Then, in November, a teenager in British Columbia who was extremely ill with the virus, who had been all over the news, seemed to disappear: Around American Thanksgiving, the provinces health department said the case had been closed and there would be no further updates. On November 19 in Alameda, California, doctors identified the first case of bird flu in a child in the U.S., and no one could figure out how it had happened. On December 12, scientists announced that horses could get it, too. On December 13, it was reported that two farmworkers in California had contracted the virus and that one person in Louisiana, with a backyard flock of sick birds, was seriously ill. And then a week before Christmas, California governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the outbreak, calling his decision a proactive action; it was intended, he said, to ensure that the government could respond quickly and flexibly to what may come next.

Still, no one seems to really believe that another pandemic could be on the way. Most of us have developed sturdy denial mechanisms since COVID first arrived. What good would it even do us to let this information in? We know how Americans, collectively, handled this the last time around. Imagining it playing out all over again is like hitting yourself in the face. No one will wear masks, we think; no one will listen to the government; the government itself might effectively throw up its hands. We know that COVID still kills, with a body count just shy of 50,000 Americans in 2024, and it feels like a stretch to say that Americans are particularly concerned. Most have stopped getting vaccinated against the virus.

Many of us might not be willing to face the reality of another changed world. We know now that pandemics create major and lasting turning points in our lives: In 2023, more than half of people surveyed said that their lives had not returned to normal since the COVID outbreak, and a surprising number  47 percent  said they now believe their lives will never return to normal.

But do we really know how a new pandemic would go and how we would handle it? Things are different this time  and in ways that arent all bad. Unlike with COVID in the spring of 2020, millions of doses of bird-flu vaccines at various stages of testing sit in government stockpiles, and more are on the way. There are also already tests that work, though these are not broadly available to the public.

What about us and our exhausted minds? Or our angry fellow Americans who supposedly hate government health interventions more than anything? Recent research suggests that we might actually manage a second pandemic better than we would believe. Despite all the noise to the contrary, a June poll by Harvards School of Public Health says that Americans overall think the government responses to COVID  asking people to wear masks, pausing indoor dining, requiring health-care workers to get vaccinated  were all good ideas. Although the media tends to paint school closures as radically unpopular, only 44 percent of respondents said they currently think the shutdowns were a mistake.

A growing body of research also suggests that many Americans feel stronger for what we endured during the most extreme days of COVID. Counter to what we like to say about our friends and neighbors and children, the challenge of the pandemic may have benefited some peoples mental health. One study found that children entering the pandemic with clinically meaningful mental-health problems experienced notable improvements in their mental health. (Turns out theres one thing worse than shutting down an American school and thats having to attend it.)

A bird-flu pandemic is not an exhilarating prospect. Though the strains of the virus currently in circulation may not be as lethal to humans as those in the past (previous mortality rates have reached as high as 50 percent), we know it would be deadly to some and dangerous to many. But could we, as a society, handle it? Probably.

We dont know if well have to find out: There is no real information on the likelihood of the virus crossing over. Infectious-disease specialists dont like to make predictions. What we do know is that we are really rolling the dice. Early in December, a terrifying report was published in Science: A study from Scripps Research Institute scientists said that it would take only a single mutation in the genetic material of the avian influenza currently making the rounds for it to become well adapted for human infection. If H5 is ever going to be a pandemic, one researcher told the publication, its going to be now.

As of late December, most government agencies were expressing calm and pushing for measured action. The CDC said it would like us to avoid birds and get flu shots. OSHA said people who work with animals should wear respiratory protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said to please not allow wild and domesticated birds to mingle and to dress game in a well-ventilated area.

Only about 60 people across the country have tested positive for bird flu in 2024, and the iterations coursing through animal populations seem never to have been transmitted person-to-person. Human-to-human transmissions have been documented in previous outbreaks, but this has always been exceedingly rare. As of this writing, this disease is for the birds. And cows. (And pigs and mice and cats and seals.)

All the flu pandemics of the 20th century, however, including the disastrous 1918 influenza that killed 20 million people, began in birds. As the traditional flu season begins in earnest, the disease will have ever more opportunity to tailor itself for human infection: Each time it meets with another virus is an occasion for reinvention.

More than 850 herds of dairy cattle across the country have been infected so far  the numbers are hard to specify, but this could mean millions of cows. As of December, a federal program to test the national milk supply had been rolled out in only six states; we have huge gaps in information. In California, which does test, and where tens of thousands of people work with cattle, about half the dairy herds have the virus. With the contagion uncontained in animals, and most American adults not vaccinated against regular influenza, were basically hosting an infinite-universe experiment for bird flu.

In a recent study of public attitudes in 33 nations, researchers were delighted to report that people felt slightly less terrible about their place in the world than they had over the past four years: Only two-thirds of people agreed that 2024 was a bad year for my country. It was the most positive response to the survey since 2019. We have, in some respects, just gotten back on our feet. The idea of another pandemic sounds distinctly like a joke. Catastrophe, however, is a matter of chance.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is reportedly considering a visit to Syria, marking a significant development in relations between the two countries. This was stated by Turkeys Charge dAffaires in Syria, Burhan Koroglu, according to Azernews.

Koroglu mentioned that Erdogans visit might take place following Foreign Minister Hakan Fidans upcoming trip to Damascus. However, he did not disclose the date of the potential visit.

Commenting on the evolving ties, Koroglu remarked that Turkish-Syrian relations could resemble those during the Ottoman era, signaling a shift towards closer cooperation.

This announcement follows Erdogans earlier statement that Hakan Fidan would travel to Damascus. Prior to this, the head of Turkeys National Intelligence Organization, ?brahim Kal?n, also visited Syria.
Photo: Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump has made a lot of wild Cabinet picks, but only one was so stunning that he lasted barely more than a week: Matt Gaetz for U.S. attorney general. In addition to being a far-right firebrand with minimal legal experience, the U.S. representative from Florida was facing the release of a House Ethics Committee report involving allegations that he had sex with a minor.

Though its been more than a month since Gaetz resigned from Congress and withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general, on December 23 the committee released its final report. In the 37-page document, the committee alleged that Gaetz spent thousands on illegal drugs and sex  including an encounter with a 17-year-old girl that violated Floridas statutory-rape law. Heres what we know so far about the committees findings and the response from Gaetz.

What does the Ethics Committee report say about Gaetz?

After weeks of debate, last week the House Ethics Committee voted to release the Gaetz report. By Monday, multiple news outlets had obtained a copy of a draft of the final report. It determined that the congressman had paid tens of thousands of dollars to 12 women over three years, likely in exchange for sex and drugs, and that he had attempted to obstruct the committees investigation. The panel examined financial transactions made to 12 women through PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App as well as text messages that discussed the payments. According to the committee, Gaetz was uncooperative throughout its inquiry, provided minimal documentation, and did not sit down for a voluntary interview with the panel.

The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress, the report reads.

Panel investigators heard testimony from multiple women. One woman, identified as Victim A, claims that she met Gaetz at a 2017 party when she was only 17 years old and later had sex with him, an allegation that Gaetz has consistently denied.

Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school, the committee wrote. Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.

The committee found significant evidence that Gaetz took part in illegal drug use, writing that the then-congressman even set up a fake email account from his House office to use to obtain marijuana. There is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz used cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana. At least two women saw Representative Gaetz using cocaine and ecstasy at different events, the committee wrote.

Though the panel was unable to speak to every woman who received a payment from Gaetz, several testified that there was a general expectation of sex. While several witnesses said they engaged in consensual sexual activity with Gaetz, one woman said she felt that the drug use at the parties impaired their ability to really know what was going on or fully consent.

The panel also looked into a September 2018 trip to the Bahamas, finding that Gaetz likely violated House rules by accepting gifts including transportation and lodging in excess of permissible amounts. The report also levies a new allegation against Gaetz, claiming that the congressman helped a woman he was sexually involved with obtain a passport by lying to the State Department about her being one of his constituents. However, the committee acknowledged that it was unable to find sufficient evidence that Gaetz violated the sex-trafficking statute, as has been previously alleged.

Why is this report coming out now?

The House Ethics Committee first began looking into Gaetzs actions in 2021, investigating whether the congressman engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, among other potential offenses. But the panel paused its inquiry as the Justice Department mounted its own investigation into Gaetz. When the federal government declined to bring charges against Gaetz last year, the committee revived its probe.

The ethics report drew new scrutiny when Trump nominated Gaetz to serve as his attorney general, with members of Congress and the public calling for its release as part of the vetting process. The committee was divided on whether the report should be made public after Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress, ending its jurisdiction over the ex-congressman. Though there is precedence for congressional panels releasing reports on former members, its something they typically avoid.

Though the committee ultimately voted in favor of its release last week, Chairman Michael Guest noted the dissenting members objections in the final report.

While we do not challenge the Committees findings, we take great exception that the majority deviated from the Committees well-established standards and voted to release a report on an individual no longer under the Committees jurisdiction, an action the Committee has not taken since 2006, he wrote.

How has Matt Gaetz responded?

Gaetz tried to get ahead of the story with a lengthy statement posted to X on December 18.

My 30s were an era of working very hard - and playing hard too, he wrote. Its embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.

On Monday, Gaetz filed a lawsuit against the House Ethics Committee, seeking to block the release of the report by claiming that the damage to his reputation would be immediate, severe and irreversible. The New York Times reports that Gaetz was notified by a clerk with the federal court that his suit was improperly filed.

Gaetz has remained in the spotlight, despite the looming allegations against him. After leaving Congress, he started an account on Cameo, selling personalized videos at $500 each. One America News Network, a far-right cable channel, hired Gaetz to anchor his own political talk show beginning in January. And Gaetz seemingly hasnt ruled out a return to Congress. During his speech at the Turning Point Action event in Arizona over the weekend, Gaetz floated the possibility of running for Florida senator Marco Rubios seat, which will likely be open following his nomination to serve as Trumps secretary of State.

Many have asked which perch I will be fighting from, Gaetz told the crowd. Maybe Ill just run for Marco Rubios vacant seat in the United States Senate and join some of those folks.
The fog of Trumps trade war is back. Photo: Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump really loves the idea of American expansion. During his first term as president, he looked into whether the U.S. could buy Greenland from Denmark. During this years presidential campaign, he vowed to colonize Mars. He and his aides and allies have repeatedly flirted with the idea of invading Mexico. More recently, hes suggested Canada should become the 51st state. And as of this weekend, the trade-warring president-elect is now threatening to seize the Panama Canal.

In a pair of Truth Social posts on Saturday night, Trump used his pending bully pulpit to claim that Panama was charging exorbitant and ridiculous fees for the U.S. and corporations with U.S. interests to transit the 50-mile canal. He complained that Panama wasnt showing the U.S. enough gratitude for building the complex waterway. He lambasted the 1977 treaty Jimmy Carter signed ceding the canal to Panama, and he claimed Panama was violating that treaty by allowing China to manage it. Then he threatened that if things didnt change, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question:

This complete rip-off of our Country will immediately stop The United States has a vested interest in the secure, efficient, and reliable operation of the Panama Canal, and that was always understood. We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands! It was not given for the benefit of others, but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question. To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!

China does not manage the canal. Trumps complaints on that relate to Panama having renewed, in 2022, a longstanding arrangement with a Hong Kong-based company to manage the two ports of entry to the canal. (The renewed deal has also recently drawn some ire in Congress.)

Trump reiterated his demand during his speech at the Turning Point USA America Fest on Sunday:

Trump: If the principles, both moral and legal of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed then we will demand that Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America in full, quickly, and without question pic.twitter.com/qKoH2a83JA  Acyn (@Acyn) December 22, 2024

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino wasnt impressed. Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will continue to be so, Mulino responded on Sunday, though without mentioning Trump by name. The sovereignty and independence of our country arent negotiable.

Per the Associated Press:

Without mentioning Trump by name, Mulino addressed Trumps complaints over rising fees for ships crossing the canal, saying they are set by experts who take into account operational costs, and supply and demand factors.

The tariffs are not set on a whim Mulino said. He noted that Panama has expanded the canal over the years to increase ship traffic on its own initiative, and added that shipping fee increases help pay for improvements.

Panamanians may have different views on many issues Mulino said. But when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.

Trump then posted Well see about that! in response and shared an image of an American flag over the canal captioned with the message Welcome to the United States Canal!

Trump now more directly threatening to take full control of the Panama Canal, just hours after Panamas president vowed that every square mile would remain under Panamanian control pic.twitter.com/Uj7ZHqiUTQ  Alex Ward (@alexbward) December 22, 2024

Since Panama is clearly not willing to give back the Canal  which the country has controlled since 1999 and spent billions of dollars to improve, and is a source of great national pride  pretty much the only way Trump could take control of the waterway would be for the U.S. to invade Panama (again).

One shipping expert who spoke with Bloomberg wondered if Trumps bluster was about reducing the cost of exporting liquid natural gas:

Tankers moving LNG have a high ratio of shipping cost to cargo value. With news reports indicating that more LNG export facilities will be opened up, perhaps that might be something Trump is focused on with this threat, said [shipping industry veteran John McCown], who wondered about the precedent set if the US were to retake control of the canal. This decision was long ago made and appropriately documented and we cant just unilaterally say it never happened, he said. If we do that, whats to stop Russia from saying we want Alaska back or France from saying we want the Louisiana Purchase back? So, at multiple levels, this threat makes no sense to me.

Also, Trump still wants Greenland. In his announcement on Sunday nominating tech investor Ken Howery as ambassador to Denmark, Trump wrote that For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.

This post has been updated.
Kay Granger in the U.S. House in October 2023. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Early next month, Texas congresswoman Kay Granger will finish her 14th and final term in the House of Representatives, but the 81-year-old Republican didnt cast a vote during last weeks shutdown fight. She hasnt voted at the U.S. Capitol since July. This weekend, it emerged that Granger has been suffering from dementia and has been residing at a senior living facility  which neither she, her congressional office, nor House GOP leaders had disclosed to the public. The news has renewed concerns about lawmakers of advanced age remaining in office beyond the point when they can effectively handle their responsibilities, and her absence has drawn criticism since the House GOP holds such a slim majority.

Granger, who was first elected to Congress in 1996, announced a year ago that she would not seek reelection in 2024. Granger had served as the chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, but she stepped down from that role in April. According to her congressional website, the last vote she cast in the House was on July 24. In November, Republican Craig Goldman won her open seat.

On Friday, a right-wing news site called the Dallas Express reported that it had been unable to contact Granger about how she would vote amid the shutdown fight. The publication, whose CEO ran against Granger in 2020, said that it received a tip from a Granger constituent who shared that the Congresswoman has been residing at a local memory care and assisted living home for some time after having been found wandering lost and confused in her former Cultural District/West 7th neighborhood. It then visited the facility and reported that two employees had confirmed Granger was living there. The news site also aired concerns about Granger being unable to represent her district, about why no one seemed to know about that, and whether her staff or others had hidden her declining health.

Back in September, I had noted Granger's prolonged absence from Congress. But inquiries did not draw a reply.



She did not vote after July 24. It does not appear that a formal 'Leave of Absence' was filed. And no public announcement was made about her health. 5/  Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) December 22, 2024

She missed several votes in the House in the second half of the year. But on multiple occasions, her staff submitted official extensions of remarks from Granger into the Congressional Record. Reporter Jamie Dupree notes those submissions make it look like the Texas Republican was still on Capitol Hill but she wasnt.

Granger was last seen in D.C. at a November 19 reception honoring her accomplishments. Several photos from the event, where her official portrait was unveiled, were shared on her official X account over the next eight days:

On Sunday morning, the congresswomans son, Brandon Granger, told the Dallas Morning News that his mother has been having some dementia issues late in the year and that she had moved to a senior living facility. He denied that she was living in the facilitys memory care unit:

Brandon said his mother is living at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth, but she is not in a memory care facility, as some media reports have stated. He said that while the facility has a memory care community on the same property, Rep. Granger resides in the independent living facility.

On its website, Tradition Senior Living says it offers resort-style living with ultra-inclusive services on approximately six acres along the Trinity River with miles of walking trails. Brandon said she made the move because she wanted to be in a more active community of other older people.

Theres nothing wrong with someone wanting to live in a community with other folks their age, he said. Shes in a building with a lot of other folks her age that are super active that she really loves. She has exercise classes, she gets to be around people all the time, its wonderful for her for this point in life.

Grangers office also released a statement from the congresswoman in which she said that since early September, her declining health had made it difficult to travel to Washington D.C.

A spokesperson for @RepKayGranger says she "is not in Memory Care.



Granger has not voted since July 24, despite being in the Capitol last month for her portrait unveiling.



In a stmt, Granger says she has health challenges that made travel to D.C. difficult. Her stmt: pic.twitter.com/Bap86F9Lvx  Kyle Stewart (@KyleAlexStewart) December 22, 2024

Axios reports that, according to a source, she moved to the facility in July:

[The source] told Axios that Granger would have made different preparations had she known she would be unable to vote towards the end of the session, citing the unforeseen progression of her illness. Granger was also clear with leadership about her situation and said she would return to D.C. to vote if she was needed, the source said.

The same day the Dallas Express asked Where is Congresswoman Kay Granger? her X account shared a post and photo thanking her interns for their service. It was one of many posts shared on her account over the last several months which made it seem as though everything was normal.

I have been honored to have had the best congressional interns assisting me and my team!

Thank you all for your great service to TX-12 over the years! pic.twitter.com/iJzbjRZDEI  Rep. Kay Granger (@RepKayGranger) December 20, 2024

The news of Grangers health issues drew a lot of attention over the weekend, including criticism from House Democrats Ritchie Torres and Ro Khanna (who had publicly called for Senator Dianne Feinstein to resign amid widespread concerns about her cognitive decline).

Kay Granger's long absence reveals the problem with a Congress that rewards seniority & relationships more than merit & ideas. We have a sclerotic gerontocracy.



We need term limits. We need to get big money out of politics so a new generation of Americans can run and serve.  Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) December 22, 2024

Republican Tom Massie dismissed the news with a joke:

Im more concerned about the congressmen who have dementia and are still voting. https://t.co/EX4r5vAvrJ  Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 22, 2024
I think all men should start off in jail and prove their way out  Autumn (@sonicmommy) April 13, 2023

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 Im fucking laughing omg.





But yes

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/end post

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To the surprise of no woman

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Yeah.



I literally said "....of course there are" and then felt really depressed.

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it's why we choose the damn bear...

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There are so many things people can choose to do with their lives and their time, that so many men choose to spend their time hurting others is truly astonishing and sickening. I hate being on this planet.



Edited at 2024-12-23 01:23 am (UTC)

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I just cant believe we let this just continue on. There is something deeply wrong with a lot of men. I know a bunch of them would also be with children if it was acceptable. They just have so much sexual depravity in them, its horrifying to think about it for too long.

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Exactly.



If there was no fear of consequences, no law or threat of prison, they would do it. We know many of them would.

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I came here to express this and am grateful that you did.



I swear, I'm so tired of all of this.

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Yep, we're all a sum of our choices and its beyond depressing what so many choose to do. Men collectively are a danger to all life on this planet including their own, they really need to be stripped of power.

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I think I am going to stay single till death

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You'll end up living a longer and happier life.



Edited at 2024-12-23 04:35 am (UTC)

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I'm there too. It's so freeing giving up on men. You get to be genuinely delighted when one (out of a hundred) isn't a terrible person, and fully prepared for the other 99 to be disappointing.

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I think I'm with you. I'd love a partner but I honestly don't meet anyone who is worthy of being in my life. I used to feel that was rude of me to think/say but it's honestly the truth. Most men suck.

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Every day that goes by, I feel this more and more and I hate it. I do want love and someone who'll care for and support me through life, especially since no one can survive on one income (nevermind ever being able to own my own home), but I really feel like I can never fully trust a man. They truly hate us.

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Yes, yes all men.

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happy holidays everyone!

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Men are fucking SICK.

Also, apps like Telegram should really not exist. Theres more harm than good coming out of such ~privacy~ heavy platforms.

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The other choice is to get our governments a right to get whatever information they want from and app and I dont trust my government and dont think you should trust yours

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Are these our only two options?

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Done with them. I have a few male friends but I don't think I need to get close to any more. I'm good.



Time to switch back to my Dalek icon.



Edited at 2024-12-23 01:33 am (UTC)

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jfc New fear unlocked. Yeah, I think I'm gonna stay single. I don't mind it.

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Soooo many rotten to the core it's overwhelming, jfc. Stay safe ladies <3

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Extremely reminiscent of the Telegram groups that were discovered in South Korea earlier this year.



Men are not to be trusted.

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telegram has become a breeding ground for men's violent sexual tendencies. just a few months ago in south korea there was a big case where young men and teen boys, some as young as middle schoolers (ages 13-15 in south korea) were found to be creating and distributing deepfake pornography of girls and women they knew on telegram. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg45kz47dno there's never been a good time to be a woman, but it just feels like society is getting scarier and scarier for us. especially with gen z boys/men trending towards right wing conservatism.



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yeah, telegram was also where austin wolf was trading csam

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What? I never heard he did that. I hope he's in prison!



Edited at 2024-12-23 04:15 pm (UTC)

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Die

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Another win for the bears.

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Oregon OSHA Fines Contractor for Repeat Fall Protection Violations

Oregon OSHA fined a Newberg contractor $135,407 for repeated safety violations, including failing to protect workers from fall hazards.

Oregon OSHA has fined Newberg-based View Top Construction LLC for repeatedly exposing workers to hazardous conditions, such as failing to ensure fall protection.

According to a recent release, the agency identified the violationsresulting in a total of $135,407 in proposed penaltiesduring an inspection at a job site in Hillsboro, where workers were found at risk of falling up to 17 feet without proper safeguards. The inspection was conducted under Oregon OSHAs prevention-based emphasis program targeting fall hazards. Penalties were reduced due to the companys size.

When employers assign work to be done at heights, they must protect their employees from fall hazards, Oregon OSHA Administrator Renee Stapleton said in a statement. It is a commitment required by law. It is never an option. And workers have a right to work safely.

The most severe citation stemmed from a failure to ensure workers were protected from falls of six feet or more, a third repeat violation and $84,996 penalty. Other violations included the improper use of an extension ladder, which failed to extend three feet above the roofline, resulting in a $38,883 penalty. The company was also cited $11,528 for failing to provide eye protection for employees using pneumatic nail guns.

Oregon OSHA noted that View Top Construction corrected the identified violations during the inspection. Nevertheless, the company has since filed an appeal.
India imported lower volumes of Russian crude oil in November while it boosted purchases of Middle Eastern crude, as Russia exported lower volumes overall while some Indian refiners were undergoing maintenance.

In the months prior to November, India continued to boost crude imports from Russia. Over the past two years, India has become a key buyer of Russias oil, while the attractiveness of cheaper crude supply has made Russia the single biggest supplier of oil to India.

But last month, India imported 1.52 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian crude oil, down by 13% from October, according to ship-tracking data that Reuters has obtained from sources.

At the same time, imports from the Middle East into India, the worlds third-largest crude importer, jumped by 10.8% in November compared to the prior month, the data showed.

Russias share of Indian crude oil imports was at around 32%, while the share of the Middle Eastern oil exporters in Indian foreign oil supply jumped to 48%, a nine-month high.

Some Indian refiners reduced spot purchases of Russian crude oil amid the maintenance season, but continued to lift committed volumes under annual contracts with Middle Eastern producers, an India refining official told Reuters.

Russias crude oil exports by sea fell in November, amid lower shipments to India, tanker-tracking data monitored by Bloomberg showed last month. Most of the decline in Russian shipments in November was seen at Russias Western ports on the Baltic and Black Sea, from where the majority of shipments to India depart.

Still, Russia continued to be the top supplier of crude oil to India in November, ahead of Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom, the worlds top crude exporter, saw its oil exports to Asia rise in November, while Russias crude sales in the worlds most important oil-importing region fell amid lower purchases by Moscows two key markets, China and India.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
With just a month left before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump begins his second term at the Oval Office, oil prices have been struggling to find direction, intensifying the notion that oil markets seem content to wait for him to take office.

Trump has repeatedly vowed that hell push shale producers to ramp up output, even if it means operators drill themselves out of business.

But its not clear how he intends to accomplish this feat since U.S. oil is produced by independent companies and not a national oil company (NOC).

Last month, Exxon Mobils (NYSE:XOM) Upstream President Liam Mallon dismissed the notion that U.S. producers will dramatically increase output under a second Trump term. However, Trumps drilling ambitions might be thwarted by an even bigger challenge: U.S. oilfields could be nearing their final act.

According to Goehring & Rozencwajg LLC, a fundamental research firm specializing in contrarian natural resource investments, U.S. shale output is in the early innings of a protracted decline, with depletion, not market dynamics or regulatory overreach, the chief culprit. The analysts had previously predicted that the explosive production growth triggered by the U.S. shale revolution would flatline in late 2024 or early 2025. However, the reality could be worse: According to data by the EIA, shale crude oil production peaked in November 2023, and has declined about 2% since then while shale dry gas production peaked that same month and has since slipped by 1% or 1 billion cubic feet per day. And, its about to get worse, with Goehring & Rozencwajgs model predicting an even steeper decline going forward.

Related: Data Centers Are Eating the Grid Alive



The contrarian investors have compared the unfolding situation to the oil crisis of the 1970s. They note that President Nixon responded to the first OPEC oil crisis in 1973 by launching Project Independence, which aimed to reverse the decline in U.S. output through deregulation and expedited permitting. Oil prices soared from $3.18 per barrel in 1973 to $34 per barrel by 1981, inducing an explosion in drilling activity. Consequently, the U.S. oil rig count jumped from 993 in 1973 to a staggering 4,500 by late 1981. Unfortunately, the surge in drilling was unable to counter the natural law of depletion: By the end of 1981, U.S. crude production had fallen to 8.5 million barrels per day, good for a 15% decline from the time Nixon launched his ambitious program. The analysts note that U.S. crude output hit a nadir of 5 million barrels per day in 2010, even as prices hovered around $100 per barrel. Goehring & Rozencwajg has labeled this phenomenon The Depletion Paradox, and have warned that higher prices alone will not be sufficient to counteract geological realities. The analysts have pointed to the famous aphorism by the legendary M. King Hubbert, a geologist for Shell Plc. (NYSE:SHEL): every hydrocarbon basin is a finite resource. In effect, the production of any oil and gas field begins at zero, rises as extraction ramps up, and ultimately reaches an upper limit that represents the total recoverable resource in the basin.

To exacerbate matters, U.S. producers wont have the incentive of high prices under a second Trump administration: A new survey from law firm Haynes Boone LLC has revealed that banks are gearing up for oil prices to fall below $60 a barrel by the middle of Trumps new term.

Enhanced Oil Recovery

That said, theres a growing likelihood that more novel technologies will come along and jumpstart U.S. oil and gas production, much like hydraulic fracturing revolutionized the U.S Shale Patch two decades ago. New research has revealed that injecting near-depleted oil wells with CO2 can extend their productivity for decades. Calgary-based senior geological advisor Menhwei Zhao has conducted an AAPG Bulletin study regarding the use of CCS in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). He analyzed more than 22 years of production data from the Weyburn Midale oil pool in Saskatchewan, which since 2000 has been receiving carbon dioxide injections thus making it the worlds longest-running EOR project. Zhao concluded that the pool would have stopped producing oil by 2016 without CO2 injection, but that enhanced oil recovery could extend the pools lifespan to 39 or even 84 more years. Although Zhao acknowledges that he focused on a specific project in Canada, he says he would expect to see similar results for large-scale CCS projects around the world.

Zhaos claims might not be exaggerated: The Wasson Fields Denver Unit CO2 EOR project resulted in a nearly seven-fold increase in crude production after injecting CO2.

Crude oil production in U.S. oil fields frequently encompasses three distinct phases: primary, secondary, and tertiary (or enhanced) recovery. During the primary recovery phase, gravity, the natural pressure of the reservoir and artificial lift techniques are used to drive oil into the wellbore. This initial phase typically recovers only about 10 percent of a reservoir's original oil in place (OOIP). Secondary recovery techniques are used to extend a field's productive life usually by injecting water or gas to displace oil and drive it to a production wellbore, typically resulting in the recovery of 20 to 40 percent of OOIP.

However, much of the easy-to-produce oil has already been recovered from U.S. oil fields, forcing producers to turn to several tertiary, or enhanced oil recovery (EOR), techniques. EOR technologies offer prospects for ultimately producing 30 to 60 percent, or more, of a reservoir's OOIP.

Three major categories of EOR have been found to be commercially successful: gas injection, chemical injection and thermal recovery. Gas injection is the most common EOR technology in the United States, accounting for nearly 60 percent of EOR production in the country. Gas injection uses gasses such as CO2, natural gas, or nitrogen that expand in a reservoir to push additional oil to a production wellbore while other gasses dissolve in the oil and help to lower its viscosity and improve its flow rate. CO2 injection has been used successfully throughout the Permian Basin of West Texas and eastern New Mexico, as well as in Kansas, Mississippi, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Montana, Alaska, and Pennsylvania.

Source: DoE

The U.S. DoE is currently researching novel techniques that could significantly improve economic performance and expand the applicability of CO2 injection to a broader group of reservoirs. The DoE estimates that next-generation CO2-EOR has the potential to produce over 60 billion barrels of oil that would otherwise be left trapped in the rocks. It would take around 13 years for U.S. producers to pump that volume of oil at the current clip of ~13 million barrels per day.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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The EU needs Qatar's LNG supply, but the directive is facing backlash from other large corporations as well.

The directive could result in fines for non-compliant companies, potentially costing QatarEnergy 5% of its annual global revenue.

Qatar's Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi has threatened to stop LNG exports to the EU if the bloc strictly enforces its new corporate sustainability directive.

One of the worlds top LNG exporters, Qatar, is threatening to stop shipping its gas to the European Union if the bloc moves to strictly enforce a new corporate sustainability directive with fines on non-compliant firms, Qatars Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi told the Financial Times in an interview published this weekend.

Earlier this year, the EU formally adopted the corporate sustainability due diligence directive. These new EU-wide rules introduce obligations for large companies regarding adverse impacts of their activities on human rights and environmental protection. The EU directive is part of the blocs efforts to align companies with which it trades with the goal of reaching net zero by 2050.

It also lays down the liabilities linked to the company obligations in sustainability. If these companies are found to be non-compliant on corporate sustainability, including environmental impact, they could be fined with 5% of their annual global revenues.

Qatars al-Kaabi, who is also president and CEO of QatarEnergy, said if these rules were strictly enforced, Qatars state giant could drop business with the EU.

If the case is that I lose 5 per cent of my generated revenue by going to Europe, I will not go to Europe . . . Im not bluffing, al-Kaabi told FT.

Five per cent of generated revenue of QatarEnergy means 5 per cent of generated revenue of the Qatar state. This is the peoples money . . . so I cannot lose that kind of money  and nobody would accept losing that kind of money, the official added.

The EU directive is facing backlash from other large corporations, while the EU needs Qatars LNG as much as any other source of additional gas supply thats not from Russia.

QatarEnergy has signed 27-year deals with European majors including Shell, Eni, and TotalEnergies to supply LNG to EU countries from its huge expansion projects in Qatar set to begin operations in 2026 and 2027.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday met Ahmed al-Sharaa who led anti-regime forces that toppled the Assad regime, Azernews reports.

The ministers visit came one day after he announced his plans to visit the country and weeks after the Turkish intelligence chief became the first high-ranking Turkish official to travel to post-Assad Damascus.

Ankara was among the first countries to congratulate the victory of the people of Syria to oust the oppressive regime of Bashar Assad after years of conflict in the country that displaced millions and sent them fleeing into Turkiye.

Fidan was accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Y?lmaz, Turkish charge daffaires Burhan Koro?lu who was recently appointed to the reopened Embassy of Turkiye in Damascus while Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, who was appointed as the new foreign minister of Syria, accompanied al-Sharaa.

Since anti-regime forces led by al-Sharaa declared victory against Assad, countries are sending representatives to Damascus to establish ties with the new administration. On Friday, Barbara Leaf, Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East led a U.S. delegation in talks with al-Sharaa and announced the lifting of a bounty for al-Sharaa that the U.S. had declared previously for the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Despite its massive market cap, Tesla's vehicle production still lags behind Toyota's.

Investors are optimistic about Tesla's future due to Elon Musk's close relationship with Trump and the potential of its Robotaxi and FSD technology.

Tesla's market cap reached $1.5 trillion, surpassing the combined value of the next 29 automakers.

Tesla shares just reached a new all-time high following Trumps victory in the 2024 presidential election, propelling the company to a massive $1.5 trillion valuation as of December 18, 2024.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Marcus Lu, highlights the most valuable automakers by market cap worldwide as of Dec. 13, 2024, based on figures from CompaniesMarketCap.com.

Tesla Dominance

Tesla accounts for nearly half of the market capitalization among global carmakers. Its valuation surpasses the combined value of the next 29 automakers.

Rank Name Market Cap (USD) Country Share (%) 1 Tesla $1.4T United States 48.3 2 Toyota $231B Japan 8.0 3 BYD $107B China 3.7 4 Xiaomi $98B China 3.4 5 Ferrari $81B Italy 2.8 6 Mercedes-Benz $63B Germany 2.2 7 Porsche $58B Germany 2.0 8 General Motors $58B United States 2.0 9 BMW $51B Germany 1.8 10 Volkswagen $48B Germany 1.7 11 Mahindra & Mahindra $44B India 1.5 12 Maruti Suzuki India $42B India 1.5 13 Ford $41B United States 1.4 14 Stellantis $41B Netherlands 1.4 15 Honda $40B Japan 1.4 16 Hyundai $37B South Korea 1.3 17 Tata Motors $35B India 1.2 18 SAIC Motor $30B China 1.0 19 Kia $27B South Korea 0.9 20 Seres Group $27B China 0.9 21 Great Wall Motors $27B China 0.9 22 Li Auto $23B China 0.8 23 Suzuki Motor $23B Japan 0.8 24 Geely $20B China 0.7 25 Chongqing Changan $17B China 0.6 26 Rivian $17B United States 0.6 27 GAC (Guangzhou Auto) $14B China 0.5 28 Renault $14B France 0.5 29 Subaru $12B Japan 0.4 30 XPeng $12B China 0.4 Other - $138B - 5.6 Total - $2.9T - 100.0

T

Trailing far behind Tesla, the four other top automakers on the list are Toyota ($231 billion), BYD ($107 billion), Xiaomi ($98 billion), and Ferrari ($81 billion).

Musks Trump Connection

Investors believe Elon Musks close relationship with Trump, along with Musks growing role in government, will serve as a powerful catalyst for Tesla. Additionally, some of the stocks recent gains hinge on expectations that Trumps planned corporate tax cuts will benefit U.S. manufacturers, including Tesla.

Teslas stock has also regained popularity due to investor expectations that its Robotaxi and Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology will drive a new phase of growth. Year-to-date, Teslas stock is up 57%.

However, Teslas massive market cap is not reflected in its production numbers. In 2023, Tesla sold 1.8 million vehicles, while Toyota sold 11.2 million vehicles during the same period.

Teslas success has further extended Elon Musks lead as the richest person on Earth. In December 2024, Musks net worth reached $462 billion, far ahead of Jeff Bezos in second place at $243 billion.

By Zerohedge.com

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The future of the Kurdish population in Syria is uncertain as Turkey's power grows and the U.S. withdraws support.

Ankara's influence in Syria could have regional implications, particularly in the South Caucasus and the Mediterranean.

Turkey has become the dominant foreign power in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, replacing Iran.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad's government at the hands of rebels, including Ankara-backed factions, has effectively made Turkey the dominant foreign actor in Syria at the expense of Iran and its ally Russia.

Turkey and Iran have competed for years for influence in the South Caucasus, and this rivalry appears to have now extended to the Levant.

"The Islamic republic has had significant misgivings about Turkish influence in Syria, be it economic, political, or military, long before the fall of Assad. But with the loss of Iran's sole state ally in the region, these concerns are set to be magnified exponentially," said Behnam Taleblu, an Iran analyst at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

Still, experts say Turkey's rising profile in Syria to the detriment of Iran does not necessarily mean Ankara-Tehran relations will be significantly impacted.

What Is Turkey After?

Since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Iran and Russia backed Assad while Turkey supported rebel groups opposed to his rule.

Iran needed Assad to remain in power so that it could use Syria as a staging ground to fund and arm its proxies and partners, especially the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

For Russia, Assad's rule meant Moscow could maintain its Hmeimim air base and naval base in Tartus, which gave it easier access to the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Ankara wanted a government in Syria more aligned with its regional vision and policies, especially those that would restrain Kurdish groups in northeastern Syria. A coalition of Kurdish parties, including the Democratic Union Party (PYD), heads the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

PYD's armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG), leads the U.S-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

"Turkey has had three core concerns in Syria: fighting the YPG/PYD, enabling the return of Syrian refugees to Syria, and preventing further refugee flows into Turkey," said Daria Isachenko, a Turkey expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

Assad's downfall on December 8 has stemmed the influx of refugees into Turkey, but the "first two concerns remain," Isachenko added.

Syria is now effectively ruled by the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies -- some of whom are linked with Turkey, Iran's rival.

Isachenko says Turkey's growing influence in Syria could further strengthen its position in the Mediterranean Sea if Ankara signs a Libya-style maritime deal with the new authorities in Damascus.

The Road Ahead

Turkey's growth in stature and Iran's weakened position in Syria could have ramifications for developments in the South Caucasus, where Iran, Russia, and Turkey vie for influence.

Experts say while the Astana talks -- a format sponsored by the three countries to end the conflict in Syria -- may be dead, it still served as a platform for managing different interests.

"Coordination and consultation on conflict management between Turkey and Iran as well as Russia on the Middle East and the South Caucasus should not be ruled out," Isachenko said.

She adds that even in Syria, Turkey and Iran may find some of their interests aligned, such as finding a common adversary in Israel, which has moved into Syrian territory since the fall of Assad.

Still, some argue that Tehran will seek to undermine Turkey in Syria in the hopes of returning the country into its so-called axis of resistance -- Iran's loose network of regional allies and proxies.

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps will look for ways to claw back influence in Syria," said Taleblu of FDD.

"Downtrodden, disposed, and spurned local actors are easy to co-opt, particularly in states where central authority is weak."

The Kurdish Question

U.S. support for the Kurdish-led SDF has weakened in recent years due to a combination of factors, including the withdrawal of a majority of U.S. troops in 2018 and 2019 and pressure from Washington's NATO ally, Turkey.

Ankara, which launched an incursion into northern Syria in 2019 against Kurdish forces, is now in a strong position to further challenge the Kurds, experts say.

Since Assad's fall, Ankara-backed rebel groups have clashed with Kurdish forces and seized the previously Kurdish-controlled cities of Manbij and Tarafat near the border with Turkey.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg, an Iraqi Kurdistan-based analyst who has co-authored books on Syrian Kurds, says the presence of the 900 remaining U.S. troops might offer some protection to the Kurds but the situation remains precarious.

"The new administration in Damascus likely will prefer relations with Turkey over the SDF," he said. "The situation is difficult for the Kurds unless they reach an agreement with HTS."

HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, previously known by the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, wants to unify all armed groups in Syria under one banner. But if the SDF were to join, it would effectively end Kurdish autonomy in Syria, Wilgenburg says.

By RFE/RL

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The Prime Minister of Slovakia visited Moscow this weekend to discuss gas supplies to his country following the expiry of a transit contract between Gazprom and the Ukraines Naftogaz.

Russian President V. Putin confirmed the readiness of the (Russian Federation) to continue to supply gas to the West and Slovakia, which is practically impossible after Jan. 1, 2025 in view of the stance of the Ukrainian president, Robert Fico said after the meeting with Vladimir Putin, as quoted by Reuters. The publication noted the visit was likely frowned upon by the European Union leadership, which considers direct communication between EU heads of state and Russias president unadvisable in the context of the war in the Ukraine and the EUs efforts to pressure Russia into dropping it.

Robert Ficos meeting with Putin follows a meeting with the Ukraines Volodymyr Zelensky last week, where the later reiterated there were no plans to extend the transit deal with Gazprom. The deal expires at the end of this month. The Ukrainian prime minister, meanwhile, suggested there may be a way to continue transiting gas to central Europe, but only if it is not Russian gas. Zelensky, however, signaled he was not having any gas transited via Russian infrastructure.

If anyone is going to prevent the transit of gas to the territory of the Slovak Republic, if anyone is going to cause an increase in gas prices on the territory of Europe, if anyone is going to cause enormous economic damage to the European Union, it is President Zelenskyy, Slovakias Fico said after a meeting of European Union leaders and Zelensky last week.

Slovakia has a long-term gas supply contract with Gazprom. The expiry of the transit deal with Naftogaz would interfere with that contracts terms, which probably led to the visit to Moscow. Landlocked Slovakia and neighbor Hungary have few gas supply options that can compare on price with Russian pipeline gas.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), a state-owned oil giant, has launched an internal investigation over alleged bribes paid by Albemarle to IOC officials to secure contracts more than a decade ago, Indian media report.

Responding to news articles from last week, IOC said in a statement filed with the local stock exchange that the Company is neither a party to nor these is any allegation against the Company in relation to the proceedings referred in the said news articles.

The statement goes on to say that However, the Company has initiated an internal fact finding review concerning the incident which allegedly occurred in 2009 to thoroughly understand the facts surrounding these allegations and to determine the appropriate steps to be taken.

Last year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that Charlotte-based Albemarle Corporation, a global specialty chemicals company and a top lithium producer, agreed to pay more than $103.6 million to settle the SECs charges that it violated the anti-bribery, recordkeeping, and internal accounting controls provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

In India, Albemarle used a third-party intermediary to corruptly retain catalyst business with Indias state-owned oil company by avoiding Albemarle being blacklisted, the U.S. Department of Justice said at the time.

According to the companys admissions in connection with the Departments resolution, between 2009 and 2017, Albemarle, through its third-party sales agents and subsidiary employees, conspired to pay bribes to government officials to obtain and retain chemical catalyst business with state-owned oil refineries in Vietnam, Indonesia, and India, DOJ said.

Albemarle is thought to have obtained profits of approximately $98.5 million as a result of the scheme, according to DOJ.

Albemarles eventual voluntary disclosure of fraud and subsequent efforts to remedy its business practices abroad are a step in the right direction for the company, said U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Russia is looking to maintain its position as one of the biggest builders of new nuclear plants in the world, a top envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Financial Times in an interview published on Monday.

We are building more than 10 different units around the world, Boris Titov, Putins special representative for international cooperation in sustainability, told FT.

We need a lot of energy. We will not be able to provide this energy without using . . . nuclear, the official said.

This type of energy is safe and low-carbon, Titov added.

Russia currently has nuclear power plants under development and construction in countries such as China, India, Iran, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Turkey, among others.

Russias ambitions to boost its global influence in nuclear power fleets come as the West seeks to diminish its dependence on Russian nuclear fuel and technology.

Yet, the Western countries will need additional incentives and sanctions on Russia to reduce their dependence on the Russian supply of nuclear fuel, according to French company Orano, one of the top Western suppliers of enriched uranium.

To entirely disconnect from Russia, we need new capacities, and industrial groups will only invest if they have long-term contracts, Oranos CEO Nicolas Maes told the Financial Times in an interview in October.

Frances Orano and Urenco, a consortium created in 1970 by the governments of Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, are the main Western competitors of Russias state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom.

Europe has not sanctioned Rosatom or Russian nuclear fuel supplies as dozens of nuclear power stations in the eastern EU member states have been built by Russian companies and supplied with Russian nuclear fuel.

As many countries are now looking to nuclear power to cut emissions and reliance on imports of oil and gas, they would need to cut their dependence on enriched uranium from Russia.

But in order to reduce reliance on Russia, western contractors and suppliers would need visibility over the long-term demand, the chief executive of Frances Orano told FT.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Iraq has suspended crude oil deliveries to Syria, a member of the Iraqi parliament said on social media as quoted by BNE Intellinews. The statement coincided with one by Iraqs foreign minister, who expressed concern about the security situation in the country that was taken over Islamist groups.

Iraq has decided to stop providing Syria with crude oil starting this month, Mustafa Sanad said.

Separately, at an event in Baghdad, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussain voiced his concern about the potential resurgence of terrorist activity in Syria.

Whilst we respect the Syrian people's choices, we remain vigilant about the potential return of terrorist organisations, Hussain said.

Syria has been importing some 120,000 barrels of crude daily from Iraq and now faces a supply squeeze as a result of the Iraqi authorities decision. The situation will be aggravated by the halt to internal deliveries of crude from eastern Syria, controlled by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, to the rest of Syria, which is under the control of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham group, formerly considered a terrorist group by the international community, which was supported by Al Qaeda during the Syrian civil war.

Following the insurgence that toppled the Assad government earlier this month, supplies of crude oil from Iran have also ended, with one tanker even making a U-turn en route to the Syrian coast following the news of the change in power in Syria. Iran was exporting some 60,000 barrels of oil daily to Syria. The countrys own oil production is to the tune of some 80,000 barrels daily, all from eastern Syria, which is under the control of the Kurdish-affiliated Syrian Democratic Forces.

Since the takeover, fuel prices in Syria have skyrocketed, sources from the country told BNE Intellinews, as fuel station stocks run out and transporting gasoline and diesel from Syrias refineries is challenging due to the transitional situation.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to take over control of the Panama Canal unless the Panamanian authorities stop charging excessive rate for the use of the chokepoint.

Has anyone ever heard of the Panama Canal? Trump said at a conservative event in Arizona, as quoted by Reuters. Because we're being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we're being ripped off everywhere else.

It was given to Panama and the people of Panama, but it has provisions, Trump went on to say of the Panama Canal. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, quickly and without question, Trump said.

The statements prompted an immediate response from the president of Panama, Jose Raul Mulino, who said that Panamas sovereignty was non-negotiable and Panama had sole authority over the infrastructure.

Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas belongs to Panama and will continue belonging to Panama, Mulino said, adding that The canal has no direct or indirect control from China, nor the European Union, nor the United States or any other power. As a Panamanian, I reject any manifestation that misrepresents this reality.

The latter remarks were made in response to a suggestion by Trump that the Panama Canals management was being influenced by Chinese interests. According to Reuters, a subsidiary of a Hong-Kong-based company manages two ports along the Panama Canal.

The canal was built by the United States in the early 20th century. Panama granted the U.S. the right to build and operate the canal in exchange for annual payments. Ownership over the infrastructure was passed to the Panamanian government in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. The deal granted control over the Panama canal to the local government under obligation of maintaining its neutrality.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Workers at the Hanford nuclear site were ordered to take cover on Friday after a large holding tank with ammonia vapor was discovered to be leaking near the vitrification plant in the 200 East Area. Workers in that area were told to shelter in place with doors, windows and ventilation closed while other workers were told to avoid the 200 East Area. The Hanford Site is a decommissioned nuclear production complex operated by the United States federal government on the Columbia River in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington

The 200 East Area has a vitrification plant, built and commissioned to treat the tank waste for disposal. The waste was left from the past production of plutonium from World War II through the Cold War for Americas nuclear weapons program. Today, there are 177 underground storage tanks on the Hanford Site, holding about 56 million gallons of highly radioactive and chemically hazardous waste.

The Hanford incident highlights the ongoing challenges of dealing with nuclear waste. Currently, there are thousands of metric tons of used solid fuel from nuclear power plants worldwide and millions of liters of radioactive liquid waste from weapons production sitting in temporary storage containers, some of which have begun leaking their toxic contents. Nuclear waste is notorious for the fact that it can remain dangerously radioactive for many thousands of years.

Thankfully, the world is now closer to finding a permanent solution to its nuclear menace: Finland has built the worlds first deep-earth repository where it will bury nuclear waste for 100,000 years starting 2026. Dubbed Onkalo, the repository is entombed in a bedrock more than 400 meters below the forests of southwest Finland. The facility sits atop a warren of tunnels sited next to three nuclear reactors on the island of Olkiluoto, approximately 240 kilometers from the capital of Helsinki. The Onkalo project is based on the so-called KBS-3 method developed by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company. KBS-3 is based on a multi-barrier principle whereby if one of the engineered barriers were to fail, the isolation of the radioactive waste is not compromised.

Basically, the Onkalo project is that we are building an encapsulation plant and disposal facility for spent fuel. And its not temporary, its for good, Pasi Tuohimaa, head of communications for Posiva, told CNBC via videoconference. Posiva is tasked with the responsibility of handling the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel rods at Onkalo.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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Editor's note: At least 763 American soldiers from the Army's 66th Infantry Division drowned in the English Channel on Christmas Eve 1944  80 years ago this year  when a German U-boat torpedoed their a troopship, the SS Leopoldville, just off the coast of France.

The victims included four men from Nebraska and seven from western Iowa.

Military officials shrouded the disaster in secrecy, and it was largely forgotten by historians.

Omahan Kathy Sorenson's uncle, Pfc. William Quinlan, was one of the four Nebraskans who died. She didn't hear much about him when she was growing up.

"He was 20 years old. His family was devastated. They never recovered," she said.

The World-Herald told the story of the Leopoldville on Dec. 24, 2016. We are republishing it on Omaha.com to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the disaster.

For the 75th anniversary, the son of a 66th Infantry Division veteran planted 763 flags in the ground at Camp Blanding, Florida, near a monument honoring the division's fallen. And Lenore Angelo, who leads the Panther Veterans Organization  begun by 66th ID vets  honored the fallen at 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the same hour the Leopoldville was sunk.

"The men who were lost on the Leopoldville were heroes," Angelo said. "If we don't tell their story, it's going to be gone."

Herman Lemke woke up with a feeling of dread that cold Christmas morning in 1944.

The farmer from Bruning, Nebraska, had just sent his second-oldest son off to World War II. Otis, 22, was in England with the 66th Infantry Division, ready to join the fight against the Nazis in France and Belgium.

Over Christmas breakfast, Herman told his wife and five younger children about his bad dream. "He dreamt he saw Otis at the foot of his bed. He had said Goodbye, Dad,'" recalled Florence Hines, Otis sister, who was 17 at the time. "He didnt laugh about it. He was very serious."

Weeks later the family learned Otis had gone missing Christmas Eve night, lost at sea in the English Channel. Herman Lemkes nightmare had come true.

Nearly 800 families would get the same news that winter, devastating but vague. A loved one had died  but who knew what really happened?

The War Department said little in its telegrams. It wanted no one to know that a German U-boat, U-486, had stalked and sunk the converted passenger liner SS Leopoldville, killing about one-third of the 2,200 soldiers on board.

The 763 reported victims included Otis Lemke and at least three other Nebraskans, as well as seven soldiers from western Iowa. Only 270 bodies were recovered.

"It touched a lot of lives, theres no question about it," said Allan Andrade, a retired New York City police detective who investigated the disaster in the 1990s and wrote a book about it. "It seems to be a never-ending story."

They died in part because of miscommunication and incompetence by the ships crew, within sight of its destination, Cherbourg, France. But it took news of the attack more than an hour to reach shore, causing a critical delay in getting rescue boats to the scene. Many members of the crew abandoned ship, leaving the soldiers to fend for themselves. Few had any idea how to launch a lifeboat.

"Many of them were 18, 19 years old," said Andrade, author of "Leopoldville: A Tragedy Too Long Secret."

Their deaths would remain a mystery to their families, and forgotten by almost everyone else, because of official secrecy. The survivors werent allowed to discuss what happened.

"They kept it very quiet," said Ardene Mammen, 92, of Geneva, Nebraska, who had been married to Otis Lemke just nine months when he died.

Otis had grown up on his fathers farm but left town before World War II with his older brother, Alvin, to work on a dairy farm in Minnesota. He returned in 1943 and took a job at the air base in Bruning.

Ardene met him at a welcome party for a family that had just moved to a nearby farm.

"He was very nice," she recalled. "I think it was something like love at first sight."

They were married in April 1944. Less than six months later, Otis was drafted into the Army.

Otis made it home to Nebraska for a short furlough before he had to ship out overseas. Ardene said goodbye at a railroad station in Omaha for what turned out to be the last time.

"I prayed a lot," Ardene said.

Lemkes division waited in a camp in England as the Battle of the Bulge raged in Belgium and Luxembourg that December. On Christmas Eve, the 66th got called up to join the fight.

Thousands of soldiers milled about the docks at Southampton, where confusion reigned in the hours before dawn. Some units boarded the Leopoldville, a Belgian luxury liner that had been converted into a troopship before the war.

Pvt. John Pordon, 19, of San Francisco boarded about 2:30 a.m. and was directed below decks on a rickety wooden staircase to an area where hammocks were hung four high.

The Leopoldville got underway about 9 a.m. on Dec. 24.

They ate what Pordon recalls was an awful Christmas dinner of greenish stew over rice as the ship tossed about on the choppy Channel waves.

Many soldiers got seasick.

"We were all griping about what a lousy way it was to spend Christmas," said Pordon, now 91 and living in Sonoma, California. "Little did we know."

After dinner, Pordon had returned to his hammock. Suddenly, just before 6 p.m., a huge shock rocked the ship from the starboard (right) side back near the stern. Many soldiers in that part of the ship died instantly, or were trapped below decks.

"It felt like an earthquake," Pordon said in a telephone interview. "We knew something happened. We thought we had hit a mine."

Many soldiers had missed a lifeboat drill earlier, so they didnt know where to go or how to don a life vest. Pordons company had been there, so the men reported to their lifeboat station as planned. They waited for a long time, but no one gave instructions.

"By now, we all assumed the ship was sinking," he said.

Pordon said there was no panic or pushing, and he doesnt remember feeling fear  just a certainty that he must figure a way out of this situation.

He circled around to the other side of the ship, where a British destroyer escort, the HMS Brilliant, had pulled alongside and nudged its prow up against the troopship. Its crew members were urging soldiers on the Leopoldville to jump across.

Trouble was, the destroyers deck was quite a bit lower than the Leopoldvilles. And the rough seas made the Brilliant a bobbing, hard-to-hit target. The penalty for missing was severe: being crushed between the two ships steel hulls as the waves crashed them together.

"I saw a few guys jump and not make it to the other boat," Pordon recalled. "I said Im not Charles Atlas. I decided I would stay with the (Leopoldville), and whatever happens happens."

Once the Brilliant was filled, it headed to Cherbourg. Only then did authorities at the port learn what had happened to the troopship. A flotilla of small boats steamed out to pick up survivors, more than two hours after the ship had been hit.

Pordon stuck it out on deck until the Leopoldvilles last moments.

About 8:30 p.m. the ship started to roll onto its side. He stepped over the rail, walked down the side of the ship, and stepped into the 48-degree water.

He started to sink and realized his heavy ammo belt would drown him.

"I let the belt go and popped up like a cork," Pordon said.

He was floating among dozens of men in life vests.

Some were screaming and flailing about, praying to God or shouting for their mothers.

"It was tragic and contagious. It felt easy to do the same," Pordon said. "I calmed down and realized I had to do something to get out of this mess."

He swam away from this tragic group and spotted a raft with some men in and around it. He grabbed an attached rope but gave it up when a panicked soldier came up and tried to take it away.

So Pordon decided to try something else. He paddled around, and after awhile he spotted a military tugboat. He swam toward it, and some of the crew members spotted him.

"Two guys grabbed me by the arms and pulled me up," Pordon said. "I was so weak, I couldnt get up."

He hadnt really felt the cold during the 45 minutes he spent in the water. As soon as he was out, though, he started shivering uncontrollably. He stripped off his wet clothes, wrapped up in a blanket and was hustled down to the engine room to warm himself from the heat of the motors.

"That heat felt great," Pordon said.

Once ashore, the survivors were taken to a nearby hospital. Pordon recuperated there for a few days. His 66th Infantry Division, which had lost about one-third of its men in the Leopoldville disaster, was too depleted to join the Battle of the Bulge. Instead it was sent to patrol a rear area and defeat pockets of German resistance.

Back home in Nebraska, Otis Lemkes family knew nothing of the sinking, aside from Herman Lemkes odd Christmas omen.

After the holidays, Ardene went about her work, teaching at a country school near Bruning. But she noticed, with concern, that Otis letters stopped arriving.

"I hadnt heard from him for quite some time," she said. "Then I got a telegram from the government. They brought it to our door."

Ardenes parents were there to support her. More than 70 years later, its still too painful for her to remember that day.

"When that happened to Otis, she was pretty much destroyed," said her daughter, Karen Corliss, of Bruning.

A minister and a postal official delivered a telegram to Otis parents.

"We couldnt hardly believe it," recalled Berneta Miller, his younger sister, who is 85 and lives in Davenport, Nebraska. The family displayed his photo, and flew a Gold Star flag.

Contemporary news accounts indicate it may have been as late as early February that some families learned of a missing loved one, and April  near the end of the European war  before soldiers were declared dead.

A memorial service was held in June 1945, although Otis body was never recovered. The family placed a stone in the local cemetery.

In keeping with the times, people accepted the news quietly and moved on. There were crops to plant, children to teach, families to feed.

But, Florence said, "we always thought about him on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."

After the war was over, she said, two soldiers from the Bruning area who had been on the troopship with Otis told the family what they knew of his death. They said Otis had been trying to descend a rope to a lifeboat when he slipped and was crushed between the Leopoldville and the Brilliant. He never had a chance.

After the wreck, military censors sharply restricted what the Leopoldvilles survivors could say about their ordeal.

"We were told not to say anything about it," Pordon said. "It was a military secret."

Few details about the disaster surfaced until long after the war. The sinking was still largely unknown when Andrade heard about it in 1993 while conducting research for an unrelated book.

The Internet was in its infancy, but Andrade used his detective skills to track down many Leopoldville survivors and get their stories. He published the first edition of his book in 1997, which prompted more survivors, and relatives of victims, to contact him. An updated edition was published a decade later.

He also worked with survivors of the Leopoldville and veterans of the 66th Infantry to raise funds for a monument in honor of those who died on the troopship. It was dedicated at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1998.

Andrade wants to make sure those who died arent forgotten.

"Ive been able to get 150 articles published," Andrade said. "A heckuva lot of people know about it now that didnt know about it before."

Ardene never forgot her first love, the soldier who was lost at sea. Soon after the war, she met a Bruning veteran named Leonard Mammen. He had joined the Army in 1940 and served in Europe for the duration of World War II, from the landings in North Africa to the fall of Berlin.

She fell in love again.

"He reminded me of Otis. They were both just fine men," Ardene says now.

They were married June 2, 1946, at the same church where she had married Otis barely two years before, and with some of Otis sisters standing beside her. The couple lived on the farm, and reared five children. The marriage lasted 42 years, until Leonards death in 1988.

Otis wasnt discussed, at least not around the children. But Leonard quietly made space for the Army comrade who had come before him.

He protected Ardene at Christmastime, when Ardene always felt blue. She didnt join in the decorating or merrymaking.

"We knew that she wasnt into the holidays, but we never knew why," Corliss said.

The Mammen children, in fact, never learned about their mothers first marriage until the couples 40th wedding anniversary, when someone innocently asked about Ardenes bridesmaids.

"My dad said Blondie, tell them," Corliss recalled, using Leonards nickname for Ardene. "We were just flabbergasted."

"Im probably not as open as people are now," Ardene admitted. "You never forget it."

Ardene said it is her Christian faith that got her through those hard times, just as it helps her now. Shes gained the wisdom that comes hard to Gold Star families like hers.

"Somehow," Ardene said, "were given the strength to go ahead."
United States President-elect Donald Trump's transition team plans to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization (WHO) on January 20, the day he assumes office, Azernews reports the Financial Times, citing sources.

While some within the team advocate for reforming the WHO, those pushing for a full exit appear to hold greater influence.

In 2020, Trump announced plans to sever ties with the WHO and withdraw funding to the organization, accusing it of failing to respond adequately to the COVID-19 outbreak. After taking office, Biden restored the nation's participation.
In a clear response to recent happenings across the globe, President, Loveworld Incorporated Rev. (Dr.) Chris Oyakhilome and Pastor Benny Hinn, have declared a Global Day of Prayer. This special prayer program is slated to hold on Friday, March 27th at 7pm GMT+1 or 2pm EST and it will be broadcast LIVE on all LoveWorld TV networks, terrestrial TV stations, various Radio stations across the globe and also on various internet platforms.

This is a timely instruction of the Holy Ghost poised to change the narrative and free the world from the devastating effects caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Gods generals will also be bringing a special message to the world during this program.

To this end, Christians around the world, irrespective of denominations, are now preparing to take a stand in unity against the forces of darkness causing panic and perplexity in the world today, as they observe this Global Day of Prayer. This is a special call to prayer according to the inspiration of Gods Spirit.

It is a faith response to restore hope amidst the growing fear and confusion expressed by different governments of the world in the wake of the Coronavirus epidemic. Through effective prayers, there is an assurance that the nations will be liberated from the siege of this pandemic.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Pastor Chris prays for Nigeria, world

In the featured video, Pastor Chris and Pastor Benny unveil deep truths about the events being witnessed across the world today in relation to Bible prophecies. They emphasize the need for the body Christ to unite in prayers and put a stop to the devils schemes as the Church is the only hope for the world.

Information reaching National Daily suggested that over 2billion people are likely to participate in the #GlobalDayofPrayer as the publicity for the programme has reached top gear.

It will be recalled that Pastor Chris Oyakhilome on March 1, 2020, during his Monthly Global Service and Communion prayed for the entire world going through anxiety as a result of a global pestilence that has been raging since late last year, as reported by National Daily.

ALSO READ: https://loveworldnews.com/posts/pastor-chris-prophecies-begin-to-take-effect-as-covid-19-solutions-surface

He prayed: Father, in the name of Jesus Christthank you for your word that has been given to us. Lord you told us that in the last days, there will be perplexity of nations. Mens heart failing them from fear because of the things they will seebecause of the terrible experiences in the nations of the world,

Right now Lord, many are afraid because of this deadly virus orchestrated by the devil, but you gave us power over every unclean spiritsto cast them out and cure diseases. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we come against the Corona virus from the very cause of itfrom the very root of it. And we come against the devils, the demons that spearheaded this project.

You devils of sickness and diseaseyou evil spirit behind the Corona virus, it is said that your work started in China, but wherever you started from and whatever nations you have gone, we break your influence now in the name of Jesus and we command you to stop your operations and your maneuvers over the governments of the world.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, every demon of darkness that is involved in this wicked onslaught against the nations of the world. You devils of darkness that are responsible for destroying lives and economies of nations through fear of the Corona virus, we bind you; we break your influence in the name of Jesus.

We command you now to stop in your tracks in the name of Jesus Christ. Your works are now frustrated. We dispatch angels of God to go forth and cause the vaccines to be made available; to come into operation; solution to come to men in their various nations; the cure to be available and cheap by the wisdom of God, be released into the nations now. In the name of Jesus, there is an answer and there is cure right now in the name of Jesus Christ. And there will be no more fear of it by the power of the Holy Ghost in the name of Jesus Christ.

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Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused of diverting N400 million from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. has engaged a new lawyer, Mr Abel Oziokor, to continue his case at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Metuh appointed Oziokor after he debriefed his former counsel, Mr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) and Mr Emeka Etiaba, (SAN) who had been in charge of the case since 2015, when the trial started.

Oziokor, however, applied for a short adjournment to enable him familiarise himself with the case in order to properly defend his client.

Since the request for adjournment was not opposed by the prosecution, the trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, adjourned the matter until March 28 for continuation of the trial.

He, however, warned that the court would not entertain frivolous applications from the counsel.

At the last adjourned date, Ikpeazu and Etiaba informed the court of an application they filed seeking leave of the court to withdraw from the matter.

They cited what they described as, immense pressure with respect to their appearance in the case as well as severe threats to their lives as reasons for wanting to withdraw.

Justice Abang had then adjourned the matter for hearing of Ikpeazu and Etiabas motion to withdraw from the suit.

However, when the matter was called on Wednesday, rather than hear the motion for withdrawal, the courts attention was drawn to a letter by Metuh debriefing Ikpeazu and Etiaba.

Justice Abang wondered why Metuh would debrief his former counsel only few days after the counsel applied to withdraw from the case.

He, however, held that there was nothing the court could do other than to respect the decision of the defendant.

The court cannot question his decision or carry out an investigation to know why he is disengaging his client, it is his fundamental right, the judge said.

According to the judge, Ikpeazu haven been debriefed could not be compelled to continue as counsel to Metuh and he is hereby discharged as counsel to the 1st defendant in this case.

He accordingly dismissed the application of Ikpeazu seeking withdrawal from the case on the grounds that the application had been over taken by events.

Metuh and his company, Dextra Investment Ltd., are being prosecuted by the Federal Government over alleged money laundering and illegal receipt of N400 million from the office of the National Security Adviser (
Ukraine: Nigerians wont be harmed, Russian envoy assures FG

Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Alexei Shebarshin, has assured the Federal Government that Nigerians wont be harmed during the raging conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who met with the envoy behind closed doors, quoted Shebarshin as saying that Nigeria is a friendly nation to Russia.

Onyeama said he told the Russian envoy, Shebarshin, that Nigeria as a country would not condone the violation of the territorial integrity of a United Nations member state, a country with which Nigeria has diplomatic relations.

The minister also said that he told Shebarshin that Nigeria wanted Russia to revert to the status quo before the military action and to prioritise diplomacy and dialogue.

This is really the position of the government and also, that we have 5,600 Nigerians in Ukraine and we are very concerned about what we are hearing and what we are seeing regarding missiles and bombs about the safety of Nigerian citizens there and also that we would like to be able to evacuate them.

He said that this would be communicated to his headquarters and that obviously, they consider Nigeria a friendly country.

The Russian envoy also said that they would do nothing to harm Nigerians and assured me that their action is targeted at military installations and that they are not about to start attacking civilian areas and so forth, NAN quoted the minister as saying.

Onyeama added that the Russian envoy insisted that civilians were not being targeted.
The Federal Governments plan to establish Ruga settlements (cattle colonies) drew more reactions yesterday, with some prominent Nigerians suggesting the way out of the dispute.

Others warned that the policy could trigger friction in the country.

Afenifere leader and Second Republic Senator Ayo Fasanmi spoke against the creation of colonies. The Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Abubakar Saad (III) cautioned Nigerians against blaming a particular ethnic group for insecurity in the land.

Southeast governors restated their position that no part of the land in their domain would be ceded for Ruga settlement.

Explaining his opposition, Pa Fasanmi said the establishment of colonies could cause disunity among the various nationalities.

Rather, the Afenifere chieftain said, the government should promote policies that will make Nigerians to live in peace and harmony, irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliation.

He said that the herders/farmers clashes across the country had been putting fears in the minds of Nigerians.

Fasanmi said: That is the reason why some Nigerians are opposed to the creation of cattle ranches in certain parts of the country. The Fulani herders have been living with us here in the Southwest peacefully over the years. We should not allow politics to create disharmony among us. The Federal Government should provide security for every Nigerian to live together in peace and harmony.

Sultan: we must correct societal ills

In Osogbo, the Osun State capital, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Saad Abubakar lll, urged Nigerians to stop blaming a particular ethnic group for the insecurity challenge facing the country.

Rather than blaming an ethnic group, the Sultan urged Nigerians to be patriotic and seek ways of correcting things that have gone wrong in the society.

It is important for us to be courageous and expose those behind unlawful and criminal activities in the society, the Sultan said.

Speaking at the inauguration of Sheikh Idress Faazazi Mogaji Central Mosque in Iwo, Osun State, at the weekend, the Sultan warned that harbouring such a belief could cause enmity among the ethnic groups and, consequently, affect the nations peace and unity.

Represented by the Executive Secretary, Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), Prof. Dawud Noibi, the Sultan condemned the pronouncement that one ethnic group brought insecurity to Yorubaland.

He maintained that those engaging in criminal activities in Yorubaland could not operate successfully without the collaboration of the indigenes and local people.

The Sultan said: Some people in Yorubaland must surely cooperate with those involving in kidnapping and other social vices to succeed. Foreign criminals dont know how to move around without the assistance of the insider. They are given accommodation and they are also supplied food.

Some Yoruba people must be giving the evil perpetrators the moral support to describe the area where the families of victims can pick them after collecting their ransom.

He advised Moslem clerics to use their position to change the mindset of the people from bad behaviour to doing the will of God.

Maintaining that mosques are owned by Allah, the Sultan advised that Moslems must pray together without any form of discrimination, irrespective of colour, ethnic group or nationality.

He said: The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) has told us that whoever builds a mosque on earth for worship of Allah, Allah will build a house for him in paradise. It is a reminder for us that we should not focus only on earthly materials. We should also prepare for our end in the above after which we go to paradise.

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, admonished clerics to demonstrate the fear of Allah, be transparent, responsible and accountable in adminstration of the mosques under their guidance and supervision.

The monarch, who corroborated the Sultan that Allah owns the mosques, advised the Imams to always follow the footsteps of Prophet Mohammad in caring for the spiritual needs of the people, saying mosques remain places of worshipping God and people must be encouraged to enjoy have free access at all times.

A community leader, Alhaji Liadi Tella, urged Nigerians to be more vigilant to assist the government in tackling the security challenges in the society.

Tela, who also advised the people to work with the security agents in their various communities to fight crimes, advised the government to have far-reaching policies and programmes to create employment opportunities for jobless Nigerians, particularly the youth.

Lawyer and civil rights activist Monday Ubani advised the government to be transparent in handling the issue by coming out openly to say what the cattle colonies is all about.

Ubani said: Government should carry the people along on this sensitive matter. I dont know why the Federal Government is giving preference to herders. Cattle rearing is one of the countrys agricultural products; what about other products? Why single out cattle rearing? Besides, it is a private business just like farming.

Government should tread softly on this matter. We have a lot of security challenges at hand and should not add to it by forcing the establishment of cattle colonies on states.

Former Transport Minister Ebenezer Babatope said the policy would backfire if implemented the wrong way.

He urged the authorities to consider the feelings of the owners of the land in its bid to implement the proposal.

Babatope said the government must give utmost attention to security when the cattle colonies are allocated.

He said: I dont know how they are going to douse the tension between farmers and herdsmen. I really dont know how they are going to do it, but in my view the focus of the Federal Government should be on the issue of insecurity in the country.

The security of the country is very important; they should ensure that farmers feel free in their domain. They should also ensure that Nigerians move freely in any part of the country. The Federal Government should guarantee security in the land.

So, the government should do the needful to ensure the clashes between herdsmen and farmers are curbed. You cannot fold your hands and allow people who are not the owners of the land to collect it from you.

If the land is taken by force, then you are postponing the evil days. The government must seek and get the true feelings of the people who live there before anything is done.

A Southwest All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Ayo Afolabi, said there will be some resistance if the government wants to take the people of the Southwest off their land and give it to some other people.

According to him, the Federal Government has no business allocating lands to a particular group of people for cattle colonies, noting that it should purely be the business between the farmers and herders after due negotiation.

Afolabi said: The Southwest people, as far as we are concerned, own their land and that is what they live on. The right way to go is what they are just considering: the need for ranches. If you are going to go into ranches, it is a business, a farming business.

It is not for the Federal Government to fund such ranches; it is for the individual farmer to go into negotiations, to be able to acquire the land to do such ranch. The Federal Government has no business in that business. I hope it does not run into trouble. There is nothing that the government does not put its hand into that it will not run into trouble.

Elder statesman and Second Republic politician Alhaji Tanko Yakassai queried why people frown at cattle colonies.

According to him, herdsmen are Nigerians and should be accommodated in whatever guise to enable them do their business, whether it cattle colonies or ranches.

His words: Fulanis are Nigerians; they have nowhere else to go, so other Nigerians should accommodate them. The idea of cattle colonies is to tackle the incessant clashes between the herders and farmers. Whether it is cattle colonies or ranches, the idea is to give them a chance to co-exist peacefully with other Nigerians.

A former Lagos State Police Commissioner and rights activist, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, said there was more to the rising violence and kidnapping around the country being attributed to herdsmen.

His words: There appears to be an attempt to give Fulanis, particularly herdsmen, a bad name. Everywhere there is violence and kidnapping, we say the perpetrators are Fulanis and we do know that in some places, people just disguise as Fulanis to commit these crimes.

If we follow strictly the letters of the constitution, the Fulanis are Nigerians and they are free to carry out their businesses anywhere. We have wide expanses of land around the country, why cant they carve out colonies for them to do their business. Im sure they are making all this noise because Muhammadu Buhari, a Fulani, is the president. If someone else is the president, the issue will not generate so much controversy.

On the insistence of groups in the South on ranches, rather than colonies, Tsav said that most of the cows are owned by the elites in the North and so the idea of ranches may not be a bad one.

He added: If it were the ordinary herders that go about in the bush that own the cows, ranches would have been too expensive for them. Some of us who travel by road, usually see long expanse of land that could be used for cattle colonies.

If the South says they dont want colonies, it means every time they need cow, they would have to travel to the North to buy them. The matter is sensitive and requires careful handling. They should sit down and find a way to resolve it.

Tsav said cattle colonies could not be restricted to the North, as many people are suggesting, because there is more water and fresher grasses for the cows to live on in the South.

So, this matter needs deep and proper thoughts, the former police chief counselled.

On using Federal Government resources to set up business for a particular ethnic nationality, without doing same for other nationalities, Tsav said: That is another matter that requires careful handling. As I told you, most of these cows are owned by important persons in the North like emirs, military generals, police commissioners and what have you.

So, because they cannot go out and rear these cows themselves, they give it out to herders to rear the cows on their behalf. Sometimes, they go out to rear these cows for six months and the owners would not see them and after a period of time, they bring them back and say this one has given birth It is out of the offspring that the herders are compensated.

Southeast governors offer grasses for cows

The Southeast Governors Forum disclosed its proposed deal with the members of the Miyetti Allah as panacea to achieving a lasting peace between farmers and herdsmen.

Forum Chairman and Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi said though there was no plan for any Ruga settlement in any part of Southeast and Southsouth, the zones could make a very good business with sale of grasses to the herdsmen in exchange for meat.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Emmanuel Uzor, the governor said there will be no part of the Southeast that would be given out for the establishment of Ruga settlement.

He argued that the zone, being purely agrarian with limited landmass for farming, could, therefore, not accommodate a cattle colony.

Umahi, according to the statement, said that the zone actually proposed a deal with MACBAN to take their cattle to the Northern parts where grazing reserve were established long time ago and rely completely on the grasses grown in the South for feeding of their cattle.

The governor, who chaired the Technical Committee on Farmers and Herdsmen Clash, created by the National Economic Council under the chairmanship of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, made a recommendation for revamping of the already existing grazing reserves in various parts of the North to enable farmers have unhindered access to their farmlands while herdsmen rely solely on proceeds from the farmers.

The statement reads: Umahi was the Chairman of NEC sub Technical Committee on farmers and herdsmen clash and he toured the states of Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Zamfara and two other states where he made in one of his recommendations to the Federal Government for revamping of grazing reserve in the North where all the cattle breeders in the South will take their cattle to these places and rely on the grass that are grown in the South.

The way it works is that the herdsmen will bring down their cows to the Southeast and sell to us as meat while they will load the grasses which are grown here in the same trailer with which they transported their cows to feed their cattle in those grazing reserve which should be made comfortable for them.

The statement also quoted Umahi as saying that with this proposed deal, herdsmen are expected to embrace an anti-open grazing scheme by returning to the ranches in the North and doing their business on the trade by barter basis of selling cows to the South and buying grass to feed their cows in the North.

The governor called for tolerance among youths of various ethnic nationalities to solve the problem of hate speech, saying that Igbo youths should learn how not to insult their leaders whom, he said, are doing everything possible to protect them from any form of internal and external aggression.

Zamfara Governor seeks Gowons advice on banditry

Zamfara State Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle yesterday sought for advice from former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon on how to end banditry and other security challenges in his domain.

Gen. Gowon was visiting the Government House, Gusau.

The governor said his administration was passionately and urgently seeking the advice of elder statesmen of Gowons calibre, recalling that the civil war was effectively managed under his watch as head of state between 1967 and 1970.

Matawalle said: With your experience and expertise in security, we are asking for your advice on how best to end the security challenges facing our dear state.

Tapping from the wealth of Gen. Gowons experience as a former Army General and Head of State who fought for the corporate existence of the country will assist us positively on security intelligence and intervention.

According to the governor, Nigeria now needs more of Gowons personality with the current situation of banditry, kidnapping and other heinous crimes in order to advise current leaders in handling the terrible situation.

Describing the former head of states regime as the most challenging and how he overcame the security challenges which were followed by lots of development programmes that had direct bearing on the common man, Matawalle noted that the Udoji Award assisted positively in stabilising the nation and reducing crime.

On his administrations efforts to end banditry, Matawalle spoke of various methods, including reconciliation, which have started to yield positive results as over 216 AK47 rifles have been surrendered to the authorities in under two months.

Gen. Gowon said he was in the state for the Northwest zonal prayer rally, which is a prayer mission to pray for the governors of Northwest for Gods wisdom and blessings in their governance.

He added that the prayer was organised by Nigeria Prays, a Christian group, which he chairs.

Gen. Gowon, who described Nigeria as a praying nation, enjoined all well-meaning citizens of the state to continue to pray for peace and unity of the country and Zamfara State.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved a super-agent licence for Itex Integrated Services Limited to operate in the financial sector and recruit agents to carry out financial services.

The Super-Agent license will enable Itex to provide basic financial services such as account opening, BVN capture, funds transfer, cash withdrawals, bill payments to the unbanked, and others.

Speaking on the development, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Itex Integrated Services Limited, Mr Ernest Uduje, expressed his enthusiasm at the full approval the company received to be a super-agent.

We are indeed happy to have qualified for this licence. Our primary goal is to provide ease of financial services and transactions for our customers, including those in the rural areas. This licence gives us an opportunity to provide these services on an even larger scale, thus providing financial empowerment to the unbanked and under-banked.

The super-agent licence is part of CBNs efforts to deepen financial inclusion in the country and reduce the financial exclusion rate to 20% by 2020. The policy, which was made by CBN in 2015, is called the Licensing Framework for Super Agents.

The aim is to encourage other infrastructure providers and operators, including telcos, to provide shared agent network services. This is expected to rapidly expand financial inclusion and extend digital financial services across the country.

Under this CBNs regulatory framework, super agents are responsible for monitoring and supervising the activities of agents, including the volume and value of transactions for each type of service they offer.

The framework also states that the volume and value of transactions should be made available to the principal financial institutions, which monitor compliance with the set limits, establish other prudential measures, and take actions such as on-site visits to ensure agents are strictly complying with the requirements of the law, guidelines and contract.

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The family of Pelumi Babayemi has accused the pastor of a Christ Apostolic Church, David Ayorinde, of allegedly killing their son, alleging that the Nigeria Police Force tried to cover up the case.

The family alleged that prior to the death of Pelumi, the pastor, whose church is in Abekoko area of Ifo (Ogun State), had turned him against them by hypnotizing the victim. 22-year-old Pelumi, who played drums, had gone to visit Ayorinde in his house when he reportedly slumped.

The mother of the victim, Peju, said Ayorinde arrested her and her husband on the pretext that their son had committed a crime. She added that after Pelumi slumped, the pastor went to report to the police instead of taking him to a hospital in order to save his life. Peju said;

Pelumi was my only child. He played drums and used to go to churches to play. The owner of one of the churches he played for came to us and asked us to allow him to stay with his family with the promise that he would work as a secretary in their bakery. We obliged and he started living with them. All of a sudden, Pelumi left the place. We searched for him for a while and when he came back home, he told us that he met a guy in one of the places he went to play drums, who took him to Ayorinde that he should be playing drums in his church. He moved to the pastors place. We kept asking Pelumi to take us to where he was now staying, but he didnt because the pastor had already hypnotized him. On July 19, members of the family of the pastor he formerly stayed with were arrested and his father and I were also arrested. We were taken to the Ifo Police Station on the pretext that Pelumi had stabbed someone and the person was in a critical condition in a hospital. Unknown to us, it was Ayorinde, who fabricated the lie. We got to the police station around 2 pm and we were not allowed to see him. It was around 5.30 pm that the policemen told us that Pelumi had died.

The father of the deceased, Ebenezer, said the circumstances surrounding his sons death showed that he did not die of natural causes. He also alleged that the police were trying to cover up the case by tampering with evidence. The deceaseds father explained;
Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on escalating global tensions, emphasizing the need for balance in addressing conflicts, Azernews reports.

Speaking with journalist Pavel Zarubin, Putin rejected fear-mongering over a potential third world war, saying, "There's no need to scare anyone."

Putin also acknowledged growing dangers and accused Russia's opponents of heightening tensions deliberately. "It that's what they want let them escalate further. We will always respond to any challenge," he said.


GOLDEN SCHNOZ AWARD

(Government sticking its nose where it doesnt belong)

For 24 years, the Taxpayers Association of Oregon has given Taxpayer Awards to honor

(#1) Oregons worst political figures

(#2) Worst example of government waste

(#3) worst example of bureaucratic bungle of 2024 and

(#5) Golden Schnoz which is worst example of government sticking its nose where it doesnt belong.

Here are the 4 nominees for Golden Schnoz award

 State TV ad tries to publicly shame people into stop drinking wine.The Oregon Health Authority created a TV ad where a child shames her dad in a grocery store for buying wine with the message that wine is not good for you. The ad was pulled over the outcry. (Willamette Week, 7/25/24)

 Portland bans leaf blowers. Portland banned gas-powered leaf blowers on all public and private property by 2026. (OPB 3/13/24)

 District Attorney tries to ban oil. Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schmidt joined a $50 billion (not a typo) lawsuit against 17 oil companies and then paraded on the streets waving a no oil placard. Using law enforcement to bankrupt legal companies that one does not like is an abuse of power. The same DA, also dropped nearly 1,000 riot charges, showing that he lets violent criminals go free while making criminals out of energy companies. (OPB 6/22/24)

 Lawmakers tried to ban gas generators. Senate Bill 525 would have banned gas-powered generators that people use in emergencies/disasters. Senators saw it as a way to reduce gas despite their emergency use. (2023 Legislature)

Ballots have been sent to Taxpayers Association of Oregon supporters.

If you would like to be a supporter (to any of the three organizations) you can donate here or send a donation below.

If you want a ballot, please email us to the email above.
Well, readers, it's that time of year. Tonight is the big night for Santa and his band of merry elves and avian reindeer, and all the little children will lay slumbering with dreams of sugar plums and some such other cliche.

So while everyone is wrapping presents and last minute shopping and finding out that they left Kevin at the house, let's talk about the feast, shall we?

What we serve as the centerpiece of our meal depends on where you are in the world and what traditions are passed down, whether that's a Christmas goose, a standing prime prime rib or a bit of roast beast. A few months ago, however, we at The Cutting Board decided on ham.

And I can hear all of the naysayers out there  "He's just buying a ham?! All you do is heat that up! What a letdown."

Never fear, Maggie, because we're starting fresh and curing our own ham.

Earlier this year, I purchased a half-share of a hog from Kyan Glenn, owner of The Table Farm and Workshop in Bentown, east of Bloomington. He raises his hogs there on the farm and, when ready, takes them to Bittner Meat Company in Eureka for processing.

When they called me and asked what cuts I wanted, I made sure to ask that they include a fresh, bone-in ham. The one I'm working with for this recipe was just under 5 pounds.

So, sharpen your knives, because we're going to chemistry class on The Cutting Board.

First and foremost, curing is a science honed over millennia of human experimentation with food. Curing is a form of preservation that makes ingredients, particularly meat in this case, stay edible for much longer than it would otherwise.

Some common examples of cured foods include pickled vegetables, like sauerkraut or dill pickles, or something like corned beef. Fun fact, 'corning' something is just old English for 'curing' or 'pickling.'

Think about that the next time you read an old-timey recipe for pickled beef.

Anyway, in order to cure meat, we need sodium nitrite, which we find in a curing salt called Prague Powder #1. You can pick this up at Bloomington Spice Works located downtown at 311 N. Main St.

Now, some safety notes. Prague Powder #1 cannot be substituted with kosher salt, pick Himalayan salt, table salt or Prague Powder #2.

Prague Powder #1, also called curing salt #1, contains 6% sodium nitrite to 94% sodium chloride (regular salt). Prague Powder #2 has a different ratio, and any other salt does not contain sodium nitrite.

Second, when curing meats we have to worry about Clostridium botulinum, a bacteria that can cause botulism, which is potentially fatal.

And that's where sodium nitrite comes into play because nitrite inhibits the growth of that bacteria and helps prevent fat from going rancid.

Still, we need to calculate how much Prague Powder #1 we need based on how much meat we have. I won't bore you with the actual math, but here is the source that I used: tinyurl.com/curingsafely.

This source is great because it's constantly updated with new science and is advised by Greg Blonder, cookbook author and scientist who holds a doctorate in physics from Harvard University. So he's done the calculations for us.

I purchased a 6 liter cylindrical, food grade container with a lid from Koldaire Equipment Co. at 107 W. Monroe St. in downtown Bloomington for $10. I sanitized this using Star San, which you can purchase at Friar Tuck Beverage at 2401 Maloney Drive in Bloomington.

For my 4 pound 13 ounce ham, I need about 15 grams of Prague Powder #1.

My brother, Chris, and I worked together on this. We boiled a few cups of distilled water on the stovetop and dissolved our Prague Powder #1 into it before letting the mixture cool.

We put the fresh ham in the sanitized container and added 1 tablespoon of pickling spice, which is a blend of herbs and spices you can find anywhere, but I recommend Spice Works.

We added the sodium nitrite mixture and filled the tub with distilled water until the ham was submerged. With the lid on, we put in the fridge and let it cure.

Using Blonder's calculator, we needed to let it cure for 14 days.

After two weeks in the fridge, I removed the ham from the cure and into a bowl of fresh water.

I don't recommend rinsing meat under running water, because it can splash and add harmful bacteria all over your kitchen sink and surrounding area.

I preheated my oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then, I patted the ham dry, scored the fat with a rather sharp knife (who am I kidding  all my knives are razor sharp).

Then we roasted until the thickest part of the ham reached 145 degrees Fahrenheit. I actually reached 150 after a little over two hours, but that's OK, too.

Now, I didn't do a glaze or anything fancy because, honestly, this was my first time curing and roasting a fresh ham. So I wanted to get the technique down first.

That's also one of the reasons I didn't make an actual feast with this ham.

I have to say, I'm happy with the result of my first attempt. The outer portions were a little dry, but there's plenty of intramuscular fat closer to the bone.

And hey! I've got a bunch of ham! And a hambone! (More on that next time.)

Now, I have a confession to make.

This whole endeavor: creating this column, getting this pork, curing this ham and convincing my bosses to let me make a special Christmas Eve edition with ham was all an excuse to reference Bugs Bunny in the newspaper. Stick with me.

In a 1947 Merrie Melodie cartoon called "Slick Hare," Humphrey Bogart visits a restaurant owned by Elmer Fudd demanding fried rabbit for his wife, made of our aforementioned Bunny.

Through many attempts, Fudd is unsuccessful and, when finally confronted by Bogart, bashfully, fearfully, shaking, tells him he couldn't find a rabbit.

"Pwease Mr. Bogart! I twied and I twied!" Fudd pleads.

"Oh, yeah," Bogart says, reaching into his jacket pocket and staring menacingly down at our fateful Fudd. "Well, I guess there's just one thing left for me to do."

"No, don't! Pwease don't," Fudd pleads, running in circles.

Bogart pulls out a handkerchief, wipes his forehead and says, "Baby will just have to have a ham sandwich, instead."

So, yeah, this one's for Bugs.

Slice off several thin portions of ham and get a cast iron skillet hot. Fry the ham in the pan until it's browned; the fat from the ham will render.

Get two slices of good rye bread and add a pat of butter to the pan. Toast one side of a piece of rye and flip. While it's still in the pan, add mustard to the toasted side and red onion sliced wafer-thin.

Pile on the ham and add pickle slices. Spread some mayonnaise on the other slice of bread and top.

Carefully, flip the whole sandwich in the pan to toast the other side. Cover with a weight or a panini press and turn off the heat.

After two minutes, remove the sandwich, slice it in half and serve.

There you have it, Mad Jack's Homemade Ham Sandwich, inspired by Humphrey Bogart.

And yeah, maybe I lied about making a whole column for one 80-year-old cartoon, but you still made it this far.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Have a safe holiday, and I'll see you next time.
BLOOMINGTON  Neighbors down a Bloomington street are feeling the Christmas spirit a little extra this year with the help of a handful of Santas.

"We normally put up basic lights, and actually our neighbors across the street usually put up a bunch of inflatables and decorations that my kids love to watching out the window every year," said Emily Ehrstein. "This is just another fun way to bring that to other kids in the neighborhood."

Residents along Old Jamestown Road added some extra yuletide joy to the neighborhood by planting an array of giant inflatable Santa decorations along their yards.

Ehrstein, who lives on Old Jamestown Road, said the idea came about during Thanksgiving when she, her husband and kids visited family up in Madison, Wisconsin, and they came across a plethora of inflatable Santas across yards down Monroe Street.

She shared the idea in a group text message, and soon her neighbors started to buy the 12-foot inflatables and set them up, lining the street with the jolly red elf.

"We just got a few people on board, and it was one neighbor after the next that started to stop by and ask what was going on," said Emily's husband Matt Ehrstein. "So we kept sharing it and they all wanted to be on board."

It has been a team effort with neighbors helping each other fix rips or tears in the inflatables, sharing weather information like wind speed each day to decide if their Santas should be up or not and properly staking them into the ground so there aren't any Santas that decide fly away.

One neighbor, Carrie Currie, said she usually does not like to put up inflatables during the holidays, but it did not take to much convincing for her to get on board with the idea this year because it is all in the name of joy.

"I think the coolest thing that Emily's done with this is create this sense of community because we've all had so much fun," Currie said. "I know there's a guy over on the next street that as soon as his family finishes dinner they have to go for a walk every night" to see all the inflatables and decorations.

Eric Johnson, who lives just across the street from the Ehrsteins with his wife Michelle, said they normally have inflatables up for the holidays, including Halloween, and thought this was a great idea to get the whole community involved and interacting with each other.

Johnson said he and others have been able to get know each other even more just by helping each other out and messaging through the neighborhood group chat.

"It's been fun to chat with a group of good people and have a common interest over the holidays," Johnson said. "That's what the holiday season is all about, being with your community and your neighbors, and this was our way and we had some fun doing it."

Emily Ehrstein said she and others agree that this time of year is about spending time with family and spreading joy as much as you can, but now they can do that on wider scale with this new group they have all created together.

"We talked about how we're gonna have to have a Christmas in July block party and put the Santas up again," she said. "This has just been fun, and it really brought our little street together."
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

It is now illegal to possess or transport golden mussels in California.

The California Fish and Game Commission has designated the golden mussel a restricted species, the latest salvo in the battle to keep the invasive species out of the state's waterways. The mussels are considered an immediate threat to the ecological health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and California waterways.

The emergency restrictions enacted at the commission's Dec. 1112 meetings in Sacramento add the mussel to the list of species restricted from live importation, transportation and possession.

"Putting golden mussels on the restricted species list is an important first step toward containment and prevention of spread of this non-native species," said Jay Rowan, Chief of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Fisheries Branch.

Authorities say golden mussels are a bigger threat to California waters than other mussel species because they can thrive in a wider range of water quality conditions.

State and local agencies have been on high alert for the golden mussel since it was first spotted in mid-October in the Port of Stockton.

The Oct. 17 discovery was the first in North America, say California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials.

The mussels, native to China and Southeast Asia, likely found their way to California waters by large ships.

The emergency listing will reduce the potential for people to introduce the bivalves to other waters of the state, say fish and wildlife officials.

The mussels easily make their way into live wells, bilges and ballast tanks, watercraft's engine systems, plumbing and other compartments onboard boats. The mussels can survive for extended periods of time in the water that collects in the craft's systems

Since the Stockton discovery, local agencies, including Solano County, have imposed travel restrictions and quarantines on watercraft sailing from the Delta.

In November, Solano County barred watercraft traveling from the Delta from launching in Lake Berryessa without a 30-day quarantine or decontamination.

2024 The Sacramento Bee. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Dr. Omri Yagel recording the precise sampling location. Credit: Tel Aviv University

A new study from Tel Aviv University overturns prevailing scientific beliefs that King Solomon's Mines not only harmed the health of workers in the ancient copper industry but also pose risks to the health of modern residents living near the site.

In the new study, researchers conducted geochemical surveys at copper production sites in the Timna Valley, dating back to the 10th century BCE and the era of the Biblical Kings David and Solomon. They found that the environmental pollution resulting from copper production was minimal and spatially restricted, posing no danger to the region's inhabitants either in the past or today. Additionally, TAU's archaeologists reviewed previous studies and found no evidence that the ancient copper industry polluted the planet.

The study was led by Prof. Erez Ben-Yosef, Dr. Omri Yagel, Willy Ondricek, and Dr. Aaron Greener from the Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies and Archaeology, Tel Aviv University. The paper was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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"We inspected two major copper production sites in the Timna Valley, one from the Iron Age and King Solomon's era and another nearby that is about 1,500 years older," says Prof. Ben-Yosef.

"Our study was very extensive. We took hundreds of soil samples from both sites for chemical analyses, creating high-resolution maps of heavy metal presence in the region. We found that pollution levels at the Timna copper mining sites are extremely low and confined to the locations of the ancient smelting furnaces.

"For instance, the concentration of leadthe primary pollutant in metal industriesdrops to less than 200 parts per million just a few meters from the furnace. By comparison, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines industrial areas as safe for workers at 1,200 parts per million and residential areas as safe for children at 200 parts per million."

Geochemical surveys at copper production sites in the Timna Valley. Credit: Tel Aviv University

The new study contradicts a series of papers published since the 1990s about pollution caused allegedly by the ancient copper industry.

Prof. Ben-Yosef explains, "We demonstrate that this is not true. Pollution in Timna is very restricted spatially, and it's likely that only those working directly at the furnace suffered from inhaling toxic fumes, while just a short distance away, the soil is entirely safe. Moreover, the match we found between the spatial distribution of copper and lead concentrations in the soil further indicates that the metals are 'trapped' in slag and other industrial wastewhich keeps them from leaching into the soil and affecting plants or humans.

"Our findings align with several recent studies from the Wadi Faynan region in Jordan, which also point to very low levels of pollution. Timna and Faynan are ideal sites for this type of research because they have not been disturbed by modern mining, as happened in Cyprus, for example, and thanks to their dry climates, the metals in the soil are not washed away.

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"In Faynan, a team led by Prof. Yigal Erel of the Hebrew University examined 36 skeletons of people who lived at the mining site during the Iron Age, and only three showed any trace of pollution in their teeth. The rest were completely clean. We now present a similar picture for Timna."

In addition to the geochemical survey, the TAU archaeologists also conducted a comprehensive review of existing literature, pointing out that hypotheses about global pollution during the pre-Roman period lack solid evidence.

"There was a trend in the 1990s, which presented ancient copper production as the first instance of industrial pollution," explains Dr. Yagel, a leading researcher in the current study.

"Such statements grab headlines and attract research grants, but they unnecessarily project modern pollution problems onto the past. Moreover, the research literature tends to use the term 'pollution' to describe any trace of ancient metallurgical activity, and this has led to the mistaken assumption that metal industries were harmful to humans from their earliest beginningswhich is patently untrue.

"Even when metal production was large-scale, becoming integral to human civilization, it was the toxic lead industry that caused global pollution, not necessarily other metals. A 1990s study argued that traces of copper found in Greenland ice cores had traveled through the atmosphere from sites like Timna. This claim, however, has not been corroborated by any subsequent study.

"As researchers confront the severe environmental challenges of our time, such as climate change, we often tend to search for similar problems in the past or assume that environmental harm has been an inevitable consequence of human activity since the agricultural revolution. However, we must be cautious. While we might label a few pieces of slag on the ground as 'pollution,' we should not confuse this localized waste with regional or global environmental pollution."

More information: Omri Yagel et al, Pre-roman copper industry had no polluting impact on the global environment, Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-80939-5 Journal information: Scientific Reports
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The two systems studied in this work. a Liquid water, with oxygen atoms shown in red and hydrogen in white. b The halide perovskite CsSnI 3 , with caesium atoms in blue, tin polyhedra in green, and iodine in teal. Credit: npj Computational Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41524-024-01484-3

Many techniques in computational materials science require scientists to identify the right set of parameters that capture the physics of the specific material they are studying. Calculating these parameters from scratch is sometimes possible but costs a lot of time and computational power. Consequently, scientists are always eager to find more efficient ways to estimate them without doing the full calculation.

This is the case for Koopmans functionals, a promising approach to expand the power of density-functional theory so that it can be used to predict the spectral properties of materials (such as what frequencies of light a material absorbs), and not just their ground state (such as the optimal positions of the atoms in that material). The accuracy of Koopmans functionals relies on finding the right "screening parameters" for the system one is studying.

"You can interpret the screening parameters as the degree to which the rest of the electrons in a system react to the addition or removal of an electron," explains Edward Linscott, a postdoc at the Center for Scientific Computing, Theory and Data of the Paul Scherrer Institute, and member of MARVEL.

The term "screening" refers to the fact that the other electrons obscureor in other words, screenthe addition of the new electron to someone who is watching the system from the outside.

Linscott continues, "And this electronic screeningthe process of adding or removing an electron from the systemis precisely the physical process that we are interested in when we talk about spectral properties. For example, in solar cells, by shining light on a photovoltaic material we eject electrons from it and generate an electrical current."

"Density-functional theory is very bad at describing processes such as these, and the screening parameters tell us the degree to which a DFT approximation is failing us, and the strength of the correction we need to apply in order to correctly redeem the situation."

The downside of Koopmans functionals calculations is that they take a lot longer than their DFT counterparts, mostly because of the cost of having to calculate the screening parameters . But a new paper in npj Computational Materials shows that even a simple machine learning model, trained with a modest amount of data, can significantly reduce the time needed for calculating screening parameters in the Koopmans algorithm.

The article is by Yannick Schubert from the University of Zurichwho started the project as his master's thesisSandra Luber (Yannick's Ph.D. supervisor at UZH), MARVEL's director Nicola Marzari, and Linscott himself.

The authors chose two specific materials for their study: liquid water, and the halide perovskite CsSnI 3 .

"They represent the kind of systems for which we thought we could make the most out of machine learning," explains Linscott. "Liquid water is naturally disordered and is out of the comfort zone for us scientists used to dealing with pristine crystals. Meanwhile, the halide perovskite is a promising material for use in solar cells, for which it is important to calculate how the changes with temperature."

To model the spectral properties of these systems with Koopmans functionals would require calculations on many copies of the same chemical system with different atomic positions. This process can be made much faster by training a machine learning model on a subset of these copies, and then using this model to predict the screening parameters for the remaining copies.

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When the researchers set out, the question was: what kind of machine learning model would work, among the many options offered by the field? It turned out that a simple model, called ridge regression, would do.

"We had a roadmap of increasingly sophisticated networks that we were going to try, and we did not know from the start if it was going to work or if we were going to be able to generate enough data," says Linscott.

"To our surprise, the simplest model with very little data worked well. The model we ended up with is nothing like the sophisticated machine learning models that are all around us these days, but it was enough to accurately calculate screening parameters."

While the network itself is simple, the scientists attribute this in part to the careful work they put into the construction of the "descriptors," which are mathematical objects that must encapsulate the relevant physics of the system and are fed into the machine learning model.

While it would be possible to expand the method and make it more powerful with a more complex network and more training data, Linscott says that the next step will be to make the most of the method as it is now and use it to study the temperature-dependent spectral properties of interesting materials.

More information: Yannick Schubert et al, Predicting electronic screening for fast Koopmans spectral functional calculations, npj Computational Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41524-024-01484-3 Journal information: npj Computational Materials

Provided by National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) MARVEL
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Researchers test air quality inside a surviving home. Credit: University of Colorado at Boulder

Six months after the Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 houses in Boulder County, Colorado, more than half of residents of surviving homes in the area reported physical symptomsincluding headaches, sore throats or a strange taste in their mouththat they attributed to poor air quality, a new CU Boulder study has found.

A companion study showed that the air quality inside one home post-fire equaled that of downtown Los Angeles in the 1990s on a high pollution day, with hazardous gases lingering for weeks.

"Our research suggests that there could be important health impacts for people returning to smoke- or ash-damaged homes after a fire and that we need to have systems in place to protect them," said Colleen Reid, associate professor of geography and co-author of the studies.

The papers, published this week in ACS ES&T Air, are the first to explore air quality inside smoke- and ash-damaged homes and to assess the health impacts on people who live in them. They come as fires in the Wildland-Urban Interface, like in Paradise, California, in 2018 and Lahaina, Hawaii, in 2023 grow more common.

"A lot of time has been spent studying wildfire smokewhat you get when you burn vegetation. But what do you get when you burn a home, with all its furniture and electronics and cars? Until now, there has been very little known," said co-author Joost de Gouw, a professor of chemistry and fellow with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES).

A record winter blaze

Fueled by 100-mile-per-hour winds and record dry conditions, the Dec. 30, 2021, Marshall Fire burned 1,084 buildings in densely populated areas, took two lives and forced 37,000 people to evacuate.

Once residents returned home, scientists at CU Boulder, just 4 miles from the fire's ignition, started getting calls.

"At first, they felt really lucky, but when they went into their homes they saw ash everywhere and it smelled differentlylike a campfire or chemicals," said Reid. "They asked: What should we do? We don't know if it's safe to go back in."

With little research offering answers, the scientists began to investigate.

Ten days after the fire, de Gouw's team erected field instruments in an intact home bordering a block where houses burned down. Over five weeks, they continually measured the presence of 50 gases.

Meanwhile, Reid and colleagues developed a survey to send to residents within the burn perimeter, as well as a random sample of those within 2 miles.

At six months, 642 people had responded; 413 had responded at the one-year mark.

Some 55% of respondents reported symptoms that they attributed to the fire at the six-month mark, and survey answers depended largely on the condition of their home when they returned home.

For instance, those who found ash inside were three times as likely to report headaches compared to those who didn't find ash; those who reported an odd odor were four times as likely to report headaches compared to those who did not pick up an unusual scent.

People with the same symptoms tended to cluster together, according to computer mapping analyses. For example, those living near destroyed homes, especially in the direction the wind was blowing the day of the fire, were far more likely to report a strange taste in their mouth.

"These findings are consistent with chemical exposures and suggest that residents of smoke- and ash-damaged homes may have experienced lingering air quality and physical health challenges months after the fire," said Reid.

Abstract. Credit: ACS ES&T Air, 2024 DOI:10.1021/acsestair.4c00258

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Long-term impacts uncertain

The authors cannot say which chemicals caused the health impacts that survey respondents reported. But measurements in one home found high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene, a carcinogen found in gasoline and diesel exhaust.

Dust samples also showed high levels of copper, zinc, arsenic and industrial pollutants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known to cause eye irritation.

"If your home survives, and the neighbor two doors down burns, all those melted things can get into the air and find their way into your home" settling into furnishings, carpets and drywall, said Reid.

The authors stress that VOCs are only considered carcinogenic at levels much higher than what they found, and people are regularly exposed to low levels daily through pollution.

Their research found that simple measures, like opening windows and using low-cost, carbon-activated air filters, can substantially improve air quality.

One year after the fire, the number of residents reporting symptoms had declined to just 33% and most said confidence in their home's air quality had improved.

Until more studies are done, the researchers cannot say whether such exposures can lead to long-term health problems.

Nonetheless, Reid urges anyone going inside a smoke- or ash-damaged home just after a wildland urban interface (WUI) fire to use caution, wearing KN95 masks and gloves.

They hope their ongoing research can lead to clearer guidelines for policymakers and insurance companies about when it is safe for people to return to smoke-damaged homes.

"This wasn't just any fire. It felt personal," said de Gouw. "Knowing that we could at least begin to provide some answers to our community has made the work extra meaningful."

More information: Colleen E. Reid et al, Physical Health Symptoms and Perceptions of Air Quality among Residents of Smoke-Damaged Homes from a Wildland Urban Interface Fire, ACS ES&T Air (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acsestair.4c00258 pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsestair.4c00258 William D. Dresser et al, Volatile Organic Compounds Inside Homes Impacted by Smoke from the Marshall Fire, ACS ES&T Air (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acsestair.4c00259
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A crane lowers the steel reflector framework for Deep Space Station 23 into position Dec. 18 on a 65-foot-high (20-meter) platform above the antennas pedestal that will steer the reflector. Panels will be affixed to the structure to create a curved surface to collect radio frequency signals. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Deep Space Station 23's 133-ton reflector dish was recently installed, marking a key step in strengthening NASA's Deep Space Network.

NASA's Deep Space Network, an array of giant radio antennas, allows agency missions to track, send commands to, and receive scientific data from spacecraft venturing to the moon and beyond. NASA is adding a new antenna, bringing the total to 15, to support increased demand for the world's largest and most sensitive radio frequency telecommunication system.

Installation of the latest antenna took place on Dec. 18, when teams at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, installed the metal reflector framework for Deep Space Station 23, a multifrequency beam-waveguide antenna.

When operational in 2026, Deep Space Station 23 will receive transmissions from missions such as Perseverance, Psyche, Europa Clipper, Voyager 1, and a growing fleet of future human and robotic spacecraft in deep space.

"This addition to the Deep Space Network represents a crucial communication upgrade for the agency," said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator of NASA's SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program.

"The communications infrastructure has been in continuous operation since its creation in 1963, and with this upgrade we are ensuring NASA is ready to support the growing number of missions exploring the moon, Mars, and beyond."

Construction of the new antenna has been under way for more than four years, and during the installation, teams used a crawler crane to lower the 133-ton metal skeleton of the 112-foot-wide (34-meter-wide) parabolic reflector before it was bolted to a 65-foot-high (20-meter-high) alidade, a platform above the antenna's pedestal that will steer the reflector during operations.

This time-lapse video shows the entire day of construction activities for the Deep Space Station 23 antenna at the NASA Deep Space Networks Goldstone Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, on Dec. 18. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

"One of the biggest challenges facing us during the lift was to ensure that 40 bolt-holes were perfectly aligned between the structure and alidade," said Germaine Aziz, systems engineer, Deep Space Network Aperture Enhancement Program of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

"This required a meticulous emphasis on alignment prior to the lift to guarantee everything went smoothly on the day."

Following the main lift, engineers carried out a lighter lift to place a quadripod, a four-legged support structure weighing 16.5 tons, onto the center of the upward-facing reflector. The quadripod features a curved subreflector that will direct radio frequency signals from deep space that bounce off the main reflector into the antenna's pedestal, where the antenna's receivers are housed.

Engineers will now work to fit panels onto the steel skeleton to create a curved surface to reflect radio frequency signals. Once complete, Deep Space Station 23 will be the fifth of six new beam-waveguide antennas to join the network, following Deep Space Station 53, which was added at the Deep Space Network's Madrid complex in 2022.

"With the Deep Space Network, we are able to explore the Martian landscape with our rovers, see the James Webb Space Telescope's stunning cosmic observations, and so much more," said Laurie Leshin, director of JPL.

"The network enables over 40 deep space missions, including the farthest human-made objects in the universe, Voyager 1 and 2. With upgrades like these, the network will continue to support humanity's exploration of our solar system and beyond, enabling groundbreaking science and discovery far into the future."

NASA's Deep Space Network is managed by JPL, with the oversight of NASA's SCaN Program. More than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions rely on the Deep Space Network and Near Space Network, including supporting astronauts aboard the International Space Station and future Artemis missions, monitoring Earth's weather and the effects of climate change, supporting lunar exploration, and uncovering the solar system and beyond.

Provided by NASA
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The Lunar Lab and Regolith Testbeds at NASAs Ames Research Center. Credit: NASA/Uland Wong

Through the Artemis Program, NASA will send the first astronauts to the moon since the Apollo Era before 2030. They will be joined by multiple space agencies, such as the ESA and China, who plan to send astronauts (and "taikonauts") there for the first time. Beyond this, all plan to build permanent habitats in the South PoleAitken Basin and the necessary infrastructure that will lead to a permanent human presence. This presents many challenges, the most notable being those arising from the nature of the lunar environment.

Aside from the extremes in temperature, a 14-day diurnal cycle, and the airless environment, there's the issue of lunar regolith (aka moondust). In addition to being coarse and jagged, lunar regolith sticks to everything because it is electrostatically charged. Because of how this dust plays havoc with astronaut health, equipment, and machinery, NASA is developing technologies to mitigate dust buildup. Seven of these experiments will be tested during a flight test using a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket to evaluate their ability to mitigate lunar dust.

Another major problem with lunar regolith is how it gets kicked up and distributed by spacecraft plumes. With essentially no atmosphere and lower gravity (16.5% of Earth's), this dust can remain aloft for extended periods of time. Its jagged nature, resulting from billions of years of meteor and micrometeoroid impacts and a total lack of weathering, is abrasive to any surface it comes into contact with, ranging from spacesuits and equipment to human skin, eyes, and lungs. It will also build up on solar panels, preventing missions from drawing enough power to survive a lunar night.

In addition, it can also cause equipment to overheat as it coats thermal radiators and accumulates on windows, camera lenses, and visors, making it harder to see, navigate, and acquire accurate images. Kristen John, the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative technical integration lead at NASA's Johnson Space Center, said in a NASA press release: "The fine grain nature of dust contains particles that are smaller than the human eye can see, which can make a contaminated surface appear to look clean."

Addressing the problem

These technologies were developed by NASA's Game Changing Development program within the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). The "Lunar Gravity Simulation via Suborbital Rocket" flight test will study regolith mechanics and lunar dust transport in a simulated lunar gravity environment. The payload includes projects for mitigating and cleaning dust using multiple strategies. They include:

ClothBot: This compact robot is designed to simulate and measure how dust behaves in a pressurized environment, which astronauts could bring back after conducting Extravehicular Activities (EVAs). The robot relies on pre-programmed motions that simulate astronauts' movements when removing their spacesuits (aka "doffing"), releasing a small dose of lunar regolith simulant. A laser-illuminated imaging system will then capture the dust flow in real-time while sensors record the size and number of particles.

Electrostatic Dust Lofting (EDL): The EDL will examine how lunar dust is "lofted" (kicked up) when it becomes electrostatically charged to improve models on dust lofting. During the lunar gravity phase of the flight, a dust sample will be released that the EDL will illuminate using a UV light source, causing the particles to become charged. The dust will then pass through a sheet laser as it rises from the surface while the EDL observes and records the results. The EDL's camera will continue to record the dust until the mission ends, even after the lunar gravity phase ends and the UV light is shut off.

Hermes Lunar-G: The Hermes Lunar-G project, developed by NASA, Texas A&M, and Texas Space Technology Applications and Research (T-STAR), is based on a facility (Hermes) that previously operated on the International Space Station (ISS). Like its predecessor, the Lunar-G project will rely on repurposed Hermes hardware to study lunar regolith simulants. This will be done using four canisters containing compressed lunar dust simulants. When the flight enters its lunar gravity phase, these simulants will decompress and float around in the canisters while high-speed cameras and sensors capture data. The results will be compared to microgravity data from the ISS and similar flight experiments.

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Dust mitigation strategies

The data obtained by these projects will provide information on regolith generation rates, transport, and mechanics that will help scientists refine computational models. This will allow mission planners and designers to develop better strategies for dust mitigation for future missions to the moon and Mars. Already, this challenge informs several aspects of NASA's technological developments, ranging from In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and construction to transportation and surface power. Said John:

"Learning some of the fundamental properties of how lunar dust behaves and how lunar dust impacts systems has implications far beyond dust mitigation and environments. Advancing our understanding of the behavior of lunar dust and advancing our dust mitigation technologies benefits most capabilities planned for use on the lunar surface."
German authorities are facing questions about security and what they knew about the suspect accused of using an access lane for emergency vehicles to drive into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people and injuring more than 200, Azernews reports via BBC.

On a visit on Saturday, politicians were heckled by members of the public, some seemingly outraged by what was criticised as a security lapse.

German authorities have defended the market's layout and security.

Authorities are also fielding questions after reports they were warned last year about the suspect, with police saying they had evaluated whether the suspect might be a threat a year ago.

The suspect has been ordered into pre-trial detention on counts of murder, attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm.

Usually at this time of the year, German city centres are full of shoppers and revellers drinking mulled wine, but this year the mood is very different.

The main Christmas market is cordoned off by tape and surrounded by police vans as armed officers patrol the shops and malls nearby.

There is sadness in the air in Magdeburg, as well as bafflement and anger, as people ask how could this have happened.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Driving over the cattle guards that mark the boundaries of the Las Vegas Valley, Southern Nevadans are likely to come across an equine friend or two. Or a herd of them.

Wild horses and burros, considered to be an emblem of the unconquerable American West, have been a permanent fixture of the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert for centuries. They roam Nevada's sprawling public, federally owned lands, of which the state has the highest percentage in the nation.

Another superlative that belongs to the Silver State is the highest number of wild horses and burros. It's home to about half of them, with more than 40,000 on federally managed land, according to the most recent estimates from both the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.

Largely thought to be descended from horses that Europeans brought to the West in the 16th century, Nevada's wild horses are the subject of dual fascination and concern. That's mostly due to how federal agencies round them up with helicopters and the environmental damage such large numbers of them could cause if populations were left untouched.

As mandated by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, both federal land management agencies are required by law to protect and defend these animals.

The law was brought to Congress all because of one Nevada woman: "Wild Horse Annie," also known as Velma Johnston.

Wild horses were once the subject of abuse by so-called mustangers, who would sell off their meat commercially. After an encounter where she saw a trailer full of bleeding horses on their way to a slaughter plant in the 1950s, Johnston riled up sentiment across the West to do something about it.

Johnston expressed her dissatisfaction with the 1959 Wild Horse Annie Act, a preliminary law that outlawed the poisoning of water holes and hunting wild horses from planes. She said it lacked any real enforcement mechanism.

In response to requirements from federal law, the BLM and Forest Service created their respective wild horse and burro programs to control the number of horses and burros out in the wild in a way that was deemed more humane.

Because of the roundup and sale of wild horses in Western states, animals sold in federal auctions can be found as far east as Florida.

The BLM divided its land into 83 herd management areas, across which the agency says there should only be 12,811 wild horses and burros. The agency estimated this year that 38,023 of them roam its land. The Forest Service's program is smaller, with 17 so-called territories, mostly in central Nevada, where only about 2,500 wild horses and burros currently reside, according to the agency's counts.

Without proper population control, many say these non-native animals disrupt fragile desert ecosystems and food chains.

That leads the BLM to round up mustangs, place them in holding facilities and sell them for $125 each. About 290,000 wild horses and burros have been placed into private care since 1971, the BLM estimates. Over the years, newspaper investigations and watchdog groups have found that at least some horses are sent to slaughterhouses because of the agency's limited oversight past the adoption period.

Though some have criticized the conditions of holding pens, the agency maintains that they "provide ample space for horses, along with clean feed and water."

It uses helicopters to circle and capture the horsesa method some advocacy groups have called inhumane. The BLM maintains that its technique leads to the least amount of injury and deaths possible.

Other groups, such as American Wild Horse Conservation, call for the use of porcine zona pellucida, or PZP vaccines, which are administered through darts and make female horses infertile. It piloted such a method within the Virginia Range near Reno in partnership with the Nevada Department of Agriculture.

2024 Las Vegas Review-Journal. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A quantitative economist at Maastricht University in the Netherlands has attempted to test what he describes as the underappreciated role of potential-based goals in college students. In his study, published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology, Dirk Tempelaar tested theories he has developed regarding different types of goal-setting by college students.

As Tempelaar notes, most students attending colleges around the world use multiple factors to rate themselves on how well they are doing and in setting their future academic goals. Goals typically focus on attaining certain grade point averages or performing comparably to others in the same classes, or even student standings compared to others at the same grade level.

Such goals, he suggests, overlook what he describes as potential-based goals, in which students assess their current performance and use the results to set goals for their own future. Such an approach, he suggests, can help students better see what they need to do to succeed at gaining a college degree.

To test his theories, Tempelaar accessed data for the school years 20152016 to 20232024 for students attending a Dutch business and economics school. He chose the school because of its diverse international student body and because of the student-centered approach used by the school.

The school has a Triple Crown accreditation, and it collects data on its students as a way to help them see how they are doing, and to help teachers and administrators identify those who need help. The data-gathering begins as soon as a student enrolls.

Goal achievement scale scores over time, for female (left) and male (right) students. Credit: British Journal of Educational Psychology (2024). DOI: 10.1111/bjep.12728

In his work, Tempelaar focuses most of his analysis on the Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ), which the school uses to measure past performance against potential-based goals. This allowed him to compare students who used such an approach with those who use a more traditional approach.

He found evidence that using potential-based goals can be of benefit to students, particularly those who may be struggling to accurately assess how well they are doing, and ultimately enhance their chances of graduating. He also found evidence that the approach helped some students improve their chances of success by helping them keep focused on what they needed to be doing to get the best out of themselves.

More information: Dirk Tempelaar, The unrecognized potential of potentialbased achievement goals, British Journal of Educational Psychology (2024). DOI: 10.1111/bjep.12728

 2024 Science X Network
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Location of Wirruwana in relation to Gutharraguda and other prominent areas of Malgana Country. Credit: The Shire of Shark Bay

On WA's largest island, one of Australia's most successful restoration projects is winding back the clock more than 400 years.

Wirruwana/Dirk Hartog Island lies just off the coast of Gathaaguda/Shark Bay within the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.

It's a haven for small native mammals and reptiles, and is one of the world's most important islands for mammal conservation.

Wirruwana hasn't always looked like this though. It's taken decades to return the island to the year 1616, and the work isn't over yet.

Pre-1616

The Return to 1616 project was set up by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and is funded largely by the Gorgon Barrow Island Net Conservation Benefits Fund.

The project takes its name from the year Dutch explorers arrived on the island. Its aim is to return Wirruwana to what it looked like before European influence.

Wendy Payne is the community engagement officer for the Return to 1616 project.

She says there is plenty of evidence about what the island looked like back then, particularly in the explorers' journals and subfossil remains of animals that once inhabited Wirruwana.

"There were no weeds, there were no introduced feral pest animals to Australiathe island was pristine," says Wendy.

It wasn't long before Wirruwana became Dirk Hartog Island and a pastoral station, in the 1860s.

"Probably one of the biggest impacts on the native vegetation was the grazing of introduced sheep," says Wendy.

When the lighthouse was built in 1908, the lighthouse keeper brought goats to the island to provide milk and meat.

Sheep and goats had a devastating impact on the native wildlife.

"Once you've got some grazing herbivores that aren't naturally in balance with the environment, they're going to start removing vegetation," says Wendy.

Once vegetation was removed, native animals lost their shelter and food and were at higher risk of predation.

Aside from the agricultural impacts, Wendy says "you've got people coming and going the entire timeand the one thing that usually goes with people is cats."

Feral cat populations can quickly proliferate and their predation has a direct impact on Australia's native mammals, birds and reptiles.

Without food and shelter, 10 of the 13 native mammal species were wiped out.

Wendy says if black rats, rabbits or foxes had made it to the island, their job would have been three times harder.

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Rare species

Return to 1616 kicked into gear in 2009, when the State Government purchased the newly expired pastoral lease.

Wirruwana was granted national park status the same year.

Islands are generally easier to rewild than the mainland, because they have a natural border.

While there's a number of non-government organizations who have established fenced reserves on the mainland to conserve and rebuild Australia's ecosystems, Wendy says island rewilding can be more secure than on the mainland.

"A lot of the animals that DBCA has reestablished on the island are extinct on the mainland outside of fenced reserves," says Wendy. "That's how rare these animals are."

Time travel

To completely restore an island to what it looked like over 400 years ago is a challenge.

"It's not just about re-establishing native animals on the island," says Wendy.

"It's also about managingand eradicating weeds. There is a biosecurity management planto prevent new [weed] introductions."

The team started by removing the sheep and goats. Then they radio-tracked female goats to find more goats, and removed those animals from the island.

The last sheep were removed in 2016, and the last goats in 2017.

"The one thing that's truly remarkable in all of this is actually feral cat removal," says Wendy.

"This isthe largest island eradication in the world at this point of feral goats, sheep and feral cats."

Trap camera footage of a feral cat on Wirruwana. Credit: via Shark Bay World Heritage

Using standard techniques, researchers managed to remove feral cats from Wirruwana.

To ensure the job was complete, they brought in sniffer dogs and walked all over the 80 km-long island for weeks until no cats were detected.

When feral cats were finally declared eradicated in 2018, more than 400 had been removed.

"I just can't overemphasize what an amazing experience it is to see no feral cat [tracks] on the island," says Wendy.

A 'staggering' change

Wendy says the difference between Dirk Hartog Island as a pastoral station and Wirruwana as a national park "is quite astonishingly different."

To date, eight native species have been reestablished, and the team aims to have up to 13 animals reintroduced by 2030. With the return of the animals, the landscape is changing.

When you remove an animal from the environment, everything that animal does in its habitat, such as digging and distributing seeds, is lost.

With the return of native animals, these processes and Wirruwana are slowly being restored.

"The difference in just a few short years is really quite staggering," says Wendy.

A rewilding blueprint

Wendy says rewilding Wirruwana is one of the most important ecological restoration projects in Australia, and it's highly regarded globally.

With impressive outcomes, what does it mean for the future of Australian environmental conservation?

Return to 1616 has shown what is possible. The project provides evidenceand inspirationfor rewilding other islands and protected environments.

Wirruwana can lead the way for others to follow in its footsteps, to create a blueprint for the conservation of Australia's precious ecosystems.

Provided by Particle

This article first appeared on Particle, a science news website based at Scitech, Perth, Australia. Read the original article.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A study of Pakistan's banking sector reveals a troubling link between the "dark tetrad" personality traits of Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism, and a toxic workplace. The work, published in the International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion, sheds light on the interplay of manipulation, malice, and mental health in the digital age and shows how this fuels cyberbullying and leads to female employees leaving their jobs prematurely, with significant implications for workplace culture and organizational resilience.

The "dark tetrad" is a well-known term in psychology used to refer to a malignant quartet of personality traits that are often associated with toxic behavior from those with those characteristics including calculated deceit, self-aggrandizement; a lack of empathy and emotional detachment, feeling pleasure in causing damage or harm to others.

In the workplace, such traits lead to antagonism, bullying, and persistent and deliberate harm. In the digital age, these problems might be inflicted online rather than in person, face-to-face, which means they may remain hidden.

Rimsha Baheer of the Institute of Business and Management at the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore, Pakistan, Kanwal Iqbal Khan of the Department of Management Sciences at the University of Engineering and Technology, New Campus, KSK, Pakistan, and Shahid Mahmood of the Institute of Business, Management and Administrative Sciences at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, have surveyed banking workers across Pakistan.

The team's analysis of the data shows that behavior associated with the dark tetrad of personality traits targets women disproportionately. This leads to the exacerbation of mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and a loss of confidence. They found that sadism is the most pernicious trait, and it has a more troubling effect on its victims than narcissism or psychopathy. The researchers point out that those on the receiving end of cyberbullying may struggle with their mental health and might consider leaving their jobs under such pressure.

Overall, the research gives us a stark picture of the cascading effects of workplace toxicity across Pakistan's banking sector that may well play out elsewhere in the world. It represents a wake-up call for employers seeing an otherwise inexplicably high staff turnover.

The researchers suggest that proactive intervention is the way forward to address the problem. By fostering a culture of inclusivity, promoting respectful communication, and providing support for mental health, it might be possible to combat the ripple effects of the dark tetrad.

Fundamentally though, it may also raise warning flags for these kinds of personality traits and nudge recruiters and human resource managers to avoid employing such toxic people in the first place.

More information: Rimsha Baheer et al, Unveiling the consequences of dark tetrad personality traits among female employees: linking cyberbullying and mental health with workplace outcomes, International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion (2024). DOI: 10.1504/IJWOE.2024.143168

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Francis Omujal showing the Ugandan shea butter machine. Credit: Francis Omujal

For Ojok Okello, a Ugandan shea nut farmer, turning his harvest into a marketable product was a lengthy and labor-intensive process.

It would take at least 10 hours, with several workers helping him, to process 1 kilogram of shea butter, a fatty substance derived from the nuts of the shea tree and used in cosmetics and cooking.

The production process traditionally includes boiling, sun drying, and grinding the shea kernels to separate the butter from solids.

"We used charcoal or firewood, which is not eco-friendly," said Okello, who lives in Okere City, an ecovillage in northern Uganda where naturally-growing shea trees are at the heart of sustainable development efforts.

"We then pay a minimum of Sh6000 [US$1.6] per kilogram at the milling site, which is a lot of money. This leads to losses."

But a new technology developed by Ugandan researchers, which separates different elements of the fatty substance, is helping shrink the long hours spent producing shea butter, allowing Okello and his co-workers to create high-quality products efficiently.

"Our butter had a strong natural smell that scared away customers who weren't familiar with it," Okello explained.

He said he was grateful for the technology as it had improved the quality of the product, potentially opening the door to international markets.

Lucrative business

The innovation, spearheaded by Francis Omujal, senior researcher at Uganda's Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Institute, and his team, aims to refine shea butter production into a more sustainable and lucrative business.

The process, known as fractionation, separates fats into liquid and solid components, enabling producers to make products such as cooking oil, butter, mosquito repellents, hair oils, and cosmetics.

The machine, powered by gas or electricity, first heats the shea butter to melt it, then cools it slowly so it can separate the different components at melting point.

According to the 2024 Uganda Shea Market Study, traditional processing methods are inefficient, affecting the quantity and quality of shea products and limiting potential trade. It says Uganda's share of the global shea trade stands at less than 1%.

Poor export infrastructure and market access issues also hinder efficient distribution, the study says.

Omujal believes fractionation could increase output by 300% and save 40% of the energy used in traditional methods.

"This technology has no wastage," he said.

"The solid becomes butter and the liquids are turned into oils. These products are of good quality and can be consumed anywhere around the world."

Export potential

According to a 2022 survey conducted by the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL), shea butter production provides income for thousands of rural women in northern Uganda and South Sudan, who control 70% of the shea trade.

But the women still process shea butter using traditional methods which result in low yields and poor butter quality.

UWEAL chairperson Sarah Kitakule says the fractionation technology could improve production, packaging, branding, and export standards.

"This technology will not only be useful for Uganda's shea butter industry, but the entire East Africa," said Kitakule.

According to Omujal, the fractionation process means the shea butter can be used for a greater variety of products, which can be sold in both local and international markets.

"Traditionally, shea butter production in Uganda focused mainly on domestic use as an edible oil," he explained.

"This technology will add value so that we can get multiple products and increase local and international markets.

"We believe this dream will empower our shea butter communities."

Finance needed

However, with a cost of US$10,000, the technology is out of reach for many farmers and finance is needed to scale up the initiative, to support more producers.

John Walugembe, executive director of Uganda's Federation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, believes the technology could significantly improve livelihoods in northern Uganda.

He says improving access to both the machines and electricity would help shea butter producers maximize the benefits of the new technology.

"We can ask government to make sure these machines are taken to shea butter communities," he said.

"We ask government to extend electricity to these communities because we have seen these machines are eco-friendly and they use power, yet we know most of the shea butter communities do not have electricity."

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Graphical abstract. Credit: Journal of Controlled Release (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.04.013

While ultrasound has been widely used for medical imaging, it also has a variety of therapeutic applications. The technology could potentially facilitate the release of medication in precise locations for disorders and conditions that require drug treatment.

Ideally, a drug would be released only in specific regions of interest and at a high concentration, to maximize the benefits and minimize side effects. However, releasing a drug selectively in specific locations in the body, including the brain, has been challenging. Researchers have tackled the problem by designing ultrasound-sensitive nanoparticles that release a drug at the targeted site when activated by focused ultrasound.

In a proof-of-concept study, University of Utah researchers tested whether this method could release a drug in a specific area of the brain of non-human primates.

The results, published in the Journal of Controlled Release, showed that the ultrasound-sensitive nanoparticles released a substantial dose of the anesthetic propofol in specific deep brain regions. The treatment was found to be safe and effective, and the result was reversible.

"The main benefit of using ultrasound-sensitive nanoparticles is that they encapsulate the drug so that it has minimal interaction with the body, except where it's released by focused ultrasound," said Jan Kubanek, Ph.D., assistant professor in biomedical engineering at the University of Utah and study corresponding author.

"This could potentially allow us to treat under-regulated or malfunctioning circuits in the brain without exposing the entire brain and the body to drugs," he added.

Designing nanocarriers to deliver a drug payload

The researchers engineered new nanoparticles with three layers: an inner core made up of a contrast agent that responds to ultrasound activation, a second layer that encapsulates the drug, and an outer shell.

The design builds upon previous research in rodents that showed that nanoparticles can contain contrast agents that change from a liquid to gas upon interaction with high-frequency ultrasound waves. This approach facilitates a controlled release of the drug at a precise location.

However, a limitation of previous research was that the nanoparticles were unstable when they entered the bloodstream, which raised safety concerns.

Kubanek's team increased the stability of the nanoparticles by choosing a different contrast agent and adding an outer shell to the design. They also encapsulated the drug to prevent it from interacting with surrounding tissues and organs until it was activated by the ultrasound and released in the targeted brain region.

Evaluation in large animal models

The researchers loaded the nanocarriers with a low dose of propofol (an anesthetic that suppresses neural circuits) to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of their combined method.

They chose propofol because the drug is used in the clinic, causes well-defined neural inhibition, and its effects on the brain circuits occur quickly. This allowed the researchers to test if the nanocarriers released the drug as intended.

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They used an established visual choice experiment to determine whether releasing propofol in specific visual brain regions would impact the monkeys' behavior. Briefly, the animals are shown two targetsa flash of light on the left and right. They indicate which target appeared first by making an eye movement in that direction.

The researchers focused on the right and left lateral geniculate nuclei, or LGN, which are small structures in the brain that are important for vision.

Because each LGN derives input from the opposite side, the researchers expected that inhibiting the LGN on one side would affect vision on the other side. For example, administering propofol directly to the right LGN would impair the animal's visual perception on the left side, and the animal would be biased to choose the targets on the right side.

After propofol-loaded nanoparticles were administered into the bloodstream by injection, the researchers delivered 1-minute ultrasound pulses to the right or left LGN and observed how the animals reacted to the stimuli.

As predicted, the animals chose the target on the right when the propofol was released in the right LGN. The opposite also occurred, and the animals chose the target on the left when propofol was released in the left LGN.

The researchers concluded that the selective release of propofol modulated the subjects' visual choice behavior, which was specific to propofol and the targeted side of the brain when compared with ultrasound alone.

The researchers also found that a low dose of propofol achieved a targeted brain delivery when activated by ultrasound and minimized its interaction with tissues and organs. This could indicate that lower doses of drugs could potentially achieve the desired effect.

In addition, the study found that the average time the nanoparticles circulated in the blood was about 30 minutes, which provides a practical time window for applications in humans.

"This study is important because it demonstrated a safe and effective approach to releasing drugs on demand in awake, behaving primates, as opposed to previous studies that used rodents, thus providing a critical step toward future clinical translation," said Guoying Liu, Ph.D., director of NIBIB's Division of Applied Science and Technology.

There were two reported limitations of the study: the release was not validated using an imaging modality and the reported behavioral effects could be subject to behavioral adaptation and potentially other cognitive influences.

However, these limitations were mitigated by contrasting the drug release across the two brain sites and by contrasting propofol-filled nanoparticles with saline and empty nanoparticles.

Looking ahead

The researchers aim to eventually apply their formulation to a variety of medications that produce side effects, including chemotherapy.

"A major strength of this approach is that the nanoparticles are designed to carry any drug and release it upon ultrasound activation so this system could be used to treat cancer, pain, or addiction," said Kubanek.

Besides additional testing in non-human primates, the research team is also testing the potential of this targeted release approach in delivering chemotherapy in a mouse model of glioblastoma, the most common, aggressive, and deadly brain cancer.

This science highlight describes a basic research finding. Basic research increases our understanding of human behavior and biology, which is foundational to advancing new and better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease.

Science is an unpredictable and incremental processeach research advance builds on past discoveries, often in unexpected ways. Most clinical advances would not be possible without the knowledge of fundamental basic research.

More information: Matthew G. Wilson et al, Remotely controlled drug release in deep brain regions of non-human primates, Journal of Controlled Release (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.04.013 Journal information: Journal of Controlled Release

Provided by National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
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: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Dr. Donggil Song, an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, is creating artificial intelligence (AI) applications and AI-based virtual reality (VR) platforms to provide dynamic and immersive educational experiences.

Song's innovations include a VR platform aimed at advancing college algebra education and a generative AI app used to strengthen the communications skills of medical students. His Human-AI Collaboration Engineering Lab, Einbrain, plays a central role in both projects.

Algeverse: Revolutionizing college algebra education

Song is applying AI-based VR technology to improve student learning in college algebra curricula. The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station is collaborating with Prairie View A&M and The University of Texas at El Paso on the project.

The centerpiece of the initiative is Algeverse, a VR platform designed to boost student comprehension and retention rates and advance research in STEM education.

Researchers will develop 50 hours of integrated STEM lessons for college algebra embedded as modules in Algeverse. Students will use Meta Quest VR headsets to explore the interactive algebra content, immersing them in an environment intended to foster deeper understanding.

"With our VR system, students connect with AI-powered mentors who support and inspire their learning journey," said Song.

The research team will gather extensive data, tracking student interactions with the VR system as well as metrics on motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes. This data will inform the development of strategies to improve student success in algebra, particularly among students who often face challenges in this foundational subject.

As research continues, Song is optimistic the platform will result in stronger performance for STEM students and potentially revolutionize the way college algebra is taught.

MedChat: Improving medical communication

MedChat is a generative AI application that addresses one of the most difficult aspects of medical practice: delivering life-altering diagnoses to patients.

Through MedChat, students engage in realistic interactions with virtual patients, practicing how to communicate complex medical information with empathy and professionalism. Whatever emotion the virtual patient expresses, from confusion to denial to distress, MedChat responds accordingly, creating a nuanced learning experience.

After each session, students receive immediate evaluations generated by the system. The feedback covers essential aspects such as tone, word choice and emotional sensitivity, helping students understand the impact of their communication style.

"MedChat is a game-changer," said Song. "It provides a safe environment where medical students can hone their communication skills without the emotional or ethical stakes of practicing on real patients. It bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world practice."

The College of Osteopathic Medicine at Sam Houston State University has incorporated MedChat into its curriculum. One student stated, "It's one thing to learn about patient care in a classroom, but it's entirely different to navigate a conversation where every word matters. MedChat helps us find that balance between delivering necessary information and showing compassion."

MedChat introduces not only a tool for skill-building but also a benchmark for how technology can address the complexities of patient-doctor interactions. It aligns with the growing trend of incorporating artificial intelligence into medical education. Song feels the app has great potential to enhance health care quality by better preparing future physicians to provide not only competent but compassionate care.

A vision for the future

Song's work represents a shift away from traditional teaching methods. By creating immersive and interactive learning environments with tools such as AI and VR, students benefit from more personalized and engaging educational experiences.

These technologies may reshape how students connect with course materials, ultimately improving academic outcomes. Looking ahead, Song anticipates that AI and VR will become integral components of curricula across a range of disciplines.
US President Joe Biden signed a government funding bill into law on Saturday, successfully averting a potential government shutdown, Azernews reports.

This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted, Biden stated. The legislation ensures federal operations are funded through March 14, allocating $100 billion for disaster aid and $10 billion for agricultural assistance.

The bill notably excludes President-elect Donald Trumps demand for a debt ceiling extension. However, Biden emphasized its significance: But it rejects the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires that Republicans sought, and it ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity. Thats good news for the American people, especially as families gather to celebrate this holiday season.

The funding bill passed with strong bipartisan support, gaining 366 votes in the House and 85 in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reassured: There will be no government shutdown.

The weeks leading up to the bills approval were fraught with political tension. Trump, along with ally Elon Musk, had opposed an earlier bipartisan deal, advocating for a debt ceiling increasea demand ultimately excluded from the final legislation.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called the outcome a good outcome for the country, adding that Trump was certainly happy about this outcome. Johnson navigated the process by securing bipartisan support, avoiding Trumps debt limit demands.

As lawmakers prepare for a new Congress, the bills passage ends a turbulent period in Washington, while setting the stage for an anticipated debate over the debt ceiling.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili could face criminal charges if she continues to advocate for new parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated during a December 22 briefing.

Kobakhidze criticized Zourabichvilis recent meeting with opposition representatives and NGOs on December 21, describing her initiative as a violation of Georgian law. Her initiative is a gross violation of Georgian laws and entails criminal liability, he said.

According to Georgian legislation, new elections can only be called under three conditions: annulment of election results by the Central Election Commission or the Constitutional Court, the expiration of the parliaments four-year term, or a failure by parliament to express confidence in the government.

If the president nevertheless decides to call new parliamentary elections for another reason, she will be held criminally liable for this, Kobakhidze warned.

This marks another point of contention between Zurabishvili and the ruling Georgian Dream party, adding further tension to the countrys political climate.
Canadian killed in Playa del Carmen alleged Quebec cocaine runner for Hells Angeles

Playa del Carmen, Q.R.  A Canadian man shot to death in a Playa del Carmen parking lot has been identified as 39 year old Mathieu Belanger from Quebec. According to local information, he was living in Playa del Carmen with his partner using false Mexican documents.

On Saturday, Belanger was found dead in his vehicle shot five times in the head. He had just left a gym and was alone in his vehicle at the time of the targeted shooting by two men on a motorcycle.

In Canada he was a known as drug trafficker Barbu who had ties to the Hells Angels. Both he and his 33 year old partner, also from Quebec, were living in Playa del Carmen and considered fugitives. Both are reported to have been part of a criminal organization in Canada that supplied narcotics to the Hells Angels, a lifestyle they reportedly continued in Mexico.

They had been living in Playa del Carmen two years after relocating from Oaxaca. Barbu is reported to have continued his Canadian-linked criminal activity in Playa del Carmen in the form of cocaine trafficking.

Mathieu Belanger was arrested by Playa del Carmen police in April 2024. Belanger was stopped by the SSC (Secretary of Citizen Security) of Solidaridad in a federal highway filter in April 2024 and arrested after police found a revolver, ammunition and what appeared to be a large quantity of methamphetamines in his vehicle. He was later released.

The SSC (Secretaria de Seguridad Ciudadana) of Solidaridad seized his truck at the time during the April 2024 arrest. He was shot Saturday while inside a different vehicle.

According to media outlet Le Journal de Montreal, Belanger was wanted in Canada by the Surete du Quebec (SQ) for unauthorized possession of a firearm and improper storage.

His partner, Andree-Ann Vignola S, 33, is also reportedly wanted by Quebec police on firearm charges. Both are from Repentigny, Quebec. The couple moved to Quintana Roo from Oaxaca in 2022. She remains in Playa del Carmen with their children.

According to the line of local investigations, Mathieu Belanger was executed Saturday in a targeted shooting by members of the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
National Guard intercept suspicious cab loaded with illegal items

Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Q.R.  A Felipe Carrillo Puerto taxi found loaded with illegal items was seized and its driver arrested. The arrest was made during a late night operation by the National Guard.

On Friday night, National Guard intercepted the municipal taxi at the intersection of 46th and 61st Streets in the Lazaro Cardenas neighborhood. The cab was stopped after personnel watched the occupants inside, two men and a woman, along with the driver, try and hide items under the seats.

During the inspection, National Guard found a gun, ammo and cocaine. The taxi was stopped at 11:15 p.m. after being pulled over by National Guard who were patrolling to combat organized crime in the region.

In a statement, they said the vehicle, a white Nissan Versa with license plate URJ-454-M and registration number 113, raised suspicions when officers observed that its occupants  two men, a woman, and the driver  were attempting to hide objects under the seats.

During the inspection, officers found a Glock-type firearm, model 17 fifth generation, caliber 9 millimeters, American-made, three magazines each with a capacity for 17 9-millimeter caliber cartridges, 35 live cartridges of the same caliber, wrappers with white powder, presumably cocaine and a bag with red wrappers, possibly for trafficking illicit substances.

The occupants of the taxi were arrested and their rights read to them. They were subsequently placed at the disposal of the competent authorities for the corresponding investigation.
RICHMOND, BC, Dec. 23, 2024 /CNW/ - The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced today that Balkar Bhullar of Richmond, British Columbia, was sentenced on December 19, 2024, in the Provincial Court of British Columbia (Robson Square), to a conditional sentence order of two years less a day and was fined a total of $2,153,394. Bhullar pleaded guilty on August 3, 2023, to one count of tax evasion under the Income Tax Act.

A CRA investigation revealed that Bhullar failed to report $7,485,246 in taxable income on his individual income tax returns for the years 2011, 2012, and 2014. Bhullar failed to report income from the assignment fees earned from flipping 14 properties between January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2014, thereby evading $2,153,394 in federal Income taxes.

All case-specific information above was obtained from the court records.

Over the years, the CRA has made significant progress in uncovering and addressing emerging areas of non-compliance through various enforcement actions in the real estate sector. Learn more on how the CRA addresses non-compliance in the real estate sector.

In addition to the court imposed fines and/or jail sentences, convicted taxpayers have to pay the full amount of tax owing, plus related interest and any penalties assessed by the CRA.

The CRA is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of Canada's tax system, thereby contributing to the social and economic well-being of Canadians. The CRA continues to aggressively pursue tax evasion, and false claims with all the tools available to it. The CRA works to make sure that individuals and businesses report all income earned and only claim benefits to which they are entitled, so that important benefit programs can be administered to those who need them. Any individual or business who underreports income, or claims losses or benefits to which they are not entitled may have to repay the benefit amounts and may be subject to other possible action.

The CRA has set up a free subscription service to help Canadians stay current on the CRA's enforcement efforts.

Associated links

Reporting suspected tax or benefit cheating in Canada

Voluntary Disclosures Program

Contacts:

Media Relations

Canada Revenue Agency

613-948-8366

cra-arc.media@cra-arc.gc.ca

Stay connected
By Alimat Aliyeva

The Philippine military plans to purchase Typhon mobile ground-based missile launchers from the United States, Azernews reports.

"We intend to receive them. They are crucial for enhancing our defense systems for the archipelago," the official stated, noting that weapon procurement in the Philippines typically takes at least two years. The allocation of funds for the Typhon system has not yet been included in the fiscal year 2025 budget.

In 2024, the United States deployed a Typhon system to the Philippines as part of the annual US-Philippine military exercises. Despite objections from the People's Republic of China (PRC), the American command decided to leave the Typhon system in the Philippines.

The Typhon system is capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 1,800 km and multi-purpose SM-6 missiles with a range of up to 500 km in its current configuration.

The potential purchase of the Typhon system marks a significant step in the Philippines' efforts to modernize its military and strengthen its defense capabilities in the face of rising geopolitical tensions in the region. With its advanced missile systems, the Philippines will be better equipped to safeguard its sovereignty, especially in the context of ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Furthermore, this move underscores the strengthening military ties between the Philippines and the United States, which have been growing in recent years through joint exercises and security agreements.
In Slates annual Movie Club, film critic Dana Stevens emails with fellow criticsfor 2024, Bilge Ebiri, K. Austin Collins, Alison Willmore, and Odie Hendersonabout the year in cinema. Read the first entry here.

To my fellow celluloid-based life-forms,

Dana, I do indeed appear to have developed a reputation for liking big, sprawling movies. When I went to see Brady Corbets The Brutalist at the New York Film Festival this year, I ran into several friends and colleagues who assumed I was there to see it again. (I have also, it should be noted, developed a reputation for watching movies multiple times.) When I asked why my pals thought I had already seen it, one of them replied, Because its such a you movie.

Im still not sure what that means, but I think I know what it means. So its perhaps odd that I liked but did not love The Brutalist. (Hello, hi, Im the lone weirdo who thinks that films second half is better and crazier and more interesting than its first.) But I do like Brady Corbets work in general, and its been fun watching him go from relatively little-known actor to niche director to, now, potential Oscar contender. I remember, years ago, interviewing him and Mati Diop at Sundance when they were both actors co-starring in Antonio Campos Simon Killer. I met them at a restaurant, right after they had come out of Andrey Zvyagintsevs Elena, a decidedly austere and un-Sundance-y picture that had somehow made its way to Park City that year. I had just heard about the death of the great Greek director Theo Angelopoulos earlier that day and broke the news to them; they were both devastated. We began our interview with a toast to Angelopoulos (whose works, by the way, occasionally clocked in three hours long, or longer), and I remember thinking, These are my people. So its been exciting to see them both become acclaimed filmmakers. Diop, of course, won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 2019 for the wonderful Atlantics, and then won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale this year for the excellent Dahomeya mesmerizingly spectral, 68-minute documentary about the return to Benin of 26 looted royal artifactswhich was also at this years New York Film Festival, premiering on the same day as The Brutalist! Two very different artists, with very different styles, who were both forged in the nexus between the elliptical and the ambitious.

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So, The Brutalist didnt entirely do it for me (though Im sure Ill watch it again at some point, heh), but there were certainly some big-swing epics this year that did. First off, here is my Top 20 list, because I no longer believe in mere Top 10s:

1. Close Your Eyes (Victor Erice)

2. Nickel Boys (RaMell Ross)

3. Green Border (Agnieszka Holland)

4. The Fall Guy (David Leitch)

5. Universal Language (Matthew Rankin)

6. Girls Will Be Girls (Shuchi Talati)

7. Horizon: An American Saga (Kevin Costner)

8. No Other Land (Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor)

9. Ghostlight (Kelly OSullivan, Alex Thompson)

10. Hit Man (Richard Linklater)

11. The Wild Robot (Christopher Sanders)

12. The Order (Justin Kurzel)

13. Daughters (Angela Patton, Natalie Rae)

14. Rumours (Guy Maddin, Evan and Galen Johnson)

15. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Benjamin Ree)

16. Oh, Canada (Paul Schrader)

17. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (George Miller)

18. Anora (Sean Baker)

19. All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia)

20. Hard Truths (Mike Leigh)

When I look at this list, one thing really jumps out: Many of my favorite films this year were about the way we see each otherhow much our identity, our very existence, depends on the way others perceive us. Paul Schraders Oh, Canada is about a dying filmmaker who has been revered as a counterculture hero but is convinced his life has been a lie and feels he must confess it to his wife, in her presence, before he passes away. In Sean Bakers Anora (which I imagine well be talking about more as the Movie Club proceeds), we see how Ani (Mikey Madison), the stripper who elopes with Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the vape-happy son of a Russian oligarch, is not so different from the various attendants and servants and maitre ds surrounding this irresponsible princeling. Bakers cutting and framing turn what starts off as subtext into text: Ani ignores all these underlings at firsta better life means never having to worry about those in the Beneath ever againuntil circumstances force her into solidarity with a trio of hired goons whove come to end her marriage.

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Meanwhile, in Richard Linklaters marvelous Hit Man, Glen Powells nebbishy, jorts-wearing philosophy lecturer/audio-tech guy poses as a hired killer for a series of police sting operations, and soon adopts the persona of an outlaw badass as his own, especially once he falls in love with a prospective client who continues to believe that hes actually a freelance murderer. (He even gets better at sex.) In Benjamin Rees utterly crushing documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, we learn about Mats Steen, a young man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (a debilitating, progressive, ultimately fatal disease), who spent most of his final years playing World of Warcraft from a wheelchair in his basement. After he dies, his parents discover that in this virtual world, he was Ibelin Redmoore, a brave, wise, muscle-bound private investigator who had a genuinely positive impact on the real lives of his fellow players, none of whom knew he was dying and in extraordinary pain. (I get teary-eyed just trying to type out the premise of this movie.)

Ultimately, thats what really got me about my favorite film of the year, Victor Erices Close Your Eyes (which actually premiered at Cannes last year, so a lot of people who should have it on their Top 10 lists probably didnt even consider it). Its the story of Miguel (Manolo Soto), a filmmaker searching for his best friend, Julio (Jose Coronado), an actor who walked off the set of one of their movies three decades ago and hasnt been heard from since. In the final act, Miguel finds Julio living at a retirement home run by a convent of nuns. Julio has lost his memory and has no idea of his past as a famous actor. He lives in a shack at the convent, doing odd jobs. The nuns love him, and he seems content. Miguels struggle now becomes trying to spark this mans lost memory using images from the picture they were shooting when he disappeared, hoping that something will make him remember who he once was. But as we watch Miguels efforts, we realize: He needs Julios memory more than Julio does. Miguels career as a filmmaker, along with a huge part of his life, ended with Julios disappearance. Hes lost his family and has spent the past however many years living off the grid, growing tomatoes by the beach. He needs Julios redeeming gaze so he can recover his own identity, to recognize that he himself existsnot the other way around.

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Related From Slate The Daring, Original Movies That Actually Brought People to Theaters This Year Read More

Coming from an 84-year-old legend of Spanish cinema, a director who has, sadly, made only four features over more than 50 years (all of them masterpieces), Close Your Eyes is one of those movies that make me perceive the whole world differently after each viewing, even though the truth it ultimately expresses is universal and obvious, if often unspoken.

This is the point where I should launch into an extended riff on RaMell Ross stunning, stunning, stunning Nickel Boys, my other favorite film of the year. Adapting Colson Whiteheads Pulitzer Prizewinning novel about horrific abuse at a Jim Crowera reform school, Ross employs a first-person point-of-view camerawhich has traditionally been a very gimmicky device, but he makes it work by crossbreeding it with a fragmented, elliptical editing style, then intercutting between the points of view of his two protagonists. Talk about a movie thats all about seeing!

But really, Ive gone on too long, and I know there are other big fans of Nickel Boys here. So Im really just setting it up, to pass the baton.

Take it away, folks,

Bilge

Read the next entry in Movie Club: Megalopolis Felt Like a Middle Finger to Its Own Audience. I Respect That.
In the third feature film from Dutch writer-director Halina Reijn (Instinct, Bodies Bodies Bodies), Nicole Kidman plays Romy Mathis, the CEO of Tensile, a shipping automation company that has been a pioneer in the use of robotics. Romys home life is itself somewhat robotic: Though her high-pressure job absorbs most of her waking hours, she also looks the picture of chic femininity as she poses for professional holiday portraits with her loving theater-director husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas) and their two daughters, one teenaged and one in middle school. As the movie opens, Romy and Jacob are engaged in what appears to be volcanically satisfying sexbut as soon as he goes to sleep, she rushes to the other room to masturbate to a BDSM porn video. Clearly a crucial piece is missing in the life of this Vogue-cover-ready girlboss.

Outside her Manhattan office one day, Romy spots a young man with a quietly authoritative manner calming a runaway dog in the street before returning it to its owner. Soon after, she realizes he is one of her companys incoming group of interns, a lanky twentysomething named Samuel (Harris Dickinson) who immediately throws his boss off balance by asking a challenging question about the companys commitment to sustainability. Later, Samuel insists on listing Romy as his official mentor, even though she maintains that she isnt part of the firms mentoring program. In their first meeting, as shes talking about what its like to wield professional power, he offers a laconic but pointed counter-opinion: I think you like to be told what to do. This casual assertion unlocks something in the tightly wound Romy. Within days, she and Samuel are engaged in a torrid affair with a lightly sadomasochistic charge. They meet up in hotel rooms (or sometimes, dangerously, in conference rooms at the Tensile office), where he orders her to perform submissive roles: crawling to him on all fours to beg for a piece of candy, lapping up milk like a cat.

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Romy and Samuels first awkward, then steamy, sex games might be dismissed as plain vanilla by those with wider-ranging tastes, but their comparative mildness is part of Reijns point. What Babygirl wants to explore is not the extreme edge of dominance and submission but the intense shame experienced by some womenespecially, perhaps, straight married women of a certain ageat the notion of having any kinks at all. In a scene where Romy tries to be honest with her husband about her desires (while withholding such key pieces of information as Im fucking my intern), she tearfully confesses to dark, dark thoughts and calls herself a monster and not normal. What the fling with Samuel offers Romy is not only sexual gratification but a glimpse into a world where such role-playing is only one of many perfectly ordinary forms of human behavior. Reijns screenplay suggests that the distinction between Romys and Samuels approaches to sex is in part generational: As a Gen Z polymorph, he is more open than she is to same-sex encountersin a nightclub scene, he caresses a shirtless man on the dance floorand later on he admonishes a Gen Xaged character who frames Romys submissive role-playing as antifeminist that thats an outdated idea about sexuality.

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What keeps Babygirl from feeling preachy or self-serious is the films sense of humor and playfulness when it comes to matters of sex. Yes, Romy is playing a perilous game with both her marriage and her professional reputation; to the extent this movie could be classed as an erotic thriller, as some critics have dubbed it, the suspense comes from waiting to see whether and how she will face the consequences of her messy personal choices. But suspense plays a relatively small part in whats ultimately a kind of erotic comedy: As Samuel comes up with new ways to turn Romy on by bossing her around, he often has to suppress a sneaky smile. Theres a hint, in a thematic thread that could have been better developed, that Samuels quest to free Romy from a lifetime of repression might be motivated by something less noble than the desire to be a sexual liberator. At the height of their secret affair, he finds excuses to show up at her house and chat with her family, all the while reminding her in private that hes not interested in making a middle-aged mother his exclusive girlfriend. Do the cat-and-mouse games the two play appeal to him because of his own kinks, or because of the way they reverse the real-life power dynamic with his boss? When he appears to laugh off a suggestion that hes the victim of workplace abuse, is Samuel in denial, or bluffing, or genuinely so secure in his own sexual power that he feels no loss of agency? Our final glimpse of the character onscreen is in a fantasy sequence seen from Romys point of view, shutting us out from Samuels interiority. Its a choice thats in line with the movies focus on female desire, but Samuels opacity keeps him tantalizingly out of reach, as much for the audience as for his pining lover. Dickinson, an English actor whose breakout role was in 2017s Beach Rats, has an air of reserve and self-possession that makes you wonder what hes hiding.

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Related From Slate Nicole Kidman Has Never Been a Bigger Star. So Why Does She Keep Doing This? Read More

Reijns filmmaking is not groundbreaking, but its slick and stylish, with a soundtrack full of cheeky needle-drops: INXSs Never Tear Us Apart for a falling-in-lust montage, George Michaels Father Figure for a memorable scene in which Samuel dances shirtless in a posh hotel room, glass of whiskey in hand, while Romy looks on entranced. While this isnt Kidmans first time playing a brittle Type-A woman whose attempt at external perfection leaves her frayed around the edgesthink of To Die For or Big Little Liesthe actress commits harder than she ever has to a character whose deep insecurity makes her sympathetic even when shes far from likable. In one scene, standing naked before her lover, Romy repeatedly and tearfully denies his sincere compliment: Youre beautiful. No, Im not. Im not. If even someone inhabiting the celestially gorgeous body of Nicole Kidman can feel this degree of discomfort and dysmorphia, Babygirl suggests, maybe we should all just knock it off with the shame already and find a way, however comically bumbling, to let our freak flags fly.
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The mystery of Joe Bidens views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of Americas most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment.

The three men excluded from Bidens mass clemencyDylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowerswould no doubt pose a severe test of anyones resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.

In a statement announcing his clemency decision, the president said, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.

But Biden cannot stop the use of the federal death penalty by leaving Roof, Tsarnaev, and Bowers behind. He cant prevent the Trump administration or its successors from resuming executions by refusing to commute their sentences.

Still, we should recognize that it is never easy for a political leader to spare the life of someone who has murdered an innocent victim. That is why presidents do it so rarely. Over the past 25 years, only three other federal death row inmates have been granted clemency.

On Jan. 20, 2001, his last day in office, President Bill Clinton commuted the death sentence of David Chandler. He did so after the key witness against him recanted his testimony and acknowledged committing the murder himself.

In 2017, Barack Obama granted clemency to Abelardo Arboleda Ortiz and Dwight Loving. In the Ortiz case, Obama granted clemency on the grounds that Ortiz was intellectually disabled, his right to consular notification under the Vienna Convention had been violated  and he had been denied effective assistance of counsel at trial. Like Ortiz, Loving received clemency because he also had received ineffective assistance from his trial lawyer. But also because of racial and gender bias in the selection of members of his court-martial.

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What Biden did for 37 people on federal death row is in itself momentous. And, as the Washington Post observes, Bidens decision to intervene in even one death penalty case caps a remarkable turnaround for him on this issue.

Leading opponents of the death penalty quickly and lavishly praised the president for this turnaround. For example, Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said, President Biden took a historic and courageous step in addressing the failed death penalty in the United Statesbringing us much closer to outlawing the barbaric practice once again. By commuting the sentences of 37 individuals on death row, President Biden has taken the most consequential step of any president in our history to address the immoral and unconstitutional harms of capital punishment.

But Romero said nothing about Roof, Tsarnaev, and Bowers.

Neither did Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and one of Americas leading abolitionists. Stevenson commended Biden for recognizing that we dont have to kill people to show that killing is wrong, that we can and should reduce violence in our communities by refusing to sanction more violence and killing in our courts and prisons.

Martin Luther King III also lauded Biden for taking meaningful and lasting action not just to acknowledge the death penaltys racist roots but also to remedy its persistent unfairness. He, too, was silent about the fate of the three people who were left out of Bidens clemency.

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As a matter of tactics, such silence is not surprising. Commuting the death sentences of Roof, Tsarnaev, and Bowers would have unleashed a firestorm of protest.

Related From Slate Biden Cracked a Very Revealing Joke About Why Democrats Lost Read More

And in the long run, it might have done damage to the campaign against the death penalty by associating it with three of Americas most heinous killers. Taking on those kinds of cases might, as I have previously warned, also have diverted attention from the damage capital punishment does to our democracy and our culture.

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Still, can one really be against state killing and not oppose the execution of people whom law professor Robert Blecker calls the worst of the worst? Apparently, Biden thinks so.

Since Biden became president, many have tried to discern his real views and the meaning of his administrations actions in capital cases. As a candidate in 2020, Biden promised to work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level and incentivize states to follow the federal governments example.

Today, he did more. But in my view, not enough

The White House made clear that Biden believes that America must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.

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Except. We should have known that there was an except in Bidens opposition to the death penalty from actions the Justice Department has taken to defend the convictions and sentences of Roof and Tsarnaev and to proceed with the prosecution of Bowers.

Abolitionists have made great strides in changing the situation of capital punishment in this country by focusing on problems like false convictions, racial disparities in death sentences, and botched executions. But they will never get this country to rid itself of the death penalty if they join Biden in making exceptions, especially for those whom others would see as most deserving of death.

The president of all people should understand this. His Catholic faith should have instructed him.

Last week, Biden spoke to Pope Francis about many things, including the decision he faced about whether to commute the sentences of the people on federal death row.

While we cannot know exactly what the two leaders said, the Vatican News was perfectly clear about the Popes position. The Pope, it said, has described the death penalty as an act at odds with Christian faith and one that eliminates all hope for forgiveness and rehabilitation. 

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On Dec. 8, one day before he talked to Biden, the Holy Father called on the faithful to pray for the prisoners who are on death row in the United States.  Let us pray, he said, that their sentence be commuted, changed. Let us think of these brothers and sisters of ours and ask the Lord for the grace to save them from death. 

The Pope recognized no exceptions. And neither should have Biden.

Sooner or later, opponents of the death penalty will have to take on the task of persuading the American people that incomplete abolition is no abolition at alland that even perpetrators of the most horrible crimes, like Roof, Tsarnaev, and Bowers, should not be put to death.

Biden had the chance to take a significant step in that direction. It is too bad that he wasted it.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/american-tax-dollars-hard-at-work-48m-for-ukrainian-influencers-1121247927.html

American Tax Dollars Hard at Work: $4.8M for Ukrainian Influencers

American Tax Dollars Hard at Work: $4.8M for Ukrainian Influencers

Sputnik International

The US State Department spent nearly $5 million on Ukrainian influencers, a move highlighted by Republican Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky as one of the most absurd expenditures by the US government in 2024.

2024-12-23T18:12+0000

2024-12-23T18:12+0000

2024-12-23T18:12+0000

americas

rand paul

us

americans

ukraine

republican

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Despite American taxpayers providing nearly $174 billion in aid and military assistance to Kiev since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, someone over at State thought it was a brilliant idea to drop an additional $4.8 million for Ukraine public affairs - Influencer Staff, Paul noted in his annual Festivus Report on government waste. The senator urged a return to serious diplomacy instead of relying on social media strategies, emphasizing that many American taxpayers struggling to meet their basic needs are funding this spending on Ukraine.Paul said it is "baffling" to see the US government burning through taxpayer dollars at a time when Americans are "scraping by." In total, the 41-page report covers over $1 trillion in what the senator describes as "government waste."Earlier, in an interview with NBC News, US President-elect Donald Trump remarked that under his administration, Kiev is unlikely to receive the same levels of aid it enjoyed during Joe Biden's presidency.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241203/total-us-military-aid-to-ukraine-under-biden-tops-62bln---pentagon-1121076588.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/from-greenland-to-canada-trumps-annexation-wishlist-1121245049.html

From Greenland to Canada: Trump's Annexation Wishlist

From Greenland to Canada: Trump's Annexation Wishlist

Sputnik International

US President-elect Donald Trump has been dropping not-so-subtle hints about his ambitions to grow America's borders  literally.

2024-12-23T13:47+0000

2024-12-23T13:47+0000

2024-12-23T13:47+0000

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us

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greenland

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Heres a rundown of the territories Trump has set his sights on: Panama Canal: Bringing It Back Home?Trump isnt shy about wanting to reclaim the Panama Canal, labeling its 1999 handover to Panama a mere "token of cooperation." After Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino firmly rejected this idea, Trump retorted with his favorite cliffhanger, Well see about that! One wonders if he envisions the canal lined with golden Trump logos.Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro jumped into the fray, firmly backing Panama's sovereignty and calling Trumps remarks an affront to regional stability.Greenland: Real Estate or Geopolitics?Revisiting his dream of acquiring Greenland, Trump framed the purchase as a necessity for "National security and freedom throughout the world." Whether its the natural resources, a strategic missile deployment site, or simply a vast icy canvas for a new Trump-branded resort, the motives remain unclear. Adding flair to the absurdity, X owner Elon Musk chimed in on social media, tweeting Congrats! Help America gain Greenland, complete with a cheeky emoji. Was he serious? Probably not, but when it comes to Trump and Greenland, who can tell?Canada: The 51st State?Trump jokingly (or was it?) suggested that Canada should join the US as the 51st state. Why? To dodge tariffs and enjoy military protection, of course! Trumps December 18 post declared, Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st state. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st state!!! Canadians, however, seemed less than enthused - perhaps Maple Leafs on the Stars and Stripes arent quite their style.Mexico: Subsidized to Statehood?During an interview on NBCs Meet the Press on December 8, Trump floated the idea of Mexico becoming a US state.Claiming that the US subsidizes Mexico to the tune of $300 billion a year, he remarked, If we're going to subsidize them, let them become a state.While it may have been a rhetorical flourish, the comment stirred conversation about Trumps vision of turning financial aid into political absorption.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/genders-greenland-and-energy-restrictions-trump-makes-his-stance-clear-1121239720.html

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Death anniversary of Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune commemorated in China

Xinhua) 08:31, December 23, 2024

Michael Crook (3rd R), chairman of the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, visits the memorial hall of Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Dec. 21, 2024. (The North China Military Martyrs Cemetery/Handout via Xinhua)

SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A commemoration event was held in north China's Hebei Province on Saturday to honor Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune for his selflessness and spirit of internationalism.

Titled "Memories Through Time and Space," the event was hosted by the North China Military Martyrs Cemetery in the provincial capital Shijiazhuang.

Around 100 people, including soldiers, students and individuals from various walks of life, attended the event.

This year marks the 85th death anniversary of Bethune, who died of blood poisoning at the age of 49 on Nov. 12, 1939 in China while aiding the Chinese people in their fight against Japanese aggression. His remains were relocated to the cemetery in 1953.

The commemoration began at 10 a.m., with participants bowing before the surgeon's tomb and presenting flower baskets.

"My father met Norman Bethune in Spain during his recovery from battle injuries. Influenced by him, my father aspired to come to China, where he met my mother and later had me," said Michael Crook, chairman of the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives.

His parents, David and Isabel Crook, played an important role in training a large number of foreign-language professionals for China.

"The spirit of Bethune has not faded with time; instead, it has been widely inherited and carried forward in both China and Canada," said Hu Jinqiang, director of the North China Military Martyrs Cemetery.

Hu noted that today Bethune is not just a name but a symbol of internationalism, humanism and selfless dedication. "We commemorate him to inspire more people to remember history and carry forward his spirit."

Participants bow before the tomb of Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune during a commemoration event in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Dec. 21, 2024. (The North China Military Martyrs Cemetery/Handout via Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
By Alimat Aliyeva

New Zealand has rejected proposals for granting citizenship and issuing its own passports to residents of the Cook Islands, but has expressed a willingness to discuss the issue of independence, Azernews reports.

The proposal, initiated by Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, was met with rejection by New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters.

According to Peters, the creation of a separate passport for the Cook Islands could affect key aspects of the constitutional relationship between the two countries and challenge the concept of common citizenship.

"If the Cook Islands seek independence from New Zealand, we are ready to begin negotiations. However, any decision regarding future status must be made through a referendum," he stated.

The Cook Islands, made up of 15 islands and atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, are home to approximately 15,000 inhabitants. Since 1965, they have been a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand. While the local government controls the internal and international affairs of the Cook Islands, its citizens hold New Zealand citizenship.

According to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the country is obligated to assist the Cook Islands in matters of foreign policy, natural disasters, and defense. Additionally, around 100,000 people in New Zealand identify themselves as Cook Islands M?ori, strengthening the cultural and historical ties between the two nations.

While the Cook Islands enjoys significant autonomy, the issue of independence remains a sensitive topic. New Zealand's rejection of the proposal for separate citizenship and passports is a reminder of the complexity of their relationship. However, the willingness to discuss independence marks a potential shift towards a future that may involve greater self-determination for the Cook Islands. As global and regional dynamics evolve, it will be interesting to see how this issue develops and how both parties approach the question of independence moving forward.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/germany-jointly-with-denmark-transfers-15-more-leopard-tanks-to-ukraine-1121248474.html

Germany Jointly With Denmark Transfers 15 More Leopard Tanks to Ukraine

Germany Jointly With Denmark Transfers 15 More Leopard Tanks to Ukraine

Sputnik International

Germany together with Denmark provided Ukraine with 15 more Leopard tanks, Berlin also sent an IRIS-T SLS air defense system and an IRIS-T SLM one, the German Cabinet of Ministers said on Monday.

2024-12-23T21:52+0000

2024-12-23T21:52+0000

2024-12-23T21:52+0000

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sergey lavrov

ukraine

germany

denmark

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"Delivered military support to Ukraine: ... 103 main battle tanks LEOPARD 1 A5* with spare parts (joint project with Denmark) (before: 88)," the updated list read. In addition, 30 mine-resistant and ambush-protected armored vehicles (MRAPs), ammunition for Leopard 2 battle tanks from the military and industry stocks and ammunition for Leopard 1 battle tanks was transferred. Germany also transferred IRIS-T SLM missiles in addition to the two air defense systems, two more Patriot launchers, two more Gepard anti-aircraft guns with spare parts. Besides, Germany transferred 65,000 more rounds for Gepard anti-aircraft guns, two more TRML-4D airborne radar stations and AIM-9L/I-1 Sidewinder guided missiles. According to the list, Berlin is also preparing to send Kiev 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, two Patriot missile launchers and four kinetic defense vehicles (Diehl Defence). Russia has said that arms supplies to Ukraine by the West hinder the conflict settlement and directly involve NATO countries in the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russia.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241221/watch-german-leopard-tank-get-taken-out-with-fpv-drone-strikes-1121230395.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/houthis-likely-shot-down-us-jet-over-red-sea---former-pentagon-analyst-1121247045.html

Houthis Likely Shot Down US Jet Over Red Sea - Former Pentagon Analyst

Houthis Likely Shot Down US Jet Over Red Sea - Former Pentagon Analyst

Sputnik International

The Yemeni Ansar Allah group (Houthis) have claimed responsibility for shooting down a US Navy F/A-18 jet over the Red Sea on December 22. The US Central Command, however, stated that the warplane was downed by "friendly fire" from the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg.

2024-12-23T17:54+0000

2024-12-23T17:54+0000

2024-12-23T17:54+0000

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"We know the Houthis are war-hardened, extremely tough, smart, and motivated," retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, told Sputnik, commenting on the groups alleged downing of a US warplane. "They have a variety of drones and hypersonic missiles, and they are fighting a long war for fundamental reasons, specifically to free the Arab world from Israeli, NATO, and US domination."The CENTCOM explanation seems questionable to Kwiatkowski for three reasons:How Could the Houthis Have Downed the US Warplane?Kwiatkowski noted that the F/A-18 was struck shortly after takeoff, as it was gaining speed and altitude.Why is the US Navy Downplaying the Houthi Missile Threat?According to Kwiatkowski, the primary reason for downplaying is that "the US Navy and Air Force are aging, overstretched for the types of global missions its politicians demand, and demoralized by both the politics of 'war' and extremely poor military leadership."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241222/houthis-claim-to-down-us-fa-18-in-bold-strike-on-aircraft-carrier-in-red-sea-1121238645.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241031/unable-to-wrest-control-of-red-sea-from-houthis-us-and-uk-launch-fresh-strikes-on-key-yemeni-port-1120740607.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/hungary-to-maintain-energy-ties-with-russia-as-no-better-offer-exists-1121240004.html

Hungary to Maintain Energy Ties With Russia As No 'Better Offer' Exists

Hungary to Maintain Energy Ties With Russia As No 'Better Offer' Exists

Sputnik International

Hungary does not intend to abandon its energy cooperation with Russia in the absence of a cheaper and more reliable alternative, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told RIA Novosti.

2024-12-23T05:34+0000

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"Russia has been a reliable partner for us when it comes to energy supplies, that's a fact, and in such serious issues like energy security, you only change your reliable source in case you have a better offer. But we don't have a better offer, we don't have an offer for more reliable or cheaper neither more reliable nor cheaper source to utilize. So why we would walk away from our energy cooperation with Russia?" Szijjarto said. The minister emphasized that the issue of energy belongs to the realm of physical infrastructure and not politics. Paks II Nuclear PlantThe construction of the Russian-built Paks II Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary is moving fast, and changes to the budget will be negotiated, the foreign minister also told RIA Novosti."What is good news is that we are moving forward with the construction pretty quickly," Szijjarto said.The minister added that budget changes were nothing out of the ordinary when it came to the construction of a nuclear plant.The two sides will negotiate about that, the minister said.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241221/hungary-still-ready-to-host-peace-negotiations-on-ukraine---szijjarto-1121225739.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/iran-russia-may-sign-strategic-partnership-agreement-in-january-2025-1121241861.html

Iran, Russia May Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement in January 2025

Iran, Russia May Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement in January 2025

Sputnik International

Tehran and Moscow may sign the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in January 2025, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday.

2024-12-23T09:13+0000

2024-12-23T09:13+0000

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"I hope this document will be signed at the end of [January]," Baghaei told reporters.On October 23, during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the imminent signing of the treaty at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeshkian. The Islamic Republic's ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, said earlier that the document would be signed during a separate visit of the Iranian president to Russia.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240930/iran-vice-president-calls-cooperation-with-russia-one-of-foreign-policy-priorities-1120359277.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/moldovan-president-sandu-plans-to-seize-transnistria-power-station---russian-intel-service-1121243803.html

Moldovan President Sandu Plans to Seize Transnistria Power Station - Russian Intel Service

Moldovan President Sandu Plans to Seize Transnistria Power Station - Russian Intel Service

Sputnik International

Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said that Moldovan President Maia Sandu had demanded that the country's government prepare a plan to take over the Cuciurgan power station in Transnistria.

2024-12-23T11:09+0000

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Sandu held a meeting with the Moldovan government to discuss the country's energy security issues, the SVR said in a statement on Monday. During the meeting, the president "lost her temper" after hearing a report by Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean on the potential energy supply problems Moldova could face after the expiration of the Russia-Ukraine natural gas transit agreement on December 31, the statement read. Sandu flatly refused to discuss the issue of Moldova's energy supplies with the Ukrainian authorities after the gas transit agreement expired, the statement added. The president said that if Moscow did not supply Moldova with natural gas, Chisinau would "take revenge" on Transnistria, according to the SVR. The meeting concluded with Sandus remarks about the need to develop a military operation plan to establish control over Transnistria and eliminate the Russian peacekeeping presence in the region, the SVR said. Since December 2022, Moldovagaz has been sourcing natural gas from Moldovan energy utility Energocom and Gazprom. The Russian gas is supplied to Transnistria in exchange for electricity, which is used to power the rest of Moldova. Moldova's Cuciurgan power station covers 80% of the country's electricity needs. Transnistria, where Russians and Ukrainians make up 60% of the population, sought to secede from Moldova even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, fearing that Moldova would join Romania amid a wave of nationalism. In 1992, after an unsuccessful attempt by Moldovan authorities to resolve the issue by force, Transnistria became a de facto territory outside Chisinaus control.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/netanyahu-says-some-progress-in-gaza-talks-hostage-exchange-reached-1121248354.html

Netanyahu Says 'Some Progress' in Gaza Talks, Hostage Exchange Reached

Netanyahu Says 'Some Progress' in Gaza Talks, Hostage Exchange Reached

Sputnik International

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that there has been some progress in the negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of hostages.

2024-12-23T19:44+0000

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2024-12-23T19:44+0000

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"Some progress has been made in hostage exchange talks, but it is not clear how long it will still take [to conclude a deal]," Netanyahu said during a parliament meeting.Over a year has passed since the first deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of hostages, during which time the two sides have engaged in negotiations of varying intensity through intermediaries. In recent weeks, talks mediated in Cairo and Doha have intensified, with informed sources reporting progress.On October 7, 2023, during Hamas' attack on southern Israeli settlements, over 250 individuals were taken hostage and brought to the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli data, around 100 hostages remain in Hamas custody, including those presumed dead.Through various operations and humanitarian efforts, 155 people have been returned from captivity, including deceased hostages whose remains were recovered from Gaza. The hostages, including women, children, and elderly individuals, have now been held for over 14 months. Among the captives are two individuals with Russian citizenship.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/peace-in-sight-ukraine-war-rhetoric-changes-amid-trumps-pledge-to-end-conflict-1121245403.html

Peace in Sight? Ukraine War Rhetoric Changes Amid Trumps Pledge to End Conflict

Peace in Sight? Ukraine War Rhetoric Changes Amid Trumps Pledge to End Conflict

Sputnik International

Kiev is "starting to believe" that the Ukraine conflict may end in 2025 amid more active discussions of peace settlement after Donald Trumps election as US president, The Washington Post reported on Monday, citing an unnamed senior Ukrainian official.

2024-12-23T15:21+0000

2024-12-23T15:21+0000

2024-12-23T15:21+0000

world

ukraine

volodymyr zelensky

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vladimir putin

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The report added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys rhetoric has also changed due to the difficulties the Ukrainian armed forces are facing on the battlefield. The Ukrainian president has been demonstrating more readiness for ceasefire talks, for instance, and paying less attention to having the territories back, but is focusing on the need to ensure security for the long term, the report read. This shift in Zelenskys position is believed to be connected with his willingness to be more in line with Trump, who has said he intends to end the conflict. However, Zelenskys attempts to ensure security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as Kievs invitation to the alliance, is still a distant prospect, some NATO diplomats told the newspaper. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward initiatives for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine: Moscow will immediately cease fire and declare its readiness for negotiations after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territory of Russia's new regions. In addition, Kiev should declare that it is abandoning its intention to join NATO and carry out demilitarization and denazification, as well as accept a neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status. The Russian leader also mentioned the lifting of sanctions against Russia. After Ukrainian troops attacked Russia's Kursk Region in August, Putin called negotiations with Kiev an impossible prospect. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that Moscow's peace proposals had not been voided, but Russia would not engage with Ukraine at that point.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241216/trump-says-zelensky-should-be-prepared-to-make-deal-to-end-ukraine-conflict-1121192915.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/putin-and-fico-discuss-ukraine-bilateral-ties-and-gas-in-moscow-1121241071.html

Putin and Fico Discuss Ukraine, Bilateral Ties, and Gas in Moscow

Putin and Fico Discuss Ukraine, Bilateral Ties, and Gas in Moscow

Sputnik International

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he had discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin the situation in Ukraine and the possibilities for resolving the conflict, as well as relations between Russia and Slovakia.

2024-12-23T07:32+0000

2024-12-23T07:32+0000

2024-12-23T07:32+0000

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robert fico

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natural gas supplies

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"In a long conversation, Vladimir Putin and I exchanged views on the military situation in Ukraine and the possibilities for a early peaceful end to the war and on relations between Slovakia and Russia, which I intend to standardize," Fico said on Facebook*.According to Fico, this will also be helped by events related to the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the victory over fascism, "where the decisive role was played by Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians and other peoples of the former USSR." The prime minister also noted that President Putin had confirmed Russia's readiness to continue supplying gas to the West.* banned in Russia as extremist

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241221/rudeness-and-blackmail-how-ukraine-treats-slovakia-1121231149.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/russian-forces-target-ukrainian-airfields-and-drone-depots-liberate-storozhevoye-in-donetsk-region-1121243462.html

Russian Forces Target Ukrainian Airfields and Drone Depots, Liberate Storozhevoye in Donetsk Region

Russian Forces Target Ukrainian Airfields and Drone Depots, Liberate Storozhevoye in Donetsk Region

Sputnik International

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported strikes on Ukrainian military airfield infrastructure and drone storage facilities. According to the statement, strikes also targeted enemy personnel and military equipment in 143 areas. The operations involved tactical aviation, drones, missile forces, and artillery.

2024-12-23T11:17+0000

2024-12-23T11:17+0000

2024-12-23T11:17+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

donetsk

kharkov

russia

russian ministry of defense

ukraine crisis

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Additionally, Russian air defenses reportedly shot down 14 fixed-wing drones. Since the beginning of the special military operation, the ministry claims the following Ukrainian units have been destroyed:Meanwhile, forces of the Vostok Battlegroup reportedly took control of the village of Storozhevoye in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). The ministry described the action as a result of decisive operations by the group.Other DevelopmentsForces of Russias Tsentr Battlegroup repelled 13 Ukrainian counterattacks, eliminating up to 610 soldiers, two tanks, an M113 APC, an American MaxxPro armored vehicle, and various artillery systems. The battlegroup advanced into Ukrainian defenses, targeting infantry and mechanized brigades near Dzerzhinsk, Shcherbinovka, Lysovka, Shevchenko, Dachenskoye, Novoolenovka, and Novotroitskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic.The Sever Battlegroup inflicted losses on Ukrainian forces in the Kharkov direction, targeting mechanized and territorial defense brigades near Borshchevaya and Lebedevka. Ukrainian casualties reportedly included 50 personnel, two vehicles, and three D-30 howitzers.Forces of the Vostok Battlegroup targeted motorized infantry, mechanized, and territorial defense brigades near Razdolnoye, Razliv in the Donetsk People's Republic, and Gulyaipole in the Zaporozhye region. Ukrainian losses reportedly included up to 155 soldiers, four vehicles, a Caesar and Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer, a D-20 gun, and an electronic warfare station.The Yug Battlegroup improved tactical positions and repelled a Ukrainian assault, targeting mechanized, assault, and airmobile brigades near Druzhkovka, Konstantinovka, Chasov Yar, Artema, and Kurakhovo in the Donetsk People's Republic. Ukrainian losses allegedly included up to 400 soldiers, an M113 APC, a Paladin self-propelled howitzer, two pickups, and several artillery systems.Forces of Russias Zapad Battlegroup struck troops and equipment of five Ukrainian brigades and repelled two counterattacks near Kopanki, Dvurechnaya, Zagryzovo, Zeleny Gai in the Kharkov region, Novoegorovka in Luhansk, and Terny in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian losses reportedly exceeded 400.The Dnepr Battlegroup targeted infantry, mountain assault, and territorial defense brigades near Novovandreyevka, Lobkovo, Neteryanka in Zaporozhye Region, and Mikhailovka in the Kherson region. Ukrainian losses included 45 soldiers, three vehicles, a D-20 howitzer, and an electronic warfare station.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241222/russian-forces-liberate-two-key-settlements-in-donetsk-and-kharkov-region-1121235815.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/trump-putin-may-discuss-mutual-restrictions-in-nuclear-field---arms-control-association-1121240506.html

Trump, Putin May Discuss Mutual Restrictions in Nuclear Field - Arms Control Association

Trump, Putin May Discuss Mutual Restrictions in Nuclear Field - Arms Control Association

Sputnik International

The possibility of US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussing options for mutual restrictions between the two countries in the nuclear sphere during their upcoming direct interaction is not ruled out, Arms Control Association (ACA) Executive Director Daryl Kimball told RIA Novosti.

2024-12-23T05:51+0000

2024-12-23T05:51+0000

2024-12-23T08:34+0000

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"To date, Trump and his team have not offered a plan for constraining dealing with Russias strategic arsenal nor has President Putin. But it is likely that the two presidents will engage in direct discussions regarding the conflict in Ukraine, and other issues, and it is possible, if not likely that they will discuss options for mutual constraints following the expiration of New START," Kimball said. Nuclear arms control between the United States and Russia is a necessity for both countries, the ACA head said. No New START Deal Likely Before ExpiryThe United States and Russia are unlikely to conclude a new formal agreement to replace the New START arms control treaty before it expires in February 2026, Kimball elaborated.It is possible that US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agree on "a simple, bilateral understanding promising that neither side shall increase the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads beyond the New START limits," the ACA head noted."Such a deal could be monitored with a good degree of confidence though national technical means of intelligence by each side, and it would buy time for the start of formal talks on a more comprehensive and durable framework agreement," Kimball added.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that Russia's return to compliance with New START would only be possible if the U.S. abandoned its hostile stance towards Moscow. Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov emphasized that dialogue on strategic arms control with the US was impossible as long as Washington maintained its anti-Russian policies.Congress Can Back US-Russia Arms ControlThe idea of arms control between the US and Russia could receive bipartisan support from the US Congress, the ACA director emphasized.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241114/what-does-russia-expect-from-trump-20-senior-russian-lawmaker-explains-1120882629.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241223/us-sends-more-troops-to-syria-citing-growing-threats-to-baseline-forces-1121246678.html

US Sends More Troops to Syria Citing Growing Threats to Baseline Forces

US Sends More Troops to Syria Citing Growing Threats to Baseline Forces

Sputnik International

The United States has sent additional temporary forces to Syria due to a growing threat to its baseline forces present in the country, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said on Monday.

2024-12-23T16:50+0000

2024-12-23T16:50+0000

2024-12-23T16:52+0000

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Last Thursday, Ryder said during a briefing that the US has approximately 2,000 military personnel in Syria, not the 900 as was previously reported. The 900 personnel are baseline troops, whereas 1,100 military personnel were deployed as temporary enablers in support of force protection, transportation, maintenance, or other emerging operational requirements, according to the Pentagon. "The numbers of these additional temporary forces have fluctuated over the past several years based on mission needs but in general have increased over time as the threat has increased to baseline forces," Ryder said in a statement on Monday. Syria's armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8. Syrian President Bashar Assad stepped down and left for Russia, where he was granted asylum. Mohammed al-Bashir, who ran an Idlib-based administration formed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other opposition groups, was named interim prime minister on December 10. He later announced that an interim government had been formed and would remain in place until March 2025.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241213/has-us-military-presence-in-syria-ever-been-legal-1121158384.html

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Multiple Grand Circuit stakes winner and trotting broodmare Behindclosedoors has passed away at the age of 17 at Sergent Stables in Ocala, Florida.

Behindclosedoors 3,1:53.2f ($589,226) is the dam of eight foals, including Sister Sledge 2,1:53.1; 3,1:51.2 ($910,393).

Its with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Behindclosedoors, the mare who truly laid the foundation for Sergent Stables, said Sergent Stables farm manager Troy Eyler. As our first broodmare purchase, she started the Sergent Stables legacy and her influence has been felt in so many ways over the years, having produced eight beautiful foals.

"'Doors' wasnt just a great mare, she was part of our family. She was a reliable, steady presence and always welcomed newcomers to the field with grace. Many of those newcomers came from the same bloodline, including Dip Me Hanover and Mezcal Morningbloodlines we continue to invest in, inspired by the legacy she created.

Behindclosedoors was a daughter of Andover Hall out of the Yankee Glide mare Margarita Nights. She was trained by U.S. Hall of Famer Chuck Sylvester and finished second in the 2010 Breeders Crown Three-Year-Filly Trot.

Sister Sledge is one of five daughters produced by Behindclosedoors, with all in the broodmare bands of major breeders. Sergent Stables broodmare band includes a half sister to Behindclosedoors, the Donato Hanover-sired Mezcal Morning, the dam of 2024 stakes winner Hangover.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Behindclosedoors.

(With files from Sergent Stables; Photo of Behindclosedoors taken this past March with her 2024 Ecurie D DK colt Behindbarndoor Sgt)
Officials with Horse Racing New Brunswick (HRNB) will be hosting their Annual General Meeting on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.

The meeting will be held at the Fredericton Motor Inn. More details will be shared in the new year.

HRNB would like to wish all members of the New Brunswick racing community a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

(HRNB)
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:

Online customer reviews for a product are displayed on a computer on April 17, 2019 in New York.Credit: AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow people to efficiently produce novel and detailed online reviews with almost no work has put merchants, service providers and consumers in uncharted territory, watchdog groups and researchers say.

Phony reviews have long plagued many popular consumer websites, such as Amazon and Yelp. They are typically traded on private social media groups between fake review brokers and businesses willing to pay. Sometimes, such reviews are initiated by businesses that offer customers incentives such as gift cards for positive feedback.

But AI-infused text generation tools, popularized by OpenAI's ChatGPT, enable fraudsters to produce reviews faster and in greater volume, according to tech industry experts.

The deceptive practice, which is illegal in the U.S., is carried out year-round but becomes a bigger problem for consumers during the holiday shopping season, when many people rely on reviews to help them purchase gifts.

Where are AI-generated reviews showing up?

Fake reviews are found across a wide range of industries, from e-commerce, lodging and restaurants, to services such as home repairs, medical care and piano lessons.

The Transparency Company, a tech company and watchdog group that uses software to detect fake reviews, said it started to see AI-generated reviews show up in large numbers in mid-2023 and they have multiplied ever since.

For a report released this month, The Transparency Company analyzed 73 million reviews in three sectors: home, legal and medical services. Nearly 14% of the reviews were likely fake, and the company expressed a "high degree of confidence" that 2.3 million reviews were partly or entirely AI-generated.

"It's just a really, really good tool for these review scammers," said Maury Blackman, an investor and advisor to tech startups, who reviewed The Transparency Company's work and is set to lead the organization starting Jan. 1.

In August, software company DoubleVerify said it was observing a "significant increase" in mobile phone and smart TV apps with reviews crafted by generative AI. The reviews often were used to deceive customers into installing apps that could hijack devices or run ads constantly, the company said.

The following month, the Federal Trade Commission sued the company behind an AI writing tool and content generator called Rytr, accusing it of offering a service that could pollute the marketplace with fraudulent reviews.

The FTC, which this year banned the sale or purchase of fake reviews, said some of Rytr's subscribers used the tool to produce hundreds and perhaps thousands of reviews for garage door repair companies, sellers of "replica" designer handbags and other businesses.

It's likely on prominent online sites, too

Max Spero, CEO of AI detection company Pangram Labs, said the software his company uses has detected with almost certainty that some AI-generated appraisals posted on Amazon bubbled up to the top of review search results because they were so detailed and appeared to be well thought-out.

But determining what is fake or not can be challenging. External parties can fall short because they don't have "access to data signals that indicate patterns of abuse," Amazon has said.

Pangram Labs has done detection for some prominent online sites, which Spero declined to name due to non-disclosure agreements. He said he evaluated Amazon and Yelp independently.

Many of the AI-generated comments on Yelp appeared to be posted by individuals who were trying to publish enough reviews to earn an "Elite" badge, which is intended to let users know they should trust the content, Spero said.

The badge provides access to exclusive events with local business owners. Fraudsters also want it so their Yelp profiles can look more realistic, said Kay Dean, a former federal criminal investigator who runs a watchdog group called Fake Review Watch.

To be sure, just because a review is AI-generated doesn't necessarily mean its fake. Some consumers might experiment with AI tools to generate content that reflects their genuine sentiments. Some non-native English speakers say they turn to AI to make sure they use accurate language in the reviews they write.

"It can help with reviews (and) make it more informative if it comes out of good intentions," said Michigan State University marketing professor Sherry He, who has researched fake reviews. She says tech platforms should focus on the behavioral patters of bad actors, which prominent platforms already do, instead of discouraging legitimate users from turning to AI tools.

What companies are doing

Prominent companies are developing policies for how AI-generated content fits into their systems for removing phony or abusive reviews. Some already employ algorithms and investigative teams to detect and take down fake reviews but are giving users some flexibility to use AI.

Spokespeople for Amazon and Trustpilot, for example, said they would allow customers to post AI-assisted reviews as long as they reflect their genuine experience. Yelp has taken a more cautious approach, saying its guidelines require reviewers to write their own copy.

"With the recent rise in consumer adoption of AI tools, Yelp has significantly invested in methods to better detect and mitigate such content on our platform," the company said in a statement.

The Coalition for Trusted Reviews, which Amazon, Trustpilot, employment review site Glassdoor, and travel sites Tripadvisor, Expedia and Booking.com launched last year, said that even though deceivers may put AI to illicit use, the technology also presents "an opportunity to push back against those who seek to use reviews to mislead others."

"By sharing best practice and raising standards, including developing advanced AI detection systems, we can protect consumers and maintain the integrity of online reviews," the group said.

The FTC's rule banning fake reviews, which took effect in October, allows the agency to fine businesses and individuals who engage in the practice. Tech companies hosting such reviews are shielded from the penalty because they are not legally liable under U.S. law for the content that outsiders post on their platforms.

Tech companies, including Amazon, Yelp and Google, have sued fake review brokers they accuse of peddling counterfeit reviews on their sites. The companies say their technology has blocked or removed a huge swath of suspect reviews and suspicious accounts. However, some experts say they could be doing more.

"Their efforts thus far are not nearly enough," said Dean of Fake Review Watch. "If these tech companies are so committed to eliminating review fraud on their platforms, why is it that I, one individual who works with no automation, can find hundreds or even thousands of fake reviews on any given day?"

Spotting fake AI-generated reviews

Consumers can try to spot fake reviews by watching out for a few possible warning signs, according to researchers. Overly enthusiastic or negative reviews are red flags. Jargon that repeats a product's full name or model number is another potential giveaway.

When it comes to AI, research conducted by Balazs Kovacs, a Yale professor of organization behavior, has shown that people can't tell the difference between AI-generated and human-written reviews. Some AI detectors may also be fooled by shorter texts, which are common in online reviews, the study said.

However, there are some "AI tells" that online shoppers and service seekers should keep it mind. Panagram Labs says reviews written with AI are typically longer, highly structured and include "empty descriptors," such as generic phrases and attributes. The writing also tends to include cliches like "the first thing that struck me" and "game-changer."

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, left, and Honda Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe, center, and Takao Kato CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, right, arrive to attend a joint news conference Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. Credit: AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world's third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels.

The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company.

Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry.

An industry shakeup

The ascent of Chinese automakers is rattling the industry at a time when manufacturers are struggling to shift from fossil fuel-driven vehicles to electrics. Relatively inexpensive EVs from China's BYD, Great Wall and Nio are eating into the market shares of U.S. and Japanese car companies in China and elsewhere.

Japanese automakers have lagged behind big rivals in EVs and are now trying to cut costs and make up for lost time.

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi announced in August that they will share components for electric vehicles like batteries and jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to dramatic changes in the auto industry centered around electrification. A preliminary agreement between Honda, Japan's second-largest automaker, and Nissan, third largest, was announced in March.

A merger could result in a behemoth worth about $55 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers.

Joining forces would help the smaller Japanese automakers add scale to compete with Japan's market leader Toyota Motor Corp. and with Germany's Volkswagen AG. Toyota itself has technology partnerships with Japan's Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp.

What would Honda need from Nissan?

Nissan has truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda doesn't have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions.

Nissan also has years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybird powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said.

"Nissan does have some product segments where Honda doesn't currently play," that a merger or partnership could help, said Sam Abuelsamid, a Detroit-area automotive industry analsyt.

While Nissan's electric Leaf and Ariya haven't sold well in the U.S., they're solid vehicles, Fiorani said. "They haven't been resting on their laurels, and they have been developing this technology," he said. "They have new products coming that could provide a good platform for Honda for its next generation."

Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, left, Honda Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe, center, and Takao Kato, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, right, pose for photographers during a joint news conference in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

Why now?

Nissan said last month that it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global work force, and reducing global production capacity by 20% after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million).

Earlier this month it reshuffled its management and its chief executive, Makoto Uchida, took a 50% pay cut to take responsibility for the financial woes, saying Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes, rising costs and other global changes.

Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissan's credit outlook to "negative," citing worsening profitability, partly due to price cuts in the North American market. But it noted that it has a strong financial structure and solid cash reserves that amounted to 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion).

Nissan's share price has fallen to the point where it is considered something of a bargain. A report in the Japanese financial magazine Diamond said talks with Honda gained urgency after the Taiwan maker of iPhones Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., better known as Foxconn, began exploring a possible acquisition of Nissan as part of its push into the EV sector.

The company has struggled for years following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He eventually was released on bail and fled to Lebanon.

Honda reported its profits slipped nearly 20% in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as sales suffered in China.

More headwinds

Toyota made 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, while Honda rolled out 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million. Even after a merger Toyota would remain the leading Japanese automaker.

All the global automakers are facing potential shocks if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on threats to raise or impose tariffs on imports of foreign products, even from allies like Japan and neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico. Nissan is among the major car companies that have adjusted their supply chains to include vehicles assembled in Mexico.

Meanwhile, analysts say there is an "affordability shift" taking place across the industry, led by people who feel they cannot afford to pay nearly $50,000 for a new vehicle. In American, a vital market for companies like Nissan, Honda and Toyota, that's forcing automakers to consider lower pricing, which will eat further into industry profits.

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, left, and Honda Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe, center, and Takao Kato CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, right, attend a joint news conference Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. Credit: AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger that would form the world's third-largest automaker by sales, as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels.

The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors Corp. also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses.

Automakers in Japan have lagged behind their big rivals in electric vehicles and are trying to cut costs and make up for lost time as newcomers like China's BYD and EV market leader Tesla devour market share.

Honda's president, Toshihiro Mibe, said Honda and Nissan will attempt to unify their operations under a joint holding company. Honda will lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. They aim to have a formal merger agreement by June and to complete the deal and list the holding company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by August 2026, he said.

No dollar value was given and the formal talks are just starting, Mibe said.

There are "points that need to be studied and discussed," he said. "Frankly speaking, the possibility of this not being implemented is not zero."

A merger could result in a behemoth worth more than $50 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers. Together, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi would gain scale to compete with Toyota Motor Corp. and with Germany's Volkswagen AG. Toyota has technology partnerships with Japan's Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp.

News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month, with unconfirmed reports saying Taiwan iPhone maker Foxconn was seeking to tie up with Nissan by buying shares from the Japan's company's other alliance partner, Renault SA of France.

Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, left, and Honda President Toshihiro Mibe attend a joint news conference in Tokyo, Friday, March 15, 2024. Credit: Kyodo News via AP, File

Nissan's CEO Makoto Uchida said Foxconn had not directly approach his company. He also acknowledged that Nissan's situation was "severe."

Even after a merger Toyota, which rolled out 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, would remain the leading Japanese automaker. If they join, the three smaller companies would make about 8 million vehicles. In 2023, Honda made 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million.

"We have come to the realization that in order for both parties to be leaders in this mobility transformation, it is necessary to make a more bold change than a collaboration in specific areas," Mibe said.

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi earlier agreed to share components for electric vehicles like batteries and to jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to electrification.

Nissan has struggled following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He eventually was released on bail and fled to Lebanon.

Speaking Monday to reporters in Tokyo via a video link, Ghosn derided the planned merger as a "desperate move."

From Nissan, Honda could get truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda doesn't have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions, told The Associated Press.

Nissan also has years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybrid powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said.

This combination of photos shows the logo of Nissan, left, and Honda, right, seen at the Pittsburgh International Auto Show in Pittsburgh, Feb. 15, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File

But the company said in November that it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global work force, and reducing its global production capacity by 20% after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million).

It recently reshuffled its management and Uchida, its chief executive, took a 50% pay cut while acknowledging responsibility for the financial woes, saying Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes, rising costs and other global changes.

"We anticipate that if this integration comes to fruition, we will be able to deliver even greater value to a wider customer base," Uchida said.

Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissan's credit outlook to "negative," citing worsening profitability, partly due to price cuts in the North American market. But it noted that it has a strong financial structure and solid cash reserves that amounted to 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion).

Nissan's share price also had fallen to the point where it is considered something of a bargain. On Monday, its Tokyo-traded shares gained 1.6%. They jumped more than 20% after news of the possible merger broke last week.

Honda's shares surged 3.8%. Honda's net profit slipped nearly 20% in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as its sales suffered in China.

The merger reflects an industry-wide trend toward consolidation.

At a routine briefing Monday, Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said he would not comment on details of the automakers' plans, but said Japanese companies need to stay competitive in the fast changing market.

"As the business environment surrounding the automobile industry largely changes, with competitiveness in storage batteries and software is increasingly important, we expect measures needed to survive international competition will be taken," Hayashi said.

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

The United States said Monday it is opening an investigation into China's policies for its semiconductor industry.

The United States said Monday it is opening an investigation into China's policies for its semiconductor industry, over concerns that Beijing is turning to "extensive anticompetitive and non-market means" to undermine other economies.

The probe centers on foundational semiconductorswhich go into everything from cars to medical devicesand whether China's actions create burdens for US commerce, said the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office.

The fear is that Beijing's practices undermine "the competitiveness of American industry and workers, critical US supply chains, and US economic security," the USTR's office added.

Beijing slammed the move as "protectionist," vowing to defend its interests and urging Washington to halt its "wrong practices."

The investigation falls under Section 301 of the Trade Act, the same tool used during President-elect Donald Trump's first administration to justify tariff hikes on Chinese products.

"We have seen time and again, a pattern of harmful impact from nonmarket policies and practices across industries that the PRC has targeted for worldwide market dominance," said USTR Katherine Tai, referring to the People's Republic of China.

Previous instances included steel, aluminum, solar cells, electric vehicles and now, semiconductors, Tai told reporters on Sunday.

"This is enabling its companies to rapidly expand capacity and to offer artificially lower-priced chips that threaten to significantly harm and potentially eliminate fair, market-oriented competition," Tai added.

Sector dominance

In a notice, USTR said China "nearly doubled its global share of foundational logic semiconductors production capacity" in just six years.

China's share is set to reach about half the world's capacity by 2029, based on announced new fabrication plants, and this expansion "is already discouraging investment by market-oriented actors," USTR added.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said an analysis of the US semiconductor supply chain found two-thirds of US products contain Chinese-made foundational chips.

"About half of companies didn't know whether they had Chinese chips in their products," she added.

In recent years, President Joe Biden has sought to shore up US chipmaking capabilities to reduce reliance on other countries.

The latest probe will initially focus on China's foundational semiconductors production, including the extent these are used in other products like medical devices and vehicles.

The probe is also expected to consider whether Beijing's policies on inputs for semiconductor fabrication contribute to "burden or restriction on US commerce," the USTR's office said.

"This investigation is part of our broader strategy to strengthen the resilience of our supply chains and revitalize domestic manufacturing," said National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard.

Officials will have a year to handle the investigation and decide on responses.

 2024 AFP
Editors note: The 100th birthday celebration of the late George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, is The Eagles No. 9 news story of 2024. This is part of a daily series of the top 10 stories in Bryan-College Station and the Brazos Valley this year. Stories will appear daily with No. 1 running in the Dec. 31 edition.

What could arguably be called the biggest birthday celebration in the history of Aggieland was held in June for what would have been former President George H.W. Bushs 100th birthday.

The 41@100: A Celebration of George H.W. Bush, hosted by the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, drew thousands of people and featured tandem skydives by nine of his grandchildren, a free concert by Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett, a meet and greet with presidential pooch Sully and Texas A&Ms Reveille X, and the opening of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museums new Marine One/4141 Locomotive Pavilion.

Bush was born June 12, 1924, in Massachusetts and died in Houston on Nov. 30, 2018, at the age of 94. He, his wife Barbara, and their daughter Robin, are buried on the grounds of the library and museum.

Pavillion opens

The facilitys atrium is the new permanent home for the Air Force One-themed 4141 Locomotive and one of the Marine One helicopters used during the Bush 41 presidency.

The 15-foot-tall, 74.3-foot-long, 315,000-pound model SD70ACe locomotive was made in Bushs honor by Union Pacific in 2005 and spent a few weeks at Kyle Field before beginning its regular service around the United States. In December 2018, the train returned to Bryan-College Station, escorting the 41st president to his final resting place at his presidential library. The engine returned home for the last time in March 2021 when it was hoisted off its rails and taken to the museum, protected by a metal frame as the pavilion was constructed around it.

The Marine One Helicopter 358  a Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King  served the Office of the President in three decades, from the 1980s to the early 2000s, meaning it served Bush 41 during both his vice presidency and presidency.

Attached to the atrium is a small restaurant named Daisys that serves ready-to-go foods but also made-to-order breakfast and lunch options.

Its nice that we have something like this to kind of help the generations still remember; just, to continue being grateful for our country and inspire some patriotism, said Maddie Hillin, CEO of the George and Barbara Bush Foundation. It seems like nowadays theres a lack of patriotism in some aspects of our life and the citizenry.

The big leap

A former pilot in the U.S. Navy in World War II, Bush built up a tradition of skydiving on his birthday every five years. He jumped on his 75th and 80th birthdays on the grounds of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Center at Texas A&M University before celebrating his 85th and 90th birthdays by skydiving at the familys home in Maine.

On June 13, nine of Bushs grandchildren honored their Gampy with tandem skydives on the library grounds.

For us grandkids to come here to honor his legacy on a beautiful, clear Texas day and do something that he would have wanted to be a part of, we felt like we were, in some ways, carrying on one of his favorite birthday traditions, grandson Pierce Bush said at the time.

Grandson George P. Bush said his grandfather looked forward to skydiving every five years and would have wanted to take part in it for his 95th and 100th birthdays. After skydiving on Bushs 75th birthday, George P. Bush made the jump again, 25 years later.

[I was] thinking of Gampy the whole time, George P. Bush said. He loved speed, and its harder to go faster than terminal velocity at 120 miles per hour, 8,000 feet above the ground. He loved it.

The Bush grandchildren were joined in the sky by his son, Neil, and Andrew H. Card Jr., George H.W. Bushs Secretary of Transportation and CEO of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation. Neil Bush said skydiving was a testament to the lively and energetic spirit his father carried with him even later in life.

It was invigorating, my third time to do it, Neil said afterward. Im inspired by Dads courageous but meaningful attempt to inspire others to live their fullest life, no matter how old.  The marriage of George Bush and his presidential legacy and Texas A&M has been a match made in heaven; its a beautiful thing.

Following the skydive, the Bush grandchildren sat down for Looking Forward: Carrying the Mantle of Service into the Future, a discussion moderated by grandson Sam LeBlond in which they reminisced on George H.W. Bushs impact on a personal level while sharing fond, humorous memories of him.

A day for the dogsReveille X is the first lady of Aggieland but for this occasion she shared the spotlight with Sully, the former presidents service dog.

Sully is an 8-year-old Labrador retriever who served Bush for the last six months of his life. He was trained by the charity Americas VetDogs to perform a two-page list of commands, which includes fetching items, answering a telephone, and summoning help in an emergency.

The Texas A&M mascot and Sully briefly greeted guests at the celebration and posed for pictures.

Concert of

the centuryTwo of Texas A&Ms most famous graduates, Robert Earl Keen, Class of 78, and Lyle Lovett, Class of 79, put on a free outdoor concert in honor of Bushs centennial birthday.

One of the last times the two performed together in Aggieland was the Deep From The Heart concert in October 2017 where five former presidents gathered to raise money for hurricane relief efforts. Bush 41 attended that event.

In an interview before the concert, Keen said he was always a big fan of Bush. Being from Aggieland, he often had chance encounters with George and Barbara Bush.

When I was in about second grade, [George H.W. Bush] came to our school and I remember him standing out on the sidewalk, Keen said. I did the seventh-inning stretch at the [Astros] one time and Barbara stood there and talked to me like I was her own child.  George W. Bush has been a fan and been very supportive of me over the years. Barbara even came to a show in New York.

Lovett said he was excited to be back in Aggieland and to be one of the musicians to honor Bushs legacy.

I also got to be here for the 95th anniversary of his birth and Im grateful that the family and the Bush Foundation thought of me and to include me, he said. As an Aggie, that President Bush chose Texas A&M to be the home of his presidential library, just makes every Aggie proud.

Lovett said he wants the audience to take away the love that both he and Keen have for College Station and appreciate for all that the Bush family has done.

It just feels like a great honor to be here with my buddy, Robert, and come back to Texas A&M, he said. Any time we get to come here [to College Station] it feels like coming home.
Gia vang the gioi sang nay ap sat moc 3.000 USD/ounce  muc ky luc chua tung co trong lich su. Trong nuoc cung khong ngoai le, khi lan luot tang tu 700 en 1 trieu ong/luong. "Vang ang trong thi truong tang gia dai han. Chung toi du bao gia se giao dich trong khoang 3.000-3.200 USD trong nam nay", Alex Ebkarian, giam oc ieu hanh tai Allegiance Gold cho biet.
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Forbes Middle East Womens Summit, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has honoured Dalia Khorshid, Group CEO of Beltone Holding, for her exceptional contributions to the investment sector and her leadership. This recognition was part of a celebration of visionary female leaders who participated in the summit.

The second edition of Forbes Middle East Womens Summit 2024 took place from December 18 to 19, bringing together an esteemed lineup of attendees, including Princess Doaa bint Mohammed, Dr Aseel Al Ammar, Director of the Sara Al-Sudairy Center for Womens Studies, and Khuloud Al Omian, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Middle East. The summit also welcomed a diverse gathering of entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and influencers from around the globe.

In recognition of her remarkable career journey, Khorshid was invited to participate in the summits opening panel discussion titled Decoding the Investor Mindset. The session brought together a distinguished group of influential female leaders and addressed critical topics, including securing funding and building effective investor relationships amidst the Gulf regions rapid transformations.

Panel participants included Amal Dokhan, Managing Partner at Global 500, and Huda Al Lawati, Founder and CEO of Aliph Capital, with the discussion moderated by Sally Mousa, Senior Presenter at Forbes Middle East.

Reducing carbon emissions

In 2024, Khorshid was recognised in Forbes Middle East's "Top 100 CEOs," standing out as the sole female Egyptian leader on the list. Furthermore, Forbes Middle East honoured her by including her in the prestigious "2024 Sustainability Middle East" list under the Green Finance category, acknowledging her leadership in reducing carbon emissions and advancing sustainability-driven partnerships.

As one of the regions most prominent events, Forbes Middle East Womens Summit celebrates the role of women across various sectors. It reflects the ongoing commitment of female leaders to spearhead innovation and create a positive societal impact.

The summit featured the participation of Princess Dr Mashail bint Mohammed bin Saud Al Saud, Chairwoman of the Celiac Association; Rashad Embaby, General Manager of Porsche Saudi Arabia; and Qusai Alkhateeb, Chairman of UTURN Webedia Group. The event also welcomed prominent figures from the worlds of art and sports, including actress Sasha Dahdouh, actress Noor Al Sheikh, athlete Yara Al Hogbani, and entrepreneur Razan Al Ajmi, Saudi Arabias first female skydiver and owner of Saudi Skydive Agency, who delivered an inspiring presence at the summit.--TradeArabia News Service
Sustainability Forum Middle East (SFME) has announced Gulf International Bank (GIB) as a Forum Partner for its upcoming third edition, set to take place from January 28 to 29, 2025, in Bahrain.

This years Forum, held in the presence of Dr Mohamed bin Mubarak Bin Daina, Minister of Oil and Environment and Special Envoy for Climate Affairs, and with support of the Supreme Council for Environment, will focus on "Mobilising Action and Investment for Climate and Energy Resilience."

GIBs involvement as a Forum Partner underscores the banks strong dedication to advancing sustainability throughout the region. It is a leading supporter of the GCC economies as they transition towards their net-zero goals. GIB, which launched a comprehensive Sustainability Strategy in 2021, has created internal sustainability metrics to measure performance, developed its own Sustainability and Transition Financing Framework to assess sustainable financing activities, and set emission reduction targets to steadily lower emissions, while supporting the efforts of its clients as they transition towards a cleaner, more sustainable future.

Growing roster

GIB joins a growing roster of influential partners of the Forum who are dedicated to exploring practical steps and strategies needed to accelerate the net-zero journey. With more than 400 regional business leaders, policymakers, and sustainability experts expected to attend, the Forum will provide a dynamic platform for cross-sector collaboration and dialogue  including discussion on the important action needed from both public and private sector actors to significantly scale the availability of climate and transition financing. GIB will be represented at the Forum by its Group Chief Sustainability Officer Victoria Barron, and other senior executives of the bank.

Sara Abdulhadi, CEO of GIB, said: GIB is pleased to support the 2025 edition of SFME as we continue our journey to promote sustainability and climate action across the region. As a leading financing partner, we are committed to being at the forefront of efforts to drive the transition to a lower-carbon future and are actively working to mobilise funding and provide support for projects and initiatives that reduce environmental impact and can help realise the net-zero goals of the GCC countries. This Forum is an excellent platform for bringing together leaders to share insights and strategies that will further our shared goals for climate and energy resilience and sustainable growth.

Laila Danesh, Managing Director of FinMark Communications, the Forums Founder and Organiser, said: We are delighted to welcome GIB as a Forum Partner for the 2025 edition. GIBs commitment to sustainability and its leadership in pioneering financing solutions that empower regional businesses and economies aligns seamlessly with our mission. As a financial institution at the forefront of sustainability, GIB exemplifies the vital role that the banking sector plays in driving climate resilience and supporting regional targets. We look forward to their contributions and insights on how to mobilise impactful climate action and financing to get us to net-zero.

Critical themes

The Forums 2025 agenda will cover critical themes, including climate financing, energy transition, policy innovation, technology advancements, and more. The two-day programme will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, and a day of workshops designed to foster collaboration, mobilise action, and inspire concrete advancements for climate resilience across the Mena region.

The Forums 2025 edition is supported by Strategic Partner National Bank of Bahrain, Forum Partners: Aluminium Bahrain, Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (Asry), American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain, Benefit, Boston Consulting Group, Environment Arabia, Foulath Holding, and Media Partners: Asharq Business with Bloomberg, BFT Media, OGN, and Sustainable Finance Daily.--TradeArabia News Service
Diyar Al Muharraq, a leading real estate developer in Bahrain, has announced the commencement of infrastructure works on North Islands as part of the citys master plan. The work is scheduled to be completed in Q3 of 2025.

The North Islands is the newest addition to Diyar Al Muharraq, offering a unique and ideal lifestyle for residents through a wide variety of residential plots available in different sizes and breathtaking waterfront properties.

These combine to make it a key destination for citizens to find their dream home. With its exceptional location, the North Islands provides facilitated access to premium retail outlets and world-class educational institutions, alongside its first-ever residential project, Al Wasem, said Diyar Al Muharraq in a statement.

Al Hassanain Company have been appointed as the main contractor on the project, alongside Aecom as the engineering and design consultant.

The leading Bahraini developer said works on the project will start with the construction of the main network which includes paving and road lighting, access to the western entrance of Al Naseem, expansion of the east causeway and backfilling of the Diyar Al Muharraq loop road, in addition to delivering a rainwater network, electricity, water and sewage networks, and telecommunications networks.

Speaking on the occasion, CEO Engineer Ahmed Ali Alammadi said: "We are pleased to announce the commencement of infrastructure works on the North Islands, with an expected completion date for this phase during Q3 next year."

"As with all our projects, we strive to meet continuous high-quality standards throughout the construction process as we work alongside our experienced partners," stated Ali Alammadi aafter signing the deal with Jaffar Ali Hussain, the Deputy Chairman of Al Hassanain Company.

"We are confident that the North Islands will deliver a comprehensive range of projects that provide our residents with the utmost comfort as part of an integrated community," he added.

Diyar Al Muharraq is the largest integrated city in the kingdom, offering a variety of housing solutions and a luxurious modern lifestyle, all while preserving the traditional family values of the Bahraini community.

It offers a balanced mix of residential, commercial, recreational, and healthcare facilities that encompass a smart, self-contained and futuristic model city.-TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Arabia's National Energy Services Company (Tarshid) has announced that one of its subsidiaries has signed a strategic agreement for detailed study with SAL Logistics Services.

The agreement is aimed at enhancing energy efficiency across SAL facilities by conducting a detailed study to implement optimal energy efficiency solutions.

It was signed under the patronage of Minister of Energy and Chairman of the National Energy Services Company (Tarshid) Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz during the Saudi Green Initiative Forum and COP16 Conference in Riyadh.

These efforts will contribute to improved operational efficiency and reduced carbon emissions, aligning with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to achieve energy sustainability and preserve natural resources.

The agreement includes on-site surveys and a comprehensive technical study to apply energy efficiency standards in SAL facilities, it added.

On the deal, Tarshid CEO Waled Abdullah Al Ghreri said: "Our partnership with the private sector plays a pivotal role in achieving our goal of transforming all buildings in the kingdom into more sustainable and energy-efficient structures."

"Today, especially with the rollout of this years Saudi Green Initiative Forum, we aim to bolster the private sectors role in energy efficiency, making SAL a national model in both the private and logistics sectors, as this partnership supports our shared vision of a sustainable economy with reduced carbon emissions,." he added.

Additionally, SAL Chief Shared Services Officer Engineer Abdulazeez Al Sharif said: "This collaboration with Tarshid represents a strategic step in our journey toward sustainability. Through this agreement, we aspire to set a pioneering example in energy efficiency within the logistics sector, in line with the environmental goals of Vision 2030."

The signing of this agreement, coinciding with the commencement of this years Saudi Green Initiative Forum and COP16, underscores Tarshids leading role in advancing energy efficiency and sustainability across both governmental and private sectors.

Since its establishment in 2017 and up to the third quarter of 2024, Tarshid said it has achieved annual energy savings of 7.3 TWh across its various projects, stated Al Sharif.

This is equivalent to preserving over 11.7 million barrels of oil equivalent and avoiding approximately 4.2 million metric tons of harmful emissions - comparable to the environmental impact of planting more than 69.4 million seedlings annually, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Damen Naval has announced the signing of a contract with Nevesbu for the platform engineering scope of the Plataforma Estrategica de Superficie (PES) frigate for Colombia.

This scope includes both basic engineering and detailed engineering. The collaboration highlights the strength of the Damen Shipyards Group, with Damen Naval and Nevesbu joining forces as sister companies within the organisation.

Based on Damen Navals proven SIGMA 10514 series, the PES frigate is designed to combine versatility and combat capability while being tailored to meet Colombias specific requirements. This partnership allows Damen Naval to enable Cotecmar, Colombias leading shipyard in Cartagena, to construct a frigate locally for the first time.

Power of collaboration

This project highlights the power of collaboration within the Damen Shipyards Group, with Nevesbus advanced naval architecture and platform systems integration capabilities playing a key role, says Damen Naval Project Director Jasper Oreel. Through our shared expertise, we contribute to a strong, self-sufficient defence industry in Colombia.

Nevesbu, a specialised naval architect and platform systems integrator, brings extensive experience in supporting Damen Naval projects, seamlessly integrating into the project team. The Nevesbu Platform Engineers work closely with Damen Naval Procurement to evaluate and contract suppliers to meet the equipment and service requirements of the PES frigate. Bart van Rijssen, Managing Director of Nevesbu, says: We are proud to contribute to the realisation of this advanced frigate for the Colombian Navy.

The first PES frigate, set for delivery in 2030, represents a major milestone for Colombian shipbuilding. It combines global expertise with local job creation and knowledge sharing, paving the way for a stronger, more self-reliant industry.--TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain's Government Services Centres Evaluation Committee (Taqyeem) held its 12th meeting, chaired by Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) Chief Executive, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed.

The meeting discussed the results of the field visits conducted by the evaluation team and mystery shoppers, which covered 64 service centre locations and 13 virtual service centres operated by 21 government entities participating in the 5th evaluation round (Taqyeem 5).

Al Qaed praised the efforts of evaluation teams in completing the evaluation stages of Taqyeem 5 and ensuring the success of this cycle. He highlighted the importance of cooperation between the committee, the evaluation team, and government entities in adopting best practices in customer service that aim at the development of government service centres and achieving excellence in service delivery.

Criteria and standards

The committee reviewed the results of the evaluation team's visits, which reflected the government entities commitment towards the development of their service centres through adopting criteria and standards aligned with digital transformation strategies.

Additionally, the results showcased entities efforts in embracing innovation in service provision and utilising digital channels to improve customer experience and satisfaction. The meeting also discussed the outcomes and recommendations presented by the central team during the current cycle.

At the end of the meeting, the Chairman of Taqyeem committee praised the efforts of the members and all the evaluation teams involved in the evaluation process. He expressed his gratitude for their cooperation in facilitating the evaluation work and for their contributions to the success of the fifth evaluation round (Taqyeem 5).--TradeArabia News Service
The British Council has appointed Matthew Knowles as the new Country Director for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and Cluster Lead for the Gulf region.

Knowles will lead the British Council team in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, working across Arts and Culture, Education and English, building mutually beneficial and long-term relationships between these kingdoms and the UK. He will also lead the British Council operation in six countries across the Gulf cluster: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Knowles began his career as a Policy Officer in the Scottish Government's Education Department, before joining the British Council in Edinburgh as Manager of Scottish Networks International. Since then, over 20 years, he has worked with the British Council in Bangladesh, China, Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as in the UK.

Matthews leadership roles have included Head of Programmes and Partnerships in Bangladesh, Area Director in East China, and Director of the British Council in Japan. In Bangladesh, he led programmes supporting government priorities on Climate Change education and helped establish a Youth Parliament. Back in the UK, he contributed to global strategy as Regional Head in the British Council's London Office, supporting teams across 70 countries. In China, he developed major projects such as a year-long celebration of Shakespeares 400th Anniversary and the creation of a UK-China university consortium.

Speaking about his appointment to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Matthew said: "I am excited to take on this role, to develop partnerships that will facilitate and develop the ambition and talent of young people across the Gulf. My focus is on building young peoples confidence and developing their skills in using the English language. I look to strengthen further the links between our universities and invest in Early Career Researchers. I hope also to harness the unique power of the arts to transform cultural relationships, for the enrichment of all our lives."- TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), the operator and managing body of Bahrain International Airport (BIA), on Sunday (December 22) hosted a workshop focused on enhancing air connectivity at Bahrain International Airport (BIA) in collaboration with Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID) and PwC/ Strategy & Middle East.

Discussions centered around Bahrain's aviation journey, global trends impacting the industry, the current connectivity landscape, key challenges faced, and strategies for future growth.

The workshop was attended by Gulf Air Group and Bahrain Airport Company senior management, with representatives from the Ministry of Interior, Bahrain Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA), Gulf Air (GF), Bahrain Airport Services (BAS), Bahrain Duty Free, and BAC.

Participants explored success factors in air service and connectivity, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, alignment, and innovation in navigating the evolving aviation market, it stated.

Addressing the gathering, Bahrain Airport Company CEO Mohammed Yousif AlBinfalah said: "Today's workshop represents an initiative to unite key stakeholders in the kingdom's aviation sector for an open dialogue on current industry challenges and emerging opportunities."

"The aviation landscape is undergoing significant transformation, with structural market changes and geopolitical shifts reshaping air connectivity patterns," noted AlBinfalah.

Lauding the ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East for their ongoing collaboration, and to PwC/ Strategy & Middle East for their invaluable support in organizing this pivotal workshop, AlBinfalah said: "By fostering a deeper understanding of these factors, we position ourselves to explore and capitalize on new opportunities in the evolving aviation ecosystem."

Stefano Baronci, Director General of ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East, said: "I am proud to see the positive impact of our Air Connectivity Ranking, developed in collaboration with PwC, deliver tangible value for our members. It is also worth noting that Bahrain was one of the first countries in the Middle East to adopt a liberalised aviation policy many decades ago, playing a key role in the Middle East's aviation sector."

"In partnership with Bahrain Airport Company, the workshop was designed to help Bahrain reassess its aviation policy and strategies. With the expertise of PwC, we provided recommendations to help Bahrain remain relevant in the dynamic and competitive landscape. This workshop aligns perfectly with the resolution adopted by our Board to develop connectivity in the region," he added.

The workshop highlights BAC's commitment to enhancing Bahrain's position as a significant aviation hub. Through strategic planning and active collaboration, BAC aims to drive sustainable growth within the kingdom's aviation sector.-TradeArabia News Service
During a meeting held at the Royal Hashemite Court on December, 18, His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein bestowed upon Airport International Group, represented by its CEO Nicolas Deviller, and several institutions and individuals in Amman the Silver Jubilee Medal in recognition of their invaluable contributions to the service of Jordan, particularly local communities.

The ceremony, attended by Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, brought together local community leaders and prominent figures to commemorate Jordans achievements over the past 25 years under His Majestys leadership.

This prestigious accolade praises Airport International Groups significant role as the operator of Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA). It underscores the companys sustained efforts to elevate the airports operations and customer experience, solidifying its position as Jordans prime gateway to the world and reflecting its substantial contributions to the Kingdoms progress throughout His Majestys reign.

We are incredibly proud to have received this acknowledgment from His Majesty on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee. This medal stands as a testament to our steadfast dedication to serving Jordan by shaping an international airport that prioritizes passenger satisfaction and empowers the local community, all while promoting climate protection and contributing to the national economy, commented Deviller.

He added, As His Majesty remarked, Amman is one of the great capitals of the world and holds a special place in the hearts of Jordanians. A symbol of beauty, peace and love, Amman embodies the warm and welcoming Jordanian hospitality that makes every visitor feel at home - a standard we strive to uphold at QAIA. This feat would not have been possible without the unwavering commitment of our exceptional teams, partners and stakeholders who have transformed QAIA into a globally recognized, award-winning facility. -TradeArabia News Service
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley says she is prepared to have her United States visa revoked, as she urged Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries to ensure they are able to explain...what the Cubans have been able to do for us as they seek to defend the Cuban health brigade programme.

This matter, with the Cubans and the nurses, should tell us everything that we need to know. Barbados does not currently have Cuban medical staff or Cuban nurses, but I will be the first to go to the line and to tell you that we could not get through the (Covid-19) pandemic without the Cuban nurses and the Cuban doctors, Mottley said in a statement in Parliament.
As the 2025 Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday is one month away, the iconic Ben Thanh Market in downtown Ho Chi Minh City is bustling, welcoming the sheer number of market-goers and visitors.

Small and big stalls attractively display typical goods and items for Tet like colorful clothes, fabric, confectionery, ornaments, and traditional sugar-preserved fruits.

Many merchants have rushed to stock up on trending products such as soft dried mango and dried jujube with milk.

A merchant at the market, Le Huong, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the number of customers, especially foreigners, visiting the market has surged significantly since the beginning of December.

These international visitors mainly come from South Korea, Taiwan, and India, Huong said.

Even though daily sales have soared over 50 percent compared to normal days, this years profits are well below the figures recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic, she added.

Fabric and 'ao dai' (Vietnam's traditional long gown) are on display at a stall at Ben Thanh Market in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nhat Xuan / Tuoi Tre

A stall of 'ao dai' and fabric attracts international visitors to Ben Thanh Market in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nhat Xuan / Tuoi Tre

Ben Thanh Market has been a popular Tet-themed photo spot over the past few years. Recently, in addition to market-goers, residents and tourists have been flocking there for photo shoots.

Young people and children in ao dai (Vietnam's traditional costume) are spreading out across the market for photo shoots, creating festive vibes ahead of the holiday.

Dang Tran Thanh, a xich lo (pedicab) driver with over 30 years of experience in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, has found a creative way to supplement his income by renting out his pedicab for photo shoots.

He charges around VND50,000 (US$2) for every 30 minutes.

Thanh earns between VND200,000 ($7.8) and VND300,000 ($11.8) daily, with peak hours for photo shoots typically falling between 6:00 am and 9:00 am, and after 4:00 pm.

He anticipates a surge in visitors to the market for photo shoots following the 2025 New Year holiday, due late next month.

In November, Ben Thanh Market was designated a city-level heritage site, instilling greater pride among merchants and raising hopes for economic and tourism growth.

Girls pose in 'ao dai' in front of the iconic Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nhat Xuan / Tuoi Tre

Many young people flock to Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City for photo shoots ahead of the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday. Photo: Nhat Xuan / Tuoi Tre

Vu Thi Thu Huong, who resides in District 3, shares that she and her friends decided to visit Ben Thanh Market for photo shoots early to avoid Tet crowds. Photo: Nhat Xuan / Tuoi Tre

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President-elect Donald Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal on Sunday, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage and drawing a sharp rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona, Trump also said he would not let the canal fall into the "wrong hands," warning of potential Chinese influence on the passage.

After the event, he posted an image on Truth Social of an American flag flying over a narrow body of water, with the comment: "Welcome to the United States Canal!"

"Has anyone ever heard of the Panama Canal?" Trump said at AmericaFest, an annual event organized by Turning Point, an allied conservative group. "Because we're being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we're being ripped off everywhere else."

Trump's comments were an exceedingly rare example of a U.S. leader saying he could push a sovereign country to hand over territory. They also underlined an expected shift in U.S. diplomacy under Trump, who has not historically shied away from threatening allies and using bellicose rhetoric when dealing with counterparts.

"It was given to Panama and the people of Panama, but it has provisions," Trump said of the canal, which was once owned by the United States but was handed over to Panama decades ago.

"If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, quickly and without question."

In a recorded message released by Panama's President Mulino on Sunday afternoon, the nation's leader said that Panama's independence was non-negotiable and that China had no influence on the canal's administration. He also defended the passage rates Panama charged, saying they were not set "on a whim".

China does not control or administer the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has long managed two ports located on the canal's Caribbean and Pacific entrances.

The United States largely built the canal and administered territory surrounding the passage for decades. But the United States and Panama signed a pair of accords in 1977 that paved the way for the canal's return to full Panamanian control. The United States handed over control of the passage in 1999 after a period of joint administration.

"Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue belonging (to Panama)," Mulino said in his statement, which was released on X.

Trump then responded to Mulino: "We'll see about that!"

The waterway, which allows up to 14,000 ships to cross per year, accounts for 2.5% of global seaborne trade and is critical to U.S. imports of autos and commercial goods by container ships from Asia, and for U.S. exports of commodities, including liquefied natural gas.

It is not clear how Trump would seek to regain control over the canal, and he would have no recourse under international law if he decided to make a play for the passage.

This is not the first time Trump has openly considered territorial expansion.

In recent weeks, he has repeatedly mused about turning Canada into a U.S. state, though it is unclear how serious he is about the matter. During his 2017-2021 term, Trump expressed interest in buying Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. He was publicly rebuffed by Danish authorities before any conversations could take place.

Trump repeated the idea on Sunday, in a statement announcing his pick for ambassador to Denmark, Ken Howery, a former ambassador to Sweden.

"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," he wrote on Truth Social.
A bus was traveling on No Trang Long Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City on Monday morning when it suddenly veered into the opposite lane and slammed into a motorbike and a bicycle, injuring the two riders.

A bus veered into the opposite lane of No Trang Long Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City and hit a motorbike and a bicycle on December 23, 2024.

At 6:15 am, a route No. 31 bus driven by N.B.D., 50, collided with a motorbike ridden by 60-year-old H.K.C., a resident of Binh Thanh District, as well as a bicycle ridden by a man.

The impact caused both riders to fall onto the road.

The bus reportedly dragged the victims for about 10 meters before local residents rushed them to a hospital.

The motorbike was crushed beneath the bus and severely damaged, while the bicycle was thrown onto the sidewalk.

Authorities in Binh Thanh District are investigating the cause of the accident.

Traffic police officers examine the scene and investigate the cause of the accident in Ho Chi Minh City, December 23, 2024.

The bicycle is severely damaged following the accident in Ho Chi Minh City, December 23, 2024.

The scene of the accident in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, December 23, 2024

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A car was traveling on a local street in northern Vietnam when it crashed into a house, leading to the death of a 17-month-old girl on Saturday.

A source of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper said on Monday that police in Tuyen Quang City, the capital of the namesake province, had identified the driver of the vehicle as a policeman.

He is a police officer in Yen Son District, said the source.

After the fatal accident happened, a woman confessed to police officer that she was driving the car at the time of the crash.

However, the investigation result showed that the driver was a man.

Police also took his blood samples for drug and alcohol testing.

On Saturday afternoon, the car was running on a street in Nong Tien Ward, Tuyen Quang City when it swerved to avoid a motorcycle crossing the road, ending up hitting a house.

The accident caused the death of a 17-month-old girl in the house.

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A tropical depression in the East Vietnam Sea is expected to intensify into the 10th storm to hit Vietnam this year, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

At 7:00 am on Monday, the tropical depression was located in the northwest of Vietnams Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Vietnam Sea, packing maximum sustained winds of 61kph near its center.

It was moving west-northwest at a speed of 10kph.

Over the next 24 hours, the storm is projected to maintain speed and direction and strengthen into a storm.

By 7:00 am on Tuesday, the storm is expected to be in the southwestern part of the central East Vietnam Sea, with winds strengthening to 74kph and gusts up to level 10.

Over the next two days, it is predicted the storm will shift west-southwest at 5-10kph and gradually weaken into a tropical depression.

By 7:00 am on Wednesday, the storm could be spotted in the waters from south-central Phu Yen Province to southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

For the next three days, the tropical depression will possibly travel west-southwest at approximate speeds of 10kph, continuing to weaken.

The national weather agency warned that parts of the East Vietnam Sea may experience strong winds, high waves of 4-6m, and rough seas due to this progression.

Ships operating in affected areas are at risk due to severe thunderstorms, squalls, strong winds, and high waves.

Between Monday and Wednesday, moderate to heavy rainfall could hit several parts of the country because of the combined effects of the storm and a cold front.

In central Vietnam, the provinces and cities from Da Nang to Khanh Hoa may see widespread rainfall of 30-80mm, with localized amounts exceeding 200mm in some areas.

Residents in the south-central and Central Highlands regions are expected to see rain totals of 30-80mm from Tuesday to Wednesday, with some areas exceeding 150mm.

In the southeastern region, they may experience scattered showers and thunderstorms between Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Heavy rainfall may cause flooding in low-lying, urban areas, landslides in hilly regions, plus flash floods in rivers and small streams.

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Thousands of selfie-taking Ho Chi Minh City residents crammed into train carriages Sunday as the traffic-clogged business hub celebrated the opening of its first-ever metro line after years of delays.

Huge queues spilled out of every station along the US$1.7 billion line that runs almost 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the city centre -- with women in traditional "ao dai" dress, soldiers in uniform and couples clutching young children waiting excitedly to board.

"I know it (the project) is late, but I still feel so very honoured and proud to be among the first on this metro," said office worker Nguyen Nhu Huyen after snatching a selfie in her jam-packed train car.

"Our city is now on par with the other big cities of the world," she said.

It took 17 years for Vietnam's commercial capital to reach this point. The project, funded largely by Japanese government loans, was first approved in 2007 and slated to cost just $668 million.

When construction began in 2012, authorities promised the line would be up and running in just five years.

But as delays mounted, cars and motorbikes multiplied in the city of nine million people, making the metropolis hugely congested, increasingly polluted and time-consuming to navigate.

The metro "meets the growing travel needs of residents and contributes to reducing traffic congestion and environmental pollution", the city's deputy mayor Bui Xuan Cuong said.

Cuong admitted authorities had to overcome "countless hurdles" to get the project over the line.

People line up as they arrive at a metro station in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec 22, 2024. Photo: AFP

A train of Ho Chi Minh City's Metro Line No.1 is seen past residential buildings on Dec 22, 2024. Photo: AFP

'Frustrating' delays

According to state media reports, the metro was late because of "slow capital disbursement, unexpected technical problems, personnel difficulties and the COVID-19 pandemic".

"The delays and cost overruns have been frustrating," said professor Vu Minh Hoang at Fulbright University Vietnam, who warned that with just 14 station stops, the line's "impact in alleviating traffic will be limited in the short run".

However, it is still a "historic achievement for the city's urban development", he added.

With lessons learnt, "the construction of future lines will be increasingly easier, faster, and more cost-efficient", Hoang told AFP.

Back on the train, 84-year-old war veteran Vu Thanh told AFP he was happy to experience below ground in a more positive way after spending three years fighting American troops in the city's famous Cu Chi tunnels, an enormous underground network.

"It feels so different from the underground experience I had years ago during the war. It's so bright and nice here," he said.

Reflecting on the delays, he added: "We built the tunnels to hide from our enemies in the past, so building a tunnel for a train should not be that hard," he added.

"Finally, we made it!"
Vietnamese defense enterprises signed 16 contracts worth over US$286 million with foreign partners during the 2024 Vietnam International Defense Expo, which concluded in Hanoi on Monday.

The exhibition, hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense at Gia Lam Airport, gathered 242 enterprises from Vietnam and more than 30 other countries, including the U.S., Russia, the UK, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, and China.

This was the second edition of the event, showcasing combat vehicles, weapons, military equipment, and technological solutions for the navy, army, air defense, logistics, and technical support.

At the expo, spanning an area of over 100,000 square meters, including more than 440 indoor and outdoor exhibition zones, many new military arms developed and manufactured by Vietnam's defense industry were introduced to visitors for the first time.

A corner of the 2024 Vietnam International Defense Expo features the national flags of the countries joining the event. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

According to the organizers, the General Department of Defense Industry (GDDI) under the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense and Vietnams Military Industry and Telecoms Group Viettel signed 16 contracts valued at around $286.3 million with their international partners.

These contracts include 11 worth $278.3 million from GDDI and five from Viettel valued at $8 million.

In addition, 17 strategic cooperation agreements were signed by Vietnamese enterprises with advanced defense industry firms from the U.S., France, Belgium, and India.

According to the exhibitor list, 77 units from Vietnam joined the expo, with 69 types of weaponry and military equipment researched and produced by the Southeast Asian countrys military since 2022.

The total number of defense products displayed at this years expo was 464, 155 more than the previous exhibition.

The expo was initially scheduled to close on Sunday, but the defense ministry decided to extend it until Monday to further welcome visitors.

Deputy Minister of Defense Hoang Xuan Chien highlighted the five-day exhibition as the largest and most important defense diplomacy event in 2024.

This image shows visitors at a missile display area at the 2024 Vietnam International Defense Expo on December 19-23, 2024 in Hanoi. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

It also coincided with the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army and the 35th anniversary of the All-People's National Defense Festival (December 22).

Chien said that as of 12:00 pm on Sunday, the expo had welcomed over 260,000 visitors and witnessed 1,872 bilateral meetings and contacts between exhibitors, citing organizational data.

Major General Le Quang Tuyen, deputy director of GDDI, commented that the event was a success.

It contributed to expanding Vietnams defense cooperation with other countries, opening opportunities to export Vietnamese defense products.

The first Vietnam International Defense Expo was held in 2022, attracting 174 enterprises from 30 countries.

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A park on the east bank of the Dragon Bridge in Da Nang is hosting a bazaar that has attracted thousands of locals and tourists, celebrating Christmas and New Year with a variety of cultural, artistic, and tourism activities.

The market, open daily from 5:00 pm to 10:30 pm until January 2, is a highlight of the Christmas-New Years Eve Da Nang 2025 Festival.

Featuring dozens of diverse stalls, it offers visitors a chance to shop, savor delicious food, and soak in the festive Christmas atmosphere of Da Nang, the economic hub of central Vietnam.

The space comes alive with vibrant decorations, including pine trees, scented candles, and an array of unique Christmas ornaments.

Visitors buy food at a Christmas bazaar on the bank of the Dragon Bridge in Da Nang City, central Vietnam. Photo: Thanh Nguyen / Tuoi Tre

Many visitors particularly enjoy the stalls selling handicrafts, souvenirs, Christmas ornaments, and local products.

Emily, a tourist from Australia, shared that this was her first time attending a Christmas market in Da Nang.

She was impressed by the warm atmosphere, delicious food, and friendliness of the local people, saying it gave her a unique experience of Christmas in Vietnam.

Foreign visitors try food at a Christmas bazaar on the bank of the Dragon Bridge in Da Nang City, central Vietnam. Photo: Thanh Nguyen / Tuoi Tre

The culinary offerings at the market have also drawn crowds, with over 100 special dishes ranging from traditional Vietnamese cuisine to international flavors.

Festive favorites such as pizza, cakes, cheese, and steak create a rich culinary experience that adds to the warm ambiance.

Visitors view ornaments at a Christmas bazaar on the bank of the Dragon Bridge in Da Nang City, central Vietnam. Photo: Thanh Nguyen / Tuoi Tre

A highlight for many is Mulled Wine, a special drink made with red wine, orange, cinnamon, and star anise, perfect for warming up on cold winter nights.

In addition to the Christmas market, Da Nang hosts other vibrant cultural, sporting, and artistic activities along both sides of the Han River near the Dragon Bridge, creating a colorful and festive atmosphere for both locals and tourists this Christmas season.

Visitors buy food at a Christmas bazaar on the bank of the Dragon Bridge in Da Nang City, central Vietnam. Photo: Thanh Nguyen / Tuoi Tre

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Sandipan Talukdar, TwoCircles.net

Guwahati: The tear gas shells suddenly fell before us like a bolt from the blue while we were about to take bytes from Assam Congress President Bhupen Borah. There was no warning or intimidation from the police. It was all of a sudden, and several journalists got injured, said Jayanta Deka, a Guwahati-based independent journalist while recounting the chaotic scene outside Raj Bhavan on December 18.

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That day, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) had organised a protest march, Raj Bhavan Chalo, which quickly turned deadly. The police action resulted in the death of Congress leader Mridul Islam, who was struck by a tear gas shell. Despite being rushed to GMCH (Gauhati Medical College and Hospital), Islam passed away en route.

Part of a nationwide Congress campaign, the protest demanded a high-level inquiry into the Adani controversy, restoration of peace in Manipur and the withdrawal of smart meters.

A Sudden Turn of Events

Deka, who was at the scene, described the sudden escalation, The Congress leaders and workers gathered a little distance from the Raj Bhavan Governors House), and after Bhupen Borahs speech, the march began. Borah was stopped by the police at the barricades. As we surrounded him to take his bytes, a tear gas shell was launched.

Deka recalled that Borah and Islam were both close to the barricade when the shell hit. Islam was near Borah. He was chanting slogans. We saw him falling instantly as the shell hit him. He was rushed to the hospital, but we later learned he had died.

The protest site was only about 6 kilometers from the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), a short distance that makes Islams death even more tragic  considering the speed with which he succumbed. Deka mentioned that three tear gas shells were fired during the incident.

Controversy Over Police Actions

Guwahati Commissioner of Police Diganta Barah claimed that the Congress had not obtained permission for the protest and crossed two barricades before being stopped at the third, where tear gas was used to disperse the crowd. He insisted there was no use of force. We did not fire tear gas but rolled the canisters on the ground. Some protesters threw them back at us.

However, the Congress quickly produced a letter from the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) to the commissioner that confirms prior notice of the protest. Bearing a stamp from the commissioners office, the letter raised questions about whether Barah had been misinformed or intentionally misled the media.

A video released by The Crosscurrent contradicts the commissioners version. It shows a policeman firing a tear gas shell towards the crowd. Further doubts about the polices actions emerged when Barah addressed Islams death. He stated that there were no visible injuries on his body and claimed that the cause of death would be determined by a post-mortem.

A Shocking Loss

Mridul Islam, a youth leader and a member of Congresss Legal Cell, was known for his activism and was a practicing lawyer. His death has left his family and colleagues in shock. He came from a humble background and was a dedicated Congress worker. His death is a direct attack on democracy, said Mohsin Khan, a spokesperson of the APCC.

Thousands turned out for Islams funeral on December 19, including prominent figures like Bhupen Borah, Debabrata Saikia and Nandita Das, who all paid their respects.

Journalists Condemn Police Brutality

Journalists across Assam have protested the polices actions, which they view as an assault on press freedom. At the Guwahati Press Club (GPC), members wore black badges and staged a protest march. Similar protests were organised in Jorhat and Silchar.

Amarendra Deka, a senior journalist from Pratidin Time, shared his experience of being injured by tear gas during the protest. In my entire career, even while reporting from conflict zones, I have never seen such a situation. The police targeted journalists while we were trying to take comments from the leaders. This is a blatant attack on press freedom.

He too expressed that it felt as though the police were deliberately keeping journalists away from speaking with the leaders. It seemed like an attempt to block us from recording the protestors comments, he said.

Civil Society Questions Police Actions

Paresh Malakar, a civil rights advocate, raised serious concerns on the police conduct. Did the police follow the standard operating procedures? Tear gas has never killed anyone before. This needs a full investigation.

He also questioned whether the incident reflected a broader trend of police brutality. Are we a civilised society or are we under a police state? he asked.

Congress to Compensate Islams Family

Congress leaders pledged financial and educational support to the deceased family. We will provide Rs 25 lakh to the family, and if his wife wants to contest elections, we will support her, said MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on the other hand, announced a police inquiry into the incident, although he appeared to place blame on the Congress for breaching the barricades. No demonstrations will be allowed near Raj Bhavan in the future, he wrote on X.

The death of Mridul Islam and the injuries to journalists have sparked nationwide debates on police brutality, press freedom and the right to protest, with many calling for a thorough investigation and accountability.
Snobar, TwoCircles.net

Young voices in Mewat, where Haryana meets Rajasthan, are rising up to expose the regions long-neglected struggles. Driven by a blend of shared identity and unaddressed social challenges, these independent journalists  belonging to diverse backgrounds  are determined to raise their communitys voice in the face of alleged media neglect. Support TwoCircles



Now officially known as Nuh, Mewat was identified by NITI Aayog in 2018 as one of Indias most backward regions. While this is partly due to poor education, awareness and infrastructure, the biggest reason for its underdevelopment  the locals believe  lies in the regions media neglect.

Faced with this alleged media silence, the people of Mewat have decided to take matters into their own hands. Undeterred by the lack of financial support, the young journalists have picked up the mic to highlight the regions problems. They hope that their efforts will push the government to act.

Compelled to Expose Regional Issues

Waseem Akram, a civil engineer by profession, part-time scribe and a social activist from Pahadi village in Rajasthan, views journalism not as a career but as a necessity. He has worked on the ground for years to address the pressing issues facing his community. It was his growing frustration with the alleged lack of attention from both the government and the media that led him to launch his own YouTube channel. Through this independent platform, he has focused on raising awareness about Mewats harsh realities  illiteracy, water scarcity, inadequate electricity supply and deeply ingrained social practices like the dowry system.

Despite the lack of financial returns, Akram continues to fund his channel out of his own pocket. He is determined to give a voice to a community that has long been ignored. The media is biased when it comes to community-related issues, he tells TwoCircles.net. It often paints us negatively and overlooks our real problems. They will not cover us unless there is money involved. If the news does not attract enough viewership or financial incentive, it is discarded. That is why I decided to pick up the mic.

Akrams work has been crucial in drawing attention to sensitive issues like mob lynching. His involvement in the Junaid-Nasir lynching case, where two young men were burned alive by vigilantes in Haryanas Bhiwani district, is a powerful example. He was one of the first to report on this brutal incident, despite facing challenges. He alleged that he was harassed by the police, falsely accused of stealing a scooter and even beaten at the police station.

I was arrested on false charges while reporting on the Junaid-Nasir lynching, Akram recalls. They fabricated a story to silence me, but I refused to back down. I continued to fight for justice for Junaid and Nasir.

Lack of Support

One of the most pressing challenges for these independent journalists is the lack of financial support. Unfamiliar with the significance of independent journalism, the local community also rarely contributes to these reporters work. Consequently, they often face feelings of isolation and discouragement. They wonder whether their efforts will ever yield change. But the daily struggles such the drinking water crisis and incidents such as mib lynchings serve as constant motivators.

Reflecting on the absence of community support, Akram shares his inner conflict: It is heart-wrenching. But I am also inspired to do something good for my society. If everyone remains silent, change will never come. Someone has to step forward. That is what keeps me going in my work, which is all for the welfare of Mewat.

Truth Over Money

Amir, another Mewati journalist, launched his YouTube channel to raise awareness about the regions critical issues. With a modest income of around Rs 8,000 a month from his channel, he finds it difficult to sustain his work financially. However, his commitment to the cause is unwavering. In our region, the literacy rate is so low that people do not even realise how much we are being neglected, he says. The government and leaders do nothing for the welfare of Mewat, which is why it remains underdeveloped. I want to raise awareness about issues like the lack of education and the absence of proper drinking water for more than 70 years. These problems need to be exposed.

Amirs efforts have faced significant challenges, especially in dealing with local authorities. The media does not amplify our voices. The people themselves do not speak up, he explains. I decided to step forward and show the real situation. When I approached leaders and government officials for their statements, they would refuse to speak to me. They often asked, Which news channel do you work for? Show us your press card. Without an official ID, they did not entertain us.

As a result, Amir joined a local cable network channel. Despite this, Amir still faces pressure from political leaders who are uncomfortable with his attempts to reveal the regions true issues. Even now, I cannot expose the full reality of Mewat because of the threats and pressures from leaders. They do not want us to become the voice of the people, he says.

Amir also touches on the financial hardships: I barely make Rs 8,000 a month from my YouTube channel, and the media platform I work for pays next to nothing. It is a small operation, struggling with its own financial crisis. So how can they afford to pay us?

Nonetheless, Amir is committed to his work: I do this because Im passionate about Mewat and its people. Its more important to work for the truth than to work for money.

Challenging Media Silence and Bias

Junaid Linhinga, a 25-year-old aspiring government employee from Mewat, has also picked up the mic to challenge the narratives put forth by mainstream media. He explains how media outlets often misrepresent incidents in Mewat and amplify negative stereotypes while ignoring the realities of the region. To counter this bias, he launched his own YouTube channel and dedicated himself to documenting and sharing the truth of his community.

In Mewat, things are not as exaggerated as the mainstream media portrays, he asserts. They paint us as a backward, violent place. But that is not the full story. For now, I want to focus on raising the real issues, not on making money.

The efforts of independent journalists like Waseem, Amir and Junaid stand as a testament to the power of local voices.
HCM CITY  The DakLak September 2nd Import-Export Company Limited (Simexco DakLak) said the UK is a strategic market for its speciality coffee products.

Le uc Toan, its sales director in charge of the southern region, said the company exports around 100,000 tonnes of coffee beans a year, with the US, EU and China being its major markets.

Referring to the UK, he said: We primarily export speciality coffee to the UK, averaging around 20-30 containers per year. This is a niche market for Simexco.

Speciality coffees offer exceptionally high added value, with their prices three to four times that of regular coffees, but the cost of producing them is also significantly higher, he added.

One of Simexco's key strengths is its ability to export directly to roasters, bypassing traders in Viet Nam, which serves as a significant competitive advantage for exports.

Simexco Daklak was a pioneer in developing coffee growing zones following the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) standards.

It has signed contracts for exporting EUDR-qualified coffee products, he said.

The UK-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) has greatly helped it export to the UK, he added.

Under the UKVFTA all tariffs were eliminated in 2021 on coffee, natural honey, fruit juices, fresh flowers, and both fresh and processed fruits and vegetables exported from Viet Nam to the UK.

According to the Connecting the UK and Viet Nam in Agriculture, Food and Drinks report, commissioned by the British embassy in Ha Noi and done by Edelman Global Advisory, Viet Nam holds the potential to emerge as a significant supplier of products to UK retailers.

Processed products like coffee, cashew and pepper are already widely available in major UK supermarkets.

With the UK's participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), access for Vietnamese agricultural products will improve.

In recent years, Viet Nam's agricultural sector has been transitioning towards reduced emissions, adopting organic processes and harnessing renewable energy sources.

These sustainability efforts will resonate with UK consumers who prioritise origin traceability, food safety and environmentally friendly and ethically sourced goods, the report said.

Speciality coffee development

According to the Viet Nam Coffee Association, one of the key concerns of the coffee industry today is the development and promotion of speciality coffees that embody Viet Nams unique characteristics to enhance the supply chains value and global recognition.

Though Viet Nam is a major coffee exporter worldwide, the country primarily exports raw materials, which remain largely unknown among global consumers, it said.

Over the past years, Viet Nam has focused more on speciality coffees, but their proportion is only a fraction of the overall output, it added.

Under a project to develop Vietnamese specialty coffee in the 2021-2030 period that was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the area of specialty coffee is expected to account for two per cent of the countrys total coffee growing area, with an output of 5,000 tonnes in 2025,. The figures are expected to increase to three per cent and 11,000 tonnes in 2030.

Trinh uc Minh, president of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association, said Viet Nam is developing both arabica and robusta speciality coffees, with a stronger emphasis on the latter, given that it is the world leader in its production and export.  VNS
HA NOI  The Made in Vietnam 2024 Goods Week, with 150-170 booths, has attracted more than one hundred businesses from 30 localities across the country, marking a significant event in the promotion of Vietnamese-made products.

The event, organised by the Ha Noi Promotion Agency (HPA), is taking place at Park City, Ha ong, from December 20-24.

The event showcases a wide variety of Vietnamese products, including agricultural goods, food and beverages, handicrafts, gifts and regional specialties. It also features a selection of OCOP (One Commune - One Product) items and products from traditional villages, offering visitors a unique opportunity to experience the rich diversity of Viet Nams craftsmanship and local flavours.

In addition, the event features an exhibition area for export-oriented products and a dedicated culinary space.

HPA Deputy Director Bui Duy Quang emphasised the importance of the Made in Vietnam 2024 Goods Week in celebrating Viet Nams cultural heritage and regional identities. The event serves as a platform to promote traditional handicrafts, local specialties and the tourism potential of Ha Noi.

Quang noted that the week-long event is not only a commercial opportunity but also a place for showcasing Viet Nams diverse culture to both locals and international visitors.

He hightlighted the events broader goals, including the intention to establish it as an annual event that supports trade promotion, regional economic development and the preservation of cultural heritage.

By strengthening the connection between trade and tourism, the event aims to boost the local economy and enhance Ha Nois status as a key destination for both business and tourism.

Through this event, it also helps connect distributors, shopping centres, supermarkets, wholesale markets and e-commerce platforms, allowing them to engage directly with participating businesses.

This provides an opportunity to explore products, assess production capacity and identify potential suppliers for distribution networks. Additionally, it facilitates negotiations, the signing of partnership agreements and contracts for product supply and consumption.

Promoting regional products

Businesses from various regions have brought their agricultural products to Ha Noi, seeking to promote their local specialties.

A representative from Son La Provinces Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre, Luu Thi Thu Hien said: Our goal is to connect trade and promote the provinces signature products, as well as high-quality OCOP products, to the people in Ha Noi. We want to ensure that consumers have access to quality products and also aim to connect businesses and cooperatives that wish to use or sell these goods."

To expand the market for local products, the Centre plans to participate in more programmes related to food and agricultural products.

In recent years, Son La has focused heavily on promoting agricultural goods for the local community. Looking ahead, the Centres goal for 2025 is to engage in all programmes related to food and agricultural products. This will help us provide a platform for local cooperatives, offering them a centralised point to sell their products and reach a wider market, Hien said.

The Thien Lam Cooperative from Tuyen Quang Province brought a variety of local specialties to the event, including wild boar sausages and mountain-grown rice. This presents a valuable opportunity for the Cooperative to introduce Tuyen Quangs unique products to consumers in Ha Noi, while also gaining access to modern retail networks for product distribution.

Nhu Quoc Cuong, head of the cooperative, said: We hope for more Vietnamese products week to help businesses from Tuyen Quang promote their local specialties and reach the Ha Noi market.

Strengthening domestic consumption

The efforts are being made to strengthen the promotion of locally produced products in Viet Nam to stimulate domestic consumption, increase overall retail sales and stabilise the market, particularly during the year-end period.

This also aims to raise consumer awareness and confidence in the quality and brand of Vietnamese products, effectively supporting the campaign 'Vietnamese People Prioritise Vietnamese Goods'.

Visitors, both domestic and international, have expressed great enthusiasm for the event. Jonathan Finnegan, from South Africa, praised the Vietnamese products, saying: "The products displayed here are very interesting and diverse, ranging from food and beverages to decorations. Vietnamese goods are of excellent quality and the agricultural products are fresh and clean. What sets Vietnamese products apart is their high quality and health benefits, which is why I have so much confidence in them."

Local attendees also shared their appreciation for Vietnamese products. Local Nguyen Khanh Van said: "I bought Cao Bang black jelly and rice rolls. I always prioritise and use Vietnamese products because these items give me confidence in their quality."

As part of the event, there will also be culinary activities, a tea ceremony space and a traditional craft experience area.

Similarly, during December 26-29, at the Son Tay ancient citadel pedestrian street, the HPA, in collaboration with Son Tay Town, will organise the Made in Vietnam 2024 Goods Week, with approximately 150 booths. VNS
HA NOI  A series of year-end stimulus programmes is expected to support Viet Nam's economy to achieve the GDP growth target of over 7 per cent this year.

To boost the domestic market and stimulate consumption at the year end, the Prime Minister has requested ministries, sectors and localities to implement a series of appropriate solutions to increase aggregate demand, stimulate domestic consumption and promote trade and investment activities.

People are expected to take advantage of spending opportunities during Christmas and New Year holidays, said Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong.

According to the Ha Noi Centre for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion, many trade promotion and stimulus activities will be carried out to support trade connections and encourage the consumption of Vietnamese products. They include the Hanoi Safe Agricultural and Food Fair 2024 and the Fruit and Agricultural Products Week of provinces and cities in Ha Noi.

In addition, the 15th National Assembly approved an extension of the two per cent value-added tax (VAT) reduction ntil June 30, 2025.

The continued reduction of VAT is also expected to stimulate consumption for the longer term, creating economic growth momentum for 2025.

inh Thi Thuy Phuong, head of the Department of Trade and Service Statistics, General Statistics Office (GSO) said that reduction in VAT will have the greatest impact among the stimulus solutions.

It impacts all consumers, and also reduces input costs of businesses, contributing to lower sales prices of both goods and services, Phuong said.

This helps businesses expand their business activities, create jobs, thereby increasing income for workers, creating encouraging conditions for people to increase spending.

She also noted that, in addition to existing stimulus, it is necessary to promote disbursement of public investment, accelerate disbursement of public investment projects, especially in terms of transport infrastructure projects. That will create momentum of development for related industries such as construction, material production and logistics, and also promote convenience in the circulation of goods.

Stimulating consumption is not only a short-term solution but also a strategic step to restore and develop Viet Nam's economy over the longer term, she added.

Deputy Minister Phuong said: Domestic consumption of goods has shown positive signs, but the growth rate has not met expectations.

According to GSO, the total retail sales of goods and services in November 2024 was at VN562 trillion, up 8.8 per cent over the same period last year. Of which, revenue from accommodation and catering services increased by 12.9 per cent, while tourism and travel service revenue also rose by 12.5 per cent, due to the high number of foreign visitors to Viet Nam and Vietnamese people travelling abroad compared to the same period last year.

In the first 11 months of 2024, the total retail sales of goods and services was at VN5.8 quadrillion, up 8.8 per cent over the same period last year, lower than 9.7 per cent growth rate in the same period of 2023. Excluding the price factor, it increased by 5.8 per cent, lower than the rate of 7 per cent in the same period of 2023.

Consumers are still spending cautiously, especially across the service and tourism industries. Although the number of domestic and international visitors increased sharply over the past months, their spending did not increase, causing difficulties for revenue in the tourism industry.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan said the overall implementation of many solutions and promotion programmes this year is expected to achieve the goals on stimulating domestic demand and increasing the total retail sales and services. Those will promote production and business, increase corporate competitiveness and stabilise prices and the market.

Deputy Director of the Institute for Economic and Policy Research, University of Economics, VNU Dr. Nguyen Quoc Viet, said the recovery in the domestic market, which has not grown as strongly as hoped, has also not been truly sustainable.

Therefore, reforming tax policies in the future, especially in terms of personal income tax, is also required. It is necessary to create conditions for a growing number of middle class, thereby contributing to the growth momentum for domestic services and consumption.  VNS
HA NOI  The Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has raised concerns about the prolonged delays in value-added tax (VAT) refunds, a critical issue plaguing the seafood industry.

In a report submitted to the Prime Minister's Administrative Procedures Reform Task Force and the Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform, VASEP highlighted the significant challenges businesses faced during the first 11 months of 2024. Chief among these issues are delays in VAT refunds, which have disrupted cash flows and jeopardised operations across the sector.

VASEP underscored that resolving this issue is key to alleviating financial strain and driving sustainable growth. The timely processing of VAT refunds is crucial to maintaining the global competitiveness of Viet Nam's seafood exports, especially as companies work to recover and expand in the wake of the pandemic.

Frustration

The issue has long been frustrating for businesses, gaining renewed attention at the 2024 Conference on Tax and Customs Policy Dialogue earlier this month in Ha Noi.

At the event, several companies reported that VAT refunds, at times amounting to hundreds of billions of Vietnamese ong, have been stuck in limbo for up to five years. One common bottleneck arises when refund applications include invoices from suppliers that have ceased operations, creating procedural and legal complications.

Speaking at the conference, To Vinh Hung, Deputy General Director of Southern Steel Co., Ltd. (VNSTEEL), said his companys struggled to recover nearly VN200 billion, or US$7.86 million, in VAT refunds. The delays, which have persisted since August 2022, stemmed from classifying the companys input material, scrap metal as high-risk, triggering a lengthy pre-refund verification process.

At the time of purchase, all our documentation complied with VAT refund regulations. We accounted for all transactions and verified our suppliers were legitimate businesses, said Hung.

However, by the time the refund process began, authorities discovered that some suppliers had ceased operations or were in the dissolution process, raising doubts about the validity of the invoices.

This led to our invoices being suspended without resolution, he added.

Hung said that businesses complying with the law should not bear the consequences of their suppliers violations. He called for a revision of refund procedures to ensure that: only the violating party is penalised, emphasising the need for a fair and efficient system.

The implications of delayed VAT refunds extend well beyond individual companies.

Phan Minh Thong, Chairman of Phuc Sinh Group, one of Viet Nam's leading agriculture exporters, highlighted the cascading effects on export businesses. Already grappling with volatile supply chains, surging commodity prices and fluctuating transport costs, these firms face additional financial strain due to refund delays.

According to Thong, such challenges threaten business operational flow, production capacity and export activities, undermining their ability to compete in global markets.

Data from the General Department of Taxation reveals the scale of the problem. By November 2024, tax authorities had issued 17,300 VAT refund decisions, amounting to nearly VN132 trillion, or just 77 per cent of the years target with around VN39 trillion remaining unresolved.

Experts attribute the delays, in part, to systemic bottlenecks. Assoc. Prof., Dr. Le Xuan Truong, Head of the Tax and Customs Department at the Academy of Finance, explained that current tax management laws centralise VAT refund authority with provincial tax department directors. Meanwhile, district-level and regional tax offices, which directly handle businesses and receive refund applications, must forward these to provincial authorities for approval. This multi-tiered structure creates unnecessary delays.

Reforms

To address these inefficiencies, reforms to the Tax Management Law include proposals to decentralise the VAT refund process. Under the new framework, regional and district-level tax departments could process and approve refund applications. This should significantly reduce processing times, enabling businesses to receive funds more quickly.

Faster refunds mean businesses can reinvest in production and operations sooner, which is what every business hopes for, said Truong.

Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen uc Chi said that alongside decentralisation, the ministry will enhance monitoring and auditing processes to ensure compliance with the law. Additionally, efforts will focus on improving the capacity and professionalism of tax officers, ensuring VAT refunds are processed accurately and lawfully while minimising risks of abuse or fraud.

By streamlining administrative procedures and giving additional autonomy to local tax offices, the proposed reforms aim to relieve financial pressure on businesses, enabling them to focus on growth and competitiveness in both domestic and international markets.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Finance has proposed the National Assembly extend the agricultural land tax exemption until December 31, 2030, a move aimed at encouraging investments in agriculture and rural areas to improve the competitive edge of the agricultural products amidst deeper international integration.

If approved, the initiative will take effect from January 1, 2026.

According to the ministry, annual tax relief averaged VN3.27 trillion (US$128.46 million) for 2003-10, and increased to VN6.31 trillion for 2011-16, and some VN7.5 trillion for 2021-23.

Despite the reduction in State budget revenue, the ministry said the policy has been instrumental in promoting sustainable rural development. Besides, the tax exemption aligns with Viet Nam's international trade commitments as a WTO member, has caused no trade disputes or conflicts with other nations, and has received strong support from localities.

The ministry described the policy as a form of direct support for farmers and a direct financial source to improve productivity and product quality. Additionally, it reflects the Party and States consistent approach to agricultural, rural, and farmer development.

The ministry projected that the exemption through 2030 would result in annual tax relief of around VN7.5 trillion.  VNS
KUALA LUMPUR  As of November 30, more than 17,000 Viet Namese workers had been working legally in Malaysia, according to the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources.

Although this figure has decreased by about 50 per cent compared to the peak in 2003, the two countries' authorities still appreciate their practical labour cooperation.

According to the general assessments of employers, Vietnamese workers have good skills, learn very quickly, are diligent, and easily integrate into work and life in Malaysia.

With good experiences, skills and foreign languages, Vietnamese workers are often appointed as team leaders of production lines, guiding and supporting workers in other countries such as Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Of the Vietnamese workers in Malaysia, more than half of them work in the manufacturing sector, about 10 per cent in the construction sector, more than 10 per cent in the service sector, and 10 per cent in the agricultural sector.

In 2003, the Governments of Viet Nam and Malaysia signed the first cooperation agreement on sending Vietnamese labourers to work in Malaysia. The agreement was re-signed in 2015 and 2022 within the framework of then Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's official visit to Viet Nam.

Sending Vietnamese workers to work in Malaysia is one of the effective cooperation contents, especially in the 2002-2012 period.

The year 2003 was considered the peak period as Malaysia recruited 38,000 Vietnamese workers to meet its labour demand.

Roland Hoo Choon Leng, distribution manager of Gimmill Industrial (M) SDN. BHD, a company of Ramatex Textiles Group, said that currently the group is applying automation in the textile and garment process, so it is very necessary to have workers with good skills like Vietnamese workers.

He said besides good skills, Vietnamese workers are very diligent in learning foreign languages, many workers can speak both Chinese and Malaysian, so they start working and integrate with local life very well.

The group has also invested in Viet Nam with three factories operating in Hai Phong city, and Bac Ninh and Nam inh provinces. Meanwhile, its factories in Batu Pahat and Kulai, Johor are employing more than 9,000 workers, most of whom are foreign workers, including about 300 Vietnamese workers.

Le Ngoc Toan, First Secretary and Head of the Labour Management and Expert Committee in Malaysia, said that although Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government has approved a plan to raise the minimum wage from 1,500 RM to 1,700 RM per month (approximately VN10 million) starting from February 1, 2025, this is not very appealing to Vietnamese workers.

This is because Vietnamese labourers have better options in the markets of Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan (China), where they can earn higher incomes. However, Malaysia is still considered one of the top markets for Vietnamese manual labourers, as it does not demand high levels of foreign language proficiency and skills.

Regarding the goal of effectively exploiting the potential for cooperation between the two countries in the labour sector, Toan believed that Viet Nam should focus on tapping into the skilled labour market segment with high professional qualifications. He noted that this is a new aspect of cooperation between the two countries, as Malaysia is attracting significant foreign investment in the service and high-tech sectors.  VNS
HA NOI  Nestle Vietnam was honoured to receive the prestigious National Quality Gold Award for the second time on Wednesday in Ha Noi, an accolade presented by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to organisations and enterprises demonstrating exceptional achievements in production, business operations, competitiveness and integration with global economies.

The National Quality Award is the highest distinction granted annually by the Prime Minister, with the National Quality Gold Award being its top-tier recognition. This award evaluates companies comprehensively across multiple criteria, including leadership, strategic planning, customer orientation, performance management, innovation and sustainability. Nestle Vietnam's success in securing this honour is attributed to its unwavering commitment to these areas.

Vice Chairman of the National Committee for Standards, Metrology, and Quality under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Tran Hau Ngoc, said that the National Quality Award is based on a rigorous and transparent evaluation process. Award recipients are pioneers in applying quality management systems, improving business practices and enhancing productivity and quality across Viet Nam. Moreover, this award serves as a vital tool for businesses to assess their management systems according to international standards, ensuring continuous growth and improvement.

Binu Jacob, CEO of Nestle Vietnam, expressed his pride upon receiving the National Quality Gold Award for the second time.

"This recognition reinforces our commitment to continuous improvement," he said.

"The National Quality Award Programme provides us with valuable opportunities to evaluate and enhance our management practices, product quality and services. It is a testament to Nestle Vietnam's dedication to improving the quality of life and contributing to a healthier future for the people of Viet Nam."

Le Thi Hoai Thuong, senior corporate affairs manager of Nestle Vietnam, said at Nestle, principles like quality, food safety, research and innovation, consumer suitability and people form the core foundation of its competitive edge. These values have been integral to the company's success in securing the National Quality Gold Award. Nestle Vietnam consistently upholds the highest standards in food safety, hygiene and quality management across every stage of its operations - from sourcing raw materials to delivering finished products to consumers.

"Nestles business strategy revolves around its 'Creating Shared Value' approach and the core value of respect. The company is dedicated to fostering sustainable practices that protect resources for future generations. Nestle's product portfolio is continually evolving, driven by research and development, to meet the dynamic needs of consumers. Furthermore, Nestle encourages healthier lifestyles by sharing knowledge on nutrition and promoting physical activity among consumers," Thuong said.

2025 marks the 30th anniversary of Nestle Vietnams establishment and growth, with the goal of enhancing quality of life for the Vietnamese people. Guided by the vision of becoming a "Glocal company pioneering in sustainable development," the company places people at the center of all its activities. Nestle Vietnam operates around three core pillars: innovation, digital transformation and sustainable development.

Innovation and digital transformation are key drivers of positive change across the entire supply chain. They enhance product quality, elevate consumer experiences, support sustainable production and farming practices and foster a safer, more efficient, and interconnected working environment for employees.

"Building on these accomplishments, Nestle Vietnam will continue its unwavering strategy of balancing business growth with the responsible conservation of resources for future generations, while promoting prosperity in the communities it serves," she said.

As 2025 unfolds, Nestle Vietnam remains committed to pioneering sustainable development initiatives - not only within the company but also by leading and supporting the business community in embracing sustainability. The company will actively contribute to achieving national goals, particularly Viet Nams net zero commitment by 2050.

Since its establishment in 1995, Nestle Vietnam has consistently prioritised long-term investment and sustainable development within the country. Through collaboration with partners, Nestle organises numerous training programmes for businesses, especially within the supply chain, focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adopting sustainable practices.

Nestles success is also rooted in its dedication to its people, recognising them as the companys most valuable asset. Nestle is committed to providing its employees with excellent working conditions, benefits and flexible employment options, promoting a healthy work-life balance. These efforts have earned Nestle Vietnam multiple accolades, including being recognised as the Most Sustainable Enterprise in the manufacturing sector for three consecutive years (2021-2023) and as an "Enterprise for Employees" for five consecutive years (2020-2024).

Most recently, Nestles NESCAFE Plan programme received the Human Act Prize "Award of the Year" for its significant impact on the Vietnamese coffee industry, highlighting Nestles ongoing commitment to enhancing the value of Vietnamese coffee beans and supporting sustainable farming communities.
HCM CITY  As the year draws to a close agricultural businesses across Viet Nam are prioritising the fulfilment of export orders, showcasing the nations strength in farming and agricultural production.

Nguyen inh Tung, chairman and general director of Vina T&T Group, one of Viet Nams leading fruit exporters, told Viet Nam News that the company has been working tirelessly in the final quarter to export a wide range of fruits, catering to increased demand for year-end holidays such as New Year and Tet (Lunar New Year), celebrated by Asian communities in importing countries.

Orders in October and November have risen by approximately 2025 per cent compared to the yearly average to meet demand during this peak period.

We are also investing in upgrading our packaging facilities to better serve the anticipated growth in 2025, which I believe will see substantial increases in fruit and vegetable exports.

The company exports products such as coconuts, pomelos, durians, longans, mangoes, rambutans, star apples, and more to key markets like the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and Australia.

Meanwhile, Sao Khue Food JSC, which specialises in pasta, glass noodles, instant noodles, and eco-friendly rice straws made from ingredients like rice and purple sweet potatoes, has also experienced a surge in demand.

These products are exported to destinations including Japan, Australia, and the US.

Pham Thi Ngoc Ha, sales manager of Sao Khue Food JSC, said: As of the end of this year we have received a significant number of orders, and our factory is operating at full capacity to ensure timely delivery.

She attributed this success to the companys participation in a recent exhibition, where they secured contracts with several international partners.

Looking ahead the company anticipates even more orders in the coming year.

Tran Thi Hai Cham, head of distribution at MD QUEENS JSC, noted that her companys MD Queens Celastrus Hindsii tea is produced both for the domestic market and unofficial-quota exports to Taiwan (China), the US, China, and Malaysia.

Year-end demand, especially during the Tet period, is typically much higher than at other times of the year.

As a result, our production has increased significantly, with revenues for this period two to three times higher than in the same period last year.

Part of global supply chains

As a country with a long agricultural heritage, Viet Nam enjoys a competitive edge in exporting fresh produce and processed products derived from crops.

In the first 11 months of 2024 agricultural exports reached $29.78 billion, a year-on-year increase of 23.2 per cent.

Fruit and vegetable exports have also seen notable growth, with projected revenues for the full year exceeding $7 billion, a new record.

Industry experts have highlighted the steady improvement in Viet Nams agricultural product quality, not just in terms of flavour but also packaging and appearance.

Farmers are increasingly prioritising quality over quantity, making their produce more competitive in global markets.

As a result, processed food products made from these crops are also gaining traction with international buyers.

Viet Nams strength lies in the exceptional cultivation skills of our farmers, who can quickly adapt to market demands, Tung said.

We produce fruits year-round, which gives us an advantage over other countries in the region.

By 2025 I believe Vietnamese fruit exports will achieve significant breakthroughs as evidenced by the impressive growth we have already witnessed in recent years.

Exporters are keenly aware of the need to meet international standards in traceability, environmental protection and food safety.

Companies exporting to demanding markets like the US, Japan and Australia have focused on obtaining certification such as Global GAP, SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit), HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), and Halal.

Moreover, many firms are embracing green and low-emission production methods, which are increasingly becoming a basic requirement in global markets.

Supportive policies

Recognising the pivotal role of agriculture in Viet Nams economy, the government and local authorities have introduced policies and programmes to foster its development.

Initiatives include simplifying export procedures, offering preferential loans for high-tech and sustainable production, keeping businesses informed about the latest market trends, encouraging farmers to join co-operative groups, and developing large-scale specialised farming areas.

Major cities like HCM City and Ha Noi regularly organise trade fairs and exhibitions to promote Vietnamese agricultural products, some of which attract leading international companies.

The Business Matching and HCM City Products Week 2024  Food and Beverages expo held from December 11 to 17 provided an opportunity for businesses to showcase their brands to export partners, sourcing companies and consumers.

Tran Thi Hai Cham, who attended the event to promote her tea products, said the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of HCM City had been instrumental in helping her company participate in major trade facilitation events.

Vietnamese firms have also been attending lots of international trade fairs.

Sao Khue Food JSC exhibited at the Malaysia International Halal Showcase earlier this year, and successfully connected with several buyers.

Viet Nam has also benefited from a series of bilateral and multilateral trade deals like the United KingdomViet Nam Free Trade Agreement, the European UnionViet Nam Free Trade Agreement, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

These FTAs have eliminated tariffs on many product categories, particularly agricultural goods, creating opportunities for exporters to strengthen their global presence.

For example, Viet Nams agricultural exports to the UK have grown significantly over the past three years, partly due to the competitive edge provided by the UKVFTA.

Tung noted that his company was among the first to benefit from the EVFTA.

The agreement has made Vietnamese products more attractive to EU importers, who are now paying greater attention to our market.

Nevertheless, while trade agreements provide a foundation, it is up to Vietnamese businesses to meet the stringent requirements of these demanding markets, he said.

For markets like the EU, we must build a robust infrastructure, including certified farming areas and advanced packaging facilities, to succeed. VNS
HA NOI  The Viet Nam Trade Office in Australia is not solely focused on export-import activities but also actively contributes to critical national goals in this pivotal period, Vietnamese Trade Counsellor to Australia Nguyen Phu Hoa told a Vietnam News Agency reporter based in Sydney.

Hoa said the office has outlined an action plan to develop exports by leveraging supply chains and building a "green origin" brand, aimed at fostering positive consumer sentiment. It also proposed collaborations in semiconductors, the digital economy, financial centres, mineral supply chains, energy, infrastructure, and the green and circular economy.

In the first 11 months of this year, Viet Nam's exports to Australia surged by 24.4 per cent annually, far outpacing the national average export growth of 14.4 per cent.

Australia is increasingly becoming a vital supplier of raw materials for Viet Nams burgeoning manufacturing sector, with around 80 per cent of Viet Nams imports being raw materials and fuel.

In return, Viet Nam exported a diverse range of products to Australia, from machinery, equipment, vehicles and transport parts, apparel, leather, and footwear, to agricultural and aquatic products, and construction materials.

In the semiconductor sector, Hoa suggested financial investments from Australia in semiconductors, Viet Nam's labour supply to Australia, and a "2+1" cooperation model in which both countries utilise advanced technologies from the US, given Australia's participation in the AUKUS alliance.

The establishment of financial centres in Viet Nam is another key initiative. The office has proactively engaged with investment funds and banks to stimulate interest in the Vietnamese market and help Vietnamese firms list on the Australian stock exchange.

Recently, a delegation from the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises, alongside major Vietnamese corporations, attended an investment roundtable in Australia to discuss investment cooperation solutions.

In the mineral and energy supply chains, Viet Nam's advantages, such as a skilled workforce, favourable logistics, and abundant new energy sources, complement Australia's advanced technology and rich mineral reserves.

Hoa envisioned collaborative mineral processing industrial zones in Viet Nam using green technologies, ensuring processed minerals meet environmental standards before export.

Australia's keen interest in Viet Nam's rare earth sector underscores the need for accelerated cooperation to develop refined products for export, making both countries competitive in the global market, he said.

In the energy sector, the office has encouraged Vietnamese firms to engage in Australian mining projects, particularly in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) field, to ensure energy security.

Both Viet Nam and Australia recognise the importance of nuclear power plants, presenting an opportunity to share visions and financial solutions while integrating third-party technologies.

In logistics and infrastructure, the office is actively assisting businesses from both countries interested in investing in or acquiring shares of port, road, and storage facilities.

The Australian investment funds have expressed continued interest in energy projects in Viet Nam, committing to updating infrastructure project information to the Macquarie fund.

In the digital economy, the office has conducted studies on digital economic cooperation models between Australia and Singapore, drawing valuable insights for Viet Nam. It has facilitated connections between IT businesses from both countries and is promoting blockchain technology from the Vietnamese company Auschain for traceability in the Australian agriculture sector.

The office is also exploring the use of blockchain for carbon credit trading platforms and advising Australian fintech companies to enter the Vietnamese market.

With both nations committed to green and circular economies, the office is promoting cooperation in green supply chains for raw materials and components, a long-term strategy with significant environmental and economic benefits, he added.  VNS
Compiled by Ly Ly Cao

HA NOI  Viet Nam is poised for a regulatory shift with the upcoming implementation of a special investment procedure starting earlier next year.

Starting from January 15, 2025, investors will be able to enroll for investment under special procedures as outlined in the Draft Decree detailing the Investment Law.

This decree is formulated to operationalise Clause 12, Article 36a of the Investment Law, which was revised by Law No 57/2024/QH15, amending and enhancing several provisions of the the Law on Planning, the Law on Investment, the Law on Public-Private Partnership Investment, and the Law on Bidding in 2024.

This new framework represents a significant shift in the countrys approach to managing high-tech and semiconductor projects.

By speeding up project timelines while maintaining strict compliance with legal, environmental and technical standards, this policy is designed to attract high-value investments and propel Viet Nams industrial modernisation.

From pre-audit to post-audit

The special investment procedure marks a departure from the traditional pre-audit model, where extensive assessments and approvals precede project implementation, to a post-audit approach.

Investors will be able to register their projects and obtain an investment certificate within just 15 days, bypassing lengthy processes related to construction permits, environmental protection measures and fire prevention approvals.

This streamlined process is expected to reduce project implementation timelines by approximately 260 days, a development that has been warmly welcomed by investors.

The shift aims to accelerate the introduction of high-tech projects into the Vietnamese economy, enabling faster delivery of products and services.

Speaking at the SEMIExpo Vietnam 2024 held last month, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said that the new policy will simplify investment procedures and drastically reduce time for investors in high-tech industries.

For investors, this represents a major step forward for both Viet Nam and the high-tech sector, especially the semiconductor industry, in the near future, Dung said.

However, it also places a heavier burden on post-implementation oversight to ensure compliance with agreed-upon commitments and standards.

To qualify for the special investment procedure, investors must adhere to a set of rigorous requirements.

Firstly, investors must commit to meeting all legal standards related to construction, environmental protection and fire safety.

In addition, projects must include detailed evaluations of their potential environmental impacts and propose measures to mitigate negative effects.

Investors must also provide assurances that they will fulfil all obligations, accepting responsibility for any failure to comply with the outlined commitments.

Investors proposing projects similar to those previously approved in Viet Nam or other countries can submit documentation from those projects in lieu of new proposals, provided that the documents meet Viet Nams requirements.

Under the new system, investors need to submit just one application for investment certification. This application will be reviewed and approved by the relevant industrial park, export processing zone, high-tech park or economic zone management board within 15 days.

Such efficiency is unprecedented in Viet Nams investment landscape and is expected to make the country a more attractive destination for high-tech industries.

Challenges in oversight

While the special investment procedure has been lauded for its efficiency, it introduces significant challenges for oversight authorities.

Management boards of industrial zones will bear the responsibility of monitoring project compliance, identifying issues and coordinating with other agencies to resolve any complications during project implementation.

The transition to a post-audit model demands robust monitoring systems and clear protocols to ensure that commitments are upheld.

Concerns have been raised about the feasibility of overseeing large-scale, high-impact projects, especially those involving international standards.

Deputy Head of the Management Board for Industrial Parks in ong Nai Province, Duong Xuan Nuong, questioned whether international standards could align seamlessly with Viet Nams domestic criteria.

To address these concerns, authorities have proposed additional templates and guidelines to support both investors and management boards in fulfilling their obligations without creating unnecessary complications.

Meanwhile, the private sector has expressed optimism about the new policy.

Deputy General Director of Becamex IDC, Quang Van Viet Cuong, highlighted the potential benefits of the special procedure in reducing administrative bottlenecks.

As infrastructure developers and secondary investors, we are thrilled. This framework allows faster project execution and product delivery, Cuong told baodautu.vn.

However, he emphasised the need for clarity in land-use policies, particularly for large-scale projects requiring significant acreage.

Infrastructure developers have also called for greater flexibility in land zoning regulations. They argue that allowing investors to adjust zoning plans while adhering to overarching criteria would facilitate smoother project execution and align with the green lane philosophy of the special investment procedure.

The draft Decree has proposed two methods for evaluating project compliance with zoning regulations, including assessing alignment with sub-regional plans for industrial parks, export processing zones and high-tech parks, while expanding evaluations to include detailed zoning plans for these areas as well as functional zones within economic zones.

Industry experts have largely favoured the first option, citing its simplicity and effectiveness. They also recommend clearer criteria for projects with multiple objectives, ensuring that high-tech components are adequately prioritised over secondary goals.  VNS
HCM CITY  With inbound accommodation searches up 30 per cent compared to last year, Viet Nam is set to sparkle as a favourite for international revelers looking to welcome New Year 2025, Agoda said.

Of Vietnamese cities, Agoda said, HCM City tops the charts as the most sought-after destination, where visitors can ring in 25 with fireworks above the Sai Gon River.

The analysis was made between November 1 and 27 with a check-in date of December 31. Comparisons are based on data from November 1-27, 2023.

The tourism service platform said that travelers from South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan (China), and the United States are leading the charge to see 2024 off in Sai Gon-style.

Lam Vu, country director for Viet Nam at Agoda, shares his excitement: "Viet Nam's growing popularity as a New Years Eve destination reflects its unique blend of culture, energy, and natural beauty.

On the list, Phu Quoc Island climbed to second place, rising from fifth last year, while a Nang, Ha Noi, and Nha Trang round out the top five hotspots.

Vietnamese travelers are also making bold choices for their New Year escapes. Domestically, HCM City reigns supreme, followed by the romantic highlands of a Lat, the serene beaches of Vung Tau, capital city Ha Noi and the beachside of Nha Trang. Nha Trang reclaims its spot in the top five, nudging out Phan Thiet.

For those looking to expand their travel horizons, international searches point to Bangkok, Taipei, Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong as top contenders for ringing-in the new year.

In New Year 2024, Viet Nam welcomed 3.2 million tourists, increasing by 6.6 per cent over the same time of 2023.

In October and November this year, total tourists coming to Viet Nam reached 3.1 million.

In the first 11 months of this year, foreign tourists visiting Viet Nam totaled 15.8 million, surging by 41 per cent year-on-year.  VNS
HA NOI  Images, artefacts and footage revealing moving stories from Viet Nams two resistance wars are being exhibited at the Vietnamese Women's Museum.

The Ky Uc Va Niem Tin (Memories and Beliefs) exhibition is organised by the Vietnamese Women's Museum in collaboration with the 'Forever 20' Club to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Viet Nam People's Army (December 22, 1944 - December 22, 2024).

It showcases over 200 valuable documents and artefacts collected by the museum over nearly 20 years  the result of trips across the country to meet and listen to stories from historical witnesses and the families of the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed it all on the battlefields. The exhibits are organised into three themes: 'Ready to Depart,' 'Belief in Victory,' and 'The Day of Return.'

Some notable artefacts include a volunteer enlistment application written in blood; the diary of a female soldier from the Truong Son region about her journey to the battlefield and her years of military service; a letter from a martyr to his wife filled with longing and hope for their reunion; and a soldiers harmonica that was used to encourage his comrades' spirits.

Memories and Beliefs will help viewers answer the question of how the small nation of Viet Nam was able to fight and triumph over enemies with massive economic and military power.

It also emphasises the close relationship between the home front and the front lines, conveying to todays youth the message to live with dreams, aspirations and beliefs, and to continue the legacy of their ancestors.

Visitors will have the opportunity to participate in the activity Letters to Loved Ones, where they can write meaningful letters, expressing sincere feelings to their loved ones through letters that reflect a wartime style.

"Over the past 80 years, generations of officers and soldiers of the Viet Nam People's Army, with their talent, intelligence, courage and determination to fight and win, have faced difficulties and hardships without hesitation, ready to sacrifice for the homeland, said Vice President of the Viet Nam Women's Union Nguyen Thi Thu Hien.

They have built a heroic and indomitable tradition, symbolising the strength of national unity, representing the heroic army of a heroic nation, and serving as a steadfast source of faith for the people.

According to Hien, the memories depicted through the images and documents in the exhibition, along with the stories from special invitees, will serve as valuable lessons and a significant source of encouragement for Vietnamese people to work together in building a happy and prosperous life in the new era.

This will contribute to educating the younger generation about national traditions, about a glorious past that should not be forgotten, and continuing the legacy of previous generations, she noted.

As part of the exhibition, the Vietnamese Women's Museum has received war memorabilia donated by veterans and families of fallen soldiers. These include paintings, letters, diaries and invaluable artefacts that are imbued with the spirit of a fiery era.  VNS
Dr Mattias Larsson*

During the Christmas break, Ethan, a curious and lively 12-year-old boy, travelled from Viet Nam to Cambodia with his parents. They visited Angkor Wat and did other adventures such as zip-lining and canoeing along the serene waterways of the Mekong River surrounded by lush greenery.

Shortly after their return from Cambodia to Viet Nam, Ethan began experiencing unusual symptoms. Initially, he complained of fatigue, headaches and mild abdominal pain. His parents attributed these to being tired from travelling or perhaps a mild stomach bug picked up during their trip. However, within weeks, the symptoms escalated. Ethan developed a persistent fever, severe abdominal cramps, diarrhoea and an itchy rash.

Worried about their sons condition, the parents sought help from a local clinic that diagnosed food poisoning and bacterial infection and prescribed antibiotics. However, Ethans condition worsened. They visited another clinic that also diagnosed a bacterial infection and prescribed another antibiotic, combined with steroids and antihistamines. The treatment decreased the symptoms for a while but then they came back worse. Ethans parents grew increasingly desperate.

After weeks of ineffective treatments, the family decided to visit Family Medical Practice (FMP), as they had heard it had international standards and good diagnostic capacity for complex medical conditions. The paediatrician listened carefully to Ethans travel history and symptoms and suspected it might be a parasitic disease. The doctor asked: Have you been swimming or wading in freshwater recently? Ethans parents mentioned the canoeing trip in Cambodia and that Ethan waded into the water.

The paediatrician ordered blood tests and a stool sample analysis, including schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection caused by freshwater worms called schistosomes. Within a day, the results confirmed the diagnosis. Ethan had contracted schistosomiasis, likely during his canoeing adventure in Cambodia.

The paediatrician explained that schistosomiasis, also called bilharzia, is an infection caused by tiny parasitic worms that live in freshwater and can enter the body through the skin. The parasite travels through the bloodstream and infects different organs, causing inflammation and damage. Its common in parts of Southeast Asia, especially in rural areas where water may be contaminated. The infection could cause severe symptoms if untreated, but as it was diagnosed early it was still curable with the right medication.

Ethan was prescribed praziquantel, an antiparasitic drug specifically used to treat schistosomiasis. The medication works by paralysing the worms, allowing the body to eliminate them naturally. The doctor explained to Ethan that he might feel slightly worse for a day or two as his body reacted to the dying parasites, but this was a positive sign that the treatment was working.

As they started the treatment, Ethan began to improve within a week. His fever subsided, his appetite returned and his energy levels surged. Follow-up tests confirmed that the infection was eradicated, to his parents relief.

The paediatrician advised the family on preventive measures for future travels. Avoid contact with freshwater in regions where schistosomiasis is common. Stick to bottled or treated water and always consult a doctor if you notice unusual symptoms after a trip.

The parents felt relieved that FMP provided timely and accurate medical care. Ethans ordeal underscored the importance of considering all possibilities, especially parasitic infections, in regions where such conditions are prevalent.

While Ethans adventure in Cambodia had an unexpected twist, it also taught the family valuable lessons about health, travel and the importance of seeking specialised care when needed. With his health restored, Ethan is now back to planning his next adventure  this time, with extra precautions in place. Family Medical Practice

*Dr Mattias Larsson is a paediatric doctor at FMP Hanoi and associate professor at Karolinska Institutet and has extensive experience in research on infectious diseases. He has worked with the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit and the Ministry of Health of Viet Nam. He is fluent in English, Swedish, Vietnamese, German and some Spanish.

FMP Healthcare Group operates medical centres in major cities including HCM City, Ha Noi and a Nang, offering consultations with international doctors, check-up centres and emergency ambulance services.

Visit FMP Hanoi 24/7 at 298I Kim Ma Street, Kim Ma Ward, Ba inh District. To book an appointment, please call (024).3843.0748, chat via Whatsapp, Viber or Zalo on +84.944.43.1919 or email hanoi@vietnammedicalpractice.com.
HA NOI  Many museums in Viet Nam have adopted innovative and engaging approaches to further attract visitors in the digital era.

The Vietnam Military History Museum is the largest museum in terms of area and scale. Opening over one month ago, the museum has drawn significant public interest partly due to its modern exhibition system and the way it vividly portrays major historical milestones of the nation.

The museums displays, particularly those depicting significant victories such as ien Bien Phu and the Ho Chi Minh Campaigns, leave a lasting impression through the integration of history and modern presentation technology.

Nguyen Quang Thai from Ha Noi's Tay Ho District said that he has visited the museum twice and is very impressed by its unique exhibition style, which utilises technology to narrate historical stories in an engaging manner for both adults and children.

The Quang Ninh Museum in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh has become a popular tourist destination, generating substantial revenue from tourism and becoming the first provincial museum in Viet Nam to achieve full financial autonomy.

Its iconic architecture and modern display technologies, along with regular creative cultural events, have attracted many visitors.

In Ha Noi, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is another successful model, offering vibrant experiential activities and unique outdoor exhibits that recreate the lifestyles of various Vietnamese ethnic groups.

Meanwhile, the National Museum of History and the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum lead the way in integrating digital technologies, implementing virtual reality displays to enhance visitor experiences.

New values for museums

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Viet Nam currently has 188 museums, including 128 public and 60 private, housing over 4 million artifacts, many of which are historically and culturally significant. While some museums excel in attracting visitors and becoming cultural and tourist hotspots, many still struggle to meet the expectations of their audiences.

Nguyen Tien a, Director of the Hanoi Museum, said that in the context of rapid digital development, digital transformation can enhance operational effectiveness and create new experiences for visitors. To increase appeal, museums must not only focus on exhibiting artifacts to preserve heritage but also organise meaningful cultural events and activities.

The Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Centre has been launched at the Hanoi Museum, which provides a new impetus for the museum to enhance its value and become a creative space in the capital.

Phung Quang Thang, Chairman of the Vietnam Sustainable Tourism Investment and Development JSC, suggested that museums should frequently change exhibition themes to become distinctive creative spaces. They need to enhance their value through practical experiential activities, he added.

Dr Nguyen Viet, Director of the Southeast Asian Prehistory Centre, recommended museums expand their themes and collaborate with private collectors to enrich their collections.

Many private collectors possess rare artifacts. Museums should establish cooperative mechanisms to acquire these items, enriching their exhibition content, Viet said.

The National Assembly on November 24 passed the revised Cultural Heritage Law with new responsibilities for museums added. Museums now not only collect, preserve, and exhibit artifacts but also interprete, educate, and promote cultural heritage. This requires museums to boldly innovate their management, operations, exhibition organisation, and promotion strategies, thereby enhancing their role in contemporary society.  VNA/VNS
In an interview with the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper on streamlining the administrative apparatus, Assoc. Prof., Dr. Bui Hoai Son, Permanent Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education, offered valuable insights into the need to empower young officials, retain talent and establish support mechanisms for senior officials as they approach retirement.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is working on policies for cadres and civil servants affected by organisational restructuring. Beyond financial support, what additional measures do you suggest?

I strongly support the creation of mechanisms and policies to assist cadres, civil servants and public employees affected by restructuring. This is not only the responsibility of management agencies but also essential to fostering consensus, cooperation and understanding among those impacted.

Streamlining the organisational apparatus serves the nations long-term interests but can create short-term challenges for individuals. Clear and specific support policies are needed to ease concerns and encourage positive responses to change.

In my view, policies should focus on three main areas:

First, provide initial financial support to help individuals sustain their livelihoods during the transition.

Second, implement retraining programmes to enhance skills or support any career transitions, creating new opportunities in other fields.

Third, ensure social welfare benefits, such as insurance and pensions, to prevent disadvantages during restructuring.

These measures reflect humanity in policymaking while encouraging individuals to make sacrifices for the greater good. When cadres feel valued and supported by the State, they are more likely to trust and support reform efforts.

Some suggest introducing policies to encourage cadres nearing retirement to step down early, creating space for younger leaders. What is your perspective?

This proposal deserves attention. It creates opportunities for younger candidates while ensuring rotation and renewal within the management system, aligning with the principles of a streamlined, strong and effective state apparatus. Younger cadres bring fresh energy, innovative thinking and an ability to adapt to modern trends and technologies. Offering opportunities to this generation is an investment in the future and a way to strengthen national leadership resources.

Encouraging seniors to retire early requires fair and humane policies. These should include attractive financial incentives, proportional early retirement packages and comprehensive pension benefits to prevent disadvantages.

Equally important is showing respect and appreciation for the contributions of senior cadres throughout their careers. This approach fosters solidarity and consensus within the political system. Implementation must be gradual and avoid creating feelings of coercion, instead inspiring voluntary sacrifices for the collective good and the development of the next generation.

Amid restructuring, concerns over a brain drain persist. What measures can retain talented individuals in the state apparatus?

This issue is critical, especially during organisational restructuring. Talented individuals are vital for the efficiency and quality of the States operations. Without appropriate policies, the risk of losing talent to the private sector increases, affecting sustainable national development.

To retain talent, it is essential to foster a professional, transparent and equitable work environment where individuals can thrive and feel valued for their contributions. Clear career progression and opportunities for merit-based promotions are crucial for growth.

Improving remuneration policies is also vital. Competitive salaries, performance-based bonuses and comprehensive benefits ensure financial stability and properly reward contributions.

Additionally, inspiring a sense of purpose is key. A streamlined, effective State apparatus that prioritises national and public interests will attract individuals motivated by meaningful work, particularly those seeking opportunities to contribute to long-term, impactful initiatives.

Retaining talent in the State is not solely about benefits but also about fostering a professional and appealing work environment. This aligns with broader strategies to improve the political system and State apparatus, meeting the demands of modern governance.

Implementing strong support policies requires significant resources. Where should the State look for funding for these initiatives?

The State must use financial resources wisely, efficiently and with balance. The national budget should serve as the primary funding source. However, restructuring public spending and cutting wasteful expenditures can ease budgetary pressures while creating resources for critical initiatives such as early retirement, retraining and career transitions.

Mobilising reserve funds, such as the Social Insurance Fund, is another viable solution. These funds exist to ensure social welfare and supporting cadres and civil servants during restructuring aligns with this purpose. Public-private partnerships can also play a role, with private enterprises contributing to retraining and career transition programmes.

Savings generated from streamlining the organisational apparatus itself can be reinvested to support these policies, addressing immediate challenges while ensuring long-term sustainability.

What message would you like to share with cadres and civil servants affected by restructuring?

It is natural for cadres and civil servants to feel concerned during organisational restructuring. Change always brings challenges, particularly when it affects livelihoods and careers. However, this is also an opportunity for individuals to reassess their skills and explore new directions.

The State is committed to supporting affected individuals. Policies are being developed to provide retraining, career transition support, establish social welfare guarantees and offer financial assistance.

Even outside the apparatus, the skills and experience gained during public service are invaluable assets. With support and determination, individuals can secure stable positions in new environments.

Restructuring should be viewed not only as a challenge but also as an opportunity to enhance organisational and individual performance. This change is necessary to meet the nations evolving needs, and everyones contributions, inside or outside the State apparatus, are crucial.

I trust in the resilience and adaptability of every cadre and civil servant to navigate this transition successfully.  VNS
CAIRO  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) remains a vital market and partner for Viet Nam in the Middle East, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UAE Nguyen Thanh Diep has told a Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reporter in the Middle East and North Africa.

The diplomat noted that Viet Nam and the UAE saw notable progress in their relations in 2024, with an increasing number of major UAE companies expressing interest in seeking partnerships with their Vietnamese counterparts.

Highlighting major achievements in bilateral ties in 2024, he cited the successful official visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the UAE in October, which marked the beginning of a new phase in economic, trade and investment cooperation. The two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership, signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), and set the ambitious target of reaching a trade volume of US$20 billion. This agreement also opens up significant potential for expanding Viet Nam's trade with the broader Middle East, he said.

Two-way trade in 2024 is expected to exceed $6.02 billion, a robust increase of 28.33 per cent compared to 2023. Vietnamese exports to the UAE also saw a substantial rise, with a trade surplus estimated at $4.48 billion. The two sides signed 13 investment and business agreements in various fields, including artificial intelligence (AI), energy transition, infrastructure development, logistics, finance, agriculture and locality-to-locality collaboration, noted the ambassador.

He said that Viet Nam and the UAE held business forums with hundreds of companies in attendance. Vietnamese businesses actively participated in the Viet Nam Week at Lulu Hypermarket in Dubai, the Gulfood trade fair in February, and the World Organic and Natural Products Expo in November.

Regarding cooperation prospects for 2025, Diep said that following PM Chinh's visit, the UAE has shown increased interest in advancing ties with Viet Nam. The UAE's Ministry of Investment and several large corporations have planned visits to Viet Nam to explore further cooperation. The CEPA, the first free trade agreement Viet Nam has inked with an Arab country in the Middle East and Africa, will open up significant prospects for strategic cooperation across a range of sectors.

He forecast that in 2025 and beyond, cooperation in trade, investment, industry, energy, logistics, agriculture, infrastructure, technology, the digital transformation, green transition, innovation and labour would accelerate under the CEPA framework. Security, defence, culture, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges will also continue to grow in line with the Comprehensive Partnership between the two nations, the ambassador said.

Diep described the UEA as a unique market. Due to insufficient domestic production to meet consumption needs, the UAE relies heavily on imported goods, which creates opportunities for Vietnamese products. However, the market is highly competitive. Viet Nam faces several challenges compared to other countries, such as higher transport costs due to the long distance, as well as differences in demand, culture, language, consumer preferences and business customs. Moreover, most Vietnamese food and beverage products lack Halal certification. The influence of South Asian countries, such as India and Pakistan, is also substantial, given their large communities in the UAE and shared cultural ties. Retail in the UAE is predominantly controlled by Indian and South Asian businesses, he noted.

In this context, the diplomat outlined several strategies for Vietnamese enterprises to maximise the benefits of the CEPA and successfully enter the UAE market. He advised Vietnamese businesses to thoroughly research and understand the local market, consumer preferences, culture and business customs, while targeting the right customer segments with competitive and differentiated products. It is also essential to familiarise themselves with legal regulations, business practices, import-export rules, quality standards and customs procedures.

The ambassador also highlighted the importance of enhancing product marketing by participating in major international trade fairs and exhibitions in the UAE, such as Gulfood, Arab Health and GITEX, to reach potential partners and customers. Given the high penetration of internet and social media in the UAE, Vietnamese companies should leverage digital marketing and online strategies to promote their brands and engage with potential customers.

Furthermore, he stressed the need to continually improve product quality, innovate, stay updated with trends and optimise distribution and logistics networks to reduce costs and improve competitiveness in the highly dynamic UAE market. The diplomat emphasised the importance of building long-term relations and a strong network of partners and customers, as the UAEs business culture places a significant focus on personal connections.  VNS
LAO CAI  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Sunday evening worked with the Standing Board of the Lao Cai provincial Party Committee on the socio-economic development situation in 2024 and tasks in 2025, and resolved proposals and recommendations for Lao Cai province to develop rapidly and sustainably.

According to the provincial Party Committee, in 2024, despite many difficulties and challenges, especially due to natural disasters, the Party Organisation, administration and people of Lao Cai province have been united and determined, made great efforts and overcome all difficulties, to achieve positive results.

The provinces GRDP economic growth in 2024 is estimated at 7.38 per cent, higher than the overall growth rate of the whole country. Its GRDP per capita is estimated at 97.5 million per person per year, an increase of VN8.9 million compared to 2023, equal to 80 per cent of the national average. The provinces cconomic scale is estimated at VN78 trillion (US$3.06 billion), ranking 44th out of the countrys 63 provinces and centrally-run cities.

Although agricultural, forestry and fishery production was affected by storm No. 3, the basic targets were completed. Industrial production is on the rise. Commercial business activities are bustling, total retail sales of goods and service revenue increased by 9.65 per cent over the same period.

The number of tourists to the province increased sharply, estimated at 7.8 million, up 8 per cent over the same period. The total import-export value through border gates for the whole year is estimated at $3.62 billion, up 68 per cent compared to 2023.

Along with that, Lao Cai is always in the group of provinces with high disbursement rates in the country, estimated to reach 100 per cent of the plan in 2024. The state budget revenue is estimated at VN12.8 trillion for the whole year, equal to 139.5 per cent of the central budget estimate and 135.9 per cent compared to 2023.

National defence, security, order and social safety have been ensured, while foreign affairs have been promoted. The Party and political system building work has received due attention, while many policies to ensure social security and social welfare have been effectively implemented.

The work of eliminating temporary houses, dilapidated houses, and houses affected by storm No. 3 has been resolutely carried out, with the goal of having no temporary or dilapidated houses in the province by the end of June 2025, 6 months ahead of the schedule assigned by the Prime Minister. The total number of houses needing support in the 2024-2025 period is 11,024, of which about 5,397 have been completed to date, reaching 50 per cent of the plan.

Concluding the working session, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged, commended and highly appreciated the socio-economic development achievements that the Party Organisation, administration and people of Lao Cai province have achieved, contributing to the overall achievements of the whole country with all 15 socio-economic development targets achieved and exceeded, especially in the context that the province is facing many difficulties and challenges, especially caused by natural disasters and epidemics.

Highlighting the main points about the location, role, potential and advantages of Lao Cai province such as having a long border with China; being one of the few mountainous provinces with all types of transport; being an economic and foreign affairs centre on the Kunming - Lao Cai - Ha Noi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh economic corridor; connecting China with ASEAN; having many famous landscapes and tourist attractions; a rich and unique treasure of tangible and intangible culture, he said that with many distinct potential, comparative advantages and outstanding opportunities, and abundant resources, Lao Cai has all the "unique" favourable conditions to develop into a growth pole of the northern border region and the whole country, becoming a centre connecting economic trade between Vietnam and ASEAN countries with the Southwest region of China.

In order for the province to accelerate, make breakthroughs, and develop quickly and sustainably, PM Chinh requested Lao Cai province to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, Resolution No. 11-NQ/TW of the Politburo and the Resolution of the provincial Party Congress; properly apply and implement the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws and the direction of the Government and the PM.

The leader pointed out that, along with focusing on the summary of the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW of the 12th Party Central Committee, Lao Cai province must thoroughly grasp the Resolutions and Conclusions of the Party and State, develop specific action plans and programmes to strive for GRDP growth of over 10 per cent in 2025 and the coming time, creating momentum, position and strength for the new term.

In particular, priority should be given to growth, renewing traditional growth drivers including export, investment, consumption; at the same time promoting new growth drivers such as science and technology, innovation, green transformation, circular economy, knowledge economy, digital transformation, especially emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing and the Internet of Things, he suggested.

Requesting Lao Cai province to have mechanisms and policies to mobilise all resources for development; improve the efficiency of attracting and using investment capital, especially FDI capital and public-private partnership; focus on building Lao Cai into a centre for economic trade connection between Vietnam and ASEAN countries with the Southwest region of China, the PM pointed out that Lao Cai must continue to complete intra-provincial, national and international traffic routes; complete the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses throughout the province and build social housing projects; and bring the poverty rate to the lowest level, creating a foundation to have no poor households by 2030.

Noting that Lao Cai must effectively carry out foreign affairs, boost economic development in association with the role of the "fence" of the Fatherland; maintain security and defence; ensure social order and safety, PM Chinh assigned the Ministry of Transport to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in negotiating and signing an agreement with China on implementing railway projects connecting the two countries and building smart border gates.

Earlier, on the afternoon of the same day, on the occasion of Christmas 2024 and the New Year 2025, PM Pham Minh Chinh visited and congratulated dignitaries, and parishioners of the Hung Hoa Diocese, belonging to the Lao Cai Parish.

On behalf of the Party and States leaders, PM Chinh sent his sincere greetings and warm regards to dignitaries, monks and parishioners for a peaceful and healthy Christmas. He affirmed that the Party and State consistently respect the freedom of belief and religion of all people, considering it a spiritual life and inevitable development of society; always care for all religions and ensure freedom of religion and equality among religions.  VNS
HCM CITY  The Ho Chi Minh Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) on Monday held a gathering to mark 66th National Liberation Day of Cuba (January 1, 1959-2025) and the 64th anniversary of the Viet Nam-Cuba diplomatic relations (December 2, 1960-2024).

In her remarks, HUFO Chairwoman Truong Thi Hien said despite their geographical distance, the two nations share a close-knitted, loyal, pure, and sincere relationship, cultivated by Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh and Cuban Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro and strengthened by generations of the sides leaders and people.

Hien said bilateral ties have been further consolidated this year via specific cooperation activities, with Vietnamese and Cuban Party and State leaders exchanging high-level visits as proof of the nations special solidarity and friendship.

Cuban Consul General to the city Ariadne Feo Labrada noted that building on the strong foundation of relations between the two countries, the Consulate General has undertaken various cooperative activities with southern localities, including HCM City, contributing to the revitalisation of bilateral locality-to-locality relations in key areas such as agriculture, biotechnology, healthcare, and trade.

At the gathering, HUFO as well as the municipal youth and womens unions launched a donation campaign to support the Cuban people, running until January 15, 2025.

As part of the campaign, HUFO and its member associations, the HCM City Open University, and the youth union presented to the Consulate General a token of their donation worth VN150 million (US$5,894).  VNS
Interview: China's stimulus measures timely to boost confidence, says German economist

Xinhua) 08:56, December 23, 2024

Horst Loechel, professor of economics and co-chairman of the Sino-German Center at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, speaks during an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Frankfurt, Germany, Dec. 16, 2024. China's recent stimulus measures came at the right time to boost investor confidence worldwide, the leading German economist said. As two large exporters, both Germany and China have benefited from economic globalization and trade liberalization, and made due contributions, he noted, stressing that joint efforts are still needed to "promote free, open trade and work against protectionism."(Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

FRANKFURT, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's recent stimulus measures came at the right time to boost investor confidence worldwide, a leading German economist has said.

The stimulus package represents the right policy of the Chinese government to stabilize the overall situation, said Horst Loechel, professor of economics and co-chairman of the Sino-German Center at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

The Chinese economy fared well this year, with a growth rate close to 5 percent in line with Beijing's projection, the expert told Xinhua in a recent interview, calling this "a success."

He said he believes the country's private consumption and government investment are likely to rebound, and if that happens, China's growth will register over 5 percent in 2025.

China continues to be a preferential investment destination for German companies, as shown by a business confidence survey published by the German Chamber of Commerce in China earlier this month.

Up to 92 percent of the survey's respondents confirmed that they would continue to operate in China despite challenges. "The reason is totally clear," Loechel said.

China is a predominantly huge market with a growing middle-income class and has become a leading innovator, especially in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, he added.

As two large exporters, both Germany and China have benefited from economic globalization and trade liberalization, and made due contributions, he noted, stressing that joint efforts are still needed to "promote free, open trade and work against protectionism."

Furthermore, he said bilateral cooperation across the board would bring the two countries closer. "We will see more joint ventures, more cooperation between Germany and China, which we already have in the automotive industry," he said.

Chinese companies and their innovations can effectively inspire the German automotive industry, he said, emphasizing that European Union (EU) tariffs on Chinese EVs will impede Europe's green revolution.

The overwhelming majority of the European automotive sector strongly opposes such protectionist measures, said the expert, adding that it reflects more of an internal political power struggle within the EU, rather than a rational business decision.

"We want to resolve this issue. We are not interested in worsening the business and political relationship with China," he added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
HA NOI  Party General Secretary To Lam hosted a reception for outgoing Australian Ambassador Andrew Goledzinowski in Ha Noi on Monday.

Lauding the diplomats efforts, contributions, and successful tenure, marked by the elevation of the two countries relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the Party leader affirmed that Australia remains a priority in Viet Nams foreign diplomacy and an important partner of the country in the region.

He suggested the sides, within the framework of their new relationship status, work on further promoting their political trust and sharing viewpoints on regional and international matters.

Lam thanked the Australian Government for assisting Viet Nam across many fields like health, UN peacekeeping operations, climate change response, and energy transition, as well as for facilitating the life of 350,000 Vietnamese Australians. Viet Nam aspires to fortify its ties and collaboration with Australia for the sake of their people and for peace and stability in the region and the world, he stated.

For his part, Goledzinowski highlighted Australias wish to make greater contributions and offer more support for Viet Nams development process as well as hope that bilateral relations would grow practically and comprehensively to be on par with their current partnership, particularly in economy, trade, and investment. Many Australian enterprises want to invest in Viet Nam in its new era of development, he anticipated.

The diplomat pledged to continue fostering the sound Viet Nam-Australian relationship regardless of his future positions.  VNS
VINH PHUC In addition to maintaining the long-standing cultural values in rural areas, craft villages in Vinh Phuc Province generate employment and revenue for the local population. However, a shortage of human resources, particularly younger and skilled workers, is a problem.

Ten years ago, there were around 1,000 households in the Trieu e bamboo weaving artisan village in Lap Thach District, producing rattan and bamboo items for everyday use and agricultural output.

Today there are currently only 300 houses in the village working in the craft and they only weave bamboo and rattan items when they have free time from farming.

Each of them makes between VN2 and VN3 million a month on average. But because of the low prices and an unstable consumer market, it is hard to retain employees.

Luu Trung Tuyen, a skilled worker in the village said I have been in the bamboo and rattan weaving profession for more than 40 years. This line of employment demands diligence and attention to detail.

Sometimes working all day long I could make three to five products with the wage of VN50,000 - 70,000. For young workers, the pay isn't appealing enough, he told Vietnam News Agency.

Pham Huy Hoat, chairman of Trieu e Commune People's Committee, said the majority of those who continue to work during the off-season are middle-aged, older and female. Young people are not drawn to the work due to low incomes and inconsistent product output. They search for other well-paying and more secure jobs instead of continuing in their ancestors' line of work.

Ban Mach in Ly Nhan Commune, Vinh Tuong District was recognised as a craft village specialising in blacksmithing by the Vinh Phuc Provincial People's Committee in 2006.

Understanding consumer demand, the village has adapted its designs to be more varied and developed its technology.

It exports its goods overseas in addition to serving the domestic market.

But it has also been challenging for these craft villages to use technology in production due to a lack of young workers.

Phung Van o, owner of a blacksmith facility in the village, said in recent years, the profession has grown as a result of consistent product production. Technology has been used by many homes to boost worker productivity. However attracting young people is still challenging, though, as this line of work demands not only good health but also perseverance and attention to detail. These days, young individuals choose to pick higher-paying occupations over blacksmithing.

Seeking solutions

There are currently 25 craft villages in Vinh Phuc Province, comprising six new and 19 ancient craft villages. They are providing jobs for over 55,000 people.

In craft villages, an average worker makes between VN4.5 and VN5 million.

Higher wages of VN810 million per person are earned by skilled workers in woodwork, stone carving, cotton and textiles.

Based on the demand for workers, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has partnered with the People's Committees of towns and communes that have recognised craft villages to launch vocational training programmes.

The locality has set aside around VN38 billion from the provicial budget t fund vocational training. VNS
HA NOI  Scrap collection and processing has reduced waste in inner Ha Noi, creating jobs for people and helping clear the streets, but there are concerns that collection points could become fire hazards.

In fact, many fires originating from scrap collection and processing have already been reported to authorities, including one that led to the tragic death of three.

At the end of last year, a fire that killed a mother and her two children in Van ien Village, Tu Hiep Commune, Thanh Tri District highlighted the issue of fires at collection points.

Y., from Nam inh Province, worked as a scrap collector in a house of around 20sq.m in the village, using a machine to compress cans, iron boxes and bottles.

During his working process, the compressor clamped into a can of hair spray which ignited and set the workshop ablaze.

Y. managed to escape, but his wife and two children were killed by the fierce fire.

More recently, at around 7.50am last Tuesday, residents living near Alley 67, Phung Khoang Street, Trung Van Ward, Nam Tu Liem District discovered a fire from a garbage and scrap yard, which then spread to a nearby temporary shelter.

Due to many flammable substances and the dry weather, the fire became intense very quickly, accompanied by thick black smoke.

After more than 30 minutes, the fire was under control and thankfully there were no casualties.

Previously, at 9.52am on November 8, in Me Tri Ward, Nam Tu Liem District, a fire suddenly broke out at a scrap yard and quickly spread to a nearby house.

The district police coordinated with Thanh Xuan District Police to assigned dozens of officers, soldiers and four fire trucks to the scene to put out the fire. Fortunately, again, no one died in the fire.

However, the incidents have led to concerns about how potentially dangerous the collection and purchasing points around the city could be.

Trieu Khuc Village in Tan Trieu Commune, Thanh Tri District currently has about 30 scrap processing shops, most of which are spontaneously developed on a family scale, with manual production processes.

After purchasing plastic, paper, metal containers and electronic components, the facility owners will cut, press or process the raw materials to sell.

The production period is rudimentary. Manufacturers are mostly seasonal workers, lacking knowledge of fire fighting prevention and safety.

According to the Vietnam News Agency reporter's observations, most of the scrap collection and purchasing facilities are private, small businesses. The collection sites are combined with residential areas, close to people's houses. Basically they lack necessary equipment to put out fires, if they can even be quickly detected.

Nguyen Thanh Dung, a resident living next to a scrap collection and purchasing point in Tan Trieu Commune, said that every day, seeing hundreds of kilogrammes of scrap being collected and piled up, makes him and many people around him extremely worried.

It not only causes unsightly streets and pollutes the environment, but most worryingly, fires can happen at any time.

His family lives in anxiety, but they do not know how to put a stop to the practice.

Strengthening management

According to the Ha Noi Police, scrap collection and purchasing facilities often operate in small alleys, making it difficult for fire trucks to enter.

Additional issues include narrow access ways, a scarcity of fire hydrants, piles of scrap materials, and frequently blocked escape routes.

When a fire or explosion occurs, it can easily spread, causing serious consequences for people and property.

In addition, it also affects the environment and peoples health.

The city police recommends that owners of scrap collection and purchasing locations should proactively raise awareness and strictly comply with fire prevention and fighting safety requirements in households and in the locality.

Local police need to regularly inspect scrap collection and purchasing locations.

Deputy Head of the Thanh Tri District Police, Lieutenant Colonel La Cong Tuyen, said that standards and regulations on fire prevention and fighting conditions at scrap collection and purchasing facilities were not specific and clear, so the police could not ban these facilities from operating.

To limit damage caused by fire, the unit has set up a project to inspect the facilities, instruct and recommend facility owners to raise awareness and invest in additional fire prevention equipment.

For facilities which are too close to residential areas, with a high risk of fire, the district police have consulted with competent authorities to relocate the scrap shops to safer locations.

Over the longer term, Ha Noi People's Council delegate Lam Thi Quynh Dao said that the city has approved a project to improve fire prevention, fighting and rescue capacity for the period 2025-2030.

The preliminary cost estimate for the project is about VN26.3 trillion (US$1 billion).

To implement the project, the city will conduct training to raise awareness and skills in fire prevention and fighting for households and provide fire prevention equipment for competent agencies and residential areas, she said.

In addition, each locality also needs to start devising a plan to relocate scrap purchasing facilities out of residential areas according to regulations, to avoid increasing the risk of fire and explosion, causing unsafety and environmental pollution.

Dao added that licensing of scrap purchasing facilities must take fire prevention and fighting into consideration before awarding them a licence.  VNS
BAC GIANG  The reorganisation of commune- and district-level administrative agencies in Bac Giang Province will commence in January 2025, following Resolution 1191/NQ-UBTVQH15 issued on September 28, 2024, by the National Assembly Standing Committee. The resolution outlines the administrative reorganisation plan for the 20232025 period.

Under the new structure, Bac Giang Province will consist of 10 district-level administrative units, including one city, two townships, and seven districts, along with 192 commune-level units comprising 35 wards, 14 towns, and 143 communes.

Immediately after the resolution was issued, the Provincial Party Committee held discussions with the Bac Giang Peoples Committee and the authorities of Luc Ngan and Yen Dung districts to outline plans for merging administrative units and establishing the new governments, which will officially operate from January 1, 2025.

The Standing Committee of the Bac Giang Provincial Party Committee has also approved the interim headquarters plan for Luc Ngan District in coordination with the district Party Committee. The plan ensures optimal conditions for administrative operations while awaiting the construction of new headquarters.

Secretary of the Luc Ngan Party Committee, Vuong Tuan Nghia, announced plans for the reorganisation of headquarters in the newly structured administrative units. The master plan designates the headquarters of the Chu Township Party Committee and Peoples Committee to be located at the current headquarters of the Luc Ngan District Party Committee, along with its agencies and socio-political organisations. Meanwhile, the headquarters of the new Luc Ngan District will remain at the current headquarters of the Luc Ngan District Peoples Committee.

An essential task during the administrative boundary reorganisation is the management and recovery of public assets. The province has prioritised this task, adhering to a principle of economical use, effective utilisation, and avoidance of waste and loss.

Nguyen inh Hieu, Director of the Provincial Financial Department, highlighted the departments efforts in reviewing real estate assets across the province, including those of agencies, units, and localities. Approved plans for reorganising and handling these assets will be implemented accordingly, while assets without approved plans will undergo further review, including assessments of land planning and usage, before submission to the Provincial Peoples Committee for approval.

Hieu added that the department will work closely with other departments and branches to propose a directive to the provincial Party, aiming to strengthen measures against waste in public investment and enhance the management and use of public assets.

Under the plan to reorganise district- and commune-level administrative units for the 20232025 period, Bac Giang Province will reduce 17 commune-level units, resulting in 263 redundant officials and civil servants and 29 part-time workers.

Director of the Provincial Department of Home Affairs, Vu Manh Hung, stated that 136 cases will be resolved in the first quarter of next year, with the remaining 127 cases addressed according to a provincial roadmap by the end of 2029. However, he noted that based on reviews and the implementation plan, the resolution of these redundancies is expected to be completed by late 2026 or early 2027.

Resolution 47/2024/NQ/HND, issued on July 12, 2024, by the Bac Giang Provincial Peoples Council, provides policies to support cadres, civil servants, public employees, and redundant workers affected by the administrative reorganisation. Approved unanimously by the council, the resolution has eased challenges related to staff restructuring. Many officials and public employees have opted to apply for leave under these supportive policies.

The Party Standing Committee has finalised arrangements for apparatus, staffing, civil servants, public employees, and labour contracts for Luc Ngan and Yen Dung districts and Bac Giang City. It has also guided district and city Party committees to develop plans to streamline operations and improve efficiency, providing a foundation for mobilising personnel.

Many officials have voluntarily moved to new roles, with several families choosing to relocate together. Tran Van Quang, head of a clinic in Yen Dung District, shared, As members of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, my wife and I, in the spirit of volunteerism, applied to move to the new unit in Chu Town. This decision will make our work more convenient."

In developing and implementing the project under Resolution 1191, Bac Giang Province has consistently received leadership and direction from the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly, the Government, and the Prime Minister. It has also benefited from the support and coordination of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Construction, the Government Office, the National Assembly's Law Committee, and other central ministries and branches.

Crucially, the resolution has garnered widespread support and consensus from officials, Party members, and people from all walks of life across the province. Many view it as a significant foundation for Bac Giangs future development.

With a sense of optimism and anticipation for a new chapter, cadres, Party members, and residents in the provinces localities and newly restructured administrative units are actively preparing for the new governance apparatus to become operational.

Guided by a spirit of decisive leadership, initiative, creativity, and the collective intelligence of the political system and the people, Bac Giang is poised to seize great opportunities for development, creating a strong momentum for progress in the near future.

Acting Chairman of the Provincial Peoples Committee, Mai Son, emphasised that the selection and arrangement of key officials were conducted democratically through discussions within the Party committees at the provincial, district, and city levels.

To address staffing adjustments, the Provincial Peoples Council has issued a thematic resolution aimed at supporting redundant staff, as well as officials mobilised and rotated to new units in more challenging areas, Son noted.

Bac Giang is undergoing daily transformations, creating new development spaces alongside fresh determination and aspirations.

With a forward-looking mindset, cadres, Party members, and the people of Bac Giang Province view Resolution 1191 as a pivotal milestone and a vital foundation for propelling the province to new heights. VNS
These updates were shared in a media briefing held on December 18 ahead of the Vietnam Defence Expo 2024 (VIDEX 2024), to be organised on December 19-22 in Hanoi, where Airbus executives highlighted Airbus growing role in Vietnams defence sector.

Airbus held a media briefing on December 18 ahead of the Vietnam Defence Expo 2024 (VIDEX 2024). Photo: Airbus

Zakir Hamid, head of Asia-Pacific, Airbus Defence and Space, said, Airbus would like to strengthen our partnership with Vietnam in its defence modernisation and capability development by providing cutting-edge solutions to support Vietnams ambitions and protect its sovereignty.

With our European heritage and strong international presence, we are committed to addressing the growing demand for advanced defence capabilities in Asia-Pacific, where Vietnam holds a significant place as one of our key markets, he noted.

Thomas Zeman, vice president of sales and marketing for Asia-Pacific at Airbus Helicopters, added that today, Vietnam has more than 10 Airbus helicopters in service, primarily supporting the oil and gas industry and fulfilling critical search and rescue (SAR) missions.

From helicopters and to Unmanned Aerial Systems, we are excited to present the widest and most modern defence and security product portfolio at the Vietnam Defence Expo. We are keen to engage with Vietnam's armed forces to provide adapted solutions to the countrys national defence and maritime security objectives, including SAR, he said. For helicopters, our portfolio extends from light multirole helicopters such as the H125M or the H145M to heavy helicopters in the 10-12-tonne segment such as the H225M or the specialised military helicopter NH90.

One of Airbus key platforms at VIDEX 2024 is the C295, a versatile medium tactical transport aircraft that has demonstrated its capabilities in airlift, medical evacuation, and logistics missions. The Vietnam Peoples Air Force currently operates three aircraft.

Airbus has also played a crucial role in developing domestic expertise in C295 operations and maintenance, helping to boost readiness and reduce reliance on external support. This partnership ensures that the C295 fleet is locally sustained, providing rapid response capabilities and reinforcing Vietnams long-term defence objectives.

Airbus is ready to support Vietnam with additional C295 transport aircraft and its other variants including maritime patrol, to enhance Vietnams airlift, as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities in safeguarding its airspace and territorial waters.

Operators of the C295 enjoy its unique commonality across all variants. This enables operators to enjoy simplified training, streamlined maintenance, and operational flexibility, whether for tactical transport or maritime patrol missions.

In the space sector, Airbus is strengthening its commitment to strategic collaboration with Vietnam. At VIDEX 2024, Airbus will seek to deepen local partnerships, focusing on enhancing Vietnams capabilities in space applications.

Airbus Helicopters five-bladed H145. Photo: Airbus

These initiatives aim to unlock future cooperation opportunities, with an emphasis on key areas such as intelligence gathering, data processing and dissemination, satellite imagery, and communications applications supporting public safety and security.

In addition, Airbus is offering the combat-proven, multirole H225M helicopter to strengthen Vietnams rotary-wing fleet. Engineered for troop transport, SAR, and high-threat operations, the H225M delivers exceptional heavy-lift capabilities, making it ideal for a broad range of complex and demanding missions.

Similarly, the H145 helicopter, renowned for its agility and compact design, excels in medical evacuations, utility operations, and coastal patrols. The recently introduced five-bladed H145 model boosts its payload capacity by an additional 150 kg, further enhancing its performance and making it an even more versatile asset for Vietnams varied terrain and rapid-response needs.

Airbus will also introduce for the first time in Vietnam a life-sized 1:1 model of the next-generation Flexrotor Uncrewed Aerial System at VIDEX 2024.

Designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance missions, the Flexrotor offers versatile support, particularly with the Vietnam Peoples Navy and Coast Guard. With over 3,700 combat flight hours across land and maritime operations, the Flexrotor is set to strengthen Vietnams surveillance and security capabilities.

Airbus chief representative for Vietnam Tri Mai Hoang added, With Vietnams defence expenditure expected to further accelerate at a compound annual growth rate of 5.6 per cent, reaching $10.2 billion by the end of the decade, Airbus is well-positioned to support the countrys defence modernisation journey, offering advanced platforms and technologies to enhance operational capabilities, regional stability, and long-term security objectives.

Vietnam a key market for Airbus Helicopters Vietnam will be the top-priority and long-term partner of Airbus Helicopters, according to a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and Olivier Michalon, executive vice president Global Business at Airbus Helicopters, on March 20.

Airbus says will buy 'major activities' of subcontractor Spirit European aerospace giant Airbus said Monday it would buy "major activities related to Airbus" from subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems, as US rival Boeing said it was going to take over the bulk of the group's operations.
This friendship and trust is exemplified by our upgrading to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2024, an agreement which demonstrates the ambition we both hold for a stable, prosperous, and peaceful future.

Andrew Goledzinowski, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam

Underpinning our relationship is our development cooperation. There are physical signs of Australias development commitment across Vietnam. Like me, you may have driven over the My Thuan or Cao Lanh bridges in the Mekong Delta funded by Australia, or you may be one of the 24 million Vietnamese who received a COVID-19 vaccination donated by Australia, or be one of the 7,000 Vietnamese alumni who have studied with an Australian government scholarship.

Vietnams economic growth over the past 30 years is impressive by any standards, and recent ambitions outlined by Party General Secretary To Lam on December 1 are commendable  such as the mention of double-digit growth and creating better conditions to attract investment. To match the pace of growth and ambition in Vietnam and our upgraded relationship, on December 9, we launched the Vietnam Australia Development Partnership Plan.

The plan is a partnership. We met with government, civil society, and with our delivery partners to ensure our efforts are deeply integrated with the needs and ambitions of the Vietnamese people. Through the plan, Australia will work with Vietnam across areas where progress is critical for Vietnams goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045.

The focus of our partnership is an inclusive, resilient, sustainable and prosperous economy; strengthened human resources; strengthened climate resilience, adaptation and emissions reduction; and inclusive and participatory social and economic development.

Despite Vietnams economic growth, there continue to be groups in society that cannot fully participate in, and benefit from, Vietnams development. Australia will continue to work with Vietnam to support all Vietnamese men and women, including people with a disability, ethnic minority groups and LGBTQIA+ communities to live a more secure and dignified life  a life free from violence, with opportunity for formal waged employment, to take on leadership positions and access social protection against economic shocks and crisis.

I am particularly proud of our support to businesses led and owned by women, predominantly ethnic minority women, in Vietnams northwest. I have been fortunate to visit the northwest, taking in the breathtaking mountainous and remote environment, one rich in cultural history and warm hospitality. More than 15,000 women in Lao Cai and Son La have increased their incomes, primarily through tourism and agriculture, due to our partnership. Businesses that have formed cooperatives and are now exporting and trading online, a testament to their drive and tenancy.

More generally, further investment in modernising higher education and vocational education and training is needed for Vietnam to meet the needs of a burgeoning labour market that increasingly demands workers are more highly skilled and more productive. The partnership between our two countries is built on education and knowledge exchange.

More than 100,000 Vietnamese people have studied at Australian universities, bringing with them rich cultural ties that you can see in every city in Australia. And now, through Australias world-class vocational education and training system, we are sharing lessons to support Vietnam reforms to provide graduates with skills that industry needs for a more productive workforce.

One of the unique features of our partnership is the prestigious leadership capability development delivered by the Vietnam Australia Centre, hosted at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. The centre demonstrates the prioritisation of both our countries on public sector leadership, including advancing women in leadership, research, and knowledge exchange. We learn from each other to tackle the complex challenges Vietnam and much of the rest of the world face.

As we head towards the end of the year, I have been reflecting on the significance of events such as geostrategic uncertainty and climate change impact. I am proud to say that Australia was the first international partner to provide relief following the tragedy of Typhoon Yagi.

Our support highlights how important our partnership is in facing the climate crisis, not just in response, but working together to lower emissions and adapt to our changing environment. Our partnership in Vietnam and across the Mekong is helping establish carbon markets, understand solar energy storage, and sharing expertise on crop adaptation to protect communities and the next generation.

As a true partner of Vietnam, we seek to listen to make sure we deliver quality development programmes that respond to Vietnams priorities. History, geography, and common sense tell us that a peaceful, prosperous, and sovereign Vietnam is essential for the stability and prosperity of our entire region. And while the challenges may be significant, they are nothing compared to the challenges that Vietnam has previously faced and overcome.

As we have done over the past 51 years, Australia will remain a reliable and trustworthy partner for Vietnams socioeconomic development. Australia will continue our commitment to supporting Vietnam to build a stable, prosperous and peaceful country in the new era.

Australia and Vietnam foster education and training towards green economy An Australian education delegation is in Vietnam to take part in the Australia Southeast Asia Business Exchange (A-SEABX) Mission from September 25-27 in Hanoi and Haiphong, focusing on the transition to net zero and advancing green economy priorities.

Australia and Vietnam strengthen ties at BBQ event Building on the success of the 2024 Taste of Australias Big BBQ, the Australian Embassy in Hanoi is hopeful of strengthening ties with Vietnam to promote Australian produce while fostering goodwill and understanding between the two nations.
MSCI Real Capital Analytics database documented more than 20 publicly disclosed real estate transactions in the first nine months of 2024.

Trang Le, head of Research and Consulting JLL Vietnam

Despite facing economic headwinds and challenging market conditions, the market demonstrated resilient merger and acquisition (M&A) activity through several large-scale transactions across various sectors, including residential, retail, logistics, and more.

The residential segment continues to attract both domestic and foreign investors, while the industrial real estate sector has emerged as a significant draw for foreign backing. Office, mixed-use, and tourism segments also show positive long-term outlook. This underscores investor confidence in Vietnams economy and the property market in particular.

We have observed foreign investments diversifying into new asset types, originating from a broader range of sources, and demonstrating increased emphasis on sustainability factors. These investors are also seeking more expedient processes from local partners.

Sector-wise, various areas are exhibiting differing levels of traction for the upcoming period. Since 2018, the logistics and industrial sectors have established themselves as Vietnams most dynamic segments, demonstrating the highest volume of transactions and investment activities over the last five years.

Vietnams strategic geographic position, export-oriented economic model, competitive labour costs, and substantial workforce have collectively positioned the country as a rising manufacturing hub within the region. These fundamental strengths are anticipated to sustain the sectors robust growth trajectory in the foreseeable future. The market of industrial land has also exhibited notable resilience, buoyed by consistent inflows of manufacturing investments into Vietnam.

Despite overall economic headwinds, key industrial hubs have experienced significant performance improvements, characterised by substantial growth in both rental prices and occupancy rates. While industrial parks have been dominated by local developers, leveraging their advantages in land acquisition and local market expertise, the ready-built factory and warehouse segments are witnessing increasing interest from foreign institutional investors, who are progressively expanding their portfolios in these areas.

Emerging sub-sectors such as cold storage and data centres are also gaining traction among foreign investors, who view these as increasingly attractive investment opportunities within the industrial real estate landscape. In May, for example, VNG Corporation and Singaporean ST Telemedia Global Data Centres announced they would build a 60-MW data centre in District 7 of Ho Chi Minh City.

The influx of foreign investment into recent residential projects underscores the increasing sophistication and scale of housing developments in Vietnam. This trend is evident not only in major metropolitan areas like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but also in emerging satellite cities, such as Binh Duong in the south and Haiphong in the north.

These developments are strategically positioned to meet the needs of Vietnams expanding middle class and address the growing demand for contemporary housing solutions in the countrys rapidly urbanising centres.

In commercial property, meanwhile, Grade A office space remains highly sought after by investors, maintaining stable performance with healthy occupancy rates and consistent demand from multinational corporations over the past decade.

The retail shopping mall segment, despite historical stability, shows solid potential for robust growth in both the near and long term. Vietnam is currently having the lowest retail space per capital in the region, supporting the future growth of this sector.

In the hospitality segment, international capital maintains a strong focus on Vietnams 5-star and luxury offerings, showing resilience in the face of lingering pandemic effects. However, the market is poised for intensified competition as local investors are expected to increase their presence and market share.

Elsewhere, healthcare and education are becoming increasingly attractive. Following a robust year of M&A activity in 2023, the healthcare sector continues to entice strategic partnerships, exemplified by the FPT Long Chau and IHH Healthcare Singapore collaboration, aimed at improving access to advanced medical services in Vietnam.

On the education front, the sector is set to benefit from the governments increasing recognition of public-private partnerships, which is expected to unlock additional land resources and stimulate further investment opportunities.

Northeast and Southeast Asian investors remain the most active foreign players in Vietnams real estate market. Japanese investors are notably expanding their presence through increased collaborations with local developers in residential projects. Recent significant partnerships include Nishi Nippon Railroad with Nam Long Group in Dong Nai province, Kim Oanh Group with Sumitomo Forestry, Kumagai Gumi, and NTT Urban Development in Binh Duong province, and Nomura, JOIN, Toshin, and Taisei with Vingroup in the northern port city of Haiphong.

Malaysian developers are also showing heightened interest, with SkyWorld actively expanding its Vietnamese land bank following Gamudas successful Ho Chi Minh City acquisition in 2023.

Notably, local investors are increasingly active as buyers, not just sellers as seen in the previous cycle. Despite market headwinds, companies like Kido Group and Muong Thanh Hospitality have demonstrated strong capability in expansion and property acquisition in the first nine months of 2024.

The increased financial capacity of local investors is potentially enhancing market liquidity by broadening the buyer base for local assets. The nature of transactions has evolved, now focusing on mutual benefits and long-term cooperative development. Factors such as sustainable development commitment and aligned long-term business goals are becoming crucial for successful collaborations.

The simultaneous enactment of three key real estate laws in Vietnam promises to significantly reshape the market. These laws aim to harmonise regulations, resolve conflicts, and establish clearer implementation mechanisms.

The new Housing Law enhances transparency and simplifies procedures across project phases, boosting investor confidence. The new legislation is expected to unlock supply by resolving legal issues for numerous projects, while promoting social housing and old apartment renovations. Meanwhile, the Land Law introduces opportunities for undeveloped land projects, potentially increasing clean land supply.

While short-term challenges exist as it takes time for stakeholders to adapt to new regulations and reassess projects, these changes are seen as crucial for sustainable growth in Vietnams real estate M&A market. Developers and investors are focusing on regulatory compliance, operational transparency, and strategic adaptation.

2025 is expected to be pivotal for Vietnams property market, with clearer visibility on the impacts of local legislative changes and geopolitical shifts on the market. Despite potential constraints, Vietnams strong macroeconomic and demographic fundamentals continue to position it as an attractive destination for investment in the region as the economy recovers.

Real estate growth anticipated next year The real estate market in Vietnam is poised for a new cycle of growth in 2025, lifted by renewed confidence and revised legislation.

Ho Chi Minh City irons out real estate market issues The real estate market in Ho Chi Minh City is gradually recovering, driven by the resolution of legal obstacles for several projects and the introduction of new products into the market.
Green finance includes financial activities including loans, debt mechanisms, investments and fiscal policies such as environmental taxes or subsidies designed to improve environmental outcomes. Socially responsible investors can take advantage of green bonds, climate finance initiatives, and other financial instruments to fund carbon projects.

Ludwig Graf Westarp, researcher and lecturer TU Dortmund University

In Vietnam, green finance has been declared necessary in implementing the green growth strategy, sustainable development, and reducing net emissions to zero.

Along with green finance, digitalisation is Vietnams highest priority. By 2030, the digital economy will account for 30 per cent of GDP. The country has set great expectations for economic development based on technology and digital data. Developing a digital platform is a solution for faster transformation, reducing costs, and increasing efficiency.

The green finance trend is growing and fintech is a pioneer with content such as green loans and sustainable finance, digital payments, e-signatures, green investment, carbon-neutral payment processing methods, and mobile payment solutions to offset carbon and environmentally friendly cryptocurrencies.

The adoption of environmental, social, and governance standards is crucial for Vietnamese banks to access international green financing for businesses. However, improving regulations, especially the green classification system, is needed to exploit these opportunities.

The application of AI and fintech has become an indispensable part of the long-term development of the global financial services industry. Mastering this technology helps to improve management processes, reduce admin procedures, as well as improve labour productivity. This does not only create opportunities for companies to improve their services but can also bring in greater revenue and higher profits.

However, Vietnam is lacking a legal framework as well as a team to develop AI. According to Google research, the potential of AI in Vietnam is huge, with an estimated benefit of up to $79.3 billion for businesses by 2030 if AI is widely applied. This is equivalent to nearly 12 per cent of Vietnams GDP by 2030.

The market is facing a serious shortage of personnel, especially in specialised positions. Universities have training programmes on fintech, but presently attendees are only students, and it will take a few years to have more engineers.

The application of AI in the financial sector, especially green finance in Vietnam, also faces numerous other challenges. Specifically, green finance data is currently not available. Hence, there is no input data to apply AI in green finance lending.

Currently, commercial banks are also having difficulty determining which projects are green to invest in because Vietnam does not have general regulations on the Green Classification List in accordance with economic sector classification and international practices.

For the accurate assessment and verification of carbon credits, for instance, reliable data is crucial. A limited availability of high-quality as well as transparent data can affect the monitoring of carbon projects. Inadequate data can also complicate the calculation of carbon credits and reduce the confidence of investors.

An additional challenge is that Vietnam still does not have a legal system that regulates AI, especially in sensitive areas such as finance. For example, banks applying AI recommend green financing, but when risks occur, who is responsible? There needs to be a relevant law and legal framework.

The application of AI in green finance needs caution, and there must be a strategy to ensure network security and data safety because AI is a new field, which needs to be carefully managed to avoid risks.

To deal with these risks, it is important to establish national regulations for a green classification system in line with existing industry standards, create policies to promote the carbon market and accelerate the official launch of the carbon credit trading platform in Vietnam.

To facilitate the cooperation between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant agencies to develop and implement environmental criteria for green credits is also crucial as well as to maintain the State Bank of Vietnams commitment to credit policies supporting green growth in banking.

Technology plays an indispensable role in developing green finance, creating innovative solutions to increase efficiency and minimise risks. Developing a carbon market in Vietnam is critical because it helps raise awareness about the impact of carbon emissions. Buying and selling carbon credits contributes to creating financial incentives to reduce emissions, create sustainable energy sources, green jobs and commit to protecting the environment.

Vietnam has many opportunities to draw in green finance, focusing on adapting to climate change, coping with extreme weather events, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Developing green finance and ensuring the sustainable development of Vietnams economy is necessary, especially amid pressure from air pollution and flooding in the major cities.

The country must continue to invest in infrastructure and innovation, AI research and development, and digital infrastructure. It is crucial to continue inclusive adoption and accessibility, harnessing AI across the government and all sectors to ensure the benefits are widely shared.

Lenders seek regulations to disburse green finance Many banks are increasing their focus on implementing green finance packages, but unlocking these promising capital sources still requires suitable mechanisms.

Companies must embrace green finance initiatives Green and digital transition is an inevitable process for all businesses, despite the challenges it presents. Vu Minh Tien, vice chairman of VIAD Group, spoke with VIRs Huong Duong about how to seize on the transition and overcome obstacles through carbon credits and greener financing.
From September, Vietnam was one of the countries receiving allocations from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF), covered by a groundbreaking indemnity insurance policy  a new method to unlock capital for humanitarian activities.

Typhoon Yagi in September called for significant disaster-related funding from more sources, Photo: Thanh Son

Typhoon Yagi that month brought torrential downpours in Vietnam, threatening access to safe drinking water and sanitation for three million people in the northern region of the country, displacing 130,200 people and damaging around 260sq.km of crops.

The IFRC has allocated around $662,000 from the DREF fund to support disaster response groups following Yagi. Support activities were deployed by the Vietnam Red Cross Society, who are providing relief to affected families by helping to rebuild homes, providing emergency household kits and clean water, and organising blood donations.

The IFRC-DREF is a vital fund that provides immediate funding for National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies when disasters strike, especially for smaller-scale emergencies that may not attract global attention.

The fund was at risk of running dry before the end of 2023, prompting the IFRC to work with insurance broking company Aon and reinsurers to secure an indemnity insurance policy for the fund, the first such arrangement for the humanitarian sector.

Since the start of 2023, and for an annual premium of $3.4 million, the IFRC-DREF pot has been insured on an indemnity basis.

A potential payout of up to $17 million available if, or when, demands on the IFRC-DREF fund because of natural hazard-associated disasters hit a certain threshold - a deductible set at $37.4 million in one calendar year. For the rest of the calendar year, further demands on the IFRC-DREF for natural hazard disasters are covered by the insurance payout, up to the maximum cap of $17 million.

In 2024 allocations to respond to Typhoon Yagi in Asia tipped IFRC-DREF spend over the insurance trigger threshold. Overall, there have been almost 100 separate allocations in the year, combined with those to respond to the impacts of eligible natural hazards, which have exceeded the annual threshold.

President of Aon Eric Andersen said: the IFRC was there to provide shelter, blankets, food, and water as they have for more than 100 years worldwide. But this time, the aid was funded by insurance companies a half a world away, the result of an innovative risk management initiative pioneered by the IFRC, brokered by Aon, and funded by international donors.

And it wont be the last. Due to climate and other risks, floods in Algeria, typhoons in Vietnam and wildfires in Bolivia have left 43 million people impacted by disaster in September alone. At Aon, we believe funding should not, and cannot, stop emergency aid, Andersen continued.

He added that the IFRC-DREF insurance policy expanded the impact and scale of emergency aid by the IFRC and was proof that the private sector can do more to support humanitarian organisations and the worlds most vulnerable populations.

According to the IFRCs under-secretary general for Global Relations and Humanitarian Diplomacy, Nena Stoiljkovic, the triggering of the insurance policy is a significant moment.

For the first time ever a single, worldwide, commercial indemnity insurance policy will pay the emergency humanitarian costs of disasters. The scale of the needs caused by 2024s disasters is sobering. But the fact the insurance is helping with the burden is good news and proof that there are innovative finance solutions that we hope to grow in coming years, Stoiljkovic said.

Sao Do Group joins efforts to overcome consequences of Typhoon Yagi Sao Do Group is scaling up its efforts to help businesses overcome the consequences of Typhoon Yagi in the northern port city of Haiphong, one of the localities hardest hit by the tragic storm.

ADB approves $2 million to support Yagi response The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $2 million grant on September 27 to assist the government of Vietnam in providing emergency and humanitarian services to residents affected by the super Typhoon Yagi in the northern region of the country.

Manufacturing production suffers after Typhoon Yagi Typhoon Yagi had a significant impact on Vietnam's manufacturing sector in September, with heavy rain and flooding causing temporary business closures and delays across production lines and supply chains.

Rebuilding lives a priority in aftermath of Typhoon Yagi In the wake of Typhoon Yagi, addressing the tragic consequences and rebuilding efforts has become paramount, with crucial bank support and strategic advice from industry experts guiding the process.
After receiving approval in late October, Danang Peoples Committee has accelerated the expansion of the Danang Software Park 2. Spanning over 28,500 square metres in Hai Chau district, $31.4 million is being set aside for the project.

Localities implement solutions for semiconductor projects

Under the decision, enterprises investing in IT projects in the park will be eligible for preferential policies and other incentives applied to concentrated IT zones, as the national government regulates.

Construction started in 2020. However, after completing basic construction, the scheme had to be abandoned for more than two years, mainly due to the lack of a clear legal corridor. The park is a public asset invested from the state budget, so its management, use, and exploitation require specific legal regulations.

The city hopes to take the software park into operation at the end of 2025, and at the same time to develop three labs for training in semiconductors and AI design, all part of preparation to attract high-tech foreign investors, said Ho Minh Ky, Chairman of Danang Peoples Committee.

The city is accelerating investment promotion with the target to engaging additional semiconductor projects from several countries. It is also working with names such as Nvidia, Qualcomm, Intel, TSMC, and Qorvoo to invite them to establish manufacturing facilities here. At the same time, Danang also focuses on supporting the on-site investors who have already poured money into the city, such as Synesys, Research, and Red Global, Ky added.

Along with Danang, the northern province of Vinh Phuc is also completing infrastructure to attract foreign investors in semiconductors.

Vinh Phuc determines that industrial development is one of the key tasks for economic growth, with electricity and semiconductors being factors to push the two-digit growth in the next years, said Tran Duy Dong, Chairman of Vinh Phuc Peoples Committee.

The province and industrial park (IP) developers plan to establish a high-tech IP, including complete technical infrastructure to welcome investors. For example, Sumitomo Group is building its transformer station to generate a stable electricity source, which is a crucial in manufacturing electronic products and semiconductors, Dong added.

The semiconductor industry is one of the key aspects the southern province of Binh Duong will focus on under its master plan towards 2030. The province is carrying out steps to build a concentrated IT zone and a high-tech IP to welcome high-tech and semiconductor investors. With the zone and park, associated with the provinces vision to become an innovation centre, Binh Duong has the potential to become a perfect investment destination for high-tech enterprises.

Several localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, and Bac Giang are also coordinating with manufacturers to train workers for the semiconductor industry, mostly in the basic stages of assembly and testing. These localities have evolved into significant production hubs for high-tech, high-value semiconductor manufacturing.

The localities have several proposals to the government to create better conditions to realise their plans for the industry.

The government should allocate the labour force to implement national labs so that universities and localities can use these facilities for research and development activities. Besides that, the government should promulgate resolutions about preferential policies so that localities have the basis to invite interested investors. Furthermore, issuing supporting programmes for training the human force is also an urgent requirement, especially issuing standards for granting certificates for training the labour force in the semiconductors, Chairman Dong said.

Other localities also expect that the government will issue a development strategy and a personnel development plan, along with appropriate regulations and policies, to attract the worlds leading semiconductor manufacturers and designers.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, in 2024 Vietnam attracted approximately $18.23 billion in chips and semiconductors, up 11.5 per cent on-year.

Vietnam welcomes more semiconductor enterprises Vietnam has positioned the semiconductor industry as a core driver for strengthening its digital economy and advancing cutting-edge technology.

Semiconductor workforce partnerships deliver industry-relevant training Training institutions and businesses are collaborating to provide practical solutions for semiconductor workforce development, aiming to ensure graduates are well-prepared to meet industry demands.

Capital creates space for high-tech FDI capital influx Hanoi is leveraging opportunities to promote investment in the high-tech sector, especially the emerging semiconductor industry.
The Ministry of Finance has proposed the National Assembly extend the agricultural land tax exemption until December 31, 2030. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  The Ministry of Finance has proposed the National Assembly extend the agricultural land tax exemption until December 31, 2030, a move aimed at encouraging investments in agriculture and rural areas to improve the competitive edge of the agricultural products amidst deeper international integration.

If approved, the initiative will take effect from January 1, 2026.

According to the ministry, annual tax relief averaged 3.27 trillion VND (128.46 million USD) for 2003-2010, and increased to 6.31 trillion VND for 2011-2016, and some 7.5 trillion VND for 2021-2023.

Despite the reduction in state budget revenue, the ministry said the policy has been instrumental in promoting sustainable rural development. Besides, the tax exemption aligns with Vietnam's international trade commitments as a WTO member, has caused no trade disputes or conflicts with other nations, and has received strong support from localities.

The ministry described the policy as a form of direct support for farmers and a direct financial source to improve productivity and product quality. Additionally, it reflects the Party and States consistent approach to agricultural, rural, and farmer development.

The ministry projected that the exemption through 2030 would result in annual tax relief of around 7.5 trillion VND.

Land law overhaul transforms land acquisition Senior partner Duyen Ha Vo and senior associate Tram Dang of VILAF explore the potential implications of upcoming changes on land acquisitions of developers engaged in real estate, energy, and infrastructure projects.
Illustrative image (Photo: Philstar.com)

Hanoi  The Philippines has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of live cattle and buffalo as well as their products from Japan due to the outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD), its Department of Agriculture said on December 19.

In a memorandum, Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said the import ban is essential to protect local cattle and water buffalo from the LSD virus.

LSD is a viral disease that primarily affects cattle, often leading to severe complications or death.

However, certain products are exempted from the ban, provided they meet Philippine import and health standards. These include skeletal muscle meat, casings, gelatin and collagen, tallow, hooves and horns, blood meal and flour, bovine and water buffalo bones and hides, and pasteurised milk.

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reported the outbreak to the World Organisation for Animal Health on November 15.
Moreover, after the chip shortage in 2021, the supply chain has warmed up, with numerous investments in new chip factories in the US, Europe, and Asia. New manufacturing technology and advanced packaging are beginning to be applied under the leadership of a few technology corporations such as TSMC and Samsung. Countries continue to provide large support packages for the semiconductor industry.

Nguyen Chi Dung, minister of Planning and Investment, photo: baodautu.vn

In the trend of diversifying supply chains and complex geopolitical developments around the world, Vietnam is emerging as an attractive destination for investors in the semiconductor industry thanks to high-quality human resources with competitive costs, strong investment and upgrading of infrastructure, increasingly open and transparent policies, and the high political determination of the Party and state leaders.

To call for investment and develop a semiconductor ecosystem, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has contacted and worked with many technology corporations such as Qualcomm, Google, Meta, and LAM Research, and has a specific plan to shift the supply chain to Vietnam, build research and development (R&D) centres, and expand investment and production in Vietnam.

Accordingly, the country currently has 174 foreign-invested projects in the semiconductor sector, with total registered capital of nearly $11.6 billion.

The MPI has also been assigned to coordinate with relevant agencies to establish two groups for cooperation implementation and negotiation with tech corporation Nvidia. On December 5, Vietnamese government and Nvidia signed an MoU on the establishment of both the Vietnam R&D Centre and AI Data Centre, which is critical for Vietnam to leap forward in technology, with a large spillover effect, attracting the attention of other high-tech investors, and retaining talent in semiconductors and AI.

Immediately after signing the MoU, Nvidia set out to immediately recruit employees, build the leadership structure, and call for domestic and foreign talents to work at the R&D centre. The move saw a big buzz in the technology business community, including disappointment from the Thai press about that nations failure to engage Nvidia.

Vietnam is also prioritising cooperation in semiconductors and AI as key components of its partnerships with the US, India, and South Korea. The country is effectively leveraging opportunities by strengthening technology ties with key partners, including the US, South Korea, and Japan. Specifically, the International Technology Security and Innovation Fund under the US CHIPS Act is supporting Vietnam by training 120 lecturers, 4,000 students, and transferring chip packaging and testing programmes to 20 training facilities nationwide.

Despite these achievements, significant challenges remain. The semiconductor sector requires substantial capital investment, highly skilled personnel, and advanced technologies. Fierce global competition for semiconductor investment has resulted in some corporations conducting preliminary surveys in Vietnam but delaying commitments as they await favourable incentives and support mechanisms.

Regarding facilities and infrastructure, despite efforts to improve and build new roads, railways, seaports, and airports, there is a lack of synchronisation between regions and localities, and transporting goods is slow. Unstable power, water, and good wastewater treatment systems are concerns to investors. Several large corporations such as Samsung and Intel have proposed being provided with stable and sustainable renewable energy at preferential prices. However, Vietnams clean energy supply is still limited and faces operational challenges.

While Vietnam has established bilateral semiconductor cooperation with key partners, implementation has been uneven. For example, cooperation programmes with the United States have primarily focused on packaging and testing, while the upstream stages of semiconductor production remain limited.

The approved strategy and programmes for semiconductor development are still in their initial stages. Ministries, agencies, localities, universities, and enterprises are studying their implementation. To meet strategic goals, relevant agencies must urgently execute assigned tasks.

National and local laboratory investments have faced delays due to the novelty of the concept for some universities. The MPI has issued guidance urging universities and competent agencies to finalise project proposals by the end of the year. Agencies must consult semiconductor experts to ensure the proposals are comprehensive and submitted promptly for review.

To continue developing the semiconductor industry, the MPI proposes focusing on personnel development, international cooperation, and working with large corporations in semiconductors and AI, especially in advanced packaging.

The three pillars of Vietnams semiconductor strategy  mechanisms, infrastructure, and qualified people  must be strengthened. The nation has to seek engagement with global talent, particularly its diaspora, to contribute to the domestic semiconductor ecosystem.

Vietnam cannot reach this goal alone. At this important stage, we need fast and strong cooperation with countries, economies, and giants in the world of semiconductors, to take advantage and become a key country in developing the semiconductor industry worldwide, all while looking towards becoming an AI hub for the future.

US shows support for Vietnam's semiconductor industry The United States and Vietnam marked the first anniversary of its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by launching workshops on semiconductor workforce development and public policy workshops.

Vietnam to launch investment incentives for semiconductor industry Vietnam is set to introduce a robust incentive framework to selectively attract foreign investment into high-tech industries, particularly in the semiconductor and electronics sectors, to be backed by central and local government budgets.

Vietnam to reinforce legal semiconductor framework Eventual legislation on digital technology, with content on semiconductors and related incentives, is expected to unlock foreign investment for the industry.
This article is old - Published: Monday, Dec 23rd, 2024

Wrexham.com has invited local Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in their respective Parliaments and closer to home  you can find them all here.

In his monthly column for Wrexham.com, Wrexhams MP Andrew Ranger writes:

Just before December started, I attended the Terminally Ill Adults (Assisted Dying) Bill in Westminster. This issue was complex, nuanced and highly emotive. I received more correspondence on that subject than any other since becoming an MP.

Despite MPs holding views from across the spectrum, I was impressed by the quality of the debate. Hundreds of MPs asked to speak, and though I was not able to be chosen due to time constraints, I heard compassionate, respectful opinions from MPs of every party.

The bill passed and has moved forward to the committee stage.

I attended an Online Safety Assembly at Ysgol Deiniol earlier this month which was facilitated by Google.

The assembly is aimed at teaching children from ages 7-11 to be alert, respectful and secure whilst being online. It was a fantastic assembly and the children were very receptive to it.

I would recommend anyone to access the course, which you can do here: Be Internet Legends  A Program to Teach Children Internet Safety

Wrexham has a proud history of military service, from the Hightown Barracks to the overseas men who came and served here during both World Wars. As Wrexhams MP, I was honoured to sit on the Armed Services Commissioner Bill Committee.

The new Armed Forces Commissioner will be part of improving lives for those who serve in our military. The Commissioner will be a direct point of contact for serving personnel and their families, to raise issues which impact service life, from kit to housing and issues affecting family life.

Along with a big audience, I was honoured to join the Armed Forces Carol Service at St Giles Parish Chair this year. It was fantastic to sing Christmas carols after listening to the Band of the RAF Regiment and we were honoured to have the RAF Valley Military Wives choir perform as well.

I was delighted to visit our local Royal Mail office recently to show appreciation to our hard-working posties during the busiest time of the year. Our postal workers are really going above and beyond to make sure that we get our Christmas cards, parcels and deliveries.

The Wrexham School of Screen Acting has recently moved premises and alongside Lesley Griffiths, I was pleased to celebrate their new studio. Wrexham is a city full of creative talent and I am overjoyed that local students no longer need to travel to Liverpool, Manchester or further afield to be able to study screen acting.

As an office, myself and my team recently spent time at Wrexham Foodbank, a charity I have had ties to for several years.

We spent the morning packing parcels and learning more about the challenges that Wrexham Foodbank is currently facing. This year, the foodbank has seen donations fall and requests rise.

The foodbank has had to spend 35,000 on top of the normal overheads just on food. If you can help with either a financial donation or a food donation, you can find more information here. https://wrexham.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/

Finally, I would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Wrexham man caught driving nearly five times over limit in police crackdown

This article is old - Published: Monday, Dec 23rd, 2024

A Wrexham man was caught driving almost five times over the legal limit as part of a police crackdown on drink and drug driving.

The 39-year-old was arrested in Wrexham on December 17.

North Wales Police say that the man, who is from the area, gave a reading of 166  the legal limit is 35.

He has been charged with drink driving and will appear before Wrexham Magistrates Court on January 7.

The man, who police say has given the highest reading of the annual Christmas Anti Drink and Drug Drive Campaign so far, is one of 90 to have been arrested since the start of the month.

This includes 40 drink drive arrests and 54 drug drive arrests from across the region.

Several of those arrested on suspicion of drink driving have already appeared before the courts and have been disqualified from driving and fined.

All those who have been arrested on suspicion of drug driving now have an anxious wait for the results of further tests before a charging decision is made.

Those arrested tested positive for either cannabis or cocaine at the roadside. Some of those arrested tested positive for both.

Ages of those arrested on suspicion of drug driving range between 17 and 71-years-old and those arrested on suspicion of drink driving range between 20-years-old and 78-years-old.

Two HGV drivers were arrested earlier this month  both on suspicion of drug driving. T

he first arrest was a 36-year-old man from Amlwch  calls were received into the police control room from concerned members of the public regarding the manner of driving.

An officer from the Roads Crime Unit was deployed and caught up with him on the A55 at Tal-y-Bont near Bangor where he tested positive for cocaine at the roadside.

He was arrested and has since been released under investigation.

A second HGV driver was stopped a short time later on the A5 at Ogwen  the 20-year-old who is from the Bala area tested positive for cocaine but was also driving without a licence, insurance and MOT. He has since been released under investigation.

Sergeant Emma Birrell of the Roads Crime Unit is continuing to urge people to think before they get behind the wheel.

She said: We have a zero-tolerance approach to drink and drug driving all year round, but our December campaign sees us conducting extensive patrols across the region.

Driving whilst under the influence risks the lives of all road users and Id like to thank all those who have contacted us so far with information. Your calls really do make a difference.

Anyone who is considering driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs should know that we will be out and about waiting.

We are fully committed to help make the roads safer for all and will continue to target those who endanger their own lives and the lives of others. So far, weve made arrests across the region  from Wrexham to Penrhyndeudraeth, Barmouth to Holyweel, Blaenau Ffestiniog to Shotton. There is no hiding place.

We want everyone to enjoy a safe and happy festive season and so this is one of our most important annual campaigns.

Despite our regular updates and constant warnings around the dangers and consequences of drink and drug-driving, too many people are still prepared to put their lives and those of other road users at risk.

If you suspect someone is driving while unfit to do so, please report it immediately to police on 101 (or 999 if they are posing imminent danger) or phone it through anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A budget bill approved by Congress to keep the government running until mid-March includes the temporary extension of several federal programs important to older adults.

Telehealth flexibility under Medicare, home health resources and nutrition assistance have all been extended after Congress averted a shutdown of federal government services just hours ahead of a midnight deadline Friday night.

Members only

The new legislation funds the government through March 14 and means the federal programs will continue to operate normally.

Last week lawmakers grappled with how  and if  to keep funding federal programs under what is called a "continuing resolution." Such resolutions have become common, since Congress has struggled to agree on individual appropriations bills that fund specific programs.

Learn How AARP Is Fighting for You AARP is your fierce defender on the issues that matter to people 50-plus. Read more about how were fighting for you every day in Congress and across the country.

The bill, signed into law by President Joe Biden early Saturday keeps most agencies at current spending levels. It extends several programs that are important to Americans 50-plus and supported by AARP. They include:

State Health Insurance Program (SHIP): This national program offers one-on-one assistance, counseling, and education to Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to help them make informed decisions about their care and benefits. SHIP services support people with limited incomes, Medicare beneficiaries under the age of 65 with disabilities, and individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

This national program offers one-on-one assistance, counseling, and education to Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to help them make informed decisions about their care and benefits. SHIP services support people with limited incomes, Medicare beneficiaries under the age of 65 with disabilities, and individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare telehealth services: Telehealth, which allows a patient to see a health care provider by video or other technology while being in different locations, was rarely used for Medicare patients before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the federal government temporarily expanded the scope of Medicare coverage through telehealth. Congress has extended that rule, which was set to expire this month. The continuing resolution means Medicare telehealth services will continue through at least March.

Telehealth, which allows a patient to see a health care provider by video or other technology while being in different locations, was rarely used for Medicare patients before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the federal government temporarily expanded the scope of Medicare coverage through telehealth. Congress has extended that rule, which was set to expire this month. The continuing resolution means Medicare telehealth services will continue through at least March. Hospital at Home funding: This health care model allows certain patients to receive acute-level hospital care in their own homes instead of being admitted to a traditional hospital setting.

This health care model allows certain patients to receive acute-level hospital care in their own homes instead of being admitted to a traditional hospital setting. Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP): Formerly known as food stamps, SNAP provides assistance to low-income families to purchase nutritious food. A January 2024 report by the AARP Public Policy Institute found that nearly 11.8 million Americans age 50 and over  or one in 10  suffer from hunger or food insecurity, meaning they have limited or uncertain access to adequate, nutritious food. SNAP is part of the Farm Bill, which was extended until the end of the 2025 government fiscal year, September 30.

Join Our Fight to Protect Older Americans Sign up to become an AARP activist around issues important to people 50 and older.

Passage of the continuing resolution means Americans won't have to worry about government services being stopped or delayed at least till March. While some essential services  such as the Social Security and Medicare benefits and air traffic control  keep going during a government shutdown, other services may be interrupted.


Niagara High Grade Bauxite Discovery Grows to 12 Square Kilometres

Perth, Dec 23, 2024 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Arrow Minerals Limited ( ASX:AMD ) is pleased to report more outstanding assays from its maiden drilling program at the Niagara Bauxite Project in Guinea. The project is located within trucking distance (~100km) of the multi-user Trans-Guinean Railway (refer Figure 1*).



This mineralised area comprises just three of the nine well-established targets; Global bauxite giants expressing strong interest in Niagara.



Highlights



- Latest assays from 40 holes include;



o BS000137, 12 metres at 46.4% Al2O3, 4.2% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000112, 9 metres at 47.5% Al2O3, 1.0% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000121, 11 metres at 44.9% Al2O3, 2.1% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000120, 10 metres at 44.9% Al2O3, 2.4% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000138, 5 metres at 50.9% Al2O3, 3.4% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000160, 7 metres at 48.9% Al2O3, 3.8% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000118, 4 metres at 45.4% Al2O3, 1.9% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000122, 8 metres at 48.3% Al2O3, 8.7% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000124, 9 metres at 44.5% Al2O3, 2.7% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000119, 3 metres at 45.0% Al2O3, 2.5% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000114, 6 metres at 46.5% Al2O3, 2.4% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000173, 11 metres at 43.9% Al2O3, 2.9% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000123, 9 metres at 49.4% Al2O3, 6.9% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000166, 3 metres at 49.7% Al2O3, 1.1% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000165, 7 metres at 43.9% Al2O3, 1.1% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000168, 12 metres at 43.8% Al2O3, 1.7% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000110, 4 metres at 47.6% Al2O3, 5.0% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000117, 11 metres at 43.5% Al2O3, 0.8% SiO2 from surface,

o BS000115, 4 metres at 47.6% Al2O3, 0.7% SiO2 from surface.



- Results from first 145 holes now identify the presence of high-grade bauxite over a combined area approximately 12km2



- within trucking distance of multi-user rail



- Results from a further 39 holes testing further extensions are due in coming weeks



- Guinea is the world's largest producer of bauxite, typically attracting a premium for high-grade and low silica content



- Following the drilling of 180 holes (on 800 by 800 metres spacings) by Vale in 2007, Arrow has defined nine priority bauxite exploration target areas; The 12km2 high-grade bauxite area sits within three of these target areas



- Offtake and strategic partnership discussions with global bauxite giants progressing well



- Record high bauxite prices US$120/t (CFR) for Guinea bauxite at 45% Al2O3 and 3% SiO2



- Maiden JORC Resource estimate scheduled for coming quarter to be followed by Scoping Study in June 2025 quarter



Arrow has already completed first pass baseline environmental studies and community engagement.



It has also started recruiting people from local communities to support the current operations.



Arrow Managing Director, David Flanagan, said: "These latest assays provide more firm evidence that Niagara is a major discovery. We have identified high-grade mineralisation over a combined area of 12km2 and this is based on just three of the nine targets we have identified."



"The mineralisation is open, we have assays pending from another 39 holes and numerous other targets to test."



"This is all within trucking distance of the Simandou multi-user railway at a time of record alumina and bauxite prices."



"Guinea is the world's largest and most important supplier of high-quality bauxite. These results continue to compare favourably with the product that has made Guinea the world's number one bauxite producer."



"Guinea bauxite is in high demand, contributing approximately 30% of global supply with a premium product specification at 45% Al2O3 and 3% SiO2, attracting premium pricing that is currently at alltime record highs of up to US$120/t CIF China."



"With SRK's site visit scheduled for January 2025, we are on track to estimate a maiden Mineral Resource to form the basis for our planned Scoping Study to follow in the first half of 2025."



Niagara Bauxite Project and Bauxite Background



Arrow is exploring the Niagara Bauxite Project with the benefit of work done on this project by various mining companies since the 1960's, including geology and assays from 180 holes drilled by Vale in 2007. This announcement includes new results for 40 drill holes on 300 by 300 metre spacings, completed and assayed as part of a program of 184 holes targeting high-grade mineralisation intercepted in historical drilling. The Company has previously reported results from 105 drill holes.



With the guidance of Independent Resource Consultants, SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd (SRK), the Company has designed the current program with the intention of estimating sufficient Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources required to underpin a Scoping Study. Drilling includes twinning previous Vale holes, a program of shallow pitting in areas of mineralisation, as well as all the required quality control sampling, and value in use ore characterisation studies required to comply with modern resource reporting standards.



A typical commercially viable Guinea plateau bauxite deposit is flat with a thickness that varies from 1 to 10 metres, on average, will have 44 to 46% alumina and silica levels typically averaging 3%.



Mineralisation is typically thickest along the edges of plateaux coinciding with subtle changes in gradient of 1 to 3 degrees, where meteoric waters, over geological time have enhanced grade and removed deleterious elements. For reference, the Company has previously reported drill hole location plans and cross sections for the Boussoura North and Central targets which demonstrate strong horizontal continuity. This report also includes plans and cross sections for the newly reported Boussoura North-West target (Figure 2 to Figure 4 inclusive*).



The application of surface miners to bauxite mining is now common throughout the industry, negating the need for drill and blast, and crushing and screening. The ability to excavate consolidated material (i.e. no drill and blast) and mine a minimum mining thickness of approximately 300mm using high precision GPS machine guidance makes the surface miner well suited to plateau bauxite mining in Guinea. The Company has visited bauxite mining operations, inspected various mining equipment and met with several contractors with current operating experience in bauxite mines in Guinea. The information collected during these visits, combined with the results from the current drilling campaign, allows the Company to start to define important operating parameters that will ultimately be fed into a planned Scoping Study, subject to the estimation of sufficient Mineral Resources.



Arrow has also commenced and completed preliminary baseline social and environmental impact studies. The Company remains committed to progressing this work and continuing to engage with all relevant stakeholders through the permitting processes to conclude them in a timely manner. No impediments to exploration or mining have been identified and the Company has established productive relationships with key community and government stakeholders.



There are several existing rural and national roads which can be leveraged to link the project to the Trans-Guinean Railway (TGR) which is currently under construction (Figure 1*). The TGR is being commissioned and funded by a large consortium in a joint venture which includes the Government of Guinea as a 15% part owner. Members of the consortium include Baosteel, Chinalco, Winning, Rio Tinto, Hongqiao and the Government of Guinea. The TGR will be operated by a management company that will provide ore haulage services to the developers of the two large mines at Simandou and other third parties (Figure 1*). Arrow has previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Baosteel. This MOU, subject to the Company delivering a fully permitted mining project, contemplates concluding a binding mine gate sale agreement for iron ore from Arrow's Simandou North Iron Project to Baosteel. The railway is due for commissioning in late 2025.



The Company intends to take full advantage of the multi-user obligations of the TGR to underpin the development of the Niagara Bauxite Project for the benefit of shareholders and the people of Guinea.



The TGR is a critical piece of infrastructure, and without it the project would likely remain undeveloped for many years. It's also important to recognise that the historical absence of infrastructure has contributed to the preservation of this high-quality project.



Against a backdrop of currently record high bauxite prices, the drilling results at Niagara have so far delivered high-grade intercepts from surface in several drill holes across substantial lateral extent.



Given the location is within trucking distance of the TGR, the Company is very encouraged by the drilling results received to date.



Geological Results



Analysis from 40 drill holes (the subject of this announcement) for a total of 507 metres of drilling have been received from ALS Global. Results include:



- 15 drill holes for a total of 202 metres of drilling for the newly reported Boussoura North-West target, and includes holes BS000118 to BS000128, and BS000135 to BS000138.



- The final 23 drill holes for a total of 285 metres of infill and extension drilling for the Boussoura Central target, and includes holes BS000106 to BS000110, BS000113 to BS000117, BS000160 to BS000163, and BS000165 to BS000173.



- The final 2 drill holes for a total of 20 metres of extension drilling for the Boussoura North target, and includes holes BS000111 and BS000112.



Results are reported in Table 1* using a 1m minimum intercept, nil dilution for intervals less than 4m, 1m dilution for intervals 4m or greater, and cut-off grades of 40% Al2O3 and 37% Al2O3 respectively.



Drill holes that return assays below cut-off grade are omitted from reporting but may subsequently be reported subject to the results of metallurgical testwork. The locations of all drill intercepts are shown in plan form in Figure 2*, with cross sections for the newly reported Boussoura North-West target shown in Figure 3* and Figure 4*. Cross sections use a sixfold vertical exaggeration, which is required to show adequate vertical granularity of resolution of drill holes that are comparatively widely spaced, and with modest depths in the range of 10-15m. The reader is therefore encouraged to consider both vertical and horizontal coordinate graticules in reviewing cross sections in this report.



*To view the full report, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/56B28NW1





About Arrow Minerals Ltd





Arrow Minerals Ltd (ASX:AMD) is an exploration and development company focused on delivering long-term shareholder value through the discovery of economic mineral deposits in West Africa. The Company has implemented a systematic science-based exploration philosophy whilst remaining commercially nimble to ensure we capture and retain value.

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Authored by Snehal Patel, Secretary, Gujarat Oil Refiners Association



National Consumer Day, observed on December 24, serves as a crucial reminder of the need to protect consumer rights and ensure the availability of safe and high-quality food products. In Gujarat, where edible oil is a household staple, a persistent and alarming issue continues to undermine public health: the illegal use of recycled tins for packaging edible oils. Despite stringent regulations and enforcement by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), the malpractice of using recycled tins remains a significant challenge in the edible oil industry.

According to FSSAIs 2018 regulations, only prime-grade tin plates are permitted for packaging edible oils, and the reuse of tins for any food product is strictly prohibited. These rules aim to eliminate the health risks associated with recycled tins, which often harbour harmful contaminants and residues from their previous usage. Despite these clear guidelines, many manufacturers continue to flout the rules, primarily driven by the cost advantage of using recycled tins over food-grade materials.

Notably, residual contaminants in recycled tins can leach into the oil, causing foodborne illnesses, allergic reactions, and long-term health issues. Studies have shown that poorly cleaned or damaged tins are prone to rust and chemical reactions, which degrade the oils quality, leading to faster spoilage and reduced shelf life. This creates a dual hazardconsumers unknowingly consume unsafe products, and the oils lose their nutritional value and intended benefits.

Regulatory authorities have intensified their efforts to tackle this malpractice. FSSAI has issued legal notices to over 200 manufacturers and traders in Gujarat for violations of packaging regulations, with 400 more cases identified for further enforcement. Key regions such as Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Surat, and Rajkot have been identified as hotspots for this issue. The Gujarat FDCA has also directed its officers to monitor these violators and take legal action, reaffirming their commitment to food safety.

However, enforcement alone is not enough to eliminate this dangerous practice. Consumer awareness plays a critical role in combating the use of recycled tins. Consumers must remain vigilant when purchasing edible oils, checking for proper labelling, FSSAI license numbers, and certifications of authenticity. Avoiding products with substandard packaging and reporting suspicious practices can create pressure on manufacturers to adhere to safety standards. Public awareness campaigns are essential to educate consumers about the risks associated with recycled tins and encourage them to make informed purchasing decisions.

While the use of recycled tins poses the most pressing threat, other malpractices like adulteration and misbranding further compromise the safety and integrity of edible oils. Adulteration often involves mixing cottonseed oil with cheaper alternatives like palm oil, marketed as light or low-cost options. Such practices not only degrade the products quality but also pose health risks to consumers. Similarly, misbranding has emerged as another malpractice, where refined palm oil is repackaged and falsely marketed as premium oils such as groundnut or sunflower oil, often without proper labelling or invoices, violating GST norms.

National Consumer Day serves as a timely occasion to emphasise the collective responsibility of manufacturers, regulators, and consumers in addressing these challenges. Manufacturers must prioritise consumer health over short-term profits by investing in quality packaging and adhering to FSSAI regulations. Regulators must continue their stringent enforcement measures, ensuring that violators are penalised swiftly and effectively. At the same time, consumers must be empowered to demand transparency and safety in the products they purchase.

The edible oil sector is a cornerstone of Gujarats food industry, and its reputation depends on maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety. The illegal use of recycled tins not only jeopardizes public health but also erodes trust in the industry. By fostering greater awareness, strengthening enforcement, and promoting ethical practices, we can work toward a safer and more reliable food supply chain.

As we reflect on the importance of consumer safety this National Consumer Day, let us commit to eliminating the use of recycled tins and other unsafe practices in the edible oil industry. Through collective effort and unwavering commitment to quality, we can safeguard public health and ensure that every consumer has access to safe, high-quality edible oils.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and Adgully.com does not necessarily subscribe to it.

Also Read: IBFS: Ensuring Compliance as FIU-Registered Entity
As the Founder of Hector AI, a platform that revolutionizes campaign optimization and data analytics for e-commerce and quick commerce, Meher Patel has carved a niche in the AdTech industry. In this interview with Adgully, Meher Patel, Founder, Hector AI, shares his vision for Hector AI, how he achieved rapid success, and how he blends the art and science of digital acquisition. He also discusses emerging trends in e-commerce and quick commerce and offers valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to innovate in the digital advertising space.

From Neon Digital Media to Hector, your career trajectory has been remarkable. What inspired you to venture into AdTech for E-commerce and Quick Commerce, and how has this transition shaped your vision as an entrepreneur?

The inspiration for Hector emerged from my experiences at Neon Digital Media. While managing performance marketing campaigns for diverse marketplaces, I noticed the recurring challenges in campaign optimization, data visualization, and actionable insights. There was a clear gap in the tools available, most platforms either lacked depth or werent tailored for the fast-paced needs of e-commerce and quick commerce.

This realization drove me to create Hector. The goal was to empower marketers with a platform that not only simplifies data analytics but also drives meaningful outcomes. This transition has expanded my vision as an entrepreneur, blending creativity with technology to solve real-world problems for businesses operating in high-growth, dynamic industries.

Hector achieving Rs 100 crore in revenue within nine months is a phenomenal feat. What were the key strategies or decisions that contributed to this rapid success?

Reaching Rs 100 crore in such a short span was the result of relentless focus and strategic alignment. First, we built Hector with our clients pain points at the core, ensuring that the platform directly addressed challenges in data consolidation, campaign optimization, and ROAS tracking. Second, we prioritized scalability from the outset, designing the platform to accommodate the unique demands of various marketplaces.

Additionally, our partnerships with major e-commerce and quick commerce platforms allowed us to integrate seamlessly into their ecosystems. Coupled with a client-first approach and a team that deeply understood the intricacies of performance marketing, we turned early adopters into brand ambassadors, driving growth through trust and proven results.

You emphasize that digital acquisition is both an art and a science. Could you share specific examples of how this philosophy has influenced Hectors approach to campaign visualization and client success?

At Hector, we firmly believe that while numbers tell a story, the narrative needs creative context to resonate. For instance, our campaign visualization tools dont just display data  they present actionable insights in a visually intuitive manner, enabling marketers to make decisions at a glance.

One client, for example, struggled with ad fatigue across multiple marketplaces. Using Hector, they identified the exact touchpoints where engagement dropped. Armed with these insights, they revamped their ad creatives and restructured targeting, which led to a 40% increase in conversion rates within a month. This blend of data science and creative intuition has become a hallmark of Hectors approach.

Your focus on big data analysis as a driver of growth is evident. How do you balance the analytical aspects of data-driven marketing with the creative demands of ad design and storytelling?

Balancing analytics and creativity requires fostering collaboration between data scientists and creative teams. At Hector, we ensure that both sides have the tools to excel. For instance, while our platform provides detailed campaign reports, we also integrate creative testing modules, especially for Amazon programmatic ads. These modules allow marketers to experiment with variations and measure performance in real-time.

This synergy ensures that data doesnt hold back creativity but enhances it.

As an AdTech expert, what emerging trends in e-commerce and quick commerce do you believe will dominate in the coming years, and how is Hector preparing to address these shifts?

The e-commerce and quick commerce landscapes are evolving rapidly, and a few key trends are set to shape the future. First, hyper-personalization will take center stage as consumers increasingly demand experiences tailored to their unique preferences. Advanced AI and machine learning will play a crucial role in enabling this shift. Second, the integration of voice and visual search is transforming how users discover products, making it essential for platforms to adapt to these new search behaviours.

Hector is already gearing up for these changes. Were investing in AI-driven tools for advertisers so that they can spot the trends before its too late to act.

By staying ahead of these trends, we aim to empower businesses to thrive in this dynamic environment while meeting the demands of the modern consumer.

With your extensive background in performance marketing and platform development, what advice would you offer to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to innovate in the digital advertising space?

My advice is simple: stay close to your customers. Understand their challenges deeply and build solutions that truly add value. Innovation doesnt always mean creating something entirely new, it often means improving what already exists in meaningful ways.

Additionally, focus on scalability from day one. The digital advertising space is competitive, and your platform needs to adapt to the evolving needs of clients and marketplaces. Lastly, dont underestimate the power of a strong team. Surround yourself with people who share your vision and complement your skillset. Together, you can turn ambitious ideas into tangible results.

Also Read: Hector Kenneth joins India Ahead as News Director
After arriving in Huntsville in August, KaNiyah White started establishing a hair salon.

The catch? She would need to work from campus at Alabama A&M.

Whites sister, a professional hair stylist back home in Chicago, inspired her. She learned how to do leaveouts, quick weaves and wig installations. White now regularly schedules services for other students.

Doing hair in college can be way more beneficial than a regular job because I get to set my hours, stack up cash without taxes, and build a loyal clientele that might stick with me even after graduation, White said. Plus, I dont have to deal with the stress of a boss breathing down my neck. Its also a plus that I get to do what I love while earning money for it.

Nationally, 62% of Gen Z workers said they started or wanted to start their own business, according to a 2022 Microsoft report.

White said gig work is useful in Huntsville, where a fast-growing population can make it tough to find work. The Huntsville metro has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state, below 3%, according to federal data. Top employers are government agencies, contractors and business services.

Huntsvilles growing, but sometimes that means competition gets tough. Youve got a lot of people moving in and looking for work, and maybe the job market still needs to fully catch up. Plus, certain industries might be booming while others lag behind. It can be a mix of things, White said.

Many college students want to work near school. This means many A&M students compete for limited roles at Chick-fil-A, Subway or inside the dining halls.

A Chick-fil-A cashier Shakye Barrett said its hard to get a job at minimum wage. Many students are turned down for openings because of their schedule and timing.

Finding a job that pays the minimum wage is difficult, and many students in surrounding areas are turned down due to scheduling conflicts, Barrett said.

Claire Aiello, vice president of marketing and communications for the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, said local businesses regularly participate in job fairs for entry-level workers, which could be a good fit for college students.

But students said they like creating side businesses while in college to help meet their living expenses and minimize the financial strain of tuition. Some students turn to providing services such as nail care, hair styling and even cooking for others.

A&M freshman VerKayla Kinnie Wilson started her own business making artistic nail designs.

In response to whether she would take a 9 to 5 job paying minimum wage, Wilson said, I wouldnt currently work one because I bring in more money weekly than I would working a regular minimum wage paying job, I do nails not only to make money but to make my clients feel special, doing nails for their special occasions or to pamper themselves. I make money without a 9-5 job by having deals and good set prices, staying on top of my policy, and perfecting my work.
Denzel Washington was baptized and presented with a minister license on Saturday at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ, which is located in New York Citys Harlem neighborhood (via People).

The ceremony, which was livestreamed on Facebook, took place a few weeks after Washington told Esquire during his Gladiator II press tour that being religious in Hollywood is not fashionable. By obtaining a minister license, the Oscar winner can now be ordained in the future.

In one week I turn 70, Washington said at the event. It took a while but Im here. If [God] can do this for me, theres nothing He cant do for you. The sky literally is the limit.

Washington was joined at his baptism by his wife, Pauletta Washington. She fought tears as she spoke about how proud she was to be in attendance with Denzel as he took his next steps in his faith journey.

Forty-six years later, here Im still standing next to him as only God will have it, Pauletta said. So Im very proud of you. You are the head of our house and you have set a great example for our children, who are now adult children who know the difference because we have shown them the difference.

Speaking to Esquire for a November cover story, Washington said its not fashionable to be so outwardly religious in Hollywood. He added: Its not sexy. But that doesnt mean people in Hollywood dont believe.

Things I said about God when I was a little boy, just reciting them in church along with everybody else, I know now. God is real. God is love. God is the only way. God is the true way. God blesses, Washington said. Its my job to lift God up, to give Him praise, to make sure that anyone and everyone I speak to the rest of my life understands that He is responsible for me.

When you see me, you see the best I could do with what Ive been given by my lord and savior. Im unafraid. I dont care what anyone thinks, he added. See, talking about the fear part of it -- you cant talk like that and win Oscars. You cant talk like that and party. You cant say that in this town.

Washington is widely expected to land an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor thanks to his performance in Gladiator 2. Head over to Peoples website to read more about the actors baptism ceremony.

 2024 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
Its been 80 years since Birmingham, Ala., native Hugh Martin wrote Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time. But if not for Judy Garland, the classic may have been a holiday dud.

Martin, then 30 years old, had a successful career composing music for stage and film. He was accustomed to actors quirks and demands but he wasnt prepared for 22-year-old Judy Garland on the set of 1944s Meet Me in St. Louis.

Not long after Hugh died in March of 2011 at age 96, I interviewed his younger brother Gordon Martin about the song.

Gordon recalled that Hugh said Judy Garland hated his original lyrics and asked for a re-write. Garland, who was supposed to sing the song to 7-year-old castmate Margaret OBrien, complained to director Vincente Minelli  who would later become Judys husband  If I sing that song to that sweet little Margaret OBrien, theyll think Im a monster.

Thats because the lyrics were unbearably sad. In the film, the Smith family plans to move from St. Louis to New York and leave behind their home, friends and significant others. Garland was to sing the song to her little sister, played by OBrien, as they both cried.

Martin wrote in his autobiography, Hugh Martin: The Boy Next Door, that he fought for those lyrics, arguing the song was supposed to be sad.

The original lyrics included the lines:

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

It may be your last

Next year we may all be living in the past

And:

No good times like the olden days,

Happy golden days of yore

Faithful friends who were near to us,

Will be near to us no more

Garland and Martin were in a standoff. Thats when Tom Drake stepped in, Gordon Martin explained. Drake, who playing Garlands love interest John Truett in the film, told Hugh to consider the future. According to Hughs memoir, Drake said: Hugh, this is potentially a very great and important song. I feel it in my guts. Now listen to me. Dont be a stubborn idiot. Write a lyric for that beautiful melody that Judy will sing. Youll thank me.

Birmingham native Hugh Martin, composer of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," in an undated photo.Courtesy of Alabama Music Hall of Fame

He convinced Hugh he was being stubborn, said Gordon Martin.

Hugh changed the lyrics to the ones we know today:

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Let your heart be light,

From now on our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Make the Yule-tide gay

From now on,

Our troubles will be miles away

The Martin brothers said the initial sad lyrics were written at the Birmingham cottage that had been designed by Martins father, architect Hugh Martin Sr., as a honeymoon cottage for Hughs mother, Ellie.

The home, located 1900 14th Avenue South in Five Points South, is where Hugh Jr., Gordon and their sister Ellen were raised. Gordon recalled it as a happy home, filled with music and love, the one to which all the children in the neighborhood would come. It is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

It was their mothers love of music and theater that fueled Hughs dream of becoming a songwriter.

She was into all the new shows on Broadway and she would go out and buy the sheet music and play it, Gordon said.

Composer Hugh Martin Jr. was born in Birmingham, Ala.AL.com File Photo

Hugh, also an accomplished pianist, was chosen to play the graduation piece for Phillips High School in Birmingham, Gordon said. He played Gershwins Rhapsody in Blue.

After college at Birmingham Southern, Hugh would eventually enter a creative partnership with Ralph Blane and the two would write songs together. Blane is credited as co-writer of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, but Hugh has said in numerous interviews and in his memoir that he wrote the song himself.

In fact, hed written the tune for another song but abandoned it when the lyrics didnt work. Blane, however, encouraged Hugh to try again because he had a funny feeling about that little tune. Eighty years later, its hard to imagine Christmas without the classic tune.
The investigation continues into a Montgomery shooting that left a 13-year-old boy dead.

The shooting happened just before 2 a.m. Thursday.

Montgomery Maj. Saba Coleman said police and fire medics found the young teen fatally shot in the 100 block of West Fred D. Gray Avenue.

Police previously reported the deadly shooting but provided updated information Sunday night to include the victims age. His name has not been released.

Circumstances surrounding the shooting have not been made public. Coleman said the boys death was a homicide.

Anyone with information is asked to call Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP, Montgomery police at 334-625-2831 or the departments Secret Witness tip line at 334-625-4000.
A hotpot extravaganza  the 2025 Chongqing Hotpot Carnival  kicked off at Yangjiaping pedestrian street in Chongqing's Jiulongpo district on Friday night. The three-day event drew over 10,000 hotpot establishments  representing 7,800 hotpot brands from both online and offline platforms  and a tremendous number of enthusiastic foodies to celebrate the city's most famous spicy cuisines.

As the highlight of the festival, a grand outdoor hotpot feast for one thousand diners was held at the bustling hotpot booths after the opening ceremony.

The event also featured a hotpot-themed music festival and market, organized in partnership with local hotpot brands including Liu's Hot Pot Chongqing and Hui Hotpot.

Boasting both the best and largest number of hotpot restaurants in the country, Chongqing was named "China's hotpot city" by the China Cuisine Association in 2007.

"As of 2024, searches related to Chongqing on the Douyin platform have surpassed 260 million, with video views exceeding 90 billion," said Wang Qinglong from video-sharing platform Douyin at the event.

According to the local commission of commerce, Chongqing boasts approximately 37,000 hotpot restaurants and nearly one million industry-related employees, generating an output value exceeding 300 billion yuan ($41.12 billion). These local hotpot brands have also expanded their businesses to over 80 countries and regions.

In September, Meituan, an online service platform, released the 2024 Chongqing Hotpot Big Data Observation report. It revealed the robust supply and demand dynamics in Chongqing's hotpot industry for 2024, projecting that the city's hotpot market consumption scale this year is expected to surpass 72 billion yuan.
If you saw something burn up in the skies over Alabama Saturday evening, you werent alone.

Actually it appears there were a couple of things that streaked across the night sky, one at about 5:30 p.m. Central time and the other at about 10:11 p.m.

Meteorologist James Spann said on social media that hed received more information on the first event from William J. Cooke, lead of NASAs Meteoroid Environments Office.

According to Spanns post, Cooke said that the fireball seen at 5:30 p.m. was caused by a piece of an asteroid weighing about a pound hitting the atmosphere at 33,500 miles per hour. It was first visible at an altitude of 49 miles over Heflin, moving slightly south of west. It passed right over Anniston before disintegrating 30 miles above the Coosa River north of Lincoln.

As for the second noteworthy event, at 10:11 p.m. the American Meteor Society said it received 120 reports to its fireball log. Those reports, including 10 videos and more than a dozen photos, came from observers in a cluster of Southern states including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. The photos and videos can be viewed at fireball.amsmeteors.org.

A video posted to YouTube, like those, shows a relatively slow-moving streak with a bright core in front, trailed by smaller bright spots, suggestive of an object breaking up as it burned.

Spann said unnamed astronomers had identified it as a case of space junk burning up as it re-entered the Earths atmosphere. On X.com, astronomer Jonathan McDowell identified the object as a Chinese commercial imaging satellite designated GaoJing 1-02, operated by a company named SpaceView.

McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., said the satellite reentered above New Orleans at 0408 UTC Dec 22 (10.08 pm CST Dec 21) heading northbound towards MS, AR, MO and was widely observed.

Marc Fries, a scientist at the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division at the Johnson Space Center, said on X.com that several radar systems saw something shedding debris at low altitude over SE Missouri, with reports of sonic booms in the region. In an exchange with McDowell he said it looked like something hit the ground near Poplar Bluff, Mo.
Retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, has missed votes in Congress since the summer and her son said she has been having some dementia issues late in the year.

The last time the 81-year-old congresswoman cast a vote on the House floor was the morning of July 24.

In a statement from her office, Rep. Granger expressed gratitude for the publics concern and said that since early September, her health issues have made frequent travel to Washington, D.C., both difficult and unpredictable.

As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year, the statement said.

She added she was able to return to Washington in November to hold meetings and oversee the closure of her office.

From South Carolina, Brandon Granger, 52, told The Dallas Morning News Sunday morning, Its been a hard year, adding it has been a surprise how quickly it progressed.

Brandon said his mother is living at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth, but she is not in a memory care facility, as some media reports have stated. He said that while the facility has a memory care community on the same property, Rep. Granger resides in the independent living facility.

On its website, Tradition Senior Living says it offers resort-style living with ultra-inclusive services on approximately six acres along the Trinity River with miles of walking trails. Brandon said she made the move because she wanted to be in a more active community of other older people.

Theres nothing wrong with someone wanting to live in a community with other folks their age, he said. Shes in a building with a lot of other folks her age that are super active that she really loves. She has exercise classes, she gets to be around people all the time, its wonderful for her for this point in life.

Traditions Senior Living said it was not able to confirm the residency status of any individual when reached by phone Sunday morning.

Rep. Granger has three children and five grandchildren, according to her congressional website.

She announced in November 2023 she would not seek reelection.

Its time for the next generation to step up and take the mantle and be a strong and fierce representative for the people, she said in a statement at the time.

After her announcement, state Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, filed for the seat. He defeated businessman John OShea in a primary runoff and Democrat Trey Hunt in the general election. He will be sworn in to office Jan. 3.

Rep. Granger closed out her long tenure in Congress by missing several months of votes. She missed votes the night of July 24 and the next day before the House broke for its August recess.

The House did not vote again until Sept. 9. Lawmakers left for the campaign trail after voting Sept. 25 and did not vote again until they returned Nov. 12.

The final vote of the 118th Congress was Friday, when the House passed a spending bill to keep the government open. The tally was 366-34. Rep. Granger was one of 29 members who did not vote.

Despite missing these votes, Rep. Granger did attend a celebration of her career on the House Appropriations Committee in mid-November in Washington.

As my time in Congress comes to an end, I feel fulfilled and depart with optimism that this chamber will continue to serve the best interests of the American people, she said at the time, per a news release.

A photo of her laughing while looking at her official portrait, unveiled at the celebration, was posted to her professional X page.

Granger set a number of firsts over the years. She served as Fort Worths first female mayor and became the first Republican woman elected to the U.S. House from Texas in 1996.

Last year, she was the first Republican woman to take over as chair of the House Appropriations Committee, a powerful panel responsible for crafting federal spending bills.

It was widely assumed one factor in her decision to retire, aside from her age, was the fact that House GOP rules set a three-term limit for top committee positions.

Shed already served two terms as the senior Republican when Democrats controlled the House, so absent a waiver, she would have been forced to give up the gavel in the following session.

She stepped down as chair of the committee in March, after Congress wrapped up the previous round of spending bills.

In a statement at the time, Rep. Granger noted the appropriations process typically pushes well beyond fall deadlines in election years. She said she was stepping down early to ensure a seamless transition to the new chair as the committee began focusing on the next round of spending bills.

On the committee, Rep. Granger has been a leading Republican voice on national security. She has pushed for robust defense spending and advocated for systems produced by defense contractors in the Fort Worth area, such as Lockheed Martins F-35 jets.

She secured funding for other priorities in the district, including the $1.1 billion Trinity River Vision/Central City flood control project.

Hard-line conservatives often criticized her as a Republican in name only who was emblematic of a GOP establishment too eager to compromise with Democrats.

Those criticisms intensified after she was among the relatively small group of Republicans who blocked House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordans bid to become speaker last year.

Months before she had announced her retirement, OShea launched a primary challenge against Granger, slamming her as the matriarch of the opposition.

_____

2024 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
How Trumps presidency could hurt Alabama

Sixty-five percent of voters in Alabama supported the return of Donald Trump to the White House, and when he takes office on Jan. 20, he will have the backing of Republican majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to carry out his ideas.

What will Trumps second term and the GOP-led Congress mean in a state so loyal to the president-elect?

A concern is possible changes or cuts to Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for the poor and disabled. Federal funds pay about 70% of the cost of Medicaid in Alabama.

Medicaid enrollment in Alabama generally hovers around 1 million people. Slightly more than half of those children.

Trumps proposed tariffs are another concern. During Trumps first term, Gov. Kay Ivey said Alabama could lose approximately 4,000 jobs as a result of automotive tariffs the Trump Administration was considering.

Trump has also pledged to carry out the largest deportation project in American history. Alabamas Hispanic population climbed to more than 250,000 in 2022, a 3.8% increase since 2021.

Municipal courts often send freed Alabama prison inmates back into the system

A Mountain Brook municipal judge told the Alabama Commission on Re-Entry Thursday that those about to be released from prison could face local cases they may not have considered.

K.C. Hairston, the vice president of the Alabama Municipal Judges Association, encouraged officials to develop a system that integrates municipal court violations with existing information that state has in a database of those incarcerated within the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Hairstons comments stem from a conversation that happened during the previous months Commission meeting in which information related to criminal offenses at the municipal and county level is not well integrated.

Fireballs seen over Alabama

If you saw something burn up in the skies over Alabama Saturday evening, you werent alone.

Actually it appears there were a couple of things that streaked across the night sky, one at about 5:30 p.m. Central time and the other at about 10:11 p.m.

The two events, though only hours apart, had completely different sources.

The first was caused by a piece of an asteroid weighing about a pound hitting the atmosphere at 33,500 miles per hour, according to William J. Cooke, lead of NASAs Meteoroid Environments Office.

The second was a case of space junk burning up as it re-entered the Earths atmosphere. On X.com, astronomer Jonathan McDowell identified the object as a Chinese commercial imaging satellite.

More Alabama news

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Winter has come early, and in many places, the month of December has brought with it record or near record cold. As I write, the eastern U.S. lies in the grip of extreme cold, with possible record lows tonight in Tennessee, South Carolina, and other states. Even sunny Florida is expecting freezing in many locales, with temperatures fifteen degrees colder than normal.

Given current conditions, its difficult to convince most Americans that a climate crisis exists. A large snowstorm is approaching the northeastern U.S. Heating bills have been higher than normal due to the cold. The snow and ice are stressful for everyone. Global warming is the last thing on most peoples minds.

Perhaps this is why the issue of climate change played such a small part in the 2024 election. Only 9% of the electorate, most of them Democrats, rated climate change as the top issue, and Trumps promise to reverse the Green New Deal and withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement did not hurt his campaign. If anything, it attracted voters who were tired of what they view as a hoax.

According to a recent poll by the Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research, two thirds of Americans do not believe that climate change is harming them, and it is unlikely that the remaining third believe AOCs prediction that the Earth will end in 2031.

At the same time, 72% believe that global warming is real. How to explain the disconnect?

Perhaps a majority are going along with accepted opinion, regardless of their actual belief. Or perhaps they actually do believe that warming is harmful but that it is harming someone else. What the electorate does not seem to understand is that the climate crisis, with recent claims that many of our coastal states will be underwater in 25 years (not a few beach areas, but the state), is driven by massive self-interest. The salary for Fred Krupp at the Environmental Defense Fund was $825,000 in 2020. Other environmental leaders commanded high six-figure salaries as well. Its unlikely they would come forward and admit that there is not a crisis.

It may be, as Bjorn Lomborg asserts, that some degree of global warming actually is taking place but that the magnitude of the crisis has been blown way out of proportion and that government response, such as promoting E.V.s with subsidies and mandates and restricting fossil fuels, is irrational. Or it may be that most of the recent climate change (one degree Celsius over the past 150 years) has resulted from natural cycles. In either case, the climate alarmists are wrong in alarming the public.

What progressives see in climate change is an opportunity to grasp more power. Six point seven percent of U.S. GDP is derived from energy production and distribution, 84% of that being fossil fuels. Thats 6.7% of a $30-trillion economy, or $2.1 trillion. Over the past 35 years, the global warming narrative has been developed and enlarged with the intention of securing government control of the energy sector of the economy.

Proponents of global warming such as Al Gore (who as of 2023 had a net worth of $330 million) have enriched themselves, seemingly at the expense of ordinary working Americans who must pay higher prices for gasoline, heating, food transportation, automobiles, and other necessities. But Gore is only one in a large cottage industry of lobbyists, non-profit officials, academics, journalists, politicians, and investors who have profited from promoting the idea of climate change. Green New Dealsupporters are like pigs at the trough, dividing up the estimated $93-trillion total estimated cost of climate abatement. According to Fox News, that price tag would amount to $600,000 per household.

Do Americans have $600,000 per household to spend on global warming? This is the greatest shell game in history: as one claim of warming is shot down, another even greater claim is manufactured.

The problem, as Lomborg insists, is that climate hysteria distracts attention from hunger, inadequate shelter, lack of medical attention, poor educational standards, and many other legitimate concerns. It is not the role of the federal government to address these problems, but at the local level, many would like to improve the lot of the poor through private charity. In my opinion, those Salvation Army kettles at Christmastime are a good place to start.

Winter is here, and theres no sign of global warming where most Americans live. The current eight-day forecast for Cleveland, Ohio shows snow for six of those eight days and a high of 38 degrees on Christmas. Boston is worse, with a high of 32 degrees on Christmas day, though without the snow. Even in central Florida, by Christmas, we will have experienced five frosts so far this year  perhaps not a record, but cold by subtropical standards.

The point is that in winter, it is cold, and in summer, it is hot, and in a nation as large as the USA, new records will be set somewhere every month. That does not mean that the climate has gone haywire. In hurricane season, there are hurricanes, and there always have been. There are tornadoes, wildfires, droughts, and floods.

Even before humans set foot on North America, all of these phenomena existed. Temperatures rose and fell over the millennia. Storm activity increased and declined. Droughts came and went, as they have in California even during the past twenty years. The hysteria that existed for so long surrounding drought in California seems to have diminished, though the state still has in effect what seems to be permanent regulations predicated on drought. One can remember wild claims of California burning up and running out of water: now the problem, at least in some counties, is too much water.

Hopefully, President Trump will reverse all of Bidens misguided environmental policies. Jobs will be created, wealth increased, prices lowered, and Americans allowed the freedom to choose their sources of energy. Unlike global warming, which has had no noticeable effect on two thirds of Americans, Drill, Baby, Drill will have a direct effect for the better. Prices overall ought to decline, and the energy industry will provide good-paying jobs for hundreds of thousands of persons, many of them young men who are currently underemployed or unemployed.

Its not yet 2031, so we cant yet proclaim that the world has not come to an end, but Im willing to bet that little will have changed by 2032. Human beings have lived through far worse than a one degree rise in temperatures, and if government will give them a chance, they will live through this one.

Jeffrey Folks is the author of many books and articles on American culture and politics.

Image: Zink Dawg via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Why are so many college girls identifying as anything but women? Why was everyone embarrassed by Donald Trumps mean tweets? Why did the actors in the Harry Potter movies all shun author JK Rowling when she came out against men in the womens bathroom?

Its because we humans are all social animals and we go with the herd. Or at least we pretend we do. I did the same at a luncheon with relatives and acquaintances back in the day. Everyone said they were for Nikki Haley. I wasnt, but I didnt say anything.

About those women at the University of Michigan: half of them identified as LGBTQ.

Of the respondents who identify as women, 26.3 percent identify as bisexual, 6.4 percent identify as lesbian, 4.7 percent identify as queer, 2.8 percent identify as asexual, 2.4 percent identify as pansexual, and 1.5 percent identify as other.

Of course they do. And they have to be carefully taught. How many years of classes does it take to learn the difference between bisexual, lesbian, queer, asexual, and pansexual without making someone feel unsafe?

But whatabout the Science on this? Why do people go with the herd so much?

Heres how Amazon puts it on the page for Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification by Timur Kuran.

Preference falsification, according to the economist Timur Kuran, is the act of misrepresenting one's wants under perceived social pressures.

If you are a student at a woke university, whats a girl to do? You go along until the fashions change. Theres even a name for the moment of change: preference cascade.

Jeffrey A. Tucker writes about it in respect of Donald J. Trump. He was a Mean Tweeter, a liar, a convicted felon. Until he wasnt. And now the great and the good are traveling the Road to Canossa at Mar-a-Lago to kiss the ring of the new pope.

Still, its shocking to see pretty blonde girls on TikTok disporting themselves in red MAGA hats and red MAGA T-shirts all of a sudden. I dont recall there ever being a preference cascade for Ronald Reagan. He was always an amiable dunce to the great and the good.

Of course, we know why things have changed. Ronald Reagan lived in the Age of Mass Media when there was Only One True Narrative. Today we live in the Age of Independent Media, and that gives other voices a chance to trend on X/Twitter and flip the One True Narrative.

But lets be honest. Plenty of people prefer the comfort of approved beliefs. Theres a liberal church up the street from me that advertises an inclusive, socially active, religious community of faith on its portal. And youll be relieved to know that there is a Safe Place sticker alongside the BLM poster in the window. Today, just in time for Christmas, it has a big poster urging us to

REJOICE IN THE BIRTH OF

A BROWN-SKINNED

MIDDLE EASTERN

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT

I wouldnt want to call this virtue-signaling but you can order your sign at Amazon. But it is certainly echoing the ruling-class Narrative on the helplessness and oppression experienced by migrants. Google AI says that the inventor of the sign is probably an activist but is not widely known.

Now we all know that our liberal friends are besides themselves right now, buried in the middle of what Mark Halperin told Tucker Carlson would be the greatest mental health crisis in the history of the country. But it is a misdiagnosis to say that our liberal friends are suffering a mental health crisis. What they are experiencing is much worse than that. It is the opposite of the thrill of victory. It is the agony of defeat.

Now, it is my belief that men and women are different. When Conan wins a war he chortles about driving his enemies before him and hearing the lamentation of their women. And if he loses, hell suck it in and live to fight another day.

But what are those liberal ladies at their inclusive, socially active, religious community of faith to do? I mean, we just elected a one-time McDonalds fry cook that promised to send all those brown-skinned Middle Eastern undocumented immigrants right back where they came from.

The answer is to go with the Science. The Science suggests that there must be a lot of liberal women that dont really believe the faith, that are just going along because thats the thing to do. They are living a preference falsification, misrepresenting one's wants under perceived social pressures, as the experts tell us.

It is up to us, miserable MAGA extremists armed with assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to help our liberal women friends to brave the terrors of the preference cascade and reject the false consciousness of liberal babble.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill blogs at The Commoner Manifesto and runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class.

Image: AI
President Joe Biden is often unaware of his surroundings or behavior, but he surely knows that Christmas is almost here.

Playing Santa Claus, he is handing out gifts  pardons to existing and as-yet-unprosecuted criminals and members of Congress and special gifts to those succeeding him in the White House, particularly President-elect Donald Trump.



Concerning Bidens cognition, we are now learning that the White House was fully aware of his mental decline since before he took office and concealed this information from the public, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.



Has Trump been naughty or nice? Will he receive a glittery Christmas present like a robust economy, world peace, or a secure border? Or will a nuclear war, drone attack, or pandemic be in his Christmas stocking?



The author enjoyed falafel in Aleppo earlier this year in front of one of the many former posters of deposed President Bashar al-Assad that once covered the Syrian landscape.



Biden has been Christmas shopping for nearly four years, selecting gifts for Trump and America. These gifts include Venezuelan criminal gangs in 16 states, an open border, and ten-plus million illegal migrants, many of whom are criminals, unhealthy, unskilled, and illiterate.



Joe is also leaving Trump with a $36 trillion budget deficit, with interest payments on the debt exceeding $1 trillion annually. This amount exceeds our defense spending and is rapidly rising, surpassing all other budget items.



Trump is also receiving gifts of endless wars  one in Ukraine and another in the Middle East. Biden has been supplying weaponry, personnel, and intelligence to Ukraine, which in turn is sending American-made missiles to Russia, inviting retaliation and steering us closer to nuclear war. On the Doomsday Clock," we are now 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it has been since its creation in 1947.

Thanks, Joe and Kamala.



In recent weeks, drones or other UFO-like objects have been hovering over America. The Pentagon claims it does not know what they are but, in the same breath, assures us that they pose no threat.

Hows that for logic? Trump claims to know what they are but cannot or will not say. These nefarious issues will soon be on his plate to contend with, all while Joe is sitting on a beach eating ice cream.



Biden is not leaving a pony under Trumps Christmas tree, but instead another regime change disaster in the Middle East. The CIA and State Department, instead of learning from past mistakes in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Egypt, and Afghanistan, are doubling down on past failures, believing that this time things turn out well for anyone other than the U.S. military-industrial complex.



I wont attribute reckless American adventurism solely to Joe Biden, as neo-conservative nation-building long preceded Bidens time in the White House.



Wesley Clark, the former commander of NATOs forces in Europe, recalled, He met a senior military officer in Washington in November 2001 who told him that the Bush administration was planning to attack Iraq first, before taking action against Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia, and Sudan.



Although behind schedule, Syria appears to be last on the list and was attacked by U.S. proxies just weeks ago.



The Bashar al-Assad regime fell without resistance, indicating that regime change was likely pre-arranged and allowed to unfold with minimal bloodshed.



Who else was involved? Israel likely played a role and had prior knowledge as they swiftly recaptured the Golan Heights. This disputed territory provides significant strategic and defense advantages to Israel. They are also bombing Syrian military installations and weapons depots to prevent their future use against Israel.



Assad may have had a deal with Israel  safe passage to Russia in exchange for giving up military locations to Israel. The U.S. doubled its troops in Syria just ahead of the overthrow, suggesting this uprising was far from spontaneous.



The kicker is that a Biden Pentagon spokesman says he "recently learned" that over 2,000 U.S. troops are deployed in Syria, far more than the 900 they had previously announced. Does anyone know anything? About troops or drones? Is the Pentagon as demented as the Commander in Chief?



Turkey also seeks a share of Syria, setting the stage for many countries fighting like a flock of vultures over the Syrian carcass.



The flying of new flags representing the new regime, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on embassies outside Syria immediately after the fall of Damascus suggests that the coup was well choreographed. Russia declined to intervene to save its proxy state, Syria, suggesting that the overthrow was pre-planned and that we were all merely spectators in a CIA-State Department show.



What now? The new HTS regime, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, is a Sunni Islamist group promising it wont institute sharia law. Lets see how that plays out. Perhaps like the assurances of a former world leader who once promised, If you like your insurance, you can keep your insurance.



Will Syria maintain religious freedom, or will it follow the Talibans path in Afghanistan? My son and I visited Syria earlier this year, including the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, where it is believed that John the Baptists head is buried and where Jesus will descend at the Second Coming.



Clearly, there was a significant degree of religious freedom under Assad. For Christians, who make up 2% of the Syrian population, and for Alawites, the Muslim sect associated with Assad, representing 10% of Syrians, this freedom is more than in some neighboring countries. However, under Sharia law, such religious freedom and diversity will disappear, as it did in Afghanistan.



The Umayyad Mosque is now a hub for rebels and Jihadis celebrating the overthrow of Assad and Syria. We enjoyed visiting Damascus, Homs, Hama, and Aleppo, where we met wonderful people and tasted delicious foods. Are those days over for foreign visitors to Syria? Or for Syrian Christians?



What do Americans think? Rasmussen Reports inquired and discovered that most American voters believe that the overthrow of Bashar al-Assads dictatorship in Syria could lead to rule by Islamic radicals.



Their survey of likely U.S. voters found that 57% of likely U.S. voters believe it is likely that the new Syrian government will be controlled by Islamic radicals, including 25% who see such an outcome as very likely.



Will this become another of many failed U.S. efforts in nation-building, regime change, or whatever else they call it? Americans believe so. Only 34% of likely U.S. voters think the end of Assads dictatorship in Syria is good for the interests of the United States.



Although this was a Christmas present from Biden for the incoming Trump administration, Trump may return the gift after Jan. 20. Let it play out," Trump says, recommending that the U.S. not interfere in the Syrian conflict.



Sage advice, and hopefully Ric Grenell, Trumps new special missions envoy, will convey that message clearly to stakeholders in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, who would wish for nothing more this Christmas than to see America floundering in the quicksand of another ill-fated regime change effort.





Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., is a physician and writer.

Please visit my Instagram page for some short videos from my trip to Syria last February and commentary on recent events.



Follow me on Twitter @retinaldoctor, Substack Dr. Brians Substack, Truth Social @BrianJoondeph, LinkedIn @Brian Joondeph, and Email brianjoondeph@gmail.com.


America is just coming-to after a near-death experience. We came within a hairs breadth of ceasing to be America. If November 5th hadnt been so decisive, wed still be counting (and manufacturing) votes. If Trump hadnt been so decisive, so ready to jump right in and get started, wed all be disappointed cynical. This election has brought us back to life.

I, for one, am thrilled that America didnt die -- hasnt yet, anyway. Were still stuck in the Biden muddle for several more weeks, but the clean-up and healing is already underway.

You see, we Americans pray. Not every one of us; its not required for citizenship, but millions of us have been addressing the God of the Bible and He answers prayers. Whatsoever you ask, believing, you shall receive. This is what receiving looks like.

And as we come out of our national coma, were starting to see what evil looks like. Its been wearing a smiley face and whispering sweet little lies for decades now and that worked as long as we didnt wake up, but the sun is up now and we can see just how ugly the Lefts plans are. Theyve been tinkering with our minds for generations now. Theyve been patient, and theyve taken their time so we wouldnt notice that weve veered, ever so gradually, off course. But now that were pulling into the station (forgive me for switching metaphors) we realize that we never meant to buy a ticket to this awful place. November 5th we had a chance to switch trains and we did.

Now some of the smarmy conductors are groveling and hoping the propaganda theyve been spewing isnt true (I think of Mika and Joe.). Some of the wealthy are packing their bags (Bon voyage!). Some are sitting in secret meetings plotting everything from general interference, which could look like hit pieces in the MSM, to swarms of drones, to murder. To heck with the wishes of the American people. Most of the defeated are just hunkering down and avoiding political discourse (Merry Christmas). Some have legitimate concerns (None of us want illegals crammed into freight cars like cattle.) Many leftists need medication and therapy (ASAP). A great many need information (truth); theyve been without it for so long.

America took a long time to get this far off track, and shes going to take time to find her way again, for as much as wed like an immediate correction, that cant happen. It would cause more chaos than our lostness can withstand. But we can start, and it is so encouraging to see Trump lining up his posse (another metaphor switch). Well keep praying that the essential deputies get confirmed. We all think we know who would be best in these important positions, and not even Trump knows for sure. But God does. So back to prayer again.

Prayer has done so much for us. God controls history and He has managed to do so without interfering with our free will. He has, for instance, raised up exactly the right people at the right places and at the right times. Look at J.D. Vance, who rose to the surface exactly when America needed him. Look at RFK and Tulsi Gabbard -- wow, how did they get here?

God uses the weather -- look at what Helene taught us about the corruption in FEMA. Look at what those two hurricanes revealed about the strength of Americas people.

God even uses technology. Without the Internet, wed still be stuck relying on the manipulative mainstream media for our news. We wouldnt know how its possible to steal an election. Wed have no idea how rich our government people have become. Nor would we know how morally disgusting many are. Now, anyone with gumption and know-how can set up his/her YouTube channel, gather information from his/her own sources and the viewers can reach their own conclusions. Which we did. I get some of my information from the MSM, but mostly from aggregate news sites. And some from pundits who expound on the aggregate news. And some from people (everyday, gutsy people) who comment on the commentators. So, my knowledge of current events comes to me through the eyes of dozens of other curious, intelligent people, not just the anchor of the evening news whos only able to cover a handful of stories and only from the point of view of his sponsors. We went from top-down to bottom-up, as it should be. So, we have hope.

We are not healthy yet (return to original metaphor). America is more vulnerable than weve been since Pearl Harbor. We have no president. Granted theres an old man in the Oval Office churning out as many pardons and commutations as he can between naps, but should an emergency (like Pearl Harbor) happen, who would command the defense? Did the specter of a grinning cackle raise its empty head? See what I mean?

What if the Left unleashes another one of its lunatics to kill Trump or any of his team? And the economy has been on life support for some time now -- will it hang on until help arrives? Who will come across the border in the next few weeks? Who is flying the drones? What in the world (or out) are these orbs? We dont know.

This list could go on, but to make my point, it doesnt need to. And what is my point? My point is that were all awake now and January 20th, is nearly here. Despite the fragile condition of the Republic, God is still calling the shots, and He is not the author of confusion. We are waiting here on the banks of the Red Sea (Oh no! Not another metaphor!), and yes, the Pharoahs chariots are swarming over the hill at us, but God has a plan and its obviously not to let us drown or to let us be hacked to bits by the Egyptians. Why go to the lengths He has just to let us collapse now?

I have a friend who, when youre midway through your litany of troubles, will raise her forefinger and say, But God. Yes, indeed. I just saw a headline stating that Bible sales are up 25%. Perhaps many of us are coming to and realizing that they have some reading to do. Now is the time. Science is finally realizing that Darwin was way off base. Were coming face-to-face with the need for universal morality, for help from an omnipotent, benign, personal God -- someone bigger, more dependable than ourselves. We need eternal life, not death. We need the Father.

Deana Chadwell is an adjunct professor and department head at Pacific Bible College https://pacificbible.edu in southern Oregon. She teaches writing, logic, and literature. She can be contacted at 1window45@gmail.com

Image: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
If you want to understand the hypocrisy of globalist leftism, there is perhaps no better example than the vastly different media responses to recent events in South Korea and Romania.

The failed coup in South Korea got a lot of attention. Basically, on December 3, President Yoon Suk Yeol surprised the country (and even his own administration!) with a sudden declaration of martial law, which he insisted was necessary to protect the country from anti-state forces who were conspiring with North Korea.

Some military and police forces proved loyal to the president and tried to carry out his commands to keep the Legislature from meeting, but after massive street protests and resistance from other elements within the army, the legislators managed to meet anyway. They immediately passed a resolution nullifying the martial law declaration, and not quite two weeks later, they voted to impeach President Yoon.

The whole incident got plenty of coverage in the international press, where there is virtually no sympathy for the president. Rather, his action is generally seen as a desperate ploy to extend his career in the face of low popularity. (His party was roundly defeated in this years legislative elections back in April.)

Now compare that to the events in Romania. On November 24, Calin Georgescu won 23 percent of the vote in the first round of Romanias presidential election, entitling him to advance to a runoff against Elena Lasconi, who won 19 percent. The second round of the presidential election was supposed to be held on December 8, after parliamentary elections on December 1.

Georgescu had begun his career in a humdrum fashion  he was basically a sustainability officer with a degree in soil science who worked with the usual range of environmental ministries and NGOs, until at some point he really, really soured on the whole globalist project and reinvented himself as a right-wing populist.

His rise, achieved almost entirely through social media, came as a rude shock to Romanias political class. In addition to his nationalist economic positions  he wants his country to produce more of its own food and energy and rely less on imports  hes also a nationalist who distrusts the European Union, doesnt think that NATO would actually defend Romania if Romania were attacked, and wants to stay neutral in the Ukraine War and have a friendlier relationship with Vladimir Putins Russia.

As a result of all this, on December 6, the Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the November 24 election and canceled the upcoming runoff, declaring that the entire thing would have do be done over at some indefinite time in the future and that until then, the current president, Klaus Iohannis, is free to remain in office after his term expires.

The Court cited a combination of Russian disinformation (apparently, Russian social media influencers were promoting Calin Georgescu) and accusations of campaign finance fraud as reasons to cancel the presidential election. But since Georgescu has yet to be charged with breaking any specific law, and since there is nothing in the laws or the written constitution of Romania that gives the Court power to cancel elections, a lot of people are understandably upset about what has happened, with Georgescu himself calling it a formalized coup d'etat.

And yet, the left-leaning globalist media have responded to all of this with a near-total blackout of news about Romania. For instance, CNN.com ran only two stories about this in the two weeks following the cancelation, one of which was about the E.U. investigating TikTok for giving preferential treatment to Georgescu, which TikTok denies. What coverage there is tends to be extremely biased, focusing on things like Georgescus belief that the Apollo Program was a hoax  obviously not a belief that I agree with, but not any sort of legal disqualification for office, either.

Unfortunately, the response of Georgescus supporters within Romania was weak. About half of the countrys politicians celebrated the ruling, and even many who disagreed with it still asked their supporters not to protest. Such protests as did happen never involved more than a few hundred people, and they seem to have eventually dispersed without anyone being injured or killed. (This is a very different situation from when the communist governments across Eastern Europe fell back in 1989, when hundreds of thousands of people were refusing to go to work and making barricades in the streets instead, and the governments only options were to make concessions or do a massacre.)

Nor has the U.S. State Department, which complains endlessly about even mild cases of corruption in right-wing countries like Hungary, said anything at all about the actual coup in Romania.

So at the end of the day, it looks as though democracy in Romania is well and truly dead. Basically, the left-wing parties there managed to do what some of Americas Democrats only tried to do to Donald Trump earlier this year: to halt their opponents run for office in a pure judicial power-grab, without actually trying him for breaking any specific law.

Lets face it: if elections are invalid when foreign media try to influence them, then just about every European election that George Soros spends money on  i.e., a lot more elections than the Russians have ever been involved with  also needs to be annulled, too. Also, if (as the Romanian courts apologists claim) this was really just about slowing things down so that people can make an informed decision after the investigations are complete, then the court would have ordered the December 1 parliamentary election to be redone as well. But it didnt, because in that election, the Social Democratic Party won the most seats and formed a coalition with its centrist allies. Apparently, elections are a problem only when the wrong people win.

Will Romania actually hold new elections in the spring, as some parliamentary leaders have promised? And if it does, will Calin Georgescu be permitted to run in them? And if he isnt, will it be because he has been convicted of an actual crime, or merely because the Constitutional Court has decided that hes too dangerous? Those questions have yet to be answered, but for now, I think the most likely outcome is that weve already seen the sad and pusillanimous end of Romanias 35-year experiment with democracy.

The huge contrast between this and the way that both Koreans and the international press responded to the martial law crisis in South Korea says something important about how the global left and the NGOcracy work. To them, tyranny usually means one thing, and one thing only: that the president, king, or prime minister has too much power. No amount of tyranny exercised by a group of people gets nearly as much of an emotional response.

So if the president of South Korea cites vague foreign threats as a reason to disband the national Legislature and govern without them for an indefinite period of time, then its really, really bad  bad enough to justify violent protests and the presidents near-immediate impeachment. But when an oligarchical institution like the Romanian Constitutional Court does a very similar thing, like canceling elections in response to the sort of foreign social media influence that usually gets no attention at all, then its barely even newsworthy  a controversial but fully licit exercise of power by the independent judiciary, which is of course a necessary part of any real democracy.

As Aristotle said, there are three basic forms of government: monarchy, the rule of the one; oligarchy, the rule of the few; and democracy, the rule of the many. Polybius and Montesquieu believed that the best governments will, like the Roman Republic, incorporate elements of all three. And these philosophers were a big influence on the authors of the American Constitution.

Yet most progressives dont share the views of Polybius, Montesquieu, and James Madison. They of course hate and fear monarchy, but they also hate and fear democracy, at least when it produces a non-progressive result, which it often does. And they love oligarchy. But to keep the rest of us confused, they call oligarchy democracy.

This also explains how modern leftism works here in the United States. Progressives think American citizens should be able to vote in elections but that, once in office, elected officials need to be prevented, by an all-powerful, left-leaning Judiciary, from actually deciding any issues that the left feels strongly about  and of course this judiciary will be taking its cues from left-wing academic institutions. This is how, from the 1960s to the 2010s, the left-leaning Supreme Court was able to enact a hard-left agenda on religion in public schools, abortion, forced bussing, homosexuality, and the rights of illegal aliens, and even though elected officials never had to approve any of these de facto changes to the Constitution, hardly any leftists or even centrists questioned whether the United States was still a democracy. After all, our presidents are term-limited and have lots of constitutional limits on their powers, and isnt that all that really matters?

Eventually, the left lost control of Americas top judicial body. But this happened not because despotic decisions like Engel v. Vitale and Roe v. Wade produced the sort of massive popular uprising that we would have seen if the American citizenry were still made up of people like Samuel Adams and George Washington. Rather, it happened because of the lefts own overconfidence  basically, back in 2014, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had just turned 81, chose not to retire while the Democrats still controlled the White House and the Senate. Apparently, she believed that, due to demographic changes, the Dems would keep on winning all the big elections indefinitely.

But it turned out that many of the diverse demographic groups that the Dems love to paint as perpetual victims arent really happy about being pigeonholed this way. And a lot of these people voted for Donald Trump, so when Ginsburg died at age 87 in 2020, Trump got to name Amy Coney Barrett to succeed her. The upshot is that, at the moment, the United States has a fairly impartial Supreme Court, which lets both red states and blue states enact laws that reflect their own moral vision so long as theres no obvious constitutional reason to do otherwise.

And yet, as the events in Romania have shown, the leftist dream of managed democracy is still alive  the dream of elections that give the common people the illusion of power, while in practice the elected officials are just figureheads with no power over any issues on which the countrys real rulers have a strong opinion.

There is perhaps no other country that better embodies this dream than Iran. Because Americans are used to hearing the media talk about Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as if he were the most powerful man in Iran (which in fact he is), its easy for us to forget that Iran also has a president (currently Masoud Pezeshkian), who is limited to serving at most two four-year terms, which he must win in multi-party elections. Also, Iran has multiparty parliamentary elections.

Granted, there are hard limits on what these elections can achieve. Even though elected officials have limited powers over the budget and the provision of government services, they must unconditionally submit to the unelected portion of Irans government  that is, the supreme leader, the Guardian Council, and the Assembly of Experts  on any question the latter deem too important to be meddled with by people who dont share their scholarly outlook and extreme devotion to Islamic law. So, for instance, no president or parliamentary majority can stop Irans morality police from beating women who dress improperly in public (and sometimes the beatings are fatal!), nor can they end Irans off-and-on war with Israel, nor stop Iran from providing money, weapons, and elite soldiers to just about every Shia terrorist outfit in the Middle East.

Obviously, the specific issues about which Irans mullahs are passionate are different from those that animate American and European leftists. But as Kevin D. Williamson wrote about here for the National Review, the actual role of the Guardian Council and the U.S. Supreme Court were quite similar. So when it came to stopping late-term abortion, or preventing gay-straight alliances from promoting homosexuality in the public schools, the elected officials of the pre-Trump United States were just as useless as their Iranian counterparts.

Even though Donald Trump and the Federalist Society have now put the brakes on Iran-style government at the U.S. Supreme Court, the old leftist dream is not going to die easily. Right now, Americas progressives are trying to get the Supreme Court to create a constitutional right for parents to chemically sterilize their child if the child identifies as transgender. This is likely to fail, but theyll probably try again sometime in the future if the accidents of old age give them another court majority.

In Romania, the Constitutional Courts successful cancelation of this years elections shows that that country is farther along the road to Iranization than the United States has ever been. Meanwhile, in Brazil, the ability of a Supreme Court judge to ban Twitter/X for all 203 million Brazilians without a shard of congressional authorization (due to Elon Musk refusing to enforce Brazilian court orders to remove certain far-right accounts) shows that in that country, freedom of speech and genuine representative democracy are dead.

Will right-wingers in Europe and the Americas show enough spine to take their countries back? This is something that has yet to be seen. But the fact that, if given the opportunity, the left will make Irans out of all of these countries is something that should be obvious by now.

Twilight Patriot is the pen name for a young American who lives in Georgia, where he is currently working toward a graduate degree. You can read more of his writings at his Substack.

Image via Pexels.
I say comic portrayal because weve had so little to laugh about in politics for so long.

Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana recently and rightly said, twice, I dont hate anybody.

But he does often poke fun and makes his point better for doing so.

With the Judeo Christian messages of hope and promise coinciding this coming week, and with our longed for inauguration in less than a month, maybe we can take a little time off to go for happiness.

Democrats have been a source of rich material for ridicule. They've taken it to such an art form they now merit their own version of the Academy Awards. This year I decided to give it to them, creating the first annual Democrat schtick awards in order to enshrine their antics into amber and, hopefully, provide some laughs for the rest of us.



DNCs January 2025 Nominations for Our 2024 Stand-Outs -- The Annual Democrat Schtick Award



The 2024 Nominees for Awards in 2025 Are:

1. Hats off to Chuck Schumer, noted congressional actor briefly on the 2024 scene in Israel, early in the war against Hamas terrorists. Terrible, terrible, said a teared-up Chuck!

His opening lines out of terrorist-torn Israel were kind of edited once back in the U.S., no? Not a consequential problem -- Chucks practically a living monument and doesnt need to prove anything by walking the walk!

Keep those leadership gigs in focus, Senator!

2. Queenie Meghan Markle, down a bit in her U.S. personal polling, yet presumably a Democrat (psst: her Partys kept secret-all for her childrens safety).



Meghans a high-end royalista fashionista and famed media stalker. This Ms. is much rumored (by at least three other influencers) to be our U.S. president -- very soon, if not sooner. Her handle is, I kind of give to the poor.

3. More Schiff out of California: Our new mobility-enhanced Senator appears to be a permanently legal resident of one state, on D.C.s Suburban East Coast, while (in all sincerity) representing quite another polarly opposite state -- on the very far off West Coast!

The beauty is, we dont mind  whatever; any votes a vote.

Talk about rule-breaking: you go, Mr. Capitol Hill Chief-Investigator! (Sir: do keep those devilish Jan. 6-ers locked up with or without trial, now into year five; thatll be the lawyer/Senator in you!)

4. Where would we be without Nancy P? Lets hear it for the Mrs. & Mr. Nancy Pelosi, proactive family fundraisers of many, many years. Youre awesome with the multiplication of your households reserves! We hope youre enjoying your prevenient congressional electronic presto trades, and those clever, free COVID dollars!

And, how about the great and good Nancy, herself well-fueled and jetting-off, to just about everywhere, to represent Her Country.

A big shout-out for your selfless, citizen-sponsored services, Nancy!

5. Mr. Department of Defense Head Lloyd Austin earns yet another glorious medal for his medical stealth magic mystery show, a truly operatic bodily displacement act, and from his own office!

Mr. Defense Heads employees especially appreciated the bosss affirmative action push: in letting the little guys run the giant military, all by themselves and also incognito, while he rested up  and more than once! (Didnt he receive a presidential commendation for that?)

6. Ms. Fani Willis, who will soon be featured as legal and cosmetically perfected heroine on the upcoming ABC reality series (tentatively in production) called What a Difference a Date(s) Makes. Shes a star! Or soon will be!

7. George Stephanopoulos, who almost got to be fired, then was hired back, in a mere matter of days -- after (ahem) costing his storied national network a load of civil settlement cash. Georgies politically astute, however defamatory, broadcasting moves will actually turn a profit in the long run! Just goes to show that dirty reporting gigs arent dead at all. Keep stepping up, Stephanopoulos!

8. Ms. Michelle Obama, famously espoused to our perpetual Comunity Organizer (a.k.a. Himself) and both literati, being avid readers of and writers for the New York Times best sellers/ qua lefty book remainders lists).

Mrs. O is keeping on keeping on with her emotive, muscular appeals to the American public--to enshrine/perpetuate our nations legendary racism, for-Eva!

(Please also note Mikeys past, moving commitments to making our school kids eat what she wouldnt touch with a barge pole.)

9. Lastly, Mr. Joe Biden. Joes a long time imitator of his old boss and/or mentor/co-conspirator, the Three Times Lucky Prez Obama. (The latter is better known by Joes White House, quietly, as Himself.)

Heres a snapshot of our Joe, recreating Barry Os timely visits to trendy bookstores. (Wow, does Joe also really read all of those glossy lefty books?):

See Joe walk, as he follows up his blissful shopping with the-biggest-scoop -ice cream-chomping; and beachy bicycle-riding-or-falling-off. (Plus, humbly, walking/strolling/collapsing on a somewhat less restricted beach than a really richer Obama or really really richer Kennedy might have originally been granted.)

Well clue you in: Joe tends to emulate his financial and political betters in every respect  but especially whilst vacating. Hes ever in touch with his irreplaceable, enviable old boss  the Himself whose constant presence, effectively, Joe has never been allowed to forget!



Does anyone have some more kudos? Just send them to DNC@whatever.com. Well be keeping a list in our very spare time.



Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
Except for his pro-life statements (and who knows how long hell sing that tune), Pope Francis always seems to align more closely with Marx than with traditional Catholic doctrines. Hes all in on climate change, attacks capitalism, supports the mental illness of transgenderism, and wants to take homosexuality out of the sin column. Its unsurprising that the Vatican is going bankrupt because his church offers little to the faithful.

One more sign of the Popes leftism is his unwavering support for Hamas, including his unquestioning faith in casualty statistics that have repeatedly proven to be gross lies. However, Israel has finally had enough and is pushing back.

The Popes support for Hamas is, frankly, weird. Israel allows all religions, including Catholicism, to be practiced freely within its borders. Hamas kills or drives out all Christians and slaughters any Jew unlucky enough to get near Gaza or the West Bank. But the Pope supports Hamas.

Image: X screen grab.

Francis has repeatedly attacked Israel for waging war against the jihadists, who are the straight-line descendants of those who, for centuries, fought against the Catholic church in the Middle East and Europe. And speaking of descendants, earlier this month, the Pope tacitly approved of the myth that Jesus, a Jew from Judea and a descendant of King David, was a Palestinian.

Most recently, the Pope excoriated Israels alleged cruelty for its strikes against Gaza, without calling for the hostages to be released or for Hamas to be held accountable for slaughtering over 1,200 Israelis:

Francis opened his annual Christmas address to the Catholic cardinals who lead the Vaticans various departments with what appeared to be a reference to Israeli airstrikes on Friday that killed at least 25 Palestinians in Gaza. Yesterday, children were bombed, said the pope. This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart. The pope, as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts, but he has recently been more outspoken about Israels military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas. In book excerpts published last month, the pontiff said some international experts said that what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.

Pope Pius XII is rolling in his grave, for he tried, within the limits of his spiritual and practical authority, to protect Jews during WWII. And Pope John Paul II, who worked in the Polish Resistance during WWII, is rolling right there with him.

The reality is that Israel, unlike any combatant in the history of the world, has done its utmost to protect civilians from its war against an enemy that is open about its determination to commit real genocide, not fantasy genocide, against the Jews. Israel has decreased its military efficacy by announcing bombing raids in advance so civilians can leave, relocated entire civilian populations to remove them from the field of battle, and shipped millions of tons of food to enemy civilians despite knowing that (a) Hamas is taking most of these supplies and (b) the civilians support Hamas.

But Francis will have his antisemitic say.

For a long time, Israel has sat silently, being unwilling to take on the Pope and offend the worlds Catholics. However, enough is enough. So it was, that Israels Foreign Ministry finally slapped back at these calumnies:

In response to the Popes statement today: Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children; cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including a baby and children, by terrorists and abusing them.



Unfortunately, the Pope has chosen to  Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) December 21, 2024

In response to the Popes statement today: Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children; cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including a baby and children, by terrorists and abusing them. Unfortunately, the Pope has chosen to ignore all of this, as well as the fact that Israels actions have targeted terrorists who used children as human shields. The Popes remarks are particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israels fight against jihadist terrorism  a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7. The death of any innocent person in a war is a tragedy. Israel makes extraordinary efforts to prevent harm to innocents, while Hamas makes extraordinary efforts to increase harm to Palestinian civilians. The blame should be directed solely at the terrorists, not at the democracy defending itself against them. Enough with the double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people.

Good for Israel. The Pope is a moral arbiter. If he fails in his morality, it is essential that he be corrected so that his failure, like a pebble in a pond, doesnt have deadly moral and practical ripples.
This photo shows a Yangwang U7 of BYD at the 22nd Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 15, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

BYD, a front-runner in the global new energy vehicle (NEV) market, set a new record this year, with October marking a milestone sales achievement of 500,000 NEVs sold in a single month.



In the first 11 months of 2024, BYD sold 3.75 million vehicles, over 40 percent higher than the same period in the previous year.

The NEV sector is the epitome of the rapid development of strategic industries in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), where BYD was born.

Covering an area of 56,000 square kilometers, which is less than 0.6 percent of the country's total land area, the GBA generated an economic output exceeding 14 trillion yuan (about 1.95 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2023, roughly one-ninth of the national total. It stands as one of China's most open and economically dynamic areas, and is also among the regions with the highest economic development quality.

Pacesetter in high-quality growth

Eyeing high-quality sustainable development, Guangdong Province, in recent years, outlined action plans for 20 strategic industry clusters, ranging from the automotive industry, new-generation electronic information technology, green petrochemicals, to intelligent home appliances and advanced materials.

Statistics reveal that in 2023, the 20 strategic industry clusters in Guangdong saw a 5.2 percent year-on-year increase in value-added, contributing to 40 percent of the province's total GDP.

Among them, the three mainstay industries -- namely, computers, communications and other electronic equipment manufacturing; electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing; and the automotive manufacturing industry -- saw value-added growth rates of 3.6 percent, 8.8 percent, and 11.2 percent, respectively, serving as the "stabilizers" for Guangdong's manufacturing sector.

A staff member conducts tests on a Walker X humanoid robot at a sci-tech company in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, June 26, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Shenzhen in particular, as a pioneer in China's reform and opening-up drive, has established specialized teams to aggregate expertise in three key industries -- pharmaceutical and medical devices, NEVs, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). These initiatives aim to further promote the development of these industries, cultivate more new pillars, and stimulate stronger new dynamics.



Huang Ming, an official with Shenzhen's Industry and Information Technology Bureau, stated that Shenzhen is capitalizing on the historic shift in the global automotive industry. The city has set a strategic aim to expedite the growth of a "world-class, next-generation automotive hub."

"Without the strong support of the Guangdong provincial authorities and Shenzhen authorities, there would be no BYD as it is today," said Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD.

Innovation-driven

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the release of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA.

From the reform and opening-up, to new quality productive forces, the success of the GBA's economic miracle has been a testament to how innovation prompts impetus to drive growth.

An Xpeng X2 flying car is pictured during flight demonstration at the headquarters of Xpeng Aeroht in Panyu District of Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, May 15, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Science and technology constitute a primary productive force. To get prepared for future industries, the GBA has established two national laboratories, 30 national key laboratories, and 430 provincial key laboratories, forming a tiered, diverse, and distinctive laboratory system and laying a solid foundation for innovation, noted Gong Guoping, an official with Guangdong's department of science and technology.



With consumption becoming a more significant driver of economic growth, the GBA is actively developing new consumption patterns. It is utilizing new technologies like big data, cloud computing, AI, the Internet of Things, and blockchain to enhance consumer experiences, stimulate cross-border consumption, and foster the integrated development of the region.

In the first half of 2024, a total of 44.66 million trips were made by Hong Kong residents to Shenzhen. Given that Hong Kong has a population of 7.5 million, this means on average, each Hong Kong resident traveled to Shenzhen six times, which is roughly once a month per person.

By September 2024, the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, located just across the river from Macao, has seen a total of 6,461 Macao-invested companies established. The number of Macao residents living in the zone had reached 16,539, marking a 19.1 percent increase year on year.

"The Greater Bay Area isn't just about economic growth, it's about connecting markets," said Fu Tang Long, a Macao entrepreneur.

From flying taxis to streamlined multi-entry travel permits, the GBA continues to pioneer innovative initiatives, establishing a benchmark for robust regional economic integration.

Pro-business environment

Boosting global allure hinges on a business-friendly environment. Over the recent years, the GBA has striven to align with global benchmarks, fostering a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment.

An aircraft flies over the Shenzhong Bridge of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link in south China's Guangdong Province, June 23, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Guangdong, for instance, has enacted a package of regulations to enhance the business environment, safeguard the interests of foreign investors, manage social credit, and protect intellectual property rights. These measures are instrumental in bolstering the GBA's reform, innovation, and development efforts.



These efforts yielded tangible results. The Global Investment Promotion Conference for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA this year resulted in 1,933 projects, with a combined investment totaling 2.26 trillion yuan.

Guangdong has been rated as the province with the best business environment reputation for four consecutive years, noted Zhu Yonghui with the GBA development office in Guangdong.

Zhu added that by aligning with international high-standard economic and trade rules and continuously deepening business environment reforms, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA is facilitating the convenient and efficient cross-border flow of people, goods, capital and information, and is becoming "one of the most promising growth poles globally."
Does the radical left have anything better to do with its ample time than to champion the accused killer of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was gunned down two weeks ago in broad daylight in Manhattan?

Apparently not. They're showing their colors with this rally flyer, which ought to make anyone who's sane gag:

#FreeLuigi #LuigiMangione #superman TOMORROW DEC 23RD 8 AM NYC FOR A FREEE LUIGI AND A FREE MEDICARE FOR ALL!! pic.twitter.com/Az8JMm6cqk  elle  (@veganshecraves) December 22, 2024

I can't tell who is putting this on, but it has the look of Occupy! Wall Street activism, meaning, either the organizers liked to copy Occupy! Wall Street as some kind of compliment, or else they were the remnants of the original group.

The New York Post, which is always on the job for stories like these, has an initial video of Luigi's court appearance here.

In addition, here's a tweet video showing Luigi being frogwalked in to plead 'not guilty' to the murder of the CEO.

JUST IN: Accused k*ller Luigi Mangione, pleads not guilty in Manhattan criminal court.



Mangione was arraigned on 11 state charges including first degree murder and second degree m*rder as a crime of terrorism.



Mangione is facing the de*th penalty if he is found guilty of pic.twitter.com/Ki3Zy2O8iR  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 23, 2024

I don't see any footage of leftists in their rally so far, but there's been a report that about two dozens swooning women were present at the arraignment, swooning over their idol.

Luigi Mangione had about two dozen women in the courts public gallery today to support him. Most of the women wore face masks and a few appeared visibly emotional as Mangione entered the courtroom. (ABC) pic.twitter.com/wIhA2JQJcf  Tiffany Fong (@TiffanyFong_) December 23, 2024

To these lovesick loons, he's such a dreamboat.

This one likes to run glamour shots (hope he has a Getty Images subscription) of Luigi so the lefties can 'ooh' and 'ahh.'

Him, too.

This health care-oriented pair drove the distance to make their pilgrimage a few days ago:

NYPost spoke to the two "Free Luigi" protesters  who said they drove 8 hours to be there pic.twitter.com/OjVrx80cpo  Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) December 19, 2024

This might be a representation of the lovelorn scene as Luigi made his appearance, but it might have been from an earlier rally -- one rally deserves another with this set:

CORRECTION. TODAY. 100 Centre St. ( NOT 60 Centre St. ) #NYC, NY State Supreme Court. No time set. Be there early in the morning. Bring signs. Stand up for #luigimangione & reforming our broken healthcare insurance system in the USA. Time of his arrival is unknown. pic.twitter.com/UnauLpItAy  Natalie Monarrez (@NatalieMonarrez) December 23, 2024

This seems to be the crowd:

NOW: "Free Luigi! Free Luigi!" protesters chant outside of Manhattan court where Luigi Mangione is expected to be arraigned on charges related to deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.



Video by @yyeeaahhhboiii2 @FreedomNTV Desk@freedomnews.tv to license pic.twitter.com/u33XhoozUI  Oliya Scootercaster  (@ScooterCasterNY) December 23, 2024

It's just grotesque what this suspect's cheering section is like.

And it's undoubtedly leftists who are organizing this.

But what they're championing really makes them look stupid.

The pampered princeling of elite schools is literally being charged with first-degree murder and they're making him out to be a folk hero.

This doesn't sound like concerns about health care, for improving insurance coverage, or discontent about 'delay, deny' stuff that Mangione is charged with writing on the bullets he allegedly left behind.

This is a grotesque lionization of what looks like a wealthy spoiled brat who is getting his day in court for Murder One because he thought he could.

So much for standing up for the little guy, or in their case, representing the working class. This is a defense of the spoiled princeling elites, which seems to be what the radical left has been reduced to.

Image: X screen shot // fair use
I was scrolling through the New York Times when a horrible headline caught my eye: Woman Dies After Being Set on Fire in Subway Car, Police Say. Curious about who would do something so awful (A scorned lover? A race hater? A mob guy?), I clicked on the article and discovered something increasingly common: A description of the suspect that leaves out one of his most salient features.

Heres the bad guys description:

The police said on Sunday afternoon that they were seeking a man described as 25 to 30 years old who was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, bluejeans [sic], a dark-colored knit hat with a red band and brown boots.

As written, the Times implies that this is what the police offered to media outlets, as opposed to the Times editing the police statement.

As you can see, the police are assuming the suspects gender (Im being sarcastic) by saying that hes a man. However, by doing so, they have effectively eliminated around 50% of the population from suspicion. Thats very helpful to narrow the search.

Image by Grok AI.

The police have also described the suspects probable age, which again narrows the search parameters. The police arent going to be grabbing 80-year-old guys and taking them downtown to interrogate a confession out of them.

However, there is one more thing that would be useful, and that one thing is missing entirely: The suspects race.

Heres the demographic breakdown of New York City:

The city's population in 2020 was 31.2% White (non-Hispanic), 29.0% Hispanic or Latino, 23.1% Black or African American (non-Hispanic), 14.5% Asian, and 0.6% Native American (non-Hispanic), with 8.9% listing two or more races. A total of 3.4% of the non-Hispanic population identified with more than one race.

Im lousy at math, so I wont even try to run the numbers, but logic tells me that if eyewitnesses can state with some certainty that the attacker was Asian, that means a much smaller pool of potential suspects, as opposed to having to sift through all 25-to 30-year-old men in New York City.

We know, of course, why the police and the media hide a suspects race: Its because, statistically, minorities commit more crimes. That politically incorrect fact was always painfully obvious to the general public when police requests for information were providing the suspects race.

If we lived in a sane country, we would address the genuine root causes of crime in minority communities. Off the top of my head, this would mean working to keep families intact instead of promoting single motherhood; encouraging the Judeo-Christian faith in minority communities because the Bible has strong words about crime and the respect due to human life; institutionalizing the mentally ill and imprisoning convicted criminals; and, perhaps most importantly, not telling minorities that they get a pass simply because they are victims of systemic racism.

But thats not how leftists operate. They dont want to fix the problem. They want to use the problem to achieve political power. If that means putting out useless requests for the publics help in locating a man who burned a sleeping woman to death on the subway, then so be it.

As it happens, those outlets that are not the New York Times (e.g., the Daily Mail and the New York Post) have included the suspects photo in their reporting, something the Times assiduously avoided doing. That photo makes it very clear that the suspect is not white and, in all probability, is Hispanic. (So, now I wonder whether he is an illegal alien because that is how my mind works.)

Public domain.

Leftism is a plague on America. It is the enemy of normalcy and safety. I sincerely hope that Trumps election means that Americans have had it with the madness and are ready to demand true colorblind sanity and decency from our political class at the local, state, and federal levels.

UPDATE: Within thirty minutes of my publishing the essay, the police announced that they had brought the suspect in, and my instinct was right on the money: The suspect is an illegal alien:
In a prior article, Whining Euro-weenies on full display, I suggested that after Elon and Vivek are done transforming the federal government, they can tackle the liberation of EuropeElon may be undertaking that process earlier than I expected. In a six-word tweet, Musk asserted that Only the AfD can save Germany. AfD is the Alternative for Germany party. The European ruling class responded with predictable pearl-clutching and hyperventilation, but remained impotent in their ability to censor him. However, they are correct to infer that Musk threatens the power of the current political class in Europe that has left the continent bankrupt in a real and metaphoric sense.

Since the end of WWII, the objective of the European political class has been to create a straitjacket to prevent any nationalist ambitions. In the last two decades, they have used the specter of climate catastrophism to tighten the straitjacket, but it is starting to have the opposite effect. Their society is starting to divide between ordinary people and a ruling class that is not only wealthy enough to withstand the economic pain of the enacted climate policies, but clever enough to often benefit from them.

The AfD has been pointing out that the German energy transition, Energiewende, has brought deindustrialization and economic misery. For that, and its position against immigration, the AfD has been branded by the mainstream political parties as a pariah. The mainstream parties have constructed the cartoonish image that the AfD embodies the spirit of the Nazis. They have tried to censor and ban it. Their techniques differ somewhat from those that the Democrats employed against Trump such as spurious investigations, impeachments, and lawfare, but essentially the mainstream parties orchestrated the same political persecution of the AfD.

Where does it go from here? Last week Musk indicated that he was preparing to donate $100m to Nigel Farages Reform UK party and I would not rule out a similar donation to AfD.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.
In a grotesque confluence of all the horrid doings in wokester New York City, a Guatemalan migrant brazenly set a woman on fire in broad daylight in the New York subway just to watch her burn, and no Daniel Pennys came forward to stop the barbaric crime.

According to the New York Post:

A Guatemalan migrant has been arrested for allegedly lighting a sleeping subway rider on fire in Brooklyn on Sunday morning  then watching as his innocent victim burned to death in what the police commissioner called one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit.



The savage killing  which happened at about 7:30 a.m. on an idling F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station  shocked commuters, MTA workers and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who said Sunday that the heinous crime took the life of an innocent New Yorker. As the train pulled into the station, the suspect calmly walked up to the victim, who was in a seated position at the end of a subway car  and used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victims clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, Tisch said at a press conference. Patrolling cops smelled and saw the smoke, then followed it to the flame-covered woman, the commissioner said. They extinguished the blaze, but the victim died at the scene. Horrifying video obtained by The Post showed the suspect calmly looking on as flames consumed the still-unidentified woman, who stood inside the open subway car door.

A demented psychopath burned a homeless woman alive on the NYC subway today.

Based on his clothing, he appears to be the one sitting on the bench watching his victim burn.

She died.@hakeemjeffries, this happened in your district.

You and your fellow Leftists paved the way for pic.twitter.com/cGRJVhVum1  Leftism (@LeftismForU) December 22, 2024

It's hard to believe anyone could do this to another human being, setting her on fire, just because.

But the individual who is accused of doing it, is reportedly an illegal border surger from Guatemala, probably let into the country under Joe Biden's catch and release, as a gotaway, or through some kind of skeevy migrant parole program as an "asylum seeker." He may have had his case dismissed as so many millions have.

SUSPECT IN CUSTODY - HE IS AN ILLEGAL MIGRANT: The suspect accused of setting a woman on fire in the NYC subway is Sebastian Zapeta. He is an illegal migrant from Guatemala. He sat on a bench and watched his victim burn alive.



WE NEED MASS DEPORTATIONS! pic.twitter.com/PPtSLGJAOn  NYScanner (@nyscanner) December 22, 2024

All we know is that officials will try to hide the facts.

The act is so heinous, it suggest he may well have come not merely from Guatemala, but from a depraved cartel subculture in Guatemala where burning people alive or dissolving them into acid stews, or chopping them up and hanging them from bridges is perfectly commonplace.

There is no psychopathic cruelty like cartel cruelty, and here this monster was, walking around in New York with no concerns about being deported -- no matter what he did.

He lit her on fire because he knew he could light her on fire, and no Daniel Penny would appear to save her.

A message was sent with the prosecution of Penny that anyone trying to save people on a subway from psychopaths with fiery murder on their minds would go through the prosecution he did, acquitted or not. That horse has left the barn.

What's more, as the cops slouched by, no one stepped in to try to put out the fire or rescue the victim. One cop bumblingly told the accused murderer, sitting on the subway station bench in order to gloatingly watch the crime, to move along, rather than collar him. He should have known better but didn't, so the alleged perp got away, until a couple of alert high schoolers called in that they saw him on another train. That was much less risk than stopping him, and with all the massive media coverage, the cops got serious about apprehending him, so he was finally picked up. He easily could have gotten away otherwise.

But at the same time this horrific drama was taking place, New York's Gov. Kathy Hochul was out crowing and gaslighting about how much safer she made the subways of New York:

This did not age well. https://t.co/wsxrCjIi34  Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) December 22, 2024

It was a stark reminder that the subways are worse than ever, with unvetted illegals still roaming the city and the population now cowed from stepping in and stopping monsters.

New Yorkers voted for this, but not all of them. Incidents like this should galvanize the impetus for change to come -- or there will be more of it.

Image: Screen shot from X video
CORRECTION: The identity of the victim remains unknown, there is no Amelia Carter, I wrote a mea culpa here and deleted the erroneous passage.

Yesterday's subway attack on a blameless woman who was set on fire by an illegal alien just keeps getting more disturbing.

The latest video shocks the conscience:

Footage of a woman beign burned alive on New York Subway



The police did absolutely nothing to help the woman.



Welcome to the New York pic.twitter.com/ZPNSy0yaXZ  Osaka James (@osakajayms) December 23, 2024

Look at that cop clop on by as though nothing was going on, as if passing a routine happening in New York. Or those strapping males with cell phones filming, not one making an effort to have the woman 'stop, drop, and roll,' let alone throwing their coats over her to smother the flames, which is the normal way to treat a person on fire as well as the decent thing to do. No heroes on that platform. And look at the accused perpetrator, watching her burn like a complete psychopath and then getting up to fan the flames. Not surprisingly, the woman died.

Update:

Warning, the below medical description of the subway victims death is horribly graphic. I repost it because I believe it is important to understand the gravity of what took place on our NYC subway, and why open borders combined with sanctuary cities, free hotels and debit cards https://t.co/DD1zlCN5I3  Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) December 24, 2024

This report says this was what was left of her as they all stood around:

Anyone who thinks this is harsh. Here's a picture of this horrific crime, brought to us by Joe Biden.

That's a woman's burned corpse on a NYC subway.

Shame on this country. pic.twitter.com/QzohED2Rpl  Diana Murray   (@DEMurray8) December 23, 2024



The monster fanning the flames on the burning and clearly alive woman had this history:

NEW: The illegal Guatemalan immigrant who is accused of setting a woman on fire in NYC, was deported under Trump but later snuck back in.



Shocker.



According to the New York Post, the illegal made his way to NYC to take advantage of their shelter system.



The man initially pic.twitter.com/dth7DHU8EY  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 23, 2024

Drawn to New York by its five-star hotels, free transport and free meal cards for illegals. The city was a magnet for illegals of his type and he may have come here after getting out of prison.

He reportedly thrived on lawsuits:

Meet Sebastian Zapeta, a 25-year-old Hispanic male from Guatemala who murdered someone today by lighting a sleeping woman on the subway on fire and watched her burn alive.



Sebastian reportedly entered the United States in 2023, although the status of legality of him being in the pic.twitter.com/5BDb3bcVNi  SargentViralTakes (@SargentTakes) December 23, 2024

I've also seen reports that he was emptied from a Guatemalan prison and was then coddled by a United Nations' migrant NGO, the Clinton Foundation and the Obama Foundation with three cellphones -- unconfirmed, but if true, he certainly had the NGO migrant industrial complex behind him.

That's what's coming in, and an innocent person has died a gruesome death as a result. Jan. 20 cannot come soon enough, but ahead of that, this is the Biden border surge and the America that Biden made. It should never be covered up.

Image: Twitter video screen shot
Google Searchs business model is costing the company more than a few headaches. A few weeks ago, a US court ruled that Google was practicing an illegal monopoly in the search engine segment. Recently, the brand even offered its own proposals to try to resolve the situation. Now, Japans antitrust watchdog has found anti-competitive practices by Google, also related to the Search service.

Google has some controversial requirements for Android brands to obtain Google Play certification. In particular, the Mountain View giant requires phone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search as part of the package. For many years, these mandatory pre-installation apps by Android brands have been known as Gaaps among the community. However, it is Google Search that is the crux of the problem due to the companys dominant position.

Japans antitrust watchdog reportedly to issue a cease and desist to Google Search-related practices

According to The Japan Fair Trade Commission, Japans antitrust watchdog, Google even goes further by requiring the Search app or bar to be placed in a specific position on the home screen that makes it easier to access. Lets remember that, without Google Play certification, Android manufacturers cannot integrate the Play Store into their phones. Not having it is a big problem considering that Play Store is the main access point to apps for most Android users around the world.

The commission also claims that Google agrees to pay a segment of ad revenue to phone makers who do not pre-install any other search engine on their products. So, the agency reportedly plans to issue a cease and desist order against these practices that are affecting competitiveness in the search engine segment in the country. Once issued, Google will have to cancel the current deals involving such practices and not try them again.

Google dominates searches in Japan too

According to the report, Japans antitrust watchdog has been investigating the Google case since October 2023. As in the rest of the world, the firm has the most-used search engine, by far. A study by GlobalStats revealed that, in 2023, 81% of searches in Japan were through Googles search engine. In second place is Yahoo, with a distant 11.8%.

There is still no official word from Google on the allegations from Japans antitrust watchdog yet.
Multiple reports in the past few weeks have suggested that OnePlus is working on a new tablet. A few details about the devices leaked earlier this month. The leak suggested that the new device will be a mid-range offering. Now, Geekbench has benchmarked the upcoming OnePlus tablet with a MediaTek processor.

The next OnePlus tablet could use a MediaTek processor

According to the benchmark scores, the mystery OnePlus tablet has the model number OPD2407. The device has a k6897v1_64 motherboard and an octa-core processor. There are four cores with a clock speed of 2.20GHz, three cores running at 3.20GHz, and one core clocking at 3.35GHz. We dont know what SoC this is, but its configuration points to it being the MediaTek Dimensity 8350.

Furthermore, the tablet has managed to score 1,385 in the single-core test and 4,230 in the multi-core round. Geeekbench has benchmarked the device running Android 15 OS and packing 12GB of RAM. The database also suggests that the tablet will have a Mali-G615 MC6 GPU. Unfortunately, Geekbench hasnt revealed any other details about the tablet.

The upcoming OnePlus tablet could be a rebranded OPPO Pad 3 model

Notably, the reports indicate that the upcoming OnePlus tablet could be a rebranded version of the OPPO Pad 3. If its true, then we can expect the device to offer an 11.6-inch display with a resolution of 2,000 x 2,800 pixels. The slate could also flaunt a high screen refresh rate of 144Hz. Additionally, the tablet could support stylus input.

Furthermore, OnePlus will offer the new tablet in multiple RAM and storage variants. These could include 8GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB, 12GB + 256GB, and 12GB + 512GB. Notably, the unnamed tablet could have an 8MP camera at both the front and rear. Lastly, a 9,520mAh battery with 67W fast charging support could power the tablet.

OnePlus has already started taking pre-registrations for the upcoming tablet in China. The listings for the device on the brands Chinese website suggest it will be available in Tundra Green and Space Ash colors. The new tablet will launch alongside the OnePlus Ace 5 series and Buds Ace 2 TWS earbuds on December 26.

Since the OnePlus Pad 2 launched this year, we could be looking at the latest installment in the OnePlus Pad Go line. Only time will tell.
Over the past few weeks, multiple tipsters and insiders have claimed that the Galaxy S25 lineup will be exclusively powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip worldwide. This is great news for fans of the brand, as all of them could receive phones with the same raw power. Now, another reliable source backs up the claims of Snapdragon hardware across the whole Galaxy S25 series.

Samsung Foundrys current plight is already well known. The companys factories have been struggling with low yield rates on its 3nm GAA wafers. While Samsung claims to have already normalized the situation, it was unable to do so in time. Mass production of the Exynos 2500 chip was already unfeasible for the January launch of the Galaxy S25 series. Therefore, Samsung has been forced to turn to Qualcomm and its powerfulbut expensiveSnapdragon 8 Elite chip.

Another source backs the leak of Galaxy S25 series with Snapdragon chips worldwide

The latest report claiming that the entire Galaxy S25 series will be powered by Snapdragon hardware comes from ETNews. Samsungs initial intentions were to implement the Exynos 2500 in the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus in most regions. On the other hand, the Galaxy S25 Ultra was already going to use the Snapdragon 8 Elite worldwide. The company has followed this strategy in recent years for its Galaxy Ultra mobile devices.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a powerful chip that can matchor surpassthe latest Apple A18 Pro. Recent benchmarks revealed that Qualcomms SoC significantly outperforms Apples in multicore performance. The firm even implemented its new custom Oryon cores originally developed for laptop hardware.

Meanwhile, although the Exynos 2500 was designed as a worthy rival, its performance was in doubt. In fact, recent benchmarks showed some rather disappointing scores. However, since the test was done on a prototype unit, it is possible that the final product will offer much better performance. We will not know that until 2025, when Samsung will implement its chip in the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and rumored Galaxy Z Flip FE.
Apple has never really given its users a fixed period of time that its devices are eligible for major OS updates. Based on the companys practices over the years, its generally safe to assume Apples customers can expect at least 5 years of support. If you happen to own a particularly old iPhone and are wondering if it could be compatible with iOS 19, then here is a list of iPhones that could support it.

Continued support

This is according to a report from French publication, iPhoneSoft.fr, which shared a list of iPhones that are rumored to be compatible with iOS 19. According to this list, the iPhones that will support iOS 19 include: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, and iPhone SE (2nd generation or later).

Obviously Apples releases in the past couple of years have made the list, like the latest iPhone 16 models. But whats interesting is how the list has pretty much remained unchanged. This includes much older devices like the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and the iPhone XR, all of which were released back in 2018.

The report also suggests that basically, any iPhone model that supports iOS 18 can run iOS 19. If that is true, it means that devices as old as seven years continue to receive support for at least one more major iOS update.

To be fair, the experience of a seven-year-old iPhone running iOS 19 might not be the best. There will be features that will run better on newer and more powerful hardware. Its hard to say for sure how much the experience may vary, but either way, it still presents itself as an option for users who are still holding onto these devices.

Android is catching up

Apple continues to offer software support for years after releasing its iOS devices, making this one of the benefits of the platform. This is unlike Android, where back in the day, users might only be able to expect 2-3 years of support.

These days, Android device makers are catching up in terms of software support. Companies such as Google and Samsung are now offering support for up to seven years after their devices have been released. This is pretty much a 100-150% increase in support compared to before.

This means that Android is starting to close the gap versus iOS. While extended support is beneficial, timely support remains an issue. Most OEMs usually take months after a major Android OS update before releasing the update for their devices.

So even if your device has a promised seven-year support, it could be months before you get to experience it. This is also one of the reasons Google has changed its release schedule. Instead of releasing the update towards Q3/Q4 of the year, Android 16 is now expected to be released around the middle of 2025. This will give OEMs more time to get the update ready for their devices.
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China has made significant strides in improving the quality of the assets of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), driven by deepened reforms and enhanced supervision, according to a report.

The report on the enforcement of the Law on State-Owned Assets of Enterprises was submitted for deliberation on Sunday to an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

By the end of 2023, the assets of SOEs, excluding the financial sector, totaled 371.9 trillion yuan (51.72 trillion U.S. dollars), said the report.

Last year, the combined revenue of SOEs nationwide stood at 85.6 trillion yuan, and the total profits amounted to 4.7 trillion yuan, reflecting a nearly threefold increase from the 2009 level.

The report attributes the achievements to the country's efforts in deepening SOE reforms and strengthening supervision of the state-owned assets.

The report also proposed establishing and improving the entrusted agency mechanism for state-owned enterprises and state capital.
As were waiting to see what will happen with TikTok in the US, the app/service got banned in one European country. The country in question is Albania, and this ban comes following the killing of a teenager.

TikTok has been banned in one European country following a tragic incident

Albania has announced a one-year ban on TikTok following the event. The ban will take place starting early next year. The decision comes following a fatal incident that includes a 14-year-old boy which took place in November.

The countrys Prime Minister, Edi Rama, blamed TikTok and similar platforms for the incident. He said that such platforms contribute to a culture of violence among youth. Here are his exact words regarding the ban: For one year, well be completely shutting it down for everyone. There will be no TikTok in Albania

He said that he did not come up with this decision lightly. This comes following discussions with educators and parents. He criticized social media in general, implying that theyre harming children.

A number of other European countries issued stricter controls on social media

This ban follows stricter controls of social media by other European countries. Those countries are Frame, Germany, and Belgium, which have introduced restrictions not long ago. Australia, on the other hand, has issued a general ban for children under 16 years of age.

TikTok did have something to say regarding Albanias ban. The company said that Albania found no evidence which links the platform to the incident. Therefore, TikTok seems this ban as unjustified.

TikTok has been a hot topic for a while now. The company is grasping at straws to remain active in the US. The ban is looming, and the two last resorts are the Supreme Court and President-elect, Donald Trump.

Donald Trump did recently say that it may not be a bad idea to keep the app around for the time being. His exact words were for at least a little while. TikTok also has to go in front of the Supreme Court to try and prevent the ban in the US.
Donald Trump, the re-elected president of the United States, has already expressed his intention to try to keep TikTok running in the country under his mandate. Now, he has reaffirmed his position, revealing more details about what made him change his mind regarding the short video platform.

ByteDances every attempt to avoid TikTok ban has been in vain

During his previous presidential term, Donald Trump had a very different position regarding TikTok. He was in favor of banning the app from the United States, citing national security concerns as the main reason. Trump failed to do so at the time, but US legislators have tried to continue the work. The key moment was April, when Joe Biden signed a bill that forced ByteDance to sell TikTok or stop operating in the country.

Since then, ByteDance has been using every possible resource to try to prevent or delay the bill from coming into force. The attempts at challenging the law and filing an emergency pause were rejected by an appeals court. The company has now escalated the case to the Supreme Court as a final option. Although the US highest federal court is the last legal recourse the company can resort to, it also has Donald Trump as a potential wild card in favor.

Donald Trump, in favor of keeping TikTok in the US

During the latest AmericaFest meeting of the conservative group Turning Point, Donald Trump expressed his point of view on TikToks situation in the US. I think were going to have to start thinking because, you know, we did go on TikTok, and we had a great response with billions of views, billions and billions of views, he said. They brought me a chart, and it was a record, and it was so beautiful to see, and as I looked at it, I saidMaybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while, he added.

Therefore, the support Trump received on TikTok played a crucial role in his new idea to keep the platform operational in the US. In its day, other social platforms, such as Twitterbefore the arrival of Elon Muskeven banned him. Now, Trump says he has a warm spot for the short video platform in his heart.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has also increasingly tried to get closer to Trump. The company is among the prominent tech names that donated at least $1 million to the inauguration fund of the 47th president of the United States. He also recently met with Trump to discuss the matter, according to reports.

The anti-TikTok bill will come into force on January 19, 2025. On the other hand, Donald Trumps inauguration will take place on January 20. For now, it is unknown what kind of measures the new administration could take to try to cancel a law already in force after its arrival at the White House. Passage of the bill had overwhelming bipartisan support.
Amber Heard has claimed social media spreads lies more quickly than it does the truth, in the wake of Blake Livelys complaint against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni.

US actress Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, hostile work environment and embarking on a multi-tiered plan to damage her reputation with claims of a targeted social media campaign.

The legal complaint states that Baldoni, 40, hired crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, the same publicist who actor Johnny Depp is said to have hired during his high-profile defamation trial against Heard in 2022.

Actress Amber Heard gave a statement to NBC News (Victoria Jones/PA)

In a statement given to NBC News, Aquaman star Heard said: Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying, a lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.

I saw this first-hand and up close.

Its as horrifying as it is destructive.

Depp successfully sued ex-wife Heard over a 2018 article she wrote for The Washington Post about her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse, which his lawyers said falsely accused him of being an abuser.

At the time, Heard said the jurys verdict sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated.

Justin Baldoni attending the world premiere of It Ends With Us (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Bryan Freedman, a lawyer representing Baldoni and the other named defendants, said Livelys claims were completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious, adding that the studio made the decision to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign of the film.

It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoovers novel of the same name, is about a womans pursuit of a loving and healthy relationship, with Lively playing lead character Lily Bloom and Baldoni as her love interest Ryle Kincaid amid a backdrop of domestic violence.

After the legal action was filed, Hoover appeared to voice support for 37-year-old Lively, writing on her Instagram stories: @blakelively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.

Thank you for being exactly the human that you are.

Never change. Never wilt.

Blake Lively attending the UK gala screening for It Ends With Us (Ian West/PA)

Hoover posted a link to a New York Times article titled We Can Bury Anyone: Inside A Hollywood Smear Machine.

Livelys former cast members from the 2005 film The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants, America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel, also released a joint social media statement to defend their long-time friend.

As Blakes friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation, the statement said.

Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.

They added: We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment, the statement continues.

We are inspired by our sisters courage to stand up for herself and others.
The No. 11 metro line of Shanghai, which suffered track damage on Sunday morning due to a falling crane from an external construction site, partially resumed operations around 9:30 p.m., according to local authorities.

Following intensive repairs, service has initially resumed in the direction from Chenxiang Highway Station to Disney Resort Station, the Shanghai Metro said.

The accident happened at about 8 a.m. when a crawler crane collapsed onto the tracks of the metro line. Passengers in the train were soon evacuated, with no casualties reported.

A work team has been dispatched to the city to guide local authorities in handling the accident, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management. The cause of the accident is being investigated.
Boohoo has sold off its London head office for 49.5 million to help pay down its debts.

The online fashion firm told shareholders on Monday it has sold the site, on Great Pulteney Street in Soho, to property fund Global Holdings UK.

It comes three years after Boohoo bought the office building for 72 million.

But the company put the site up for sale this summer after a downturn in sales and growing losses.

Boohoo said the move to sell the non-core and non-strategic asset will help strengthen its balance sheet.

The proceeds of the deal will be used to pay down the remainder of a loan which had needed repaying by August 2025.

The retail firm said it will still have a 125 million credit facility to support its future operations.

Global Holdings said the site includes five floors of Grade A office space and five residential units.

Josh Lawrence, chief executive of Global Holdings Management Group UK, said: As long-term investors in Londons West End office market, we are pleased to add another great building to our portfolio.

10 Great Pulteney Street, as well as the recent purchase of the Frith + Bateman building, allows us to capitalise on the demand we are seeing from occupiers keen to relocate to such a well-connected and fun place to work.

The deal comes after Boohoo was embroiled in a boardroom battle with major shareholder Frasers Group.

On Friday, Boohoo rejected efforts by Frasers Group founder Mike Ashley to get himself appointed to the online fashion firms board.

Frasers Group, which owns a 27% stake in Boohoo, had urged investors to appoint Mr Ashley and restructuring expert Mike Lennon to Boohoos board.

But at a meeting in Manchester, a majority of Boohoo shareholders voted against motions to appoint the pair as directors.

On Monday, Frasers said it respects the view of shareholders and pointed towards a proposition by Boohoo ahead of the vote that Frasers can put forward a candidate for its board, who is not Mr Ashley or Mr Lennon.

We will put forward a highly qualified candidate in due course and fully expect Boohoos board to uphold their commitment without hesitation or delay, the retail group said.
The UK car industry is on course to meet the Governments electric vehicle sales requirement this year despite some manufacturers complaining it is too tough, according to new analysis.

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) think tank said this is because the zero-emission vehicle (Zev) mandate takes into account credits earned from selling lower-emission hybrid petrol and diesel vehicles, as well as sales of fully electric vehicles.

It calculated the former is on track to achieve a market share of more than 3% this year, with the latter at around 19%.

This means the Zev mandate target of 22% for each manufacturer is set to be achieved as an average across the industry, the ECIU said.

The percentage will increase each year, such as to 28% in 2025 and 80% in 2030.

Failure to abide by the mandate or make use of flexibilities  such as buying credits from rival companies or making more sales in future years  will result in a manufacturer being required to pay the Government 15,000 per polluting car sold above the limits.

Industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) insisted more flexibilities are needed to enable some car makers to meet the challenging target set this year.

The Government is developing a consultation on relaxing the mandates rules following pressure from the automotive industry.

In November, Vauxhall owner Stellantis announced the closure of its van-making factory in Luton, putting 1,100 jobs at risk, and said the decision was made within the context of the stringent Zev mandate.

UK new car buyers now have more than 125 different BEV models to choose from  an uplift of 38% over the last 10 months While it remains the case that the average BEV has a higher upfront cost than an ICE equivalent, widening choice and huge manufacturer discounting mean that pic.twitter.com/6RTgDNVkex  SMMT (@SMMT) December 15, 2024

ECIU head of transport Colin Walker said: The mandate is having the desired effect of driving down costs and driving up sales, enabling more families to get behind the wheel of cleaner, cheaper-to-run cars.

Some manufacturers have been slow to wake up to the global shift towards EVs and are being left behind, but many  including BMW, Mercedes and Hyundai  are ahead of the mandate targets.

Lowering the UKs EV ambitions by weakening the mandate would risk putting the UK car industry in the slow lane at a time when global competition is hotting up, and stalling billions of pounds of investment in charging infrastructure.

Weakening the mandate will remove competition, prices could well increase, growth in EV sales will slow and expansion of the second-hand EV market will be held back, leaving people stuck driving dirtier and more expensive-to-run petrol cars for longer.

Ginny Buckley, chief executive of car buying website Electrifying.com, said: The Zev mandate ensures that the car industry shifts away from fossil fuels, providing it with a clear direction and timeline to work from, allowing manufacturers to plan production, streamline supply chains, and invest in new technology effectively.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: While registrations of new electric vehicles are increasing, underlying demand is still significantly below expectations.

 There are now over 72,000 public electric vehicle chargepoints across the UK. Were making it easier for more drivers to make the transition to electric. pic.twitter.com/wWLxVSSrFL  Department for Transport (@transportgovuk) December 12, 2024

This is forcing manufacturers to subsidise the transition to the tune of 4 billion this year alone.

Existing flexibilities in the regulation do help, but they are insufficient to meet the challenging target set this year, such that manufacturers are having to consider constraining the sale on non-EV vehicles, credit purchases from rivals, or exorbitant compliance payments to Government.

A successful mandate that drives decarbonisation needs flexibilities that recognise volume growth is more important than market share.

Workable regulation  backed with incentives  will set us up for success and green growth over the next decade.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: The flexibilities included in the zero-emission vehicle mandate mean we expect all manufacturers will meet their targets for 2024.

As more people make a switch to electric vehicles, theyll see the benefits of cheaper motoring, lower emissions, and well drive growth and jobs in the industries of the future.

We are investing 2.3 billion to boost the uptake of electric vehicles, and our measures are working, with EVs making up one in four of all cars sold this November.
The Irish Department of Transport has said it will take time to determine any appropriate financial supports for hauliers affected by the closure of Holyhead Port.

The busy ferry port in Anglesey, north Wales, was forced to close following damage during Storm Darragh and is not set to re-open until January 15 at the earliest.

All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are currently cancelled, upending travel plans for thousands across the festive season.

However, alternative sailings to Ireland took place over the weekend amid high winds and challenging conditions.

Irish ministers met supply-chain stakeholders on Monday to facilitate new services to the greatest extent priority.

The Department of Transport said the closure of the port is being treated with absolute priority.

The focus remains on securing viable additional routes and vessels with sufficient capacity to support the steady movement of both goods and people between Ireland and the UK during the period of Holyhead Port closure.

A number of additional routes and services have been put in place: Dublin to Liverpool, Dublin to Heysham, Dublin to Fishguard and from Belfast to Cairnryan which has created additional capacity to compensate for the losses through Holyhead.

The Department said it is working hard with operators and UK authorities to establish further routes that can accommodate passenger and freight demand.

Irish hauliers have warned that delays in resolving the Holyhead problems could lead to lay-offs or business failures, further requesting financial supports from the Government or the EU.

However, the Department of Transport said in a statement that any decision on supports would take some time.

In a statement, it said: Regarding the call for financial supports, while the damage arising from the closure of Holyhead Port has significant impacts and causes disruption for affected hauliers and shippers, it does not affect all hauliers in Ireland.

It will take some time to establish the precise impacts of the Holyhead Port closure across the sector and determine an appropriate response.

Eamon Ryan (Brian Lawless/PA)

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said his department will monitor the situation over the holidays, adding: Our key focus is on ensuring that there is a resilient solution to the difficulties caused by the damage to Holyhead Port.

We will continue to work with the UK and Welsh governments to help secure additional berths in alternative ports, and we expect to get clarity on the state of play at Holyhead from Stena by mid-January.

As we assess the impact of this situation, the one thing we all need is clear, accurate and real-time information so that we can respond quickly and appropriately to keep goods and people flowing between our two countries.

James Lawless, the junior minister at the department, later said hauliers had not put a specific solution or figure on the supports they were requesting.

He added that it would be important that any financial supports were targeted and evidence based.

Mr Lawless told RTE radio: This is an act of God issue in terms of the damage of Storm Daragh at a port in other jurisdiction, the UK, owned by a private company, Stenaline

Really, it was a bit of a perfect storm that has brought this about.

Minister of state for international transport James Lawless (Cillian Sherlock/PA)

Earlier, a Welsh Cabinet secretary said people have been ferried to Ireland on alternative routes after the temporary closure of Holyhead port in an effort to get people home for Christmas.

Welsh Transport Secretary Ken Skates said: Conditions have been incredibly challenging across the UK, but additional sailings from Wales and the Mersey area have taken place, helping people and goods get to Ireland for Christmas. These sailings will continue.

Id like to thank the ferry companies for their efforts in putting alternative sailings in place. I would urge anyone who is travelling to check the arrangements with their ferry company.

This is a challenge we have never faced before, but well continue to work together with the UK and Irish governments to rescue the hopes and plans of people and businesses.

We will also work with the owners of Holyhead Port to get the facility back open as soon as possible, as it is a massively important facility for Ireland and the UK.

According to the Welsh Government, contingency plans are also in place for the new year period.
A jailed UK-Egypt pro-democracy activist feels hurt by Sir Keir Starmer not raising his case with his Egyptian counterpart, according to his family.

Campaigners have urged the Prime Minister to step up his efforts to help free Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who has been detained since 2019 and is unable to see his young son who lives in Brighton.

Human rights experts, including Amnesty International secretary general Agnes Callamard, have written to Sir Keir insisting Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi can resolve this case with the stroke of a pen and they are convinced the Prime Ministers direct intervention is needed.

The great Brian Cox has a Christmas message to @Keir_Starmer about "the brilliant, courageous and inspiring writer," Alaa Abd el-Fattah. 'Its time to make the call, Prime Minister. Pick up the phone and bring Alaa home for Christmas."#FreeAlaa pic.twitter.com/EnX5RmUIln  Free Alaa (@FreedomForAlaa) December 23, 2024

Succession actor Brian Cox, addressing Sir Keir in a video message, also said: Its time to make the call, Prime Minister. Pick up the phone and bring Alaa home for Christmas. Were counting on you.

In December 2021, Mr Abd El-Fattah was sentenced to five years in prison after being accused of spreading false news and the Free Alaa campaign says he should have been released in September this year based on his time served behind bars since 2019.

His mother, Laila Soueif, 68, has been on hunger strike for 85 days and will continue her action in London until she hears news about her son being released or she collapses and is hospitalised.

Sir Keir raised Mr Abd El-Fattahs plight with Mr Sisi in August but he did not raise the case at the recent G20 summit attended by the pair, according to the Foreign Office.

Alaa Abd El-Fattahs sister Sanaa Seif, left, said her brother was so hurt to hear the Prime Minister had met the Egyptian president and not talked about his case (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The two leaders reportedly met on the sidelines of the summit in Brazil.

Sanaa Seif, who travelled to Cairo to visit her brother in prison last week, said: Alaa was so, so hurt to hear that the Prime Minister met Sisi at the G20 and didnt even raise his name.

This is the first time Sisi met a British prime minister and didnt have to talk about Alaa.

On Keir Starmer, Alaa said hes not treating me as if I am a British citizen.

Day 85 of hunger strike. Day 85 since Alaa completed his sentence. Day 85 and Dr Laila Soueif is outside the @FCDOGovUK again, waiting for news from @DavidLammy and @Keir_Starmer that her son will be re-united with his family for Christmas.#FreeAlaa pic.twitter.com/QR77dRMuz5  Free Alaa (@FreedomForAlaa) December 23, 2024

Mr Abd El-Fattah has spent most of the past decade in prison because of his criticism of Egypts rulers.

Amnesty International, Redress, Reprieve and FairSquare are among the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and human rights experts who have written to Sir Keir asking for his direct engagement in efforts to free Mr Abd El-Fattah.

Labour peer Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, a leading human rights barrister, and Sir Bill Browder, head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, are among the signatories of the letter.

The campaigners told the Prime Minister: At this point, we are convinced that your direct intervention with President Sisi, who can resolve this case with the stroke of a pen, is needed.

We ask you to use all means at your disposal to unlock progress on Alaas case and to end his unlawful imprisonment.

In recent years, a number of other European countries have succeeded in having their nationals released and allowed to return from Egypt, in cases that appeared every bit as difficult as Alaas.

They added: Prime Minister, Alaa has remarkable support in the UK and internationally, from Nobel laureates and UN human rights experts to world leaders, and from the editorial boards of The Times and The Guardian to The Washington Post.

We cannot overstate the level of support for your efforts on his behalf, nor the outpouring of relief and happiness that would result if Alaa were finally to be freed.

Downing Street said Sir Keir will raise the case in his next talks with Mr Sisi.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: It remains our priority to secure the release of Mr El-Fattah so he can be reunited with his family.

We continue to raise his case at the highest levels. The Prime Minister raised his case with President Sisi in August. The Foreign Secretary has raised the case multiple times, including most recently a few days ago on December 20.

At all levels, whether ministers or officials, we continue to call for consular access to Mr El-Fattah.

Asked whether the Prime Minister would raise the case in his next meeting with the Egyptian president, the spokesman said: I dont know when those next talks will be, but yes, as he has done previously.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman insisted Mr Abd El-Fattah is being treated as a British citizen.

Asked what the Prime Ministers message would be to Mr Abd El-Fattahs mother, the spokesman said: Were doing everything we can to secure his release as a priority.
The Kings Christmas message will focus on the efforts of healthcare workers following his cancer diagnosis and hail community cohesion in the wake of riots after the Southport stabbings, it has been reported.

Charless annual address to the nation will highlight some of the major events from the past 12 months, an eventful period for the royal family that also saw the Princess of Wales treated for cancer.

The Daily Telegraph has reported about the main issues the festive speech will focus on and revealed it was recorded earlier this month at the Fitzrovia Chapel, a former chapel of the Middlesex Hospital now closed and demolished.

The King with the Princess of Wales, both of whom have been treated for cancer (Daniel Leal/PA)

For more than 100 years the chapel was a place of solace for patients, medical staff and the public and today is a much valued space for all in the area.

The paper said it understands the chapel reflects the key themes of the address  healthcare and community.

Charles recorded his message on December 11, one of the rare times a building outside the royal estate has been used, with the late Queen recording her message at Southwark Cathedral in 2006 and at Combermere Barracks in Windsor three years earlier.

The Grade II* listed chapel in central London close to Oxford Street has Byzantine-inspired architecture and is richly decorated in a Gothic revival style with marble and more than 500 stars in the gold leaf ceiling.
Downing Street has rejected suggestions that Lord Mandelson becoming the UKs ambassador to the US will cause more problems than benefits for the UK after he was insulted by a Donald Trump adviser.

Number 10 defended the Labour grandee as a significant asset to the transatlantic relationship after Chris LaCivita, an architect of the president-elects 2024 campaign, called him an absolute moron.

Asked whether the remark indicated that his appointment would be more problematic than beneficial for the UK, Sir Keir Starmers official spokesman said: No his appointment shows just how seriously were taking this relationship.

He has got extensive foreign policy and economic policy expertise, particularly in the crucial issues of trade, business links. Hes got experience at the highest levels of government and it will be a significant asset in the UKs relationship with the United States.

US President-elect Donald Trump met Sir Keir Starmer in September (Suzanne Plunkett/PA)

Labour peer Lord Mandelson has indicated he believes Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a friend of Mr Trump, could serve as a link between the British Government and the Republican president-elect.

Asked whether the Prime Minister would like Lord Mandelson to work with Mr Farage in relation to the new White House administration, the spokesman said Sir Keir had already started to begin to build a relationship with president-elect Trump.

The two leaders had a good phone call last week as well as a two-hour dinner in New York in September, the spokesman said.

Lord Mandelson, who will take up the role in early 2025, said it was a great honour to serve the country in this way after the appointment was confirmed.

His trade experience is seen as a strength amid concerns over what the second Trump presidency could mean for the UK, with the Republican politician having pledged to introduce wide-ranging tariffs.

However, the Labour grandees past remarks about Mr Trump  who he once described as little short of a white nationalist and racist  may yet plague attempts to foster close US-UK relations.

Mr LaCivita, a senior adviser to Mr Trumps 2024 election campaign, has already hit back at the Labour peer after his words emerged, describing Lord Mandelson as an absolute moron.

The peer was one of the architects of New Labour, helping to restore the party to power in the 1990s.

He served as trade secretary and Northern Ireland secretary under Tony Blair but stood down as an MP in 2004 to become a European Commissioner.

He returned to government in 2008 when Mr Brown awarded him a peerage and appointed him business secretary.

More recently, Lord Mandelson stood to be the next chancellor of Oxford University but lost out to former Conservative leader Lord Hague.
Office of Michigan attorney general investigated actions of the now Birmingham bishop Steven J Raica. Photograph: Ali Haider/EPA

The Roman Catholic bishop of Birmingham, Alabama, dismissed allegations of child sexual abuse against a priest that were later deemed credible and settled out of court by church officials, according to a new prosecutors report that scrutinized his work during a prior role in Michigan.

The actions of now Birmingham bishop Steven J Raica are detailed in a report published by the office of the Michigan state attorney general, Dana Nessel, after an investigation into the diocese of Lansing, Michigan.

As the Alabama news outlet AL.com first reported on Saturday, Raica served as a priest in the Lansing diocese for nearly four decades until he became the bishop of Gaylord, Michigan, in 2014, and later that of Birmingham in 2020. His work in Lansing at one point involved managing the dioceses records and researching information that could substantiate allegations of abuse, a church spokesperson told AL.com.

In that capacity, Raica received reports of at least 17 Lansing priests molesting people, mostly children, the investigation by Nessels office found.

Nessels office documented Raicas receipt and investigation of the reports. In one case, in 2010, he handled a report that the late priest John Slowey had molested a child at a Lansing orphanage between 1954 and 1955. Raica and another clergyman determined that there was not enough evidence supporting the allegation and classified it as unsubstantiated, Nessels office asserted.

But the church later reversed itself, with Nessels report saying: The  allegation was found to be credible and was settled.

Raicas handling of the claim against Slowey is not the only one scrutinized by Nessels office and AL.com, as the outlet noted. He also stood up for a priest with past criminal convictions and multiple claims involving sexual misconduct who was later removed from ministry for sexually abusing a young adult man.

A 2010 letter from Raica cited in Nessels report said there has never been any further episode of indiscretions by the clergyman, Robert Gerl, and that the Lansing church fostered no reservations about his remaining in ministry.

Eight years later, the church investigated a report that Gerl had sexually assaulted an 18-year-old male in 1980. The accuser said he had reported the abuse to the Lansing diocese in 2004 and that the church responded with gross negligence. Ultimately, the Lansing diocese removed Gerl from ministry in 2018.

That same year, a Pennsylvania grand jury report established Catholic clergy abuse in that state was far more widespread than initially believed, reigniting the US churchs long-simmering clerical molestation and cover-up scandal. It prompted the Catholic church in the US to generally recommit to living up to earlier promises of transparency about  and zero tolerance for  clergy abuse, which many officials acknowledged their institutions had failed to do.

Related: Clergy abuse survivors say theres still long ways to go after sentencing of New Orleans priest

Dozens of US Catholic dioceses have filed for federal bankruptcy protection amid the clergy abuse scandal. Some cases of that kind have recently settled for about $600,000 per abuse claim.

A Birmingham diocese spokesperson, Donald Carson, could not immediately be reached for comment on Sunday. But Carson told AL.com in an email: It is not unusual that, over time, additional information could be brought forth that would change initial findings.

Nessel took office in early 2019 and has promised to publish reports for all seven Catholic dioceses of Michigan. Reports for the diocese of Marquette, Gaylord and Kalamazoo have already been released.

The Lansing report chronicled claims against 48 priests, three religious brothers, one apparent former religious brother and four deacons who were suspected of engaging in sexually abusive behavior in the diocese since 1950. Nessels office said it had filed charges in 11 Catholic clergy abuse cases in Michigan during its statewide investigation, with nine leading to convictions.

Two of those cases centered on priests in the diocese of Lansing  and one involved an apparent former religious brother, the Detroit News reported. Raicas name appears in the 347-page Lansing report about 170 times, as also mentioned by AL.com.

A report on the archdiocese of Detroit is among the three that are pending from Nessels offices investigation into Michigans Catholic dioceses. The reports are expected to be completed by 2026.

The Birmingham diocese headed by Raica is based out in Alabamas largest metropolitan area, with about 1.1 million total residents.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assads wife - AFP

When, aged 25, Asma Akhras swapped pursuing an MBA at Harvard for marrying a meek-looking ex-ophthalmology student named Bashar al-Assad, she had no illusions as to her beaus career.

His Stalin-worshipping father Hafez had ruled Syria as mercilessly as his idol for almost three decades. Bashars older brother was dead, and Bashar was newly installed as his fathers successor. He had swapped Harley Street for torture chambers; fixing cataracts for gassing his own people. If Akhras was wilfully blind to what she was getting herself in for, not even her husbands skills could have saved her.

Yet a quarter century, 580,000 dead, and one coup later, and the erstwhile desert rose seems to have realised that life with Bashar is not all it was cracked up to be. Middle Eastern media has reported that Syrias former first lady has filed for divorce in Russia, where the Kremlin granted the pair asylum after the collapse of her husbands regime last month.

Mrs Assad was born in London to Syrian parents. She grew up in Acton and graduated from Kings College London. She still retains her British citizenship. Having been diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year, she is said to want to return to London for cancer treatment. The Kremlin has denied the reports, as well as suggestions that the pair are being confined to Moscow.

But if there is any truth in the idea that she is pining for North London, the Government must dismiss it out of hand, and do a Shamima: strip her of her citizenship. Enthusiasts for the erstwhile jihadi bride could at least argue that she was a teenager, too naive to quite realise what life would be like in the Real Housewives of ISIS. The ex-first lady had no such excuse, however many Vogue profiles she starred in.

One could make excuses. Bashar was a family friend! If he was willing to gas, bomb, and murder tens of thousands of his own people, what might he have done to her if she started looking for an out?

Spare me. We should not be allowing eligible twenty-somethings to think that if they marry a dictator they can expect to be welcomed back to Britain as soon as they find themselves on the wrong side of a revolution. Since its a bit late for the City minister to introduce me to her aunt, and Id struggle to see myself going gay for Kim Jong-Un, this is not a problem that I can see myself having.

Since this appears to be one of the few areas in which David Lammy has a modicum of sense, we should hope that any suggestion of Mrs Assad returning home will be dispatched forthwith. Living out their lives in a loveless marriage in a grotty Moscow suburb seems the least her and her husband are due.
Freezing This Christmas entered last weeks Official Singles Chart at number 37 - Geoff Pugh

An anti-Sir Keir Starmer song could become a Top 10 hit later this week as it continues to climb the singles charts.

Freezing This Christmas, a parody of the 1974 Mud hit Lonely This Christmas, criticises the Governments decision to strip 10 million pensioners of their winter fuel allowance.

The track was written by marketer Chris Middleton under the mock band name Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers, with all proceeds going towards charities helping the elderly.

Freezing This Christmas entered last weeks Official Singles Chart at number 37 despite the BBCs refusal to play the song, as Wham!s Last Christmas became Christmas number one.

Now the protest song is on for a stronger showing in the final singles chart of 2024, with the song having risen to number 13  a jump of 24 places  in this weeks Official Chart Update.

The BBC has refused to play the song

The Official Charts company said: Political protest track Freezing This Christmas by Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers rises 24 places to Number 13 as the most-downloaded track of the week so far.

Last Friday, Freezing This Christmas topped both the sales and downloads charts amid a spirited grass-roots campaign on social media.

Lyrics to the parody include: Itll be freezing this Christmas, without fuel at home, itll be freezing this Christmas while Keir Starmers warm. Itll be cold, so cold, without fuel at home, this Christmas.

The song has now raised more than 50,000 for Age UK, with more than 2,800 people making up the donations.

More than 1.4 million people have watched a music video for the song, which was written in just under an hour, on YouTube.

Mr Middleton said over the weekend: We have officially hit my stretch target of 50,000 for Age UK! Thank you all so much for your support. When I initially set the target at 5,000, I was worried I wouldnt even get 100. Youve absolutely all blown me away.

The song features vocals from Dean Ager, a Frank Sinatra impersonator who regularly performs at care homes.

Rob Davis, a 77-year-old original member of Mud, has endorsed the spoof of his bands most prominent track.

Mr Davis said of the winter fuel allowance cut: Thats not a good thing. I mean, there are a lot of very broke people over here. Its very hard.

The BBC played the entries on either side of Freezing This Christmas during last weeks chart show but continued to refuse to give the song airtime. This is despite the fact there are no BBC policies stopping it from playing protest songs or political tracks.

The corporation said decisions about song selection are made on an ad-hoc basis and that the chart show is a factual account of what the British public have been listening to.

A BBC spokesman said: Decisions about which tracks we play are made on a case-by-case basis in line with what our audience expect to hear.

Labour is standing by its decision to restrict the winter fuel allowance to retirees who already receive pension credit despite a fierce political backlash.

There was embarrassment for Sir Keir at his partys annual conference in September after members, with the support of trade unions, voted in favour of reversing the policy.

A legal challenge has also been filed by Unite, the trade union, while a number of backbench Labour MPs continue to urge the Prime Minister to rethink the winter fuel raid.

Jon Trickett, a Labour backbencher, voted against the government on the issue in the Commons earlier this year, while 52 MPs did not participate in the vote.

While seven of these were ministers paired with absent opposition figures, at least two dozen of these MPs are believed to privately oppose the policy.

An opinion poll by Savanta in October found 59 per cent of British adults oppose the policy, with more Labour voters opposed to the move (46 per cent) than in favour (35 per cent).
Workers say they harvested grapes for up to 12 hours a day with very little to eat. Unions say working conditions are going backwards in the champagne industry and blame the sector as a whole for failing to ban exploitative labour providers Photograph: Valentina Camu/Divergence for The Guardian

A Guardian investigation has found that workers in Frances champagne industry are being underpaid and forced to sleep on the streets and steal food to stave off hunger. Workers from west Africa and eastern Europe in the town of Epernay, home to the headquarters of some of the worlds most expensive champagne brands, including Moet & Chandon and Mercier, claim that they are either not being paid for their work or illegally underpaid by vineyards near the town.

The Guardian found workers in the town sleeping on the streets or in tents as the vineyards did not provide accommodation. Other workers staying in a nearby village said they had been forced to steal food from local people as they did not have anywhere to buy provisions.

Last year, 300m bottles of champagne from the vineyards of northern France were shipped around the world, generating 6bn (5bn) in revenues.

Yet the champagne industry has been hit by a string of controversies related to its treatment of grape-pickers, with four workers dying from suspected sunstroke during last years harvest. In a case scheduled to go to court early next year, four people, including a vineyard owner, have been charged with human trafficking.

In Epernay, the grand offices of the worlds most luxurious champagne brands sit side by side on the towns Champagne Avenue, where tens of millions of bottles of champagne reported to be stored underground have led the avenue to be named the richest street in the world.

Just a few minutes walk away, dozens of workers responsible for harvesting the 2024 champagne grapes are getting ready to sleep in the doorway of the cinema opposite the towns main train station.

Another group of people from French-speaking Africa are collecting belongings hidden in bushes after returning from a days grape-picking. One of them, Youniss, says hes been working on vineyards for three days but remains vague about where he will be sleeping tonight, saying outside.

Youniss, like other workers, had been drawn to the region by the promise of a well-paid job picking some of the most expensive grapes in the world during August and September. Even the cheapest bottle of champagne is rarely sold for less than 20.

Another worker, Nora*, says she was left to sleep on a soaking mattresses in a tent after heavy rainfall during this years harvest. She says they were put under pressure to work faster. Every night, we wondered whether we were going to be fired the next morning or not. Her payslip showed she was paid less than the French minimum hourly wage, and no overtime.

Unions blame vineyards for continuing to blindly accept cheap labour and the sector as a whole for failing to ban exploitative labour providers. They say some vineyard owners try to justify themselves by arguing that they are helping African migrants by giving them employment, even if it is underpaid.

Its greed. The grapes are selling for 10 to 12 a kilo (8-10), so its shocking to treat people this bad, says Jose Blanco, secretary general of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) trade union in the Champagne region. They look at them as machines and not humans.

***

Kanoute was living in Paris when he heard about a job in the countryside promising 80 a day. Originally a migrant from Mali, he had been surviving for a decade on a series of low-paid cleaning and dishwashing jobs, so jumped at the opportunity.

A few days after starting work in September 2023, Kanoute, 30, says he and more than 50 other workers  most of whom were undocumented migrants from west Africa  found themselves hungry and living in a dilapidated house in the village of Nesle-le-Repons, on the Champagne tourist route in north-east France.

They had been left to survive on one sandwich a day given to them at lunchtime as they were transported between vineyards in the area, says Kanoute, and became so desperate that they started to steal food from neighbouring fields in the village.

When we denounce whats happening in Champagne, its omerta. Everyone keeps quiet Jose Blanco, CGT union

We worked hard and were promised a salary and bonuses, but we didnt get anything, he says. Wed go round ringing peoples doorbells looking for cigarettes. Sometimes, people would see us coming and close the doors. It was hard on our dignity.

The legal minimum wage is 9.23 an hour after deductions meaning the workers should have been paid between 100 and 110 each day  much more than the 80 promised by the recruiters. Kanoute says he ended up being paid 200 by the providers for one week of work. Most of the other workers allegedly returned to Paris without any payment for their labour.

They were treated like dogs, a retired winegrower living opposite the workers house in the village says. The people who do that arent winegrowers: theyre exploiters. Its a shame, it doesnt give a good image of Champagne.

Unions said conditions were going backwards in the champagne sector and that labour providers offered poor conditions and low pay because of winegrowers insistence on cheap labour. But it is hard to hold specific champagne houses responsible for the exploitation of workers, says Blanco, because of a system of Russian dolls where you have one company delegating to another and so on.

In Kanoutes case, neighbours notified the police. The boss of a labour provider, two of her agents and one of the winegrowers who used the provider have now been charged with human trafficking, providing unfit accommodation and nonexistent or inadequate pay. They are due to appear in court in March.

***

In Epernay, staff at the Palace cinema next to the train station say rough-sleeping workers during the harvest period was a recurring problem and that the dozen or more they found this year had just been looking for somewhere out of the rain.

It has been so cold this year that we went home wondering if theyd still be alive in the morning, says Elise, who has worked at the cinema for the past two years and says she saw minibuses dropping the workers off every evening.

They [the city] just want to move the workers on because we get a lot of tourists now, but they should find a house for them. It is horrible. We asked our manager and gave them popcorn, cola and M&Ms, but we knew it wasnt real food.

A few kilometres outside Epernay, the Guardian met a group of Polish workers. They say they were working 10 hours a day and show employment contracts saying they are paid 11.40 an hour. That is below the legal minimum of 11.65 an hour before deductions. According to French law, workers should receive 25% more each hour in overtime if they work more than 35 hours in a week  and this rises to 50% if more than 43 hours a week are being worked.

The unions have called on the industry to start adding treatment of labour to its stipulations of what can be verified as champagne.

Related: Working here is hell: latest death of farm worker in 40C heat shocks Italy

When we denounce whats happening in Champagne, its omerta. Everyone keeps quiet. The image of champagne is that of a party wine and luxury. People dont want to think about allegations of human trafficking, says Blanco.

In a statement to the Guardian, the industry body, Comite Champagne, says it has asked public authorities to step up controls and severely punish any abuses.

When we hear these terms [human trafficking] associated with our region, we can only be shocked. These shameful practices do not reflect the commitment of a passionate profession and zero tolerance must be applied, it says.

It has reminded winegrowers that using a service provider cannot cost less than direct employment. Low prices may be an indication of dubious practices and should draw your attention.

*Name has been changed

 This article was amended on 28 January 2025 to make it clear that the Guardian spoke with harvest workers in Epernay at the time of the 2024 harvest.